Important: Minato will change Personae throughout the story. From the beginning though *and I should have said something. Sorry* He's had Ares
Chapter 4: Spirited Away
Though still confused, Kaito started at the floating thing in front of them. It was a heart... with wings... and a face... and seemed either to be bleeding or melting, Kaito wasn't sure which. The thing, though larger than he had predicted, didn't look nearly as intimidating as the blob he'd run into last month. This creature didn't even have arms.
None of the others appeared overly worried, so he tried to stay relaxed. It was only when he glanced over at Hakuba that he felt something was wrong.
"Hey." Kaito took a few steps back from the group as they prepared to attack. "What's the matter?"
The blond didn't look good. He was shaking and holding his arms across his chest, trying to back out the door that had closed behind them. Kaito was confused, putting a hand on the detective's shoulder. Hakuba twitched, closing more in on himself instead. "Come on, it's not that bad."
Hakuba shook his head. "...not the monsters."
Okay. Kaito had never heard him speak in an incomplete sentence before, let alone one that didn't make sense. "What about the monster?"
"It's not the monster. Something's wrong, Kuroba-kun. I need to get out of here. Please." Hakuba crouched down, trying to make himself as small as possible.
"Hey!" Kaito shouted over at the group, who had yet to engage in battle. "Do you guys know what's wrong with him?"
The blue-haired leader shook his head. "No. It didn't infect us with anything."
How informative, Kaito wanted to say sarcastically. He didn't even know they could be infected. And with what?
It was the white-haired teen who seemed to take Hakuba's condition seriously. He'd been in a ready stance before, but now his fists hung loosely at his side. Junpei was ignoring them all together, focusing on getting a chance to attack the monster first.
There was a burst of fire and Kaito moved to shield himself, along with Hakuba. The blue-haired boy stepped in front of them. Though the fire hit him head-on, it only seemed to leave behind a hint of ash on his clothes, leaving his skin intact. The blue-haired boy had kept the flames from getting past.
"I've got them. Take care of the Shadow."
Akihiko nodded at the command, following the order immediately even though he seemed to be older and the one who should have been taking the lead.
Junpei, Yukari, and Akihiko attacked, and they didn't have much difficulty fighting without the boy. Several times he protected Hakuba and him from the heart Shadow lashing out. It was amazing they way the boy was able to repel something so big with only a short sword.
The problem came when Akihiko was knocked back by something that Kaito could swear was pink.
"Uh oh." Junpei started to back away from his partner. "I've got nothing. What about you Yuka-tan?"
"No, I didn't pick up anything either!" They both started across at his little group of three. The blue-haired boy shook his head. That couldn't be good.
Akihiko smiled and it wasn't something that Kaito ever wanted to see again. If there was a word for it, he would have called it evil. Truly evil. Akihiko began to eerily glow, and his glazed eyes looked – possessed.
Akihiko pointed the gun to his head, firing.
"Mazio".
The blue haired boy's eyes widened. Kaito knew that meant something bad was about to happen. The magician tried his best to protect his hunched-over classmate. He had promised Hakuba he wouldn't let anything happen to him.
The next instant, lightning seemed to come from nowhere. The blue-haired boy was knocked off his feet, charred again by the impact. Kaito shut his eyes, expecting to be hit next.
But nothing happened.
It took him a few moments to take a peek and see what had happened. His newly made acquaintances were all getting to their feet - aside from Akihiko - and looking at Kaito as if he'd just sprouted horns. Kaito couldn't blame them.
There seemed to be a force field, or something like it, around both him and the detective. It took his logical side, which he was shocked he was still relying on at this point, only seconds to see the source of it was Hakuba, who was currently glowing a ghostly white around the edges of his body.
"Hakuba-kun. How are you doing that?"
"I don't- know." The blond took in a deep, unsteady breath, almost as if he were in pain. "But it hurts. Make it stop."
Then it was as if the light from Hakuba was touching Kaito. The magician backed away on instinct but the light followed him and, where it came in contact with his skin, made him feel stronger than he ever had. He watched his hands to see the while light fading into his skin as it awoke his potential and then some. That same light seemed to travel to the others and Kaito stared in awe and confusion with them.
"Stop it!" Hakuba tried in vain to get away from it all. The barrier around him faded but the light remained.
"Wow. I feel stronger than ever. Did he cast something on us? How did he do it without summoning his Persona?" Junpei drew in closer to Hakuba and him, though it was more because the boy was still trying to put some distance between himself and Akihiko. The white-haired teen, though he accepted the light, was still not himself.
