(Author's note: My first Persona 3 story, and because of that many thanks are due to fishofnakedness for the excellent beta work. The story wouldn't be half as good without her suggestions and trouble shooting, or even completed. For everyone else, hope that you enjoy this first try at Akihiko/Mitsuru fiction. (With a title shamelessly stolen from a Yoko Kanno song.)

July 14th: Quick revision, fixing some grammar errors.)

Akihiko decided that the first thing after boxing club, he'd look into getting a new watch or have his current one fixed. He privately suspected that the thing could only take so many forays into Tartarus or sneak attacks in the city without getting some damage. It wasn't a surprise that it was slowly losing seconds every time midnight stopped and reset.

That didn't make it any easier to stay cool and collected when Mitsuru came in one minute ahead of the hour. He'd planned to excuse himself from the lobby before then, saying that he needed to get some study time in. When he heard the door swing open, and felt a breath of warm July air sweep through the opening, his first thought was that it was Minato coming back from wherever he went for the afternoons.

His hopes were dashed once he looked up and saw who was standing in the entry way. Mitsuru's helmet was tucked under her arm, and even though she'd just stepped inside, there wasn't any trace that her hair had been mashed under it. Akihiko knew how she pulled off that little trick, though; he'd seen her, after motorcycle rides checking her reflection in the mirrors and making sure her hair was sitting just right. Using that little rectangle of glass to perfectly guide her fingers through it-

No. He was not going to focus on ANYTHING that had to do with fingers, hair, or any combination of those things.

Akihiko couldn't help but notice that as primed as she looked, her blouse and ribbon looked ruffled, like she'd been riding faster than usual. He didn't know just why that one little off detail worried him…But it did. Mitsuru Kirijo was a thorough perfectionist when it came to the appearance other people saw. Having her overlook something like that felt deeply wrong.

No one else seemed to notice it, though.

"Hey, senpai." Was Junpei's greeting, as the junior leaned forward in his seat to give her a quick wave. Then he promptly sunk back into his chair and went back to his game. Yukari only gave Mitsuru a hesitant nod from her spot on the sofa, before turning to Fuuka and speaking with her in a quiet voice.

"Good evening, Iori. Takeba, Yamagishi." She greeted them all in turn, mostly with just a nod of the head and a single name, until she got to him.

"Doing well, Akihiko?" He wondered if she paused with him for a moment longer. For a second he could swear that she was looking for something when she watched him.

"Y-yeah." Was all he could manage before going back to the gloves. He let his eyes drift up when he was sure she wasn't looking at him. He was surprised to see that she was pausing over the bookshelf, and actually looking at the titles. There was sign number two that things were off; he'd seen her there enough that he knew she'd memorized every single title, and their order. She knew all the books there by heart, to the point she didn't need to look at them to make a choice.

"Arisato isn't back yet?" She didn't glance at the others as she made up her mind and slowly pulled out one of the books.

"No, I'm afraid not. At least, I haven't seen him yet." Fuuka chimed in, glancing up over her laptop.

"He was out with a friend, heading for the mall the last time I saw him." Junpei remarked. "Not surprising, though. He's mister popular, remember?"

"Junpei!" Yukari shot him an angry look. He responded by rolling his shoulders in a shrug, and then pushing another button on the handheld. "What? I'm just statin' the facts." The level jingle filtered through the lounge as he went back to playing, and the junior was off in his own world again.

Akihiko found himself looking over to Mitsuru; it had become a habit between them whenever they watched the new trio interact, or talk about each other. But this time, he stopped short and found himself looking at the lamp above Junpei's head.

"Nothing to apologize over, Yamagishi." Mitsuru replied. If she'd noticed the tenseness that seemed to be building between herself and him, she wasn't talking about it. "I just wanted to tell him I won't be going to Tartarus tonight. I'm still feeling drained from last night, so…" She left the rest unsaid, and out of the corner of his eyes he could see her tuck her book under her arm.

"Unless you were planning to go, Akihiko?" He dared a look all the way at her and saw that Mitsuru's eyes were looking past him. Focused on something just above his head. He didn't understand why that felt like the third warning of something wrong, but it did.

