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"Have we met?"
The question felt like a knife to the chest despite how earnest it was. Curious eyes looked Akira up and down. Innocent eyes. Ones that belonged to someone who had never seen an ounce of pain or suffering in their entire life. Something that was only possible and maintained through an ignorance that Akira was unwilling to clear up.
"Sorry... I think you have the wrong person..." Akira tried to hurry from the situation only to be stopped. A gloved hand grabbed at his wrist. Wide wine eyes stared at him, something threatening to break if he didn't act carefully here.
"Are you sure?" A small frown formed on his face. Akira was careful to keep his own expression neutral. Silently, he cursed the fact that he had to run into him of all people. One of his other friends he might have been able to deal with but not Akechi. Akechi was always much more inclined to see through the illusion weaved around the world. "You seem so familiar..."
"I get that a lot," He lied. Most people were completely affected by the change of cognition. Most people simply passed him over without a second glance. Akechi though, unfortunately, was not most people. "I should get going, I have to-"
"What's your name?" Akechi still hadn't let go of his wrist and likely wasn't going to until he figured this out. Why did his stubbornness have to be one of the things to survive the actualization? Of all the parts that made Akechi himself, why was that one of the things Maruki deemed crucial to preserve?
Why was he not horrified at how flippant he was about the idea?
"Ren," Akira mumbled. "I really need to go-"
"Ren..." Akechi's grip suddenly loosened. His eyes took on a glassy quality as his gaze fell to the ground. Akira breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made his exit. He was just far enough away when Akechi came back. Through the crowd, he saw him blink in confusion before shrugging the feeling off and going on with his day.
As Akira moved through the station, he tried to ignore the sting in his chest.
Stepping into the palace felt like a weight on his chest. The lack of protection from his metaverse outfit weighed heavily but he was getting used to it. Little by little, day by day, he was learning to live within the overwhelming distortion without feeling like he was suffocating. Without feeling like Arsène was attempting to burrow his way out of his chest.
Or maybe he was just becoming numb to the feeling.
"How was it today?" Maruki's voice instantly greeted Akira once he stepped into the main building. The man himself was nowhere in sight but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of everything going on in his palace. "I'm in the lab if you want to talk face to face."
A horribly uncomfortable feeling reared its head at the suggestion only to be forcefully pushed down. Akira made his way towards the lab, doing his best to ignore his traitorous rebellion along the way. Arsène didn't understand. None of them did. All the spirits of rebellion that had found a place in his heart raged against him but he kept them contained. He kept them out of the way before they could make him stray from the path he chose. From the right path, the one with the least suffering.
"Ah, Kurusu-kun," Maruki greeted with a warm smile. It never failed to send a shiver down his spine on sheer instinct, no matter how many times Akira tried to suppress the reaction. "How was your trip?"
"It was... fine I guess," Akira shrugged as he took a seat in a grey chair. He prefered the lab and garden to the rest of the palace. Here, it wasn't overwhelmingly white. There were greys and muted tones mixed in to give just enough variety to keep him from going blind at the sheer bleek brightness of it. "I ran into Akechi..."
Maruki gave a sympathetic smile before turning back to his work. "I saw that. Hopefully his cognition was properly corrected this time."
It never would be. Akira knew this well enough given that he had a much more serious version of the same problem. Akechi was a wild card, not a fully realized one but still one nonetheless. Unless he willingly gave Maruki control, his cognition would never be fixed in the way they wanted.
"You seem upset Kurusu-kun," Akira realized he was frowning. He tried to school his expression into something more neutral but knew he was failing miserably. "Would you like to talk about it?"
"I don't know... I don't really know if it would even help."
"It's worth a try, I was a therapist you know," Maruki turned to him with a smile that didn't match his appearance. His slicked back hair white suit contrasted with it too sharply for it to feel anything less than sinister. It was times like this when Akira missed his more approachable appearance. "What's on your mind?"
"I..." He hesitated for a moment. Maruki waited patiently for an answer but he just wasn't sure he could put it into words without feeling selfish. "I think... I miss my friends. I know everyone's happy but sometimes I..." He stopped himself despite Maruki's encouraging look.
