Author's Note: Hey, guys! I didn't expect to take this long without an update, but I decided that enough was enough! I also decided to not do a commentary for every chapter. Instead, I'll be doing it for important chapters to keep the word inflation to a minimum. Anyways, here's chapter three!

April 8, 2009

Minato hated mornings. Living in Tokyo only made them worse. The sound of the bustling streets and angry passersby made the morning rush hell, and, to Minato's dismay, Port Island was no different. The streets were filled with students and business men and women on their way to work and school, which made the challenge Minato was dragged into even harder.

He had been rushed out of the dorm by Akihiko, who had wanted to race Minato to the station. Not hard, Minato thought, he was used to regular exercise, but Akihiko was a different beast entirely. His training regimen was absurd, and even the best track runner would have a tough time keeping pace with him.

Needless to say, Minato lost, but, he was told by the silver haired boxer that he put in a good effort, which was good enough for the blue haired teen.

The rest of the commute to school was spent mustering up whatever remaining energy Minato had. Akihiko didn't even look like he broke a sweat, which made the blue haired teen angry, as he was attempting to dry his damp hair before they reached the school gates.

The rest of the day was dull, for the most part. Mr. Ono, the school's history teacher, had gone on an incessant rant about the Sengoku Era and the superiority of Samurais when compared to Medieval knights. It had gotten so bad that Minato really wished a bloodthirsty samurai would appear and end his life at that very moment, but that wasn't what life had in store for him, he supposed.

He returned to the dorm alone, again. Akihiko had more business to take care of and Minato didn't really want to deal with another hoard of fangirls, so he said his goodbyes to the boxer and made his way back to his temporary home.

The walk home had been quiet, and Minato was able to find a quicker way back to the dorm, which shaved roughly ten minutes off his normal walk route. Giving himself a mental high five, he entered the dorm.

The Chairman was there again, today, and he was conversing with Mitsuru when Minato walked in. Minato greeted the two, but was puzzled by Ikutsuki's presence. He decided that he didn't really care why the chairman was there, so he simply gave a polite greeting to the two before making his way towards the stair case.

By the time Minato had entered his room, the sun had fallen and the moon shone through his window. He set his school bag down on his desk and pondered on what to do for the rest of the night. He wasn't particularly tired, and he didn't really feel up to watching TV.

Finally, after pondering over how to spend his free time, he arrived at the conclusion that there was nothing 'fun' he could do, so he turned his attention towards doing something productive. He pulled out a few of his textbooks, turned on the lamp that illuminated his desk, and began familiarizing himself with the material he would need to know over the school year.

He studied well into the night, blocking out anything and everything else around him with his music. However, no matter how hard he tried, something was bothering him. It was a gnawing feeling, like the kind someone would get when they've heard something unsettling.

'Talk to you later…. Mina'

Makoto's words still lingered in Minato's mind. The first time in years he had been called the silly nickname his parents gave him. Years of animosity and hate towards his brother were washed away and replaced with something he couldn't quite explain when those words were spoken. When their parents died, Minato and Makoto coped in different ways. Makoto found solace in his studies and duties as heir to the Arisato Corporation, but Minato… he had nothing.

So instead of focusing on his future, he wallowed in self-pity. Blocking out the world with music and apathy. Makoto overcame the experience with relative ease, and that made Minato angry, but he couldn't show it. He had to be the respectable Arisato child he was expected to be. He had to be well spoken, smart, and above all else, appear as if he had a perfectly normal childhood. Makoto accomplished this. He was praised for his academic capabilities and placed on a pedestal. A shining beacon for what Minato should strive to become. This made the younger heir livid, and it was that anger that gave way to a deep resentment towards his older brother.

But even then, there was something that held that anger back. Whether it was his upbringing, or memories of a better time, Minato didn't know. All he knew is that he couldn't really hate his brother all the time. There were times where Minato would wish that they could get along, but their circumstances prevented that from happening.

Even still, there were times, and they were more common than what Minato would've liked, that Makoto's bickering would send him over the edge. Minato would snap, and all that pain he was holding back would unleash, and Makoto would retaliate. It was what was said during these moments that stopped any friendship from forming between the two. Anger overtook common sense, and harsh words would be traded between the two, leaving them angrier than when they first started fighting.

So why was it that a silly nickname washed all that anger away, and what was so important that Makoto had to meet Minato in person? Why did Makoto choose now, of all times, to talk to his brother as if there weren't years of animosity between the two? These questions continued to bother Minato even when he tried to block them out with mindless studying. He couldn't escape his own curiosity.

Minato was finally brought out of his musing by the abrupt stop of his music. He looked up from his textbook to see a sickly, yellow moon and a green sky. He looked around the room. Utter darkness surrounded him, and his stomach churned at the sight of blood outside his window on the street. He shrugged it off, however, and decided now would be the time to call it a night. He put his textbook inside his school bag and collapsed on his bed. He was more tired than he realized.

