Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“This is it.”

Akira adjusted the bag hanging limply on his shoulder, scrutinizing what would be their home for the next year. It looked rather bland with varying shades of subdued grey covering the exterior, but that could just be the thick clouds looming overhead, sucking the life out of everything they passed over.

There was a doorbell embedded in the stone gate in front of him. His hand twitched but didn’t move.

Another reached up and rang the bell.

Akira locked gazes with grey eyes near identical to his own, seeing the interest and concern swirling within.

He sighed, shifting his weight and listening for any signs of life within the house. “Sorry. Everything’s still sinking in. That this is really happening.”

Ren stared before refocusing on the home, the hints of a frown pulling at his mouth. There was a distant look in his eyes, the glint of his glasses almost making it impossible to recognize.

But Akira did. He’d seen it too many times.

Ren wasn’t seeing the house anymore, he knew. He was reliving the dark streets, the cries for help, and the blood. So much blood.

Akira released a shaky breath, struggling to remain in the present.

The noise shook Ren out of his daze, and his hands moved. (“Just a year. We can make it.”)

Just a year.

“Yeah.”

They waited, and after a while of silence, Ren rang the doorbell again. There were no hints of someone being inside, and Akira cursed their luck.

“Are you two looking for Mr. Sakura?”

Akira turned around in slight shock at the new voice while Ren peered over his shoulder. A mailman was exiting his truck behind the home, a couple packages hooked under his arm.

The man glanced at them two in slight surprise. Akira had expected that at least. He and Ren had lived a life filled with those widened eyes.

Akira looked the mailman over and answered, “Yeah, we are. Do you know where he is?”

The man adjusted his hat. “I can’t say for sure, but I know that he owns a coffee shop and is usually there this time of day. You should check there first.”

Funny how he didn’t know that about the person they were going to live with. All Akira knew was that Mr. Sakura was acquainted with a friend of their dad. Nothing more.

But granted, their father had been too busy pushing them away and dumping them off somewhere to share that type of information.

No...no, he shouldn’t think like that. Dad loved them, it’s just…

“Where is it?” he asked to escape his thoughts.

“Hm.” The mailman jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “That way tucked in a back alley. It’s not a far walk. It has a red and white sign, can’t miss it.”

“Thank you,” Akira gave something similar to a smile as Ren curtly waved. They left the man to his job, trusting that he had been truthful.

Their situation couldn’t have spread through the populous yet. Hopefully.

Akira searched as they walked, shoving his hands into his pockets and ignoring the stares from others meandering on the street.

A cool breeze rustled his hair, the soft chatter and the promise of soothing rain was almost relaxing in a way, but Akira couldn’t lose the heavy feeling that had settled into his gut.

“Do you think he’ll like us?”

He spoke softly so only Ren could hear. Ren processed his question for only a moment, eye brows creasing, before a shoulder bounced in a shrug. His hands moved again. (“Would you if the situation was reversed?”)

Akira saw his point. “Guess you’re right.” Not judging a book by its cover was hard to do when it came with hefty assault charges. Even so, Sakura should know why they did what they did. Maybe they would get a lucky break and not be treated like full-blown criminals. “We have to get on his good side. That means that you might have to learn to like coffee.”

Ren’s face twisted up, and Akira enjoyed the image of Ren forcing the stuff down for Sakura’s sake. He’d never been fond of coffee, too bitter. Akira could always go for a cup, though. It basically helped him through the first year of high school.

This year, however...might be different.

Akira faltered in his step when there was a tug on his sleeve. He sent Ren a curious look before following his brother’s line of sight, finding a red and white sign labeled ‘Leblanc’ down an adjacent alley.

The weighted feeling churned in his gut. Akira stood straighter and nodded to Ren, who was adjusting his shirt collar. The action was pointless, for the collar already had been covering the scars hidden underneath, but this was a nervous tick Ren has had for years.

I’m sure Sakura already knows, he wanted to say, but he swallowed the words.

Ren nodded back at him, and they approached their destination.

A chime indicated their arrival. Akira stepped through the door first, instantly noticing the warmth and color that the gloomy day was lacking. The place was cozy, not terribly small but definitely not the biggest cafe he’d seen.

The aroma of coffee was a nice welcome as well, for Akira at least.

There was the chatter of a television in the background, but his attention was more on the man hunched over at the lengthy bar, doing what seemed to be a crossword puzzle.

“Oh, twins? Well, isn’t that a rare sight?”

That was an elderly voice, certainly not belonging to the man at the bar. There was an older couple sitting at a booth across from the bar, nothing but pleasant smiles on their faces.

Akira copied the expression due to politeness and routine, and Ren did the same out of the corner of his eye.

“They’re very well identical!” The elderly woman giggled behind her hand. “Are you two regulars of Sojiro’s? I haven’t seen you two around.”

Sojiro, Mr. Sakura, folded his paper and slide it to the side, forgotten. He didn’t let them answer. “They’re part-timers. They’re starting today.”

Akira understood the lie. Sojiro didn’t want their past ruining his name as well.

“Oh! That’s exciting.” The elderly man stood up out of his seat, the woman following his lead. “We should be going then. I’m sure you need to focus on teaching them the ins and outs of working here. The payment's on the table.”

The couple trained their warm smiles on Sojiro before walking out.

As soon as they were gone, Sojiro’s eyes were on them, scrutinizing, judging. After a bout of silence, he stood with a tired sigh. “Which one is Amamiya?”

Ren took a slight step forward, the slight smile still in place.

Get on his good side.

Sojiro seemed to favor dramatic pauses. He looked Ren over individually this time, something lurking beneath his gaze that Akira couldn’t name. It was gone in a second, Sojiro’s features hardening as he crossed his arms.

“Let me cut to the chase here.” His voice was sharp, unwavering. “You two will be living in the attic of this cafe, and if you so much look at someone the wrong way, you two are out of here. Understand?”

He glanced at Akira for an answer, and what could he say other than, “Yes sir.” It seemed like they weren’t going to be in Sojiro’s good graces anytime soon, so there was no point in arguing, trying to explain everything.

And he wasn’t sure that mentioning his love for coffee was going to change Sojiro’s opinion anyway.

Sojiro then sent a sharp look to Ren, and he nodded in response. His smile had faded away.

“Good. Now, come on.”

They silently obeyed, following Sojiro across the room and up some stairs tucked away in the back. The wood creaked under their feet, and Akira felt many emotions as they reached the attic - their new room.

“Here it is,” Sojiro stopped in the middle of the room, vaguely gesturing to the space. He turned to judge their reactions. “What do you think?”

Akira coughed, dust lodging itself in his throat. “It’s-“ Cluttered, filthy, borderline unlivable, was that a spider? “-big,” he settled on instead. Antagonizing him would be the wrong thing to do here.

Ren couldn’t have thought the same, for he approached one of the crowded shelves and ran a fingertip along the dated wood. There was a prominent line where his finger had been, and he held up his dusty digit.

“You’re lucky you’re getting a place at all,” Sojiro replied to the silent question. “It shouldn’t take long to clean up with the two of you.”

Akira would beg to differ. The cobwebs here had dust on them.

And wait a minute…

“There’s only one bed,” he said, glancing between the one tucked in the corner and the small couch resting by the wall. Surely Sojiro wouldn’t be that cruel. But then again, he didn’t have to give them a place to stay in the first place. This was a step up from any potential cell.

Sojiro rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll be getting you a blow up mattress later on today. Been meaning to do it, but time got away from me.”

Ren was at another shelf, shuffling through its contents. Akira watched him, saying softly, “Thank you.” He faced Sojiro, hoping that he accepted his appreciation. “For everything. For the bed, for taking us in-“

“Don’t thank me yet.” Sojiro wasn’t having any of it. His frown deepened. “You two are treading on extremely thin ice. I’m leaving you two here alone after I lock up every night, but if I find a spoon out of place, the police are but a phone call away. And I’m sure simply mentioning your names would be more than enough to get them here.”

Akira’s fingers curled in his pockets, but he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Not at Sojiro, anyway. Their whole situation was unfair.

If Sojiro noticed, he didn’t comment on it. He stroked his beard, his gaze never losing its distrust. “From what I heard, it was an assault case, right? A man was forcing himself on a woman, and you two got involved.”

Akira’s voice was strained by the memories. “It was-“

“Self defense? That’s what they always say.” Sojiro pulled no punches, it seemed. “Alright.” He shifted his attention to Ren, who was looking through two boxes in the middle of the floor. It had to be their stuff. “Who started it?”

“The fight?” Akira thought it was obvious. “The man-“

“No, which one of you threw the first punch?”

Ah.

While Akira hesitated, Ren stood from his kneeling position and faced Sojiro, no amount of guilt in his expression.

“Hm.” Sojiro harshly exhaled, shaking his head. “Relying on stupid impulses will get you nowhere in life. It was a matter between two adults.”

(“So, you would’ve just stood there and watched?”)

Akira’s breath stuttered when Ren’s hands moved, stiff and quick. Sojiro narrowed his eyes suspiciously, the fingers on his chin freezing. “Kurusu, what did he say?”

Dammit, Ren. He could lie, but he was sure that Sojiro would call the bullshit as soon as it left his mouth. The truth was dangerous, though. Things were already rough, and they didn’t need to stir the pot even more.

He was saved from making the decision when Sojiro relented with a huff. “Actually, never mind. I don’t want to know. From your look alone, I get the gist.” He turned his back to them, calling over his shoulder. “I’ve got a cafe to run. Don’t make too much of a racket up here.”

The steps creaked when he left.

Akira waited a few seconds and then spun on his heel, focusing on Ren. He was still staring at the spot Sojiro had been standing in. “What happened to getting on his good side?” he whispered, near incredulous. “Because that wasn’t it.”

All of the fight, or whatever had been in Ren’s system just now, drained away. He ran his fingers through his bangs, releasing a silent sigh. (“That can start tomorrow,”) he eventually signed. Ren seemed only slightly apologetic before he stepped over to a shelf overflowing with ancient books. He waved Akira over to help clean.

Akira scanned the room once more, and he knew his body wasn’t going to like what it was about to be put through. It would be an effective distraction, however.

“Alright. You’re handling the spiders, though.”

(“Baby.”)

“I’m not ashamed to admit it.”

They needed to let their minds go numb for a change.

Chapter Text

“Wake up, Trickster. You have a job to do.”

Akira gasped when his eyes flew open, heart jackhammering against his chest. He laid in his bed, perfectly still with his blanket haphazardly covering his body. Gazing at the ceiling, he wondered what in the hell just happened.

He had been in a prison, but-

Swallowing thickly, Akira slowly sat up, placing a disbelieving hand on his forehead. There had been a man, and two girls...it had to be a dream. There was no other explanation.

It had seemed too real, though. And then the talk about ruin and rehabilitation was just…

Akira shook his head as if that would chase away the troubling experience. He sighed to ground himself. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t. He was here. In an attic. Above a coffee shop. There were no chains or stripes or bars.

He was still free.

Akira dropped his hand, willing his heart to calm back down and glancing to the side when movement grabbed his fuzzy focus.

Ren was fast asleep on the blow up mattress Sojiro had brought them, curling up in his own blanket. The morning sun’s rays seeping through the window stopped at his shoulders, leaving his face in the shade.

He hadn’t been subjected to the strange nightmare, then.

Akira quietly groaned and slumped back against the bed, rubbing the heel of his palms against his eyes. It was too early. He should go back to sleep, if he could, until-

His train of thought derailed at the sound of incoming footsteps. He ran a hand down his face because he knew exactly why Sojiro was here. They had to meet faculty at the Shujin Academy, and he was not looking forward to it.

“Ah, you’re up.” Akira peered over to find Sojiro standing at the mouth of the staircase, dressed to impress. “Thought I would have to drag you out of bed. Get ready.” He motioned at Ren. “And get him up too.”

That was all he said, disappearing back down a moment later.

Akira groaned again as he accepted his fate.

He threw his legs off the side of the bed and stood with a yawn. Grabbing his pillow, Akira hurled it in Ren’s direction, hitting him square in the face. Ren instantly recoiled, peeking out from under the fluffy projectile, eyes screaming in betrayal.

“Time to get up,” Akira said with a minuscule smirk and scurried out of the room just as the pillow was launched at his head.

After meeting Principal Kobayakawa and Ms. Kawakami, Akira already knew that their school year was going to be rough, to put it lightly.

(“They were talking shit about us while we were standing right in front of them!”)

“Yeah…”

(“Don’t they at least have the decency to talk behind our backs about it? It doesn’t matter what we did, we’re still kids.")

Akira nodded.

(“And it’s not like we had a choice-")

Akira grabbed one of Ren’s wrists, making his brother still. There was anger in his eyes, understandably, but they couldn’t get too worked up about this. They couldn’t afford to.

“I know, but just...chill out for a bit, okay?” He let him go, and Ren gritted his teeth. He seemed to listen however, lowering his hands and fisting them in his lap instead. “We just have to endure it. Just a year.”

He had to keep telling himself that.

Ren clicked his tongue softly in obvious agitation before leaning his head against the window, watching the standstill of traffic surrounding them. Akira stared at him, floundering for something else to say, but decided to say nothing. It was better to leave his brother alone to think, most of the time.

Feeling eyes on him, Akira looked up and met Sojiro’s stare in the rearview mirror. He instantly averted his gaze to the window as well, not in the mood for conversation. Sojiro remained silent.

Words from the radio filled the car. “Again, a subway has derailed at Shibuya Station, greatly affecting the timetable all across the-“

Sojiro turned it off.

All of Akira’s blood had turned to ice. “Derailed…?” He’s heard of the accidents around here, sure, but nothing in detail. And again? What did the man mean by again? 

He whipped his head around, and he saw Ren frozen in his seat, staring at the radio. His knuckles had gone white from how hard he was clenching them. His eyes were wide behind his glasses, distant. Too distant.

Akira leaned over. “Ren?” No response. He felt a stare on him once more, but again, Sojiro was ignored. Akira placed a shaky hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Ren? Snap out of it!” But Ren wasn’t here.

He was years in the past, on that train destined to crash.

Akira harshly shook him. “Ren!” Relief flooded his system when stormy grey eyes flickered, boring into his own. Akira lowered his voice, his grip tight on Ren’s shoulder. “You back with me?”

Ren’s face was iced over in fear and anguish, uncracking even after so many years. This was the first time in a while that he’s had an episode like this. Akira searched his expression, knowing that he had to wait. It was always a waiting game.

It seemed like hours before Ren gave the subtlest of nods.

Akira didn’t pull back just yet. “You're here, alright?” Ren didn’t answer, but his clenched fingers had relaxed. That wasn’t good enough. “You’re here. Say it back to me."

His mouth moved. “I’m…” There was no sound, but Akira understood. Reading lips was a necessary talent. “...here. I’m here.”

Akira hesitated, waiting for any type of relapse.

Ren closed his eyes, took a breath, and when they reopened, any hints of his episode were nearly gone.

The glossiness of his eyes remained.

“I’m good,” Ren mouthed. “Really.”

Akira allowed his hand to drop, hoping that Ren hadn’t noticed how he was trembling. He had to be the rock here, sturdy to keep Ren from breaking.

Ren smoothed out his crinkled pants and resumed looking out of the window. He didn’t try to hide the exhaustion in his face.

Akira felt for him. Going all this time without an episode only to have it now? Ren usually fared well on trains, only becoming tense if things got a little bumpy, but nothing too major. He had gone on them by himself all the time with no problem.

But now, faced with another derailment that was so close must’ve resonated within him. That plus all of the stress they were currently going through had pushed his mind too far.

“Is he alright?”

Akira sagged against his seat, wondering what the chances were that Sojiro would be nice enough to brew him a cup when they returned. Slim to none, even after what happened.

“Yeah,” he answered. He didn’t want to explain, and he was sure Ren didn’t want him to either. “He’s fine.”

Sojiro stared for a long while, switching from Akira to Ren, before returning to the congested street.

They rode in silence back to the cafe.

 When they returned, the sun was hanging in the sky.

“Damn traffic,” Sojiro muttered as he escorted the boys inside. “What a waste of my day.”

Akira agreed wholeheartedly. Between the constant bumper-to-bumper traffic and the faculty members who didn’t seem to care if either of them dropped dead, he could safely say that this day was a disaster.

Stairs creaked when Ren trudged upstairs without a second glance.

Akira ran his fingers through his hair, jerking out a knot, and heavily sighed.

“That happen often?”

Careful, Sojiro. You’re starting to sound concerned. 

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was talking about. “No,” Akira answered truthfully. “It’s been a while.” He hoped that it was a one time thing, for Ren’s sake.

A beat of quiet, then, “You two will be riding the trains to school starting tomorrow. Will that be a problem?”

“No,” he repeated himself. Ren’s strong. He always had been. So seeing him like that was… “We should be able to handle it.”

“You better,” Sojiro replied, but his words didn’t sound as sharp as he expected them to be. Maybe he did care. Or maybe he just didn’t want someone emotionally unstable under his roof. “I don’t have the time to be chauffeuring you two around.”

“We didn’t expect you to. You’re needed here, after all,” Akira uttered distractedly, scuffing his shoe against the floorboard. They should leave extra early tomorrow to catch the trains, just in case.

A brief ring cut through the air, and Sojiro answered his cell phone, turning slightly away from him. “Hey...yeah, I’m about to leave now. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Akira bit back a question about a significant other. They would find out eventually.

Sojiro hung up, taking a step away from him. “I’m leaving and locking up. Remember, if something’s broken when I come back-“

“We’re going to be dumped again. I know,” Akira quietly interrupted him with no ill-intent. He was just tired of the threats. Tired in general.

Sojiro clearly didn’t appreciate that, but he said nothing of it. Instead, “You have school tomorrow. You’ll get no sympathy from me if you stay up too late.”

Akira recognized that obvious dismissal. “Right,” he said, slinking toward the stairs. The lights cut off behind him, paired with a familiar chime.

Ren was laying on the mattress along the floor, still in his uniform. Akira shuffled over to his own bed and plopped down. He resisted the urge to relax, instead watching Ren scroll through something on his phone. His expression was unreadable.

“Want to talk about it?” he tentatively asked, shattering the silence.

At first, Ren didn’t react at all, and Akira figured that he was going to be ignored altogether. Then, Ren rested the phone on his chest with a thin frown.

It wasn’t too long after that when his hands moved. (“Eighty people were injured in the accident today.”)

It felt like an elephant had sat on Akira’s chest, air rushing out of him. “Eighty? That’s…” Way too many. What were the extent of the injuries? How many families, children-

Fingers motioned again. Akira noticed their slight hesitation. Ren wasn’t looking at him anymore. (“Sorry about earlier.”)

Akira shook his head, confused. “Why are you apologizing? It’s not like you wanted to have an attack then and there.”

(“Still.”)

“Yeah, well.” Akira leaned back in his hands, looking over their room that still was too cluttered and too dusty. It held promise, though. “It happened. There’s no point in thinking so much about it.”

Ren absently tapped his finger on the back of his phone, but didn’t reply.

Akira looked at him, his thoughts a raging whirlwind, before ignoring them altogether. “Maybe it hadn’t been such a bad thing.” That earned him a baffled glance. He managed a modest grin. “You got Sojiro to show another emotion besides contempt.”

Ren stared at him for a moment, probably still in disbelief, before rolling his eyes and picking his phone back up. Akira caught a hint of amusement, and that was enough for him.

Ren then turned his phone around, showing an online chess board. There was an eyebrow raised in inquiry.

Akira scoffed as he pulled out his phone. “Eager to add to my win streak?” He knew this was simply a distraction, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d won the last five games.

(“I’m breaking it today. Watch,”) Ren signed before starting the game.

Spoiler alert: he didn’t break it.

“Ren, you have to be kidding me.”

Ren looked as exasperated as Akira felt, holding his forehead in his hand. Akira sighed, glancing around at all of the people around them who were searching for their train and reluctantly starting their work day.

“How did you get this far without realizing that you left your student ID?” From what Akira understood, IDs were mandatory to get in the school, and that probably went tenfold for new students. Sure, Ren wouldn’t be kicked out because Kawakawi and the Principal knew them, but they shouldn't give them any incentives to do so just in case.

Plus, there was no way to buy lunch without an ID, and that was a tragedy in itself.

Ren shook his head and mirrored his sigh. He glanced back the way they came and signed, (“I’ll go back and get it.”)

Akira frowned. “Seriously? The Ginza line is right over there!” He motioned to the crowd of people migrating through the gates. “I think being late is worse than forgetting your ID.”

(“This is why we left early, right?”) Ren responded, already taking a step away from him.

No, the reason they left early was in case there were any complications on the trains. Ren had been normal riding them so far today like yesterday didn’t happen, which was great, but of course Ren would find another way to throw a wrench in their plans.

Sometimes, Akira felt like the older brother.

“Wait.” Akira reached out and grabbed his arm. There was no talking Ren out of something once he made up his mind, but he had to ask, “Will you be okay?” He wouldn’t be there on the off chance something triggered, after all.

Ren nodded at him, gently shaking off his hand. “I’ll be fine,” he mouthed. “Always have been.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly the truth, but Akira let it go. Ren curtly waved at him before melting into the crowd.

Akira quietly groaned as he went over and waited for the next train. Now, he was going to have to introduce himself alone, not able to share the pain of dealing with the teachers and, inevitably, the students.

At least one of them was prepared for today. Maybe the faculty would be impressed by that.

...Who was he kidding? He could save a kitten from a burning fire and still would be seen as some kind of delinquent.

Akira sighed again as the train pulled up, bracing himself for what was to come.

It started to rain.

Of course it did.

Ren mentally cursed as he ran along the sidewalks, his bag the only protection he had from the threatening drizzle.

Sure, the dark and heavy clouds in the sky when they had first walked to Yongen-Jaya station was a dead-giveaway, but Ren believed that they would beat the rain, making it to school before any downpour.

And they would’ve if Ren hadn’t been an idiot.

His breaths were heavy as he turned a corner, eyes instantly zeroing in on the tucked away Leblanc. He could already imagine Sojiro’s surprise and annoyance at his appearance.

Ren would deal with responsibility talks later, for he needed to be in and out quickly if he wanted to make it to Shujin in time.

He flung open the door in a hurry, startling Sojiro who was behind the bar. Luckily, no customers had arrived yet. “Huh? What-“ Then recognition, along with irritation, set in. “What are you - hey! ”

Ren was bounding up the stairs, eyes darting around the attic once he reached it. He paused in the middle of the floor, panting, until he spotted his ID on top of the nearest shelf.

Not stopping to think why it was up there, he grabbed it and sprinted back downstairs, almost running into Sojiro in the process. He smiled in apology but kept going.

“Wait!” Sojiro yelled, but he didn’t slow down.  “I said wait, dammit!”

Ren slid to a stop then, almost slipping due to his damp shoes. He peered over his shoulder and saw Sojiro glaring at the wet floor, meeting his eyes a second later.

“Why in the world did you come back here?” he gruffly asked. “Shouldn’t you be almost to Shujin by now?”

Ren wasn’t sure if Sojiro knew he was talking to, so he made it clear by holding up his ID, not saying a word.

“For the love of…” Sojiro muttered after a moment of clarity. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Would it kill you to be responsible for one day?”

This was the conversation Ren had been itching to avoid. He leaned toward the exit, giving another apologetic look. He seriously needed to go.

Sojiro grumbled something under his breath that Ren couldn’t comprehend. Sojiro went back behind the bar, and he wondered if it was safe to leave now.

He was about to make a guess and bolt, but Sojiro bent down out of sight and reappeared with an umbrella in his hands. “Here. I’m not taking care of you if you get sick because of the rain.”

Maybe Akira had been right about Sojiro having more than one emotion.

Ren bounded over and took the offering, hastily signing, (“Thank you.”) He knew Sojiro didn’t completely understand him, but he hoped he had gotten the gist of what he said.

Not sticking around to find out, Ren sprinted through the exit, unfolding the umbrella to prevent the rain from making his unruly hair even worse.

Ren made sure to slow his gait upon reaching Yongen-Jaya station, not wanting to mow anyone down accidentally. Chest heaving, he folded the umbrella and made a beeline for the correct gate, wiping sweat off his brow.

Holding the umbrella in one hand, Ren pulled out his phone with the other. He checked for any messages and found it strange that Akira hadn’t told him that he arrived at the school. Akira should have made it to Shujin by now. Maybe he was too busy with the teachers?

Ren: Hey, you made it there?

He sent the message, eyebrows creasing. Akira had made it, right? He had to have, for he had been literally one train ride and a couple of blocks away from it. The only thing that could’ve gone wrong was…

No. He wasn’t going to think about that. Akira was fine. Trains...Trains were dependable, and-

Ren’s thoughts scattered when he crashed into something solid, sucking in a surprised breath. He managed to keep upright, only stumbling to the side a bit, but the thing, the person, he’d run into went sprawling to the ground.

He heard a splash too, and his heart sank.

Dropping his phone back into his pocket, he quickly knelt down beside the person he’d foolishly knocked over - a boy around his age.

The boy was already pushing himself off the floor, hissing in pain before blinking over at Ren, whose hand was hovering over the guy’s shoulder, unsure whether to help or not.

Ren saw the surprise, the subtle anger in his gaze, and he felt terrible. Knowing that it was a long shot, he signed, (“I’m sorry.”) Running into people who knew sign language was few and far between, but maybe luck was on his side at the moment.

It turned out that it wasn’t the case when the boy stared at his hands in confusion and a hint of curiosity. The anger was gone like it never had been there.

Resorting to Plan B, Ren waited until the boy refocused on his face before mouthing the same words.

Comprehension flooded the guy’s features. “No need to apologize, it’s fine,” he said, and Ren sent him an odd look because no it wasn’t fine. The boy was probably going to have bruised knees in a few minutes, and there was a puddle of coffee a meter away growing larger by the second.

The boy must’ve misunderstood his expression though, for he suddenly grew sheepish. “You can...understand me, correct?”

Ren has heard that question, and many other variants of it, so often that his head nod was near automatic.

Standing up, Ren glanced in the direction of his next train. It should be arriving any minute now, and he was nowhere near the gate.

He held out a helping hand, and the boy brushed his mussed brown bangs out of his face before taking it. Grunting, Ren pulled him up to his feet, thankful that the coffee hadn’t gotten on the guy’s pristine uniform.

“Thank you,” the boy said, fixing any wrinkles in his clothes, but Ren barely heard him. He was too busy digging into his bag for his wallet, thinking that this should make up for what just happened. “It’s bound to happen eventually. With everyone rushing to and fro, I don’t blame you for - oh?”

Ren basically shoved some money into his hands, more than enough to buy another cup of coffee. He didn’t have the time to count it out.

The boy gazed at his palms in slight shock. “I...appreciate the gesture, but this is too much-“

Ren was jogging away at this point, throwing a wave over his shoulder.

He kept his eyes in front of him this time because the next person he ran into, literally, might not be as nice. Any more confrontations would make him even later.

The phone in his pocket remained silent.

When the train rumbled to a stop, its doors finally sliding open, Ren released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He let go of the metallic pole next to him, frowning at how stiff his fingers were.

He didn’t get to think about it, the mass of people flowing out of the train and forcing him to move with the current.

The air was a little easier to breathe once he stepped off. It always had been. Ren inhaled deeply, relaxing his tensed shoulders, before grabbing his phone again.

He opened navigation and checked Shujin Academy's address, seeing that it was a fifteen minute walk from the station. That was good. He should be able to make it there with a few minutes to spare.

Ren then switched to his messages and worry bubbled up seeing that Akira has yet to respond to him. His text hadn’t been read either.

He squashed the concern, though. There had been no announcements of detailed trains or other similar complications, so Akira was simply busy. He’d see him inside, and they would be together dealing with this new life they’d been thrust into.

Squaring his shoulders, Ren strolled out of the station.

The overhead clouds remained dark and gloomy, but the rain had marginally let up. It was barely a fine mist now, so the umbrella remained at his side as he went.

As Ren got closer to the school, the more students he saw moving in the same direction. They were wearing the familiar uniform, not dallying because of how close they were cutting it, and whispers were already reaching Ren’s ears.

“Hey, we’re supposed to get a couple transfer students, aren’t we? Think he’s one of them?”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen him before.”

“Aren’t they rumored to be criminals though?”

“Wait, seriously?”

“He does look sketchy in a way-“

“Wonder what he did?”

“I heard assault-“

“-could have a knife in him-“

“Why in the hell the school accept someone like him?"

“-not safe-“

Ren adjusted the collar on his shirt and walked on. There was no point in addressing the rumors. It was a waste of energy. He would have to just endure the whispers until the end of the school year. That didn’t sound too bad. It was doable, especially with Akira with him.

It wasn’t long before Shujin Academy came into view, and the students entering were giving him a wide berth. He ignored them, double checking to make sure that his neck was covered up.

When he entered, chatter bounced off the walls, a constant buzz in the air. He blocked it all out, zeroing in what he assumed to be a teacher. The man was standing by a wall, keenly watching the students.

Once he caught sight of Ren, his eyes narrowed.

Here we go. 

Ren approached him, fishing his student ID out of his bag. He held it up to the mean-faced teacher, but the man didn’t so much glance at it.

He crossed his arms instead, looking down at him. “I don’t need to look at your ID to know that you’re one of the problem transfer students.” The teacher curled his lips. “Cutting it mighty close to the late bell,” he said, disregarding all of the students who were entering after Ren. “Though, I am surprised that you showed up at all. Has to be due to that guilty conscious of yours.”

Ren gritted his teeth, fighting to keep his expression neutral. He was talking loud enough for other students to hear. The whispering was growing louder.

“It would’ve been better if you hadn’t shown up.” The teacher raised his chin. “Would’ve given the school a reason to throw you out.”

Ren didn’t react, simply putting his ID back in his bag.

The man rose a brow at him. “Not going to say a word, huh? Used to giving your elders the cold shoulder? Or…” The teacher paused, giving him a once-over. “Ah, you’re that one.”

That holier-than-thou tone rubbed Ren in all the wrong ways, but he resisted any urges. He had to breathe. Once the man got done blabbering his mouth, maybe he would be helpful and tell him where the faculty office was so he could meet Kawakami.

The teacher glanced around him before scoffing. “Where’s your brother, huh? He thinks he’s too good to show up?”

Ren froze at those words, eyes widening. Akira wasn’t...what? The teacher wasn’t tricking him, was he? Akira had to be here. Where else would he be?

The man laughed at the surprise in his face. “What, you didn’t come here together? I've been here since the school opened its gates. I haven’t seen him. Looks like you’re the good twin, hm?”

Ren stopped listening to him. Heart racing, he checked his phone. The message was still unread.

He didn’t hesitate in calling. It was only used for extreme emergencies and specific situations due to Ren’s condition, but Ren would definitely file what was happening now in the emergency folder.

The teacher was saying something to him, but he didn’t care. The phone was up to his ear now, and-

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service at this time.”

He tried again.

“We’re sorry, the number-“

And again.

“We’re sorry-“

Ren squeezed his phone so hard that he was surprised that it didn’t shatter.

Akira, where in the hell are you?

Chapter Text

They didn’t care.

He kept insisting that his brother was missing and they didn’t care.

Ren had showed the teacher at the front his phone, explaining how something wasn’t right. Akira should be at school . He wouldn’t randomly wander off. Especially without telling him.

The teacher disregarded his extreme concern, instead leading him to the faculty office like nothing was wrong.

Ren tried again with Kawakami. She was no better.

“Calling the police will be nothing but a hassle,” she said, and it seemed like every word used up energy that she didn’t have. “He’ll show up if he didn’t decide to skip altogether.” She sighed and stood from her chair. “You’re here, though. Let’s get you to class.”

Ren wanted to scream, to shake her until she understood.

But he couldn’t do either of those. Biting his tongue until he tasted copper, Ren followed her, body stiff and mind numb.

The chatty classroom silenced the moment he and Kawakami stepped through the door. Multiple eyes were on Ren, but he couldn’t process a single gaze, their faces nothing but monotonous blobs.

Kawakami introduced him, her voice distant like he was under water, and whispers filled the air when he robotically sat down at the desk by the window.

“He’s mute?”

“-born like that?”

“No way! With his record, he had to done something in the past-“

“Like yakuza?”

“-did something they didn’t like…”

Ren thickly swallowed, the collar of his shirt snug against his throat, nearly choking him.

Kawakami was saying something else, but he...he couldn’t focus. Akira was gone, and he could be anywhere. He could’ve been kidnapped, attacked, hell, he could be bleeding out in an alleyway right now and-

His fingers curled into fists under his desk as splattered blood flashed before his eyes, as frantic screams and screeching metal impinged his ears, as rising smoke filled his lungs, as he held on to his mother’s limp hand getting colder by the second.

Ren felt the unadulterated panic and terror crawling up his spine, paralyzing him, and he had to breathe but he couldn’t. He couldn’t because Akira was missing and his phone was silent and losing someone else would-

“-miya? Amamiya!”

The world snapped back to focus. Air rushed into his lungs, shuddering in his exhale as he tore his attention from the window, meeting Kawakami’s annoyed face.

Everyone else in the class was looking at him. He hid his trembles as best as he could, slightly tilting his head in question.

Kawakami put a hand on her hip. “It’s your first day, and you’re already ignoring me. Can’t say that it’s surprising,” she muttered under her breath. The whole class heard if the resulting chuckles were any indication. Kawakami raised her voice again. “Are you back with us now?”

“You’re here, alright? You’re here.”

I’m here.

Ren nodded, the crushing hold anxiety had on his heart loosening a bit. Kawakami stared at him for a while longer before sighing again and continuing with her lesson.

He closed his eyes and forced this hands to relax along with his pulse. He…shouldn’t assume the worst. Akira was - he was fine.

I have to believe it.

If not…

Ren felt his phone grow heavy in his pocket, hoping that his brother was still on the other end.

Ren bit into an apple, swallowing the bland mush as he gazed out of the window. He had been sitting here since he returned from getting the fruit, his appetite not big enough for a larger meal.

His classmates were filtering back in the room, for lunch break was almost over, and he paid no attention to them and their mumbling. He figured that he would be the topic of conversation for a good while until the shock value died down, if it ever did.

Ren quietly tapped a finger while he worked on his ‘lunch’, trying not to think too hard about why Akira hasn’t shown his face for hours. But it was hard. The tingle at the base of his spine never fully went away, biding its time until Ren couldn’t hold it back anymore.

His classmates would have a field day with gossip then.

Then, out of nowhere, his pocket buzzed. Ren swore that his heart skipped a beat, dropping his apple and scrambling for his phone. It had vibrated again as he unlocked it, and his body sagged in relief at Akira’s name.

Akira: Oh my god. Ren, I’m so sorry for disappearing on you like that. I know you were worried and I’m sorry.

Akira: It was a complete accident, and I’m completely fine, just…

Ren read those two messages multiple times, anger and confusion competing with each other beneath his skin, nearly smothering the concern.

Ren: It was an accident?! Where in the hell were you?

The response was immediate.

Akira: It’s...a lot. I’ll explain when classes are over.

Ren: You better.

Akira: I’m on my way to the school now.

Ren: Hurry up.

Ren placed his phone on his desk when Akira didn’t reply, holding his head in his hands and releasing a shaky breath. The tingle was at ease now, disappearing like smoke in the wind. He felt people looking at him, but he didn’t care. He would get tired of it later, he was sure. Now though, he was too relieved to give a shit.

When lunch was over, Kawakami re-entered the classroom with Akira in tow.

There were gasps all around, worried eyes snapping from Akira to Ren. As expected, hushed words bounced off the walls.

Ren paid no attention to them, instead frowning at Akira’s condition. He had said that he was completely fine, but that had been a lie. There was no blood on him or anything; Akira looked exhausted, though.

Akira found Ren and sent an apologetic look. He simply narrowed his eyes in return.

“As you can see, we have another transfer today.” Kawakami seemed twice as tired she was that morning. Ren had a good guess why. “And yes, it’s obvious that he’s Amamiya’s brother. We um...decided that he start in the middle of the day because he hadn’t been feeling well.” She glanced at Akira. “Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

“Hello,” Akira said breathily. “I’m Akira Kurusu. Nice to meet you.”

“He can talk…” one student intelligently observed.

“He and his brother seem polite enough,” said another.

“I bet you’d be punched in the face if you say something bad to them though.”

“When I heard we’d have two of them, I didn’t think they’d be twins. Is this school crazy or something?”

Akira’s expression tightened at the comments, but he kept quiet.

Kawakami ran a stressed hand through her hair. “There’s one more desk in the back. That’ll be your seat from now on.” There were a few grumbles when Akira made his way to his spot, it being a few rows away from Ren’s.

