A/N: Yipes, another long chapter. She's winding up, my readers. I'm 'fraid next chapter will be the last. Any suggestions for a new crack pairing are greatly appreciated, as I enjoyed writing this one so much. Lol. Also, in case you hadn't figured it out by now, this fic is so massively AU that I think you might get head trauma trying to figure out when it takes place. XD Oh, yeah. I present to you, chapter nine.


What I can recall from what happened next is nothing but a flurry of numbness. I was shaken awake, but my consciousness would not last long. As I sat up, blankets falling to around my waist, hair tousled and my eyes groggily opening, I saw a few things. At first, I saw the green moonlight filtering into the room. I saw a smudge of blood on the wall. I saw Minato, stirring ever so slightly from my own movement. And then I saw Junpei, stepping back, looking anxious and uncomfortable. My mind wasn't functioning, so I didn't attempt to make sense of the situation.

"Iori?" I questioned drowsily, unable to confirm if it was him or not. I mean, why would Junpei be in Minato's room? I swore we had locked that door before getting so inv…I woke with that memory, and my eyes snapped open. I gazed around, seeing the green, seeing the moon through the curtains of the window, seeing Minato opening his own gray eyes lazily. Everything I could hear faded to nothing. The only sounds were the thoughts in my own skull, which were trailing along the basic lines of 'wtf?'. I don't usually think in chat-speak, since I don't do a lot of 'chatting'. I don't' have a cool cell phone, which is the main cause of that, and my mother has child-blocked our computer so much that I can't even utilize 'Google'.

That was when I saw it. The window shattered. Using a giant paw, it smashed the glass into shards, which flew out and scattered across the bloodied carpet on the ground. Junpei jumped back, and Minato sat upright. I was deaf; all my noise was gone, so I couldn't hear myself yelling out. Minato reached under his pillow, but I didn't notice. Junpei fumbled desperately with his belt, but I didn't see that either. All I saw was a giant lion with chains in its mouth climbing into the room. It threw a ball on the ground; a ball with a mask-like face on it. It was huge, it was menacing. Its eyes were horrible and its body was matted with blood and old wounds. I screamed. I couldn't hear myself scream, but I was screaming.

The masked ball. I stared at it more than the lion, which had taken to obsessively nuzzling it. My mind felt like it was imploding, like something was clenching it hard in its palm. I gasped, I struggled for air. No sound, no air, all I could see was that monster. A hand clapped over my eyes, but in that darkness, it was still there. I continued to scream, I continued to shriek and gasp for air. I spewed out questions, but whether they were in my head or out loud I could not differentiate. There was nothing. I had nothing but that creature to see or hear. I began to cry. My heart was racing, my hands were shaking violently, my brain was going to be crushed under the pressure!

The hand moved away, and I glanced aside to where it went without meaning too. Minato had put a gun to his forehead and he had yelled out, pulling the trigger. I screamed again. HE PUT A GUN TO HIS FUCKING HEAD! my mind freaked. When glass shot from his head instead of blood and sparkled past me, the scream I could not hear silenced momentarily. As the door burst open, though I couldn't hear that either, I saw it. It moved out of Minato's body slowly and silently, daunting and cruel. Then it moved to full height. A creature…I…I couldn't even define it, my mind was so traumatized. What I would learn later, under much easier circumstances that the creature, the Persona's name was Thanatos. He was the head of the Death Arcanum.

I lost consciousness. I passed clean out from the pressure on my brain and the raw fear. My sound returned for the fleeting seconds before I fell into the darkness. It sounded like a girl, but I can't be sure even upon reflection. She was in hysterics. "He's bleeding out of his ears!" And then I fell into a horrible dream. A horrible, horrible dream worse than the one I had been awoken into.

