Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wow it’s cold…

That was the first thought that crossed Akira Kurusu’s mind as consciousness slowly returned to him.

No, it was freezing.

Was his second one.

It was as if everything around him had been dunked into a vat of arctic water and then been left there to float into an unending abyss, never to feel the warmth of the sun again. Onwards into cruel consuming cold forever and ever.

Where?

Where was he?

He slowly peeled his heavy eyes open, only to see much to his surprise:

Nothing.

It was just him, feeling like he was floating, there in an inky darkness that was all consuming around him. What had happened? He went to sleep just like normal last night, back in his less than ideal home town with Morgana after their little road trip. He’d tucked himself into his bed, Morgana quietly curled up on his chest and the two had drifted off to sleep together as they had always done since Morgana came into his life.

And now here he was in this strange limbo, everything around him dark, freezing,

Isolating .

It felt familiar to the feeling he’d gotten from the Velvet room when he’d first started visiting it during his early days in Shibuya, where it had constantly felt like there were eyes on him from every direction. Except this felt so much more draining, like every moment here was eating away at a part of him he hadn't even known previously existed.

“ My Trickster. ” A voice echoed from seemingly everywhere around him all at once, the voice familiar, and yet distorted as if he were listening to the voice through a straw. One end wide for them to speak through then the other end twisted, crumpled, and small allowing only partial words and sounds to come through.

“. ..your present…..me and my master… ” The voice continued. Akira could tell there were missing words here and there from…whatever was being told to him. “ Our thanks…third false god….this is….you get .” It continued. “ One chance .”

One chance? One chance for what?

“Your bonds….the….find the pieces….of your heart….box… ” Again the voice went on and on much to his confusion seeming to rush through this speech of theirs as if they were running low on time themselves

“Where?” He tried to ask but his mouth felt full of cotton as if he’d just had his wisdom teeth removed and the strength to even be able to voice anything else at all seemed like a nearly impossible task..

“Fear not….wildcard…remember…world….stay hidden…do not fail us…. We beg…” Suddenly a small almost insignificant light began to glow in the distance, only catch his eye for being the only thing different from the rest of the inky blackness

Akira turned towards it staring at it intently,

“Now go…they await.”

They? They who?

Suddenly the small insignificant light no longer seemed so small and insignificant, instead it seemed to grow exponentially, rushing forwards at him as if aiming to consume the very darkness he found himself floating in. Eventually it grew overwhelming and Akira had to shut his eyes as the light only grew brighter, and brighter, and brighter around him. Squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could to fight back against the blinding painful light before













A loud low in pitch whistling noise erupted around him.

Akira gasped softly as he sat up, eyes shooting open as he glanced around at the faces of strangers sitting across from him on the train. Train? What…Where was he? He quickly glanced out the window to try and get some semblance of what the hell was going on. Watching as a large city expanse flew by before he instead looked up at the signs hanging from the roof.

One word stood out immediately and he couldn’t help but stare:

Shibuya.

“Ladies and Gentlemen thank you for riding with us today.” An automated voice suddenly rang throughout the train. “We will be arriving in Shibuya shortly. This is the last stop for this line. Please transfer here for all subway lines. The doors to your left will open.”

Akira sat stunned. Shibuya? Why was he suddenly back in Shibuya? He quickly moved to look at his bag and ask Morgana what the hell was going on when he found his bag shockingly catless but more than that, he caught sight of his outfit. The familiar red and black pattern of his pants staring back at him as if trying to taunt him for his confusion. He was wearing his Shujin uniform, the uniform he hadn't worn in over a year and a half now. Here on a train to Shibuya.

“Are you for real? A mental shut down?” The voice of a girl around his age suddenly caught his attention, saving him from his racing, drowning thoughts.

“It’s the truth!” The other girl across from her gasped excitedly shoving her phone to show the other girl. Oh God, the overwhelming sense of Deja Vu he was getting right then should have been illegal.

“To a person though? That’s gotta be a joke. You really love all that occult stuff don't you” It was the exact same conversation he’d overheard well over a year ago when he’d first moved into Leblanc, when he’d first heard about mental shut downs, before he learned anything about the metaverse before he had met his friends. He quickly snatched his phone out of his pocket staring at the date in a way anyone looking his way might be somewhat concerned from the sheer look of shock littering his face:

April 9th 2016.

As if in a trance he swiped his phone open, quickly typing in his password, before staring at the app of a red eye ball that seems to stare right back at him, through him, just like it had all those many months ago, before the jails, before juvie, before Maruki’s reality…

What the hell. No way…t here was no wa y… Lavenza had told him time and time again that everything was set in stone, that there were no retries, no do overs, that he would have to live with his regrets, accept the people he couldn’t save and face the fact he had willingly sent Goro Akechi to an early grave a second time. This shouldn't be possible

And yet.

His heart left to sit peacefully in his throat, his eyes welling with tears.

Was this Maruki’s doing? It had been well over 6 months since the false reality… or had it, had everything with Sophia and Zenkichi been fake? Was he sitting in the false reality the whole time, had they lost? Had they never left? Did that mean Akechi was…

Not completely accepting the reality that was around him he hesitantly clicked on the Metanav, quickly navigating to the search history. Perhaps he could find answers there but no it was empty. Unlike Maruki’s Metanav that had all of their past excursions, this one sat empty, ready to be filled.

This was Yalgabath’s nav …

And that conversation with the girls across from him, he’d never once told Maruki anything about his time before getting to the school aside from Shido’s… everything. He’d have no way of being able to replicate something that specific that he never knew about right?

Back in time…

He really truly was back in time. Holy shit.

HOLY SHIT.

Akira just barely contained himself from jumping out of his seat in excitement. Holy shit. That was the only way he could think to describe this situation at the moment as he sat there staring at his phone with a wide grin on his face. He was being given a second chance, that had to be what the voice in the cold had been saying. Attempting to explain to him that he got to try again. The voice in the cold..that reminded him of Lavenza.

Suddenly the excitement from before was quickly drained away when a few other pieces suddenly slotted themselves together in his mind. The reasoning why the voice had seemed so distorted, as if struggling to speak, if he was back in time…it meant Lavenza had willingly let herself get separated again, had willingly let Yalgabeth back into the sanctum of her master. Because she knew him, trusted him enough to believe that he would make the right choices again and save them all.

And he would…

With a few changes here and there.

He was going to save them all this time.

Everyone…

Or at least a specific someone…

Akira turned to look out the window at the city as it flew past, knowing somewhere out there the boy he could never get off his mind, LIVED, breathed, existed. And they would meet again soon.

His heart soared.

He was coming.

He’d be home soon, Akechi.





Goro Akechi shot up in his bed screaming, clutching desperately at his chest as he did. The nightmares, the nightmares were back again…of course they were…the cold overwhelming darkness as the ship had slowly sank into the inky darkness below, the puppet with his own face aiming a gun exactly where he knew it would be lethal, his victims clawing their way out of the ground, grabbing his legs, arms, anything they could reach to drag him down into hell with them.

He groaned miserably letting his hands come to lie flat on his face for a moment, as if hiding himself from the world around him, before slowly sliding them down rubbing at his eyes as he did. The roof above him was a familiar comforting sight as he let the warmth from the covers slowly begin to lull him back to sleep.

The cream color of this room was a stark contrast to that of the hospital rooms he had been waking up in for the past few months, chained to his bed, cold, alone, stared at by Doctors and what remained of Shidos people. He’d grown used to the ever lingering color but this morning he felt strangely warm, and it was nice.

He lay there floating for a while just on the edge of unconsciousness, humming contently, before he moved to brush his hair out of his face. This time when his hand came up without resistance something finally clicked in his half awake brain and all semblance of tiredness vanished in a split second, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Akechi slowly let his head turn to look over to his wrist and froze when many things pieced themselves together all at once:

• He wasn’t handcuffed.
• He wasn’t in that overly revealing “Hospital gown” as they had deemed it.
• He was warm, for the first time in months he felt so, so warm.
• That was his closet in the back of his vision, not the blank over sterilized wall of a hospital room.
• He was laying in a bed, an actual bed, not the harsh concrete slab that they had called a hospital bed.
• For the first time since he could remember his time in February he was alone in the room, no cameras, no doctors, no “Scientists”, and none of shidos men.

His hand shot to his chest and slid under his nightshirt and every vein in his body ran cold as ice. The raised puffy patch on his skin from an entry wound scar of a bullet that had very nearly ended him was gone, as if it had never existed to begin with. The skin there was soft, flat, without resistance as he ran his fingers over it again and again and again.

Wait…

WAIT

Wait what the hell

WHAT THE FUCK

Panic flooded his veins once again, information, he desperately needed information. A grasp on the situation, anything. Instantly he was kicking the covers off himself with his legs, desperately trying to get to his feet. He however was more tangled than his half operating brain could process and he gasped as he stumbled out of his bed, nearly face planted into the ground as he went.

It was like waking up in Maruki’s reality all over again except this time there was no pleasant suppression of his memories of dying or the panic that was weaving its way through every fiber of his being, no comforting sleeps devoid of nightmares, and no strange fuzzy lightness to the world.

It was however the same disorienting confusion but this time it was so, so much worse.

*SHIT SHIT SHIT WHAT THE FUCK*

He wished he had a more eloquent way to  arrange his thoughts at the moment but those were the best he had as he scrambled his way to his mirror, yanking his shirt off as he did flinging it to some unknown corner of his room long forgotten as he caught sight of his chest in the mirror and froze as he stood there.

The scar was gone, completely and utterly, as if it had never even existed in the first place.

As if he hadn't been shot by a puppet wearing his very face, as if nothing there had happened at all. He took just one more moment to really stare at him, letting his fingers run over the skin absentmindedly as his brain ran a million different scenarios through his head all at once.

He was dead and this was hell
                                             -Unlikely as he wasn’t being punished for his life of sins. And his current situation was far kinder than his previous had been so it seemed that one was out.

He was dreaming and would wake back up in the facility soon enough.
                                            -A likely answer though Akechi had never once dreamed this vividly, sure his nightmares could seem real at times but this FELT real.

He was back in Maruki’s reality
                                            -Also unlikely but not impossible, he’d still had his scar in Maruki’s world, a constant reminder to himself that it was unlikely he’d see past February 3rd…considering what had followed the past few months, sometimes he’d wished he hadn’t…

He had somehow traveled back in time.
                                            -Preposterous, like something out of an episode of Featherman, a literal cartoon for children. That couldn’t possibly be the answer

He quickly shook his head as if that would suddenly arrange his scrambling thoughts into something a bit more coherent  before sharply turning and rushing for his phone on his night stand, yanking it off the cord without care if it would damage the thing or not. As he clicked on the screen he froze. There staring at him was the date, right front and center.

9 April 2016

Akechi blinked, turning off his screen and then turning it back on.

9 April 2016.

The same date stared back at him as the time ticked on 7:52 am. He turned the screen off again.

9 April 2016…..

He restarted his phone.

9 April 2016….

Nothing he did would make the date change but it was as if there was a wall between him and acknowledging it. It couldn’t be real.

9 April 2016….
9 April 2016….
9 April 2016….
9 April 2016….
9 April 2016….
9 April 2016….


Akechi stared at the number for what felt like hours, mesmerized, as if he stared long enough then maybe just maybe it would change, it would go back to where it belonged but no….no it stayed right there. Overwhelming and solid against his plane phone lock screen. Akechi doesn’t know what to do with the feelings that are welling up inside him at the concept, the energy bubbling just beneath his skin and he begins to pace his room, running a hand through his hair before trying to tug at gloves he isn’t wearing.

It was 9 April 2016 and Akechi hadn’t been shot, hadn’t fought Maruki, hadn’t made sure his father suffered, hadn’t derailed a train, hadn’t killed Kunikazu Okumara, hadn’t met Akira Kurusu…

The thought pins him in place, his rival, the man who knew him better than he may even know himself…
And yet he would be so easy to avoid now, to avoid those pesky thieves, to pretend to Shido he didn't know who they were…But to lose his only friend, it felt like someone had reached into his chest and yanked his heart out tying it  into a knot before shoving it rudely back inside.

His heart…

Panic then flooded him again for a different reason, his head and his heart felt so….empty still. So much quieter now than it had been on this day when he’d lived it before. He took a shaky breath. If he was back in the past then Robin Hood and Loki should be…but even at the thought of their name only silence greeted him.

No…no. No. No. No.

He couldn’t lose his personas, not like this. He didn’t want to be alone.

He took one more steadying breath to try and calm himself from his 5th emotional meltdown today and closed his eyes. Looking inwards, towards his heart, they had to be there. They just had to…

He reached out for them.

…Silence

…more silence

Akechi could feel heat pooling in his eyes

Please

He was about to give up, throw something, anything, sob, break things and then flop on his bed and accept that he was truly alone again when suddenly he felt it. Something like a door, he just had to open it.

There, he just had to keep reaching.

Closing his eyes tighter, the world around him faded away until it was nothing but darkness around him.. There he could feel 2… No…3 presences standing before him.

3?! Could it be?

When he opened his eyes again, he could feel the small tears welling in his eyes, there they stood. Loki to the left, Robin to the right and there directly in front of him stood Hereward, large and imposing and yet comforting at the same time. The persona he’d only had a single night to get to know but seemed to be a piece of his soul he hadn’t known he had been missing. All three were staring at him as if patiently waiting for… something. Akechi let the silence sit warmly between them for a while as he simply basked in the comfort that was the constant presence of his personas back in his heart once again. The feeling of loneliness that had settled into his very bones the past few months while being held captive slowly seeping away to be replaced with this warm fuzzy feeling instead.

Eventually Akechi couldn’t help the smile that came to his face as he looked between the three of them, all staring back at him smiling (At least that was the closest he’d ever seen Loki get to smiling when it wasn’t for a bloodthirsty reason he supposed.).

“I missed you.” He spoke to the three before him genuinely letting all the emotions he was feeling right then bleed into his words.

“Heh…I believe the term was Sentimental fool?” Loki sneered at him but it lacked any of its usual bite and for the first time since he woke up in this crazy world, Akechi felt like he was home again. He figured anything else could wait until tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Ok maybe not everything could have waited till tomorrow like he had originally thought. Akechi sat on his bed staring over at his phone with frustration pulling at every muscle in his body. A singular message appeared on his phone approximately 30 minutes after his multiple existential crises. Akechi had been tempted to simply ignore it, whoever it was could wait till he was done processing everything but then reality had come back to him like a bucket of cold water being thrown on him. This was April 2016, there were only three people who had his number at this point.

The first being his agent. Agent, Akechi used that term lightly at best, the man who operated as his in between with all the T.V. stations to set up his interviews. The man was next to useless, mainly just a face man above the age of 21 while Akechi did all the work. He hadn’t wanted or felt like he needed an agent when he started the whole Detective Prince persona but none of the stations had taken a 15 year old seriously by himself to begin with. So he scoped out people who seemed like options and bribed a man he met at the Jazz Jin to act as his in between. A cut of his money to just sit there and take phone calls and basically say whatever Akechi told him to. It was a basic deal but one he’d relied on more heavily than he’d liked to have admitted before falling more in favor of Shido and his group.

Akechi walked over and jotted a note on his notepad he kept at the desk to send the man a thank you basket, he hadn’t treated him very well last time despite how hushed he’d been about their deal and how occasionally he had actually found a few good opportunities for Akechi to appear that had boosted his popularity. He idly wondered if Muhen did gift baskets or perhaps a gift card for the club. As he mused on the idea his phone vibrated again, that secondary little buzz the phones made to remind you there was an unread message in case you missed the notification the first time, and he was brought right back to thinking about it.

It could be Sae-san, she had his number mainly for emergencies after all. She had all but insisted on the first day of them working together that he’d give it to her. The conversation leading to it hadn’t even been about phones or contact information but about dinner. She had started by mentioning having to be home to cook for her sister Makoto and that she wouldn’t be able to stay late as a result. He’d simply waved her off without worry, explaining he’d simply stay late to finish the paperwork for the both of them seeing as he didn’t have school. Sae had agreed and turned to leave when she seemed to remember something.

“You didn’t eat lunch today.” She glanced towards his small work desk. “And I don’t see a lunchbox…” She frowned that weird motherly frown she always had on her face when he did something she disapproved of or when she was talking about her sister at times.

“Ah yes, I was quite busy earlier so I wasn’t able to sneak out for a bite during lunch.” He had tried to brush off her worries, hoping to get through the paperwork he still had piled on his desk quickly enough he could still swing by the 777 near his house for a pre-made sushi pack. He’d hated how she looked him up and down as if scrutinizing his very being before she opened up her phone. “I’ll be sure to grab something on the way home,” he finished.

“I assumed someone of your age would have dinner waiting for them at home,” She said, clearly fishing for something. Akechi figured she wouldn’t be a very good prosecutor if she wasn’t good at getting the answers she wanted and she had that determined look in her eyes so he sighed. He’d given her a half answer hoping she’d simply drop it.

“Ah I’m afraid I live alone Sae-san and I wasn’t able to pick up groceries yesterday so today will have to be an eat out kind of night.” He explained to her, (Like most nights went unsaid and hopefully unimplied) glancing up for only a moment, before going right back to finishing the next page of the 13 page packet he was currently working through. Keep it vague enough it could be taken as he simply lived in student housing but pointed enough that hopefully the conversation would end there. She did seem satisfied after a moment and was turning to leave when she spoke up one more time:

“Oh Akechi-kun. I forgot to mention earlier, since we’re going to be working together now, I need your number.” She said much to his surprise then continued with. “It’s basically a requirement, just in case something happens, an emergency if you will or if you get sick and can’t make it into the office I need to know.” It had made enough sense he couldn’t really argue about it and Sae-san became the third person to have his personal cell phone number. Both her and his agent seemed extremely unlikely to be texting him right then so the only other option remained.

He sighed as he stood from his bed, walking over to the desk and glancing down at the phone he’d sat there. On the front screen sat a text message waiting for him from an unknown number. He’d have to open his phone to see what it said, having long turned on the privacy setting so his actual messages contents didn’t show on his front screen. He had no intentions of accidentally outing himself over something so foolish. He picked up the phone, unlocked it, and clicked open the message. It read simply:

“Train conductor, April 10th.”

That was it, it would seem like absolute rubbish to anyone else but Akechi knew what it was. It was a hit, or well in this case a mental breakdown request from his oh so kind benefactor. The point was to undermine the politician who was in charge of public transit by showing how unsafe it could be, but thinking back to the first time he’d done it.

How many people had been hospitalized because of that incident? He’d just targeted a random transit train without a care in the world who was on it. He’d been far too blinded by his self righteous justice against his father to care if an innocent here or there got hurt from what he did. No civilians were meant to die and from what he remembered none had but that wasn’t a guarantee that this time it would go the same. That didn’t mean this time someone wouldn’t get hurt beyond saving. Could he justify dragging innocents down with him this time around when he knew what his father really thought about him? When he knew how quickly his father planned to throw him to the side. When he knew how pointless his end goal had been all together?

How had he managed to justify it to himself before?

Phone. Hereward's voice spoke to him suddenly and Akechi quickly released his increasingly strong grip on said phone, having not noticed how the plastic of his case had begun to crack slightly at the strength of his grip. He huffed and tossed it onto his bed annoyed.

“Thank you…” He mumbled back tiredly running a hand through his hair before standing up from the desk he had been sitting at. What was he meant to do about this? He couldn’t ignore the hit and rouse suspicion this early. Well…logically he could just march into his father’s palace and rip his head off at this point probably, he had the strength, 3 personas at his disposal and all the experience that came from an extra year of exploring the metaverse. He thought it over, pacing back and forth in front of his mirror as he did, weighing the pros and cons of just getting it over with.

Fuck it. He would just kill the asshole now and get it over with. It would be less trouble for him and for the thieves in the long run, sure someone else could fill his shoes eventually but they’d be scrambling for months to find someone to try and run for prime minister. He picked his phone back up, clicking the nav before opening the navigation portion.

“Masayoshi Shido.”

“Candidate not found”

“WHAT?!” He stared at the Nav in shock, had he heard that right? No no he couldn’t have.

““Masayoshi Shido. Diet Building, Ship.”

“Candidate not found”

This couldn’t be real. He KNEW  his father had a palace. He’d been there, multiple times. What the actual hell did this damn navigation app mean candidate not found?! Quickly he racked his brain to the other changes of heart the Phantom Thieves had done. The first one coming to his mind easily:

“Kunikazu Okumura”

“Candidate found” The navigation app chimed back without a care to the internal conflict Akechi was facing. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to face those emotions he had at the moment about that man so he quickly moved on to another rotten adult.

“Ichiryusai Madarame”

“Candidate found” So Okumuara had a palace and apparently so did that shitty artist who had been ripping off all his pupils' work. Honestly Madarame was one of those ones that when he’d found out more about the man later, he’d almost wished he’d handled that job himself…But that had been Kitagawa’s justice to take, so he’d leave it be this time too.

“Suguru Kamoshida,” He muttered as he sat the phone on the table and began to pace around the room a bit to work out the excess energy he felt at the moment.

“Candidate found” Well the first person who started all this change of heart nonsense still had a palace it seemed, which meant Akira and his band of troublemakers were bound to be snooping around it some time soon… Maybe he’d slip in just to see. Keep an eye on them, maybe give them a hand if needed. He didn’t doubt they could handle themselves but- Akechi shook his head. Thoughts for another time. Who else had a palace that he remembered hearing about through the case files.

“Junya Kaneshiro” He spoke loudly enough for the phone to pick him up from where he’d stopped near his bed.

“Candidate found '' Ah yes, the yakuza member that even the police had been having trouble pinning down. Though he’d had a few leads of his own he had no intention of stepping in at the time since Kaneshiro had been a fairly generous benefactor to Shido’s plans. At the time a rage filled, vengeance seeking, Akechi didn’t bother to care what someone like Kaneshiro was doing to the people of Shibuya. Kaneshiro had just been another one of those annoying associates of Shido’s that he had to deal with at times, nothing more, nothing less. Until his heart changed and Shido had wanted him silenced. But apparently with changes of hearts come disappearing shadows because no matter where in Momentos Akechi looked he couldn’t find the jackasses shadow once his palace was gone. Shido had been less than thrilled at that and had turned to the cleaner and his connections in the police in an attempt to silence him. Akechi wasn’t really ever sure what happened to him other than he didn’t really hear Shido mention him anymore after that.

Oh right, the final palace he remembered, the one where everything he worked for took a sharp turn and dove straight into the ground at terminal velocity. Akechi slowly walked back over to the desk, picking his phone up and staring down at the red eye of the navigation app.

“Niijima Sae” He spoke into the phone uneasily. This being the only palace he’d ever hated being in.

“Candidate not found”

…Actually that one was somewhat of a relief, to know that Sae’s view on the legal system hadn’t become distorted enough to manifest a palace yet…it was only a matter of time but… For the moment it was nice to know. The Kaneshiro case really must have been the final piece of the puzzle to make her palace finally actualize.

He took a deep breath and decided to try one more time:

“Masayoshi Shido.”

“Candidate not found”

He sighed miserably as he sat down on the edge of his bed, running a hand through his hair as he racked his brain to try and think. He knew his father was well beyond the scope of a good man at this point and was already far down the path of his plans to try and become Prime Minister so the fact his palace simply wasn’t appearing had to be some sort of technical fluke. He idly wondered if he could nick Kurusu’s phone from him once they met and make the attempt to enter his father’s palace through his phone instead. He’d learned anyone could activate the app on any of their phones as long as they had the correct keywords so logically speaking if it was simply a bug with his phone Kurusu’s phone should still work.

Unfortunately that was for future Goro to worry about. At the moment he still had a derailing of a train to deal with so he’d have to stop his own thoughts from derailing for just a few minutes. How to still follow up on the hit without arousing suspicion on himself and keeping as many civilians out of the line of fire as possible?

Suddenly as if a literal lightbulb had been turned on inside his mind, an idea came to him. All the trains in Japan typically ran from about 5am till midnight meaning there was about a 5 hour window where most trains were either off the rails, heading back to the stations, or getting ready for their first pick up. Using that logic it would be easy to target a train at the beginning of the day, before it had picked up any passengers at all. It would only have the conductor. If everything went the same as last time, they’d be fine if not a bit disoriented and it would be written off as a medical emergency. But even then, what had happened to the conductor of the last train after the derailment? He knew they hadn’t died, no one had if he remembered correctly, maybe , but had they lost their job? Were they able to go back to conducting after the guilt of what happened hit them? When they realized how many other people had been injured? Akechi had probably ruined their livelihood. It was bewildering to him just how much he had ignored for the sake of his own justice before, but he knew better now. He’d get his justice, but it wouldn’t be on the backs of innocents…he hoped.

Targeting just one conductor with an empty train seemed the least likely to cause overwhelming damage. The derailment would still call into question the head of transportations thoroughness on the job and bring riders safety into question even if the train that derailed was empty. It was a risk. There was no guarantee the conductor would still make it out alive if something went wrong or the train derailed a certain way. If they did live, would they be permanently injured? Would they be able to walk? Talk? Be able to resume a normal life? Would they be allowed back at their job if it was deemed a medical emergency? It was a really big risk considering going after a train nearly empty might make Shido question his conviction to his cause. He hoped he could explain it away by needing to do it as early as possible to still make it to school on time without arousing suspicion of himself.

This whole situation reminded him far too much of the Trolley Problem thought experiment that he had read about during his time milling over philosophy and ethics books while trying to blend in like a regular student. It was a thought experiment stylized on the ethical dilemmas of whether it was just to sacrifice one person to save a larger number of people. If you didn’t intervene more casualties would occur, but if you did intervene at least one casualty was ensured.

If Akechi saved a larger number of people by stopping Shido, was it worth this one innocent life possibly being lost in the process? If he did nothing and Shido caught on to him too early there may be no one to stop him long term and more people would die and suffer by the man's hand, meanwhile he could derail one singular train and it may come at the cost of the life or livelihood of a singular train conductor.

Akechi sighed as he moved over to his desk, sliding into the chair, opening his laptop as he did. He had research to do before finalizing his plan and putting it into action in a few hours. He quietly typed in the password as he ran over every different option in his head again and again trying to find a different outcome but always coming up short. 

He didn’t like the plan…but he didn’t have a choice. Shido would cause the death of far more people if he was allowed to become Prime Minister, Akechi had to stop him before then even if it meant stepping on a few toes again. Even if it meant possibly getting more blood on his hands. He just wasn’t a fan of how it felt this time around.





Akira had laid in his bed for what felt like hours staring up at the roof of the cafe, that while familiar, felt so different than the last time he had been there. When Boss had shown him the room he had frowned at the prospect of having to clean the entirety of the attic on his own again and Sojiro had taken it simply at his displeasure of a room such as this. He quickly reassured him that wasn’t the case and thankfully Sojiro seemed to brush it off and head off for the night without too much fuss. Akira had followed him down after a few minutes, remembering his first night Sojiro had forgotten to flip the open sign and handling it ahead of time.

Once Sojiro’s call came through and Akira had reassured him the sign was flipped, Akira was left alone with his thoughts for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He’d had Morgana by his side for so long the past year and a half that it felt so strange not to have the not-cat there sleeping beside him.

At least this time around Boss had seemed at least a little nicer upon first meeting him, or perhaps it was his imagination from knowing how kind Boss could be. Akira wasn't really sure…

It felt like hours had passed as he stared up at the unchanging wood ceiling before Akira finally determined that sleep was simply going to elude him for the rest of the night, which yeah, that sucked. Especially since if everything went the same then tomorrow was to be his first excursion into the metaverse with Ryuji and his meeting of Morgana and well…

He sighed, sitting up slowly leaning his face to sit on his open palm as he looked over the attic, once again cluttered with a random assortment of things from Sojiro’s life, a table, a bike, a tarp, and an assortment of boxes of random things shoved up here to conserve space. His eyes were suddenly drawn to his box that he’d shoved into the shelf earlier that night when it caught his eye for some reason and suddenly sat up straight when he swore he saw something glowing inside the flap of the box.

Akira moved to his feet instantly and moved for the box without another thought, kicking a few things out of the way as he did before sliding the box back off the shelf and opening it. There the glow seemed to be coming from under his clothes. He quickly cleared off the couch and dusted it, before sitting his clothes on it. He was excited and curious but he still needed to do his best to keep his clothes as clean as possible, especially since Boss wasn’t exactly going to let him wander Yongen-Jaya yet to do his laundry at night like he preferred.

Once the pile of clothes were swiftly moved out of the way Akira froze staring down at the contents of the box. Looking into the box he stared in awe at the assortment of items he was vaguely familiar with. A notebook here, a handwritten note card with a curry recipe there, a gun controller, a fountain pen, a business card, a miniature version of Yusuke’s desire and hope painting that had won his competition, the gecko pin, Mishima’s documentary plans, an extra of morgana’s scarfs, a sports watch, a kosha piece, interview notes with a stain on the corner, definitely alcohol, a fortune tarot card, a dog tag, a coupon for a very specific service only one phone call away, a promise list, a fashion magazine that featured Ann on the front, a dyed handkerchief, a buchi calculator, a letter written and signed by Lavenza herself, and a small tray used for water plants. As he glanced over each item he slowly and carefully picked them up, giving them a small once over before setting them down on the floor by him.

There, near the very bottom, were multiple bookmarks and there at the very bottom a key, shining bright blue and demanding his attention. The very nature of the key felt otherworldly and it exuded an energy that had a gentle thrumming form under the skin of his fingers as he reached down for it.

He slowly picked it up and even in the real world it floated above his hand for only a moment before the blue enveloping the key moved to envelope his hand, slinking down his arm and finally floating over his chest for a moment, right above his heart.

Once there though it stayed, hovering as if asking for permission before moving any further. Akira could only nod and the moment he did, the blue energy rushed towards him, disappearing as it made contact with his nightshirt before suddenly an overwhelming rush of energy flooded through him, from the ends of his fingers to the tips of his toes. And suddenly his heart felt wider again . He noticed things had felt off since he’d woken up once again on the train to Shibuya but until that moment he hadn't been able to place it but now. With the key in his hand, he suddenly felt the space where his persona’s sat was open again, and there was distinct distant buzzing there. He couldn’t help the reassured smile that came to his face at the feeling. He had missed this…missed them. He held the key close for a moment as he simply focused on the distant buzzing in the back of his head and in his heart. He didn’t know who all was there, but if that warm feeling licking at the back of his mind was any indicator Arsene was there, hovering, ready for tomorrow and whatever else this world threw at them again.

Akira decided since he wasn’t going to be getting any sleep he may as well look over some of the items from the box. He slowly picked up each item from before, staring at them as he slowly recalled who each item was tied to. As he went through each item though a frown began to slowly form on his face as he realized he had everything he had received from the people he had made bonds with over the course of the past year there in that box except the most important thing. He quickly sat what he had in his hands on the ground as a small panic hit him.

Where was Akechi’s glove? It hadn’t been in his uniform’s inside pocket today, or his bag. He looked at the box, now sitting empty before him. He gripped the sides and quickly flipped it over, shaking it harshly hoping to magically make the glove appear. All that came out was a few specks of dust however no matter how harshly he shook it.

Panic flooded his veins. WHERE WAS THE GLOVE?!

He jumped to his feet, knocking a few things over as he did but it didn't matter, not right then when the leather glove he had held onto tightly since the day it was flung at him was suddenly nonexistent among all the other items. Why was that the only item he didn’t have?! The one that mattered the most to him. He searched around the other items, under the couch and anywhere it simply could have fallen to but no matter how hard he looked he came up empty handed.

Akira stood up and harshly kicked the chair nearby frustrated tears welling in his eyes. He could hear the chair tumble off somewhere to the left but he didn’t care. He’d broken their promise, he’d lost the glove, he had lost the last piece connecting him to * his Akechi * and their bond. The Akechi he would never see again and suddenly the warm feeling that had been in his heart moments ago was replaced with lead and sorrow.

He whined, frustrated as he stared at all the other items, the sudden urge to throw every single one of them away flooding his veins, to throw them out the window, to break them, to shatter them till they couldn’t be fixed. The urge was overwhelming.

“Pathetic. Throwing away the rest of your bonds just for me now when I don’t even exist anymore. ” A voice sneered at him, Akechi’s voice. He knew he was being impulsive, ridiculous but… That glove was the last thing he had of his Akechi and it being the only thing gone left him feeling hollow and empty, like someone had reached in and scraped all of his heart out of him.

Why of all the items did it have to be that one?

He groaned as he walked back over to the bed, he’d put everything up later, right now he found he had no energy to even try. Idly he wondered where Akechi bought his gloves from, maybe he could go out and buy a pair and-

“Trying to replace something you lost .” It was Akechi’s voice again sneering down at him. “It wasn’t about the glove Kurusu, it was about the promise. That can't be replaced.” He was right of course, but that didn’t make Akira feel any less alone as he stared up at the ceiling. No little stickers glow in the dark stars staring back at him anymore. And for the moment no Morgana either, he knew he had the bonds with people but…at that moment he felt so alone…

He glanced at all the items on the floor one more time before turning over to face the window and try to sleep.

"He and I shall always be by your side Ma moitié. Rest for now." Arsene's voice rang from deep inside his heart.

Akira hummed softly at the words, letting them wash over him like a blanket of comfort, before his eyes slowly close.

He was going to go glove shopping some time this week.

Chapter Text

The world came back to Akechi in delayed blurred burbs. Everything felt so far away and yet so close at the same time, as if he couldn’t breath and yet there was far too much air in the room. Slowly things came back to him one at a time, the feeling of something rough and tight around his wrists, how his throat felt raw and worn, how hard it felt to breath, how whatever it was he was laying on dug painfully into his back. Everything else though stayed blurrily on the edges of his vision and consciousness, as if he were floating in a small void that only consisted of the immediate things that his senses could pick up on.

He floated there for a few moments before what sounded like garbled words could be heard off in the distance, as if someone were saying words to him but they were both deep underwater miles away from one another. There was a pause then more of what may have been words yet again nothing processed in his brain properly for him to be able to have any semblance of an idea what was being said his way. The silence came again moments later and he found himself appreciating it as he fought to get the pile of goo his brain currently was into working order but every time a solid thought began to form it felt like it was whisked away into the abyss instead leaving him floating alone.

Suddenly it felt like there was a tiny prick of something in his arm and the feeling stayed there for a moment before retreating. Nothing happened for a moment before a rush of heat flooded through him starting from the pin prick and quickly rushing through the entirety of the rest of his body, into his chest down to his toes and into his finger tips before dying out and leaving him feeling bone chillingly cold.

Then everything came rushing back into sharp clarity all at once as his heart started racing, his pulse pounding loudly in his ears, his palms began to sweat and he could feel his breathing picking up and then quickly slowing a moment after.

*Adrenaline*

His brain offered to him, the first coherent thought that he had been able to manage since waking up, after a few moments of shakily adjusting to the stark difference in feelings from just a few moments before. Things came into focus around him one at a time.

The first being a man in a trench coat about 5 feet from him huffing, seeming annoyed, as he scribbles something onto a clipboard not looking away from Akechi with that disappointed look the entire time he did. The wall of glass across from where he laid, dark, a one way mirror he vaguely remembered. Feeling came back to him in sharp bouts as he could feel the leather cuffs around his wrist and legs restraining him dig harshly into raw bleeding wrists and ankles when he tried to move. The four straps keeping him bound to the flat metal surface he was laying on, he wouldn’t call it a bed even under extreme duress, leaving no room whatsoever to move anything but his head. The pristine sterile white walls that surrounded him on all sides seemed like a taunting jab at him, white and pristine yet hiding the horrid dark things that happened within them, much like his own Robin Hood Metaverse outfit had. He winced slightly when an overwhelmingly bright light began to shine down into his face from a large lamp light structure hovering just above him less than a foot away from him. He had to pointedly look away from it to prevent his vision from being completely encapsulated by the light. He looked back at the man nearby as his brain finally seemed to finish putting all the pieces together and came back to him in some form of working order.

He blinks down at himself, clothed in only a scrappy looking gown of sorts looking thoroughly trashed with cuts in it and red stains on it that his rolling stomach didn’t want to think about at the moment.

If his heart hadn’t already been racing from the adrenaline they’d injected into him to wake him up Akechi’s sure his heart would be racing as realization settled in his very bones at just where he was.

*The Hospital*

“Robin?” He let the question echo in his head in a semi panic but all that responded to his desperate plea was silence in his mind. His head and his heart feeling hollow and empty.

No…no… NO

“Loki?!” This question came out far more panicked than the previous one as he began to try and tug against the restraints again ignoring how the tight leather tore into his already painful wrists hoping perhaps the pain would help force his persona’s presence to the forefront of his mind as it tended to do.

Once again silence was the only thing that greeted him and he roughly bit down on his lip to prevent the broken noise that rose in his throat at the realization that neither of his persona’s responded to his desperate pleas despite the pain he was in. He could feel his heart thudding against his chest, his pulse rushing in his ears like a cascading waterfall loud and overwhelming.

“Hereward?” He tried as a final last attempt to see if there was any indication that there was anyone sitting in his mind, his heart, but himself. The echoing silence he got in return made him shiver even as he continued his weak struggle against his restraints. He just needed to get out of his restraints then he could…he could…

Cold realization settled into his chest when he realized there was nothing he could do. Even if he got free, he felt no strength in his legs and he doubted he’d be able to stay standing for long, let alone long enough to get past the doctors and out of wherever the hell it was they were holding him.

It’d been months and the only time he’d been out of the room, he’d been so drugged up that everything had simply passed by in swirls of color in his vision rather than making any form of sense in his mind. He’d never make it out in this condition but he couldn’t give up. He wouldn’t give Shido one last victory against him even after his defeat by the Phantom Thieves. He wouldn’t let his father take anything else from him or anyone else. He’d keep fighting till he died. Whenever that was.

Probably whenever they finally realized he wasn’t going to give them anything

He’d always rationalized he didn’t need anyone, relying on people made you weak and foolish. It made it where you opened yourself to the pain that came with them no longer being in your life if you let yourself care. It was simply easier to make your peace with being abandoned. Then you'll never be disappointed when everyone inevitably leaves you. Maybe that’s why this hurts so much worse than someone like Sae-san, his mother or even Akira inevitably leaving him like he always knew they would.

The people that had come into his life one way or another by his own decision or from the path he had chosen to walk were one thing but for Robin to leave him? 

Hereward?

Loki?

The fact that very pieces of his own self would turn their back on him and leave him to suffer alone when he needed them most made him feel more alone than the foster homes, the never ending oppressive dark  halls of Mementos, or long nights on the streets ever had.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson was so royally full of fucking shit.

“Tis Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

No, that was so wrong it felt physically painful. If he hadn’t known the warmth of their companionship, the comfort of their presences, the thrill of fighting alongside them, the safety of knowing they were there for him, the support they offered him inside and outside of the metaverse, and the kindness he would never have usually shown himself if not for their encouragement at times. Then the hollowness he felt inside his heart right then would never feel nearly as mind numbly, bone gnawingly, heartbreakingly deep as it did now.

He had been abandoned and left behind by everyone in his life, his parents, his supposed friends, and now…even his personas. He had no one to turn to for help and no one would ever come looking for him. He was thoroughly trapped until he either gave these sadists the answers they wanted or their experiments went a little too far and his body finally gave out.

He was trapped like a rat.

A lab rat.

He would have scoffed if he had the energy. There were only so many ironies he could handle at one time. His whole life was seeming more and more like one big ironic joke with every day that passed though.

His attention was snapped out of his own self pitying wallowing when whatever the man was writing was done, he walked over and grabbed Akechi’s jaw harshly, fingers digging into his cheeks, as he yanked his head this way and that.

Akechi growled, or tried to but his throat burned in protest and it came out more of a whine much to his mortification as the man rolled his eyes at the noise. Akechi wanted nothing more at that moment than to claw the man’s eyes out and pulls at the restraints instinctively. Rage pulled at the back of his mind as he managed to move his hands less than an inch from where they were strapped down by the leather only succeeding in scratching the rough texture against his already rubbed raw wrists wetness pooling lightly below the straps.

After a few more moments of the man yanking his face this way and that, he clicked his teeth, seeming disappointed by whatever it was he was looking for before releasing his head and letting it fall again. Akechi did his best to snap his mouth at the man’s fingers as he pulled them away but missed by what may as well have been a basketball court, catching only empty air between his teeth, the clacking of them reverberating through his skull at the force he’d slammed them shut and he was forced to blink a few times to be able to focus again.

The man before him scoffed at his attempt as if he were a toddler throwing a temper tantrum and not someone who had killed more people and gotten away with it than anyone else his age.

