When the moon fell in love with the sun,

Always golden in the sky,

Always golden when the day met the night.

I had been watching him for some time now. It wasn't as though the shy glances were entirely one-sided, but when I was neither scolded nor encouraged for this behavior, I wondered if his were from curiosity or something else. My glances were entirely for collecting data. What made this other run, what made him think, what inspired him to do what he did? What was his drive? I knew my drive. I knew why I was who I was, and why I did what I did. Yet no one knew what went on in the silent boy's head, and it wasn't entirely impossible that he didn't know quite so well either. I'd watch him from the corner of my eye, I'd always made sure he kept up if we were on the job, but I didn't think I had to. Something drove him, and I was fascinated.

This interest in the boy had started long ago. It was the beginning of the school year, and he was new. His intelligence had yet to be proven, his bravery was unknown, and being the new boy with clearly faulty verbal interaction most of the girls found him a bit odd. There was no allure to him yet. Perhaps it was shyness from being exchanged in at his junior year, perhaps it was an anxiousness to not stand out, and perhaps it was the desire to just sink quietly into the walls and pretend he wasn't there. No one knew, and I supposed no one cared. He was the boy who had arrived at the side of popular Yukari Takeba, and that was all he was.

I felt little guilt in thinking this. He was just another face, another boy, and he shared my dorm. Supposedly, he was a perfect new applicant to SEES, but there was no proof. I wasn't convinced. Hell, I had barely been able to prove my own strength, and I had been apart of the school 'club' since it was established. I wasn't strong enough myself, and therefore, no one else was either. Little Takeba was new and had never even pulled the trigger of an Evoker. Mitsuru's strength was stolen by the machines to help her stay aware of the danger around us. I was the powerhouse, but yet I had hardly proven myself. I hardly believed I was strong enough to defeat any of those Shadows that could come my way, so when this thin, voiceless little boy was Ikutsuki's next 'great find', I was skeptical.

Yet, I was intrigued by this silent little nobody. One of the nights after he had appeared, I sat quietly at a monitor. We had to be sure he had the power, and so surveillance was in order. Ikutsuki had come up with a feeble lie about a room mix-up to help buy some time, and although I didn't like spying on the kid, I didn't altogether mind it either. I sat at the screen, watching him sleep, even as the world around us turned into a green nightmare, and watched him sleep on. Blue hair in his eyes, tousled from rolling about to find comfort, scattered across his cheeks like pale petals of a discolored flower. Whenever I'd see him then on, I couldn't shake that image of soft flowers, of how a white flower would look like in the glow of a subtle moon. When considering that boy, I always thought of him as petite and slight, hidden behind shield after shield, and I wanted to know his inner thoughts. By seeing him sleep, I hoped to know about him, I hoped to learn what he was like through his sub-conscious appearance. The boy remained painfully closed, even in the vulnerability of sleep. I wanted in! I wanted to know why he was so guarded! Why was he so special? What sorts of secrets did this quiet male hold within his heart?

No less than a night after that, I went out to stop a Shadow, one of Them. They were strong Shadows, stronger than one man could handle, but I didn't care. When I realized this, it was too late, and I was injured. I had to retreat, like a coward, and I knew the full moon was laughing at my back as I ran. I called my comrades the best I could, but one of my arms were as good as useless. What I fool I was, too eager and too arrogant. To think that I could even try to handle one as strong as this was ridiculous and it was like pressing a hot brand into my ego. It hurt as bad as my arm did. Never again would I be caught this weak; once I could, I would train harder, I would be better, and then I could prove to not only myself, but everyone around me, that I was strongest. I could handle the Dark Hour. I could handle the secrets of Personae. I could handle Tartarus, with no help. I could go it alone, and I wouldn't have to wait for the weak little newbies to build their strength and get used to the tiring effects of the Dark Hour.

I got back, but it was hot on my tail. Now, I can't quite recall the details. But I could remember staring into that screen again, as the monitor found that boy and Takeba. Takeba rendered useless, obviously frightened, but he stood there. Eyes shielded, face expressionless, even as the horrid Shadow reared its ugly mask and its many flailing arms. He was weak, he hadn't even discovered his Persona yet, and I moved to help him. I had to! That idiot, quiet boy, that moon-stained flower, was going to get himself killed and I would not let that happen. Worse yet, his Persona would rip from him and kill everything; including Takeba, and I didn't know if I could witness another death by accidental and unintentional hands…and what it did to a person.

