Victorsoivanni: Mofo, did you just Rick Roll my ass? ... nice.

Simplysansational: allow me to blow your mind real quick. I'm not Japanese, but from what little I learned of the language, Kotone's name is pronounced Ko-to-ne, not Ko-tone.

Nexxus176: I wouldn't say I'm "back," but I'm trying to squeeze some writing in.

The Moonlight Bridge.

Being here again was as nostalgic as it was surreal. It wasn't the time for memories, yet no matter how hard he tries to push the invasive thoughts to the back of his mind, he couldn't stop the sinking sensation in his chest.

Minato let out a small chuckle, "figured you didn't remember. If you had, this would've happened a lot sooner, no?"

Ryoji didn't respond. He didn't seem to be paying attention to what Minato was saying. He was clutching his head, taking what must have been a trip down memory lane. After all, this place was equally significant to both of them.

Minato felt the sinking sensation spread, causing his stomach to churn. "This is where…" the bluenette listened to his old friend voicing his inner thoughts.

"Where you fought Aigis," Minato grimaced, hearing gunshots in the distance; all the details still felt fresh in his mind. "And where she bound you to me."

How could one forget the excruciating pain? The feeling of his soul being ripped open and a monster being placed inside, only for the soul to shatter into pieces.

He could still vividly remember waking up in the hospital the next morning, confused and in tears. Everything he described was written off as Shock, likely believing the "ghost" to be a figment of his imagination created as a coping mechanism.

There were times he questioned if they were correct and if the boy that was always with him was also a similar construct. He wasn't sure how, but somehow, he knew it was real—that it had to be real. Whenever he had doubts, the Dark Hour would be there to erase them.

"I…" Ryoji stood upright, his back still turned to Minato, "remember. I remember everything."

A coldness began to take the air, its frigid temperatures allowing Minato to see the air he was exhaling in a long sigh. An unnatural draft began to take place, piercing through even the thickest of clothing.

Minato remained still, not shivering or showing any signs of discomfort. Rather, he felt his palms sweating and his clothes beginning to stick to his skin. He felt a warm inferno surrounding him, engulfing him and everything around him.

Panting, Minato forced out, "It's been a while... Pharos."

Turning around, Ryoji was now facing the bluenette. The warm smile he would give everyone was gone, as were the kind eyes that were ever-present since the day he arrived at school. In its place was a blank expression, devoid of almost any emotion and completely unreadable.

Ryoji nodded, "It has." He began to survey the scene, eyes wandering briefly before returning to the boy, "this place holds so few memories, yet the few it does…"

Minato turned his head away, unable to meet his gaze. He could blind himself all he liked, but nothing could stop the rattling chains he could hear from the other side; the same rattling that would haunt his nightmares for years until Makoto became fixated on a goal.

"You shouldn't be here," Minato could hear the confusion in his voice. Pharos knew him like no one else could; he knows why he would never want to take a step here, so why was he?

Minato felt his mouth become dry, feeling as if he had become dehydrated after going through a desert. Every word was forced and he felt his body tensing so much that it was beginning to ache. Swallowing, Minato managed to croak out, "neither should you."

Ryoji's gaze softened, closing his eyes like an ashamed child. "What I did… I'm sorry. Truly."

"You're sorry?" Minato repeated sardonically. "That's all you can say?"

"You don't have to forgive me." Ryoji took a step forward, smiling weakly, "but I'm glad to see you're safe. I was worried about what would happen once I left."

Minato remembered Makoto's final plea, begging his old friend not to leave him behind—not to leave him as everyone else had.

Despite everything he had done to him, Makoto still loved him. Pharos was the only thing he had ever since Minato Arisato left his sister to die.

And now, Pharos was here; he had a different body and different name but he was here.

"Are you…" Ryoji bit his lip, hesitating to ask the question he had in mind, "you didn't… hurt yourself because of me, did you?"

Minato felt phantom chains wrapping around his throat, tightening so much to render him unable to speak and only manage the faintest gasps of air. His vision was becoming distorted, the image of Ryoji becoming displaced with a familiar ghostly figure grinning at him, dragging its sword on the ground.

