This will be dark and uncomfortable. Just a warning.

Hamuko gulped, cursing the fates for the continuation in bad luck. Elizabeth was all alone in the velvet room and from the expression on her face; the negotiation wasn't going to be easy at all. "Where is Igor?" she asked, resting Minato on the single chair and facing Elizabeth.

"Let me answer your question with another question," Elizabeth replied, looking back at Minato. "Why are you here?"

"Elizabeth," Hamuko bit her lip. "You gotta help me, there is this monster on the loose and he's stronger than everyone, he's been torturing Minato nonstop and, and-" Elizabeth never flinched, only leaned in closer with an apathetic look.

"Yes, go on?" Elizabeth nodded.

Hamuko looked her in the eye. "Come out right now and take care of him, I'm sure you can beat him with no problem."

"I refuse," Elizabeth leaned back casually, sinking into the chair.

"You what!?" Hamuko spat, getting closer. "You refuse!?"

"Did I stutter?" Elizabeth said. "I refuse, this battle is not mine."

"…" Hamuko bit her lip, eye twitching as the rage inside of her flared. She punched the table and yelled. "Get the hell up; are you just going to let your guest die like that?"

"Stop being so afraid Hamuko, are you going to let your loved one die like that?" Elizabeth shot back, forming a scowl on Hamuko's face. The redhead struggled with the rage, barely controlling herself from launching at Elizabeth.

"Is that what you came here for?" Elizabeth widened her eyes. "Beg me to fight YOUR battles?"

"Y-You…"

"This is not my battle, this falls on you," the attendant said. "Instead of getting angry at me Hamuko, I suggest you head to the tower and train so you can be better prepared WHEN the monster strikes again."

Hamuko shivered at the mention of Makoto and Elizabeth caught that. She shook her head, disappointed to see Hamuko cowering at the mere name of the shadow. "How disappointing!"

"Disappointing!?" Hamuko scowled. "My life is going through hell and that's all you can say!? Disappointing!? You don't know what I'm going through and instead of helping, you're mocking me!?"

"Do you know what else is disappointing, Hamuko-san?" Elizabeth leaned in closer, not giving a shit about her volatile nature. "That you are forgetting again, all under the grief and agony, like always."

"Those two emotions have always taken the best of you, have they not?" she continued. "Whenever duty calls, whenever HE calls, you crumble, you curl up into a ball of your own grief and watch from the side."

"You're right," Hamuko said. "That is MY grief; you couldn't handle it for two seconds. You know very well what I went through. Shut the hell up because you don't know how it feels."

"Maybe I don't," Elizabeth shrugged. "I very don't know what it feels like but I do know that grief is nothing compared to what the male behind you has gone through."

Hamuko widened her eyes upon Elizabeth's words, trying to look away from the attendant.

"You are doing it once again," Elizabeth said. "Looking away from the face of adversary, looking away and hoping that it would go away, hoping that Minato would get up and take care of it for you."

"Grrr," Hamuko glared at her, fists clenched at either side. She was seconds away from exploding.

"You are in trouble again, Hamuko-san," Elizabeth said, leaning ever closer and smirking in her face slightly, mocking her with the gesture. "And this time Minato isn't here to save you and do you know why…?"

"You better shut up before I do something…."

"All because of you," Elizabeth said, finally causing the redhead to explode from the bent up rage. She cursed the platinum blonde female and lunged forward with a slap for her cheek.

Elizabeth caught her hand seconds before it could collide with her face. She lowered Hamuko's hand with no problem before looking her in the eye and grinning. "Oh my, I would love to battle but Hamuko-san, you are far too weak."

"Weak!?" Hamuko yelled in her face.

"Yes weak," the governor of power nodded, pushing her back with a small shove which sent the redhead reeling backwards. "Far too weak, if you cannot the face then you have no chance against me."

"So you can beat him," Hamuko forgot all about the rage inside her and clasped her hands together. "I'm sorry Elizabeth; I'll do anything, just come out and beat him!"

