Author's Notes: These first few chapters are a bit short. Once the actual game properly starts, things get longer, but even then, the length is determined by how I want to split the days.

~8 APRIL 2009~

Minato found the school day to be somewhat of a hassle. On one hand, the guy apparently seated next to him is none other than Junpei Iori. On the other, Minato finally found someone who shared his lifestyle of sleeping through class. Unfortunately, Junpei was called on in class, and that brought needless attention onto the blue-haired boy himself when he wound up giving his partner the correct answer.

The mixed expression of confusion and embarrassment on the usually deadpan boy's face due to the class murmuring in admiration of the boy was something Hamuko would have to tease him about later. And so, the lessons ended and afternoon came. Finally free from the burden of being a student, Minato quickly made it to Hamuko's desk before someone would no doubt steal her away again.

"Let's go," he said, picking up her bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Hamuko was about to make a joke, but noticed her older brother was more tense than usual. She gave him an understanding nod as the two left campus together. "So where did you go yesterday?" she asked out of curiosity, thinking that may have been what was on her brother's mind.

"Moonlight Bridge." Minato looked over to the direction that led to Pawlonia Mall. "I wanted to visit."

"Oh…" The red-eyed girl hadn't thought her brother would actually go to the site of their parents' car accident without her. Then again, this was just like him to let her have fun while he went off on his own to brood. "Can we go visit today?"

"Sure," he said. Since they were already walking in the direction of the station, they decided they would walk to the bridge from Iwatodai. It was a bit farther, but Minato would rather not walk more than was necessary.

Hamuko thought it was strange that her brother didn't immediately put on his headphones once they got to the train station. Something was definitely wrong. "Did you want to talk to me about something, Minato?"

The blue-haired boy nodded his head towards the other students aboard the car they were in. "Later."

The two headed over to the Moonlight Bridge and Minato pulled out something from his bag. Curious, Hamuko watched and noticed it was a set of incense sticks. Leave it to nii-san to be prepared, she thought as she accepted the lit incense.

Hamuko kneeled and found a crevice to put the incense. She put her hands together and prayed for a moment as she stared at the two lights forming around the gently rising smoke. They formed the figure of a man and woman and Hamuko couldn't help but smile at them. "Hey, Mom. Dad. I'm sorry I couldn't come yesterday. I was with a new friend." As she got up, she got a better view of the ghostly figures of their parents.

Minato turned away and simply listened to Hamuko as she spoke. He had already said everything he wanted to the day before so remained silent, cracking a smile as his sister held a light-hearted conversation with their deceased parents.

"Nii-san does look more like Dad, doesn't he?" Hamuko lightly laughed as Minato hid his blushing face. "Thanks, Dad, but I don't think I'm quite like Mom yet. The rest of the family is fine. Nao-chan's grown so much!" Minato slightly shifted at the mention of their younger sister. "We won't be able to see her as often often while we live here, but she and Gramps send their regards. Gramps promises he'll send something soon." The bright girl looked over towards Minato. "He's fine, Mom. He does his best to take care of the both of us. You don't have to worry since I'm looking after him too." She paused and her smile momentarily disappeared. "Yeah, I'll tell him. We love you too. We'll visit again soon."

When she finished, she stood next to her brother and leaned over the rail to get a better look out over the water. The two stood in silence for a long while to take in the tranquil view. When the sun was finally beginning to set, Minato spoke up. "So," he began, "what did Mom want to say?"

Hamuko took a few seconds to consider how to deliver the message to him. "She doesn't want you visiting the bridge every day," she finally stated.

The older brother lowered his gaze and frowned to himself. "Oh…"

The brunette sighed. "I don't want you coming here too much either," she admitted to her brother. "Minato… Nothing will change if you keep coming here."

The blue-haired teen's shoulders tensed up. "No," he reluctantly agreed. "Nothing will change…" He slowly lifted his head to look at his sister. "But where else can I go to look for answers besides here?"

Hamuko crossed her arms. "That's true… It's been almost ten years though… I'm not sure if you'll be able to discover anything here. Don't forget that we're all alone here without support from the Kuzunoha."

"Yeah, I know… This place is out of the agency's jurisdiction so we'll have to be careful." Minato brought his hand up to his mouth as he pondered over their situation. After a while, he blinked at the red-eyed girl. "Oh," he began in concern, "besides Mom and Dad have you seen anyone else so far?"

Hamuko thought back to the night they arrived and the Welcoming Ceremony. "I think I saw two, but I didn't get close enough to either to talk with them. How about you?"

