Chapter 5: Deep Breath Deep Breath

Author's Note: Hi and welcome to Chapter 5! This chapter is quite long and would've been longer, but I decide to split it in half and make it into two chapters. Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story. Please review the story, it means a lot to see your thoughts and opinions on the story. I really liked this chapter, and I hope you do too.

"Go, Polydeuces!" yelled the white-haired boy.

With that, lightning struck down from seemingly out of nowhere weakening the foe to his knees.

"Now finish him off, Shinji," he added.

He took a huge battle axe, one that definitely compliments his own size, and struck down on the foe, cutting it in half with brute force alone. The Shadow disappeared into a plume of dust, and out erupted cheers of victory from the white-haired boy.

"Way to go, Shinji! We make one helluva team!"

"I'm sure the battle could've been over a lot sooner if he had helped out," Shinji said, pointing his finger towards me.

Somehow the focus of the conversation turned towards me, and I could see a frown form on Akihiko's face (the white-haired guy).

"Ahem," I cleared my throat. "I merely wanted to examine how you new recruits did and I must say you two did great."

"Did you notice how Shinjiro-san hadn't even used his Persona once? He must rely more on strength than anything." came a voice in my ear.

Since we have more than enough members now, Mitsuru volunteered to operate in the Command Room back at the dorm. She said her Persona, aside from actual fighting, could be used to gain battle information.

"Right. And did you see how fast Akihiko was, not to mention he's using his fists to beat the Shadows to a pulp. I think he's more open to the idea of Personas than Shinjiro," I replied back.

"I'll continue to gather data on the others, take care of yourself," she said.

I nodded to nothing in particular and proceeded towards the two, new members. They both came to the dorm two days after Yukari had arrived, and while they're entrance wasn't as dramatic as Yukari's, it certainly wasn't normal.

A Week Ago

I'd just woken up. The sunlight beaming through my windows had hit me like a bullet. I felt blind, my eyes were stinging and I think I felt a tear go down the side of my face.

"Ugh, I hate mornings," I groaned aloud.

I rolled off my bed and fell to the floor, my face and knees hitting the ground at the same time, resulting in extreme pain overall.

"Agh! I hate mornings!"

After that entire SNAFU, I got dressed and went downstairs to get some breakfast. However as I walked towards the stairs, I could hear the two girls arguing over something. Though I couldn't completely understand them, I could tell that they were both very angry. I sighed and continued on anyway.

"You are not cooking breakfast for us!" I could hear Mitsuru yell.

"Good! I only want to cook for me and him anyway!" I could hear Yukari retort.

"No no no no nononononono! Only I can cook for him. Why don't you just burn yourself a piece of toast," Mitsuru had said, as they both came into my view.

"What's that supposed to mean!? I can guarantee that I'm a better cook!" Yukari said, with a stamp of her foot.

"I'll have you know, Makoto has always loved my cooking. He can't get enough of it!"

"I'm sure if I was thrown into prison, I'd learn to love the food there as well!" Yukari replied triumphantly, obviously proud of her little jab.

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN!?" Mitsuru roared.

This is getting really out of hand. At this rate, I'm sure actual blood will be shed. As scary as it is, I guess I should intervene right now.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Yukari said as she inched closer.

"I'm sorry; I don't really understand what a plebian like you has to say. Obviously those of the lower class never have anything intelligent to say," Mitsuru said with a sinister smile on her face, one that I've never seen in my entirety of knowing her.

Also, Mitsuru had never used her class status to ever put anyone down. I never thought she acknowledged that her status was higher than those around her. I imagined she thought herself equal to others, or so I thought.

"You… y-you… YOU BITC—"Yukari stopped when she saw me walk into the kitchen.

"M-Makoto… Good Morning! D-did you sleep well?" Yukari had transformed entirely.

I saw Mitsuru, frown on her face, glance over at Yukari, and though I thought she was going to continue yelling at her, she said, "I would appreciate it if you'd call him Yuki, at the very least."

They'd both completely changed. One second ago they were at each other's throats, now it's as if they're comfortable strangers.

"Um, well I slept just fine. Were you two arguing about something?" I decided to pretend I didn't hear anything.

"Yes, we were trying to decide who should make breakfast," Mitsuru said softly. "How much of it did you hear?"

"I could hear you two, but I couldn't understand what you were saying," I lied.

"R-right," Mitsuru said, probably seeing straight through my lies.

Ever since we were little, Mitsuru could always tell when I was lying. When it came to me, she could read me like an open book.

Are my feelings and thoughts that open?

"Anyways," Yukari had started in a peppy voice. "Who do you want to cook breakfast, Mako-… Yuki-kun?"

