Question to all, and I really need answers/opinions. I've been kinda getting an itch to change the name of the story but I'm not too sure so I ask you. Should I change the name to something else? (I won't tell it here) or is blood lust iconic and should stick till the end, do tell!
And we're back again. I'm glad you guys liked the fluff because I wrote that one myself, when it's usually the job of my co-author. :P
This has pretty much got it all. Horror, fluff, tense moments and character dev. Enjoy!
Justanotherdude : This guy gets it! Give this man a cookie! In all seriousness, I'm glad you think that and sorry but this is the last fic. I can update now because my family pays for my college tuition but like I said before, I'll have to work my ass in law school and work to pay the bills and pass 3 years. It'll be hard and I don't think I can write stories with all that going on. Thanks a lot!
Sherry : Heey, good to see you again. Glad you still like the story and if you mean Hamuko telling Minato about how Ryoji tried to pet in her pants, I'm not too sure, Hamuko would never want Minato and Ryoji to get into a fight because injured or not, Minato won't like Ryoji after learning he tried to sleep with Hamuko. If Minato finds out, that's another question. He does know about sex, he made a bad cat and sex joke a chapters back, he just had to come up with something. Sho being in school, hahah, we'll see about that. No problem, I am a review hound but I know real life takes a lot out of you. I love you too, you wonderful person. o/ It's just me writing alone so yeah, cheers! PS : I'm the last one to complain about typos. :P
Aizana : The roles sure have changed. Hamuko being obssessive is played for the laughs but the big role change is Minato went from the predator to the prey. Protector to the protected. Cheers!
Minato carefully slithered his way out of Hamuko's embrace and sat up on the edge of the bed. He looked behind and Hamuko was fast asleep and from the exhaustion on her face, it didn't look like she'd wake up easily.
To make sure, Minato poked her forehead a few times and Hamuko shifted her position and then started snoring again.
Minato tried to stand up and stumbled forward after losing his balance. He quickly grabbed a hold of his desk and steadied himself. "Shouldn't have done that…." he winced.
Not wanting to disturb Hamuko, Minato sat down on the floor and took a deep breath. Even though he had given away his evoker and accepted the retirement, he still couldn't let it go that easily.
"If I had my health, I'm sure I could have been strong, even stronger than before," he said to himself. He looked at his fist and shook his head.
Minato sat on the same spot for the next few minutes, trying to think of something useful until he abruptly stood up and walked towards his closet. He pulled a hoodie over his shirt and sighed. "Sorry Mitsuru, but I got to do this." he prayed that the senior wouldn't find out about his late night escape. "Boy, that won't be fun…"
Minato gave one last look towards Hamuko, tucked her in the blanket and walked towards the window. He opened it up and looked down with a gulp. Normally, a jump like that would have been no problem but with his broken body, he was sure a jump like that could damage his legs further.
Minato blinked and went back to the bed. He leaned down and pulled out a rope from under. He glanced at it for a few seconds and frowned. "Why did I have this….?" he questioned and the memories came rushing in, making him growl.
"Fifty shades of stupidity," Minato sighed and climbed down the window using the rope. He was a little concerned about getting back up but he couldn't leave the window open with the rope hanging down so he pulled it down and shut the window close.
"A cute female sleeping half naked in bed, yeah, no," Minato threw the rope away and looked around. It was almost 2 AM which meant no shadows to deal and so he took his time and walked slowly, remembering old times and his childhood, well, the good part of his childhood.
"Mitsuru and her group sure built a fine city," this was the first time he cared to look around the city. He remembered bits and bits of the old city, way back when he was normal.
After a few more minutes, as soon as Minato stepped away from his district, he pulled his hood on and started walking faster. He took the monorail and ended up in the Mall. Minato glanced at the back alley and bit his lip, recalling the previous visits to the room. "Apologies in order first…" he ignored the few whispers about his bruised face and walked into the back alley.
Minato took a deep breath when he ended up in front of the blue door. He turned on the knob and smiled slightly at the faint melody coming from inside. He pushed the door open and was blinded by a flash of pale blue light.
"Welcome…"
The light subsided and Minato opened his eyes. He was in the velvet room and the two residents were smiling at him, especially Elizabeth who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Hello," Minato removed his hood and walked towards the table.
"Please take a seat," Igor instructed and Minato obliged, gingerly sitting down on the seat opposite to Igor.
Minato looked around the room in amazement. He never really paid attention to it before but the velvet room was a marvel and the melody in the background was just soothing to listen. "Hey…" the blunet chewed on his bottom lip and bowed his head low. "I'm sorry for the past, I-" he trailed off. "I've done nothing but mock and insult you, even when you were trying to help me…."
"You don't need to apologize," Igor said.
"I have to," Minato said with a sigh and then sat up. "Need to get this off my chest."
"Especially to you," Minato looked towards Elizabeth. "I can't you enough for the times you've helped me. I am in your debt forever."
