Author's Note: And of course! Thank you for continue reading onto Chapter 4! And thank you for the wonderful reviews, I'm really happy! Glad you guys like this story!
I have to say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I did have quite a hard time making it…passionate… (Not that scene yet, but still…) I did my best, so I hope you guys will like it!
Now that I get to this point, I don't know how I should maintain the balance between Shinji and Aki. I'm leaning toward Shinji now.. xD
I still love Aki and I wish I could let him have more actions, but I keep thinking that it would look bad for Hikaru to fall for both guys at once. So if any of you have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me! It would help me A LOT!
Just so you know, nope, I haven't decided yet. Just that this chapter belongs to Shinji doesn't mean I already chose Hikaru/Shinji. As I said, I love both of them x3 Aki would have his chapters later on as well.
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and *please* review so I could improve! ^^
P.S. I really hope you like this chapter. I was proving and reviewing this chapter soooo many times, just to make sure. Please let me know if you guys like it or not.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona

Chapter 4 Hidden feelings

3F, Hikaru's Room – Evening

Hikaru ran into her room, shutting the door and turned around, her back leaning against the door. She let out a long sigh, face still light red.

"Argh!" She groaned out of frustration, sighing once more. It's bugging her that she couldn't argue or say anything back to Akihiko. His face then popped into her mind when her thoughts went back to this topic, his teasing smile and how he said something so embarrassing with a completely still face irritated her even more. Not that she's mad at him, more like she's mad at herself for being unable to respond or get back at him.

No no! I shouldn't be thinking about him! I need to get my head straight… I need to do something! Hikaru started to panic in her own head. Shaking her head madly, she then took a deep breath and left her room, heading downstairs while trying to catch her thoughts.

1F Dorm Lounge

The lounge still looked pretty much the same as when she left, everyone was there except Ken. Hikaru pressed her lips together when she caught a sight of Akihiko, who lifted his head to look at her; a faint smile appeared on his face. She immediately turned her head the second their eyes met.

Hikaru stumped her way to sit at the dining table, exhaling loudly, causing Shinjiro to turn to her, quirked up an eyebrow.

"Hmph." The sound made Hikaru glanced at Shinjiro, still frustrated.

"Something wrong, senpai?" She asked, even Shinjiro could sense the annoyance in the tone, which caused him to chuckle softly.

"N'thing. It's just rare to see you like this." He paused for a moment, looking for the right words. "Irritated." He finally added.

"Oh…" Hikaru made a high-pitched exclamation, arching up both of her eyebrows. "Well, for your information, senpai, I'm not a kind of person that would seem to be irritated all the time, like someone I know." She stated, only to made Shinjiro chuckle more.

"Definitely rare." Shinjiro commented again, earning an intense glare from Hikaru as a respond.

"Senpai!"

"Fine fine." Shinjiro said in low voice, looking amused for some reason. "What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." She responded immediately, still sighing to ease her irritation.

"That's fine with me." He claimed, eyes studying her face. "What do you want to do then?"

Hikaru fully turned to face Shinjiro, her face painted with curiosity.

"Did you hit your head or something, senpai?" She asked directly, confused by his unusual nice behavior toward her as her face said it all.

"You're nagging me all the time. It's my turn to bug you." was his reply, but it managed to bring a small grin to Hikaru's face, followed by a soft giggle.

"Heh. Okay, you win." She smiled in defeat. However, this time, she didn't mind losing an argument with him. "Though I gotta say, I really have no idea what to do for tonight. Maybe you could think of something?"

"Now you're dumping this on me?" He countered. Hikaru just gave him a goofy smile, her mood getting better. "Have you eaten?"

"I had a piece of cake, no dinner yet." She answered, trying not to think about a certain person. Shinjiro narrowed his eyes.

"How long since you last had a proper dinner?"

"Hmm… Now that I think about it… I usually skip dinner because of homework and training in Tartarus. I did have dinner with you the other day though." She said after thinking back seriously.

"Ramen isn't qualified as a proper dinner." Shinjiro stated strictly, eying at Hikaru. "And Tartarus is not an excuse for not having dinner either. Dark Hour starts at midnight, dinner time starts at six."

"Uh…" was all Hikaru managed to get out, there's no way she could argue with him on that. "You're surprisingly strict when it comes to food, Aragaki-senpai."

"Didn't I tell you to cut that formal bullshit?" He said immediately, his eyes still focused on her.

"I thought we had an agreement, I did beat you on that one." She countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Hell no." He replied as quickly as her, not backing down. "We had an argument. I was tired and annoyed so I let it go once. Not this time."

"Oh well… It's not that I'm formal with you all the time." She argued. "Now is one example, I'm totally not formal."

"You're calling me by my last name, and with senpai at the end. How is that not formal?" Shinjiro purposely stressed on the same word as her, causing Hikaru to pouted.

