Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3 FES: The Seduction of Akihiko Sanada
Act Two - by Caeila
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They were bathed in late afternoon sun--a gentle wash of the reds and oranges. Akihiko stood, pants tangled around his legs, against pale walls.
The girl kneeling in front of him had pinned him there helplessly, the tip of his pulsing rod warm and wet against her swirling tongue. One slick hand squeezed him with care, creating a tight, wet tube for him to slide into. The other stroked his belly, down his hips, and the back of his thighs. He liked having the back of his thighs touched.
He gripped a handful of her thick, flame-hued cascade of hair, trying hard not to cram himself down her throat. She hummed her enjoyment. The vibrations tore an answering moan from him. He pressed his hands against the wall, willing himself to stay upright.
She purred, louder. Her head and hand bobbed like a furious piston. Her mouth was impossibly soft and hot, with a hint of melting ice-coolness.
The telltale sizzling began, down low in his heavy, tight sack. She reached up to cup him, her hand like feathers.
He gasped a warning. "I'm going to come." Time seemed to slow down. He heard the rush of his own heartbeat in his ears. It was a sound so loud, it seemed to echo outside of his head. "I can do it outside of your mouth if you want." He grabbed for something solid, anything.
There was only the wall behind him. He thought of sinking into it, gasping for air. "Please, don't stop!"
A firecracker-bomb bang echoed off the walls. Akihiko jerked, his eyes flying open. His heart pounded against his ribcage. Milky winter morning streamed in through the windows of his dorm room.
Outside his window, he heard cursing and clickety revving as someone pulled a motor string. After a few pulls, the motor rumbled to life. A lawnmower. Its rapid chopping sound drew near the building walls.
Sunday. Today was Sunday. Akihiko groaned, his breath expelling in a long puff. Smooth cotton sheets entangled his arms and legs; he unwound himself. Dammit, she was even in his dreams.
He wasn't sure he wanted to escape. The sheets and his pillow slid carelessly to the floor. He was hard, stretching the material of his white jockeys out in a pyramid before him. A damp splotch spread out on the fabric, looking as if he'd wet himself.
He shook his head with resignation. He hadn't had a wet dream since he was 13 or 14. This was the second time in five days. His groin still thrummed with its aftereffects.
It wasn't even just that one crazy night at the onsen, but that she was always there for him, that she knew him so well. In private, she could be soft and funny; some of that was naivete, some not. Few people ever really saw that part. And now, to be forced to marry someone who probably didn't value her—
As he pulled himself up by the edge of the desk next to his bed, a small paper-wrapped block thudded to the wooden floor, glancing off his bare foot. It was small bar of bamboo-charcoal soap, beautifully scented with cedar oils, from the Kyoto onsen resort. He'd kept it as a souvenir.
Its cinnabar red and sumi-e black logo caught his eye: two cranes against the setting sun. One was poised in the water, a leg bent; the other flying to land near the first. Their beaks crossed each other at the tips. They could have been fighting, but since it was a company graphic, they had probably chosen each other as mates.
Mitsuru had smelled of that soap, another reason why he'd kept it. His gut twisted. A harsh growl escaped from his lips. He realized he was the one making the sound. He briefly considered kicking the bar under the bed.
No, that would be wrong. He put it firmly back on his desk, image side down.
Sighing, he stripped off his underpants and yanked on a fresh pair. Akihiko shoved his feet into a thick pair of gray sweatpants and pulled a long-sleeved t-shirt over his head. It read, "Japan International Mixed Martial Arts 2008 Championships" in bold font across the back.
At age 17, he'd placed in the flyweight category's top three against much older opponents. It was a solid achievement. He'd gained more muscle this year though, so he would have to move to a more challenging classification.
Sharp rapping sounded on the wall. "Akihiko-senpai, you awake in there?" Junpei's voice came through the door.
"I am now," Akihiko muttered. In a louder voice, he called out, "Yeah, what is it?"
"Can I come in and talk to you?" The younger man spoke with a slight edge of hesitancy.
