Chapter 10: Darkness

Author's Note: Hello and welcome to the long-awaited Chapter 10! A lot has been going on in my life since I last uploaded, mostly negatives. In fact, things were so bad I had to finish this chapter on a public computer. Gross, I know. Anyways, this chapter has undergone so many variations: there are 5 other drafts that were written just for this chapter. I had a hard time finding what really clicked and what path would be the best to take. This chapter incorporates my favorite aspects from each of those drafts and combines them into this very chapter. After reading through it, I think I did really well, all things considered. Anyways, hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Oh, and some content might not be too appropriate for younger audiences. It's pretty tame stuff, but if you find any issues with it: please PM me or put it in a review and I'll do my best to accommodate.

Mitsuru's POV

The walk back to the dormitory was quiet: painfully quiet. Not once had I turned to face the others. As their leader, I had to walk tall and proud; besides, I couldn't bear to show them the tears that streamed down my face. During the trek back, that scene replayed over and over and over again in my head. I didn't mean what I said, not a single word. I'd hoped I could put some sense into his head, but I guess telling him to do what he wants didn't help.

I'm thankful that Takeba quickly understood what I was attempting to do, and didn't question me any further. The guys on the other hand must've taken my word for what it was: I hadn't expected Sanada to knock Makoto out. When I heard the strike, I paused for a moment as my chest swelled up in anguish. That was when the tears began to fall again. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I had hoped the situation could've been handled more delicately.

When we arrived at the dorm, I set my path straight to my room. My mind wasn't clear and my emotions were a everywhere; and, most importantly, I needed to be alone. I think I heard Aragaki ask something, but I completely ignored anything and everything.

After entering my room, I slammed the door shut and locked it; before falling onto my knees and crying uncontrollably. I stayed there for a long time, letting the emotion fall from my eyes.

Before I knew it, morning had arrived; but the pain still lingered. A few knocks on my door and a voice snapped me back to my senses, if only temporarily.

"Uhh, Mitsu—Kirijo-san? It's Yu- Takeba, I just wanted to check up on you. Umm… how you holdin' up?"

I cleared my throat and took in some deep breaths and replied through the door: "Ahem, Takeba: I'm… I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."

"Uh, ok… did you want to walk to school or…?"

"No, I'll be fine. You go on ahead," I barely managed to let out.

"Okay… then I'll see you at school?" Yukari asked.

When no answer was given, her footsteps retreated down the hall. I let out a sigh of relief and made my way towards my bed. I can afford to miss one day. I flopped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow as I began to think about him.

It pained me to think about him at all, especially what he said to me. In the back of my mind, I wanted to believe that what he had said was a lie. I mean, after all, distress can cause irrational thinking, I think…

I spent so long thinking about him that I hadn't noticed how tired I was, as sleep stealthily made its way over my body and mind.

I eventually woke up sometime after the sun had fallen. I sat up in my bed and yawned loudly… until I heard footsteps approaching my door from the hall.

Thump-thump-thump: three consecutive knocks rapped against my door.

"Yes?" I called, almost immediately.

"Uhh, it's Aragaki… It's pretty late and I'm sure you haven't eaten. It's not like I care, but I'm leaving a plate out here for you. It doesn't matter to me if you eat it or whatever."

Before I could form a response, his footsteps retreated back down the hall. I crept from my bed and placed my ear on the door. I didn't hear anything so I opened the door slowly. The food in question had been placed in the middle of the hall for some reason; 'Why?' was beyond me. Upon further inspection, it turned out to be nothing more than Cup Noodles. Still, judging from the response from my stomach, it's practically filet mignon. Plus, it's the thought that counts… right? I looked both ways in the hallway and slowly crawled out towards the noodles. I reached out for it and almost had it in my grasp, until I heard a voice.

"What are you doing…?" the words were drawn out slowly.

The voice had startled me so much; I ended up knocking the noodles all over the floor.

"My noodles!" I whined.

"I'm sorry!" the voice belonged to Takeba, who was, evidently, sitting in the lounge not too far away.

She rushed to grab a couple of towels to help me clean the mess.

