Chapter Text
Slowly drifting into consciousness, Goro heard a soft voice.
“...ke u…”
He felt cold. Had it been this cold when he fell asleep?
“Please, wa…”
Come to think of it, he didn’t even remember falling asleep in the first place. He was in Shido’s palace, he fought the Phantom Thieves, and then…
“Wake up!”
His eyes shot open, and Goro found himself outside the diet building. It was dark, it was snowing, and the street was entirely empty of people.
The soft, unfamiliar voice spoke again. “If my voice is reaching you, then-”
“Hold on,” he said to this invisible speaker, “who are you? Show yourself.”
There was no reply, only something that sounded suspiciously like a sigh, and suddenly a glowing blue butterfly appeared before him.
“Please, I need your help.” Oh, so the voice was coming out of that… thing. “My name is Lavenza. My trickster-”
“Is there a reason you look like this?”
“You are quite rude, did you know that?”
“I’ve been told that once or twice before, yes.”
“I can’t take on my full form in this state. The evil being that took over my master’s form has trapped me yet again, this time tied to my trickster yet still unable to reach him.”
Evil being? Master? Trickster? Huh? “Well, I’m very sorry to hear about that, Lavenza, but I’m afraid this doesn’t concern me. You’d have to find someone else to help you.”
“Please, this is about Akira.”
Ah.
Goro felt his eye twitch involuntarily as he said, “well, Akira has a lot of friends who could help him, why don’t you try any of-”
“They’re trapped here with me. Please, you are the only one who can help. And…” She paused, then her voice lowered, “you might be able to find out… something you’d surely like to know.”
“Well, that’s not cryptic at all. I must admit, you’re not being very convincing.”
Can butterflies growl? Because it sure sounded like Lavenza just growled in frustration. “I can’t force you to help me, but I would recommend you do your own investigating on the matter. Should you want to help, I’ll be able to guide you through this palace, but you’ll have to reach me on your own. Good luck, trickster.”
Oh good, he was “trickster” now, too.
With a flash of blue, Lavenza disappeared, and Goro was left alone in a dark street.
She did mention a palace, and said she was tied to Akira, wasn’t she?
Goro quickly pulled out his phone to check the meta-nav. He should’ve expected to be out of battery. Figures.
Finally getting up from the floor, Goro took note of himself. Despite the snow around him, his clothes were relatively dry, only some fresh snow covering his coat. So he wasn’t just lying in the street for hours, likely only minutes before he woke up.
Does that mean he’s been in the metaverse until then? How and where did the thieves get trapped between their battle and now? How long has it been since?
Well, no point making assumptions now. Better find some clues first.
—
After getting home and taking a well deserved shower, Goro finally checked his now charged phone.
It was January. He was in the metaverse with no memory of it, presumably, for about a month.
The news announced him missing since then, too. However, there were no follow-ups or mentions of a search for him. In fact, no one seemed to remember him - even walking down the street with no disguise, it seemed like no one recognized him.
It was refreshing, yet terrifying.
The holes in the “been in the metaverse for a month” theory started to poke through, though, when Goro looked Shido up.
The Phantom Thieves did manage to change his heart. He confessed to all his crimes. He is in jail right now.
That means his palace has been destroyed for a while, too. Goro couldn’t have been there. So where was he? And why can’t he remember any of it?
God dammit, is that what Lavenza meant when she said there’s something he’d want to know?
Goro sighed. Could he even trust Lavenza? Granted, being some glowing butterfly he could crush in his bare hands didn’t make her seem very threatening, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be manipulating him. What for, though? What could she possibly want out of him?
She mentioned a palace. Seems like a good place to start as any.
Opening the meta-nav was familiar. He just needed to figure out the palace’s keywords and infiltrate it. Get rid of it. Easy. Done it countless times before.
His hand was shaking when he held the phone to his face - no, not shaking, he was fine, this is just another infiltration, his suspicions might even be wrong and it’s not the palace owner he thought it was-
Lavenza said she was tied to Akira, wasn’t she?
“Akira Kurusu.”
“Candidate found.”
Well then.
“Cafe Leblanc.”
“No candidates found.”
“Shujin academy.”
“No candidates found.”
What other places did Akira frequent? Goro should’ve really paid more attention.
“...Kichijoji?”
“No candidates f-”
“Shibuya?”
“No candid-”
Goro sighed in frustration. “At this pace I’ll just be going through all of Tokyo.”
“Result found.”
What.
Akira’s desire is distorted enough to cover all of Tokyo? What the hell happened in the last month?
