Yyyyyeah... screwed up again. Nothing to see here...
Damn... Being a long while. A lot of shit has happened but big news, yours truly has finally finished college. It was hard, these 5 years but finally, it is done. And to be honest... I was not going to update for a while because I am burned out (wrote more 20 pages for my philosophy exam so ya can't blame me) but... I did promise a friend a bday gift. This is very very late but hopefully, you like this (you know who you are, sorry for the extremely late gift)
This is another romance chapter so rated M. It was not going to be but.. promises promises.
Read on. For those who do not want the romance, skip towards the end.
"Hey…"
Minato heard the voice and felt the weight on him top of him shift a little, drawing out a soft sigh from him when he felt a pleasant sensation on the side of his neck. He smiled slightly and heard a little coo, followed by another soft peck on the top of his head.
"Wake up…"
Minato opened his one eye and saw Hamuko watching over him, propped up on her elbows and face resting on her palms, legs rocking back and forth as she waited for him to wake up and get a hold of his senses. Minato blinked a few times to make sure he was not hallucinating and then returned the smile.
"A topless Hamuko first thing in the morning," Minato muttered under his breath. "Bless me…"
"Good morning, darling," Hamuko chirped, crawling her way forward till her face was inches away from his. She exhaled softly and pulled him closer by the back of his head, giving him a quick kiss before pulling back. "Did you sleep well?"
"Of course!" Minato replied, sitting up a little with his back against the frame of the bed. "Best sleep I've had in ages."
"Me too," Hamuko said with a giggle. "Normally I'd have nightmares before the full moon operations but this time it was so peaceful."
"Same here," Minato said, recalling the recurring nightmares of failure and death before the full moon operations.
"I only saw you in my dreams this time," Hamuko recalled with another smile. "Just you and me… Nothing else…"
Minato cupped her right cheek and sat up a bit more, caressing her face as he gazed out the window, grateful that the sun was not blocked out by the clouds. Despite tonight being the apocalypse, the sun was shining in all of its golden glory.
"Tonight is the night, huh?" Hamuko said, nuzzling against his hand.
"Yeah," Minato responded and felt her shudder a little bit. Hamuko hummed a little bit and moved forward to kiss him again, fingers traveling along his cheekbones and brushing the fringe out of his eye. She gazed into his silver orbs and bit his lower lip, forcing herself on him and despite just waking up a few minutes ago, Minato dragged her close, gently nudging her lips and drawing out another soft giggle.
"Just tonight," Minato said, pulling back from the kiss. "After this…. No one will ever bother us again."
"For sure," Hamuko said, resting her knees on his sides and sitting on top. She blinked away the little bit of sleep left in her eyes and gave a coy smile, grasping his shoulders and forcing him flat on his back. "Say, Minato…"
"Yeah?" Minato said, not ashamed to look at her like the days before.
Hamuko stuck her tongue out and gave a cheeky giggle, feeling his stare on her body and this time, he was not blushing or looking away in embarrassment. She stretched a little bit to give him a better view, pausing for a bit and then moving her head down, removing the lock of hair from his eyes.
"I know tonight is the big battle and all but…" Hamuko exhaled, her breath ghosting against the shell of his ear, teeth biting briefly into the lobe and her seductive voice blaring throughout his skull. "You're not thinking of leaving this bed, are you?"
"I uh…"
"You're gonna stay here with me, right?" Hamuko spoke slowly, right next to his ear, flicking her tongue against the cartridge. "You're going to skip the training today for your beloved Hamuko, right?"
"Hamuko…."
"Don't say no," Hamuko warned. "You don't want me to sink my teeth in, do you?."
"Pft!"
"Stay with me," Hamuko whispered again. "Touch me some more…"
"Are you tempting me?"
"Do I have to?" Hamuko said.
Minato reached out for his cellphone and flipped it open, furiously punching a few buttons and Hamuko cocked her head, getting off him and moving towards his side to see what he was up to-
"Keep away from the second floor…" Hamuko read the message out loud. "Asshole…"
"To Junpei," Minato present sent and threw the cellphone somewhere on his bed. He got up and gently rested her down, hovering over her and cracking his neck a few times.
"So… do I have to tempt you?" Hamuko questioned, cracking her fingers one by one.
"It's cute when you do," Minato replied, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, followed by a little nibble but not enough to leave a mark.
"Cheeky," Hamuko moved her neck, humming when he started assaulting her sweet spot. "You're getting really used to me, aren't you?" she felt him smile against the crook of her neck, turning her head to the side, moving along in tandem to get the most of his kisses and nibbles. "I remember the first time…. you looked really cute, fumbling and shaking to find the sweet spot."
Minato pulled himself up, only to get dragged down when Hamuko wrapped her arms around his neck and started pulling him down, getting a few pecks on his face and yelling at him to get back to work.
"Hey, that's it!?" Hamuko blared into his ear. "Come on Minato. I set the pace last night. This time it's on you!"
"Ssssh…" Minato slurred and Hamuko stopping wrestling him down, eye twitching and spine tingling as soft impulses traveled down, a rush of soothing pleasure following his voice.
"N-No teasing this time," Hamuko muttered, clenching her fist and opening her legs when he started teasing her with short exhales of breath, ghosting against her skin and making her squirm under him, clutching his back and sinking her nails into his skin.
"Who said anything about teasing?" Minato said, leaving soft bites and kisses as he started moving down, kiss at her naval and fingers working down her hip bones and palms grasping her thighs to open her legs. He didn't tease her like last time as he slipped a finger and started working her body, getting a loud scream from Hamuko who started clawing the sheets, hissing and growling when he started feeling for more of her nerves.
Minato crawled his way up and smirked, noticing the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, the rapid inhales and the constant shuddering. Hamuko heard him snicker and opened her eyes briefly, growling at the arrogant smirk on his face and grabbing a firm hold around the hair on the back of his head.
"D-Don't get sassy," she bit back on her taunt and cried out, grabbing his face when he started curling around, numbing her legs momentarily as another strong surge of bliss traveled up her hips and spine, making her twist and turn, claw and squeeze.
Minato moved his second finger and Hamuko jumped up off the bed with a loud scream, harshly pulling him down and devouring his lips in a hungry kiss, biting down on whenever he picked up the pace.
"K-Keep working on me," Hamuko ordered through clenched teeth, bucking her hips to get more of his touch. "And don't you dare stop."
"Doubt you'll last long, darling," Minato chuckled, still keeping the motion of his fingers constant.
"Audacity!" Hamuko growled, harshly jerking him forward by his blue bangs and capturing his lips in another rough and heated kiss. She dragged him down and grasped his other hand, guiding it up her stomach and onto her chest, telling him to mimic her and he did. "About time you put your hand to use."
Minato pulled back from the kiss with a light peck on her lips, making sure to keep his hands busy without rest, give her as much pleasure as possible. He liked the way she was shuddering, squirming, growling and hissing at his smirk and sass but at the same time, moaning and cooing like she was thoroughly pleased and in complete and utter bliss.
"Cute kitty," Minato slurred. "Late confession but… I like it when you are curled up like a cat against me. That's a turn on if I've ever seen one."
"Ooooh," Hamuko yanked him down again, brushing and running her fingers over his lips. She removed his right hand from her chest and slurred back, each word slow and layered with seduction. "How about you make me purr too?"
Hamuko yanked his head down towards her chest and guided his mouth to where she wanted. "Suck."
Hamuko grunted and her vision blurred as soon as she felt his tongue on her flesh, senses dimming momentarily but she blinked a few times to regain her vision and looked around for the clock, noticing it was close to 11 o clock which meant they still had a long time to go. Her insides were already churning due to the buildup of pressure but she bit her lower lip and laid back, spreading her limbs and just moaning loudly at the constant euphoria with every single one of her nerves getting stimulated without rest, each surge stronger and deeper than the last.
"Thank you, ugh," Hamuko chewed on her lower lip, raising her hips a little bit. "Last day and you're still fulfilling my dreams…." she muttered under her breath, clenching her fist when he briefly used his teeth, scrapping it along the edges and the middle and then going back to soothing with light pecks while his fingers still working in a rhythm, pumping into her sex.