"You what?" Akira felt a sudden lump in his throat. How could he tell Maruki he wanted things back without him taking it the wrong way? Without letting him think Akira didn't know things were better like this? "Kurusu-kun?"
"I want to see them again like I used to," He finally admitted. "I just want to train with Ryuji or help Yusuke with his next painting or..." He sighed. "I don't know. It feels stupid. I want to help but there's nothing to help with."
"That's not true, there's plenty for you to help with here," Maruki said as if it were the same thing. As if helping maintain this entire reality was anywhere near helping Ann deal with Mika or Makoto deal with Eiko. "And you've been an amazing asset if that's what you're worried about."
"That's-"
"That's not it though, right?" Maruki gave a knowing smile as he pulled up a chair. He sat across from Akira in a horrible parody of old times. "You want to be a part of their lives again. I suspect you don't care much for what we're doing here, do you?"
"Why wouldn't I?" What else was there left to care about? Everything else he had was gone, given up the second he chose Maruki's reality over the future of his friends and confidants. "I- This was my choice..."
"But you're unhappy," Akira wanted to counter but he had nothing. "I made this world for everyone to be happy Kurusu-kun, and that includes you."
Akira looked away, unable to meet Maruki's eyes. He knew it was better this way. He knew this was the right choice.
But did he?
But it didn't seem fair to re-enter his friends' lives after what he'd done. Besides, they were all just as happy without him so it didn't matter if he was there or not.
"Kurusu-kun," Akira could hear the frown in Maruki's voice. "Do you see this as a punishment?"
Akira continued to refuse Maruki's gaze as he answered. "What about you? You could make yourself happy, couldn't you? What's stopping you from just handing it over to someone else and being with Rumi?"
Maruki hesitated before he spoke, his words quiet and pained, "I think that's enough for today."
Akira sat on a small floating island in the garden. The grass beneath him was plush and almost felt real if he believed hard enough. Around him, cognitions floated through the air, high with the ecstasy of Maruki's reality. Akira watched them, their content smiles, their worryless forms and felt an ache in his chest. A sort of longing that he refused to embrace.
As he watched them, he sensed a presence appear behind him. When he turned around, he was met with a shadow in a lab coat. Its swirled mask gave him a headache just looking at it.
"Our lord requests your presence."
Akira stood with a curt nod and followed the shadow. There was part of him that was curious but perhaps an even larger part that was worried. Maruki had given him nothing but radio silence since their little impromptu session the week before. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a continuation of that.
When Akira finally arrived at the lab, he found Maruki looking the same as he always did. His pristine white suit was bright as ever, not a single wrinkle to be found. It almost made him feel sick to look at it. The insincerity of it all almost always struck him.
"Good afternoon Kurusu-kun," Maruki greeted with the same bright smile he always wore. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."
"No," Nothing he did in the palace was important. Honestly, it seemed like nothing he did at all was important. Any help he could offer to Maruki seemed insignificant when compared to the massive power he held all on his own. "What did you need?"
"There's been a shadow causing troubles lately," Maruki gave Akira a knowing smile as he continued. "I was hoping you'd be able to talk them down."
"Where can I find it?"
"They're fairly far in Mementos, I'd say they're likely still in the depths."
...
Honestly, Akira really shouldn't have been surprised at this point. When he looked the seething shadow in the eye, he shouldn't have trembled the way he did. And yet, he couldn't stop himself.
"What the fuck do you want?" Spat the distorted, venous voice. That was enough to kick Akira back into gear as he stared Akechi's shadow down.
It was days like these when he hated Maruki.
"I heard you've been causing a lot of trouble," Akira began, hating how much of Maruki he took on when he spoke. He hated every part of this but especially that. "I was hoping we could talk things out."
The shadow let out a bitter laugh. "Of course he sends you to do his dirty work," His hands clenched into tight fists. "If he thinks I'm going to stop just because you're here..." His form began to deteriorate. It warped and twisted until Goro Akechi was gone. In his place stood Loki.
"We don't have to fight you know-"
A high pitched laugh cut off Akira's words. Loki leered down at him like he was the prey in this situation. As if they hadn't already done this dance too many times before.
"I'm not letting you hurt him," The words were like metal grating against his brain. Akira winced at the sensation but otherwise stood his ground. "I won't become some puppet like you!"
