A/N: Wow, I'm surprized this got so many reviews. It makes me feel so special~ Sorry for the late update, lots of stuff have been coming up and FF has been on crack when dealing with my documents. This has a more comedy approach and I've given Minato a cranky 'i-kill-you' mood when he's truly sleepy. I'm also including persona's that I have/like/easy to explain with. If you have a certain persona you wanna see pop up just tell me and I'll be more than happy to oblige! Thanks for the advice Kalrak, I was just too lazy to write out the fight scene. I'll do better next round. And I write what agi and garu means just as a reminder. I only do it the first time I use it just as a reminder. I'm glad to hear that you like it and I hope I can reach up to your expexctations. To BFOA, I'm sure that your story isn't bad but I'm glad to be an example for you, even though I lack confidence in myself... rgjoaeriorh

Reading Legend

normal

"talking"

Thinking

SHOUTING

Expressing/Exaggerating

Shadowed Time

Chapter 2: Of Hospital Beds and an Angry Minato

Images of the recent dream flashed behind Minato's eyes. His body was stiff, and the lights was starting to hurt his eyes. Sure, he shouldn't be staring directly at the lights, but what could one do when your mind was off in la-la land?

Shutting his eyes tightly, Minato let out a soft groan. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He just couldn't wrap his mind around what had happened. One minute he was walking Koromaru and the next he was waking up in what he assumed to be the hospital.

"Hello?" His voice croaked, sounding rough and beaten. It hurt to speak and his breathing caused a burning sensation to rip through his throat. Taking a deep, painful breath, Minato forced himself into a sitting position. He noted that his wrists were wrapped and he could feel the rough bandage decorating his neck as well.

What... happened? The silent boy questioned as he looked around his small room. The blinds were pulled over the window but he could still feel the light feeling of heat escaping from the sun. It was a pleasant feeling, not to warm, not to cold. Just right. Shaking his head again, Minato looked around to see if there was a button or something he could use to call a nurse. Much to his luck, there was none. Groaning, the teenager allowed himself to fall back, roughly, onto the sheets. He silently cursed himself as pain shot through his back and his throat burned from the sharp intake of breath.

Minato allowed his hand to trace circles in his blanket. Not really feeling up to moving around if it wasn't necessary. As his fingers finished circling, the boy slowly added twelve ticks, all separated, equal spaces apart. It was like he was drawing an old cloak. If only he realized what he was doing as he drew out hands. One hour and one minute. Slowly, he made a pushing motion, as if moving the minute hand. Pushing both hands to the top, marking both the twelfth and zero hour, Minato felt his conscious slip away from the world as his eye lids slowly closed, leaving the drawing as is.

Yukari sat on the old couch as the other's tried to grasp what she had just explained. She explained how it felt like the dark hour, just with a more... high light of the blood. That and the outrageously strong shadow that herself and Koromaru had to take so long to kill. And even then it didn't feel like they had actually killed it.

"So, you're saying that the dark hour occurred within a different time period." Yukari nodded.

"But shouldn't we have experienced it too? I mean we should all have been present for it if it did happen, right?" Junpei's tone held worry and confusion. It just didn't make any sense.

"I have to agree with Iori, this seems to be missing a lot of information so I believe that we should hold off on it." Yukari felt like something had stabbed her. They didn't believe her? But she was telling the truth!

"But Mitsuru-Senpai, I'm positive that that's what happened! Right Koromaru?" The small dog yelped in agreement. "See? Even Koromaru says that that's how it happened!"

"Calm down Yuka-tan. We never said that we didn't believe you... Just that it's well..."

"Something that Junpei would come up with."

"Yeah something that,- Hey! Akihiko-Senpai! That's mean!" The boxer just huffed a sigh as he turned towards Mitsuru.

"So what do you think is going on? I don't remember the dark hour ever changing it's time before."

"I agree, I haven't heard anything of the sort either. In any way, we'll just have to wait till Arisato-kun wakes up. We'll visit him at the hospital tomorrow during lunch. He should be up by then." The others nodded and they slowly got to their feet, heading towards their beds.

"Fuuka?" The red-head asked lightly as they headed down the hall.

"Yes Mitsuru-Senpai?" The younger girl asked timidly.