The blue-haired boy moved in on them as well with a curious look in his eyes. He stopped in front of Kaito and handed over his gun.
"What are you giving me that for?" the magician asked in shock. "I don't want it!"
"Do you want to help, or hide?" The boy kept the gun out in front of him. "It's your choice or not, to see if you can."
"Ya think that the other kid has a Persona too? Really, man. I thought were supposed to be special or something." Junpei's earlier expression of surprise remained as he stared at the detective on the floor, who continued to glow.
Kaito looked down at his classmate before accepting the gun.
"How does this work?"
The blue haired boy used two fingers and pointed to his head. "Easy."
Yeah, real easy. Kaito held the very realistic gun in his hand, feeling the cool metal against his fingers where the grip ended. This wasn't only a question about being scared anymore though. Kaito was curious. Whatever this power the other kids had was, he wanted it too. The greed for that power scared him, but not enough to stop. Having something like that would be different, exciting. And when Kaito wanted something, he usually got it.
"Okay then." He rested the barrel against his head, unable to get rid of his anxiety but going through with it anyway. "If this doesn't work, I won't die, right?"
The blue-haired boy shrugged. The other two newcomers didn't answer or hadn't heard. "Akihiko-senpai could have told you, but his mind is a little busy right now."
Kaito swallowed dryly. These people were insane. They all shot themselves in the head routinely, not knowing whether it would give them powers or kill them? Kaito had been called crazy more than once and for good reason, but not that crazy.
It was the curiosity that won him over. "Fine." His finger found the trigger, knowing that no one should ever remove it past the guard unless they were ready to fire.
He tightened his finger, prepared for the worst, making sure his eyes were closed so he wouldn't have to watch death come at him if he was wrong.
It was almost like a jolt of electricity ran through his body. It hurt, but not in a physical way. It was as if every sense and emotion he had ever felt was a vibrant shade of white at the forefront of his mind. He found himself grinning.
Opening his eyes, he instinctively looked above him where he'd seen the other boy's - Monster? Was that what it was? Did they all have their own personal monsters? - above his head. Kaito's grin only grew more when he saw it.
"A dragon," Kaito said to no one in particular. "I have a dragon."
Those emotions that had been awakened by the shock didn't vanish. In fact, Kaito thought they were what was helping give the large blue beast keep its physical appearance. The creature had a green mane around two large white horns and cat-like whiskers. It stared back down at him for a moment before facing the heart creature.
Kaito knew how the monster could attack. Knew not only that he had what seemed to be the same magical power of lightning that Akihiko had, but that his were stronger.
With a smile to his new dragon companion he spoke the words that sounded so natural to him now in association with the electric power. "Ziodyne."
The heart monster shrieked as lightning fell from the ceiling of the room before the boy with the blue hair ran up to it, impaling it on his short sword as it turned to ash around the blade.
Kaito was sad to see the dragon fade out of existence as the adrenaline running through him was siphoned off by the attack. He didn't know why it made him suddenly more tired. He wanted to try again and see if things went the same way, but there was nothing to aim at and the others looked like they were ready to call it quits.
"That was so awesome." Kaito held the gun out in front of him to clear up anything his cursory glance has missed. It did indeed look like a real gun. He'd have to take it apart to see how it worked.
"Wow." Yukari spoke up."That was kinda cool."
"You all right?" The blue-haired boy moved from the spot where the monster had disintegrated, over to Akihiko who was holding his head in his hand and trying to get himself back in order.
"I'm fine." The white-haired boy blinked his eyes a few times before rushing over towards Kaito. He took a step back, still on high alert after everything that had happened. Akihiko didn't seem interested in him, though, and went to kneel besides Hakuba. Kaito scowled and looked down at the blond who still seemed to be cowering.
"Hakuba, grow up. The monster is gone, so there's nothing to be afraid of."
"You're wrong!" Akihiko snapped at him, causing Kaito to retreat another step. "He's not scared, he's sick!"
"What?" Yukari asked as she and the blue-haired boy came over to them while Junpei took it at his leisure. "What do you mean he's sick? Did the Shadow get him? The effects should have worn off by now."
"It's not that type of sickness. Mitsuru!" Akihiko shouted at the ceiling. "I need some help."
:: The Dark hour is almost over. Keep him calm and bring him back to base. There's nothing we can do for him right now ::
"Got it." Akihiko placed a hand on the detective's shoulder, making Hakuba shiver. "You're going to be all right. I'll make sure of it."
