Author's Notes: It's a good thing the game puts in things to fill up the summer void... I don't really like long school breaks myself because I get bored after the first and a half week.
~25 JULY 2009~
Kaz crossed his arms once he brought Minato to the gym. "Coach wants to speak with you, man."
Their coach nodded towards his star in thanks. "Good job, Kaz." He looked over towards Minato and smirked. "Hey, Minato. You got a minute? Since you're a transfer student, you probably don't know about the upcoming competition, right? Well, on August 2nd, there's a big tournament. I want you to compete, so start training! You'll be going up against a monster named Hayase, but you can handle it. This year, we won't lose so easy! Make sure you come back to school from July 27th to August 1st, alright? I'm gonna make you work like you've never worked before, so be ready!"
Minato's eyes went wide. "O-okay… Sure thing, Coach." The man nodded to him before returning to the main building. Minato frowned as he looked to Kaz. "Looks like he's counting on me."
"Yeah, man," his friend solemnly nodded. "You gotta take my place since I can't compete. Do your best, okay? You're the best we got now that I have to sit out."
"Leave it to me," Minato smirked. Looks like I have plans for summer break after all. Between this, Tartarus, and investigating, I guess I'll be pretty busy.
Hamuko chuckled as Kaz and Minato explained the tournament to her. "Looks like you're going to be busy for a while, nii-san."
"Yeah," the boy nodded. He paused when he noticed Kanou enter the classroom. "Hey, isn't Kanou the advisor of the Volleyball Team?"
"Ah, Hamuko-san," the teacher called out to the girl.
Hamuko turned and smiled to the young woman. "Yes?"
"About the club… do you know about the fellowship we'll be doing at another school? You'll all get to play Volleyball at a school in the countryside. Imagine that fresh air! And at night, there'll be delicious food and a hot springs!" The teacher giggled in anticipation. "Doesn't that just sound wonderful? In two days from now, you'll have practice here for a week, then leave for the other school. Don't forget, okay?"
"I understand. It sounds exciting," Hamuko smirked.
Once the woman left, Minato frowned. "Lucky… Another vacation right after Yakushima… Hot springs are more enjoyable than the beach too," he sighed.
Kaz shook his head. "Cheer up, man. Yuko says we're travelling with them to save on train fare. The tournament's gonna be out in the boonies but all the best teams'll be there, so we're counting on you, okay?"
"I've got it," Minato sighed before wearing a thoughtful expression. "I wonder if Mamoru Hayase is any good. I've heard rumors but nothing is certain until I see him with my own eyes."
"Well, good luck, nii-san!" Hamuko encouraged him.
"Yeah, thanks. We're heading to practice now. I'll catch you later," Minato nodded.
Kaz fired himself up. "Get ready to run until you puke, Yuki! Mamoru's going down!"
Hamuko was surprised when she saw Ken sitting in the dormitory lounge as she returned. "Ken-kun?"
The boy looked up at her with wide eyes. "Oh, hello, Hamuko-san! My name is Ken Amada," he bowed as he introduced himself properly. "I'll be staying her for a while. I'll try to stay out of everyone's way, so don't mind me."
"You moved in sooner than I expected, Ken-kun," Hamuko smiled at him. "Have you met everyone else?"
The elementary school student thought about. "I think so. No, wait," he shook his head. "I haven't properly met Minato-san yet."
"He hasn't returned?" Hamuko asked him.
"No, not yet. I heard from the others that he's training for an upcoming tournament. He's a part of the Track Team, right?"
"But practice ended hours ago…" the girl frowned in worry.
"I'm sure he's alright," Akihiko said, coming down the stairs. "It's good to see him taking his training seriously. Our school will take the title this year for sure!" the senior smirked as he rummaged through the fridge for a protein shake.
Hamuko smiled at both boys. "Well, I have to prepare for my volleyball fellowship, so good night."
"Good night, Hamuko-san," Ken smiled at her before returning to the news.
Akihiko nodded to her too. "Night. You better take your training seriously too. You might not have a tournament, but it's good to keep your skills sharp."
"I understand, Senpai," Hamuko nodded before going up to the third floor. She paused outside Fuuka's room for a moment though. After a second of deliberation, the red-eyed girl knocked. "Fuuka-chan! It's me. Can I talk to you?"
"Hamuko-chan?" Fuuka quickly answered and gave the co-leader a confused expression. "Is something wrong?"
"Nii-san isn't back and I was wondering if you knew where he was."
