Author's Notes: So... I'm only up to the 14th of September in FES so... My next update will be next week. This gives me time to go over details and fix any inconsistencies I find too... Especially since later chapters, I've noticed it got a little sloppy... It's kinda hard making a mystery... Mainly cuz it's hard breaking out of my own head... Things I know aren't things everyone know so that's a thing... But anyways, this chapter is kind of a filler. Next chapter is one too, but afterwards... well... If you played the game, you should know what's coming up...

~11 SEPETEMBER 2009~

Hamuko found that it was taking a while for her and her brother to get used to the start of the second semester. With so much happening, it was getting harder for them to keep track of which Social Links they should be working on.

With as many people as they knew, Hamuko became surprised when she finished her first Social Link with Junpei. Showing a rare instance of seriousness and maturity, the capped Magician gave her the key holder he used to carry his house keys on. For him, it was proof that he trusted Hamuko and that she would always have his back. In return, he would do the same for her, no matter what they faced in the future. In and out of Tartarus, they would always be best friends and as Junpei had told her, he was grateful for their Personas.

"It's not because it makes me kinda like a superhero or anything," he explained. "It always bugged me, that weakness I knew was there inside… But I feel like I can change." He brightly smiled at the red-eyed girl. "And I think that if it wasn't for you and the rest, I wouldn't have that feeling, even with this power. Or worse," he frowned to himself as he considered Strega. "I mighta done the wrong things with it… So… thanks."

Hamuko noticed a new determination in his eyes that day. It was the same determination he wore when he managed to persuade Mitsuru into letting him take over in watching Chidori. Hamuko was happy for her friend and when she summoned Surt for the first time, Junpei could only smirk as the fire giant resonated with Hermes.

As for her brother, he finished his first link as well with the first year Chihiro. Hamuko smirked as it was cute to see the young girl have crush on him. Minato made it very clear though that he was Chihiro's senpai. He took in the younger girl under his wing and showed her the strength to stand up against unfairness. The cool fiery determination of the Hellhound inspired the Treasurer when she had problems with the rest of Student Council. Within her class, there was a discrepancy with some missing funds, but Minato helped her get through it all. When the Student Council President herself got involved however, it was the first time the first year had seen the Hellhound so nervous at being interrogated. The Treasurer immediately defended him though and afterwards, Chihiro explained what she felt to Minato.

"Normally, I'm quiet and timid, but when it comes to something I care about, then I become aggressive," she blushed to the boy. "You're the same way, Minato-senpai, but I feel there is more I can still learn from you."

"Hey, what you did came from your own strength," Minato seriously told her before giving her a proud smirk. "But you did well, Chihiro. Mitsuru-senpai and I will be counting on you even more now."

He accepted a shoujo manga from the girl and although it wasn't quite his type of story, he read it before taking it to the Velvet Room. When he summoned Melchizedek for the first time, Hamuko noticed how soft her brother's face was. When they returned from Tartarus that night, the red-eyed girl teased her older brother. "So was it a good story?"

"It was," he nodded with a gentle smile. "It might have been a simple tale of romance, but even I can appreciate that sort of thing from time to time." He lowered his gaze as he blushed. "Besides, the heroine reminded me of…" he ended up mumbling to himself, but Hamuko knew who he was referring to when he looked towards their trusty navigator.

Minato later surprised Hamuko a bit when she learned he completed a second Social Link. This time it was for the Hermit Arcana. Even though he had never met 'Maya' in person, the anonymous female seemed to have fallen for the blue-haired boy. Hamuko didn't quite know the depth of their relationship as her brother was quite adamant about keeping their conversations private to conceal 'Maya's' identity, but as Innocent Sin Online was being shut down anyways, Minato showed his younger sister his last chat log.

'Maya' had apologized to her 'Tatsuya' that even though she had fun playing the game with him, it was time to move on. She had reread their previous conversations and was actually quite embarrassed with herself.

Maya: what kind fo persona plays an MMO jus to bitch about coworkers? -_-

Maya: u shouldn't have had to put up w/ me doin that. im sry m(_ _)m

Maya: sum teacher i am, rite? =/

Maya: i kno it'll look lik I'm chickening out an stuff, but…

Maya: im thinkin bout quittin the MMO today i… dun think i'll c u again T_T

Minato had actually been surprised by this as his reply showed.

Tatsuya: This is sudden…

Maya: …it's kind of a bad habit, but i'm sure this is the rite thing ._.

Maya: since nobody can see my face on teh intarweb, I could be mean… = (

Maya: so i jus have to look myself in the mirror and make it rite! ^_^

Maya: shyeah rit. =P i never would've figured this out w/out ur help

Maya: tatsuya taught me to be thoughtful even when im not around ppl =)

Minato finished his goodbyes and Hamuko gave her brother her condolences. She was still concerned about the anonymous woman though. "Do you really think she'll be fine now, nii-san?" she asked him.

