Faith | Akira Kurusu x OC | Persona 5

Change of Pace | Akira's Story | Part 4

PROTIP: This chapter was published on Jan 8th, 2020. Fun Fact: The author's birthday is Jan 9th.

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It had been around a year since Takuma's passing and things were finally beginning to go back to normal.

Akira started talking to people again, although, he was much more reserved and soft-spoken then he used to be.

He went from being an outgoing spunky kid to a quiet and reserved listener.

The change was quite alarming to Kurusu-san, however, she could see as to why it had occurred. The whole situation was out of her control anyways, so she didn't let it bother her too much.

This was just how things were now and she had to accept it for what it was.

As far as Akira's mental state went, it was still slightly unstable.

Sometimes he would have dream-memories of times he spent with Takuma, only to be brutally awoken to realize he's gone for real. Those nights were always the most painful for the boy, and he started to sleep less as well.

The lack of sleep, as well as appetite, make him become more towards the underweight end of the spectrum.

Not only that, but people avoided Akira because of countless rumors and without the courage to go out of his way and make friends he became quite the loner altogether.

It was fine, talking to people wore him out anyways. He convinced himself as he recollected his thoughts during the quiet and serene walk back to his house.

Soon that serenity was abruptly disturbed to the sight of flashing lights and a woman's scream.

"Let me go!" She screamed struggling from an obviously drunken man.

"Stop struggling and get in the car already!" The man hissed feeling his head reel from the effects of the liquor. This woman was really beginning to piss him off.

"No! Let go of me! Someone, stop him!" She cried as Akira's eyes shifted over onto her, gleaming with curiosity as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"What the hell are you looking at kid? This ain't no show, run along." He spat grabbing the woman by the wrists as he tried to force her into the car.

Akira hesitated, 'Should he call the police?' He questioned pulling out his phone.

"Don't even think about calling the cops, the police are my bitches. They won't believe a little brat like you." The man sneered confidently, unthreatened by the police alert.

Akira placed his phone away from his ear as he bought into the man's jeer.

'There was really nothing he could do...' Akira sighed as he watched the woman with a pitiful gaze. 'Oh well, it wasn't really my business anyway.'

He was about to turn around and head back home when the woman called out for him, "No wait! Stop! Please! Help me!.... Save me!" She cried pleaded to the boy for help.

It was like something snapped in the boy.

A familiar voice rang in his ears as the words "Save me" repeated in his mind over and over. 

His breath quickened as his pupils dilated.

Before he could process what had occurred, his feet were already moving.

'No... not again...!' He realeased a gasp of air as his legs began to move beyond his own control.

"Stop that!" He yelled ripping the man's arm off the woman as he stumbled to the ground.

He hadn't even realized what came over him until the man was lying on the ground letting out a string of curses as he bled from his forehead.

"Damn brat! I'll sue!" He cussed, the feelings of intoxication being reduced thanks to the slight pain.

Next thing Akira knew he was being pulled away and dragged into the back of a car.

'W-what did I just do?!'

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"So now you finally decide to show up?" Kawakami-sensei groaned as she rubbed her temple, looking at the shaggy-haired blackette.

"I...got lost." He lied, although it wasn't fully a lie. He really did get lost, just in a palace, in god knows where with a talking monster cat and a blonde delinquent.

He sweatdropped.

It just got worse the more he progressed.

"You're already on probation, do you really need to make that more difficult for you by showing up late to class on your first day?" Kawakami-sensei sighed reviewing some documents before turning to face Akira with a tired look on his face.

"I'm sorry..." He bowed a bit feeling a little sympathetic. He obviously made this teacher's job harder than she wanted it to be.

"Um... excuse me." A new timid voice said from behind Akira as he turned around to come face to face with a bluenette girl, peering from around the door.

"I was called down here, Kawakami-sensei?" She said but it came out more as a question than a statement.

"Yes, this is Kurusu-kun. He'll be in your class starting today. Please give him a tour of the school so that he may get a feel for the place." Kawakami-sensei said introducing Akira to the timid bluenette.

"Oh, so it's you." She said simply staring at Akira.

She stared at him for a while, making direct eye contact as she became dead silent, making the atmosphere quite tense.

'She's judging me...' He sweatdropped feeling intimidated by her gaze. Not that he was really affected by it, people have been staring him down ever since he took one step in the building.

But he quickly found himself looking back into her crystal blue orbs as he suddenly came to a realization.

Her eyes glistened in curiosity as she examined the awkward boy.

They bore absolutely no hate or resentment at all, unlike the other's piercing gazes that were constantly being drilled into the back of his head.

'She's not... afraid of me?' He raised a brow seeing the whimsical gleam of her crystal blue orbs.

Suddenly she retracted her gaze with a slight blush.

"Oh! I'm sorry! F-For staring I mean!" She quickly stuttered, retracting her gaze with an obvious blush on her face.

It was kind of cute, to be honest.

"My name is Yuuen Morito, I'll be your guide for the day. Feel free to ask me any questions along the tour." She sweatdropped at how awkward she made that boy feel. She legit stared at him with a shocked look on her face for like two minutes.

"And, I'm sorry for staring, again." She added quickly again, finally mustering the courage to look the boy back in his eyes.

"Now if you'll follow me..." She waved her hand gesturing the boy out of the door and into the school halls.

Akira nodded with a slight smile.

Something was different about her, she didn't immediately judge him like his peers.

That left a warm feeling in his heart, 'Maybe I will settle in here...'.

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Sorry for the delayed post! This chapters also kind of messy as well.

Typically I write one chapter in one session but this chapter took me three sessions because I couldn't find time or I got writer's block when writing it. Hence why the beginning is so bad.

I felt as if the previous chapter was a terrible place to end off the story for a while so I felt as if I had to push out another chapter so that I could take a break and focus on midterms and the story ended off on a good note.

If there are gaps in my uploading from here on it is because of midterms and adjusting to the new semester.

Hope you enjoyed <3.