DISCLAIMER: I do not own Persona 3 Portable.

Fall to Pieces

Chapter 9: Life Goes On

I look straight at Sugimoto's eyes. I don't avoid her gaze. I don't let her think I'm afraid of her stare, they say that a person avoiding looking at someone's eyes is trying to hide something. Well, I'm not hiding anything. And if there was, I won't ever let her have an idea of it.

At some point she might have gotten tired of the silence, my other therapists were just fine sitting there drinking in silence, but I guess Sugimoto isn't that type.

She cocks an eyebrow and says, "You were part of the volleyball team on your previous school?"

It was more of a statement rather than a question. I just nod.

"Why don't you join Gekkoukan's volleyball club?"

"Is there a point?"

The right side of Sugimoto's mouth curls up.

Ah, no, that was the wrong answer.

"I mean, it doesn't benefit me in any way," I shrug.

"What if it does?"

"If statements are useless conjectures of situations that are based on probability. I don't like them."

She gives me a look that can be clearly interpreted as 'trying to be a smart-ass, are you?' But then she's the one who changes tactics.

"Why did you join the team before then?" She picks up a file, probably my file, that's been sitting on top of her table the entire time. "Not only did you join but you were team captain there, same as when you were in middle school too. You even managed to get to the nationals."

I wait for her to say 'what happened?' because that's the line they usually have come after to these types of statements but she doesn't say it. She only looks at me, waiting for me to give an explanation, a reasoning for such behavior, to justify my decision.

I blink.

"Yeah, that's right. We got to nationals. But why bother? Looking back all I got was sore limbs, backaches, injuries, and sweating. So much sweating! Have I told you how much I hate the feeling of sweat?"

She nods leafing through the papers, as if acquiescing to my response.

"I see. So, you think it's not worth it. Why did you work hard in the first place?"

I smile. "I just hate losing."

Sugimoto smiles back amused.

"Senpai, I've liked you for a long time. Please go out with me."

The girl's cheeks were red when she spoke. He doesn't even know her name. And he couldn't remember, for the life of him, if he had seen her before.

Akihiko was no stranger to those words but the person who uttered them was a complete stranger to him. Such an occurrence he was also very much familiar with, but that didn't mean that he doesn't feel awkward in these situations anymore. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to it.

From the color on the girl's indoor shoes, he could surmise that she's a junior, but that was it. Nothing else rings a bell. Her face seems to gleam with whiteness from some kind of powder. Her lips shiny like she ate something oily. And her lashes are so long, thick, and upright strands that they resemble a spider's legs. Akihiko has no idea about female trends but he has never seen Mitsuru this way. Although this look seems to be common to a lot of girls that sometimes he can't quite distinguish them.

The girl was standing in front of his locker when he arrived, as if waiting to ambush him. No, not ambush, that word is more appropriate during the fights he accompanied Shinjiro with back in middle school. They got 'ambushed' quite frequently at random places. This girl was 'waiting' for him in front of his locker.

There aren't any students around anymore, given that it's after club practice. Luckily. Or it would really feel like an ambush. He disliked those moments a lot, being confessed to in front of a crowd makes him a lot more tired. There were a lot of gazes, and murmurs, and squeals.

Akihiko kept staring at the girl in front of him with a scowl in between his brows, trying as hard as he could to recognize her. Last time, he didn't recognize a former classmate of his who confessed to him, he was yelled at as being obnoxious.

"Uh…" Akihiko starts, but was interrupted.

"I know you're busy with club practice and for preparation for university. If you don't want to date, we can be just friends with benefits!" The girl exclaims, her voice lilting in a sickly dripping tone that Akihiko doesn't understand why she has to speak that way.

"Friends with what?" He knows you benefit from each other when you are friends, in good times and bad times, just as his relationship with Shinji. But why does the girl have to specify that it has to be with benefits?

The girl was about to say something again when a restrained laughter resounds, and a female figure walks out from behind the opposite lockers. It's the transfer student.

"Sorry…sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she waved one hand while the other covers her mouth, still trying to restrain her laughter as she speaks.

The 'girl who confessed' glares at her while Akihiko felt embarrassed.

Arisato clears her throat and grins. "Go on," she gestures a 'shooing' motion with her hand, "I'll be going now. I won't disturb you."

True to her words she walks away towards the main door across. Both Akihiko's gaze and the girl follows her. But before she could get far away, Akihiko hurriedly ends the conversation.

"I don't know what you mean by friends with benefits, but yeah we could be friends. I don't have any plans to go out with anyone. Excuse me, but I need to open my locker." He says straight without pause in a leveled tone.

The girl's cheeks grow redder than before. She stomps her feet and runs away. Akihiko exhales with a relieve breath.

Finally, he can get to his locker.

From today onwards Minako Arisato is going to be sitting beside Yukari.

According to Ms. Toriumi, it was a common consensus between teachers and the guidance counselor that Arisato needed to change seats because she was most often, if not always, sleeping during class hours. Sitting at the last row beside the window enables this behavior, and placing Arisato beside a good responsible student would be the best course of action, not to mention would also help Arisato with her studying since her grades are currently below average.

But this bothers Yukari (out of all the students why does it have to be her). And so does Arisato it seems, from the way she glares at the blackboard while Ms. Toriumi discusses the lesson for the day in front of the class it's quite obvious.