"Funny," Elizabeth hummed. "I never recall Minato-san begging me to help you. Matter of fact, he never begged anyone to protect you, he did that himself."

"…"

"I guess this was just another case of unrequited love on his part," Elizabeth sighed sadly, looking ahead at Minato who was motionless but even then, the tears were coming down from his eyes. "Oh my, see, even my guest agrees with me."

"Unrequited…" Hamuko cringed. "Take that back…"

"I shall not," Elizabeth gave a cheerful smile, further infuriating the female fool. "Governors never go back on their word, especially when it is the truth."

"I'm telling you take that back!" Hamuko spat. "You goddamn fool, what do you know about love!? You know nothing about it, take that back!"

"Then what would you call this?" Elizabeth asked. "Minato fights your battles for you, begs you to give your pain and demons to him, swallows his pride and breaks down whenever something happens to you."

"On the other hand, you break down and refuse to look at him when he needs your help, you couldn't even bring him alone here because you can't bear the thought of facing that shadow alone, can you?"

Hamuko remained quiet, her head lowered. She didn't know where to look, Minato who was behind her or Elizabeth who was at the front, still talking and mocking her constantly. She was digging into her wounds with no restrain and Hamuko was hurting, despite not taking a single hit.

"I know you are hurting but believe me, Minato was hurting much worse when he rose up from the dead with all those injuries and diseases…" Elizabeth stopped smiling and looked down as well. "When he fought Theodore despite having both of his feet in the grave…."

"H-He fought and freed Theodore," Hamuko finally replied. "He freed your brother from-"

"From the corruption that you gave him," Elizabeth shot back. She held a hand to stop Hamuko from lashing out, accompanied by a sharp glare that silenced the redhead. "That was not his fight, it never was but he took the demon for you without flinching once."

"Shit…" Hamuko thought back to his condition. She had beaten him senseless in the dorm earlier which worsened his health but yet, he still came back with that mangled body of his. Came back and won when he could have easily taken the easy way out because that was not his battle, not demon, not his pain.

"Besides, he never did that for me," Elizabeth shrugged. "He did it for you. I am sure he didn't have a single thought of me inside his head, as he has said countless times, he doesn't give a crap about me."

"Look at him," Elizabeth ordered. "If you value the time you spent with him then look at him."

Hamuko sucked in a deep breath, slowly turning around to stare at the unconscious blunet who looked like a corpse seated on the chair. His expression, those dry tears, his mutilated body, that was the limit for him.

"What more can he give?" Elizabeth said solemnly. "He has nothing more to give now…"

"Have some pity on him…."

Hamuko kept her eyes fixated on Minato and broke down again, going over the wounds on his body. He was indeed at the limit; his life was never going to be the same again, regardless of the shadow dying. He was half-dead and she had a hand in that.

"You killed him…" Elizabeth whispered from behind. "Because you just cannot let go of that one night despite knowing full well that the night dammed him and not you."

"He came out worse when all was said and done," she continued. "My master is not here for the same reason; it is time that you make a choice Hamuko-san."

"C-Choice?" Hamuko clasped her mouth shut, not able to tear her eyes off Minato. He had lost his one eye because she was too late and that was a spit in his face because he was never late.

"Either you let go of your fear or you let go of him," Elizabeth spat. "Fight your fear and rise above it or else, say goodbye to Minato forever."

"I-"

"Good day," Elizabeth bowed and flicked her wrist, forcefully removing the two from the velvet room with a simple gesture. She stood up and cringed slightly, she knew several effective ways of inflicting pain but what she saw was a little too much. "Good heavens that was crusty…."

She shook her head. "Cowardly?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Ah yes, cheesy…." she sighed. Hopefully it worked but she doubted it…

…

Hamuko came out from the back alley and gave Minato back to Akihiko and Junpei before walking ahead like she was possessed; thinking back to Elizabeth's words that repeatedly hammered her brain again and again. They hurt, hurt like hell because she knew that Elizabeth wasn't lying.