Akira sighed and closed his eyes. He reached out and felt something answer his call. His mask may have been long gone but his power to wield personas wasn't, which was why Hasture rose before him just in time to take the swing of Loki's molten sword. He winced at the dull pain, fully aware of just how much it would have hurt had he been properly connected to the persona.
"I don't want to fight you!" Akira called out as Hasture took another blow from Loki's sword. Akira gasped as the sensation tore through him. He fell to his knees, knowing he'd have to actually fight back soon. Knowing he'd have to drag Akechi back to his worst nightmare.
It's for his own good.
Akira shook away the thought, not sure if it was his own or due to Maruki's influence. It didn't matter though because it was right. This was what Akechi needed to stay happy. This was what he needed to stay alive and no matter how much it hurt, Akira would go through with it again and again. He'd take Akechi's burdens each and every day if he had to in order to keep him happy and healthy, no matter how much Akechi might hate him for it.
What a noble burden.
"Stand up!" Another swing of the sword sent a searing pain through Akira's side. He squeezed his eyes closed. He needed something else. Something stronger than Hasture. Something that actually stood a chance-
And then, he felt it. Wriggling tendrils making their way into his mind. A horrible sensation that Akira was all too familiar with. Azathoth. How Maruki could deal with this at all times and not go mad was an absolute miracle.
With a final swing of his sword, Loki reduced Hasture to nothing. He continued the momentum on his swing, likely intent to take the killing blow on Akira before a dark tentacle rose up from the ground. The sword embedded into it, unable to be removed no matter how hard Loki tried. Fear tainted the air. The malicious energy that came off Loki in waves was nothing compared to the overwhelming force Azathoth had acquired during the merging of realities.
The sheer amount of power Akira could feel was nearly maddening. With even this miniscule fraction of the persona's power, he could do almost anything. He shook the idea from his head. It was dangerous to think like that. He was here for a single purpose. He just needed to subdue Akechi's unruly shadow. That was it. That was it.
But you could do more.
He needed to stick to his goal.
Don't you want to be with him again?
He had one job.
Isn't this what you desire?
No. Akira focused on Loki as more tentacles rose from the floor. They grabbed at him, holding him still as he thrashed around.
Did he really need to be here for this?
You want him.
As the tentacles threw Loki to the ground, clawed hands rose up. They scratched and tore at the flesh until it melted away, leaving only Akechi's shadow. His trembling form looked so small in Azathoth's grip. Still, he fought like his life depended on it and, in a way, it did.
"You fucking traitor!" The shadow spat. Akira ignored the ache in his chest as he approached. "How can you fucking live with yourself?!"
I could end his meaningless chatter. Akira watched as one of Azathoth's clawed hands grabbed at Akechi's throat. They were just close enough that any sudden movement threatened to pierce the skin. Or, perhaps you'd like him to say sweeter words.
"That's not what we're here for-"
But it's what you want, is it not? Do you not desire to be with him?
"Maruki-"
My other self would approve.
Akira paused for a moment. He looked down at Akechi, the rage in his eyes had been somewhat tempered by utter fear. Whether it was of him or Azathoth didn't really matter in the long run. At the end of the day, he saw both of them as monsters just the same.
Could he really blame him?
"Just fix him."
As you wish.
For the next few days, Akira couldn't sleep. Not when Akechi's distorted screams ran through his mind. Not when he thought back on dull yellow eyes staring right through him.
Akira wandered aimlessly through the streets of Kichijoji. Most of the people either couldn't see him or just ignore him. Those that could gave a bright smile and a wave, something that made Akira's chest fill with a peculiar mix of pride and disgust.
He did this.
He did this.
Still, it was better than being in the palace. Anything was better than being in the palace at the moment. Ever since his last mission from Maruki, he just couldn't bring himself to stay in there. Part of it was that he was absolutely terrified of even potentially facing Akechi's shadow again. A much larger part of it was his general disgust with Maruki. With everything honestly. He couldn't even tell where it was coming from but nothing there seemed right.
At least on the streets, he got to see the happy civilians. At least he could pretend he was one of them.
"Oh, it's you," Then again, this may have been the wrong street to visit. "Ren, was it?"