Hamuko shivered a few seconds later and shakily removed his mouth from her chest, quickly kissing him and letting out a contended sigh before she grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, inhaling to get her breath back. She gave him a coy smile and bit her lip, beckoning him over.
"Thanks, baby," she giggled. "Time to make you feel good now…"
Minato nodded and crawled above her, pulling the bed-sheets over the two of them and spreading open her legs, easing forward slowly until Hamuko pulled his cheek and grabbed a hold of his shoulder to stop him.
"Uh-Uh," Hamuko shook her head and rose up, making Minato yelp when she tripped him down and knocked the bed-sheets away. She straddled his lap and quickly tied her auburn hair into a messy ponytail, all the while grinding slowly, smirking when the male under her started clawing the mattress. "Not so fast."
Minato opened his mouth and sat up a bit, only to get pushed down again, finger on his lips to shut him up. After finally fixing her hair into a lazy ponytail, Hamuko bent down and started showering another bevy of kisses.
"I like holding onto you when we make love but…" she hummed. "This time, just lie down and let me take care of it, okay?"
"Huh…" Minato blushed. The last time they tried this, he was coughing out blood at the end of it.
"You better a better view like this, don't you?" she teased playfully. "I broke your ribs the last time so… I'll make this right!"
"As you wish," Minato sighed and laid back, returning the peck on his lips and hissing when she bit into his neck, giving him a prominent mark before moving towards his ear. "I don't have broken ribs this time so… don't hold back."
"Be a good pony now, okay?" she slurred and then sat up straight after one last kiss on his earlobe, pinning his bangs to the side and staring into his silver eyes. "And keep looking at me when I make you feel good." she ordered, guiding his hands to her hips.
"Heh…. Time to moan my name now…"
…
…
…
…
…
Hamuko stopped the movement of her hips and collapsed on top of Minato with a loud and lusty moan, her entire frame numb with pleasure and curling up as the aftereffects started kicking him, making the two grab onto each other for warmth with Hamuko's head buried into the crook of Minato's neck.
Minato moved his sweaty fringe off his eyes and moved her face up gently, looking into her eyes and just soaking the image in, her pleasure stricken face and her low whines and whimpers, her ragged breaths and groans, her petite and damp frame against his.
"Broke my conditioning again, didn't you?" Minato breathed out and kissed her forehead, lowering her head back down until she let out a sigh against his neck, still struggling to regain her breath. He draped his arm over her and started stroking her auburn hair, releasing the ponytail and moving his fingers to calm her down.
The two laid against each other for a little while, slowly getting their senses back and moving around for a bit, sharing a few sloppy kisses and a couple of laughs and giggles until Minato reached for his cellphone and flipped it open, widening his eyes slightly at the time.
"Wow, it's twelve," he noted. "And everyone else is out…."
"Mmmm," Hamuko yawned softly. "Good thing… I think I screamed too loud towards the end."
"Like hell, if anyone asks you then I will!" Minato hissed. "They'll see Nyx before 12 o clock tonight."
Hamuko giggled, tugging at his fringe and twirling it around her finger. "Cute…" she cooed, running a hand through his damp hair and noticing that he was as sweaty as her. "Worked up quite a sweat, huh?"
"So did you, darling," Minato said.
"True," she murmured. "I need a bath…"
"Me too," Minato said, sitting up and tossing his clothes off the bed.
"Carry me then," Hamuko said, poking his cheek. "Get me to the bath."
Minato nodded at once. "Sure…" he rested her down and took a second to admire her one more time before getting off the bed and straightening his pants. "Let me get something for you." he said, walking over to his closet and slamming it open.
Hamuko kicked the discarded clothes and garments off the bed and covered herself in the blanket, shivering slightly. "C-Come on!"
Minato pulled a tee shirt over his head and grabbed a bath robe from the cabinet. He walked back and pulled the robe over her, helping her put it on. "Should be comfy enough, I hope."
"It is," Hamuko sighed softly, inhaling the scent. "Has your scent too."
"Hehe," Minato rubbed the back of his head.
Hamuko wrapped her arms around his neck and Minato smiled, sliding a hand behind her back and her knees, picking her up and moving towards the door, kicking it open. "You can use the bath on the second floor. Fuck anyone who has a problem with that!" he declared.
"Well, you know…" Hamuko gulped. "Just make it's clean and all…"
"It better be…"
After stepping inside, Minato rested her down and looked around, making sure there was nothing filthy in sight and double checking whether the tub was clean. "You never know with guys like Junpei…" he muttered, looking back at Hamuko. "Let me get it ready for you, alright?"
"Sure," Hamuko smiled. "Actually, I was going to suggest that."
The next ten minutes were spent with Minato altering between cold and hot water, making sure the temperature was perfect, nothing too hold or cold. After the final drop of water, Minato switched the shower off and sighed, dipping his pinky into the water to double check the temperature was optimum.
"It's ready," Minato said with a sigh, a little wary of how sweaty he was himself but he could wait. Hamuko first and him second, like always. "Should be perfect for you…"
"About time," Hamuko loosened the ribbon around her waist and strolled over to the bath tub. "Well, get in."
Minato blinked and his head snapped back towards her. "Excuse-!?"
Hamuko said nothing and just shoved him backwards, casually overpowering him and forcing him into the tub and he landed with a splash, flailing for a bit and looking to get out of the water. "I'll contaminate the water for you-!"
"Stay there," Hamuko ordered, slipping the robe off her body and freezing whatever he was in the middle of. She opened the shower and stepped into the water, sighing softly because the temperature was indeed perfect. "It's big enough for a nice, romantic bath."
"Dammit," Minato blushed, moving back to create some space for her when she sat down between his legs and relaxed her shoulders, leaning backwards until her back was against his chest. She gave another sigh when she got into a comfortable position, turning her head and lolling it against his shoulder.
"See? Big enough for the two of us," Hamuko said.
"This was supposed to be a bath…. Just saying," Minato murmured. "Ya know… to clean ourselves up."
Hamuko couldn't help but snicker. "Nothing wrong with a few kisses here and there."
Minato sighed and gave up, running his fingers through her red hair and prompting Hamuko to tuck her head in, gesturing him to continue and he did, brushing it to one side and running his fingers through to straighten the split ends and curls.
"You are real good with your hands, Minato," Hamuko said. "Especially with your fingers."
"…"
"Looks like the water is heating up," she giggled. "Did I agitate you, Minato?"
"M-Moving on…" Minato gulped.
"Just saying," Hamuko said, leaning her back and lowering more of herself into the water. "You sure know how to make a girl happy."
"Glad I made you happy," Minato said, twirling a strand of her hair between his fingers.
Hamuko said nothing and fell silent for a bit, looking down to observe their reflection on the surface of the water. She never found the need or reason to mention it before but now…
"But…" she breathed out; lowering her head till her face was obscured. "I… I hate the fact that I was not your first."
"Hamuko…" Minato bit his lip. She had never EVER mentioned it before and always refrained from mentioning him sleeping around before he met her but now... "I'm…. sorry…" it did hurt, especially since he didn't consider that period to be a part of his life.
"I'm sorry," Hamuko said. "But I needed to get that out…. I'm being stupid but… It does hurt a little."
Minato started stroking her head again, using his other hand to massage her shoulders softly, making sure not to hurt her. He smiled a little when she let out a groan, squeezing his hand to appreciate the gesture.
"Thank you," Hamuko said softly. "I'm sorry for that abrupt confession but I…"
"It's okay," Minato smiled. "Um, if it helps…. You were my first kiss."
Hamuko turned her head up to stare at him, blinking rapidly. "R-Really?"
"Yes, you were my first kiss," Minato repeated, happy when she gave her usual coo. He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "Hell, I've never done any of the stuff we did last night. Never even thought of doing that until you came along."