"Shadows here and there. They always disappear though so I can't tell if it's all in my head or actually there."

The brunette turned to face her brother. "Really? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Like I said, I wasn't sure."

"Who did you see the shadows on?"

"Kirijo-senpai, Takeba, and a boy I passed yesterday." Minato leaned against the bridge and nodded over towards Gekkoukan High. "There's one more. A big one over the school."

"You think something's up?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"That night we arrived, a lot of it didn't make sense."

"Hrm," Minato responded in agreement. "Kirijo-senpai said it herself that the dorm was different but I think I'm starting to get it."

"Should we tell them then?" Hamuko stood up straight.

"About what?"

She stared at him in disbelief that he didn't understand what she was referring to. "About what I can see?" Hamuko clenched her fists as she couldn't look directly at her brother. "About what you can sense?" Her voice lost all its usual enthusiasm.

The change in her demeanor also affected Minato so he stared at the manmade island in silence before coming up with an answer. "I… don't think we should…" he hesitantly responded.

"Why not?" Hamuko asked in alarm. "They probably know something about that and if it's related to this, you'll finally have a lead."

Minato sternly frowned at his sister. "You know what happens if I get anyone else involved, Hamuko." His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "I… don't want to see any more people dying…"

The brunette sympathetically stared at her quiet older brother before shuffling closer to him. She brought her arms up and hugged him, resting her head against his chest. "Nii-san…"

Her actions surprised him a bit so he slightly tensed up. "Hamuko?"

"There's no reason to be afraid," she tried to reassure him. She could feel him trying to relax so tightened her embrace. "I know everything will definitely be alright."

"How?" Minato meekly asked.

"You said you're seeing 'shadows', right?" Hamuko asked, looking up at her brother. "That means they're not complete Reapers and death is still uncertain. This gives us a chance to avert fate if a full Reaper does eventually show itself to you, right?"

The blue-eyed boy blinked at her as he considered her words. "Huh… That's… a rather… logical argument coming from you." Hamuko let go of him and frowned at him, prompting the older brother to hastily clarify his statement. "Don't look at me like that! You usually say something emotionally cheesy to cheer me up!" he exclaimed. He paused and chuckled to himself. "Rather than using cold, hard logic, your optimism is surely your best point."

"Well, of course," Hamuko haughtily smirked. "It's better than your pessimistic view on life! Besides," she slightly frowned, "it's not enough for me to believe things will turn out alright. We have to make it work out," she said with a determined nod. "I'm sure that's possible between the two of us."

"The two of us?" Minato studied her expression for a moment before seriously nodding to himself. "That's right... Even after all this time, we're still together. So long as we have each other, things will definitely… absolutely be fine. That said," he held out his right hand to her, "let's make a promise to each other."

"A promise?"

The older twin nodded to her. "I want to be able to see things through," Minato faltered for a moment, "but only if you're by my side, Hamuko."

The girl's crimson eyes stared deeply into Minato's navy ones. "Nii-san..." She understood what he meant by those words but instead of accepting his hand, Hamuko tackled into her brother for another hug which was promptly returned. "It's a promise, Minato."

Yukari rolled her eyes at another of the dorm guest's lame puns and was relieved when she finally heard the front door's lock click. She turned her head and the smile on her face grew as Hamuko and Minato returned. "Oh, they're back!"

The twins looked at each other in confusion as they came into the lounge. They were greeted by a sophisticated gentleman with glasses and his long hair tied up. "So, these are our new guests…" the man began with a smile.

Minato studied him and felt a chill he never experienced before go through his body. The boy focused his gaze on the man's smile and an image of a laughing masked skull came into his mind. That's not a normal Reaper! Just what is this?

Yukari introduced them to the man and Minato cordially shook his hand. The man's smile never faded as he let go of the boy. "Good evening," he began. "My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. 'Ikutsuki'… Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes…" He extended an arm, gesturing to the couch. "Please, have a seat."

The twins sat on the couch next to Yukari and it was when they were finally settled that Hamuko noticed Minato's tense suspicion.

Once satisfied with his position, Ikutsuki continued. "I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive a proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Minato immediately took this opportunity to attempt to clear the unsettling feeling currently lodged in the pit of his stomach. "Why are you here?"

Either the man didn't notice the cool edge to his tone or he was ignoring it, but Ikutsuki's smile remained in place as he answered. "To welcome you, of course. Well, to be honest, I do have other business here. Speaking of which… Where's Mitsuru, Yukari?"

