Warnings: Slight violence. Suicidal implications. Lemon scenes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

Chapter Seven: Yakushima

July 20, 2009
Boat to Yakushima

The scent of the ocean as well as the fresh air filled Yuuki's nostrils as she looked out of the ferry that is on journey to Yakushima, with the rest of SEES also on board the same ferry. Junpei, as usual, couldn't seem to keep still or silent.

Yuuki had often wondered if the boy is really seven instead of seventeen.

"Awesome! There it is!" Junpei shouted extremely loudly as the island came into view. Yuuki who was standing beside him nearly winced, as he had all but deafened her, causing her to go temporarily deaf for several moments. "YA-KU-SHI-MAAAAAAA!"

Fuuka's eyes were wide with wonder as she took in the sight of the number of tropical plants growing on the island. And is that a forest back there? "W-Wow, so many tropical plants…!" she said, awed. "Take a look at that one."

There was a rather awkward silence on the boat that even made Shinjiro uneasy. Yuuki who had moved next to the brunette to prevent losing her hearing nearly groaned, palming her face. "What is this…rather ominous atmosphere?" she muttered to Shinjiro.

Akihiko was as oblivious as ever, and currently had his nose stuck in some book titled 'Training for DUMMIES', ignoring everyone around him.

Fuuka nearly sweat dropped at this. Her small and feeble attempt to try to break the awkward silence and the tension seems to have backfired on her. "Um…" she mumbled.

"I-It's totally amazing, huh?" Junpei asked nervously, trying, but failing to break the awkward silence. "Man, this is so awesome… I'm not even kidding!"

XXXXXX

"Hey, don't you think that there is some kind of tension between Kirijo-sempai and her father?" Fuuka asked Yuuki quietly as they both changed into their swimsuits.

SEES had headed to the Kirijo family mansion earlier, and had even run into Kirijo Takeharu, Mitsuru's father. He has that no-nonsense air about him, also with a strict feel, and Yuuki thinks that it is from him where Mitsuru had gotten her seriousness.

Yuuki sighed. "So I'm not the only one who noticed, huh?" she mused, glancing over her shoulder to see that Yukari is currently changing into her swimsuit with her back facing them. "Come on, let's go, or Junpei will probably barge in here to see why we're taking so long."

Yakushima Beach
Yakushima

Only Junpei and Akihiko are at the beach when the girls, minus Mitsuru, have turned up. Junpei was singing very badly to himself as he pulled on his sandals.

"Ahh… Got my sandals on… Givin' my feet a chance to breathe… Yup! Summer's here!"

Yukari sighed as she fixed the sunglasses atop her head. "Ugh, could he be any louder?" she asked, annoyed.

Yuuki chuckled. "Don't jinx it, Yukari. He can be louder, you know?"

Yukari sighed. "I guess," he muttered. She then blushed and turned her face away. "But yikes, what's with Sanada-sempai's swimsuit? I can feel my face getting red just by looking at it."

"Hmm?" Yuuki turned towards the direction of the boys, and nearly bent over in laughter. The silver haired boxer was wearing a pretty small and tight pair of black Speedos. In fact, that is probably the only excuse that Akihiko can use to state that he is not parading around naked.

"Where is Aragaki-sempai?" Fuuka wondered, looking around. "I don't see him anywhere."

"Probably—" Yuuki found her voice getting caught in her throat as she turned around, having heard the light crunch of sand beneath feet, along with nearly everyone else. The chestnut haired girl swore that her heart had stopped beating for a moment, and felt her face warming up.

Shinjiro was walking towards them, wearing simple black shorts, and he had left off his usual beanie. With him nearly always wearing that coat of his if he isn't in uniform, Yuuki had never really noticed just how fit he is. His chest was bare, and he had just the right amount of muscle – probably due to their frequent trips to Tartarus.

Shadow hunting in Tartarus does more than just improving their fighting skills. It gives them the necessary exercise that they require as well. Even Rio had already started asking Yuuki just what she does for training, as she had the best stamina and speed out of the entire tennis team, also being particularly agile.