"Who knows?" Minato crossed his arms as a small smile appeared on his face. "We'll just have to see if this teacher changed for ourselves."

And he turned out to be right as Toriumi wasn't complaining in class as much as before. She also seemed to have gotten stricter, yet she showed a lot more consideration to her students. This was most evident when Minato and Junpei tried to sleep in class during the semester's first Composition lesson. She called out the two boys and although Minato was a bit annoyed he could no longer sleep through her lectures, he was happy that his online friend renewed her passion for teaching. Lessons were more intuitive now and even Junpei seemed to be doing better in the subject. Hamuko would occasionally glance behind her to check if her brother was still awake, but even if he was tempted to sleep during Toriumi's lessons, he would covertly take out his phone to stare at the new wallpaper screen 'Maya' had given him.

In Tartarus, Minato would fondly call on Arahabaki's power at the start of battle, thanks to its Auto-Maraku skill. He had joked that in this way, their teacher would always be guiding them as a proper instructor should. He quickly followed up by giving Hamuko a thumb up while exclaiming, "Let's think positive!"

The next Social Link they completed, they finished it together. To conclude the Tower Link, Mutatsu, the bald monk in Escapade, had requested the two to visit him as he had something important to share with them. Seeing the twins so close as a family, yet so distinct as individuals had made him realize he wished to see his own family again and he was grateful to them for it. The monk wanted to apologize for his past but the old man wanted to see them once more before he set off on his journey of repentance.

"All things are unique, yet not singular," he reminded the two as he readied to leave. "I finally faced the fact that I was drinkin' to hide my true feelings. I feel so free now. Tch," he frowned at the twins. "It's both your faults. Lecturing you night after night…" he smiled wistfully, "made me think about when I used to be a father. Maybe Buddha sent you to help me… I gotta admit, I believe in fate." Mutatsu stared at them as they smiled. "If I hadn't met you, I'd never have seen my family ever again. I owe ya, kids…" He reached into a pocket and roughly spoke to them. "Here, hold out your hands."

Hamuko was surprised by the bottle tag he slapped into her hand. "Huh?" She glanced at her brother in confusion.

Minato continued to smirk at the old man. "So you're giving up alcohol?"

"Heh," Mutatsu smirked at the cheeky boy. "When you mix Cointreau with white rum, lemon juice, and ice… you get a cocktail called 'XYZ'. Movies and manga often use the initials 'XYZ' to symbolize the end of something. But, I think of XYZ as the best." He looked away from the underage kids. "Plus, it tastes sooo good goin' down." The monk walked past them, trying his best not to look back. "I'll be prayin' that your futures are XYZ… So long, kids."

The twins smiled to each other, knowing the man would be fine now. The reserve tag they had been given were proof of that. They brought the tag to Igor and managed to access Chi You's great strength, but the burden was too much for one twin to bear. Concerned for their wellbeing, Igor smiled at them. "It seems your emotional bonds are coming along quite nicely, but you both are still lacking in strength. Until then, it seems Chi You is willing to split the burden of summoning him between you two."

The twins nodded in understanding as they simultaneously tested the new Tower Persona's power in Tartarus. The warrior-god of weapons heeded their call and quickly demonstrated his skills for them. It didn't nearly drain them as much as using a Fusion Spell, but by sharing the Persona, the twins felt the bond between them growing ever stronger.

This was reinforced when they also had to split Beelzebub's power for completing the Devil Link with the shady businessman Tanaka. The rich company president was meeting with a woman to discuss a donation he was willing to give. "She's raising money to help orphans in foreign countries," he explained to them. "I don't look at it as a donation so much as an investment. Let me explain…" he eyed the twins seriously. "Children who learn to cope with adversity are more likely to become rich and famous, like me. I'm thinking of donating 10 million yen. Not a corporate one," he shook his head with a small smile, "but a private one. When I told them over the phone, they sent me this." He handed the twins a thank-you letter. "Now, I can't back out…" He shrugged. "Ten million is nothing to me, though."

"It might be nothing to you, but that's amazing, Tanaka-san," Hamuko said with wide eyes.

Minato nodded. "That's impressive. We're under scholarships too, but that'll be a lot of kids you're helping."

Tanaka's expression softened as he watched the two twins. "This idea probably would not have occurred to me if it wasn't for our conversations… By talking to you two, I seem to have developed an interest in watching others mature… I thank you for that." He shook his head as he immediately turned this back on himself. "Actually, I should be thanking myself… for wisely noticing this."

The twins chuckled at his inflated ego, but both knew the businessman appreciated them too.

