Archive of Our Own

The resonant clang of metal on metal filled the thick forest air, sending birds scattering in a cloud of black. Akira slid back, useless gun clutched in his hand as he cursed himself for forgetting the damn thing couldn’t fire. There was a flash of silver and a jolt of blue light as the enemy charged him. All Akira could do was parry with his worthless firearm. Bringing a gun to a knife fight was usually such a smart move, too.

Electricity wrapped Akira’s arms and sent the gun bouncing - just as useless as it had been in his grasp - along the dirt. He hit the ground on one knee, glaring up at his attacker. The electrified sword swung down with agility and precision before coming to an abrupt halt. The sharp edge of the blade shaved a few hairs off of his fluffy bangs, his steely gaze meeting… another set of silver eyes. Eyes like his… but… not like his at all. The gunmetal of Akira’s eyes searched the dove-feather grey of his enemy’s.

“Ah!” The enemy spoke, lowering his blade to the ground. He reached out a hand instead, offering it easily to the downed Akira. “I thought you were a shadow, I’m so sorry.”

Akira took the offered hand and rose to his feet, taking in the appearance of the teen he’d just miserably failed an ambush against. The boy had silver hair in a bowl cut that should not have looked as flattering as it did, a lean, well built frame, and was - annoyingly - a little taller than Akira. Maybe Akira would have felt even more ashamed had he just lost a fight to someone who looked weaker than him, but this was still irritating.

“It was my mistake,” Akira replied, releasing the stranger’s hand. “What are you doing out here?”

“Yu!”

“Yu kun!”

“Narukami!”

A handful of voices clammered from behind some trees, and an entire team of teenagers tumbled out into the clearing. Akira’s friends and Hamuko weren’t far behind either, shuffling into the clearing from the other side.

“Joker! What happened? You lost really hard!” Hamuko called.

Akira closed his eyes and took a breath. Hamuko was such an… honest person.

The boy with eyes like his offered a soft, friendly smile. “Heh, those are my friends, we all got kinda lost in this weird forest… the name’s Yu Narukami! How about you?”

Arkia glanced back at his team, watching Yusuke sniff a strange flower while Makoto picked up Akira’s gun off the ground and just shot him a flat look. He looked back at Narukami. “Akira Kurusu,” he replied. “My team and I might be able to clear a few things up for you.”

---

Akira wasn’t sure what it was about Yu Narukami, but he could not STAND the guy. As they all trekked through the forest paths, shoulder to shoulder, he just found himself feeling ungodly annoyed.

Yu had suggested everyone walk in pairs to avoid losing anyone in such a large group, and everyone, Akira’s friends included, had all eagerly agreed. Akira couldn’t say he was exactly thrilled about having the control ripped from him like that, but Yu had a good point. He wasn’t about to argue just because he wasn’t the one to suggest it. No- instead he’d just stand here, walking in step with Yu, seething.

Yu held his long sword in two hands, a simple, easy-going smile resting on his face. Akira gripped the dagger more tightly in his right palm, throwing a sidelong glance at the soft-looking man. “You know, you look pretty relaxed for a guy walking through a deadly prehistoric forest.”

“Ah, I guess I am,” Yu replied, offering another gratingly genuine smile. God, his teeth were so white. “I feel a lot more confident in such large numbers. And you certainly seem to know how to handle yourself! You should try being a little more at ease, you’ll pull a muscle if you tense up like that.”

Akira begrudgingly relaxed his shoulders, turning his attention back to the path in front of them. “... I suppose you’ve got a point.”

“Joker! On your left!” Goro called from a few pairs behind them. It was always Goro. He sure loved hearing the sound of his own damn voice.

“On-” Akira started, but Yu was fast. Akira was swiped quickly out of the way in one second, and Yu’s sword flew over him in the next, impaling a shadow and lighting it from the inside with an electric current.

The shadow, a black and white orb with grotesque lips, fell limp to the ground. Yu put one foot on it, yanking his sword free with some effort. “Hah! That was a close one, huh, Akira?”

