4/7 (Early Morning)

Minato awoke to the sound of his phone buzzing. He reached out and fumbled around blindly to find the disturbance, and after knocking a few things off of his nightstand, he managed to grab his phone. He flipped it open and turned off the alarm. He chucked his phone onto the floor, angered that he had been disturbed from his peaceful slumber. Minato was a very tired person, and more often than not, he would often doze off multiple times during the day. In some of his old schools, teachers had tried to punish him when they caught him sleeping in their class by asking him questions about their lecture, but, to their displeasure, Minato always knew the answer. After a couple of times, the teachers seemed to give up and let Minato sleep whenever he wished. After a couple of minutes of trying to go back to sleep, he remembered that it was his first day at a new school, and being late would cause a lot of problems down the road. So, with a groan, he huffed himself out of bed and started to get ready for the day.

The memories of last night came back to Minato as he brushed his teeth. The butterfly, Kotone, the strange city, the mysterious boy, the contract, and the dorm incident. Was it a dream? Had he been so tired that he imagined it all? He had read somewhere that sleep deprived people sometimes hallucinate, but Minato knew that it was wishful thinking on his part. He knew that what had happened last night was real, and that it was important that he figure out what was going on.

There was a knock at the door as Minato finished putting on his uniform.

"Minato-kun?" asked the voice, "Are you awake?"

Minato sighed. This was just what he needed in the morning. He walked over to the door and cracked it open, so only his eye could be seen by the girl standing on the other side.

Kotone stood in the hall, already in her uniform and ready to start the day. She gave Minato a smile as he peered at her.

"Morning! Did you sleep okay? I saw Mitsuru-senpai this morning, and she said that Yukari is going to take us to school. It's getting late, so I came to get you!"

Minato blinked, and proceeded to shut the door.

Kotone made a noise and started banging on the door, but her protests were silenced as Minato stepped out a few seconds later with his bag slung over his shoulder. He gave her a look, and she blushed.

"I thought..." she started, but Minato was already halfway down the hall.

"You're going to be late if you keep standing around, Kotone-san."

Kotone huffed and chased Minato down the stairs, swinging her bag at him. Yukari was sitting on one of the couches, playing with her phone. She stood to greet them as they came towards her. Kotone greeted her in return, while Minato only nodded. The three left the dorm as Yukari led them towards the train station. Minato hadn't had a good chance to look over the neighborhood, given the circumstances of the previous night, so today he took in all that he could. The area looked like a quiet neighborhood, and a few dorms could be found here and there. Overall, quite different from how it was yesterday. He returned his attention to the two girls he was with, only to find them making small talk. Losing interest, he put on his headphones and let the music envelop him. After walking for a short while, they made it to the train, which they boarded. The train ride was uneventful, with Minato dosing off every couple of minutes and Yukari and Kotone talking. A half hour later, they had arrived at their destination and proceeded to school. Another half hour of walking. Too much walking for Minato's liking, but he had no choice. Finally, they had arrived outside the school gates.

Yukari turned to face them, "Well, this is it. We're here. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. Hope you like it."

Gekkoukan was a sight to behold. They had been able to see it from the water, and even from that distance, the school was impressive. It was a large, state-of-the-art building with a sleek design. Most of the schools Minato had been to weren't even a third of the size as this building. Whoever funded this must be seriously wealthy if they could afford this monstrosity.

"Wow, it's amazing," Kotone exclaimed, "Don't you think so, Minato-kun?"

Minato shrugged, "Yeah, I suppose."

Kotone giggled, "That's as good as a compliment as this school's going to get."

The three entered the building and changed their shoes. Yukari remembered what Mitsuru had told her earlier this morning.

"You're okay from here, right?" She asked the two, "You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is right there to the left. ...And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"

Kotone raised her hand, as if this was an actual tour and Yukari was an actual tour guide. At first, Yukari was confused, but she quickly caught on and giggled, "Yes, what's your question?"

"What class are you in, Yukari?"

Yukari cocked her head, "Me? I dunno... I haven't looked at the classroom assignments yet. They're right over there. You should go check."

Kotone nodded and went over. Minato was about to follow her, but Yukari grabbed him.

"Hey," she whispered, "About last night... Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay? ...See ya later."

Yukari left and Minato joined Kotone at the bulletin board. She had pointed out to him that their names were attached on a slip of paper at the bottom, and that they were in 2-F. Minato read the names of the other students in 2-F. They were all names that meant nothing to him. Except for one. Yukari Takeba.

