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It was so cold.
Everything about the room was stone cold, as if just touching something with your bare hand would give it frostbite. At this point, he wasn’t sure if it was the drug that made him feel so cold, or if it was the room itself. Not that he really cared, it wasn’t anything that he hadn’t felt before.
That familiar, steel table that echoed in the stone room when Sae slammed her palms against it was a sound he could never push out of his mind. It still rang in his ears, yet he didn’t flinch or even move-- in fact, it was a sound he looked forward to. It let him know that he was close to his goal, and the gamble of his life was inching near.
As Sae began to list off the names, “Ryuji Sakamato”, “Ann Takamaki”, any fuzziness that clouded his mind was gone. He knew that if he wanted this to work, he had to swallow any fears, and throw away any shackles that held him back.
That included the Phantom Thieves.
Finally, the question he longed for was asked-- “Are they your accomplices?”
The question Akira had waited for since the beginning of this interrogation, and since he was thrown into this freezing cold room. Without missing a beat, he gave a nod.
“Yes… they’re the Phantom Thieves.”
Naturally, Sae was somewhat surprised, since she hadn’t expected him to answer so quickly.
“... You’ve made a wise choice. I will do my best with what you’ve told me,” the words Akira had been waiting for. He felt his leg start to shake nervously, fingers drummed against the table as he waited for that familiar face to show itself.
Minutes felt like hours, and it felt like he had waited several before the very man he looked forward to finally stepped in with that security guard.
Goro Akechi.
Just as Akira had seen before, he waited until the door was closed before he snatched the gun from the guard's holster, then shot him point blank in the heart. Despite how sudden his movements were, Akira never once flinched or showed surprise, even when Akechi brought the barrel of the gun against his forehead.
Now was the time-- it was now or never, and if he didn’t speak up, his life was forfeit.
“Case closed… This is how your ‘justice’ ends.”
His finger slowly pressed against the trigger, and Akira finally spoke up.
“Wait.”
Akechi widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting him to speak up so suddenly. He momentarily debated on whether he should pull the trigger anyway, but if Akira still had the gall to talk, even when he was in such a situation, then he may as well listen to what he had to say.
“... Very well, what is it?” his voice remained stern, but his finger loosened on the trigger. Akira’s fingers squeezed his thigh softly, trying to calm his nerves.
“Is this really how it should end…?”
Akechi paused, his brows furrowed in annoyance.
“... What are you talking about?”
“This game… it was rigged from the start, wasn’t it?”
Akechi gritted his teeth, annoyed by the sudden smile that appeared on Akira’s face.
“The hell are you saying…!?” it seemed he struck a nerve.
“You know… this game where we were pitted against each other. Let’s be honest… you had the advantage, but in the end, neither of us were supposed to win. It’s an unfair game that has no winner… right?”
Akechi gnashed his teeth together, his finger making its way to the trigger again.
“What the hell do YOU know? You haven’t seen SHIT! You don’t know ANYTHING about me…!”
“I know that you never asked to be a part of this…”
Akechi let out a hiss, almost as if something struck him.
“I want to make a deal with you, Akechi.”
“You… you’re about to die, yet you still want to try and gamble with your killer? Tch.. You’re a fool. I should kill you right now.”
“But that won’t be as satisfying, will it? I have a proposal for you, Akechi, and if you don’t want to, then you’re free to kill me here and now. I already sold out the Phantom Thieves, so it’s not like I have anything to lose.”
He looked up at him in the eyes, the grin widening. He was still nervous, but he didn’t dare show it.
“I want to accompany you on your plan. You don’t want to kill me, do you? You’re after a MUCH bigger catch, and you want me out of the way. What if I told you… we can turn this game on its head?”
Akechi’s eyes widened, completely shocked that Akira had hit the nail on the head. Who… the hell WAS he!? He found himself shaking, arm struggling to keep the barrel against him.
“Why the hell… would I want to do it with you?”
“Because we’re both players in an unjust game, with potential that no one else could fathom. If the two of us band together… we will create a force that will be unstoppable. We can do whatever we want, even if it’s just temporary… Plus, as they say, two heads are better than one.”
Akira had a point. If Akechi had an accomplice of his own, it would be a lot easier to carry out his plans, especially if they were just as, if not sharper than himself. Although his trigger finger still itched, he couldn’t deny the offer was too good to resist.
“Heh, even now, you’re trying to beg for your life when all of the cards are against you. You really ARE stupid, but I guess I’ll take you up on your deal. What’s in it for me?”
Akira slowly calmed his nerves. It seemed he got through to Akechi.
“I will stay by your side no matter what, until my last dying breath, or until our plan is complete. Whichever comes first. After that… you can do whatever you want with me. As I said, I have nothing to lose. What do you say?”
Akechi stared at him, maroon eyes met with obsidian as he pondered the decision. His offer was far too good to pass up, plus, it would make it easier to have his plan come to fruition. Even if it was just a LITTLE while, he definitely wasn’t going to turn away the company.
He slowly lowered the gun, then put it into safety before putting it in the guard’s holster. After, he looked at Akira, a smile on his face.
“Deal.”