Joker rubbed the back of his head, thoroughly embarrassed about being shown up. “...Yeah. Thanks, Narukami.”

He heard a snort and looked back, seeing Goro eyeing him with a knowing look. The bastard… He must be able to see the irritation radiating off of Akira. Akira briefly wondered if this was how he made Goro feel. Was this what it was like to be one step behind..?

“Nice hit!” Ryuji whooped.

“You’re still the best, Partner!” a boy with straw-orange hair called.

“Heeyyooo!” Futaba’s voice came in from above, her necronomicon whirring overhead. “Looks like the enemies are pretty tough up ahead, we might wanna regroup for a bit! These guys probably need a rest anyway.”

Akira looked from Futaba’s persona back to Yu, who was just idly cleaning the shadow goo off of his blade, not a care in the world.

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. “Let’s head back.”

---

Akira sat off by himself in the corner of the theater, cleaning his dagger over and over in the same spot. He could hear Futaba, Makoto, and two of Yu's teammates pouring over their healing supplies. But he was much more tuned in to the conversation between Yu and someone in particular… 

"You were very swift back there, Narukami kun," Goro was saying. "There aren't many people who can outpace Akira. You must be awfully special." 

"Oh, thanks! That means a lot coming from a detective prince. Naoto kun isn't nearly as praising," Yu laughed, his voice as smooth and rich as a good jazz number.

Goro's hum made Akira pretty sure that his dear rival must feel the same. This was infuriating; Goro was only supposed to flirt with him . 

He looked over in time to see Goro, clearly testing the waters by placing a hand on Yu's arm. Yu was just slightly taller than Goro too, though the false detective didn't seem to mind as much as Akira did. 

The two only talked for another minute, and Yu never seemed to care or notice that Goro was so blatantly flirting. Goro even mentioned at one point how he'd enjoy seeing which of their personas could best the other. That shameless bastard. 

And then, as if he wasn't a two-timing asshole, Goro waltzed right on up to Akira once he was done drooling all over the competition. "Akira," he purred, sliding onto the couch seat next to him. "You've been cleaning that dagger for an awfully long time."

"Having fun over there?" Akira retorted, setting down his weapon to turn fully towards Goro. 

Goro grinned like a hungry cat, his eyes narrowing. "So much fun. Even more knowing that you were watching." 

Akira shifted a bit closer, picking up his dagger again to tap the tip of it against Goro's chest. "You're trying to rile me up again, even after what happened last time..?" 

Goro wrapped one hand around Akira's wrist and gave a low chuckle. "Always."

He pushed Akira's hand down so he could lean in. He tipped his head, whispering in the thief's ear. "But he is very attractive, isn't he? I'd love to fight such a strong, agile man. I'd love to watch you fight him again. That was quite the entertaining little show…I can’t believe you let yourself lose like that..."

Akira made a low, rumbling growl in the back of his throat. "You're on thin enough ice as it is, Goro. You might want to back off." 

Goro leaned back, a broad grin showing off all his razor sharp teeth. "That's cute, Akira. I know you can't do a thing around all these people. Though… I implore you to try." 

Had Goro always been this bold? Or was Akira just imagining things? 

Goro's eyes suddenly left Akira, and the thief turned, watching as his gaze followed Yu across the room. Yeah, he definitely wasn't imagining it. Goro squeezed Akira's leg hard . "I can tell how much you hate him; that just makes this even better."

"I don't-" Akira started, but Goro just let out an ugly snort and got to his feet. 

"You can't hide your feelings from me , Akira. I'll thoroughly enjoy watching how this plays out," he humed. 

Then he walked away, heading off to sort his own gear. Akira stood from his seat, now frustrated in multiple ways, and stalked across the theater's lobby. 

He didn’t hate Yu. He… he probably didn’t. But even if he did, it wasn’t like he had a reason to. It was fine - they all needed each other to make it through this situation. Akira was sure he could keep his feelings in check and just get through this like a mature, reasonable person.

Probably.