Elizabeth nodded. "About time I get some appreciation for my effort-"
"Elizabeth," Igor shook his head.
"I-I mean, I would do anything to help our dear guest," Elizabeth gave a broken smile. "Really Minato-sama, you do not need to thank me or apologize, I was, rooting for you, as they say."
Minato chuckled. "Never change, Elizabeth."
"I shan't!" Elizabeth assured.
Minato faced Igor again and ran a hand down his fringe nervously. "Um, when I first came here, you said something like something having haven control of me, mind telling me what that was all about?"
"What I said still stands, you were controlled by a horrible entity beyond your comprehension," Igor said. "To be honest, I did not have high hopes for you. I thought you'd lose yourself completely but you managed to surprise me."
"And now, here you are, finally free from his clutches, well done," Igor praised. "I must say, it is nothing short of a miracle."
"Yeah, I have someone to thank for pulling me out of the abyss," Minato said. "But, what was that? Who was he? Why did he do all this?"
"In your world, I suppose you could say you were possessed in a unique way," Igor said. "The blood lust of that entity was staggering and it ended up corrupting you…"
"Yes," Minato cringed. "The blood lust did corrupt me…. Badly…"
"Also, I have to praise you," Igor said.
"Praise me?" Minato snorted. "I lost my humanity and got turned into a demon, there is nothing to praise."
"No, you are still alive and breathing," Igor said. "Believe me, you do not know yet but that entity that grabbed a hold of you is vastly beyond comprehension, reason why I thought you would fall eventually but you proved me wrong and came out alive."
"Even with that, you did make unbreakable bonds with you team-mates," Elizabeth said. "An even stronger bond with Hamuko-sama. With everything going on, you were still strong enough to push the blood lust and make life-long friends."
"You even returned from the point of near death and the complete collapse of your psyche," Igor reminded.
"You mean Makoto?" Minato said and got a nod from Igor who continued.
"Yes, him, you triumphed over Makoto as well," Igor said. "For all that you did, for all the miracles you achieved, you deserve nothing but praise."
"Miracles huh?" Minato said, looking up. "I think it was because of that thing inside me, without that, I'm worthless…"
"Now, now," Igor said sternly, leaning closer. "Let me be clear, you were and always will be a wild card. That has nothing to do with the entity. You were blessed from the very beginning and you are special, with or without that entity, just remember that."
Minato shook his head but changed the subject. "Can you please tell me what that was?" he pleaded. "I need to know…"
"I promise you, you will find out the truth very soon, by your own self," Igor promised. "The revelation is not very far and I suggest you prepare yourself."
Minato wanted to argue but he ended up sighing instead. "Okay, I'll wait for a while but if nothing happens, you have to tell me," he said. "I need to know…"
"I'm sure the car crash happened because of that thing," Minato growled. "It then took a hold of me and ruined my life for so many years."
"I'm aware I'm pathetic right now but I need answers," Minato took a deep breath and exhaled. "I need some closure. I need some peace and I'll die trying but I'll get it, one way or another."
Minato then stood up and smiled. "Again, thank you for the help so far…" he held out his hand and Igor shook it with his usual grin. "I might not be able to fight anymore but I'll always come to visit," he then shook hands with Elizabeth. "I'm allowed to, right?"
"Always," Igor said. "You are always welcome here, Minato. Feel free to visit us anytime."
"Thank you," Minato gave another deep bow and turned on his heels, walking out of the room.
Igor gave a sad sigh. "Poor boy…"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes but master…. I am sure he will surprise us again. He is special…"
…
Minato took a sip from the water bottle and looked around the mall. There was barely a crowd remaining which made sense since it was so late. Every shop had closed down and people were rushing towards their homes. "Good going Minato…." he sighed and started walking back towards home. Back in the monorail, Minato noticed that he was the only one in the car and looking outside; he could see nothing but fog and darkness. The walk back home was going to be hard since the area was deserted so late in the night.
The blunet stepped out and took a look around. The fog was getting denser and the cold was giving him chills. "Not good for my wounds…" he shivered and rubbed his arms. Any time now, some mugger was going to come out and beat the shit out of him.
"And there is nothing I can do about that," Minato muttered. He pulled on the hood and slowly started walking, trying to ignore the whispers of the delinquent boys that he passed by.
"Pass the bottle, man,"
"Give me some of that,"
Minato ignored the whispers but he was sure a number of eyes were on him, watching his every move. He knew running wasn't going to work because he couldn't out-run anyone in his current state. He just prayed and kept walking with his head low.
The whispers quieted down and Minato stopped momentarily upon feeling a pressure on his shoulders. He turned around and the punks had run off due to some reason. The district was empty, save for him. "What the…?" he stood at the same spot for a few seconds and with the thick darkness, he couldn't spot black mist swirling beneath his feet. "Huh…" Minato didn't dwell too long on the question and started running back towards the room and the mist followed him.
