Author's Note:

Oh, yes. Another thing that I want to announce is that here all the social links will be maxed out and that all of them will be included. Though there will be some changes made to them during the story.

Disclaimer: Persona 3 and its characters belong to Atlus.

So I now give you the first chapter. Enjoy everyone!

Time never waits.

It delivers all equally to the same end.

You, who wish to safeguard the future,

However limited it may be…

You will be given one year;

go forth without falter,

with your heart as your guide…

Ch. 1

Journey's Beginning,

The Contract

April 6, 2009

Afternoon

A blue butterfly flitted in her vision for a brief moment before flying away. Hamuko continued to stand and stare after the butterfly even when it flew away. As she remained fixed there, Hamuko failed to notice how her brother still went on without her. A good distance had been achieved before Minato realized that his sister was not walking by his side.

Minato turned back and shouted, "Hamuko! Come on, we don't want to be late!"

Hamuko quickly snapped out of her reverie and looked at her brother.

Minato was wearing his light gray coat with a turtleneck underneath, complete with dark pants. This was what he mostly wore during his days out. While with Hamuko, she was wearing a light orange sweater with a red scarf and a red plaid skirt. She also had on black leggings and boots. Despite their different tastes in fashion, each twin was carrying some form of luggage with them.

"Alright, I'm coming!" She shouted back.

She ran up to catch Minato, her arms straining to hold onto her heavy luggage. But, she made it and so the both of them then proceeded to walk to the train station.

The city was always thick with people making it almost difficult for the twins to reach the station. People conversed, with some walking on through to work or any other business they had. Various lights flashed bright and commercials were continually played on the video screens there in the square.

As they both continued on, Minato and Hamuko soon had to stop at a stoplight. Within seconds, crowds of people closed in around the two twins. All waiting for the chance to cross the street.

-III-

Water was rushing out of a sink faucet.

"So...I just...put this thing to my head..."

Heavy panting could be heard in the room. A young, brown-haired girl lay down on the floor next to her bed and in her hands, she was holding something.

"Come on...No backing out..."

She then clenched the object tight in her hands, her knuckles turning white.

A look of fear was present in her eyes as she placed the gun to her forehead. "Pull the trigger..." the girl breathed, her hands shakily grasping the trigger, ready to fire. In the meantime, her breathing became more erratic. Sweat started to bead on her forehead, trickling down her face.

-IV-

The crossing sign blinked green, indicating for pedestrians to cross. The whole crowd seemed to surge forward like a wave, causing Minato and Hamuko to be temporarily separated. It was a few blocks down before the two were finally able to reunite.

"I hope we're not going too late or anything to get to the trains," Hamuko huffed in irritation.

"Don't worry. I don't think the stoplight was that long. Besides, we're not too hard-up on time. There are still a couple of minutes left even when we do get to the train station," Minato replied.

Hamuko simply nodded. The siblings continued their trek amidst the crowdedness of Tokyo.

Soon Minato and Hamuko were able to arrive at the station just on time, as Minato had promised. However, as soon as they entered the train station, an announcement blared on the PA system.

[Attention passengers, attention passengers.]

Both perked their ears up to see if this announcement was important.

[There has been a delay in the trains. As of now, any trains headed for Iwatodai will be late by ten minutes. We are sorry for the inconvenience.]

Hamuko groaned, while Minato huffed in irritation. "Well so much for being on time," he muttered.

Hamuko looked at him and said, "How 'bout we wait over there then?"

Minato looked at what she meant. There were a couple of benches nearby that were unoccupied at the moment. "Alright." His shoulder shifting to readjust his duffel bag. Hamuko led the way with Minato trailing behind. Once she was seated, she got out her mp3 and flicked it on. The music played through her earphones. She kicked her legs back and forth.

Like Hamuko, Minato took out his mp3, turned on the power, and listened. He didn't raise the volume too high, just in case anymore announcements were made about their train. And so they waited for the train as the minutes started to tick by.

-V-

The gun fell from the girl's grasp, thudding onto the floor next to her.

Her resolve had crumpled. She was unable to do it. Her forehead glistened with sweat and her breath continued to be shaky.

"No...I-I can't do it! I can't!"

