Author's Notes: Uploading this right now because I'm going to be busy tomorrow. Enjoy!

~18 OCTOBER 2009~

Time passed by slowly for the team as the month went on. Life for the rest of the city continued as usual, but for SEES, it was as if their livelihood had been shattered. Some recovered faster than others, but it wasn't as if those that were okay could callously brush aside everyone else's feelings over what had happened to Shinjiro.

The entire dorm was split on what to do and although she knew it wasn't the best decision, Mitsuru decided to put a hold on all things Shadow-related until after Midterms. This gave the members a choice of either sulking or studying. It was a good compromise and besides, everyone at the dorm knew the blue-haired field leader was having problems with their navigator. There really was no point going to Tartarus when the two were purposefully avoiding each other. And whenever the two were in the same room, all of SEES couldn't help but feel rather uncomfortable with the tension.

It only got worse though when everyone found out exactly what happened between them and while it had been his goal to distance himself from the rest of the dorm, the amount of scorn everyone gave the boy was completely unprecedented. Even Hamuko was surprised by everyone's backlash so she quickly tried to do a bit of damage control by explaining this was just a horrible habit of his to push everyone he cared about away, but the damage had already been done. The leader had completely shattered Fuuka's self-confidence and in her defense, the majority of the dorm unabashedly directed their anger and frustration towards Minato.

Minato took their enmity in stride though. He was used to carrying the weight of his own self-loathing, so anyone else's on top of that didn't really change much. Everyone at least left him alone more often now, giving him a chance to fall into his older habit of silently brooding on his own. While it was rather strange that this time it actually hurt him more than in the past, he actually preferred things this way since he no longer had to worry about anyone else endangering themselves by associating with him. It at least gave him more time to work on his investigations and he already decided that once he finished up his current caseload, he was definitely leaving SEES and not going to look back.

Now if only I could just stop running out of coffee whenever I need it the most, he thought to himself as he decided to just take the coffee maker upstairs with him, seeing as how he was the only one in the dorm who used it.

Unfortunately, on his way up, he nearly bumped into Akihiko. "Whoa, Minato! Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Hm," Minato nodded. Although Akihiko was one of the few in the dorm who didn't necessarily hate his guts, Minato didn't really want to spend too much time on small talk. Plus, he still felt extremely guilty over Shinjiro's death so interacting with the boxer was going to be awkward at best and painful at worst. Seeing as neither had anything else to say to each other, Minato tried to skirt around the older boy, only for the senior to block his way up.

"Huh? Where are you going with the dorm's coffee machine?" Akihiko frowned as he noticed the machine in the younger boy's arms.

"Command room," Minato shrugged, impatiently searching for a way past the taller teen.

"Huh?" The boxer blinked at that. "What are you doing up there?"

"Work," the younger boy frowned as it should have been obvious.

"Right, you're still looking into the Kirijo Group for Mitsuru," Akihiko recalled, crossing his arms. After a while, he sternly looked into the investigator's dull blue eyes. "Hey, Mitsuru told me you're gonna quit after you finish your investigation. Is that really true?"

Minato said nothing as he began glaring at the older boy for nosing into his affairs.

Akihiko took his reaction as a yes so sighed. "Oh, come on. I just don't want you ending up like Shinji."

"I won't," the leader sternly answered, eyes flashing.

"Then why quit on us now?"

The blue-haired boy lowered his gaze to the floor as he began vehemently scowling at himself. When he remained silent, Akihiko simply cleared his throat, impatiently prodding the boy to answer. In the end, Minato shook his head while trying to avoid looking up at the boxer. "I don't care anymore..."

The senior grit his teeth together when he noticed the fire that usually burned in the diligent junior's eyes was completely gone. "So you've given up..."

Minato simply slumped his shoulders in response and after remaining in place for half a minute, he tried once again to dart past the senior. He didn't expect Akihiko to grab his arm though so shot the older boy a questioning frown.

Akihiko shook his head. "Why don't you come to the gym with me? I need a workout partner and it's not good for you to be sitting at your desk for too long."

"No thanks," the blue-haired teen bluntly answered, trying to tug his arm free.

"Come on," Akihiko refused to take no for an answer so tightened his grip but he soon noticed how his hand easily wrapped around the thin boy's arm. "Jeez, you've really let your body deteriorate over the past couple of weeks..." he frowned in concern. "Some exercise and protein should fix things. I'll buy you a meal from Umiushi when we're done, alright?" he tried bribing the younger boy.

Minato took a moment to consider the senior's offer. "Hamuko too," the older brother seriously nodded.

"Alright," the boxer smirked, a bit relieved Minato hadn't completely abandoned his principles. "Let's get going then."

Minato staggered as he missed the impending uppercut coming at him from his left. The blue-haired junior took a few unsteady steps away from his opponent before falling flat onto his back. He closed his eyes and groaned as he took a few minutes to recover from the punch and when he opened his eyes again, he noticed Akihiko standing over him with his hand out to pull him back up.

"Are you happy now?" Minato frowned up at the older boy as he accepted his hand. After a rigorous workout, Akihiko managed to get the boy to actually start talking again by suddenly challenging to a quick bout for no real reason. Of course Minato had to speak up to refuse, but he ended up having to fight anyway as the senior wouldn't leave him alone otherwise.

The boxer smirked at the younger boy and shook his head. "Well, that wasn't really the match I was expecting, but you did pretty good for someone who lost his will to fight."

The blue-haired boy glared at the champion in mild annoyance. "I don't know why you insisted going through that. I told you from the beginning that you'd win, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I just wanted to test your strength for myself," Akihiko frowned. "I've been wanting to face off against you for a while now anyway. Guys like us who always fight with our lives on the line... This is the best way to communicate, don't you think?" he smirked.

"I think that's just you," the junior shrewdly replied as he jumped down from the ring to head over to their things. "I didn't even want to do this in the first place." He took a few seconds to wipe his face down with a clean towel before curiously looking up at the older boy. "So? What did you get from all that?"

"You really want to know?" Akihiko chuckled as he joined the younger teen.