"Um, no," Fuuka frowned. "I haven't seen him all day actually. I heard the Track Team is preparing for a big competition."
"But practice ended hours ago," Hamuko pointed out. Where did he disappear to? Did he go to see Shinjiro-san again? "Hey… can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Can you scan for him? Check to see if he's at Port Island Station."
Fuuka nodded and let the girl into her room. "Sure. Do you think something happened to him?"
"No, but he's been going there a lot lately for his investigation," Hamuko stated. "Given how convoluted the streets are, I just want to make sure he's not lost or anything. You know how nii-san is."
The teal-haired girl quickly summoned Lucia and searched for the boy's presence. "Found him! I sense him in the back alleys. He doesn't seem to be in danger." Huh!? Fuuka sensed another Persona that wasn't Orpheus. It was a faint presence, but it seems Minato was meeting with this person. "I think Minato-kun is speaking to someone with a Persona…"
Hamuko let out a sigh of relief. "That must be Shinjiro-san," the girl reassured Fuuka. "Nii-san's okay then. Sorry to ask you to do that, Fuuka-chan. I'll head off to bed now."
"W-wait," Fuuka frowned at her. "You're not worried something might happen to Minato-kun while he's there?"
Hamuko shook her head. "No, I trust nii-san can take care of himself and Shinjiro-san is there too." The brunette chuckled to herself as she doubted anyone would dare mess with both intimidating boys. "Besides, I'm sure nii-san's only there because I asked him to check up on Shinjiro-san. He should be back soon, granted he doesn't get lost on the way back."
"I suppose if you think he's fine, I guess he will be," Fuuka sheepishly chuckled in agreement.
The brunette frowned to herself as she sensed something was bothering the navigator. "Hmm? What's wrong, Fuuka-chan?"
"Oh, sorry," the teal-haired girl shook her head. "I was just thinking... You and Minato-kun seem to be distracted ever since we got back from Yakushima. Is there something on your minds?"
"Not really," Hamuko shook her head as she didn't think she had anything plaguing her. "Well, the two of us will be busy over the break," she remembered. "Plus, there's an operation coming up. Maybe the stress has been getting to us? I'm sure it'll pass once my fellowship and his tournament are over."
"I see," Fuuka nodded in understanding, but for some reason, she couldn't help but shake off the feeling something was off. Hamuko genuinely didn't seem to notice though, so maybe the problem lied with Minato instead. Fuuka mentally dismissed those thoughts though as she didn't want to worry the younger twin with her speculation. "Sorry," she gave the brunette an apologetic smile, "I guess I was just overthinking things."
"You've been spending way too much time with nii-san then," Hamuko lightheartedly chuckled, "But thanks for checking up on him for me. I'm going to bed now, so good night, Fuuka-chan."
"Good night, Hamuko-chan," Fuuka smiled back as she closed the door behind the brunette. When the navigator was alone, she frowned to herself as her sense of foreboding remained. Actually, it might have just increased without the co-leader present to reassure her their leader was safe. Minato-kun… Fuuka worriedly shook her head. Maybe I should keep track of your movements tonight…
Minato watched as the punks stared at him suspiciously. He ignored them as he continued down the alleys. One guy recognized him and smirked. "It's the Gekkoukan Hellhound! Check it out!"
Minato paused and looked towards the boy with bleached hair. "You have some business with me?"
"Rumors are you have connections to the police," the teen smirked at him. "Lookin' for someone?"
"Maybe," the blue-haired boy shrugged.
"You know... We don't take too kindly to gumshoes 'round here."
"Is that so?" Minato tilted his head forward and stared him down.
"If I take you out, that'll up my rep around these parts. No hard feelings, eh?" The boy pulled out a switchblade and lunged towards the SEES leader.
Minato calmly dodged to the side. His arm came up and deflected the boy's arm before grabbing it and twisting it behind the punk's back. "So… What kind of rumors have been spreading about the Hellhound of Gekkoukan?" Minato tugged on the boy's arm and watched him squirm in pain. "I'm just a normal schoolboy, don't you think?" When the boy didn't answer, Minato pulled a bit harder, causing the punk to scream.
"L-let go!"
The blue-haired boy let him go and pushed him to the side. "It's not like you're the one I'm looking for. Get out of here before I lose my patience." The teen scurried away with the rest of his friends as Minato continued down the alleyway. He finally spotted the person he was looking for frowning at him in a corner. "Shinjiro-san…" Minato greeted him with a nod.
The taller boy stared at him with steel-grey eyes. "You're back…" Shinjiro looked towards the other kids as they scurried off to give them space. "You really had to make a scene?"