"Hmph. So I don't get to win today, huh?" She muttered as a smirk crept up Shinjiro's face. "Okay then. I'll meet you half way, Shinjiro-senpai?" She said, throwing him a questioning look while Shinjiro just shrugged.

"Ain't good enough, but better." He finally spoke, smirking. "Now that you finally shut up, I'll cook you something."

"Huh?" Hikaru was surprised by his sudden change of subject.

"As I said, you have to have a proper dinner. What kind of leader are you if you can't even eat right?" Shinjiro said mockingly, causing Hikaru to make a face at him.

"Being a leader in battles has nothing to do with eating right!" She protested.

"Even if you faint from hunger?" The words made Hikaru freeze before sticking her tongue at him when she realized that she couldn't argue.

Brat. Shinjiro thought to himself, amused by Hikaru's reaction. Suddenly, a feeling he'd never felt before overwhelmed him, he felt an urge to pull her into his arm and seal her lips with his, capturing and devouring the taste of that tongue she stuck out at him until she was panting and gasping for air.

"Shinjiro-senpai?" Her voice snapped him back to reality. Realizing his own thoughts, Shinjiro suddenly went red, eyes widened. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Due to the embarrassment, his voice raised without him knowing it. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind before taking in long deep breath to get his face straight.

"Okay, then… What are you going to make?" She asked curiously, seemed to be full of wonder.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked back, relieved that she changed the subject.

"I don't know. Anything is fine, really. I'm not so picky about food."

"Because you skip it most of the time." Shinjiro corrected and caught a sight of Hikaru's mouth muttering 'Only dinner.' silently. "I'll think of something. You just wait here."

"Aww… You're not going to let me help out?" The question got Shinjiro to arch an eyebrow. "What's with that face? I might not be a professional chef like you, but I can cook too."

Now that she said it, Shinjiro recalled that Fuuka once mentioned to him that Hikaru also joined the cooking club and that she did quite a great job too.

"Not today." He finally answered after thinking for a bit. "'Cus, you're in a bad mood. There's a knife in there, y'know?"

"Shinjiro-senpai!" Her voice only made Shinjiro chuckle in his throat, pleased.

"Just wait here. I won't be long." and with that, he took off, disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Hikaru glowering at him from behind.

Now that Hikaru had some time to herself, she let out a long sigh. A smile stretched across her face without her knowing it. She always had fun having an argument with Shinjiro; even she didn't know the real reason behind it. He's always grumpy, as if he's in a bad mood all the time, but when he talked to her, he's different. He was still cold, blunt and straightforward, but somehow she could sense worry and seriousness in his tones.

After pondering over the thought of Shinjiro for a while, Hikaru then realized something, causing her to quirk up both of her eyebrows, surprised at herself.

For some reason, it didn't feel weird to call him 'Shinjiro-senpai'. It was comfortable… and I feel closer to him… Her eyebrows then scrunched together, head tilting slightly. Or maybe it's because of his personality… And I'm having fun teasing him…? Ahh! Now I'm confused!

Hikaru shook her head madly in an attempt to clear her head before getting up to her feet and walked over to the kitchen. She poked her head in, only to see Shinjiro busying around the stove, but he looked like a master chef. It suited him, somehow.

"You sure you don't need help?" Shinjiro turned around at the sound of her voice, his right hand still holding a frying pan.

"I thought I told you to wait." He said bluntly, continued to stir stuffs in the pan.

"I got bored." Hikaru answered, entering the kitchen area and perked her head to see what's in his hand. "Smell so good…" She commented, taking in the delicious scent.

"Tch. You just can't wait quietly huh?" Shinjiro complained, moving his hand swiftly to stir the rice in the frying pan. "Get yourself a drink. I'm almost done anyway." He said as he turned off the gas, grabbing the plate beside him.

"Yup." She agreed cheerfully, walked to the cabinet to get a mug. She poured hot green tea into it and accidently spill some on the back of her hand. "Oww!" She jerked her hand back, letting go of the mug, causing it to spill all over the counter.

"Akane!" Shinjiro exclaimed as he darted to her in an instant, taking her hand into his hold. "Idiot. I only let my eyes off you for a second and you already hurt yourself."

"I'm sorry…" Hikaru said in a small voice while Shinjiro ignored it completely as he was focusing on the burn on her hand.

"Idiot…" He repeated, brought her hand to his mouth and gently grazing his tongue over the wound to ease her pain. "I'll get you some ice. Wait here." and off he went, rummaging through the fridge, leaving Hikaru frozen, blushing like mad.

Did Shinjiro-senpai just…?

Before Hikaru could even finish the sentence in her mind, Shinjiro was back with an ice cube in his hand. He gently applied it to the burnt area, causing Hikaru to wince from the cold.

"Does it still hurt?" He asked in a stern voice, his face was serious and Hikaru could see worry in his brown eyes.