"I don't really care," Minato shrugged.

"Heh," the boxer lightly pushed the Hellhound's shoulder, "Then what's the point in asking?"

"To humor you," the boy apathetically replied.

"Always ready with a comeback, aren't you?" Akihiko shook his head as he wiped down the sweat dripping down the back of his neck. After a while, he became serious so sternly frowned at the boy while slinging his towel over his left shoulder. "Anyway, the point of that was I wanted to really see if you've given up fighting. I know you're not much of a boxer, but your style fell in line with exactly what I thought suited you. A counter puncher," the boxer crossed his arms and nodded in impress, "And a really good one at that. I probably would have lost if you hadn't been so distracted."

"What?" Minato's eyes narrowed.

"You heard me," Akihiko focused his grey eyes on the SEES field leader. "You might not have wanted to, but the truth is, if you have to, you will. No questions asked. I didn't give you much of a choice here, so of course you couldn't back down. But still," he frowned in mild disappointment, "you didn't really give me your all."

"Are you saying I threw that fight?"

"No," the boxer shook his head. "You at least put in some effort blocking and countering my blows, after all." The boxer frowned to himself. "Honestly, I didn't give it my best either, but I would have felt bad if you just stood there and took it without putting up a fight. The fact that you did actually try just reaffirms my suspicions that you're constantly holding yourself back."

Minato glared at the senior. "Like hell I do."

"Then let's go another round," Akihiko challenged him while looking straight into the younger boy's eyes. "No holds barred. I wouldn't even limit you to just boxing."

The blue-haired boy stared back, his blue eyes burning brightly, but after a few minutes, he quickly broke his gaze and frowned to himself. "Okay, fine. I do tend to limit myself when I fight, but if I go all out, I might just end up going too far." He brought his hand up to stare at his empty palm before tightening it into a fist. "And if I somehow lose control of myself, who would be able to stop me? You with your straightforward, honest style?" Minato shook his head. "I don't think so."

"You really are just like Shinji," Akihiko frowned at the younger boy.

"Funny... Shinji-nii said I was a lot like you."

"Yeah, well... I guess it's because you're an older brother too," the boxer sighed. "I don't like bringing her up much, but I used to have a little sister too, you know. Her name was Miki and I wanted to protect her more than anything." He clenched his fists and shook his head. "But when the orphanage we grew up in burned down, I wasn't strong enough to fight against the people holding me back from trying to save her." Minato lowered his head as he could feel Akihiko glaring at him. "That's why I don't ever hold back in anything. You have talent, Minato," he honestly praised the younger boy. "It'd be a hell of a waste for you to not use it just because you're afraid of what you might be capable of. Good or bad," he nodded.

"Tch," Minato turned his head away. "Whatever," he scowled to himself. "Whether I decide to use my 'talent' or not is up to me. I don't need you lecturing me on how to live my life because you've never hurt another person the way Shinji-nii and I have." The blue-haired junior's face scrunched up in pain as he thought back to how he had treated Fuuka. "Forget about having others forgive us for our actions, accidental or not. Forgiving ourselves isn't even an option for us and that's something I don't expect you to understand."

"I guess not," Akihiko sighed as he thought back to the dorm's current situation. "I do know a lot about regrets though. You can't let them weigh you down forever. In fact," he straightened up as he remembered Shinji's final moments, "you should use them to propel you forward. Difficult as that might have been for him, Shinji managed to do at least that much, even with Ken angry at him throughout it all."

Minato bitterly smiled at that. "Shinji-nii really was amazing, wasn't he?"

"Yeah..." the white-haired boxer nodded while frowning to himself. "I want to try to do the same," he stated in determination before kneeling down to put his equipment away so the two of them could leave.

Minato watched the older boy work as he simply picked up his own duffel from the ground. The serious leader of SEES sighed as he wondered if it was possible for him to ever get over all of his regrets in life.

~19 OCTOBER 2009~

As soon as classes were let out for Lunch, Minato disappeared to the rooftop as he usually did ever since Shinjiro had passed away. He looked around the empty roof before noticing it was completely void of people. This was rather rare as he would normally have to kick out a few students trying to have lunch up here before he could enjoy the peace and quiet, but seeing as how the results for their Midterms were being posted today, he could see why nobody was here. He shrugged it off though as he laid down on his usual bench to stare up at the sky.

Today, he was feeling a bit tired and sore. It turns out his previous workout with Akihiko left him in worse shape than he thought, so he didn't fight against his heavy eyelids trying to close. He did make sure to turn up his music player though so nothing would be able to disturb his sleep.

"I walk~ I walk this dark valley~ Cold wind blows out the light of joy~ In starless sky~ I rejoice our memories~ Strength that stays in my heart~" Minato stopped humming and opened an eye when he felt someone standing over him. He tried to glare at whoever it was as he slowly sat up on the bench but ended up staring at his visitor in surprise when he realized it was Natsuki. "Moriyama-san?"

"Sorry to bother you," she frowned at him after he pulled his headphones down, "but can we talk?"

"Um..." Minato knit his eyebrows together in confusion but rather than turn her away, he found himself nodding as he gave his seat up to her. "Sure…" Shaking sleep from his system, he leaned back against the fence and shook sleep from his system. He frowned to himself as he wondered what she wanted from him, but she seemed to have something important to say. Perhaps it was because he was too tired to refuse or it was relieving to have someone new talk to him after weeks of isolating himself from others, but he did his best to politely make some small talk with the girl who had sought him out. "It's been a while since we last spoke," he said, tilting his head to the side. "As I recall, that was back in June? We were in the hospital."

"Yeah…" Natsuki nodded. "Back then, we were both waiting for Fuuka to wake up." She noticed Minato frown to himself when she mentioned her best friend. "Actually… I wanted to talk to you about her…"

"Huh?" The blue-haired boy sighed as he should have known this was the case. "I don't think that's a good idea… If something is bothering Yamagishi, it'd be better to go to Hamuko about it. I'm… not all that close to her…"

"You don't have to lie, Yuki-san," Natsuki told him as she noticed his pained expression. "I saw you talking to Fuuka here a few weeks ago."

