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Chapter Text

The first thing Makoto Yuki saw upon opening her eyes was red. The next was yellow-the bright shade of a young boy's golden eyes.

"What are you doing lying on the ground like that?" With hair as smooth as an egg and shiny as metal, Makoto likened him to an android-which was a strange thought, she supposed.

Makoto blinked dully up at him, slowly gaining awareness of her own body. She felt stiff, as though she had been stuck still for a long time. Clenching her fingers into fists felt... odd. Not bad, just unnatural. "I don't know." She told him after some time had passed in which he had waited, unperturbed and expectant. "I think I was tired."

In a fashion that mimicked Makoto's own, the boy blinked those gold eyes of his. I know those eyes. "Who are you?"

The way the boy just accepted these elongated pauses she created was abnormal. Or was it? Makoto tried calling up memories for evidence but drew a blank. All she could recall was her name and... "Is this... Mementos?" Still on the ground, she eyes the boy in askance.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Did you mean to come here?"

Makoto's eyes drifted past the boy to the swirling reds and black. This place she found herself in was... familiar in a way. She could sense other beings around- Shadows, her mind helpfully supplied. There was something else as well-a dark presence not far. The Reaper. "I think so." Not an answer. Makoto's eyes flashed back to the boy's. They reminded her of someone. "I need to... find the bottom?" There was a pounding in her head as she attempted to reach for more information within herself but the effort was annoyingly immense. With a sigh, she closed her eyes in defeat.

"That might be hard," the boy told her. "The depths are blocked. Even I can't pass."

"That's a pain." Eyes still closed, Makoto breathed deeply. The air tasted ashen.

Some time passed. Then, the boy asked once more: "Who are you?"

"Makoto Yuki." Was her answer. Not that she would have given any more information but she also genuinely could not. Cracking an eye open, she surveyed the kid once more. Comically short, he was made shorter still by how he crouched at her side.

He smiled slightly. "Okay," was all he said.

Makoto sighed. "What about you?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes. You."

His head tilted further to the side in curiosity. "Does a human usually introduce itself first before asking another for its name?"

This kid was weird. Even without memories to support this argument, Makoto was confident she was right. "I guess."

"My name is Jose. I'm looking for flowers."

Makoto twisted her head to look around. She appeared to be lying between to rails of a train track, the walls around vibrant yet resembling stones. This was not exactly the place one would expect to find avid florists. "Here?"

"Yup! I'm using them to study humans."

"Okay," Slowly, Makoto sat up. There was a shadow nearby but it did not seem interested in them.

"Say... you feel familiar. Are you here 'cause of that person?"

How vaguely put. Makoto frowned at the boy. "I don't know. I can't remember anything."

"That doesn't sound good." Finger on his chin, Jose stood. Standing, he was still about an inch shorter than Makoto who was sitting with her back hunched. "Hey! If you're willing to help me search for flowers, you can stay with me!"

"Where's that?"

"Where's what?"

Makoto sighed once more, the act a comfortingly familiar one. "Where you stay."

"Oh. Here: in Mementos."

"Uh-huh..." She nodded uncertainly.

Jose pointed behind him to a buggy, the vehicle laden with random odds and ends. "I just drive around and stay where there aren't any shadows."

"Okay," Makoto had no other options, not really. "Can you take me to where the path down is blocked?" Descending this place took an irritatingly urgent place in her mind. It nagged at her. Even when all she wanted to do was lie back down and sleep, she knew she could not.

Best to get it over with.

"Sure! I'll look for flowers on the way, show you what to look for yourself."
---------
The ride was a disgustingly boring one, Jose not one to break the silence unprompted and Makoto was loath to try herself. It was with that motivation that Makoto aimlessly searched her own person. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans, tan sneakers, a white shirt with blue accents, and a plain, black blazer. Around her neck were blue headphones, the earpieces connected by a length of wire, and a cyndrical MP3 player. The heft of it when she took it in her hand was so familiar, her brows furrowed at her frustrating inability to recall anything noteworthy.

The drive went by far swifter when she put on the headphones. The music brought back memories... like something on the tip of her tongue that she was so close to knowing yet not quite there. She tapped along with the beats and mouthed the lyrics, the words coming to her just as she heard them.

"We're here!" Jose's chirp was loud enough to interrupt the flow of music.

She turned off the MP3 player reluctantly. The music was so devastatingly familiar yet it did nothing to jog her memories.

Smiling, Jose hopped out of the car. Makoto followed at a far more leisurely pace. "Y'know, the shadows didn't bother us at all! Not that they're a problem; just strange is all."

Makoto shrugged and ambled past the kid. With tired eyes, she took in the wall blocking their progression.

"It was like they were scared of something. Was it you?"

Laying a hand on the pulsing, red barrier, Makoto could instinctively tell that the only way to open it came from outside Mementos. How she came by that knowledge, she could not say. "Maybe," She answered, dropping her hand. There was a thrumming in the back of her head, like words mumbled too quietly to understand. It was part of her however and it told her any of those shadows would be no danger to her. "Any way outside Mementos?"

"I'm sure there is! But why would you want to leave? You're supposed to be here, aren't you?"

When she shoved her hands into her pockets, she wrapped one around a small, plush doll that she found there. "I need to find a way to open the door." Turning back around, she saw Jose shifting his weight from the balls of his feet to his heels and back again, bobbing back and forth contentedly.

"It'll open eventually. Probably." Was his oh-so helpful response. "But I can take you to the start of Mementos!"

"Yeah, okay." Makoto shrugged. Something told her that leaving Mementos was not an option just yet but it could not hurt to explore what she could. "Thanks, Jose."

"You're welcome!" He spun around and loped back to his vehicle, Makoto following at a less enthusiastic rate. "Didja see those flowers floating in those funny bubbles? They're what I'm looking for! You can help me collect them."

That sounded like work but how could she refuse when he was being so helpful? "Sure."

Instead of listening to music, Makoto spent her time idly pointing out floating flowers to Jose. Partway into the drive and a decent stack of popped flora later, Jose hummed thoughtfully. "Do you feel that?" When Makoto failed to answer, he supplied: "Feels strange."

Makoto tried searching for that "strange feeling" but came back blank. There was something different in the air but she would not describe it as "strange."

Like before, their drive was unimpeded by any of Mementos' shadows. The top of the labyrinth came quickly and, with it, a rather unsettling discovery.

Jose parked his car and got out to fiddle with his flowers-turning them into drinks, according to him-and while Makoto saw what appeared to be the exit, she also caught sight of something blue.

A door, faded and ghostly see-through stood in the corner of the room. Before it stood two young girls, both pale blondes with the same gold eyes as Jose--who did not acknowledge either girl. One had dual buns, the other elaborate braiding, but both wore blue uniforms and hats reminiscent of those a prison guard might wear.

Makoto climbed out of the car and walked over to them. At first, they ignored her, but their recognition came soon and abruptly.

"What's this!" More of a shout than a question, the girl with the buns glared--or, tried. Wearing an eye-patch over her right eye lessened it's ferocity. "Justine, she's looking at us!"

"It appears so," The girl with the braid gasped. "Caroline, this must mean--"

"You have the same power as our inmate!" With a fierce stomp, Caroline interrupted the girl who was clearly her twin.

Justine's right eye (the other covered in the same manner as Caroline's own right one) roamed Makoto's person. "But it's... different. More."

"You must have already completed your rehabilitation!" Caroline surmised to Makoto's silent perplexity. "You must meet our inmate. He's hopeless! He needs all the help he can get."

"...Right." Makoto nodded to the door they stood before. "What's through there?"

"The Velvet Room, of course!" Caroline tapped her foot with the extended baton she carried. "Where our master is!"

"Unfortunately, it's form is subjective of the current guest--"

"Inmate!" Caroline corrected her sister with a huff.

"Yes," agreed Justine with a small nod. "However, this means it is not for you. We cannot allow you through without our Master's permission."

"And he won't give it!" The energetic twin informed Makoto. "He was very clear. Only the inmate is allowed through!"

"Okay," Makoto actually felt mildly repulsed when looking at the door--like staring at something slightly off but unable to put a finger on why. She had no desire to enter.

"Ah," Justine's eye slipped past Makoto. "Speaking of our inmate..."

Turning, Makoto spotted Jose finishing the transformation of a flower into a refreshing glass of... juice? "Maybe it's this one..." He mused before taking a deep sip and remarking on it's flavor.

Four figures stepped into view. All wore masks--not that the amnesiac Makoto was like to recognize them anyway. Two were blonde, one of them a girl, one had curly, dark hair, and the fourth, shorter even than Jose, had a cat tail and ears. All wore strange costume-like clothes. The girl with pigtails sported skin-tight, red leather, a feline mask, and boots that rose above her knees. The blonde boy had a skull mask and rugged clothes that seemed to match. The boy with the dark hair who stood in the middle of them all, had a long trench coat, a masquerade mask, and bright, red gloves that he promptly shoved into his pockets.

The boy with the skull theme spoke first. "Hey, what's he drinkin'?"

"Oh," Jose slipped what remained of his drink into his coat (how?) and eyed the newcomers inquisitively. "Hmmm. I thought I felt something for a second. So who're you guys?"

The cat-like creature groaned irritably. "We should be asking you that!"

"Good point." Nodding, Jose smiled. "Sorry about that. It's customary for a human to introduce itself before asking another human for its name." Eyes on the cat, Jose continued with: "Thanks for reminding me, mister... um, Tanuki? No, um... maybe, cat?"

Growing more and more irate as Jose considered, the cat practically vibrated with it. "What took so long to come up with 'cat'? And I'm not either of those!"

"Oh, hey!" The girl in red was the first to notice Makoto, blue eyes going wide behind her mask. "There's someone else!"

All eyes shifted to Makoto. She gave a small, lazy wave.

___________________________________________________

The girl was walking to them from where Justine and Caroline stood. With blue hair tied back in a loose tail that looked in danger of falling out, her right eye was covered by bangs brushed to the side in seeming laziness. Dressed plainly in a t-shirt, blazer, and jeans, she did not look all that remarkable and her most defining accessories were headphones and an old-fashioned MP3 player dangling from her neck.

"What?" Morgana let out a yowl. "How'd I miss that?"

"So much for bein' the expert." Snickered Ryuji.

"Well, of course Lady Ann noticed her. " shooting Ryuji a furious look, Morgana stressed the words, clearly implying that Ryuji was not on Ann's level.

Akira wanted to sigh. Why could they never get along?

"My name is Jose." Drawing attention back to him, the strange, small boy smiled blandly. "I'm looking for flowers. That's Makoto Yuki. She wants to get to the bottom of Mementos." Eyes still on Akira's group, Jose added: "I'm pretty surprised to see some normal humans running around. I didn't know people could just come here."

"Well, we are pretty special-Wait!" Morgana flailed his arms toward the girl called Makoto (wasn't the student council president called Makoto as well? Akira had seen her around a lot more lately.). "What about her?"

Not understanding, Jose cocked his head to the side. "I already told you; she wants to get to the bottom of Mementos."

"I think he means that she's obviously human." Ann clarified.

"Oh," Jose seemed to have genuinely not come to that conclusion himself. Akira thought it was pretty strange that he called him and his friends human while wearing such ridiculous clothes but the girl who was wearing casual attire did not immediately strike Jose as such. "I suppose she looks it."

"Wait, she's not human?" Reeling back, Ryuji's eyes darted to the girl who was still standing there silently, a bored expression on her face.

"Skull, she's right there!" Chastised Ann. Switching to her kindly persona, Ann was the first to address Makoto Yuki. "Sorry about that; he's a bit of a numb-skull-"

"Hey!" Ryuji objected.

Ann ignored him. "But I think we're all curious. I mean, you look like an ordinary teenager to me!"

"Thanks," Makoto Yuki answered noncommittally. Her voice was low and had a drawling effect. She offered nothing more than that single word.

"Uh-huh." Ann hesitated, not sure how to proceed. "Yeah." She turned her face to him, expression obviously pleading even with the mask on.

With Ann floundering and both Ryuji and Morgana far too tactless, Akira sighed internally and resigned himself to fishing for information. "So what are you?"

Makoto's lips twitched. "I think it's customary for humans to introduce themselves first." A faint glimmer of amusement filled her one, visible blue eye.

"That is correct!" Jose nodded. "Boy, to think we'd be correcting actual humans."

"Themselves," Makoto had said. Undeniably different from Jose's choice of phrasing. "You can call me Joker."

"I'm Mona!" Morgana jumped enthusiastically, eyes bright. His caution when it came to Jose was still there but decidedly lessened in regards to Makoto. Why was that? "The idiot's Skull-"

Another indignant "Hey!" from Ryuji.

"And this," Pausing for effect, Morgana thrust his arms out to dramatically indicate Ann. "Is Panther." Not that he had not already used Ann's actual name earlier...

"Makoto Yuki," Introducing herself, Makoto bobbed her head in a lazy greeting. "And I don't know."

"Don't know...?" Ryuji repeated.

Makoto shrugged. "What I am. All I know is my name."

"I found Makoto Yuki a few floors down." Jose explained. "She's lost her memories."

"You too...?" Breathed Morgana. That answered it: he felt a kinship with her. "And you want to reach the bottom too?"

"It's not that I want to." There was a grumbling edge to Makoto's voice. "It's more like... something I can't get out of my head."

Jose was quick to steer the conversation back to the topic of his flowers, Makoto fading to the background once she settled in Jose's car and put her headphones in. According to Jose, he wanted to learn more about humans and requested their help in collecting the flowers scattered throughout Mementos. In return, he offered to help them out.

Akira decided he would seek them out, if only to speak more with Makoto. Morgana was not the only one to feel a weird kinship with the girl.

"Weird kids," Ryuji said once they were gone.

Ann elbowed him. "Rude!"

"Ow, ow!" Rubbing his side, Ryuji bounced back and out of Ann's reach. "I mean, did you see what the girl had? That MP3 player is so old, it's practically ancient! My mom has one. They're from, like, 2005 or something."

"Really?" Intrigued, Ann lost her angry expression for one of more timid reflection. "Hey, Mona, do you think she has a persona?"

"I don't know." Admitting when he was ignorant was hard for Morgana. He refused to meet their eyes. "She didn't feel like anything but human to me! So... she could?"

"Another persona user?" Ryuji whistled. "Joker, do you think that's possible?"

Akira honestly had no clue. Even after defeating Kamoshida, he still did not feel like they had a firm grasp of this whole situation. "I don't know. I guess."

"It makes sense," Ann added. "It's pretty selfish to think we're the only ones to figure all this out."

"Well you are the only ones who had me to guide you!" Morgana puffed out his chest proudly.

Akira could understand that. Without Morgana helping them along, he and Ryuji probably would never have escaped Kamoshida's palace the very first time they accidentally found themselves there. "Hey, I'll just be a minute." By now, his friends were used to him walking off on his own. They had rightly connected his little forays to the corner of the room with his multiple persona usage. What they did not know was that there were two people none of them could see standing there alongside a ephemeral door.

If his hunch was right, Caroline and Justine would know more.

Chapter Text

"Here." A small box was shoved into Makoto's chest.

Makoto turned off her music (the battery never seemed to decrease which was odd but not something she would complain over) and eyed Joker through her bangs. It had been over a week since they met (according to them since she was not exactly privy to the time changing) and Joker had become a common and somewhat welcome sight within Mementos. He and his friends ran around using a vehicular alternate form of Mona's--another thing Makoto just ended up accepting without question. It was clear that they had goals but Makoto never asked much about them. She tried to stay off to the side and give Jose the floor in regards to their visits.

"What?" She did not take the box. He continued to hold it out while managing to keep from appearing awkward.

"Skull mentioned your MP3 player is a really old model." Old model or not, Makoto could not imagine being stuck here without it. Between naps and Joker's visits, there was not much to do besides laze about. The music, while ineffective in restoring her memories, was a welcome respite.

"Okay."

"So I got you a new one."

Ah. So that was what was in the box. "I can't exactly use it here." She pointed out. How would she add music to it in Mementos?

His hand finally lowered, albeit only slightly. "You have a point." She nodded in agreement. "I'll add songs myself. Do you have a preference?"

"That's..." Makoto found nothing but honesty in Joker's expression. She swallowed, eyes narrowing. "Why would you do that?"

"The leader's always doin' crap like that!" Skull interjected.

Panther gasped and whacked him. "Skull! Joker's nice, unlike someone I know and it's not crap!" Both were standing off to the side, usually content with allowing Joker to handle all business with Jose. They would talk to Makoto on occasion but were understandably wary when doing so. "Don't worry about him. Do you like Risette? I could help Joker add some songs."

Risette was not the name of any of the artists on Makoto's MP3 player but music was music. "Uh... sure? But--" She swallowed and looked back at Joker. The box had disappeared somewhere onto his person. "Why?"

Joker shrugged. "You're always listening to music. I saw this on sale and thought of you." Having only interacted with the group in Mementos, Makoto had never considered them outside these red and black walls. The fact that she existed in their minds outside this place was... well, the only word that came to mind was "heartening" but she would deny that if asked.

A smile managed to tug at her lips. "Thanks."

"Ack!" Mona jumped, looking stunned. "I should have thought of that!" Meowing his defeat, he hung his head.

"Aw, Mona, you can help with the song selection!" Offered Panther.

"For real?" Grinning, Skull's eyes flashed between Panther and Mona. "I need to pick some too!"

"Yeah!" Panther giggled. "This'll be fun, right, leader? We can all hang out and make Makoto-chan a playlist!"

Joker sighed but he still smiled. "I guess it's a whole thing now."

"Oh, oh! And we can have some of the boss's curry." Swooning, Panther's fake tail swished with her movements. They had mentioned the boss before. He was someone Joker seemed to live with or near.

"Thank you," Makoto repeated. She had a feeling whatever they ended up giving her would be ridiculously diverse. "But I can do something in return... if you ever find yourself in trouble here, just yell for me. I should be able to hear you if we're on the same floor." Makoto was familiar enough now with their presence to be able to find them anywhere on the same floor. It might be irksome to exert the effort, but she could easily come to their rescue should they need it.

"Don't worry 'bout us!" Skull flexed his muscles proudly. "We're the Phantom Thieves!" They had used the term before in reference to their goals--something about stealing a person's distorted desires. Makoto was not too sure how they went about that, Joker having mentioned a navigation app and Palaces, but she had seen them confront the twisted shadows of people from the world outside. It was an admirable task. If shadows did not flee the moment she neared, she may have tried to do something similar herself.

"Yeah!" Mona agreed with Skull. It was one of the few times that happened but both loved talking about their status as Phantom Thieves. "And we wouldn't want you to get hurt anyway."

Makoto's heart skipped a beat. She stared at Mona, lips parting slightly. Her heart continued at a normal pace but her instant reaction to Mona's concerns was worrisome. Did she recognize them? Someone had said something similar to her before, she just knew it.

"Uh..." Mona shifted uncomfortably under Makoto's intense stare.

"Mona, she can handle herself I'm sure." Lectured Panther.

"She's like me." Said Joker.

"Nya?!" Mona cried, limbs flailing. "What do you mean? Can she also summon multiple personas?"

"Wait, for real?"

"Joker, are you sure?"

Calm in the face of his team's shock, Joker nodded. "Ask her."

"I think I can." There had been no reason to really test it but after a glimpse of one of their fights, Makoto had been reminded of her own powers--or, maybe reminded was not the correct word. It was more like she had always known but had not put words to the knowledge yet. "Yeah," She corrected. The shadows feared her for a reason. Her hand drifted to her hip at the thought but there was nothing there, her fingers closed around empty air. "I can."

"That's amazing!" Cheered Mona as he hopped excitedly. "Two people with the same weird power."

"Your help would be appreciated." Joker told her. "We can sometimes get in over our heads."
-----------
I am thou, thou art I... thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh the chains of captivity. With the birth of the Universe Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.

New ability: Savior

Allows you to call Makoto to aid in combat once per trip while on the same floor within Mementos.

------------
The first call for aid came a few days later.

They were near the floor with the blocked passage down and this was the deepest Makoto had known Joker and his friends to have delved. The shadows got stronger the further one went so it stood to reason they would be taken by surprise when it came to the strength of their opponents.

"Taken by surprise" thoroughly suited the situation Makoto found them in, the group surrounded with both Mona and Panther knocked unconscious and Skull barely holding on.

Makoto's hand twitched. She reached for something that was not there but did not seem to need any way. "Persona." The word echoed around them. "Messiah!" The creature that lived within her--her other self--burst into existence with a little spin. It lifted one hand and beams of light arced down from the ceiling, crashing to the ground all around. Megidolaon. The shadows could not withstand the bombardment and were extinguished like flames blown out in the wind.

With the shadows defeated, she turned her attention to the group and cast her strongest healing spell. Messiah appeared once again, a softer light emanating from it and surrounding Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona.

"Woah," Skull stumbled but caught himself. With wide eyes, he ran his hands up and down his chest. "I feel amazing!"

Joker was helping Panther to her feet. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah," Panther blinked, looking as surprised as Skull that all her wounds had disappeared. "Great, actually."

"Mrrrowrr!" Leaping to his feet like he had never been knocked off them, Mona's eyes shone. "I've never seen healing like that!"

"So much better than you two." Snickering, Skull was prepared for once and sidestepped Panther's swing.

"Hey, hey! My persona's not built for just healing!"

"Ugh." Panther dusted herself off. "Leave it be, Mona."

Joker, satisfied that his team was healthy and hail, turned toward Makoto. "Thanks. That could have ended badly."

"Yeah, you really saved our hides!" Skull was smartly keeping his distance from Panther and Mona, the latter of which looked ready to pounce should Skull come within range. "No wonder the shadows avoid you. I thought Jose was kiddin' 'bout them stayin' away 'cause a you."

"It's fine. Be more careful." Makoto slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"Seriously, thank you." Panther's smile was always warm. "I don't know what we would have done. We're lucky you were nearby."

Makoto nodded and stepped back, hovering as they collected themselves. It would ruin all her effort if they were ambushed again.

"Hey," Joker moved to stand near her. She tilted her head his way to indicate he had her attention but kept her eyes dully cast down the hall. "Did you see the stairs on your way here? Since we're healed up, we figured we could get away with one more floor."

"The next floor is the end. There's a barrier preventing anyone from going past." Makoto did not spend all her time with Jose though it was admittedly where one would probably find her if they were looking. She often went down to stare at the imposing doors that halted her progress. It was like a compulsion, the incessant drive to delve further into Mementos. She just wanted to get it over with so it would leave her mind alone--or as alone as someone with a dozen different personas could be.

"I'd still like to see it."

So Makoto led them to the stairs she had spotted on her way to the rescue. Apparently she was in an active mood, no matter Skull's grumbling about her leisurely walking pace.

The floor looked just as it had last time, the red and black door subtly pulsing with malevolence ahead of them, the floor but a meager stretch of ground.

The difference came when Joker approached the barrier.

It groaned, dust and dirt kicked up with the force as the door ever-so slowly opened. The entire floor shook and Makoto was soon staring down a flight of stairs that lead deeper into Mementos.

He opened it. Makoto glanced at Joker. He was the inmate Caroline and Justine spoke of, the other person with the power of the wild card. They might have similar abilities but it was him that triggered progression within the dungeon. What was his connection to it? Was it caused by his actions in the real world? Whatever the case, Makoto would make sure to keep an eye on him to make sure he continued to give her ways deeper into the depths.

Makoto took to exploring further but, to her utter frustration, soon found herself facing yet another barrier she could not pass. Joker reached it within a week and Makoto made certain to be there when he did but even his presence could not encourage the doors to open. With a groan of disappointment, Makoto resigned herself once again to riding around with Jose.
----------
"Will you model for my next art piece?"

Makoto blinked owlishly at the boy with the kitsune mask. Fox, he was called, according to their swift introductions. A new member of the Phantom Thieves apparently. He had said nothing outside his initial greeting but his eyes had remained on her throughout Joker's dealings with Jose. It was an abrupt question on his part, Fox having strode up to her after Joker finished trading flowers with Jose. His finger was pointed directly at her face, a passionate flare to his eyes.

"No."

His hand fell and his mouth gaped open. "But you are the perfect foil for such a chaotic environment! They way you lie there, completely unburdened by the trials of Mementos, your entire being contrasting as beautifully with the rippling dangers! I am inspired--NO! I am awed!"

Lying on the ground by the tires of Jose's buggy with her headphones on and ankles crossed, Makoto had been close to napping. She pulled her hands away from her head and shifted slightly to sit up. "Do I need to move?" This seemed important to him.

"No, no! Lie back down, do whatever's natural!"

At his urging, she did so, clasping her hands once more behind her head. "If I don't need to do anything, then go ahead."

"Wonderful!" The boy whipped out a sketchpad and pencil.

"Uh..." Panther looked uncertain. "Are you sure, Makoto-chan? I know he can be... intense."

Makoto rolled her shoulders and shut her eyes once more. "'S fine." Fox was hardly asking for much and it gave Makoto a valid excuse to ignore Jose's insistence for more flowers.

"Yes!" Far too into it, the scratching of Fox's pencil was enthusiastic and loud. "Just like that! Like a boat peacefully sailing the eye of a storm or a butterfly aloft above whipping winds! This is it, this is my passion returning." What a strange guy.

"We'll come back for you, Fox." Joker offered but the artist, evidently far too enthused to be bothered with answering, said nothing.

"Just leave him." Urged Panther. "Urgh. Hopeless."

Makoto ended up falling asleep, only waking when Joker and his other friends noisily returned. Fox thanked her for being "the perfect model" and she waved tiredly, only falling back to sleep once they were gone.
----------

Makoto Yuki was an enigma. He, Ryuji, and Ann had searched the internet for someone who fit her description and came up blank. Her name was not exactly uncommon but all the Makoto Yukis that they found with profiles available online were nothing like the one in Mementos. They were either too old or young, male, or did not resemble her in the least. It was getting to the point that Akira started to believe her to actually be a product of the metaverse--like Morgana seemed to be.

Then Yusuke joined the group. The focus changed to Madarame and taking him down. The boxed, new MP3 player sat on his desk in his room, not forgotten. None of them had time to gather together to get the device set up--all their time spent as a group was used up in Madarame's Palace or Mementos.

Stealing Madarame's treasure came with no instant relief either because, just as it had been with Kamoshida, they were not sure if it had worked. Akira and his friends were left waiting.

This did give them time however, which Ann excitedly decided to use.

"We" she had dragged Yusuke and Ryuji to Le Blanc where she got a much warmer welcome from Sojiro than Akira even did. "Are going to do Makoto-chan's music today!"

"Oh, right!" Ryuji slid into the booth first. "I forgot all about that. Say, leader, d'you still have the MP3 player?"

"Of course he does!" Morgana hopped lithely onto the table and glowered in the feline manner of his. "He doesn't lose things like you."

"Hey! When have I ever lost anything?"

"I'm sorry." Yusuke apologized, following Ryuji into the booth despite the confusion evident on his face. "I seem to be missing something."

It took the better part of the day but they eventually filled the thing with as much music as they possibly could, the selection ranging from pop to rock, country to trance, and more. Once they had filled the playlists, the excited rush devolved into arguments over whose pick would get the coveted remaining few spots left.

The smile Makoto Yuki gave them when they presented it to her was worth it in the end. On anyone else, her smile might not have been noteworthy, but just the small curl of her mouth when she began scrolling through all the music was akin to the largest of grins on anyone else.

"Thanks." Soft-spoken, Makoto immediately plugged her headphones into the new MP3 player. She hung the new one alongside the old and looked very much prepared to turn around and go back to napping but hesitated. Makoto dropped her hand from the device and instead looked at Akira. "So... how's phantom thieving going?" It was the first time she prompted a conversation and by the frown now marring her expression, she seemed conflicted about it.

"Good," He answered, smiling in return. Hers had faded but it meant something that she was taking an interest in what they were doing. She never had before. "We just pulled off the operation in Madarame's Palace."

"But there's also Akechi." Groaned Ryuji who rarely let a conversation go by without bemoaning the detective prince's existence. "He thinks the Phantom Thieves aren't morally just! What a--what a--urgh. You can't put words on someone like that."

Makoto nodded slowly, clearly pretending to understand Ryuji's angst. The way she handled the conversation was like the average person did the topic of the weather. She stuffed her hands back in her pockets as if to mitigate the urge to grab the MP3 player and start it up. "Hey. If you guys ever need healing... you can come find me." With that, she retreated.

"Aww!" Ann cooed. "She likes us!" Ann was the first to bring up the idea of asking Makoto to join them as Phantom Thieves. That idea had been set aside in favor of helping Yusuke and stealing Madarame's heart but Akira knew it was still on Ann's mind. She wanted another girl in the group, not to mention one as useful as Makoto was proving to be.

Morgana crossed his little arms. "Of course she does. Most of use are very likable." His eyes darted pointedly to Ryuji. Their petty squabbling was even starting to grate on Akira's impressive patience.

Akira looked back at Makoto once more before leaving. She was sitting hunched against the side of Jose's care, holding the MP3 player reverently and thumbing through the library of music it possessed. A small smile was just barely visible on her lips.
------
Rank up!

New Ability: Miracle

Allows Makoto to fully heal the party health and status conditions upon a single visit within Mementos.

Chapter Text

With her name as one of the few things Makoto knew about herself, meeting someone else with it was definitely odd.

"This is Queen," Dressed in dark, skintight clothing with spiky accents, the girl Mona indicated was eyeing Makoto curiously through a smooth, metal mask.

"She's also Makoto so it's a little confusing." Panther said. "We'll have to think of a nickname."

"I don't care." Makoto shrugged, briefly giving Queen a once-over. Unlike the others, Queen had an air of collected confidence and discerning, calculating edge to her gaze. When Makoto learned that Queen fought with her fists, she paused. She felt like she knew someone else who had done the same.

"Her name is Makoto Yuki, yes?" Standing a tad to the side was Fox, elbow resting on the hilt to his katana. "Why not just refer to her as Yuki-san?"

"That's so formal, Fox!" Hovering near Joker as per usual was Skull. He had brought a bag of chips into Mementos and was snacking noisily. "Ain't we friends?"

"Well, yes, but when it comes to the simple matter of identification..."

Joker looked between them, a tilt to her head as though he was considering something. "I don't think we ever told Yuki-san our real names."

Panther let out a little gasp. "Oh, that's right!" Whirling to face Makoto, pigtails bouncing in tune with her enthusiasm, she smiled at Makoto. "Ann." She said, motioning to herself. "Ann Takamaki." Her hair bobbed as she gave a polite, little bow.

"Makoto Niijima." Queen's bow was far more formal and practiced. "Nice to meet you."

Makoto hummed but offered only a slight nod in return.

"I'm Morgana!" The cat announced. "The leader's name is Akira Kurusu and Fox is Yusuke Kitagawa."

"You can call me Ryuji Sakamato--" Whatever Skull said after was lost in a blaring headache.

Groaning, Makoto stumbled back and reached up to touch her pounding head. That name. Not the same, no, but so close... black hair, a yellow scarf, and blue-grey eyes... You'll have to kill me. The horror that welled up inside was not only a memory.

Someone was calling her name. Awareness of her surroundings gradually returned and she realized she had fallen to her knees, fingers knotted in her hair as she clutched at her head. "Oh..." The breath left her in a rush. Joker was squatting before her, hands raised and reaching for her. His dark eyes were round with concern.