“Akechi, that's a pathetic attempt compared to your previous ones.” The man huffed, shaking his head as if he were talking about the weather and not the boy's willingness to bite off the man’s very fingers.

“How…Here…” His voice was quiet even when he tried to force it louder. His tired voice didn’t seem like it could handle anymore than the small choppy bits that made their way out. He wanted to demand answers.

“You didn’t really think you could get away from us for long did you?” He said shaking his head again like the very idea was pure nonsense. “We know where you live, Akechi. It didn't take us very long to Reacquire you after your silly little escape last month.” The man let out a quick humorless chuckle. “To think your body took this long to recover, after the acquisition, for you to take this long to wake up again. Perhaps you aren’t as resilient as we had come to believe. Truly just a child in the real world, the only power you have at all coming from that other world.”

The man took one more glance over Akechi before seeming unsatisfied by whatever it was he was looking for before turning away with a scoff looking over his clipboard now as he walked away.

“To think the guard dog that all of Shido’s men were so scared of was such a pathetic thing.” The man said with a sneer as he walked. “Truly a case of fear mongering by Shido to keep everyone in line, rumors being used to control everyone's thoughts and actions. The threat of sudden and inevitable death by the hands of his attack dog if you stepped out of line and yet his supposed greatest weapon was a child who’s throat we could very well slit at any given time if we really wanted to.” He shook his head as he walked towards the door that sat next to a giant glass window. 

That was the door that led to the observation booth if Akechi remembered correctly.

“To think we were willing to let that man be our best hope for this country and to allow him to put him as Prime Minister when his greatest weapon was-”

The door opened in front of him and before the man could get another syllable out about Akechi’s worthless father, his head disappeared from his shoulders. A loud overwhelming bang filling the room made Akechi’s ears ring once again. The man’s body stood there for a few moments more before it slumped to the floor silently after that.

The woman standing in the doorway looked down at the unmoving man, unimpressed, nudging his body a bit with the pointed tip of her heeled shoe. She sighed, adjusting her glasses a bit with the end of the gun as her other hand held her own clipboard close to her chest when the man didn’t magically start to move again.

"What a waste of manpower but we never needed the unfaithful in our cause. Someone get his clipboard and prepare to check his results against our previous findings. We must be prepared to do whatever it takes to enable Shido-san’s return to power once we figure out how to undo this Change of Heart nonsense " She spoke bluntly as a few other people rushed around her and towards the body to dispose of it dragging it off somewhere Akechi couldn’t see.

The woman sighed softly as she deposited the gun on a small table alongside her own clipboard before she made her way over to him. Akechi’s tired mind quickly reminded him who she was, what she was, dangerous. The head researcher from this whole damned group. She’d been overseeing all the experiments from the very first one when he first woke up after February 3rd, when he thought he’d never wake up again.

She was tall, taller than Yusuke and she was even more so in those damn heels she was always wearing that clacked loudly on the linoleum floors with every step she took. Her long black hair pulled into a high ponytail that trailed down her back, a piece coming loose every so often that she had to tuck behind her ear and her glasses. She always wore the same outfit every time he saw her, that long medical coat, the heels, her slightly oversized glasses and light blue lipstick. Something about her reminded him of Akira’s blasted Doctor friend but more…motherly in a way. She had the kind of face that you’d feel comfortable approaching when you were lost or needed help. She was so unsuspecting that he was sure if he’d first met her outside of this room he never would have suspected her to be the kind of person to remove a man’s head from his shoulders without blinking but then again, he hadn’t seemed like the killer type either.

“Oh Akechi-kun I’m so sorry you had to see that.” She cooed as she walked over to him, gently carding her fingers through his hair, brushing it behind his ears like a mother would before she went about gently straightening his hair. “We couldn’t let him stand there and bad talk you and your father though.” Akechi glared at her calling that piece of human shit his father but she just ignored it.

She giggled softly as she adjusted some of the electrodes on his forehead and his arms before pinching his cheek a bit and leaning back to look him over. She frowned a bit as she reached over for one of his wrist restraints looking it over and sighing.

“Oh Akechi-kun when are you going to learn your lesson, you aren’t leaving until you tell us everything we want to know. I’ve told you time and again the only damage that’s allowed to happen to you is by our hands for the experiments. Anything else is you doing damage to government property you know. ” She hummed, shaking her head disappointed as she turned his hands in them, grinning slightly at the hiss of pain Akechi couldn’t help but let out as the leather rubbed into his raw wrists again reopening wounds. “Awhhh does that hurt?” She cooed before yanking the straps harsher against his wrist and Akechi bit his lip harshly to prevent a noise from being torn from him.

She frowned, seeming disappointed but released his hand this time instead bending down to look him over again even as Akechi could feel the stream of liquid running down his arm now from his bleeding wrist. She checked a few other spots that the electrode endings were still secure before standing up straight again and ruffling his hair that she herself had only moments ago straightened.

“It’s rather unlucky that that pig had decided to open his big mouth.” She chuckled with a shake of her head, glancing back at the mess of red on the ground behind her. “We won’t have time for questions today since we’re going to have to do some heavy cleaning but don’t you worry we’ll have all of the questions ready for you again when you wake up again.” She giggled before reaching into her pocket pulling out a capped syringe. 

The woman pops the cap off, flicking it off to the side somewhere out of sight before tapping it a few times to make sure there were no air bubbles before reaching up to bury her other hand in his hair to yank his head roughly to the side exposing his neck to her. 

“Nighty night Akechi-kun~” She purred before there was a sharp prick of pain on his neck before the rush of cold flooded in from the spot and quickly expanded through his body making his already sluggish muscles feel even weaker. She smiled as she released his head, letting it flop to his chest as darkness encroached on the edges of his vision. 

“Sweet dreams. See you soon.” Her voice felt like it was echoing around him as the darkness took over completely. 

✦

Akechi had never been kicked by a horse or any kind of farm animal for that matter but he had to imagine this was the closest he’d ever come to feeling like that. The air left his lungs in a quick rush leaving him completely breathless as if he had been slammed into by an Oni’s club. Everything felt far away for a moment before rushing back to him at lightning speed, he was distantly sure there was an irony there. He blinked a few times seeing the people standing before him saying something, he wasn’t sure if it was directed at him or each other, but he couldn’t make it out at all through the ringing in his ears. He felt his back arch up as if to try and get away from the pain but almost as soon as it started it ended leaving him flopping back to the table weakly. He panted a few times.

“Well Akechi-kun?” The Doctor closest asked him curiously with a small tilt of their head as if they hadn’t just shot him full of more volts than a taser. He took a moment to get his head back on straight before saying:

“Eat. Shit.”

A fist slammed harshly into his jaw making it jerk harshly to the right, stars bursting behind his vision and blood pooling in his mouth. He hadn’t been prepared for that at all, this was the first time they’d hit him themselves. Perhaps he finally was starting to get under their skin. He shakily looked back up to them still blinking back the stars until he could see again even as blood pooled into his mouth from his definitely busted lip.

The Doctor before him though seemed completely unphased.

“You must have misheard me, Akechi-kun.” They said in a simple clinical way that made Akechi want nothing more than to make them lose their cool again. “I’ll repeat it for you since you clearly are having trouble understanding.”

Akechi glared at the man for treating like he was a disobedient toddler and not a self trained killer.

“Tell us how to access the Metaverse and how you were able to cause the deaths of civilians from there as well as how to reverse a Change of Heart..” He demanded simply, the same questions day in and day out. Akechi rolled his eyes. You would think they’d get it that he had no intention of helping his father or anyone associated with him ever again.

“Oh you want to talk about the Metaverse.” He smirked, revealing blood covered teeth. “I forgot the world revolves around you. My apologies, how silly of me but as you can see I’m a bit tied up at the moment. Perhaps you untie me and we can talk.” Talk as in Akechi shoving his foot so far up the other mans ass that-

His thoughts cut off as electricity shot through him again making all rational thoughts flee his mind as only pain encapsulated it instead. It lasts longer than last time and he distantly thinks he hears screaming.

Finally it ends and he flops back limply against the metal frame. As sensation slowly comes back to him he does his best to swallow the blood and saliva that have pooled in his mouth and it hurts going down.

Oh.

He’d been screaming.

Akechi took a few moments to just ignore the two in front of him as he spit some of the excess blood onto the floor near him before slowly raising his head to stare definitely past them and towards the glass panes behind them where he knew the lead scientist stood observing them. He smirked a bit and let one of his hands close all but one finger to flip them the bird, even if he couldn’t speak directly to her for the moment, he’d rebel in another way.

“One more try for today, Akechi.” The Doctor said rather bluntly, all pretense gone from his voice when Akechi felt something cold being pressed against his head and his attention was drawn back to the two before him instead. This was a first, they’d never threatened him with actual death before.

Akechi frowned but did not flinch away from the gun as it was dug harshly into his temple. Long before he’d truly started down this road, even when the revenge plan was only just forming. He had long  known  that  he’d eventually be struck down. He never had some lofty ideal that he’d ever make it out of his teens. He was his fathers attack dog and he, like any other animal that turned against their master, that bit the hand that fed them, would eventually be put down. 

He’d die like a dog. He had accepted his mortality long before he even saw a life for himself and having faced death square in the face twice now, Akechi knew he was not afraid even as the safety was clicked off.

He took a moment to let them think they had some kind of leverage before he let a chuckle out and smirked once more.

“Do it. ” He taunted knowing once he was out of the picture they’d lose any strings or leads they had to the metaverse at all. None of them understood the research without someone to explain application wise and Akechi had never once spoke the names of any of the thieves to anyone but Shido and the three men who had been in the interrogation room. All three men who had long since made themselves scarce when they realized the phantom thief leader they had questioned wasn’t as dead as they thought.

Goro stared the doctor in the eyes, grin never leaving his bloody lips, even as he felt the man digging it harsher into his temple, grip tightening. He and the doctor stared into each others eyes both waiting for the other to fold before finally the man in front of him hissed angrily yanking the gun away and tossing his hands up in frustration clicking the safety back on before tossing it back onto the tray of other persuasion equipment. Goro’s grin never left even as the two doctors both stormed away towards the observation deck together.

“Hey Doc.” He called after them, feeling a deep satisfaction at the way he spun to glare at him. “When you get home later and look in the mirror, say hi to the clown you see in there for me, would you?”

When the man marched back over to slam another fist into his jaw even as the other doctor was yelling at him to get a grip. Akechi couldn’t help but recognize he probably deserved that for goading the man on but the smirk still never left his bloody lips even as the room started to blur in his vision.

✦

Waking up to electricity flowing through him had become a norm he was growing used to but today they had no intentions of stopping at small sparks trying to get some form of information out of him. No, it seemed today was simply about pain and a message. He’d finally told them about a month ago that the metaverse didn’t exist anymore, at least that was the conclusion he’d come to after months on end of no contact with the personas who had become a part of him. The doctors however had not been content with an answer like that and the questioning continued, now with the same repeated answers.

Akechi yanked against the straps that held him to the bed. "I FUCKING TOLD YOU IT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE YOU DUMBASSE-" He bit harshly into his lip cutting himself off as the electricity rushing through him this time was even worse than the last. When it stopped he flopped back but didn’t stop glaring, he wouldn’t give in.

“You have no intention of being cooperative, do you Akechi?” The voice of that blasted woman cooed softly through the intercom system and once again he just flipped her the bird and was rewarded with another jolt even stronger this time, lasting longer. When it finally ended this time Akechi found he was fighting to catch his breath this time and distantly realized his whole body was still shaking.

Fuck Fuck Fuck

He just needed a minute, a moment to focus, a second to get his bearings and he’d be ok. He’d be-.

It was worse. It was so much worse. It never seemed to end.

Akechi hadn’t realized the electricity had stopped till his blurry mind registered talking.

“Put the bit back into his mouth before he bites through his own tongue.” The woman’s voice had turned cold now instead of that overly fake sweetness she usually used when addressing him. “We need him to be able to speak after all this is over after all. He still has many secrets about the Metaverse to tell us,”

The woman  walked up and buried their hand in his hair, long nails clawing roughly at his scalp. If he could utter a single noise by that point he’s sure he’d have cried out from the pain. He was surely bleeding now.

They yanked him up by his hair to face them but he had no energy to hold his head up so the full weight of it pulled down at the clump of hair securely in their grasp. 

“So Akech-kun~i, going to talk now? Tell us how to fix your dear dad?” They smirked yanking harder to prove the upper hand they had, as if the hours of electrical torture and thorough questioning before this hadn’t proved it. 

Akechi let his mouth open and the words came out broken, and too small to be heard. The woman laughed excitedly and they leaned in expectantly. 

*SPLAT*

A wad of spit and blood smacked into her face instead ruining her makeup.

“Fuck….you….” His broken voice got out.

Akechi lost any semblance of the world around himself.


Fuck Fuck Fuck

He just needed a minute, a moment to focus, a second to get his bearings and he’d be ok. He’d be-.

It was worse. It was so much worse.

His back arched from the table, yanking at the restraints as electricity flowed through his body. 

Days blurred into weeks blurred into an unclear sense of time.

How long had he been there?

He didn’t know anymore…

Akechi was so tired.

He couldn’t feel his wrists anymore.







He could hear what sounded like an old loud speaker crackling on, old and disused, crackling and popping at every few words making it nearly impossible to make out what they were saying.



There was murmuring again.
There was warmth in his heart.
His…Personas?
He was tired.













“We just…word from Mr. K̵̪͆͊̒͑̿͒̊̈́͆̿͋o̷͚̮͐̐̊́̎̅͒̋̓̚͝͝ņ̶̷̷̷̷̴̸̶̷̴̶̴̸̷̴̷̷̨̡̡̧̢̢̡̡̧̡̛̛̯̲͍̮̺̹̭͓̹̰̹̩̹̗̘͇̺͙̬̟̜̥̪͓͎̺̭̙̪̪̯̫̠͉̩͙̜̩͔̦̲͉͚̫͎͚͙͍̱͙̺͈̲̱̖̖̬̥̺̥͚̰͔̬̻̻̘̞̻̰̮͙̜̠̖̘͈͎͓̖̬̫̬̩̹̖̼̺̮͔̜̬̖͖̪̱͕͑̈́̂͆̊̑̓̋́̋̽̄͗̾͗̃̇̀͋́͋͊̾̌̒̽̍̑́̋͛̎̋̎̅̍̃͋̂͛́̀̃̂͌̂̓͂͐̂̌̀̅̓̈́̅̀̓͛͊̈́̈̌͌̅̌́̑̓̉͊̽͌̂̾̀̈́̇̿́̉̿̌̓̏̄̔̔̀̒͋̚͘̕̕̚̕͜͜͜͝͝͠͝͝͝͠ͅͅơ̸̸̷̵̴̴̸̵̷̶̶̶̴̵̵̴̸̷̸̸̴̴̧̧̢̨̨̨̧̨̧̨̡̢̨̢̨̢̛̛̙͙͚͉̲̙̰͙͖͉̞͚̹̜̖͔̬̺̟̜̥̬̳̝̥̮̞̥̜̮̜̮̺͖̱̺͙̗̱̟͔̬̜̬̳͔͙͍̩̟͈̥̯̮̼̗̺̙̜̥͙̰͇̦͚̙̙̳̰̞̱̭̤̜̞̫̻͚̳͉̖̤̣̣̹̖͙̳̻̟͎̰͎̹̩̗̬͈͙͎̲̪̬̮̝͚͚̠̰̻͎͓̻̪̖̜͚̱̲̾͊̑̓͊̀̌̌̉̎̈́̀̓̅̅̄͂̒̃̐́̀͊̄̅͒͐̎̂̒̄̽͊̿̈́̈́̆̊̐̅̍̆̐͑̄̌̍̉͛̃̃͋̈́͊̑̒̊̒̈́̊̊̏̑̔̾̓̈́̓̈́̈́̍̏̊̋̄̂̄͌̇̇͊̄͑̿̓̈́̓̒͒̌̇̓͋́̐̅͑̃̋͒̉͌̀̀̉͋͛͐̋̾̿͐̇̿͐̌͋͒̑͑͐̌̅̕̚̕̚͘̕̚͘͘̕̕̚̕͜͜͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅė̴̴̴̵̶̶̷̶̴̷̴̵̵̵̷̷̷̷̶̵̶̷̴̵̸̵̴̶̴̸̴̵̴̡̡̧̡̡̡̢̢̨̢̡̡̢̢̢̧̢̢̢̧̢̨̛̛̛̛̦̜̼̗̗͚̱̥͙̰͙̯̜͕̭̗̩̼̬͎͍͎̥̗͍̮̹̤̮͎͓̻͕͇͍̱͓̻̲̠͔̺̪͕̣̳̹͙͉͕̹͈̞͎̤̝̳̘͍̯̙͉͓̘͈̱̬̳̹̪̟̹̲͉̰̫̼̗̬̜̳̺̫̙̲͇̞̼̜̰͙͓̫͚̻̝̪̻͉̝̝̗̱̺̹͚̙͚̯̮̮̱͉̯̺̙͔̹͇͚̰̺̝͎̞̲̥̻̩̩̪̣͓̩̦̖̟̟̦̲̱͇̘̟̳͓̥̯̣͍̳̤̼̼̣̳̞̯͈̩̣̰͔̗̮̭̦̘̯͙̥͈̣̦̪̜͖̰̬͔͚͍͍̰͓̻͈̰͕̥̤̒͌͛̂̓̏̄̾̈͑̈́̇̿̅̽͛̿́͒͛̍͑̉͆̈́͐̀̆̽̑͐̐̈́̎̉̀̌̀͗̾͊̈̎̋̓͊̀́͋͆͐̿̑͛͆̏̐̀̒̿̾̄̊͒̂͌̽̌͑̏̄͌̂̆̌̋̆̂̆͐̅̿̀̇̋̓̋̒̿͂͒̀̄́͋̇̉́̊̍̉̌̈͗͊̉̀̉̔̆́̽͌̇̇̆̑̾̉̆́̔̀̊̐͑̓͌͐͑̔̓̌͗̈̄̒͐̑̀̓̃̀̋̈́͗̎̾̇̊̌̈́̄͑̓̅̒̓͊̆̉̅͌̎̈́͛̄͒̃̓͛̊̈́̂̈́̑͒͒̒̀̎͂̊̽̑̍̀̊͊̈́͑̈̈́̉̀̈̀̌̓́͐͂͑͌̅̐̑̾͘̕͘͘̕̚̕̚͘̚͘̕͘̕̕͜͜͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͠ͅͅͅͅ   and the ̷̷̶̸̵̵̶̸̷̸̴̵̷̶̵̷̶̶̷̨̢̧̡̡̨̛̛̱͔̦̰̬̺͉̙̜̯̳̟̟͕͈̺̭̬͓̥̦̮̝̬̜̖͇͇͉̥̟̯̜̤͍̰̘̺̗̝̭̬̫̙̣͖͕̮͔̜̠͓̼̖̟͔̙̳͈̯͇̲̞̙͖̙̙͉̭͕̳͔̠̪̝̟͈̦̖͔̠̰͉͈̣͍̩̜̳͔̯͈̞̠̦̦̘̻̤̬̻͕͙͉͎͚̙̯̟͉̼̹̰̮̼̘̲̬̪̲̦͖̲̖̩̼͈̆̋̇͆͂̍̾̄́̿̾͂͆͌͌̃͊̓̉͛͒̽̀̎̉͊̋̈͒̏̾̏̈́͒̓̾̌̏͊̓̏̈́̔̿̽͐̋̄̂̓̽̽̾̂̏͊͒̂́̀̃͌́͒̇́̀̐̽͆̊͊́̽̀͊͒̓̅͗͆̾̓̀̽̉̃͂̀͆͑̅̀̈́́̿͑͛̅̂̓̈͘̕̕̚͘̚̚̚͘͘̕͜͜͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͠ͅƠ̸̶̴̵̸̴̵̴̵̶̵̶̵̶̶̸̶̴̵̧̧̡̛̫̝̘̱͇̗͚̭̮̹͕̫̱̤͍̦͉̩̭͈͕̪͕̱͙̯̲̱̬͓̻̬̩͕̼̞̗͉͚̭͇͎̫̩̘̱̠̯̪̞͙̘͇̰̳̮̯̦̲͕͔̳̞͙̣̖̠̞̱͚͖͚̱̗̤̠͈͖͓̮̋͑̅̂̐̈̉̏̅͗̃̈́̐̅̓͌̾́̆̈́̒̈́͌̈́̅̅͌̾͂̊̋̈́̈́̿̐͐̅́̎̿͐̄̈̏̈̈́̑͋̈͆̓̈́̐̃͊͑̒̾̆̀̈̓́̇̏͆̑͌́͗̀̈̒͆̏͌͌̓͛̄͌͗͋̄͐̈̽̿̈́̓̎̽̃͌̀̽͋̆̊͘̚͘͘̚̕͘̚̚͘͜͜͠͝͝͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅͅͅk̷̶̶̶̷̶̵̸̶̷̷̷̶̸̵̸̵̴̸̵̶̡̨̡̧̡̢̨̧̨̛̛̛̹͓̥͎͉̙͔͙̲̬̖̖͕̮̳̠͔̥̙͓̤̞̯̳͉͚͕̹̥̣̦͖̤̼͙̯̫͙͎͉͓͖͈̮̺̯̟̘͚̱̭̰̩̟͍̝̫̰̩̬̺͙̝͙̖͇͓̬͓͍̮͈̠̱̼̘̠̺̳͇̬̖̼̗̱̫̯̩̺̳̩̥̱̥̠̟̩̲̭̣͉̍̊̊̔̑̉̉̎̑́̈́́̏̈́͛̊̾̐̌̽́̌́̉͌̿̉̍̅͑̅̑̈́͒͐̋̒̑̏̏̀̄̋͌̉̐́̉̇̆̾̍̏̅́͆̿͐̃̊̈́̓͗͛̿͑̍̅̀̏̒̈́̊͗̌͌̈́̄̑́̈́̈͛͊̿̓̽͐̐̅̊̀̍̐͗͑͒̓́̋̄̽̾̔̽͂̿̄̉͌̂̈́̃̂̍̉̒̄̎̿͋͛̃̎̚͘̚̕̕͘̕̕͜͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅͅį̶̷̶̷̷̵̴̵̴̵̸̵̨̢̡̛͔̤͚̬̤͈̙̣̰̻̝͍͖̲̜̲͇̹̱̟̞̭̳̳͙̫͕͖̞͔̙̯͙̣̠̳̱̜̣̪̻͕̮̟̯͙̰̫͙̜̾̆̽̇̇̏̌͋̋̃̐̌̒͂̍̀͊͂̀͗̆̿̔́̄̃͊̿̈́͗̐́̐̋̓̿̊̒̈́̃̒͋̏̐̂̎͑̀̓̐́̾̐̓̅̉̂͆́͌̕̚͘͘̕͝͝͠͝͝͝ͅͅͅń̵̶̸̵̷̴̶̷̵̷̶̸̶̶̵̸̷̷̡̧̡̧̡̨̢̧̛̛̫̲̥̪̖͚̞͓̼͙͉̗̮̮̰̪͔͕̲̭̳̩̺̞̲̰̭̭̩̱̱̙̥̬̫̗͈͕̙̟̤̘̗͓̥̥̬̞̥̳͎̹̺̺̥̪̬͓̻̩̺̼̱̖̺͉̹̪̻̥̤̬̦̝̬̘̱̫͍̜̺̝̻̺̣̬̼̰̖̯̫̹̼̞̪̩̹̺̗̻͖̤̣̖͙̯͉̦̜̭̦̼̼͍̭͎̾͑̀̋̅̄́̅͂̃̈́̊̆̎̈͒̂͛̌̾͑̿̀̈́̓̅̈́̒̈́̌̆́́̏̍̾̔̈́̓͋̓̆͌͂͐̍̾̈̌́̄͂̎͋̒̑͑͐̇͌͆̀̈̌͌͌̏̉̈͊̄̒͆̏̓̑̓͒̎̓̑̎̌̕̕̚̚̚̚͜͝͝͠͝͝͝͠ͅá̷̴̴̵̸̷̷̶̶̵̴̴̷̸̶̸̷̸̧̨̢̨̢̢̛̩̞͍̱͇̜̮̭̤̞̳͚̘͇̘̞͍̝͔̞̳̰̼͔̼̟̣̙͍͓̗͇̭̪͎͖͔̯̘̝̺̝̘̩̘͓̦̺̮̯̺͕̖̱͈͕̲͍̝̭̯̯̘̩̯͕͕̱̙̲̦̪͕̰̤̹̹̰̘͎̹͇̳̜͍̙̼̀̓͆͒͆͛́̽͊͛̀̎̐̑̒̓̑̃̉̍̃͑̃̏͐̉̂͑͗̃̇̌͑̂̊͗̄͐̎̍̽̈́̿̏̅͆̐̆̎̉̌̒̀̓̉̓̌̾̈͌̀̄́͐́̊́̍́̿́̐̉͐̉̇̉̈́͋̒̚̕̚͜͜͜͠ͅͅẁ̵̷̶̴̸̸̷̴̶̸̵̴̷̢̢̡̢̨̢̨̛̺̥̳̥̺̥͔͙͎͙͉̠̟̮̟͙̹͚͚̭͖̮̣̤̱̘̦̼̜̣͇͔̪͙̼̤̮̼̹̝̫͍̻̻͈̻̳̱͔͔̬̲͔͎̩̪̯̰̳̫̞͔͚͍̪̪͚̟̭͙̫̦͉̲̣̰̱̽̅̾͒̋̀̈́̒̅̔̔̓̐̒̐̃̽̈́̍̀̉́̾́̍́̇̏͒̎͊̏͂̊̐̈̎̏̓̉̎̔̎̿̈́̈̀̅̏̄͒̎̌͗͗̔͆͋̆̈́̉̌̀̀̑̑̃̚͘̚͝͝͝͠͝͠ͅͅa̷̵̵̶̸̴̷̷̴̸̴̴̵̴̷̷̴̶̷̶̵̸̧̨̡̧̡̡̨̡̨̢̡̧̨̨̡̢̡̢̛̛̱̠͚̪̤̺͙̯͈͈̫͎̙͎̹͖͎̜͇̞̹̜͈̳̳̺͕̹͇̟̠̖̞̰̙͉̮͖͕̻̣͈̠͖̘͎̯̳̳͖͍͎̙̳͉̘̘͔͉͔͙̟̣̖̫̺̗̮̘̟̳͇̙͚̗̭̝̯̥̖͇̖͇̙̦͇͎͔̮̜̬͍͉̜͖͕̜̖̝͚̻̥͇̗̬̟̯͙͙̩̲͕̩̘͖̪̜̯̻̩̹̦͓͎̱͚̙̯̤̝͍͉̟̦̱͎̫͕̒̀̄͐̎̾͒̀̓̑̏͗̑̓́̄̌̂͆͊͑̐́͋̂͊͑̐̂̅̂̽̐͆̍͑͊̽̆̾̿͌̽̂̾̌̎̐̔͑̈̅͑̎̋̈̊̊͑̀̈́̾̽̀̋̌͆͂̓̇̐̃̊̌͋̍̋̊̈̐̆̐̑̍̌̒́̆͊̽͌̓̄̿͂̽̾̏͐̎͋̅̈́͂̔̚͘͘̕̕̕͘͘͘͜͜͜͜͜͜͝͝͠͠͝͠͝͝͠  research l-b. We sho– be able to man–st a J̷̷̴̷̷̵̸̵̶̴̸̵̵̷̵̵̶̵̶̶̶̸̵̵̨̢̨̢̧̢̢̢̢̨̧̡̧̢̧̡̢̢̨̢̡̢̛̛̛̛̬͉̖̪̭͚̞̺̤͍̠̮̗̥̣̘̯̼͍̦̯̫̯̠̬̹̺̜̠̙̥̘̲̤̫͎̭̫̫̭͕̝͙͓̟͇̩͓̖͎̤̦̭̬͙͔̟̫͍̦̼̙̼̠̱̤̙̰̥̣̱̣͚̹̝̰̦̖̖͙͓̼̮̱̫̦͇͙̳̟̬͉͓̲̼̥̹̝͓̖̖̥̼̰̘͓̤͕̱̰̯̹̪͓̹̮̖̠̲̩͉̪̫̼̘̹̜͈͍̤̗̖͇̟̫̮͇̟̫͍̣͉̼̬̻̭̳̯̫͍̘̺͙̥̪͕̝̻̱͓͓̻̘̬̥͇̯̝̘̣̲̼̦͇̲͈̆́́͗̈́͑̈́̉̈́̍͐͐̀̊̇̊́̐̂́̃̾̂͆̇̾̀͑͒̐̓̃͂̄̈̓̉̎́̄͋̈́́̈̐͗̉̏͂̑͋̉͂̈́͗̈̈́́͑̔̇̀̈̊͊̈͐̌̆̈́͐̇̿͒̒́̆̌͒͒̓̈́̄͐͛̏̽͆̈́͐̔̓͑͊̇̑͗̀͊̏̒̿͊̏̈̑͌̃͋̈̇͊̔̐̊̈̉̒̓̔́͐̄̀̈́̊̓̎̒̆̃͊͆̆͑͐͒̓̔̏̑͒̂̐̃̽͆̈́͌̈͊̓͌̀͐̑̓̑͒̎͊̋̅̂́͘͘͘̚̕̚͘̕̕̚̕͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͝͠͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅͅͅͅą̴̵̶̸̶̶̶̶̸̵̴̸̷̶̶̴̷̷̧̨̧̢̨̛͇͚̟̱͎̰̦̣̱̘̪̳̰͚̮̹̣̳̠͈̫͕̺̬̪̲͖̘͈̖̪͈͓̹̠̣̗̺̝̱͍̰̥̤̮͓̳͓̼̞̝͕͖̘̠̪̖̲͍̻̯̘͍̦̞̖͕̙͓̘̤̘̰̜̝̣̦̤̻̲̲̝̗̩͕̰͍̦̫̩͚̳̫̗̱̼̖̌̃͛̾̽̈́͐̎͐̉̆̃͗̓̿̿̍̂̊͊̾̎̀̐͌͋́͆̏̅̊̀͛̌̀̀̀͐̽̈́́̌̈́͐̈́̈́̑̈́̾͂̇͛͌̂̾͋͊͊̿͌̐̈̏̾́̌̈̐͛̾͂͂̓͐̈́͗̀̃̽̀̑̎̀͐̌̏̋̑̽̾͋̐͘̕͘̕̕̚̕͜͜͠͝͝͠͝͠͠͝͝͝͠í̴̸̵̸̴̷̵̶̷̵̶̸̸̵̸̴̡̨̨̧̡̨̨̨̡̛̛̛̲͉͈̮̺̱̥̰̠̖͇͙̬̠̗̖̘̬̭̞̖͇̬̬̖͕͚̫̻͕͚͓͙̜̱̞̯͈̗͇̯͙͇̦̬̠͈̜͕̝̻̤͇̯͔̺̙̤̫̹̠͈̜̬̬̞̜̺̤̜̘̭͖̳͍̱̣͍̗̺̼̥͇̗̮͙̯̹̰͙͓̥̮́͊͑̃̃̒̇́̀̂̄͊̿̃̑͐̈́͋̓̃̍̑̄͌͗͌͐́̅̈̈́͒͆͗̐͐̅̇̈̔̈̿̽̽̈̃̍̒͑̔͑͆̉̅͆͌̽̍̈́͐͆̀̎̄̏͊̀̅̇̈̋̾̌͑̅͋̓̈͛̓̎͊̈́̄͂̏̓̿̀͂̾̀̈̅̐͌͊̄̔̏̋̀̈́̐͆̄̍̿̐̉̒̓̓͊̇̀̈̃̊̎͒̽̅̎͌͐̈́͛͒͒̑̽̑̀̕̚̚̚̚͘̕̚̕͜͜͜͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅͅļ̵̷̴̸̸̵̸̷̸̷̷̵̵̶̵̶̴̵̴̸̵̸̸̶̡̨̧̨̢̢̨̡̢̧̢̧̢̨̨̛̛̛̛͇͓̮̠͇̻̬̝̥͎̥̘̝̟̩̖̮̣͙͔̩̘͔̯͎̹̝͎̞͕͕̳̜͙̼̲̘͎̹̥͉̩͙̲͉̰̜̳̠̯͉̘̦̲̹̪̗̮̣̠̰̰̠̟̠̠̱̤̙̤͉͉̲͇̺̠̙̟̤̺͎̼̦͎̪̱̟͈̯̰̝͉̺̦̬̜̭͚̥̤̜̥̥̠̮̼͇̼̞̙̳̬͙̮̳̤̩̜̻͚͉̳̰̣̻̱̗̘͇̫̭̹̻͔̜͉̠̯̭̜͉̦̥̥̠͖̺͚̦̗̭̳̝̰̥̗̙̰̟͍͍̦͎̣̝̣̲̉͂̎̀̐̿̄͒̅̋͊̃̒̆̽́̽̊̒͛̄͗̿̆̎̉̿̅̊̍̎͆͂͒̀̐̎́͒̄̃̉̆̇̈͋͋̂͋̀̂͑́́͑͋̃̃̒́̓͒́̌̍͗̀̅̍̎͆̆̇̈͗̑̈̔̇̈́͆̔͊̑͑͂̊̍̓̾̏̇͌̀̀̈̈́̑̈́͌̈́̽̃̌̍̎̉͛̽̆́͂̾̉͂̊̀̃̈̈́̂́͆͒̇̃̈͋̈̓̍̇̉̓͗͋̽̋̀̈́͛̋̈́͌̒͐́̄́̿̆͐̅͑̉̅̍̌̎͒̔̊͑́͂͂̓̀̿̀̅̕̕͘͘̕͘̕͘̚̚̕̚̕̚͘͘͘̕̚͘̕̚͜͜͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͠ͅͅͅͅͅͅ ̷̸̴̶̴̶̵̸̴̶̷̴̷̵̷̵̶̷̷̡̨̢̨̢̨̛̛̛̛̛̛̳̱̞̺̮̝͇̫̣̞͎̳͇͚̝̟̠͚̜̗̺͍͈̬͉͖̲̗̱̻̯͓̹̱͔͖̙̰̣̜̘̘̰͇̬̙̹͇̱͍͕̠̙͇̗̪̼̙̘̩̻͙̬̲̥͓̣͍͇̘̰̫̘͕̻̩̘̺͚̩̗͔̭̱̥͚͇̤̟̘̟͔̗̦̬͎̞̬͚̫̣̪͚͔̱̻̹͚̜͔̠̥̰̠͖͎̻̱͙͚̦̞̖̼͉̱̘̦̜̀̉͑̈́͛̒́͊̀̾͂̃̅͒̂͛͋͂̉̈́͋̾̄̍̃͛̀̃͛̈̀̓̈́̿̅͋̑͌̀̃̂͗̏̓̔̋̊͗̌͗͑̃̽͗̈́̉́̂̉̅͐͆͐͊̇́͐̊̒̀̒̌͆̐̎̀̎̔͑̓͋͊͛́̄̑̂͐̾́̉̊́̊̈́̓̓̒͊͊̈́̂͗̈́͒́͌̎̀͗͌́̃̎̒̿̏̍̈́̅̑͑̀͂̒̕̚͘̚̕̕̚̚͘̕̕̕̕͜͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͠ͅͅn̶̸̸̸̵̷̵̸̵̵̵̴̸̷̶̵̴̶̸̶̶̸̸̴̶̷̶̷̸̡̨̡̧̧̨̢̢̨̧̧̧̧̡̧̛̛̛̛̛̛̻̬̘̱͖̙͉̱͈̫̺̤̰̜̗̼̼͖̦̯̤̼̘͙̫͉͖̯̝̞̜͈̬̬̥̳̹̯͚̭̪͖̮̙̻̖͚̳̮̝̠̩̱̦̲̥̩̥̤̹͓͍̹̲̼̳̻͖͚͚͈͔̥̺̞̯͙͎͕̬̰͉̜͕̫̖͍͎͈̻̣͚̗̝̬̫͕̜͙̮̤̖͎̖̪̝̫̙̳̙̲̭̼̣̩̟͖͓̪̜̟̟̰̭͙͈̩̦̬̱̣̺̘̟̣͎̱̮̮̠͍̠͎̗̼̥̥̭͔̝̫͉͎̯͎͓͓̱̱̼̭̯̭̣̮͉̲̠͎̩͖̹̥̹̖͚̥͚̼̦̪̳͎̞̫̰̤̘̱̰̹͇͖͇̪̯̣̑͊̉͗͌̽̑̀̎͊͛̏̏͂̐͂̌͗̾̓̾̉̐̋̆̀̾͊͋̍̾̔̓̈̃͗̌̍̂̅̐͐͒͊̽̈́̉̂͒͆͆̌̓̏͗̉̊̋̂͐́͐̑͋̔̂̆́̄̇̓̇̔̿̆͋̔͛͆̽́̉͊́̀͗̒̄̓͋̒͆͋̉͋̈̍͐̑̎̿̿̓̍̍̓̋͛̉̈́̀̾̓́́̿̔͐̂̑̃̑͆̿́͆́̊̀̈͒̋̂͋̋́͆͋̓̀̇̏̍̓̔̒̔̀̀͛̌̂͛́̾͐͛͌͊̈́͊͋́͑͂̈́͑̍̃̇͊͋̍̀̑̀̈́͌̾͑̈̂̈́̽̀̑̀͐̿̈́́͑̌͊̐͂͒͑̀̐̄̎̓̓̿̄͘̚̕̚̕͘͘̕̕͘̕̕̚̕̚̕͘̚̕͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͠͝͠͝͠͝͝͝ͅͅơ̴̶̴̵̷̶̴̷̵̸̸̸̵̵̴̷̧̨̨̡̢̡̢̢̧̨̢̻̹̦̟̠̥̼͍̼̩̹͇̦̺̹͍͉̱̠̞̱̦̝̮̯̖̥̪̝̳̻͓͇̦̮̰͖̦͔̣̼͎͎̙̫̖̳͓̱̙̻̲̹͔̣̙͉͙̗̩̩̣͍̟̜̥̣̲̲̞͇̞͚͚̤̗̱͔̗͔̙̫͈͉̗̠̩͈̙̘̳̖̓̂͌̽̈́̊́̉́̃̅͆̌̽̔̓̔͌̒͊̈́̄̀́̎̉̌̈́̆̀̍̊͗͌͌̍͋͒̔̅̄̌̌̈́̀̃̒̈́̑͛̍̑̊̄̇̆͗̉̈͂̒̑̃̾͋̈́̈́̋̇̍̋̀̐̾̊̓̈́͑͌̎̎̾̇̊̀̿̿̉͘̚̚̕͜͜͜͜͝͝͝͠ͅw̸̵̷̴̷̸̸̸̷̴̶̸̷̷̷̷̶̨̨̡̨̨̧̧̨̡̛̛̛̗̝̫͍̪͇̩̠̟̳̣̙̬̹̰̼̰̪̘̳̩̺̥̣̟̭̖̹̩̘͚̬̭̼̱̫̳̳̪̦͎̭̘͕̞̲̺̯̜̠͈̭̹̳̼̮͙̭̰̭̳͖̤̘͓̺͇̘͎͍̖͖̦̤̩̤͉̬̜̳̲̦̺̱̮̤͙̙̲̺͉̰͎͖̥̗̳̳̭̬̘̝͎̜͕̞͈̠̥̩͕̩͈͎̮͖̣̌̀̏̔͆̌̈̈́̓̐͒͆̃̔͑̏̃̿̀̋̍́̏͋͋̈́̉̅̈́̿̀́̾̀͐͋̑͗́̎̃̏̽͐̔̿̈̃̓͊̅̏̎̆̄̋́̉̎̇͒̿̿́͋͑̋́̓̈̈̇͑͛̈́̆̀͒͒̅̈͛̽̽́̑̀͗̈́̐̐͑̽̂͋̐̏̂̄̽̊͊̋́͆̂̕̚̚̕͘̚̕̚͘̚̚͘͘̕͘̕̕̕͘͜͜͜͝͝͠͝͠͠͠͝͝͝͝͠ͅ with the app.
should be working now. With it and his funding we should                        how to use or-

Also it seems that some people when dragged in  are still resistant to the control of M̶̡̘̺̳̻̜̥͛̌̔̒ơ̵̡̢̹̟̬͇͇͎̫̖̞͚͚̲̞̒͋͌͑̀͆͒̅͘n̷̬͔͐͆̈́̐̈́͋̈ą̷̧̛̠͉̼͖̒́́ŗ̸̰̭̭̹̰̯̳̠̌̇́̐c̴̰̲̞͚̝͖͉̮̋̋̀h̸̛͉̳̐̍̒͊͘͠ş̸̭̻̣̩̣̗̈́́̅̆̐̄͊̍̂.

