Author's Notes: And I think now things officially start? I don't know. I've kinda lost track because the beginning was so slow. No matter. The game picks up after the first month anyways.

~30 ARPIL 2009~

The rest of the month passed without any problems. Minato was actually surprised to see the end of the month arrive. Was time really moving this quickly? He recalled the events of the past few weeks and noticed the steady amount of friends he had made. I didn't even notice… So this is what it's like to 'live', huh?

Since the team's last visit to Tartarus, Minato and Hamuko had befriended an old couple running a used bookstore at the strip mall. Mitsuru had also asked the twins to help her with Student Council, where they caught the notice of the head of the Disciplinary Committee Hidetoshi Odagiri. Minato was even able to get close to Chihiro Fushimi, the Treasurer who happened to be a year under them. The blue-haired boy worked hard to juggle Student Council with the Track Team, and yet he somehow managed to also get to know the Team Manager, Yuko Nishiwaki. And on the weekends, Minato often locked himself up in his room to speak with a friend he found online who went by the name Maya as he went by the name Tatsuya. Between all of these people, Minato was surprised he was able to make time for himself.

Hamuko, on the other hand, had no trouble with her schedule. She joined the Volleyball Team with ease and quickly bonded with Rio Iwasaki, apparently a childhood friend of Kenji's. Hamuko and Minato often hung out with the two after school when they could and the blue-haired twin finally cleared up to the Magician that it wasn't a double-date and that Hamuko was actually his sister. The red-eyed girl smirked at the memory and as she told Yukari about her brother's odd ability of attracting misunderstandings but never clearing them up, Hamuko realized she and Yukari were also getting closer too, establishing herself the Lovers Arcana.

Tired from the day's activities, the twins met up for dinner and were now returning to the dorm. Minato sighed as he shook his head. "I know I already have a lot on my plate, but it's too bad the Photography Club isn't open. I've been itching to finally get access to a proper darkroom, but I guess I'll have to keep using my room during the Dark Hour to develop photos."

"How'd you get your stuff to work during the Dark Hour?" Hamuko asked as she matched her steps with his.

"I asked Kirijo-senpai for some parts. We have a deal that as long as I agree to be the dorm's handyman I can get more parts to work with."

"That's an interesting deal," Hamuko tilted her head to the side. "I understand why she doesn't ask Junpei, but how about Akihiko-senpai? He looks like he'd know his way with a wrench."

"I asked her that too, but apparently, there was an incident about some protein powder getting into the TV?" Minato shrugged as the redhead didn't really explain it to him. "I don't know the details of what actually happened, but Sanada-senpai is banned from touching the tools."

Hamuko laughed. "That sounds like something."

"No kidding," Minato laughed. The girl paused and studied her older brother. The blue-haired boy suddenly felt self-conscious. "What's the matter? Do I have something on my face?"

The younger twin shook her head. "You seem a lot happier."

"Do I?" Minato paused to think about it. "I feel happier. I don't know. Maybe it's because I actually have something to look forward to each morning. Each day is different. One day I could be running in Track with Kaz, or maybe I'd help Hidetoshi with a disciplinary issue. It's a lot more fun than me last year holing myself up in my room, having you force me out to go to school and therapy each day. There's so much for me to do that I can't waste time thinking about Reapers."

"I'm glad," Hamuko said as she continued walking.

"How about you? No ghosts?"

Hamuko shook her head. "Lately it's been different. I hear thoughts, instead."

"Like mind-reading?"

"Not really," the girl frowned. "Whenever I pass by someone who's Lost, I can sort of hear their voices."

"Hamuko," Minato looked at his sister with concern. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I can ignore them pretty easily," the girl said. She looked around and saw a Lost girl standing outside their dorm. "But, I guess with so many Lost appearing, it tends to get noisy. It gets especially worse during the Dark Hour."

"Here," Minato removed his Velvet Key from his lanyard and placed his headphones on his younger sister. "You can take my music player. If the noise gets too unbearable, just put that on. I put in some of your new songs, but if you want, I don't mind if you reorganize my playlists."

"Thanks, nii-san," Hamuko smiled as she accepted his most prized possession.

"No problem. I'm your older brother after all. It's my job to take care of you." He smiled back at her as he unlocked the front door. As they entered, his phone began to ring and oddly enough, so did Hamuko's. Raising an eyebrow, he answered cautiously. "This is Minato Yuki. Hello?"