All she said was the truth that she was refusing to accept. She had done nothing. Hamuko had berated Minato for doing nothing for her…. But now, it was clear that she was the one. She had done nothing, a couple of kisses and hugs didn't mean much and that was nothing compared to the hell Minato put himself through. She couldn't kiss him and repay him for all that he had done….

Hamuko stopped walking and winced. It never really dawned her until now, never dawned on how obsessed Minato was with her. His obsession was unhealthy, so much so that he would fall ill if they didn't interact much.

The obsession was unhealthy but it wasn't creepy, hell, he wouldn't even touch her without permission despite having slept with numerous other girls. At first, there was this nagging feeling in her heart that he was only gushing over the piece of death inside her but that went away, it caused a rift between them but when it got solved, Minato got even crazier over her, to make up for the time he lost.

Hamuko ran a hand down her face, ignoring the yell from behind. She kept walking in a straight line, still lost in her thoughts.

Elizabeth was correct. The few seconds she spent on the bridge, when the dammed entity was merging with her soul were utter agony for her, it scarred her mind badly, gave her dozens of phobias and it never just went away, no matter how hard she tried.

She looked back at Minato and chewed on her bottom lip, but like she said, those few seconds were nothing compared to the hours Minato went through. It was funny, he came out worse after the night but yet, here he was, taking the hits instead of her. In that case, maybe it was unrequited love because she hadn't done a damn thing for him….

"Shit, shit, shit…" Hamuko sniffed. "I forgot again…" she admitted with a sob. "I'm so selfish…. He took that curse but I'm the one who turned evil…." she quickly ran away, forcing the two males to follow her towards the dorm.

…

Akihiko tied Minato's wrists and legs to his bed and winced. He didn't like doing it one bit this was the only way to keep him from following the shadow. He looked at Mitsuru and she nodded wearily, tired from the hours long meeting she had with the board of directors. "That will do…"

"How is Hamuko?" Mitsuru questioned, making Akihiko shrug.

"Never talked when she came out of the valley…" the boxer said. "Just kept walking for a while, then cried and ran here. Locked herself up and isn't responding…"

Mitsuru breathed out. "Splendid…" she remarked sarcastically before stalking away.

Akihiko gave one last look at Minato and walked away, closing the door behind.

…

Hamuko woke up at noon and sat up on her bed, trying to fight back the visions of the nightmare she saw in her dreams. "Ugh…" the ache on heart was worse, she wanted to mutilate herself much worse than Minato. She absolutely detested herself

"Good morning…" Hamuko sighed, smashing her head against the frame and collapsing back down. "Ow…" she rubbed the wound and slipped down to the floor, crawling over to the sink and picking herself up with some support from the basin. "Good morning, you bitch…" she greeted herself and rammed her head against the sink with a pitiful sob.

"That's for being weak…"

After cursing herself and the fates above for a few hours, Hamuko got dressed and ran out of the dorm, not answering her friends. They yelled at her to stop but she never paid attention and just disappeared into the crowd of people outside.

"Keep an eye on her," Mitsuru told Fuuka. "She's highly unstable right now…"

Fuuka nodded. She seemed even weaker than before for some reason. Things were just getting worse, day by day and since it was a new day, Makoto would surely attack the dorm and drag Minato out and like always, they had no answer to that.

Outside the dorm, Hamuko kept walking, still thinking over the little counseling session she had with Elizabeth. A number of people called out to her but she didn't bat an eye and still walked forward with her head low. Eventually, she stepped inside the park where they put everything behind them. With slow and measured steps, Hamuko walked towards the spot and sat down, curling up moments later and tearing up when the words assaulted her again. Goddamn, Elizabeth had messed up her life further but she also ended up opening her eyes too. Yet, she had no idea to do; she lacked the power of Minato, which was only worsened by the damn fear that refused to leave her.

"Minato…" Hamuko whimpered. "I need to get out of this slum…. But it's just so hard…"

"Maybe they were right…" she trailed off, thinking over the words of her friends. "I'm not Minato. I don't have the wild card, I don't have super strong personae and I'm nowhere near mentally strong…"

She stayed there, not minding the noises around her, although, the sound of the nearby couples managed to make her cringe. They were laughing, hugging, whispering to each other and she was sitting all alone, with her boyfriend on his death bed. She briefly pondered on going back but the shame kept her glued to the ground, how could see face Minato after doing all that?