'So, she's in the same class, huh?'

"Wow, we're even in the same class? This is kinda freaky, Minato-kun. It's like we're bound by fate."

Minato shrugged, "Or maybe it's a curse."

Kotone huffed and puffed her cheeks, "That's mean."

Minato motioned towards a hallway, "Come on, we need to go to the faculty office."

Kotone nodded, but was still pouting. Minato knew that she wasn't going to let this go for a little while. They walked down the corridor, looking at all the different rooms. Finally, they found the Faculty Office sign, and slid open the door. The room was empty, save for a middle aged woman sitting at a desk, reading over some files. The sound of the door opening caught her attention as she saw the two students enter.

"Oh, are you the new students?"

They nodded.

The woman hummed and started flipping through pages in the file she had been looking at, "I see. Kotone Shiomi. 11th grade. Lived with your uncle for a while, moved here due to parents. I see, I see. And you, Minato Arisato. 11th grade also. Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places... Let's see... in 1999... That was what, ten years ago? Your parents-" She gasped and stared at him, "I'm sorry... I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read these beforehand. I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

Kotone gave her a bright smile, "Nice to meet you!"

Minato gave her a nod, "Thanks"

"Have you seen the classroom assignment?" They nodded, "2-F is my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me.

Ms. Toriumi left the office and Minato and Kotone followed. As they walked toward the auditorium, Minato felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Hey, Minato-kun, Sensei mentioned something that happened ten years ago to you. What was it?"

Minato's eyes widened for split second as the memories of that night returned to him. He forced them back into the recesses of his mind.

"It's...complicated."

Kotone could sense his obvious discomfort, "Oh! I didn't mean... You don't have to tell me, Minato-kun. Forget I even asked."

Minato gave her a small smile, "Thank you, Kotone-san."

She smiled at him and they continue the walk to the auditorium in silence.

After they had taken their seats, the principal started his speech. Fifteen minutes passed and he started to drone on and on about this and that. Minato had stopped paying attention a minute into his speech, and was trying to stay awake, partially because he didn't want to get yelled at, but mostly because every time that his head tipped forward, Kotone jabbed her elbow into his ribs.

'For a girl that smiles a lot, she sure it violent.' Thought Minato as he rubbed his side.

Now the Principal was talking about jobs and how they are worth doing well. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and for a brief moment tensed, waiting for another jab, but realized that it had come from his other side, the one Kotone was not on. He turned to see a student behind him leaning forward in his chair.

"Psst...You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

Minato shrugged, "I don't know."

The boy slowly nodded his head, "Oh, I see. I thought you might know, but... I guess not. ...So, how well do you know her?"

But the boy never got his answer, as Minato turned back around, only to dose off once more. The sharp pain of his bruising ribs woke him up, and Minato made the smart decision to remain awake for the rest of the speech.

(After School)

The seat assignment placed Minato in the middle column, second row on the right. And Kotone? Middle column, second row on the left. She made another comment about "fate" and "destiny", but Minato chose to ignore it

'This girl keeps following me in every aspect of my life. Who the hell is she?'

Minato was just about to get up to leave when a boy in a purple hat came over to his desk.

"S'up, dude? How's it going?"

Minato stared at the boy, "Who are you?"

The boy grinned, "Me? I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in middle school. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So I wanted to say, 'hey.'" He chuckled, "See what a nice guy I am!"

Kotone giggled to his left, "Wow, Minato-kun, looks like you're super popular, and it's our first day. I'm kinda jealous." Her giggling turned into a full blown laugh, which drew the attention of a few other students.

Junpei suddenly hopped over Minato's desk and sat on it, "Why, hello there, miss! The name's Junpei Iori? And what, may I ask, is your name?"

Kotone's laughter subsided, "I'm Kotone Shiomi"

Before Junpei could reply, the classroom doors opened and in walked Yukari. Junpei perked up, "Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

Yukari groaned as she walked over to her desk, which was right in front of Minato's, "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think that you might be bothering Kotone-chan?"

'What about me?' thought Minato.

Junpei looked aghast, "What? But, I was just being friendly, ain't that right, Kotone-tan?"

Kotone giggled, "Right! He seems like a nice guy."

Yukari looked doubtful, and turned to Minato, "Looks like we're in the same homeroom."

Minato shrugged, "It must be fate."