"Now that makes me feel special," Hamuko said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer another deep kiss, lowering her own head till their lips crashed. She pulled back from the kiss and giggled. "Really special..."
"I'm glad," Minato said, pressing a kiss to her neck which made her shudder. Then, he kissed her cheek, moving down towards her shoulder and Hamuko bit her lip, pressing her back flush against his chest and grabbed his hand underwater that was resting on her kneecap. "Really glad…"
"Still not through with kissing me, huh?" Hamuko said, moving her head forward and pinning her hair up when he kissed the back of her neck, getting a low groan from the redhead. "T-That was another spot."
Minato kissed the same spot, moving his free hand and massaging her shoulders, slowly at first and slowly increasing the force with every groan coming from Hamuko, telling him to keep going while her grip on his hand only tightened, her fingers lacing into his.
"I've kissed you thrice many times I punched you," Minato noted, counting under his breath. "And I'm done yet."
"Ugh,"
"Here's a kiss…"
"You charmer…"
"A kiss for every drop of blood, sweat or tear you've lost…"
Hamuko closed her eyes and her breath hitched inside her throat, now shivering every time he pressed his lips against her skin, tickling and soothing her body that was completely relaxed despite being cramped up in a rather small tub.
"I like you kissing me," Hamuko murmured. "Like, so, so much…"
"Heh," Minato lowered his head and settled on kissing and soothing her right shoulder, tracing a line down her arm, brushing his thumb over her knuckles and lacing his fingers into hers just like she did. "What else?"
"Um," Hamuko blushed. "I like it when you touch me. I like your hands on me..."
"And?" Minato said slowly, breathing out against her sweet spot.
"Dammit, I like you, period," Hamuko said. "Scratch that, I love you, so so much, period!"
"I love you too," Minato said, kissing her collar bone and opening his mouth briefly before he changed his mind and ended up pecking the spot again, eliciting a hiss from Hamuko who tilted her head to the side.
"Not that," Hamuko shook her head, freeing her hand and reaching back to grab a hold of his head, pushing it down. "I expect you to put some effort when you mark me."
"I thought you liked me kissing you…" Minato said-
"Mark me. I did all the marking last night," Hamuko spat.
"…"
"Come on, you sissy," she spat playfully. "BITE. ME!"
Minato gave up and opened his mouth, biting into her neck softly, brushing her hair away and sucking her skin into his mouth, parting his lips to leave a mark that was visible on her reflection, a prominent love bite on the side of her throat that was impossible to hide.
"Ugh," Hamuko gave a hum when he bit his teeth into her pale shoulder, leaving splotches of red as he moved down, running his finger along her collar bone. Hamuko shuddered when he dragged his teeth on the bone and then bit her softly, sinking his teeth into his collar bone and getting a loud from Hamuko who quickly clasped her mouth shut when he started nipping, grabbing a hold of her arm to keep her in place as he continued the assault, planting occasional kisses to soothe even the tiniest bit of discomfort.
"S-Some bath this is," Hamuko moaned, briefly tilting her head to see Minato still busy with marking her collar bone. "D-Dammit!"
"You asked for this, babe," Minato reminded, mumbling against her flesh and not letting up on the assault, still using his teeth because Hamuko was enjoying it immensely, her grip on his hand tightening with every second.
"Keep going," Hamuko moaned, instinctively grabbing and tugging on his hair to keep him focused on her new sweet spot. "G-Get your other hand to worthwhile places too."
Minato pulled back briefly, chuckled and whispered into her ear.
"Guide me…"
"You cheeky brat," Hamuko scowled, moving his hand up her thigh and snapping her left eye shut at the first touch followed by a loud scream of his name. She reached back to increase the force of the water that splashed on the two, far colder than before but it didn't seem to bother either of them as Minato was way too infatuated with her body to care about the cold and Hamuko was already losing her senses, now moaning loudly as he did not let up, wrapping his other arm around her waist and picking her up slightly, pulling her onto his lap for better access.
"More, Minato!" Hamuko demanded.
Minato blinked, noting that she was a lot more needy and aggressive than before. It didn't really bother him though, just listening to her cute moans washed away any sort of questions that he had. They hadn't had moments like this before, not when their lives were plagued by shadows and Gods. But, for now, there was no one else, just him and Hamuko. He moved his hand from her waist and cupped her breast, getting a gasp out of the redhead on his lap.
"Good boy," Hamuko moaned, kissing his temple softly. "Forget what I said, you really know how to make ME glad."
"Damn right,"
"Just me," Hamuko gasped and then yelled, trying desperately to kiss him and block the incoming screaming. "Cause you are mine!"
That did it. Minato bit harder, a shiver racking his frame as well, forcing him to up the speed and intensity, rigorously and relentlessly working her body, her moans and the loud screaming of his name blaring into his ear over and over and over again-
Hamuko snapped her eyes open and freed herself from his grip, ripping his shirt open and hungrily kissing him as she latched onto his frame tightly, still shivering, rolling her tongue into his mouth as he moved his hands to her hips, pulling her close, returning the gesture and not resisting when Hamuko started pushing him down, lips still locked with his.
"I love you," Hamuko mouthed against his lips. "Love you, love you, love you."
Minato grabbed onto the edges of the tub and lifted himself up, still focused on returning the breathless kiss but a little bit of his attention was on the faint cracking sounds resounding in the back of his mind. He was broken out of his thoughts when Hamuko pushed him back down, nearly smashing the back of his head against the tile. She quickly straddled his lap and cupped the back of his head to keep him close, ignoring the bursts of ice cold water raining down on the two of them.
SMASH-
Hamuko broke the kiss and breathed out as Minato squirmed under her, picking himself up and sitting up with his back against the bath. Hamuko poked his swollen bottom lip, courtesy of the little nips she had given him during their kiss, payback for him being too sassy a few minutes ago.
"Sass won't help you with me," Hamuko sneered. "Try that again and I'll do more than just nip your lips."
"You like the sassy me," Minato said, tilting his head to the side and giving his signature grin, a predatory smile in her direction and his cold gaze focused on her frame. "Don't you have a thing for psychopaths?"
"Uff, that I do," Hamuko admitted, lowering the showerhead over the two of them. "S-Stop staring at me like that!"
"Or else?"
"Minato, I'll-"
"Moan my name again?" he teased. "Like you've been doing since last night?"
Hamuko growled, locking him in place with her knees and towering over her. "I'll kiss the life out of you!"
"Adorable," Minato cackled, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.
Hamuko nuzzled against his hand, purring softly when he started running his thumb over her cheek. She moved closer when Minato took her hand and kissed it softly just over her knuckles that were busted during the fight.
"You left quite a mark on me," Hamuko said, running her finger over the bruise on her collar bone. She smirked and pressed her chest flush against his, lovingly running her fingers through his damp blue hair. "I think I'll wear a low cut top and show it to everyone!"
Minato growled. "Everyone will die then!" he spat. "I'll mutilate their eyes and then-"
Hamuko broke into a fit of giggles, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, squeezing as hard as she could manage because she knew Minato could take it. He hugged her back carefully, returning the cuddles and kisses that she left on his face, rubbing his forehead against her as they reveled in each other's warmth, not caring that the cold water was crashing onto their frames at full throttle.
"You'd kill the world for me, wouldn't you?" Hamuko asked with a soft smile.
"Without a second thought," Minato replied in a split second. "There will be no hesitance. I'll damn everyone if it means ensuring your survival."
"I shouldn't be so happy hearing that but… I am," Hamuko said , a few warm drops of tears running down her face but under the constant rain of water, they weren't noticeable to Minato. "After the accident… I'd never thought I'd be happy again."
"I never thought I'd have a life again after the accident," Minato replied. "I felt like death every second of my life until I met you."
"It was hard at first but I learned how to smile just enough for the others to stop bothering me. Smiled just wide enough to stop their pity," Hamuko recalled herself smiling day in and day out despite getting haunted every second of her life, whether awake or asleep.