Evening came and Hamuko rested her chin on her arms, looking up to see the sun setting down. "What am I supposed to do….?" she wondered with a defeated sigh. If she had power then maybe it would have been easier to fight back the fear but she was nowhere near the shadow.

Hamuko still didn't move and silenced her phone which was ringing like mad for the past few hours. She sent a quick message to Yukari of wanting some space and leaned back on the grass. A few nearby people gave her a weird look but she brushed it off, the park was getting deserted and soon enough, she was the only one sitting alone.

…

Mitsuru called everybody to the lounge as soon as the Dark Hour struck the world. Akihiko barricaded the windows and locked the door to Minato's room before walking down with his bladefists.

"That absolute moron," Mitsuru scowled. Hamuko still hadn't returned and that only made things more difficult. "She is still not here…."

"What are we supposed to do?" Yukari bit her lip. "We can't leave Minato alone, that's exactly what the shadow wants…"

"We can't leave Hamuko alone either," Akihiko added. "She's almost done and I'm afraid a little push will be fatal…"

"No," Mitsuru said. "We stay here, we guard Minato."

"Are you serious?" Junpei blinked.

"Yes," Mitsuru said sternly. "About time we put an end to this. She needs to get out of whatever slum she is in. Enough is enough."

"What if the shadow attacks her?" Fuuka asked.

"I hope he does," Mitsuru replied. "This cannot go on any longer; she needs to face the shadow head on, without looking at anyone else. She needs to learn how to claw and bite; otherwise, she won't go on…"

"Minato needs us much more," Mitsuru said. "He may very well get up and follow the shadow and if the shadow comes here…. We will need to fight together."

…

Hamuko stood up upon sensing a familiar presence that shook her to the core. She did her best to control the surging fear inside of her and turned around to face the shadow that was walking towards her with a very familiar gait. "I was waiting for you…"

Makoto cracked his neck and closed the distance between them. "This is a surprise; usually you just hide behind his leg and cry…"

Hamuko flinched.

"You say you won't do it again but when the time comes, you crawl behind like the worthless bitch that you are," Makoto mocked. "Too bad he isn't here anymore…"

The redhead opened her mouth but stopped.

"Go on, call out to him," Makoto dared. "The look on your face is priceless…"

Hamuko bit back the cry of help and barely held his gaze. "What else do you want from him? He's done, he can't even scream anymore…"

"Have pity on him…" Hamuko said.

"Did he take pity on anyone else? Why should he be any different?"

"You don't know what he went through!" Hamuko screamed at him.

"I told you before, I know his sick and twisted thought process," Makoto said, stalking around her with a feral grin. Hamuko tried to stay calm, she had to. "Something that not even you can know…"

"He's already suffered too much," Hamuko winced. "You've damaged him beyond repair, isn't that enough for you?"

"I want him dead…." Makoto said. "No, not even dead, I want him to live the rest of his life in complete and utter agony, payback for all that he's done."

"You heartless monster," Hamuko was surprised she was still able to stand.

"Am I?" Makoto closed in on the female, licking his lips as Hamuko flinched from the fear and grief rolling off him in waves. "How about your boyfriend, isn't he heartless?"

"I-I…" Hamuko was giving into the fear again, especially since he was so damn close, just inches away from her face. "H-He still has a bond with me!"

"Bond?" Makoto hissed, reaching out to touch her. "Let me show you what he wanted to do to you…" the shadow grabbed a rough hold around Hamuko's head and pressured down on her skull, freezing her in place.

"What are you-" Hamuko was panting but before she could break free or even think of doing that, the shadow pulled her close and smashed his lips onto hers, forcefully entering her mouth and roughly kissing and biting down on her lip, bruising and scarring her mouth which made Hamuko yell out in surprise and horror. She repeatedly kicked and punched the bastard in the gut and head but Makoto refused to pull away. Instead, he pushed her back, easily manhandling her attempts and forcing more blood to run down her lips.