"Can't it wait?" Akihiko said.
"Senpai, it's kind of…" Junpei's voice lowered to a hissing stage whisper. He probably thought he was being secretive, but Akihiko could hear him clearly. "It's about Mitsuru-senpai."
"All right, hang on." Hearing her name sent a quiver through his body. He peed and brushed his teeth quickly. The soiled underwear went into his bathroom sink to wash out later. The young man closed the door behind him. Hopefully, his kohai Junpei wouldn't ask to use the attached facilities during the visit.
Akihiko unlocked his suite door. "Okay. Talk."
Junpei shuffled inside, a 50 yen coin dancing over his knuckles and under his fingers. The younger man flicked it into the air, but instead of catching it, he stretched his open palms up and out. There was no clink of falling metal; the coin simply disappeared. "Hey Akihiko-senpai. I've been practicing sleight of hand. Chicks dig it. Pretty cool, eh?"
Akihiko flicked him an eyeball. "I didn't let you in here for that."
Junpei bowed in apology. "Ow, don't do that. Look, there's no easy way to say this." He looked up and around the room in thought. Akihiko watched his eyes stop at the punching bag. It had been unhooked from its stand and laid on its side like some giant worm. Sand leaked out of a rip in its brown leather hide. Akihiko had punched it so hard yesterday that it'd split apart. He hadn't had a chance to repair it yet.
Junpei's mouth made a small 'o'. He shot Akihiko a serious look. "Since we came back from the Kyoto trip, Mitsuru been ultra-quiet. With her dad dying and all—she looks exhausted all the time and she's fading a little more each day. It's spooky. Not saying I miss it, but she doesn't even bug me about homework."
"I see." Akihiko felt a pang. It was stupid to think he'd be able to hide from his dormmates for this long, but he felt dumber for not realizing what was happening with Mitsuru. If only he hadn't been trying so hard to hide. Somehow, he'd imagined her invulnerable, but that wasn't true. Yukari had to shake her out of her depression when her father was killed. Akihiko hadn't known what to do. Was she resilient enough to withstand another blow if he dealt it?
"So, both of you have been coming back home so late, neither of you have been available to go to Tartarus in five days. We can't go without one of you. What is this, a contest for the title of 'Most Popular Hardcore Party Person'?" Junpei frowned, as if the thought had just occurred to him. "You've been avoiding each other."
"No, we haven't. We're not. We—I don't know—"
Junpei's eyebrows shot up beneath his baseball cap. "Akihiko-senpai. You're a terrible liar. Fuuka saw you sneaking out from the rooftop fire escape yesterday morning. We couldn't figure it out. You were only going to school, but you wanted to avoid Mitsuru-senpai, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Mitsuru drinks English Breakfast every morning down there." He slumped into his padded desk chair.
Junpei blew out an exasperated breath. He sat on the edge of Akihiko's bed, resting his right forearm on the desk. "Well, you can use the front door. She hasn't been in the common room a whole lot lately."
"Have you talked to her about it?"
"I haven't. I'm worried about you and her, but she scares me more. Fuuka said she'd try. Fuuka's good. When you talk to her, you feel like you can confess all your sins. Uh, not that I have any. Sins to confess, that is." Only the tiniest edge of Junpei's laugh belied his comment. Akihiko let it pass.
"Good morning, everyone! Did I hear my name?" A soft knock and soothing dulcet voice sounded at the edge of the doorway. The girl in question appeared. She carried her microfiber laptop bag easily, slung over one shoulder as another woman might wear a purse. Her eyes passed over the torn punching bag on the floor. Aigis, her tousled head of blonde hair held by a thick ribbon, appeared next to her. Apparently grinning down low was the toothy muzzle of the dorm's white akita-inu, Koromaru.
"S'up, guys." Junpei nodded at them, rubbing the square of soul patch on his chin. "Akihiko-senpai, you might be my senpai in everything else, but in the matter of relationships, I'm yours." Fuuka shot Junpei a look that poked him in the head as surely as a finger. Junpei cleared his throat. "Now, what did you fight about?"