Minato ran past the haunted tree but never stopped. He never noticed a very familiar student hanging upside down on the tree, blood dripping down his mouth.
"Get home safe," Ryoji said. He heard a few shuffling sounds behind him and didn't even bother looking back. Instead, he grabbed a hold of his face and started forcefully turning his head towards his back side with his bare hands, drawing out a number of painful cracking sounds.
Ryoji's head did a complete 180 degree rotation and he finally was able to see a bunch of punks with bats and knives. They were looking to mug Minato but after seeing a teenager hanging upside down on the tree with his head twisted around, they lost it and made a run for their lives.
"Hahaha," Ryoji's blue eyes turned blood red and he fell down with a splatter of blood. He stood up on his hands and knees with his head hanging upside down and started crawling on his hands and knees in reverse, like a spider. He quickly caught up to the punks despite his insane posture and laughed out loud.
"What the hell is that-" the leader of the gang couldn't handle the dread and upon looking back and seeing the twisted and crippled monstrosity following them on his hands and knees like a demon, with blood dripping down his mouth, he collapsed down and fainted.
Ryoji pounced on the male and gave another haunting laugh, making the other punks collapse to the ground in absolute fear. They managed to catch the demon breaking the neck of their leader and all of them broke down completely, unable to handle the fear any longer.
"What is that….?" was the last thing that came out before everything in the district fell silent.
…
Minato stopped upon reaching the dorm and despite the overwhelming fear of death way back, he didn't feel a bit of the dread. He looked up and sighed. "No way I can go through the door…" he reached for a nearby rock and chucked it towards his window, shattering the glass and waking up the redhead sleeping inside of his room.
He waited a few seconds and Hamuko bumbled her way towards the window, still half asleep. "Who the hell is responsible-" she growled and looked down. "Minato!?" she gasped.
"Yup, that's me," Minato clasped his ears shut and prepared himself for an execution but Hamuko didn't yell out yet. She merely sighed and rested her chin on the window with half opened eyes.
"I'm seconds away from exploding and beating your rebellious ass all over the dorm," Hamuko spat and lowered the rope.
"Hehe," Minato started climbing and upon reaching the top, Hamuko grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside without any trouble. "She's gotten strong…" he muttered, shutting the window and savoring the warmth inside of his room.
"This better be really damn good," Hamuko said, crossing her arms. "Why, just why did you go out alone? Do you want me to kick you or something!?"
"Sorry but I went to see Igor," Minato held up his hands. "I needed to talk to him."
"You could have waited for tomorrow," Hamuko shot back. "It's nearly 3 and you know the kind of people who roam around the streets after midnight!"
"I know but…" Minato looked down. "Yeah, sorry…"
Hamuko slapped her forehead. "I swear… if I could hit you…" she mumbled. "Did you get in trouble? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm lucky today," Minato sat down on his bed. "And please, don't tell Mitsuru about this."
"I won't, don't need to pile more tension on her," Hamuko sighed and sat down next to him.
Minato remained quiet and looked down. "I need to have a talk with her about this slump she's gotten into. She can't go on like this…"
"You should," Hamuko nodded. "I should be pissed about this but she's really lenient with you, she might listen to you."
Hamuko pushed Minato back and threw the blanket on him. "Sweet dreams, tomorrow is the trip. Sleep well!"
"Are you leaving?" Minato said.
Hamuko blew a raspberry and collapsed down on his bed, instantly drifting to sleep.
...
The next day, Minato and his friends, sans Ken and Sho took off early to school for their trip to Kyoto. Aigis handled his luggage and Minato ended up carrying his backpack.
"Thanks for the help, Aigis," Minato said.
"I am machine," Aigis said. "I was built for this, Minato-san."
"Don't say it like that," Minato said. Every time Aigis referred to herself as a machine, he died a little on the inside. "Just. Don't."
"I apologize," Aigis smiled, carrying the bags with no problem. "Anything to make you happy, Minato-san."
Minato ruffled her blonde hair and threw an arm around her shoulders, drawing out gaps from the boys around him.
"Filthy man-whore!"
"Let go of her!"
Minato sighed. "Eh, whatever…" he glanced around and caught Yukari and Hamuko talking. Fuuka was chatting with Natsuki. Junpei was pushing Akihiko around to score with some girls.
Mitsuru was standing alone, far away, staring at the ground. She looked like she had no soul and Minato reminded himself to talk to her later.
"Ouch," a sharp spasm of pain shot through his ribs and Minato gritted his teeth.
"Are you okay, Minato-san!?" Aigis asked.
"Yeah, I needed up injuring my ribs again," Minato said, rubbing his sides.
Aigis blinked. "Why?"
"…" Minato had no answer to that.
…
"Wow, nice place!" Junpei said out loud as they entered the resort. "I wasn't expecting much but this is actually really nice."
"It is an expensive area, after all," Yukari said.