Akira turned to meet Akechi's curious gaze. A small smile sat on his lips, entirely oblivious to the way he made Akira's heart sink. Akechi seeing him was never good. It always ended in another battle with his shadow later on down the line and honestly, that was one of the last things Akira wanted to deal with.
"It's nice to see you again," Akechi's smile turned almost bashful as he looked to the ground. It may have been cute if it weren't so starkly different from his true self. "Do you come here often? I don't believe I've seen you here before."
"I wander around sometimes," Akira answered with a shrug. He tried his best to seem casual despite how much he wished the ground would just swallow him up. "What about you?"
"Oh... This is actually one of my favorite places." His smile brightened. He looked around and, if he didn't know any better, Akira might have thought he built the place based on his reaction. "It has such a wonderful atmosphere, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah it's nice but I should get going-"
"Are you sure?" Akechi frowned as he took a step forward. "There's a darts lounge not too far from here, I was... hoping we could play a game together."
Akira paused for a moment. He took in the slight flush of red on Akechi's cheeks. The hesitancy, the timidness. It made him sick. This wasn't him. None of this was the real Akechi, hell, it was hardly even the Detective Prince.
What made him even more sick was the fact that he wanted this.
"I don't even know your name," He lied in an attempt to get Akechi to understand. He was a stranger now, he had no right to be barging into Akechi's new life like this.
"Goro Akechi," He held out his hand. "And you're Ren..."
"Amamiya," He said with a sigh as he shook Akechi's hand.
"Amamiya. I like the sound of that," Akechi flashed him a bright smile. "So what do you say Amamiya-san? Darts?"
Akira wanted to say no.
No you don't.
He wanted to walk away.
You won't.
But against his better judgement, he stayed. One game, he told himself. It couldn't hurt too bad...
He was wrong of course. Every second made the ache in his chest grow worse and worse.
Akira stood behind Maruki as he excitedly explained some breakthrough he'd made in his research. None of the words properly registered. He was a bit too focused on his meeting with Akechi the other day.
"Kurusu-kun?" Maruki's words coupled with a gentle hand on his shoulder shook him out of his reverie. He looked up at the doctor, his worried eyes still holding a twinge of excitement. "Are you listening? This is good news for you too!"
"Yeah I'm just..." He trailed off. Marui patiently waited for him to continue but Akira just shrugged.
"...I noticed you encountered Akechi-kun the other day," A small smile crossed Maruki's lips like it was a good thing Akechi couldn't seem to go on with his life without Ren interrupting it. "How was that?"
"Uncomfortable."
"And why is that?" Maruki removed his hand. It felt like a weight lifted from his chest. "Akechi-kun is your friend-"
"Was." Akira turned away. "He hates me now."
"From what I saw, he didn't hate you at all," Akira refused to meet Maruki's eyes. He refused to look at his smile, knowing it would only make him feel more sick than he already did. "In fact, he seemed to be having a lot of fun with you."
"He was having fun with Ren, not me."
"I see... And what's the difference between you and Ren?"
"Ren didn't betray him."
Maruki was silent for a moment. Silent enough that Akira felt the need to turn around to see his reaction. Instead of sadness or disappointment or any of that at his statement, Akira found Maruki in deep thought. "I see..." He muttered when he noticed Akira was looking. Suddenly, he brightened up. "Well, hopefully things get better Kurusu-kun."
Akira frowned knowing just how unlikely that would be.
"Good afternoon Amamiya-san," Akira's blood froze when he heard that pleasant voice. He stood completely still in the vain hope that maybe he would disappear if only he was still enough. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Same," He managed. He turned around with what he hoped looked like a relaxed expression. "I uh, was just leaving though-"
"Are you sure you can't stay for just one coffee?" Akechi gave such a hopeful smile. Akira couldn't find it in himself to say no, even if he had already had his fill of coffee for the day.
"I guess... One won't hurt?" The way Akechi's face lit up made Akira's chest ache and his heart flutter. Unfortunately, before he could backtrack, Akechi was already dragging him to a table.
"I'll be right back-"
"You don't know my order-"
"I'd like to take a guess."
The smile on his face left Akira no chance but to relent. He'd just go along with this for an hour or two... it was probably the least he could do if it really made Akechi happy...