---

Akira said nothing as his confidants got closer with the Investigation Team. It was a GOOD thing they were all working together so well. But Goro’s smug, knowing face was getting to him. Every time the detective saw one of the thieves talking to Yu, he’d cast this little glance at Akira, mocking him.

It was fine though. He wasn’t going to let it bother him; it wasn’t causing this strange gnawing ache in his gut. Not at all…

These feelings came to a head during another excursion into the jurassic jungle; where after a particularly confusing battle against a literal swarm of shadows, the group of teens all got separated.

Akira wound up lost in a maze of trees, surrounded by confused voices all calling out, struggling to find one another in the unknown landscape. He hurried along down the winding path, searching frantically for any of his friends, when a rustling above caught his attention.

It was Hamuko, dropping out of her vantage point from a tree above and landing on her feet in front of Akira. “Found you! Pretty good right? Dazzling Demon strikes from above!”

Akira let out a breath, relieved he’d come across a semi-familiar face so quickly. “You really took to that nickname, didn’t you?” he chuckled.

Hamuko grinned, taking Akira’s hand eagerly. “It’s a very fitting codename! I am incredibly dazzling, after all.”

“Not to mention feral,” Akira mumbled, continuing along down the path, now with her by his side.

The two walked for a few minutes, the searching voices feeling like they were coming from all directions. Some were getting further away while others felt like they were coming from practically right next to them. Still, it took a while before they managed to stumble across anyone else.

Pushing through a particularly thick bush, Hamuko and Akira managed to both fill their hair with leaves, and locate two more people: Yu and Futaba. Both were sitting in the middle of a small, sandy clearing. Yu was kneeling in front of Futaba while the orange haired girl was curled up in a frog squat, staring at the ground.

Akira felt this awful, nauseous guilt. He suddenly felt awful that he hadn’t managed to find Futaba faster. He had forgotten that if she was alone, her panic might keep her from being able to focus enough to properly use her navigation.

He rushed forward, letting go of Hamuko’s hand to reach for Futaba. “Oracle! Are you okay? I’m here now-”

He stopped suddenly, realizing that Futaba was… completely fine. She looked up with wide, sparkling eyes. Her face a little blotchy, signifying she had been crying, but she looked completely okay now. She held a pair of yellow-tinted glasses in one hand and a mini screwdriver in the other.

“Joker!” She held up the glasses, grinning broadly. “Check out THESE things! Did you know they work like shields from the effects of the Metaverse? Kinda like how our outfits work, protecting our heads from getting all fuzzy in a place designed to mess with your heart and mind-”

She just kept on rambling, starting to get into some technical details that Akira really didn’t understand. He looked to Yu instead. “You calmed her down..? But she’s so scared of strangers.”

Yu offered Akira a warm smile, his pebble grey eyes scrunching up happily. He looked so gentle and content. It made an ember of anger flare up in Akira’s chest. Yu reached out, setting a hand on Futaba’s head in a soft, familial kind of way.

“I have a younger sister, kind of, and she gets overwhelmed sometimes too. Futaba just needed something to get her mind off of her fears. I thought it’d be best to sit here with her until more people found us.”

Akira looked from Yu to Futaba. His own pseudo-sister was showing the lenses to Hamuko, pointing at the tinted glass and rambling off more big words that Hamuko was very politely nodding along to. She didn’t even seem to mind that this person she barely knew was making physical contact; if anything, she looked comforted by it.

Akira’s hands closed into fists at his sides, molten silver eyes narrowing as he forced himself to look away. It shouldn’t bother him. This shouldn’t bother him. But… he couldn’t deny the clawing pain in his chest.

“Let’s go find the others,” he said flatly, turning to leave the clearing again.

“Oh, Joker! Are we leaving?” Hamuko asked, standing up straight.

Akira didn’t answer, just kept walking. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted the others to follow. Clearly Futaba was fine without him so long as Yu was around. He just wanted to go find a nice cliff to scream his frustrations off of, but he highly doubted he’d be left alone long enough to go do that.

The others did, of course, follow. And Akira walked in total silence as they set out to find the rest of the group. He felt a hand slide back into his and looked over, seeing Hamuko shooting him a sympathetic smile.

