View source for Logs: The 25th Hour

<center><b>Port Island - Naganaki Shrine - IC Time: February 11th, 2010. 11:30 PM.</b></center>







(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
The Port Island Naganaki Shrine. An often visited location by adult and student alike. Believed to give knowledge and luck when it came to schoolwork, it receives much traffic. Of course right now, for the most part, no one is here. Being so late at night.

Though one person lurks through the night, heading toward the peaceful temple. A boy that, wow. He looks tore up! His left hand is mangled pretty bad, having narrow but sharp puncture marks, as well as cuts, though they have healed some already. The teenager's face is beat up pretty bad, sporting a few cuts, and some light bruises, but thankfully no swelling. He no longer is wearing his Gi, having gone home and changed into his usual outfit before coming here. It is, of course, Yoh.

Yoh ventured here to get some ideas for the Luanrvale Shrine, as repairs are becoming hard for the roof. He needs inspiration to find a new roof type and color, and where else would he locate it easily, but another shrine? Of course, him coming here, he has completely forgotten for the most part about the danger that happens at midnight. Of course, right now, he was feeling lucky, albeit invincible.

His wounds stemmed from a fight he got dragged into in Mikage-Cho. One Thora Kobayashi pitted him against a Bicorn to fight to the death, for initiation into her demon gang on the east side. Now, at first he was in no danger, though a demon named Aki decided to make an appearance, and screw things up, sealing the arena with a barrier, making the danger real. Of course, Yoh was going to get killed, though a fifteen to twenty foot giant suddenly appeared and squished it to pulp.

Also noticeable, was that Yoh was exhibiting a resonance now! The heck? As the boy neared the shrine, he took out a pen and paper. Time to get some good ideas!



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori hadn't expected to run so late with her part-time job, but tonight had been busy. Coupled with her Very Important Meeting prior, she hadn't had the chance to visit the shrine like she had planned. She had put it off long enough; technically she could probably put it off even longer, since it wasn't like she truly <i>believed</i> in the Naganaki Shrine's effects on academics, but it never hurt to be safe.

At least it was only a short detour on her way to her current residence. Just drop by, toss in some coins for luck in her studies, and be on her way. Easy, right?

Shiori happily hummed a tune under her breath as she ascended the steps to the shrine. Visitors to Inaba might recognize it as the Junes theme song, which implied strange things about Shiori's taste in music.

It was getting pretty late. Shiori should probably hurry, if she didn't want to get caught in the Dark Hour-

The tune stopped, as Shiori stared, slack-jawed, at the other person present at the shrine. Then, her pace quickened by panic, she strode over to Yoh, and grabbed at his sleeve.

"Yamagatani-san," she hissed. "What are you <i>doing</i> here?" There was a... feeling. A vaguely familiar sense, but much stronger now. Oh no, oh no...



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh looks about the wondrous shrine. So many ideas filled his head. he wished he could utilize them all! Sadly, everything was done but replacing some walls and the roof. A shame too. The ideas coming in were amazing! The roof here was unique; he would hate to rip it off. He began to draw variations of the tiles, maybe finding one he can use himself. Of course, someone grabbed his shirt suddenly and caused him to jump!

After fumbling with the notebook and pen to keep them from falling to the ground, he turns to find... Shiori? What a coincidence! "Hey, Hibiki-san!" He knew his face would probably freak her out, but Thora did mention it wouldn't last but a day or two thanks to the healing spells she used on him. "...What am I doing here? Oh! I am getting ideas for the shrine! It is almost done." Of course, all the commotion with Kandori, time skips, Mikage-Cho, SEES... he had completely forgotten about the Dark Hour. At least now he wouldn't be dead weight!

"So, what brings you here?" he asks cheerfully.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori blinked. "Oh, I, uh, thought I'd ask for luck in my studies- no, wait, that's not the issue here!"

She stared at the wounds all over him, reaching out to touch them, but catching herself just in time. "Yamagatani-san, what <i>happened</i> to you?" She was already slinging off her backpack, crouching. "Look, I've got... I have a first-aid kit in here, just let me..."

The way she set out the contents of the first-aid kit was disturbingly efficient. Clearly Shiori had done this sort of thing many, many times before. "Hold out your left hand," she ordered, holding up a swab stained with antiseptic. "Try not to move. This might sting a little..." Actually, it probably wouldn't be so bad, since the wound was already healing up nicely.