As we cleaned, Takeba tried to console me with a conversation: "I guess when you haven't eaten in all day; even instant noodles can feel like a five-star meal."

I gave a weak chuckle and sighed.

Takeba noticed and added, "Y'know I never thought I'd see the day when the high and mighty Mitsuru Kirijo was on her hands and knees wiping up noodles from the floor. I gotta tell ya, its one helluva sight!"

I rolled my eyes at her, eliciting a giggle from her: "I fully expect you to compensate me for this tragedy."

She laughed as we finished up wiping up the floor. After disposing of the towels, Yukari urged me to follow her.

We'd ended up in the kitchen when she finally said, "The least I can do is cook you a proper meal."

I was weary at first, but ultimately decided that it was perfectly fine. "It should be interesting to see what you cook for me."

"Don't worry, it's not like I'm gonna poison you or somethin'…"

"Now you have me worried," I said, amused.

"Just sit down at the table… and don't worry: everyone's in their room."

"Why would I worry about that?" I asked.

"Cuz you look terrible! Seriously, your eyes are so puffy: clearly not hot," Takeba explained.

"Yeah..." I said quietly as I made my way to the table.

Moments later, Takeba emerged from the kitchen. "Hmm, I can't wait to see…"

Set down in front of me was another Cup Noodle, "…what you came up with…"

"Ta-da! It's like you never spilled it," she declared, with a happy smile on her face. "But seriously: never leave grocery shopping to Shinjiro. All he bought was this stuff."

I did my best to hide the disappointment from my face, but still accepted the food graciously.

"Thank you, Takeba, for the…'meal'. No really, I do appreciate it."

"It really wasn't anything," she said, sitting adjacent to me with her own noodles.

We ate in silence, as I savored every bite of the instant noodles. Before I knew it, the cup was empty and my stomach was full. Takeba finished moments later, resulting in her breaking the silence.

"Hey, are you really ok?"

"Yes, I'm doing just fine…"

"You're lying," she accused with a serious expression on her face.

"I don't know what you're—"

"Look, anyone can tell that you are certainly NOT ok. Talk to me… it's just us girls here after all. Trust me, you'll feel better once you get it off your chest."

I looked at her wearily and sighed in defeat. Her eyes didn't appear to have any malicious intent and the look on her face was sincere. That night I talked to her all the way until the Dark Hour and she was right… I certainly felt better.

Makoto's POV

Where am I…

Opening my eyes revealed pitch-black darkness for as far as I could comprehend.

Where's…

There was no one around me… I coulda swore she was right there…

Am I dead?

The weightlessness of my body initially evoked fear, but a sense of calm ultimately prevailed. Drifting through the sea of darkness was soothing and almost relaxing.

It felt warm… familiar.

It began to feel as if two arms had begun embracing me from behind. They enveloped me, squeezing me as if to never let go. They reminded me of Mitsuru…

Suddenly, the arms began crushing me in a not-so friendly way. I could feel the life being drained from me as I tried desperately to gasp for air. My vision began to blur as I headed towards unconsciousness; but, despite being pitch-black, I could see a figure approaching me. Upon its approach, its details slowly became more and more visible.

It made a terrible screech, one that struck the fear of death into me. It appeared anguished before drawing its sword and sending it skyward. I looked on in horror; death coming from every angle. It then brought its sword down, all I could do was close my eyes and look away.

But death wouldn't come for me just yet. I suddenly found it easier to breathe and the arms that had constricted me were no more. I opened my eyes and was face-to-face with my… "Savior"? Its eyes or, lack thereof, was darker than the pitch-black that surrounded us. The presence as a whole lacked any temperature and radiated a cold reserved for the harshest winter. I trembled and felt significantly weaker, resulting in me collapsing. Instead of falling to who-knows-where, I felt the being catch me; ensuring I would fall no further.

I wheezed out one last chuckle: the entity that had emerged during my Awakening, the one that had tormented me in my dreams, had saved me… again.

It made no voice or any other type of intelligible communication, but when it "spoke" I had understood it clear as day: "YOU CANNOT AND WILL NOT DIE HERE."

?