"He started it," Minato shrugged.
"So why're you here today? I don't have anythin' new to share," Shinjiro frowned.
The blue-haired boy took out a note from his pocket. "It's from Hamuko. With those three Persona-users running around, I don't want her poking her head around here. She'd like to see you again though, so here I am."
"Your sister's such a pain," the older boy sighed. "What? She got a crush on me or somethin'?"
"Something like that," Minato shrugged. "Just take it. I don't like it either, but what can I do? She's my little sister and I've got to keep her happy. Safe and happy…"
"You're just like Aki," Shinjiro chuckled.
"Excuse me?" the younger boy frowned.
"Never mind," the jacketed boy shook his head as he accepted the slip of paper. "I ain't making any promises of actually seeing her though."
"That's fine." Minato crossed his arms. "I'd rather you let her down than get her hopes up anyways."
"You tried talkin' her out of it?"
The blue-eyed boy chuckled at that. "She's pretty stubborn. Even if I pestered her more on it, she'd just ignore me."
Shinjiro smirked at him. "Tch, so you just gonna leave it to me?"
"I'm sorry to be a bother," Minato lowered his gaze. "I don't want to, but I have to leave her in your care. Please let her down gently, Shinjiro-san."
The brunet studied the junior before his expression softened. "Yeah…" He began coughing and Minato quickly looked to him in concern. Shit… Not again… Shinjiro grabbed his head as he felt his Persona trying to come out.
Minato caught the taller boy as he collapsed. "Shinjiro-san!"
"Get away, kid! I-I'm dangerous!" Shinjiro reached into his pockets.
The blue-haired boy watched as he fumbled with the small suppression pill. Minato quickly grabbed the pill and got the older boy to swallow it. Shinjiro calmed down as his headache subsided. He noticed the blue-eyed boy look up at him with worry. "Are you okay, Shinjiro-san?"
"Yeah," Shinjiro responded as he straightened up. "Thanks." He put his hands into his pockets to check if he had any remaining but he couldn't find any. Tch…
"I should get going then," Minato said, taking a step back. He paused though when he sensed something was off. He glanced around the back alley and noticed the other remaining teenagers had scattered in fear. Huh? The junior spotted three Reapers in the distance and frowned. "Looks like they're here to see you again, Shinjiro-san…"
"You should go while you still can," the older boy roughly said.
"It's too late for me to go without them noticing me," Minato responded back as his frown deepened into a scowl. "Besides, our paths would have crossed eventually."
"Really, I think you should go." Shinjiro eyed the three approaching them but watched as Minato quickly switched into Hellhound mode. Tch… You're just as troublesome and stubborn as your sister.
"Good evening," Takaya smiled at Shinjiro. "I'm glad to see that you're well." He motioned for Jin to give the tall boy more pills before noticing the blue-haired boy. "Oh… It seems you have a friend today…"
"Minato Yuki," the SEES member introduced himself with a curt nod of his head.
"You're not a part of the normal riffraff around here," Takaya noted.
"No," Minato tiled his head to the side. "You're not either." He examined the group of three Persona-users as Shinjiro accepted the pills. "So what're you dealing? Meth? Coke? X?"
"It ain't any of your business," Jin glared at him.
"Jin, manners," Takaya shook his head at Minato in apology. "He's just joking after all. He knows who we are. In fact, doesn't he seem familiar to you?"
Jin studied Minato. "Hey, you're from that group…"
"Glad you recognize me," Minato sarcastically said. "You were watching us during the last full moon."
"I'm surprised you noticed," Takaya smirked at him.
"It's not that hard if you know what to look for." Minato's eyes darted to the Reapers following them.
Takaya chuckled. "Incidentally, I see that you've again added a new ally to your ranks." He shook his head as he looked towards Shinjiro. "Well, I suppose it's more of a pet than an ally."
"Makes no different to me," Shinjiro shrugged.
"It seems that what you told us before about their intentions was true." Takaya frowned at Minato. "How lamentable… Now, we have no choice but to intervene. It is up to each individual how he will use the strength granted him… But, to erase the Dark Hour would be denying the very power you possess. We cannot tolerate that."
Minato slightly tensed, glad he had his Evoker hidden on him. "Well, I'm sorry our opinions differ on this," the boy frowned.
"Do whatever you want…" Shinjiro scoffed. He tried to walk away, but Jin called out to him.
"Hold it. What're you gonna do? I know they asked you to come back." He nodded towards Minato. "Isn't that why he's here?"