"What's wrong with him then?" Yukari bent over the two, trying to see if she could spot the problem. Kaito didn't know what he was supposed to do. Everything was being thrown at him so fast that even his emotions couldn't keep up. He couldn't help it that he didn't feel worried about Hakuba. The detective wasn't hurt. The monster hadn't touched either of them.
"I've only seen this happen once." Akihiko moved his hand, massaging Hakuba's shoulder to try and get him to relax. "It's what happens when a Persona user can't control their Persona. Last time I was around someone with this problem... something very bad happened."
"You mean he could attack us?" Yukari backed up and Junpei followed suit. The blue-haired boy shot Kaito a glance as neither of them moved.
"It's a possibility," Akihiko admitted. He spoke to Hakuba directly. "Can you hear me?"
The detective had covered his head in an attempt to hide from the world around him. He lowered his hands now, far enough to unveil his eyes, gleaming with something close to madness. It finally hit him then. The rush of excitement he had at getting a dragon - his own dragon, however it had happened - was gone, and he was with his classmate again who seemed to be suffering.
"I wish I had some medicine on me," he heard Akihiko speak under his breath."Boy, ah..." He turned to Kaito. "What's his name again?"
"Saguru Hakuba."
"Hakuba." Akihiko pushed a hand through the detective's bangs so that he could see his face. Kaito didn't like that spark in his friend's eyes. "I need you to hold out just a little while longer. After the Dark Hour is over, this won't affect you anymore. I'll get you some help once that happens."
Hakuba didn't seem to be listening but focused with a predator's intensity on Akihiko. The other teen noticed but didn't move away from him like the others had.
"Can I do anything?" Kaito asked, remembering he still held the blue-haired boy's gun. He quickly handed it back.
"No. I need to get in touch with a friend of mine and get some medicine. We... this is something that we don't know much about. I'm going to be truthful with you though, my friend who has this same problem – it's making him sick. He won't let us try to figure out what's wrong with him, but it's only getting worse." Akihiko's lips quirked slightly, but Kaito never would have called it a smile "But I doubt your friend will refuse treatment if we can get it to him, so I wouldn't worry until we know more about what's going on."
Hakuba was sick with something that these people didn't seem to have a good grasp on. The only one out of them who appeared to know anything about it was Akihiko, and Kaito couldn't even get a handle on what he was trying to explain. It sounded like a whole bunch of guesswork. It made him a lot less comfortable in their presence and he realized that he had trusted them to know what was going on better than he did, simply because they seemed to know what they were doing. He didn't know whether it was right or not to continue trusting them, but he had no other choice and he could tell that they weren't lying to him.
Kaito watched with something that mirrored awe when Hakuba leaned forward, letting glowing white wings form from the light surrounding him. The delicate white, ghostly feathers stretched out alongside the door followed by a ghostly image of long blond hair flowing down Hakuba's back. His light-blue eyes seemed to shine and give him all the aura of an angel.
The only thing wrong with the image was the hungry smile on his lips.
"Hakuba." Kaito saw Akihiko's hand on him shake but he didn't budge. "You need to calm down. You don't want to hurt anyone. Wait. Everything will be fine if you just wait. We're all friends here. No one is going to hurt you. There's no danger."
The teen spoke calmly and in short sentences, attempting to reassure the detective that the situation was under control. Kaito felt the urge to back up and fought with it every second. The blue-haired boy seemed didn't seem worried initially, but when the wings appeared he put a hand on Akihiko's shoulder. Whether he was trying to reassure him or get him to back away, Kaito couldn't tell.
His hand stayed there while neither budged, both focused on Hakuba.
"Don't move," Akihiko whispered towards Kaito instead of Hakuba. The magician was under the opinion that he could read people much better than this new acquaintance of his could, and knew perfectly well what any movement would do. Hakuba was prepared to strike them at a second's provocation.
"So what are we supposed to do, sit here and wait for the Dark Hour to end? Your friend's blocking the door." Junpei swung his large sword over his shoulder and walked up to them, eyeing the blue-haired boy with a challenging gaze.
Kaito held his breath, waiting for the worst to happen. Not only had Junpei said the words loudly, but he then moved forward with a weapon. Any cornered creature would have reacted badly to that.
There was a flash and something that may have been noise but there was no time to focus on that.