"Why do I feel like you're ganging up on me?"
"Because we are, Akihiko-senpai," Fuuka said innocently.
Koromaru leaned hard against Akihiko's legs. He whuffed. Akihiko obediently scratched behind the dog's pointy ears.
"We are concerned for your well-being," said Aigis, in that earnest way of hers. "We wish to resolve this crisis and restore you both to your previous strength and unity. Let us plan our attack objectives."
"Yukari and Minato aren't lurking outside too, are they?" grumbled Akihiko.
Junpei said, "They're out frolicking. Haven't you noticed they're all smoochy with each other? Now spill it."
Fuuka spoke. "We already know part of it. The Kirijo Family set up an o-miai. Mitsuru's fiance is Eiji Nanjo."
Damn, Fuuka must be a terrier when extracting information. She'd probably make a fine interrogator for Interpol someday. Akihiko eyed her. "Ah, Mitsuru told you. I thought she wanted it to be her own business."
Akihiko picked up the soap block from his desk, turning it over in his hands. There was a long silence. They were waiting for him? Finally Akihiko said, "Look, I always thought she had a one-track mind. Battle, school, battle. Kill the Shadows, explore, get stronger."
Once he managed to make his mouth move, the momentum built. "I know what you think, pot calling kettle black. She's gorgeous, no one can ignore that. I told myself I could. I'm nobody. No family, nothing to my name." He glared at his friends, daring them to retort. "She wouldn't want me. But things changed after the fourth full moon, when we fought at the love hotel."
Fuuka kept her full attention on him as she sank into seiza at the edge of the sand spill. Something in her peacefulness encouraged him. Aigis arranged herself on the floor too, pulling her knees to one side. Koro-chan nudged Akihiko, lending moral support.
"You know that the team was separated. Mitsuru and I were in a hotel room on one of the floors. Our minds were clouded, she was in the shower, but when she came out, she was uh, wow." Akihiko didn't think he was an easy man to make blush, but he felt heat creep up his neck. How much should he tell?
"I ah, practically attacked her. Things went pretty far." He frowned, two dimples appearing between his eyebrows. "She found the strength to struggle. I wanted to keep going. She smacked me. She hits like a brick house falling on your ear. It woke me up."
It was a relief to share what he had kept inside for so long. At the same time, he was afraid of what he was saying, what his friends would think. The words tumbled out faster. He had to get them out before he lost his nerve. "From then on, um, I tried to s-stay away from her because I was afraid I'd have that urge again. There wouldn't be a Shadow to blame it on next time. She'd despise me, you see?"
His breath came fast. He tried to will himself to be calm. "This is hard to say. It would be like rape. I c-couldn't do that. Anyway, ah, when we went to Kyoto, I stayed far away from her. I really did."
"Until she sent me a note, calling me to her room at one of the end wings. And, uh, this time she wanted me. Completely." Akihiko shook with the effort of telling his story.
Junpei whistled. "You melted the ice queen."
Fuuka and Aigis shot him a stare that would've stabbed him in place had he been an insect. The green-haired girl hugged her computer bag to herself. She said softly, "Akihiko-senpai, you don't have to."
Her plain acceptance, her gentleness, struck him. He remembered. Junpei had said something about confessions. Fuuka's arcana was the Priestess.
"Heh. Okay. You're right." Akihiko nodded a little too fast. His mind was numb. He felt hot tears form, like condensation on cold glass. "She dropped the Eiji Nanjo bomb afterwards."
He took several deep breaths. "Nanjo hurt her, but I'm an orphan. I have no family, no estate, no business marrying someone so powerful. She said it. Maybe she meant it, I guess she did. I don't know if I can protect her from anyone anyway."
Akihiko stared in horror at his hand. He'd crushed the bar of soap into a shapeless pulp.
Fuuka said, "I saved the same little soaps from my room too, Akihiko-senpai. I'll bring another for you."
