Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I see the shadows that you try to hide
A broken world buried deep inside
Your smile's a mask, but it's paper-thin
I see the cracks where the light creeps in

Let me in, let me feel your scars
Show me the wounds where you've fallen hard
You're not alone in this shadowed place
I'll light the way if you'll show me your face

I see the shadows that you try to hide
But in your haunted eyes, I find the light

- Raven

- March 5th, 2010 -

Graduation day.

Given all the hard work it took to get here with top marks, it’s a milestone that should fill Akihiko with glowing pride and a sense of accomplishment. But the bells calling for attendance rings somewhat hollow, and he finds himself last in file to answer its call.

Throwing one last glance back at what was his classroom awakens nothing in him. 

It’s when he deviates from the group to use Gekkoukan’s back staircase that his mind drifts away, flexing lazy wings of nostalgia.

This is the last time I’ll use my escape route.

One he leveraged often to sneak away from his prattling fangirls. Sometimes to fetch a particular truant napping on the school roof, and frequently as a shortcut to the floor below in order to catch up with-

Blinking, Akihiko finds himself unconsciously heading toward the second-year classrooms instead of his destination, once again the victim of a whim that took on a life of its own in his calves. The strangling noose of why he feels hanging around his neck leaves his thoughts scrambling for a reassuring rationale, enough that he starts anxiously tapping his shoe on the floor.

It’s not like he spent much time with the juniors he lives with, anyways… right?

Annoyingly, even that simple question can’t be answered with certainty, and he clenches his jaw hard as his heels pick up the pace again.

He’s been out of sorts for weeks now; trying to reconnect the puzzle pieces of his high school life, untangling the fractured last years that don’t seem to quite fit as they should. From his dorm mates to what lies in his closet, Akihiko keeps contouring unexplainable gaps, snagging on facts that shouldn’t tense his spine into knots, and yet… 

It’s just the stress of the unknown, it has to be!

An anxiety he can’t admit to out loud, even if it could explain everything. After all, in just a few days he’ll be packing his room, moving out to get on with his life, and start figuring out the rest of his existence.

Away from Iwatodai and everything he knows.

Alone.

And the doorway to these new beginnings lies right here, parted wide open for the sea of black shoulders slowly trickling in to fill the auditorium’s seats. A threshold Akihiko finds himself reluctant to cross, all too aware of the broken promise that awaits him when he climbs that dais.

Shinji should be here, sharing this victory with me. But he’s-

An elbow jabs hard in his ribs, tensing Akihiko’s momentary undulation of regret into a battle-reading stance.

“I’m so sorry!”

The waves of uniforms blur when his head whips around to find who apologized, and his eyes latch on the lone unmoving figure at the back of the rush instead.

It’s one of the Arisato twins that moved into his dorm, months ago. 

A pallid, recluse ghost usually joined at the hip to her brother. 

Today, she stands all alone as she drinks in the sights of Gekkoukan.

If Akihiko didn’t know any better, he’d assume she was saying her goodbyes before moving away for next semester or something. Not that he’s privy to her plans for third year, they just shared living accommodations and little else. 

Yet, he can’t seem to stop staring; irrationally seeing her for the very first, and perhaps the last time, all over again. 

She stands out, frail and ethereal among the monochrome multitude, her coppery mane afire under the window’s sunlight. 

A mirage that sighs and starts ebbing slowly, countercurrent toward the end of the corridor, away from the ceremony. Nearing the stairs, she throws one last glance over her shoulder, straight at him, and Akihiko’s breath hitches to a standstill. 

Arisato’s red eyes should not be so dull! They're deeply pitted amid an expression of mournful sorrow, and suddenly brimming with tears when they meet his own.

Why is she crying?

She’s out of his view before he can blink the profound distress of that sight out of his lashes.

So fast he might have dreamed it all… If not for his body’s violent reaction. 

Out of nowhere, a sheen of sweat beads above his brow, and his heartbeat starts knocking on his ribcage as if to blast its way out of it. 

Vision swimming, Akihiko awkwardly steadies himself on the wall before clutching his head in utter agony.

And then time just…

Stops.

It crystallizes into a single frame, suspended in the void between one pulse and the next. And Akihiko feels the edges of his mind stretching, compressing, expanding and shrinking in rapid succession. Its mass lurches dizzyingly sideways, then catapults backward at breakneck speed.

The vertigo of that movement almost makes him crumble on himself, and someone touches his shoulder.

“Hey, are you okay?”

He’s not okay, he’s dying!  

The pain in his forehead is excruciating and that blinding light beneath his eyelids burns! White hot, it sears all the way into his brain. Pouring a deluge into the cracks of void he could discern but not understand, illuminating everything into a phosphorus green hell filled with dark shapes and screams.

Vividly, Akihiko can recall seeing his own hands crunching in these nightmares, a gun barrel held straight to his forehead, the crackle of lightning singing in his blood. The ghost of iron’s tang on his lips drives his whole thoughts toward red, until it’s dominated by it.

The mere idea of that color bubbles up disjointed flashes of the past, and the flow of his synapses reverses course in a nauseating heave. Careening his mind finally made whole forward again, it bookmarks memory lane with carmine signposts.

It’s the crimson of water puddles during the Dark Hour, the sanguine of SEES armbands, the dark wine oozing out of a young mother’s head wound, a sickening scarlet splash as Polydeuces skewers Castor.

Then it becomes a pair of scorching rubies.

Dancing with mischief, vibrant with life, dripping flames.

Just HOW could he ever forget those eyes?

Hers is the glowing gaze of a demon he first saw by proxy at midnight, then sparkling with serenity under dawn’s blush. It’s the twin sunset that haunts all his dreams, with his nickname coiling into a seductive murmur in his ear, and the soft velvet of a hand sliding to rest within his palm. 

Now, they're just dim garnets that all but cried him goodbye, and their owner’s name dances on the tip of his tongue, jolting his soul to scream it out loud in sheer panic. 

“MINA!”

Akihiko remembers now, he remembers everything!

Flurry of priceless memories flashing before his eyes, he clambers on his feet and starts running. 

As fast as he can.

As if his very life depends on it.

- Almost 1 year before, in April 2009 -

Eyes following the smaller hand of the wall clock, Akihiko readjusts his black leather gloves, repeatedly fiddling with the seams at his wrists. It beats glancing at the command room screen; its projection bathes the room in an eerie green wash, reminiscent of the minutes separating the now from the Dark Hour.

His self-appointed task awaits him then, while Mitsuru’s already begun.

Her back went rigid as soon as the camera feed turned on, flooding her with a dozen monitoring graphs to analyze. A task she devotes herself to with the gravity of a Kirijo scientist, burdened by obligation.

Trying not to shift her weight on her seat, Takeba purses her lips, watching both seniors with covert glances. Despite her bravado, their latest recruit seems to draw a line at breaching the privacy of total strangers in their own room and it’s hard to fault her.

Perhaps she wonders if she was put under the same voyeur’s lens a few weeks ago, too, although she never dared to ask.

Maybe because Takeba doesn’t really want to know.

And Akihiko doesn’t want to elaborate on answers beyond a mention of “security precautions” if she ever does. Not that it would really be a lie; just a roundabout way of skirting the truth behind the meticulous protocol Mitsuru now insists on.

One Yukari doesn’t need to concern herself with given she passed it with flying colors. At this point, questions would just make Mitsuru’s guilt pile higher, and they’re both haunted by the past enough as it is.

This is all for the twins’ own good, anyways.

If they do have the potential as the chairman predicted when he announced their coming, they’ll be safer here, under their collective protection. Coffin-less civilians are easy prey for Shadows unless extensively trained, a reality the incident two years ago tragically proved. 

And we swore accidents like it would never happen again.

Hence the invasive precautions. 

Swallowing his unease with them, Akihiko cracks his knuckles hard in both hands, forcing the slick leather to stretch and slide into place more comfortably. His knee twitches to the rhythm of the clock’s death throes until his foot jostles against the floor to match. As if his toes can’t wait to go outside and just…

Move.

Right on cue, the weirdness of the Dark Hour settles on the dorm building, a curtain of immobility that dims the light bulbs and replaces their warm glow with a chilly supernatural silence.

Her curls as immobile as the rest of the world, Mitsuru breaks the spell with a few clacks of the keyboard’s keys, refocusing the camera display closer on the two juniors they spy on. 

Just this once, Akihiko dares a quick look at the screen, equal hope and surprise sparking bright at the sight. 

The twins sit huddled together in the boy’s room, wide awake and whispering to each other. It’s too low for the microphones to catch any words, but it doesn’t matter; their calm demeanor speaks for them both. 

Without a shadow of a doubt, they’re used to the Dark Hour and its aberration on time and space.

What are the odds?

For years, there were just three of them, then two… and now their ranks might just have doubled in a few mere weeks.

Almost as if they heard his private elation, the twins’ eyes flicker in synchrony toward the camera. Their glow has to be a trick of the light; the moon is nearly full and quite bright, probably causing overexposure for the night vision captors. 

But it’s still nerve-rattling to suffer blue and red embers glaring back, almost in accusation. Shuddering, Takeba wraps her arms around herself to rub down her goosebumps, looking away from the screen. 

“I feel kinda bad, spying on them like this…”

Mitsuru huffs discreetly, keeping her own ill at ease smothered under the guise of very serious business.

“It’s necessary, you understand.”

Ikutsuki insisted on a thorough, extensive analysis of the twins’ potential, and she’ll do everything in her power to deliver it and ensure her own peace of mind. 

As for Akihiko, his calling lies in the field and at the front, angling his curiosity in a more tactical direction.

They’re… contrasting siblings.

The two teenagers share the same elfin features in opposing color palettes, but their demeanor couldn’t be more dichotomic. The boy looks expressionless under the mop of hair that covers his features, relaxed to stillness against his sister’s shoulder. She darts her eyes around the room, lips moving, feistily alert despite the abandon of her limbs. 

Their close connection is a painful, all too familiar memory for Akihiko. 

One he has to fight hard to ignore.

“If it wasn’t for the gloom, this could be just another Wednesday to them!”

His feigned enthusiasm only makes Mitsuru turn on her chair to frown at him sternly.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and start taking chances here! Just a few more days, and we can make a decision.”

Undeterred, he crosses his arms, dimly registering Takeba’s fingers picking at her sweater in his periphery.  While he can sympathize with Mitsuru’s concerns, it’s plain to him that this experiment leads to a single outcome, one he genuinely looks forward to.

After two years of meager results and boring standstill, their last one spent at Gekkoukan just might be their lucky one. Answering good fortune with its matching color, the girl in the monitor abruptly flashes her devilish gaze in full back at the camera.

Straight at him, as if she knows he’d been watching all along.

Suddenly very self-conscious about the situation, Akihiko averts his eyes. 

Snooping on two juniors wearing pajamas while they enjoy the sanctity of their room, one of them a girl, doesn’t exactly fill him with pride.

Discomfort crawls up his spine, so palpable he can’t dissociate it from the whole of the command room now; that red stare shadows him wherever he tries to look when he should be chasing them.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

Mitsuru only frowns, her lips taunt. For once, she spares him from reasonably futile comments for the sake of their audience, opting to pour all her attention back into her data instead. 

This is how they work best, anyways.

Without a glance back, Akihiko slides out of the room, absently pushing on the ribbing between thumb and index to settle his gloves further.

It’s much easier to leave the girls behind than the existence of the twins, and he focuses all his attention on stealth as he navigates down the stairs to the lobby. 

Finally free from pretense and decorum as he steps into the murky outside, Akihiko sighs in relief. Letting his eyes roam to a familiar, out-of-reach landmark cleaving the sickly green moon risen east.

We’ll soon be back in there.

Giddy at that prospect, he breaks into a light jog, hitching to run into trouble. This is where and when he feels most alive: fighting outside the bounds of ordinary rules in suspended time. 

Against shadows, there are no bells to call the fight, no need to pull his punches. Simply pure adrenaline and pumping breaths to challenge himself beyond his limits. 

Just as he turns a corner, a syrupy sound reverberates across the alley he just engaged in, and his feet slow to a stop. 

They’re surprisingly close to the dorm for once. 

Alert, Akihiko listens closely to pinpoint the source of the echo, chasing it to the telltale deformed outlines oozing their way through a shroud of darkness. 

A pack of three is easy pickings!

But still worth his time; this is the only way to get stronger, to fight the apathy. His lips curl into a smirk, heart pounding loud, sending electricity coursing through his veins. 

There’s no need to unsheathe his evoker to disperse that kind of rabble, and Akihiko would much rather savor the direct hit of his knuckles in close combat anyways. Impulsively, he jumps into the fray, erasing the glowing eyes haunting his consciousness with a well-placed jab.

Then another, and another, and another.

Until he stands alone in the ashes of his victory, wiping the sweat of his brow to look at Tartarus’s spire in the distance.

Soon, they’ll be walking down the halls of that maze again, and he’ll have juniors to lead and protect. A monumental task that will prove how far he’s come, and then, maybe… 

Shinji will have no choice but to come back.

Every frozen minute counts if he wants to be up to that task. Intent on making the most out of each of them, Akihiko sprints off again. 

On the hunt for more nightmares, relishing how much he’s been waiting for this.

Chapter Text

“Falling
I remember falling
I remember marching like a one-man army
Through the blaze, I know I'm coughing
I believe in something
I don't wanna remember falling
I remember crawling
Through the waves, I know I'm falling”

- Our Lady Peace

It’s been a long time since Akihiko tasted some of his own prescribed medicine. Too long, and it’s impossible not to grin like a madman as the faint tang of iron coats his tongue. 

Judging from the state of the sleeve he just wiped his mouth with and the strength of the smacking that caused it, he might have finally found himself a worthy opponent. 

What a monster!

Now all he needs is to carve himself a decent battlefield by removing the shadowy spectators that want to join the fray. Fodder called in by the crack of thunder he unleashed to get a feel for his enemy’s size, perhaps. 

Not that it matters; Akihiko’s got plenty of power left where that came from. Confident, he backsteps out of the back alley while his evoker barrel finds the crease between his brows with practiced ease. 

“Polydeuces!”

His inner self actualizes forward mid-dash at his call, brandishing its stinger to blast a storm down the narrow brick corridor. Wild and erratic lightning bounces in blinding white tendrils, turning most of the shadow crowd to floating ashes in mere seconds. 

They never stood a chance.

Fighting back an urge to laugh, Akihiko brings his glove to his communicator before his real quarry catches up to him.

“Mitsuru, you’re not gonna believe this!”

The whole wire system nearby still sparks and pops with interference, and all he gets is grating static in his ear. 

“…Is tha- you, Aki… ko?”

Even though Kiriko technology manages to function in the Dark Hour, it’s not immune to his powers’ side effects, and it takes a few button presses on his earpiece to get a better sound. 

He also gets a nice view of a dozen flailing arms outlined against the murky green backdrop closing the distance very quickly, too. 

“Yes, can you hear me? Crap, that thing is huge!”

His eardrums buzzing with the rush of blood pumping in his veins clashes with the jumble of voices on the other end of the line. His peers don't sound as excited as he feels. Yukari in particular sounds peculiarly frantic.

None of that deters his knuckles' aim as Akihiko chains a cross jab in the black ooze, yet his fists all but slide along the spongy ink flesh he expected to punish.

There’s no trace of damage on the strange mass of limbs.

Uh?!

None whatsoever. 

“...hiko, where are you?”

Bewildered, Akihiko hops out of close range in hopes of assessing his enemy, but gets no tangible chance to do so or even form a coherent reply. 

The monster suddenly shortens the gap separating their projected shadows with incredible speed, an inky tidal wave that could engulf him if he doesn’t start sprinting. Now. 

“No time to talk…! It’s chasing me!”

Undeterred, he raises his evoker a second time, rolling on his heel in a flash to unleash his favorite party trick in his wake. A dizzying miscalculation as his earpiece instantly reverbs with feedback, pounding his skull with warbling echoes that make his jaw ache.

The voices form words he can dimly make sense of in the backdrop.

Something… about the dorm, and bringing it back?

Well, that new shadow type is worth looking into before he dispatches it, after all. Maybe that’s what Mitsuru is talking about? 

“I’m almost there!”

Blinking off the incandescent spots in his vision, Akihiko cards his hand through his hair to shake off the static that clings to it and shuts off the comms. 

A little tactical repositioning wouldn’t hurt to find a decent weak point before he engages his biggest fan, but he never gets a chance to outrun the shambling black mound snapping at his heels. 

The apparition floods his space and whines eerily, its gaping mask rising above the ellipse of its mass just as oily arms extend his way for a grab.  

Akihiko is usually good at dodging blows. 

More than good, even; he managed to box for years without any serious injury after all. 

Except this opponent has more appendages than he can realistically keep track of in his peripheral vision, not to mention an elastic lack of bones that defies all logic. 

Taunting, one of the tentacles wobbles its lack of elbow and whips at an impossible angle, backhanding Akihiko flank first into a brick wall before he can even try to roll with the blow. 

The sickening crunch his body makes on impact barely registers through the temporary deafness, but the globs of bloody spit and snot he wheezes out on the concrete challenge his gag reflex.

Oozing rust slicks Akihiko’s lips and teeth. Determined to get the last laugh, he grates his jaws together, swallowing the bitterness of his predicament before rising up with some difficulty.

A monster, indeed.

C an’t seem to…

As soon as his back slams the front door shut in his wake, his legs turn to jelly and dissolve under him.

Catch.

It barely counted as a short run by his standards, yet Akihiko can’t seem to tame his heaving lungs. 

My.

The grip on his evoker is so numb he can’t tell where leather ends and flesh starts, too.

Breath.

Mitsuru rushes downstairs with the chairman in tow, and his voice lacks the power to pretend as her eyes open wide.

“Get ready to be surprised… It’ll be here any second.”

Akihiko’s bloodless grin doesn’t have the effect he intended. Instead of easing his commander’s grim worry, it just makes Mitsuru’s eyes instantly latch on the stains smudging his shirt cuffs.

“This is no time to joke around!”

Ikutsuki slides around her outburst, eyes alight with intense curiosity.

“Is it one of them, Akihiko?”

“Yeah, but not an ordinary one, it’s-“

 His explanation gets cut short by Yukari’s gasp of horror when she joins them.

“What the…!? …You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Before she gets a chance to ask questions, Mitsuru takes the situation in hand with crisp commands and sharp pointed gestures.

“Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room! Takeba, go upstairs and wake up the twins! Then escape out the back with them.”

“But… What about you two?”

Lips thin, Mitsuru unsheathes her evoker as if she planned it all.

“We’ll stop it here. You led it to us, Akihiko, so I’m afraid you’ll have to fight.”

As if he even needs a reminder of what happened outside.

“Like I had a choice!”

Takeba’s stare from above doesn’t help, either. Freezing is losing.

“What are you waiting for, Yukari? GO !”

His voice snaps rather harshly, but at least the girl does as he asks, running up the stairs on the double.

Akihiko waits until both she and the chairman dip out of sight to try and get back up, and the effort cracks his stoic front by way of a pained grimace.  

Damn it!

Mitsuru’s piercing gaze loses none of his swallowed groan nor the trembling in his knees, offering him a shoulder he nods away.

“I’m fine.”

No freshly minted recruit needed to see how far his mettle has fallen short of his projected confidence, it’s a given. And nobody needs tangible proof of how the radiating web of pain on his left side isn’t so dull anymore, either.

Much less Akihiko, and he’s the first to step outside in defiance of the facts.

The building’s very foundations rumble and quake, mocking him. 

By the time Akihiko clambers to the fourth floor, there's no denying the stabbing pain in his ribs, or how his arm now dangles like dead weight after so much futile chasing for the shadow. 

He’s managed to match Mitsuru’s warpath stride this far, but his act is starting to fray, and badly. Temporarily putting some weight against the stair banister, his gaze roams to the light coming from the command room monitors.

“There! They’re on the roof!”

Takeba’s sprawled near one of the brick walls, unconscious from the looks of it, with the Arisato girl hovering in her periphery like a living shield. As for her twin, he’s crumpled and screaming shrilly, clutching his head with both clawed hands as if to prevent it from getting ripped off his neck. 

And right in front of him…

The tentacled mess that brought Akihiko to his knees lies outlined in all its grotesque glory against the brightness of the moon. 

Its opponent looks like an angel of death, orbited by a ring of floating coffins and completely berserk. It rips apart every black limb it can get a hold of like so many paper tissues, and each vicious strike draws a shriek of pain from both Arisato and the shadow. 

Their frequencies overlap, unending, so high pitched the roof camera screeches in protest at the assault they’re made to endure. And Ikutsuki breathes noisily, puffing out small clouds of steam while he stares at the spectacle with undisguised awe. 

The physical sensation is unmistakably familiar despite its intensity; whatever its name is, the flailing avenger up above is a persona.

Arisato’s.

And it’s so immense in power that it impedes on reality, forcefully making its presence known in a way Akihiko has never experienced before. Its cold pressure hits hard, bleeding from his temples all the way down to the bone marrow.

I’ve never felt anything like it!

It barely lasts; the dark angel roars its victory at the stars as it tears the blue mask in two, exploding the shadow into motes of soot. Its figure flickers and fades away to reveal a new form, long-haired and less daunting on the eye, with a harp on its back.

“What on earth was that…!?”

No one answers. 

Nobody reasonably can, not even Mitsuru.

This isn’t how personas are supposed to work at all! 

Its blue-haired summoner wobbles unsteadily when the musical aspect of his soul fades out of existence and faints like a pile of rags. His sister immediately rushes over to his side, dropping the makeshift weapon in a clatter to try and rouse him.

“Min, wake up!”

Mitsuru passes a hand over her eyes and breathes deeply, recomposing herself as she watches Takeba pulling herself up. The girl looks woozy, but safe.

“Is it over…?”

The feed glitches and wavers, then the unmistakable sound of tarry slopping smacks into the roof microphones. Yukari screams, backpedaling toward the wall.

“Arisato, it’s still moving…! No… G-Get away from me!”

Despite his condition and Mitsuru taking a forceful hold of his arm, Akihiko has half a mind to climb the remaining stairs and intervene when Ikutsuki hisses with excitement.

“Just wait!”

“But-”

His protest dies when the copper-haired girl gets to her feet and stops, frozen in place. Her ponytail barely ebbs in the still air as she looks down at her brother, the position of the enemy, Takeba, then the dropped evoker near her feet. 

There’s no warning when she raises her eyes back to Yukari, and to Akihiko they seem to flare just as bright as the first night he saw them. His heartbeat sloshes in his ears and the inner static in his limbs amps up; the unmistakable crackle of anticipation he’s come to savor over the years. 

Except it’s entwined with dread; he brought this danger here, and he might not be in time to avert the worst now that the Arisato who awoke to power lies unconscious.

Akihiko takes a single step out of the command room and stops just as fast. 

In one fell swoop, the girl shakes out of her reverie, picks up the replica gun and her discarded naginata and rushes in toward the defenseless archer. There is no hesitation in that fluid motion, just grim lips and a tension near her eyes that betrays her resolve to protect Takeba.

The bladed weapon spins gracefully in the air to connect with one of the sludges and slices through its porcelain mask, cleaving it. 

Shocked, Akihiko finds himself staring at how natural her movements are. 

She stands on the balls of her feet, knees flexed slightly to keep full mobility like she’s used to moving in complete balance. Whirling toward the second shadow in a half-circle, she draws the evoker to her temple and screams, eyes leaking flames.

“Persona!”

The supernatural impact of the evoker discharge twinkle like glass, and a new presence manifests in the burst of fire blooming off her head. Clad in gold and fiery hues, the mirage is almost identical to her brother’s, although its harp curves into a heart. 

Crimson embers rain from its strings as the manifestation strums it, embracing its human host and her weapon in a sheet of inferno.

NO!

It’s irrational given it’s obviously her power, but Akihiko clamps his jaws shut anyways, bracing for the screaming agony.

The one he never truly heard but that lives in his nightmares anyway.

It never comes. 

Instead, it’s the glee of a laugh that cuts through the command room. Shaken by fright and nerves, surely, but still a form of joy at the power that turns the girl’s eyes into twin red suns. 

The sweat that rolls down Akihiko’s brow has nothing to do with the inexistant rush of heat that must be blazing on the roof; liquid gouts of flame burst forth, flashbanging the monitors.

As the inferno dims, he can barely discern the girl now swaying on her feet as she takes three steps toward her brother. Her legs give way on the fourth as she joins her other half into the darkness of oblivion, so spent everything she holds clangs on the floor.

Discarded, the evoker that saved the day flies in the air a few times, bouncing on concrete until it lands in a puddle of darkened blood. 

A pin drops by way of their collective exhales, helping to chase the spots in Akihiko’s vision.

He knows how awakening to the potential can be brutal, yet he still forgot to breathe; the twins did it in a fashion that was extraordinary. He glances at Mitsuru with wide eyes; she looks as shocked as he feels and shakes her curls to get her composure back.

Takeba rushes toward the twins in a huff on camera and calls for backup, yet he barely pays attention; the girls and and the chairman can handle that.

All that runs through his mind is how close of a call the night was, and how much his flank stings. 

We never saw shadows like this before.

And if that’s the new normal, they need to be ready. 

Mitsuru clearly spared no expense to handle tonight’s mess. 

The hospital room Akihiko finds himself stuck in is pristine. Too white, overly spacious for a single occupant that didn’t earn an ounce of this treatment. He didn’t ask for this, wanted none of it, but he didn’t have the will to argue against Mitsuru’s stern orders. 

Deep down, he hates it.

All of it. 

Sniffling through the clots in his nose, he locks his gaze on the streetlights of Tatsumi port island winking in the window instead of staring at his own scowling reflection. Hours of X-rays and prodding hands only confirmed what his bones had been screaming since the alley.

The air reeks of antiseptic and bleached linen, sharp enough to sting yet too weak to mask the stink of failure. It’s a stench worse than the pain that scissors through his ribs at every twitch.

At least not everything can be counted as a loss. 

Better to claw at the edge of that hope than the shame of his defeat; there’s been little harm done in the end. 

And the twins’ potential means Akihiko will have plenty of opportunities going forward. Not just to make amends to his pride, but to measure himself against the kind of strength worth chasing. Both Arisatos dove in against death without instruction, fear, or hesitation.

That, I can respect. 

Under Akihiko’s guidance, they could help mold SEES into what it’s meant to become. No hard feelings against Takeba, but she’s still hesitant and unsure of her power, choking on fear of death. Her fellow juniors' fire might awaken the resolve required to reach her full potential; his time spent as boxing club captain exposed how talented peers can apply subtle pressure.

The twins’ christening into SEES will have to wait until they get cleared from the hospital, though. Patience is not one of Akihiko’s virtues, but his juniors will need to be at their peak for what’s to come. 

Besides, the numbness in his hands begs for rest; perhaps a few days of recovery wouldn’t hurt. 

Just a few, though. 

Then, the real work begins.

Chapter Text

The briefing with Ikutsuki to introduce them to SEES goes almost exactly how he foresaw it. The initial explanation of the Dark Hour seems unsurprising to the twins, and he has an inkling that they experienced it for some time, but the most fascinating aspect of the exchange comes from the strangeness of the siblings themselves.

Akihiko can’t say he ever met twins before that day, and the amount of unspoken communication passing between them confuses him. It’s like they speak a silent dialect nobody can decipher, yet they are so different in appearance and body language that the fact they are so closely related is jarring. A single glance from one to the other seems to carry a whole conversation.

Minato he can sort of get right off the bat: serious, stoic, he’s a man that gets to the point with very little words. He looks like the kind of person to move forward slowly, and the grass will part to give him way as he slides through it like an unseen ghost. Probably a studious, calm and polite person too. Akihiko has no doubt they will get along quite well; he’s not one for winded conversations and foolishness.

His sister on the other hand, you cannot help but notice as she enters any room: she is alive in every sense of the word. Her brother is all cool colors and calculated motions, while she sparks like fire. From the gleam of red in her auburn hair, her devilish irises sparkling under lamp light, her bright smile, and almost giddy steps, she almost vibrates with energy.

He has no idea what to expect from that firebrand, but he has seen her mettle in battle and gauged her accordingly, it's that part that counts. Akihiko catches himself smirking with amusement as he explains what exactly the Dark Hour brings to the table for SEES.

“We call them “Shadows”. They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It’s our job to defeat them… Sounds exciting, huh?”

He cracks his knuckles as he speaks, just thinking about punching some enemies makes him anticipate his return in the field. He catches himself before his foot starts taping on the carpet and awards him a stern glance from the executioner in the room.

Mitsuru has no tolerance for excitement.

The blue-eyed Arisato turns his sea-gray eye toward him with an unreadable glint and flickers back to his sister’s gaze, and it seems like a world of unsaid passes between them both in mere seconds. Minako smiles, eyes sparkling and eyebrows expressive, then turns back towards him with a grin.

“Do go on!”

Mitsuru huffs at him, visibly exasperated.

“Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!”

Interrupting her, Ikutsuki intervenes to calm the play.

“Now, now. He does his work well.”

Minako looks back at him and they share a grin with each other. A spark of hard blue turns immediately to him, instantly spotting the shared excitement with his sister, and it seems almost like a reprimand. The whole exchange lasts two breaths before the twins return to a neutral listening façade, attentive to Ikutsuki’s explanations.

Feisty, this one.

It seems to Akihiko that she already made her mind about joining, or perhaps they both did; it’s hard to say for her brother quite yet. If his guess is correct, she will not judge him for his tendencies and might just be as reckless as him so they should get along quite well. They barely know each other, but it feels like they are kindred souls, she displayed a protective streak like his own on the roof.

That train of thought bring a pang of longing with it, reminding him of a small girl with silvery hair and large shiny eyes for a second and he blinks thrice to blanket the hurt. There is something in Minako’s demeanor that reminded him of his sister, but he can’t quite put the finger on what. A tinge of regret creeps up on him when he thinks about the twins’ bond as brother and sister. He knows how precious that is and hopes they have the will to keep each other safe.

From the outside, Akihiko looks stoic, but inside the pain stings at some vague feeling of loss. It could have been him and Miki standing together, but it came crashing down in a rain of smoking debris. It’s not some laundry to air during the meeting and it concerns only himself, so he smothers it down, jaw clenched.

The past is the past, I just need to make sure it doesn’t repeat itself.

He breathes calmly, in and out, as Mitsuru continues her sales pitch, ending with a request for the siblings to lend their strength to the cause. Minato barely nods, then gets up in perfect sync with his twin as they both grab their evokers from the case. Once again, no hesitation, just a glance between each other before they bob their head again. The pact is sealed.

“Alright, we accept!”

She speaks for them both with quiet determination. Her brother grunts in agreement, so low it’s barely a sound.

Takeba, silent and fidgeting since the start of the meeting, hangs her head with a sigh of relief.

“I was afraid you’d say no… Welcome aboard you two!”

A few more words and the meeting conclude. As they file out of the room, Akihiko spies the twins standing in the room, quite close and conferring among themselves in silence and sharing loaded glances.

There is a visible intimacy between these two that makes him realize twins are a different breed entirely and the sum of them might be a tough nut to crack. He doesn’t know if they are all like this, or if this synergy comes from previous hardships, but it should prove useful in the field to have such a capable duo in synchrony.

Chapter Text

Tartarus : the tower of demise, the underworld, the nest of shadows.

The first foray of the SEES motley crew in the supernatural construct that replaces Gekkoukan is bittersweet for Akihiko since he’s been barred from participating in any meaningful way because of his injuries.

Because of their new members, the mysterious space is finally accessible for exploration once again and that makes him nostalgic. It promises tests of strength and answers to long-sought answers about the Dark Hour and its horrors, yet he can’t even step inside the ever-changing labyrinth because of a mere flesh wound.

This is unfair!

He’s not a man suited to wait in the sidelines, so he keeps fidgeting and walking in circles as if the marble floor below the stairs needs a good cleaning from his soles, grumbling in frustration. And for the umpteen time that night, Mitsuru shoots him a glacial stare that doesn’t bode well for this health.

“Why don’t you take a seat, or better yet, study in the meantime? Your pacing is getting on my nerves and making me lose my concentration.”

Her tone is crisp and very frosty and he sighs, head hanging low. Maybe he should have brought his French essay along to keep his hands and mind busy.

“Sorry Mitsuru, I just wish I was up there with them. How are they hanging?”

She pushes a hand to her forehead to brush stray curls out of the way and blinks a few times to adjust to and from her inner sight with Penthesilea.

“Quite well actually, the twins are a force of nature, just as you predicted. It will take Iori and Takeba a while to catch up to their level of instinct though.”

I knew it.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he smirks in satisfaction at her confirmation of his assessment. He has an eye for strategy and team composition, and it’s flattering that he hasn’t lost his leadership qualities despite their reduced numbers in the last years.

Expectant, he looks at her with a calculating gaze, hoping for some more details. Once he resumes his leadership, that information will be crucial to lead the juniors into the fray effectively. Mitsuru ponders his expression, eyes looking toward the emptiness behind the lobby stairs.

“To be fair, the call to make her the leader was definitely the best. Iori is bouncing around like an excited child, and Takeba is still hesitating with both her evoker and her weapon, but the Arisato girl brings them together with crisp orders and a commanding presence. She has backbone, I will give her that, and I doubt her brother would listen to anyone else. It’s not like he requires much direction anyways.”

Akihiko frowns, wishing he could just see like she does through the maze above them.

“Is he off doing his own thing? I would have thought…”

“Actually, no. Minato pretty much acts like an extension of his sister’s offensive capabilities. It’s almost like they’re a single being with four hands, 2 heads and 2 personas. They move in tandem like dancers, you should see them at it. I am quite glad they both decided to join us; the other juniors will be whipped into shape in no time.”

He nods, appreciative of the update but still no less frustrated by his lack of presence at their side.

So, she can lead effectively.

Her twin might actually not listen to anyone else because their synchrony seems so instinctive and he’s very much acting like her shadow all the time. As for the other two, their adherence to her leadership might have to do with their similar age, or respect at her power, but she does attract your gaze with her boundless energy as soon as she comes in any room.

The mantle could not have been given to Iori or Takeba in any case, their bickering would detract from the dangers of the expedition and cause a ruckus. Akihiko mentally files his observations just as their select exploration team comes back from the fray through the teleporter.

He can hear the sighs of fatigue from a mile away and spots lurching shoulders among the teenagers stepping forward.

The heaviness of the Dark Hour takes some getting used to.

Akihiko gives them all a lookover to assess the damages and is surprised to see the twins standing straight. A little worse for wear, some dust on their clothes and a few hairs out of place, but nothing jarring. Minako and Minato are bright-eyed and sharp still, despite combat and discovering the unknown of Tartarus.

Stable and level-headed, these two.

“That was fun, we should totally come back tomorrow!”

Minako is wiggling her brows at her fellow second years excitingly, and Junpei looks deflated in response.

“Are you kidding me? I am dead on my feet!”

Takeba also looks miffed at the suggestion, as if she is staying awake from sheer will. Minato shrugs nonchalantly, puts his hands in the pockets of his jacket and glances at his sister.

“Game when you are Mina.”

She nods, then sighs, realizing that her enthusiasm is not as contagious as she expected. Mitsuru takes some time to grill them a bit on their impressions of Tartarus and explains how the fatigue is normal and will take some accustoming to lessen its effects. Then, she smiles with undisguised pride.

“I’m surprised through, you all did much better than I expected! At this rate, they’ll catch up to you in no time Akihiko!”

“Eh, we’ll see about that!”

He huffs with slight smugness, proud but content to potentially fight with peers up to his level. They all start to pack up and grab the survey equipment for a return to the dorm.

Outside Tartarus, Akihiko chuckles to himself as he watches the juniors’ procession making its way down the streets. Minako is skip hopping along her brother’s straight-as-an-arrow purposeful walk, tailed by the two sleepy teenagers groaning in exhausted frustration just behind. He swears he can hear Iori grumble a comment to Takeba about the red-haired twin’s unholy energy at this hour and would she please just stop flaunting it everywhere just to rub it in.

The next visits should prove to be entertaining, at the very least.

Chapter Text

Akihiko runs into the twins as they all exit the monorail to make their way to school, the day after their first foray into Tartarus. Despite a short sleep, they both seem just as unfazed as the previous night.

Minato is walking slowly, earphones lodged in his ears, while his sister buzzes around him like a fairy in flight. At a glance, you can’t even tell they were fighting for their lives mere hours ago, weapons in hand. He gives them a holler, intent on making small talk about their integration at Gekkoukan.

“Are you both all right? You must be confused since you’ve just transferred here, too.”

The twins share a loaded glance. Minato shrugs as if it's all no big deal and his sister flashes him a bright grin.

“Nah, we’re good. We’re pretty used to moving around, too. The last few years have been-”

Her brother touches her elbow gently and stays silent, but she cuts off whatever she wanted to say at his intervention. Awkward, Akihiko hesitates to continue his train of thought.

Okay…

“Well, good, I guess you’re both quite different from Junpei. Me, I’m so bored I feel like I could die.”

She laughs at the last part of his comment, eyes alight. She’s a creature of movement and seems to get what he’s trying to convey, which is good. His uneasiness dissipates somewhat and that makes him blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

“…Hey, is there any way I can sneak in on the fight?”

The twins exchange a glance, taken aback, like he jumped tracks too quickly.

I’m being weird again.

“Nevermind, the consequences wouldn’t be worth it.”

Akihiko rubs the back of his neck to chase the static sparks away and bristles his short hair, internally defeated. He knows exactly what would happen if he even tried to mingle in the exploration party at night and passing a bad moment as a living popsicle is not on his short list of goals.

Shinji made that happen once and I’m not getting executed twice, thank you very much.

Maybe he went there too quickly too fast with them, or he tackled this clumsily. The bell rings, signaling the upcoming general assembly and they part ways among the crowd of students.

The end of the day happens earlier than he's used to and it’s unsettling. With his recovering injuries, he’s been barred from the boxing club until the doctors give their approval and that used to take a big chunk of his time during the week. He tried to bypass it, but Mitsuru must have pulled some rank at the faculty office to ensure his convalescence is as painfully boring as possible.

The silver-haired teen exits the building before most of his third year classmates, rapidly attracting a throng of vapid girls around him.

Not again…

Akihiko sighs in annoyance, forcing himself to look at the blank spaces in-between the jerking bodies of his fanclub, whose members are actively trying to attract his attention with a level of noise that makes his ears buzz painfully.

His saviors appear as a nonchalant trio of juniors he knows, making their way down the stairs. Earphones, baseball cap and gleaming hairpins shine like an oasis in a sea of harpies. Junpei seems to be vaguely scowling in his direction, gesturing with exasperation. Looks like he already scotched himself to the duo of newcomers like a fly on a takoyaki snack, as if he was always part of their crew to begin with.

One of the first-year groupies tries to yank on Akihiko’s sleeve, on his injured arm no less, and he dodges gracefully out of the crowd toward his fellow SEES members with not even a glance toward his attacker. The harpies part way with a sigh and follow him somewhat closely.

“Hey, are you guys free this afternoon?”

Anything to get out of here and out of that crowd.

There’s also some SEES business to tackle and that should take his mind out of his inaction gloom, even if it’s just for a little while. Akihiko barely registers that the daring first year and a few others are throwing dagger glances at Minako like she offended them personally, but she seems unbothered by the hostile attention.

Junpei keeps smiling like an idiot, looking at the young girls fawning over his senior like a kid in a candy store. While Akihiko explains he wants them to meet him in the mall near the police station, the twins stay silent and nod.

“…Uh, are your friends gonna come along, too?”

Junpei asks in a small voice, expectant. The boxer shakes his head, looks around and registers the crowded space. It’s like they’re all invisible or unnoticeable, just a bunch of bodies in the way until he mentions it.

What friends?

“Who, these girls? I don’t even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache.”

There’s a collective sigh, then whispers and an undulation of schoolgirls. Why was this important anyways? Just noise, noise, and things to avoid.

Minako chuckles at his observation, drawing dozens of murderous looks to her, but she brushes it off with a shrug. Her brother hangs back, content to stay in her shadow, but he has an almost invisible smirk hiding under his hair.

Akihiko gives her a curious glance, getting flustered, then skims over the hostile crowd with a flicker of his eyes.

Why are they all staring at her like that?

She didn’t do anything that warrants hostility; she didn’t even talk and only accepted his invite with a curt nod.

“Anyways, I’m gonna head out, don’t keep me waiting.”

Chapter Text

The rest of April is a mix of frenetic movement mixed with utter boredom. It passes too slowly for his peace of mind, although it sometimes feels like the dorm could catch on fire with all the comings and going since they gained new members.

Akihiko uses his considerable free time to prep for midterms; he might as well get an early start so once he gets the go-ahead to come back in the field, he can focus entirely on his training.

He tries numerous times to debrief the weekly Tartarus visits with Mitsuru, but he is barred from even stepping foot in the lobby of the tower during the Dark Hour now, told in no uncertain terms he should be resting and bidding his time instead. He hates it, but he curtly complies, because she could make his life hell if she wanted.

Those silent nights where he keeps vigil alone in the lounge are the worst, and he keeps playing scenarios of the possible exploits the team is accomplishing in his head.

Without me.

He used to love the quiet but now it feels jarring. The dorm routine has changed so much in just a few weeks, and he is apparently already getting used to the chaos.

For quite a while, it was just him and Mitsuru. Takeba’s addition brought a new, quiet presence, but nothing quite noticeable. She tends to leave the dorm and visit some of her archery club friends often, and she probably feels her seniors are colleagues and not people to hang out with.

Minato is very quiet, almost too much. His presence in the dorm is quite often a surprise, the junior being a natural loner who spends quite some time in his room. He talks very little, keeping his voice to a minimum. When he joins his fellow second years, he looks like he just tags along to keep an eye on his sister, but the quiet smiles are there.

Junpei by himself is noise incarnate. He slurps his instant ramen like his life depends on it, bickers constantly with Takeba, explodes with excitement or frustration when playing video games in the lounge and acts like a total slob in the kitchen. Nonetheless, he keeps scotching himself to one or both twins at the hip whenever convenient and brings some fiery energy to the space.

Surprisingly, Mitsuru seems animated quite often when Iori is present, whether to sermon him about his outbursts, raise an arched eyebrow at the mess near the sink with a promise for execution or offering a delicate chuckle when Minato beats him at video games.

Takeba seems to have found a kindred spirit in Minako and they go shopping together often, bags and takeout in those tiny boxes in hand at their return to the dorm, chatting amiably. There even seems to be a slight tension between the archer and Iori as to who gets to snag the girl away with them after school in her brief downtime.

Minako barely seems to live in the dorm, except when she studies with her twin. He has no idea what she does or where she goes, but the girl moves, all the time. It’s almost a game to guess where he will catch a glimpse of silver barrettes in fiery hair that day. She is up and about at any hour, buzzing through the kitchen to make a snack, helping her brother by whipping up a decent breakfast or just passing through like the dorm is a temporary stop to another destination and it’s maddening.

Akihiko swears he saw her thrice in the school corridors just that day. She was coming up and down the stairs with her hands full of paperwork for student council at some point before classes started, he also saw her another time from his seat with her sports gear for PE, then he got another glimpse during lunch when she carried three stacked boxes to the roof for her, Minato and Junpei to wolf down.

The day after, walking with some of the boxing club members and providing some curt observations on the practice he attended as an observer, he bumps into her when turning a corner. Akihiko barely has time to hold up his hands to grab her shoulders in an attempt to steady her before she run off in a blur of flames, the setting sun creating a halo around her auburn ponytail while she runs along like a spring.

He blinks, he thinks she hollered something like a thank you before she ran off and he is left just standing there, arms still outstretched like everything happened too fast. His palms are tingling still when the coppery tornado escapes downstairs in a flash.

“So, Captain… who was that? Do you know her? What a cutie!”

He looks to his companion, brow quizzically raised, trying to scramble a reply while he blinks.

“Uh? Oh, she lives in the same dorm as me. Why?”

His fellow boxer grins excitedly, a flush blooming on his cheeks.

“You think you could introduce me to her?”

Akihiko blinks again, unsure where this is going.

“Trust me, she had no time for you. C’mon, let’s go.”

A vague unease tugs at him and doesn’t know what to make of it. This is new.

Chapter Text

Akihiko hates hospitals, for several reasons. There’s the crisp, white linen that’s cold to the touch, the scent of antiseptics and the smells of sickness, but mostly it’s the waiting. It’s a necessary evil he needs to endure at this point to get his approval papers for a return to combat, to boxing, to living. He feels like a rat in a cage.

Just give me a signed slip so I can get out already.

He brought some class material to peruse while he waits for the specialists to make their rounds toward his assigned room, but fidgets nonetheless, concentration to a minimum. The whole day keeps going sideways, starting with this morning.

It’s been a while since his injury, and he feels just fine. A little sore here and there, but if he keeps his exertions to a reasonable level there won’t be anyone the wiser. He hasn’t started hitting the sack in his room quite yet, it’s too noisy to do so unnoticed, but he decides this morning that some running is in order. Weeks of staying put are driving him crazy, his body is loudly requesting a jolt of movement and the lightning lodged between his knuckles needs an outlet before it fries his fingers to stumps.

At the crack of dawn, way before anyone sensible should be up, he makes his way in silence, clothed in loose sports gear and a pair of sneakers, toward the entrance of the dorm. Akihiko raises his hand toward the door latch and almost jumps out of his skin when the kitchen faucet starts.

He could slip out or face the intruder and find some kind of excuse as to his delinquent behavior. But Mitsuru…

“Going out senpai?”

Minako pokes her head from the kitchen’s doorframe, eyes sparkling with mischief. She eyes the clock on the wall, his shoes, then her gaze rises toward his, and a brow takes a hike upward to question him.

He gulps, caught like a deer in headlights, and licks his lips in nervousness. Why is she up and about at 5 am on a school day? Does she even sleep?

Her hair is loose.

He blinks, registers that she is still dressed in a comfy pyjama, unruly curls billowing below her shoulders and there’s no hairpins in sight. She almost seems like a different person for some reason, then her red glint flares. He forgot to answer her, and he can’t seem to muster a decent excuse on the fly. His fingers drum on his hips as he draws a blank.

What am I supposed to say?

“I thought your injury wasn’t healed yet, aren’t you supposed to be out of sports for a while still?”

He grunts, clearly his plans are out of the window and now that he’s been caught, he won’t be able to pull this stunt again another morning. Mitsuru is absolutely going to find out about his latest stubbornness.

Minako waits a few seconds, expecting something from him, then sighs and smiles softly, dimming her eyes to a mellow warmth. She looks him over, then nods, pensive.

“It just so happens I came down and opened the front door this morning to watch the sunrise since I woke up too early, it’s not like you unlocked it. If I accidently woke you up making tea, also not on you, and it drove you to talk a walk because what else can you do to pass time before school. You know? Off you go!”

She shooes him away with her hand like he is a small kid, matter entirely forgotten. Akihiko flashes her a toothy smile of gratitude and hops down the dorm stairs in a light jog.

Oh thank you!

He knew she understood his restlessness, they definitely will get along well.

He must have forgotten to close behind him in excitement since he hears her calling in the empty street as he runs away, she’ll have to handle that for him as well.

“Don’t go nuts out here senpai, we will need you soon in there!”

Her tone is jovial, and he grins in the wind as he picks up the pace. His legs are screaming for a good workout, and while his ribs are burning a bit as he breathes deeply, the pain is just a welcome friend at this point.

He’s been recounting the events of the day in a somewhat abbreviated format to Shinjiro in his hospital room. There must be something on his face since his oldest friend keeps staring at him as if he grew a second head.

“What’s wrong?”

Shinji, gruff as usual, has a weird expression on his face and his eyes look bewildered. Akihiko fears he mangled his explanation and caused something awkward, yet again.

“You are such a dumbass, Aki.”

His adoptive brother keeps moving his head in a negatory mocking way, looking away with a smirk of amusement.

Well, this is new.

He usually always just sounds so annoyed with him since he left the dorm. What did he say that was so funny? Before he can answer or question his statement, he’s getting called for his checkup over the intercom.

“Wait for me, should be quick.”

He comes back down the hall to a crowded patient room. Just another unexpected development as the day keeps getting weirder and weirder. Shinjiro is standing tall and ominously close to the second years and Junpei looks about ready to run away in fright. Takeba stands flustered behind him and seems unsure which way to turn, while the twins stay back, curious about the unknown intruder when they probably expected him to be there.

Shinji suddenly growls.

“Tch… I don’t have time for this shit.”

As he makes his way to the door and the twins blocking the space, he gives Minato a look over. He grunts as if he recognizes a fellow spirit, then glances with interest at Minako. Meeting her eyes with his orbs gleaming, Shinjiro smirks as he does a quick up and down on her to assess who he’s currently looking at.

“You…”

If she is intimidated in any way, she shows none of it and keeps a hand defiantly on her hip. That flame of fiery assertiveness is in full display. She meets Aragaki’s gaze without flinching and doesn’t blink. Akihiko doesn’t recall seeing a standoff between any girl and Shinji, and it’s a bit unexpected. Usually, people just cower before his old friend, or get out of the way.

Shinji smiles tightly, looks sideways to meet Akihiko’s silver eyes and nods appreciatively.

What?

“Ah, nevermind…”

He just leaves the premises as fast as he can in a few long strides, planting the flustered juniors right there.

Akihiko fumbles with his own thoughts, he has simply no idea what just happened or why Shinji even acted this way. He shakes it off when Iori tentatively questions who that was.

“An old friend from school… sort of.”

Chapter Text

Their latest addition to the team is typical teenage boy material and quite different from him. Iori clearly has little motivation to think outside of the now, surfing on the sensations of the present with aloofness. He’s a boon in combat, although a tad reckless from what Mitsuru keeps mentioning, but he tackles Tartarus like he handles his video games: he gets back up and gets to work. That, at least, Akihiko can respect.

To hear from Takeba, Junpei’s always up to no good; he sleeps in class, he pervs on girls, and loafs around instead of applying some brain cells to schoolwork. From the huffs and sighs of despair he keeps hearing from Mitsuru, he is, quite simply, a slob that put any room he decides to exist in into disarray.

Minato is his calm partner in crime, dampening his worst habits with a few one-eyed glares when it crosses the line. Minako, on the other hand, simply encourages him to be himself and that is baffling.

She’s definitely far from irresponsible or scatterbrained like he is. From the comings and goings she has all over school and the dorm she seems to have quite a schedule, yet she seems content to spend quite a bit of time glued to Junpei, doing nothing truly productive except hang out and laugh out loud, often.

That fact and the possible implications of it dont't really dawn on him until a certain day in May, and it leaves him strangely uncomfortable.

Minako and Iori are just coming back to the dorm, skipping through the doorway with fanfare, from some time at Chagall Cafe. Akihiko is sitting at the table, math books sprawled in a methodical method around his homework, fully set on wrapping it up as quickly as he can when their commotion takes his mind away from the science of calculus with a bang.

“Dude! You should totally give that game a try!”

“Is it on PC? I don’t have a console like you, hopefully it gets ported!”

Shoes clapping, they pass near him, just going to the kitchen. Junpei attempts to tickle her on the way to the fridge where she is trying, without success and chuckling, to grab a water bottle.

Akihiko rubs his neck, irritated, and turns absently to the source of the noise. He never meant anything specific by his gesture because it's not really about them; he’s simply exasperated at having nothing else to do legally except study, but he catches them in an angry stare.

Junpei has his arm on her hip, while she stands very close to him, cheeks red and hair in disarray from their frolics. She pauses and blushes, adverting her gaze from him quickly as if something occurred to her suddenly. He sees her red eyes open wide a split second, and can’t help but wonder if he was grimacing in a strange way. He clamps his expression down, mortified.

“Sorry senpai, we didn’t want to interrupt your studying. C’mon Junpei, we should go upstairs!”

She almost runs towards the stairs, but the boy adjusts his cap, looks at Akihiko with a calculated gaze and smirks mockingly, seemingly satisfied with some inner answer he just comes to.

“Wait for me Mina-tan! And… don’t forget what I told you earlier, you should totally go for it.”

Junpei laughs to himself and follows her with a few long-legged strides, not looking back. Akihiko runs a hand over his face, it sometimes feel like there are events around him that somehow implicate him, yet he’s not quite a participant, and things keep getting confusing.

Breathing out noisily, he blinks a few times, trying to drown out of the imprinted image of the two juniors, so very close and their cheeks flushed. It feels somehow disturbing to think about, but he can’t figure out why. Fingers twitching on his pencil, he tries to get back to his work, but the heart isn’t into it.

Yet again relegated to the sidelines, despite, this time, numerous protests and an almost attempt to follow the juniors at the last minute, Akihiko slumps in the command room chair. There’s another one of these huge shadows tonight near the monorail and for the second time, he’s sitting in this stupid chair hissing in pain instead of punching something.

Mitsuru made her point very clear by jabbing two pointy fingernails exactly at the right spot in his ribs to cause them to throb and he’s stuck here huffing by himself, hoping he can dial down his frustrations before the field team came back. He taps his foot, restless, this is not a good day. Ikutsuki is absorbed in some files nearby and leaves him to sulk by himself, not like they can really do anything from here except wait for news.

At least Minako is still in charge, she has this covered, and he has full confidence in her leadership capabilities. She left the dorm head high and eyes bright, the very picture of determination made flesh, her brother in tow equally stoic despite being woken up by the command room alert. Time and again, the twin duo has conquered all the challenges of Tartarus, the bickering of Iori and Takeba, and all the surprises that come their way with tremendous confidence.

I wonder if I even want to take charge of field operations once I can fight again.

Perhaps Akihiko can simply focus on catching up to the juniors, because he might have fallen a tad behind after so much time in recovery. If he doesn’t have to focus on strategy and team balancing, he can muster all his energy on getting stronger instead.

As Mitsuru explained it, both Minako and her brother can change personas like they’re trying on new pairs of shoes, adapting to any situation like a glove. It certainly came as a surprise because it’s completely unheard of, but it can be a tremendous advantage in the field to cover any and all weak points of the team no matter its composition.

Minato made his team reputation by being a vicious attacker, while his sister meshes spells and support around her teammates like a concerned parent. That sort of role requires constant protection to be efficient, and while her brother might keep an eye on things, he could keep a more consistent point attack role if he has some backup in defense.

Yes, that he can do. Akihiko has a good awareness of combat he can leverage and excellent mobility. Defense or offense, the work needs to get done.

He jolts out of his thoughts when Mitsuru contacts them to inform the chairman of their success. Once Ikutsuki leaves the room to go grab a drink, she goes into more details with him about the chain of events that brought them victory, including the near collision of the monorail and the insubordination of Junpei in the field.

That… will not do.

Iori has a childish streak of entitlement that needs to be quelled, and it’s just preposterous to disobey your leader in the field, especially on an important operation such as this. Akihiko gets up and dusts his pants before he cracks his knuckles; Iori and him are about to have a very good conversation about loyalty.

Chapter Text

Midterms are ending this very morning, and the manic juniors can finally stop stressing over everything at the dorm.

At least until the results get posted.

All that energy buzzing around him will calm down, yet his heart keeps fluttering with excitement, he can almost feel the sparks traveling under his skin, using sinew as a highway from the tip of his finger to his soles. Mitsuru will have nothing to say this time, since the doctors gave him the go-ahead to go back to his normal active lifestyle, finally.

Akihiko practically ambushes Minako that morning, who’s walking through the gates of Gekkoukan by herself for once, to ask her if they're planning on visiting Tartarus that night.

Minako just smirks at him playfully, at least she seems to have a pretty good idea how much he needs this. After all, she’s been helping him sneak out on an unsponsored run or three at this point, she even gave a convincing excuse when Mitsuru started to get suspicious of his morning routines. Her owes her and he will owe her even more if she agrees to this.

“Yes senpai, I was already planning on it. If I spend another day cooped up with my nose in a book I will scream!”

She almost shouts her last words in despair, and he chuckles at her exuberance, feeling the same. Actually, he probably feels somewhat worse than she might, because of, well, everything.

She turns around, glancing at the nearby gossiping female students. Akihiko barely registers a throng of girls loosely hanging out some distance away, hand on their lips, looking at them. They’re far enough but he lowers his head closer to hers just in case anyways, discovering her coppery hair smells like sun-kissed strawberries.

“By the way, I have a favor to ask. You’ve been doing a great job leading the team in Tartarus… Would you mind continuing after I come back?”

She widens her red eyes in surprise, looking up to him quizzically, so he keeps talking.

“That way, I can concentrate on building my strength.”

He can almost hear the gears of her mind assessing this information as she purses her lips, thinking furiously. So far, she’s demonstrated an uncanny understanding of the team’s capabilities, both known and suspected, and together with her brother as a second in command, makes her strategies an effective reality. It’s probably easy for her to slot him somewhere in the scheme of things, perhaps she’s even considered that possibility beforehand.

“Leave it to me!”

These simple assertive words, accompanied by her head bobbing in the affirmative, make him smile. All that’s now left is to look ahead to the night’s exploration. Joints buzzing with unspent energy, he walks her to class in thanks, to the jealous glare of the corridors’ morning denizens.

The night of May 23^rd feels to him like a breath of crisp air after a near-drowning experience. Following weeks of inactivity and just indirect exposure to the efforts of the junior team in Tartarus through secondary hearsay and prim proper reports from Mitsuru, Akihiko is eager to just step into the ring of hell and let loose.

He’s so ready for action, having drilled a light routine in his room prior to the Dark Hour to invigorate himself. Yet, nothing could have really prepared him for this brand-new group combat experience with the twins.

Weapons are flexed, evokers get strapped to body parts, shoes are tied, then it’s finally time to go. Ruffling his hair and feeling like a ball of unspent static shock, he adjusts his gloves then straps one of his knuckles tighter as they all step into the teleporter.

Not only is this new block of Tartarus a jarring, unreal visual experience of colors, but the air feels stale. Nonetheless, he admires as the juniors take positions around their leader like they’ve been doing this all their lives. Takeba stays in the center, Junpei takes point with Minato and Minako holds the rear. She holds her naginata loosely but looks alert, eventually glancing at him with a question in her eyes. He just falls in step next to her, nodding. Akihiko will have to observe if this is the best spot for him to complement everyone else but for now, defense seems optimal.

It takes them less than a minute to find trouble, which Junpei engages wholeheartedly, bastard blade high like he’s about to cleave everything in half with a single hit.

He’s worked in a team before with Mitsuru and Aragaki, but this is entirely different. Shinji tends to do his own thing, ignoring but the direst of orders, while Mitsuru, despite being aggressive and cool-headed, is always too controlled. There’s a certain looseness required to really fall into harmony, and he’s now witnessing it firsthand with the twins. Not to mention the variety of their persona apparitions, which ranges from faeries to demons and weird effigies of power.

Minako is truly the anchor of the group, half her time is spent providing directives or eyes to her peers who can’t always grasp the full picture of the fight. Hands outstretched and eyes glowing, she summons beings after beings, calls columns of light to vaporize shadows or strengthens their capabilities with showers of colored sparks. A flick of a wrist, a pointed naginata or simple commands relay information she’s getting live fed from Mitsuru on weaknesses or focus fire targets.

Takeba, bow at the ready but mostly focused on healing, envelops each of them in soothing mists if shadows have the fortune to make a decent dent in their defenses. Her cover fire is focused and well-timed.

Minato is an agile fighter, darting around Junpei’s broader and front-facing stance like a deadly falcon. When no openings present itself, or if the large groups could even cause a few shadows to break towards his sister, he immediately falls on the defensive, at least initially. Once he figures Akihiko is aware of their positioning at least as much as he is, the twin relaxes and remains on the offensive, after all he has eyes at the back working for him. They exchange a few glances here and there, almost as if Minato is challenging him to slip at his job.

Hearing Takeba say it, their speed of execution almost doubles that night. Minato has a large arsenal of elemental offensive capabilities, both with blade and persona abilities, and when he’s not busy hovering around his sister, he fells large swats of weakened shadows like a child attacks his cereals.

It’s also not like Minako approves of her brother’s protectiveness until he relents, she keeps grumbling about her twin’s attention like it’s an affront, but as a fellow big brother, Akihiko understands exactly what and why this is occurring.

Good fellow, Minato, with the proper priorities.

Perhaps she won’t take so much offense if Akihiko takes over, it's never quite the same as with a sibling.

Taking confidence after a few easy encounters where he barely breaks a sweat, they manage to engage larger groups with their increased firepower, just to test the waters.

As soon as Akihiko punches through a shadow’s body with a straight hook of his knuckles, hand falling through a haze of dissipating black particles, he grabs his evoker. He summons swats of lightning to clear up the flanking field, eyes alight with glee, then he rolls toward another enemy as Minako boosts his attacks, then his speed with featherlight sparkles of green. His limbs become a blur and he keeps going for the targets she asks him to handle.

Punch, roll, evoker to the head, block, lightning bolts to the left, quick sprint then dive, drill punch, rince repeat. He’s exhausted, mind void of any buzzing thoughts in a good way, once the carnage ends. Their front and secondary ranks somehow fall back in a half moon near Minako and Akihiko finds himself half-crouched between the twins like they planned a victory pose.

Cracking his wrists to shake off some tingle in his battered fingers, he claps Minato on the shoulder with some force, admirative of the performance. The blue-haired twin has his hair away from both his eyes for once and he grimly faces his senior. Then, he glances at his very safe sister, unscathed, and smirks as if to congratulate him for a test he aced. Minako rolls her eyes, a wan but excited gleam in her irises.

Chapter Text

As if his return to the front line opened a gate of possibilities, Akihiko’s routine starts to build on a budding camaraderie with the twins. They have impressive potential, and his inner captain instinct wants to nurture that latent talent to the best of his abilities.

Minato, gifted but harder to read sometimes, eventually cracks a conversation with him about his struggles with kendo. Akihiko is happy to advise him on a subject close to his heart; as the captain of his own club, he is quite familiar with the brutal introduction of new members and their struggles. They bond over some beef bowls, that is, Minato mumbles and nods during the meal, but listens with attentiveness to his advice and potential training routines. They never directly talk about his sister, but a few loaded stares from Minato are heavy with allegory as to where he stands when it concerns her, Tartarus or no.

Funny how at a glance the dominant twin appears to be her since she acts as the outspoken front of the duo, but behind the scenes it’s quite the opposite.

Minako, their leader, he needs to get a better understanding of to support the team to the fullest. The more his thinking gets in sync with her approach, the less he will struggle to complement her if he must improvise in an emergency. He finds her walking with purpose after class one day when he catches up to her.

“Oh, it’s you. Are you going home?”

She stops in her tracks and looks at him with a smile.

“Wanna walk back to the dorm with me?”

She almost sounds mischievous, yet he nods in the affirmative before speaking.

“Do you mind if we stop somewhere on the way? There’s something I was in the mood for. My treat.”

Her eyes light up at the mention of food, irises afire.

“Alright, let’s go!”

There might be some groupies around, yet again, but he doesn’t notice them. There’s just a vague outline of people he must avoid and clear a path through, Minako close by his side.

Silver eyes gleam with admiration as she polishes her ramen, despite the size of the bowl. All her frantic activity, on top of Tartarus duties, must require quite a few calories to maintain her head straight with a decent level of energy, but it was still quite a large serving for such a slip of a girl.

He has seen what kind of food the juniors wolfed down frantically during the midterms, and it scared him to think it was a regular occurrence, hence the pitstop for decent nutrition. Proper fuel for proper results.

Akihiko feels like a tease when she tries to act like the extra-large special is nothing, he never thought she would even try to pretend anything around him, especially since he’s been quite honest in his admiration of her skills. It’s almost as if her mask slipped for a second, showing a vulnerability for his approval and confidence and he doesn’t quite know what to make of it.

She has nothing to prove in his eyes and the opening to admonish her for her slight deception surprises him. Perhaps some praise is required to lessen the sting she might be feeling, although with her cheerful disposition, he has a hard time to spot if she is flustered or just really good at hiding it. Minako remains a bubbly mystery still.

“You know, Mitsuru is the one who recommended you to be our leader, but I thought you would be the best in that position, too. Just keep doing your best, okay? And, of course, we’ll do our best to back you up, as well.”

She nods and cracks a lopsided grin like a caught thief when silver orbs meet rubies. He pays for their meal and they jog in silence to the dorm. His thoughts are churning as he watches her; her eyes are alight, and she has a carefree step as she runs next to him as if it’s nothing demanding.

To be truthful, he has been holding back to help them conserve energy for tonight’s exploration, but she would make an excellent running partner. Perhaps he could ask her to join him the next morning they meet in the lobby at the crack of dawn, or after school if she has nothing planned.

It would keep her in shape for fighting, too.

An occasion to ask her presents itself a few days later; the sun is bright and there is a slight wind, filled with the perfume of spring. Akihiko is still in school uniform, but when he meets her near the stairs, he can’t help but ask her to join him on an impromptu training session before he even thinks too deeply about it.

“Sure! Let’s go!”

She makes no other comment and races him to the school gates playfully. They run together with a more structured rhythm afterward and eventually end up, quite a while later, near the shrine’s playground close to the dorm. Huffing and holding his ribs, he brings his pacing down and puts his back to the jungle gym, closing his eyes. Breathing deeply, face caressed by the winds and a splash of tree shadows crisscrossing his cheeks, Akihiko enjoys the moment. He is drenched, but the moving air is refreshing after their exertions.

His eyelids open to a master’s painting. Minako is outlined in fire, backlit by the setting sun, skirt and ponytail billowing in the breeze. Like a sculpture of life incarnate, her cheeks are tinged with pink, her red orbs alight with some inner blaze as she gazes absently at the park slide. Little beads of dew are dotting her brow like stars, in-between strands of copper, and she inhales with her whole body, taking in the smell of fresh flowers and closing her eyes in quiet contemplation.

He can feel some heat travel to his cheeks, and he gulps clumsily. It feels like he accidentally entered her dorm room in secret. Sparks are twitching under his flesh, and he clenches his hands back and forth. The creak of leather brings her fluttering eyelashes his way and he avert his stare, all sorts of confused, pretending he was taking in the view of the park instead of staring at her.

What’s wrong with me?

“...This feels nice. I usually just train in the club room or alone at the dorm.”

Minako smiles warmly, speaking somewhat absently, unfiltered.

“I’ll train with you, if you want.”

They did just run here after school, exactly like he wanted. If more moments like this can recreate the artwork he glimpsed earlier, he can’t refuse.

“I could use a good running partner. But, if you join me, we’re going to do more than just run every day, okay?”

He laughs while trying to air out his collar, doing this in uniform was the worst idea he ever had. Fishing for some distraction, wanting to stretch the quiet moment to digest the chaos in his brain from earlier, he points to the horizontal bar.

“Want to try that before we head back? You can’t do a back hip circle, can you?”

She looks at the bar, then her skirt, and smirks his way as if the mere suggestion to try is an invitation to disaster.

“I would try, if I was… dressed for the occasion.”

Replying with a grin of his own, he effortlessly taunts his forearms to hold himself aloft and spins around the bar like a gymnast before sitting on top of it.

“Everybody should be able to do this.”

He injects a little smugness to his words, it’s not that he was trying to show off but…

Well, I was.

She huffs in mock consternation, and he taps the bar right next to him.

“Can you at least sit up here?”

She takes a few steps toward said bar, and without waiting for an answer, he impulsively takes her hands and hoists her up next to him in one fluid pull. Despite his gloves, he can feel the heat from her palms and is reluctant to let them go once she is firmly seated next to him. She smiles, eyes to the sky, motionless for the first time in forever.

Like birds on a powerline, they watch the scenery of dusk falling over Port Island through the canopy of the park trees until the streetlights pop like so many tiny stars, then make their way back to the dorm in contemplative silence.

Akihiko almost tries to speak a few times, feeling obligated to fill up the quietude since this is so unlike her, but for once she seems content to stay silent while she bounces around on the way. Her energy is back, and she paves the way with him in tow, while he admires her zeal like she’s his own portable sun.

Chapter Text

Sneaking around is something Akihiko did extensively as a child, and he still gets to practice that skill as a teenager often, so the initial proposition to split up and find the gym keys in the dark barely phases him.

That’s a sharp contrast with Takeba, who is clearly out of her league tonight, fumbling in the gloom and fearful of any noise or creak. It’s not like the school is haunted or anything, but the idea of ghosts keeps getting thrown at her in teasing and it went straight to her nerves.

Mitsuru eyes the juniors, then orders Minato to pair up with the archer since he seems to act as a soothing, calm presence to her frazzling, and Minako picks him over Junpei to search for the elusive gym keys. His fellow senior sighs and shakes her crimson curls in irritation; Iori is not her preferred companion for any activity in duo but there is no way the lanky teen is getting within two meters of the faculty office.

With some parting looks and nods, SEES splits up for their timed treasure hunt; they must be ready and in position before the Dark Hour comes if they want to save Yamagishi tonight.

Akihiko glances down the stairwell, pausing to catch any wayward sound, but it seems all clear. On the balls of his feet, he roams in silence towards the first floor and Minako seems to reign her usual bouncy steps to follow in his shadow. Just as they are about to turn around toward the faculty office corridor, footsteps echo among the columns of the lobby, startling them both. A few seconds pass and a dim glow can be seen far down one of the side corridors, back where the music room door is.

If we stay here, we will be spotted for sure.

Minako eyes the lobby like he does, but he is faster to react. Still silent as a cat, he dashes toward the first large marble colonnade, it’s large enough to cast a wide shadow that will hide their own. She almost yelps in surprise and closes her lips forcefully to drown out the noise she almost let out, since he grabbed her arm to bring her along with him.

Gently but quickly, Akihiko shoves her in between himself and the column, blanketing the back of her head with his hand to avoid banging in on the stone and spying on the side with one eye toward the light source. The lamp coming from the corridor has a fat spread and depending on the trajectory of the security guard and his sweeps, he could potentially spot an irregular teen-sized person shape or two protruding from the straight column from one side or another.

Neither of us would want to get expelled for trespassing.

Akihiko’s ears perk up, counting the steps of the incoming security guard and evaluating his distance from their position. The man is almost at the lobby and could turn to his right at any moment, torch in hand, and spot them. Taking a breath, he melts behind their hiding spot, unmoving, keeping Minako silent with an intense glare. She looks at him, eyes darting to her feet to watch the demarcation between shadow and light intently. His sweater feels like a layer too much and following her gaze, he comes to the realization that he is sandwiching her between his body and the stone like a pressed flower, with barely enough space to breathe.

His instant reflex is to give her some space, but the guard is literally right next to them and he clamps his knees firmly in place to fight the urge to move. He gives her an apologetic look in despair, and she answers with an unsure red twinkle and a crooked smile, her face as flushed as her neck ribbon.

The security watchman is taking his merry time scouting the lobby this way and that, and Akihiko tries to breathe slow and steady through his nose. The warmth of her proximity is leeching through his clothes, her hair is tickling the patch of skin uncovered by gloves that remains at the back of her head and he licks his lips nervously, his brain broiling.

The guard’s footsteps are slowly receding back from where they came from, and he slowly extricates himself from her personal space.

That was…

He has no words he can grasps out of his mind, and a shiver runs down his spine, he can’t even explain why he’s feeling this way. Ruffling the hair at the back of his head to hide his awkwardness, he looks anywhere except at her. His eyes lock on the empty corridor where the faculty office lays while he rubs down to his neck to chase the tingles that are creeping up his spine.

What’s wrong with me?

“Let’s go.”

Akihiko practically glides to the door of the office to flee the moment and the unease, enters quietly and rummages into the pile of keys like his life depends on it.

“Here, I found it! The gym storage key!”

Minako, who followed him in silence in the office, looks at the pile of keys and murmurs.

“That’s not it, we need the regular gym key.”

He mumbles in shame; she’s right and somehow, his concentration on the goal of this whole stealth operation got lost along the way, perhaps near that marble colonnade. She digs at random near the pile of keys very nonchalantly, pulls one out of it labeled Gym in bold blue letters and Akihiko sighs in discomfiture.

How did she…?

“Oh… how about that... Well, at least we found it.”

She pockets it and heads out the door, not even meeting his gaze or commenting. He completely mucked the whole thing from start to end, but he follows close behind her in silence regardless, back to the meeting point they established with the rest of the team. It seems the rescue mission is on to a great start.

Chapter Text

The rest of the operation keeps on going sideways, because apparently when it rains it pours. As soon as the Dark Hour distorts space and time in the gym, Junpei, Minato, Minako and him get separated and thrown to different corners of Tartarus like windblown ragdolls.

The Arqa block’s scenery messes with his visual sense of depth and audition, its flowing walls distorting echoes in the heavy silence until they disperse into nothingness. The shadows also seem strong and agitated, making any encounter a risk in solo. It’s hard to determine if he got catapulted to a level higher than those they reached the other night, the labyrinth changes every day and the scenery gives him no bearings, it all looks the same.

Dusting his pants as he gets up, Akihiko concentrates on the ambient sound to navigate his own quiet corner of purplish hell, hoping to hear anyone and regroup. It’s not like he’s worried about himself, he can take on anything if push comes to shove, but his juniors might not fare so well. If they find Yamagishi unconscious somewhere, it will require teamwork to bring her back to the entrance and defend her on the way, too. 