"Mako-chan!" Ann, bend over Akira's shoulder, looked at her with worried, blue eyes. "Are you okay?"

"You idiot! What'd you do, Skull?" So small, Mona could only reach Skull's kneecap with a swat.

"Ow, ow! Nothin'! All I said was my name!"

"Ryoji."

Skull frowned at her. "Nooo... it's Ryu--"

"I know. It sounded like Ryoji. He was... a friend." Joker's hand landed on her shoulder and her eyes flicked briefly to his before darting away in remembrance. Had Ryoji been a friend? Makoto could call up an image of him but little else. You'll have to kill me, the memory of his voice, solemn and defeated, was crystal clear. By the feelings welling up within her, she knew she cared for him but did that make him a friend?

"Did you recall something, Yuki-san?" Yusuke asked, hovering just beyond Ann.

"Oh," Queen whispered. "That's right; you said she has amnesia."

Makoto pulled back from them, Joker's hand falling to his side. She drew herself to her feet and tried to hide her shaking. "Yeah." Her throat felt dry.

"That's great!" Ann snatched up Makoto's hand, doubtlessly feeling how it trembled. "Do you want to find him?"

Joker touched Ann's arm gently. When she glanced back, he shook his head subtly. Ann bit her lip.

"No." Makoto gingerly extricated her hand from hers. Ann's blue eyes flashed back to her face in obvious concern. "I think he's dead." The shock of her admission caused Ann to drop her hand entirely and raise it to cover a gasp.

"That is cruel." Fox mused. "To recall something so devastating before anything else."

Akira stepped around Ann. "Are you okay?" He placed a friendly hand on Makoto's shoulder, his dark eyes exuding warm and understanding.

She looked at the red glove wearily. "I'm fine."

"It's good that you're remembering things," Niijima told her. There was a kindness to her demeanor that had initially been hidden behind her composed exterior. "That could imply you will remember more."

"We could try to help!" Morgana offered.

Akira glanced back at the cat. "I don't know if that's a good idea. It clearly caused her pain."

"Yeah, 'cause the memory was a bad one!" Argued Skull.

"No," Makoto correctly lowly. She could see Ryoji's smile in her mind's eye even if she did not understand the context. "It wasn't bad." A single step back had Akira's hand falling back down. "'M fine."

Makoto had reached her limit for conversation so she put on her headphones and backed away. They seemed to understand but if they did not, she had the volume too high to hear.

Memories are ambiguous... Old ones can be replaced with new ones, creating a new reality. Ryoji's voice was stuck in her head, the words ringing in her head above even the notes of her music. She wondered why he had said such things.
------------
Wherever Makoto and Jose were in Mementos became a sort of base for the Phantom Thieves. Jose did not seem to mind as they always brought flowers with them and while Makoto did not dislike it, she would not say the opposite either.

Worse still was their habit of setting up around Makoto like they were making a big friendship circle and boxing her in so she could not escape. Sometimes they even went so far as to drag her from the relative safety of Jose's buggy to force her into joining them.

"So why don't you join us in Kaneshiro's Palace, Makoto-chan?" Niijima asked. She stumbled over the usage of her own name and ducked her head sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm not used to talking to someone with the same name. Is it weird for you as well?"

Makoto shrugged. It was odd but she had not given it too much thought outside the initial strangeness. "I can't."

"Why not?" From what Makoto could tell, Niijima had an invested interest in stealing the treasure from this Kaneshiro guy (a drug lord or mafia boss? Makoto had only half listened to their explanation). After witnessing Makoto coming to the rescue recently, Niijima had acquired a certain glint to her gaze when observing Makoto.

"Mako-chan doesn't have a cellphone." Explained Ann around a mouthful of one of Jose's cookies. Snacks during these visits were pretty common. "So no Nav." She brushed some crumbs from her chest to the ground.

Niijima blinked. She looked around, expression only growing more confused as the others nodded along with Ann's explanation. "Well... why don't you buy her one? Or test the whole close quarters double travel thing?" When no one responded, Niijima blanched. "You can't tell me no one's thought of this! Literally almost all of us traveled to a Palace the first time without the MetaNav!" Groaning, she dropped her head into her hands. She mumbled something along the lines of "I'm surrounded by idiots," but only Makoto and Akira were close enough to hear.

"Yo! That makes sense!" Skull's eyes were wide. In his lap was a huge stack of cookies. Jose could seemingly pull them from his pockets like he was performing a magic act and Skull had been overjoyed by this discovery. "I mean, Panther, Fox, and Queen were all dragged in accidentally."

"You were too, Skull. By mine." Akira sat to Niijima's right, Makoto on her left. Makoto had noticed the two had formed an easy camaraderie, perhaps due to being the two most competent members of the Phantom Thieves.

"Oh, right. That's true!"

"So you're saying we should try bringing Yuki-san with us when we next visit Kaneshiro's Palace." Yusuke was nodding thoughtfully. He had mentioned off-hand earlier that he had finished his painting that involved Makoto as a model and was in the process of having it submitted to an art show. Apparently Akira had told him that it was rude to submit her likeness without her permission. It was a bit too late to seek it but he had. Makoto only said "Whatever." which he took to be granting permission.

"How would that work though?" Cocking her head cutely to the side, Ann lifted one curious finger to her chin. "We've never jumped from Mementos to a Palace before."

"We could bring her to the real world!" Sneaky as the cat he was, Morgana had sat next to Ann and was slowly inching closer when he thought no one was looking. Unbeknownst to him, Ann was slowly shifting away from him as well. "Joker, you already have Fox staying with you. Why not Mako-chan?"

Akira's back went ramrod straight, his eyes going wide and darting from Morgana to Makoto and back again. He ultimately had no chance to say anything if he even intended to.

"No." Makoto shut down that line of thought with more steel to her tone than she meant to. At their surprised look, she explained: "I need to get to the bottom of Mementos. Just the thought of leaving makes me sick." It was true. She had not even eaten one of Jose's cookies and her stomach was roiling. Even with the caveat that leaving might aid her journey down her mind was not quelled. It was like alarms blaring in her head warning her against doing anything remotely similar to what they were suggesting.

"You've mentioned before that you don't actually want to go to the bottom but that you have to." Joker was watching her curiously, whatever emotion had caused his eyes to widen earlier gone.

"That sounds like a psychological compulsion." Niijima was looking Makoto's way but her eyes were distant and narrowed with thoughts swirling behind them. "You don't remember why you need to descend?"

"No," Compulsion or not, Makoto felt wholly uncomfortable with leaving. The sensation that wound throughout her body at the thought was bad enough that she actually found herself preferring to remain in Mementos, never mind her lack of genuine interest in the place.

"So you're sayin'--what? Mako-chan was hypnotized?" Skull's voice cracked and he gasped in a dramatic fashion. This got a giggle from Morgana who used avoiding the resulting attack from Skull as an excuse to closer still to Ann.

Niijima shook her head. "I don't know about that but there are a lot of studies that show even amnesiacs experience the same emotional reactions they felt prior to losing their memory. It doesn't happen in all cases, but... maybe before Makoto-chan lost her memories, she really wanted to reach the bottom of Mementos?"

"Then she might still feel like she has to." Akira surmised.

"Exactly," Niijima nodded. "Which could lead to a compulsion." She gave Makoto a hesitant smile. "It's okay. Don't force yourself. I'm sure we can handle it ourselves."

Makoto decided that Niijima was a compassionate person. "Thank you." With enough effort, Makoto potentially could leave Mementos--urgh! Just the thought raised goosebumps. Still, she likely could eventually, given enough reason, but she genuinely believed the Phantom Thieves to be perfectly capable without her.

"Hmm... this is all very interesting speculation." In the same breath, Yusuke looked to Skull and asked: "May I have a cookie?"

"Sure, dude."

In the same moment that Skull went to hand over the cookie, Morgana edged close enough to Ann to cause her to yelp and jump, jostling Skull's stretching arm. The cookie went flying, careening far past Yusuke and breaking into a dozen pieces.

"What devastation." Yusuke moaned, crawling over to the fallen dessert. "How cruel, to be ended so callously."

"Mona! Stop it!" Ann climbed to her feet and threw her hands in the air. "You can't sit next to me anymore. Look what you did to Yusuke!" She thrust a hand at the boy in question who had gathered up all the crumbs and was cradling them with passionate tears in his eyes.

"But it was Skull!" Morgana whined. "I didn't do anything."

Skull was oblivious to being blamed. He had gotten up to console Yusuke. "Hey, man, it's okay. Here's another one." He tried offering another cookie.

"Nay. It is fate! The sweet anguish has come to inspire me in my creative need." Whirling around, Yusuke nearly knocked Skull over. "Joker! You must accompany me once more. I must flesh out the ideas this event has inspired."

"Yusuke," Sounding very much like a parent trying to delicately correct a child's errant ways, Akira paused before saying more. "Don't tell me you'll be painting a cookie as your next subject."

"But of course!" Yusuke held out the remains of his cookie. Some crumbs slipped through his fingers. "Do you not see the potential ripe within this scene?"

"Great," Makoto said dryly, not expecting everyone to hush and listen. "From me to a broken cookie. I feel so honored."

There was a silence. "Was that..." Akira looked baffled. "Was that a joke?"

Makoto stiffened and looked down at her feet. "I guess."

He was the first to break out in laughter but soon everyone was joining in. Even Makoto allowed a brief smile.

It had not been a very good joke.
------
Rank Up!

New Ability: Rest

When visiting Makoto, the option to rest restores a small amount of SP.
-------
"Thank you for helping with this." The smell of coffee wafted throughout LeBlanc. Sojiro had made both Akira and Yusuke a cup before going back to watching TV and waiting for customers. "Any of my other pieces were under sensei's name and therefore all potential buyers went through him."

The text from Yusuke had come late the night before. Apparently, he had been contacted by someone very interested in one of his pieces. He had asked the buyer to meet him at LeBlanc to discuss.

"I admit, after the disappointing reviews on Desire, I had expected very little"

"But this is the other painting, right?"

"Yes. Peace in Chaos, the one Yuki-san modeled for."

Akira had seen the finished product a week or so ago and had to admit that it had turned out far better than he expected. The image of Makoto napping with her blue hair spread out and surrounded by the reds and blacks of Mementos was a striking one and one that Akira had felt his eyes repeatedly drawn to. When he had brought it up to Yusuke that he should have asked Makoto for permission to send it out to the world, Akira's thoughts had not exactly been on Makoto's feelings. He had known the strange girl would not have cared. Akira did not exactly know what had prompted him to say anything. Yusuke had been particularly proud of the painting, rushing to add the piece to the same art show as Desire and Akira's advice had been too late anyway. "Do you think it's okay to sell a picture of Yuki-san without her permission?"

"Oh." Yusuke's eyes went wide. "You are right, leader!" He lifted a fist and dramatically shook it. "I must tell the buyer I cannot--"

"Or that you need to ask the model before finalizing?" Akira knew Makoto would not care. There was not much that seemed to affect her. The idea of someone actually buying a physical image of her just... well, it unsettled him somehow. Regardless, some money in his pocket would do Yusuke some good--or, more accurately, Akira who always ended up footing the bill.

Yusuke sighed and relaxed back into the booth. They sat beside one another to give room to the buyer on the other side and faced the door. "You're right of course. Your advice is invaluable as always."

It was not long before the bell chimed to announce the entrance of a young woman. With light, blue hair styled in an over-the-shoulder braid, big, expressive eyes, and a smile already on her lips. She gave off an immediate friendly persona and was very much not the person Akira had been expecting. "Hello!" She quickly zeroed in on Yusuke and Akira--likely due to them being the sole patrons in the cafe. "Are you Yusuke Kitagawa, the artist?"

"Ah, yes, that is me." Yusuke stood to offer his hand.

"Fuuka Yamagishi!" She shook his hand pleasantly and nearly tripped on her way into the booth. For someone clearly so young, she was dressed impeccably in a pencil skirt, flowery, blue blouse, and blazer. "It's wonderful to meet you. Let me just say that I find your work absolutely beautiful."

"Much appreciated." Yusuke slid back into his spot beside Akira. "This is why you contacted me, correct?"

"No. Well, yes, but I'm merely a representative of my boss. And, uh..." Her eyes shifted to Akira. "Uh, sorry. I don't believe we've met."

"This is Akira Kurusu, a friend I asked to be here. I hope that's no problem?" Wow, Yusuke. Akira had never thought he had this much tact in conversations.

"No problem at all! I was merely curious." Fuuka giggled. "It is nice to meet you as well, Kurusu-san."

"You also, Yamagishi-san."

She nodded pleasantly. "As I was saying, I represent my boss, the Head of the Kirijo Group, Mitsuru Kirijo."

"Th-the Kirijo Group?" Yusuke sputtered out. Even Akira was reeling back in shock at the proclamation. His phone buzzed in his pocket, likely Ann complaining about Morgana following her for the day, but he focused on the matter at hand. "That is--well, forgive me but unbelievable."

Everyone knew the Kirijo Group. Their name was associated with practically every technological achievement in the past few decades and a household name when it came to every-day technology like phones or laptops. Akira personally recalled their name being bandied about a few years back when Naoto Shirogane, a prodigal detective in much the same vein as Akechi, was teamed up with an android developed by the Kirijo Group when working with police for several cases.

Fuuka set her bag on the booth beside her and withdrew a folder and lanyard. "I imagine not!" She agreed amicably. "Mitsuru is not known for her public appearances." She spoke very informally regarding the Head of perhaps one of the most powerful companies in Japan--if not the whole world. "This is my work ID." Attached to the lanyard she sat down was indeed such an ID with an image of Fuuka smiling shyly into the camera. This Kirijo Group label was prominent at the bottom. "And this..." From the folder came a check. "Is for a purchase of your painting, Peace in Chaos, and all associated trademarks in regards to the image."

There were quite a number of zeroes on the check--so many in fact that they nearly did not all fit. The name signed at the bottom read Mitsuru Kirijo.

"This is--this is a fortune." Yusuke pulled back from the check as though not believing his eyes. Akira did not quite believe his either. If Morgana had not gone out with Ann for the day, the cat would have been meowing up a storm over the potential riches.

"A small one," Fuuka flipped the folder open to reveal a short stack of papers. "I have all the necessary documents here."

Yusuke took up the pages and skimmed through them quickly." This... 'ownership of the image and all relating material'?" Fuuka nodded at his query. "That's not possible."

Fuuka frowned but it was more from puzzlement than anything else. "I'm sorry? Of course it is."

"But this specifically states the image to include the face of the subject."

"Yes? It is not unheard of."

"But not legal when I had a model."

This gave her pause. "Y-you did?" Why the stutter?

"I did." Yusuke answered. "The image is based on a friend of ours who was kind enough to model. It is not a fabrication on my own part. I could agree to most of these terms, for instance complete ownership of the painting as a whole--but the face incorporated is not mine to give."

"That is... well," Fuuka seemed momentarily stumped. "You see, the girl in the painting bears a striking resemblance to a friend of ours from high school." "Ours," she said. This made her use of Kirijo's given name more understandable--they must have been friends for some time. "She sadly passed away some years ago."

"And that is why you are so interested in the painting," Yusuke determined. "I would be interested in a sale should some amendments be made." He laid the papers back down gingerly.

"Of course!I will return to Mitsuru and you can expect me to contact you once more." Fuuka moved to stand after collecting all her papers. She hesitated. "Only... may I ask for the model's name?" When Yusuke hesitate, Fuuka added: "Our friend lost her parents at a young age and was lead to believe she had no family but for someone to resemble her so strongly..."

Akira spoke up for the first time. "We'd need to ask her before giving out her name."

Fuuka's smile was sad. "Understandable. I hope to see you soon, Kitagawa-san. It was lovely meeting you both." When she left, her shoulders were notably stiff but by her tone, Akira knew it was not from irritation. Was she that disappointed?

Once she was gone, Akira whipped out his phone. It was not a text as he had expected.

"Ah, well, hopefully it goes better next time." Yusuke relaxed back in his seat. "Leader, do you think we could head to Mementos sometime soon? I know we are currently dealing with Alibaba but I would like to speak to Yuki-san before Yamagishi-san contacts me again... Leader?"

Akira stared at his phone. He set it down on the table and turned it so Yusuke could see.

He gasped. "Is this...?"

"For real?" Akira's lips twitched. "Yes."

The name Mitsuru Kirijo had gotten a reaction in the MetaNav.

Chapter Text

The school trip came upon them suddenly--or, at least, it appeared that way to Akira. Futaba had joined the Phantom Thieves as an excellent navigator within her own Palace and was eager to prove herself but with everyone splitting up, Mementos and any more Palaces would need to wait.

Before leaving, Akira had had one major request for Futaba. "Hey," He stopped by her house after school and found her, as expected, in her room hunched before her computer.

"Leader!" She swiveled around and grinned. "What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping for a favor."

"'Favor'? What do I get in return?" Her cheshire-cat grin was down-right devious.

"Nothing. It's for the Phantom Thieves."

"Yeah?" She quirked a brow. "So why're you coming to me here instead of calling a meeting?"

"Can't call a meeting." He had thought about it. "Everyone's getting ready for their school trips."

She aimed a finger his way. "Point. Okay, so what's up." Shifting in her seat, she moved the chair back and forth like an excited puppy.

"A little bit ago, Yusuke sold a painting to a representative of Mitsuru Kirijo." As she had promised, Fuuka Yamagishi was quick to get back into contact with them. Strangely, on their next meeting, she had not brought up the subject of the model once. Akira had been positive she would have.

"Oooh. Spicy. Seriously, the Kirijo Group?" Futaba leaned forward, stilling in her chair.

"Seems it. Thing is, the name Mitsuru Kirijo reacted on the MetaNav."

To that, Futaba's enthusiastic vibrating halted. "You serious?" A gasp. "You're serious!"

"And we can't exactly do anything about it without knowing the other two code words."

"And the famous Mitsuru Kirijo is famously private." Futaba nodded understandingly. "You want me to hack the Kirijo Group to see what I can find? The same group responsible for more than half of the cyber security in the world and contracted out to protect government secrets? That Kirijo Group?"

"Can you do it?" Maybe she would find something on the "old friend" Fuuka had mentioned. If she was connected in any way to Makoto, they might discover something about the girl's past.

"Of course I can. Don't you doubt me!" She tapped the arm to her computer chair and smiled cheekily. "Bu-ut, it won't be like Medjed. Medjed tried using my own tricks against me--amateurish, really, and the guy they got leading security at Kirijo is pretty well known to hackers--well, known for being unknown, if you know what I mean. I've tested Kirijo before and they have some serious firepower--way more than they shill out to clients, I know that for a fact."

"But you can do it."

Futaba scoffed. "Like I said: don't doubt me. No cyber security is strong enough to keep me out--not forever. But it won't be as quick as Medjed."

"That's fine; we can't exactly do anything right now with the school trips."

"Gives me something to do while you guys are all having fun." Futaba resumed twisting in her seat to keep it wobbling back and forth.

"Speaking of, I can't bring Morgana." Hiding a cat daily was not exactly difficult but hiding one on a flight to Hawaii and back again would be impossible.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. But as soon as you get back you're taking me to this Mementos place! You always talk about that weird girl stuck there. I need to meet her."

Akira forced down the flush that threatened to heat his cheeks. "I do not always talk about her."

"No, but you want to." Futaba waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "C'mon, this interest in the Kirijo is because you don't want a creep owning a picture of her. Just admit it." He did not recall telling her which painting Kirijo had bought but evidently she had already known about it.

"Yuki-san is a friend."

"That line is in, like, every otome game."

"Life isn't an otome game."

"Sure it is! You're constantly increasing friendship with gifts and visits and picking the right dialogue choices in conversations." Futaba positively cackled with delight when Akira's face reddened. "Have you tried bringing her flowers? Or sweets like cookies?"

"I bring flowers to the guy who gives her cookies."

Futaba blanched. "You're so bad at this."

Akira sighed. "I don't need to be good at anything."

"Maybe try bringing flowers to her."

"Futaba."

"How innocent are you? This game I have is perfect for you but can you handle a few sex scenes?"

"Futaba." This was getting ridiculous. He liked Makoto, sure, but he liked all of his friends. Besides, between Ryoji, her "maybe friend" and the rabbit doll he would sometimes catch her playing with, Akira had a feeling Makoto had someone else even if she could not remember. So what if his heart clenched at the thought? He would be sad if any of his friends could not remember their significant other! "The Kirijo Group"

"Yeah, yeah. It'll take time, but I'll get it done. Oh, and the cat can stay with me too."

----------

"Look, you don't need to call me every day." The sound of the clacking of computer keys was louder than Futaba's voice. Likely she had put her phone on speaker and set it on her desk. "My answer hasn't changed: I'm working on it. I told you this wouldn't be as quick as Medjed."

Akira was in his hotel room alone, everyone else having run off for some fun. Niijima and Ann had gone to watch a local cultural dance show while Mishima, Ryuji, and Yusuke (having somehow found himself on the same school trip with his own school) had gone to the beach.

He just could not stop thinking about Kirijo. Someone with a Palace had twisted desires--even Futaba, who had had one of her own, would attest to that and outside Futaba, every Palace had been home to the worst kind of people. Futaba seemed to be the exception, her depression and anxiety focused inward rather that distorting the world around her. Odds were, Kirijo was as bad as the rest and she owned a picture of Makoto. What would a twisted mind want with something like that?

"I know," Akira forced nonchalance into his voice. Futaba was smart; she likely already realized he was obsessing, but he did not need to make it painfully obvious. "But I figured you might be lonely."

"Mmhm." She sounded far from convinced. "Y'know, we have a group chat, right? You're in it. We all text, like, constantly."

"What about Morgana? How's he?"

"He's fine. Not here right now though. I think he gets bored since I'm on the computer all the time." She paused, the clacking keys growing fiercer, and grumbled something in irritation. "This is some serious protection the Kirijo Group has. Makes you wonder what they're hiding."

"How's it going?"

"Annoying." Futaba grunted the word. "If I wasn't one hundred percent positive that it's impossible for them to have detected me so far much less trace me, I'd wonder if they somehow broke into my room--which I never leave--and bugged it." She snickered. "Like I did yours. Whatever algorithms they have going just, like, expects my next move and moves against it."

Akira had never heard her sound annoyed when it came to hacking. "Are you sure--?"

"Positive! No normal human can keep me out. This is just 3D chess and I don't lose."

"Just don't get caught." Sojiro would kill him.

"If I wanted to brute force and raise all the alarms, I could. I am being careful, leader."

Akira moved to the small balcony to his assigned hotel room. The sun was setting but he felt far from being tired.

"Hey, leader, I know you're worried about mystery lady and all but it's just a picture."

"I know that." No point in hiding his fears if Futaba already figured it out. "I just..." Words failed him. How could he possibly explain the roiling mix of emotions he felt if he hardly understood it himself? "I can't help thinking about it."

Futaba sighed and was silent, only the constant, irregular tapping of the keyboard telling him that she had not hung up or left. Finally, she spoke: "I get it. You worry. You do whatever you can when you can and right now you feel useless, right? Hey, it's cheesy and annoying but I might not be here if you weren't the way you are." Akira felt his chest constrict. Futaba had avoided talking about her spiraling depression since her heart had been stolen. He understood that she wanted a clean slate and was more than willing to give that to her to the best of his ability. "But your weird, little Metaverse lady is fine. She's stuck there, right? And we're the only ones who can go there. So take a breather. You're on vacation!"

"Thanks, Futaba." He told her softly. "I appreciate it."

"'Course you do!" Akira could see her wide grin in his mind's eye as clear as day. "And if you're so obsessed, just go visit her. You're probably so focused on this because you haven't gone to Mementos in a while."

Visit her? Could he? His phone felt heavy in his hand as he considered. The MetaNav was right there. It did not disappear the moment he left the country.

"Okay. Yeah. That's a good idea. Thanks, Futaba."

Her laugh rang through the receiver. "I'd say 'anytime' but, seriously, stop calling me. I'll contact you with any updates."

------

Going alone into Mementos was strange. He knew he would be unable to delve deep enough by himself to find Makoto and Jose but...

"Makoto!" He called. Whenever he called for her in Mementos, he used her given name. Why, he could not say. Maybe because if felt more personal but once he was faced with her... being too informal felt uncomfortable.

He stood there awkwardly at the entrance to Mementos, waiting for... he did not even know what. Makoto would not hear him, not when she was always so far down within Mementos' depths. Trying to go it alone was just plain stupid so he could not try to find her himself.

Akira waited though. Even as he silently reminded himself that waiting was pointless, he did so anyway. Over in the corner, Caroline and Justine eyes him curiously but he avoided looking their way, not in the mood to deal with Caroline's teasing.

He did not know what he expected but he waited for some time. It was a vain hope and one he did not entirely comprehend.

With a sigh, Akira turned to leave. He was just about to return to the real world when he heard a soft voice call out his name.

"Akira?" Behind him, entering the room, was none other than Makoto Yuki. One hand was in her pocket, the other raised to cover a yawn. She approached slowly but had doubtlessly hurried to be here because without a vehicle, traversing Mementos was not exactly a swift process. Seeing her there had his heart thump almost painfully in his chest. What kind of reaction was that? "You called?" She prompted with a frown when all he did was stare.

"I just wanted to see you." He blurted out and immediately regretted his words. Makoto said nothing, just yawned once more and ambled closer. Her hair was untied and a bit of a mess, her eyes dragging with exhaustion, and her steps sluggish. Had he interrupted her sleep? It was late (in Hawaii) and even Akira was tired but Makoto had never mentioned feeling the effects of time passing despite taking more naps than the average cat. "I mean, I'm surprised you heard me."

Makoto arched a blue brow for only a moment before dropping it--the only evidence that she found something curious in what he said because she was not about to address it. "I heard you," She confirmed. "I've been hearing you further away lately." Something in her tone implied the unsaid: "Never this far though."

"It's been a while since we saw you." Futaba posing as Alibaba, Medjed, Yusuke's sale, and Futaba's Palace in general had taken up the majority of the Phantom Thieves' time. Then with the school trips and Futaba looking into Kirijo, it would be longer still before they entered Mementos. "Can you tell? How does time work here?"

"I can tell." A few inches shorter than Akira in general, the way Makoto slouched only proved to emphasize the height disparity between them. Looking at her standing only a few feet before him, she was so small. It was hard to believe that she was capable of the power she exhibited when coming to their aid.

"You can?" A pang of sympathy rushed through him. Jose was some company at least but imagining Makoto stuck in Mementos surrounded by only shadows and the depravity of humankind was uncomfortable. It reminded him of Yusuke's painting, in truth. Was that what the artist saw when he looked at Makoto, someone unaffected by the hellish landscape that acted as her jail?

She shrugged and reached up to absently brush her bangs aside. They immediately fell back down but the brief unhindered glimpse of both her eyes solely focused on him was admittedly a nice one. "Sort of. I don't think time flows normally but after a while I can feel you haven't entered for some time."

"We're on a school trip now." If she could hear him anywhere in Mementos, he would try to visit more often. "In Hawaii."

"Hawaii? Where is that?" The way she cocked her head curiously to the side was cute.

Akira stilled at that thought and had to shake himself out of it. "It's an archipelago and part of the United States."

Makoto nodded slowly. She lowered herself to the ground. A motion with her hand encouraged him to do the same. "I don't really remember the outside world." She admitted in a subdued voice. "Sometimes I get... flashes."

"Like Ryoji?" Was that a flinch?

"Yeah." Her tone grew dejected, hunch far more pronounced. "Like Ryoji."

"I'm sorry." Akira shifted slightly closer, tempted to reach out in an act of comfort. Why did he need to bring up something so obviously painful for her? "Were you two close?" He could not seem to resist trying to gain more information.

She hesitated but by the way her eyes flickered, it was from questioning her own answer. "I can't remember much. It's confusing. Sometimes I feel like I knew him most of my life. Then I think I hardly did." Lifting her head, she smiled thinly. "But what is Hawaii like?"

"Hot and wet and everyone speaks English." Akira could take a hint. It was clear to him that she was changing the subject. "Luckily we have Ann to translate when it's too much." He crossed his ankles and leaned back, observing her expression. Her eyes grew brighter with the topic change. "Honestly, I feel more comfortable here." He nodded to indicated their surroundings.

Her lips twitched. "I do, too."

Akira smirked. "How would you know? You haven't ever left!"

"I've gotten weirdly comfortable here and it's kinda the only reality I know." The curve to her mouth was not exactly a smile.

He laughed quietly. "I guess that makes sense." Would she enjoy the outside world? Imagining her there was a strange thought but far from a bad one. The Phantom Thieves already considered her a friend but if she could join them outside, her status as essentially a member of their group would be solidified. But the question of where she would stay remained. Akira recalled Morgana's suggestion that she stay at LeBlanc and the idea... he quickly dismissed it, his thoughts going down a road he did not need.

"Niijima brought up leaving." Makoto plucked at the fold to her pocket aimlessly. "I think I could. If I tried hard enough."

The way her face paled at the admission was telling. "Don't force yourself." Niijima had helped Akira research psychological compulsions after determining the cause for Makoto's unwillingness to try to leave Mementos. Apparently it can be very traumatic to force yourself to act against such a thing. Gradual exposure was best. "That's probably not a good idea."

Her blue eyes were a deep color but in Mementos the shade stood out as brilliantly as though they shone. "Since descending so far in Mementos," Those eyes of hers flicked about, briefly landing on the Velvet room door and its attendants before returning to Akira's face. "Just going up takes effort." She said the word like it was the crudest expletive she would fathom.

"But we're at the entrance now."

Makoto blinked slowly, then nodded. "You called."

The admission sent a flush of warmth through Akira. "You didn't have to come." She had though and that meant something. Emotions were difficult to discern in regards to Makoto but he thought he was beginning to understand. "But I'm glad you did. Everyone else is happy to enjoy the vacation but I just can't."

"And I don't enjoy anything." There was a spark of amusement in her eyes. "So you came here."

He laughed. "I guess." Makoto's smirk was short-lived and sudden but undeniable. When it faded, she looked away as though to hide the reaction. "But it's been a while. I missed you." He tried to instill the confession with and air of ambivalent confidence.

"It's different seeing you alone," she chose not to comment on his reasoning.

"I can come more often, help you deal with your compulsion." If she could consistently fight it to join him at the entrance to Mementos, she might be able to take a step further eventually.

Elbows on her knees, she laid her head in her hands and looked up at him through her bangs. "What's the point?"

"I'm opening the doors further into Mementos." He knew she kept that in mind. Makoto never failed to show up when he reached the next barrier. "It's obviously because of what we're doing outside." The exact reasoning was lost to him but the correlation could not be refuted. "You could help, make it go faster."

She smiled and sluggishly rose to her feet. "Fine. Come visit me again." Head turning to the side, she observed the stairs down. "I think I've reached the extent of my stay here now."

Akira watched her go and stared at the stairs she had disappeared down for longer than he should have. With a sigh, he got up and left the opposite way.

--------

Rank up!

New Ability: Prayer

Makoto can now come to your aid from anywhere in Mementos.

--------

Some time had passed since Akira's initial visit. Makoto had been surprised to find that he went out of his way to see her in Mementos. According to him, about a week passed before the whole group managed to make it together.