Hamuko finally shoved him away and nearly fell down. "W-What…" she murmured, just what the hell did he do to her!? This was beyond horrifying.

"Hahaha," Makoto licked her blood from his own lips. "Weren't you starving for that?"

"Y-You…." Hamuko was moving backwards again, the dread returning to her at full force. That horrifying kiss form Makoto rattled her gears badly. He managed to bring her down in just a couple of seconds, again.

Hamuko forgot all about the confidence that was bubbling inside of her and turned around, looking to get the hell away from the psycho but Makoto reached out and caught a rough grip around her pony tail, bringing her down to the ground with a rough pull downwards.

"What's he doing…." Hamuko wondered and got her answer moments later when the darkened teenager jumped on top of her, holding her against the ground by her neck and chest area, cutting the air supply to her lungs.

"I've always wanted you dead," Makoto spat, leaning down and ripping away the red ribbon around her neck. Hamuko widened her eyes, oh no, this wasn't happening…. "Always wanted to shatter you like the weakling like you are…"

Hamuko struggled underneath his weight but the shadow easily wrestled her down, brushing away her attempts and pulling on her jacket, looking to rip it away. "I'll damage you…." Makoto growled next to her ear. "Spoil you, so much that Minato wouldn't even take another look at you."

"Get off me!" Hamuko shouted, trying to push him off but Makoto didn't budge since he was a lot stronger. He pushed her hands to the side and started tearing away her heavy jacket, grinning in delight as the fabric came undone.

"Now now," Makoto hissed, clasping her mouth shut and tearing away her jacket with one hand. "Let me show you how Minato treated females, when you wake up damaged and violated, you'll feel what they felt."

Hamuko yelled on the top of her lungs, clawing and punching the male on top of her. There was no way she was going to get raped by a monster such as Makoto, no fucking way. "Why do you resist it, bitch!? You had no problem getting along with a rapist like Minato."

"Shit, shit, shit," Hamuko sobbed, desperately trying to rip his hand away from the collar of her blouse but Makoto simply smirked, roughly gripping her right arm and squeezing it from her shoulder to her wrist. He stuck his tongue out and his silver eyes shinned with a malicious glint, right under the yellow moon which only made him appear even more dreadful.

"I've got to think…" Hamuko whispered, sinking further into the dirt but still trying to wrestle his hand away from her blouse. If she did get raped, how the heck would Minato cope with that!? She had to free herself, for her own sake and Minato's. "NO!" she growled, thrashing around but her resistance was easily nullified by the stronger male hovering over her.

"I can see it," Makoto grinned. "Scream all you want, you will feel the pain today and I will break you."

'Poke him in the eye, smash him in the nut, do whatever to get free because I'm a wreck without you,'

Minato's advice blared in her head and Hamuko snapped her eyes open. She dug her fingers into the two silver orbs on his face and brought her knee up to smash him between the legs, finally making the darkened teen pull back with a grunt of pain.

Hamuko saw the chance and pushed herself off the ground, quickly breaking into a run as fast as she could.

"Little bitch…" Makoto growled and gave chase, determined to finish his work.

Hamuko looked back and wailed on the top of her lungs. Leaving the dorm was a stupid idea, especially when the rest were hell-bent on guarding Minato from the shadow. They couldn't risk leaving him alone. "I'm so stupid-Gack!"

Makoto dove at her legs, catching her by the ankle and tripping her face-first to the ground. Hamuko dug her nails into the surface but the male easily ripped her away with brute strength, pulling her closer by the leg and reaching for her skirt with his free hand.

Hamuko grabbed a fistful of dirt and chucked it onto Makoto's face, making him release the hold. Hamuko quickly got up and resumed the run, despite her churning of her insides. "Oh God…"

"I will rape you!" Makoto swore, easily closing the distance. Hamuko willed herself to run faster. "You'll be damaged goods when I'm done with you, you worthless bitch!"

