Here i am again. In the red room.

"Did you like seeing me naked skelly?" angel yukari asked with a grin.

"S-shut up! Just give me my fiends so i can wake up! I did my research on tarot cards." i yelled.

"That can wait. As you gain two more fiends due to the falling of the heirophant and lovers. The heirophant represents education, authority, conservatism, obedience to rules and relationship with the divine; on the other hand, the Reversed version represents the misuse of the divine knowledge to manipulate others." angel fuuka explained.

"The lovers in it's upright position…well it's obvious. It represents true love. a connection between two people that is intimate and close, and represents a completion of two halves. But when reversed, it represents a pairing that has been forced, or is being done for the wrong reasons." angel yukari said.

"Which explains why it tried to get us to star in a high school themed porno." i said. The cards flipped up and two new beings appeared in a red light. Out of the heirophant is a skeleton monk wearing bright clothes and out of the lovers card was a girl with long blonde hair grey skin like she was undead and a dark blue dress.

"Greetings young man i am daisoujou. Let me show you the way to inner peace." daisoujou said.

"Hi! My name is alice! I look forward to playing with you and your friends mister! Let us explore wonderland together!" alice said with childish amusement…wonderland huh? I think i know who she represents. With that i soon woke up.

July 8th-july 19th 2009

The last days i spent wrapping up my social links. Yuko's got a good idea of what do with her life while kazushi finally caved and put recovery above the track team.

Through the 10th and 15th i spent hanging out with the yuki twins and junpei. I met makoto on the roof of the school.

"You know…when i first came here. I wasn't afraid to die and join our parents…but now. I've made a lot of bonds since i got here…skell. If something were to happen to me…take care of kotone okay?" makoto asked. I shook my head.

"No…I'm not keeping that promise. You're not going to die you hear me! You said yourself. You made tons of bonds at this school. If even one person would mourn at your grave. Then you owe it to them to keep living! Even if we face the god of death. I will find a way for all of us to survive and win! That's the promise i'm willing to make!" i yelled. Makoto laughed.

"You're so childish…you know you can't deny reality.." makoto said.

"Maybe…but that won't stop me from trying. If reality says that my friend has to die…than i'll deny everything to prove it wrong." i said.

"I just can't keep up with you or kotone…alright we'll do things your way for now." makoto said with a smile. I feel like i truly understand makoto now. The voice in my head arrived again.

"I am thou…thou art i….thou has forged an unbreakable bond…this bond will be the blade that cuts through the threads of fate…with the true power of hope…nothing will be impossible for you now…" the voice said.

Hope.

Makoto yuki.

Rank 10.

We headed back to the dorm room after that. A few days later and i'm hanging out with kotone. At the bench at the shrine although she seems a bit somber than usual.

"Hey skell…can i be honest with you?" kotone asked.

"What are you not being honest about?" i asked.

"Well…everything you know how you said about how it is than i'm still happy and full of life despite what happened to me and makoto? Well that's the part I've been lying about." kotone said somberly.

"Figures…no one could deal what you and makoto did and be alright. While makoto dealt with it by being an emotionless husk. You dealt with your depression by smiling through it. That's the thing about depression. People deal with it differently. If being positive and bubbly isn't enough to handle it anymore…well come talk to me. I'm always up for listening even if it's just to hear you vent." i said. Kotone giggled.

"Thanks skell…you know. I thought the only person i would ever trust would be makoto. But i found another boy i could trust…shame you have eyes for yukari. I would love for you to be my boyfriend." kotone said. I blushed and backed up. She giggled. "I'm kidding." she said as she bursted into full on laughter. "Your face when i said that..your really fun to tease skell." kotone said. I rolled my eyes and smiled. I saw kotone's true face…the one she hides from everyone…really shows how much she trusts me.

"I am thou…thou art i….thou has forged an unbreakable bond…this bond will be the blade that cuts through the threads of fate…with the true power of faith…nothing will be impossible for you now…"

Faith

Kotone yuki.

Rank 10.

The next day i was playing baseball with junpei. I was the pitcher. He was the batter. The ball went flying.

"Damn! That's a home run." i yelled.

"Woo! Haha!" junpei yelled cheering. We grabbed a couple of sodas.

"Hey…sorry how i acted during the boulevard mission…even though i have this power. I'm still nothing compared to you or hell the yuki twins." junpei said.

"Look junpei. I don't know why me and them have this special power…but here's the thing. No one's asking or expecting you. I'm not expecting yukari or mitsuru to be kotone. And i'm not asking akihiko or you to be makoto. Just be junpei. And no matter what jokes yukari sends your way. There's nothing wrong with you." i said.

"Thanks…hey skell. Have you ever thought about what your going to do once we get rid of the dark hour?" junpei asked.

