Author's Notes: I'll probably be uploading daily considering I've got lots of this already typed up. I tend to go back every once in a while to change a few details, but if anything major comes up, I'll make a note of it here. Anyways, it's time for the twins to start school. This game has a huge intro... I don't really mind since it introduces a lot things to the player, but going through the beginning so many times is pretty annoying. That said, I'm omitting one scene from this day since I don't really feel it's necessary.

~7 APRIL 2009~

Minato stumbled out of bed and made his way to the door. He yawned as he opened it, only to be shoved out of the way as an energetic ball of anticipation and excitement greeted him. "Morning! Time to get up. It's the first day of school and we can't be late!" Hamuko crossed her arms when she noticed her older brother was still wearing his clothes from yesterday. "Nii-san," she frowned, "don't tell me you slept in that."

"I did," Minato apathetically replied.

"Change, now," she commanded.

The blue-eyed boy lazily grumbled as he pulled out his new school uniform. "Get out then," he tried to argue back, but he had already taken off his shirt.

"Nii-san, you're hopeless," Hamuko sighed as she turned around.

"Hrm," Minato replied as he changed his pants behind his bed. He went over to the sink and began brushing his teeth. "So what do you think?" he asked before he placed the brush against his teeth.

"I don't know. It's different. This is the first time we'll be on our own."

Minato made a gurgle of agreement.

"I'm glad, but I'm scared too. We won't have anyone from the family to worry about, but that means we'll have to be responsible for each other. At least the other people in the dorm seem nice."

Minato rinsed his mouth and glanced at his sister through the mirror. "Isn't it strange though?" Hamuko stared back at her brother's reflection. "This is the first time we've met other people completely safe during that. They know something."

"Yeah," Hamuko agreed. "I think so too."

"It was a good idea coming back after all," the older boy wrung a towel and cleaned his face. Once done, he carefully examined his reflection when he became distracted by the shadows dancing in his room. He was about to say something he remembered about last night when someone began knocking on his door.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

Hamuko started for the door, but Minato quickly intercepted her. The boy shook his head, but the red-eyed girl responded with a pout.

"Hello!" Yukari knocked again. "Please answer the door, or I'll get in trouble! Your sister isn't in her room either!"

Hamuko put her hands on her hips and eyed the door expectantly. Minato finally relented and stepped aside. He leaned against his dresser as the door opened.

"Oh! Hamuko! You're here. Great!" She smiled at the twins. "Good morning. Did you sleep okay? Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. Are you ready to go?"

Hamuko lit up at the thought of seeing their new school. "Totally!"

"I can find it myself," Minato said, frowning to himself when he thought he saw another faint shadow cast itself behind Yukari.

Yukari stared at the boy dubiously. "Oh, really? But, you don't wanna risk being late the first day, do you?"

"Whatever," Minato stubbornly remained in place, but his eyes began scanning for his schoolbag.

"Minato," Hamuko shot her brother a disapproving look. "Sorry about him. He's not good with people," she shook her head before narrowing her gaze and reminding the stubborn boy about one of his weaknesses, "or directions." The boy's frown deepened as he fiddled with his headphones but it wasn't as though he could argue against that. He finally shrugged in compliance and Hamuko quickly grabbed his arm before he could change his mind. "Okay, let's go!"

Minato took a seat on the monorail as Yukari and Hamuko were having an avid discussion on what he deemed was "girl talk". The tired boy's shoulders sank as he watched the two girls. How do they have so much energy? He asked himself as he gazed out the window over the ocean. Somehow, the scene refreshed him and he sat up to get a better look.

Hamuko noticed the beautiful view too and gasped in surprise. "Oh wow!"

Yukari smiled at them. "We have to take the monorail to get there. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?" The twins looked at each other, shaking their heads. Yukari's smile grew when she pointed out the window. "This is my favorite part… When it feels like you're gliding over the sea." Minato closed his eyes and felt it too, amazed that such a scene could exist on the same train that gave him grief just the night before. He turned back towards Yukari as she continued her explanation. "Our stop is Port Island Station at the end of the line. From there, we walk. Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island? It's a man-made island. They built our school right in the middle. Oh, look, you can see it now!"

Hamuko and Minato turned once more toward the window. "It's huge!" Hamuko exclaimed.

Huge? Are you kidding? That doesn't even come close! Minato's familiar frown settled on his face again. He fiddled with his headphones, tempted to put them on, but he refrained from doing so. He paused though when he thought he saw another faint shadow, this time larger, loom over the school like a cloud. What is that?

"Minato?" Hamuko called out to him.

