Chapter 20: Strength and Fortune.

October 3rd, 2009:

Tomorrow would be the next full moon, and with it the battle against the next Shadow or Shadows. For Minato, he was feeling nervous about the next operation. Not because he was scared, but because his mind was on other things. Strega was still out there, and it was possible they could try to stop them tomorrow. While he was unsure how strong they were, he was confident they could beat them. But his thoughts also went to Fuuka, his now girlfriend.

What if Strega would try to target her? She couldn't fight back and would be an easy target for them. Now that he thought about it, Futaba also fell into that category. They had to assume they knew about navigator types if Chidori was their version of a navigator. They would be idiots to assume otherwise.

But there was another mind flowing through his mind, and it wasn't just him. Recently, everyone had started to notice that Ken was being distant for some reason. And that he was always looking at Shinjiro whenever he had his back turned. Whenever they tried to ask him about it, Ken would always deflect it. Was there something that he was hiding from them?

"What you thinking about, Minato?" Ann asks, seeing him still looking out the window of the classroom. "Fuuka on your mind?"

"Not just her." Minato admits, shaking his head. "But I do have a lot on my mind about tomorrow." At that, Ann's smile fades as she nods back at him with a frown.

"You're talking about Strega and Ken, right? I admit, Ken has been on my mind as well from how he's been acting recently. It's worrying, to be honest." Ann admits, rubbing her head. "Why won't he talk to us?"

"Maybe it's something he's not ready to talk about. But, something tells me we'll find out tomorrow even if we want to or not." Minato comments, shaking his head as he looks around the classroom. Noticing that two people were missing. "Where are Minako and Yukari?" Ann follows his gaze, seeing said two missing from the classroom before smirking.

"I think I have an idea…" She comments, silently pointing upwards. Minato follows her gaze, putting two and two together before nodding at Ann as the two silently make their way to the roof. Carefully opening the door so not to make a sound as they glance around, finding Yukari and Minako standing on the roof around the corner. And in easy distance to hear their conversation.

"Thanks for coming up, Mina. I'm sure you must be wondering why I asked you up here and without the others." Yukari begins, her hands grasped behind her back.

"It's no problem. And yeah, I am curious. What did you want to talk about, Yuka?" Minako replies, hands at her sides. Yukari glances off to the side, letting out a sigh as she looks back at Minako.

"It's nothing much, but… I have to ask. Why do you spend so much time with me, Mina?" Minako blinks at Yukari in surprise, tilting her head. "And I don't mean when we're chatting with your brother and Ann. I mean outside of that as well. It's gotten you into a whole lot of mess sometimes, and I've even said things to you both that I really shouldn't have."

Minako glances to the side as Minato and Ann look on in silence, hidden by the shadows as Yukari walks closer to Minako.

"Is it because we are Persona users, or because we are good friends? Or… do you, by chance, have feelings for…?" Yukari's voice tumbles off as she looks away from Minako, a blush forming on her face. Minako looks up at her, a similar blush forming on her own face as she thinks over her own words. Thinking long and hard as she tangled with her own web of feelings over Yukari.

She didn't know when her feelings started to bloom, but over the past few weeks it had become increasingly hard for her to ignore them. But, there was a feeling of dread at the back of her mind that Yukari wouldn't feel the same way. But, now that they were up here, it was now or never to express them.

"Yuka… for a long while I wanted to tell you why. But, for a long time I was scared. Scared of how you would react if I told you." Yukari looks at Minako, seeing the uncertainty and worry on her face as she looks to the side. "I… don't want anything to ruin what we have, but I know that if I remain quiet it may do that." Minako looks back up at Yukari, taking a deep breath as she walks a bit closer to her. "So… that's why I'm going to come out and say it. Consequences be damned. Yuka… I love you."

"What?" Yukari asks, wide eyes as Minato and Ann silently gasp. "No way… are you serious? And… it's the romantic type of love, right?" Minako nods, looking away as she closes her eyes. She was ready for Yukari to tell her she didn't feel the same, ready for her heart to break at the rejection. But what she wasn't ready for was Yukari hugging her as tears flows down her face.

"Y-Yuka?" Minako asks, surprised by Yukari suddenly hugging her.

"Sorry, Mina. It just feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders." Yukari tells her, not letting go. "It's because… I feel the same way." Minako's eyes widen in surprise as Yukari chuckles in surprise. "Yeah, I swing both ways. You just happened to steal my heart before I even knew it."