Tanaka prepared to leave the mall with his new business associate. "You can keep that letter," he told them. "I worked myself to the bone to earn that money," he sighed, "and all I get in return is a piece of paper?" He frowned to himself. As the lady came over though, the man instantly smiled to the twins for the good deed he was doing. "But it's not a bad feeling…" He gave the siblings one last inspection before nodding. "Oh, by the way… I've decided to cancel the exclusive modeling contracts we discussed. You're better off being diamonds in the rough. No one needs to polish you; you'll shine on your own. Even more when you're both together. And when you do, everyone will take notice." He turned away to hide the proud tears in his eyes. "I'll look forward to that day. Tootaloo, my dear friends."

Of course, after completing the nightly Social Links, the twins soon found someone else to speak with. Minato was drawn to the sickly boy who made weekly visits to Naganaki Shrine. Curious, Hamuko went with him and even though she couldn't see the Reapers, Akinari Kamiki seemed to attract Death with his very being. The grey-haired boy had rather profound things to say, but despite his bleak view of the world, the twins noticed a light shine within him that gave them hope for the future, befitting of the Sun Arcana. Akinari may border life and death, but that didn't mean he was any less of a friend to them.

All of their friends were important after all. They gave the twins strength and a reason to keep fighting. The Shadows could try to trap the people of Iwatodai in Tartarus, but Hamuko and Minato would never stand for it. It was their job to protect the city they had grown to love. It was their home. Their lives had properly begun here and if this was where their lives would end, so be it. They'd do so fighting for the people they met and those they would eventually meet. Igor had been right about their emotional ties making them stronger after all.

Eager to uphold this very fact, Minato even went off on his own to make another Social Link. A rival runner from another school had taken an interest in him during the Track Tournament. Both boys could be seen hanging around the strip mall, challenging each other to competitions that ranged from eating to running. Mamoru Hayase was a rising Star and although he shared his familial problems with Minato, the blue-haired boy understood the responsibilities that came with being the eldest son. This just sped their friendship along as they hung out together.

Minato also finally began his Lovers Link with Yukari. Hamuko didn't know the specifics of what her brother said to the archer back in Yakushima, but it seems the archer was really opening up to him. Yukari had told her that Minato really was an amazing brother and even though she wasn't their sister by blood, Yukari would always be grateful to the twins to be seen as a part of their small family.

As for Hamuko, she happily began spending time with Koromaru. The dog had a very keen sense of what the twins were able to see, but he preferred Hamuko overall. It could have been because Hamuko sometimes could sense his previous owner though as the two would get into in-depth discussions about how to best care for the loyal animal. Koromaru never let it show, but the girl could tell he missed the priest so did her best to pamper the lovable scoundrel.

The priest wasn't the only spirit Hamuko saw around the dorm though. More often than not, Ken would be sitting alone with his mother watching over him. One evening, Hamuko found herself with free time so took the young boy out to eat as she overheard the woman commenting on his health and weight. Ken accepted the multiple offers she gave him and was surprised at the girl's concern. "You remind me of my mom," he frowned as she pointed out the bell peppers he purposefully avoided.

"You must miss her," Hamuko frowned. "I miss my parents sometimes, too." She gave him her best smile though as she cheered him up. "But no matter what, I know they're always watching over me. And I know I'm not alone either because I have nii-san and everyone else with me. You can rely on us too, Ken-kun."

The young boy nodded in understanding. "Thanks… You'd make a good older sister, Hamuko-san."

Hamuko laughed at that as she sadly thought of her own younger sister living separately from her and Minato, but she didn't dare let that show to the younger boy looking up to her. "I guess it's rare for me to get a chance to act like one, but whenever you need me, I'll be there, Ken-kun."

Whenever they returned to the dorm, the red-eyed girl found it odd that Ken would avoid Shinjiro. She attributed it to the fact that the brunet went out of his way to appear unwelcoming. Despite that, she managed to hound the older boy into taking her out for dinner one night. He was a part of SEES again and more than anything, the girl just wanted to spend as much time as she could with him. Despite her good progress on the Moon Link though, he wouldn't let her get any closer than she already was and it only frustrated the co-leader so she complained to her brother one morning as they were on their way to school.

"Nii-san, I'm being serious here," she pouted as they sat on the monorail together. "I just want him to be happy… He looks a lot better than he was before, but… he's holding something back from the rest of the team and I don't like it."

"He probably has his reasons," Minato sighed. "I thought I told you to not get involved with him."

"He's a Social Link," Hamuko frowned.

"Oh…" Minato paused as he considered his options. "Well it's not something I can get involved with then," he shook his head. "It's your Link, not mine." He sadly looked at his sister. Hamuko sensed he wanted to say something, but he shook his head again as he decided against it.

"Go on, nii-san," the brunette nodded to him. "What is it?"

"Hamuko," he frowned as he carefully phrased his next question, "are you really sure you're not going to heed my warnings?"