When he sat, Kawakami began talking about something Ren had no interest in.

He was itching for the school day to be over.

A few more arduous hours later, it finally ended.

Ren closed his bag and shuffled over to where Akira was packing up, his stare demanding answers.

Akira stood, not at affected at all by his probing gaze. “Not here,” he said, and Ren understood why. Their peers were acting like they were some kind of bizarre attraction instead regular teens. No privacy.

Ren wasted no time in walking out of the classroom then, frowning at how the hall was filling with nosy students. Looked like he was going to wait a little longer for the explanation.

Hearing a low groan behind him, Ren turned to see Akira holding his forehead, eyes screwed shut. Alarms went off in his head, and he stepped closer to put a comforting hand in Akira’s shoulder.

After a moment, Akira must have noticed his concern because he waved him off. “It’s nothing. I’m alright.” His smile was more like a grimace, and Ren subtly tightened his grip. Akira relented. “Well, it’s related to what happened...I think.”

“You think?” Ren mouthed, not liking this at all. He needed an explanation, asap.

“Hey, Akira-”

Ren snapped his attention up to the new voice, Akira doing the same. There was a blonde boy standing in front of them, any words he was about to say seemingly dying in his throat. From how he was glancing between him and Akira with wide eyes, Ren could figure out why.

“Uh…” Apparently, the boy’s brain had died along with his words. He scratched his head, baffled. “Um, which one of you is-“

Akira stepped forward, his smile having a more solid shape. He gave a small wave. “Hey, Ryuji.”

Ren was surprised at that. They knew each other? How? Unless…

The confusion was wiped off Ryuji’s face, being replaced by an awe. “Dude! You didn’t tell me that you had a freakin’ twin brother! I thought I was going crazy or somethin’ just now!”

Akira shook his head. “Never had a good time to bring it up.” He gestured to Ren. “This is Ren Amamiya. We’re basically clones of each other.”

“You’re tellin’ me…” Ryuji gave Ren a once-over before grinning and jabbing a thumb at himself. “I’m Ryuji Sakamoto! Nice to meet ya!”

Ren gave Akira another puzzled look before deciding to be polite, nodding with a practiced smile.

Ryuji’s eyebrows creased. “Not much of a talker, huh?”

“He’s mute,” Akira said without preamble, and Ryuji’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

“Oh shit! Sorry for uh-“

Ren waved a dismissive hand. He wasn’t offended. It wasn’t like Ryuji was teasing him about it or anything.

The blonde rubbed the back of his neck. “Kinda feel awkward now about it, though.” He took a breath, and the smile he had waned to something more serious. His focus was on Akira now. “I came over to tell you that I’ll be waiting on the rooftop. To talk about…” His eyes flickered over to Ren. “...stuff.”

Ren couldn’t keep his plastic smile up for long.

Stuff? What in the hell is he talking about?

“Yeah, I’ll meet you up there.”

What?! Ren was completely lost here. He hated being out of the loop like this.

Ryuji nodded and turned on his heel, speed walking away.

(“What was that about?”) Ren was quick to sign.

Akira shoved his hands in his pockets and lowered his voice. “Ryuji was with me today. We both were late to class.” Before Ren could question that, Akira quickly interjected, “You’re going to the rooftop with me. I’ve got a good hunch that’s what we’re going to be talking about up there.”

Ren narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Akira was acting like he and this Ryuji guy had robbed a bank or something. Being this secretive was extremely out of character.

But Ren wasn’t going to dally any longer. If he needed to get to the roof for information, so be it.

He started forward, determined to find the way to the right stairs. Along the way, he had passed by Kobayakawa and some other teacher he didn’t know. The pair sent him less-than-friendly looks, but he didn’t waste his time with him.

However, by his side, he saw Akira sharply glance back at the unfamiliar teacher. The silent interaction lingered until the principal restarted the conversation.

Ren was going to ask, but he stopped himself. He would probably get an answer in a few minutes.

It wasn’t difficult to locate the rooftop. Ren paused at the sign saying that the place was off-limits before throwing caution to the wind. It wasn’t likely that any teacher would find them up here.

The roof was cluttered with unused tables and chairs. Ryuji was the only one there, reclining in a seat on his phone. The sound of the door closing gained his attention though, and he blinked in surprise at the two of them.

“You brought him up here too?” Ryuji exclaimed as they approached, eyes flickering again. Then, he calmed down a bit. “Well, I mean, you do probably trust him enough to tell ‘im…” His chair slammed down on all fours and he groaned. “Which one of you is Akira again? You two look too damn similar!”

Ren rolled his eyes at the outburst while Akira allowed a single chuckle.

“Shouldn’t be too hard to tell once one of us starts talking.” Akira went to lean against the large A/C unit beside the blonde.

“Oh yeah…” Ryuji lit up like a light bulb went off in his head. “You’re right!”

Ren eyed the two of them before signing, (“You two are really comfortable with each other only after meeting today.”) He hoped his confusion and wariness was palpable enough for Akira to feel.

They must’ve been, for Akira heavily exhaled, all lightheartedness gone from his body. “It’s only natural because I basically saved his life.”

Ren just stared because he couldn’t have heard him correctly.

Ryuji was gazing in wonder at his dangling hands. “I dunno what you said, but Akira’s right. He did kinda save my ass today.” He leaned back in his chair, gaining a distant look. “Wanna do the honors in tellin’ him what happened, Akira?”

Ren braced himself when his brother nodded and opened his mouth.

Akira absolutely understood Ren’s shocked silence when he was done. Hell, he was confused and he’d been to the castle, met the demonic Kamoshida, and ran around with a talking cat.

And repeating what happened to someone made it sound even more ridiculous. If Akira had experienced it alone, he would have found some excuse to forget about the whole thing, but Ryuji had been with him. They both remembered everything.

That was the terrifying part. What they had gone through had to be real.

Ren had sat down on a table in the middle of the story, and now he was staring blankly at Akira, as if he wanted him to take back everything he said.

Ryuji leaned forward in his chair, concerned. “Are...you good, dude? You’ve been sittin’ like that for a while.”

Ren slowly - oh so slowly looked at Ryuji before going back to Akira. Then, his trance broke, and his hands were suddenly on the move. (“Where in the hell did you actually meet this guy, Akira? Did you buy drugs from him?”)

Akira nearly choked on his spit. “Drugs?! Really, Ren? You know I wouldn’t do anything stupid like that!”

(“That’s the only conclusion I can come up with!”) Ren jumped to his feet, a fire lit behind his eyes. (“A castle, tortured volleyball players, you summoned a...a demon! You can’t tell me that’s anything but insanity!”)

Akira knew that he had to keep his cool. If he had been in Ren’s shoes, he wouldn’t believe it either. But he wouldn’t do far to accuse Ren of taking hallucinogens. Now that was nonsense.

“Hold on.” Ryuji was frowning. “Drugs? Wait, is he accusin’ me of giving you drugs or somethin’?” Akira didn’t have to answer. Ren threw him a glare, and Ryuji stood as well. “The hell, man?! I would never to something like that!”

Ren bypassed him, staring Akira down once more. (“Tell me the truth of what really happened.”)

“That is the truth.” Exhaustion was creeping up, and Akira longed for a nap. The castle put a strain on his body, and this argument was messing with his head. “Believe it or not, but everything I said happened . Why would I lie to you?” After glancing at Ryuji, who was still fuming, he resorted to signing, (“We’ve been through thick and thin together, Ren. I wouldn’t lie to you. I’d tell you without hesitation if I took drugs. But I didn’t.”)

Ren gritted his teeth, but his hands remained at his sides.

Akira ran his fingers through his unruly hair and said, “We saw what we saw. I wish I could unsee it, especially Kamoshida in his pink speedo, but it’s there.”

Ryuji visibly shuddered at the reminder, and Ren cringed at the visual.

“So, can you stop pointin’ fingers and just believe us already?” Ryuji asked, crossing his arms. He lightly kicked a table leg. “And that was real insultin’, y’know. I used to run track. Any type of drug is a no-go, still is.”

Exasperation was clear on Ren’s face, but there was an effort to tone it down. Accusing both of them of that had been rude, but Akira knew Ren meant well. Akira had basically dropped off the face of the earth - maybe, the details were still very unclear - and he couldn’t imagine how Ren felt during that time.

(“Sorry,”) Ren eventually signed, uncertain in his movements.

“He said that he’s sorry,” Akira told Ryuji, watching as his brother lost himself to his thoughts.

“Yeah...I forgive ya.” They were lucky that Ryuji didn’t seem to hold grudges. In the time Akira got to know him, Ryuji seemed like a good guy. Loud, but good. “Just believe us, ‘kay?”

Ren deeply sighed, giving Akira one last long look before asking, (“How did you get there?”)

Akira frowned and Ryuji focused on him, lost. “He asked how did we get there. I...don’t know.”

Ryuji nodded. “Yeah, we were takin’ a shortcut to the school, and then bam! Castle.” His brows furrowed. “Got no clue what happened.”

Ren still seemed unpersuaded, but he was considering their words at least.

Ryuji sucked his teeth in annoyance. “I just can’t get over the fact that Kamoshida sees himself as a king.” He kicked a crushed can. “That asshole is held on a pedestal here because he’s an Olympic medalist who led the volleyball team to finals. Everyone’s too scared to stand up against him. It’s real crazy that Kamoshida is an actual king somewhere …”

Akira absorbed that information, disliking that coach even more now. Of course, he hadn’t seen any hard evidence of any abuse, but he was sure that it wouldn’t be hard to find some.

“I wonder if we can go back to the castle again…”

Akira tensed at Ryuji’s words because he wanted to stay as far away from that place as possible. He was sure that he could die in there, and he wasn’t eager to test that theory out.

Ren stiffened at well. His fingers were a blur. (“No, you are not-")

“I know! I know.” Akira placated him. “I don’t plan on-“

The rest of his words trailed off when his phone began to ring. Puzzled, because the only one who would be calling him was standing an arm’s length away, Akira grabbed his phone and saw that it was an unknown caller ID.

He debated answering before doing so. “Hello?”

“You better be on your way back here right now.”

Oh. It was Sojiro, and he sounded pissed.

Great.

“Yeah, we’re on our way now,” Akira answered, mouthing to Ren, “It’s Sojiro.”

Ren nodded in understanding before sympathy took over. Akira knew he was going to get an earful.

“I’ll be waiting,” Sojiro replied, hanging up a second afterward.

“Who was that?” Ryuji asked. “The school call your parents or somethin’?”

Akira pushed off the A/C. “Worse. Our current guardian.”

“Ooo…” Ryuji flinched. “Good luck with that, man. The lateness won’t mess with your parole stuff, right?”

Akira couldn’t be surprised that he knew about that. There were no secrets in this school, it seemed. “Right.” He threw a wave over his shoulder. “See you, Ryuji.”

“See ya! And you too, Ren!”

Ren tossed him a half-hearted wave as well, both leaving the rooftop. Once the door closed behind them, Ren nudged him. (“What excuse are you going to make up?”)

Akira wracked his tired mind. “I have no idea.”

Sojiro was waiting.

Akira got his thoughts in order as he chose a seat at the bar. Ren lingered behind him, a support of sorts.

“So?” Sojiro prompted, mouth twisted in a prominent frown. “Explain the phone call I got from your school. That Amamiya somehow found his way there while you didn’t.”

Funny. It almost sounded like he expected it the other way around.

“I’m sorry.”

“Really? That’s all you have to say?”

“No, I…” Akira twisted one of his bangs. “I got lost in a castle.”

Silence.

He felt Ren’s incredulous stare on the back of his head. Sure, this wasn’t the story they had cooked up, but he didn’t feel like lying. Sojiro would think he was, but it was the principle of the thing. Plus, he doubted Sojiro would believe his lost story. He had been hours late, after all.

Sojiro finally shook his head, looking tired and just done. “Lying right to my face, huh? Whatever. I don’t care what you did, but if I get another phone call from the school or from the cops, you will be tossed out. You hear me?”

That went better than expected. “Yes sir.”

Sojiro casted glance to Ren, who had composed himself. “That goes for you too.” Ren nodded. “Now, leave me be.” He turned around, gathering dishes to wash. “I’m cooking curry later. I’ll call you down when it’s ready.”

“Okay.” Akira got to his feet, surprised that Sojiro wouldn’t let him starve tonight. Ren was already halfway up the stairs when he reached them. Ren threw a confused glance over his shoulder, and Akira shrugged. Sojiro was hard to place sometimes.

Whether that was good or bad, he didn’t know.

Hours passed, the sun sinking below the horizon, and Akira somehow repressed his bizarre experience today. Cleaning the room helped with that, along with Ren not bringing it up.

However, when they were laying in their respectable beds, he saw Ren place his phone down. There was a pensive expression in his face, and it wasn’t hard to guess what was coming.

(“If you hadn’t taken any drugs, then what do you think the castle was?”)

A nightmare, Akira prevented himself from saying. No need to fan Ren’s worry even more. “I really don’t know.” He dropped his phone as well, rolling to completely face his brother. “It felt like a dream, but everything was hauntingly real. It didn’t look like it, but I did get hurt in there.” More than he’d like to admit. “But the evidence was gone when I got back.”

Frustration leaked into Ren’s expression. (“Back from where, though?”)

“Wish I knew.” He nudged his phone back and forth. “The cat showed us the way out, and my phone said ‘Welcome back to the real world’ when we returned.”

Ren looked Akira over, lips thinned. (“You said it wasn’t drugs, but did you breathe in some weird gas? Eat weird mushrooms? There's gotta be something-")

Akira cut off that sentence with a well-aimed pillow toss because he was done with this conversation.

Ren launched it right back.

There was an intense back and forth, and their room ended up messier than it had been an hour ago.

The next day dragged on with teachers going in and out of the classroom, with rumors and gossip following the brothers wherever they went.

They finally got a break from it when the school day ended, them hurrying to separate themselves from campus.

Akira began to relax when the stares lessened. “I knew that it’ll be rough, but will they ever stop?”

Ren clicked his tongue as they walked down the entrance stairs. (“Once we leave,”) he signed. Then the students would find some other poor soul to terrorize.

“You’re a ray of sunshine, you know that?”

Ren shrugged. He wasn’t going to sugar coat it. It wasn’t enough that they were transfers, but they were twins with a criminal record . This was probably the most excitement this school got besides anything sports related.

They simply had to get used to it.

“Yo!”

A familiar voice called out to them, and Ren didn’t know how to feel when he turned, seeing Ryuji wave from beside a concrete wall. He seemed like a good guy and all, but at the same time, Akira wouldn’t have been dragged away if he hadn’t met him.

But he couldn’t be rude. Ren waved as Akira greeted him back, and Ryuji shuffled over to them with his hands in his pockets. There was a glint in his eyes that Ren didn’t like.

“Okay, so, that castle from yesterday? Yeah, couldn’t stop thinkin’ about it.”

This conversation was already going downhill.

“Okay…” Akira said, hesitation in his tone, and Ren appreciated the caution here. That castle, whatever it really was, was nothing but bad news.

Ryuji wasn’t so happy about the reluctancy. “Weren’t you thinkin’ about it too, Akira? It was too weird not to!”

“Yeah, it’s been on my mind, but that doesn’t mean I want to go there again.”

“I know, but-“ Ryuji tapped his foot, growing antsy. “I wasn’t plannin’ on going inside inside of it. I just wanna see where the hell it is and if it’s actually real. I tried to forget about it, but anything involving Kamoshida gets me heated.” He clenched his jaw, determined. “I gotta figure it out, and you’re the only person I wanna talk about this with.”

Akira frowned pensively. “You just want to find it? Nothing else?”

Ren nudged Akira and threw him a warning glare. He couldn’t possibly be thinking about tagging along again.

Ryuji switched his attention to him. “And you can come along too, if you want. We can show you that we weren’t spoutin’ crazy bullshit yesterday.”

“No,” he instantly mouthed and then signed at Akira for good measure, (“Don't you dare.”)

The hesitation had faded away, to Ren’s displeasure. “It wouldn’t hurt anything if we only tried find it, Ren,” Akira soothed. “As long as we don’t go inside, we should be fine.”

(“I don’t want you going anywhere near it!”) Ren motioned because it was stupid and dangerous. Plus, they had no clue what the castle even was. It was better to forget about it and move on.

The anger on his face tipped Ryuji off, for he frowned. “Hey man, what’s your problem? I know you were probably worried yesterday, but he came back just fine, didn’t he?”

(“But I had no idea if he would!”) Ren signed even through Ryuji wouldn’t understand. He was too worked up. (“You have no clue how I felt-")

Akira grabbed his wrists and shook his head. “Calm down, Ren. He isn’t attacking you.”

“Yeah, what he said,” Ryuji muttered, concern leaking into his expression.

“We’re going to look. That’s it.” Akira let go and signed, (“Let’s just humor him, okay? He doesn’t have anyone else.”)

(“And that makes it our job?”)

(“Everyone needs friends, Ren.”)

Ren hated how sensible Akira could be at times.

His brother subtly smirked, saying out loud, “And don’t tell me that you aren’t at least a little curious.”

Ren silently huffed. (“Shut up.”) He wasn’t, but if they were going to go searching anyway, he might as well go too. The unknown factor was too high for Akira to go alone with this new guy again.

Ryuji glanced between them, out of the loop. “So…”

Akira adjusted his glasses, shifting his weight. “He’s onboard with it. How were you planning on finding the castle?”

Ryuji perked up at the news before answering, “Dunno really. Maybe just taking the same route we did yesterday to see if we’d run into it again?”

“Randomly? Ryuji, I haven’t been here long, but I’m sure there isn’t a gigantic castle located anywhere near here.” Akira glanced up at the school. “Plus, the entrance of the castle did have the Shujin’s sign on it…”

“Well,” Ryuji sheepishly chuckled. “You just shot down the only idea I had.” He then snapped his fingers, pointing to Akira’s pocket. “Wait, didn’t your phone say somethin’ when we came back? You've returned to the real world?”

“Yeah, but-“ Akira pulled it out, searching through it. “-I don’t know if anything on here…” He trailed off, eyes widening, and Ren leaned over in curiosity. There was a red application on his screen with an eye in the center of it. He rose a brow, and Akira mumbled, “I thought I deleted this thing.”

Fingers moved. (“Deleted it?”)

Akira slowly nodded. “It showed up before I met Ryuji, but I didn’t get a chance to delete it until after the castle.”

(“It came back?”)

“I guess…”

Ryuji was on the other side of Akira. “Whoa...can I see?” Akira barely offered the phone before the blonde had snatched it away. He was tapping the screen, sticking his tongue out in concentration. “Maybe if I put these in…”

After a moment, a robotic voice filled the air. “Kamoshida...Shujin Academy...Pervert...Castle…Beginning navigation.”

Ryuji gasped while Ren stared in astonishment. What did he just do?

“Yes!” Ryuji grinned. “Then, we had gone in a certain direction, and-“

That’s when it hit.

Nausea crashed into Ren like a bus, tilting his world on its axis and making him clamp down on Akira’s shoulder to keep from collapsing. Not only was he dizzy, but his surroundings were warping all around him, twisting and curling in different directions. The sky grew dark, subdued greys were replaced by vibrant reds, and was that...was that a castle?

Ren stumbled backwards in shock at the huge structure laid out in front of him. It was towering over the them, the medieval layout taking his breath away. There was a red eerie glow coming off of it as well, and Ren felt nothing but dread gazing upon it.

Akira...Akira had gone in there?

“Holy shit!” Ryuji was gawking up at the castle as well, eyes wide open. “This is definitely the same place! It...It is for real!”

“So the app...took us here?” Akira was no better, and wait. When in the hell had he changed clothes?

Ren stepped closer to him, completely baffled, and signed with trembling fingers, (“Why in the world are you dressed like that? Where... How?")

“Huh?” Akira processed his question before gazing down at his body. “Oh.” He raised arms, rustling the black suit he was wearing and examining his red gloves. “I’m back in these again?”

Again?!

Akira saw his surprise. “My clothes transformed into this after I summoned Arsene the first time. Never thought it would happen again…”

(“And the mask?”)

“Yeah, that was there too. Pretty much started the whole thing when I had to rip it off my face.”

Ren had no more words.

Ryuji had plenty though. “I really can’t believe this...it worked! I have no effin’ idea how, but we aren’t crazy!” The blonde turned towards them. “And now that the shock factor’s gone, that suit doesn’t do anythin’ for you, dude.”

“It’s comfortable enough, though.”

“If you say so, man.”

Ren almost wished that he had taken drugs because that made more sense than this.

“Hey!”

Ren startled at the unfamiliar voice, looking all around until he zeroed in on two eyes peeking out from the gigantic doorway. His breath caught in his throat. There was a cat with a huge head and equally as large eyes standing in the distance, on two feet no less.

The cat was about to say something else, but then its gaze landed on Ren. “Huh?” It bounded out of its cover, coming to stand right in front of them. “You two idiots brought someone else with you?”

Ryuji glared down at it. “Watch who you’re callin’ an idiot! We brought him here on purpose!”

Akira nodded. “Right. We wanted to show him that what we went through yesterday wasn’t some kind of fever dream. He’s my brother, Ren.”

The cat crossed his arms, scrutinizing him. “Yeah, I figured as much. You two are near identical, after all.”

Akira then gestured to the feline, turning his attention to Ren. “And this is Morgana, the cat I was telling you about.”

“I am not a cat!” Morgana hissed. “Stop spreading lies!”

“He’s definitely a cat.” Ryuji smirked, earning himself a glare.

Ren was speechless, more than usual. He took a step back, holding his fuzzy head. Akira called his name in concern and he signed, (“We need to go.”) This was too insane to deal with. They had done what they came here to do. (“We found the place, and great, I believe you. It’s time to leave.”)

“Wait a minute, he can’t talk?” Morgana asked, stunned.

Ryuji scoffed. “Duh if he’s using sign language. Who’s the idiot here now, huh?”

Morgana ignored him, addressing Akira. “What did he say?”

“That we should leave,” he softly answered. Akira gazed at the imposing structure once more. “And I agree. We’ve seen it and it’s real, but going back in there-“

He then was then cut off by a blood curdling scream coming from within the ominous castle, it lasting for far too long.

Ren froze, fighting against being thrust back to the past, where there were screams all around him.

“What was that?!” Ryuji exclaimed.

Akira swallowed thickly. “It was like the ones we heard yesterday…”

Morgana somberly nodded. “It’s the slaves captive here. It’s like that everyday. Kamoshida’s orders.” He sighed. “And it doesn’t help that you two escaped yesterday. He probably lost his temper.”

Ryuji stomped his foot, growling. “That effin’ bastard!”

Ren recalled what they had told them, remembering how he had scoffed at the enslaved players. Were they actually in there, getting tortured?

Akira stressfully raked his fingers through his hair. “Not so loud, Ryuji…”

The blonde narrowed his eyes at the entrance of the castle before barking at Morgana, “You’ve been in there for a while, right? Take me to the voices.”

“Pushy,” Morgana muttered before humming in thought. “I guess I can take you there...but only if Akira comes with us. I’d like the extra manpower.”

Akira was conflicted, and Ren didn’t hesitate in making the choice for him. He ran up and tugged Akira’s arm, yanking him away from the entrance, away from the hell going on inside.

He shook his head when surprised eyes landed on him. “No,” he mouthed, hoping that his expression was stern enough not to argue against. “We’re going back.”

“Ren-“

He tightened his hold until Akira winced.

Akira didn’t get mad. His voice was borderline pleading. “I can’t let them go in by themselves. Morgana and I are the only ones who can properly fight, and who knows what they might run into.”

(“That’s their problem.”)

Akira took a deep breath, and something shifted in his gaze. “There are people in there, Ren. Walking away from them now would be the same as walking away back then.”

Ren’s grip loosened as he relived their shared experience, relived how they got stuck in this bleak situation to begin with.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to regret punching that pathetic man square in his face. 

...To hell with it.

Ren let go of Akira and stomped over to the cat that shouldn’t exist. He gave Morgana a pointed look before motioning over to the opening in the castle. The message of ‘Lead the way’ should be obvious.

Morgana stared for a moment. He better get moving before Ren changed his mind. The cat eventually smirked. “Heh, you got spunk, new guy.” He turned and got ready to run. “You don't have the persona to back it up, but I admire the effort.”

Before Ren could question that, Morgana sprinted inside. “Let’s go!”

Ren hoped that he didn’t make the wrong decision as he quickly followed, Akira and Ryuji at his side.

Chapter Text

As soon as the door closed behind him, Akira doubled over with his hands on his knees, getting as much oxygen into his lungs as he could. He had never been the most active person in the world, so confronting demonic beasts and running like his life depended on it came a little harder for him.

At least they were safe at the moment in this room Morgana guided them too, for reasons unknown. He wasn’t going to question it, though. There was no room between his raspy breaths.

It seemed like he was going to be as exhausted as he was yesterday. He needed to gather up the courage for Sojiro to brew him a cup of coffee. Homework had to be done before he passed out.

“Hm...because there’s a lack of distortion here, the Shadows won’t follow us in,” Morgana commented, jumping on top of a table in the middle of the dimly lit room.

“Hah?” Ryuji was panting too, sitting on one of the crusty benches. He shot Morgana a confused look. “Lack of distortion? The hell do you mean?”

The cat rolled his eyes. “Of course a moron like you wouldn’t get it.” He wasn’t affected by Ryuji’s weakened glare. “The ruler’s control over this area is weak, so nothing can harm us here. Get it now, or do I have to say it slower for you?”

“Once I regain my breath, I swear , cat-"

“We shouldn’t fight,” Akira butted in, voice hoarse. He stood straight and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “We’ve done enough of that as it is…”

Morgana huffed. “Well, he hasn’t been.”

“Hey!” Ryuji barked, affronted. “Why single me out? Ren hasn’t been fighting either!”

“Ren hasn’t called me a cat!”

“Ren can’t call you anythin’! ”

Akira gave up on them, seeing that it was a lost cause at the moment. He instead focused on Ren, who was looking up at the ceiling torch housing purple fire with a subdued awe. He was slowly but surely regaining his breath as well.

Akira stepped closer to him. “It’s a lot to take in, huh?” he asked, gaining Ren’s attention. Though honestly, despite the wonder about entering a brand new world, Ren adjusted to this place better than he did. He nearly had a heart attack when he found out that the guards were actual demons and not, in fact, students in costumes while Ren seemed to mask his fear, showing a confidence that Akira had always admired.

Granted, knowing about the place beforehand most likely smothered the shock, but at least Ren was genuinely stunned when he first pulled out Arsene. He’d tease him about it later once they were out of this medieval death trap.

Ren shakily exhaled at the question, and maybe this experience was getting to him more than Akira thought. He didn’t get to ask, Ren promptly signing, (“I feel like my heart is going to explode.”)

Yeah, the castle was definitely getting to him.

Ren shook his head, a frown pulling at his mouth. (“I just don’t understand any of this. I know the cat’s been telling us about desires and Palaces and all that, but…”) The awe was back, along with some hesitation. (“You’re fighting demons with a demon. And so is the cat. I can’t wrap my head around it.”)

“I can’t either, really.” Akira had been so amped up on adrenaline yesterday that whatever Morgana had said went in one ear and out the other. Today, he at least tried to process it, but the information wasn’t sticking. Why would it? It was hard to get a grasp on the impossible, after all.

(“And then, there’s your outfit.”)

Akira examined his suit again, wanting to defend it because it wasn’t that bad looking. Ren and Ryuji hadn’t gotten one, so maybe they were simply jealous. He was going to go with that.

Adjusting his red gloves, Morgana’s words from earlier echoed around in his mind.

Will of rebellion, huh…

“Ow! Stop that!” Akira abandoned his thoughts in favor of watching Ren pinch Morgana’s ear. He couldn’t blame him, for he and Ryuji had been glaring at each other down for a while now. “They’re sensitive…” Morgana whined when Ren let go, rubbing at his abused ear.

Ryuji was about to say something, but a pointed look from Ren made him stay quiet. A satisfied smirk grew instead.

(“What’s next?”) Ren asked Morgana, and Akira translated it without missing a beat.

The cat crossed his arms, examining Ren. “Well, I was going to let you guys rest for a moment before going back out there. But, it looks like you bounced back pretty quick.”

Ren dry coughed into his elbow but nodded anyway.

Morgana smiled. “Really like your initiative, great mindset to have for a rookie.” He glanced at Akira and Ryuji, observing their conditions as well. “Are you two ready to go back out there?”

Mentally, Akira would never will be, but physically, “Sure.” The quicker they found those slaves, the quicker they could call it a day.

Ryuji rotated a shoulder. “Definitely! Let's get this show on the road! And - oh!” The blonde reached behind his back and pulled out something that made Akira tense. Seeing this, Ryuji chuckled. “Chill, man! It’s not real, somethin’ to fake the Shadows out, y’know? I couldn’t let you two do all the work, so I brought this and some medicine too.”

“Brought…” Ryuji passed it to Akira, and he held the prop like it was going to go off any second. Something clicked in Akira’s mind, and he asked, “Wait, so you were planning on coming in here from the beginning?”

Ryuji had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry for lyin’, but can you blame me? Just knowing what Kamoshida’s doing has me pissed, and I couldn’t stand back and do nothing!”

Akira understood his reasoning, but he didn’t appreciate being lied to. Especially about things that involved with this nightmarish situation. “You should’ve told the truth…”

“Would you have gone with me if I had?”

Akira didn’t have an answer to that. Ren didn’t seem to either, for his eyes were closed, a prominent frown marring his face. He was holding himself back from doing something, and the subtle worry on Ryuji’s face hinted that he could see so as well.

After a pregnant silence, Akira broke it. “Ren, are you-“

Ren’s eyes flew open, and he looked between Akira and Morgana, ignoring Ryuji’s existence. (“Let’s hurry and find those players,”) he said, fingers stiff, and took long strides toward the exit.

“Wait!” Morgana’s voice made him pause, and the irritation would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. The cat was gazing thoughtfully at the prop in Akira’s hands. “Before we go, I say that we hand the gun to Ren.”

“Why?” Akira asked. Not that he was opposed to the suggestion - less things for him to hold - but it was so out of the blue.

“Because you’re acting like it’s a live bomb, and anything’s an improvement of that.” At the odd looks he received, Morgana smirked. “Well, it turns out that Ryuji is good for something after all.”

“Hey!”

“In this Palace, that toy can be used as a real gun.” Akira opted to hold the gun limply with two fingers, not wanting anything to do with it. Morgana scoffed. “Before you freak out, it only works on the Shadows because they think it’s real.”

“More cognitive stuff?” Akira questioned.

Morgana scoffed and nodded. “In few words, yes.”

“Say no more.” Akira hurried to offer the gun to Ren, not wanting the responsibility. Plus, Morgana’s intuition has been right. Ren has had experience with BB guns in their hometown, years ago, and he would have much better aim if the video games they used to play had any say.

Ren stared at the prop for a second before taking it, looking it over. He nodded after a moment, curiosity clashing with his irritation.

“Then it’s settled!” Morgana hopped to the floor. “Akira and I will fight on the front lines while you stay in the back and take a shot whenever there’s an opening. And Ryuji...just don’t get in the way.”

“Can you stop insultin’ me for two seconds?”

“Once you acknowledge that I, in fact, am not a cat, then maybe.”

“You keep sayin’ that, but what are you supposed to be then?”

Morgana lifted his chin. “A human! I came to this Palace hoping to find some answers to why I changed into this form, but then I got caught.”

Ryuji wasn’t convinced, and Ren wasn’t either. Akira, well. He didn’t know enough to question anything, so he pushed them along. “Let’s go before Kamoshida somehow sics more demons on us.”

“Shadows.”

“Yeah, those.”

Ren was a great shot, not like Akira was surprised.

A loud bang rang in his ears, and the pixie Shadow he was fighting dissolved in a cloud of smoke. After Arsene faded away behind him, he turned to see Ren with a barely hidden smirk, lowering the gun.

Morgana grinned. “Not bad at all.”

“That was awesome!” Ryuji bounded up to Ren, smile splitting his face in half. “How in the world did you manage that? The thing was flyin' all over the place!”

Ren simply shrugged, examining the gun.

Akira knew that he had Arsene and Morgana, but Ren having his back in this bizarre world gave more of a sense of security than those two combined. Akira was still new to this persona stuff, and Morgana was basically still a stranger.

Akira looked down the dim hallway with branching corridors and hidden secrets. He took a deep breath. He could do this.

There was another scream that echoed off the walls. The voices were getting closer.

“Enough dilly-dallying!” Morgana prompted, hurrying forward. “They aren’t too far away now!”

Akira nodded and ran forward, Ren eventually keeping in step with him while Ryuji lagged a little behind.

They ran over countless bridges, through endless staircases, and into many Shadows that refused to leave them alone. Sneaking around only helped so much.

The deeper they went, the louder the screams were.

Akira felt something in his gut churn when they crossed yet another bridge, seeing cells lining the long wall they were approaching.

“Is it coming from over there?” Ryuji loudly whispered over the gushing water, running ahead to peer through one of the cell doors. Akira ran over as well, the yells and groans of pain too nauseating to ignore.

He gasped at the sight in front of him. There were volleyball players lined up at the net, eyes screwed shut as the guards whipped their backs with no remorse. And they...they just stood there and took it.

“This is…” He had no words for it, really.

“Bullshit,” Ryuji hissed for him, glaring at the preoccupied guards.

Ren was beside Akira, eyes hard as he watched the torture scene. When another anguished yell reached their ears, he sharply swiveled around to face Morgana. (“How do we get them out of there?”)

“How do we free them, he said.” Akira’s voice was a mere whisper, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.

“Free them?” Morgana repeated, climbing onto a nearby crate. Then, comprehension flooded his features and he shook his head in disappointment. “That’s why I was leading you here?”

Ryuji whirled around to face him as well. “What’s with that tone? Why else would I want you to?!”

Morgana tapped his foot, tail twitching behind him. “We can’t save the people here. They’re part of Kamoshida’s cognition.” Before anyone could ask, he droned on. “They’re separate from the ones who exist in the real world.”

Ren stared incredulously at him before gritting his teeth. (“So we're here for no reason?”)

“Maybe not for no reason…” Akira glanced the terrible scene on the other side for a moment, saying the next, “These players...are how Kamoshida sees them, right?” He hoped that he was way off the mark here. “Is this proof that he is actually abusing them?” This...This ruthlessly. 

Morgana’s mask of authority slipped a bit, some empathy shining through. “Yeah, it is.” He sighed. “It’s brutal, them being nothing but slaves to him…”

Ryuji yelled in anger before punching one of the bars. Luckily, the screams of the players were louder than his voice, keeping them unnoticed.

While many emotions clashed within Akira, he couldn't imagine what Ryuji was going through. It was clear that he had some history with Kamoshida, none of it pleasant.

“The ones in there aren’t real, yeah?” Ryuji asked, his voice trembling with anger. “But they represent the ones in our world? That’s what you’re sayin’?”

Morgana curtly nodded. “Yeah.”

“Great, because I’m getting a good look at their faces.” Ryuji squinted at the players. “I’ll get the ones in our world to speak up, and then Kamoshida will be the one to rot in a jail cell.”

Ren tapped Ryuji on the shoulder and mouthed, “Recognize anyone?”

Ryuji shook his head. “Nah, not really. Never was interested in the volleyball team. Until now.” He quietly added at the end before stepping back and gazing down the line of cells. “Let’s go check those out too. Gotta try memorize them all.”

Morgana frowned but didn’t try to stop him. “Just...hurry it up, okay? We need to head back before Kamoshida catches wind of us here.”

Ryuji was already jogging away while Akira stared at the tortured players once more. What kind of teacher-

There was a pull at his sleeve, and he saw Ren in front of him, bobbing his head in the direction they needed to go. Akira nodded at him, the twisted feeling in his gut taking residence there.

“The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting! Chances of intruder activity are extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures!”

Shit.

Ren’s body immediately tensed when a demon’s voice loudly rung out, alerting every other one in a close radius to them.

“We’ve been here way too long!” Morgana hissed, his eyes wide. “We need to get outta here!”

“You think? ” Panic fueled Ryuji’s movements, his gaze darting everywhere in the dimly lit corridor. “Which way do we go?!”

“Um…” Morgana looked this way and that before settling in a direction. “The exit’s this way! Let’s go!”

And then they ran. They ran and ran, dodging Shadows on the lookout, until they reached the main hall of the castle. It was eliminated and fancy, but Ren wasn’t going to let that trick him. This place was foul and slimy, like the king who ruled over it.

“Well, what do we have here?”

Speak of the devil.