The inferno he felt surrounding him intensified and he could smell the scent of smoke and gasoline, but mixed in was a rancid odor that almost made him puke. The air around him felt like poison but his body was frozen stiff.

Ryoji approached with an apologetic expression. "Come on, you shouldn't be here," he said, reaching out a hand.

Minato felt his heart pounding in his chest.

The sound of a car engine roaring in his ears.

His vision darkening as his head began to feel light.

The line separating past and present becoming more and more blurred. He heard glass shatter and could feel shards digging into his skin, but most of all, he could feel something—someone clutching onto him.

Looking up, he could only see a girl staring back at him, surrounded by flames and reaching out a hand as she cried out his name.

Upon receiving no answer, Ryoji retracted his hand, furrowing his brow. His lips parted and appeared as if was about to speak until suddenly, his expression shifted to a frown.

"Palladion!"

Ryoji's form quickly shifted, transforming to an inky black before expanding in size and taking the familiar shape and colors of Thanatos.

Taking the new form and bracing himself, Ryoji was dragged away by the force of the surprise attack that he blocked with his blade.

Minato took a step back, dazed and confused. His surroundings flashing from past to present. He can feel Minako clutching onto him, only to see Aigis dragging him away from inhuman screeches.

Kotone sighed, lying on her bed looking at an old photograph she never had the heart to throw away.

She doesn't remember it very well but for her fourth birthday, her parents took her out to celebrate at some restaurant she's long forgotten. Being a special occasion, they took a picture to commemorate the event.

Looking at her younger self, Kotone smiled. She was almost entirely dressed in pink with her hair tied back into a ponytail. She was also completely covered in cake and ice cream, no doubt being subject to a very long bath when she returned home.

And with her was her mother, letting her daughter sit on her lap and smiling. No matter how much she grew to resent her mother or how angry she got, this photo would also calm her.

At the same time, it raised more questions. Why would this woman who loved her so much then have left her a year later? Why was she gone for so long and now wants to make amends?

What is she supposed to do?

Feeling a headache coming, Kotone put the picture facing downward on the bed. Standing back on her feet, she reached her hands out in the air stretching and yawning. She needs to be careful or she risks sleeping through the Dark Hour and throwing her training schedule off.

"Wonder what the others are up to," she thought, rubbing her eyes.

Check-in on everyone and then take a long nap? Sounds like the perfect plan.

Anyone who would still be up would be in the command room, she surmised. With any luck, things were as quiet as things were the past few weeks.

"Brrr," Kotone shivered, grabbing her coat and putting her arms through the sleeves while walking up the stairs. She made a mental note to tell Mitsuru to have someone take a look at the heating system or something.

Fastening the last button, she took notice of the color—a dark, navy blue. Briefly pausing her step, she took a deep breath.

"Not now," she thought, exhaling. She could deal with that tomorrow or sometime this week but not now.

Reaching the command room, she saw a familiar sight. Fuuka had her persona summoned, Lucia, and with her eyes close, she was scanning the area in search of anything out of the ordinary. What was once a habitual practice was now the only thing they could do, clinging to a dim hope that something might pop up.

Taking a few more steps for a closer look, Kotone noticed her face scrunched up in what must have been concentration. "Find something?" she inquired a bit surprised.

"Yes," Fuuka's response was immediate. "I can sense… Minato-kun? Aigis?" she called out each name, almost in disbelief.

"Huh?" Kotone was equally confused. What were they doing there? When did they get there?

Fuuka's voice began to quiver, "and there's something else..." her voice trails off, going back to concentrating intently.

This sensation was new, yet somehow familiar. Trying to hone in, Fuuka felt this overwhelming sense of dread, leaving a chill crawling up her spine.

All she could feel was… emptiness. A life signature felt warm, vibrant, alive, but this was… cold, dull, and foreboding. She hadn't felt something like this since they faced Makoto.

But it couldn't be him, could it? She could feel Minato's signature with Aigis, so what was this?