The boy looked towards both girls and quickly followed after them. "It's a lot to take in," he muttered as he watched the other students walking towards the massive academy.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it," Yukari commented with a reassuring smile.

A girl passing them called out to her. "Morning!"

"Morning!" Yukari waved back and it made Minato want to sink further into his discomfort. The brunette didn't seem to notice however, as she stopped in front of the gates of the school. "Well, here we are! Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here!"

Hamuko chuckled to herself. "It sure looks like it! Come on, Minato!" She grabbed her brother's arm before he could escape and Minato felt as though he was being dragged into hell.

Once inside, they all changed their shoes and officially stepped into the school's lobby. Yukari looked to the two. "You're okay from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teachers first. The Faculty Office is right there to the left." She pointed over to the corresponding hall. "And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"Which class are you in, Yukari-san?" Hamuko asked.

Yukari frowned and turned towards the bulletin boards where a mass of students were gathered around. "Me? I dunno… I haven't looked at the classroom assignments yet."

Minato put his hands in his pockets as he got ready to head towards the office area. "Well, then I guess we'll go then."

Before he took a step, Yukari called out to them both. "Hey… About last night… Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?" She looked around the lobby before starting towards the bulletin. "See ya later."

Minato raised an eyebrow. Tell? It's not like people believe us anyway when it comes to that. And what's with that clouded shadow anyways? I don't like this one bit. Still, he watched Yukari's back and was relieved when he saw no traces of that faint shadow he had seen before. Not on her or anyone else in the school.

Hamuko sensed that her brother was distracted so pulled on his cheek to snap him out of his reverie. "Stop frowning like that. It makes you look older than Gramps." Minato rolled his eyes, causing his younger sister to giggle. "Let's go, Minato!"

Per Yukari's instructions, they found themselves in the Faculty Office in front of a female teacher who was sifting through their files. The lady looked up to them both in surprise as they entered. "Oh, are you the new students?"

Minato, the first to come in, nodded in response.

"Minato Yuki and… Hamuko Arisato… 11th grade, correct?" She skimmed through their files. "Oh, so you're siblings. Twins, in fact." The two shifted in slight discomfort since their family matters were a bit complicated due to the shuffling they continuously experienced throughout the years. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places. Let's see… In 1999… That was what, ten years ago? Your parents—" the lady let out a sharp gasp. "I'm sorry… I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand. I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"Oh… Thanks," Minato murmured.

"Nice to meet you!" Hamuko completely drowned out his dull response.

Toriumi smiled at the two of them. "Wow, such enthusiasm! We could use more go-getters like you." She closed their files and looked at another sheet of paper she had. "Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."

The two soon found themselves in a large auditorium. By the time they got there, the seats were completely filled and much to Minato's chagrin, he had to sit separately from his sister. The blue-haired boy glanced up at the man who was to be considered their principal and sighed. He didn't even bother paying attention to the speech, but he did take the chance to glance at the audience to scope out his peers.

Bored out of his mind, Minato entertained himself with a game. He looked down at his uniform and mentally counted. Uniform infraction one. Unbuttoned jacket, headphones. His eyes wandered the audience and he found Hamuko. Perfect as always. No infraction there. He noticed the older red-haired girl from last night sitting near the front. Infraction two, I think… Does Kirijo-senpai count if her family owns the school? But she's not wearing the regulation jacket even though it's a part of the mandated winter uniform. Speaking of which, Takeba is an infraction too. He quickly found the pink cardigan next to his sister. Yup, infraction three. And next to her were two boys. The first was wearing the proper uniform, but beside him? Is that a tracksuit? What the heck? He counted three more in the forms of a baseball cap, a non-regulation red vest, and a beige vest. Quickly skimming the rest of the audience, Minato felt satisfied with his final count. Seven. Not ba—Wait. His eyes rested on a girl with teal hair. Minato's eyes narrowed on the light blue collar sticking up from her regulatory school jacket. Does that count? I mean, it's traditionally supposed to be white, but I guess there's no rule in the school handbook dictating it to be white. She doesn't look like the type to be violating uniform policy purposefully either.

As he had his mental dilemma, the girl felt his gaze and turned back to look at him. Like a deer caught in headlights, Minato froze, before he quickly diverted his gaze back to his own lap. He glanced back towards the girl, and sighed a breath of relief when she had turned back around. He decided it would be safest to stare at his sister, but looking towards her, Hamuko was smirking back at him. Minato shot her a glare before blankly staring at their principal.

And for that, I guess I won't count her, Minato thought to himself. Seven total infractions. Satisfied, he tried to get back into following what the principal was saying but a guy behind him tried to get his attention.