"You're startin' to piss me off," the tall boy scowled. "He ain't here to recruit me. He had other business to take care of."
Minato shrugged. "He's right. I came here for something else." He thoughtfully stared at Shinjiro before tilting his head to the side. "We could always use another fighter, but then again, you've seen us. I'm sure we're strong enough to handle the Shadows and you three. In fact, I should be more than enough for now." The blue-haired boy leaned forward a bit as he and Takaya had a stare down.
"You're goin' down, ya hear me?" Jin glared at the junior before looking towards Shinjiro. "And if you're on their side, then you're going down too."
"Like I said before…" Shinjiro said, walking away. "It doesn't concern me." He paused though as the Dark Hour finally hit.
Seeing as how he was now free to do whatever he wished at this time, Takaya shrugged as he pulled out his revolver. "Well, if it doesn't, I suppose I should dispose of him now," the culprit of the Dark Hour murders simply stated as he pointed his weapon at Minato. "It'll save us the trouble of having to do so later."
Minato's eyes narrowed as his hand reached for his Evoker. "Like I said, I can take the three of you on, no problem."
Shinjiro turned around as Takaya began firing rounds at the blue-haired boy. Minato quickly dodged the shots though, preempting where the shirtless boy was aiming at. The tall brunette frowned as he watched the SEES field leader summon a Persona, deflecting a few more shots. "You dumbass," Shinjiro shook his head as he eyed the coffins strewn about them, "You can't fight here!"
"What? You gonna help him?" Jin eyed Shinjiro suspiciously.
"Ngh..." Shinjiro's frown deepened as he knew that even if he had wanted to fight, he couldn't without risking losing control of his Persona. Luckily though, it seems as though the blue-haired junior hadn't been bluffing about his abilities as he suddenly appeared before the glasses-wearing boy with a smirk.
"You should really pay attention to your surroundings in a battle," Minato taunted Jin before headbutting him.
Angry that the younger teen caught him off guard, Jin reached into his pocket for an explosive. "Go to hell!"
Minato saw the small orb come towards him and jumped back as a burst of flame appeared on the ground. It felt similar to a weak fire spell and Minato shook his head, unimpressed by the attack. "Come on… Why not use your Personas? Prove to me the 'power you possess', you shirtless freak!" he goaded Takaya as the older boy continued firing towards him only to repeatedly miss or have his shots nulled by Minato's active Persona.
Takaya shot the boy a peeved glare. "You… If you wish to witness my power, I'll show it to you!"
"Takaya, don't!" Jin pushed his friend away as he pulled up an Evoker with his left hand. "I'll deal with him myself! Moros!"
Minato's eyes widened. Bingo… He pulled up his own Evoker once more. "Sati!" The flames of Jin's pendulum-like Persona glanced off of Sati and Minato. "So you do have Evokers," he scowled. "Where'd you get them?"
"Piss off!" Jin tossed another bomb and Minato casually knocked it aside, completely protected from its blast. The nerdy boy glanced towards the girl beside him but Minato noticed the exchange.
The blue-haired SEES member quickly caught the chained hatchet coming towards him and sharply pulled, catching the girl off guard. "You all telegraph your moves so predictably…" he sneered. "Now let me show you my 'power'." He put his Evoker to his head. He let out a roar as he focused on channeling two Personas at once. "Black Frost! King Frost! Fusion Spell: King and I!"
An icy wind erupted from his mind as both Personas appeared. The three renegade Persona-users were surprised by the SEES member's attack. They became frozen in place as the blue-haired boy forced out a maniacal laugh.
"It worked… The Fusion Spell worked," Minato stared at his Evoker in awe. "And I didn't need Hamuko to pull it off." He bent over as he caught his breath. "Wow… That's draining, but it worked!" He slowly straightened up and tried to regain his composer but frowned when he finally noticed the Dark Hour had arrived. "Huh?"
Shinjiro frowned deeply in concern as he continued to watch the younger boy from the sidelines. While Minato mildly looked around at their surroundings in confusion, the brunet decided to stay a while longer in order to keep an eye on the younger boy. Now I get why you wanted my help, Hamuko. He's dangerous on his own. He'd throw himself off the deep end if someone ain't properly watchin' him. The older boy continued to remain silent, however, as the impulsive junior approached the downed Takaya.
"So," Minato triumphantly sneered at the shirtless young man, "What was that about finishing me off?"