"Arigatou," I whispered, bowing briefly. My mother ran her hand over my head, giving me a smile. She reminded me not to be so formal. I nodded curtly, and then took the glass she held out for me and the bottle in the other hand. I popped out a few pills and swallowed them quickly, then went outside. Minato stood up on the steps, as well as Akihiko and Junpei. They all gave me a sort of smile. I nodded quietly. We walked for a while in silence, until Junpei gave me a weak grin.

"So. How long do you have to take those pills, Hidetoshi-kun?" he asked me, and I shrugged half-heartedly, then held up seven fingers. "Seven days?" I shook my head. "Seven weeks?" I nodded. He whistled lowly, then looked down sadly. "Shit. I'm so--" Minato gave him a harsh elbow for me and I smirked.

They talked with each other about stupid things like girls and school. Minato was listening to his music, as always. We went to Paulownia Mall and slipped into Club Mandragora. Junpei and Minato went up to go karaoke, as they always did. I sat at a table with Akihiko, something I can recall doing before. I sat quietly, my hands in my lap, my eyes unfocused. I stared at the table. Unable to start up a conversation, unable to do anything. Akihiko thumped the table softly to get my attention and I glanced up to him.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," Akihiko started, voice serious. I just glanced up to him and he gazed aside. "We were all scared. We were all worried for you. You have no idea how relieved we are you came out of that coma, Hidetoshi-kun. The doctors worried it was an extreme case of Apathy Syndrome…" He glanced to me, and met my own blank gaze. He gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I just had to get that off of my chest." I shrugged, then stared up at Minato.

After that incident in the Dark Hour, I had slipped into a long sleep. Ikutsuki would tell me that it had been because the Shadow had invaded my mind and was attempting to steal it away from me, like some sort of screwed up succubus or something to that effect. He called me a 'Shadow Magnet'. Though I had stirred from the coma, I had lost my voice. It was temporary, and I had actually only been awake for about two days. Everything functioned fine, except for my vocal chords. The medicine I was taking was to help my voice return and for my mind to had more ease dealing with the post-trauma. It didn't stop my nightmares, but it helped.

In all honesty, I was scared. I was scared of these people, of their monsters, of their Personae. I was scared of the Dark Hour. Everyone at the Dorm wouldn't stop apologizing for what had happened, but I didn't want to hold anybody at fault. I didn't have the energy or the state of mind to. I just never, ever, wanted to hear of any of it again. Thankfully, everyone seemed to understand that, and they had stopped talking about it in front of me. I was glad.

"Aki, Odagiri," came a low, gruff voice. I glanced up as a tall figure sat down next to Akihiko. If I could've, I would've asked what the punk was thinking to sit nearby, but I maintained my forced silence. Shinjiro Aragaki glanced me over, and then looked to Akihiko, who was smiling at him happily.

Akihiko glanced around. "What're you up to?" he mused. "Since when do you want to be seen with either of us?"

"I heard what happened to you," Aragaki told me lowly. "I warned you. You dumbass." I glared at him, unable to defend myself. "Do you think Ikutsuki is going to stop at that, Odagiri?" he added in a low whisper, eyes intense. "I know him. I know he sometimes doesn't know how to stop. You attract Shadows. You're like their crack. He told me this when we met; do you know what the hell this means?"

"Shinji," Akihiko scolded. "Shut up. Leave him be."

Minato slid by my side, his song done. Junpei was beginning a wailing duet with some fat girl who was here much more often than she should've been. I tuned them out, and was glad for Minato's company. He held my hand under the table, gray eyes catching my distant ones. He looked to Shinjiro and Akihiko, while I carefully avoided watching them. I didn't want to listen to this. I didn't want to be involved anymore. I was done with the Dark Hour and Personae.

"This means," Shinjiro continued, despite the fact I was trying to make it clear I did not want him to do as such. "He's still curious. He still wants answers. Odagiri--"

"Enough," Akihiko snapped, a snarl to his voice. Shinjiro looked a little surprised, then he snorted and glanced aside. Minato tightened his grasp, making the quiver in my hands a little more apparent. I was shaking? I glanced to him slowly and his eyebrows were creased, worry in his eyes. I gazed aside. I couldn't pretend I was okay when I looked at him. It was hard to be anything but honest around him.