"I lashed out," Minato said. "Anyone who got close to me was never the same and every day felt like I was in a death match with some sort of unstoppable force. Maybe…. I was just trying to get some peace in my life, even if it being mutilating myself over and over again. I just wanted something to happen and put my misery to rest, one way or another."
Hamuko grabbed his cheek softly, encouraging him to cry and pour his heart out. Minato smiled and shook his head, eyes somewhat red but still refusing to sob in front of her.
"Messiahs don't cry," Minato said. "I'm not crying over myself anymore…. Only you…"
"Messiah, that's right," Hamuko exhaled. "Maybe that is why I always stopped shy of throwing myself off the roof, backed off from hanging myself from the fan, stopped just shy of stabbing my own throat… I always came so close but backed off at the last moment…. My heart knew you were still out there."
"I was still out there, yeah," Minato nodded. "Trying to find some reason in my life and I finally did."
Hamuko lowered her head pressed her forehead against his. "Thank you for making me happy again."
"Thank you for giving me life," Minato repeated what he had last night.
"Wild Card kiss," Hamuko ordered, licking her lips and climbing onto his stomach, lacing her fingers into his hair and smashing her lips against his, her other arm wrapping around his neck-
SMASH!
Minato blinked-
Time froze. The water stopped raining onto his bodies.
The colors faded from his surroundings, turning even colder than before.
His eyes were shut close but he could feel the phenomena, freezing everything but him in place as the familiar voice started talking into his psyche-
SOCIAL LINK RANK-
"Kiss…"
Minato blinked and gasped slightly when he felt a nudge on his lips followed by her tongue moving into his mouth, her grip around his neck tightening for a few seconds until he heard her gasp and then she pulled back, letting out a slight whisper of awe that he clearly heard. Minato was surprised as this was the first time someone was alive during the weird phenomena and it made no sense-
Minato opened his eyes and looked around, noting that time was indeed frozen; the surroundings were indeed black and white, devoid of color. Everything looked dead and dull except for…
Hamuko was still just as warm, breathing and looking around with wide eyes, her grip around him increasing because she was a little bewildered, until her stare fell on him. She was alive, not void of color unlike the monochrome world around him.
"Minato," Hamuko whispered, touching him to make sure he was alive and he was.
Minato smiled softly.
"What is going on?" Hamuko asked, gasping when he dragged her close. "I mean, time has stopped for God's sake and-!"
"Now, it's really just us," he chuckled, gesturing towards the black and white world, frozen in time except for the two of them, the two wild cards with an unbreakable bond. "We're the only ones alive right now."
Hamuko stopped looking around and smiled back, running her fingers over the frozen water and then touching his arm, noting that he was just as warm as before, his heart beating against her palm that she placed on his chest to make sure.
"Just us?"
"Only us," Minato replied.
Hamuko blinked and a stray tear traveled down her cheek. She rose up and the color started returning to their surroundings slowly as she drew closer, intending to resume where they had left off. The flow of time had indeed stopped and it was so crazy to comprehend as stuff of this sort only happened in fairy tale movies and yet, here she was, in her own little fairy tale with the boy she loved.
"This is magical," Hamuko muttered, slowly closing the distance. "This feels like a dream…"
"This is real," Minato said. "This is OUR bond."
"Hehe," Hamuko giggled, now wishing the world would stay like this forever because this was just perfect. It was just the two of them, with their unbreakable bond which transcended time and space, in their own private world and eternity ahead. "Well then…"
Minato closed the distance quickly and kissed her, not holding back and picking her up like she wanted, not paying attention to the colors swirling around the two of them, fading into the environment as time started slowly, the shower slowly blasting out water onto the two of them who were lip locked, furiously kissing and exploring each other's bodies as the phenomena slowly came to an end, the same voice blaring into the back of their minds but for the two of them-
"Kiss me more," Hamuko mouthed. "Let's kiss for an eternity!"
"In our own private world," Minato replied-
The world was still as good as dead for them-
Hamuko pushed him down and climbed onto his stomach, immediately bending down with a lusty moan and continuing where she left off, grabbing his hands and guiding it to places meant for him and seeking out his lips to continue the kiss, not paying attention to anything else because everything except him was dead to her.
SMASH!
...
Minato rubbed the back of his neck, slowly stepping down the stairs as Hamuko followed behind him. That was some bath, had everything from kissing, touching to social links and magical moments. Hamuko bounced behind him, clad in his clothes, oversize jeans and a baggy hood since she was too lazy to move the steps and get own clothes.
"We should take baths more often," Minato joked.
"I wanted us together in the hot springs so badly," Hamuko sighed. "But you couldn't…. but this was a nice or hell, even better alternative."
"Was this another dream of yours?" Minato asked.
Hamuko blushed and nodded. "Y-Yeah," she admitted. "Mind you, I did not dream of you being so aggressive and bruising my neck."
"Well, you-"
"I'll take it!" Hamuko declared, pumping her fist into the air.
"You're adorable," Minato snickered, finally looking around to see that the lounge was indeed deserted. Like Junpei had texted him, everyone else was out doing stuff he didn't give a shit about. "Well, we should be going too."
"I can make you breakfast," Hamuko offered. "It'll only take a few minutes."
"No it's okay," Minato said, taking her hand and walking over to the door. He pushed it open and stepped out alongside her, closing the door behind them. "We can eat somewhere else. This is a date after all."
"Alright," Hamuko said. "Let's make it the best date ever!"
"We will," Minato replied, guiding her down the steps. He powered on his mp3 and gave one headphone to Hamuko who placed it on her right ear while Minato took the other one, blasting music at full volume and grabbing her hand. "Let's take a walk around the island."
"Sure," Hamuko said, humming along with the beat of music. "Let's take the tour of the whole city."
"As you wish," Minato started walking, pushing through the crowd of people and making space for Hamuko. They heard a few yells about Nyx and doomsday but it was soon drowned out by the music. The two kept walking and disappeared into the crowd of people, not noticing the familiar faces of their school mates and friends calling out to them.
Hamuko grabbed his arm and draped it over her shoulder, pressing herself close to him. Minato was again a little surprised at how clingy she was being but it didn't bother him. He kept her close, removing his earplug and putting it on her other ear, drowning around the yells around her with music. Just for today, he wanted to her entirely stress free, until the final battle at least.
Hamuko started singing along the music and pointed at the place she wanted to go, first the café where they had their first date of sorts, after Minato had yelled at the manager to terminate her contract and then treated her to coffee and pastries AFTER buying her a new weapon.
"That was fun," Hamuko stepped out from the café and started dragging him along. She pulled him all the way towards the mall, remembering their first shopping date where Minato was fighting the air as she dragged him around and forced him to carry her luggage.
Minato noticed that she was tearing up a little. He called out to her but she shook her head and wiped her eyes, dragging him around just like she before but this time… she was purchasing entirely for him, getting him new clothes and supplies and snapping whenever he tried to pick something up for her.
"You should get something for yourself too," Minato advised.
"My closet is full of stuff already," Hamuko rolled her eyes. "Now grab those bags!"
"…"
"And be sure to try that blue shirt," Hamuko ordered. "It'll look great on you!"
"We should eat something now," Minato said. "There's a new fancy restaurant just a few blocks away. We should head over there-"
"No," Hamuko shook her head. "We're going to Hagakure."
The restaurant where they had their first proper date…
"That place?" Minato blinked. "We should try something fancy. That place must be choked full of people today."
"HAGAKURE!" Hamuko yelled and grabbed his wrist, forcefully dragging him along and Minato sighed, doing as she ordered. Just when they were about to step inside, he heard her sniff but she quickly beamed when he looked in her direction.
"Come on, it's on me!" Hamuko cheered, not bothered by the crowd of people. After Minato yelled at a few of them to scare them off, the two sat down.
"Let's have an all you can eat contest!" Hamuko said.
Just like old times….
"Sure," Minato smirked. "You've always lost at this, though-"
"I'll really give you a lap dance if you win this time," Hamuko declared, making him choke on the drink. He coughed out the drink and started hammering himself on the chest as Hamuko proceeded to laugh her ass off.