The girl put her head between her drawn-up knees, wrapping her arms around them.

Meanwhile, the faucet in the room still ran on.

-VI-

Late Night

The New City Anehazuru passenger train rushed past different cities and towns to its destination. The blue, clear sky of the day changing into the black, dark night. And Minato saw it all go in a blur. His mp3 still played music, as well as his sister's as she was still listening to hers too. It was the only thing to keep them company. Most people didn't stay or ride on the train this late at night. However, there were a handful of other passengers, minus them, that were still onboard the train, scattered everywhere in the white seats.

Indeed, according to the announcement earlier, the train in fact did arrive late. By thirty minutes instead of the promised ten. It also didn't help that the trip from Tokyo to Iwatodai was a good, fair distance away either. And so here they were, riding the train at night. The rumbling of the train car on the tracks and swaying of the empty handgrips created a sort of rhythm that could put one to sleep, tempting the reluctant young teen.

We're so late, Minato thought, I just hope that there's still some rooms available at the dorm.

Since Minato was so focused in his thought while looking outside, he didn't notice that Hamuko was now leaning on his shoulder. Well, that was the case until he felt her weight on his lap and he looked down at her. Hamuko, feeling her brother's gaze on her, looked up, and smiled at him. Minato gave a small smile back and decided to let her stay there instead of bucking her off. As the train rumbled on, Minato let his head rest against the window.

While he resisted the temptation of sleep initially, Minato felt his eyelids grow heavy and they would periodically close. He raised his right hand up to rub at his eyes. It wasn't until his hand dropped back down when he noticed it.

How is that possible? Minato thought to himself as he saw the blue butterfly fluttering outside of the train. He couldn't believe that something like a butterfly was able to fly alongside the train while it was going at such a fast speed. Yet, there it was calmly flapping its wings.

Minato kept his gaze fixed on it, forgetting his tiredness. He continued his observation until the crackling of the train's speakers startled him, causing him to look away up towards the speaker.

[Attention, all passengers. Due to a malfunction in the switching system, today's rail schedule has been greatly altered.] The announcer explained. [We sincerely apologize to any customers in a hurry. Next stop is Iwatodai.]

Getting the announcement, Minato turned to take one last look at the blue butterfly. To his surprise though, the butterfly had seemingly disappeared. No trace left of its presence.

Maybe I just imagined it. Whatever... The blue-haired teen then looked down at his now sleeping sister on his lap. With one hand, he unclipped one of the earphones from her ear.

"Hamuko. Hamuko, wake up," he called out, shaking her lightly.

Sleepy, red-brown eyes slowly opened to meet her brother. A yawn shortly followed before Hamuko regained the ability to speak. "Minato-nii, what is-?"

"We're at our stop," Minato said.

"Oh, okay," Hamuko mumbled before yawning again, getting up from her brother's lap. She rubbed at her eyes and turned down her mp3.

Soon after, there was the screeching of brakes as the train was slowing down to a halt. Then came a slight jerk as the train fully stopped with the doors hissing open. The two siblings gathered up their belongings and left as another announcement came on, telling passengers to secure possessions and to take care. Cold air hit their faces as they stepped onto the train platform into the station.

A few others stepped off as well, but the two ignored them as they both stopped past the turnstiles. Minato went through his bag for the pamphlet that provided information on the school. He managed to find it and promptly opened it, looking at the map and the directions.

"It doesn't look that far from here," Minato remarked.

"Really?" Hamuko looked over at the paper and saw. "Yeah, you're right. How long do you think it'll take us though?"

"I'd say about fifteen to twenty minutes or so. Not too bad, I guess," Minato replied.

He then glanced down at his wristwatch. It read about two minutes till midnight. Minato's eyes widened slightly. I wonder if it happens here too...

As soon as the thought entered his head, a sickly, green glow fell over the station. The train station clock froze with both hands on twelve along with the flashing display lights of various times and places. All electricity and power had been shut off. Minato's and Hamuko's mp3s ceased to function as well, cutting mid-song.

Hamuko gave a small gasp. Minato turned to to face her.

She looked around quickly before meeting her brother's look; red-brown eyes reflecting worry and fear. "Minato-nii...Let's get out of here."

Minato nodded. "Yeah..."

