She was an angel.

Hamuko couldn't be anything but an angel

That was the only way this would make any sense in Shinjiro's mind, after all. It was the only logical reasoning behind why the auburn haired girl … no, not girl, young woman, was pressed against his side, smiling up at him even in sleep. Her hair was down for once, the auburn strands splayed out over her shoulders, his chest, and the cool mattress they were lying on. Now, in the faint green glow that came from the Dark Hour's moon, Shinjiro could almost see the faint blush that spread across her face.

A grimace came over his face, and Shinjiro sighed, brushing some of the auburn strands out of her face. He didn't deserve her, and she … she deserved better than him. Hamuko let out a quiet murmur and turned into the light touch of his fingers against her face, and Shinjiro couldn't help but smile in spite of his gloom. Running his fingers over the soft skin of her cheek, he brushed her bangs away from her forehead, and leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the forehead.

"Nmmm …" Hamuko stirred quietly, stretching out and pressing against his side more. "S … Shinjiro …?" she asked, waking up slowly. One groggy red eye opened to focus on Shinjiro's face, a smile crossing across her face once more. "You're still up?"

"It's early." Shinjiro sighed, a faint smile coming across his face again. "The Dark Hour only started a few moments ago … we hit the sack pretty early."

"The full moon's tomorrow." A slim finger ran across Shinjiro's chest, her hand eventually resting over his heart. "It's best that we're all well rested for that, after all … who knows what the Shadows will be like tomorrow night, after all." Shinjiro grimaced and sighed, rolling onto his side and wrapping both arms around Hamuko's waist, resting his forehead against hers.

"… Hamuko?" He asked after a long moment of silence, grey-brown eyes half closed. Hamuko gave a little questioning noise, running her slim fingers over his jaw line, ruby colored eyes meeting his. "D … Do you really want to risk this right now?" Shinjiro asked cautiously, not knowing how to ask her this sort of thing. It wasn't fair of him, after all; one way or another, he would die the next day … Even if he now wished that it wasn't so.

Hamuko gave Shinjiro a confused look, making him sigh. "I mean … shit … Hamuko, we're fighting for our lives here. Do you really want to run the risk of being in this sort of relationship, even though one or both of us could die any time we go into Tartarus?"

Hamuko remained silent for a long moment before pulling Shinjiro's face closer to hers. Stealing a light kiss, she let him clench their bodies closer together, fingers burying into his hair. "Nobody's going to die, Shinjiro, not if I can help it." Hamuko stated firmly as they separated, her voice little more than a hot breath against Shinjiro's ear. She didn't notice the way he flinched at her statement, because her next words were every bit as firm and gentle as they had been before. "Certainly you've been through enough of Tartarus with me to know I'm not going to let anyone die, especially not you."

Shinjiro just shook his head and nestled his face in the crook of Hamuko's neck. "Alright, alright, you got me there."

'Liar,' His mind jeered at him, but he ignored it in favor of taking in the sound of Hamuko's pulse against his ear. The feeling of bare skin against bare skin made him shiver in delight, the vivid memories from what had happened mere hours ago racing through his head. He hadn't wanted her to fall in love with him …

'Lying, again,' It seemed that Shinjiro's subconscious was out to get him tonight. And … as much as he hated to admit it, he had relished the love and affection he had gotten from Hamuko, all of it. He hadn't known a family before, hadn't know what genuine, honest love felt like. Lust and desire, yes, he knew what those were, but not what Hamuko gave him. Hell, he had felt all three emotions at the same time earlier in the evening, spurned by Hamuko's stubborn refusal to leave him, to deny the fact that she actually gave a damn about him.

"Shinjiro?" Hamuko's worried call of his name drew Shinjiro out of his thoughts, and he let out a quiet noise to show that he was paying attention. "Are … are you alright? You just fell quiet so suddenly, and I …" Hamuko tapered off, running her slim fingers down Shinjiro's bare back. "… Are you still thinking about what we just did?"

"How could I not be?" Shinjiro asked quietly in return, voice soft. "Honestly, how often does someone like you get involved with me like that? Without strings attached, that is." Pulling his face away from Hamuko's neck, Shinjiro propped himself up on one arm, running his fingers through her auburn hair. "… You do know that there will be hell to pay when Kirijo finds out you and I did this, right?" He finally asked, and was surprised to see Hamuko snort.