As Shiori cleaned and dressed Yoh's injuries, her mind raced. It was too late for Yoh to make it back to the train station before the Dark Hour hit. Hadn't she told him to be careful? And of <i>course</i> he didn't take her seriously... no, wait, she shouldn't be angry at him. Maybe he just forgot entirely about it; it looked like he had been in a serious fight.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
A warm smile crossed Yoh's face. He looked kind of creepy looking like he did and smiling at the same time, like he was evil or something. Of course he wasn't though. He just happened to appear that way. "W.. What's wrong? You okay? You seem... flustered." Of course, Shiori jumped to help him with his wounds. She really was a nice person to him. "Long story short, yesterday I got taken... somewhere. I don't know where, but it looked a lot like Lunarvale. And I had to fight this... this thing. It looked kinda like a horse." The whole day was becoming fuzzy. He remembered Thora. And the giant that appeared. And the pain from the fight. Not much else though.

Yoh did as she asked, and held out his hand. It stung slightly, but not too badly. He did wince a few times though. "...I appreciate this, Hibiki-san. I tried cleaning them myself, but I am not very good at first aid." After a moment he speaks up again, setting the notebook and pen down. "So, what is wrong now?" Figure he would reiterate it, as she seemed distracted. Though for a second, he swore he heard voices around him. He... didn't know what to make of it though. Clearly they were the only two here. Man, he must be losing it.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori's hands stilled for a moment, as she took several deep, calming breaths. Then she continued bandaging Yoh's injuries, without looking up at his face.

"You got taken somewhere which was like Lunarvale, but not," she repeated. "Who took you there? And why? What were you fighting for, and how did you get back?"




(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
As Yoh is treated, though wincing occasionally from the stinging, he begins to try and recollect just what happened. It was the strangest day possible to imagine. All starting with a blunt phone call out of the blue. Who would have thought.

"Uhm..." Yoh begins to speak. "I know it was Kobayashi-san that brought me. I don't remember how we got there though. She said it was important. I didn't quite know why though, until we got to a... I think it was a tower?" The boy squints at a nearby wall, tying to think. "I think I was fighting for... initiation? For something... Don't remember. And I got back by her bringing me the way we came after eating. The place was so strange... I don't remember everything."



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori muttered something inaudible under her breath as she tied off the last of the bandages. It sounded a lot like a litany of complaints and whining.

"Yamagatani-san, I..." She sighed, packing up the first-aid kit, and standing. "I don't even know where to begin. Do you remember what happened during the fight?" She cocked her head quizzically. "Why did Kobayashi-san call you in the first place? Even for her, doing this seems a little... I don't know. Reckless. Have you been, you know, asking questions? Questions about... never mind."

She wearily waved a hand towards the benches at the side, near the playground. "Let's just... sit down and talk about this. It's a little too late for you to be out of Port Island by midnight, anyway, so you may as well see what all the fuss is about." She checked her watch. "I <i>do</i> remember telling you to stay away from Port Island at night," she added reproachfully.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh bites his lip. He detested it when he made people angry or upset at him if they didn't deserve it. And she sure seemed like one, or both right now. Of course Yoh is known for overestimating as much as underestimating. "Well uh... Lets see..." Yoh began to try and recollect the fight. He remembered feeling lots of pain. That was for sure.

"Well, I was pitted against... a horse. Or something like it. It tore me up pretty badly. I was almost done for when... What was it that happened? I think a giant appeared. Clobbered the horse. As for why? I don't know." Yoh looks up at the moon for a minute. "I don't remember asking anything that would have to do with it, to be honest. I had seen her a few times before, as she told me to call her when something unusual happened. I know the time skips was under that, so I told her about them." Yoh omits the ultimatum she provided him on which direction to go in life. For now. Don't want to get her in trouble if he can help it.

Yoh does grow wide eyed at the response about midnight. "Oh... oh man. I completely forgot! So much has been going on... I forgot about it! My mind has been so preoccupied with this business, the strange encounters I have had, and some sort of ting I have to meet people called what was it, SEES I think?" Yoh himself began to worry. "I-I didn't mean to cause any trouble, really..."



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori sighed. This was all beginning to seem horribly familiar.

"Yamagatani-san, I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that, but... you've been pulled into something very, very dangerous. Despite my trying to keep you safe," she added, failing to keep a hint of spite out of her tone. "Look, it's just..."

Hm.