In fact, Shinjiro looked as if he had just walked off a fashion magazine for beach fashion. Yuuki is fairly sure that if the girls at their school could see Shinjiro now, he would probably immediately take the place of 'most popular guy' in the school, even with his 'delinquent' reputation. And for some strange reason, there is a sudden decrease of daily love confessions to her ever since Shinjiro had returned to school…

"Sorry that I'm late." Shinjiro grunted, trying not to look at Yuuki OR any of the other girls for the matter.

Akihiko walked over to the girls the moment that he saw them and his best friend, with Junpei close behind him. "Yo, about time that you guys got here." He then glanced at Yukari. "Hmm? Something wrong, Takeba?"

"That's a…pretty…small swimsuit that you've got there," said Yukari, averting her eyes away from Akihiko, and deciding to just admire the trees near them instead.

"What, don't you know? Swimsuits like this reduce water resistance and—"

"That's nice, sempai. But we don't need to know all the details." Yuuki cut in.

Shinjiro sighed. "Maybe I should take you with me the next time that we shopping for any clothes or apparel," he muttered.

"Hey Junpei, what's the matter? You look even dumber than usual."

Junpei was almost drooling as he stared at the girls far longer than necessary before he grinned. That grin almost sent warning bells ringing through Yuuki's head. "Maaaan… Talk about a feast for the eyes. Yuka-tan's wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined! Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod?" Junpei exclaimed in a way that would make even professional announcers proud, holding up an imaginary microphone.

Yukari blinked owlishly a few times. "Huh?"

Junpei turned his eyes to Yuuki next. "And check out our leader! She is one cute mermaid herself! Those curves she usually keeps covered up are looking good! I can't tear my eyes away!"

Yuuki twitched with annoyance, though a small smile appeared on her face in amusement at Junpei's antics. "Don't make me come over there and smack you, Junpei!" she laughed, swatting at his head.

"Ow!" Junpei whined, holding onto that bruised spot, oblivious to Shinjiro's death glare on his back. "Maaaan, the beach is so great. I love this place!"

Fuuka walked over just then. "Is that umbrella taken?" she asked timidly.

Junpei grinned lecherously at the timid girl. "Oooh, and here we have the lovely Miss Yamagishi! Wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were so…" He cleared his throat nervously at Yukari's glare. "I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!"

"Huh?" Fuuka was at a loss for words for several moments before her brain registered Junpei's statement, and she blushed furiously. "Oh!" She squeaked, crossing both arms over her chest.

"Oh, come on, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Junpei chuckled. "Hehehe!"

As one, both Yuuki and Yukari smacked Junpei over the head, tick marks visible on their heads.

"Ow!"

"Stop that creepy laugh, you perv!" Yukari gritted.

"You might want to stop before Fuuka sues you for sexual harassment." Yuuki added.

Mitsuru approached them just then, and Junpei's eyes lit up. "And here's our final contestant…"

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?" Mitsuru asked, seemingly oblivious to Junpei's perverted stare.

"Wow… Kirijo-sempai, you're beautiful…" Fuuka said, envy visible in her voice.

"Yeah, your skin is flawless! Did you already put on sunscreen?" Yukari asked.

Mitsuru blushed. "N-No. Not yet."

Meanwhile, Junpei had tugged Akihiko and Shinjiro away from the girls, a lecherous grin on his face. "Psst. Sanada-sempai. Aragaki-sempai. Level with me. Which one's your type?"

"Huh?" Shinjiro stared at Junpei as if he had just grown two new heads.

Is he seriously asking Shinjiro that?

He glanced over at the girls who were still crowding around Mitsuru. Yuuki had chosen a striped red and white bikini set that could have passed off as undergarments easily, with the swimwear emphasising her curves, along with her nicely toned legs.

