CHAPTER 21 / Tears

February 23, 2010

Dear Yukari,

I once lived in a small town in northern Japan. It was a tiny port town where most of its population were actually fishermen. My adoptive father was also one and would take me out every day during the summer. It was probably one of the more peaceful times in my life. It didn't last long though. That same summer my adoptive father died because of heart complications. But he had a big impact on my life.

He told me that everything in this world was precious. Maybe it would never come to be precious to me, but that didn't mean it was any less important. He said his wife had shown him a way to really appreciate life, to love his life in a way he never had before. His wife had died before even I had come around into his life. The reason he adopted me was he wanted to change the life of at least one person before he moved on. Then it would be like he had been able to pass on something that would prove that he and his wife had been on this planet.

If I hadn't met him then I probably would have been a lot different when I arrived at the dorm. Before I met him I hated everything about my life. I despised the ones that adopted me because I knew that they would eventually just leave me behind. I was just a mere status object to most of them. But Hideo-san changed my outlook with the time he devoted to being with me. I was able to relax and enjoy my life. As a matter of fact he was the one who bought me the mp3 player I use every day. If it hadn't been for him I might have rejected SEES and turned my back on all of you without even getting to know you.

There is so much I never said because I always hated who I was in the past. I was ruthless in Kendo, never letting up, even against my kohai. I even had a reputation that wasn't all too flattering. I never felt like I belonged anywhere and I took my anger out on everyone else. When I came to the dorm it all changed. Maybe it was Pharos, or the Dark Hour or even my encounter of the denizens of the Velvet Room. However, what influenced me most was you. You changed everything for me by just being here. I'm not sure if I can fully explain what I mean by that. You're mere presence was enough to change me because for the first time in my life I had something I wanted to protect.

And it is something I will continue to protect for now on.

Love Always,
Arisato Minato

November 3rd, 2009 / Dark Hour

"Where is he? Where is Minato?" Yukari looked to Fuuka. "Can you sense him?"

"No I can't find him anywhere, but I found the 12th Shadow. It's at the South End of the Moonlight Bridge. But that isn't all," Fuuka communicated through telekinesis.

"Forget that, how can you not find Minato? We have to find him, without him we…" Yukari was stopped when Mitsuru put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yamagishi what else did you find?" Mitsuru asked.

"There are two Persona users nearby. It's Strega," Fuuka informed.

"They know this is there last chance. Even though we were expecting it, we should be careful," Mitsuru turned to the others.

"Those bastards," Ken muttered.

"Saves us the trouble of looking for them. Mitsuru, did what Minato discuss with you last night have to do with him not being here?" Akihiko got to his feet.

"I'm sorry, I had that conversation in confidence I can't say what we spoke about," Mitsuru hung her head. "Regardless this will be our last operation. I'll be leading it this time. Takeba, Aigis and Akihiko will be the main attack force. Let's all come back safely."

Yukari was grabbing the charm that she wore under her shirt. The one that Minato had given to her on what seemed like such a long time ago. She couldn't believe it, that Minato would abandon them on their final battle. She moved over to the side table and picked up her bow and the quiver of arrows. The same ones that he always took time to help prepare. Just last night they had spent some time preparing for this operation but yet he wasn't here now. And apparently he had told Mitsuru but not her.

Why not? Wasn't she his girlfriend? Didn't he say he wanted no secrets between them? But this…why would he?

She wanted to be angry at him. Wanted to just turn all of this frustration and turn it into rage. But there was a part of her that refused to do so. And it was the part where she knew that there was a reason for everything he did. And in no way did he make this decision lightly. That wasn't like him, not when he went over every little detail about their weapons and armor every single night, regardless if they went to Tartarus or not. She often noticed all the little things he did throughout the day and nights. That meant there was a reason he had opted not to tell her about his intentions.

This was the man she loved. She needed to trust him. After all how could she say she loved him if there was no trust between them? No he knew what he was doing better than anyone. Yukari knew that. She had to believe that he would show up.

Yukari followed the others and with each step she strengthened her belief in Minato. And it took little time for them to arrive at the Moonlight Bridge.

Standing in front of them to block their path was none other than Strega. Yukari knew that whatever Minato was doing had to be in relation to this.

Takaya stepped forward and spoke, "You know the significance of today, do you not? You claim to hunt the Shadows to prevent the disaster they bring…Yet, countless lives are lost each day without their intervention. The power we wield is not itself evil. You cannot deny that. So why don't you just admit it? You do not wish to eliminate the Dark Hour. You are merely deceiving yourselves."