"Hello? This is Elizabeth." Minato's eyes widened in surprise. "Please come to the Velvet Room. There is a matter we need to discuss. You may use the alternate entrance located in Paulownia Mall. All you must do is find the door. I'll see you soon." The girl giggled before hanging up and Minato frowned to his sister.

"That was Elizabeth."

Hamuko nodded her head as she also put her phone away. "Yeah, Theo called too saying something about his sister forcing him to call me to tell you to go over. Should we go now?"

Minato thought about it before shaking his head. "We just got back and you're tired. I'll head over to Paulownia Mall myself. If anything comes up, I'll let you know. We'll probably be visiting Tartarus tonight, but I can't say for sure."

"Alright, I'll let Mitsuru-senpai know," Hamuko nodded as she went upstairs. "Take care of yourself."

Minato looked around as he entered the Velvet Room. He waved to Theo before walking towards Elizabeth. "You asked for me?"

Elizabeth bowed and gave him a small smile. "I am truly sorry to bother you, but… I have a big favor to ask. I have been looking for someone with exceptional strength. It's been quite some time since we've had a visitor worthy of our attention. If you don't mind, will you accept my requests? Of course, once each request is completed, I will have a reward for you. I anxiously await your cooperation."

"That seems doable," Minato nodded. "What do you need done?"

Elizabeth nodded to her brother and the golden-eyed boy jumped. He handed the boy a small list of tasks. "I am so very relieved you accepted, Master Minato," Theo sighed. "The horrors I would have had to endure if you would have refused," the younger brother trembled. "No need to worry though, the requests will remain within the limits of your skill."

Minato tucked the list away in his pocket. "We'll get it done. No problem."

"Yes, I'm certain you will," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"Good luck," Theo slightly bowed. "Please tell your sister that we await her next visit."

The blue-eyed boy curtly nodded before exiting. As he came out of the alleyway, Minato noticed the door to Club Escapade. He invited himself in, curious to see if his fortune had changed.

"You're back," Den Mother smiled at him. "Would you like to know your fortune?"

"Yes, please," Minato nodded as he took a seat across from her.

"Very well…" The crystal orb turned pitch black as a silver line bisected the darkness. "A long rail under the empty sky…" Minato swore he saw the image of the monorail. "On it stands youth in disarray… You seem to live a tumultuous life… What do you see at the end of the rail?" The train ran its course before coming to a stop and shifting into a Shadow and then Reaper. The images soon disappeared and Minato could only continue to stare as he felt fear begin to well up inside him. "Farewell, then... May your future be bright…"

"Thank you," Minato said as he rose from his seat. He carefully made his way out of Club Escapade, being sure not to stumble over his uneasiness. He took out his phone and quickly texted his sister. "Tartarus, tonight. -M"

"OK. Just told Senpai. -H"

Minato contemplated whether to share what he just found out with his sister but soon slipped his phone back into his pocket. She wasn't very big with fortune telling as he was and she'd only say he was worrying over nothing. The boy kept the woman's reading in mind though as he returned to the dorm to prepare for a long training session within Tartarus.

~1 MAY 2009~

Minato waved as Yukari smiled at him from the gate. Beside him, Hamuko cheerfully jumped up. "Morning, Yukari!"

"Mornin'. It's getting warmer, huh?" Yukari looked down at their winter uniform and Minato tugged on his collar in discomfort. "Well, it IS May already… It's amazing how time flies…"

"True," Minato shrugged as the three started towards the main building.

"So much has been happening… Ya know, it doesn't seem like the number of Apathy Syndrome cases has been decreasing lately… We're the only ones who can fight the Shadows, so… I guess we should train more, so that we're ready if anything like THAT comes up again. Me especially. I don't wanna be a burden on everyone else."

"You don't have to really worry about that," Hamuko shook her head. "We're all in this together and if anything, all responsibility falls on the leader." The girl slightly turned to look at her brother.

"Oh! No, you shouldn't have to take it all on yourself," Yukari said to the girl.

"But it's true," Minato shrugged. "Whatever happens, it's the leader who bears the burden of responsibility. All those following the leader are only accountable for themselves, but a good leader is one who can properly bring the team together collectively as a whole. Hamuko understands that, so don't worry about it."