Also unknown to our benefact our work to reverse the change of heart                   more fruitful now that we have access to the

Meţ̸̹̰͎̟̅a̶̧͉̟̱̣͋͛̿̓̈́̒̌̆͋̂́̕͘͝v̵̖̊̋́ę̴̛̣̓̾̄̊̇͑̃͐̚rse again.”


                                          may manage to break him down and it might be definitive proof                  can be stolen eventually. Good or bad or perhaps be removed and given to someone else?”

Tell him we have good news-                                                         
                                                                                      desires extractable     

                                            manipulate this easier.”


He swore he heard almost panicked talking in his mind.
He didn’t understand.

He just wanted to sleep.
He was so tired.

Why wouldn’t they let him sleep?

Things grew to be distant noise in the background until words slowly started to make sense in his brain again.

“He has more than one of those creatures while all other research has pointed to most only having one. Let’s see if we can make him make more.” One of the scientists near the wall proposed curiously. Creatures? Inside of him? Were they talking about his personas again? Hadn’t they given up on this yet?

Akechi’s vision blurred and he could feel hands on him, moving him, for the first time in what felt like forever out of that damn room. Things spun and blurred, he barely caught sight of a sign on the wall.

5B.

Then he was being yanked forwards again and he felt sick, the world spun. He whined softly despite himself trying desperately to orient himself through the haze overwhelming his mind. He felt his knees hit the ground and there were noises of anger from around him and from- inside his head?

The world spun again before seeming to settle as the familiar weight of wrist restraints were latched onto him.

“With enough external stimuli we appear to be able to force them to manifest though so far it only appears to be the black and white one that we’ve had any luck causing to form.” Black and white one? Oh. They had to be talking about Loki.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Loki, some time during…

During…it was a palace..

During…it was cold…

During…there were other people there too…

During…

Why couldn’t he remember?



Akechi was so caught in his mind he had to blink a few times as he tried to orient himself to where he was again. He wasn’t in the same room anymore that much was clear instantly, it was a much bigger room's walls looking to be made of solid steel or some kind of reinforced metal, and now he was simply strapped to a chair instead of a bed.

Were there burn marks on the wall over there? A large cut in another there? Why was there a cross mark on the ground?  What was happening? The floor seemed to splash slightly as the scientists walked on it as if it weren’t fully solid but perhaps that was just his blurred vision he couldn’t be sure.

“Our files do indicate there is more than just that there though, keep going till we get a different one.” A voice spoke clinically from far away.

Another one?
How could they know?
How did they know about Robin?

Suddenly he sensed a presence close to him sneering as they looked down at him.

“How come such a worthless brat was able to do something like this? The Detective Prince, Shido’s little assassin, really was handed everything in life wasn’t he?” A harsh voice growled near him as they grabbed at his hair and at his-

Mask? When did he put on a mask?

Akechi couldn’t help the hiss that came from him as the man slid his fingers under the edge trying to pry it from his face but there was no give, not even a little. The man's fingers did not give either though and he continued to yank and pull. Akechi could hear roars of anger from his head but he didn’t know why, nothing made sense, everything hurt.

Suddenly the man’s fingers disappeared from under the mask and Akechi could hear what sounded like a scolding nearby and a warning.

“Don’t let her see you doing something like that unless you want to end up as another body in the morgue-” The voice whispered quick and panicked. He didn’t bother to listen much after that, he was still so tired and let his eyes slide closed as different  conversations continued around him blurring and blending together unable to be differentiated at all.

“If we can find a way to harvest the creatures from him we can make unstoppable soldiers.”

“If he has the potential to hold more than one. Do others as well? Should we be concerned?”

“It appears desires are impossible to harvest if hosts have a persona.”

“The black and White one almost killed someone the other day before they managed to sedate the kid again. Are we sure we know what kind of power we’re messing with here?”

“It’s time for another test. Get the subject ready.”


Everything hurt

He wanted to go home
He’d escaped worse

He’d survived worse
So why couldn’t he get away

He wanted his mom

He could hear the noise of his mask on his face cracking as his personas banged against the haze of drugs to be able to manifest and tear the very place he was held down to the ground around him.

Akechi didn’t bother lifting his head up from where it hung but looked off to the side to be able to look at the doctors arguing just to his right, one of them just out of sight.

“We might send him into cardiac arrest if we keep going!”

Cardiac Arrest? Oh…that would make sense, this all had to be a horrid strain on his heart…

"Turn it up, to 20 this time" A strangely familiar voice spoke but his exhausted brain simply couldn’t place it no matter how hard he tried.

"But sir his heart"

Sir? Hadn’t the person in charge been a woman? Or was he remembering wrong?

He was so tired.

"If he doesn't give us what we want he may as well provide us with some entertainment no? Turn it up." The familiar voice spoke again with a dark chuckle.

"....Yes sir." The meek man spoke before there was a mechanical clicking noise off in the distance in the otherwise quiet room.

White flashed into his vision and a scream filled his ears, who was screaming, everything was white hot and overwhelming.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't do it. He couldn't do it.

He couldn't do it anymore.

Suddenly the pain was gone and his head lolled sideways as he could distantly hear talking.

It had been months. Why hadn't anyone cared enough to look for him? Even as a celebrity no one had bothered when he disappeared? Why was he so unwanted?

Where was Akira? Why hadn't he come to save him? Akira promised he’d always have his back. He’d promised.

He could distantly hear chatter to the side of him and then there was the sound of clacking healed footsteps echoing throughout the room, getting closer and closer. The clack of the heels he was all too familiar with by now of the head scientist’s shoes When the scientist was finally close enough all Goro could make out from where his head hung was the black dress pants and pointed dress shoes with the tail ends of a doctor’s coating hanging there. He felt slender fingers grab his hair once again for probably the hundredth time since he’d first woke up here.

He closed his eyes tiredly, not having the energy to fight it,  letting his head get dragged up.

“Now that’s no way to greet an old friend, ignoring me is quite rude wouldn’t you say?” The familiar voice spoke and Goro slowly let his eyes open.

Any breath in Goro’s lungs was knocked from him in an instant. Standing there before him wearing the lab coat, the heels, everything, stood Akira.

Akira Fucking Kurusu.

Akira stood there donning his stupid little white Phantom Thieves mask as he grinned at Goro shaking his head. “What? Are you surprised to see me?” He said with a snide tone as he gripped the boy's hair tighter, twisting it sharply. “You shouldn’t be. Who do you think told them about Robin and the Metaverse? Turns out Shido had the right idea, why not use the Metaverse to our advantage? You and I were gifted with these abilities for a reason after all. Why not take what we deserve.”

Akechi opened his mouth to try to say something but stopped when he felt the other boy’s fingers slip under his mask, easily yanking it off. He watched Akira look over the red pointy nosed mask before, with a sneer on his face ,Akira snapped it in two and tossed the red pieces behind him. Goro’s eyes went wide as they clattered on the floor, sliding a bit, before coming to a rest and then dissolving away into dust.

“Something wrong there Akechi?” Akira started to laugh as his grin grew wider, looking the boy over as if he were simply looking at a bug who had wandered into his home. Something to be squished, removed,

erased .

Akira’s fingers found their way back into his hair and  yanked his head this way and that as if he were yanking around a doll and not a person. Goro wanted nothing more than to wipe that look off Akira’s face, he just had to get one of his arms free from the strap and then he could. When Akira did a particularly sharp yank Goro had enough and tried to yank his head back and away before the feeling of cold panic began to settle in his chest when he realized he couldn’t pull away.

He couldn’t move his head at all.

Why couldn’t he move?!

Oblivious to Goro's rising panic and confusion, Akira started  to monologue at him.

“Come now you can’t blame us for wanting to use the Metaverse for our own gain. After all that’s all you ever did with it. Send people into breakdowns and nab money whenever you feel like it right? Don’t act like you’re on some superior high and mighty bullshit now. Not after everything you’ve done.” 

Goro tried to open his mouth to defend himself, to say something, anything, but no matter how hard his tongue wouldn’t move at all. He tried to fight to make any kind of sound at all but all that came out was a half broken whine that didn’t even make it past his own teeth. Akechi’s eyes widened slightly.

“Nothing to say to defend yourself, even after months of being uncooperative with these nice scientists here and even getting some of them killed….” Akira hummed with a disapproving look on his face. “It seems a proper punishment is in order then no? Now that we don’t really need you anymore, at least, not in one piece.” 

Goro tried to tug at his bindings, to will his arms, his legs, anything to move, to fight back but instead his body continued to hang there limply against the table even as panic flooded every other one of Goro’s senses. It felt as if he were simply stuck observing through his own eyes as his heart slammed harder and harder into his rib cage.

"Awh Goro, ever the stubborn one, taking his punishment silently.”  Akira laughed at the boy's expense as if he couldn’t tell how much the other boy wanted to fight back. “Don’t worry, you won’t be quiet for long once we start” He all but promised. 

“You two over there, come here and hold him in position,.” Akira barked in that authoritative voice Joker was known for as he shoved Goro’s head back harshly against the metal table, making stars explode in Goro’s vision. “I want to be precise~”

Once he managed to blink the stars away Goro watched Akira take a few steps back and shoot him that cocky shit eating grin that he always had on his face after taking down an enemy that far exceeded his own power level. Though now it looked slightly more twisted, his teeth sharper than before but he had no time to think about it when the glint of a knife caught his attention.

Goro’s stomach dropped to the floor when he watched Akira pulling out his dagger from inside his coat.

“Now for that punishment Goro .” Akira laughed as he idly flipped the dagger in his hands. “You know how the old saying goes don’t you?”

Old saying?

“Oh you look confused. Here I thought you were meant to be smart Mr. Detective Prince. I suppose all that boastful arrogance was just that then, arrogance.   Allow me to enlighten you then.” Akira grinned that sharp predatory grin again as he twirled his dagger once, letting the edge of it catch the light.

“An eye for an eye, Akechi.”

Suddenly there were two more sets of hands on him. From where he didn’t know, he couldn’t look away from Akira. One yanked his head up and back against the table so that it couldn't roll forwards and another harshly forced his left eye to stay open no matter how much it watered or fought to close.

Goro’s heart began to slam against his chest as panic flooded his veins but even then no matter how much he wanted to move, wanted to struggle, it was as if his brain had turned off all controls to his body. He was completely immobilized, completely at the other boy's mercy.  

Even as the other boy walks closer, twirling his dagger in his hand with a deft precision that Akechi had only seen him possess, Goro could not find the ability to move. 

He watched as Akira raised the dagger up to be eye level with him.

No.This couldn’t be happening.

He desperately wanted to curse at the other boy, demanding why he would work for these people?! He could see others standing behind Akira now watching, laughing, smirking down at him.

He wanted to scream but his vocal cords wouldn’t function and it felt as if his jaw were completely locked shut.

“Maybe if you apologize I’ll let you keep it.” Akira taunted but no matter how desperately Goro tried to yell, to scream, to make any noise at all. His throat refused, feeling like it had been sealed closed. As though he’d been muzzled like the attack dog he was.

“Such a shame to let your ego be the death of such a gorgeous eye.” The masked boy giggled. “Oh well, maybe I’ll just keep it for myself..”

The dagger begins to close the distance between itself and his eye.

All he can see is the metal, his focus zeroed in on the immediate threat, and all he can hear is the taunting laughs and jeers from those in the room alongside Akira’s signature joker laugh.

Pain.

Goro’s mouth finally opens but all that came out was silence…

And then he wakes up. He’s shaking, his hands are shaking violently. The entire world shifted around him, blurring away from an overly sterile room to a different roof above him now instead. His senses filled with the bright light from his bedside table lap he apparently hadn’t turned off before drifting off in his bed, the weight of his blankets and what seemed like his laptop, long having died after being left on, sitting on his chest. It feels trapping.

Goro jerks upright in bed, the computer being tossed to the end of it somewhere uncared for at the moment, one hand shooting up to his chest clawing at the space over his rapidly beating heart where a bullet wound scar once sat before moving up to his eye, the other hand wound tightly into the sheets, fighting desperately to stop his hands from trembling. 

Breath Fågelunge Breath . A voice, muddled and far away, spoke but he couldn’t focus. 

He didn’t feel like was in control of his own body right then, it was running purely on adrenaline and instincts. It dragged itself out from under the blankets, or at least it tried to, scrambling desperately against what was tethering him down, tangled around him, restraining him. His body pitched forwards harshly, unable to properly untangle itself from the blanket he collapsed to the carpeted floor below, hands flying out to take the brunt of his weight as he fell. He couldn’t feel anything. His body desperately inhaling air, the labored breathing felt far away. His hands didn’t feel like his own even as a burning sting settled into them now. 

Little Crow you have to breathe, you’re going to pass out. Another voice, it seemed closer this time but he needed to get out. They knew he was here. They were going to find him again.

He couldn’t go back.

He had to move, get away, run while he could. He managed to stumble through his darkened apartment, shouldering the door open paying little attention to how it slammed into the wall as he rushed forwards. After making it out of his bedroom he was halfway to the front door when his leg slammed into the corner of his coffee table he was unable to see in the dark room sending him tumbling to the ground for the second time in less than 5 minutes, his wrists crying out in pain this time from taking the brunt of his weight once again in such a short amount of time.

MOVE his panicked brain was screaming at him

He was about to try and scramble up again-

Goro focus. Breathe . The use of his first name caught his attention and it sounded clearer than the other two had as if the pain had raised some of the fog of panic that had settled on his brain alongside the jarring from falling to the ground again. 

The third voice was much more authoritative than the first two and he found it hard to argue against so he lays there for a few moments just forcing himself to focus on calming his breathing down from the rapid gasps of air he had been sucking down before the pain from his wrists and the clear carpet burn on his hands settles in full and he knows he needs to handle that sooner rather than later so he slowly pulls himself up onto shaky legs letting his brain finally catch up to where exactly he was. When exactly he was.

His apartment. It was clearly still rather late or at least very early morning considering there weren't even the starting trickles of light in his windows yet. He gently patted at his pants pockets with still shivering hands looking for his phone which he was thankful was sitting in his left pocket. He slowly pulls it out. The screen is almost overwhelmingly bright against the dark of the room.

10 April 2016

3:42 am

The date and time stared at him in bright white as he put the final pieces together again.

Oh.

Oh Right…

He was back in the past. He wasn’t in the hospital anymore. The voices trying to get him to get his shit together were his personas. All that had happened just now was residual memories twisted into a frustratingly realistic nightmare meant to torment him…

Those were going to be fun to deal with…

Akechi groaned as he ran a hand through his wildly messy hair and looked down at his phone again. 18 minutes before his alarm anyways no point in even attempting to go back to sleep now, not that he was sure he could, knowing the kind of a hell day he had before him between the soon to be Mementos trip, his coworkers, school, and Sae-san’s meeting .

Either way it was time to get ready to face the day, even with the lingering pain in his wrist that reminded him far too much of the pain from the way the leather straps had dug into his skin in his memories dream.

Akira yawned as he stretched his arms up above his head, rubbing at his eyes a bit as he reached over to grab his glasses off the floor along with his phone, not moving for a moment so Morgana could-

Oh…right. He didn’t have Morgana here. There was nothing currently laying on his chest that he had to worry about disturbing yet. He could just get up with no limitation at all. Huh, it felt weird after over a year and a half of always waking up with his feline not feline companion lying either on him or next to him. To just wake up to an empty bed felt wrong in a way he hadn’t really expected.

Akira sat up, letting the blanket pool in his lap as he slid his glasses on and looked down at his phone. 7:30 am flashed back at him, it seemed he’d woken up about 15 minutes before his alarm. Well he might as well get dressed, he figured. Normally he’d take any excuse to stay in bed a little while longer but the last thing he wanted was to chance sleeping through his alarm when it did go off and start his relationship with this Sojiro off on the wrong foot.

Akira sighed and tossed the quilt off of himself, slung his lanky legs off the bed, and stood, stretching his arms high above him to crack his back a bit as he did. Time to get dressed, he supposed. He walked carefully across the attic towards the cardboard box with his clothes inside. His body stepped instinctively hesitant as if it expected Morgana to suddenly shoot out from the covers on the bed or out from under the nearby clutter that Akira still hadn’t sorted but the small black and white feline never appeared.

Akira sighed and stopped beside the shelf with his box on it. Without thinking he began twirled a piece of hair in his grip as he thought about everything. Sojiro didn't seem to remember anything so, would anyone? Perhaps it was just people who had been to the metaverse who remembered…

A singular quick glance down at his phone dismissed the idea instantly. There was no way Futaba wouldn’t have already contacted him if she remembered or even Ryuji who would have more likely than not simply shown up on the café’s door step loudly proclaiming how wild it was to be back in time. Instead his phone held no notifications at all, none from the phantom thieves, none from any of his other confidants, and, of course, none from his parents…not that he expected any from them anyways.

Akira let out a sigh, stopped twirling his hair, tossed his phone onto the nearby couch, and reached into the box to grab his clothes which were sitting right on the top waiting for him. Time to get dressed and get this day rolling.

✦

Twenty minutes later, Akira was sitting on his bed playing Tsuki Adventure while waiting for Sojiro to arrive. He’d already deleted the Metaverse app for the day. He had a feeling it would come back like it always seemed to and he’d done it before so he figured he should again this time around, just to be safe.

Is that wise Ma moitié?”“ Arsene had questioned him, which was fair. The gentleman thief had never been around during the days Akira had been trying to delete the app left and right every time he noticed it was back. Back then it had been an annoyance at best, something that brought a bit of frustration with it when all he’d wanted to focus on then was being a normal student and getting through his probation without too many issues.

He had to laugh at how quickly he had thrown that philosophy out the window the moment he realized he and the others had the power to help people, to fight back against the injustices the adults of their world attempted to oppress them with. The way so many people in the world had just blatantly turned a blind eye to all the things those adults had been doing, even now, sparked a fire of anger simmering just below his skin ready to lash out at any given instance he could. He kept it under wraps though, he already had the reputation of a delinquent and the record to back it up, he couldn’t let others see how angry he was, at least not yet.

His mind drifted to Akechi as he thought back. Thinking of how much rage, hate, and passion the other boy had hidden under that prim and proper Detective Prince façade. How the other boy had wanted to tear everything down from the inside, wanted the pitiful adult in his life to suffer for the injustices he had caused him and the people he loved. Then when he had been so close to accomplishing the goal he had worked tirelessly towards for years, something he had given up pieces of his very soul for, he’d been foiled, kicked while he was down, and then…erased.

That thrumming sizzling anger just below his skin was back full force as he thought about it. As he thought about the boy who had given up everything, who then got dragged back to life in February, to be used as a bargaining chip, just to have to give up everything all over again. The only solace Goro Akechi had was learning of his father’s fate and even then it wasn’t the fate he had wanted for the man. It hadn’t been the fate Shido had deserved, not really.

Much like he had been when they were first approaching Kamoshida’s case, Akira had not been above entertaining the idea of killing Masayoshi Shido but by the time their fight with Shido had come to a head the Phantom Thieves group as a whole had not been keen on the idea, openly opposing it to him and to Akechi multiple times. Even people like Ann who had once been ok with ending Kamoshida’s life, and only sparing it so he could suffer longer, had openly declared that the thieves weren’t murderers. He’d had to fight to keep his face neutral when she’d yelled that, so caught off guard by the unexpected declaration.

The Phantom Thieves as a group had come to a consensus without so much as consulting him. After Okumara’s unexpected death though, emotions had been high, and they clutched to the moral high ground as best they could. There needed to be a line drawn in the sand, something substantial and recognizable. Something that made them the good guys at the end of the day and people like Kamoshido, Madarame, Kaneshiro, Shido…and Goro the bad guys.

Despite Sae’s very clear palace, they’d never seen her as someone on the other side of the line. She was simply an ally who had strayed a bit too close to the line, never quite crossing it. And yet despite Goro’s personas and clear sense of Justice, once the team had discovered what he had done, circumstances no longer mattered. Goro was stuck on the other side of the line in their eyes alongside every rotten adult they had rebelled against.

He was a murderer.

They were not.

That was the line they had drawn in the sand. The line to define who was good and who was bad.

Over the course of their run as Phantom Thieves he had let their expectations be piled onto his shoulders one at a time until the weight, while nearly unbearable, had become a familiar presence- one that he simply could not set down because there was no one else among them who would be able to pick it up. When it came to this line in the sand he had felt the tower of expectations on his shoulder waver and rattle, as if this were the decision that kept everything staying stacked perfectly or if it became a Jenga tower, pieces pressed out or dragged away, making the overall stability of the tower waver. Would the wrong answer here send the Phantom Thieves as a whole into a crumble, desperately clutching at one another for some form of stability while ultimately only making the situation worse, until it had all fallen down around their ears? They had looked to him as their leader to respect the universal decision they had made without him.

And he did.

But that didn’t mean there hadn’t been days after Akechi’s death where Akira had wanted nothing more than to throw those expectations away and drive his dagger straight through Masayoshi Shido’s ribs as a punishment for all the things he had done to the people of Japan, for all the things he had stolen from Akechi all his life, for what he had done to Akira himself, and for not even mentioning Akechi when it came to his confession…

Ok…he did have to admit a lot of his anger at Shido mainly stimmed from what he had done to Akechi. Not that some part of him wasn’t angry at being framed for a crime he didn’t commit, but he had met the thieves and inevitably Akechi because of it so at least his record had some small benefit with it. What Shido had done to Akechi though, had reaped no benefit for anyone but himself.

Either way Shido had gotten off far too lightly for Akira’s taste, there was no long standing suffering guilt for Shido to wallow in, not the way Kamoshida had. Sure he supposedly regretted what he did with his change of heart but by then everyone he had hurt with those decisions aside from him and the other thieves were dead, there was no penance delivered. There had been no justice served. He would sit in a cushy prison cell for the rest of his days while those he had caused the deaths of rotted in the ground and-

Suddenly he heard the bell downstairs jingle indicating someone was coming in and only moments after the squeaky sound of someone slowly climbing each of the stairs one by one. Akira looked up from his phone and little Tsuki that he had been unintentionally glaring daggers at to see Sojiro come around the corner, seeming somewhat surprised Akria was already dressed and ready to go.

“Oh. Looks like you’re up.” Sojiro started and Akira did his best to ignore the surprise that had leaked into Sojiro’s tone as he spoke. He had to remind himself that this Sojiro didn’t know him. He didn’t know his record was fake and thought he was some kid who had gone out of his way to attack an innocent person, as if Masayoshi Shido could ever be deemed an innocent person.

“Well then let’s go properly introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer.” Sojiro said as he turned to start heading down the stairs, explaining as he went. “The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district. It’ll take a while to get there by train. The transfers are a real hassle too. I’ll drive you there but just for today because of the subway delays with the derailing.”

Akira had been nodding along with what Sojiro said as he picked up his school bag and tossed it onto his shoulder, following the older man down the stairs, but he froze mid step when Sojiro mentioned the derailing. Maybe his memory was just off but Akira had sworn the derailing happened while they were at his school, chatting with the principal, and it had taken them forever to get home as a result. No matter how hard he wracked his brain he couldn’t place the train derailing happening so early in the morning.

He quickly hurried down the last few steps when he realized he was being left behind by Sojiro.

“That was direct footage from the accident.” A woman’s voice floated to his ears and Akira instantly turned to look at the TV where SNN news was playing. A woman Newscaster with brown hair, brown eyes wearing a pink shirt was staring back at him with cold calculated eyes as she delivered the news.

“While the fate of the engineer who was in charge of the train still lies unclear as police and other rescue officials attempt to uncover the cab of the train from under the other cars. Many people are calling this a miracle derailing. Despite the currently unclear cause of the derailment, the facts remain that this event could have been far more catastrophic if it had occurred within a station. This train derailed into an open field prior to any passengers boarding is being seen as an unexpected blessing considering the amount of damage a derailment of this size could have been done to the rails, structural integrity of the tunnels and-” The woman continued her speech but Akira’s brain had long tuned her out.

A train had derailed. Akechi had caused a train to derail, just like he had in their past timeline, but things were blatantly different now. That much Akira knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. The last time the train had derailed it had been deemed a national tragedy with over 80 people hospitalized and the number of actual victims had never been released publicly. Yet this time it happened in an empty field? That didn’t make sense.

Perhaps Akechi simply didn’t have control over when the victim of a breakdown had their breakdowns in the real world so it had all been happenstance that things were different. Akira knew he had a habit of trying to see things that simply weren’t there, so by all logic he knew he was probably overthinking this. The derailing happening somewhere else arguably meant nothing aside from the fact that it confirmed Akechi was still out doing Shido’s hits and so far the hits seemed to be on the same day they were last time.

“Hey, quit standing around spacing out, you’re creeping me out. Let's go already.” Sojiro’s voice called to him from the door as he walked out of it grumbling under his breath. “Sheesh men usually aren't allowed in my passenger seat…”

Akira decided he’d think it over more later.

✦

It was weird. Akira rationalized quickly as he stood silently in the principal's office in Shujin Academy.. It was really really weird to be staring at a dead man talking to you. Sure he knew he was back in time but even then, things like this just felt unsettling in a way.  It felt just as unnerving as it had for Wakaba Ishiki and Kunikazu Okumura in Febuary. To know what happens to him, to hear the school mourn for him for months, and then for him to just be sitting in front of him, living and breathing. Weird was the best word Akira had to describe the feeling but also another feeling was right behind it: Inquisitiveness.

He couldn’t help it as he stared at Principal Kobayakawa curiously from behind his glasses as he spoke. To think even this man had ties in with Shido enough to have Akechi sent after him. Kobayakawa really didn’t seem anything special from the few times he had interacted with him, just some corrupt high school Principal willing to overlook the harassment and abuse of his students for his own benefit. What could this man have on Shido that was enough to put a target on his back? How did the two even know each other? What connections could they have possibly had? All of this did pique Akira’s interest. Perhaps they could figure out what it was the principal knew and prevent his death this time around?

He began to run the possibilities through his mind, weighing the pros and cons, doing his best to have some kind of starting point for him and the thieves other than Kamoshida but continued to come up with nothing. Even with how much time he had since the man was incredibly long winded as he all but preached at him at the moment Akira simply couldn’t find an angel.

“To reiterate, just so we’re clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. In my opinion you’re nothing but a liability but we had our circumstances to consider…Whatever you might’ve gotten away with in your hometown, those days are over.” It was a sort of irony that he’d never gotten away with anything back in his little country town, the worst he’d done is sneak out once or twice, which his parents hadn’t really given two shits about so is it really getting away with something when nobody cares? Then the whole Shido incident, which he was glad his hands were in his pockets with how they clenched into fists instinctively at the memory of the man.

“If you are thrown out of our school, there will be no place for you to go, keep that in mind. This is the teacher in charge of your class.” Oh the principal was still going on with his fairly long winded speech it seemed before Kawakami stepped up a bit more from where she’d been standing in the back.

“I’m Sadayo Kawakami.” She said simply. “Here’s your student ID.” She pulls the ID out of her pocket and along with it comes a paper he instantly recognizes and Akira is quick to wonder why she even has that on her. She had always told him about how worried she was Ms. Chouno was going to find out about her second job and yet here she was walking around with a flier for it in her pocket of her outfit at school. He knew Kawakami was smarter than that so what was she doing? And how hadn’t she noticed what she had done yet?

Deciding to save her from any possible issues Akira just picked up both the ID and the paper, quickly pocketing both before anyone else could notice. The last thing he wanted was for Kawakami to come under even more scrutiny than she already was, the woman was already running herself ragged by this point from what he remembered.

“Be sure to read all the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And if by any chance you cause any problems, I won’t be able to protect you at all. That is your promise, yes, principle Kobayakawa?” At this point Akira just decided to tune them out, like last time they seemed to have no interest in letting him say anything at all and he’d already heard this whole lecture once.

✦

They were already on the way back to the car when Sojiro finally actually spoke directly to him again for the first time since they had walked into the school.The man's eyes though were looking off down the hallway where there was a group of students huddled together whispering to one another as they stared at him. When they saw he was looking though they quickly turned away and scurried off down the hall.

“Geez…Everyone’s giving you the cold shoulder. First your principal and your homeroom teacher.” He started as he watched the students rush away. “Even your fellow students…That’s what a criminal record does to you. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go.” He sighs and ruffles his own hair a bit before looking at Akira with a pointed look.

“By the way…if you get expelled now. I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?” He huffed out crossing his arms before turning and heading for the door again.

Akira hummed as he thought about all the friends he was about to make, the adventures he was about to go on, and all the close calls he’s about to have.

“I think I'll scrape by.” Akira said with a bit of a shrug doing his best to hide his slight smirk as he followed Sojiro out of the school. 


✦


The two of them were back in the car before Akira knew it. The traffic on the drive home was slow but still moving, never quite stopping unlike last time.

“Ugh the traffic is always a nightmare in this district. You’re taking the train starting tomorrow.” He says bluntly, one hand resting on the steering wheel and the other on his arm rest.  “So how was it?” He questions, quickly continuing before Akira can respond. “The school. I mean. You think you can manage?”

Sometimes Akira forgot that despite how mean Sojiro had tried to seem at the beginning that even now he had been a mother hen of sorts. It was probably a byproduct of him learning how to raise Futaba alone.

“It seems fun.” He told the older man as they came up to a red light. Akira knew the rumors were already well spread by Mishima, that the teachers and students would have it out for him, and Kamoshida was an asshole waiting to be taken down still. But...despite all of that something in him couldn’t help but feel giddy in a way.

This was his second chance, his chance to do everything right this time. Sojiro however didn’t seem to share the sentiment of it being anything other than a hassle.

“Do you even understand your situation?” He huffs annoyed reaching up to adjust his hat after taking a corner perhaps a bit too fast before he starts muttering more to himself than talking to Akira..  “Still you were expelled once already. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one. It’s not like anyone will be sympathetic with you. If that’s what it was like at school people might say stuff about me in the future too. What a troublesome kid I've taken in.” 

“Why did you take me in?” He questioned before he could help himself. The last time around he’d just sat quietly and let Sojiro mumble to himself for a while but this time…This time he wanted to know. Sojiro had never mentioned it to him even after he began to treat him almost like a son, so what better time to learn than now.

The man looked thoroughly annoyed at the question though, reaching up to adjust his hat again before speaking.

“I was asked to do it and I just…happened to agree to it.” He says bluntly, not even looking Akira’s way as he does. He instead stares straight forwards at the road before them. “I’ve already been paid for it too, after all.”  He tacks on as if to dismiss any type of claim that he cared at all for the boy.

Akira said nothing in return. Somehow that aspect of everything had always slipped his mind between everything else; he'd never really had a chance to sit and think about it but his parents really had simply paid Sojiro to take their problem away. They never had any intentions of talking to him the entire time he was here. Hell they had barely spoken to him even after he was home and it was proven his record was false. Maybe they had always been looking for an excuse to get rid of him and Shido had just been their golden ticket.

“And now back to today's top stories” The radio chimed loudly as Sojiro turned it on. “A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of other trains-

“Another accident? So that’s why it’s more crowded than usual, there’s been a lot of those lately.” He sighs as he cuts the radio station down to a more tolerable level before continuing. “In fact there was a really sad one just last month. It happened before you came here. If I remember right, the girl that passed away was only 15. Her parents have gotta be just…” Sojiro trails off and Akira feels a sadness settle in his chest too.

Sumire

Speaking of her and thinking about the other thieves, an idea that he’d only vaguely entertained before comes back to him full force and he quickly makes a decision.

“Hey Sojiro. Do you mind if we stop somewhere on the way back?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
 


Goro had barely made it through another packet of paperwork when a coworker had called to him to grab his attention while they were passing by the door to the shared room he and Sae shared much to her chagrin of having to split office space with a high schooler of all things.

“Hey, Sae-san told me to tell you to meet her at the precinct if I happened to catch you. She had a meeting with the SIU director and wasn’t going to make it into the office today but she seemed like she had something she wanted to talk with you about.” The older man said before adding under his breath “for whatever reason.”

Akechi sighed, rolling his eyes once the older man had walked away. He was used to the older members here underestimating him so this was nothing new to him but he had almost forgotten just how much their open displeasure at him being around had grated on his nerves during the first few months of his Detective Prince stint.

“Isn’t he the one cheating on his wife with 2 different mistresses and the male college intern down in the mailroom? You could ruin him easily if you wanted.” Robin’s voice suddenly pipped up to him and Akechi sighed again as he finished up the last paper in the current packet before him, sliding it to the side and grabbing another as Robin went on about some elaborate plan to message both mistresses and the man to meet up for a rendezvous using his phone and being near enough with a camera to catch everything that went down so that he could easily out the man to the rest of his coworkers and-

A hand slammed down on the desk he sat at, snapping him out of whatever long tirade Robin was going on now about Marriage laws and Divorces. Akechi looked up slowly to meet the annoyed eyes of one Iya Kakon . One of Akechi’s far less pleasant coworkers .

“Akechi-kun.” The man growled looking down at him in both the literal and figurative sense. “Why are these forms not already filled out, hmmm?” He questioned condescendingly as he made a wide sweeping motion to indicate Akechi’s entire desk. Which did have about 5 packets not finished yet. The man clearly ignored the stack of packets at the end of his desk that was about 10 deep and finished.

“Are you simply wasting time in here? I’ll remind you this is an actual job and any kind of slacking is severely looked down upon. I know a child like you who has always been handed everything could never understand the first thing about hard work but that’s what a job is. Hard work, get it?”

“Stab him.”
“ Stab him.”

Robin and Loki chimed in at the same time and Akechi had to fight the urge to roll his eyes lest this conversation with his coworker go on even longer if he was accused of disrespecting his elders.

Hereward could you control them please . He thought quickly as he moved the packet to the side he had been aiming to start on before this conversation started.

“To have this much work still incomplete this close to the end of the day. Perhaps I should bring this up to Sae-san so she can finally be rid of the company pest .”

“Stab him.” That was Hereward this time and Akechi wanted nothing more than to slam his forehead into his desk. On a normal day he’d have already breezed through his normal work and all the extra work that his oh so generous coworkers find the need to pile onto him as well but he’d been fairly distracted all day waiting for news about the train derailing. It hadn’t taken this long last time and that had been in the middle of a station with a lot more people involved so why wasn’t there news yet?

What better way to deal with his excess nerves than to mess with his coworker honestly though. He plastered his most sickeningly sweet detective prince smile onto his face and looked back to Iya.

“Ah my apologies Kakon-Senpai.” He began knowing this man was not his superior in any way but adding the senpai line seemed to catch the other man off guard which was exactly what he was going for. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rather disheartening news about the train derailing this morning that caused quite the delay with other trains as well.”  He continued, satisfied when the man finally stopped leaning on his desk and adjusted his necktie awkwardly.

“I was unfortunately affected. I was working with a few classmates to help them study for the upcoming practice exam and when I tried to catch a train to come in and get my work done, I found the trains were still running rather behind. I didn’t get into the office until much later due to it which was rather inconvenient but I’m thankful to the train staff and workers doing their best to keep all of us safe and prevent a possible tragedy.” He paints his face into a picture of concern.

“It is rather worrying that they haven’t announced any news about the safety of the conductor or what could have caused something so catastrophic to occur. I do apologize if I’ve been a bit distracted today as a result. All I can imagine is what could have happened if this derailment had occurred during normal hours, how many people could have gotten hurt or even died.”

“ As if you need to imagine.” Robin just seemed full of unhelpful commentary today it seemed.

“I did get the extra work done that both Kagai-san and Yaku-san both gave to me so they could leave early to drink. The only packets I have left to do today are ones from my weekly pile that aren’t actually due to the higher ups until next week but I do appreciate you attempting to look out for me. The last thing I’d want to do is disappoint Sae-san. I do rather enjoy working with her after all.” He shot the man a bright smile and the man seemed a bit embarrassed at being wrong.

When the man turned to leave without saying anything else Akechi couldn’t help but let a small smirk make its way onto his face and called after him.

“Do, be safe getting home Kakon-Senpai!” His smirk grew into a full on grin when the man slammed the door to the room closed hard enough to rattle the paintings on the wall.

“Asshole…” He grumbled to the now empty office getting hums of agreement from his personas before with a sigh he began on the next packet he needed to fill out. He still had an hour before Sae would be done with her meeting, he could get through these in that amount of time-

He glanced down at his phone again before picking it up to see if there was news on the train conductor, scrolling through the Snn news site, before quickly sitting it back down and looking back at the unstarted packet.

-probably...

Akira stretched a bit as he and Sojiro walked back into the café. He carried his school bag on one arm and a simple store bag in his other hand.

“Damn to think there’d be that much traffic. What a waste of time. Between that and your little detour to the department store, I wasn't able to open the café today.” Sighing, the man walks behind the counter reaching down into a box hidden under it. “Whatever. Just head upstairs, there is something I need to give to you.” The sound of rummaging follows Akira as he does as instructed and heads upstairs, dropping his school bag on the little corner next to the stairs as he always does before gently placing the other bag on his bed to be sorted through once Sojiro had left.

The sound of creaking stairs indicates Sojiro’s arrival before his voice does.

“Talk about a ridiculous accident, somehow only one person was involved and they still aren’t entirely sure why they did it. So far the authorities are chalking it up to a medical emergency.” The older man frowns a bit. “ Look I’m not one to be glad bad things happen, but at least it happened outside the city and before they had passengers. Who knows how many people could have been involved otherwise…”

80

Akira knows he remembers that number specifically, there had been 80 people injured in the derailment. People on and off the train had been hospitalized from injuries and yet this time.

This time it was only 1.

“Enough about that I suppose. Heads up.” A small book Akira instantly recognized flew across the room towards him as the man before him continued speaking. “Here’s a diary, make sure you keep it up to date. You may be under probation but there are no special limitations on what you do in particular. Besides, following the law that is.” Akira fought the urge to roll his eyes. “However I'm obligated to report on you, which is why I'm having you record your daily activities.”

Same speech as last time it seemed. Akira held the book between his fingers, gently running his thumb over the cover as a smile slowly began to tug at his face. A new diary, blank pages just waiting to be filled with the new story Akira was ready to write-this time with an ending HE chose.

*Buzz* *Buzz* *Buzz*

Without looking up Akira knows what the sound is and exactly who's calling and slowly the smile does fall from his face. He looks  up just in time to see Sojiro answer it though, a warm parental smile sliding onto his face as he speaks to his daughter. Something dark and ugly, in the form of jealousy, settles in his chest at the recognition that never once had his parents ever looked like that when speaking of him or even to him.

He knows rationally it is neither Futaba’s or Sjoiro’s fault that his parents never did love him the way he came to know parents were supposed to, but it didn’t stop the ugly bundle of feelings from slamming into his chest over and over, tumbling and twisting inside of him like clothes in a dryer. It had always been easier to ignore as a child, to excuse it as they were tired or busy or they just didn’t express themselves that way.

But family gathering had been different, the way his parents lit up every time they saw a family member they deemed worthy of their love. The way they pointedly avoided talking about him even when they were asked. Changing the nature of conversations had come second nature to him with how often he’d watched his parents do it.

As a child and even a teenager it was easier to ignore, rarely seeing interactions between his friends and their parents made it easy to pretend that everyone’s parents were the same as his own. Then the accusation, the trial, the record and without so much as blinking they had shipped him off to the home of a stranger.

A stranger who loved his adopted daughter, someone who didn’t share an ounce of his blood, more than Akira’s own parents would ever love him. For years he played pretend that how they loved him was normal but seeing genuine parental love everyday back to back for well over a year and a half while his own parents hadn’t so much as attempted to talk to him during his uprooting, Akira found he couldn’t be bothered to try and pretend anymore.

“-Well I'm off. I’ll lock the place up so do whatever you want for the rest of the night.” The man’s eyes abruptly  lose all the kindness and warmth he’d had moments ago from talking with his daughter. “Oh but don't mess up my store, if something goes missing. I’ll hand you right over to the cops.” Turning his back to Akira he begins his trek back down the stairs, calling over his shoulder. “ You got school tomorrow. You better head off to bed.”

Humming an acknowledgment to the man's words to show he wasn’t ignoring him, Akira walked over and took a seat on the couch, eye lingering on the bag he had brought home with him. Taking out what was laying in wait inside would have to be put off for just a bit longer though, long enough for Sojiro to get home and realize his mistake.

One phone call on the café’s landline, a quick and easy reversal of the open sign and a jog up the stairs later, Akira is sitting on his bed staring at the single bag he had received prior to returning to the café. Inside the bag, wrapped tightly in tissue paper as if the workers had expected him to be giving it away as a gift, sat a box patiently waiting to be opened.