The three figures in the control room were studying Minato's room again. The blue haired was silently scribbling away in his notebook when the Dark Hour hit.

"Amazing. He doesn't even seem fazed by it!" One figure called, prompting a small shake of disapproval from one other figure and a hum in agreement from the other.

"Don't you feel kind of bad? Spying on him like this…" One figure asked, which caused the older gentleman to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Come now, Yukari. It's important that we monitor his capabilities. If he does have the potential, we need to be cautious that they don't prey on him." This seemed to only make Yukari less sure, as she glanced at the screen worriedly.

"It's fine, Takeba. Arisato seems to have adapted to the Dark Hour, well, all things considered." Mitsuru studied the screen intently. Arisato's behavior was abnormal, to say the least. He lacked an observable reaction to the arrival of the Dark Hour, and he seemed to simply shrug it off as if it had been nothing more but a nuisance. He behavior was… fascinating.

Ikutsuki seemed to share this opinion, as he stared at the screen with awe and surprise. If Mitsuru hadn't known any better, she might've suspected the Chairman of being a mad scientist.

"Well, I guess we can say that Minato's room is very DARK this HOUR!" Mitsuru and Yukari let out a collective sigh.

If only she hadn't known any better.

April 9, 2009

Minato really hated mornings. His late-night studying had taken a toll on him, and he felt sluggish and exhausted when he woke up. He washed up as best he could and slipped into his modified uniform, grabbed his bag, and made his way downstairs.

He was expecting to see Akihiko downstairs, eager to go on another run, he wagered, but instead he found Mitsuru. She was just about to leave when she noticed the blue haired teen. She turned to him and gave him a polite smile, but noticed his slightly disheveled state.

"Rough night, Arisato-san?" Minato only gave a small nod in response. "I was just about to head out. Would you like to accompany me?" At that, Minato gave her a polite smile.

"Sure, Kirijo-san." With that, the two aristocrats made their way out the dorm.

"I'll be honest, Arisato-san, I didn't expect you to be a senior. You must be very academically capable if you managed to skip a grade." Minato rubbed his head sheepishly at that.

"More like my family is financially capable. Trust me, Kirijo-san, I'm not some kind of prodigy. My uncle saw it important for me to finish school as fast as possible so I was set up with summer tutors. Without that, I would be a junior." Mitsuru smiled a bit at his humble approach. Most people would brag about their wealthy status, but Minato seemed to treat it as a burden more than anything else. Certainly not the behavior she had expected when she had read his file.

"Still, tutors can only go so far. You must have at least some natural talent to pass tests higher than your recommended level." Minato gave a simple hum in response to that.

"My brother was always the more academically rounded one. I just follow in his footsteps." The hint of annoyance in Minato's voice was not lost on her, and she turned her head to study his face. His eyes which once showed innocence had a hint of anger in them, and she decided not to push that subject any further. This left them in an awkward silence as Mitsuru mulled over other possible topics.

"Say, Kirijo-san, when did you first learn of our families' feud?" Mitsuru questioned whether or not this subject was any less touchy than the last one, but decided to go along with it once she saw the small smile on Minato's face.

"I first learned of the Arisato Corporation when I sat in on a meeting when I was younger. They talked about how your family was taking Tokyo's stock rather quickly, which made quite a few board members angry, if I recall." Minato chuckled a bit. The Arisato Corporation had a strong base in Tokyo, and it was no secret that the Kirijo Group had wanted to spread out to the major cities, but the Arisato Corp. was already well-ingrained in most areas by the time the Kirijo Group started their major conquest.

"Interesting. I first heard of the "Kirijo Menace"," Minato made over exaggerated air quotes at that, "when my uncle tried to buy out the remnants of Fushimi Electronics." Mitsuru smiled at that. She remembered her father fighting tooth and nail in order to get that company, and it was well worth it, as Fushimi Electronics was rebranded as Kirijo Electronics and it soon became the largest part of the Kirijo Group's business.

"It seems our families shared no mercy when mentioning the other." Minato simply shook his head. They were already getting off the train and making their way towards the school grounds.

"Seems like it. Though I would wager that our families are highly mistaken about what the other is like." Mitsuru smiled at this. It was quite easy to talk to Arisato. He didn't treat her like royalty, which was probably due to his similar status, and he didn't stammer and trip over his words like so many others did when they talked to her. He was just… himself. It didn't seem like he was hiding an ulterior motive behind his words nor did it seem like he was trying to impress her. True to what Akihiko said about the blue haired teen, he was easy to hold a conversation with.