"You sound a bit like Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said with a frown.

"Well, she is the official leader of SEES," the boy pointed out. "Whether or not she leads the charge on the field is a different matter altogether. After all, that goes under my—er, Hamuko's," he quickly corrected himself, "jurisdiction."

"But you're also co-leader," Hamuko reminded him.

"Meaning I am your first means of support for when things go downhill." He paused when he saw Hidetoshi arguing with a student. "Speaking of which, I've got to check something out. I'll see you in class."

The two girls watched as he headed towards the Disciplinary Committee officer. Yukari shook her head. "I don't know whether to be impressed or worried about your brother."

"I wouldn't worry about him," Hamuko reassured her. "He's just over thinking things as usual." I hope...

Classes didn't even end yet, and already Minato had to put up with the nonsense of extra-curricular activities. Minato quickly got up from his seat to deal with important Student Council matters regarding their class. Hamuko, being Toriumi's favorite of the two, remained in class as he was specifically sent to take care of the paperwork for Class 2-F. Being a Friday, Mitsuru and the other also officers came in early but matters soon became complicated near the end of the council's weekly meeting. The Student Council President seemed confused as to why the proper papers she needed to look at for the day were never given to her and was now snapping orders at everyone to search for them.

As it turns out, someone had misplaced an entire crate of files that Mitsuru was to go over to prepare for the year's school festival. The festival may have been months away, but proper planning would help ensure that nothing went awry. That and the Student Council President had to approve all of the events every club and class wanted to hold and it would take a while before Mitsuru could properly evaluate whether something like a beauty pageant was a good idea for the school to hold.

"Odagiri, I want you to speak with Ekoda for permission to search the teachers' lounge. Fushimi, go to the Faculty Office and search there. Yuki, any other suggestions?"

The blue-eyed boy crossed his arms as he tried to deduce where the files were. "Senpai, didn't you hand them over to the Vice President during the last meeting?"

"Of course," Mitsuru nodded to him. She looked around the meeting room but couldn't find her second-in-command. "It looks like he's not here today. Fushimi, while you're in the Faculty Office, try to get his contact information. I'll give him a call myself to ask for the location of those files."

As the rest of the Council dispersed, Minato let out a disgruntled sigh. "Such a mess could have been prevented if the Vice President was more capable," he muttered to himself.

"While I completely agree, what's done is done," Mitsuru said, making the boy jump up in surprise.

"Senpai!" He cleared his throat as he recollected himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to speak badly of the Vice President."

"No, I understand your concerns. You weren't just referring to the Student Council," Mitsuru guessed and the boy solemnly nodded in response. "I'll let it pass for today. Seeing as how you seem to have your hands full, you may leave. But just so you know, I think you're doing an excellent job in your position for SEES so there is no reason for you to be so hard on yourself. Good work as usual today." Mitsuru pulled out some other paperwork and took a seat as she began to fill them out.

The boy smiled at her praise. "I appreciate—"

Minato was interrupted when someone suddenly slid the door open. "Senpai, we have some trouble near the laboratories on the first floor. Is Hidetoshi-kun available?"

"I'll take care of it," Minato said, standing up.

"Ah, Yuki-kun. You'll do! It seems some girls are causing trouble for the clubs, namely the Photography Club. The teachers—or rather Mr. Edogawa and Ms. Toriumi—are having a difficult time defusing the situation."

"I see," the boy grabbed a yellow armband and tied it around his arm. He would need it if he were to establish himself as a part of the Disciplinary Committee. He looked towards Mitsuru with a curt nod. "I'll get this done and then leave for the day."

"I'll leave it to you, Yuki," the redhead nodded as the blue-haired boy followed the student downstairs. She smirked to herself as she began going over the school's paperwork. He's become quite dependable. I wonder if he isn't overexerting himself though.

Minato managed to get things sorted out quickly enough. He had apparently encountered the trouble-making girls before back when he had passed out on the school's rooftop so he had a bit of a handle on how to deal with the group. Even more, Hidetoshi had caught wind of the trouble too so was actually already on scene, writing up the detention citations. Minato gave him a hand anyway but what exactly the problem was the blue-haired teenager didn't know. Perhaps it was that they were disrupting club activities or they were harassing another student, but apparently Edogawa tried to step in only to drag Toriumi into the mess. In the end, Minato didn't really care about the details because it was all just another headache for him as he and Hidetoshi wrapped things up. When his friend left to file the incident formally in the Council Room, Minato finally let out a sigh of relief that it was all over.

