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...and then I gave the plant some nutrients.
A Persona 5 One-Shot
With a small sigh, Sojiro looked up at the clock on the wall and figured it had been long enough. He made his way over to the door and opened it to turn the "OPEN" sign to "CLOSED" before closing and locking the door. He knew what those kids had planned behind Akira's back, and figured he would hear from them at some point that they had made it to their first destination with no problem. It had been his one condition in allowing Futaba to go, though deep down he could admit if only to himself that it was a bluff. Before that boy had come into their lives, he had secretly given up hope that Futaba would ever really leave her room again, let alone gain true friends who cared about her. While she still had a long way to go, just the amount of progress alone was enough to convince him she would be in good hands for this trip. The fact that she had called him "Dad" when asking to go also put a point in their favor.
With one last look at the door, he pulled out Akira's journal and dropped it on one of the booths, sitting down a moment later. He looked at the battered book, and wondered just what the leader of the Phantom Thieves could have written down in the pages.
"I can see it now." he muttered under his breath with a small smirk. "'Sojiro was an ass today,' or something to that effect." he continued, letting out a small laugh. "Well, I was always intended to be the one reading this." he said, opening up to the front page.
Just arrived in Tokyo. It's really different, coming from the middle of nowhere. My current guardian, XXXXXX, told me to keep a record of what I do as part of my probation. Since he seems a bit abusive, and seemed to want to make sure I knew he would throw me out for any reason, I figured I should listen to him. So...I arrived.
He raised an eyebrow, looking at the first entry. He could barely make out his name having been crossed out, and wondered just why that could have been. Figuring he'd find out if he continued reading, he moved on to the next entry, his eyebrows slowing moving higher and higher the more he read.
Started school today. Got stuck in the rain, and saw this cute girl named XXX with what looks like natural blonde hair.(At this point, Sojiro noticed a line leading to the side of the page with the words "It's all natural." written in the margin.) She got into a car of some teacher named Kamoshida while looking depressed. I also met a vulgar guy with a bad dye job named XXXXX. Somehow, we ended up in a castle where I found out I have some special powers. I guess that was what that long-nosed guy Igor was talking about. Anyways, we met this strange cat creature thing and escaped. XXXXX and I almost got in trouble, but I avoided it by telling the cops that XXXXX was bullying me, then saying I didn't want to be late to class. I don't think XXXXX was amused. I thought he was going to beat me up on the roof of the school, but he just wanted to talk more about what happened. After that, I came home to find XXXXXX pissed at me.
He sat there a moment, stunned. The idiot had actually kept a record of the Phantom Thieves. It was no wonder he retracted names. He knew the girl had to be his girlfriend Ann, and the vulgar guy with a bad dye job was his best friend Ryuji. The strange cat creature had to be that black cat Morgana that showed up with him one day that they all claimed talked. The long-nosed man, however, was a complete mystery. Considering he had left his name, he figured there must have been nothing wrong with keeping it in there. He flipped through the next few entries, seeing more and more names scratched out, pausing every now and then when some things jumped out ("XXX + Bikini = GODDESS!" taking up half the page and "XXXXX does not seem to have a sense of humor. He didn't like my cat impression." written alone at the bottom of a page being among the best). Finally, he got to a point where there were no more scratched out names.
Today, Skull finally asked what I was writing down while we're in safe rooms. When they found out I'm keeping a journal of our activities, complete with names, the group was...not really amused. After watching me go page by page (Panther slapped me for the bikini comment), I have retracted all names that can get me in trouble. We decided to leave Kamoshida's name since he's an asshole. I tried to use the same logic to keep Boss's name as well, but they counter-argued that keeping his name would make it plainly obvious who I am. Anyways, after leaving King Pervert's Castle (we figured if I was going to retract his name, we would henceforth refer to him as "King Pervert" which we may do anyways), I headed back home. Mona keeps pestering me to sleep, but is kind enough to let me give the plant some nutrients and make a record of what happened today before going to sleep. He's also demanding that I remember to use our code-names instead of our real names.