"I'm sure," Hamuko nodded. She noticed her brother fidget in his seat before she rolled her eyes at him. "I know about his Reaper, Minato. After that incident with Medea at the hospital, everyone knows about Shinjiro's suppressant medication." The brunette sadly frowned to herself as she considered the medication's side effects. "He was the one who convinced you to not take those pills, right, nii-san?"

"Yeah..." Minato lowered his gaze. "He didn't want me to end up like him..."

"How long do you think he has?"

"I don't know," her brother honestly replied.

"Can you give me an estimate?" When Minato didn't answer her, Hamuko grabbed his hand. "Please, nii-san?"

The blue-haired boy sighed as he closed his eyes. "Given the size and transparency of his Reaper, probably until spring..." That is... if Ken's Retribution Reaper doesn't get him first... He didn't dare make any mention of that though as Shinjiro had forced the Hellhound's hand into not interfering with matters that did not concern him.

"Whatever happens with Ken, just leave it to me," Shinjiro had told him the night the older boy moved back into Iwatodai dorm. "If you don't, don't expect your 'Reapers' to be a secret from the others for much longer." Although it had been a threat of sorts, the brunet immediately shared a sympathetic frown with the withdrawn junior. "This is the only way we can protect the others, right?"

Minato thought back to Shinjiro's words and sighed. Even so... why did my sister have to get involved with you? He cautiously looked over towards Hamuko and saw she was still letting his response sink in.

"That gives me about half a year with him," she finally spoke up.

"You can't be serious," her brother frowned.

"I am and you can't talk me out of it, nii-san," she adamantly stated, looking into her brother's eyes. Minato stared back into her crimson eyes and noticed a strange mixture of emotions, sadness being among them. "I can't just leave him alone..."

"Hamuko..." The blue-haired boy forced himself to swallow back his pride of being an overprotective brother. "If you've made up your mind... then I won't... interfere..."

A bit surprised by her brother's answer, Hamuko stared at Minato for a while before a small smile appeared on her lips. "Thanks, Minato..."

"Please don't, Hamuko," he knit his eyebrows together. "I..." He clenched his fists together as he knew he couldn't say what he wanted to without breaking his word to Shinjiro. He shook his head as he decided he would do his best for her as he always did. "If anything ever happens, I'll always be your brother, Hamuko!"

Hamuko blinked at her brother's random outburst before laughing at him. "I understand, Minato."

"I hope you really do understand because that totally came out wrong," the older twin sighed as he turned his head away from her out of embarrassment. "I mean... I know I'm not good with these sorts of things... but I really do want the best for you. I also trust you," he nodded. "That's why I'll leave this to just you and Shinjiro-san." He groaned as that also somehow came out wrong. "Damn you, Aragaki..." he muttered under his breath.

The brunette smirked at her overprotective brother's attitude. "Do you really think he's not good enough for me, nii-san?" she asked, curious as to what he really thought of the tall brunet.

Minato gave the girl a soft smile as he honestly assessed the surprisingly dependable teen. "Actually… If things like the Dark Hour and Shadows didn't exist, I'm sure I wouldn't have minded acknowledging Shinjiro-san as an older brother."

Hamuko slightly went red at that. "Really?"

"Hey, what are you blushing for?" the blue-eyed boy frowned at her. "I just mean that I really respect Shinjiro-san."

As they got off the monorail, the younger twin laughed. "And here I thought you were giving me your blessing to marry him."

"H-hey, there's no way I'd let you get married based on that alone," Minato shook his head. "He'd also need Nao-kun's approval."

"Well, that's alright," Hamuko stuck her tongue out at her brother. "I've already given you my blessings for marrying Fuuka-chan. I'm sure Nao-chan would like her too!"

It was the boy's turn to grow red. "W-why are we even discussing this?" He quickly regained his composure as he saw Yukari waving at them from the school gate. "Hey, Yukari," he greeted with a nod.

"You two seem lively today," she smirked back at him.

Hamuko lightly laughed. "We were just talking about—"

"No, that's enough on that," Minato quickly cut her off. He turned back towards the archer and noticed she was thinking about something. "Hey, something up?"

"I was just wondering why Shinjiro-senpai came back so suddenly…" she crossed her arms.

"He's not our senpai," Hamuko mimicked the grumpy older boy. She giggled at her impression. "At least, that's what he's always telling me." She seriously considered the brunet's reason though. "But you're right that it's weird for him to suddenly return." He had seemed so adamant about being left alone when she spoke with him before the semester started. "Nii-san, what do you think?"

"I don't know," Minato lied as he worriedly stared at his sister. "He has a lot of power though," he shrugged.

Yukari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess. He's kinda scary, if you ask me…"

"He's not that bad," Hamuko smirked as she defended the secretly kind-hearted boy. "He probably returned because he knew we needed his help."