"It's Yuki-san to you," Mitsuru hissed.

"Whatever," Yukari scoffed.

"Why don't I prepare breakfast for us all? Yukari, you just moved in, I don't want you to strain yourself," I said. "And Mitsuru you've done all the cooking, why not take a break?"

"It's fine Makoto, I love cooking for yo-"

Yukari cut her off when she said," Right! I am in your care, Yuki-kun!"

I smiled uneasily at them and sent them to the dining table.

At the table I began setting out three bowls. One in front of Mitsuru, another for Yukari, and finally one for me.

"Thanks Yuki-kun!" Yukari said with a smile and wink.

"Yuki-san, to you!" Mitsuru quickly snapped at her.

"It's fine, Mitsuru," I said with a smile.

She began to blush, "A-as l-long as i-it's f-fine with y-you."

"Sooo, what will you serve us Yuki-kun?" Yukari chimed in.

"I'm glad you asked."

Almost out of thin air, I produced cereal and milk out from behind my back. Both of the girls looked at each other, utterly confused. I proceeded to pour the contents of cereal and milk into each of our bowls and sat myself down to eat.

"B-but Makoto… what happened to croissants, éclairs, brioche, or even pain au chocolat?" Mitsuru questioned.

In truth, French cuisines were more of her style, besides I had no idea how to cook those.

Before I had a chance to explain, Yukari loudly squealed in delight.

"Mhmmm, this is so great Yuki-kun!" obviously exaggerating. "I really appreciate the thought you put into this meal, unlike a certain other person."

"R-right," I said, smiling very nervously.

Woman, it's just cereal and milk.

As if she was punched in the gut, Mitsuru's eyes widened. I saw her reach for her spoon and proclaimed aloud, "No one appreciates this meal more than I do, Makoto!"

She began to eat fast and furiously, as if she hadn't eaten in days. Yukari, shocked at what she was seeing, put on the most determined face she could produce and began to match the devouring speed of Mitsuru.

I never thought I'd see two girls eating cereal so ferociously. Today was certainly a day of firsts I thought.

"M-more!" Mitsuru yelled with a mouth full of cereal. She extended her bowl out towards me.

I quickly obliged and poured more milk and cereal into her bowl.

"M-m-more, pleashh!" Yukari had said with her mouth full as well.

I laughed nervously and tended to her bowl.

Immediately after Mitsuru had extended her bowl out once more. I could barely make out her saying 'more'. I frowned at her bowl when I saw it was nearly full.

"But Mitsuru, you haven't even finished this one yet…"

With mouth full, cheeks puffed, she sent me a glare that'd make a grown man cry. If I wasn't so terrified I'd probably be mesmerized by her cute appearance.

As I was distracted by Mitsuru, Yukari had also stuck out her bowl towards me.

"Yukari, you literally ate nothing from the second bowl…"

Instead of glaring at me, Yukari had put on the cutest set of 'puppy-dog' eyes I'd seen.

"Uhh," I gulped as both girls stared at me.

BANG-BANGBANG-BANG-BANGBANGBANG came from the door.

"Saved by the bell," I thought aloud as I got up and headed towards the door.

"Whot ish thad shupposhed to mhean?" they both asked at the same time, as I exited the room.

BANG-BANGBANGBANG-BANG continued the banging at the door.

"I'm coming!" I yelled.

Someone is making mad combos on the door.

But the banging still continued. As I got closer to the door I could hear two voices at the door.

"You shouldn't be beating the door like that," came one voice.

"You always got to be training, Shinji! Besides this door seems really sturdy," another voice replied, probably the one beating on the door.

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Unfortunately I was greeted by two consecutive jabs to the stomach and, as I doubled-over, an uppercut straight to the chin, which sent me flying onto my back.

"Shit, Akihiko. You just assaulted that guy." the one I'm assuming is Shinji, said calmly.

"Damn, my apologies," said the guy who knocked me on my back.

"Ugh, it's nothing," I groaned. "But getting assaulted by people I don't know is becoming routine nowadays."

As I opened my eyes I could see who I believe is Akihiko kneeling at my fallen body. He had white hair, unusual for someone our age, and looked really fit. From his t-shirt alone, you could see his biceps were clearly defined, impressive for someone our age.

The other who I'm assuming is 'Shinji' had long dark hair covered by a beanie. Despite the warmer weather, he wore a maroon pea coat and black jeans. If I didn't know better, I'd easily assume he's a delinquent.

"Seriously?" the white-haired boy questioned.

"Yeah," I laughed subtly. "I keep getting hit by people I don't k-"Akihiko cut me off.

"If getting hit by me was nothing for you, why don't you become my sparring partner!?"