"Hey Ryoji, which trips have you had in your old school?" Minato asked, trying to start up a conversation. Ryoji was silent ever since Minato forced him to walk alongside his group but the blunet could tell he was seething with rage, annoyed just from hearing the others talk.
"Hm," Ryoji looked at the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. "I really don't remember."
"Seriously? That's the highlight of the year!"
Ryoji gave Yukari a sharp glare but Minato got between the two. "It's alright, not a problem. Just enjoy this one."
"I swear…" Yukari rolled her eyes, muttering under his breath. She was trying to get along because he was Minato's friend but in some way, he was even worse than the old Minato who could keep up a conversation at times.
"Are those the hot-springs?" Aigis asked, pointing outside.
"No, that's the courtyard, Aigis," Fuuka replied.
"Oh man, I can't believe I forgot about the hot-springs!" Junpei cried. "There is a surprise every few seconds."
Hamuko sighed and pulled Minato away. "I'm sure we won't be in the same room so… Take care of yourself and don't start fights, tell Akihiko if you get into trouble," she leaned closer. "I'll come during the Dark Hour, alright?"
"… That's scandalous," Minato added after a few seconds of thought. "But my ribs are broken and I don't think I can-"
"Keep it in your pants pal," Hamuko spat and walked off with the females.
Minato couldn't help but chuckle. He saw Mitsuru rushing past the students and bit his lip. He didn't know Mitsuru very well but he had to try. "She can't go on like this…" he said and went up to the boys' floor.
Junpei and Minato shared a room and the one opposite to them housed Ryoji and Akihiko. Minato told the boxer not to talk much and Akihiko wasn't keen in the first place.
"Hey man, I need to talk," Junpei said, rubbing his neck. "It's about Chidori…"
"Sure, spit it," Minato said.
"Well, the last time I visited her, she told me to get lost," Junpei sighed. "I've been in a terrible mood ever since and I don't even know what I did wrong!"
"… She told you to get lost?" Minato blinked. "Like really…?"
"Well no," Junpei said, thinking back to their last meeting. "She said something about it being fun at first and then told me not to visit her anymore."
Minato nodded with a smile. "Congrats, man!"
Junpei opened his mouth. "Dude, what's there to congratulate? She hates me now!"
"Well, as far as I know, she's falling for you," Minato smiled.
Wait, what?
"What…?" Junpei stared at him like a zombie for a few seconds until his lips curved into a smile. "R-Really?"
"She's trying to make sense of her feelings, obviously," Minato said. "Girls, hell, even guys do that. It's normal, she just needs time but man, she's starting to like you."
Junpei slapped his forehead. "Of course… I was so worried about her hating me that I didn't even think of that!" he stood up and cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "Woohoo, I'm finally getting a girlfriend!"
"Congrats," Minato clapped a few times. "Leave her be for a few days and then visit with a gift, she'll be fine then."
"I got it," Junpei said with a happy grin. "Thanks man! I tried to talk to Ryoji about this but he told me to piss off."
"Oh," Minato rubbed his neck. "I apologize on his behalf, he's kind of difficult to talk to..."
"Dude, I'm getting a girlfriend, nothing can bring my mood down!" Junpei kept yelling. "And guess what? She's a redhead too! We both got redheaded girlfriends!"
Minato laughed. Redhead reminded him of someone else too. "Hey Junpei?"
"Yeah, bro?"
"Tell me if you see Mitsuru alone tomorrow, alright?"
Junpei nodded. "Sure, I'll let you know…"
…
The next day, Minato hung out with his friends for a few hours until he saw Ryoji sulking all alone. He excused himself from the group and went up to Ryoji, offering him to hang out and the black haired teen readily accepted his offer.
Ryoji was an entirely different person when he was with Minato and it surprised the blunet. He was like a tamed puppy around him and he never really talked back to Minato, even during a debate on music and games.
At times, it really felt like he was staring into an old mirror. He didn't know how the hell it was possible but Ryoji was just like him, well, like his old self. His mannerisms were an echo of his old personality and to Minato, he also saw a little bit of Pharos in him. He liked angry birds, Lotus Juice music, Innocent Sin, all the games and music Minato had played with Pharos.
He chalked it up to a weird co-incidence and the two friends hung around Kyoto for a few hours until the sun started setting.
Minato checked his phone and read the message from Junpei. "She's at the river side, huh?" he flipped his phone shut and glanced at Ryoji who was smiling.
"Thanks Minato," Ryoji said, glancing at the angry bird toy in his grip. "I didn't even know they had this."
"You're welcome," Minato said. "That's like a thank you for you saving me back in the alley."
Ryoji cringed upon remembering the scene. He set a hand on Minato's shoulder and pulled him close. "If anyone does or says anything to you, please let me know, okay?"
"I will, thanks," Minato said. "You head on, I need to take care of some stuff."