He flipped through some more, until he finally got to some short entries all in a row.
Waiting on Kamoshida to have a change of heart. Gave the plant some nutrients.
Then the next one.
Still waiting on King Pervert. Spent some time with Panther. She's worried, but there's not much we can do.
After that was another one.
Still waiting. Spent some time with Skull. He probably has the most to lose besides me.
Still another one.
Waiting. Had date with Panther. At least, I'm telling myself it was a date. Hope we didn't screw up. Gave the plant some nutrients. Must buy better ones.
"He really liked that plant..." he muttered, flipping back through the pages again to see that Akira already made several mentions of it. "I should pull it down here to remember to give it water, make sure it's healthy for whenever he makes his way back here."
He flipped another page, and saw a longer, excited look entry.
It worked! He confessed to everything in front of the entire school! The abuse, the sexual harassment, everything! It was all we could do to keep from cheering out loud! We're already talking about what we can do in order to celebrate! Now, time to give the plant some nutrients and fall asleep.
"Seriously...you'd think he was in love with that plant more than his girlfriend." he said with a small laugh, as he continued to flip through the pages, reading about the exploits of the Phantom Thieves through the eyes of their leader (one he was quickly starting to question the sanity of). He randomly started flipping through, looking at random entries that existed.
-P5-
Fox is staying with me now. Makes dating Panther hard. Granted, we're not really "dating" yet, but if that were to happen and we ended up back at my place, then we'd have to deal with an idiot artist who introduced himself by asking to paint her nude and a cat who is convinced that he will become human and marry her. Throw in Boss who, though seems to be slowly (ever so slowly) warming up to me (ever so damn slowly), would probably not be all that amused by my bringing my date here and I'm left with nowhere to go. Granted, I have to actually...you know...try and actually confess to her first.
"All that on your shoulders and all you care about is where to take your girl, huh?" he muttered, moving on.
-P5-
Skull came over today while I was giving some nutrients to the plant. Upon finding out I hadn't named the plant, he took it upon himself to dub the plant "Joker, Jr." and seemed quite serious about it. Personally, I don't think I'll keep the name for it. The plant doesn't seem like a "Joker, Jr." to me. Faye, maybe? After all, Cowboy Bebop trumps all.
-P5-
Introduced Queen to Mementos today. Were I not head over heels in love with Panther, I'd have to admit I'd probably try and go after Queen. Something about the way she screams out "Fist of justice!" at the top of her voice after killing a shadow seems cute and...kinda erotic. Anyways, Skull asked me how Joker, Jr. was doing during a lull in the combat. After both Panther and Queen threatened every form of abuse, both physical and legal, that one could think of (and some that I don't even want to think about...) for sexual harassment, I finally bailed him out and said that's what he calls the plant in my room. What followed was a poll on what to name the plant. Sadly, Joker, Jr. beat out Faye. I'll just keep referring to it as the plant, though. I told it so as I gave it some nutrients before I go to bed. Also...Mona is looking at me like I'm insane.
-P5-
Seeing as I'm stuck buying everything for the group, I needed a quick way to make some money. That, and we're thieves. Stealing money should be what we do. So, we figured we would try taking a few million yen out of Kaneshiro's palace. Yeah...didn't work. Think I'll sign up for a part-time job. Maybe at the flower shop...?
-P5-
Picked up a copy of Cowboy Bebop on DVD today. I voted to stay home for the next week and binge watch it. Everyone else all but physically dragged me to Kaneshiro's palace. This is a crime that cannot be forgiven. Not only is that bastard threatening us, not only is he demanding Queen pay off three million yen on her back, but now he is stopping me from watching the greatest piece of visual media ever! He will pay...
-P5-
Apparently Mona saw what I wrote, and told everyone. Now they are all shooting me weird looks, like they expect me to start giggling randomly while talking to myself. All well, time to give the plant some nutrients and go to bed before Mona starts to make a fuss.
-P5-
Kaneshiro was just arrested. Plans for a celebration party are now in the works. Also, I finally confessed to Panther. She feels the same way. Love is great.