All Kaito saw was black painted through with streaks of white corroding his vision. leaving his perception in shambles. He was in pain. It was sudden, and searing, though it felt nothing like fire. When he became aware of anything besides the darkness and torment, it was the dirty smell of the carpet in the room. He tired to lift himself up off the ground, but every muscle hurt to move. In the end, Kaito gave up, propping himself up an elbow so he could look around He saw the blue-haired boy, who'd been unlucky enough to hit the end of the bed. The boy got up on shaky arms, but they didn't have a chance to look at one another.
Hakuba was still glowing, though the wings were gone, having separated from him as an angel with blonde hair and a white robe donning a cross floated above him.
"Scum." Hakuba started walking towards him. Kaito tried to get up on his feet, but couldn't. The detective grabbed the scruff of his shirt and pulled him into a sitting position as he knelt in front him. Hakuba's blue eyes were almost white, gazing at Kaito self-righteously before he grinned, scaring the hell out of him.
"Hakuba, calm down. I don't know what's wrong, but-"
The detective put his hand on Kaito's cheek. It wasn't burning, but Hakuba felt so much hotter than he was. It worried him, considering Kaito had felt hot since entering the stuffy motel. Hakuba slid his hand down his cheek until it was brushing against his neck – and without warning, began to choke him.
Kaito tried to fight back, but the energy just wasn't there. He was hurt and tired after that dragon thing had appeared. His fingers clawed at Hakuba's, trying to get him to let go, but even Kaito knew what a pathetic attempt it was. His mind was screaming for him to stop, though he could hardly make a sound, given the situation. Black crawled quickly across his vision, blinding him before he was aware of what was going on.
The room continued to spin for a few moments before that too stopped. It all happened so quickly, Kaito didn't even know what was what.
Am I still alive?
"-back away."
There were words, but listening to them was hard. Focusing on anything more than the pain was asking for him to drop his defenses and scream at the severity of it. Kaito let his mind take check of the damage that had been done without moving, before daring to open his eyes.
Hakuba was standing over him, a foot or so off to his right. Kaito looked at him through half-closed eyes, unable to move. The blond had a frown on his face, one eye closed and hands clenched tightly to his sides. As Kaito's vision cleared, he saw the sweat running down the detective's face.
"We're all friends here." Akihiko stepped forward, arms held out. "We're here to help."
"What help are you?"
Kaito coughed, having taken in too quick a breath after hearing the words. It wasn't Hakuba's voice. Not even close. There was no accent present that resembled anything English. Fluent, pitch-perfect Japanese echoed dully in the room in deep baritones that Kaito knew Hakuba's voice couldn't reach. The detective took a step back after speaking, one hand half raised in a gesture that was either him ready to attack them again, or Hakuba fighting against his own actions.
"You can be weak, but not when it's hurting those around you." Hakuba spun around as the blue-hair boy's voice resonated around the room. "Know who you are."
"How dare-" Hakuba drew back, closing both eyes completely. Kaito could have sworn he heard him whimper. The whispered voice that came out was the one with deep roots set in some language that sounded like it had been lost throughout time, but Hakuba's none the less. "Stop it..."
Akihiko spoke again. "Hold on, just a little longer. All you need to do is wait. Everything will be better soon." The blond didn't look good. He twitched at movements that weren't there, eyes wide and hands up almost like claws. Kaito couldn't do anything to help, feeling himself start to nod off.
The standoff remained unbroken for the next few minutes, each too wary of the other to make the first move.
"What the Hell was that?" Junpei must have been on the other side of the bed, because Kaito could only hear his voice.
"Be quite and don't move." Akihiko was angry. Junpei glared at each of them in turn. Hakuba hissed, backing up closer to the blue-haired teen. The other didn't move. "Junpei, settle down and listen to me. Next time I tell you not to move, don't move."
"Hey I didn't do-"
"Don't talk."
"But I'm only talking! You told me I only had to listen to-"
"Be quiet. Now."
Junpei stopped, leaning his arms against the bed and watching the three of them. Hakuba's eyes stayed on Akihiko, though he tensed up when the blue-haired boy stifled a cough. No one was sure of what to do, though Akihiko kept repeating quiet words of solace to Hakuba that Kaito couldn't catch. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but his attention was drawn to Junpei as the seconds ticked away in his mind, watching as the other boy steadily grew antsier.
Almost like an old movie fading out, the color disappeared from the world, turning the molted green back into dark shadows that had them sitting in the motel room. The light apparently wasn't on and they found themselves suddenly in pitch blackness. Akihiko must have moved to get the light switch, because when Kaito could see again, he was clear across the room. Hakuba was on his knees, hands over his head and most definitely sobbing.