Well, now there’s the whole matter of figuring out what the distortion is. And as much as Goro wants to get all this over with as quickly as possible, Lavenza was probably right when she suggested he does some investigating. God dammit.
—
He hadn’t noticed it in his hurry home last night, but the feeling of the city was different.
The screens in Shibuya reported gruesome crimes yet people didn’t seem even a little scared, like they’re just used to it. Despite that, rates of crime and suicides are lowered… How has so much changed in just one month?
But the weirdest part was the Phantom Thieves talk.
It made sense that some of it will be positive, given Shido’s change of heart, but the overwhelming positivity in everyone’s words - even the media - is what threw Goro off. It’s like everyone was cheering for them, and did the news just say there are over a hundred confirmed cases cracked by the thieves? That can’t be right.
Even more of a reason for Goro to hurry up with his investigation.
Entering Leblanc now, after killing Akira, after… Akira might’ve done something to him, in the palace, Goro still doesn’t know what - felt wrong. Not the same way walking around the city in its current state felt, no. He felt a tug on his heart, like an unexplainable pain in his chest.
Still, the familiar jingle of the bell above the door felt welcoming even as the pain grew. The smell of coffee greeted him, as well as Sakura behind the counter, wearing a grim expression.
“Welco- Akechi?” The sadness in his eyes melted into surprise.
“Good morning, Sakura-san.”
“Please, sit down. House blend?”
“Thank you, but I don’t plan on stayi-”
“Nonsense. You look like you haven’t eaten in a month, I’ll get you some curry.”
Now that he said that, Goro did notice how hungry he was. Maybe one bowl of curry won’t hurt.
Sitting down and watching Sakura work behind the counter, Goro tried figuring out what to say. Did Sakura know about what happened with Akira in the interrogation room? Surely, he must’ve seen how beat up Akira was after the whole ordeal, but did he know Goro tried to shoot him?
Did Akira tell him about what happened in Shido’s palace?
He snapped out of his thoughts when a plate was placed in front of him, as well as a cup of coffee.
“Eat it while it’s still hot. We can talk later.”
Oh, Sakura knows something alright.
Despite wanting to stall to get a chance to gather his thoughts, as soon as he took one bite Goro found himself practically inhaling his food. Seems that despite being unconscious (is that what it was?) in a separate plane of existence, his bodily functions still worked properly and he was hungry , and Leblanc’s curry hit the right spot. Before he knew it, the plate in front of him was empty.
“Slow down, kid, you’ll choke.” Sakura chuckled, taking Goro’s plate to the kitchen and pouring more curry in it.
This did give him some time to think, though. Goro sipped on his coffee and tried to phrase the right question.
“How is Akira lately?” Yes, this would be a good question to start with.
Sakura sighed as he placed the now full plate on the counter. “Kid’s been so busy lately I barely get to see him. Think he’s taking Futaba’s disappearance even harder than I do.”
Oh yeah, Lavenza did mention the other thieves being trapped. Futaba must be among them. “I am very sorry to hear that. Do you know anything about what happened?”
Sakura shook his head. “Akira just showed up alone on Christmas eve, without that cat of his, even. Never been much of a talker, but he’s been even quieter since.”
“I see. Do you happen to know where he might be going during the day? A place where I might be able to talk to him, perhaps?”
“Wish I did. His cell’s off all the time, too.”
Or maybe he’s just in the metaverse.
“Thank you Sakura-san, for the information as well as the meal.” Goro started getting up, but-
“Sit down, kid. I’ve got some questions of my own.”
Maybe it was Sakura’s hospitality so far, maybe it was another way to get information, maybe the pain in Goro’s chance worsened when he heard Sakura’s stern tone, but Goro immediately complied.
“Akira may be more quiet now, but this was a gradual thing, not just since Futaba… left.”
Why was he staring at Goro like that? He did know about the interrogation room, didn’t he?
“Some time in early December I heard some strange sounds from the attic. I thought it was the cat, but when I checked…” Sakura paused to wipe his glasses. Was he as nervous about this confrontation as Goro was? “It was Akira. I think he was crying. Couldn’t see much, but he did hold something in his hand.”
His eyes flicked to the counter, where Goro’s hands were curled around a coffee cup.
The glove.
“Look, I know your relationship is… unusual. Whatever happened back in November hurt him, but this was bigger than that. I’ve never seen the kid this devastated, and for so long. I just want to ask, what happened?”
Yes, what did happen? Seems like the only one who could answer that now was Akira himself, wasn’t it.
Well, hiding it won’t help him find further information. “I’m afraid my memory of that time is a bit hazy. To be truthful, one of the reasons I’m looking for Akira is so I can ask him the same.”