"Woah," the Phantom Thieves rushed into the little hole Makoto and Jose had stopped in, weapons raised. A girl with orange hair and a futuristic suit with bright, green highlights immediately made a beeline for Makoto. "What, do you, like, power grind or something?" She pointed an accusatory finger into Makoto's face, close enough to brush her nose should she move even a milimeter.

Makoto, seated cross-legged atop Jose's buggy, slowly lowered her MP3 player she had been fiddling with. Following the line of the finger in her face to the green goggles of the stranger, she deadpanned: "Personal space."

Everyone else scurried behind the girl. Skull was the first to speak. "What? Oracle! This is Mako-chan and Jose!" He lowered his weapon and threw a hand in the air.

"I do not see this 'powerful enemy' you mentioned." Yusuke, katana still drawn but pointed down, cast his gaze about the area.

Ignoring them, the girl dropped her hand only to crowd into Makoto's space. "You're some type of uber-leveled secret boss, aren't you?"

Makoto blinked slowly. "Personal space." She repeated.

Akira stepped between them, gently shoving the girl aside. He offered Makoto an apologetic smile. "Yuki-san, Futaba. Futaba, Yuki-san. We've mentioned her." Makoto had not heard of Futaba so it was she who had heard of her.

"Only a little bit." Swatting at the hand keeping her at bay, Futaba stepped around Akira to lean against the buggy. "Cat, weren't you the navigator before me? How could you not sense this?"

Still staring, Makoto slowly reached to her side for one of Jose's cookies and raised it for a bite. Jose, used to the disruptions the Phantom Thieves caused, just sighed and continued mixing drinks a little off to the side.

"Hey! My persona's not built for that! I'm all-rounded!" Morgana howled. "And I'm not a cat!"

"But, Oracle," Panther inched closer. She shot Makoto a smile in greeting but quickly returned her attention to whatever it was she found more pressing. "We thought we were running into a really strong fight!"

"Unless..." Niijima's eyes roamed over Futaba's face before drifting to Makoto. "It is Mako-chan?"

Still standing before Makoto, the twitch Akira made was quite noticeable. His dark eyes met Makoto's and were full of questions.

Makoto was not one for answers. She quietly chewed on her cookie.

"Her stats are crazy." Futaba confirmed. "Like game-breaking crazy. Can I glitch? Is this a glitch?"

Niijima sighed. "I don't think you can glitch, Oracle."

Futaba spun to point a finger at the other Makoto. "But do you know that?" Unlike Ann and Niijima, Futaba had her hair loosely flowing down her back. It was not particularly a style one would sport in battle.

Eyes tired, Niijima shrugged. "I guess not."

Throwing her hands up, Futaba faced Makoto once more. "Nice to meet you and all that. I saw that painting of you--not in person, it was on that art gallery website Inari submitted it to. Anyway, you're much smaller than I thought you'd be." Makoto only half paid attention to the stream of words leaving the girl's mouth. "So I hear you're stuck here."

"I guess." Makoto answered around a mouth full.

"Hmm." Futaba had a frown on her face that told Makoto she was squinting suspiciously. "If you have no memory, why don't I try finding you in the real world?"

Akira's eyes lit up. "If anyone can, it'd be you, Futaba."

There was a hint of red on the redhead's cheeks. "Obviously." She mumbled. Gathering her wits, she added: "But I need to finish your other request first, leader."

"But we are here for a reason." Niijima pointed out. "Not that seeing you isn't always nice, Mako-chan. It's been quite some time and I'm glad you appear to be doing well."

"It'e been too long!" Skull rushed forward and nudged Makoto's arm playfully. Akira's eyes fixed on the physical contact. "How ya doin', Mako-chan? We missed ya! Wish you coulda come with to Hawaii!"

"Oooh! That would have been so much fun." Ann nodded happily. "Mako-chan, I need to show you pictures later! The sunset was so pretty."

"Hawaii did give me many ideas for my next project." Yusuke added. "But it has been too long, Yuki-san. How are you?"

"I'm fine." She did not mention Akira's repeated visits but her eyes did drift to him. So did Futaba's, a cheeky grin spreading across her face.

"Short as always, Mako-chan." Morgana nodded along, hopping onto the buggy to stand beside her. The crowd of them was getting oppressive and Makoto stilled, not entirely sure where her eyes should be. They found Akira's and that acted as some comfort. "But you can't have been happy being here alone. We're back now, though, so don't worry!"

Akira elbowed Skull. "Why don't you grab some cookies from Jose? Looks like we'll be here a while."

"Cookies?" Futaba shoved away from the buggy.

"Oh yeah! C'mon!" Skull darted over to Jose who sighed. He was tailed by Futaba and Ann.

When they left, Makoto was only surrounded by Morgana, Akira, Yusuke, and Niijima. She shot Akira a grateful look. Or, as much of one as she could muster. He seemed to understand if his slight nod was any indication.

"Don't get too many!" Niijima called after them. "We do have that Phansite request to complete. I don't want you guys complaining about you stomachs later."

"It's fine." Akira rested a hip against the buggy. "We didn't have much time to talk before rushing in here anyway."

"Right," Niijima nodded. "With Futaba's Palace handled, we need to discuss our next move."

"And whether or not to go after Okumura or Kirijo--" At the second name, Makoto stiffened. "--Both are hits on the Nav." Yusuke had his arms crossed, katana once more safely confined in its sheath.

"I know you want to go after Kirijo, leader," Niijima's expression (what could be seen of it through her mask anyway) was sympathetic. "But the fact is that Okumura is the top request by far on the Phansite. People hate him and want his heart stolen. Kirijo has not even been mentioned on the site once."

"I know the name Kirijo." Makoto revealed slowly, wracking her brain for more information. Ice, came to mind. Empress.

While Akira looked at her sharply, neither Niijima nor Yusuke seemed concerned. "Everyone does." Yusuke told her. "It is not so surprising that even an amnesiac would recognize the name. The Kirijo Group has a hand in most everything around the globe, their influence far reaching and immense."

Niijima was nodding along with Yusuke's supposition and Akira continued to look at her, head cocked to the side, in interest. He said nothing however. Makoto wondered if they could be right. She recognized the name but could say little else on the matter. A rush of something flooded her but there were no words she knew that could describe it effectively. Makoto slipped her hands into her pockets and squeezed the small doll hidden there.

"I don't know the name!" Morgana stomped his little feet on the hood of the buggy. "And Mako-chan and I are in the same situation!"

"It's hardly the same." Shaking her head, Niijima frowned at the cat. "And we're not saying you should know the name. Just that it's not strange."

"And Kirijo's name does not even appear on the Phansite, as Queen has stated." Yusuke continued. "Okumura is number one by a large margin. It would do us little good to chase after another, regardless of our sense of curiosity."

Skull, Ann, and Futaba returned, arms laden with sweets. "You talkin' 'bout the Okumura asshole?" Skull asked. "Have we found anything else about him?"

"No. We're still considering between him and--" Niijima began.

"No contest!" Ann interrupted. "Have you read any of the messages on the Phansite? The guy must be horrible!"

"And what better way to get our names out there, huh?" Demanded Skull. "Everyone wants this guy taken down!"

"Makoto-san recognized Kirijo's name." Akira informed them. It was the first time he had referred to her by her given name when she was actually around and it sent a strange rush through her person.

"So?" Futaba rolled her shoulders before dropping to the ground to rifle through her collection of cookies. "Kirijo is as common a word as 'band-aid' or 'advil'--more a word than a name or brand. Amnesia doesn't make you forget language."

"I just want to know who I am." Morgana looked between them all. "You promised you'd help!"

"Well, yeah." Skull rolled his eyes. "But we can't just ignore the Phansite. People want us to take Okumura down so I say we do it."

"I haven't seen a single request for the Kirijo lady." Lowering herself to sit beside Futaba, Ann waved a hand. "Maybe she has a distortion but can it really be that bad? I mean, the company's much bigger than Big Bang Burger with plenty more employees. If anything, I've heard the opposite--y'know, good pay, regular hours, decent superiors and benefits."

Niijima crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg. "Panther has a point. I know we're all curious about Kirijo but we can't focus on two Palaces at once. We can always go after Kirijo once Okumura is handled."

It ended practically unanimously. Akira was strangely quiet and Morgana appeared miffed that the Phansite took precedence over him and scouring Mementos ("Or Makoto," as he added) but if all the horrible things said about Okumura that they brought up were even partially true, Makoto agreed that he needed to be taken down.

So why did her chest ache so?

---------

Fuuka Yamagishi deactivated Juno with a sigh.

"You appear tired, Yamagishi-san." Blonde with startling blue eyes, the android called Aigis stood to the side. She stepped closer and offered a glass of water.

With a grateful smile, she accepted. "It's been a long time since I used Juno so much." She admitted. "Not since we were teenagers, I think." Fuuka had been resistant to using Juno for something so nefarious as spying but even she could put aside her morality for this situation.

"Have you come to a determination?" Something akin to hope lit up Aigis' eyes though she tried to hide it, looking away as though to observe Fuuka's computers.

Fuuka took a sip of the water and moved over to her desk. She sat down and began the long process of fixing the Kirijo Group security to prevent access from would-be hackers--most notably a young girl by the name of Futaba Sakura who, quite frankly, would have made short work of even Fuuka's safeguards had she not been privy to Futaba's attempts through Juno.

"They're definitely the Phantom Thieves." By the way they spoke, that much was obvious. Why they kept bringing up Mitsuru, she could only speculate. To her, the way they spoke sounded like code but Fuuka could acknowledge that those who may have overheard any conversations between the members of SEES back in the day may have said the same. The fact that they were the Phantom Thieves was not all that surprising. Mitsuru had kept a cursory eye on the goings on of the group and had already determined that they had likely originated from the same school that the first victim (could he really be called that?) came from: Shujin Academy.

"About the leader."

Fuuka's eyes flicked to Aigis's reflection on one of her darkened monitors. Over the years, Aigis had grown more accustomed to expressing her emotions. Now, she was trying hard to conceal them. The gift Mitsuru had purchased for Sanada-san hung in Aigis's room for the time being while they tried to contact the elusive man and Fuuka had caught the android staring at it on more than one occasion. "Analyzing the features," She called it.

"I don't know." The name Yuki was used by both Kitagawa and Kurusu but Fuuka had yet to overhear a given name. It's her, something told her. Who else could it be? But that was wishful thinking, on the same lines as Aigis who still referred to the dead as her leader a decade later.

Even if the names were the same--even if everything was, cognition was a strange thing. Maybe the world ached for another hero. Conjuring up the last one who had died for it did not seem so extraordinary.

"Tell Mitsuru I'll be up in a few minutes. The hacker is proving more difficult than I had hoped."

Aigis hesitated. It was clear she had wanted a different answer, just as she did every time Fuuka had used Juno lately.

I need to be the calm one, Fuuka told herself as she settled in for an extended session of coding. The others will jump at this. I need to suss out the truth of the matter.

Chapter Text

It had been some time since Akira had visited and when he did, Makoto could read the lines of stress on his face even behind his mask.

The heavy feeling in her stomach that came with returning to the entrance of Mementos dissipated instantly and was replaced with concern for her friend. Hands hanging at her side, fingers clenching, she was not really sure what to do with them.

"Okumura's dead." There was sorrow in his words and in his face. Confusion was also prevalent.

Makoto neared. She did not touch him but stood close enough so that their shoulders would brush if either moved suddenly. Words came to mind but none that would comfort him. She knew he and his friends had been attempting to steal this Okumura's heart. Presumably something had gone wrong.

Akira's head was dipped low but Makoto was close enough and short enough to peer up into his eyes from beneath his scraggly bangs. "Haru--you haven't met her yet--joined us to stop Okumura. He was her father."

Whether from a jolt of surprise or an unconscious desire to comfort him, Makoto's shoulder bumped into his and stayed pressed against it.

He shook his head, hair waving like tired leaves in the wind. "It shouldn't've happened. We've done this so many times before."

"You didn't kill him." She hoped the bored confidence in her voice would convince him.

Akira's eyes flicked to hers intently and a frown marred his expression. "How could you know?"

The shrug she lackadaisically gave rubbed her shoulder against his. It was not an altogether unpleasant sensation. The way his eyes darted to the contact and back again told her that he was very aware of their close quarters as well. "I know you."

The sardonic curl to his lips was not something Makoto had ever seen on him. That did not lessen her point, she felt. "How could you? We hardly see each other. You've never even seen me without a mask."

Makoto narrowed her eyes in what she hoped conveyed the I'm not giving you useless platitudes expression she wanted. "Me telling you won't change anything." She informed him tightly. "You need to believe in yourself. Did you kill him?"

"No, I--" He bit his lip and cast his gaze down. Those eyes of his were glued to her chest and once his seemed to realize this, they widened and shot up to her face once more. "We did everything the same." He explained. "Nothing should have changed."

"Then maybe it didn't." What's that mean? She was asking him.

"That must mean... something else changed." Akira's dark eyes were on her but distant as he went over his thoughts in his own head. "Before, there had been mentions of someone else infiltrating Palaces--someone in a black mask."

A nod nearly had Makoto's head bumping into his chest. She smiled slightly up at him.

"And we took Okumura's Palace as a suggestion from the Phansite. Anyone could have known that that was where we were headed." Those deep worry lines creasing his youthful face smoothed over. "There are others with powers of the persona."

Makoto let her one eyebrow arch. "Wasn't that obvious?"

Finally, Akira smiled. It was like a breath of fresh air in Makoto's lungs. "Well, besides you." He blinked. "And Morgana, I guess. He had one before we met."

Satisfied that he was thoroughly calmed down, Makoto made to move away only to still when his gloved hand caught her wrist. She looked back questioningly.

"Thanks, Makoto." No honorifics, just her name. It sounded nice when formed by his lips. His grip was far from restricting; she could have pulled away but she let it stay. "I guess I was right to come to you. I don't know why but you were the first person I wanted to talk to about it."

At his words, she smiled thinly. No doubt his friends were obsessing over their possible homicide as much as he was. It made sense that he would seek her out as she was the only other person who could understand and was not a member of his group.

The breath he took was a shuddering one. Makoto could feel it reverberate all the way down to where his hand still encircled her wrist. "I think," He began, tongue dipping out to whet his lips. "I've realized why. You--"

"Leader!" Whatever Akira was about to say was interrupted by the abrupt appearance of Ann, Futaba, and Skull. "There you are. We've been looking everywhere for you!" Ann was quick to run up to them, Skull just behind, but Futaba hung back slightly, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Guess you were right, huh, Oracle?" Skull nodded to Makoto. "What's up, Mako-chan? Been a while." Makoto ducked her head in a dip of a nod as acknowledgement.

Futaba snickered. "Told you he'd be here mooning over--" the word moon had Makoto jerking, unintentionally pulling free of Akira's weak hold. Futaba noticed and paused. "Did we interrupt?"

"'Moon'?" Makoto's thoughts were tumultuous. Nothing was clear however. She thought she could taste something sweet, if only for a second. "Is that a person?"

Futaba frowned. "Uh, no. It's the--well, the big, giant rock in the sky?"

"It's Mishima." Akira told her. There was a curious glint to his eyes as he looked at her.

"Leader..." Ann began uncertainly.

"Dude," Skull gaped. "Mishima's a person."

"I think he makes cake." Mused Makoto.

"Okay, okay." Futaba strode between them. "Look, the moon isn't a person and can't make cake." She glanced between Akira and Makoto like a stern mother berating her wayward children. "I know you're an amnesiac but it's the moon." She flailed her arms as though trying to express something large.

Makoto frowned. "Is it green?"

"No. Mishima has blue hair. Kinda like yours." Akira lifted a hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"Okay..." Ann hesitantly stepped in. "So it seriously feels like five different conversations are going on at the same time and it's weird." She smiled apologetically at Makoto. "Sorry, Mako-chan, but we really need to steal the leader. We're having a team meeting."

Understanding the need, Makoto agreed easily with a curt nod.

"We'll see you later, Mako-chan." Futaba promised. "Don't pine too hard; you'll get the leader back. Promise."

Akira's hand brushed Makoto's arm when he stepped around her. "I'll see you." Thanks, his eyes seemed to say.

Makoto was only going to nod but watching them go, she said: "Be careful." The smile Akira gave her was well worth the outburst.

------------

Rank Up!

New Skill: Idolatry

Makoto's calming presence has inspired better mental organization. You can now hold two more personas.

--------------

The Kirijo Group Headquarters in Shibuya was one of the biggest buildings around and a common tourist attraction. It was not so unusual to find students such as Akira and his friends hanging around the front of the building so they went largely unnoticed.

"I still think we should've waited for Futaba to crack the place." Ann was sitting on the stairs up to the headquarters. They were all gathered around the corner of a wall beside the stairs, hiding in the shadows it cast with the burning sun so high in the sky.

"Yeah," Agreed Ryuji, seated on the step behind Ann. He absently tapped his foot to a steady rhythm. "I don't trust Akechi."

"We were going to investigate Kirijo next anyway." Niijima pointed out. She was mostly in the shade of the wall beside the stairs, leaning against it and watching people pass. "And he had the code words."

"'Kirijo Shibuya Headquarters' and 'dorms'." Yusuke stood beside Niijima. "One wonders at the significance of the latter. A distortion such as that is not one I would have expected of perhaps the most influential woman in Japan."

"We haven't been inside her Palace yet," Akira was the sun, feeling it beat down on his head like a physical weight. With winter far behind them, the days were getting longer and hotter. "Who knows what it looks like?"

"Well, she's hiding something." Grumbled Futaba, squatting in the shade beside Yusuke. She had a stick in hand and was drawing bored nonsense in dust and dirt. "I was close to accessing Kirijo servers. They're just freaky--like psychic firewalls or something." Still refusing to admit defeat, Futaba had been reluctant to accept help from Akechi.

"My father used to contract out security from the Kirijo Group." After faltering in her belief of them, Haru had eventually decided to put her faith in the Phantom Thieves. She was just a genuinely good person and Akira was grateful for her support. "They're supposed to be the best."

Futaba squinted up at the girl who sat atop the wall, legs dangling just above the redhead. "Still cracked Okumura security like a tutorial level for kids."

"Hey!" Morgana was seated beside Haru, content to straighten his back and pretend to be taller than most of them for once. "Have some sympathy."

Futaba pursed her lips. "Right. Sorry, Haru."

"It's alright." The smile Haru offered was sad. "It's good to know anyway, if I'm going to take over for him after graduation."

"Right." Ryuji groaned and pressed his head against the wall. "That doesn't sound fun."

Haru's smile became a little more humorous. "No, I guess not." She giggled lightly, causing Morgana to positively beam at her side, purring loudly.

"Anyway," Niijima looked between them all, the epitome of judgmental upperclassman. "We all know to be careful with--"

"Yes, Queen." Interrupted Futaba. "We had a meeting about it. Let's not get overheard."

"He's not here yet." Niijima retorted but it was weak, her tone weary. Akira understood her pain. Sometimes talking to the group was like rallying a pack of overeager puppies.

"Wouldn't put it past him to be all... sneaky." Whenever the topic of Akechi was broached, Ryuji got a disgusted look on his face like he had opened the cabinet below the sink and found something growing there.

"I say we remain cautious but not cold." Yusuke added. "After all, we are not entirely certain it is him, yes?"

Threatening to reveal their identities unless they helped him investigate Mitsuru Kirijo was a questionable act. Believing that he would forgo having them arrested was unfortunately not viable, not with what they suspected. They were walking a tightrope where one mistake would send them tumbling down. They needed to be careful.

"I don't think we want it to be." Akira spoke up. "And there he is now." As though a switch had been flicked, the Phantom Thieves straightened up. Futaba and Ryuji stood, Yusuke and Niijima pulled away from the wall, and Morgana pawed at the stone in anticipation.

Goro Akechi, dressed as per usual in his tan suit and carrying his briefcase, was approaching with a friendly smile that for all intents and purposes appeared genuine. "Ah, hello!" He greeted amicably enough, eyes drifting casually around the party. "Am I late? I apologize!"

"No." Akira answered. Akechi knew he was perfectly on time. "We're early."

"We wanted to get a look at the place!" Ann said with a nervous titter.

"Right." Akechi took Ann's awful acting in stride. "Well, shall we?"

"Yes. Let's." Maroon eyes hard, Niijima nodded and pulled out her phone. The others followed suit.

"Forgive me if I'm not as experienced as all of you." The smile Akechi offered was no different than any he expressed in any other given situation. It was the kind that one practiced in the mirror. "But this place was heavily guarded when I encountered the black mask." Right. Akechi claimed to have been investigating Mitsuru Kirijo when he stumbled into the MetaNav being on his phone and Kirijo's Palace thereafter. It was there that he supposedly encountered the black mask and was repelled by the defenses within. Having determined their status as the Phantom Thieves, he held proof of their actions as well as how they committed them. He promised to let them go should they help him bring Kirijo to justice.

Akira drew out his own phone, thumb skimming over the Mementos icon before inputting Kirijo's code words.

The transition was quick and soon the Kirijo Headquarters warped and... for once, shrunk. Akira supposed there could not be much larger than the Kirijo building, but going from a castle, a museum, a bank, a pyramid, and a space ship, this was miniscule in comparison.

A distorted sign in front of the newly formed building read Iwatodai Dorms.

"Where is this?" Ann was examining the sign with a narrowed expression.

"Tatsumi Port City." Answered Akechi. His Metaverse outfit was mostly white with red accents, the primary red being used in his mask which had an elongated nose like a tengu or a crow. "It's a real place. I was investigating Kirijo's high school days when I stumbled upon the code words for this place. She lived here."

Morgana meowed. "A real place?" He hummed, tail wagging as he peered curiously up at the sky. "Is the moon always green here?"

A green moon? Akira's gaze rose and he was surprised to see that the cat was correct. Above them hung a ridiculously pronounced moon, far too close to them to be natural. It emitted an unnatural green light that cast an uncomfortable hue around them.

Akechi only glanced at it. "No. The moon is never green." Shaking his head, Akechi stepped past the sign and up to the door. "The door won't open. Not even force seems to work. Have you ever come across something like this?"

Akira moved to his side to test the doors as well. The film over the glass made it impossible to see inside and the entire things appeared almost painted on with how much his shoving seemed to affect it. The handle did nothing and a quick spell from one of his personas proved just as ineffective. "We've run into something similar before." He told Akechi, turning to look around. Dorms sometimes had back entrances. "If there isn't another way in, we might need to do something in the real world to change the cognition and allow us through."

"There is a back door." Akechi revealed. "But it's the same as this one." He rapped his knuckles against the wood of the door. "The whole place seems pretty locked down. Windows won't open either."

"Kirijo must see this place as incredibly private." Morgana tried hopping up to eye the inside of the dorms but sat back, dejected, when he could make out nothing within. "It's not usual for someone to have so much of their mind so thoroughly blocked. Someone must have access."

"Oh!" Haru clapped for emphasis. "Like how I could go through the bio scanners." Okumura's Palace would have been inaccessible to them had they not added Haru to their group. Her biological signature allowed them to pass doors that they otherwise would have found to be impassable.

"Dude! Is that the defenses you mentioned?" Ryuji, having wandered off a little to examine more of the street before the dorms, called them over and pointed. "Wait, no... that's a--" His voice went almost comically high-pitched. "--coffin?"

The group was quick to rush to Ryuji's side and past him, down the street, was indeed a coffin. Actually, multiple coffins. They lined the street like an average person might, standing upright on sidewalks with a few in the street itself. With the green moon above casting an eerie glow all around, the ominously standing coffins before them was like a scene pulled straight from an abstract horror movie.

"The imagery is macabre." Murmured Yusuke. "Yet somehow tragically poetic. Is this how she sees people?"

Akira glanced at the artist and then back at the stretching street ahead. If it was true that Mitsuru Kirijo saw people as walking coffins (what else could they be?), then what did that imply? Did she see death wherever she looked?

"This is all pretty messed up." Ann shuddered, holding herself tightly. When Morgana moved close, she did not complain. "Isn't a Palace supposed to be your deepest desire?"

"So you see why Kirijo needs to be taken down." The detective prodigy had moved to stand beside Akira, his expression one of intense thought as he surveyed the scene ahead. "Her distorted desire is to see everyone dead. For the Head of the Kirijo Group, how impossible of a dream do you think that is?"

"This is awful." Ever the skeptic, Niijima was able to speak up when the others faltered. "But why is this place a dorm? That's hardly associated with an apocalypse-level threat."

To that query, Akechi shrugged. "Maybe if we could get inside, we'd know. As it stands, we have nothing more than speculation to go on. You said you've done similar things to this. Gaining access should not be beyond our capabilities."

"You will not be entering." No one Akira knew had spoken.

The new voice had everyone spinning around to see two girls walking confidently toward them. Neither looked exactly human, their limbs connected to their body with metal pieces, their feet nonexistent. The girl who had spoken had her arms raised, fingers pulled back like flaps to a container to reveal holes, a rounded gun magazine attached to one wrist. She had a vibrant, red bow at her neck and an armband that read SEES. Blonde and blue-eyed, she was mostly white with yellow accents to her design.

The other girl had long, grey-blue hair tied up into a ponytail, red eyes, and a medieval helmet-like headband. She wielded a double-headed axe that was larger than she was and likely twice her weight. "Ain't got a chance of findin' their way in there." With a twang, the girl effortlessly hefted her axe and aimed it at the Phantom Thieves.

Both girls wore school uniforms but notably from different schools--neither of which Akira recognized.

"Is this the defenses you mentioned?" Akira asked, tilting his head toward Akechi but refusing to look away from the questionable duo before them. Lips pursed, Akechi shook his head in the negative. Did that mean there were more around?

"Wh-who are you guys?" Sputtered Ryuji, drawing his crowbar in preparation for a battle. The others did the same, Akira even reaching for his own weapon. The way these girls approached screamed fight.

"I am Aigis." The blonde informed, halting a number of feet away.

The other girl continued closing the distance. She grinned crookedly. "Call me Labrys!" She introduced herself with cheer.

"Joker," Futaba started warningly. "Their stats are crazy high--especially the blonde's."

"There is no need for code names." Aigis told them. "We are aware of your identities, just as we were aware of your plans to be here today."

"An' we suggest ya run! Tail 'tween yer legs an' all." Labrys was distressingly close and no one seemed to have a plan of action. "Promise ya ain't got what it takes."

"What do you want?" Akira demanded, fingers tightening around the knife he had drawn. The rest of his friends looked ready for battle but neither Aigis nor Labrys appeared the least bit concerned.

Aigis cocked her head to the side. "For you to leave. Was that not clear? You are not welcome here."

"Yeah?" Ryuji was sweating but he did his best to instill confidence in his tone. "What're you gonna do? There's nine of us and two of you!"

Labrys snickered. "I've seen worse odds." With that as her only warning, she swung her axe at Akira who just barely managed to side-step, her motions with the enormous weapon swifter even than Akira's own with the small knife he held. She followed through, her body lurching forward and bashing into Akira's. It was enough force to lift him off his feet and would have put him at Labrys's mercy had Ryuji not jumped in to catch him and Ann and Niijima to block Labrys from chasing.

Niijima's knuckles cracked against Labrys's wrist, halting the strange girl's next attack. Ann's whip encircled the girl's ankle but when she tugged, her eyes went wide and she slipped, Labrys refusing to budge.

"Ariadne!" Labrys shouted and from behind her emerged a persona. "Beast weaver." The persona lifted a hand and from it came a brutal slash of an axe into Ann. Without even the chance to cry out, Ann collapsed back, unconscious.

Morgana rushed to save her with a yell of: "Lady Ann!" only to be stopped in his tracks when Aigis began firing bullets from her literal fingers. He danced back, yowling with fright.

"Get Panther." Akira ordered Ryuji. The blonde nodded and rushed to do as bid. "Fox! Help Queen." Niijima struggled to avoid Labrys's assault, unable to even attempt an attack of her own. "Crow," Akira hoped Akechi understood that he was referring to him. They had not discussed an alias and even with Aigis claiming to know them by name, Akira was not risking it. "You're with me. Noir! Help Mona."

Haru nodded, jaw set, and drew her grenade launcher. Aigis, not expecting the sudden attack, stopped firing and summoned her own persona. "Athena." Much calmer in tone than her companion, she had the persona summon a defensive wall which Haru's grenade exploded harmlessly against.

Akira and Akechi burst through the resulting smoke but Aigis was ready. She caught both their blades easily, the sharp edges proving harmless in her metal grip, and twisted them out of their grasps. She threw them aside and called: "Orpheus."

Another persona, undeniably different from the one that had created her shield, spun into existence and strummed its harp. It looked almost like... but Akira had no time to finish that thought because fire erupted between him and Aigis. Both Akechi and Akira ducked to the side when Futaba called a warning, bullets cutting through the summoned flames and missing them by just a hair's breadth.

"Joker," Futaba's voice crackled in his ear, breathy and fearful. "We can't win this! They're reading us like they have some sort of support of their own. Fox and Panther are down! Queen's barely holding on!"

Akira glanced at Akechi. He nodded. "Get everyone out." Akira ordered hastily. The insane idea of trying to call Makoto popped into his head but... even if by some miracle she could hear and come, Akira did not want Akechi privy to her existence.

Akechi rushed Aigis and Akira whirled to attack Labrys from behind. She turned as though expecting the attack and blocked a spell from his persona with her axe but was distracted enough for a heavily panting Niijima to extricate herself from the situation, grab a knocked down Yusuke, and run.

"Crow, you gotta watch her!" Apparently taking up Akira's impulsive choice in code name, Futaba frantically called to Akechi who, at a glance, was not faring well against Aigis.

Not that Akira was handling Labrys any better. Every move Akira made, Labrys either had an answer for or was quick enough to avoid. He was a second away from making a single mistake and catching Labrys's axe across his body when Futaba yelled: "We're good! Joker, Crow, let's go!"

Haru fired another grenade at Aigis and Morgana summoned Zorro to harry Labrys. Both Akechi and Akira were granted the chance to escape and they took it.

Chapter Text

Akechi was far too interested in Makoto.

"So you don't remember anything?" Akechi had zeroed in on Makoto the moment they stepped into view. What he was thinking, Akira could not fathom. He wore that generic smile of his but the way his eyes were glued to Makoto was anything but pleasant--at least, in Akira's opinion.

Upon Akechi's entrance, Makoto had been intrigued--to a frustrating degree. The quick "He looks like someone I think I knew." was not explanation enough for Akira. Morgana claimed that Makoto seemed to be taking more of an interest in the group but if that was true, why did it need to begin with Akechi?

"I don't." Makoto confirmed for Akechi. "Not really."

"But you have the same power as Joker." Hand on his chin, Akechi surveyed the blue-haired girl. "Have you attempted to leave?"

Futaba jumped into view, blocking Akira's line of sight to Makoto and Akechi. "Careful, leader, your jealousy is showing."

"I know you didn't want it to come to this," No, Akira had been very against bringing Akechi to Mementos. "But don't worry about her, leader." Advising was Niijima's strong suit but he found it hard to take at the moment. "We'll explain everything to her later." When Akechi's not around, she seemed to say with her eyes. Akira already planned to visit once more later that same day.

"Not like she'd pick Akechi anyway." Ryuji grumbled too low to be heard outside their little huddle. Akechi and Makoto, still conversing off to the side, were deaf to their conversation. "Got more sense 'n that."