When Akechi came back, he was attempting to balance two coffees and a slice of cake. Attempting being the keyword as he looked about ready to spill everything on himself. Akira stood to help him only to back off when Akechi gave him a knowing smile. He sunk back into his seat, trying in vain to slow his racing heart. When a coffee was place in front of him, he looked up, amazed that not a single piece of cake or drop of coffee had been lost. Maybe it was just Azathoth's influence helping him out... Although that did seem like a petty use of his-
"I didn't think I'd see you again so soon," Akechi said with a smile. He put his cake on the table as he sat down. "Maybe it's fate."
"Maybe it is," Akira agreed through clenched teeth. Fate. As if he couldn't see what was going on here. As if he couldn't feel a burning resentment for Maruki at that moment.
"Ah, it's probably silly of me to believe in something like that," Akechi nervously adjusted his gloves. "But, I didn't ask you to coffee to talk about myself, I wanted to know more about you."
Akira froze for a moment. Him. If he told him too much, there was no doubt the day would end in disaster. Still, some part of him just couldn't say no when Akechi looked at him so earnestly. He didn't want to make up upset by refusing.
"What did you want to know?"
Akechi opened his mouth only to pause. His eyes became unfocused as he stared straight past him. Then, as quickly as it came, he shook his head and shrugged it off. A bright smile once again made its way to his face as if nothing happened. "You seem like you're around my age, Amamiya-san, are you in school at the moment?"
"No, I graduated early," He lied. "I'm just working for right now."
"Where are you working?"
Akira paused for a moment. "...I have a job in Odaiba," Was what he ended up with. Rather than ask any follow-ups, Akechi simply nodded. "You?"
The conversation continued to be fairly pleasant as the lies piled up. He wasn't sure he told the truth once in the several hours that they spoke. Somehow, that didn't seem to matter. Somehow, over the course of the conversation, Akira felt his guilt melt away along with his disgust for Maruki. It was so easy to just let go of it, to fall into a familiar pattern with Akechi as Ren. But eventually, their time was up. Ren had to excuse himself to get back to his apartment in Odaiba.
Akechi ended up walking him to the station. His disgust in himself returned once he entered the familiar space. What was he even doing?
"I saw you ran into Akechi-kun today," Maruki said instead of a greeting once Akira entered the lab. "How was your talk, Amamiya-kun?"
Akira felt his face heat up with embarrassment when Maruki said the name. "I-It was fine," Despite himself, Akira smiled at the memory. "We had a nice talk..."
Did they?
"You could continue to have nice talks, Amamiya-kun."
"Don't call me that," Akira turned to Maruki with a failed attempt at a glare.
Maruki gave a teasing smile. "Ah, my apologies, I see that's only for Akechi-kun." Suddenly, his expression softened into something more genuine. "But I do think it would be good for you to join your friends-"
"I can't. There's... still a lot to help you with."
"Don't give up on your happiness for others. I can see how much you like Akechi-kun, just go after-"
"And what about Rumi?" Akira saw Maruki freeze at the mere mention of her name. He almost felt guilty about using her against him. "You could give all of this up to be with her but you won't."
"I'm not part of her life anymore-"
"And I'm not part of theirs."
"But you-"
Akira huffed and turned away from Maruki. "Why should I take advice you don't follow?" He crossed his arms and glared at the wall. At the disgusting palace Maruki had built.
"Because I don't want you to make my mistakes," He could hear Maruki step closer. His voice was painfully gentle, nothing like how Akechi would have reacted at such an insult... "I want you to be with the people you care about because I know you want it too."
Akira paused for a moment. The words stirred something inside him. He wanted to see his friends again. He wanted to be with Akechi in any way he could but... No. He couldn't. He couldn't allow himself to walk back into their lives after what he did. He didn't deserve them anymore... To them Akira Kurusu never existed, and he was going to keep it that way.
Over the next few days, Akira stayed in the palace but didn't hear from Maruki. He figured he must have thrown himself into his research in some attempt to bury the memory of Rumi... Akira looked up at one of the massive statues in the garden and sighed. He imagined the hair a little longer and the eyes a bit more clever before he forced the thought out of his mind.
Even if he could go back to Akechi, he always could he didn't even know Akira anymore. All he knew was Ren, some construction that was full of lies.