Her chain of thought was broken when a sound began reaching her ears. A low inhuman growl began echoing from her persona to her head, and with it, the sensation she felt began pooling in, suffocating her.

The growls became low chuckles, almost as if the creature was aware of what was occurring. Her heart was pounding now, panicking as the end approached.

This wasn't some shadow. It wasn't some monster. This sense of dread, the unnatural cold, the emptiness—it was…

Screaming, Fuuka recalled her persona. Eyes shot wide open and her back hitting the wall with a loud thud, drawing concern from Kotone who ran towards the cowering girl.

Placing her hands on the girl's shoulders, Kotone called out Fuuka's name, shaking her and trying to snap her out of the trance she was trapped in. Her only response was her friend's heavy panting and her eyes feverishly darting across the room.

Fuuka's lip began moving, trying to speak but all that could escape were forced wordless breaths. Even now, she could still hear the growls and laughter from that thing in her head.

"Fuuka?! Fuuka, can you hear me!?" Kotone was screaming, a thousand thoughts going through her head of what happened and what could have done this.

Blinking rapidly, Fuuka attempted to regain control of her breathing, forcing her rapid gasps to become slow, deep breaths. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she attempted to speak once more.

"Aigis and…" threatening to lose control again, Fuuka took another breath, refusing to fail when her friends were relying on her, "Aigis and Minato-kun! Something… something horrible is after them."

"Something horrible?" Kotone thought, helping her friend to her feet. The way Fuuka reacted… what the hell was this thing?!

Kotone froze as the realization hit her. Tonight's a full moon, and both Minato and Aigis are out there being chased by this thing. It can't be a coincidence!

"Get the others, right now!" Kotone ordered, already sprinting her grab her gear. The frigid air continued surrounding her, mocking her in its new sense of familiarity.

"Dammit, Minato," she cursed, her heart sinking as she began to fear the worse, "what did you do?"

Minato felt the fires all around him, their flames so intense that he had to force his eyes shut, blinding him. His only guide was Aigis clutching onto, refusing to leave him to the flames that he could still feel burning his skin.

The sound of his heart beating filled his ears alongside his ragged breaths.

He stumbles, having lost his footing and briefly putting his hand on the cold floor to keep himself from falling.

The sensation lingers, creating a paradox. The fires burnt all it touched, yet the coolness in his hand remained. His blood was boiling, yet he should be long dead.

The contradiction continued when he felt his back press against a wall. Hands that he assumed to belong to Aigis placing themselves on his shoulders, gingerly pushing him down until he was sitting on the ground.

The burns' intensity began to wane. In its place, a sense of isolation began setting in. His whole life, he had either Minako or Pharos by his side—he's never been alone before. Never felt what it was like to scream inside, only to receive no answer.

Over the sound of his pulse, Minato heard the sounds of an engine running despite knowing how impossible it is. Nothing works during the Dark Hour, yet the sound only got closer and closer to the point that he could almost smell the tires.

A loud crash sent a shock through his system, forcing his eyes wide open.

The origin of the sound was nowhere to be found. There was no vehicle making any sound, no crash for the shattering glass that he could feel digging into his arms, or any flames to be burning his flesh.

The lighting was low, having only the faintest beams of moonlight managing to provide any illumination. They must have taken shelter in a building, he could only assume through his muddled senses. Minato blinked, his eyes adjusting and taking notice of Aigis whose hands were still on him.

Retracting her arms, Aigis smiled weakly at him, mouthing something he couldn't quite understand. The engine and burning flames were now accompanied by the sounds of gunshots, almost deafening him entirely.

Is this what Makoto felt all these years he spent locking himself away? Reliving the same event night after night with no escape.

Minato rubbed his left arm, feeling the pain of the phantom cuts from the shards of glass. Is this why Makoto cut himself—as a sick, unconscious form of exposure therapy? Or did hurting himself provide the only form of punishment he could bring himself to perform for what he did?

He felt blood pouring from wounds that had long since closed.

Sweat trailed down his back from the heat of fires existing solely for him.

