Chapter 14: Hiero After

6/08/09-Monday, Dark Hour

'I'm almost there...!' the girl thought to herself as she jumped out of the steep alley.

As soon as she did, the Dark hour ended. She bit her lip, as the unexpected scenery greeted her eyes. People were lying everywhere, though none of them seemed to be dead at least. Most of them had bruises, some were covered in ice, as if Mitsuru performed an execution spree. Her gaze then fell upon the dark mist, a clear sign of a defeated Shadow.

'Just what happened this time?'

Crimson tightened her grip on the naginata and growled to herself. She failed to destroy the Shadow... and Minato made contact with it, which means, Death was a step closer to becoming one. Again. The girl sighed and was about to leave when she caught sight of a silhouette within the smoke. Soon, it cleared up, revealing a familiar-looking Ganguro girl. It was Natsuki. Her red eyes widened as the student fell down on the ground like a stringless puppet.

Without thinking back, Crimson ran toward the fallen teen to see what just happened. She rushed over to her side and crouched down, trying to identify her condition.

"No good..." she muttered to herself. '... She's been afflicted...' the masked female snarled at the thought.

"...Crimson was it?" a female voice coming from behind her called out.

Immediately, Crimson turned around, finally noticing that all eyes were on her. It looked as if they were more surprised by her sudden appearance rather than the casualty. She froze, finally realizing her brash act, though before standing up, she tried to maintain her composure. The girl then turned to the one who spoke - Mitsuru.

"...Yes." she nodded, trying to keep a straight face. Not that it mattered anyway, since she was wearing a mask.

"H-how is she?" Yukari stepped forward, glancing at the girl on the ground.

Crimson slowly shook her head. She gazed down at the female. "It's too late... this girl's already a victim of the Apathy Syndrome. I'm guessing the Shadow called on to her and devoured her..."

All members of SEES seemed to be at loss for words, looking dejected. There was a long moment of silence.

"Ah... then that must be how it managed to draw in more people than expected..." a familiar voice suddenly spoke. "It must be its special ability, just as how the other Shadow was able to control the monorail weeks ago. Though, it needed the girl to act as a 'battery' to activate such power... I guess it was a mistake on our part, not being able to protect her..." Everyone turned to him, looking quite surprised.

"Mr. Chairman..." Mitsuru gasped.

"Why, fancy seeing you here." he turned to Crimson who stepped back at the sight of the man. "So, I finally meet the elusive 'Crimson' in person." the man smiled, his eyes hiding beneath his glasses.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Chairman?" It was Minato who raised the question.

"Oh, of course" he chuckled, "I'll explain everything later, but first thing's first." Ikutsuki paused and turned to the silver-haired senior who nodded in response.

"Would you join us? You'll be a great addition to the team!" Akihiko suddenly blurted out, raising his fist in front of him.

"No." she answered without even batting an eye.

The seniors, and Junpei frowned at the answer. She glared at Ikutsuki, feeling anger at the mere sight of him. She doubted his explanation, but it did seem plausible. After all, all the other Arcana Shadows did have their own special twist. For example, the Lovers had the ability to cloud their minds, Empress and Emperor could switch their strengths and weaknesses, and the Hermit hooked itself up the wirings of the club to gain more power. Crimson shook her head at the thought.

Finally, the masked female sighed and turned to the other direction, ready to leave when the stern female's voice called out to her.

"Hold on. We would like to ask you something." the red-head said coolly.

Just like before, the girl stopped, heart thumping loudly within her chest. Being interrogated by Mitsuru was no joke after all.

The female clad in red stopped on her tracks, and without turning to the female, she awaited for the rest of the heiress' words.

"Do you know anything about the Dark Hour?" she finally added, crossing her arms across her chest.

The masked female flinched and turned toward the group, sighing again before she spoke.

"... Yes... but you probably won't believe me if I tell you now." Crimson paused and stared at the faces of each S.E.E.S. members, and finally to the Chairman, giving him another glare (which was again, quite difficult to spot thanks to her mask).

Minato had his usual blank gaze, though there was definitely something different going on in his mind. The capped-teen on the other hand was staring at her curiously, in contrast with their seniors who seemed to be suspicious of her. As for Fuuka... She was lying on the ground, being tended by Yukari. She fainted a few moments before the mist cleared up. Lastly, there's Ikutsuki, whose expression she couldn't read. After watching them, the masked female shook her head and continued to speak.

"But I'm telling you now... don't go after the Shadows. They're mine."

Everyone's eyes widened save for Minato, everyone was just speechless as the girl ran off without waiting for any one of them to utter another word...

6/09/09-Tuesday

After the quick encounter with Crimson, the ambulance and the additional help Mitsuru and Ikutsuki called up came for assistance. The people (including S.E.E.S. members who had minor injuries) were immediately taken to the hospital, even Fuuka who was currently in a not-so-good condition. She was in shock of everything that just happened which probably caused her collapse.

Minato looked around, turning his head in every direction as if he was looking for something. Noticing his friend's actions, Junpei approached him and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked casually.