"Then you should know we haven't spoken to each other since then," the Hellhound frowned.

"I saw you crying afterwards," the girl added.

"W-what?" Minato's cheeks turned red. "That's ridiculous… I mean… I wasn't…" Realizing he wasn't getting out of this so easily, he crossed his arms and cleared his throat. "I see…" He awkwardly cast his gaze elsewhere. "So, what is it?"

"Fuuka's been down lately and I guess it's because of what happened then," Natsuki sadly frowned. "I've never seen her so depressed. What you said… it hurt her a lot."

"I know…" Minato lowered his gaze.

"Then why would you say those things?" Natsuki asked him. "I thought you were her friend. She talks about you a lot whenever we hang out."

"She does?" The blue-haired boy was surprised to hear that.

"She says you're the bravest person she knows," the girl nodded. "You're the one who inspires her to try her hardest. So why would you yell at her like that if you didn't mean it?"

Minato couldn't look up at the female junior. "That's complicated…"

"More complicated than that weird club you guys belong to?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded. "We're not allowed to discuss the activities of SEES to those not living in the dorm."

"But what you guys do had to do with Aragaki-senpai's death," Natsuki frowned at him. "He was a part of your dorm, too, right? I heard you say you two saw him die in front of you…"

Minato clenched his fists. "That's not any of your concern," he sternly stated.

"It is since you hurt Fuuka," Natsuki challenged him. "Fuuka is my best friend and you told her it was her fault when you actually blame yourself. Complicated or not, I want an explanation."

"You're not getting one from me," Minato defensively stated. "I know what I did was wrong but… it's for her own good…" His fingernails dug into his own skin as his fist tightened. "It's best if she stopped relying on me anyway… There's still everyone else at the dorm. And outside of SEES, she has you."

"I wouldn't even be speaking to you right now if that was going to be true in the future," Natsuki said with a frown.

Minato looked up at her in alarm. "What?"

"I'm transferring after tomorrow," Natsuki sadly told him. "And when I do, Fuuka will be alone in Ekoda's class. She doesn't really fit into the classroom well and Ekoda's always picking on her with the other students. We spend a lot of time together, but when I see her with you guys, she's acts differently. She's a lot more confident, especially when you're standing right beside her…"

The blue-haired boy shook his head. "You're just imagining things…"

"You know I'm not," the brunette frowned at him.

The Hellhound faltered a bit and sighed. "If you're so concerned about her, tell my sister… Fuuka probably hates me anyway…"

"That's not true," Natsuki shook her head. She smiled as she tried to recall something she felt the boy told her a long time ago. "I still don't remember the reason why we were hospitalized, but I do remember Fuuka saving me from something. She was so brave back then…" She was beginning to get a headache so rested a hand on her head. "She collapsed, didn't she? You were there to catch her and I wanted to apologize to her for what had happened. I think it was my fault we were in that situation but…" Natsuki gave Minato a determined look. "You told me that Fuuka would forgive me…"

Minato vaguely recalled his words. "That's right… She's just too kind sometimes…"

"I don't know why you want her to hate you, but Fuuka's not the kind of person to hold grudges. Even now, she still cares about you a lot…" Natsuki studied the boy's pained expression. "And from talking to you right now, I can tell you do too…"

"I... I d-don't..." Minato struggled to deny the brunette's claims, but he realized it was futile. Natsuki was right and as much as he wanted to keep lying to himself and the others, he knew he couldn't keep it up anymore, at least, not without suffocating under the burden it was placing on his heart. But that still left him at a complete loss on what to do as he no longer knew how he should cope with his own feelings.

Natsuki watched as the Hellhound fell silent as he desperately tried to work out his own thoughts. It seemed that he finally dropped any and all pretense that he didn't care for their teal-haired friend, but the uncertainty and fear was clear on his face. The brunette shook her head as she decided to tell him the real reason why she was here, hoping it would help him pull himself together. "Like I said, I'm transferring tomorrow. I haven't actually told Fuuka yet, but when I do, it'll pretty much just be me saying goodbye. I don't want her to be alone after that though, so I thought maybe she'd feel a bit better if you showed up afterward."

"Why me?" Minato asked in exasperation. "Why not my sister or someone else from the dorm?"

"Because," Natsuki firmly stated, "out of everyone in the dorm, you're the one who cares about Fuuka the most. I'm not asking you to do anything crazy to beg for her forgiveness or anything like that," she shook her head as Minato seemed like the sort of person who would go to such lengths. "I just want you to be her friend again, because without you, Fuuka seems absolutely miserable."

The blue-haired teen remained still for a while longer, but soon the warning bell began to ring. Natsuki nervously looked towards the door leading back inside and not wanting to be late, she cast Minato a desperate glance as she needed an answer from him soon. Minato sighed as it seemed he had no other choice but to accept. "Alright," he nodded. "I'll stay with Fuuka after you leave. I'm not sure if I can be of much help or if she'll even want me there, but I'll do it."

"Thanks, Yuki-san," Natsuki smiled before making her way towards the exit.

"W-wait, Moriyama-san," Minato quickly called to the brunette. "Is it really true? Fuuka considers me as the bravest person she knows?"

"Absolutely," the girl nodded while looking back at him. "Of course, if you don't believe me, you can always just ask Fuuka yourself."

"Yeah..." the boy muttered as she finally returned indoors. He stood outside alone for a moment longer before hurrying back to his own classroom. He couldn't help the wry smile beginning to grow on his face though as he both dreaded and looked forward to speaking to the SEES navigator again tomorrow. "Fuuka..." he sighed as he tried to imagine her expression upon seeing him. "What's so brave about a coward like me?"

~20 OCTOBER 2009~

Fuuka glanced up towards Ekoda as he cleared his throat to start homeroom. "Uhhh, okay, class… I know you've been busy lately, but you all remembered to do your homework, right? Just because you're not taking a literature class next year doesn't mean you can blow off Classic Lit. Hey, are you listening to me?" he snapped at a student dozing off in the front row.