"…No." He admitted. "I'm not in the mood for it tonight." The only response he got from that was a nod, and then she walked straight past him, eyes still fixed on some point on the wall. He could hear her boots click up the steps to the upper floors. Akihiko tried to put both the sound and conversation out of his head, and go back to looking at the boxing gloves and focus on the needle work.

His off timed watch told him that he managed to last nearly ten seconds before he gave up. His sides complained as he stood up, and he made a quick promise to stretch them out once he was back in his room. "I'm calling it a night." Was all he said before turning around and also headed for the stairs. He hesitated at the landing, to make sure that he had a good amount of distance between him and Mitsuru. As he waited and counted off a few more seconds, he could hear snatches of conversation from the lobby.

"Skipping a night is fine by me." That was unmistakably Yukari. "I don't want to do anything other than sleep after that ten-twelve Shirakawa-"

"Ah, ah! That would be ten-TWENTY Shirakawa Boulevard." Junpei's voice cut in.

"…You pick the stupidest things to memorize. Fine," Yukari said in a huff. "Ten-twenty Shirakawa Boulevard-"

By then, Akihiko was climbing the stairs.

o-o-o

Outside, the temperature had soared to eighty by lunchtime, and kept on climbing. The sky was mercilessly clear, while the sun and air were doing their best to turn Gekkoukan's carefully manicured and sprinkled lawns into hay instead of grass. Some of that heat even managed to work its way through the cracks of the gym doors, but was swiftly destroyed by the air conditioning. Akihiko felt distantly thankful for that, as he tried to blink sweat out of his eyes without breaking his rhythm on the punching bag.

He knew that there had been a lecture in class, and Akihiko dimly recalled writing down assignments for the week, but that was the limit of his memory. And for all he cared, everything outside of his fists and what they were hitting could stay blurry. His minute-off watch lay in his locker, forgotten, along with any awkwardness from that night before. Instead of those things, he had the satisfying feeling of his hands smacking into a bag full of sand, and the only thing he had room for in his head was lining up the next punch, and the next.

"Senpai, did that punching bag do something to you personally?" One of the second years piped up behind him.

"Don't be stupid." He managed to laugh a little when he said that, although with how fast he was breathing it came out shaky. The chains the bag hung from also squeaked in response as it swung back and forth. When it got close enough Akihiko went back to pummeling it, working out the stress coiled in his back and arms the best way he knew.

A night that didn't involve Tartarus left him feeling tense. A night after that meeting in the lobby and no outlet made him feel completely wound up. And a day of nothing but sitting and enduring lectures didn't make him feel any better; now he was dedicated to sweating out every ounce of his nervous energy until there wasn't anything left. The bag shuddered as his fists kept flashing out, and he silently counted, letting himself fall back into a rhythm of one-two.

Over that mental count, and just past the blood hammering in his ears, he could hear the other club members as they drifted towards the locker room Their voices gradually blended into each other, and finally weren't any louder than the smack of his knuckles hitting the bag. He ignored anything outside of that sound, happy to have enough breathing room that he could finish his own work out.

The bag was still creaking on its chain when he finished, and seemed to sag a little more than it had before. Akihiko felt like he could match it; the muscles in his arms and back felt spent, but it was a gratifying feeling. And one that wouldn't last after a few stretches.

He rolled his arms and shoulders, wincing when he felt a ball of pain under one of them. Must've pulled something during one of those haymakers.

"…Careless." He growled, slowly letting his arms fall back to his sides. The knot stayed in his shoulder, his muscles stubbornly telling him that they wouldn't forgive him until after a good stretch and an hour of soaking in hot water.

In the end, a quick shower in the locker room turned out to be enough. By the time he twisted the tab to shut off the water, the pain didn't feel half as deep or as bad. Even the steam felt good, as if it was seeping into what was left of the knot and rubbing it out. Good enough that he wasn't in a hurry to air out the room as he slipped back into his uniform.

He gave his arms a few more test swings, making sure that the forgiveness had been total. His mind was more on them, so he didn't quite realize when he stepped back out to the sinks and entrance. The only thing that made him realize that change was when he glanced up, saw the long mirror set in the wall, and how it was fogged over.