"Cheeky," Minato coughed. "Alright fine, you're on!"
"I'm not kidding though," Hamuko repeated.
"…. Bring the fucking food already!" Minato screamed at the waiter, trying to ignore the stare Hamuko sent his way, barely holding herself from laughing out loud again.
…
"Well, you won again," Hamuko teased. "Do you want to head back now?"
"Stop bringing my pervert out in the streets," Minato groaned. "I'll have to kill everyone who sees us kissing."
Hamuko chuckled and tugged on his hand. "Come on. Let's visit that special place again!"
"That park?" Minato blinked. "You'll have to cross the moonlight bridge to get there without the monorail."
"I can take it," Hamuko assured with another bright smile, squeezing his hand. "I'm not alone this time, am I?"
"Alright then," Minato said. As much as detested the place, as much as wanted to watch it burn…. That accursed bridge still held a bit of special place in his heart. He had lost his parents and humanity on that bridge but he had also saved Hamuko the same night.
…
When the two saw the bridge and stepped on it, the long forgotten memory struck both of them despite the fact they had tried so hard to bury it in the dark recesses of their mind.
"My car crashed over there," Minato said, pointing towards the spot, briefly hallucinating about the nightmare. "Dad lost control of the wheel and we crashed…"
Hamuko squeezed his hand and pulled him along, pointing towards the other side. "Our car crash over there… Ryoji struck us from behind and…"
Minato squeezed her arm and Hamuko gave a soft smile, walking a few steps forward and stopping in the middle, thankful that the bridge was mostly empty of vehicles. Minato followed her and chuckled, remembering those few moment of courage that cost had a lot but had given him so much more 10 years later.
"You saved me here," Hamuko recalled, remembering the shove that sent her crashing to the ground. She remembered his lifeless frame and face, motionless against the bloodied ground and immediately grabbed onto his arm, pinching to make sure he was still there. "Didn't you?"
"Yeah," Minato nodded with a low chuckle. "To be honest…" he walked a few steps ahead. "I was just looking for a way out. I was prepared to throw myself off the bridge until I heard you."
"Funny, I crawled my way out of the car and kept begging for anyone to save me. I wanted to live," Hamuko said. "Nobody came… except a heart broken 10 year boy…"
"It sucked," Minato admitted. "I woke up as a demon but I still cried my heart out for days after learning what had happened. I was scared. I was terrified. I watched my parents as they were burned to ashes. I was banged up, bleeding, hurt like never before."
"Minato…" Hamuko stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, trying her best to calm him down.
Minato gave a sad smile and looked down, remembering the horrific procedure of Death taking over his heart and soul. He had died over a dozen during the few seconds of the sealing, his heart and organs stopping as the entity settled into his soul, giving him a number of painful scars, every single one on his mind and soul.
"Bastard killed me over and over again when he started taking over, like he was repeatedly stabbing my organs just for the extra pain," he said. "I remember him promising that he'll make my life a nightmare for years to come."
"But…" Minato looked back. "You showed him."
"I sure did!" Hamuko managed to laugh, brushing away the painful memories. "Like hell I was going to allow him to torment you. I made a promise that night, to find you and repay you for what you did that night."
"I'm grateful I managed those few seconds of stupid courage," Minato said. "Life takes much, much more than it gives but not that night."
"It was worth it?" Hamuko asked.
"It was," Minato said, tugging on her arm and walking. "I'll still keep the bad memories in my heart while I beat the shit out of Ryoji but… they're not important anymore."
"This bridge is the place where I met you," Hamuko said. "This is where we forged out unbreakable bond and nothing else matters."
Minato sighed. "Yeah, just that," he said, walking as he dragged her along. "I no longer have any regrets about this place. I don't want to head into a battle with Gods with regrets because they will exploit and drown me."
"As long as you are there," Minato said. "I have no regrets."
"Hehe," Hamuko wiped her eye clean and followed after him with a tip toe in her step, finally smiling cheerfully on the bridge that was always a source of distress and horror for her. "As long as you are there, this is the place where I began my life anew."
"We should get going," Minato advised, checking his clock. "To the park, yes?"
"Let's stay there until late," Hamuko said. "We got nothing else to do."
"As you wish," Minato said, taking one last look at the bridge, focusing on the spot where he had saved her life and then leaving the structure with a smile and no regrets.
…
As much as he loved Hamuko, Minato was a little ashamed to step into the park but after constant puppy stares and assurances from Hamuko, he finally entered the park where it had truly begun.
"Remember?" Hamuko said, pointing at the little hill and the tree on top.
This was the same park they had visited after the horrendous, life altering battle with Theodore. As much as Minato hated that bastard for what he had done to Hamuko, he was a little thankful for Theodore to push him towards the very edge during their. He made him bleed bucket of bloods, broke every single bone in his body, smashed and brutalized over and over again. Theodore made him WORK for the bond with Hamuko and looking back, Minato was grateful, thankful for the chance to pour his heart and soul out and redeem himself after the biggest mistake of his life.
Bluntly put, this was the place where he truly started loving Hamuko.
"Come on, that spot is still open," Hamuko ordered and dragged him to the top, dropping him on his ass. Then, without concern that she was in a public place, she sat down between his legs and pressed her back to his chest, letting out a soft yawn and a contended sigh.
"Wrap your arms around me…"
Minato snapped at a couple of folks staring at them, scaring them off and then wrapping his arms around her. Hamuko melted into his embrace, grateful for the extra warmth because the weather was chilling.
"Thanks for the clothes," she sneezed. "I should start wearing jeans instead of skirts…"
"I don't get a good view with those baggy clothes," Minato joked.
"Pervert!"
"But it's alright, I don't want you catching a cold now," he said. "We're finally in the end game now. Just a bit more struggle and we'll finally be free."
"…. Yeah," Hamuko agreed after a while, settling on his lap. "We've come a long way, haven't we?"
"We sure did," Minato agreed. "I went for asking permission for to touch you and now you're sitting on my lap."
"When did you turn into Junpei?" Hamuko snickered. "Never knew you were a pervert, Minato."
"I always sorta was?" he rubbed the back of his head. "We just…. Never got the chance."
Hamuko fell silent, punching his sides and demanding him to hug her again. Minato apologized and hugged her again, a few seconds of silence prevailing between the two of them.
"Yeah…" Hamuko spoke after a few seconds. "We never really had a chance to enjoy ourselves. When you confessed at the beach…. The others tortured you…. Then you left, came back, we got into the strega battle, then Theodore, then Makoto and Ryoji…"
"Fate doesn't really like us," Minato reiterated. "They've made that pretty clear. Must be a special fuck you or something."
"Well, screw the fates!" Hamuko yelled, turning her head back to stare at him. "You listen here and you listen good!"
Minato frowned, gesturing her to go on.
"I, Hamuko Marie, promise that I will!" she raised her fist up, declaring loudly without concern for the nearby folks. "Make valentine day the best night of your life!"
Minato snapped at the nearby teenagers and focused his attention back on Hamuko, arching his eyebrow at the smile on her face. "Best night? You mean… better than last night?"
"Just you wait, baby," Hamuko giggled. "It will be the best night of your life!"
"Well, I…"
"I'll wear blue instead of red, just for you!"
"…. Really looking forward to that," Minato blurted out. "When IS valentine day, again?"
Hamuko clutched her stomach and laughed out loud, bringing a smile to his face. She grabbed his shoulder for support and tried to calm her heart down, her insides hurting after the constant laughing.
"Very funny, babe," Minato said, pinching her cheek. Hamuko slapped his hand away and grabbed his collar, pulling him close to the point their foreheads were touching.
"Don't doubt me, darling!" Hamuko said. "I CAN AND I WILL make it the best night of your life, I promise that!"
"Again, looking forward to that," Minato said. "Just… make sure to get a lacey one…"
Hamuko laughed some more and then shivered, burying herself into his arms again because the cold was getting to her, despite her dressed up in several layers of his baggy clothing. Minato noticed that and removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders, hugging her close to give her more warmth.
