A/N: One of those pure chapters I never really edit.

The classroom had an awkward atmosphere. It might only be in SEES members' heads. Minato slept. Junpei looked the other way. Yukari studied quietly.

Fuuka was in the other classroom. She sighed. She felt bad for her leader. He was charmed. Why does he have to feel that guilty? It wasn't his fault. Maybe he's the type that hates injustice and unreasonable violence? But again, he was charmed.

She knew for a fact that anyone who was charmed will speak the truth. Minato really thought that. He might have cursed a little and said harsh things, but he had a point. His comment did hurt her a little.

He injured Akihiko. She knew Minato and Akihiko were on good terms. They are quite close, always going to Hagakure and training together. He mentioned something about dwelling on the past. She didn't know about Akihiko's past.

Minato was charmed, but Fuuka could feel fear in him as well. Does the effect of fear make charm stronger? Minato fears something, and that makes him hate Akihiko and attack him the most?

Time went by, and fear wore off, so he's less aggressive with Yukari, but he hated her, a lot, judging by his choices of words. He clearly hated Mitsuru and he's mocking Junpei. She heard they hang out sometimes. Never know he actually hated him. Junpei was now really pissed, too. Maybe it's not hatred. They were secretly annoyed with each other, maybe. Everything was so complicated. Are there even answers to all of these?

Fuuka was not angry, not at all. She wanted to try and talked to him, but he always has that… aura. Whenever she looked at him in the eyes, she couldn't resist the urge to yelp and back away. The darkness around him was screaming at her to get lost. The greyness of every being. The middle ground.

She wished they could be closer in the future.

"Don't bug me if it's not important. I'm heading home now." Junpei left.

Minato sat there, looking at Junpei walking away and Yukari leaving the room in a hurry. Junpei was somewhere between wanting to comfort him and avoiding him. He chose the latter. Yukari was busy all the time. She was with Fuuka a lot. Are they giving him space? Or are they just afraid of him?

Minato felt terrible. Again, he seemed to lose consciousness... Something was taking over. Something in him. His actions were taken away. He didn't mean to. He wished he could have prevented that, but there're things in this world that could not be changed.

He went to the back alley.

"Mew…"

He poured cat food on a bowl. The weak cat started to eat.

"Meow… Meowww…" The cat is purring.

"Glad you like it," Minato said. At least a cat was waiting for him.

The feeling of the past ten years had rushed back to him, emptiness. People come and go. It was normal. But now that he had something then lose it, what's left is plain emptiness, and it was worse.

It would be good if humans could be as simple as dogs or cats, enjoy their lives and enjoy others company. How wonderful would it be to be able to trust others and yourself, to be honest, and still live without regret?

If he were a bird, he would fly away. But where is he going? Will he get lost? Why would he go? If he comes back, will his home still be there?

If he were a cat, he would run around and chase some mice. But what is he after? Why was he even doing it? Is it okay to give up?

If he were a dog, he would guard the house. But what is he protecting?

The cat stood up and walked back to its shelter. Minato sighed. He stood up and left.

It's almost summer break. The first bell rang. Minato yawned. He's not in the mood to do anything. He wanted to sleep already.

"We just had an exam. What a pain," Toriumi said. "Well, maybe 'pain' wasn't the word I'm looking for. English phrases are pretty tricky… Okay, Minato! Which of these phrases is incorrect…?"

"I failed, it's over now," he said. "The second choice." Minato sighed. His forehead hit the desk with a loud thud. It probably hurts.

"… If no one has any questions, let's move on..."

Even though he saw them, on the bridge, he only saw the part he could remember, the part that was replayed in his head for almost a year after that day. But… he couldn't remember what he wanted to remember the most.

What did she say to me? Why did she smile, when she was going to die?

After school, Minato went to Naganaki Shrine. He laid the box of food down and sat on the bench. Koromaru walked out and eat.