Beside the teal-haired girl, Natsuki frowned at her. "What's wrong, Fuuka? You look kinda down."

"Huh…?" Fuuka turned to her in surprise.

"Talk to me," her friend told her in worry. "Tell me what's bothering you."

Fuuka lowered her gaze towards her desk as she didn't really know where to begin. Ever since the last operation, everyone has been so down. Minato-kun and I haven't spoken at all… Everyone's scores suffered during Midterms… Shinjiro-san is gone… That's right… It's because Shinjiro-san is no longer with us. Without him, everything seems so different… She frowned as she finally came up with something to say. "It's about Aragaki-senpai…"

"Oh…" Natsuki frowned as she was hoping her friend would have wanted to talk to her about Minato. "Pretty shocking, huh…? I've never seen him at school, but I've seen him around town…" She thought back to the tall brunet who often hung out behind Port Island Station. "I wonder if he really did get caught up in some kind of crime…"

Fuuka continued to sadly stare at her desk. "Some things you can never get back…" she softly muttered. "I know that, from all the things that have happened with my parents. I've sort of been avoiding the question… but is it okay for me to go on like this?" She clenched her fists as she remembered the look of disappointment on her father's face the last time she had seen him during summer vacation. Her thoughts then wandered to the cold gaze Minato had given her when he told her that he no longer needed her to watch over him. Lately, all I've been doing is letting everyone down...

"Parents, huh…" Natsuki sympathized with her friend. "I can relate to that. But, you'll be okay, right?"

"Natsuki," Ekoda turned towards the brunette sitting near the back. "What are you waiting for? Come on up."

"Yeah, yeah," she rolled her eyes as she stood from her seat.

The crabby teacher sighed. "Don't you want to give your classmates a proper goodbye?" he asked as Natsuki approached the front of the room.

Fuuka looked at her in confusion. "Huh? What's going on?"

Natsuki wore an uncomfortable frown as she bowed to the class. "Uhhh, hello, everyone. I know it hasn't been that long, but I feel like I've made some good friends," she said as she looked over towards Fuuka. "I'll remember each and every one of you, even after I transfer. Thank you." She glared at Ekoda. "How's that?"

Fuuka looked at her friend in disbelief. "Transfer…? WHAT!?"

Natsuki wryly laughed. "You're a weird one, y'know?" the brunette told her friend as they sat together on the roof. "The biggest bitch in the school is leaving, and you feel sorry for her."

"You're transferring…" Fuuka frowned, "and you didn't say anything…?"

Natsuki shrugged. "It's not like telling you would've changed anything. Why make us both depressed?" she rhetorically asked. "Anyway, my dad's pretty sick… And they say it'll take some time for him to recover… We don't really have that much money, so we can't afford to stay here. Y'know, I still think you're crazy for being friends with someone like me… But, like I said before… we're both in the same boat." Natsuki frowned. "My parents act like I don't exist. I hate living at home. That's why I was so jealous when you moved into the dorm."

Fuuka looked at her friend with concern. "Natsuki-chan…"

"But, Fuuka…" Natsuki sternly spoke to her. "Your house is nearby and your parents are pretty normal. So, why'd you move?"

Fuuka was a bit surprised by the question. "Huh…?" she frowned to herself. "Well… um…"

"If you don't want to tell me, that's okay," Natsuki smiled at her. "But if it's something that you and your folks can work out, then do it while you have a chance. It'll be a while before my dad's in any condition for us to have a heart to heart." Fuuka nodded in understanding as she remained silent. Natsuki noticed how down the teal-haired girl was so lightly laughed. "What am I doing? This isn't what I wanted to talk about," she said, turning her head away. "Y'know, Fuuka… I used to think that every day was just the same. And I'm only saying this because it's you… But, you don't get any second chances in life. If you accept the way things are, then they'll never change…" Natsuki frowned at the cityscape. "This is the last time I'll see this view, huh… I won't be in school next week 'cause I'll be packing, so… I guess this is goodbye…"

"No!" Fuuka shook her head in protest.

Natsuki chuckled. "It's okay. Everything will be alright," she reassured her friend. "C'mon, don't gimme that look."

"But…"

"Hey, I'm not helpless, y'know," Natsuki nodded to her. "I've changed a lot since I met you. I'm gonna try and figure out what I really want now. So, I hope you do the same."

"What I really want…?" Fuuka frowned to herself. "I used to try and please everyone… I was afraid of not being liked, so I did my best to fit in. But, I never thought about what I wanted." She blinked at that. No… That's not completely true… I wasn't like that whenever I was with Minato-kun… He always let me be myself around him… She felt herself get even more depressed thinking about him. But as things are now... does Minato-kun still even care?

Natsuki noticed Fuuka was beginning to grow distraught so lightly laughed as she hugged her. "That is so like you, Fuuka. Well I say, if they don't accept you for who you are, then screw 'em." She smiled at her best friend. "But I like you… even if you don't like yourself." I'm sure Yuki-san does too…

"Natsuki-chan…" Fuuka gave her a grateful smile.

"Well…" Natsuki turned towards the door with a smile. "I better get going." She walked away before the teal-haired girl could stop her.

"Natsuki-chan!" Fuuka tried to go after her, but her phone rang. "My cell…?" She quickly checked it and noticed a new text. "Huh!? Natsuki-chan!?" Her eyes widened as she opened it.

"Even if we're apart, we'll still be connected. We can always talk, right? Thanks for everything."

Fuuka smiled as she put her phone away. "Natsuki-chan…" Seeing as she was now alone with time to spare, she walked towards the edge of the roof to stare out over the city and collect her thoughts.

Inside, Natsuki gratefully smiled at the boy handing her phone back to her. "Thanks for doing this for me, Yuki-san."

"It wasn't for you..." Minato awkwardly looked away from the brunette.

"Yeah, it was for Fuuka, right?" she lightly giggled. She stopped though when the boy remained silent. She frowned as the Hellhound stared out the partially open door towards Fuuka. "So, what are you waiting for? Shouldn't you be going out there now?"