He turned to leave but failed to see the girl coming out of the science lab. "Oof!" Minato bounced backwards a little as the girl toppled to the ground, spilling papers out from her folder. The blue-haired boy's eyes grew wide as he quickly bent down and picked them up. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." He studied the beautiful photos before looking up to the girl. "These shots are—" He paused as he recognized who he was talking to. "Oh, it's you!" The surprise in his voice caused the girl jerk her head up at him, short teal-green hair bouncing a little before it settled around her face.

The girl stared at him with brown eyes before relaxing. "You're… Yuki-san." She saw the yellow band tied around his arm. "Oh! Are you here for Student Council?"

"Yeah," he nodded as he offered a hand to the girl. She took it and he carefully pulled her up. "Some girls were causing problems for the teachers earlier so I came down to check it out." He paused as he remembered something. "Oh, sorry," he looked away from her. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this since they're your friends, right?"

"My friends?" the girl tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Um... those girls on the roof with you?"

"O-oh!" She carefully looked around, as if she were making sure she wasn't caught by someone she recognized. "Them..."

"They're with Hidetoshi now," Minato shook his head. "Sorry that you missed them."

"N-no, it's fine," the girl frowned. "Sorry... I was actually busy with club activities so I didn't even know they were here. Speaking of," she sheepishly looked up at the taller boy, "I shouldn't be keeping you from the Student Council."

"Oh, not at all. I was just about done for the day," Minato nodded his head. He stared at the pictures still in his hand. "These are very good shots, by the way." After straightening them out, he handed them back to her and noticed the camera she carried. "Wait, you took these with that camera? I didn't expect the Nikon F6 to be this amazing! I use the F5 myself, but I could never produce a photo like this! The focusing and exposure looks incredible!"

"I-it's not that impressive," the girl lightly blushed as she lifted her camera. "I just modified the F6 a bit so it would have a manual focus," she told him with a small smile growing on her face. "A bit more tinkering and I managed to get its auto-focus to work in conjunction with my changes. The same goes for the exposure and shutter speed. And thanks to its newer features—" The girl's face suddenly turned deep red as she realized she was rambling. "Sorry, this must not be interesting…"

"No, it's fantastic!" Minato's eyes were wide in amazement. "I get what you're trying to do and it makes sense." He crossed his arms as he considered the camera in his room. "I heard the F6 is much lighter and seeing how its size is smaller than my F5, I believe it. The F5 is also very power intensive, so I can't really carry it around as much as I like."

"Did you consider using lithium batteries to relieve some of the weight?" the girl suggested.

The boy nodded and sheepishly chuckled. "Yeah, I did. But considering there's not many places that sell them, I keep a spare set of regular alkaline batteries instead. I might have found something else I could use as a viable power source, but I'm still testing it before I'm certain I should apply it to my camera."

"That's understandable," the girl responded, lifting her gaze to consider something else. "There is one thing I like about the F5 more than the F6 and that's its Mirror Up function. That and its auto-focusing is much faster. Since I modified the focusing on my camera, it's a lot slower than I would like, even compared to a normal F6."

"Maybe if you—" Minato was interrupted by a ringing coming from his pocket. His phone vibrated against his leg and he took it out to see who it was. He frowned when he realized it was from his sister. "Sorry, I have to take this." He put his phone to his ear and quickly responded with an annoyed scowl, "Hello? Hamuko? What is it? You know you just interrupted me while I was in the middle of something. No, it wasn't for Student Council. Well, it was, but not now. Okay, I'll head back to the classroom now. You know, you're very aggressive for a girl. No, that is not what I love best about you. Fine, fine. Give me a minute and I'll be there." He hung up his phone and gave the photographer an apologetic smile. "I've got to go. Again, sorry for bumping into you. I'll see you around."

"Yes, I hope we can talk like this again." The girl's smile slowly faded as she watched the boy disappear up the stairs.