Kotone's leg shot out and caught Minato's shin, though he chose to ignore the pain.

Yukari giggled, "Fate? Yeah, right. Still, I'm a little surprised."

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too?" Junpei interjected, "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

Yukari's eyes widened, "Wh-what are you talking about!? We live in the same dorm. The three of us. Why isn't she part of the rumor? There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried." She gave Minato a wary look, "You didn't say anything to anyone about... you know what, did you?"

Minato shook his head and Yukari let out a sigh of relief, "Okay, good. Seriously... Don't say anything about last night, alright?"

Junpei shot up off Minato's desk and looked at the two of them incredulously. Yukari noticed the stare, and shifted uncomfortably under Junpei's gaze.

"Wh-what?"

"L-last night...?" He croaked.

It took Yukari a couple of seconds to comprehend what Junpei was saying, but then it dawned on her, "W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen! I just met them yesterday, and there is absolutely nothing going on between Minato-kun and I!" She grabbed her bag from her desk, "Geez... I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team." She walked towards the door, but stopped and glared at Junpei, "You better not start any rumors!" And she was gone.

Junpei let out a groan as he fell back into his own seat, "Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid... But, hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular." He leaned forward and slapped Minato on the back, "You da man!" He started to chuckle, "This is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

4/7 (Evening)

Mitsuru sat in the lounge reading one of her many books. The new transfer students had returned a short while ago, and she had directed them to go up to their rooms and retire for the night. They agreed and with a short farewell, they ascended the stairs to go to their respective rooms. She remembered her conversation with the Chairman earlier today. Those two obviously had the potential. How else could they have traversed the town? But, they seemed oddly calm about it. When most normal people experience it, they are left disoriented and exhausted. But not them. They seemed fine. She did regret having the cameras installed in their rooms, but it was a necessary evil. They were fighting a war, after all. The prospect of not only one, but two, potential users had given her a hope that she hadn't had in a long time. With there numbers, they'd finally be able to start exploring THAT place.

The sounds of footsteps caught her attention. A young man with white hair was descending the stairs, jacket flung over his shoulder.

'How typical of him,' she thought.

"I'm going out," he announced.

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow.

The student groaned, "Didn't you see the newspaper? There's a lot going on."

Mitsuru sighed, "I know. People who had problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome... I've seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress, but..."

Mitsuru trailed off, but the other student simply grinned, "Yeah, it has to be THEM. Otherwise, it's not worth my time..."

"You have a one-track mind..." She couldn't help but feel worried, "Will you be okay on your own? The Chairman will be here for the next few days, but after that, I can..."

The student waved his hand, "Don't worry. I'm just getting a little practice." And with that, he left.

Mitsuru looked down at her book and sighed, "This isn't a game, Akihiko..."

4/8 (Evening)

Minato walked back to the dorm after an uneventful day at class. Any rumors about his relationship with Yukari had died out, and for that, he was grateful. He never enjoyed being the center of attention. Junpei had taken it upon himself to show Kotone the town, so she left school with him, leaving Minato to trudge home alone. He didn't mind, but he couldn't stop noticing how quiet it was without Kotone's chatter, and he found himself strangely missing it. He decided to stop at Iwatodai station and walk around for a little bit. He had time to kill until he had to report back to the dorm for curfew

After walking around the Strip Mall for a while, he decided that it was time to return. Thankfully, he didn't have to walk far, so he made it back to the dorm before the sun completely set. When he entered, he saw that Yukari and Kotone had also returned and were sitting on one of the couches. However, with them was someone who Minato had never met before. The sophisticated gentleman was making idle conversation with Kotone. Yukari noticed that Minato had returned, and stood up to greet him.

"You're back."

The sophisticated gentleman stood up as well and walked over towards Minato, "So, this is our other new guest. Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school." He paused, and seemed to be contemplating something, "'Ikutsuki'... Hard to say, isn't it? I don't like introducing myself, you see. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes..." He chuckled and gestured towards the couch, "Please, have a seat."

Minato nodded and sat down next to Yukari, across from Kotone.

"I've already talked to Kotone about this, but I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. It is going to take a while longer before you receive a proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

'Yeah, what the hell is going on in this town? Why did the sky turn green? Where were all the people, and why were there coffins everywhere? What's the deal with all technology shutting off? Why would Yukari need to have a gun in a relatively safe neighborhood? Who was that boy? Why did I have to sign a contract? Why...?'