The group slid to a stop when Kamoshida himself rounded a thick pillar, a handful of guards at his sides. They were blocking the way they needed to go; purposely, by the smirk the crowned demon was giving them.

Kamoshida’s smirk soon disappeared once he recognized who he was talking to. His hauntingly yellow eyes looked between Akira and Ryuji. “You knaves again? And - new blood, hm?” Ren swallowed thickly when Kamoshida focused on him. “Oh, I know who you are. The other one.” A reverberating snicker bubbled out of him. “The brother who can’t scream, can’t beg for mercy. ”

Ren’s arm twitched, itching for the gun in his back pocket. This Kamoshida was just a Shadow. He was blocking the exit. They have taken out Shadows before. This one wasn’t real. He wasn’t real.

He just needed an opening.

The snicker morphed into a laugh that sent a chill down Ren’s spine. “You’d make a fine slave.” Kamoshida said that so easily, like any of this was okay. Those golden eyes sharpened when they drifted to the rest of the group. “I’ll get to you after I deal with the rest of these irritants and their mangy rat.”

Morgana bristled at those words.

“Shut up, shut up!” Ryuji stepped forward in rage, voice tearing from his throat. “You have no damn right to treat anyone like a slave! And this school sure as hell ain't your castle, asshole!”

“Ryuji-“ Akira’s warning whisper wasn’t heard.

Ren mentally encouraged the blonde, biding his time. He wasn’t going to allow Kamoshida to get anywhere near his group, near Akira. He refused to give him the opportunity.

“Silence! How dare you speak that way to a king!” Kamoshida fully faced Ryuji, his glare blazing. “You should the kissing the ground I walk on!”

“I don’t give a shit about the title you gave yourself!”

Kamoshida scoffed. “I shouldn’t waste my time with the likes of you. Guards-“

It was now or never.

Ren yanked the gun out of his pocket, aimed with trembling fingers, and fired.

The gunshot instantly gained the attention of everyone in the room, but Ren was only looking at Kamoshida. Fear barely had time to register before the teacher stumbled backwards with a pained shout, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

Ren’s heart skipped a beat.

He…He missed.

“Dammit!” Kamoshida panted through the pain, kneeling down. He instantly trained his glare on Ren and barked, “Guards, kill them all! ”

No, no, no.

Ren heart was hammering against his chest when the guards charged forward. Akira and Morgana scrambled in front of him and Ryuji.

“Get back, you two!” Morgana ordered.

Ren did so, shuffling backwards while Ryuji stood dumbfounded. Clenching his jaw, Ren raised the gun again, pointing it back and forth from the charging guards to Kamoshida. He could try again. He wouldn’t, couldn’t miss this time-

“Ren, look out!”

He barely had time to mentally register Ryuji’s frantic shout before something hard and unforgiving slammed against the back of his head. Ren would’ve yelled if he could, the pain blossoming the worst he’d felt in a long time.

Ren staggered forward and turned to find another guard standing behind him.

When did it-

That was all Ren could think before the guard brought the hilt of its sword down on his head, sending him crashing to the ground. The gun flew out of his hands, and his glasses clattered against the tile.

An armored foot viciously kicked his stomach, and Ren silently cried out, curling into himself to somehow stop the pain.

“Leave him alone!” That was Ryuji again. Ren heard footsteps until the blonde ran into the guard, attempting to knock it over. The demon wasn’t fazed, simply shoving Ryuji to the side before slamming its foot into Ren once again.

It had aimed for his face this time.

As darkness pulled him under, the last thing he heard was Akira’s desperate cries of his name.

When Ren woke up, he almost wished he hadn’t.

His head was throbbing, his mind was fuzzy, his stomach had a deep ache to it, and his eye...shit. He felt like he’d gotten punched in the face repeatedly, mercilessly.

What in the world happened to him?

Silently groaning, Ren blinked open his eyes and regretted doing so. The bright rays filtering through a nearby window were too intense, and he hissed in discomfort, eyelids hastily closing.

Wanting to get away from it, he turned on his side and bit his lip hard at the shock of pain that went through his system. It came from his stomach.

Ren moved his hands to his torso and noticed that he was shirtless, and that his stomach was wrapped in bandages. Too curious, he reopened his eyes, seeing that he was lying on a mattress in an attic. Leblanc’s attic, his brain reminded itself.

He then glanced down, focusing on the bandages around him and the fact that his left eye was screaming for him to close it again. So he did. The pain there decreased exponentially, and he refrained from touching the area, knowing that was a bad idea. He had to have a black eye.

From what, though?

All he could remember was armor, a cat, and...and…

“Ren?”

Akira?

Ren automatically went to sit up at his voice, freezing when the muscles in his stomach pulled in all the wrong ways.

“Don’t try to get up!” Akira said too loudly, making Ren flinch from the onslaught of noise. It was only when Akira plopped down in a chair beside him that he realized that he was in Akira’s bed, not on the floored mattress. Ren didn’t fight the command, sinking back down into a soft pillow.

He trained his slightly unfocused gaze on his brother, who was fretfully looking over his body. After a moment, trying and failing to gather any thoughts, Ren went with a sloppy, (“Hey.”)

Akira’s attention snapped to his hands and then his face. “Hey,” he quietly breathed out, leaning forward and pressing something cold against his left eye. “Can you hold this there?”

Ren lethargically nodded before doing so, feeling whatever it was - a bag of ice, his mind supplied - somewhat soothe his irritated skin.

He let himself focus on nothing but the cool sensation, wondering if he could get another bag for his stomach too.

“Ren.” Akira’s voice cut through his minimal thoughts, and he raised a brow in question. Akira sighed again, and he looked more tired than usual. “What’s the last thing that you remember?”

He signed the first thing that came to mind. (“Cat.”)

“And what else?”

(“Armor.”)

“Is that it?”

His hand stilled.

Akira leaned back in his chair, absently fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “So you don’t remember what happened?” Ren shook his head, hoping that Akira would fill in that giant gap in memory. His wish came true. “Ren…” Akira started slowly. “We were in a castle. Kamoshida’s castle.”

Ren frowned. Something was prodding at the mental wall, but nothing broke through.

Akira kept going. “We went in trying to save volleyball players. Me, you, Ryuji, and Morgana.” The prodding was more persistent. “We almost made it out, but Kamoshida caught us. Then...you shot him.”

Shot…?

Ren gasped when the dam burst, every memory crashing back into him. It had been a showdown and he had one shot and he had missed -

His gaze roamed Akira’s body, searching for any blatant injuries. He dropped the bag, his health wasn’t a priority, before quickly signing, (“What happened after I blacked out? Did anyone else get hurt? Did you get hurt? How did you get out-“)

“Slow down,” Akira recommended with the ghost of a smile. Any hints of it was gone the next second. “Morgana and I were pretty banged up, nothing compared to you though.” Ren marginally relaxed at that, seeing a small scratch on his brother's cheek. “Ryuji made it out the easiest. He dodged the guards before he got his persona, and then after, he was so...frenzied, that no demon could touch him.”

Ren had followed him to the point he said ‘got his persona’. (“Wait, what? He got one too? Like you have Arsene?”)

“Huh? Oh, right…you didn’t…” Akira rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze. “After you went down, and after he saw us struggling, something snapped in him, I guess. He’s the main reason we were able to leave the castle.”

Ren let all of that sink in. (“And Kamoshida?”)

Akira met his stare. There was something in it Ren couldn’t identify. “His Shadow got away while we were fighting.” Ren clicked his tongue, hating that. Akira adjusted his glasses. “Ren, when we left the castle, Morgana told us something.”

(“What?”)

“If you would’ve killed his Shadow, Kamoshida would’ve died in real life.”

Ren stiffened, eyes wide despite the pain. Akira’s expression was completely serious. He wasn’t joking, and his fingers moved on his own. (“I...I didn’t-“)

“I know. No one did.” Akira marginally shook his head. “I was hating that Shadow Kamoshida wasn’t gone until Morgana told us.” He gestured to the abandoned bag, and Ren placed it against his eye once more. “Killing his Shadow would cause a mental shutdown, or something like that.”

A mental shutdown? 

Akira seemed to reading his mind, or, more likely, his facial expressions. “His cognition would be wiped, and well...when your brain stops working…”

So does everything else.

Ren ran his free hand through his hair. Why had he acted so recklessly? He had been in an unknown world, for crying out loud. He barely knew the difference between up and down in that place. And the second he got a gun, he was going to use it to…

“Where’s the gun?” Ren mouthed to spare himself from his thoughts.

Akira blinked at the slight topic change but rolled with it. “Morgana’s got it. He stayed behind in that other world.” At Ren's surprised look, he shrugged. “He said that he’d find us later, whatever that meant.”

The conversation lulled then, Ren nursing his eye and thinking how close he came to taking a life. Kamoshida was a low-life bastard, but no one deserved to be killed.

“Do you have enough energy to eat?” Akira asked after the silence went on for too long. “Sojiro offered to make some curry when you woke up.”

He didn’t have enough energy, but his hunger was a priority. He’d get it down somehow.

Ren nodded, lowering his bag to question, (“What does he know?”)

Akira stood, and Ren noticed a wince when too much weight was put on one leg. “I told him that we got separated coming back, and you got mugged by some thugs in an alley.”

Ren snorted. It was almost worth the pain that accompanied it.

Akira rolled his eyes. “He believed it, at least I think he did. He didn’t say anything about it when he picked us up.”

Ren could imagine how that phone call went. (“Was he mad that he had to leave the shop?”)

“Over the phone, he was.” Akira glanced over at the stairs. “But when he saw your condition, all of that went away.”

Ren wasn’t surprised. Sojiro was still a human being, after all.

Akira stood there for a moment, unmoving, and Ren frowned. He was about to reach out to get his attention, but then Akira peered back at him.

“I’m really glad that you’re okay,” he whispered. “In the castle, you looked terrible. It took forever for me to get to that guard, to you, and…” He took a shuddering breath, and Ren couldn’t imagine what he had looked like earlier if he was in this condition now. “ I’ll be back in a bit,” Akira said before walking away, disappearing down the stairs.

Ren stared at the empty space and relaxed after a few seconds, distractedly replacing the bag on his face. He refused to let his mind drift, zeroing in on the ice.

Thinking too much was dangerous right now.

And he managed to rest in peace and quiet until something buzzed beside him in the bed. Knowing better than to move his whole body, Ren searched blindly until he found his phone. He unlocked it, squinted at the bright light, and read the message there.

Akira: Ren’s up.

Ren’s recovering mind couldn’t think of why Akira would text him that. It didn’t make any sense. Did he text his number on accident? But then who-

it’s about time! i’m stressin’ over here wondering if he’s in a coma or somethin’! Ren? how you feelin’, man? 

Duh, Ren.

Ren: Like shit.

Ryuji: don’t doubt it. things got rough back there.

Ryuji: and uh...i already talked to Akira about it, but i’m sorry bout the whole thing. if i had just let it go, we wouldn’t have gone back in the castle.

Ren breathed as deeply as he could, re-reading those words. After a moment of thought, he responded.

Ren: It’s not your fault. We could’ve left at any time, but we kept going. Finding proof was worth it.

Ryuji: that’s the same thing Akira said! do you share the same brain or somethin’??

Ren: Akira wishes.

Akira: Don’t make me poison your food.

Ren: Sojiro won’t let you anywhere near it. I bet you’re watching from the booth. 

Akira: ...shut up.

Ryuji: wait, booth? you live in a restaurant?

Akira: Close. In the attic of one.

Ryuji: you must get all the food you want! 

Akira: We’re not that lucky. 

Ryuji: riiiight, the boss doesn’t like you that much, does he?

Akira: Hard to tell. 

Ryuji: wonder why… you gotta tell me about your past! i’m dying to know now!

Ren frowned at the text, not responding. Akira didn’t either.

Ryuji: come on! you guys know about mine! at least Akira does!

He did? Ren couldn’t recall a conversation like that, but it must’ve happened while he was unconscious.

Akira: Ren?

Ren: Later. When I don’t feel like I’ve been trampled by an elephant.

Ryuji: uggghhhhh fine. get better soon!

Ryuji: not just because of the past thing. like, get better in general. or something. you know what i’m tryin’ to say! 

Ren rolled his eyes.

Ren: Got it. 

He then placed his phone on the mattress, keeping his mind clear until his dinner was ready.

Ren wasn’t going to school the next day. Akira didn’t let him.

From his obvious concussion, his black eye, and his many bruises, Akira told him that it wasn’t a good idea. Ren didn’t put up much of a fight.

Sojiro said that he had called the school beforehand to tell them what happened, but Akira knew that it wouldn’t change anything. He wouldn’t be surprised if rumors of Ren being in a gang started circling around.

Akira really wasn’t looking forward to this school day.

At least Sojiro made him a cup of coffee this morning. The day started out fine; now, he got to see how far downhill it would go.

Akira shook those negative thoughts out of his mind as he waited on the platform for his train to arrive. There was no point in having them plague his mind. Plus, he needed to come up with a plan about the search he was doing with Ryuji today. How to find some of those players from the castle.

It would’ve been better with an extra head, but-

“Ah, good morning.”

Akira tore his attention away from his phone, that unknown voice being too close and clear to be directed to anyone other than him. He glanced to his left to see a guy approaching with a friendly smile and a small wave.

Akira looked around him to make sure that he was the one definitely being spoken to. There was no one else close enough to be addressed.

“I’m surprised to see you here again today,” the stranger continued to speak, stopping in front of him. “I thought I might not run into you again after our last meeting.” There was a quiet chuckle, an inside joke Akira knew nothing about, and he tried to place this guy so he wouldn't seem rude.

Unfortunately, Akira had never seen him before in his life.

So, he had to ask, “I’m sorry, uh...are you sure that we met?”

The boy’s eyes widened at his words, and Akira was more confused than ever. He had offended him in some way?

Now, the guy looked puzzled. “I’m...quite sure that we have.” He gave Akira a subtle once-over, his brow furrowing. “Perhaps I’m mistaken?”

He probably was. There were tons of people in Tokyo, and there were many similar faces. Still, Akira was curious enough to keep this conversation going. “I don’t know. When did you meet ‘me’?”

The boy cradled his chin. Akira noticed his high school uniform. It wasn’t Shujin’s, though. “The day before yesterday, in this very station. You, or rather, he was distracted and ran into me. I didn’t get a chance to have much conversation with him because-“

“He was in a rush?” Akira finished for him, wondering why this guy wanted to reconnect with a rude person like that.

The boy shook his head, vaguely amused. “That would be the expected answer, wouldn’t it? Actually, it’s because he was mute...I believe.”

It was Akira’s turn to be caught off-guard. Mute? The puzzle pieces were slowly clicking together. “Really? How do you know?”

“He knew sign language, which isn’t a language someone who could speak would primarily use.”

“And he wasn’t deaf?”

The boy observed him, deflecting the question. “Why do I get the feeling that you know something I don’t?” He chuckled. “I’m not used to being on this side of the interrogation.”

Akira gave him an odd look - who was this guy? - before disregarding that last statement. “Because I think you met my twin brother.”

There was unveiled interest now. “Oh?” He seemed to consider Akira’s words. “How do I know that you’re not pulling a prank?”

“And instead lie to you about being mute?” Because that made less sense. The guy didn’t seem persuaded, though. Maybe he was thinking that he maybe did run into a random doppelgänger of Akira in this huge city. “Hold on a second.”

Akira returned his attention to his phone.

Akira: Hey, did you run into someone on your way to school the first day?

“I’m texting him now,” Akira answered to the guy’s curious expression.

The boy raised an eyebrow. “If he’s your twin brother, why isn’t he with you? You two both go to Shujin, if I remember his uniform correctly.”

Akira checked his phone when it buzzed. “What do I get from lying to you?” He responded to Ren's text, and the next messages were rapid fire.

Ren: I think so. Why?

Akira: I’m talking to him right now. He thought I was you. 

Ren: Oh no. Is he mad? Is he yelling at you or something? 

Akira: Why would he be yelling?

Ren: I might’ve knocked him to the ground and spilled his coffee. I gave him money to pay for it, but he could be the kind of person to hold a grudge. 

Akira showed the boy their conversation.

“Hm.” The small smile was back, and he straightened after he finished reading. “My apologies for doubting you. It’s not everyday that someone comes across twins, but I shouldn’t have been so skeptical.”

Akira held in a laugh at the guy’s over-politeness. He didn’t accuse him of something serious like robbing a bank. “It’s fine.”

Akira: He’s being nice. Don’t worry.

“Oh, and would you tell him that I’m not harassing you?”

Akira couldn't believe this interaction was actually happening. He curtly shook his phone. “Just did. His image of you isn’t ruined, trust me.”

“That’s a relief.” The boy then dug in his back pocket, pulling out a wallet. “Well, the reason I wanted to talk to you, or your brother, was to give back his change for the coffee. He gave me too much, and I simply couldn’t keep it all.”

Akira watched as he rummaged around in there before returning to the screen in his hands.

Akira: He’s trying to give me the change for the coffee you paid for.

Ren: Don’t take it. It’s insurance for the fall.

Akira wondered how foggy Ren’s mind was right now.

When the boy held out the money, Akira shook his head, holding up his phone once more. “He told me not to take it.”

The guy squinted as he read the texts. “But the guilt will eat at me if I don’t-“

Akira didn’t want to get in the middle of this. His train would be here any minute, and dealing with two stubborn people wasn’t in his plans today.

Akira held out his phone. The boy didn’t seem shady at all with his pristine uniform and excessively guilty conscience. “Here. Text him your number. Then, you two can figure it out.”

The boy was a bit slow on the uptake. “Pardon?”

“Give him your number. I shouldn’t be the middleman for this.”

“I, well.” The boy gently took the phone. “If you believe that it will be more efficient…”

Akira waited until he was done, reading the texts once he had the phone again. There was a number, and under it:

Akira: Hello, I’m Goro Akechi. The boy you crashed into the other day. Nice to meet you. 

Akira: I would like to give you back your money at the earliest convenience, if that’s alright?

When Akira finished reading those, Akechi had pulled out of his own phone, slightly surprised. “He already texted me.”

“What did he say?”

“‘This is Ren Amamiya’,” Akechi read. “‘Nice to meet you too. The answer is still no.’”

Akira couldn’t hide a tiny grin at the response as his train pulled in. “He’s dealing with a concussion right now, so good luck.” He stepped forward with a wave. “This is me.”

“Oh!” Akechi returned the wave. “It was nice meeting you as well! I apologize again for the confusion.”

“It’s alright,” Akira replied before he was sucked in by the wave of people piling onto the train. The last sight he saw of Akechi was him typing away at his phone.

Akira shook his head and leaned against a nearby pole.

Akechi was Ren’s problem now.

Chapter Text

Today did not go well.

Akira breathed in humid air as he dragged his feet toward Leblanc, exhaling a sigh.

The search with Ryuji today yielded results, but what they found made their situation worse. Not only did they find the students who were getting abused, a horribly bruised player they talked to - Mishima - told them that everyone knew. Everyone knew and they were too terrified of Kamoshida to stop it.

Even parents…

He knew that Ren wasn’t going to like that one bit.

Akira opened the door to the cafe, schooling his expression so Sojiro wouldn’t ask any questions. Not that he would. Sojiro favored to mind his own business, as long as nothing came knocking on his front door.

A chime signified Akira’s arrival, and Sojiro glanced over his shoulder from behind the bar. The man simply grunted in greeting before going back to reading a newspaper. The shop was empty of customers.

The weight of today got a little lighter at the aroma of coffee beans. Akira entered deeper, glimpsing at the stairs at the far end before pausing at one of the bar stools. “How’s Ren been today?”

“Barely heard a peep out of him.” Sojiro turned a page. “Called a local doctor out here after you left to get him some medication for his head. She wasn’t kidding when she said that it was strong.”

Akira had been wondering why he hadn’t gotten a text from him all day.

“I hope it helps,” he muttered, picturing the ugly bruises and Ren’s prone form laying in bloodied tile, nothing but a ragdoll as that damn guard mercilessly-

Akira quelled his anger, pushed that bout of panic and unadulterated terror to the back of his mind, and asked, “Can I get another cup of coffee? I know it’s my second one today, but school-“

“I’m not making you another one.”

Akira’s mouth snapped closed. He couldn’t say that he was surprised. Sojiro was running a business here, and they were already freeloading. He was sure that the cup this morning was one made sympathetically.

He eventually nodded. “I’ll be upstairs, then.”

Akira moved to step away, but an incomprehensible mutter made him hesitate. Sojiro put down the paper, pinching the bridge of his nose. After a moment, he met Akira’s gaze. “You don’t have to look like a damn kicked puppy. I said that I wouldn’t make you one, not that you couldn’t do it yourself.”

Akira blinked in confusion, not sure where Sojiro was going with this. “I don’t-“

“Do you know how to brew, kid?” His voice was gruff, almost reluctant.

Things were getting clearer. Akira glanced between Sojiro and where the caffeinated magic happened. “I’ve tried before, but it’s never come out quite right.” He’d relied on convenience stores in the past for his fix.

“Well, you’re going to learn today.” Sojiro crossed his arms. “You didn’t think that you were just going to lounge around here, did you? You need to earn your keep. Amamiya too, once everything’s cleared with him.”

“Are you sure?” This was the same man that was threatening them with an arrest if they touched anything a couple days ago.

“I wouldn’t be offering if I wasn’t,” Sojiro said curtly. “Go get changed and come back down here.”

Akira wasn’t going to linger and risk Sojiro changing his mind. “Yes sir.”

He swiftly made his way up to the attic, staying as quiet as possible. Ren was sleeping under a blanket, and nothing hinted that he had heard any of their interaction downstairs.

After changing into something more casual, Akira met with Sojiro once more and caught an apron thrown in his direction. He put it on and tied it around his back, joining the man behind the bar.

Sojiro scratched the side of his head. “The process is not complicated, but there’s plenty of times where you can screw up.” Akira nodded, knowing that this was an art. “You’re going to make a house brew for yourself. I’ll talk you through the steps-“

Another chime echoed in the air, and Akira glanced up to see a face he thought he’d never see again. Well, on second thought, it made sense that Akechi would walk in considering that Ren wasn’t going anywhere today. Ren most likely chose this shop to negotiate...whatever they were doing.

Akechi recognized him instantly, but Akira saw a bit of hesitation on his face. He didn’t know which brother he was looking at.

“Hello,” Akechi greeted anyway before absorbing the decor of the cafe, softly humming. “It’s almost like stepping into a different world. The pleasant atmosphere here sharply contrasts how gloomy it is outside.” He smiled, stepping closer to the bar and addressing Sojiro, “Is this your establishment?”

Sojiro seemed pleased with the compliments, proudly nodding. “It sure is. I try to make everyone feel at home here.” He stroked his beard. “So, what’ll it be?”

“Whatever you recommend,” Akechi amiably replied, sitting in a chair closer to where Akira stood. “Since it’s my first time here, I trust you with the perfect blend to draw me in. Not that I haven’t been already,” he added with a chuckle.

“Laying it on thick with the compliments, kid.” Sojiro gave a good-natured snort, moving to gather the ingredients. “Don’t think that buttering me up will get you any sort of discount.”

Akechi shook his head. “That was never my intention.” He sighed, a wistfulness to it. “You don’t find many places like this anymore.”

“I don’t really go to many other cafes for myself, but I do hear that from people on occasion.” Sojiro ducked under the counter to grab something. “Kurusu, instead of you trying first, watch me brew his. Then you can try on your own.”

“Got it.” Akira was relieved. He had a better chance of brewing something drinkable with a visual step-by-step. He then rose a brow to Akechi, whose confusion had depleted. There was nothing but curiosity now. “Did Ren tell you to meet him here?”

Akechi nodded. “He did, but he didn’t tell me that you worked here, Amam...Kurusu.” Akira wasn’t bothered by the slip up. It wasn’t often that siblings, let alone twins, had differing surnames. Their parents had them before they were married, and they wanted to go half-and-half. “I assume that your brother does too?”

“Wait, hold on.” Sojiro glanced between them, tone holding subtle suspicion. “You two know each other?”

“Yeah.” Akira leaned against the bar, twisting his bangs. “Apparently, Ren ran into Akechi and made him spill his coffee. Ren gave him money for it, but it was too much, or something.”

Sojiro looked like he wasn’t believing a single word, but then Akechi helped out. “It’s true. And I’m here because Amamiya gave me enough for four cups of coffee.” He propped his elbows on the counter. “I simply can’t keep that much.”

Sojiro was staring at him now, calculating. Then he sighed. “That boy can’t stay out of trouble, can he?” he muttered as he began the brewing process. Akira heard and suppressed a frown. Louder, Sojiro said, “Don’t make it a habit of bringing whatever friends you made here. I’m still running a business, you know.”

Akira hadn't been the one to do that, but Ren wasn’t available and it seemed like Sojiro couldn't help but to remind them of his grumpy nature.

“We won’t,” Akira replied, forgoing a needless argument. Speaking of Ren, though… “Back to your question, Akechi.” He glanced at him to find the boy watching their interaction in interest. Akechi probably saw how Sojiro’s demeanor changed. “Ren and I live here.” He pointed up. “Ren’s asleep in the room we have up there.”

Akechi tilted his head as he processed that information. He didn’t ask any questions Akira expected him to - for example: ‘Why do you live in an attic?’, ‘Where are your parents?’, or ‘What’s the history between you and Sojiro?’ - instead questioning, “Well, should I take my coffee to-go, then? We didn’t really set up a time, so I thought it would be best to come right after school.”

Akira thought about it for a moment. Then, he pulled out his phone as Sojiro added the beans. “I’ll call him to see if he wakes up. Hopefully he didn’t make you come here for nothing.” Surely Ren could wake up for a few minutes to entertain.

Akechi quietly laughed. “It wouldn’t be for nothing. I’ve gained knowledge of this place, after all.”

Thinking that this guy seemed easy to please, Akira called Ren and let it ring. After a while, it gave up, and he declined on leaving a voicemail. Akira waited for a few seconds before doing it again.

He finished declining the voicemail once more, wondering if he should just send Akechi on his way, when a text came through.

Ren: Wgst?

Ren: *What?

Akira could feel the irritation through the phone. Ren had always been cranky after being woken up from a nap.

Akira: You probably forgot about him, but Akechi’s here.

Ren: Akechi?

How strong was this medicine?

Akira: The guy you ran into.

Ren: Huh?

Ren: Oh.

Ren: I’ll be down in a sec. Are there any other customers?

Akira: No, just him.

Akira dumped his phone back in his pocket. “He said he’ll be down in a bit,” he uttered, hearing the ceiling creak above them. Akira wondered how Ren was moving now. He had to still hurt, but considering that Ren offered to come down, it couldn’t be as bad.

Sojiro sighed again, the aroma of coffee getting stronger. “Be lucky that the evening is my slowest time. If another customer walks in, you’re going to have to move your conversation elsewhere.”

“We’ll move upstairs if we have to.”

Akechi was borderline frowning. “I’m sorry. Am I being a bother?”

“Huh?” Sojiro snapped his attention to him. “Where’d you get that idea from?” He shook his head. “You’re not a bother, kid. I’ve...just had a busy week.”

Concern leaked into Akechi’s expression. Akira couldn’t tell if it was for Sojiro’s well being, or for how Akira marginally tensed at the vague statement. “I’m sorry to hear that. I can empathize, though. Some days are simply better than others.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Sojiro chuckled, it lacking the usual mirth.

Akira didn’t comment.

When Ren finally came downstairs, Sojiro was pouring Akechi his steaming drink.

He had managed to throw on a collared tee, not bothering to change out of his sweatpants. Akira keenly watched as Ren walked over, for his coordination wasn’t the best. Rubbing his healthy eye, Ren almost stumbled over his feet twice before making it to the bar. Akira was surprised he hadn’t fallen down the stairs.

After pulling out a chair, Ren sat at the counter beside Akechi and hid a yawn. He curtly waved at boy, who was understandably shocked. Akira had mentioned Ren’s concussion at the station, but he assumed that Ren hadn’t gone into more detail.

“Amamiya? Are you...alright?” Akechi delicately asked.

Ren’s glazed-over look screamed that no, he wasn’t, but his hands moved instead. His movements were sloppier, lethargic. (“I’ve been better.”)

Akira translated what he said, and Akechi opened his mouth to ask something, but decided against it when Sojiro inched the finished drink closer to him.

Akechi took an experimental sip and brightened. “This is wonderful.” He took another, and Akira wondered how strange they all looked watching this one person drink coffee. Akechi lowered the cup enough to inquire, “What item on the menu is it?”

While Sojiro answered, Akira turned his attention to Ren. He was propping his chin in his palm, leaning on the bar, and was still facing Akechi. His eyes were dropping, though.

“Want some coffee to wake you up?” Akira asked, already knowing the answer.

Ren’s nose scrunched up in distaste, and Sojiro somehow caught the expression in the middle of his own conversation. “What, you don’t like coffee?”

(“It’s not my cup of tea.”)

Akira shook his head in amusement as he translated again. Sojiro deadpanned while Akechi smiled around the rim of his cup. “You’re technically not wrong.” He swirled the coffee around, focusing on Ren’s good eye, “So, about the money situation, I-"

Ren held up a hand to cut him off. Then he signed, (“I’m still not taking it. Use it here.”)

Akira hadn't expected that plan. It was almost a middle ground. When Akechi looked at him, he said, “He wants you to use the money here.”

(“Pretend I’m paying for your drinks or something.”)

“It’ll be like he’s paying for whatever you get.”

Akechi hummed thoughtfully as he sipped. “I assume that nothing I say will get you to accept the money?” Ren shook his head. Akechi sighed. “Well, then I have no other choice but to accept. At least it gives me another reason to enjoy myself here.”

It seemed like they were going to see more of Akechi, which Akira didn’t mind. He was one of the few people that didn’t hate the brothers on sight.

Ren smiled, it borderline loopy, and patted Akechi on the shoulder. The boy startled slightly at the touch, watching Ren stand back up. Ren wobbled on his feet and signed at Akira, (“I should get back upstairs before I pass out.”) He stumbled forward, hiding another yawn. After giving Akechi a weary wave, he disappeared up the stairs.

When there were no clattering falls or loud thumps, Akira addressed the concern Akechi was wearing. “He should be better in the morning.” He peered over at Sojiro, who had been silently watching their interaction. “Right?”

“That’s what the doctor said. The effects of the medicine should wear off by then.” Sojiro rubbed the back of his neck before changing the subject altogether. “Now that’s over, let’s get back to what we were doing earlier.” He fully faced Akira. “What I fixed Akechi here was the house blend. Think you can copy what I did?”

“I’ll give it a shot,” Akira said, knowing good and well that it wouldn’t turn out half as delicious as Sojiro’s.

“Hopefully you’ll have a good helping of beginner’s luck,” Akechi encouraged from his seat.

Akira wished so too.

Spoiler alert: he didn’t, and Akechi was a little too amused when he instantly spat out his first sip.

Sojiro was the opposite. “Hurry and clean this mess up.”

“Yes sir.”

The next day went pretty much how Ren expected it to, for the most part.

The whole time at school, he had to ignore blatant stares, even more obvious whispers, and the couple students brave enough to ask if he was involved in a gang. He didn’t bother with them, because what he said didn’t matter.

Plus, he was too busy keeping his headache in check. The lights were still too bright, but he could manage that, along with his bruises. If he didn’t move too quickly, they were manageable. Akira had tried to make him stay at Leblanc again. He refused.

After Akira told him what happened yesterday, about the unstoppable abuse, he wasn’t going to miss another day. He had to help.

Unfortunately, his current appearance made it hard to approach anyone. If Akira and Ryuji were at a ten percent of finding someone to speak up, Ren's chances were in the negatives.

At the end of the day, Ren relaxed his muscles on a bench beside some vending machines, resisting the urge to rub his temples. The headache had gotten stronger.

Akira was standing at one of the machines, pulling out a soda. He sighed and cracked open the can. “I wonder if Ryuji had any luck.”

Ren sent him a look. (“He’s Ryuji,”) was all he signed, and Akira seemed to get it. Things weren’t looking great for them right now, and Kamoshida was living without a care in the world.

Ren felt anger flare up at the thought of that rotten man. He hadn’t seen him today, luckily. After learning about this situation and after what happened in the Palace, Ren wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if they made eye contact.

“Oh great…” A familiar voice made Ren glance up. Ryuji was walking over with his hands shoved in his pockets, dejected. “Guess we all ended up with nothin’.” When neither brother argued, he kicked the leg of a nearby table, muttering, “Dammit.”

Akira sipped his soda. “Nobody wants to talk. Any mentions of the abuse, and they clam up.” His voice grew tighter. “Kamoshida’s probably telling them to keep quiet.”

“He has to be!” Ryuji slammed his hands on the table, frustrated. Ren withheld a flinch at the sharp sound. “And if things keep going like this, we won’t be able to dish out the karma he deserves!”

They all fell into silence, thinking about their situation, and Ren hated that they weren’t making any progress. The abuse was going to continue at this rate, and Kamoshida needed to be stopped before he went too far.

But they couldn’t touch him. He was near invincible here with the teachers fawning over him and with everyone else completely terrified. How were they supposed to take him down?

Ren’s good eye widened when a thought came to him.

They couldn’t touch Kamoshida here, but in the castle, they sure as hell could. The gunshot rang in his memory, and he remembered what Akira said about mental shutdowns. Those happened when someone’s shadow was killed, but could they do something less extreme to change the Kamoshida they knew now?

Ren got Akira’s attention and shared his thoughts. Akira absently swirled his soda. “Doing something else to him? Morgana did say that the castle is his cognition, but I don’t know…”

“What?” Ryuji looked between them, lingering on Akira. “What did he say?”

“Since there’s a possibility to-“ Akira lowered his voice. “-kill Kamsoshida in the castle, he’s thinking that there’s something we can do to simply change him.”

Ryuji blinked, wide eyed. “Y’know, there probably is a way! Good job usin’, your head, Ren!”

“Maybe you should ask him for tips, because you never seem to use yours.”

Ren stiffened at the disembodied voice while Akira and Ryuji looked around wildly.

“Did...Did I just get insulted by a ghost just now?”

Ren and Akira gave him identical odd looks before Akira shook his head. “No, you didn’t. It...sounded like Morgana.”

“Because it is!” All of their attention snapped to the black cat that had hopped onto the table. Ryuji took a step back in surprise as the cat stretched. “Miss me?”

“Wha - Morgana? ” Ryuji gasped. “You’re...You’re an actual cat now!”

“How many times do I have to tell you?!” Morgana hissed, tail whipping behind him. “I’m a human! This is just the form I took coming to this world!”

After Ren carefully rubbed his eyes, seeing that Morgana was still on the table and not a figure of his rampant imagination, he didn’t know what to think of their lives anymore. They were only supposed to be dealing with strict rules and rumors after moving to Tokyo, not abuse, castles, and actual talking cats.

“You did say that you were going to find us later after we left the castle…” Akira was taking this much better than Ryuji, stepping closer. “Didn’t expect it would be like this.”

Morgana licked a paw. “Expect the unexpected, I always say.” He blinked his beady eyes. “But anyway, I wanted to scout things out before meeting back up with you guys. See how things were around here. And it’s-“

“Bad,” Akira finished for him.

Morgana sighed. “Pretty bad.” He then focused on Ren, trotting to the edge of the table. “Though, it’s good to see you up again, Ren. The last memory I had of you wasn’t pretty.”

“I’ve heard,” Ren mouthed, repressing those painful moments. At least he had been the only one seriously hurt.

Morgana stared at him - or rather, his black eye - for another moment before switching topics. “So, I heard you talking about the castle, and I must say, Ren nailed it on the head."

Ren hadn’t expected that. He had been just throwing out a suggestion so they had a chance to do something, anything.

“Seriously?” A smile grew on Ryuji’s face. “So you’re sayin’ that we can target Kamoshida in the other-“

“Does anyone else hear a cat?”

All four of them tensed at the distant voice.

“They just hear him meowing?” Ryuji whispered.

“Guess so,” Akira said just as lowly. “It makes sense, in a way.”

Another distant voice answered the first. “Let’s look around. Can’t have any diseased strays around here.”

Morgana bristled. “Diseased?! How dare they-"

“Get angry later.” Akira put his bag on the table. “We need to go somewhere else to talk.” He gestured to the open space inside.

Morgana seemed conflicted before he hopped in. “Don’t be too rough.”

“I won’t.” Akira shouldered him on. They quickly left the area before Morgana got caught and before any potential eavesdroppers heard what they weren’t supposed to.