"You don't have any idea what we wish," Junpei said.

"You are all indeed foolish children. Erasing the Dark Hour is the same as erasing yourselves. Tch. Is even that beyond your comprehension? As I believed, our goals are irreconcilable," Takaya reached down and pulled out his revolver and pointed towards SEES. "Jin…"

"Forget these maggots," Jin spat angrily.

"Fate shall decide who will prevail…come." Takaya cocked back the hammer on the revolver and took aim. He took aim and fired. Yukari couldn't help but flinch at the gunshot but it didn't hit anybody. Yukari looked back up to see Minato had disarmed Takaya, and kicked him at Jin. This time, Minato had ambushed him...that had been his plan.

"Fate," Minato laughed. "My ass. You are nothing more than a scared child clinging to the power of Persona. Speaking as if Persona is a gift, as if you had been chosen. You couldn't even foresee that I had been following you the entire day."

"What?" Jin looked like he was going to jump up but Minato responded by pulling the hammer back on the revolver.

"Are you saying that you didn't even question as to why the usual leader of SEES was not present?" Minato looked really pissed off. "I had the two of you tracked down early this morning, and it was relatively simple to follow you. After the crap you've pulled on the last few full moons, did you really think I wouldn't take steps? Especially against two dishonorable assholes like yourselves."

"It appears you have more than just luck on your side," Takaya said evenly staring down the barrel of the revolver.

"I'm tired of your preaching. You always speak about losing your powers but we've never seen you use it. And more so you hide behind this gun," Minato looked like he was fighting not using the gun on Strega himself. "If you want to fight to keep your powers, then use them."

"Preposterous, you ambushed us simply because you felt I had some sort of advantage with that weapon?" Takaya grinned.

"Not at all," Minato moved his aim and then squeezed the trigger. The gunshot rang through the night but the shot went harmlessly into the night. "I'm simply…" Minato popped open the chamber and emptied the rest of the shots onto the ground. "…leveling the playing field."

Jin quickly pulled out his evoker.

"Minato!" Yukari cried out.

He didn't move, instead he reached his side and unsheathed his sword with one hand and met the incoming Agi skill with his sword. The blast went past him but after the vision cleared, Yukari could see Minato standing there with a smile on his face.

"I'm going to make you pay for the blood you've spilled," Minato tossed the empty revolver away from him towards the side of the bridge and then took an offensive stance with his katana.

"So you seek revenge," Takaya got to his feet.

"That's right. I don't give a shit as to why you are here or even defeating the last Shadow. I came here to beat the bloody hell out of the ones that killed Aragaki-senpai," Minato watched as Jin took a step forward but Takaya stopped him.

"You are different from the others," Takaya seemed amused. "And what is your opinion on the Dark Hour? Does it not give you significance?"

"Of course it does. It gives us all a significance we would have never had without it. But let me ask you something in return. What came first, the Dark Hour or Shadows?" Minato's eyes leveled at Takaya. "Naturally it was Shadows. So do you really think that the power needed to fight them didn't come until after the formation of the Dark Hour?"

"You're suggesting that our power will remain even if the Dark Hour is gone?" Takaya asked.

"The opposite actually. Do you really believe that defeating these Shadows will put an end to it?" Minato shook his head which had everyone looking at him in surprise. He glanced over the members of SEES.

Yukari was confused; he didn't think it would end by defeating the Shadows? Then why was he always trying so hard? Yukari looked over to Mitsuru.

"Do you remember Yakushima? The video of your Father?" Akihiko asked coming up from one side of Yukari.

"Yeah, of course," Yukari nodded.

"Minato blatantly told Mitsuru's Father that he didn't believe any of it before he ran off after you," Akihiko stated.

"He said something like that?" Yukari said to no one as she looked at Minato who looked so confident at ease making it look so simple to stand up against Strega. A thought crossed her mind. How could he have such unwavering conviction when she herself had started to doubt her own Father? Yet he told her to keep believing in her Father. She hadn't even really considered that Minato truly believed it; she just thought he said it to make her feel better. "Minato…"

She watched as Strega looked prepared to attack. Minato was essentially taking them on by himself. Yukari tightened the grip on her bow and took a few steps forward which went from a walk to a jog, and then a sprint. She watched the battle and noticed Jin pulling out an item from his pocket. A moment later she knew without a doubt that it was a grenade. She slid to a stop and took aim; Jin pulled the pin and tossed it towards Minato. Yukari exhaled and let the arrow go. Her aim was true and knocked the grenade cleanly away from Minato and its explosion harmlessly went off in the middle of the street. She pulled another arrow and pulled back, letting it loose it stopped Takaya from charging forward. Yukari started moving again and after a moment was standing next to Minato.