The surface was a milky white, and something about staring at it but not being able to see himself made him swallow. His thoughts seemed to blur along with the reflection, suddenly getting pulled back. Back to...

He only has enough time to suck in his breath when he sees the mirror. The room, the furniture, all of it is reflected perfectly.

It's just the actual people that are missing in it.

He tries to yell out that there's something wrong, but the words die in his throat and nothing comes out. The room spins around them, and the green scurries away from the corners of his vision, replaced by white. The floor melts away under his feet and he can feel gravity pull at him.

Akihiko can feel himself jerk out towards Mitsuru, but he isn't sure if it's to pull her close and provide a shield or push her out of the attack.

It doesn't make a difference, though. He can only feel his grip on her arm, and then the room explodes around them in a blaze of light. His balance is lost and he plummets, feeling his fingers dig into Mitsuru's sleeve and the air blast past him.

Then something crashes into him, and suddenly he isn't feeling anything.

"Sanada?" A blast of cold air chewed at all of his exposed skin, and even under his shirt his skin started to prickle. It yanked him back from that memory, leaving him standing in the bathroom and looking at a fogged over mirror.

"Hey, Sanada, you okay?" He managed a nod, not trusting his voice.

He still couldn't see his reflection for all the steam. On impulse, he pressed his thumb to the glass and dragged it across. The streak was just wide enough for him to see his eyes.

o-o-o

When Mitsuru stepped into the library, she could tell that the feeling of panic and dread hadn't spread through the school yet. Other than the receptionist at the desk and a few older students, Mitsuru was practically alone. The bookshelves stretched out from the library entrance, almost like the halls of a fortress; empty and almost regally imposing with all the books they held.

She gave it until the next day, or Friday tops, before the reality of finals came crashing down and library became packed. Knowing that, she was determined to savor her calm moment as much as possible. Mitsuru gave the librarian the customary nod, a quick greeting to the other seniors gathered around their usual study table, and went straight for the book shelves.

Less then a minute and only three book choices later, she was at her own table. All three books made a satisfying thud as she set them on the table, and the pages moved with a whisper as she opened the first one.

Although in ten minutes, she closed that one with a muffled clap, and switched over to the second. Even less time later, the same thing happened and she switched over to the third, feeling more agitated each time.

Because it didn't matter what book she chose, or which page she turned to. Her eyes kept drifting between the lines of words, and she found herself looking at something other than blank paper.

Like an image slowly coming into focus, she starts to take things in. Her thoughts feel slow, blurry, the same as her eyesight, but as she blinks, both start to clear up. The first thing is the bright red that comes with the blood on the walls, then the feel of the bed sheets…And Akihiko's hands on her sides, bare skin against skin. She can feel his fingers tracing her ribs, although his motions start to go still as she watches him.

Akihiko's eyes are wide open, staring at her in confusion. For a moment, she wonders why he's stopped. Whatever it is he's doing, it feels amazingly calming, almost like she could relax and forget about…

About-

"The Shadow."

That comes out in a whisper, right before things come crashing down around her.

"A….Akihiko-" her breath catches in her throat, along with the name. He still hears it, and her voice makes him flinch back. His hands leave her sides with a yank, and he almost falls off the side of the bed when he pulls away from her. His motions are frantic as his hands scoop up his clothes-

And with a nasty jolt, Mitsuru realizes she isn't in any better shape. Her blouse, her skirt, all of it is laying on the floor in a rumpled heap of fabric. The only thing leaving her modest is her undergarments, and her fingers shake as she also pulls her clothing back on, staring at Akihiko.

She can't figure out which is worse; what might have happened, or the fact that he won't look at her.

Her eyes itched, telling Mitsuru that they needed to blink. Once they opened again, she was back in the library, still looking at the pages of her third book, and the empty notepad next to them.

Mitsuru prided herself on efficiency, so only allowed herself thirty seconds to look over both, and decide that she'd need to check them out for later study at the dorm.

She wished that her thoughts could also be so easily managed, and shoved into the back of her mind the same way the books slid into her bag. Instead they buzzed around in her mind, and Mitsuru stepped through the library doors feeling almost like they were chasing her. Her thoughts whispered in the back of her mind, but that was all, and it left the space between the two battles nauseatingly blank.

