The Other Chance

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own anything connected with Persona, Atlus or ancient deities used for cultural influence. I only own myself. Whoopie.

Author Note: Reviewers; your reviews have been very helpful and critical, keep it up. I will, hopefully, be writing more in the future. Thanks to everyone that subscribed to my story. It means a lot. Thanks for the support my friends.

Chapter 10: Starting Tomorrow…

April 21, 2009: Tartarus

Yukari pulled the trigger. The world shifted again. Io practically erupted from the depths of Yukari's soul. Her Persona, Io, sat upon a large, curved, floating seat with chains connecting her to her throne.

The seated figure of Io suddenly thrust her whole being forward. As she did, a powerful force of pure wind, that seemed to come out of nowhere, ruptured through the halls and directly toward the Lion Shadow.

The beast howled as the winds began ripping it asunder. It made a valiant effort to stand its ground but in the end the wind tore the beast apart.

With a final howl it collapsed and dissipated.

No one moved. They stared at the spot where the Lion Shadow had fallen. It was Akio that discovered words first.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" his voiced erupted through the area.

Everyone turned back to him. He still could not stand and he looked exhausted. Junpei and Minato lifted and helped him to walk.

"We saw the teleporting device earlier," Yukari explained, "But we had to run when that Lion showed up." Akio didn't blame them. It was freaking lion. He'd of run too.

They all followed Yukari as she led them to the teleporter. Minako followed behind the boys, just in case more Shadows appeared.

When it came into clear view they all visible relaxed. It was finally over…for now. As they gathered around it, Akio smiled and said, "Great job, guys."

His voice was only a whisper but they heard it. It wasn't much but after the horrific trial they just survived, it was more than enough. To know he trusted and supported them was welcome enough but compliments?

Minako and Minato knew his compliments were rare and they probably wouldn't hear another for quite a while. Junpei and Yukari felt honored that their Senpai had acknowledged them. Akio…well, he gave the compliment so…he felt pretty good about it.

Yukari pressed a weird looking button on the teleporter and everyone was surrounded in a bright green flash.

When the green flash died down they found themselves standing at the entrance to Tartarus.

"Welcome back!" Mitsuru congratulated them. Everyone turned to see their very worried Senpai.

Despite the fact that it was a loaded question, Akihiko had to ask. "So, how was it?"

Six sets of eyes glared at him with the fury of a thousand suns. Mitsuru especially, gave him a look colder than the arctic winds. Only Akio spoke to him. "I'm no longer surprised you broke your arm!"

Tension was high but surviving near death experiences did that to people. At least, it did to normal people…

"No problem!" Junpei voice sounded full of energy. Everyone looked to him as if he was on fire. It was no surprise he was like that but it still pissed them all off.

Akio decided to let it go and attempted to stand on his own. He was able to get upright, although he was a bit wobbly. Everyone watch him, ready to support him if he collapsed. Fortunately, for him, he didn't.

"Serious," Akio directed Mitsuru, "It's always like THAT? I'm surprised you two even managed to get to the stairs!"

Mitsuru and Akihiko shared a look. Akio caught it. "It's not usually like this, is it?" he asked them.

Mitsuru sighed, "I'd like to say you'll get used to it but…"

"Wait…What does that mean?" Yukari questioned, her temper returning. "We nearly died in there and it was only the first floor!"

Akihiko moved in front of Mitsuru, his face apologetic. "You may not believe this but…Usually there are only two or three Shadows on each floor."

Although it was excellent news, it raised excellent questions as well. "Then, what's so special about us?" Minato asked aloud.

"Perhaps it's because you all displayed excessive talent with your Personas," Mitsuru offered.

"Or because we went in with so many people," Akio interjected.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Akihiko told them. "Regardless of how many people enter the tower, it shouldn't affect how many Shadows appear on each floor. At least, that's what Ikutsuki said."

Akio scoffed. Any information from "That man" was skeptical at best. It didn't matter how long everyone else had experienced the Dark Hour, Akio knew that this misfortune was an omen. And a bad one at that.

However, no matter how overwhelming it felt, they still managed to come out ahead. No one was critically injured. He could still walk…barely. And best of all, Minato was gaining ground with Yukari. Just like Akio had planned. So in the end, all's well that ends well…

Okay. It was true that Akio was drained but he was uninjured for the most part. His pride had seen better days but he knew he'd get over it. He'd have to. The twins and their friends would see to that. Like it or not, they were tough enough to take care of themselves.

