The Bracelets

By: Aviantei

A Persona 3 One Shot

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Second Raid 1/12]

Sanada Akihiko looked around his room, feeling not for the first time that it was too empty. Most of his belongings were packed up for the trip back home, save for the essentials left for the last week of classes. Soon after, it would be graduation, and then high school would be over, just like that.

He couldn't spend too much time thinking about it. Trying to push any depressing thoughts out of his head—he was graduating! He should be happy about that—Akihiko pulled open his desk drawers, throwing away old assignments and sorting out pencils he could keep. Reaching the bottom of the last drawer, there was something glittering in the back, and he pulled it out, wiping of the dust.

A bracelet.

That bracelet.

"So what about this one?" Akihiko was millimeters away from his finger smudging the display glass. The necklace in question had gemstones along sides, brilliant red flashing against the gold, and looking like it weighed far too much for a reasonable human neck to support.

"Dude, you trying to spend your life savings?" Shinji asked, eyebrows raised. As if that was the only issue.

"Come on, Mitsuru's from a rich family; I can't just give her something cheap," Akihiko protested. "Besides, we get tons of money from fighting in Tartarus. Actually, how do shadows even have currency?"

"Aki, who cares?" Akihiko actually cared a lot, but he could tell from his best friend's tone that the sentiment wasn't shared. He let the subject drop. "Listen, if you get something too big, she'll think you're trying too hard, or trying to win her over by spending money. Geez."

Akihiko could only sigh. Why were girls so complicated? "I just want to do something nice for her," he said, blushing. Still, Shinji was probably right—he usually was. Wasn't winning her over this way kind of shallow?

"You want to impress her because you like her," Shinji pressed, moving on to look at the rest of jewelry displays. Akihiko's face only flushed more, but he followed along, trying not to focus too much on the price tags. It would be better to just find something that would suit Mitsuru, something that showed he was thinking about her. "Alright, let's try this—what do you think of when you think about her?"

Oh no, Shinji was staring right at him. Retreat wasn't an option. Trying to calm his racing heartrate, Akihiko thought about Mitsuru. She was just so elegant and graceful—but forceful when she needed to be, never backing down. Just watching her in battle was enough to see both sides of her work together perfectly.

"Good, now that I've completely lost you," Shinji said, "try and find something simple. Think about her, and you'll make the right decision."

Never one to turn down a challenge, Akihiko turned back to the display cases with determination.

The resulting purchase was something closer to the ideal of what could be bought with a middle schooler's budget, but the woman that completed the sale still gave Akihiko a strange look when he was able to provide the amount of yen in cash. It wasn't that big of an issue considering that he probably wouldn't go shopping for jewelry again any time soon.

Besides, he was happy with what he had gotten in the end. The bracelet was actually two separate bracelets that were woven together, one silver, one gold, wound around each other in soft spirals. This way, Mitsuru could have roughly three pieces of jewelry in the same gift. In reality, though, Akihiko thought was comparing it to how she was strong in more ways than one, but still beautiful at the same time.

Not that he had explained any of that to Shinji. The other boy had brushed it off, heading for the entrance. "If you're that in the mood to spend money, that you can buy me ramen, right?" he asked. "As repayment for helping you shop on our day off."

"No problem." Paying for lunch was the least Akihiko could do. They made it to the usual shop, and sat down while waiting for their usual order. Double checking to make sure it was real, Akihiko took out the box, staring the bracelet down.

"You keep looking at it like that and people will think you're gonna confess to the bracelet instead of Mitsuru," Shinji commented. Akihiko snapped the box shut but left it sitting on the table. "So when you gonna do it?"

"Um." Akihiko hadn't thought that far. The important first step was over, but he hadn't planned where he was going after that. Shinji sighed, and Akihiko spluttered, "Well, have you ever confessed to a girl before."

Shinji glanced in the direction of the kitchen, like that would change the topic. "So not the point of the conversation," he diverged. "You can't just buy her a gift and let her collect dust. That just screams gutless."

"I am not gutless!"

Shinji established eye contact. "Then pick a date," he said. "I'm serious. You gotta do it, or you're not gonna get anywhere. If you really like her, getting up the courage to do it shouldn't be that hard, right?"