"Sorry..." the Hellhound sighed. "I'm still trying to figure out what to say to her..."

"Hmm," Natsuki crossed her arms. "What was it you said to me back at the hospital? Something like 'if you reach out to her, things'll be fine'?"

Minato wryly chuckled at that. "I suppose I did say something along that line." Feeling a bit more courageous, he rested his hand on the door's handle and took in a deep breath. "Alright, no need to worry about Fuuka," he gave Natsuki a reassuring nod. "I'll be here to watch over her."

"I guess I'll leave Fuuka to you then," she smiled at the boy, turning towards the stairs going down.

"Take care of yourself, Natsuki-san," Minato returned her smile with a small one of his own.

The two nodded to each other in mutual thanks and understanding before parting ways. Minato's breath hitched as he silently pushed the door open. He was careful to not disturb Fuuka so quietly let the door rest before wordlessly making his way to the teal-haired girl's side. From where she stood, Fuuka shifted a bit as she sensed a familiar presence approaching her. Minato froze in place as she slowly began to turn around to check who it was.

"Minato-kun?" Fuuka stared at him with wide brown eyes.

It took him a while to recover from the initial shock of having her look directly at him, but he gave her his usual nod of greeting. "Fuuka..." Minato took a few steps towards her again but immediately paused when she slightly tensed up. He remained where he was and frowned to himself as this was going to be as difficult as he really did thought.

Fuuka noticed hesitation and fear flicker across his face as he lowered his gaze to the ground. He didn't say or do anything else and Fuuka figured he was trying to parse out his next course of action. Wanting to spare him from the stress beginning to build up in his eyes, Fuuka shook her head at him. "What are you doing up here, Minato-kun?" she asked him with an uncertain frown on her face.

Minato nearly jumped back in surprise as she directly spoke to him. "W-well... uh..." He frowned to himself as this shouldn't be that difficult. In the end, he shook his head to himself and cautiously looked up towards the girl staring at him with such a wary gaze. He let out a heavy sigh and frowned to himself before finally answering her. "I just came to check up on you," he simply told her while averting his gaze.

"Check on me?" The teal-haired girl blinked at him in confusion. "But there's nothing..." she trailed off when a terrifying thought crossed her mind. She felt her body tense up as she worriedly stared at the Hellhound with wide eyes. "W-wait, do you see another Reaper, Minato-kun?"

"W-what!?" Minato was taken aback by such a question. "N-no, but..." He began scanning the rooftop for any sign of danger in case he had missed something. "Do you sense anything, Fuuka?" he asked while tensing up.

Realizing she was riling up the teen for no reason, she immediately began trying to calm him down. "N-no, there's nothing wrong."

"So... everything is fine?" Minato dubiously frowned at her.

"O-of course," Fuuka nodded to him. "I'm completely okay," she tried to give the boy her best smile.

"But Natsuki-san..." the blue-haired boy knit his eyebrows together. "Were we worried about you for no reason then?"

"Natsuki-chan?" the teal-haired junior stared at him oddly.

"Yeah," Minato crossed his arms. "She told me about her transfer and asked me to stay with you in case you were feeling a bit down." The blue-haired boy frowned at himself. "If you don't want me here, I can ask Hamuko to come instead..." He dejectedly started retreating towards the door.

"N-no, that w-won't be necessary, Minato-kun," Fuuka hastily stopped him. She was surprised by her own actions when she suddenly grabbed his hand to prevent him from taking another step. She could the boy tense up as soon as she touched him, so she tried her best to put his mind at ease. "I don't mind your company," she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Really?" he frowned at her as he couldn't tell if she was just being honest or simply polite. He decided not to think too much into it though as he slowly allowed his body to relax in her presence. "Are you sure?" he asked. "If you're completely uncomfortable by my presence, I can and will ask someone else to take my place. It seriously doesn't have to be me," his frown deepened into a scowl. "I just don't want you to be alone..."

"Minato-kun..." Fuuka sadly frowned at him. Upon hearing her say his name so gently after so long, Minato couldn't help but lift his gaze a bit but he made the mistake of looking into her brown eyes though. Unable to look away, he allowed Fuuka to deeply stare back into his blue ones, resulting in her countenance slowly beginning to brighten as a happy warmth grew inside her. "Thank you, Minato-kun," the girl gratefully smiled at him, "but I don't think I can ever be alone."

The boy blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Her smile grew brighter as she lightly giggled to herself. "Hmm… 'Even if we're apart, we'll still be connected.' It all makes sense now…" She surprised the boy when she took his both hands within hers. "I've always been so worried about how others are feeling… That's why my power allows me to stay connected with them… I guess there is something I want after all…" She squeezed the boy's hands and blushed. "It makes me happy to see everyone else happy too. So, I want us all to remain friends. The power to connect people, even when they're apart… My Persona has given me this amazing gift."

Fuuka flinched as a flash of light appeared before her. Lucia appeared around them before turning into another Persona. "Thou art I, and I am thou," it softly spoke to Fuuka. "From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Juno, Queen of the Gods."

"Juno?" Minato began to blush. Isn't she also goddess of marriage?

"I will connect you to your loved ones forevermore," Juno said as she returned to the gentle navigator.

"Thank you, Juno," Fuuka blushed at her Persona's words before happily hugging the boy in front of her. "And you too, Minato-kun, for being here for me."

"Huh?" Minato looked to her in confusion but smiled as he hugged her back. "You're not upset at me?" he asked in a soft tone.

She shook her head against his chest. "No… Are you disappointed in me?"

"I could never be disappointed in you," the boy choked out, tightening his embrace. "Don't you dare think that you could ever disappoint me, Fuuka."

"I'm glad," the teal-haired girl muttered as she listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. "I'm always so happy around you… so I'm glad…" She sniffled a bit as tears began to form.