Akio would still worry but that was kind of his thing…at least he thought so.

As if knowing Akio was thinking about them, Junpei grinned and said, "Wow…I never knew I had that kind of power!"

At first, Akio was surprised by the level of Junpei's energy. "But damn, I'm beat…" the baseball cap boy whined. Akio suddenly felt both relieved and unimpressed. He was beat too.

"That's cause you were bouncin' around like a little kid," Yukari pointed out to Junpei. Junpei responded by glaring back at her and saying, "You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually…" she sighed.

"Well, we were doing an awful lot of fighting. It's no surprise we're so exhausted," Minato pointed out.

"Yeah, but I feel even more tired than I think I should…" Minako retorted breathing heavily herself.

Mitsuru returned to her bike, grabbed some bottles of water and proceeded to hand a bottle to each of them. As she finished to addressed them, "That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily."

Well, didn't that just sound dandy. They'd only been in there for about 20 minutes. A whole hour seemed like a nightmare on steroids. Before anyone could complain Mitsuru finished, "Don't worry, though, you'll adapt."

She smiled at them, "But I'm surprised…You all did much better than I expected…in spite of the circumstances." She grinned back at Akihiko. "At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

Akihiko could only return the grin. "Heh, we'll see about that." Akihiko and Mitsuru seemed to share a connection that Akio envied.

Friendship was not something he had ever really considered. He'd always spent time with his siblings and no one else. Seeing Akihiko and Mitsuru mess with each other made him infinitely aware of the fact that he had no real friends.

'I think it's time I change that…damn,' he thought to himself. Suddenly, his legs gave out.

Unfortunately, no one was fast enough to catch him either. Akio fell to his knees and then on his side. He had no energy left. He was tired and needed sleep…sleep good for Akio.

Minato and Minako felt ashamed that they didn't catch their brother as he fell. But the feeling faded when they realized he was asleep. All panic fluttered away and they only sighed in disappointment.

Well, not disappointment…Okay, maybe a little. Part of it was relief but that didn't stop the worry.

"He gonna be okay?" Minako concernedly asked her Senpai as they examined him.

Mitsuru smiled at her concern. "Yes, he's only overexerted himself…To be honest, I expected this might happen."

Everyone looked to her with concern. Mitsuru felt the eyes on her. She could have ignored them. Used her vast control of language to consul them. But she didn't want to hide it anymore. She couldn't let herself hide her suspicions anymore.

"Your brother is…special," she tried to explain, "I'm not sure why exactly. We all know he's very strong and very protective but…his power is nothing like anything we've ever seen."

Yukari felt her heated feelings beginning to rise again and could not stop herself from confronting Mitsuru.

"There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?" she was demanding, not asking.

Mitsuru held her ground, her resolve unshaken. "His Arcana is Death. The most powerful and feared of all the Arcana," her eyes became hard, "The 13th Arcana is…supposedly uncontrollable. Yet, he is able to use it. Not only that, it seems to effect his entire being."

Minako approached Mitsuru, her eyes burning with rage. "What exactly are you trying to say, senpai?"

Minato followed right behind her, his demeanor cool and menacing. Mitsuru found it hard to continue with everyone seemingly turning against her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Akihiko nod at her. He, at least, was there for her.

She turned back to them prepared for the worst. "I'm sorry if I upset you, all of you. It wasn't my intention," she tried to get them to understand. Her words had little effect. "Akio has a strong desire to protect. That desire fuels his Persona. And because he has such a rare Persona…I expected there to be…side effects of its use."

Even though her words made sense, the anger the trio felt was not dissipating. Mitsuru decided to try another tactic.

"I'm trying to say that I'm worried he'll over use his Persona and…" She stopped she didn't want to say it. She knew she had to but wished she didn't. "Overusing his Persona could have…disastrous affects his mind."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Minato practically threatened.

Mitsuru refused to avert her gaze from them. It was her duty not to run from this situation. "There is a chance that…overusing his Persona could potentially…shatter his consciousness."

The trio took in involuntary step back. They didn't need to ask what that meant. His mind could crumble. Be torn apart by his own power. And knowing Akio, he wouldn't hesitate to do it if it meant protecting his friends.

The twins looked to each other horrified. Yukari couldn't stop her hands from trembling. Junpei, who had managed to stay out of the confrontation, balled his hands into fists.

They didn't want to believe it. But they already had evidence. He had collapsed twice, each time after summoning his Persona. None of them felt hardly any adverse effects while he had shown several.