"Psst! Hey!" Minato shifted his head to acknowledge the nuisance. "You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you and the other new transfer walking together. Hey, I have a question. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

Minato frowned. "I don't know."

"I see. I thought you might know, but… I guess not. So, how well do you know her?"

Before Minato could respond though, a teacher spoke up.

"I hear talking. I believe it's someone in Ms. Toriumi's class…"

Toriumi glared at the teacher before scolding the multiple students in her class that had been whispering. "Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

Thankful for the diversion, Minato returned his focus to the principal. Hopefully the day won't be too long.

Hamuko watched as her brother reluctantly left her side to find an empty seat within their class section. The first seat they had found, Minato had given to her. To others, it would have been a sign of chivalry; he was being polite. To those who knew they were twins, it was Minato being a good big brother. To those that knew him, which pretty much meant herself, it was because Yukari was sitting next to the empty seat.

It wasn't that Minato necessarily disliked Yukari. It was more that Minato was awkward with people and he was a lot more comfortable on his own. Plus, Hamuko liked her so why not give his sister a chance to actually sit next to the girl she wanted to befriend?

So there he was, two rows back, sitting next to a bunch of strangers with that same frown he always wore. Hamuko noticed his eyes wandering and knew he had immediately stopped listening to the principal. Not that she could blame him, the speech wasn't all that impressive and even she lost interest.

Instead, she swept her eyes over the stage and noticed one of the exit doors was open. A large figure stood there, watching the Welcoming Ceremony, but Hamuko couldn't tell whether it was a student or a staff member. It was a tall silhouette wearing what probably looked like a beanie and a long coat. It didn't make much sense though since the weather was cool, but it didn't warrant such a heavy jacket.

That can't be a student, she decided as she continued to watch the presence just stand there. Don't tell me I'm seeing things again. No wait, they're real. She let out a relieved breath when a teacher tried to approach the figure only to cower back to his seat when the taller presence looked towards him. Nope, probably a student. A delinquent, maybe?

Hamuko continued to watch, but noticed the same familiar light standing near the boy. It took the form of a little girl and it looked like the girl was tugging on his sleeve, urging him to join the audience. The young child pointed to someone in the front audience and Hamuko traced who she was referring to.

The red-eyed girl noticed a white-haired boy sitting ahead of her. The boy had his head turned towards the tall figure at the door. Intrigued, Hamuko couldn't take her eyes away as she watched the ghostly girl give up pulling on the taller boy. The girl instead went to the white-haired boy's side and remained there, sadly gazing at the boy who refused to come in.

Hamuko returned her attention on said boy and noticed that he was scanning the audience, but stopped when he noticed Hamuko staring. She could feel an intense energy bore through her being before the figure turned away. Hamuko could do nothing and just watched his receding maroon jacket trail out the door. Huh. I wonder what that was about. She stared at the exit for a moment longer until something else caught her attention.

"I heard we got two transfer students." Two boys sitting in the row behind her were whispering rather loudly.

"Yep. I've seen them, too. They came to school with Yukari."

"Wow, they lucked out to get to know Yukari so quickly."

"Yeah, no kidding. The girl was pretty cute too."

"That dude she was with seemed close to her. You think they're dating?"

"Ah, who knows? He could be dating Yukari."

A girl suddenly joined in on the boys' conversation. "He was pretty hot, so I wouldn't be surprised."

Hot? Minato? Hamuko controlled her need to laugh as she slightly turned her head to see what her brother was doing. He was intently staring at someone so she traced his line of sight and found that a cute girl had caught his attention.

Hamuko studied the blue-haired boy's expression and noticed he was focusing on something. Perhaps it was another game of his. Something silly to stave off boredom, but he had better be careful. If the girl turns around, he'd probably implode from embarrassment.

And the girl did turn. Hamuko watched as her brother quickly ducked his head. Aw… Minato's blushing. Turning back to the girl, Hamuko noticed that the teal-haired girl was also blushing. Huh… Wow. She must be just as bashful as nii-san. Hamuko smirked at her brother and noticed he shot her a glare right back.

Yukari noticed Hamuko looking at the row behind them. "What's up?"

The red-eyed girl shook her head. "It's nothing. Just checking on Minato." Her eyes darted over to the boys behind them and Yukari immediately got the hint.

The other girl made a face. "Ugh. I wish they'd stop."

Hamuko shrugged and the two returned their focus on the principal. It was a few seconds later that the teacher of the class in front of them began scolding them.

Hamuko stood up from her desk and was about to pounce on her sleeping brother when a new face popped up in front of her.

"Sup, dude!?"

Hamuko yelped, causing the remaining students in class to look over.