"To be honest…not really. I'm the kind of guy that worries about the now and worries about the future when it does come. What i'm going to do after this whole dark hour business? That's for the me getting out of college to worry about. You feel like losing your persona is going to make your life suck is that what this is about?" i asked. Junpei looked at me with wide eyes…"guess i nailed it huh? Look junpei. This battle is far from over. What you do with your life is for your self in that time to decide. We still have quite a few shadows before the dark hour ends. Maybe by then you'll find the answer your looking for. Maybe it won't be until far after. Who knows? But for right now. Just enjoy the ride." i said. Junpei laughed.

"Damn dude…that sounds like something i would say. But your right. I still have plenty of time to figure that problem out. But still…it'll bite to not being able to a hero anymore." junpei said.

"Junpei…you don't need hermes to be a hero. I know what I'm going to say is going to sound like some schmucky drivel from a saturday morning cartoon…but what you need to be a hero is courage…when a little girl is about to be hit by a truck. You have to push through your fear to push her out of the way. You might wake up in the hospital. But you woke up. Something that little girl wouldn't have. My point is there's ways to be a hero without the dark hour or your persona. You just need to push through the fear and do what's right. Simple as that." i said as i finished my soda.

"Yeah…thanks man." junpei said offering me a fist bump which I gladly took.

"I am thou…thou art i….thou has forged an unbreakable bond…this bond will be the blade that cuts through the threads of fate…with the true power of the magician…nothing will be impossible for you now…" the voice said.

Magician

Junpei iori

Rank 10.

After that. We headed back to the dorm. Tomorrow was the day we'd head to yakushima. We're both excited.

July 20th 2009.

Got my essentials all in a suit case…time to head out. The travel was slow but when we got close junpei ran out and looked over the railing.

"Whoa looks like we're finally coming up on the island! Hell yeah! YA-KU-SHI-MA!" junpei yelled excitedly.

"Jesus junpei! I know your excited but careful. You almost went flying off the boat!" i yelled. I could hear yukari giggling behind me.

"Geez…you sound like a little kid." yukari said.

"He's just having fun. personally i wouldn't mind some training." akihiko said.

"Of course you would. It's always training with you meathead." shinjiro said.

"What was that?" akihiko said.

"Knock it off with the dick measuring contest will you? This is supposed to be fun. After all this is something only the rich as hell can usually do. So i'm going to go all out with this trip." alex said.

"I wonder what kind of floral and fauna live there?" fuuka asked. I noticed that mitsuru was oddly quiet. Something that didn't go unnoticed by me yukari and kaze…we soon arrived at where we're staying and holy shit alex was right when he said we're doing what only the rich can do. Considering we're staying at a god damn mansion!

"It's like we're in an episode of lifestyles of the rich and fabulous." junpei said.

"Junpei that show is way older than we are. How do you know what that is? But i can't disagree. God damn." i said as actual maids welcomed mitsuru back.

"And you must be here associate from school right? Welcome to the kirijo vacation home." the polite maid said.

"I knew mitsuru's family was rich but god damn. They must have gold coming from their noses. To have a vacation home that's a mansion with actual freaking maids." alex said.

"I know right? Actual maids!" junpei said in amazement. We soon heard a door open and two men stepped out. One with half his body red from skin grafts and the other wearing an eye patch.

"It's good to see you." mitsuru said to the guy wearing the eye patch.

"I heard the news. There isn't much here. But make yourselves comfortable." the eyepatch wearing guy said. The half burnt man laughed.

"Not much here he says. Only someone as rich as a kirijo would consider a mansion with maids as not much." he says as he approaches me.

"Hi dad." I said.

"This is your dad?" kotone asked.

"Yeesh…you weren't kidding about the two face thing." junpei said.

"I don't take that as an insult…two face is an awesome villain." my dad as he approached yukari.

"Little yukari…last time i saw you were still a little girl. I'd ask how things have been since…that. But i imagine it's been rough." dad said somberly.

"Yeah it has…but things are looking i got to meet you and skell didn't i?" yukari asked with a smile. Dad laughed.

"Nice to see you've grown into a kind young woman…" dad said. He then turned his attention to akihiko and shinjiro. "You are…akihiko sanada and shinjiro aragaki i presume…i have a surprise for you both." dad said with a smile. The two looked at each other with confusion. The doors opened again revealing. A young girl with long white hair. I remember that night. When dad came back home with my new little sister miki. He saved her from an orphanage fire.

"Big bro? Shinjiro?" miki asked. The two looked at her like they saw a ghost. But akihiko soon ran and hugged her. Trying his hardest to hold back his tears but failing miserably. I soon got both sides of the story. It turns out my little sister was akihikos little sister. One he believed died in the fire of that orphanage. However that was far from the truth as my dad rushed in and saved her. No one saw him do it though. How is beyond me. But i'm sure akihiko and shinjiro don't care. Their just glad she's alive. And happy that she had a good life. But it became a shouting match when it turned out she had the potential and would be joining S.E.E.S that argument was stopped when miki made it clear that it was her choice to join and nothing her two big brothers can say was going to change her mind.

