Okay. So here's my first bit of a Persona Fanfiction. I plan on starting a FeMC x Ryoji story when I can think of an idea, and I promise to try and update it... every two weeks or so? But I hope you guys enjoy this little one/two-shot, here.

Increasing Distance

How long had it been now? Minako narrowed her eyes wearily at the fog growing in her head. What was she doing outside of his room? The fear that Akihiko would come out and find her sitting outside of his room, a complete mess, terrified her. It left her vulnerable. How bad would it be if she fell in love with him a little more? I'm scared... she thought, hugging her arms tighter around her knees. The gesture seemed to comfort her more with each shiver in her body. Minako's vision was slowly growing blurry and she could feel herself going into an almost drunken state. Her body began to shake violently and she could feel her consciousness slipping away from her.

A split second before she fell asleep she had heard the loud squeaking of a door opening nearby and the urgent call of her name. Minako.

It's cold... So cold. Minako's thoughts felt unhinged. As if they were coming from the depths of her mind, too distant for her to feel.

"...ako? You terrified me. How are you feeling?" 'Exhausted', was the first word that came to mind when thought of any feeling-but she avoided telling everyone that. It was her little secret. If she didn't keep it, then how could she take care of everyone?

Minako finally gained the energy to let her eyelids flutter open, her emotionless mask taking the place of her sleepy expression. Her eyes darkened as she began to sit up, only to fall back into a den of pillows. Her eyes shifted over to them, narrowing in confusion, then over to the man at her bedside. Akihiko. He gave a sheepish smile in response to her gaze.

"I thought a lot of pillows would make you more comfortable." Minako turned away sharply, gritting her teeth as she did so, a dark blush heating up her cheeks. Akihiko lowered his eyes at the apparent act of rejection, but threw a smile on his face, anyway. She needed to feel better.

Minako coughed into the back of her hand and Akihiko's head snapped up, attentive to her every need. Standing up, he went over to his desk, murmuring about how she shouldn't strain herself.

"I know it's probably hard to do so... I mean. You are in a guy's room," a blush crept onto Akihiko's face and he turned toward his equipment to distract himself, "but I want you to know that I'm not going to do anything. I mean. Well. I just. Ugh... this is coming out all wrong." he sighed, grimacing as he placed a hand on his forehead. "I'm trying to say that you can... um, trust me." he finished, fumbling with the boxing gloves that lay nearby.

Minako gave her own grimace. Who would of thought that he'd be so adorable? She thought, nibbling on her lower lip. Then the facts hit her. She was in Akihiko's room. Alone... with Akihiko? How in the world did this happen? Oh, right... She had come in from the rain, after a jog with Koromaru and... someone approached her? All she could remember was leaving, being outside Akihiko's door and running for her life, with fear being the enemy. The thought almost brought tears to her eyes-something she wouldn't like to happen in another person's presence. Especially Akihiko. What if she was disappointed? Disappointed. Now, that was something that really wanted to make her cry. As she looked at Akihiko's back she felt a strike of anxiety. Would Akihiko leave her? If she grew to like him too much and he was gone... She swallowed the tears growing in the back of her throat and slowly sat up, sucking in air as she did so, then closing her eyes and letting it all out in one shaky breath.

She could hear her heart pounding as the blood raced through her ears. She saw Akihiko swivel around, eyes wide, beginning to cross the room. Two strides was all it took to close that distance. What if the room grew bigger and bigger? What would happen then? Minako brushed away her insecurities and stared at him. She knew he was about to say something. He was opening his mouth to speak. She didn't let him. She just grabbed his collar and pulled his mouth down to hers. What a rush... she thought lazily.

Her eyes were open as she kissed him, his, wide with shock and hers steady and resigned. His pupils dilated as he glowered at her. Akihiko gently removed her hand from his shirt and pushed Minako back onto the bed, hands twined with hers, never breaking contact till at last he backed away and simply stared at the girl.