Blanketed in silence, he advances with extreme care in the maze, all senses wired.

Junpei is busy holding off two shadows when he runs into him, a nasty cut raining blood down his brow and cheek, one knee wobbling weaker than the other, stance a little askew. Running to intervene, Akihiko plunges once he is close enough and punch bombs one of their opponents into a sprawl, taking pressure away from Iori. The large swath of a blade finishes it off in a cloud of ink.

“Senpai! Good to see you! Did you find the Arisatos?”

Junpei looks relieved at his presence, a little shaken too, and the stress oozing through his voice is palpable. Evoker in hand, poised to strike, Akihiko shakes his head in the negative before unleashing a bright flash of thunder on the last shadow in play, then actualizes Polydeuces to provide healing in order to close the gash blinding the junior. Junpei slashes with abandon once, falls back to summon flames, and the fight is finally done.

“Fingers crossed they are together; this is brutal ! I wonder in what shape Yamagishi is in right now…”

Akihiko rolls his shoulders to shake out the sparks rising up his neck at the prospect; it’s best not to think about what they could find and keep their heads on straight for now.

“Hopefully fine, let’s just move quickly. I got your back.”

Firm, commanding, assertive, just like the old days. It doesn’t stop the aftertaste of bile at the chaos they’re mired it, but he gulps it down, not wanting to show any of it to Iori less he panics. They just need to scramble safely and get this done, all they get from Mitsuru is some distorted static and it doesn’t bode well. 

We’re on our own now, no safety net.

It takes them some time to even come across another sign of life, shadows seem to have fled the floor since they reunited. Junpei reacts instantly once the distinct click of an evoker echoes vaguely in the curved corridors to their right.

“It’s the twins, they’re close!”

The teen runs on ahead, safety and ambushes be damned apparently, blade sliding out of its sheet with a metallic song. As they both turn the corner, they are indeed faced by the sight of the siblings, back-to-back, weapons in hand and furiously fighting a large legion of shadows.

They’re safe!

Naginata and sword are darting on both ends of their stand, the enemies pressing them too much anymore to rely on evokers until the numbers are thinned, or they might get knocked off their hands. Junpei jumps straight into the fray, cleaving full force into a shadow from behind while sidestepping some melting ice.

“Dude, finally! I was wondering when we would find you! Did you spot Yamagishi?”

Minato breathes hard and nods, dodging a flailing appendage by the skin of his teeth. He must have taken quite a few hits before they got here judging from the state of his uniform, gashed and burned in several spots.

“We can hear her; she’s close but hiding for now. Gotta clean up the trash first!”

Minako talks, voice ragged, glancing at her injured twin with a pained expression. Minato must have shielded her as long as he could, and she wears her guiltiness on her ripped sleeve.

She looks at Akihiko with trust, her hand on her evoker holster and he instantly gets the message, eyes narrowing in confirmation. All traces of the previous awkwardness of the night evaporate in the throes of combat, and he positions himself with a roll and some footwork between her and her attackers. Jumping into the fight carefully to avoid overreaching, his few quick jabs make the shadows confirm that he is a dangerous opponent to ignore.

A serpentine persona twists and coils around Minako as motes of light engulf the whole party, lifting their spirits and closing wounds. Her twin moves toward her, already looking much more hale, letting Junpei take point on his end. Raising his own evoker, Minato calls forth some sort of pumpkin ghost that bathes the floors in flames. Iori adds more chaos to the fray, throwing a fireball that crumbles a shadow to ash.

A column of liquid lightning explodes another that was about to strike at Akihiko, connected to a raised naginata like a grounded rod. White spots dancing in his vision, he punches its neighbor straight through its mask, cracking it with a resounding uppercut, and silence blankets the party as motes of black melt into the floor.

Junpei sighs, somewhat exhausted, then screams bloody murder as a mousy, pale-faced girl makes her way to them on unstable legs. 

Akihiko takes in her short teal hair and timid posture, relaxed; he remembers the class roster picture.

“Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?”

“Y-Yes…”

Fuuka’s assertion that danger is at the entrance of Tartarus, his previous obliviousness to the potential link between full moons and the larger shadows, on top of the static-filled panic from Mitsuru, all contribute to sink this day into the gutter further. 

Can this get any worse?

The gloomy tendrils of dread grip Akihiko tighter as they teleport to the bottom of the tower, running before they even fully materialize.

Takeba and Mitsuru are sprawled on the floor, disarmed, battered and bleeding, while two large shadows loom over them, ready to give the finishing blows.

“Sanada-san! We gotta draw the Shadows away!”

“Yeah, I’m on it! Hey ! If it’s a fight you want, then you’ve got it!”

Junpei wastes no time in engaging them at his side; they need to distract the menace while Minako tends to the girls’ wounds, until they can properly regroup.

Knuckles hit flesh but bounce off as if he just struck a brick wall with full force. Akihiko falls back, shaking his wrist to chase the numbness. From the corner of his eye, he spots Minato trying to distract the sword-wielding giant by side stepping around it, evoker in hand. Brief flashes of light and flickering figures show that whatever elemental abilities he is trying to conjure has absolutely no effect on his enemy.

This isn’t working at all!

While his sister healed him previously, he is clearly ragged, and it shows. Still, they need to buy themselves some time, but without enough aggression to draw both enemies to them, the large shadows finally turn to the teenager who barged into the lobby and the rescued second year comforting her. Fuuka summons her persona in despair to protect her former bully, throwing the enemies back with the pressure burst of Lucia's actualization, and this gives them the break they desperately need.

Takeba tries to get up, balancing her weight with a hand on Minako’s shoulder. Her gashed leg seems better, but she’s barely able to stand on it.

“Yamagishi-san?”

The small, calm voice that answers her seems almost confident now, distorted by the bubble around her.

“I can see… I… I can see these monsters’ weaknesses…”

I knew it!

This confirms everything their rescue mentioned in Tartarus; her comments about sensing the presences around them when they were trying to find their way back, and her warning about the intrusion below. She has a second sight that can support them, and it might just be what’s needed to pierce their new opponents’ defenses.

“Just as I thought. Mitsuru, let her take your place. We’ll handle these guys!”

The boys fan out with him in front of Minako, in a rough spread, ready to pounce. She winks at Fuuka as she twirls her naginata energetically, clearly communicating with her silently. Their leader nods absently, then looks at Junpei with an excited grin.

“Alright, light this one up!”

They all dart in and out, keeping a defensive profile near Minako until an opportunity appears to destabilize one of the looming giants, exploiting Fuuka’s probing as much as possible. With their new navigator’s help, they win the fight in short order, a highlight after the previous events. The lobby is covered in small smothering flames, chunks of ice and scorch marks as a testament to the vast array of abilities that were flung around.

In the end, Yamagishi faints, the protective blue embrace of her persona dissipating as she crumbles on the floor. 

But at least it’s over.

Chapter Text

Despite no Tartarus outlet to dispense of the buzzing cluttering Akihiko’s brain, the next week passes in a blur. Time slips by quickly; visiting their potential new recruit at the hospital with Mitsuru, helping her chase some paperwork for Kirijo and SEES, catching up on a French essay and of course club activities take quite a chunk of his schedule.

He barely sees Minako’s reddish blur pass here and there in the vicinity, papers in hand for student council or glued to her twin with Junpei, and it somehow helps to choke down whatever entered his mind like a burglar during the last operation.

I don’t even know what it was. Best to forget about it.

Boxing also comes into play; the sweet mindless release of punches and sparring, sweat glistening down his cheek and the exhaustion of a good workout keeps his thoughts blank, focused. He is at his best when he has no distractions, so he practices with renewed ferocity to reset his wires straight, drawing awe from his peers at his prowess.

It takes until Yamagishi is released from the hospital and formerly brought to the meeting room for Akihiko to settle back more permanently at the dorm, and everything seems back to how it was before the last daring entry into the Dark Hour.

Just a normal, predictable routine.

The lithe, mousy girl accepts to join fiercely, and it sounds like she’s fleeing a home situation, hopefully nothing as dire as Junpei’s. From what he could gather at the hospital, she is a gentle soul, devoid of any malice and until quite recently, bullied for her qualities. She will be safe with them here, and knowing the juniors they will fold her into their clique in no time.

The next dawn, he put his running shoes on and makes his way outside the dorm under a cloudy sky, intending to return to that other part of his routine. To his surprise, Minako rises from her seat in the stairs outside and faces him, wearing loose sport pants and a hoodie with well-worn baskets. Her hands are held together behind her back and she almost bounces in place like a little kid.

“About time, was wondering when you would show up. Sun’s been showing for a bit.”

Why would she be waiting for me here?

“Uh… what do you mean?”

“Didn’t you mention you needed a good running partner? I told you I’d train with you!”

I did say that…

A strange time dissonance almost erases all the days in between this moment and their previous sprint to the shrine playground. Akihiko smiles, hops down the stairs to join her and they start their run in sync, silent.

It only takes about 5 street corners before she giggles and zooms ahead, daring him to keep up with her, and the whole training turns into a competition of small, intense bursts of speed to catch up to each other.

While he never quite hits his limit, what was initially planned as a light premise to more training turns into a drenching endurance course that leaves them both panting near the playground, energy spent, and for once the undercurrent of static is muted at the back of his brain. The clouds are billowing above and will probably break off before noon, but right now the slight early morning chill feels nice.

Still catching his breath, Akihiko does two graceful spins on the horizontal bar and perches his frame on top of it in a fluid motion, while Minako lays her back to the cool metal, too tired to even try and join him. Locks of damp hair are sticking to her sweating face, her lips are red and parted to breathe in a huff, while the crimson orbs vaguely focus and lock on the trees beyond them.

The overcast above part, letting the sun shine bright above the horizon, and the sudden burst of light bringing with it a profound insight. The girl next to him, silent and eerily motionless for once, is usually one to exteriorize her joie de vivre outward. This is especially apparent around her twin, as if she tries to compensate for his quiet demeanor. But it’s a mask she rips inward once she drops her guard, concentrating all her lifeforce within instead.

She looks fragile in her current state, like a single prick of his finger would break her picture into a thousand glass shards and release a sunburst in her stead. Akihiko grips the metal of the bar with whited knuckles, fixated on the silhouette standing just below him, barely a hair of space between his knee and her shoulder. Perhaps she acts like this often, in the privacy of her close relationship with Minato, but he is humbled at her trust in him as to reveal such vulnerability in his presence.

Time ebbs and flows, perhaps it’s been minutes or hours already but eventually Minako sighs, eyes closed, a tired half smile painted below now dry strands of copper hair. She doesn’t look back at him but raises her right hand to touch his left one on his perch, not quite pulling on the tip of his fingers. Instinctively answering her unspoken call to walk back to the dorm, he obliges and leaps down from the bar to accompany her.

Chapter Text

Lunchtime comes around on a Friday and he finds himself aimlessly walking the school corridors. The droning hum of classmates and some giggles here and there act as a vague background noise; he registers none of it, just looks ahead, hand holding his jacket over his shoulder absently. The throng of bodies part before his steps and he comes face to face with Minako, exiting a room. She raises her irises to his, a question in her gaze, and he looks around, mildly confused.

“What are you doing here? … Oh wait, this is your classroom… Huh…”

He really had no idea where he was walking to begin with, just going through the motions. Akihiko’s ears whine like a bad monitor feed, and he blurts the first thing that comes to mind.

“Are you busy after class? There’s no club today and I know a really good place to eat.”

Nodding with a warm smile, she briefly takes in the dagger stares directed her way, then makes her way energetically in the direction he came from, while he continues down the corridor the opposite way. The chatter is maddening today, perhaps he should eat his lunch in the clubroom after all.

Minako purses her lips and side glances his way teasingly in front of the Beef Bowl shop, and Akihiko feels a little self conscious about wanting to bring her to one of his favorite haunts. The twinkle of amusement in her eyes holds no malice, only a reddish warmth, so he takes it in stride.

“Honestly, it’s really great here. The servings are big, and the sauce they use on the meat is just…”

Groupies choose this exact moment to screech like harpies in a sing song voice; they have been unfortunately spotted.

Please, no.

Swooping in, they quickly crowd his space and Akihiko recoils, uncomfortable. A sickly-sweet perfume cloys to them like a second skin and two colored faces rise to look at him, all red smiles and shiny teeth. They probably go to Gekkoukan and changed out of their uniforms.

“Akihiko-senpai, what’re you doing here?”

The bun-haired schoolgirl asks just as her companion chips in joyfully.

“Oh, I know! You’re here for the beef bowls, right? It’s like, so funny that you’re always eating here!”

He bristles at that one, the food here is amazing and perfect for an athlete like him.

“…What’s funny about that?”

His tone probably comes across as rude, but he is getting irritated. This whole exchange feels like someone forgot to give him a copy of the play’s script.

“It means that you’re totally cool!”

That comment means nothing to him, all it does is whiten his knuckles when he clenches his fingers.

“Look, can you get out of the way please? We can’t get in.”

Perhaps he can grab Minako and rush in, flee this interaction and be done with it, but he hesitates. His eyes flicker to hers, uncertain, he can’t quite read her expression, and his toes starts to jitter in his shoe.

The girl with her hair clipped up steps between the door and him, almost desperate.

“Hey, hey, you don’t have a girlfriend, right? We’re like totally looking for guys to be with right now.”

He shakes his head, thoroughly confused. A girlfriend? What does this have to do with anything?

Why can’t they just leave me alone?

Despite Minako not saying anything since they arrived on the scene, both the groupies turn on her with menacing glares, clearly hostile for some reason. Figuring this is just about the limit of his curtesy, he speaks in a slightly ominous voice.

“Just let us through, please. Let’s go, Minako.”

He opens the door, forcing the bun haired girl to get out of the way, and holds it for his team leader as she pushes through stoically, eyes unblinking. He then enters after her, acting as a shield to the burning stares directed her way.

This whole debacle dampens his mood considerably, he feels like a bystander to his own life at times and his companion is too silent for his comfort. Minako looks him over quickly then plasters on a smile as she inhales the nearby meals, biting her bottom lip in anticipation. Maybe she’s as hungry as he is, the wafts breezing in from the kitchen could raise him from an early grave.

“Do you mind if I order for both of us?”

“Ah, go ahead senpai, I trust you know what’s best on the menu!”

Once two of his favorites are on the way for them, he fidgets with one of his gloves under the table, rubbing his thumb on the seams at his wrist back and forth. He should be talking, but his thoughts are stuck in a loop of jittery sparks, his throat choked. If only there was something he could punch here with no consequence, ideally repeatedly.

Akihiko regrets exposing her to the previous debacle but can’t pinpoint the exact turmoil assailing him when he thinks back to their arrival and how it all unfolded. Minako suddenly clears her voice to catch his eye.

“By the way... I was wondering if we could discuss tactics. I have some ideas for our next visits I’d like to run by you, and now that Mitsuru will join us, I could use some pointers on her preferences in combat. We’re growing into a pretty large team to handle as well, so I was thinking…”

Her excitement shakes him out of his reverie and his fidgeting stops. Akihiko tilts his head in reflection, everything else blurs out of focus and he directs all his energy at her musings.

“You bring a good point, there’s quite a few of us and it could get hectic. I assume you want to split us up to cover more ground?”

Someone places two steaming bowls in front of them as she raises her finger in affirmation. Minako is always a little exuberant.

“Precisely!”

They banter quite a while over their meal, talking about team composition, previous mistakes and who could work best with whom. Changing it up at times is the consensus they come up with, mixing things around could help her foresee future friction points.

The sun is almost set when they exit the restaurant in high spirits, the previous intruders long gone.

“Thank you senpai, that was great!”

Akihiko smiles, content in her appreciation of his culinary preferences. She deserves all the best, working as hard as she does. He glances at the space next to the door and his mind goes back to the early onset of their escapade, and their ambush by the girls. He might have misread the situation, and he feels a little guilty.

Minako keeps looking at him with a calculating gaze, eventually speaking up.

“Thinking about what happened before?”

He grunts sheepishly. She, with uncanny precision, saw right through him. The more they rise through Tartarus, the pointier her observations.

Am I so easy to read?

“…Yeah, I mean, what if I just spooked them out of eating here?”

“I don’t quite think that kind of meal is what they were really going for, senpai.”

She sounds somewhat amused, ramping up the static coursing through his veins.

What other kind of meal is there?

He grumbles, falling into step with her toward the streets, jaw clenched as they both wait on the green light to cross to the other side.

“So, what’s you type?”

Akihiko jerks his head up in surprise, shaken and ears suddenly aflame. Where did this habit of riling his system with a few choice words come from? Or is she impishly trying to distract him? Takeba did mention her pranking streaks, or Iori, he can’t remember, it might be both now that he thinks back.

“You mean what kind of… oh. Oh, you mean… girls…”

That sinks him deep in thought, he never even considered anything of the sort before. A girlfriend has no space in the scheme of his life, not like he has what it takes to handle everything it would entail. At least he thinks so…

They both cross the street, passing under a tree. A previous conversation of his is imposes itself at the forefront of his mind, and he can’t help but mumble the content his inner voice teleprompts vividly.

“I’ve been told that whenever a girl asks that, the right answer is always…”

His lips barely move as he murmurs the rest embarrassingly.

“Girls like you… But I can’t bring myself to say it! Argn!”

His groan is somewhat more audible, and she bursts out laughing, like a pealing of silver bells.

Damn you Iori!

“Oh my, please don’t take advice from Junpei, he’s hopeless despite his claims!"

Akihiko isn't quite sure if unbound hilarity is the expected reaction of the asking party, but a certain self-proclaimed burning hunk of love certainly has it coming now.

Chapter Text

Their next treks to Tartatus swap things on their head quite a bit. Mitsuru, delivered from her support role, can finally join her fellow SEES members into the tower, Fuuka needs to build confidence in providing assistance with Lucia, and Minako elevates her twin as a second leader.

Over the last few months, the more silent Arisato positioned himself as a level-headed presence everyone respects, not to mention a complete powerhouse of raw force. Akihiko nods at his junior in approval. Minato somewhat smiles in reply, hanging blue hair in the way, then requests the presence of Junpei and Mitsuru in his execution crew.

The promotion of his close friend doesn’t seem to sit well with Iori at first glance, especially once Mitsuru backs Minato’s call immediately. He grumbles and makes his way over to him, nonetheless, readjusting his cap. Better to smooth those creases now, while they still have time, than during a full moon encounter.

It’s almost time to deploy so Akihiko gets up to join Minako and Yukari, conversing together animatedly near the teleporter, when a hand holds his shoulder. Face to face, blue and silver share a loaded glance.

“Sanada, you know what to do.”

He nods, squeezes his arm firmly in return.

His head jerks toward Mitsuru as he speaks.

“You bet. Let her unloose, and we’ll call it even.”

Twin smirks, a mutual clap on the back and they split to their own teams. They both have a role to fulfill tonight.

The exploration wraps up with no major wounds and quite a few satisfied smiles. Despite his earlier misgivings, Junpei has respect and awe splattered all over his face when he glances at Mitsuru. She, in turn, converses in hushed tones with Minato like old friends. The tension in her shoulders looks mellowed and she has a cat-found-the-cream pleasant expression.

She must have missed it.

In his own trio, Takeba has been steadily improving her aim and speed, less bodies around mean an easier time to snipe in between them all. For once, she’s been able to flex on offensive instead of playing medic. His own kit of abilities is versatile enough to cover multiple bases, so Akihiko danced between offense and defense with Minako all night, providing her with numerous opportunities to unleash spells and swing her weapon with glee for a change. Nothing ever came close to touch her; he keeps his promises.

Shinji keeps slurping his ramen, eyes on the counter, not reacting to anything he’s been telling him for a few minutes now. Akihiko eventually falls silent, expecting a grunt at some point. Somehow, yesterday’s satisfying expedition brought with it a pang of nostalgia for the good old days of SEES and the original trio, so he kept an eye open near the strip mall for his childhood friend and invited himself along. 

The gruff teen next to him takes a bite of his egg, mumbling.

“Moron.”

Coming from anyone else, that would be just enough to get punched in the face right there and then. Shinji finishes the rest of his treat, smiling grimly.

“You just made the best elevator pitch ever as to why I don’t even need to come back. Seems you guys got everything covered already, with those twins and new recruits around.”

Akihiko sighs: this isn’t how he expected things to go.

“We’re more aggressive now, things have changed.”

Another pause, another grumble.

“Not. Interested.”

“Just… think about it Shinji. Don’t let your power go to waste.”

His friend laughs deprecatingly at that one.

“My power ain’t worth shit.”

How can you say that?

“Shinji!”

The brooding teenager eyes him carefully, as if looking to get the jump on him. Living on the streets or at least spending a lot of time in alleys turned Aragaki more vicious and Akihiko, despite knowing him quite well, sometimes has a hard time anticipating his reactions. He tenses his knuckles, back rigid.

“I made up my mind a long time ago Aki. I ain’t going back.”

Silver hair hanging down in defeat, he pushes out a shaking breath.

“You have to let the past go. What’s done is done. It’s time you moved on.”

“Like you’re one to talk.”

Smirking ominously at him, Aragaki finishes his thoughts as he gets up.

“Trust me, you don’t want me anywhere that little firebrand pixie of yours, for your own sake.”

His mind blanks out at that statement. Before he can assemble a reply that is not composed of punches in the gut, Shinji is halfway out of the door, throwing a last jab his way, mocking.

“Hook, line, and sinker. Figure it out, Aki.”

Chapter Text

The days following his encounter with Shinji leave him angry and restless. His sleep is plagued with vague nightmares, and he ends up skipping his morning runs to recuperate. His dorm hours are filled with intense training in his room, anything to power through the uneasiness. Hopefully, exhausting himself will let him fall into a blank oblivion at night, but it hardly works. Even Mitsuru is starting to notice, casting him some pointed stares when he comes and goes, even trying to feel his face for a bout of fever one morning.

He hasn’t been avoiding her, not really, but she’s busy hovering everywhere all at once, arm in arm with the girls or the boys and he figures it’s good for team building.

………………..

The class bell rings, signaling the end of the day. He’s been powering through most of his schoolwork at his desk before going downstairs to the boxing club, classmate chatter completely forgotten until some names he’s familiar with crop up in the nearby conversation.

“Did you hear? Apparently, every time Arisato works at Chagall, she slips him free coffees. Who would have thought the hot transfer student would be dating Iori of all guys?”

What?

He drops his pencil on the floor, bends down from his chair to pick it up and almost fumbles it.

“Are you really surprised? They’re always eating lunch together, even her brother seems to approve.”

“I guess he has some hidden talent, to snatch her up like that. I heard she’s really into video games, she’s been spotted at the arcade at night with her twin. Maybe that’s how he did it.”

He tries desperately to reread the assignment so he can just wrap up his paperwork, but after a few minutes, Akihiko gives up in frustration, packs his bag and leaves for club, scowling. A familiar itch is numbing his fingers, he needs to ground them in something, and soon.

………………..

If his fellow boxers are more subdued than usual today while watching their captain, it must be because of the crappy weather. It has absolutely nothing to do with the applied ferocity with which he pummels the equipment, striking with his gloves in a staccato to drown out the memory of Shinjiro’s taunt, the undercurrent from his neck up his wrists making his arms numb.

Figure it out Aki.

Absolutely nothing to do with it. At least he finally collapses into welcome darkness on his bed, too exhausted to dream.

………………..

Finally refreshed and empty-headed on Friday, he catches himself yet again hovering near her classroom at lunch. Lost in thought, he mumbles something incoherent when she approaches him, suddenly too flustered to power through his confusion. Minako has a strange expression on her face that he only ever saw when one of them is badly injured in Tartarus.

“…Nevermind, it’s just…”

How do you even ask something like that? Of course, Iori chooses this exact moment to poke his head through the open class doors, quizzically wondering why the corridor is filled with excited girls.

Grumbling at the sight of his junior, he flees the other way.

Once the end of day bell rings, he comes face to face with her as he tries to direct his steps to the back staircase, his usual escape route. She’s nonchalantly standing, bag in hand and shoulder on the wall, a foot dangling back and forth above the steps. Her head turns to him, rubies alight with some determination.

“Senpai, want to walk home together?”

There is a firm challenge in her gaze that dares him to spring her trap, but she is smiling sweetly and he probably misinterpreted.

“Sure, let’s go.”

It’s the only words he utters for the next hour.

………………..

They take the longer scenic route back to the dorm. That is, she does, and he follows in silence. Maybe she tried to initiate conversations at multiple points, but his inner buzzing is drowning everything, and he clenches his knuckles periodically to distract his brain.

Apparently, they are already at the entrance of the dorm when he feels a soft touch on his arm, tentative.

“Are you feeling sick?” The inquiry has palpable worry in it as to make him jerk right out of his scrambled thoughts.

“Huh…?”

He blinks, looks around, has she been walking with him for so long already?

“… Oh, right. Sorry.”

He turns away, runs a hand through the back of his head, trying to disconnect whatever is crawling up his spine.

“Look, if you don’t want to tell me, then you don’t have to. It’s just…”

He breathes in from his nose.

“Is it true you’re going out with Junpei?”

The words leave his mouth and an inner voice that sounds eerily like Aragaki berates him.

Dumbass.

“He’s just a friend.”

“I see…”

The reply is out before he registers the actual content of her answer, he’s not getting any better at this. She will definitely think he is odd now, so he scrambles for some sort of excuse to disengage.

“Oh, no, it was just a rumor I heard. Sorry.”

Minako nods absently.

“Don’t get the wrong idea senpai.”

“I-I see. Anyway, I’m sorry. It’s bad enough that I listened to a rumor, but then I confronted you about it… It was incredibly rude of me. If I hear anyone say that again, I’ll tell them it’s not true.”

She smiles at him, speaking softly.

“You don’t have to do that.”

He hates rumors, but he supposes that if it concerns her, she has the right to decide.

“Is that so? Well, maybe it’s best to avoid giving them any credibility by trying to deny them.”

That somehow shuts the door on his predicament, but her quiet mood remains, and it feels like his fault. Far from him to smother her good mood with his antics.

“Umm.. Should we go get something on our way home?”

Way to go dummy, you’re already here.

“Um… Do you want anything to eat?”

She lights up with her usual inner fire at the mention of food all of a sudden.

“Oooh, something spicy!”

He laughs and instantly relaxes, those outbursts of hers are something else.

“Yeah… That might be nice for a change.”

Chapter Text

It’s a quiet Sunday and he has the dorm all to himself, a rarity. All the juniors have left the premises in a hurry to enjoy the good weather and Mitsuru was called to assist company business for the day. Akihiko trains for a while indoors with the AC blasting his room, then showers and head to the lobby for a bout of studying, slurping a shake absently to replenish all the calories he burned.

The front door opens quietly and shuts just as carefully, he turns his head and spots Minato and Fuuka carrying some books, talking in shushed tones. They nod his way and head upstairs calmly, a sharp contrast to the usual careening echoing in the staircase when the others are around, and Akihiko turns back to his math homework.

He goes through three-quarter of his assignment before the blue-haired boy makes his way back nearby, saying nothing. He just rummages quietly in the fridge and sits two chairs down the table from him, sipping a can of soda like a discreet ghost.

Silence blankets the lobby, a pencil scratches calculations, clothing shuffles on the table’s wood, then back to a void yet again. This sort of invisible company lets him finish his page in record time. He jots down a quick note, then closes his books.

A wisp of blue hair moves slightly, a sea gray eye turned somewhat his way.

“Too hot outside?”

The boxer figures Minato wants him to start a conversation, he’s been waiting patiently for him to wrap up his homework with no comment after all. He’s long figured out that the boy throws subtle openings to his peers but will only really engage events himself when he is coerced.

“Hm hmm.”

So Minato was going to play coy, again. Alright, he had time to humor him, he knew how his little game of hot and cold unfolded by now.

“I doubt it’s kendo, so it has to be something else.”

The lightest of smirk confirmed he was getting warmer.

“Tartarus?”

He rolls his eyes then huffs a strand of hair off his cheek. Way frosty.

“They’re all gone. There’s a reason I’m doing this now.”

Oh.

Oh. Twins. Right.

Akihiko sighs, for all he knows they share everything, which probably means his junior has all the details on his most recent blunder, direct fed from the source. He grunts, this is beyond embarrassing. Hopefully it’s where the SEES community sharing ends, or he will never live it down.

“I’m just here to throw you a bone.”

The slightly offensive smirk is back but Minato gets up and palms him a paper.

“For the record, Yukari vetted this. You can’t go wrong with that.”

He coolly walks back upstairs, hands shoved in his pockets, leaving him to curiously turn his glove around. It’s a business card.

…………………….

Monday classes ooze along, seems like the day will never end. The static droning is back in full force and Akihiko drums his fingers on his knee to try and mute it. Once the bell rings, he packs his bag in a hurry and gets up to leave.

“Oh-oh! Who wants to bet he’s speeding up to catch up with the hottie in 2-F?”

The back of the class is awash in whispers. His initial reaction would be to turn around and confront it right there, but he holds it in; there’s no point in making a scene. Rolling his eyes, he leaves and indeed makes long strides down the back staircase to catch up with her before she’s gone through the gate.

“Hey uh… Got any plans?”

…………………….

“I heard this place is popular.”

The girl next to him is eying the displays of sugary confections in the window with awe and childish glee, almost buzzing with anticipation. He chuckles to himself at her unabashed joy, he owes Minato a brand-new sword from Kurosawa.

They step into the shop and he double-takes when the tables’ occupants are all girls.

“A-are guys allowed to go in here?”

Minako eyes him curiously.

“Haven’t you ever been in here?”

He rubs his tingling neck; he can’t admit to her twin’s involvement in locating this place to apologize and his ignorance about these kinds of shops.

“I-it’s not the kind of place that most guys would go…”

“I guess not, I know Minato is not a big fan of cake.”

The deflection seems complete, he walks to the counter displays with her.

“Pick anything you feel like, my treat!”

She beams at him, settling on a slice of raspberry-topped white chocolate madness.  Sitting down and carefully placing the plate between them, she attacks the confection with a respectable fork. She chews slowly to savor every bite and hums in contentment like it tastes of heaven. Two bites in and he can barely continue, so he focuses on the berries to offset sugar with tartness instead. It’s also madly entertaining to watch her go through the whole thing with so much expression.

“Is it good?”

Minako nods enthusiastically, mouth full.

“Hmm hmm!”

“I’m… sorry… about the other day. It was very out of line.”

He looks down, playing with some fondant with the tip of his fork.

She knocks on his implement with her own to catch his attention, hers is already loaded with whipped cream and she wolfs it down with a smile once he glances back at her.

“This would excuse anything. Consider yourself forgiven senpai!”

Chapter Text

The full moon hypothesis was proven correct, as Fuuka revealed their next target was waiting for them at Shirakawa Boulevard. The mission briefing was filled with unease, some of the juniors clearly uncomfortable with the premises involved, or what it entailed.

A shadow is a shadow, and people were being afflicted by Apathy Syndrome in droves, so Akihiko let the inner buzz swallow all unnecessary parameters involved, cracking his digits absently.

Get in, get the job done, get out.

All the practice in Tartarus they had under their belt should make this easy, but he said nothing, not wanting to inspire overconfidence. Junpei’s excitement awarded him a few choice glares during their walk from pretty much everyone in the party, including Akihiko, stone-faced. This was about saving lives, but he guessed Iori couldn't help himself.

……………….

The hotel was a maze of dingy corridors and small rooms, everything garishly colored under the gloom of the Dark Hour. As a group they ran up upstairs, following Fuuka’s instructions. Junpei was poking through an open door, his amused chuckle at the sight of two coffins causing Yukari to huff impatiently. The archer looked as strung as her weapon of choice, walking in front with Minato. She’d been the first one to barge into the hotel as if the whole place caused her personal affront.

From his position at the rear near Iori, Akihiko could see his old comrade looked uncomfortable, a certain clumsiness to her step that nobody seemed to notice. Mitsuru wasn’t one to navigate in such low quarters and her upbringing was showing through, but she kept a brave face on for the sake of the juniors. Maybe it was no wonder she chose to walk near Minako, who defiantly advanced like this was a stroll through school, leeching off her devil-may-care aura.

Near a large door, the twins exchange glances, silent. Minako’s hand graze the paneling, her eyes glazed for a second and she nods to her twin.

“It’s in here.”

All of SEES take a collective breath and follow her through the doorway. Their target was a repulsive mound of flesh, reminding Akihiko of a fat priest, his bald head caressed incessantly by a lecherous female form fused to his back. Mitsuru looked disgusted at the display, but Yuraki scoffed.

“That’s it? It’s more… normal looking than I expected.”

The twins engage immediately, buying time for Fuuka to feed them information. Evokers get raised to foreheads and various powers are fired off, bathing the enemy in showers of light. Minako eyes him, raises three fingers, requesting his support while she dips in her bestiary of fantastical creatures for some elemental support.

Obliging, he shoots his evoker in his skull, focusing Polydeuces’ power as a lightning bolt but the fat figure seems to shrug it off. Minako’s follow up hailstorm chips the dangling legs of the shadow but Yukari’s arrow to the female hands on its pate above punches right through.

Their leader puts her evoker back in place, eyes glazed, probably sharing with Fuuka. Minato’s beams of darkness literally passed through the monstrosity and Junpei’s flame rush only printed scorch marks. She twirls her naginata and crouches, hollering the rest of the team.

“Go all in, weapons only! Yukari, support!”

The archer jumps further back, hand rising in an acknowledging salute, then dips it to grab the evoker on her thigh.

Minako jerks her head at her brother, who whips his sword to the flank, painful cuts getting the shadow’s attention. Her eyes side glance to him and Junpei, glowing eerily as she mimes a down chop.

“Yank it down!”

Locking his jaw, Akihiko zigzags quickly in the shadow’s blind spot then dives forward, Iori doing the same from his end of the room with a joyful cry. The large sword connects first, having more reach, then his own weapon does, blurred into a comet as it collides in the shadow with tremendous effect, knocking it down its chair. It barely starts to crumple down before Minako and Mitsuru are in there, jabbing and slicing like two deadly queen bees.

……………….

It takes  a few more minutes and quite a bit of maneuvering to chip away at the shadow, but they eventually succeed with nobody seriously injured. A good team bout, but not as satisfying as it could have been.

Junpei claps him on the shoulder after replacing his sword in his scabbard, smile wide.

“The Shock Troop delivers! Man, that was awesome!”

Akihiko grins in reply, it had indeed been satisfying.

“I think we did pretty good, but it wasn’t much of a challenge, to be fair.”

Fuuka’s presence inserts itself into the room like a subtle blanket.

“Great work everyone! I’ll be waiting outside for you.”

Minato turns toward the door, but it won't budge. He tries again, to no avail.

Yamagishi’s voice sounds worried.

“I still sense a Shadow in that room, it’s not the same one as before! But… where is it hiding?”

Yukari tenses, looking around. Nervously, they all start to inspect the fancy room, not wanting a shadow to jump them. A few minutes trickle by before Mitsuru gasps.

“There’s something fishy about that mirror!”

Everyone makes its way over warily, weapon in hand, glancing around as if it could be trap, but nothing happens. Minato raises his fingers to the surface curiously, not quite touching the distorted sheen, face cramped in a pained expression. Yukari looks at him, worried.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

There is some sort of distortion in the surface, like a faded handprint in a shower door and a whirl of color bubbles forth. Minato tries to turn his head, but a column of light shoots forth from the false mirror, engulfing everyone. Akihiko grabs his head, suddenly feeling sick, and folds to the floor. Consciousness almost faded, he can distinguish the outline of other uniforms, splayed on the carpet like discarded costumes, then everything goes black.

Chapter Text

There is a hot wetness to the air, like someone left a shower running for hours, as Akihiko wakes slowly. Opening his eyes takes a massive effort and he can’t focus, everything seems composed of blurry halos. Did he hit his head? He tries to breathe shakingly, choking on the intense humidity.

He attempts to raise a throbbing hand to his throat, eyelids closed to force the sudden bout of nausea that the movement causes him. Not even looking, he claws at his necktie and shirt clumsily, everything stuck to him like a stiff second skin. It feels like his forearm is two inches outside his skin and he can hardly control the contraction of his fist. Painstakingly, he undoes his tie ribbon with numb fingertips, but things are not going fast enough, and he just rips the buttons of the vest and shirt, gasping.

The tiny beads of plastic seem to jump away like ticks in slow motion. It should bother him, to do something as brutish as ruining perfectly good clothes, but he can’t seem to care. He can barely feel anything, his brain feels smothered in a thousand blankets.

He gulps some air, or is it water? Sweat is glistening down his neck to his chest. Has he been running, or training? No, no, he is splayed on the floor, back to a wall, almost like the Lost hanging at the station.

…Where am I?

The kaleidoscope of his vision pulses, slowly revealing a few hazy details. His legs are on a carpet, a weird shade of green, and there is an undefined shape some distance in front, something large and muted red. If there is anything else around, he can’t see it, just very blurry outlines. The large red shape catches his interest and seems sharper than the rest, so he tries to move toward it.

His legs are numb beyond his knees, getting up would be too much effort so he resorts to crawling. Slowly inching forward, keeping the churning of his stomach to a minimum, his hands find some purchase on the plush, spongy material of the thing in front of him. Using it as an aid, he manages to climb on top and scrounges his eyes, trying desperately to clear his vision. He needs to know where he is, and what he’s supposed to do.

I’m forgetting something… something… important.

A droning, insistent spark zaps him behind the eyes. The blurriness in his periphery partially unfolds once he blinks, and he can definitely affirm he is currently knee-crouched on a large, cushy furniture of some kind but the edges are too far to make out. Something’s wrong with his eyes and he tries to rub them, but his gloves are a hindrance. He tries to carefully remove them without fumbling, fingertips shaking.

I never remove my gloves, I don’t like it, but I can’t remember… why…

He feels drowsy and the thought flees his mind, then was never even there. His naked hand brushes his eyelid with trembling fingertips, but there is no injury, although his lashes are dripping. Tears, or beading humidity, he doesn’t know. It doesn’t matter. It never did.

The focus ripples, the softness he feels under shows a texture like brushed velvet and a depth that wasn’t there before. There is something long and somewhat dark sprawled over it and he scoots over on hands and knees carefully to try and discern what it is. Everything else except that patch of dark is engulfed in steam-like haze, and thus, discarded from his mind.

A bright red material, silky when he touches it, is flowing on top of the velvet like a river of blood. His eyes roam to its source; a discarded black jacket, thrown on the surface like a rag. Next to it is a vague outline of red copper, sprinkled with a flash of silver.

Akihiko stares numbly, incapable of processing what exactly this is, when a jolt hits his spine, flushing the mistiness of the scene away for a mere second, but it’s enough.

“Minako!”

She is sprawled on her side, hair in disarray as if something clawed through it and broke her hair tie, partly on her crumpled jacket, red bow undone and discarted around her, too still for comfort. He can’t see any blood, but she might be injured or…

His hand moves toward her neck in panic and the blanket of haze makes a violent return, so forceful he almost lurches forward, off balance. He was about to feel for her pulse. That’s right, it’s what he should do.

Numb fingers advance toward the crook of her neck, pads barely brushing the feverish skin. She’s warm, but there is a faint push against his index, she’s alive. Somehow, the notion she lives becomes a lifeline he latches on, it’s all he cares about. There is nothing else except Minako, crystal clear among a sea of nothingness.

There is something like a faint, laborious groan, and a twitch of her hair. Slowly, he slides his hands behind her shoulder, trying to cradle her against him so she can breathe better. Her white shirt slides across his palms, leaving traces of slippery fire imprinted in his skin. Her eyes remain closed.

He lowers his head closer to her, trying to hear her breathing. Though hooded eyes, he can clearly see the skin rise and fall where her neck dips below her jaw, hypnotising him.

She’s alive, she really is…

He’s so grateful for that fact he hugs her tighter to him, nuzzling her pulse with the tip of his nose. She smells like salt and sunlight, so warm he’s broiling alive, not like he cares if he does.

She stirs slightly, her breath ruffling the silver hair near his ear ever so gently. His eyes close all the way, he’s trembling at the sensation. Her hands are coming back to life, her fingers lightly brushing his exposed ribs as if she is gauging what’s there, and a shiver course through him. Minako’s eyelids flutter, her gaze drunk on the haze. Her previous touch lingers near his chest, and she softly presses her whole hand to it as if to warm it up. She hums, he can feel the note down in his bones and answers with the same resonance, his throat close to hers.

There’s a weird feeling pooling in his torso, trying to bubble out upward. He feels like he is hanging from a rope extending from his back, dangling on a barely taunt string above nothingness while holding a live bonfire in his arms.

Said aflame vision arches her neck, as if waking her whole body to life, pulsing like a self-contained explosion. His mouth is hanging open and his lower lip ever so slightly brushes the notch of her throat, catching a bead of sweat rolling toward it. She inhales in quiet surprise, her other hand flailing up and finding purchase on his shoulder.

The salt is burning his tongue, and he brings an arm, ever so slowly up her back with a fluttering pressure, to rest at the back of her head. Supporting her weight, fingers lost in the mass of her hair, he cranes her neck back, so the full curve is exposed at an angle. She sighs dreamily in response, digging her nails into the back of his shoulders like burning needles. Lips soft and lightly parted, close enough to absorb the heat she projects but barely fluttering on her skin, he travels his jaw upward until the tip of his nose rests behind her ear in one languid motion.

The string is getting tighter, straining because of the weight.

She angles her head to press her feverish cheek against his, he presses back, nuzzling the corner of her mouth. From so close, they can see the other’s reflections in each other’s glazed eyes. Her lashes tickle the corner of his cheekbone like soft butterfly wings, his heart picks up in pace to thunder painfully on his ribs.

Desperately needing to feel her own drumming melody, he slowly brushes his upper lip down her jaw, back to her neck, settling in the crook where it all started. A summer storm is trying to crawl out of her skin against him, he grazes his front teeth on the mound of her throat as if to absorb its tremors and she moans.

Tugging him upward above the abyss below, the rope shortens another few inches.

He lets his mouth dip lower, then slowly back up again, this time barely darting the tip of his tongue along the lava of her neck as well. She exhales with shaking breaths, her body shivering against his. His nose traces the outline of her jaw, he rests his forehead against her at an angle. Her lips are barely brushing the corner of his own, yet their breaths are mingling like a furnace.  Wide burning rubies meet melting silver.

The rope snaps.

Chapter Text

He closes his eyes at the static shock when his lips meet hers with a fluttering caress. A hair’s breadth from her softness, he exhales slowly and tentatively dive back in with slightly more intent and contact, then again, and again, barely catching his breath in between. His hands, balancing the back of her head and the base of her neck below him, are shaking violently and he slowly lets her melt in the velvet coverlet of the bed with him.

Minako gasps into him, he smiles against her and gently bites on her lower lip. She runs a loose hand on his torso upward, grazing her nails lazily until it travels up his neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps that sing through his blood like high voltage. Her fingers are tenderly ruffling the silver hair at the back of his head, pushing him toward her, barely whispering in a broken voice.

“Aki-”

Before she gets to finish his name, he’s parting her mouth with his own to taste her. He’s drinking from a faucet of liquid lightning and she’s trembling against him as if his touch is a livewire.

He slowly opens his eyes to look at her, breathing hard, skimming her swollen lips with the tip of his nose and she tenses. Her irises are shedding the dullness of before and he freezes. Whatever enchantment was at work was broken.

At least for him.

What have I done?

…………

Akihiko disentangles himself from the bed in shock, letting her rub her face and stand. He finds his gloves on the floor, puts them back on, desperately fishing in his thoughts are to what to say.

Sorry, I indulged?

Minako is timidly approaching him, a hand extended to grab his wrist, but he turns the other way, murmuring with pain.

“I’m… I’m so… so sorry.”

She recoils like he slapped her, lowers her hand in defeat and he wants to punch himself. Everything is jumbled and he’s not done reconciling the previous sensations with the events. There’s lead in his stomach and he can’t say if it’s regret, shame, or a whirlwind of deprecation at his lack of control.

His self-berating is interrupted by Fuuka’s mental touch.

“Finally! I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner, can you hear me? Are you guys okay?”

Minako sighs her answer.

“Yes, we’re okay.”

Liar.

He can see her back, shoulders shaking as she is trying to sort the dangling pins in her unbound hair. She’s tied her jacket around her waist and pushed her ribbon in a pocket, half-dangling out, like it was all too much effort.

“The Shadow was interfering with your thoughts, so I couldn’t reach you. Everyone got separated, but the enemy is still in that room. Let’s regroup and head back there!”

She takes her naginata from the floor, mane of copper covering her features, and stands in the doorway.

“Let’s go.”

…………

It’s the hardest walk of his life. Closing the door behind him rings of finality but he can’t help stealing a glance back at the coverlet’s rumpled surface, not quite letting go despite the shame. The painted shadows on the velvet, forest green by the Dark Hour, are the only proof left of a fleeting illusion. He swallows the lump in his throat as his fingers leave the door handle, takes a shaking breath.

The enormity of everything has not quite registered yet, but the inner static is back with a roar, its pressure behind his eyes. Numb, he catches up with Minako who’s about to turn a corner to the right, but stays some distance behind, not quite looking at her. He can’t, just can’t even take a chance to see her face. Not yet. Not after… that.

Akihiko feels weirdly detached when they meet with the others. Junpei looks oddly subdued, holding his jaw like he got his clock dinged while keeping his eyes on the floor. Mitsuru is all but coolly posing sideways, stiff, hair in the way of her expression and arms around her frame. Yukari is a red mess, trembling life a leaf, stealing small covert glances at Minato, who seems as stoic as always, but his own eyes are a little wide. The air is heavy, oppressing.

Junpei is about to speak, probably some inappropriate quip, when Takeba stutters, looking at him shyly.

“Senpai... Did you… hmm, I mean…” She’s babbling in low tones, blushing furiously, lowering her lashes.

He barely flickers a look down at her, all business, and crosses his arms over his chest awkwardly. He knew that wasn’t going to go unnoticed.

“Accident.”

“…Oh.”

She then moves over to Minako, closely hovering as if to whisper to her, but Fuuka interrupts, broadcasting to everyone.

“I get it! It’s the mirrors! The readings from the mirrors in the guest rooms seem to be resonating with the main Shadow! If we can destroy those mirrors, then maybe we’ll be able to break the barrier.”

It’s not the usual firm, spunky voice that escape their leader’s lips. She sounds like she’s been crying.

“You heard her; find and break any mirror that seems off. Minato, you got this floor, girls, with me.

She makes her way to the stairs, not looking back at any of them. She didn’t make eye contact with anyone since… Since.

………………….

Minato and Junpei start their inspection, but Akihiko just pretends to tag along. He can’t enter the first room, just a glance through the doorway makes him dizzy, he can clearly see the two coffins near the bed, pieces of cloth everywhere on the carpet. The sound of shattering glass reverberates in the enclosed space; one down, a few more to go. They keep going down the hallway.

Minato has been burning holes through his skull, but he doesn’t, can’t, deal with it right now. Iori lacks tact though, he saunters forward and grins at him, eyes suggestively eying his state of undress.

“So, dude, I take it was somewhat... feisty back there?”

Thunder cracks between Akihiko’s ears. His hand punches the wall right next to Junpei, drywall caving in.

“Don’t.”

Iori just slowly backs off, eyes like saucers, and flees to a random room further down the hall in a hurry. Minato narrows his eyes at him, waiting for an explanation, but Akihiko remains silent, rubbing the plaster bits off his glove. He balances his sword next to a doorframe in silence, crosses his arms and sighs.

“Wasn’t you.”

Silver eyes close, pained.

Oh, it was. It definitely WAS.

“We all lost control.”

Steel orbs look ahead.

“…Maybe.”

He almost hopes Minato skewers him right there, perhaps that would make things right, but his junior has a compassion in his eyes that he can’t stand to look at. He doesn’t deserve any of it.

Fuuka’s fluttering mind washes over them.

“The main signal is completely gone! The seal should be broken now!”

At least this is something he can handle, control, break. The boys regroup and sprint upstairs.

Chapter Text

What awaits them behind the door where they fought the Hierophant is a repelling mass of floating pink fluid, heart-shaped and goopy. There’s a revoltingly sweet musk in the air, wafting around the room in peach patches of fog but the girls don’t hesitate to rush in.

“So it was you!”

Her voice shrill, Yukari rushes through the lines, her bow fully cranked, barely containing her opening shot.

“I’ll teach you not to mess with a girl’s heart!”

Minako and Mitsuru are flanking her, weapons at the ready, and their leader gives her the go. Takeba scores a bullseye that resonates across the room but the arrow bounces back and falls to the floor, broken. She takes out her evoker in a rush and screams Io into existence.

“I’ll never forgive you!”

Her support joins in, Penthesilea shadowing Mitsuru to summon blocks of ice in complement to her forward lunge. Minako calls forth a large chimera roaring tornadoes, using the gusts to propel her, naginata held like a javelin. The boys exchange a glance of confusion at the female assault; the girls seem intent on fixing this all by themselves.

Iori whistles appreciatively at the spectacle, smiling.

“Glad that ain’t me, dudes. Well, don’t mind if I do!”

He runs in, going to bat on the shadow. Half the team seems intent on simply brute forcing the enemy down, so Akihiko keeps back next to Minato to focus on support. They’ll be more effective if the syrupy tentacles can’t interrupt them.

He’d rather be punching out his feelings right now, drown out the buzz that consumes his train of thought, but keeping them safe is more important than his guilt. Polydeuces and Minato’s serpentine warrior shower their friends with various enhancements in rapid succession.

The spongy slime of the shadow makes it hard to deal any damage, even its glassy panes protecting the core are cushioning hits. Junpei groans in frustration and calls for Hermes’ flame dive. The persona is pushed back on contact like it hit a brick wall, so he takes his broadsword and resumes hacking at it the old-fashioned way.

Mitsuru is growling, jabbing her weapon, and dancing around the Lovers alongside Minako. Both girls are timing their strikes with Yukari’s persona attacks, summoning wind gales that hide their next points of attack. There’s something eerie in their coordination, an unspoken understanding that this thing needs to die for its transgression.

There’s a rumbling coming from the pink mass and bright projectiles, coated in slime, start peppering the field. Everyone’s trying to dance out of the way since there’s no cover anywhere, but one of them flesh wounds Mitsuru in the shoulder and she stops fighting, dazed.

Her frosty eyes turn around to her companions and with a cruel smile she chuckles in glee, turning her sword toward Minako.

Junpei, closer to her, seems to realize what’s happening faster than any of them.

“Oh, SHIT! Mina-tan!”

Akihiko is too far to jump in, and neither is Minato but they both rush forward. Forewarned by Iori, Minako manages to jump backward and dodge sideways once she sees the rapier is coming for her face, but it cuts her cheek and a chunk of her hair, throwing her off balance on the floor. Junpei tries to push Mitsuru down from behind, keeping his blade on the flat, but quick as a cat, she turns on him.

He desperately tries to block her flurries but his large sword is not one for finesse and Mitsuru is swinging hers like a live cobra, all small jabs and quick strikes, scoring some light hits until she skewers him in the shoulder like a butterfly. The heavy weapon clangs on the floor, along with Junpei who groans in pain, while the shadow riles itself for another attack. Yukari is screaming, he’s still a tad too far and Minato will get there first, so Akihiko fires his evoker straight through his forehead while running.

“Polydeuces!”

A column of white lightning explodes on the shadow, not to great effect but enough to startle it out of another projectile volley, giving him the precious seconds he needed to roll next to Minato’s position. They’re both standing in a weird vulnerable formation, pinned between Mitsuru and the large monstrosity, back-to-back. Iori is on one side, Minako on another, and Takeba is trying to tend to Junpei’s wounds from afar to avoid provoking the Kirijo heiress her way. Minato looks at his partner’s knuckles then cracks his wrist, murmuring.

“I’ll hold her off, take the other.”

Akihiko nudges his shoulder with his own.

“Watch her left, on down.”

With that, he lunges toward the pink nightmare, covering Minako who’s getting up. He barely caught a glimpse of the crimson river marring her face and the roar of tension in his limbs is tuning them to a shaking rage as he strikes the sludge again and again, rolling under the wing slaps.

Kendo lessons are paying off as Minato duels with Mitsuru, a blank expression of concentration on his face and blade held loosely. Behind her he sees Yukari doesn’t have Junpei up yet, but he’s not bleeding so much anymore and seems to be waiting for an opening to retrieve his weapon. That, he can handle.

Mitsuru is wailing on him like a screeching banshee, but Minato focuses all his movement on avoiding her hits and deflecting the epee just enough to avoid serious injuries. Numerous slices appear on his jacket, but he doesn’t react, just grunts and parries, studying his opponent like he’s been taught to do. She has more formal training but now he knows exactly what to look for. As soon as the rapier dips to the left, he unleashes his evoker and summons Jack Frost to pummel her with hail and snow.

She’s still advancing, not quite hurt but shivering, and he barely deflects another jab with the hilt of his sword before repeating his summon, earning a slice on his leg for it. This time, she’s downed to her knees, frozen.

The Lovers shadow finally connects a sticky appendage around Akihiko and slams him to the floor, making his ears ring. The impact releases a cloud of pinkish haze around him, and his vision starts to swim. There’s something familiar about the feel of the humid, cloying mist and he shakes his head.

“Oh hell no!”

The enemy pulses a weird, reddish burst of energy through the room but just as it’s about to hit him and Junpei, who just got back into the fray, a bluish one counters it with a refreshing shower of energy. Turning his head, he can see a dazed Mitsuru cradled by Yukari and Io still emitting sparks, while Minako and Minato are raising evokers and holding hands, both determined despite their bloody state.

“Jack Frost!”

“Pyro Jack!”

The two little spirits that appear almost look like puppets, but they start dancing together in a circle and explode in a flash of brilliant light, destabilizing the shadow. Akihiko and Junpei waste no time in rushing in to exploit that opportunity, but it's Yukari who deals the finishing blow with a flesh-rending burst of wind.

“And screw you, too!”

Chapter Text

The aftermath hits everyone like a ton of bricks, mentally and physically. After the unease and the rage, the exhaustion feels like therapy. They slowly trudge out of the hotel on shaking legs and drooping eyes to a fretting Fuuka, who’s too shy to ask for details but has definitely been spooked by everything she’s seen.

“I’m so glad everyone’s… okay…”

She tries to show a brave face but the waver in her voice betrays her distress. Yukari hugs her fiercely with tired arms, not saying anything. The navigator locks eyes with some of them, color rushing to her cheeks, and averts her eyes.

“We should hurry and tend to your wounds; the Dark Hour is about to end.”

They’re almost all out of energy, but everyone who can leverages their personas to patch the others as best they can. Mystical healing might not solve all their cuts and bruises perfectly, sometimes there are scars, but it’s better than nothing.

Junpei’s rolling his bad shoulder with a hiss, shirt drenched in blackish blood, as Akihiko is trying to finish the job.

“I need some pills and a good crash; I can’t stand up anymore.”

Mitsuru, who’s been tending to Minato’s numerous cuts with devoted care, flinches at the teen's comment. She’s disheveled and dripping with the melting aftereffects of her encounter with Jack Frost, a strange vulnerable expression on her face.

Once Yukari is done patching Minako and washes out he worst of the blood on her face, they pack up and head toward the dorm. The junior girls are holding to each other in silent solidarity at the front and Minato is supporting Iori somewhat. Akihiko knows how it’s going to play out, so he hangs back to hold the rear next to Mitsuru. She’s got her arms wrapped around herself again, trying her best to keep her collected normal façade but he sees right through his old comrade.

They’ve known each other for a long time now and while he can’t pretend to even understand her thoughts, her moods are easy to read if one knows the minutia. Akihiko starts to lag somewhat, knowing she’ll map her stride to his without thinking.

“Mitsuru.”

She sighs.

“I could have killed him.”

Guilt, indeed.

“But you didn’t. He’s fine now.”

He’s a hypocrite, but if it’s for her, it’s fine. Somewhat.

She takes a shaking breath; she definitely wants to cry but can’t let go. She never could, not in front of anyone, ever. That’s something she’ll take to her room, or the shower. If he was still at the dorm, perhaps he might be the recipient, but they’ll never know now.

“I was trying to kill him, kill them, kill all of you. I wanted to.”

“But you did not, and that’s all that matters. Everyone's okay.”

The thunderous rumble is back through his head, just saying the words makes him clench his jaw. Akihiko grinds his teeth, breathes hard.

“Nobody will hold it against you. If anything, Iori will respect you more for it.”

She laughs deprecatingly, as if the only consequence could be ramen cups properly taken to the trash. At least she’s not fighting tears anymore.

“I... guess so…”

Mitsuru’s not yet okay, but she will be. Might order her victims some treats, try to apologize in a formal manner they won’t quite get. The threat of an execution will never ring the same again that’s for sure.

They keep walking in comfortable silence and the streets come back to life once more in a vivid second. Its always a jarring experience that draws the eye when outside, this sudden rush of movement and sound.

Passing under a lamppost, she stops.

“What about you? You’re not okay, at all.”

He turns around to her, eyes clouded.

Goddammit.

“Doesn’t matter, let’s go.”

Her eyes narrow dangerously. She looks at him, his dangling open shirt, the clenched fists, arches an eyebrow.

“Akihiko. You can’t keep doing this.”

He huffs, annoyed. If it was anyone else berating how much he's losing his grip... He doesn’t even know his own thoughts, there’s electrostatic blurring everything to dim white noise and he likes it like that. He can’t be allowed to think, now that there’s no outlet for emotions, nothing to turn into a pulp, if he does, he’ll just…

“You’re allowed to mess up, but if you keep swallowing it all inside, you’ll break. Like he did.”

If only he could scream, she doesn’t know, she had no idea, and he won’t say anything. He can't. There are no words, just a raw, wet feeling he can't identify.

“I’m not Shinji.”

She gasps, it always hurt her to hear that name. She never forgot.

“Could have fooled me. Don’t do what he did, don’t run away from this.”

He looks down, that one stings. Clenching his fists, he huffs, then enters the dorm and heads straight for his room, shower be damned. It’s late, he’s aching all over and he just wants to pretend it was all a dream, or not, he can’t make up his mind.

He lies awake for a long time, tossing and turning, before the nightmares sink their claws in. In them, he’s laying on a pyre of red velvet as he’s burned alive like his sister.

Chapter Text

Red is supposed to be his lucky color. He’s worn it since his first win in the ring and always kept part of his outfit in the same tone to remind himself that he overcame the challenge that day. Akihiko was a bumbling mess of nervosity before facing his opponent and came out on top in the end, starting a never-broken win streak.

Fingering the wool of his torn bloody vest, the holes and pulled strings where the buttons used to be, he doesn’t feel quite so lucky now. He has replacements, somewhere in his laundry, but there’s something like unworthiness creeping up in the back of his head. He doesn’t know if he should throw this one out, burn it, hug it close or ignore it. In the end he just hangs it in his closet, at the back behind some of his coats.

He grabs his uniform jacket, puts it on like a flimsy shield and makes his way to school, bag in hand. If there was anyone in the stairs or lobby, he can’t say. It’s all a blur, meshing with the slight drizzle outside.

It’s only on the monorail, when the sea takes all the scenery and hides the bustle of the city, that he catches his reflection in the glass. There’s a gaunt paleness to his face, dark circles under his eyes and with his current attire, he stands out in the train’s mosaic of color like a black and white photograph.

……………………………..

There are whispers, like always, but not as many as usual. Either he doesn’t stand out as much without his trademark beacon, or the thundercloud that serves as his expression is scattering all the little birds away. It’s all just a swarm of black shadows to him, a roaring mass of shoulders and knees he must sidestep to get where his feet are automatically guiding him.

The static roar in his mind is lulling him like the sound of a beach’s waves, almost like wearing headphones. Akihiko barely focuses on his classes, going through the motions and almost falling asleep. The rain has stopped, but the clouds outside are still as heavy as the guilt he can’t quite swallow down.

His knee is jittering quite a bit and the noise in his ears is giving him a headache, why is he even here doing this... It’s so close to the end of the day but school is suddenly insufferable. He raises his hand.

“I’m starting to feel a bit sick, can I be excused?”

The teacher blinks at the interruption but grants him leave to go visit Mr. Edogawa, so he slips out of class and beelines to the first floor. He should be ashamed of the deception but Akihiko can’t find it in himself to bother, he has no plan to actually make it to the infirmary to begin with. Loitering until he can bolt it out of here seems reasonable, so he takes his time splashing some water on his face in the bathroom. If he times it right, he can slip through the locker mayhem when the bell strikes.

Once he reaches the main entrance, his eyes spot the pillar. That pillar. He freezes.

There’s a tingling feeling in his left palm under the glove, where he held the back of her hair, and his chest is pounding in echo with the flurry of vivid memories flashbanging in his skull.

She’s so warm he’ll spontaneously combust.

There’s her hand raking his hair, his mouth is latching on her pulse.

Her nails are digging in his shoulder and he’s biting her lip.

The bell rings suddenly, summoning chaos and a thousand footsteps. He’s actually feeling faint for real now and has to hold on to the wall to steady himself.

Get it together.

He spots two flashes of red making their way down the stairs in close confidence, lost in the nondescript dark grey of the student mob. Minako looks like a shadow of herself, all doused flames and dull eyes. Mitsuru has her arm around her shoulders like she’s comforting her. Her scarlet curls are so close to their leader’s face that he can’t help but see the rivulets of blood painting it all over again.

His eyes feel a bit wild.

Mitsuru sees him and freezes. Minako stops walking, confused, and follows her gaze to spot what interrupted her, locks eyes with him. The crimson glint comes alive in a flash but he can’t, he just can’t. Akihiko melts into the exit rush to run away.

……………………………..

He’s kicking at a can in the alley like it personally offended him, this is taking forever. A few randos keep sizing him up from beyond the nearby trash container; with the fancy getup and slick shoes they probably think it’s worth it.

Let them try.

A lifetime later, he hears the heavy pace he expected coming from the back courtyard. Akihiko waits.

“Whose funeral? You look like shit.”

Hands in his coat, Shinjiro makes his way over, glowering at him. Storm-filled orbs meet steel stare and neither back down.

“Tch. If this is about your recruitment campaign again, I swear…”

He sounds exasperated but his eyes are softer than the abrasiveness of his delivery.

“…You were right.”

That seems to take Aragaki aback, he never admits he’s wrong. Shinji learns on the brick wall, looks in the distance for a while.

“Eh, just like at the orphanage. How big of a fuckup? Do I need to kill anyone?”

Akihiko stays silent, sits in the store’s back stairs like a sleepwalker. The words are hard to choke out.

“…Might as well just trash me.”

Shinjiro laughs out loud in amazement, like he knows something he doesn’t.

Is everyone in on some sick joke?

“You didn’t come here just so I can beat your ass into a pulp, that’s your thing.”

Still no response.

“Shit, you’re serious…”

Uncrossing his arms, he comes to stand over Akihiko, just waiting for him to talk patiently. After a few minutes, the larger teenager sighs heavily, grabs his silver-haired friend up by the jacket and socks him on the jaw.

Busted lip oozing blood down his chin and eyes alight, Akihiko jumps on him and misses badly. Shinji pushes him back to the other wall again, a defiant smile on his face and narrowed eyes inviting the strike back. The tug of war continues for a while, Akihiko barely scoring hits, while his friend dodges or pushes back with light jabs until the boxer finally calls it quit, heaving from the floor.

“You done dumbass? Tired of losing yet?”

He wipes the blood on his mouth with his sleeve, gets up slowly with trembling legs to stare at his “brother”. Shinjiro glowers back, smiles grimly.

“She’s not dead at least, right? Whatever you did, figure it out and fix it.”

Akihiko spits red, deflated.

“…I… don’t...”

Aragaki turns on his heels, about to leave, again.

“I’m sorry is usually a good start. Now get lost.”

Chapter Text

Fix it.

So easy to say, so hard to do. The restlessness won’t solve itself, so he spends the evening in his room, training until he’s out of strength to move. Perhaps exhaustion will keep the dreams away, it certainly lets the thoughts unlatch from his mind and float away like bubbles.

The night is a black hole of emptiness but it ends all too quickly, his body hardwired to wake at dawn. He half-zips a hoodie and puts his shoes on, a run might do him some good. For once, he pockets the music player on his desk and jams the buds in, anything to drown out the constant buzz that’s plaguing his head.

The clouds are menacing outside. Akihiko raises his cowl and just starts running, rolling out the kinks in his joints. Streetlights change from red to green, cars are few and far between and he makes good time on one of his longer routes, spurred on by the rhythmic beats.

He still hasn’t found the words, or how he’ll tell them. Maybe he never will. But he must try, for her sake. She deserves it, if only to rekindle the crushed girl Mitsuru was comforting yesterday. The image of a subdued Minako is still haunting him like a phantom.

Fix it.

In the end, maybe it’s not so much about his guilt than preserving her. He’s been guilty all his life, he can probably take more. Maybe he’ll lose whatever friendship they have, but he’s lost so much at this point, perhaps it’s fate trying to pass him a note.

Fix her.

Akihiko finally makes it to the playground and starts to lower the pace, unwinding slowly. There’s a crack of distant thunder far at sea and the sky starts to mizzle in response. He has to take a shower before school so he endures, lowering the hood of his shirt to let the rain cool him, soothe the pain of his musings.

The next song is particularly beaty and he hops to the horizontal bar in sync with the drums to distract himself. It takes a few back hip circles to go through the chorus, then as the song winds down, he sits on top like he always does, eyes closed and nose raised to the sky, resigned. The rain is plastering his short hair to his forehead and he quickly ruffles it with both hands, silvery spikes hanging in every direction.

A new tune is blaring in his ears and he remains motionless, letting the refreshing water drive out his thoughts in rivulets down his neck and half-undone shirt like so many sins. Despite grabbing the bar tightly with both hands on each side, he almost loses his balance when a hand rests on top of his.

Minako is standing right there, arms crossed on top of the bar, head turned sideways and her fingers resting where his hand used to be when he caught himself in extremis. She’s obviously been running and kept her shirt’s hood raised up but the front of her hair is dewing on her nose, the faint white line of her scar barely visible in the shadow of the cowl.

“Please.”

The voice is mellow, so soft its melting into the splatter of raindrops and the bass line. If it wasn’t for one dislodged earbud, dangling by the wire on his chest, he might have never heard her.

Panic sets in, this is not how he was planning on doing this. He clenches his fingers, suddenly nervous. The storm above Port Island has got nothing on the tumults resounding in the empty space where his words should be forming.

“…I…”

He might have been halfway ready to drop down his perch at that instant. She grabs his wrist with a firm grip.

“Please, please don’t run.”

Her voice doesn’t match the tautness of her fingers, there’s some desperation in her sadness. He tenses, fingers shaking, and she takes a deep breath.

“It’s nobody’s fault, this whole thing was screwed up.”

He runs his free hand in his hair nervously.

“But I…”

She looks at him, rubies wet and pleading, locking his own eyes in place.

“Akihiko, please, it’s not your fault.”

Hearing his name for the first time without the honorifics shakes him out of his funk. Except, it’s not exactly the first… He blushes furiously at the memory of… He closes his eyes so forcefully the orbits are aching.

“…But I…”

“You didn’t know. Nobody did, we’ve all been somewhat… messed up.”

He’s ragged, breathing forcefully to keep from drowning, but he’s too far in now to run. Maybe she’ll hate him though.

“You were barely conscious and-”

“It doesn’t matter.”

She’s looking at him with grim determination, like she’s going to shut down anything he comes up with.

“Your mind was-“

“So was yours!”

He sighs, she’s being so unreasonable, she’s usually quite level-headed.

“Not as much… not as long as-”

“And I’m telling you it doesn’t matter!”

He’s choking on his words.

“It could have… turned into-”

“But it did not, so it doesn’t matter!”

She’s almost shouting back now, her resolve drowning his shaky whispers. It feels like a one-sided fight he’s losing. This isn’t fixing anything.

“What if I’d gone berserk? I could have hurt–“

“But you did not, and I trust you.”

I don’t have the discipline you think I do.

“What about next time?”

“I’ll still trust you.”

She’s keeping up on her aplomb. This is getting nowhere and he’s shifting from timidly trying to make his point to flustered pretty quickly. It’s like she’s trying to rile him up.

“Minako, please. You don’t...”

“I’m just so glad it was you.”

He doubletakes. What?

She’s hanging her head down and he can’t see her face, but her tone is gentle, almost… timid.

“If I had to be... stuck in… with anyone… I’m just glad it was you.”

Akihiko is not sure he wants more explanations on that one, but of course she had to keep going. He’s going to burn in Hell for this.

“I’m not saying I wanted to be… whatever it did to us. That was… vile, like an intrusion. I didn’t want to let go, it was in my mind, whispering, and I couldn’t shake it out.”

She’s shivering at the memory in repulsion and her fingers are stiff from stress on his wrist. Her other hand is rubbing her hair under her cowl as if in remembrance of the nightmare.

“But at least… when it stopped trying to… I was… not alone. I don’t remember… everything, but that wasn’t… you were there, and that made me feel safe, and…”

This is all kinds of messed up.

“It wasn’t unpleasant.”

Understatement of the year, right there. It’s his turn to glance the other way, extremely embarrassed.

You have NO idea.

“So…”

She looks up, somewhat shy. She takes both his hands in hers, bites her lip.

“Please forgive yourself. I don’t blame you.”

Even though she’s asking, it’s no easy feat, to deal with guilt. He’s biting his tongue, dumbstruck.

“I need you. And I trust you. Please, don’t run from… from this.”

His eyes are starting to sting, and he should be the one asking for forgiveness, it should not be her begging him like this. He doesn’t deserve any of it, but he’d do anything to make amends.

“…Okay.”

She sniffs, nods, squeezes his fingers.

“Can we… go back and time, bury this, and try again?”

“I… can try.”

Chapter Text

It’s a weird truce that sets between them and it’s still a bit awkward, but they’re slowly getting back to being functional people just in time for the finals. The studying acts as a quiet therapy, everyone in the dorm perching somewhere, books and papers in hand. Sometimes in the lounge, the roof, in pairs or by themselves, powering through. At least he can exist in the same room as her without flying off the handle.

It's Saturday when Ikutsuki makes his visit to the dorm, calling for a meeting with everyone. Books are slapping shut, but Mitsuru takes a cursory inventory of the team. She narrows her eyes at him specifically with some spark of concern, and looks at the chairman.

“I think it would be best if I gave you the report in the command room by myself. We can discuss your findings afterward, as a group.”

“Oh? Well, I was thinking… I thought it…”

She turns her frosty gaze the chairman's way, obviously she's not open to negotiation. Akihiko breathes in relief, he'd rather not revisit that night with an audience.

“Let’s go upstairs. I have all the paperwork ready.”

Her boots are clicking on the steps as she takes the lead and he shuffles after her, throwing a few interrogating stares at the other members of SEES like a lamb led to his execution.

“Eh, no puns this time!”

Iori nudges Minato sitting next to him, amused. But Akihiko’s eyes fall on Yukari hanging by the bar counter, throwing an angry look at the stairs like she’s mulling over something dark.

……………………….

They’re asked to come to the command room some time later and file up in silence, pouring in to take ownership of a seat here and there. Ikutsuki is toying with a folder, smiling pleasantly and waits until everyone is settled to begin.

“I called today’s meeting because-“

Yukari gets up from her seat and cuts him off.

“I’m sorry. Before we go on, I’d like to ask Mitsuru-senpai something.”

Said girl is taken aback.

“Me?”

Takeba exhales a breath and dusts her skirt before continuing.

“Since I joined, so many things have happened… I went along with it, without really understanding what was going on… But now I need to know.”

She holds herself straight, her voice not quite venomous, but determined.

“I’m gonna ask you straight out… You’ve been hiding something from us, haven’t you, Senpai? You act like you don’t know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus, but they’re related to that accident ten years ago, aren’t they?”

Mitsuru flinches, loosing a bit of her composure. Akihiko is not quite sure he knows where this is going and looks around at the others. Minato and Minako, huddled closed on a large sofa, tense up at the end of her tirade and exchange a look. She grabs her twin’s hand, squeezing it hard, and they whisper in hushed tones. Iori looks from Yukari to Mitsuru, thoroughly confused.

“What accident?”

Fuuka looks uncomfortable, a guilty tension in her eyes.

“Yukari…”

Said archer continues, undeterred. She’s almost challenging Ikutsuki to cut her off but he’s just crammed in his seat, a weird unease on his face.

“There was an explosion near our school, and a lot of people died. It must’ve been big news back then. You know about it, don’t you?”

Her eyes are fixed on Mitsuru, who sighs in resignation.

“…Yes.”

Minako speaks up then, a weird grimace on her face.

“Yukari, do you… remember the date? When it…”

“Sometimes in August 1999. I can’t recall the exact day, why?”