"I'm sorry," Minato said simply.

"Is now really the time for that?" Yukari pulled out another arrow.

Minato charged forward at Takaya and came at him with a downward slash. Jin tossed the briefcase in front of Takaya to take the sword blow. Minato spun and pulled his evoker free from his holster and fired it. "Ose! Gale Slash!"

Takaya and Jin stumbled back from the attack and Yukari added arrows into the attack to force them back even more. The two had no ground to attack. Minato pressed his attack with his Persona and Yukari pulled out her evoker and launched a massive wind attack sending the two crashing against the railing of the Moonlight Bridge.

"Dammit…Is their power that different from ours?" Jin cursed.

The rest of SEES was at their side.

"Different?" Mitsuru asked.

"For us, it's not that simple. Our Persona has to be forced out. Didn't your pal tell you?" Jin spat. Yukari noted the interest in Minato's face about this statement.

"So it was you guys that gave Shinji those pills," Akihiko stepped forward.

"So what? You guys don't have the slightest clue what will happen if the Dark Hour disappears, do you? It won't matter for normal people, since they don't remember anything anyway…but for us…" Jin muttered.

"That's enough," Takaya intervened as he got to his feet, obviously weakened from the fight. "Now then, ordinarily, we'd withdraw. But not tonight." Takaya bent down to the ground and picked up his revolver that Minato had thrown down earlier. "This body, ephemeral as it is…It is worthless without my power." He opened the chamber and placed a single bullet inside it and then put the gun to his head. "Therefore only one choice remains…I shall prove my existence here and now!"

Jin jumped forward and pulled Takaya's hand away.

"What are you doing?" Takaya demanded.

"Don't be so reckless," Jin insisted.

"Jin?" Takaya seemed confused.

"Sorry, but those are your words, not mine," Jin turned to the rest of SEES as he pulled Takaya with him to the side of the bridge. "You win. Looks like you'll get your wish. Go do what you came here for." Jin drags Takaya closer to the railing.

Junpei must have put things together faster than anyone because he was the one that stepped forward to speak. "Wait!"

"I'd rather die than surrender to you. Take a good look. This is how we live," Jin pulled Takaya with him and the two of them went tumbling over the rail and fell into the blood-red sea below the bridge.

"They jumped," Yukari gasped.

"What the hell were they thinking," Junpei muttered.

Minato stepped over to the railing of the bridge. "It isn't that complicated. In their eyes losing to us meant that the life they know now is over. And I doubt either of them would like to be taken into custody by us. We may not be able to get murder charges to stick on them for Aragaki-senpai but they certainly wouldn't be able to be free with the Kirijo Group breathing down their neck. So he took the chance that gave him a marginal chance of survival," Minato said looking over the bridge. "Still makes you wonder what they went through to become what they are."

"You're thinking about what Jin said," Akihiko said.

"Yeah, but I'm still not convinced this night will be the end," Minato said turning to the others. "Either way we still have a Shadow's ass to kick."

"Want to make a bet?" Junpei grinned. "If the Dark Hour ends you have to treat us all to dinner."

Minato laughed, "Alright, but if I'm right you all have to come do Karaoke with Yukari and I."

"You got a deal," Akihiko stepped forward.

"Guess there is only one thing left to do," Minato sheathed his katana and looked down the street where the Shadow was. "It hasn't moved at all has it, Yamagishi?"

"No, it seems to be waiting for us," Fuuka informed him.

"The last one just had to be here, didn't it?" Minato muttered. "I should apologize to all of you for keeping everyone in the dark. The only ones that knew about my plan were Kirijo-san and Yamagishi. But I was worried that maybe the pair of them was keeping tabs on one of us somehow. So with Yamagishi's help I tracked them down early this morning and followed them. But it didn't seem like they had any chance to investigate anyone in SEES."

"They have always seemed well informed, but if they haven't been observing us, then how could they know so much?" Akihiko shook his head.