Yukari is completely lost in her musings which is why she was startled when suddenly Ms. Toriumi called on Junpei.

"So Iori, if you were really listening, tell me at least one theme I mentioned that is portrayed in Natsume Soseki's novel Kokoro," says Ms. Toriumi.

But of course, Junpei wasn't really listening, or if he was, well, he didn't actually understand much about Composition class, or any class for that matter.

"Uh...that's um...well..." Junpei stalls.

Yukari is simply thankful she's not the one who got called; she has no idea what to answer either.

Ms. Toriumi scowls while everybody just watches Junpei stammer.

Out of the blue Arisato picks up her pen. Yukari glances at her new seatmate. The notebook at her desk is completely blank. And then Arisato writes in big script 'isolation'.

It seems Junpei had also seen what Arisato did, because suddenly he says the written word in an excited giddy voice, almost yelling.

Ms. Toriumi raises an eyebrow, looks at Arisato then back to Junpei and says with a sigh, "Yes, that is correct," and then continues the lecture.

Junpei scoots closer behind her and then whispers to Arisato, "Thanks Mina-tan."

"Whatever" her seatmate says in reply.

Yukari doesn't need to look at Junpei to know he's grinning.

"Wooaah! I've found one of the urban legends of Gekkoukan!"

An exaggerated surprised voice sounded behind Shinjiro. Against his better judgement he turns around. And as certain as he was, it is indeed the transfer student.

She grins at him, like a cat who ate a sparrow and got away with it. He raises an eyebrow.

She stretches out both her arms, gesturing towards him. "You're at school!"

"Tch!" He should have just ignored her. He turns away, and resumes walking towards the back of the school. She follows him though.

"Are you going to smoke?"

…

"Can I have some?"

…

"Do you not like school?"

…

"Does Mitsuru-senpai also annoy you?"

…

She kept on asking him questions and he kept on ignoring her. Her chatter is like white noise but he doesn't stop her.

When they get to the wall near the school's large trash bin, her tone suddenly turns serious and her eyes suddenly inquisitive, losing the playfulness from a while ago.

"Do you feel insecure with Akihiko-senpai?"

This time Shinjiro looks back at her and frowns.

"You're awfully nosy, aren't you?"

She smiles at him somewhat deprecatingly.

"Not anymore I think"

They stare at each other for a while, and when he realizes that she's not going to talk anymore, he throws his bag over the wall. The action seems to wake her from a daze.

"Are you going to skip?" She asks, her eyes brightening as Shinjiro pulls himself up the wall. Somehow, the look on her face reminds him of a hamster eager for a meal.

When he's about to jump down on the other side she yells excitedly, "Can I go with you?"

He just sneers at her and leaves.

From the other side he could hear a security guard bellowing.

Beams of light from the setting sun shone through the windows, casting an orange glow inside the room. Two female high school students sat in front of a laptop watching a video. They watched as sweat glided down from the forehead of the girl in the video, her chest heaving with deep exhausted breaths. Blood trickled down from her covered knee. A fire burning in her eyes as she stared straight across from her. She moves to a stance, tosses the ball in the air, and hits the ball with her palm. A loud sound echoes in the video and a white image flies across the air.

One of the girls pauses the video and asks "What do you think?"

Rio wets her lips and looks back at the Student Council President's sharp eyes.

"It's amazing. I don't think our club could ever be like that."

Mitsuru sighs and shakes her head. She leans back on the chair, and crosses her legs and her arms in front of her. "If you think like that from the start then it's no surprise you'll lose."

"I understand, but even so…"

"The boxing club, the archery club, and the kendo club are bringing home championships every year. The swimming team and track are very competitive and always gets a place. It's just the volleyball team that always loses from the beginning of the season. Don't you even feel a little bit…dismal?" The Student Council President paused at the end, as if she tried to find a word that is least offensive.

But it still makes Rio feel a sting on her chest. "It's not like we don't try…"

"Try…" Mitsuru mutters, tasting the word in her mouth. "Trying isn't enough, I'm sure you've realized."

Rio lowers her head, hiding the moistness she could feel threatening to fall.

"I'm not saying it's all your fault."

'But it's still some of my fault, huh?' Rio thought.

Mitsuru stared at the volleyball club's captain, Iwasaki. She looks quite pitiful. She's not intimidating her. On the contrary, Mitsuru just wants to help her improve the standing of Gekkoukan's volleyball team. When one division does not put out good results the leader must find ways to improve its performance. That's one of the things her father has taught her.

"Which is why I showed you this video. Have you heard of her, the transfer student?"

"Yes, she's become very popular."

"Yes, that she has. I'll have her join the team."

"Will she?" Rio asks, doubtful. She has her reasons to be, the things she's heard, well, she thinks that person is quite difficult.

"She will, don't worry." The Student Council President says matter-of-factly, as if she was completely certain that the transfer student couldn't say no.

'But even if the transfer student does join, nobody in the club likes to practice.' Rio sighs, she couldn't find it in her to tell this to the President though.

A/N: Hi! It's been a long long long time since I updated and used FFNet. I even forgot how to post new chapters. ;P

I do read all of your reviews, I'm so touched and motivated, but sometimes writing just doesn't come as easy. I do want to finish this story too, I really do.

This chapter isn't thoroughly proofread, so if you find any errors please do tell me. I wanted to make this chapter longer but I thought 'it started with volleyball then I'm gonna end it with volleyball.'