"Hey, you idiot, what the hell happened?" Kaito was only able to sit up before deciding that it hurt too much to try anything more, grateful he was at least able to do that. He watched Hakuba weakly shake his head, making choked-up noises that Kaito tried to ignore.
Akihiko took initiative, bending down on one knee and gently placing his hands on Hakuba's shaking shoulders.
"It's all right now. It can't take over you when the Dark Hour ends."
"What-" Hakuba swallowed, voice ragged. "Why did- I didn't- It was-... ah-"
"Don't worry about it. I'll explain it all to you once you settle down. Well get you help."
"Can you-" Kaito caught a glimpse of his eyes when Hakuba forced himself to face Akihiko, clearly suffering, eyes glassed over and dilated to the point where Kaito couldn't see any blue in them. The tears weren't any easier to miss. "Can you stop this? Can you make it so this never happens again?"
"I-" Akihiko shook his head. "I'm not sure. We can certainly try. If it doesn't work, we'll figure something out."
Hakuba didn't want to hear that. More tears were there and he was back to covering his face and trying to make himself as small as he could from the other occupants in the room.
"What the hell, man! That was really something messed up!" Junpei seemed in better shape than the rest of them, strolling over to Hakuba and bending over him. "You know, you're not supposed to go attacking your friends. What the hell?"
"Junpei, shut up!"
"Why? Because I have to trust some guy who just tired to kill us? I mean, come on! He can't even use his Persona right!"
"That's not-!"
Hakuba stood up, backing away from all of them as quickly as he could. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"To what? Try to kill us? Of course you didn't. That doesn't change the fact that you did." Junpei's tone were biting, and by the way Akihiko was glaring at him, Kaito and he had the same opinion of his words. If he could have stood up, Kaito would have loved to teach the other teen how to behave less like a savage dog and more like a human being.
Both of them were more concerned with Hakuba to spend much time plotting the many things Junpei could be compared to. The blond had backed away towards the door, hand resting on the decorated knob. In seconds, he was off, running as far away as he could get.
Kaito cursed as he stood. His body shook when he was finally up, but he ignored it, going after Hakuba. Akihiko had been the first to go after the detective, but Kaito had taken some time getting to his feet and the blue-haired boy only regained his senses around the same time Kaito had. They took off together, leaving Junpei to take care of Yukari.
Hallway. Another hallway. Stairs. Another hallway. Kaito wanted to curse with how long it took them to get to the door. He wanted to collapse once they reached the outside the building but forced himself forward, surprised he made it down all the stairs without falling on his face. He slowed down when he saw Akihiko currently at a standstill in front of them.
"Look, more little mice have come to play." The voice came from several feet ahead of them. There were three figures standing in front of a building that it looked like they'd just exited. Kaito had never seen any of them before. Hakuba was the closest one to the new arrivals, stopped dead in his tracks by something Kaito must have missed.
"I'm sorry, but we only have room in our group for the worthy." The older looking of the three stepped forward; long gray-blond hair streamed down his bare chest, and sickly gray tattoos marked his arms. He offered a hand in Hakuba's direction. "We can make the pain stop. You'll never again lose control like you just did. Nyx takes care of all her children, while the ruthlessness of the world tries to kill us. Come, my boy. You belong with us."
Kaito caught Hakuba's eyes as the detective looked over at him, face falling as he stared at the floor, shaking his head. The blond looked back up at the older man. "You- You can stop this? But you..." Hakuba grabbed at his arm where he'd been previously injured by that bullet. Hakuba's expression spoke of fear, but Kaito couldn't understand it. Everything the idiot was doing was confusing him right now.
"Why, of course. All you need to do is put your trust in us and we can help make your wildest dreams come true. All I ask is for your cooperation. That or you stay here and die. If you can't regain control of your Persona, it will kill you. Slowly at first, but believe me it's one of the worst ways to go."
"What?" Hakuba wasn't the only one turning on Akihiko. The white-haired teen shook his head.
"It doesn't have to kill. We just need time, and I know that there's medicine for it!"
"And who do you think made that medicine?" A boy with blue tinted hair, brushed to the left side of his face, wearing a bright green coat with straps that made it look as if he were sporting a parachute stepped forward. "You're god? Come on, you know better than that. We're the only ones who know how to get the drug you're talking about."
"That can't-" Akihiko shook his head. "That can't be true!"
"So, you can help?" Hakuba started towards them.
"Don't, you idiot!" Kaito shouted.
Hakuba turned towards him with a weak smile. "I don't want to hurt anyone, ever again."