And here I thought he was concerned about my health.

"Haha, you could at least introduce yourselves to me first," I say.

Akihiko stands up and slams his fist into his chest, "I'm Akihiko Sanada and this is my brother, Shinjiro Aragaki."

"We're not actually brothers," Shinjiro says clarifies, obviously bored of the situation.

"C'mon, Shinji! We practically are!" Akihiko argues.

"Whatever you say," Shinjiro says, ending whatever argument may have arisen.

"Cool," I say, amused at what transpired.

"The name's Makoto Yuki. I welcome you to your new dorm," I say as I spread my arms out horizontally, while still lying on the ground. I assume it was a humorous gesture because I thought I saw Shinjiro crack a smile.

"What's going on!?" I heard a yell from behind me. It was Mitsuru.

She ran over to my side and lifted my head.

"Are you alright?" she said as she put a hand on my forehead, as if I had a fever.

She still had bits of cereal and milk on her mouth, which made me chuckle a bit.

"YUKI-KUN!" I heard Yukari yell.

She, too, had ran to my side and began examining my body as if she was a certified doctor.

"It's obviously something wrong with his legs, numbskull!" Yukari had said quickly putting her hands all over my leg. "Why else would he have fallen?"

"I think you're too dense to realize he may have blacked out and collapsed." Mitsuru said.

I think they both failed to realize the two other guys in the room, both of which were staring with wonder in their eyes.

"Guys… I'm fine. It's nothing that won't recover by itself," I tell the two girls. "Besides, isn't it rude to not acknowledge someone's presence in the room?" I point to Akihiko and Shinjiro.

"Huh?" they both say simultaneously, as they look to the area at which I'm pointing.

"Uh, ahem," with the same fist to chest motion Akihiko began to speak," I'm-"

Mitsuru accidently let my head fall to the ground, which was obviously very painful. Both girls stood up at lightning speed, clearly embarrassed, and glanced over each other. They'd realized they have yet to change out of their pajamas and have yet to make themselves look decent. They both screamed and ran towards and up the stairs.

I sighed aloud, "The redhead is Mitsuru Kirijo and the brunette is Yukari Takeba. I'm sure they're happy to meet you."

With a huge smile Akihiko began to speak, "If that's what living here is going to be like, I'm glad to be here!"

Shinjiro, on the other hand, just snickered to himself.

With all the pain I endured that morning, all I could say was, "I hate mornings."

Present Day

After all that happened, everything went quite smooth. They both unpacked their things in their rooms and properly got to meet Mitsuru and Yukari. They both seem really cool and I was glad to have more men in the dorm.

As I walked back towards them, Yukari roughly latched onto my body. "Wow, I didn't know you had so much muscle Yuki-kun!"

I gulped heavily. I hope the others don't see this…

I quickly stammered out, "O-oh wel-l-l…...I-I've b-been get-ting into s-shape r-recently."

"I can tell!" Yukari exclaimed loudly, making me blush madly. "Did you see my battle!? I totally annihilated that shadow. Did you see?'

"W-well n-no… I was watching those two fight," I replied as I pointed to Akihiko and Shinjiro.

"Aww, you meanie," Yukari responded as she gripped tighter on my body.

"Yuki…" I could hear the irritation in Mitsuru's voice. "Who are you talking to?"

"Nobody in particular," I lied.

"Yuki, you do realize I can see everything that's happening now?"

"Uh, well, it's… how should I put this it's…"

"IT"S YUKARI!" she yelled into my ear.

"I don't think she realizes that I already knew that, right Yuki?" I heard Mitsuru chuckle.

"Yeah…right," I reply.

"What'd she say? What'd she say? What's she say?" Yukari asked excitedly. "Is she jealous that I have my hands all over you? Is she? Is she?"

"She hasn't mentioned it," I say, trailing off. "She's definitely annoyed though."

"Yuki, get her hands off of you… now"

"Umm," I began. "I think Mitsuru would prefer it if you let go of me now..."

"Aww, but what is she going to do? She's all the way back there and you're here with me, so we should enjoy it, right?" Yukari said seductively.

"YUKI, I WILL EXECUTE YOU!" came Mitsuru's voice.

After she said that, I scrambled to break loose of Yukari's hold. Mitsuru's 'executions' are nothing to be trifled with. When we were children, I once recorded an episode of Phoenix Ranger Featherman R over a TV show she had previously recorded. That night was the first time I'd been 'executed' and after that anytime I angered her, she would 'execute me'.

Once I finally broke Yukari's grip, I let out a loud sigh of relief. Of course Yukari had something to say.