Minato puts an arm around his sister as if he wants to shield her, eyes indecipherable, his thumb drawing circles on the bone of her shoulder in reassurance. He makes a vague gesture at Yukari to keep going, shaking his head. Akihiko stares at him, drawing a blank.

Why is this important? 10 years ago… it’s 2009 now.

He had read the files way back in April, he's got a pretty good visual memory so he thinks back on the papers in that folder. Car accident on the Moonlight bridge in summer, multi vehicle pileup. Pandemonium, not enough ambulances on time to get to everyone, parents found deceased in the flaming wreckage. Twins found on foot nearby. Slight injuries and severe mental trauma, dissociation, no next of kin.

…Shit.

He never pried about their circumstances since everyone with the potential has faced hardships, it's how the power emerges and stabilizes. Doesn't mean anyone wants to talk about it, but they all know it's there, beneath the skin and masks. The cruel irony of coming back where it all started, and learning that their moonlighting might be related to what has destroyed their lives...

Blue meets gray, now he gets it, and the twin nods his way.

Yukari rambles on, explaining.

“Luckily, no students were injured. But, around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent. Seems like more than just a coincidence.”

Bristling at the insinuation, Mitsuru gets up.

“What do you mean?”

She really means how much do you know; the tone is clear to his ears. She hates not being in the position of strength, attacked in front of her peers. Yukari narrows her eyes, crossing her arms.

“I dug up some old school records and found something interesting. The students who were absent… They all collapsed suddenly and had to be hospitalized. Sound familiar? Like the ones who bullied Fuuka. There has to be an explanation!”

The Kirijo heiress flinches, turns around and gazes out the window. Still, Yukari doesn’t let up.

“What really happened on the day of that accident? The Kirijo Group built our school, so you must know something! Tell me the truth!”

Mitsuru takes a moment to collect herself.

“…I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. It just never seemed relevant. But...”

Ikutsuki looks at her with compassion, finally finding something to say.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

She turns around.

“Alright. I’ll tell you the whole story…”

………………

The fact that Mitsuru’s grandfather ripped the fabric of reality to create the Dark Hour, causing the pandemonium they’re now stuck cleaning up, doesn’t seem to sit quite right with most of them. It almost turns into a bickering match, but Ikutsuki crosses his fingers over his folder.

“What if I told you that those twelve Shadows are the cause of everything?”

Everyone gasps in shock and turn around. Akihiko’s not quite certain he gets it and speaks up.

“Then, if we defeat them all, Tartarus and the Dark Hour will disappear…?”

The chairman smiles and nods.

“Exactly! That’s what I was going to tell you earlier. See, its good news, isn’t it? There’s evidence to support it too. Now, our true battle begins.”

The twins are sharing among themselves in silence, still touching but edgy. Iori seems excited, but Yukari is subdued and wistful.

“I see…”                                                    

Ikutsuki continues his lecture with some passion, trying his hardest to inspire the troops.

“Regardless of what’s happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people. The Shadows are gaining strength, we can’t afford to just wait for them. And there are many mysteries still surrounding Tartarus. Why did a gigantic structure appear in the first place? The answer must lie within it.”

The chairman gets up, sorting the papers slipping out of the folder and starts to move toward the doorway.

“I know this might come as a shock, but take the time to rest, all of you, and focus on your studies. Vacations are just around the corner; we’ll have ample time to make headway with our mission.”

Iori chuckles, shaking his head.

“You’re just dropping a save-the-world quest on our lap and expecting me to just go back to my math homework? Sheesh.”

“Seriously Stupei? This isn’t one of your video games!”

Their bickering just degenerates from there, tension flying high as they disperse back to the lounge. The twins stay in the back, walking slowly and murmuring. Akihiko glances at Minato, who's guiding his sister to his room. Blue hair nods back with a glint of reassurance, he's got this.

He sighs and take the stairs back to the lobby.

Chapter Text

Today’s the last free day before finals, the sun is shining bright and it’s so warm the AC can’t keep up. They’re all going to be knee-deep in their books for days, things are supposed to be back to the comfortable “before” and he’s worried about her, yesterday’s news must have shaken her.

It’s because they need their leader in peak shape. Of course, it’s all it is. It’s what any good senpai would worry about, the well-being of his fellow SEES members.

She seems so pensive that morning in the kitchen as everyone is buzzing around to fix themselves some breakfast. Minako keeps her eyes on him with a calculating expression, tea in hand, and slightly smiles his way. He finally must go upstairs to escape her scarlet gaze and the faint ringing that can’t seem to leave his head whenever he wants to talk to her. Having everyone just crowding the space is too much, seems the exam chaos is already in preproduction.

If only they could be somewhere else right now, just the two of them. Anywhere except where Iori and Takeba share the same timezone, ideally.

By the time he comes downstairs again, everyone’s gone out of the dorm already. Akihiko sighs, maybe Minato can be persuaded to give him her cellphone number.

……………

The broth smells heavenly, it’s been a good week since he had the time and appetite to step in the ramen shop and he’s definitely looking forward to the culinary experience despite his longing for her company. He barely started dipping his chopsticks in when Aragaki sits down next to him, adjusting his beanie. Its blistering hot outside, yet he’s still covered like he’s about to go hike some mountain.

“Looks like you managed to stop screwing things up Aki. Imagine finding you here, not looking like the undead.”

Akihiko sighs, his oldest friend seems intent on pushing his buttons today. He rolls his eyes, but then hails the server.

“Can you bring a second bowl for him? It’s on me.”

Shinji scoffs in mock outrage, but there’s a certain joy in the uplift of his mouth.

“What am I, your date?”

“Nothing to do as usual, uh?”

It’s like a game they’ve played for years, one-upping another with provocation. Akihiko can pretend he’s annoyed all he wants, but any time spent with his adoptive brother is precious, no matter how insufferable he can be. He’ll never tell him though and is trying his darndest to look bored.

Aragaki doesn’t answer right away, there’s some dismay dancing in his eyes at the quip back that he can’t quite hide.

“Moron. Was gonna ask if you needed another beating, but it seems to have put your screws back in the first time.”

“…Actually, it took another, yours was just the first round. You lose.”

He chomps on some noodles as the second bowl is added to the counter. There’s a certain comfort in being, for once, in a situation he can control and anticipate. No worries, no noise, no dorm chaos, just the banter, the gruff affection, the company. Just like old times.

One, two, three…

“Well fuck, I guess I owe her an homecooked meal or something then.”

He even laughs. Akihiko turns on him, eyes confused. Shinji hates losing, to anyone, what’s this? The eyes under the beanie looking back his way are definitely mocking him.

“Don’t think I didn’t figure it out. I’d pay good money to watch it live but I’m not going back there.”

Akihiko keeps eating instead of chomping on the bait he’s dangling, he really doesn’t want to slip him any ammunition at this point. Might be best to change the subject instead.

“Speaking of back there… We found out how to get rid of Tartarus and the Dark Hour.”

That definitely takes Aragaki by surprise.

“No shit?”

He nods. Shinji slurps loudly, turning all his attention to his meal, not speaking until the bowl is empty. Once he places his sticks down on the counter, he mumbles.

“…Erasing the Dark Hour is not gonna wipe what happened.”

Shinjiro gets up and leave, hands in his pocket and head held low, running away from their promise yet again. 

………………………….

The exchange rattled him a bit, but he doesn’t know what he expected. Shinji was perhaps never coming around, but at least they still had whatever it was they shared at this point in time. Solemn, he goes out of the ramen shop later, sun glaring so bright it’s blinding him.

It was still too damn warm outside and Akihiko figures he might as well use the free time to run all his errands, there won’t be much respite this week. Anything to keep him busy and distracted, training is not an option until the day cools down anyways.

………………………….

Kurosawa is gone from the station, so Akihiko decides to wait for him and sits on one of the benches at the mall. They definitely need new weapons and he can handle the order and delivery, take something off her plate for once. The fountain is gurgling happily at his back, and the thick crowd of kids and teenagers undulates like a mirage, almost in sync with the blaring beaty music from the arcade.

It's that particular detail that makes him raise his gaze toward Game Panic and he sees her. She’s playing one of those dancing challenges with the stepping pads, in tandem with Junpei. Her hairpins flare like shooting stars from the light of the screen scrolling arrows in zigzag at some decent clip.

Their song ends and they step down as she fishes for change in her pocket. She’s looking at him with a smirk and an impish look in her eyes.

“Choose a song, and if I manage to get in the top 5 high scores you have to study tonight, no excuses. Your composition grades are terrible.”

Iori narrows his eyes at her, dubious.

“It’s a trap Mina-tan, I’m not that stupid.”

“You drag me out of the dorm by force, when I was perfectly content to stay in the lounge all day, and now you’re playing chicken? Okay then, how about no holding the bar, and extreme difficulty?”

Junpei whistles, pondering. He looks at the contraption, then the slip of a girl with her hands on her hips like she’s scolding him into submission.

“And what do I get out of it?”

She scowls, contemplating the question.

“I don’t know, is there anything you want?”

Now it’s Iori’s turn to smirk, thoroughly amused.

“I get to ask you three questions, and you can’t lie.”

“Deal.”

“I can ask aaa-ny-thing, three questions, you sure?”

She nods, absolutely confident. Junpei laughs to himself with a dark tone, puts the change in the machine himself and starts scrolling the song selection. He punches some buttons in and with a flourish, invites her to step up, which she does with an impersonation of some opera diva.

Akihiko sees her face fall into a blank expression as she stays, motionless, in front of the game screen. She narrows her eyes and press start, adjusts her position in the center of the pad and lets loose.

He finally gets how she always knew how to move in combat: she’s an amazing dancer. There are so many steps, and without the bar to hold on, she must adjust her footwork to keep herself balanced in quick succession. She’s not just tapping her feet on the pad; her whole body is just lost in the rhythm, spinning this way and that, barely glancing at the screen.

Junpei realizes very quickly he’s been duped; she knows this song by heart and can dance it with her eyes closed despite the difficulty. Akihiko almost chuckles when Iori groans and hangs his head; she’s been holding back on him. Good for her; always keep your opponent guessing.

She hits the last notes and steps down with a pose. Not a perfect score, but close. She taps Junpei's shoulder with a pat like she’s comforting a small kid.

“You are so catching up on composition tonight dude. Say your prayers now.”

“And you’re such a cheater! You never told me you could play at that difficulty; I can barely handle above normal. You’ve been holding back, goddamn!”

She sighs, looks away.

“Actually, you never asked. You should know by now. I might push the limits in Tartarus, but I don’t do that to people.”

Minako lowers her tone at his expression.

“Junpei, I didn’t want to make your uncomfortable. I was just going to wait until you were ready, but you asked for it, so…”

Akihiko blinks, he’s leaning on the side wall near the arcade, listening in. He’s not quite proud of himself right now, but there’s something rooting him in place.

“I know. Don’t worry about it, a bet’s a bet. Can we grab something at Chagall before you force me to walk the plank with studies?”

“Why not, I got my employee credit, should be a good deal. Let’s go!”

He waits until they get inside the café, none the wiser about his hiding place, to make his way back to the police station. Concluding his business quickly, he takes the train back home, completely lost in thought, foot tapping and knuckles white from holding the strap above him.

…I was perfectly content to stay in the lounge all day…

Was she planning on waiting for everyone to leave? Was she waiting for him?

I didn’t want to make your uncomfortable. I was just going to wait until you were ready…

Akihiko realizes it’s not the first time she’s done this. She might throw him some curveballs to shake him out of whatever’s troubling him, but she’s been very respectful of his frequent bouts of distress.

Until she wasn't, but she’d made her point clear that day and he can’t keep running away. The sun is setting the port ablaze and all he wants is for finals to be over so he can act on it.

Chapter Text

“I wish I could go to the beach. Hot sand, cool breeze… babes in bikinis… Man, it sure would be nice.”

Junpei had, unknowingly, provided Mitsuru with the perfect way to make amends for nearly maiming him. She’d been very courteous to him since the incident, even picking up his kitchen messes during finals, but his aloofness had made her worry he wasn’t accepting her unspoken apology. Once he spoke those words and she learned her father was vacationing at Yakushima, vacation plans were made for all of them.

………………………………..

The last day of exams, Ikutsuki leaves him a voice mail asking him to wait by the school gates after the bell to introduce a potential recruit. 

The juniors, finally winding down from the week’s stress and in full vacation frenzy, are making their way over to join him when the chairman makes his entrance.

“Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy! Don’t let me interrupt, I just stopped by to pick someone up. I might as well introduce you to him now.”

A young boy steps from behind the chairman’s shadow, with a brown mop of hair and a subdued expression on his face. He looks so small in that orange vest, almost as much as he did in his black vest at that wake.

No…

Akihiko double takes in shock, this is something he never expected. Takeba immediately greets the kid familiarly.

“Oh, hi Ken-kun, what’s up?”

He whips around, stunned.

“You know him…?”

The rumbling in his mind storms in like a fury and he clenches both his fists. The last thing he wants is to cause a scene but this…

Why? Just, why?

Ikutsuki smiles pleasantly at all of them.

“He doesn’t leave during the break because of his… circumstances.”

Yukari sighs, looking down at Ken in compassion.

“Oh, I heard about that…Something about his parents.”

Ken nods at her, looks at the twins, then in the distance.

“It was only me and my mom, but she got in an accident, and she… she died. It happened two years ago.”

The chairman rambles on, but Akihiko can’t help but picture Shinjiro’s tormented face. The screams, the dorm front door banging in the frame, Mitsuru’s howls of anguish... There’s so much tension in his neck his shoulders are getting numb.

“…So, I decided to move him to your dorm for the summer.”

Minako jolts at this one, looking over at Ken with a pointed look, speaking up.

“To OUR dorm?! Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“Why, of course. He has the potential.”

She still doesn’t look convinced, pursing her lips. Even Minato seems taken aback, looking from Ken to the chairman incredulously. Akihiko exhales slowly.

“Then, he’s the new candidate…?”

Ikutsuki nods like it’s not a big deal.

“Why, yes. But, as you can see, he’s still just an elementary school student. So, it is merely a possibility for now.”

Ken is looking at him with bright eyes and he gulps his emotions down painfully.

“Are you... Sanada-senpai?”

There’s a level of excitement and admiration in that question that gives him nausea.

“Um… yeah.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you… You haven’t lost a boxing match yet. It’s a real honor to meet you!”

It's not. It's really not. If you knew...

The tone of wonder is clear, and it makes it all so much worse. Ken is just an innocent kid though; he tries not to let emotion cloud his response, but his voice turns out distant.

“Yeah, well… It’s nice to meet you.”

…………………………….

The chairman, Ken in tow, leaves the school and they start making their way back to the train as a group, but jolts running up his spine just intensify. Yukari and Junpei are having an animated discussion with Minako about swimsuits, that is, the girls are talking and Iori is getting jabbed repeatedly because of his inappropriate comments. It feels a bit forced, like Junpei is purposefully trying to distract them; the girls had been a little too lost in thought earlier. Minato stays silent, looking out the window, but his face is scrounged somewhat and he sends a few glances his way. 

Akihiko is still trying to keep his emotions bottled inside, for the sake of the others, but there’s a repulsion at the whole situation he can’t quite keep down. The teen finally turns toward him and speaks softly.

“Wanna hang out?”

…………………………….

“This is a bad idea; I hope the chairman reconsiders.”

He hasn’t seen Minato this forward in expressing his opinions before and it takes him aback. Apparently, Akihiko’s not the only one with reservations, although his are based on entirely different reasons on top of the unease at involving children. They’re picking at the soggy fries slowly, he's tapping his foot on the seat's base like he wants to chip it but his companion doesn't comment on it. At least there isn’t much of a crowd at the back of Wild Duck at this hour, everyone out of school is probably gallivanting outside to start their vacation.

“He’s just a kid, nobody that age needs to...”

Minato's candor is surprising, but with what he knows of the twins he can understand where he's coming from. He nods in agreement, perhaps they can get the situation reversed if that possibility solidifies. They need everyone they can get to vanquish the shadows, but the idea of pitching a young orphan into the fray screams of desperation. Is the chairman doubting they can get the job done? And for this kid to be him of all people…

I can’t let that happen.

His face must have been grim indeed because Minato cracks a real joke at him.

“Or we can just unleash Junpei on him. That might make him go back to his own dorm running.”

Akihiko chuckles, that was unexpected and the mental picture is somewhat funny. The humor doesn’t last though and he sighs in resignation, it's like he can never catch a break. As if there weren’t already enough sources of stress and chaos at the dorm, he’ll have to look at Ken all summer, every day, like a refresh slap in the face.

Chapter Text

Junpei’s been in everyone’s space since before they boarded the ferry, so loud and boisterous his ears are ringing. Minato’s been subtly rolling his eyes at Akihiko as if to echo his own irritation, but his customary slight smirk is there too. He’s somewhat tolerant, most of the time, but he’s found himself seriously considering throwing the lanky teen overboard a few times.

And now that the boys are changing and heading to the beach, Iori throws a fit.

“Dude, seriously, you can’t go out like this!”

Akihiko looks at him like he’s insane. They’re all wearing swimsuits, that’s sort of the point.

“What’s the problem now?”

Junpei is groaning like someone stepped on him, arms in the air in despair.

“Please, please put a shirt on or something, nobody’s going to notice us if we’re hanging around you.”

He still doesn’t get it and glances at himself. Perfectly normal. He looks at Minato quizzically, who raises an eyebrow and a corner of his mouth in amusement.

“You do kinda… stand out.”

Iori sighs, discouraged and somewhat peeved.

“Seriously? It’s not just the… I mean, you could grate some cheese on that board, I knew you trained a lot but maaan…”

He has definition, that was kind of expected. With a strict training regimen, focusing on strength and endurance, of course there’d be some side effects. Despite all the protein supplements, he doesn’t have the bulk of someone like Shinji, but he’s tall and muscular none the less. Akihiko shakes his head, who cares?

“Only if it gets you to finally shut up.”

The breeze is simply amazing, the waves are not too strong and the sun is blazing overhead. It might feel great to just swim some laps and nap in the shade afterward. Just listening to the pull and crash of the sea is leeching Akihiko’s tension away somewhat.

With the events preceding the start of their vacation, he was too distressed to catch up with her and she’d been helping their shy navigator shop for a swimsuit with Yukari. That was something he had to process on his own, punching the sparks out of his mind in his room, but they were here now, so far away from school, the dorm, Tartarus and everything else…

Just need to find the right moment.

“Ahh… Got my sandals on… Givin’ my feet a chance to breathe… Yup! Summer’s here!”

Junpei’s bouncing like a kid next to him and he’s trying to rile up Minato with his enthusiasm. Right on cue, Takeba’s quipping in from the small path leading to the Kirijo mansion.

“Ugh, could he BE any louder…?”

Akihiko crosses his arms on his chest, eyes lost at sea, trying to tune the two of them out.

There we go again.

There’s some shuffling and Yukari keeps at it.

“…Hey Junpei, what’s the matter? You look even dumber than usual.”

“Maaaaan… Talk about a feast for the eyes, haha. Yuka-tan’s wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined. Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod?”

Could he even sound more pervy if he tried? What a child. Said girl huffs in irritation at him.

“And check out our leader!”

It’s a reflex at his comment but he turns around and freezes.

“She’s one cute mermaid herself! Those curves she usually keeps covered up are lookin’ good! I can’t tear my eyes away!”

Minato growls at that one and jabs Junpei in the ribs with a warning glance, his stare hard. For once, Akihiko has to agree with the resident lecherous-in-chief wholeheartedly.

He can’t take his eyes away.

He also wants to strangle Iori, slowly.

She’s laughing at Junpei like he’s so ridiculous, calling him a creep teasingly as she hops along the path to join them.

She’s radiant.

The copper in her hair is almost as red as her eyes. Always so expressive, she looks at the sea in wonder, taking a deep breath of the salty air in appreciation, exhales slowly as if she’s savoring a slice of cake. He should know. Satisfied, she ruffles her brother’s hair teasingly in passing before joining Takeba near the umbrella, Minato huffs in reply and puts his locks back in his face with a shake.

Akihiko clenches his hands nervously, his mind void of anything close to coherence, turns around and walks to the water until it reaches above his ankles. It’s just damn hot today.

The commotion continues, Junpei laughing creepily a few times as Fuuka and Mitsuru stroll down the path to join the other girls.

There’s a splash nearby as the boys react to the water's temperature and make their way closer to him. The first is still as bubbly and excited, the second simply nonchalant. Iori slides between them, a devious glint in his eye.

“Pssst, guys. Level with me… Which one’s your type?”

Minato huffs a strand of hair out of his face, shaking his head in denial.

“Aww, c’mon!”

Blue eyes ponder and light up somewhat. There’s the faintest of blushes on Minato’s cheeks but he murmurs.

“Yukari…”

Huh.

Akihiko can’t help but glance back over his shoulder absently. His eyes lock on her, vibrantly explaining something to the girls with her usual eloquence, there seems to be a lot of laughter involved. It almost seems like she catches his stare from the corner of her eye, but she doesn’t move her gaze back to him and just keeps smiling through her exchange. It might be an illusion of the umbrella’s shade, but her cheeks are almost the same color as her frilled attire.

“Huh!? Really?!”

Junpei’s shocked outburst snaps him back around. Akihiko shakes his head, somewhat confused.

“What? I didn’t say anything!”

But Iori is grinning directly at him, like an idiot, his eyebrows are wiggling too.

“Maaaan, really? No joke?”

Minato’s somewhat chuckling at Junpei’s reaction, but it’s him he’s looking at. There’s an amused sparkle to his eyes he doesn’t quite get.

“Aww man, this is just…”

Junpei’s still laughing by himself and Akihiko is starting to feel a bit peeved so he just careens him face first into the water in one swooping motion.

“...Shut up.”

Chapter Text

The feast following their day at the beach is lavish, with servings to please everyone’s tastes and then some. Octopus, fresh fish, shrimps, steak brochettes, grilled veggies, and a variety of sushi are laid on the table. Mitsuru seems almost sheepish as the maids are serving; she might come across as arrogant sometimes, but she doesn’t enjoy showing off her privilege. Iori sets that straight, again.

“Man, this is great, I’m in heaven! Th-Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai! Thank you SO MUCH! I could die right now with no regrets!”

At least he talks when it counts.

Mitsuru smiles at the boisterous teenager, she looks somewhat bashful too. Akihiko smirks at the display; he might not always appreciate Junpei, but maybe she’ll finally let it go now and that’s a great achievement in his book.

Everyone probably ate too much and they move on from the dining room to a large lounge area, much more spacious than the dorm’s. Junpei is shuffling a deck of cards, teaching Fuuka, Yukari and Minato a game and Mitsuru has excused herself to talk with her father. Whatever team bout they’re playing at the table seems to have mellowed the bickering somewhat, or perhaps it’s the drowsiness of the hot summer night under dimmed lighting doing a number on them.

He swears Minako was here a second ago, perched on top of her twin’s sofa to look at his cards, but Akihiko can’t see her anywhere anymore. Curious, he puts the book he was perusing on a coffee table and starts walking around quietly. There are quite a few crannies in the room, but he finally spots her ponytail near one of the heavily draped window alcoves at the back.

It looks like she’s staring at the crest of the waves crashing below through the glass, her eyes dazed and her fingers crossed behind her back in the gloom. Minako looks pensive, indrawn, and shuffles her feet a bit as he approaches. Clearly, she’s aware he’s standing there but it doesn’t change her demeanor.

Akihiko feels like he’s tiptoeing on her privacy, and he hesitates. Maybe she’ll turn around with a bright smile and act like nothing, maybe she’ll ignore him, but he feels like it’s an unspoken invitation. She’s squeezing her fingers together, her thumb pressing in the opposite palm somewhat hard.

Walking slowly, he ends up behind her, so they’re hidden from the view at the back of the lounge. She’s still not moving and he tentatively moves his right hand to hers to grab her attention, but she wraps his fingers between hers delicately, pulling him toward her with a skim of her nails.

“Are you okay?”

She lifts her head and cocks it to the side, still looking right ahead while whispering.

“…I’m sorry, I just… needed some quiet.”

“Oh…”

Thinking she means he’s intruding; he shifts his weight to take a step back, but she pulls again, very lightly. Her palms are very warm and yet she applies the barest of pressure to his.

“You’re quiet.”

His mind isn’t, it’s undulating in static waves, singing a song in his veins in tandem with the shoreline’s majesty. He brushes his thumb on top of her knuckle and takes a step toward her, he has no idea what he’s even doing and his ears are burning up.

They’ve shared some moments like this in silence before, always just the two of them, but that was… before… and there wasn’t anything this tactile about it. He doesn’t know why that fact is so different, but it scares him. There’s his single right hand, pressed between both of hers like a flower in the middle of a book. It’s anchoring them together, just this lone point of contact that changes everything.

It's overwhelming, but also not enough.

Akihiko raises his left wrist to her shoulder, barely pressing his fingertips to her shirt, like she’ll break. Minako sighs gently and barely leans her head toward it when the lounge door opens, and Mitsuru’s heels reverberate across the room like little pointy hammers.

They break apart in a jolt like they’re guilty of some sin.

“My father would like you to join us in the reception room, please.”

Minako takes a deep breath and turns on her heels to go join the others, but as she passes next to him, she leans her head on his arm, like a cat brushing a doorframe, and whispers.

“…Thank you.”

Akihiko is too shocked to answer or react, but he follows her, dumbstruck. There’s a radical change in the way she acts in just the short few seconds it takes for her to saunter next to Fuuka and Yukari, smile on her face. Like she’s walking on a stage to perform. He thought he wanted a moment with her, but now…

I want all of them.

He doesn’t even think about it, it just happens. As they are filing in the reception room, where sofas are scattered, he simply follows her stride and sit right next to her, where her brother usually does. He’s still a bit dazed and that fact doesn’t register until Minato sits on his left and he’s sandwiched between both twins.

Uh…

Akihiko feels very uncomfortable for some reason and asking to swap seats in front of everyone would be kind of fishy, so he just shoots an eyeful of apology at Minato on the down low. The twin is smirking at him and barely mouths a reply.

“Suck it up.”

That guy I swear…

She’s barely an inch to his right, bright but solemn, not looking at him, and Fuuka on the other side is containing a smile with her lithe little hands. Hopefully all she’s laughing at is the expression on Minato’s face because of the impromptu seat assignment. He sighs, running his thumbs over his palms to avoid jittering too much. Also because his hands are tingling something fierce.

Everyone is in place now, somewhat intimidated by Mitsuru's father. He cuts an impassive figure, and the eyepatch just adds gravitas to his presence. Takeharu Kirijo nods at the groups on each side of the room, looks at his daughter with an unreadable expression, then begins his explanations.

“From what I understand, Mitsuru has already given you the short version. Well, it’s true… We adults are to blame.”

He shuffles his feet, uncomfortable with what he’s about to say.

“If I could’ve atoned for it with my life, I would have done so… Now, I have no choice but to rely on you. What my father wanted to create with those monsters’ power… was a time manipulation device.”

Mitsuru looks surprised.

“That’s what he was trying to do?”

Takeharu nods grimly.

“Imagine if you could control the flow of time… eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

Junpei whistles softly, slack-jawed at the implications.

“Damn, that’s insane!”

“However, under my father’s direction, the research began to stray from its original goal. In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free of that…“

His tone is almost sad now, resigned.

“It’s only natural that you want to know the truth… and it’s my duty to tell you.”

Mitsuru’s father takes one of the controllers on the table in front of him and punches some buttons. The room dims and something starts to play on the projector.

“This is the only existing footage of the accident, recorded by a scientist who was at the scene.”

Screeching static plays, then very grained footage. They can barely see the shape of a person on the screen but the details are impossible to discern.

“I pray that this recording reaches safe hands…”

Takeba edges to the edge of her seat, eyes like saucers in shock.

“That voice…!?”

“My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived… I’m afraid what I’ve done will result in an unprecedented disaster. But If I hadn’t, the entire world may have paid the price… Please, listen carefully… The Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success… And so, I didn’t raise any objections… It is all my fault.”

The image of the distorted video becomes clearer for barely a second, but Takeba slides from the sofa to her knees on the floor, staring at the broken feed with tears in her eyes.

“…Dad…”

Fuuka extends her hand to her, shaken.

“You mean… that was…?”

Yukari is too stunned to answer but stares back at her friend with blank eyes, confirming her suspicions. Mitsuru looks at her dad with a subdued expression, unsure.

“Father…”

Takeharu takes a breath and briefly closes his eyes.

“His name was Eiichiro Takeba… He was the head researcher at the time, and a very talented man. But, we are the ones that are responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijo Group is to blame for his death.”

His daughter shakes her head, shocked.

“I… I can’t believe it…”

With a shocked, wet voice, Yukari starts speaking in a low voice.

“So that means… my dad caused it all? The Dark Hour, Tartarus… The people who died in that incident… It was all his fault?”

From his position on the sofa, Akihiko can sense the tension and weight shifting on his right when she mentions the incident ten years ago. Adjusting his legs, he lays his right hand next to hers on the fabric like it’s just a coincidence and gently rubs her little finger with his own. It’s devious, and sneaky, but nobody seems to notice and she instantly relaxes.

Fuuka is rubbing Yukari’s shoulder from the sofa, eyebrows creased in worry at her friend’s anguish.

“Are you okay?”

She doesn’t answer, but her voice is swelling into anger and she’s staring at Mitsuru.

“So, that’s why you were hiding this…? Because you felt sorry for me? Is that it!?”

The heiress is taken aback at the attack.

“No, Takeba, I…”

“I don’t want your pity!!”

Yukari screams, crying, and runs off.

Mitsuru takes two steps forward, wanting to catch up with her, and hesitates. Before she makes up her mind, Minato is standing next to her and touches her arm with a determined expression.

“Let me.”

Chapter Text

He can’t remember if he dreamed, but Akihiko feels like his head is stuck in a vice the next morning. He tossed and turned a long time, looking at the ceiling like it had all the answers. As usual, his body wakes him at dawn, and for once he wishes he could just fall back asleep.

It takes 15 minutes before he gives up, looks outside at the golden hues brushing the edges of the horizon, and decides to train to clear his tension headache.

The water is cold and not yet warmed up by the sun, but after some laps he can barely feel it. The pleasant numbness of exertion and the power of the waves pushing all around him acts like a therapy of silence for his brain. Akihiko spends quite some time, floating on top of the moving curtain of water, just watching the colors of the sky turn.

He eventually makes his way to shore because of hunger pangs, ruffling his wet hair back into spikes once he emerges from the waves, and spots the figures at the small wooden pier on the edge of the beach.

The twins are sitting close together like they often do, a blanket around them both to offset the winds and looking in the distance like statues. The rays of sunlight are right in their face, illuminating their eyes as they talk quietly, and he gets an instant flashback of the first time he saw those devilish stares in the dorm’s security monitors.

Funny how things have changed over the last months. He remembers that flash of red piercing through him in the camera feed, but now the intense crimson glints are watching him rise out of the water and she’s smiling shyly.

Akihiko feels very self-conscious for some reason, grabbing his towel clumsily and making his way back to the mansion. It still feels like he saw something he shouldn’t. Also, he still hasn’t learned how to gracefully exit the scene.

……………………..

The boys stroll to the beach somewhat later the same morning, and nobody else is there, to Junpei’s dismay.

“Huh? Are the girls not up yet? Man, those sleepyheads! The ocean’s not gonna sit around and wait for us, y’know?”

“Actually, they’ve gone to see the Jomon Cedar Tree.”

Minako pops her head from the beach chair near the closest parasol, thoroughly amused.

“Then Mina-tan, why are you here?”

She gestures at the ocean with a dramatic hand.

“And miss this? Are you blind? You being a perv is not gonna get between me and the ocean.”

Junpei puts his hands on his hips with a growl, definitely frustrated.

“At least you get it. We’re at an island resort in the middle of summer! Why aren’t they going to the beach!? That’s just not right.”

Akihiko shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

“Well, she just said it, it is your fault.”

“Whaddaya mean? I just wanted the lighten the mood yesterday. Well, it doesn’t matter now, anyways… This is the frontier of romance! We’re bound to meet someone new out here.”

Their leader is snorting in laughter from her spot, hitting the armrest like it’s just too much. Junpei glares at the chair.

“Just pretend you aren’t here! Actually, let’s just go elsewhere, she’s going to ruin everything.”

He grabs his two companions by the wrist and drags them to the edge of the trees excitedly. Akihiko sighs, this feels like a disaster brewing.

“We’ll call this: Operation Yakushima Beach Fling!”

Disaster confirmed.

He rolls his eyes at Junpei. He owes him for yesterday, but this is too much.

“You mean you want to pick up girls?”

Iori is wiggling his eyebrows at him, not registering his exasperation.

“How ‘bout it, Sanada-san? With you on the squad, and if you remove your shirt, we’re guaranteed to succeed.”

“Hard pass.”

He crosses his arms on his chest to make his point, this is ridiculous and she’s standing right over there. He looks at Minato with a side eye, he has about the same level of enthusiasm at the idea. The blue hair barely moves.

“Sounds like a hassle.”

“Actually, can I join?”

Junpei screams in fright when Minako pops from behind her brother, her face all business.

“What are you doing here, you’re a girl! You can’t join!”

“So? I’d even bet I can pick up a girl faster than you.”

She smirks in defiance and Akihiko chuckles at the whole debacle.

“I’m never betting anything with you again, you cheat!”

Composition sucked, eh Iori?

She huffs vainly, nose pointed upward like it’s a compliment. This is a surprise performance that keeps on giving and he exchanges a glance with Minato, who’s half-smiling at Junpei’s discomfiture.

“Aww you wound me; I have the biggest disadvantage out of all of you too. Well, you should at least take him along, he looks cute, that makes him a good wingman.”

She’s pointing at Minato with a finger and Junpei narrows his eyes, suspicious. The twins look at each other with vivid stares and she’s mouthing something silently Minato's way while he rolls his eyes and mutters.

“For fuck’s sake…”

Junpei glares at the nonchalant teenager.

“You better take this seriously. It’s an important operation. “

…………………………………

Minako waves them goodbye mockingly and makes her way back to her beach chair with him. Junpei keeps casting them evil glares over his shoulder, he knows he has an audience and it’s apparently distracting. She laughs and looks at Akihiko.

“Apparently my attempts at blackmail gathering are backfiring. Up for a swim? If we pretend to be busy, I can probably snatch a few juicy bits on the downlow.”

…………………………………

Eventually, she leaves the deeper waters to sit closer to shore, lapping waves up to her waist. She cups some sand and lets it trickle between her fingers, admiring the view as it falls in the sea and gets washed away.

It’s not yet noon, but there’s quite a few people around the beach now enjoying the perfect weather. A young family, with a small boy in tow, is making their way nearby to some of the beach chairs. The kid is throwing an ear-piercing tantrum, his mother is screaming at him in reply, but Minako just smiles in quiet tolerance.

They eventually leave with the screams in their wake just as Akihiko sits down next to her. She’s looking a tad pensive again but it’s more like she’s reminiscing. Akihiko chuckles.

“Well, he was full of energy!”

She grins, glancing the way of the receding family.

“Yeah, but it’s not his fault, at least he has a mom to keep him in line. Minato and I had it a bit rough, everyone thought we were some kind of weird monsters growing up. At least we turned out okay.”

She’s chuckling self-deprecatingly, but it hits him different. He grounds his hands in the sand on his sides, laying some of his weight on his elbows, and the words just come out.

“People used to tell me all the time that I was weird or acting strange when I was a kid, because I had no parents."

He doesn’t think about it as much anymore, but there’s something like a dull ache sometimes in the depths of his heart. Minako’s looking at him as if she’s trying to gauge his emotions and he shrugs in reply.

“Don’t worry about it, the orphanage wasn’t all bad. I just never had an opportunity to mention it, but I grew up in one, with my little sister. She’s long gone now…”

Maybe there’s a weird note in his speech, but he can feel her staring at his face and he’s trying to keep his eyes straight toward the horizon. He’s probably still being weird, again.

“Sorry for rambling on, I don’t know why I’m saying this…”

Her hand takes position in the submerged sand to his left, right next to his, the inside of her wrist barely touching his own. The foam recedes and all his thoughts scatter along with it when she speaks.

“Maybe it’s because we’re the same.”

Akihiko looks down where her skin meets his own, forearms crisscrossed and their mirrored sprayed fingers like the wings of a bird in the sand. Minako takes a breath.

“And for the record senpai, you’re not weird at all…”

There’s a lull in her phrase intonation, as if she’s challenging him to look at her so she can continue. When he looks up, she’s staring at him with resolve and a brilliant smile.

“…You’re simply charming.”

Something inside can’t process the curveball she just threw at him; he can’t even stutter a reply, but his face is melting.

Then, someone screams somewhere down the beach and the surprise takes her eyes off his. Still stupefied, he follows her gaze to the commotion and sees Junpei panicking as Minato is dragged forcefully to the woods by someone. There's always something in the way...

He never got a chance to reply what he wanted to say once his wires straighten, much later.

So are you.

Chapter Text

The would-be kidnapper that caused a global ruckus turns out to be an Anti-Shadow weapon named Aigis. To Minato’s despair, she keeps hovering near him as the whole clique gets to the beach the next day, watching him like a hawk.

His sister is smirking at the spectacle; her brother loves to be inconspicuous and now he has a groupie. At least Aigis eventually relents and tries to mingle with the others, equally interested in how human interactions work between the members of SEES. There’s an innocence in her inquiries that might be problematic though.

…………………………

It’s another beautiful day at the beach and the whole team is here. Ever eloquent, Iori is sighing dramatically, shuffling sand with his foot.

“Man, it’s already the third day of our trip. It’s too bad we have to go home tomorrow… I’d totally stay longer if I could. But, I can’t complain… A lot of cool things happened while we were here.”

Don’t I know it.

They’re staking a claim to a group of chairs with umbrellas when Aigis approaches them with curiosity.

“Do we have a mission at the beach today?”

Junpei grins at the robot in reply, unfolding his towel.

“Nah, it’s nothing like that. We just came here to have some fun.”

Fuuka, ever so curious about their artificial new recruit, chips in.

“Do you understand what it means to have fun, Aigis?”

The tone is clipped, like Aigis is reciting from a book.

“Of course. Recreation is the refreshment of one’s mind and body.”

Junpei nods, excited like a puppy.

“Exactly! Wow, you sure know a lot about us humans. Alright, let’s take one last dip before we leave!”

He takes her metallic hand and runs to the water, the fact that she’s a robot seems irrelevant to him. It takes less than a minute for her to come back to the rest of the group.

“It is best that we all engage in this activity together. An activity in which only one person derives enjoyment is not the optimal method to “have fun”. Junpei-kun is not having fun because, abridged quote; the babes in bikini are not present so he can splash them.”

Minako laughs darkly and shares a look with Mitsuru and Yukari. They seem equally peeved at the report: nobody forgot what occurred the first day. She turns back to their newest recruit with a mischievous grin.

“Aigis, I trust you know to obey your team leader on the battlefield.”

The robot stands at attention sharply and Minako whispers something to her while pointing to her female teammates.

“Acknowledged. Battle parameters updated. Commencing operation.”

“Good bot. Now get ready girls!”

Aigis turns suddenly and goes back to Junpei, all the girls in tow nearby. As she reaches him, she dips her hands in the water.

“Deploying water gun armament.”

The robot raises her hands toward him; the fingers themselves are barrels. Iori screams in fright.

“Aigis, wait! That’s not what water gun means!”

The oncoming barrage of water makes him sputter and fall bum first into the sea. Fuuka, Mitsuru, Yukari and Minako share a look.

“Junpei’s down, get him! All-out Attack!”

Minako is pointing her finger to Iori like a general in the field and everyone else jumps into the fray at her command to get revenge with much splashing and gurgling.

Akihiko exchanges a glance with Minato; they’re both watching from the umbrellas with amusement. The blue-haired teenager is smirking at the aquatic carnage and he puts his drink back on the cooler's top.

“I think I want a crack at him too, for yesterday, let’s go!”

They both chuckle as they join the fun.

………………………………..

Akihiko is standing on the deck of the ferry, holding the railing and admiring the ballet of sunlight on the waves. Everyone’s relaxing below deck, crushed with fatigue after an early rise and the promise of school tomorrow, but his musings keep turning him to the lull of the ocean. There's a weird association now between the gleaming foam and his skin that wasn't there before.

The wind is rushing through his ears as the boat slowly glides back from Yakushima toward Port Island and he only hears her approach at the last minute when she speaks up.

“Hey senpai.”

Glancing over his shoulder he spots Minako, hands in her pockets, hair billowing in the air like it’s alive. She approaches the railing to stand next to him and takes the view in with a wan smile. He supposes her usual perkiness takes a hit at some points, perhaps it’s all this is.

“You okay?”

She purses her lips and sighs.

“Yeah, just lack of sleep, I guess… I have a lot of my mind sometimes.”

Minako takes one of her hands out of her pocket and moves some of the hair from her face so she can look at him properly. Her eyes harden in seriousness.

“We got less than 2 weeks before the next full moon. We’re not ready.”

So that’s what it is.

Akihiko watches her carefully as he turns his head to the right, taking in her rigid stance. She’s not one to show weakness, but in that moment, he can see how she’s not been relaxing quite like the others during the trip. Minako is focused on the team and everything it entails, at the expense of herself.

“We can take some time tomorrow, discuss it, anywhere you want. My treat.”

She raises her left hand to the railing, close to his, timid.

“Thank you.”

Her shoulders spasm in a shiver when the wind picks up. Something’s tugging at his brain and this time Akihiko takes a leap of faith.

He sidesteps behind her and repositions his arms so they’re on each side of her, both his hands lightly touching her lone one on the cold railing, shielding her from the wind with his larger frame.

It’s not a hug, he’s just cradling her in his space like a cloak and they’re just tethered by his palms on her frigid fingers. It’s not a big deal, he’s just numb from the wind's bite.

Minako should be below deck, warm, with the others. Resting.

I’m selfish and I don’t care.

Any little moment with her he can steal for himself he’ll take. No matter how long they last.

Because they never seem to.

She sighs and leans her head backward in the crook of his right shoulder, just barely. Her ponytail is dancing in the air like windblown ribbons, tickling his face, so he closes his eyes, flattens them on her head with his cheek delicately and rests the tip of his nose on her hairpins.

It’s so quiet.

His body differs, his heart is drumming like the gale of the sea in his ears and now she’s leaning her back to graze his frame. Because she’s cold, and Akihiko’s boiling alive, and there’s nothing but the two of them suspended between water and sky with the sun shining bright.

He doesn’t move, and neither does she, until the port is in view and the threat of a search party intensifies.

Chapter Text

Everyone’s in a hurry this morning to get out of the door, struggling with the return of the school routine. Fatigue is evident in some bleary eyes, but hers are sharp and revivified as she strolls in the kitchen frantically, assembling lunch boxes for her and Minato like everything’s on fire.

They haven’t gone on a run this morning, he insisted yesterday they both rest instead, but Akihiko still wants to grab a protein shake in the fridge by force of habit and they’re fighting for space in the tiny kitchen.

The only reason her fingers barely brush his wrist is because she’s trying to grab a drink on the same shelf. He almost fumbles his bottle on the floor because the open door made it dewy and he lost his grip.

………………………….

Everyone in the dorm except Mitsuru is cramming on the same monorail car since they left as a group. She took an earlier departure because of school council and Akihiko’s just here to escort the juniors. There are barely any seats available and they let Takeba and Fuuka take them, so they can avoid without being bumped into.

Iori, Minato and himself fan around Minako like a deployable armor, anything to save her from the morning rush. She has her earphones on, nodding her head to the music, crammed loosely between all their tall frames. It’s only because some rambunctious teenagers are trying to squeeze in the same car that he is lifting his arm to shield her back, his fingertips kissing the fabric on her shoulder blade in passing.

………………………….

They pass each other in the hallway during lunch. Minako is carrying some forms for school council in one hand, moving like a comet. It just happens she slows down when she’s at his level and tugs downward on his red vest because he’s taller than her and she wants to whisper him something. The troves of groupies are looking at her with murderous intent at her bravado.

“Ramen sounds good.”

Her breath is warm on his neck.

“Okay.”

They just keep going their separate ways, not even looking at each other.

………………………….

He’s lefthanded and she’s not, so she sits on his right at Hagakure at the counter, just so they don’t fumble each others’ chopsticks with elbow jabs. Instead, their free hands are on the wood panel, so close as to leech heat from each other. There’s an open notebook propped up between them, balanced on the sauce bottles, jammed with notes and checklists that Akihiko is perusing with great attention.

She’s really been thinking about this.

“So you want some of us to run Dark Hour patrols while others go to Tartarus?”

She nods, her mouth full. Swallowing slowly, she jabs her chopsticks at the calendar she drew, all small blocks filled with colored characters in code.

“It’s still summer, I figured patrols would not be as intense as staircasing and we don’t need a full team for that, two people can do it. Perhaps we can even save ourselves some search and rescue into Tartarus if we intercept them in the streets.”

He nods, finding civilians into Tartarus tended to become more frequent as the moon approached maturity and finding them was sometimes tricky.

“Makes sense. Let’s also assume not everyone will want to go out every day, so who’s available will vary. Club training will also last a whole week, we can’t sustain that and Tartarus each night.”

“I can recuperate during training camp if someone handles equipment while I’m gone. Then one last trek before the full moon.”

He’s a natural at recklessness too, but this is a bit much.

"That's not a rest opportunity. You'll be exhausted by the time the operation comes around."

And now Minako is glaring back at him with irritation.

"I said I can do it. We need to push hard and I can handle all the rotations."

She's so stubborn.

His school bag is on the floor at his feet but hers is half open next to her, from when she took out her notebook. It's the only reason he leans around her to steal one of her pencils, the side of his head grazing her hair in passing.

Akihiko takes the notebook, flips the page to a blank one and quickly redraws the schedule, periodically checking her notes to mirror some of the existing data. Done, he sets the updated diagram down her way; he’s shifted a few things around and added some scribbles but mostly, his name is everywhere hers is slotted.

“Are you nuts!?”

She’s looking at his edits with a baffled look, Akihiko would frontline almost all the time if they went with this.

You’re not doing this alone.

"If you want to push hard, you'll have to push me too. I can take it."

She scowls at his comment, still holding the notebook, unsure. He’s still holding her pencil so he bends toward her bag to put it back, brushing his chin on her shoulder and whispering.

“Just trust me.”

Chapter Text

There’s a mix of resolve and excitement around the dorm that night; they’re going to Tartarus.  The whole of SEES is set to get a pass in the grinder today but the rest of their plans require tweaks based on individual schedules, so Minako is meeting with everyone one by one to take notes. So much to do until the full moon, so little time, and it shows.

Trying to keep busy until the clock literally strikes twelve, they’re all moving up and down the stairs, swapping for the new weapons that got delivered, refilling portable med kits and adjusting their evoker holsters. And every time Akihiko crosses Minako in a corridor during her rounds, at the bottom of the stairs or near the table, there’s static shock. They're not touching; he’s just skimming the air that’s next to her and she’s sort of doing the same and it’s somehow so much worse.

By the time they step into the Tower of Demise, Akihiko is so edgy with tension he swears he’s going deaf from the rush.

…………………………………….

She’s talking with her brother and they’re splitting in teams, the goal being to take Aigis through both compositions with different leaders by swapping her with someone halfway during the Dark Hour. Akihiko, Minako and Aigis are up first, with Yukari as support and tackling the newest block, while Minato, Mitsuru and Junpei are set to start slightly lower and climb from there to warm up.

Climbing up from where they last unlocked a teleporter, they enter the Yabbashah block for the first time. It’s darker, metallic and full of nooks where shadows can ambush them and Yukari looks uneasy.

“Wow, it feels like forever ago when we last came here.”

Minako rubs her friend’s back in passing.

“I know, that’s why we’re going to start slow and ramp up as we can, it’s been a little while. Aigis, come here.”

The robot comes to attention, and she continues.

“We’re here so you can map your parameters to what we can do, I don’t really know how you work in groups, Ikutsuki only inferred you were always deployed in solo. Right now, Yukari is the most important member of this party and I want your priority to be her safety. Since you’re both attacking from afar, and I’d hate getting shot in there, aim carefully. Listen to her cues, she knows what I mean.”

“Battle parameters updated.”

Minako laughs and Yukari chips in.

“That’s way too formal Aigis. Try saying something like ‘Alright I got this’ instead.”

Aigis repeats after her, a little stiffly.

“Alright, I got this!”

Akihiko, keeping watch until they’re good to go, raises a fist, pointing to their right. They got company. The girls flex their weapons in reply and deploy.

…………………….

It takes a few fights to warm up and Minako slowly amps the rhythm, engaging bigger groups of foes in quick succession. Initially, she needs to shout her commands to Aigis but the mechanical maiden adapts quickly and has a good enough combat routine to spot where she can intervene.

Akihiko is grinning as they fight; they’re both at the front and dancing around one another like they’ve always done this. It was two lifetimes ago since he punched something to dust, and it just feels good to pummel shadows to get rid of all the pent-up energy. And he's got quite a bit of it.

Minako is doing a gesture to Yukari and Aigis toward one of the shadows to request gales and suppressing fire then dives back his way, sidestepping behind him with evoker in hand to summon beams of darkness toward some of the other threats. He covers her on the way, discouraging one inky appendage headed toward her back with a few rapid jabs but takes a bad hit for it.

Akihiko stands his ground nonetheless, grunting through the pain and guarding as Yukari is already raising her evoker. Io’s healing takes effect to refresh their cuts and bruises, while Palladion sweeps half of the field in a bullrush.

Minako’s eyes briefly glaze over to commune with Fuuka, then she puts three fingers on his shoulder to request support and steps in front of him, using her naginata like an extended sword to slice him some breathing space. He dances back under the swipe and behind her with his evoker to his skull, calling Polydeuces to rain down mayhem on everything. The air pressure flips upside down and blinding bolts of lightning start exploding around them to vaporize the rest.

Feels good to be alive!

They’re standing back-to-back, panting hard. Their shoulders are barely a finger apart, her hair is dancing because of static, and Akihiko laughs as motes of fading darkness snow everywhere.

Yukari is shaking her head like he's insane, but Aigis takes it in stride, impassive.

“Hot Damn’ As they say.”

……………………………

Both teams meet back in Tartarus’ lobby to swap Aigis with Junpei and they deploy back again, mixing it up. Minako confers with her brother for a minute and runs back their way.

“The Shock Troop is back on the menu, Yukari on sniper duty, I’ll support. We’ll get to the next roadblock and call it a night.”

Iori woops in delight and high fives Akihiko on the way to the teleporter pad. They make a good frontline duo and the next shadows they cross will have no chance. They prove that confidence right over the next floors.

The trio of powerful entities blocking the stairs upward end up being fire-oriented, so Iori is assigned to take point, barely affected by the inferno that engulfs the room in short order. Liquid red flames are bathing the floors and Yukari is focus firing one of the strange contraptions to take it down, doing her best to stay out of hazard range.

Rolling this way and that to dodge the chaos, not quite resistant like Junpei but way more mobile, Akihiko is working double-time to follow his companion’s blade strikes with resounding cracks of his gauntlets. They just need to take one out of the fray and things will get better but in the meantime he's switching from one to another to keep them busy. Minako has her evoker firing nonstop to actualize her repertoire of personas, eyes trailing scarlet haze, expending energy continuously to contain the effects of the heat around them all.

Cinders from the shadow’s attacks extinguish almost before they touch them, countered by the motes of life from a musician apparition. A small fairy is next, zipping around her head and blowing shooting stars Akihiko’s way. As the power takes effect, he can swear Minako’s hands are raking his hair like a whisper, shielding him from the worst of the flames’ sting so he can keep the shadows busy and out of her way. Then it’s a two-headed wolf from hell that seems to leap from behind her to assist Junpei with a howl of power that makes him grin in delight. Takeba scores a bullseye with a satisfied cry and a bastard sword cleaves the weakened target in half.

“Perfecto!”

Two to go.

……………………………

It’s a ragtag band of tired teenagers that make their way back to the dorm in the gloom of the Dark Hour, Iori keeping them awake with an agitated retelling of his exploits at the front. Yukari is complaining about the smell of smoke on her clothes to Fuuka, everyone’s a little grimy and hairstyles are a little wild across the board, but none of that matter.

He fought until his shoulders ached and his knees started giving way, until her eyes ran out of red tears of fire to summon figments of her soul. And now they’re all spent at the back of the group, barely grazing their sooty fingertips in passing, content.

Chapter Text

It’s, simply put, a beautiful day.

Akihiko opens his eyes, his heart still beating fast despite the long rest after a jog. Clouds are breezing above like puffs of clustered bath bubbles, slanted light shining through the breaks in between to illuminate their contours in bright yellows. There’s a gentle wind, just cold enough that he half-unzipped his red hoodie to cool off the sweat glistening down from his neck.

He's sitting on the horizontal bar, the long morning shadows of the trees painting part of the playground in stripes of ink, delicately running the tip of his fingers against Minako’s shoulder. She’s standing below on his left, her back to the bar and her head barely leaning on his knee, her ponytail writhing in the breeze like so many coppery snakes on his lap.

A cellphone rings in some beaty melody and stops soon after; her hand is snoozing the alarm in her pocket.

It’s been at least 5 times.

They’re probably in some trouble at this point, they need a shower before school and at least a decent snack; they ran here pretty hard and they barely slept.

I should probably care. I can’t. Not today.

Forever or barely a minute passes, but eventually the alarm rings again. This time, Minako takes a glance at the clock on the cellphone by barely sliding it out of her hoodie pocket, never moving from her position.

“…We can make it if we run back.”

…………………………

The monorail is packed again since it’s the last one that gets to Gekkoukan on time. Apparently, summer makes everyone late, so they’re stuck standing in the crammed space. Akihiko is shielding her from most of the crowd and holding on the handrail above. Minako is standing facing him but eyes on the passengers, earphones on as usual, her arm above to steady herself as well.

Except her burning hand is on his exposed inner wrist, her fingers resting in his palm inside his glove, and nobody is none the wiser as he stares at the sea, waves crashing in his mind.

…………………………

Akihiko leaves boxing club with a stack of instruction plans and a few notebooks filled with stats to peruse. A lot of the training regimen on the team needs adjusting before the regionals to give them that last good push and it’s not something he can scribble on the fly. He could wait for tomorrow and prep it in the afternoon for club week, but that would be cutting it short.

Sighing, he makes a stop at Hakagure instead of the dorm; better to nail this now and keep tomorrow free, it’s Sunday and there’s no school. Needing the space, he takes a table at the back, orders his meal, and takes all his paperwork out with a sigh.

This might take a while.

…………………………

It’s early evening by the time he gets back to the dorm, somewhat jittery. They’re going to Tartarus again tonight and he just wants to unwind a bit, perhaps he can slide in a short routine to warm up beforehand.

He walks in the lobby and Minako is sitting in a corner of the larger sofa, holding what looks like a handheld game console. By herself, for a change.

“Oh, hey, you’re back.”

She flashes him a smile and keeps pushing buttons, then sighs and shakes the device in the air like it offended her.

“Goddamit, again!”

Curious, Akihiko places his bag on one of the seats and folds his jacket on top before sitting next to her.

“What’s this?”

She reorients herself somewhat to the side so he can look over her shoulder at the screen.

“Junpei’s been having issues with this boss, and I promised him I’d take care of powerleveling his team since he did so well yesterday, but his equipment sucks.”

He raises an eyebrow, laughing.

“Are you bribing him with video games?”

Minako chuckles, making a haughty pose.

“Hey, a good leader uses anything at her disposal to keep the morale high. Plus, if I fix that gear and update his party, he’ll owe me a favor. I can use that.”

Maybe it’s her smug voice, or her teasing streak that he rarely gets exposed to, but he’s feeling cheeky suddenly and he smirks at her.

“A good leader makes do even if the parameters suck.”

She eyes him with mock outrage.

“Are you saying I’m not?”

“No that’s not it, quite the opposite, you’re good because you can adapt, and I respect that.”

Minako huffs playfully, slightly blushing, but he’s smirking still.

“Now prove it.”

She narrows her eyes in reply, piqued.

“Is that a challenge?”

Oh oh, she’s worse than Shinji!

“If you want. If you can’t do it first try, you owe me a favor.”

“Wow, and I thought you believed I was a good leader a minute ago. You’re on!”

She side-eyes him with something of an evil stare, but reboots the console and reloads her savegame, pursing her lips all the while. She’s going through the menus for a bit, grumbling about Iori being a dummy and can’t he figure out to leverage accessories, then speaks up.

“Alright, I’m ready, look over if you want, in case you think I’m cheating too.”

Someone’s a little riled up.

He chuckles but looks over her shoulder nonetheless as she engages the boss. Her eyes look intense in the reflection of the game console, scrounged and darting every which way to direct her virtual party members.

The good thing to do would be to let her win and she probably will at that, but the competitive streak in him really wants that favor. There’s absolutely nobody around but they could come back any second and her back is turned to him, the screen raised at somewhat of an angle so he can observe.

Akihiko leans over to get a better view and there’s something in the reflection of her eyes on the glass that wavers. His brow furrows, and the dawning realization that he’s always looking at her from the back without a window to her reaction hits him like a ton of bricks.

It’s not cheating, not really, it’s just going to be incidental. Curiosity is ramping up the cacophony of sound in his mind and he leans closer, not touching her, just enough she can feel him.

There it is again.

Her eyes are twinkling and she exhales slowly. He just takes two gloved fingertips to the middle of her spine and trickles them down slowly, barely brushing the fabric, watching her eyes widen by proxy. His ears are buzzing, dimming the game’s sound to a murmur.

Score.

“If you tickle me and I break this, you’re paying for it!”

I don’t care.

She’s still playing, and he lets his fingers trail back up, watching her bite her lips in furious concentration in the game’s backlit glass. He couldn’t care less about how her boss fight is going, he’s just entranced by the intensity churning in those rubies.

Minako is still wearing her school ribbon, holding her shirt collar high, but her head is angled a bit down. Just enough that he can tickle his nose with her hair and breathe slowly on her neck, lips parted, amazed at the fluttering of her lashes.

There’s a galaxy of vivid and specific memories standing somewhere in the very padlocked backroom of Akihiko’s brain but a single one escapes, and he catches it in passing.

His parted lips are barely a hair from her earlobe when they hear a sound and jump in fright. It’s Ikutsuki, standing in the open doorway of the dorm, with his hand on Ken’s shoulder.

Chapter Text

It’s a good thing they are going to Tartarus tonight because the unease is driving him insane, and he needs some way to vent it out.

Akihiko isn’t that much of a liar to begin with, but he can admire how quickly Minako could morph into a completely unphased bubble of energy in a two second span. Maybe it helped sell his temporary nonchalance, ruffling his hair on the sofa like it’s no big deal and they were just talking. She's chatting up Ikutsuki like it's nothing, greeting Ken warmly with a smile and it's slightly unreal how less than a minute ago she was right here, unraveling. 

At least Ken has no idea, about any of the things he shouldn’t know about, some more dire than others. That’s something at least, the kid already looks uncomfortable enough, overwhelmed by her presence. Minako can be a bit much sometimes, not that he minds.

Just need to suck it up for a few weeks until he goes back to his dorm. 

The sudden hot and cold is doing a number on him and he can't process. Alerted by the noise, Fuuka and Yukari are coming downstairs to greet their temporary guest and Akihiko takes the opportunity to flee to his room. Three hours to go before they need to deploy, enough for some warmup sets, or a nap. Or a shower. Or a mix of all of the above.

There’s screeching static all over his head and he’s seeing her half-lidded red eyes in every reflective surface.

……………………………

They’re on the backup team tonight with Mitsuru, letting Minato and the others take point instead so everyone gets a chance to push themselves. Starting on lower floors, they start engaging small groups, careful not to overreach since it’s only the three of them and they need to pace themselves in case they need to switch.

But it’s starting to feel a little too easy and Akihiko is chomping at the bit to let loose a little. Minako seems to be thinking the same, eying him.

“There’s only two groups of shadows left down this way according to Fuuka; what do you say we just bundle it all in one go Mitsuru-senpai?”

The heiress shakes her curls, adjusting her evoker holder.

“You sound just like your brother. Akihiko’s been sharing his recklessness around, I see.”

He snorts at this one, mock offense on his face.

“They’ve always been like that Mitsuru. He probably uses less words though, knowing him.”

Minako is throwing him an evil look, sticking her tongue out at him and Mitsuru chuckles again in amusement at the show.

“Well, we don’t have all night!”

Akihiko sneaks ahead to get the jump on their first opponent and runs a countdown with one raised hand, then slides in and punches the first unaware shadow upside down with a sharp clap of his knuckles. Mitsuru joins in, rapier lunging to finish it off, her lips curled in a grim smile. Minako is already showering him with different enhancements, evoker to her head, brushing ether through his hair again. He shivers and rolls his shoulders, hopping to the right to drill into another otherworldly manifestation.

“Let it snow senpai!”

Minako covers Mitsuru so she can step back and use her own evoker, raining large blocks of ice on the battlefield. A tail whip comes her way and she uses her naginata like a lever to spring back out of the way, then bounces back forward to slash in counter.

One of Mitsuru’s targets freezes solid and she wastes no time in jabbing it to oblivion with quick stabs of her rapier, taking it out of the fray. Akihiko eyes the other batch of shadows turning the corner, slides behind Minako and shoots Polydeuces out of his mind to call for lightning. It’s not quite effective, but it brings them over so they can wipe the floor with the lot of them.

He jumps back in melee, distracting a few of the new opponents as they come into the fight with resounding jabs and quick footwork, while Mitsuru explodes some of the snakes with a crackle of cold.

“Loa, come forth!”

The demonic icon manifests in a splash of blue flames above Minako’s head, opening its skeletal jaw to scream death on the battlefield. Beams of darkness fly everywhere, vaporizing some of the shadows into dust. What little remains, the trio hack into submission in short order, crisscrossing the battlefield like skaters in a rink.

Akihiko wipes his cheek with his forearm, he’s feeling slightly more relaxed now.

…………………………

The way back isn’t quite as energetic as the previous day, the Dark Hour takes its toll and subsequent visits only make it worse. Even Iori, always fired up about fighting, is yawning something fierce.

Akihiko could keep going, but it's not a bad idea to pace the team through the schedule she has in mind; it's not going to get any easier. He doesn’t mind though, he’ll follow her in hell if need be but mostly, he wants to be there to hold her back if she stumbles.

She’s so stubborn.

They walk as a group and he's cracking his fingers absently, a small grin on his face. Minako looks back at him once or twice, a speculative gleam in her eyes, and he shyly smiles back at her. She’s herded into Iori’s conversation once again by one of Aigis’ questions and Akihiko hears Mitsuru’s polite chuckle from his back.

“What?”

She’s smiling, eyes demure, like she knows something.

“Nothing.”

He raises an eyebrow in reply, as if. Mitsuru looks at him for a few seconds, then moves along like she’s strolling an art gallery.

“You just seem to be getting along quite well.”

That’s… one way to put it.

………………………….

He wakes up next morning somewhat refreshed despite the short night; repeated insomnia keeps one used to lack of rest apparently. She’ll be busy all day and he’s disappointed there might not be any chance to steal some of her time, but at worst they’ll make do tonight. He takes a shower and just as he’s about to head out of his room, Akihiko notices something jutting from under it. Did someone slide a note under his door?

He opens the neatly folded paper, curious.

You are such a cheater!

There’s another paper scotched upside down right under and when he flips it, he laughs.

Score.

It’s a charm she drew with colored ink pencils that says 1 favor in neat handwriting.

Chapter Text

Club week is more brutal than he anticipated; coupled with nightly visits to Tartarus it’s starting to test the limits of his endurance. Minato, Yukari, Minako and Akihiko are all committed to training all day, running ragged with their respective sport teams and Iori is throwing it in their faces every evening. At least it’s a good workout, except morning runs had to go for now; they need some sleep somewhere.

He must admit Minako’s idea of changing the roster every night is inspired; it keeps the others refreshed and rotated every day but it’s only some of them. Akihiko and Minako are deploying every night, spreading mass destruction with different duos in tow, rising up the tower at a decent clip.

During her free time, Fuuka updated the control room monitors to leverage some of the newly approved Dark Hour cameras in a few choice spots in the city, letting whoever is on standby relax at the dorm and watch for any suspicious activity on the feeds instead of patrolling on foot across town. The girl has a real gift with electronics.

How did Minako convince Ikutsuki and Mitsuru to okay that kind of expense, and so quickly?

It pays off on Tuesday night, when Minato and Yukari, assigned to command room duty, spot a poor lost soul wandering to the shadows’ song toward Tartarus and promptly escort him home safe and sound.

One less rescue to worry about. Why Minato though? He wasn’t tired that day.

…………………………..

It’s now Wednesday and he’s done wolfing down his lunch in the clubroom, watching his fellow boxers enjoying their break. He’s been strict on them all morning and they deserve it, but it’ll do wonders for the regionals. He keeps perusing his notes, scribbling some observations down on a few club members to adjust what to work on next day.

A murmur echoes around the room and most of his team moves to the windows overlooking the courtyard.

“Check it out dudes!”

“Wow, nice legs!”

The tennis club is passing near the windows to get to the courts, in the back of the courtyard, making all the boys giddy. He barely pays attention until he spots her, she’s looking straight ahead, bouncing along the other girls like it’s nothing.

Minako glances through the windows and flashes him a secret smile when she sees him. Must be the sun bright above or the exertion but her eyes are glowing, leaking color on her cheeks. He nods back with a grin of his own and his fellows start whispering but he doesn’t care.

You should see her during the Dark Hour, she’s breathtaking.

…………………………..

She’s less energetic when he sees her later, sitting with her twin on a bench while waiting for the monorail, sharing earphones like they often do. Minato has an arm around her frame and she’s leaning heavily on his shoulder, eyes barely open, staring at the station bustle with a bleary gaze.

She hasn’t noticed him yet but her brother does, looking at him through his blue locks of hair, lips slightly pursed like he’s irritated. Akihiko cocks an eyebrow up, glancing at his sister like it’s a question and Minato rolls his eyes.

The wagons are rolling in and he stays aligned with the one just next to theirs, intent on observing from afar. There’s a chance her brother will convince her to take a breather, but he has some doubts, she’s determined to see this through. Akihiko hides in the crowd, watching her shake her head and get up, a bounce in her step like this was just a short break. From the bench to the door he can see her breathe in the mask and put it on like armor.

But there’s a strain in her movements that he might not have immediately noticed unless he saw the transition, something in the way she’s holding her gaze too high to avoid dropping her eyes to the floor. It’s subtle, but it’s more noticeable when you spend your whole day imprinting her every move in your brain.

Minako’s holding on to her brother to share headphones, not looking his way, as they glide back to the dorm. But he’s looking at Minato, and he nods at her twin’s unspoken question.

…………………………..

Minako is fumbling around in the fridge, looking for something to drink, when he decides to face the music. The kitchen is functional but quite tiny, and mostly, nobody from the populated lounge sees inside from the angle of the doorway. Akihiko just leans in said frame, effectively blocking the way, and her potential exit.

“Hey.”

She takes a water bottle out and smiles at him.

“Hey you, senpai."

He eyes her carefully, trying to gauge her mood, unsure. Deception is not his forte and there’s no way he'll sound as subtle as he wants, he might as well just say it.

“I think we should let Minato take point tonight and stay on control room duty.”

Minako’s eyes narrow in irritation.

“Why? I’m fine, it’s just 3 more days before camp, I can manage.”

I knew she was going to dig in.

“You of all people have been going above and beyond. It’s okay to take a rest now and then, you deserve it.”

Her glare just intensifies as she takes a sip of her water, closing the fridge in a huff. He sighs and leans toward her, but she backs off toward the counter to avoid him.

“No cheating!”

Taken aback, Akihiko stops moving instantly. Minako, eyes wide, instantly mellows her anger.

“No, I’m sorry, I just meant…”

Everything’s just jumbling inside out, he clenches his hands and takes a deep breath. There are people right there in the lounge and he doesn’t want to cause a scene so he whispers, looking sideways because he can’t face her.

“I wasn’t… trying to… I’m just worried about you, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

His thoughts full of troubled cacophony, he turns on his heels and goes back upstairs to his room slowly, wondering where it all went wrong.

Chapter Text

Akihiko has been fumbling with the camera controls for almost thirty minutes now, trying to get the hang of swapping and adjusting the views. It’s something to keep busy and he better get the practice in before the Dark Hour, he’s not the most tech-savvy person and this takes some getting used to.

I’m only really good at breaking things, apparently.

He scratches his hair irritably, there’s a sparking itch crawling up his neck and he keeps clacking the wrong keys. Now if he could only get the gallery view up again that would be nice. Computers are like the half-formed words crowding his mind; they make no sense and what he wants to find is never where he expects it to be.

He takes a shaking breath, grumbling, and tries again. He accidentally brings up the dorm cameras from the lobby and barely takes a glance before shutting that down quickly.

I don’t even want to know.

He saw one of them locking the door, and that’s all he needed. They’re en route, whoever they currently represent in the syntax of the five figures he saw get out of the dorm vaguely, and he’s here. Some of them stayed to sleep, he’ll never know who, It doesn’t matter.

It will take them a while to get to Gekkoukan and he just needs to figure out that stupid gallery option, avoid looking at the screen in case he spots her hairpins in the staircasing group and wait until the Dark Hour hits. Once they’re in, Akihiko can just wait here until the clock resumes, go to bed, and toss around like he always does.

He's mad, confused, forlorn and mostly tired. Maybe it’s a clumsiness born of frustration, but he passes a hand on his face to dispel the brain fog and accidentally hits something on the keyboard with his elbow. The gallery view is magically set on screen, and he couldn’t say why.

I’ll take it.

Apparently when you stop trying, sometimes things get fixed by themselves. Too bad it’s limited to technology in his case.

He looks at the clock; twenty minutes to go. Crossing his arms on the console counter, Akihiko rests his head on his wrist, looking toward the window absently. He moves his foot from toes to heel in circles on the carpet to stay awake, his storm gray eyes fixed on the billowing overcast outside.

…………………………………..

Reality lurches this way and that as the clock strikes midnight, reverberating in the command room like a bell. The sky changes hues, the lightbulbs flicker and dim out, then the air turns stale. Akihiko sighs and gets up, stretching. This is going to be so much worse than the month he spent in recovery. He takes a cursory glance at the screen, taking stock of the cameras now that he dares to look; nothing to see so far.

The glare of the monitor, sickly green, is hard to endure in the filter of the Dark Hour from up close, so he takes a walk around the spacious command room to find the best vantage point, finally setting on the corner of one of the sofas. He can alternate between the screen and the window outside to rest his eyes, they’re prickly because of fatigue. He rubs an eyelid with the top of his wrist absently.

There’s the slightest of creak from the baseboards in the corridor.

Should have closed the door all the way.

The wood groans again softly, then a third time. For a second, he’s very tempted to feign being asleep, but it might invite the intruder to wake him up, so he settles on looking out the window with a scowl. That usually deters people from messing with him and he doesn’t even want to acknowledge whoever it is.

Except he can recognize that lithe silhouette from the corner of his eye anywhere and he’s going to implode from inner chaos. He should turn around, say something, look at her, anything, but he’s stuck facing the window and biting the inside of his lip in sudden dread.

At least she stayed.

And judging from what he gathered from her attire, she rested. Her hair is down, and she’s dressed in the kind of comfortable loungewear one wears to sleep. Minako walks slowly to stand behind him until he feels her warmth near his head, and he murmurs.

“You should be in bed.”

She sighs softly.

“This is a two-person job, and I hate having nightmares.”

The Dark Hour is always remarkably silent by its very nature, and without the echoes and marble floors of Tartarus, Akihiko can distinctly hear her lick and pinch her lips nervously. Something inside his chest goes sideways at the sound, then cloth shuffles and her fingers are barely brushing the space next his hair like a gust of wind, as if she’s hesitating. He really wants to reach around and catch her hand to hold it, but he clenches his on his lap instead.

If you step back again, I’ll break.

He bites down, it’s easier because he’s not looking at her and he tries his best to focus on the window.

“You’re stronger than any of us. I know that… But I wish you didn’t have to be.”

He pauses, catches a breath, exhales shakily, squishing his eyes shut.

“I just… didn’t want you to risk yourself. The thought of you fighting, and slipping, or getting hurt, it… it just fucks me up inside.”

He can feel Minako sit down in his line of sight, next to him, so close yet so far away. It's really hard to look at her, the crimson of her eyes is shimmering with wetness akin to blood because of the stopped time and she looks so fragile. She gazes at his balled fists with anguish, drawing a shuddering breath. Her hand is trembling when she raises it toward his face until her fingertips press in the silver above his left ear. Cupping his cheekbone with her palm, she brushes her thumb above his eyebrow, looking at him with a mix of wonder and sadness.

“I’m sorry Akihiko… it’s hard to…”

His eyes are definitely going wild and he can’t help but lean into her hand. She’s whispering again.