Yukari looked up, slightly surprised from the question. "She's upstairs."

"As diligent as always. Although, it doesn't hurt to come down and say hello…" He turned back to the twins. "Is there anything else?"

Curious about the rest of the dorm, Hamuko asked her own question. "Who else lives here?"

Ikutsuki crossed one leg over the other and laced his fingers together. "There are only five students in this dorm: you two, Yukari here, Mitsuru, and a senior named Akihiko Sanada. I hope you all get along. Any other questions?"

Minato and Hamuko looked towards each other. The expression on Minato's face told the younger twin all she needed to know that was on his mind. He knows something about the dorm, but I don't quite trust him.

Hamuko looked back over to Ikutsuki but didn't sense anything wrong. Still, she decided to remain silent about what she and her brother had been discussing about before they returned. "No, not really."

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me…" The man got to his feet. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should both go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!' Please forgive the bad pun." The man chuckled to himself as he left.

Minato inwardly groaned. Great, a weird untrustworthy man who loves puns. Kill me now…

Yukari noticed the blue-haired boy's grimace and sighed. "You'll get used to his lame jokes."

"Aw, I thought it was pretty good," Hamuko frowned.

"Wait, you actually enjoyed it?" Yukari frowned at her. When Hamuko simply grinned back at her, Yukari shook her head. "Well, I guess you'll get along with the Chairman then."

"I hope so," Hamuko crookedly smirked. "I can't help but cherish a sense of humor like that."

Minato let out another painful groan. "Urgh... Hamuko, no. Just no..."

"Killjoy," Hamuko smirked at her brother. "But the Chairman's right about getting enough sleep though," she yawned. "I'm going to bed now. Good night, everyone." She gave her brother one last look. We'll discuss this tomorrow morning. Minato nodded in understanding and waved good night as she left.

Minato stretched his arms before his eyes widened when he realized it was just Yukari and him remaining in the lounge. Thinking he was tired, Yukari gave him a concerned look. "If you're tired, you should sleep too."

The blue-eyed boy shook his head. "I'm a bit of an insomniac," he said as he sank back into the couch, bored.

"Oh… Then you wanna do some homework together?"

Seeing as how he had nothing else to do, Minato shrugged. "Whatever."

Later that night, Yukari sat in front of a monitor console. She uncomfortably stared at two screens, one of which was watching over a sleeping Hamuko and the other keeping track of a blue-haired boy digging through his mini refrigerator.

The door to the control room opened and Yukari immediately turned her head to see Ikutsuki coming in. "Working hard? So, how're they doing?"

Beside her, Mitsuru nodded to the man in acknowledgement. "Arisato went to bed a little while ago. She's asleep now. As for Yuki…" Both girls looked back to the monitor to see the boy setting up a late night meal on his desk. "Apparently, he habitually eats around this time of night." She turned back to the Chairman. "Do you think they're…?"

Ikutsuki held up a hand and lifted his head to look at the clock hanging on the wall. "Well, let's wait and see for now. The Dark Hour is approaching."

Soon, midnight hit and everything went dark. The three continued to watch the screen as the world went through its nightly transformation. Hamuko remained asleep in her bed while Minato paused as he lifted up his bowl. He turned his chair to face away from his desk as he stared at his dresser and ate in silence.

Ikutsuki watched the two carefully. "Hmm… She's still sleeping and he's still eating. The Dark Hour occurs every day at 12 midnight; you could say it's the 'hidden' hour. During this time, an ordinary person Transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs."

Yukari nodded. "Then, they must be…"

"As you can see," Ikutsuki pointed to Hamuko's screen, "they both retain their human form. Hamuko may be asleep, but she's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour, just like her brother. The only question that remains is whether or not they have the potential. Although, they must. If they didn't, they would've preyed on them by now."

A chill went down Yukari's spine. "Scary…"

Ikutsuki nodded in agreement. "In any case, we should continue to monitor them for a few more days."

Mitsuru agreed. "Yes, Sir."

Yukari on the other hand frowned as she looked at Minato's monitor. "I feel kinda bad, though, spying on them like this…" She continued to watch the boy and as if he had heard her through the screen, Minato lifted his gaze and stared back into the camera.

"Master…" A voice called out for Minato. "Master…"

Minato felt himself be pulled through a door. He shielded his eyes from the bright light and when he could finally see again, he found himself sitting in a chair. Across from the boy was an old man with a very long nose and behind him stood two silver-haired individuals. Minato couldn't see them very well, but their glowing golden eyes watched him patiently. He heard shifting towards his left so he turned his head only to see Hamuko sitting in a chair beside him. She looked back at him with a similar look of surprise on her face, but the two only shrugged at each other.