"Do you remember the... giant, was it? The giant which defeated the horse that attacked you. Do you remember how you felt, what you did when it happened?" Notably, Shiori was not asking for any sort of proof of Yoh's claims, nor was she acting surprised, except perhaps at Yoh's injuries. Clearly she already knew what was going on.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh began to look rather sad. "I... I know I have." He felt bad now for omitting the ultimatum Thora provided. She had confronted him during the paradox to talk to him. The way she presented it though was probably different in the way others would have, and it was probably what made the deciding factor. She said that he could either live a life of ignorance, always looking over your shoulder, fear following you at every turn, or DO something about it, and be a man. Of course Yoh chose the latter with it put that way.

After looking at the ground for a moment. "I know what you mean. Keeping people out of this mess is top priority. Though... as someone told me. Some people are just destined to get involved. Heh, imagine, none of this probably would have happened if my mother didn't get a better job opportunity before I went to St. Hermelin."

The boy looks back over to Shiori. He runs a hand through his hair for a moment, trying to think of specifics. "How I felt... I felt... furious. Full of energy. It was about to kill me, but I wanted to live. Defeat it. A moment later it was dead. The giant gone. And then I was so tired... I needed help getting up. I couldn't move very well for an hour or two."



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori's lips quirked slightly. "I don't know about 'destined'," she said, "but yes, some people have a tendency to get involved in this sort of thing."

She shook her head. "Anyway, this is important, Yamagatani-san: if you're attacked like you were, do you think you can repeat what you did? Do you think you can cause the giant to appear again?" Desperation in her tone, as Shiori's eyes pleaded for Yoh to give her the right answer: please say yes.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh holds a hand to his forehead. "Honestly. I tried my best to avoid all this. I really did. I wanted to live a normal life. But somehow I got sucked in anyway, despite my efforts." Okay, he didn't really try all THAT hard. He longed for adventure, and a chance to make a difference. In all reality, Yoh would have been happy either way.

The boy sort of leans back at her next comment. "Repeat? Cause it to appear again? I... made it appear last time? I thought someone brought it there..." The teen looks down for a moment. Did he really do that? "Well, I can try if I did do it. Maybe I just have to feel the same way again. Why do you ask?" Yoh was entirely skeptical about this. But then again, maybe Shiori knew something he did not. He did remember the giant's name. It seemed to reverberate in his mind. Magni.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
"Because if you can't, then you have to leave this place," Shiori said, entirely seriously. "Leave the Okina area. It doesn't matter what you have holding you back; it's not worth the danger. There's a <i>lot</i> going on around here that's..." She hesitated. "It's kind of hard to explain, but now that you've done what you did..."

She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. "Congratulations," she said sardonically. "You're a valuable commodity, and <i>everyone</i> will be gunning after you now. And that's not even the greatest danger."

Indeed not, considering what could happen if it turned out that Yoh was unable to control his Persona. Accidental property damage was one thing, but Shiori remembered what happened to the people she knew who let their Persona run wild.

She shuddered visibly. "You did call it out, Yamagatani-san. It saved your life. I don't even know what Kobayashi-san was thinking; she shouldn't have risked your life like that."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh looked at her warily. She sounded dead serious. Much more so than her last warnings. The previous ones were somewhat subtle. These was just blatant. "What... what did I do to deserve congratulations? And commodity? What?" He was clearly confused.

He looks at her with amazement with her last statement. "I did?" In the back recesses of his mind he saw himself shouting that one word, and everything seemed to change in an instant. "It did save me. But are you sure I really did that? I... I remember something." He rubs his head again, looking at the girl in the eyes, trying to relay he was sincere about what he says. "She... she would have saved me. But, something happened to prevent it at the last second. What was it? Nngh." The boy shuts his eyes tightly trying to force himself to remember.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori watched him for a moment, before taking pity. "Never mind," she said quietly. "If you can't remember it right away, it's no use trying to force it."

Protection, that was what Yoh needed. "Um, around here... I suppose your best option would be with SEES. You said you were supposed to meet with them? That would save some time in introductions." Sigh. "And they'll be able to explain all of this a lot better than I can."

She checked her watch. Not long now. "Why did you agree to go with Kobayashi-san? Was she forcing you to go with her? Did she trick you or something?"



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh looks away for a moment. He felt rather stupid right now. Why couldn't he recollect what had happened? Was he really that strained and tired to actually forget it? That has never happened before. Well, Yoh has forgotten stuff, but something big like that. It makes it a rather unusual case in his forgetfulness.