“The closer you are… the more… defenseless I get. If I have a weakness, it’s definitely you.”

His brain chokes on that one, hard. He tries to pull at the clouds in his mind but they all evade him so he settles to talking in a different way, nuzzling her hand and pressing a glove on top of it to keep it there. He rests his lips on the inside of her wrist, where her pulse is dancing like mad, the warmth of her skin marring his cheeks red as he finally answers.

“I guess we really are the same… because… that goes both ways.”

He feels her heartbeat for a few seconds, relishing the proof she’s here, alive, before he draws shivers on her skin with his breath.

“I just want us both to live long enough… to figure out what this is.”

Minako nods with a wan smile, her eyes melting into his like cinders, shooting stars falling from her lashes.

“I’m sorry, I’m just… so tired and…”

He trails his glove from her hand to her elbow, gently beckoning her toward him, his other arm barely extended in invite. And she accepts, melting into him with such complete abandon that he leans backward with her, letting his head lay on the sofa’s armrest.

Akihiko’s smothered under a blanket of living fire, her face burning through his bones where it lays on his chest and he drapes an arm around her shoulders to keep her close. Her fingers are still cradling the left side of his face and he puts a hand back over hers, not wanting her to let go. His thoughts are filled with reverberations as she strokes the hair above his ear, and he dares not move. He’s just looking at the monitor with hooded eyes, his breath on her pulse, holding her as she falls asleep on him.

…………………………

They’ve been motionless for more than thirty minutes, Akihiko just listening to her heartbeat like it’s all that exists when a weird sound starts coming from the console. One of the feeds is flashing red and yellow with a “Motion Detected” warning printed on top.

Shit.

Chapter Text

At least Naganaki Shrine isn’t far. Minako and Akihiko grab evokers, weapons and communication devices, then kick Iori’s door and ask him to catch up before rushing out of the dorm running. It’s not a full moon, but any shadow out of Tartarus is a risk, better not take any chances.

He can hear a warbling liquid smack he knows all too well and the sound of other impacts coming from the park ahead, then a loud high-pitched whine that doesn’t sound human. By the time they get there, all that remains is the shadow’s cloud of dust floating in the still air, some scorch marks across the playground and a white animal laying on its side next to the shrine gate. Minako gasps in shock and runs to it.

“Koro-chan?”

She crouches next to the dog, assessing its injuries with trembling hands. It's laying in a pool of blood, whimpering pitifully.

“Oh my god… Call Fuuka, ask Junpei to bring a medkit, this might not be enough.”

She grabs her evoker and raises it to her ear.

“Virtue!”

An angelic figure made of glass bursts in actualization, flapping its wings around her and the injured creature with a shower of blue motes. Akihiko is fumbling with the Dark Hour communicator, adjusting the frequency to join those near Tartarus.

“Yamagishi, can you hear me?”

There’s some screeching before she answers.

“Senpai, are you and Minako okay?”

“Yes, you on your way back? I think you guys better come right away, we’re at Naganaki Shrine. There was a shadow but…”

He looks at Minako, covered in blood, ripping her sleeve out to make bandages with tears in her eyes.

“The little fella’s been injured… I wanna save him if we can.”

……………………………..

By the time the expedition team makes it to their location, Junpei’s already with them, petting the poor broken creature to calm it down. Minako is desperately trying to stop the bleeding with compresses Akihiko is passing on to her from the medkit. Fuuka immediately joins them on the floor, tears in her eyes, stroking the dog’s ears.

“Are you okay, Koro-chan!?”

Mitsuru looks confused at her outburst.

“You know this dog?”

Yukari crouches down as well, evoker in hand, Minato in tow.

“Yeah, everyone around here does… We have to help him!”

Io and Minato's seamstress persona add their own power in the mix, replenishing the shiba inu’s vitality, but it’s not enough to staunch the wound that keeps oozing black. Akihiko talks over his shoulder at the others, raking his hand in the soft white coat while ripping a new sticky tape with his teeth.

“Man… He’s one tough fighter. He defeated that shadow all by himself before we got here.”

Junpei looks up, confused.

“You mean the dog’s a persona-user?”

Aigis, who’s been hovering near Minato like a second shadow, cocks her head to the side while taking in the dog.

“He says, this is a place of peace, so I protected it. There are flowers over there.”

Fuuka looks at the bouquets near the shrine gate with a side glance.

“Those must be for the priest who died in the accident, his former owner. He must really be guarding this place.”

Sighing in fatigue but still raising her evoker with stained hands, Minako summons her persona again to shower the dog with fireflies like a refreshing downpour. Junpei’s looking at Aigis with curiosity.

“Uh, Aigis? Don’t tell me you can translate dog language too?”

The robotic maiden simply answers him matter-of-factly, she’s still far from sounding human.

“Canines do not have their own language. However, speech is not the only means of communication.”

Eh, that’s very… astute indeed.

All he can focus on is the dog’s determination and loyalty at defending what’s important to him, at the cost of his life if necessary. Akihiko knew dogs could be devoted, but this is extraordinary and humbling. He smiles when he strokes his fur and Koromaru looks at him, lolling his tongue.

“This fella really is a rare breed.”

Mitsuru takes her dead cellphone out, looking at the moon.

“The Dark Hour is almost out; I can probably arrange a vet as soon as power comes back.”

………………………..

It’s a somber trek home afterward, not knowing if Koromaru will pull through. The junior girls are chatting in low tones at the front of the column like they often do and Fuuka sounds wistful.

“I’m really glad you guys caught that shadow on the cameras and came on time, poor Koro-chan…”

Minako is holding her grimy hands in her back to avoid caking blood on her friends, yawning before pitching in.

‘It’s all because of you Fuuka. You managed to make those modifications happen so quickly once I asked Ikutsuki, I expected a lot more delays to get this up and running. Thanks to you, we saved a life, that’s something.”

Their navigator sounds all shy at being put on the spot, murmuring.

“You know, I didn’t really have to do much, just program the camera gallery matrix and the alerts, the cameras were already there before I started. That took no time at all!”

Yukari puts her hand on her shoulder, smiling at her.

“Take the praise, we’re all grateful, some of us can relax at the dorm and still be useful, you can’t be in two places at once.”

Minako snorts, amused, and whispers her way.

“Just admit you like my idea because you had the perfect excuse to stay home alone with my brother in privacy!”

Takeba instantly bristles at this one, stuttering in panic.

“Minako! Keep your voice down! That’s… that’s…  not it at all! I just… needed a break that day! Archery club is intense sometimes, and… I’m afraid to… be alone in the dark so…”

Well, well, well…

Akihiko bites down a chuckle and looks sideways at Minato, who’s slightly blushing and frowning back at him with a murderous eye. It’s a good thing Iori is busy chatting Aigis about animal language and not listening to any of this, or he’d tease Yukari to no end.  He turns his face back forward, not wanting to antagonize him further, and his gaze falls on his sister.

She’s passing under one of the street lamps, dimly casting her in a cone of light. Her eyes look bleary but her expression is one of dreamlike contemplation; probably the fatigue and the concern for their rescue. Except she’s still holding her bloody hands in her back, one clasping the other, running her thumb on the inside of her wrist like a caress absently.

That wrist. Akihiko can feel the heat rush up his ears and he bites down on his lip.

Minato picks up the pace and jabs him lightly in passing with his elbow, mumbling something.

“Takes one to know one. Good luck with that.”

Chapter Text

There’s no correlation between her absence, the fact that he didn't get to hang out with her much and how he’s feeling right now, none at all. It must be the tiredness from the last two treks to Tartarus, coupled with lack of sleep, that’s making Akihiko twitchy as he reviews the team stats in the clubroom. They really went all out too; just another visit before the full moon and they should make it to the next roadblock in the tower, clearing the way for further exploration after the operation.

Despite what it cost them all in energy and time out with friends, the team is in tip top shape to tackle the next large shadow and it shows. Minako seemed much more confident yesterday night on the way back to the dorm than on the ferry after Yakushima. He sighs, he can almost feel her hair whipping on his cheeks in the wind, seagulls crying under a blasting sun.

It’s only two days. 

She took the train for the fellowship in Inaba early and she might as well be on the moon by now. He got plenty of things to keep him busy here until she comes back too, between errands and his own fellowship at Gekkoukan against another school’s club, but it’s just not the same. Even the sun’s gone, hiding behind a heavy cloud cover today like it decided to tag along with her.

His hand is clasping the club notepad a little too hard, crumpling the paper. A boxer is not supposed to train the day of a match, to keep all the energy for the fight, but Akihiko decides there’s no choice but to. If he doesn’t empty his mind of the static clutter that's flooding it, there’s no way he can win, and he’s not here to lose.

He’s a little winded by the time it’s his turn to step into the ring for his own match against the opposing team captain, but at least the tension in his limbs died down a bit. A bout is always won with the mind when fighting at equal strength, so before the bell rings he closes his eyes and pictures her.

The shooting stars of her magic are setting in his hair like so many windblown kisses.

He shivers and all surrounding sounds stop until just his heartbeat remains pounding in his ears.

She’s sliding in his shadow, staying back-to-back with him. Her shoulder is brushing against his spine and she’s holding her evoker to her head.

He opens his eyes, completely focused. If she’s standing with him, he can’t ever back down.

…………………………………

It’s not that he hates kids, it’s more like this one in particular makes him uncomfortable. There are circumstances to his unease of course, but also, the stares of admiration are a bit much. Usually, Ken seems to feel too awkward about hanging in the lobby since everyone is older or grumpy with lack of rest. But now, said young boy is looking at him starry-eyed ever since he came back to the dorm.

“Yukari told me you absolutely destroyed the opposing team at the inter-school event, that true?”

He scratches his hair, looking away. This is embarrassing, even though it’s true.

“Uh, well… I wouldn’t go that far…”

“Really? Apparently Yukari couldn’t get the archery club to pay any attention during their competition because it’s all the girls could talk about. It really ruined her mood.”

Just great.

Ken is fidgeting in excitement, pointing at his gear on the table.

“Is it because you wore your lucky gloves? I heard you’re undefeated with them on.”

“Yeah, it’s no big deal, really…”

The gloves had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Iori, sprawled on the sofa with a manga and some snacks, jumps in the conversation.

“I don’t think the dude can lose; he won all his matches so far! It’s actually really impressive how dedicated he is.”

Ken beams at Akihiko again.

“That’s exactly what Minako-senpai said the other day.”

And, of course, Junpei, ever curious about the thoughts of his female dorm mates and every single piece of gossip possible, drops his book to stand at attention and wiggles his eyebrows at Ken. Akihiko is trying really hard to remain nonchalant and not that interested, his ears are ringing, and he could leave, but...

“Oh ho, that from when you went for takoyaki with her? What else did she say?”

She went out with Ken? When?

“Well, I don’t recall exactly how it came on the subject really, we talked about a lot of things, but she said he’s like a hero you can trust your life to.”

Well, this is nice.

Akihiko somehow refrains from grinning like an idiot but it’s hard. Junpei nods, looking at the subject of inquiry with an admirative smile.

“Well Mina-tan ain’t wrong, you can trust him in a fight alright, dude packs one hell of a punch! But she must have said something else too?”

Ken ponders, reciting.

“Apparently, he can run really fast and he’s quite strong, and she said he’s so handsome she could die. Something about pretty eyes too, it must be a girl thing.”

Akihiko’s cheeks are prickling and his mind is filling with clouds again, so he runs to the fridge to grab a drink like it was always the plan. Better be somewhere else out of sight to avoid a repeat of the Minato incident, Junpei is not exactly discrete in sharing information across the dorm, quite the opposite in fact.

“Someone has a new girl in the fanclub alright.”

He just keeps preparing his protein shake and deadpans his reply from the kitchen.

“Please drop the whole groupie thing, it’s just annoying and Minako’s not like those harpies.”

“Senpai, you have a fanclub?”

“Dude, all the girls at school just follow him everywhere, it’s like he’s a movie star... Keep playing soccer and maybe you’ll get one too, when you grow up that is.”

Ken muses aloud, excited.

“Then I can impress someone like Minako and invite her to a date, she’s pretty awesome.”

Junpei chuckles with affection at his presumptions.

“You’ll have to get in line, buddy. I bet her phone’s going to be ringing nonstop on festival day; she’s very popular too.”

Lips puckered around his straw and trying to look as indifferent as possible, Akihiko strolls out of the kitchen and grabs his bag to head upstairs.

“Going already senpai?”

“I got matches tomorrow; I need to prep and train.”

Screw the line.

Junpei takes his manga from the table and gesticulates to him like he's on display.

“See? Told you he’s dedicated.”

Chapter Text

Akihiko punches the calculator's buttons in quick succession, jotting down the results of the output in the third column of his notebook. Tapping his pencil on his chin, he goes through his scribbles and the references sprawled all over his desk, he’s pretty sure he missed something he saw in passing about rest time.

Balancing meal plans is never an easy job, and it takes forever, especially since SEES activities are a bit hard to quantify. Nonetheless, he keeps drawing rough estimates, adds in the math for morning runs, and he thinks he got it figured out enough to make his adjustments.

Stretching to smooth the tension in his neck and upper back, he yawns. He’s been sitting at his desk for a while, tapping his foot in passing to the beat in his earbuds to try and get through the task, but Akihiko needs a break before he wraps this up.

His post-shower protein shake is long gone, so he removes his buds, fishes for change in his desk drawer for the vending machine and heads out. Not really paying attention as he exits the door, he almost trips on the package on the floor and catches himself with the doorframe.

I wasn’t expecting any delivery.

Curious, he takes the somewhat heavy little box wrapped in white paper inside and opens it. It’s filled with pieces of cloth to prevent its content from moving around and unfolding it reveals a pair of exquisitely crafted metal knuckles, made to slot with matching reinforced black halfgloves. The steel has a blueish ethereal sheen and just touching them makes his fingers tingle when he tries one on. They’re perfectly sized too, it’s a bit uncanny how well they fit.

Kurosawa doesn’t get weaponry like this.

He checks the package box again for any clue then rummages in the leftover linen it contains, trying to elucidate this enigma, eventually finding a small note at the bottom.

Brought you back a souvenir!

Akihiko chuckles in astonishment, he’d recognize that handwriting in red ink anywhere. Looking at the clock that reads past ten, he reverently takes the gift out of the box to admire it on his desk, unsure if it’s too late or not. He never heard a commotion downstairs when she came back and didn’t really know when to expect her to be in really, but he decides to tempt fate and leave his room, closing the door behind him.

………………………….

There is dimmed lighting projecting out of her half-closed door, so at least she’s not asleep yet. Akihiko hesitates; this feels like a breach of privacy, he never actually went to her room before. Taking a breath, he knocks on the wood lightly and gets no reply, fidgeting in sudden anxiety.

Perhaps she’s downstairs instead and just left it open, but he can hear something faint, like she’s humming softly. Is she listening to music and couldn’t hear him? Curiosity gets the better of him and he looks though the ajar panel, his eyes instantly burning with the sight of her like she’s been gone for months.

Minako is laying on her stomach on her bed, weight on her forearms as she jots down something in a book of some sort. She's holding her undone hair with the other hand to keep it out of the way as she nods to music. Her bare legs are kicking in the air absently and Akihiko’s ears are ringing when his eyes skim over how little her frilly white skirt is hiding in that position. He’s rooted in place, there's something very alluring in her relaxed exuberance, he has to clench his fists to shake himself of his slack-mouthed stare.

I should… probably come back later.

“No Junpei, no video games tonight I’m too tired, maybe tomorrow?”

She’s talking without looking but frowns and eventually turns around, letting go of the cascade of copper strands to tug on her earphones. Her eyes light up instantly when she spots him, twinkling red stars full of warmth, but her smile is shy and she’s blushing furiously for some reason. They both start talking at the same time over each other.

“Hey, sorry…”

“Oh, hey…

She laughs in embarrassment and turns her eyes away, taking a deep breath.

“Sorry, come in… just let me wrap this up for a sec.”

She’s usually not this timid.

Akihiko takes a few steps in tentatively, a bit confused, and looks at what she’s writing in. It’s a planner, covered in her flowery scratchings in multiple colors. He can see some dates circled in bright red, like the next full moon operation, but it’s already filling up fast and he frowns.

“Are you planning your time that much?”

“I have my hands in so many pies and I need to give availabilities for my part-time job. There, I think I covered everything I know about so far…”

She’s about to close her pen by clicking the button on top when he speaks up.

“Do you have anything the evening of the 16^th?”

“Uh, let me check… No, nothing yet, why?”

He’s looking sideways at her desk, uncomfortable, her bare legs take too much space in the scenery and it’s making it hard to concentrate on anything else. The surface is covered in curios and packaged confections, probably from her trip to Inaba, and he stares at a small bunny sculpture still half-wrapped to keep his thoughts in check.

Come on get a grip, she wears skirts all the time.

“I was wondering if you wanted to… I mean, there’s the summer festival at the shrine that day and I was thinking… maybe we could go together.”

Before he’s even done talking, he hears her planner close shut and turns around. Minako is sitting cross-legged, hands next to her knees and the book on her lap.

“It’s a good thing you asked in advance, Rio and Yuko wanted to meet there as a group and I was hoping for a… reason to say no.”

There’s something mischievous dancing in her eyes, and the insinuation that she might have been hoping for him to ask her to the event is cranking the static inside, but Akihiko tries to power through. He’s still so bad at this and he sits next to her without thinking to avoid fidgeting.

“I’m… really glad I did then. Speaking of gratitude, I… got your delivery earlier.”

She glows up, curious.

“So…? Do they fit?”

“They’re amazing actually, I’ve never seen anything like it before, where did you find them?”

Minako’s looking sideways with calculated nonchalance like it’s no big deal, shrugging.

“Oh, just had some time to go shopping and I couldn’t pass the chance when I saw them. I mean, I wasn’t planning on getting you a postcard, that didn’t seem very appropriate for you.”

Akihiko chuckles and swallows, brushing her fingertips with his own nervously.

“Thank you. It’s an amazing gift and I’ll put it to good use.”

She beams at him and runs a thumb of her own across his knuckles.

“You’re welcome, you deserve it, a good leader looks out for her star player, right?”

He bites his tongue, pretty sure of his assumptions now: she's downplaying it hard.

“I also know you went through lot of trouble to get these...”

He keeps staring at her, silent, until she cracks. Suddenly she can’t sustain his gaze and blushes, grumbling.

“Guess there’s no fooling you… Do you remember the supplier Kurosawa mentioned that he couldn’t get much stock from? Well, he lives in Inaba, a very well-known blacksmith too, so I seized the opportunity.”

She’s totally glossing over some details, and he knows it; Minako’s too bashful and he doesn’t even know why he’s pushing but his curiosity needs a resolution. She looks back at him, sees he’s still staring expectantly without moving and sighs dramatically.

“I swear, you… It was very calculated, I admit it, okay? I brought some of the strange metals we found in Tartarus with me, thinking he could perhaps use them. They’re special, and I paid him with some samples to craft something custom for me. Well, for you…”

She slowly takes his hand in between her own and delicately skims her nails on both sides from his wrist to his fingertips, murmuring.

“I have a very good memory…”

Oh my god…

There are two different storms unleashed in Akihiko’s mind, fighting for dominance in answering, and he’s not sure which one to listen to. One of them leads down a path with no coming back and it terrifies him to no end, while the other has a bit more discipline so he picks that one, because he must.

Don’t let the rope snap. Don’t let the rope snap. Don’t let the rope snap.

So very carefully, trembling with control, he takes her into his arms and hugs her tight, burying his face in her hair like his sanity depends on it. In answer, she simply melts into him, humming with contentment. It takes him a while to find his thoughts amid the inner chaos but he eventually does.

“Thank you... I don’t know how I could…”

She chuckles in his shirt affectionately like she knows the rest of the words.

“Well, you can... always… stay.”

And she’s putting some weight behind her words by coaxing him to lie down with a push of her cheek on his chest. He can’t very well refuse after what he just said, so he lets her have her way and she doesn’t follow. She just stays above him looking down, biting her lips in uncertainty under a copper curtain, her hooded gaze glowing like smoldering flames.

“You really don’t have to, I'm being pushy…”

She’s absolutely cheating, there's no way he can refuse anything if she's looking at him like that.

“But I want to.”

Minako's eyes light up with something he can't name, and he holds his breath, his mind choking in fog.

“Wait for me.”

She scampers off to close and lock the door in silence, then shuts the light and slides back against him slowly like she belongs there. He's very thankful for the darkness because he's not so sure how his face looks right now, grinding his jaw shut, his body humming with tension as he cradles her to him.

She yields herself to sleep eventually, sighing softly, but it takes him a long time to relax and doze off despite the warmth. Eventually, a door whines and shuts nearby and he wakes up with a start during the Dark Hour.

And then it dawns on Akihiko that he’s laying in her bed, with her sprawled all over him with those long, naked legs and things could go very wrong if anybody found out about this.

What the hell am I doing?

Minako mumbles something incoherent, snakes an arm to his face languidly and rubs her thumb against his lips gently.

"Shhhhh..."

Her fingers flutter up and brush over his lashes delicately, beckoning him to close his eyes. And so, he does, leaning into her palm, kissing it absently.

Chapter Text

It’s just one of those mornings where you’re not even willing to open your eyes to face the day and want to stay in bed forever in a half-awake state.

Akihiko is laying on his side, not quite conscious, still foggy with the tendrils of some lucid dreams he doesn’t want to let go of. He’s just mentally indulging, cradling an imaginary Minako to him closely, keeping his eyelids shut in place to avoid breaking the spell. He knows how the fantasy plays out and goes along, because he wakes up this way now and then and the script is within bounds he can stay sane with.

He can feel her hand under the side of his head, her fingers resting in the short hair near his ear, and he nuzzles against it. He’s not sure when his obsession with her nails ruffling his strands of liquid silver started but it might have something to do with Tartarus. Deep down he knows it’s just the sunrays heating up his pillow that creates the illusion, but it feels so warm this morning.

His hand trails down her spine like a shiver, just like that day in the lounge when he was looking at her eyes melting in the glass reflection. It’s just so tempting to follow that thought with languid kisses from the palm of her hand to her wrist, which is what he really wanted to do that night and didn’t dare to.

There’s just something about her hands, so delicate and soft yet strong like steel when she wants them to be. Maybe it’s the thousand different ways she manages to burn his soul with the tiniest of brushes, like she’s congealed flame made flesh.

He sighs in contentment, really wanting to fall back into reverie, when he feels something warm snaking over his leg and rubbing at the back of his calf like it wants to entwine around him further. A low hum that sounds suspiciously like a sleepy moan reverberates across his chest and the illusion wavers.

Moans are forbidden, they rattle the padlocks on that door, and he doesn’t want to lose his mind again. He can distinctly feel her heartbeat on his lips and that’s also too many details. That chases the last remnants of fog clinging to his awareness, and it dawns on him.

Oh no no no no...

He opens his eyes in shock and it explains why it smells like flowers and sunlight instead of his usual bed covers; it’s her room, her bed, and it wasn’t just a harmless morning fantasy. It takes him a minute to recollect how he got in his predicament and what exactly happened, then panic sets in like a vice. He’s not supposed to be here, and he’s not supposed to be doing that, especially if she’s not even conscious, that didn’t go so well last time and he doesn’t want to go back there.

Akihiko cranes his neck to look toward the window and sighs in relief when it’s barely daybreak; his early morning habit probably saved him from execution and or damnation. This is his only chance to walk out stealthily back to his room before the rest of the dorm wakes up. His braincells are too busy sparking like popping bubbles to form a coherent excuse as to why he’d even be in Minako’s room so early or so late, depending how you look at it, so he can’t chance it.

It’s almost physically painful to extricate himself from her, not just because it’s suddenly cold but mostly because it’s the last thing he wants to do. She’s warm, she smells nice, it was the best sleep he’s ever had and…

And he’s going to stop thinking about the rest because he’ll never actually go. He also can’t take any chance of waking her up, for various embarrassing reasons and because he might be inclined to stay regardless of the danger. Or continue what he was doing and…

Stop. Just, get out.

He’s definitely not proud of the deception he pulls; he grabs her cellphone on her desk and changes the audio setting to silent to prevent her alarm from waking her up. They usually run very early in the morning together, but if she joins him today, he’ll fly to pieces in some shape or form. And Akihiko definitely needs to run, a lot, to get all of this out of his system. She can probably use the rest, be in top condition for Tartarus tonight; maybe he can use that as an excuse if she gets mad, because she will notice his tampering for sure.

Stop and just go.

He wraps her covers around her so she doesn’t shiver, absolutely not because her ankles are rubbing on each other like she’s searching for something, also not because her skirt is all over the place and he doesn’t dare get an inkling how high it goes.

Stop stalling and go!

He leans over, so very tempted to brush the hair away from her eyes but stops before he touches her and gets up in silence to leave. Luckily, he doesn’t see a soul on the way, all he can hear is Junpei’s loud snoring and he successfully sneaks into his room, ears full of reverb and completely winded in stress.

…………………………………….

He takes the longer scenic route along the south waterfront until he is so out of breath and overheating from the sun that he must stop. The inner noise has calmed down somewhat, enough that Akihiko can function for the rest of the day without being a jittery mess. He takes his time getting back to the dorm, so hungry he could die.

A shower later and eating one of his portioned meals in the lounge, completely out of energy, he sees Minako's frame appear in the staircase. He’s trying to gauge her mood from afar, he might have miscalculated by screwing with her schedule because she had a full day planned.

But she’s bouncing down the steps in a skimpy sundress and a travel bag on her shoulder, earphones on and dancing toward the kitchen, tapping her fingers like drumsticks on every surface she passes to the beat of her music. She ruffles Minato’s blue mop into disarray at the bar counter, who’s sitting with Fuuka and her laptop to look at cooking recipes and he grumbles back, replacing it. Yamagishi laughs softly, like she’s used to the exuberance.

“Good morning Minako!”

Junpei stops slurping his instant ramen from the sofa to holler at her absently.

“Well, someone’s in a good mood this morning!”

She grins from the kitchen doorway at Iori and goes on rummaging in the fridge. She never even looked at him or acknowledged his presence and now he’s thinking he might actually be in trouble.

She gets to the bar counter to slide her snacks in her bag, adjusts its content and grab something from one of its side pockets. The twins exchange a loaded look and she rolls her eyes at him scoffing, then runs off again, this time making a detour behind his chair.

She stops and he holds his breath, a thousand bells ringing in his mind. There’s a lot of people around, not really paying attention to him, but still enough to make him really uncomfortable. Minako giggles and leans over his right shoulder to whisper in his ear, sliding her left arm on the other side to rest on the table’s edge.

“If you’re going to tamper with it, at least make it count!”

She opens her palm and a note with a phone number falls on his lap. He’s about to turn around to look at her when she takes her fingers off the wood and instead steals a piece of chicken on his plate. That takes his eyes back the other way for barely a second and she laughs softly in his ear.

“You’re just too adorable!”

The tip of her nose barely ruffles his hair and she drops a kiss on his cheek in passing before running to the front door like the comet she is, so fast he barely registers. Minako’s halfway through it when she looks back, licking her fingers and eyes gleaming with mirth, cheeks aflame.

“S’really good, thank you!”

The sound of her laughter echoes in the lounge after the door is closed and Akihiko is left dumbfounded at the whole speed of the event, unsure what the hell just happened.

Chapter Text

She is such a cheater. Also, she’s damn fast.

How none of the juniors noticed what she just did blows Akihiko’s mind, and his hesitation to grab her hand before she left is perhaps for the best, that would have let to some strange conversations. No one is looking at him sitting there, dazed, and he’ll take it because his ears are ringing, and he’d rather not discuss her daring curveballs with the dorm entourage. The whole day has already been crazy enough, he’s not sure what little nerve he has left can take more frazzling.

Akihiko just finishes his meal quietly to stay inconspicuous and as he exits the kitchen, Iori looks up at him with a scrounge of concern.

“Dude, did you overdo it again?”

“What?”

“I don’t know how you can stand to run so much in this heat and not faint man, but you look like you need to lie down.”

He blinks back, scratching his hair.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll do that.”

On that note, he goes back upstairs, fiddling with the little paper in his pocket absently and leaving the juniors to their occupations.

……………………………

Akihiko has been laying down, toying with his phone for a good twenty minutes, musing what to type. Not that it’s hard to send a greeting, but doing it from his very empty, cold bed just drives the point that his nightly escapade was particularly amazing in retrospect and now it’s all he thinks about. Sleeping might just never be the same again; everything her little aflame hands touch changes shape for him and it’s bewildering. There's a thousand things he could write, that he wants to say, but that feels more like words he should convey in person instead of through text. 

Phones are for emergencies or leaving messages on Aragaki’s voice mail because he never answers; Akihiko’s not much of a texting person but he figures that if he doesn’t send her anything, she might take it the wrong way. Especially after he’s apparently forgiven for his treachery with her alarm, and how she radiantly made her exit.

He sighs, before he finally presses the send button on something innocuous and probably too formal.

Hi, it’s Akihiko, you can add me as a contact too.

At least now she can reach me if anything comes up. 

And deep down he hopes she does; it might be easier to get a hold of each other this way than hoping for chance encounters in her busy schedule. He flips the phone closed and barely puts it down on his comforter before it dings.

Well, that was fast.

Thank you and done :D XX

He smiles absently, thinking he might use his afternoon to try and hunt down Shinji for a catch-up meal, they haven’t talked in a while and he’s still damn hungry. That would be a good distraction, today is pretty special so far and he could use some predictability to keep himself grounded.

……………………………

Akihiko pokes around in the alley near the station but doesn’t see the figure he was expecting to find. Sighing, hunger pangs starting to become a distraction, he makes his way to the ramen shop anyways.

Maybe I should adjust that meal plan to take sanity runs into account.

Despite the warmth, the restaurant is packed, and the only free spots are near the window looking toward to the plaza of the strip mall. He takes a seat, not in any real hurry to order; he’s got all day. A shadow passes behind him and takes the next seat, grumbling something under his breath. Akihiko just replies back.

“Ah, so that’s why you weren’t at your usual haunt, you were waiting for me to snag a free meal.”

Aragaki rolls his eyes and groans at him, exasperated.

“Like I’d wait for you to show up all day, dumbass.”

He chuckles under his breath and looks at his oldest friend with affection. Shinji narrows his eyes, suspicious.

“You gonna go about one of your recruitment speeches again Aki? Just tell me now so I can up and leave.”

“…I’ll keep it for the end. I’d like you to come back to the dorm, but I’d rather you sit instead of rushing out. Okay with the extra large special?”

The lanky teen adjusts his beanie absently, looking at him strangely, but he nods. Akihiko just gets up to order and comes back, eyebrow raised in interrogation at his unchanged expression.

“What?”

“What, he says. Wow, you really softened up, who slapped you around?”

Stormy eyes narrow in irritation.

“I can still kick your ass, don’t tempt me.”

Shinji grins maliciously in reply and cuffs him lightly on the shoulder.

“Bring it, I’ll send you on a merry-go-round.”

Taking a deep breath, Akihiko softens his gaze and looks out the window instead.

“… You’re lucky I’m exhausted, or I would.”

The server brings their bowls and they both take a few burning bites before resuming their conversation.

“I take it you’re still trying to train yourself to death, you moron.”

Eh, if only you knew, you'd laugh at me.

He smiles softly, still looking through the window.

“We made a promise, and I’m going to keep it. Also, I can’t say I’m not having a lot of fun, Tartarus can be very… fulfilling.”

Shinji slurps his ramen, shaking his head.

“Only an idiot would treat shadow hunting as a hobby. Somehow, that idiot being you, seeing how insane you get about fighting, is the least surprising thing you've told me this year.”

Akihiko chuckles, smiling to himself, imagining Minako plunging down the frontlines with a grim smile.

“Well, she likes it, and she’s anything but.”

He takes another pinch of noodles to his mouth, realizing what he just said, but Aragaki stays silent. Then, he chuckles softly with a tinge of something like affection.

“You two are clearly made for each other, it’s almost a crime. Why am I not surprised? There’s fire in that red minx, she’s violent.”

That sounds a bit… weird.

“How would you know Shinji? You’re not there, and you don’t know her.”

Shadowed under a strand of hair, his steel eyes narrow in answer like they hold a secret, and Shinjiro smiles like a predator.

“Oh I was there. I saw in her action and boy did she impress. That girl has my respect, I wouldn’t make her mad.”

Wait, what?

Akihiko narrows his brows in confusion, that makes no sense.

“What are you talking about?”

And Shinji just laughs.

“Must have been early summer or end of spring. Her and some of your juniors came to the back alley where the bad crowd hangs out, looking for rumors about a bullied girl from Gekkoukan.”

He sips some broth, smiling at him still, like he enjoys knowing about something he doesn’t.

“Some punks were trying to pull them through the ringer, even folded the cap guy in two, but she just stood her ground and gave those dudes a trashing. I was about to rough them up for her, but she did all that herself, barely had to intervene to chase the rabble out. We had a nice chat too.”

They went there by themselves, and he didn’t even know about it… And then she…

Suddenly, Akihiko just starts laughing, amazed, and somehow not that surprised. Aragaki raises an eyebrow.

“I take it she never told you about it?”

“That’s the first time I hear about this, that was reckless.”

Shinji just grumbles in reply, looking outside at the strip mall courtyard as he chows down. His eyes light up and he smiles knowingly, fixated on something.

“Maybe she didn’t want to ruin your impression of her, keep the delicate little sunflower image going, that’s one cute little number that catches the eye alright.”

Akihiko eyes him curiously, then follows his gaze to see what caught his attention, and it’s her.

She came out of the bookstore on the first floor, holding two volumes in her hands and making her way to the plaza; he could spot those hairpins sitting in copper from a thousand miles away. Someone seems to call to her, and she turns around back toward the bookstore to meet an old lady. Minako is smiling at her and talking with contagious enthusiasm, while the storekeeper keeps trying to pass her wrapped treats like she’s a dotting grandma. Eventually they part, not before she hugs the smaller frail woman with affection.

So, she works here too. And that’s where all the treats the juniors get come from.

Seeing her so suddenly, he’s reminded of her liveliness this morning, and the kiss she dropped on his cheek, how it felt to have her close to him all night… And he’s probably smiling like an idiot because Shinji is looking at him with shocked eyes and a weird purse of his lips.

“Aki, you’re almost 18, did you just discover girls? Shit, I thought you were broken.”

Silver eyes stay fixated on her figure, walking toward the station with a spring to her step.

“Shinji, I don’t care at all about girls.”

His friend snorts derisively.

“Really? Because that’s not what this looks like.”

He sighs, dreamily pensive, thoughts just full of her. And perhaps because Shinji and him have known each other forever and went through hell together, the words just stumble out unfiltered for once.

“She’s not just a girl, it's because it's her, and she’s burned her way in everything I know.”

Blinking at the enormity of what he just said, Akihiko resumes his meal like nothing just happened. It feels different when he’s verbalizing what’s going on in his mind, which is for once, clear of any interference.

They both stay silent a good long time and Shinji doesn’t even move his chopsticks, fixing him with an intense gaze he doesn’t want to acknowledge. It’s not his style to stay mute, at all.

If you even try to be funny, I’ll…

“…Did you tell her?”

Akihiko doesn’t answer, keeps eating slowly, eyes glazed.

“Fuck man… I’ve never seen you like this, it’s weird.”

He lightly chuckles at this one. Shinji nudges his shoulder roughly.

“Aki.”

He looks back at him, serious.

“Maybe… You should tell her that.”

Chapter Text

Like its going to be easy, to tell her anything, when it counts he barely keeps himself afloat. Akihiko, laying back in his room after his meeting with Shinji, is very conscious of the fact that he’s not very forward socially with girls to begin with.

The female part of the population was always just people, he could watch his fellow classmates turn giddy because of some skirts or idol and not bat an eye, because why was this important, or relevant to anything? People are people and they are who they are, it’s just that girls make less sense and run in circles with their half-truths and moods, never straightforward with anything.

And then there was her…

He’s well aware of where the comfort zones are where she’s concerned and he tries to stick to them, because the opposite makes his spine itch and his head fill with sparks in a two second span and then he’s just an insomniac mess. Except she keeps cheating, just by existing really if he’s being honest to himself about it, and he’s addicted to the feel of her.

Sometimes he wonders how she does it, being so forward and bold. She’s rarely nervous, she wears her heart on her sleeve and she’s just so expressive. Just thinking about all the different ways her eyes can light up and convey her thoughts, he can already name a few favorites, and quite a few that he can’t identify at all yet.

She made him fold in her bed in five seconds with a sultry red look from above and a lip bite and he never even resisted. She’ll never need little paper favors; clearly, she can get anything she ever wants from him with half-lidded glances full of fire and he’s actually okay with that.

I wonder what that says about me.

Akihiko has to admit to himself that he’s been observing her for a long time now, and his fascination runs way farther back than he expected, he simply couldn’t put any sort of loose label on what it was that was gnawing at his brain all this time. There’s been hairpins and burning red eyes in his mind since forever ago.

And then we go on one vacation and that opens Pandora’s box.

Just thinking it, he knows it’s a lie, the keystone moments were before that. Even before that, although it did put aspects into focus he never expected to discover about himself, nor her. Adding more padlocks, Akihiko sighs, ruffling his hair. All his thoughts are jumbled sideways and backward and even his train of thought is a mess.

At least, when it involves shadows, Tartarus or anything fighting related, he’s coherent enough. None of that nightmare scares him and combat is exciting, perhaps that’s why he’s more relaxed around her in there.

Akihiko looks at the clock, the whole day has been strange, and the Dark Hour isn’t coming soon enough.

…………………………..

To say he’s eager to step into the Tower of Demise again is an understatement; they spent almost all their nights here since the beach vacation, but the short lull when she left for Inaba makes it feel like it was a thousand years ago. Minako seems to be in the same high spirits as of this morning, coasting from one team member to another to chat them up on the way to Gekkoukan, sharing her joie de vivre to cheer them on. Everyone except him that is, and Akihiko wonders if it’s because he never needs any incentive to fight, especially with her.

She ends her rounds with her twin, just bumping into his side until Minato drapes an arm around her shoulders and they walk for a bit, silent and mingling their hair in closeness. Eventually she relents, smacks her brother on the backside and chuckles when he slowly makes his way up the column to hover between Yukari and Mitsuru.

Minako then turns her blazing gaze back his way and stops walking, waiting for him to catch up to her.

“So, it’s my turn for a morale boost?”

Akihiko is slightly amused and he injects it in his tone; he really doesn’t need one, but he’ll take any occasion to slip in some subtle alone time with her despite the crowd. She smirks, something almost wicked dancing in her eyes.

“What can I say, I like saving the best for last.”

Why does this feel like this morning suddenly ?

Clamping down on the flustering is only partially working and he bites down on his smile; she’s disarming when she gets cheeky. Minako falls into step next to him, hands clasped in her lower back and looking forward, so close he can feel her sleeve skimming the air next to him. There’s a rising tide of static filling his mind but despite it, he moves one of his arms behind her to brush her open palm with an exposed phalange.

Being taller and looking down toward her at his side, he clearly sees her eyes glimmer when he touches her, and he smirks slightly. Maybe he’s starting to get the hang of the unspoken invitations. Then the red glint changes form to something he can’t label, and she clasps his hand between her two own, careful to avoid the gauntlet’s dangerous insert, running her nails on his uncovered skin like ghostly paintbrushes.

“Eager to put these through a test run? Because I’m curious too.”

Akihiko flexes the fingers of his unoccupied hand to crack his knuckles in reply, shivering with the sensations. Is she anxious about her gift?

“I don’t have any doubt whatsoever, I can tell they’ll be more than just effective.”

The Dark Hour falls on the world like a curtain, its filter jarring for a few seconds. They both blink through the transition, like this is just a break in the clouds on a sunny afternoon, and keep walking close while Tartarus constructs itself above them like a nightmarish beanstalk.

They’re catching on to the others, so Minako squeezes his hand hard before releasing her grip on it, and Akihiko clasps her fingertips to stroke them with some pressure before opening his hold as well to free her. Like they’re imprinting the sensation before stepping in the mouth of hell to face death and it’s an unspoken rule that it’s a private partake. He’s smiling her way when Mitsuru looks back on them, everyone else already inside Tartarus.

“Good pep talk, leader.”

She smiles at him impishly and takes a deep breath.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

………………………………………………

Minako is somber, a strange determination in her eyes as she looks over at the members of SEES from near the stairs of Tartarus, leaning her head on her weapon’s shaft pensively. They just came back from half of their planned expedition of the night to swap people around groups, and she’s been oddly focused while watching Aigis recharge her ammo.

A sharp contrast to the bubbly violence she was displaying earlier, totally running circles around the latest guardian with him and Junpei. He had missed this; the unspoken dance of death where they’re so attuned to each other that it feels effortless.

“Admiring the results of your daring training schedule? Because it’s impressive.”

Akihiko’s standing near her, rolling his shoulders to shake out the kinks and tension in them. His new gloves are amazing, but they ring like thunderclaps on impact, and it will get him a little bit to get used to the backlash. Absolutely worth it though, he never pummuled so many shadows to dust so quick. Minako smiles pensively at him with a side glance.

“I just hope it’ll be enough… We don’t know what we’re gonna face this full moon.”

“I can’t see how we could be more ready. Now, if you want to go check that passage, we should get going before the Dark Hour ends.”

“Don't threaten me with a good time, you just want to put your toys to the test again.”

Well, that’s kind of true…

Minako nods, standing straight, her voice very soft and not looking at him.

“Hey, do you… Are we still on for tomorrow morning?”

“Uh?”

Oh, the daybreak alarm.

He frowns, this might be complicated to explain truthfully.

“Yes! I’m sorry I did that, I just…”

She just cocks her head to the side, eyes still far away but he can tell from his spot that they’re full of understanding.

“I get it… I just wanted to know if you… needed more space.”

Still as perceptive as ever.

Akihiko waits a bit before answering, mulling the words over. It’s not a lie, but he’ll have to work on it to make it true.

“No, I’m good.”

Chapter Text

Maybe it’s a fantasy of his, but Akihiko likes to indulge in the knowledge that only he can share those little pockets of pure quiet with her at the playground. It’s like a secret privilege he’s been entrusted with and he’s conscious that apart from her twin, perhaps he’s the only one that’s allowed to see her like this.

Or maybe I’m deluding myself into thinking I’m special.

But he’ll trust the illusion because it’s very convincing and it makes him happy just to share this space with her, regardless of who has access to this spectacle in the end.

Today is blistering hot, devoid of any wind and quite humid, but running still felt great because she's here. The sky has this haze that tints its colors with a blurry filter, like there’s too much suspended water cloying the air, diffusing the early lighting until everything is covered with blush.

Warm tones were always hers and it just enhances how she contrasts with everything else despite her current stillness. Minako’s eyes are hooded, lashes damp with sweat, cheeks piqued with red that echoes her subdued gaze. Her lips are parted slightly, almost as crimson as her irises because of exertion and so wet they reflect prickles of light when she breathes.

But it’s her silhouette below him, dark and backlit with the foggy orange where it rests, her back to the horizontal bar, that outlines just how much her inwardness feels like a solar eclipse. As if she is pulling on all her soul, distilling her very essence into something new that she can then expand outward anew. And it’s in these moments, when she revives to full brightness, dull garnets catching fire back to stars, that Akihiko holds his breath.

He never talks until she does, he’s just a bystander to a small daily miracle, waiting patiently. Eventually, she raises a hand to push some sticky strands of copper from her jaw and takes a deep, calculated breath, leaning her head until it barely touches his knee. Her now alert gaze looks at the birds flying above, and her voice is mellow.

“I never really thanked you properly.”

Akihiko moves his hand on his perch to rest on the outside of her shoulder, barely applying pressure.

“What for?”

“I could say everything, it would apply… but I mostly mean for indulging my request. I was pushy, and selfish.”

Is she concerned because I was high-strung? That couldn’t be helped…

The hum of stress comes back at the mere memory of her melting over him and he’s pretty sure he’s blushing furiously. Akihiko brushes his thumb in circles on her arm, exhaling as slowly as he can to distract himself and get a grip.

“I wanted to, and you’re allowed to be selfish sometimes.”

Minako chuckles softly in reply.

“I’m not supposed to; I’m a giver, not a taker.”

He’s reminded of the distress in her eyes on the ferry, how much she shoulders upon herself and never complains, she just keeps doing it with a smile and tireless energy. It sounds very… lonely in a weird roundabout way. And either nobody sees it because she wears her masks well, or nobody offers because they’re distracted, and so she keeps doing it and never asks in return.

Except she came to me that day.

“I’d rather you be selfish once in a while and do or say what you really want. Nobody would ever hold it against you, least of all me.”

She snorts in amusement.

“Trust me, you don’t want me speaking my mind, you’ll run to the hills in less than five.”

Do or die, as they say.

“Try me.”

She inhales slowly, speaking in a shaky voice.

“I don’t know, I’d rather not lose these… little moments of ours. They’re very… precious to me.”

And she leans her head harder to rest fully against him as if to emphasize she means exactly these little episodes of penumbra he’s privy to.

“You won’t.”

And it’s true, Akihiko would never give this up for any reason, unless she chased him off very forcefully. She waits a bit before talking again.

“You could say I used the parameters I was given. I was tired, I missed you, and since you spoiled sleep forever for me the other night, I improvised.”

You and me both then, beds just suck now.

“And that’s why I stayed, because I missed you too.”

There’s a quite bit more he’d like to say but he can’t quite arrange the words in his head in short order, so he squeezes her shoulder to try and emphasize it. Minako softly giggles in acknowledgement.

‘How come you never used that favor you won?”

That’s a hard one, skip.

“I’m saving it for an emergency.”

Her shoulders shake in silent laughter.

“Like me pushing too hard and needing a break?”

He smiles, bewildered, he never even thought of that. Knowing her, he’ll have to intervene again in the future anyway and she just served it on a silver platter.

“Yeah, that’s a good thing to keep in my back pocket. You’re quite stubborn.”

Akihiko bites his lip before speaking again.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How come you never try to come up here? I’m sure you can do it.”

Minako sighs and takes her time answering in a low voice, slightly tinged with regret or longing, he’s not sure which.

“Just because I can do something doesn’t always mean I should.”

Akihiko’s reminded of his sneaking at the arcade and her talk with Junpei about not pushing people around. It sounds like she’s holding something back, and it has to do with him somehow. This could go any number of ways, but he’s curious and he hates that tone in her voice, so a distraction seems in order.

“It’s okay to admit you just can’t, you know. I won’t judge you.”

He injects a little smugness in the quip to really drive it home, hoping it works as well on her as it would on Shinji. Minako gasps in reply.

“Are you doubting me?”

She sounds incredulous and a little miffed to be honest, maybe he pushed it a little too much.

Score.

“You… So… what do I get if I prove I can?”

He’s taking mental notes because this could be useful down the road. Also, she’ll be out of excuses to not stand next to him where he can see her better. Or hug her, or...

“Absolutely anything you want.”

She takes a breath and moves away from the bar, looks up at him and narrows her eyes dangerously.

“Okay. Well, get down and look that way, just in case I fluke this badly. I’d prefer to keep my leader rep intact and all.”

Akihiko laughs but complies, stepping down in a puff of sand and taking a few steps to give her some space. He can hear her footsteps crunching on the floor and her breath intake, then the humid air whistling and he just keeps grinning.

“Don’t turn around, just take about six steps backward.”

And so, he does, until his shoulder blades hit the bar and its her hand that rests on his shoulder like a butterfly. Her nails are painted a light pink color and they’re quite pretty.

“Eh, for once I’m taller than you.”

She’s also flaunting different things in his view; today she’s wearing shorts because of the heat, so her naked legs are brushing on his arm, and he has no idea what to do with his hands. His fingers twitch in memory of them coiling around his own and he inhales very slowly.

At least she can’t see my face.

“So… I can get anything I want?”

Minako sounds quite happy at the prospect, and he swallows painfully, inner current wavering wildly in his eardrums.

“Hmm hmm.”

She chuckles softly and it sounds mischievous.

“Okay… then close your eyes and don’t move.”

Scrounging his eyelids would probably help to keep him grounded anyways, so he stays still, not too sure what she’s about to do. Then the hand on his shoulder slides delicately to his neck, and up in his wet hair in a flutter and she’s grazing his scalp with the tip of her nails.

Oh my god…

Her weight shifts a bit for balance on the bar and she puts her other hand there too, ruffling the strands that were sticking flat to his forehead because of the heat and exercise.

He can’t help but whisper.

“It’s probably pretty gross, we ran hard.”

Minako chuckles in reply.

“Like I care. Is it because you want me to stop?”

“N-No.”

Her voice is barely a murmur.

“Then let me have this, please.”

He tries desperately to tone the intense shiver that is traveling up his spine when he feels her fingers behind his ear. She just keeps going, playing with his hair with little hums of contentment and Akihiko is losing his mind. He can’t do anything with his hands except clench them and he can’t lean his head to her like she does when she’s below because that might cost him his sanity, so he endures and rolls back his eyes.

Maybe I was a cat in another life.

His head is full of sparks and it tingles everywhere, so he speaks before he starts making any kind of embarrassing noises.

“Why this?”

She sounds all gushy when explaining but her voice is nervous.

“Because it’s as soft as it looks, and so pretty, I always wanted to do that, and.. hmm, well… ah, never mind.”

What’s this?

“Never mind what?”

Minako chuckles again, definitely jittery like she’s embarrassed. This doesn’t happen often.

“Oh no no! I’m not telling you that!”

And then her phone alarm rings, and she hisses in irritation, slowing her ministrations until she stops completely. He takes a deep, slow breath to calm his thundering heartbeat, felling completely out of sorts.

Time just slips through everything, all the time.

She drops down next to him and speaks very softly.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s simply because of the timing, I need to get back or I’ll be late. But I promise I will.”

She’s smiling apologetically, meeting his eyes despite a deep blush. Whatever it is, it’s doing a number on her and he’s very curious now.

Chapter Text

The mustiness of the underground military complex feels oppressing under the silent curtain of the Dark Hour, making some of them edgy with stress. Each of their footsteps echoes on the walls around, reverbing back strangely in metallic distortion, and it’s quite dusty. As usual, Akihiko is bringing the rear and perhaps because of the darkness, Yukari is hovering between the twins in front of him in discomfort.

I didn’t know there was a place like this so close by.

They barely made it past a set of large metallic panels in the depths of the facility when someone slowly claps their hands in congratulation from their back, mocking.

“Oooh, well done.”

Akihiko turns around, facing two intruders: an angry teenager with glasses holding a suitcase and a shirtless, skinny man with long hair and a disturbed expression of glee. It’s the later that’s holding his palms together and brings them to rest at his belt on the grip of a revolver.

Shit… He’s got a gun too!

That’s not something they are used to deal with and the stress is palpable, he subtly repositions to cover Minako and Yukari since they were all bringing the rear. Minato and Junpei seem to have noticed the firearm as well and are closing in around the girls, weapons half drawn. Fuuka seems shaken, eyes darting around from the center, turning to Minako who touches her shoulder in reassurance.

“I… I didn’t sense them at all before now!”

Their leader scowls at the intruders, nose raised in defiance.

“Who the hell are you?”

The smile from the gun wielder is almost oily with some sick pleasure, his eyes narrowed like a predator.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you in person my dear. My name is Takaya, and this is Jin. We are known to some as Strega.”

Minako raises an eyebrow, sizes him up, clearly unimpressed.

“Now then. We’ve been keeping an eye on you and your activities for some time. From what we hear, you’ve undertaken a “righteous” battle to save the world. Unfortunately, we’ve come here tonight to put an end to that.”

Minato takes a step forward to stand near his sister, clearly, he hates the attention directed her way as much as he does.

“The hell you are.”

His tone is cold, and his bluish eyes look hard, he’s clearly having none of it. Takaya simply smiles again at Minako, keeping a hand on the handle of his gun as he takes stock of their party with a feral look.

“You’ve gained many new allies in such a short time, no doubt because this land crawls with sin. Ah, Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always…”

She replies, gaze calculating.

“You know about Tartarus?”

Junpei seems emboldened to speak up as well.

“Wait, if you know about it, why the hell would you wanna stop us!?”

Jin, his air smug and superior, looks at him with disdain.

“It ain’t rocket science. If Shadows and the Dark Hour disappear, we could lose our power. And that’s not something we can abide by, get it?”

Mitsuru sounds shocked at his statement.

“Power… Are you saying you’re Persona-users too?”

Jin scoffs at her and doesn’t answer, but Takaya turns back to Minako with his teeth bared and a look that makes Akihiko’s flesh crawl. He clenches his fists in guard, eyeing the gun and the positions they’re all in, just in case.

You are not touching her.

“I implore you to think more carefully. Do you really want to lose your abilities? Not just anyone can wield the power of a Persona. The Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours alone to explore. And the same goes for the Tower of Demise.”

Yukari snorts like the guy is insane.

“That’s your reason for stopping us? Then you’re the ones who need to think! Who knows what might happen if we don’t do something?”

Takaya simply chuckles like everything is just too simple for them to comprehend.

“A catastrophe brought on by the Shadows… What difference does it make, really? Disasters will always exist. And humans will always destroy each other, regardless of what the Shadows do. Either way, no one can predict what misfortunes will befall who.”

And that sick dirty grin is back on his face as he sizes Minako again, and Akihiko is clenching his jaw, trying to refrain from punching the guy.

“But more importantly, it’s time you accepted the truth. Surely you will acknowledge the sense of fulfillment the Dark Hour has given you.”

He can hear her nails scrapping the handle of her naginata in frustration.

Can’t fault her there.

Yukari scoffs, disgusted.

“You think I like this?”

Sounding surprised, the gun wilder speaks again.

“Is it not so? How about the rest of you? Do you also wish to return to your pathetic, ordinary lives?”

And Takaya eyes them all one by one with a smirk; Akihiko must bite down on his lip to hold a pensive grumble down. Jin laughs spitefully at them when nobody seems to reply except in murmurs.

“Whatever, you all got your own selfish reasons for fighting. That so-called “justice” of yours? Ain’t nothing but an excuse. There’s nothing righteous about any of ya. You’re all just hypocrites. Like hell you chumps are gonna stop us!

That shakes him out of his funk and he snaps his eyes back to the intruders to check for a threat.

“What’d you say!?”

But Jin simply waves at him, grinning evilly, and smacks something with his palm from their side of the doorframe.

“Have fun in there!”

And the huge metal partition they came from shuts down with force. He looks for a way to open them but there’s no control panels from their side.

“Dammit, they locked us in!”

Aigis seems completely unbothered by the event, addressing the twins.

“There is no need to panic. Instead of wasting resources, I recommend we prioritize the Shadow first.”

Minako takes a breath, straightens her stance, and slips on a mask of cold determination.

“She’s right, we’re here to do a job, we can find an exit after. Fuuka, can you pick up anything?”

Fuuka summons Lucia, basking in her light for a little while before gasping.

“The Shadow’s moving! I think it’s noticed us! Down this passage!”

………………………………..

This time he’s at the front with Minako while the group navigates the wartime tunnels twisting down. She looks tense and her face is grim with anger as she eyes the relics of conflict past. Akihiko is staying close, following her gaze when she looks down.

“What’s this…? It almost looks like tire tracks but…”

She looks at him, unsure.

Is that…

“Threads. Very heavy vehicle, recent too.”

She takes a deep breath, brows furrowed.

“Junpei, Min, get over here!”

The other boys oblige quickly, and the twins exchange a long expressive glance and a few quiet words before she turns back to them with a little tense smile.

“Sorry, setting my little demon ducks in a row. You guys take the front with Aigis and stay defensive, we don’t know how bad this is. Soften it if you can, I’ll back you up.”

How does that multiple persona thing work anyway?

Fuuka interrupts, her voice a little panicked.

“Minako, it’s moving downward, we have to catch it!”

“Alright team, let’s go!”

…………………………

It’s quite dark in the large room filled with debris, but the sound in front of them is unmistakable; heavy machinery.

Junpei gasps in surprise when their enemy charges forward, a weird turret mounted on top of a threaded contraption.

“A motherfucking tank? You have got to be kidding me!”

Ignoring his quips, Akihiko shoots Polydeuces out of his mind to debilitate their target repeatedly while Aigis acts as suppressing fire. Hermes charges, wings aflame, barely leaving a mark, and even the bullets from their robot companion are only doing surface damage.

Minato and Mitsuru are summoning blocks of ice and tornadoes in tandem, covering Takeba who is trying to snipe the turret from afar, with limited success.

What the hell is that thing?

“No weakness, so pace yourselves and stay defensive, there are two of them in there!”

Minako is staying far from the front to give herself some leg room, evoker at the ready, slowly weaving enhancements around all of them with various summons. And this time, he knows she’s doing it on purpose when there’s haptic feedback in his hair that feels suspiciously like her hands to shield him from harm and augment his attacks. 

How is she doing that?

He can’t stop to think about it more, aiming at his forehead again to summon lightning and it has barely more effect than the rest of their efforts. The tank is rolling madly, trying to ram them over, but their enhancements keep them sharp on their feet until it tires and pauses.

“Mitsuru-senpai, ice the threads!”

“On it!”

Great columns of ice crash on the tank’s mobile straps with much fanfare, backed by Minato’s efforts and the vehicle stops completely, but its turret doesn’t and shoots a large shell in the midst of the party. The explosion knocks most of them down with various scrapes and burns. Akihiko barely rolls out of the way to limit the damage and it stings on his forearm.

The smoke clears and Minako is on her knees, hair askew and blood leaking from her brow but her eyes are leaking flames with determination.

“Inaba no Shirousagi!”

And it’s the cutest white rabbit that actualizes above her to land on her shoulder in a whirl of blue fire, shining like a tiny moon. She strokes its head and the wave of restoration that bursts from her is intense and bright, chasing the pain away.

The hare bounces on the floor at her feet and white comets shoot from her hands to the tank’s front panel, denting it slightly. Penthesilea dances forward again to strike in a cold rush and the tank can’t seem to shake off the sleet covering it.

“Hack it up, it can’t shoot you from point blank!”

Junpei rolls in, slashing in glee in the tough threads with Minato while Akihiko tries to break the supports with thundering pummels that make his shoulders burn. It’s denting and the armored Shadow sways, rubber and metal bits dangling from its side. Then the tank whirrs above them and the turret detaches to fly off, the rest of the vehicle folding upward on its back thread tracks.

“It’s two Shadows, fall back and dodge!”

He calls Polydeuces again to shock the tank as a distraction and it seems to suddenly connect way better, but that turret is fast, hovering like a hummingbird to shoot at everyone. Palladion charges on the annoying winged Shadow, knocking it off-balance and its latest shot hits the tank itself with a concentrated shaft of light to good effect.

“Yukari, shoot that flyer we can’t reach it!”

Assisted by Aigis’ bullets, the archer scores a few hits, while the others focus their personas on the tank outside of melee range, since it's charging this way and that again. The flying sharpshooter eventually falls but doesn’t disintegrate and simply gets back up after a few seconds, completely unarmed. It reconnects on the tank and shoots another explosive shell at the back.

This time, Yukari goes down in the debris, the wind knocked out of her, and Junpei’s not faring much better from the floor, leg bloody. The little rabbit actualizes again, light pulsing from it to keep them afloat. Minato calls a large snake with multiple heads, echoing Mitsuru’s summons for ice to prevent the tank from charging and Akihiko repositions between them and the enemy to reapply debilitates.

“Aigis, Orgia Mode!”

The robotic maiden starts glowing, overriding her limiters and going ham on the recombined shadow with all her weaponry, dodging the shells this way and that, causing one of them to explode near them. This time, Akihiko fails to roll far enough away and gets knocked face first in a pile of rubble, smacking the left of his face hard and rattling his jaw painfully. He shakes his head to get the ringing out of it, spitting blood.

“Get ready it’s going to separate again!”

Minako throws the bunny his way and it bounces up to his cheek, exploding in a warm shower of light that heals his wounds, but his head is still throbbing fiercely. Mitsuru seems quite winded, focusing her energies to Takeba now that Junpei is back up and throwing fireballs in the fray. Aigis, her overdrive spent, falls down in overheating near Minato, but she greatly damaged the combined shadows and bought them some time.

“Min, help Yukari and cover Aigis!"

Her twin nods, taking position and summoning again. Minako turns to Akihiko and Junpei, wiping blood off her forehead and taking her evoker.

“I’ll attract the turret, you guys go in and break that toy will ya?"

Minako wastes no time in running away from them like a little comet, calling down beams of light on the tank to get its attention and the turret follows her like a homing device. Akihiko nods to Junpei and they slide into melee, safe from explosions and going hard on the damaged armor. Minako uses the explosive debris as cover from the incoming turret shells, eyes leaking red to leverage her small persona’s moonlight aura to pepper their target with homing meteorites.

The shadows split yet again, but clearly, they are at their limit and the combined efforts of Hermes and Polydeuces on the upright machine is enough to crumple it down. The lone flyer eats two well-placed shots from Yukari in quick succession and follows it down, disintegrating for good.

Minako huffs, tired and caked in grime and blood, then sinks to the floor. The hare dispels in a haze of blue flames after she strokes its ears.

“Thank you little guy.”

Chapter Text

By the time Ikutsuki's helpers come to the facility to release the partition’s emergency lock and set them free, it’s way past the Dark Hour. The trek back to the dorm is grueling; everyone’s injured in some shape or form and tired to the bone. It wasn’t easy, but they prevailed and Minako keeps hammering the point to cheer them up while supporting a yawning Fuuka.

How is she still holding up? She went all out.

Akihiko knows she is tired, he can see it clearly, but he is also aware how good she is at pretending for the sake of group morale. The red of her eyes is glazed with exhaustion and she keeps picking at the healed cut on her brow absently but it’s almost an excuse to draw attention away from her dropping shoulders.

Stubborn again.

Once they finally step into the dorm, they can’t just leave their weapons and equipment in the lobby and need to pick themselves up, which Junpei seems to have an issue with. He almost throws his harness and scabbard on the sofa, but Minato gives him a hard look and sighs, signing to give him the weapon instead.

Ken might come down to something difficult to explain in the morning and Mitsuru is always adamant about keeping all Shadow-related business to themselves; the kid is already curious enough about their long hours and tiredness. Iori places his sword in the twin’s hands so he can carry their weapons and his sister’s naginata upstairs to stash them out of sight.

“Thanks dude!”

Dependable, that guy.

Yukari and Fuuka are busy sorting out the medkits on the kitchen table, taking out painkillers and other supplies for those that need them, and Minako is talking in low tones with Mitsuru and Aigis by the welcome desk, probably regarding the report to the chairman.

Akihiko keeps moving his jaw in discomfort, the worst is healed but it rattled quite hard earlier and now he’s got a piercing headache. Distractingly, he grabs some of the medicine and heads for the fridge to grab his thankfully premade shake, downing the tablets with a sip. He hates medicine and usually endures the pain, but this migraine is bad. There’s just this quiet, unspoken mood of groaning soreness around everyone; they all want to clean their wounds and enjoy some hot water for a bit before crashing into bed.

A shower would definitely help right now.

…………………………..

Finally free of dried blood, dust, and grime, Akihiko sits on the edge of his bed in pyjama slacks, still nursing the left side of his face. Somehow, the warm shower made everything better except this and now its throbbing despite the painkillers making him loopy. Maybe staying under the hot water that long wasn’t such a good idea, he’s a bit out of sorts and light-headed. Just thinking about passing a shirt on his head is simply too much, brushing his teeth was already hell because of his jaw, he’ll just make do and go to bed.

He ruffles his hair, mustering the energy to get up and close the light, when he hears Minako in the corridor, murmuring harshly.

“C’mon Junpei, help me or something. You’re freaking heavy!”

Hmmm?

There’s a slight ruckus as she opens her friend’s door and dumps him on his bed with a huff.

“For god’s sake dude, at least remove your pants and shoes or you’ll have to wash your bedding tomorrow, you’re kind of crusty. G’night!”

Iori mumbles something in reply while she closes his door with care, walking down the corridor stealthily and grumbling under her breath.

“I told you not to lay down on the sofa, dummy…”

He can hear her footsteps stop near his doorway, probably because it’s open and the light is on.

“Why are you not in bed already? It’s so late!”

Akihiko blinks slowly, running a hand over his face to shake off the wooziness and instantly grimaces.

“I was… getting there… why are you still up?”

“Playing daycare, but never mind that. You don’t look well, want me to take a look?”

His eyes focus on her silhouette in the doorframe, hair still damp and askew over her shoulders, wearing some loose orange plaid pants and a yellow tank top. She’s clearly waiting for an invite and not trying to intrude, but her expression betrays her worry.

She looks adorable.

He makes a vague motion with his arm to invite her in and she tiptoes in barefoot until she’s next to him. From up close he can see how exhausted she really is, face pale and gaze a bit glazed.

“Can I…?”

He nods and she gently lifts his chin at an angle to prod delicately at his face. Akihiko’s too befuddled with the meds and the fatigue to object and he closes his eyes; the dim light is too bright and he can feel everywhere her fingertips are leaving burns on him.

Why are your hands so soft?

She’s being incredibly gentle but it’s still sore and his brows scrunch.

“Maybe you should ice it. Let me go downstairs, I’ll-“

He’s been trying not to react to her touch, but now there’s less inhibitions because of the floating clouds all over his brain. He covers the hand cupping his chin with one of his, leaning his cheek into it.

“Don’t…”

Please don’t go.

Her low chuckle sounds like warmth and silver bells and he smiles slightly, breathing slowly and fighting against the mental fog but it’s useless. The fingers on his sore cheek brush against his brow instead and he narrowly refrains from humming at the sensation.

“Clearly you need to sleep this off.”

Minako’s voice sounds amused, and Akihiko almost wants to chuckle in reply but just can’t. Apparently, this was the good stuff Mitsuru keeps for emergencies; he feels like he has a fever and everything is so slow.

You need to rest too.

He remembers her comment about the best sleep of her life and she’s dead on her feet; he can deal with the aftermath if it just makes her stop fretting and finally rest. For once there is no cacophony behind his ears, and although he can’t quite think clearly what little words he can manage tumble out with no resistance.

“Just stay.”

Akihiko clearly hears the little catch in her breath when he speaks but thinks nothing of it, lightly tugging on her hand to insist.

“Are you… sure?”

Minako’s voice has a subdued sound, like a hesitation, he can almost hear her expression despite not seeing it. He tugs again to confirm, talking is just too hard, everything’s drowning in a cloudbank and all he has are impressions. He just grazes her fingers on his chin with his own.

Oh yes. Please.

“Can you… hm… put on a… shirt first?”

This is so strange a request that he peaks at her through his eyelids, slowly. She’s looking sideways toward the window, biting on her lower lip and blushing furiously.

Well this is a good one.

“Nope.”

He manages a light grin to go with it because this is so priceless a reaction. She sighs with resignation dramatically when she meets his eyes, the crimson suddenly gleaming with flaming intensity, mumbling under her breath.

“And I’m supposed to not… Oh god…”

Her hand flutters against his brow again, like a ghost.

“Okay, you win. Just wait a minute while I cover my tracks.”

Hmm?

But Minako is already out the door in a flash, walking off in silence in direction of her twin’s room. He blinks, laying down slowly while he waits, but she eventually comes back, closing the light and locking the door. She timidly makes her way back to him and the faint moonlight from the closed curtains makes her eyes glow in the paleness of her face. She really looks tired, almost ethereal.

Stop moving, just rest.

He raises a corner of the covers in invitation, bleary eyed, and she slides in. He was expecting to hug her to him, but she starts shuffling around. Akihiko can’t quite register why she’s coaxing him to turn toward her but goes along with it, half-awake. The right side of his face rests near her left collarbone and she snakes an arm between his shoulder blades to keep him in place.

“Just making sure you keep that left cheek upright.”

She’s so warm, she smells like flowers and soap, and most importantly, she’s here. Something slides across his arm, up his shoulder and to the back of his head and he barely registers what it is until he feels her fingertips grazing the tufts of hair behind his left ear. His breath catches in his throat, and her voice draws shivers on his head when she murmurs sleepily.

“Comfy?”

Oh yes.

Repressing shivers and insanely comfortable, he answers somewhat sluggishly.

“You’re… never leaving.”

Akihiko can feel the intake of her breath and the outcoming light chuckle but there’s no force in it. He just slides his arms around her waist and across her back tightly to prove his point, pressing his palms to her spine. Everywhere the right side of his face is pressing is scorching flesh and he can feel her heartbeat drum in his ears like a lullaby.

I think this is supposed to bother me. A lot.

There’s something soft and warm on his forehead and he sighs in contentment, finally falling asleep.

Chapter Text

A faint tugging in his spine dispels the fog of sleep somewhat, but he can’t manage to open his eyes. Dimly, Akihiko can hear some distant bird screaming his adoration for the coming of a new day.

It’s dawn.

His internal clock usually spells instant doom for any rest, no matter how tired he is, but right now he feels like he’s laying in a very sunlit field of flowers and all his senses are numb. There’s a slow, rhythmic melody calling him back to unformed dreams and he complies, melting back in the pool of sweet-smelling warmth that he lays in with a soft exhale.

………………………..

The world is just one giant fluffy cloud, and he’s soaking in it, paralyzed in a sliver of awareness. There’s a delicate and soft pressure going across his hair slowly and Akihiko shivers in delight.

This is nice.

The sensation moves to the back of his ear, then his neck, and up again to graze his scalp. He doesn’t know what it is, but he can’t move or open his eyes, drowning in deep fog. It doesn’t matter, although somewhere in the back of his mind it feels like he should know what this is.

Tendrils of warm silk are coiling around him as if he is wrapped in a cloak of some kind and he sinks into it. Something hot and velvety soft brushes his forehead, then travels to his cheek, almost like burning raindrops. It splatters on the corner of his mouth, then his jaw and down his neck, leaving flowers of humid fire wherever it goes. The burning silk is moving with it, as if his blanket is sliding down and made of liquid.

Oh… Wow…

There’s a tight feeling in his stomach, threatening to wake him fully with a desperate pang of hunger, but the fluttering is back in his hair, and he settles back down. What sounds like wind chimes tinkle in his ears, on a warm breeze, almost like an echo. The idea of food comes back in a rush and somehow, all he can think of is that time Aragaki cooked him breakfast at the dorm a thousand years ago.

That damp, hot feeling comes back on his cheek and barely skim on his lips, butterflies flying delicately around his brow until they take flight, and he falls back in a deep sleep.

………………………..

It takes Akihiko a good while to fully wake up. He’s still befuddled from the medicated sleep, but he’s so hungry he could die on spot; maybe that explains the confusion. It’s a shock to decipher the numbers on the clock, he never gets up so late but yesterday took a lot out of all of them.

That explains the cramps, should have snacked yesterday before bed.

He can never wait long for nourishment, or he feels weak and light-headed, a consequence of a high metabolism used to constant intense exercise. Much less skip breakfast, this will tank his whole day in the gutter. Better get in gear and fix that, except he feels half-melted and it’s really hard to get out of bed. Taking a few seconds to blink and shake the fog, he takes a deep breath and everything smells like her.

It’s like she was here.

Drowsy, he tries to think back because there’s something vague nagging at him. He remembers she brought Junpei to his room, and a vivid picture of her pale face under the moonlight, eyes ablaze looking his way. His eyes turn on his pillow and there’s a strand of copper hair shining in plain view right next to his nose.

“…Oh.”

………………………..

Akihiko is deep down convinced he should be panicking right now; except he can’t stop grinning and that creates a weird dissonance in his mind. Either the leftover fog from the painkillers or the inner decomposition of his organs from hunger, or both, is fuddling the usual stress but he’ll take it because he can’t remember much and that should worry him.

Eat first, freak out after.

Too mellow and hungry, he just slips on his red hoodie, zips it three quarters of the way and exits his room. There’s quite a bit of cutlery noise coming from the lobby, and something smells amazing.

Of course everybody is up. Look what time it is.

He just needs to sneak in the kitchen, grab something to fill the black hole inside and kickstart his brain; those tantalizing wafts of cooking are making it hard to exist. When he steps down, everyone is still for the most part in sleepwear, sitting at the table with plates full of homemade food. Iori swallows his last bite hard and hollers toward the kitchen.

“Mina-tan, can I get some more? Pretty pleaaase! I’m dying over here.”

And Minako answers him from the kitchen, apparently quite chipper.

“Wait a bit Junpei, not everyone got their first serving yet. Fuuka can you fill up the table bowl with this? Then sit down and enjoy, I’m good with the rest, thank you.”

She sounds happy, so nothing bad happened. Probably. Don't flip out.

Yamagishi exits the kitchen with a cutting board filled with fresh slices of strawberries and peaches toward the table, which Ken happily steals from as soon as it’s in range. Yukari and Mitsuru are sipping tea and flipping magazines absently like they often do. Minato is picking at his eggs, eyeing him with a measured glance, munching slowly through a smirk from his seat next to a curious Aigis.

That's weird.

