Chapter Text
11/20/20XX
This has to work. They’ve gone over the plan countless times. All he has to do is convince- convince... he shakes his head. The guards had left a little while ago. Any moment now Sae was going to-
The door clicks open and Makoto’s older sister walks in the room, her face in a firm frown that only deepens as she surveys the scene in front of her.
That’s right, all he has to do was convince Sae and have her show his phone to Akechi, that’s all. His stomach lurched, heart pounding. His thoughts were still hazy and if he pushed too hard to remember his head pounded but with Sae guiding the interrogation in order from the beginning he could do this.
Sae stands up to leave, phone in hand. The boy’s story had been ridiculous, far fetched and yet… she looks down at the phone. There could be no harm in at least showing it to Akechi, right?
She pauses as Akechi walks down the hall, his eyes trained on the ground. That was… unusual. He stopped when she got close enough and gave her a small smile.
“Ah, Sae-san. I wasn’t expecting to see you here” he ventured tentatively.
She frowned, something was wrong.
“Are you alright Akechi?” she asked, hand on the still on the piece of evidence in her possession.
He frowned at her slightly, and it was almost as if she could see the moment that he closed himself off from her.
“I’m fine, just a little flummoxed that the remaining thieves got away”. He let out an exaggerated sigh before perking up.
“Well at least we caught their leader”.
She nodded, even if Akira hadn’t said anything, the way Akechi was acting was highly suspicious. Akechi said something else to her, but it was like she was watching him speak with no sound. Why couldn’t she hear? What was happening? Her heart lurched painfully in her chest and she brought her hand up to it.
“Sae-san, are you alright?” Akechi asked, looking at her with a suddenly critical eye.
“I’m fine” she forced out between gritted teeth.
“By the way” she started as Akechi turned away from her, why was it so hard to breathe all of sudden? “does this phone mean anything to you?” she asked, showing it to him.
Akechi looked at it with some confusion.
“Not particularly, why?”
She shrugged, “I’m not sure myself”, and then she watched as Akechi walked away, the full weight of the investigation hitting her like a brick. What the hell was she doing? Forging evidence? Leaving a kid to be beaten half to death? She crumpled to the ground, covering her sovs in the sleeve of her jacket.
Akechi doesn’t stop when he hears Sae begin to quietly cry behind him. He doesn’t stop when the guard asks him how long he’ll be. Doesn’t stop as he lets the lie slip off his tongue to bring the guard in with him.
Akira looks up at him, eyes lucid but slightly dilated. Akechi closes his eyes briefly, a pained expression crossing his face before smoothly grabbing the guard’s gun. He can’t stop now, it will make no difference.
BANG
The man is dead before he hits the floor.
Neither living occupant flinches when the body hits.
“I thought things would be different this time”
“So did I”
Akechi runs a hand through his hair distractedly.
“Well… maybe this time will stick” Akechi murmurs to himself, leveling the gun to Joker’s head.
He flinches, knowing what’s about to happen.
“Goro wai-”
BANG
11/13/20XX
Akechi wakes up, the image of Akira’s blood soaked body fresh in his mind, the feel of his rapidly cooling fingers as he fitted the gun in his hand.
Shit.
His phone rings.
He doesn’t need to check the i.d. But he does anyway.
Akira Kurusu
He declines the call.
11/13/20XX
Akira stares down at his phone.
Straight to voicemail, figures.
He frowns… how could their plan have gone wrong. Did Sae-san not show Akechi the phone? Did the app not work? Did-
His blood runs cold.
The treasure, did the treasure get taken out of Sae’s palace before Sae showed him the phone? But how would that have happened? Futaba was supposed to keep them in the Metaverse until after everything was over. They all knew the plan. But-
Unless… they got separated or forced out of the palace? He groaned and put his head in his hands, shaking off his incoming headache.
“Akira?” Morgana ventured out tentatively, “are you okay?”
“Yeah I’m-” no, he shook his head, “no, not really...the plan, it didn’t work.”
Morgana looks up at him sadly.
“What happened?” he asks
Akira shakes his head.
“I don’t know for sure. I just know that it didn’t work.”
Morgana hums thoughtfully while Akira looks down at his phone.
Akira : Have you ever considered… maybe, you know, not killing me?
The typing icon appears over Akechi’s icon. He waits… and waits… and waits…
11/14/20XX
When he gets home from school, Akechi and Futaba are waiting for him. Neither are looking at each other, but Akechi has a suspiciously hand shaped mark across his face. Akira sighs and motions for them both to follow him upstairs.
“So… your grand plan was to make me believe I killed Akira… by killing a cognitive double of him?” Futaba lets out an annoyed huff.
“Well, we wouldn’t have to if someone wasn’t so dead set on killing him!”
Akechi gives her an innocent smile,
“Well maybe if you had included me in your plans from the beginning I wouldn’t have to kill him” his voice is sickeningly sweet, as if he was paying compliments to the crowd.
Akira kicks him under the table.
“Play nice” he mouths, earning a kick back and an eyeroll for his troubles.
“Well, is there some other solution you can bring up then Crow?” Morgana adds cutting to the heart of the matter. Akechi sighs and looks down at his hands.
Akira rests his head in his hand, leaning on the table and takes in the frustrated faces on his teammates.
“Look,” he starts, catching Akechi’s eye, “I know you think killing me is sexy” Akechi flushes a bright red a confused expression across his face, “but have you considered… maybe not killing me?”