Then, the boy grabbed Takeba's gun. This. This was when I realized who this boy was, or at least I figured out he was not a nobody. This underclassman, this shy male, the moon flower, was most definitely a somebody. But, as I watched Orpheus come from this boy, and then seeing the horrid beast rip out of the Persona and destroy the Shadow, my question turned from who he was, to what he was. Two Personae? One a horrid creature, the other like the rest of ours? The sick expression on his face as that monster of a Persona slaughtered the Shadow made me anxious. But then it was gone, and Orpheus had returned, and I knew that the boy had control. The guarded look returning and hiding everything from the world, and like a hook with bait, he drew me in; hook, line, and sinker.

I watched him as the days passed, while he slept. Not often, and not often enough for anyone to notice. But I would sit beside his bed while the doctor mended to my own injuries. Sleeping on and on, and I realized then that the moon flower's soft petals were disheveled. Uneasiness was through the youth's body, I was concerned, but as I moved to try and touch him in an effort to bring him comfort, words slipped from his mouth unwittingly. I had only heard him speak once before, and that had been the nights before when he became aware of his potential. What slipped through his mouth made me anxious and all the more curious.

Home.

Home. What did this mean? The boy hadn't stirred, and the doctor had told me to leave him be for a while, but I was starving for information. I was so desperate to know what he was thinking. I left despite this and didn't come back to visit again. Anymore, and I had a feeling Takeba would catch me caring, and that was something I did not want to happen. For now, he was an underclassman, and a Persona-user like me. I was his superior, and though I was hurt too badly to fight right now…just he wait. Then I would prove to this boy that I was his superior…and that I should be admired for my strength.

I helped him, and his friend Iori (who I found one night and discovered he had the potential) learn the ropes of being a Persona-user. Behind closed doors, I seethed in silent jealousy. My curiosity was quickly morphing into an obsession that I kept to myself. I was his senior, his senpai, and I was stronger than he was. I was stronger even if I was hurt, and even if he could wield many Personae, and even if he could wield a heavy axe (whose origins made me curious, as Kurosawa only supplied axes for one person, and he wasn't sticking around the SEES headquarters anymore) while I relied on my fists. I was a boxer, he was what? Nothing. He was a nobody. My jealousy burned in my stomach, but yet I couldn't bring myself to hate the moon flower. Where did he get his strength? What made him fight? Never giving us a solid reason, and even if he had, his mumbles were so unintelligible that it was stupid to try and decipher. This boy…I'd find out sometime. Even if it ate me alive, my curiosity would lead me to the answer, and then I would have finally cracked his shell. If I could get past those guarded eyes and that blank face, then I would know him. Then, I wouldn't think of him as a nobody. Then, he'd stay as that moon flower.

We went about our lives, as messed up as they actually were under the shell of normality. When I recovered, I joined their group, and I was actually surprised when I learned our skill levels were not far apart. Polydeuces and his strength were not heavily outmatched by the other's current roster. I hadn't asked him who he could summon upon, but the rotation I saw when we got into a fight consisted of Personae called Inugami, Unicorn, and Chimera. It was an offensive team, but Polydeuces could keep up equally. I was very satisfied with myself and so relieved when I had learned that I was not inferior to this boy. In the sick glow of the hallways of Tartarus, when he was distracted, I'd look to him and smile. I could show this runt up. I could prove to this silent male that I was better than him. Then, he would look to me with respect. Then, he would look up to me, and wish he was as strong as I was.

It was a goal I desperately wished to achieve.

It was June eighth when I realized that maybe, he wasn't as strong as I had thought. This night, we were on a rescue mission. We, meaning the boy, Iori, and I, were on a rescue mission for missing Fuuka Yamagishi. We stood in the gym, waiting for the clock to strike eleven fifty-nine, and then the minute that would send the world into the Dark Hour. We stared at each other, in silent anticipation and unspoken anxiety. He never said anything, but Iori was strangely silent. Funny enough, I really didn't want to know what was going through his head. I turned to the boy, who was sitting in the bleachers, staring out the window. The faint glow of a full moon on his face, staining him, and instantly I wanted to move to him and call him a moon flower.

What if something bad happens? Iori asked, taking my mind from the boy. It made me irritated, but I did not voice this. Instead, I just continued to watch the other. The blue-haired junior caught my gaze, and I looked away quickly, but when I gazed back his shielded eyes just looked curious. It made the hairs on my spine rise and I quickly decided that answering Iori's question was a better course of action.

We're strong, I finally replied. We can hold our own. Iori didn't look convinced, but I felt pretty assured in my own strengths. I glanced to the boy, and he was back to staring out of the window. Then I felt it more than I saw it. The clock hit midnight, and our world deformed. I met darkness before I could yell out in shock. When I did stir, the sick glow of Tartarus was all around. There was no irritating chatter from Iori, and there was no vague feeling of being stared at from that underclassman. Mitsuru was trying to reach me, and though I could hear her, I couldn't quite catch what she was saying. I tried to reply, but it seemed fruitless and I started to move on. I traveled, trying to find my partners. Disoriented and anxious, I tried to find the two, but the more stairs I climbed, the more concerned I got. So at the next staircase, I stopped still, and waited. Iori soon found me, and then we waited for that boy. We waited, and waited, but still he had yet to come. I was growing concerned the longer we waited it out, but Iori was too busy dancing around in either boredom or eagerness. He just wanted to find the girl and get out.