"And so another lamb is added to the flock." The older man placed his arm around Hakuba's shoulders. Kaito watched, seeing the detective look more content than he ever had before. "I'll have your medicine by nightfall. We shall make this world right. I'm sure you're no strangers to the wrongs that plague it."
"No, I'm not." Hakuba seemed... happy. Kaito shook his head, watching the older man. This wasn't natural. Hakuba wasn't the type of person to warm up to someone that quickly. Something had to be going on that he was missing.
"Come, my little fledgling, we have much to discuss."
Hakuba smiled at the older man, looking like a child under his arm. Kaito refocused his attention on the other two in search of answers, distracted early the strange phenomenon occurring before him. The was another man in green with the parachute backpack, not much older than himself, shook his head. This older teen walked beside the white-haired man, muttering something with a frown on his face as they left, something that sounded a lot like 'So Jin, are they our enemy?' Kaito only caught a glimpse of a girl in white before he tried to get to move his feet, pain lacing though his body though he didn't see any wounds.
"Hakuba, you idiot! Where do you think you're going?"
Their eyes meet for the first time since the attack with the detective looking away so quickly that he couldn't study him. Hakuba's irises were closer to their normal shade, expressing some hidden joy that made Kaito more confused than he was. Hakuba shook his head, turning forward and smiling at the man like a little puppy.
Akihiko didn't follow them, and Kaito couldn't blame him. Whoever that man was that Hakuba had just left with, he was dangerous. Kaito couldn't be sure until the man had turned away from them, but it looked as if he had a gun shoved into the back of his jeans. If he'd been wearing a shirt, Kaito never would have seen it. This was looked real too. Unlike the strange, custom ones that didn't shoot bullets that everyone else was carrying, a revolver was easy to spot.
"Who were they?" Kaito hissed out, looking to the white-haired teen for answers. He seemed just as lost as Kaito was.
"I don't know. I've never seen them around before. I think they were here the whole time." Akihiko turned back to his blue-haired companion. "I think they might be Persona users. They knew too much."
The boy nodded, sharing a glance with Kaito. Unlike the rest, the magician didn't feel the need to speak his concerns aloud to this boy. Simple eye contact went farther with him than it did with anyone else that Kaito had ever come across.
"First thing first, we need to see Mitsuru. I don't think that leaving Hakuba in their care is a good thing."
Kaito nodded in agreement, accepting a hand to steady himself with as he walked. Rest. He needed to rest before anything else. Then, after that, he needed some type of explanation as to what had just happened, both inside the building and out.
"So, you're the hero again, huh?"
Junpei's voice almost made Kaito fall to the floor from the shock. No more startling for the time being. He had to make that a rule or something.
Junpei and the blue-haired teen stared each other down, Kaito sensing the tension that hung around the darker boy. Junpei shook his head, eyes down, and pushing past them. "I always do the wrong thing, I know that's what you're all thinking!"
"Junpei, that's not..." Yukari crept around the door, using the frame to remain standing. She didn't look so good. "It's not that. If you had just-"
"Shut up!"
Everyone froze. Kaito shout echoed around the quiet neighborhood, but that was fine. He was through with their petty arguments. He couldn't get himself involved with them. That would be wrong. But who was he kidding? He was already involved until he found out what kind of spell or whatever Hakuba was under and he got his classmate back. Kaito glared as darkly as he could at the tallest boy, midnight-blue hat hiding his face as he stood a good few feet in front of them.
"Worry less about yourself," Kaito growled as threatening as he could, surprising every person there with how different the tone of his voice sounded, "and more about others, or you'll lose every friend you have in this world."
Like that, the tension dissipated, replaced by curiosity, confusion, and fear.
"Yeah, sorry."
Junpei didn't look sorry, but it would have to do. Kaito relaxed, pleading with the blue-haired boy next to him. He smiled tiredly at the other boy, seeing an equally tired, if not more resolved smile on his face. Ignoring the others, Kaito and the boy nodded to one another. He couldn't tell why he was so drawn to the blue-haired kid, but then again, he couldn't explained to anyone who asked how he was friends with Hakuba either.
"If it's not too much trouble, could I please borrow a bed? And, while you're at it, I would really like to know your name."
...
...
Important!: Yes, Kaito has a stronger Persona at the moment, but that was nessaary because he will be spending time away from the others for a while, and not, shall we say 'leveling up' as they do, so he needed basic powers.
Don't think I'm making Kaito the strong one. I'm most certainly not. That just wouldn't be fun 0_-