-P5-
Let it be said here and now, that Panther was not Kamoshida's sex toy. She was a virgin, she is a natural blonde, and I love her! Now, to air out this room and clean the sheets before either Mona or Boss get back.
Sojiro let out a small sigh at that and looked up toward the room Akira had used. He hoped they contained themselves to the bed, and a made a point to remember to never touch said bed or sheets again.
-P5-
Ran into Akechi again on the way to school. There really is something off about him, like he's hiding some big secret. There's also the fact he clearly heard Mona talk. Anyways, just gave the plant some nutrients, so now I'm going to go to bed.
"Wait...Akechi?" Sojiro muttered, looking down at the entry. "He heard that cat talk?" he continued, rereading the entry to make sure he wasn't mistaken. He started flipping backwards, trying to find where mention of him started. He came across it after searching for a few minutes.
Today, we went to look at a television station. Pretty damn boring, but we did meet the detective who's been bad mouthing us. Akechi. Had a verbal sparring match with him on live TV, so hopefully I don't hear crap from Boss about it later. Seems interesting enough, despite being our enemy. However, it's weird. Mona made a comment about pancakes, and Akechi came around the corner a moment later asking if we were going to be eating pancakes, since one of us mentioned them. If he heard Mona talk, that can only mean one thing. He's been to the Metaverse.
"So even Akechi was suspect, huh?" he muttered, flipping forward again to another random entry.
-P5-
Spent time with Oracle today. She basically character assassinated Admin. Not only did she basically forget his name which he had told her probably a minute earlier, but she called him out on his forgettable looks by calling him an NPC. I think I'm going to adopt her as my little sister. Hopefully Boss doesn't mind, since he seems to be nicer to me and growing warmer towards me...you know...slowly...
"Can't say that I mind." he said, smiling softly.
-P5-
Met Noir. Mona was staying with her after getting into a fight with Skull. Almost killed me a few times in Mementos before they stopped. Even then, we had to interfere with her fiancé. Anyways, this entry's a few days late because we were waiting to find out her code name.
-P5-
We fucked up...big time...
Okumura's dead. Mental shutdown. Everything was falling apart around us, and no one actually saw his shadow vanish like the others. We secured his Treasure and got out before his palace self destructed. We did everything the same, except waiting to make sure that the person whose heart we were changing vanished. Was it because his palace self-destructed? Did it destroy itself and kill him before he could accept his change and vanish?
...where did we go wrong...?
-P5-
Akechi caught us. He's trying to play things cool, but it's only coming off as being suspicious as hell. Mona agrees, so we're going to start laying a trap of our own. To top it off, Boss knows as well. Not going to lie, was afraid he would turn us in. First things first though, time to give the plant some nutrients before I go to bed.
-P5-
The trap's set. We just sent out the calling card to Queen's Sister. By this time tomorrow, we'll know rather or not we were correct. I've given out orders for the rest, so hopefully they will be able to escape from Akechi should things go sideways tomorrow. Still, they all believe it will be fine. After all, I'm the confident Joker.
In truth, I'm terrified. I don't want to die.
-P5-
So, I died. Gunshot to the head, apparently. Nasty business, that. Of course, stupid Akechi had no idea that we were on to him from the start. Queen's Sister now knows the truth, so hopefully with her and Boss helping out, along with the others who have pieced together just who we are (Doc, Gunsmith, and Maid all seem to have figured something out about us), we can start to move toward our final target...Shido.
-P5-
Akechi's dead. I'm not going to lie, I really don't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, he was the person behind all the mental shutdown cases. He was the traitor. He planned to kill me. Yet, he had a messed up life. I was hoping to try and save him. In the end, he changed. He saw the truth. In the end, we stole his heart as well before it was too late. Shido will pay.
-P5-
Finally, near five in the morning, he got a long entry. His eyes scanned the date, December 24th, and he instantly knew why this entry seemed to be longer than any other that he had seen so far.