The three of them managed to get together for dinner for once, other responsibilities able to be held off. Akihiko had boxing club and Mitsuru had the student council, and Shinji tended to have some thing or another to do without any specific detail. Still, wasn't uncommon for them to stop and eat as a team, especially when they're venturing into Tartarus for the night. And, as if he wanted to make the following Dark Hour expedition more awkward than necessary, Shinji spoke up:

"So, Mitsuru, I heard you got confessed to today."

Mitsuru blushed, and Akihiko found himself wanting a hole to crawl into. Really, Shinji? The rumor was enough, but he had to bring it up now? Glaring only warranted a shrug from Shinji, so Akihiko looked to Mitsuru, waiting for an answer.

"Yes," she said, sounding distracted. It was the first time Akihiko had ever heard a tone like that from her before—was she flustered? The indomitable empress? "It was a fellow member of the student council. I…had to reject him. I'm not interested in a relationship right now." She sighed, and Akihiko wished he could do the same. "I just hope it won't affect our work relationship too much…"

Shinji gave Akihiko a look, like it was his responsibility to say something. Mentally fumbling for words, Akihiko said, "I'm sure it'll be fine. You run such a tight ship I can't imagine their being much trouble."

"You're right," Mitsuru said, smiling. "I'll find a way to make this work."

Akihiko's heart speed up at the same time that it sunk.

Arriving early for their meeting at Tartarus, Akihiko stood with Shinji, the former trying to erase his disappointment and get ready for the coming fight. This wasn't some practice boxing match where he could lose without consequences. Shinji leaned against the school's gate, looking every bit the part of a street punk. "So," Shinji said, "what're you gonna do with it?"

"Huh?" Akihiko even sounded distracted.

"The bracelet, man. What are you gonna do with it?"

"Oh. Right." Akihiko reached into his pocket where the box still was. It had been hard to think about anything else other than the fact that he had been rejected without even confessing.

Noticing his friend's distraction, Shinji suggested, "So return it."

Akihiko opened the box. Some part of him was reluctant about the idea. Mitsuru had said she wasn't interested in a relationship right now. She wouldn't be that way forever. Plus it was perfect for her. He could save it for a later confession, or maybe as a birthday present? Still, it seemed a shame to let it sit around, like Shinji had said.

"Nah, here." Akihiko separated the two halves, placing the silver half into Shinji's hand. The other boy raised his eyebrows, understandably confused. Akihiko was too busy trying to attach the bracelet to his SEES armband. "Friendship bracelets are a thing, right? At least this way they'll get some use."

Shinji snorted. "Yeah, for girls, Aki," he said. Even so, he fumbled with the bracelet hooking it onto his armband the same way Akihiko had. "I'll just hold onto it until you can actually confess to her. You're not getting out of this one, man."

Mitsuru arrived minutes before the Dark Hour, looking between the additions to the SEES armbands of her teammates. "Those are new," she remarked.

Even in the green moonlight, the metals still shined bright. Akihiko smiled. "Just think of it as proof of my resolve," he said.

Shinji left the dorm without warning. Akihiko couldn't say he didn't see it coming, but it still made things difficult. They could hardly manage the first few set of floors on Tartarus on their own with three people. Two would hardly be enough to patrol the town and be effective.

"So now what do we do?" Akihiko asked.

Mitsuru sighed. "I'm not sure." Not even the Chairman could provide a proper solution.

Akihiko toyed with the bracelet on his armband. He didn't want to remove it, but it was supposed to be sign of their friendship. He and Shinji would still be friends; Akihiko couldn't imagine anything otherwise. Not wanting to damage the bracelet, he still removed it, putting it aside until Shinji could come back and knock some sense into him.

Because Akihiko knew things probably wouldn't be the same ever again.

With the bracelet between his fingers for the first time in years, Akihiko found that it was harder to fight off nostalgia. It had been a tough year. Shinji was dead, and Akihiko had no idea where the other half of the bracelet was. Even if he did, the box had been lost for ages. Would Mitsuru even want something like this anymore?

"Geeze, how'd I afford this thing again?" Akihiko muttered. Middle school seemed like a blur by this point. Was this what getting old felt like? All he could remember was that it cost a bit more than his allowance could have handled.

He debated for a second, then slipped it onto his wrist. He and Shinji hadn't stopped being friends, even at the end. Gathering up the items he had designated as trash, Akihiko dumped them into a garbage bag and headed downstairs with it.