"Sure, take care walking back," Ryoji said and walked off, still grinning at the new toy that Minato bought for him.
Minato stopped smiling and headed towards the river-side. He saw Mitsuru standing alone, staring at nothing in particular. "I either help her or get a slap…" he gulped and came to a stop beside her.
It took a few seconds and Mitsuru snapped out of the daze. The always focus, ice cold senior took a few seconds to recompose herself and looked at the side to see the blunet smiling at her. "Oh, Minato…" she sighed. "What are you doing here? Why are you alone?"
"I was looking for you," Minato said, kicking the rock into the river. "I didn't see you much so I was worried."
Mitsuru fell silent and the two looked down at the river, staring at their own reflections on the surface.
"Why….?" Mitsuru spoke up after a few minutes. "Why did you follow me?"
"…"
"Why are you concerned about me?" Mitsuru's voice started cracking. "We don't have a common goal to follow. We have nothing in common now…. We lost that long ago."
"That's one tough question," Minato said. "But I have a question too, when I was dead on my bed, why did you keep yourself up at night, worrying and crying over someone like me?"
Mitsuru opened her mouth to talk but she bit down on the words and sighed, tears welling in the corner of her eyes. "I…."
Minato grabbed her wrist and slowly turned her around. Mitsuru didn't object but she kept her head down, not wanting Minato to see her in such a pathetic state.
"I don't care if you beat the crap out of me," Minato said. "You need to get out of this slump. You're Mitsuru Kirijo and you're the last person to give up."
"What should I do?" Mitsuru bit her lip, finally looking up. "You saw what happened. I worked so hard to atone for the sins of my family and I ended up trusting Ikutsuki…"
"…. Don't you remember what I did to you?" Mitsuru clenched her right fist. "I beat you to near death because he manipulated me. He played me…."
"I forgive you for that," Minato said softly. "I did way back but you know what? Your father isn't going to forgive you if you just give up like this…"
Mitsuru widened her eyes and looked up at her junior.
"It's painful I know," Minato ran a hand over his hair. "Losing your parents before your eyes when you are powerless to stop them is painful…"
"Even with all the blood-lust, I cried for hours after remembering them," Minato recalled. "I cried even harder after gaining my senses because I knew I spat on everything they hoped. They wanted me to be a decent, every-day guy with a good family but you know what I did…."
"Minato," Mitsuru whispered.
"I know your father is gone but senpai, his hopes and dreams still remain with you," Minato said. "He passed his wish to you; you told me he wanted to get rid of the Dark Hour at any costs, right?"
"Yes…" Mitsuru nodded slowly. She remembered her father even crying to himself because of what the group had done and ever since then, Mitsuru became obsessed with easing his burden. "He wanted nothing more…"
"Then you have the answer," Minato chuckled. "Don't be like me and don't let down the dreams of your father. Fulfill his final wish because I'm sure that's what he wanted of you."
"Yes…" Mitsuru breathed out and took a look up the sky. "His final wish…"
"I can't fight anymore," Minato added. "So I'm giving my hopes to you as well. Please senpai, finish the Dark Hour for my sake too."
Mitsuru finally smiled at the blunet, wiping a stray tear from her eye.
"I can trust you, right, senpai?" Minato asked.
"Of course you can," Mitsuru chuckled. "I will not let my junior down, especially when he is such a good friend of mine."
"You can trust your senpai," Mitsuru breathed out with another smile. "Thank you Minato, thank you for this talk. I needed this and I got my objective. I will put an end to this hour for the sake of my father and you too."
"Awesome," Minato cheered. "We got our leader back."
"Indeed," Mitsuru felt a change inside of her psyche, a sign of her new resolve. She chuckled. "You said it right a few days ago; two in harmony surpass one in perfection. I was a fool to keep pushing people like you away."
"And that' the answer," Minato said. "I came looking for you because you are a friend."
"And you took care of me because I'm a friend to you too, right?" he asked with a smirk.
"Yes you are," Mitsuru said. "You are even more than a friend to me now…."
"I'd hug you right now but I'm sure Hamuko is around here somewhere," Minato looked around nervously. "And I don't want to get executed and beat up at the same time."
Mitsuru chuckled. "I see nothing wrong with friends embracing each other. That's what friends do, correct?"
Minato went closer and Mitsuru hugged him. Minato returned the embrace and the two stayed in the same position for a few seconds until a yell made them look at the side.
"He's got another one!" a nearby student yelled.
"Huh?" Mitsuru blinked. "What is he….?"
Minato gave an annoyed sigh. "We're just friends, dummy!"
"That's what they all say!" the student cried and ran off.
Mitsuru and Minato ended up laughing anyway. They broke the hug and walked back towards the resort, chatting and laughing all the way back.
…
The next day, Minato stayed in for much for the day because his legs were killing him. He did see Mitsuru hanging around with the females from the team. "I can't believe it worked…. Senpai isn't really made up of ice, after all."