“Should I tell him you stopped by?”
“...No, thank you. I prefer to talk to him on my own terms.”
Sakura raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to do anything to him, aren’t you?”
“I only wish to speak to him, I promise.”
“Good,” Sakura said and leaned over the counter, “look, kid, I’m worried about you, but Akira is still my priority here. Don’t you dare hurt him.”
“I understand.” Goro pulled out his wallet, but… “Ah, I am so sorry, I don’t-”
“It’s on the house, kid. I’m not gonna let you walk around hungry.”
“Thank you, Sakura-san. Truly.”
“Oh, Akechi?”
“Is something the matter?”
Sakura grabbed the cup from the counter, avoiding Goro’s eyes. “I don’t understand this whole… world, you and the Phantom Thieves go into, but if you can use it to save my daught- my kids, please do. You’ve got my support, if you need it.”
“I’ll do my best.”
They shared a nod, and Goro finally stepped outside, and sighed.
That’s two people (or… a person and a butterfly. Whatever.) who asked him to save Akira and his friends already. What did he get himself into?
—
With Leblanc out of the way, Goro’s only remaining place to find Akira was Shujin, if he even came back to school after winter break ended, but classes won’t get out for a few hours.
So Goro decided to burn some time in Mementos.
Taking just a step in, everything already felt Off, even more than the real world did.
The shadows felt more powerful, the sounds of wailing and screaming from below seemed louder, the red veins pumping… whatever it was inside them, faster than before.
And then he heard the sounds of a battle. Faded and definitely far away, but unmistakable clash of metal and magic being cast.
Quickly going down what felt like 70 floors - seriously, did Mementos get bigger? - and ignoring every shadow in his way (they all ran away from him anyway), Goro finally found those swirly walls that lead to people’s shadows, and warped inside.
There he was. Akira, in his thief outfit, all alone holding his dagger to a shadow’s throat.
“Please, I don’t want to die-” was the shadow begging for its life?
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” It was Akira’s voice, but something about it was… weird. Did it get deeper? “Go confess to your crimes, I might even visit you in the prison later.”
The prison?
The shadow faded into treasure, and Goro watched Akira grab it and throw it in his pocket, as well as sheathing his dagger.
“What are you doing here?” This time, Akira’s voice sounded normal, none of the weird deepness overlaying it. He turned around, facing Goro directly.
“Just taking a stroll through Mementos,” looking for you , “why are you here without your teammates?”
“They’re busy.”
“Even Morgana?”
“Yes.”
“For some reason, I find that suspicious.”
And before Goro realized what was happening, Akira was in front of him, there was a sound echoing through the chamber, and his cheek was stinging.
“You… you’re alive, and the first thing you do is-” Akira’s voice was shaking, “you find me here and start accusing me, like I’m the one who did something wrong when you’re the one who left -”
Recovering from the literal slap to the face he got, Goro rebutted. “Left? The last thing I remember is fighting you in the engine room, and now I wake up and it’s a month later, and the public is in disarray clinging onto the Phantom Thieves for help, but I find you here changing hearts by yourself, and…”
He paused. Akira’s shoulders were trembling, as he stared back at Goro with wet eyes.
“I thought you died, Akechi. I heard you get shot, Oracle said your signal is gone, I haven’t heard from you since.”
And there it was. Finally, an answer Goro was looking for.
But, he’s here right now, right? That means he somehow survived, so certainly they’re still missing some information. If only his memory wasn’t blank, maybe he could tell how.
“We’ve disbanded, the team and I.” Akira said shakily, “I work alone now. They’re done changing hearts. Our last job together was fulfilling my promise to you, but after that they wanted to stop. I didn’t.”
“So you’re just changing hearts entirely by yourself? By the amount of news I heard on the way here, that must mean you’re infiltrating palaces left and right.”
A smirk made its way to his face, despite the tears streaming from behind his mask. “I am. It’s not like I need anyone’s help.”
Goro raised an eyebrow. He didn’t care that Akira was crying. He didn’t . “Aren’t you the one who’s always going on and on about teamwork and how important it is to work together?”
“Well, maybe I got tired of teamwork!” There it was again - the weird, somewhat unnatural underlying deepness to Akira’s voice. “Maybe I should be allowed to work alone and do what I want and not be a part of some greater purpose-” He cut himself off. “Whatever. I don’t need to explain myself to you. Good to have you back, Akechi, now please leave me to it.”
He turned to leave, but Goro grabbed his hand, not thinking it through.