Minato just about reached the door to his classroom when he groaned to himself. I forgot to ask for her name! This'll make it much more difficult for me to find her in the future. That and I still haven't repaid her for before… Damn, I'm bad at this. He opened the door and looked over towards his sister, who was talking with Junpei. "Why are you both still even here in the classroom? I expected you guys would have gone home by now."

"We were just hanging out, talking," Junpei said with a shrug.

"Why'd you call me then?" Minato raised his eyebrow at Hamuko.

"We overheard the rest of Student Council say that you had gone downstairs to resolve some trouble. Hidetoshi-kun came back without you so I was wondering when you'd be back since your stuff was still here." She pointed to his things and the boy noticed that the red-eyed girl went through the trouble of packing everything away for him. "You seem a bit upset."

"No, it's nothing," Minato decided to forgive his sister. She was just worried after all. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "What now?"

Junpei smirked at the two and leaned back in his seat. "FYI, Akihiko-san's at the hospital getting a checkup. He called me earlier, and asked me to bring him something. Yup, he knows who to count on."

Yukari had just returned too and shook her head at the capped boy. "He only asked you cuz you don't have anything else to do after school."

"H-hey, I resent that."

The brunette giggled. "I'm just kidding. So, what'd he want you to bring?"

"The class roster for 2-E."

Minato tilted his head at that as he thought back to the citations he just wrote up. Ekoda's class? The one with those trouble-making girls from before?

"What's he want that for?" Yukari asked. "Well, I don't have practice today, so I'll go with you. You're coming too, right?" She turned to the twins.

Hamuko smirked. "Definitely!"

"Cool," Yukari nodded.

Junpei frowned. "W-wait a minute…"

"What? Is there a problem?" Yukari put her hands on her hips.

"Well, it was ME he asked…"

"Well, we can come along too, right?" Yukari turned to Minato. "How about you?"

"I'll pass," Minato tried, hoping the girl from before was still on campus so he could properly introduce himself this time.

"Come on, now," Yukari lightly elbowed him. "I'm sure he wanted us there too… It sounds important, doesn't it?"

"He asked ME, ya know," Junpei said again, standing for emphasis.

Yukari rolled her eyes at him. "If it's important, we should all go together. Right?"

Both boys looked at each other but decided not to argue with her. She did have a point. A bit disappointed in the change in his plans, Minato shrugged. "Whatever."

Hamuko followed Junpei into the room the nurse told them Akihiko was in. She almost crashed into her friend when he suddenly stopped. She looked over his shoulder to see what was wrong and froze when she saw a familiar maroon coat. A tall boy with a beanie glared at them as they crowded into the room.

Junpei gulped. "Um… Is… Akihiko-senpai…?" The stranger kept his stare level. Junpei mustered as much courage as he could. "…in this room? By any chance?" He nervously chuckled as an attempt to try and break the tension.

Behind them, Minato heard footsteps so turned around to see the familiar white-haired boxer. "What are all of you guys doing here?"

Yukari brightened at the sight of him. "We came to see you! But… it doesn't look like anything's wrong with you."

"I'm just here for a checkup," Akihiko reassured them.

Hamuko was only half paying attention because she was more concerned about the strange visitor in his room. She held her breath as he stood up. For some reason, he didn't rise to his full height and instead leaned forward like a hunched old man. "Is that it, Aki?" he said in a rough voice.

"Yeah, thanks," Akihiko nodded.

He must be close to Senpai, Hamuko thought.

"Tch… I don't have time for this shit."

His attitude is worse than nii-san's, Hamuko smirked as she eyed her brother beside her.

The boy came towards them and the four juniors quickly got out of his way. He paused as he passed Hamuko and met her gaze. "You…"

She stared back, mesmerized by his stormy grey eyes. Beside her, she felt Minato tense up as he glared at the taller boy. "You've got a problem?" he asked in a low, challenge-filled voice. The older boy shifted his gaze over to the blue-haired boy and his expression changed slightly. Minato stared back but his eyes widened a little. The Reaper behind him. He already knows… The junior backed down a bit but gave the older boy a knowing frown.

The jacketed boy seemed to understand what went on in the younger boy's mind as he turned to leave. "Never mind," he muttered as he left. Hamuko continued to stare after him until she could no longer see the ends of his coat.

Junpei turned to Akihiko nervously. "Wh-who was that?"