"Shit!" Hamuko sobbed but didn't stop running. She didn't even think to imagine what a monster would do to her, most likely he'd leave her for dead after having his way with her. "Help!" she yelled and the voice came back to her as an echo because the streets were deserted.

The monster was gaining on her and Hamuko was slowing down. She hadn't slept properly or eaten in days and it was definitely taking a toll on her. She nearly tripped down and whimpered, shaking her head and ignoring the burn in her limbs.

"Minato!" Hamuko screamed towards the skies, calling out the blunet's name like she always did in the face of trouble. "Minato! Save me-UGH!" she collided directly into someone, someone taller than her, someone who was stiff as a brick wall, the collision buckled her knees and Hamuko was sent crashing to the ground, holding her head in pain.

"Mmm…" she rubbed the aching spot and looked up at the person she had collided into. A headache creeped into her psyche when she gazed at his face, pale face with handsome and delicate features, the boy looked like an angle but there was something evil brewing inside his eyes, dark eyes that looked absolutely soulless.

She felt a lot more concerned for herself after looking at the new guy. He was glancing at her downed form with a blank expression; there was just a small twitch of his lips that further terrified the redhead.

He had jet black hair that were swiped back, large blue eyes and a beauty mark under his left yes, again, he looked dashing but there was something far deeper about him. He was also quite a bit taller than her.

"Hmmm…" the black haired teen looked down at Hamuko, going down her face, figure and legs. Another small twitch of his lips alerted Hamuko who cowered backwards, fearing the worst. "Ah…" he looked ahead at the incoming shadow that had finally caught up to Hamuko.

Makoto came skidding to a stop, a few yards away from Hamuko who was still very close to the black haired male.

"W-Who are you…?" Hamuko asked with wide eyes. He was also operating in the Dark Hour and something in her gut told her that this new guy was extremely powerful. Powerful or simply evil, she had no idea….

"…. Ryoji," he replied, looking straight ahead at Makoto who pulled back, panting slightly. "Ryoji Mochizuki…"

"Shit…" Makoto couldn't even think of closing in to grab a hold of Hamuko, the dread coming from the blue eyed teenager was something else.

Ryoji kept staring blankly at the shadow, not bothered by the fact that he was completely dark and obviously not human. "Stay behind me…" he ordered Hamuko who quickly crawled behind his back, poking her head from his sides to look at Makoto. He was cowering in fear, which was a surprise since he was so strong himself…

"Ugh," Makoto began to pull back, his head throbbing under the insane pressure coming from Ryoji. He wanted no piece of him, not at all. He didn't want to stay within ten miles of him!

"Run…" Ryoji warned once, taking a step forward that elicited a fearful screech from Makoto. The darkened teenager quickly turned on his heels and ran away at full speed. "And never return…." he whispered faintly but the voice and order managed to reach Makoto who disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Hamuko sighed in relief, cleaning the sweat off her face. "T-Thank you so much, that sick bastard was about to rape me…" she breathed out. "Thank you, uh, uh, Ryoji was it?"

Ryoji turned around, giving her a fake smile. "Well, a girl like you shouldn't be out this late at night…" he complimented, going over her figure once again. She was just right….

"Um, thank you for that," Hamuko gave a forced smile, fully aware of that he was trying to hit on her. "I need to get going, again, thank you for saving me…." she quickly tried to walk away but Ryoji grabbed her wrist, making her stop and flinch.

"Hey, I can't allow a pretty girl like you to go all alone," he pulled her close and wiped the blood from her cheek, making her a little uncomfortable. He was exceedingly handsome and all, definitely strong and powerful but she already had someone back at home. "Let me escort you till your house."

"Uh…"

"It'll be okay, I'll keep you safe till then," Ryoji assured, squeezing her hand and giving her another flirty smile. Hamuko didn't like where this was going but she wasn't going to say no to him, not after the display he put on and if Makoto indeed ended up attacking again, she would be powerless to stop him.