"Still man, you should have seen how mad Yuka-tan was," Junpei grinned.

"Oh I'm sure I'll find out just how mad she still is later," Minato glanced over to Yukari who stayed close to his side. He took a few steps looking towards the last Shadow that was on the bridge. Was it really floating up in the air? That certainly wasn't going to make things easy.

"How are we going to attack that thing?" Fuuka looked on.

Minato tightened the grip on his katana. "Well it certainly poses a unique challenge."

"Looks like this battle is going to be a lot of fun," Akihiko gave an amused chuckle and took a few steps forward.

"Well then…we better start. The Dark Hour isn't going to wait for us." Minato focused his sights on the Shadow and began to walk forward.

March 15th, 2011 / Daytime

"It's no good, no matter what I say," Yukari sighed as she cradled her daughter in her arms. "Kana-san isn't going to leave Hamuko's side. Can't say that I blame her after all that time she was alone down there." And it was a natural response to stay with the individual you felt safe with.

"Still, to think that even Minato's twin had been involved with Shadows. Dude, this is all creepy as hell. Plus that Yoshimitsu guy said something about the rest of the Arisato family right?" Junpei looked over to the others. All of them were gathered in the meeting room of the hotel again.

"Looks like it. Still we don't know if there is some special quality of his family line or it is all just a coincidence. And it isn't like we have been able to find Yoshimitsu's research either," Akihiko was exasperated.

"I wonder if it is really like that though. Minato said in the journal that Persona is only a facet of our personality. A mask we wear to face the outside world. So essentially that means by definition that everyone's growth is different no matter what," Yukari eyed the blue leather bound journal on the table in front of her.

"We've all experienced it as well. After all, our Persona's aren't the same that they were when we first started either. And it all happened when each of us had our own change of heart. It made all of us stronger," Ken was the one that spoke this time.

"You're right," Aigis seemed to think about it for a moment. "But the power of the Wild Card as Minato refers to it as…is inherently different."

"Different?" Yukari voiced it as a question before her mind came to its own conclusion. "I see. Our powers increased in relation to our hearts and even our state of minds. But for Minato…it was strictly his relationship with others that fueled his Persona ability. But where did his heart factor in to that power?"

"Minato's heart?" Mitsuru got to her feet. "Saying it like that…it…"

"I know…" Yukari shook her head and then gently kissed Kokoro's forehead. "In the end…Minato had no personal reason to take up the fight against Shadows. The truth of it is…he did it to protect us. People he would have never even known if Shadows did not exist."

"Yes…all of us had reasons to fight…for one reason or another. For me it was because I wanted to protect my Father. Yukari fought to find out the truth of what happened to her Father," Mitsuru eyes were down casted as she spoke. Yukari knew why this was a hard subject, because it was hard for them all. "I'm to blame…I dragged you all into this battle to begin with."

"You know that none of us think that," Junpei quickly said.

"That's right. Regardless all of us would have been drawn into that world with or without you, Mitsuru. And honestly, we probably wouldn't have lasted long without us all joining SEES," Akihiko was quick to point out. "Plus Minato made his choice. If he had ever doubted himself then he would have never achieved what he was able to do. I have no doubts that he was prepared for the outcome or he would have never written the journal."

"That wasn't the point I was trying to make," Yukari let out a long sigh. "Minato's determination…no his dedication and love was not something I would ever question. What worries me was…his motivation."

"He had a unique power. I can't imagine the thoughts that constantly went through that dudes head," Junpei shook his head. "I wish I had gotten to known him better."

"Minato said that he didn't regret what he did. But despite that…the journal is full of his insecurities and every page seems to drip with regret," Yukari could feel the all too familiar pain that came with each word. "I was so blind. He was suffering right next to me and I could never see it!"

"You're wrong," the door to the room opened and the brown haired girl enter the room along with golden eyed lookalike. "He really was happy. Any amount of suffering he had was insignificant compared to the life he had before then."

"Takahashi. How are you feeling?" Mitsuru asked.

"A little annoyed that I seem to end up unconscious at the end of a fight instead of helping to finish it," Hamuko shook her head and looked to Kana. "I'm glad Kana-chan came with us."

"Of course I did. I'm going to stay with Hamuko-chan for now on," Kana said folding her arms.