The long-nosed man smiled at them. "Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young guests." He placed a hand on his chest as he introduced himself. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This is Elizabeth," he gestured to the left at his right who stepped forward to smile at Minato. At Igor's other side, the boy stepped forward and bowed his head towards Hamuko. "This is Theodore. They are residents here, like myself."

The two golden-eyed residents bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

Igor continued. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… It's been years since we've had a guest." Igor waved his hand and two familiar sheets of paper appeared on the table. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place… Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique abilities, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return… that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

The twins turned to each other and nodded. Hamuko smiled back at Igor as she replied for the two of them. "We understand."

Minato held his head as he tried to remember how they got here. "Is this a dream?"

Igor smiled at the blue-haired boy's observation. "Precisely… You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later." Two flashes of light appeared before the guests. "Hold on to this…"

Minato reached out into the light and felt something materialize in his hand. It was a small key. Looking over to his sister, he noticed she had one too.

Igor waved goodbye to them as Minato felt himself slowly drifting away. "Until we meet again…"

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

Minato had only just picked up his chopsticks when the lights to his room turned off and the sickening green glow returned. He sighed and turned his seat around to face the rest of his room. His bland furniture was a lot more preferable than the window open to the bloody scene outside.

As he ate, his eyes wandered over his blank walls. Kirijo-senpai said it was just temporary, but if things keep going the way they do, I think this'll actually be our home for the year, he thought to himself. If that's the case, I wonder how Hamuko will design it this time.

The blue-haired boy ignored the packed boxes he had shoved against the wall and allowed his gaze to follow the perimeter of his room. He paused when he found a camera he had never noticed before, hanging from a corner. He stared at it for a while before noticing the lens focusing on him.

Wait a minute… The camera shouldn't be working right now. Setting his late night meal aside, he started for his refrigerator and checked to see if it was running. Nope. This is definitely not right. Minato carefully made his way to his bed and immediately dropped to the ground. Where's my toolbox?

Meanwhile, in the control room, Yukari and Mitsuru were still discussing the possibility of the twins having the potential.

"I'm just saying that we shouldn't push them into joining us." Yukari gave the upperclassman her honest opinion about the two. "I mean, Hamuko will probably say yes, but I doubt her brother would be as eager. He's not very friendly towards other people. We were doing our homework together earlier and he barely said a thing."

"Yes," Mitsuru nodded. "He does seem rather difficult to work with. Just the other night—" She stopped speaking when she glanced back up to the screen to see Minato had disappeared. "Did he leave his room?"

Yukari was just as confused as the redhead. "No, I don't think so. We would have noticed. He couldn't have disappeared." As the junior reached for the console, a face suddenly popped up on screen, making her shriek. "A ghost!?"

"It's just Yuki," Mitsuru pointed out as calmly as she could, startled by the younger girl's reaction. She watched as the blue-eyed boy tapped the lens of the camera installed in his room. "He's sharper than I thought."

"What is he doing to the camera?" Yukari asked as the boy's arms seemed to wrap behind the frame.

Before Mitsuru could reply, the feed went dead. The older girl crossed her arms and frowned at what just happened. She fiddled with the console to try to remotely reactivate the camera, but nothing she did worked. "To be able to quickly disable the camera is quite the feat. I'm rather impressed." Glancing at the clock behind her, Mitsuru shook her head. "I'll speak to him about the camera later. For now, I suggest we retire for the night."

Back in Minato's bedroom, the boy carefully dismantled what he could of the security camera. "Oh wow," his eyes growing wide as he examined the pieces in his hand. "This is actually some cool stuff. I hope Kirijo won't mind if I 'borrow' this for a while."

Final Notes: Still the introduction... But it's getting closer to their actual awakening. Oh, in my mind, Minato's a Shirogane. But also in my mind, Hamuko and him are twins so by proxy, Hamuko is also a Shirogane. Plus, I could totally picture the two of them being doting older siblings to Naoto. The young detective can look up to her older brother while still have a proper feminine perspective from Hamuko. It's adorable in my head since Minato calls her "Nao-kun" while Hamuko adamantly refers to her as "Nao-chan". Out of the Investigation Team, I bet Rise would totally call Naoto "Nao-kun". In a way, that's sort of like Hamuko calling Naoto that considering Laura Bailey voices both brunettes...