Lies he wanted to be real just a bit too much.
Akira aimlessly wandered through the streets of Kichijoji on a cold evening. It was a nice break from the palace. A nice breath of fresh air after sealing himself away for far too long.
Why had he done that again?
"Amamiya-san!" Oh, right.
Akira quickly switched to Ren like he might have switched to another persona back when he could summon them. He turned to Akechi with a forced smile that became real once he really saw him. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold, his eyes were so bright and happy. He was happy. Because of him. It was strange to think about...
"I'm glad I ran into you!" He grabbed Ren's hand, blissfully unaware of how it affected him. Ren followed after him, unable to suppress the heat in his cheeks.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere special."
It wasn't long before Ren found himself in a familiar alley way. Akechi absolutely beamed at him as he presented the place. "This is Jazz Jin, it's one of my favorite places around here."
Ren nodded, feeling a little out of his element. Did he really know this place? "It's uh, pretty nice but... why show me?"
Akechi turned to Ren with an earnest smile. His eyes practically sparkled as he said, "Because you're one of my favorite people." Goro's face suddenly turned red as he realized what he said. "Ah... Maybe it's a little early to be saying-"
Ren returned Goro's smile, had there been something wrong before? apparently rendering him speechless. "It's fine."
In all honesty, it wasn't fine. The words were enough to make his head spin. But in a good way. They were enough to push away all the memories of Akechi spewing vitriolic words his way. Enough to ease some of the pain in his chest. Enough to convince him to just forget about Akira for the night, to just be Ren as he had fun with Goro.
...
"Well, Amamiya-kun, I noticed you've been a lot happier lately."
The words gave him pause. Amamiya-kun. For some reason, the name felt so strange coming from Maruki's lips, even if he couldn't quite place why. After all, that was Ren's name.
Ren stumbled through the palace on his way to the lab. It was strange just how fuzzy everything felt. He could vaguely remember a time when he'd been able to walk through the halls just fine but now... Now he could hardly see straight with how heavy the distortion was...
Once he found his way to the lab, Ren saw a man, Maruki, sitting down. He looked like he was waiting for someone... Ren realized that he was probably the one being waited on. He hesitantly took a seat across from the doctor.
"How have you been recently?" He asked with a gentle smile.
Ren found himself smiling back. He smiled through the lovely haze that clouded his mind. "I've been good..." His thoughts immediately went to Akechi. Goro. His smile widened. He'd been spending more time with Goro lately, he could remember that... But had there been a time when he was spending less time with him?
The question hurt to think about. Some part of him knew he'd only met Goro recently but another part felt like he knew him for so much longer... Maybe it was just how comfortable he felt with him. Yes, that seemed likely. That seemed like a reasonable explanation.
"Amamiya-kun?" Ren's attention suddenly snapped to Maruki. "Were you paying attention?" When Ren turned away, he heard Maruki's good natured chuckle. "That's alright, I can be boring when I'm off in my own world, huh?"
"That's not-"
"It's alright," Maruki leaned in looking just as excited as Goro did whenever they saw each other. "I was talking about the breakthrough I made in my research."
"Research..." The haze in Ren's mind began to recede. Research. That sounded familiar. He knew-
"Yes... But it's not anything you need to worry about anymore."
Anymore? The question was wiped from his mind before it could even form.
Ren smiled. He was right.
Was he? There was something here that felt off-
He didn't need to worry.
S om e t h i ng w as n ' t r i g h t -
"Amamiya-kun?" Ren blinked at Maruki. His head felt horribly fuzzy. But, maybe not in a bad way. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah..." He held his head. What... had he been thinking about before? It was nothing important... It was not important. "You... wanted me here for something... Didn't you?"
Maruki paused for a moment before he shook his head. "I forget what it was, my apologies Amamiya-kun."
Ren slowly nodded, the fog in his mind growing thicker.
Everything is fine.
You can be happy now.
Ren's heart was beating out of his chest as he held Goro's hand. It felt so nice, so right. It was like this was what he was meant to do. As if this was what he was made for.