After that emotional roller coaster. We all hit the beach. No trash. The water was crystal clear.

"Got my sandals on giving my feet a chance to breath…yep summer's here!" junpei yelled in excitement.

"Darn there's nothing out there i can use as a marker. Too bad. I was hoping for a good swim." akihiko said.

"Must everything be a challenge with you? Just go out there and swim laps. Enjoy yourself." kaze said.

"Also…swim briefs? No one wants to see your junk." junpei said.

"You've learned well young padawan of bluntness." I said with a smile.

"But they're better for swimming." akihiko said. Only for miki to grab his hand. It was hard for us to not stare at the scars that the fire left on her.

"Come on. Put the training on hold for a couple of days. This is supposed to be fun. Let's just enjoy it big brother!" miki said with a smile.

"...alright miki." ahikiko said as both her and him ran to the water. Everyone else did too…well except me and shinjiro.

"Akihiko actually stopping the training for five minutes? Miki must have magical powers not linked to her persona." i said. Shinjiro laughed.

"Yeah…listen skell. I won't say this to you often…but thanks. Not only did your dad save miki. But you also treated her like family. She told me alot about her time with you growing up….there i said thanks don't get used to it." shinjiro said.

"I'm guessing what happened to the orphanage and her is why akihiko was so obsessed with getting stronger?" i asked.

"Right on the money. That muscle brained mindset…it came from losing her and not wanting to experience that again…hmm maybe coming back to s.e.e.s wasn't such a bad thing after all." shinjiro said with a smile. I think it's safe to say the hatchet has been buried and i got to understand shinjiro a little bit.

"I am thou...thou art i...thou has gained a new bond. With the power of the moon at your side. The power to change fate will be closer to your grasp." the voice said.

Moon

Shinjiro aragaki.

Rank 1.

"Wow, it's beautiful." yukari said as she and the girls all approached. The guys especially junpei came out to see the girls wearing bikinis.

"Say hello to contestant number 1 yukari takeba! That's quite a bold design! She's really strutting her stuff all that archery practice must do wonders for her self esteem!" junpei said talking like a judge at one of those swimsuit competitions. Yukari's reaction was to stick her tongue out at him.

"You should have saw that coming junpei." i said.

"Huh. i thought seeing yukari in a swimsuit would make you blush at the very least." kaze said. My response was to simply shrug. The reason i'm not blushing is because i've seen the naked body underneath that swimsuit. Which i'm keeping with myself to the grave. Yukari will never forgive me if i reveal that info. And junpei will most likely never shut up about it. What happens in Shirakawa boulevard stays in shirakawa boulevard.

"If no one seem has claimed an umbrella. Would anyone mind if we use them?" fuuka asked as she arrived.

"Next up is contestant number two. Fuuka yamagishi! Wow fuuka do you…wear swimsuits often or?" junpei asked causing fuuka to get shy and hide behind alex. "Oh whoops was it something i said didn't mean to embarrass you." junpei said laughing. I can tell alex didn't mind judging from the smile he was making as fuuka clinged to his back.

"Cut it out with that laugh you creep!" yukari said. Soon kotone approached as well.

"Contestant number 3. Kotone yuki! One of our three leaders is one cute mermaid herself! Those curves she usually keeps hidden are looking good! I can't tear my eyes away!" junpei announced. Kotone's reaction was to be a tease. Putting her hands behind her head giving us a full view with a cat like smile.

"Alright killer back off." kotone said with a teasing smile

"Now for our final contestant of the day.." junpei said as mitsuru entered the picture. And everyone went silent when the red haired goddess wearing that white bikini stepped on to the beach. Mitsuru being hit with a barrage of compliments from the other girls. Junpei approached us.

"So fellas. Which ones your type." junpei said.

"Yukari." i said.

"Fuuka." alex said.

"Mitsuru." kaze said.

"I don't care." makoto said.

"Yeah. like i believed that. This is great i'm in heaven!" junpei yelled still ogling the girls.

"Well the water is sparkling. You gonna go swim or are you just gonna stay and ogle?" i asked.

"Are you kidding me! Of course it's time for a swim! Chaarge!" junpei yelled charging in the water.

"Well i wasn't' expecting that." i said. I noticed that makoto was looking around as if someone's watching him. And after a day of playing on the beach. And returning to the kirijo's vacation home. Takeharu. Mitsuru's dad something to show us. It was a recording from Eiichiro takeba. My dad's best friend. And yukari's father.