The squeak of metal on metal cut into all that mental noise, and Mitsuru glanced up with a start. The doors at the end of the hallway had been pushed open, and her stomach lurched when she saw a familiar face stepping through them.

o-o-o

The world wasn't feeling kind towards him today. That was the only thing Akihiko could think of as he almost blundered into Mitsuru. At least his feet were reacting, even if his mind went blank as he saw her. He jerked back, and managed to neatly avoid her and bump into the door, making it swing shut. The door slid back into place with a dull clnk, echoing off a hallway that had gone surprisingly empty.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Mitsuru said to fill the silence. Something about her didn't make him think of Mitsuru the S.E.E.S commander, or even student council president. Maybe it was the how she was shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Just needed to take a short cut." He offered.

"You took a short cut, Akihiko? When you could've jogged for an extra five minutes instead?" It was hard to tell without looking at her face, but Mitsuru seemed genuinely surprised.

"Well…No, not normally." He managed, wondering when he'd started tripping over his words. His mouth felt like it had been shoved full of cotton, making it hard to speak. "I just…Didn't feel like it today."

The one thing that he was thankful for was that they were in an empty hallway. Because at that moment he didn't think he could survive a school hall full of classmates. It was bad enough with just Mitsuru looking at him, and he felt like anyone could tell what had happened between them with just a quick look at his face.

"Akihiko Sanada, do you really expect me to believe that?" Over the years he knew Mitsuru, Akihiko had learned to pick out that odd lilt in her voice, which always happened when she was trying to force a mood. (She promised that it always worked on executives, even if it never did on him.)

So when he heard her voice catch, he found himself looking up at her, to ask what was wrong.

Except, when he met her eyes, he was suddenly falling through them…

…And his eyes are suddenly filled with red when he opens them. Red satin bed sheets that rub at his face, and blood splatters that run down the walls and collect in the corners of the room. Those, he hardly notices. His eyes are fixed on who's next to him, and how her hair spills out over the bed and pillows. It looks richer and smoother than the sheets, and he finds himself tugging off one of his gloves to make sure.

There's something in the back of his mind, trying to whisper that he should be doing something…But it gets drowned out as the mattress creaks, and the covers sigh as Mitsuru starts to move when his fingers just brush against her face.

She stirs as he touches her bangs, and something about her face causes a ball of nerves his chest to lurch. His face goes hot as her eyes flutter open-

And it burned even more when he saw her flinch, and take a step back. She probably would have moved away even more if they weren't hemmed in on both sides by the hallway.

Mitsuru had taken several steps back and away from him, trying to stretch the distance between them to the limit. The hallway pressed against her after only three steps, and as he watched her he felt his shoes bump into the wall behind him, followed by his back. Akihiko realized that Mitsuru's face was bright red, competing with her hair and the blush matching his own. It took him a moment to wonder why she looked so flustered, and another for his mouth to remember how to ask.

"Mi…tsuru?" In the end, it didn't matter that he got the words out, once he saw her eyes widen. It pulled him back to the locker room, to that one streak in the foggy mirror that let him see his eyes…Which, like hers were wide, slightly terrified, and very confused.

She wound up getting a full sentence out first. "Is there something bothering you?"

Maybe it was for the best that the hallway felt so tight. He doubted he'd be able to hear her over the blood roaring in his ears if they were much further apart. "Yeah, but…I can't talk about it right now."

He'd prefer not to think about it, either. His thoughts couldn't decide whether they were eager to comply or rebellious, and kept the memories swirling around in pieces inside his head.

Looking at her, he had to wonder if she had the same thing happening in her mind.

He felt his nails dig into his gloves, and focused on that instead of his fragments, or asking Mitsuru if her memory was any better than his.

"I've got it under control though." He offered when he saw her face. At the moment, he didn't know why she looked hurt, and why seeing that was leaving his insides in knots.

"I…" He could distantly remember how, in the past, it was almost a reflex Mitsuru had with distancing herself from something upsetting, or put her off kilter. Before, that had annoyed him. But now, as his pulse kept trying to drown out his thoughts or turn his face bright red, Akihiko suddenly had an appreciation for knowing when to retreat. His feet were already taking a few tentative steps towards the exit, all while he tripped over his words.