Akira had asked Sojiro to stop at a department store on the way back to Yogen-Jaya since they were already in the car and much to his surprise the older man had agreed deciding it was better to be in a store accomplishing something than simply sitting in the car waiting for traffic to move. After a thorough description of the glove type he was looking for to the worker they had quickly and easily located the exact pair of gloves he was looking for. They had pre boxed them for Akira and handed them over after payment in a nice gift bag but not without the worker making a comment about Akira's apparent glove knowledge.

The workers had been impressed at how thorough of a description Akira had been able to give, which had quickly embarrassed Akira in front of him, when most customers usually only came in with a vague idea of what they wanted beforehand when it came to accessories. Unlike anyone else who came unprepared though it had been easy to describe to the workers exactly what glove it was, the description long since etched into his mind from having carried the glove with him almost every day since he’d been handed it.

As embarrassing as it was to have to attempt to explain away his very specific knowledge of this glove type in particular. Akira was still somewhat glad Sojiro had been there with him while he bought them, being a grounding force against all the indecision and worries that plagued Akira as he bought them, even if the other man had no idea.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Akira decided that he’d spent enough time just thinking about it, it was time to open them.  he slowly pulled the tissue paper out of the bag, tossing it to the side to be dealt with later, before gently pulling the box out. He let the weight simply sit in his hand for a moment, the box feeling far heavier than it actually was.

The weight of a promise sealed inside.

Akira slowly opened the box and his breath was knocked from him as he stared down at an exact replica of the glove that he had left behind, left forwards? Time travel was weird. Either way, it looked exactly like the glove he had carried in his inside jacket pocket every day since he’d lost the boy it belonged to.

Holding the box with one hand he hesitantly reached in and pulled both pairs out, one after the other, laying them on the bed before quickly tossing the box back into the bag alongside the wrapping paper. Once the bag had been removed from the bed Akira’s attention was once again on the gloves.

These may not be the originals but with these ones he swore he wouldn’t forget his original promise he made.

He owed Akechi a rematch.

I look forward to crossing blades with both mes bijoux once again.

Akira couldn’t fight the grin that came to his face at that. Arsene was already looking forward to fighting Robin and Loki again. Their last fight, side by side, had been something that had felt near impossible to overcome and yet t hey had walked - Akira had walked away alongside every other thief, except Akechi. They had won even when the odds seemed stacked against them, the challenge so insurmountable, but they had done it because they had stood side by side.

His grip on the glove tightened as he thought back to how fiercely Akechi had fought that month, standing beside him even when things were hard, even when it was only the two of them. He had fought for them to return to their true reality no matter what the cost was. Akechi had  never faltered despite knowing what came after the fanfare and celebrations, after the serotonin and the congratulations of a job well done…nothing. That would be the end of his story and the end of his chapter in everyone else's. The final sentence of a tragic story signed off with a period in the shape of a bullet hole through the chest.

Akira looked down at the glove in his hand again before grabbing its mate and standing to place them on the cardboard box with the rest of his clothes for now for safe keeping. Once he returned for the other pair he found himself yawning as he picked them up. It was rather late and without Morgana to pester him he had simply lost track of time, why bother checking when to go to bed when he’d had a living breathing alarm clock of over a year now.

He sighed as he gently laid the glove set down, next to where his uniform sat on the couch, for in the morning. Once that was done, he turned and quickly changed into his night clothes, tossing his used outfit into a bag to take across to the laundromat after school some time this week since he wouldn’t be allowed out into Yogen-Jaya at night for a little while to do laundry at night like he preferred. Once everything was situated and ready for tomorrow he turned off the light to the room, carefully making his way over and then slowly climbed into his bed. As he pulled the covers up to his chest he quietly spoke.

Goodnight Arsene .

Goodnight Ma moitié

The soft deep spoken French bringing him a sense of calm and comfort after months without it. He had long since grown used to going to sleep without the warm comfort of his personas nestled deep in his heart after the entire Emma debacle but now Arsene was right back where he belonged and for now that was enough, even if they would eventually have to say goodbye again.

Sparing one last glance over to where the gloves now sat, invisible in the darkened attic he knew it was time to go to bed lest he fight to stay away while navigating Kamoshida’s palace tomorrow.

“Goodnight Akechi…” He muttered out loud to the dark attic, staring up at empty bare wooden beams above him, knowing he wouldn’t get a response before closing his eyes.






A little around an hour later Akechi stood on the stairs inside the eerily quiet precinct, scrolling through his phone as he waited patiently for Sae-san to appear. Just like last time she’d asked for him to meet her there so they could discuss the string of random, unpredictable, and strange cases that were being deemed the mental shutdown cases. The irony of her wanting the opinions of the very person causing them was laughable in a way. He often wondered what she’d do if she ever put two and two together that he was the one behind the incidents. Would he then be able to point her in the right direction to the person orchestrating everything?

Probably not.

Even at this point his father had far too many powerful friends who would be able to easily handle a government prosecutor if she started asking too many questions. The SIU director was already working his way to getting Sae into his pocket at this point anyway so that he could frame her and have her take the fall later if any kind of scrutiny were to fall upon him. He was preparing Sae to be a pawn in a chess game she didn’t even know she was a part of yet. He’d have to keep handling things the best way he knew how to for now.

On his own

His attention was drawn away from his phone when he could hear the signature clacking noise that came from Sae-san’s heels on the polished floor as she slowly made her way down the stairs one at a time. When she gets to the top of the stairs he’s on he turns towards her and offers her a small half smile.

“Did you ask for me? Is it a case?” He asks her feigning curiosity as she continues down the stairs and past him, not even bothering him a glance as she did. Right, even Sae-san wasn't a big fan of his yet. Any rapport he’d built with either his coworkers, Sae-san or even people like Muhen and his agent was gone. He was starting at essentially square 2 and he had a million squares to go.

“Not quite. I want your opinion on something.” Sae said as she passed him by and continued down the stairs as if just expecting him to follow along with no questions asked and of course he would. He had an image to keep up, even if it felt patronizing to follow behind her without instruction

“Sure. Your judgment is quite often correct, though.”

“Except when it’s about any of these cases”

Akechi rolls his eyes at Loki’s comment before quickly following after Sae who still hadn’t looked back at him but she at least had the decency to stop walking.

“Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps?.” He remembered back in the day she never bothered to go to a sit down sushi restaurant with him so he didn’t really have his hopes up as he proposed but in the end sushi was sushi he supposed. It was better than his instant Ramen back at his apartment that he’d be eating instead. “You are making a student work late after all” He added in like last time hoping that perhaps that reminder would press her into accepting the offer like she had the last time.

Sae stood there for a minute, seeming to think something over before nodding.

“Very well, it has been a rather busy day for the both of us. A nice dinner wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.” She said before continuing to walk down the stairs leaving Akechi blind sided for a moment staring at the woman’s back blinking a couple of times as he processed what she just said.

“That was…different.” Robin commented, seeming just as surprised as Akechi did at the moment.

“Are you coming?” Sae asked as she began down the stairs again and after shaking off his stupor Akechi quickly made a hum of acknowledgement and scurried to catch up with her.

He may be confused at the moment but he definitely wouldn’t say no to good sushi.


✦


They had gotten fairly lucky it seemed when they arrived at the nice sushi joint only about a 10 minute train ride from the precinct. Usually places like these would be packed with pompous assholes who thought they were far greater than they were by this time of night but it seemed getting a table for two had been quicker than Akechi had anticipated.

Sae was talking to him about the most recent incident before the train derailing when his attention was caught by the TV over at the bar. They were playing a recording of the first responders arriving at the train derailing on a tv hung not too far from their table. He watched intently as the news woman with long black hair continued to talk.

Did they survive? Did the conductor survive? He needed to know. Was his gambit worth it?

The emergency team was pressing further in towards the front of the train. The cab though seemed buried under other cars of the train. They’d have to move them to get to the cab where the conductor was likely trapped.

Were they injured? Dying? Bleeding out? Could they be ok? What if they got them out only for them to die later?

Akechi clenched his hands tightly as he waited patiently for word that the conductor was ok. Any news that another life hadn’t been lost because of his foolish plans of the past. His palms felt sweaty and yet he felt as though ice had been poured over him when they began to pull the body from the wreck. His heart pounded, his hand shook.

Come on.

He stared as emergency medical personnel made their way out slowly. They looked over towards the crowd that had grown around the area. All was silent  before suddenly a thumbs up was seen and everyone there began to cheer. The relief rushed through him in an instant. They were alive, they hadn’t died for his father’s callous plan.

“That was direct footage from the accident. According to the police the engineer’s life was not in danger, despite his injuries. After questioning, even he could not explain his high speed when approaching the turn. No further comments were made, Police are still looking for a plausible motive.” The newscaster spoke as it panned back to her as she continued to speak about the accident and how lucky the conductor was.

He’d done it, no casualties. No one had died this time in this ridiculous power move by Shido and the SIU director.

Put your hands under the table, little bird, they are shaking.

Akechi did so instantly, hoping Sae-san hadn’t noticed the small lapse in his mask.

“You seem somewhat shaken by today’s derailing Akechi-kun. I didn’t expect you to get unnerved so easily.” Sae commented from over her cup before taking a sip of her drink. Sometimes Akechi really, really, hated how observant the woman was on certain things.

And yet she never noticed the murderer sitting in front of her. Robin added unhelpfully.

“Heh well Sae-san I do have to take the trains to school every day as well as to any interviews I have. I feel my concern for such an accident occurring again on a train I may be riding on is well within my right, no?” He said with a chuckle as he flashed her his usual detective prince smile.

“Now on to our main story. With this derailment accident, as well as other recent incidents of unknown motive, concern is spreading among the general public. Just what could be causing such a dramatic change so suddenly in these people?”

Akechi looked up at the tv again as the woman proposed the question before it was shut off by the worker at the bar. Now all he could see on the tv was his own reflection.

He felt a shiver run up his spine at the realization that the TV was answering the newscasters’ question for her. 

Chapter Text

“Ryuji honey! If you don’t get up soon you’re going to be late! The trains are running behind remember!” The voice drifts into his mind from far away as he turns over.

5 more minutes…

Groaning miserably, the boy finishes turning over and pulls his blue plaid comforter over his head and lets himself drift back off to sleep before a loud thump against his door jolts him from his sleepy state.

“RYUJI SAKAMOTO!” He heard and oh shit it was in that tone. Ryuji’s eyes fly open instantly.

Shit shit shit

Ryuji feels a cold panic flood through his veins as he tosses his cover back and away from him before hopping up and standing on his bed, turning and grabbing the door to his closet to yank it open.

“Y-Yes mom! I’m coming, just getting dressed!” He exclaims in panic as he scrambles to pull his pants off the hanger, looking at the slightly wrinkled pants dejectedly, hoping his mom doesn’t notice he hung them up wrong. Kicking his covers further down his bed he steps to the right to open the other end of his closet instead to grab his shirt.

Moments later he’s hopping a bit as he struggles to stick his foot through his school’s uniform pants before tilting forwards.

“Oh shit!” He gasps as he tips forwards his hand letting go of his pants as he flails trying to catch himself from falling flat on his face. He steps off the bed quickly with his other leg, which is unfortunately his bad leg, and it takes most of his weight buckling slightly. The only thing keeping him from falling on his face being his hand flying out and catching the edge of  his manga shelf nearly knocking his medal off of it as he does.

Taking a second to let his leg stop throbbing Ryuji counts down from five slowly focusing on getting the pain to fade. After which he pulls his pants on along with his suspenders before-

“RYUJI.”

Shit

“I’m coming!” He calls as he hobbles and jumps to avoid stepping on the many open manga he left on the floor before hopping over the floor pillow nearly stepping on his Play Storm Controller as he went (yes this is the canon name in their universe)

Mom’s gonna kill me if I’m late

Ryuji groans as he tosses on his very wrinkled shirt over his head before snatching his jacket off his computer chair and sliding the door to his room open, quickly sliding it shut behind him.

“About time.” His mom huffed softly from the kitchen as she sat his plate on the table. “Eat quickly, your bag is by the door since you left it in the living room yesterday.” She adjusts her uniform a bit before heading straight for the door. “I’m working a double shift tonight so I’ll be home late, make sure to eat and then head out as soon as you’re done so that you aren’t late, ok sweetheart.” She says before stopping and turning back to him. “Oops, I almost forgot.” She chuckles as she walks over and gently tugs his head forwards to place a quick kiss to his forehead.

“MOM.” He whines embarrassed but his mother just chuckles in turn gently ruffling his short hair.

“Oh stop that, just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you’re too old to get a goodbye kiss from your mom.” She says before pinching his cheek and turning to the door again. “Love you sweetheart. Eat before it gets cold ok.” She says before scurrying out the door calling one last thing back to him that he didn’t pay too much attention to

“Damn it.” He huffed once he was sure the door clicked close as he turned and flopped down at the table and started picking at the small breakfast his mother had made him before she left.

She’s always working so hard. I should get the grocery list and grab them on the way home.

“Maaannn I really don’t wanna go to school.” He murmurs to the empty room before poking at his rice. At least breakfast was good.

✦

“This shit sucks.” He mutters as he squishes his way onto the train that finally arrived. Far more crowded than normal and people much more pushy than usual, it seemed that the train accident yesterday or whatever had everyone on edge. Man he just wanted to go back home and go back to sleep and he would have if he wasn’t sure his mother might actually kill him if he did.

The worst part was how his leg was beginning to ache already.

Probably just the weather.

…

Oh shit the weather.

That’s what his mom had been saying as she walked out the door. For him to take his umbrella because it might rain today with how weird the weather was in spring.

“Shiiiitttttt.” He mutters defeated before getting a disapproving look from some older gentleman a few people away.

The snide turn of his lips was a clear indicator he was about to say something before it even left his mouth. “Ugh, the youth these days are only getting worse. Such a shame for the future of Japan.” He huffs as he snootily pushes his glasses further up his face, sending a pointed disapproving look towards Ryuji.

Another fricking adult looking down on me

Ryuji opens his mouth to yell back at him but before he can the train comes to an abrupt stop.

“ Aoyama-Itchome.” The automated train system announces and while Ryuji would love to stay and tell that obnoxious adult where he can stick his opinion he would rather not risk another tardy that he would have to explain to his mom so he takes a moment to lock eyes with the man and flip him the bird.

The man attempts to sputter a response much to Ryuji’s satisfaction as a horrified look takes over the man's face.

“Heh asshole…” He mumbles before he steps off the train and onto the station where he could see a handful of other Shujin students hovering and chatting. Seemed he wasn’t the only one who forgot their umbrella.\

He glances around for any familiar faces but only gets disgruntled looks in return from students that recognize him and annoyance builds again sitting between his shoulder blades like a familiar friend.

Whatever he’d rather deal with the rain than these jerks anyways. He stomps up the stairs, hands in his pocket, his annoyance only growing when he can hear whispers from other students as they pass him. When he gets to the top of the stairs he spots Ann not too far away under the overhang for that clothes store with the weird name he can’t pronounce. He thinks he heard Ann mention once it was French or something.

She’s talking with some tall ass student he doesn’t recognize who offers her an umbrella, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck and basically insisting she take it. What a weirdo. She looks curious and perhaps a bit confused before doing a tiny half bow before heading off using it. Well at least one of them would get to school dry.

Moments later though a blue car slowly drives up near them, inching its way down the road following behind Ann and Ryuji instantly realizes just who is in that car.

That piece of shit!

Ryuji growls and rushes forwards ready to give him a piece of his mind when the car finally speeds up and back into the normal traffic.

“Damn it, Screw that pervy teacher!” He growls angrily kicking at the ground pissed. First the guy on the train and now Kamoshida, god this day already sucked.

“Pervy teacher?” He hears echoed behind him and he spins to see that same kid who’d given Ann the umbrella staring at him owlishly but not saying anything else and the two just keep staring at one another until Ryuji’s had enough.

“What do you want?” He begins more than a little done with the guy in front of him already, “You plannin on rattin me out to Kamoshida?” He demands because that’s what everyone in Shujin loved to do the moment Ryuji was involved.

They all go running to that piece of shit, no good, abusive,  asshol-

A calm and somewhat confused voice broke him out of his thoughts: “What do you mean?”

Wait what?

“Huh?” He mutters without thinking too much about it. “In that car just now being a creep. It was Kamoshida.” He says as if everyone simply knew this as fact, hell half the people at their damn school worshiped the man. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is- the king of the castle? Don’t you agree?”

The boy in front of him with the dark hair just tilts his head ever so slightly to the side, adjusts his bag  and gets this almost dazed, confused look on his face and parrots back: “The king of the castle?”

Ok he knew the term wasn’t like THE most accurate but it had seemed right when he’d said it and now it just felt awkward. “No I mean…” Was the wording wrong? Maybe it was more like an asshole on a throne, no wait that was the same thing. Well with how they treat him it fits but- Wait…

“ Wait. You don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real?” Did the kid in front of him smirk for a split second or was that his imagination? “You’re from Shujin right?” That definitely looked like their uniform, no that definitely was their uniform there on the other boy, when worn correctly.

“Wait…You go to Shujin too?” Questions seemed to be the only thing this kid knew how to produce but this one didn’t make any sense, no scratch that! None of these kids' sentences had been making sense! Especially when he clearly attended Shujin just like he did.

“Well no other high schools got a uniform like this” He says, making a gesture down to his own clothes before remembering he wasn’t exactly a prime example of what wearing the uniform was but who cares. At least he showed up in like 80% of it after what they did to him, they’re lucky he wears it at all. Heck he wouldn’t if he wasn’t worried he’d let his mom down even more.

Ryuji let out a sigh before glancing back over at the kids jacket again and noticing the pin on it. “A second-year huh… We’re in the same grade then. Never seen you before though.” He tilted his head a bit as he thought it over before suddenly realizing. “Oh you a transfer student?” He inquires and the black haired boy in front of him nods.

Doesn’t seem like the most talkative type.

“Well if you’re new then no wonder you don't know him.” Ryuji said with a shrug before he tossed his arms up, locking his fingers together behind his head and leaning into it. “You aint missin much. He’s an asshole.” He adds offhandedly as he turns to start towards the school again. “Come on the rain aint too bad. We better hurry up or we’ll be late.” And he couldn't’ really afford to be late right now.

The boy with dark hair nods but doesn’t put his phone away.

He probably got lost. I know I did on my first day.

As the two moved to start their walk in the rain a pain shoots through his head in a sharp blinding moment like those first few days he had tried to push his leg too far too fast after getting his cast off.

Shiiiittttt.

“ nhhhh.mmmm.” He instead lets out articulately as he stops and a hand moves up to clutch to his head miserably. “Ughhh my head hurts. Damn it, I wanna go home already.” He groans as he starts walking, leading the new kid off towards the school through the rain. Maybe if he wasn’t already on thin ice he’d just skip.

Man the rain must be really coming down.

It felt like every step they were walking through puddle after puddle but thankfully somehow his shoes never got wet enough to have wet socks. Wet socks were the worst.

As he takes the final left down the alley he glances back over his shoulder to make sure the new kid hadn’t gotten lost along the way before turning back and stopping in his tracks because What the actual hell?

Instead of their bland ass school in front of them there was a castle.

A FREAKING CASTLE.

“We didn't come the wrong way though…” He mumbles out loud because what else was he supposed to say. He glances behind them and at the familiar alley way he traverses nearly every day to get to the school. Left off the main street, first right then the first left. He replayed it in his head just to be sure they hadn’t somehow wandered off the path.

“Yeah this should be it. What's going on here?” He glances between the alley way, the new boy, and the school Castle a few times before deciding standing in the rain wasn’t going to so either of them any good. Maybe they had been teleported to another world?

He was starting to feel like Chihiro Ogino and he wasn’t sure if he liked it yet or not.

“I guess we’ll just have to go and ask.” He voices after a few moments of the two of them staring confused at each other. He turns and leads them inside ignoring the way his leg throbs with each step.

Stupid weather. 

Akechi got up from the floor where he had been planking when he heard his phone vibrating on his desk nearby. He glanced at his clock on the wall.

1 minute and 23 seconds. Well below your personal best.

“Well it does feel as if physically I am back exactly where I was this time last run around.” Goro hummed as he picked up the nearby towel to wipe his forehead. “Getting back to bouldering with what little free time I have will be imperative to regaining my physical prowess it seems.”

He wasn’t a fan of already feeling far weaker than he had previously but he supposed it came with the territory of time travel. He picked up his water bottle from the desk and began to drink from it as he thought of exactly what could have caused something like this. Perhaps it had something to do with that little butterfly girl Akira had introduced him to in January. Much like the personas as a whole she seemed otherworldly and extremely knowledgeable. Perhaps if he could find a way to contact her without Akira he would be able to acquire some answers about this entire situation.  His phone buzzed again dragging him out of his thoughts. Oh right.

He sat his water bottle back down on the table after making sure the lid was closed correctly, he didn’t need a repeat of last time where he hadn’t checked and proceeded to knock it over onto an entire week's worth of notes for his history class.

Once it was secure he picked up his phone somewhat surprised to see a message on it from Sae and not someone more…unsavory.

Clicking the IM app open he was greeted with her text.

“I heard you had an interview meant for today that got canceled due to all the media attention on the train derailing.”

Glaring down at his phone, Akechi couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the message's contents. To be reminded his presence was only desired by a studio audience when there weren’t more interesting things occuring never ceased to agitate him. He knew the masses were fickle, jumping from one thing to the next, but to cancel his interview all because they wanted to interview the family of the conductor instead was borderline infuriating.

Breath .  

Akechi took a deep breath, counted till 5, and then let it out. It was pointless getting himself so worked up over a singular interview with a lesser known news network anyways. Wasn’t like he cared about their opinion anyways.

Liar

Robin was far more chatty with his unwanted opinions this time around Goro found time and again and was about to scold the persona when his phone vibrated again.

“Since you already have the day off of school because of it, what would you say to getting lunch with me? I have a few files I want to go over and could use a second opinion on some of the acquired evidence based on the case of the politician using government funds for his vacation.”

Goro stared at the device in his hand reading the message once, twice, a third time, a fourth ti-

It’s not going to change if you keep rereading it.  

Clearly things were a lot more different this time around than he’d been anticipating. Did it have to do with his decision not to derail a train loaded with people or was there more to it? Clearly his knowledge of his father’s intentions and Hereward were major factors but aside from that it was vastly unknown to him what might be different at all.

You should answer her.

“Two heads do tend to be better than one. Your pick for lunch since we had sushi last night due to my suggestion. What time works best for you?”

Akechi then tossed his phone onto his bed, doubting Sae-san would want a confirmation response. They had been working together long enough at this point that surely she knew him expressing interest in something at all was a confirmation in and of itself.

“I suppose we should get ready for the day then.” Akechi says stretching and turning to head for his little bathroom.

Once inside the little room filled to the brim with different things he takes a moment to really stare at his face in the mirror. Hair shorter than he remembered, a near life ending scar simply vanished from his chest alongside a few others he remembered getting, and most notably for the first time he could remember in ages there seemed to perhaps be a spark of something in his eyes. Hope? Hope that things could play out differently than before? Hope that he and Akira could both get through this? Or perhaps just hope he actually got through it in one piece.

Either way the person who was staring back at him wasn’t someone he was sure he recognized anymore.

Inside was just as confusing as the outside and provided absolutely shit for answers he soon found. And every moment they spent there he was beginning to feel more and more uneasy.

“ Th-that’s weird, where's the school?” He questions unsure as he looks around the room. It was huge with literal torches on fire, giant red rugs and even a  giant shanda- wrong-

Changelier -no - chandeliar- damn it- the light thing.

He’d have to ask Ann the name of it another time. Another time when he wasn’t in a castle with another kid he’d met literally five minutes ago with no idea how to get home.

Said kid finally piped up for the first time since they entered this weird place.``Did we make a wrong turn?” It was another question! But this time Ryuji really didn’t think he had an answer but he felt like he needed one. He was the one who led the other boy here after all.

Interjecting quickly Ryuji stammers: “N-No this has to be it! I mean, it…should be?” He realizes just as he finishes saying it that his words don’t sound reassuring at all. That’s it he was checking the navigation app on his phone for some kind of answer. He yanks the phone out of his pocket before noticing the little x at the top of the screen.

“Out of service? Just where the hell  did we end up?” Seeing as his phone was going to be of no use in this situation as well he quickly repocketed the device.

“That sign was for our school right?” He wondered out loud mainly to himself but was somewhat satisfied when the other kid chimed in too.

“Yeah.” Was all the confirmation the other boy offered as he reached up and started to twirl a piece of his hair with his fingers but didn’t look away as he did before instantly shoving his hands right back into his pockets.

Feeling justified though even with that small answer Ryuji quickly jumped in again. “Right, you saw it too!!” He watches as the kid in front of him shows the first real sign of a strong emotion since he met him turning and looking at something behind Ryuji and deep inside him he fought back the urge to ask It’s right behind me isn’t it.

When he did spin around he came face to face with what looked like an old timey knight in armor. Sword and shield in hand walking up to them stopping about 10 feet away before just staring at them.

“Geez you freaked me out.” He sighs out loud. Man he was so done with today and whatever weird practical joke this was. He almost felt like he was on one of those prank shows his mom liked to watch, “ Who’re you? You a student?”

What a weird prank though. When would they have set this all up?

“Man, your costume’s impressive. Is that armor real?” He asks curiously, ready to move closer to look at. When he does try to get closer though the boy next to him places a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from getting any closer. He glances back to try and see what was up but the kids eyes were obscured by the glare of his glasses. Before he can open his mouth to question the boy though another person in armor is walking towards them neither speaking a word.

This close those swords looking pretty freaking real and suddenly Ryuji wasn’t so sure this was a joke anymore. “C-Calm down! Time out man!” They pushed in even closer. His eyes shoot to the boy next to him who has since retracted his hand from Ryuji’s shoulder.

“We gotta run!”

To his surprise he got a near instant: “Got it.” But the boy didn’t actually start running.

“Stop standin around and run!” Taking off for the front door they’re both cut off by two more armored people seemingly out of nowhere.

OH what the hell?!

“Ugh what's with these guys?!” He gets out as he tries to find an exit only for pain to suddenly erupt from his back as one of the armor dudes slams his shield solidly into him knocking him from his feet and onto his hands and knees. His hands burn as they slide across the rug trying to support his weight and stop him from eating the floor. “Ow ow you’re gonna break my bones dammit!”

If this was a prank show they’d taken this shit way too far. “The hell you think you’re-” He begins before another of the armor people raise their shield high above him and the last thing he sees is the metal swinging down at him.




Ann sighs a bit as she looks down at her phone’s weather app that signifies that the rain would continue for another 2 hours at least. She hadn’t bothered checking the weather that morning and had gotten caught in the rain pretty quickly after coming off the subway as a result. Her hood thankfully took the brunt of the rain attack so her hair wouldn’t get ruined but it wouldn’t be able to stand up the entire rest of the way to the school and she’d quickly taken refuge in the look doorway overhang area of Jeunesse et Beaute to at least shake a bit of the water off and see if it would calm down a bit.

There had been another boy there though who seemed somewhat lost, staring down at his phone with a small frown before glancing up when she walked over. He looked at her curiously, unlike the looks she usually got from the students at her school of more risque intentions or anger or even jealousy,  and so she offered him a small smile in turn before her attention was turned back to the rain when it sounded like it was coming down even harder.

Awh man I hate getting my hair wet this early in the day. It’ll start looking greasy by the end of the day at this rate.

“Excuse me.” The soft spoken voice came from next to her and when she glanced over the boy was awkwardly adjusting his glasses as he offered her the umbrella he had with him, still closed up for the moment. “It seems like it’s not going to stop any time soon and I don’t particularly mind walking in the rain so if you want.” He glances down to the offered umbrella then away almost embarrassedly. “You can use mine.”

Ann looks at the offered umbrella unsure. “Are you sure? It’s not that far I’m sure I’ll be ok.” Though she really wasn’t a fan of the wetness of her hoodie pressing against the back of her neck all day, Kawakami always kept her room slightly cold, even in the spring and winter. Taking the umbrella meant she wouldn’t have to worry about that all day but this kid would.

“I insist.” He says with a small smile. “I promise I’ll be fine.” He says with such sureness that Ann finds herself taking the umbrella after only another small moment of hesitation.

Staring down at it for only a moment before realizing the time she thanks him once more and quickly turns to head off towards the school. As she turned though her eyes caught sight of  the silver car that seemed to slow as it got closer, just barely able to make out the ugly mug of Kamoshida staring at her through the window. She quickly turns her back to him and starts walking towards the school having no interest in interacting with him at all, even as she can hear the car slowly inching its way down the road behind her.

He’s such a fucking creep.

Ann takes the first turn she can to be out of his sight and only then does she hear the car speed up down the wet road. As soon as it’s gone she takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out.

Deal with it for Shiho. His bullshit is nothing. Their rumors don’t mean shit.

Ann sighed as she walked into the school door shaking the umbrella a bit outside to knock off the excess water before closing it. She looks at it curiously, just an average umbrella, nothing special about it at all. Honestly pretty cheaply made, like one you would pick up from a second hand shop or a nearby 7/11.

“Did you hear that new transfer student starts today.” She could hear people whispering nearby to one another.

“Yeah I hear he hit someone so hard they got sent to the hospital.”

“I heard he tried to fight a police officer and almost won if there hadn’t been another one.”

“I heard he smuggled drugs and when he got caught he lashed out.”

“Well I heard that this woman was asking for directions and he just kinda snapped and hit her.”

Everywhere that Ann went as she slowly made her way to her classroom there were small groups of people whispering to one another about this mysterious new boy with a criminal record and what he had supposedly done.

“No no what I heard was he was trying to steal some kids dog and then he hit the dad when he came to try and stop him.”

“No way I heard that he has these super shady connections and when someone mentioned it he knocked em out.”

“Heard he got really mad at some politician and hit em.”

“A politician? Now you’re just making stuff up.” Another laughed. “Who in their right mind would try to start shit with a politician?”

While for a few moments it was almost a welcome change of pace that people weren’t whispering about her behind her back or even to her face she knew it wasn’t fair to this new kid either. She assumed pretty quickly that the boy she’d met earlier must have been the new kid since she’d never seen him before and his lapel had the small 2 pin that signified students who were second years. He seemed so soft spoken and his kindness felt  genuine but she could only guess what he was really like. Though even if he had hit someone or done something bad she hated the whispered rumors that were spreading around and only making things worse. Making people more afraid. It was that stupid website everyone always used. The same place the first supposed rumor that she was sleeping with Kamoshida had started and surely where all these ones had as well.

Ann sat down at her desk and pulled out her books with an annoyed huff turning to look out the window as she waited for class to start. As much as she hated this…She couldn’t lie it was nice for once not to hear whispers about herself as she sat and waited for class though. Did it make her a bad person? That someone else’s misfortune was causing her a slight reprieve…She wasn’t sure. Maybe she’d talk to Shiho about it at lunch.

Ryuji groaned as he slowly came to.

Cold.

Was the first thought that ran through his brain before processing the harsh stone floor below him digging into his arms and side. “What the-” He manages to get out as he slowly opens his eyes, blinking a few times to clear away the blurriness, before taking in exactly where they are.

It reminds him far too much of one of those shitty torture rooms in a few anime’s he’s watched but this, this was real. Scarily real. He slowly sits up glancing around finding chains and handcuffs on the wall, a few barrels and a wooden cot hung from the wall before his eyes landed on the other boy. He was also splayed across the ground in the little room from where the two had clearly been tossed in.

Thinking of how much it sucked to wake up on that cold floor Ryuji slowly stood, taking a few deep breaths before reaching down and scooping the boy up and into his arms. Leg instantly protesting Ryuj knew he wouldn’t be able to hold him for long so he quickly took the few steps forwards and as gently as he could dropped the black haired boy onto the wooden bed.

“Least he didn’t wake up on the floor too.” He huffed before starting to look around again. He checked all the barrels to find them empty, the chains on the wall to be very real and the door to their small cell very solid and unfortunately locked.

“Nnngh…” He hears the boy on the wooden bed mumble as he slowly starts coming to. Ryuji makes his way over and kneels down to be eye level with the slowly coming to boy.

“Hey…” He starts softly but when the boy doesn’t immediately rouse Ryuji decides to put a bit more force into his voice. “ Hey, wake up!” To his immediate relief the other boy slowly wakes up, sliding his feet off the bed as he sits up.

He’s holding his head. Shit I hope those assholes didn’t do any real damage.

Concerned he speaks up again as the boy clutches to his head still. “Hey you all right?” He questions as he stands back up fully.

The boy with black hair glances at him, seeming to do a once over of him before speaking: “Yup, you?”  Man this kid doesn’t seem shaken by anything does he?

Rolling his shoulder that had been aching a bit since he woke up, probably the one he landed on when they tossed him in, Ryuji sighs:. “Yeah more or less.”

“Looks like this aint no dream.” Somehow they really were in a castle it seemed. “Ugh what’s goin on?!” He hated not understanding things and this whole situation was getting him more and more pissed by the second. Running up to the metal door he slams his hands against it yet again yelling this time though: “Hey let us outta here! I know there’s someone out there!” He’d heard footsteps out there earlier. He knew he had.

“Damnit where are we? Is this some kinda movie set? Do you know what the hell is going on-” A set of pained tortured screams flooded the air one after another cutting the rest of his sentence off. He spun to face the door, rushing over to it. Quickly the other boy seemed to follow, having the same train of thought it seemed.

“Th-The hell was that just now?”

More screams filled the air. The kind of screams he had heard in movies and he distantly remembered making when that asshole Kamoshida had snapped his leg.

This didn’t feel fake. This felt real.

Really really real .

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!” He stammered looking between the boy and out to the water flowing in a small river just outside the small prison they were in. “You’re shittin me right?” This whole situation was confusing and by the moment becoming more and more terrifying. “This is real bad!”

The black haired boy begins to look around the room the same way that Ryuji himself had done when he first woke up. Ryuji knew he wouldn’t find anything or perhaps he’d manage to see something he hadn’t earlier? As the boy leaned down to look under the bed Ryuji could hear what sounded like footsteps and clanking armor approaching, getting louder with each second passing. He glances out the door.

““You hear that?!” He asks the other boy who when he glanced back had already made there way back over to the door with him as another one of those armored pricks made their way up to the door.

“Be glad your punishment has been decided upon.” It was the the first time Ryuji could remember one of the armor guys talking since they’d arrive in this insane place. “Your charge is unlawful entry-” Yeah like they’d meant to wind up here. “- thus you will be sentenced to death.” The thing finished in a monotone voice.

“Say what?!” Ryuji says without thinking because what the actual hell?!

These guys can’t be serious right?

“No ones allowed to do as they please in my castle.” Wait. That voice? There’s no way?

Then there are more footsteps and up walks Kamoshida in some kind of horrendous pink and red heart bathrobe. A golden crown sitting atop his head. Maybe he’s just mistaken but-

“Is that you Kamoshida??” He asks because what else is he supposed to do as the older man just stares at them unimpressed.

“Kamoshida?” Unsure of what was happening the boy next to him looked between Ryuji and the man outside the bars.

Oh right he’d never had the displeasure of meeting this asshole before. What a way to meet him.

Condescendingly the man before them starts to speak. “ I thought it was some petty thief but to think it’d be you Sakamoto. Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all.”

This asshole! If these bars weren’t between us I’d-

“And you brought a friend this time…because you can't do anything for yourself.” The man sneers looking over at the black haired boy who was staring back without flinching.

Slamming his hands on the bars of the door Ryuji yells back. “This ain’t funny you asshole!”

Sounding more pissed than before, Kamoshida's attention leaves the new boy and relocks onto Ryuji.

“Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me- the king.”

Who the hell does this guy think he is?!

The man reaches up and rubs his chin, smirking as he does. His bathrobe parted to reveal he’s only in a speedo below it.

Oh gross.

“The punishment for that is death.” Eyes darkening even more. Annoyance making its way onto the man’s face instead he growls. “It’s time for an execution! Take him out!”

Realization hits him like a slap in the face and he glances down at the sharp sword in the armor man’s hand, gleaming brightly when it catches the low light. His legs feel weak as he wobbles backwards and away from the door.

“ S-Stop it!” He does his best to ignore how his voice shakes. This wasn’t funny anymore. It hadn’t been funny for a while. Why the hell was Kamoshida doing this? HOW the hell was Kamoshida doing this?!

He backs up until the back of his knees bump one of the wooden beds as three of the armor men make their way inside, closing off any room for him to run, to break free and escape, but he refuses to go down that easily. He wouldn’t give the asshole that satisfaction. “ …Goddammit!”

This is going to hurt.

Ryuji lets the thought cross his mind for only a second before he’s running forwards and slamming his shoulder intto the suit of armor directly in front of him between him and the door. An aching throb settled deep in his shoulder the moment it made contact with the metal of the shield but just like at a track meet he didn’t hesitate, he couldn’t hesitate. He threw his entire body weight against it and felt a deep thrum of satisfaction when he knocked the armor man off his feet and onto his back on the ground.

He noticed the black haired boy still hadn’t done anything, as if he were too afraid to even move. “ I aint down for this shit! C’mon we’re outta here!” Yelling in the hopes of getting this other kid to actually do something. But in his split second of distraction the other sets of armor had found their opening.

The armor closest to the wall closes the distance between them in only a matter of steps before the blunt end of their sword is swinging towards him.

Pain rushes through him as the air is knocked from his lungs when the sword hilt slams into him.  It feels like everything inside his chest is on fire.The pain makes it hard to focus on anything aside from trying to get away. He takes a few shaky steps backwards but even that is too much and he soon finds his hands hitting cold cobblestone as he struggles not to fall all the way to the ground.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

Every inhale felt like something was jostling in his chest. Like two things were scrapping up against one another inside of him that weren’t supposed to. He felt like he needed to throw up but the world around came back to him as he heard a loud bang.

Glancing up he sees the boy with glasses slamming his fists into the back of one of the armor men as if trying to get them away from Ryuji. Heh wasn’t it funny that this kid seemed to care more than his supposed friends from the track team ever did. Another breath had pain flaring through him again.

“Just go! Get outta here! These guys are serious!” He yells because damn it he’s not bringing someone else down with him, not again. Not when the very concept of standing on his own two feet right now feels like an impossibility.

Kamoshida however just laughs at his desperate cries and turns his head to look at the other boy. “Oh? Running away? What a heartless friend you are.” He sneers at him as if this boy had any loyalty to Ryuji. Unlike the track team who had also left him to his fate despite everything they had all gone through together.

Taking a shorter, shallower breath this time to try and ignore some of the pain, or at least shove it down for now, he manages to get out. “He aint a friend.” Kamoshida didn’t need more reason to go after this boy. If he was willing to do this to him, who knew what he’d do to the boy with glasses. “C’mon hurry up and go!” But the black haired boy didn’t run. Didn’t move aside from slamming his hands into the back of the armor again.

“What’s the matter? Too scared to run away?” Taunting words came from Kamoshida as he walked further into the room staring at the boy with glasses like he were nothing more than a roach to be stepped on whenever he felt like he wanted to. ”Hmph, pathetic scum isn't worth my time…I’ll focus on this one’s execution.”

Ryuji feels two metal hands grab him by either shoulder and yank him up back to his feet and pain flares through his chest. Even as his legs give out and refuse to support his weight the metal hands hold true and he doesn’t collapse back to the floor yet. He scrambles to reach up and try to pry them off but they only tighten to an impossibly painful degree.

Shit. shit this can’t be it. I don’t wanna die!

Kamoshida walks up and raises his hand to swing down at him when suddenly from behind Kamoshida a demanding voice growls.

“That’s enough!”

Kamoshida glances over his shoulder at the boy with glasses who was glaring at the man as if his look alone would set the man before him ablaze. “What was that?” Kamoshida sneers as he turns his attention fully to the other boy. Ryuji can feel the two armor men releasing his shoulder from their grip but has no strength in his legs to attempt to catch himself and let’s himself crumple to the ground instead, back against the wall.

“You desire to be killed that much? Fine!” Kamoshida laughs before nodding to one of the armor men that Ryuji can barely make out to his right. Moving his head enough to really see everything felt like an olympic task so he just stayed slouched there staring at the other boy. He hissed as breathing felt like it was growling harder to do then hissed again when he  watched as an amor man walked closer to the boy before slamming his shield into his face.

To Ryuji’s surprise the boy managed to stay on his feet, only really losing his glasses that skid across the floor. When the boy looked back up at Kamoshida Ryuji felt a shiver run up his own spine at the look alone but a look wouldn’t stop those swords.

