Work Text:
For what must be the twentieth time today, Yusuke curses his luck as he dodges a shadow’s attack.
It was a restless day in Tokyo, which obviously meant changes in Mementos. There were hordes of shadows stalking the tunnels today, and a particularly bad ambush had left the Phantom Thieves scattered.
Then, to make matters worse, the Reaper just had to show up and chase him until Yusuke was forced onto a lower floor than the others.
From the snippets of conversation Yusuke managed to pick up via Necronomicon, it seemed like the others had managed to regroup and were looking for him. He just has to try his best to hold out until then.
Yusuke chuckles to himself. Easier said than done.
A fire spell comes dangerously close to striking his face.
‘ F-x… there?... -ing!”
“Oracle? Oracle? Can you hear me?” Yusuke barely has time to catch his breath as he ducks under razor-sharp claws. “Hurry, please. ”
Because the universe has decreed he’s to suffer today, the shadow that’s cornered him uses fire attacks, is immune to ice, and barely looks bothered by Yusuke’s physical attacks.
The shadow swings at him again, and Yusuke’s just a bit too slow this time. It slashes his leg and Yusuke drops to one knee. Seizing the opportunity, the shadow casts a fire spell that hits him square in the chest, throwing him backwards.
Yusuke crashes into the wall behind him, then clatters to the ground like a rag doll.
‘ F-x! H-d on… -ease! We’r… -st there!”
Yusuke tries to get up, but he can't. His whole body is screaming. The shadow fades in and out of focus as it comes closer to deal the final blow.
Then, suddenly stops its advance and lets out a blood curdling scream. It takes a moment for Yusuke’s vision to become clear enough that he can make out a figure in red that must have attacked the shadow.
“Ann?” he mumbles.
"Yusuke? Yusuke, are you alright?"
That voice…
The figure in red comes closer to him, close enough that he can make out their face. Aside from the yellow eyes, it’s the same one that lurks in the deepest part of his memory.
"Mom?" Yusuke mutters.
“Yes darling, it’s me. I’m here.” His mother’s voice is soothing.
There’s a sound of static in his ears.
“Sorry.” Yusuke mumbles
“...Fox!”
Yusuke feels tears rolling down his face. He doesn’t think he can stay awake.
Hands start running through his hair. “It’s alright sweetheart, you can sleep now. I’m right here, I’ll take care of you.”
Try as he might, Yusuke can’t keep his eyes open any longer, and succumbs to the darkness.
.
..
.
The first thing Yusuke’s aware of is someone laying him down on the ground.
“If you little brats want to try and take my son from me, then I will happily rip you apart.”
Slowly his mind starts working again, and the pieces of what happened start to slip into place.
“You wanna go? Fine.”
The relief Yusuke feels when he realizes he’s actually alive can’t be properly described— though it will certainly make for a good painting later—, but it’s very quickly drowned out when with confusion when he opens his eyes and sees his mother.
For a second Yusuke wonders if he’s still hallucinating, but the pain in his leg and chest where he was burned convinces him it’s real. Yusuke turns over— the pain’s not anywhere near as bad as before, but moving still isn’t pleasant— and sees the rest of the Phantom Thieves ready for a fight.
Yusuke’s head still feels foggy. Vaguely he realizes that the Phantom Thieves must have found him with his mother, and assumed she was the shadow who attacked him. So this is all just a misunderstanding.
Wait.
No.
His mother is dead. So that means…
This probably isn’t her.
Right?
Because why would his mother be in Mementos?
Makoto unleashes a nuclear attack that his mother(?) brushes off with ease. In turn she uses her own burst of red energy— it doesn’t look like curse, but it’s not exactly as though Yusuke’s in the best headspace to recognize spells right now— which knocks Makoto clean off of her bike.
“No. Mother, don’t.” Yusuke says. He tries to stand up, but his leg does not like that.
“Fox!” Ann shouts at the same time his mother(?) says “No sweetie, you’re still hurt.”
They turn to each other and scowl. His mother(?) starts towards his direction but Ryuji cuts her off with a lightning bolt.
