A/N: And after a while, here's the next one! Not only did I start over, like, a million times, but I also had to fight an oncoming cold (which I'm just getting over as I'm typing this… D: ).

Thanks to Angel-Ii-Demoni for the review!

Disclaimer: I don't own P3/FES/Portable. It's all (c) to Atlus.

Chapter 3
Powerless

Summer 1996

If someone asked Akihiko what he thought of orphanages, he wouldn't be able to give an honest answer. Despite being here a few months now, he still wasn't really used to the place.

Kamiya was right when he said that a child would be adopted into a new family. Not that he knew what being adopted meant, but he remembered seeing the girls huddled around a teary-eyed Yuu. After that he never saw her again.

He remembered seeing another couple talking with Reiko and Suoh and saw a nervous Kouji with them. Two days later, he never saw him around Masaru and Kenta anymore.

Even Ichigo, who he had only talked to once or twice, was seen leaving with a rather well-dressed man and woman who had their own butler. Suoh looked a bit teary-eyed as she saw him off. Ichigo had run back to her and hugged her legs, but she ruffled the boy's hair and told him it was okay. He let go, and reluctantly headed through the front doors.

Even though he barely knew them, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. It must have been just him, because when he tried talking to Reiko, she simply told him, "Kids come and go through here all the time. It's just how things are. It's like a family that's always changing." She then proceeded to tell him some stories about children that came through the doors in the past. While he didn't care that one or two of them easily reminded her of Masaru and Kenta, he could sense that she was attached to them, and she was generally glad to have been a mother figure to them and helped them in some way or another.

"Reiko-san?" he asked when she finished.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Do you think that someone's gonna adopt me an' Miki?"

The old woman gave him a wry smile. "I wouldn't worry about it, Akihiko-kun. You've been through a lot of stuff since you came here, and you're still just a kid. I'm pretty sure your Mom and Dad in heaven wouldn't want to see you and your little sis all sad and stuff, do they?"

Akihiko shook his head. "Nuh-uh."

"Good. They may not be here anymore, but they're still lookin' after you. Just remember that, 'kay?" She reached an arm out and ruffled his hair. "Now, go on and be a kid. You're gonna grow up sooner than you know it."

Akihiko started to turn and run, but then he remembered his manners. "Th-thank you, Reiko-san!" he said gratefully before he left.

Naganaki Shrine - Afternoon

"Just think, from now till September, we won't have to worry about school, Atsu-chan~!"

From his perch atop the horizontal bars, Shinjiro turned his head to see Mai and Atsuko by the slide, talking to each other like they always did. How they could stand there blabbing about pointless things, he still couldn't quite understand. Aside from calling Aki an idiot whenever he did something stupid he never really talked to him. All he did was play with his sister anyway, and she always hid behind him whenever she saw him, like he was a monster or something.

"Oh, Mai, you know the summer festival's coming up in a week, right?" Atsuko squeaked. "This'll be our last one as elementary school students, ne?"

"I forgot about that! I can't wait to finally wear a yukata again! I know exactly what mine will look like."

"Me, too!"

To the lone boy's displeasure, Atsuko looked up to him with a smile. "Shinjiro-kun should come, too."

He scoffed. "Don't wanna. Festivals are stupid."

"That's only because you've never been there," Mai pointed out. "Way ruin the mood, Atsu-chan."

"Why do you always have to be like that, Mai?" her friend shot back.

"Well, aren't you all lively today?"

The children turned to see Suoh approaching them from the altar building. She was giving them a happy smile, though Shinjiro could see, even from the top of the bars, that her eyes were red and puffy, as though she had been crying.

"We were just talking about the summer festival, Suoh-san." Mai was always so quick to speak. "I know exactly what kind of yukata I'm wearing this year."

"That's nice. What about you, Atsuko-chan?"

"Um, I don't know yet. Are you going to the summer festival this year, Suoh-san?"

Suoh just nodded. "I've never missed one, have I?"

"Great!" Atsuko squeaked. "Wear a yukata, too, please?"

"Please, please!" Mai chimed in, tugging the woman's shirt.

"Alright, alright, I will."

"Yes!" The girls exchanged pleased grins.

"Now that that's out the way, let's go home. Shinjiro?"

The boy had just reached solid ground and still had one hand on a bar. He only nodded in reply and started for the shrine steps ahead of the females.

"Shinjiro, stay where I can see you," Suoh called after him.

Orphanage, 1st Floor, Playroom - Afternoon

"Give it back, Masaru! That's Miki's!"

"Come and get it then! Aki-freak-o!"

The rest of the children just sat there and watched as the two boys darted about. Masaru apparently decided today was "Tease the Little Kids Day" and snatched Miki's rabbit right from her hands as she and Akihiko entered the room. The girl promptly started howling for her "Usa-kun," and Akihiko's blood started boiling.

That was about five minutes ago.

"Give it back!" the silver-haired boy shouted, nearly stumbling as he once again grabbed at air.

"I'm telling Reiko-san!" Hanabi called out at them before leaving the room. Shinobu followed after her, leaving Sakuya with Miki, who was trying her best to comfort the toddler, but found herself covering her ears at the screaming.

"Hey, aniki, he looks like he's gonna start cryin'!" Kenta jeered from the other side of the room.

"Trip him!" Hiro demanded, pumping his fists.