"This can't be real…" Yukari muttered. Minato and Minako looked at their peacefully sleeping brother. How could someone so strong...No. They wouldn't considered it.

"At present," Akihiko began, "He isn't in any danger. But if he keeps over working himself like this…" No one had to ask what he meant. Akio tended to push himself far beyond his capacity.

"There is good news though," Akihiko informed them, "Like Mitsuru said, his Arcana is effecting him but that doesn't mean it's necessarily all bad. Also has the potential to strengthen him. It will take time but eventually he should be able to overcome his…condition."

The twins moved back to Akihiko. "You mean...it's possible he'll…" Minako choked out.

"Yes," Mitsuru answered, "In fact, it's more likely that he'll become even stronger. But there is still a great risk."

"And that risk is his mind exploding?" Junpei asked as subtly as a freight train crashing into an orphanage.

"As long as he doesn't overuse the power of his Persona, then he should become more resilient to it." Mitsuru told them trying to give them hope. She also didn't want Akio to destroy himself with his overprotective tendencies.

He was a leader, even if he didn't want to be. He was smart, level headed, and above all…dependable. She had no doubt that he was best suited to lead them. If only he could learn to rely on them more…

"What can we do?" Yukari shyly asked. Everyone, even Junpei and Akihiko turned to Mitsuru for answers.

Mitsuru could only smile. With such wonderful people surrounding him, she knew he could overcome this hardship. He wasn't alone. All they really needed to do was help him realize that. She needed everyone else to realize it too.

"We need to be there for him. Protect him." She knew they understood. "We need to focus our defenses on him. If he is lost during a battle we are all lost. We all need to become stronger. Strong enough to stand beside him and support him and each other."

They all nodded and looked to him. He was their pillar. Their rock. They could gladly take the hit for him if need be.

Minato and Minako shared a look. This was their purpose. They would be strong enough to support their brother as he had always done. He was the reason they lived and they knew it.

Yukari though of how much Akio went out of his way for her. He cared. He didn't have to but he did. He reminded her of her father. She would not lose anyone else. She looked to the twins, embraced their resolve, and knew that her place was with them.

Junpei hated that he was obviously not as strong as Akio. But that really didn't matter to anymore. Akio had always been fair. Never looked down on him. And he'd be damned if he denied that he respected his senpai. Junpei knew he'd fight by Akio's side, no matter the danger.

Akihiko thoughts were only of the time he needed to recover. He didn't feel right, making Akio take such a heavy burden. Besides that, Akio was dependable guy that Akihiko knew he could trust. They were friend in the making. Or at least Akihiko wanted to believe that.

Mitsuru only felt guilt at this turn of events. She didn't want to place them in danger but knew it was not her choice. She decided long ago to support the cause but now, even with how slight it was, the cause had shifted. She knew she needed to trust him. He was worth fighting alongside.

Even if he didn't want it. Akio had won their respect, admiration, friendship…and he hadn't even tried. His Persona was not his only gift. He, himself, was a gift. He would never admit or acknowledge it but it was true. Just him being himself was enough.

Perhaps it was the desperateness situation. Perhaps it was karma. Or perhaps they all felt a kind of connection with him. Like they had always known him. Long before their meeting. As if fate had given them the chance to meet again.

Akio's sleep was disrupted by a sudden jerk. His eyes flew open to see Junpei leaning down to him in a precarious position.

That day, Akio tolerance for misunderstandings shank three sizes. He let out a blood-curdling scream and punched Junpei in the nose. Junpei fell back and hit his head on the ground.

Akio jumped up and noticed everyone gather around him, watching him, like he was on display. He blankly stared at everyone while they looked to him with concern. He also noted that they were still in Tartarus.

"I get molested and you guys just watch!" he shouted. His panic seemed amusing to them because starting with his siblings, they all erupted into laughter. Except for Junpei, who was shell-shocked.

"And now you laugh at my pain. I need a shower," his tone was slowly returning to normal. He perceived that maybe he was overacting.

Amid the laughter Yukari said, "Junpei just wanted to show you how much he cared." Her tone scared Akio. It was far too sweet.

"That's not what I said!" Junpei screamed at her. "All I said was that I'd carry him because Akihiko-senpai's injured!"

Wait. Carry. Injured. Senpai. It all rushed back. After they had returned, he passed out. It all made sense…That didn't make the current situation any better but at least he wasn't confused as to why Junpei had become so "friendly".

