The dorms were quiet aside from the drumming of the rain hitting against the roof. No one said anything to each other. It was almost a bit awkward as the usually talkative member of SEES entered through the front door, his usual goofy grin spread proudly a crossed his lips as he had good news. He had just come back from school, retaking a test, and got a much higher score—nearly double—than what he had the first time. As he entered the unusually quiet dormitory, he half expected someone to greet him or welcome him back just like they did any other time. But no one said anything, they just remained quiet. Mitsuru did look up from her book for a brief moment to see who had come home but it wasn't long before her eyes were glued back to the pages. He sighed. Everything had gone down the drain since Akihiko disappeared. Yukari wasn't her chit-chatting self, Aigis said nothing, and while it wasn't unusual for Fuuka not to speak, it was odd that she wouldn't even carry out a conversation. Slouching his shoulders, his smile disappeared as he kicked off his shoes and headed up the stairs to his room.
Is it really that bad?
He paused at his door, glancing a crossed the hallway where Akihiko's room was. He hesitated before walking over, knocking. Ever since the day he heard that the silverette had disappeared, he still went up and knocked in hopes that he would answer with a complaint. He never really did like people bothering him while he was in his room. What went on in there anyway? It seemed silence was his response. Shrugging, he acted like he didn't care and headed into his messy room. He tossed his book bag aside, having no use for it anymore tonight, and flicked his hat off the top of his head. Why did everything have to change so much? Did everyone miss Akihiko so much? He knew he did. Damnit. No. He did not. He didn't miss him! He just missed the competition, yeah that was right. He let out a frustrated sigh, lying down on his bed and staring up at his ceiling. Alright, fine. He missed him. He missed him a lot. Sliding his eyes closed, he wondered…how long had it been?
"Yo, Yuka-tan. Whatcha doing up this early?" Junpei asked, rubbing the evidence of sleep off his eyes as he trudged down the stairs. Yukari sat at the table, flipping through various books as though she were either looking for something or desperately trying to occupy herself. It was nearly five in the morning, the sun hadn't come close to rising, and everyone else was still sound asleep. The lights were dim in the room, making it hard for anyone to read a thing. So what was she doing? When he didn't get a response, he scrunched his nose a bit before trying to play off her ignorance. Maybe she just didn't hear him. Taking a seat a crossed from him, he waited for her to look up and complain. But it didn't come. She didn't say anything. She was acting weird.
"Yuka-tan? You alright?" Still keeping up with her nickname, he figured if he used it enough it would gain her attention. But it seemed it was all useless as she flipped through the pages, as if mesmerized by the books. He frowned. Reaching a hand out, he snatched the book away from her, Yukari emitting a gasp as she looked up. She sighed when her eyes met with Junpei's but it didn't last long before she looked off at the other books.
"Sorry Junpei. I didn't realize you were there. Did you say something?" Her voice was laced with her tired state, making it clear that she hadn't had a wink of sleep the whole night.
"Ah, no. It's nothing." He said, speaking a bit lower. "I was just wondering why you were up this early." Yukari stopped. She had been fiddling with a couple books but the moment he asked, she seemed to hesitate before going back to stacking them. Something was up. "Well?" He pressed on, resting his head against his hand as he patiently waited for a response. It took a while, but she finally spoke up.
"He left." He left? Who? He arched an eyebrow, not needing to say anything to make it clear that he wanted her to clarify herself. Yukari sighed. "Akihiko. I came down here a few hours ago to get something to drink and I saw him heading out the door. I asked him what he was going and he just said 'I'm leaving'." The last time Akihiko told them that, he didn't come back. No. They had to go out searching for him and when they finally did, he was nearly dead as a shadow lurked close by. A sharp panic hit Junpei as he stood up, the chair squeaking behind him. It alarmed Yukari a bit as she jumped up, opening her mouth to say something but she couldn't before Junpei rushed passed her.
"Junpei, wait a minute! You can't leave." She called out, but it was useless. He had already ran outside, leaving the door wide open. She sighed, shaking her head before rushing upstairs. Out of everyone, she hated waking up Mitsuru. Not that the redhead ever had a problem with it, especially in a situation like this, it was just something about her. As she went up to get her, Junpei rushed down the streets in search of their missing member. Damnit. I can't let you get like that again. Last time he saw him like that, there was a strange pain that ached at him for weeks until Akihiko recovered. But then…that time. It had been his fault. He shook his head, riding himself of the memories as he ran around. His footsteps splashed through puddles left over from the rain, his hat had been long deserted somewhere behind him, and his heart pounded harshly in his chest. He would find him. He had to find him. But as the hours passed by, the sun rose, there was no sight of Akihiko anywhere. He even went into the downtown areas where he was warned to never go alone to see if he had gone there with Shinji but no one had seen him there either. By the time he collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep, Yukari and Mitsuru had met up with him to help him back. Man he was pathetic. To have two girls escort him back, he was the one supposed to watching over them.