The boy turns back to Shiori. "Yes, I was. Someone I knew already named Hianta contacted me representing them. I am not sure when exactly is this meeting, but she said soon. All I can really do is wait. And I hope they can answer some questions. Some have lingered for a good time."

"Well, Koboyashi-san may be harsh at times, but everything she has done has helped in some way. When she called me and took me into the place, I did not hesitate too much." As for the latter part of the question, he shook his head quickly. "Not forced, though we both were made to move quickly through some sort of transition area because of a lurking danger."



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori thought about her own experiences with Mikage-cho. "Yamagatani-san, if I'm right, the place Kobayashi-san took you to consists <i>entirely</i> of 'lurking danger'. I... I'm pretty sure you had no idea just what sort of danger you were in." Shiori fidgeted nervously with her skirt, equal parts distressed and relieved. "Kobayashi-san shouldn't have put you in danger like that, without telling you what you had to face. I'm glad you made it out alive." Frown. "I'd be happier if you didn't get injured, or even better, never went there in the first place, but what's done is done, I suppose."

She held a hand to her temple. "Okay, um. Hina-chan... that is, Hinata Itoh-san... she's a good person, a very good person, and you should listen to whatever she has to say. Or anyone else in SEES, for that matter. I made a promise to them not to reveal anything without their permission, but in the circumstances I think you're already in too deep."

Shiori checked her watch. "Very soon, Yamagatani-san, you'll understand why I kept telling you to stay out of Port Island at night. Please don't panic when it happens."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Though a bit nervous about finding out what all was wrong with where he went, he kinda had a feeling it already was. "It did seem strange," he adds where applicable. Seeing demons roam the streets was a bit of a shocker. "She must have had a reason though. I hope she doesn't get in trouble over it." Yoh offers her a small smile for the next comment. The fight was dangerous, but was rather thrilling.

"Yeah, I knew her some even before I found out about SEES. She is quite energetic!" Yoh tries his best to sound upbeat, despite the fact that he has clearly ignored Shiori's warnings. Though not on purpose, thankfully.

The boy looks up into the sky at the stars above, then all around in the shrine. as he grabs his notebook and pen, bringing it to his side. "Again, Hibiki-san, sorry for this. So much has been happening that I forgot. I hope nothing bad happens because of this. I would hate myself." He says the last part rather sharply. Yoh had his own form of conduct that he adhered to vehemently. Getting people in trouble or hurt when they do not deserve it was unforgivable in his eyes.




(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori sighed. "It's hard to say if anyone's going to get into trouble over this," she said. And then, because she felt like being honest: "Apart from you, I mean."

Yoh's final statement drew her gaze. "Well, don't worry about it, Yamagatani-san. It wasn't as though you know what you were getting yourself into. Kobayashi-san really should have explained everything, but, um, I should leave it to SEES or something. But since you're here in Port Island, there's something you should-"

Midnight struck.

Every street light went out simultaneously, but the world was suffused with a strange dim glow. The moon hung heavy and ponderous in the dark green skies, the clouds turning black. The air grew heavy and oppressive, with every sound echoing oddly through the night.

In the distance, clearly visible in the gloom, was a stupendous tower, rising into the heavens, bizarre protrusions and piles turning it into an Escherian nightmare.

Shiori slowly took a few steps away from Yoh, as though to stretch herself, and only a close observer would notice her shivering in fear.

She spun around to face him, hands spread wide, taking in everything around them.

"Welcome," she said, "to the Dark Hour."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Though he didn't quite understand directly. He got the point. She wasn't warning everyone she saw, she was warning HIM directly. Though what she says next causes him to feel ever so slightly better about the situation. Or at least, most of what she said. Until... It happened.

The Dark Hour has arrived. Everything suddenly became almost sinister due to the eerie glow that coated everything. The darkness almost seemed to choke everything. Everything seemed to become harder to do, including breathe. The boy looked around in awe. This was much bigger than he expected it to be.

"Whoa..." he finally managed to say, being too amazed to say anything before. "This is much different than I imagined it." The boy turned around, looking at everything. The moon. The sky. The shrine itself, though holy ground to some, now looked almost like a nightmare. Yoh merely gave the girl a smirk as she said her final remark. "A nice welcome, I must say." as he gazed all over, the twisting horror that is Tartarus caught his eye. It was like structural art, gone very wrong. "I am hesitant to ask, but... what makes this dangerous?"