It surprised Shinjiro for a moment to see such a well-leaned body that is usually hidden by her school uniform or the clothing that she usually wear on weekends or at the dorm. Unlike the girls that often hung out at the back alley who is so scrawny until it is almost pitiful, Yuuki is kind of their opposite. She is petite and small in size, but unlike those girls, she had a well-kept body, and it is obvious to Shinjiro that she trained regularly apart from their trips to Tartarus.

"Huh? Really?"

Shinjiro nearly jumped when Junpei's loud voice nearly deafened him. Apparently, they have said something when he wasn't paying attention, and even the girls have turned around, curious looks on their faces.

"K-Keep your voice down!" Akihiko hissed, a blush on his cheeks.

"What about you, Aragaki-sempai?" Junpei asked, turning towards Shinjiro. "Which one's your type?" Shinjiro stared at Junpei for a very long time without saying anything, and Junpei groaned. "Oh, come on, sempai! It wouldn't hurt telling me, right? Right?"

Thankfully, Yukari interrupted them just then, and Shinjiro was never more relieved for her at that moment than he did.

"Hey Shinji, let's go for a swim." Akihiko suggested. "It's been some time since we went to the sea after all. I'll race you."

Shinjiro grunted. "You're on."

XXXXXX

Night
Kirijo Mansion

"That's quite a crying show back there at the breach." Shinjiro stated as he opened his room door for Yuuki. The SEES members were each given their own rooms in this huge ass mansion. Yuuki said nothing as she shut the door behind her, and he walked over to her, dressed only in a white shirt and black pants, for once leaving off his pea coat, though he had on his beanie. At Yuuki's questioning look, he answered. "I saw everything, you know? Kirijo sent me to check on you and Takeba both earlier."

SEES had just gone through a meeting of sorts with the head of the Kirijo Group, when Kirijo Takeharu had told them everything that had happened ten years ago, the origins of the Shadows, as well as showing them a video taken during the explosion incident ten years ago.

Yuuki sighed and turned a stern glare on him. "Give Yukari a break!" she scolded. "It's her father after all. She has her own problems."

"Don't we all?" Shinjiro stated. "All of us have our own problems, yet you don't see us crying and blaming other people for it, do we? At least her mother is still alive. You, Aki and me… We don't have anyone else waiting for us at home. She does. She chose to give it up herself. She has no right to vent it all out on you like this when you're just trying to help her."

Yuuki winced. "Well, that is…"

Even back then, Shinjiro can't really bring himself to like Yukari. Thankfully, she has matured quite a bit after he had gone into a coma. But before that, he didn't like how she always seems to think that the world revolves around her.

"But, after listening to Kirijo-san, I've just thought of something." Yuuki said, clasping both hands together behind her back and staring at the ceiling as if seeing something fascinating there.

"What is?" Shinjiro asked.

Yuuki glanced at Shinjiro. "Do you know how I joined SEES?"

"Aki told me," said Shinjiro with a shrug. The boxer had looked at him with a weird look when he had asked about Yuuki just after he had joined, but had obliged to Shinjiro's request, even giving quite specific details about the attack on the dorm in April.

"Iwatodai is where I grew up in when I was a kid," said Yuuki with a small smile. "After my parents died, I went to an orphanage in the city with my older twin brother."

Shinjiro blinked in confusion. This is the first that he had heard of it. Even back then, Yuuki had never mentioned that she had a twin brother. "You have a brother?" he echoed.

Yuuki nodded. "Yeah. Older than me by about half-an-hour," she answered. "He's totally my opposite in everything. The quiet silent type whose favourite hobby is to sit in one corner and stare at nothing for hours. When we're in middle school, his nickname among our classmates and his friends is 'Emo King'. Only thing that we have in common is that he likes listening to music as much as I do." She smiled as she pointed at the red headphones hanging around her neck. "We bought our headphones together the day when we left the orphanage two years ago. Minato said that we are not kids anymore, and that even if everything changes around us, he will always be my brother, and that I would always be his sister. We have an unbreakable bond between us. The orphanage that we stayed at requires us to leave when we turn fifteen. We have stayed at our school's student dorms ever since."