Hamuko dragged him out, not okay with the fact that Minato hung out with Ryoji and not her. The two stayed outside and enjoyed the city until night fell and they came back to the hotel.
"The hot-springs are open!"
"Hell yes!" Junpei said. "Guys, we need to go inside. Hot-springs are awesome."
"I've never tried one, is it good?" Ryoji asked.
"You should totally try one," Junpei said. "It helps a lot and makes you relax."
"Yeah," Minato said. "You should definitely try it, Ryoji."
Ryoji rubbed his chin. "I think I will. Will you joins us, Minato?"
Minato gave a sad smile. "I don't think I can…." he said. With all the gaping, deep wounds on his body, Minato doubted he could last long in the hot-springs without getting burned. "You know…"
"Your wounds," Junpei cursed out Makoto. "Dude…" he sighed. "It's no fun without you."
"It will, go enjoy yourself," Minato said. "You won't get a chance like this again."
"I guess…" Junpei looked dis-heartened. "I can keep you company if you like."
"No, I'll be fine," Minato said and turned to Ryoji who looked conflicted. "You too Ryoji, go try one. I'm sure you'll like it."
"It's no fun without you," Ryoji repeated.
Junpei widened his eyes. Did Ryoji really say that? The anti-social asshole actually said that!
"It will," Minato replied. "Go in and relax, you won't a chance like this again."
"Damn the fucker who gave you the wounds," Ryoji spat. He could recall Hamuko telling him that the darkened teenager was responsible for the damage and if he only knew Minato before, he would have prolonged the punishment. "But I understand, don't hurt yourself further…"
The black haired teen turned around and looked at Junpei. "Let's go."
"I'll go get Akihiko," Junpei said. "You get ready and meet me in the springs." with that, the capped teen ran up the steps to fetch Akihiko.
Ryoji smiled at Minato and went up to change as well.
Alone, Minato sat alone on the bench and sighed to himself. That damn Makoto, he took away his health and his fun. He wanted to try the hot-springs for so long but…. "I'll die there…" he muttered and hung his head low.
He could hear Mitsuru and the other girls happily chatting their way towards the hot-springs. He was a little concerned but ended up brushing it aside, they had separated hot-springs anyway.
"Hahaha, loser!" and his hate-club took the chance to mock him. "What's wrong? Where are your friends?"
Minato lowered his head and took the insult. He probably deserved it….
"Nobody wants to look at that disgusting, bruised face for long," the males jeered. "It makes me fucking sick!"
Minato grumbled under his breath and ignored the taunting. For some reason, he couldn't summon enough rage to head there and attack them; maybe it was because he knew they'd beat the crap out of him.
"You idiots never really learn, huh?" the voice managed to surprise Minato and he turned his head to the side to see Hamuko standing there, glaring at the males. "I swear, one more word and I'll get Akihiko-senpai to punch your heads off."
"Hamuko?" Minato blinked. What was she doing here? "Shouldn't you be in the hot-springs?"
His hate-club dispersed and Hamuko sat down next to him. "Like hell I'm leaving you alone with these idiots, no chance."
"But this is like your only chance to try the hot-springs," Minato said.
"Meh," Hamuko said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Not as important as you."
"I told Junpei and Ryoji, well, I forced them to go but yeah…." he said. "I need you here with me…"
"Aww," Hamuko cooed, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. She adjusted the eye-patch and grinned at him. "I'd never head there without you, anyway."
"I'd love to go there," Minato admitted. "But Makoto…"
"Don't think about him," Hamuko scolded. "Think of me!"
"Sure thing babe," he said a little too loudly and nodded at her.
Hamuko blinked. "Did you just call me babe?"
"Sure did," Minato replied.
"Oooh, Minato," Hamuko grinned and hugged him tightly, resting her head on his chest. "That's a new one but I like it. I like it a lot!"
Minato knew his hate-club was watching the whole scene from the corner of their eyes. He gave a cheeky grin and his hand went lower until it was resting on Hamuko's lower back.
"I might be ugly but I've still got her," Minato mouthed to the males and watched in amusement as they cried and ran off together, swearing to wash their eyes with bleach after witnessing the scene.
The two stayed in the same position, aside from Minato removing his hand from her back. They didn't care about the teachers catching him, nor the hot-springs, they were living in the moment and they were pretty happy, until…
A loud, hateful yell made Hamuko pull back. "What was that?"
Minato heard a few curse words and stood up. "From the hot-springs…" oh shit, Ryoji was there, which meant.
"Come on!" Hamuko grabbed his wrist and dragged him away. They quickly ran towards the hot-springs and stepped inside and when they saw what was going on, Minato's knees momentarily buckled.
Mitsuru, Fuuka, Yukari and Aigis were in towels but that wasn't the issue. He looked down to see Ryoji punching someone while holding him down in the hot water.