"Thanks for that," Hamuko said, snuggling against him then propping her chin on his shoulder. "Um, are you prepared for the battle, Minato?"
"I am," Minato said, playing a strand of her hair, casual and confident as ever about the battle. "I am pressing my fist to his lips and my boot to his ass, the whole damn night."
"Aren't you worried at all?" Hamuko questioned. "I mean, we have to fight both Ryoji and Nyx."
"We will get hurt but I'm sure we'll pull through," Minato said. "But I promise that nothing will happen to you, that I swear."
Hamuko shivered and Minato widened his eyes, grabbing her shoulder to stop the squirming. He lifted her face up and Hamuko quickly managed a smile.
'I-I'll be fine," Hamuko said, forcing a smile like old times. "If something does happen then…"
"…"
"You've grown, Minato," Hamuko gave a genuine, proud smile. "You have friends like Yukari and Junpei and Sho-"
Minato tightened his grip around her, not enough to hurt her but enough to stop her during her sentence. He fell silent for a few moments and Hamuko could feel him turning colder. She cursed herself for bringing it up.
"Hey, Minato…" she lifted his face-
"Don't ever say that again," Minato growled, killing intent and insanity rolling off him in waves. The few folks nearby scrammed after feeling the murderous intent from the blue haired boy who gritted his teeth and forced her to look straight.
"Just don't," Minato softened his voice. "If something happens to you then I don't know what I'll do…"
Hamuko winced, now squeezing him as hard as he was holding onto her. She did her best to stop the grimace from forming on her own face.
"Get one thing straight, if you die then…." Minato chewed on his bottom lip but his tone made it clear that he was not joking. "If something happens to you then… nobody else is surviving."
Hamuko shuddered, knowing he was not joking.
"So please, don't say that," he gave out a loud sigh. "I'll probably turn into a…. fallen messiah or something and go crazy. Murder everyone around me because there is no…. there is no Minato without Hamuko, got that?"
"Fallen messiah, huh?" Hamuko blinked. "Sounds scary… I'm sorry for bringing it up…"
"It's okay, just stay cute and keep cheering me on," Minato said, regaining his soft smile. "I'll pull through and drop that bastard next to your feet, I promise."
"Hehe," Hamuko gave a cheeky grin and sat up on her knees, yanking him close. The sun was settling and the park was almost empty except for the two of them. "Well then, here's a kiss for my darling psychopath!"
Minato had little time to dwell on the fact that she was going to kiss him in public but as soon as she pressed her lips against his, he glared at the remaining people from the corner of his eye and wrapped his arms around his waist, not caring that they were in public-
SMASH!
"Our world…" Hamuko whispered.
SOCIAL LINK RANK-
Minato lost himself in the kiss and time flew by, the sun settling down and the twilight hour slowly descending upon the city.
…
"Well, that was… something," Sho said, walking behind Junpei who looked a little too happy. "So that was the amazon movie that you kept harping on about?"
"Yup, did you see the one with red hair though?" Junpei said, walking up the steps. "Like holy hell…"
"You mention red hair one more time and I'm going to lose it!" Sho spat, hand on the little knife he kept in his pocket for cases like these. "Dammit, that ship is eternal because I ship it!"
"My girlfriend had red hair too!" Junpei cried, kicking the door open and stepping inside with his focus still on sho. "I mean, Minato and Hamu-tan sure make a good couple but-"
His head snapped towards the couch when he heard a girly giggle, draining the color from his face-
"Oh no…"
He saw maybe seconds of what was going to be perhaps his final moments. His vision blurred due to the seizing fear but he managed to see Minato on the couch, hands on the waist of Hamu-tan who was on his lap, her fingers buried into his scalp but most importantly, their lips were locked and that terrified Junpei the most-
Oh God, he had walked into the two kissing-
"You fucking bitch!" Minato caught him before he could escape and Junpei trembled-
"Kill that asshole!"
Junpei, by some miracle, launched himself from the lounge and crashed to the outside, barely dodging the hammer that Minato had aimed for the 'little pebbles' between his legs. He heard the loud thud and collapsed outside, shaking and paling a ghostly white.
"Stay away, you asshole!" Minato yelled at him from the lounge.
"Dude, I have to-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Minato thundered, silencing his protest. "You walk in here and you I'll…"
"Kiss, darling," Hamuko sang-
"Minato, should I kill him!?" Sho asked for permission.
"Yeah, kill-"
"KISS~" Hamuko cooed, pulling his face for another smooch.
"So you were the one who said 'kill that asshole'?" Junpei blinked.
"Well, you deserve it!" Sho said. "Let the two have their moment, jackass!"
"Moments, emphasis on the S," Hamuko corrected with a laugh. "Now, where were we?"
"Dude, I have to use the restroom!" Junpei cried.
"You walk in here and you ain't walking anywhere else," Minato warned. "Hold it in until we are done here. Now, shut up and stop cockblocking us!"
"You heard him," Sho said, grabbing a hold of his collar in case he decided to get brave/stupid. "Wait until they are done."
"Hurry then, man," Junpei whined. "I couldn't use the restroom in the cinema.
"FUCK YOU!" Minato screamed.
"This won't take long," Hamuko assured and continued the kiss-
…
30 minutes later….
"Alright, you can come in now,"
Junpei injured his shoulder as he ran through the door, tripped, crawled a few feet and immediately bang his head onto the door of the restroom as he scampered in, followed by another thud of him falling face first.
Sho stepped inside and gave a two finger salute at the two wild cards.
"Hey, Sho!" Hamuko beamed.
"How you doing?" Minato asked. "Ready for the battle tonight?"
"You bet," Sho grinned. "I've been perfecting my three sword style. I made some new shit, like igniting my blades with flames and then doing a cross slash. I call it flaming oni-giri!"
"… That means flaming riceball," Minato commented.
"No, it doesn't!" Sho yelled at his rival slash best friend. "It means burning demon slash!"
"Do you…. How do you come up with names like that?" Hamuko blinked.
"I'm just going by the anime!" Sho defended himself. "And dammit, it is hereby dubbed flaming cross bloody demon slash special!"
Minato sighed and nodded. "Sure, sure… Whatever you say, bro…"
"Whatever you say, Sho," Hamuko said, not paying attention as she was already busy playing with his fringe. "I think you should blue somewhere in there…"
Sho shrugged and did not bat an eye at the fact that she was still on his lap. He moved over and sat on the couch, pulling the blades from under and sharpening them for the final battle in a few hours.
"Phew," Junpei came out and blinked, questions and various scenarios popping up in his head. "Uh, still on his lap, Hamu-tan?"
"You got a problem with that, asshat?" Minato spat.
"Dude, calm down," Junpei sighed. "You kissed for about 30 minutes, just calm down-"
"Well, to be honest," Minato counted. "50 minutes. You walked in during the middle and broke the flow…"
"50 minutes…?" Junpei mouthed. What on earth were they…? "H-How?"
"Wild Card kiss, bitch!" Minato yelled and then yawned, leaning his head on the couch, a little exhausted.
"Damn, you sound exhausted," Sho pointed. "You can sleep for a bit if you want."
"I'll be fine," Minato blocked the yawn by clasping his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Junpei studied his weary face and blurted the question. "What did you do to him, Hamu-tan?"
"What DIDN'T I do to him?" Hamuko blurted and then blushed, snapping her head towards the capped teen and glaring at him. "… You forgot you heard that…."
"That says a lot," Junpei said. "But you know he is our leader and our trump in the battle, right?"
"Shut up," Hamuko yelled at him, silencing him with her own brand of fear. She grabbed the collar of the tired blunet and forced him to stand. "Just shut up!"
Minato yawned, flipping Junpei the birds as she started dragging him towards the stairs-
Hamuko checked the clock-
"Go easy on-"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Hamuko reiterated. "Now, WE are going to change. Better stay your butt downstairs!" she spat and dragged him up the stairs-
"Oh good, be sure to put the armor on, Minato," Junpei nodded-
"Wait, WE!?"