"Uh… N-Not that much…" She said shakily, still blushing deep red as she casted her eyes down, unable to meet his gaze. "T-Thank you, Shinjiro-senpai."

"Tch. You're so troublesome." He said to her, but his eyes were gentle, even his voice was warm. "I can't let my eyes off you for even a second."

"I-I'm sorry.." She apologized again, looking guilty.

"It looks okay now." Shinjiro stated as he took the ice cube off, throwing it into the sink. "Go put on a bandage. I'll take care of this mess." He said calmly, referring to the green tea spilled all over the counter.

"Ah! I'm sorry about the mess! I'll clean them!" Hikaru suddenly realized the mess she made on the counter. She quickly took a towel and moved over to the counter, wiping it off.

"Tch." Shinjiro let out a sigh. He darted over to Hikaru, grabbing both of her wrists from behind and pinned her at the counter, causing her to freeze.

"S-Shinjiro..senpai…" Hikaru said faintly, almost a whisper as she felt her own face heating up.

"Stop it, stupid." Shinjiro whispered at her ear, sighing deeply. "Stop acting like you're so strong when you're only a girl. And now you're hurt, why the hell do you have to worry about these little things."

Hikaru could only blush, unable to make a single sound as she could feel Shinjiro's hot breath against her neck. It sent shiver right down her spine, causing her to blush even more. She was glad that her back was facing him, so he could not see her face right now. However, she was surprise at herself that she didn't even try to protest or resist him, or even think of resisting at the first place. She didn't even feel uncomfortable, instead, she felt relax within his hold, the exotic warmth rising inside her heart.

Shinjiro rested his head on her shoulder, his face leaning toward her pale neck, eyes closed, taking in her scent. Hikaru shuddered slightly as she felt his breath brushing over her sensitive skin. Unfamiliar feeling spread through her body, an awareness of his warmth against hers made Hikaru tensed up, letting out a long sigh. Her breathing suddenly seemed so loud as silence filled the area; she could feel her heartbeat and, faintly, Shinjiro's. As she exhaled, Shinjiro's grips on her wrists suddenly tightened and she could hear him sighing quietly as well.

Neither of them spoke a word, only a faint sound of two breathing could be heard. It seemed like forever before Shinjiro slowly loosening his grips and took a step back, allowing the girl to move around more freely and expecting that she would immediately escape from his grasp, or at least backing away from him. Surprisingly, she didn't. Instead, she turned around to face him, still blushing deep red. Hikaru fought back her embarrassment to look up at him, into his brown eyes. They were beautiful, just like the moon, mysteriously charming, drawing her to sink in even further.

Shinjiro was also lost in her gaze. Her red eyes were like ruby, delicate, yet mystical, making one wonder. He looked deep into those eyes, caught a hint of a hidden desire within them and that was it. That was all he needed. He leaned in, closing the gap between them with a sweet kiss. Hikaru let out a soft moan, closing her eyes but didn't resist, it was like she already gave in. His lips brushed against hers slightly, gently at first then more passionate as she unintentionally parted her lips, letting his tongue into her mouth. He deepened the kiss, capturing the sweetness of her tongue with his own, causing Hikaru to moan quietly, her hands reached up and grabbed the back of his coat tightly to keep her from dropping to her knees. The sound of her moan only encouraged Shinjiro further. He leaned her body against the counter before tilting his head, making it easier for him to taste her as he continued to explore her mouth in a passionate, pleasurable kiss.

Shinjiro slowly pulled back, opening his eyes, only to see Hikaru looking at him with half-lidded eyes, panting and gasping for air, just as he expected. He didn't realize that his own breath also become shallow and heavy, almost a panting as well.

"*Bark*" The noise caused the two of them to jump to their feet, immediately pulling away from each other.

"K-Koro-chan!" Hikaru said in surprise, eyes widened as Koromaru walked up to them, wagging his tail. "Hey boy. You want to go for a walk?" She asked, receiving a nod as an answer. She then glanced to Shinjiro silently.

"You go on. I'll catch up in a minute. I have to clean up in here." He said in a plain voice, but somehow Hikaru could sense that he was not entirely himself right now. "Just go on ahead. Don't worry, I won't be long." He reassured her, his face was serious. So Hikaru could only nod, slowly walking out with Koromaru.

"Come on, boy." She called before disappearing into the lounge with the white Akita.

As soon as she left, Shinjiro let out a long sigh. He took in a deep breath in order to get his head straight. The feelings of Hikaru's soft lips against his own still imprinted within his mind, causing him to close his eyes, trying to suppress his feelings. He pressed his lips together, eyes clenching shut.

It shouldn't be like this… I shouldn't leave anything behind.. No hopes, no regrets… It's supposed to be like that… He bit his lower lip, exhaling loudly. But why…! Why can't I let go of her…? Why do have no strength to stay away from her anymore…

Why…and when did she…become such an important existence to me…?

P.S.2 Please please please review! I need some love too X3