"Fuuka, don't cry," Minato gently told her as he rubbed her back. "I'm here now…" He frowned to himself. "I'm sorry for causing you this much trouble…"

"But that's a part of who you are," Fuuka shook her head at him as they separated. "Remember what we talked about during the summer festival? Even though you're problematic at times, I like that part of you too. You're not perfect, Minato-kun, but to me, you're—"

"The bravest person you know?" Minato asked. Fuuka nodded in response, resulting in him wryly laughing. "My 'bravery' led to Shinji-nii's death… I thought I could protect everyone, but I'm still just a coward in the end."

"I don't think you're a coward," she frowned at him.

"Really? I said some awful, despicable things to you in the hopes of driving you away due to my cowardice," he pointed out. "I tried to blame you for my deficiencies, despite knowing my failures stemmed from my own hubris towards my Reapers, the Shadows, and even Death itself." He bitterly laughed at himself. "Talented or not, I'm even more scared now than I was before... So of course I'm a coward."

"I don't think you're brave because of your abilities, Minato-kun," Fuuka firmly shook her head at him. "I think you're brave because you're always trying your hardest in spite of your fears. I know you blame yourself for not being able to protect Shinjiro-san, but what happened wasn't your fault," she reassured the taller teen.

"How can you say that so easily after I hurt you as badly as I did?" Minato's face scrunched up in pain and confusion. "I really tried to make you hate me."

"I could never hate you though, Minato-kun," the girl sadly frowned up at him.

"Then at least tell me you were angry at me," he sighed.

"I can't, because I wasn't," she wryly smiled.

"So for the past two weeks, what was the point of us purposefully avoiding each other then?" Minato asked. "I mean, my reasoning is obvious because this is a horrible habit of mine, but why would you willingly play along with me and hurt yourself like this too?"

Fuuka paused for a moment to consider her answer. After a while, she took in a deep breath. "I became afraid too," she admitted to him. "I didn't think I was capable of keeping my promise of watching over and protecting you. It took a while for me to understand you didn't mean any of what you said that day on the roof, but I still used your words as an excuse to break my promise to you…"

"It wasn't a very good promise to begin with," Minato frowned. "It was an unnecessary burden I gave you… I'm sorry…" his voice lowered to a whisper.

"You don't have to apologize," the girl told him with a soft smile. "I wasn't really helping you back then either. I was only using the promise as a way to pay you back for all the times you helped me. During the past few days though, my old negative thoughts started creeping in again… I thought if I let you see who I really was, then you wouldn't like me…"

"But you know that's not true," Minato told her. "I've always accepted you for who you were… Who you are."

The girl wryly smiled at him. "I was thinking badly of myself… But, when I realized what I was doing… I saw myself for who I truly am… And now, I understand what I really want to do. At first I wanted to thank you, but now I realize what I actually want to do is help you… My true feelings really weren't that complicated after all."

The blue-eyed boy stared at her. "Fuuka…?"

"Um…" she blushed as she lowered her gaze. "There's something I have to tell you…"

Minato studied her carefully and patiently nodded. "You know you can tell me anything," he gently stated.

Fuuka felt that it was getting difficult to breathe but she continued. "I want to be by your side, Minato-kun," she told him. "And I want you to be by my side…" She looked up at his soft face. "That's what I want most right now…" She nervously watched him and was afraid he was going to leave her again, but was surprised when he suddenly hugged her. It felt different from when she hugged him though because it seemed as if the boy never wanted to let her go.

"Y-yeah…" Minato shakily said. "That's what I want too…"

"R-really…?" Fuuka blushed. "You feel the same…?"

He nodded his head and pulled her closer into his chest. "If I didn't, the past two weeks wouldn't have hurt as much as they did," he stated as he decided to finally confront his own feelings towards the navigator. "I won't make you promise to stay this time, but if that's what you want, that's great... I'll do my best to stay at your side too..." His words began to get caught in his throat but he forced himself to struggle past his nervousness. "Because I—" he stopped talking when he heard a stampede of footsteps climbing up the stairwell behind him.

"Minato-kun?" Fuuka frowned up at him in confusion when he reluctantly let her go. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you some other time we're alone," the boy gently smiled at her as the door began to open. Distracted, Fuuka looked over his shoulder to see what was going on, but Minato continued to stare at her. I love you, Fuuka… he thought to himself. I might not know how to express how I feel as well as I want to, but I truly do love you... He closed his eyes and took in a calming breath as he also turned to face their friends intruding on his time alone with Fuuka.

"There you are," Yukari smiled as soon as she spotted Fuuka. The brunette as she noticed the frowning blue-haired boy on the roof and immediately gave him a frown. "Oh, Minato…" She turned to Junpei, Hamuko, and Aigis behind her. "I found them!"

Fuuka looked at the rest of the juniors in confusion. "Why, did something happen?"

"It is surprising to find you on the rooftop," Aigis said.

"Nah," Junpei shrugged. "We were just wondering what you were up to…" He mildly glared at Minato. "I didn't think you'd be up here too..."

"Yeah," Hamuko sternly frowned at her brother. "Fuuka-chan, he's not bothering you, is he?"

"O-of course not," Fuuka blinked at the others in surprise.

"If anything, you're the ones bothering us," Minato shook his head before eyeing the girl at his side in concern. "Or maybe that's just me..."

"Oh, that's right," Fuuka nodded while looking back towards the blue-haired boy. "You usually come up here to take naps, don't you, Minato-kun?"

"Hm," he nodded as a lazy smile appeared on his face. "It's quiet and breezy up here…" he said while taking a deep breath of the crisp air. "Autumn really is the best…"

The quiet girl giggled as she agreed with him. "I think it's a very refreshing season too."

"Huh?" Yukari looked between the two juniors easily conversing with each other. "What's up with you two?"

Hamuko smiled as her brother and Fuuka laughed alongside each other. Minato noticed her staring at them so quickly gave his younger twin a slight frown. "What?"

"Fuuka-chan," the red-eyed girl tilted her head to the side. "Is everything alright now?"