"I do understand you apprehension however, Joker." Yusuke had one arm crossing his waist, the other reaching up to thumb at his jaw contemplatively. "Introducing them is not ideal."

"What else could we do?" Demanded Morgana. "Those weird girls are watching us!"

"They never actually said our names." Ann pointed out.

Niijima shook her head, frowning. "Yet they knew we'd be there. They were ready."

"Plus the Kirijo security being all psychic-like." Still bitter about being unable to crack Kirijo's servers, Futaba was reluctant to believe she was bugged but it was the only explanation she claimed made sense. "So it's better safe than sorry. Our meetings'll hafta be here from now on." We can't have all of them without Akechi, the frown tugging at her mouth said.

"And if we are bein' watched," Ryuji continued to glare at Akechi past them all. "We don't know where's safe."

"They know about the Metaverse." Haru added. "They could be watching us here."

"No way!" Argued Futaba. "Here I at least have Necronomicon! If anyone comes here, I know."

Haru blinked. "Oh, that's right!"

"But the thing is," Always the one to reign in the conversation, Niijima looked at them each. "Akechi claims that the dorms are locked up tight."

"That he knows of!" Morgana interjected. "He got repelled quickly himself, he said so! Maybe there's a window he didn't see open or something."

"And I don't think we'll be getting past those girls easily." Akira informed them. The one used multiple personas, making her the second person he had met aside from himself to do so. What was the power he, Makoto, and this Aigis seemed to share? "We hadn't even entered the dorms before they were on us and if they are watching us, taking them by surprise will be difficult."

"Akechi said the dorms exist in real life." Offered Haru. "We could find them and go inside."

Ann grinned and hugged the girl. "That's a great idea, Noir! And then them watching us will play against them. Kirijo will know we accessed those dorms in the real world and just like with Madarame, the doors will open for us in her Palace!"

Niijima was nodding. "That could work. But what if it's like with Kaneshiro or Okumura? Kaneshiro needed to view me as a customer and Okumura literally needed Haru's biology to move further within."

"It could be only those who roomed there have access." Akira did not like that idea. If it was true, progressing would be significantly harder. "And we can't exactly change that. Kirijo's in her twenties. She hasn't lived in those dorms for years so we can't just shove ourselves into her cognition of her old roommates."

"Well then we're shit outta luck, ain't we?" Ryuji rolled his eyes. "Hey! Detective Prince! You gonna join us or flirt with Mako-chan all day?"

Ann gasped and elbowed him. "Skull!"

"Ow, ow! What? What did I do?"

"Urgh!" Throwing her hands in the air, Ann glared. Her eyes darted to Akira who sighed.

"You are quite obvious." Niijima told Akira lowly as Akechi approached, beckoned by Ryuji's call. Makoto followed a few feet back, expression no more enamored with the prodigal prince than she was with anyone.

Akira chose not to reply and luckily he was given an acceptable reason not to.

"You've been lookin' into Kirijo, yeah?" Ryuji's attention was on Akechi to whom he posed the question but Akira's was on Makoto's. He saw her eyes flick up at the name. He did not believe her recognition of the name was just a coincidence. No, the more he thought, the more things seemed to disprove that. Maybe he had been blind not to see the clear connection earlier.

Akechi was nodding when his voice pulled Akira back to the conversation at hand. "Yes. For quite some time. There've been quite a few rumors regarding her injustice but she's very adept at concealing her activities. I've been trying to find enough to move forward with the police but finding anything is proving difficult."

"What do you know?" Akira avoided Makoto's eyes. She was eyeing him curiously, no doubt due to his prior staring. "Enough to know that the Iwatodai Dorms exist and Kirijo lived there." He was not looking but he felt Makoto's gaze snap away. Was it due to the name Kirijo... or Iwatodai Dorms?

"Not much more than that, I'm afraid." Shaking his head, Akechi sighed. "The rest is mostly rumors. I was hoping for something more concrete to back them within her Palace."

"What about her school records?" Niijima asked. "Her Palace is represented by her home during school so perhaps that's all the information we need."

"Aside from her graduating with honors as the student council president, her records are blank. Edited, most likely." There was an attempt at sheepishness in the smile he gave. "I may have used a few favors owed to even get my hands on those records. I'm lucky they even listed the Iwatodai Dorms because otherwise I would not have discovered the Palace."

"It's not so strange for politicians or those with influence to try to erase previous records." Niijima reluctantly admitted. "But what about her dormmates? Are there others listed as having resided in those dorms with her?"

"Presumably. I had not gotten that far." It probably pained him to admit.

"I could have them in a few seconds." Futaba chirped. "What's the school? Can't be any harder than going in circles with Kirijo security."

"Gekkoukan High." Akechi revealed. "On Tatsumi Port Island." At his side, Makoto was eerily still. "But did we not agree that we may be being watched? That is why we're here in Mementos and not the real world, is it not?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" Morgana asked. "Because 'nothing' isn't going to get much done. The best we can do is have the majority of our discussions here. We can't stop doing anything in the real world."

"If we're being watched and something happens, we'll know we're on the right path!" Haru, ever the optimist, pointed out.

"And we need to do something." Fired up, Ann slashed a hand through the air. She had not taken her instant defeat at the hands of Labrys well, not that any of the others had fared better, and was determined to grow stronger because of it. She was one of the biggest voices that had argued for bringing Akechi to Mementos to train, nevermind having to introduce him to Makoto. It was perhaps the first time she had so passionately disagreed with Akira but he could understand why. The fight with Labrys and Aigis had made their woeful lack of preparations evident. "So between training here, we should definitely look into whatever we can. Kirijo's dormmates make sense to start with."

"We should do multiple things at once." Suggested Niijima. "If they're watching us, it might stretch them thin, make it more difficult to keep up with our movements." At everyone's looks, she shrugged. "We have to do something. The least we can do is try to make our movements difficult to follow."

"That makes sense." Morgana cheered. "You guys have school though, so travelling to Tatsumi Port might be difficult."

"I could go." Akechi offered readily. "My school is used to my repeated absences with my work with the police."

"I could go with him." Morgana offered as well but his eyes darted around, silently pleading to not be sent alone with him.

"I can't." Niijima sounded genuinely dejected. "With Principal Kobayakawa's death, I have that much more work as student council president."

"My mom would never go for it." Ryuji groaned. "And ain't no way I could hide that from her." With how bad he was at keeping secrets, Akira fully believed him.

"And I have a few photo shoots scheduled." Sometimes Akira forgot that Ann was an honest-to-god model. She acted too down to earth for what he would have expected.

"My high school is usually accepting of prolonged absences." In Yusuke's hand was a cookie from Jose. After his futile efforts in finding further inspiration in the image of a broken cookie, he had begun partaking in the treats once more. "So long as it is for artistic purposes. I can go so long as I keep an eye out for inspiration."

"I have too much to do with my father's company and school." Tentatively spoken, Haru seemed worried they might get upset. Ann nudged her with a reassuring smile.

"If I have Kawakami cover for me..." The teacher probably would. She and Akira seemed to see eye-to-eye. Mostly. "I could probably go as well."

"Dude, ain't you in trouble with the police?" Ryuji asked. "You sure you can do this?" His eyes flicked to Akechi and then back.

"Yeah, I dunno." Ann crossed her arms. "The boss could get in trouble if he loses you."

"It will be fine, Joker." Niijima assured him. "Fox, Mona, and, err, Crow can handle it." Her stumbling over the usage of Akechi's code name could be written off as her getting used to it but Akira knew she was truly trying to quell his fears about letting Akechi out of his sight.

"So what will the rest of us do?" Haru wondered. "If Oracle's hacking that school and Fox, Mona, and Crow are headed to Tatsumi Port, is there anything we can do?"

"We could practice in Mementos." Ann was all for that idea.

"We could attempt to carefully explore Kirijo's Palace, maybe stretch their attention even further. If we all act at once, it'll be harder to follow." Hesitant to offer the idea, Niijima frowned thoughtfully. "It might be a little dangerous without Crow, Mona, and Fox however."

"We don't hafta fight 'em." There was a twinkle to Ryuji's eyes. "Leave the running to me!"

Akira nodded as everyone discussed what to do but honestly he had an idea of his own--one he would not mention in front of Akechi. His eyes drifted to Makoto who had ambled to the side, brows furrowed slightly beneath her bangs and her eyes distant.

Akira had a feeling he knew what was eating at his blue-haired friend and he was planning on finding out for sure.

-----------------

Aigis and Labrys returned unharmed. Fuuka breathed a sigh of relief at that.

"Perhaps next time we'll be able to send others." Kikuna Saikawa knelt beside Labrys, examining the anti-shadow weapon for any issues after travelling to the cognitive world.

"Felt no weirder'n bein' in a TV!" Labrys stepped away from Kikuna's searching gaze with a grin. "Pretty good, yeah? Got the blood pumpin'--err, the oil, I guess."

"This technology is new." Fuuka cautioned. The Shadow Operatives had long been aware of the cognitive world and its many ways to express itself. From the Dark Hour to the TV world and more, little could surprise them anymore. The only problem came in determining the catalyst and all the rules therein. "We need to be careful when using it."

"We're lucky Mitsuru-san appears to be their next target." Kikuna stood and brushed dust from her apron. "No one else reacted to the machine. It appears as though she's the only one within our circle to have one of these 'distortions,'" A pause. "What did you say the term they used was? 'Castles'?"

"Palaces." There were many terms the Phantom Thieves used under Juno's surveillance that she only had a surface level understanding of. From Mementos to treasures and more, Fuuka had developed something of an understanding--or as much of one as she could without experiencing it herself. The Phantom Thieves were pretty liberal in addressing their illicit activities when they thought they were alone.

"It looked like home." Aigis was rather quiet, standing off to the side. Fuuka could understand why. Able to use Juno to follow those she had a strong connection with, Fuuka had been privy to the alternate world deep within Mitsuru through the two android operatives. The imagery was shockingly similar to that of the Dark Hour, sans Tartarus. With the closing of the Iwatodai Dorms just some years prior, seeing it once more, even under the light of the Dark Hour, was a shock to the system.

Aigis had never felt as comfortable anywhere else than she had in those dorms. Fuuka's heart ached for her friend.

"With Sanada-san on his way, I'm sure Mitsuru-san will be eager to send more into that 'Palace.'" Kikuna continued, not commenting on Aigis's words. She did cast the blonde android a concerned look but likely had no idea what to say. It was not like they were all that close. Outside being essentially coworkers, Kikuna and Aigis had little in the ways of a relationship. "With his help, surely we'll get to the bottom of the mental shutdowns."

"The Phantom Thieves believe Goro Akechi to be behind them." Fuuka turned away from the group to tap at her computer. She pulled up an image of the famous teenager who inherited Naoto Shirogane's title of "Detective Prince."

"And do you think that's true?"

Another click had an image of Masayoshi Shido appearing beside the boy's. "I haven't been able to find anything linking the boy with Shido who we've long suspected in being involved." Every mental shutdown in some way benefited the prospective future leader of Japan. Mitsuru had been looking into him for months, only managing to determine that he outsourced his mental shutdowns if indeed he was involved at all. Fuuka had refused to spy on a potentially innocent man. It had taken a certain painting for her to put aside her moral high ground and use Juno once more. The idea still made her uneasy.

"That's not a 'no.'"

"Nor is it a yes." The reasoning the Phantom Thieves used to come to their conclusion was mostly lost on Fuuka. She knew the cat talked, could not hear it herself, but how did Akechi understanding the feline change anything?

"Is this machine capable of transferring people elsewhere? Using only Mitsuru-san's signature is rather limiting. Could we expand it?"

"Potentially." The Kirijo Group had taken many strides into the study of cognition--most of them illegally handled before Mitsuru managed to put a stop to them. Fuuka was still digging up horrifying records deep within Kirijo archives. "The Phantom Thieves use an app of some sort. As far as I'm aware, even they do not know it's origin."

"Ugh. Techno mumbo jumbo." Rolling her eyes, Labrys hooked her axe to her back and nudged Aigis. "Oi, sister! Le's get outta here; I ain't interested." When it came to Kirijo tech, particularly that which came before Mitsuru stepping up as Head, Labrys was never interested.

Aigis hesitated. "Mitsuru-san is likely wondering where you are, Fuuka-san."

As Mitsuru had yet to respond to Fuuka's quick text that explained testing the discovered cognitive traveler to halt the Phantom Thieves' attempts to invade her mind, Fuuka somehow doubted the android's words. She watched Aigis and Labrys leave with only a weak smile in response.

"There is a whole cognitive world to explore. The Phantom Thieves are only teenagers yet they traverse it handily."

"They call it the Metaverse." Fuuka was dying to get her hands on one of their phones. If only to just examine the app, she would be happy.

Kikuna smirked. "An apt name, I suppose." She lifted one of the metal armbands attached to the cognitive traveler by a thick wire. When Aigis had worn it to be sent to the other world, Fuuka had been reminded of the SEES armband from high school. "What else does the Kirijo Group have hidden in the bowels?"

"A lot." Every new concealed experiment, funding covered up, or illicit activities she uncovered was more guilt piling up on a woman who had nothing more than a familial connection to it. When Mitsuru had discovered the Kirijo Group had a hand in the destruction of the Tatsumi Port bridge that resulted in the deaths of both Makoto Yuki's parents, it had been the final straw to break Mitsuru's back.

The additional discovery of many of the former Kirijo scientists that had been fired moving to work for Masayoshi Shido had initially sparked Mitsuru's suspicions of his involvement in the mental shutdowns. If anyone was capable of such destruction in the cognitive world, it was the man who now had dozens of disgraced Kirijo scientists on his payroll.

It was to the point that Mitsuru was not trusting of anyone. The only ones she seemed to rely on at all were Fuuka and the other former members of SEES. And with only Fuuka and Aigis remaining at the company with her, Fuuka felt like Mitsuru saw deception everywhere.

When Fuuka returned home, if Mitsuru had even left the office yet, the house was cold. There were no warm greetings, only questions on what Fuuka had found scouring through Mitsuru's own company archives.

Kikuna stepped up to Fuuka and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You should go. These late hours you're pulling can't be healthy."

"There's a lot to be done." And Mitsuru only trusts me to do it. Fuuka's requests for assistants were met with frigid refusals. She cast a weary look at the cognitive traveler. The device had been hidden behind layers and layers of false documentation claiming it to be an inane and defunct air purifier. "Between my work for Mitsuru and keeping an eye on the Phantom Thieves..." She shrugged. Kikuna already knew.

If the cognitive traveler worked like the Phantom Thieves' app, it would solve many of her problems. Anyone could go in to watch the teenagers, the reliance on Fuuka's persona lessened (she had tried asking Mitsuru to help with Artemisia who had some rudimentary analytical capabilities but was met with cold denial for some reason, likely because she was too busy running her company. Fuuka almost felt sorry for just asking.). As it stood, the only access they had was through Mitsuru. Distorted Desires, the Phantom Thieves claimed such a place to be. And Mitsuru saw it as their dorms from high school during the Dark Hour.

Tartarus and the Dark Hour was a result of failed experiments by the Kirijo Group. It was cognition that bled into the real world and altered it. And access to it was difficult to come by. Fuuka knew there were things beyond comprehension within such a hidden world. She had been at the top of Tartarus when a literal cognitive goddess attempted to destroy the world. She also knew that that goddess had a hand in the shadows of the Dark Hour wrecking havoc.

What did that mean for now?

Was there another such entity working in the background?

"This is important." Fuuka told Kikuna. Lives were on the line. Maybe preventing another tragedy would melt some of the ice around Mitsuru's heart.

Chapter Text

"Are you connected to Kirijo?"

Makoto had been waiting for Akira for once. When he arrived some time after they all left, she had been leaning casually against one of the turnstiles before the stairs leading down. He did not seem surprised to see her there.

"Yes." Hands in her pockets, she squeezed the rabbit plush within.

Akira neared, notably slower than he usually would. His dark eyes were penetratingly locked onto her person. "What do you know?"

The distance he stopped at was not one he would have before. She eyed his feet, not looking any higher. "Not much." A shrug had him shoving his own hands irritably into his pockets. "Just flashes. She has red hair. I met her at the Iwatodai Dorms. Called her 'senpai.'"

He took a hesitant step forward. "Makoto," Her name sounded heavy coming from his lips. "That would have been almost ten years ago."

Honestly, that had not been something she expected. For all the jumbled images and brief spurts of conversation in her head, the date had never come to mind. Not that she knew the current one anyway. Lifting her gaze, her eyes met his. "Guess I'm your senpai then."

Her attempts at humor usually prompted a smile. Not so this time. A groan left him and he looked away. "I don't know what that means."

Makoto could remember a soft smile cast down on her, blue eyes, blonde hair, and the peaceful feeling of finality. What that meant, she had a feeling she knew but could not see how it was possible. Bringing it up to Akira would be... well, she did not want to.

"How long have you known?" There was suspicion in the flat line that his lips drew. It was not a look Makoto appreciated. From anyone else, she likely would have been unaffected. Receiving such an expression from him however rankled her.

She chose not to ask what exactly he was referring to. "Since your conversation earlier. The name Kirijo was familiar the first time I heard it but Iwatodai, Gekkoukan, and Tatsumi Port just clicked." Frowning, she pushed off from the turnstile and took a careful step closer. "It's vague, Akira." Was that the first time she had used his name? It felt weird on her tongue. "I don't know what I'm remembering."

Akira watched her grow closer cautiously. His tongue dipped out to wet his lips, a nervous tick of his. "The moon was green in Kirijo's Palace." He told her. "And one of the girls had a persona that looked like you."

Makoto could clearly see a green moon in her mind's eye. The persona though... "I don't know." She truly did not. Memories that were hers fluttered in and out of grasp, teasing her with the whole truth but doing nothing to fill in the entire picture. She wanted to allay whatever fears Akira had but the truth was she could not.

"It kinda looked like the one you call the most."

"Messiah?" At the title, she felt the persona react within her consciousness.

"She called it Orpheus."

Makoto blinked. She could see that green moon once more, hear the desperation of the girl in pink, and feel the cold metal of her evoker--all things she did not understand. "I know that name." She told him quietly. Flashes of a many-armed shadow and the name Orpheus ringing in her ears came to her. "But it's like an old name. Not mine anymore."

Akira nodded slowly. "I felt the same when I heard the name Arsene after fusing it with another." The lines of his face smoothed over, his brows drawing together in a more sympathetic expression. "You really know just as little as I do."

"I've told you everything I can make sense of."

To that, his shoulders relaxed. A soft smile curved his lips upward. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't believe you?"

She rolled her shoulders. "A suspicious one."

"You believed in me." Voice lowering a pitch, Akira's eyes grew heavy with emotion. "With Okumura."

"This is different. Even I don't know the truth."

He hummed, stepping close enough to reach out and touch her if he chose to. "But I know you now. Whatever you learn from your past doesn't change that."

"That's good," She smirked. "Because I don't even know myself." The memories she could comprehend almost felt like they were happening to someone else. Half the time, it genuinely felt like what was actually real started from when she opened her eyes in Mementos, met Jose, and then met the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

"We're looking into Mitsuru Kirijo." Akira told her. "If we find anything, we'll tell you."

"I remember..." It was difficult putting the oddities she was recalling to words. "Returning to Tatsumi Port. The moon was green and everyone became coffins."

"Coffins?" Recognition flickered in his eyes.

"Yes." Her forehead felt taut. With a sigh, she reached up to rub her temples. "There's more but I don't understand it."

"If you saw the coffins, it might not be perception-based..." The expression he wore was one of dawning realization. "Is there anything else?"

Makoto frowned. If Akira asked, she would try to force the memories. Trying to put herself in the shoes of the girl who had just gotten off the train, she was consumed by a sinking hole in her chest. Death, she thought. Stepping off the train, she had only given the strangeness of her surroundings a cursory look, so apathetic was she. "I was sad, I think." She murmured, only half realizing that she was speaking. Most of her was drowning in the abyss of her past self. "It was my first time back since my parents died." Her heartbeat slowed, shoulders sagging. She did not want to go back. She did not want to see that bridge again. She did not want... anything.

So swept up was she in the tidal wave of remembering, the sudden warmth that encased her was startling. She blinked in confusion only to come face-to-face with Akira's chest. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her in close but just loose enough to grant her an exit should she choose to withdraw. "I'm sorry," His chest rumbled with his words, deep and full of emotion. "I didn't realize."

"I don't think I did either." Her voice sounded distant even to her own ears and her face was dry but he must have seen something to incite such an affectionate reaction.

Arms remaining where they were, he pulled back just enough to look down into her eyes. The skin beneath his mask was faintly flushed. "Don't force yourself." There was regret in his eyes, from asking her or from telling her to stop, she could not say. "You looked like you were in pain."

"No." Her breath came in a whisper, awed by her own dawning knowledge. "I felt nothing. I didn't want to." Nothing had mattered to her. She might be easy-going but she still cared. In that memory though, there had been nothing and it made her feel lost.

He looked concerned so Makoto laid a gentle hand on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat. "I don't feel that way anymore. I think I learned. I made friends. I--" The rabbit doll in her pocket suddenly weighed a ton. She shifted, dropping her hand and pulling away. Akira's arms tensed briefly like he was struggling with not stopping her but he ultimately did nothing. Even stepping back, they stood quite close.

"Good," Akira's eyes drifted away. "That's... good." The adam's apple Makoto was level with bobbed. "Sorry for, uh..." He made a half-hearted wave to indicate their proximity.

"It's fine." Rolling her shoulders, she looked to the side. "I don't mind."

"You seem to have a lot of negative memories." He broached the subject carefully. "Maybe it's better if we don't try to get them back."

"I was happy." Blue eyes, blonde hair, a smile from one previously though incapable of it... "In the end, I was."

Akira's eyebrows rose. "The 'end'?"

Makoto smiled. She was still piecing it together herself but this memory... she would keep it to herself for now. "Before I woke up here."

"Are you still?"

"Happy?" He dipped his head in a short nod. Her shrug in answer did not seem to satisfy him.

"I want you to be." Eyes flashing over her person, the redness of his cheeks beneath his mask become more prominent. "Happy, I mean."

For a moment, she just examined him curiously. Then, she touched his arm--just a skim of her fingers over the length of his coat but enough to have his attention. "Could you take me to the real world?"

Face going slack, eyes darting from her hand to her face, it was clear Akira did not know how to respond. "If we're being watched--"

"What's it matter?" Makoto did not see the point. If she was seen, she was seen. They would assume there was another Phantom Thief, maybe. This was assuming they were even being watched consistently.

"If they know you..."

"Doesn't change the fact that I'm with you now."

Akira started, taken aback. Then, a small smile curled his lips. "Okay." He agreed softly. "Let's get you out of here."

-----------------

Fuuka was tired.

The Phantom Thieves had split up and it was only Fuuka performing surveillance. She had broached the topic of assistants once more with Mitsuru the night before, resulting in yet another confrontation. The argument had ended when Fuuka asked about Artemisia. Mitsuru had some analytical skills and could help in some way. To that, Mitsuru had grown quiet and left to sleep in the guest bedroom. By the time Fuuka woke the next morning, Mitsuru was already gone.

Juno could only do so much. She was capable of splitting her focus but with Akechi, Kitagawa, and the cat (Whose voice she could now curiously hear), leaving for Tatsumi Port Island, Sakura continuing to look into matters she should not, and the rest going about their daily lives, it was impossible to watch them all at any given moment, much less keep track.

She had considered bugging them in some way--their phones, their homes, their actual person--but not only did that seem ten times more invasive than keeping a distant eye on them through Juno but Sakura had taken to routinely checking them for such things. They were acting as though under the assumption of surveillance. Of course, they were right, but it made things more difficult. Perhaps if Aigis had said nothing... but no. They would have suspected, considering the trick had already been used on them once before.

On Mitsuru's orders, Labrys and Aigis were taking turns entering the cognitive world with the device in the lab. In case Fuuka missed one of them trying to sneak in, they were standing by at the ready. Fuuka wanted to argue that point as well. Attempts on Mitsuru's life, while not common, had happened and both androids had proven themselves effective as her bodyguards.

If something happened to Mitsuru... Fuuka swallowed thickly, a lump in her throat. If the Phantom Thieves were right and Akechi was the source of the mental shutdowns, the boy was gunning for Mitsuru. The Kirijo Group funding anti-Shido organizations and campaigns was likely the reason why...

Groaning, Fuuka irritably did up her braid, having neglected to do so earlier that morning. She wanted Mitsuru to show up at her office and surprise her like she used to. The last flowers she had gifted were long dead, apparently never to be replaced.

With a sip of her coffee, Fuuka decided to focus on the ones who were most active--the group headed to Tatsumi Port and Sakura Futaba who could get her hands on untold information if left unchecked.

-------------

Akira had forgotten he had entered Mementos from his room in LeBlanc's attic. This meant the first place he took her was his own bedroom.

They were standing close, chests practically brushing. "You need to be close," had apparently prompted her to move so near, not even a magazine could slip between them. He was barely able to focus on the fact that it had worked and she had left Mementos, his mind solely focused on their proximity.

She was staring shamelessly, blue eyes wider than he had ever seen them. He could see the moisture on her lips when she spoke. "You look nice."

Had her hand been on his pulse, she would have felt it jump. It took him a few frantic moments to realize she was referring to his lack of a mask.

Thank whatever's out there that Morgana's not here. The cat had left with Akechi and Yusuke earlier that day for Tatsumi Port Island. Had he been there, not only would Akira have to put up with his teasing, the moment would have been interrupted far sooner.

While he was internally fighting with himself over what to say, Makoto had lost interest. Stepping aside, she perused his bedroom with her usual hooded gaze (bored though her expression may be, in some lights it could be taken as intimate). "This is where you stay?"

Akira shook himself. Dumbstruck was not the image he wanted to present. "Yeah." Eyes still on her as she took in the room, he noticed how pale she was and how she shook slightly--the affects of her compulsion? "For now, at least, this is my room. And Morgana's."

"Where is the cat?"

"He left like we discussed in the meeting."

The corner of her mouth jumped. "Right. I wasn't paying attention." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder to the potted plant. "I like your tree."

Akira almost told her that it was not a tree but shrugged instead. "Thanks. We don't need to stay here, though. This is just where I entered the Metaverse from." He had gotten in the habit of doing so after his room had become something akin to their new base of operations. Now he felt awkward about unwittingly dragging her to his bedroom.

Ignoring his suggestion, she made her way over to his bed and laid a hand on it, testing the cushion. Eyebrows raising, she plopped down, lying across it much as she would when napping in Mementos, hands behind her head and ankles crossed.

Akira felt heat rush through him.

"This is much better than Mementos." Makoto breathed out in appreciation. "Makes coming worth it." Her eyes shut.

Here, his mind frantically supplied. She means coming here.

Having her there was surreal, particularly on his bed. Akira did not move an inch from where he stood, not sure what to do or if he could trust himself to do anything to begin with. god, he suppressed the urge to groan. Just calm down.

She cracked one blue eye open. The light from his window cast a beam on her person, causing her to practically glow as she relaxed back into his bed. "You okay?"

By how hot his face felt, Akira knew she was referring to his blush. "Fine." At least his voice sounded cool and collected.

Whether or not she believed him, she shut her eye once more, lips parting in a sigh. "I need one of these in Mementos."

"A mattress?" Akira chuckled, forcing himself to look away. He managed to pacify his racing heart enough to casually draw nearer and situate himself on the edge of the bed by her feet. Elbows on his knees, he looked forward, only keeping her image in the corner of his eye. "You're like a cat. I don't think even Morgana likes naps as much as you do."

Her toes lightly tapped his back but her eyes remained closed. "I'm a dog person, actually."

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm..." She sounded like she was falling asleep. Maybe he would let her enjoy an actual mattress for once and head downstairs to bother Sojiro. "I had one. I think."

Akira smiled. It just tugged at his lips, pulling them up softly. "You want to nap? I can go downstairs."

The bed moved as she did, turning to her side and peeking out at him with lidded eyes through her ruffled bangs. With her back mostly to the light, the shadows accented the contours of her face dramatically. To Akira, she appeared more regal just lying here lazily than any sight he had ever beheld. Was this the feeling Yusuke got when he was inspired by beauty? This strange warmth and tightening of his chest?

His neck twisted, eyes fully on her to take in her visage.

Makoto studied his face, opened her mouth, shut it, and said: "You really do look nice." She immediately flopped back, eyes wrinkled as she shut them forcefully. Her skin had gained some more color, whether from the sun from the window, her getting a handle on being in the real world, or something else, Akira could only speculate.

"Thanks." She had taken the words from his mouth.

Taking her arm, she tossed it over her eyes, covering much of her face. The only part of her face he could look at was her mouth as it moved. "We can go wherever. Just wanted to try your bed."

Grinning, Akira nudged her shin. "And how is it?"

Her smile was gently, the curve hardly pronounced. "I could sleep here every night."

The things she says, Akira shook his head and ran a hand over his face. "Are you hungry? We could go to Big Bang Burger."

Her arm edged up and she peeked out. "Isn't that Okumura's thing?"

"Haru's, now. Or, it will be." Remembering Okumura's demise no longer made him sick to the stomach. Instead, it was the encouragement he needed to continue on this path to bring the true killer to justice. Makoto helped him see that.

"I'm tired of Jose's cookies." Still smiling faintly, Makoto removed her arm and sat up, hair pleasantly mussed. "Let's go; I don't know how much longer I can put up with this real world thing."

He grinned, flashing his teeth, and stood. With a flourish and an elegant bow, he offered her his hand.

For a moment, she eyed it uncertainly. Then she took it and allowed him to draw her from the bed and to her feet. "Feels different." She mumbled lowly when he let go.

"I'm not wearing gloves here." That may very well be the first time they had actually touched which explained the shiver winding down his spine pleasantly.

Makoto said nothing but her eyes swept down to his hands before returning to his face.

Akira motioned exaggeratedly and she followed him to the stairs. It took some effort to not look back as they descended. Like Orpheus leaving the underworld, he feared Makoto would not be there if he turned around.

"Didn't know you had a girl in your room." Sojiro was alone in the cafe, all booths empty. "Haven't seen you around. You related to that doctor at the clinic?" Hip against the bar, Sojiro's body was aimed toward the television. Over his glasses, he eyed Makoto before meeting Akira's gaze with a quick quirk to his brow. Akira once again felt his face heat up. Makoto looked like she had just woken up, her hair mussed up, her clothes rumpled, and her eyes dragging with her usual disinterest. It was clear what Sojiro thought had happened.

"This is Makoto Yuki, a friend from school." He introduced swiftly, his own eyebrow raised in response. "We were going to head out to eat."

"Yeah? Kid, I think I'm a bad influence on you." Sojiro lifted his shoulders and let them drop in a shrug he refused to put effort into. "Go. Have fun. Just be don't stay out too late."

Outside, Makoto cocked her head toward Akira. "Was that 'the boss'?"

Akira laughed lowly. "Yeah. That's him."

"Huh." Was her only response.

Still smiling, Akira mustered up his courage and grabbed her hand in what he hoped was a suave manner. At first, she appeared mildly startled, but the tentative squeeze she gave was reassuring. He looked at her over the brim of his own glasses and she smiled back.

-----------------

Tatsumi Port Island smelled of the sea and the city. It was not so different from Shibuya, though it was notably smaller with buildings that had not quite yet attempted to touch the sky.