He nods back at him, wondering what the look is about because it’s never for nothing, tiptoes toward the kitchen and stops in the doorframe. Minako has her back to him, nodding her head to the music of a single earphone while juggling pans on the stove. 

"Good morning senpai!"

Definitely cheerful alright, and absolutely adorable.

There's a feeling of déja vu gnawing at the back of his skull. Her hair is up in a rough ponytail, in pyjama pants and yellow tank top, and she's slightly dancing as she empties some scrambled egg mix into one of the pans. He can't help but smile despite the inner leftover fog.

"Good morning."

She keeps working and speaks over her shoulder, not looking at him.

“Look in the fridge, top right shelf.”

“…What?”

But she ignores him and shouts toward the doorway while ruffling the mixture and moving stuff on the counter, still not turning around.

"Five minutes Junpei!"

He opens the fridge and bends down; one of his shake bottles is exactly where she said to look. But didn’t he down this one last night when they came back? Akihiko blinks, he needs to endure the pain next time and not rely on painkillers, it’s screwing with his head bigtime.

He takes a few sips and it tastes very different, fruity but not too sweet, but it's so good he downs half the thing straight and sighs in relief.

I needed that.

She's chopping strawberries and making a plate when he looks back and it dawns on him that this is exactly what it tastes like. She pops a piece of fruit in her mouth for every berry she cuts in two, eating as she cooks.

"Was it okay? I wasn't sure if I had the ratios right."

Wait a second...

"You made this, this morning?"

And Minako finally turns around, holding a strawberry to her lips and munching on it, a strange look he can't label in her eyes.

"Well, yeah, it's always the first thing you drink in the morning and you were hungry. I just improvised a bit because you never eat any fruits, hope you don’t mind. By the way, is that any better?"

And her hand that's not holding something to her lips is ghosting on his cheek delicately. His mind churns, piecing things around because that sensation is familiar, and sparks are flying across his skull.

That’s right, I banged my face pretty hard, hence the pills.

“Seems okay, I don’t feel anything this morning anymore.”

She smiles at him and her eyes gleam with happiness, her fingertips brushing his jaw and making him shiver.

“Good, because it looked painful. Gimme a sec.”

She turns around and puts the finishing touches on her plate in progress with a can of whipped cream. He takes a few sips of his bottle to distract himself.

That mix is amazing.

“Yukariiiiiii, I got a surprise for youuuuuuu!”

She takes the plate, filled with something drowned under Chantilly and strawberries, and holds it through the doorway. Takeba sprints over with an excited face.

“Oh my god how did you... oh wow! Thank you!”

She takes it to the table, humming in anticipated pleasure, while Minako opens the oven and takes something out, murmuring.

“And this is for you. Sorry I had to keep them warm, Junpei and Min keep stealing everything I make as soon as it’s cooked.”

Akihiko looks at what she’s holding his way while she keeps working on her eggs and it’s a plate filled with numerous pancakes. That’s the smell that permeates everything since he got out of his room.

I dreamed about this, I think. Wait…

“Take it please, it’s heavy, I need to finish this, condiments are on the table.”

You’re downplaying this on purpose and I don’t recall telling anyone about this before except Shinji.

“How did you know?”

Minako looks back at him, amused twinkle in her eyes and biting back a laugh, forcing the plate in his free hand.

“I asked you what you wanted to eat this morning. You don’t remember?”

His expression is probably strange, but he cannot remember discussing food, only that he dreamed about pancakes.

“If you don’t go sit down and eat this right now, you’ll faint, and I’ll be disappointed I did all this for nothing.”

Akihiko eyes her carefully, mulling over words that can’t seem to come out, yet his hands are full. Then it dawns on him, and he does the next best thing despite the growing tension that’s starting to take over the last tendrils of fog keeping him calm. He leans over until he can whisper in her ear, nudging her remaining earphone out with the tip of his nose.

“Thank you, you’re adorable.”

And he drops his lips delicately on the skin near her ear like she did the other day, blushing as furiously as she is.

“Junpei, bring your plate! Your eggs are ready!”

He stares at her in shock, and she bites her lip while pointing to the doorframe, rubies boiling like little suns to echo the color on her cheeks. He exits as Iori enters, breakfast and shake in hand, trying to refrain from smiling to himself. Sitting down at the table, he attacks his treat furiously, because he’s really hungry and it tastes heavenly.

I can't believe I did that.

Ken eyes his pancakes, a jealous gleam in his eye.

“Oh I didn’t get to try these, are they good?”

Akihiko’s thoughts are not on his breakfast, but on her earlier reaction.

“Absolutely amazing.”

Chapter Text

There’s a slight drizzle marring the air the next morning, weighting down the smell of the sea and slicking the pavement to shine like mirrors. Akihiko dresses up and ties his shoes at dawn, really looking forward to his run, the weather never really matters to him when he needs to move.

Hood up and trying his best to be sneaky, he makes his way to the lobby in silence, dodging all the creaking spots in the wood panels since he knows them by heart. Minako’s not in the welcome booth like she sometimes is, and she’s not near the street lamp outside where she tends to hang out when she frets.

Hmm, is she running late? That’s not like her.

If anything, she’s usually here before him or exactly at the same time, like she at one point calculated exactly how much time he needs to prep once he gets up. Another unspoken synchrony they picked up on the way since they started this, and he can’t help but smile at that thought.

Looking at his cellphone’s screen, he hesitates. Perhaps she forgot to put her alarm back on after yesterday morning and is currently sleeping, or she’s just late, but it’s way too early to text her and inquire.

Akihiko waits fifteen minutes before he goes on to jog alone, hoping she’s resting her fill.

She deserves it, she works too hard anyways. There’s always tomorrow.

…………………

Almost an hour later, he ends up at the playground because he’s distracted by echoes of her, still trying to patch together that medicated sleep he seems to have forgotten about. There’s bits and pieces of memories that are hanging, so close yet so far away from his reach in the back of his mind and it’s driving him up the wall.

It’s like my own brain is trying to bait me.

Unwinding from the intense exertion, Akihiko looks at the horizontal bar of their space, ruffling the hair under his hood in remembrance of the time where she climbed up there to sit above him in victory.

Our space.

And he realizes it’s true, there’s an unspoken rule he made for himself if he runs alone; he doesn’t come here, ever. Maybe he cheated that rule because her specter is living rent free in his mind particularly strongly this morning. It’s for them, for those moments where the sun dips into the sea to quench itself and rises back again while he basks in wonder. 

If she’s not here, it’s just a grey and lonely spot near the shrine where he used to hang out sometimes back in the day. It feels fitting that it’s so close to a place of worship, it has the undertones of a quiet ritual now that they partake in, and he hopes it stays like this forever.

Just stay.

Akihiko frowns, he said that. Now he remembers; she came over to check on him, and he asked her to. And she was so tired, running on the fraying ends of a second wind, her face so pale in the moonlight she could have been a ghost.

You spoiled sleep for me forever the other night.

She pointedly mentioned this, standing here, her head against his knee, in the bubble of their private quiet. And that’s probably why he offered, despite how nervous it makes him, sharing her space is like self-immolation and he doesn’t mind the inferno if it makes her burn brighter. Because it makes him emerge anew too in a weird way, despite the pain of these moments’ end.

That’s a new kind of ritual now, resting together.

More like entwining and fainting into each other’s warmth, but ever since they took a sip of that in the command room, it tainted everything with a scorching need to share those defenseless moments to truly feel at ease. He’s wrapped in coppery little chains that twist around him despite his constant panic and he keeps coiling them tighter because deep down beneath the dread, he likes the connection and he desperately wants it; the share goes both ways.

There’s a tactile memory feel in his hands and he recalls pressing them to her spine, holding her so close he could barely breathe, and how limp and relaxed that made her, as if his presence soothed a tension she couldn’t admit she carries all the time.

It’s my fault really, I gave her that invitation.

That first time, he beckoned her toward him and she accepted, melting into him with such complete abandon he couldn’t think and it’s so vivid once again he can still see her eyes melting under the Dark Hour in his mind.

And I’ll do it again because I don’t feel guilty. She wants this and I really do, too.

He smiles absently as he turns back toward the dorm in a contemplative walk, letting the sparks run wild in his head at the mere thought of her. It’s absolutely terrifying, and it might take some time to overcome the fear, but if he’s strong enough he can take on anything, including himself.

…………………

The rain clears early in the morning, and Minako’s been gone all day with her twin. Back from some errands in the afternoon and after a quick stop for a fulfilling beef bowl to wrap up the day, Mitsuru accosts him in the lobby. Everybody’s still out of the dorm, enjoying the remaining daylight.

“Akihiko, can you come to the command room with me? We received a… well, you’ll see.”

Curious, he follows her up, did the lab deliver something new for SEES he needs to know about? The heiress opens the door and to his surprise, there’s a dog waiting for them, calmly sitting on the carpet.

“Is that…?”

She chuckles and approaches the creature, running a hand on the fur of its head and Koromaru lolls its tongue.

“Yes, he’s all better now, completely healed and fully capable of assisting us.”

You mean…

“I know he held his own back there but, are you sure?”

“Check the reports on the desk, it’s all there.”

Akihiko takes the folder in hand, skimming through the paperwork about his Persona and his capabilities, a bit stunned.

Extremely well trained and intelligent. Cerberus, the hound of hell, protector of the gates.

Crouching to pet the dog, he can’t help but smile when Koromaru leans into his hand, eyes closed and happy, craving more by nudging his palm. He obliges with a grin; he never had a pet of any kind, and this one is simply marvelous.

“The girls are going to be ecstatic when they learn he’s got a clean bill of health. I know they kept badgering you about news, but they will never see this one coming.”

Mitsuru laughs softly, crossing her arms when she gets up, admiring their new team member with tender eyes.

“You two did good that night, if it wasn’t for your quick intervention he wouldn’t be here now.”

He smirks, he thought about that stakeout a lot earlier, this feels a bit weird.

“I’m really glad we could save him, and she will be too.”

She doesn't answer and Akihiko takes a while to take his attention away from the dog to turn around and look at her.

"What?"

She purses her lips and she has that speculative glint in her eyes. He scowls, that sounds like a precursor to double meaning conversations and he hates that because he never gets the subtext.

"Mitsuru, please do not use the nothing card."

"I was thinking about taking Aigis to the summer festival to have her interact more with regular people. She can't quite pass as human yet and it's sometimes hard to keep her at the dorm. She's obsessed with following Minato everywhere and eventually we won’t be able to stop her."

He ponders, the robot maiden is indeed quite attached to the twin and they had to make a few adjustments so she would stop sneaking in his room at night. 

"That sounds like a good idea."

"You can... tag along if you want. I know you stopped going to stuff like this since..."

Aragaki haunts this place like he lives here still.

"I'm good, I got plans anyways."

She arches an eyebrow in surprise and remains silent, the slightest of smiles on her face like she knows something.

"Very well. I am going to go wait downstairs for the juniors, can you keep Koromaru company?"

The dog puts his paw on his glove insistently, yipping and he scratches behind his ears with a wide smile.

"Of course!"

………………………

Exactly like Akihiko predicted, the team fawns over Koromaru and his miraculous recovery, asking questions about his special evoker and potential. But it’s the dog’s reaction to Minako that strikes him the most and drives home his loyalty.

She enters the room after everyone else, closely linked with her twin, somewhat withdrawn. Even Minato has the same detachment on his face until he reacts to the new member's presence.

Did something happen?

Koromaru runs to her immediately and showers her with affection full force, nudging her neck with his cold nose until she wraps her arms around him to ruffle his coat, giggling in unabashed happiness. The magnificent creature clearly remembers how she tirelessly worked to keep him alive that night and wants to show it.

She definitely deserved that.

Aigis cocks her head at the picture and speaks up.

“He said ‘Thank you, I will return the favor and never forget what you did for me.’”

Minako squeals and looks Koromaru in the eyes.

“You’re very welcome, handsome.”

Junpei is fretting in excitement next to her.

“Dude, this is so cool, I never had a pet. Can we take him for a walk, right now? It’s summer break after all!”

Mitsuru, standing court with indulgence, nods.

“Yes, it is. Enjoy your vacation while you can; summer classes start next week. I’ll see to it that you graduate.”

Junpei looks frazzled at that one and stutters.

“H-Hey… Good one there, senpai. You almost had me there.”

And she raises an eyebrow, all business.

“Oh, it’s no joke. We’ll be taking intensive courses; I’ve already applied for all of us. I know how difficult it’s been balancing school and our late-night excursions. You haven’t had much time to study and I apologize for that. That’s why the Chairman agrees that this is a good idea… I thought I told Takeba and Yamagishi.”

That sounds like a calculated info dump.

Akihiko frowns, he doesn’t hate school, but he already has good grades and could manage without cramming. Mitsuru’s probably coming from a place of concern for her juniors, but she might not understand how it might be interpreted. And now Iori is panicking, raising his arms in the air, Minato chuckling his way like he’s ridiculous.

He certainly would find this funny; he aces every exam.

“Are you serious!? This is the first I’ve heard of it!”

Fuuka shrinks behind Yukari like she did something bad, looking down.

“Umm, sorry… I forgot to mention it.”

But Yukari taps her on the shoulder like she did nothing wrong.

“Hey, with his grades, he should be thanking her!”

Junpei grumbles under his breath, but Minako crams her face into her hands and sighs.

“I wish I were dead…”

She’s doing this on purpose for Iori, and he doesn’t even realize.

Minato taps her shoulder in mock concern, clearly unimpressed by her dramatics, but Fuuka gasps in shock at the outburst of their leader.

“W-Well, it’s only for a few weeks, so let’s make the most of it…”

Chapter Text

That summer class schedule is a grueling, long, and tiresome affair the more he looks at it. Mitsuru clearly wasn’t kidding when she mentioned the word intensive; there won’t be time to do anything except attend and study at night for the mock tests.

Looking at the gloves Minako gifted him that sit on top of his desk like a trophy, it hits him. No Tartarus and no early dawn runs because the course program starts too early in the morning. They’ll both be stuck at a desk until the festival.

At least that’s something to look forward to because I’ll go insane for sure.

Akihiko doesn’t know how he can spend another long stretch of time without any outlet for his jitteriness on top of that first issue, because he knows it will only make things worse. He survived that month-long convalescence by cheating, sneaking in a lot of little things in his schedule out of sight, but now he won’t have that freedom.

Iori had it right, this sucks, a lot.

And knowing Mitsuru, she’s going to watch all participants like a hawk to ensure that her efforts are not going straight into the gutter, meaning they’ll have to study intensively and show the fruits of their labor to meet her lofty expectations. All of them. He looks at the calendar for a few minutes and takes out his cellphone to text Minako.

Please tell me we can plan a Tartarus run for the 15^th.

It takes less than a minute to get a reply.

Are you me? Stop reading my mind!

He laughs at her message, clearly, Akihiko won’t be the only one fishing for a violent outlet that day. And it just so happens that it ends a little earlier than the others, with no studying required at night because it’s the last of the lot, so he types again.

Any room for a leadership summit over some ramen before? My treat.

He waits, keeping his phone open while he takes inventory of the exact classes on his schedule and when he gets lunch breaks, just to find openings to perhaps slide something that doesn’t involve a book or pencil in there.

Absolutely :D XX

…………………………

Mitsuru seems to think that if she doesn’t personally escort the juniors to destination, one of them will run off, probably Iori. She usually takes her rides by herself to catch up on Kirijo business reading materials without all the noise and bickering, but now they’re all walked to the execution block as a group like it’s her duty and everyone’s a bit uncomfortable.

So early in the morning, and since it’s during summer vacation, there’s barely any passengers to mingle in and steal any moment of subtle privacy like they often do. Akihiko is stuck stealing glances at Minako from where he stands during the never-ending ride, while she sits next to Minato to share earphones and rest on her twin’s arm.

They both still have that look from the command room. I should ask about this when I can.

She’s looking vaguely at Yukari and Fuuka discussing, biting her lip absently. She pokes her finger at her brother’s cheek before whispering something to him and he looks at her in silence, single exposed eye gleaming with a slight crinkle on the lids, glancing at Mitsuru nearby. Junpei’s in the seat next to him, head in his hands in dejection and half-asleep still.

This is going to be an amazing week, I’m sure.

…………………………

Classes are intense but at least they are touching new material here and there so it’s not as boring as Akihiko expected. His written French could use some work, judging from the new curriculum, but math is just more of the same and he excels at it. Japanese history has assigned literature to peruse and analyze; excepts from the Kojiki that will take him a few evenings to read.

Not even enough time to train in my room, this is going to take forever to go through.

Like he expected, every night is a noisy group affair at the table; there are books everywhere and drinks threatening to fall in notebooks. Mitsuru’s subtle jabs at handling studying where she sees it happen seems to have had the expected effect because everyone is downstairs, to the discomfort of Ken who often flees to his room. Akihiko exchanges a few glances here and there with Minako but there’s never any opportunity to hang out and it’s starting to get to him.

She’s right there, but so is everyone.

The frustration gets worse as the week goes by and it shows, he can’t even stand himself or his jitters and tends to retreat away from the table as to not make a stressed fool of himself in front of the juniors. It’s hard to read and take notes on his assignments with Iori being so loud too.

But then a new element makes its apparition on Wednesday night: phone calls. It’s always when they all sit down to study, but eventually between 7 and 9 pm, someone will call Minako and she has to steps out on the porch of the dorm for a little while to talk.

Akihiko thinks nothing of it, reading his history book from one of the sofas where he can fidget in peace with his lack of exercise, until it happens a few times back-to-back on Thursday night. She initially sends the calls to voicemail straight up to continue her composition but steps out after a while to call them back, grumbling in annoyance at the caller list. Junpei looks at Ken, who for once is watching TV instead of hiding upstairs and wiggles his eyebrows when the door closes on her. His tone has an amused conspiratory vibe to it.

“Remember what I told you a few weeks back Ken? It has begun.”

The kid ponders, looking at the door Minako just closed, and his eyes eventually light up with a mix of recognition and disappointment.

“Senpai, do you think they are all trying to score a date with her? I didn’t even get to ask her yet.”

Ears somewhat red and eyes narrowed, Akihiko slides his book higher and up to his nose to hide his victorious grin. Maybe that makes him a bad person, but he enjoys the proxy disappointment of all her callers if this is what Iori thinks it is.

Screw the line, I got there first, deal with it.

Junpei laughs with affection, glancing Ken’s way, but his eyes are full of mischief.

“You won’t know unless you try but don’t get your hopes up. You know what, maybe I’ll get a bet going, for fun and giggles. Might be entertaining to try and guess who’s the lucky guy. Who’s in?”

Yukari rolls her eyes and pokes him in the ribs with a pointy elbow, but all he can see is the lone bluish eye that glances at him, slight amusement shining within.

He knows, of course he does. He always knows.

“You got better things to do Stupei, like fixing those math calculations. I mean, what the hell are those scribbles about? It’s barely coherent!”

The teen glares back at her and they instantly start bickering while Minato and Fuuka exchange a discouraged glance. It’s on again.

Minako eventually enters the dorm back, rolling her eyes and clapping her phone shut. Akihiko barely looks her way sneakily, but she can see his smile behind the pages from where she stands and she bites her lip while glancing at him, blushing slightly.

That’s exactly what’s happening, and we are definitely still on. Good.

She takes a breath and walks toward the table with narrowed eyes, fixing a deathly glare on Junpei.

“You. Was it your amazing idea to give my phone number to Kenji of all people?”

“Uh, well, I… I mean…”

And the chaos rises another level until Mitsuru has to step in with stern eyes to calm them all.

Chapter Text

He waits by the back staircase of the school, where they usually meet when they have plans. The anticipation is driving Akihiko tense because he’s been thinking about this moment all week and now, he can’t stop clenching his hands to rid them of the jolting numbness that slips in.

Funny how this spot used to be my personal escape route and now we share it.

He would normally use these stairs to sneakily slip out of sight of the throng of harpies that follow him after school, and now it’s just a secluded, half-lit area where they both escape the world together to get a meal in privacy. There are only a few students hanging in the hallways, those unlucky enough to get roped into summer classes are all fleeing to the sunlight in a hurry, so he distinctly hears her skip hop footsteps approaching. Minako turns the corner, bag in hand, and smiles at him with a glowing glance.

“Hey senpai!”

Akihiko’s feeling a bit bashful for some weird reason himself and his lips curl upward, but his eyes are probably gleaming quite a bit as he takes in her presence.

“Shall we get going?”

She nods and falls in step with him, skimming the air to his left so close he feels engulfed in a web of static. He’s holding his schoolbag under his coat on the right shoulder like he often does and fumbling his other hand around, not quite daring to grasp hers and simply hovering a hair near it.

Why is this so hard? It’s her being back from Inaba all over again.

It’s almost as if missing each other’s touch for a few days brings him backward to square one with shyness and hesitation unless it’s Tartarus-related. Either Minako’s impatient too or she understands his distress because she deftly puts her right hand to his exposed left forearm, sliding her fingers delicately inside his black glove until they’re nested against him, clasping her thumb on top of it to map her warm palm to his pulse.

He closes his fingers over hers and strokes them gently, instantly relaxing a bit even though he’s trembling slightly. She murmurs under her breath, side eying him briefly with an intense scorch of blazing rubies.

“Do you mind if we… go there on foot?”

I missed you too.

“I could use the walk, monorail’s a bit stuffy nowadays.”

And Akihiko lets the static bounce around his head and down his spine, dancing the pads of his fingers on top of hers while they take the longest path possible to the ramen shop, sharing their hands like it’s a physical need they need to fulfill.

…………………..

Minako’s phone rings at one point during their stroll and she promptly shuts down the call in her pocket, not even looking at it. He licks his lips to hide the forming of a light smirk and keeps looking straight ahead as if nothing happened, just applying slightly more pressure on top of her fingers as a silent comment.

The second time he hears the ringtone, his chest shakes in amusement because Iori was so right that it would turn out this way, but she looks at him with narrowed eyes as she repeats the call refusal procedure, murmuring pleasantly.

“What? I’m busy right now, it’s just… people.”

And she smiles brightly at him as they walk because it’s a compliment she intended in a way, but Akihiko knows a bit better than to take it at face value now; it means something a lot deeper.

You’re stressed. The mask slipped, and I saw.

He can’t find the proper words to convey his understanding of her statement, because as usual when it requires subtlety, he gets terrified he’s going to fumble what he wants to really say. Instead, he stops walking suddenly, and since they’re attached at the wrist, she does too and turns around, surprised.

“Wha…?”

They’re on the tree-shaded sidewalk near a park and there’s a few people around but he couldn’t care less despite the rush that crawls up his neck. He just drops his schoolbag and his jacket from the hand that’s not wrapped with hers to his feet like it’s excess baggage.

His fingers on top of hers press harder, either to cement his will or prevent her from running, he couldn’t really say because he can’t grasp the proper label dancing in the oscillations of his mind. Akihiko simply raises his other glove to the side of her face and gently cups her cheek in his palm, running his thumb along the edge of her right brow softly.

There’s a spark that wavers in the red when it meets his gaze, and while he’s not as expressive as she can be with her eyes, he tries to inject what he wants to communicate in them. Not pity, nor that kind of blanket fake concern most people tend to show at someone who falters, just a tender acceptance of what she showed beneath the mask.

Because deep down, we’re the same, and I get it. I really do.

He steps closer, crowding her a bit and Minako leans into him, resting the left side of her head on his shirt. It takes a while before she speaks in a low voice.

“I’m sorry.”

He dips his nose to her ponytail, exhaling slowly.

“Never be sorry.”

It takes a few minutes before she talks again, and he can feel her jaw moving in the flesh of his hand.

“We should probably go.”

All he can do is whisper back.

“We don’t have to.”

“But I want to.”

Akihiko traces the edge of her ear with shaking fingers, the spot where her cheek meets it and where he delicately kissed her the other morning. A lady with her shopping bags eyes them strangely as she walks on the sidewalk, and he doesn’t react.

“Take all the time you want.”

……………………………

Minako looks more vivacious once they sit down at the ramen counter, not overtly so, but alert and focused. He orders for them both like he often does, and she takes her notepad out of her bag to place it between them, balanced upward.

“The good news is, we got a lot of time to prepare for the next operation and we won’t need to cram Tartarus like before. Also, the news reports are looking good: Apathy syndrome cases are solving themselves right now, so less rush too.”

He peruses her notes, and she keeps going.

“Because it’s summer vacation, I was thinking all of us should take the time to spend quality moments with Koromaru. It’s not going to be the same with him as with people, I don’t think anyone except Aigis speaks dog and it will take some getting used to.”

Language is not the only means of communicating, indeed.

He smiles slightly, thinking about their unusual new party member and how he came to be part of SEES. Her frantic effort to keep him alive, blood up to her elbows and ripping her sleeves to make bandages, calm under pressure.

“You really want to ensure Koromaru doesn’t get hurt again, eh?”

Minako cups her chin in her palm, eyes a bit vacant but lips curved upward, just looking toward the sauce bottles in reminiscence. Her tone is soft and full of tenderness, probably because the dog is simply adorable.

“Yes, he deserves better than me missing the mark. That little guy is one of a kind really, and I don’t want to take any risks. Also, I never had a pet and I’m not quite sure how that works despite hearing about it, not that he is mine mind you, he belongs only to himself, and he got his own important mission to fulfill. I just want to ensure he gets to achieve his wishes without breaking him along the way.”

The twinkle in her irises makes him wonder if there’s a subtext somewhere in there, but she turns her glowing eyes his way and smirks joyfully. It’s quite genuine, dispelling his momentary confusion and that thought bubble pops.

“Just trying to be a good leader, you know?”

Akihiko grins back with intent because it’s contagious.

“You’re always doing an excellent job; in case you were fishing for compliments. Having everyone bond with him is a good idea, it won’t even feel like a chore too.”

And he takes the steaming bowls the cook is handing them to place them on the counter, looping his little finger around hers when they start eating.

…………………..

There’s no hurry to wolf food down and they both take their time to enjoy the moment, but something keeps gnawing at him from earlier this week.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

She’s munching on her egg and turns his way with an inquisitive glance, nodding because her mouth is full.

“Before summer school started, you and Minato had a…strange look when you met Koromaru. I figured you two had a bad day, but it came back later in the week, and I was wondering if there was something going on. Not that you need to tell me, but… I was worried.”

Minako looks downward, munching slowly and it takes a bit before she murmurs, unsure.

“Maybe it’s just our imagination, it’s probably not important. Not when we’re four targets away from the end; we’re almost there.”

He stares at her, all business, because it doesn’t sound like a vagary if it had that perturbing effect on them.

“You’re the most perceptive person I ever met, I trust you and whatever you think you felt or saw. Try me.”

She flinches, a bit surprised at the vehemence in his voice and bites her lip before answering.

“The chairman had us run a lot of physicals that day with the Kirijo doctors. I know you guys get them too now and then, but it felt a bit excessive. I’m not a fan of hospitals to begin with, too many…”

Minako takes a breath and her eyes dart here and there.

“Deep down I get it, Min and I are wired a bit differently from the rest of you when it comes to our powers. Anyways, the chairman probably just wanted to ensure we have no complications or side effects, or perhaps it’s because we pushed hard before the last operation, and he was worried about us.”

She pauses, sips a noodle absently, focused on recalling the events.

“But he seemed happy at the fact that we joined SEES, and how we changed things for the better for the team, made it grow. He mentioned several times how our presence here got things moving in the right direction and I guess it sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I was just tired, I know Minato had weird dreams that day and it always leaves him a bit out of sorts in the morning too. Silly, right? Ikutsuki probably was just trying to pun a compliment and I misinterpreted.”

But Akihiko frowns; the chairman can indeed be a bit excentric at times but there’s something in the words she mentions that makes his brain spark and it’s frustratingly out of reach.

“Let me think on it, there’s something in what you said that bothers me too. I’ll figure it out.”

Minako applies a bit of force to her pinkie to grab his attention.

"Like I said, don't worry too much about this. Now, I think we should start slow tonight with Aigis and Koro-chan, get used to how he ticks and what he can do. What do you say?"

Chapter Text

The early morning overcast seems destined to fray into nothingness by noon, judging from the breaks in the clouds that are starting to appear through the canopy. The distorted patterns of light and darkness dance everywhere on the playground because of the slight wind, an echo to Minako’s closed eyes and silent figure.

It feels weird that she’s standing this way for once. She never does this.

While Akihiko’s perched on top and toward the trees like always, instead of having her back to the bar like she usually does, she turned around and threw her arms over it. Face to face but side by side, not looking at each other because she put her chin on top of the metal and stands as still as a statue, cinders hidden under her lashes and leafy shadows crisscrossing her from above.

A sharp contrast with yesterday’s violence under green moonlight, moving like a dancer with limitless energy on the battlefield and laughing at Koromaru’s exuberance. That seemed to have shaken most of her unease and stress, but probably not all of it.

She eventually cracks her eyelids open with a content sigh, staring vaguely toward the shrine like she’s trying to picture something in her mind.

“It’s weird to think that in a few hours, this place will change completely. It won’t be the same as it is now, it won’t be…”

It won’t be just ours.

Akihiko’s about to move his hand toward her when she suddenly steps away from the bar and puts her palms to it instead. Not looking at him, she jumps up, puts her hip to it and flips around, flinging copper strands in the air until she does a full spin and passes a hand above her legs to swing them over so she can sit. She glances his way with a relaxed smirk and a raised eyebrow, somewhat proud.

“See? Can totally do it.”

He smiles back, transposing his hand on the bar until it’s barely touching hers.

“I never had any doubt.”

She turns her gaze back forward, face relaxed and pensive, probably mulling her words since she’s biting her cheek absently.

“Can… we keep to… ourselves tonight?”

It’s a tentative whisper that came out of her mouth, but it makes him itch all over his spine.

“I’d rather we do, yes.”

I’m selfish, I don’t feel like sharing you anyways.

Minako gently leans over until the side of her head rests on the outside of his shoulder, nestling in his sleeve. He can’t see her eyes anymore yet his whole arm is on fire.

“You’re spoiling me, but… I’m glad. I just want to be, for once. As a treat to myself.”

A tad unsure and rearranging words around in his mind, he leans his head on top of hers until he’s resting in her hair and murmurs back.

“I like it better when you’re just you, even if that means you don’t smile.”

She chuckles and it sounds like a mix of wonderment tinged with disbelief, but she doesn’t move, and neither does he, because he’s unsure how to express how true it is to him and it’s somewhat frustrating. They stay like this for a long while, enjoying the quiet in mutual company, until she speaks again.

“Is it okay if we meet here after sundown? It’s probably best we get here separately, since… I’ll text you.”

He closes his eyes; they got quite some time still before they need to get back.

“Works for me.”

…………………………

Under the cover of darkness, lit by a thousand lanterns, Naganaki shrine looks very different than when Akihiko was here with her just this morning. Vendor stalls, cooking smells, noise, laughter, and the bustle of hundreds of bodies in all manner of clothing colors are filling the usual quiet space with a completely disparate energy.

It’s a bit jarring how fast this place can change from dawn to dusk.

It’s a communicative craziness; he’s not used to crowds nowadays, the orphanage and the cramped spaces filled with kids is long past, but the vibe of joy that permeates the air makes him smile, nonetheless. He flips open his cellphone, ensuring he didn’t miss any message.

She said to wait by the side of the gate, but it’s been a while…

And so, he keeps watch, eyes in the vague, just taking in the movement of the crowd absently. It’s still early, she’ll get here eventually, maybe she’s trying to sneak around some people she knows since they agreed to keep this private. Amid the surrounding sounds, all merging into a single sonic undulation that acts as a background filler, he suddenly hears her low voice clearly.

“Akihiko.”

He turns around and can’t help but stare once he realizes who’s really standing near the gate, calling to him. Minako looks…

…Wow.

She’s wearing a yukata that outlines how slim and delicate she is, all fiery colors and patterned with white flowers, and her upbraided hair is adorned with a cascading ornament of golden blossoms that trickle down next to her left ear. Her eyes are painted, outlined with black that makes their vibrant color pop and echo the applied red on her lips.

She’s… beautiful.

What she wears usually isn’t the first impression he takes in about her presence, he finds her quite pretty no matter how sweaty or bloody she is, truth be told. But tonight, it’s like a sun deity herself stepped out of the pages from the Kojiki and he can’t seem to be able to remember how to breathe.

Get a grip, get a grip, she’s walking over here.

Minako looks a bit unsure of herself initially as she advances toward where he stands, but eventually cracks a genuinely happy grin that makes her shining rubies and the curve of her lips burn themselves in his mind, and Akihiko feels an intense blush burn all over his face. He glances down, trying to breathe, trying to chase off the storm that’s boiling between his ears. He spots her bare feet clad in geta sandals next to him and he’s forced to raise his gaze upward because he can’t be that impolite to her.

“I’m sorry I’m late, I can’t move as fast as I’m used to in these.”

“…That looks hard to walk in.”

He smiles gently at her, hoping the ambient lighting makes his reaction less apparent, but she just keeps looking at him, a tad shy, her glorious irises shining like little bonfires. He licks his lips, doing his best to refrain from clenching his fists, frustrated with himself.

Say something, come on.

“You look… very beautiful. It makes it hard to look directly at… you.”

Her lips broaden at the compliment, and she gets closer until she can raise a sleeve to his wrist. For once he’s not wearing his gloves and he moves until her palm slides into his, delicately holding her soft hand like she’s made of glass.

“Thank you.”

They walk together slowly, simply exploring the rows of stands toward the shrine proper like nothing else exists. All he can manage are side glances, else it’s just too hard to prevent staring at the vision at his side and he doesn’t want to get weird on her.

I probably don’t deserve it, but I’m very glad I don’t have to share you with anyone tonight.

…………………………..

They pay their respects at the shrine then keep strolling until a tantalizing odor catches up with them, and her stance perks up. Akihiko glances around and spots the culprit stall in question.

“Takoyaki, huh… Wanna share one? It’s my treat.”

“Sounds good.”

She stays next to a decorated pole, admiring the paper lamps while he gets to the stand to order for them, fishing in his pockets. The cooking lady eyes Akihiko appreciatively, pursing her lips in a knowing smile when she looks behind him, then back his way with a low whistle.

Uh…

“Ooh, you’re one fine lookin’ man. You get an extra one, hot stuff! Make sure you give it to the eye-catching girlfriend you’re with. Ahh, the good old days of youth and love…”

…What?

He blinks in surprise while holding his money, stupefied at her comment, and she winks at Akihiko when she pockets his bill with a flourish and puts two servings on the counter.

“Th-That’s not...”

“Sure, sure, move along now, enjoy yourself and make sure she does, too! She certainly worked hard to catch your attention today, make it count.”

The vendor lady waves him a goodbye, shooing him away with mischief to get to her next customers. Still gobsmacked, he turns around, spine tingling and hands full, to walk back toward Minako with the two steaming treats. He can’t find any of his words and just presents her with one of the servings, eyes a bit wild and looking somewhat away to hide his momentary confusion.

“Oh, you got two? I was fine just sharing, you know!”

She takes his offering, eyeing the little batter balls, pick in hand, like she’s choosing who to sacrifice first with a predatory grin. The picture of her mock violence is utterly adorable, and he absently takes a bite of his own snack, still trying to make sense of the earlier comments from the stall lady and why they affect him so much.

Ouch!

His eyes go wide, and Akihiko breathes through the pain; the takoyaki is boiling still and it’s burning his mouth.

“Careful, it’s hot!”

Minako throws him a playful smirk, amused at his pained expression and gobbles one straight up too, eyes reacting dramatically and nodding while she chews.

“S’good though!”

………………………

He takes her toward the numerous festival stalls once they’re finished with their snacks so they can admire the decorations and the pieces of art on display, under the dim colored lights blooming everywhere.

She’s running her nails on a particular mask of a gold and red fox, eyes vacant but smiling with warmth.

“I think I had one of these when I was young. I have some vague memories of being called a pranking kit. I might have been a little terror, to be fair.”

And now all grown up into a bewitching kitsune in the dead of night.

“It’s true you can be a little devil sometimes.”

She laughs with mischief in her eyes at his taunt, and he echoes her smirk, watching the dangling golden ornament dance around her head. It’s slightly easier to look at her now and he can see Minako eyeing him speculatively.

“So, if I’m a fox, what would your mask be?”

Good question.

“I’m not… sure. I never even bought one before.”

He looks at the walkway where children are sprinting and laughing in all directions, thinking back on older, simple times with a pang of sudden nostalgia.

“I used to run here with Aragaki when we were kids, we’d escape the orphanage in secret to hang out at festivals and get scolded when we came back. We glanced at the stalls and begged for treats. None of us could afford a souvenir, but we could bring back the description of all the wonders we saw back to Miki at least. She was too small to follow us, so we’d be her eyes and bring back tales of everything outside to make her dream of a better future.”

Akihiko is a bit surprised to find he doesn’t feel too sad talking about this, he’s just glad he’s sharing a bit of himself with her because she understands, and for once the words flew out as he intended. It’s painful in a dull way and probably always will be, but he’s accepted it. Her hand is sliding in his, applying warm pressure as her soft fingers cross with his, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, Minako leans on his arm as a presence of comfort and waits on him patiently.

Always perceptive.

It takes him a bit to shake out the remembrance and they resume walking close, hands still entwined. As they pass a second stall of masks, she points to one.

“If I had to choose for you, it would be this one.”

He looks at the half-mask of a silver and red cat a bit dubiously.

“Really?”

Minako smiles and nods before she looks back at him, boring her eyes into his own with intensity. His face starts melting in reply because he can’t seem to look away.

“Yes, you’re pretty much a cat. Their paws and claws have bite like yours do, they’re very lethal hunters too. Very warm and cuddly when you want to sleep alongside them, and… they purr, just like you.”

Her smile is a bit impish like she’s holding back a laugh, she chose her words very specifically and he just keeps standing there in shock. There’s thunder ringing in Akihiko’s mind at everything she said, but the end bit stands out. He knows it’s a bait, and he can’t help but tug hard on it because he’s wired like that, and she knows it.

“I… what?”

“It’s actually really adorable!”

Minako bites down on a chuckle and a dusting of crimson blooms in her pale face. Akihiko is blushing furiously because he has no idea what she’s on about but also because it’s kind of embarrassing to even think about.

“You’ll remember at some point, don’t worry about it.”

Oh, right… I’m never taking those again.

For once tonight, he can hold a gaze to hers and stares back, lids narrowed, pondering how to tackle this.

“You’re starting to run a tab on secrets.”

“There’s a time and place for everything. I promised before, and it still holds.”

She’s blushing but defiant regardless, staring back with aplomb and he believes her, so he takes a breath and lets it go reluctantly.

I won’t forget though.

“Alright, fair enough, I trust you.”

…………………………..

The crowd around keeps moving like the water of a lazy river, carrying everyone to their destination and they slip in the current for a bit, letting it guide them further down the walkway until a man at a nearby stall hollers their way.

“Hey! You two! Would you like to play Lucky Draw? All you do is pick a ball! It’s easy! And, everyone’s a winner!”

They both share a glance and approach in curiosity. Akihiko looks at the contraption holding the colored spheres with a dubious gaze.

“Lucky Draw, huh…? I’ve always doubted whether it’s really possible to win the stuff on display.”

He strokes her hand with his thumb, handing a bill to the vendor with the other.

“Give it a try for me, red’s my lucky color.”

She grins at him with wiggling eyebrows and puts her hand in the box. Instead of drawing from the top, she moves the little balls around and plunges her fingers deeper, shuffling until she’s satisfied with her pick. She takes out a bright red one for a top prize and laughs.

“Eh, just like the gym keys!”

She smiles triumphantly his way, and he can only manage a lopsided grimace at her comment, remembering the rescue operation with some shame.

Oh, right… those. Boy did I mess up that one back then.

“And there you go pretty miss!”

The attendant hands her a blue and white plushie from the top row of prizes and he swears he can recognize that snowman character from somewhere.

“Oh, it’s much fluffier than the ones from the vending machines! There you go, one dose of red luck, as requested!”

Oh, now I remember…

And she hands him the stuffed snowman with pride.

“You can keep it, it’s actually yours for real. I remember where I saw that little fellow now… How does that work anyways?”

Minako ponders, hugging her prize with a contemplative frown.

“That would take a… lot of time to explain. Put it on the tab, I’ll get to it eventually.”

He laughs at that one and she smirks roguishly, this secret doesn’t have the same flavor as the others but he’s curious all the same.

“Time and place again?”

She raises an eyebrow, dangling the cascade of golden shimmers in her hair with a shake of her head.

“Isn’t it always?”

The crowd in the open space is getting busier, and Akihiko looks around. Everyone seems to be shuffling toward this area, probably for the incoming fireworks, meaning a chance encounter with someone they know is getting more and more probable by the minute.

I’m really enjoying myself and I’d rather it doesn’t end quite yet.

“I think the fireworks are happening soon, do you want to move toward the hill? The view is still good and it won’t be so crowded. At least it was the best spot when I was a child.”

Minako nods, shuffling next to him toward their destination. The sky feels darker, since there aren’t as many lanterns and stall lights around but the path is a bit uneven.

“Watch your step, almost there.”

I should have thought of that before.

Right on cue, she catches her balance by holding on to him and hops on one foot.

“Sorry! Give me a sec I lost a sandal.”

“Don’t move, I got it.”

Akihiko looks around, trying to spot where the geta fell in the darkness and eventually finds it nearby. She holds out her hand to take it from him, but he kneels in front of her instead.

“It’s too dark, and I don’t want you to fall.”

He did this before so many times when he was younger, helping Miki put on her shoes because she didn’t know how to tie them by herself, but the difference of the situation doesn’t hit him until his knee hits the floor. He can feel her hands pressing on his shoulders on each side so she can keep her balance, the plushie ruffling the back of his hair as she holds her naked foot slightly aloft above the ground and he hesitates.

Just, stop thinking.

Not wanting to tickle her, he puts his palm on the top of her foot and gently glides it backward until he can hold it by the heel, absently running his thumb against the bony ridge of her ankle. Maybe because it’s so soft and delicate, something inside makes him swallow hard and he can’t quite label it.

I’m getting weird again.

There’s a sizzling sound going up from behind him because the show is starting, and he looks skyward as a reflex. Minako is looking down at him, hair ornament framing her face and her eyes a vibrant, boiling crimson. The firework explodes in shades of green above and he can’t help but see the Dark Hour’s curtain through the sudden light that blasts all over them.

It’s distracting, Akihiko’s mind is filled with bursts of sound and he runs the fingers on her ankle up toward her calf before he catches himself and stops. His other hand is still cradling the tip of her sandal and he distinctly feels her toes curl at the motion and she bites her lower lip, rubies sultry from this angle.

She looked like this the other day in her room, and it hits just as hard today.

He lets go of her foot and gets up to stand while she puts it down. He’s mesmerized by the reflection of fireworks in the glossy surface of her eyes as she looks upward to the display that intensifies, blasting everywhere with flashes of light. She’s not smiling per say, but she looks happily serene, somewhat vulnerable, just like when she opens her eyes at the playground after a long meditative silence next to him.

All the masks are peeled off. You’re just you.

Her voice is low but joyful, melting in the claps of sparks above them.

“It’s so pretty… Like dozens of colored suns exploding in the sky.”

You got it all wrong.

“It’s indeed quite pretty, but...”

His hand is trembling and there’s a resonance sitting between his eardrums that won’t stop, but it doesn’t matter. She just feels warm when his hand cradles her cheek, fingers sliding behind her ear to bury themselves in the loose coils of her braided hair. Minako’s breath itches in surprise.

Look at me.

And she does, with wide flaring rubies, and it’s hard to sustain. Akihiko can see the echoes of the red and golden bursts above them within, and the liquid silver of his own gaze.

“There’s only one sun here… and its you.”

Something inside him melts and he just moves without thinking, dipping his face until his lips slightly grazes hers and he closes his eyes. For a split second, she doesn’t move, and he wonders if perhaps he should have asked first. She shudders and raises a hand to his hair, pushing back against his mouth with her own caress and he starts trembling.

Don’t let the rope snap. Don’t go insane.

Everything is made from static shock in his mind as their lips dance with each other, tantalizingly slow and tender, desperate to keep himself steady. The spectacle above is deafening, yet he can hear none of it, his ears are filled with the humming she makes when he takes her lower lip between his to gently suck on it. She tastes like fire, his knees are going weak, and he raises his other hand to her back, palm pressed to her spine.

Don’t let the rope snap.

Akihiko has to breathe or he’s going to faint from the overload of everything, he’s already so light-headed he can’t even think. Pressing his forehead to hers, gasping for air, he opens his eyes to watch her and drowns in the melting red that looks back at him with something he never could identify before now.

Except now I can.

Her lashes lower as her gaze falls to his mouth, then back up half-way with flames burning within.

“We can always say… it was because of… the fireworks.”

I don’t want an out.

Minako’s nails are grazing the hair behind his ear, and he can’t stop shivering. He lowers the top of his nose toward her cheek until his lips are so close to hers that every word he says flutters on them.

“If… you… want.”

He can feel her smile curl up against him and it parts to deliver her words.

“I really don’t, no.”

She inhales and closes the gap to him fully, smothering him in liquid fire.

Chapter Text

It’s pitch black outside and almost midnight, for once the dorm is so silent its eerie after such a noisy evening. Sitting on his bed, chin resting on his wrists and arms crossed over his knees, Akihiko still can’t quite process the prior events and how it all unraveled. Just thinking about it makes him shiver all over and close his eyes, but even that doesn’t help.

All I see are yours and my reflection in them.

That’s one mental picture that’s sizzled in his brain forever and it’s just haunting. It’s all he saw whenever they had to breathe, and when they managed to make more than five steps without being glued to each other to get back home. It’s a bit of a blur how he even came back to his room to shower and change after all this, not that it matters in the end.

Everything’s red and glowing and textured like plush velvet.

All he can think back on are the never-ending languorous kisses he gave her in the darkness of the dorm’s side alley before he let her run inside, and the long time he spent with his face pressed to the cool brick wall after, until he leveraged enough brainpower to move from his spot and follow sometimes later.

It’s a good thing all the residents of the dorm were already back from the festival and tucked in when he did, so he didn’t have to interact with any of them, or it might have been really awkward. Maybe it’s not written all over his face what exactly happened, but he certainly looks out of sorts, like he’s having an out of body experience or saw a ghost.

I tasted fire and it scarred me to no end.

He runs his hands in his hair and over his face roughly, the amount of stress on his nerves is tiring, but it feels like another toss and turn night is on the menu. He will never be able to sleep now, not when her fiery specter is hanging around his neck and all he keeps thinking about is the way her scorching lips felt on his.

Might as well go grab something to drink now before…

The Dark Hour curtain zaps all the lights out and he can distinctly hear the electricity fizzling out in the wires going in the walls like a tide wave receding. He scowls at his distraction of what time it was; the vending machines on his floor are now inoperable because they’re out of power. That leaves the water bottles in the offline fridge downstairs, they won’t cool down anytime soon.

……………

Padding on bare feet silently, briefly scoffing at Junpei’s customary snoring from the corridor, Akihiko makes his way downstairs by skipping all the creaking wood spots. At this point, it’s almost a reflex to do so; he spends a lot of time sneaking around when everyone’s asleep and he had lots of practice when he was younger.

The lounge looks like a nightmare rendition of itself because of the green gloom, but the kitchen is coal black since its windows are not angled toward the moon’s position in the sky. He’s lived here for quite some time now, so he knows exactly where everything is located, finding a plastic bottle of the proper shape by feel in the refrigerator.

He almost takes hold of it when he feels a presence nearby and turns toward the doorframe; he didn’t hear anyone coming down the stairs and he taps the fridge door so it closes softly. All the hair on his neck stands up because he can feel who it is despite the complete darkness, almost like a frequency in the murky air, and Akihiko just stops breathing. She murmurs, sounding a bit high-strung.

“Sorry, I… couldn’t sleep either.”

You and me both.

There’s just a sliver of light coming from the lounge toward the kitchen entrance that lights her gaze like red cinders and it’s enough to throw him back in the roundabout of the evening all over again, except with a nervous static overlay on top that makes his hands shake.

Minako just slowly enters the kitchen toward him, tentatively moving forward until he can feel the heat irradiating from her. He can’t see anything in the darkness and he’s just going by feel, dipping his head down a bit until he feels her hair tickle against his cheek, and he leans into it gently.

The tip of her nose connects with the base of his jaw and traces its curve, sighing dreamily. Her fingers graze downward on his shirt near his ribs, like she wants him to get the hint and he takes a hand to the back of her head delicately to angle it backward, stroking the curls of her undone braid.

Her lips are brushing on his chin, her breath is warming his throat, and he dips downward until they’re against his mouth like a whisper instead. Everything instantly turns into clouds in his mind and he groans half a suggestion that was still floating in there a second ago.

“Do you…”

It almost sounds like a tired sigh when he feels her word spoken against his mouth.

“Yes.”

He closes his lips around her lower one with intent, parting them slowly to mold them all over hers and she shudders, nails twitching on his shirt.

Wait…

She tilts her head, and he can barely whisper three words before she presses on him with a scorching kiss.

“You don’t even…”

He keeps his mouth slack to run a lazy lower lip all over hers, his exhale shaky.

“Know what…”

And she catches it between her own, squeezing it gently in passing.

“I wanted to… ask you.”

His eyes are rolling back and he digs his fingers in her hair, nuzzling the corner of her cheek so he can catch his breath. She takes the opportunity to whisper to him, gasping for air.

“I assume… it’s cat-related.”

Akihiko lazily chuckles at that one because that’s a good recap of his untold proposal to stay close tonight and she just tugs at his shirt so they can get going, brushing her lips against him like a tantalizing call to follow.

I’d follow you anywhere anyways.

It would be a repeat of the earlier slow trek to the dorm, except Koromaru, sleeping on the couch, shuffles his ears and opens his eyes to look at them and they split apart in a flash. The dog cocks his head to the side and makes a muffled whine of curiosity that makes them both freeze.

I completely forgot about him.

“It’s okay Koro-chan, go back to sleep. We’re going to bed too.”

She spoke very softly, and the dog puts his nose back on top of his paws, sighing in tiredness while closing his eyes again. They both exchange a glance of guilt and shuffle upstairs in silence toward his room, mood a bit subdued. It takes the lock clicking in place for Akihiko’s mind to spark an actual rational thought, ringing a thousand bells in the back of his mind.

This is actually… a really dangerous idea.

But Minako’s hand is fluttering up his neck to ruffle the tufts of silver at the back of his head and that dreadfully alarming notion sizzles out of existence like a rain drop in a bonfire. Everything’s a dark forest green and there are two little embers that recedes from him whenever he dives forward like a fish following a baited hook.

She keeps going backward until she throws both her arms around his neck and lets him connect to her like a magnet searching for its twin, humming. Arching her back, she pushes her weight backward and he puts his hands to her spine to cushion her fall, melting her delicately on the bed instead.

There’s a vague echo in his subconscious of rumpled red velvet in the murk of the Dark Hour, her frame bending backward with the curve of her neck exposed and rubies melting, him above her and he frowns.

Don’t let the rope snap. Don’t go there.

The irony of the moving goalpost doesn’t escape him, it’s almost funny how his definition of where the line is just drastically changed today. It used to be near her, then touching her, then gently kissing her, and now…

Now it means something a tad more intense.

He just runs his mouth across hers as slowly as possible, just to convince himself it’s not as bad if it’s just this and his eyes are closed. If he’s not drowning in red, perhaps he can stay sane, except something soft and boiling hot slips in to caress the inside of his upper lip and he quivers violently at the burning sensation. That throaty sound Minako made doesn’t help, at all.

Oh my god rope on fire.

Her arms are still on his neck and his across her back, so Akihiko dips his weight to the right to roll on his side, cradling her with him so they lay face to face, still entwined while he catches his breath and tries to cool down a bit. Her eyelids crack open to look at him, glazed over.

“Sorry… It’s just that you…”

Please don’t speak your mind or mine will explode.

He interrupts her explanation by brushing his lips on hers and using his words as a tickling caress, pressing her spine toward him with his palms.

“Just, let me do this… until we faint to sleep…”

And he just keeps languidly kissing her very softly, just savoring the silky texture of her as he runs a hand across her hair dreamily. Lashes fold closed almost fully on the flames in her eyes and her nails graze behind his head until they eventually both succumb to exhaustion.

Chapter Text

There’s a very strong sense of déjà vu that morning when Akihiko vaguely tries to emerge from the clingy tendrils of sleep. His internal clock hits the gong again somewhere in the depths of his mind to signal the incoming dawn and he’s probably still half-dreaming because everything is flowery warmth and softness around him. Fantasies are one thing, but there are sounds of fireworks echoing in his mind and red embers melting on his pillow, so he makes a conscious effort to crack his eyelids open before anything else.

Just to be sure I’m not hallucinating.

She’s really here, her limbs still around his neck, face nested in the crook of his jaw and breathing cinders on his throat. Minako is fast asleep on top of his right arm that circles around her, his left hand still lost among the strands of wavy copper, exactly like the Dark Hour’s last tatters that floats in his memory. Every time they rested together before, one of them had to leave before the other woke up, but this is new, and he rather likes it. A lot.

I can’t believe yesterday happened…

The corners of his mouth lift in a lazy grin because even his thoughts aren’t quite reflective of what’s churning all over his brain just thinking about it. He has the vocabulary for it, but it’s too early to put it into elaborate words and she’s very distracting.

I don’t know anything about stuff like this, yet I kissed you a thousand times and you liked it.

In any other scenario he’d be self-immolating, and while there’s an undercurrent of nervous static at the memories and a deep blush blooming on his face that he’d even do something like that, he must be honest enough with himself that it wasn’t all his own doing.

She wasn’t complaining at all, quite the opposite in fact.

They’ll have to get up soon before the rest of the dorm does because they're breaking all the rules, and Akihiko just wants to savor the moment. She’s so warm and it burns everywhere she’s touching him but it’s not enough, so he hugs her tighter, shivering at the little sigh of contentment that escapes her lips on his neck. He lightly plays with her tresses, and she murmurs sleepily.

“Oh… I think… this is my best day… ever.”

Tell me about it…

Her arms around him come back to life to bring her nails into his hair and she nuzzles her cheek on his pulse, inhaling softly like she’s breathing in the sparks that run up his neck at her ministrations.

“I know we need to get up, but I wish we didn’t have to.”

Smothered in a strange feeling of dreamlike tenderness, he runs two fingers along her spine very slowly until they rest between her shoulder blades, whispering.

“It’s the last thing I feel like doing right now…”

Minako hums in confirmation, running the tip of her nose along his throat, then his jaw upward until her cheek lies on his, opening her eyes halfway to look at him closely. It’s like the dawn cresting the horizon, red and vibrant, tinged with happiness and something a tad predatory.

That’s one hell of a way to wake up, gazing at the glory of you. 

She barely brushes her soft lips on his skin, and he moves his face across hers to angle his mouth away, doing the same near her ear, like they’re circling each other around an untold subject and they’re both smiling like it's a game.

If we do this again, we’ll have a hard time stopping and we both know it. I remember last night quite well.

He can see the silver of his irises flaring in the reflection of hers and Akihiko’s a bit shocked at how expressive his eyes seem.

“You’re making this really difficult.”

And the crimson orbs glares back with hunger.

“Look who’s talking, you...”

This is getting hard to resist without breaking his resolve, especially with her so close, that look in her rubies and the clock running out on dorm privacy. Drowsiness is a good help or he would have already lost that fight.

“Up for a morning run?”

Anything to spend a little more time with you.

She sighs happily as if she read his mind.

“Always. Downstairs in 15?”

He nods and she closes her lashes, running all the fingers in his hair from the top down to the nape of his neck and he shudders, raising his chin in reflex. She dives her face back down to rest it below and whispers.

“Please close your eyes until I leave, or I might be very tempted to turn around. Your gaze is killing me right now.”

He chuckles at that one but complies with a smile, Minako is often unpredictable in her bold statements, but it's always nice to hear how he affects her.

You’re adorable when you’re cheeky.

“As you wish. See you soon.”

She sighs and untangles herself slowly, stroking his cheek in passing with her nails. She drops a boiling open-mouthed kiss on the vein of his throat and quickly hops off, scooting off like a comet while he chomps down on his cheek at the sensation.

Cheater!

“Sorry!”

He can hear her bare feet softly step away in stealth and her grumbling under her breath when she makes it out of the door.

“At least you have a shirt on this time… goddamn.”

……………………

They’ve been running together for months now, and Minako has the speed and stamina to keep up with him even when he takes a more challenging pace that makes him really work out. He admires anyone who can deal with his kind of training, but the fact that it’s her who can do so is even better.

Akihiko needs the intense exercise today to chase all the craziness away or at least tone it down because just having her there makes something inside him jolt incessantly now that he’s more awake and alert.

You burn me just by existing.

This morning, she’s in a visibly playful mood, smiling impishly back at him a few corners away from the dorm and zooming off like she has wings, goading him into catching up more than once because she knows he won’t resist a challenge. The day promises to be very hot and humid, judging from the already blistering haze sticking down at street level, so by the time they get to the playground as the sun rises proper, they’re drenched and quite exhausted.

She looks at the remains of the festival around the shrine while catching her breath, a weird look in her eyes, and spins on the bar to sit facing the trees instead, decidedly turning her back on the display, still gulping hard. Akihiko joins her up, but facing the other way, so they’re side by side and he can observe her sideways in silence as he always does.

Beads of sweat are jeweling an invisible tiara on her brow and her glazed eyes close like she’s falling asleep. She usually remains like this for long minutes without moving at all, but this time, her right hand slides tentatively toward him until she can touch his own and she just delicately slides her fingers on top like a makeshift glove.

That’s new.

Akihiko’s not sure if he should answer this with something, so he refrains from moving, too hesitant to disturb the usual ritual despite the changes. This feels like a promise of trust, like she takes comfort in him being with her while she turns to inner contemplation, and it strikes him in a profound way.

It takes her a while to open her eyes again and they’re tinged with vulnerability.  As usual, her voice is low and tentative, like speaking her inner thoughts out loud is hard when all her masks are gone and she’s all exposed.

“Except Minato, everything in the last ten years was just fleeting, made from moving water and without purpose. It’s weird perhaps but I don’t want to look at the shrine today. I can’t bear to look at the remains of such a… precious memory and associate it with anything… temporary.”

Minako purses her lips, raising her gaze upward to look at the sky as if she’s remembering the fireworks that bloomed there and his neck starts prickling with some weird dread.

He had no idea how hard they both had it before they came at the dorm and meshed themselves so tightly into SEES, and it strikes a chord inside at how lonely they both must have been. It almost sounds like him and Shinji, except they always lived here and weren't constantly losing all permanence. 

I was always curious but never dared to ask about before. It sounds like a lot of pain to shoulder...

“I know it will all be gone by the end of the day, and they will tear it all down, but I’ll never forget it.”

It just feels right for him to run a hand on her cheek in remembrance of the events, lightly brushing the coppery hair sticking to her skin out of the way, waiting for her eyes to turn to his way to speak. 

“I never will either. And I really meant what I said.”

There’s a slight blush blooming on her cheeks and she smiles at him serenely the same way she did yesterday.

“Now, that… that was soul-piercing. You can certainly be very… eloquent.”

He chuckles a bit darkly at her comment, looking away in some sort of shame. That’s not a word he would associate with himself, he’s made a bumbling mess of himself quite often, especially with her.

It’s like I spent so much energy trying to be the best fighter that I forgot how words work somewhere along the way.

“Me, eloquent? Depends on the subject or to whom I guess.”

Her reply sounds stern, like she’s admonishing him for even deprecating himself about it.

“Don’t sell yourself short to me because I certainly don’t see it that way. Anyone can spin their breath and say a lot that means absolutely nothing in the end. It's not just words that count, I'm a twin, I should know.”

Minako turns toward him and raises an ankle to the horizontal bar to balance herself on one crossed leg. She takes one hand to his face delicately and coaxes him to turn back around to her and face those glorious orbs of boiling red. The other is stroking his fingers where she left it before as if to remind him of all the times they did this.

“But you, when you talk to me, you speak with all of you as if it's straight from the heart and it’s just…”

Still cradling his head in her palm, she suddenly just dives in and kisses him a tad roughly and that stuns him for a second. She raises her eyes to him again from up close and murmurs with a little smile.

“There’s a disarming charm in being so honest, you know. Your eyes are really something.”

Akihiko just closes the gap to her lips softly while stroking her cheek, amazed she finds him endearing like that. She flutters more words against him like lava butterflies, punctuated with scorching kisses of her own.

“That’s a new way of…. talking I never experienced… before… and I really like it.”

I'll talk to you in all the ways you want as much as you let me.

He shifts his raised hand to the back of her head, digging in her wet hair below her ponytail to bring her closer to him. 

"I really need a shower, that’s probably…”

He just runs his lips over hers slowly in reply, tasting the salt that trickled down on them while arching her neck further toward his jaw, eyes boring into her irises like he wants to drive a point.

“I don’t care, it’s still you, and it’s all I want.”

There's nothing temporary about any of this and I'll prove it to you if you let me.

They stay balanced on top of the bar together for a long time, twisted sideways and mouths dancing slowly while the cicadas scream their song from the nearby trees.

Chapter Text

He’s in a very good mood that night as they staircase new territory in Tartarus and Junpei picks up on it immediately, cracking jokes the whole way as they stroll with Koromaru at the front. While Iori may sometimes be a lecherous slob, he’s good in a fight and seems to respect him a fair deal, so it’s a nice tentative friendship they’ve been building over time. Akihiko and Mitsuru end up as the default dorm authority to the juniors because there’s no adult around to keep them in line and if one of them needs a push toward the right mindset, it’s definitely Iori.

Their canine scout keeps detecting shadows from quite far away, pausing with a growl and flattened ears whenever it senses movement and it’s a great asset in the ambient gloom to avoid ambushes. As a result, they made good time clearing all traces of enemies from the floor and just need to find the stairs upward.

“That dog is awesome, he’s making all of this so easy, we’re always getting the jump on them tonight!”

Iori tries to get Koromaru’s attention and while the dog swishes near to get a brush in his coat from him, he quickly runs off to Minako’s side for head scratches as they walk, lolling his tongue in satisfaction. She’s been taking him for walks and playtime almost everyday at dusk, usually with a disguised Aigis and Minato in tow, and it shows. The teen looks at her with a tinge of jealousy at the dog’s preference for her company and Akihiko, feeling very laidback mentally, drops him a deadpan comment without even thinking.

“She’s just way more adorable than you are. Deal with it.”

Now why did I say that out loud?

He can hear her giggle behind them and ever dramatic, the swordsman touches his chest like he’s been stabbed right through.

“Aww senpai, you wound my heart. But you’re not wrong, she’s very cute.”

I could write an essay on that.

His wink and raised eyebrow almost tempt him with a reply but he drops it like he never said anything. There’s a saying about not tempting the devil, and that also applies to Iori’s mind.

The less you in particular know, the better. Bait the hook before you slip again.

“Just spend more time with him, play catch or something, you’re a baseball player. As long as you don’t feed him crappy leftovers like Yukari, you’ll figure it out.”

“She didn’t really try to pawn that burned chicken to him for real!? I thought Ken was pulling my leg.”

Iori is trying to repress a laugh to not attract any unwanted shadows their way, but said dog looks relaxed so they’re probably safe.

“Oh yes, and he refused to eat any of it. Be careful what you feed him, instant ramen is not appropriate for a dog, just so you know.”

That instantly riles him up but he keeps somewhat of a lid on it, Junpei is anything if not extremely predictable in his contempt for authority or criticism of any kind, except when it comes from the twins or his seniors.

“Hey! I eat other stuff sometimes! You and your nutritional obsessions I swear…”

They’re coming close to the next staircase and Minako unsheathes her evoker, eyes glowing and head cocked to the side to listen to Fuuka’s directives. She’s been having a good time listening from the rear and her smile is impish once it lights up their way.

“Look lively boys, we got a big fish to fry above and then we’ll call it a night.”

She crouches down to pet her furry sidekick, scratching him behind the ears until he closes his eyes.

“You ready Koro-chan?”

The dog just dips his nose in her ear, licks her cheek and wags its tail happily. Iori looks their way with a pout of envy, unsheathing his sword from its back scabbard while rolling his shoulders.

“Aww man, he even gives her kisses, how sweet is that? I definitely need to find a ball for him, maybe I got an old one in my closet.”

Really? Did you have to word it like that?

They’re always all business when in Tartarus because that’s the nature of the fight and distractions can be messy, but for a split second, Akihiko’s focus flinches hard and he’s reminded how far in time this exact moment stands from next morning.

…………………………….

Akihiko is kind of rigid in his habits. The orphanage had a strict schedule that he grew accustomed with, school is a hard lot of dedicated timeslots as well and the way his training works is pretty much the same. Even his meals are set to a plan that he respects dutifully, his inner clock strikes at dawn without fault and Tartarus is on each day at midnight sharp.

In a weird unspoken agreement where they know it would affect the others and her leadership, they keep to themselves and it's kind of been this way since the very beginning of everything. It's just growing into something a tad different now, it's very addictive and he really wants all of it to become a permanent fixture.

He loves running with her every morning, it’s already ingrained into his life unless he’s too sleep-deprived and it keeps them both in shape to handle shadows. Minako was always a creature of movement and graceful as a dancer when handling her weapon of choice, but it gives her footwork and dodging an extra edge that makes him slightly less worried about having her at the front with him.

Still not going to slip up though, can’t afford to, even if she could probably burn the whole tower to the ground with just her twin in tow if she really wanted.

There’s also the fact that it’s just them in a silent, still-sleeping world that slowly wakes up, like her luminous red eyes opening after a dip into her soul and he likes having her all to himself in privacy. That’s already inked down in his daily mental planning and what initially started as an occasional event is now an everyday thing he's strongly attached to.

And she keeps taking my hand now, ever since that morning .

Akihiko still doesn’t dare do more than hold it during those moments as to not disturb her, but he keeps his palm up now, so he can cradle hers and close his fingers around it with care. Summer vacations mean they don’t have to hurry to get back, yet it seems that the time she spends with a glazed look toward the horizon shortens every so slightly since she started leaning into his touch and he wonders why but doesn’t ask.

“You’re like a quiet comfort that doesn’t judge. I trust you.”

How did you know? Then again…

Minako’s expression is almost dreamy when she turns his way, eyes barely open and pensive, voice raw.

“I’ll explain it at some point, perhaps.”

He’s curious but doesn’t pry, if it’s a coping mechanism like he suspects it is she’ll tell the story in her own time. After all, it’s bad form to kick open someone’s closet to stare at the skeletons without invitation, and Akihiko has manners. Instead, he runs his thumb over the skin above her nails and looks at her patiently. She cracks a small smile and surprises him with a curveball statement.

“Tell me something about your childhood I don’t know about.”

Deliberate mood change. Alright.

“I used to be so afraid of thunderstorms at the orphanage I would crawl under my bed so nobody would know. Pretty ironic now, I know.”

She laughs at that one and her eyes light up with compassion.

“Awww, but you were just a kid. Alright, your turn. Ask me anything.”

Ouch, that’s harder than it looks.

Akihiko mulls it over, eying her carefully because this could go in any direction, knowing her. In the end, he settles for something very safe despite everything else that burns his tongue.

“What’s something to eat you haven’t had in a while?”

Her gaze goes sideways to ponder for a second and she bites her lips with mischief, like she’s holding back on something, but she finally answers a tad more seriously.

“I’d have to say gyozas, haven’t found a decent shop for that nearby. The spicy kind with some crispiness are just the best.”

It wasn’t the original reply she had in mind and he knows it, yet that makes static shock bounce all across his head in some weird anticipation. He accidently worded his question in a way that gives him two answers, and his conclusion is proven when her lashes lower a bit over the intense glow in her irises to stare at him.

Wasn't the intent but I'll definitely take it.

Feeling cheeky, Akihiko keeps his head facing the trees, trying his best to look nonchalant and avoid drowning in her gaze or he'll never resist her. That red is dangerous to his sanity at any point of his existence, but particularly now. He’s been thinking about this since they last came here and he doesn’t quite know how to bridge the gap naturally yet; graceful entries are apparently in the same bucket as graceful exits for him.

“Really? I don't think I had any of those in a while either.”

Minako can be fast as a comet and apparently, she knows very well how early day exhaustion makes him a little sluggish; she tested that before and won easily. He simply doesn't register the hand grasping his shirt in a flash until she yanks him toward her suddenly and he has to catch himself with his free arm to prevent his fall down the horizontal bar. Her voice has a dangerously pleasant tone when she whispers in his ear.

"You monster."

His chuckle of amazement at her aggressiveness barely escapes before she flutters her lips on his cheek and he just loses it, turning around to kiss them in rough urgency with his own like he got burned. She makes one of those humming sounds when he bites down gently on the bottom one, mind full of colorful fireworks and golden shimmers on a nightly background when he squeezes her hand tighter. Akihiko can’t move the other one from where it is on the bar because he’ll lose his balance, but he’ll make do.

She’s more stable on her own perch and her fingers on his collar crawl up his neck like a loose claw, nails prickling him like she’s barely unable to prevent from scratching every time he glides his mouth across hers. He simply can’t stop trembling at that mental picture and that look in her hooded eyes; perhaps it’s a good thing they’re on such a tight beam strewn across sky and packed sand, outside where anyone could see them because there’s something raw and red crawling inside him that rattles all the padlocks at the back of his mind, and it terrifies him.

Every time I touch you it’s like the burns run deeper.

Either she knows what kind of turmoil is assailing him, or she feels the same way, because she moves her fingertips to his hair instead, ruffling it very softly and he fully closes his eyes. He runs his thumb on her painted nails in tandem with the pressure of his mouth on hers, a very slow counterpoint to the deafening drumming of his pulse in his eardrums.

If that’s the new routine I don’t ever want it to stop.

Chapter Text

Every single one of those dawn-tinged moments are hard to shake off when they come back, not that Akihiko wants to forget any of it, but simply dull the aftermath until he can function and not become a twitching mess. That usually implies an intense workout as soon as the rest of the dorm gets up. Mornings are ideal for training under this kind of crushing temperature and it’s best to slot the grueling exercise early for questions of sanity anyways. Then, he can work on his summer studies and replenish his energy before Tartarus tonight.

Perhaps sometimes he goes a little overboard to compensate for the lack of boxing club practice during vacations, but the burn in his limbs feels good and evaporates some of the rattling tension associated with red he’s trying to learn to cope with. Once Akihiko’s done driving himself ragged to distraction and finally takes a well-deserved shower, his grumbling stomach is killing him and all that’s in his mind’s eye is one of his hearty portioned meals to calm the pain. Unfortunately, the smells coming from the lobby are anything but appetizing when he comes down.

Did someone microwave something weird for lunch again? Mitsuru would have a field day if she was here.

Even Koromaru is hiding at the foot of the staircase instead of his usual spot near the sofa, as if the downstairs AC blasting nearby can dispel the foulness. Iori, half-melting over the furniture, seems completely unconcerned, munching on the content of some takeout box while holding his handheld console with the other hand.

What happened here?

Junpei looks up at him and does a vague gesture with his chopsticks, mouth full, as if to greet him and Akihiko nods back with a frown. Swallowing hard, the teen clears his throat to explain.

“Fuuka tried to bake something by herself again. Min came to the rescue and helped her clean it up, but it seems to linger.”

She tries so hard, but as soon as Minato isn’t here to coach her, it goes downhill. Now if Shinji was here…

It’s a weird feeling of nostalgia that hits him at the memory of his oldest friend, pan in hand, whipping out wonders from a few ingredients like it’s just so very easy and now the hunger pangs are much sharper.

“I’m not a great cook, so I can’t judge from experience, but hopefully she figures it out. Her rice attempts aren’t too bad now. Well, sometimes.”

He rummages in the fridge for one of his premade chicken meals and scowls when he discovers it’s the last of the lot, he’ll probably have to do his homework in the kitchen today and make a new batch for the week. Grabbing a drink, Akihiko waits for the microwave to do its magic and notices the recipe Fuuka taped on the fridge, written in bright red ink, detailing instructions for sweets.

There are traces of her everywhere even when she’s not here.

He’s smiling a little when he looks at Minako’s elaborate scribblings, highlighting how many of everything is required and exact measuring for the spices and extras. He remembers why the mention of ginger on the list is so familiar now; these are the cookies she’s always sharing with the other girls when they study downstairs. Apparently, they’re popular enough that Yamagishi wanted to pitch in to save her from some cooking, which is nice of her.

Except it didn’t go as planned, but it’s the thought that counts.

Wolfing down his heated plate’s content at the lounge table before his stomach turns inside out, he feeds a few scraps of unseasoned chicken to the dog in passing, who gratefully licks his fingers and sits at his feet. Once done with his meal and petting Koromaru under the table absently, he can’t help but notice that Junpei left a pile of trash and dirty dishes on the coffee table and resumed his game with both hands, loosely sprawled across the sofa like he’s a part of it.