“No one is taking my son from me.” his mother growls.
“I don’t know what your problem is, lady, but you’re not keeping him down here!” Futaba shouts.
Ann summons a fireball and launches at his mother, and without thinking, Yusuke reaches out.
“Stop!”
A wall of ice goes up between his mother(?) and the Phantom Thieves.
Everyone’s attention returns to him as Yusuke crawls over to the wall and leans against it to half pull, half-push himself back on his feet. “Alright. Everyone just stop. Mother, these are my friends, there’s no need for you to fight them.
The Phantom Thieves share a look.
“Fox,” Ryuji says slowly, “I’m sorry but- you know- that ain’t.”
His mother(?) starts to glow with the same red energy as before. “What are you suggesting?”
“Stop it!” Yusuke snaps. “Just… everyone please.” Yusuke tries to focus, leaning more against the wall. There has to be a way to work this out.
Yusuke turns to his mother(?) first. “If you’re really my mother then let me ask you something.” Yusuke racks his brain. What would only his mother know?
“Yusuke, you don’t trust me?” his mother(?) asks. The energy surrounding her fades slowly, and she looks like she’s trying not to cry.
“I would very much like to,” Yusuke insists, “but given how this place works, you’re more than likely an unusually hostile figment of my cognition I created when I thought I was going to die.”
Although, would something from his cognition attack his friends? Maybe she’s a shadow that’s using his cognition to create a disguise? Except, why then didn’t she kill him?
She still looks upset, but nods. “Alright, do what you must.”
They all stare at him expectantly.
Yusuke breathes in. Alright, something only his mother would know. Yusuke racks his brain for snippets of his earliest memories.
“Do you need some help?” His mother(?) asks, after he still hasn’t said anything.
“No, I’ll think of something.”
“You used to love ketchup and macaroni and cheese!” She offers.
“It doesn’t count if she comes up with the question.” Ryuji shouts.
“I know.” Yusuke says.
“Sorry, sweetheart, I was just trying to help.”
“I know, thank you.” Yusuke says. He looks at her. He’s not sure how to read her expression.
Her expression…
“Alright,” Yusuke says, “here’s one: what is the true meaning behind the Sayuri ?”
“The Sayuri ?” she repeats, tilting her head to the side and brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “I’m sorry, what are you talking about?”
Yusuke blinks. That’s... not the answer he was expecting. “Your final piece.” Yusuke clarifies slowly.
Her face lights up. “Oh that , it’s an-” Suddenly she cuts off, and frowns. “It was a piece I made for you, since I knew I would have to leave you soon. I ended up leaving you sooner than expected thanks to Ichirayusai , of course, and I never got the chance to name it. I’d obviously hope that my son would name it in my stead when you were old enough, so Yusuke, why did you choose that name for it?”
“I didn’t.” Yusuke says. “Madarame named it.”
She starts laughing. “Oh really ? Did he now? Why?”
Yusuke bites his lip.
What is going on?
She can’t be a being purely from his cognition because then she’d recognize the name Sayuri .
But she also knows that Madarame left her to die, which no one except him, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana know about.
If she somehow got that information from one of them, then she’d know about the Sayuri .
So that means...
This actually is his mother?
“Why did he name my painting for you, Yusuke?” his mother asks again, shaking Yusuke from his thoughts.
“He wanted to pass it off as his own.” Yusuke says. “He even painted over me, to make the piece more alluring.”
“He WHAT?! ” Her roar shakes the entire tunnel, and cracks start to appear along Yusuke’s ice wall.
“B-but, he’s been brought to justice!” Yusuke says quickly. He doesn’t remember every seeing his mother this angry. “Thanks to my friends,” Yusuke points to the Phantom Thieves, “we made him confess his crimes, and he’s currently in prison. So as I said before you don’t need to fight them, everything’s fine. We can all get along.”
His mother’s face softens again, more like he remembers. “Oh Yusuke, my son. The light of my life. You don’t understand. People will make you think they’re your friends. Offer you a place to stay, even a home, pretend to care about you, and then right when you’re at your highest moment, they’ll rip it out from under you for their own gains.”