He put the directions in his right hand and offered Hamuko his left. She took the hand, squeezing it. Soon the two walked up the steps leading out of the station. The echoing of their lone footsteps echoing all around them in the menacing silence.

-VIII-

Hamuko was lead by her brother as they walked through the quiet streets. Huge coffins and stopped cars lined the streets in various directions. All the while, the green glow still stained everything. Sure, it's a little better than being in a dark subway station, but this is still creepy, Hamuko shuddered. She briefly glanced away from her brother's back to look at the sky, catching a glimpse of a yellow, full moon. Another shiver ran through the girl's body forcing her to focus back on her brother. She didn't like this.

It wasn't until Hamuko felt something squelch underfoot that she was reminded of the most interesting feature of this time of night.

Blood... She swallowed, doing her best to tune it out, along with the strong, iron smell in the air.

It seemed that no matter where they were, whether it be Tokyo or here, this strange occurrence would happen.

Both Hamuko and Minato had discovered this when the two were up late one night, working on some homework. At first, they were frightened and scared by the whole experience of seeing people become coffins, blood appearing everywhere, and the whole place cast in an eerie, green glow. And that no electronics worked, leaving everything dark.

However, over time, the twins seemed to adjust to seeing this strange phenomenon and soon accepted its existence. Though, whenever it would happen at their uncle's or any of their relatives' places, they would stay indoors. They didn't fully trust it enough to venture outside. Nor did they have a reason to go outside at this time of night anyways.

Of course, this whole event was kept secret between the two of them. After all, who would believe that at around midnight people turn into coffins and everything ceased to work?

All of these thoughts buzzed around in Hamuko's mind as she and her brother kept walking around. But, she snapped out of them when suddenly a loud scream was heard followed by a screeching sound. They both immediately froze in their tracks, listening for its source.

The scream and screech sounded like they were quite far from them, but...

Minato's hand tightened around his her hand, almost crushing it. "Let's go."

They walked faster now, trying to put as much speed as they could. Hamuko noticed that her brother was now more determined to get to the dorm. Focusing all his attemtion on the directions and looking around to see if they're going the right way while his hand kept holding onto her's.

The twins kept going on until Minato abruptly stopped. Hamuko was not aware at first, so she bumped right into her brother's bag. Minato slightly staggered forward before catching himself.

"Hey, what gives?! Why'd you just stop?" Hamuko snapped as she stepped back. Her heart pounding in her chest.

"We're here," Minato responded.

Hamuko then looked at what was in front of her. And to say that she was surprised would be an understatement.

Wow...

The building was five-stories tall with red brick and big windows for almost each floor. In the front, there were plants along on both sides of a large, wooden double-door with steps. But, like everything else at this time, the dorm was dark inside. Nonetheless, the building was beautiful, standing out from the rest of the neighboring buildings in the area.

Hamuko glanced at her brother. Minato examined around the building and commented, "Uncle wasn't lying when he said that this school was prestigious, especially when it has dorms this well made."

"No kidding. But, let's get inside. I don't want to stay out here any longer," she said.

"Right."

Minato reaffirmed the grip on his sister's hand. They went up the small steps and Minato pulled on one of the handles, opening the door.

Once inside, the siblings observed their surroundings. Despite the darkness they were still able to make out the dorm lobby.

There were couches, armchairs, and a television set. Further on, a dining table and chairs could be seen in the back. And for some odd reason, there also seemed to be a bar in that same area with the dining table. Finally, right next to the twins was an empty reception desk with flowers adorning it. Overall, the dorm looked pretty nice.

Minato released his sister's hand, allowing her to rub the soreness out of it.

Hamuko sighed in relief, she then took off her headphones as Minato did the same while putting the directions away in his coat's pocket.

"Finally, we're here," she replied. Minato nodded his head in agreement.

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you."

Both of their eyes widened at the sudden voice and looked to the side. A black-haired young boy, with his head propped on his hands, was now occupying the formerly empty reception desk. He was dressed in black and white-striped clothing almost resembling an old-fashioned prison suit. The boy had bright, blue eyes with a mole under his left one; an enigmatic smile present on his lips.

"Now...If you both want to proceed," the boy snapped his fingers before gesturing towards the desk, "Please sign both of your names here."