“I-” he opens his mouth and then closes it again.
Futaba looks like she just swallowed something extraordinarily bitter and Morgana is giving him a look of disbelief.
“Just like that?” Akechi asks.
“Just like that.” Akira responds.
“I- there’s- it’s not that easy?!” he sputters out.
“Wow ‘kira, I think you broke him” Futaba mock whispers to him. Akira shrugs, s smirk making its way across his features and suddenly Akechi very much wants to reach over and throttle him.
“Suppose-” he starts, once he’s regained some semblance of composure, “ suppose I didn’t kill you. What then? It won’t take very long to realize that you’re not dead when there’s no body left behind”.
Akira just shrugs nonchalantly again,
“We’re just gonna have to steal the heart of whoever wanted me dead in the first place then”.
Akechi goes cold. The air in his lungs rushes out of him.
“No.” he says flatly.
“Are you really going to let this keep happening? Is this what you really want?” Morgana interjects, staring deeply into Akechi’s eyes.
He glances away.
“It’s not your place-” he starts.
“It’s not your place to judge us either” Futaba interjects.
“Let’s make a deal” Akira starts, cutting off what might be a budding argument.
“ Goro ,” there’s an emphasis on his name that Akechi can’t quite place, “just this once. Try it our way and if it doesn’t work, if we can’t steal your employer’s heart for whatever reason, you’re free to kill me and continue doing whatever nefarious plan you had concocted before this mess”.
There’s a saying that Akechi familiarized himself with as a child. A cornered rat will bite the cat . He looks at Akira and as he takes his hand and flashes a smile to match the smirk on Akira’s face he can’t help but wonder.
Which of us is the cornered one?
11/14/20XX
Akechi : did you mean it?
Akira : ???
Akechi : do you really think so little of me to believe that I would find sexual gratification in the act of murdering another human being?
Akira winces and rolls onto his stomach, trying to choose the best course of action.
Akechi beats him to it.
Goro: Never mind, don’t answer that
and well… Akira just doesn’t know how to leave well enough alone apparently
Akira : I didn’t mean to upset you
Akechi: because implying I get off to killing people wouldn’t be an upsetting accusation
Ouch, he’s pretty upset then.
Akira : Goro, I’m sorry.
Akira : I needed to redirect your attention
Akira : that’s all
Akira : and besides from the nightmares, I’m still alive aren’t I?
11/15/20XX
Akira : we’re gonna need the name of your employer you know
Goro : I know, just… let’s wait until after we fake your death alright?
11/16/20XX
Akira : why do you have a giant A on your briefcase btw?
Goro : you could just look up the answer to that you know
Akira : I know, but… I want to hear it from you, not some enamored teenage girl that doesn’t know you
Goro : it stands for “answers”
Goro : because I keep paperwork involving my cases in there, I’d hoped a positive name would help me out
Akira : wooooow
Goro : ?
Akira : I just realized how big of a nerd you are.
11/17/20XX
Goro: what are your parents like?
Akira : ?
Goro : nvrmnd
11/18/20XX
Goro : why won’t Futaba stop sending me pictures of pancakes?
Goro : Akira I know you’re online you just answered Ryuji in the thieves chat
Goro : Akira????
Goro: Akira???????
Akira : img_1276
Goro: I take back my agreement, next time I see you I’m shooting on sight
11/19/20XX
Akira : I’ve been thinking
Goro: that’s a first
Akira : hush, you know I’m the full package: beauty and brains
Akira : ANYWAYS, I’ve been thinking
Goro : about?
Akira : what if we’re the personas and our personas are actually controlling us
Akira : ;0.0
Goro : go to sleep
Akira : wow, I didn’t realize you were actually Morgana all along
Goro : and besides, that’s highly improbable.
Akira : ah-hah! You said improbable, not impossible
Goro : good night Akira
11/20/20XX Morning
Akira : are you nervous
Goro: hardly, you?
Akira : ...yes
Goro : it’ll be fine, besides what’s the worst that can happen? Me shooting you?
Akira : pwease no shoot sempai
Goro : just for that, I’m definitely shooting you
11/20/20XX
"We had best split up and escape. Although, we'll need someone to act as decoy...No, that's too dangerous" Queen murmurs, thinking out loud. Oracle looks away from her screen long enough to glance at Joker. He'd told her that this would happen but, she looks over to Crow, but whatever he's thinking is obscured behind his mask.
Joker rolls out his shoulders.
"Go, everyone. I'll do it." He says with as much confidence as he can spare.
"Joker?!" Queen exclaims, "Are you planning on distracting them yourself?"
Skull takes one look at his best friend and sighs briefly, before pushing down his concern.
"Let him do it. He's quiet, but once his mind's made up, he's not gonna take no for an answer." He passes over the treasure case in his hands. "I believe in you" Skull says, before giving him a light tap on the shoulder and turning back to the rest of the group.
"Don't do anything reckless" Noir responds, glancing up at him with concern in her eyes.
"I'll never forgive you if you don't make it back" Panther's adds on.
"We still have our deal, remember?" Mona adds, with a subtle glance at Crow.
"More incoming!" Oracle calls in.
Fox, looks down at his clenched hand. "This truly is a painfully reluctant parting".
Crow glances at all of them. "It seems we had best hurry".
Queen spares one last look at her sister's shadow before nodding.
"We'll see you later"
Then they're gone and Joker's left to buy them enough time to get away.