The boy with a baseball cap just smiled back at her. "Haha, you look like a deer in headlights."

The red-eyed girl finally managed to calm her heart rate. After making sure this new boy wasn't a figment of her imagination she finally spoke. "Who are you?"

"Me?" The boy asked with a raised eyebrow.

He was about to say something when Yukari interrupted with a sigh. "At it again, huh? Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on?"

"Hit on?" Hamuko frowned to herself, hoping her brother didn't overhear that.

At that moment though, Minato suddenly appeared from behind the boy. He cleared his throat, causing the tall boy to jump. Minato ignored him though and continued making his way to Hamuko. When he finally made it to his sister's desk, he gave Hamuko an expectant nod. "Ready to go?"

Seeing this as his chance to befriend both new kids at once, the capped boy smiled at Minato. "Sup, dude!?"

As if he just noticed his presence, Minato frowned at the bothersome teen. "What do you want?"

"Oh, come on," the other boy easily shrugged it off. "Let me introduce myself, at least."

"No thanks," Minato interrupted only to have Hamuko sternly glance at him. He rolled his eyes and allowed the other boy to continue. "Whatever."

"I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in eighth grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid… So I wanted to say, 'hey'. See what a nice guy I am!" Yukari groaned, but Junpei just smirked at her. "I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

The girl sighed in response. "Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But, I was just bein' friendly."

"If you say so." Yukari looked to the twins. "Anyway, looks like we're in the same homeroom…"

Hamuko lightly laughed. "Yeah, I know."

Minato crossed his arms and frowned. "It's just a coincidence."

Yukari was starting to get used to his attitude so nodded. "I know, but still… I was a little surprised."

Junpei cut in. "Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too? By the way, I heard you three came to school together this morning." He stared at both girls with a goofy smile. "A couple of cuties like you, walking side by side…" He then lightly elbowed Minato. "And you with them… The whole class was buzzing about you. C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

Yukari's face went red as she looked towards Minato. "Wh-what are you talking about!? We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried…" She became silent for a moment before asking the blue-haired boy. "Hey… You didn't say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?"

Confused, Minato looked towards Hamuko, who only shrugged in response. Looking back at their dormmate, Minato frowned. "You know what?"

Yukari groaned. "Don't tell me you forgot already! Seriously… Don't say anything about last night, alright?"

Junpei stared blankly back at Yukari while Hamuko and Minato exchanged glances.

Noticing the awkward silence, Yukari turned towards Junpei. "Wh-what?"

"L-last night?" the boy stuttered.

"W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea. Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us!" Yukari knew she was digging a grave for herself. "Geez… Could you just forget it? I hate dealing with rumors like that. I mean, I'm used to it, but they just got here, you know? Don't you feel bad, spreading rumors like that? Well, I've gotta go take care of some archery team stuff. Later, Hamuko. Don't try anything funny, you got that, Junpei?" She picked up her bag but cast Junpei and Minato one last glance before leaving. "You better not start any rumors!"

Junpei waited until she was gone before shrugging. He turned towards Minato. "Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid… But, hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man!"

Minato looked away, annoyance clearly plastered all over his face. "Whatever." He looked back over to Hamuko. "Let's go. There's a place I want to stop by before heading back to the dorm."

"Ooh… Where's it at? Can I come with?" Junpei eagerly asked.

The blue-eyed boy glanced over at the idiot before sighing. "Never mind. I'll go by myself then. I'll be back late to the dorm, Hamuko."

"You'll call me if you get lost though, right?" she worriedly frowned.

"Sure," the older twin noncommittally replied before picking up his bag. He made his way past Junpei but stopped for a moment to levelly look the taller teen in the eyes. "If you try anything on her, I'll snap your limbs."

Junpei's smile wavered as Minato left the room. When the blue-haired teen was completely gone, he turned towards Hamuko nervously. "What is he, your nanny? What was that about?"

Hamuko chuckled to herself. "Sorry about that. He's quite the overprotective brother."

"Brother!?" He didn't think they'd be siblings, but it did sort of make sense since they both transferred at the same time and already knew each other. "Well, just to clear something up, I seriously didn't come over here to hit on you or anything. If you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol' pal Junpei about it!"

"Thanks," the girl replied, happy to have made a new friend. Realizing she hadn't yet introduced herself yet, she brightly smiled at her classmate and held out her hand. "Oh, I'm Hamuko by the way. It's nice to meet you, Junpei!"

"Well, Hamuko, my door's always open. So to speak." After shaking her hand, Junpei went back to his desk to grab his stuff before smiling back at his new friend. "Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

"Yeah, I think so too!" Hamuko agreed, following him out the door.