What the hell is this kid doing? He’s going to get himself killed. He should have ran. We’re both going to die. And it’s going to be my fault. Shit all of this is my fault. I have to do something.

Ryuji pressed his hands against the wall behind him trying to use it as leverage slowly sliding his feet back underneath him but it felt like they had no strength in them. The same way they had first felt when he’d started his physical therapy but unlike then this was life or death. He didn’t have the benefit of giving in and trying again tomorrow so using the wall he tried to press himself up off the floor. He got about a third of the way up when something moved in his chest and white hot pain flared through him.

The world around him disappeared for a moment and the only thing that existed to him was the screaming pain from his chest. As it slowly faded he was left with a dull ache there that never seemed to fully go away. Breathing hurt even worse now and worst of all he was back on the ground where he started.

I can’t do it. The kid’s gonna die and I couldn’t do anything about it.

He watches helplessly as two more of the armor men approach the boy now without glasses. As they reach out for him though the most unexpected thing of all happens which after everything today was saying a lot.

The boy before him seems to suddenly be engulfed in blue flames. Well sort of. It looks more like the flames start on one side of his body then rush to the other and Ryuji has to blink a few times as he stares. The boy isn’t in his regular Shujin uniform like he had been moments ago, instead he’s in this weird ass outfit with red gloves and pointy shoes.

Reminds me of those elf movies…Shit not the time.

Maybe Kamoshida hit him harder than he thought and he was in some kind of dream. Or maybe he passed out on the train on the way to school and this was all a dream to begin with. That would make sense. Would explain all the craziness.

As he moved to try and make another attempt to stand the pain that made his arms and legs feel weak flashed through him again and he let his head lull to the side.

This hurts way too much to be a dream or if it is I freakin need to wake up soon!

His attention is drawn back to the boy in the weird outfit when fire begins to erupt behind him as well as a smirk, dark and angry, makes its way onto his face. The sound of chains rattling began to fill the space, nearly deafening in its demand to be heard before the fire began to fade away leaving something in its place.

Oh God what the hell is that?!?! A demon?! Am I in hell?!

Ryuji blinked up at the giant creature in front of him, seeing large blue flames billowing off of him in waves. “Wha What the-?” He begins intelligently before the thing suddenly opens its wings. The sheer force of the wind that came from it doing so sent every armor man in the room flying into a different wall, slamming into them with a loud metallic clang before falling to the ground and not getting back up.

Even Kamoshida had fallen to his ass from it and something in him wanted to laugh but when the first noise tried to make its way out pain flared in its place.

Demanding the attention of the entire room a voice blares forth from the THING.

“I AM THE PILLAGER OF TWILIGHT -ARSENE! ” It announces before it looks down directly at Kamoshida who lets out a small whimper as he stumbles back to his feet rushing for the door.

Once there and two of the armor men have managed to get back to their feet, standing between Kamoshida and whatever the hell this thing was, does Kamoshida’s obnoxious attitude come back.

A coward until someone is between you and the danger, asshole.

“Guards!” More yelling. “Start by killing that one!” Kamoshida stands outside the doorway like that would protect him before suddenly the two armor men near him began to arch their backs in unnatural ways before collapsing to the floor as a red and black ooze shot up from the floor instead. When it vanished there were these two things.

They reminded Ryuji of Jack-o-lanterns he had carved with his mother when he was younger but these things were floating and they had on robes and witch hats and-

This seriously can’t possibly get any weirder

But apparently it can as he watches the pumpkin things attack the black haired boy and the demon behind him with literal fire and the boy just shrugs the hits off almost as if they didn’t exist at all.

Demand laced in his voice he roars: “Go Arsene pillage them!” And the demon behind him does not hesitate rushing forwards, all claws and blood lust as he tears the pumpkins to pieces before them.

Ryuji  feels like his eyes are trapped on the carnage before he is finally able to tear them away to see the dark grin on the other boy’s face and for the second time that day Ryuji feels a shiver run up his spine.

Eventually there is nothing left of the pumpkins at all and the demon thing disappears as a mask appears on the boy's face instead. Instead of relishing in whatever the hell that was for very long Ryuji watches in surprise as the boy is instantly kneeling down next to him completely ignoring Kamoshida who is spouting angry profanities near the door.

“What hurts? Where does it hurt?” Concern now laced the voice of the boy who moments ago sounded as if he would kill Kamoshida without hesitation. It felt like whiplash. “I can help just tell me where.” He insists softly as the black haired boy begins to look him over. Ryuji finds he doesn’t have it in him to fight the gloved hands as they gently poke and prod his shoulder, his face, and then his side. When the fingers press there though pain flares in an instant and he hears the other boy match his hiss.

Through watery eyes he watches as the boy pulls his mask off and away saying something he couldn’t quite catch before a few dots of green float down onto him before his eyes. In mere moments it feels like a wave of something is flowing through him.

Starting at the top of his head where the ache behind his eyes slowly fades away then down to his shoulders where he was sure he previously had bruises forming. It’s there that coolness flows through his muscles like an ice pack on a sprain and the dull pain that had been there moments before disappears as if it had never been there to begin with. When it gets to his chest though he fights the urge to throw up as he feels something in his chest move but then-

Holy shit

-it’s suddenly so much easier to breathe without a pain rushing through him at every inhale and exhale. Then it finally hits his legs where he feels strength slowly returning to them. There is still the ever present dull ache that has been there since Kamoshida first broke his leg but aside from that all the extra pain and aches that had become almost familiar since their first encounter with the armor men faded away.

Did this kid do that?

He wonders to himself as the boy before him slowly stands back up and puts the mask back onto his face before spinning to face the doorway, his little coat tails flapping as he did.

Anger flowing off of him in waves Kamoshida presses back into the room, his full attention on the black haired boy who was standing almost defensively in front of him. “Why you little…” Kamoshida’s voice growled out at them, sounding more pissed off than he had been this entire time. More pissed off than Ryuji can ever remember hearing him sound.

A fist is raised as if he intends to strike the black haired boy but Ryuji’s strength is back and he presses to his feet in an instant rushing forwards and slamming his shoulder into Kamoshida. Satisfaction rushes through him at the fact that there was no real pain to it despite earlier as well as the fact that Kamoshida was knocked from his feet, splaying across the ground pathetically.

“You like that you son of a bitch!” He roars before the other boy is pressing past him to scoop the keys up off the ground that had been dropped there when he’d destroyed those pumpkin things.

“Let’s get out of here.” The boy says bluntly but with authority and Ryuji finds himself sparing one more glance at Kamoshida before he follows him out the door of the cell. It slams closed with a loud clunk and once he’s locked it the other boy takes the keys and throws them into the flowing water nearby.

“Let’s go.” The masked boy says instantly leaving no room for questions as he starts making his way down the hall and Ryuji finds himself falling in step without question.

Meeting with Sae-san felt strange in a way. They had never felt this close, at least not this early on before. Yet here she was inviting him out to lunch to ask for his opinion on a case she had been preparing to take to court for months. It was a strange yet not unwelcome change. 

The two found a set of seats easily enough in the cafe Sae had picked and before too long their orders had been placed. 

“So Akechi-Kun I heard Kakon-san was giving you trouble yesterday.” She begins after the two had ordered their drinks and Goro had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the mention of the prick.

“Ah nothing to worry about Sae-san I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding on his part.” He laughed as he shook his head a bit tugging at his gloves before he could stop himself. 

He silently hoped no one but Akira had ever picked up on that nervous habit of his.

“Well misunderstanding or not, if he continues to cause issues with you please let me know.” She instructs him as she begins to pull out her case files. 

It takes Goro more time than he’d like to admit to process the words and the meaning behind them and simply offers the woman a nod in return, truly not sure what else to contribute to the conversation at that point. 

“Now there are a few case notes we can go over. Obviously we can talk about too much as we are in public but-“ And that’s how they spend the next while, talking over different notes and information before placing their orders and then quieting down into more mundane talk as they ate.

Sae mentioned her growing stress while being proud that at least she didn’t have to worry about stressing over her little sister who seemed to take care of herself and her grades effectively. Goro offered bouldering stories in return not wanting to talk about anything too personal but finding this something he enjoyed that he could share. 

Goro and Sae were both just about halfway through their meals, chatting about work, when a little kid began to fuss at a table not too far away. At first the noise seemed as though it were going to be pretty easy to ignore but slowly the kids' cries began to become louder. It mainly consisted of the kid seeming to whine and complain and soon enough other tables were clearly beginning to grow annoyed.

Curiously Goro glanced over to see a young woman holding a small baby in her arms while doing her best to calm the child across the table from her down who was still getting louder and louder.

“I don’t wanna to!” The little boy whined and the table near her made a comment about people far too young having children if they couldn’t control them.

You should ask her to leave. She’s disturbing the peace. .   Robin’s voice says in his head and Goro rolls his eyes at that. The woman was clearly doing her best to calm the kid down from whatever was causing this outburst. It wasn’t like she was simply ignoring the kid and letting him scream.

“”Excuse me for a moment, Sae-san.” He cuts the woman in front of him off, earning him a sharp frown but she doesn’t say anything else as he stands from the table.

“Oh I’m so sorry for causing trouble.” The clearly frazzled woman is quick to apologize as Goro approaches the table.

“Oh it’s no trouble at all.” Goro said with a small polite smile. “I just came to see if there was an issue I could perhaps help with. I am a detective after all. Helping fix problems is my day job.” He jokes before the little boy whines loudly again slamming his small hands onto the table.

“Kenzo please…” She turned and half whispered to the little boy across from her who was now staring at a wall refusing to look at the plate of food in front of him at all. From what Goro could tell he was mostly done but there were a handful of bites left, mainly consisting of vegetables.

“I don't want this anymore!” He says as he pouts, shaking his head, still fairly loud in the usually quieter diner.

“Kenzo, those were your favorites last week.” She tries to reason with him. “And we even got you a big order because of how much you liked them. Please finish your food and we’ll go home ok?”

The boy makes a whining noise now and Goro can hear Robin complaining in his head again about Public disturbances before Loki chimes in:

There must be a way to appease the child and the mother. 

Goro glances back at the woman for a moment.

She’s young .

And for a moment he thinks of his own mother, scraping by, handling him when he’d have a moment like this kid was. It was entirely possible the situation as a whole causing the kid stress had nothing to do with the food at all but instead…

Goro’s focus centered on the other kid in the woman's arms.

Possibly acting out for attention because he feels the new baby is replacing him. Mother is stressed and alone.To leave early without her child finishing their food may be money they don’t have to be wasting.

What had his mother done when he’s not wanted to eat his food?

Oh right.

“Oh wow Kenzo-kun that sure is a big plate of food, you must be the man of the house to be able to eat that much.” He says with his princely smile as he looks at the little boy whose attention is fully on him now. He’s stopped making as much noise and seems surprised at the praise.

“I am!” He says excitedly, mood shifting from sadness and frustration to elation at the praise.

Bingo

He’d been right on the money. The kid was upset at the lack of attention from his struggling mom, not at the food.

“Well Kenzo-kun you know what the rule is for the man of the house right?” He said confidently.

A look of confusion came to his face but he puffed out his chest. “Of course I do!” He agreed quickly with a nod of his head.

“Well then, as you know, you have to eat four more bites of your meal since you’re four years old.” Goro says with a nod to the plate.

“I’m five!” The boy is quick to correct, which had been around where Goro had figured his age was.

Feigning surprise Goro continues. “Oh well…I don’t know if you can eat that much.”

Fork in hand in an instant the boy is quick to finish off his food from on his plate and smiles widely at Goro and Goro gives him a smile in return, though this one somehow feels more real.

“Oh wow Kenzo-kun! You did it! That’s very impressive.” Goro congratulated him on the empty plate and the boy all but preened under the praise. His attitude now completely different than it had been moments beforehand.

He glanced behind himself and noticed how the other tables had people quickly turning their head and acting as if they hadn’t been watching him but then he noticed Sae-san who was staring at him intently. He should be getting back to her and their talk shouldn't be?

He turns to look at the mother who has such genuine gratitude in her eyes at his actions that he almost takes a step back and away from it but instead reaches up and tugs at the end of one of his gloves to ease his nerves. “I do believe my colleague is waiting for my return so I must be on my way. It was lovely meeting the three of you.” He then turns to Kenzo who is still smiling happily and squirming in his seat a little in what he could best describe as a ‘happy dance’.

“It was nice meeting you Kenzo. From one man of the house to another I know you’ll do your mother proud and help her out a lot with your new sibling won’t you?” The boy quickly nods before turning back to his mother and beginning to excitedly talk about taking his little sibling to the park and about how the two of them were going to build snowmen in the winter.

Goro takes that opportunity to excuse himself from the table and sit down back across from Sae who is looking at him with a raised eyebrow, asking the question without verbalizing it.

Not really having an answer he simply gave her one of his usual Detective Prince smiles. “Simply assisting the public where I can.” He offers.

Frowning she counters with: “You could have just as easily asked her to leave?”

“Is she not a part of the public as well though Sae-san?” Goro inquires, his smile feeling more plastic by the second. “If I am assisting the public does that not entail also assisting her.”

Poking at her food a bit she smiles slightly as if she had caught him in some kind of trap he was unaware was even set. “I suppose you are correct, Akechi-kun.” She hums before continuing. “Though I didn’t know you were good with kids.”

Neither did I 

Instead of saying that though he simply offered her a chuckle and: “You’ll find I'm full of surprises Sae-san.”

“I can tell.” She grinned back. “You however owe me a drink for interrupting me earlier.”

Genuine laughter comes from him before he can stop it and he’s not entirely sure where it comes from but it feels good in a way. Once the laughter dies out he says: “Of course Sae-san, my apologies. Now back to the case?”

And she simply offers him a smile and a nod as she pulls out the file.



Once they got away from Kamoshida  things only somehow got weirder, more of those pumpkin things, a fairy, and a demon with a huge dick all trying to fight them. A drawbridge activated by a statue of the bastard himself and then to top everything else off an annoying ass demon cat that could talk and ALSO had another demon that he could fight with.

Though eventually he found out that those demon things coming out of the black haired boy and black furred cat were called personas apparently and that place they had been was escapable through a old ventilation shaft which was how he found himself here shimmying through it behind the other boy after the demon cat decided it wasn’t coming with them.

Once the two made it outside the castle though they didn’t stop moving as they tried to put as much distance as they could between them and the shitty place. It was only when the two of them both had to stop to take deep breaths and calm down did he notice how their surroundings seemed far more familiar now.

“Did we make it?” He pants out to the other boy slowly standing straight again.

The other boy pulls out his phone for some reason before it begins to talk: “You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.”

Real World? Welcome back?

“Huh, Does that mean we got away?” He questioned unsure before the boy next to him nodded and then shrugged.

“Probably.” Was all he offered as comfort with to say didn’t help at all would be an understatement.

“What the hell was all of that?!” Ryuji questions not really expecting an answer but feeling the need to ask. “That castle, and Kamoshida, and that WEIRD CAT!” He stomps his foot a bit before:

“What the hell is going on?!” Ryuji feels himself exclaiming because at this point he was pissed and needed to understand what the hell just happened.

Instead of getting an answer from the black haired boy or even perhaps a reappearance of that demon cat. He instead hears an annoyed voice directed their way.

“What’s with the yelling? Are you two students of Shujin Academy?” A police officer walks up to them being tailed by his partner who is slowly walking a bike alongside himself. “Cutting class are we?” He demands in an asshole tone and Ryuji feels even more frustration bubble up inside of him.

“Huh? No!” Shaking his head he continues. “We were trying to get to school when we ended up at this weird castle!”

Looking bewildered for a moment before just straight up angry the officer growls. “What?” Then demands. “Hand over your bag you better not be doing any drugs!” Then the man is pushing into their space.

Ryuji spares a quick glance over to the black haired boy next to him who seemed to have grown slightly pale at the yelling from the cops.

He watched as the boy took a shaky step backwards as if trying to put space between himself and the angry man.

Oh right that rumors online did mention the new transfer student having a record. Maybe bad experiences with cops when it happened?

It wasn’t but a few steps back, just enough for him to have breathing room really, but that was enough to set off the cop in front of them, his attention snapping to the boy with glasses in an instant.

“You trying to run you punk?!” The cop demands hostility as he reaches over and grabs the boy by the wrist to stop him from stepping back any further.

“N-No I wasn’t I just-” The boy with glasses stammers over his words and looks even more pale than before.

Not about to stand by and watch this asshole harass the kid who arguably just saved his life Ryuji stepped in a bit and yelled. “HEY Leave him alone! He ain’t done nothin wrong!” But the cop didn’t let go of the boy with glasses wrist but sent him a glare instead.

Before it can escalate any further though a new and equally annoying voice chimes in grabbing everyone’s attention. “Excuse me Gentlemen.”



Leaving the restaurant after a long engaging conversation with Sae-san about the newest acquired evidence in her case was a refreshing change of pace to his last few memories with her that were so involved with Phantom Thief nonsense that she barely spoke to him otherwise. Then after her whole Palace fiasco and her being informed he was a murderer clearly there hadn’t exactly been time to exchange pleasantries then or in that new reality of Maruki’s design.

Warm drink in hand Goro was debating actually going and Attending the second half of the day at his school. Afterall it would look good for his public appearance to continue to keep his attendance as high as possible despite the school all but excusing him whenever he so chooses not to show up.

About halfway to the train station, he catches wind of shouting across the street. Glancing over curiously he notes two police officers harassing two students around his age, presumably for skipping. He takes a sip of his drink and is about to leave it be when he suddenly processes the fact that both the students had been wearing Shujin uniforms and one had flashy bright blonde hair.

Looking back over Goro just about spat out the mouthful of drink he had as he realized that was Sakamoto and Akira standing there getting all but yelled at by the cops. He clenches his fists but steadies himself to walk away. It wasn’t his problem, not yet, even if he did want to see Akira. He wasn’t meant to meet him for another two months and Goro wasn’t sure how much everything around them was affected by small stuff such as getting lunch. He could only imagine how drastically things would change by meeting Akira so far in advance in comparison to before.

He’s about to turn and leave when he notices Akira taking a step back as the police officer presses into his space and then he’s grabbing Akira’s wrist yanking the boy forwards angrily and a fury runs through his veins in an instant.

How dare he.
How dare he.

He finds himself and Loki on the same page instantly and he does his best to shove his rage down before straightening his jacket, discarding the rest of his drink in a trash can and crossing the street. Consequences be damned.

“Excuse me Gentlemen.” Goro speaks and the officer who is holding Akira’s wrist tightly snaps his head to him instantly glaring at him for having the audacity to interrupt them. Akira can’t help the wince as the man’s hands tighten even more with his growing annoyance.

“The hell do you want?” He sneered. “You skipping school too?!” He demands ignorantly before stopping when his partner places a hand on his shoulder and mutters quietly.

“That’s that detective boy.” The first police officer looks confused for a moment before realization hits him and he rolls his eyes.

“Well what do you want? Can’t you see we’re busy?” He demands still having not let go of Akira’s wrist.

“Ah yes busy accosting my associates it seems.” Goro hums, seeming unimpressed by the officer's attitude.

Blinking a few times and staring at him the second officer asks what they’re both thinking. “Associates? What do you mean?”

Nodding Goro walks a bit closer and glances over Akira and Ryuji. “These two are students helping me with a case and who have been excused from their school for today as a result. You’re more than welcome to call Shujin Academy and confirm. I’m sure they would rather enjoy you wasting their time.” He bluffs easily.

The first cop's eyes narrow even more in annoyance but the partner seems embarrassed and desperate for this whole situation to end. The first cop’s initial yelling had spurred on lookers and now more and more people were staring as they recognized Akechi.

Good, feel uncomfortable and leave. He thinks internally but keeps his face passive.

“Ugh whatever we have better things to be doing.” The cop huffs as he releases Akira’s wrist from his hand and turns to continue walking down the street. Clearly embarrassed by everything that happened the partner cop quickly does a small short bow as an apology before scurrying after him.

Goro lets out a small sigh before turning to the two boys. “We should talk somewhere else, people are starting to stare.”

“And why should we go with you?” Ryuji huffs crossing his arms.

He always was a little dense at times. Robin chimes in but Goro keeps his cool, as best he can.

“I believe I just assisted you out of a rather unfortunate situation with those two-” He hesitates before he  decides on a word. “-brutes…” He nods towards the two retreating cops. “The least you can offer is an explanation on why exactly you two were skipping I’m sure.”

When Ryuji opens his mouth to argue again Akira beats him to it.

“Thank you.” He starts, ever the gentleman. “We’ll go with you.” He agrees for both of them even when Ryuji looks surprised between the two of them. “Lead the way-” The boy with glasses seems like he wants to say more but leaves it at that.

Unphased by the eyes staring at him from behind those glasses Goro turns to start walking. “Very well this way. I know a small cafe nearby where we can sit and chat without drawing too many wandering eyes.” 

God they’re both so weird.

That was the third time the thought had passed through his head since they arrived at the cafe and took their seats. Don’t get him wrong he was grateful to the kid with brown hair for helping them out but man these two were just…acting so odd around each other.

Maybe it’s my imagination

He watches as the boy with glasses peaks his head up just enough to look at the boy with brown hair when he’s looking at the menu before he quickly glances away when the brown haired boy puts the menu down.

No, the passing glances when one thought the other wasn’t looking weren’t his imagination. Or the way they both seemed way more fidgety now that they were in the cafe instead of outside.Or how the boy with black hair kept tugging at his hair and  If either one of them tugged at their gloves one more time Ryuji knew he was going to say something.

Tugging at his glove the brown haired boy looks off to the side but  before Ryuji can say anything he’s talking.

“I don’t mean to pry. But why exactly were the two of you skipping school exactly?” He questions as he sits his hands down on the table, fingers locked together like he was interrogating them instead of just asking questions. That was the same pose those assholes had when they had questioned him why he swung on Kamoshida and then didn’t listen to a single word he said.

Ryuji feels his eyes narrowing and anger begins to pool.

“I got lost.” Words from the boy next to him brought him back down a bit. “He saw me getting onto the wrong train and followed me to try and help. It closed before we could get off. With train delays and schedule switches it was hard to get back.” Ryuji stared at the boy. That was the most he’d heard the boy speak in one go since they’d met.

The brown haired boy nods. “Ah so you’re new in town?” He inquires and the boy next to him just shrugs and goes.

“No, I just decided getting on a random train on the way to school seemed like fun” The black haired boy shot back and now they were both smirking and Ryuji couldn’t feel more out of the loop if he tried.

“Ah so you’re the type of person to go against the grain then? Shake up the status quo if you will?” The brown haired boy jokes.

The black haired boy suddenly got this look on his face like he’d had back in the castle before sending his dem-persona to destroy those pumpkins. “Well every thesis needs a good antithesis.”  The other boy's eyes went wide and he went to respond.

“So uh-” Ryuji cuts in instead. “-Not to break up whatever this is but we don’t even know your name.” Hell he didn’t even know the boy with Black hairs name.

Looking somewhat surprised, the boy with brown hair shakes his head and chuckles. “Ah right where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi.”

“Names Ryuji Sakamoto.” He responds with a nod and then finally the black haired boy speaks too.

“Akira Kurusu.” Huh Akira Kurusu…so that’s his name.

The boy- Akechi nods and then sighs a bit. “I apologize on the behalf of the police that you had to deal with such brutish behavior earlier. It is a shame what some adults think they can get away with when they are in a position of power.” 

Before he can even think about it the words are coming out as he slams his hands on the table. “You’re damn right!” He growled before noticing other people were looking their way.

Shit my bad

He slides his hands off the table while Akechi tilts his head to the side curiously.

“You appear to have a certain adult in mind?” He inquired curiously while the boy next to him remained quiet.

“Yeah an asshole named Kamoshida who seems to think he can get away with anything he wants to anyone all because he won some stupid gold medal or somethin.” He huffs crossing his arms. “Does all kindsa shady shit like hitting students and blackmailin people.”

Akechi frowns at that and chimes in. “From your tone I’ll assume you’ve had a run in with him before?”

Ryuji just looks off to the side not interested in telling someone he just met about what Kamoshida put him and the track team through. How he’d snapped and swung at him. How the bastard had broken his leg. How-

“I’m sorry whatever he did to you was allowed to happen.” Akechi must have taken his silence as a confirmation. “Listen I’m a detective and have connections with the police, perhaps I can assist you if needed?” The boy then reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “Here I can give you my number and if there is ever a situation you need help. I am only one call away.”

Ryuji wasn’t sure he trusted this, trusted him. He’d only just met him but he had saved them from those cops and lied to make sure they didn’t get in trouble. Maybe he was overthinking it. Next to him Akira had already pulled out his phone and was exchanging numbers before they both looked at Ryuji and he huffed before digging his phone out of his pocket and exchanging numbers as well.

“Oh my look at the time.” Akechi mumbled once they had finished the exchange. “I hadn’t realized I had taken up so much of your time. We should get you back to your school before they call your guardians.” He stands up and walks over to pay the bill. “I can cover the two of you since it was me who invited you here unprompted.”

Free food? Ok maybe this guy aint half bad.

Once they were out on the street Akechi stepped to the side. “Lead the way.” And Ryuji smirking nods and leads the two other boys off to their school.

Of course, once they walk in the gates of the school they spot two men standing right outside the main doors. One of the school counselors is standing there talking with Kamoshida. When the two notice them the counselors demeanor changes instantly.

“Look who finally decided to show up. It’s rare not to see you alone, Sakamoto-kun. What did you do to warrant the attention of a detective?” The counselor almost sneered at Ryuji and Akira resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the man’s clearly unprofessional behavior as he looked at the three of them.

Kamoshida sighed and shook his head a bit looking disappointedly at them. “You seem so carefree Sakamoto. Quite a difference from when you did morning practice with the track team.”

Knowing Ryuji’s temper was about to get the best of him he chimes in first. “There’s a track team here? Are there any other sports?” Fighting back a smirk knowing the comment would get under Kamoshida’s skin. That someone would somehow not know of his great volleyball team.

Kamoshida however forces a smile. “I’d be glad to tell you more about them when you aren’t being scolded for skipping school. Academics are important too, you know.”

Akira swears he can feel Goro’s eyes on him but when he spares a glance at him the boy is already looking back up at the counselor who had started speaking again.  “This behavior is beginning to get out of hand-”

“Oh please don’t get too angry at them.” Akechi cut in, surprising the rest of them. “It was my fault these two ended up being so late today after all.” He supplies when all he got were confused looks. “They saw me struggling to transport some important documentation. The boxes can be quite heavy and having to transport multiple at a time I was struggling quite a bit. Seeing this the two offered a helping hand instead of leaving me to struggle alone.”

Akira had to blink a few times as Akechi spoke. The boy of course had lied here and there in the time they’d known him but here he was blatantly lying to help two people he didn’t even know. Why?

My sense of justice wouldn’t allow it. The words Akechi spoke came back to him in an instant but was that all there was to it? Akira wasn’t sure.

“Once on the trains they helped me finish transferring them. I did my best to ensure they would arrive back here much earlier but with the train delays due to yesterday's derailment it took much longer than anticipated.” Akechi explained with conviction as if even he believed that was what really happened. “So please don’t blame them for being good Samaritans and assisting me. Their help was extremely appreciated and will assist me in continuing to do my job with the police without any issues.”

Seeming stunned the counselor looked at Kamoshida then them again and then back to Kamoshida clearly unsure what to say.

You shouldn’t be looking to the gym teacher to make a decision for you.

Akira shook his head more than a little annoyed at their actions but kept his cool.

“Well I guess we can overlook this for today then…” Kamoshida finally said and Akechi’s smile widened.

“Excellent, I’d hate to cause trouble for two fine students such as these.” He says with a small nod. “You should be proud you have such kind and compassionate students residing in your school.” Ok now Akira knew Akechi was just hamming it up but he still couldn’t place the why.

The counselor floundered for a response to Akechi’s statement and Akira realized then exactly what Akechi was doing and he couldn’t help the small smirk that came to his face as the realization hit him. Same old Akechi it seemed.

After a moment the counselor cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses.” Well either way you should be getting to your classes.” He said turning to head back into the school. “Come along Sakamoto, I’ll walk you there to ensure you don’t get sidetracked anymore.” It seemed even then the counselor couldn’t help but take shots at Ryuji.

Ryuji huffed annoyed, kicked at the ground a bit, but followed after with a tsk sparing a quick moment to glare at Kamoshida before continuing on without a word. It was then that Kamoshida seemed to find what he wanted to say as well.

“You’re that new transfer student, Akira Kurusu, correct? I’m sure you’ve heard from the principal but cause any trouble and you’ll be expelled.” Before Akira can even muster a response Akechi is chiming in again with that sickeningly sweet Detective Prince mask smile stuck on his face.

“Is it really professional to be threatening a student like this?” He inquires tilting his head to the side as if truly questioning the sentiment. “And in front of another individual uninvolved in the matter? That feels like a violation of this student’s privacy, no?”

Akira knew Kamoshida must have a few very select words he wanted to point in the detectives direction at that moment but he just cleared his throat and faked a smile, half as effectively as Akechi.

“Right. Well at any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I’m sure Ms. Kawakami is tired of waiting for you.” Turning to head inside Kamoshida spares the two one last glance before walking away.

“I suppose with that my work here is done. Please do stay out of trouble Kurusu.” The boy next to him pipes up. “Your thoughts back at the café were most engaging. If you do require my assistance again feel free to contact me or if you’d like to share your thoughts with me I am always open to debating subjects with you. Your insight into things from such a different perspective feels rather refreshing in comparison to other people I speak to my age ” He smiles and turns to head off down the street. “Until next time Kurusu.” He hums before heading off down the street.

Awh he didn’t quote Hegel at me this time.

There’s always next time Ma moitié

Next time…Akira can’t keep the smile off his face as he looks down at his phone before turning and heading into the school.

As the rest of the day passed he casually ignored the whispered rumors directed his way. He can safely say he hadn’t missed this part of coming to Tokyo. The whispers and pointed looks. The way people would scurry away from areas he would visit. When school was finally over along with his impromptu meeting with Ryuji on the roof, where they finally fully introduced themselves, he was heading for the front doors when he was stopped.

“Hey!” That was Ann’s voice. Glancing over his shoulder he sees her walking up to him and offering his umbrella back to him. Oh right he’d forgotten about that.

“Here.” She says bluntly not really looking at him before turning to leave and adding a small. “And thank you.” Before heading off back into the school.

Give her time. Arsene reminded him before Akira sighed in agreement and headed for Leblanc.

✦

Walking into Leblanc Sojiro was standing there behind the counter looking towards him disapprovingly. “Hey I got a call from your school. I heard you were absent half the day on your first day of school.” Disappointment is clear in his voice and Akira can’t help the creeping guilt.

“I’m sorry…” He mutters looking down to the floor as he does. Even now, when Sojiro doesn’t even remember him, Akira hates the feeling of letting Boss down.

A sigh leaves the man behind the counter. “But I was also told you were helping that detective boy or whatever from the TV so the school has decided to call it an excused absence.” Sojiro pulls his glasses off to clean them then places them back on. “Just behave yourself ok. Skipping school even for a good reason can be more trouble than it’s worth. Remember you’re on probation, you don’t have the luxury of making any mistakes. One wrong step and your life is over.” Concern was flooding into his voice too as much as he clearly didn’t intend for it but Akira had known Sojiro long enough now to be able to tell.

*Buzz* *Buzz* *Buzz*

“Hey what’s up?” Affection appeared in his voice instantly as he picked up the call Akira could tell was from Futaba and without caring to eavesdrop again he decided to head upstairs and head to bed knowing that despite today feeling long that tomorrow and the next few days would feel even worse.

He trudges up the stairs and plops his bag where he normally does when coming home and walks over to change. He glances around the room and instantly feels the same loneliness as before.

He misses Morgana. He misses him a lot.

After over a year of him by his side. Him not being there felt wrong

He will come home soon I am sure.

Akira takes a deep breath to steady himself as he pulls his night clothes on. Arsene is right. Soon Morgana would be back and he’d have his living alarm clock and best buddy there by his side again.

For now, it was time to sleep and get ready for another day and another visit to Yaldabaoth.

Chapter Text

Waking up way earlier than his alarm had been set for would normally be nice. It usually meant he could get a few minutes or even hours more rest before having to pull himself from his bed but today was different. After waking up Akira had stared up at the roof miserably for a few minutes before turning and trying to fall back asleep unsuccessfully.

No matter which way he turned, covers on or off, pillow under or over his head or even on the floor. Akira simply could not fall back asleep. Things just felt off sleeping there on the milk cartons bed without his fluffy companion beside him alongside the pressure of what the next few days could bring.

After staring up at the bare wooden beams of the roof above him for what felt like hours he finally decided if he wasn’t going to be able to fall back asleep despite his many attempts to do so then he might as well get the day started. He stands and gets dressed fairly quickly, sparing a quick glance at his phone to see he still had more than plenty of time before school started so he began to think over places he could grab breakfast from without going too far away from the school.

What about that little bakery that he used to enjoy going to when he could? 

Taking a moment to realize just who Arsene was talking about he chuckled and then agreed that it was a good choice.

The Yon-Germain Bakery in Shibuya station always had a good selection of breads, salads and more. It was a place that he’d bumped into Akechi more than a few times in the past, or well in the future? Akira was finding time travel to be weird to think about sometimes. Either way he’d spent some time around the little bakery chatting with Akechi and getting his own food as well.  He was bound to find something there he could eat for breakfast since Sojiro wasn’t here yet.

Akira yawns tiredly, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses, before fixing them and readjusting his bag as he walks down the stairs towards the very empty Leblanc café dining area.

As he starts his walk to the door, Akira stops when the little magnets on Sojiro’s fridge catch his eye. Looking over at the fridge he can see all the magnets sporadically placed on the side of it and a few hand prints barely noticeable here and there. Glancing at the time, he walks closer before slowly pulling them off one by one sitting them on the counter. Once they were there he grabs a nearby dish towel, wets it,  and gives the fridge a quick wipe down just to be helpful.

Once it air dried he picked the magnets back up to place back where they belonged but paused for a second.

Might as well.

He begins to assemble the magnets in a smiling face pattern with closed eyes. Once finished he grins at his handiwork and tosses his bag back onto his shoulder.

He should get going if he still wants to grab that breakfast.

✦

Standing in line for the subway was always boring now without Morgana chatting in his ear the entire time. Instead as he passed the time idly scrolling on his phone, he couldn’t help but listen in to people’s conversations around him.

A man and a woman not too far away speaking in hushed tones, laced with slight panic. “People are suddenly losing their minds right?” The man sounds like he’s split between wanting to believe it was real or completely discrediting the idea before the woman with him is speaking.

“With the economy sucking and the depressing news…I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Sounding as if she would faint at the very mention of any more bad news, the man instead changes the subject and Akira tunes into a different conversation.

“Look, isn't that her?” A girl whispered to the boy next to her and that had Akira glancing up from his phone.

The boy looked around in the crowd before looking back at the girl beside him. “You mean the one with the red ribbon?”

Sumire…

“Uh I guess so?” Clearly not sure he’s even seeing the right person he just shrugs it off but the girl next to him continues on.

“She’s so thin” Jealousy makes its way into her voice clear as day. “It’s not fair I’ve got my hair in a ponytail too.” She huffs and the boy next to her just looks at her confused as the train pulls up into the station. 

“Okay and what's that got to do with being thin…” Akira silently wished him the best of luck as they all started boarding the train.

✦

Meeting Sumire on the train had gone nearly identical to the way it had last time. Her offering her seat for an elderly woman, only to have it stolen by a nearly falling over exhausted businessman who instantly fell asleep. Akira once again offered to wake him up only for her to insist it was ok and that she understood his position too before wandering off to help the old woman with her bags.

He’s heading for the stairs to the main street when he hears. “Excuse me! Pardon me!” Turning he sees Sumire behind him. “Thanks so much for earlier.”

He tilts his head to the side, feign confusion. “With what?” He asks.

“For speaking up when I offered my seat on the train!” She happily explains before taking a quick glance over at his jacket. “You’re a second year student at Shujin academy correct? I'm a first year student myself!” She giggles a bit before blushing and looking to the side. “Thanking you totally slipped my mind on the train and I didn't want to be rude to my senpai.”

“It was no problem.” He insists before offering her his hand hoping perhaps if they meet sooner…maybe things could go differently this time.. “My name’s Akira Kurusu. It’s nice to meet you.”

The girl's smile widens and she shakes his hand. “Kasumi Yoshizawa!” She responds but even the mention of the name has a weight forming on Akira’s shoulders. She already thinks she’s her sister…Maruki’s powers had started developing this early…

She glances at the time and looks surprised for a moment.

“Oh, helping that nice lady with her bags must have taken longer than I thought. I’m sorry but I must be going Senpai. Please excuse me.” She bows before turning and heading for the stairs.

Akira watches her go. He wouldn’t let Maruki do what he did to her last time. He wouldn’t.

He spares one glance at the station clock and knows he needs to go so he turns and heads up the stairs himself, pulling out his umbrella Ann had returned to him as he does.

He walks down the road a bit before turning and walking over to one of the vending machines. He remembered the ones by the school gate were almost always refilled at the end of the day because of how much they sold. As he walks closer he overhears a conversation nearby.

“I feel so down when it's raining. I guess we're playing volleyball in the gym for PE today.” The second year boy sighs loudly. Which was ok with Akira. Now that he was older he did always enjoy a good volleyball game here and there. At least once he’d actually gotten good at dodging, before that he had far too many memories of getting hit in the face with dodgeballs that he had no interest in repeating now that he was wearing glasses. He could only imagine how much worse the sting would be.

“I am not looking forward to that.-” The girl nearby huffs instead, crossing her arms and stomping slightly like that would change anything. Akira was somewhat surprised to see someone so upset over dodgeball, most of the students at his old school had always excitedly clamored to know when the next dodgeball day would be. “-Why’d I have to be on the same team as Takamaki.”

Oh. That was the actual issue apparently.

“I feel so awkward around her…Isn't she too busy being a famous supermodel to come to school?” The boy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t holding his umbrella. “That’s what I would have figured but we can't just blow her off either. You know the whole Kamoshida thing .” He pulls his hand away from his neck to make a vague gesture that the girl seemed to understand instantly as she nodded along.

“Dealing with her is such a hassle. I wish she’d just not come to school.” Akira had always known the students who weren’t directly affected by Kamoshida’s bullshit had become somewhat callous to his nonsense but he hadn’t realized quite how far the lack of empathy went. Or perhaps it was resentment. He wasn’t sure but he did know he hated what Kamoshida had done to this school

Turning his attention back to the vending machines he gives each a quick once over as he tunes the rest of the conversation between the other two students out. Glancing through the selection he notices they have Melon soda as one of their sodas of the season in the far left vending machine. With that knowledge in mind he turns and heads for the front doors to start the day.

Goro sighed as he walked over to where his briefcase was. Popping it open, he pulled out his water bottle and a small baggie of snacks that he’d brought with him to this idiotic photoshoot. Goro despised these, posing for and encouraging the masses to buy worthless items with meaningless uses all to get his image more wide spread.

“The Summer issue!” The magazine’s manager had told him excitedly on the phone. “It’s a must-read for so many people across Japan. Anyone who hasn’t heard of you will start hearing about you now!” 

The concept of people coming to learn of him not from his skills as a detective but because he was standing and posing with a model or with some kind of perfume they wanted to sell more of made his blood boil, but he had to remind himself this was all for his long term goals.

Without the masses knowing more about him and being seen favorably by them he wouldn’t be able to get further into Mementos and to further targets.

Targets…

He slowly lowered his water bottle, staring at the label. What the hell was he supposed to do about his upcoming targets? Sure, some of them had deserved the fate they had gotten, he still felt nothing about what he did to Kunikazu Okumura or some of those less savory people Shido had sent him after.

To Shido it had all been a power play, moving people where he wanted and how he wanted. To those people, it was their lives.

Some of them had deserved what came their way after making their own requests or after abusing the system and the people in it to get what they wanted. But what about the ones who hadn’t? 

Like that journalist…

He thought back to when Shido had called him for that one, only providing the name: Kayo Murakami. The name hadn’t sounded familiar and the shadow had been a joke to the point he left it to bleed out on its own not wanting to waste time on it when there were other things to accomplish.

What had Shido’s goal with that journalist been…He should look more into it when he had time.

“Ugh could you at least try and step it up a little bit and pretend you know what you’re doing?”  The nagging voice from behind him snapped him back to the world around him. "Plus, are you really wearing your school uniform to this? You could at least attempt to have some sense of style.”