"Why were you so quite in the meeting? It worries me..."

"O-oh! It's nothing, really."

"Alright then, good-night." With a nod of her head, Mitsuru entered her room while Fuuka stood silently in the hall. Could she dare tell her that she had mistaken Minato for a shadow when they had first found him?

Voices. That's what Minato could hear. They sounded muffled, as if someone had placed ear plugs in his ears. It drove him mad, being able to hear them without being able to understand what they were saying.

As time pressed on and the voices still lingered, Minato began to feel a sense of familiarity. It was as if, for the longest time, that was what it was like. To hear voices and the understanding just beyond his reach. This feeling disturbed him, he didn't want to remember what ever it was the moment was causing him to remember. Grunting he forced his smoky eyes open to glare at the people now invading his room.

He was only slightly shocked to see Takaya and Jin standing there, arguing over something. Their words washed over him, making little to no sense. The two hadn't seem to notice his gaze and the boy began to question several things at once. The major ones being how they weir still alive and, more importantly, why were they here of all places.

Takaya growled as he turned to face the wall, angry at Jin's damn logic. They had come here to check on the stupid brat and make sure he was alive and well, he was needed for their plans after all. However, Jin insisted that they wait for him to come to them as soon as the pale blond had suggested that they take him know. To Takaya, it made perfect sense to abduct the brat while he was weak and no one was around.

"I'm saying that it'll be to easy for them to find us! If they find out that not only are we still alive, but that we're after their leader we'll be in deep shit!" Takaya growled again. "Listen Takaya, you know I would do anything you asked, but this is being to rash. If we want things to work out correctly we have to be patient. What if he takes them away? Then what could we do? You know very well what this boy can be like if we anger him." Takaya sighed rubbing his face with his palm. He knew that Jin was right and to force the boy into doing anything against his will was risky. Very risky.

"What about Chidori then? Should we take her back with us?"

"I think we should leave her. Not abandon mind you, it's just that if we were even able to get to her the morons would be able to figure out it was us who took her. No one else even knows where she is any way." Damn Jin and his logic. But Takaya knew that it was because of that that he was still around. He glanced at the boy and gasped as he saw the grey eyes looking back at him. "What's wrong Taka-" his voice cut off as he noticed the awake boy. Oh shit they were in trouble.

Minato gazed at the two, oblivious to the fear they held. Their words made little to no sense. Were they speaking in some sort of code? No, he was sure that that was, wait, what language was it that he spoke again? Shaking his head he continued to gaze at the two. He could feel the presence of their persona lightly, as if they were pulling lightly on a lure like a fish. Buried memories flashed before his eyes. Much younger versions of the two appearing before him. Was he young too? He couldn't remember. All he could recall was the look of utter fear etched on each of their faces and the light spray of blood on their face, Takaya being more covered in it then the young Jin.

He opened his mouth, to try and utter words to them, asking why they were so scared of him back then. When was back then? There was so many holes in his memory that it seemed like a broken net that just let everything slip through once you thought you had caught it.

Blinking slower, Minato decided to just banish their faces to the back of his mind, letting the world go blurry as he closed his eyes once more.

Takaya and Jin sighed out in relief as the boy fell asleep. If he had noticed them, he had obviously not cared. They also were sure that he hadn't heard their previous conversation. Or so they hoped.

"Alright, we should leave now Jin." The boy nodded, also feeling the sense of being there much to long. Especially when the others could come in at any second. Opening the window, Takaya jumped out, landing in the over grown bush beneath the second story floor, cushioning his fall. Jin soon followed at the two sneaked off as Minato's door opened.

Mitsuru led the way into the room followed by the other SEES members. The window was open, letting in a soft breeze and the robotic Aigis slowly closed it leaving the curtains open. The group looked at each other silently, having hoped that the boy would already be up when they got here.

Junpei sighed, it didn't look like any one was going to make a move, especially with the knowledge of how cranky the teen could be if he turned out to be sleep-deprived. Minato's scorn during finals, when he had to stay up hours on end, was worse then even Mitsuru seeing as how he almost blew up the living room with one of his fire-centered persona's (He was sure he called it Hue Po) with agi after Junpei had bugged him on how much of a book worm he was. Or the time that he completely froze Akihiko's room with his bufu (ice) persona Ganga. Oh yeah, the list went on and on. The boy was unbelievably dangerous when angered.