They decided to head for the roof. After Morgana nimbly jumped out of the bag and onto a table, he began to explain what Ren was proposing.

However, it was way more complicated than Ren expected. Morgana was talking about treasures, stealing hearts, destroying Palaces, and potentially killing someone.

Apparently, stealing someone’s treasure took away their desires as well, possibly every single one. They would admit to their crimes, but they may also lose the desire to live.

It wasn’t guaranteed, Morgana had said, but it was a giant risk.

A risk Ren wasn’t sure he was willing to take.

He almost killed Kamoshida once before, so he wasn’t so keen on turning back around and putting the teacher’s life in danger again. What Kamoshida was doing was cruel, inexcusable, and downright barbaric, but-

“I...think we should do it.”

It was quiet, barely heard over the wind rustling their hair, but Ren definitely heard it come out of Akira’s mouth.

Ryuji looked as shocked as Ren felt. Ren sharply faced his brother, causing Akira to look up from the ground. (“What? Are you serious, Akira? Did you not hear what he said? ”)

“I heard, Ren,” he answered breathily.

Ren didn’t understand. (“You’re willing to risk a man’s life to-“)

(“To save the lives of students?”) Akira signed back at him, lips thinned. (“Yes.”)

Narrowing his eyes, Ren responded, (“Save their lives? They aren’t the ones at risk here! Kamoshida isn’t killing them.”)

(“So we don’t do anything, then?”)

Anger flared up. (“That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it.”)

(“It basically is.”) Akira took a deep breath. (“Because what we’re doing now isn’t working.”)

(“We’ll find another way-")

“We don’t have time, Ren!” Akira unexpectedly barked out, getting worked up as well. Before Ren could recover and ask what in the hell he meant by that, Akira continued, “You’ve seen the players, right? You weren’t here yesterday, but they all look defeated, like they’ve given up. If this keeps going on, something…” Akira swallowed thickly. “Something’s going to snap.”

Ren couldn’t get his hands to move, contemplating Akira’s words. What...was he implying?

Akira locked gazes with him, stormy grey eyes boring into his. (“You’ve worn the same face before.”)

Air rushed out Ren’s lungs like someone had stomped on them. He was flung back to the past, seeing his own reflection in a cracked mirror, the glaring red stitches littering his throat, and the little bottle of pills sitting on the sink that helped him deal with the pain.

To deal with the crash.

And he had been dealing with it, until one day he was laying on the floor in the bathroom with Akira screaming beside him.

It hadn’t been worth it. Akira’s bloodshot eyes, his sickly pale face, and his unadulterated anguish hadn’t been worth it.

He had promised to never do it again. He couldn’t leave Akira alone.

“Hey,” Ryuji’s cautious voice broke him out of his trance, and Ren saw the blonde glancing between them. He seemed to think about his next words, like any trigger would send them scurrying. “I have no idea what just happened, but…are you guys okay?”

Morgana tilted his head at him. “Do they look okay?”

“I’m just askin’!” Ryuji scuffed his shoe on the ground. “Y’all were gettin’ pretty heated about what you were saying. Or, signing.”

“We’re fine,” Akira said, sounding drained. “This situation is taking its toll on us, that’s all.”

Morgana hummed. “It is a rather tricky one. There’s a lot to think about, and you’re learning about the unknown too.” He stood, tone softening. “I’ll give you some time to think about it. I’ll find you all tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Ryuji answered for all of them.

After a lingering look, Morgana turned tail and took off.

Ren shoved his hands in pockets as Akira released a long-winded sigh. “Sorry about...that. It was probably awkward for you, Ryuji.”

Ryuji smiled despite what happened. “It’s all good, man! We’re all wound up.” It waned when he asked, “But uh, you’re all for going through with it, huh?”

“Yeah.” Akira’s reply was soft yet confident.

Ryuji frowned, slightly shaking his head. “I’m not sure yet. The whole...killing thing isn’t sittin’ right with me. Even if…”

“I get it.” Akira nodded. “Just...sleep on it, alright? We’ll meet up with Morgana again, whenever he wants to show up.”

“Right.” Ryuji eventually breathed, brows creased in thought. He waved as he turned away. “I’ll see you two later, then!”

“Later,” Akira replied while Ren returned the wave.

They watched him leave, the sounds of distant traffic keeping Ren from diving too deep into his thoughts.

After a prolonged moment, Akira suggested, “Let’s go before Sojiro gets mad at us for being too late.”

Ren didn’t argue.

On the way back to the cafe, Ren spotted one of his classmates at a connecting station. She was the girl who sat in front of him: Takamaki, if he wasn’t mistaken. She was on the phone, visually uncomfortable as she talked. What she was saying was drowned out by the crowd.

Ren frowned. Like him and Akira, there were rumors going around about her as well. All of them were centered around a particular coach. Ren didn’t believe a single one.

Willingly dating Kamoshida? That had to be some kind of sick joke.

But then again, one of Takamaki’s friends was on the volleyball team, so there was a connection between her and Kamoshida, albeit a small one. Ren had no idea how far that teacher's abuse reached, and...and Takamaki was crying now.

The phone in his hand buzzed.

Caught off guard, Ren glanced at the screen, half expecting Ryuji saying something in their group chat. He was slightly surprised when Akechi’s name popped up.

Akechi: Hello, how are you today? 

“Ren?”

Ren popped his head up to find Akira a bit of a distance ahead, peering inquisitively over his shoulder. Ren glimpsed over to where Takamaki was and saw her quickly walking away, disappearing into the crowd.

Akira followed his line of sight. “Something wrong?”

Ren shook his head after a second, telling himself that she was okay. He caught back up with Akira, holding up his phone.

Akira attempted to smile, it falling short from the weight of today. “I guess he wants to know if you’re still comatose from the medicine.”

Ren's lips twitched, thinking that it was nice of Akechi to check up on him.

Ren: I’m feeling better than yesterday. School was rough, but I managed.

The next message came about a minute later.

Akechi: You went to class today? Shouldn’t you have gotten more rest?

Ren: Yeah, well. Can’t risk falling behind on anything. 

Akechi: I suppose that’s true. I wouldn’t recommend pushing yourself too hard, however. 

Ren: Akira won’t let me. 

Akechi: That’s reassuring. 

Ren thought about responding, but he left the conversation there. A moment later, there was another buzz.

Akechi: If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get in such condition? 

Ren: Would you believe me if I said that I got beaten up by a guard in a magical palace?

There was a long lapse of conversation then. Ren had boarded the next train, pushed up uncomfortably against Akira in the cramped space, when Akechi responded.

Akechi: Are you sure that the medicine is out of your system? 

Ren: Ha, good question. 

Ren: But what really happened is that I got mugged walking from school.

Akechi: Did you contact the authorities? 

Ren: No, I was too busy hurting. By the time Akira found me, they had taken off.

Akechi: I’m sorry to hear that. People are getting dangerously desperate nowadays. They didn’t take anything too valuable, I hope?

Ren : Nothing I can't replace in a couple weeks. 

Akechi: I wonder why they would target a highschool student? They would have more success targeting a working class citizen.

Ren: Like you said, they must’ve been desperate. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Akechi: I t happens to the best of us.

Akechi: Oh, I have to cut this short. Phones aren’t allowed during work hours, after all. It was great speaking with you.

Ren: Same here. 

“Ask him where he works. We need to get jobs eventually,” Akira suggested over his shoulder as the train rumbled on. Ren rolled his eyes but relented.

Ren: Where do you work? Are there anymore part-time openings?

Akechi: I’m a detective, and I’m afraid not. 

A detective? That was impressive for being not that much older than Ren was. Did Akechi solve actual cases, or was he someone off to the side that handled mounds of paperwork? Probably the latter, for he was still a student.

Ren: It was worth a shot. Have fun out there, detective. 

Akechi: I’ll try.

Around ten o’clock the next morning, Shiho Suzui jumped from the roof of Shujin Academy.

Ten minutes after that, Ren, Akira, and Ryuji split up in search of Mishima, the only student who could explain why. 

Because this didn’t have to happen.

Suzui had left the school alive in an ambulance with Takamaki at her side, but Ren was still seeing red. Anger was bubbling up inside of him, igniting a fire in his core.

Suzui could have died. She could have died because of Kamoshida, and Ren...Ren didn’t care anymore. He didn’t care about the risks. Akira had been right - he’s always been right - and Kamoshida needed to be stopped.

That poor girl.

That poor poor girl.

Ren was running around the halls and room, ignoring the ever present whispers and the peering eyes, until he heard sniffling coming from one of the locker rooms in the vacant gym.

Controlling his breathing, Ren slowed and lightened his stride as he approached the slightly cracked door leading into the room. His throat constricted as he heard barely restrained sobs coming from the other side. There was whimpering too, the voice belonging to only one person.

With one hand on the handle, Ren took out his phone.

Ren: Found Mishima. 

After a second of thought, he added:

Ren: Don’t look for me. I’ll meet you two at the roof in a bit.

He gathered himself as he ignored the multiple vibrations in his hand. He had a feeling that getting the other two involved, especially someone brash like Ryuji, wouldn’t help. Getting Mishima to talk was better as a one person job. He was flighty enough on a normal day, but now…

Calming his rapidly beating heart, Ren creaked open the door. He found Mishima instantly in the barren room. He was tucked into a corner lined with lockers, sitting on the floor with his face covered with trembling hands.

Ren closed the door behind him, and Mishima’s head snapped up at the sound. He audibly gasped, eyes wide and glossy. “I-It’s you…” He wiped his cheeks, the tear streaks making his black and blue bruises shine under the light. Mishima shook his head and nearly pleaded, “L-Leave me alone! I didn’t d-do anything!”

There was too much desperation in his tone for the statement to be genuine. Also, the fear and anguish in Mishima’s eyes made it seem like he was staring death in the face, not another student with reminders of Kamoshida littered on his skin.

Ren kept his expression neutral to not set the other off. He strolled over to a set of lockers, Mishima tracking his every move, and carefully eased himself down to the floor. His bruised abdomen complained about that decision, but it wasn't a priority at the moment.

He released a steadying breath before looking to his right, where Mishima was sitting a little more than an arm’s length away. Mishima was now staring blankly at the tile below, his trembling fingers clutching the fabric of his pants. He was visibly holding back tears.

It was safe to say that Mishima had played some part in this, willingly or not.

“I-I said leave…” Mishima’s voice barely qualified as a whisper, it being more like a whimper than anything. “I didn’t…” He wiped his nose with his sleeve. “I d-didn’t…”

He sounded like he was convincing himself.

Nothing but quiet sniffles filled the air at this point, Mishima ignoring Ren’s existence. He hadn’t lifted his gaze from the floor.

Mishima was going to need a push in the right direction, and Ren was willing to take that leap of faith.

Focusing on his phone once more, Ren pressed his screen a few times before placing it on the floor. He then pushed the phone away from him, and it slid until it hit Mishima’s leg.

The boy jolted at the touch, eyeing the item warily like it somehow would bite him. Ren could pinpoint the moment Mishima actually read the screen, however, the confused frown being a dead giveaway.

Mishima stared at the phone for the longest time, and Ren was starting to believe that he wasn’t going to play along. His worry was for naught, for the war going inside Mishima’s mind had ended. He picked up the phone with shaky fingers and typed something out.

The phone was swiftly slid back to Ren, and he had to bend over to reach it. Mishima still wasn’t looking at him.

Ren resisted the urge to celebrate upon seeing Mishima’s contact information on the screen. He hadn’t gotten any concrete answers yet, after all.

Ren: Hey.

A high-pitched ding shattered the silence when Ren sent the message.

Mishima’s head twitched like he wanted to look at Ren, but instead, he heavily exhaled and palmed his own phone. When he reluctantly unlocked it, Ren was quick to add:

Ren: You can talk to me. Kamoshida did this to me, too.

He wasn’t exactly lying, and he nodded when Mishima finally looked over at him in shock. Mishima opened and closed his mouth similar to a dying fish before clenching his jaw.

Mishima: I didn’t mean for this to happen! 

Ren wasn’t going to pull any punches. It was too late for that.

Ren: Are you the reason why Suzui tried to kill herself?

Mishima flinched as if he was struck.

Mishima: No!!! 

Ren: So it’s Kamoshida’s.

He already knew, but Ren needed him to confirm it.

Mishima clutched his phone tighter, biting his bottom lip.

Ren took that as a yes.

Ren: What in the hell did he do to her? 

Mishima’s fingers twitched, unsure, until they moved in a blur.

Mishima: Not Just her, Kamoshida likes to take his frustrations out on all of the players. He would pick someone to release his rage on, and...he seemed really irritated when he wanted Suzui.

Mishima: And he...he made me find her and bring her to his office. 

Ren: You couldn’t have known. It’s okay.

No, it wasn’t okay. None of this was okay.

And Mishima called him out on his bullshit. “No...No it isn’t.” His voice was breaking, vulnerable. “I knew what he was going to do to her. It was o-obvious, but I-“  A sob bubbled out of his throat. “I found her and told her to go! I could’ve left it alone but I’m such a coward.” His chuckle was hollow and broken. “Always the coward…”

Ren stood up, not caring about the pain in his stomach because electricity was running in his veins. He couldn’t sit still, not after that.

Kamoshida was using this players as fucking punching bags. And who knew what else that sick bastard did to them.

In response to Mishima’s bemusement, he typed:

Ren: The real coward here is Kamoshida, not you. He’s going to get what he deserves.

“How…?” Mishima looked like he wanted to believe so badly. “N-No one can stand up to him!”

Ren simply grinned, it nothing but the subtle curl of his lips that held a single promise, before walking out of the locker room.

“Wait, A-Amamiya!” Ren heard Mishima scramble to his feet, running after him. The boy caught up, and worry leaked into expression now. “What are you going to do? It’s too dangerous to try anything!”

Ren waved the question off as they crossed the gym, keeping the plan a secret. They shouldn’t let any random person know about the Palace. Gossip was a disease around here, and also, Mishima wouldn’t last in there.

“But…” Mishima zeroed in on his blackened eye when they reached the gym doors. “He already hurt you once! Aren’t you afraid-“

The rest of his words died on his lips when the door abruptly opened in front of them.

To reveal the last face Ren wanted to see.

Kamoshida stood there, blocking the way out with a sneer once he realized who he’d run into. “Oh, look what we have here. I thought I heard Mishima’s voice, but who would’ve thought that he’d be talking to one of the lowlife delinquents.”

Ren couldn’t let his rage control him. It would do no good right now.

The coach shook his head in disappointment. “Mishima, I thought you were better than this.” Mishima remained silent, averting his gaze. Kamoshida scoffed and crossed his arms. “What were you talking about, hm? Let me guess, something about Suzui?”

Mishima winced but there was a sharp edge to his voice when he whispered, “Don’t you d-dare say her name…”

“What was that?” Kamoshida snapped, making a move closer to the volleyball player. Ren didn’t let him. He stepped between Kamoshida and Mishima, refusing to let this pathetic excuse of a man affect him. Kamoshida rolled his eyes. “Oh, you think that you’re such a hotshot now? Got a few bruises, and you think you can oppose your superiors?”

“He got them from you!” Mishima shakily hissed from behind him, and Ren almost regretted sharing that info.

Kamoshida barked out a cynical laugh. “He did, did he? That’s what he told you?” He closed the space between them even more, causing Ren to look up. He refused to stand down even when Kamoshida’s smirk gained malicious intent. “Then, I can arrange that. This whole incident has gotten me a little tense.”

Ren hardly had time to process what he said before his glasses were ripped off his face and there was a fist smashing into his black eye.

Unbearable pain blossomed from the hit, and Ren stumbled backwards, world swimming as agony took over. Mishima was shouting something, and there was a gentle yet steady grip on his arm to keep him standing.

However, his knees instantly buckled when Kamoshida punched him in the stomach, causing him to crash to the ground. He doubled over, one arm cradling his torso and his other hand covering his eye. The floor beneath him was blurry as he harshly panted, realizing that tears were blurring his vision.

“-op!” Mishima’s shouts were nearly blocked by the blood pounding in his ears. “Stop!”

“Why?” There was another boisterous laugh. “It’s only self-defense, after all! Can’t help that he has an intimidating presence.” Kamoshida’s tone then turned cold. “Didn’t you see that he was threatening me, Mishima?”

“He wasn’t doing a-anything! He just stood in front of me-“

“And that makes you an accomplice, does it not? Wait until the school board hears about this. Threatening a teacher is cause for expulsion.”

Ren cursed. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. He didn’t mean for them to...

“Wh-What?! You can’t do that!”

“Says who? The school would love to get rid of garbage like you.” Ren forced himself to raise his head, finding that damn smirk through the blur. It was identical to the one he’s seen in the castle. The coach narrowed his eyes at him. “You have no one to blame but yourself. I’m done here.”

With that, Kamoshida spun on his heel and strolled away.

“We…” Mishima squatted down next to him, tightly grabbing his arm once more. “We need to get you to the nurse! Can you stand up?”

Ren probably could, but he wouldn’t dare to try to now. Instead, he turned attention to his phone, blinking away the moisture in his eyes. He went to the group chat, ignored any texts from before, and typed with some effort:

Ren: Come to the gym instead. We have a problem.

Chapter Text

Akira wasn’t a violent guy. Sure, he could get angry and have urges like every other person, but it was rare that he actually acted on them. He had restraint.

That being said, at this moment, he never wanted to hunt someone down more desperately in his life. He wanted to find Kamoshida and carry out Ren’s revenge for him tenfold.

But the more sensible part of his brain told him to wait. Targeting Kamoshida now would do nothing, and the only ones being hurt would be them. They’d be expelled, thrown out of the cafe, and have a future basically in the streets. He couldn’t throw their lives away like that.

However, when they went back to the castle, all bets were off.

“So…” Akira took a steadying breath. “Is the decision unanimous?”

“Is that even an effing question?” Ryuji growled, glaring hard at a random locker like it was the cause of all this. He was vibrating with rage. “I’m all in! That bastard…” Ryuji punched the locker. “That damn bastard!”

Akira drifted his attention to Ren, who was sitting on a bench. He and Ryuji had helped Ren into the locker room after finding him and sending Mishima to get ice. Ren was hunched over with his hand still covering his eye. Akira could already tell that it was swelling again. He could only imagine what his stomach looked like.

Ren caught his stare and signed, (“Let’s put an end to this.”) Something in his eyes softened, and he added, (“I should’ve just listened to you-“)

“Don’t do that.” Akira shook his head. “We’ve got too much to think about already.” Ren curtly nodded, deeply sighing and wincing at the pain.

Ryuji noticed this and frowned. “Hey, is it even okay for you to go back in there? You’re pretty messed up, dude, and now that we got a time limit, wouldn’t it be better for you to stay safe?”

(“Akira, tell him that there’s no way in hell that I’m passing up on this opportunity.”)

Akira couldn’t oppose him. Even though he saw Ryuji’s point and hated to risk endangering him again, Ren wasn’t going to allow that. He was stubborn, both of them were, but Ren was a rock. If they didn't take him to the castle, he’d go in by himself. He had the app too, after all. 

Plus, Ren had three persona users to protect him now.

“He’ll be fine,” Akira said, and Ren curtly nodded. He then sat down beside his brother, a tornado tearing through his thoughts. “Morgana has healing powers, so that should help.”

Ryuji scratched his head. “Wait, can he even heal injuries not from the Palace?”

Akira shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t see why he couldn’t.” He hoped that his gut feeling was right, though. He didn’t want Ren hurting in there. 

“Right,” Ryuji huffed. “We have to meet back up with that furball. Hopefully he’s nearby-“

“I got some ice!” The door to the locker room burst open, startling the trio inside. Mishima ran in with a large ice pack, heavily breathing as he stopped in front of Ren. He handed it over and Ren managed a thankful smile. “You’re welcome!” Mishima rubbed the back of his neck before glancing at Akira and Ryuji. “Um...everyone’s starting to get back to class. I don’t think it’s a good idea to hang out here…”

Ryuji sucked his teeth. “Ugh, dammit...why can’t the day be over with already?”

He took the words right out of Akira’s mouth.

“It’ll be over soon enough,” Akira muttered as he stood up, holding a hand out for Ren to grab. Ren did so and hissed as he got to his feet.

Mishima bit his lip in worry. “Are you sure that you don’t want to go to the nurse?”

Ren shook his head as he straightened, fighting back any hints of pain. Stubborn through and through.

He was the first to walk through the door, and Akira was right behind him, already planning Kamoshida’s downfall.

“Oh wow...I sure missed a lot, huh?”

“That’s an understatement! Don’t take this so lightly!” Ryuji barked at Morgana, pacing around a circular table. They had returned to the tucked away corner with the vending machines once classes ended. Ren was back on a bench while Akira leaned against the arm of it. “We told you that we all agreed to take the risk, so can we go now? I wanna beat the snot out of Kamoshida!”

Akira scanned their surroundings and relaxed when he didn’t see anyone around. “You really need to stop yelling, Ryuji. Especially about beating someone up.”

Ryuji attempted to calm down. “Sorry, I’m just too fired up about this.” He refocused in the black cat pondering his question. “So?”

Morgana did something similar to a shrug, for his current anatomy didn’t allow a normal one. “Hey, I’m ready to go in anytime. I just want to make sure you all know what you’re getting into.” He gave Ryuji a pointed look. “Which isn’t beating the guy up. We’re simply stealing his treasure.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” The blonde disregarded his words. “We’re going in right here, right now?”

Morgana rolled his eyes. “In front of anyone who might be snooping around? Let’s get off school grounds at least.”

“But not too far, right?” Akira didn’t know all of the ins and outs of this other dimension yet. Activating the navigation could be proximity based.

“Right.” Morgana stood on all fours, his gaze lingering on Ren. He had dumped the ice pack, his puffy eye visible for the world to see. “Before we go in, I want to emphasize the importance of being sneaky. We can’t afford another ambush like last time. We do have Ryuji now, but still. It’s too dangerous.”

Ren didn’t seem too happy about the constant reminders, but he nodded anyway and mouthed, “Got it.”

He stood up before Akira could help him, and Akira couldn’t wait to get in the Palace if only to heal Ren up. Morgana had said that he could.

Ryuji smirked, lightly nudging Ren. “Hell, we might not need to protect you! You might wake up your own persona this time!”

Ren blinked in surprise at the idea, like he hadn’t thought about it before. Akira had, though. Wondering what kind of demon he would control. With Akira having Arsene and Ryuji having an skull-faced pirate, it could be anything.

“Shout it louder, would you?” Morgana sighed in exasperation as he settled into Akira’s offered bag once more.

Ryuji weakly glared before marching out of the cove, Akira and Ren following behind him. However, they all froze in place after turning the corner, seeing Takamaki standing there.

Akira mentally rewound to what they were talking about and hoped that she heard none of it. She could’ve just walked up. Hopefully that was the case.

“Hey.” Her voice was heavy with emotion, matching her bloodshot eyes and pasty complexion. Akira could empathize with her. Takamaki seemed to regather herself, focusing on Ren. “Is it true...that you’re getting expelled?”

While surprise leaked into Ren’s features, Akira clenched his fists in his pockets. That was spreading along the masses already? No one could have told besides Kamoshida. He severely doubted Mishima would because it involved him.

Ryuji must’ve came up with the same conclusion. “Dammit, Kamoshida!” he exclaimed, catching Takamaki off-guard. “Of course he would spread that around! It wouldn’t be anyone but him!”

“Kamoshida…” The name was hissed through Takamaki’s teeth. There was a shakiness to her voice too, but Akira knew that it wasn’t from fright. Takamaki heavily exhaled before addressing Ren, her features softening. “Did...he do that to you too? Your eye looks worse than it has before.”

Ren adjusted his glasses and nodded, jaw clenching at the memory.

Akira thought that he was going to have to explain what happened, but it seemed like Takamaki didn’t care. She softly gasped, hand covering her mouth, before adamantly shaking her head. “He’s...He’s gone to far! Beating up students, driving Shiho to…”

Tears threatened to fall, sniffles reached their ears, and Akira’s mind whirled to find a way to comfort the girl breaking down in front of him. Well, a way that didn’t involve magic impossibilities.

A quick look around showed that Ren and Ryuji were having the same dilemma.

However, Takamaki pulled herself together before they came to a decision, her eyes shining with tears and determination. She took a step forward, lowering her voice. “Look, I…” She heavily exhaled. “I don’t know if you’re planning something, but with Sakamoto here, I’m pretty sure you are.”

Ryuji bristled, crossing his arms. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Takamaki wasn’t deterred by his attitude. “That you don’t back down from things like this. I’ve known you for long enough to know that you aren’t going to let this slide.” She looked back and forth between Akira and Ren. “And you two probably won’t either, since it’s personal. I want in.”

Akira didn’t know how to respond to that, and Ryuji looked too stunned to respond. The silence drove Takamaki to say, “You didn’t deny anything. So you do have some kind of plan?”

Akira and Ren glanced at each other, unsure, while Ryuji huffed. “Of course we don’t! And even if we did, you’re not gettin’ involved. It has nothing to do with you!”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Akira hastily interjected, seeing how offended Takamaki had gotten. It didn’t feel right lying to her. Plus, Ryuji was laying it on a little too thick. “She’s...as involved in this as I am, actually.” Both of them had a close someone hurt because of Kamoshida, and ‘hurt’ was a loose term when speaking about Suzui.

Takamaki was appreciative; Ryuji wasn’t. He whirled on him, incredulous. “What are you talkin’ about, dude! You’re more involved! You’re part of-“ Ren sent an elbow into the blonde’s side to cut him off. Akira mentally applauded him because there had been no telling what was going to come out of Ryuji’s mouth.

Ryuji winced but wisely switched his words up. “We can’t let her in on it, though!” he said, basically letting it slip that there was indeed a plan. “It’s dangerous!” Ryuji liked his own wording, giving Takamaki a pointed look and gesturing to Ren. “Too dangerous. See him? That’s what happened the last time we tried to do somethin’. Don’t want to mess up that face of yours, do ya?”

Takamaki gave Ren a once-over, worrying her bottom lip, before steeling herself. She stomped the ground. “I don’t care! I’ll go through anything if it means that Kamoshida will get what he deserves! I’ll take a hundred bruises if that’ll prevent anyone else from getting hurt!”

Ryuji marginally wilted at that. “But-“

“Stop trying to talk me about if it.” Takamaki’s tone was unarguable. “I’m helping.”

“Such passion,” Morgana pleasantly sighed from inside Akira’s bag, voice quiet. “But having her come would be a huge risk.”

Akira understood that, but-

“Wait, was that a...kitten?” Takamaki’s question dug into his thoughts, and he subtly stiffened when she approached him. “It came from your bag, didn’t it?”

“Uh oh…”

“There it is again!”

There was no denying it. Akira adjusted his bag, Morgana wiggling around inside, and admitted, “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone, though.” It wasn’t like their reputation could get any worse, but still.

Takamaki’s eyes shone with interest, expression brightening if only a bit. “I won’t...if you let me in on the plan.” She then stepped up to his side, peering into the bag and slightly smiling at the sight of Morgana. “It’s adorable!” She reached in to pet him, and Morgana let her, to Akira’s surprise.

While she dealt with his purring, Akira looked at the others for their opinions. As expected, Ryuji was shaking his head no, concerned about the risk. Ren was watching Takamaki with an unreadable expression. He was probably weighing the pros and cons of this, knowing first-hand about the dangers, and Akira saw which side won out when Ren eventually nodded at him.

The decision was made, then.

“I think...that we should include her.”

“What?! Seriously, man?” Ryuji’s eyes bugged out of his head. “But - Morgana!”

“I think it’s fair,” the car meowed as she petted his head. “She’s got as much as drive as you do, and her hands are so soft.”

Takamaki slightly pulled away at that, giving Ryuji a puzzled glance. “Morgana? Is that the kitten’s name? And why are you asking it for its opinion?”

As Ryuji floundered for a response, Akira quickly thought of one. “Morgana has wise words when you get to know him.” He wasn’t necessary lying, but Ren rolled his eyes at him anyway.

Takamaki narrowed hers, but something akin to amusement remained in her lips. “Okay…” She went back to stroking Morgana’s fur. “I can’t wait to know him better, then.”

“Ohhhh yes, right there…”

They should go before Morgana forgot all about the plan altogether.

“Just follow us, okay?” Akira said, taking a step forward and ignoring Morgana’s disappointed mumble when Takamaki stopped a second time. “We’ll explain things later.”

She nodded, blue eyes shining. “You better.”

So they walked, and Ryuji was grumbling every step of the way.

Akira fully expected the silence.

Takamaki’s chin was basically scraping the ground as she stared up at the massive castle, its ominous gates open for them to cross through.

After her brain put itself back together, she stumbled over her own tongue. “Th-This is your plan? Where in the world are we?!”

“Your worst nightmare,” Ryuji drawled with a frown, his new mask covering half his face. He peered over at Akira and Ren, the latter observing the blonde’s outfit for the first time. “See? She’s terrified! We can’t let her go in there.”

“I’m not scared! I’m just - ah!” Takamaki shouted when she noticed their costumes. Her finger shook as she pointed. “Your clothes! When did you - ah!” She screamed even louder when she spotted Morgana, instinctively stepping closer to Ren. “It’s a monster cat!”

Morgana’s ears drooped. “Monster…?”

“And it’s talking!"

Despite the circumstances, Akira couldn’t keep the small smile off his face. “That’s just Morgana. Told you that you’d be able to understand him sooner or later.”

“This is not what I thought you meant!” Takamaki switched to the one she was slightly hiding behind. “You’re the only normal one here, Amamiya! Tell me that this is a crazy dream or something!”

Ren shook his head, motioning to the entrance like it was a grand stage.

Takamaki groaned.

“You want to leave, right?” Ryuji prompted. “Because we can get you out if you want. Just say the word.”

“I’m not...going anywhere.” Takamaki didn’t look too sure if her words, gazing up at the menacing structure towering above her. “Just - what is this place?”

Morgana took the initiative to explain. “It’s the school based off Kamoshida’s cognition. If we go in there and steal his treasure, then he’ll confess his crimes.”

Takamaki stared at him like he’s grown a second head. “...What?”

Morgana sighed, crossing his stubby arms. “It’ll make sense on the way.”

“I don’t think this will ever make sense. You’re standing on two legs.”

“Touché.” Morgana forwent arguing with her, for it would go nowhere. Especially since she hasn’t seen what hid inside. Morgana’s gaze sharpened, and Takamaki’s brow creased. “Listen and listen good. There are monsters in there that want us out. One misstep, and you could end up like Ren there. Or even worse. So stay close when we go in, okay?”

“Uh…” She thickly swallowed before standing straighter. “It’s not like I have another choice, do I?”

“Oh, you have plenty of choices-"

“I’m not leaving, Sakamoto. Cut it out.”

Akira glanced over at the sulking blonde. “Just give it up.” Ryuji sulked harder in response.

Morgana hummed as he examined the entrance. “You should stay in the middle of the group so you can be protected on all sides.”

“Got it,” Takamaki said with more confidence than what showed on her face.

Now that she was taken care of, Akira brought up, “Can you heal Ren now?” He figured that no demon would come out here to attack them, but they had to be careful.

Morgana nodded. “Yeah, it should only take a second.” He bounded over the teen, and Ren carefully sank down to the ground. Morgana got to work, holding out paws that were slightly glowing. “Oh, and before we go in there, we have to think of codenames.”

Akira felt relief fill him when the swelling was lowered in Ren’s black eye. The dark bruise was still there, but it was better than nothing. “Codenames?”

“Yep.” Morgana moved to Ren’s stomach, healing over his shirt. “Have no idea what yelling your real names in the castle will do, but it probably wouldn’t be anything good.”

“I can’t believe that I’m existing here right now…” Akira heard Takamaki whisper to herself, watching the cat work.

“I guess we can use ‘em…” Ryuji reluctantly agreed. “Mine can be uh…”

“Airhead? Or maybe Thug?”

“Oh my god. Can I throw him into the next body of water we come across, guys?” He looked at Akira and Ren. “Please?”

Ren shook his head and mouthed, “He’s our medic and tour guide.”

“Well, after the Palace, then,” Ryuji mended, a mischievous grin on his face.

“As if I’ll let you,” Morgana opposed, sticking his nose up.

Akira wondered if those two would ever get along. Probably not. Going back to the topic at hand, he looked over Ryuji’s costume and suggested, “How about Skull? It is what you’re wearing.”

“Skull?” Ryuji tested the name in his tongue before smiling. “I can dig it! That’s a nickname, cat!”

Morgana rolled his eyes as he backed up from Ren, signaling that he was done. Ren got to his feet much easier, poking where his injuries had been.

“Good enough, Ace?” Morgana asked, and when Ren froze at the name, he explained, “Well, you are our sharpshooter right now, and you pair up quite nicely with our wildcard, Joker.” Morgana smirked over at Akira. “Don’t you two think?”

It was clever enough, Akira guessed, and it made sense. He silently asked Ren for his opinion, and he simply shrugged, not hating it.

“It’s easy enough to remember,” Akira replied, randomly wondering if Sojiro had a deck of playing cards at the shop. It would be good to have if they were bored. “What about you?”

“Something simple, like…”

“Mona?” Akira suggested. “We shouldn’t call you anything cat related since you’ve been here the longest, and the monsters inside would put two and two together.”

“Another reason is that I’m not a cat.”

“That too.”

Morgana nodded. “Mona, huh? That’s fine with me, as long as you can remember it. So…” He turned to Takamaki. “For your name…”

She was rubbing her forehead, almost looking dazed. “I know that Amam...Ace said that this wasn’t a dream, but I’m going to wake up soon, aren’t I?”

Morgana sighed. “I wish that I could say that was true. This is reality. Now...what’s your favorite animal?”

“Uh...cats?”

He perked up. “So we can call you Kitten!”

Takamaki cringed at the name. “Ew, no!” Akira was glad that she disagreed. He honestly didn’t want to call her that either. “It needs to be something more...strong, I guess?”

Morgana tapped his chin. “Tigress, then? Or Panther? Ooo, you can go by Cougar!”

She deeply frowned. “Don’t ever call me Cougar! I’ll help Skull throw you in a pond if you do!”

He smartly took a half-step away from her. “What about the other two?”

Takamaki pondered the question. “They both seem fine...well, a tigress is more of a mindless killer to me, and I’m nothing like that…”

Akira rose a brow. “So, you’re still a killer, just one that knows how to use their brain?”

Takamaki blinked at him before smiling. “That’s right! Especially if you get on my bad side!”

Akira didn’t want to test that theory out. He’s seen how determined she could get.

Ryuji looked like he’d already seen that side of her.

Morgana put his paws on his hips. “Well, that’s settled!” He fully faced the castle, and everyone gathered around him. “Let’s head on in. Ace, I hid the gun in a crate inside.”

Ren nodded, and Takamaki seemingly choked on her spit. “Excuse me? Did you just say a gun?”

“Well, yeah. I said that he was our sharpshooter.”

“I heard that part! But-“

“Panther, just breathe.” Akira smiled, hoping  that was enough to calm her down. They couldn’t have her having a heart attack inside. “It’s fake. Kind of.”

“Kind of?!”

Ren deadpanned at him. (“You should’ve left that last part out.”)

Yeah, he should’ve.

Ren learned a few new things during this visit to the castle:

Ryuji’s persona was an incredible powerhouse.

Akira, for some reason, could have more than one persona.

Morgana hadn’t known about that bit of information, which was more surprising than the act itself.

Takamaki was quick on her feet, dodging and ducking any Shadows before they spotted her, terror never really leaving her face.

And well, Ren had definitely pissed Shadow Kamoshida off with that shoulder shot.

There were at least twice as many demons patrolling the castle now on high alert. Any noise the group made set them off, and they had to make quick work of the Shadows if they didn’t want their infiltration known to everyone else in the Palace.

Morgana couldn’t tell him for sure if this was because of the shot or his little run-in with the real Kamsoshida in the gym, but now Ren wished that he’d shown some kind of restraint. Then they wouldn’t be struggling now trying to secure a path to the treasure.

Or...whatever Morgana had said they were doing. Ren wasn’t exactly sure.

“Joker! On your left!”

Ren responded to Ryuji’s shout before Akira did, shooting a pixie out of existence while Akira took care of a frothing flower.

“Ace!”

He spun around at Morgana’s sharp call and stumbled backwards when a jack-o-lantern tried to wring his neck. Ren swiftly shot a few rounds in its head, releasing a shaky breath when it poofed away. He seriously needed to be more careful. He didn’t want to be the liability anymore.

“Quick thinking,” Morgana appraised as he looked around for more Shadows. There were no more in the corridor, at least for now. “Everyone okay? Those came out of nowhere.”