"Yeah, it doesn't seem like he's rejoining SEES just cuz he likes to fight," the brunette mused.

"Well, whatever his reason, let's just be glad we completely outnumber Strega," Minato said to the girls. "We'll have to be careful from now on. Even if they don't have someone with Chidori's or Fuuka's abilities, Takaya and Jin are still out there."

~12 SEPTEMBER 2009~

"No one else is coming today," Junpei reassured Chidori as he took a seat beside her. "But, they said we can't give you back your Evoker."

"I wasn't expecting them to," Chidori frowned. "That's why they started watching me in the first place."

"Oh, how's that cut doin'?" Junpei lifted the girl's hand and studied it. "Prolly already healed, huh. So, how come you're not drawing today…?"

"Does it matter?" the girl asked him.

"Well, uh, not really…" the capped boy frowned. Junpei spotted the wilting flowers beside her. "Hey, they're all dried up…" He stood up as he wanted to tend to them. "I guess it's been pretty hot lately." Chidori reached out towards them but Junpei shook his head. "It's okay. I'll take care of it…" He paused when a flash of light appeared, reviving the flowers. "Whoa… What was that!?"

"I made them healthy again," the redhead plainly answered.

"You can do that!?" he asked in surprise. "That's incredible, Chidori!"

"It's nothing special," Chidori shook her head. "You have powers too, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, I guess…" Junpei shrugged. "But… That's about all I've got going for me. Without that…" The boy frowned at himself. "I'd be a nobody. I just talk a big game… pretendin' like I'm some kinda hero. But in reality… I don't know what the hell I'm fighting for… or why I'm here at all…"

"Why…" Chidori knit her eyebrows together. "Why we are here…?"

Junpei quickly smiled at her. "When I was a kid, I had this crazy dream…"

"What kind of dream?" she asked.

"That one day, I'd grow up to be a pro baseball player…" the capped boy chuckled. "Pretty stupid, huh? I guess that's part of bein' a kid."

"Is that so…?" Chidori tilted her head to the side as she stared at the boy. "I don't remember much from my childhood. All I remember is… being surrounded by white."

"Huh?" Junpei looked at her in surprise.

"I hate hospitals…" the girl lowered her gaze.

The boy frowned in agreement. "Yeah, me too… I'm sorry…"

She suddenly looked back towards him. "But, I don't mind that much this time… since you come to see me so often."

"Chidori… I…" Junpei gently held her hand. "I understand. I won't let you down."

Minato frowned as the Den Mother peered into the transparent orb. "The golden sky spreads outside the window," the lady began. "A girl, holding a world of white in her slender arms…" Minato blinked at Chidori's form. "A boy struggles, searching to find meaning in himself and the girl…" Junpei's silhouette quickly wrapped his arms around her. "But the conclusion has not yet been written…" Minato narrowed his eyes on the Reaper watching the two. "It is entrusted to the girl and her white world…" The fortune teller glanced up from the ball and sternly frowned at the boy before her. "You must stand firmly, and watch things unfold…"

The SEES leader nodded. "I see." He stood from his seat and bowed to the fortune teller. "Thank you for your time."

"Farewell, then…" Den Mother smiled at him. "May your future be bright…"

Minato returned her smile before leaving Escapade. On his way back to the dorm, he thought of his current situation. I think I've changed… I'm willingly setting aside Shinjiro-san's and Chidori's situations as I believe Hamuko and Junpei are much better suited for those tasks than I am… It could be because I understand their intentions and would completely agree with them if I were put in their situation. I still have my doubts, but I want to believe in them. By doing this, I am able to free myself a bit, giving me more time to spend on Ikutsuki. As such, I will focus on that.

We have only three Shadows left and we must finish our job. However, I'm certain that there is more to come after we defeat the Shadows. Pharos has repeatedly warned us of the 'end of everything'. The Shadows' defeats won't prevent this 'end' but they are related to it.

Perhaps, they are messengers of the 'end'. This goes in line with my previous thinking that they were trying to tell me something. It makes sense because my memory of the accident is becoming clearer with each Shadow's defeat. Another thing of note is that the Shadows have been trying to invade Hamuko and my minds twice now. The first was with the Lovers Arcana while the second was the Hermit. They must have targeted us because we are tied to Death.

This also reaffirms my thirteenth classification of the Shadows. There is indeed a Death Arcana, but whether there will be a Death Shadow, I am still uncertain. There most likely will be and I intend to continue fighting if that is the case. Whatever 'end' it might bring, I will put a stop to it. I've grown so much since the beginning of this year that it wouldn't be right for me to just watch the 'end' come.

Now this brings me to question Ikutsuki and Strega. It appears that both parties are connected, but their motives are quite different. Strega operates as a criminal group active only during the Dark Hour. Their most prominent activity is the maintenance of their revenge site. Users of their services pay a hefty amount of money to call a hit on the victim. This means that the main goal of their various jobs is to raise money. This money is most likely used to cover the costs of their medication.