There she was. The girl he was in love with, pinned under his body, chest heaving and gazing up at him. He looked from their hands to her face, eyelids lowering, unsure of the proper decision to make. He moved in hesitantly, then pulled back and they shared a shy smile with one another as Minako wrapped her arms around his neck and Akihiko pulled the string on his bedside lamp.

Words were hardly shared. Each expression, a piece of themselves, was given to one another as they kissed. Minako could hardly breathe. She was struck by nervousness as she pushed Akihiko onto his back, and placed herself on top of him, fingers clumsily trying to undo the first of the buttons on her uniform. Akihiko stared at her, surprised, before his eyes smiled and he kissed her, placing his hands between them and undoing the buttons himself before tossing the jacket onto the floor.

In truth, Akihiko was completely new to this... but it didn't matter. He knew that she was terrified, of trusting, of loving, of caring. He wouldn't let her destroy herself, though. He loved her too much to let her drive herself into oblivion and he saw it even more so when her smile broke and she began to let go. The tears that formed at her eyes, egging her on with threats to fall, began to slip down her face, pooling at the edges.

"Minako. Regardless of what you fear, or maybe even what you believe-you're important to me. I don't care how much harder I need to try to show you, but I do. I can't promise that I'll never hurt you, but I can promise that I'll do whatever I can to make you happy. You know the world isn't an awful place." he grinned, rubbing at the tears with his thumbs. "You have everyone in SEES to stand beside you... and you have every part of me. Don't be afraid to use us. It's not okay right now. It might not be okay for a while. But I promise you, Minako. One day it's all gonna be okay."

He saw her eyes soften as she said two words that broke his heart: "I know." As much as she knew they were true to an extent, Akihiko could sense her faith slipping. His mouth tightened and he pulled her closer, his hands holding her waist and head as she began to sob into his shirt.

All this time, he'd been trying to reach her. Minako's heart was squeezed as she thought of all the lies she had told when he asked her if she was fine... when he insisted on escorting her to her own room. Her teeth clenched and she clutched his shirt, nails digging into his flesh. "I'm so sorry, Akihiko. So, so sorry. I-" Akihiko knew he should let her finish, but he couldn't help it. Her words were muffled as he pulled her into a kiss, clutching her trembling fingers in his own.

The overwhelming desire to be closer tugged at him. Closer, closer, closer... was all he could think about as he tugged at the buttons on her shirt. The only sounds he could hear in room were their heavy breathing with their hearts and the ruffling of the sheets.

She shivered as he placed a warm hand on her stomach, letting out a soft moan. Her body shivered as Akihiko shifted their positions so he was on top of her. The cold air that came between their bodies as they shifted made her shiver, arching her back. He took the opportunity to unclasp her bra and throw it to the floor.

Minako paid no attention to the heap of clothing on the floor and concentrated on getting Akihiko undressed. Akihiko let his hands press on the bed as he leaned back, Allowing Minako access to his shirt. He needed time to calm down and winced as her elbow brushed his groin, letting out a breathy moan. Minako looked down curiously and decided to relieve him of his pain, albeit a slow and painful process in itself, she noticed as she undid the zipper and unclasped the button listening to the low hissing sound that Akihiko made.

Minako frowned a bit, looking at Akihiko's erection. He glanced down at her in embarassment. Was he not big enough? He found out the opposite when she gave a dry mutter, "That's supposed to fit in me?" The boxer looked at her for a few moments in silence as she studied his erection before bursting into a fit of laughter, pulling her close to him.

Letting out one last chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing a small kiss to her earlobe. "We don't need to do anything today, if you don't want to," There was a reason for cold showers. Minako pulled back and let her mouth tighten as she looked away shyly, then down at him. "You think I'm cruel enough to leave you like that?" she said flatly, squeezing his length, enjoying how he closed his eyes and arched his back. "I was just surprised. That's all. You know me-I can take anything." she grinned proudly and Akihiko stroked her head. "Yeah... Yeah, you can, Minako." Akihiko ignored the comparisons he was making and sighed, "I guess we'll have to continue." Akihiko, though aroused beyond belief, dreaded the thought of hurting her more than anything.