I left to go to the bathroom, making a brief gesture to my crotch when I got questioning gazes. Silence was hard to interpret, but any gesture to one's groin would explain a visit to the bathroom. Whether it was to piss or jerk off, that was left up to interpretation, but I could assure you, I was not in the mood to flog the dolphin. Minato wanted to follow me, I know he did just from the way he shifted in his seat, but I didn't invite him. Nor did I gesture for him to stay. I don't know what I wanted him to do, so maybe it was better if he just stayed where he was.

In all honesty, I knew I was falling apart at my seams. I had been since my first night seeing the Dark Hour. Ever since I had learned what was going on at night, every night, at school and with my friends, I hadn't been like I usually was. I don't know if it was just fear or worry or what, but I knew I was falling to pieces. I never went into a bathroom with an objective other than relieving myself. I never went into a bathroom to curl up in a stall and shake. Yet here I was, in a smelly stall at Club Mandragora, shaking and trying to shove the Dark Hour and Ikutsuki from my mind.

My hair had lost its usual slickness. I know I hadn't been awake long, but that didn't change the fact I noticed differences. My stomach was in constant turmoil. My heart kept racing even though I didn't always have such horrible things on my mind. To put it simply, I wanted to forget this. I wanted to forget Strega, and how they had led me to getting involved with the Dark Hour. I wanted to forget about what SEES really was. I wanted to forget it all. But by forgetting, I knew that I would lose what I had with Minato. I didn't know what it was between, but I didn't want to put a single word to whatever it was. We had a lot more than just one word. If I lost that, I wouldn't be who I was now. And I don't know who he would be if we hadn't been so close.

He wasn't done with me. Ikutsuki wasn't done with me. Why in God's name had I been told this? I didn't want to know. I didn't want to mentally prepare for more of his horrible antics. I gathered myself, because I didn't want to think about it. I really, really didn't. Yet I continued to shake, my legs pulled up to my chest with my heels resting on the edge of the toilet seat, my forehead against my knees. I think I was crying, but my mind was very far from being in that bathroom stall. My mind was heading to the Dark Hour, whether I wanted it to or not.

I went back to the table when I had cleared myself up, but I didn't sit down. How was I supposed to tell them I wanted to go home? I simply jerked my head and Minato seemed to understand. He relayed my message for me. "I'm going to take him home," he stated, and stood. Shinjiro stood up as well.

"I'll come," he stated lowly.

Minato gave him a blank stare. "Why?"

"It's getting late."

My heart stopped when I heard that. I dug out my cell phone and looked at the time. We hadn't been here that long…Had we? We had left at about seven…I couldn't hide my panic when I saw it was now eleven o' clock. I stuffed my phone into my pocket and Minato took my hand briefly. Aki said he'd stay here for Junpei, and Minato mentioned gratitude. We left, the three of us, but I was freaking out. I had lost my voice to the Dark Hour and about a week of my life to sickness and a coma respectively. I had lost a lot of Hidetoshi in the mix as well. I didn't recognize me when I had looked into the mirror in the bathroom. Tired eyed, messy and unprofessional, sickly…I didn't want to see myself deteriorate anymore.

As we walked, Minato held my hand. Outside of the mall, and heading towards the monorail, there weren't as many people. We could be a little more public about our affection. I was so glad he did. The darkness was making me feel sick. We got to the station, but found we had to sit tight while a monorail made its way over for the next run. Shinjiro and I grew antsy at that station. I didn't know why he was, but I was shaking again. I kept glancing to my phone clock. I kept watching the minutes go by. Minato took it from when after a while and he pressed a soft kiss to my lips to keep me from trying to voicelessly protest.