The teal-haired girl nodded. "Everything's okay now. I've made up my mind. I'll do as much as I can with my power." She smiled up at Minato. "For my sake, as well as the sake of others." The blue-haired leader looked back towards her and gave her nod, a sign that he would be relying on her strength from now on. Fuuka's smile grew as her face warmed up a little.

Yukari frowned. "Okaaay…"

Fuuka giggled. "Sorry. I guess that was sort of random, wasn't it?"

"I don't think so," Minato crossed his arms.

"Uh, are you sure you're alright?" Junpei studied Fuuka's face for a while longer as she continued to giggle.

"We're probably missing something only nii-san knows," Hamuko sighed, glad the two finally made up.

"But I'm the dense one when it comes to what you call 'matters of the heart'…" Minato pointed out.

"I guess we're all doomed then," Hamuko shrugged.

"Whatever," her older brother shook his head as he put his hands in his pockets. He started for the door but paused. "Heh… It's been a while since we've all gone to Tartarus…" He smirked towards the sky. "I suppose we've put this off long enough…" He turned to his team with an apologetic expression on his face. "I'm sorry for how I was acting before and I don't expect you all to forgive me, but we have only one Shadow left. It'll be more difficult than the ones we've previously faced and I know I can't go it alone so..." The leader hesitated as he considered asking them a question. "Can I count on you all to back me up?"

Yukari, Junpei, Hamuko, and Aigis all frowned to each other as their awkward leader nervously awaited their answer. The four classmates ended up smiling though because if he managed to make up with Fuuka, then things were definitely getting back to normal. Besides, what was a leader without a team to lead?

"You really have to ask?" Yukari raised an eyebrow at him.

"I guess not…" Minato wryly chuckled. "Then it's decided," he let out a deep breath. "I won't look back in fear anymore. We'll keep moving forward. Not just for Shinji-nii, but for our sake as well."

"Dude, did your brother get a new Persona too?" Junpei asked Hamuko.

"No," Fuuka shook her head as she smiled at her inspiring hero. "I did, but… Minato-kun also became stronger."

"Maybe a new girlfriend then?" the red-eyed girl joked.

"W-what?" Minato's face grew red. "H-hey…"

Aigis tilted her head to the side. "Minato-san's and Fuuka-san's body temperatures are rising. Perhaps they are coming down with a fever."

Yukari smirked at the two juniors. "Oh… I get it. If you both wanted some time alone on the roof, you could have just said so." She laughed a bit. "We didn't mean to interrupt."

"N-no," Fuuka stammered. "Th-that's not it at all!"

"Nii-san, can I be your maid of honor?" Hamuko snickered as their faces continued to flush.

"Sh-shut up!" Minato tried to snap, but his burning cheeks only made his friends laugh at him even more. He glanced towards Fuuka and saw she was also blushing as madly as he was. The two looked to each other before joining the rest of the team in their laughter. Everything will be fine now, Minato thought as he slipped his hand into Fuuka's. I won't lose myself again… The Hanged Man, Ikutsuki, and Death are all that's left. I won't run away. I have everyone with me and I don't want to be alone anymore. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, everyone… for being my family…

After school, Hamuko was surprised to see Ken waiting at the school gate. The young boy brightened as he saw her. "Hello, Hamuko-san."

"Hey, Ken-kun," the older girl smiled at him. "Were you waiting for someone?"

He lowered his gaze and nodded. "Can you come with me somewhere?"

The red-eyed junior noticed the sad glow in his eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sure," she replied as they walked to the station together.

Ken took her to the back alley of Port Island Station and frowned. "I'm sorry," he apologized to her again for the hundredth time that month. "I was too scared to come here by myself…" He became silent as he stared at the place Shinjiro had shielded him from Takaya.

"I'm with you," Hamuko reassured him. She shifted her left wrist a bit and smiled at her watch. "And Shinji-kun is too…"

"Yes…" Ken sadly smiled to himself. "Thank you very much." His tiny body began shaking. "It's… hard to live, isn't it?" he asked. "Living… is painful…" He looked up at the girl behind him. "Hamuko-san…"

The older girl hugged him as he began to sob, but no tears fell from his eyes. "It does hurt," she said, wiping up her own tears, "but it's also wonderful at the same time… That's why we have to keep living, in spite of the pain. It's okay to move on," she smiled to herself. "Your mom and Shinji-kun would want you to find your future, Ken-kun…"

Ken nodded and the two remained silent until the young boy calmed down. When he finally pulled himself together, he frowned up at the older girl. "Hamuko-san?"

"Yes?" the girl patiently waited for the brunet.

"I…" he faltered a bit, but shook his head and locked his eyes with hers. "I really am sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you too," he said. He sighed to himself. "Yuki-san told me that as long as I can live with my choices I should be fine… but I don't know if I can with this one… It was a mistake after all."

Hamuko giggled a bit. "Ken-kun, mistakes are okay so long as you learn from them. Shinji-kun made his choice to face you too… It's not your fault. You don't have to keep apologizing to me."

"So you'll be alright?" Ken asked her in concern.

"I loved Shinji-kun," Hamuko nodded. "Nothing will change that. He might be gone now, but I'll always cherish the time we did have together."

"I see," the young brunet smiled. "I think I understand now. Thank you, Hamuko-san." His eyes shone in determination. "Even if it hurts to live, I want Mom and Shinjiro-san to be proud of me…" He blushed a bit and nervously chuckled. "If it's not too much to ask, please take care of me from now on…"

Hamuko let out a light laugh as she ruffled the boy's hair. "Of course, Ken-kun. You're like my little brother, after all."

Minato took his usual seat across the table. "Yes, please," he smiled to the fortune teller.

Den Mother smiled back as her crystal ball glowed in a blue light. "A strong wind blows across the world, sending a blue flower's petals into the air…" Minato tilted his head to the side as he watched the speckles of light dance in the breeze. "The flower discovered the world, made friends to protect, and has become another light…" Juno's form took shape in the ball. "The lights are gathering around you…" Minato saw himself surrounded by his friends, casting a light over him to illuminate his large shadow until nothing was left. "Be prepared…" the fortune teller warned him.