Minato shook his head, "No, I'm good."

Ikutsuki seemed pleased, "Excellent! Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He stood to leave, "You both must still be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'"

The room fell silent as they stared at Ikutsuki, who gave an awkward cough, "...Please forgive the bad pun." He started laughing as he left.

When he was gone, Yukari groaned, "Don't worry," she said, "you'll get used to his lame jokes."

Kotone giggled, "I don't know. I thought it was kinda funny."

The other two students stared at her, wondering if there was something wrong with her.

(Late Night)

Yukari couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. She was previously against the idea of reading about both Minato's and Kotone's lives. It felt invasive and rude to her, but Ikutsuki had assured her that she needed to learn about her potential partners. She had agreed, but not happily. Kotone's file had seemed normal enough. Her parents had moved around a lot, so to afford her the necessary stability, she had lived with her uncle for a number of years. However, her parents had insisted that she move to Port Island to continue her education and live on her own as an adult. Other than that, her file seemed pretty average. She was popular, had good grades, and was involved with tennis at her old school. Yukari enjoyed talking to her, and she could see them becoming friends somewhere down the road.

Minato's file had shocked her. He had lived here previously, but had left in 1999, due to an accident. While leaving Port Island, there was a car accident on the Moonlight Bridge. A few people had died that night, including both of Minato's parents. Afterwards, he had been moved around from foster home to foster home, until he was finally dumped here. He was an odd one, she realized. He had above average grades, though, from what she had gathered in class, he slept all the time. Despite the fact that he seemed disinterested in most things, he was surprisingly sharp.

'He's the same as me,' she thought, 'He lost his parents too. Dad...'

She would have been fine with just the files, but after they had arrived at the dorm, she had learned that Ikutsuki had intended to monitor them as they slept. Her stomach dropped when she entered the command room to find Kotone and Minato up on the screen, both sleeping peacefully in their rooms, blissfully unaware of the three people watching and recording their every action.

"How're they doing?" inquired Ikutsuki.

Mitsuru pressed a few buttons, "They went to bed a little while ago. They're both asleep." She stared at the monitors, "Mr. Chairman, do you think they're...?"

Ikutsuki rubbed his chin, "Well, let's wait and see for now. The Dark Hour approaches."

The clock struck midnight, and had started to chime. However, it suddenly stopped. Yukari shuddered as a chill ran down her spine. It was now the Dark Hour. The monitor remained on, and both Kotone and Minato were in their beds, asleep.

"They're still sleeping," Ikutsuki observed, "The Dark Hour is normally hidden, and ordinary people transmogrify into coffins. They are totally oblivious to the outside world."

Yukari understood what Ikutsuki was getting at, "That means..."

Ikutsuki nodded, "As you can see, they retained their human form. They are experiencing the Dark Hour, although they are still sleeping. But, the question still remains. Do they have the potential? They must, or at least one of them does, or else they would have been preyed upon." Ikutsuki seemed to contemplate this for a few seconds. He stood up, "In any case, we continue monitoring them for a few more days."

Yukari couldn't contain her displeasure in silence any longer, "Are you sure this okay? I don't like spying on them."

Ikutsuki didn't answer her, mumbling something as he left. Yukari sighed and returned her attention to the monitor.

'I have to tell him,' she decided, 'I'm going to tell him about Dad. But, when...'

Minato heard a voice calling to him. He opened his eyes, but found that he was no longer in his room. He was standing in front of a very elaborate blue door.

'The same color as that butterfly,' he mused.

He opened the door and stepped inside. The room was very large and covered in chains. A large clock was mounted on the wall, both hands continuously spinning. He could see that the room was ascending, almost like an elevator. Then, Minato's gaze fell to the man in the center of the room. He looked quite odd, and Minato couldn't help but stare at his long nose.

The man looked up from the desk in front of him and smiled, "Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man. My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

He gestured to his left, and suddenly, a woman appeared from behind his rather large chair.

"This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like myself."

Elizabeth bowed, "Pleased to meet you."

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It's been years since we've had a guest."

Igor waved his hand and suddenly, a piece of paper appeared out of thin air. Minato tensed as he recognized the paper. It was the form that he had signed at the dorm.

Igor went on, "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return."

Minato swallowed, "And what's that?"

Igor's smile grew larger, "That you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

Minato stared blankly at the form and slowly nodded, "I understand."