She gave a pout before whispering, "Don't look so upset." She then grasped him in her hands and gave the head of his erection a tentative lick, gauging his reaction, when satisfied she moved on to lick up and down his length listening to the low shudders he let out. At this moment, Akihiko was hers. Despite the straightforward confessions and the touching and the... the loving. The insecurity she felt ate away at her. She didn't want him to know-to know that she was scared and that she might not be able to trust him yet. The thought of every person that had left her remained a deep scar, no matter how simple the act. She didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to be with Akihiko at this moment-it could all come later. At this moment, Minako trusted who she was with him as well as the man himself. The girl allowed herself a pleasure at that moment; a pleasure that was rarely indulged in: a true smile.

"Are you ready?" Akihiko's low voice was unusually husky as it brought her back to reality. All their clothes were gone and Akihiko as lying on top of her, asking for approval. She took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm ready."

Akihiko leaned down so she could wrap her legs and arms around him and whispered in her ear, "Hey, Minako." He inched further inside her. "Yeah?" The brief thought that this didn't hurt as much as she imagined quickly dissipated as Akihiko was nestled fully inside of her. "I love you." She grinned. It didn't even hurt. Not with this boy to ease her pain. "I love you, too, Akihiko."

Slowly, he began to move inside her, allowing her to adjust to his size. She let out a soft gasp and pulled him tigher, nails digging into his skin as he moved within her. Minako grabbed at Akihiko's body, desperate for contact-desperate for love. She closed her eyes and let Akihiko think that the tears that flowed down her cheeks were from pain. She refused to let him know the simple and heart-wrenching fact: It would all be over soon. She would be over.

The two held one another in a simple silence. The boxer, with his firm arms around her while she held the hand the was strewn across her body. Akihiko only chuckled and stroked her hair as she pulled the sheets tighter towards herself. She couldn't sleep. All her feelings came rushing through in a hurricane within her. The silence she could hear outside her body was painfully soft. Her head throbbed as she turned around and gave Akihiko a soft kiss on the mouth. He smiled into this kiss. "We'll always be together." she murmured, allowing the lie to slip past her lips. Akihiko closed his eyes after a moment and whispered, "It's not a lie. Whether we're all destroyed or, if we all forget everything about one another. There's always going to be a part of me that's meant for you, and you alone." The boy knew her much too well. Perhaps this was the reason she could never trust him. Oh, her fear, the fear that nearly destroyed her. The fear Akihiko stopped. That was the reason he couldn't be trusted. She'd destroy not only herself; but this boy.

She smiled at the thought. Then cried. Then loved until she couldn't love anymore, watching as Akihiko repeated the process-one step behind her.

'Are you alright? Oh, thank god. I couldn't find you. I-...I thought you might of gone off somewhere.' His eyes wide and fearful, were now soft with hope. 'I remember now-everything that happened, the fighting, Tartarus, all of it...'

Minako stared as the boy spoke with such hope. Don't... Don't do that. You'll only-

And how I fell in love with you. He murmured. Shy smile and evading eyes. I'm sorry, I forgot it all.

She could hear the others coming closer. Her own apology was slipping out. Tears. It was all she could offer, for her voice was drifting as well as her mind.

'But everyone remembers now...'

Minako's eyes felt heavy. She didn't have the energy to get up-to warn them of the hurt.

'And starting now... We'll never be apart.'

As she took one last glimpse of this world before she... parted. The man she loved, wracked with sobs and looks of terror on all her friend's faces, she smiled. I shouldn't of trusted them, as they shouldn't of trusted me, she thought as she took Ryoji's hand, going into a cocoon of emptiness.

They trusted destruction-and now they were destroying themselves.