Chapter 4: More Than One Heart

Author's Note: Hello and welcome to Chapter 4! There's not much I want to say except thank you all for your support on this story. I know I said this last chapter, but I believe that this has been my favorite chapter to have written, though I feel the ending is quite weak. Thank you for for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

"Mitsuru! On my left!" I yelled.

We were currently fighting our way up Tartarus, however even after all our fighting we've only managed to clear 3 floors.

"I got him!" she replied as, she quickly froze the enemy in question.

We were getting better at fighting. My fire complimented her ice. Together we were unbeatable.

However, fighting during the Dark Hour was quite exhausting. We tend to only fight once a week because of this. Though we both wanted to get stronger we couldn't manage to do much in such a short period.

But we have to get stronger. Not just for our sake, but for the sake of the new recruits. Ikutsuki mentioned yesterday that the first of the recruits should move in tomorrow. Which one is the mystery. The other two will probably move in sometime during the week, considering school starts back up next week.

At the moment, however, Mitsuru and I facing what appear to be a huge beetle.

"My Persona seems to have little effect on it," Mitsuru observed.

"Same here, and I'm feeling pretty tired too," I admit.

The giant beetle moves for an attack on me, but I narrowly evade the attack. At this point my breathing is somewhat erratic.

I really need to get into shape.

"Yuki, are alright?"

"I'm fine Mitsuru," I reply, as I slash at the beetle with my short sword.

Since we started coming back to Tartarus, Mitsuru has been constantly berating me about my health. It was understandable the first few times, but it's been nearly a month so it's sort of unnecessary by now. But it's also in Mitsuru's nature to care deeply for those she cares about, so I can't really blame her.

"Alright, then. Don't push yourself to hard, K'?" she said with a smile and a wink.

How can she do that when we're fighting such a tough foe?

We continued to wear down on the enemy, relentless strikes over and over again. After a while we were finally able to cripple one of its many legs and it slumped down to recover. At this point, both of us were panting and hoping this battle would end.

"Hey," Mitsuru let out with a breath. "Let's go for an all-out attack."

"Right. Ladies first," I bowed smugly to her.

She sighed visibly as she began to move in, me only a step behind her.

"You'll fall by my hand!" she yelled.

We both charged at the beetle, landing strike after strike after strike. When stepped back to examine our handiwork, the beetle had disintegrated into a shower of dust.

"We did it," Mitsuru said triumphantly, big smile on her face.

"Yeah, we did," I replied as I smiled back to her. "This means we can go home, right?"

"I was hoping you'd say that, my body is aching."

As we got onto Mitsuru's motorcycle, I couldn't help but notice how bright the moon was during the Dark Hour.

"Creepy as it is, the Moon is really beautiful this hour," I thought aloud.

"It is, isn't it?" she replied.

I tightened my grip around Mitsuru and laid my head on her back.

"To imagine I was once horrified at even the idea of the Dark Hour. But now, I'm oddly at peace with it," I whispered, just loud enough for her to hear over the motorcycle engine, which was oddly quiet.

Must be electric.

"Life's greatest beauties are mysteries," she said.

"That's funny, because you're not much of a mystery," I joked.

In general, women themselves are a huge mystery. One that I will never be able to solve. But if that's the case, Mitsuru would not be a woman. I can read her like an open book, but I'd ever tell her that. Besides, if I had that philosophy Mitsuru would probably kill me for thinking that.

"Are you trying to say I'm beautiful?" she squeaked out.

"Yes, you're the most beautiful girl ever," I answered in a sarcastic monotone voice.

"Meanie…"

We exchanged no other word for the duration of the trip back, silently cruising along until we reached the dormitory. We both said good night and headed for a well-deserved sleep. I don't know about Mitsuru, but I fell asleep the second I hit my bed.

KNOCK-KNOCK!

It was early morning and Mitsuru had just set up breakfast.

"That must be them," I said.

"Yep…" she said almost solemnly.

I got up and headed towards the door, Mitsuru almost too close behind me. As I reached for the door handle, Mitsuru touched her hand softly to my back. I turned my head towards her and gave her a reassuring smile, and opened the door.

I was instantly greeted by two punches in the face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" came a female voice. "I was going to knock again, since no one was answering. I didn't mean to hit you!"

As I begun to open my eyes I saw the girl who assaulted me in the face. She was average height for a girl. She had short, light-brown hair with dazzling brown eyes. She was wearing a pink tank top and blue jeans.

She's also really pretty…

"It's no problem, really…" I winced at the pain in my nose.

"It is a problem, your nose is bleeding," she countered.

She dropped her luggage and quickly closed the difference between us. She stood on her toes to reach my height, which wasn't much, and got really close to my face. She pulled out a pink handkerchief and began to clean up the blood flowing from my nose. I've never been embarrassed in the presence of another girl, but she was turning me redder than a beet.

Red as a beet, gotta love those American sayings.

The brunette must've noticed because she too got flustered and quickly backed away.