Akihiko scowls at him and steps back into the kitchen to clean his dishes, running the tap water until he gets the hint but all he hears are zombie growls and gunshots.

Apparently, when Mitsuru steps out, you revert to your natural state. And Minako cleans after you all the time.

“Iori, are you gonna pick up your mess?”

“I’m busy, why?”

And the shotgun shells boom over a catchy music when he steps out of the doorframe to glare at him.

“Because this is not a hotel? Clean up after yourself, everybody else does.”

“Technically, it’s a refurbished one, so you’re wrong.”

Junpei resumes his game with a snicker at his own quip, not a care in the world as he headshots some more undead.

I don’t mind you most of the time but you’re starting to piss me off.

“Do you want to feel wrong? Cause I can fix that for you.”

Iori sits up to look at him and throws his hands into the air in exasperation, eyes a little wild when he hears his fists crack. Akihiko roughed him up once or twice when he joined SEES, nothing too hard but he clearly remembers.

“Holy crap, what’s up with all the violence today? First Mina-tan, now you? Is the heat getting to everybody?”

She’s actually so tolerant of his immature behavior that it’s a surprise to hear she even got angry at him, they’re best friends and she’s used to his antics. Crossing his arms, he glares at Junpei until he pauses his game and looks sideways.

“What did you do now?”

“I borrowed her chocolates last night because there was this special horror show at 1 am I wanted to catch and I had nothing to snack on; I thought I could replace it all today before she noticed but she needed all of it this morning with her breakfast for some reason. I got an earful, and she even kicked me. I thought Yukari was crazy, but Mina-tan can give her a run for her money.”

All of that because of sweets? All the girls are fond of them, and Junpei to an extend, but that seems a tad excessive so early during the day. Akihiko’s about to say something back when a comment Takeba made a thousand years ago about desserts and chocolate dawns on him, and he blushes furiously.

That might… be because… err…

“Just... you know what? Throw the trash out and I’ll take care of your dishes. That seems… rough alright.”

“It sounds like pity, but I’ll take it. Thanks man, dude bond, am I right?”

“Just… make sure you do replace it.”

I’m not even going to think about why or I’ll burn in Hell.

Trying to look busy and wanting nothing more than to flee to the kitchen, he takes the plate and utensils in a rush before the lanky teen can register the state of his face. He bites his cheek absently as he goes through the cleaning motions very slowly in the sink to keep his mind focused on something else than her nails scraping his neck in some kind of crimson-tinged frustration. Iori is still playing his game, but he did put his trash in the proper place by the time Akihiko goes upstairs and back down, meal plan notes and wallet in hand.

“Going somewhere senpai?”

“I need to make a grocery run, I’m out of premade lunches.”

He shuts his console and stands up, replacing his cap absently.

“Might as well fix my mess before she decides to bench me from Tartarus. I’ll go with you.”

He nods and they head together toward the train station for their mutual shopping.

…………………

They’re in the plaza when Akihiko spots Aragaki near one of the restaurants at the strip mall and tells Iori to go on without him. It’s an unexpected surprise, perhaps conjured by his thoughts of his adoptive brother and all that earlier talk about cooking.

I haven’t pestered you in a while, but I have an ace this time.

The truth is, Minako’s comments about permanence and temporary rattled him quite a bit after the festival. It implied she’s been quite lonely before coming to Port Island, sliding in quicksand with only her brother as an anchor, and that breaks his heart because she deserves everything and then some.

At the same time, he’s a tad envious of her close bond with her brother, he’d trade a lot of things to get his own one back, but he keeps running out on him. Funny how trying to build up on that meshing of red and silver that makes his whole being sing also makes him yearn for the other chains that used to wrap around his life and broke along the way.

Shinji was a permanent fixture for so long and it’s not the same without him around.

He sees him just as he starts going for the stairs and furrows his brows like a thundercloud before Akihiko even opens his mouth.

“Dammit Aki, I’m tired of your nagging. You got better things to do than haunt me. Get lost.”

Aragaki sounds instantly angry, and for once, instead of biting back impulsively, he keeps his voice level.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t take no for an answer.”

The brown eyes shine dangerously but the growl that accompanies them doesn’t match. If anything, it sounds tired.

“Well, the answer’s still the same: I’m not coming back.”

He’s had some recent practice in being cheeky because of a certain red-eyed vixen but he tries not to smile too much when he looks sideways and throws the hook.

“You know, another new Persona-user joined us… and he’s not human.”

It takes Shinji a few seconds to muster a low-voiced reply.

“…What?”

Oh, the bait is on alright.

“It’s a dog. He lost his master six months ago because of the Shadows.”

I know you; you always had a soft spot for pets and craved one to love all to yourself. Wait till you meet Koromaru.

“He’s incredibly loyal… Up ‘til now, he’s been guarding the spot where his master was killed… despite the bad memories.”

Akihiko narrows his eyes at his brother, trying to convey what kind of wrenching isolation his lack of presence does to him. It seems to work because while he grumbles in annoyance, he can’t sustain his gaze fully.

“Shinji… We saw someone die right before our eyes, too… But it’s been two years since then… How long do you plan to beat yourself up over it? You’re always at that spot behind the station, even though you don’t hang out with the crowd there.”

I bet you’re lonely too. Come back.

“It doesn’t matter. It was my fault, and it can’t be erased. What difference does it make if I come to terms with it? It won’t change anything. This isn’t the same as what happened to Miki.”

“Shinji…”

And I thought that would work… What is it going to take for you to accept?

Aragaki seems deflated nonetheless and his last words as he flees have no bite at all.

“That’s enough, already. I just want to forget it ever happened.”

Akihiko takes his time walking toward the stairs of the station near the grocery store and sits down, letting the blazing sun cook him alive for a while to shake the unease of their exchange. The scorching warmth reminds him of her, and that’s comforting because at that moment, the thought of coming back all by himself to an empty sunless dorm where she's not and cook some food that won’t taste at all like what Shinji can make just plain sucks.

………………………..

Junpei eventually joins him, a large bag from the candy store in hand and a worried frown on his face.

“You okay dude?”

No.

“…Yeah, it’s just damn hot, I had to sit for a minute.”

Ruffling the strands that stick to his forehead, he gets up like this was all nothing except a bout of heat. Iori narrows his eyes at his purchase and looks at the sky.

“It’s boiling outside, I think I’m going to take the monorail straight to the mall and give them to Mina-tan at work before all this melts. She’s bound to get a break soon and perhaps I can apologize by taking her to the arcade. That way she can share with the girls when they go shopping after and they’ll think I’m da man!”

Wow, how to twist a mistake into self-praise.

Akihiko chuckles all the same because that’s an elaborate stretch that just might work.

“Don’t let me keep you then.”

…………………………

He’s not sure why he deviated from his usual recipes for his premade meals but he’s going to blame all of this on his numerous mental associations that connect her to almost everything. There’s the red ink of her handwriting on the fridge, those cookies he distinctly remembers smelling coming out of the oven at one point, the sunlight at the strip mall that felt like her arms around his neck the other morning and the crushing void her absence drapes like a blanket over him while he’s cooking in the empty dorm.

Well, not quite by myself, at least the dog’s here. It counts.

Koromaru seems to have a very pointed interest toward the sizzling chicken in the pan, head cocked to the side from his spot on the kitchen floor and Akihiko must admit that it does smell good. As a bonus, it seems fresh ginger is excellent at chasing off the noxious aftermath of Yamagishi’s earlier baking attempt and the whole lobby is now very delicately fragranced.

It’s not that he never adds seasonings to what he cooks, but it’s usually a bit of black pepper and a dash of garlic for show and he calls it a day. The goal is to devour the results to chase the hunger and get the proper nutrients as per the plan he fleshed out; the flavors are for his restaurant outings when an actual chef takes care of it for him because he never was much of a cook except when it’s functional.

He even added more vegetables than just the greens for iron he usually slips in in small amounts, because the ghost of Aragaki followed him in the grocery store and berated his protein obsessions like he used to do back then. It was quite the funky shopping experience, guided by two different invisible hands that seemed determined to torment him and nag at his loneliness by their lack of presence.

Finally done with everything, he starts packing his weekly lunch boxes so he can get on with the dishes and his homework but keeps a small bowl to snack on. Koromaru starts whining and paws his leg like he’s afraid he’s not going to get any.

“Let me taste it first, just to be sure.”

It’s somewhat spicy and it has some heat that feels like an aftertaste of sunlight but just enough, and it’s delicious. It also definitely reminds him of her and that makes his head fill with explosions of red sparks.

I… have no idea how I managed this, and perhaps I can never do it again. But wow.

The dog seems to have the same reaction because he takes to his scraps like it’s the best thing in the world and keeps asking for Akihiko’s attention when he’s done.

That should be him, here, feeding you something delicious, and if one day he does come back, you’ll see the difference. But in the meantime, we’ll make do, I guess.

Koromaru sits and yips at him, impatient for some ruffling and he obliges with a smile, Japanese history can take a hike for now.

Chapter Text

Akihiko waits until after supper to take Koromaru on a walk, enough to let the heat of the sun simmer down to a more tolerable level for his heavy fur coat. They barely reach the shrine when his phone dings at some incoming text message. Sitting on a bench, he takes it out while the dog scampers off to run through the park he swore to protect.

Mitsuru? Did something happen?

Business is taking longer than I expected and my father needs something. I will be back tomorrow so you’re in charge. Ikutsuki will drop off Aigis at the dorm after her maintenance sometimes tonight. Give my apologies to Arisato.

Ah, the usual then.

He types back a quick thank you for the heads up and pockets the cellphone back. This isn’t the first time this happens, and it won’t change much in the scheme of things because they so rarely need to intervene, but he’ll handle it.

Realizing where the bench is placed in relation to the shrine, he avoids looking toward the playground because this would be somewhat like cheating his unspoken run rule. Instead, he turns his eyes to the massive gate backlit by sunset, clenching his fists on the wood of his seat to chase the undulating tension that rises and falls in his skull.

It makes something flutter inside his ribcage to think about her when the only fire that’s dimming is the actual orb in the sky and not the one that lives and breathes on that horizontal bar, holding his hand when the world wakes back into existence.

I don’t know why that always makes me tense just thinking about it. Maybe it’s just because today was so weirdly quiet and the void she leaves behind is as immense as her presence.

Koromaru eventually strolls back to him, tongue lolling in fatigue, and paws his leg to get his attention.

“Sorry. Ready to head back?”

He barks in confirmation and his phone dings with a new entry again. Frowning, he takes it out a second time, he rarely even gets messages.

Hi :D Let me know when you get in, I think we need to adjust the plan… XX

Wasting no time in coming up with a reply, Akihiko smiles to himself. This is unexpected but if she needs his help for SEES business right now, he’s certainly not going to refuse her.

Let’s be real, it could be for anything really. I’m just glad she relies on me.

I’ll be there soon.

He flips his phone closed and heads toward the dorm, absently scratching the ears of his companion as they walk side by side.

……………………………

From the look of things when he steps in, some of the juniors came back right after he left with the dog, since Yukari and Minato are lounging at the table with their homework and some already empty drinks. Koromaru instantly heads to the sofa for a nap and the dorm door opens again as Fuuka enters timidly with a pale-faced Ken in tow. Passing near him to rush upstairs with a grumble, the boy barely glances at the others, eyes hard and somewhat glazed. Akihiko looks at the navigator with a raised eyebrow, but she seems as flabbergasted as him.

“Did something happen? He’s usually not that moody.”

Yamagishi slightly shakes her head, biting her lip with worry.

“I’m not sure… I stumbled on him when taking a walk back, but I don’t think he feels well because he barely spoke to me. Perhaps he spent too much time playing outside and needs a rest, the sun was very intense today.”

Hopefully that’s all it is, they don’t even have kid-friendly medicine for common illnesses or fever at the dorm come to think of it. Perhaps he should bring it up to Mitsuru tomorrow, but Ken will go back to his own place once school resumes, so there might not be a point in stocking up.

She’s got enough concerns with the Kirijo Group as it is anyways. We’ll see tomorrow morning if he’s feeling better and go from there.

Ruffling his hair at the unexpected situation, Akihiko turns back to Yamagishi as she takes her laptop bag to the sofa, probably intending to work while petting Koromaru. Fuuka has a soft spot for the gentle creature, and it shows.

“The chairman should drop in later tonight with Aigis, but Mitsuru’ll be gone until tomorrow, so if he needs anything, send him my way.”

“Alright, will do senpai!”

He heads toward the stairs and looks at the two sitting at the table around math books; only Takeba has her trigonometry manual open. Knowing the blue-haired teen, he’s been done with his work ever since he got his assignments, so that probably means he’s tutoring her while she smiles shyly his way and asks for clarifications on a particular issue.

“Iori’s napping until Tartarus.”

Minato’s tone is very matter of fact, and he purposefully did not mention his sister or what he’s doing, he’s not even looking up toward him. Akihiko almost chuckles at that one and settles on a tight smile instead: while their information delivery differs, the twins are so similar in their calculated communications it’s almost uncanny. He taps him on the shoulder in passing, murmuring.

“Thanks.”

……………………….

Her room is alight, and the door is open most of the way, but the inside is slightly chaotic. Minako is sitting cross-legged on her bed, peering at a math book with a frustrated expression while biting on her mechanical pen. Her desk has two different notebooks sprawled on it and her planner open on top of her laptop keyboard, giving the impression that she has numerous things in progress all at once.

There’s multitasking, and then there’s this.

Akihiko knocks slightly on the doorframe to get her attention.

“Hi… Should I come back?”

Crimson orbs turn to him in surprise, and she hurriedly earmarks her current page, closing her manual with a firm clamp of the cover.

“No, no, sorry! I just wasn’t sure when you’d be here, and I was trying to squeeze in some progress in the meantime.”

Minako gets up from her bed and smooths her skirt down before walking toward her desk on bare feet, motioning for him to join her with a shy smile. He clearly remembers that frilly white number from the other day except she only has a red-and-white striped spaghetti strap top to go with it now and she looks adorable. He takes a few steps in to peruse the material she has on display and can’t help but notice how much pale skin is also in his view.

Everyone’s boiling alive, it makes sense. Get a grip, she wants advice.

“I had time to draft part of it already, but the short version is, I think we need to start resuming command room duties starting tonight.”

He silently counts the days until the next operation by checking her planner’s moon phase markers over her bare shoulder and frowns; the full moon is quite far from now.

“Are you sure? The news are pretty quiet right now.”

She sighs and looks toward the window, frowning as she talks in a low voice and that evaporates all his current distraction.

“I know, and that’s why it’s so strange… I swear there’s already a lot more Apathy victims at the mall, I saw quite a few between the station and the café as well, more than I expected. I took a glance at the missing person board near the police station after work and there are already a few posters, too. It might not be related though, there’s still regular crime happening as well.”

More murders too, there doesn’t seem to be a correlation with shadows but who knows.

“It’s just the dark moon and it’s already that bad, what is it going to look like when school starts again?”

Minako’s voice has a deflated pensiveness as she keeps going and he doesn’t like that tone. Akihiko also doesn’t know where to put his hands to offer her some comforting support, because there’s too much of her showing from where he stands somewhat behind her back. In the end he opts to cross the fingers of his right hand with hers delicately, stepping into her space a little more because he'd really like to hug her really. She instantly obliges, closing her digits on his like he’s a lifeline as she murmurs.

“We even managed to down two shadows at once last time, I thought that would help even more, and for a few days, it did. But now, it almost seems like the more we take down, the worse it gets…”

Most of what’s shown to the public are the recovery cases, but this might be a calculated effort to limit panic too.

“I can ask Mitsuru if we have comparative case numbers for the past operations if you want a real confirmation, I assume Ikutsuki kept track of them and documented everything; he seemed to know quite a bit about the victims. In any case, you convinced me, more Apathy victims always means more rescues, so who goes where tonight?”

She disengages her fingers from his own slowly since she’s right-handed, stroking his palm as if to excuse herself. Minako takes a pen in her case and flips to a new page in her book to draw a tentative schedule.

“Let’s see… I’m open to suggestions, but I was thinking about Aigis and Koro-chan for command room today; he’s a great scout and she can handle the computer just fine.”

“Sounds good. Oh, you might want to cross out Mitsuru from Tartarus today, she’s out on business and back tomorrow.”

She nods and takes that entry off, throwing an amused smirk his way with half-lidded red eyes that makes his brain sparkle. At least her earlier unease seems gone entirely.

“Okay, field commander.”

Akihiko scoffs at her playful tone, it’s not like it means much when Minako or her twin lead in the field. The interim title is just because the rule is one or both seniors must be present, or Tartarus is off-limits; it’s really to handle dire emergencies because he’s level-headed and experienced.

“I guess we run a single group today then, we need the firepower, these new floors are harder. I’ll figure out the rest once I get a feel for everyone’s availabilities. Should probably assign myself once or twice to command room duty though, or I assume you’re going to scold me.”

“Good girl.”

She laughs a bit darkly at that one, still focused on scribbling a few more things on the page.

“Yeah, no, not at all, but on this one I’ll try. Here, you can do yours right now if you want.”

Minako turns around and hands him the pencil with a pleasant smile, but he just bores his eyes into hers and closes his fingers on top of her hand, refusing to take it.

“It’s never open for negotiation.”

I don’t care what anyone might think. I’m not taking any chances. Not when it’s you.

She puts the implement back on her desk absently without looking where it lands, irises scorching with intensity as she takes two steps toward him to get closer. She just melts into his frame with a soft exhale like he’s a refuge for her soul, her cheek resting on his chest between both her palms to burn him everywhere, and he crosses his arms around her upper back with some force to self-immolate further. Closing his eyes, he lets his nose dip to rest on her hairpins, absently trying to map his breathing to hers to chase off the clouds that dissipate all the words he might want to try and speak aloud. That fluttering is back somewhere deep inside too, pirouetting around his bones as they just stand like this for a long while.

Maybe it’s ten minutes or an hour later, he’s not counting, he’s just cloaking her into himself because somehow, they both need this. But perhaps he shouldn’t be so selfish, she was trying to get things done before he came in and he feels a little guilty that he’s depriving her of some privacy to get her work done. School is important, but perhaps he can help her with that, ease her burdens, so he murmurs to her.

“How much homework you have left?”

He feels her jaw shift on his shirt.

“Just math, why?”

“If you need help, I can tutor you. It’s my highest grade.”

Minako lowly chuckles at his answer.

“That sounds like a great way for me to get absolutely nothing done, and you’re probably way too busy for that.”

I’m not, vacations are lonely, actually.

“You’d be surprised, I can’t train all day and I can behave, this is important too.”

Her planner’s already open on the desk and Akihiko cranes his head to peruse the content of this week. While she has things planned for the next ten days, mostly in red in the mornings, it’s not filled completely to the brim, and they could study in the evening a few times if she wants. He can see her eying what he’s looking at with an amused smile from the corner of his field of view.

“You don’t have anything else to do before we hit Tartarus today?”

If I train again, I won’t be at my best. And I need to be.

“No, nothing to do until we deploy except look at the clock.”

Her voice drops in volume again until it’s barely a whisper.

“I don’t really want to keep doing math today though…”

He’s a little distracted by memorizing when and where she’s not busy, he could definitely work around that schedule and spend more time with her, if she wants. So, he just replies absently, not catching on.

“Why’s that? I thought your homework wasn’t done.”

It’s the warmth she injects in her words that catches his attention and he turns around to look at her in curiosity, coming face to face with melting rubies that make his breath catch before it even escapes his throat.

“It's not, but there’s tomorrow too and I’d rather you just shut the door instead.”

Chapter Text

He still can’t pinpoint exactly how she does it, but then again, Akihiko is powerless to resist anything when it comes to those burning red eyes of hers. Just like the last time he stepped into her room, she made him very willingly sink into her bed covers so she could have her way with him and all that came to mind was a yes please.

I know exactly what that says about me and I don’t care.

This is all kinds of amazing, and he never wants it to stop, it’s just that he can’t recall all the steps of the dance that led them here. It doesn’t matter though, being eloquent to her is incredibly addictive and he’d talk to her in all the languages he knows all day long if she wants him to.

Akihiko is laying on his back, his left palm cupping the side of her head near her ear with trembling fingertips in her hair, the right one delicately stroking the naked ankle that’s close to his side like it’s made of glass. She’s sitting on him, he remembers her crawling up there at some point, knees on each side of his ribcage to pin him down. Her white skirt is all over his shirt and she’s leaning down to keep her silky lips on his while her fingers hover around his hair like a gentle breeze, her other forearm in the covers somewhere behind his neck to keep her balance.

Minako is sometimes aggressively assertive, and he’s had to work painfully hard to keep his sanity intact before, but today she completely turned that on its head, and he can’t say if it’s worse or not. 

Maybe it's because of her gaze; it’s like she can’t keep her eyelids fully open when she’s looking at him, which she’s almost always doing. Her lashes keep fluttering like butterfly wings around the darkness that takes over the glowing red from within, the crimson tinged with something that’s closer to adoration than hunger, and he’s feeling so strangely entranced by what she's trying to tell him with her eyes he can’t think at all.

At the same time, they’re replaying that first kiss under the fireworks, a thousand times over. It’s all so languidly soft and gentle, as if she’s trying to savor the feel of him in slow motion while he does the same, completely mesmerized. It’s a good thing he’s not standing up because he’s feeling faint, smothered in a warm blanket of tenderness that keeps the frenzy asleep in the depths of his mind, and he’s pretty sure she coaxed him into that plushy drowsiness on purpose because there's no safety net here.

Her desk lamp is on, but the sky outside turned to complete black a long time ago when she dips her forehead to his, gasping for breath as she murmurs in his ear.

“You are…”

Unable to finish her thought, Minako just melts next to him, keeping her hand that’s stroking the tufts of silver at the back of his head in place and molds herself to his side. His fingers that were on her cheek slide down until he can trace the outline of her jaw with his thumb lazily. He’s pretty sure his eyes look as glazed as hers right now and he’s panting as well, that was... one hell of a conversation and he feels very incoherent.

“I…”

She tries to inhale slowly and exhales the barest of replies with a tired smile.

“…Yeah.”

It’s like her kisses poured lava down his throat, filling all the gaps of loneliness that were paining him earlier to the brim, yet it also dug deeper ones to enchain him further. It takes him a long time to shake off the aftermath and gather his thoughts, cuddling her tenderly as his heartbeat finally slows its canter to something less thundering.

I can’t even describe how you make me feel.

They are supposed to deploy sometimes later too, he's not sure when exactly, time flew by too quickly and all he wants is to punch the clock. Akihiko just gently grins with contentment, drowning in her eyes as they slowly gain focus again, because no words come to mind. She does the same, breathing slowly, blinking here and there until the color comes fully back in her irises and somehow, she looks a bit impish all of a sudden.

"Do... I get to do this again... if I get my homework done tomorrow?"

He can't help but chuckle at that. It would be irresponsible to use this to coax her into doing schoolwork, but now he's feeling cheeky. Minako has a way to bring out a playfulness out of him that he forgot existed, it's just that it's sometimes dangerous for his sanity. He glides the thumb he was running across the edge of her jaw until it's lightly brushing on her lower lip instead.

We shouldn’t be doing this again, we need to go soon, but…

"You want me to bribe you for math?"

She just narrows her eyes speculatively, speaking a hair away from the pad of his finger.

"I told you I'm not a good girl. Sometimes I need… motivation."

And to emphasize her point she bites him, with half-lidded red orbs full of mischief that burn as much as the liquid fire of her mouth and something inside him snaps very loudly.

He rubs his thumb down to part her lips and captures the lower one with his own forcefully, grazing his teeth on it, and she rolls her eyes back with a surprised gasp.

His wet finger is sort of in the way, so he runs it down her chin, to her neck and her collarbone and she shudders. It's when he clasps the whole of his hand over the burning flesh of her shoulder and he feels her nails biting in his neck in reply that he realizes what she's wearing, what he's doing, what he’s thinking about doing and a thousand bells start ringing in his head.

Stop stop stop stop stop!

He opens his eyes wide, tensing all over because this is too much too fast. Minako just gently brushes the hair near his forehead and looks at him in understanding, eyes a bit wild herself when she murmurs.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

You’re not the one that should be apologizing.

She kisses him softly on the cheek and moves to sit farther away on her bed, hugging her snowman plushie in passing, while he tries to breathe through his distress. She's looking sideways toward her desk with a little smile, biting her lip, when he finds his thoughts again and sits on the edge of her bed.

“I’m sorry I didn-"

But she just cuts him off.

"I’ll tell you, if... it’s too much or if I don’t like it. Trust me.”

I do trust you; this is just… difficult to contain somehow.

 “And…I really liked it. If that’s what I get for a work well done, you can be sure I’ll behave.”

Akihiko would be lying to himself if he said the prospect wasn’t enticing; there’s a lot of things floating behind the doors at the back of his mind that really want to escape, he’d just rather they not all flee their prison all at once like a tornado.

"After."

What the hell am I saying?

She just starts laughing with sparkling eyes, absently replacing the numerous little curios on the windowsill next to the end of her bed as if she needs to keep her hands busy. Its really a hodgepodge of different objects that do not seem to have much connection to each other the more he looks at it, and it’s a welcome distraction to reorder his thoughts to try and identify them all.

Perhaps they are all souvenirs of the last ten years, the twins hinted they moved around a lot. The weird blue key with a mask design stands out and he almost wants to ask about it, but when her fingers brush over a little bunny statuette, his eyes narrow.

"I saw that design before, in the Kojiki, it’s from Oonamuchi’s tales.”

Minako takes the statue in her palm to run her nails between its flapped ears with affection and she smiles at him, impressed.

“Correct, this is the actual Hare of Inaba, you know your stuff.”

Akihiko recalls something else too; a rabbit actualizing in a flash of blue fire, shining like the full moon and standing on her shoulder. His unspoken questions must be all over his face because she places her hands on top of his own delicately.

“It is the same one, I'm the Hare and the Hare is me. I’ll try to explain if you want, but it might not make much sense. Now’s probably not a good time though, we need to go soon.”

Somehow, I just want to know everything about you.

“Fair enough.”

He gets up and stops by her desk, glancing at the planner that’s still open on her laptop keyboard, biting on his lip absently.

Might as well take care of this now before I leave.

“Do you have your math assignment somewhere nearby?”

Minako eyes him curiously and points to the manual that’s under her blue notebook.

“Jammed between the first five pages in there, why?”

Akihiko doesn’t answer her, he just opens the trigonometry material and takes the sheets out, perusing their content and flipping them to go through everything with a frown. Then, he takes a mechanical pen from her case and starts jotting down pale notes in a few spots in her planner and once finished, he puts it back where he took it with no change of expression.

“That should do it.”

She blinks, gets up from the bed and walks near him to look at what he wrote, visibly awash with curiosity. Minako eventually turns back to him with a calculating look.

“It’s not that long of an assignment, really.”

No, it’s not, you already have good grades and you’re smart so this should be quick.

He just looks sideways, slightly blushing, his mind filled with the leftover resonance from the earlier bells that rang in there. Sometimes it’s hard to be blunt and just speak his mind, but she’s used to that.

It’s also difficulty to admit some things to myself as well.

“Some subjects sometimes take more time to… explain.”

There’s a shy smile blooming on her lips at his words, and he just impulsively brushes the hair that’s on her forehead tenderly, lowering his face to peer at her closely.

“And I really like spending time with you.”

He just kisses her softly to drive his point home, lingering a few seconds more.

“See you downstairs soon.”

Chapter Text

It’s almost a throwback to spring with the group they have tonight, Akihiko remembers their first forays after his convalescence and it’s so different yet more of the same. As they’re walking toward Gekkoukan before the clock strikes midnight, he keeps at the rear and just takes it all in with a tinge of nostalgia and fresh new eyes. Some things did change, some stay constant.

Junpei’s being loud, but that’s never surprising. Initially he kept talking about some strange gothic girl drawing near the mall station, but now he’s complaining to Minako about their last trip to the arcade and would she please explain how that passage in the song works again.

As for her, she’s literally dancing. She’s standing on tiptoes and tapping then down in a rapid pattern as she glides in front of her best friend, a coppery butterfly twirling on a stage made of concrete, making Yamagishi and Yukari laugh at her exuberant antics.

She’s always a beacon of light when they’re deploying to Tartarus, as if to shake everyone’s unease before they step into a nightmare. After all, they’re not all the same and their reasons to fight differ greatly. They’re about to shed blood and the fire of their souls to quench the darkness that keeps encroaching on life around them, yet she acts as a living banner of what they’re trying to preserve, uniting their resolve.

And sometimes he knows she’s pretending, because she tries hard to be an inspiration and she takes the mantle of leader quite seriously. But tonight, there's an abandon to the way she moves that traps his gaze; she brims bright with happiness and it’s quite genuine, the masks all gone.

She might be trying to explain something to Iori, but the few glances she gives him speak volumes about the source of her gaiety and he clenches his hands to keep the flustering to a minimum. There’s not enough crowd for their usual handsy antics but her smiles are enough, he’s still riding on a high from earlier this evening and Akihiko likes admiring her too.

« C’mon dude, look at my feet, I’ve shown you that song’s pattern about 20 times, turn on yourself like this and it’ll go just fine. Trust me!”

Iori tries, to his credit, but he’s too stiff and he’s overthinking it.

“Mina-tan, there’s a screen for a reason, I need to look at it and I can’t remember all that.”

She flashes him a grin, shaking her head like he got it all wrong.

“Nah Junpei, music is feelings. It just flows, you just need to let it. Art is the same, next time you visit that girl, remember it. It’s emotion, it doesn’t need to make sense, it doesn’t even need words.”

He keeps trying to attach idioms to his fascination with her but perhaps she has it right. Sometimes, emotion doesn’t need a label, it just is, and he’s definitely feeling things about her. Distracted, he lowers his gaze because perhaps he’s staring a bit too much her way and someone might see, and it falls on her twin. Strangely, Minato, lodged between the other two girls who both seem to be vying for his attention, is tip taping his fingers on his leg to the beat of his sister’s pirouettes like he knows exactly how the tune goes. His eyes are on her, and he got an absent smile on his pale face too.

That’s new.

Akihiko interacts with him almost every day, but he certainly never saw him drum to music before, despite his almost permanent relationship with his earphones. Minato just always moves in a very calculated, stoic way, a rock in the eye of his sister’s tornado like nothing fazes him.

His fiery twin keeps talking to Iori, but she’s subtly looking at her brother too, eyes alight with satisfaction like she achieved something important. That glistening red gaze rises to meet his and she offers him a grin dazzling with warmth. That one’s clearly all for him and he can’t help beaming back before she turns around.

You’re beautiful when you smile like that.

……………………………

Running a slightly larger group with both twins means efficiency, and nothing stands in their collective way as they rapidly climb up the floors of Tartarus, chaining groups into one another to keep the rhythm going. Akihiko’s unwinding against shadows like there’s no tomorrow, a tight smile on his lips, sometimes it just feels great to fight without any kind of restraint.

Admittedly, I have some… frustrations to purge out of my system.

With all the accumulated experience he has in the ever-changing labyrinth following her, he barely needs to think when he engages shadows because it’s all instinct now. Minako’s an orchestra conductor that knows exactly how the music goes and he follows the notes she requests like he knows them by heart.

They got quite a large group to clear out since they bundled the remaining floor denizens into a dead end. Her fingers brush his shoulder and Polydeuces rains lightning while he dives behind her weapon strikes, then it’s a multi hit jab and cross combo that knocks a shadow down so Yukari can snipe it to oblivion when she raises her hand for the archer’s support. Minato’s dancing around the fray, slashing his sword like a dancer to cut into anything that turns an eye toward Takeba, letting Akihiko take the front next to his sister in full trust.

Everything’s careening every which way in a chaotic ballet of destruction and when Minako sidesteps in his back to shoot the Hare of Inaba out of her mind, ponytail brushing his spine, he shields her from the incoming assault rushing their way without hesitation. Adopting a guarding stance, he blocks the incoming hits and counters back with a resounding crack of his knuckles that knocks a statue-like being toward a grinning Iori, who’s winding up for a cleaving slash on it.

She took two steps back to avoid a projectile and Akihiko immediately dives back in position next to her. Her eyes are leaking fire and ribbons of moonlight fly over his head to crisscross on the remaining targets closest to him, quickly accompanied by a flesh-rending tornado from Minato and a few well-placed potshots that dissolve the rest of the enemies into motes of darkness.

Minako’s a bit dishevelled from the wind and the exertion when he turns around, just to make sure she’s okay, and he impulsively brushes out the hair from her brow absently before he realizes what he’s doing. He always does this at the playground after they run and it’s just a reflex now, it wasn’t even a conscious move.

She bites her lip and replaces her evoker in her holster while looking sideways like it’s all nothing, but Iori takes notice of his gesture and turns around to stare at him with an unspoken question.

Nothing happened, just drop it. There’s nothing to see.

Minako dusts her skirt and cocks her head to talk with Yamagishi, all business.

“It’s getting late, Fuuka says there’s a teleporter this way. We should head back.”

As they file to follow her, Minato just smirks his way with a knowing glance. He saw it too, but he’s not asking any questions at least; he just claps him on the shoulder and joins his sister.

……………………….

Of course, Junpei doesn’t back down from what he suspects he saw at all when they trek back toward the dorm. The twins are discussing movie marathons with Yukari and Fuuka, looking at a Film Festival brochure together at the front, but the lanky swordsman just seems to hover near him with a smirk. Akihiko is trying his best to chase out the sparks of stress that creep up because he doesn’t want to discuss any of it.

“So, uh… what was that, Sanada?”

Akihiko just deadpans him with a pointed stare, looking as bored as he can.

“What was what?”

Iori just narrows his eyes with amusement and lowly whistles as he looks his way, hands in his pocket.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice what you did there senpai. That was smooth.”

Will you just drop it already ?

Frustrated at his slip up, he looks ahead and walks with purpose, trying to keep his voice as level as possible.

“There was something stuck in her hair. Just wanted to be helpful, that’s all.”

“Huh huh… I see how it is.”

There’s a cap angled close in his peripheral vision, as if Junpei is trying his hardest to get his attention and he ignores it.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Still fishing for a reaction, Iori chuckles and puts his hands behind his neck as he strolls.

“I don’t see you going around and replacing Takeba’s hair too. Although knowing her, she probably bites.”

Oh no, you got the wrong girl there. She does, and it’s very…

“You know… if you do want to... make a move on her… I could help you. I’m her best friend after all, I could be your wingman, even put in a good word too. Although I’m not sure that’s needed, she thinks you’re pretty fine already.”

I got this covered, thank you. You’re kind of late to the party.

“No.”

Junpei pouts and throws his arms in the air in abject disappointment.

“Dude, you don’t know what you’re missing, she’s such a bundle of fun. Also an evil gremlin sometimes, but she means well, she gets along with everybody. But maaaan does she eat a lot.”

I know all of this, and more. She tastes like the fire that fills her soul and it’s never enough.

Feeling that his face might betray something if he continues his thoughts Akihiko just raises his eyes upward toward the sky and flips the script around.

“Why don’t you, Iori?”

And it’s true, they’re very close, it’s a wonder he never even tried. He knows there’s nothing to it, but he’s still curious.

“I could never be worthy of someone like her, I’m not a great guy but she likes me as a friend still, and that’s okay. She’s damn easy on the eyes though, not complaining. In any case, Minato would kill me first, he’s pretty nuts about his sister.”

It didn’t seem that way with me, I wonder why.

Chapter Text

“Did you know Minato used to be a musician?”

Minako opens her eyes slowly after she speaks to stare at the treetops dancing in the wind. There’s the tiniest of smiles moving her cheek and her fingers are rubbing the inside of his palm in a tentative caress. On the horizontal bar, they’re two exhausted pigeons perched side by side, aligned the same way, shoulders kissing through their shirts.

“Is that why he…”

The pad of his index gently taps on her knuckles in a slow rhythm, causing her lips to climb a little higher and she blinks, pensive.

“So, you saw it too... I wasn’t dreaming.”

There’s a minutia to the movement of her jaw and the slackness of her hand that makes him raise his free one to her brow, delicately moving the hair marring her vision out of the way. She lowers her gaze to the sand below, but the serene expression remains.

“I… used to dance to his songs, he would play the piano in our living room for me and it was beautiful…”

And there’s a slight discordance in that last word that suggests the unfinished thought, barely audible, but Akihiko knows what it means.

Before the accident.

Both their lives are tainted by grief, and the weight might sometimes get lighter with acceptance or change its shape with time, but it will forever linger like scars.

He knows the feeling intimately, it’s a tattered cloak that billows in his back and hangs around his shoulders, sometimes pressing on his spine with the smell of smoke and failure when he thinks about it too hard. It shaped a lot of his decisions in life, and much of his thought process.

It’s regret pulling you down until it chokes you with its fraying strings.

He’s learning to sort of accept it and it’s lighter now, but it doesn’t mean he forgot. He never will, he can’t, it’s why he became a warrior; so it would never happen again to anyone he cares about. He spent years honing that skill and fighting is what he’s all about now. Well, not completely, not these days, color is starting to bloom on that steel partition.

There’s a clear memory in his mind of when he opened up to her about Miki and the orphanage for the first time, how she made the cloak just be, without the acrid perfume of ash and soot clinging to it. He turns his hand until their inner wrists are touching, pulse to pulse. Instead of building a bird in flight like they once did, Akihiko laces his fingers with hers like she's breakable, and she answers in kind until they're so entwined there's no space left between their skin.

We're the same.

It takes her a while to talk again, but she's smiling, and he has an inkling that perhaps the beach is also in her mind at that moment. He’d definitely like to go back there, with her, just resting in the sand with the foam lapping on them like a blanket.

"I'm really glad we got that offer to come back to Port Island. I think... For once something is finally changing for the better for Min… and me and... I'm happy."

Sheening red stars turn to silver and her lashes look heavy still, but they’re glimmering with fondness, directed at him, and he can’t help but feel a tinge of bashfulness at the intensity in them.

“It’s my brother, it’s… everything… and it’s this.”

Her free fingers rise to his face, grazing his cheekbone lazily with the back of her nails and she raises her chin toward him with flames in her gaze. Sometimes he hesitates too much still, that’s not quite a reflex yet, because she eventually murmurs through her smile.

“Akihiko, I know you’re shy, but I’d really like it if you kissed me right now.”

………………….

After.

He said that, and it’s hanging over his head like a flaming sword of doom. He can’t quite stop thinking about it and because he is, he gets jittery. It’s always different when he’s in the moment. But having a set date and time somehow attached to… perhaps indulging some of the things he sometimes thinks about regarding her feels a bit wrong. Inappropriate.

I used to think this about touching her hand and kissing her too.

He likes his padlocks in place, they’re there for a reason; perhaps he should just crack one open, a little at a time, and go from there. Iori had it right though; she is fun, she’s sunshine and warmth and so strong too, but she’s also a tempting fox that sometimes likes to scratch him in a way that makes him lose his mind.

And she bites. Can’t forget that.

Akihiko just ruffles his hair roughly like it’s going to solve his problems and make that vivid picture of red cinders hovering above him in darkness dissolve, except it doesn’t help with anything, it just reminds him of the grazing of her nails behind his ear and how those heavy-lashed crimson orbs murmured unspoken secrets to him on her pillow.

He keeps perusing the reports Mitsuru gave him access to in the command room, looking for the numbers she wanted so he can assuage her fears, but he’s not really absorbing the information. Akihiko never used to worry about stuff like this, he always just wanted to be pointed toward an enemy that needed pummeling and get challenged to his limits.

These binders are what let to all this fumbling mental journey in the first place: he promised her confirmation about the Apathy data, and the folders are adorned with red SEES stickers because they relate to their operations, so his mind made a few leaps. Also, they’re standing vigil from this spot tonight, and last time she...

Stop thinking about her hands. Just jot down the numbers and don’t think.

Numerical hopping tilts his thoughts to her homework. It’s probably best to just focus on the tutoring first, it shouldn’t take all the sessions he proposed unless he blunders his explanations spectacularly and that won’t happen; he knows math like he knows how to break someone’s jaw in one punch.

Minako actually inked down every single moment he proposed and he’s happy about it, she’s always so busy and he really wants to take advantage of vacations before school starts to spend time with her, sneaking around might get more complicated once class resumes. So, he’s going to make sure she completes her assignment perfectly in a single night, just because.

Just admit to yourself you want to drown in the warmth of her at any given chance. That’s why you wrote in all the free spots of her planner to begin with.

So he did, because he wants to keep figuring out his fascination with her and what it makes him feel. Also, he filled all the numbers in his notepad to draw comparisons of Apathy Syndrome victims for all previous large shadows and when they ramped up, and she was absolutely correct with her impression. The chairman is supposed to come in later this week and now he’s got a few questions to ask this time.

………………………

She’s much better at handling the console in the command room than he is, that’s for sure. Then again, she spends a lot of time gaming on her laptop, he heard Iori and her brother mention some kind of MMO they all like to play together.

It's not quite yet midnight and all the cameras are preset to gallery mode already, as they should be, and Minako’s jotting down her last trigonometry calculations under his watchful eye. But she’s distracting, she’s wearing the same sundress she had the morning he made her oversleep in sheer panic and then she ran out the door with a piece of his lunch.

That’s not the part I remember the most though.

She’s leaning over the console table, forearms pressed to it and around her paperwork while she traces values with her mechanical pencil next to a triangle, and all Akihiko can see is the strings of light fabric crisscrossing her back.

It’s warm, she can wear what she wants.

“There, I think I figured that last one out.”

“Let me see.”

She scratches her sheet two more times with the tip of her pen and turns around with an expectant smile, handing him her homework. And right there, the curtain of time distortion crests and falls on the world, lightbulb wires buzzing out like dying flies as everything turns green and gloomy.

Minako blinks and turns away from the console, blinded momentarily and he does the same, trying to adapt to the artificial light source.

“Bleh, that computer glare is annoying in the Dark Hour. The color is all wrong.”

He turns the sheet away from the screen to use it as an over-the-shoulder lamp and starts reading her mathematical process. It’s a tad harder because of the murk and the lack of contrast, but he eventually goes through all of it with narrowed eyes and a critical gaze.

She’s quite smart, once we went over the material she grasped it pretty quickly, just needed some drawings for context really.

By the time he’s done reading everything, which takes a while, she’s packed her books in her bag and moved across the room to stand by the window and peer at the sky. There’s barely a sliver of new moon and very little direct lighting, but it’s still tracing outlines that silhouette her against the darkness.

“You can see Tartarus from here… From afar, it’s actually quite pretty. I wonder how they’re doing in there tonight.”

Akihiko places her homework back on the console and joins her with silent steps after checking the cameras for signs of shadow activity. He’s taller, and the window’s narrow, so he stands behind her back to peek where she’s looking. The tower’s top is indefinite in the sky, ethereal and meshing with the black of the night, but it shines upward like a beacon to the moon.

It doesn’t look like a maze of madness and death from here, it’s just an abstract piece of phosphoric art.

He peers downward and notices their reflections in the glass, just the front facing parts of her and the outline of his shoulders bathing in viridescence, but it’s the glow of both their eyes that’s shocking. Perhaps it’s the Dark Hour haze making them shimmer bright, or it’s just a trick of the faint moonlight, but it’s all he can see.

“So… how did I do?”

Her low voice breaks the silence like a drop of water in a pond and he bites his lip, her gaze is angled toward her shoulder but her head is not, and he figures after is probably now at this point. There’s a weird droning buzz in his ears at that thought, he’s been thinking about this too hard and now that her neck is in full display his mind churns in a loop. The fact she can’t look at him makes this easier at least and taking two steps to crowd her a bit, Akihiko lowers his face so he can whisper to her ear.

“Wouldn’t you like to know…”

He can see her impish little smile in the window in reply, but she doesn’t look back at his barely present reflection; she keeps glancing sideways and that’s probably for the best.

“Well… yes…”

That’s not what you’re saying at all.

He did what he’s thinking about now before and it worked back then, so he just dips his nose toward her hair, not quite touching her, and breathes on the back of her neck very slowly. She shivers and the reaction in the glass is much the same, lashes fluttering over the red flames dancing there.

Emboldened at the confirmation and drowning in static, he places the tips of his fingers over the back of her right hand with the slightest of pressure and runs them upward on her bare arm leisurely, shyly smiling when he feels the goosebumps on her, yet she’s so warm. It makes him want to palm the whole of her skin with his own to burn to a crisp, but he’s too hesitant to be that forward. Akihiko breathes again, mouth very close to the nape of her neck, just as his nails crest the bone of her shoulder, and her own exhale sounds a tad shaky.

I’m barely doing anything…

That dress leaves a lot of flesh exposed and he runs his trembling hand down her naked right shoulder blade like a whisper, there’s a toned definition there that’s too enticing. Her muscles twitch under his touch, perhaps it’s ticklish but judging from her proxy reaction, that’s not quite it.

Minako is distractingly moving her head, perhaps to turn his way, but he’d rather she didn’t right now. He tends to lose his willpower when he’s drowning in red and he’s already half-deaf with droning tension despite just indulging tentatively; she can’t look at him now. Raising his left palm, he runs his thumb on the edge of her chin toward the screen the other way, just to suggest she goes there instead.

They’re still supposed to do a job here, so he flutters his words on the edge of her ear that’s turned toward him, the same way they sometimes do to talk through kisses.

“One of us should look at… the cameras.”

You do it, I’m very busy right now.

They’re sideways in the window, but Akihiko can see her eyelids droop over the rubies, and she shudders when the fingers on her shoulder travel up to her neck until they hover at the edge of the copper strands. He keeps his lips near her ear but not quite touching it, his head angled so he’s breathing down her back, staring at the mirror image of them and unable to look away. Bits of him are barely brushed with sickly moonlight behind her glowing lithe frame, two silver little stars above the melting red like a preying specter and it’s twisting a padlock inside him like a vice.

The way the crisscrossing strings of cloth are snaking left and right across her bare back has been on his mind ever since he saw her wear this dress the first time, and today’s no different. Inhaling softly, he lets the fingers on her neck travel downward shakily, dancing along the ridges of her spine and the strands like he’s delicately stringing a spiderweb. 

It’s the humming she does when his nails graze her lower back that makes his thumb on her chin travels upward until its brushing against her mouth and she parts it, wetting the edge of it with her lower lip.

Please don’t bite.

Not taking chances with that, and because he remembers she liked it, he traces it slowly down, watching the green outline he’s drawing by proxy in the glass like he’s painting in a foggy mirror. He’s so tense he could break in pieces, and she’s pushing her nails in her palms like needles, eyes rolling upward almost closed, but the rope seems to hold on just barely although it frayed badly.

Don’t snap.

It’s because she arches her head back when his thumb crosses the notch at the base of her throat, just where it meets her collarbone, that he drops an open-mouthed kiss on the skin behind her ear with a groan. His heartbeat is deafening in the heavy silence of the Dark Hour and she’s exhaling shakily like she’s in pain.

“Oh my god…”

The temporal blackout blinks out of existence between two frames and Minako doesn’t finish her sentence, instead she turns around in a rush and just yanks him down forcefully to crash her lips on him roughly and he greedily obliges. It’s when she eventually needs a breath back that she murmurs.

“Can we…”

Somehow, he knows exactly what she’s asking.

Oh yes please. After wasn’t long enough.

There are just no words coming out so he just answers with everything else, ghostly trailing his fingers up her spine as he glides his mouth on hers because nothing else will do.

Chapter Text

He’s not going to try and pretend that Minako’s choice of a tank top and plaid pants is just a coincidence when she sneaks into his room, he gets the request for an encore, but his eyes go a little wild nonetheless. Hers just smolder like twin little suns above him when she slides in his bed covers, full of unsaid secrets and tenderness as she whispers.

“I take back what I said, I like it when you’re shy.”

His hands are tools he uses to fight and destroy, they’re a bit mangled because of it too and playing any kind of instrument never crossed his mind before, but Akihiko can definitely see the attraction in being a musician now. He’s not sure how to label the score yet, it needs a name, but it’s a delicate duet full of colors that warms his heart to bursting.

She’s like a copper and ivory lyre, with burning strings of flames that make verses with the barest of brushes from his fingertips on her bare skin, and he’s catching all the gasping notes that escape from her lips with his own. The chorus parts are full of half-lidded red charring his soul, her nails gliding in his silver strands while she croons fire to him.

Eventually the melody slows to a bridge where he cloaks her into his arms to cuddle her close, and she melts her hands in his hair until she outros into sleep, content.

The weather is simply perfect for a run the next morning; vacations slowed time down to a leisurely crawl and he’s not complaining. Akihiko is still in a dreamy, plushy red mood when he comes down to the lobby after his shower, with the intent to prep a protein shake for his usual lengthy workout routine, and he’s a bit surprised to find Minako in the kitchen.

It’s still early, but she usually zips out of the door pretty quickly.

“I thought I had more time before you came down, wait a sec!”

Her smile is dazzling when she turns her head to look at him. Even if he saw her less than an hour ago it feels like it was forever before, but the biggest surprise is her hair. Minako always has her mane of copper neatly ponytailed up with a complex setup of hairpins in full display when she goes out, no exception. It might be loose at night, and when she is winding down after a bath, but never when she goes out, not even in Tartarus or at the beach.

And she’s definitely planning on going somewhere soon, judging by her attire and white sandals. Yet her red tresses are currently styled in a loose braid that curls around her neck, not a single clip in sight.

Just as adorable as during the festival.

And that simple thought makes his ears heat up because that night and that single step he dared take changed everything. Blinking to chase the blush and the memories out for now because they’re at the dorm in a shared space, he looks around at the counter where she’s sitting, trying to reach up to a shelf in the cabinet to put some clean bowls up there.

“I think we need a stepping stool in here.”

Grinning in amusement, Akihiko steps close until he crowds her and takes the dish out of her hand to place it where it should go on the upper shelf, before closing the cabinet door.

“No, it’s just you.”

She gasps in mock shock with wide eyes when she turns around on the counter, always prickly about her short stature.

“The nerve, and after I took the time to make you this too. You ungrateful…”

Looking down at her hand, he spots one of his shake bottles, all mixed up already. Now that he takes stock of the kitchen with a side glance, the counter has a girly premade breakfast adorned with strawberries. Seems Minako has been busy while he was trying to dim the ongoing song in his mind under a shower head, and even used some of the fruits to repeat what she improvised for him after the last operation. Extending a hand toward it, he smirks.

“You didn’t have to…”

“Wait, I never actually tried it when I made you one last time. I’m curious.”

And before she hands it off to him, she narrows her eyes, takes it back her way, and sips some of the pink liquid herself.

“Mmmm, taste’s not bad.”

She takes a second sample to confirm. And it’s the vivid picture of how her lashes half-close over red embers while she ponders the taste of her handiwork and the slight white crescent moon pressing down on the plushiness of her pink wet lower lip that makes him slip up again, this time spectacularly.

He just moves his jaw toward her in a rush and licks at the spot where the straw used to be, just wanting to judge the taste from there instead. The gasping moan that bubbles up her throat in shock parts her lips and he slides his tongue in between to meet hers halfway. It’s a mix of lava and ice, strawberry and burning sunlight and he freezes at the feel, mouth agape a hair from hers and blinking.

I uh…

“It’s amazing.”

Minako slowly flutters her lashes once over the crimson glassiness of her eyes and raises her free hand to his throat, gently curling her fingers toward his chin like a beckoning call. In reply, he just presses both his palms to each side of her jaw very softly, maps his mouth to hers sideways and does it again slowly.

I don’t know where the rope is.

He’s drinking strawberry-flavored liquid lightning like he’s about to die, and the song is on full blast with a low humming vocal track that blanks everything else, barely clutching each other with trembling hands like they’re about to crumble.

The fridge door suddenly closes with a soft smack, and that’s when he jumps in fright and remembers where they currently are.

…Oh crap.

Minako tenses and looks over his shoulder at the intruder, biting her cheek with a weird expression, and he takes the time to blink at least thrice before he turns around with a very buzzing brain.

He’s greeted by the very still silhouette of Minato, just standing there with a soda in hand, face completely expressionless. The single eye showing under his mop of blue hair flickers toward his sister, and he just pops his can open with a loud crack, staring hard at her. Mortified, Akihiko takes a breath and swallows, not too sure how to tackle this.

“This isn’t …”

Shut up. This is exactly what it looks like. 

The other teen takes a sip of his drink, moves a hand to his pocket and half takes out a blue key with a mask handle from it to get his twin’s attention.

“Mina.”

His lone eye flickers to Akihiko, but he doesn’t smirk and nothing on his face gives any hint as to his emotions.

Well, this is awkward.

Next to him, Minako slides off the counter, flipping her braid absently as she hands him his protein shake, then takes the breakfast she prepared in her hands.

“I’m going to… bring this to Yukari before we leave, okay Min?”

She looks at him with a lopsided smile and burning cheeks and zooms out of the kitchen like a comet. Minato takes another slow sip in utter silence, blinks once at him and gets out of the doorframe as well, walking away nonchalantly.

A few steps removed from brushing the hair from her face I take it.

It takes about two hours for Akihiko’s phone to ding with an incoming message and he’s a bit apprehensive as to its content. Removing his boxing gloves and wiping his brow, he flips it open to find the first SMS of a new conversation with an unknown number that he assumes is a certain blue-haired twin’s.

Strip mall, 5pm.

What is this, a duel invite?

You’re paying.

So, he texts like he talk, this should be a fun meal.

Minato’s just standing standoffishly near one of the benches at the Iwatodai mall plaza, looking nowhere in particular when he approaches him. The whisper that comes from under the blue hair is very neutral and his eyes never even fall his way at all.

“Pick your poison.”

Hi to you too.

“Alright. Follow me.”

He had the whole day to contemplate how to tackle this and Akihiko decided that being agreeable is the best way to proceed until Minato plays his cards, because with those twins, you never really know what you’re going to get.

His companion doesn’t speak while their beef bowl order is placed, seemingly content in letting him choose from the menu like she did. He keeps glancing at him with that unreadable face, like he’s pondering something, yet Akihiko stares back hard every time.

I’m not backing down from this, or her.

Their meals come in after a bout of silent glares. The smell is just so tantalizing and the twin’s silence deafening, so he digs in because he’s hungry and that keeps his mind busy. And that’s when Minato decides to chip in with a soft voice.

“I know you’re sleeping with my sister.”

Akihiko almost chokes on the bite he took a second ago and coughs, blushing bright red.

Holy... what?

Minato takes a clump of steaming food in his mouth and chews it slowly before he talks again, staring at him.

“Not like that. I think I’d know.”

And now he smirks.

Both of them sometimes, I swear...

“It’s not about that… Do you know what day we are?”

Weird subject change but okay.

Thinking back on the calendar in his room, he answers.

“August 22nd, why?”

In reply, Minato stares back at him with a weird expression and taps the hair on the side of his head to trace something as he eats, mouth full.

Why the date? Lines, in hair… hairpins? But why…

And then a few pieces slot into place in a rush because their pattern is indeed a number, and it means something very specific.

Yukari, do you… remember the date?  

Sometimes in August 1999. I can’t recall the exact day, why?

It happened today, then years ago. And she wears the date in her hair like a memory.

Except today she did not.

Maybe the realization is written all over his face or Minato is as adept as his sister at reading his mind and body language because he nods to him with the slightest of smiles.

“For the first time in ten years, she’s not thinking about it. Because of you.”

That's... well...

He feels like blushing at the thought, yet... Then it hits him, it was both of them and Akihiko looks at him with compassion.

“What about you?”

The blue eye flickers in response, unreadable.

“It hit different. The Dark Hour sucked though.”

That accident created the time anomaly, so that…

“You don’t…”

Dark hair bobs in confirmation.

“Since then, yes.”

Akihiko remembers when he started to live that hour of nightmare, with no explanation as to what the phenomenon was, and it was scary to say the least. 

The voice that comes from his companion is softer than he expected; Minato is always so abrasive in his delivery, but now he sounds… almost like Minako after their runs, it’s pensive.

“That’s irrelevant. The point is…”

Akihiko can’t help but look up at his eyes, and for once Minato is showing a touch of emotion, and it’s a bit raw and unsettling. It’s so eerily similar to hers but tinted like the sea.

She was right, he is changing.

“My sister is everything to me, but I trust you, you’re… noble.”

He’s not sure what to answer, it’s definitely not what he expected when he invited him here.

“Be there for her tonight, keep the calendar and nightmares away. I'll cover her.”

You don’t even need to ask.

He nods, and Minato smirks yet again.

“She’s really happy at the fact we joined SEES, and so am I.”

And that wording right there sends him back to a specific phrase that keeps nagging at him since he heard her say it.

But he seemed happy at the fact that we joined SEES…He mentioned several times how our presence here got things moving in the right direction.

“What’s wrong, Sanada?”

Akihiko looks down, mulling. He’s been a member of SEES since its creation, he’s been at this for years now, and everything just hits him like a ton of bricks.

“I got a hunch and I’m not sure I should... It’s something she mentioned, about the physicals the chairman made you run.”

The twin blinks, taking another bite as if to ask him to continue his train of thought.

“I just realized… there never was any full moon shadow before you both came here. The first one appeared after you arrived at the dorm.”

The blue eye closes over a somewhat pained expression.

“…Don’t tell her.”

“I’m not at ease with lying, especially to her.”

Minato shakes his head negatively, not looking at him and a smidge shaken like he knows something.

“It was her idea to come back, she’ll think it’s her fault. Let me handle that one.”

Chapter Text

There’s an uneasiness bubbling inside his chest when they part in silence, Minato has things to do before he runs surveillance from the command room with Yukari, and Akihiko ends up training again that night to chase it all away. It’s just a prep routine before Tartarus, that’s all, he got shadows to eliminate, and it never hurts to be well warmed up for a bout or ten.

They have no association with this. That wouldn’t make any sense, it’s just a weird timing. Takeba joined shortly before they did too.

So far, all his hunches paid off: the link between the large shadows and the full moon and how to find Yamagishi using her last known location, but this time he’d prefer to be wrong. Probably just a coincidence these full moon entities started to wake up in spring when the twins transferred to the dorm, always outside Tartarus too, maybe they went dormant after the incident for some reason. The chairman might have more information, but it’s still a few days until he’s set to visit, and Akihiko wants to ask about the rising Apathy victim cases too.

In the meantime, I got other things to tackle today. Very important things.

She’s been gone all day to tame the whirlwind of her schedule, they’re bound for some staircasing later, and he told Minato he would take care of it.

I keep my promises.

………………………….

Akihiko’s completely beat by the time they get out of Tartarus, training beforehand on top of the morning routine was perhaps a bit much. Those new floors are no joke and while they ran a slightly bigger party than usual, the challenge was up to par, with large amounts of new shadows they had never seen before. No one was seriously injured, but they all have a few new bruises and scrapes that might take a few days to heal completely.

It was good training though; full moon is coming up soon. How many floors does this tower have anyways?

At least Minako is still in high spirits despite her exhaustion, there’s a bit of dried blood on her collar that speaks volume as to the ferocity of the night and she went all out. Her braid is half-undone and dripping from the aftermath of some ice volleys as she walks at the back of the group next to him, letting Mitsuru take the lead of the procession back home with Koromaru.

“So… how bad was it?”

Her fingers delicately brush along his naked forearm just above his gauntlets, covered with mostly healed scratches, and he shivers at her touch. Akihiko’s eyes dart nervously to the rest of the column in front for some reassurance of secrecy; it’s not like he has a good track record about his teammates’ awareness, especially not today. Luckily, Iori seems busy discussing common slangs with Aigis and Fuuka, perhaps he threw him off the trail for real last time.

“Stings a bit, but I heal fast, this is nothing.”

She lets out a low chuckle of amusement and he looks back to her, confused.

“I meant your outing. He didn’t tell me anything.”

He doesn’t really want to recall what Minato said though, not right now, and by association the kitchen interruption that occurred because that was appalling to say the least. And then there’s what they were doing and…

Don’t get weird.

“Well… He’s… quite fond of the Umiushi special. Why?”

Minako turns her gaze to him, locking his own to drown into the red that haunts his mind, and he can’t help but blush despite her amused smirk. Akihiko might not want to think about it, but she certainly is if the scorching of her eyes is any indication. Now there’s a wavering rush of white noise pulsing through his eardrums and the boiling cold taste of strawberries tingling like a ghost on his tongue and he gulps it down, blinking.

“We didn’t really talk about…”

Minato did, and he’s the devil. But the rest was…

He tries hard not to think about the second half of his conversation with her twin, or it’s probably going to show in some shape or form on his expression. He’s a tad too honest and she might start asking questions if he seems to know things she never told him firsthand.

Today, there shouldn’t be anything dousing the light of her smile, or the sheen in her eyes, no lead cloak of painful memories binding her down like her hairpins usually do with her copper mane.

Clear skies should be the forecast in every page of your planner.

He needs a distraction from the absence of her usual accessories, it’s all he can think of now in a weird roundabout way, so Akihiko just runs two fingers from his free hand through the wet locks sticking to her brow like he always meant to just do that. He does it often, she won't think anything of it. Probably.

“Do you mind if we… stick around tonight?”

We might not be able to do that often when school resumes. Today’s a bit special.

She bites her cheek to disguise the dimple of her knowing smile and looks sideways like she’s considering the question seriously when he notices the source of the red pinpricks on the white of her shirt collar. It’s nothing serious, he healed most of it with Polydeuces when she got clipped by that floating shadow knight in passing, but it’s still nagging at him like a failure.

“Actually, that’s not a request. I’m taking a look at that when we get back.”

…………………….

“Mitsuru’s rapier did me worse than this, don’t worry about it.”

She’s so stubborn.

But at least she did let him take a look after her post-Tartarus shower, claiming the hot water would wash the dried blood away from the gash, and she wasn’t wrong per say. It’s still going to leave a bruise on top of the leftover cut line, and while it’s part of the job, Akihiko doesn’t care much for it when it involves her and today it annoys him to no end.

“I could have done it myself. Seriously senpai, I’m not a princess.”

It twists to breaking inside, that you would even have to do this in the first place.

Her tone sounds half-amused, half-exasperated like he’s ridiculous, yet she humored his request once everyone patched themselves up and went to bed. Akihiko bites his lip before he answers, he’s delicately applying some numbing ointment with the tip of his little finger at the back of her neck as if he’s blending watercolors, his thoughts just paper planes in the wind.

I know it’s silly, it just makes me feel better. Give me this.

“I’m well aware.”

Standing behind her while she sits on one of the stools of the lobby’s counter, he can’t see her face and doesn’t elaborate further, yet her cheek turns to the right with an eyebrow raised. As soon as he’s done, Minako spins around and catches his wrist in her palms to observe his own scratches in reply. She’s burning his pulse with the pads of her thumbs, probably feeling how hard his heart is shuddering right now, and mellow red stars perk up to glance at him.

“Did you overdo it today? Your hands are shaking.”

He forgot how any medication, even if left at room temperature, feels chilly to the touch. He despises the cold; it makes him stiff, it chars in a disturbing way and when he’s tired it’s so much worse. But combined with the warmth of her hands, it’s just a weird reminder of this morning and he blinks several times because that’s very distracting.

“…Maybe a little.”

Now she frowns his way while repacking the med kit, hiding a yawn behind one of her hands when she stores it in the proper cabinet.

“You keep telling me to rest and you don’t even take your own advice.”

Look who’s talking. You’re dead on your feet.

“How about we fix that?”

……………….

It’s better if she lays on her back, that bruise might be numbed now but straining her neck won’t do her any good tomorrow morning. That makes it a little harder for him to get comfortable though, as usual once they lay down, he’s stiff with prickly tension and tries to power through it with some difficulty. Eventually Akihiko just raises himself above her on one elbow, mingling his fingers with the copper ribbons that splash across her pale face and hesitating because she looks almost asleep already.

Her eyes don’t look as glazed as before when she opens them and her lazy smile is dancing upward to let a murmur out.

“You got things you want to talk about?”

Because that sounds like an invitation, he lightly brushes his lips on her cheek and feels her shiver. He’s too tired to ponder if he should or not, and he’s supposed to distract her.

A diversion that works both ways.

“I always like talking with you.”

The long laces of black framing her rubies fly up and settle down in suspension over a different expression, kindled to fiery life when she admires him.

“I think we had a conversation, earlier.”

“I’m down for that martial art screening, it sounds fun.”

He cracks a grin, pushing her hair back so he can look at her better. It’s true too; he hasn’t gone to watch movies in a while, perhaps he can pick up some training cues. Even in a packed theater, it’s still time with her and that's always entertaining. Minako blinks and lowers her gaze toward his neck, thumb tracing his cheekbone absently while licking her lips.

“Its not what I’m referring to…”

I know.

“The part about no running tomorrow? You’re right, we need sleep.”

It’s a dance they do often, it’s in the way they fight and how they talk sometimes, running circles around each other back-to-back like it’s too much to both look the same way. And now the red is a solar flare about to lash out.

“Not that one. It felt like we were saying important things, too…”

Akihiko never forgot that specific moment on the plush red velvet, when he indulged in the taste of her for the span of three breaths; it’s padlocked away but sometimes he cracks the lock to look back at it in secret like one admires old scars.

He's always held back in fright despite that obsession, about everything that surrounded that single point of contact, it has a rawness that leads down a path where no words need to exist and he loses his mind. Back then it occurred too soon too fast, like a chapter out of order in a book, but now it’s not the same.

The fact that it happened today by almost accident makes him crave it again to distraction, just to confirm that it was real. That she is, that they’re alive and sharing this together this time. His lips flutters on hers to speak, stealing her breath.

“Really? Like what?”

There’s no haste in her return kiss, even her nails on the nape of his neck are barely stroking yet he’s trembling.

Keeping his mouth to hers to glide leisurely, he slightly reorients himself to lean higher above her, freeing another hand to lace with one of hers pulse to pulse. His other palm settles on her neck on the unwounded side, barely cradling the side of her jaw when he dips sideways and parts his lips to match hers, caressing her tongue with his own.

The rope is all gone now.

It’s a communion that’s terrifyingly gentle, all molten fire and quiet wordless melody, the perfect antithesis of how strong they’re clasping each other’s fingers in a mutual death grip.

“Your hands are shaking.”

Her red irises are eclipsed by black moons, leaving just burning crescents in his view when he nuzzles his nose to her cheek to catch his breath.

“Yours too.”

Chapter Text

It’s early evening later that week when a SEES meeting is called in the command room and the juniors shuffle in with curiosity to take seats. Walking calmly, Ikutsuki enters and nods after appraising the whole of SEES with some pride.

“Good to see everyone’s here.”

He turns his head toward the doorway and speaks again, calling to someone.

“All right, come on in.”

It’s a small voice they all heard over the summer that chips in, very serious, when the invitee shuffles in.

“Excuse me, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

You have got to be kidding me, why is he here?

Ken makes his way next to Ikutsuki to stand in front of everyone and Fuuka exhales shakily. She so rarely speaks up and the boy’s appearance in what is essentially a room reserved for SEES business seems to make her edgy.

“Huh? Amada-kun?”

Akihiko gets to his feet in shock because deep down, he knows what this means, and this simply can’t be happening.

Not him, not here…

“No way…”

Perhaps because he senses his unease, Ikutsuki turns to him, arms crossed.

“Based on our testing results, we’ve confirmed he has more than enough potential. So, I decided to call this meeting to introduce him to the rest of the squad.”

Sitting together very close on the other side of the room, the twins exchange a loaded glance in silence and their eyes flicker to the chairman in shock. Mitsuru, usually all cool and collected, seems quite unsure of herself and that speaks volumes.

“W-wait, Mr. Chairman, he’s only in elementary school.”

Her glance darts to Akihiko’s with doubt, she knows who this is after all, and she remembers what happened two years ago. Her voice quavers as she hesitates to explain.

“And, besides…”

Shinji. The incident.

The chairman just shrugs nonchalantly, seemingly confused with her unfinished statement but she doesn’t elaborate further, looking away.

“Besides… what? We’re already confirmed he has the potential. With training, he should be a valuable asset to the team.”

Are we really that desperate?

Ikutsuki turns to the twins and looks at Minako specifically with a warm smile, speaking with some sort of polite reverence.

“You’ve been very dependable and shown how capable you are, surely you can handle that responsibility?”

Her eyes waver with uncertainty for a second when her stoic expression slips a bit, and she turns to Ken to ponder her thoughts. But it’s Minato’s glare that’s more telling, he’s clearly against all of this and stares at his sister with ice in his eyes, asserting himself very forcefully. Her voice sounds strained, perhaps because her twin rarely tries to lord it over her.

“I mean, I-”

No, that's unfair.

Before she can continue, Akihiko gets up to grab the chairman’s attention.

“With all due respect sir, he’s too young, he has no idea what this entails. Please reconsider.”

Ikutsuki shakes his head in the negative, impassible.

“The decision stands and I have the final say. We need his power.”

Mitsuru sighs quietly, and while he didn't exactly expect her to rebel in the face of authority despite the stakes, it’s still disappointing.

“I’m sorry Akihiko.”

Not relenting, he gestures to Ken with a jab of his chin in the air while keeping his eyes on Ikutsuki.

“Did he say he was okay with this? Does he even know was it is we do?”

But Ken answers him instead, with a tone so mature it’s bewildering.

“Actually, it was my idea to join. I feel like I can help too.”

The boy’s eyes drop sideways, pensive, before he continues in a murmur.

“And, I think I finally understand why I have this power…”

The chairman sighs and keeps looking at Akihiko as if this explains everything.

“…As you can see, it was his own decision.”

Ken smiles, clearly intimidated by the discussion but trying his best to stand tall and collected as he faces the group.

“Looking forward to working with you. I’ll try not to get in anyone’s way.”

While Aigis made good progress in the last weeks, she doesn’t yet have the human development required to grasp how wrong this is, because she instantly welcomes him like a comrade in arms.

“I look forward to working with you as well.”

He’s so quiet and composed, and yet… It’s him, and because of that…

Akihiko bites his tongue and sits down, not wanting to cause a scene since he’s outranked, but he keeps clenching his fists in frustration as he looks at the others. Yukari grumbles under her breath next to Fuuka, who looks nervous. Junpei simply hollers Ken with a grin; they spent a lot of time together in the lounge this summer and apparently, he has no problem with any of this.

“Hey, don’t worry kid. We got your back. It might get tough, but you gotta work hard and stick with it. Minako will put you through the wringer in no time, you’ll see. She’s one hell of a leader!”

Ken nods enthusiastically, he’s clearly more at ease with Iori than the others yet he eyes Minako with aplomb, fishing for her approval.

“Understood. I’ll do my best!”

………………………….

After everyone files out to let Ikutsuki work on his reports, Akihiko lags behind discreetly and exits last. Minako throws him an inquisitive glance over her shoulder before she gets to the stairs with her twin and he nods in confirmation before heading back to the command room, knocking on the door softly.

I didn’t forget.

“Sorry to interrupt Mr. Chairman, but do you have time to answer a few questions? There are some things on my mind I’d like some clarification on.”

“Come in.”

Closing his current folder to place it back on the pile, the chairman extends a hand toward a nearby seat.

“Do sit down. How can I help you? Is this about Amada?”

Akihiko does just that and crosses his arms. He won't undermine Mitsuru, but it's still on his mind.

“No, it's something else. You mentioned before that the large shadows affect the spread of Apathy Syndrome but…”

His superior’s eyes are unreadable, just patiently waiting for the rest of his thoughts.

“Every time we vanquish one, the inflicted get better, and it slowly ramps up as the next full moon approaches. I expected the patient numbers to stay constant or ramp down as we defeat them. Instead, after taking a look at the data, it seems the phenomenon is actually cranking up faster and stronger each time we vanquish one. Do you have any idea why? Because it looks like we’re making it all worse.”

Ikutsuki gets up from his seat and walks off to stand near a window, turning his back and removing his glasses to wipe them with a handkerchief.

“I never expected you to look at the reports that extensively, you’ve always been quite content to simply handle the tactical and deployment aspect of the operations, leaving the paperwork to others.”

Usually, yes. When she brings her worries to me though...

“This is a bit of a surprise coming from you, and I must say I’m impressed. You are right actually, it is getting worse as we eliminate them, as if those shadows are getting desperate to feed and grow stronger to survive.”

So she saw right through it...

The chairman crosses his hands behind his back and pinches his frames between thumb and index, admiring the moon outside serenely. At least it looks like it, Akihiko is not in the right angle to catch his reflection in the glass.

“I didn’t want to say anything because I want you all to focus without interference, it would only hinder your good work. You are already juggling school and SEES, it wouldn’t be fair. Morale is important, yes?”

He puts his glasses back on and pockets his wipe cloth.

“Rest assured, this phenomenon similar to a fever, it gets worse before things get better. There are only a few targets left, before the end of the year this should be finally over, and you can all finally rest. At this point, you could say we need to finish this beyond a ‘shadow’ of a doubt.”

Ugh.