Aigis looked half surprised, half as if she might cry on his behalf.
"Yeah, it sucks. When you can't protect someone, and they end up protecting you instead." Junpei's expression was sad. He was probably thinking about Chidori. Akihiko wasn't the only one to suffer these past few months; he felt bad for forgetting. He thought of Mitsuru, how she tried so hard to watch over everyone—
Koromaru put his head in Akihiko's lap. Aigis translated. "Koro-chan wonders what is the problem. In his opinion, you are a warrior as worthy of her as any. You love her, she loves you, and there is a way out. His previous owner, the priest Sakurai, sometimes counseled families without sons. I am consulting my library archives for details on muko-yoshi."
Fuuka nodded. "You have to convince Mitsuru-senpai to change her mind. From what I gathered, she may be able to veto the o-miai."
Akihiko was silent.
Fuuka touched his chair. "Her sense of responsibility to the Kirijo Family holds her back. She will suffer anything to see that the Family survives and prospers."
Akihiko let the smashed packet of soap drop from his fingers.
"Yeah, she's about as stubborn as any woman has a right to be," muttered Junpei. "Hey, I saw Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. No way are you two going down that route. That tragic shit makes me cry. Happily ever after, I say! At least fight for her, man. You know she wants you. 'Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.'"
Akihiko rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I remember that one. Lord Alfred Tennyson, some poem from English lit. Probably the only thing I remember from that class."
Junpei said, "We all see the way she watches you, when she thinks you're looking somewhere else. She forgets we notice too. Her eyes glow when she talks about you. And we see the way you look at her. You're a starving man, and she's a banquet you can't touch."
Akihiko blinked, feeling himself grow warm. He hadn't expected such insight from Junpei, a.k.a. the dorm's resident goofball. Junpei stared back at him with wise eyes that seemed to peer into Akihiko's heart.
In a small voice, Akihiko said, "I didn't think...it was so obvious."
"Listen, dude. Fuuka did some research on Eiji Nanjo. He killed one of his girlfriends in a drunken car crash back in college. His first wife left him in Greece, or maybe he left her. Rumor is he was shacking up with some beach bunny there. He might be powerful, but the guy is going to crush her unless you fight. Give her a reason to say no. Otherwise, we don't know if she'll able to stand up to him and the rest of her family by herself."
"You and I both know she can run the Kirijo Family. Hell, look at how she looks after details here. We need something, she gets it for us. If she calls us, we jump. She's a mover and shaker. But despite all that, she's one of the loneliest people we know. Right now she needs you. Who else is going to look after her?" Junpei did a slow-motion punch at Akihiko's arm.
Akihiko gave him a tiny smile. "You sure know how to give a pep talk."
"Dude, I am the pep-meister. Call me Coach Junpei."
Akihiko straightened. He felt sluggish still, but if there was a way to make Mitsuru happy somehow, if there was still a chance, then he had to take it. "Okay. What exactly is this muko-yoshi thing? It sounds familiar."
Fuuka looked thoughtful. "I've never met anyone yet whose family did that, but I heard it used to be common. Maybe it still is. It's not considered a very manly thing to accept, though. Oops." She clapped her hands over her mouth at the faux pas.
"I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'd challenge any jerk questioning my manhood to a round in the ring." At least Akihiko could smile a little now. He worked the fingers of one hand between the metacarpals of the other, massaging them hard.
Aigis' brilliant blue eyes flicked back and forth, as if she were scanning a book too quickly for normal humans. She raised a hand. "Stanford University Library Collection. Japan by the Japanese, by Alfred Stead. Page 301. Section on religion. 'The law considered a man childless even though he had a daughter. Those who had daughters only, therefore, were obliged to adopt a son; but it was necessary for the blood of the ancestor, if possible, to be continued in the house. In such cases, a house-head selects an adopted son who is fit to be his daughter's husband."
"The effect of the adoption is that the adopted son acquires the same position as a natural-born, legitimate child. He relinquishes the original house and worship and enters into the house of the adopter, taking the house name and clan name of the latter."