When they reached the school grounds, many students were already eyeing the pair as they passed. It was inevitable, of course, but that didn't stop it from being annoying. Minato had really hoped to avoid the exact situation he found himself in, but deep down he knew this was going to happen, and that only made it worse.

Mitsuru cleared her throat and turned to him. "I have to go to the faculty office for something. I'll see you later, Minato-san." The use of the boy's first name was not lost on him, and he took the hint.

"Well, in that case, have a good day, Mitsuru-san." With that, the two said their goodbyes and Minato made his way towards his classroom.

The rest of the day was, once again, boring. Minato managed to bail Akihiko out when their Literature teacher, Ms. Toriumi, caught the boxer day dreaming, but besides that, the day went off without a hitch. After class, Akihiko said he had to go take care of more things for the boxing club, and left Minato to return to the dorm alone.

When Minato returned, he found the bottom floor empty, which wasn't a huge surprise. The other residents were probably busy with their own things, and Minato hadn't joined a club yet so it's not like he had much of an excuse to stay out late. Opting to return to his room and get some much-needed rest, he ascended the stair case.

Later that Night

Mitsuru was on the fourth floor of the dormitory monitoring the large screen in front of her. Arisato had gone to bed early, and was sleeping once the Dark Hour hit. He still didn't seem to show a single reaction to it. Most people would be awoken by the sudden change in the world, but he didn't seem to be affected at all.

'This should be a good thing, but why do I feel like something isn't right.'

She pursed her lips and pinched the bridge of her nose. His behavior was… off. Unless he was a special case, something should've happened. A slight movement, an abrupt awakening, anything would've been less unsettling than nothing. She heard the door to the room open and glanced over to see a pink clad junior walk in.

"How's he doing?" Yukari walked over to the console and observed the boy in question. The blue haired teen was still asleep.

"He's been asleep for the last few hours. He doesn't seem to be reacting to the Dark Hour." Yukari nodded her head and turned to ask another question, but she was interrupted by a beeping red light on the console.

Mitsuru quickly pushed the button. "Is that you, Akihiko?"

A large crash rang out and the sound of someone running could be heard.

"I may have done something wrong, Mitsuru! I found a shadow, but it's not an ordinary one! This thing is huge!" Mitsuru's stomach tightened and she quickly turned to the younger teen.

"Takeba, get our equipment and meet me downstairs!" The brunette nodded hurriedly and ran out of the room.

Mitsuru sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Minato was a heavy sleeper. Loud noises did not easily awake him. It was one of the traits living in the city gave him, but the rumbling he just felt? That was enough to wake the sleepiest of giants. His eyes shot open and he observed his room. It was that time, which meant that electronics wouldn't work, making his attempts to flip his lamp on futile. He hurried out of bed as the rumbling became louder.

He was legitimately freaked out now. Not once in the two years' worth of nights had he experienced this sensation during this time. He put on some loose-fitting clothes when a knock turned his attention to the door.

"It's Yukari! Are you awake!? I-I'm coming in!" With that, the brunette barged into the room. Minato could see she was panicking, and she had that gun strapped to her waist, but that wasn't all. This time, she had a saber and a bow in both her hands, and she had a quiver of arrows on her back. "Here! Akihiko said you would probably want this." She tossed him the saber.

"What exactly is going on he- "but Minato was stopped by another loud crash.

"I don't have time to explain! Just come with me!" Yukari grabbed Minato's free hand and guided him down the stair case. When they reached the bottom floor she lead him behind the kitchen to a door in the back.

"Come on! We need to get out of here before- "but she was cut off by another crash. This time, however, the crash was closer and sounded like it was just on the other side of the door.

"Crap!" Yukari started panicking more. This wasn't looking good, and all that Minato could do was stare at her in disbelief. Whatever was causing this rumbling obviously posed a serious danger, but Minato couldn't figure out what the hell it was. Two years of experiencing this other-worldly time, and not once did he ever encounter something that could put his life in danger. Minato almost couldn't keep up with what was happening.

"Okay…okay. Oh! I got it! Come on Senpai! We can go to the roof!" Before Minato could respond, he was being dragged up the stairs again. The rumbling didn't stop, however, in fact, it was getting louder.

When they reached the roof, Yukari locked the door behind them and breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Okay. We should be safe up here." Minato was about to retort that it was probably too soon to celebrate, but whatever was following them decided to fire back for him. A large crash moved the teens' attention towards the edge of the building.

A single, oily, black hand was crawling its way up the side of the building. Minato looked at it in disbelief. This couldn't be happening right now. Surely it was a dream.

As if hearing Minato's thoughts, the hand was followed by another, but this time, the hand was holding something. A blue, hollow mask peered up over the ledge of the building. It scanned its "eyes" over the building before settling on the pair of teens, as if it had seen them. In mere seconds, a dozen hands appeared holding knives that glinted off the yellow moon and the creature fully pulled itself onto the roof.