Minato looked out at the evening sun and frowned. It had taken him a lot longer than he had thought to purchase the things he needed since he ended up lost multiple times. And thanks to the holdup at school with Junpei, he had to come without Hamuko.

Oh well, the boy thought as he set out the incense sticks he picked up at the shrine. We'll be living here for a year so can visit anytime. "Right, Mom? Dad?" The boy closed his eyes and tried to sort out his thoughts. Between the odd contract, the mysterious boy, and his initial encounter with Yukari, he didn't know what to make of the entire situation. He was only certain of one thing and that was to protect his younger sister. After all, he thought, it's my fault we're in this mess… Huh? Minato frowned to himself as he crossed his arms. "Was it really my fault all those years ago?" He tried to recall a memory, but found it impossible. I know I try not to think about it, but why can't I remember?

Minato remained there for quite awhile before a chime sounded, notifying him of a text. He quickly pulled out his phone, in case it was his sister. "Dinner's in the fridge. –H"

The boy quickly sent a reply. "Thanks. Be back soon. –M"

The teen decided now would be a good time to return so his sister wouldn't worry too much about his whereabouts. It took him a while to find the street he traversed that morning but on his way back to the dorm, he saw a jogging white-haired boy with a bandage on his face. Minato stood out of the older boy's way and watched as he passed him. His blue eyes widened when he saw a glimpse of another shadow, similar to the ones he saw hanging over Mitsuru and Yukari.

Please be awake. Minato quickly ran the rest of the way to the dorm and struggled with his key. As he opened the door to the lounge, he heard someone shifting in the couch. Hoping it was Hamuko, he was about to give her a relieved greeting, but the person there spoke first.

"Back so soon, Aki—?" Mitsuru looked up to see the blue-haired boy staring blankly at her. "My mistake, Yuki. I mistook you for someone else." Minato didn't move from his spot but he nodded in understanding. "Welcome back. You're rather late. Arisato has already retired for the evening, but she asked me to inform you that she purchased a meal for you."

"Thank you," Minato responded as politely as he could. He hid his slight disappointment, but then again, his sister wasn't very good at staying up late. He walked over towards the kitchen area and reached for the refrigerator door before deciding he would rather go to bed. "I think I'll skip dinner and go to sleep for now. If I get hungry, I'll probably be down to eat later."

Mitsuru nodded and returned to her book, while Minato made his way to the stairs. He glanced at the upperclassmen once more, but sighed in relief when he didn't see any more hanging shadows.

I must be going out of my mind, he thought as he disappeared up the stairs.

~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~

Mitsuru woke up when she heard a strange noise. It sounded like slurping, but not quite. It was rather feral, like a wolf tearing apart its meal. She sat up in the couch and shook sleep from her mind. Something wasn't right. It was dark and an eerie green light illuminated the world.

The Dark Hour, of course, she thought to herself. She must have fallen asleep waiting for Akihiko to return. That explains the blanket that was covering her. It didn't explain that atrocious noise though. Could it be a Shadow?

She reached for the rapier hidden behind the couch and was ready to attack whatever was in the kitchen, only to see a blue-haired boy sitting at the counter. Sensing someone was watching him, Minato stopped eating out of the take-out container and slowly turned around. By the time he saw his senior, Mitsuru had already returned her rapier to its proper hiding spot.

Minato carefully chewed his food before gulping down whatever was in his mouth. "Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?"

"It's fine," the redhead said, not directly looking at her underclassman. "It would be better if I properly slept in my bed after all." To try to divert the attention away from her, she frowned at the boy. "Why are you up so late, Yuki?"

"I tend to get hungry," he paused uncomfortably as the lights suddenly came on, "especially around this time at night."

Mitsuru blinked at him. "I see…" How interesting… "Well, enjoy your dinner and have a good night." The boy nodded in thanks as he continued eating, albeit much more silently. Instead of returning to her room however, Mitsuru continued towards the fourth floor. It would seem that she would have to order the new Evokers earlier than she had previously thought.

Final Notes: Yeah, I cut out the scene between Akihiko and Mitsuru. I just didn't think it was necessary. That bit about their school uniforms... Those are actual concerns of mine. Gekkoukan looks pretty strict and I know we want to have the important main characters to look unique, but really, I want to see the entire team in their proper uniforms... Okay... Maybe the winter jacket doesn't necessary go with Mitsuru's style, but doesn't she get cold during the winter? Oh, just a note, I actually do count Fuuka as a uniform infraction. Does she not own a plain white blouse? And kudos to you if you can figure out who Track Suit and Beige Vest are. I don't mean for it to be a game, but I get bored easily so... Eh.