My eyes slowly opened, as I took in a view of wooden floorboards. I must be in my room, I quickly deduced.

I started to get up, when a series of dull pain resonated from my joints. In particular, my shoulder and knee felt to be in the most pain. I'd been sleeping on the floor; clearly, whoever put me here had no intention of making sure I was comfortable.

When I finally managed to get to my feet, I turned my head to read my alarm clock: Tuesday April XX, 2007 9:24 AM.

I nodded in approval and let out a long, overdue yawn…until the realization set in.

"SSHHIITTTTT!" but the voice isn't mine.

I paused my panicked state and slowly walked over to the door. A couple of rooms down, I heard sounds of clatter and utter chaos. Hesitantly, I opened the door and peered down the hall. Moments after, a male emerged from one of the rooms displaying an overly animated amount of hysteria.

Is that…

"Junpei?!" I hollered down the hall.

Junpei turned around, surprised: "Makoto? What the hell man? We're gonna be late for school!"

"We're already late… that doesn't matter. What are youdoing here?" I asked.

Junpei flashed me a cocky grin, "I moved in last weekend. Apparently, I (pointing at himself with both thumbs) got the Potential."

"Huh, is that so?" I asked in utter disbelief.

"Yep, genuine badass right here," he announced, pointing to himself once again. "Mitsuru –I mean Kirijo-sama – even let me join your special 'squad'."

"Damn, I must've been out for a while. She really should've told me first: I am co-leader, y'know."

"Yeah man, after that spout back at Tartar Sauce she really toughened up. But man, did you screw-up! A girl as hot as her… ooh man!" Everything about him screamed lust.

I'd forgotten what had happened that night in Tartarus, and it all came at me like a bus. Clearly words were said that were baseless and held no true meaning. I need to apologize…

"Hey! You think that I now have a shot at her?" Junpei asked.

"Who?"

"C'mon, you know… Kirijo!"

I smirked and shook my head, "No chance."

I waved Junpei off as he scrambled out the door. I decided to rest one more day, especially with the pain I was experiencing. Besides, skipping one more day isn't going to kill me. I returned to my room and began to remove my 'battle-worn' uniform. Examining just the coat: various cuts could be seen throughout, burns were scattered about as well, and the iron-like smell of blood emanated profusely. After removing everything, I tied a towel around my waist and looked in the mirror. Black ash peppered my hair and face, dried blood along with small cuts decorated my face, and a decent sized bruise shined proudly on my cheek.

"I really need a bath," I said to no one in particular. "Now's a good a time as any to do it."

Since everyone had left for the day, I decided it'd be safe enough to walk around the dorm in just a towel. I made my way to the fourth floor where the dormitory bath was located. Walking in, a light steam greeted me immediately. Someone must've taken a bath this morning.

I thought nothing of it and was relieved that I wouldn't have to fill the bath. I rinsed myself off thoroughly, making sure to wash off most of the blood and ash. When I was finally satisfied, I made my way towards the tub. I slid open the door that leads to it and was pounded by cloud of steam. The steam was as thick as fog which made it a chore to actually find the tub.

"Geez, how irresponsible…" I muttered.

I finally found my way into the tub and slowly entered it. The hot water felt amazing against my 'battle-damaged' exterior: so much in fact, that I couldn't help but sigh in pleasure.

"W-w-w-who's there?!" shrieked someone.

Panic set in and I was at a loss for words.

"I-I-I know y-you're there! A-are y-y-you o-one of th-those p-p-p-p-predators that p-prays on y-young b-beautiful w-w-woman l-like me?!"

After hearing her voice again, I'd realized who it was. I swallowed hard: it was Mitsuru.

"B-b-but I'm n-n-not b-beautiful! I'm actually o-old and u-u-ugly!" her voice was getting unnaturally high-pitched.

That 'reverse logic' was definitely a trait of hers…

"S-s-s-s-seriously! T-T-Takeba, if this is a-a-another one of y-your pranks, I'll –"

I'd cut her short. In my best 'Yukari' voice, I responded: "Oh, yes Mitsuru! It is I… Yukari!"

