It was as if a wave had washed over her, clearing Minako's mind when he smiled. Her heart still pounded in her ears, but she was completely at ease. It had been like that ever since the night the two of them went out to the shrine. When he had covered her with his jacket out there, just to be able to be alone together longer, she sensed a kindness that she had overlooked earlier. It was everything from the way he spoke gently to her to the way he fought alongside her every night in Tartarus.

For her, it wasn't just about being teammates anymore. As she looked him straight in the eyes, Minako knew for sure that she hadn't imagined these feelings. They were as real as the Shadows they had so often fought against. Just as she was about to say something to him, Shinjiro laughed almost inaudibly.

"I'm ok," he said, his usual half-smirk stretching across a normally weary face. "I feel better after talking with you the other night." The smile on his face faded slightly and he looked off towards the others, who were gathered around the small coffee table in the living room. "Take care of them." Shinjiro laughed quietly again. "I believe in you."

Minako nodded. Of course she would do her best. Everyone was counting on her. It didn't occur to her that Shinjiro was speaking as though he wouldn't be able to be there for them. It never registered in her mind that he might not always be by her side.

"Shouldn't you be with the others?"Shinjiro asked, suddenly sounding puzzled. "I can't give you anything or do anything for you." Minako laughed, confusing him even more.

"I want to be with you," she insisted, gazing at him almost wistfully, wondering if she could actually tell him how she felt. It was so tough to just stand there and not do anything, she felt as though she were going to explode. She could hear him speaking to her, yet the words didn't register. The only thing she heard was his voice. Without thinking, she opened her mouth to speak as soon as she stopped hearing his voice.

"I love you," Minako blurted out, hardly realizing what exactly she had said until she saw Shinjiro turn red. Her pulse quickened and Minako felt her face grow hot. She could barely look him in the eyes, but this time she listened to the words that came with his voice.

"D-don't tease me like that!" Shinjiro stuttered. Minako looked up at him, confused. Did he think she was joking?

"You don't believe me?" she asked, her heart still pounding. Fear gripped her. What if that's all it really seemed like to him? What if her feelings were just a joke to him?

"That's not it, but," Shinjiro immediately responded. "I mean, why just blurt something out like that?" He looked around nervously, hoping no one had heard them. "Here, of all places?" Minako looked around and suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. Yukari, Fuuka, and Mitsuru were all downstairs and were within earshot. What if they heard her earlier? Yukari knew, but Fuuka and Mitsuru probably had no clue that she had fallen for Shinjiro. What would they say? Mitsuru, especially. She had known Shinjiro since before he left originally. She didn't want them all to hear exactly what she had to say. There had to be somewhere in the dorm they could go to be alone, just the two of them.

"Could you come with me to my room?" Minako asked suddenly, figuring that to be a fairly safe place for the two of them to continue their conversation.

"I-I can't do that," Shinjiro answered, turning even redder. Minako looked at him quizzically, wondering why he would first act as though he wanted to be alone with her and then refuse to go. "I mean you're," he paused, trying to think of a better way to say what he was thinking. "Well, people might get the wrong idea."

Minako thought for a while before responding. What was so bad about being in her room? It wasn't like the two of them hadn't been alone together before. Maybe it was because he was nervous about being in a girl's room.

"That just leaves your room, then," Minako replied thoughtfully. For some reason, though, Shinjiro looked even more upset at the thought.

"Y-you moron!" he nearly shouted. "I'm not a nice guy." I beg to differ, Minako thought. "I can't let you in my room." Shinjiro sighed. "Don't you get it?" Minako nodded immediately.

"I know what I'm saying!" she insisted, frustrating Shinjiro further.

"No way. It's not gonna happen," he said, as though it were final. "Look, you need to watch yourself. Don't bother with someone like me." Minako smiled, throwing him off balance.

"You know, if you were really all that bad for me, I would have left by now," she said thoughtfully. "I'm not a masochist, you know." Shinjiro blushed.

"I-I know that! But," Shinjiro paused, unable to find a reasonable excuse to keep her from going upstairs with him. Minako grinned.

"But what? You think I'm going to see your messy room and run away?" she laughed. "I've seen Junpei's room, and there's no way your room could be worse than that."

She grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs, though he seemed hesitant about giving in so easily. Before he knew it, the two of them were in his nearly empty room and Shinjiro suddenly felt as though the room was even emptier. It was just the two of them. Alone in his room. Thoughts floated in and out of his mind that he wasn't particularly proud of, though most of them were thoroughly tempting. And he wasn't sure he would be able to restrain himself any longer if the two of them stayed there. And she just stood there, looking at him with that same loving smile she wore every time she saw him.

"So? Happy now?" Shinjiro asked, shutting the door behind him. "You're always pushing me around all the time. You're just going to ignore what I want, huh?" Shinjiro smirked. "Yeah, well, two can play that game."

Before Minako knew what was going on, Shinjiro had pulled her close to him, embracing her tightly. "This is all your fault, you know. I'm all confused." He slid one arm down around her waist, pulling her hips closer to his. "You're all I can think about, day and night."

Minako's heart began to race again and a feeling she had never experienced before began to slowly take over. She wanted to hold onto him like that forever, to be closer, if possible. The feeling of the warmth of his breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine and filled her entire body with longing. Just when she was about to give in, Shinjiro let go, muttering, "Dammit. This isn't how it's supposed to be." Dazed, Minako didn't quite understand what had happened until she realized she could see Shinjiro's face again. She moved to go back to his arms, but Shinjiro backed up and shook his head.

"You get it, right? Go back to your room." Shinjiro smirked suggestively. "If you don't go now, you're not gonna get another chance." Boldly, Minako stared straight into his eyes and matched his smirk with one of her own.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replied defiantly, taking another step closer to Shinjiro. For a moment, he stood still, just matching her gaze. Then, he laughed.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he teased, finally allowing her to come close once more. "I'm gonna make myself clear," he started, pulling her close again, his lips mere inches from her own. "I ain't holding back anymore."