His long brown hair wavers as he chuckles, always impressed with his own bad sense of humor. Akihiko bites his cheek, he wasn’t planning on asking this; his main concern was reassuring her about the Apathy Syndrome, but now that the chairman mentions it…

“Speaking of those twelve shadows… Do you have any idea why they stayed dormant until this spring?”

Ikutsuki turns around toward him with a bright smile, looking almost… excited.

“We lost track of them for so long… We don’t know the exact cause, but it’s rather fortuitous, wouldn’t you say? Mitsuru should be elated; she’s been trying to fix this for years, and we’re so close now.”

Of course she would, this whole disaster is a heavy cross of guilt she carries on her back when it’s not even hers. And she’ll bear the weight without complaint, until she breaks, or this ends.

Mulling it all over, Akihiko takes his leave with a curt nod. And it’s when he closes the door that he ponders why, for once, the chairman’s delight at their future prospect of victory reached his eyes. He’s usually more reserved in his expressions.

……………………..

The twins spend a long time in Minato’s room after the meeting, and both their faces when they come down to the lobby have the frustrated strain of an argument. The staircasing plan turns on its head as a result because Ken is now coming to Tartarus tonight as an observer, leaving Junpei and Aigis to command room duty.

I don’t recall them ever having a fight before.

Since said boy is currently in his room upstairs after his introduction to his evoker, Minako makes her case bluntly to Mitsuru, away from the juniors but still within earshot of Akihiko.

“He’s just a kid, but he really wants to join... At best he changes his mind once he sees how this all works, at worst… well, we’ll see.”

Mitsuru arches an eyebrow, letting their leader continue.

“He looks more mature than I was at his age, but... he’s staying far from the fray today, and you’re guarding him.”

Ouch.

At least Mitsuru takes the jab graciously and eyes Minako with a respectful nod. 

“Very well.”

…………………

Ken's expression looks a bit too composed as he holds his evoker, keeping at the rear in Tartarus with Mitsuru and Minato, who seems to hover nearby to add a second layer of safety. 

There's a story there... 

Minako definitely makes a vivid impression on the poor boy though, she's all business and fights like a fury that night at his side, probably to scare their latest charge into backing out of this venture. All she gets out of it is awe as Ken eyes her with sparkling wonder.

That should at least ensure he listens, if nothing else.

By the time they walk back toward the dorm, yawning behind his palm and and looking a bit wan because of fatigue, Ken latches on to Minako timidly.

Akihiko moves closer to her twin to give them some space; he’s not very comfortable with all the admirative glances he got tonight and it’s worse now that the kid saw him fight outside the confines of a regulated sport.

This is a battlefield, not a game.

“Minako-san, from all the personas you summoned, which one is yours? There were so many, I couldn't keep count.”

For a second, she looks absent, probably from sheer mental exhaustion. He’s seen her dip into her repertoire until her eyes glazed over and took extra care that nothing even looked the kid's way, despite his capable escort.

“Minato and I a bit different from you all. You could say we share a library card, we borrow books from a library where everyone donated stories. What about you, what’s its name?”

Ken's voice sounds a bit hollow when he replies.

“Nemesis.”

Chapter Text

Maybe now that Ken is part of this, it could help Shinji move on and we could keep that promise. Together.

Not that he wants Amada involved in SEES or any kind of danger to begin with, he deserves so much better. But Akihiko needs his brother back whole at his side too, they have a pledge to keep.

Seeing the twins argue after the meeting disturbed him; they’re like two faces of the same coin, and yet… Ken’s joining created a subtle rift between them, painfully echoing his own tumultuous relationship with Aragaki after the incident.

Is there something one of them can’t accept, just like him?

They’ve always been so close, and from what Minako hinted, they stuck together in a very symbiotic way during the last ten years. It wasn’t pleasant either, that much they both told him.

Perhaps they came through it like Akihiko and Shinjiro did; abandoned to themselves with no parents, living back-to-back as fighters through every hardship. They had nothing and for a time they shared the love of a frail little girl that died too young. Heck, Shinji joined SEES to stay at his side at all costs, not wanting to break the chain they wrapped around each other like a lifeline.

Yesterday, he wanted to ask the twins about their argument but…

I wouldn’t want them asking about Ken. 

There’s also Mitsuru to consider, she never completely moved on from Shinji’s departure and his shadow is lurking over hers in a thousand little ways. She’s always isolated herself in her perceived duty, feeling the need to be what she thought was expected of her by her father, and Shinji was slowly beginning to help her crack that façade.

Ironic how recent events started to open my eyes. She burns the blinders away.

Then the accident happened, and his brother broke and ran, never saying her name again.  Akihiko owes her so much for the last years, and adding to her pain is the last thing he wants to do, but the chairman’s words highlighted how much finishing the fight means to her.

She’ll never let herself live her life until the Dark Hour is gone. That would help her shed that ice casing she entombed herself into. Perhaps he'll stay too.

In the end, if they want extra power in the field to get rid of those shadows, Aragaki is the best they can get. He’s inspired Akihiko to get stronger, yet he never managed to match his might or bulk despite all his training. His adoptive brother is a natural at fighting that he strives to emulate since his youth, in vain.

Shinji was right: I get sappy when things are on my mind.

He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, numerous times, once they start to slow down at the playground. It’s early, and he’s not at his best to sort what yesterday's troubled dreams left behind.

From the horizontal bar at Minako’s side, Akihiko caresses her soft hand like perhaps all the answers to his worries lie in the lines of her palm, waiting for his sun to rise again patiently. She craved the freeing motions of running as well; her mask was taunt and cracking when they met near the dorm lamp post.

When you're worried, I worry about you.

Perhaps it was his presence she wanted too, that still amazes him every time he thinks about it. Her fingers eventually close around his own and her lashes part slowly, revealing two red flames that rise to the skies, but her face looks troubled instead of serene. It takes a few breaths before she whispers.

“Is it weird that I want to nurture and protect him, and yet I want him far away from all of this?”

“It’s not just you, I think most of us feel the same.”

I can't believe the chairman even thought it was a good idea. Is it because Mitsuru awoke to her power so young that he thinks it's fine?

“His altruism makes me feel shameful. At his age, I thought only of Min… I was just full of anger at the world too.”

And I thought only of my powerlessness when the orphanage crumbled to ash, and that pale, soot-smudged little face that would never call me big bro again.

Akihiko laces her fingers tighter, and she just leans into him in reply, squeezing back so much it burns.

They hold on to each other in soothing silence, listening to the minute sounds of the trees waking in the dawn while the air keeps whistling softly. His malaise eventually passes and he finds his voice again.

“By the way… I ran the Apathy numbers you wanted and spoke to the chairman. You had it all right, but he said it was normal, like a virus fighting back. He kept a lid on it for morale but he's aware.”

Akihiko can hear the sigh escape her throat, then the quiet words that follow.

“That makes sense, I guess, but it's hard to look at. We just need to finish this, then. Next full moon’s almost here.”

About that…

“I might have someone we could ask for help. A former member of SEES. I’d have to run it over with Mitsuru first, but...”

That’s not going to be a pleasant conversation.

“I’d rather not have to train two people at the same time, who is it?”

Ken I get; polearms and no experience, but…

The mere idea of anyone trying to coach Aragaki in combat is so funny he barely refrains from chuckling. The echo of his mirth lives in his reply and she narrows her eyes, perplexed.

“I wouldn’t worry about that at all if I were you.”

And now Akihiko can leverage a juicy tidbit of information Shinji himself told him a while back over ramen. Teasing her is always a guilty pleasure and he smirks with cheekiness.

“Do you remember that tall guy in a red coat from behind the station? You met him when you went looking for rumors about Yamagishi.”

Minako’s irises ignite in shock, and she blinks.

Score.

“How do you know about that?”

“Because that was Shinji, and he told me.”

Realization dawns on her and she smiles knowingly.

“Not just a friend from school, uh.”

That’s right, she saw him at the hospital that day too.

“He’s more like a brother to me but… don’t tell him I said that. A little rough around the edges though.”

Now that he thinks about it, Shinji is somewhat gruff and direct to a fault, intimidating even. But that won’t faze her and she impressed him, so there's that.

“Yeah, I noticed. He literally knocked someone out with his face.”

It’s tempting to ask her why she never shared their little group escapade with him back then, but deep down, he knows. Minako needs no one to fight for her, she never did and she’s fiercely protective of those she holds dear. Sometimes she stretches herself too much for everyone else, but that’s where he likes to come in.

You don’t douse a wildfire, you just… trench around it a bit.

Her crimson embers are aimed his way, perhaps expecting a few probing questions about that secret adventure. But Akihiko just grins as he cradles her left cheek tenderly in his palm. He lowers his forehead to hers, pouring silver into red and murmurs through his smile.

“Next time you feel like punching some thugs, let me know so I can watch.”

Minako’s laugh overlays the park’s morning song like a handful of windblown chimes. Once she huffs the last breaths of amusement out of her system, she blinks and lowers her lashes, gently stroking his brow with the back of her fingers.

“Call him back then.”

School starts tomorrow but at least today they got nowhere to be early. Akihiko breathes very slowly, letting his hand drop to her jaw, tracing it to her chin.

I really want to…

She meets him half-way in a flutter, reading the hesitation in his movements, barely caressing him a few times until his fingertips trace down to the back of her neck. The scorch of scarlet in Minako’s eyes is heavy when the tip of her tongue travels across his lips, and he parts them, every nerve of him charring to a crisp when she slides into his mouth.

You're melting me alive.

She's all fire, everywhere he feels her it sizzles and while it's soft she's anything but shy. Her fingers dig into the back of his head, pushing him down to her, grazing his lip with her teeth in hunger before turning sideways and drowning in him.

Static is pooling beneath his ribs, pushed upward in hums that match hers in the spaces between their gasps for air.

It’s dawn, noon and sunset all at once, everything is slippery red warmth and he’s clutching her hair to kiss her back in kind, drunk on sunlight.

“Why are you even asking me? You have the authority to act without coming here, so just do it then.”

I never inquired before because deep down I knew he would refuse. But now... 

Mitsuru’s words rain like frigid hail, all business, but her posture speaks otherwise. She turned away from him almost immediately when he broached the subject, showing a back of steel to hide her eyes and he knows she’s biting her lip in distress.

“I could… but I won’t, not unless you agree. I know what this could do to you.”

I was here after he left, remember?

She stays silent, still fixing the window, just a marble statue encased in an armor of her own devising. Eventually her curls bob and wave as she raises her head upward and the manicured nails on her arm bite in the flesh.

“He’s reliable and powerful… and he knows how we work. The chairman would agree.”

Still the institution talking.

“Screw Ikutsuki, this is about you. Drop the act and be a person for once.”

Her eyes are just pointy diamonds when she whirls around and takes two steps. The slap is halfway in the air before she relents and stops, sighing as she drops her hand, towering over him. Akihiko bites his cheek from his seat, wondering why she keeps staring at him with such a bemused expression like there's something on his face. He’s starting to get uncomfortable and that makes him restless, tapping his foot on the carpet until she speaks.

“You’ve changed you know.”

Her chuckle barely has volume, and she slides in one of the command room chairs with a looser posture than before, eyes barely dewing.

“I guess I… need some closure. So, it’s for the best, for both of us.”

“Are you sure Mitsuru?”

She never even hesitates, back in her armor already, stiff with the certainty of her decision.

“Take it and go.”

And her hand points toward the armory imperiously as she gets up, walking out to her room.

He needs some leadership gravitas to make this work because he has one shot at this, and he can’t ask Minako to come with him. Not with how he’s planning to force Aragaki to come back.

She’ll ask questions and I could never lie to her. She’s got enough to worry about.

His only option is to choose a time she’s busy and ask her brother. He trusts Minato as much as her, he's second leader and he’s reliable to a fault, but guilt is still making somersaults inside his chest.

It’s the first day of school and while usually she’d be free to hangout with him after class, student council called a meeting to kickstart the semester.

It has to be today.

Taking his phone out during French class, he starts texting discreetly.

Minato makes his way to the gate where he waits, small silvery briefcase in hand, and his eyebrow perks up immediately.

He knows what this holds.

They silently stare at each other until a sea gray eye glints, and he finally speaks his mind.

“Why didn’t you ask Mina instead?”

He saw right through it.

“I’d like you to… ignore what you’ll hear. And to avoid asking about it, please.”

Now Minato smirks knowingly. Not that he ever expected to deceive him in any way because the twins are uncannily perceptive.

“…All right. You owe me though.”

I already do, and you know it.

“Add it to the tab. And… thanks.”

Their stakeout takes less than an hour as they hover near the back alley and strip mall, until Akihiko spots the familiar figure they are hunting for. Aragaki is heading for one of the restaurants, hands in his pockets and head held low, when both teens block his path near the staircase. Minato isn’t the most imposing figure by himself, but he is mimicking his own demeanor like a mask, stoic and back straight. The eyes under the knit cap turn hostile and Shinji snarls immediately.

“You’re really starting to piss me off Aki!”

Fingers tightening around the briefcase’s handle, Akihiko stands his ground, speaking with confidence.

“Things have changed. Sorry, but I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer this time.”

Shinji looks confused at his tone and looks up, glancing at both his opponents. The fact that he’s not alone to confront him seems to take him off guard just a bit; he sure never approached him like this before.

I’m serious this time.

“This… belongs to you.”

The steel gaze falls to the briefcase he’s being offered, but no words come out, so Akihiko keeps talking.

“There’s a new threat. Persona-users, just like us.”

Looking sideways, Aragaki takes a few seconds to reply, his eyes almost... haunted.

“…So? That’s not my problem.”

Yeah, I figured. 

“That’s not everything… Amada has joined our team.”

Now Shinji shudders in shock, taken aback, and gets into his space with a loud bark of anger. Minato just stays impassively stoic, but he didn't miss any part of it and his eye flickers to Akihiko.

“What the hell do you mean!?”

“He has the potential, and Ikutsuki approved it. He’s a Persona-user now.”

Shinjiro turns around, shoulders slumping as he mutters softly.

“I don’t believe it…”

It takes him a while to talk again, almost solemn.

“Tell me one more thing Aki… Was it his decision to join?”

“Yeah. He volunteered.”

Sick twist of fate, I know.

“I see…”

Aragaki’s imposing figure seems almost defeated, as if this conversation is a cloak of pain he needs to shoulder on with resignation. He sighs and straightens his coat.

“Then… I guess I’ll stick around. My old room still empty?”

Swallowing painfully without quite knowing why, Akihiko hands him the Evoker case, nodding.

“Yeah.”

Welcome home Shinji.

The large, callused thumb caresses the handle slowly before he takes on the weight and Aragaki raises his eyes to Minato, calculating.

“So, you’re that girl’s twin, huh? I wonder why you didn’t bring her instead… Keeping secrets Aki?”

Nothing escapes you.

Akihiko bites his cheek, not wanting to draw attention to the fact he doesn’t want to involve her in the history surrounding Ken. Shinji grumbles something intelligible under his breath and eyes Minato respectfully; they also met before and he kept the good impression.

“I got a question for you: What are you fighting for exactly?”

“My sister’s sake.”

As expected.

“I see… We gotta work together, either way. Speaking of her... Guess I should go introduce myself properly.”

Chapter Text

It’s not like Shinji gave him any indication of when he’d settle back at the dorm exactly, but Akihiko hopes it’s tonight. They skipped Tartarus the day before; it was the start of the semester and most of the juniors wanted to catch up with friends or clubs, even Minato left shortly after their ambush to binge burgers with his kendo teammates. But this evening, they’re starting the warmup blitz for the weekend full moon operation, and he wouldn’t mind having his oldest friend at his side.

Just like the good old days. I’m stronger than when you left, you’ll see.

They’re both competitive and hate losing; it’s in the set of their shoulders and in their word jabs and he missed it. Maybe it's because he's craving some action right now that he thinks about Tartarus longingly at 8 am, as if that could distract him from the static charge in his nerves. The shuffle of feet on the dock eventually takes him out of his reverie.

The monorail glides into the station and the dorm’s population minus Mitsuru mingles with the crowd of grey and black silhouettes until every car is packed to the brim with Gekkoukan uniforms.

She saw me come back empty-handed. She’s keeping busy.

As usual, the SEES boys fan around the girls to shield them from the worst, everyone chitchatting excitedly. Akihiko finds himself gravitating towards Minako without even thinking about it, absently listening to Junpei’s dramatic laments to her twin.

"Dude, I wish she would have remembered me; she was cute y'know! When I went to the net café yesterday where she works, she didn’t even give me a glance."

Thinking about that Dark Hour rescue I take it.

“…At least she forgot about Aigis."

Minato murmurs back, closely stalked by said robot maiden in winter uniform, who is attending class in 2-F starting today. The disguise is actually good, and she looks somewhat human, but the way she talks sometimes…

Why did Mitsuru entertain this insanity? If anything happens at school, I’m not taking any responsibility for it. What is the chairman even thinking…?

"It's unfair nobody knows what we do!"

Minato simply claps his friend on the shoulder to shut the brooding down, his voice low.

"She's safe, that’s what counts."

Junpei grumbles about some weird gothic artist being the only girl giving him the time of day to Yukari until they make another stop for passengers. The incoming mass of bodies is mostly made of rowdy first years this time, pushing their way through with little consideration for the students already in the monorail.

“Watch it.”

Akihiko just speaks with practiced detachment, barely scowling at the junior that almost bumped her until he backs off and slides smoothly between him and an earphone clad Minako like he does in Tartarus all the time. It's what any good senpai would do for his juniors and he has good manners. His glove sliding down her bare arm in passing is just accidental, really.

Her hair smells so nice.

It’s clipped as usual in a high ponytail, still slightly damp because they showered after they ran, and he misses that perfume on his pillow in the morning. They’re crowding each other because there’s not much space at all and it makes him acutely aware that about an hour ago, they were at the playground together, partaking in closeness in a very different way.

We cut it very close on time too.

At least they had the good sense to put alarms on their phones, so they could sneak back in before the morning chaos at the dorm began unraveling. She’s right in his space just now, and it would be so easy to just lower his head until it rests above her hairpins and drape an arm around her shoulders to mold her to him. Minako is avoiding his gaze to look nonchalantly absorbed with her music, but he could perhaps yank gently on that red ribbon of hers, get her attention and continue that earlier conversation he keeps rewinding in his brain since the snooze jingle rang for the umpteen time earlier.

I wasn’t done talking with you, we still had a lot of things to say. Time is a thief.

He knows it’s not the right place nor moment, he’s not that irresponsible, but it’s still gnawing at him like the jolts crawling up his spine when he daydreams. Her hand skims down to his hip and settles on his gloved hand, warm fingers burning his bare wrist before they slide under the black leather like they belong there.

Nobody can see what they’re doing from this angle, but there are things he notices when she throws him a glance that scatters his thoughts like a bag of marbles. Her cheeks are dusted with pink, her rubies still as aflame as they were earlier on their perch, and he can’t look away or he’ll slip again. Badly.

They spend the rest of the short ride staring eloquently at each other in silence. Her nails dig into his palm and his own fingers close possessively over hers, remaining oblivious to the scenery and the crowd that swarms them until the monorail stops a few minutes later. He already misses his intense morning training sessions from this summer, and boxing club is only at the end of the day. This might take a lot of getting used to.

Akihiko is so distracted with red-tinted longing that he barely registers Yamagishi’s flustered little face staring at him when he passes by to enter the school in a hurry, trying to outrun the harpies before they latch on his coat tails.

He’s walking back late after drilling his club mates into shape when Shinjiro joins him near the Iwatodai station’s stairs, mapping his larger gait to his and holding a bag over his shoulder.

“…About time you showed up.”

Akihiko just snickers and elbows him in greeting, feeling like a little kid again.

“Lost your spare dorm key, Shinji?”

His friend just keeps looking ahead like he’s such a waste of time but eventually bumps him hard in reply.

“…Screw you.”

Yeah, I missed you too.

Most of the team is already there when they enter the dorm together, looking up at the unexpected visitor with surprise and questioning glances. Everyone except Mitsuru, who’s sitting regally at the table with some reading and a cup of tea. His adoptive brother stares at her for a few seconds before he looks sideways, taking stock of the juniors with a grunt until he spots Koromaru. The dog angles his head in curiosity and whines softly as Akihiko does the introductions.

“This is Shinjiro Aragaki, he used to be in SEES and he’s an old friend of mine.”

Iori instantly perks up with a look of admiration, portable game console instantly forgotten on the loveseat.

“That guy is a persona-user? Oh man! I remember him, he scared some punks like a badass!”

Yukari and Fuuka take in Aragaki with some apprehension but the navigator eventually looks at Akihiko, blushes and nervously turns her eyes back to their new team member.

“If he’s your friend… he must be a very nice person.”

What’s up with her?

Shinji just huffs dismissively at the compliment and makes his way toward the dining table, nodding to Minato in passing before his eyes land on Ken, who’s coming out of the kitchen with a drink. The kid freezes instantly, probably intimidated by Aragaki’s intense stare, and the exchange lasts a few seconds before Akihiko feels the need to lighten the awkward mood.

“Don’t worry… he’s always like that. You’ll get used to it.”

You’ll be safe too; we’ll make sure of that.

Ken grumbles before approaching Iori, turning a stiff back on Shinji. Mitsuru sets her teacup on the table and barely shifts toward her fellow seniors in acknowledgement.

“Aragaki… Welcome back.”

Not on a first name basis anymore.

Her tone is very professional yet not quite cold, and she closes her paperwork with calculated motions before getting up.

“Come with me… We got some things to discuss.”

She moves toward the staircase without a glance back and Shinji’s eyes soften a bit when he follows her. Akihiko exhales slowly once they’re finally out of sight, unsure what he expected out of this reunion.

Mitsuru volunteers for command room duty that night, supposedly to handle the paperwork regarding Aragaki’s return to the fold for the chairman, but he knows better. At least she’s at the dorm if Ken needs something, he wasn’t feeling good and locked himself into his room very early to go to bed.

He still needs to get used to the Dark Hour fatigue, he’s young and with school back…

“SEES sure has changed. A robot, a mutt… So many girls too.”

All the juniors are packed together around Koromaru some distance at the front while they march to Gekkoukan, perhaps to give them some privacy to catch up. The dog definitely seems to be enjoying the attention, yipping happily as Aigis translates his replies.

“Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter, Shinji. They know their way around a fight and that’s what counts.”

"Of course you'd say that. You've got a one-track mind set to combat, numbskull."

Akihiko barely refrains from whacking him on the shoulder, Shinji always brings out the worst in him and it’s the way they always played that game two years ago, to Mitsuru’s never-ending disappointment.

Old habits die hard.

Aragaki keeps staring at the team and settles his gaze on Minako in particular, shifting the weight of the axe on his shoulder absently.

“…I gotta say, you sure didn’t lead us like she seems to, you were way too excitable. Still are. She’s clearly focused on the team, and she got her head on straight, it shows.”

What did they talk about when they walked Koromaru together earlier? I wonder…

“She’s one of a kind, and one hell of a fighter, you’ll see.”

Minako is busy chatting Yukari and Fuuka with enthusiasm, eventually sweeping by Iori and her twin for a bit. The tension between her and Minato seems to have abated, or perhaps it’s because Ken isn’t here tonight… She looks adorable despite the gloom of the Dark Hour, and Akihiko is probably staring a little too much because Shinji eventually whispers with amusement.

“Two-track mind, I guess. So… where you at with that?”

Perplexed, he turns around to a mocking smirk and frowns in reply. It’s not like he didn’t share some thoughts about her a while back, and Shinji can read his face no matter how much he tries to disguise his emotions... But he never broached what happened during the summer, how deep the burns run now, and he doesn’t really want to.

Not even with you.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

Shinji keeps staring hard and takes his merry time commenting, making him squirm until his ears turn red.

“At least you seem to keep an eye out for her… But I thought you’d be past just looking by now.”

Akihiko resists the bait dangling tantalizingly in his face, for once.

Minako must have picked up on some things about Shinji during their walk because Koromaru is added to their team. She’s letting Minato take point with the other juniors and Aigis tonight, preferring to rescue the presence Yamagishi sensed a few floors lower in Tartarus.

Even with the cameras, we can’t catch them all. Weird though, it sounded like the twins knew we’d find someone tonight before the scans confirmed it…

“This place is just as creepy as I remember.”

Shinji looks around the current floor with a disgusted sigh, and Akihiko mumbles in reply.

“You should have seen the Arqa block, there were faces coming out of the walls, it was… pretty disturbing.”

You missed a lot of things .

Their first encounter is barely anything to write home about, just three stray shadows they dispatch with weapons in short order without even using their evokers.

“Sure feels different when this dumbass isn’t running off by himself because he's bored. Had to bail him out all the time before.”

Akihiko scowls and avoids replying to the jab because it’s only going to encourage him, but Minako laughs, eyes sparkling at the anecdote.

“Really? He’s not like that at all. Well, we need to make haste, still 4 floors to go. Think you can keep up senpai?”

And she winks at Aragaki.

Oh, you’re on now. He never backs down.

The hard glower coming from Shinji is apparently all the answer she needs before they get serious. Initially, he keeps his distances because he swings large and with abandon, but he eases himself into the formation in short order.

“Koro-chan, perk us up!”

Cerberus’ howl pierces their bones, leaving Akihiko giddy with power. He punches his first target so hard it careens to the ground, opening it up for a finishing strike from her naginata, then pivots to the next shadow in range and drives it toward Aragaki with a clapping four hit combo that resonates through his shoulders.

“All yours!”

His battle axe promptly cleaves it into a cloud of black ash and Shinji takes out his evoker, not even flinching when he fires the trigger at his brow.

“Castor!”

Brightly outlined in spiritual flames, the mounted apparition rears and bulldozes through the battlefield like a natural disaster, its golden hair billowing in its wake before it flickers out of existence. Diving in Akihiko's shadow while he takes advantage of Castor's rush to crack a mask, Minako shoots a persona out of her head with flaming eyes.

“Eligor!”

Her persona’s steed jumps over them both to jab one of the flying shadows with a gigantic spear, pinning it down to the floor. Koromaru zips in, knifing it hard in passing when she signals him to strike and the last enemies crumble after a few more hits.

Shinji glares at Minako and him a little strangely when they regroup, but stays silent and walks off with heavy steps toward the stairs.

It takes some doing and a few more fights but they eventually find their target, mumbling in terror in a corner. The Dark Hour won’t last forever and pressed for time, they eventually jumble the last shadows some distance away from their rescue to quickly clear them out.

Minako stays focused on support, letting them take the lead while she rains enhancements frantically on her comrades. Each of them feels like a tingling caress and Akihiko hides his smile by summoning Polydeuces when she signs for it, giving Shinji the front line.

Gushing beams of lightning crisscross the floor until it chars black, and he zigzags in quick steps to drop a double cross combo on the shadow closest to her before it even gets in striking range. Shinji swings his weapon along with Castor’s headbutting strikes, the long horn of his persona skewering one of the shocked enemies while he wounds another with a grunting cleave.

“Get out of the way, now!”

What comes slithering out of her head in a rush is large, serpentine, and full of teeth. The dragon-like being lifts its coils in the air before it breathes sleet over a large swat of the battlefield, disintegrating an enemy. Koromaru follows with columns of darkness, howling eerily, while Akihiko quicksteps back into melee to pummel a frozen target until it falls apart in chunks. Their last opponent is bulkier and Shinji exchanges blow for blow with it, taking a few bad hits until blood drips down his face.

He doesn’t even look bothered, keeping the shadow’s attention with a ferocity proportional to his wounds, giving them openings to strike it from the flanks until it fades into dust. Minako immediately takes out her evoker but Aragaki motions in the negative while speaking harshly.

“Tch, leave it.”

“Seriously Shinji? You’re hurt, don’t be stupid.”

Things must have been rough the last two years if you think we’d let you walk away wounded.

Before Akihiko can get in his face and take out his own evoker out, Minako narrows her eyes and summons the Hare of Inaba in a quick motion.

“I don’t think so.”

Defiant, she pets the glowing shape on her shoulder with a smirk and extends her hand, showering everyone in healing moonlight while Aragaki grumbles in annoyance.

Did I forget to mention how stubborn she can be?

“You’re pretty good in a fight, senpai.”

Her grin is quite genuine, and Shinji just huffs like she’s ridiculous with her compliment, but there’s the flimsiest lifting of his lips that doesn’t escape Akihiko’s gaze.

"Girls are usually nothing but trouble… But you’re a pretty good leader, Arisato."

I told you she’s one of a kind.

Chapter Text

It feels like forever since we came here.

The last time he stepped into the ramen shop with Minako was on the last day of summer classes, just before the festival to be exact, and he definitely missed this. The wooden counter covered with sauce bottles is one of his favorite haunts to hang out with her after school; it’s an occasion to binge a large serving of delicious food, talk about their respective week and exchange about everything that involves SEES in relative secrecy.

It’s comforting to sit here again, her to his right, little fingers entwined discreetly while they dive their chopsticks into their respective bowls. The restaurant is packed with students and workers at this hour, but no one seems to pay them any attention amidst the rowdiness of the crowd and they thankfully met no harpies on their way to the strip mall.

“I wanted to ask… I know it’s only been a few days, but how are you and Shinji getting along so far?”

Ever since their foray in Tartarus a few days back, Akihiko keeps thinking about how important it is for him that the critical figures in his life be on good terms with each other. Well, most of them; the tension between Mitsuru and Aragaki is not something he can solve, but she did approve of his return and perhaps in time things will be back to the comfortable normalcy of two years ago.

“I like him, he reminds me of my brother. He’s trying hard to keep his distances from everyone though, but at the same time, he pays attention to everything.”

Now that she mentions it, Shinji has been self-effaced since he came back to the dorm. He used to be less guarded back in the day, but it might just be a habit he picked up on the streets along with his truancy. He does take his duties in Tartarus very seriously, but it seems to be driven by an obligatory sense of duty more than camaraderie.

Maybe he just needs some time.

Minako sips some broth slowly and keeps talking.

“Speaking of Min, he’s fond of him, perhaps because they’re both quiet. The fact that Aragaki has been adamant in protecting Ken in Tartarus might have impressed him too. I know I am, he’s very reliable in the field. I’m glad you brought him back.”

“I told you he’d make a difference.”

Akihiko takes another batch of steaming noodles into his mouth as she bites on her egg pensively, eventually glancing at him sideways with a growing smirk.

“You know… He seems very interested in making sure you’re taking care of yourself; he quizzed me about you…”

Really?

“What kind of questions?”

His retort has an amount of anxious curiosity he can’t quite disguise, and she instantly picks up on it, mellowing her gaze with affection.

“It’s nothing bad, he just wanted to know how you’ve been doing there days, and he was curious about what I thought about you... It sounds like you’re on his mind a lot, he even nitpicked your meal choices in detail.”

Still harping about vegetables Shinji?

He grumbles in annoyance at the thought, and Minako lightly rubs her ankle on his calf under the counter, instantly drowning his irritation with a rush of blood up his neck. That sensation sends him back to a very specific morning and his mind fills with a concert of white noise. Her murmur is all he can hear despite the kitchen’s cacophony in the background.

“Speaking of caring, do you have anything planned after this?”

She's keeping her focus on the remains of her meal when Akihiko dares to turn his head her way.

“Not really, no… why?”

“I know we’re not running tomorrow because of the operation, but we could stop at Naganaki shrine on the way back to the dorm… If you want.”

The sky still has a splash of lighter color toward the west, but the streetlamps are already lit when they make their way to the playground. Apart from the sound of crickets, the park is very quiet and devoid of any presence. All the kids are long gone at this hour and the shrine is deserted.

“Feels weird to be here at night without Koro-chan.”

Akihiko can’t help but wonder if she also avoids their usual unwinding spot at the playground when she comes here without him. This is their space after all, and it has a different meaning when they’re together. Minako throws her schoolbag at the foot of a tree nonchalantly and moves toward the horizontal bar, extending her arms when she speaks.

“You might want to turn around.”

He drops his bag next to hers and folds his uniform jacket on top, taking two steps in her direction.

“Why?”

She looks over her shoulder at him, red irises flaring bright above an impish grin.

“I don’t really mind if you look up my skirt, but I figured you might want a warning first!”

Her statement crumble his thought process and Akihiko turns bright red on the spot, turning around stiffly to stare at the gate. He completely forgot they’re wearing their school uniforms right now, and in her case that includes a short black flaring number above her very shapely legs. Now that she brought it up, it's all he can think about.

The white frilly one is way shorter… wait... how come I’m so sure of that?

Breathing through his nose to chase the color from his cheeks, he simply waits until she speaks, not taking any chances. Just in case.

“All good now, you can turn around.”

Probably because his face still matches his vest when he does, Minako looks thoroughly entertained from her perch, resting both hands on each side of her seat while dangling her legs playfully. The offending dark fabric rides a little too high up her tights for his peace of mind, so he puts his back to the bar next to her and stares toward the trees awkwardly.

Skirts are too distracting.

“You are so adorable sometimes. Well, no, all the time.”

Her nails suddenly land at the back of his head to graze through his hair and he can’t help the shivers that run up his spine. If she’s trying to distract him from being weird like that, he certainly doesn’t mind. Another set of fingertips join the first and he closes his eyes because he’s quickly losing his grip on things.

“You never told me why.”

There are too many sparks flying around his head to power through his sudden word count limit.

"That's true, but it's a bit silly really.”

“I’m not going to laugh.”

He can’t help the shudder when her fingers skim behind his left ear, and he brushes his cheek on her warm bare knee to his right absently.

“Do you remember that early morning swim you took at the beach?"

The memory of her and her brother cuddling in a blanket on the dock vaguely comes back to the forefront of his mind as she keeps talking, but it’s mostly the way her eyes were shining so vividly that stands out.

"It's that picture of you coming out of the waves at dawn... At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be standing in the sea next to you and ruffle the water from your hair for some reason… Fix the strands sticking flat to your forehead, catch all the little stars of light glistening in it, and my fingers have been itching to do it ever since."

She sounds a little embarrassed at her explanation, still playing with said tufts of silver like she can’t help herself, but his ears ring at every word coming out of her mouth.

That sounds a lot like my mental pictures of you…

No wonder he felt self-conscious that morning when he saw her staring at him intensely, and now he's blushing furiously again, very thankful she can’t see his face. 

"I would have liked that you know."

Her chuckle is filled with warmth and once it dies her lips flutter on the edge of his left ear with a mischievous whisper.

"Don't you lie to me; you ran off that morning and I only looked at you."

You’re not wrong, but...

"That was then..."

He raises his hands to the nails dancing in his hair to hold them and turns around, admiring her fully despite the resonance at the back of his mind screaming for attention. Minako’s eyes are scorching flames full of wonder, lips barely parted as if she was just about to speak, but she simply wraps her fingers around his.

Akihiko gently pulls his wrists in invite, and she lets herself slide down gracefully until her shoes disturb the sand. He guides both his palms up her sleeves until he's cradling her face in them, angling it upward so she looks at him.

"And... this is now."

It’s just a graze of his lips on hers, but it’s as soft as ever and he closes his eyes to savor the texture of it. Her nails rise to his forehead like she wants to enact what she talked about, raking his hair back in tandem with the press of her mouth on his.

"This might have also crossed my mind that day."

He chuckles against her, their breaths mingling before he kisses her again.

“Really?”

He feels the smile in the curl of her lips and leverages their parting to gently tug on the lower one with a little groan, when he distinctly hears a light scrunch of footsteps in gravel.

His eyes open wide, and she looks at him before catching on why he stopped.

“Wait. There’s someone.”

It’s quite dark in the park, but there’s a small silhouette making its way toward the shrine. Akihiko squints and spots an orange hood under a familiar mop of brown when the shadow passes under a cone of light. It doesn’t look like they’ve been seen, but he whispers anyways.

“Is that… Ken?! What is he doing here?”

That’s a weird time to visit the shrine.

“I think… he’s praying for his mom. We went for a bite yesterday and he mentioned her a lot. He probably misses her terribly.”

I know it was an accident, but…

Minako’s voice sounds the same as usual, but there’s a sheen in her eyes that betrays the mask sliding in place, making something lurch inside his chest right next to the awkwardness of Ken’s situation.

“We should leave him to it then… He probably doesn’t want an audience.”

They retrieve their bags and slowly make their way back toward the gate in silence when he pulls her to him for a hug, saying nothing, because he needs that as much as she probably does.

It wouldn’t do to come back on a sour note.

It takes her a little bit to find her voice, but she sounds almost amused.

“I don’t know how you know sometimes.”

“I watch you a lot.”

She laughs and looks at him, cheeks a little pink, when a familiar bark resonates through the street. A dog runs toward them excitedly.

“Koro-chan?”

She kneels to greet him with a ruffle of his fur, and Aragaki slowly makes his way over, hands in his pockets. Akihiko grins at him, not very surprised at his choice of activity and Shinji scowls back, defensive. Minako scratches the dog's ears with a smile.

"It's nice of you to take him for a walk, senpai."

Shinji just grumbles, looking sideways.

“Aigis said he wanted to do his rounds at the shrine before tomorrow’s operation and everyone's busy, that's all...”

Don't think she doesn't know. I do.

Minako looks toward the gate, then back to Aragaki.

“Ken’s there praying, you might want to keep an eye out if you’re staying for a bit, it’s pretty late.”

A shadow passes over Shinji’s eyes for a second and he scrounges his brows before nodding.

“I’ll handle the kid... Speaking of late, you got classes tomorrow. You should rest.”

She pets Koromaru one last time, earning herself a lick on the cheek before straightening up. Her eyes skim over them both knowingly when she grins.

“Thanks, maybe I can even squeeze in some Innocent Sin with Junpei. G'night senpais!”

She takes off like a comet, skirt flaring, and Shinji eyes her very carefully as she leaves. Akihiko locks his steps on his friend's, intending to tag along on his outing with Koromaru, and they barely pass the gate before Aragaki turns a predatory stare on him. It's the same look he's been giving him all week in silence, every time they go to Tartarus too, and it's starting to get on his nerves.

"What?"

“…What were you two doing out here Aki?”

Can you just drop it?

Shinji barely smirks and keeps glowering at him, waiting for an answer. Grumbling, he can’t help but snap.

“We were talking. Why?”

It’s not exactly a lie, but the grey eyes turned his way don’t relent one bit regardless and now Shinji is grinning knowingly.

“Really…”

Akihiko blurts the first thing that comes to mind, trying to change the subject.

“When are you coming back to school?”

“Tch, screw that. So… you gonna let her walk home in the dark by herself? That’s lame.”

Shinji gives him a hard shove backward and keeps walking dismissively despite the stinging punch he lands on his shoulder in retaliation.

"You should start running Aki, she’s fast.”

Minako can take care of herself, but he takes off toward the dorm anyways because he’s not wrong per say. But it’s the mocking laugh in his back that almost makes him turn around and slug him again.

“And fix your hair moron, you look like you fucked around with an electric outlet.”

Chapter Text

Where is he?

It's the Dark Hour and they’re all waiting in silence for any news of tonight’s battlefield location, well, almost all of them. For the first time since he joined, Junpei is not here and it’s making the juniors uneasy. Mitsuru hovers near Ikutsuki, who’s calmly sitting in his favorite chair in the command room, legs crossed and fixing Yamagishi with an expectant stare.

“Have you found the shadow yet?”

Fuuka opens her eyes and shakes her head, sounding a tad deflated.

“No, it might take me a while to go through the whole city. Please, give me some time.”

Looking upward and holding her hands together in almost prayer, she keeps scanning.

Iori wouldn’t miss this, he’s been talking about saving girls from Apathy all week.

And then it clicks. Minako told him about the poor souls, she mentioned it multiple times as the moon waned, and Akihiko raises his eyes to look at her suddenly.

“Where would you say you saw the biggest concentration of victims in the last week?”

You’re paying attention to them because it disturbs you.

Mitsuru eyes him quizzically at his outburst while their leader frowns in thought.

“Fuuka, can you try scanning near the mall?”

The navigator nods, eyes still closed, then gasps after a little while.

“It’s vague, but it’s there… how did you know? It’s weird, I can feel it, but for some reason I can’t quite pinpoint its exact location…”

Shinji, hanging back near a window like an intruder, fixes his gaze on Yamagishi; his whisper has a compassion that’s at odds with his gruff expression.

“Would it help you if we were closer? I think we have enough to go on.”

“It might, senpai… I’m trying to narrow it down though.”

Minato makes his way to the room’s doorway as footsteps echo in the heavy silence, and the corridor flooring creaks.

“Did you find Junpei?”

Yukari looks like she’s been running and she’s still holding her cellphone in her hand.

“He didn’t take any of my calls before the Dark Hour began and he’s not anywhere near the dorm. What is he doing? He knows tonight’s a full moon!”

Ken stands straight next to her, trying to look taller. He seemed uncomfortable in the command room earlier and eventually volunteered to check around for signs of Junpei’s whereabouts.

“I looked in his room, and his backpack’s not there, it doesn’t look like he even came back from school.”

Still concentrating, Fuuka speaks up.

“I’m not picking up his signal either. Should I take more time to look for him, just in case?”

Ikutsuki gets up and waves his hand dismissively, readjusting his glasses before glancing at Mitsuru.

“Leave it, he’s young, maybe he got distracted… For now, we should focus on the shadow.”

Shinji squints at the chairman and his eyes flicker toward Akihiko briefly, there’s a tightening to his mouth that betrays an annoyance with the man. Mitsuru smooths her skirt and moves decisively toward the corridor, boot heels clacking hard.

“We can’t afford to waste any more time. We need to get moving.”

Minako falls into step after the rest of the juniors file out, and Akihiko joins her while clenching his fingers, full of tension. This seems like an ill-omened start and they’re all feeling it.

Aragaki hangs behind the group with Koromaru while they walk, keeping an eye on the procession led by an all-business Mitsuru. It’s only when Minako breaks off to hang around her class peers like a portable sun of enthusiasm that her twin lags back in her stead, hands in his pockets. Shinji maps his steps to his, speaking low, and Akihiko can barely make out their words as he glances around for any sign of life.

“Arisato…  Did Iori say anything about this?”

Minato shakes his head to move some hair from his face, his brows furrowed in worry.

“No… When class ended he bolted off without talking to us.”

“Hmm…”

The red coat might be facing straight ahead, but the steel glare keeps looking sideways when Akihiko takes stock of his friend for the fifth time.

“Shinji, what’s-”

“It’s nothing.”

But his scowl says otherwise, and he keeps peering in the alleys like a hawk.

I thought you didn’t care about those persona-users, you liar.

There’s no sign of Strega so far, but Akihiko stays close to Minako and the juniors, just in case. Guns are no joke.

Taking some deep breaths and concentrating hard near the mall's blood-red fountain, Fuuka stands surrounded by the supportive girls of SEES. She's been frantic in proving her worth tonight, frazzled at not being successful as usual in her scans, but she eventually murmurs.

“I think… It feels like… a web? It’s beneath us.”

Aigis stands to attention, blue eyes alight.

“A web…? Perhaps it’s related to the old power cables underground. Back when the island was still being developed, this is where the main power station was located. Many of these cables remain underground in a sprawling network with a similar pattern.”

Thinking back to early spring, Akihiko looks to Mitsuru.

“Could the shadow have attached itself to those cables, like the one in the monorail, or that tank?”

“If it did, it must have a main body…”

Shinji blinks and looks at the twins.

“Wait a minute… I overhead the manager of Escapade a while back… He was saying the power supply’s been acting up lately. There was a big outage because of it that forced him to cancel some idol event. Apparently, they remodeled a command room in the basement of the mall because of it.”

She’s right, he does pay attention to everything.

Minako eyes him appreciatively and nods before turning to Fuuka.

“Does that help your search?”

“Yes, I can see it now, the shadow is in a square room under Escapade, two levels down!”

Minato dusts his coat sleeve absently and unsheathes his sword with a smirk, glancing at his sister.

“I guess we’re club diving tonight, too.”

Wait, what?

As soon as they navigate below the initial concrete level, Akihiko’s ears fill with an incessant buzzing, almost as if there’s a lightbulb on life support hanging close to his head. It feels disorienting, it has no direct source, it’s simply a pressure skimming all around him in the gloom and he knows exactly what this is.

High voltage… That one’s for me.

The darkness thickens as they descend deeper, the ambient static level keeps rising substantially and he’s twitching from it now. Fuuka’s voice reverberates in their minds.

“It’s close, and it knows you’re here. It’s feeding on the nearby generators to absorb power into its body. We’ll have to cut its supply sources to truly hurt it!”

Minako exchanges silently with her brother and narrows her eyes, he briefly glances at Aigis and Ken in passing with a nod before she speaks.

“We’ll keep it busy and buy some time, take care of those generators and come back here when you can.”

What awaits on the other side of the door is a tentacled nightmare brimming with power. The shadow has its appendages diving into the floor’s plating to leech energy from the network like a supernatural vortex gaining strength, mane flying wild.

Taking point at Minako's urging, Akihiko grins, feeling giddy from the charge in the air and the impending challenge.

Shinji sizes their enemy up, adjusting his battle axe and not intimidated in the slightest.

“So, this is one of those huge Shadows, huh. Well, not like it changes much, just don’t be a show-off Aki…”

Things start off simple enough, Minako and Mitsuru keep showering debilitating sparks around and enhance their defenses, while both adoptive brothers wail on the enemy with little effect.

“Fuuka can't find weaknesses, we’ll have to chip at it!”

Aragaki groans and keeps chopping at the wires, dancing around the ice Mitsuru conjures when the cables suddenly start pulsing.

“Watch it! Incoming!”

Akihiko doesn’t even bother getting out of the way when the outpour of electricity rattles everyone’s bones. He stays in place to shield Minako from the lightning, barely getting singed and keeps pummeling the mass of coils with abandon, while she fires her evoker to heal their wounds. She jumps into the fray through his strikes like a dancer and he slides backward briefly to cripple the enemy again when she signs for it before sidestepping back in with an explosive sucker punch. Some of the wires damaged by Mitsuru’s conjured cold snap in half, dangling, and a section of the floor’s network stops glowing.

Their strikes get more and more effective as the support team destroys more of the generators, eventually getting rid of them all. The Hermit suddenly supercharges with a heave of desperation, siphoning every bit of energy that’s left before it dissipates. The shadow spasms and flails, glowing again and Yamagishi sounds ominous when she speaks to them all.

“This is different from before… Its sources are cut off yet it’s much stronger now! Watch out!”

They’re slowly getting winded, and all hell breaks loose when the rest of the team come back to join them. Just as they try to enter the room, the Hermit unleashes a blinding wave of energy sparks, more powerful than any it mustered before. It acts as a flashbang and smoke fills the air in droves on impact. From melee range, Akihiko can barely see anything after a few feet and tries repositioning to get a better feel of the battlefield. Only Shinji’s large persona, towering like a giant outlined in light somewhat above and behind Minako’s small frame is visible behind him, arching back to ram their enemy with its long horn.

Suddenly, Nemesis actualizes over their leader and showers giant spears of light rapidly to cover her, hitting Castor and the shadow both as Ken screams in pure rage from the entrance.

“Don’t touch her!”

What the hell is he doing?

The ambient lighting amps up when energized tentacles snap toward that shrill noise and Aragaki jumps in the way to cover him immediately, already bleeding from the accidental assault on his persona yet not caring in the slightest. 

"Amada! Get back!"

The kid back steps in shock, almost dropping his spear and Yukari steps in his place to shoot at the coils. Shinji chops at his restraints with one-handed strikes like he’s felling wood, despite being continuously assaulted with sparks that make his coat smolder.

“Akihiko, free him! Mitsuru-senpai, help me!”        

There’s Minako’s voice coming from farther back and numerous flashes of blue fire light up the foggy air are before healing beams rain down on everyone. Minato joins the fray near Ken, pushing him back toward Aigis, who got paralyzed with shock by the blast.

“Ken, heal her, stay ranged and watch your aim!”

His sword is slashing the wires holding Aragaki while Akihiko tries to force the shadow to let go with rattling cross combos, eventually loosening them enough for Shinji to shrug the cables off his frame. He’s looking better since Mitsuru’s healing him but he’s coughing.

“It’s going berserk! Go all out!”

Koromaru howls for flames and arrows connect to the shadow’s hole of a face in quick succession. Ken is assisting the robot maiden, the twins are actualizing various personas next to Mitsuru, and yet it’s not going down. The shadow is building up electrostatic again and everything around it is lashed with lightning beams like a shield, dampening their strikes.

That won’t stop me though, I can get in there!

He gleefully runs in melee, snap punching on the Hermit’s torso while dancing amid the chaos; the shadow is on its last legs and it can't take much more.

A thrashing mass of tentacles leaking lightning draws back then forward like a coiled arm to crash through Mitsuru’s walls of ice, aimed toward the juniors that stand behind him at some distance. That immediately takes him out of his furious assault and he back steps quickly to intercept.

He slides in the way and blocks the incoming attack the best he can, yet some of the wires still snake around his frame to hit Minako and Yukari, hard enough to throw them on the floor. He manages to rip one of the cables that bypassed him with a thundering clap of his knuckles and the frayed end goes wild, a snaking hose full of liquid pain that bites the left side of his head, just above the ear.

This is nothing, shake it off!

The smell of burnt hair fills his nostrils but he ignores the sting and keeps trying to score hits through his blockade before it changes course to the others, aided by Shinji’s axe. Minato helps his sister and Takeba get back up and jumps in as well, slashing mercilessly.

Minako’s evoker goes off to shower soothing motes around all of them and Nemesis’ light spears trusts into the tendrils he’s holding back, transfixing a few until they fray and lose force. A hail of Aigis’ bullets and Penthesilea's assault gets the rest to recoil back to the shadow like it burned its fingers on a stove.

"Shinji! Double up, just like old times!”

Akihiko shoots himself to free Polydeuces and Castor joins him. Both summons charge forward in tandem to skewer the shadow with stinger and horn just as it’s about to unleash another wave of lightning, and it finally crumbles to black dust.

He’s so full of sparks at that moment he’s probably dangerous to the touch, yet he’s never felt surer of his power. His elation wavers when he sees Minako staring at Polydeuces and Castor, side by side before they flicker out of existence, with an expression he can’t describe. She clearly noticed the spearhead embedded in Castor, and his own persona’s stinger devoid of its harpoon.

Chapter Text

This is definitely not how or where he wanted to spend his Sunday. The barely-a-nap Akihiko took sometimes during the night ended abruptly at dawn as usual, and it felt more like a blink forward that provided no rest after the grueling fight with the full moon shadow.

It doesn’t help that he’s hanging out in an hospital of all places; he never was and still isn’t a fan of medical facilities, especially when it involves babysitting an uncooperative and emotionally unstable member of Strega. He takes turns with Mitsuru to interrogate the strange girl several times throughout the day without success; after hours of rambling about her evoker and Medea, she clams up to sulk in silence.

Junpei barges in forcefully during the afternoon, quickly followed by an apologetic Yukari. Akihiko is not in the mood to get into more verbal sparring with anyone after he and Mitsuru bickered all morning, so he gets up to stand near Takeba by the room’s door.

“How are things at the dorm? Is everyone okay?”

They sort of left in a hurry after they secured Chidori and he’s been here ever since. 

“Yeah, all patched up and we slept late, Minako even made breakfast again. I just couldn’t keep this idiot away; he kept trying to sneak out and I know you said not to come here, but…”

“Not your fault.”

So maybe there’s a slight resentment floating in his skull because of her words; they suggest a fantasy of tangling in sleep with her like the last operation instead of breaking his back napping in a cold plastic chair and wouldn’t that be just amazing. He’s tired and banged up, everything feels like a mess, and he could use some quiet. Akihiko would like nothing more than to be holding her hand right now at the playground in silence and…

Junpei’s irritably loud with his frustration, Yukari bristles when he shouts and Mitsuru’s at it, again. Hearing a mention of the evoker they confiscated from their patient makes him growl in frustration and snap around.

“Hey, Mitsuru! I told you not to bring that up again, didn’t I?”

Her frosty eyes turn to slits, and she puts her hands on her hips defiantly, biting back.

“Then, what am I supposed to do?”

Mitsuru sighs and pinches her nose, shaking her head to keep her composure. They both need some air, clearly. Their patient starts raving and he can’t take it anymore, so Akihiko gets up.

“Takeba, can you call a nurse over? I’ll go back and inform Ikutsuki we’re having difficulties.”

“Uh… okay?”

She doesn’t look very impressed with the proceedings, and neither does Iori. Why he cares about his kidnapper is beyond him, but he’s always desperate for female attention, so maybe that’s what this is. Mitsuru must stay at the hospital to coordinate with the Kirijo medical team, and he’s clearly not helping her work on her people skills by being here.

She hates not getting what she wants. And I need to take a shower, inquire about Ken’s mess during the fight, check on Shinji…

And see her. Her presence always makes everything better.

Akihiko handles business as soon as he gets to the dorm, going directly to the command room where the chairman is drowning in a pile of paperwork. Ikutsuki clearly wants nothing impeding SEES’ progress against the shadows and has ideas to ensure they keep their hostage safe from the rest of Strega.

“Just make sure she stays put; I’ll coordinate some Dark Hour guards with Mitsuru, but it might take a while to get them here.”

No puns? He must be tired.

That handled, he heads straight down to his room and its shower, running into Shinji coming up the stairs to the boys’ floor. With his hands in his pockets, his friend ascends the steps as if he’s part of a funeral procession, slowly placing one foot in front of the other until he reaches the threshold.

“You look like shit, Aki.”

“Thanks, you too. Where’s Ken?”

Akihiko sounds and feels snappy, but he’s exhausted, and that picture keeps nagging him since the fight. His words probably tell Shinji about the real unspoken question behind them since he grumbles with his usual scowl of annoyance.

“Don’t worry about that… I took care of it with Arisato, right after you left with the girl.”

“What do you mean?”

Aragaki looks irritated at his probing for details, barking back.

“He misjudged the situation. We had a talk, it’s sorted now. Drop it.”

It was hard to see but… was it really bad aim? That’s not what it looked like to me.

Clenching his fists, Akihiko is about to give him a piece of his mind when Shinji interrupts him.

“Tch...! He thought Minako was in danger and acted on impulse. Reminds you of anyone?”

“Well… that’s…”

A mocking smirk blooms on his friend’s face, and he hesitates.

Like I was ever going to take any kind of chance.

Aragaki’s lips extend a tad wider at his reaction, ominously, and he takes the opportunity to continue his verbal jabbing.

“Not the same, huh? He got a lecture, and you got a nice scar for it. She’s safe, and I’m all mended, so forget it. Shit happens sometimes, I know. You got stuff to take care off, so get to it.”

Passing a hand over his face, Akihiko just sighs. Maybe… Maybe Shinji is right. Ken might be powerful, and he’s fiercely protective of Minako, but he hasn’t been a member of SEES for long and they kept him on the sidelines for his safety. Sometimes, you act before you think, he’s a prime example of that.

I’m too tired to think straight. Maybe it is just an honest mistake. If he says so…

“Listen, I don’t know how long we need to... Can you keep an eye on things here?”

“Yeah. I’ll brief the twins when they get back. Go drown yourself already, you smell like death.”

The Strega girl will talk soon, and I’ll be back tonight when Minako is, too.

Unfortunately, events don’t always go the way Akihiko would like them to. For the rest of the week, all his days are spent attending classes and staying at the hospital, and he barely steps foot in the dorm. Just enough to crash when he can, late at night, get a shower, and do it all over again the day after.

He’s got too much time to think, not enough to move and get the buzzing tension out of his system, he’s jittery because of it all and it’s starting to drive him up the wall. He's always surrounded by redheads too, and it just reminds him how much none of them are the one he wants to see.

No running or moments with her, no boxing club, no training to clear my mind, no Tartarus, just school and… this.

He brings his homework along for his sanity, but it’s early September and there’s not much to keep his mind occupied. They do discover, thanks to Yamagishi's probing, that Chidori can mask her presence and probably her companions’ too. It explains how Strega got the jump on them at the military facility, but at least they won’t be able to pull that trick again.

We still learned very little else though.

They keep pestering her with questions and she keeps her silence, pencil scratching her sketchbook. Every night Akihiko plays enforcer in the hospital corridor and Mitsuru does the same from the room in case Strega shows up during the Dark Hour, or she tries to sneak out. It wouldn’t do to have her flee and expose the team to another ambush, she could find another evoker too, and avoiding motionless coffins when you have a secret extra hour is easy.

Where did she even get one in the first place?

They banned the rest of SEES from coming here as much as possible, but Iori doesn’t listen; he keeps trying to spend time with Chidori and surprisingly she speaks to him and him only.

Not that she says anything relevant about Strega, but it’s a start.

By Friday he’s starting to get an idea why Junpei keeps showing up, he recalls some tidbits of conversation about the girl at the station he was obsessed with, but it’s mostly all in his eyes. What he finds dancing in them looks like an enamored concern of some sort. That’s what makes Akihiko accept his visits despite Mitsuru’s reticence, because he can’t be such a hypocrite.

His gaze is like mine, when we board the monorail each morning, and go our separate ways at the school gate.

Thinking about Minako brings up the weird worry he’s been mulling over all week to the forefront. He’s pretty sure she saw what he thinks she did at the end of the fight, yet she never even asked. He wouldn’t lie to her, but he’s rather not revisit the past when Ken is a part of SEES now, it’s not something he really wants to explain. He should perhaps stop worrying about that fleeting expression on her face, he’s having doubts he even saw it now; overthinking can mess perception.

Not that they even had a chance to talk much about anything since the operation, with that schedule. He has no free time, and she’s keeping busy, patiently waiting for this to blow over like the rest of them. They texted often during the week though, and that made it slightly more bearable, especially when she mentioned how she missed him. Sometimes she makes it worse though, like Wednesday night just before the Dark Hour.

Still no sign of Strega on camera during the Dark Hour. We’ll keep at it tonight too.

He quickly answers back.

Well, that’s something at least. Maybe they’re clueless without Chidori.

It takes not even 5 seconds before his phone dings again.

You know this would be much more fun if you were standing near the window with me :D XX

That one makes Akihiko blush furiously, enough to require a walk or three around the patient block before Mitsuru catches a glimpse of his face. At least he’s very much awake for his rounds that night.

Thursday night reminds him that Shinji barely leverages his kitchen talent for anyone except the dog, but he’s nice enough for once to treat the twins.

Wow Aragaki-senpai knows how to cook! That katsudon he made with Min was a-ma-zing :D XX

He did say he owed her a meal at some point.

It’s nice to hear he's getting along with the others, getting out of his grumpy shell, he’s been quite distant.

It’s Friday now, and they still made no notable progress with their hostage. Iori brought her a new sketchpad and this time Shinjiro tags along with him to get some news in person.

If you came to school, you’d know. Or if you answered your phone sometimes.

“…Any luck?”

Mitsuru nods, less guarded around him for once. Some distance from each other since the shadow fight seems to have helped on her end.

“She finally started talking. But she hasn’t said anything useful so far.”

The steel glare takes in Iori and briefly glances at Akihiko as if he knows why the junior is really allowed in the room when everyone else isn’t, but he doesn’t thankfully comment on it. Chidori suddenly holds her hands to her throat in pain, her voice barely a strangled whisper, startling everyone except Aragaki. Junpei looks panicked and keeps looking at their captive for the cause of her squeaky scream.

“Chidori?! What’s wrong?”

And then something red, gold and aglow appears above her, choking the poor girl with monstrous claws.

Is that…? But it can’t be!

Before any of them can react, Shinji takes an injector out of his pocket and plants it in her neck, making the apparition flicker like a crumbling mirage. The Strega girl gasps in relief and instantly calms down, her arms limp with trembling fatigue. Not discomfited in the least, his brother looks sideways and murmurs.

“No need to worry. Her Persona went berserk, it happens, but she’ll be okay now. These guys can’t fully control them like us, that’s why they need to take suppressants. To keep their Personas from killing them…”

Wait a second…

“Shinji, do you know something about Strega?”

You kept watching for them during the operation too. I saw it.

Aragaki’s eyes have a distant look, fixed on a spot between the door and the wall, and he murmurs very softly.

“Some things you only pick up stepping off the straight and narrow.”

Taking his hands to his coat again, he hands a paper bag vaguely in the direction of a shocked Mitsuru, who takes it in apparent confusion.

“That’s all the meds I have… Give them to the doc, the rest is up to you.”

And on that note, he quickly exits with heavy steps, not looking back. Akihiko runs after him to catch up, panicking at the implications of what he said.

It can’t… no…

“Shinji, wait!”

He finally catches up to him outside the hospital; his brother can be quick when he wants to, and he had to sprint down the stairs to get to him.

“Hey, wait! Shinji!”

At least the tall figure does stop when he almost screams, but he stands like a statue, not even turning around to face him.

“…Can you fucking keep your voice down Aki?”

It was such a low murmur Akihiko barely heard it, but he does as he asks. If that keeps him in place to talk, he’d do a lot more than that.

“What the hell is going on…? Why did you have those suppressants?”

Tell me you got them on the streets, that they’re not for you.

And still, Aragaki just offers his wide back to him, not acknowledging his panicked questions in the slightest. His hands won’t stop trembling and he can’t stand to look at his coat, fixing the floor instead.

“I’ve heard about what they do… They’re taken to rein in a Persona when the user can’t control it. But the side effects…”

They eventually kill you. You can’t… you can’t tell me you...

This time Shinji turns around, looking at the people sitting on a nearby bench instead of him, his lips just a grim straight line. It takes Akihiko a few breaths to even dare ask the question he was building up to, and his voice comes out somewhat broken.

“You’re not taking them… are you?”

Tell me you aren’t. Tell me, please.

Aragaki barely blinks, motionless, and that makes him clench his fist, shaking in anger.

Why are you ignoring me all the time? Why won’t you just answer me, damnit Shinji!

This time, Akihiko screams in his face in despaired anger to provoke him, just wanting an answer. A reaction. A fight. Something.

“ANSWER ME!”

It’s just a dismissive murmur that echoes back.

“…I don’t have to tell you shit.”

“Why are you always like this Shinji?”

You’re always pushing me away. I thought we were…

Now Aragaki growls in anger and almost shouts himself, eyes blazing hard.

“Save it and stop preaching Aki! You think I’m wasting away but deep down… You can’t stand the fact that I have the kind of power you always wanted, but I won’t use it the way you want me to! I’m sick of hearing about it!”

That makes him snap, hard, and his glove connects with his jaw in an angle that won’t do him any good tomorrow. Aragaki stumbles back, spitting out blood while looking at him but he doesn’t even try to strike back. Breathing hard and holding the pummeling he feels like giving him, Akihiko flexes his knuckles a few times to calm down.

“Shinji, you… you don’t understand at all. I lost what was most precious to me once, I felt powerless… And I vowed never to be again! That’s why I try so hard… I thought you felt the same way, I know you did back then! We promised each other to become strong enough to do what we think is right.”

Does that mean nothing to you anymore? It’s what kept us going, together.

“So why… Why did you start taking those drugs without telling me?!”

Calm and breathing steadily despite everything, Shinji keeps a level voice and looks him in the eye, expression blank.

“Listen Aki… I’m back now, and I’m fighting with you again, I have no reason to suppress my Persona anymore. So just… let it go, okay?”

Like that's going to be easy.

“There’s something I need to take care of, and I’m the only one who can do it. I gotta take responsibility, you get that… right?”

Ken.

“You mean Amada?”

His face looks almost indulgent, his only reply a soft sigh. Turning to leave, Aragaki just speaks over his shoulder with no emotion as he walks away, his steps heavy and slow.

“…Just quit worrying about me already. Follow your path, and I’ll do the same, okay?”

Shinji…

It takes him a long walk around the hospital to clear his head, and he’s not sure how much that helps in the end. For all his talks of self-discipline and obsession with self-control, Akihiko sure lost his composure fast and he’s feeling out of sorts, perturbed in fact. His ears won’t stop ringing, replaying the conversation over and over like a broken record.

At least he stopped taking them. He doesn’t look sick, he’s probably fine. He must be.

If anything, Shinji is as strong as he was back then, and has no issue controlling Castor. It’s clear he came back for Ken, and perhaps he never even came back for him as well, but in time, maybe…

You’re a liar. If you didn’t care at all, you wouldn’t have hanged around me still.

The streets must have messed him more than he thought. Surely Shinji will change his tune with some time, he’s already starting to. He’s seen the concern and the looks around the dorm, although he spends time outside it quite a bit. Must be hard to get used to his old life back, perhaps, but he’s trying in his own way.

You’re starting to talk to the others too, I’m not blind.

The altercation is still on his mind when he wanders toward home after the Kirijo personnel takes over for night security, finally. He keeps mulling arguments against what Shinji said, and he’s self-decomposing in hunger, so Akihiko makes a stop to grab a beef bowl at the strip mall.

I can’t think straight on an empty stomach anyways.

The stairs he used to climb to the second floor are now crammed with students, so he makes his way toward the other end of the walkway when he exits the restaurant an hour later. It’s already dark and eating helped somewhat, so he keeps looking at the store fronts, drowning his worries in distraction.

I just need to sleep on it. He’s back, he stopped the meds, he's fighting, that’s what matters. He'll come around.

His eyes skim over the decorated glass front of Wakatsu and his gaze stops when he spots familiar hairpins. She’s here right now, wolfing down an impressive platter of assorted seafood and veggies, with Shinji of all people.

He doesn’t remember the last time he saw Aragaki smile gently like that, perhaps it dates to Miki even. His brother’s expression is not full of teeth nor wide, it’s faint, but it’s still joy and such a sharp contrast with his behavior earlier that it hits him hard.

Did she decide to cheer him up? That would be so like her.

Shinji looked very somber when he left the hospital, disconnected… He didn't take the punch bait and just stood his ground like he was made of stone, and he never acts that way. Minako must have picked up on his mood and made it her personal quest to drown him in her sunlight.

It’s good if they become friends, and I shouldn’t be spying on them like this. I'm not like that.

Except he can’t stop looking at them for some reason and it's twisting something inside him in a vice. Shinji is talking to her. Not just one or two choice words like he often does with the others, not gruff one-liners crafted to make you growl back in anger as he does with him, he’s actually carrying quite the conversation from the look of things, and she’s laughing.

What gives?

Maybe it's just because Akihiko was really looking forward to spending time with her tonight that it makes him feel... weird, seeing her around someone else having so much fun. It's stupid, she does the same with Iori, Takeba, her twin, everyone really, all the time. She does this when they go to Tartarus, with every member of the team. So, she's busy tonight, big deal, he was stuck all week, what's one more evening?

I'm just tired, that's it.

Akihiko doesn't notice he's clenching his fists so tightly that his fingers go numb until he leaves the plaza. Even when he finally does, he's unsure why he's doing it, but he can't seem to stop.

Chapter Text

That night is a toss and turn filled with half-formed dreams that leave him bleary-eyed when dawn comes. Despite ungluing his eyelids, the nightmares won’t fully dispel themselves; It’s the whirlwind argument with Shinji at the hospital, that mental picture of the restaurant with the laughing overlaying it, the bag of suppressants... It still floats at the back of his mind when he ties his shoes too, and Akihiko hesitates to go downstairs for once.

Don’t be a moron, you wanted this all week.

It will do him a world of good to run to his limits and free himself of the rattling tension in his limbs, he came back too late last night to box his frustration out. He also misses her desperately. There’s nothing quite like that ritual they share to feel content with his existence and start the day with a smile, too, and yet he doesn’t want to burden her with his bad mood.

Akihiko jitters in indecision, but eventually sneaks downstairs in silence to find Minako next to the lamppost in front of the dorm. The playful little embers in her eyes melt to guarded concern by the time she fully turns around to face him and he finds himself too tongue-tied to answer her unspoken question. She stares a few seconds in silence, clearly pondering his badly masked distress.

She’s going to ask me what happened, how come I’m being weird, and…

“Race me?”

Her lips curl into a smirk and she winks at him before dashing off, watching him pick up the pace over her shoulder until he overtakes her lead. Chuckling, she follows the tempo he sets as best she can, and they breeze through the mostly empty streets for the next hour. It’s once he hops on the bar at her side that he finally starts to feel more composed and clear-headed, also dipping inward like her to breathe in and out deeply.

I needed that and she knew.

Minako eventually opens her tired red eyes to the world and runs her nails in his palm until he strokes them with his thumb, waking back to reality as well. She blinks slowly a few times before asking a question.

“Are you going back to the hospital tonight?”

“No, Mitsuru finally decided to let Junpei take over, he’s the only one Chidori will talk to. She hates us.”

Her cheeks dimple with a slight smile at his answer and she sounds almost relieved.

“Maybe he’ll finally stop being a nuisance, he was fretting about her all week. To say he drove Yukari and Min insane would be putting it lightly. He already gave her nicknames and they’re a bit ridiculous.”

“Knowing him, I’m not surprised, he can be very… dramatic.”

Minako chuckles at that one, probably because it’s true. Iori tends to take a lot of space when he’s feeling any kind of emotion, but he’s entertaining… most of the time. Thinking of him even fleetingly brings the day before at the forefront by association and his wry smile falls very flat suddenly.

She turns to him, biting her lip and worry dancing in her eyes, her fingers tightening on his.

“Whatever happened… you don’t have to avoid it or pretend.”

He can still hear Shinji's words and see his expression, all grim and distant at the accusations he screamed at him. Akihiko can’t get that altercation out of his mind; the nightmare's echoes take too much space and it's probably all over his face.

“I’m never going to judge you.”

His eyes focus on her. They’re both sweaty, and tired, it’s all in the clamminess of their skin and the drooping eyelids from so much hard running. Her hair is frazzled from the humidity, red irises just sparkling stars in the rising sunlight and his thumb unsticks a few copper tresses from her cheek to fly free.

Minako’s gaze melts to burning sunsets under his scrutiny and she delicately brushes his cheek with her lips.

“It’s okay to lean on me, too.”

Why are you so… I’m the one supposed to look out for you.

And the sum of her words, this simple affirmation of tender understanding, does more to chase his torment than anything else. He’s used to protecting others, not laying his own crippling weaknesses bare, and yet with her he's allowing himself to do so. She knows the map of him by now and she's still here despite it all. More than just here, to be fair, and perhaps she’ll never truly know the extend to which she’s burned her way inside all of him.

She’s never looked more beautiful, a soothing presence that cauterizes the anguish and leaves only the ashes of it to blow in the wind. Akihiko leans his head until his nose touches hers, murmuring against the corner of her mouth.

“I really missed you.”

There’s a fleetingness to the cradling of his face in her palm when she softly molds her lips to his. It lingers until he closes his eyes, and she imprints the whole of her hand to him as he slowly presses his mouth on hers to relish the warmth she offers. Seconds and minutes become as seamless as that unbroken touch of dancing lips. It's just the delicate feel of her joined to him, undemanding, a languid solace that tempers the brittleness.

Until the phone alarm rings for the fourth time, nothing else matters.

Schoolwork, coaching at the boxing club and training also help keep his mind free of more nagging worries afterward, and the promise of Tartarus keeps it this way. For once he’s at the front with Minato and Mitsuru when they make their way through the streets bathed in green moonlight, nonchalantly eavesdropping on the procession following him. Almost brooding, Shinjiro seems surrounded by noise tonight, in the form of an affirmative Fuuka and a bubbly Minako.

I'm gone a week and the whole team dynamic changed.

“Promise you’ll teach me again senpai, please!”

Contrasting with her usual meekness, Fuuka sounds adamant in her request. Aragaki growls and rolls his eyes when he nods in the affirmative, turning to Minako.

“That’s your fault you know, apparently I don’t even get a say anymore.”

Their leader just laughs and bites back mockingly.

“Come on now, I’m not the one who barged in the kitchen all offended.”

Fuuka holds their leader’s hand and smiles brightly at him too.

“I really appreciate the lessons senpai, you make it look so easy and it was delicious… Minako-chan even ate two bowls so I’m sure she agrees. I'm just sorry you scrapped your plans for me, you really didn't have to.”

He gave Fuuka cooking lessons?

Quizzically, Akihiko eyes his two companions for explanations since he came back to the dorm very late, and Minato is happy to oblige with a deadpan low comment.

“He saved us from another kitchen disaster. Be thankful you didn't smell the first attempt.”

He would certainly know, being on the blunt end of the Yamagishi culinary experiments at the dorm while his sister handles that at school through their club. Mitsuru looks pensively over her shoulder for a second.

“I don’t remember Aragaki cooking much for any of us before, much less teaching. I wonder what brought this on.”

She’s not wrong, I can't even meal prep with him around without it turning into a fight.

He looks backward too and that little barely-a-smile is on Shinji’s face again when Minako compliments him, making Akihiko’s ears whine like a radio feed for half a second. He ruffles his hair to chase it away and readjusts his gauntlet strap absently.

I'm being stupid again. He's just smiling and they're getting along.

The rest of their escapade to Tartarus goes splendidly despite his momentary irritation. Minako keeps pushing them hard enough there’s no time to talk and he wonders if she’s doing it on purpose because fighting clears his mind.

She kept eying us both with measuring glances since we stepped in here too.