"Yuka…" Minako whispers, before hugging Yukari in returns with her own tears running down her face. "…I prepared myself for the worse. But now… I can't stop crying."

"Same." Yukari replies with a smile. "I'm happy… so happy I could tell you my feelings." Minako nods, opening her eyes as she sees the Lovers Tarot card gain its ninth star. Or in this case, heart. But she didn't care about that, only focusing on the moment with Yukari. Neither of them noticing her brother or Ann looking at them in the shadows as they quietly vanish. Making their way to the gym as Ann could barely hold her excitement in.

"Yes! That's another ship sailed!" Ann quietly cheers as Minato shakes his head in amusement. Even if he did reach rank nine with Yukari as well, he was more happy for them finally confessing to each other.

"She deserve it." Minato replies. "All this times, she's been putting up a front of joy to mask how she really feels ever since we lost our parents. I hope that Yukari will help her move on."

"Just like how Fuuka is doing the same with you?" Ann asks with a smirk as Minato blushes in embarrassment. "I kid, I kid. But in all honesty, I'm happy for all of you. Living your life by yourself can be really lonely at times."

"Yeah." Minato replies, nodding his head in agreement as he looks at the time. "Let's head back home. I don't want my sister finding out we heard them both."

"Good idea." Ann replies as the two make their way back to the Dorms. Leaving Minako and Yukari alone as they enjoyed the quiet moment in silence. With a new fire of determination building within them to overcome the challenge tomorrow.

"You look happy Minako. Something good happen?" Ren asks, seeing a beaming Minako enter the Dorm. It was only he and Shinjiro hanging around the lunge as they watch Minako toss her bag onto the couch.

"More than good! I feel like I'm on cloud nine." Minako replies with a grin, flopping onto the couch. Both Shinjiro and Ren raises their eyebrows at her as she lets out a giggle. "Yukari and I are a couple!"

"For real?" Ren asks in surprise, before giving her a smile. "Congratulation Mina. I'm happy for the both of you."

"Same here." Shinjiro adds with a smirk before chuckling to himself. "Now if we can just get Aki and Mitsuru together. Just as footsteps echo from the stairs with Fuuka entering the lounge, holding a cookbook.

"Oh, welcome back Minako-chan." She greets with a smile.

"Thanks Fuuka. What's with the cookbook?" Minako asks back, seeing the book in Fuuka's hands.

"Ah…" Fuuka comments, holding it up. "…well, I want to try my hand at making beef stroganoff with Minato's help. I made sure to get extra ingredients when I was out in case I messed things up. But, I'm not that confidant in my skills to make it. And Minato got dragged into helping Haru-senpai with her garden with Junpei-kun." Ren stretches his arms, about to offer to help right as Shinjiro stood up from his seat.

"I'll make it. Watch and learn Fuuka. You too, Minako." Shinjiro tells them, walking up and grabbing a spare apron from the counter. The three of them all glance at each other before following Shinjiro into the kitchen where the ingredients were all laid out. Although, there was one thing that had Shinjiro's worry.

"This meat's pretty fatty…" He remarks, casting a glance at Fuuka.

"Oh, I asked the butcher for the best he had. Was that the wrong choice?" Fuuka replies, tilting her head. Shinjiro looks back at the meat, shaking his head as he lets out a sigh.

"Normally, no it wouldn't. But that's only when you have full confidence in your cooking skills. Until then, you use the cheap stuff that costs less. But that's a lesson for another time." He grabs a cutting knife before carefully removing the fat from the meat. "Now listen up. Preparation is the important step in cooking. I'm sure you already know this after making those rice balls, but a refresher never hurts."

"As in chopping everything that needs to be chopped, and measuring everything that needs to be measured?" Fuuka asks back, earning a nod from Shinjiro. "I do that when making the rice balls, so I assumed it would be the same when going for bigger meals.

"That's right. Having everything prepare before you start cooking means you won't be panicking when you need to add them." Shinjiro replies evenly, casting a glance at Ren. "It's the same when you make the curry, right Ren?"

"That's right. Boss was always adamant on making sure everything was prepared and measured before he started cooking." Ren replies, nodding his head. "When you're making something up on the fly, you can be a little bit free with measuring. But when it comes to meals like this, preparation is everything." As the two talk, Fuuka takes out her notebook which lists everything she has learned that was related to cooking while Minako silently watched the two pros talk. Part of her wondered why Fuuka didn't go talk to them first when she wanted to learn how to cook, but that was neither here nor there.