"Y-you're more powerful than I thought," Takaya smirked back. "Such raw fear… You hate the Dark Hour… Yet the power it's blessed you with is amazing…"
"Blessed? You don't know the half of it," the blue-eyed boy said as his eyes narrowed. "Who's your supplier of those suppression drugs? How'd you awaken to your Personas? Where'd you get your Evokers? Tell me!"
"What will you do if I don't answer?" Takaya shook his head at the boy. "Kill us? We don't fear Death, you fool."
"What about pain then?" Minato's voice darkened as he grabbed the boy by the throat and roughly pulled him up from the ground.
"Minato!" Shinjiro didn't like where the leader of SEES was taking this. "That's enough!"
Takaya's smirk only grew as he stared at the blue-eyed boy in front of him. "My… That look in your eyes is quite marvelous… You can sense them, can't you? You're just like us…"
"Like hell I'm like you!" Minato shouted, tightening his grip.
"How many times have you seen Death?" Takaya continued to taunt the boy. "I wonder… Do the others know? Or are you afraid of revealing the truth to them? Death follows you… It's attracted to your very being…"
"Shut up!" Minato sharply jerked his head forward, colliding his skull into Takaya's face. "Just give me the answers I'm looking for!"
Shinjiro noticed Jin getting up so cried out in warning. "Minato!"
The junior dropped Takaya and turned around just as Jin fired his Evoker. With not enough time to react, Minato was immediately downed thanks to King Frost's weakness to fire. "Gah!"
Takaya shook himself free from his grasp and clutched his head. He laughed through the pain as he stared at Minato. "You wish to see my power? Here it is! My Persona! Hypnos!"
Minato willed himself to get up but his injuries prevented him from moving as quickly as he could. He tried to focus on summoning a Persona without his Evoker, but a splitting headache made him cry out as Orpheus answered his call. "Ngah! Orpheus!" The junior let out a piercing scream as his Persona began convulsing. Black shadows erupted from the lyrist and Minato watched as his Persona once again turned into another Persona.
It was similar to the Reaper Persona he had first summoned with Hamuko. Its body shape was similar, but this new Persona seemed incomplete. It emitted a monstrous roar from its partially decaying face. Minato felt his blood run cold at the sound as he could feel the Persona's volatile thirst for Death overtake him.
Takaya marveled the new Persona that erupted from the boy. "What a magnificent power!"
Minato collapsed to his knees. "S-stop! Orpheus! C-calm down!" His Persona didn't listen as it let out another gruesome roar. It reached for Takaya and lifted the shirtless boy up.
Shit! He's losing control! Shinjiro rushed to the junior's side while reaching into his pocket for a suppression pill. When he realized what he was doing though, Shinjiro hesitantly paused as he didn't want to have to resort to using it on the younger boy if it could be helped. "Get a grip of yourself, Minato!" he sternly yelled out to the unstable teenager. "Call it back!"
"Takaya!" Jin watched as his friend stared at the monster fearlessly.
"Orpheus! Stop!" Minato screamed at the top of his lungs. The Persona finally responded as it let out a roar to match the boy's cries. Minato fell forward and put his arms out in front of him. His hands splashed into a random pool of blood as he tried to catch his breath.
Takaya landed on his feet once the disappearing Persona let him go, but rather than return to his friends, he smiled at the terrified boy kneeling before him. "Yes… What a magnificent Reaper you have protecting you… It's a shame you hate it so… Such wasted potential…" Takaya shook his head in disappointment. "Jin, give our new friend a bottle of the pills."
"What? Why should we—?" Jin paused as he studied the blue-haired boy. "I get it, Takaya." He reached into his pocket and tossed a bottle towards Minato.
"If you wish to join us in Strega, you're more than welcome to," Takaya smiled at the SEES leader, "Minato Yuki. Perhaps then you'll get the answers you wish for as well as some assistance to free your mind from your fears." He turned to the other two beside him. "Let's go. With how eventful tonight was, I'm quite tired…"
Minato stared at the bottle before him as he absently picked it up. "W-what just happened?" he asked aloud to no one in particular.
Shinjiro frowned at the boy as he helped him to his feet. "You almost lost control of your Persona."
"These pills…" The blue-haired boy clutched the bottle tightly. "Should I take them?"
"Hell no!" The older boy snapped at him. "You wanna jack up your body? You managed to get your Persona to listen, right? You don't need the suppressants."
"But that other Persona… If that thing returns…" Minato began shaking. If I can't control it… Everyone will be in danger…
"Minato-kun!" a voice called from behind them.
Shinjiro turned and saw Fuuka coming towards them. "It's Yamagishi," he informed the blue-haired leader.