"You said before that you live in Odaiba, right?" Goro suddenly asked. Ren turned his full attention to him. Odaiba... Was that what he'd said? He could hardly remember at this point. Everything felt so fuzzy, it all just slipped through his fingers the second he grabbed any information. Goro didn't seem to notice Ren's struggle as he continued. "Have you ever been to Yongen?"
"I don't... think I have?" Half formed memories of a cafe flashed in his mind only to disappear just as quickly as they arrived. "Why?"
"I have a few friends who live there," A fond smile crossed Goro's face. Ren couldn't help the way it made his heart flutter. "I'd like you to meet them."
How nice.
"That sounds nice," Ren closed his eyes, a content smile forming on his lips. "I'd love to."
"I'm looking forward to introducing you," Ren felt Goro move closer. He felt his grip on his hand grow tighter. "I'm sure they'll love you."
It's better this way.
"I'm sure I'll love them too," He opened his eyes and turned to Goro. Goro, who looked at him with more love and adoration than he could ever hope for. "But not as much as I love you."
S̴̢̢̧̢̢͔̭͔͇̠͓̳͕̔o̷̤̿̽̎̆̇͠͝͝m̸̠̭͎͔̘̭̃͂̂̎̎̊̈́̇͗ȩ̷̩̮̠̪͐͐͒́̓̽̔͑́̌̕̚͘͝w̷̢͍̹̦͓̩̝͎͙̜̥̐͑̍̓̚h̵̗̮̙̔̏̈̑ȩ̴̬̼͓̟̖̜̜̺̼̖̞̰̺̈́̐̽̈̈́̒̾͑͝ͅŗ̴̛̟͖͓͇͔̙̗̙̬̥̣̬̮͗̀̑͂̆͊͗̄̃̽̆͒ẽ̵̢̳͔̙͐́̑̒̅̆̽̇͜͠ ̸̛̜͉̩̗́̃̾̊͒̎̐̇̏͜͝ḓ̷̈́̈́̎͋́̈́͂̇̒͝͝è̷̡͔͆̄̓͑̓͘ͅe̵̛͈͚͈̮̊̃p̴̨͍͍̭̣̳̦͍̪͔͙̲̰̙̐̅͊̔͒̀͐́͒͝͝ ̵̛̬͎̲̟͙̬̘͕̖͉͓͌̔̈̊̏̒͜͝ī̶͈̅̇͛͛̃̕͠n̴̢̼̤̭̩̘͙͍͔̟̫͒̌ ̷͖͛͌̌̉͗̓̐̌̇̋̒̆̽͘͝Ą̸̛̺̹͙͍̤͚̙͎̰̞̂̑̀̓̋̆̐͠ͅk̷̳̠̱̃i̸̧̛̝̫̺̠͕̪̯̯̙̣͇̱̾̃̾̊͑̈̿̓̃̆̈́ͅr̸̢̼̖̻̀̆͑a̵̢͈͕̪̠̲͍̦͍̣̪̳̲͗͊̓̔̒͂̈́̈́͘̚'̸̥̠͇̘͉̜̉̈́̑͋̔̌̐̍̃̌̍̐̕͠s̸͍̘̟̦̥͓̄̉͌͊̽͜͠͝ͅͅ ̴̢͎̱̼̟͇̤͈̜͕̫̓̽̊ş̷̗̙̘͍͍̼̣̤̿͒̏̍͒ơ̵̝̘͙̖͍̠͎̮̯̭͛̓̊̂̿̔̕ǔ̸̡̻̟̺̫͇̖̪ͅͅl̶̯̘͖͇̳͔̞̮̥̽̑͛̋̐͋̓̅̿̾́̈̈́͝ͅ,̷̢̯͆̎̾͆̏̑̑͒̓̆̉̈́̈́̕ ̵̢̨̹̳̮̣͕̜͇̲͔̟́͊͘A̸̢̧̢͍̭̲͓͓̣̖̹̳̯͌̎̎͠r̶͚͛͋̀̑̾͛̑̿̈́̔̔͂͝s̶͎̫̔͐̓̑̇̇̑è̷̲̹̹̤̬̖̙̝͆̾̇͒͛̉̈́͋͂̽͜͝n̴̛̻͔̞͓͚̈́̿̿̔̏̌̂́̃͘͜ḙ̴̩̬̬̳͙̅͌̊̑̉̇̚̕ͅ ̷̨̡̲̘̲͈̤̗͍͎̳̔c̸̪̿̿̽͒̿͠r̸̨̻̦̝̰̮͉̼͐̑̿̄͐̍̆̀͋̈̂̚͠͠i̴̞͓̦̊̓̆̄̋e̵̜̰͐͆͛͌̋̔̒̈́ḑ̵̨̗̰͇͇̖̦̠̈̒́͂͒͆̂̓͐͛͒̚̚͜͝ ̸̨̦̤͓͕̰̥̥͉͓̜̬̙̟̞̃͊̿̚ǫ̸̧̢̡̘͚̩̭̠̼̯̺̼͎̉͆u̵͓̎͒̄̈́͋̏̌̈̃͋͗͠ţ̷̛̻̳̠͎̫̖͔̑̿̅̿̑̐́̅̎͗͠͝ͅ ̵̢̧̢̦̲̘̪̩͉͙̩̯̤͔͓͒̋̈́̈́̉̈́͌̚̕ơ̶͖̹̣̭͚͎̖̯̻̥̱̱̓̍̎̇̍͊̍͊̓n̵̤͇͇͈̳͖͈̄̎͌̾͛͂̔̕̕͝l̷̡̛̝̦̖̹͇̝̗̩͈̋̀͌̇͊̄͒͘͝ͅỹ̷̡̨̻͙̤͔̬͎̫̤̭̩̘͓̍̈̀ͅ ̷̻̙̭͑̎̇̄͐̂͒̆̕͠͝t̴̖̣̯͚̙̙̽̕ǒ̴̡͚͙͓̤͖̱̬͆̄̌͋͛̏̃̈̿̈́ ̷̗̞̯̞̮̈́͜b̷̛͙̯͉̤̭̬̻̦̦̦̌̓̏̌͋̐̋͂̏̊̀̇̕e̸̙̼̒̃̅̄̎̾͐̄͘ ̸̢̡̢̨͉͇̝͎̘͎̮͍͐͂̄̈͋̈́͑̉̈́̿̒̓͘͘͝s̶̜̈́̾͌į̶̛̳̰̣̹̞̓̓́̊͜l̸͖̲̲̻͕̳̠̲̑́̓̌̇̂͂̅͗̚̚ę̸̺͖͇̺̩͉̥̠̙̔ͅņ̷͍̱̪̲̱̳͒̌̾͒̿̅̇̅̆̕c̸̢̹̱̯͖̱̮̬̩͖̣͉͗̉̋̅̈́͒͜͠e̵͎̣̖̞̔̓͐͊̍͗͑̓̆́͘͘̕͠d̵̨͙̺̘̳̽̽ͅͅ ̸̢̨̨̳̜̘̘̙̘̦̩̔̃̐͂͌͊͠b̵̼̤̩̐̄͌͑y̶̢̧̼̯̺̳̪̼͔̬̮̕͠ ̵̮̤̝̼̖̩̳̖̮̅̄̍͜č̵̰̙̘̲͑̔̐̌̾̌̈́̀͛̈́̎͠l̷̳̠̆̔̎̆͂̍̈́̅̌̇͘ǎ̶̛̙̾́̑̒̄͆̕͘w̶̨̞̯̣̠̮̥͚͖̤̒̍̋̍͘͘̕͜ę̸̨̠̘͍͈̦̭̺̇̅̂̈́d̷̢̛̙͎͚͍̼͔̬̬͑̿͊̓͊̇̓̆̊͘̚ ̸̭̻̐͗̀̈́͌͛͛̎̈̀̕̚ḫ̵̨̈́͒͆͒̔̈́̈̈́̽̿̇̉̔̍ą̷̝̹̥̯̳̝͙̰̦̦̜̦̪̾͊̔̉̂̅̓̉̂̈́̓͂̔͛̚͜n̷̼̥͚̼̥͕͉̙͍̥͎̦̳̾̀̇̓̆͠d̴̢̰͚̰̯͈̙͎̪̺̂s̶͈͙̬̯͓̲̺̒̃̅͊̔̅͋̈́̒͝͝͝͠.̶̨͍̮̱̘͇̻̞̝̌̌̊̎̆̐̊̉͜͠͝