She remained silent and didn't reply. Maybe she didn't hear me.

"AHEM! Yes, Mitsuru: tis I –" my voice cracked terribly. "Yukari! You have fallen for another one of my dastardly tricks. Aha! Aha! Aha! You have been bamboozled completely! Aha!"

"L-L-LIAR! Takeba never calls me by my name! W-who are you!?" she shrieked once more.

This is bad… I need to get out.

I slowly attempted to make my way out of the tub, hopefully escaping before anything happens. I'd barely even gotten up when the steam had almost clearly dissipated. Be it a trickster or some comedic-demon, the air between Mitsuru and I had cleared up remarkably well.

We stared at each other for a while. Her face was a pure red, redder than I had ever seen. Her eyes were fixated on mine, hers appearing exceptionally large. I tried to hold my eyes, but they soon began to wander. Her immaculate skin was mesmerizing, it was practically glowing. Her arm did very little to hide her bosom, s-she's definitely grown… Her body was toned perfectly, no doubt from the countless hours spent fighting Shadows. Despite being distorted by the water, I could tell her legs were near flawless.

"W-wow…" I said, sheepishly.

"M-Makoto!" she yelled, as if trying to reaffirm the situation. "W-w-where are you looking…?"

I quickly diverted my gaze, "Sorry… I just couldn't help… it."

"Geez!" she splashed water on me. "I'm supposed to be mad at you, and now you're doing this to me…"

I could tell she was really embarrassed, which is totally a given: "If it makes you feel any better, I think you look great."

She splashed more water on me, "You idiot!"

She sounded like she was on the verge of tears: "G-get o-out of here! You… You dumb idiot!"

"T-trust me! I would, but there's a slight problem… I kinda left my towel in the other room," I admitted.

"Seriously! As luck would have it, mines in there too," she sighed in remorse.

"I could close my eyes while you leave," I suggested.

"I don't trust you… not after you scanned my entire body with those eyes. Why don't you get out?!" she said, sounding irritated.

"Well… we have another problem," I added. "…down there…"

"What are you –" the realization set in fast, turning her face into an even darker shade of red. "Y-you pervert! Creep!"

She sent a barrage of water my way, with the relentless assault lasting at least a minute.

"C-calm down!" I instructed.

"How can I calm down?! Don't you understand our situation!?" She still sounded hysterical.

"L-look, I'm sorry –" I started.

"Oh you're sorry? You think you can just say those words and everything is fine? You can't even begin to understand the emotion and pain that I've gone through these last couple of weeks!"

I looked at her, confused. What is she going on about?

"Do you know how it feels to have the one thing that you've treasured all your life, to be ripped from you with just three words? Of course you don't, you've never had feelings for anyone beyond basic-friendship." At this point, Mitsuru was shedding tears.

"Mitsuru… I… I didn't mean –"

"You didn't mean those words, right? Lousy excuse… I subscribe to the notion that one's true feelings show in times of extreme emotion or distress…" Mitsuru still shed tears, but her demeanor showed more confidence.

I remained silent, contemplating what to do.

"Those feelings I held for all those years, the same ones that had kept me going all this time: destroyed in a matter of seconds…"

"That's enough…" I said, head facing down.

"I take it you finally understand what I've –"

I rushed across the bath towards Mitsuru and brought her in for a hug.

"What do you think you're doing! Get off!' she yelled.

She continued to struggle, until she felt my body tremble. She turned and noticed the tears rolling down my face, and stared in shock.

"I'm sorry! Okay! I didn't know what I was doing… I didn't… I didn't know what I was saying. I had no clue it'd have such an effect on you," I cried.

Mitsuru continued to look at my pitiful face, before breaking down into tears too. She fully embraced me back, her cold tears running down my back. I was so distressed, in fact, that I failed to realize her breasts were in direct contact with my chest.

After several minutes of holding each other, we finally calmed down. Though the revelation that we were both still very naked quickly came back to us, and I retreated to the other side of the bath.

"Ahem look, Mitsuru," I started. "You're the last person I want to hurt, you are my closest friend after-all*. I'm going to get out now and head back to my room. I'm sorry for causing such a scene, I'll… I'll accept any execution that you deem fit."