Igor waved his hand again, and the contract vanished, and in it's place appeared a key. It floated over to Minato, who took it.

"Hold on to this." said Igor.

Suddenly, Minato's vision began to blur. He tried blinking a few times, but his vision got worse. He felt tired, as wave after wave of exhaustion washed over him. He felt like he was slipping, falling. He tried to move, but his body refused to respond. His senses were failing and he was losing himself. As the darkness closed in around him, he saw Igor's smile.

"Until we meet again..."

Minato shot up out of bed, gasping for air. He quickly looked around, and relaxed when he realized that he was back in his room. He ran a hand through his hair and covered his eyes, struggling to regain his breath.

'It was just a dream,' he reassured himself, 'A weird dream. You probably had too much ramen. That's it.'

He felt a cold, metal object press into his palm. His heart stopped as he slowly unclenched his fingers to find an ornate key resting on his hand. It was the same key that the strange man had given him. In his dream.

'What the hell is going on in this town?'

4/9 (Dark Hour)

Just as they had yesterday, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikutsuki sat in the control room, monitoring the two newest residents. And, just as the previous night, they had remained in their human form as they shifted into the Dark Hour.

Mitsuru was the first to speak, "...The same as last night."

Ikutsuki tapped his chin, "Hmm... Very interesting. They seem stable. No memory loss or disorientation. They haven't exhibited any of the common symptoms. Very unique."

"We're treating them like guinea pigs." accused Yukari.

Ikutsuki sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I understand your concern, Yukari, but it's imperative that we recruit new members. I've heard that they are your classmates, and you've been on good terms with Kotone. Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?"

Yukari winced as Ikutsuki touched on a touchy subject, unintentional or not. She shot a quick glance at Mitsuru, who wasn't facing them. Her shoulders fell in reluctant acceptance.

"Yeah, I guess. But, still..."

A beep from the panel caused Yukari to jump. Mitsuru rapidly pressed a number of buttons, and a picture of Akihiko appeared on the screen. He was running, panting heavily, and holding one arm.

Mitsuru gasped, "Akihiko, is that you?"

"You're not going to believe this," he yelled over the transceiver, "but this thing is huge. Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk. It's chasing me... I wanted to let you guys know that I'm almost there." And the transmission shut off.

Yukari's eyes widened, "Wait, does that mean... He's bringing that thing here!?"

Mitsuru jumped up and started to gather some equipment, "Mr. Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!"

Ikutsuki started to shake, "R-right! Be careful!" And he ran to the monitor and started to input a number of commands to the machine.

Yukari and Mitsuru grabbed their supplies and ran downstairs. As they reached the second floor, they heard the door to the lobby open and slam shut. They ran into the lounge to find Akihiko leaning on the door, breathing heavily as sweat poured down his face. He was clutching his arm, and traces of blood could be seen dripping down his arm.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru ran up and kneeled before Akihiko. She gave him a quick once-over, and lightly touched his arm, which caused him to hiss. Mitsuru and Yukari gave him a worried look, but he waved them off.

"I'm fine," he barked, "Get ready to be surprised. It'll be here any second."

Mitsuru shot him a disapproving look, "This is no time to joke around!"

The ground started to shake, and Yukari jumped.

"Ahh! What the...!? You've got to be kidding me!"

Mitsuru reached down and pulled out a gun, "Takeba, go upstairs and wake them up! Then, go up to the roof."

Yukari didn't budge, looking at Akihiko, "But, what about you two?"

Mitsuru turned towards the door, "We'll stop it here." She looked down at Akihiko, "You lead it here, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

Akihiko jumped up and drew a gun of his own, "Like I had a choice." He turned to find Yukari rooted to the same spot. She looked terrified, "What are you waiting for, Yukari? GO!"

Yukari jumped again, then ran up the stairs.

Minato woke up to a loud bang. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he heard a commotion down the hall. Concerned, he started to get dressed when he heard a frantic knock on his door.

"Wake up! Sorry, I'm coming in!"

Yukari unlocked his door and ran in. She was surprised to see Minato awake, but shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to explain. We have to get Kotone-chan and get out of here. Now!"