Yusuke took in the air with a grateful breath, looking around. Under Madarame's tutelage, traveling for inspiration was not so uncommon but since the man's conviction, the most Yusuke could claim to travel was to the Metaverse. It was enthralling to once again be surrounded by so much newness that screamed potential for art. Sometimes, a change in scenery was all one needed for inspiration.

Of course, art was not why he traveled, not this time. In his overnight bag, Morgana grouchily peeked out at the streets as they passed, occasionally voicing an opinion. At his side walked Goro Akechi, the renowned detective prince. Together, they were here for a reason.

"It should be this way." Akechi was reading a map on his phone, the address to the Iwatodai Dorms plugged into the navigation. Clicking it shut, he slipped it back into his pocket and began leading.

"We need to stop for sushi." Morgana grumbled. He had been far from happy to discover he shared Yusuke's bag with numerous art tools that he claimed poked and prodded him with every step the blue-haired boy took. "This place smells like fish and it's making me hungry."

"It is a port city," Yusuke waved a dramatic hand in the air. The scent of water made him think of the elegance therein, the beauty of flowing waters, and the simplicity of sailing across it. Many famous paintings portrayed such scenes. Perhaps Yusuke would also find the inspiration he needed in the views to put a masterpiece on canvas. "It would stand to reason that the scent of fish would be prominent."

"Or pungent." Akechi tried a short laugh. He had been nothing but pleasant throughout their trip, even going so far as to include himself in conversations. Yusuke was not fooled. He knew a forgery was at play and the detective's smiles were drawn in the lines of a naive artist determined to pull off the real thing without realizing he missed the most important ingredient: passion.

Two young girls spotted Akechi and ran up squealing in excitement, voices calling for "the detective prince!"

Playing the role of perfect talk show guest, Akechi smiled at them, purposefully crinkling his eyes as though it pained him to look at them. "Oh, hello!" He greeted them amicably.

"I can't believe you're here!" one of the girls practically shrieked. "I'm, like, your biggest fan."

"No, Aiko knows I am." The other playfully nudged her friend hard enough to cause her to stumble. "I've seen all your interviews and have followed your career for years!" As Akechi had only been active for about two years in the realm of public police work, Yusuke somehow doubted this claim.

"Haha! Yes," Akechi ruffled the hair at the base of his neck, forged smile never wavering. "It's always nice to meet fans but I do have somewhere to be..."

"Oh! Does this have to do with the Phantom Thieves?" The first girl demanded eagerly.

"Yes, it was all very sudden--"

"'Sudden'?" Girl 2 repeated, a glint to her eyes. "Do you need a place to stay? You can stay at my place! My parents won't mind!"

"But mine aren't even home. Come stay with me!"

"I, err, really appreciate the offer but my friend actually took care of the accommodations." He retreated a few steps back to indicate Yusuke.

"Yes," Yusuke nodded. "At the Seaside Clamshell Inn."

Both girls reeled back. "The what?"

"Yusuke," Akechi whispered through gritted teeth. "That's a love hotel."

"Of course," He inclined his head sagely. "Where better to find passion than a place dedicated to love?" In his bag, Morgana snickered devilishly.

"Okay," The first girl took a deep breath. "We didn't realize you had a partner."

The second bowed deeply. "We're sorry we interrupted." They both took off running, faces red.

Yusuke crossed his arms speculatively. "I suppose they assumed we were in a relationship."

"Obviously."

Gaze discerning, Yusuke looked the detective over. "Apologies, Akechi-san, but you're not my type." Morgana laughed harder and Akechi actually shot the bag a dark look. "And I paid for two rooms, of course."

"Of course," Akechi sounded defeated. He swept off after that with a sharp: "Let's get this over with."

Yusuke hummed contemplatively before following. Had he hurt the detective's feelings? He supposed his instant rebuff was harsh but Yusuke was genuinely not attracted to fakes.

They came upon their destination soon after--or, at least the navigation app claimed this to be so. When the robotic "You are here" came from Akechi's phone, they stood not in front of any sort of dormitory but a rather inconspicuous tea shop.

Yusuke set Morgana on the ground and the cat glared up at the shop like it had personally wronged him. "This isn't right!" He yowled, tail swishing angrily. "Akechi, you put it in wrong!"

"I assure you, I did not--"

"Hey!" A young voice cried. The three of them turned to see a boy running toward them chasing after a dog that had torn it's leash away to drag it behind it as it raced forward, tongue lolling.

The dog skidded to a halt in front of Yusuke and Akechi, Morgana hissing and digging his claws into Yusuke painfully as he scaled the boy's body in search of safety. Tail wagging at a ridiculous speed, the dog practically danced with how it hopped and pawed at both Yusuke and Akechi's feet.

Yusuke knelt, the dog leaping to sniff at his collar. Abruptly, it whined, tail no longer wagging, and it pulled away. Yusuke tried petting its white fur but the dog was no longer interested.

"I'm so sorry." The boy hurriedly told them. "We've been walking this path for years and he's never acted this way." Dressed in a school uniform, he had an armband on it that read Student Council President. The checkered black and white school crest was the same one that adorned the uniform the persona-user Aigis had worn. With his longer brown hair and deep brown eyes, he actually heavily resembled Akechi--only, his smile was far superior.

"It's perfectly alright." Yusuke said, Morgana hissing the opposite sentiment in his arms.

"He's an old dog," The boy squatted to affectionately ruffle the dog's ear. It was an albino with a curled tail, red eyes, and a cuteness factor that put Morgana to shame. "And usually so well behaved. I don't know what got into him." The dog laid down, nose bumping his owner's shoe as he continued to whine.

"What's his name?" Yusuke inquired, continuing to kneel and looking the dog in its wide, red eyes.

"Koromaru," The boy smiled and dipped his head in a makeshift bow. "And I'm Ken Amada."

"It's nice to meet you, Amada-san." Akechi stood just past Yusuke's shoulder. "My name's Goro Akechi and this is Yusuke Kitagawa."

"What about me?" Morgana whined. They ignored him but Yusuke gave him an consolatory pat on the head.

"I know that name." Ken shot Akechi a grin. "You're that detective, right?"

"I am." Akechi answered. "I'm actually here for one of my cases--"

"Aren't you investigating the Phantom Thieves?" Amada's eyes lit up with interest.

"Yes but I work on multiple cases at once. This is for something unrelated." Smooth, Akechi. He lied as smoothly as spreading oil over canvas. "Actually, could I ask you some questions if you have the time?"

Ken Amada looked intrigued. "Sure, if I can help." He continued absently petting the quieter Koromaru.

"You said you've walked this path for years," Amada nodded. "And you're wearing the Gekkoukan High uniform." Was that what it was? Why had Aigis donned the same within Kirijo's Palace? "Do you know of any dorms around here? I was under the impression that one was here."

Amada's eyebrows had curiously shot up into his hairline. "Uh, yeah. There used to be." He nodded to the tea shop. "Right there. The Iwatodai Dorms."

"What happened to it?" Asked Yusuke.

"It was torn down, almost seven years ago now."

"Forgive me for assuming," Akechi began. "But you're quite familiar with it despite your age and how long ago you say it was closed. Not many would recall the name of a random dorm they passed during a daily walk from seven years ago."

"Well," Ken Amada stood, looking between them curiously as though trying to figure out what they wanted. "That's because I lived there."

Chapter Text

Before Yusuke or Akechi could question Amada further, the boy's phone rang. When he pulled it out and saw the ID, his eyebrows rose. "Sorry," He apologized, tugging at Koromaru's leash. "I need to take this."

Yusuke and Akechi glanced at one another and decided to wait. This boy had a clear connection to the Iwatodai Dorms and their best lead by far at the moment.

"Hey--" Amada began only to snap his mouth shut at whatever the person on the other end said. Lips pulling at a frown, he listened raptly. "It's been a while. What's up?" Absently twining Koromaru's leash around his wrist as the person on the other end of the call spoke, he stilled after a moment, eyes flicking to Yusuke and Akechi with astonishment that he was quick to cover up. "Yeah," His adam's apple bobbed. "I'm about to head home. Koromaru just got excited about something." Another long pause. It was obvious the person on the other end was talking quite a bit and what they said kept Amada's attention. "Okay," He sighed. "Yeah, I get it. I won't. Promise." Another pause. "I know you can see--I won't do anything! You better tell me more late, Juno." His expression softened. "Yeah. You two."

"Stay on your guard." Akechi mumbled so only Yusuke and Morgana could hear. The artist shot him a quizzical look, not sure what he was implying.

Amada hung up and returned his focus to the duo, his smile tighter than it had been before. "It was nice meeting you two. I hope you find what you're looking for but I really need to head back."

"Of course!" Akechi gave him his best impression of a smile. "But would you mind sharing your contact information? It's a minor case but I could really use your time to answer some questions I have about the Iwatodai Dorms."

"Uh..." The boy hesitated. "Yeah, sure. Okay." A moment later, he was sending Akechi a quick text to give the detective his number. He did not intend to stay much longer however. "I really do need to go. Nice meeting you." With a quick tug to Koromaru's leash, he was off running.

Yusuke glanced sideways at Akechi. Asking for the boy's number was pretty forward but Yusuke could see why Akechi would be interested. Narcissists always went for people who looked like them. "A long distance relationship might not be ideal, Akechi-san."

"What? No." Akechi shot him a bewildered look. "No. Did you not notice? Amada's demeanor drastically changed after his phone call and it came at a very opportune time."

"That could be anything."

"No, something was definitely up." Morgana meowed, struggling out of Yusuke's arms to perch awkwardly on his shoulder, tail wrapping around his neck for balance. "Remember what Haru said? 'If we're being watched and something happens, we'll know we're on the right path.'"

Yusuke crossed his arms. "You're saying he was contacted by our observers? Why would that occur?" Ken Amada was just a random student. Coincidence brought them together.

Akechi shook his head. "We'll discuss this later." By his tone, Yusuke could tell he was thinking hard on the matter. "Where there are less ears." On a street with only the two of them in sight, it was clear he meant those who were watching them.

"Very well," Yusuke dropped his arms, still curious but willing to set it aside. "I will go along with this."

They went to Gekkoukan High next which, thankfully, was at the address the navigation app brought them to. Unfortunately, while they were able to get an audience with the principal using Akechi's name, they found little of value.

"Mitsuru Kirijo?" The principal, a woman named Isako Toriumi whose computer had displayed the home page for an old MMORPG before she shut the screen off, was on the younger side for one in her position. "I was only a teacher during her time here and I unfortunately did not have the pleasure of being her teacher. Her company however did and still does own Gekkoukan High." She tapped her hand against the desk. "May I ask how this pertains to your case?"

"A suspect for one of my cases has connections to the Iwatodai Dorms. We are just covering all our bases, Toriumi-san."

"I don't see how a dormitory torn down almost seven years ago now could affect a current, ongoing investigation..."

Akechi smiled and ducked his head sheepishly. "Unfortunately, I am unable to discuss the details of this case."

Toriumi made a thoughtful noise and drummed her fingers against the desk once more. "I cannot hand out our private records, I'm sorry to say, but I did teach a class that had four students assigned to the Iwatodai Dorms during Kirijo-san's attendance here. I will say nothing more than that, while occasionally infuriating, none of them have what it takes to commit any sort of crime that would call for the attention of one of your caliber." She pushed away from the desk and stood. "I am sorry I can offer nothing more, Akechi-san."

Outside the school, Yusuke leaned against the gate and watched Akechi pace in thought. "Unfortunate," Yusuke sighed. "Perhaps Sakura-chan will have learned more."

"No," Akechi tilted his head toward Yusuke but his eyes were distant. "Did you notice her expression? And how quick she was to end the conversation? Something happened, to her students or in general that stands out in her mind. She recalled four students in particular from seven years ago and their assigned dorms. Does that not strike you as somewhat strange? Clamming up also might imply that it is something covered up."

"That's a lot to infer from such a brief conversation," Yusuke pointed out. "Perhaps Sakura-chan--"

"If Kirijo edited her own records, it's likely that she did the same with any others associated with what she wants hidden. Sakura won't be able to pull up something that doesn't exist any longer. No," Akechi glanced to the side. "We'll need physical records, something that can't be easily altered."

"The principal doesn't seem like she'd let us go snooping." Morgana said from Yusuke's bag. "I could try but I don't exactly have thumbs."

"No. I have an idea but I don't want to say it aloud." For the best, Yusuke determined. "Follow me." Akechi once again took the lead and, watching him for just a moment before following, Yusuke realized not for the first time what a genuine threat the detective was. He clearly knew people enough to notice minute details on a stranger's expression and was resourceful enough to work around apparently constant surveillance.

A shiver wound down Yusuke's spine at the sight of Akechi's determined expression. Had Yusuke been inclined to put more macabre or dangerously passionate images onto canvas, such an expression might give him infinite inspiration. It was the face of a hunter and while Yusuke was on his side at the moment, the artist had a sinking suspicion that he and his friends were the prey.

------------------

"You look exhausted." Ken blurted out the observation the moment the video call displayed Fuuka's face. "Oh, uhm, I mean--"

"It's fine, Ken-chan." The woman smiled wearily. There were deep bags under her eyes and her usually immaculate braid was fraying a distressing amount. Ken could not even recall her looking so bedraggled during the events of seven years ago. "I'm glad you got away with no issue."

The whole situation flummoxed Ken. Unfortunately, seen as the youngest (not wrong, per se), the rest of the Shadow Operatives tended to keep him out of the loop and he was sadly used to this fact. "It's not like they could have known that I--"

"They suspect, Ken-chan." Fuuka's voice was flat, lacking her usual pleasantness. "It's my fault. I may not be thinking straight..." She blinked tiredly, forcing a crooked smile onto her face. "Calling you was foolish. It raised their suspicions and Goro Akechi is not known as the inheritor of Naoto Shirogane's title for nothing."

Naoto Shirogane. Ken had met her during the incident with the TVs a few years ago. While Ken had not grown too close to her, he had seen her a few times since and they had always been friendly with one another. For one, Ken respected the woman immensely. She was in possession of a sharp intellect that he admired but for Fuuka to imply that this Akechi was of a similar disposition...

He reached down to absently pet Koromaru's ear. The dog laid by his feet, half-asleep. As the years wore on, the dog grew more and more lethargic. They did not even know his exact age since they took him in after his owner died. "And you're sure they're the Phantom Thieves?"

This query prompted a smile. "Quite certain."

Ken blushed. "Right. Juno. You're really spying on them? I thought you were against that." One of the few times he had ever been privy to the goings on of the woman's relationship with Mitsuru was when they had argued over using Juno for such endeavors. Fuuka had always stubbornly refused. Until now, it seemed.

She shifted uncomfortably in her computer chair. Her office was dark but for the lights of her computer screens, sending her shadow to climb the wall behind. "You're a clever boy, Ken-chan, but this has nothing to do with you. It's unfortunate that you stumbled--"

"I didn't stumbled!" Ken glared at the screen half-heartedly. "Koromaru led me there. He smelled seomthing--or someone, probably. One of you guys, maybe?" The dog never got more excited than he did when visited by any former members of SEES, particularly Aigis. "If your guys are getting involved, I should be too. I am a member of the Shadow Operatives."

"Not until you finish High School. Calling you in four years ago would not have happened if Mitsuru and I--"

"Weren't kidnapped." Ken finished for her tightly. "And I helped save you." Fuuka sighed but did not disagree. "I get that you want to keep me safe because I'm young but I'm the same age as you were when you joined SEES--I was there, I helped then, too, and I was only eleven. We fought Nyx together. I'm even the same age as these Phantom Thieves, apparently, and I'm the same age as Makoto when--" His throat constricted and he looked away. "Point is: I can help." Softer in tone, he lifted his gaze to take in Fuuka's sad demeanor. "And you look like you need it."

"I'll need to talk to Mitsuru--"

"No way." Ken shook his head. "She'll say no. You're just using that as an excuse. I can help, Fuuka-san." His eyes were pleading, he knew. After his mother's death and subsequent moving in to the Iwatodai Dorms, he had found a family he thought lost to him forever. Never mind the fact that he was practically Mitsuru's legal ward because of everything she did for him (She and Fuuka were literally his emergency contacts in his school files), they were all he really had. Sure, he had a few friends but how could he grow closer to any person while hiding a literal part of himself? How could he go from facing down a literal goddess with friends at his side to making nice in school with strangers who could never understand?

"Ken, I..." Fuuka gnawed on her lip, eyes distant. Seeing her so haggard almost reminded him of Makoto's appearance those days before finding her and Aigis on the roof of Gekkoukan High.

"I'll do something anyway." He threatened, not unkindly. "He has my number. He'll call and ask questions and since he suspects, I won't be able to get rid of him so easily anyway."

"Oh, Ken." She said his name mournfully. "You know I can't just let that happen." She sighed deeply, almost painfully. "I'll explain everything but you'll need to listen to me, alright? You can't go running off on your own. I have too many people to keep an eye on and there's no guarantee I'll be there if you need it."

"That's fine. Any way I can help, Fuuka-san." He wanted to relieve some of the burden she so obviously carried.

"Then listen closely. I don't have time to explain twice..."

---------------

Akira's palm was softer than Makoto expected. For one who made it more than a hobby to wield knives, he had few callouses. An effect of wearing gloves, perhaps? Makoto had plenty of time to consider this as the crowded train gave little leeway for pleasant conversation.

"Ah, my young friend!" An older man with a portly disposition and an open smile spotted Makoto and Akira the moment they stepped out into open air from the train station. His eyes flicked down to their entwined hands and his smile turned sly. "I see you've brought a..." His expression became positively conspiratorial. "Friend with you this time."

At the man's urging, Akira shot Makoto a sheepish look and tugged her after the happy man. "Makoto, this is Toranosuke Yoshida. He's really helped me with my charisma." There was definitely some red coloring his cheeks. "You know, negotiating." Oh. Makoto nodded in understanding. She had seen Akira's approach to handling certain shadows and talk definitely proved to be a potent skill in that regard.

"I was just about to begin a speech." Toranosuke smiled kindly at Makoto. "Did you receive my text? Is that why you're here?"

Akira's free hand went to his pocket where Makoto suspected his phone was. "I, err..."

Toranosuke laughed good-naturedly. "You would think my lessons proved fruitless." He told Makoto with a wink. "But he convinced you to accompany him, did he not?"

"I asked." Makoto deadpanned. Though the Phantom Thieves had often brought up her leaving Mementos, it was her request that led her to this moment in the real world.

"Oh-ho!" Clasping Akira on the shoulder with enough enthusiasm to shake even Makoto through their joined hands, Toranosuke flashed his teeth. "I see, I see. Now, don't let me keep you. I know you didn't come here to watch a speech. Even one of mine." He winked.

"Sorry, Tora."

Makoto glanced at Akira. "We can stay." While her hand tended to be mostly limp in his, she squeezed on occasion and did so then.

"I wouldn't want your night to be interrupted."

"Might be interesting." Makoto's answer made the man beam ecstatically.

Throughout the speech, Makoto and Akira ended up holding some of Tora's signs--Makoto with admittedly less aplomb, her sign nearly touching the ground at times and her yawns doing little to engage the growing audience. Tora did not mind and thanked them profusely when he was finished. At Makoto's meager compliment, the man flushed, still grinning.

"Now why don't you two get going? Looks like the young lady's half exhausted already!"

"Makoto's just like that." Akira told him, a fond note to his voice. "But yeah. We'll do that."

"Hopefully I'll see you next time. Perhaps both of you?"

"Sure." Makoto shrugged. "It was pretty interesting."

Akira took her hand once more and they were off. "Sorry about that."

Walking at his side, Makoto adjusted their grip to use the most minimal effort possible in retaining it. "About what?" She asked, head cocked to the side.

"About..." A small smile crept up on his face. "Nevermind. Thanks. So let's get--"

"Kurusu-san!" A boy about their age with hair as blue as Makoto's jogged out from a nearby crowd to join them. "You busy? Would you like to--Oh! I'm sorry." He halted just before them, eyes going wide at the sight of Makoto. "I don't think we've met!" Words streamed from his mouth almost comically fast. "Are you one of Kurusu's... friends?" The way he pronounced the last word was odd.

Akira rolled his eyes. "No, Mishima. This is Makoto. Makoto, this is Yuuki Mishima. He runs the Phansite."

Mishima nodded enthusiastically. "Though there's a lot of trolls on the site right now." Puffing out his chest, he proudly eyed Makoto. "But I am in charge. I help the Phantom Thieves a lot. You might even say I'm close to them." Clearly he knew Akira's secret and was not keen on hiding it.

"Mishima," Akira sighed, no grit to his voice. It sounded like he was used to Mishima's gloating.

"Right. Say, let's go to the cafe if you're not busy. I could use your opinion on a few features I want to add to the Phansite."

With a tad more steel to his voice, Akira lifted his hand still joined with Makoto's for emphasis and repeated: "Mishima."

Mishima eyed their hands for a few seconds before realization hit him. "You're--oh. Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I'll just--"

"We could go to the cafe--"

"Nope." Succinctly put, Akira dropped their hands. "Not this time. To the Big Bang Burger." He strode past Mishima, gently tugging Makoto along with him.

They were stopped once more by a woman with short, dark hair and a camera hanging from her neck. She waved. "Yoohoo! Wonderful to see you, and with a lady friend too!"

"What are you even doing in Shibuya?" Akira groaned, jaw set. Makoto could practically hear his teeth grinding together.

"Wow. Okay. A woman can't go shopping?" The lady rolled her eyes and then fixed them on Makoto, leaning in close. "But your friend... hello! Have we met? No... I think I saw you in a newspaper?"

Makoto pulled back, neck arching uncomfortably. "Probably not," She answered dryly.

"Are you sure? I never forget a face with a juicy story attached."

Makoto shrugged and took a step back.

"It was nice seeing you, Ohya, but..." Like with Mishima, he raised their joined hands pointedly.

"Right. Young love and all that. Come visit me at the bar when you get a chance; I could use some fresh info." With a smile and a nod, she strode off.

"You're popular." Makoto acknowledged, watching her go.

"I guess." He smiled weakly. "I wasn't always. Before moving here, I definitely wasn't. I guess after the lawsuit, I just stopped worrying and decided to spend time doing things and meeting people I wouldn't normally."

Makoto hummed thoughtfully. "I think I was like that too. Returning to Tatsumi Port after my parents died, I just didn't care. I just spent time doing whatever but I found joy in meeting people and helping." She paused, brow furrowed in thought. "There was... a friend. He kind of insisted on being my friend. I wasn't interested at first and just wanted to be left alone. But he persisted, told me it wasn't good to be the new kid and lonely."

"Sounds a bit like Ryuji."

Makoto frowned harder. She could almost visualize his face. "His name was... someone called him Stupei."

Akira laughed, hand tightening around hers. "Really?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I don't think it was his real name."

With his free hand, he reached up to tuck her bangs behind her ear. The touch sent pleasant chills winding down her spine. "Don't try too hard. You look like you're in pain."

Eyes widening slightly, she immediately ducked her head. Seeing him without the meager barrier of her hair made her face feel hot for some reason. His face was just... there and closer than she had realized. "Yeah," She mumbled, her bangs falling back into place.

"Let's go eat," He encouraged softly, gingerly urging her to follow.

She did so quietly, hoping the thudding in her ears was audible to her and her alone. No one else stopped them but a sudden jolt to Akira's steps made Makoto suspect he spotted someone who might.

The entrance to Big Bang Burger reminded Makoto of Futaba's persona--all futuristic-y. The door even slid open with a hiss without their input and stepping inside was a whole other beast, the chrome walls and shiny flooring had her blinking in brief discomfort.

The line to the counter was short and they were soon faced with an overly cheerful worker. "Welcome! What can I get you?"

Makoto only half listened to Akira ordering and when he looked to her in askance, she shrugged. "What he's having."

This ended up with the two of them seated before two of the largest hamburgers that could possibly be built without toppling over. Makoto poked hers, testing its balance, and it thankfully remained upright.

Akira laughed lowly. "You okay with that?"

"It's definitely a lot of food."

"Don't worry about eating it all." Shoulders still shaking with the remains of laughter, Akira moved to lift his burger. How he managed, Makoto could only speculate. When he bit in, his mouth came back covered in sauce and bits of cheese and burger.

Smirking, Makoto reached out to take a swipe of the remains on his mouth. She put the finger into her own mouth and licked it clean. "Yeah," She said, taking the finger out with an audible pop. "Tastes pretty good."

When his face went red, it was not because of ketchup. "Eat your own." He mumbled around a mouthful.

With a shrug, she did so. The burger was a pain to handle but she somehow managed to lift it and take a bite. When she lowered it, her mouth was just as messy as Akira's. "I like yours better." She told him after swallowing.

He quirked a brow. "Yeah? Wanna trade?"

When she did not answer, Akira decided to reenact her earlier movements and coat his finger in the mess from her lips. Where he touched, tingled. The whole scene was likely a mirror image of the one moments prior, complete with Makoto gaining a reddened complexion as well. At her stare, he grinned. "You're right. Mine is better."

Both of them somehow downed the entirety of their meals and when she was cleaning her face at the end with a napkin, Akira laughed. "I didn't expect you to eat the whole thing." He explained, answering her questioning look.

She shrugged, pushing the tray from her person. Her stomach was pleasantly full, a feeling that somewhat stifled the sinking sensation of her need to return to Mementos.

"Took me weeks to work up to this challenge. And I usually have Morgana helping me." He nudged her with a playful elbow. "Now we don't have to pay."

Makoto inclined her head. "I'm a cheap date."

Somehow, Akira's face was even more crimson than before. He sputtered. "Ah, err, date?"

"That is what you were implying to your friends, right?" Makoto could be oblivious but she was not quite that oblivious.

He could not seem to retain eye contact. "I mean, I--"

Makoto laid her hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's fine."

"'Fine'?"

"If you want it to be, it's fine."

"Oh." A hesitant smile curled his lips. "I want it to be." He looked down at her hand and noticed how it shook slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired." Makoto sighed. "I'm starting to feel sick."

"From eating?"

"From me. I keep wanting to ask to return to Mementos." Not asking was causing her stomach to strain into knots.

"We can if you really want..." The way he spoke told her that he wanted her to leave just as little as she wanted to go.

Makoto shook her head slowly, voice soft when she spoke: "I don't want to go." She cautiously entwined their fingers together. "Not yet. I'm happy."

Their eyes met and Makoto was not sure who leaned forward first. The touch of their lips against each other was gentle and brief but no less intimate. When they withdrew, Makoto knew for certain that his food had tasted better.

Chapter Text

Akechi had not wanted to wait so they headed directly to his next determined destination. It was growing late and many of the stores within the Paulownia Mall were closed and some others were just opening up like a club a little ways from where Yusuke found himself.

It was the mall police station that Akechi was interested in. Manned only by an officer Kurosawa who claimed to have held his position there for over a decade, the place was rather small and appeared more suited for storage than anything else--probably the very reason Akechi had chosen it over any other station. Officer Kurosawa was reluctant to deal with them at first but Akechi's credentials and a phone call from someone the detective knew encouraged the man to set aside his hesitancy, though with some unintelligible grumbling.

His goal the stored paper files, Akechi led Yusuke into the back past a frowning officer Kurosawa, and they set to work rifling through cabinets of records. According to Akechi, paper trails were much harder to mask than digital. "Not impossible, though, just more difficult. Hopefully we find something." Were his words on the matter. Yusuke hoped so too because otherwise, he felt like they had hardly discovered anything on this trip, no matter Akechi's intrigue.

Morgana hopped atop one of the metal filing cabinets and peered down at them, tail swishing. "What are we even looking for?" He mewled, eyeing Akechi as the boy scanned the contents of one drawer before sliding it shut and moving to another.

"Anything suspicious." Akechi answered distractedly. "From about seven years ago. Preferably associated with Mitsuru Kirijo, the school, Iwatodai Dorms, or something else along those lines." Once he found dates he approved of, he hauled out a number of files.

Yusuke followed him to a cramped table in the corner, likely where officer Kurosawa had his lunches or did paperwork. Thankfully, there were two chairs which allowed the two of them to sit and peruse the stacks of papers and files together. The first thing Yusuke noticed when sifting through was the repeated mention of something called the "Apathy Syndrome" and when he pointed that out, Morgana launched himself from his perch to land gracefully on the table to read some of the reports himself.

"'Apathy Syndrome'?" the cat pawed at one of the papers that detailed the case of a young man who had become completely unresponsive to outside stimulus but was walking around and functioning in some sort of fashion. "That sounds like it's Metaverse related."

Akechi, looking enthralled by some papers he had found, looked up. "I think so too."

Yusuke leafed through a few pages dealing with those afflicted by the syndrome. "People appear to have miraculously been cured over time... and unless their recovery was just reported on the same day, they recovered in bulk. On February first, the rest were marked cured as well. There are none in these files reported to be affected past that date."

"The dates are interesting..." Akechi murmured when Yusuke leaned over to show the detective his findings. A flash of movement had Yusuke's eyes dropping to the other boy's free hand. It slipped something (a page?) below the table and presumably into his pocket. Yusuke frowned and almost commented but Akechi was quick to distract. "No normal disease or virus will find it's victims being cured en masse like this. There's not even a cure listed. They apparently just... recovered."

"Hey!" Morgana nosed a paper out of the pile. "This has that kid's name on it!"

Yusuke snatched it up before Akechi could and read through, frowning deeply at what he found. "It's a murder report."

"Wha-at?" Morgana shuffled closer to read over Yusuke's hands. "Wait, why's a bunch blacked out?"

Much of it was unreadable but Yusuke did his best to read through and understand what he could. "'October fourth, Shinjiro Aragaki fatally wounded by a gunshot protecting a one Ken Amada.'" He recited aloud. Most of the rest was obscured by black bars and what he could discern was frustratingly barren. "'He died on the scene.' There's no suspects listed, no time of death, no motive... well, not that I can read." At Akechi's prompting, Yusuke handed the report over.

The detective's eyes roamed over the page and he set it down with a curious hum.

"Here's another." Yusuke felt dread fill his stomach as he pulled out a second death record dated only a few months after Aragaki's. "'Takaya Sakaki, alleged founder of the website Revenge Request in which many of the site's targets were found dead--'" Yusuke paused, a tremor to his voice as he added: "This sounds almost like the Phansite."

Morgana, reading over Yusuke's hands, snorted. "Hardly. The Phantom Thieves don't kill!"

"With the death of Okumura, the public may say differently." At Morgana's glare, Akechi shrugged. "Go on, Kitagawa. What else does it say?"

Yusuke swallowed and skipped much of the information on the Revenge Request website. "... 'and supposed cult leader was found alongside co-conspirator Jin Shirato on February 1st near Gekkoukan High during the early morning. The latter appeared to have suffered severe burns before his death, potentially resulting in it, and the former apparently collapsed due to exhaustion with no discernible wounds on his person.'" Yusuke shook his head mournfully. "So much death."

They wallowed in that knowledge for a time before Akechi made a noise and slammed a page down. Just as had been the case with Shinjiro Aragaki, this page's writing was heavily obstructed by black bars. At the top however demanding attention were the words: November fourth, Takeharu Kirijo shot to death by employee Shuji Ikutski who later fell to his death from atop Gekkoukan High. Nearly everything else was illegible.