"A-Alright, thank you," She said, freeing her wrist and trying her best to ignore the forced smile on his features. There was a beast behind the sweet façade but she decided to just go with it, her life couldn't get any more worse. "Follow me then…"

"Lead the way…" Ryoji smiled, walking behind her.

The walk back to the dorm was painful, Ryoji got too close to her at times, his footsteps were painfully loud and his constant whistling gave away what he wanted. Today was just a bad day in general… She had half a mind to ask him to stay and protect/finish off the shadow but he wasn't anything good and she doubted the others would agree to let him stay.

Hamuko quickened her steps and Ryoji followed, not even breaking a sweat. "Damn this guy…" she muttered, looking over her shoulder to see the male grinning at her.

"No wonder those legs are toned…."

Hamuko tried her best to ignore the compliment. She kept her pace and quickly reached the dorm. Ryoji came behind her and glanced at the building, so this was it huh?

"So, this is it…" Hamuko pulled on her collar. "Um, thank you again-"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Ryoji slurred, giving her another suggestive smile.

"No," Hamuko shook her head. "I'm not cheating on him, no chance…." she said to herself mentally. "Uh, do you need something?"

Ryoji closed the distance, making her take a few steps backwards. "Well, I can be a lot more direct with what I want, sweetie…" his head inched forward, freezing Hamuko in place. Oh no, this was exactly what she feared! How the hell was she going to say no to a guy who sent Makoto scurrying!?

"Uh…" Hamuko bit hard on her lip. ""Um…. I-I have someone…. So…."

"Forget about him, he's a moron for leaving a lady like you all alone in the night…." Ryoji said slowly. "You don't deserve trash like him…"

"You better watch it," Hamuko spat, warning him to think over his words.

Ryoji stopped smiling and his face twisted into dark and venomous scowl. Hamuko swallowed the lump in her throat as the pressure came down on her neck, making her regret those words but before either could say something, a sharp and painful cry came from upstairs, more specially, Minato's door which was just above the two.

Hamuko forgot all about the impending terror and cringed at the shout from Minato. "I'm…" she glanced ahead and much to her surprise, the lustful teen was frozen in his tracks, the scowl on his face was gone and if she wasn't mistaken….. He looked….. broken?

"Ugh," Ryoji clutched his head after hearing the painful yell that badly rattled him, nearly buckling his knees. Hamuko was surprised to see so much pain and remorse on his features, did he know Minato by any chance?

"Haaah, haaah," Ryoji panted, clutching his chest and squinting his eyes shut. The scream went off violently inside his head, echoing repeatedly around his skull. Why? Why did he want to cry his eyes out suddenly…?

"W-Who is that…?" Ryoji asked, pulling his head down and cringing in pain.

Hamuko found it hard to believe, hell, it was like he had gone through centuries of torture, just after a rather mild yell of pain from Minato.

"I-I need to get going…." Ryoji said, turning around and quickly walking away, leaving Hamuko confused. He seemed genuinely distraught after the yell.

"H-Hey!" Hamuko ran after him, making Ryoji stop a couple of yards away from the dorm. He couldn't stomach hearing the yell again. "Wait up!"

Ryoji turned around with his teeth clench, eyes wide and his face sweating buckets. "W-Who…" he swallowed the lump in his throat, not believing the torture he was going through. "Who was that…?"

"Um, he's someone very close to me…" Hamuko said. "He's going through a hard time. Um, remember the guy who chased me? He beat him up pretty badly so he's in quite some pain…"

"What…?" Ryoji gritted his teeth, thinking back to the damn shadow. For some reason, he wanted to rip his guts out for torturing…. Who? Who did he torture and why did he care so much?

"We kinda got off wrong at the starting," Hamuko gave him a smile, maybe he was a friend of Minato? She held out her hand for a shake. "My name is Hamuko Marie, thank you for saving me, Ryoji-kun…"

Ryoji glanced at her hand for a couple of minutes but he shakily accepted it with a dumb nob. "I-I see, um, take care of him, alright?"

"Hehehe," Hamuko widened her smile. "Just pray for him, okay? Pray that he recovers soon, he's very close to me and a lot of people."