Yukari felt nothing but sadness. Hamuko was right though. Minato had been happy, even if she'll never really know what his life had been like before. She could only remember the scars that were on his body. And that was the real heart of the matter. It was what was in that past that had shaped Minato. It was foolish to think that he had only become that way because of the fight with the Shadows. No…that was stupid to assume. Minato was already the type to give up his life to save someone else before he ever came back to Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island. It takes more than love and dedication to have that kind of resolve. It was something else…a horrible truth that Yukari couldn't help but notice. Minato…who had been a man capable of loving so much...thought nothing of his own life. The man that she loved…had no love for himself.

There was a conversation going on around Yukari but she could no longer hear it. Tears fell down her cheeks as she looked at her baby girl. "I failed him, Kokoro. I loved your Father. But I never saw how much he dis-liked himself. It took this much time for me to see the truth. And I'll…never be able to apologize to him." Her voice was only a whisper, as it was hard to speak with so many tears falling from her eyes. Was she really this naïve this whole time? No…she had merely been selfish. She had thought only of herself and her own problems and didn't think twice about what Minato had possibly been going through.

Yukari didn't notice anything around her until a pair of arms pulled her and Kokoro to them. It was Hamuko, "Yukari, if there is one thing you should take from everything that you've read in that journal is that he loved you. And there is nothing that could ever be wrong about that. And considering the life that he no doubt had to endure as he grew up, it was probably more valuable to him than he would ever say out loud. At least that is what I feel. You have no reason to blame yourself for all the things he went through. After all, you really loved him too, right?"

Hamuko's voice had a soothing effect on her…and despite herself she automatically compared it to Minato's voice. While the twins were certainly different in many ways…there was also some subtleness in both of them that was basically the same. Her smile, and the inflections of her voice when she spoke to other people were nearly identical to her brothers. It is strange, mostly because fraternal twins rarely share that many similarities. Yet Yukari had no doubt in her mind since she had met Hamuko, that she was Minato's twin.

Yukari let herself enjoy this moment in Hamuko's arms before Hamuko stepped back from them. "You shouldn't have to cheer me up," Yukari smiled up to Hamuko.

"I wish I could have known him. But to see how much that you loved my brother, and how it still affects you. I can't help it. You deserve to be happy, Yukari-san. And you should never feel guilty or responsible for the things that happened to my brother. Even if you had known everything, it would have done little to change the outcome. He still would have sacrificed himself, and you still would end up here today." Hamuko said as she offered a solemn smile. There was sadness in Hamuko's voice, but also offered Yukari comfort. A girl that would never know her twin brother.

"Yeah, I know," Yukari sighed looking back to Kokoro. "I just regret that I never helped him. I know that there was a lot that he had been dealing with. At least internally. I should have been able to alleviate even just a small fraction of it. In the end, though I guess it is just an excuse to put my own mind at ease."

"You did put him at ease, Yukari. I don't think any of us can forget the smile he had when he was with you," Mitsuru was the one to speak this time.

Yukari looked up to everyone and she took a moment to wipe away the last trace of her tears. "Thank you, all of you. But I know this isn't what we should be discussing."

"That's right; we need to determine the next place that Yoshimitsu is heading to. But I can't think of where to start other than it having to do with the Arisato family line. Mitsuru, you said you had learned about some others in Minato's family line," Akihiko was the one to steer the conversation right to the point.

"Yes, I was able to find the aunt and uncle as well as children with the Arisato name. If the records are correct then they are indeed blood relatives to Takahashi and Arisato. And if his words are to be believed then Yoshimitsu will no doubt be heading towards them," Mitsuru said but seemed a little uncomfortable with divulging this information. Yukari realized only a moment after why. They were learning more than probably they should about Minato's family life. More than that, it was because it was a family that he had never known, and conceivably had been turned away from. Still that was an answer to a different question. According to what she knew from Minato, he had never actually met or heard from his family.

Even though Minato had never met his family, Yukari wanted to make sure that Kokoro did.

"Where is the family located at?" Ken asked.

"Tokyo, so we'll have to go farther north," Mitsuru was obviously not liking this.

"You're worried about our activities being found out, aren't you?" Yukari voiced the question that seemed obvious.

"Yes," Mitsuru admitted. "We've been lucky so far. I doubt we will get away with our activities in a city as large as Tokyo. I can only have so much influence through the Kirijo Group."

"Regardless we have to go. Yoshimitsu isn't going to be deterred by the proximity of the city. He may even be more confident considering we would hesitate," Akihiko didn't sound like he liked it either.