"I'm sorry. I-I mean, you caught me at a bad time. I need to get some work done." His steps were getting ready to change into strides, but he had enough time to see her nod and hear her say, "Of course. I…Have my own things to see to. I'll see you back at the dorm."

He wondered why something that was so typical to hear made him so nervous, and if he imagined the same worry in her voice.

o-o-o

When Mitsuru opens her eyes, she isn't sure where she is. It only takes a heartbeat to decide that the location is unimportant. She's more interested in finding out who is next to her, and determining the origin of that odd twinge settling in her belly.

Then she rolls over, and finds herself pressed against that warm body she could just feel at the edge of her skin. Her eyes drift up, and catch a familiar flash of white hair, and a bandage. She's vaguely aware that Akihiko is stroking her hair, and a small part of her wonders if that's why his gloves are off. But what she's more interested in is his eyes, the way he's looking at her, and how it oddly echoes what she's feeling. There's a strange tenderness behind them, and it turns that spark in her stomach into a sweet, syrupy feeling that starts to sink into her blood and flow through her.

She turns her head into his hand, but tries to keep her eyes on him as she reaches out.

Her hands feel clumsy as she works at the buttons on his vest. Her fingers either move too fast and trip over themselves, or get caught up in one of his buttons and go agonizingly slow to get it undone.

She should feel embarrassed over how clumsy she is, but all she can feel is eagerness . Her blood is pounding along with her heart, a marching beat urging her to hurry, hurry.

Akihiko, by contrast, doesn't seem to be having any of her problems. Maybe just because he doesn't have two layers of clothing to worry about, but he's finished by the time she's getting his vest off. He cooperates though, and shrugs out of it, even helps her with his shirt. Mitsuru feels a grateful, pleased noise working its way out of her throat. He's always been helpful like this, and she wonders why she's never considered it so deeply before. And now-

Now…

Her memory was still being stubborn with her. It had coughed up one single, frustrating and embarrassing image while she and Akihiko exchanged stares in the school hallway, before deciding that was enough.

She had to conclude that it was for the best she hadn't seen Akihiko since that chance encounter. That incident with the Shadow had seemed to rattle something loose in his balance, and had left him more awkward than usual. Mitsuru didn't think she was imagining a faint echo of that in herself; there was no mistaking the difficulty she had with making eye contact, or speaking for long whenever it came to her teammate.

She had been truthful in that exchange, however. She had things to see to as well, back in the dorm.

Yamagishi could be surprisingly difficult to locate when she put her mind to it. There had been no trace of her in the lobby, no answer when Mitsuru knocked on her door. It was only luck that she found the newest S.E.E.S recruit in the command room, when Mitsuru went up to leave a message for her. When Mitsuru opened the door, she didn't even register that there was someone else behind it until she heard the rhythmic clicking of a keyboard.

"Yamagishi?"

Fuuka started when she heard her name, but did an admirable job of not dropping her computer, and even managed to click it shut and turn to face Mitsuru in one quick, if jerky, motion.

"A-ah, Mitsuru-senpai." Fuuka kept her eyes locked on her as she spoke, and Mitsuru wasn't certain just how she felt at getting the junior's undivided attention. Part of her felt deeply flattered, and another part wished that Yamagishi had something to focus on other than her, and what she was about to ask. But that didn't keep Mitsuru from walking the rest of the way into the room, letting the door swing shut behind her.

"So this is where you've been, Yamagishi?" She didn't give Fuuka room to respond, still speaking as she walked. "I was hoping to speak with you."

She wasn't surprised when the newest S.E.E.S recruit sat up a little straighter, and it reminded Mitsuru to also keep her shoulders back and head high. It gave her something to focus on instead of the thousand thoughts screaming how bad her idea was, and that she should simply grab her library books, lock the door to her room, and stay there until she'd managed to drown everything else out with fifteen pages worth of notes. For a moment, Mitsuru was tempted to try that, but reminded herself that the books had already failed at occupying her thoughts yesterday, and it was unlikely to be any different this time around.