Time move on as Shinjiro shows Fuuka how to cook the dish, even as more of the team return to the Dorm as the evening rolls in. Eventually, the dish is ready and served to everyone for dinner. Something they all agreed on was a welcome change to going out to eat or having instant ramen for tea.

"Damn Shinji… you still got it when it comes to cooking." Akihiko remarks after swallowing another bite of meat.

"Indeed. This brings back memories of when we first started." Mitsuru comments with a smile as Shinjiro looks away.

"Yeah… it sure does." He comments, missing the glance he got from Ken. The future Thieves, on the other hand, saw Ken's glance at Shinjiro, noting the tension that seemed to be building between them. Yet, they stayed silent. They didn't know what was going on between them, and trying to intervene when they knew nothing wouldn't work out for everyone.

"Aragaki-senpai. Can you please teach me more at a later date? Oh, and Ren-kun as well." Fuuka asks, bowing in her seat next to Minato. "I want to learn more and improve."

"I don't see why not. How about it, Shinjiro?" Ren asks. Shinjiro glances at her, seeing the hope in her eyes before letting out a sigh and rubbing the back of his head.

"Fine. I'll help when needed." Fuuka nods back at him happily as Minato rests a hand on her shoulder. Giving her a nod of approval as Minako catches the fourth star appearing on Shinjiro's Tarot card. But for a moment, Shinjiro's card changed. Showing a bullet hole piercing through the centre of it, while smaller holes riddled the top and bottom of the card. It was only for a split second, but it was enough for Minako to pause.

What did that mean? Was something going to happen to Shinjiro? The moment those questions flooded into her mind, a bad feeling settled into her. A feeling of dread.

September 15th, 2017

"So that's how you four became couple?" Haru asks Minato, Fuuka, Minako, and Yukari with a soft smile. "That's so lovely."

"It was." Minako replies, grasping her wife's hand. "I had never felt happier in my life."

"It certainly was a peaceful time." Akihiko remarks with a smile. "After having constant successes, we started to think we were untouchable. Especially with you guys by our side." He lets out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head as the smiles on the S.E.E.S team quickly vanished. "At least… that's what we thought until October 4th."

"Why? What happened?" Ryuji asks, seeing the tension building up in everyone as they let out a join sigh.

"I let my anger get the better of me." Ken replies, grabbing the team's attention. "And I almost committed a mistake that would have led me down a dark path. And almost got Shinji killed." He shakes his head as Shinjiro pats him on the back, and Ken lets out a long sigh of resignation. "All because I wanted to avenge my mother, I let my anger blind me to the real dangers that night on the anniversary of her death.

October 4th, 2009

The Dark Hour was upon them, the green glow illuminating the world outside as the Phantom S.E.E.S hunkered down in the monitoring room. Fuuka and Oracle were already searching for the Shadow as the team stood waiting to move out. However, there was some uncertainty in the air. Shinjiro and Ken were missing.

"We've located the target." Fuuka reports, opening her eyes to look at everyone.

"It's in the Iwatodai Station Plaza." Oracle adds, her screens flying around her. "And we're getting two blips there as well."

"The Tenth and Eleventh Shadow… we are almost there." Ikutsuki breaths. But while he had the look of joy on his face, the same could not be said for everyone else. Next month would be when they see if the Thieves memories are correct, or if they had changed fate and ended the Dark Hour earlier than before.

"By the way, did any of you pick up Shinji?" Akihiko asks, crossing his arms. "It's not like him to miss out on this."

"Same with Amada-kun. Did you pick them up?" Noir asks the navigators. Who both shake their heads.

"Sorry, but I can't see. I'm getting interference from the Shadows again." Fuuka replies, letting out a long sigh. Oracle nods, although she sends a discreet glance at Joker. Something he managed to pick up on, despite the giant goggles on Oracle's face.

"Either way, we can't wait for them. We'll have to commence the mission without them." Mitsuru announces with a sigh. "I only hope they haven't been caught by Strega."

"Something tells me Shinjiro can handle them." Skull replies as the group head out. But as they start moving down the stairs while Ikutsuki stayed in the comms room, Oracle tugged on Joker's coat to slow him down.

"What's up?" Joker asks quietly, seeing the seriousness on Oracle's face.