"If we don't act, his next move will bring the Kirijo Group out into the forefront anyway. The Dark Hour keeps most of the damage easy to contain…but any presence of the Kirijo Group will be subjected to more scrutiny in Tokyo," Mitsuru shook her head and looked away from the group. "This situation could easily go out of control."

"It's different when your opponent doesn't seem to have a clear motive other than curiosity," Ken shrugged.

"He's more like a sociopath," Hamuko sighed. "I guess we're off to see my family then. This isn't exactly how I would imagine I would find my family."

"We should take this time to restate what we know about this incident," Akihiko focused the group.

"Alright, we know that this Yoshimitsu guy is someone that used to work in the Kirijo Group under Mitsuru-san's Grandfather, who was also responsible for the research that led to the creation of the Dark Hour," Junpei was the one to jump in and start the summary.

"After the initial discovery of the Dark Hour there was a split in the research that was done. One of them was no doubt in relation to the nature of the Dark Hour itself. But another research has to do with the nature of Persona," Mitsuru added.

"They also were researching the creation of the mechanical maidens as well," Aigis was quick to supplement.

"So at minimum the Kirijo Group was doing research on four different fronts. And Yoshimitsu was the head of one particular in relation to Persona and by proxy, Shadows," Fuuka looked around at the others and everyone seemed to agree. "And the Arisato's were a key part in that research."

"I hadn't discussed this yet but the Arisato twins as test subjects had a unique trait which was why they were targeted. Yamagishi and I found out that they had kept records of both Arisato and Takahashi as children as a means to compare the two. Although the two are fraternal twins they were a rare exception, their genetic make-up is 95% identical according to the early test results. The only real difference was being the opposite sex. And the most documented of the research is the interaction with the Shadows that Takahashi had," Mitsuru surmised looking down at a folder she had placed in front of her.

"She was never scared of us," Kana supplied. "It was the reason we gravitated towards her. She is the reason why we came to a choice. We decided we wanted Hamuko-chan to live no matter what."

"Kana's interjection was most likely what stopped Takahashi from ending up in a home that would have kept her under constant watch, although for a brief time they had been watching her," Mitsuru recounted the information in front of her. "My Father was able to finally spot a lot of the money being spent and stopped all those activities. But a lot of that information was missing. Then years later…is when all of us began to awaken to our Persona's. And then Arisato moved into the dorm and awakened to his power."

"More than likely Yoshimitsu had some contact within the Kirijo Group and was made aware of the abilities of Minato. And it might have involved someone we all know had his own agenda to begin with," Yukari said staring down at the blue leather bound journal in her lap.

"He had done a good job covering his tracks, it's possible he had been passing information," Fuuka added.

The group was silent for a moment. Yukari looked over to Hamuko who was a little bit confused but something seemed to dawn on her pretty quickly.

"The man Ikutsuki Shuji…who my brother had been incredibly speculative about according to the journal…is that the guy you guys are referring to?" Hamuko asked.

"Yes, in the end he used us for his own means. Even manipulating my Father to being in that position he was at. I had been blind to it myself, but Arisato always had his suspicions…just no proof," Mitsuru sighed heavily.

"So by the time he figured it out…it had been too late," Hamuko looked away for a moment. After no one spoke for a moment Hamuko did so again. "To get back on track, if all of this is true, and if Yoshimitsu is trying to see how far my power can grow…what will he do next?"

"More than likely create a tougher Shadow to pit you against. And if were right…your family may be a target," Yukari shifted Kokoro in her arms and staring into the face of her still sleeping daughter. "They don't need to be drawn into all of this like how Minato and Hamuko-san was."

"Either way, we need to head to Tokyo. We need to be ready for Yoshimitsu's next move," Mitsuru got to her feet.

"Let's hope things don't get out of hand," Yukari said silently and knew that regardless of what may be in store for them, she had to go. She would see all of it to the end. Not just for her sake, or Hamuko's or even her own daughters…but to see it for Minato's sake.

Author's Note:

Probably a rough editing job today, but I'm kinda on a rough schedule today so, not my choice in that regard. Either way, Part One of the last Full Moon is here, and now they are prepped to fight the 12th Shadow. Things are going to be picking up on both ends so I'm hoping I have a good amount of surprises in store for you.

You know what to do, read, review and maybe spread the love of this fic to others, lol. Thanks and see you all tomorrow with the next Chapter.