Sho stood up and nodded when the door to Minato's room slammed shut. Junpei stood there for a while until Sho poked him with the blunt end of the blade, snapping him from his musings.
"Dude…. If Minato wins against Nyx after all that….I'll write a whole book about his stamina and endurance,"
"You can write?" Sho blinked.
"That says it all," Junpei nodded.
…
Hamuko gave a small whimper she shoved him into the room and stepped inside, quickly locking the door shut. Minato almost toppled over when she ran into him and hugged him tightly, giving him some discomfort but he didn't push her back-
"What is…?" Minato wondered, noting that she was panting hard, breathing heavy and sweating profusely for some reason.
Was she-
Hamuko stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him for the hundredth time that day, slowly climbing up when she latched onto him frame, making him stumble momentarily but he managed to hold her up, returning the kiss despite the questions swimming in his head-
Hamuko broke the kiss briefly to get her breath back and that was unusual. She had kissed him for hours before but right now, it almost looked like she was forcing herself, desperately grabbing onto him-
"Bed…" she whispered-
Minato stumbled backwards when she pushed more of her weight on him but he landed on the mattress, drawing out an exasperated groan from Hamuko who crawled up, hastily biting into his neck, strong enough to make him hiss slightly-
"S-Sorry," she blurted her apology and started dropping clumsy kisses on the wound, her fingers shaking when she grabbed the collar of his turtle neck. Minato gripped her hand and propped himself on his elbow, reaching out to touch her and figure out what was wrong-
"Hey, Hamuko,"
"Sssh," Hamuko slapped his hand away and forced herself on him, seeking out his lips and kissing him, clumsily, roughly, making him wince a little when she bit his tongue. She separated and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths and apologizing.
"Sorry," she muttered and this time, she kissed him slowly, sweetly, not hurting him in haste but Hamuko noticed that she still shaking, trembling enough that she couldn't get his sweater off. Hamuko cursed under her breath and broke free, removing her own hoodie and tossing it somewhere in his room.
Minato opened his mouth to question her until she silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Don't say anything," she ordered. "J-Just… Just kiss me, Minato."
"Hamuko, what is wrong-" he stopped midway when she whimpered again, eyes shimmering with something that he couldn't put into words. "O-Okay, come here…"
Hamuko rested her knees on his sides and briefly fumbled with her hairclips, freeing her hair and pressing her body flush against his, her fingers slowly opening his mouth as she rolled her tongue in, trying desperately to lose herself in the kiss and not worry about-
Minato managed to free himself just enough to sit up, using the frame for support. He noticed that her shuddering got only grown, her shoulders shaking, many whimpers and wails vibrating against his mouth. He quickly draped his arm around her shoulder and held her close, still not breaking the kiss but it was clear… Hamuko was only forcing herself at this point-
"Hamuko…" Minato gently nudged her away-
Hamuko exhaled, ignoring the beads of sweat rolling down her face and crashed her lips against his again, hands trying to remove the belt from his pants-
Minato grabbed her hands and pulled them away, squeezing them softly to offer her some comfort. She shrugged his hold around her shoulders, freeing herself and tearing out the turtle neck sweating by jerking it harshly. Minato coughed a little bit and Hamuko stopped, clenching her fist because everything was going wrong.
"I-I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I'm really, really sorry…"
"Hamuko…" Minato said, grabbing her hands yet again, stopping her when she tried unbuckling her own jeans. He kept a firm grim around her wrists and pulled her face up, brushing away the bangs that obscured her face from view.
"Hamuko, you are…" Minato bit his lip.
Hamuko tried, tried so hard to mask the emotion in her eyes but…
"You're shaking," Minato said. Hamuko looked down, noticed that their bodies were pressed up against each other and despite that, despite his warmth, she was indeed shuddering, uncontrollably, unconsciously, just like all the times before.
"You are…" Minato rubbed her cheek, trying to provide some warmth. "… Sacred?"
Hamuko quickly looked the other way.
"Hamuko," Minato sighed, a little sad that she was afraid. He was right here with her and yet she was afraid. It was evident in her eyes, that shimmering fear surging in her red orbs. She had seen it so many times before, whenever death was mentioned. "Why…?"
"…"
"Look at me," Minato said, forcing her to stare at him. He pressed his head against her and gripped her fists. "I'm right here, you know?"
"…"
"If you have any fear, put it to rest," Minato said. "I am right here. I promise you, I will make sure you survive, no matter what happens. I swear that we WILL win this battle."
Hamuko took a deep breath and finally gave a genuine smile, closing her eyes and humming softly, reaching out for his hands.
"Minato," Hamuko said softly. "I know for a fact that you will win…"
"Then…"
"If I had to bet everything, hell, even the souls of my parents, I would, without question," Hamuko continued. "I know that you will win. I just can't picture you ever losing."
"Then why…?"
"Ssssh," Hamuko carefully removed his turtle neck sweater and wiggled out of her clothes, tossing her shirt and jeans somewhere in his room before she crawled her way forward. "For now, there is no Ryoji, no Nyx…"
"There is only me," Hamuko said, kissing the tip of his nose, smiling when he gripped her wrist and started tugging on her bra. "So… think of only me…"
Minato frowned, still not convinced but he decided against questioning her, not wanting to put more pressure on her. He slid one strap off her shoulder and pulled her closer for another kiss. Hamuko closed her eyes and this time, she did lose herself in the kiss, moaning softly against his mouth and reaching back to unclasp her bra. The redhead whined at his slow movements, tugging at his hand with a needy look in her eyes.
"Please…" she whimpered, widening her large red eyes.
"…"
"Please Minato," Hamuko whimpered again when her bra finally came off. The needy look in her eye only grew and Minato nodded slowly, hooking his thumb into her underwear, presses soft kisses down her neck, trying to get her mind off whatever was consuming her. Hamuko finally gave her usual giggle, letting out a soft exhale when he finally lowered the last garment covering her body. He reached back and pulled the covers on the two of them just when he removed her panties, tossing them away and then silencing her constant whimpering with a long kiss, satisfying the ache that she had for him.
"Our night…" Hamuko moaned from under the covers.
…
…
…
Minato looked out the window and then looked at the clock, with just a few minutes remaining till the Dark Hour, just a few minutes till the start of the final battle. He had been at this for a while, completely ignoring everything around them but now… It was time….
Hamuko moved up and peeked out from the bed-sheets, using him for support as she sat up, quietly hugging him without another word. Minato opened his mouth but shook his head, this time just hugging her back and not questioning why she was shivering again.
It was clear…
She was still terrified.
He was a little disappointed. He knew Ryoji and Nyx would feast on that fear of hers but he couldn't blame her. Maybe that little trip at the bridge didn't go as well as she had hoped. He understood her terror as she was just a child when her life was taken away from her at that bridge.
"…"
A few drops of tear struck his chest and Minato clenched his fist.
"Hamuko…"
The redhead sniffed, not caring about hurting him as she hugged him tightly, crying on his shoulder. He gently stroked her head and nodded to himself. Oh well, whether she was afraid or not, he was still going to protect her, make sure that she would be safe. He'd just have to push a bit harder and cover up for her like he had so many times before.
Hamuko refused to let go and just clung on, praying and muttering under her breath for the past several minutes.
"Thank you…"
Minato kissed the top of her head. There was no need for thank you, protecting her was the only thing he was ever good at.
"No need," Minato said. "What sort of a messiah would I be?"
Hamuko sobbed some more and closed her eyes.
"Thank you, Minato Arisato,"
"…"
"My messiah," Hamuko said softly. "I don't ever want to let go. When I hug you… It feels…It feels as if I'm holding the universe in my arms."
"My universe…"
"Hamuko…"
"I love you, Minato..."
"I love you too…"
…
The rest of the team waited for their two leaders to arrive, panic, restlessness and fear clearly evident on even the most stoic members like Mitsuru and Aigis. They exchanged glances but said nothing, knowing that the two would arrive any time soon.