"I did pick up on them. Ken is in an alleyway in the opposite direction of the Shadow and Shinjiro is on his way there. I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling something is going to happen between them." Joker nods at her, glancing back down at everyone as he thinks inside his head.

"I'll go and check on them from the shadows." He tells Oracle. "Can you tell them that I'm doing some scouting in case Strega tries to sneak up on us?" Oracle grins, nodding her head as she gives him a salute.

"Leave it to me, bro." Joker smiles, rubbing her head as he makes his way to the roof as Oracle races to rejoin the others. They had already left the Dorm and were heading over to the station, staring down the two shadows from a distance as they waited for Oracle and Joker to catch up.

"Oracle? Where's Joker?" Queen asks, noting the absence of her boyfriend.

"Joker's gone on recon in case Strega tries to interfere with us again." Oracle tells them easily. "He doesn't want them sneaking up on us."

"I suppose we'll be going in three members down." Panther replies, shaking her head before looking back at the Shadows. One of them looked like a mechanical sphinx or lion with a mask on the side, around the side of a large dog. As for the other Shadow, it was a woman wearing a white gown with a glowing symbol above her head while holding a rose skyward in her right hand. Around her was a spiked fence while standing on a large bouquet of flowers.

"So… who are our foes tonight?" Fox asks, hand hovering over his katana as everyone got ready to charge forward.

"The smaller one is called Fortune. I suppose it's easer to say that than Wheel of Fortune. Weak to Strike and Elect, but it absorbs Fire, Ice, Wind, Light, and Bless." Oracle reports as her screens float around her.

"The large one is called Strength, and it resists Slash and Pierce while reflecting Strike. But it is weak to Psionic attacks." Fuuka adds with Koromaru letting out a growl at the Shadow.

"Strength? That's Koro-chan's Tarot card." Minako comments, narrowing her eyes at the Shadow. "And I feel his anger just looking at it."

"Then let's not waste any time and go beat them up!" Junpei shouts as he, Skull, Aigis, and Akihiko rush forward with the rest of the team quickly following up behind them. But as they did so, the Strength Shadow did something none of them were expecting. It casts a spell that rendered the Fortune Shadow invisible both to their eyes and to Oracle and Fortune.

"What the!?" Mona shouts in alarm, before avoiding a Gigantic Fist from the Strength Shadow. "What happened to the Fortune!?"

"The Strength Shadow is hiding it!" Oracle shouts, watching as the Fortune attacks from a random location with a Garudyne at Junpei, knocking him to the ground as Yukari moves to heal him up. But as she did so, the Fortune did something that no one was expecting. A giant Wheel of Fortune appeared on the ground, the arrow spinning around.

"A roulette?" Fuuka asks, blinking her eyes as the arrow spins around before landing on a blue panel with two swords. From it, a golden glow envelops everyone as they suddenly find themselves powers up. But the same could be said of the Shadows as they grew stronger from the roulette wheel.

"Great… gambling." Queen bitterly remarks, having a flashback to her sister's Palace. Or flash-forward in this case.

"So whatever that arrow lands on, we get a good or bad outcome?" Junpei asks, ducking under another Gigantic Fist. "What the hell is that all about?!"

"Psio!" Noir shouts, blasting the Strength with Psy magic and sending it back. "No matter what happens, we will overcome this foe!"

"Agidyne!" Panther yells, blasting the Strength with fire magic and causing it to wobble as Queen follows up with a Frelia.

"Zionga!" Akihiko shouts, blasting the Fortune with Elec as the twins follow up behind him with a join Megido blast. But as they do so, the Fortune summons another roulette wheel, this time landing on a red tile with a bomb going off. What followed next was the roulette wheel exploding in everyone's faces, damaging all of them, including the hidden Fortune Shadow.

"This is going to take a while!" Yukari shouts, firing Garula at the Fortune as Mona heals everyone up. Skull rushes forward, glowing red as he attacks with his Theurgy, with Mitsuru and Fox following up with a join Bufula attack. But as the team settled in for a long fight, Minako and Minato couldn't help but wonder about Ken and Shinjiro.

Just where the hell were they?

In an alleyway not too far from the Dorm, Ken stood by himself. His spear was held in his left hand as he looked at a certain spot on the ground. It would be lit up by the street lights and shops around him and from cars coming from the nearby road, but in the green hue of the Dark Hour, it was all but welcoming, especially with the pool of blood lying in the centre of the stone road. As Ken's eyes were glued to the blood, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Catching his ears he glances over his shoulder to see Shinjiro walking towards him.