"We haven't even introduced one another, and you're already assaulting me," I joked, hoping to ease the awkwardness in the air, still holding the girl's pink handkerchief.

"You must be Yukari Takeba," Mitsuru said behind me.

Was she always behind me?

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you. Yes, my name Yukari Takeba. I'll be staying here as of today."

"Very well, I'm Mitsuru Kirijo."

"And you are?" Yukari asked, trying to maintain eye contact with me but was too embarrassed to actually look me in the eyes.

Before I had the opportunity to speak, Mitsuru had already begun talking, "His is name is Makoto Yuki, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd refrain from making any physical contact with him whatsoever. He just got back from the hospital; I don't want him to go back because some girl couldn't keep her hands off him."

With that, Mitsuru had clung to my right arm tightly, giving Yukari a death stare.

"Eh?" Yukari chirped questioningly.

She looked at me, then Mitsuru. And as if she was struck by lightning, quickly realized what Mitsuru had meant.

"Oh! No no no no no. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just being courteous that's all."

"I'm sure you did," Mitsuru replied disbelievingly. "Just stay away from him if you know what's good for you."

"Mitsuru," I gently shrugged her off. "Don't go scaring off the new members on their first day."

"I'm sorry it's just that I'm…"

"Worried about me?" I finished for her. "Mitsuru, it's been nearly a month since I was in the hospital, I think I'll be fine."

Yukari has said nothing the entire time, and I could literally feel the awkwardness levels rising.

"Why don't you go finish breakfast, while I help Yukari with her things?" I offered to Mitsuru.

"Yeah, ok." Mitsuru said, before heading back to the table to eat.

I grabbed Yukari's things and lead her to her new room.

"So are you two, like, dating or something?" Yukari asked shyly.

"No, though I'm sure she likes to think that."

I began helping Yukari unpack. From the looks of it, Yukari seemed to be more 'grown-up' compared to Mitsuru, if personal items indicated anything. Though she may act like an adult and appear to be mature, she's still the little girl I grew up with. From her public appearance, one would never be able to tell that she reads manga all night and still watches her favorite cartoons when nobody is around. Nobody except for me.

"So, I'm sure Ikutsuki has already briefed you on what we are?" I asked.

"Yes, he said something about having the 'potential' and having the ability to summon a 'Persona'."

"Good," I replied. "We'll be able to determine that next week. For now, just relax and try to settle in. We'll brief you and the other members about the whole situation later."

"Ok,"

It's apparent that Yukari's favorite color must be pink, evident that nearly all of her possessions are pink.

As we're unpacking, I get a better look at Yukari. She is beautiful, for lack of a better word. Her body is fits her perfectly, with fantastic curves up and down her body. Though she isn't comparable to Mitsuru, as it's be like comparing a sunrise to a sunset. They're both beautiful, in their own respects.

Though Yukari hasn't noticed, it's apparent to me that I've been staring at her too long.

Thank God, nobody's around to see me stari-

"Yuki! It's inappropriate to stare at a girl, other than me, for such a long period of time!" Mitsuru declared, barging into the room, startling both me and Yukari.

"M-Mitsuru! How long were you watching?!" I questioned.

"Long enough."

I looked back at Yukari, only to see her as embarrassed I was.

"For the record, I wasn't staring at her, I was admiring," Mitsuru glared hard at me. "I mean I was examining her."

The air felt heavy and tension was high.

"Umm… Hey! I'm starving, so why don't you help Yukari unpack, Mitsuru?" I suggested.

Before Mitsuru could answer, I was already running down the hall.

Mitsuru's Point of View

So it appears Makoto has abandoned me and left me with this... girl. I'll be the first to admit that I don't like this girl. Fawning over Makoto, completely disregarding my presence. It's my duty to worry about him, not some newcomer.

Ugh, if Makoto hadn't asked me to do this, I could be enjoying my breakfast with him.

"So, um, Makoto is pretty cute, huh?" came her voice.

"He's Yuki, to you. And it's highly inappropriate for you to be thinking about him like that." I responded coldly.

"I don't see why I can't, after all he is single. Isn't that right?" Yukari retorted, smirking at my baffled expression.

"W-w-what makes you think that. Of c-course he's not single," I stammer out. "I'll have you know, that he is mine and I am his. Let's just leave it at that."

"Ha, don't make me laugh. That's the complete opposite of what he told me. He said it's only a delusion of yours," she replied, with a laugh. "If the future head of the Kirijo Group can lie so obviously, I wonder how long it'll last."

I was furious at her jabs towards me. She could probably notice, because she was laughing at my expense. I could feel the stinging in my eyes, so I quickly departed the room and headed towards my own.

Why doesn't Makoto feel the same way...

It hurt me to know that he disregards my feelings so openly. I slam my door louder than I meant to, and jumped onto my bed. I cried into my pillow for a long time, until I heard a knock on the door.