“You okay, Boss?” she asked.

Akira let out a short huff. “Don’t call me that, I’m not my dad yet.”

“Your dad’s name is boss?” Hamuko asked, tipping her head.

Akira blinked. Had he just called Sojiro his dad? Fuck, well, he wasn’t about to dwell on that. “Uh, kind of,” he replied, cheeks heating up. “And yeah, I’m fine.”

Hamuko squeezed his hand. “You know… I’m not sure why you hate Narukami kun so much… but I think you might feel a little better if you talked to him about it.”

Akira clicked his tongue and glanced away. “Is it that obvious..? I… I’ve got no reason to dislike Narukami, so it’s not like it matters.”

“Is it because he’s a team leader like you? ‘Cause, I’m also a leader you know. I might not have my team right now, but I AM quite the tactician! Okay well, Mitsuru san is the tactician… but I’m also good at it!”

Akira smiled a bit, Hamuko quelling some of the envious fire burning in his core. “I’m sure you’re a fine leader, Hamuko chan. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with him being a leader, though.”

“Well… is it because he’s hotter than you?” she suggested.

Akira turned to Hamuko, absolutely baffled. “Wh… What?!”

Hamuko snorted, covering her mouth with her free hand. “Sorry! That was a little blunt. I mean, you’re BOTH really hot, but you’re more like-”

“PLEASE stop,” Akira cut her off. “I don’t need, or want, detailed comparisons.”

Hamuko shrugged. “If you say so. But, I’m really good at describing hot people.”

Akira just shook his head. “I don’t care how hot he is-not that I’ve even thought about that-”

“Sure.”

“-BUT,” Akira spoke over her incredulous remark, “I think maybe you’re right about one thing. If I can figure out why I have a problem with him… maybe it’ll help me get over it.”

“I believe in you!” She grinned up at him and teasingly added, “Boss.”

---

Before long, Futaba was back up in her persona, using her abilities to hunt down everyone else. It turned out Yu’s navi, Rise, had a similar idea. And as a result, the two navigators had everyone gathered back together in one location before the hour was up.

Akira hung out on the fringe of the chattering teens, Hamuko also running off. She made a beeline for Teddy, tackling the bear in a huge hug and effectively knocking him over. Futaba, to Akira’s dismay, didn’t even look at him as she dropped out of her persona. She was probably just too caught up in her own little world.

Akira watched as she bounced right up to Yu, offering him back the tinted glasses he had lent to her. Akira just hung back, brow furrowed as he fought to discern why exactly watching Futaba enjoy herself with someone new was hurting him so badly.

“Standing around all alone?” Goro’s voice made Akira turn. When had his rival managed to sneak up on him?

“Fuck off,” Akira replied simply.

Goro frowned and gave a little tsk. “You’re not even going to rebut? Since when did you become so pathetic?”

Akira glared back at him. “Excuse me?”

Goro sighed heavily, as if Akira’s very presence were exhausting to him. “Narukami san isn’t even playing at a competition with you, and he’s still winning. You have to be awfully useless to lose a game to someone that’s not even trying.”

“Not everything is a game, Goro,” Akira shot back.

“Oh Akira…” Goro rested a hand on his shoulder, curling his fingers harshly into the leather. “ It is to us. ”

Akira had nothing to say to that. Goro was right. God fucking damn it did he hate when Goro was right. This was serious, these were real people with complex emotions and relationships, and Akira KNEW that. So why… why did it feel like he was losing?

“I refuse to believe I lost that little duel of ours by sheer coincidence,” Goro said coldly. “I don’t lose to weak fools. So stop acting like one.”

Akira let out a short sigh. In his own mean, icy way, Goro was almost reassuring. Akira wasn’t weak, and Goro wasn’t an easy person to best. Yu Narukami shouldn’t be such a challenge compared to the tightrope walk of a relationship he had with his dear rival. He knew why it was so hard, though. He just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

“Well?” Goro pressed.

Akira nodded. “You’re right, Goro. I’m not weak. And I don’t lose.”