"Hey," Minato said, coming into their view. He glanced at his team from the top of the steps and nodded, his eyes hardened and surging with hatred and bloodlust.
Hamuko shuffled behind him, eyes puffy red from the sobbing. Nobody questioned what had happened as they slowly made their way down, forming a circle. Minato glanced at the faces of his team mates and could not blame them for little bit of fear in their eyes. After all, they were going to fight two Gods very soon now.
"We made it this far," Minato said loudly, almost yelling at his team to boost the morale. "WE CAME THIS FAR!"
The others nodded.
"Just one more battle," he shouted again-
The others grabbed onto their weapons-
"After this, we can finally rest,"
They remembered that the boy talking was the one who had defeated the God of Death before, right in front of their eyes. He had sone so without a persona, without his health and with a smile on his face. They gained a bit of confidence from his words and nodded at him.
"We end this tonight," Minato swore. "We are putting an end to the Dark Hour and the GODS!"
"We will," Mitsuru spoke up, holding out her hand.
"Damn sure," Akihiko said, putting his hand on top.
"We will win just like always," Fuuka said.
Ken stood on his tip toes. "With senpai around, nothing can stop us."
"We did it before," Junpei added. "Just one more time… I'll beat the hell out of Nyx!"
"I'm not going to live in fear anymore," Yukari declared. "And there is no way I'll forget."
"I will fight to end as well," Aigis followed.
"This world is mine!" Sho shouted, putting his hand on top of Aigis'. "Nyx won't do a damn thing!"
Minato nodded, letting out a small smile because he was pleased. He made a move to put his hand but Hamuko did it first, quietly, without saying anything. She just smiled at him and nodded at the rest.
"Well then," Minato placed his hand at the top. "On the count of 3…"
"1…"
"2…"
"3…"
"GO SEES!" the team yelled out and threw their hands up into the air simultaneously-
Hamuko blinked when Minato refused to let go of her hand. He gripped it tightly and pulled her close, gripping his blade with his other hand. He gestured at the others and moved towards the door, kicking it open and stopping, a low and evil chuckle escaping his lips because he did not need Fuuka to tell him.
Minato stepped outside and looked straight at the tower of Demise.
"He's here…" he spat out like the words left a bad taste in his mouth.
Ryoji was here…
Minato kept his grip around Hamuko's hand and ordered the team to follow, ready to start the final battle of this long and dragged out war.
…
Minato chuckled as the rest shivered, easily able to make out a shadowy figure perched on top of the tower, glaring down at them menacingly. The fear so potent that it reminded them of the helplessness against Ryoji-
"There he is…" Hamuko said, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Dammit," Sho hissed.
Minato dug the blade into the ground and stepped forward, still refusing to let go of Hamuko. He grinned when Ryoji caught him staring at him, a low, demonic growl reaching out and inspiring fears into the hearts of the persona users.
"Come on, little guy," Minato said, holding out his middle finger. "I'm right here…"
Ryoji snarled, standing just on the edge of the tower-
"Come to daddy, you little bitch…"
"Minato-kun!" Fuuka gasped and then screamed out loud as the appraiser finally lost it, just like Minato and Mitsuru had predicted-
Ryoji launched himself into the air and took flight, his shadowy form, clad in thick armor and raven wings coming into the line of sight. Almost every drew back in surprise as the God of Death flapped his wings, sending a buffeting gust of wind that blew a few of them backwards-
"Come on!" Minato was the only one at the same spot, with Hamuko by his side. He caught the new form of Ryoji and hissed in disgust, impatient to rip that ugly mask off his frame and rip his body to fucking pieces.
Ryoji let out a deafening howl, rocking the tower of Demise and momentarily overriding the senses of the persona users who were completely taken aback by everything, his new form, the overwhelming fear, that mindboggling power. The only one unaffected was Minato who kept mocking him, digging the blade out of the ground and screaming at him to come down for a war.
Ryoji plummeted like a comet, drawing back on his blade. He was the same size as before, just a couple of inches taller than Minato but the armor covering his body was thick and the mask, along with his hollow soulless eyes inspired another level of fear.
They had tried to block it out by facts were facts.
This was the God of Death.
The Goddess of the Night.
One and the same.
Minato drew his evoker when he got close, pulling back on his sword and looking to slice the head of the blunet clean off. Minato glanced at Hamuko and pressed the evoker to his temple, ready to dual summon if he had to.
"I can," Hamuko said, shaking but still pressing the evoker to her temple, just seconds before Ryoji came into range-
"INFINITY!"
The two shouted in unison, shielding their friends from the gigantic blade that crashed onto the silver barrier, the force and whiplash reflecting back at Ryoji who was blown away but not hurt as he easily took flight and screeched out loud again, summoning the shadows outside the gates of the tower and from far away, the victims of the apathy syndrome heeded the call of the God and started crawling their way towards the tower.
"The Lost are coming!" Mitsuru hissed.
"We are still sticking to the plan," Minato scowled. "Ken, Akihiko and Yukari, head out and deal with them."
The team nodded and split up, the three persona users quickly moving out of the gates to deal with the new enemies while the rest hurried into the tower, right under the eyes of Ryoji who allowed them to move.
"Come get me, bitch," Minato taunted. "I can't wait fuck both of you at the same time."
Ryoji paid no attention to the other three outside the tower and quickly followed the miserable blunet inside the tower-
"Get in!"
Junpei said, activating the access point and stepping forward, along with Mitsuru who drew her rapier. The other four quickly ran into the access point and Junpei smashed it to bits as soon as Sho disappeared.
"It beings," Sho said, stopping at the floor like Minato had ordered.
"This is for my redemption," Aigis said, nodding when Minato told her to stop.
"Come on," Minato said, dragging Hamuko up the steps and easily killing the shadows that came in his way. He had still refused to let go of her hand and up till now, Hamuko was still silent, barely speaking or showing emotion.
Minato stopped at the last floor before the top and exhaled.
"It has begun…" he whispered.
The final battle has begun.
…
Ryoji was aware of everything. He knew their little plan and was confident enough to allow them to try their luck. And before him were two mortals, two sacks of worthless shit, nothing more and nothing less.
Ryoji took a step forward and before Junpei and Mitsuru could even think of launching an attack, Death screeched out loud, blowing the two backwards because the force behind the scream was ungodly, causing the whole place to rumble, sway back and forth but most importantly, that one question came into the front of their minds.
"What are we dealing with?" Junpei wondered.
"I am here for your pathetic souls!" Ryoji swore, his voice far, far deeper and horrific than before.
"D-Dammit…" Minato bit his lip, able to hear his voice despite being at the very top. He knew the others were in for a brutal beating but that was the only plan that they had.
Junpei and Mitsur readied themselves, trying to ignore the sobbing of Fuuka who was shaken up, not even needing the voice of Lucia to gauge the power of this… this supreme deity.
Ryoji drew his sword and screeched out loud again, his ungodly scream easily reaching the others.
It was finally here.
The fall had begun.
Nobody was going to stop.
And he was going to bring it over Minato's dead, mutilated body.
"BOW DOWN TO YOUR GOD!"
That's done. This was the last romance chapter of the story so... hope the shippers enjoyed it. I'd like to thank schizelle for reviewing this before and the chick who shall not be named for her help. The build up to the battles are fine with lots of hype but the romance was a little lacking and while this is action first and romance later, the bond that is the driving force behind this story does need attention, unlike in fallen messiah because that is a whole another story. A huge thank you to her for the constant help, without her, the romance and the bond thingie would have bombed.
But now, we are at the finale. Just battles so it's just me. Get ready for a long one. I estimate this going for 10 chapters, nuff said and it will be dark, it will brutal, unlike anything you've seen in this story.
It's good to be back. But please, do review, like always, it's disheartening to write 10k plus words and get jack in return so... do review, this is my last fic after all.
Looking forward to ending it. My motivation is burned out but I'll try. Funny I wrote this just the day after my college acceptance. :P
Thanks for sticking by guys. This is the last fic I'll ever write so... I'll try to make it as epic as possible.
See you at the end. Cheers!