Ryuji moved his mask a bit to wipe some sweat off his forehead. “Yeah...just a little tired of all of these damn things. How much farther do we have to go?!”

“Do you think I know?” Morgana regained his breath, fixing the scarf around his neck. “It could be anywhere in here.”

“Aren’t you supposed to know?” Ryuji stomped over to him. “This place is huge! There’s no way we’ll find it anytime soon!”

Morgana narrowed his eyes and hissed, “We won’t if you plan on yelling all the time! Do you want Shadow Kamoshida to find us?”

“At this point, hell yeah!”

Ren shared his sentiments, figuring that Ryuji might be onto something here. Making sure Akira was watching, he signed, (“Maybe if we take care of Kamoshida, then he’ll tell us where the treasure is.”)

Akira translated, and Takamaki - who had taken cover behind a crate when things got violent - jogged closer. “I-I like that idea! The less time we have to spend in this place, the better!” She hugged her arms around her body, eyes flickering to find any other dangers. “It’s giving me the creeps.”

Ryuji rolled his eyes. “And who said that they wanted to tag along?”

“Don’t pretend like you weren’t scared your first time here!”

Akira gave Ryuji a ‘she’s not wrong’ look, and the blonde’s eyes widened at the betrayal.

Morgana shook his head at their interactions, sighing. “Look, I’m not saying that our group is weak, but Shadows in charge of Palaces are nothing to laugh at. We’re nowhere near ready to face Shadow Kamoshida.” He glanced at Akira and Ryuji. “You two are still getting used to your personas.” Then Ren. “The weapons and little medicine we have won’t do us much good against him.” And finally Takamaki. “Don’t get me wrong, Panther, I’m glad you’re here, but-“

“Princess!”

Ren’s breath caught in his throat when a deep voice bounced off the walls, followed by too many footsteps. He peered back to where they came from to see a horde of guards, and they all were focused on Takamaki.

“Huh?” She backpedalled until she was safe in the middle of the group. “Princess?!”

“Oh right, I knew I was forgetting something!” Morgana braced himself for the incoming fight, subtly wincing. “So uh...in this Palace, there’s a fake you that Kamoshida has created. She’s always linked to his side, basically nothing but a puppet.”

“She barely has any clothes on too, the perv.” Ryuji scowled as he summoned Captain Kidd.

Takamaki was downright disgusted, and Ren felt the same way. Akira had failed to mention that after he regained consciousness.

She clenched her fists. “That’s...That’s just sick!”

Akira took a step forward, gaze unwavering. “What else is new?”

“Princess! We’ll save you from these filthy rats! You belong with the king!”

“I don’t belong with anyone!” Takamaki yelled back, and Ren readied his gun at his side when the guards glimpsed at each other. “So go tell your king to leave me alone!”

“We cannot do that.” Ren gritted his teeth when the horde began to collapse on itself, giving rise to many different bloodthirsty demons. At once they said, “The king wants you. Whatever he wants, he shall get.”

“Get ready, everyone!” Morgana shouted right before the Shadows charged.

Ren gasped in pain when he landed hard on the floor, head thudding against the stone. He had no time to focus on the pain before one of those plant demons straddled him, a warped laugh reaching his ears.

He aimed his gun at its chest, pulled the trigger, and dread bubbled up in his stomach when he heard nothing but an empty click.

The laughter grew even louder until Ren desperately pistol-whipped the demon across its face, sending it off to the side. He scrambled up to his feet and pounced on the Shadow, reminding himself over and over again that these things weren’t real as he ruthlessly slammed the pistol against its head.

His breaths were heavy when the plant dissipated from underneath him. Ren struggled to calm his jackhammering heart, adrenaline pumping through his veins, as he witnessed the fight still going on.

Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana were taking down the beasts one by one, but he could tell that they were being worn down. Their movements were sluggish, attacks missed more often than not, and now, Ren couldn’t do anything to-

“Ahhh!”

Ren’s heart sank at that frantic scream.

He whipped his head in the direction of it just in time to see two pixies lifting Takamaki out of her hiding spot, keeping a secure grip in her even as she struggled.

“Panther!” Akira and Ryuji shouted from behind him, filled with panic.

“Let me go!” Takamaki yelled, but the pixies only laughed in response. They promptly flew off down the corridor, avoiding an attack from Akira. “Help!"

Ren didn’t hesitate. He took off after them despite having nothing but an empty gun to use as a weapon. He didn’t care. The others were busy fighting, and he couldn’t let her die.

“Ace, wait! Ren!” 

Akira’s voice was almost enough for him to turn around, but he kept going. His lungs heaved as he turned a corner, following the haunting laughter and Panther’s cries.

Ren pushed himself to sprint through another hallway, inwardly cursing as Takamaki's voice grew softer and softer until there was nothing. He didn’t stop, though, twisting and turning and twisting-

He raced to the end of a long hall and skid to a stop, heart jumping into his throat when three doors were presented to him. There weren’t any signs of either of them being opened, and Ren shoved the one to his right, not wasting time in making pondering a decision.

Apparently, it had been the wrong one.

There were low hanging torches, thick brick columns, and numerous demons littering the spacious room.

Shit!

Ren barely managed to close the door before an Agi burned right through it, the intense heat catching his side. He hissed and covered where the fire had burned a hole in his shirt.

The alarmed voices on the other side forced his feet to move, scampering to the closest door. Ren flung it open and was relieved to find a small room, it completely empty. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. The Shadows were flooding out of the room he just left, some footsteps and voices traveling away from him.

Ren found it weird that they weren’t checking where he was, but then he realized that the atmosphere was different here. It was less oppressive, and he felt like he could breathe easier. This had to be a safe room.

But that also meant that Takamaki hadn’t been dragged this way, either.

Great.

She was getting farther and farther away, some of the Shadows were still right outside this door, and his burn refused to be ignored, getting redder as the seconds ticked on.

Ren looked up at the ceiling, asking himself why. Why was this happening? Why hadn’t he gotten a persona yet?

If he had one, he could’ve stopped those pixies from taking Takamaki in the first place, or at least had gotten rid of them before they went too far. But no. Now, he was trapped in a room while she was potentially dragged to her death, while Akira and the rest of the group was back there fighting. He had abandoned them to do what? Absolutely nothing.

Ren glanced down at the gun in his hand, hating that he was useless now. Run out of ammo, and he was nothing but dead weight.

“Ace!" Ren was thrown out of his oppressive thoughts at Akira's distant voice. "Ace, where are you?!”

“Another trespasser! Under King Kamoshida’s orders, we shall-“

“Arsene!”

Ren heard the fight through the door, all of the pained grunts, guttural howls, and yells of anguish from the demons. Akira was getting closer, shouting orders along with Morgana and Ryuji too. Akira was the loudest, however. He heard the desperation in his tone.

Morgana hadn’t been lying when he said that Shadows couldn’t enter safe rooms, right? He hoped not, because he was about to test that theory out.

Steeling himself, Ren pushed off the door in order to fling it open. There was a good amount of Shadows crowding the hallway, at least ten. Their backs were facing him, all focused on the three-man army pushing through. None of them noticed him.

Ren whistled loudly, it high-pitched enough to cut through the sounds of carnage. Akira was the first to respond to it. He snapped his head up from a plant he’d downed, looking around and eventually meeting Ren’s gaze. Interestingly enough, none of the demons seemed to hear him.

“There he is!” Ryuji located him next. “He found a safe room!”

Akira nodded. “We gotta plow through!”

“No need for plowing!” Morgana sliced a pixie with his sword. “I have a better solution! Garu!”

The resulting gale caused Ren to stumble backwards, squinting against the rushing winds to see. All of the Shadows were pressed against the walls of the hallway by the gusts, and Akira and Ryuji didn’t hesitate in running through the opening.

Ren barely had the chance to get out of the way before they darted into the room, Akira immediately chewing him out. “Ren, why in the hell did you run away like that? We need to stick together in this place! If you hadn’t found this room-“ He cut his own concerned tirade off when he noticed the burn Ren was trying to hide. “What is that?”

(“Nothing serious,”) Ren signed to calm Akira down even though his own nerves were still shot. And Panther was getting farther away- (“Just a small burn. We need to-“)

“Dammit, Ren…” Akira whispered when he pried his hand away from the wound. It was fire red, starting to blister now. “I think...I think I have a spell on another persona that can-"

Ren frowned and slightly pushed him away as Morgana rushed in, closing the door behind him. (“I’m not the one you should be worried about right now!”) A minor burn was nothing compared to what could be happening to Takamaki.

Akira inhaled sharply before nodding, closing his eyes. “I know. Fuck, I know…” He shook his head as if to shake away lingering thoughts, and asked, “Did you see where she went?”

(“I wouldn’t be here if I had.”)

“I’m guessin’ that’s a no?” Ryuji asked tightly, interpreting the despair on Ren’s face. When Akira affirmed that, the blonde pulled at his hair. “Dammit! Of course they would take her while we were distracted! And this place is huge! How are we gonna-“

“We’re not going to do anything standing here and complaining about it!” Morgana was across the room, peeling open a ventilation shaft on top of a shelf. “The more we talk about it, the further she gets away!” He popped the gate off, it clattering to the ground. “We have to make an effort to be extra sneaky! I’m sure everyone’s on high alert now!”

Ren didn’t have to be told twice.

He crawled in after Morgana, pushing the pain from the burn to the back of his mind.

They needed to get to her before it was too late.

“Do you hear that?”

It was hard to hear anything over the rapid-fire pulse in his ears, but Ren strained to pinpoint what Ryuji pointed out anyway.

Evening out his breathing, Ren focused his ears and listened for anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing but the flickering flames of torches, the labored breaths of the blonde beside him, the steps of distant Shadows, and...yelling?

Very familiar yelling.

Ren’s eyes widened as he shared a look with Ryuji, realizing it at the same time. “It has to be her!” Ryuji whispered before glancing to the opposite side of the wall, where Akira and Morgana were hiding behind a crate like they were. The duo were on the same wavelength as well, nodding curtly at the silent question.

The yelling seemed like it was coming from around the next corner, beyond the two Shadows patrolling up the dimly lit hall they were in.

“Ugh,” Ryuji complained under his breath as he carefully peered over the crate. “Can they walk any slower?”

Ren adjusted in his crouching position to look as well, watching the pair of guards march up the corridor, approaching the branching hallway. Their armor clanked with every step, shields swinging side to side as they strolled, oblivious to the group of thieves itching for them to go a little faster.

There were more yells, and Ren nearly groaned when the Shadows paused in their stride to glance in the direction of the noise. Thankfully, they didn’t turn that way, continuing straight ahead. Keep going, keep going...perfect.

Like a flare had gone off, the group sprinted as quietly as they could from behind the crates and around the corner, keeping low to the ground. They luckily remained unnoticed.

Ren didn’t allow relief to take over, not yet.

Especially because the yelling stopped.

Worry resting heavy in his stomach, Ren immediately zeroed in on decorative double doors that led to a room the shouting had to be coming from. No one stopped to ask questions. They all ran past armored statues lining the walls and plowed through the doors, ready to fight what was waiting for them on the other side. Exhaustion be damned.

Morgana had lent him his slingshot; Ren refused to be useless.

However, what he saw inside made him freeze. The room was decorated differently than the rest of the castle, plentiful curtains lining the walls and windows making the lighting even dimmer. A framed picture of Kamoshida was surrounded by torches, but those weren’t what caught his attention.

The first thing he saw was Takamaki lying motionless in the middle of the floor, dressed in some kind of red bodysuit.

Ren was about to run over to her - because she was still alive, he just wanted to check - but then there was a movement to his right. His eyes then widened at the sight of someone standing over a Shadow sitting on what looked like a toilet. There was a blue glowing saber at its throat, and with a twist of a wrist, the demon was nothing but a fleeting memory.

“Who...Who in the hell are you?!” Ryuji yelled out, visibly torn from helping Takamaki and dealing with this mystery person.

The stranger startled at the voice, whipping their head around, showing off a red pointed mask that matched their white and red costume.

Wait.

Those dark eyes and that flowing brown hair - especially the hair - were all too familiar. But it couldn’t be, right?

“Well, isn't this a little awkward?” The stranger deactivated the saber and smiled after getting over the shock. They - or rather he - looked at Akira and then Ren. He briefly waved like they weren’t in the middle of a Palace ruled by an abusive volleyball coach, it crawling with sadistic demons. “Hello, nice to see you two again.”

“You know each other?!” Ryuji squawked, voice raising an octave.

Ren couldn’t respond, his mind a muddled mess, and Akira wasn’t any better. Neither responded to Ryuji’s question.

Akechi shifted awkwardly before suggesting, “I know that this deserves an explanation, but I don’t think this is the best place with the…monsters and all.” He softly chuckled. “Oh, and is she an acquaintance of yours?”

He pointed over to Takamaki, and Akira was the one to nod. He finally regained his voice, answering, “Yeah...is she okay?”

“Yes! She simply passed out after conjuring up her own demon.”

Her what?

Akira was about to ask another question, but Ren held up a hand to stop him. More of those would have to wait. They were tired, Akechi was here for some unknown reason, and Takamaki was unconscious. It was time to leave. Akira seemed to understand that.

They needed to have a nice long conversation as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

Ren didn’t dare to relax until the world swirled all around him, haunting reds morphing into familiar greys and blues. There were distant sounds of chatter and traffic that replaced demonic growls and clanking metal.

When it registered that they were truly out, Ren sighed and leaned heavily against the side of a shaded building, resting his overworked muscles. He looked around the secluded alleyway they had reappeared in to see the rest of the group doing the same.

Labored wheezing came from Ryuji while he put his hands in his knees, catching his breath. Akira was beside him, panting as he adjusted the still unconscious Ann draped across his back. Morgana, back in cat form, was splayed out on the cement, exhausted. Akechi was winded as well, taking deep breaths while pushing back the hair plastered to his sweaty forehead.

Ren struggled to control his rapid pulse, hating how determined and fast Shadows were. They barely had made it out of the castle without being caught.

But they had gotten out, that’s all that mattered.

Well, that along with waking Ann and finding out why - and how - Akechi was there.

“Ugh…” Ryuji groaned, straightening up and stretching his back. “I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight. My body’s already givin’ up on me.”

“Imagine how I feel,” Akira muttered, taking a breath between each word. Takamaki was nothing but dead weight on his back, and Ren pushed off the wall to help him with the burden.

He stepped closer and positioned one of her limp arms around his neck, hoping that she would wake up soon. He could barely stand under his own power, so he doubted that carrying/dragging her around would be an easy feat.

After some maneuvering, they managed to get Takamaki on her feet, supported by the two brothers in each side of her. Her head rolled to the side, leaning on Akira’s shoulder, and Ren wondered exactly what happened in that room.

“She is out of it…” Ryuji looked her over, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I was pretty tired after I got mine, but nothin’ like this.”

Morgana peered up at her, worry swirling in his beady blue eyes, before giving Akechi a pointed look. His tail whipped back and forth. “Explain exactly what happened to Lady Ann! Tell us everything!”

Lady...Ann? was Ren’s first incredulous thought before Akechi’s surprise distracted him. The detective slowly blinked down at the glaring feline, slowly processing what he was seeing. “Wait...you can talk?”

“Why are you so surprised?” Morgana curtly rebutted, pacing at Akechi’s feet. “You saw me in the Palace!”

“That is true, but I didn’t think-“

“Don’t change the subject! Tell us about her before I take out your ankles!”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t.” Akechi shuffled away from Morgana; the cat’s hard stare didn’t waver. Ren was waiting on an answer as well. Maybe that would give insight to what Akechi was doing there in the first place.

Well, granted, Akechi could be looking for answers from them, too. It wasn’t everyday that you ran into another person in basically a demonic hellscape.

When Morgana didn’t respond to him, Akechi adjusted his crooked tie, regathering his wits. “Well, I don’t know all of the details. When I arrived on the scene, she had been surrounded by the demons, clearly in need of help.” His gaze softened when it landed on Takamaki. “So, I jumped in without a second thought, especially when it seemed like she was struggling to control Carmen.”

“Carmen?” Ryuji frowned. “Who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s the name of her demon, I believe. She kept calling her that as she fought.”

Arsene, Captain Kidd, Zorro, and Carmen. Ren smothered a rebellious bubble of jealousy growing in his stomach, hating that it had came up at all. Without Carmen, Takamaki could’ve been in much worse condition than she was now. This wasn’t the time for jealousy. They all barely had escaped the Palace in one piece; he should be more focused on thanking their luck.

“Stop calling them demons.” Morgana huffed, almost like he was insulted. “They’re called personas. Demons, or rather Shadows, are the enemies in the castle.”

“Ah, forgive me.” Akechi sheepishly chuckled, tucking damp hair behind his ear. “I’m...new to this as well.” He then gestured to himself. “Anyway, I haven’t gotten a chance to properly introduce myself since we were running for our lives and all. I’m Goro Akechi.”

Ryuji rolled his shoulder to stretch it out. “I’m Ryuji Sakamoto, that’s Ann Takamaki, and this is the cat-“

“My name’s Morgana , and I’m not a cat!”

Akechi peered down at him, head tilted in thought. “That’s...interesting.”

Morgana nodded in affirmation. “It’s true!”

Ryuji held up a hand. “Before we get into what is and isn’t true, explain yourself, Akechi. Why in the heck were you in that bastard’s Palace?”

“You mean Kamoshida, correct?” Curiosity leaked into Akechi’s expression as he aimed his next statement at Ren and Akira. “Well, I could be asking you the same question.”

“I don’t think we should talk about this out here,” Akira said, and Ren nodded when Akira glanced at him for confirmation. The alleyway was secluded, sure, but anyone on the street could easily walk by and see them. A group of exhausted students supporting an unconscious girl would definitely raise questions. Plus, a bit of air conditioning would be appreciated.

However, the limp form of Takamaki was a problem.

Ryuji nodded. “Yeah, we need some peace and quiet to talk this out, but what about her? We can’t just-“

By some miracle, Takamaki began to rouse at Ryuji’s words. A groggy groan escaped her as she came to, eyes fluttering open. “Huh?” She sounded like she had been gargling sandpaper. Clearing her throat, Takamaki looked around and blinked in confusion when she recognized the blue skies and puffy clouds. “We...We’re outside? When did we…?”

“We found you and decided to get out of there,” Akira responded, frowning when she could barely hold her head up. “Are you okay, Takamaki?”

“Ann. Call me Ann. I think we’ve been through enough to…” She groaned again, squeezing her eyes shut, before nodding. “And I’m fine...I think. Just really tired.”

“That’s a relief, Lady Ann!” Morgana stood in front of her, personality flipping one-eighty. “We were all worried when we found you knocked-out on the floor!”

“Lady Ann…?” Ann opened her eyes and stiffened at the sight of regular cat Mona. “Wait, I can hear you out here too?”

“Truly a surprise, isn’t it?” Akechi smiled.

Ann whipped her head around at his voice and brightened. Her own smile was tired but genuine. “Goro! You followed us out!”

Ren didn’t miss the way Goro’s smile cracked at the edges at the sound of his name, but it was rebuilt fast enough make Ren almost think it was just his imagination. Goro nodded. “Yes, and I think we should go somewhere so you can sit and rest before we talk anymore.”

“I know a really good ramen place close by,” Ryuji suggested. “Think you can walk, Ann?”

“I can try…” Ren loosened his grip on her when she began to move away, Akira doing so as well. Ann took a couple steps forward until her knees buckled. Akira was quick to catch her before she hit the ground, being faster than Ren. “Keyword: try,” she said with a laugh.

“You wouldn’t be like this if you had just listened to me from the beginnin’, y’know.”

Ann glared with what strength she had left at Ryuji. “Can you stop bringing it up?!”

“Nah.”

She huffed, straightening and leaning against Akira when he guided her arm back over his shoulders. Akira looked her over. “I think we should walk like this so you won’t have concrete for dinner.”

Ann glanced at the unforgiving ground. “Yeah, good call.”

They all left the alleyway with Ryuji leading, and Ren let out a sigh that was heavy with the weight of today. He then placed his hand where his burn should’ve been, only feeling fabric and a subtle sting. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about buying a new school uniform.

At the ramen shop, Ren hadn’t known how hungry he was until he started digging into the steaming noodles. He couldn’t be too surprised, though. That Palace drained him in more ways than one.

They were at a table tucked away in a corner of the shop, able to talk about what they needed to in private if they weren’t too loud. The other customers were too busy enjoying their food and idly chit-chatting to pay attention to them.

“Pretty good, right?” Ryuji said after slurping up noodles, seeing everyone else too busy eating to talk. “Found this place randomly one day! I swear it’s the small shops that have the best food!”

“I second that.” Goro agreed as he lowered his chopsticks. “After visiting this place and Leblanc, I’m starting to appreciate the flare small tucked away establishments have.”

Ann rose a brow at him, more energized now after getting food in her system. “Leblanc? What’s that, another ramen shop?”

Akira answered for Goro, shaking his head. “It’s a coffee shop that Ren and I live in.”

“That’s the place? I gotta visit sometime!” Ryuji exclaimed before scrunching his nose. “Does it just sell coffee, though? Not a fan of that stuff.”

“You don’t like coffee either?” Akira almost looked disappointed. “Ren refuses to drink it.”

“‘Cause its bitter as all hell, dude!” Ryuji stretched across the table to hold out a fist to Ren. “Glad I found another person with common sense!”

Ren couldn’t help but to fist-bump him, enjoying the slightly scandalized faces of Akira and Goro.

Ann was hiding her grin behind a cup of water. “It’s a hit or miss for me. I gotta have mine just right before I drink it.”

Ryuji scoffed. “Your codename in the Palace should’ve been Goldilocks.”

“Didn’t she get eaten by bears?”

Ren almost choked on a piece of chicken.

Akira eyed her as he patted him on the back. “What version of the children’s book did you read?”

“So, she didn’t die? That’s good.”

“I’m glad that you’re all enjoying your conversation about golden locks or whatever.” Morgana poked his little head out of Akira’s bag on the table. He must’ve finished the small bowl they had given him. “But can we talk about the Palace now? It’s kinda important.”

“I wanted to finish my food first, cat, but fine.” Ryuji stuffed noodles into his mouth and spoke around them. “So, where do we start?”

Well, that was obvious. Ren looked over at Goro and motioned with his sticks for him to tell his tale.

All eyes fell on the detective, and he nodded, quietly clearing his throat. “I’ll share, but this is a two-way street, I believe. I’m just as surprised that I ran into you there as well.” Ren couldn’t oppose that. It was fair. “I guess I should start from the beginning?” Goro pulled out his phone, tapped a few buttons, and held it out for them too look at. “I found this app on my phone a few days ago. The first day of classes, right after I ran into Ren, actually.”

Seriously? Ren’s eyebrows furrowed as he swallowed some broth. Back then? Ren himself hadn’t known about the other world yet. And why had running into him caused the app the appear?

Like Akira was reading his thoughts, he said, “At the station? But Ren had been clueless about the world then. Ryuji and I had been dragged in around that time, but…” Ren saw the flash of surprise in Goro’s face as Akira asked the black cat, “Know anything about that, Morgana?”

Morgana hummed. “Not really...I didn’t know that the app existed until you guys had said you used it to enter the Palace.” He scrutinized Goro, head tilting. “So, today wasn’t your first time in the Metaverse?”

“Metaverse?” Ryuji repeated.

“Yeah, that’s what the other world is officially called.”

“The Metaverse, hm...” Goro pushed his bowl away, finished with his meal. “To answer your question, no. I first went in that same day I met Ren, curious to what that app was. It had been...a bit terrifying, to say the least.”

“I totally get where you're coming from.” Ann empathized. “Today was my first, and I’ll probably have nightmares for a couple of days.” Ryuji gave her a smug look, and she rolled her eyes at him.

Goro chuckled before sweeping the table. “What about the rest of you? From what I’ve seen, you all have some experience navigating the castle.”

Ryuji leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, we’ve been in and out. We’d been pretty clueless until we met that cat here.” Morgana hissed. “But we’re pushin’ through because we’re on a mission.”

“A mission?”

Ren resisted the urge to kick Ryuji’s calf for that. Telling Goro about Kamoshida might not be the best idea. He seemed like a good guy, but he was a detective. There had to be some kind of connection to the police, and what they were planning was incredibly dangerous. For them and potentially Kamoshida as well.

Thankfully, Morgana spoke up before the blonde could say anymore. “Before we share that, I have to ask. How did you get into the castle? You shouldn’t be able to until several criteria are met.”

“Well…” Goro folded his arms on the table, gaze growing distant. “What happened today at Shujin had made it on the news.” The atmosphere around the table shifted, and Ann’s fingers tensed around her bowl. Goro saw this and softened his words. “It was also said in passing that she had been on the volleyball team, and...I’ve heard rumors about Kamoshida through the grapevine.”

“For how long?” Ryuji nearly snapped at him, and Ann nudged him to calm down even through her gaze was sharp as well. “How long have you heard and haven’t done anything?”

“Calm down, Ryuji,” Akira said. “None of this is his fault. Let him finish.”

Goro looked down at his hands, hair framing his face. “What I heard was nothing concrete, and I was busy working over cases that demanded my attention.”

Ren thought on it before defending him, ("And even if he had investigated, he wouldn’t have gotten far. Everyone refused to talk, remember?”)

Akira translated, and Ryuji sank in his seat. “Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just so frustrating that that had to happen.”

Ann nodded, absently twirling one of her pigtails. “Sorry about that, Goro.”

“It’s fine. I can’t imagine how much this has affected all of you,” Goro gently replied. “About the castle, I had been looking more into Kamoshida after school, and I guess what I had been saying triggered the app. Then, I was in the other world. The castle was in the distance and I had to investigate.”

Akira swirled what was left of his food around in his bowl. His expression was pensive. “So, you poked around inside and that’s how you ended up finding Ann?”

“Right.” Goro’s smile was back. “And I’m glad I did, considering her situation.”

Ann groaned. “Don’t remind me. That was awful.”

“What exactly happened?” Ryuji asked, sitting up in excitement. “You awakened your freakin’ persona! What, did that bastard find you and smack you around or somethin’?”

She crossed her arms, borderline pouting. “Yeah, and that princess of his had shown up too. Pissed me off.” Ann then felt the skin around her eyes. “Then...I felt this power, something had been talking to me, and...that’s how I met my persona, Carmen. There were a lot of Shadows there, but Goro eventually showed up. The rest was a blur. I guess my body gave out in the process.”

Morgana shifted around in the bag. “It was probably due to overstimulation. You had been kidnapped, and then everything came at you at once.” His blue eyes glistened. “But you still managed to awaken your persona by yourself! Pretty impressive!”

Ann awarded him a few pats on the head for that.

“Speaking of personas…” Goro’s eyes met Ren’s, and there was a sinking feeling in Ren’s stomach that wasn’t the ramen. He knew that there was a chance Goro would ask about it, but he hoped that he wouldn’t. So much for that. “Do you not have one, Ren? I’ve noticed that everyone except you has an alternative outfit.”

Ren shrugged. He didn’t know how to answer that, really. It could be that everyone had a persona, and they just had to unlock them, or he genuinely did not have one until he...until he what? Was put in danger? Was enraged? He had already experienced that in his life, but apparently that wasn’t enough.

He couldn’t be bitter about this, though. They still had a treasure to steal, after all. Anything could happen between then and now.

He simply hated being the weakest link.

“Maybe it’ll come later?” Goro proposed, convincing him like he was trying to convince himself. “We all seem new at this, so we don’t know all of the information.”

Morgana held his nose up. “Don’t lump me with them! I’m the one teaching them all of the ins and outs of the Palace.”

“But didn’t you say that you didn’t know that the app existed before they mentioned it?”

Morgana deflated, and Ryuji snickered. “I’m likin’ you already, detective!” He gasped, eyes widening like a light bulb went off in his head, and grinned. “Let’s get Goro in on it! With all of us, taking Kamoshida down will be a cinch!”

Ren kicked Ryuji this time.

Ryuji jerked, hissing in pain. “Ow! What the hell?!”

With one look from Akira, Ren knew they were equally as exasperated. “There are other people in here, you know,” Akira reminded him even though the blonde hadn’t been that loud. The main issue here wasn’t his volume.

“Taking Kamoshida down?” Goro looked between Ren and Akira, eyes searching. There was nothing but curiosity in his gaze, but Ren knew that wouldn’t last for long. “Is that why you were in the castle?”

There was no point in lying. Goro was a detective, one that clearly did more than paperwork. If Goro hadn’t known about the Metaverse, then lying would’ve been easier, but as it was, telling the truth was the way to go. Maybe Goro would be completely okay with it, forcing Kamoshida to admit to his crimes. It was basically police work, in a roundabout way.

Morgana, Ryuji, and Ann hadn’t said anything yet, and something in Goro’s eyes shifted. It was slight, but it was there. “What’s with the hesitation?” he asked, laughter in his tone. “I’m getting a bit nervous.”

After sighing, Ren motioned for Akira to tell him. Everything? Akira’s eyes asked, and Ren nodded. They had to hope that Goro wouldn’t freak out about this.

Akira stared for a couple more seconds before sharing the story.

Once he was done, Goro looked down at the table, cradling his chin. There was a deep frown on his face, one that had grown more prominent as their situation unfolded.

Silence blanketed the table, nothing but soft chatter of the other patrons filling the air, savory scents flooding their lungs.

“That man...is truly evil,” Goro muttered, voice heavy. “But this method is very…”

Ryuji scoffed. “Dangerous?”

“Unorthodox.”

“Well, what do ya expect us to do?” The blonde rebutted, a frown marring his face. “We’ve got no people to testify, and any evidence we bring to the table won’t work because people don’t care! We’re not just gonna sit here and twiddle our damn thumbs.”

“I didn’t say not to go through with it, just…” Goro got his thoughts together before explaining, “Forcibly changing someone’s heart without their consent, especially with the risk of death involved, is very serious. Doing so also disregards the law, forcing someone to speak against their will.”

Ann opened and closed her mouth a couple times before whispering, “Well, if you put it like that…”

“It means nothin’!” Ryuji slammed a fist on the table, and that caught the attention of wondering eyes. He quieted his voice. “That jackass almost killed someone today! He should be put in effing jail! That’s where he belongs!” Goro didn’t respond. Ryuji tapped a finger in the table. “Join us or don’t, we don’t care. We’re gonna do it anyway. And what are you gonna do? Snitch on us?”

“Don’t give him ideas!” Ann chastised.

Goro shook his head, exhaling. “I wouldn’t be able to tell even if I had a desire to do so. They wouldn’t believe a word unless I also say that I had access to the world as well, which would lead to an outcome I’m not too fond of. Also, if this information somehow ended up in the wrong hands, I don’t want to think about what might happen.”

That was true. If Ren had shot Shadow Kamoshida in the head, the real one would’ve been dead. If the wrong person pranced around with that kind of power…hell would break loose.

Akira leaned on the table, artificial light reflecting off his glasses. “So, what’s your final stance, detective? Are you going to help us with Kamoshida?”

Goro’s smile was back, but this time it was...different somehow, as he answered, “Yes, I will. Robin Hood and I will give everything we have to have Kamoshida admit to his wrongdoings.”

Ren felt some tension leave his body. They dodged a bullet with that one. (“Good. I was this close to banning you from Leblanc.”)

Akira snorted as he translated, and Goro laughed, not chucked, but laughed. It was brief and hidden behind a hand, but it was there. Ren felt a little lighter. “That would’ve been a travesty. I can’t have something that good taken away so soon. Would you have allowed that, Akira?”

“Whatever Ren says is law. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”

The rest of the table laughed like the troubles of today hadn’t happened, and Morgana pleasantly sighed. “I say that this is the perfect start to the Phantom Thieves.”

“The Phantom Thieves?” Ann pursed her lips. “Is that what our group is called?”

Morgana nodded, his cat mouth curling. “Why not? We’re going into a Palace in disguises, creeping along the shadows like ghosts and stealing the thing its ruler loves the most. The definition of a Phantom Thief.”

Ryuji gasped. “Oh man, we sound badass!”

It did roll off the tongue quite nicely, Ren believed. Smiling to himself, he picked up his near empty cup and raised it into the air.

The others looked on in confusion until Akira expression warmed. He lifted his own cup in a toast. “To the Phantom Thieves!” he whispered to not grab the interest of any eavesdroppers.

The rest caught on soon enough. Ann, Ryuji, and, after a brief stare down, Goro had their cups in the air as well. Morgana simply raised his little paw.

Their cups clinked together.

“To the Phantom Thieves!”

“This place is a dump, no offense.”

“You should’ve seen it when we first moved in.” Akira collapsed on his bed by Morgana while Ren sprawled out on the couch, not bothering to take his shoes off yet. Akira sighed as he got comfortable. Finally being in a place he could relax felt incredible. He could only imagine how Ann felt right now. “We’ll spruce things up eventually.”

Morgana scanned the attic-turned-bedroom, not bothering to hide the distaste in his voice. “Why are there so many books? And I can see dust floating in the air!”

Ren’s hands moved out of the corner of his eye. (“Tell him to stop complaining.”)

“Ren said to stop complaining.”

Morgana’s tail twitched as he hopped off the bed. “This can’t be healthy.” He explored around the space, sniffing every nook and cranny and sneezing about ten times.

“We haven’t died yet.” Akira stretched his arms over his head, body unwinding. The sun had barely begun to set, and he couldn’t wait to get into bed. He kicked off his shoes and laid on his stomach, melting into the mattress. “If I fall asleep, don’t wake me up until it’s morning.”

Ren’s grin was lethargic. (“Can’t wake you up if I’m asleep too.”)

“Okay, I’ve come to a decision.” Morgana, apparently done with his inspection, sat down in the middle of the floor. He sneezed again before declaring, “You two are going to finish cleaning this room tomorrow. No if, ands, or buts about it.”

Akira buried half of his face into his pillow. He wasn’t opposed to that idea exactly, but they already had an obligation. “We’re going to the Palace tomorrow, though.” The group was going to meet back up at that ramen place and take it from there.

Morgana stuck his nose up. “I’ve changed my mind.” Before Akira could ask why, the cat began to slowly pace, continuing, “I thought about it on the way here. Even though we basically have two more members and more manpower, I still feel iffy about going in unprepared. We at least need some more ammo, medicine, and well, a proper thief needs tools!”

“Uh huh.” It took extra effort for Akira to prop his head up. He stifled a yawn. “And where are we going to get any of that stuff?”

“How should I know? I'm not from around here!”

Akira glanced over to Ren for help, finding him staring up at the ceiling. “Ren?” he called.

(“I think I know where we can get medicine,”) Ren answered, raking hair out of his face. (“The doctor who had been here for my concussion said that I could go to her if any symptoms flare up. I could probably get some from her.”)

That sounded like a plan, but, “For free?” They didn’t have enough money to splurge like that, and he doubted that she would give medicine without any cost.

Ren shrugged. (“Still worth a try.”)

“Wait, this isn’t fair,” Morgana said with a pout in his voice. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s a doctor that we could maybe get medicine from.” Akira hoped that Ren at least knew where her practice was. “And that-“

“You’re terrible at sneaking in animals.” Akira stiffened at the familiar gruff voice, looking over at the stairs and seeing Sojiro climb them. The man’s hardened gaze was trained on the frozen Morgana. “I could hear it meowing from downstairs.” He deadpanned at Ren. “And I saw its tail sticking out of your bag when you walked in.”

Ren resembled a child caught with his hand inside a cookie jar, and Akira was inwardly panicking. He rushed out, “He followed us here. We were going to tell you eventually but…” Akira trailed off when he noticed the plate of rice in Sojiro’s hand.

The boss placed the food on the floor, sighing. He looked at Ren and Akira once more before turning his back. “Three rules: you two have to take care of it, no letting it downstairs, and I get to name it since this is my establishment.”

Akira’s mind was spinning; however, he managed to say, “But...we already named him. We settled on Morgana.”

There was another sigh. “Two rules, then. Make sure you follow them.” Without another word, Sojiro disappeared back downstairs.

Akira stared at the spot he had been standing, speechless.

“That went well!” Morgana padded over to sniff the rice, humming. “And this doesn’t smell that bad either! That guy’s the boss of this place, right? He’s pretty nice!”

Akira wished that he’d known about Sojiro’s soft spot for animals. He would’ve gotten a cat the second they moved in.

Ren was rubbing his temples. “My brain hurts,” he mouthed.

A disbelieving laugh escaped him. “Don’t think about it too much.” He lowered his face to the pillow. “He’s slowly warming up to us, I think.”

That would be nice. They’ve been treated like trash by adults for the longest, so this would be a welcome change.