"What?" Minato asked. There were now two red folders on the desk before them, items which he didn't think had been there before.

Hamuko couldn't say anything now as she too was surprised by this whole encounter.

"It's a contract," the boy simply continued, before he then noticed on how the two were still shocked. "Don't worry," he assured, "All it says is that you'll accept full responsibilities for your actions."

"…Full responsibilities?" Minato repeated, even more dumbstruck than before.

The boy nodded, "Yes, and you know, the usual stuff."

Minato stared at the two folders. He didn't know what to do at the moment, something about this seemed...off. He looked to Hamuko, who was now beside him. She wasn't make any motions either and continued to keep her silence.

They were then caught off-guard again when the boy suddenly giggled before speaking again.

"There's no need to be afraid. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions. That's all." A reassuring smile was given at the end.

Minato stared at the contract. This doesn't make any sense. But...I guess we have to sign this thing. With resignation, he opened up the contract; however, the strange thing about the contract was that there was only one line present on the whole paper.

I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.

What the hell? Minato thought, What does this even mean? What kind of contract is this?

No regulations or rules about standard dorm living. Just that one line with a space for the signature, nothing else. Regardless, Minato still decided to stick with his decision of signing his name, if only to get rid of the creepy, younger boy. He reached out for the quill pen on the desk and signed. When he was done, he handed the pen over to Hamuko for her contract. She signed her name on the paper too in the black ink.

Their names were now signed onto their own respective contracts:

Arisato Minato

Arisato Hamuko

"There, it's done," Hamuko said, putting the pen down.

The boy nodded and took both folders in his hands. He then directly looked at the two, "No one can escape time." The folders in his hands disappeared, "It delivers all to the same end. Wishing won't make this go away." The sound of rustling chains were heard in both of their ears as the boy himself started to slowly disappear into the darkness, "You can't plug your ears or cover your eyes." The boy smiled again, "And so...it begins." Then, he was gone, having completely vanished into the surrounding darkness without a single trace.

Minato and Hamuko were left standing in the dark, empty lobby, wondering what exactly just happened.

"Minato-nii...Do you think we should've signed that contract?"

"I don't know. But, whatever, I think we'll be fine." Minato gave her a reassuring look.

She nodded. "'kay."

Before they could decide what to do now, both siblings heard hurried running down stairs.

"Who's there?!" A voice shouted.

Both turned at whoever shouted and were surprised, there was someone standing out in the back.

Is that a girl? Minato thought. And she's not a coffin either? I thought everyone turned into a coffin except us at this time.

The girl slowly moved forward until she stopped short of being completely visible to the twins. The green light from outside helped in showing that the girl was wearing a pink sweater and a short, black skirt with black knee-high socks. And that she had light, brown hair as well. Currently, her brown eyes were on Minato and Hamuko, watching them as if in fear.

"What? But it's...How can you be...?!" The girl stuttered, "D-Don't tell me that...!"

Her hand then twitched at to her side before slowly moving downwards.

Minato was able to catch the faint movement and could tell that whatever the girl was doing wasn't good.

"Stay behind me, Hamuko," Minato whispered, his grey eyes narrowing. Hamuko complied and went behind her brother, her eyes not leaving the girl.

Minato assumed a defensive stance in front of his sister, ready to lunge forward if he had to attack. The girl had her hand down to her leg and was about to pull out something when-

"Takeba! Wait!"

The pink-clad girl gasped and turned to face the sharp, commanding voice. Minato still stayed in his position and Hamuko remained behind him. But, she did peek from behind to look at who just spoke.

At that same moment, when all three looked in the same direction, everything returned to normal. The lights flashed on, illuminating everything and everyone. And even both of the twins' mp3s came back on, with the music blaring from their earphones. Embarrassed, the two got their mp3s and clicked them off before returning to look at the new stranger.

The stranger was a young, crimson-haired girl. She was wearing on a crisp, white shirt and dark skirt, with a red bow around her neck, along with black, knee-high boots. Just from this girl's appearance, the Arisatos both felt an authoritative and confident air about her. And from her stance too, that this girl demanded a certain amount of respect.

It was at this moment when Hamuko was able to see that she and the other girl wore the same red armband on them.