Minato didn't argue and ran out the door with her. They quickly ascended the stairs to the third floor to find Kotone dressed and standing in the hall, looking around worriedly. Yukari ran up to her and gave a similar explanation to the one she had told Minato. Kotone looked frightened, but nodded and the three of them ascended the stairs. On the fourth floor, Yukari ran over to a metal door and flung it open. Minato and Kotone followed and found themselves on the roof of the dorm. When all three of them had made it through. Yukari slammed the door and fiddled around with some keys, locking the door. She shook it a few times, making sure it was locked. When she was absolutely sure, she let out a breath.

"I think we're okay for now."

A beep rang out from Yukari's ear, and she yelled in surprise. Despite his distance, he could still make out Mitsuru's voice from the ear piece.

[Takeba, do you read me!?]

"Y-Yes! I hear you!"

[Be careful! There's more than one enemy! The one we just fought isn't the one Akihiko saw!]

"What!?"

Suddenly, the entire dorm shook. The three stumbled and tried to get their footing. The shaking stopped. Then, a roar echoed from down below. Everyone slowly turned around to see a large, black hand rise from below and grab the side of the dorm. Then another hand appeared. And another. More and more hands appeared. Suddenly, a strange blue mask shot up. The hand that was holding it moved it around, surveying the roof. It locked on to the students and all of the arms pulled it up. The creature was made entirely of arms. One of its arms was holding the mask, while a couple of others were holding needle-like weapons. It slowly crawled over towards them, as they backed towards the other ledge.

"Those monsters... We call them Shadows!"

Minato turned to Yukari, who was holding the gun that she had almost drawn on their first night at the dorm. However, instead of pointing it at the creature, she had pointed it towards her head. She pressed the barrel into her forehead.

"Y-Yukari!" Kotone screamed, "What are you doing?"

"I have to fight," muttered Yukari, "I... I can summon mine... No problem..."

She pressed the gun harder into her forehead, shaking. She gripped the gun, but didn't shoot. The Shadow, sensing her hesitation, shot out an arm and smacked Yukari across the roof. She hit the floor and slid a few feet. Kotone yelled and ran over to her. Minato stared at where Yukari had once stood. Everything was happening so quickly. He started to move, but his foot hit something. He glanced down and saw the gun that Yukari had had. He reached down and picked it up. It felt lighter than he had thought it was. It was also cold to the touch. His attention returned to the Shadow, who had turned towards Yukari and Kotone. Minato's stomach fell. It was going to attack again.

'I have to do something. But what can I do against this thing? I'm helpless. I need help...! I need power...! I need…!'

Mitsuru and Akihiko had dispatched of the Shadow in the lobby without too much trouble. Akihiko looked bad, gripping his arm where a Shadow had grabbed it. Much to their horror, they learned that this Shadow was not the one that Akihiko had faced. Once the Shadow was dead, Mitsuru and Akihiko had ran back to the command room, and found Ikutsuki watching the monitor. As they drew near, they saw what was going on. Yukari had taken Minato and Kotone to the roof, and suddenly a very large Shadow had climbed over the ledge and onto the roof. Yukari drew her gun, but before she could use it, the Shadow easily batted her away, and Kotone had ran after her.

Akihiko cursed, "Damn! That's the one. Let's go Mitsuru!"

Mitsuru nodded, and started towards the door.

"Wait!"

The two third-years turned towards Ikutsuki, who was pointing at the monitor.

"What on earth is that…!?"

Time seemed to slow down. Minato looked over to Kotone and Yukari. Yukari was lying on the roof, while Kotone was kneeling over her, shaking her and begging her to get up. Then, behind them, he saw the boy from the other night. He smiled at Minato and gestured towards the gun in his hand.

"Go on..."

The boy made a gun with this fingers and raised it to his head. He then shot himself with the finger gun and smiled.

Minato found himself doing the same. He raised the gun to his temple. His breathing was ragged. His throat was dry. The steel felt ice cold against his head. His finger moved to the trigger, hovering over it. His hand was shaking. His whole body was shaking. He was going to die. He was going to shoot himself and he was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to die.

An image of Igor flashed in his mind, smiling like a mad man. Then, the car accident. The fire. The Velvet Room. The boy. The contract. The butterfly. Kotone. The graveyard. The hospital. Kotone. His parents. Kotone. The moon. Kotone. Kotone.

His mind went blank. And there was a word.

A single word.

"Per...so...na."

Minato pulled the trigger.

And Minato died.

And Minato was born.

Power coursed throughout his body as he let out a cry of anguish. A blue light surrounded him. Then, above him, an odd looking being appeared above him. It was part man, part machine. It had snowy white hair and hard, crimson eyes. It's mechanical body was eerily pale, as if all the color had slowly faded over time. On it's back was a large lyre. The entity spoke in a voice that sounded like Minato's.

"Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings."

Minato stared up at Orpheus. He understood. This was his power. This was the power he needed to defeat the Shadow. This was...

An unbearable pain shot through Minato's head. Minato yelled as he fell to the ground, clutching his head head as it felt like it was being torn open from the inside. Something was inside. It was awake. It was trying to get out. It was crawling, scratching, biting, splitting.

Orpheus convulsed and cried out. Its head shot up, and a hand burst forth from its mouth. Then another hand shot out, and gripped the sides of Orpheus' mouth. With a cry, a large, monstrous entity burst forth from Orpheus, destroying him. This new being was horrifying. It was much larger than Orpheus. On its back were multiple coffins, held together by chains, and in its hand was a long sword. It was breathing heavily and its breath was visible. Then, it let out a ghastly wail and rushed at the Shadow.

With one swift strike, it slashed the Shadow, cutting it's mask in half. The Shadow began to convulse, but the new Persona grabbed one of it's tendrils and squeezed it into nothingness. It started to grab multiple tendrils and started to devour the Shadow until nothing was left of it accept a strange, gooey substance. Once the Shadow was destroyed, the Persona turned and stared at Minato, who was on the ground, staring back at it. He felt a strange presence in the back of his mind as the creature gazed at him. The feeling vanished as quickly as it appeared. The Persona began to shake, and it slowly dissolved, and in its place was Orpheus.

Minato was breathing heavily. He slowly stood to his feet as Orpheus vanished into thin air. Minato smirked, but he was unable to support himself and fell to the floor, dropping the gun. He was utterly exhausted and could barely remain conscious. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked over to see Kotone and Yukari. He smiled. They were safe.

"Is it over?" Yukari asked hesitantly.

Another sound rang out. Yukari and Kotone jumped and saw some smaller Shadows emerge from the goo of the larger one. Three in all. They turned their sites to the group and started to approach.

Yukari gasped, "No... G-Get away from us!"

Minato tried to reach for the gun, but his arm was too weak, and it fell helplessly in front of him. Despite his body's protests, he tried with all his might to get up. He pushed himself up to his hands and knees. He reached out to the gun and was able to touch it. But a hand had appeared over his and gripped his. Minato looked up to see that the hand belonged to Kotone.

"K-Kotone-san," he managed to croak. His throat was terribly dry and it felt like a thousand needles were lodged in it.

Kotone easily took the gun from his hand, "You've done enough, Minato-kun. This time, I'm going to protect you!"

Despite his silent protests, she stood up and walked towards the Shadows. Yukari was yelling at her to come back, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. She stood between them and the three Shadows. The Shadows seemed to dance around, scanning Kotone. Kotone, despite her shaking legs, stood tall. In a swift movement, she drew the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

"Persona!"

The shot rang out, and a blue light shot up around her. A being burst forth from nothingness and stood tall in the air. Minato heard Yukari gasp.

"W-What!? How is that possible? It's..."

Minato stared incredulously at the Persona floating above Kotone. It was part woman, part machine. It had long, flowing, crimson hair and piercing blue eyes. It's body was vibrant and colorful, bursting with life. On it's back was a large lyre. The entity spoke in a voice that sounded like Kotone's.

"Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings."

Orpheus took its lyre from its back and played a chord. Suddenly, fire shot out from the strings and set the three Shadows aflame. Two of them melted, while the third remained. It jumped at Kotone, but Orpheus swung its lyre, crushing the Shadow and causing it to disintegrate. Orpheus vanished, leaving only Kotone, Yukari and Minato on the roof.

Kotone let out a loud sigh and fell to her knees, dropping the gun. Yukari ran over to her, grabbing her shoulders and checking to see if she was okay. Kotone nodded, and, with Yukari's help, was able to get back on her feet, though she leaned on Yukari for support.

'You have the same Persona as me, Kotone?' Minato wondered, 'Maybe you weren't too far off when you said that out meeting was fate.'

Minato could no longer support himself, and he fell back to the ground. As he slowly lost consciousness, he heard the sound of a door opening and people running. He also heard a voice, which sounded almost like Yukari's.

"Are you okay!? Come on...! Please... Can you hear me!? Answer me!"

Minato was far too tired to listen to Yukari, and he let the darkness take him.