"Well, obviously something was going on." Morgana huffed between licking his paw. "None of this is normal! The Apathy Syndrome, the Revenge Request site, a cult, four people dead near or at Gekkoukan High with one of them being Kirijo's--what, father?"

Akechi inclined his head. "Father, correct. I had heard that the former Kirijo Head had died from an illness. Researching Kirijo before finding her Palace, there was even text that said as much on the Kirijo website." He sighed. "November fourth and February first of their respective years were both days after a full moon and October fourth, the day of Aragaki's murder, was on a full moon." He tapped the small pile of Apathy Syndrome cases. "These... they all recovered the day after a full moon. The final cases were dated as recovered on February first, the same day Sakaki and Shirato were found."

"How do you know?" Yusuke did not think knowing the date of full moons from years prior was necessarily common knowledge.

Brow raising, Akechi laid his index finger on the name Kirijo on the one report. "The full moon was extremely emphasized within Mitsuru Kirijo's Palace. It clearly held some significance to her, nevermind the odd coloring. I took the liberty of going through some old books on full moons earlier." The Phantom Thieves knew Akechi was doing his own investigating that they were not privy to but Yusuke took this as confirmation of that fact. "Then there's this." Akechi withdrew a specific case from the stack he had been going through. "December second, also a full moon, the Moonlight Bridge which had been destroyed approximately a decade prior to this event, hosted some kind of unknown destruction. The record details injuries to the bridge's infrastructure meticulously but there is no reason given."

Eyes narrowed in thought, Akechi stood and once again opened cabinets to scan through other files. He withdrew one, went through the pages within, and nodded to himself. "This," he said. "Is the report from a decade before that--seventeen years ago from us."

Yusuke accepted the page and read it through. It was much as Akechi had described the first report only significantly more brutal with the whole bridge practically collapsing. No reason was given for such devastation, the person who had inscribed the event even noting how the Moonlight Bridge had previously been hailed as a structural achievement, but at the end, when it listed fatalities and more, Yusuke stilled.

"What, what?" Morgana pawed anxiously at the paper. "What's it say?"

"It says..." Yusuke choked back a disturbed noise. "... 'the only survivor being six-year-old Makoto Yuki whose parents were tragically counted among the dead."

"Mako-chan?" Morgana yowled. "But that would make her twenty-something and she's no older than you or the leader!" As much as a cat could, he shook his head. "No way. It must be a coincidence."

"Maybe." Akechi broached. "Maybe not. Everything about your Mementos friend is odd."

"Perhaps..." Yusuke floundered. What were the odds? "Perhaps she somehow found herself in Mementos with no way out? Time is strange there..."

"No." Morgana still sounded bemused and above all irritated at having to contradict Yusuke on this point. "Mementos is a relatively new development within the Metaverse. It would not have been there when this Makoto Yuki was in High School."

"Then..." Yusuke looked between Morgana, Akechi, and the many files spread out before them. "What does that mean?"

---------------------------

Akira was still running high after saying goodbye to Makoto. When her trembling became too much and with the pallor of her skin doing its best impression of a ghost, Akira had insisted on taking her back to Mementos. She had agreed, relief and resignation warring in her eyes.

Sojiro had commented on his dazed expression when he returned to the cafe, a smirk on his face. Akira could agree that he was, in fact, dazed. It all felt surreal to him, having had Makoto there in the real world, to walk to streets with her hand in his, introduce her to his other friends, and, in the end, taste her lips with his. And after it all, she acknowledged their outing as a date. Akira did not quite know what that meant for them yet but he was motivated to explore it with her.

It came as a surprise to Akira how quickly sleep came with his heart sill pounding away in his chest and his thoughts still running wild. Sleep did come quickly however, snatching him from the waking world and dragging him down to his cell in a room of blue.

"It has come to my attention," Igor's deep voice reverberated around Akira as he stood from his cell bed to clutch at the bars and stare out. "That a former inmate scurries about through the darkness. I felt its presence pass from the Metaverse to your world and back. This was confirmed by my two wards who had not felt it significant enough to inform me."

"She's a former guest." Justine murmured, head ducked in chastisement. "And not ours. It was not for us to meddle in her affairs."

"Inmate, Justine." The force with which Caroline spoke made Akira wonder if the girl was not trying to convince herself alongside her sister. "And the Master's not happy we said nothing."

"No," Justine sighed and shook her head, holding her book tightly to her chest. "It is not for us to decide what is important and what is not."

Akira frowned. The only person they could be speaking of was... "Makoto?"

Igor inclined his head, large nose very nearly brushing the edge to his desk. "Indeed. Another party attempts to meddle where they are not wanted. A pitiful attempt, truly, unable to even bring forth the thing fully formed."

"Do you know something about Makoto?" While he did not like how Igor spoke of Makoto, referring to her more of a thing than a person, he was thoroughly invested in any and all information he could scrounge up.

"Yes. Its goal is to descend Mementos and ultimately destroy it." At Igor's declaration, Akira stilled. "The very place that houses the peoples' distortions, where you go to fend off those desires, will be no more."

Akira frowned. "That... doesn't sound good." Igor certainly made it sound awful but Akira also could not see Makoto doing anything intentionally bad. The same girl who offered healing, came to their rescue time and time again, wanted to listen to Tora's speech and talk to Mishima, and told him she was happy could not be capable of something heinous.

"It is not. It would fundamentally alter how the game is played." That... did not make sense but Igor seemed to think it was important. "You would do well to keep it from descending further."

"Makoto is not an it."

Eyebrow raised to a near-comical degree, Igor said: "I'm not entirely certain what it is. It's missing part of itself, is it not? Not quite there." Was he referring to Makoto's missing memories? "Whatever was done to bring it forth was boggled terribly. For the best, perhaps, as it would be far more difficult to deal with otherwise." Those knobby fingers of his crossed, Igor smirked. "I don't suppose they knew what they were doing. Desperate, perhaps. Foolish, certainly."

"Who are 'they'?"

Igor blinked his beady eyes slowly. "It matters little. They have effectively written themselves out of the game with this act of desperation."

"So what are you trying to say?" Makoto avoided the Velvet Room. He had seen how she would stay away from the door as much as possible when they met in Mementos's entrance. Akira knew she saw it, had spoken to the twin wardens, and had likely been inside as a previous inmate as they were implying. It was obvious she felt some sort of aversion to the place. Was it due to Igor or something else? It was clear Igor was not fond of her at least.

"That as for your rehabilitation, preventing the entity from reaching the depths of Mementos is paramount. Should it succeed, all your efforts therein would cease."

A shiver wound down Akira's spine and his fingers went lax around the bars to his cell. He glanced at Caroline and Justine but neither appeared interested in commenting or even looking at him. "I'm not hurting her."

"There is likely no need. Merely prevent its descent. Bar it passage to Mementos, if need be. They do not have the power to keep if here forever."

Akira's heart beat rapidly. He felt it like a bludgeon to his ribcage. "What does that mean? Is she going to disappear?" Just who were these mysterious people Igor kept mentioning? He did not appear to concerned about them but they had clearly done something in regards to Makoto.

"It does not even truly exist, not as you know it. As it is now, even it is likely oblivious to its true nature." With that, Igor appeared done discussing Makoto. "You know what you must do."

"No! If something is going to happen to Makoto, I need to know!" His knuckles went stark white with the force of his grip on the cell bars. Had he the strength, he would have torn them down to demand answers.

Igor was finished talking on the subject however. With an imperious wave of his hand, Akira felt his focus on the dream slipping. His grip on the cell bars was not enough to anchor him and he was quickly cast out of the Velvet Room and back into a normal slumber.

---------------

The scent of fresh flowers did little to stifle that of death. Akihiko Sanada's hand tightened around the simple bouquet of randomly assorted flora as he walked past rows of gravestones. It was a smell he was accustomed to--of freshly dug dirt, crisp air, and the absence of life. While not the traditional smells associated with death, Akihiko was familiar with all aspects of it, had faced it, and considered those tame scents to be the worst. Walking through the cemetary was subtler but no less cloying than standing beside a corpse.

"Hey, Shinji." He always visited Shinjiro first, usually needing to work up the courage to go further. "Mitsuru called me back. It never stops surprising me what pull she has. I was deep in a case up north--I'm an officer now, did I tell you?--and suddenly I'm pulled out and headed to Shibuya." It had not been so long since he acted for the Shadow Operatives but it was the first time since joining the police force that he had been called in. "Saw Mitsuru yesterday. She says 'hi'." More or less. She had been distracted, only vaguely acknowledging his desire to visit Tatsumi Port while he was nearby.

While he found himself before Shinji's grave less often than he would like, he still knew every facet of the headstone, from the faint cracking by the bottom, the weeds that would always grow back just to the side, and every curve and indent to his name and the date below. "I'm meeting Ken later today and we're both headed back to Shibuya to help Mitsuru with the Phantom Thieves issue." With a wry smile, he added: "Mitsuru was not happy to hear Ken was involved. I've never seen her look that angry with Fuuka. Can't say I disagree. I don't like Ken being involved any more than she does but he's barely a year younger than you were when you died. He can make his own decisions." He paused, a slow grin tugging at the corners to his eyes. "And I'll be there to keep an eye on him of course. I promised I would, after all."

It was early but Akihiko spotted a few other visitors in the distance near the grave registry building but he paid them little mind. "I'll probably visit officer Kurosawa while I'm here. Haven't seen him since joining the police myself." He and Shinji owed a lot to that man.

Akihiko spent some time talking to Shinji, telling him everything but details regarding the case. Through Fuuka, Akihiko knew that ears could be around when he least expected them and while she had been brief on the matter, Fuuka had warned him that some of the Phantom Thieves were currently in Tatsumi Port and looking into things they should not be.

From Shinji, Akihiko visited Miki. She was not far from Shinji's grave, Mitsuru having pulled some strings to get the two as close as possible. Facing his best friend was one thing but Miki was an entirely other matter. Akihiko took half the flowers from his bouquet and laid them before her grave.

Facing Miki was harder even though he had long come to terms with her death. Shinji had helped him with that.

It was the third grave in his path that he almost always had trouble visiting. He needed to go, though, especially now. From Fuuka's worried suspicions and that painting Aigis had, everything seemed to be pointing to her.

He laid the rest of the flowers at the grave Makoto Yuki shared with her two parents. Her name was far newer than theirs but overall the entire thing was well-maintained. Ken had mentioned once off-hand that he visited practically daily with Koromaru to see her and Shinji both. It was likely thanks to him that Shinji's weeds had not been overgrown and Mako's headstone looked as new as it had at her funeral.

"Hey," He greeted somewhat awkwardly. She had once called him charming but Aki knew he was hopeless when it came to girls. "I saw your face." The painting Mitsuru had bought him stayed with Aigis for the moment. Though the android had tried handing it over, he had been struck dumb with its sight and unable to think much less speak. "At least, I'm almost positive it was yours. You'd think I'd be certain, huh?" He shook his head mournfully. "Can you believe it's been seven years already? I... I'm a horrible boyfriend but I think I was forgetting your face. We should have taken more pictures but I always thought we had the whole future to look forward to."

"Wasn't she your girlfriend?" Akihiko could hear Yukari's yelling as clearly as he could had she stood before him. Her words rang in his head most nights, invading his dreams and creating nightmares. "Don't you want her back? We could save her!"

Had Akihiko sided with Yukari instead of Aigis, maybe he would not be standing in front of a grave now. But what would that have meant? Makoto had chosen to sacrifice herself, just as Shinji had. It was not for Akihiko to take that choice from her, no matter how much he wanted to. After Miki, he thought death was his fault. Shinji and Mako had taught him otherwise, that he could not stop it no matter how strong he was. They had helped him learn to accept it.

Yet Yukari's words haunted him still.

"Aigis thinks you're alive." The hope in the android's eyes had been devastating in that Akihiko had wanted to believe it as well. "Or... something like that. I can't help but think about what that could mean. Your soul holds off death, after all." He squatted, coming closer to her carved name to brush his gloved hand over it. "And you'd come see us if you were back."

His hand slipped from the stone to dangle at his side. "Junpei and Chidori tied the knot. It was a small thing but you were missed. They left a chair empty in your honor. If you were back, you wouldn't have missed that, right?"

Face heating up, he continued with a softer note: "I used to daydream about it, marrying you. The wedding would have been small, don't worry. I know you would have hated something big." Shaking his head, he stood. Anything else he may have said never came out because he spotted two figures in the distance standing peculiarly before Shinji's grave--or at least distressingly close to it.

He was about to head over in curiosity when Fuuka's tired voice rang in his ears. "It's them," She informed him. "Yusuke Kitagawa, Goro Akechi, and their cat."

The Phantom Thieves. Or, some of them at least. Aki had been briefed on their names the day before.

"What are they doing here?" Even if someone could hear, they would probably chock it up to him as still speaking to the dead.

"They went through old police reports last night." Even through Juno, Fuuka's exhaustion was palpable. She sighed, the noise reverberating through his head.

"Why are you using Juno?" She was already near dropping. Extending her abilities further just to talk seemed like overkill.

"They're observant. If they notice a phone call right before you go over to them, they'll know just like with Ken that something's up. That's how they connected their 'secret observer' with Ken. A silly mistake on my part."

Akihiko hummed thoughtfully. With a gentled farewell to Makoto, he began walking toward them just as Fuuka had known he would. His hand fell to his waist but he was missing his evoker--not that he suspected any need for it. Fuuka had mentioned that she had seen no evidence of the Phantom Thieves summoning personas outside the cognitive world and he considered himself more than capable of handling two teenagers should it come to that.

He did not think it would come to that but if it did, Shinji would not mind if a fight broke out on his grave.

Chapter Text

"I don't see why we had to come all the way out here." Trotting at their feet, Morgana grumbled irritably. He claimed repeatedly that the bright, morning sun was too hot for his sensitive skin and that his dark fur only made it worse. The cat had balked at Yusuke's suggestion to return to his bag however. "We saw the reports."

"Reports can be doctored." Akechi informed them. "As you saw. Many of them had been altered. It only makes sense to check in on the facts."

"But it's so hot." Whined Morgana, lagging a few feet behind Yusuke and Akechi.

"You were welcome to stay at the hotel." Akechi grunted. Yusuke and Morgana had slept little the night before and in shifts, luckily able to catch the detective in the hotel lobby before he managed to leave on his own investigation. Perhaps Yusuke should have paid for a single room. They had proven rather luxurious, outfitted extravagantly with large, heart-shaped beds, walls of mirrors, and other such passionately artistic design choices.

"We're partners." Yusuke replied with a glance to the detective. A pace ahead, he only caught the corner of his mouth thin. "And if you feel confirming the records are necessary, we do so together." It truly was a rather overwhelmingly hot day. Even Akechi had forgone his blazer and donned a simple short-sleeved button-up instead.

The Tatsumi Port City Cemetery was quite large but the registry building in the center was easy enough to find and the records within accessible once Akechi spoke to the man working there. When they stepped back outside with a slip of paper detailing the location of Shinjiro Aragaki's gravestone, Yusuke held up a hand to keep the sun from blinding him. There was a reason his persona's weakness was fire, he thought. The heat was far from something he enjoyed.

"I can do this myself, Kitagawa." Akechi offered quickly. He was very invested in this, Yusuke felt. All the more reason to stay. "It looks as though the heat is taking it's toll."

"I am fine, Akechi-san." He would not let the detective investigate alone, particularly not when he was so keen to do so. "Though I appreciate your concern." He did wonder what his concern was truly for.

With the records they found at the cemetery registry, they were able to find Aragaki's headstone quickly. "That's the same date." Yusuke pointed out, somewhat hopeful that this would pacify Akechi and they could go elsewhere, preferably somewhere with air conditioning.

Morgana sniffed the air. "Someone was here recently. Stood here for a while."

"Maybe the same someone headed our way." Yusuke looked at Akechi sharply who nodded in the other direction. When Yusuke turned, he saw a man headed toward them. "He's coming from further in the cemetery. Most likely he had visited another grave after this one." Could Akechi turn off his deduction reasoning? Yusuke wondered.

He was a large man with grey hair and eyes, a bandage over the corner of one eyebrow near his eye, and in possession of an intimidating posture. Where Akechi's expression tended to resemble a predator, this man fully embodied one. Dressed plainly in a thin, grey jacket over top a red t-shirt, simple black pants, and dark gloves, his average attire belied his imposing physique, dwarfing both Akechi and Yusuke with heavily defined muscles. How he could wear so much in this heat, Yusuke did not know but anyone who could do so without issue was that much more terrifying in Yusuke's mind.

His greeting was short, merely a simple: "Hey." but his narrowed gaze spoke volumes.

In the Metaverse, they tore off their masks to fight. Here, Akechi seemed adept at the opposite. Grin on his face that caused his eyes to squint, he offered the man a small bow. "Hello! Apologies. Are we in the way?"

"Nah." The man waved a gloved hand vaguely to the gravestone Yusuke and Akechi stood before. "Just never seen anyone visit him before."

"You did." Morgana grumbled, seeking shade in the meager offering of the dead man's grave.

"Shinjiro Aragaki?" Asked Yusuke. There were a few graves close by but there really was lilttle question as to whose they were visiting.

"That's the one." The man said dryly.

"Did you know him?" Akechi asked in the voice of his with a subtly higher pitch. It was the tone Yusuke had learned he used when he was trying to lead a conversation, all pleasant and innocently questioning.

"Sure. Bit of an ass, though." The man's tone was similar to Akechi's in that it was purposefully light yet his eyes sharply took them both in. "Didn't think anyone else would be visiting him." Like Akechi, this man clearly intended to dominate the conversation.

The corner of Akechi's lips twitched. "It's for a case. My name is Goro Akechi and I'm a detective. We have reason to suspect that Shinjiro Aragaki is connected to someone we are currently looking into. If you knew him, could you answer some questions?"

"For a case?" Both Yusuke and Akechi stiffened when the man fished through his pocket but what he pulled out was simply an ID from a police department. "I could if you could answer a few of mine. The name's Akihiko Sanada, actually a detective rather than a consulting high schooler. As I'm the only thing that can be considered family to Shinjiro Aragaki, I'm curious to know what a man seven years dead could have in connection with an ongoing case."

Akechi took the ID and studied it in great detail. He returned it after a moment, his knuckles white. "It's a small matter." Akechi's eyes flicked past Akihiko searchingly and Yusuke felt like an entertained spectator watching him try to wrangle together a plausible story. Of course, he managed to think of something. "While I'm not at liberty to say much, I'm investigating the falsifying of certain records including that of Takeharu Kirijo who was announced dead to the public from a disease while initial reports attribute his death to a gunshot wound."

Sanada hummed, lifting a hand to rub his chin thoughtfully (seriously, how could the man pull off gloves in weather like this?). "Aside from a gunshot wound being Shinji's cause of death, I fail to see the connection."

"You see," Akechi's throat bobbed but he otherwise appeared cool and collected as he thought on his feet. Truly, his ability to do so was commendable. And terrifying. Perhaps Yusuke would suggest finding a hobby in theater work. One of his skill would have no trouble finding work and it might curve his rather megalomaniac-like tendencies if he had something productive to focus on. "Their bodies were found a day after a full moon only a month apart, according to the heavily redacted reports I found, at least. And with no suspect listed for the murder of Aragaki, is it not reasonable to look into his death and its similarities to that of Takeharu Kirijo?"

Sanada nodded in understanding. "Looking into questionable reports and finding connections to cold cases is something we do in our down time... only, I was not aware you had any available with you being tasked with such a high-profile case as the Phantom Thieves." He was trying to steer the conversation away from Aragaki and Kirijo, even Yusuke could see this and by the smile fading from Akechi's face, the detective was more than well aware of this.

"I have multiple cases at once."

"Of course you do. Most detectives do. But one this high-profile where you claim to be closing in on the culprits on live television? Why would you suddenly take a train to another city for something as small as a cold case from seven years ago?"

"We have reason to believe the Phantom Thieves are targeting Mitsuru Kirijo next." Now it seemed to be a matter of pride to Akechi. This conversation was not going the way he had wanted, Yusuke could see. Even Morgana, who let out a little sigh, could see. "And based on what we have learned of the Phantom Thieves, knowledge into her past could prove vital."

"So instead of having the suspects you claimed live on TV to know the identities of arrested, you're trailing through information on the Head of the Kirijo Group just as the Phantom Thieves would."

"I cannot reveal my exact reasoning, Sanada-san." Said through gritted teeth, even the false cheer Akechi tried to instill fell flat.

"Yeah, I hear you." Sanada waved a hand at Aragaki's gravestone. "Well? You've confirmed that Shinji is, in fact, very dead. You might want to get moving if you have multiple pressing cases." A pause and an intrigued glint to his eyes, he added: "Unless there's something else here connected to Mitsuru Kirijo?"

To that, even Yusuke looked sideways at Akechi. The detective's jaw was set, his eyes cool. By how invested Akechi had been on shaking Yusuke and Morgana that morning, it was clear he was seeking something he did not want the Phantom Thieves privy to. What that was, Yusuke could not say but Sanada seemed to think they were looking for something else here.

"No." Akechi answered after a beat. "There's nothing."

"Then I can walk with you to the gates. I was leaving anyway and I know this place can be like a maze." With how uniformly the cemetery was laid out and how flat the land was, Yusuke could literally see the cemetery gates from where they stood.

Akechi did not argue. He followed Sanada when he motioned for them to. "You knew Aragaki," Akechi stated. "Do you know anything relating to his death?"

"If I did, I couldn't discuss it with you. You're famous, sure, but still a high school student and not an officially recognized detective--"

"I work directly for--" Interrupting was not something Akechi did often.

Sanada shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I could be reasonably charged for handing out any sensitive information to average citizens." It was a short walk trek to the gates and they were already there. "And this is it. I'm meeting someone so I'll be here for a minute." Don't try getting around me now, he seemed to say. "Hopefully you find what you're looking for."

Akechi reeled around to say something else but halted, mouth open before snapping it shut. Yusuke copied his motion, following his line of sight to see Akihiko Sanada pulling out a familiar pair of headphones and a dated MP3 player form his pocket.

"Let's go." Akechi mumbled instead of addressing Sanada who now paid them no mind.

Yusuke followed, a little dazed. What were the odds? That question seemed to pop into his head frequently lately. Those headphones and that MP3 player were not just familiar, Yusuke knew them well. He never forgot something he painted and this particular piece had been on his mind a lot lately.

It could be a coincidence, but... who carried such an old MP3 model around anymore? Yusuke knew one person: Makoto Yuki who still wore the exact model Sanada sported alongside the one Akira had bought her. The details were the same, down to the headphones.

----------------------------------

Akira considered suggesting it but it was Morgana who did first. "Let's have our meeting here." The cat meowed, looking around at the gathered Phantom Thieves where they stood at the entrance to Mementos.

"Aw, c'mon!" Ryuji whined. "I haven't had any of Jose's cookies in forever."

"And we haven't seen Mako-chan in a while." Ann pointed out.

"There are some things we wish to discuss without her presence." Akechi revealed. While Akira had been thinking along the same lines, the fact that Akechi said as much made Akira instantly worried. "So no one say her full name. She can hear that call, right?" Akechi, Yusuke, and Morgana were still in Tatsumi Port City, but as Akira had proven when accessing Mementos from Hawaii, it did not matter where in the world they were in order to find each other in the same place here.

"I don't get it. Why would we he hide anything from Mako-chan?" Ann shook her head, hand on her hip.

"Yes," Niijima had her arms crossed, eyes narrowed and aimed at Akechi. "Why? She's been nothing but helpful."

"We found her name in an old record at the Paulownia Mall in Tatsumi Port." Yusuke explained. He stood close to Ryuji and Ann as though seeking comfort in their familiar presence. It likely stressed him to be practically alone with the guy they held so many suspicions about. "Dated seventeen years ago. The..." He hesitated. "Well, this person with her name was supposedly six years old at the time."

"Her name isn't exactly uncommon." Futaba was quick to parry. "I found hundreds with her same name when I tried to look into her." Akira remembered that. A number of the profiles Futaba had pulled up had even been male or the elderly.

"But none who fit her exact profile, if I recall correctly." Akechi said. His back was to the entrance, eyes on the turnstiles as though to maintain certainty that Makoto did not suddenly show up. "And if this record is of her, that would make her the same age, give or take a year, as Kirijo and we already suspect a connection there."

"We do?" Ryuji frowned.

"We do." Akira confirmed, somewhat grudgingly.

"Oh my." Haru touched her chin worriedly. "Regardless of what we find, she's still our friend! She doesn't have her memories anyway."

"I..." Akira hesitated. He had never spoken of Igor to the group or explained the Velvet Room to them. "The man who gave me the app visited me recently." That seemed a simple enough way of putting it.

"Wait, for real?" Ryuji jerked to the side. "You know where the app's from?"

"Sort of," He fidgeted. Akira did not understand the Velvet Room himself. Explaining it to his friends was not something he felt capable of doing. "It's all very weird. He says..." Akira knew he had to tell them. "He says that Mak--her goal is to reach the bottom of Mementos in order to destroy it."

Morgana jumped, meowing loudly. "Wha-at? That doesn't sound good! Not at all! How am I going to find out more about myself? Rrrrrow!"

"If Mementos is destroyed, what becomes of us?" One arm over her chest, Niijima had the other raised in thought, her eyes downcast and narrowed.

"Huh?" Haru cocked her head to the side. "Sorry, uhm... I always thought that was what we were going to do?" Everyone turned their gazes to her, causing her to blush and shift under their attention. "I just, well, thought Mementos was a Palace? It shows up on the MetaNav same as my father's did and Kirijo's does. It's just, like, a Palace that houses the average person's distorted desires, right?"

"I mean," Ann nodded along with Haru. "I kinda thought the same."

Ryuji shrugged. "Guess that makes sense. Mona, you're the Palace expert. Is Mementos one?"

the cat frowned. "I never thought of it as one. How could it be? We've dealt with dozens of shadows here. What would connect them to the same place? And what could be the treasure for everyone?"

"If... that is true," Niijima's eyes widened. "Then Mementos sounds like the collective unconscious--the unseen tie that connects everyone subconsciously."

"But the collective unconscious theory connects cultures and certain ideologies." Argued Akechi. "Can we really say Mementos only connects one culture?"

"Even if it does, we haven't exactly seen proof otherwise," Yusuke was frowning contemplatively. "Every one of our targets have been in Japan. Regardless, can the collective unconscious not connect people as a whole? At our basest levels?"

"I suppose." Niijima was deep in thought. "But what does that mean if it's a Palace? If we steal the treasure, how would that affect people outside?"

"Mementos was not always here." Added Yusuke with a glance at their feline companion. "Mona said as much. Could it not be a spiral downward, like an extreme version of the original distortions? I'm assuming people like Madarame did not always have a Palace. They developed one over time. As the public's cognition changes, could they have developed something like this?"

Niijima looked taken aback. "With the current climate, I could believe that."

"So if Mementos is a bad thing," Ryuji turned confused eyes onto Akira. "And we should destroy it, where's the problem? Why would that dude tell the leader it's a bad thing?"

"He never said it was a bad thing." Recalling the conversation, Akira glanced over to the corner where Caroline and Justine stood, invisible to all but him. "He made it sound bad but mostly he just said it would 'change how the game was played'."

"Oooh. Classic villain speech right there." Futaba tsked lightly.

"Treating peoples' desires as a game just sounds wrong." Added Niijima. "Honestly, I don't know how well you know this man, leader, but I do know Mako-chan. She's a good person. If destroying Mementos is her goal, should we not trust her?"

"She is an amnesiac." Akechi retorted carefully. He was certainly trying his best to skew their perception of their friend. "Should she have devious intentions, she very well could have forgotten them."

"Memory doesn't change who you are." Ann waggled a finger at the detective. "Queen's right."

Akechi tilted his head to the side. "Doesn't it? It's nature versus nurture, they say, but most agree on a combination of both. And without memories, your friend is essentially without nurture, at least in theory. Perhaps at a base level, she is a good person but even good people can become twisted. Surely you, as the Phantom Thieves, have seen that."

Yusuke and Haru seemed the most affected by the detective's words, likely thinking of Madarame and Okumura respectively.

"She... does have a lot of negative memories." Admitted Niijima with an apologetic glance to Akira. There was also a flicker of something else in her eyes, almost reassuring. Akira had a feeling she wanted to see how far Akechi would take this theory.

"And if she was the same girl in that report, her parents died when she was young." Akechi nodded curtly.

"No way!" Ann shook her head near-violently. "Leader, she talks to you the most! Say something."

Akira shot Ann a defeated look and tried taking a page from Niijima's book. "She told me she remembered that her parents are dead."

Ann looked shocked but Niijima was inclining her head slightly.

Akechi held out his hands. "So who can say what your friend is truly like? You must admit that your meeting was highly suspicious. Even she may not know her true intentions. Trusting someone who does not even know themselves seems foolish."

"So you're saying we shouldn't trust her?" Niijima confirmed.

Akechi nodded. "I certainly wouldn't."

"Hey, hey!" Futaba broke in, her voice cracking slightly. "What is this? Are we seriously doubting our friend? You guys didn't doubt me even when I had a Palace! I was seriously messed up and if I didn't have you guys, I'd be a very different person now. Mako-chan is Mako-chan and if she has problems she can't even remember them! And even if she does, she has us! We'll be that nurture or whatever you called it."

Everyone looked to Futaba who spoke without an ounce of her usual good humor. "That is very inspired, Oracle." Haru said softly. The redhead crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders as though to hide the flush to her cheeks. The only sound she made in reply was: "Hmph." Ann shifted closer to lay a comforting hand on the younger girl's arm.

"Nobody's accusing her, Oracle." Softer in tone, Niijima sighed.

"Yeah!" Ryuji pumped his arm in the air. "We believe in Mako-chan!" his cheer was empowered by everyone else speaking in agreement. All except Akechi.

Akira nodded, satisfied that none of his friends were doubting Makoto. "Besides," He had to hide the smirk he wanted to shoot at Akechi. "Even with remembering her parents' deaths and more, she didn't change. We went out into the real world yesterday--" There were a number of gasps from his friends. "--I know! I know, probably not the best idea right now but she remembered her parents' deaths before we left and she acted normal. She wanted to join Tora's speech, talk to Mishima, and..." His face felt hot. "Point is: her negative memories didn't change her at all."

Futaba nodded. "Yeah! That's right." She did shoot Akira a mischievous look as though to say: I saw that blush.

Niijima smiled. "Well, now that we're all in agreement that we trust Mako-chan, I believe you mentioned having discovered something interesting, Oracle?"

"Right," Their navigator nodded, shoulders relaxed. "I've been busy. Managed to find old school records myself only, get this, they had been recently altered. I caught traces of another hacker having accessed them before me--not that they even tried to hide themselves. They accessed the school servers like-like a tank in an MMORPG, just rushing in and taking all the damage. They deleted a whole bunch of info and even removed backups so I couldn't restore them. No effort was made in hiding themselves, seriously, and I was easily able to trace them back to the Kirijo's own servers."

"What did you manage to recover?" Yusuke asked.

"The names of a few students assigned to the Iwatodai Dorms, but I'm positive it's not all of them--one document even lists a transfer student whose name was removed."

"And?" Prompted Ryuji.

"I'm getting to that. Mitsuru Kirijo, obviously, is one. Fuuka Yamagishi, that lady Inari and Joker met, is another--transferred from a different dormitory midway through the year. Same with Junpei Iori." Stupei, Makoto had said one of her friends was called. "Then," Futaba practically vibrated with excitement. "Get this:Yukari Takeba."