"Then…how have you both survived up to now?" Shinjiro asked, curious. He had his inheritance from his parents still, and so did Aki. Thus why they never have to worry about their school fees as well as daily expenses.

"Well, our middle school is pretty kind to the poor, and so is Gekkoukan High. Thus, our tuition fee is waived." Yuuki smiled. "I won a scholarship to Gekkoukan High during middle school, and thus, my fees and everything is waived. Minato attend Yasaoinaba High."

"Yasaoinaba?" Shinjiro blinked. "Isn't that in Inaba? Just a stone's throw away from here, if I'm right."

"Well, we're both so busy with school stuff that we never had the time to visit, even though we have each other's dorm addresses and such. We often spoke on the phone at night though, and occasional emails." Yuuki smiled wryly. "So many battles… It's a little difficult to believe that it has only been a few months." She mused. "Come to think of it, once a Persona user awakens to their own power, we remember everything that had happened during the Dark Hour. Both the good and the bad. It's like trading away everything for this power. Like eating the devil's fruit in essence. In exchange for power, you can no longer look away from the things that you don't want to see." Yuuki smiled at Shinjiro. "This…is our world, right?"

Shinjiro's eyes widened.

Flashback:

"Sempai…you came…" Yuuki smiled at Shinjiro after he released her from his tight embrace, cupping his cheek with one hand.

Shinjiro wondered for a moment just why her hand is so cold for a moment, as he sat her on his lap, leaning against the fence around the school roof. Aigis walked away towards a corner politely to give them some privacy that he appreciated.

"I just remembered!" Shinjiro said quickly. "The Dark Hour! The Shadows! Tartarus! Personas! And Strega." He breathed heavily. "I remember everything!"

"I'm happy to see you again."

"What are you saying?" Shinjiro laughed. "We have all the time in the world after this, right?"

Yuuki smiled. "Yeah…" She looked at the sky, leaning against Shinjiro's chest. "It's only been a year. Yet it feels longer than that. So many battles… It's over at last." She breathed. "The Dark Hour; a hidden hour that only a selective few are aware of… The Persona users remember everything that had happened during it. Both the good and the bad. But I had never regretted awakening to my power…to Orpheus…to Thanatos." She smiled at Shinjiro. "I'm glad that I get to meet you."

"Why are you talking like this?" Shinjiro can't help but feel uneasy.

Yuuki smiled, rubbing at her eyes. "I'm tired," she slurred. "I feel so sleepy. The sun is so nice. Sempai…Shinjiro…Shinji… Stay with me."

"Of course I will. We'll be together forever and ever." Shinjiro pressed his nose into her hair.

"Kiss me."

Shinjiro cradled the back of her neck as he pressed his lips to Yuuki's. The kiss only lasted a few moments before he drew back. Yuuki smiled at him, the light in her eyes slowly diminishing. Shinjiro felt really uneasy at that. "I'm sleepy," she slurred.

"Go to sleep then. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Yeah." Yuuki smiled. "Looks like I can't keep my promise to him after all."

"Who?" Shinjiro asked, but he never got an answer.

"…Yuuki?"

Flashback Ends:

"Sempai?" Yuuki looked concerned as she looked at Shinjiro's sudden pale face. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. I-I'm fine." Shinjiro mumbled, pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead. He hadn't thought of his final hour with Yuuki for a long time now…ever since Theodore had sent him back here. "I'm…just fine…"

He was taken aback when he felt a warm hand press itself against his forehead, and Shinjiro glanced up only to see Yuuki touching his forehead, though she had to stand on tiptoes in order to do that.

"Hmm… No fever," said Yuuki with a frown, trying to peer at his eyes, and Shinjiro has to use every ounce of his self-restraint and willpower to prevent himself from pouncing on her and taking her right then and there. "Are you sure that you're feeling okay, sempai?"

"Shinji."

"Huh?"

Shinjiro blushed. "I said, call me 'Shinji'!" he scowled, a blush staining his cheeks. That is the nickname that only Aki and Miki used to call him when they were children.