"H-hey Minato. T-time to wake up." It would be the biggest lie that Junpei had ever told if he said he wasn't scared of Minato unleashing his wrath upon him.

A groan escaped the teens lips. Wasn't he just up? Who was waking him? Was it Takaya or Jin? Not likely. Opening his eyes he gazed into Junpei's brown ones. A hint of fear in his eyes.

"Junpei?" his voice was softer then he meant it to be, but the fear in the boy's eyes stirred unwanted memories.

No. Stay down! He shouted to the cursed thing as his body suddenly tensed in pain. It seemed those blasted pain killers had finally worn off.

Junpei sighed, relaxing after he realized he wasn't going to be blown to bits. "Morning Sleeping Beauty. Hope you don't mind our intrusion." The glare he received from the boy caused him to give the personification of a sweat drop. "Hey, don't be cranky now. We're only here to talk." Minato grunted, as he slowly forced his sore body to sit up. He noted the other SEES members with a curt nod before turning back to his smiling friend who had now occupied the bed-side chair.

"Why are you guys here." His voice was soft again, but he struggled to raise it. Junpei had heard it though and repeated it to the others.

"We we're worried about you Arisato-kun." Mitsuru answered, smiling calmly. Minato felt his veins pulse with agitation.

Worried my ass... he thought darkly. Junpei, being the expert on receiving the boys explosive attacks noticed his change in mood. "That and question you on what the hell happened with the shadow and all." He could feel the glares of everyone on how he had said it so bluntly. They should be thanking him! They obviously have never been attacked by a giant, several winged serpent of death (1)...

Minato felt his throat as he asked what the hell he was talking about. Yup, strep throat it was.

"What? You mean you don't remember?" Minato shook his head at his friend.

"You sure? Nothing at all?" The boxer pressed. Minato turned his glare on him. He was definitely in a bad mood. "T-thats too bad." Akihiko said, fear apparent in his voice as he raised his hands in a mock defense. Minato really wanted to kill something. He didn't know why, but he was in that strange mood that he had some days were he just wanted everything to stop moving and just leave him alone. Perhaps die in a ditch too. Junpei had called him a girl that day and he was sure that he still had a lump on his head from Orpheus' bash technique. A smirk spread across Minato's face as a shiver ran down Junpei's spine, his hand going instinctively to his still bruised head.

"Takeba, could you tell Minato-san what you told us earlier." The brunet nodded to her senpai.

Minato's face showed no emotion what so ever as the girl finished retelling the details, expressing her worry when she had found out he was engulfed by... well by whatever it was. The other's held their breath. When Minato was like this it was always bad. No one could read what was going on in his head.

The dull eyes looked out the window as he once again began drawing small circles in his blanket with his right finger. The ticks once again were added along with the hands. However, they were already at their midnight position. He looked down at his finger, tempted to push the minute and hour hand. Minato could feel his mind drift away from that room as a blue butterfly appeared on his finger, both encouraging and discouraging him. He blinked slowly as he let the feeling of his friends persona's wash over him. They felt similar but different to Strega's persona's. Less force was applied to the lures that they tugged.

Breathing out a small sigh, Minato brought his hand up. Pulling his knee's forward, the blue-haired boy rested his head on the side as he gazed out the window, his arms acting as cushions from the hard knee caps.

The other's stood silently, waiting for their leader to say something. To do something, but he just sat there, looking out the window with some dream-like expression that mirrored his previous one. The SEES members began to file out, leaving the boy to think. Junpei turned back, about to shut the door when Minato's voice seemed to enter his very thoughts.

"I think I see a blue butterfly just outside the window. Do you see it Junpei?" The teen paused and looked out the window only to bite back a gasp. He wasn't sure what it was, a shadow, a persona, there was no way in telling. However, once he blinked the creature in the reflecting window disappeared.

"S-see you later, Minato..." he said quickly shutting the door. A smug look filled the teens face as he gazed out the window, still seeing the twisted vision.

Thought so...

Story Notes

(1) Samael