Yukari's Point of View

Yikes, I didn't mean to go that far. But how could I forgive a Kirijo? After all, it's their fault that my life has been miserable.

I smile at myself, proud of what I did, yet something inside me regrets it.

"Whatever," I say, as I shrug my shoulders.

I could feel my stomach ache for food.

"I shouldn't have skipped breakfast," I frown.

Hey, isn't Mako- Yuki eating breakfast now? Maybe I should join him...

I climbed down to flights of stairs until I reached the first floor of the dorm. I quickly find my way to the dining room, to find the boy eating his breakfast. Alone...

"Yahello, Yuki-kun!"

He nearly chokes on his food, upon my sudden intrusion. I quickly more behind him and begin rubbing his back gently.

"I'm sorry, Yuki-kun," I apologize with a cute smile. "Are you alright?"

After a few coughs he finally replies,"Yeah, I'm good."

I peak over his shoulder to see his face colored red.

I must make him feel embarrassed, how cute!

"Uhm..." he begins to say.

"Yes, Yuki-kun? What is it"?

"Uh, as nice as it is, could you please stop rubbing my back?"

"Sure," I answer.

I bring my hand slowly down his back, running my index finger down his spine, before lifting it up off his lower back. I can easily see him shudder, and his face was redder than before.

"So Yuki-kun, whatcha eatin'?" I ask.

"S-some waf-f-fles," he stammers out. "M-Mitsuru made some, a-a lot actually. You could h-have s-some if you'd l-like."

An opening.

"Well since you offered..." I say in a cutesy voice.

I bend down over his lap, glancing up to see a red, horrified face. I took the fork from his hand and ate the piece of waffle that was on it. I make sure to take my time taking the fork from my mouth, looking up at Yuki while doing so. He's visibly shaking, so cute!

"It's soooo delicious, Yuki-kun! Here," I say, as I stab a piece of waffle from the plate and hold it to his mouth.

He slowly moves his head forward and takes a bite of the waffle. He swallows it without even chewing.

"Y-yep!" he says loudly. "It's very g-good. Could you please get off me now.

He glances over my upper body, the part that's hovering over his lap. I can see his eyes wandering all around it. He shuts his eyes fast, and shakes his head.

"Aww, awright," I say in the cutest way possible, as I straighten myself out.

He clears his throat multiple times before he speaks again.

"Where's Mitsuru? I thought she was helping you unpack."

"Well, I kinda said some things that may, or may not have, upset her," I admit."I think she ran to her room."

He looks down at his plate and balls his hands into fists.

"Could you please apologize to her?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you to apologize to her," he says, still maintaining his composure.

"Why should I? If you knew the hell I've had to live through because of her family, you'd understand why I can't do that."

"The Kirijos... they're good people. Trust me, I grew up with them. They're the only family I have..."

I feel horrible now. I didn't know, how could I know?

"...So please, just apologize to her. It'll make living here a whole lot easier."

"O-ok."

I exit the room and head back up the stairs.

I stare at the door belonging to Mitsuru. I can hear her crying even though the door. It's as if she's right next to me.

Oh man, I've really messed up this time.

I take a deep breath and knock on the door.

"Makoto?" she says loudly.

"Makoto!" she is obviously very happy, even though she doesn't know that it's just me.

I can hear her leap off the bed. I can hear the quick patters of her feet on the carpet. I can hear her... trip over something?

"Oww," came her voice on the other side of the door.

"I'm coming in!" I yell quickly.

I open the door to find Mitsuru on the ground, looking bewildered that it was me and not Yuki.

I scan her room fast. It was a very nice room, probably more expensive than the apartments I've lived in. Everything is so ornate, she even has her own chandelier.

If her room is this nice, I wonder what Yuki's is like. I smile at the thought.

"What do you want!?" Mitsuru yells at me.

"I came to apologize..."

"Apologize?"

"Yes, Makoto-kun said to-"

"It's Yuki-san, to you," she corrected.

"Whatever, will you accept my apology or not, Kirijo-sama," I said in a sarcastic tone.

"Ahem, I will accept your apology, if it means we won't hate each other forever," she says.

"Ok, I'm fine with that. I'm going to go finish unpacking now," I tell her."And one more thing."

"What is it?" she asks questioningly.

"I'm going to get Makoto, one way or another. Even if you're in my way."

"The nerve!" Mitsuru exclaims.

"Good luck, Kirijo-sama," I say sarcastically as I shut her door.

Makoto's Point of View

That was disastrous. It could've gone better, but it was to be expected. I hope they get along in the future. All that's left is for the other two to get here. I'm glad they're going to be guys. Living alone with two girls- women is dangerous.

School starts up next week and I look forward to meeting the new members.

Author's Note: So I loved writing from Yukari's perspective. Her contrast to Mitsuru was one of the best things to write about. There are some little nuances in this chapter that I really liked and I hope you all can catch them. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in chapter 5!

P.S.: If anyone would like to submit a cover photo for this story, that'd be great. If you'd like to, PM me.