It was indescribably odd looking. Its body was an oily blob of hands that protruded from the center, with one main hand in the middle that held up the mask. It used two free hands to drag itself over the rooftop, and it made a screeching noise as it drew nearer.

Yukari's breathing became less focused, more erratic, and uneven. Minato unsheathed the saber and took a familiar fighting stance. If he was going to die, he was going to die with some dignity. Yukari, on the other hand, reached for the gun and turned it upon herself. Minato wasn't sure what she was doing at first, and pondered a bit on whether or not the gun was actually loaded now, but then realized what she was trying to do and attempted to stop her.

"H-hey what do you think you're doing!?" Yukari put out a hand to stop Minato.

"Don't worry! I can do this…" Minato paused for a moment while he questioned the girl's sanity, but was then brought out of his stupor when the creature outstretched a hand to stop Yukari.

"Look out!" But it was too late. The hand swatted the girl away like she was nothing, and then turned its attention towards the blue haired boy. Minato panicked, and quickly pondered over how he was supposed to defeat this thing. He scanned his eyes over the rooftop before he settled on the gun, which was now right at his feet. He looked at it for a moment, but then it hit him.

'Pick it up.'

Minato reached down and grabbed the gun. He felt the weight of the object. It wasn't very heavy, but it had a satisfying balance to it. He stared at the object in his hands for what felt like hours.

'Is it power that you seek? This object can grant it to you. All you have to do is take it.'

Power.

A word so simple, yet so important. Minato's mind flashed to the memories of his younger days.

Minato was nursing his bruised hand with an ice pack when the person in front of him turned around, dressed in the same white garb as him. He sheathed his rapier and gave the teen a look of disappointment.

"I would've thought you'd be better now. Guess I was wrong about that." Minato tried to find a retort, but he stayed silent.

"Power, Minato. That is what you lack. It is the quintessential element that makes all great men. In order to protect those you love, in order to keep what you want safe, you need power. Remember that." Makoto turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Minato to throw his saber in a fit of rage.

"I have power, Makoto, and one day, I'll show you."

Minato brought the gun up to his head and pressed it against his temple. His breath was shaky and uneven, and he felt sick to his stomach.

'This is the day that you will have power. This is the day that you will show him what you're capable of. This is the day that you will surpass their expectations. Now, show me you have the strength to accomplish your goals.'

Minato steadied his breath and focused on the cold steel that was up to his head. It should feel so wrong, but something about it felt great. It should be dangerous, but there was something about the act that excited him. He let a smirk tug at his lips and he closed his eyes.

"Per….so….na!" Minato whipped back as he pulled the trigger. A sensation he had never felt before washed over him. The sickness that he felt was replaced with pure bliss, and the smirk on his face was replaced by a large grin. He let out a chuckle, which turned into a giggle, which then turned into full blown laughter as blue energy and flames engulfed him.

A creature rose out behind Minato. A mechanical body which lead to a red scarf that concealed half the face of the humanoid figure. The most striking aspect of the creature was the white hair that looked very similar to Minato's own. The creature reached behind its back and pulled a lyre out.

'From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings!'

It played a few notes of its lyre and fire erupted at the black creature's base, which sent it flying back away from Minato. The teen smirked again and brought the gun to his temple. With another pull of the trigger, Orpheus was summoned again, but this time, it charged at the creature and smacked it with his lyre, sending it into the side of the building next to the dorm.

The creature let out a frustrated screech and leaped towards the persona, which dodged out of the way and summon another fireball that sent the creature reeling a bit. Minato smirked yet again and charged at the creature with his saber. When it tried to jump at him, he slid under it and slashed upwards, effectively gutting the creature with one swipe.

When it landed, it screeched in pain again, giving Minato enough time to summon Orpheus. This time, the Master of Strings smashed his lyre into the mask of the creature. The mask shattered and broke apart, leaving nothing but a jumbled mess of hands left. Before Minato could slice a hand off, however, the creature dissolved, leaving nothing but a mess of black blood and viscera on the rooftop. Minato smiled as Orpheus disappeared.

The teen would've turned to see who had just barged through the rooftop entrance, but before he could, he felt exhaustion wash over his body, and before he knew it, the world became black.

Author's Note: Woop! Another chapter done! Hope I managed to make the fight somewhat entertaining. Fight scenes have always been my biggest weakness as a writer, so I'm worries about how it turned out. If you guys have any concerns or questions/complaints regarding the story, please, by all means, let me know! I'll be happy to answer them as best I can! Take care everyone! Until next time!

P.S. I do beta work now, so for anyone in need of a beta reader, consider me, because I'll be more than happy to do so!