Wonder what that means, she thought to herself.

The pink-clad girl sighed, relieved upon seeing the crimson-haired teen. Minato slightly relaxed, knowing that by no immediate harm was going to occur, but he still kept his guard up. He then felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Hamuko.

"Minato, I don't think that they're going to fight us."

"I...suppose." Minato warily answered before hesitantly going to stand next to his sister.

The crimson-haired girl walked next to the pink-clad, brunette girl and fixed her gaze unto the two occupants; a warm smile on her features. "I didn't think that you'd arrive so late," she said, folding her arms across her chest, "In fact, I was wondering if you two would even make it tonight. If you don't mind, would you care to explain the reason why?"

Minato blinked, still a bit overwhelmed by this whole chain of events, but he managed to pull himself back to answer.

"Um…Yes, our train had a major delay. Apparently there was a problem with their switching system. So we ended up coming to the station a lot later than what was planned. We're sorry." Minato explained before finishing with a bow; Hamuko bowing with him as well.

The girl blinked and then slightly chuckled, "Well, I guess that explains it. My name is Kirijo Mitsuru," she nodded, "I'm one of the students who live in this dorm, as well as a third-year."

Hamuko, who was now feeling more courageous, went on to introduce themselves. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Arisato Hamuko and this is my older, twin brother, Arisato Minato."

Mitsuru gave a small laugh, "Arisato Minato and Hamuko. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

The pink-clad girl glanced at the both of them and asked, "Umm...Who exactly are they?"

"They're both transfer students that came in from out of town," Mitsuru answered, "It was a last minute decision to assign them here. However, eventually they will be moved to their respective dorms."

The brunette's eyes widened, "Oh, these are the ones. But...Do you really think it'll be okay for them to be here?"

Mitsuru looked at the two again and said, "I guess we'll wait and see."

Minato and Hamuko glanced at one another, before they were interrupted by Mitsuru who continued to speak.

"This is Takeba Yukari," Mitsuru gestured towards the brunette, "She'll be a second-year this spring, just like you two are."

"...Hey." She greeted with a slight bow.

"It's nice to meet you." Minato said in a stiff, polite manner before bowing.

Hamuko did the same. When she straightened up though, she said, "Not to sound rude or anything...But...Why do you have a gun?"

Time stopped when it was apparent that Yukari did indeed possess a gun and it was in the exact spot that Minato saw her reaching for. The siblings looked at the two, waiting for an explanation. Yukari shifted in place, nervous, "W-Well...er... it's kind of a hobby-"

"Forgive, Takeba," Mitsuru cut in, "I'm sure you both understand how dangerous things can get in this day and age. It's for self-defense. Of course, it's not a real gun."

Both were surprised by the explanation. Fake or not, it wasn't wise to be waving around guns like that around. Not to mention in an area like Iwatodai with a fancy private school, it was highly doubtful that the dorms would be placed in an area where there existed a high crime rate.

But, they just left it at that, deciding against arguing. It was late and the both of them were still tired and confused over what just happened to them. And perhaps it was best not to delve into the matter any further.

Mitsuru then suddenly said, "It's starting to get late. Because the both of you went through such a long journey, the two of you should get some rest." Her red eyes looked at Minato, "Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway." To Hamuko, "Your room is on the third floor, across from Takeba's."

Minato looked at Mitsuru, "What about our stuff?" Minato hoped that the people from moving didn't mess up with their belongings.

Mitsuru answered, "They should all be up in your rooms already."

"Thank goodness," Hamuko breathed, relieved upon hearing that.

"Well then," Mitsuru said, "I will escort Arisato to her room, while Takeba will escort the other Arisato to his. Takeba, take this." The red-haired senpai turned towards Yukari with a key extended to her. Yukari grabbed and held it in her fist.

Both Minato and Hamuko looked at each other before Hamuko said, "Umm...Mitsuru-senpai? Since we'll be here for awhile, how will it work if both my brother and I are called Arisato? I mean...Sooner or later, we will get each other confused about who is who."

Minato nodded.

Mitsuru sighed. Embarrassingly, she hadn't thought of that possibility. However, a solution came to her which enabled her to quickly remedy the situation.