"You see Yamagishi," she said instead, trying to make her tone sound calm and force the same feeling to settle in her stomach. "I was hoping that you could share your observations on the night of the seventh." The other girl looked bewildered, and as Mitsuru took a breath to continue, she took that as a cue to let her words spill out.

"M-Mitsuru-senpai, I'm really sorry. I'd be happy to share but…That…I mean, if I'd realized what was happening sooner I'd-" It was surprising how the junior's words flowed out quickly at first, only to sputter off a breath later. But even if it was fascinating, it was costing Mitsuru precious minutes. And she wanted the encounter over with as quickly as possible.

"Don't stress yourself right now, Yamagishi. I can hardly blame you, and I don't think anyone could have…Predicted what happened."

This had played out much more elegantly in her head. Greet Fuuka, milk her for information, and then graciously thank her for the conversation before leaving. Standard procedure for business meetings and for measuring up new partners for the Kirijo Group.

"Actually, I…" The only hitch in this plan being how the memory of Akihiko's worried face stayed lodged in her head. That image could've been stuck in her throat too, as hard as it was to get the words out.

"You see…What I'm concerned about is…" Her mind blanked, and she fumbled for words; whether to actually ask Fuuka her question or hold off on it, she wasn't sure. Yamagishi broke eye contact as she sputtered, staring at the top of her computer instead.

"Mitsuru-senpai…I…Was wondering if something happened to you and Akihiko-senpai." Mitsuru stared at Fuuka, and had to move her lips several times before she could form a word.

"How-?" The other girl flushed, and stared intently at the logo on her laptop.

"Things just seem…Strange with you two. I-I'm really sorry if I'm prying," her voice shook as she said that word. "But I noticed in the lobby-"

"You do notice a lot, Yamagishi." She tried to make it sound like a compliment. She couldn't quite catch Fuuka's reply, which was muttered or stumbled over in equal turns.

"It is quite possible that something happened." Mitsuru scanned over the monitors and books on the side wall, more as something else to focus on than anything else.

"That's why I'd like your assitance, Yamagishi. I'd like to know exactly what occurred…" She spoke to the book case, and slowly told her eyes to slide back over to Fuuka. "But I don't trust my memories on it." At Fuuka's confused look, she continued. "I can't fully remember what happened, between seeing that mirror and meeting with the others. My head feels-" She stopped when she saw Fuuka's mouth suddenly go into an 'o' shape. "Do you understand me now?"

"Something like that, although I don't know how much I'll be able to help. I felt something like that with the others. When I tried to reach Minato and Yukari-chan, there was something…" Mitsuru watched as Fuuka trailed off, searching for the right words. "There was something clouding their thoughts. Like there was…A sort of fog. I couldn't see through it, or really hear anything but echoes. And if I tried calling to them, it was just swallowed up."

Fuuka's eyes were still closed, and she swallowed before continuing. "And…I think I would have been swallowed too if I tried pushing through it. That's part of why I couldn't talk to any of you." Her face was paler than usual, and for a moment Mitsuru could only imagine what that cut off and isolation could have been like for her.

"Was that the same for Akihiko and myself, then?" At Fuuka's nod, she found herself leaning forward. "I'd like to know, what did you mean by 'echoes?' What did you hear bouncing back when you tried to contact the two of us?"

"There was…Desire. And a lot of it." The junior's face had turned a faint pink, and Mitsuru was grateful that Yamagishi's eyes were closed as the junior thought back, since her own cheeks were starting to burn.

"I don't suppose…You could tell who that was coming from?" Fuuka's eyes flew open in confusion at that, and she stared at Mitsuru. The senior told her face not to go any redder than it was…Only to feel the color wash out of her face from shock at Fuuka's next words.

"Wh-But, Mitsuru-senpai, I thought it was coming from both of you? I felt the same thing when I touched Akihik-senpai's mind, at the end. Some of that was still sort of…Sticking to both of you." The junior glanced at her laptop lid before speaking again. "In fact, I couldn't really tell the difference between you and him.

"I think that Akihiko-senpai might know more. I could ask-"

"Thank you Yamagishi, but there's no need." Her voice sounded curiously far away, but she could also hear and feel strength seeping into it. "I can talk with him myself."