As Morgana munched on rice, Akira pulled out his phone and started a group chat. Everyone should know about Mona’s new plan. “I’m telling the others that we’re not going tomorrow.”

Morgana nodded, not bothering with a verbal response while he ate, and Ren didn’t oppose, palming his own phone.

Akira: So, change of plans. We’re not going to the Palace tomorrow.

Ryuji’s response was immediate.

Ryuji: what, seriously?! why?? i was so pumped to go!

Akira: Morgana thinks that we should take the day off to prepare. And so that Ren and I can clean our room.

Ryuji: that’s bs! we don’t have to listen to that dumb cat!

Akira: Our room is pretty dirty, so…

Ryuji: ugh! 

Ren: We’ve got plenty of time before the expulsion date. We’ll get that bastard eventually, no worries.

“And tell them to take tomorrow to rest too.” Akira looked up from his phone to find Morgana on the arm of the couch, peering at over Ren's shoulder to read his screen. “Don’t want to push our bodies too far.”

Ren: And Morgana said to rest up.

Ryuji: i can’t believe this

Ann: Oh hey guys! What did I miss?

Ann: Taking a day off is fine with me! Gotta be ready as we can for this, y’know? And stop pouting, Ryuji

Ryuji: i’m not poutin’! just upset!

Ann: Boys?

Ren: He’s pouting.

Akira: Without a doubt.

Ren: Morgana says so too.

Goro: If I could give my opinion? He is most definitely pouting. 

Ryuji: i’m feeling attacked

Akira laughed, and he saw a grin grow on Ren's face. Having people who didn’t hate their guts was something to get used to.

Ryuji: but fine! we can rest and prepare or whatever

Goro: What does this preparing entail, exactly?

Ren: Getting medicine, ammo, and tools for the castle. Medicine is taken care of, maybe, so that leaves the other two.

Ann: Whoa whoa wait! What do we need tools for?

Akira and Ren stared at Morgana. “Lock picks!” he clarified like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ren: Lock picks, Morgana says.

Ryuji: lock picks

Ren: Yep.

Ryuji: you know what? not gonna question it. 

Ryuji: about the ammo, i know a good spot to check out for that. sells guns too

Goro: Oh?

Ryuji: FAKE GUNS! fake guns 

Ryuji: seriously 

Ann: So what about the lock picks? Where do you get stuff for that?

They look at Morgana again. He was washing his face with a paw.

Akira: We’ll figure it out. 

He was in the prison again.

“You look like you have something in your mind.” Igor’s voice reverberated in his ears, echoing around his brain. Akira stepped up to the bars, grabbing the metal and feeling its chill. Caroline and Justine remained silent on the other side as Igor propped his cheek in a palm. His smile was ever-present. “Well, Trickster?”

“Why me?” Akira didn’t beat around the bush. After today, he needed to know the answer. “Why am I the Trickster and not Ren?”

He deserved it more than Akira did, that was for sure.

Caroline stomped and whacked the bars with her baton. Akira flinched at the sound. “Are you questioning our Master, Inmate? You need to be put back in your place!”

“Master does everything for a reason,” Justine said, soft yet sharp.

“No, it’s alright.” Igor dismissed them, never breaking eye contact. “You are the Trickster because you are fit to be so. I can rely on you to go through with your rehabilitation.”

Akira didn’t understand. He still didn’t understand this place as a whole. “You couldn’t rely on Ren?”

“You are less of a risk.”

This was giving Akira more questions than answers. “Less of a risk? What’s the risk here? Why did you choose me out of everyone here in Tokyo?”

The smile widened. “The answers will come. Be patient.”

Akira smothered his frustration, not wanting to be the target of an angry Caroline. Asking the big questions was giving him vague answers, so, “Do you know why Ren hasn’t gotten a persona yet?”

“Yes.”

He blinked in surprise, having not expected a forward response. “Well, why?”

“Your brother has not accepted his will of rebellion,” Igor supplied like that made sense. Ren was completely ready to take down Kamoshida and fight back. Wasn’t that enough? Why had Goro gotten a persona when he had nothing to do with the situation? Oblivious to his thoughts, Igor carried on. “He will awaken his persona in due time.”

“But how?” 

“Once his hatred is quelled.”

What?

Igor glanced up at the ceiling, his chuckle filling the stagnant air. “Looks like we’re out of time.” Those unreadable eyes fell onto him once more. “I’ll leave it to you, Trickster.”

“Wait!”

Akira yelled as he shot up in his bed, arm outstretched. Morgana yowled in response at the end of the mattress, eyes flying open. “What? What’s going on? Is it a fire?!”

Akira saw the stacks of books, the dancing dust particles, and the empty blow-up mattress on the floor. He was back. He swallowed thickly.

Dammit.

“No, it’s…” Akira calmed his breathing, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Just had a bad dream.”

“Oh.” Morgana relaxed his body as well. The claws ready to attack disappeared, fur laying back down. The surprise was replaced with concern. “Well, it sounded pretty bad. You okay?”

His chuckle was on the hollow side. “Now I am.” Akira glanced over at the stairs when he heard footsteps race up them. Ren reached the top and almost slipped because of his socks. He caught himself though, surprise written all over his face as he focused on Akira. A toothbrush dangled from his mouth. 

(“What happened?”)

“Nightmare,” he muttered, pulse steadily returning back to normal.

Ren tensed. (“About what?”)

Getting what he was implying, Akira waved him off. “Nothing...like that. It wasn’t serious.” It wasn’t anything like the nightmares he had all those years ago. The ones where he would wake up screaming until Ren calmed him, proving that he hadn’t been torn apart by screeching metal. Akira took a steadying breath. “Don’t worry about it.”

Morgana glanced between them two, confused.

Ren held his gaze, searching for any lies - any hints of lingering terror - until he nodded. He headed back downstairs at a slower pace than before.

His hatred...

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready too?” Morgana was blinking up at him, blue eyes shining with barely hidden curiosity. “You don’t want to be late and draw even more attention to yourself.”

Now, that was the least of his worries.

“Right.” Akira threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood, Igor’s words bouncing around in his mind. He slipped on his glasses and stepped forward. “Yeah, don’t want to give the teachers any more reasons to hate us.”

“Hey, wait.” Akira paused at those words. They were quiet and calculated, like Morgana was crossing a verbal minefield. He peered over his shoulder to find Morgana gazing at the mouth of the stairs. “You don’t have to answer if it’s too personal, but-” The cat focused on him. There was a sadness in those blues now. “Those scars on Ren’s neck...they look really old. Are they...the reason that he can’t speak?”

Akira saw this coming. It had been his first thought when Morgana had suggested living with them. It would be extremely difficult to hide those scars from someone they were going to be around for a while. Honestly, Akira had been surprised when Ren agreed so easily to having another roommate. Maybe it was because Morgana was different? Maybe Ren was tired of hiding all the time? Or maybe he was simply too exhausted from earlier to care? Akira didn’t know. He didn’t really ask.

But, Ren hadn’t tried to hide the scars when changing into his pajamas last night, and Akira caught the moment when Morgana noticed. The cat didn’t say anything then, though. His curiosity must have been brewing ever since.

“Yeah,” Akira breathed out, scratching the back of his neck. He forced his mind to stay in the present. “It’s a long story.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” Morgana sat on his haunches. His tail lazily swished back and forth. Akira focused on that rather than the sympathy in his eyes. “I was just wondering, is all.”

“It’s not exactly a secret, just…”

“I know.” Morgana then raised a paw and shooed him off. “Now, hurry up before I decide to claw up your pillow.”

Akira wisely did so because he wasn’t sure if Sojiro would be nice enough to supply another one. 

Chapter Text

Ren walked back to Leblanc feeling accomplished. 

“I still can’t believe that she gave you all of that medicine for free.” The weight on his shoulder shifted, and he saw Morgana peer over his shoulder, whiskers ticking his cheek. “All because you said you were still sick?”

Ren shrugged as he walked up to the cafe, shuffling through the plastic bag in his hand. The doctor, Takemi, didn’t hesitate in sparing some when he had asked. Maybe it was because she had seen the horrible condition he had been in after the Palace trip a few days ago.

Or maybe it was because he had also, irrationally, agreed to be a guinea pig for her. Probably both. 

Morgana hummed, blue eyes narrowing. “I hope they aren’t illegal or fake or anything.”

Ren shook his head. For the future of her business, it wouldn’t be smart to do that. She needed all of the customers she could get.

“You need to question things more,” Morgana sighed. “Medicine is really important in the other world.” Ren completely understood. He knew that more than anyone. Morgana looked behind them. “I wonder how Akira and Ryuji are doing?”

Ren was sure they were fine. He waved a dismissive hand to answer, trusting his brother. Akira and Ryuji had gone weapon searching. Hopefully the place the blonde had suggested wasn’t a bust, and they came back with something Ren could really work with. At least until he unlocked his own persona.

Morgana hummed again, saying nothing else, as he disappeared back into the bag. Ren opened the door to Leblanc, trying to ignore the overbearing smell of coffee that he hadn’t gotten used to yet. There were only a few customers inside: an elderly couple tucked away in a corner, and a very familiar face smiling at him from the bar. 

“Hello.” Goro lowered his steaming coffee, and Ren greeted back with nod. Goro’s attention shifted to the plastic bag at his side, and he asked, “Everything went fine, I take it?”

Ren nodded again as Sojiro eyed him from behind the bar. “What went fine?” he asked, suspicion in his tone. “What’s in the bag?”

The way he has asked made it seem like Ren was carrying around a loaded weapon. Withholding a sigh, he approached the counter and opened the bag up, showcasing the items. 

Sojiro pulled out a bottle of pills, his wariness morphing into something akin to concern. The change was subtle, though. “Medicine? Did you go to the local doctor?” He refocused on Ren, examining him. “Did something happen? And where’s Kurusu?”

Those were many questions that needed explanations, and Ren, not for the first time, hated that nothing passed through his vocal chords but silenced breath. 

Goro was nice enough to fill in for him. “Ren has had a headache all day, and we convinced him to go see the doctor nearby.” The detective’s smile waned when he looked Ren over. The mask of concern he wore was near perfect. “I’m sure it was a flare up from his concussion the other day.”

At Sojiro’s questioning gaze, Ren affirmed Goro’s words by rubbing one of his temples for show. Sojiro bought it. He sighed. “Oh boy…” He placed the pills back in the bag. “Just...take it easy, then. Don’t want it to get worse. And follow her prescription down to the letter, understood?”

Ren didn’t hesitate in nodding, hearing a hint of protectiveness that he didn’t expect. 

Goro took another sip of his coffee. “And I’m sure Akira will double check behind him also.”

Sojiro grunted at that, glancing at the door before returning to Ren. “Speaking of him, where is he? He better not be getting into any trouble.”

And there it was. Sojiro hadn’t gone a day without doubting them in any shape or form. Hopefully he would get better with time. “With a friend,” Ren mouthed, and Sojiro seemed to understand. 

The boss grumbled. “Well, he better not come back too late.” Ren shook his head. Akira’s task shouldn’t take too long, if Ryuji hadn’t messed up somehow. He wasn’t sure if Sojiro believed him, for his simply sighed a second time and changed the subject. “I had been planning on teaching you how to brew so you could help out around here. You still up for it?”

A small part in the back of Ren’s mind wanted to milk his ‘sickness’ and get out of it, but that wouldn’t be fair to Sojiro, really. Ren wouldn’t be drinking the coffee, so it shouldn’t be so bad.

He nodded before bobbing his head over to the stairs, wanting to change out of his uniform. Sojiro shooed him off. Ren bounded up into the attic and placed both of his bags on the couch. 

Morgana hopped out of one. “You’re gonna be working, huh? Well, I don’t want to be bored up here.” He looked around the room before trotting over to the expansive window. “Can you open this? I wanna take a stroll.”

Ren had never tried, but it was easily enough to do so with a simple pull. Morgana barely said a bye before leaping out of the window, landing on all fours, and strolling away. 

He stared after the cat for a second, wondering how his life led up to meeting a talking animal, until he decided to change and head back downstairs. He made sure that his shirt collar was high enough.

Sojiro was waiting for him, and Goro looked like he was ready to be entertained. After Ren put on an apron, Sojiro said, “Now, let’s hope you can do better than your brother. His first cups were nearly undrinkable.” 

Goro chuckled under his breath. “It was almost sad to see so much wasted product.”

Well, if Akira couldn’t do it, there was no way that Ren could. Akira was the coffee master. Ren stuck to soda and tea.

Without further delay, Sojiro went through the brewing process, and Ren tried to keep up. Everything seemed simple enough, but there had to be a reason why Akira’s turned out like shit. 

Sojiro finished, sipping his own finished cup, before gesturing for Ren to start. He didn’t like that he had an audience for this, but at least the couple in the back wasn’t paying attention to him potentially butchering a cup of joe. 

After taking a breath, Ren went through the step-by-step process, ignoring Sojiro’s sharp eyes and Goro’s comparatively softer ones. 

He eventually finished pouring the steaming drink. 

“Well, aren’t you going to taste it?” Sojiro asked after Ren stared blankly at the coffee, wondering if he should preemptively throw it out and start over. 

Ren blinked at him before shaking his head. Any coffee would taste horrible to him, so he wasn’t the best judge. Instead, Ren slid the cup over to Goro, motioning for him to do it. If it was horrible, Goro would pull his punches in grading it compared to Sojiro. Hopefully. 

Sojiro scoffed. “If he makes a mess like Kurusu did, you’re cleaning it up.” 

Ren wanted to question that because exactly how bad was Akira’s? However, his attention was drawn to Goro, who was taking a cautious sip. His expression remained blank as he swallowed, lowering the cup. Ren feared the worst.

Then, Goro smiled. “It’s not bad, actually. Nowhere near perfect, but enjoyable.” As if to prove this, he took another sip, quietly humming at the taste.

Ren felt more satisfied than he probably should’ve been.

Sojiro crossed his arms, eyebrow raised. “Considering that the stuff hasn’t been spat all over the floor, it’s already a major improvement over your brother's.” It was a surprise, a welcome one, and he couldn’t wait to brag to Akira about it. “Now, make me a cup.”

Ren nodded and got to work, making sure to not skip any steps. While he did so, the phone in his pocket buzzed. He debated checking it, but it turned out he didn’t have to for Goro pulled out his own phone. 

“Akira is on his way,” he ultimately said, replying to the text and lowering his phone. Goro looked at Ren, still holding the experimental coffee, and informed, “Everything went smoothly for them.”

Ren nodded, glad that there were no complications. He was itching to get back into the Palace, needing for Kamoshida to pay for what he’s done. 

“Smoothly?” Sojiro repeated, and the suspicion was back. “What did he do?”

“He had to accompany our friend to a store to return a few DVDs,” Goro replied without missing a beat. “They were a few days overdue, but the store took them with no charge.”

That seemed to placate Sojiro, his expression relaxing. “Luckily for them. Some stores around here charge like crazy.”

“While I don’t blame them, some of the costs are a bit too steep, don't you think?”

Sojiro and Goro went on a tangent about renting costs and fairness, and Ren was content just to listen as he prepared coffee for the boss. After finishing, he stood and absorbed the many critiques Sojiro threw his way. Despite that though, he said that it wasn’t terrible, and Ren saw that as a win. 

After that, Goro took his leave. Ryuji had suggested meeting up today at the cafe to talk about that they had gotten, but Ren didn’t think that was a good idea. Sojiro was already suspicious of the brothers of simply existing, so a meeting up in their room would do nothing but raise questions. They would talk more in the other world, before beginning their mission.

Ren migrated upstairs as a few more customers filtered in, Sojiro shooing him away, and Morgana hadn’t returned yet from his stroll. He examined their living space, tempted to start the cleaning process. However, he ended up lounging on the couch. It was a two-man job.

He spent a while scrolling through the internet on his phone until he heard a familiar voice downstairs. It wasn't long until footsteps approached the attic, and Akira appeared with a large brown plastic bag in his arms. 

Akira grinned as he approached. “Hit the jackpot.” Ren sat up when he placed the bag beside him, eager to search through it. “Don’t know how Ryuji knew about an airsoft shop, but it’s definitely our go-to place from now on.”

Ren’s eyes were wide as he shifted through the weaponry, which were mostly model guns that he couldn’t name. There was enough for everyone. Ren couldn’t help but to smile at a particularly sturdy looking pistol, taking it out and weighing it in his hands.

“That’s a Makarov, I think,” Akira told him as he reached for the medicine bag. He blinked in surprise as he looked inside. “Whoa...this is a lot. How much did this cost?”

(“I should be asking you the same question,”) Ren signed, replacing the gun and hoping that Sojiro didn’t suddenly get curious of their belongings. Explaining this would be a nightmare. (“Told the Doc about lingering head pain, and she gave me these for free.”)

Akira examined a bottle of liquid medicine, scoffing. “Lucky. I doubt any sob story would work on the guy at the shop. Ryuji helped with the cost, though, so it didn’t hurt that much.”

(“What did Sojiro say when you came in?”)

“He glanced at the bag but didn’t say anything. Glad he isn’t the prying type.” Akira plopped down on the couch, stretching his arms over his head and looking around the room with a confused frown. “Wait...Where’s Morgana?”

Ren shrugged, nodding over to the open window. (“He took a stroll a while ago. Have no idea where he is.”) 

Akira’s frown deepened, and before Ren could tell him that Morgana could take care of himself, said cat appeared on the window sill, looking frazzled. 

“Why are people so mean?” Morgana huffed as he dropped to the floor, trotting over to them. “I look like a cute cat! Not something you chase with a broom!”

Ren resisted grinning at the visual while Akira asked, “Chased you with a broom? Where did you go?”

“Just to some stores nearby!” Morgana grumbled, still miffed about whatever experience he had gone through. He paced in irritation in front of them before sitting on his haunches. “I simply wanted to borrow some tools for the lock picks! Is that so much to ask?”

Ren waited for the punchline or for Morgana to tell them the real reason he had been attacked, but it never came. Morgana continued to grumble under his breath. Ren instantly lost all sympathy he had. 

He shared a glance with Akira, and his own unimpressed gaze spoke volumes. Akira sighed before asking the cat, “You do know what borrowing means, right Morgana? The people who chased you probably didn’t think you were doing that.”

Morgana stuck his nose up, insulted. “I know what borrowing means! It’s those humans that were clueless! I was gonna give them back when we were done!”

“They couldn’t have possibly known that.”

(“And you don’t have any money.”)

“And you don’t have any money.”

“Yeah, fine, take their sides,” Morgana pouted. His sarcasm was palpable. “It’s not like they’re the ones guiding you through a magical Palace filled with monsters or anything.” He then eyed the weapon bag in Ren’s lap, curiosity rearing its head. “Enough about me, show the goods.”

Ren did as he was told, placing the bag on the floor and carefully tilting it over so Morgana could check it out. He immediately knew that Morgana was impressed by the intrigued ‘oooo’ he made while investigating. 

“Everything’s good?” Akira asked as Morgana backed out of the bag.

“Yep! You guys should be able to do some major work with these.” Morgana looked at Akira and snickered. “I’m surprised, actually. Considering that place was Ryuji’s idea, I thought you’d come up with nothing.”

Ren stifled a chuckle because that had been a small thought in the back of his head, and Akira threw him a slightly exasperated look. “I don’t think Ryuji would’ve showed me a place we couldn’t use.”

(“So, you had no doubts?”)

“I mean-“ Akira paused mid-sentence when Ren grinned knowingly. Akira playfully pushed his shoulder before regarding a confused Morgana, “So, we got medicine and the weapons. What about the tools for the picks? Should we try to get those before we go in tomorrow?”

Morgana hummed in thought, tail swishing behind him. Ren had picked the bag back up when he finally said, “Actually...I don’t think we have to worry about it.”

Ren raised a brow at that. Morgana had been so eager to get some tools earlier, and now he was pushing them to the side?

Morgana must’ve felt their confusion, for he explained, “I think I noticed some item parts and pieces scattered inside the castle while we were rushing around. We might be able to use those for tools for the picks.” 

Ren frowned. They didn’t have time to pick apart the litter they happened to stumble upon in that place. Their priority was Kamoshida. (“Do we have to? How important are lock picks anyway?”)

Akira translated, and Morgana almost seemed affronted that he questioned him. “For the treasure chests, of course! We can't miss out on the beautiful secrets they’re hiding!”

Ren deadpanned at him before waving a dismissive hand, not bothering to argue. Morgana could do anything he wanted as long as it didn’t get in the way of their main goal. He then stood, gazed around at their almost habitable room, and motioned for Akira to get up as well. 

“Time to clean,” he mouthed, grinning when Akira groaned.

“You know, I completely forgot about that,” he murmured as he left the comfort of the couch. He sighed, looking around at the dust and clutter as well. “It shouldn’t take too long though…”

“Not if you work hard!” Morgana chirped before taking Ren’s spot on the sofa, laying down and stretching out. “While you two work, I’m gonna take a nap because I need it after what I went through today.”

Ren rolled his eyes and signed at Akira, (“He’s lucky animal control wasn’t around.”)

Akira smiled a bit at that, and Morgana narrowed his eyes. “What? What did he say?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Akira answered, grabbing the broom leaning on the wall. “Just take your cat nap.”

Suspicious blues narrowed even further, but they eventually closed. Ren shook his head in jest as he walked over to the desk in the corner of the attic, covered in books and papers and things he couldn’t name. 

Before beginning the task of clearing it, he pulled out his phone and went to their group chat. 

Ren: We’re definitely set to go in tomorrow.

The responses came in less than a minute later. 

Ryuji: hell yes! it’s about time! time to kick that bastard’s ass!

Ann: Don’t get too excited! You gotta make sure you get enough sleep tonight. No one’s gonna feel like lugging you around if you pass out

Ryuji: i’m gonna drink a lotta soda beforehand! don’t have to worry about me!

Ann: Yeah, that’s kinda impossible

Ann: Oh, and I wanted to say sorry for not being much of a help with getting supplies and stuff today

Ren paused in his rearranging, holding a book in one hand and his phone in the other. He frowned because while it made sense that Ann would feel that way, she shouldn’t. What she had to do today was more important than-

Akira: It’s fine! You were with Suzui. How is she, by the way?

Ren glanced over his brother. Akira was standing in the middle of the room, leaning against the broom as he frowned as his phone. It was safe to say they shared the same thoughts. 

After a moment, Ren continued working as more texts rolled in.

Ann: Doctors say that she’s stable...but that’s pretty much it. She’s still unconscious...

Akira: I’m sure she’ll be okay. If she had been strong enough to endure Kamoshida, she can get through this.

Ren: She’ll get better soon. I know it’ll be hard, but try not to worry too much.

Ryuji: right, and you’ll feel a hella lot better after rainin’ fire on that jackass

Ann: Thanks guys, really

Ann: And yeah, taking my anger out on him is gonna be soooo cathartic

Ryuji: damn straight! 

Ren smiled at the glowing screen. They were going to do this, he could feel it. Kamoshida had pissed off the wrong people. Tomorrow, they were going in.

He couldn’t wait.

“A code name?”

“Yep. We shouldn't use our real names because we don’t know how that might affect the Palace.”

“Ah, then…”

Ren turned his attention from the imposing castle standing tall in front of him, the monstrous threats inside pulling him in rather than frightening him away, to the ragtag group of Thieves. Goro was standing there with a hand cradling his chin, pondering Morgana’s words. Everyone waited curiously for his answer, decked out in their appropriate costumes.

Ren smothered his jealousy by reminding himself that he would unlock his own persona soon. He had to. Then, he wouldn’t be the one forced to wear school clothes, sticking out like a sore thumb. 

“Would...Karasu work?” Goro’s questioning voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Or perhaps Crow to make it simpler?”

Morgana smiled up at him. “That’s perfect!”

Ryuji scoffed. “Yeah, it totally matches that beak thing you have goin’ on.”

“But it doesn’t match anything else.” Ann looked him over with pursed lips. “You’re like, the opposite of a crow. You’re more like a dove than anything.”

Ren managed to hide his breathy laughs behind his hand, for once thankful of his silent nature, but the Akira wasn’t as skilled in hiding his amusement. A snort escaped him, and Goro threw Akira an unimpressed look. 

“I’d rather not be called that, thank you.”

Ann and Ryuji joined in at that point, giggling and chuckling respectively, and Goro dejectedly sighed.

“We won’t,” Akira said after recovering, waving the detective off. “Crow it is. Do you remember everyone else’s?”

“I believe so,” he said before listing them off. “Joker, Mona, Panther, Skull, and…” Goro faced Ren as he thought for a moment. “...Ace, correct?”

Ren's smile had waned by then; he briefly nodded. He then adjusted the bag on his back, hating the he’d been given item duty - even though he knew why they did it - and glimpsing over to the castle before signing at Akira, (“We’re good to go in now, right? We need to get moving.”) He was itching to get inside.

“Yeah, I think so,” Akira affirmed after a quick scan of the group. “Everyone ready to go in?”

Goro and Ann nodded while Ryuji’s grin widened. “Hell yeah, been ready! Let’s go!”

Morgana held up a paw. “Hold on!” Ren felt his impatience growing, but he kept it in check. Morgana was their guide, after all. The cat put his paws on his hips. “We can’t just run in there all willy nilly! Our group is bigger now. We need some kind of formation that would maximize success.”

“A formation...” Ann hummed, tapping her chin. “Just like last time when I was positioned in the middle, right?”

“Right. It’s gonna be like that but in two groups,” Morgana explained. “Groups of three where the two weakest links are flanked by two people.”

Ren was getting a bad feeling about this. 

The feline pointed to himself. “I’m the guide, so I’m going to be in the leading group. Joker should be too along with Lady, err…Panther.”

Ann slumped a bit with a pout. “So...that makes me a weak link, huh? I mean, I did just get Carmen…”

Morgana puffed out his chest. “Exactly! While you build your strength, I will do our best to protect you! No lady will be hurt on my watch!”

“And I’ll protect you from him if I need to,” Akira added with mirth in his tone, and Ann’s smile was both amused and relieved. 

“Whoa, wait a minute!” Ryuji seemingly wasn’t happy with this either. “Shouldn’t the more experienced peeps be in the front? That’s were all the Shadows will be!”

Morgana shook his head. “Not necessarily. The possibilities of sneak attacks are way too high in there, as we know. So don’t worry, Skull. You won’t miss out on the action.”

“I better not…” Ryuji huffed before asking, “So who’s gonna be in the middle? Ace or Crow?”

Ren appreciated the uncertainty, that his experience was contemplated and not tossed aside just because he didn’t have a persona, but any positivity he felt dissipated when Morgana answered without missing a beat:

“Ace is in the middle.”  

Ren saw it coming, but it still rubbed him the wrong way. He understood, he really did, however his gut still churned at the unfairness of Goro having his persona when he hadn’t been involved in this. Hell, Ren was the reason why Goro had unlocked his, and it wasn’t fair-

“It might change later on though, Ace.” Ren tore himself from his subdued thoughts to focus on Akira. He was giving an encouraging smile, no doubt reading Ren’s mental state from his expression alone, but there was also something else swirling in Akira’s eyes that he couldn’t label. Was it concern? Or… “Once you get yours, we’ll rearrange if we need to, okay?”

Ren took a deep breath to calm himself. This wasn’t about him. This was about taking Kamoshida down and making him regret what he’s done. He had to remember that. 

“Yeah,” he mouthed, facing the others, “Let’s go.”

The group of Thieves looked at one another, eyes shining with determination, before they ran into the lion’s den.

The formation worked surprisingly well.

Whenever Akira successfully ambushed an oblivious Shadow, Ren’s group would help them take it down along with any friends that tagged along. However, there had been a few times where a random Bicorn would appear out of nowhere from behind, making the lagging group take action. 

It was efficient, and despite everything, Ren really enjoyed shooting those demons in the head and watching them go disappear in a puff of smoke. His weapon upgrade was worth it, feeling the power behind every shot. Now he could only imagine how it felt with a persona by his side. 

“Your aim is amazing. No wonder why you're called Ace,” Goro praised when Ren had taken care of an annoying Incubus. Ren shrugged the compliment off even though he should be the one gawking at the detective. He supposedly didn’t have a lot of experience with Robin Hood, but the guy was working with Ryuji with ease to take down Shadows. 

Not to mention, Ren never thought he’d see someone be as skilled and precise with a lightsaber as Goro was. Crazy, really.

“Damn things,” Ryuji complained, glaring at the spot the Incubus was before looking further down the hall. Ren followed his line of sight to see the other group finishing off a pair of Agathions. “At least there aren’t as many as last time. The bastard must’ve calmed down or somethin’.”

Which Ren was grateful for. The more Shadows that stood in their way, the longer it took to get to Kamoshida. Or his treasure. Whichever came first. 

When the other group finished, Akira looked back at Ren, his gaze questioning. Ren nodded, a sign that they were all good, and Akira nodded back. Then they all continued on.

It wasn’t long before Ren learned that the Palace was massive.

Sure, Ren figured that it was it was large from how it looked inside and from their investigation of the place a couple days ago, but now, after running through room after room after room , he learned that his scale was all wrong.

And they weren’t just strolling through the rooms either. They were pulling switches, solving puzzles, locating books, and jumping from chandeliers, fighting persistent demons the whole time. A blind man could see that the vastness of the castle was wearing down the thief group, testing the limits of their endurance.

And they never once spotted Kamoshida.

Frustration built up within Ren along with exhaustion, gritting his teeth when he missed a headshot before taking another, hitting that irritating horse square in the forehead. It disappeared the next second. Ren lowered his gun and rubbed the sweat off his brow with his other hand, breathing deeply. 

They had just finished fighting a group of stupid Pixies, and then four Bicorns just popped up out of nowhere. Akira’s group were already taking care of Incubi, so basically, Ryuji and Goro had to deal with the problem while Ren sniped whenever he could while running on fumes.

And if he felt this way, the others must be going through worse. They were the ones doing the actual fighting, getting up close and personal. They only used their guns if necessary. The medicine was a big help, but the bag on his back was getting light, and he had no idea how much farther they had to go.

Hearing coughing from his left, Ren glanced over to find Ryuji doubled over with his hands in his knees. Ren couldn’t blame him. The blonde had been mercilessly rammed by one of those horses. 

Getting his legs to move, Ren shuffled over and placed a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. Ryuji looked up, pain twisting his features, and Ren mouthed with a frown, “Is it bad?”

“Nah, it’s…” Ryuji groaned as he stood straight, wincing. When Ren’s frown deepened, the blonde scratched the back of his neck. “I mean yeah, but I should be able to-“ He flinched when he breathed in too deeply. “Dammit…”

“I didn’t anticipate the immense size of the castle coming in here…” a breathy voice said from behind, and Ren turned, watching Goro walk - no, limp over. He didn’t even see what had caused that injury. Goro stopped next to him, and he could see him glistening with sweat, not that Ren was any different. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be able to finish this today. It’s simply too much to take on in one go.”

Ren chewed the inside of his cheek, hating that he was right, while Ryuji groaned. “Ugh! It’s so frustratin’! We-“

“Hey!” The trio perked up at the sound of Morgana’s voice. The cat was up ahead, pointing down a connecting hallway. “I think there’s a safe room this way!”

He had barely finished his statement before Ren ran, nearly stumbling over his feet to get there. Goro and Ryuji were on his heels as they followed. After they poured inside, Morgana instantly slammed the door shut behind them.

Ren didn’t waste any time in locating the one table in the room and plopping down on one of its benches, giving his legs a much needed break. Goro sat to his left and Akira to his right, Ann and Ryuji sharing a bench opposite of him and Morgana sprawling out on the tabletop. 

The air was filled with shallow breaths and weary groans until Ann spoke, “I’ve never been so happy to sit in a hard and splintering bench my entire life.”

Most of the table muttered in agreeance while Ren gave a weak thumbs up.

“Well…” Goro started, pulling up his mask onto his forehead and fanning his face. This place thankfully had air conditioning, but it wasn’t enough. “Is it safe to say that we’ll have to cut our trip short?”

“Is that even a question?” Morgana huffed. “Look at us!”

Ryuji folded his elbows on the table and placed his head on his arms. His voice was muffled as he whined, “But we’ve come so far!”

“Yeah, but I don’t think we’re going any further.” Akira sighed. He ran his fingers through his stringy curls. “At least we’ve gotten this deep.”

Goro weakly chuckled. “Which is a feat in itself with two novices joining the group.” Ann managed a playful glare that was met with a small smile. “I hope I didn’t slow you down too much.”

Ren was quick to shut that idea down. He shook his head, signing, (“The opposite. The more firepower we have, the better.”)

Akira translated for him before adding, “He’s right. We probably wouldn’t have made it this far without you and Ann.”

Ann brightened a bit at the compliment. “Well, it feels a little less like I’m dying now.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Goro replied with a closed-eye smile. 

And we would’ve made it past this point if I was stronger, Ren mused before completely ousting that thought. He had to stop thinking like that. 

Especially if it caused Akira to give him one of those unreadable looks, like he was doing right now.

Ren tilted his head at his brother in question, and Akira blinked in surprise like he’d been caught red-handed. He subtly shook his head, averting his gaze. Ren figured that it was the best not to ask. Everyone was a bit loopy at the moment.

Morgana rolled over onto his stomach with a deep sigh. “So...if you want to risk collapsing by continuing on, say ‘I’.”

Dead silence. 

“Great. Now, let’s go back and sleep.”

The sky was clear as they walked, it a calming blue instead of the anxiety inducing red of the Metaverse. 

Akira took his time as he navigated the streets back to Leblanc, muscles sore and overused. He couldn’t wait to climb into his bed, or maybe he should go to the bathhouse first to rid his body of the experience it had in the castle. That was probably the most exercise he’s had in months. 

Speaking of the Palace…

He frowned at their last attempt to find Kamoshida’s treasure. Honestly, he had a hunch that they wouldn’t locate it today, but what had him worried was that they had no idea how much longer it was going to take. It was true that they had a while until Ren’s expulsion date, but still. They didn’t have a clue how things in there would change as they explored further. Shadows could get tougher, and…

Akira dropped his attention from an airplane flying high overhead to his brother walking beside him. Ren was on his phone, scrolling through some app while the soft snores of Morgana escaped his shoulder bag. 

Akira’s brows furrowed before he focused on some point in the distance, thinking about too many things. The Palace, Kamoshida, Ren’s lack of a persona, Igor’s words from the other night-

His hatred. 

They had been echoing in Akira’s mind all throughout the Palace, splitting his attention. Ren’s hatred was preventing himself from getting a persona. But what did that mean, exactly? What did he hate? It was obvious that Ren was frustrated about being left behind, but that was because he didn’t have a persona, not the other way around.

So, what was his hatred toward? This situation with Kamoshida? Their situation as a whole? Sojiro? Akira? Himself? 

Akira had no idea. 

And he also didn’t know if Igor was actually telling the truth. But then again, what reason did he have to lie? Akira couldn’t think of another reason why Ren was being treated wrongly, why he hadn’t been labeled the Trickster instead of Akira. He definitely had the drive and confidence for it. 

Hatred. 

An elbow nudging his side pulled him out of his overworking mind, Akira glancing over to meet grey eyes searching his expression. Hands moved, (“You’re thinking way too hard about something. What’s wrong?”)

Remembering the sleeping cat in the bag, Akira signed, (“It’s-“) Then he paused, wondering if he should share his thoughts at all. There were too many doubts bouncing in his brain, and he was beginning to think that this whole thing was stupid. 

Ren? Hate? He had been with Ren during his - during their lowest of the low. They had nothing but each other. Their brotherly bond did nothing but tighten over the past years. He knew what Ren hated: coffee, losing sleep, men taking advantage of women, derailed trains, the feeling of merciless terror seizing your muscles so much that you couldn’t breathe...

Akira shared most of the same hates. 

So, why? This doesn’t make any sense.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder this time, catching Akira mid-stride. He turned to face Ren, who had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Ren’s worry had blossomed. A frown marred his face as he signed, (“Akira, spit it out.”)

Akira stared at a face near identical to his, a face where hatred would be easy to see. Akira would’ve noticed it. He would’ve seen. 

His hands stuttered in midair before motioning quickly. (“What do you think of Ann?”) As soon as he asked, Akira cursed his frenzied brain. Instead of hatred, he automatically went for a distraction that revolved around the opposite of it. 

And...now Ren was looking at him weird. Great, just great. 

(“Ann?”) Ren slowly responded, almost cautiously. (“What about her?”) 

Akira was stuck with this now. He had to play the part if he was to get away with it. He shifted his weight and replied, (“Do...you think she’s pretty?”)