"Very well," she replied, " I will address Minato as Arisato-san and Hamuko as Arisato-chan, if both of you are present in the same room. Other than that, I will mostly address you as Arisato individually. Does that seem better?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Mitsuru said, "Then come with me, Arisato-chan." She turned on her heel and gracefully began to walk up the stairs.

"Okay, Mitsuru-senpai." Hamuko got her bags ready, leaving Minato's side to follow Mitsuru. But before she left, she turned her face back to Minato.

"Good night, Minato-nii!" She cheerfully called.

"'Night, Hamuko," he replied back.

Satisfied, Hamuko smiled and went up after Mitsuru, leaving both Minato and Yukari alone in the lobby. Yukari then looked from where Hamuko once was to Minato.

"Y'know, you two don't look like you're related. Much less being twins," she commented.

Minato looked at her, "We get asked that question quite a lot. But, she is my twin sister." He went a little ways towards the stairs, looking at them before turning around to look at Yukari. His hands in his pockets.

"So are we going?" His grey eyes giving a questioning look.

Yukari continued to just look at him, before noticing that he was waiting for her to respond. "Hm? Oh right," she said, "Follow me."

She went up the stairs with Minato following closely behind.

-VIII-

Hamuko followed Mitsuru up the stairs past the second floor onto the third floor. However, it was quiet between the two of them as Hamuko didn't know what to really say. And she did feel a bit apprehensive being with Mitsuru on her own; the commanding air from before seemed even more intense with just the two of them.

It was within a couple of minutes before they finally arrived outside of the door of her room, Mitsuru turned around to face her.

"Here we are. This will be your room until arrangements are made for you and your brother being transferred to the regular dorms."

Hamuko briskly nodded.

"And this is your key," Mitsuru handed a key to Hamuko, "This is for your room. I highly recommend that you do not lose it."

Hamuko looked down at the key and then back to Mitsuru, "Got it, Mitsuru-senpai."

Mitsuru gave a small smile. "Excellent. Very well, I will let you get settled in and rest. Takeba will wake you in the morning and get you ready for school. Good night." She began to walk away, but stopped as if she then remembered something.

She turned back to Hamuko, who was already opening the door, and asked her.

"Oh yes, Arisato, did you and your brother encounter anything strange on the way here?"

Hamuko momentarily froze. Wait, does Mitsuru-senpai know about that weird stuff that happens at midnight? Or am I just over thinking this? But, then again, she wasn't a coffin. So maybe...no...I think it's better to not tell her about it. Or else I may sound like a crazy person talking about blood and coffins. Alright, here it goes, Hamuko.

"Um, no. Everything was alright when we went from the train station to here. Why do you ask, Mitsuru-senpai?" She asked. "Is something that matter?"

Mitsuru slightly narrowed her eyes, still tempted to question further, however, thought it best to leave that for another time later on.

"Nothing. I was just curious. Anyways, good night Arisato." And with that, Mitsuru turned and began to walk away.

"Good night, Mitsuru-senpai," Hamuko called back to the retreating figure.

She opened the door to her room and went in, closing the door right after. The girl then flicked the lights on, allowing the her to look at the room as she kicked her boots off. It was nice. There was a bed, a TV, shelves, drawers, a desk-chair ensemble,and a small area with a sink and mirror. Near the bed was where she spotted a collection of five boxes, showing that indeed all of her things were there. She closed the door and went to prepare.

Hamuko began getting ready for sleep. She took off her hairclips and let her hair fall down; auburn hair cascading down her shoulders. Next, she cast off her clothes and dressed into her pajamas from the bag she carried. With lazy movements, she went through her boxes until she found a pillow and sheets for the bed. As she was putting them on, she then thought of getting of getting her supplies ready for tomorrow.

"Nah. I'll do it tomorrow," Hamuko said aloud. "I'll have time."

She turned off the lights and went to bed, settling in the blankets. When she put her head, on the pillow, Hamuko took a look across from the room to see the boxes.

Funny, I'm so used to seeing Minato-nii across from me. Feels a little weird. Speaking of Minato-nii, I wonder if he thinks it's strange that Mitsuru-senpai and Yukari-chan aren't coffins. And that boy. I'll talk to him about that later. Oh, and about Uncle too. But...so...sleepy... Her eyes closed and she feel asleep right after, the tiredness she felt during the train ride finally catching up with her.