"Ha, Aragaki, and the two little queers!" came a snide voice. I turned slowly. A green-haired young man tossing a grenade up and down in his hand grinned dementedly at us, his other hand clutching a briefcase at his side. "It's been too long, don't you think?" Shinjiro snarled like a guard dog, and Minato possessively pulled me behind him, even though I was a bit taller and it defeated the point. I wanted to tell him how cute he looked, but I was panicking again and I still didn't have my voice.

"Strega," Minato spat out, like it was a very bad word. A hand on my shoulder made me jump and bump into Minato. Takaya chuckled, taking steps forward, making us take steps back. Like herders, the two moved us down the steps and into the bad side of the Port Island station. I knew that this was their terrain without even needing to think about it. Shinjiro and Minato kept me between them, like I was completely inept and useless at defending myself. I was, but I still had pride. I squared too, but Takaya and Jin only laughed at me heartily. Minato glanced to me and gave me one of those faint smiles I loved so much. Shinjiro growled deeply in his throat.

"How would you feel if I were to rip your boyfriend to shreds, Arisato?" Jin mused, laughing. "My latest grenade has explosive power, if you know what I mean."

"Now now," Takaya chuckled. "We have some time until the games get interesting, Jin. Behave yourself until then."

"Shit," Aragaki swore. "They're going to make us wait it out. Arisato, you and Odagiri--"

"Don't even try to escape," Takaya clucked, shaking his head, his smirk deadly and sickening at the same time. "Chidori, my dear…" The Lolita-dressed girl appeared, but from where, I couldn't honestly tell you. She cut off any side exits. She stood quietly and watched us. My knees were buckling. I was acting like a coward and I knew it, but I didn't think I could handle this. I had no voice and I couldn't take much more of this life. I couldn't take much more of the Dark Hour, Strega, or any of this.

"What do you want?" Aragaki demanded fists tight.

"Such fighting spirit, Aragaki," Takaya taunted, his hand resting on his handgun. Minato rested his own hand on his own gun; what he had explained to me as being an 'Evoker' for releasing one's Personae. I think Takaya's gun was real, though, which made me more worried about him. "You've been playing with these little brats, Aragaki. Even though you said you were done helping your own boyfriend and his pathetic little effort…Besides, a friend told us to come help him. I can't tell anybody no," he added, and then laughed.

"He's not my boyfriend; not anymore," Shinjiro snarled. "What do you care?"

"Boyfriend?" Minato asked softly. Shinji grunted out a low 'Aki'. Minato turned pink and I tried not to smile. He was too cute, really, but this was not the time to notice such sweetness. Akihiko kept himself tight, Minato remained anxious and squared. I simply tried not to look too stupid and useless. Takaya did not answer Shinji, just continued to smile at us. Jin watched us despite playing with his grenade, and Chidori gazed at us with little to no expression. Minato glanced down briefly to check my cell phone, and from the paleness I could see from the moon's glow, I knew what time it was. Or almost was, anyway.

I wanted to ask one thing. I wanted to ask one thing, but I couldn't. Am I going to die?

The world shuddered very abruptly. Everything turned green. The moon began to glow, and puddles of blood appeared on the ground. Soon, everything was twisted, everything was screwed, and everything was so messed up. Minato instantly pulled his Evoker to his head and summoned up his horrible Persona, and then handed the gun to Shinjiro past me. He summoned up his own Persona, as did Takaya, Jin, and Chidori. I was surrounded by these monsters. I tried to stumble back. I wasn't able to scream. I couldn't. Instead I cried. I was so scared. I think I felt piss running down my leg, but I didn't care. I stumbled backwards until I tripped and all I could see was those horrible monsters, attacking the humans with little care.

Thanatos and Castor, the Personae of Minato and Aragaki, attacked fiercely and with little remorse. I cried. I had never been good with monsters; I had never liked the stories of monsters under one's beds, or the creatures in the closest. Those were fake and made up. These creatures were not. They were real, drawing blood on their human targets with spells and physical attacks. Takaya would sometimes just shoot, but Thanatos would block the blow so Minato wasn't hit. Had I been less afraid, I would've noticed just how cool the Persona looked in battle. They were cool, in the way all boys loved. Yet I would never admit that, even if I had noticed.