Mitsuru-senpai confirmed for me that the source of these pills is the Kirijo Group. Checking Chidori's current hospital records, the cost of these pills is quite high. Someone is secretly dealing Strega these suppressants and it's none other than Ikutsuki.

Still, what does Ikutsuki have to gain from their activities? He already has control over SEES, which he has set to destroy the Shadows and eliminate the Dark Hour. No… We aren't exactly eliminating the Dark Hour. We're only exterminating Shadows. I said so before that there must be something more to the Shadows… He knows of the 'end' too and he seems completely fascinated by it.

As I previously mentioned, fighting the Shadows coincides with my theory that they are merely messengers of the 'end'. I have no reason to question our operations though as each victory we obtain leads to a decrease in cases of Apathy Syndrome.

Perhaps, Apathy Syndrome is the 'end'? More Lost appear with each passing month. This makes sense since the Shadows are growing stronger and stronger. But these current Arcana aren't very powerful. In fact, I am certain they are awaiting Death, their master. These Shadows we are currently dealing with are simply a warning of what is to come. The Shadows are separately heralding Death and the 'end'.

Ikutsuki is awaiting the 'end' and will most likely interfere when Death arrives. These smaller Arcana Shadows are just a distraction from the bigger show that is to come. Now I understand why he intends to trap me within SEES… He intends to preempt our defeat of Death and bring about the 'end' himself. However, unfortunately for him, I have come this far on my own. I must be careful after the defeat of the Hanged Man… Whatever he plans to do then, I'll have to be three steps ahead of him.

Minato stopped walking as he stood outside the dormitory. He stared at his Velvet Key with a smirk. "Death has cursed and blessed me. It's challenging me and I won't let you get in the way," he chuckled to himself. "I intend to conquer Death, once and for all."

"Hi…" Pharos smiled as Hamuko sat up. "It's been a while. Three seasons have passed since we met…" The boy held up three fingers and tilted his head to the side. "Time goes by so quickly, and many things change. Yet, some things will always remain the same…" He looked at the girl expectantly. "Don't you agree?"

Hamuko giggled as she agreed. "Some things don't change."

"Yes…" Pharos' smile grew. "If you say so, then it must be." He turned towards the window. "Talking with you has stirred up certain memories…" He pointed towards Tartarus. "That tower for instance. I've been thinking about it lately…" He looked back towards the red-eyed girl. "I wonder… Will our relationship stay the same…? Or will it evolve…?"

Hamuko furrowed her brows. "Can't it do both?"

Pharos chuckled at her response. "That is very much like you to think so." He shook his head. "No matter what the future holds, you and I will be friends. That is for certain."

"Yeah," the girl nodded.

The boy smiled sadly at her before turning his head away. "I'll come again. Until then, good night…" He began fading away. "My dearest…"

~17 SEPTEMBER 2009~

Minato and Hamuko shivered as they both entered the dorm in order to escape the storm raging outside. The older twin violently sneezed and groaned as he could feel his body wanting to shut down on him. "I don't feel very well," he moaned.

Hamuko lowered her brother's jacket from over her head. "I told you I didn't need to use your jacket for cover, nii-san. You're definitely going to get si—" the brunette also sneezed. "G-great…" she sighed.

"I'll get towels and blankets right away!" Fuuka cried as she took off towards a cabinet.

Junpei smirked at the two from the couch. "You weren't quick enough, huh?"

"Sh-shut up," Minato glared at him as he gratefully accepted the towel Fuuka handed him. "Thanks…"

"According to the news," the teal-haired girl frowned, "a typhoon just hit. Supposedly, it's the biggest one on record. It's moving slowly, too, so it'll be around for a while…"

"Yeah," Junpei crossed his arms. "Thanks to that, the school festival got canned." He shrugged as he sat up. "Well, setting all that stuff up is a pain, so I don't mind. But, it sucks that we'll be stuck indoors…" He looked over to the blue-haired leader taking a seat next to Fuuka after warmly wrapping himself in a blanket. "So, how are you gonna spend your break?"

"I forgot we had one," Minato frowned.

"Dude, you're killin' me…" He smirked over to his best friend. "You won't let me down, right?"

"I don't really have anything special planned," Hamuko shook her head.

"Are you serious!?" Junpei groaned. "C'mon, we're only young once!"

"Don't worry, Junpei," she eyed the tall brunet working in the kitchen. "I'll come up with something." Shinjiro noticed her gaze and glared at the red-eyed girl, resulting in her smirking.

"Alright then," Junpei nodded. He looked over to the shy junior sitting beside Minato. "What about you, Fuuka?"