"What? Did she, like, threaten you or something? If I was your girlfriend I would never, do that."

"Please, Yukari. Not now. Let's just join those two."

"Uh, okay…"

We walked our way towards the other part of the group, and decided we were too tired to continue, so we went home.

"What the Hell was that Yuki!" Mitsuru was scolding me.

We were both in the Command Room. I had taken a seat in a single chair, but Mitsuru seemed satisfied standing up.

I tried to play dumb, "Whatever do you mean, my dear Mitsuru?"

"Don't you 'my dear' me! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Mitsuru…"

"Why are you so blind?" she said, sadness apparent in her voice.

I squint my eyes jokingly, hoping to relieve some tension.

But she isn't laughing.

Instead, she slaps me hard across the cheek with enough force to knock a normal person out.

"You think this is all some joke, don't you!? You've never once noticed how I feel! Am I invisible to you!" she screamed, tears rolling down her face.

I was in shock. I wasn't blinking. I wasn't breathing. I was completely still, holding my hand up to my cheek. It felt as if I'd died, came back to life, and then died again. I slowly turned my head towards Mitsuru.

"SAY SOMETHING! SAY SOMETHING, YOU IDIOT!"

At that moment, my senses returned to me. My breathing, though erratic, continued. I blinked the tears out of my eyes.

Before she could say anything else, I lunged forward and grabbed Mitsuru in my arms. I 'tackled' her into the table holding her tightly.

"LET GO OF me…" she trailed off before crying uncontrollably into my shoulder.

It was an awkward position, lying on the table while she cried her eyes out. Though I'm sure this had calmed her down, because she'd fallen asleep in my arms.

So there we lied on the table, her in my arms: asleep. I thought it'd be bad if someone had caught us, so I carefully got up and carried her to her room.

I haven't seen her room in a while, so I was surprised to see it was a complete mess. Back when we shared a room, she'd always get mad if I left anything on the floor. She was a clean-freak, but you couldn't tell if you saw the shape of her room now.

Clothes were strewn all over, balls of paper were scattered; having missed the trash bin, her bed has yet to be made, her make-up desk is disorganized, bathrobes are laid on the ground, and it appears she hasn't even opened her blinds yet.

I slump her down into her bed and pull the covers over her. In doing so, a notebook fell out from moving the covers. I picked it up to examine it. The cover originally showed multiple female, anime characters on it, but most of them had been covered by flower and heart stickers.

"How girly…" I said to myself.

I opened it up to the first page. It read, "This is the private diary of Mitsuru Kirijo. If you aren't allowed to read this, I'll make sure you disappear."

How scary…

I continued reading, "Especially if you're an icky boy, you'll disappear immediately. Unless you're Mako-chan! Mako-chan, if you're reading this you're NOT SUPPOSED TOO! I'll tell Dad on you!"

This must be a very old notebook. She hasn't called me Mako-chan in years…

I shrug off her 'threat' and proceed to read through anyway.

"January 1: Mako-chan and I went to the shrine together today! I wore a Kimono that Dad bought me!

Mako-chan refused to call me pretty… until I forced him to. I knew he wanted me too."

That was truly a terrifying day, I thought.

I skipped farther ahead, until I reached about a year ago…

"May 8: Today is my Birthday! I turn 14 today! Mako-chan refuses to give me a birthday kiss… but he does take me to Book-On. He said he'd get me anything I want. He made this the best Birthday ever!"

That's right her birthday is coming up soon, what should I do?

I brush that aside and read more.

"April 3: Yuki still hasn't noticed me. Why won't he notice me? He only sees Takeba… What does she have that I don't… I'm beautiful! I'm rich! I'm smart! EVERYONE WANTS ME!... Except the one that really matters."

That was written today…

I closed up the notebook and set it on her desk. I opened up the blinds a bit and looked up towards the moon. Just looking at the full moon made me sleepy, so I left her room, but not before saying goodnight.

Even after everything he heard and saw, he still couldn't see her feelings.

Author's Note: So I had to end it on a, somewhat, sad note. Akihiko and Shinji were introduced. For clarification, everyone in the dorm is around the same age and will enter Gekkoukan High in the same grade. Also, this is still a Makoto x Mitsuru fanfic so don't fret. I'm trying to take a realistic approach to the development of the characters, so just hang in there! One more thing, Mitsuru differs greatly from her actual counterpart. In this, Mitsuru is a lot 'softer' on others because she had Makoto to grow up with. And that is all! I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and please review, favorite, follow, or whatever!

*"Whot ish thad shupposhed to mhean?" translates to "What is that supposed to mean?"

P.S.: Still looking for cover art, if you're interest ed!

P.S.S: Might update early!