"I'm sorry." Shaking her head, Niijima looked bemused. "Who?"

"I recognize the name." Ann hummed. "Is she a model?"

"She's an actress." Haru answered.

Futaba gasped. "You watch Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory?"

Haru blushed. "A little."

"So Yukari Takeba is an actress for a children's television show." Akechi acknowledged. "Noted. Anything else?"

"She plays Pink Argus, you uncultured swine!" Aiming an angry finger at the detective, Futaba's eyes flashed dangerously. "And does almost all her stunts herself!" At Akechi's continued blase expression, Futaba scowled. "Plus," she bit out the word. "A quick background check had me learning that her father used to work for the Kirijo Group. He was a scientist and died in a freak explosion at one of their research labs, but, really, can you believe it was an accident when it was literally at a high-tech, insanely protected and mysterious lab? That's, like, mystery writing 101."

Akechi actually nodded. "That is interesting."

"And Junpei Iori is a children's baseball coach. The most interesting thing I found on him was that Mitsuru Kirijo attended his wedding only a few months ago."

"So they've remained close over the years." Niijima nodded slowly. "Unusual for high school friends."

"I think Takeba mentioned a friendship with Kirijo in an interview." Added Haru.

"There had to be more dormmates." Yusuke surmised. "Was there... any mention of a Ken Amada?"

"Huh." Futaba nodded slowly. "Yeah. He's an orphan and the Kirijo Group essentially took him in. When the elementary students went home for break, he moved into the Iwatodai Dorms because he had no where else to go. After, he ended up staying for some reason. He still attends Gekkoukan and his personal records list both Mitsuru Kirijo and Fuuka Yamagishi as emergency contacts."

"What about Shinjiro Aragaki?" Asked Akechi.

"Him too. He was one of the first to move into the dorms but I found an obituary for him in an old news report."

"He died protecting Ken Amada." Yusuke told them. "We found the police report in Tatsumi Port."

Futaba's head jerked just enough to rustle her hair. "Oh. That wasn't on any of the stuff I found."

"And Akihiko Sanada?"

"Geez. You guys definitely did some work." Futaba rolled her shoulders. "Yeah. He was a dormmate there as well."

"We met him at Aragaki's grave." Yusuke revealed. "He's a police detective now."

"A pretty notable one." Futaba concurred. "I found an article on how he apparently fought a bear. Like, a real one. And won."

"Are there many criminal bears?" Wondered Yusuke.

"The last person to live in the Iwatodai Dorms with Kirijo that I could find... get this!" She paused for dramatic effect. "Aigis. No last name, fake documentation in the system too old to be traced, and ooo lala, Takeharu Kirijo listed as her benefactor."

All these connections to Makoto. "Any others?" Akira asked tentatively, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"I think so but whoever hacked the records for Kirijo did a good job scrubbing it clean. Well, 'good job' used subjectively. It was more like brute force, like they were hurried or something." Perhaps their stalker saw Futaba attempting to gain access and quickly got rid of anything they did not want her to see.

"That's a decent amount of names." Niijima praised. "Though I wonder if it will be of any use. If they are still close, approaching one for help accessing farther into Kirijo's Palace seems unlikely."

"Convincing one might not be the opportune way to go." Akechi broached carefully.

"What are you suggesting?" Whenever Akechi spoke lately, Akira felt on guard.

Akechi shrugged. "Two birds, one stone as the saying goes. They're likely close, as you surmised, so using one as a hostage--"

"No way." Akira interrupted. "We're not hurting anyone."

"We don't need to hurt them, merely incapacitate one." The way he spoke reminded Akira uncomfortably of Igor, like it was all just a game to him. "Draw one into the Metaverse via our apps and we'll undeniably have the upper hand."

"I... don't see much other option in getting into Kirijo's Palace." With a sorrowful expression, Niijima ducked her head.

"With the app, we could quite easily draw them into the Metaverse without harming them." Morgana agreed with some hesitance. "I don't like it but we can be careful. We don't even need to touch the person to draw them in with us and once we're there, it would be easy to keep it going."

"And the two guard dogs within won't attack if we have a hostage." Akechi continued.

"We tried going in recently, just to test." Haru told them. "Me, Panther, Skull, and Queen. One of the girls was still there, like maybe they're doing shifts? They don't look normal."

"If we do this..." Ann's voice shook. "We'd really be committing a crime."

"Need I remind you of our deal?" Eyebrow raised, Akechi looked at them each in turn. "Help me steal Kirijo's treasure and change her heart or I'll submit the evidence I possess to have you all prosecuted. You're already labeled criminals. Stopping Kirijo should be more important than your vanity."

"It's not vanity." Haru murmured. "It's morality."

"Say we do this," Niijima grumbled. "Who do you suggest?"

"Is it not obvious? The most vulnerable, the one that will evoke the more protective response."

Akira felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. Trusting Akechi was like blindly showing the devil your throat but what other choice did they have? If even Niijima could not come up with a plan around the defense within Kirijo's Palace, this seemed like the only way.

Akechi laid out his plan, having clearly already put thought into it.

Chapter Text

The Phantom Thief that Makoto had the least interaction with was probably their newest member, understandably. So it was with some surprise that she greeted Goro Akechi alone deep within Mementos.

As usual, she did not know the time but she felt like it had been a bit since her date with Akira. the thought stuck her that it was strange to see Akechi before Akira but perhaps her inkling on the timing was off.

Seeing him always struck a cord in her memory, but one she could not place. He looked like someone she knew, but also not, like he was similar and not exactly the same. He was not who her mind told her she was connecting him to but she still felt a strange rush of protectiveness when she saw him.

"Hello, Yuki-san." He greeted, smiling pleasantly. There was something off about his smiles. Whether it was because they did not fit the vague memories Makoto had of who he resembled or something else, she could not quite say. "How are you?"

Makoto, having been aimlessly walking through Mementos, eyed Akechi with some curiosity. She had not expected to encounter anyone though she supposed with Futaba's abilities, she could be found just as easily away from Jose as with. Yet Akechi was alone and had exhibited no navigational powers before. Makoto wondered what prompted him to seek her out.

She gave him a nod, hands in the pockets of her jeans. Walking Mementos was horribly boring as the scenery practically never changed but it allowed her to stretch her legs and even someone as lazy as her occasionally desired that.

"I heard you went into the real world recently?" The lilt at the end of his words implied a questioning note and the tilt to his head encouraged this idea but the sharp glint to his eyes told her he was looking for something other than just a simple answer.

Another nod. "I did." She spoke in a drawl, followed by a yawn. These walks were for more than just banal exercise. Getting away from Jose was perhaps the greatest motivator. The boy was decent enough, though in possession of a one-track mind that grated on the nerves after a while. She would honestly much rather be napping.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" He cocked his head to the side, smile wide. The long, red beak of his mask reminded her of a tengu.

"Where was the danger?" Makoto had not seen any of the Phantom Thieves since her outing with Akira but she was assuming they were safe since Akechi evidently was.

The boy's eyes were innocently wide. "I was speaking of Akira Kurusu."

Makoto felt her eyes narrow, hands twitching in her pockets. "I assumed you meant the spy."

Akechi stepped closer, Makoto eyeing him cautiously. "There is that, I suppose, but you only know of that through him, don't you?"

Tilting her head slightly back in askance, Makoto quietly waited for him to continue.

"I'm merely concerned." He sounded it, she supposed. "You have no memories and are stuck here, essentially. The Phantom Thieves are the only people you interact with. Of course you would end up trusting them but do you actually know them?"

What he spoke of was unsettling but Makoto was not the type to shut someone down just because she did not like the topic. "Are you not a member of the Phantom Thieves?"

"I am for now but I work with the police in the real world and admit to being wary in regards to working with criminals."

Makoto felt her eye twitch. "What are you trying to say?"

"I guess I want to know what makes you trust them. After all, you've known them far longer than I have."

"They're good people."

"But how do you know that?" Akechi shook his head slightly and sighed mournfully. "I'd like to believe that, truly, but recently..." Another sigh. "They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Phantom Thieves certainly have enough power to hold over most people."

"I know Akira." She had seen how well he got along with people, not only within his group but in the outside world as well. People gravitated toward him and he genuinely wanted to help.

"Do you? Did you know he had a criminal record?"

Makoto said nothing. Her silence was answer enough.

"Do you know what he's willing to do to reach his goals?" More silence from Makoto. Akechi took another step forward. "He's planning on kidnapping someone and holding them hostage in order to access Kirijo's Palace."

Makoto felt her heart skip a beat but she felt like she kept any outward responses from showing. "...what are you talking about?"

"Just to enter Mitsuru Kirijo's Palace, who we have no actual evidence is doing anything wrong, the Phantom Thieves are going to physically commit these crimes." Seemingly oblivious to how motionless Makoto had become, Akechi laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "You're the only person who knows the Phantom Thieves but isn't a member. I am sorry for coming to you about this but honestly you're the only person I could think to talk to about it. I'm conflicted. I mentioned I work with the police, right? I just don't know if I can knowingly go along with this..."

"Don't." Makoto's voice was low, her brows furrowed with the confusion she felt. "It's wrong." She avoided Akechi's eyes, still frowning, and instead stared intently at his boots. "The Phantom Thieves act knowingly. Dragging someone into this mess forcefully and taking advantage of them is wrong." She stressed the last word, feeling conflicted. She could not equate this possibility with the Akira she knew. Would he actually resort to this?

Those boots drew ever nearer. "I'm glad you feel that way. I was worried I was the only one."

-------------------------------------

Akira felt sick to his stomach. Their plan was already in motion, Akechi having contacted Ken Amada and set up a meeting in Shibuya. They were likely to have some form of resistance but with how quickly and easily the MetaNav could be used, they did not expect too much difficulty in drawing Amada in.

The biggest problem was their distaste in the actions altogether. Akira could see no other path to entering the full extent of Kirijo's Palace and neither could the others. If they were cautious and mindful, their plan would not even do anyone any harm. It was the best they could hope for.

Yet despite repeatedly reassuring himself, Akira did not feel right about it. With Akechi's threat of imprisonment hanging over their heads and a lack of plan to combat him as of yet, the only thing they could do was move forward.

He wanted to see Makoto straight away but could not muster the courage. You're a good person, she had told him. What if he was proving her wrong?

At the entrance to Mementos, he called for her. It took longer than usual--long enough that he very nearly went looking for her but show up she did. While he was used to seeing her lazy demeanor, she appeared even less interested than the norm, each step she took sluggish like trudging through mud, her shoulders slumped with an invisible weight, and the corners of her lips curved down.

Seeing her though... Akira felt the nausea leave him for the more pleasant sensation of nervous butterflies. It brought a grin to his face and he instantly moved to her side. "Makoto." He breathed her name like a sigh of relief. Had her hands not been in her pockets, he may have reached for one.

"Akira," She also sighed his name, sounding tired. Her neck was hunched along with her spine, causing her hair to fall fully into her eyes and obstruct them from his view. Since beginning to visit her alone, she usually met his gaze head on. He wondered if he interrupted one of her naps.

Akira was not entirely sure how to speak to her after their date. "How are you?" Suave, he thought sardonically, internally cursing his lack of charisma when he truly wanted it.

She shrugged, just a lazy lift and drop of her shoulders, but it was enough to alert him to her own discomfort. "Are you okay?" Akira attempted to reach out and touch her arm but she shifted to the side, albeit only fractionally. It was still enough to get her point across. "Makoto?"

She sighed once more, the puff of her breath rustling her bangs. "Akechi told me you're planning on kidnapping someone."

Akira dropped his raised hand, heart jumping into his throat. "What...?" Akechi? When had he spoken to Makoto alone? Had it been right after the meeting?

Finally, she lifted her gaze. Those brilliant blue eyes of hers were exhausted and, worst of all, full of disappointment. Staring into them was like facing his own fears head on. "Is it true?" For the first time, Akira caught the barest wobble to her voice and it was like a physical ache to hear.

"Makoto, there's something I haven't told you about Akechi--" He had meant to. It had been at the back of his mind the last time he saw her but in his idiocy, he had become distracted and said nothing.

The soft shake of her head halted the breath in his lungs. "I don't care." She told him dully. "Is it true?"

Akira's mind reeled. "Makoto, we need to access Kirijo's Palace. This might be the only way."

He back only appeared to slump further. "Why? What is she doing that is so horrible that you need to attack someone else?"

What was Kirijo doing? "That's something about Akechi I need to tell you--" They were after Kirijo only to prevent Akechi from moving forward with his evidence.

Her brows furrowed a noticeable amount, gaze growing as fierce as he had yet to see it and while the expression was less threatening than a puppy's, on her it made a world of difference and Akira felt his blood run cold. "I don't care." She repeated. "Whatever reason you have, is it worth risking another's life?"

"We're going to be careful."

"Death is permanent, Akira." She told him quietly. "If there is nothing else I know, it is that. Careful will only get you so far."

"Makoto." He stressed her name, fingers clenching. He wanted to reach out to touch her but thought that to be a poor idea. "We're not going to kill him."

"No, you're just going to threaten his life."

"That's not..." He trailed off, not certain what excuse he could make.

"That's what a hostage is."

"All we;re doing is using him to get into Kirijo's Palace safely. Once we're in, we'll just let him go."

"Is this something you would have done in the beginning?"

Akira's breath stuttered. "With Kamoshida? I... don't know." He would have. Having known the gory details to Kamoshida's crimes, Akira could not have in good conscience walked away.

For a third time, she sighed, expression defeated. Having her look at him in such a way was like having a knife twisted into his heart. "Maybe he was right." The "he" could only be Akechi. A flush of warmth flooded Akira, anger in spite of the horror he felt. "And I don't actually know you at all." She began to turn.

Panicked, Akira grabbed her arm, causing her to still. "No. Makoto, this is what he wants. He already tried to turn us against you. I don't know what he's planning but we can't just fall for it."

Her back to him, she asked: "Are you still planning on taking a hostage?"

"Makoto, it's more complicated--"

She tugged free of his grip. "Like I said: I don't care." Back slumped, eyes downcast, hands still in her pockets, Makoto Yuki walked away and all Akira could do was stare after her.

Was what they were doing so horrible? Stopping Kirijo was... he hesitated. They did not even know what was so heinous that made Kirijo such a problem. Their motivation was based purely and selfishly on preventing Akechi from submitting his evidence--or, rather, giving themselves enough time to combat that inevitability.

He shut his eyes. No. It needed to be done. Something had to be done. He could not turn his back on his friends and allow them to be caught and Kirijo had to deserve what was coming for her... right?

Makoto would understand. Once they unveiled Kirijo's innermost desires for the horrors that they were, Makoto would have to understand.

----------------------------

Rank down!

Makoto will no longer appear when called.

----------------------------

The meeting took place in Inokashira Park. Far closer than Tatsumi Port, Fuuka breathed a sigh of relief at having to extend her powers to a lesser degree. She sat comfortably in her office beside the cognitive traveler that Labrys was using ("Their intent may be distraction," Kikuno had pointed out. "Best to not let up our guard.").

In essence, Fuuka was alone, but with Juno, she was connected to her friends. Akihiko who jogged in the park by the lake, Ken who sat on a bench waiting for Akechi, Aigis who hung a ways beck due to her distinctive features, and even Junpei who had set everything aside when asked to hang by a food cart in the park in case things went sour. Even Koromaru was there, dressed in his evoker collar at Ken's feet and sitting alert like he knew their situation was tenuous at best.

Mitsuru had forgone participating, citing her near-celebrity status as the Kirijo Head making her a less than conspicuous choice for such a mission. Instead, she and Kikuno were attending a meeting just a few floors above Fuuka's head.

Fuuka had wanted to point out the woman's hypocrisy for being angry at Ken's inclusion then doing nothing to protect him when he acted but, as usual, she bit her tongue. Now was not the time for such squabbling.

"Hey, where's Yuka-tan?" Junpei asked around a mouthful of street food. While his wife was not happy to send him off so suddenly, she had understood though Fuuka had sensed some frustration on her end. Without a persona or even her memories of having one, there was not much Chidori could do.

"On set for her television show." Fuuka had only seen a few episodes. Mitsuru used to watch religiously to support Yukari despite professing to have little interest but it had been quite some time since Fuuka had seen the redhead relaxing at home much less watching a children's show. "Regardless, she would be recognized."

"Ugh. That's right: she's famous now."

"She's been famous for a few years, Junpei." Fuuka felt herself smile. Chidori had even been contracted to do some concept art for Yukari's show. It was not like Junpei did not know, more like he could not bare to admit it. Their strange rivalry had not let up over the years.

"I have visual." Akihiko's voice broke in. "Western edge, entering the park now."

"Akihiko-sen-san spotted them." Fuuka informed Junpei quickly. She saw the man nod before diverting her attention to the indicated area. To everyone on her connection, she said: "Western edge, entering the park, Goro Akechi."

Akihiko continued jogging a little ways ahead, keeping out of sight. Junpei swiftly downed the rest of his food and habitually laid a hand over where his evoker was hidden beneath his shirt. Aigis remained at the other side of the park, alert. Ken, having been fidgeting aggressively, stilled when Koromaru laid a comforting paw on the boy's knee.

While Akechi moved toward Ken's location, Fuuka became aware of a few others nearby. "Entering the east gate: Yusuke Kitagawa and Makoto Niijima. North: Ann Takamaki and Ryuji Sakamato."

"South: Haru Okumura and Akira Kurusu." Fuuka relayed Aigis's information to the group.

Neither the cat nor Futaba Sakura were anywhere to be seen but with the latter, it was to be expected. The former, being small and agile, might be a difficult quarry.

It was clear that both of them were trying to pull off an operation but having the majority of their number present very well might be called playing all their cards too easily. Fuuka hoped this was so.

Aigis stalked Kurusu and Okumura from a distance and stayed out of sight as far as Fuuka could tell. Akihiko caught up to Takamaki and Sakamato, following at a comfortable pace, and Junpei trailed the artist and the prosecutor's sister.

Akechi reached Ken and smiled. "Amada-san. I'm so glad you agreed to meet."

Koromaru rumbling a growl at his feet, Ken cracked an awkward smile. "Pretty convenient that we both traveled to Shibuya."

Smile never faltering, Akechi sat down at the bench beside the boy. To Fuuka, their similarities were striking. Akechi appeared to be the shadow to Ken's person, smiling so artificially as he was. "Let's not pretend we don't both know why." The detective crossed his legs, completely at ease.

Ken hesitated before answering, hand tightening on Koromaru's leash. "I don't know why you wanted to meet."

Akechi continued smiling placidly. "Don't you?" The rest of the Phantom Thieves were close enough now to see the two seated on the bench if nothing else. "You have something I need."

"If you have questions--"

Akechi shook his head. "I do but they can wait. For now, what I need is your entire person." He drew his phone and tapped it open.

Ken's entire person? Fuuka's heart skipped a beat. What did he mean? Nothing good, she knew. "Move in." She ordered urgently. Whatever Akechi had planned, Ken was clearly in danger. Ending this operation swiftly was now paramount.

While Aigis, Junpei, and Akihiko moved to act, Ken casually slipped his evoker from his pocket and laid it on his lap. The metal, though old, was polished and proudly displayed the aged SEES logo.

Akechi lifted a brow. "A gun?" He queried, amusement giving his tone a lilt. "You think that's insurance enough?"

It was Ken's turn to slowly shake his head. "It's not a gun." Akechi waited as Ken dropped Koromaru's leash. "I've been told you're not able to summon in the real world."

This gave Akechi pause. "Summon...?"

Junpei and Akihiko who were ready, evokers pointed to their heads, called out: "Trismegistus" and "Caesar." Their eyes went dull briefly before their personas burst into existence. Takamaki and Sakamato spun with a cry to see Akihiko calling forth electricity through Caesar and Kitagawa and Niijima were faced with the flaming force of Junpei's Trismegistus.

Aigis was subtler, pressing her hands into the backs of Okumura and Kurusu, cocking the guns within loudly. "Do not move." She ordered.

Akechi noticed this happening in the distance but had little time to react before Koromaru howled and brought forth Cerberus.

A few civilians yelled out in terror and ran but it was of little consequence. Mitsuru could easily discredit and bury any accounts they could tell the press or anyone else. She had before.

"What the eff?" Sakamato dove into Takamaki, the two landing harshly on the ground to avoid the brunt of Akihiko's electricity. Aiming only to stun and not grievously harm, Akihiko's electricity did little more than shock the duo with a graze.

Kitagawa's dress shirt caught fire even as Niijima shoved him out of the way and he rolled in the grass to extinguish it, leaving Niijima to face Junpei alone.

"On your knees." Aigis demanded of Kurusu and Okumura to which they both obeyed.

Akechi rolled from the bench rather expertly, narrowly avoiding Cerberus's flames. As he moved, he reached into his jacket and withdrew something metal. Fuuka gasped and tried to call a warning but was too late.

Landing on a knee, Akechi whipped out a silenced pistol that had Ken and Fuuka yelling in unison. The gun was aimed, Akechi's eyes cold, and a bullet was fired. With a pained yelp, Koromaru fell back, some of his pure white fur painted red.

"No!" Both Ken and Fuuka screamed. A quick check proved the dog to still live but Ken was oblivious to this fact.

So distracted was Fuuka that she failed to notice the cat. It launched itself at Aigis, knocking her arm off balance and giving Kurusu and Okumura time to frantically draw their phones.

Ken had the evoker to his head. "Kala-Ne--" He began only for his breath to leave him in a rush when Akechi tackled him. Atop the boy, Akechi drew his phone. A single tap was all it took for both the detective and the shadow operative to disappear into thin air.

"No, no!" Fuuka cried. This was not going as planned, not at all! How could she have missed all this?

Kurusu, phone out, managed to vanish in a similar fashion but Aigis had recovered enough to stop Okumura's attempt with a bullet through the girl's phone.

Junpei had been knocked off his feet by Niijima and, dazed, unable to halt both Kitagawa and Niijima from escaping.

Sakamato pushed Takamaki out of the way of an oncoming Akihiko and was knocked unconscious by a swift and brutal blow from the former boxer. Takamaki however, squeaked, phone in hand, and disappeared.

Fuuka fought off tears. Everything had gone downhill so fast. Ken was gone and Koromaru barely held stable by a few spells form Aigis.

Not only that but the majority of the Shadow Operatives were out and if the Phantom Thieves that managed to escape had gone to Mitsuru's Palace as Fuuka suspected, only Labrys was there to defend the place.

"Get back as quickly as possible." Fuuka whispered over her connection to her friends before releasing her grip on Juno.

No time to waste, she ran from her office. Akihiko, Aigis, and Junpei were too far to use the cognitive traveler but Mitsuru was still in a meeting just a few floors overhead. If there was any chance to save Ken, she was it.

Chapter Text

Akira slammed into the ground with a gasp. "Joker!" Now on two legs, Morgana rushed to his side. With all the might he could muster, the small feline tried hefting Akita up. "Are you okay?"

"Where are Noir and Skull?" Futaba's voice broke through Akira's daze and the boy rolled to a squat then to a stand with Morgana's help.

"He protected me." Ann was a little to Akira's right, shaking slightly, her blue eyes wide. "I don't know. I don't know. They must have gotten him."

Niijima was helping Yusuke up but moved to Ann's side as soon as she could. "He's fine." She told the blonde in a hushed tone though her voice sounded less certain than she likely wanted it to be. "He has to be."

"What about Haru?" Asked Yusuke. His blue hair practically reflected the red of Mementos.

"Not here either." Futaba grumbled. She jogged up to them from where she had been hiding behind some nearby buildings. Laden with a bag of supplies, her steps were heavy. "I just got back from Kirijo's Palace. Our plan worked."

"The other robot got her." Morgana groused by Akira's feet. Having recalled the news article about the Kirijo android working with the police years back, they had managed to determine just what Labrys and Aigis actually were: definitely not human and susceptible to Futaba's hacking.

"Could someone help me here?" Akechi, still lying atop a seemingly stupefied Ken Amada, lifted his head to glare at them all. The boy was seemingly thunderstruck by the swirling reds and blacks of Mementos.

"Right!" From her bag of supplies, Futaba whipped out some rope. Once Amada spotted it, he regained his wits and resumed struggling.

"Get off of me!" He yelled. There were tears in his eyes, some streaks down his cheeks. Bucking, he attempted to get Akechi off while reaching for something shiny--a gun, Akira realized as Yusuke picked it up. Much like the ones their enemies had used to summon personas in the real world, it had the label of "SEES" on the side, whatever that meant. "You monsters!" Though Futaba tried to help, the boy's thrashing had her reeling back and Akechi gritting his teeth with the strain of keeping him down.

"Joker." Akechi hissed though his teeth.

Hesitating for only a moment more, Akira moved to help Akechi and Futaba restrain Ken Amada. Akira moved almost as though through water, his mind a fog. As Amada yelled and fought, he worked to keep the boy down mechanically. Tying the boy's hands behind his back and his legs together was one thing, Akechi shoving a rag in the boy's mouth was another. "Woah," Akira stepped back, hands raised defensively. "You don't need to gag him."

Akechi arched a brow high enough for it to appear above his mask. "Are you serious, Joker? How did you imagine this would go?" Akira said nothing. "He can summon a persona. We don't need him calling for it." Once he figures out he can without his device, went unsaid. It was clear that Amada believed himself to need the SEES gun to do so but here, in Mementos or later in Mitsuru Kirijo's Palace, he may very well be able to do so without the device just as they were all capable of doing.

"He may have a point." Niijima grumbled, gingerly touching Akira's arm. "But what I'm wondering is why you brought a gun, Crow."

"A real gun?" Ann gasped, hands flying up to cover her gaping mouth in shock. "No way. Why?"

"And he shot the dog!" Morgana added. Amada whimpered softly, the sound muffled by his gag. Akira felt his heart sink further into his gut but he refused to look back down at the boy lest he get cold feet too far into the operation. "I'm no fan of those things but there's no way our enemies will just ignore that!"

Breathing heavily from the act of handling Amada, Akechi rose to his feet and gave them all a disapproving look. "You can't expect me to have gone into that defenseless. I work for the police. Of course I have a weapon to protect myself." He waved a hand vaguely down at Amada. "And it got dangerous. The dog summoned a persona."

"How is that possible?" Niijima asked though her voice was on the lower side like she did not expect an answer.

Akechi rolled his hand in a motion akin to a shrug. "I don't suppose it's any less possible than a cat using a persona."

Morgana seethed. "Not. A. Cat."

"Regardless, it had some strange device around its neck, acting as a collar. Kirijo has access to some impressive tech--likely how they even manage to send anyone here to begin with."

"And summon in the real world." Yusuke surmised, lowering the SEES device from his examination.

"You still should not have shot the dog." Akira groused.

Ann nodded vigorously, eyes watery. "That was seriously messed up."

"And bringing a gun without telling us?" Niijima pointed accusingly. "What is your angle?" The way her eyes were narrowed and her haw was set was positively murderous.

"Did you seriously assume I was defenseless in the outside world?" Akechi asked, all prior signs of exertion having fled his body. "I am a highly prolific, teenage detective for the police." A pause. "Joker, you recall the one before me to hold my moniker of the 'Detective Prince.' Do you believe Naoto Shirogane never carried such a weapon? Honestly, I believed it went without saying."

Akira... could hardly argue that point. He rarely followed Akechi's personal life but from what he saw online after the detective initially berated the Phantom Thieves on live television, well, there were enough hateful and threatening messages that even Akira would have considered carrying a weapon on his person.

That did not excuse the use of said weapon however. "But shooting their dog? Crow."

Akechi huffed out a breath of annoyance. "It attacked me. What did you expect? Queen fought back as well and while I would love to say I am just as proficient at martial arts as she, I cannot." Another disgruntled noise. "May we move on? We do not have much time."

"That's true." Futaba agreed, withdrawing yet another item from her supply bag. A laptop, she flipped it open and tapped a few keys. "As we suspected, that Labrys is actually an android. I have her shut down for now but she's tearing through my program like it's an innocent lady's pot collection and she's the hero of Hyrule."

"How much time do we have?" Akira asked. As much as he was loath to just move on without addressing these issues with Akechi, they had a cover to retain with the detective and exposing their suspicions would not be ideal. They needed to continue in order to have him caught, to get him backed into a corner. There was no changing what had happened anyway.

The redhead shrugged. "Hard to say. Definitely more than a half-hour. No way it's more'n two hours."

"Then we have to move." Akechi hauled Amada to his feet despite the boy's struggling. He glared at them all, rag in his mouth sodden from tears and saliva.

Akira took the lead, unable to face Amada and so striding to the front and placing his back squarely in the boy's direction. At the head of the group, no one could see his pained expression. We're going to be careful, he had told Makoto. Look at them now with Haru and Ryuji missing, a dog shot, possibly killed, and a boy so distraught he shook violently with what was probably an amalgamation of fear, rage, and exhaustion.

Careful will only get you so far, had been her response. She was right of course. He had always admired her way of thinking. Why had he chosen to ignore it?

Using Mementos as a method of hiding, the group systematically moved between the real world and the shadow one in order to avoid their enemies. Ann made to move to save Ryuji when they caught sight of him slumped on the ground at the park. The SEES people were crowded around near the bench Ken and Akechi had been standing at but luckily more strangers had come closer to see what had happened, enabling Akechi the chance to sneak Ken, who was dazed with the effects of traveling through the MetaNav, past. The boy tried making a fuss but Akira spotted the detective leaning in to whisper something in his ear that caused him to go ramrod stiff.

When they finally reached the Kirijo Offices and traveled successfully to the Palace, Amada stared up at the sky like he could not believe what he was seeing, momentarily taken aback. By the way the boy stared, it was clear he recognized it and he did not appear particularly pleased by what he saw. More like, he seemed horrified.

They passed a slumped over Labrys, her axe lying on the ground forgotten. Akira glanced at her before picking up the android's axe and stuffing it behind a building and out of sight. When he turned back, he saw Akechi withdrawing his gun and heard Amada screaming wordlessly into his gag.

Niijima was also quick to spot this, stepping between Akechi and Labrys, spike-studded hand dropping to Akechi's to push the weapon down. "What are you doing?" She demanded, expression hard. Amada had calmed somewhat but his eyes betrayed the terror he still felt.

"It's just a robot." The detective argued. "And a potential danger."

"That 'robot' can summon a persona!" Morgana hopped to Niijima's side. "Only a person can do that!"

"That would stand to make her as alive as the rest of us." Yusuke agreed. "I cannot go along with this."

To Akira's surprise, he did not even need to step in. Nodding, Akechi slipped his gun back into his blazer.

When they finally reached the front to the dorms, Akechi was quick to press Amada against the door and wrench the boy's arm up as well as he could tied back as it was to get his fingers on the handle. Amada's expression twisted in pain.

"Hey!" Ann angrily stomped forward. "Stop that!"

"There's no need to be so forceful, Crow." Akira cautiously neared as well.

Akechi however ignored them, completely focused on manipulating Amada's hand around the handle. Once he did, he pulled... and the door creaked.

Previously, an impenetrable wall, the whole building seemed to shudder and withdraw, allowing the entrance to groan as it opened.

Akira never got the chance to glimpse what was inside however because Akechi swiftly blocked it with his and Amada's bodies, the latter of the two squirming to extricate himself.