Mona's gone. We don't really know if he's dead, or just erased because the Metaverse was erased as well, but the fact of the matter is that he is gone. I forgot how lonely it could get in this room when faced with the weight of the world on your shoulders and no one to bounce the idea off of. I can't tell anyone else what I have to do, but I believe I could have talked it over with Mona, if for no other reason than to make sure someone would know what to do.
I need to turn myself in. Because there is no way to access the Metaverse anymore, and the simple fact that we want to keep the truth as secret as possible, the only way to truly have a chance of convicting Shido will be if one of the Phantom Thieves take the stand against him. That way, Queen's Sister would have the best possible chance to get a conviction. Of course, there is a downside.
Right now, the Phantom Thieves are considered the most wanted criminals in Japan.
I won't lie, I was tempted to run. Queen's Sister wanted me to turn myself in this evening, but Panther got a hold of me and wanted to spend time together, just the two of us. Queen's Sister was kind enough to give me this last night of freedom, since I'll probably never get one again. By breaking my probation, I'll be forced to carry out my sentence in full for the "assault" on that asshole Shido. After that sentence ends, I'll probably then face life in prison for being the leader of the Phantom Thieves, if not just outright executed. Tonight would be my final chance to make love to Panther, to kiss her, to hold her...
...to simply talk with her.
I was so tempted to tell her the truth, to beg her to run away with me. She speaks English, and is a quarter American. The Gunsmith could get us fake papers, and we could flee to America. We could move there and never look back, and forget about Shido and the Phantom Thieves and Japan and our names and all of it. We could live out our lives there, free from everything.
Thankfully, that one fleeting moment of selfishness was destroyed by the thought of what we would leave behind, if she even agreed to it in the first place. Which, to be honest, she probably wouldn't.
Someone else would end up taking the fall. Would it be Skull, who had a shitty hand dealt to him because of that bastard Kamoshida? Would Fox decide to give himself up simply for the promised three meals a day, deciding that making sure Shido faced justice was a good trade to never pick up a paintbrush again? Would Queen give up her future, and force her Sister to question her on the stand knowing it would be the final time they talk and see each other? Would Noir turn herself in, risking the total destruction of her company in the process?
Of course, the two that really gave me pause was if either Panther or Oracle turned themselves in. Would Panther turn down my offer to run away and instead turn herself in, believing it necessary to keep me safe? Or would Oracle be forced to? I won't lie. I love Panther with all my heart. If none of this were happening, if Shido could be tried without my having to turn myself in, I would hope to spend my life with her. I know we're young, but I've never felt this way about anyone before. But, I also truly love Oracle like a little sister. I've seen her slowly come out of her shell more and more every day since we met, and she's stolen a part of my heart that Panther couldn't. The thought of those bastards in the police torturing either one of them under the guise of an "interrogation" the same way they did me...
Panther left. She knew something was wrong, and was upset that I refused to talk about it. I guess in a way I can't blame her. We've always been honest with each other, and now I'm holding things back. Hopefully one day she'll forgive...(Sojiro noticed a lot was started and scribbled out multiple times for a few lines before it seemed like Akira simply gave up on that chain of thought.)
Together, we as the Phantom Thieves put a stop to criminals, from petty stalkers to a corrupt Prime Minister. Together, we as the Phantom Thieves put a stop to some wannabe god. Through all of those, they called me their leader. Shido was voted in leader of this country, but he was a coward, hiding behind connections. I am no coward.
My name is Kurusu Akira, code-name Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves of Heart. Tomorrow morning, I will carry out the final act a leader can do for his team, accept upon himself the full consequences of their actions.
He turned the page, wondering if there was more, only to be surprised to see instead an entry from the following morning before he had turned himself in, complete with what looked to be marks from teardrops near the end of it.
Gave the plant some nutrients. Hopefully, the rest of the team continue to give it some. If no one else, I expect at least Oracle and Noir to do so. Figured I'd do it one final time before Queen's Sister comes by to escort me.
Boss...in case you decide to read this before throwing it out after I'm arrested, I just want to say thank you for everything, and that I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. And now, I have one final request.