Minako snuck up behind Akio and leapt onto his back, wrapping her hands around his neck. "You really thought you were gonna get raped, didn't ya!" she squealed at him.

"Yes, yes I did. Now, will you all please tell me what the hell's going on before you all give me a heart attack?" he said prying his sister off him.

Mitsuru, still smiling, walked up to him. "It seems you overused your power," she explained. "Overusing your Persona can lead to extreme exhaustion." She felt bad, not telling him the full truth but at this point she figured the truth would do more harm than good.

Akio looked to her confused. "And this justifies the attempted rape, how!" he shot at her.

From behind him Junpei shouted, "It's not like that! I just wanted to help."

"Stay out of this Junpei," Akio pointed at him, "You are a victim too. They forced you to do this!"

Akio was obviously being overly dramatic on purpose. It was his way of coping with the shame of being the only one to pass out. He assumed it worked as no one really seemed upset, aside from Junpei but that was expected.

"Anyway," Minato interrupted, "Now that you're awake, I think we'd better be going."

Akio decided to drop the act. "Yeah, I've had enough of tower from hell for one night."

As they all headed for the door, Akio noticed that they were all extremely quiet. Despite their idle chatter, everyone seemed really down. Akio couldn't help but find fault with himself. He must have let them down, he felt.

'They probably are worried that I won't be an effective leader now…damn' he cursed himself as he made his way out.

Akio knew he needed to change his attitude. He'd spent far too much time being concerned solely with this siblings and himself and not enough time enjoying life. He'd start tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow'd be a great time to start.

They all left the tower from hell each unaware of the newfound resolve they all had for the future.

April 22, 2009: SEES Dorm

Sleep came easy to Akio that night. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was out.

He awoke in the morning to his buzzing clock. With a swift smack, it was silent. He forced himself out of bed. As he prepared for his day, a thought dawned on him. He hadn't dreamt that night.

It was incredibly unusual for him. He always had hazy dreams. He couldn't remember a night when he didn't see vague images of unexplainable events.

Often he would dream about having friends. Not just dream of hanging out with random people. No. It was always the same people. Their faces were fuzzy but he knew it was always the same group of people. Sometimes a little dog would be with them. Sometimes a younger kid. Sometimes they were out having fun. Sometimes just eating a meal together.

The strangest thing was, every time he had one of those dreams, it felt like something was pushing him away from them. Like something was desperately trying to stop the dream from occurring.

He would usually awaken in a cold sweat, trying to remember the dreams. The dreams always faded fast from his memory, no matter how hard he tried to remember. In the end, all he remembered was the simplest of details.

'Dreams of a past life…damn,' he often joked with himself. The dreams were like déjà vu. He could swear to seeing them before but obviously it was impossible since most of his dreams involved fighting horrific monsters…

'Wait…' he thought his head jerking up all of a sudden. 'The dreams…' He concentrated on them for a moment. For some reason he felt that his dreams of battling monsters was similar to…

Just then a loud knock. "Hey! Hurry up in there or we'll leave you behind!" he heard a familiar voice shout to him. Minako certainly did have a subtle way with words…and actions.

He forgot what he was thinking about, remembering an assembly was scheduled for today. The perfect chance for a nap. He grabbed his bag and wooden sword and rushed to meet his siblings and friends.

Junpei came with them to school, since he now lived in the same dorm. They initially didn't mind the company but soon Junpei began being his usual "Impress everyone with my lack of knowledge" self.

Akio felt like calling him out on the idea that homework was a conspiracy to get students to waste paper to speed up the process of global warming. In the end, Akio decided not to because to his non-functioning, sleepy mind…the theory was sound.

They reached the school and headed for the assembly. Akio slipped away from everyone to sit with his class. He noticed Akihiko sitting alone and approached.

"Moring," Akihiko greeted a yawning Akio. "Whatever," Akio replied, still yawning.

"Better not fall asleep during the assembly," the boxer warned. Akio looked to him puzzled.

"Will I be shot?" he questioned sarcastically. Akihiko's face became grim; something Akio would learn came from fear.

"Worse," Akihiko said lowering his head and shuddering. "What's worse than being shot," Akio asked taking the empty seat next to him.

Akihiko's head shot up and Akio saw the intense fear in his eyes. "Mitsuru," was all the silver-haired young man said.

Akio looked at him skeptically and said, "I think I can handle her."

Akihiko grabbed Akio by the collar and pulled him in closer to whisper, "That because you've never been through one of her…Executions!" Akio noted the fear in Akihiko's eyes turning into panic. Whatever Mitsuru had done to him in the past left scars deeper than craters.