Minato stared at him blankly. His eye bags were almost as dark as the night. On an ordinary 'hour' anyway.

Before he was able to open his mouth, Yukari came in and answered in his stead. "You're looking for Minako-chan aren't you?" she smiled.

The boy gave a single nod in response.

"Don't worry, I already checked, she's not here." the girl added.

Minato sighed in relief. "Good..." he muttered, before collapsing on the ground.

"Minato!" Junpei and Yukari called out, rushing toward his side.

Mitsuru, who was nearby, saw the scene and approached them calmly. The two immediately opened a way for her. The moment she reached them, the female cast her gaze on the boy. Misturu bent down and checked their leader. Yukari and Junpei watched worriedly. Finally, the red-head let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief.

"He merely fell asleep."

The capped-teen and his female companion sat together on one of the chairs in hospital waiting area. Minato was currently sleeping close-by while their seniors were discussing about what to do with Fuuka. They could've gone back to the dorms if they wanted to, but since they were worried about their leader (and Fuuka), the two decided to stay.

"I still can't believe what happened tonight... I thought everything would be fine after you guys beat that thing..." Yukari made a deep sigh, "but to be honest, I'm not sure what to feel... I mean that girl was bullying Fuuka right?"

Her male companion simply nodded, unsure of how to answer the girl. He glanced over her direction, seeing that she was still quite shaken up by the recent events as evidenced by how tight she's holding her skirt.

"Well enough of that... I mean, we can't do anythin' about it... and at least no one died right?" the boy said nonchalantly. "But man... and I thought he was alright... I mean, he totally rocked in that hellish fight! To think he was thinking about protecting Mi-chan all along..." Junpei added, trying to change the subject. He was really worn out and had a few bruises here and there, though it was a lot worse a while back. Thanks to some healing spells, the wounds were treated even just the slightest.

"Yeah... I knew it was strange that he prioritized the civilians over the battle. Not a very good decision... I mean, I could've been enough for that, but to remove even the support in that fight... It could only mean he's worried about Minako-chan being there as the Shadow's victim herself" Yukari added weakly.

Unlike Junpei, she didn't sustain much damage, most likely because she only fought in Tartarus, and the rest of her Dark Hour was spent on 'crowd control'. Though, she was worn out in terms of energy.

"You know, it really makes me wonder why he's so attached to Minako-chan like that... It's... not normal..." she sighed. "I mean, sure she's the closest relative he has left... but still..." Yukari added, trailing off.

"Dude, when was he ever normal?" Junpei chuckled. "Heh if you haven't noticed yet, we really have a severe case of siscon here~" The male teen continued in a playful tone, to which Yukari snorted in annoyance.

"... Excuse me... What did you say?" A familiar voice spoke.

They turned to the direction of the voice and froze. Again, it was Mitsuru who had just finished her conversation with Akihiko who's currently having a check-up.

"Arisato has what?" she asked worriedly. "Is that an illness? If so, we must get it treated immediately!" she added with a concerned tone.

Yukari laughed awkwardly together with Junpei. The red-head stared at them inquisitively and brushed up her bangs. She then crossed her arms over her chest as if waiting for the boy to continue speaking. Finally, he smiled at her wryly and stood up.

"Ahaha... Well... I'm not good in explaining and stuff... so..." he paused, scratching the back of his head and looked around as if trying to avoid her gaze. "Ah! Just ask Akihiko-senpai about it" he paused again and turned to Yukari who had stood up herself.

"Well Mitsuru-senpai, we'd better get going and check on Minato. Bye!" the brunette spoke nervously and walked away together with Junpei. The woman tilted her head as she watched the two run off. What was that about?

"Hey, Mitsuru, the doctor said I'm good to go!" the silver-haired teen called from behind. He looked around, only to see that his juniors had left. He shrugged and walked to her side. "So what's up?"

"Oh, Akihiko, good timing, there's something I'd like to ask..."

"...?"

6/10/09-Wednesday

His silver-blue eyes slowly revealed themselves as light slowly enveloped his sight. Different sounds from his surroundings began to resonate louder as his consciousness began to resurface... there was a voice... Voice? It was a familiar one... Minako? No... Yukari? No... It was pretty difficult to make anything out of it since he seemed to still be half-asleep.

"Oh, you're awake." the voice spoke.

"... Fu... Fuuta...?" he mumbled, as he attempted to raise his head. The boy blinked as his blurry vision began to clear up. The first image he saw was the familiar-looking girl whom they have recently rescued.

She was sitting on the chair beside his bed. From the looks of it, he was somehow back at the hospital. Hold on... Shouldn't she be the one on the bed? And what about...

"Minako...!" he suddenly blurted out, shooting up from the bed.

"Oh, your sister? She visited earlier... but everyone else had gone to school. Senpai told me that we should take the day off" his female companion answered shyly.

The boy immediately began to calm down after hearing her words. He rubbed his forehead and turned to the girl.

"How about you, are you alright?" he asked.

Fuuka blushed and looked down on the floor and nodded.

"Good. I'm glad that you're fine" he smiled.