Many emotions flashed across Ren’s face until exasperation took residency. (“I can’t believe this.”) He rolled his eyes with a disbelieving head shake, and Akira relaxed. He was in the clear. (“I’m over here thinking you’re about to have a heart attack, but you’re just daydreaming about girls.”)

Ren continued walking, and Akira fell in step beside him, regaining the rhythm they had before. Ren then scoffed, patting the occupied bag. (“But I guess that’s why you started signing. The last thing you want is Morgana finding out about your little crush.”)

(“It’s not a crush!”) Akira opposed because it wasn’t. He hadn’t thought about her like that. Ann was attractive and easy to get along with, he'd admit, but anyone would say so. (“I just thought I should get another opinion.”) Ren shot him a doubtful look. Akira knew that he wouldn't get anywhere arguing, so instead, (“You think Morgana would ever forgive me if he heard what we were saying?”)

(“Maybe in his eighth life.”)

Akira laughed. “Ninth if I’m lucky.”

Ren laughed with him.

Igor is wrong. He has to be.

Chapter Text

“How have you not captured the intruders yet?”

Akira forced himself to keep a level head as that voice impinged his ears, causing red-hot anger to flow through his veins. He kept low to the ground, footsteps near silent, as a haunting yet familiar voice boomed from below. Shadow Kamoshida was berating his loyal subjects a floor down for being inadequate, and the thought of too little, too late bounced around Akira’s mind. 

According to Morgana, the treasure was hidden behind the door in the other side of the room, theirs for the taking and the Shadow would be none the wiser. They could end Kamoshida’s reign of the school and serve the justice the man should’ve gotten a while ago. 

Akira glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the Thieves. They were treading low and quiet like he was, expressions tight as Kamoshida continued to bark out commands. Morgana and Ann were flanking him while Ren was a bit farther back, in the middle of Goro and Ryuji. Even at a distance, Akira could see how tightly Ren was gripping the pistol in his hand. 

They just had to get through this, and things would go back to normal. 

If Akira could even call their situation before this normal. 

Needing to focus on one thing at a time, Akira pushed that thought away for later and quickened his steps on the red carpet, aiming for the elaborate set of white doors hiding the prize. He didn’t waste a second when he approached the door, shoving it open and waiting until the rest ran by to silently close it behind them. 

By then, Ren was already opening a larger, sturdier set of mahogany doors down the corridor, and Akira’s breath hitched the sheer amount of treasure that filled the revealed room. He’d never seen so much gold in one place before.

Apparently, Ryuji hadn’t either. “Whoa, what is this place?!” he shouted, and Ren nudged him to keep it down. Ryuji’s face held no apology, too distracted by everything, but his voice did lower, “This is crazy. Holy shit…” His eyes were wide as they darted around. “The treasure’s gotta be in here!”

“That is a safe assumption,” Goro said, peering at a large gold trophy overfilled with shiny medals. He then shifted his attention up, and Akira followed his gaze to an opaque blurry light floating in the air. “Is that it?”

“Yep.” Morgana hopped on top of a tipped over trophy, grinning widely. “That’s definitely the treasure.”

Ann frowned and scratched her head. “I want to be excited, but are you sure? Compared to everything else in here, it seems kinda…”

“My instincts aren’t never wrong, Lady Ann!” Morgana puffed out his chest. “Now, listen well. This hazy ball is the treasure we’re looking for, no doubt, but simply finding it isn’t enough.”

Akira should’ve guessed that it wouldn’t be that simple. Nothing about this mysterious world was simple. “What do you mean?” he asked, stepping closer beside his brother, who was staring at the so-called treasure with a slight frown.

Morgana crossed his arms, answering, “We’ll need to make it materialize before we can steal it.” Ryuji opened his mouth to no doubt question those words as well, but Morgana trucked on, “Desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we’ll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a treasure. Once they’re conscious that their desires might be stolen, the treasure will finally show itself.”

“How?” Ann asked, struggling to follow. Akira was in the same boat, but he wasn’t going to waste the minuscule amount of energy he had left to understand Morgana’s words. The cat had more experience in here than they did, so he was going to take his word for it. 

Morgana’s grin widened. “We warn them. Tell them, ‘We’re going to steal your heart’.”

“So we’re gonna send a calling card?” Ryuji’s excitement filtered through his voice. “That’s totally what a phantom thief would do!”

“Once we do that, the treasure will appear for certain! ...I think.”

Akira was on board with the whole thing up until that point. “You think?” He ran a tired hand through sweaty bangs. “Like, what percent?”

Morgana mulled it over. “About...ninety-four.”

That was close enough to one hundred for him. 

Ren was rubbing a temple, shaking his head. Ann sighed; however, her eyes were glistening with conference and determination. Goro was deep in thought as he cradled his chin. None of them opposed the idea though, despite the less than certain odds.

Ryuji smirked and rubbed his hands together. “Sounds like it’s worth giving a shot! That bastard is going down.”

Morgana looked over the group and nodded. “Our infiltration route is secure. All that’s left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back go take the treasure!”

Ann took a deep breath, glancing over at Akira. “This is it, huh?” Her tone was weary but ready. 

“Yeah, we can do this.” Akira was ready to get this over with. He glanced at Ren, and Ren gave a terse nod, showing that he was more than ready as well. His fingers were still tight around the gun. Akira had a hunch why, but he continued, “We’re stealing his heart.”

“The mysteries of this world keep growing…” Goro muttered, but his features showed no hesitance. “A calling card, hm? We have to make sure to stay anonymous to avoid suspicion. We didn’t come all this way for our cover to be blown.”

Morgana’s tail swished back and forth. “Of course. We can’t afford to slip up here.” He jumped down from the trophy. “Well, we’re done here for today.” He glanced at everyone, eyes lingering on the brothers. “We need to decide when we’re sending the card, but that can be decided once we’re out of here. It’s dangerous to stay, and I’m sure everyone wants to rest up as soon as possible.”

Ryuji rolled a shoulder, poorly hiding a wince. “You can say that again… Let’s go before my legs give out.”

After a very short and sweet meeting concluded in the shaded alley in front of the school, it was decided that it would be Akira’s and Ren’s call when the card would be sent. Ryuji’s and Ann’s schedules were flexible, so they were ready whenever, and while Goro did have a job, he said that he could take off any day at the drop of a dime when they go to the palace. He had a good enough rapport with his employer to do so. 

Akira didn’t argue against it, and neither did Ren, knowing that their days were monitored and that Sojiro might have things for them to do that might interfere with the process. 

After saying their goodbyes, the group split off, and Morgana fell asleep in Akira’s bag almost immediately. His gentle snores brought a small smile to Akira’s face as they walked. “I’m jealous. I’d give anything to be carried back to the cafe.”

Ren cut him a dry look, though his lips were quirked at the edges. (“I hope you’re not counting on me for that.”)

“And end up eating concrete? No, thank you.” Akira had been beaten up too much today already. That castle never seemed to end; when Morgana had said he sensed it nearby, he had been close to hugging the cat in relief. They had been running low on everything: medicine, ammo, and fumes. Finding that room was a treasure itself. 

Akira watched someone walk a dog across the street, thankful that they only had one more step to complete. Speaking of that, “We should get together for the calling card tomorrow, right?” He refocused on Ren. “If Sojiro doesn’t have anything planned?”

Ren didn’t respond right away. He adjusted his bag, expression near unreadable. But his eyes...they were the same as in the castle. The hints of frustration that never seemed to fade, only growing stronger as they advanced in the palace. After what seemed like forever, Ren signed, (“Maybe we should hold off for a bit.”)

Akira had a good idea where this was going. He didn’t like it. “Hold off? Why?”

(“I should try to unlock my persona first.”) There it was. What had been bothering Ren - and in turn, Akira - all this time. (“Just in case things go south while getting the treasure.”)

Honestly, Akira wouldn’t be completely against the idea if Igor’s words weren’t bouncing around in his head. He, Ryuji, Ann, and most likely Goro had awakened their personas the same way: when they had been surrounded by danger with only one way out. Granted, that never happened in the castle, but it had gotten pretty damn close sometimes, where Ren having a persona would’ve helped out immensely. But it never happened. 

So, was Igor right? Was...hatred or something really blocking Ren from his own power? 

“I don’t...think that’s a good idea.” Akira chose his words carefully because he knew how Ren felt about this. He would’ve felt the exact same way if their roles were reversed. Ren looked at him, but there was no surprise there. He probably expected him to shut the idea down. “We know next to nothing about the Metaverse. I think knocking it out as soon as possible is the best option. Who knows what happens to the castle the longer we wait.”

(“Morgana does.”)

“Maybe.” Akira reminded. “Didn’t you hear that ‘I think’ earlier?”

Ren’s snort was quiet, breathy. Akira didn’t know if it was forced or not. (“Touché.”) 

There was a beat of silence, silence that Akira didn’t like. “Ren, I know it’s not fair and it’s frustrating, but after this, it won’t matter.” He nudged him with his elbow. “Kamoshida will be taken care of, and we can go back to ignoring rumors and learning how to brew coffee to get Sojiro to like us.”

Ren’s features subtly relaxed. Akira called that a win. (“I’m good on the coffee front. You on the other hand…”)

“Hey, I tried.” He sulked, knowing that he would have to work on that to avoid somehow poisoning someone. “Nowhere to go but up.”

(“If I end up becoming Sojiro’s favorite, don’t be upset.”)

“After being late the first day of school, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if you already were.”

Ren didn’t argue that like Akira hoped he would, instead giving a minuscule smirk, and the rest of the walk home was peaceful. Cool breezes rustled their hair, Morgana remained dead to the world, and not another word was said about the palace.

Ren: We can meet up about the calling card after school today.

Ryuji: really? yes! i was hoping it would be soon! i’m down!

Ann: I’m there! Where are we meeting up at? The ramen shop again?

Ren: Yeah, if we’ll be able to keep it down.

Ren: Looking at you, Ryuji.

Ryuji: hey! i have an inside voice!

Ann: But you barely use it, that’s the problem

Ryuji: what?! i do! akira, back me up here

Akira: Uh.

Ryuji: wow

Ren: Case in point.

Ren: Goro? You there?

Goro: Yes, sorry. I just saw the messages. If we’re not going to the Metaverse today, would it be alright if I listen to the meeting on call? I have days I can take off, but I do want to save as many as possible. 

Ren: Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll call you when we start. And this way, we can meet up on the rooftop instead. 

Ann: And you can be as loud as you want, Ryuji!

Ryuji: you guys are the worst 

Goro: But they aren’t wrong…

Ryuji: you too???

Akira: Are you pouting again?

Ryuji didn’t answer, and Akira bit back a grin as he pocketed his phone.

“He definitely is,” Morgana snickered inside of his desk, voice barely heard over the chatting students. The teacher hadn’t walked in yet. “But he’ll get over it when we get into the nitty-gritty. I’ve got a lot to teach you all still.”

Akira nodded, not verbally answering to keep suspicion to a minimum. He then glanced to the left and saw Ren looking out the large window at his side, phone laying on his desk. Akira didn’t know exactly what was going on in his head, but he had a good guess. He was nervous too, but they were ready. They could do this.

The room suddenly quieted when the teacher walked in, and Akira’s thoughts were drowned out by Japanese history.

“Can you hear us, Goro?”

“ Yes, you’re coming through clearly.”

Akira nodded as Ren placed his phone on the table in front of them, Ann and Ryuji scooting closer in their chairs. Morgana sat by the phone, car horns going off in the distance, low hanging clouds dimming the world around them. “Alright,” Morgana scratched his neck before continuing, “So, about the calling card-“

“Yeah, I was thinkin’ about that.” Ryuji kicked his legs up on top of the table, frowning. “Couldn’t we have sent one a long time ago? Why did we have to wait until now?”

Morgana glared at him. “What I was trying to say before you interrupted me, was that the treasure won’t stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, it will disappear, so sending it early would’ve been a major problem. We have a day at most to move in.”

“A day?” Ann repeated with a frown. “That quickly?”

“We must commit to the action after the card is sent…”

“Precisely,” Morgana agreed with Goro. “So, I just want to make sure; are we all ready for this? There are no take-backs.”

“I’m sure that we wouldn’t be here if we weren’t.”

Ren nodded and signed, (“I’m picking up more medicine tonight, so everything will be all set for tomorrow.”)

Akira translated for him, and Ryuji smiled with a glint in his eyes. “Man, I can’t wait to kick Kamoshida’s ass!”

“I call first dibs,” Ann said, eyes growing a bit distant. Akira was sure to let her get the finishing hit in, for her and for Shiho. “We’re sending it in the morning and infiltrating the palace after school, right?”

Morgana shook his body a bit. “That’s the plan. So.” His gaze swept the table, head tilted curiously. “Who’s going to write the card?”

Akira blinked in surprise. The making of the card completely slipped his mind. Of course Morgana wouldn’t have them simply laying down somewhere, ready for use. He looked over at Ren, and found that he was staring right back at him, reluctance etched into his expression. Akira felt the same. They weren’t strong writers, and he figured that ‘We are going to steal your heart’ wasn’t going to be enough to put on the card. 

“Leave it to me!” Ryuji immediately suggested.

Akira regarded the blonde, his determined smile, and believed that this could either go very well or very wrong. There was no in between. 

Ann must’ve been thinking the same, for she frowned and asked, “Why?”

Ryuji huffed, indignant. “Huh? Why wouldn’t it be me?”

Ann crossed her legs. “I mean, are you sure you can handle the pressure?”

“Of course I can!” Ryuji defended himself, clenching a fist. “I really wanna get him good, so let me write it!” He turned toward Akira and Ren with pleading eyes. “C’mon, please?”

Akira rubbed the back of his neck. Ryuji writing the card wouldn’t be a terrible idea; his heart was there, for sure. The delivery might be an issue, but-

Ren moved his hands. (“You can write it, but maybe you could share it with Goro when you’re done. Have him grammar check it or whatever.”)

After Akira repeated it, he added, “If you’re comfortable with it, Goro.”

“I am. Writing reports and essays are second nature to me. If you have any questions, I’ll try to answer as soon as possible.”

Ryuji scrunched his nose up, like he wanted to decline because of his pride, but he eventually said, “Thanks, if I get stuck I’ll text you. I’m itching to get started, though!” He hopped up out of his chair. “Are we done with the meeting?”

Ann sighed. “Oh boy…”

Akira stifled a chuckle and whispered, “Have faith.”

“I’m trying,” she whispered back.

Ryuji narrowed his eyes at them. “What was that?”

Akira couldn’t hide his smile this time. “Just reassuring Ann.” He stood as well, offering his bag for Morgana to settle into. 

Huffing, Ryuji pointed at Ann when she got up from her seat. “I’ll write the best damn calling card, you’ll see!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” She gave a smile on her own. “Just remember that Goro’s available to help, ‘kay?” Ann grabbed her bag, watching Ren palm his phone. “Alright, see you tomorrow, Goro!”

Akira and Morgana echoed her goodbye while Ryuji grumbled under his breath. Ren patted the blonde sympathetically on his shoulder. 

“See you. Make sure to get plenty of rest tonight. We’ve got a busy day.”

Morgana poked his head out of the bag. “Couldn’t have said it better myself!”

There was a brief chuckle on the other end before Goro hung up, Ren dropping the phone into his pocket. The remaining group then looked at each other, determination shining their eyes, anticipation thrumming in their veins. 

Plan ‘Steal Kamoshida’s Heart’ was now underway.

Akira knew Ann’s opinion of the calling card as soon as she joined them in the hallway of the school. She deadpanned at Ryuji while the blonde grinned at her, proud of his accomplishment. “Not bad, eh? I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference.”

“Um...yeah…” Her gaze turned accusatory. “You didn’t get Goro’s help at all, did you? It kinda sounded like a kid wrote it.”

Morgana spoke over Ren’s shoulder. “And the logo’s a little lacking too.”

“That ain’t true, cat!” Ryuji refuted before addressing Ann. “And so you know, I didn’t need his help! I think I did a great job with the card!”

Ann glanced with Akira and Ren with a raised brow. Ren shrugged, motioning to the students gathered around the bulletin boards. (“It did its job. It caught their attention, and that’s all that matters.”)

Akira thought the same - more or less because he didn’t think the card was that bad - and translated Ren’s words. Ann mulled it over. “I mean, I guess…”

“Who’s responsible for this?!”

A thundering voice stopped all future conversation, and an instinctual need to fight filled Akira as Kamoshida marched into view. Their group fell silent, watching the coach snatch a couple cards off the bulletin. 

Ryuji smirked though his body was tense. “He’s taking it pretty hard.”

Morgana hummed. “Acting exactly how a guilty party would.”

“Did you do this?! Or was it you?” Kamoshida yelled, and all of the students that were gathered around scattered away. Then, the coach turned on his heel, his frown morphing into a scowl at the sight of them. He stomped over, and Ren kicked off the wall, standing in front of the group. His stare didn’t waver as Kamoshida glared down at him. “Or was it you four? Should I even ask?”

Akira was right behind his brother, partially blocking Ann from the coach’s view. He tilted his head. “What are you talking about?” he asked, enjoying how Kamoshida’s jaw clenched. 

“Playing dumb won’t get you anywhere.” Kamoshida hissed before barking a mirthless laugh. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Not with your brother getting expelled. Huh, and maybe I should add you to the list as well. Delinquency runs in the family after all.”

Akira didn’t respond when Kamoshida turned and walked away, his chin held high. He couldn’t wait to snatch that crown off his head. 

“That definitely had an affect on his palace,” Morgana whispered. “This is our only chance to steal the treasure. After school, we’re jumping right in. Ren, are you letting Goro know?”

Ren nodded, briefly shaking the phone in his hand before going back to texting. 

“Great. Now, let’s get through the day so we can get the ball rolling.”

Akira had seen many messed up things in his life, a good portion of them being the sights in the Metaverse, entities of different colors, shapes, and sizes trying to mercilessly kill him. 

But this - Shadow Kamoshida turning into a giant monstrosity with horns, having a cup full of naked bodies in front of him and a disgustingly long tongue Akira needed to stay miles away from - definitely took the cake.

The expressions of his teammates proved that they were feeling the same as well, Ann showing the most revulsion to this monstrosity in front of them.

A thundering laugh grated Akira’s ears, echoing forever off the castle walls, and the ground trembled under his feet when Shadow Kamoshida stabbed the tile with the folding knife he held in one of his four hands. The Shadow’s wild bloodshot eyes narrowed as his jagged mouth twisted up into a haughty smirk. “Bow to your king!”

“Purely disgusting…” Morgana winced before looking up and pointing at Kamoshida’s head. A large and elaborate crown sat upon those curled horns. “Look, everyone! The treasure’s up there! We have to catch him off guard and steal it!”

“How are we gonna do that?” Ann visibly shivered at those chameleon-like eyes. “He’s looking everywhere at once!”

Morgana grinned. “Easy! We have someone sneak attack him!” He then glanced over at Ren, who was glaring harshly at Shadow Kamoshida with his gun at the ready, and Akira had a bad feeling about this. “Ace!” Morgana called, gaining Ren’s attention. “Think you can knock that crown of Kamoshida’s head while we distract him?”

Ren glanced up at the massive treasure before searching for a way to get higher, eyeing the curvaceous podiums that led the way up to a raised balcony. A very risky way. However, that didn’t stop Ren from nodding at Morgana, not giving in to intimidation, as always. Usually, Akira admired that trait, but now, when falling could end up with broken bones or worse, not so much. 

“He’ll be fine.” Akira looked over to find Goro watching him. Doubt and concern must’ve been worn all over his face. “Especially if we keep Shadow Kamoshida busy. Let’s give it our all.” Goro faced the towering demon and thrusted an arm, shouting, “Show him our strength, Robin Hood! Kouga!”

He manifested his bow-wielding persona, and Robin Hood shot blinding light right into Kamoshida’s face. The monster recoiled from the attack, closing his eyes with a rumbling hiss, and that was when Ren made his move. He shedded the bag holding their medicine and holstered his gun before darting to the right toward one of the podiums. 

He barely managed to hide behind it when Kamoshida recovered, his bloodshot eyes twitching as they glared down at them. “You think that your little light show is gonna take me out?” Smug laughter rumbled, grating on Akira’s nerves as he swiftly shrugged on the bag himself. “You’re dumber than I thought!”

“Oh yeah?” Ryuji barked back with a sneer. “We’re just gettin’ started!” He then looked at his teammates with fire in his eyes. “Let’s kick his ass!”

Akira nodded at him. “Definitely.” He glanced over at Ren once more, seeing him peeking around the corner of the podium. He was waiting for another chance to move. Well, they were about to give him plenty. “Let’s take him down!”

He called upon his myriad of personas, and the fight was on.

While the castle as a whole was an eyesore and its ‘decorations’ were nothing short of disgusting, Ren could praise some of the structures’ climbability. A regular pillar would be impossible to climb, but scaling the back end of a half-naked concrete torso was child’s play. Ren would rather be anywhere else, but at least he could give the palace that small ounce of credit. 

He squatted low on the pillar, making himself as small as possible to not catch Shadow Kamoshida’s attention. It seemed like he didn’t have to worry about that much, however. The rest of the Thieves were keeping the monster occupied with well-aimed snipes and unrestrained attacks. Akira, Ryuji, and Goro were closest to Kamoshida, dealing out the most damage, while Ann and Morgana lingered in the back, focused on long-range and healing if need be. 

Ren watched as Kamoshida cracked his whip, ordering the chained minions at his feet to launch a horde of volleyballs at his friends. He withheld a wince when they were pelted, some more than others. Akira had gotten spiked right in the face; his cheek was already blooming red. 

A flash of anger bubbled up within him, pushing Ren to progress while Kamoshida was boasting about his volleyball prowess. He ran up the small of the torso’s back until he had to jump up to grab the right shoulder. He dangled for a moment, legs kicking, until he managed to hoist himself onto the ledge, hiding behind the neck as a mixture of lightning and fire rained down on the grotesque monster. 

Kamoshida recovered too quickly for him to make another move, so he was stuck watching as attacks were volleyed back and forth, cringing in disgust when Kamoshida gargled with one of the bodies in his wine glass, dissolving some of the damage he had sustained. 

“What you’re doing is useless!” Shadow Kamoshida’s sickening laugh made Ren’s jaw clench. The others were working their hardest, and this bastard was resorting to cheap tricks. He glanced up at the crown sitting pretty on top of the Shadow’s head. Looked like he absolutely had to knock the treasure off if they had a chance. They only had so much stamina left.

Ren craned his neck to look above him at the balcony the curved pillar was supporting. If he could get up there and stand on the railing lining the side, he should be at the crown’s height. However, he would be out in the open. There was no way to hide as he climbed up, so he needed to have perfect timing and had to be quick about it. He refused to have this plan fail because of him. 

Ren focused on the fight below, watching the Thieves dodge attacks and counter when the time was right. Some aimed for the cup, while some kept targeting Kamoshida - mostly his face. After smoke from one of Ann’s attacks obscured the monster’s vision, Ren leaned more out in the open and waved to get someone’s attention. 

Unsurprisingly, Akira was the one who noticed him first, and Ren exaggerated his movements as he signed, wanting his brother to understand from this distance, (“I need to get up. Fight from the side so he wouldn’t see.”)

Akira nodded; Ren could see from here how this fight was taking its toll on him, on all of them. His motions weren’t as sharp when he signed back, (“Got it. Be careful.”)

(“Same to you.”) Ren didn’t need the concern, not when everyone else was trying to not get their faces caved in by volleyballs and a stab-happy knife. 

Akira nodded again before spreading the message to Ryuji and Goro, who were the closest to him. The three of them glanced in his direction for a split second, then Ryuji sprinted to the left, opposite to where Ren was. “Think you’re gonna win against us, asshole? Don’t make me laugh! You’re gonna regret ever stepping into the school when we’re done with you!”

Kamoshida waved the smoke away, head turning to follow him, turning away from where Ren was. “Oh really? You think telling lies like that would get you out of this situation, huh? You aren’t ever leaving here! No one survives the punishment for disobeying the king!”

“You ain’t no king!” Ryuji let loose a Zio, causing Kamoshida to gasp when the lightning hit him square in the chest. “So we’re takin’ you off that throne!”

Akira and Goro had run to his side, Morgana and Ann catching on soon after. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done, Kamoshida!” Ann yelled, pointing at him. “We’ll return to you what you’ve done to us, tenfold!”

Kamoshida laughed again, his focus completely to the left now. Ren was basically looking at the back of the Shadow’s head, and this was a perfect time if any. He stepped out into the open and wasted no time in climbing to the top of the pillar’s neck, hoisting himself up with no problem. The balcony was high above him, and he had to jump as high as he could to grab hold of the wooden edge. He dangled for a moment - keeping himself from looking down because there was nothing but unforgiving tile beneath him - before using his rusty muscles to pull himself up between two golden legs of the banister. Ren squeezed through and silently sighed in relief once he made it through undetected. 

However, that relief soon was smothered by confusion when a shadow fell over him. Puzzled, Ren glanced over his shoulder and sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of Shadow Kamoshida high in the air, blocking the lights above. Time seemed to still as the demon raised one of his hands, palm forward, moving to hit a large volleyball aimed right at the Thieves. 

Ren couldn’t see Kamoshida’s face, but he heard the wicked smile in his voice as he cackled. “Take this! See if you survive my kill shot!”

Time sped up. A sickening smack echoed through the room, and the ball rocketed for his unprepared friends. Ren watched, petrified, as they dove out of the way of the incoming attack. It hadn’t been enough. The force of impact of the ball against the ground caused the entire floor to shake and crack. The powerful shockwave launched everyone back, them slamming against the floor, pillars, and the walls with yells that made Ren’s stomach churn.

He scrambled up to his feet as Kamoshida landed with a haughty laugh. The sorry excuse of a teacher was boasting again, but Ren didn’t care. He leaned heavily against the banister, eyes on the crumpled form of his brother by a distant pillar. Fear seized his heart because Akira wasn’t moving. Everyone else was groaning and shifting but he wasn’t moving. 

Ice flowed through his veins, contrasting the red-hit anger that also flooded his system. Kamoshida was saying something to his minions, but Ren couldn’t hear. The blood pumping in his ears drowned nearly everything else out as he zeroed in on the crown. Ren needed to get down to Akira, but he could let him and the others take that hit for nothing. Akira was fine, anyway. He was fine. He was. 

That thought kept repeating in his mind - urgently, desperately - as he backed up from the banister until he hit a wall. His heart was pounding against his chest, breaths becoming harsh, but that didn’t stop him from kicking off in a full sprint. He cleared the balcony in a few long strides, hopped up on the banister, and rolled with the momentum as he launched himself into the air. Straight for the back of that demon’s head. 

Adrenaline rushed through his body as he flew, focused on nothing but the target that was quickly getting closer and closer. Kamoshida hadn’t noticed him yet. The obliviousness didn’t last for long, though, since the Shadow cried out in surprise when Ren slammed against his head. Ren pushed away the pain in his chest as he tightly grabbed rough strands of hair to keep from falling off. Gritting his teeth, he crawled through dry hair before making it to the top and kicking that damn crown off Kamoshida’s head. 

“Huh?!” Ren wobbled and crouched down to avoid falling off when Kamoshida watched the crown tumble to the floor. “My precious crown! No!”

He began to reach for it, but Ren didn’t let him. With only one way down - a way he dreaded to take - Ren steeled himself and had a running start before jumping down in front of Kamoshida’s face. He winced in absolute disgust when his back hit something warm and wet, but he pushed the whole experience of sliding down Shadow Kamoshida’s tongue to the back of his mind, storing it away so he could delete it from his mind later. 

Reaching the end, Ren freefell a small distance and rolled to reduce the impact. He ended up beside the crown, Kamoshida’s attention on nothing but him. The Shadow scowled. “ You! I knew that there was a brat missing!” He thrusted out an arm, fingers ready to grab. “Give me back my - gah!”  

He recoiled in pain when Ren shot a bullet right at that open palm. But he didn’t stop there. Anger and frustration and many other emotions pushed him to fire at all of the demon’s arms, and then his eyes. He proceeded to empty all of his bullets into Kamoshida until he heard nothing but clicks. The roars of pain should’ve been satisfying, but Ren couldn’t latch on to his positive feelings. Not yet. 

He grabbed the large crown - grunting at its heavier weight - and ran as fast he could over to his brother, who had yet to move. Ann was by him however, crouching down with a mixed look of concentration and panic on her face. Once Ren got close enough, he dropped the crown and knelt at Akira’s side, a small wave of relief crashing into him at the sight of Akira breathing. 

“He’s just knocked out,” Ann harshly whispered, hands on either side of Akira’s head. “H-He hit his head really hard after that spike. I’m...I’m trying to wake him up but-“ 

“Is he - ah, shit…” Ren glanced over to find Ryuji running over, holding his left wrist close to his chest. Goro and Morgana were on his heels, looking roughed up from that attack. “Is he okay?!” Ryuji finished when he got close, his worried eyes on Akira.

Ann nodded, albeit shakily. “He’s fine! I’m working on him…” Ren put a hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath when she looked at him. After a moment, she repeated what he did. “Breathe, right. Definitely not the best time to panic.”

Ren nodded at her before pointing at Ryuji’s wrist, distracting himself from Akira’s prone form. It hurt too much to look, and Ren wondered if this was how Akira felt when Ren had fallen in the palace before, or years earlier, when Akira had found him on the bathroom floor with a bottle of empty pills at his side.

Ryuji’s answer sprang him back to the present. “I’m okay! Just a little sprain - ack!” He hissed when he moved his arm too much, and Morgana scoffed.

“Just a sprain, yeah right.” He held out a paw. “Let me heal you.”

Ryuji looked like he wanted to fight it, but Ren gave him a look , one that specified that this wasn’t the time for shallow arguments. Kamoshida might’ve been caught by surprise, but he wasn’t out for the count. Yet. 

Speaking of him, Goro was observing Kamoshida whine over the loss of his crown and the appearance of the ‘second damn delinquent’. “He’s recovering, unfortunately,” the detective whispered, nudging the crown closer to where Akira was laying. “We have to continue this fight. We can’t relax just yet.” He looked over the group, eyes lingering on Akira for a moment, before asking, “Are we ready?”

Ren nodded with no hesitation. He hated that Akira wouldn’t be able to witness their win, but they had to do this. With how sluggish Kamoshida has gotten, victory had to be close. He didn’t know if it was because of him being separated by the treasure, but he wasn’t going to ask questions. 

Ren stood, ready to get this over with. He then met Ryuji’s gaze, pointing to the shotgun strapped around his back. The blonde pulled his hand away from Morgana, rotating his healed wrist, and tilted his head in question. “My shotgun? What about it - oh!” Ryuji lit up, grinning. “You wanna use it, huh? Yeah, you probably ran out of bullets earlier.” He slid the gun off and held it out. “That was badass, by the way. The tongue thing too, even though it was gross.”

Ren couldn’t help but to roll his eyes, taking the gun and testing its weight. It was heavier than the one he had before, obviously, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d seen the recoil in the past when Ryuji used it. Not too bad.

“That had been impressive,” Goro said with a small lilt to his voice. “I hope you can keep your sharpshooting skills while handling more firepower, Ace.”

Ren hoped that ‘ of course I can ’ was conveyed clearly by his expression, confidently slinging the strap over his shoulder. 

Goro hummed but said nothing more. Ren was going to make sure he lived up to his codename.

“Hey Panther, let’s switch.” Ren glanced over at Morgana, who was standing by Ann. At Ann’s confused expression, he motioned over to Kamoshida with a small grin. “I got Joker. Go take him down. You deserve to, after all.”

Ann was reluctant for a second, debating, before giving Morgana a nod. “Yeah, okay.” She stood as well, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t let a single ball get close to him, got it?”

Morgana saluted her. “Yes ma’am! I don’t want you and Ren doing after me!”

Ren silently scoffed at that - even though it was a valid concern - as Ann stepped up. She nodded at Ren, beyond ready, and he glimpsed over at Goro and Ryuji. They both nodded as well. It was time to end this.

Ren pumped his shotgun.

Akira woke up to a deafening rumble and the sounds of familiar voices shouting around him. 

That, and also the feeling of his body bouncing wildly up and down like he was riding an unhinged rollercoaster. 

“...Huh?” was the first noise out of his groggy throat as he pried his eyes open with effort. The world was blurry for a moment, so he blinked a few times and stiffened when everything became crystal clear. 

Ren was carrying him piggyback style, and the walls were crumbling at all sides. 

Akira inhaled sharply, fear twisting his stomach, as he sat up as much as he could in his position. Ann and Goro were running full speed down the corridor in front of them, and Morgana was clutching into the blonde’s shoulder for dear life. He peered over his shoulder to find Ryuji running as well, sweating as the palace literally fell apart behind them. The ceiling was crashing down, the floor was giving away, and the wall folded upon themselves. 

What was happening?

He must’ve yelled that out loud by accident, for he heard Ann call his name in relief, and Ryuji gave him a strained smile before saying, “Yo, Joker! You’re awake!” He panted a bit, continuing after a moment, “Long story short, we defeated the asshole and stole the treasure, but…” Ryuji glared at something beyond Akira, and he had a good guess that it was at Morgana. “...that caused the castle to fall apart, which we didn’t know about until it started happenin’!”

“Well sor- ry that I forgot!” Morgana defended himself from the front. The cat glanced back at Akira. “What a wake up call, huh?”

“Don’t act so calm about this!” Ann borderline shrieked, dodging a piece of ceiling that had fallen in front of her. “We’re in serious danger here! We didn’t win just so we could die now!”

Goro jumped over a large crack in the floor. “We’re almost out of the castle! It won’t be long until we’re free!”

His words rang true, for the front entrance of the castle was right up ahead. They were leaving this place, never turning back, and Akira felt a small bit of disappointment bubble within him before getting rid of it. While it was true that he missed the final fight because of that spike - there was a dull pain in the back of his head even now - their overall goal to defeat Kamoshida was completed. They did it, and he really hoped what Morgana had said was true, that Kamoshida would confess his crimes. 

Akira winced when a falling concrete chunk got a little too close for comfort, Ren swerving out of the way just in time. From what he could see of Ren's face, he could tell that it was flushed with sweat dripping down it. Akira felt bad. He would suggest getting down and running, but he knew that taking any kind of break right now would be a huge mistake. 

So he hung on as they charged out of the castle, as the world warped around them, as they were deposited right back in the alley they had entered the palace from. 

Ren let Akira go almost immediately, and Akira landed safely on his feet while Ren leaned heavily against one of the buildings. He slid down until he was sitting on the concrete, mouth open and chest heaving. He leaned his head back against the wall and sloppy signed, (“You might want to lay off the sweets for a bit.”)

Akira rolled his eyes and kicked his shin, for he wasn’t any heavier than Ren was. Ren gave him a tired grin before wiping the sweat off his forehead. Akira looked at the others and found them doing basically the same: bent over, trying desperately to get oxygen back into their lungs, a sheen to all of their faces. Morgana was the exception. He wasn’t sweating, being a cat and all, but he was laid out on the ground with limbs splayed in every direction. 

Akira was almost glad he’d been knocked unconscious.

He waited a minute or so for everyone to catch their breath before asking, “So, how did everything go while I was out?”

“Extremely well, I would say.” Goro was the one to answer, straightening his tie as he tried and failed to fix his mussed hair. “Up until everything began collapsing on us. Kamoshida seemed remorseful after we defeated him, but then again, that was just his Shadow.”

Morgana made a sound of agreement on the ground. “Right…” He groaned as he got his four feet under him, shaking himself. “We’ll have to wait and see how the real Kamoshida was affected by this.”

“And he better change!” Ann said through harsh breaths. “Because I didn’t go through all of this for nothing! I haven’t had this much exercise in years…”

Akira gave her a small smile. “I don’t think anything would prepare you for running out of collapsing castles, though.”

Ann released a long drawn out sigh. “Yeah yeah...at least everything worked out in the end. I just wish that there was a couch here so I could crash on it.”

“Ditto,” Ryuji borderline whined. “ Oh ...my poor legs…”

Goro cradled his chin. “I could go for a relaxing bath myself.” He looked toward the mouth of the alley, where people were walking about on the street. “Let’s rest up for today, and then-“

“Oh, wait! I almost forgot!” Ryuji interrupted Goro, who seemed somewhat disgruntled, and pointed at the detective. “The treasure! You still have it, right? Let’s check it out! The crown’ll be worth so much money!”

“Money?” Akira hadn’t even thought of that. He helped Ren up when his brother held out a hand, watching Goro dig through his bag. “We can do that? Sell it?”

“I mean…” Morgana tilted his head, tail swishing back and forth. “Maybe?”