His body was in this building, dazed and confused, while his soul was still at the Moonlight Bridge, burning with the rest of his loved ones.

Minato looked up, finding Aigis to be gone to confront their shared monster. She was gone, but he was anything but alone.

Minato cast his gaze aside, unable to look at the figure sitting across from him. No matter how she appeared to him, he will only see her during her final moments.

"Minato," she was calling his name again, just like before. Her voice was soft, sweet, and so unlike the bloodcurdling cries that he hears in his restless dreams. "Are you ready to talk now?"

Death looked up, seeing the moon shining down on him. Ten years ago on a night of a full moon just like this, and here they were again.

He has but the faintest of memories of what occurred during his feral state, split from his other pieces left in his most primitive form. What few remained existed only to fill him with shame, inflicting wounds upon his friend that will never heal despite having spent a decade trying to mend them.

The years he spent inside Minato have changed him. Laughter and the joys of friendship—anger, and bitterness of betrayal and envy. Desire to protect something precious, and the fear of failure.

The way these foreign sensations would appear with varying intensity and then swirl into a pool, muddling things further. They're not his feelings, but instead, sensations that Minato had passed down to him; it was through him that he began learning what it was to be human.

The one sensation he could understand, however, was the burden of guilt. It was this sensation that was the one constant from his friend, helping form a bridge between them. Perhaps it is his lingering instincts as a sibling passing on and forming the invisible tie binding them?

Pharos? Ryoji? Death? Regardless of who or what he is, their bond is unbreakable.

The image of Makoto lying in a pool of his blood in the bathroom flashed through his mind. Forgiveness was a secondary concern; it is his duty to protect him from those causing him harm.

What he did was reprehensible—irredeemable—but he would sooner do it all again than ever watch his friend tear himself apart once more.

And now, the only obstacle in his way was Aigis, awaiting him on this desolate street.

Death approached her, stopping only a few feet away. Standing straight, Death gazed down at the mechanical maiden.

A pregnant silence fills the air.

Death scans the area. There is nothing here, not even coffins; she must have learned from her previous mistake.

The entity tilted his head, sensing the Plume of Dusk inside her. There's anger in her eyes but also determination. Gone is the lifeless android that sealed him away years ago, and in its place was… something more.

"You're different from before," Death noted, his voice carrying a soft echo from his metallic jaws, "and once more, we find ourselves here."

Aigis' gaze narrows, spreading her legs into a combat stance.

"Where is he?" Death asks, remaining motionless.

Aigis responded with a sharp, "away from you."

Though his appearance remained still, Aigis could hear a weak growl from the shadow in front of her. As long as she remained functioning, she would not allow Death to harm him again.

The growls were swiftly replaced, now having earned a soft hum and confusing her. "Strange. You're protecting him now. Why?"

The question came as a surprise, momentarily causing her to drop her hard before seemingly hardening her resolve. "I am the one who sealed you away inside him. The pain he feels now is that of which I have inflicted upon him through no fault of his own."

"You seek redemption?" Death asked, expressing shock as much as confusion.

"I will not allow you to harm him again!" The sensation of her Plume strengthens. For a moment, Death can see the shape of her persona, watching it shift behind her. She seeks to take his place as his guardian, it would seem. It was almost admirable.

Though her body may be mechanical, she still has a soul capable of change. Ironic, yet somehow also enviable.

"Don't be foolish," Death warned, the hostility rising in his voice and the grip of his sword tightening. "I'm different from before. You know you cannot win."

"A machine is created for a purpose…" the time for talk was over. Aigis' producing visible heat waves despite the cold air, likely activating what she and others refer to as 'Orgia mode,' "... mine is to defeat you."

"I see," Death hissed. This was the path of her choosing, and the consequences would be hers to bear. Regardless of intent, she would pay for standing between him and what he holds dearest.

Well, what did you expect when the guilt-ridden, self-loathing, depressed, and ptsd-ridden Minato went to the very place his family died? No matter how stable you are, that will fuck you up.

But hey, Ai-chan is back in action! And so is Death, who nearly killed everyone last time, but hey, what's the worst that could happen this time?