"In order to end this. You have to eliminate them all! I am the one responsible for this. I knew the risks but i was blinded by the promise of success…and so i chose to continue without objections. I am…responsible" eiichiro said as it was soon interrupted by what i assumed was the explosion before either me or yukari could begin to process this. My dad stood up in anger.

"What the fuck is this!? That's not what he said! Who gave you this takeharu!?" my dad yelled in pure anger. Surprising everyone.

"Your saying that's not what he said…are you saying this was doctored. How do you know this?" takeharu asked.

"Because I was there when he recorded it. I held the fucking camera!" my dad yelled.

"The one who gave it was chairman ikutsuki." mitsuru awnsered.

"Ikutsuki? Shuji ikutsuki!?" my dad yelled in shock. He grinded his teeth in pure anger. "Call him here…i need to have a word. Now!" my dad yelled. Takeharu called in ikutsuki. Who shortly arrived.

"Whatever was the matter?" ikutsuki asked. Before any of us could answer. A loud bang was heard. And blood started staining ikutsuki's coat as a bullet went through his stomach and the one holding the smoking gun was my dad. Who quickly approached and kicked him to the ground.

"You should have stayed in hiding cultist! It's bad enough you pathetic nihilists are still trying to bring forth the fall. But to use my son. My best friend's daughter as tools to bring it forth! Even going so far to doctor his dying message! Words can't express how pissed I am!" my dad yelled as he pointed the gun right at ikutsuki's head.

"So your going to kill me…just like you did to the other researchers? Does mitsuru know…that you shot koutetsu dead." ikutsuki said with a sinister. Another loud bang and splatter of blood as my dad ended his life with one bullet to the head. After that display my dad soon gave us the truth of what happened that day. Not everyone died in the explosion. Kouetsu and several other researchers survived. However they were planning on restarting the research to bring forth the fall. Which was the true reason for the research. If the fall happens. Then all of mankind will become like the lost. The end of mankind. That's the truth of what will happen if we slay the 12 shadows they will return to their true form as death itself…nyx.

"That son of a bitch was lying to us…god dammit!" junpei yelled.

"He was good at hiding his true face. If my dad didn't know the truth about him. We would have fallen right into his plot." i said.

"But…what do we do now? If killing the twelve shadows doesn't end the dark hour. Then what will?" kotone asked.

"There is a way…but it won't be easy. It's to continue your hunt for the twelve shadows and defeating nyx herself…normally doing that would be impossible…but one of you is capable of doing the impossible." my dad said as he looked towards me. "Skell…it's about time…i tell you the truth. I'm not truly your father. I was selected to be your guardian by my master. The creator of the three orbs. Weapons of extreme power. Each one is on the same level as pandora's box. The moonlight orb. The crimson orb. And the lilac orb. Once these three orbs were finished. Something truly bizarre happened. The three orbs took the form of three newborn babies. While our master kept the girl that was the crimson orb. The other apprentice known as ria took the other girl that was the lilac orb. While i was giving the task of guarding the moonlight orb. The one that took the form of a baby boy. At first it was simply my task. But i soon found myself seeing the moonlight orb as my son. And gave him the name skell." dad said…this was too much to process. I heard mitsuru yelling my name as i ran to the beach. I just stared at the water…I needed to think…just to be able to process all of this. As i stood there as still as a statue. I soon heard the sand getting crunched. I turned around to see yukari standing there.

"How are you doing?" yukari asked worried for me. I gave a small weak chuckle.

"I just found out my whole life was a lie…and the funny thing is that's not what i'm worried about…sure i'm a pandora's box. And my dad was meant to be my watcher. But he gave me the life of a normal boy. And i appreciate that. What's bothering me is the thing with nyx…the fate of the whole world depends on me and the orb within me…what happens if i fail…this is the most terrified i've ever been in my whole life! Tell me…should we keep fighting knowing what we're getting into? Should we really put all of our hopes on me?" i asked.

"I'm scared too…who wouldn't be? Knowing our enemy is death itself. But…I believe in you. Just like I believed in my dad. Even when we moved away. I believed in you and held onto the hope of meeting you again. And what you are doesn't matter to me. Your still that boy who chased away bullies like a mad bull and brought me sweets whenever I was having a bad day…my faith in you was never misplaced. And it never will be." yukari said. I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Yukari…thanks." I said. I approached and hugged her. "I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me most…but i'll be here now whenever you need me. I won't leave you ever again." i said. Me and yukari looked at each other in the eyes. And before i knew it our eyes were closed as our lips connected.

"I am thou…thou art i….thou has forged an unbreakable bond…this bond will be the blade that cuts through the threads of fate…with the true power of the lovers…nothing will be impossible for you now…"

Lovers

Yukari takeba.

Rank 10.