"You came… just like we agreed." Ken comments, not turning around to look at him. Shinjiro remains silent, looking at Ken as the boy turns around to face him. "Do you know why I called you here? You probably have an idea, seeing how you skipped the operation for it." Ken's face darkens as he lowers his face. "Two years ago today… on October 4th. That was the day that my Mom died here." He glances at the pool of blood on the floor with a scowl. "Even the Dark Hour remembers where she died. They called it a car accident, but it wasn't. I was the whole thing… I saw my mother die." At that, he glares right at Shinjiro, pointing his spear right at him. "YOU murdered her!" Shinjiro remains silent, his eyes showing pity as Ken lowers his spear.

"Since then, not one good thing has happened… just being alive is torture. And all I get from people is sympathy, no matter where I go. What's the point of living like this?" Ken shakes his head, narrowing his eyes as he glares back at Shinjiro. "I've even thought about killing myself… but I wouldn't be able to face Mom like that. That's why I vowed to live until I found her killer—YOU!" He tightens his grip on his spear, looking Shinjiro dead in the eyes. "I once heard you say you wanted to forget what you did on that day… so when I realised it was a full moon today, I knew I had to confront you." Ken pauses, looking up at the green sky and clouds with distant eyes. "Today, Mom is with me." He looks back at Shinjiro, grabbing his spear with both hands and falling into his battle stance. "I'll make you remember what you did to her… I'm gonna kill you!" Shinjiro glances to the side, Ken's words ringing around them as he looks back at him. But not with anger, hatred, defiance, or anything like that. Instead, it was acceptance as he looked at Ken right in the eyes.

"Do it."

"Psio!" Noir shouts, blasting the Strength Shadow with Psy magic once more. Its weakness is fully exploited as it struggles to float in the air as Skull and Akihiko blast it with Elect magic. Finally bringing it down as it collapses to the stone road. The moment it did so, the veil protecting the Fortune Shadow was lifted, revealing itself as everyone turned their attention to the mechanical shadow.

"The Fortune is revealed! Hit it with everything we got!" Oracle shouts as Aigis blasts forward. Activating her Orgia mode as she pummels the Fortune with everything she has. Koromaru followed her up, blasting it with an Eigaon as Queen delivered a solid punch. Knocking it to the ground in a daze.

"All-Out Attack!" The twins call out with everyone rushing in and lashing out at the Shadow. The Fortune Shadow, wounded by the attack, summons another Wheel of Fortune to try to alter the field of battle. The roulette once more landed on the two swords, powering everyone up as they all glared at the Fortune.

"Enough of that!" Junpei shouts, glowing red as he unleashes his Theurgy on the Shadow. The Hack n' Bash was more than enough to send it flying into the air with the Thieves unloading their weapons into it. Peppering it with bullets as Noir's grenade explodes in its face. Sending it plummeting to the ground and landing hard.

"We've almost beaten it!" Fuuka calls out with a smile as the Fortune struggles to its feet once again. "One more attack will finish it off!"

"Finally! This fight was starting to piss me off!" Skull shouts, readying to blast the Fortune with Zionga. But before he could do so, the Fortune summons one more Wheel of Fortune. But unlike the others, this one was almost completely blue with a pair of angel wings on it. While the one small remaining slice of red had the image of the Grim Reaper.

"I don't like the looks of this one…" Mona comments as the Fortune spins the wheel. Everyone finds themselves on edge as it spins around. As it starts to slow, the team hold their collective breath as the arrow gets close and closer to the red as the wheel spins slower and slower…

"…Do it, Ken. I won't stop you." Shinjiro repeats at the boy's blinking eyes. "You're right… I just wanted to forget. That's why I left everyone behind, and tried to use drugs to suppress my power. But nothing I ever did could erase that memory. No matter what I do, I always end up back here." Ken remains silent, his hands gripping his spear just as tight. "It's my fault. This is what I deserve. But I gotta give you a warning."

"A warning…?" Ken asks, tilting his head. Why was Shinjiro being so calm about this? Should he be trying to fight back or something? Why is he giving me a warning?

"You take my life, and you're gonna end up just like me. You better be prepared for that." Shinjiro clarifies for Ken, who blinks at him with unbelieving eyes.

"What… are you begging for your life?" Ken asks, trying to make sense of all of this.