Masaru grinned at them mischievously, and then stuck his foot out as he sidestepped the silver-haired boy once again while keeping the stuffed rabbit hostage in his hand, held above his head. It worked all too well.

*THUD!*

The sound was enough to make the remaining kids cringe. Miki's screaming only got louder.

Akihiko was staring at his face in the mirror. One bandage covered a cut above his eye, another over the bridge of his nose. Nothing could be done for the cut inside his mouth, and it made his jaw throb in pain.

Sure, it hurt him, but hearing Miki's wailing was a lot more unbearable.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears. He couldn't face Miki like this. He was the big brother. He had to be strong, his mom and dad were always telling him that…

… Falling on his face just meant what he had was not enough.

"Onii-chan."

Usa-kun was near his eye level when he turned his head.

"Onii-chan, okay?"

"Miki." Giving the toddler a small smile, he knelt down and pointed to his bandages. "See, Reiko-san made Onii-chan's all- ow…" He stopped talking, the cut in his mouth bothering him again.

She stared at him with worried eyes, as though she could see right through him. She held her rabbit up to him. "Take."

"No, Miki, that's your Usa-kun," Akihiko spoke slowly.

"Take!"

"Stop it, Miki!"

"Take~!" She shoved the stuffed rabbit in his face. He could feel its lone button eye on his cheek.

"I said no!" He swatted it away, and it landed on the floor with a soft thump.

Miki looked on for a full minute. Her tiny body trembled, and she started to pout.

Oh, no…

Her small hands balled into fists as she brought them to her face to rub her eyes free from tears.

Not again…

She hiccupped once, and started to sob.

Now he'd done it…

The sobbing escalated into wails. And he was still standing there.

"You stupid or something?"

Akihiko blinked. The brunette boy was standing in the doorway, hands stuffed into his pockets, eyeing him incredulously. How long had he been standing there?

Not even waiting for him to answer, Shinjiro stalked forward and snatched the fallen rabbit from the floor. Akihiko immediately tensed up. "Hey! That's Miki's!"

"I ain't takin' it, stupid. So shut up." It was enough to silence the silver-haired youth, who only watched as the other boy showed the toy to Miki. Once she noticed it in front of her, her sobbing stopped, and she took it from Shinjiro's outstretched hand.

Akihiko was starting to feel awkward now, so he decided he'd stare at his feet. "I… I was gonna do that, you know. You didn't hafta do anything."

"Tch. Whatever." The brunette stood up and started to walk away. He stopped just short of the doorway, however, removing his other hand from his pocket.

"You're a bad big brother."

The words stabbed the other boy like a knife. His previous unease turned to anger. "What do YOU know, Shinji? S'not like you got a brother or a sis… ow…" His hand covered his mouth; that cut was bothering him again. And now it felt worse thanks to the dull pain in his jaw.

"I don't. Least I ain't stupid, Aki. Your sister… Miki only wanted you to feel better."

The siblings looked on as he left, Akihiko feeling worse than before, Miki seemingly content, holding Usa-kun with one arm and waving at the brunette with the other.

"Bye-bye, Shinji."

Akihiko let out a sigh. He was starting to hate the hollow feeling in his stomach right now…

Orphanage, Dining Room - Late Evening

"What's on your mind, Suoh? You haven't touched your coffee."

Reiko was sitting directly across the table from her niece, brows furrowed. "Are you listening to me, Suoh? Oi!"

The younger brunette was idly tracing a circle around the rim of her mug with a finger, her gaze fixed nowhere in particular. At the sound of her aunt's voice, she blinked, brown eyes staring at the older woman as a sheepish grin crossed her features.

"Did you say something, Oba-san?"

Reiko pursed her lips, her wrinkled face sagging a little. "You're your father's kid through and through. While you were daydreaming, your coffee's getting cold."

"Oh…" Suoh didn't seem too concerned. "And you tell me not to waste things so much. Sorry, Oba-san."

"I'm not worried about that," Reiko said pointedly. "You've been moping about since you came back from the shrine."

The younger woman looked away from her. "I just went to visit him again. That's all."

"I heard from the kids you dragged with you today… including Shinjiro-kun," Reiko said matter-of-factly. "Strange, for a kid who tries to look like he's annoyed with everything, he's too nice to tell you he doesn't want to go there anymore."

The look of surprise was evident on Suoh's face, which only made her aunt smile. "You didn't know? Ha, that just shows you're a bit too soft."

"But, Oba-san…"

"Why would he talk to me instead of you? It's simple: you treat everyone- him more so than everyone else- like a regular kid. No kid here is an ordinary kid. They've got more of a load on their shoulders than regular kids."

Suoh nodded in reply, but she still looked troubled at the revelation. "… I see…" She got up from the table and started for the door.

"Suoh? What's the matter?" her aunt questioned, her voice concerned. "Where are you headed off to?"

"… To bed," she replied half-heartedly. "Thanks for the coffee. Sorry to waste it… I… I'll make sure the children are all asleep…"

"Alright then… 'Night, Suoh."

"Goodnight, Oba-san."

A/N: Funny how Shinji's the one with no siblings and he gets Miki to stop crying while calling insulting Aki again in the process. I bet even Miki sees that he's not all that scary, and she's two. And, yeah, Suoh's has a bit of baggage, too. Not too much, though, we don't need a Trauma Conga Line for an OC (*shot*).

See you next chapter!

-Kaze