"Oh, Akihiko-senpai." It was Yuki, looking as tired as ever. It seemed like the end of the year was catching up with the second-year, and much harder than it should have.

"Hey, Yuki," Akihiko greeted. They hadn't really talked much over the year, but they knew each other in passing. It was the sort of relationship that happened when two people lived down the hall from each other. Even through tired eyes, Yuki was staring at him. "What is it?"

"That bracelet…" Now it was Akihiko's turn to stare as Yuki reached into his pocket. "Does it go with this one by any chance?"

The trash bag was abandoned to the floor, and Akihiko closed the distance to Shinji's bracelet in seconds. Pulling its partner off his wrist, Akihiko put the two pieces together, reuniting the spiral. "Yuki," he breathed, "where did you find this…?"

"Koromaru got in Shinjiro-senpai's room earlier," Yuki answered. "He's the one that dug it up."

Akihiko was going to have to hug that dog or give it a treat or something. "Thank you," he said, clutching the bracelet tight in his hand. "Really, I was looking for this, and… Seriously, thanks."

"You're welcome, Senpai…" Yuki yawned, like he had used up all his energy for the day. "I think I'm gonna lie down…" he said, and plodded off towards the stairs.

Akihiko stared at the bracelet in his hand, silver in gold. It was real and tangible—he could feel it. A stroke of luck had given him a second chance.

You're not getting out of this one, man.

"Hey," Akihiko said, feeling like there wouldn't be anything he could say that would be the right thing. They could remember everything now, but that didn't make losing Yuki any easier.

"Oh, Akihiko." Mitsuru sounded just as distracted as Akihiko felt. They should have been working on heading home, anything but sitting on the steps of the dorm in awkward silence. But there was a reluctance to leave the place, even more so with the memory of their friend attached to it. "It was…sudden, wasn't it?"

There is no need to be sad, Aigis had said. He was glad to do what he did.

"Yeah." Words weren't good at this point. Akihiko didn't know what to say about Yuki that they didn't all already know—he was a great leader and friend. Absentmindedly, he found his hand reaching to his pocket, to the bracelet. "Listen, I know this isn't really the time, but…"

Mitsuru looked to him. Part of him, from years of experience, could tell that she was worn down. Still, she managed to look at him with confidence, that elegant strength that he had come to love. She waited, and when there was only silence, she prompted, "Akihiko?"

Well, it was now or never. "I got this…a long time ago," he said, showing her the bracelet. Before Mitsuru could object, Akihiko placed it in her hand, letting his fingers linger over hers. "Like I said, this isn't the time, but…I want you to know that I…care about you a lot…"

It was kind of pathetic, really. Flirting was completely out of his range, and so was confessing. But it was something he had planned to do for the longest time, so he had gone through with it.

"Thank you," Mitsuru finally said, and slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.

It was the acceptance that mattered, even if Akihiko could have sworn that he heard Shinji laughing, mixed with Yuki's smile, somewhere unable to be touched, but still close.

(tosses confetti about) It's officially summer again! Which means that it's time for Twelve Shots of Summer.

Twelve Shots of Summer (T-Sauce) is a small community writing challenge. We write twelve prompted one shots over twelve weeks. This is our second year. If you're interested in reading or joining, check us out in the forums! This is our second year, and we'd love to see some new faces!

This week's prompt was "Reunion." I sat around for a while, trying to think of an interesting way to twist it around, then realized that reunions don't always have to be between people-objects can be reunited, too. In this case, the bracelets. Thanks a bunch to Katie for helping me think of how to take the prompt.

Haha, I ship Akihiko and Mitsuru so hard. I also adore both of them. And my weakness is for nakama of any kind so P3 just kind of turns me into a blubbering mess.

I was trying to challenge myself and write less internally than I usually do. I actually finished this just a bit ago, so I can't say for certain how well it turned out. Feedback of any kind would be appreciated. ^^"

The prompts for week two are "Behind the Mask" and "My Little Monster and Me." While I'm trying to challenge myself and write for new fandoms, I'mm have to avoid KagePro. I'll more than likely be writing for No Game No Life, which will be released next Saturday.

Thanks for reading, and check T-Sauce out!

[POST] 060615