Doubt flashed across Ren’s face. (“Who would even buy a crown around here in the first place? Without asking any questions?”)

Akira thought for a moment. “Iwai might.” He was the ‘no questions asked’ type of guy, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

(“The gun guy?”)

“Yeah,” Akira said, but before he could continue on the subject, Goro pulled something out that definitely wasn’t the crown. It was a much smaller gold medal tied off with a red and white ribbon.

“Huh?!” Ann took a step forward, eyes wide open. “ That’s the treasure? What happened to the crown?”

Morgana sat on his haunches, unfazed. “That’s what Kamoshida’s treasure really is. The one thing that blossomed his twisted desires is a gold medal, apparently.”

Goro hummed, examining the medal. “It makes sense given that Kamoshida is famous for his Olympic success. Every award and praise he recieved boosted his ego into something dangerous.”

Ren got closer to him and held out a palm. Goro  handed the medal over, and Ren tossed it a bit, running his thumb over its golden face. “Looks real,” he mouthed.

The revelation hadn’t gotten rid of Ryuji’s smile. “So, we can still sell it! Can you imagine how much-“

“Yeah, no. I’m too tired to imagine anything else today.” Ann cut in, shaking her head. “We have plenty of time to talk about this stuff later, so can we call it a day like Goro said? I promise we can chat it up tomorrow, but...I’m just tired.”

Akira could see where she was coming from. Today had taken its physical and emotional toll on them, after all. And Akira probably didn’t help with that latter bit, getting knocked out in the middle of a fight. 

He rubbed the back of his head. “Let’s all just go home and relax, okay? The hard part’s over, so all we have to do now is wait.”

Ren nodded as he slipped the medal into his pocket, and there was consensus all around once Ryuji eventually agreed. Everyone turned to leave, and Akira waited until Morgana was secured in his brother’s bag to sign, (“So…”) His curiosity was too high not to ask. No one had mentioned it, but, (“Did you awaken your-“)

Ren shook his head as they followed the others out of the alleyway. Before Akira could respond with something uplifting, Ren shrugged. (“But it’s fine. We took care of Kamoshida anyway.”) He snorted. (“You should’ve seen me with Ryuji’s shotgun.”)

Akira stared at him, stunned. Ren had gotten to use that? Then, there was no way that Kamoshida would have won the fight. And Akira could only imagine how Ren felt seeing him down like that...

Ren kicked away a pebble on the ground. (“And plus, it’s not like we’re going back in there.”)

Akira managed a smile. Waking up in a place that was disintegrating around him hadn’t been fun. (“Right, hopefully not.”)

Maybe he didn’t have to worry about it. About Igor, his words, none of it. Though, Akira did wonder why…

Ren looked at him, raising a brow. (“What?”)

Akira shook his head. (“Nothing.”)

It didn’t matter anymore. 

Chapter Text

“Kamoshida wasn’t in school today? That’s...interesting news.”

It was the day after the Palace crumbled. Ren slurped up some ramen as Goro chewed his noodles thoughtfully. Akira and Ryuji were enjoying the afterschool meal as well in the quaint ramen restaurant. Ann was the only one not there, having gone to visit Suzui, which was leagues more important than talking about that rotten coach. 

“Isn’t it?” Ryuji grinned after swallowing some of his broth. “One of our teachers said that he’s putting himself on suspension!”

Akira nudged him, glancing around the occupied shop. No one was paying them any attention. Yet. “Inside voice, remember?” he said, tone teasing.

Ryuji rolled his eyes but lowered his voice anyway. “That has to be because of us!”

Ren couldn’t help but to agree with him, sipping some water. The news from Kawakami couldn’t have been a mere coincidence. From the little time they have attended Shujin, Ren already knew that it was too out of character for Kamoshida to portray himself as anything less than perfect, an ideal role model for those outside looking in. 

He nodded at Ryuji because they influenced this without any doubt. Defeating that bastard’s shadow actually had done something. 

“Don’t get ahead of ourselves quite yet.” Morgana popped his head out of Ren’s bag, eyeing one of the few rice balls he had purchased. Ren offered one because he probably wasn’t going to eat them all, and Morgana took a bite, purring all the while. “We don’t have concrete evidence of a change of heart,” he slurred around the food in the mouth. 

Ryuji tisked. “Well, yeah, but it’s pretty damn close! He wouldn’t put himself on suspension for no reason.”

Morgana argued back some food-induced gibberish that no one could understand.

Akira went to say, “The expulsion date is coming up soon, so if Kamoshida did actually change, we should find out by then.” Ren agreed with him, even though it was pretty much a given at this point. The end result was what he was curious about: how exactly did he change?

“Hm.” Goro swirled what was left of his ramen around his bowl with his chopsticks, expression pensive. “Changing someone’s heart is a very...intriguing process, to say the least. Say, Morgana.” He focused on the munching cat, eyes open and curious. “How did you come across that knowledge? Or did you stumble upon it by accident, which I doubt,” he added with a modest chuckle. 

Morgana thankfully waited until his mouth was empty to answer this time. “Well, I’m not completely sure myself. I just...know. Of the steps, at least. Never actually tried it.” He sighed. “It’s probably part of the memories I’m missing. Maybe I was changing hearts by myself as a human? Or just researching it?”

Ryuji rose a brow. “You doing what we did, by yourself?” He snorted, slurping his bowl. “As if.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!”

Before Ryuji and Morgana could get into a heated argument that would surely attract attention - it wasn’t everyday that someone yelled at a cat in a ramen shop - Goro gently cut in, “Your forgotten memories…” He studied Morgana for a moment. “Is there any way to recover them? Any additional information about the Metaverse may ease our doubts.”

Morgana hummed, tail curling behind him. “I mean, I think-“

A quiet yet jarring jingle interrupted him, and Ren turned his attention back to Goro, who was digging into his pants pocket. He pulled out his phone, eyebrows creasing the slightest bit when he read the caller ID. And...was that a frown, too? Ren wasn’t sure, because it was gone a second later, replaced with an apologetic smile. “My apologies, it’s a call from work. I have to take this.” He stood up, muttered a quiet ‘excuse me’, and quickly walked away in the direction of the bathroom. 

Ryuji stared after him in confusion. “He took today off to recover from yesterday, didn’t he?”

Ren nodded while Akira said, “Yeah, but I guess they call anyway. I’m not surprised with him being a detective.”

The blonde shook his head and stifled a burp. “No way in hell am I gonna answer a call from work on my day off. It’s a day off for cryin' out loud!"

(“Don’t be surprised when you get fired from said job,”) Ren teased, and Akira coughed to hide his laugh. 

It wasn’t hidden well enough, because Ryuji narrowed his eyes. “Akira, what did he say?” Akira overdramatically shrugged. Ryuji pouted. “Ren-“ Ren shrugged as well, giving a look of pure innocence. Ryuji groaned before stabbing a chopstick in Ren’s direction. “I’m gonna learn sign language one day, and I’m not even gonna tell you about it. Then you can’t hide nothin’ from me!”

Morgana scoffed. “How are you going to learn a new language when you’ve barely learned Japanese?”

“I wasn’t talkin’ to you, cat- “ Several heads swiveled in their direction at Ryuji’s yell. Ren resisted the urge to sigh while Akira paid extra attention to his food. Morgana had ducked back down into the bag. Ryuji blinked wide eyes before giving a wobbly smile. “-therine!” He placed his phone up to his ear. “I was talkin’ to the guys here, not you, Catherine!”

Morgana whispered, “Idiot.”

Ren wouldn’t go that far, but it was amusing to watch Ryuji improvise a one-sided conversation as people slowly but surely lost interest in that outburst. 

After a minute or so of fumbling, Ryuji said, “See you later, bye!” He pretended to hang out the phone and slumped in his seat. “Okay, so I think I get what you’re sayin’ about me not having an inside voice.”

Ren gave him a look.

“Knowledge is power,” Akira said as slurped up some noodles. 

It was then that Goro decided to rejoin them, ignoring his seat as he grabbed his bag. His tone was apologetic. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cut this meeting short.”

“Is there an emergency?” Akira asked.

Goro sighed, brushing his bangs out of his face. “Yes. No rest for the weary, it seems. My employer wants me in as soon as possible to discuss a case.”

Ren reminded himself to never become a detective. Sure, solving crimes would be fun, but not everything else that came with it. He waved a hand and when Goro looked at him, he mouthed, “Are you okay?” He then gestured to the other’s body, hoping to get his meaning across. His own aching bones from yesterday hadn’t disappeared yet.

Goro apparently understood, for he nodded with a reassuring smile. “I’m alright enough. Don’t worry about me. Plus, the only physically taxing thing I would have to do is listen as she drones on.”

That got a snicker out of Ryuji. “Good luck with that, man.”

“Thank you, I’ll need it,” Goro said lightly before giving them all a brief wave, strolling quickly towards the front door. 

Ren watched him go as Akira muttered, “I wonder why he chose to be a detective while still in high school? An internship I understand, but actually working?”

(“Right?”) Ren signed after the door closed. (“I doubt he has any time for himself.”)

“Beats me.” Ryuji was looking at Ren’s last rice ball, pointing. “Hey, you’re gonna eat that?”

He shook his head. Ryuji grabbed for it, and Ren smirked when Morgana swiped at his hand. Morgana took it instead and began eating it inside of Ren’s bag, that he was surely going to have to clean later.

Ryuji scowled and mumbled, “Damn cat.”

Morgana hissed in response.

“A restaurant?”

“Yeah, totally!”

Akira was standing beside Ren’s desk, Ann smiling back at them with sparkles in her eyes. She had motioned him over to her and Ren’s row when there was a break between classes, and now he was mulling over her suggestion.

“Sounds like a fun idea, especially for a celebration,” he said, and Ren nodded while he pet Morgana inside his desk. They should have enough money to splurge once. “What kind?”

“A fancy buffet!”

Okay, maybe not that much money. 

Ann must’ve caught on to the disbelieving looks on both Akira’s and Ren’s faces, for she giggled. “Don’t look at me like that! It’s the perfect place because…” She glanced around to make sure that no one else in the classroom was eavesdropping, leaning over Ren’s desk and whispering, “I searched up the medal, and it’s worth 30,000 yen!”

Okay, maybe they had enough money.

(“Wait,”) Ren was frowning in confusion. (“That’s all a gold medal’s worth? Seriously?”)

Akira translated for him before thinking about it. “I mean, yeah, but it’s still a good chunk of change. More than enough to party with.”

“Right? Can’t you just picture all the food? And the desserts?” Ann wiggled a bit in her seat, eyes glazing over as she began to daydream. “The cake, the ice cream…”

Akira shared her sentiments. He couldn’t remember the last time they completely indulged themselves for once. And fancy cake did sound pretty good…

There was a sigh from inside the desk. “As much as that sounds delicious, we have to wait, Lady Ann!” Akira would probably never get used to Morgana calling her that. “It’s too early to celebrate.”

“He told Ryuji the same thing yesterday,” Akira told her.

Ann rolled her eyes. “I know, I know! We wait until Kamoshida actually confesses, and then we feast.” She drummed her nails on top of the desk. “And he better do it, too. If he doesn’t…” She trailed off, lips thinning, and Akira completely understood. They didn’t go through all of this just for nothing to change, for Kamoshida to keep stomping on people like they were pieces of trash. 

Ren softly knocked on the desk, and she focused on him. There was a look of unshakable confidence on his face as he mouthed, “He will.”

Ann’s expression relaxed, her smile coming back, and Akira hoped that she would be able to smile more when Kamoshida was dealt with. She and Suzui deserved it. Ryuji too, and Mishima - hell, everyone who had met him. 

Akira was brought out of his thoughts when he felt his phone vibrate against his thigh. He pulled it out of his pocket, along with Ren and Ann, to find a text from Ryuji. 

Ryuji: hey, anyone up for a run after school today? i gotta get back in shape cuz that palace nearly kicked my ass

Ann smiled at her phone. “Me too, honestly. I never ran that hard in my life, and if I could have married my bed that night, I would’ve.” 

“And who would be the groomsmen?” Akira asked, tone teasing. “Your pillows?”

Ren breathily snorted at that while Ann laughed. “Nailed it!” She then calmed down when her bark of laughter gained the attention of nearby students. They resumed minding their own business a second after, and she said, “But anyway, I would offer, but I’m going to see Shiho again today.”

And just like that, the shine dimmed. Akira softened his voice when he asked, “How is she? Any signs of-“

Ann shook her head with a heavy sigh, finger absently curling in one of her pigtails. “Doctors say that she should be waking up any day now, and I believe them, I do, but…”

She trailed off. Akira desperately wished that this whole situation hadn’t happened. “Do you want us to go with you this time?” He looked over at Ren - who gave a subtle nod - and then continued, “To help with anything, or to just be there?”

Ann waved her hand dismissively, her smile returning. “Nah, I’ll be fine. Thank you, though. Plus-“ Her smile had a playful edge to it now. “-you two aren’t getting out of running with Ryuji.”

Akira blinked at the swift change of tone, but took it in stride. From what he knew of Ann, she was strong and would easily ask for help if she needed it. “You caught us,” he said as Ren huffed in amusement, fingers tapping to answer Ryuji. “I haven’t been exercising properly lately.”

Ren sent the text and gave him a knowing glance before typing on his phone once more. He then showed Ann the screen, and she laughed again.

Akira frowned. “What?”

Ren turned the phone towards him, and he read: “It doesn’t help that he usually inhales coffee on a daily basis.”

He didn’t inhale coffee. He simply enjoyed it probably more than most, but more importantly- “It’s no better with you and soda.”

Ren gave him another look and Akira returned it. 

“Children,” Morgana muttered, glancing up from his resting spot. 

Ann was about to open her mouth to most likely take up Akira’s side - because he was right - but then Ms. Chouno waltzed into the classroom and demanded that everyone took their seats. Knowing better than to test her patience, Akira made his way back to his desk and sat down. Before he could put his phone away, it vibrated in his hand and a text popped up.

Ann: I’m gonna have to go with Ren on this one

Ren: See that, Akira? Addiction to soda > addition to coffee.

Akira: I will remember this, Ann.

Ann: ;)

“A- hem. Care to share what you’re so happy about, Kurusu?” 

At the sound of his name, Akira’s smile vanished and he quickly slipped his phone back into his pocket. Chouno was watching him with a raised eyebrow. “Nothing, sorry,” he apologized, hoping that she would let it slide. 

She narrowed her eyes, staring him down, before turning her back and writing something on the blackboard.

Akira let out a small sigh of relief.

Ren and Ann sent him crooked smiles that he ignored.

Days passed, and Akira became more and more antsy as the expulsion date crept closer. Ren kept reminding him to calm down, for there was a reason that Kamoshida hadn’t shown his face yet. Akira understood his logic; however, it was normal to feel nervous about the prospect of being tossed out on the streets. Sojiro had gotten nicer - to a degree - but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t follow up on his word to kick them to the curb. 

So on the day of their expulsion, there was a surprise morning assembly, and Akira was now standing there in the middle of a packed gymnasium, thinking that Kamoshida would be so sadistic to announce it to the whole damn school.

Butterflies rammed against his stomach even as the Principal walked up to the stand, Kamoshida nowhere to be found. His hands clenched in his pockets. They didn’t deserve to be casted to the side again, they didn’t-

A nudge to his arm scattered his spiraling thoughts. He looked over to see Ren eyeing him through his frames, brows slightly creased. His hands were in his pockets too, but his entire posture wasn’t as tense, less nervous. That peering gaze alone was enough for Akira to snap out of it, to stop assuming the worst. They weren’t expelled yet. It would do no good to have a heart attack in the middle of the floor.

Akira took a deep breath and nodded to him. Ren gave one back as Ryuji - standing on the other side of Akira - muttered, “That bastard better show his ass today…”

“He should,” Akira replied and left it at that. What Kamoshida did afterwards was the question he had to wait for an answer to. 

The gym fell silent when the Principal began talking about recent events and Suzui. He told everyone that she pulled through, but her recovery would be long. Ann told them this yesterday through happy tears, that Suzui had finally woken up. It was great news, but hearing it being drawled out by the Principal to an uncaring crowd made Akira tighten his jaw.

Ann was standing near the front of the crowd, away from them. He wondered what she was thinking.

“I implore that you rethink the importance of life and-“ The Principal didn’t get to finish his sentence, for the loud slam of a door echoed around the massive room.

Akira whipped his head to the side to see Kamoshida himself standing in front of the entrance doors. The man was staring at the floor, avoiding staring eyes; his shoulders were slumped and hunched over.

“Does this mean…?” 

Akira didn’t have to finish for Ryuji to answer. “Hell yeah it does.” He sneered as Kamoshida shuffled over to the stage. “We sure as hell changed him, and he better come clean.”

Ren was simply watching the coach, gaze cold as ice. 

Kamoshida stopped once he was beside the podium, still keeping his eyes on the ground. “I...have been reborn. That is why I will confess everything to you all.”

Whispers started up then, students questioning and accusing things they were ignorant of. Kamoshida ignored them, continuing to speak. The whispers died down enough for everyone to hear of him confess to verbally abusing kids, physically abusing his volleyball team, and sexually harassing female students. 

“Rotten asshole,” Ryuji hissed among the gasps.

Akira couldn’t have said it better himself. 

Kamoshida then collapsed to his knees, bowing his head and announcing that he was the reason Suzui killed herself, that he was a good-for-nothing man who preyed on innocent students, going so far as to threaten to expel them for petty personal reasons. 

Akira, Ren, and Ryuji all shared a glance when he promised to revoke the expulsion. A definite victory, but it didn’t feel like one. Not yet.

Especially when he sobbed, “I will take responsibility for all of my horrendous actions and kill myself for it!”

Shocked and confused voices erupted then, but all of a sudden, Akira wasn’t in Shujin Academy anymore. He was several years younger, kneeling in the bathroom of their old house. His knees were stained with vomit as Ren lay limp in his arms, his skin too clammy and hot, his breathing too labored, and his milky eyes too glazed over, staring blankly at him as he screamed his throat raw. 

He had screamed for their dad, who had run out to get groceries several hours ago. He had screamed for Ren, who’s only response was tears rolling down his face. He had screamed for their mom, who he missed so damn much. 

“R-Ren! Please, please, please don’t leave me! Why did you d-do this?! Y-You can’t leave me! It’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s-“

“-not fair.” Akira was back in the present, watching Kamoshida wallow in his own damn self-pity. He felt Ren’s eyes on him. He didn’t tear his gaze from the man who had to deal with the fires he had set. “He shouldn’t be allowed to run. He can’t just...leave behind what he did here.”

It wouldn’t be fair. 

“Hell no it wouldn’t,” Ryuji all but growled before taking a deep breath, no doubt going to yell it up to where Kamoshida was pathetically crying.

However, Ann beat him to the punch. 

“Don’t run, you bastard!” Ann shouted, voice thick with emotion. “Shiho’s still alive even after all the things that made her want to die! You have no right to run from this!”

Kamoshida lifted his head for the first time, locking eyes with her. “You’re right…” His words cracked, heavy with the weight of his actions. “You’re absolutely right. I need to take myself in, be punished for my crimes, and...and…” He started sobbing again. 

Akira felt nothing for him. 

It wasn’t long before teachers attempted to break up the group of students, telling them to return to class like this was something they weren’t supposed to see. A weakness of the school that wasn’t supposed to be unearthed. Akira caught snippets of conversation that focused on the calling card and the credibility of the Phantom Thieves. That eased some of the negativity swirling in Akira’s system. 

Eventually, Kamoshida was led out and most of the students had cleared the area. Akira, Ren, Ryuji, and Ann had met near the exit, a silence hanging over them. 

Until Ann broke it. “So, that was a change of heart…”

Akira nodded. “Yeah.” It had gone off without a hitch. 

“No mental breakdowns happened, so I’d call it a success,” Ryuji said. He was still looking at the empty podium though, frowning. “I know I should feel happy right now, but man , hearing him talk like that just pissed me off.”

Everyone knew what he was talking about. 

Ann sighed. “Yeah…”

“You handled it well, though, Ann.” Akira had to say. She focused on him and he gave a slight smile. “You told him like it was. He didn’t deserve to leave everything behind.”

“Definitely not.” Ann crossed her arms, looking out of the door Kamoshida left out of. Her next words were a whisper. “That option would be too easy for him. And plus, the revenge from all of us would taste sweeter if we made him repent. He’ll never forget. That’s a fate worse than death.”

Those words repeated in Akira’s mind. Never forget.

Ryuji whistled lowly, looking equal parts impressed and intimidated. “Holy shit…”

“The panther seriously has claws…” Morgana said from Akira’s bag.

Never forget. 

Hatred. 

Akira glimpsed at Ren. His attention was on Ann, and he was holding out a fist for her to bump. Ann blinked at the gesture before a ghost of a smile adorned her face. She gladly bumped their knuckles together. 

Akira looked away before Ren caught him. 

It...didn’t matter anymore. He needed to forget about what Igor said. He didn’t know them. He couldn’t know…

“So, now that this...is pretty much done,” Ryuji started, his face relaxing a bit as he looked at everyone. “The celebration’s definitely set in stone, right? Time to pig out at a buffet?”

Ann’s giggle was breathy, almost normal but not exactly there. “I bet that was on your mind the whole time, huh?”

Ryuji rolled his eyes. “No! I thought about it just now!”

“Uh huh.”

The negativity was dissipating even more. Akira suggested, “I should update Goro on what happened, and that the buffet is still on. We’re doing it on...Children’s Day, right?”

“Yep!” Ann conformed. “The day before school starts back up, so we can unwind beforehand.”

“And you two are takin’ care of the medal, right?” Ryuji asked, and Ren nodded. Akira figured that they could pawn it off after school today. “Cool!” Ryuji started heading for the exit. They followed. “I can’t wait to get today over with! I’m already exhausted and we’ve barely been in any classes.”

“Just stay awake as long as you can,” Akira advised.

Ryuji groaned, and Akira let out a long sigh when they left the gym. They had done it.

Now it was time to celebrate.

(“Mishima texted me and apologized while you were talking with Iwai,”) Ren signed as they walked out of Untouchable Airsofts, stepping back into the shaded streets of Shibuya. It had been his first time there, and he already liked the owner. He was a take-no-nonsense type of guy that minded his business. He hadn’t bat an eye at Ren’s introduction. 

Akira blinked at him in confusion as they blended in with the crowd. “Mishima? He apologized? For what?”

(“For spreading our information around school,”) Ren answered, still not sure how to feel about the whole revelation. He knew that Mishima wasn’t the strongest person around and that Kamoshida was a manipulative bastard, but having exaggerated rumors spread around school that ostracized you wasn’t the best feeling. But then again, Ren wasn’t exactly alone. (“Kamoshida made him do it.”)

Akira kicked a pebble in his way. It bounced before tumbling down a nearby drain. “Yeah, I figured that. He doesn’t seem like the type to stir the pot on his own.”

Ren agreed. (“We should try to talk to him in class so he knows that things are good between us. I told him that through text, but the fact that he texted instead of coming to us-“)

“Is pretty telling.” Akira finished his thought. “Hopefully he doesn’t run, he is pretty squirrelly…”

The conversation tapered off then, and Ren let himself enjoy his surroundings, all of the bright lights, masses of people, and a cloudless sky that almost seemed like a reward for what they’ve accomplished today. 

Kamoshida…

Ren lowered his gaze from the sky, looking at Akira out of the corner of his eye. His brother was focused on a restaurant called Big Bang Burger as they walked, lost in thought. Ren remembered how Akira looked when Kamoshida offered to end his own suffering. Like he had been there, but...not. Ren had a good guess where he had been, though. 

He had wanted to ask Akira about it, if he was okay, but everything seemed fine after they left the gym. So, he didn’t press him about it. 

But...

Never forget.

A never ending punishment, huh…

“We need to try that place out someday,” Akira said, pointing over to the burger restaurant. “Looks decent enough.”

Ren nodded. It looked cheap enough, too. 

By the time they made it back to Yongen-Jaya, shadows had gotten longer and the sun hung lower in the sky. 

A familiar chime rang overhead when Ren entered LeBlanc. He was about to greet Sojiro with a wave, but then he saw that he was busy having a conversation with a woman, a well dressed one at that. 

“...psychotic breakdown incidents. They’re happening one after another. Could they really be coincidental?”

That made Ren frown. Psychotic breakdowns? More of those were happening? 

Sojiro hummed, acknowledging their existence with a single glance. “I’m not exactly sure, but...leaving that aside, I’ll get started on your house blend.” He then focused on him and Akira properly, ordering, “You two get changed so you can help me down here. It’s a fine time to learn more.” 

“Yeah, we’ll be right down,” Akira said from behind him while they walked further into the store, to not be standing awkwardly by the door. The woman looked them over.

“Are you two part-timers?” she asked, eyes gentle yet sharp at the same time. Ren already knew that crossing her would be a mistake. “I’m surprised that this place could afford one, let alone two.” She slightly tilted her head. “Twins, at that.”

“It’s due to...unique circumstances,” Sojiro was swift to explain. “They’re quick learners.” 

Ren resisted the urge to throw a smirk at Akira. Now wasn't the time to tease about his brother's coffee 'skills'. 

The woman shifted in her seat. “That’s good to hear. An admirable trait to have in the workforce.” Her gaze swept the restaurant before landing on them once more. “Have you two been acquainted with another student named Goro Akechi? He’s the one to recommend this place to me, after all.”

Ren nodded while Akira asked, “You know Goro? So, you’re…”

“His boss,” she uttered with no difficulty. “We have similar tastes, so I sought to try this establishment out today.”

She was Goro’s employer? Now, Ren could kinda see why the boy’s energy would be drained after work. This woman meant business. 

“Interesting that you call him by his given name.” She raised a brow at Akira. “Do you know him well?”

“Well enough,” Akira answered ambiguously, and Ren hoped that she didn’t want any more information. She didn’t need to know about Goro's personal life anyway, especially when it involved changing hearts. Goro might be okay with it, but he doubted every detective would feel the same way. 

Before she could question anything else, Sojiro coughed and said, “Didn’t I say go get changed?”

They took that cue to head for the stairs, the floor creaking as they reached the attic. Morgana wasn’t here, him wanting to explore the city earlier today. 

“She’s intense,” Akira commented, depositing his bag on the bed. 

(“I feel bad for Goro.”) Ren toed off his shoes. (“He has to work with her.”) Detective work was definitely not the job for him. 

“Speaking of him…” Akira changed his shirt. “Don’t you think it’s weird that he hasn’t responded about the buffet? He can’t be working if his boss is here.”

Ren shrugged. (“Maybe he’s just busy. He’ll see it eventually.”) Akira didn’t argue further as they both slipped on more comfortable pants. 

When they scurried back downstairs and donned the aprons, the woman surprisingly didn’t ask any more questions. She quietly enjoyed the blend Sojiro made and watched the TV, which had news about Kamoshida’s situation. 

Ren tuned it out as best as he could. 

The woman didn’t linger for long, leaving after a curt goodbye. They continued to work behind the bar as a few more people waltzed in. Ren handled some brewing while Akira managed the dishes and cleaning. Sojiro made himself comfortable at the bar, completing a crossword puzzle. 

After the last customer left and after Sojiro closed up shop, Ren made himself comfortable at the desk to do the homework their teachers for some reason decided to give over the holiday. Akira did the same on the couch, for his bed had been taken over by a sprawled out cat. Morgana had come back at some point while they were working.

Ren was in the middle of a history question when his phone buzzed. He lifted it off the desk and saw that it was a text from Goro. 

Goro: Apologies for the late response, but I have been thinking about our celebration. Could we have it at a less populated place, perhaps? 

Ren: Why? Is there something wrong with the buffet?

Ryuji: dude, anything you say will be wrong because buffets are awesome

Goro: There’s nothing wrong with the location per se, it’s simply that I will surely get recognized there. I don’t want to ruin our special outing. 

Akira: Recognized? For what?

Goro: Oh, right. You two must not know yet, but while I am but a highschool detective, I am a moderately popular face. I have been on television a few times. 

Ann: Really? I’ve been here for a while and I didn’t know that! Must be because I don’t pay much attention to police stuff…

Ryuji: yeah, same

Ryuji: so like, are you worried you might get jumped by fangirls or somethin’?

Goro: It is a possibility, and I don’t want the evening to be spoiled because of it. 

Ann: Oh, okay! If the issue is just you being recognizable that’s an easy fix! 

Goro: How exactly?

Ann: You can get a makeover!

Akira snorted on the couch while Ren was filled with disbelief. Goro took longer than normal to respond.

Goro: Excuse me?

Ryuji: i’m def on Goro’s side, Ann what 

Akira: Wait, she might be onto something here.

Ann: Yeah! We should meet up somewhere the day of so we can change your look!

“How about here?” He heard Akira ask, and Ren stared at him incredulously. Was he seriously going along with this plan? Akira shrugged. “I don’t see any other alternative. Ann already made the reservation, and that did cost a bit by itself.”

(“You do realize that Sojiro would kick us out if the five of us just waltzed in the cafe.”) He would do it without hesitation, especially if he had customers. 

Akira’s brow creased like he hadn’t thought of that, but then he mentioned, “What about if it was just us and Goro? He shouldn’t question it then. And if it’s just a disguise, we can deal with that.”

Akira sounded confident, but Ren could see this easily becoming a mess. However, if it was their only option in order to enjoy themselves at the buffet, then it was worth a shot.

Goro: I’m not sure that I follow…

Ren: Meet up at LeBlanc before we go, Goro. Me and Akira can help with your makeover.

Goro: You can’t be serious.

Ren: Fancy food is on the line here. 

Akira: It’s too good to pass up.

Ann: Ooo, I’m so coming to that cafe too

Akira: You probably shouldn’t. The more people we have there, the meaner Sojiro gets.

Ann: Aww

Goro: I’m not getting a makeover. 

Ryuji: bro, come on

Ann: Please?

Akira: Please?

Ren: Please?

Ann: We’re gonna keep doing it until you say yes

Goro: I can simply turn off my phone. 

Ren: Just this once, Goro. No one’s going to recognize you anyway. 

Akira: And think of the starving children aka us.

Goro: …

There was a long pause there. Ren tapped his foot on the floor while Akira chewed on a pencil. Eventually-

Goro: Fine. 

Ryuji: hell yeah! it’s eatin’ time!

Ann: I can’t wait!

Ren: You won’t regret it.

Goro: Oh, I’m sure I will.

Akira: Nah.

Goro didn’t respond after that, and Ren could picture him releasing the biggest sigh known to man. It would be fine. The worst that could happen would be him getting recognized, and them spending a couple minutes showing whoever it was away. The pros outweighed the cons here.

“Well, that’s that.” Akira tossed his phone to the side, stretching his arms over his head. “I’m actually surprised we swayed him so easily.”

(“He must’ve really wanted to come too.”) It was probably a much needed break from the stress of work. Buffets were great at relieving stress. That and gaining a few pounds, but Ren wasn’t going to think about that too much. 

Ren went back to working on his assignment. He frowned after reading a question over multiple times. After knocking on the desk to get Akira’s attention, he signed, (“What did you get for number five on the history homework?”)

Akira let out a single chuckle. “Haven’t even started on that. It’s still in my bag, actually.”

Ren gave him the most unimpressed look he could muster.

“I’ll get to it! Eventually…”

“I shouldn’t be here,” was the first thing Goro said two days later when he arrived at their attic, and Ren had to admit, the detective’s unimpressed gaze rivaled his own. 

Akira wore an amused smile. “It’s not like we’re offering you drugs or something.”

“Might as well be.”

Ren rolled his eyes before gesturing to their bed, where they had laid out a few outfits for him that didn’t scream ‘prim and proper detective’. There were a few loose shirts belonging to both Ren and Akira there, along with a couple jackets and hoodies. 

Goro stepped closer to inspect them, fingers cradling his chin. 

“I seriously can’t believe this is happening,” Morgana said on top of the banister, and Akira shushed him. 

Goro picked up Ren’s blue hooded jacket, eyeing it like it was going to somehow bite him at any second. “These are washed, correct?”

Ren rolled his eyes harder that time, nodding at the detective. They lived in an attic, but they weren’t deadbeats.

“Alright, then.” Ren ignored the spark of feeling he got when Goro grabbed his white t-shirt as well. Goro looked over at them for a moment before clearing his throat. “A little privacy, please?”

Respecting his wishes, Ren turned his back and went over by the stairs. Akira did the same and placed a hand over Morgana’s eyes, who squawked in surprise. 

Ren refused to let his mind wander as he heard the rustling of clothes, and barely a minute passed before Goro called out to them. “I’m done.” 

They both faced him, and Ren had to admit, Goro honestly looked as good as he did with his regular clothing. After Goro had mentioned his tv appearances, Ren searched them up and found out that the guy adored sweater vests for some reason. Well, they worked for him, but usually a highschool student wouldn't have sweater vests be their primary clothing choice.

Here, with the somewhat baggy jacket and shirt, Goro still looked natural in them - despite pulling at the sleeves in obvious discomfort. That was part of the problem though, Goro still looked like a detective prince, and they had to fix that. 

Goro watched warily as he approached him. Ren stopped within arm’s reach, scrutinized the boy’s signature lengthy hair, and motioned for Goro to pull the hood up. He wanted to see something. 

Goro frowned but copied the action anyway, flipping the hood on top of his head. Yeah, he would still be recognizable. Getting an idea - and hoping that Goro wouldn’t kill him for this - Ren pushed the hoodie back himself and started running his fingers through hair that was much softer than he thought. 

The detective visibly tensed and looked at Ren with wide, disbelieving eyes, and Ren thanked his luck that he hadn’t been attacked yet as he rustled Goro’s formerly perfect locks. He heard Akira fail to stifle a laugh behind him. 

When he was happy with the result, Ren pulled back and inspected Goro’s now mussed mane. Almost good enough, but not quite. Hm… “Do you have a hair tie?” Ren mouthed, enunciating as well as he could. 

“A...hair tie?” Goro repeated like Ren had asked if he had a rocket launcher or a nuclear bomb. The confusion on his face was priceless. After a slow blink, Goro reached into one of his pants pockets. “I think I…”

He fished out a brown and went to tie his hair, fingers instinctively going to fix what Ren messed up, but he shook his head. “Tie. Don’t fix.”

Goro stared at his mouth and frowned deeper, pausing in his movements. After a beat, he sighed and hastily tied his hair in a low ponytail, haphazard strands of hair framing his face. Ren stared at him for probably a second too long to be considered normal before taking off his glasses and gently placing them on Goro’s face. 

Ren wasn’t even sure Goro was breathing at this point.

“Oh yeah, that’s the cherry on top.” Akira’s voice was closer, so Ren stepped to the side so he could get a good look at Goro’s ‘makeover’. “People shouldn’t recognize you right away, and you always have the hood if someone gets too close.”

It was only then that Goro stopped staring at Ren. He seemed to snap back reality, pushing the glasses further up his nose with a finger. “This...should be sufficient, if I had to say. If not-“ He gave a closed-eye smile. “-then you can’t blame me if we get cheated out of our food.”

“With you looking like that, I doubt that’ll happen,” Akira reassured, and Goro subtly shook his head like he couldn’t believe this was happening. 

“Are we good now? I wanna eat!” Morgana complained, tail flicking behind him. 

“Wait a moment.” Goro bent down to rustle through the bag he brought, pulling out a pair of slightly worn sneakers. He slid out of his nice shoes that went with his school uniform. “These would match better, don’t you think?”

Both Ren and Akira gave a thumbs up, and Morgana complained about being hungry.

Goro changed his shoes, readjusting the glasses. “It’s interesting that these don’t have any prescription in them.” Curious eyes found Ren. “Are these just for show, then?”

Ren nodded, and Akira explained, “Yeah, to make us look like innocent school boys.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Didn’t exactly work out, though.”

Goro hummed. “So that’s why you don’t wear them in the Metaverse. You’re true self doesn’t need them.”

Akira shrugged. “I guess. And Ren would’ve probably ditched his too in there if he had unlocked his persona.”

On that note, Ren started to head for the stairs because he didn’t want to be reminded of that right now. They were going out to celebrate, stuff their faces with food, and forget about the hardships of life for a good hour or two. 

He was halfway down, footsteps following him, when his phone vibrated. He checked it and instantly wanted to rewind time so the last five minutes hadn’t happened.

Akira: So...Goro huh?

Ren: No.

“Was that Ann or Ryuji?” Goro asked a few steps behind him, Ren quickly lowering the phone.

“Probably asking where we are,” Akira said from far back, and Ren nodded to go with the lie. However, dread was setting in because he could hear the smirk in his brother’s voice. 

Great.