"Me?" She didn't expect to be asked too so it took her a while to remember her plans. "Hm… The only thing I plan to do is go to the movies…"

"Ooh, a movie?" The capped boy's eyes grew wide. "Is it a date…?" he teased.

Minato tilted his head to the side in confusion as Fuuka blushed. She quickly shook her head. "It-it's not like that. I'm going with Natsuki-chan. She absolutely loves movies… But with this typhoon, I don't know if we'll be able to go."

"Oh yeah… there's going to be special showings at the theater," Minato remembered, suddenly looking forward to the break. The anticipation was short-lived though when he sneezed again. "I'm going to have to miss it, aren't I?" he groaned in disappointment.

"How 'bout you, Yuka-tan?" Junpei turned to the brunette at his side. "Will ya still have practice?"

"I doubt it," she shrugged. "The archery range is outside, so it's most likely cancelled until the storm blows over."

"Same here," Akihiko crossed his arms. "This stupid typhoon is gonna mess up my training."

"What about you, Senpai?" Junpei turned towards Mitsuru who sitting in the armchair, reading a book.

"I haven't decided," the redhead shook her head. Suspicious of his questions, she frowned at the junior. "Besides, what business is it of yours, Iori?"

"Me?" Junpei's smile widened. "Well, I'd be happy to tell you about my plans…"

Aigis blinked him. "I suspect that you will be visiting Chidori-san. Although she has stabilized, we cannot release her."

"Man, Ai-chan," Junpei smirked. "You must be psychic. And ya know what? She WANTS me to come!" He leaned back against the couch. "Not to brag or anything… I, um… just thought I should check up on her… Ya know, with the storm and all."

Akihiko stared at the capped boy oddly. "What's up with him?"

Minato rolled his eyes as Hamuko giggled. Fuuka smiled at the happy junior as she watched everyone else's reactions. "Um… Well…" She paused when she saw Ken sitting at Junpei's other side, enjoying a mug of hot coffee. "Oh, yeah! Ken-kun. What are you going to do during the break?"

"Oh, nothing in particular…" the boy shrugged.

Minato paused as he saw the retribution Reaper behind the young brunet look over towards Shinjiro. Junpei shook his head at the elementary school student. "Come on, you have to be doing something."

"Well, I'll probably go visit the shrine," Ken frowned. A faint light appeared behind him, causing Hamuko to turn towards the young boy.

"Dude, you're a kid," Junpei frowned at him, "not an old man."

"But, that's where I always go," Ken explained. His face darkened as he lowered his gaze. "I guess you could say I made a vow…" Hamuko stared at the spirit sternly frowning at the boy, but Ken quickly got up from his seat. "Anyway, I'm going back to my room. I have a lot of homework to do…"

Akihiko, Shinjiro, Hamuko, and Minato all watched him carefully. Fuuka sensed the leader tense up beside her and studied his face. "Minato-kun?"

The blue-eyed boy blinked. "It's nothing," he reassured her. He sneezed again and groaned. "I'm going to bed… Hamuko, you'd better go too. You look like you're coming down with a fever."

"Right," the brunette sighed as she followed her brother up. "Nii-san, I bet I can recover faster than you," she teased.

"That's not even a fair bet," Minato shook his head. "You're healthier than I am…"

The twins opened their eyes as they felt the Velvet Room calling for them. Minato slowly opened his eyes as the headache he had before quickly subsided. Hamuko quickly sat up in her seat as she noticed her heavy aching body suddenly became light. They both stared at Igor who was pleasantly smiling at them. "I have been waiting for you," the resident of the room began. "I last summoned you in your dreams quite some time ago. Several seasons have come and gone since I first offered my assistance… Now, then… Your special power—Persona… Have you been using it wisely?"

Hamuko looked towards her brother and noticed him smiling. She turned back to the long-nosed man. "Of course!"

Igor nodded to the twins. "To be perfectly honest, I sense a great catastrophe in your future." Minato tilted his head to the side in concern. "But, it would be a pity to lose one such as yourself unnecessarily. Therefore, please allow me to provide you with a new form of assistance." The man drew a pattern on the table, revealing a new card spread. "Henceforth, you shall be able to fuse four or more Personas. I am certain that this will be of great benefit to you."

"Thank you, Igor," Minato bowed his head. "We'll do our best with them."

"But now, you must be tired," Igor studied the hints of sickness on their pale faces. "Please, rest easy… Until we meet again…"

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

"So why are we going to Tartarus?" Junpei frowned as he crossed his arms.

"Because," Minato said before violently coughing and sneezing. He groaned as it hurt for him to walk. "The Velvet Room is calling us…"

"Are you sure you're not hallucinating?" Akihiko frowned at their leader in worry. "You're pretty sick…"

"No, we're fine!" Hamuko tried to convince them as she took a wobbling step forward. She nearly fell over but Shinjiro quickly caught her.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Mitsuru sternly frowned at the two. "The typhoon might have stopped during the Dark Hour, but with the two of you in this condition, I'm rather concerned about having you both ascend Tartarus."