Glancing over his shoulder he saw the model he was meant to be working with walking up to him. Tacky blue dress swaying with every step and out of date pearls laying around her neck so tightly strung together Goro idly wondered if they were fake.

Comments on style should never be made by those who have none  Hereward chimed in and Goro had to resist the urge to smirk before the girl behind him was complaining again.

Humorous mood gone instantly, Goro only just stopped himself from rolling his eyes as he turned to fully face the other person preparing for the modeling shoot. He gave her a small smile as if he hadn’t understood that her rude comment was intended to be just that, rude.

“Ah I apologize.” He begins hamming up the detective Prince mask. “This isn’t exactly my day job so I do apologize if I’m not very good at it yet.” He rubs the back of his neck to really sell it.

Instead of buying the act and apologizing or even backing off at all, the girl in front of him scoffs and rolls her eyes, even crossing her arms as she comments, “Ugh, clearly.”

And something in Goro can almost appreciate the fact she didn’t care about his mask and was still just as vocal about how much she thought he was lacking. Well, to him at least. Five minutes ago, she’d been cooing his praises for finding the time to do this with her and the camera men.

Seemed he wasn’t the only one with a mask here.

He waits to make sure the camera men aren’t looking in their direction before he lets his mask fall. His sweet smile then turns sharp. He looks directly into her eyes as he says,  “It’s not my day job exactly so being good at modeling isn’t exactly my forte.” His grins at her confused look before continuing. “But what’s your excuse for those mediocre performances you’ve been putting on? Is that why you’re only just now being invited to appear in this magazine? Did someone else cancel?”

The way her face slowly morphed from confusion to apprehension to appalled as he spoke made his own grin simply grow.

“WHAT?!” She exclaims as he finishes talking, getting the attention of the camera men who looked over. Goro plastered that fake Prince look on again and smiled overly sweetly as he said loud enough for them to hear,

“Oh, no need to be so surprised Mika. Of course I’ll share my make-up tips with you. After all, we are all in this industry together. Working together is important.” He smiled that overly doe faced smile the camera loved and the camera men all ate it up. 

“That’s really kind of you Akechi-kun.” 

“Wow Mika you really got a good modeling partner today huh?”
“Geez we really lucked out.”

They sang Goro’s praises for a few more moments and then they went back to their prep work.

Stunned, Mika took a moment, glancing at them then back at Goro a few times before her eyes finally landed and remained on Goro. Irritation flashes through her eyes for a brief moment then something more resembling of understanding simmers there instead as a smile makes its way onto her face.

“Oh you’re so fake.” She laughs, surprising Goro.

“As are you from my observations,” he snapped back with a sharp smirk. 

“Huh…to think I didn’t like you because of your whole sweet and innocent vibe.” She mutters surprisingly honestly before seeming to think something over. “You interested in doing a few more of these with me? It would be far better than working with some of these more… incompetent models who don’t understand the first thing about what it’s like to work their way to the top.” 

Debating it, Goro shrugged. “If I’m forced to do more of these I suppose someone of seeming intelligence would be better than someone else.” 

She laughs again and offers her hand. “It’s a deal then .”

“Be safe on your way home everyone.” Kawakami’s voice rang across the room, signaling the end of class, and the end of the day. All the students in the room began to rush to put their books, pencils, notebooks, phones and more into their bags to rush out the door and head off to their selective clubs, after school jobs, or home.  Everyone except the ones who clearly never wanted the day to end.

The volleyball students.

The volleyball student in particular that caught Akira’s attention though was Mishima. Mishima, unlike everyone else, hadn’t moved from where he sat at all. He just stared down at his desk for a few minutes, lost in thought, before snapping back to reality as if he were a rubber band whose elastic had been pulled too far. Snapping back to reality so quickly that it seemed almost dizzying for a moment before he let out a loud defeated sigh and began to pack his own bag to leave class for the day.

Probably a good indication he should start packing up too he supposed.

“The delinquent and the honor student arriving at the same time uh oh. That can’t mean anything good for the school.”

Ah right, the whispers of the few students who lingered in the classrooms in their little gaggles. Some actually attempted to whisper to one another while the others didn’t even bother as they shot him dirty looks full of detest and anger or apprehension and fear. Akira wasn’t sure which looks he hated more.

“Assault blackmail drugs he’s done it all. You should steer clear of him if you don’t want a record just as bad or worse than his!”

“ Heard he carries a knife around everywhere he goes just in case someone gets on his bad side.”

“Don’t walk behind him too close. I heard he spooks like a horse and will turn around swinging.”

“He is pretty cute, all things considered…”

At least one of them has taste

“ It’s a shame he’s a delinquent and a criminal but I suppose you can’t trust someone just cause they’re cute. Let that be a lesson I guess.”

Or not… 

Having heard enough Akira quickly finishes tossing his class work into his bag, slinging it onto his shoulder tiredly and heads for the door. A few students squeaked and scurried away from him as he walked towards the door, despite being nowhere near the walkway or in his way at all.

Yeah he didn’t miss this at all…

Opening the door he steps into the semi noisy hall just in time to see Ann walk past. He debates saying something to her but after a moment or two simply lets her walk past undisturbed, deciding it was best to let things come with time, that includes their friendship. Trying to force anything, especially with how much everyone else in the school already hated him, was bound to only end poorly and possibly prevent their friendship at all.

He regrets the decision less than ten seconds later.

As Ann is walking past the stairs next to his classroom, Kamoshida himself makes an unfortunate appearance coming up them. Before Ann can get any further down the hall he’s already speaking, snatching her attention, as she fists her hands in her bag strap, clearly uncomfortable.

“Hey there Takamaki Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those incidents.” The asshole starts clearly trying to get her attention by pretending as if he were actually concerned about her safety.

Wasting no time with his words though Ann quickly answers in a divergence. "Sorry I have a photoshoot today. It’s for the special Summer Issue, so I can’t afford to miss it. They already did morning shoots with some of the other models and they only have a few spots left for afternoon models.” Her hands tighten on her bag and her eyes flicker to the stairs for a brief moment as if considering just booking it but instead she stays.

“Hey now.. Being a model is fine and dandy but don't work your pretty little self to the bone.” He says with a shake of his head, cooing to her as if she were a child, though Akira knows what his real intentions are and it makes his blood boil. Arsene snapping at the edges of his mind like a feral dog wanting nothing more than to tear the man in front of him to shreds.

It would only take a minute. It’d be over before he could blink.

Akira doesn’t want to talk Arsene down because deep inside he agrees but instead he talks him down for the sake of Ann and her right to choose what happens to Kamoshida. It was her justice.

Not his.

Not seeming to get the hint the asshole keeps talking though. “You mentioned you weren’t feeling well right? Something about appendicitis?”

“Yes I keep planning to go to the hospital but I've been too busy…Sorry to worry you…” She mumbles looking down at the ground and not towards him anymore.  Akira had forgotten for a moment just how bad a liar Ann was and it came back to him clearly then. She’d really used every excuse she could think of to avoid him, even faking a medical emergency, and he still didn’t get the message.

No that was wrong, he got it. He just chose to blatantly ignore it because it wasn't what HE wanted.

Kamoshida just chuckled though, clearly seeing through the lie and deciding to be a jackass about it. “You must be lonely too. I feel bad keeping your best friend at practice so often.” The grin on his face grew as Ann’s face fell for a split second before she did her best to tough it out back to a more neutral look. Doing her best not to let the man know he was getting to her despite the fact it was more than obvious.

“Oh and be careful around that transfer student. He's got a criminal record after all if something were to happen to you…” He trails off as if trying to imply Akira would do something to her. As if he would attempt to do the same thing Kamoshida is trying to do.

Akira glares holes into the back of Kamoshida’s head from behind his glasses, so intently that if looks could kill, Kamoshida’s head would be long gone. He stood there not caring who may see him doing so. Kamoshida attempting  to use him as a way to manipulate Ann, to make her afraid, had Akira clenching his fists in  his pockets as  Arsene’s growling grew louder once again.

Attempting still to keep the peace though Ann just bows slightly. “Thank you, please excuse me.” Before walking down the hall, slightly faster than normal. Once she was far enough away though Kamoshida tsked in frustration all but stomping his way up the next flight of stairs and to the third floor.

Things passed by quickly from there. Ryuji waiting for him outside the school and learning how the metanav worked. Then the two of them sneaking into the palace alongside Morgana before returning to the front into an ambush Akira knew was waiting for them.

It was during this ambush that Akira gained a new appreciation for Goro Akechi.

Allowing himself to appear weak during the fight against the Bicorns had been far harder than he expected it to be and he would have to applaud Akechi on his acting during Sae’s palace to a point. Letting the Bicorns knock him to his knees and then to the floor when it felt like they barely tapped him was annoying and perhaps even a bit demeaning when one of the knights stepped onto his back as if to claim victory over him. He wanted to throw it off of his back and wipe them all away especially with the hurtful shit Kamoshida was saying but he had to let Ryuji fight his own battles to a point.

Find his own will to fight.

And much to Akira’s relief he did. Akira felt a swell of pride in his chest as he watched Ryuji pull himself to his feet and rip that skull shaped mask off his face.

Oh wow it has been a while since he saw Captain Kidd.

Still as over the top as ever isn’t he.

Are you really one to criticize him? Have you looked in a mirror?

I am a part of your soul, what does that say about you?

Touche

Once Kamoshida fled like the coward he was back further into his palace the two left but not without a chat with Morgana where Akira wanted nothing more than to agree with what Morgana was saying but there were too many variables at play that could change everything. So with a small wave, he regretfully turned and left with Ryuji.

“Ok so now all we gotta do to take that asshole Kamoshida down is-!” Ryuji began loudly talking as the two began their trek towards the train station and Akira found there were a few students nearby already staring.

“You're being too loud.” He whispers under his breath to the boy cutting him off and Ryuji quickly blushes embarrassedly.

“M-My bad.” He mutters turning to look back where he was walking before the embarrassment disappears near instantly as his eyes land on someone else walking down the street.

“YO ‘Kechi!” He exclaims excitedly waving his hand over his head in wide arches to get his attention, as if Goro could miss them with how he and Sae were currently walking directly towards them. “Didn’t expect to see you here! What brings you this way?” He asks curiously as the boy and Sae approach.

While Goro still has his princely smile plastered to his face the entire time, Akira can see it in his eyes the way Goro wants to absolutely obliterate Ryuji at that very moment.

“Ah…Sakamoto. What a pleasant surprise.” He says as he swaps his briefcase to his other hand to offer him a handshake while Sae looks on curiously but says nothing for the moment. “I was not aware that the three of us would happen upon each other in such a place either despite it's proximity to your school.”

“Awh common man, you don’t gotta be all formal, you have my number after all, just call me Ryuji!” He says with a chuckle giving Goro a crisp high five to his extended hand and then a fist bump instead of shaking his hand much to the boy's clear surprise as he stares down at his hand for a few seconds before snapping back to reality.

Sae then chimes in: “Friends of yours I presume?” She inquires as she looks the two of them over curiously. Eyes scanning both of them as if trying to piece all the information she could together about them. “You’ve never mentioned any of your friends before.”

Goro just chuckles despite Akira knowing the boy was probably far from happy at the moment and answers with. “Let’s just say this is a recent development Sae-san though they are both surprisingly good conversationalists” Now while Akira knew Goro thought that about him, he had no doubt in his mind that he didn’t think that about Ryuji at all but the boy next to him just smiled widely at the comment.

I’m sure Robin and Loki are getting a kick out of this.

Akira can’t help but agree.

They talk as a group for a few more minutes. Ryuji introduces himself and Akira to Sae surprisingly respectfully and Sae responds in kind, introducing herself with a small smile. She then asks about their academic goals to which Akira responds thankfully saving a stumbling Ryuij from embarrassing himself in front of her before he asks her about what she does.

“I’m a Public Prosecutor for the Tokyo District Special Investigation Department.” She says with a clear sense of pride in her voice as she does. Akira takes note of how some students nearby stare and whisper, pointing in their general direction before quickly looking away when they think they’re caught. Akira is sure there will be new rumors by tomorrow now and he’s already not looking forward to it.

His attention is brought back to the group when Sae chuckles at one of Ryuji’s jokes before looking down at her watch and frowning a bit.

“It was nice meeting the both of you but Akechi-kun and I do have somewhere to be so I’ll have to cut this short. You two have a good day.” She says before turning and starting to walk without waiting for an answer. Goro glances her way then gives them an apologetic smile.

“Seems we unfortunately have no further time to chat today.” He says, though Akira knows he’s itching to follow after Sae but won’t without finishing his goodbye. He doesn’t want the Detective Prince to seem rude after all.

Ryuji lets out a sad: “Awh man. Guess we’ll catch you later dude! We should totally hang out when you aren’t busy, you seem pretty cool.”

“Of course Sakamo-”

Not letting Goro finish Ryuji cuts in instead. “Dude! I already told you it's Ryuji!”

Goro blinks a few times as if processing the information before clearing his throat. “Right…Well I will see you later then…Ryuji…” He muttered somewhat hesitantly before turning to look at Akira. “And farewell to you as well-”

“Akira.” He says before he can stop himself, also cutting Goro off, a small challenging smirk comes to his face as he knows just how much that annoys the hell out of him.” 

“Akira.” Goro says simply with a nod and doesn't let his annoyance show on his face though. “Now I really must be going, we’ve delayed ourselves enough as is and I’m sure Sae-san is waiting for me.”

And with that he turns and all but scurries away clutching his briefcase close to himself.

“Man,” Ryuji laughs after a moment. “What a weird guy.”

Akira feels the smirk on his face widen. Oh Ryuji had no idea.





The bell finally rang signaling it was time for school to finally wrap up. Students around Shiho quickly raced to pack up their bags, smiling and chatting with one another about plans for the night or about their rides home. All of them except those Shiho recognized from the Volleyball team.

Much like her, their motions were sluggish, tired, and perhaps even trying to buy as much time for themselves as they had.

I could just skip practice…

The thought came to her as she slipped her class book into her bag. As she grabbed his notebook though a small bookmark fell out fluttering to the ground. Leaning over from where she was sitting she reached down and picked it up.

It was the small red and black bookmark with the shape of roses cascading down it. Not her style really but it had been a gift from Ann and anything from Ann meant more to her than anything else.

No…I can’t skip practice…I have to do it. It’s all I’m good at.

She stares down at the bookmark, gently placing it into her notebook and sliding it into her bag.

I have to keep working hard so Ann and I can both go to a good college together. She's working hard too. I can’t let her down.

Speaking of Ann, she was probably waiting outside, by the vending machines for her. She shouldn’t keep her waiting. Tossing her bag onto her bag she moves to stand up before nearly collapsing as pain shoots through her knee. She gasps and reaches out just catching hearself on the desk next to her own, whimpering, and biting back tears.

She lets herself stand there and just breath as the pain slowly simmers back down into the realm of bearable, leaning most of her weight on her other leg, before she notices the time. Oh, she needed to hurry or she wouldn’t be able to see Ann at all before practice.

Taking a few wobbly steps, she bites back the small noises that keep trying to make their way out, eventually growing used to the pain enough to be able to walk without looking as though she were about to cry. One deep breath and she pulls open the door to the hallway.

There right near the door are three other members of the volleyball team huddled together talking with one another. At the sound of the door opening they glanced over before their eyes widened slightly and they looked away instead acting as if they couldn’t see her at all. As if she weren’t even there.

Since Kamoshida started targeting me…my other friends won't even look me in the eyes…only Ann

Readjusting her bag Shiho takes a deep breath before starting her walk out to meet with her walking past the other team members who turned to look at the floor instead of her as she started to hobble down the stairs hissing slightly as she did.

Walking out of the school and towards the vending machines and slowly sitting down on the bench there felt as dull as everything else around her anymore. The one small light being her best friend and their small talks when they could. They had been through thick and thin together since middle school and unlike everyone else Ann never turned her back on her, at least not yet.

How long until she became a burden too big for even Ann to want to deal with, after all her parents never even acknowledged the bruises and the limps. As long as her marks were good and she could use the Volleyball team to make it to college they didn’t care. Even going as far as to brag to their friends about how their daughter, they never checked on, was on a nationally recognized team being taught by a gracious and kind ex olympic athlete.

Shiho had a feeling they knew what was really happening, the same way she knew the teachers had to. They all saw the bruises, the cuts, the limps, the bandages and blood. Every one of them only has one thing in common. It would be easy to realize, easy to recognize, and yet no one did anything to stop it. 

Right everyone saw…It’s just no one cared

And the students on the team couldn’t rebel either even if they wanted to. They had their futures to worry about and throwing away their place on the volleyball team very well could mean throwing every chance they have at a recommendation letter away as well. Not everyone had academics to fall back on after all.

And one way or another everyone had heard what happened to Ryuji Sakamoto. The one student who lashed out against what Kamoshida was doing to the track team and instead of anything being done to help the students or to ensure everyone was ok. The school ignored the students, claiming Kamoshida the victim. Instead of getting the help the team so desperately needed Ryuji Sakamoto walked away with bruises, scratches, a head injury, and a broken leg while Kamoshida walked away as if nothing had happened at all and the track team was completely shut down. From there everyone acted as if that was just the way things were, no one questioned why Ryuji had snapped when he’d had no problems before because it was easier to pretend he was the problem than Kamoshida.

Ryuji became branded a delinquent from then on for daring to raise a hand against a teacher no matter the circumstances. His reputation with teachers, recruiters, and other students all flushed down the toilet in a matter of days as people began to avoid him as if he were a plague.

Shiho watched as slowly more and more people turned on him, siding with Kamoshida. Some did so simply because it was the safer option for themselves, while others genuinely believed Kamoshida was a victim and a near saintly person. How they couldn’t see the truth surprised Shiho or perhaps the way they chose not to see it.

Kamoshida had the entire volleyball team trapped in what felt like a house of lies and once you were inside of it  there was no way out that wasn’t self destruction. He had the rest of the school twisted around his finger and there was nothing anyone could do, let alone someone like her.

Suddenly the sound of someone sitting next to her filled her ears. “Hi Shiho…” That was Ann’s voice and she sounded upset already. “Are you ok?” She asks gingerly as she puts a hand on Shiho’s arm in a gesture that Shiho knew was meant to be comforting but it felt so far away still.

“I-I just haven't been sleeping well lately. Whenever I close my eyes. I keep thinking about too many things.” Honesty always came so easily with Ann and after yesterday she just needed to get it off her chest.

“Shiho…”

“Nationals are coming up soon so i keep thinking…should someone like me really be on the starting line up.” Kamoshida had made it clear yesterday how little he believed she deserved it. That anyone else could fill her place in a heartbeat and she wouldn’t even be missed.

Clearly trying to cheer her up Ann chimed in quickly. “Don't worry, just be confident in yourself! Your skills have been recognized. It's all because you work harder than anyone else!”

But is that really the reason I’m on the starting line up…Kamoshida had no issue continuing without me during practice yesterday…

Silence fell between the two of them as neither looked at one another, both clearly trapped in their thoughts but Shiho was the first to come back.

“Yeah Volleyball is all I have after all…”

Her academics were slightly above average but nothing that would get her a letter of recommendation like the top 10 in their class got. She wasn’t an honor student. She didn’t have any other exceptional skills other than her athleticism. Even if she wanted to try a different sport other than Volleyball, those rarely got letters anymore. All of the praise, adoration, attention, budget, letters of recommendation, and gym time went exclusively to the volleyball team now since Kamoshida took over.

Instead of acknowledging the statement or disallowing it Ann instead turned her attention down towards Shiho’s knee. “More importantly, was that injury ok? It looked really swollen this morning…”

Self consciously she squeezed her legs together more as if that would hide the large brace she was wearing on her leg to help with the pain from her knee. It honestly didn’t do a lot to prevent most of the pain since she still had to come to school and go to practice but it was something. And either way she deserved it after all, at least that’s what he told her. The pain was a reminder to try harder.

✦

Shiho remembered sitting down to do cool down stretches when Mr. Kamoshida had approached, all smiles to begin with and that’s how she knew she was in trouble.

“I-Is something the matter coach?” Asking and getting it over with felt safer than letting him get even angrier.

“Well Shiho, it was about your play earlier. You’re a starter which means I expect you to be on the top of your game.” A sharp grin made its way onto Kamoshida’s face as he spoke, anger slowly leaking into his words now. “Now Shiho please tell me  what’s the point in you just standing there when you could have gone for the ball?!” He demanded of her.

Other members were starting to stare now while others looked away knowing what was likely to come soon enough and quietly thankful that it wasn’t targeted towards them instead.

Unsure of what answer he wanted, she answered honestly. “I-It wasn’t in my area to volley, I was playing my assigned positi-”

“Did I ask for an excuse, Shiho?” Cutting her off, his voice was back to that sickeningly sweet tone and Shiho felt her stomach drop.

Voice wavering only slightly she responded. “N-No sir.”

“Then why is that all you ever give me?” He growled as he got closer. “You play to win, that’s all that matters. Just standing there when the ball is going to hit the ground shows you don’t care about this team at all.”

Suddenly white hot pain flashed through her and she couldn’t help the cry that came from her as he stomped down on her knee. “I wouldn’t do this if you just played better, you know.” Kamoshida’s voice was there, distant behind the haze of pain. “This is your own fault after all. If you even bothered trying I wouldn’t have to waste my time doing things like this.”

Slowly he began to grind his heel down against her knee. “You think this is acceptable when we have a meet coming up? Do you really hate your team mates so much that you’d sabotage their chances of winning by playing like an incompetent fool?” He demanded as he stepped down harder only bringing more and more pain but she fought not to reach down to grab at her knee. It would only make him angrier and everything so much worse.

Time blurred as he “scolded” her and demanded she work harder before finally he removed his foot from her knee and the relief was instant. The pain still strummed there loud, burning, and demanding but without the constant pressure Shiho felt like she could finally breathe again.

“Now get out of my sight.” He hissed before turning to the rest of the team. “All right team, let's run the formation again. Hana take Shiho’s place. Let’s see if you can actually play the game unlike some people.”

Shiho dragged herself slowly to her feet, almost collapsing from the pain of putting any weight on her knee after the abuse treatment it just went through under Kamoshida’s hand. As the other volleyball players walked past to get ready, not one of them offered her a hand or any kind of help at all, each avoiding her eyes.

Even Mishima who was standing against the wall, when she locked eyes with him, just looked guilty and then looked away. He inched himself down the wall further away from her as she dragged herself into the locker rooms, into a stall and started to cry.

✦

“No it’s nothing. It’s normal, especially with a meet coming up.”

The silence between them spoke volumes about how Ann didn’t fully believe her and for a moment it seemed like Ann was finally going to say something when another pair of footsteps approached the two. Both girls looking away from one another they found Mishima standing there looking sheepishly at them.

“Sorry to interrupt um Mr. Kamoshida told me to get you.” Hesitance laced every word he spoke but he still managed to get them out after a moment.

Panic flooded through her veins instantly, body tensing as if awaiting a blow from the words alone. “HUH?”  Before she can stop herself she asks. “What does he want?” 

The boy refuses to meet her eyes. “He didn't say…” Then he turns and walks off quickly before Shiho can ask anymore questions. But that alone said plenty. She was in trouble and she didn’t even know what she had done. “Ann, I….”

I should tell her.

Shiho looks up at Ann’s concerned face, tired and concerned. Ann kept glancing at her phone then back to her quickly. Dealing with her own stuff with Kamoshida as is couldn't be easy on her. And if the rumors were anything to go off of Ann was letting people say whatever they wanted without objecting to it, there had to be a reason. Shiho couldn’t help but feel a ball of guilt rolling around in her stomach over what she was pretty sure was going on.

Telling Ann what happened at practice wouldn’t help. What if she tried to stand up to Kamoshida then and he hurt her too.

No, I can handle it as long as he doesn’t touch her.

Shiho didn’t need to make everything worse than it already was. She was stuck there but she would ensure Ann wouldn’t be further ensnared by that horrid man the same way her and the volleyball team were.

So the two sat there for a moment in silence, both clearly wanting to say something but not knowing where to start. Eventually Shiho was the one to speak though:

“It’ll be fine. I bet it’s a meeting about the starting lineup or something.” She flashes Ann a smile with the hopes that it will reassure her enough not to question it.

“…..Yeah.” Ann’s voice is full of concern and it makes Shiho feel at least a little better that someone cares.

Noticing other volleyball students all slowly dragging themselves to the gym, Shiho stands, forcing herself not to flinch at the pain from her knee. Not here. Not in front of Ann. “Well I better go…” She mutters looking down towards the ground, rubbing her arm unsure.

“Yup good luck!” She hears Ann call after her with a smile on her face and Shiho offers her a small one in return even if it feels fake on her own face.



Getting up and ready for school was almost always a boring experience. As long as she was up in time she could lounge around the apartment as she slowly got dressed and warmed up a frozen breakfast meal since no one else was home besides her. The thing about having parents who were wildly successful was that they traveled a lot.

A lot a lot.

Which left her home alone more often than not once she was old enough to stay home alone. It wasn’t that she resented her parents for it. It was because of them she was able to be a model and have the nice things she had and arguably not have to worry about money most of the time but…

It was also their constant absence that was allowing things like what was happening with Kamoshida to go as far as it was. Even if she brought it up to her parents their solution would simply be to transfer schools and while for a while that seemed like a good choice, the concept of leaving Shiho behind in such a horrid place with a man like him had always been what deterred her from doing so.

Shiho had always been there for her through thick and thin when she first moved to Japan. While other kids had made fun of her for her bright blonde hair, Shiho had always told her how pretty it was and how special it made her. Shiho never let what the other kids said about them get to her and even on bad days of her own was worried about Ann if someone said something mean to her or pushed her.

Ann finished her little breakfast before grabbing her bag, tossing it onto her shoulder to tug her boots onto her feet and head out. Shiho was waiting for her at the train station after all. She couldn’t keep her waiting.

✦


“And make sure you don’t tire yourself out too much. I know how tiring practices already are on you and you have one later today too don’t you?” Ann spoke as she walked down the main street to the school with Shiho.

Giggling Shiho nods. “I know Ann. I know.” She smiles brightly at her. “But thank you for looking out for me.”

“I’ll always look out for you Shiho.” She responds firmly with no hesitation. “You’re my best friend.”

Shiho’s smile gets even brighter somehow and she nods. “And you're mine Ann. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Before Ann can ask what Shiho means by that they’re walking into the front doors of the school and the teachers are ushering them to their classrooms in a hurry so they can get the Volleyball Rally started sooner rather than later.

Ann just gives Shiho a small wave before heading into her own classroom.

✦

“Everyone's saying bad stuff about that transfer student in your class Ann…” Shiho mumbles sadly looking down at her hands. 

Nodding in agreement Ann huffs. “I know I hate rumors already but they're only getting more and more complex as time goes on.”

What did this kid even do that things have gotten to this point.

Shiho looks up from her hands with a small sad look to her face. “I wonder if he’s alright…I hope he’s not letting it get to him too much.”

She always cares about everyone so much.

“That’s just like you Shiho, always worrying about other people before yourself kinda like when you were there for me.” She smiles at Shiho and is relieved when the girl slowly returns it, her mood raising just a bit. Ann is about to say something about them going for Crepes that weekend when she can’t help but notice the transfer student passing by them for the third time, talking with people from the volleyball team before heading outside.

“Excuse me Shiho. I’ll be back in a few.” She says excusing herself before following after him outside to the vending machine area.

Seeming lost in thought the black haired boy just stands near the bench staring off towards the lawn. “Hey, can I talk to you for a sec? I’ll be quick.” She assures him.

He nods and pulls his hand out of his pocket to wave slightly as he asks. “What is it?”

“What’s with you? Like how you were late the other day was a total lie and all. You were just down the street with me beforehand and even gave me your umbrella.” She crosses her arms. “...There's that weird rumor about you too.”

Just who are you exactly?

“Whaddaya want with him?” Ryuji’s voice came from behind her before his loud footsteps followed. Turning to face him she glared.

“Right back at you. You’re not even in our class.”

“...We just happened to get to know each other.” Ann knew she wasn’t a very good liar but even she could see through that.

Crossing her arms again she asked: “What’re you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?”

Things are already complicated enough. I don’t need these two making it worse for Shiho.

Shock clear on his face Ryuji exclaims. “Huh?” But that shock quickly drains away to something more akin to anger or perhaps frustration. “...I see. I getcha.” He huffs. “You’re all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all.”

This idiot!

“This has nothing to do with you Sakamoto!” She can’t help it as she yells at him, her frustrations forcing their way out.

“If you found out what he’s been doin behind your back, you’d dump him right away.

“...Behind my back?” She repeats feeling caught off guard by the statement. “What’s that supposed to mean?"

Even he thinks I’m…actually dating that asshole? Rumors were one thing but people actually believe it?

She watches Ryuji stare off over her shoulder at the other boy, neither say anything but Ryuji’s anger from before seems to disappear as quickly as it had come.

“You wouldn’t get it…” He mutters almost resigned but the thought that Ryuji genuinely thinks she’s dating Kamoshida brings Ann’s own frustration back to the forefront.

“Anyways, people are already talking about you two. I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but no one’s gonna help you.”

Everyone has to think about their futures…Even if they did want to help…No one can chance it. Don’t throw your futures away.

“I’m warning you, just in case. That’s all.” Voice having grown soft she realizes she should go so she turns and walks past Ryuji and back to where Shiho was waiting for her.



The day after the volleyball rally felt as if it would never end. Her eye hurt so much from the punishment Kamoshida had given her and the team yesterday during practice for not performing up to the standards he expected in front of everyone.

He’d yelled about how much they clearly just wanted to disappoint him and make him look bad in front of his colleges. He slammed Mishima into a few lockers for having dared get hurt during the rally. That he would make them all look weak in front of the school had Kamoshida focusing on him for a while longer than the rest of them but no one had escaped his fury yesterday.

And now she had to sit in class the next day and pretend like it never even happened at all. As if what he was doing to them was normal and ok. Her parents hadn’t even batted an eye when she’d come how bruised and battered. They had just instructed her that dinner was ready on the counter and that they had an early morning to work so they wouldn’t be there to say goodbye this morning.

Shiho somehow simultaneously wanted class to be over and yet…

She thought of practice.

She wished it would never end.

✦

Tired and ready for the day to finally be over so she could just go home and sleep and forget about school or the volleyball team or Kamoshida or anyone at all, Shiho was about to head to practice when Mishima jogged up behind her with a frown on his face. When she turned to face him he opened his mouth to speak before quickly closing it and then doing the same two more times before Shiho spoke up instead.

“What is it?” She inquired softly.

Once again the boy couldn’t meet her eye as he delivered his message. “Mr Kamoshida is asking for you in the PE faculty office…”

“What’d he say?” Her hands are shaking she’s sure but the boy just shakes his head, turns and walks away.

Oh no.




As the end of the school day comes and students begin to fill the hallways, either heading for home or off to their after school activities, Akira hovers near the stairs waiting for Ryuji to pass by. He silently watches Mishima approach Shiho out of the corner of his eye and talk with her. He was going to have to work quickly.

“Oh hey man!” Ryuji’s loud cheer signals his approach before Akira even sees him. “What you over here hovering like a weirdo for.” He laughs as he looks at Akira curiously.

He turns his attention away from Shiho and Mishima for a moment to look back towards Ryuji who was grinning at him. “I saw a blonde girl run off towards the train station crying. It might have been-”

Ryuji’s face lights up with recognition instantly and he nods. “Yeah thanks for letting me know man. I know we argued with her and all yesterday but I’m gonna go make sure she’s ok…”

Akira nods and watches Ryuji rush down the stairs before he turns to follow as well to  go buy a drink from the vending machines down by the gate.

A melon Soda should do the trick.




Staring down at her phone, Shiho tried to figure out what to do.

What could she do?

What if she just went to practice and pretended Mishima hadn’t told her? Then her punishment would probably be worse and Mishima would get punished too…

What if she tried to tell a teacher what was happening? It was unlikely they’d listen or even care at this point.

What if she just went home? Then she’d be throwing her entire future away.


She was trapped. So utterly trapped and she hated it.


Suddenly she felt eyes on her and slowly looked up to see a boy with black hair standing there holding what looked like a soda of some sort just looking at her. “What?” She asked softly before glancing around herself and noticing she was standing right in front of the door to the crosswalk to get to the other building. The building where Kamoshida was waiting for her.

"Oh…I’m in the way aren’t I? Sorry…” She steps to the side to make room for him to pass by but is surprised when the boy starts talking to her instead of just brushing past.

“No, of course not.” The boy spoke simply with a shake of his head before he reached up to fix his glasses. “Are you hurt?” He continues as he looks her over again, eyes landing on the knee brace the same way Ann’s had. Concern filled his voice as he asked, then patiently waited there for an answer while Shiho’s brain slowly realized what was happening.

Oh he actually wants an answer.

“Huh? Um well…” She begins not really sure how to explain the injury away at that moment before looking back at him with a small frown. “Hm? You don't look familiar? Could you be the transfer student from class D?” She’s vaguely aware of the fact she’s deflecting the attention off of her wounds and onto the other boy but if he’s new then he definitely didn’t need to get involved with Kamoshida if he could avoid it.

The boy offers her a quick nod as an answer to her question but otherwise stays quiet.

He doesn’t talk a lot it seems.

Remembering how badly the rumors had shaken Ann when they first started she decides to speak her mind, even if he told her to mind her own business after. “Um this might not be any of my business but don't let the rumors get to you ok?” She hoped it sounded reassuring and didn't come across condescending.

He offers her a soft smile though in return and instead of telling her to mind her own business he instead says: “Don’t worry. They don't bother me.”

A small sense of relief comes at hearing that. “I’m glad to hear that. My best friend is often misunderstood because of her looks

Ah sorry I didn't mean to drag on like that.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all.” He reassures her before moving to take a step forward toward the door. Glancing back at her phone one more time Shiho plans to follow after him in a moment before she hears a small yelp and something cold splashes across her.

“I’m so sorry.” She hears quickly. Looking up she finds the boy’s own jacket is also now wet as was the floor, the drink container in his hands now completely empty. Shiho looks down at her uniform, now completely covered in the sticky green soda that the boy had been carrying.

It’s then Ms. Usami happens to walk down the hall glancing down at them with a bit of a frown. While the other students nearby start whispering, the teacher approaches them quickly.

“What on earth happened here?” She asks the two.

The boy with black hair twirls a piece of his hair in his fingers as he answers. “I tripped, I’m still getting used to these new uniform shoes…” He looked away bashfully, clearly embarrassed at what happened. She then looks to Shiho to confirm his story and she just slowly nods still trying to play catch up on what exactly was happening.

“Well if it was an accident then no harm I suppose but I’ll remind you you’re still on very thin ice here.” Ms. Usami is looking right at the transfer student as she speaks and he simply nods, still looking rather embarrassed that this all happened at all. Mrs. Usami  sighs then turns towards her. “Shiho do you have another uniform to change into? I know you have practice today.”

Did she have another uniform? Well she had one in her locker but…

She glances between the teacher and the transfer student and there is something there in the transfer student’s eyes. Something that makes her feel like what she says next is important so for the first time, she lies to a teacher that isn’t Kamoshida.

“No ma’am. My extra uniforms are at home.” She lies with a shake of her head.

Sighing Ms. Usami nods and pulls out a notepad. “Well you can’t participate in practice like that. Go home and get changed. I’ll go talk to Mr. Kamoshida about giving you an excused absence from the practice under my judgment call.” She slides a pencil out from behind her ear and starts scribbling some information down on the little notepad. Then the same to the next one.

She pulls each off, handing one to the transfer student and then one to her. Confused, Shiho looked down at it. It was an address and a name before she could ask Ms. Usami was talking.

“Melon Soda can be hard to get out of clothes if it sits too long so if either of you need it, that's the address to  a dry cleaner not too far away from the school.” She then puts her little notepad away and slips her pencil back behind her ear. “Now off you two go.”

Almost in a dazed state Shiho nods and turns to walk down the hall slowly realizing.

She didn’t have to go to practice.

She didn’t have to go to the PE. Faculty room.

She got to go home instead.

She needed to thank the transfer student, even if he didn’t understand, but when she turned back he was nowhere to be found.

Chapter Text

Blank rafters and a cluttered room were the first things that greeted Akira as he slowly woke up. Yawning Akira debates even getting up yet, the feeling of warmth from his blanket slowly lulling him back to sleep before he hears a small noise. Tiredly he sits up slightly glancing over to his desk. When he looks down at the end of the bed though he sees a little black cat smiling looking back at him.

Surprise flashes through him instantly. “Morgana!” He sits up faster and rubs at his eyes to get rid of the tired blurriness from them but when he looks back at the end of his bed again, he finds it empty and void of his feline companion and instead sees a piece of metal he’d been tinkering with to make a lock pick had fallen to the floor.

Oh…

Flopping back onto his back he sighs miserably, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. He missed Morgana. He missed his kitty. Honestly he really missed the comfort of someone always being there with him.

Letting his arm fall to his side he reached for his phone, quickly opening it, and staring at the messaging app, nearly completely barren aside from the few texts he’d exchanged with Ryuji. Loneliness began to bubble up in this chest like a long forgotten but familiar friend.

Rubbing at his eye with the edge of his hand to get rid of the small tear that was beading there it hit him just how much he missed his friends. How much he missed his bonds, his connections, his…found family.

The old Akira when he’d first arrived in Tokyo had little to his name and even less that he’d left behind after his record. His old friends- no acquaintances had turned their back on him and dropped him like yesterday's news the moment news of his record was spread around his town. Anyone he’d known from the community all but shunned him, refusing to speak to him unless obligated to at places like the store they worked at. And his parents wouldn’t even look him in the eye anymore.

Not that he’d ever been close with them but…the fact that his entire time in Tokyo the last time they had never even bothered to message or call him even once had stung.

That Akira had come to Tokyo expecting nothing and had wound up with the gift of friendships that meant more to him than anything. And now he’d lost that too.

Not lost completely Ma moitié. Just something to be acquired again. And we will be beside you the entire time. Warmth also  bubbled in his chest at his persona reminding him he wasn’t alone, slowly overlapping and consuming the lonely feelings that had tried to take root there. Despite how he may feel at the moment, he was never completely alone as long as his personas were beside him, fighting alongside him.

Taking a deep breath Akira reached down next to his bed, scooping up his glasses, before deciding it was time to get dressed for school. Today was going to be a long day in the palace after all if he remembered correctly.

Tossing on his school uniform was a quick process, running a hand through his hair doing his best to make it look reasonable before he reached down and slowly picked up the last two pieces of his uniform. His jacket and his gloves. Slipping on the jacket was easy with months of practice now, sliding each button into their respective holes as he thought more about his friends again.

Being so focused on what he’d lost he’d almost forgotten to remember what he already had again. Reigniting his friendship with Ryuji again, being reminded just how passionately Ryuji had been upset on his behalf when he’d explained what happened with his record,had been a comfort he had expected in a word that was so familiar yet strange and wrong. But  the boy already stuck up for him even against the aggressive policeman that first day reminded him why Ryuji had been his best friend- was his best friend.

And Morgana fighting by his side in the metaverse felt just as natural as it always had, once he’d gotten used to having a persona at least. Watching the overconfident kitty rush into fights he was sure he could show him and Ryuji up on but also being willing to back off when Akira made the call. The two of them working nearly seamless together, not quite to the efficiency he and Akechi had but-

At the thought of the other boy all else faded from his mind for a moment.

Akechi…

Speaking of people he had back in his life that were important to him. Somehow Akechi was involved with them now, far earlier than last time it seemed. While he knew he should be more worried about how drastically their meeting changed things, he also found himself unable to care.

He looks at the glove in his hand, running a gentle thumb over the leather, the feeling both familiar and yet foreign to him as he did. This wasn’t Goro’s glove but it was the exact same brand and design, anyone else would be unable to tell them apart and yet. Akira knew. Not only had he met Akechi far earlier than before but the boy had come to his assistance, hell his rescue when he’d needed it.

“As allies fighting alongside one another, your strength is truly reassuring. In all honesty, it’s to the point I’d be relying on you in a pinch.”

Goro had told him that back in Shibuya. Standing across from him acting as though he didn’t know what was coming. He’d said that but why hadn’t Goro actually relied on him. If Akira had known the kind of corner Akechi had been backed into at the time, had known just had far down the rabbit hole of Shido’s conspiracy Goro was trapped. Maybe he could have helped, maybe neither of them would have had to go through the trauma that one room brought to them.

Maybe…he’d have still been alive…

Thinking back to that time even after he'd reassured Goro that the sentiment was mutual, the boy had only laughed as if the words were simply pleasantries expected of another person while talking about something so serious.