But it didn't matter. His body didn't care as he was placed on the couch in the living room. The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep. He dreamed of searching for Akihiko and how he got closer and closer until, finally, he was in sight. But he woke up before he could reach him.
Junpei opened his eyes, groaning a bit as he wiped a hand over his face. This was getting annoying. Why did he care so much? It wasn't like Akihiko was his best friend, only friend, or anything like that. No. He had Yuka-tan and Mitsuru was even becoming a close friend. So…why did he feel like he was slowly losing it? Why was his chest always hurting?
"Man, this is ridiculous." He mumbled, resting an arm over his eyes. How bothersome it all was. He remained there for a while until he finally fell asleep, dreaming the rest of the day away and most of the night. The same dream he had been having since Akihiko left popped up again, conquering his memory of any others he had that night. When he woke up, he heard strange noises outside his door. It was a mix of jingling and clicking, as if someone were trying to break into something. His mind took a moment before jumping awake. Immediately, he got up and looked around his room for something. Whoever heard of someone trying to rob a dormitory? Well, this place did look pretty rich compared to many others. That was besides the point though! He grabbed the first blunt object he could find and his evoker, though he doubted the latter would be needed. Quietly, he opened his door, squinting his eyes as he tried to make out the figure. They were outside of Akihiko's room and with a bit more of squinting and staring, he made out the silver hair in the thin line of moonlight that managed to come in through the windows down the hallway. Immediately, he dropped everything. The book he had grabbed hit the ground—how a book would come in handy he didn't know—and his evoker quickly followed it. There was no warning. He rushed up behind Akihiko and wrapped his arms around him, bringing the man into a hug.
"What the!" Akihiko was surprised and was about ready to hit whoever was latched onto him but he stopped when he realized it was Junpei. What was he doing? Hugging him? He almost let out a laugh at it but the pressure Junpei was putting on him was causing his wounds and bruises to hurt even more. "Junpei…let go." He said, whispering so not to wake anyone else up. He wanted as least amount of commotion as possible. Though Junpei wasn't really one known for that. Junpei released him, glad that the darkness hid his blush. Alright, so that was embarrassing. But he couldn't help it, his body suddenly acted on his own. Quickly, he tried to come up with something.
"Ah, what? Sorry Senpai, I thought you were someone else." Akihiko turned towards him, arching an eyebrow.
"Really? Who?" Crap. What was he supposed to say to that? Though he should've expected that to be the most common response.
"Eh, I dunno. I just saw some hot chick in my dream and for some reason, thought you were her." He let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Lucky for him, Akihiko was too tired to question it any further. Instead, he just figured Junpei had been sleep walking or something.
"I see." He said, trying to unlock his room. He had locked it to keep everyone out but somewhere along the line he had lost his key. "Damnit.." He mumbled, sighing in defeat. Junpei watched the silverette for a few moments.
"Locked out of your room?" Obviously. "You can, use mine if you want. I can just bunk downstairs tonight."
"Nah, I'll sleep downstairs. It's your room." Sure, his room wasn't the cleanliest of rooms but it was better than nothing.
"C'mon, man. You look like you just came out of a hellhole. Just take my room. You don't want Mitsuru-Senpai waking you up bright n' early to explain yourself, do yah?" Akihiko debated his options. Sure, Junpei had a point but it seemed a bit odd. He shrugged.
"I'm fine, I'll just take one of the spare rooms. She won't know I'm there." Really, the last thing he had wanted was for anyone to see him like this. Luck was on his side too. While the dark had hidden Junpei's blush, it hid his bloody clothing and slumped posture. Junpei didn't seem to object his idea as he headed towards one of the empty rooms. It wouldn't be as comfortable as staying in his own room but it was better than sleeping downstairs and facing true hell in the morning. Suddenly, realization hit Junpei.
"E—hey, wait, wait. Senpai, you're back! When did you—no, where did you—no…Why did you leave?" His words stumbled over each other as he spoke but he eventually got it out. Akihiko sighed. He thought he had been in the clear but of course not. He stopped at the door, looking towards Junpei.
"Look, I'm exhausted. If you're quiet about this, I'll tell you everything in the morning." Junpei straightened up at this, giving his goofy grin to Akihiko as he nodded. He watched as Akihiko disappeared into the spare room for the night. He's back… He headed back into his room, the heavy feeling from before gone. Now, all he had to do was wait for morning…
(( Hello everyone! This is my first FanFic. The idea is something my friend and I came up with one night. I hope you like it! Please Read and Review! Ah, and it is rated M for later chapters. ))