"Even if all you have right now is hatred, one day you'll regret it." Ken's eyes widen at Shinjiro before narrowing in anger as he tightens his grip on his spear. It was so tight now he was starting to hurt his skin despite the gloves he was wearing.

"Shut up! That's bullshit!" Ken shouts back, not believing a word Shinjiro said.

"I must say, I agree." A calm voice echoes behind them, surprising Ken and Shinjiro as they look up to find Takaya walking towards them with a calm look. "These are not his sins to bear… that is the nature of revenge. Is it not permissible to kill those who are themselves killers?"

"Th-That's right." Ken agrees, keeping his spear aimed at Shinjiro. But even he felt discomfort with a member of Strega being nearby. He had heard about them and the crimes they committed. And it made him terrified of being near them.

"Whaddaya want?" Shinjiro asks, irritated at Takaya's arrival.

"Losing one of our own has posed a slight challenge for us… but we cannot simply turn a blind eye to all the trouble you have caused." At that, he pulls out his gun and aims at Shinjiro, shocking Ken while Shinjiro narrows his eyes in anger.

"You bastard." He remarks, taking his hands out of his pockets.

"Fear not. This life is but a stepping stone. I shall deliver unto both of you… salvation." At that, Ken's eyes widen while Shinjiro growls before he runs to place himself between Ken and Takaya.

"What did you say!?"

"My… protecting your would-be murderer?" Takaya remarks, shaking his head before smiling evilly. "Ohhh, but that's right! Whether or not to this boy's revenge, you are fated to die, regardless."

"What… what does that mean?" Ken asks, shaking his head.

"You've been taking those suppressants for some time now. You don't have much longer until your Persona kills you." Takaya remarks, shaking his head.

"That's bullshit!" Shinjiro shouts back. And inside him, he felt a voice agreeing with him.

"Listen to your body… the signs have already begun. Sooner or later, your Persona will break free of the chains that bind him. And you will die." Takaya tells him with a wide grin as Shinjiro growls at him.

"What're you talking about?" Ken asks, shaking his head in denial. "You're just going to die… no matter what!? Even if I don't do anything? That's not fair!" Ken slams his spear on the ground, shaking his head in denial. "This is all I've been living for… what was even the point then!?"

"The cause of death is hardly an importance." Takaya coldly replies. "Besides, the breath of life is faint within you too, child. You were planning to join him when the deed was done, correct?" Ken falls silent, looking away with guilt on his face as Shinjiro looks back at him with shock.

"Ken… what?" He asks in a subdued voice, not believing that Ken would do something like this.

"This may be a bit ill-timed, but no matter." Takaya remarks, slowly shaking his head. "It matters not whose life I take first. You're both destined to perish anyway." Takaya glances between them, his finger on the trigger. "However, before I end your lives, tell me this. Where are the navigators among your ranks?" Ken and Shinjiro's eyes widen in shock as Takaya narrows his eyes. "You have been protecting them with startling efficiency. More than what can be accomplished with a single navigator. You will tell me where they are, or this will hurt you more than it will hurt me." The two remained silent, Shinjiro glaring daggers at Takaya while Ken shook where he stood. Petrified at the gun aimed at him.

"There's no one." Shinjiro tells him, not moving an inch. Takaya narrows his eyes as he aims the gun at his head. At that point, something switched in Ken as he narrowed his eyes and stepped to the side.

"It's me!" He shouts, startling Shinjiro while surprising Takaya. "I'm one of them!"

"Really, now?" Takaya replies, not convinced but aiming the gun above their heads.

"It's the truth. That's the only reason they would let me join, even though I'm a kid."

"What are you doing?" Shinjiro asks through gritted teeth, seeing nothing but the emotionless eyes in Ken.

"It doesn't matter now… I'll never have my revenge." Ken says with no emotion, looking at the floor with no light in his eyes. "I don't have any reason to live… what's the point in fighting any more?"

"I see… so, you accepted salvation. What a beautiful end to your life." Takaya replies, aiming his gun right at Ken's head. "Very well, you shall go first. Rest peacefully…"

"Mom…" Ken whispers, closing his eyes as he accepts his fate.

"KEN!" Shinjiro shouts, putting himself between Takaya and Ken while shutting his eyes. Ken looks at him, confusion and shock on his face, while Takaya smiles darkly as he gently pulls the trigger. Just as the Fortune's Wheel began to land on the Reaper. Only for it to jump onto the blue at the last second.

*BANG!*