Junpei raised an eyebrow. "Uh, translation please?"
Akihiko rubbed the back of his neck. "So what it means, is that I leave the House of Sanada. I am the only Sanada of my family that I know of, and Mitsuru is the last Kirijo. If she marries appropriately, she will control the Family. If she marries me—" He stopped, flushing crimson. Then what? What did he have to offer, except himself? "—then it would be best if I become an adopted son of the Kirijo clan, but—"
It was unnerving how Aigis stared through him, probably still scanning her archives even as she spoke. "Yes. The Kirijos have built an empire. Successful, traditional Japanese families often place a great deal of emphasis on continuing their lineage."
"And I don't want Mitsuru to think I only want her for her wealth, Aigis. I don't need it."
If his sister Miki had been the one to survive and marry, she would no longer be a Sanada. She could still visit the temple and burn incense for their parents, so was this so bad? He wasn't sure; he was male, things were different. For a guy to do something that usually only girls did—Akihiko would break anyone's head for calling him a "girly-girl" or "whipped," but it was a lot to think about.
Junpei said, "Geez, even if you convince her to marry you, you'd balk at her money? Do you know what I could do with all that loot?" He widened his eyes and made grabby motions.
Fuuka shut her eyes and said, "I have a feeling that if Mitsuru-senpai accepts you, you must accept the Kirijo Group as well. They aren't sold separately. As for continuing both family names, there is the option to name the children—"
Junpei flashed a dopey grin as wide as a continent. "Aw hell, maybe I'll marry Mitsuru-senpai, and save her from a life of despair and immense riches!"
Fuuka coughed politely. Akihiko growled, "Never mind, I'll take the entire package if Mitsuru wants me. Just to save her from you." In that instant, he meant it. He would reshape himself into what Mitsuru needed, if it meant she would retain control of her powerful family. If it means you can stay close to her, a dry internal voice corrected him.
Fuuka turned towards the door. "Oh hi, Ken-kun."
Ken Amada took a tentative half-step forward over the threshold. The 6th grader held on to the doorframe with one hand. "Sanada-san, you're 'The Wolf,' aren't you? Will you fight in the Japan International MMA championship this year?"
Akihiko said, "Don't tell me you were waiting outside too."
"No, I just woke. There was a commercial for the tournament on TV. I'll cheer for you all the way." Ken backed up, seemingly from the force of several people staring at him. Koromaru trotted up to the boy and sneezed. Ken rubbed the folds of fur along the back of the dog's neck. "Oh, have you eaten yet, Koro-chan? There's some homemade beef kibble in the refrigerator. Come on."
Junpei's stomach rumbled. He clutched at his middle. "Mm, breakfast," he said vaguely. He flashed a thumbs-up and his trademark grin. "Call me if you need another pep talk, anytime." He hummed something off-key as he wandered away.
Fuuka tapped her index finger to her lips. She seemed to look not quite at Akihiko, but somewhere past him. "I think we're interrupting your morning run. May I use your bathroom for a moment, senpai? We can discuss this in the evening, if you like."
Akihiko nodded. A second later, as Fuuka rose from the floor, he remembered. He dashed over to the bathroom, plastering himself over the door. "Wait! I ah, can't let you."
The petite girl blinked. "Huh? Why not?"
Akihiko said quickly, "Because! There's…the uh, sink is broken. I mean toilet."
Fuuka gave another slow blink, full of laughter. "Okay. I don't think I want to know anyway. I'll check the mirror downstairs. Aigis, are you coming?"
Aigis rose gracefully from her sitting position. Akihiko sagged in relief as they left. He really didn't want anyone potentially seeing or worse yet, smelling the results of his morning. He left his dirty briefs soaking in the sink as he looked for clean socks.
In spite of himself, he was feeling better than he had in days. "Phew. Don't give up yet," he muttered to himself. All he had were his brain and fists. Maybe it would be enough. "Fight? Yeah. I'll give them a world champion fight."