However,as she slept, thoughts of what school was going to be like and all the things that had happened today kept flitting around.

-IX-

Minato didn't fare any better than Hamuko. Possibly even worse as Yukari would nervously glance at him as they walked up the stairs; while Minato himself would look at her red armband and the gun holster on her leg, wary. There also was complete and utter silence between the two of them as they walked. However, it didn't take long for them to reach the end of the hallway of the second floor. Silently, the both of them couldn't help but be relieved at that.

They stopped in front of the door and Yukari turned around to face him.

"This is it," she said. "Pretty easy to remember, huh? ...Since it's right at the end of the hallway."

"Yeah...it is," Minato mumbled. He quickly looked around the empty hallway before again focusing on Yukari. "Is this an all-girls dorm or-?"

"No, it's a special co-ed dorm," Yukari explained, "This is the guy's floor, the third's for girls. Sorry if it seemed that way."

"That's fine."

"Ah," she gasped as she remembered the key in her hand. "Here," she said, handing it to Minato, "Make sure you don't lose this, or you'll never hear the end of it."

Minato received the key, but not before he slightly brushing up against her hand for a quick second. He ignored the small speed in heart rate and tightly gripped the key in his right hand. "Thanks."

"So...uh...any other questions?" Yukari asked.

Minato searched around in his mind to see if he had any, when something hit him.

"Hey, Takeba-san? What was the contract for anyway?"

Yukari looked at him, confused. "Huh? What contract?"

Minato's eyes slightly widened. So there was no contract for the dorm. Then why exactly did we have to sign it? And what was that boy talking about with "full responsibilities" and "actions?" Was there even a boy? None of this makes sense at all.

Minato was so focused on his thoughts, that he remained silent and said nothing more. This must have worried Yukari as she moved a little closer to him.

"Hey...are you okay?" She asked.

Minato looked back at her, concern was seen in her eyes.

"Yeah," he answered, "Yeah, I'm okay. Never mind about what I said, I think I'm just tired from the trip, that's all. Guess, I was seeing things because of that." He rubbed at his eyes for emphasis.

"Alright," Yukari decided to leave it at that. She turned her head away to the side a little, looking down. Her mind working on how to say the question that she had for him. Her brown eyes looked back up. Minato was currently rubbing the back of his head, unknowing of what was to come.

"Hey...Uhm..." She started hesitantly, "Can I ask you something?"

Minato stopped and looked back at her and asked,"What is it?"

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Minato froze as he looked back at Yukari.

Hm? Do these people know about it too? I mean, sure they weren't coffins during it, but how? No. Who knows if they truly know about the coffins and blood. Just act normal...normal...

"Yeah, everything was okay," he answered casually, hoping that nothing suspicious could be heard in his voice.

Yukari looked at him strangely for a bit, her brown eyes examining him in the process. Minato almost panicked at thinking that she wasn't buying his answer until she then spoke again.

"Okay then. Yeah, you do seem alright."

Minato gave a small sigh of relief. Good.

"Well, I'll see you later." She turned to walk away, but quickly stopped, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Oh, right," she suddenly recalled, "Tomorrow morning I'm going to wake you and your sister up and help you guys with school. So be ready...Good night Arisato-kun."

"Good night, Takeba-san." Yukari resumed walking and proceeded to go up the stairs. Minato continued to watch her as she left. When she was gone, Minato unlocked his door and went inside. He closed the door and soon found the light switch, turning it on. His grey eyes scanned over the place, taking inventory.

The room didn't look bad. The furniture supplied in the room was not bad for being the standard. There was a desk with a chair, a TV, a bed with a drawer, a sink area, and even a mini-fridge. In the room's middle, there was a pile of four boxes on the carpet rug just as Mitsuru promised.

So they did get everything. That's good. I'll call Uncle and tell him about it later, Minato thought. I have to get ready for tomorrow.

After shedding his shoes, Minato went to the boxes and started to unpack. He got out his bedsheets, clothes, alarm clock, and school supplies. Despite wanting to just lay down in bed, Minato wanted to get the initial unpacking out of the way and be prepared for the next day. So he fixed the bed up, arranged his school uniform on the chair, and packed his schoolbag with supplies.