“By the way, about that dual-if we had fought to the end, do you see yourself winning?”

Overconfidently he’d said he wouldn’t lose but despite knowing there was more to Akechi than met the eye then he’d had no idea the sheer amount of power the boy really had.

He thought about how much Robin had been holding back, about Loki and a power born from Goro’s love for his mother and desperation for revenge for her, and then of Hereward, who had only existed for a day and despite knowing what fighting Maruki meant stood tall and sure never wavering even as bless attack after bless attack was sent his way.

If Akira was being honest now, back then, if they had gone further…Akira wasn’t sure he’d have actually walked away.

“I’m going to be entirely honest with you: I hate you.”

Liar. Goro had been such a liar.

“Your deft handling of your unfortunate circumstances, your uniqueness, your ability to surpass me- all these irritate me.”

It had been the most open and unexpectedly genuine compliment he’d ever received from the boy.

“...You’re the one person I refuse to lose to.”

Goro had looked so torn, so upset and almost defeated, when he had said those words, staring down at the ground fists clenched tight. Back then Akira had believed it had been over his frustration from his loss in Momentos. One of the very few losses he’d suffered at Akira’s hand since they’d met…but now…Now he knew otherwise.

“I'll let you have this win today-but next time I will be victorious. Let this be my proof.”

Akira gently squeezed the glove in his hand as he remembered the boy slowly pulling it off his left hand and then flinging it aggressively right at his chest. The leather glove hitting him with a dull thud as he stood ever at the ready.

“There’s a tradition in the West to throw one’s glove at their opponent when demanding a duel. Should the opponent accept the glove, the duel is also accepted.”

Akira didn’t have that glove anymore, one last punch in the gut from the universe he supposed…but he still had his promise. One he would never let go of.

Akira slowly slid the glove onto his hand before reaching down for the other one slipping it onto his gloveless hand. Let these gloves he now wore bear the burden of that promise in Akechi’s gloves stead.

“Make certain that you never forget: I am the one who will defeat you.”

Akira swore softly no one else would until then.

Sitting there Akira let that quiet promise linger in the room for a moment before glancing at his phone and knowing he had to go or risk being late.

Slinging his bag onto his back he stifled back a yawn and trudged down the stairs and off towards the main door. Akira gave the old man behind the counter a small wave as he walked past just to be polite but the man's face seemed the same unimpressed look he always had when he was thinking about something. He didn’t return the wave or even acknowledge it and Akira quickly shoved his hand into his pocket awkwardly instead until he was at the door.

“Hey.” Sojiro’s deep voice rang suddenly, stopping him just before he opened the door. One hand lingering still on the handle he turned to face the man in the apron whose arms were crossed and he was looking at him disappointedly.

Crap what’d I do.

“Did you take everything off the fridge and wipe it down?” The man asks bluntly, a frown still stuck to his face. Reaching up to twirl a piece of his hair he decided the truth was the best course of action here, even when Sojiro seemed displeased.

“...yes.”

“Did you take anything out of the fridge when you did?”

“No.” He answers honestly in return. “I just wiped it down and rearranged the magnets.”

Sojiro looked him up and down a few times. “Well I didn’t find anything missing…and the fridge did need a wipe down that I kept putting off so…Thanks kid.” He says his shoulders finally relaxed as he uncrossed his arms. “You got a preferred type of curry? I’ll make it tonight as thanks.”

Akira felt stunned for a minute, opening and closing his mouth.

“Oh come now. Don’t look so struck. You make me seem like an ass when you do that.” He huffed with a shake of his head. “You did work for me and I repay favors. That’s all.” He glances at the clock. “Ah you’re going to be late at this rate. We’ll worry about the curry later, get going.”

Nodding, without a word, Akira makes his way out of Leblanc. He felt closer to Sojiro than before and that made his chest warm.

Seems you are making a better first impression this time around. Arsene chuckled deep in his mind. And Akira couldn’t help but agree.

“I’ll be home late tonight. Don’t wait up for me. I’ll get dinner when I get a break. Have a good day.”

Another rushed goodbye without letting Makoto get a word in edgewise, like most mornings recently, was beginning to feel more and more routine by the day. Any more her sister was rarely around to talk to her about what was going on in her life and they even more rarely had the opportunity to sit down and have dinner like they used to.

Knowing she shouldn’t be upset at her sister for committing so much time to her career didn’t make her miss her sister any less though. Instead it made an ugly feeling settle in her chest. Was she being selfish for wanting her sister to be home more often when she was working day and night to keep a roof above their heads?

Makoto sighed at the question rolling around in her mind as she walked up the stairs from the subway platform, stepping off to the side and staring up at the morning sky. Another dull cloudy day greeted her in return doing little to lift her spirits. Taking a moment to simply observe the people walking by in groups of two or three with the occasional single person walking past, she adjusted her bag on her shoulder as she stood there.

“Man it’s been nothing but bad news lately. I’m worried about the future.” Unsurprisingly the students in their school were on edge and unnerved recently. Between the arrival of a student with an actual criminal record, the new honor student and the already circulating rumors about Kamoshida and the unexplainable tragic incidents that had been happening all over Tokyo, it was almost to be expected. It was her job as the student council president to try and alleviate those worries but…

A head of fairly ruffled hair and a pair of glasses catches her attention as another member of their school walks past her. Unlike everyone else though she didn’t immediately recognize him and that piqued her interest and she quickly fell in step behind him. 

Observing him from behind she was able to quickly notice he walked ever so slightly hunched and kept his hands in his pocket more often than not. Aside from that though…he seemed like a normal student just like anyone else. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about him that stuck out to her at all.

A conversation somewhere in the crowd of students walking to the school however did stick out to her. “Oh, that reminds me. Apparently, we have two guests coming to the school today.

Both of them are some young guys I think.” A student said offhandedly and Makoto almost nodded in confirmation as if she were a part of the conversation in question before frowning.

Wait? Two young guys?

She was more than aware of the new student therapist the school had been talking with for the past few months about hiring: Takuto Maruki. Hoping to head off any rumors about not caring for their students' well being after Ryuji Sakamoto snapped during a track practice and tried to attack a teacher they had opened the position. For a while it had simply sat open as a way for the school to say they were doing something until they had actually gotten an application. Makoto remembered how surprised Principle Kobayakawa had seemed when he’d seen it and now less than a week later the man was scheduled to come in and speak with him in person. The process felt a bit rushed to her but perhaps she was overthinking it.

One young guy accounted for, Makoto still had no clue who this other person that the students were talking about. Perhaps they were just confused and a rumor about Dr. Maruki had become skewed.

“Oh? Tell me more.”

“I heard one of them is just some old guy but the other…I heard he’s a detective.”

A detective? Turning her attention away from the student she was almost positive was the transfer student over to two other students who were only a few steps ahead of him. Two girls who appeared to be underclassmen, from what she could tell probably first years.

“A detective? What does a detective want with our school?” Tipping their head to the side curiously they looked to their friend for answers and for once so did Makoto.

A Detective? The school hadn’t mentioned anything like this at any of their meetings, nor had any of the teachers mentioned it, even in passing complaints like they usually did. Why would a detective be coming to their school so suddenly? Both students seemed at as much of a loss as Makoto did until the one on the left seemed to suddenly get an idea.

“Maybe it’s about all the rumors? Or maybe it’s about the transfer student?” They offered and Makoto could see the boy walking just ahead of her frown out of the corner of her eye. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who had a tendency to take note of things around her.

He’s observant. Interesting.

As she arrived at the steps of the school and the other students all wandered inside Makoto stood off to the side near the flower beds wondering if she could find a teacher to corroborate the rumor about the Detective visiting them.



Attending class had been uneventful for most of the day, easily answering a question Kawakami had for him and surprising the class despite the fact that even if his record were real it would have nothing to do with his academic excellence.

Realization that he hadn’t brought anything for lunch today suddenly hit him when the bell rang signaling the shift of class to lunch time. Standing and stretching Akira let out a small yawn before heading for the door, bag in tow.

Maybe I’ll stop by the school shop down by the front doors and see if they had any bread for today.

As he steps out of his classroom he glances over to see Kamoshida standing near the stairs, sending the man an aloof but somewhat angry look as he passes. Turning  to head down the stairs when an arm was suddenly slung over his shoulder much to his surprise.

“Oh. Ryuji.” He says, surprise clear in his voice as he looks over to the blond who is now walking in tandem with him, arm still swung over his shoulder now tugging him to head down their hallway back towards the bathrooms instead of heading down the stairs.

“So check it. I wanted to test the nav INSIDE the school to see what would happen.” Ryuji explained as he pulls out his phone and holds it where Akira can see it. The metanav is already open on the screen. “Cause like we always use it outside so we get stuck starting outside right! But what if we just used it inside the place the palace is supposed to b-”

“Ryuji.”

Getting the message he was being too loud quickly he nods. “R-Right…” His voice is considerably lower now as he continues to speak, the two of them now standing at the end of the hall near the bathrooms. “Well anyways.” He glances around at the near empty hallway. “Check this out!” He whisper yells, which was something Akira wasn’t even fully aware someone could do until this moment.

Ryuji smacks his thumb onto the button before Akira can stop him and he can only hope Kamoshida isn’t looking their way as the world around them swirls in their vision for a second before clearing and revealing them in a safe room. What safe room was unclear but they were inside Kamoshida’s palace and not just outside of it.

Ok this was new. Akira frowns and walks over to the door and tries to pull it open, tugging at it to no success. Huh…it almost seemed…locked? Perhaps this was the downside to trying to start from inside of a palace instead of at their infiltration point. A way to prevent them from just sidestepping all of Kamoshida’s guards and their security.

Noticing Akira’s struggles with the door, Ryuji is quick to chime in. “WHAT?! Aw man you're telling me it’s locked?! Dude that sucks. I really thought I had found us a shortcut too!” He complains from the chair he's sitting in with a sigh, letting his arms fall to his side and his head slump back in defeat.

Akira did have to agree it was somewhat disheartening they didn’t have a way to cut their travel time in the palace down. Repeating and retracing their steps time and again from their infiltration points last year had been a small seed of budding annoyance for their team especially on days when it seemed the metaverse itself was against them.

Safe rooms had always brought them a small reprieve from the issues of the palaces but sometimes, even after knowing the exact route they intended to take to get back to where they had made progress to, it seemed like the Palaces themselves were out to get them. Near constant battles, more status ailments, and harder hitting spells drained their energy and their patience when retracing their steps to even start to make new progress.

Sae’s palace had been such a welcome change to that pattern he remembered Morgana nearly sobbing with relief.

Either way, the concept of being able to jump straight to a safe room was one that was more beneficial than Joker had it in him to explain to Ryuji right then but if they could figure out a way to control this. Perhaps test it with a few thieves outside the safe room and others trying to use the Nav to go straight to it then they could get it to work.

But now wasn’t the time to think about it, for now they needed to get back to the real world before they were spotted missing from class and questions were raised.

“Ok Ryuji. We should get back though before someone notices.” He says firmly, using his leader voice he pointedly reserved for the metaverse. The voice he knew the others rarely, if ever, questioned.

Ryuji though sighs and nods. “Yeah yeah ok.” He grumbles as he stands and snatches his phone up from off the table. “Really annoyed this was a bust though. Thought I had figured some of this shit out just to be back at square one.” Before clicking the button to return them to the real world.

Akira had to thank someone he was sure when they reappeared inside the boys bathroom rather than the hallway again. The likelihood of being caught in the hallway was far higher than the bathroom after all.

“Well that was a bust but maybe the school store won’t be. Race you there! Loser buys the other bread.” Ryuji chuckled and Akira found himself smirking.

He was always down for a challenge- 

He takes off down the hall before Ryuji catches on.

- and free lunch.




Avoiding Kamoshida for the entirety of the day was feeling more and more difficult by the minute. Shiho had never really realized how often the man was wandering around the school rather than actually being in the gym with his classes. When she had been sent to pick something up from another class she had to scurry down the stairs to a lower level to avoid him as he walked down the halls in the middle of class time.

It got even harder during lunch when she went to meet up with Ann outside. As she stepped out of her classroom she could see Kamoshida down the hall standing near the staircase as if waiting for something, or perhaps someone. Feeling a sense of dread running across her shoulders she turned and walked further down the hallway in the opposite direction instead, slipping into the bathroom to hopefully wait the man out.

Logically he couldn’t stand there the entire time without it seeming suspicious right?

Tapping away on her phone to explain to Ann why she wasn’t outside yet she suddenly felt a strange sense of lightheadedness overwhelming her and a sharp pain in her head.

“W-What?” The edges of her vision grew dark for a few moments before she wobbled over and grabbed at the sink to stay standing when her legs felt like they would collapse under her. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t have much time to think about it before the very sink under her hands seemed to vanish into thin air and she was falling.

Akira was twirling his pencil aimlessly as he listened to Ms. Chouno explain about the differences between certain English words and their meanings when he could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket, once, twice, three times.

Glancing around to make sure no one was paying him too much attention he slips the phone out of his pocket and glances down at it curious seeing there were three new messages from Ryuji.

“Hey so get this. I aint seen Suzui around since lunch.”
“She didn’t come back to class and no one knows where she went.”
“Like even the teacher is asking about her but no ones seen her.”

Sparing a glance up to Ann, Akira quickly took note of how she was bouncing her leg, anxiously twirling her hair as she glanced down at her phone that she had in her desk cubby, and constantly glancing at the door. Anxiety exuded off of her in waves as she looked down at her phone then away for a few moments and then back down at it again as if willing there to be some sort of change. Like she was waiting for something specific.

“Ann seems nervous too” He typed back to him with a frown.

“Think that asshole Kamoshida did something to her?”

An image of Shiho standing on the roof of Shujin flashes through his thoughts but he quickly shakes it away.

That wouldn’t happen this time. He wouldn’t let it.

“Let’s head to the Palace after school today.”

“Hell yeah dude.” Ryuji responded instantly and Akira felt a smile tug at his lips before he quickly slipped his phone back into his pocket when he noticed Ms. Chouno was about to turn back around and address the class again.

“These days, it’s expected that you know colloquial English-even idioms based in other languages. I want you to forget you’re Japanese during this class and make yourself believe you’re a foreigner.  What’s important is becoming someone else.” She explains. “In this day and age, being able to swap your mask depending on the situation is a critical talent.”

I wonder if she would still think that if she saw the way that affected people like Goro or me…

“How will you fare Mr. Kurusu? Here’s a question: Are you a wunderkind? See if you can work out what the last word means  based on what you know about the languages we’ve talked about..”

Oh right, this question. He vaguely remembered it. Wunder had meant wonder and kind had meant… kid right? No that was wrong, not kid, child. Same thing just different translation he was pretty sure but either way he was pretty sure it meant Prodigy if he was remembering properly

Confidently he responded to her: “A prodigy.” And the smile that came to her face a moment later was an answer before she even opened her mouth.

“That’s right! I was asking if you were a wonder child- in other words, a youth of uncommon talent. But I suppose if you were able to think and adapt so quickly, that proves you certainly must be!”

She continues on with her full explanation about the word as well as a few others but Akira quickly finds him tuning her out again as his mind drifts to what could have happened to Suzui.  

Eventually school finally comes to an end, truly feeling like it’s dragging along with the ever growing list of worries bouncing in his head. Ryuji, thankfully, is waiting for him at the stairs and the two are about to head down when they spot Kamoshida at the end of the hall talking with a younger female volleyball player who flinches every time the man moves any closer.

“If you two could stop glaring at Mr. Kamoshida then perhaps the rumors about you wouldn’t be as bad, you know.” Kawakami sighs as she walks up to them from out of the doorway of the classroom.

Ryuji scoffs almost immediately . “I would if he wasn’t an asshat.”

Frowning and crossing her arms Kawakami is quick to scold him. “Hey, watch your language.” Arguably Ryuji was lucky Kawakami was one of the more patient teachers. Kicking at the ground though Ryuji just huffs:

“What language? I said hat.” Kawakami, seeing it was a lost argument, or at least a pointless one, just shakes her head and continues down the hall past them. Seeing it as a good enough signal that they shouldn’t linger there any longer or they could grab other teachers' attention as well, Akira nods to the stairs and thankfully Ryuji understands.

As they walk though it’s impossible to miss the whispered rumors that started.

“Anyone else notice that Suzui suddenly disappeared today after that big meeting this morning?”

“She’s not one to just run off right? Seems super weird.”

“You think she heard about Ann and Kamoshida and got jealous?”

“I wonder if the transfer student threatened her.”

Akira feels struck at that one and freezes mid step for a moment before Ryuji gently nudges him with his elbow and he continues walking but his mind stays lingering there in that hall.  

“Morgana said it was a risk. That it was a worse case scenario but…” Pressing his glasses back up on his face Akira looked over to him with such a mix of emotions in his eyes Ryuji wouldn’t have known where to start deciphering it even if he was smart enough to place number one for their class on their exams.

Leaning back against the alley wall though he crosses his arms as he thinks the boy's words over. “You think we should take a gamble?” He questions though with a small frown tugging at his face. Sure he wanted that bastard to pay. He wanted him to pay more than he wanted most things but…

Kicking at the ground a bit with his bad leg he thinks back to the day Kamoshida snapped it and even then when he felt the familiar anger rising to the surface he still found that he couldn’t find the kind of anger he’d almost hoped to find. The kind of anger that would make himself feel ok with the concept of taking Kamoshida’s life even if it was by accident.

But no matter how much he thought back to it, it just wasn’t enough. At least not enough for him to feel good about thinking about Kamoshida keeling over in the middle of the school grounds in front of all the students or even at home only to be found by his neighbors whoever they were.

Looking down at the ground at an angel that hid his eyes from view, sticking his gloved hands in his pocket, and letting out a deep sigh Akira spoke. “This can’t keep happening. What he’s doing. How scared the students are. We have to stop Kamoshida before someone else gets hurt .”

And as much as the thought of Kamoshida never waking up again haunts him in a way it doesn’t haunt him to the same degree that the concept of one of the volleyball team or track team never waking up again does and so he simply nods in agreement as they wait for the cat and thankfully they don’t have to wait long.

Trotting up Morgana seems to notice the tense air between the two and seems to decide to get straight to business. Hoping up onto a nearby trashcan Morgana looks between the two of them a few times before he speaks.

“Ok one of you pull out your phone.” He instructs and Akira makes no move to do so, so he reaches into his pocket and pulls his out instead, quickly locating the red eye ball app that somehow lets them travel to that other world. Before he can press the button to activate the app though the cat continues to speak.

“The moment we cross over, we’ll treat each other like phantom thieves so I hope you’re ready.” Tail flicking back and forth the cat looked at them with what was the closest to a determined face he thought a cat could produce before his brain caught up with what exactly Morgana had said.

“Huh Phantom thieves?” He questions because what the hell was a Phantom Thief?

Puffing out his chest proudly the cat all but smirks, if that were possible? “Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal treasure- that is what we become!” Exclaiming excitedly enough that a few students walking down the steps from the school murmur to themselves about hearing a cat.

“That sounds kinda cool!” Ryuji couldn’t deny how much the concept interested him almost instantly and his attention was quickly back on the app.

“So we just gotta say the school Kamoshida name and.. Castle? Then we end up in that bizarro world right?” He questions and when Morgana nods he feels a sense of accomplishment settle in his chest thankfully snuffing out that weird sense of dread that had been welling there before. “Well what t0he hell are we waiting for!” And presses the button.




Goro sighs annoyed as he slowly makes his way back to Shujin academy. He’d been invited there earlier after inquiring with a few of the teachers over email to investigate into a few students' concerns about their safety. After speaking with a few of the students and a handful of teachers he had taken his leave, staring down at his notepad full of the different testimonies he’d taken from each individual about their own personal experiences and opinions on different teachers.

Asking each student about three different teachers to make it clear he wasn’t fishing for anything in particular but always making sure to ask about Kamoshida. Trying to piece together exactly why they were choosing to cover this up and to what extent the teachers knew what was going on.

He was aware the principal had vague connections to Shido…but this whole Volleyball thing made no sense long term in comparison to Madarame or Kaneshiro whose money laundering had all but ensured Shido had campaign money in exchange for…his services.

After concluding his questioning for the day, he’d been so wrapped up in analyzing all his new information, flipping through his notebook and twirling his pen in his fingers as he sat there. He had somehow managed to get up and walk right out of the school without his phone. Having left it sitting on the table in the student council room where they’d let him conduct his questioning. He wasn’t worried of anyone getting into it, his code far too complex to be guessed by some ignoramus who would be willing to try and snatch it and he’d long had his messages no longer appear on the screen when he received them to prevent any prying eyes from seeing something they shouldn’t.

He wouldn’t have bothered having it out at all if he hadn’t been aiming to use an old psychology trick he’d learned ages ago to help encourage people to be more open to talking to him. Individuals are prone to talk more about themselves when they feel the person they are talking to genuinely cares. Leaving his phone visible on the table while he was working as a way to show his focus was entirely on the person he was questioning and as a result they felt more inclined to share information they may not otherwise have was something he’d been using for months. But this was the first time he’d actually managed to walk out without his phone in tow afterwards.

Good job. Real detective there, forgetting his own equipment.

As if you’ve never spawned without your bow before Robin

I…have the right not to respond to that.

Goro chuckled and was about to walk up the stairs to the school when suddenly he felt a weird tinge of pain in his head. It only happened for a split second before the world seemed to swim in his vision.

What the hell.

When everything situated itself again he found himself staring at a drawbridge, a castle, and 3 unfortunately familiar figures.

No fucking way.

“All right! Time to bust on through!” He hears Ryuji announce loudly and it confirms every worst possibility running through his head at that moment.

He glances down at his hands and instantly notices the claws.

FUCK FUCK FUCK SHIT FUCK SHIT FUCK

As fast as his body can move he dives into the nearby alley hoping the group doesn’t notice him as he quickly begins to force his outfit to change. Without his phone He has no way out of the metaverse without the 3 in front of him and he would have to somehow either get close enough to snatch one of their phones or…unfortunately reveal himself and work with them…for now.

Logically they wouldn’t know exactly who he was…until his mask came off…

FUCK

Robin get ready to play pretend again.

You could just as easily use me. They wouldn’t know anything was amiss. He hears Loki huff in his head

Look, I don’t get to see action very often. Don’t take this from me. Robin growled back.




After standing around and staring into the distance for what felt like an eternity Joker  was finally ready to actually start heading into the castle. Not even bothering to explain why he’d just been staring and completely ignoring them for the past few minutes Joker strolls over to their entry point and hops up effortlessly. Seeming far more cocky about everything that he had previously Ryuji found himself following right behind him without a word though as he climbed up to the vent and headed inside and the cat was right behind him.

Sneaking in and out of places was definitely strange but if he was being honest made him feel so cool, like one of those spies from an action movie. He idly wondered if he could roll into a room all cool like. Pulling off his mask to reveal Captain Kidd and then when the shadows asked who he was he’d smirk and be like:

“Ryuji. Ryuji Sakamoto.”

And then he’d point his finger at the enemies in the form of a finger gun as a threat. When the shadows didn’t stand down he’d bend his elbow and make a pew sound as if pulling the trigger signaling to Cap to end it. Then Captain Kidd would zap them and as they began to fade to ash he could say something awesome like.

“Shocking, absolutely-” Wait no the line wasn’t absolutely it was:

“Shocking. Positively shocking.”

Thinking he was super cool Mona would apologize for all his mean comments and Joker would give him a pat on the back and then they’d kick Kamoshida’s ass and-

Ok so maybe he’d stayed up last night later than he should watching an old Spy movie that had come on TV. and gotten some silly ideas from it but hey the guy in it had been so cool and the ladies in the movie were all over him. Maybe if was a cool spy like him he’d get babes too and-

“Skull!” A harsh and somewhat annoyed whisper snapped him back to the present as he looked down at Mona.

“What?”

“Get down you idiot!” Only then did he notice that Joker and Mona were both crouched down to hide in the shadows near the door and he was quick to follow their lead. Joker gave him a quick look before turning his attention back to the door and slowly pushing it open.

“Praise to be King Kamoshida! Death to the Intruders!” The sound of chanting reached them before the door was even fully open.

The sheer loudness of the chanting from inside caught him off guard. “Wh-what the hell?!”

Leaning from around the chair he was hiding behind Ryuji could make out the occupants of the room. There in the same room he had first met Kidd, a large group of those armored assholes stood together staring up at the biggest asshole of them all.

“Hey look! Aint that…” He begins but finds he doesn’t need to finish. The others could clearly see him too after all.

Kamoshida.

The jerk stood in front of a giant picture of himself in some kinda armor like he was some knight saving people with his mere presence.

Freaking asshole

Kamoshida stands before them with his arms crossed and looking somewhat annoyed. “Those intruders from the other day were quite entertaining…However I can’t allow them to trash my castle.” Announcing to them he shakes his head before raising his voice and growling. “Strengthen the security! Kill them on sight! I’ll reward whoever brings me their heads!”

Our heads?! Kamoshida is so full of himself to think he could get away with that.

The armor men before them however cheer loudly raising their swords and shields to the air slamming the swords to the shields to make loud noises to mingle with the cheers.  “Praise to king Kamoshida!! Death to the intruders!!”

Feeling annoyance building in his body and seeing Kamoshida standing there all smug he turns to look at their cat companion. “Hey Mona can't we just beat the crap out of him and call it a day?”

Seeming taken aback and perhaps even angry at the concept Morgana shook his head harshly staring. “Look at all those soldiers, idiot! It’d be suicide, And I’m  sure you don’t want a repeat of last time. Besides, don't you want him to confess his sins? There’s no point beating him up. We need to steal his materialized desires. The treasure.”

Hating when Morgana made sense and showed him up in a way because of it he just sighed loudly. ““Fiiiiiiiine. So where is it then?”

The sooner we get it the sooner this asshole has to admit the shit he’s done to me and everyone else.

“It has to be somewhere in the depths of this castle. Let's infiltrate further in while he’s out here!” Morgana says, hopping up from where he was hiding and trotting over to the other door in the hallway. “This way!” He says confidently but Ryuji still finds himself looking towards Joker for the final say.

Instead of moving like Morgana instructed Joker or even making his own decision on what they would do. Ryuji instead sees him lost in thought and not for the first time. When Joker finally seems to snap back to the present though he starts doing the same thing Ryuji has noticed him doing almost constantly since he met him and he decides to finally mention it.

“Dude you’ve been tugging at your gloves constantly. Here and back in the real world, you good?” Like when he said constantly he meant nearly every time the other boy was just standing around he seemed to be lost in thought and started tugging at his gloves.

“Oh.” Seeming surprised by the habit being called out Joker  quickly let go of the end of the glove he had gripped between his fingers and let his hands fall to his sides. “ I’m fine Skull, nothing to worry about.” Sounding reassuring enough Ryuji decides perhaps he’s just overthinking things.

“You sure man?” When he gets a nod he just shrugs. “Pft either way I can’t imagine how the hell you and ‘Kechi wear those damn gloves all the time man, my hands would be so sweaty.”

As soon as he’s done speaking laughter springs from the boy in front of him, almost immediately at that comment, surprising him a bit. He didn’t understand what was so funny about what he’d said but the smile that lingered on Joker’s face afterwards as he stood up and stepped forwards to take charge again  was more than worth a little confusion he figured.

Making sure his princely suit was in tact and there were no issues with it or any kind of indications to anything more existing had taken longer than he anticipated and getting the three idiots in his mind to stop arguing with one another had taken even longer that by the time he was actually ready to make his way to the front of the castle the three simpletons were already long gone, disappearing into the palace depths.

It doesn’t take him long to figure out just how they entered considering the giant ventilation grate on the ground leaning against the wall of the castle right below the giant opening into said castle.

Idiots.

How the thieves had never been caught or their infiltration route boobytrapped was far beyond his comprehension. Goro pinches the bridge of his nose in hopes of fighting back the headache he can feel slowly coming on. Taking a deep breath he reminded himself he just had to find the three, either get one of their phones or have them activate the app for him, and then leave and pretend this never happened.

You know it’s not going to be tha-

I am aware it’s not going to be that easy or simple or to the point with those idiots involved but I need to pretend it is for the moment or I’m going to break something.

...Fair enough. 

Hoping down into the small library-like room Goro spares only a quick glance around before heading for the door. Opening it only slightly he frowns to see dozens of guards wandering the hall, the main entryway, and the next room.How the hell was the security level this high already? Those idiots had been in here for 10 minutes max. What the hell were they doing?!

Aggravation was seeming to become a new permanent guest it seemed and as much as he would have loved to take it out on these small fry shadows. Goro recognized a swarm when he saw one. One battle would quickly evolve into two or three or ten with the shadows constantly calling for backup that would only be feet away.

Instead Goro mainly stuck to the shadows as he slinked further and further into the palace. He just needed to stay low and use the shadows casted by the furniture and the corners to avoid the actual shadows that were prowling the area.

Just twenty minutes into the exploration of this palace had Goro already on the verge of decapitating something or perhaps someone if he found the ruler of this place before Akira and his motley crew did. Nearly losing his cool Akechi had to take a moment to calm down after walking into a room full of scantily clad young females who were clearly only in their teens lounging around in promiscuous positions giggling and blowing kisses his way. Offering themselves as if they were meals to enjoy and not people and it made Goro want nothing more than to find the Shadow who ruled this place and introduce himself, perhaps with his sword.

This place brought certain memories back to the surface, memories he had shoved down so he wouldn’t have to think about them. He thought of the nights he had to spend in the bath house down the street from his home. Of the way his mother would have to dress and act in the name of keeping a roof over their head. It made him think of those sleazy men his mother used to meet with or on the worst days, the ones she had to bring home with her while he hid in his room and pretended he couldn’t hear the noises through the far too paper thin walls.

This palace reminded him of someone who believed they had far more power over other people than they deserved and thought that everyone was there to serve them.

It reminded him of his father.

Feeling the fires of cognition lick at him for a moment, he shifted from his white princely outfit to his more sturdy black and blue one that he would need for just a moment. Once it settled he let out a small growl about what he’s seen and the memories that were raised from it before turning and slamming his first into a nearby vase. He felt a sick satisfaction as he watched it shatter, pieces flying in different directions as the water drained out onto the floor and the flowers scattered. After a moment he shook his hand slightly as if to shake off the small lingering pain there before heading down the hall feeling much calmer now than he had moments ago.

He was about to turn another corner to find something else to break before he would shift back to his princely outfit and continue his exploration when a voice from behind him caught him off guard.

“H-Hello?”

Goro took a deep breath slipping into the shadow of a nearby chair, hand hovering over his gun, before glancing back to see what appeared to be a girl behind him, though logically it was just a cognition of this palace rulers fucked up head much like those from the previous room. He turned back to ignore it and continue on his way when it spoke again.

“Do you by any chance know exactly where we are?” It was keeping its voice low as if afraid to raise it any higher than a near whisper.. “I was on my way to volleyball practice today when I stopped at the bathroom and then I felt really faint for a moment. When I came to I was…wherever here is.” She explains uneasily.

Goro takes a moment and looks either way to ensure there are no shadows around before stepping out of the shadows and towards the girl. She was either a well made cognition meant to lure intruders to let their guards down or-

He noted how she was holding herself, hands shaking slightly as they clutched to her arms, constantly glancing over her shoulder every few moments as if she expected someone to just appear behind her.

-just a scared teenager who's never been in the metaverse before.

She was wearing a normal Shujin outfit and not a scantily revealing outfit that every other female in this wretched place had. She wasn’t trying to proposition him or throw herself at him…

So not a cognition.

Shit

They were pretty deep into the castle now, escorting her back to the front would be the most logical thing to do here, but even then he still couldn’t leave without access to the metanav. And the only ones who had access to that right now were the bumbling idiots he was trying to find. Unless-

“Can I see your phone? I will return it posthaste.” He says, reaching out a hand expectantly.

Confusion shone bright on the girl's face and perhaps a bit of mistrust which…fair. Despite the circumstances he finds himself appreciating the girl's aversion to just trusting anyone she met, unlike a certain band of merry idiots.

Reaching up he pulls his mask off his face, keeping his other hand extended for the phone however. He resists the urge to roll his eyes when he sees her eyes widen in what appeared to be recognition. “Look I am aware these circumstances are odd and off putting but I am not your enemy unlike some of the guards here who will more likely than not take issue with your presence once you are discovered, so please. The phone .”

Slowly she pulls the phone out from her skirt pocket, hesitating one last time, before putting her passcode in, unlocking it and  offering the phone his way. With a quick nod of thanks he carefully took it from her, making sure his claws wouldn’t scratch her hand as he did. In hindsight perhaps he should have removed the glove before grabbing the phone.

Sliding it under his arm he quickly makes work to remove his clawed glove off of his left hand before dropping it to the ground for the moment. Now that his hand was free, he grabbed the phone again and quickly began to scroll through it looking for one specific app.

Page after page went by though passed by and unfortunately no familiar red eye app appeared.

FUCK.

Ok back to plan A it seemed, finding Kurusu and his little band of thieves. But now he had something else to worry about.

Looking back at her he really takes in her appearance now. The girl has black hair, a cream collared shirt, a plaid skirt, and a knee brace staring at him curiously. Shiho Suzui, if his memory serves him correctly, one of the supposed victims from Kamoshida’s nonsense.

“Shiho Suzui, correct?” He asked despite already knowing the answer and despite looking suspicious still she slowly nodded before pointing at him.

“You’re Goro Akechi right? The Detective I’ve seen on TV a few times, some of my classmates are rather big fans of yours…Why are you dressed like that?”

Reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose once again thankful that his glove was still on the ground near him instead of the chance of him poking his own eyes out in frustration. “Is this really what your main concern is at the moment?” He huffs as he lets his hands fall back to his side again.

Flattening her skirt down a bit awkwardly Suzui looks off to the side a bit then back to him almost expectantly and raises her eyebrows a bit as if to indicate yes. Yes she kind of would like an explanation.

Goro sighs loudly wanting to run his hand through his hair in frustration. He opens his mouth to respond when:

“HALT INTRUDERS!”

Glancing down the hall Goro notes the guard who is now staring angrily at them.

“Perhaps we focus on getting out of here for now and then I can…attempt to explain what is happening here.” 

Glancing worriedly at the guard Suzui nods quickly and scurries forwards to follow after him.

✦

Somehow the two of them made it down the hall and out the door before the guard could clatter his way towards them. Suzui had fallen in line quick enough and with nearly no questions as they went.

Goro found a strange appreciation in the way the other girl approached the situation and her uncanny ability at making herself nearly invisible as they moved through the halls. Suzui was proving to be much better at this than he could have ever anticipated. 

Good at following directions and falling into the shadows where directed to avoid the guards that roamed the halls as he led her towards a safe room. There was still longer hesitance, a slight flinch here and there if he moves too quickly near her, and he decided for the moment he didn’t want to think too hard about it.  About why she was so good at making herself nearly invisible to those around her, drifting into the background of an area, as not to bring attention to herself. 

Get her out of the palace first. Then find the shitty adult that caused her to flinch at every loud sound like the kids at the orphanage had and shove a claw so far  up their ass they’d be tasting metal.

They manage to stay hidden for most of the trip there. Only a singular atrium and hallway left before they’d be safe in the secure confines of the safe room.

But of course things could never be that easy for Goro.

As they entered the atrium the entire room's atmosphere shifted in a split second. Black oozing bubbles began to form on the ground all across the area and in the doorway blocking their escape back out. Guard after guard after shadow began to grow from the bubbles, some sticking to the form of the palace ruler's guards while others simply floated around or roamed in their actual shadow forms.

Unlike in usual areas where Goro could simply stay in the shadows, all the Guards and enemies here seemed to have nearly instantly pinpointed his location in the room as if he were in his bright white princely outfit and covered in glow sticks. 

How the hell had security gotten this high?! 

“What are they doing just running through without any regard for stealth?” He grumbles to himself as he easily takes out the first bicorn and Pixie that approach them with Robin before grabbing Suzui’s arm to pull the girl behind him when he’s charged by a Cait Sith. 

Akira had to admit perhaps it was a bit fun to just let loose every once in a while as they rushed towards every shadow they saw and took every fight that came their way. Not bothering to stay hidden in the shadows for long in most hallways and kicking doors in instead of slowly opening them. 

Should they be a bit more careful, perhaps? But even the Beriths they encountered felt like they were merely tapping him on the shoulder when they swung down at him with full force. So Akira found he wasn’t much worried at all, in fact he was having more fun running through a palace than he had in ages. All with the satisfaction of knowing they got to kick Kamoshida's ass at the end of it.

Every shadow that was unfortunate enough to meet their path further into the palace had met a quick and effective end at the end of Akira’s dagger or one of the other two thieves' spells. 

Sure the security alert was getting a bit higher than he’d normally be comfortable with but they weren’t even on a time limit yet. If they got kicked out for the day it would be unfortunate but they would be back tomorrow without any real issue. And maybe just maybe tearing through some of these shadows were helping with his pent up frustration over what Kamoshida was doing and his current situation, being stuck in the past with no one who even remembered his name let alone the things he had gone through. 

Akira was twirling his dagger ready to pounce on another shadow when Ryuji said something from behind him grabbing his and Mona’s attention.

“Ooooooh  it’s another hazy lookin door! That is that thing! Uhhhh what was it called?” He tilts his head slightly, rubbing it with the end of his pipe as he tries to think before suddenly his eyes go wide behind his mask. “A safe room! That!” He grins widely as if he had just won a game that no one else seemed to be playing.

“Nice catch blondie!” Morgana called from where they hopped off the top of a nearby bookshelf. “We can discuss our strategy inside. There are a lot of places even I don’t know about in here…” Morgana trails off a bit, seeming disappointed in himself before Ryuji laughs.

“Well it aint like you can have all the answers or this would be kinda boring right?” Swinging his pipe a bit as he walks towards the saferoom he misses the way Morgana watches him as he goes. Maybe it was Akira’s imagination but they both seemed somewhat less antagonistic to each other this time and if he was being honest he was happy to see it.

Sure their silly little competitive rivalry was funny at times but when the two of them had started to devolve into genuine insults meant to upset one another had been when Akira had lost any amusement from it. Perhaps this time he could help them steer clear of going down that route.



The fights never seemed to end.

Sure in the past Shadows had called for backup when he fought them but this felt on a completely different level. As though every time he cut down one shadow 2 more seemed to take their place as if he were fighting a hydra and not a tacky purple cat in boots and annoying flying pests.

Jumping back to avoid a Zio attack then another and another from the nearby Pixie swarm he ended up leaving himself vulnerable to a headbutt from the nearby Bicorn. A hit he would have normally brushed off and scolded himself for allowing to happen but something was different.

Something was wrong.

“Why do I feel so fucking weak.” He hissed mostly to himself after slamming his sword straight through the Bicorn as a return for the headbutt. “These pipsqueaks should be child's play and yet every hit feels like I’m being hit by my own Leviathan.” He’d been able to use Megidolaon, Kougaon, and Eigaon like it was a joke but the first persona that had gotten close enough to hit him had nearly sent him off his feet much to his own chagrin.

Footsteps to his right were the only indication he had to turn and raise his laser sword to block the sword of a Cait Sith as he used his other hand to rip off his mask, sending Robin out to deal with the hoard of pixies trying to press in from the left. As he parried another swing of the Cat’s sword, he silently swore he was going to kick Akira AND Ryuji’s ass for raising the security level in the palace high enough to cause this kind of incident.

As he and the Cait sith fought he suddenly heard a cry of panic from behind him and he nearly missed parrying the swing of the Cait’s sword as it swung for his head. The sound of clanging metal filled the air for a moment as the two parried blows over and over until the Cat smirked, spinning slightly and throwing its full body weight into a strike from above. Blocking the hit Goro has to hold the sword with both hands to prevent the Cait Sith from being able to follow through and impale him. Another noise of panic behind him snatches his attention and he shifts his stance enough that he knows taking his eyes off the enemy won’t kill him, before looking over his shoulder. Instantly he caught sight of an Eligor slowly marching forwards pressing a terrified Suzui into a corner and she was powerless to stop it.

“No, no, please stop.” The girl begged as she stepped further and further back until her back hit the wall behind her leaving her with absolutely nowhere to go.

“Imposters are to be sentenced to death!” The Eligor roared as it raised its spear above its head ready to end Suzui where she stood.

Knocking the Cait Sith back with a harsh kick to its stomach he didn’t hesitate to impale it with his sword. He barely paid attention to the shadow turning to ash around his blade before turning to rush to her aid but they were too far, he wouldn’t make it in time. He simply wasn’t fast enough.