He half expected her to say the green light caused cancer, or emitted radiation. Or worse, constant exposure caused humans to melt. Yoh had a very active imagination at times, it seems.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori let her hands fall to her sides, as she stared at the ground.

"Monsters," she murmured. "Shadows, we call them. Usually they're not as common outside of Tartarus... that's the tower over there... but if they catch you, there's not much you can do to defeat them if you don't have some means of defending yourself." Shiori carefully avoided the topic of what Tartarus actually was, mainly because she had no idea herself. Explaining that it was Gekkoukan High School in the daytime would only confuse matters.

She clutched her skirt, trying not to panic. She hated this, she hated the Dark Hour, it always made her edgy... the discordant sounds echoing through her consciousness, taunting and mocking her, or perhaps even worse, dismissing her as irrelevant. Something primal and savage, containing multitudes, but with one overriding instinct.

Fifty-nine minutes of it to go.

"Electronics of all sort won't work in here," Shiori continued. "I don't know why. There's a lot I don't know about the Dark Hour, mainly because it's so dangerous and difficult to study." She took a deep breath. "Yamagatani-san, anyone else, or anything else, you meet in the Dark Hour is going to be... well, dangerous." Blink. "Including me, technically. But I can't really fight all that well. My skills are in other places."

Shiori eyed Yoh sternly. "Oh, and please don't tell anyone else about this. It's supposed to be a secret."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh couldn't help but raise a brow to the statement about Monsters and the tower. "Are they vicious? I think as long as they aren't a giant horse with horns and teeth like a shark's, I can handle it." Wait, how did he just recollect how the steed looked out of the blue like that when he couldn't answer that descriptively for Shiori? Ugh.

Something inside of him was uneasy as well, beginning to stir suddenly. Something crying out to defend himself, to lash out at anything that dare threatens him. But there was nothing around. What was causing this feeling? Yoh was clueless, but he really, really felt like punching something all of a sudden. 'Maintain Yoh, maintain.' he thinks to himself as he takes some deep breaths, strangely labored somehow.

Yoh whips out his cellphone as Shiori speaks. It was on, and displaying the time as 12:00. The boy however tried fiddling with it, but it would not work. None of the buttons, even the power button wouldn't do a thing. "That is... inconvenient." he slips it back into his pocket. "So I take it the subway doesn't work either?"

The boy puts up his fists for whatever reason. "I am pretty good at fighting if it is needed." Looking back to the girl directly, Yoh nods with a sincere smile. "Understood. I won't tell anyone." Yoh sucked at keeping secrets, which was evident in him talking about the Mikage-Cho incident with already two people now. Of course, something this big, he may just stick to it! Time will tell.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
"You could call them vicious," Shiori said absently. What else could she tell him? Water turned to blood, and people slept in coffins. Well, he'd find out soon enough. "They kind of... converge on anyone awake during the Dark Hour. Some of them are pretty weak, but others..." Shudder. "I've almost died to them, more than a few times. And I had backup." Pause. "Well, I was the backup. But it was all we could do to escape."

She took a few more steps away, giving herself some room. A final glance at Yoh: "<i>Promise</i> me that you won't tell anyone else about this," she muttered, before closing her eyes, and concentrating.

Yoh might feel a flare of... <i>something</i>. This time, he would be able to see it for himself, and feel it, deep in his psyche, as there was a shimmering above Shiori's head of...

A woman, or at least an image of a woman, substantial and ephemeral at the same time. Dressed in flowing Grecian robes, a swathe of cloth covering her eyes, surrounded by a shroud of whispers and rumors and gossip, a pair of magnificent wings spreading out from her back. The wings had peacock-like feathers, with stylized eyes arrayed on every one, alive, searching and seeking--

"All right," Shiori abruptly said matter-of-factly, as the woman disappeared. "I think I know where to go now." She held out a hand towards Yoh. "I'll take you to the SEES dorm. They'll probably be able to take care of you for tonight."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
"I see," Yoh says eventually. He appears fixated on a hallway nearby. Looking for something, or thinking deeply. Something has his attention at least for a moment. "Maybe we should seek somewhere safe to be then." He looks to the girl as she reiterates the promise. "I promise." He hopes to the gods he can keep this one. It is pretty important.

After looking back to the side hall, he quickly darts his eyes around as he felt something much like the tingling he had pre-awakening. Though it was clearly not the same. Looking back to Shiori, he spies what appears to be yet another Persona. A very odd looking one, to say the least. Still, best not to question it right now. His gaze falls to the girl under it after it vanishes.