"Minato-kun!" Fuuka looked at the boy in worry. "D-did something happen? I sensed Orpheus, but then a powerful presence drowned him out. It felt like a Shadow, but also like a Persona." She reached for the blue-haired boy but paused when he flinched backwards.
"S-stay back!" Minato looked at her with panic over his face. "D-don't touch me!" He stared at the blood on his hands in terror.
Shinjiro stood at the girl's side as he explained the situation to her. "His investigation brought him a bit of trouble. You should take him back to the dorm before something else happens."
"I-I can't go back!" Minato shook his head. "I'll put everyone in danger! The Reapers will…" He began to hyperventilate. "D-dammit!" He fervently tried to open the bottle.
"Hey!" Shinjiro wrestled it away from the boy. "Like hell I'm letting you take those! You lookin' to die early?"
"Give them back! I need them!" Minato tried to reach for them but the taller boy held them above his head.
"And I'm telling you no!" Shinjiro snapped. "You're making your friend worry!"
Minato paused as he slowly looked over to Fuuka. The girl's brown eyes stared at him with concern. "Fuuka," Minato spoke as calmly as he could but even he was able to hear the desperation in his own voice. "Go back to the dorm," he ordered her while lowering his gaze. "You shouldn't be here."
"Neither should you," Shinjiro grunted, slipping the bottle into his coat. He emptied most of the contents into his pocket before closing the cap.
"Minato-kun," Fuuka gently spoke to him. "Let's go home."
"I'm not going," Minato sullenly mumbled, not even looking at her.
"Now you're just being a brat," the older boy rolled his eyes. "Hey," he looked towards Fuuka. "Does anyone else know you're here?"
Fuuka shook her head. "Hamuko-chan did ask me to scan for Minato-kun when he didn't return from practice, but she didn't seem to think anything was wrong though so went to bed..."
"Then why did you come?" Minato asked.
"The Dark Hour began… And you still didn't return so…" Fuuka lowered her gaze. "I came to bring you home." She slowly got closer to the boy. "Minato-kun," she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let's go…"
The boy blankly stared at her arm. "Fuuka…" he frowned as his hand twitched towards his Evoker. "Don't make me force you to go back alone…"
"Bullshit you're gonna hurt her," Shinjiro glared at him. He turned his head towards the girl. "Back up a bit."
Fuuka did as she was told but suddenly called out when Shinjiro punched the blue-haired boy in the stomach, carefully slipping the bottle into the boy's pants pocket as he did so. "Minato-kun!" She knelt by the other junior's side.
Minato bowled over and began coughing. He glared up at the dropout. "W-what was that?"
Shinjiro ignored him as he nodded to the teal-haired girl. "You can take him back now. He's got no fight left in him."
"S-says you," Minato growled as he tried to stand up. He winced as the pain in his stomach gave him a coughing fit.
"Take him back to the dorm now," Shinjiro ordered. "It's late…" He walked away from the two juniors and Minato just glared at his back.
Fuuka carefully supported Minato's weight before taking him with her. "Minato-kun…" The two made slow progress as the girl had to drag the unwilling boy beside her. The silence made time flow all the more slower and finally, the brown-eyed girl had to speak up. "Minato-kun, what's wrong?" The boy remained silent as he brought a hand to his stomach, getting blood over his white shirt. Fuuka frowned as she tried to get him to talk. "I don't know what happened, but on my way here, I sensed your Personas. I don't think you were fighting against Shinjiro-san," she shook her head, "So can you please tell me why you summoned them?"
Minato glared down at himself as he refused to speak.
Fuuka stopped walking. "Minato-kun… Please don't keep this to yourself. I told you before that I want you to be able to rely on me."
"I can't rely on you for this though…" the boy finally spoke up in a meek voice.
Fuuka had never heard him speak in such a broken tone. "M-minato-kun?" She noticed he was trying to avoid eye contact. "What do you mean, Minato-kun? A-am I not reliable? I know I'm not good at fighting, but…"
"I-it's not that," Minato's voice cracked. "I-I don't want to have to rely on anyone for this…"
"Why not?" The girl shook her head as she didn't understand. "After all we've been through as a team, you should be able to come to us for help. Minato-kun, it's not fair for you to go off on your own like this. And I…" Fuuka bit her lip as she tried to come up with something that would get him to open up. "You're an important person to me, Minato-kun. I just want to help."