The other Phantom Thieves brace themselves.
“Mother, I know what he did to you was awful, but my friends aren’t like that.” Yusuke says desperately. There has to be a way to avoid this fight.
His mother laughs. “Yusuke, you’re so sweet. I’m happy you want to trust people, really. But it’s a mother’s job to protect her child when the child doesn’t understand how the world works.”
With that, she snaps her fingers, and the wall of ice separating her and the Phantom Thieves shatters.
The Ryuji opens his mouth to cast a spell, and in a split second, Yusuke’s mother picks him up and throws him 20 feet down the tunnel, where he bounces before skidding to a stop.
“Skull!” Yusuke shouts. He tries to move towards the fight, but his body is working against him today, and he only manages to stumble forward before sinking to the ground.
“Dance, Carmen!” Ann calls out. Fire launches towards his mother, but she’s completely unfazed. With a wave of her arm, red energy crashes into Ann, sending her to the ground.
“Milady!” Haru’s persona unleashes a wave of bullets on his mother, and that actually seems to slow her down.
“She’s weak to gun skills!” Futaba announces.
Akira gives a nod, and he, Morgana, Makoto, and Haru rush his mother while she’s still dazed from the bullets.
When they’re done, his mother is still standing, but she’s even angrier than before.
With an inhuman scream she unleashes a shock wave of red energy that knocks the others to the ground, and even manages to push Necronomicon backwards.
Akira’s the only one who’s managed to dodge. The rest of Phantom Thieves are scattered on the ground, someone groaning, some distressingly still.
Akira pulls out his gun, but his mother’s too fast. In the blink of an eye, she’s smacked the gun out of Akira’s hand and single-handedly lifts him up by the neck.
Akira’s gun skids over to the ground.
It lands right in front of Yusuke.
“Mother, please. ” Yusuke begs.
Akira gasps as his mother tightens her grip on his neck. “This is for your own good, Yusuke, I’m sorry.”
“Me too. I’m so sorry.” Yusuke says. “I love you, mom.”
Yusuke picks up Akira’s gun.
He pulls the trigger.
He closes her eyes and doesn’t look at her face, terrified that it’s the same look of betrayal she wore when she collapsed to the ground and Madarame didn’t call for help.
“I’m sor-” Yusuke says, but suddenly, the pain is back, just as screaming hot as before, and Yusuke doesn’t fight it as the darkness overtakes him once again.
.
. .
.
Even in the dark, Yusuke can recognize the ceiling of Leblanc’s attic. It’s the middle of the night, and when he turns his head he can see what must be Akira sleeping on the couch he himself had used months ago. Yusuke shifts a little, and his arm brushes by something small and warm sitting on top of the comforter.
“You’re awake!” Morgana says.
“What happened?” Yusuke asks, focusing on the ceiling.
“After you passed out, we got back to the real world as quickly as possible. Akira called Takemi over, and she bandaged up your wounds. You took a real beating, so you’re going to be on bed rest for the next couple of days. How are you feeling?”
“I’d feel a lot better if it had all been a dream.” Yusuke says softly.
Silence settles on the room.
“I’m sorry.” Morgana says.
“Do you think it really was her?” Please, please tell me I was wrong , is the part he doesn’t say aloud. Let it be some wicked shadow who was trying to toy with me for the worst reasons.
“I think,” Morgana says, moving closer so that he’s closer to Yusuke’s face. “Hypothetically, if someone died, but they had powerful enough emotions at the time of death, then their shadow could linger on through sheer force of will. And given the circumstances behind her death, that could’ve been her.”
“Oh.”
“But, if that was her, then that means the two strongest things she felt at the time of her death were anger at Madarame’s betrayal, and a desire to protect her son.” Morgana says. “And I think that’s admirable.”
Yusuke doesn’t say anything, just absently starts petting Morgana.
“We’re here for you, you know.” Morgana says.
“I know.” Yusuke says, thankful Morgana either can’t see or is choosing to ignore the tears coming down his face. “Thank you.”