Minato widened his eyes. Akihiko was repeatedly trying to pull him while the girls yelled at him to let go but the black haired male wasn't listening. There was a crap-load of blood lust brewing in his eyes.
"Shit!" Hamuko yelled. "Junpei!?" Ryoji was beating on Junpei!? She could see Junpei struggling to move from his weight but he was still easily held down by the stronger male who kept punching away.
"You goddamn fucker!" Ryoji snarled and started choking him, trying to force the water into his lungs.
"Dammit!" Minato didn't care about the wounds and jumped into the water along with Hamuko. They quickly reached the others and grabbed a hold of Ryoji and with Akihiko helping them, they finally managed to pull him off Junpei.
"Are you insane!?" Mitsuru spat. "Stop this right now!"
Junpei stood up, coughing and wheezing. There were a few wounds on his face from the punches. "You goddamn psycho!"
"I'm the fucking devil!" Ryoji shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'll rip your filthy heart out, just you fucking wait!"
"What the hell!?" Hamuko was struggling to hold him in place and Minato was struggling with the heat. The wounds were opening up and giving him hell but he swallowed it and kept pulling Ryoji backwards.
"You dare push my head down!?" Ryoji shoved Akihiko and Hamuko away and ran for Junpei who backed off, knowing he was not a match for the deceptively powerful Ryoji.
Minato got in between them, crying out in pain as the hot liquid seeped into his wounds.
Ryoji lost himself in rage and pushed Minato away, sending him flying into the rocks. Minato landed head-first and collapsed into the water with a painful cry. The wounds opened up yet again and blood came gushing out, mixing in the water.
"Minato!" Junpei cried. He forgot all about the hate and rushed towards Minato. "Get up!"
"You bastard!" Hamuko turned Ryoji around and slapped him hard across the face, snapping his head to the side.
Ryoji caught the next slap and looked her in the eye. He was seething and growling from the rage and his face was red, beet red due to all the hatred.
"Look what've you've done!" Hamuko spat. "You fucking stupid idiot!"
"You won't be able to see what I'll do next…." Ryoji said, tilting his head to the side and giving the redhead a vacant stare.
"Try me!" Hamuko shouted back. "I dare you, you bastard! Hit me!"
Ryoji was just about to finish the dare but a sharp voice halted him. "Stop!" and stop he did, regaining a little control of his sense. He took a deep breath and his face paled upon recalling what he had done.
"Minato…" Yukari clasped her mouth shut as the blunet barely stood his ground.
Ryoji turned around and his lower lip quivered. "Minato…"
Minato was barely standing and there was a big gash on his forehead which was gushing out blood like a waterfall. There was also a number of burns on his body and from his face, Minato looked to be in an ungodly amount of pain, especially due to the heat.
"Just stop…" Minato said in between pants. Everyone stopped and his friends quickly gathered around Minato, not caring about the fact that they were clad in towels only. They helped Minato up as Ryoji watched on from the side, cursing himself for what he had done.
"It'll be fine," Yukari said. "Hamuko, take him to his room. I'll be right there!"
Hamuko carried Minato away and the others soon left to change their clothes. Junpei didn't even bother snapping at Ryoji and quickly ran off behind Minato, worried for his safety.
Aigis shook her head at Ryoji. "You are not good…" she repeated. "You are the worst…" she then left for Minato's room.
Ryoji was left standing all alone in the hot-springs. He stood still for a few seconds before kicking the rock and storming off. "What the fuck did I do!?" Minato's frail form flashed before his eyes and Ryoji gave a muffled howl. "Dammit!"
…
"Hey man, are you okay?" Junpei said.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Minato breathed out as Hamuko and Yukari kept working on the wounds. "It burns a little but I'm fine…."
"That idiot," Mitsuru spat. "I will execute him for this."
"What happened?" Minato asked with a wince. "What did he do?"
"We were enjoying the springs but the girls came in," Junpei said. "Ryoji was starting to shout at me so I pulled his head in the water."
"He went crazy and attacked me," Junpei said. "Everyone came over and then this happened…"
"I shouldn't have forced him to go," Minato cursed himself. "Dammit, I had no idea he'd lose control like that. What a shitty co-incidence."
"Dude is a grade A asshole," Akihiko spat. "You don't react that strongly. He was talking crap about them so Junpei pulled him down to shut him up."
"That was a bad experience," Mitsuru sighed. "Rest up Minato, I'll send some medicines for you."
The door slid open and the members of SEES glared at the black haired teen who stood in the doorway, his gaze fixed on Minato.
"Ryoji?" Minato shakily stood up.
Ryoji walked over to Minato, ignoring the rest. He stopped in front of him and bit his lip. He couldn't believe he was doing this. Minato was weak and pathetic, he was shaking and could barely stand up but even then, he couldn't stop the anxiety that flooded into his chest, forcing the breath out of his body.