“At least tell me what’s going on with the city. Why people are acting so strangely. Are you responsible for it?”
Akira stared at him blankly. His eyes were still a little wet, but through the tears Goro could see some underlying golden tint to the usual gray.
“Does it matter? The city being like this is practically heaven, isn’t it?” He gave a sharp smile, “I get to do what I want, and actually get rewarded for it for the first time ever. Don’t see anything to complain about, really.”
“But it isn’t… right, the world being like this.”
Akira pulled his hand away and pushed it in his pocket. “That’s not your place to say, Akechi,” he pulled something out of his pocket, threw it to the ground, and-
Akira wasn’t there anymore? Ah, he used a Goho-M. And Goro didn’t have one in order to follow him. Great.
Still, he was already in Mementos, may as well investigate as far as he can. The hall he was in was currently empty, other than the veins piercing the wall on the other side, bigger than they used to be, now covering most of the walls and ceiling too.
Poking one with his sword didn’t do a thing, trying to slash it just made a screeching metallic sound.
Goro brought his hand to touch a… vein?, hoping his gloves would serve enough protection from anything dangerous it might do. Come to think of it, he’s never paid much attention to these red tendrils before, let alone touched them. They were always just… there, a part of Mementos he never bothered to carefully look at.
Maybe it was a good idea to avoid them before, through, because when Goro brought his hand close enough to one of the smaller veins, he could hear a voice; unfamiliar, yet lively and eager.
“I have to have him. Tatsu will be my boyfriend by the end of this year, I just know it. He won’t say no. He can’t-”
It sounded like a teenage girl, one he’s never met before. Could it be…?
To test his theory, Goro touched a different vein. Again, an unfamiliar voice flooded his mind.
“I’m going to kill him I’m going to kill him die die die I hate him I am going to kill him-”
An adult man, by the sounds of it. Goro could understand his sentiment, at least. But in order to be certain of his hypothesis, he had to check a bit more.
Bringing his hand to another vein, this time he decided to touch it fully.
The vein was hard, almost like metal - unsurprising, considering how it reacted to a hit from his sword. It was cold and felt distinctly not alive, which made the pulsing and pumping of it even weirder.
But the weirdest part was the vision.
This time, instead of just hearing what were probably the darker thoughts of a random soul, he could see through someone’s eyes.
It felt weird - he knew he was in Mementos, he could feel himself touching that weird tendril, yet his eyes showed an entirely different view. He was sitting at a table, holding a spoon to a baby’s mouth.
“Open wide, Kenji!” He heard a voice, coming out of, well, him. It sounded young and feminine, probably a young mother who seemed to be feeding her son.
And then, her voice spoke again, this time inside his brain. “I wish you were never born. I could’ve been someone, but I had to go and get myself knocked up by this low life, and now I’m stuck with you, Kenji. You ruined my life, and I’ll never forgive you.”
Taking his hand off as if he was burned, Goro decided to stop his testing. He’s got plenty of information for now, and could now deduct that each of these veins is a representation of someone in Tokyo, pumping their repressed thoughts to… somewhere. The bottom of Mementos, probably, and whatever it is down there.
Well! Best to get on the move! And not touch any of these veins again! That’s irrelevant to his mission after all!
Trying not to think about what he’s just seen, Goro decided to check if he could get to the bottom of Mementos. Unfortunately, his hopes were cut short. He used to be able to reach at least the path of Adyeshach, but now it seemed as if he can’t even pass the end of Kaitul, the doors blocking his way through.
Right. Going missing for a month made him less relevant in society’s eyes, most likely. Especially with the thieves (or, well, Akira) being on the rise and replacing him in the public’s minds. Well, that was inconvenient.
Seems like he’ll have to continue his investigation outside of Mementos for now.
—
Standing in an alley not far from Shibuya square, Goro tried to gather his thoughts and plan his next course of action.
The talk with Akira shed some light on the situation, but was it enough to figure out the missing keyword for his palace?
He opened the meta-nav on his most recent search. Akira Kurusu, all of Tokyo, and…
“Prison?” Akira did mention something about visiting a prison to that shadow.
“No candidates found.” Hm.
Sakura said he’s been leaving early and coming back late and spending a lot of time outside, so maybe Tokyo is now… “home?”
“No candidates found.” God dammit.
Think, Goro. There must’ve been something Akira mentioned that you overlooked. What does Akira see Tokyo as? He seems very callous about its current state, right? No, that’s not it. He likes the city being like this, in fact, he said…
“Heaven.”
And just like that, reality warped around him, and Goro was once again pulled into the metaverse.