"I'll be careful," Minato nodded.

"You've reached a point where you're ready to join the light," Den Mother told him. "Even so, you still carry shadows within you."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," the boy shrugged.

"That's right," the woman nodded at him with a smile. "The lights and shadows will become your strength. Farewell, then… May your future be bright…"

Minato stood up and politely bowed before leaving. He stared at his Velvet Key with a smile as he returned to the dorm. Everybody's strength is my strength. I forgot that last time. I won't make the same mistake twice. I'll protect my family for sure this time. Just watch me, Shinji-nii.

~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~

"Um…" Fuuka frowned as she tried to understand the new ability she received. "I'm not quite sure what it does, Minato-kun…"

"But it's your power," Minato frowned as he dodged a Hell Knight coming for him.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like Oracle can have multiple effects," she told him. "Juno can only cast Oracle once a day though so I don't know if it'll be useful."

"Should you really be having this conversation right now?" Hamuko sighed as the entire team was surrounded by purple mist. She held her breath and waited for the air to clear before charging forward.

"Oh, right! Sorry, Hamuko-chan!"

"Ah, to hell with it," Minato shrugged. "Cast Oracle, Fuuka. I want to see what it does."

"Okay then! It'll take a while for the effects to begin, so watch out for the Shadows' attacks!"

"Understood!" the leader called back. "I'm counting on you, Fuuka!"

Akihiko slammed his fist against the Hell Knight closest to him but frowned. "Tch, tough bastard…"

"Senpai, it's beginning to cast Maziodyne!" Fuuka warned them.

Junpei braced himself as a bolt of lightning struck him. "Dude, this isn't looking good!"

Minato shrugged off the shocks and summoned Melchizedek. "Careful, everyone!" he called out to them as he cast Mediarahan.

Hamuko cast Akasha Arts and sighed when two Shadows turned towards her next. "So… when's that Oracle thing coming into play?"

"Not much longer!" Fuuka reassured her. "Be careful of the Mudo spells, Minato-kun! You're vulnerable to Darkness!"

Koromaru growled and intercepted the spells for their leader. He barked before leaping onto a Shadow. Aigis went to assist the albino dog. "He says, 'You need to pay attention to the battle'."

"Yeah, but this might help us in the long run," Minato frowned as he used Gigantic Fist to damage another Hell Knight.

"Minato-kun! Oracle is in place! I don't know exactly what it did, but good luck!"

"Well, here's hoping it worked!" Minato tightened his grip around his sword as one Hell Knight cast Heat Wave. The boy flinched but paused when the Shadow was pelted multiple times by its own attack, killing it. "Um… Fuuka, I think Oracle saved us…"

"That's a relief…" the girl sighed.

Minato blinked as another Hell Knight tried to cast Marziodyne only to have that bounce back at it too. "Yeah… We've got it, Fuuka." He jammed his sword into the last Shadow and smirked at the critical blow he delivered. "Everyone with me!?" he called out to his team to confirm their positions. Once everyone was ready, he signaled their charge. "Get ready for some Mass Destruction!" he smirked as they finished the battle.

"Enemy defeated! Good job, everyone," Fuuka said.

"Thanks for your hard work, Fuuka," Minato said as he caught his breath. "Oracle saved us back there. I'll be relying on your power from now on."

A few nights later, the team was held up by another powerful Shadow. Thinking Oracle would change the situation, Minato once against asked Fuuka to cast the ability on the team. "Oracle, standing by!"

"Hang in there, everyone!" Minato called out to his team.

Hamuko frowned as she temporarily raised everyone's evasion. "Nii-san! You can't really expect Oracle to do the same thing as before, right? Fuuka-chan said it has multiple effects."

"Yeah, but we kinda need the help right now," her brother argued back as the Mythical Gigas cast Maragidyne, downing Mitsuru. "Yukari! Ken! Help her!" he called out.

"Minato-kun, I'm invoking Oracle!" Fuuka notified him.

"Okay—" Minato let out a sharp cry as an explosion erupted from the team. Everyone was down and the Shadow loomed over him. The boy's blue eyes widened as he rolled out of the way before it could stomp on him. "Melchizedek! Mediarahan!"

Hamuko rolled her eyes as she and Mitsuru cast two Mind Charged Bufudynes on the Shadow, defeating it. "I told you," the red-eyed junior scolded her brother.

"Fuuka?" Minato nervously spoke into his headset. "What was that?"

"Um… Sorry, Minato-kun. It looks like Oracle isn't very reliable…"

"Well, at least I know it has its limits," the leader sighed. "Well, that's fine. You do more than enough watching the battles anyways, Fuuka. We'll just have Oracle be a last resort."

"Understood," Fuuka replied. "You should all return to the lobby now," she suggested to him. "I don't sense any more powerful Shadows above you, but it looks like you're all tired. We can finish the next few floors another time."

"Got it," the blue-haired boy nodded. He looked over to his team and took an unsteady step forward before falling to the ground. "Nope, never mind." He watched as Mitsuru, Hamuko, Ken, and Yukari collapsed to the ground too. "Um… Fuuka? Send Akihiko, Junpei, and Aigis up to get us… I don't think I can feel my legs…"

Final Notes: So... I honestly don't understand Fuuka's friendship with Natsuki. Especially in the movie. It's kinda toxic... But then again, it's like all the Priestesses in the series have toxic friendships. Maki had her best friend that was super jealous of her... Fuuka is best friends with a person who used to bully her... And Yukiko and Chie have problems of their own... I guess those relationships improve towards the end, but really... Here's hoping Makoto Niijima in Persona 5 breaks this trend... Oh, and about Oracle... Usually, I keep forgetting it exists because at this point, Fuuka and Minato are like ten levels above everyone else so once I get Juno, Fuuka already has Oracle and Escape Route but she doesn't explain its effects to me like her previous skills... Apparently it's useful when everything is hopeless because at that point the team has nothing to lose... They improved its usefulness in Portable, I think, but still... I'm never in a situation dire enough to rely on it. Plus, I hoard Somas and that's much more reliable...