"... Would you mind listening to me ranting for a while?" He asked. Koromaru glanced at him and kept eating. Minato nodded.

"The past affects people a lot, don't you think?" He began. "It's like the past is shaping our roads to the future. It's like fate, even though I don't believe in something like that… How people act, it depends on their memories… Everyone has their own reasons. I know that…"

Minato sighed. "To be with others… It feels… forced, like I'm not supposed to be there. People become friends so easily, and then there's me, who don't know what I'm supposed to do, then I found myself being alone… Fangirls don't count. They look at me like an object. They don't really care about 'me' anyway..." He hung his head. "... I feel like no one understands me. Maybe it's because I never try to understand others…"

The dog kept eating.

"But I just don't understand. I don't even know what I don't understand. I guess I don't understand myself, or simply everything… Sometimes, no matter how much I think, nothing could be answered. It's messy… but empty." Minato closed his eyes. "I'm bored of this lifestyle. Being bored… is very boring..."

"Arf! Arf!"

Minato looked at the dog. Koromaru had finished his dinner. The boy stared at him. The dog stared back with his big eyes and wagged his tail.

"Arf!"

Minato blinked. "Did you say… have fun?"

"Arf!" The Shiba Inu ran around. "Arf arf!" He ran to the boy and sat beside his leg.

"... You are interesting, Koromaru." The blue haired boy said. "You could have stayed somewhere else. Somewhere better than here, but you stay here. You decided to protect here. That's your main goal, right?"

The dog barked. His ruby eyes stared at him.

"... Me?" He chuckled. "I'm here because… I think I should be here. Sound weird, right?" He bent down and patted the white dog. "I traveled a lot. People envy me, but I actually didn't enjoy it. It felt like I'm running away… When I left, there's nothing left. People just forgot about me, like I forgot about them… It's like you are floating around, don't belong anywhere." He scratched the fluffy fur. "Here, my hometown, I hope I'll be able to find something here…"

The dog leaned against his leg.

"But I did something terrible yesterday. It made me feel… unworthy," he said. "I don't have much, and I have just broken it all. I wonder if they'll remember me after all this. I'm losing sight…Why am I here?" He sighed. "I don't have any solid goals or any last wish to fulfill. I don't have something to protect, or someone to hold dear."

"Arf," Koromaru barked quietly.

"Yeah, I have you… I still have to come feed you and visit you here." Minato glanced at the dog. "… This is your home, after all, and you wish to protect this place." He paused for a moment. "... Talk about the wish, I guess I have to keep searching… for something only I can decide for myself, like how you want to protect Naganaki Shrine… I don't have any goals yet, so I'll help you protect here, how's that?"

"Arf!" Koromaru barked, his eyes sparkling.

He smiled. "You never judge me, Koromaru. You never act differently. You never pretend." His hands reached out and scratched around the dog's ears. "I may not understand your speech, but I think I understand you… You even listen to my silly rambling. I appreciate that." He stood up and sat down on the floor.

"You're so straightforward, in a good way. Maybe because your owner was a priest, but your expressions are so… genuine." He petted the dog. "You are one of the people I feel comfortable talking to… Maybe not a person, but…" He looked at Koromaru. "I consider you my friend. I really do."

"Woof!" The Shiba Inu wagged his tail. "Arf!"

"Hey, I'm not this talkative every day, so being with me will be boring," Minato said. "You're fine with that?"

A bark.

"I can keep coming, right?"

A clear bark.

"Thanks. At least I know. I have to come to feed you, and I'll never forget to come."

"Woof!"

He spent some time with Koromaru then returned to the dorm. Fuuka and Yukari were up to something. They were together a lot these days. Junpei didn't want to talk. Mitsuru and Akihiko weren't here.

He went to the bar and listened to the prophecy.

'Shadows within shadows… Many shadows crawl amidst the immense shadow…'

There's one thing Minato was sure. There are shadows within everyone's heart.