When he was done, he started to undress to sleep with a loose shirt and pants. Soon he tossed himself into the bed, set the alarm, and lay still.

But, unlike Hamuko, sleep did not come to him easily. In fact, he found himself staring up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Too many things were going through his mind. From the strange kid to the fact that the two girls here were not coffins.

Never thought that returning home would end up like this. Hoping to take his mind off, Minato turned his face to look out at the dorm room again. Huh, he wondered, I have my own room. Wonder what Hamuko thinks about this... The boy returned his attention back onto the ceiling above, his distracting having proven useless.

His grey eyes blankly stared, waiting for sleep to come.

-X-

Mitsuru had barely gotten the files out when Yukari opened the doors to the Command Room. The sound caused her to look up from the file folders in her hands, attentive.

"Ah, nothing, Senpai," the younger girl answered when she stopped, "I was just curious to see if you were up here...What are you doing?"

Mitsuru slightly looked down at the folders, "I was going to begin observations on the Arisatos and update their profiles in the meantime."

"Oh." Yukari frowned, her eyes darkening. These actions not going unnoticed by Mitsuru.

"Is something wrong, Takeba?"

"It's...Do you think that they belong here? That they really have the potential, Senpai?" Yukari anxiously asked.

"For the moment, it is believed that they both may," Mitsuru replied, "And it does appear that they do possess some adjustment to the Dark Hour. So it may be very likely." She saw the younger girl scuff her shoes against the carpet, obviously unsatisfied by the answer. Mitsuru inwardly sighed as she knew exactly what Yukari was thinking.

"But, why them, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari pressed on, knowing what could happen if the siblings did have the potential.

"I'm not entirely sure, Takeba," Mitsuru truthfully answered, "The Chairman and my father were awfully tight-lipped on the matter, only insisting for their arrival here." Yes, she herself was unsure what to make of this situation when it first happened.

It was about a week ago when the Chairman pulled in the current S.E.E.S. members to tell them of potential candidates and provided them with their files to read. She had asked for the reasoning behind it as she herself was doubtful towards these two random, scholarship students possessing the potential; only to find out that both himself and her father agreed to having them processed for their dorm. No further explanation was given after.

Mitsuru didn't notice that she let her mind wander until she was almost surprised by the loud yawn that Yukari gave. Her red eyes softened in response.

"You should get some rest, Takeba," Mitsuru then spoke, "After all, you're going to be escorting the Arisatos to school tomorrow. I'll manage on my own here."

Yukari nodded before yawning again, "I probably should. Only getting a few hours of sleep as it is."

Mitsuru hummed in agreement. With that, Yukari gave a small nod in thanks and exited the room.

Once Yukari was gone, Mitsuru made for one of the swivel chairs in front of a large console. She set down the folders to the side as she turned on the equipment to observe. The console's monitor flicked to life with different windows opening up. Mitsuru quickly navigated and selected for a live feed from the hidden cameras located in the Arisatos' rooms.

The red-headed third-year leaned into her seat as she took quick note of the two siblings. Arisato Hamuko was fast asleep, curled up in her blankets, meanwhile, to Mitsuru's surprise, Arisato Minato was still awake. She sat straight up in attention as she focused on the feeds and the vital signs displayed.

It's somewhat hard to see that these two are twins. If looking closely, the resemblance can be seen in their faces, however that seems to be the only thing that they share. Otherwise their looks and personalities seem to oppose one another... Mitsuru thought before she next reached for the folders and pen.

Opening the files, she started writing down the information provided. It was during the midst of her writing, Mitsuru let a weary sigh escape her.

She understood Yukari's reluctance to accepting the two twins being apart of their group. While she did want more members for the group in order to finally proceed for a full-on exploration of Tartarus, already to her dismay, Akihiko was starting training outside in preparation; she was very aware of the dangers that awaited them. As it was, essentially, they were going to journey into the unknown with Shadows roaming everywhere...

Mitsuru's pen stopped scratching into the paper as she looked up at the monitor. We'll just wait and see, she somberly repeated to herself as she watched the transfer students.

A/N:

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