Before she could respond, I quickly made my way out of the bath and into the next room to retrieve my towel. Afterward, I went straight to my room.

Makoto's Room

I changed into a new set of clothes and flopped onto my bed.

AHH! I feel like such a baby… I mean, I cried in front of a girl… it's just Mitsuru, but still!**

I continued to regret my actions, until I heard a couple of knocks on my door.

"M-Makoto… It's me, you probably haven't eaten anything in a while… Ugh, if you're hungry I'll make you something!"

Why'd she sound so aggressive towards the end…?

"Uhh, yeah… sure. I'll be right there."

"O-okay… I'll meet you downstairs."

With that she scurried off towards the end of the hallway. I got up from my bed and headed downstairs, towards the dining area.

Dining Area

I sat at the table, wondering what she might be cooking up.

"She's a pretty good chef, so there's no doubt it'll taste great," I thought aloud.

Moments later, a little too fast, Mitsuru entered the room and placed instant noodles in front of me, as well as across from me. She took her seat in front of me, and gave me a goofy smile.

"Bon Appétit! I present to you the Aragaki Special!"

"I-I see. Aragaki, huh? You must like him if he gets a meal named after him."***

"Wha- That's far from the truth… He's been buying the groceries lately, and without a proper list he just comes back with a surplus of Cup Noodles."

"Hmm, but still… I never thought I'd see you eating one of these again… Remember when we were little and you spilled it all over that new dress you got? You cried all day because of that," I ended it with a laugh.

Mitsuru appeared embarrassed," I did NOT cry all day, for your information."

"I know for a fact you did. You made me hug you all night until you fell asleep. I don't think I could forget that much tears and snot, even if I wanted to."

"Snot! Preposterous! Weren't you the one who cried when Dad said I could watch my cartoons when Phoenix Ranger Featherman R was on?"

"I-it was the one-hour special!" I burst out saying.

"Ha, so you admit it!" Mitsuru said, victoriously.

We both laughed and shared a smile together. I could feel my stomach begging for food, so I vigorously began eating. Mitsuru took note of the atmosphere and began eating as well. Minutes passed before we were both done.

After all this, one question remained on my mind: "Hey, why aren't you at school today?"

Mitsuru looked away, disappointed with herself: "You must not have noticed, but I'm pretty banged up from exploring Tartarus…"

I started to examine her closely. She was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, so I had very little area to examine. She was right; her injuries could be seen if one was paying attention. Callouses from her rapier and bruises on her hands, small scratches on her neck, and a tiny scar on her forehead: hidden by her hair. She stood up and walked over to my side of the table. Without a word, she pulled up her skirt to reveal her thigh. More bruises and scratches painted her legs. The sight pained me both physically and emotionally.

She took a seat next to me, with her back to me. She'd begun unbuttoning her shirt and slid it down past her shoulder: "This one was from last night… a big one was able to flank me… it still stings even now."

Across her back was a large scar, parts still raw and unhealed. Without thinking, I traced my hand along it. She'd winced at first, but soon admitted that my touch was quite soothing. Moments after my hand retreated, much to her disappointment.

"I had to get carried out by the other members. By the time we reached the entrance we were all drained, so healing was out of the question," she admitted.

"I'm so… sorry," I apologized.

"T-there's no need for you to –"

"I promise, Mitsuru: whether it's a shadow or some guy, I won't let anyone hurt you…" I said, voice trembling.

"That's a pretty big promise… Make sure you take responsibility, hm."

I laid my head onto her back, making sure to avoid the scar: "Of course…"

Author's Notes: And that was Chapter 10! I hope you all enjoyed it. I truly enjoyed writing every scene, the bath scene in particular. Anyways, please feel free to write a review if you have any questions, comments, criticisms, or all the above! Thank you and stay tuned for the next one!

Special Shout Out to LucythePir8! I definitely recommend you check out their Persona story!

Bonus!: From Mitsuru's Perspective

(*) Closest… FRIEND! *Cries internally

(**) Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!

(***) How dense can you be!? Was I too vague in my profession of love?!