"A friend from school," Akihiko frowned. "Sort of. You know how the number of Apathy Syndrome cases has been increasing? Well, he knows a few people who are suffering from it, so I was asking him about it. Hey Junpei, did you bring what I asked?"

Smiling victoriously, Junpei slipped to his side, waving the folder in the air. "Of course, Senpai."

"Sorry for the trouble," the boxer nodded. "Well then, let's get going!" He took the folder from the junior with his injured arm.

"Uh, you shouldn't move your arm," Junpei managed to splutter out.

"It's nothing. I've wasted enough time already." Akihiko's expression darkened a bit. "I need to get back to my training." Hamuko paused when she saw a pale light appear behind the senior.

"By the way, Senpai," Yukari began, "why boxing?"

"You mean, why did I choose that sport? Well," Akihiko frowned to himself. "It's not the sport itself I like; I just wanted to learn how to fight. I know what it's like to feel powerless." Hamuko continued to stare as the light took the shape of a little girl. "And I don't want to feel that way again. Besides," Hamuko was slightly startled when the girl disappeared and Akihiko jumped to his feet with a smirk. "I'm curious to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself."

"That's an interesting way of looking at it," Junpei smirked. "Ya know, I'm into games too…"

"Yeah, VIDEO games," Yukari rolled her eyes.

"Oh, but I like fighting games too," Junpei pointed out.

"Whatever," Yukari sighed.

Hamuko giggled at that as she tried to get the image of the little girl out of her mind. "You almost sound like nii-san."

"Hey, that wasn't what I was trying to do," Yukari's face became slightly red as she looked over towards Minato. "You get it, right?"

The blue-haired boy was staring out the window, focused on a figure outside wearing a long maroon cloak. Half paying attention to the flow of the conversation, Minato let out a long sigh. "Whatever," he muttered as the Reaper patiently tailed the tall boy.

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

Minato head fell against his desk as he stared at his camera. The darn thing was way too heavy and if he eventually did join Gekkoukan's Photography Club, he'd rather not lug it with him all day at school. So far, he's only been using it around the dorm and during weekends, but even then, his budget for batteries was extremely tight given he had to prioritize on medicine and equipment for the team.

He picked up the glowing blue crystals again and it whispered to him. It still freaked him out slightly, but he learned to ignore it. It would help if he actually had his headphones and music player, but Hamuko needed them more.

"I guess I can stop messing with my camera until I can get a second opinion on it," he said to himself as he took out Hamuko's music player. He connected it to his computer so he could back up his sister's files. Curiously, he noticed a new folder in the machine that he had never seen before. He frowned as he clicked on it. "Rumors about nii-san?"

His face went red as he listened to the various recorded audio files his sister had taken. He didn't recognize some of the voices since the timestamp revealed that some of the rumors dated back to when they were in middle school, but he did recognize the ones with Hamuko's voice laughing in the background. He definitely recognized her voice when she was the one spreading rumors about him.

"Minato's actually a girl~"

"Minato and I are dating. Yeah, we're twins. Is something wrong~?"

"Nii-san's blue hair is actually because of a terminal illness~"

Instead of spending the night modifying the music player like he initially planned, he spent it listening to all of the files, finding them all to be unique in one way or another. In the morning, as Hamuko came down to wake her older brother, she noticed he had fallen asleep at his desk.

"Nii-san, that's not very healthy." She shook him awake and looked over his shoulder to see what he had been doing the entire night. "Oh… Maybe I should have hidden that from you."

Minato slowly sat up. "So now I know the source of the rumors being spread around campus. Why must you do this to me?"

Hamuko looked at him oddly. "Nii-san… Those rumors at Gekkoukan didn't come from me… You listened to the recordings, right? None of those were me. I never reuse a rumor twice, after all."

Her older brother slammed his head back into his desk again. "I hate people…"

Final Notes: I really do wish Shinji was made more available towards the start of the game, especially when playing as Hamuko... Man... Minato's really bad at social skills... Although, I tend to usually not ask for names either... I prefer to pick up names in a group setting because I see it like a detective game. That and I don't really want to sound rude... If I'm asked for my name, then it's fair game for me to ask too... But at this point, I would ask too... It's embarrassing to not know another person's name while they know mine... Of course, I could just be thinking into the situation too much.