Ryoji gripped her hand tightly, closing his eyes. "I pray that your troubles end soon and I pray with all my soul that your dear one recovers very soon…"

"Thank you," Hamuko bowed. "Hopefully we can see each other again, take care…"

"You too…." Ryoji said as Hamuko turned around and began to walk back to the dorm but he spoke up yet again, in a pleading tone of voice that startled Hamuko.

"Take care of him," Ryoji pleaded.

"Take care of him…." Pharos pleaded.

Hamuko stopped and whipped around but Ryoji was long gone and strangely enough, he was headed for Tartarus? She shrugged it off and stepped inside the dorm exhausted and drained from the struggle. She walked a few more steps and collapsed on top of the couch, drifting off to sleep.

…

Ryoji marched his way over to the tower of demise, tears glistering in the corner of his eyes. "I know…" he howled, stomping and hissing way inside the tower. He jumped inside the access point and let out an unearthly yell when he materialized inside the dungeon. The nearby shadows cowered away in fear of the 13th arcana who was hell-bent on finding the son of a bitch who did that to Hamuko's loved one. "I know you are here, you son of a bitch, come out!"

"I will reduce this place to ashes!" Ryoji warned, clawing at his own hair to stop the shout from resounding. "Come out, come out before I drag you out!"

A few seconds later, Makoto barely made his way out of the shadows, refusing to look the demon in the eye. He didn't feel a thing when SEES battled him but now, pain seemed very, very real. However, he still came out to meet the dammed entity because he knew this wasn't the end.

"I'm going to slaughter you," Ryoji swore, walking over to the shorter male with slow footsteps, every click against the ground induced a tremor that raced across the floor. "I'll fucking kill you…."

"Go on…" Makoto held out his hands, knowing that a defeat was unavoidable.

Ryoji screeched on the top of his lungs, screeched so loud that the dorm-members covered their ears because it was heard all around the district. Makoto reeled back in shock but before he knew it, Ryoji had already closed the distance and his fist was already inside of his chest. The pain was brutal, it hurt and it was over…. For now….

…

…..

Ryoji swallowed the ichor pooled inside of his mouth and stalked off, leaving the remains of the darkened teenager for the other shadows to devour. He kept walking while using the wall for support but the pain wasn't leaving him, there was a dull ache in his heart which was a new feeling for him.

He felt nothing but rage and bloodlust before…. This was new…. Who was he beating himself over? He didn't even know Hamuko's loved one who why…. Why was he crying over him?

"Shit…" Ryoji wiped the tears and begged the fates to get the scream out of his head. He had taken care of the bastard but he knew tough times were ahead for Hamuko. "FUCK!" he yelled on the top of his lungs as a massive explosion of dark magic detonated inside the tower, crashing a number of floors and killing hundreds of other shadows. Amongst all the destruction, Ryoji kept crying and curled into a ball, melting away into the darkness because he couldn't bear it any longer….

"I know him…." Ryoji whispered. "I hate myself for forgetting him… but who is he?" soon, he faded into the darkness that he had created. The last thing heard in the tower was a muffled sob from the hunter of all who was crying over a broken mortal.

So goddamn sleepy right now. ¬¬ Glad I managed to finish this chapter, as always, thanks to Steven Cold and Raidou for the help.

Just a few things.

1) Boy, Minato ended up saving Hamuko twice, despite being on his death bed. His advice saved her from Makoto and his yell sent Ryoji running. :P I found it hilarious but hey, it made sense.

2) If you want to read an extended, darker version of chapter 78, do check out Raidou's profile because he expanded on the chapter and its pretty fucking awesome : s/12127575/3/Rhyme-Without-A-Reason

3) Please, I cannot stress this enough, do review because I need them. 534 hits (holy shit) and 7 reviews is an atrocious ratio. I do want to finish this so please, do show support. That's from me and the other three. :P

As usual, thanks for the support so far, thanks for the read and hopefully, see you soon. Bdw, shades of fallen messiah in this chapter, might as well say it myself, hahaha, cheers! o/