"I don't need your help!" Minato ended blowing up, removing his arm from around the girl's shoulder. "I don't need anyone's help!" He closed his eyes as his hands clenched into fists. Fuuka was stunned into silence as the boy pushed her away from him. His entire body was trembling and he kept his head down so he wouldn't have to look at her. "I can do everything I have to myself…" he shakily said.
"Minato-kun…" Fuuka tried to reach for him but he flinched backwards. She frowned as the boy refused to let her near him. "Minato-kun," the girl said once again, but this time with more determination. "If that were true, you wouldn't have worked so hard to recruit me to join SEES. There are things you can't do alone."
"I can try," Minato lifted his gaze and glared at her. "You sensed it, right? When I pulled off my own Fusion Spell alone? I don't need anyone else…"
"So you really don't need me…?" Fuuka asked in disappointment.
The boy paused when he noticed the hurt in her voice. "N-no…" Minato frowned at himself. "No matter what I do, I can never have your abilities… It's more that I don't want to need you…"
"But why not?" She began shaking as she began to feel the urge to cry. "M-minato-kun… W-why? You always tell me that things will be fine because you're at my side… Why can't I do the same for you?"
"Because…" Minato stared at his bloodstained shirt. "No matter who's at my side… Things are never fine."
"I don't understand," Fuuka shook her head at him.
The boy clenched his fists as he finally revealed to her his most guarded secret. "It's because people who get too close to me always end up dying. It's because I'm cursed with Death…" He closed his eyes to stop the tears from building up. He lifted his head towards the dark sky, but he couldn't see it as his bangs fell over his eyes. "Everywhere I go, someone always ends up dying because I pull them into the Dark Hour where they end up getting torn apart by Shadows. I always see it coming too because a Reaper warns me beforehand, but it's never enough. No matter what I do… Death will come to those around me…"
Fuuka let the information slowly sink in as she remembered all the times he would say the oddest things while fear would flicker across his usually calm face. "So when you told me in the hospital that you saw something that scared you… It was a warning of my death?" The girl shook her head at him. "Is that why you were afraid of getting closer to me back then?"
The boy nodded. "It's why I tend to avoid people as best I can. I don't want anyone coming close to me… I don't want anyone else to die because of me…" The boy took in a shaky breath. "Fuuka… Just go…"
"But…" The girl sadly watched the boy remain in place as he quietly sobbed to himself.
"I can barely take care of myself," Minato mocked himself as he stared at his bloody hands. "There's no way I can protect you or anyone else, so I might as well just brave Death alone."
No... I can't let you do that, Fuuka thought to herself as she rushed up to the boy and buried herself against his chest.
He looked down at the girl in surprise before giving her a stern frown. "Fuuka… I'm being serious… Go home…"
"Not without you, Minato-kun," Fuuka cried into his shirt, not caring about the dry blood stained on it.
"Why are you being so persistent?" Minato asked.
"I don't want you to be alone!" Fuuka remembered how frightened she had been when the Lovers Shadow nearly manipulated him to give into his desires of dying. If she let him do as he wished right now, she was afraid she was going to lose her friend for sure this time and it wouldn't even be due to the fault of the Shadows, but rather her inability to help him. "I told you," her grip on the boy's shirt tightened, "You're an important person to me, Minato-kun!"
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" the boy shook his head.
Fuuka frowned to herself as she desperately tried to come up with the words to explain how important he was to her. When an answer came to her, she took a deep breath and slowly lifted her head to look up into his scared blue eyes. "You give me courage, Minato-kun," she quietly replied. "You said before you think you don't suit your name. I think you do. Whenever you're around, I'm happy because you're there. Even when we're in a pinch, I feel like nothing bad will happen because I know you'll figure something out."
"That's just you burdening me with expectations," the boy argued as he forced himself to look away from her gentle brown eyes. "You can't honestly believe I can do everything."
"No, but there are things I know you can do," she seriously stated. "You don't like to see others in trouble. You're willing to throw yourself away for us whenever you sense danger." Fuuka shook her head. "I don't want you doing that though! I'd rather you trust us to do our share too. You can't do everything, but when you're around, we feel like we can! You inspire us, Minato-kun! You're our 'harbor of courage'."
Minato stopped struggling as he considered the meaning of his name. "Harbor… of courage…?"
"We're at your side too, Minato-kun," Fuuka continued. "And even if I'm not fighting alongside you, I'm always watching you. Every battle you've been in since I joined, I've always been watching."