Then Castor slashed open Takaya's arm. Aragaki grinned despite himself. Jin quickly dashed to his aid, then hissed a curse. For a fleeting moment, a way out of this situation was opened. Minato quickly looked to me and pointed, eyes wide. I couldn't move though. My body had frozen. My sound was being taken away again, and I just started to cry all over again. I felt like such a baby, I felt like such a chicken shit, but it was happening again. Something was starting to crush my brain all over again. Funny looking snakes were slithering their way from the opened passage. Minato swore loudly.

"Aragaki!" he yelled. "Get him out, quick, please! He'll die! Thanatos can cover you!"

I felt the arms around me faster than I had imagined. Shinji pulled a face when he felt the dampness to the leg of my pants, but he was moving too fast in his adrenaline buzz to stop and care. He obeyed Minato without a thought, without hesitation. He breezed past the injured Takaya and the fretting Jin. I had lost my sound, there was a snake with gender signs around its neck right on our tails, but Minato had Thanatos moving quickly enough to keep it distracted for moments at a time.

Shinjiro ran. He ran back to the school, since the monorails were dead. There were more Shadows awaiting him at Tartarus. No. They were awaiting me. I was their 'crack'. I could only watch as Shinji forced his Persona out with no Evoker to do so. He groaned in obvious agony, but held onto me securely and had Castor keep me safe. Why would he do such a thing? Minato. Minato had a grasp on everyone. He had a face you couldn't say no to. He was a beautiful boy.

And I loved him. Was he okay, facing Strega on his own as well as some of those monsters? Was he okay? Shinjiro set me down when there were no more Shadows at the moment, but he kept Castor out and at the ready. He allowed me to rest against the Tartarus gate, and he examined me. He tapped my cheek and spoke, but I couldn't hear him. He showed me his finger; there was a spot of blood. He gestured to his eyes. I was bleeding out my eyes. I swallowed slowly, my mind dizzy, but my shock was beginning to fade. I wiped away my bloody eyes and swallowed again, rubbing my knees in an effort to make them work. Shinjiro nodded, looking a little more at-ease now that I seemed to be getting a grip.

Shinjiro kept any Shadows that appeared at bay. I'd throw rocks to distract some when there were too many for him to handle alone. I do not know how long would we be there or how long until we saw Minato again, but I hoped it wouldn't be long. Shinjiro glanced up after some time of this, his hat cast aside and his body heaving with exhaustion, and an unwilling smirk appeared. I followed his gaze and stood awkwardly, wiping away the blood at my eyes and smirking. Shakily grabbing at my sleeves. Minato hurried to us, Thanatos slicing a few creatures as he passed. He paused in front of me and examined me; I brushed aside his hand, dizzily nodding. He spoke, but I saw Shinjiro call for his attention. Probably to tell him that I couldn't hear.

Feeling like an emperor with my samurai, I trailed next to them as they moved, exhausted and probably getting sick from the excessive use of their Personae. I rubbed Minato's elbow quietly. By the time we were back to the station again, Strega had disappeared. Shinjiro stood by the station entrance, hands in his pockets, Castor gone and resting. I sat quietly on a bench, uncomfortable in my damp pants and still wiping blood from my eyes. There was pressure on my mind, but so far, I had seen no other Shadows since before.

I stood, gesturing to the theater, and I moved inside. I grabbed a few napkins and began to wipe myself down, disgusted with how I had wet myself, yet not feeling all-together guilty about it. I had a very viable excuse. I didn't hear Minato's shout, nor did I notice the rock being hurtled my direction. That was why I didn't see the Shadow until I had turned around, and the snake had slit me right across my belly.