He walked away from Goro and wove his way through the chatting group until he was standing in front of Yu. Morgana was in the middle of talking to the other leader about his team and their knowledge of the Metaverse when Akira approached.

He set a hand on Morgana’s head, making the not-cat stop short. “Huh? What’s up?”

Akira offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry to interrupt. I need to talk to Narukami for a minute.”

Yu blinked, seeming surprised. “Oh? Something up?”

Akira forced an amiable smile. “Kind of. I want to talk to you alone. Leader to leader.”

Yu nodded. “Sure thing. You seemed kinda tense, I’m happy to talk about it.”

He was so damn understanding. Akira turned away and started off, just assuming Yu would follow. He walked until they were a good distance away, ensuring the others were out of the field of vision, and at least mostly muffled by the sounds of the forest.

Yu looked around the isolated section of jungle Akira had walked them to and let out a sigh. “Here, then?”

Akira nodded, placing a hand on the hilt of his dagger. “Narukami… I want-” he turned, drawing his dagger in a move that he expected would catch Yu off guard, only to see the other leader already had his own sword drawn.

Yu just looked back at Akira’s shocked face sympathetically. “I guessed right, yeah?”

Akira scowled, holding up his own blade in answer.

Yu nodded once. “I thought as much. Well, if this is what you need, then alright.”

Akira gripped the hilt of his weapon harder, clenched fist trembling. How could Yu be so ACCEPTING of this? He was so willing to fight, which was fine, but Akira didn’t understand why he wasn’t angry. The man’s eyes held no glint of excitement, no flicker of hate or betrayal, not even the spark of competitive energy Akira himself had felt when he was on the receiving end of a surprise duel. No, the only thing in Yu’s stormy grey eyes was a kind, firm determination. 

Akira let out a sharp yell, rushing at Yu with the intent of slashing that disgusting pitying look off his face. Yu just stepped back into a fighting stance, cool and collected as he parried Akira’s first strike.

“You aren’t the first person to need to fight out those feelings,” Yu told him, infuriatingly gentle as he countered with a swing of his own. Akira leapt back out of range, narrowly dodging the crackling tip of Yu’s sword, his hair standing on end from the static of it.

“Shut up!” Akira cleverly retorted, rushing back in.

He locked his blade with Yu’s, both of them straining hard against the other. Akira grit his teeth, locking eyes with Yu. The other’s brow was furrowed, pressing back just as hard. At least, despite his disgustingly sweet demeanor, the silver haired bastard wasn’t pulling his punches.

“ARSENE!” Akira shouted.

Yu called, “IZANAGI!” without missing a beat.

Cursed darkness burst from Arsene with a beat of his mighty wings, and lightning crackled from Izanagi’s massive weapon. Both leaders slid back, the recoil of the hits knocking them both away from the other.

Akira curled a gloved hand into the dirt, panting as he felt the electric current crawling along his skin. Yu looked in a similar state, using his katana for balance as curls of red and black rose off his body.

“Why…” Akira hissed, forcing himself to his feet. “WHY DO YOU GET TO BE BETTER THAN ME?”

It struck Akira, briefly, that he was sounding a little like Goro. That jealous twinge to the false detective’s eye, the way he scowled any time Akira was too friendly with the thieves… was this the same feeling? Was he really this mad just because Yu had the same strengths he did?

Yu panted hard, staggering forward and holding his sword aloft. “Do you really… think I’m better..?” 

Akira shook the conflicted thoughts from his head and ran forward, striking out with his dagger once more. Yu braced himself for the hit, just managing to block the blade with his own. They both stumbled back again, arms trembling.

“You’re so damn happy…” Akira hissed. “I can see it in your eyes: you haven’t been through SHIT.” He wasn’t even thinking about what he was saying, the words just pouring out from somewhere deep in his subconscious.

Yu screwed one eye shut, breathing hard. “So that’s… that’s it..? You don’t like… that my life wasn’t hard..?”