"That's right," Minato smiled softly. He brought his hands up and put them around her, pulling her body closer to his. He lowered his head as he began crying. "But… if you continue to remain by my side, eventually another Reaper will come for you. I don't want that… especially since I've already gotten you so involved with the Dark Hour…"
"Minato-kun," the girl smiled as she comfortingly patted his back. "You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over. I don't know if I began experiencing the Dark Hour because of you, but you were the one who rescued me from Tartarus and got me to join SEES. You saved me from the Reaper you saw too. If you see another one, I'll be at your side. Even if you're afraid, I won't be because I trust you. Everyone else will be with us too, so please…" Fuuka wrapped her arms around his thin trembling frame. "You can rely on us to support you, Minato-kun. You can rely on me."
Minato tightened his grip to reassure himself the girl was right in front of him. "Thank you, Fuuka…"
The girl slowly let go of him and pulled him along. She had finally gotten through to him and was able to get him back to the dorm safely. The gentle girl led him to his bedroom, but Minato didn't enter. Instead, he squeezed her hand.
"Fuuka…" he frowned. "Please don't go…"
"Minato-kun?" The girl stared at him oddly. "It's against the dorm's regulation though…"
Fear and sadness filled his blue eyes. "I don't want to be alone… Please? Just for tonight?" he pleaded.
"Alright…" Fuuka followed him into his room and watched as he climbed into his bed. She crawled under his covers and hugged him tightly to reassure the boy that she was there. "It's okay, Minato-kun. I'm right at your side."
"Please don't leave me…" he murmured to her. "Promise me you'll always be at my side, watching me?"
"I promise," Fuuka nodded.
The boy's breathing calmed as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. "Fuuka…?" His voice was extremely soft as it whispered into her ear.
"Mmhmm?" She sensed the boy was on the border of consciousness.
"You're important to me too…" Minato mumbled.
"R-really?" The girl felt her face burn up in shy embarrassment but the boy was already asleep. She felt extremely happy to hear him say that though so smiled as she pressed herself closer to him. It wasn't long before she too fell into a comfortable sleep, lulled into it by the peaceful rhythmic beating of the blue-haired boy's heart.
~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~
Kaz crossed his arms as the other juniors of the Track Team doubled over from exhaustion. "Hey! No slacking off! Just because you guys aren't going against Mamoru doesn't mean you guys are getting off that easy! We're taking home the gold this year! A clean sweep, you hear me?"
Minato took a sip of his water bottle before getting up again. "Okay, what's next?"
One of the juniors looked up towards the blue-haired boy as if he were crazy. "How the heck does he do it?"
"Dude, he's the Hellhound! He doesn't stop until all his victims are dragged into Hell!"
"Well, it's either that or you all just suck," Kaz shook his head. "Come on. Five more laps. Minato, you're doing ten."
"No problem," his classmate nodded as he stretched his legs.
From the gym, Hamuko shook her head as the entire Volleyball Team took a break. "They're all crazy."
Yuko sighed. "You don't even know the half of it."
Rio crossed her arms. "Well, I think we need to shape up too." She turned to the rest of the girls on the team. "Let's do our best on our fellowship!"
One of the girls looked at her in confusion. "Wait, I thought it was just going to be a friendly match!"
"It is," Rio nodded. "Our goal is to have fun!"
Hamuko laughed. "Yeah. We don't have to go all out like the guys, but we need to come together if we want to enjoy the best out of Yasoinaba!"
Yuko laughed as she finally gathered enough towels for the boys. "Well, you girls sure are lucky. I'd better get back to see how the guys are doing."
"Come drop by again," Hamuko waved.
The Track Team Manager nodded as she returned to the field. She watched as the juniors were throwing up from dehydration and exhaustion. "What do you guys think you're doing?"
Kaz froze up. "Huh? We're training," he turned to the girl with a clueless expression on his face. "Is something the matter?"
"You guys need to be drinking water!"
"No time for that," Minato gasped as he completed another lap. "Four more to go!"
"Keep it up, man!" Kaz cheered.
Yuko groaned as it looked like she was going to be spending the rest of the day reviving the other runners. "Kaz, go to the storage room and fetch the other water tank!"
"Why?" the boy turned to her but tensed up when he saw the intense glare she was giving him. "R-right away!"
Final Notes: Hrm... Because Shinjiro isn't really available for too long, I feel like his relationship is a bit rushed... It's not like with Fuuka's where I'm actually given time to have her relationship develop naturally. I'm doing my best with him, but... Hrm... I suppose it's too late for me to jump ship now... Plus, I think what I came up with is good enough for me. My standards are extremely variable... but... eh...