Please tell Panther I hate her. Tell her that she meant nothing to me. Tell her that the gift of her first time that she gave me was nothing more than another mark on my belt. Tell her that she disgust me, that I always thought she was a whore, a slut, a stupid bitch, ugly, weak, a horrible model, a waste of time, and whatever other nasty things you can think of to tell her. Just tell her whatever lies you can think of to make her hate me and forget about me, because the thought of the girl I truly love always holding out some impossible hope that I may walk out of here one day breaks my heart about as much as writing those lies up above did.
"You damn kid." he said, tossing the journal back on the table. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He had truly seen it all in this journal. He looked down at it for a moment before picking it back up. He flipped the page, wanting to see anything else besides that last entry.
I'm free. Mona's alive. Had a massive "Welcome Back" party and then I gave the plant some nutrients. Tired, so I'm going to bed.
Sojiro looked at the short entry, reading it a few times before he started to laugh loudly. Somehow, he knew he should have expected this. Getting his laugh under control, he moved on, wondering why the next entry was dated for two days later. His answer came very quickly, along with blushing cheeks, something he hadn't had happen to him in years.
While this may be an entry for the Fourteenth, it is technically the Fifteenth, so it will be marked as such. Right now, Panther is still sleeping next to me, nude. Some of the things we did, I hadn't even seen in the pornos that Skull or Oracle recommended to me.(It was at that line that Sojiro knew he needed to have a long chat with Futaba once she got home.) I mean, damn...there was some really kinky shit in those videos, but nothing like this. For how innocent she looks, despite the fact she was a virgin until she met me, she is really open to trying things.
For example, while I was eating-
With a snap, Sojiro closed the journal. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, hoping to remove the mental image of those two from his mind. He only hoped he would be able to look at the girl again without having the mental image of them doing that to each other pop into his mind.
"That damn kid probably wrote that in there, hoping to weird me out." he muttered, flipping instead to the end, noticing that it was maybe fifteen pages after his sex entry.
Fox is forever banned from asking my girlfriend to model nude for him.
Inari is forever banned from asking any girl to model nude for him!
I only wish to capture true beauty! Maybe if Joker is with Panther, then-
NO!
Fist of Justice!
Don't write that! It's embarrassing!
The plant's name is "Joker, Jr." man!
The plant's name is "Faye" damn it!
Joker, Jr.!
Faye!
Joker, Jr.!
Faye!
Seriously you two!?
Besides, the plant's name is Plant-kun.
Seriously, Noir? Plant-kun?
Meow.
Is that right, Mona?
Meow meow. Meow!
Really, Joker and Panther have been doing it all over?
Meow.
You don't say, Mona? All night long?
DAMN IT SKULL!
Why only me!? Oracle was writing the "meow" parts!
I miss watching the shadows flee and beg for their lives.
Ooooookay...
I put forward the motion that we kick Inari off the team should we encounter rain again.
Seconded.
I also agree.
No complaints here.
I'm sorry, Fox, but I also agree.
While I don't know what this has to do with anything, I'll agree because too much rain can be harmful to plants.
Meow.
Mona agrees as well. It's unanimous. Next time it rains Inari gets the boot.
You do realize those were merely coincidences.
The Boot!
I think we've found Oracle's limit on sugar intake.
The Boot!
Persona!
Fist of Justice!
Damn it, Oracle!
Fist of Justice!
Noir, you too!?
The final entry was a mess of words, all in different handwriting, surrounding a drawing of the Phantom Thieves logo. Reading it all, he let out a smile despite himself. Little of it made sense, but it fit this group of ragtag misfits who changed the world. It fit this group of kids who saved the world. His eyes roamed the page, coming to stop at something written just above the English line "See You Space Cowboy," at the bottom right of the page.
With one final laugh and a small sigh, he put the journal down and looked up, shaking his head as he repeated aloud the line that seemed to be somehow written by all of them in Akira's hand.
"'The Phantom Thieves of Hearts will return,' huh?"
-fin-