"I apologize," Ryoji said, bowing his head low. "Hit me, Minato…"
"Hit me, Hamuko…"
Minato shook his head and patted him on the shoulder, making him look up. Minato smiled at him and shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
Ryoji stood upright and wiped his eyes with a sad smile. "I totally suck…" he gave a sad chuckle. "But thank you Minato, you are the only friend I've ever had…"
The rest were shocked but they kept quiet.
"I'll make it up to you," Ryoji promised. "Don't you dare talk; I'll do something for you, alright? Just give me a chance."
"Sure," Minato replied. "Sleep easy man, this stuff happens. Isn't your fault I was so injured in the first place."
"Good night, Minato," Ryoji said, wiping a stray tear from his eye and marching away quickly. "Sleep well…"
Minato collapsed back down as soon as the door shut close. Ryoji was crying? Wow, that was a new one but it only made him more determined.
"Why did you forgive him so easily?" Junpei said. "I ain't talking about myself but he pushed you man!"
"Yeah," Hamuko said. "That guy is a piece of shit."
"That only made me more determined to pull him out of the darkness," Minato said, turning to stare at Hamuko. "Like you pulled me out…"
"That's quite noble," Mitsuru said. "But be careful around him. You're already injured enough and he seems unstable."
"Just like I was…" Minato responded and silence fell in the room. The others couldn't argue with that, the similarities were there and they could understand where Minato was coming from.
…
Just seconds before the Dark Hour, Hamuko ran down the steps and ended up meeting with Ryoji who was heading towards the restroom. The two regarded each other with a nod, trying not to remember the little scuffle they had earlier.
"Where are you going?" Hamuko asked.
"Restroom," Ryoji said, lumbering his way down towards the steps. Hamuko watched him retreat and quickly ran into Minato's room. The Dark Hour struck and she opened the door to see a number of coffins but amongst that, she saw Junpei and Minato, hell, even Akihiko was there, chatting with Minato.
"Hey, she's here," Junpei said. "We should leave the two alone, senpai."
"S-Shut up!" Hamuko blushed and sat down next to Minato.
Soon enough, Aigis came down and joined the four. They ended up killing time by chatting and having fun, completely unaware of the hell that was coming for them.
…
Ryoji punched the mirror and dragged his fist across the shards, opening up a number of wounds that began seeping out blood. He struggled with the building rage and grabbed a hold of his head, pulling on his hair.
"Fuck!" the guilt had left him because Minato had forgiven him but the rage was still there. "That asshat…. How dare he….!?" he snarled, repeatedly crashing his head and body into the walls but nothing was working. His vision was blackening and a thick, dark aura was flaring around his body, causing the place to rumble violently.
Ryoji howled at the top of his lungs, shattering the windows in the entire resort with just shrill scream which was answered moments later by a number of low growls and roars.
"Kill that bastard," Ryoji ordered, looking down at the remains of the mirror. His skin was cracking, revealing a darker layer behind. "Mutilate his filthy corpse!"
…
"Shadows," Fuuka cried. "I sense shadows, dozens of them!"
"What the hell?" Akihiko shouted. "What are they doing here!?"
"No time to think," Mitsuru ordered. "Aigis, lead the charge. I brought a few evokers just in case, start the assault and we'll follow you."
"Stay here, Minato," Hamuko said. "Don't you dare move!" with that, she left him alone and quickly ran out.
Minato cursed himself for being worthless. "Dammit…. When will this end?"
…
"They followed us here," Mitsuru said after Hamuko finished the last one. "Those shadows are from Tartarus…"
"But that's miles away," Junpei widened his eyes. "It's only been 10 minutes, how the heck did they travel so much in such a short time."
"I have no idea," Mitsuru said, her mouth slightly open. "I really do not…. This has never happened before."
Minato came down the steps and sighed. "You're all safe."
"Minato, the shadows followed us here," Hamuko said. "They came from Tartarus."
Minato took a while to digest the information. "They followed us here?" he repeated and then thought back to the dead teenager in the dorm. Now, he wasn't sure if that was Takaya anymore.
"Are they evolving or something?" Minato thought out loud.
Ryoji peeked out from the door of the restroom and gritted his teeth. "I'll get you fuckers, I promise…"
Minato turned around and Ryoji quickly hid inside, not wanting Minato see him in his current state. "Dammit…"
"Tomorrow is the trip back, we should rest," Minato said. "We'll figure this out later."
The others nodded and followed him up the stairs.
Ryoji stepped out and went out in the night, fully intending to kill and satiate his uncontrollable bloodlust. "They'll wake up to a massacre…" he promised and got to work, silent and quick, just like the apex predator that he was.
Update : Fixed some typos. As always, no promise of proof-reading, sorreh. :P
I'll say it till I've got blue fingers but this shit will get uncomfortable. The last arc will be more painful than anything before. This was the last sorta happy chapter and the horrors begins (some horror was here too) in the next one. As always, review and thanks for the support so far! The next one will take a while but you'll see it. Cheers!