"Shinji." Yuuki supplied helpfully, a teasing smirk on her face, and Shinjiro fought the urge to smile.

"I mean, call me 'Shinji' from now on." Shinjiro mumbled. "And enough of that '-sempai' crap. I had it enough from Takeba, Yamagishi and Iori. I don't need it coming from you too."

"Hmm…" Yuuki peered at his face, pressing a hand against his forehead, much to Shinjiro's annoyance. "I think you really do have a fever after all." She commented. "Weren't you the one who wanted to hide our relationship from everyone else, even the rest of SEES? Though I think that Yukari and Fuuka have suspected something by now."

Shinjiro sighed. "I did that because if everyone knows that we're going out, there is going to be some trouble for you," he stated. "I have kind of a reputation around school, you know? I know what the students have been calling me. 'The Demon'." He stated sarcastically, and Yuuki broke out into giggles.

"With the way you glare at everyone who so much as looks at you wrong, I'm not surprised." Yuuki commented. "And I don't think that we can keep it a secret for long anyway," she said, a smile tugging at the ends of her lips. "Bebe, the French boy who is with me in the Fashion Club asked me quite an interesting question last Wednesday."

"Oh?"

Yuuki smiled. "Yeah. 'Yuuki-sama, is it true that you're datant Aragaki-san?'" She mimicked Bebe's voice, complete with a French accent.

Shinjiro's face was blank. Unlike Akihiko and Mitsuru, he isn't that fluent at French. He understood enough to pass his exams, but not enough to carry on a decent conversation in French. "'Datant'?"

"Dating." Yuuki supplied helpfully. "And he went on to ask me which base that we'd gone to."

Shinjiro choked on his saliva. What the hell? Who the hell had been teaching Bebe stuff like that? He knew that the French boy had a crush on Yuuki, just like nearly half of the male population in the school, but Yuuki had never seen them as anything but just mere friends.

Shinjiro then smirked. "What base, huh?" he mused.

Yuuki was taken back by surprise as her back hit the door all of a sudden, with Shinjiro pinning her body with his, plunging his tongue into her mouth without even bothering to tease. Yuuki's eyes fluttered shut as she begin to return his gestures, wrapping her arms around his neck as Shinjiro's powerful arms trailed down her sides and around her waist.

Yuuki let out a light moan as the kiss was deepened, and Shinjiro moved closer against her. The chestnut haired girl blushed as she could feel his muscles and body heat through their clothing, and even his hard thing down below.

Shinjiro broke their kiss, and Yuuki let out a squeak of surprise as he attacked her neck next, nibbling on the soft flesh there. "S-Sempai…" she moaned, feeling light-headed, and felt all the blood rush to her head as Shinjiro sucked on her neck.

"Shinji." Shinjiro growled with desire.

"S-Shin— Eek!" Yuuki let out a squeak as Shinjiro's hand went down to the belt around her waist, loosening it slightly with one hand, and unbuttoning the button of her shorts. "W-What are you doing— Ah!" Yuuki gasped softly as she felt his warm hand reaching into her shorts, with his fingers brushing against her inner thigh, the tips of his fingers caressing her sensitive area. Her fingernails dug into Shinjiro's flesh, and he winced slightly at it. "W-What are you doing?"

Knock! Knock!

Yuuki's eyes widened when she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Shinjiro asked, withdrawing his hand out of Yuuki's shorts, practically barricading her in with his body.

"It's Aki," said Akihiko's voice from beyond the door. "Is everything alright, Shinji? I've heard some pretty strange noises."

Yuuki blushed when Akihiko said 'strange noises'.

"I-It's nothing!" Shinjiro snapped, getting his senses back. What the hell was he even doing?

"I-I see," said Akihiko. "Then… Good night, Shinji."

"Good night." Shinjiro mumbled, and Akihiko's footsteps then echoed and faded away. He sighed and rested his forehead against Yuuki's. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me like this." Yuuki shook her head. Shinjiro smiled. "For tonight… Can you stay with me tonight?"