"The Shadows are also rowdier today, Minato-kun," Fuuka worriedly piped up.

"We're not going to climb Tartarus," Minato reassured both navigators.

"Then what was the point of you tripping the dorm alarm?" Yukari grumpily asked the boy. "You woke us all up!"

Hamuko laughed as she swayed to the side. "I tripped the alarm!"

Shinjiro grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall over. "Hey… I can't tell if you're sick or drunk…" He flinched as the girl sneezed into his coat.

"Sorry…" the girl muttered as she tried to wipe his jacket clean.

Aigis studied the twins carefully. "Their fevers are currently 40 degrees Celsius. I suggest we return to the dorm so Minato-san and Hamuko-san can rest."

Ken nodded in worry as Hamuko stumbled again. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard."

Koromaru whimpered and Aigis nodded as she translated. "He says, 'Sleep is the best medicine during times like these'."

"Sorry, Koro-chan," Hamuko smiled. "But nii-san and I have a good feeling about tonight. That's why we're all going to Tartarus!"

"Seriously, what's the point?" Junpei shook his head. "You two want to see this vet room thing?"

"Velvet Room," Minato corrected him. He sneezed into a handkerchief and coughed to clear his throat. He entered the lobby of Tartarus and pulled out his key. "This is my Velvet Key," he explained to them. Everyone except Hamuko couldn't see anything in his hand.

"He's definitely hallucinating," Akihiko nodded.

"No, he's not," Hamuko whined to them. "I have a key too. See?" She showed them her Velvet Key.

"So… do we just play along?" Junpei whispered to Yukari.

"Whatever," Minato shook his head as he turned towards the familiar blue door. "Just wait in the lobby for us. Hamuko and I have business to attend to."

The twins suddenly vanished in front of them, causing the team to jump. "Where'd they go!?" Yukari asked in alarm.

"Yamagishi?" Mitsuru quickly turned to Fuuka.

She frowned as she quickly scanned for them. "They're still here in the lobby… But I can't quite pinpoint their locations. They seem to be safe," she sighed in relief. Something scurried past her feet, causing her to jump. "Huh!?"

"Is something wrong?" Aigis tilted her head to the side.

"Sorry… I just thought I saw a spider." Fuuka frowned to herself.

Inside the Velvet Room, Minato and Hamuko stared at the strange concoction offered to them by Elizabeth. Not thinking twice or heeding Theo's warnings, the twins quickly downed the medicine. Minato felt a jolt shake his body as the mixture quickly wiped away all traces of his previous fever.

"Oh wow," he gasped. "That stuff's pretty powerful…"

"On the bright side, it looks like our colds cleared up," Hamuko said with a grimace.

The twins paused as they sensed something was amiss within the usually calm Velvet Room. Elizabeth brightened at the twins' reactions. "Ah… So I was right to call you here. Our master isn't present tonight, but I feel something big is about to happen," the female elevator attendant said giddily. "Exciting, isn't it?"

Theo frowned as he ducked behind Hamuko. "She has been saying that all night while waiting for you two. I'm quite worried something bad might occur due to the typhoon."

At that moment, the rest of SEES appeared within the Velvet Room. "Oh…" Junpei said as he looked around. "So they weren't going crazy…"

"What?" Hamuko crossed her arms as she smirked at her best friend. "Were we acting strange?"

"Your colds cleared up?" Ken's eyes widened. "Wow… You two really are amazing."

Minato tensed up as something really was wrong with this situation. "If you guys are here…" His eyes widened as the elevator lurched. "Everybody, hang on!" The team screamed as the normally rising elevator suddenly began to plummet.

Junpei glared at Hamuko as they fell. "What was that about your 'good feeling' again!?"

Final Notes: Why can't there be a version of Persona Q with Hamuko? Sigh... Oh well... I really liked Q. It was really fun... Of course, I can just be biased because of Chibi Fuuka, Koro, Theodore, Minato, Nanako, and Naoto... So yeah... The completion of a few Social Links. Junpei's really did improve my opinion of him... I still think he's an idiot, but his intentions are pure... Chihiro... I like her but... when I finished her Link for the first time, I kinda got rape-y vibes from her... I didn't actually know that Minato had no say in each relationship he had with a girl... Fun fact: Chihiro's design is a prototype of Fuuka's. It's probably why I like her, but I didn't want to date her... Oh well... Mutatsu is pretty fun. It could just me having too much fun in Escapade though... As for Tanaka? Um... he's kinda sleazy... and I don't really know if he really changed... I mean donating his fortune is a start, but... it doesn't look like his change carried over into Persona 4... Toriumi I always enjoyed though. She's a pretty cool teacher.