Akira hesitated, glaring at the ground. His heart beat against his ribs, making them ache. Was he really this petty..? He let out a breath and started to step forward, but Yu took advantage of his momentary hesitation. The katana swung down from out of nowhere, catching Akira off guard and sending him tumbling to the ground.

He landed hard on his back, feeling the static crackle in his bones as his hand twitched around his dagger. He gasped in a breath and tried to sit up, but just couldn’t manage it. He flopped uselessly into the dirt, letting out a string of curses.

Yu sheathed his blade and knelt beside Akira, offering him a hand. “... Feel better?” he asked, looking pretty worn out himself.

Akira hesitated. His chest still hurt, everything hurt. He reached up, taking Yu’s offered hand. “.. A bit. Yeah.”

The two sat together on a log, eating restorative food and slowly regaining their energy. Akira let out a heavy sigh, setting down his popcorn and looking up at the thick covering of jungle leaves.

“I’m… sorry I sprung that on you.”

Yu shook his head. “You aren’t the first. I know everyone works through their feelings differently.”

Akira chuckled softly. “Honestly? I kind of hate that about you.”

“Why’s that?” Yu asked, not seeming offended in the slightest.

“Because,” Akira sighed. “I had to work so hard to get where I am now. I have great friends, a good mission, a goal… I had to fight to carve out this place to belong for myself, because I’d never really had one before. But you…”

Akira looked back at Yu, taking in his docile appearance and strong frame. “... You just waltzed right in and fit seamlessly. I can just tell... a guy like you? You’ve never laid awake at night, wondering what you were going to do if your parents followed through on their threat of kicking you out of the house. People don’t spread rumors in school about guys like you. People aren’t scared of you, they don’t just… judge, with people like you.”

Yu nodded slowly, mulling over Akira’s words. He put a hand to his chin in a mock gesture of what Akira had seen both Goro and the first detective prince doing. “I see. Well, you aren’t wrong about a lot of that. I’ve never had any trouble fitting in, and I can’t possibly understand the kind of life you’ve had. I don’t think it means I deserve my role any less, though.”

Akira nodded slightly. “I know. I’m sure you’re just as good a leader as I am, and I know no one has a perfect life. But… God. I’m… really fucking jealous of you.” He couldn’t believe he was just spilling all of this to a boy that was practically a stranger, but god dammit… the asshole really did have some quality about him that just made it easy to trust him. Akira hated that, too.

Yu laughed softly. “Well, I don’t think there’s anything for you to be jealous of. My life might have been objectively easier than yours, but that doesn’t determine where we end up, now does it? Your team is always saying what a good leader you are and how much they look up to you.”

He looked up at the leaf cover, smiling as he continued. “Your navi, she’s such a sweet girl. She told me how you saved her life, and how she wouldn’t have been able to calm down that fast if it hadn’t been for everything you helped her with. Well, she said ‘my brother’, but I assume that’s you.”

Akira’s eyes widened. “She… said that?”

Yu nodded. “You really saved that girl. And… I might not have had the same upbringing you did, but I know for a fact that there’s no greater feeling than helping someone in such an impactful way.” Yu got this deeply nostalgic look on his face and gave a sigh. “Your partner, Morgana. He called it ‘Metaverse’. My team calls it ‘TV World’. They’re the same place, though, or at least similar. That’s where people’s hearts live, I think. And you and me? We both get to go there and call out to their hearts directly.”

Yu stood up from the log, turning and offering his hand to Akira. “No matter what experiences led us here, we both have the power to make a difference. Don’t waste your time wishing your life had been like mine. You wouldn’t be where you are now if it had been.”

Akira studied his face for a minute, seeing that same kind determination in his eyes as before. He let out a heavy sigh and took Yu’s hand, letting the other pull him to his feet. In the end, their pasts had shaped them into the people they were now. He couldn’t deny that. Now that he understood his feelings and had actually forced himself to do the hardest thing possible- actually talk about his feelings- he felt like he could move forward again.

“You’re right, Narukami.” Akira said.

Yu grinned back at him. “Friends, then?”

Akira sighed, squeezing Yu’s hand just a little firmer than necessary. “We’ll get there.”