It helps rekindle the camaraderie with Shinji that was marred by the hospital event though, and his friend grumbles in appreciation when they sync their attacks to devastating effect, just like old times. He only calls him a dumbass thrice too, which is an improvement. All in all, Akihiko forgets about his temporary annoyance earlier that night.

Aragaki always kept to himself since he dropped out of school and fled SEES after the incident. They would see each other here and there, mostly over ramen, and the game would always play the same. Akihiko would try to bring him back with no success, they would fight, throw insults back and forth, and sometimes come to blows.

Shinji never made any friends during that time, his interactions with the alley punks were limited to kicking their ass or grumbling in annoyance. He doesn't go out of his way to interact with people, not anymore.

Now, Mitsuru pesters him about returning to school with no success, Fuuka asks him for help cooking, Koromaru sits at his feet all the time and Shinji flees the dorm often to be by himself with annoyance all over his face. He’s rarely in when Akihiko comes back from club and he doesn’t make a big deal of it, he’s always been somewhat an antisocial loner with a bad mood, but his constant absences take a different flavor later that week.

It’s late when he comes back from playing team captain to drop his school bag in his room. It’s still pretty warm for September and he’s parched, so Akihiko takes some change for the vending machine and steps out to grab something when voices from the girl’s floor float to his ears.

"I can’t believe you didn’t want to go shopping with me Minako. They have this amazing sale on jewelry, and you don’t accessorize enough."

"I needed to practice my stitches for a little personal project and Bebe is not always free to teach me. You don't understand how perfect it has to be. Also, this is way more fun but it’s tricky to lace correctly, help me out, will you?"

What are they doing?

From the sound of it, Minako and Yukari are hanging out upstairs, a bit loudly, and the conversation sounds mysterious enough to pique his interest.

“But all you wear are those hairpins! The trends this season are all up your alley with red, it would really bring out your eyes!”

“Jewelry for me is like a promise you wear close, those pins were my mother’s. There, all done and this looks amazing, now it’s your turn.”

It’s true that she never wears any. Not that she needs it.

“Come on Minako, I couldn’t stomach it down. I can’t believe the Archery club is forcing me to do this!  A maid café, really?”

He vaguely recalls the excitement at the boxing club at the mention of that activity for the Culture Festival. It’s so silly, really, how the idea of seeing girls in frilly uniforms can make his club mates turn into complete idiots.

“It’s how you wear it, be fearless, it’s not worse than the bikinis we wore at Yakushima and the whole beach crowd saw you. You’re not scared of Junpei’s comments, are you? Worst case I’ll slug him good.”

And now the picture of that frilly pink two-piece is all over Akihiko’s mind. He’s surprised how clearly he remembers all the little details of it too, despite not paying much attention back then.

I paid a lot of attention to her. She looked absolutely amazing.

“Knowing him, it would probably go like sup, Yuka-tan? Hey, does that mean you need to call me Master? Ugh, please… Just thinking about it makes my flesh crawl.”

It’s the unexpected imitation of Iori’s voice coming from Yukari that almost makes him betray his presence near the stairs, because Akihiko is having a hard time clamping down his laughter. He’s not very proud of his deception, but this is too entertaining.

“Aww, you’re no fun. Junpei’s at the hospital anyways, try one of the spares and stroll downstairs with me, what’s the worst that’s gonna happen? Are you afraid Minato will see you?”

“Minako! Keep it down!”

Would you look at that.

“Okay never mind then, you coming or what? If I need to show you how to own this thing, better do it now, I need to study too and I don’t have all night. Watch me roll!”

“You’re so shameless sometimes… Ugh, fine.”

For a second, he’s very tempted to look at what she’s wearing, especially if it makes Yukari so out of sorts as to avoid putting it on herself. Not that the whole thing makes much sense to him, it’s just a uniform, they saw maids at the mansion at Yakushima and nobody batted an eye. Except Junpei, but he's hopeless.

My track record sucks, better not chance it.

Akihiko dives back into his room out of sight and empty-handed until the girls get to the lobby, then opens the door to listen again. There’s sound coming from the staircase and Amada’s little voice quips up.

“Oh Minako-senpai, what are you wearing? It’s so cute on you!”

He doesn’t seem to find anything strange. I don’t know what I was afraid of.

“Thank you, it’s for the Culture Festival, but Yukari’s the one who…”

Said girl seems to shush their leader when the front door opens and shuts. Koromaru’s paws click on the floor, and there’s some footsteps.

“Oh, hey Min, senpai. Want me to drop that bag upstairs in your room? I need to go back to math soon anyways.”

“Thanks… Mina what’s the deal with that?”

Minato sounds irritated. And that’s saying something, his usual delivery is mostly through glares, not tone of voice.

“I was just showing Yukari how she’ll look amazing in it. Just think about it.”

The silence is deafening, but there’s a few girly giggles, and he can’t hear anymore until the girls decide to stroll back upstairs again. Akihiko scrambles to return to his room before she sees him hovering. He keeps the door ajar a little bit to listen and Yukari whispers.

“Well, I’m never pestering you to go on group dates again. They got nothing on him.”

“Not that I mind if you finally stop asking because the answer is forever no, but what brought this on?”

So maybe he smirks at that one.

“Minako, be serious! Have you seen Aragaki’s expression? He’s totally into you! Oh my god, that must be why he keeps finding excuses to come and see you at all your part-time jobs all the time! Whenever I drop by, he’s hovering nearby.”

WHAT?

“Don’t be silly. You’re reading this all wrong, I got a nice employee credit at the coffee shop and bookstore, and he needed to buy some things. That’s all it is.”

“You hang out with him a lot now that Junpei’s preoccupied with Chidori, what are you really doing together?”

“It’s a secret! I told Min I’d drop this off, wait for me upstairs. I’ll need your help with those ribbons.”

Akihiko is not annoyed, not really, he’s just barely refraining from punching the drywall to bits and not sure what to even think of this illicitly obtained information.

What the hell is going on? That's so out of character for him.

Not that he can ask Minako questions, he wasn’t supposed to hear any of this and now he can’t stop jittering. Her unmistakable steps are coming to the boys’ floor, and he dives away from the doorframe to hide his presence, peeking subtly when she passes in the corridor with a bag.

Oh… my god. Please never wear this in front of anyone ever again.

The way she looks with all those frills and ribbonned mid-thigh socks is making him somewhat reconsider his anger because anyone would freak out at the sight. Even her brother had a strangled voice and he's barely expressive.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Takeba expects her to come back soon…

For lack of a better term that doesn’t bubble to mind because she’s very distracting; it’s short, it’s provocative, those little ribbons on her thighs are just begging to be toyed with, and he spends many long minutes trying to reassemble his thought process because his mind is going places.

Akihiko never manages to go through his homework that night, he barely makes a dent on math and he grumbles the whole time. He can accept the checking out even if he'd prefer to be the sole recipient of that sight for... reasons. She's often so painfully assertive in her affections that he has nothing to complain about on that end. But it doesn’t excuse the rest of what he heard, and he can’t stop thinking about it.

Chapter Text

Wrangling emotions is not his strong point, he's more of a fighter than a contemplative person. Sometimes Akihiko wishes he could shoot his evoker in his forehead and force what’s crawling in his brain out in a bang; pummeling his feelings might make them stop wriggling and he’s really good at breaking things.

Who cares if they spend time together?

There’s no reason this should annoy him just because it’s Shinji of all people; she has very little free time with all her engagements and perhaps him dropping at work is how they make time to chat in private. She hangs out with whoever she likes and he never minds; it’s how she is, and he admires that about her. 

He certainly has absolutely nothing to complain about; the two of them get their own moments in privacy and it’s breathtaking, to say the least. But team bonding is important too, it’s their lives at stake when everyone naps in a coffin and a leader needs to build a rapport to do the job efficiently, which she strives to do.

I’m the first to encourage this, too.

Aragaki is barely approachable by most people on a good day, especially since the incident, and yet Minako spun him around in short order with a dazzling smile and bubbly brute force. Perhaps that’s how he started to mesh in with the others a bit too, coaxed by her to drop his walls, and that’s a good thing. He needs to stick around.

At least Akihiko gets to fight tonight and hopefully forget the whole evening with some cleansing violence. Takeba’s excited ramblings are living rent-free in his head, and it makes him grind his jaw whenever he reflects on them for a reason he can’t figure out. It feels ridiculous because she's completely wrong and he knows it, yet he scowls and looks ahead distractingly as they walk to Tartarus, the urge to dig his knuckles into something is an itch he needs to scratch.

This is so irrational, but I can’t stop thinking about it.

Junpei is being his usual boisterous self at the front, talking about his visit to his Chidorita after school or whatever silly nickname he invented this morning to designate their Strega hostage. He’s loud and Shinji eventually lags at the back of the line to join him before they reach the gates, escaping the noisy party of juniors at the front.

“Who pissed in your ramen today?”

“…Rough day.”

Its not exactly a lie.

Looking at him with a calculating glance, Shinji smirks.

“Too bad you missed your little firebrand looking like a walking nosebleed earlier, that would have shaken you out of your funk.”

Akihiko snaps an elbow in his ribs a little hard in annoyance, Yukari’s words echoing stronger at the back of his skull.

“…Don’t talk about her like that!”

He’s not supposed to know what he’s referring to except he does, and he can’t comment further without admitting his sneaky deception earlier. What would normally pass as just teasing now has a different flavor because of what he overheard, and Akihiko doesn’t care much for it right now.

“I’m just saying… You sure know how to pick them Aki, she’s something alright.”

Shinji’s smugness doesn’t abate one bit because his ears are turning bright red, and he just loves getting a reaction out of him.

“I know, she’s…”

There’s some unease he can’t explain meshing into his mental static when he notices his friend is smiling; he's looking absently at Minako further in front too. It's because she’s the current subject of discussion, of course that’s all it is, yet his brows furrow with some vague anger directed at himself for even being bothered by it. This is so stupid; Junpei could act in a similar way, and it would not annoy him one bit. Well, no, perhaps it would, but not like this.

When it’s you it… riles me up for no reason.

And feeling irked at a gentle little grin makes no sense, they discussed Minako numerous times before, Shinji is at the very least vaguely aware of them and he keeps roughly egging him on. Akihiko swallows the weirdness and tries to push it all aside when they enter Tartarus shoulder to shoulder; they got a job to do and it’s hardly the time to get distracted when they risk their lives.

This whole ludicrous feeling of unease would be easier to digest if Shinji was acting like he used to, he always was one of the most predictable elements in his life. His chronic truancy comes with no need for a regular schedule, and he is up at odd hours now.

He'd skip classes and doze off on the school roof sometimes, but this is different.

The next morning, Aragaki is napping on the lounge sofa with Koromaru sprawled all over him like a fur blanket when they come back from their early run, making things awkward.

At least he’s not awake. I’d never hear the end of it.

If he thought he looked a little funny the other night, he’d have a riot at the wild look in Akihiko’s eyes and how bright his lips are. Sometimes Minako is pretty… affectionately assertive.

The dog flicks its ears but doesn't move and he mentally notes to slip him a choice bit of meat later in thanks. They sneak upstairs in subdued silence, and by the time Akihiko innocently comes back to prep his usual protein shake after a shower, Shinji's awake, brewing coffee.

“Hey, you up for some ramen tomorrow? It’s been a while since we had a meal together. Just like old times.”

Scowling at the coffee machine as if it offended him, his friend just sips his drink despite the copious steam indicating it's too hot for human consumption, cradling the cup in both hands like he’s freezing.

“…Tch, we both got better stuff to do. Besides, isn’t it that Culture Fest crap?”

Mixing his bottle, Akihiko can’t help but ponder how much time Shinji really needs to get back to his old self.

It's like only the outline of you came back to the dorm. The rest is... elsewhere still.

“It’s only during the day, we can go after. C’mon, my treat.”

There’s noise in the stairs and Aragaki gets out of the kitchen with a morose sigh, not even looking back when he replies.

“...Piss off, Aki.”

Grumbling with disappointment, Akihiko hears Junpei accosting his retreating friend.

“Hey senpai! If you got nothing to do tonight, we’re having a little video game brawl in the lobby! Let’s see if you’re a badass with a controller too!”

The comeback doesn’t take long to fly, detached in tone.

“…I didn’t move back at the dorm to pal around with you guys. I do my stuff, you do yours.”

It’s a slightly deflated Junpei who comes to rummage in the fridge and Akihiko winces a comment, apologetic.

“Don't take it personal, Iori. He's always like that.”

Even with me now, apparently. And it sucks.

Brooding, Shinji hangs near the front windows to avoid the usual pre-school chaos, petting Koromaru and enjoying his beverage as if he’s waiting for silence to finally exist again. To be fair, everyone’s loudly commenting about the news looping on tv: there’s a very large typhoon out at sea and it’s unclear if it will hit inland yet. 

It’s only when they’re about to leave that he moves from his solitary vigil and accosts Minako, who’s the last on the way out, to speak to her. Turning around to check why she’s lagging in the doorway, Akihiko frowns, tempted to overhear, as the other juniors continue toward the station as a group.

I shouldn’t do that; it just perturbs me and it’s not my business.

To his credit he tries to ignore it and even takes a few steps away from the dorm, but still catches some words about work, dropping by, what time and favor. A little voice that sounds suspiciously like Takeba starts whispering in the back of his mind about secrets, and he tenses all over, extremely annoyed.

Why can’t I just stop thinking about what she said?

Minako suddenly beams brightly at Shinji as if he just offered her the moon, and he has that little gentle smirk on full force like he's so pleased with her reaction, making Akihiko’s stomach roll and coil backward on itself for no good reason. 

Deep down, he knows in part why this display irritates him but it's hard to swallow because it's childish. They warmed up to each other very fast while he was busy at the hospital, and he wasn’t there to see it happen live. Now he’s faced with an accomplished complicity that doesn't include him, it makes Shinji act in a way he never witnessed before and can’t decipher, and it bothers him. A lot.

He breathes a few times to push the stupid unease out, berating the irrationality of it, he just talked to her and that shouldn’t be weird. By the time the door shuts and Minako quickly catches up to him, Akihiko feels slightly recomposed, focusing on her rubies burning with excitement when she speaks to distract himself.

“I completely forgot to ask you earlier... I know there’s that junior championship event you need to handle next Tuesday, but do you have anything planned afterward?”

That’s a bit random.

“I don’t think so, why?”

“Can you keep it this way? There’s something I want to show you, and it’s only available that specific day. It’s really important, too.”

What’s unique to Tuesday?

“Of course.”

The joy dancing in her eyes washes out the rest of his silliness and they quickly make their way to the station. It's when they cram on the monorail, mingling with the crowd to ride to school that it comes back like whiplash.

“Do you mind if we go for ramen a little later than usual? I need to drop at Chagall for a bit beforehand.”

But you don’t work on Fridays.

“No, that’s fine... Does it have to do with what you talked about with Shinji?"

Now why did I ask that?

But she just smiles at his question and nods.

“Actually, yes, I need to talk to him about something and it’s important. You know… He's really a nice person, I'm glad he’s here.”

Nice? That’s not part of the first ten words I’d attach to him.

Everyone around them is talking about the storm or whispering about break and his mind is full of confusing echoes. He’s watching the scenery to distract himself from the tightness in his ribs, letting the thoughts fizzle upward. Her hand slid into his glove earlier and he’s holding her fingers tight against his, never wanting to let her go.

The whole school population is frantic because of the Culture Festival tomorrow, so Akihiko spends his lunchtime in the club room to flee the chaos, jotting notes in the stats binder in preparation for the upcoming junior event during break.

The team will do great, they drastically improved.

He’s been very scatterbrained during class all morning and having less babbling floating around him helps him blank out his mind. Closing the binder once he’s done disturbs the pile of papers nearby and makes the equipment expense forms for the semester fly off.

Why is this still here? This should have been delivered to the student council earlier this week.

Minako comes to mind immediately because she’s in charge of collecting these, and she’s currently spending lunch in the council room to help Mitsuru.

This sounds like the perfect excuse to see her, right now, and he quickly folds the sheet into its corresponding envelope before making his way over. She’s sorting through paperwork when he cracks the door open, eyes catching fire as soon as she looks his way.

“Hey, what brings you here?”

Waving the envelope in his hand, he closes the door behind him.

“Big surprise; Edogawa dropped the ball again, figured I could be helpful. You work too hard.”

It’s true, but I just needed to see you.

She takes a few steps toward him and tugs playfully at his red vest, her matching eyes sparkling with happiness.

"You’re a nice surprise, you should drop by more often."

There’s absolutely nobody in the room right now; it’s just her and a pile of forms and supplies; the rest of the council students must be all hands on deck to coordinate the stands in every corner of the school before tomorrow. Winking, she takes the envelope from his hands and turns around to file it where it’s supposed to go in the cabinet near the door.

“Thank you, that saves me some time after class, this whole planning is nuts. I don’t want to be late to Chagall, since-”

The uneasiness feels very surreal, a quick slap on something raw and painful as his mind makes some leaps. It’s impulsive and for all the wrong reasons, but Akihiko gently takes her hand and spins her around, leaning in to kiss her suddenly. Her eyes widen in surprise, but she leans into it with a dreamy sigh when he pins her against the wall behind the door, his arms wrapping around her frame to hold her close.

I can’t even explain, but deep down I…

There's an undercurrent of desperation to his touch, imprinting the feel of him on her, his shaking fingers digging gently into her uniform jacket. Its foolish, really, why he feels so possessive suddenly, but he can't shake the urge to immolate in everything that’s her and it’s maddening.

I just want to be selfish.

There’s usually a tentative buildup to how they do this, but he goes straight to licking across her lips and entwining his tongue around hers like he’ll die otherwise; only that closeness will soothe the invisible wound and she’s only too happy to oblige. She hums into his mouth and pulls on his shirt lapels with both hands hard, trembling when Akihiko uses a hand at the small of her back to push her further into him.

It's because it's you. All of you.

There's no rope anymore, no bar suspended in the air as a safety net, and he can't seem to care about where they are right now. Out of breath and intoxicated with the burning taste of her, he trails open-mouthed kisses down to her throat and her knees buckle when his teeth graze its curve, a wordless gasp escaping her lips. He moves to her pulse, savoring the quick fluttering and broiling his sanity with the flowery smell of her skin as her nails bite the back of his neck. His lips latch on the burning silk and there’s a flash of red velvet under green haze through his brain with all its tantalizing suggestions, tempting him to suck on her warm flesh harder, until it leaves a mark for all to see.

Ask first, you need to ask first.

He’s too dizzy to find words and articulate anything, but that little glimpse of sanity is enough that he avoids applying too much force with his lips.

It’s fortunate, or not, that the doorknob rattles at that moment and they part in a confused shuffle. They both look a bit too rumpled and dazed, her uniform jacket is all askew and he quickly tries to straighten it for her before whoever enters gets through the doorway, mortified. She picks at her bow absently while biting her cheek, slipping on a flimsy mask of polite attention to her friend, while he tries to slow his heartbeat to something that won’t explode.

Please don’t be Mitsuru. Please don’t be Mitsuru.

“Hi Chihiro, did you need something?”

The lithe treasurer enters the room tentatively and suddenly clamps her folder tighter against her chest with both hands when she spots him, wide-eyed.

It's all over my face, clearly.

She folds inward and blushes furiously, looking back at Minako with blinking eyes.

“Umm, I… Oh, um… Sanada-senpai i-is here?”

Suddenly very uncomfortable with the way Minako's neck glistens slightly still and the enormity of his impulsive slip up, at school no less, he sidesteps to the exit and goes fishing for any kind of answer to gracefully exit.

“I was just…”

Losing my mind. Clearly.

Her rubies are so vividly dark and full of questions when she meets his gaze that he forgets what he wanted to say and slips through the door quickly, almost bumping into Odagiri who's coming toward the room. The hard black eyes stare at him quizzically and turn to Chihiro, who’s so flushed she looks ill.

“Fushimi, is everything alright?”

“Y-yes, nothing h-happened, don’t get the wrong idea senpai!”

He hears her panicked little voice clearly despite walking fast through the corridor. Those words send his mind spinning backward in time to spring, and the feeling that was gnawing at him back then.

“Is it true you’re going out with Junpei?”

Even way before everything, the thought of her being with anyone, much less Iori, made his flesh crawl. Akihiko lost a lot of sleep over it; just watching the two of them have fun together filled him with some irrational turmoil that it wasn’t him. Now he has a label to attach to that feeling, it's the same unease he feels now despite what they currently share.

I’m jealous.

Chapter Text

The sky shifts to a dirty yellow after lunch and the classroom darkens ominously from the dense overcast, wind gusts ruffling the tree leaves to expose their pale bellies. Most of the students start looking at their phones, quietly gossiping, probably fishing for news about the typhoon since it’s becoming evident it’s going to hit the city. Weather doesn’t concern Akihiko much right now; he’s got more important issues to worry about, like his misplaced act of desperation earlier.

That she seemed to enjoy his affectionate insanity doesn’t make any of it better; he should really admit why he pounced on her out of the blue, in the council room of all places. 

What if that got her in trouble with the other students who came in? Maybe he should’ve stayed and faced the storm of awkwardness head-on instead of letting her spin this all by herself, but he panicked like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. Confronting shadows is nothing, but this... this is different, and he's a very bad liar too.

At least he finally figured out why he’s feeling like an insecure idiot, but reading the label on the container doesn’t change its content; he still needs to spoon it down and it tastes vile, like weakness. That pot won't empty itself in a day, too; coming to terms with his creeping anxiety will take some time and a lot of mental slapping. And it might cost him everything.

That’s really all I’m good at; breaking things.

The corridors fill with movement, homeroom teachers going back and forth and eventually interrupting their class to make announcements about the cancelled Culture Festival, and would they all please not linger at club activities since the typhoon is expected to hit in the next hours. Maybe Minako still plans to stop by the mall despite the weather, but he pushes that out of his mind before his thoughts steer the wrong way. In the end, it won’t change what he did, nor how much he needs to make amends.

The exodus from school is chaotic; everyone's in a hurry to avoid getting wet, since umbrellas won’t tolerate this wind. It’s only because he needs to figure out how to apologize to her that Akihiko purposefully comes back by himself in a hurry, using the back gate to sneak out and stepping into the dorm before anyone else.

He drops his schoolbag and jacket in his room and his eyes glance at the pin board near his wall calendar. There’s a single little note inked with her red handwriting that he won forever ago, hanging in the corner, just teasing him in passing like every other time he looks at it. This makes him recall a conversation they had some time later when he evaded answering what he really wanted to say, unable to articulate what it meant for him back then.

“How come you never used that favor you won?”

I’ll never use it, because I don't have the right to impose my wishes on you.

That paper is just a memento now, a reminder of a fun little moment that gave him a window into her soul, and it will remain on that board, unused, until it crumbles to dust. But it’s also an unspoken promise he made when he took it in hand, and he likes to keep those no matter what it takes.

An oath to you is… something I'll never break.

That’s the crux of it all really; this inner monster that wants to lash out is his problem to deal with, and he's the only one in the wrong. She should enjoy the company she wants, regardless of how it pains him. She gives of herself without counting or complaining to anyone that requests it of her, and he swore to himself that he would never abuse that, he'd rather have it freely given without coaxing. And in no shape or form should she change how she acts or who she talks to just because he's gagging on jealousy or to make him feel better.

Fidgeting, Akihiko spends the next hour trying to find the right words to use, uncomfortably conscious he'll forget most of them the second she's in front of him. He paces a lot, ruffling his hair to dispel the sparks, nervously awaiting her return.

The weather shifts quickly and by the time the heavy gales and rain start, not everyone is back home. Very much aware that she’s part of the missing trio, Akihiko keeps hovering nervously near the windows to look outside. His initial dread at speaking with her is now eclipsed by concern; the typhoon is ramping up… quickly.

I thought they’d be here by now, Junpei said he saw them at the shoe locker earlier. 

“Akihiko will you please sit down already?”

Mitsuru’s looking at him and shaking her head in irritation, but Junpei just chuckles at her comment.

“Senpai is at it again! At least it’s not to get to school this time.”

Not my fault you need some muscled reminders to get out the door. Often.

The sound of the entrance door opening makes them all turn around. Amada walks in, struggling to close the door against the screeching wind, looking like a drenched kitten. Almost all of SEES is waiting in the lobby for the stragglers, and Fuuka exhales with relief that their youngest member finally made it.

"Ken, you’re soaked! Why didn’t you come back directly from school?”

Wiping the plastered hair from his forehead and leaving little puddles on the floor, the kid’s eyes are bright and his expression pleasant despite his state.

“Oh, I stopped by the shrine on the way back. I barely got rained on, really..."

Dramatic as usual, Junpei eyes him in shock, while Yamagishi relieves Ken of his wet shoes to place them on a rack.

"Dude, there’s a hurricane outside!”

"I know, but there’s a wish I’d like to have granted very badly…”

Iori shakes his head in disbelief.

“You’re like a little old man, you can always go any other day where the wind won’t yank you off your feet, what’s the big deal?”

That doesn’t phase Ken one bit; he smiles slightly as he looks in the vague.

“Prayers only work if you’re very diligent, and… I made a promise.”

It’s the glacial tone at the end of his sentence that makes Akihiko stare at his face, and for a second it seems like his upturned lips have a sinister twist to them, but it disappears so fast it must have been a trick of the wetness rolling down his cheeks. Shinji comes downstairs with Koromaru on his heels and drops a pile of towels on the bar, taking the one on top with him.

“Here... Dry yourself before you start shivering. You'll catch a cold.”

Dismissively, Amada pushes the offering aside like it burns and looks away.

“Forget it. I’ll just go change in my room instead.”

He certainly holds grudges... Ever since that talk after the full moon, he’s been acting this way with Shinji.

“Tch…”

Aragaki remains stoic but mumbles under his breath about ungrateful little brats, watching Ken climb up the stairs in a hurry before they hear his door close shut with a bang. Yamagishi smiles hesitantly at her senior to reassure him, rattled by the sudden noise.

“Don’t take it badly, senpai, he’s just a little shy around you... I'm sure he appreciates the gesture.”

I’m not so sure of that. Ken’s been acting weird; he barely comes downstairs to mingle anymore.

Akihiko tries to catch Shinji’s eye, but his friend ignores him to brood in the reception area, staring through the window at the rain-slicked street. The banter continues as everyone exchanges on their plans for break with the typhoon.

The darkness outside deepens as the storm intensifies severely; even Koromaru looks perturbed and keeps flicking his ears at the raindrops hammering the windows, whining. Yukari is starting to get nervous too, eying the wall clock often.

"Where are they? It's getting late. They should be here by now..."

Expecting the twins to come back in a sorry state, Mitsuru gets up to make some tea in the kitchen while Junpei rummages for snacks. Takeba keeps fidgeting and Akihiko goes upstairs, taking his cell out to text Minako out of sight of the dorm population.

Where are you? Are you both okay?

Pacing for a while, he gets no answer and considers contacting her brother too, but the front door slams open and shuts with a resounding clack, then there’s the squeaking of wet shoes and Minako’s voice.

“Ah, finally! It’s horrible out there!”

Junpei starts laughing in nervous relief.

“Wow, the sky dumped on you both hardcore! You sure you didn’t take a dip in the ocean on the way?”

By the time he makes his way back downstairs, everyone is crowding the twins to give them a hand; they look like two drowned rats with their clothes sticking to them like second skins. Judging by the leaking all over the floor, you could probably fill a pond if you wrung them once or twice.

Aigis starts fretting over Minato, asking him quiet questions about his well being. Takeba keeps giggling excitedly as she handles their bags, probably because Shinji is helping Minako sponge off the worst of the water in her hair while she tries to unglue her waterlogged shoes off her feet. Akihiko's ribs feel tight at the sight, but he tries to clamp it down while joining the crowd, crinkling his eyes despite all his efforts.

He’s just being helpful, you don’t get to barge in just because he's touching her, don't be stupid.

"Thanks, I got it!"

Minako chuckles in good fun and takes over the drying operation herself, mopping her face. There’s a sea gray glint of an eye Akihiko’s way, and when Shinji extends a second one to her twin, Minato asks him in a deadpan voice.

“You going to dry my hair, too?”

Wait, did he just...?

Shinji just stares at his junior in disbelief for a solid second and rolls his eyes, exhausted.

“…Don’t be a moron, Arisato. Ask Takeba instead.”

The comeback is whispered through the flimsiest of smirks, but the girl in question hears it and startles. Her voice is shrill and too loud when she speaks, causing the lobby to fall silent.

"Me? Why me?"

Surprised at her own outburst, Yukari blushes furiously and turns sideways to look busy with the shoes, not meeting anyone’s gaze. Junpei snorts hard at her discomfiture and Minato towels himself with a weird shyness, Shinji staring his way in almost malicious satisfaction.

He did that on purpose, too.

Akihiko uses the commotion to approach Minako without being too obvious with his focus; she’s trying to remove her wet uniform jacket and not having much success.

“Do you need some help?”

“Actually, yes, it’s stuck on.”

She’s not mad… 

He's been dreading her disposition since lunch, in case there were... repercussions. The heavy black fabric is gorged with water, and cold. He pulls on the sleeves delicately by the cuffs while she yanks her shoulders the other way until it slides off, charring his fingertips on her frigid hands in passing.

“You're freezing!”

Now that he sees her from up close, her lips are discolored and she looks haggard from too much time in the storm. No apology speeches tonight for sure; she needs a bath, a warm blanket and a dry set of clothes before anything else.

“Tell me about it... I just want a shower to warm my bones right now!”

Mitsuru approaches the twins with two steaming cups of tea.

"Here, this might help... What took you two so long? We were all very worried."

Exchanging a long look with her brother, who barely nods in reply, Minako takes a sip from the hot beverage before answering.

"Thank you senpai! We’re late because we… ran into Takaya."

Multiple voices exclaim at once with shock.

"What?!"

Undeterred, she just shrugs like it’s no big deal, but Akihiko can see her knuckles whiten when she balls a fist in the folds of her skirt almost out of sight.

She doesn’t want to worry anyone with this.

"He wanted to have a little chat, and we didn’t want to provoke him, gun and all... By the time we were done humoring his questions, it started pouring buckets, and..."

Mitsuru purses her lips, exchanging a glance with him that’s full of concern and unspoken questions.

I know… Random opportunity or...?

"Let's get you into a warm bath, you're shivering, the details can wait after."

Draping a fresh dry towel around their leader’s shoulders and then her arm, Mitsuru escorts her upstairs, causing the rest of the group to turn to her twin with inquiring glances. Junpei looks jittery and eyes him with a nervous glance.

"What did shirtless guy want from you two exactly?"

"He thought we killed Chidori, since she never returned.”

“What?! Like we'd do that!”

Blinking, Minato pushes his dewing hair out of his face and slicks it back, suddenly looking much younger.

“I know… The way he spoke though, we think he has no clue where she is.”

Yukari frowns and ponders out loud.

"That's good, right? They're down to two."

Crossing his arms and staring at the wall in thought, Akihiko nods.

“It’s more than good. They lost their eyes and their cloaking. We have the advantage now.”

Somber, Shinji interjects in a low voice, staring at Minato.

“Something else happened though… right?”

“Takaya wanted us to join him, he was very insistent, called us blessed by the Dark Hour… We told him where to shove it, and now he wants to fight.”

He stalked them specifically because of their powers, this was deliberate.

Aigis, who has been standing quietly in Minato’s shadow, suddenly grabs his shoulders when he tries to repress shivers and turns him around to assess his state.

“You are starting to show signs of hypothermia. I strongly advise you to change your clothes immediately and warm up to avoid sickness.”

Amused, Aragaki mumbles while shaking his head side to side.

“The Kirijo anti-Shadow weapon is a nurse, too. I’ve fucking seen everything...”

Said robot maiden starts pushing her charge toward the stairs despite his mumbled protests, to the mirth of the juniors.

“You are my priority, and it is important that you remain safe and healthy. Please do not resist, and get your butt in gear, as they say.”

Junpei gets some stares at that one and he laughs nervously.

“Why y’all looking at me like that?”

The twins are getting forcefully manhandled into feeling human again under Mitsuru and Aigis's insistent attention, so the rest of them disperse to grab something to eat. Supper is a dour individual affair, the roar of the rain is blanketing the dorm in a cocoon of white noise that seems to dampen the desire for conversation. Shinji left to his own room soon after Aigis and Minato without lingering, and Ken never came out of his, despite Fuuka trying to coax him out with some store-bought soba.

Mind full of Strega's menaces and everything else that happened, Akihiko retreats upstairs to pass both his time and worries by training. He keeps his door open, alert for sounds in the stairs and eventually hears soft and slow footsteps in the corridor.

Fiddling with his hand wraps, he quickly pokes his head out and blinks. Minako is standing mid knock near his doorframe, eyes glazed, her face so pale she could be sculpted out of snow.

"Are you okay?"

She passes a hand across her eyes in reply, sighing.

"I figured you might have questions about that... confrontation with Takaya, but can it wait? I'm just going to check on Min and go to bed, I don't feel so good..."

You got a chill from the rain alright.

“Of course not, Minato filled us in a bit already. You should rest, everything else can wait.”

She nods tiredly and goes on toward her twin’s room, entering without knocking. Worried, Akihiko keeps his door ajar, wanting to check on her when she returns to the girls' floor, because he's never seen her like this.

Exhausted yes, but she looked like a forlorn ghost right now and really all he'd want is to cradle her to him until she feels well. He eventually calls off his vigil after the Dark Hour; she probably fell asleep with her brother as they often do, since she never left his room.

As long as she feels better, it's all that matters for now.

Chapter Text

With nothing better to do next morning except wait for both sickness and weather to pass, Akihiko takes his time training intensively to clear his tormented mind, stopping once the hunger takes over his sanity. Minato’s door is still closed shut, meaning the twins are probably resting late to recuperate. 

Hopefully the attack in April didn’t damage the structure enough that we get leaks.

The dorm’s lighting is eerie in the hallway and staircase; the typhoon is pelting the building in heavy rain, and the dense cloud cover smudges the shadows into a blurred purplish blanket of penumbra.

It’s like a cacophonic Dark Hour.

The lobby is mostly empty except for Koromaru, deeply asleep on the sofa, and Mitsuru who’s on the phone in the reception area, talking in a low voice. Assuming the others are cocooned in their rooms in solidary pursuits, Akihiko steps in the kitchen to heat up a portioned meal. Sitting at the table to eat and sip his shake, his eyes drift to the scenery outside the windows, gales howling in misery as a musical backdrop.

This is going to be a long depressing weekend.

Munching on his last bits of chicken, he spots Mitsuru closing her cellphone with contrition. Her back looks rigid, meaning she didn’t get the results she expected, and he wouldn’t mind a bit of conversation to make her feel better, perhaps even shake off his own little tornado of worries with distraction.

“Did something happen?”

Her curls bob and wave when she turns around, looking sideways.

“I tried to get the Culture Festival rescheduled but it seems it won’t happen, after all those efforts we put in, too…”

She spent a lot of time on this, and her emotions are well-masked, but she takes her school contributions seriously and the stiffness of her posture betrays her disappointment.

“It’s not your fault, you know.”

“I’m aware, there’s no fighting Mother Nature… According to the news, this is the biggest typhoon on record, it’s not going to dispel itself for a while too.”

Mitsuru always uses her commitments as occasions to strive for excellence and council presidency is no exception, but that energy can be leveraged in other ways to her benefit, too. Injecting a little drollness in his voice, Akihiko changes the subject to redirect her relentlessness elsewhere.

“Miss President can always fall back on lecturing the resident delinquent about the importance of his education if she needs to keep busy.”

You might have more luck than me, too. I just piss him off apparently.

His fellow senior smirks absently, finally pocketing her phone with a sigh.

“I did, numerous times, it’s not from lack of trying I assure you. How silly is it, to come back to an extracurricular club when he won’t even attend school? I even tried asking the twins for help, since he seems to listen to them more than anybody else…”

So, I’m not the only one who gets that vibe…

Her expression looks pained, and Mitsuru lowers her gaze.

“The only thing I got for my efforts was a lecture from Minato about how it’s not my choice to impose this on Aragaki. To be fair, he’s not wrong... I don’t get to force you two to do anything. Not anymore, not after…”

The accident had nothing to do with you.

"You didn't force me to join, and I owe you for it. Some stern lecturing doesn't count as forcing, Shinji and I were a little smug and arrogant when we came in. Well, me more than him."

Scoffing softly at the memories, she crosses her arms and looks outside in silence.

“Aragaki filled up an extended leave form instead of the enrollment papers I prepared. I just can’t understand why he came back if he…”

It wasn’t for us, it never was. His focus is elsewhere.

“He’ll come around. I’m sure he will, he just needs some time.”

It’s such a hypocritical statement, Akihiko doesn’t even believe his own words, but maybe she needs to hear everything will be alright to get over her own unease. His knuckles are taunt on his closed fists, pretending it’s all true might make it real, eventually.

“Perhaps…"

She sighs, and how much she missed Shinji in more ways than one is flagrant. Akihiko never quite knows how to tackle her moods, he's barely functional with his own feelings most of the time. Luckily, she keeps talking when he doesn't comment.

"In the meantime, we might as well handle studies and other affairs, we won’t be going to Tartarus with this weather and the twins out of commission... Since I have enough to worry about right now, you’re not going to do something recklessly irresponsible like run outside in the rain, right? We don't need you bedridden too.”

“Come on Mitsuru, stop treating me like a preschooler…”

“I know you; I’ve seen you go for a jog in a blizzard before and you can never sit still for long. Especially when you have things on your mind. And there’s a lot, isn’t there…?”

Is this a case of you scratch my back, I scratch yours?

Mitsuru’s eyes have an expectant spark and she’s offering him a perch to talk, obviously worried about him. Perhaps he could let go of what’s in the back of his brain because it’s getting crowded; the suppressants, Shinji, Strega’s intervention, that green-eyed shadow he doesn’t know how to tame, his madness-inducing infatuation, and…

No. I'm strong enough to handle this on my own. I have to be.

He’s given permission on a silver platter to vomit it all right there but the cage of control around his bottled turmoil won’t let him verbalize any of it. They’re comrades, friends even and he trusts her but all this, he can’t talk about. It goes beyond the bond they share, and it’s too private.

“I’ll refrain from being reckless, if it makes you happy. Mais juste pour cette fois.”

It's not a hard promise to keep, I'm not going anywhere until she's better.

Accepting his reassurance and his lack of sharing, it’s nothing new coming from him, she smiles and shoulders on the mantle of Kirijo heiress she always wears once again.

“Magnifique. Well, I have a lot of paperwork to tackle, I’ll be in the command room if anything comes up. Just… don’t break your punching bag.”

Really…? That only happened one time.

More relaxed, Mitsuru heads upstairs, leaving him to tackle his dishes in the somber quiet.

It’s when he makes his way back up somewhat later that Akihiko hears a muffled conversation down the corridor of the boys’ floor, and he stops in his tracks to listen attentively.

Maybe I should stop doing this.

“Please do not worry Yukari-san, I will continue monitoring his vitals and those of his sister."

The clipped delivery is quickly answered by an exasperated female voice.

“Aigis, you can’t stay here the whole time!”

“I am synthetic and thus cannot fall ill. It is in his best interest.”

She’s back to lockpicking her way in Minato’s room, again. I thought we put a stop to that. But what is Takeba doing in there?

“It’s still highly inappropriate! You said their temperature was high, right? Why don't you go take stock of the medicine we have for fevers with Mitsuru and report on their condition... Once they wake up, we can give them something."

"Acknowledged."

Aigis makes her way toward the stairs purposefully and Akihiko accosts her once they cross each other.

“She’s in the command room.”

The robot maiden nods and goes up, while there’s sounds of strained efforts coming from the ajar door at the back. He's about to go peek at what's happening when Yukari pops out of Minato's door frame, calling him over.

"Ah senpai, good timing! You're strong, do you mind giving me a hand?”

Burning with curiosity, he raises an eyebrow and joins her while she keeps talking, looking a tad frazzled when they enter the room.

"Aigis is so obsessed with him... it’s creepy at times! I wanted to get Minako-chan to her own bed but she’s like jelly and I can’t even lift her."

The twins are laying on top of the blue covers face to face, holding each other with entwined fingers and deeply asleep, looking like a painting from ancient times. Their vivid hair colors are muted in the gray lighting and their skin is deathly pale except for a feverish flush to their cheeks. 

She looks worse than yesterday...

He's tempted to ask Yukari why she is poking around Minato’s room while he is unconscious, but he has some doubts already. His thought process must live in his eyes because she fills the silence with a flurry of words to justify herself, nervously blushing.

“It would be easier to take care of them if they slept separately, we can't get to Minato without crawling over his sister, and… And for someone so tiny she’s heavier than she looks. Perhaps I should have asked Aigis to handle it before I sent her off or...”

The irrationality sleeping in the back of Akihiko’s mind roars to furious life as he briefly imagines Takeba asking anyone else for help in the hallway, and he tenses all over in sudden despair at the mental picture.

Stop.

He breathes softly and padlocks the turmoil away forcefully before stepping forward, keeping his eyes on the too-still form that haunts his thoughts to distraction.

“No… I got this.”

It feels so weird, kneeling to gently take Minako in his arms in front of an audience, she's all boneless and comatose. Her skin is always warm, but now she’s scorching hot through her loungewear, and seeing her so absent from her shell makes his heart cartwheel sideways uncomfortably. 

She should be awake, moving, eyes bright and laughing. Not..lifeless. Not her.

It's that particular unease that makes having a witness blend out of his perception entirely; suddenly she’s all that matters. Akihiko is very delicate when he disengages her fingers from her twin’s, one at a time. They sleep like otters; holding each other so they don’t drift apart, and being the one to break their intimate chain of comfort feels like he's committing a sin of some kind.

I’m sorry, I don’t mean to... take her from you.

He places her head against his collarbone, sliding a hand around her shoulders to support her neck and under her knees to lift her in his arms. It takes no effort to rise to his feet carefully, she's both a feather and a statue of lead but he's strong and Akihiko cradles her to his chest like his life depends on it. She takes a soft breath and sighs, nuzzling into the collar of his shirt the way she does in his bed, perhaps comforted because she somehow knows its him.

I'm here, I got you, don't worry.

Yukari has the strangest expression of wonder on her face when he turns around with their sleeping leader held close, and his face warms under her pointed scrutiny.

Please don't ask. Look elsewhere.

"Can you... go on ahead and open the doors, Takeba?"

Its barely a whisper, and she answers in kind.

"O-of course!"

He takes his merry time carrying Minako upstairs in her wake, his chin resting in her hair to keep her steady as he ascends the steps. There's nobody in the corridor, and it's just as well, because he'd rather not talk or explain himself right now, he's very busy.

Yukari steps into her friend's room and flips open her bed cover before moving out of his way, letting him gently melt their leader on the mattress. Sliding one arm off at a time, Akihiko lets her head go last, cupping her cheek as he slides her pillow under the copper locks. It takes a lot of willpower not to run his fingers through them and kiss her forehead, she’s unwell and he hates it.

"You just rest up, okay? We'll take care of your brother for you."

He's not sure if Minako can hear him, but she mumbles unintelligibly and her fingers twitch, yet she doesn’t wake. 

I'd like nothing more than to stay, but...

Its painful to leave her when she seems so vulnerable, but Akihiko clenches his jaw and gets up nonetheless; it’s not like he could reasonably remain in her room right now. Yukari looks subdued and keeps staring at him, so he slips on his best mask of affected nonchalance like all of this was absolutely nothing to write home about.

“I'll just... leave the rest to you. Let me know if you need anything.”

She nods, and keeping his eyes on the scenery, he walks out in silence to slowly head back to her brother's room with his head full of cinder clouds. Akihiko feels like he left his consciousness back with her while he readjusts his junior's limbs and folds his cover over him in case he shivers.

"You two never do anything by half, including worrying us, you know that… right?"

But Minato doesn't answer and keeps breathing slowly in his coma-like slumber. Akihiko figures there isn't much he can do until they wake up and steps out, closing the door behind him.

The afternoon is dreary, time just oozes along, and the twins keep sleeping their chill away. Ken grabs food but mostly stays locked in his room; apparently, he has a lot of homework to tackle, and he wants no company from anyone. Akihiko briefly banters with Shinji downstairs, who's brooding and watching the rain like it’s free entertainment, but he can't find it in himself to crack a meaningful conversation. It's not that he's resentful of his friend, especially now that he knows why he frustrates him sometimes, but he's too caught up in his own churning thoughts and Aragaki clearly wants to be left alone. 

The heavy winds calm down a few hours later and Junpei, who spent the better part of the day gaming in solo, yawns loudly before poking his cap through Akihiko's open door. He grimaces in disgust when he spots the schoolbooks he's engrossed in to pass the time.

"Not training anymore senpai? Man, the dorm is so quiet it feels like Tartarus. Are the twins any better?"

Ruffling the back of his hair, he pushes his chair from his desk and turns around, stretching.

"You need recovery to get results after a workout, and exams are in a few weeks, might as well be productive. They're still sleeping it off, last time I checked."

"Aww… I was hoping to play some video games with them, it's not the same by myself. I'll go poke in Minato's room, see if there's an improvement." 

Akihiko manages to wrap up his composition by the time Iori comes back to shrug in his doorframe.

"Meh, he's mumbling some weird ass nonsense but he's still out like a light. Good thing the typhoon is starting to pass though. My little Chidori-cakes asked me to visit her during break, y'know? I should probably check on her before visitor hours end, with the storm and all."

I should probably do the same. Well, ask around, more like.

Junpei leaves shortly after with much dramatic fanfare, begging for questions as to his plans from anyone he crosses on his way out. Akihiko ends up strolling upstairs like a ghost, but all the doors are closed and the whole floor is too silent for comfort. Figuring Yukari is perhaps in the lobby, he turns around and crosses paths with Yamagishi, who's coming up the steps with a little platter. 

"Hey, did you see Takeba anywhere?"

Their navigator eyes him for a second and bites her cheek.

"No, she stepped out for a bite, with the archery club I believe. Did you want to talk to her because you’re worried about Minako?"

"It's nothing, I’m sure she's... they’re both fine. They just got a chill, right?"

Nice slip up there, dummy.

"Actually, why don’t you bring this to her room and check her fever? She might be thirsty; she was talking in her sleep earlier and might wake up soon."

He's tempted but he hesitates, it’s going to raise a lot of questions if Mitsuru spots him in there all by himself while she’s comatose, decorum and all. Sensing his unease with her request, she whispers.

"My parents are supposed to call soon, and I really need to take it. My dad doesn’t really do well with excuses. He's pretty…”

Akihiko remembers that one of her reasons to move in the dorm was to flee her controlling family’s insane expectations, but her face looks so red and uncomfortable that he can't help wondering if she’s lying to him right now. He doesn’t know Fuuka well enough to judge, not that he’s very good at reading people in the first place, but her asking him to handle it out of the blue when she knows the rules is jarring.

“Why me, Yamagishi?”

Her reply is soft and hesitant, secretive even.

“Because I've seen how you... I-I mean, you’re very kind to her. If she knew how worried you are... she would want you to feel reassured, you know?”

Not waiting for an answer, she practically shoves what she's holding in his hands and runs off to her room, blushing furiously. He sighs, at least he got a good alibi if he gets caught.

Well, let's hope for the best, I guess.

Feeling like a trespasser, Akihiko gently cracks the last door of the wing open to look inside. Minako is still in her bed, eyes closed and just as pale as before, motionless. The memory of entering the council room yesterday in a similar way makes him hesitate, his chest tightening.

It’s not the same, I’m not here because I crave some sort of emotional security.

Except it’s a lie, he does want reassurance, but of her wellbeing. It can’t be that bad to be worried about her health, surely, his blunder at school can wait until she gets better. Figuring he doesn’t really have a choice at this point, and because he has manners, Akihiko whispers.

"Are you awake?"

To his surprise, Minako opens her eyes and stares at him, cracking a satisfied grin that fills him with relief.

"Finally, a good dream… I’ve missed you."

You don't sound fully conscious.

Her lips purse in a cute pout and she blinks owlishly when he doesn’t apparently make his way in as fast as she expected.

"Why are you so far? You're always in the bed with me..."

Minako's eyes take on a wicked glint when she speaks and combined with the petulant childish whine in her voice, it creates a weird contrast that confuses him. Clearly, she's not fully awake if she's so candidly sharing her fantasies with him, and he's feeling a little tingly all over.

Don't get weird. She’s just teasing you.

He slowly makes his way over and sits on the floor, placing Yamagishi's platter within her reach and trying his best to realign his thoughts within sane bounds. From up close, there's a glassiness to her gaze that makes Akihiko gently brush the back of his hand on her forehead in worry.

"You’re burning up!"

She leans into his touch with a little throaty sound and smiles again, hazy rubies full of adoration.

“And you are so beautiful… it hurts to look at the sight of you.”

Why are you…?

He can't help blushing furiously, the way she manages to bluntly speak her mind will never cease to amaze him, and apparently being sick makes her lose all her restraints.

What little red fire shows through her heavy lashes sparkles with amusement at his reaction.

"You're always so adorable, I never..."

The rest of her sentence is mumbled too low, and her eyelids droop with tiredness. Needing a distraction because he's getting less and less comfortable with her banter, he averts his eyes and checks on what he brought in. It’s the primary reason for his visit after all and he should focus on her recovery, not her remarks.

Not that I don't like you sharing all this, but… it feels like I’m cheating somehow.

"Yamagishi wanted you to have something to drink and there’s some pills for your fever. When you feel up for it, you should take this and rest."

Her eyes widen slightly, and her voice, still strained with exhaustion, sounds mischievous when she speaks.

"Rest is overrated. You have no idea how often I think of you when I can't sleep and..."

Please don’t finish that sentence.

There’s a part of him that really wants to run to the hills right now, and another that roots him in place to listen in rapt wonder and he can’t quite make up his mind. He hasn’t been sick since he was a little kid, so he’s not sure how seriously he should take her delirium-induced statements and that makes it all so much worse. Akihiko keeps staring at her, dismayed beyond measure and biting his lip too hard, because this is not the time nor place and he should be focusing on apologizing for losing it yesterday first. He doesn't deserve to be the recipient of any of this until he does.

“I’m sorry.”

Minako's words have some flavor of sadness that makes him jolt.

"H-huh? What're you apologizing for?"

That she would think she’s at fault for his confusion breaks something inside him. Or was he being weird again?

“Please don’t say you’re sorry… You didn’t do anything wrong; you never did. It's me who…”

He can’t even look her in the eye, the sudden rush of guilt takes too much room, so Akihiko leans his head on her bed cover and stares at the floor, whispering.

“I don't even know how to explain it, really, but… I know I’m always tense around you and stressed most of the time, but especially these days… I’ve been acting strangely, and I’m sorry... When anything is even remotely about you, I can get very... irrational. I lose my mind, and sometimes all self-control, but it’s not your fault.”

I keep tripping over my words, and this came out all messy.

Just as he’s about to speak again and apologize for his muddled apology, because even his thoughts want to excuse themselves and this certainly did not come out as he planned it, she drops her own matter-of-fact statement.

"You’re feeling this way… because you’re in love."

It takes him a few seconds to take the words in and his heartbeat goes into deafening overdrive.

What?

“L-Love...? This is love?”

Mortified at having spoken out loud, he closes his mouth shut, thoughts in chaos. When it comes to her, everything is always different, bewitching, terrifying, enticing. Her hands are finger painting his universe with trails of fire that both confuse and attract him, and it’s never enough. His senses hang on her every word and gesture, her eyes are the only stars in his sky, and she knows his mind and moods better than he does. The way his soul sings in tandem with hers fills him with strength and sunders him defenseless all at once.

And yet, he's never been so nervous or incoherent around anyone before. He built a cage of glass around her and can’t help tiptoeing around it, too scared he'll make her run in fright. As if a single word, a gesture, a faux pas, would make her fly away and he’d be left broken and devoid of her presence. She’s entrenched through him so deep perhaps he'll rip apart if she unroots herself from his soul. Despite that terror, he can't help orbiting around her like a moth to the flame, warming his wings and begging her to burn him into ashes so he can be the sum of them both and he never wants this to stop.

If love is equal part dread and bliss then... I'm hopelessly in love with you, and I've been for a long time.

Akihiko can’t believe he never found the proper label to explain what he's been feeling for months now; he was just too blind to connect the dots between all the different emotions she makes him feel instead of looking at the whole picture. How could he be such an oblivious fool? He read about this, he’s smart...

He feels light-headed, his face is very hot from the blood rushing to it and Akihiko licks his lips nervously, trembling like a leaf because this revelation only solves half of the conundrum. 

He really wants to ask how she feels, but his thoughts are all jumbled in terror and full of static. What if it’s not the same way for her? They’ve been tentatively exploring what this is for a few weeks now, and she never said anything to him. Not in words, and he needs to hear them to be sure, desperately. How silly that a few joined letters have the power to make everything different, so real.

"I… Yes, but... How... do you know?"

Oh god why do I sound so pathetic right now?

But he knows why this is so hard to ask; she holds the sword of judgement, and a single breath can shatter his heart or exalt it. He’s a passionate individual who never does anything by half; he goes in all the way right until the cliff's edge. It’s in his training, his studies, how he fights, how he feels about her. Whatever comes out of her lips next will condemn him to a bottomless abyss of heartbroken despair or bathe him with the flames of her sun and he has no control over any of it. Powerlessness is not his cup of tea.

Her shaking fingers have no strength in them when they suddenly caress his cheek. They’re just little candle flames that burn yet he leans into them hoping for salvation, turning his gaze to the rubies that he sees in every reflection. Her eyes are only halfway open but so vividly gleaming that he stops breathing, he doesn't recall ever feeling so raw and vulnerable as he does now.

"Because I love you."

And as the last word flutters to his ears, she closes the windows to her soul with a contented little sigh, falling back into feverish reverie the same way her hand lowers to her coverlet in exhaustion. Akihiko is left sitting there all by himself, eyes wide with shock and unable to process, and now she’s unconscious. 

He spends some time calming down, just brushing her cheek tenderly, hoping she wakes up, but she never does and just leans into his hand in her slumber.

What if she forgets all of this?

He certainly has holes from his medicated stunt from this summer still, he might never remember exactly what happened, or what he said. Perhaps that should fill him with some dread now that he thinks back on it, except she made him pancakes and he slept like a baby.

And then it dawns on him; it won't change anything if she doesn't remember, because he does. And now that she spelled for him what he truly feels…

I still need to apologize, but if you forgive me… I have a lot to tell you.

Chapter Text

Akihiko just patiently waits for the clock to run out at this point, suspended in an emotional paradox ever since he calmed down. Part of him feels like a bottled explosion bursting at the seams with his recent discovery, smothered and held back by another, as if to bid its time. There’s simply nothing he can really do until she recovers except train, think, and daydream. A romantic streak at the back of his skull keeps hinting he just needs to wait for the proper moment, and she did ask him to be available next Tuesday.

Hopefully she’s feeling better by then…

Because it's already Sunday night and the twins are still bedridden because of their waterlogged adventure. Minato is so immobile he could be in a coma and Aigis keeps breaking in his room to stare and monitor his vitals, while his sister can barely handle a few minutes of wakeful delirium here and there. Apparently, what she mumbles at times isn’t always very coherent since Iori, who barged in her room at some point, looks a little bewildered as he heats up his instant ramen in the kitchen.

“Sanada, do you know someone named Theodore?”

Looking up from the fridge, Akihiko quickly swallows a sip of his shake before answering.

“I don’t, why?”

Junpei shrugs as he goes fishing for chopsticks in the cabinet.

“Mina-tan keeps raving that this guy forgot how to use a payphone and apparently it gives her a headache. It was so random... maybe she’s dreaming about a movie or something.”

That’s certainly different from everything she shared when I visited her.

Just thinking about that makes his ears flush, and he mumbles an excuse to retreat to his room, haunted by visions of mischievous red eyes afire.

He spends that evening entertaining myriad thoughts of her when his mind strays from his homework, listening to the pattering of the rain in his window. At least it promises to be the last night of gloom; the tatters of the typhoon’s passage inland should disperse by morning and the twins’ fevers are slowly dropping.

The sky is devoid of overcast and the light burns bright white the next day. As if the sun brings a cleansing, their sickness abates as quickly as it struck them down, leaving both teens miraculously refreshed and hale. That’s not to say that the rest of the dorm population takes their sworn word of good health as gospel, even when Aigis confirms they are well and truly recovered.

Mitsuru refuses to entertain the mere idea of going to Tartarus that night despite Minako’s stubborn pleas, and Akihiko vehemently agrees with her; a few days of extra rest won’t hurt anything. Even Shinji forces the twins to sit at the bar so he can cater to them personally, because apparently nothing else will do.

“I don’t want you to touch any of the microwavable crap in that pantry; you both spent three days sleeping that chill off and I’m not going to watch you gorge on garbage.”

With their appetite, it’s a wonder they lasted this long without sustenance.

Junpei raises his head from his usual disposable cup, mouth crammed full of noodles.

“Hey senpai, what’s wrong with instant ramen?”

His senior’s grumble is a little vicious and the stare hard as nails.

“Everything! Eat up now, before it gets cold!”

Minako rolls her eyes, laughing at his concern, but she and Minato wolf down two huge helpings of the homemade zosui he slides in front of them before he stops glaring ominously. Akihiko just ate copiously but the smells coming from their meal make him stare in envy, hungry all over again, and Shinji eyes him with an amused smirk that makes him clench his fists.

Rub it in a little more, why don’t you?

The twins slip out of the dorm together afterward to run some mystery errand, and it becomes evident that their memory is a little spotty when Takeba inquires about the status of their composition homework after they come back in the dorm.

"What paper?"

Yukari blinks, bewildered.

"The assignment Ms. Toriumi gave us Friday afternoon before she sent us home. You might want to get started on it now, if you want to have it done on time."

The siblings’ looks of confusion speak volumes, and even Akihiko jumps in the conversation at this point, a lot happened that day after all.

“How much do you both remember, exactly?”

Their inner pondering lasts a full minute, and there’s a moment when Minako bites her lip and blinks through a slight blush, briefly glancing at him.

Yeah… we’re going to have to talk about that. And then I really want to talk about the rest.

“Well, I’d say everything before… early afternoon is crystal clear? After that it’s a little sketchy. I know we got ambushed by Takaya, but I can’t recall much afterward except the avalanche of rain.”

The robotic maiden sitting nearby interjects.

“Short term memory loss and lapses are natural side effects of a high fever. It is nothing to be concerned about and usually temporary when it concerns the hours preceding the onset of high temperature.”

So, she might never remember what she said during her fever… But I can work with that.

“Thanks, Aigis… I wish I could use that excuse to get out of that four-page essay… Ugh, there goes the rest of the day I guess.”

Minato just pats her on the head like she’s a small child he needs to console, earning an hair ruffling in reply, and the dining table quickly becomes an impromptu group study session. Somehow, the twins rope the others into joining them simply by having their schoolbooks open, Akihiko included.

I think we all missed you both. It’s not the same without you around.

It’s not the privacy he was hoping for with her today, but it’s a moment in her company nonetheless and she did ask if they could go for a run tomorrow; they can talk then.

She certainly wasn’t lying when she said she felt refreshed, because Minako is as fast and energetic as ever next morning. It’s like her sickness was a simple three-day nap to pass the time.

Akihiko can’t help staring at her when she pulls herself inward in silence, remembering all the times they shared little tidbits of vulnerability standing on this horizontal bar. It started as being a bystander to her daily ritual and gradually extended to also laying some of himself bare when they sit here. Not to mention the eloquent conversations he never gets enough of.

I’ll never tire of this, though.

The subtleties of these moments are full of beauty; the way her lashes string shadows on her cheek, how her breath flutters when it breezes on her parted lips, the abandon in her relaxed posture... Her fingers move just as her eyelids lift on red embers, lacing themselves with his own and she smiles serenely, radiant with inner light.

When you’re just you, like now…

Suddenly, the urge to tell her how he feels is overwhelming and he bites his tongue in anguish, there’s something Akihiko needs to handle before he gets to that because he refuses to be dishonest with her.

He’s been dreading this conversation since last Friday and now that it’s finally time to get on with it, it won’t come out. The dismay is clearly all over his face since she gently whispers to him before he manages to power through his unease.

“You have something on your mind.”

You always know.

Licking his lips as a nervous reflex, he takes a deep breath before speaking.

“I wanted to apologize to you for... last week.”

Now she looks thoroughly confused, raising an eyebrow his way.

“What for?”

The sparks traveling up his spine are not making this any easier and he tries to rephrase his thoughts to be as direct as he can, she deserves honesty.

“For… ambushing you like that in the student council room.”

The way she adorably bites her lip and lowers her eyes at the memories echo the mischievous tone of her next statement.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind surprises like that every lunch period, it was… pretty amazing.”

That’s what makes this so hard to admit. 

Akihiko can’t look at her right now and frowns toward the trees instead, tumbling out words as best he can while dancing around the irrational jealousy at the root of it all.

“Yes, but... It doesn’t excuse what I did. It wasn’t coming from a… good place to begin with. It was incredibly selfish of me to even entertain some of the thoughts I had back there and… I’m sorry.”

It takes her a while to answer and when she does, it comes out laced with warmth but very assertively.

“Akihiko, I won't be shy in telling you to stop if I’m not okay with something, I trust you. There’s nothing to apologize about.”

He lets the words sink in slowly; she certainly sees things a little differently since she’s missing the trigger component of his insanity, but he realizes now that it’s not as relevant as he thought. She’s pretty much asking him to walk the talk about his trust in her and believe in her trust in him.

That’s… fair. Maybe I haven’t been-

Her nails brush up delicately against his wrist to catch his attention and he turns his gaze back her way, thought process broken. Minako’s eyes are churning with hesitation and she’s pressing her lips together as if she’s loath to speak.

“Are you crushing yourself in a vice because of your own boundaries, or because of your perception of mine?”

Wow! That’s…

As brutal as the question is, Akihiko admires how she cuts straight to the bone, because that’s exactly what this comes down to. His mind keeps going back to that picture of a cage of glass that he built, and how realizing his true feelings made it finally visible to him. All that dread comes from there in the end; his perceived uncertainty of where their relationship starts and ends, and how it stands against the forces gravitating around them.

“In all honesty… It’s both.”

It’s only with you that I can admit something like this with so much sincerity. I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to anyone before.

He has no experience dealing with any of this, after all it’s much simpler when it’s with comrades or friends. And they’re much more than just friends at this point.

Minako eventually interrupts his introspection by tenderly caressing his cheek.

“I can't speak about you, but if it helps... the line with me is not where you think it is.”

Since you want me to show I trust you, maybe we should talk about that, too…

They’ll have to go back before he's late for his club obligations, meaning he can’t follow this conversation with the words he really wants to say, but…

“You didn’t really explain what you wanted to show me tonight...”

Akihiko can hear the ghost of excitement he badly masks in his own voice, a sharp contrast with the serious exchange before, he really wants her plans to involve a long tête-a-tête. If his mood shift surprises her, it doesn’t show in her smile.

“At what time do you expect your event to end?”

He blinks and ponders for a moment, trying to remember the schedule.

“Around 5? I need to supervise the equipment cleanup before I leave.”

Her rubies gleam with a delighted spark and she grins.

“That’s great, just don’t ruin your appetite and come straight back at the dorm, it’s all I can say! But afterward… I was hoping to spend a long moment just the two of us, if you want.”

Are we eating together somewhere new?

“I do, there’s something I want to share with you.”

He might not be able to say it now, one does not drop those three little words and run off right after, but perhaps he can show it instead. It’s with much more confidence than usual that he suddenly cups her face and kisses her with intent, making her breath hitch in surprise at his sudden display of affection. He pours as much tenderness as he can in the languid joining of their lips, watching the flames in her eyes melt shut the same way she does against the palm on her cheek.

At least the day passes by quickly, and his club performs admirably under his watchful eye, winning most of the matches. Akihiko finds Minato and Koromaru on the dorm steps when he walks back, sitting in the stairs as if they were waiting for him. His junior looks at his cellphone and murmurs.

“You’re right on time, Sanada.”

“On time for what?”

Smirking, Minato gets up, opens the door and drags him inside without another word. As soon as he enters the seemingly empty lobby, Akihiko is assaulted by tantalizing wafts of cooking that make his stomach grumble painfully, it smells amazing. Even the dog’s nose won’t stop twitching in excitement and he yips like a puppy.

The knife-like pangs of hunger have been making themselves known since he took a shower at school, and now he's approaching his limits to find sustenance before he crumbles into a heap of acid-pitted disfunction.

This is absolute sensory torture.

Minato knocks on the reception bell a little loudly before speaking to the emptiness.

"The special delivery just arrived."

Shinji pokes his head through the kitchen doorway to stare at them, shouting with exasperation. Surprisingly, he’s wearing a cooking apron and removed his peacoat, which is thrown on the sofa like a discarded cloak.

“Finally, the dumbass appears. Drop your shit somewhere and go sit at the table already.”

Dumbfounded, Akihiko just blinks.

“What’s going on?”

But his question gets completely ignored.

“Arisato, can you go fetch the others? And don’t forget the broody pipsqueak, he’s skin and bones. It’s not a party unless we’re all there.”

Aragaki nudges his chin in Minato’s direction until he gets moving toward the stairs, then turns around to the kitchen proper and growls.

“And you! I told you to butt out, several times already! You’re so stubborn.”

This just keeps getting weirder every minute.

He gets back in the cooking space with a few hard steps and literally pushes a giggling Minako out by the shoulders as if she weights nothing.

“Awww come on, I just wanted to look!”

Shinji sighs loudly in utter annoyance, pointing toward the lobby vaguely with a wooden spoon, but his lips are slightly upturned like he’s only pretending to be mad at her.

“If you don’t get your little hands out of here now, I’ll cram you in a chair myself. Just keep Aki busy before he starts to rummage around for a protein bar. The musclebrain looks starved to death.”

Chuckling, she shakes her ponytail and excitedly makes her way toward Akihiko while the resident cook-in-chief dives back into his den, grumbling about girly fingers mistreating his noodle sauté.

“I’m supposed to entertain you until the rest of SEES comes downstairs to partake in the most fabulous of delicacies, so I guess you should drop your bag somewhere and sit with me.”

You’re certainly entertaining right now.

She’s wearing that frilly white skirt he’s so fond of and the striped tank top and orange blouse she often pairs with it. Minako voiced her comment loudly, and now she bites her lip, throwing him a wink. Akihiko finds himself grinning in reply; she’s impishly adorable right now. Three seconds later, Shinji gruffly shouts from the kitchen in reply.

“Stop it with your insane expectations already! Fuuka, watch it, a piece of eggshell just fell in there.”

She clearly knows how to tease him.

For once, he’s not bothered by their closeness and that surprises him, it would normally make him twitch at the very least. Yamagishi’s small voice echoes from behind the kitchen partition.

“Huh? Oh, you’re right! It’s amazing that you noticed that senpai. How can you keep track of so many bowls and pans at once?”

“Just take your time. I’m not doing anything special; anyone can do this.”

You can downplay it all you want but it’s a lie. You have a gift.

Minako rolls her eyes and smiles knowingly, probably coming to the same conclusion. He barely has time to drop his bag near the sofa when she grabs his free glove and drags him to the dinner table to sit with her.

Clearly, they’re being treated to a group meal of some kind, and Akihiko is feeling a little light-headed just thinking about what could come out of the kitchen.

Whatever this is, it’s going to be marvelous, I can tell just by smell.

It might be hunger possessing him; he could eat anything at this point, but he knows Aragaki's talent. And she was clearly in on all this, stringing him along into stepping here on an empty stomach. Curious, he can’t help whispering her way.

“Is this what I think it is…?”

Her own voice is very low to escape the sharp ears working the stove on the other side of the wall.

“Shinji has been thinking about cooking enough for everyone, pretending he didn’t want to but... deep down, he’s happy he decided to do this. I just gave him a few pointed nudges, and Min was involved too, so… here we are!”

All those meetings and hushed conversations in private... that was for this?

The fact that she called him Shinji, and not Aragaki or senpai, flies completely over his head at this point.

“Why the secrecy though?”

Minako winks at him with a beaming smile.

“Because he chose the date on purpose."

You're kidding me, it’s September 22^nd. It’s…

The shock is probably written on his features, and she leans closer.

"You don't have to share what today is at large if you don't want to, most people only involve their closest family. But I think that deep down... he did this specifically for your birthday, yes."

Shinji...

"Why? I mean, we grabbed ramen once or twice on that day before, but…"

I think the last time he cooked for me was pancakes when we moved at the dorm, in memory of the orphanage.

“He talks about you all the time, and you two are practically brothers… He’s been looking at a cookbook for more than a week now, and Min and I helped with the shopping. He won’t let us in the kitchen though, only Fuuka is allowed. He’s a stern teacher, but he’s patient and he knows his stuff. She adores him.”

I can't believe this...

As she murmurs the last sentence, her hands dive discreetly under the tablecloth so she can run her burning little fingers on his wrist and whatever thought he had in mind floats off like a stray bubble.

“This is all him you know… That’s what I wanted to show you.”

You played a bigger part in this than you’ll ever know. He’s been so distant, I…

But Akihiko can’t elaborate further when the rest of SEES starts scrambling down the stairs to sit down as well, escorted by an amused Minato who watches them all ponder the delicious aromas of the lobby with a grin. His sister nods his way, gets up and loudly speaks.

“So, who’s hungry!?”

Shinji just yells from the kitchen.

“Just shut up, all of you!”

The deliveries from the kitchen start soon after, and Yukari eyes the dishes quickly filling the table with wide eyes.

“Is… all of this for us? It’s all made from scratch, too…”

Just trying to take stock of the meals is making Akihiko dizzy. There’s tomato pasta, sweet-and-sour pork, fried chicken, paella, omelet with fried rice, various veggies in sauce, dumplings and two types of pan-tossed noodles, everything just teasing him at this point.

This is… insane!

Junpei tries desperately to catch his senior’s attention when he comes around his chair to drop a pot of rice.

“Dude, there’s so many different plates! What’s the occasion?”

His adoptive brother shrugs dismissively.

“This was just an excuse to show Yamagishi a few things…”

But his steel eyes turn to Akihiko in passing and he barely smiles, nonchalantly downplaying the fantastic feast he just conjured out of the dorm kitchen with Fuuka’s help.

You’re such a fucking liar. But you clearly don’t want people to know, so I won’t tell.

It’s when the food is all set that Shinji finally sits down as well, and Mitsuru speaks in a soft voice, seemingly bemused.

“Aragaki… did you ever consider a calling as a chef? I could help you find employment if you’re so intent on not graduating, this is a spread fit for royalty.”

He just shakes his head like the suggestion is an insult but throws her a quick glance that’s warmer than his words before addressing the whole table.

“Tch, don’t be ridiculous... Now, stop babbling, pick up your chopsticks… and dig in already!”

It’s, without any shadow of a doubt, the best meal Akihiko ever had in his life, and he honors it in earnest. It’s just impossible not to take a bite out of every dish that adorns the table, and every single one of them tastes like heaven.

Koromaru is having a good time eating his own custom catering in his bowl, eventually settling under the large table to beg from scraps. Not forgetting what he’s owed for keeping his silence the other morning, Akihiko slips him some choice bits of chicken on the downlow to Minako’s amused smiles. The conversation and banter around the table is merry, he can’t help smiling in between mouthfuls of food and it’s not just because they keep accidently bumping their ankles together.

The only outlier is Ken, who looks a little too somber at the table, picking apart small bites in silence while the juniors excitedly discuss their favorites. Shinji eventually addresses Amada directly in a soft voice.

“How is it…?”

The kid’s reply takes a few seconds to come out and he won’t look at his senior.

“…It’s good.”

The twins both try to engage him further into conversation, even convincing Ken to try new dishes when they pack their third bowl. Aragaki eyes them in surprise before commenting.

“You two are so scrawny I don't know where you pack it. It’s a wonder the typhoon didn’t carry you off.”

Junpei laughs, grinning at Shinji.

“You know what would have been awesome? If the typhoon had blown a ramen stand into a shadow and killed it in one hit!”

Everyone at the table instantly fall silent, cringing hard at him until his face crumbles in disarray.

“I uh… I’m gonna go to the bathroom, I think…”

The food coma symptoms are clearly catching and the lobby fills with groans of contented drowsiness once the feast is picked clean much later that night. Shinji might not want any help whatsoever, but the girls overpower his objections to tackle the dishes, and the others clean up the table mess.

Aragaki keeps mumbling about nobody minding their stupid business, his eyes taking in the group camaraderie with a wistful expression, and Minako eventually takes him aside on the back porch for a bit of private conversation.

She’s going to hammer you with it until you admit how amazing this was. I can’t believe it myself.

Mitsuru’s manicured hand eventually settles on Akihiko’s shoulder, and he glances back at her.

“Expect a package later this week, the typhoon caused some delays but… I thought you might appreciate some quality material to prepare for your entrance exams.”

He blinks, the criminal science books he was considering are expensive and knowing her, she probably bought the whole collection.