The One Who Never Told | P5

56

"What are you doing, Naka?" Ryuji's voice caught Suzuki by surprise.

His confused gaze shifted towards Ryuji who was looking down at him with a concerned look in his eyes. Suzuki realized that it wasn't just his favorite blonde staring him down.

Ann, Morgana, and Akira were all doing the same.

"You were just standing there, are you okay?" Akira asked. Suzuki felt a painful jab at his heart as he heard the worry in his voice.

His hands rushed to his face to wipe away the last droplets of salty tears that trailed down. Of course, Suzuki was just making trouble for the group.

Who knows how long he had been staring into space from their perspective.

He took a deep breath and collected himself.

Once he gathered himself he forced a slight smile onto his thin lips. "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just, a bit out of it." He admitted with a slight chuckle. Akira's skeptical look went unnoticed by Suzuki.

From Suzuki's right, Ann examined the boy curiously.

"How come you haven't changed?" She questioned. It was then that Suzuki realized what she meant.

His gaze almost instantly fell to his clothes. Unlike the others, Suzuki was still in his Shujin uniform.

He didn't have his mask, or the usually four hairpins that created the shape of "XIII" in his bangs. The black rebel outfit he had grown so fond of was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, he was left with the black and red plaid pants and boring black blazer of the school uniform.

Suzuki almost instantly froze.

"Huh? That's strange..." Morgana said aloud. His words caught the concern of the rest of the group.

"I've never heard of something like this before The feline's sharp gaze examined the boy. Although Suzuki knew he stared with the intention of helping, he couldn't help but fear the worse behind those cat eyes.

Morgana continued as if he was unaware of Suzuki's discomfort. "Could it be in relation to what's happening in the real world?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Ryuji piped up.

Suzuki's hand tightened into a ball.

Morgana didn't even get the chance to speak as Suzuki's body erupted in blue flames. The gang was instantly caught off guard as their companion lit up.

They knew those flames well; the fire of rebellion.

"Suzuki!?" Ann shouted, although her voice was drowned by the boy's scream.

The warmth of the flames washed over his body. Every inch of his body felt like it was melting into nothingness. He endured it though. He didn't want to believe it.

Eventually, the flames died down enough for them to see the boy. Ryuji rushed to the boy's side, yet Suzuki remained physically unchanged. He was still in his uniform.

The same flames that had given him Magatsu did nothing for him now.

Sweat dripped down his forehead as Ryuji wrapped a concerned arm around his waist. "Dude, you're shaking!" Ryuji exclaimed as he tightened his hold on the boy. Suzuki was almost entirely leaning on him now.

Ryuji's head snapped towards Morgana. "What the hell happened to him!?" He cried. The rest of the group mirrored his own look of concern as they turned to the cat for answers.

Morgana visibly hesitated. "....As I mentioned when I first met everyone, Personas are the manifestation of your identity. In order words, they represent yourself and how you see yourself." He paused as he looked at the obviously disheartened Suzuki. 

"If...that manifestation was to change, so would your persona." He finished.

Suzuki felt a hand grab his own. Without the boys noticing, Akira had snuck his way to Suzuki's other side and intertwined their fingers. Suzuki's eyes met with Akira's.

The look of concern and worry sent a guilt pang through his body. Without another thought, Suzuki took his hand back from his.

Akira's hand fell limp at his side as he looked at Suzuki in shock. Yet, Suzuki had his attention focused elsewhere.

"What...What does that mean for me?" He asked Morgana, although he already knew the answer.

Morgana looked up at the lone student in the Shujin uniform. "It means you're powerless here."