"Okay. I will follow your lead." He was scared for both of their safety, but they had better seek shelter if indeed monsters roamed about. He reached out for her hand to take.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori's hand was very obviously trembling, when Yoh took it. She was breathing in short, shallow breaths, eyes flickering about.

"I can... kind of sense where the Shadows are," she said in a measured voice, as she led the way, not looking directly at Yoh. "Or any others awake in the Dark Hour. Some are easier to sense than others. Sometimes there's just... um. Too much noise. Confuses everything."

Shiori daintily stepped around a puddle of blood, without comment. Now and again, she stopped in her tracks, paused, and wandered to the far side of the street, keeping Yoh's hand firmly in hers.

Why had she insisted on leading Yoh by the hand? Surely Yoh would be able to follow her easily, in this silent, still Dark Hour. Yet Shiori seemed to be worried about losing track of Yoh, for some reason.

Bad experiences?

"How are you keeping up, Yamagatani-san?" There was a faint strain in her voice, even as she asked after his well-being.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
'She is scared...' Yoh thinks to himself, feeling her hand. 'This must be worse than it seems.' As they push forward, Yoh tries to keep quiet. Of course he didn't know that the shadows track those innately awake during this time, rather than by sound. Better safe that sorry though. "Useful ability, that," he says quickly.

The boy easily noticed the pool of blood. Did someone... get hurt? No, there was too much of it. It was like a real life horror movie. She sure had one hell of a grip on his hand! Are the shadows dangerous enough to devour someone in seconds if they weren't so close together? "I am fine, though I feel kinda tired for some reason. I came to the shrine right after a long rest. It is strange, to say the least. How about you?" Might as well return the question to show he cared, at least. Or generate conversation, as this echoing silence, if that was even possible, was bugging the crap out of him.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori's breath caught in her throat, and her grip on Yoh's hand increased, before she remembered that he was injured.

"The Dark Hour always tires you out more easily," she said. "It kind of, um, sneaks up on you. The tiredness, I mean."

She ducked down an alley, pulling Yoh along with her. One hand in his, the other running along the wall... and she pressed herself up against the wall to move past a coffin standing upright in the alley. Again, no comments.

"I don't know if the SEES dorm will be open," she admitted. "But there's nowhere else you can go, I suppose, until the Dark Hour ends. And I don't want to leave you alone in this. I..." A hiccup of a choked sob. "I feel kind of responsible, for this whole mess. I'm... really not the best escort you could ask for in the Dark Hour. All I can do is run away."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Following closely behind, the black haired teen follows quietly behind, trying his best to stay out of sight. As Shiori answers his question, he lets out an 'Ahh.' understanding the question. As he follows closely behind. He hoped they would make it to their destination safely.

"Let's hope so," Yoh finally manages to say after staying quiet for so long. "It wasn't your fault. You gave me ample warning. It is more my fault than anything. And if we do have to fight, I will defend you as best as possible." Normally if Yoh said something like that on a normal day he would be beet red right now, but this was serious, and he was being serious. When you have to fight, you do so.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
A brief, near-hysterical giggle. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Yamagatani-san."

The journey to the SEES dorm was over soon enough. Shiori stopped in front of a solid four-story building. "We're here," she said, letting go of his hand with visible relief, in order to pound sharply on the door.

She stepped back to wait. "Yamagatani-san," she said, without facing him. "Next time, please, <i>please</i> be out of Port Island by midnight. The Dark Hour comes..." She placed a hand on the door, to support herself. "Every night. <i>Every night</i>. I..."

A series of deep, shuddering breaths, before Shiori quickly rubbed a sleeve across her eyes, and turned to look at Yoh. "You're deep in all of this now, Yamagatani-san," she said seriously. "Please don't be reckless. Please listen to what others have to tell you. And most of all, please be safe."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
As they arrive at the apparent destination, a wave of relief seems to come over Yoh. One question was answered tonight, but so many were made. "Glad we made it okay, thanks to you." He smiled, but only for a moment, as he put on a serious face as she talked.

"Understood. I see how real this danger is now. Hopefully I will not forget this now." He began to grow sad again as she talked.

"Nnh..." Yoh muttered. "I am sorry to cause you so much grief. Hopefully one day I can repay you for your kindness, and the pain I have caused you." He could look at her and tell her that she just braved one of her greatest fears to help him. While he was not scared of the Dark Hour just yet, she had definitely seen the terrible things it must contain to stir one so much. "At least we are safe now."