Akio thought back to how fierce and determined Mitsuru often…well, always was. Imagining her capabilities with the vast amount of wealth and power her family had was not hard and it was enough to make him willingly beat his head on a chair to wake up. Which he did, much to Akihiko's surprise and dismay.

It couldn't be helped. Mitsuru was Student Council President and therefore would be speaking today. Although his methods of staying awake were often painful, they were incredibly effective…most of the time. He would stay awake for this. Even if it killed him. Which, at the moment, it just might.

Akihiko grinned a bit at Akio's newfound determination to stay among the living. He knew he'd never be bored as long as Akio was round.

"So, we're in the same class…" Akio said spontaneously. Akihiko was taken aback by the comment.

"Yeah…" he began.

"I never really noticed until now," Akio interrupted.

Akihiko eyes widened. "You didn't notice until NOW!" he exclaimed.

Akio response was to shrug. "I usually sleep all through class so…"

Akihiko face-palmed. How did this extraordinary young man survive this long without help? Akihiko was glad he took it upon himself to keep an eye on him. Maybe this way, they'd survive Mitsuru's insane perfectionist tendencies together.

Before they could talk further, they heard Mitsuru being announced. They looked up to her with a mixture of camaraderie, fear, and admiration. Strange emotions to mix if you've never tried.

As Mitsuru took the stand, the young men couldn't help but notice how majestic she looked. Not that it was any different from other days but for some reason she looked more…radiant.

Akio felt it and leaned forward a bit. She had a kind of mystic aura surrounding her that bathed her in a light of radiance. Akio cursed himself for not staying awake in class to get to know her better. He was even jealous of Akihiko because at least he was on friendly terms with her.

Mitsuru began her speak, disrupting his thoughts. She started with a simple introduction but quickly turned to the pressing issues.

Accepting responsibility for bettering the school – The commitment it takes to succeed in life – Digging deep down into yourself to find the motivation to unleash your inner strength – Working toward a bold future without losing sight of reality…

Akio had to stop listening for a second. This all seemed far too familiar to him. He looked back at her, stunned. She was using the speech as a method of motivating him. Well, not just him, but all the Persona-users.

'Crafty bitch…damn,' he couldn't help but be impressed. Not often someone finds a way to secretly encourage their companions while addressing a large number of uninvolved people. Now, he was sure of it…Mitsuru was definitely a woman to be feared…and respected.

Before he realized it, Mitsuru had thanked everyone and left the stage. An eruption of clapping and cheers followed. Mitsuru was definitely the most popular girl in the entire school. Hell, maybe the whole country of Japan.

Akio looked to Akihiko and noticed the same kind of admiration in his eyes. Something else was there too…longing maybe? Akio wasn't sure and didn't have time to ponder before everyone was shuffled off to class.

As Akihiko and Akio approached the classroom they noticed Mitsuru advancing toward them. She was obviously pleased with herself but had something else on her mind.

"Nice speech," Akio congratulated her as she neared them.

"Thank you," she replied politely. "Frankly, I'm surprised you were awake for it."

Ice ran through Akio's veins. The message was infinitely clear. Even so, Mitsuru continued. "I realize that transferring here must have been difficult but that's no reason to let yourself become lax with your schoolwork."

The smile on her face did not conceal the icy meaning to her words. She might as well have hit him with a brick that had "STAY AWAKE" plastered on it. The scary thing was…her words did more damage than even a slab of concrete might have done to him.

Akio laughed nervously. "Yeah…my bad," he squeaked out. Mitsuru continued smiling and slowly brushed past him.

"Well, we'd best be going," she informed them, "We wouldn't want to be late." She kept walking as Akio and Akihiko stayed at a safe distance.

When they reached the classroom, Mitsuru entered first and Akihiko whispered to Akio. "Welcome to hell." Akio shuddered.

"Hell is cold…" he sighed as he and his fellow survivor headed for room.

On that day, Akio officially "began" to learn.

To Be Continued…

Sorry it took so long to update. Finals are this coming and I was needing time to work on them. There is something I wanted to mention, in case no one realized it yet. I am not writing this story from a game point of view. Rather it is from a story point of view. Because of this I am leaving out the ideas of social links and leveling. It is purely the story with no video game influences. It's hard to write but well worth it.

As always, please R and R. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. I will try to respond if I can. Flames will be used to cook marshmallows.