"It opened!" Futaba cheered, one hand pumping the air while the other still held her laptop.

"Let's get this over with." Sighed Niijima.

"The quicker we do this, the quicker we save Skull and Noir." Ann added, evidently assuming that changing Kirijo's heart would have their two captured friends released to them safely. Akira hoped this was the case.

Akira made to follow Akechi only to come face-to-face with the barrel of his gun. Freezing, he following the weapon up the arm and to the one who wielded it. Akechi had dropped his facade of pleasantness, his face twisted into one of disgust and anger.

"I know you knew this was coming." He told them, almost conversationally if not for the utterly menacing sneer deforming his features. "Trying to bug my phone? Did you really think that was not obvious?" And here they had thought themselves clever when Futaba managed to get a hold of it. "You heard nothing I did not want you to hear, maybe even enough to have convinced you this charade would continue." Still in his grip, Amada was frozen, face pale, eyes wide. "I suppose ending it now may come as a surprise."

"Crow--" Akira tried, hands raised.

"Akechi thrust the gun closer. "That is not my name. I am not one of you so withhold your ridiculous 'codename,' would you?"

"The gun won't work here." Ann's voice wobbled even as she tried speaking strongly. "It's all-all mind whatever."

"Perception based." Morgana corrected, sounding similarly distressed.

A cruel smile curled Akechi's lips. "And you all know this to be a genuine weapon. Your perception should be the same."

He was right of course. Akira swallowed tightly, eyes on the weapon. A silencer, he realized, finally getting an unimpeded look. With a silencer attached, how could they have ever believed it to be for anything other than nefarious purposes? Even without a good look at it, the heat of the moment would not have been enough to disguise the sound of a fun going off. Realizing this too late helped no one.

"Entering Palaces peacefully had not been my forte, I admit. Your experience in the matter proved beneficial. Particularly yours." The gun turned on Futaba.

Akira cried out and moved, Niijima began called her persona only to be knocked into by Ann and Morgana rushing to defend Futaba. It was Yusuke who dove into the girl to protect her, both landing hard on the ground, but Futaba had not been Akechi's target at all.

When the laptop clattered to the ground, sparks flashed from the hold in the center of it's screen.

"Uh-oh." Whispered Futaba from beneath Yusuke. She stared at the destroyed laptop in panic.

"Perhaps you should have let me deal with the android." Akechi snarked, gun still raised. "Well, if Kirijo fails to handle you all, once I'm finished here, I will. Personally." He moved to back into the building.

"At least let him go!" Implored Akira. "You're in! You don't need him anymore!"

"I forgot to mention." Akechi said, a smirk curling his lips. "While I was here alone, I managed to make my way onto the roof. Something other than those androids stopped me, ten times as strong. This." He shook Amada. "Will prove adequate insurance should I come across it again."

The detective stepped back and the door slammed shut. When Ann and Akira fiercely tried the handle, it would not budge.

"I ain't fond o' bein' hacked!" the distinctive accent of Labrys screamed from nearby.

"Oh, nonono." Ann moaned, slapping the door and wrenching at the handle to no avail. "What do we do now? What happens to Ryuji?"

"And Haru?" Added Morgana.

Niijima, tense, bit her lip before saying: "What happens to us all?"

"Joker," Yusuke tapped Akira's shoulder. "We should leave, regroup, and come up with a plan--"

Eyes squeezed shut, Akira shook his head. "No." He gritted out. "No." He repeated, opening his eyes. "If we leave, we've lost. There'll be nothing we can do. Right now, we still have time before the rest arrive and before Akechi can do anything more."

"He's right." Agreed Niijima grimly. "Leaving is not an option."

"Neither is staying!" Ann cried.

"There's only one enemy." Futaba brushed herself off, hands shaking. "It's better odds than we'd otherwise have."

"Joker did not exactly hide the android's weapon well." Yusuke mused.

"She could be an idiot." Ventured a hopeful Ann.

Futaba snorted. "An AI that advanced? No freaking way!"

"Oi! There ya'll are! Where'd'ya go'n put my axe, ya losers?" Labrys stomped into sight, hands curled into fists and ponytail shaking erratically.

"Oooor..." Futaba coughed. "I could be wrong."

Yusuke drew his sword. "If we defeat her, we can gain access and give chase."

"That's a big if." Muttered Futaba. "She's real technology. I can't hack her with Necronomicon. Maybe I can do something but without my laptop, there's no way I'm shutting her down again."

Niijima's own fists rose. "It's six against one and we're not running."

"I'm not going down so easily this time!" Ann snapped, flicking her wrist and sending her whip cracking against the pavement. "Carmen!" Fire errupted at the blonde's call, colliding into Labrys who pushed through without even being singed.

As they all moved to combat the android, Makoto's voice once again rang in Akira's head.

Careful will only get you so far.

----------------------------------------

Fuuka threw open the double doors and the meeting of several important Kirijo Group business partners went silent.

Mitsuru Kirijo sat at the head of the table, flowing red hair unbound to cascade down her front and back like rivers of red. Hands clasped high, elbows on the table, her brown eyes were cold as they met Fuuka's over her knuckles.

"Mitsuru!" Ignoring the disapproving stares of the business men and women, Fuuka raced past them to her partner's side. "There's been an--"

"Apologies." Mitsuru looked away from Fuuka and the younger woman felt like her breath was stolen along with their eye contact. "It appears as though something important requires my immediate attention." Dropping her entwined hands, she motioned politely to Kikuno who sat to her right. "My assistant will speak for me while I handle this matter." She pushed away from the table and calmly lead Fuuka to the door to her office on the other side of the room, her heels clicking soundly and rhythmically.

When the door shut behind them, Fuuka could hear the meeting resume, voices muffled by the thick wall between them.

"Mitsuru--"

"You know not to interrupt my meetings, Fuuka." Back to Fuuka, Mitsuru had strode further into the office to lay a hand on her desk. The desk had only four pictures on it and while they were all turned in the opposite direction, Fuuka knew them all very well. The first, by her hand, was of Mitsuru and her late father, both wearing serious expressions despite Mitsuru's youth in the photo. The next was of the original SEES--or, it's founding members: Mitsuru herself, Akihiko, and Shinjiro. Shuji Ikutsuki had been tastefully removed. The third was of Mitsuru and Yukari, the latter dressed in her television outfit and both smiling fondly. Lastly was an image of Fuuka herself with Mitsuru years ago on their first anniversary. There was also a fifth picture, facing Fuuka and placed on the counter behind the desk. Larger than the rest, it displayed the entire group that still lived, all together at Junpei and Chidori's wedding only months prior. Fuuka swallowed thickly at the sight of Ken and Koromaru.

"This is more important." Fuuka argued. She was shaking, she knew, and by how Mitsuru turned around, eyes flicking to Fuuka's trembling hands, the Kirijo Head knew as well. "They have Ken! And they've used their traveler--whatever they call it." She had not time for semantics now. "Labrys is alone in there. You're the only one able to go."

Mitsuru was silent. She pressed a hip against her desk and eyed Fuuka coldly--more frigid than any magic Artemisia could conjure. "When was the last time you slept?"

To that, Fuuka blinked. It took her a moment to process and once she did, she blanched. "Wh-what? That doesn't matter."

"I can't have you leading the mission like this. Once Akihiko returns, inform him that he is now in charge."

Whatever hope Fuuka had that the woman was concerned for her well being was thoroughly dashed. As always, she forced her bitterness down. Still, her voice came out broken when she said: "Okay. I will. But can you please come with me? Goro Akechi has a gun--already used it. Koromaru is..." She choked up and unless her eyes betrayed her, Mitsuru stood up straighter. "He's alive but I don't know if he'll make it. Aigis's healing is powerful but Koromaru is old and the wound is deep."

The clacking of Mitsuru's heels was irregular. It stopped altogether at one point but then the woman stood directly before Fuuka. Her hand twitched but remained at her side. "You need to calm down."

Fuuka, having been staring at the ground, lifted her gaze. Mitsuru's image was warped by tears. "How can I? First Ken and Koromaru... what about you? They're after you."

The harsh lines of Mitsuru's face softened, albeit only moderately. "Perhaps that is for the best."

"What? Mitsuru, you cannot be serious."

"Have you not wondered why I have a Palace to begin with, Fuuka?" The girl in question remained stock-still, unwilling to accept what she was hearing. "Evidently I am just as twisted an individual as Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, or Okumura."

"The hacker." Fuuka argued. "She had a Palace."

"The girl was depressed. I am not."

"What are you trying to say?"

Mitsuru sighed. "Protecting me was never the priority."

"Of course it is! That's why--" Fuuka stopped herself with a gasp, realization dawning on her. "You were using yourself as bait." She breathed, only half believing it. "You're not after stopping them at all--you want the one behind the mental shutdowns."

Mitsuru stepped back. "The more I learned of the Phantom Thieves, the more I admired them--envied them, even, for what they have. It reminds you of SEES, does it not? They set out to do good and they accomplished it. I fully intended to allow them to continue. Using them to find the one behind the mental shutdowns has always been the goal. Now however," She moved behind her desk to pick up the photo of Junpei's wedding with all their smiling faces. "Now it appears as though they've disappointed me, just like everyone and everything outside these people do." The smile Mitsuru had in the picture was one of her rare ones, a genuine article and one she refrained from using in public appearances.

"We don't have time for this." Fuuka loathed to say it but Ken needed them. This was the most she had gotten Mitsuru to open up in a long time but she was not risking a life just to hear more.

"Are Aigis and the others back yet?" No, they would not be for some time which is why Fuuka was so panicked. The younger woman shook her head uncertainly. "Then there is nothing we can do." She set the picture back down.

From her desk drawer, Mitsuru withdrew her evoker. "Whenever I try to use it, all I can think of is my company and the secrets we are still uncovering. What I thought I knew as a teenager proved only to be the tip of the iceberg and now I see the experiments, the deaths, the tragedies this company has committed.

"You were not the first student to go missing from Gekkoukan, did you realize that? There were too many to count. Names turned to labels to numbers and stats on a graph. You mentioned once that you found all the documents you pulled up from old archives sickening. I assume that means you forwent reading them all."

Fuuka shook. Mitsuru was right. While she had skimmed the atrocitied done in the name of the Kirijo Group, she could not muster the courage to delve deeper. She should have. She knew it affected Mitsuru, knew enough even to hide some and bury some documents forever. Fuuka should have read them all as Mitsuru clearly had.

"Chidori was a street orphan, as were Takeya and Jin. Their names are among dozens listed for grotesque experiments. Akihiko and Shinji could have easily counted among them. Between orphans and students, there is quite the backlog of failed test subjects. Who would have thought that the Head's own daughter would end up fulfilling the goal of those experiments? To have a persona?"

"Mitsuru... none of that is your fault."

"You're right. It isn't." Mitsuru crossed her arms. "But what continues to happen is. Sho Minazuki who caused the issue with the TV world, kidnapped us, and more--he was a Kirijo experiment I failed to catch. Wakaba Isshiki who was contracted by a subset of the Kirijo Group--working under my very nose--was murdered, her child scarred for life, her research taken and abused. I failed to obtain proof and could only fire them. Now, they work for Shido who is likely the source for all these mental shutdowns using Kirijo tech and information."

Fuuka shook her head. "That still isn't your fault."

"I could do more." She revealed. "I know I can but every person I look at aside from you and the rest of SEES are just another Ikutsuki preparing to betray me or my father biding the macabre truth."

When Mitsuru lifted her head to stare at the ceiling, Fuuka caught a glimmer in her eyes. "We promised to change the world for the better, to make it a place where no one wishes for death so Makoto could return, so that stopping the literal embodiment of death from being called by the peoples' wishes was no longer necessary."

It was Fuuka's turn to draw nearer. "Mitsuru, no. That's not true at all."

"I have failed her just like I've failed you and I'm failing Ken." Mitsuru lowered her head, the tears in her eyes precariously close to dropping. "Fuuka, I haven't been able to summon my persona for over a year now."

Chapter Text

Defeating Labrys was near impossible, even for the six of them. The battle took far longer than Akira would have wanted or expected. Every time they felt like they had her on the ropes she went and pulled out a new move or tactic to catch them by surprise.

When they had her knocked out however, not only was lifting her incredible difficult (was she made entirely of metal?) but once they got her to the door, they were still unable to open it.

"Perhaps..." Yusuke grunted as he, Niijima, and Akira lowered Labrys to prop her against the wall. "She needs to willingly open the door?"

"Amada definitely didn't!" Morgana meowed, contrary. "She probably needs to be awake."

Niijima shook her head, brushing her hands off of the dust and grim of the battle. Around them were marks of devastation, Labrys having not gone down easily and her attacks taking out huge chunks of nearby buildings. "Oracle, do you recall Labrys's name in any of the information you found? About the people who lived in the dorm?"

Futaba made a sound in the negative. "No, but she could be that transfer student mentioned in a few documents. She is the only one on the Kirijo's side who's shown up that isn't listed as a dormmate."

"I don't think that's the case." Niijima revealed with a dissatisfied sigh, like she was realizing something she was not exactly happy about. "Think about it. Would Akechi truly leave us with the potential to follow him?"

Akira eyed Niijima in consideration. "Are you suggesting he knows who the transfer student was?"

"Urgh!" Ann stomped a foot angrily. "You can't be serious! How much did he keep from us?"

Yusuke inclined his head thoughtfully. "We were working under the assumption that he was keeping things such as this from us."

"But this is something he should have told us." Wearing her classic, thought-provoking expression, Niijima looked between them all. "After all, it was literally that knowledge that he needed us to know in order to help him access the Palace. Unless it was specifically that person he did not want us to know was associated."

"If he's trying to hide one person... why?" Asked Futaba, head cocked curiously.

"We might know them." Akira surmised. "But if we know them, why hide it? Maybe we could have avoided all this." He motioned vaguely to the destruction around them from their fight with Labrys.

"The only possibility that I can think of making sense is that Akechi did not want this person involved. That they would be difficult for him to handle."

Ann frowned deeply. "That makes no sense. Akechi doesn't think anyone is 'difficult to handle.' Seriously. Who would a super-smart teenage detective with supernatural powers find trouble dealing with?"

"I'd like to say 'us.'" Yusuke's lips jumped. "But I imagine that is not where you are going."

Niijima was staring at Akira so he closed his eyes, stomach churning. He had a feeling he knew exactly who Niijima was referring to. In retrospect, it was obvious, wasn't it? The only person Akechi had made an effort to drive a wedge between, who he had been inordinately interested in, who had so many connections to to Kirijo, who Akira had been beginning to suspect having a deeper involvement than surface level...

Morgana gasped and Akira opened his eyes to see the cat looking at Niijima in disbelief. "You can't mean... she's too young! Oracle said the transfer student was in the same class as Yukari Takeba who is in her twenties!"

Niijima dipped her head in a slow acknowledgement. "And I believe that is why we kept overlooking her but did you forget that one piece of evidence that could place her at the same age as the actress?"

"The..." Morgana hesitated, glancing at Akira as though to confirm her dawning realization as true. Both Yusuke and Ann appeared confused but Futaba seemed to be coming to her own conclusion, her eyes growing wide. "The articles. But they could just have a shared name."

"I have no idea how Makoto Yuki could still be a teenager but the fact is she is our only hope and with coincidences piling up, we cannot afford to dismiss this again." As Ann and Yusuke reeled with Niijima's reveal, Niijima once again looked to Akira. "Could she hear me say her name, do you think?"

"Maybe?" Here in Kirijo's Palace? While Makoto had grown increasingly aware of her name being spoken no matter the distance within Mementos, she had never once shown up in a Palace. The only time she had left Mementos was with Akira into the real world. "But she's..." He could easily visualize the disappointment on Makoto's face when he last saw her. "Akechi told her about our plans. She's not happy with us." With me, he almost said.

"All the more confirmation he wanted us estranged." Niijima did not appear affected by Akira's confession. "I suggest we send someone to talk to her."

"Joker is the obvious choice." Yusuke said.

"But the wrong one." Refuted Niijima. "With him, her feelings, particularly those of anger of disappointment that she must feel, are strongest. Besides, we need the leader here. No, I suggest we send Panther."

"Me?" The blonde sputtered out.

Niijima smiled. It was a thin thing but no less encouraging. "You've known Makoto just as long as Joker. Plus, I would say you're the most empathetic among us."

"Well, I... Alright. I can try."

"Be careful," Akira warned. "If she doesn't come to the entrance when called, you'll need to go looking and Mementos is dangerous the further down you go."

Ann nodded vigorously. "I can handle it!"

"Can we not send someone else with her?" Yusuke asked. "Or all go?"

"As much as I would like to agree," Morgana had his paws crossed, a frown on his face. "We can't lose this position. If those SEES guys come here, they'll be more blocking us from getting to thee dorms and more keeping us from Akechi."

Niijima nodded in agreement. "Sending anyone is a risk. We need to stand our ground here or we might lose all the time to Akechi." She lifted her head. "Besides, I want to go to the roof and if Akechi did not lie, we're likely going to run into a strong adversary there."

--------------------------------

Ann had explored Mementos alone a few times, mostly recently. After losing so handedly to Labrys in their first confrontation, she had been the most invested in training within the depths of Mementos, heading there whenever she was not busy visiting Shiho, modelling, or at school.

She had only needed to call Makoto twice and both times she blue-haired girl had shown up to rescue her rather quickly. Now, no matter how much she called, Makoto did not show. Ann was not far within the labyrinth that was Mementos yet but she wasted no time yelling for her friend.

"I thought it was wrong, too!" Ann shouted at the dissipating form of a shadow she had just dispatched, breathing heavily. "We're supposed to be the good guys, the heros! We knew Akechi was bad but we listened anyway." Descending further, she came across a group of shadows. "Urgh! Just go away!"

Fending off multiple at once while so deep within the bowels of Mementos and alone was far from easy. Ann slumped against the wall when she defeated them, briefly allowing herself a moment of reprieve before she was racing off once more.

Mementos went deeper than any one of the Phantom Thieves could have suspected and Ann had only delved as far as had opened twice before. Then she had been in a group. Now, she was closing in on that goal, only a handful of floors from the next locked door. It was definitely far more than she should be by herself but without spotting Jose or Makoto, Ann knew them to frequent the deepest corners more often than not.

She knew she was in over her head. A blow from a shadow had her reeling back and frantically casting a healing spell. Tapping the ends of her magic reserves, she had very little left in her. Carmen was not exactly adept at physical combat so once Ann tapped out, she tended to feel useless. Now, she felt worse than useless. She felt scared.

"Makoto!" she cried, just barely dodging the swing of a shadow's menacing club. The second attack caught her on the side and she was sent crashing into the nearest wall, sliding down painfully. "Help! Please." She whimpered. The ringing in her ears could not hide the tremble from even her own self. "We need help."

Ann looked up through her bangs. She saw three shadows closing in. Someone brave like Ryuji might keep their eyes open and face it head on but she could not bear to. Squeezing her eyes shut, she turned her head down and waited.

"Cybele." The cool, commanding tone of Makoto broke through Ann's existential horror. "Myriad Arrows." Eyes snapping open, Ann caught sight of the shadows dispersing under a rain of arrows conjured from above.

Behind the vanishing shadows stood a slouched Makoto. She eyed Ann dully through her bangs. "Not your smartest decision." She told the blonde, voice flat. Stooping, she awkwardly picked up Ann's whip. "Dropped this." With a toss that implied no effort was exerted whatsoever, the weapon landed near Ann's feet.

"M-Makoto." Ann licked her lips, clutching at her side in pain.

Makoto cocked her head to the side. "Oh. Right." A moment later, she had summoned a persona to heal Ann fully.

Ann breathed a sigh of relief, all the pain leaving her as the healing magic washed over her and restored her body to max health. She stood, collecting her whip as she went, and bowed graciously to the girl. "Thank you, Mako-chan! You saved my life." When Makoto only blinked, Ann continued: "When you weren't answering my calls..."

Makoto turned away, her side profile blocking her eyes from Ann's vision. "I was not about to let you die."

"I heard that you're angry." To that, Makoto tilted her head toward Ann just enough to make the arch to her brow visible. "Believe me, I get it. I'm mad too! I think the leader was stupid for listening to Akechi. I mean, really."

"You still intend to go along with it." Not phrased like a question, Ann could discern no emotions in Makoto's voice.

"Of course I do! Because they're my friends and I won't abandon them."

The eyebrow lowered. A single eye became visible as Makoto shifted slightly and Ann could see the hue of it was subdued with sadness. "That does not make it right."

"Weeell...." She drew out the word, shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She could not disagree with Makoto's assessment but it was clear that arguing that basis of the decision would get them nowhere. "You see..."

The single eye closed. "You already did it."

"Kinda. Sorta. Yeah." Ann admitted, shoulders slumping.

"And you're here alone. Seeking me. So it went poorly."

"Something like that." Ann gave Makoto a quick rundown of everything that had happened. All the while Makoto placidly had her eyes closed.

"I will help rescue the hostage." Makoto said once Ann was finished. "That is all."

Ann knew Makoto would not have refused helping the poor boy AKechi held captive. She smiled, warmth filling her at the confirmation of Makoto's goodness. "Thank you, Mako-chan."

"Let's get this over with." She did not sound particularly enthused, not that Ann blamed her. While Akira had spoken of Makoto leaving Mementos, it had just been the one time. Makoto expressed nothing but incredulity in regards to leaving, the very prospect apparently making her sick. On top of all that, here Ann was asking her to clean up a mess she had warned Akira against.

Once they got to Kirijo's Palace, Makoto's head snapped up to take in the green moon. Pallid skin granted a greenish tint, her eyes dull, she looked like a zombie.

Then her head abruptly whipped to the side. "Someone is calling for me." was all the explanation Ann got before Makoto took off at a run.

------------

Hopping from roof to roof in order to reach the top of the Iwatodai Dorms was not the easiest task the Phantom Thieves had ever set for themselves. "There's someone up there." Futaba warned before they made the final leap. "Very high stats, just like Stupid-Kechi--don't look at me like that, I'll come up with a better insult later--said. And it's definitely not one of those robots."

Akira looked over those who remained. With Ryuji and Haru captured and Ann sent to bring Makoto, all that remained were Yusuke, Niijima, Morgana, Futaba, and Akira himself. This made a four man team with Futaba acting as navigator. "Are we ready for a fight?"

"Ready as we possibly can be." Niijima answered grimly. She knew as well as Akira that they were severely underprepared. Labrys had wiped them out of just about all their essential items and much of their magic reserves. The most they had was decent health.

"There's a door up there." Yusuke pointed. Much of the roof was obscured, namely whoever was stationed there, but the rooftop access stood tall. "Perhaps it is accessible. Doubtless Akechi would not have been able to fend off quite the adversary and make it to the door alone."

"Ooor it's just locked, Inari. Like they all have been."

"It's worth a try." Morgana pointed out. "And once we defeat whatever's up there, we'll have the vantage point for whenever those SEES guys show up."

"And with Ann bringing Makoto back, going through the roof access might give us the edge on Akechi." Added Niijima. "There's still hope."

Akira nodded, readying his grappling hook. "If we're all ready..."

"Let's do this, Joker!" Cheered Morgana.

They landed swiftly and quietly like true thieves but the person occupying the roof noticed regardless. Lying on a bench under the glow of the unnatural moon, their eyes closed, blue hair strewn about...

"Makoto...?" Akira breathed, staring in shock. The girl in question was dressed differently. In the same uniform as Aigis that Yusuke had said came from Gekkoukan High, she wore a bright, red ribbon at the base of her neck that was tied loosely, no doubt lazily, with tights underneath her skirt. On one arm was the same armband reading "SEES" that Aigis had sported.

"This is not Makoto." Futaba informed them urgently from the safety of her hovering persona.

Once the girl opened her eyes, this fact was abundantly clear: They were a brilliant golden yellow rather than Makoto's deep blue. This Makoto Yuki was nothing more than a shadow formed by Mitsuru Kirijo's mind.

"Well..." Morgana hummed, awkwardly hefting his scimitar and looking uncertain. "We were right. Looks like she was the transfer student."

"She's powerful." Futaba reiterated. "Not quite on the same level, but..."

"Can we defeat her, Oracle?" Demanded Niijima.

"Err... maybe? Yes! Sure, definitely! I believe in us!"

"Somehow," Yusuke drawled. "I am not so encouraged."

In a totally Makoto Yuki fashion, the shadow lethargically climbed to her feet and eyed them sullenly. She appeared sadder than Akira knew her to be, more like the description Makoto had given her past self.

It was hard to shake the fact that Akira knew this person, whether or not this shadow was her through another's lens. He knew he was hesitating. He knew it and he despised himself for it.

"What's the plan, Joker?" Asked Niijima, fists clenched. "She'll likely have multiple personas, assuming Kirijo was aware of this fact."

"If she has the same ones or similar," Akira could not remove his gaze. "She's well-rounded. We'll need to strike with everything we have and try to predict the persona shifts." Despite knowing Makoto for quite some time, they did not know enough about her battle tactics to preemptively predict the shadow's movements. Whenever the real Makoto entered combat, she ended it just as swiftly. Akira hoped this would not be the case with this fight.

Shadow Makoto slowly lowered a hand to a holster at her waist. The SEES gun. "Target that." Akira ordered. "Kirijo believes it impossible to summon without that device, right?"

"Right!" Morgana jumped enthusiastically. "Get rid of it, get rid of the threat!"

They began moving, carefully surrounding her. The Makoto they knew had personas with numerous immunities so attacking without thought was probably not the best plan.

When Makoto lifted the gun to her head, it was a visceral image and one that made Akira's blood run cold. He had seen the two men do the same previously--Iori and Sanada--and even Amada had attempted to do the same but witnessing Makoto pressing what so clearly looked like a gun to her temple...

"Makoto!" He screamed when she pulled the trigger, momentarily taken in by the horrifying imagery.

"Orpheus Telos." She mumbled, a persona resembling both Makoto's Messiah and Aigis's Orpheus emerged, pigmented a deep, blood red.

The battle had begun.

----------------------------

Stepping back into the Iwatodai Dorms was both comforting and horrifying. It's not real, Ken needed to remind himself. The Dark Hour is not back. There are no shadows on the streets. Once inside though he was reminded of his childhood, of being constantly surrounded by his friends and the people who understood him best. He half expected Akihiko to be in his red sweater vest lounging on a chair reading, Yukari to be at the dining table in her pink sweater studying, Junpei on the couch watching TV and laughing at the silliest things, Shinji trying to teach Fuuka to cook in the kitchen and failing only to have to cook the meal himself, Mitsuru going over all their exams with an expression of severe disappointment, Aigis hanging not far from... Ken swallowed.

The room was empty.

"Move it." But Ken was not alone. Akechi shoved him further in, causing Ken to stumble. With his legs tied at his knees, walking did not come naturally.

Akechi eyed the room apathetically, clearly unimpressed. "I expected more. There are not even any shadows trying to stop us."

Ken almost snorted. Shadows? In Mitsuru's deepest desires?

"Though I suppose it stands to reason. Every Palace I've... let's say explored prior were designed with some sort of guard detail in mind. I don't suppose it would make much sense for a high school dorm to have anything of the sort."

Akechi reminded Ken of many of the other villains he had encountered, so overcome was he by his own self worth. The detective was looking around the room and essentially monologuing. The beak of his crow mask turned around as he looked about and even at such a disadvantage, Ken felt irrationally angry just seeing him standing there in the Iwatodai Dorms. He did not belong there, not in any sense of the word.

"Don't look at me like that." Akechi ordered, sounding more amused than anything else. He smirked and tugged at Ken's arm, causing him to stumble once more. "Let's get moving. The idiots won't be able to get in but once your friends show up things will get interesting. The Phantom Thieves might even prove useful in delaying them."

Past the foyer and through the open dining hall, Akechi began pushing Ken toward the kitchen, keeping the boy securely before him like a makeshift shield. Evidently Akechi still expected some form of resistance. Was it whatever he had mentioned meeting on the roof that worried him?

As they approached the kitchen doors, Ken heard the sound of what he thought was something heavy hitting the floor--like a book, a ball, or... a boot. Akechi heard it too, stilling, but there was no way he could guess what it was. Ken however had a feeling he knew. Who else wore such heavy boots in the Iwatodai Dorm Kitchen?

The door was thrown open and in Akechi's surprise, Ken ducked out of his grip, practically flinging himself into the opposing wall with a muffled grunt of pain. Akechi tried to grab for him but was forced back by the oncoming swing of an axe.

Blearily, tears clouding his vision, Ken saw Shinjiro Aragaki step out from the kitchen. His eyes, Ken saw when the dead man looked at him, were yellow and not the brown that Shinji's eyes had truly been. "Tch." One hand hefting the huge axe, the other holding a kitchen knife, Shinji tossed the latter to Ken. "What are you doin'? Get goin'."

It was incredibly strange meeting Shinjiro's eyes head on, even if they were not actually his but Mitsuru's cognitive version. Even slouched as he was, as Ken recalled him always being (putting even Makoto to shame), the fact that they were approximately the same height was startling.

"You're... Shinjiro Aragaki." Akechi realized, drawing his sword in preparation for a fight. His eyes flicked to Ken but as Shinji advanced, there was more and more space put between the detective and his captive.

"What of it." Ken remembered Shinji being an imposing person. Evidently Mitsuru was of the same mind because the sheer menace he exuded while threateningly raising his giant axe was not something to scoff at. Ken had always considered Shinji to be the strongest of SEES, despite his sickness and the fact that they had a man who fought bears unarmed for sport and a literal android on their team. It was just something about him and maybe had to do with how easily he handled such a hefty weapon.

"I should have expected this," Akechi spat. "Only the dead walk these halls."

Hand still free from tossing Ken his kitchen knife (had he been cooking in there?), Shinjiro drew his evoker. "This is how I do things. Got it?" Pulling the trigger, he called: "Castor!" and for the first time in years, Ken bore witness to Castor's summoning. So reminiscent of Akihiko's initial persona, Castor rode in on a lance of a horse, a spear tip already embedded in its chest. The persona itself brought forth a giant hand that crashed into Akechi despite the detective's attempts to block it and sent its target flying.

When Akechi rose, black was slowly eating away at his costume, a manic grin on his face. He cackled. "Oh, that was nothing. Ken, would you like to see your friend die in front of you again?"

"Tch. What a tough bastard." Shinji glanced sideways at Ken. "Stop gapin' and get movin'."

Ken nodded, squatting to awkwardly retrieve the knife with the hands tied behind his back.

"Loki!" Aakechi screamed for his persona. The attack was aimed for Ken but Shinjiro stepped between, taking the brunt of the damage but managing to remain upright. The gag muffling his cries, Ken nicked his fingers with the ferocity of his sawing at his bonds.

"'M fine." Shinji grumbled, not particularly looking the best as he wobbled, unsteady.

Akechi laughed psychotically before calling his persona once more. The black had consumed his clothes, transforming him from the cliche prince charming to a motley of black and purple stripes, resembling a gothic jester's uniform. His mask warped and became a metal helmet, more crow-like than even the one he donned previously. The red shade over his eyes gave him a monstrously threatening appearance.

Ken cut through the ropes and immediately wrenched out his gag. If Shinji was here and the dead truly walked the halls as Akechi had suggested, there was someone who would be able to help.

Ken opened his mouth and screamed a name.