Where in the hell is he? I demanded after another long few minutes. Iori had no answer, just looked at me a bit anxiously. Was I putting him on edge? Good. He was like a bored three year old and it was annoying the hell out of me, so I was glad he was finally put into silence. He had a good heart and good intentions, don't get me wrong, but his stupid and stubborn attitude hopelessly clashed with mine when I was nervous or upset. There was only one other person who was as thick-headed as I was and could get away with it.

That was when I saw him. The boy stumbled down the hallway, leaving a silky trail of crimson in his wake, blood moving down his hairline and into his only seeable eye. A pale look to his face, the shield in his eyes cracked. That was when I realized I was seeing something I hadn't since that brief moment, back on the rooftop. Fear. On the rooftop, it had been brief, it had been sudden, and it had disappeared quickly. This time, the fear remained even as he drew closer. I shoved myself up from the ground and hurried to him, touching his shoulder and using the other hand to push back those soft blue locks.

It's not bad, I told him softly, smiling. He just stared back at me, those gray eyes wide and full of a fractured resolve. I knew what he was thinking before he said it, because maybe I understood his personality a bit more. I wasn't sure yet. I don't know if I ever could be. The silent words in his frightened eyes were 'I want to go home'. Where this home was, I wasn't sure I knew. I didn't think it was the Iwatodai dorm. Not that it mattered right now. I shook my head, taking both of his shoulders in my strong hands. Not yet. It's okay. We'll find her and then we can go. We'll get you patched up then. He nodded, looking consoled, and the crack in his eyes disappeared. The fear faded, and he hoisted up his axe. Determined and once again ready for the next challenge. Such a strange individual, I found myself thinking then. What was under his cold exterior, for real? What was underneath those layers of protection? What was this boy like, for real? I'd find out. I'd find out someday, and then I would know how to find the words to call him what I've wanted to since I saw him sleeping.

We found Fuuka, but Mitsuru and Takeba had run into some trouble down on the first floor. Our team fought hard, and we took out Them, those strong Shadows, and when we were all safe, only then did I turn my focus away from the girls and to that boy. I moved to him and pulled a cloth from my pocket, and I wiped the blood from his pale face, holding his chin with the other hand so he couldn't escape. Those gray eyes stared at me, as though they wanted to know why I would do such a thing. I only stared fondly back, before I went to Mitsuru and made sure she was alright. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head, and I didn't care. In fact maybe I liked it, more than I would ever admit.

As we walked back, Mitsuru and Takeba vowing to help Natsuki home, and Iori had Fuuka in his arms to take her home. I gave him the address, and sent him along his way, and then I turned to the blue-haired youth. We walked, heading back home, tired and worn and a bit sick from action overkill, and I gave him a brief glance. The green moon rested its beams on his face. His hair had the faint tainting of its glow, and the pale skin on his cheeks colored a faint color that made him look ill. Gazing to me, the male blinked at me with his gray eyes, those closed and shielded but so interesting eyes, and I looked forward in embarrassment. I wondered; did he actually know how much I watched him? I certainly hoped not. I was Gekkoukan's 'golden boy', I was the boxing champion, Akihiko Sanada, senior. The cool upperclassman. If he knew I watched him as obsessively as I did…Well, actually, what would that mean? It's not like he spoke enough to spread it around. It's not like he cared, either, from what it seemed.

You glow, he mumbled. During the day, if I see you. You seem to glow.

Yeah? I mused, looking to him, smirking. What color?

Gold. I looked to him, my eyebrows raised. I was told the opposite, often. Sometimes they would say I glowed silver, as opposed to gold. I actually wondered where they had gotten 'golden boy', when my hair and my fair skin reminded people of silver or gray. They said I shone a bright color, but never before had I been called 'gold', before. He seemed to note my surprised gaze, and a small, faint, wonderful smile appeared on his lips. I smiled too, and didn't ask why he thought gold. He had his own reasons. I smirked and thought; when should I tell him he's silver at night?

A/N: Copyrights for the lyrics go to Panic at the Disco, copyrights for the characters go to Atlus and such. My ideas are mine. 3

So, yeah. This is part one of however many. I don't think I'll go past four parts, but it might be shorter than that. Whatever. Read and review, please!