"IF she finds out Shinjiro, IF." Letting her hand slide up to grasp at his, Hamuko gave him a warm smile. "I don't plan on telling her about this, at least not for a good long while. So unless you tell her, she won't find out for a good long while." Shinjiro shook his head at that; he wasn't an idiot. If the two of them were found out by anyone, it would be best if it was Koromaru, or even Aigis or Yamagishi. The latter two could keep their mouths shut, and the former was a dog.

However, if Kirijo found out … Shinjiro had heard horror stories from Aki about what her infamous 'executions' were, and he didn't want to run the risk of facing one, not even for Hamuko. "… If she does find out, I'm blaming you." He muttered after a long moment, trying to sound gruff; Hamuko merely giggled at him, knowing that Shinjiro didn't mean it, and he was fully aware that she knew it as well. Sighing, Shinjiro laid back down, staring out the window once more, eyes locked on the mostly full moon.

… Even … even if he could dissuade Ken from killing him tomorrow, Shinjiro didn't know how much longer he had let to live. While he hadn't been taking the suppressants for very long (at least it didn't seem long, and he'd stopped taking them after giving the bottle to Yoshino), they were still lethal. Even now, lying still like this, he could feel death slowly sneaking up on him from the inside. It was a slow death, agonizingly so, but …

But until he'd run into Hamuko, he hadn't minded. He was something of the past, something that was best forgotten along with the Dark Hour. He didn't deserve any of the warmth and affection he was receiving, and especially not from the angel lying next to him, body bare beneath the duvet.

A small hand pressed against his cheek, making Shinjiro turn to look into Hamuko's worried red eyes. "Shinjiro, you keep spacing out. You should get some sleep." She whispered, leaning over him, the green glow from the outside world turning her skin a soft, light shade of jade green, one that made her red eyes radiate with warmth.

She … was captivating. Shinjiro found himself staring for a moment longer, before shaking his head with a smile and pulling Hamuko close to his body again. "Not tired." He muttered, kissing the tip of her nose when they were pressed fully against one another. Letting his hands rub up and down her back, Shinjiro continued with the soft kisses, enjoying the quiet sigh Hamuko let out as she relaxed against him, digging her fingers into his wild brown hair. Just the feel of her like this, her heart beating in tandem with his, made Shinjiro feel like he had done something right, for once in his life.

He knew he'd do anything for her, do anything for the angel that had fallen into his arms– quite literally a couple of times, now that Shinjiro thought about it. But it was true; Hamuko had shown up so suddenly, so out of the blue … now that he had gotten involved with her, gotten to know the quiet, lonely girl that hid behind all her smiles, Shinjiro didn't want to leave her. He didn't want to break her heart …

After all, wouldn't it be considered sinning to break the heart of an angel?

"Shinjiro …" Hamuko's faint whisper made him stop his kisses, worried.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked, keeping his voice down low. Hamuko shook her head, looking down at him again and kissing him on the mouth once.

"I just wanted to say your name." She giggled, pressing their foreheads together. Shinjiro chuckled in response, cupping her face with his large hands. He could feel her slim hands slipping to do the same to his face, her warmth going into his skin. Even with this light of a touch, he could feel the calluses that she had from wielding her naginata, the roughness a sharp yet entrancing contrast from the soft skin of her face. "Hey … Shinjiro?" Hamuko asked quietly, breaking the silence that had settled over them.

"Yeah?"

"Do you … think that we could … again?" She blushed as she spoke, making Shinjiro chuckle in spite of himself; only Hamuko could act like she hadn't been claimed already, despite the fact that Shinjiro could still feel her nails digging into his shoulders from their first time. He doubted that, even if his life wasn't short of time, he would ever forget the sight, or the feel of addictive bliss that making love had brought them both.

After another moment, he smiled. "Yeah, if you want." He murmured, grey-brown eyes softening as Hamuko smiled brightly at him, leaning in for another kiss. Closing his eyes, Shinjiro let his eyes slide shut, a smile tugging at his mouth. "For you, my angel … anything …"

OH THE SAPPINESS!

WHY ARE YOU SO SAPPY, MY BELOVED OTP?

*cough* anyway ...

I figured that I should post at least SOME Foolmoon stuff, shouldn't I? This ... actually came out of completely nowhere, but was actually partially inspired by what the Hierophant Arcana actually means. It's mainly used to symbolize the church, conservatism, religion as a whole, and a connection to the divine.

And also Shinjiro's Arcana for fighting in Persona 3. While I normally didn't find this a little odd, after reading what the Moon Arcana - Shinjiro's social link - symbolized (Illusions, hidden depths, imagination and creativity), it struck me as kind of off ... and well, this fic was born as a side effect of that.

Like it? Hate it? Review either way~ :3