"T-thank you..." she was still looking down, avoiding his eyes. "But... because of me, Natsuki-chan..." she added, looking rather depressed. Her voice trembled as if she was about to cry.

Minato stared at her for a moment, unable to understand what she was talking about. He thought back about last night and recalled that there was single casualty...

He sighed and stood up from bed, which made the girl turn to him in curiosity. Minato approached her side and pat her head gently.

"It's not your fault" he said flatly. Though there was a hint of concern in his voice. "Blaming yourself will not change what has already happened. It's best to move on and figure out how to stop any more similar victims, right?" he continued with an assuring smile. 'Move on huh? ... I'm not in the right place to talk...' the boy thought at the back of his mind, biting his lip, though the girl didn't seem to have noticed as she was in deep thought herself. He sighed and shook his head.

"But..." before she finished speaking Minato cut her off.

"...And you weren't useless. You saved us last night. I'm sure you'll be a great help if ever you do decide to join us" he added, "but of course, the choice is still yours."

With those words, the girl blushed again and nodded weakly. The blue-haired boy stretched his arms and stared out the window. He then turned back to the girl and grinned.

"Well then... I'm hungry, let's go home and eat, Fuuta" Minato continued, ruffling her hair.

"A-alright!" she beamed, "but... it's Fuuka though..."

"Minato-kun...! Fuuka-chan, w-what happened!?" the auburn-haired girl rushed over his side.

The moment she stepped inside the dorm, the boy was found lying on the floor. His face was very pale and cold and his body was covered in sweat. There was also some sort of strange black substance flowing down from his mouth.

"Yamagishi, where's intruder?" the female senior called out rather calmly, but sternly.

Fuuka just stared at her blankly for a moment as if she was dazed.

Everyone had just gone home from school, Junpei, Yukari, Minako and even Mitsuru. Akihiko stayed behind since he had club to attend to. At first, the group planned to visit the hospital, but after Mitsuru had confirmed that the two had already left, they decided to go straight back home. Under normal circumstances, the two shouldn't have been allowed to leave the hospital just like that, but as it turned out, Minato and Fuuka weren't really admitted. Thanks to their senior's connections, the two made a hotel out of the hospital just to get some sleep since it would have been a bother to them if they sent the two home.

Yukari bent down to check on the boy when a strange smell suddenly entered her system. All her other companions noticed it a moment after her and immediately covered their noses. Junpei stood up and searched for the source. Most of it came from the kitchen, but there was also some from the dining table beside the blue-haired boy. Judging from the positioning of things, Minato was sitting on the chair and fell. There was a pair of chopsticks beside him, and a bowl overflowing with the strange black gunk, similar to the one in his mouth.

"Fuuka-chan, don't tell me you tried to cook?" Minako turned to the girl with her hand over her nose.

"Arisato, what are you saying? Yamagishi would never try to poison your brother!" Mitsuru scolded her.

The auburn-haired girl froze, but before she can apologize, Fuuka suddenly spoke.

"N-no senpai... She was right... I insisted on cooking for him and..." she said weakly. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to...!" the girl added, bowing her head.

Everyone else was stunned and remained silent. Junpei paused and stared at the mystery concoction. He turned to Fuuka and raised a brow.

"What's this supposed to be anyway?" he asked.

"Instant noodles..." she answered shyly.

Everyone else what dumbfounded. What the hell did she put in that thing?

Suddenly, the group began to hear a moan. It was Minato. He was stirring up, so Junpei carried him over to the sofa and his sister handed him a glass of water.

"A-are you alright?" Fuuka asked softly.

"Yeah Yuuka, I'm fine..." he answered flatly.

"... My name's Fuuka... but I'm glad you're safe..." she added.

Junpei walked to Minako's side and whispered. "Y'know, for a moment there, it felt like she did it on purpose..."

After that, everyone returned to their respective rooms with a brand new fear of instant noodles. Akihiko returned home later that day, puzzled as to why it was quiet, in the end, his rumbling stomach took over and so, he rushed in to find something to eat. Sadly, everyone forgot to clean up the kitchen and another victim fell... And so, no one ate dinner that night...

This took like... more than half a year I guess? ^^"

Anyway, I never planned for that last part to happen. All I had in mind was a Minato+Fuuka bonding time... but I had no idea other than that.

And that's why I got stuck in this chapter for a REALLY LOOOONG time... (that and school + lazies :P)

Then, one day, I just started typing and this happened... I guess I had too much fun messing with them and that happened...

So, sorry for the long wait for this chapter ;^;

As for the chapter title... It was originally 'Hierophant Part III', but as I was making this, I kept calling it 'Hiero After' so I sticked with it :P

In any case... coming up next~ Chapter 15: Minato's Date~

D-don't worry, it won't take another half a year...

So while we're at it... here're some teaser dialogues~ ;)

"... Oh... What's with him? Was it Fuuka-chan's cooking again?"

"Let's get this straight first alright? I'm just here to make sure and keep you out of trouble got it?"

'He's simpler than I thought...!'

-I do not own Persona 3-