Suzui screamed in panic crouching down and covering her head as if that would help as the spear point swung down towards her. Panic flooded through his veins.

A bathtub full of red water and a bottle of pills flashed through his mind.

“NO!” Akechi roared as he reached out desperately to her but the spear didn’t stop.

CLANG

A bright red sword hovered there in the air completely stopping the spear point in its tracks. A black and white striped figure looking between the spear and the Eligor unimpressed. Goro had to blink a few times as he processed he was staring at his own Persona hovering there between Suzui and the shadow who had tried to end her life.

It was Loki .

Loki who seemed pissed, Loki whose own sword was easily blocking the Eligor's spear as if it were a mere toothpick he was attacking with. Loki, who deflected the spear with enough force it knocked the spear completely out of the Eligor's hand before he growled loudly, freezing the Eligor in its tracks.

Then he unhinged his jaw, leaned in, and bit the Eligor in half as if it were nothing, the shadow disappearing in a cascade of ash.

Confusion replaced the panic in his chest as he realized Suzui was safe. Glancing back to his right though he could see Robin still dealing with the swarm of Pixies that never seemed to end and yet…

Looking back to the corner, there before him hovered another piece of his soul looking down at the scared girl behind him. He watched in somewhat stunned interest as Loki reached down and offered her one of his hands to help her back up. Moments later Loki was picking Suzui up off the ground and setting her on his shoulder before hovering over towards him, keeping her far from any other shadows who would have the audacity to try and hurt her.

As he watched Loki carry her to safety there was only one thing he could think:

Since when can I summon more than one persona at a time…



Everything was going good so what the hell just happened?!

Ryuji could barely think with Mona yelling in his ear the entire time as he pulled Akira onto his back.

“Is he ok?!”
“Be more careful you brute!”
“Joker! Joker wake up!”
“What the heck happened?!”

A barrage of questions one after another that Ryuji simply didn’t have the answer for and was growing annoyed from.

“Shut it Cat, I don’t know either and freakin out aint doin shit.”

Completely limp, Akira was hard to maneuver up especially with Mona constantly running around him and getting under his feet. Thankfully this wasn’t the first time he had to carry someone like this though.

At times when Kamoshida had been *coaching them*, they had been forced to run until they would at times literally collapse from exhaustion and from the look on Akira’s face it seemed the boy had over exerted himself somehow and collapsed as a result.

After more struggling Ryuji sighed in relief when he finally managed to get the boy up and onto his back properly, one arm hanging over his shoulder while the other hung limp next to himself. Ryuji’s hands both holding onto Akira’s legs to carry him properly before heading back towards the safe room they thankfully had passed not too long ago.

Once the boy was safely laid down on the table Ryuji thought back to the moments before the other boys collapsed.

Another pair of jack o lanterns had joined their original fight with two others and the fight had outta nowhere become a four versus three, with them on the losing team but instead of seeming concerned at all Joker’s smirk had only seemed to grow wider before he’d reached up for his mask.

“MAGARUDYNE!” Roaring loudly Akira had yanked the mask from his face and before anyone could blink massive waves of that same green magic Morgana used slammed into the ground in large spirals absolutely obliterating the enemies before them and making it hard to even stand on their feet from the force of the wind blowing back at them. Forced to throw their hands up in front of their faces to protect themselves from the onslaught of the excess from the spell they’d had no chance at all to react before the magic all but poofed out of existence just as quickly as it had appeared.

“Oh.” Simple and to the point Joker spoke near him but he sounded different, off in a way, as if all of his energy were gone suddenly and he could barely manage to make that one word. Looking up at Ryuji he managed one more: “…oops...” before Ryuji watched him over to the door and began taking wobbly steps forwards, swaying harshly with each one. One, two, three steps forwards before collapsing onto the ground not moving at all.

Joker hadn’t woken back up since, even as they shook him.

“Well this ain't great…” Looking over to the cat they both stared at each other for a few moments before back at Joker silently hoping he’d wake back up soon.

What the hell do we do now?

Finally escaping the Atrium had been a far more taxing excursion than Goro had anticipated and now finally in a hall free of Shadows he let his shoulder drop slightly and took a deep breath fanning his face slightly with his hands. While his Dark suit was far more practical for fights due to its armoring around his more vital areas like his head and his neck, the down side was it was always so fucking hot after a few fights. As he was debating removing his neck guard for just a few moments Loki silently lowered Suzui to the ground until she could stand on her own feet before he and Robin disappeared and his mask returned to him.

Glancing the girl's way he found Suzui seemed to take a moment to collect her thoughts before she looked down at the floor taking a deep breath. Rolling his eyes slightly he braced himself to have to all but drag her the rest of the way to the safe room. Expecting a panicked and near sobbing teenager within the next few minutes as she processes just how close to death she really got he began getting his equipment ready to fight more one handed for a bit. However he was surprised, unfortunately not for the first time today, when Suzui brushed off her skirt, adjusted her knee brace and fixed her hair before looking at him.

“Which way now?”

To say he was stunned by her attitude towards everything was an understatement but he kept his face passive.

First time I’ve been thankful for the practice those insane questions from interviews have given me at keeping a straight face regarding someone else around my age.

Deciding not to waste time if this was just a delayed reaction kind of situation he signaled behind him with a nod of his head. “Right, this way then.” Turning to head down the hall he hears her fall into step behind him not bothering to look back to check on her.

She’s more resilient than we gave her credit for. 

✦

Shouldering open the next door Goro fidgeted with the pieces of metal he had found to work as a makeshift lock pick for the moment. Glancing up for the moment he was glad to find this room somehow pleasantly empty of enemies for the time being.  Goro quickly took stock of their surroundings in case one did decide to appear however.

This area was clearly a kitchen dining area combined with one another. There were 3 large slabs of meat hanging by a hook over a fire in the back and then a long table with 24 chairs, 4 candelabras and 6 bowls of fruit. Arguably this place would almost feel cozy if it weren’t for the knowledge on the other side of either door leading in here were shadows ready to pounce on them at any given second.

For now they needed to keep moving. Goro took a moment to glance over the girl with him. Arguably she seemed fine, a bit shaken at first but taking most things in stride. Even her near death didn’t seem to bother her for long, which Goro had to admit impressed him. Not everyone could look death in the eyes and continue on minutes later as if it hadn’t happened at all.

She held herself with her arms crossed as she looked around, curious but closed off. It reminded him of himself and something about that made something ugly twist in his chest and he quickly turned his attention to the next door instead.

Tugging at it revealed no give at all, ah it was locked. Goro figured they would encounter one or two of these eventually, no palaces were ever straight forwards. Kneeling down to begin fidgeting with the lock he spared one last glance towards Suzui. Off to the side of the room near the fire she stood staring down at a table curiously but there was also something else there in her expression he couldn’t quite place.

Before her a large plate with 5 massive slabs of meat on them. Suzui looks at them as if internally debating if she should reach out to take a bite. Hunger, that was the emotion Goro hadn’t been able to place before but now as she continued to stare at the meat before it, it was plainly obvious.

“Don’t bother,” He sighs as he starts working the piece of metal into the keyhole. “Food like that. Pieces of cognitions will only heal injuries at best but won’t fill your stomach. If it’s born of this place it will feel as if it’s real food but leave you with a gnawing emptiness once you swallow.” Goro explains as he fiddled with the lock, cursing quietly under his breath when it didn’t seem to want to click open, before he continued on. “Trust me…I learned from experience.”

He remembered during one of his first excursions to the metaverse seeing such amazing looking food in one of the palaces he’d found. It had been such a surge of relief, seeing food and knowing he was going to eat that night instead of being ignored and left with the scraps by his shitty excuses for foster parents. Overwhelmed with emotions he’d rushed forwards not even checking it for traps before he began digging into it.

The food itself had tasted amazing, had felt as real and warm as their actual counterparts, and had disappeared as he ate it. But instead of ever feeling any more full than he had before, he instead remembered how the hunger had begun to claw at him even worse to the point of physical pain. His brain knew he was consuming something but his stomach had nothing to actually consume and show for it and the miscommunication just drove his body to want more.

Time passed and the dizzying, all consuming hunger began gnawing at his stomach, not even demanding but begging for food, real food . Collapsing to the floor he had broken down into sobs when it finally clicked that despite having the food right there in his hands that he wouldn’t be able to eat it. That he’d feel no more fed than when he started. That he’d go to sleep that night just as hungry as previous ones.

Or perhaps even worse, now that he had a taste of something he could never have.

But that was in the past, he couldn’t focus on that right then. Being distracted in a palace could be a death sentence for him or his unlucky companion so for now he needed to focus.

It was the click of the lock finally opening that fully snapped him back to the world around him. Apparently muscle memory didn’t apply exclusively to fighting it seemed.

Standing he glanced back at Suzui who had moved away from the plate of food and was now standing a few feet away looking at one of the weapons unsure, poking at the mace that was eye level with her. The concept of her wielding one made sense in his mind but perhaps asking her to defend herself like that was a bit too much of a leap.

Instead he glanced down at the toy gun strapped to his hip. A model based off the newer Featherman show, something he was glad Kurusu and his motley crew had never pieced together. He grabbed it, holding its weight in his hand for a moment or two reminding himself that these shadows weren’t the shadows of people.

She deserves to be able to defend herself.

And Goro agreed so he called to her. “Suzui mind coming over here for a minute so we can talk?”

Walking over she notes he hovers near the door to the next part of the castle they hadn’t explored yet. When the strangely dressed boy had told her that they were going to talk she assumed it was about their continued efforts to get out of here but instead he started talking about something else entirely.

“I’m sure you’re clever enough to understand now that those guards aren’t just what they look like and are instead something completely different.” He starts as he opens the door revealing a long halfway that turned off to the left further ahead. Between them and the turn though was one of the guards, much like any of the others who had tried to give them trouble so far.

Akechi closes the door back enough that the guard wouldn’t notice them but they could peek through and see him.

“Stay behind me to begin with as I explain just encase it notices us. This place seems on higher alert than normal.” He says simply as if she had any interest in getting between him and those… things.

“Do uh…Do they have a name?” She asks him as she fidgets with the hem of her skirt. “The things you’ve been fighting?” She offers in hopes that was enough clarification for him to understand.

Glancing over at her he seemed to have an almost impressed look to his face. “You catch on quick. Good.” He nods. Explaining was time consuming and perhaps somewhat annoying but seeing as she sat quietly and didn’t have a tendency to  interrupt him Goro figured he could spare a few minutes for it before continuing. “As a collective they are called shadows, though they each have individualized names as well, while the ones that are wielded by people go by the name Personas.” He explains though his eyes never leave the shadow in the hallway before them.

“So like the black and white one who saved me and the one you called Robin Hood?” She inquired and his smirk grew wider. Perhaps on a more normal and calm day she could find it in herself to be concerned about that.

“Exactly.” He sounds almost proud as he glances back at her for a quick moment and then back to the guard in the hall again and then to her once more. “A persona comes from within the human heart, though from what I have learned most people can only summon one.”

She recalls again the two from before that had fought to protect them, both that came from him. “Except you. You have more than one.” She points out as she points a finger at him.

“I do.” He agrees easily, probably seeing no reason to argue against it when she had already seen them both.

“Why?”

“...I don’t know.”

Well at least he’s on my side I guess.

Feeling inquisitive and wanting something to call the one who had saved her before other than the black and white one she asked. “Do they also have names?”

“I don-” He begins clearly having expected a different question before stopping and looking at her now with confusion in his eyes as he pulls the door to the hallway back closed. “You want to know their names?”

Feeling somehow put on the spot now that his full attention was on her, she looks to the side and brushes a stray hair out of her face before responding. “If that’s ok.”

“Why.” It’s blunt and perhaps even a bit apprehensive when he says it but that’s all he offers to her so she goes back to fidgeting with the toy gun before answering honestly.

“The black and white one…he saved my life.” She starts as she looks at the nearby table instead of him though she can feel his eyes on her. “I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for him and I was always taught it was polite to thank those who do things for you. Though I suppose he is a part of you. So…thank you. But…they also seem like their own people in a way and I wanted to-”

There is a flash of fire from beside her, startling her enough for her to stop talking, before the black and white persona from before stood- no floated- in the room with them. It stared down at her, holding that large massive red sword he had used to save her, now pointing her way as if challenging her to back down from what she was saying before.

Feeling far braver than she had moments ago though she didn’t back down, walking up to him and right past the sword. Growling it stared down at her but made no move to stop her. After only a moment of taking his appearance in again she bowed to him and nearly instantly the growling stopped.

“Thank you.” Putting as much gratitude as she can into her words she continues. “Thank you for saving me.”

“...Loki…” Hearing the word almost whispered from behind her it takes her a moment to piece together what it meant before her eyes went wide and she stands up fully now. Looking up to its face now she once more repeats.

“Thank you for saving me…Loki.” She can feel a smile come to her face when it sounds like Loki almost purrs in response.

“You sure you’re good dude?” Ryuji asks for what must have been the tenth time since he’d regained consciousness.

“I’m fine Skull, really I’m ok.” Insisting and hoping it would get the two others off his back for a moment. He wasn’t used to them worrying so much. Once he’d proven himself to them they’d just always been under the impression that he was infallible and hits didn’t really phase him even if they did hurt like hell.

To be honest he had the worst thumping headache, the kind that sent pain through you with every beat of your heart. He hadn’t had one this bad in ages, not since his actual first days of phantom thieving, back when he didn’t know how bad spells could drain him to the point of collapse if used without care. The sheer thought of continuing while feeling like this filled him with dread but it quickly disappeared as he reached into his pocket and his fingers wrapped around a soul drop.

The relief knowing the headache would be gone soon, as he crushed it in his hands, was enough to make him realize in hindsight what a foolish plan that had been. Trying to use such a powerful move that had somewhat put a strain on him even back during Okumara’s palace was both overkill and apparently too much for his body now.  While he clearly had somehow retained his physical strength, his mental strength when it came to using Persona abilities had clearly not transcended back in time with him.

He’d have to take some time at one point, maybe slip into Momentos and test just what his limits actually were.

It would be nice to let loose and see what I can really do this time.

You just want an excuse to break things.

Don’t you?

It’s Morgana’s yowl that snatches his attention away from the bookshelf he was looking at while chatting with Arsene. Glancing behind him he sees a Guard roaring angrily as it goes to swing his sword down at Morgana.

Moving swiftly in to intercept the sword, Akira uses his dagger to deflect the attack and shove the guard off balance. As it stumbled backwards Akira didn’t hesitate as he shot forwards and ripped the mask from its face revealing two bicorns, two pixies, and a glowing purple cait sith.

“You two be careful of that glowing one! It’s called a disaster shadow!” Mona explains as he points at it. “It won’t attack you unless you attack it first but they hit far harder than other shadows and destroying it will cause a massive explosion!”

“So we just gotta end this quick then.” Ryuji laughs as he punches his hand and cracks his neck.

Two shadows disappearing into ash and one hard hitting move against the Cait sith later, Mona’s eyes go wide. “Get ready!” He exclaims as he turns and covers his face in a defensive position before he starts counting down.

“5,4.” Ryuji and him follow Mona’s lead and get ready for the explosion. “3,2,1…”

Even after the countdown ends the shadow still stands there and keeps muttering to itself making no move to get any closer or do anything at all and Mona stands back up from where he had been covering his ears.

“Huh maybe my countdown was wr-”

The explosion wracks the room, demolishing the other shadows and knocking the cat from his feet and onto his back.

Dizzily the cat props his head up a bit and mumbles. “...I may have had the timing a bit off…” Before flopping back down onto the ground again.

After a moment of staring down at Suzui, Loki disappeared and Goro felt his mask return to him.

I like her.

Goro was almost impressed. Loki didn’t like many people, if anyone.

I still think she’s more trouble than she’s worth at the moment. We could always just store her somewhere and come back later.

Robin however, it seemed, did not share the same sentiment as Loki.

We can’t just store her somewhere when we don’t have direct access to the Metanav or a plan on how to return. We’ll just make sure she can hold her own before continuing.

This is a waste of time. It’s clear she’s no fighter.

Glancing at the faint and fading edges of bruises that her clothes didn’t quite cover up and the knee brace that also had clear signs of bruising peeking out of the hole in the middle Goro found he wasn’t entirely sure he agreed with the sentiment.

Let’s just see if she can shoot and we’ll go from there.

Reaching down to his holster he pulled the little plastic ray gun holding it in his hand and thinking back to the first time a real one had been handed to him.

The feeling of cold metal in his hands, the weight of what exactly every bullet in that chamber could do, the knowledge of what was expected of him. The way his father had laughed at the look on his face as he held it as if it would bite at first before having to put on a fake face and pretend the concept of shooting another person that wasn’t his father didn’t fill him with dread. That his hands didn’t shake in his pockets for hours on end afterwards.

He’d locked that gun up the moment he’d gotten home in a replica briefcase of the one he used for his public appearances before hiding it in the false floor of his sock drawer hopefully to never have to use. It had stayed there for months as Goro’s hands steadied while using the little ray gun in his hands. As he learned not to flinch when the screams of realization came from the victims of his father’s choosing. As he grew into the killer he had never dreamed of becoming all of the means of destroying the life of the man who had destroyed his and his mothers.

Then November had come and he’d pulled it out of its hiding place, taken it apart to clean it nearly meticulously,  made sure every piece fit perfectly back together-

Then he shot Akira Kurusu in the head with it.

Watched his body collapse onto the table with a wet thump that still haunted him on his worst days. Sure the guard would have arguably been his first kill in the real world but Akira Kurusu was the one that would stick with him for the rest of his life. Like a ugly tattoo on his very soul.

And then none of it had even been real, none of it had been true, and the anger that had come with that realization had been all consuming. Fury licking at every bone in his body that Akira Kurusu would let him go through with aiming the gun at the only person who had ever seemed to borderline actually care about him. Leaving Goro thinking he had killed him for nearly a month all the while he’d been alive and working to undo all the hard work Goro had been doing for years in the name of making Shido pay for his crimes.

He’d been so angry, so consumed by rage, so betrayed by the one person he never thought would. Though he supposed he wasn’t one to talk…but he’d done what he could to save the rest of Akira's precious little friends. Hell he’d even made the murder plan ON THE PHONE hoping that Sakura would do something about it and yet…

They both still ended up in that room and-

“Um excuse me…Are you alright Akechi-kun?” Suzui’s voice brought him back to the present where he was still gripping the little plastic toy just on this side of too tight. Loosening his grip he looks to the girl who was looking at him with pit-

With concern.

-with concern. She had her head tilted slightly as she looked him over.

“You’re not hurt are you?” She questioned softly as she got a bit closer. “I’m not really sure if I can treat anything to do with the uh…lightning and stuff but I do have a bit of first aid training and I’ve gotten really good at tying bandages.”

Holding up his hand he shakes his head. Sure none of his persona had healing abilities, which had resulted in his fair share of close calls but he was used to it at this point.

“I’m fine Suzui.” Looking down at the plastic toy again he debates on if what he’s about to do is worth it but then reminds himself these aren’t people’s shadows they are fighting and it won’t be blood on her hands before flipping it around and offering it to her instead. He watches as she looks between it, him, and the door to the hall a few timesas if putting together exactly what Goro planned to tell her before he could say anything at all. After only a moment of hesitation though she slowly reaches and takes it into her own hands looking it over curiously.

Expecting more of a continued lecture on what exactly was going on in this weird place they were in, Shiho had been more than a little surprised when he had handed her what reminded her of a toy gun she had seen a few elementary schoolers running around with in her neighborhood.

“I’m going to teach you to defend yourself in case something were to happen to me.” He explained after she had taken the toy from him. What she was meant to do with it, she wasn’t sure yet.

Looking down at the weapon curiously the girl's mind seemed to be running through a million questions before settling on what seemed to be the most pressing to her.

“So how does it work?” She inquired. “It kinda just looks like a toy?” Turning the gun over in her hand for what must have been the thousandth time, as if looking for something she had somehow missed before.

It just looks like a toy?

“From what I’ve gathered Shadows can’t tell what is and isn’t real as long as it looks real enough.” Akechi explained as he nodded to the toy gun she now held. “Where we are now exists in a space where what you believe and perceive is more important than what actually is .”

Suddenly the gun feels a lot heavier in her hand for some reason. “So as long as they believe it’s real then it’s real?” The question comes from her before she can even fully process thinking about it.

“To some extent, yes.” The answer isn’t exactly the most reassuring but considering that a Giant knight on a horse had tried to turn her into a shish kabob less than 20 minutes ago she figured any explanation was better than none.

“And…It will shoot like an actual gun if I pull the trigger?”

Looking down at the gun he reaches over and flips a little level like thing near the trigger. “Now that the safety is off it will.” He confirms before turning and pointing back towards the table that they had passed by. On top the table sat three bottles within her line of sight. “Aim at those and try destroying any one of them. Take as many shots as you need.”

They weren’t terribly far away from them, about 7 feet away from them at the most but it felt like they may as well have been on the other side of the world. Looking between the glass bottles and Akechi’s expecting face she slowly raises the gun, holding it tightly with both hands to try and steady it.

“Precision when working with a weapon like this is of the utmost importance." Akechi begins to explain to her from nearby, having taken a few steps back to give her space to work. “Laser pistols are good for many things when it comes to attacking enemies or breaking very specific things but from how thin the beam is missing is a fairly  easy occurrence.” Walking back close for a moment Shiho feels a gloved hand lower her aim down a few inches from where she had it lined up. “Unlike a regular gun there is no bullet drop off due to gravity or wind resistance so wherever you’re aiming that’s where it’s going to hit.” Letting her go he quickly steps back again and simply watches from the side.

Aiming the shot Shiho looks between the three targets a few times before letting the gun fall to her side instead.

I can’t.

“I-I don’t think I can do this.” Shakily looking down at the gun in her hands she looks back up to him worriedly.

“If you do not wish to, you don’t have to.” He says bluntly though his arms were crossed as he looked her up and down as if reevaluating something. “However,” He continues quickly enough. “I cannot guarantee I can always protect you. As we have previously seen the shadows here seem to be on high alert and their numbers seem far higher than normal. There is only so much even I can do.”

He was right, there were a lot of them and more than once now she had barely been able to hide in time to avoid being detected by one of the guards or dodge to the side to dodge being hit by an attack meant for Akechi that had missed its mark by a few feet. All the while Akechi was doing his best to keep her safe but there was only so much one person could focus on at a time and trying to keep himself alive and her at the same time while she was just being dead weight was surely exhausting.

What if I try and fail though. Would he leave me behind? The same way my friends did?

Looking down at the gun again she holds it in front of her and grips it tighter before she shakes her head. “It’s not that I don’t want to but I…” She trails off then slowly loosening her grip on the gun until it simply sat in her hands, finger no longer anywhere near the trigger.

Volleyball is the only thing I’m good at and I’m not even that great at it. Why would I be able to do this…

“I don’t think I can. I’m not very good at a lot of things. Volleyball is probably the only thing that I’m even decent at and-”

Scoffing Goro cuts her off. “Is that really what you think?”

Looking between her and the bottles he walks closer, grabs her hand and aims it towards one of the bottles, adjusting it a bit when Shiho feels her hand start to move slightly to the right. “You believed in Santa Claus for at least 8 years I’m sure. You can believe in yourself for two seconds-”

Oh that was…strangely nice.

“-Now Follow my instructions. Line up the shot.” Adjusting her hand one more time he looks at the bottles before stepping back. “Now Pull the trigger.”

Taking a deep breath, Shiho lets her finger tighten over the trigger. There is a bit of kickback against her wrist and a whoosh sound before the sound of shattering glass fills the room.

I- I did it!

I DID IT!

Smiling widely she turns to look at him to see a small proud smirk on his face as well as he walks over to the table setting up a few more bottles from further down the table to where she could see them.

“Now the next one.”

“Excellent job Suzui.” Something akin to pride welled in his chest as she hit 3 out of the 5 targets he had set up for her. It wasn’t perfect by any means but for someone he doubted had ever even held a gun before it was definitely something to be proud of.

“Shiho.” The girl says as she lowers the gun before remembering something and flipping the little switch turning the safety back on. “I mean if you want to, that is.” She says as she flattens her skirt again, a nervous habit he is beginning to notice.”After all you’ve saved my life more than once at this point so…you can call me by my first name if you’d like.” She offers him a soft nervous smile.

First name basis. How many people did he even know on a first name basis other than Sae-san? The list was short, small enough to count on just one hand and now Shiho Suzui was offering to expand it. Despite seeing Loki and the way he bit the Eligor in half or how violently he fought shadows, tearing into them at times with his claws as he laughed, the girl didn’t seem scared or even concerned at all. She trusted him and something about that had both a warm and sour feeling settling inside his chest.

When he hadn’t answered her in what was a reasonably accepted amount of time she looked off to the side seeming embarrassed. “S-Sorry, that was sudden wasn’t it. I’m just some Volleyball player and you’re this famous-”

Something about those words had him thinking back to when he was a child listening to men yell at his mother through the walls.

“You’re just some whore.”
“You’re just another bitch.”
“All you are is a piece of trash.”
“You think you’re worth the amount you’re charging? Delusion bitch.”
“You’re just a cheap slut.”

He was reminded of the bruises his mother had worn when she came home some nights as she cooked dinner, leaning to the side as if favoring one leg, the same way Szuzui was now.

He remembered her dull lifeless eyes staring back at him.

“You’re not just anything.” Goro says cutting off whatever she was saying at this point unintentionally tuning her out before. “Diminishing yourself to others because of how others may have treated you is foolish. Their opinions of you mean nothing . You are Suzui Shiho, why does anyone else get to define who you are but you.”

Was he the world biggest hypocrite? Sure, but no one ever said he had to take his own advice and as he watched her lip wobble for a split second he wondered if he had pushed the girl too far. There was a small sniffle and Goro was sure she was bound to start crying over his words before she simply wiped her eyes, smiling at him again.

“Thank you Akechi-kun.” She says quietly as she rubs at her eyes again. “That’s…That really means a lot.” She says earnestly and suddenly Goro feels like the one put on the spot and figuring he already has enough regrets what’s one more potential regret he opens his mouth:

“It’s Goro.”

Watching her wobbly smile turn even wider Goro felt perhaps this wasn’t the worst idea after all, at least for now.

✦

“Now from where you’re hiding there you should be able to get a shot off on any of the Guards walking around.” He instructed as he hid across from her. “Just remember what I showed you, aim, and pull.”

They linger there for a few moments before the familiar tudding noise of a guard approaching fills their ears. When it turns the corner and starts marching their way Shiho takes a deep breath and lines up the shot. As soon as she had pulled the trigger Goro was moving, shooting out from their hiding spot and rushing towards the Guard. As the bullet slammed into the chest of the guard and sent him stumbling backwards Goro lunged onto the temporarily disoriented enemy, digging his claws into its face before he ripped its mask from its face in one harsh pull.

As Goro flips backwards and onto his feet and the 2 pixie shadows slowly form in front of him from the guard he calls to Shiho. “Now!”

Another beam of light shoots towards the shadows, skimming past Goro and slamming into the chest of one of the pixies. It lefts out a wail of pain before crumbling to ash well before it could even fully form. It’s only a moment more before Goro is in the other pixies space, slashing it to bits with a laugh as he does. The entire battle takes less than 15 seconds from start to finish and Goro has to admit he's…almost having fun now.

“Let’s get moving Shiho.” He calls without looking back knowing she would be close behind him and moments later the sound of footsteps confirms his thoughts. Opening the next door to the next room slowly he notes that it appears to be shadow free for once, perhaps they were slowly bringing the security level back down. At least that’s what he was hoping.

After watching Loki strike down yet another enemy with a blast of some kind of dark purple and black energy, Shiho finds she has  a question on her mind that she just had to ask.

“So…How do you do it?” She inquired as she walked up next to him before the two began to walk together towards the next room together

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific. I do a lot of things.” The boy hummed with a slight smirk on his face and Shiho found herself laughing.

“You know, the glowy stuff.” She waves her hand as if to indicate it. “The things your personas do. It’s all dark purple and black for Loki and all gleaming White for Robin. That stuff. What are you doing to cause that?”

Goro tilts his head a bit, a hand coming up to hold his chin as he seems to lose himself in thought for a moment. Finally he settled on an answer though. “I cast a spell.”

“A spell…” Shiho looks at him, an eyebrow raised as she shakes her head. “As in magic ?” Giggles come from her soon unable to help it at the concept of Goro wearing a pointed hat and brandishing a wand to cast these spells.

Flabbergasted almost, he looks at her and soon enough is laughing himself. “Is THAT really the hardest thing for you to believe out of all of this?”

“No.” She agrees, grinning. “But it is still pretty funny.” She admits as the two of them laugh.

Looking inside the bars of the room Goro can notice that there is a map lying in the middle on a singular table.

“A map would help us significantly but…” He glances at the multiple ram heads with chains hanging out of them. “Trying to figure out the combination seems nearly impossible without the knowledge of how many pulls each one needs or how many pulls are in the combination as a whole.” Seeming annoyed at the turn of events he debates just attempting to cut through the bars with Loki’s sword but if any previous experience in Palaces has taught him one thing.

You have to play by the Palace Ruler’s rules while you’re within their space.

Cutting the bars wouldn’t work logically because they were only meant to open with the combination so the moment they were cut they’d probably either just reform or turn into something stronger instead. All the while alerting the guards to their locations and presence resulting in another unnecessary fight that would put both of them at risk.

While he attempts one last try at figuring out the Ram head combination lock he notices Shiho leaning against a nearby wall seeming lost in thought.

“Getting lost in thought in a place like this can go bad rather quickly.” He chides her off handedly as he pulls another one only for nothing to happen at all with the bars much to his growing annoyance.

Shiho glances up at him and with a slight chuckle and a half frown speaks. “Sorry it's just that…It feels like any minute I'll just wake up and it will have all been a dream or just my imagination or something. Though I’m not sure why I would have imagined you Akechi-kun instead of anyone else.” She laughs a bit at that. “Reminds me of that Philosophy book I found when I volunteered to help organize the Library one afternoon. I only read through a few chapters but this whole thing reminds me of…oh what was it…solis…solipsi...OH Solipism, that one!” She smiles at remembering however Goro frowns.

Solipism…

“So then how do you feel about Solipsism then Kurusu?” Akechi inquired curiously as he stirred his coffee while reading over the latest crossword puzzle. “You said you had been looking more into Philosophy, so I am curious to hear your thoughts on that particular epistemological position considering your stance on the Phantom Thieves and their work.”

Looking up from the pot of Curry he was actively stirring Akira hums for a moment before seeming to come up with his answer. “While the concept of nothing being real but our own minds is interesting. I find it highly improbable and almost self centered to dismiss everything and everyone else in the world as my own mind’s creation.” He looks down at the pot for a moment seeming lost in thought before looking back up at the detective with a smile.

“Though if everything around me is from my imagination. Then you’re the best thing I’ve come up with.”

The memory does nothing to soothe his annoyance; instead only making it worse, he just manages to stop himself from angrily punching the bars and instead slams a hand into one of the Ram heads. The top part of it shatters and small bits and pieces of it slowly fall to the ground. As soon as he pulls his hand back though it shimemrs for a split second before returning to its previous state before Goro had punched it as if he hadn't done anything at all.

Seeming confused by his reaction Shiho asks: “Do you not like Philosophy?”

“...Something like that.” He huffs instead of giving her a straightforward answer because nothing revolving around that nuisance with a mop of black hair, stupid glasses, and piercing eyes could ever be straight forward or simple.

✦

As the two head into the next area they’re caught somewhat off guard by the 2 pixies that drop from the ceiling. Shiho, having no time to slide into cover, is caught right in the middle of this battle but Goro doesn’t hesitate as he rips his mask off, sending Loki out to inflict curse damage to the both of them to try and kill them. Which would have worked if one of them hadn’t been fast enough to dodge the attack. While one gets obliterated into ash the other stays flying there staring at them and while Goro could take the chance to finish it off on his own he instead turns to Shiho and offers her a high five much to her confusion.

To be fair he’d found the idea foolish at first but there was something about the cognitive world's acknowledgement of team work and apparently that whole trope of My friends are my power being so ridiculously popular that it  really did have an effect on this world.

A simple highfive, benign enough to seem completely unnecessary and yet-

Shiho hesitantly returned the highfive, though her eyes were still on the Pixie. Good, she was learning.

“Now take it out, Shiho.” He instructed and she raised the gun.

Much to her surprise the kickback from the gun was harsher this time as the beam that came out of the gun was somewhat bigger than it had been any of the other times so far, absolutely wiping the Pixie out of existence as it hit her.

“Woh!” Shiho exclaimed with a smile looking at him. “A highfive did THAT?” She questioned and Goro simply shook his head.

“No, You did that.”

✦

Exploring the castle was bound to have its hiccups. Goro knew that ahead of time but he hadn’t expected one this big this early on. The large spiral staircase leading to the next section of the castle they had to get to was somehow not intact, in fact it had a giant gaping hole in it.

Like other areas in the backrooms of the castle it appeared the palace ruler here didn't care much about the internals of his castle as long as it suited his needs and appeared pretty on the outside to others. Doors, spiral staircases, and even the rafters in some rooms were straight up crumbling under their feet at times if they were not in areas that he didn’t frequent himself. Even if others needed to use them it didn’t matter so long as his traversal wasn’t inhibited.

Goro looks at the gap and begins to run the numbers after a few moments he concludes that if one of them was on the other side and they laid on their stomach on the stairs then hung their arm down the other one would be able to jump forwards and grab the other person's hand. They would then be able to pull them up onto the higher stair and they’d be able to continue together despite the literal hole in their plans.

“You have a plan don’t you?” Shiho asks him as she glances over at him from the stairs instead.

Nodding he cracks his neck a bit before gauging just how far he’d have to crawl before explaining. “I’ll get over to the other side and then help you across.”

Glancing between the hole in the stairs and then him she questioned then. “Is another of your magic spells the ability to give yourself wings because I don’t think either of us are making that jump.” Pointing down to where the hole leads she continues. “And I doubt the floor down there will be very forgiving if we try and fail.”

Goro flexes his gloves a bit to make sure the claws are ready to go before looking to the outer wall of the room. Stabbing one into the wall then slamming his foot into the wall after he glances back at her with a smirk. Looking surprised for only a moment she chuckles. “Now I understand the foot claws. I thought they were just really questionable fashion choices beforehand.”

Climbing across the pit takes time and patience, the wall he tries clawing into crumbling under foot or in his palm more than once but after about 5 minutes of patient crawling he has made his way across and is standing on the other side of the hole in the stairs.

Shiho looks relieved to see him safe on his feet again on the other side before glancing between him and the hole. “So…how do I get across then?” She asks him unsure before her eyes go wide when he lays down on the floor letting his hand hang down.

“You jump.”

“Y-You can’t be serious.” Stammering a bit she looks down into the hole again and takes a few steps back from the edge instead of getting any closer.

“I won’t let you fall.” He says firmly as he holds the edge of the stairs with his other hand. “Do you trust me?”

Biting her lip slightly she takes a few more steps backwards and for a moment it looks like she’s going to just go back down the stairs before she takes a deep breath, flattening her skirt before looking back up at him with a determination he recognized in few people before she ran up the stairs as fast as she could. Right at the edge of the hole she jumps out and over the pit.

For a moment everything seems to slow as Shiho seems to float there as she closes the gap between them before slowly the forward momentum dies out and she begins to fall. Fear flashes through her eyes for a split second before Goro’s hand wraps around her forearm and she grips onto his. Goro feels himself sliding forwards ever so slightly but as he dids his feet claws into thestone stairs he stops sliding.

Reaching down and grabbing her arm with his other hand he pulls her up enough for her to grab hold of the edge of the stairs and working together they manage to pull her up and onto the stairs.

“Told you I wouldn’t let you fall.” He smirks at her.

“I never doubted you.” She says and when he simply raises an eyebrow at that she laughs and admits.

“Ok maybe I did for a moment.”

The two sit there on the edge of the hole in the stairs, letting their legs dangle down over the edge for a few minutes as they laugh together.

✦

“Are those statues in the rafters?” Shiho points up at the beams above them that did have multiple tacky statues of that same assholes face Goro kept seeing everywhere recently. Everyone of them had that same self satisfying grin on them and 2 bright red eyes staring forwards into the distance.

“It seems his tacky opinion in interior decorating doesn’t extend exclusively to the ground floor.”

Shiho giggles a bit at that before frowning at the statues, shaking her head, and continuing on down the hall as if she couldn’t stomach looking at them any longer. Knowing how he would feel if someone were to attempt to comfort him over his own… problems he elects to leave it be for now as they arrive at the next room.

The next room however seems to be a dead end for them. The same kind of bars as before around the map make a return but this time completely blocking the way forwards for them but even then, there before them, there are room after room filled with both the annoying iron bars and those same blasted Ram statues that give no indication if you’re doing their damn puzzle correctly or not.

Noting the few chairs in the back of the room he vaguely gestures over to them. “Just sit in the chairs for now. This seems as though it will be a lot of trial and error unfortunately.” He sighs as he looks around taking note of all of the Ram head statues that he could see. It was around the 7th attempt that Shiho instead volunteered to give it a try and Goro with a slight huff let her take over, stomping over near the door and leaning on the wall to watch how she approached the puzzle. Perhaps there was simply something to it that he had missed which he had to admit would be a solid blow to his Detective Prince alias.

It was as he leaned against that wall he could hear noise outside the nearby door and instantly he was on edge. He’s just about to open the door to see what was causing the shadows to form in an area they had already cleared when his hand freezes on the doorknob at a completely different noise.

“Dude! That was awesome! You didn’t even give it a chance to attack before you took it down!”

“That’s our Joker! I knew I found something special when I found the two of you.”

“Hah you found us. More like we found you. Member who was stuck in a cell and who wasn’t.”

SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT

Sure he’d been looking for them this whole time so he could acquire one of their phones to get himself, and now Shiho as well, out of the Metaverse but he was-

He looks down at his dark suit then back up to Shiho who is working on the puzzle and actually seems pretty close to figuring it out when she seems to notice something is wrong.

“Goro?” Looking over to him she frowns before letting go of the chain to the Ram head and walking over. “Is something wrong?”

Cutting straight to the chase he looks to her. “There are other people here. I’ve been looking for them this whole time so we could return you back to the school safely.” He starts as he turns the lock on the door to buy himself a little more time. “Listen you can trust them but there are certain things I’d prefer to keep between us. Things like this outfit and Loki.” He explains as he gestures down at his clothes.

She looks concerned before glancing at the door where the noise was far louder now. “Can…I ask why?” She inquires looking back at him.

You’re running out of time.

“It’s complicated. It’s really really complicated. I can’t explain now but you have to promise not to tell them about this outfit or Loki.”

Knowing Shiho had all the power here to end everything he’d worked for in just a split second he adds “Please. I'm trusting you."

Looking between him and the door, whose handle was now shaking as Kurusu was surely trying to pick the lock, she finally looks back at him with a look of determination on her face once again.

"Ok…” Nodding she smiles softly and responds in turn with. “I trust you."

Relief rushes through him almost instantly at the words, even if she didn’t mean it and broke the promise later, for the moment it felt like enough.

Glancing back at the door one more time he takes a step away from her for a moment before Goro feels the fires of rebellion flash over him for a moment and soon enough he’s back in his princely outfit, clear white uniform, shiny, nearly gaudy, epaulettes, shiny belt with the large A on it and then his far brighter mask. When he looks back to Shiho she seems confused for a moment before stifling a small giggle.

“What’s so funny?” He all but growls at her which seems to only make her giggle more.

“You look like a hummingbird.” She laughs quietly and for a moment Goro forgets the others are soon to find them and the fact he will have to find a way to lie to Kurusu and the others without letting himself get caught like last time. Instead for just that moment he can’t help but to chuckle too. A hummingbird huh? Well the nose of his mask was pretty long wasn’t it.

He hears the door click unlocked and all humor disappears in an instant.

Now to figure out how he was going to explain away his acquisition of his person. This was something he hadn’t been looking forward to without the ability to lie blame on well…himself for his need to awaken.

Akira liked to think he was fairly hard to catch off guard even back before the time reset but now knowing most of what was supposed to happen he felt about 90% confident that nothing could majorly catch him off guard. Even thinking this Akira had to admit that nothing could have prepared him for the moment that the door he had lock picked had swung open to reveal Shiho Suzui not only inside the metaverse but this deep inside of Kamoshida’s palace. About half a second passed then before he processed exactly who was standing next to her.

Goro Akechi.

Why is Mon bijou here?

Akira had no clue. Not one.

What the actual hell was going on?

Akechi looks over at them, seeming surprised to see them before stepping almost protectively in front of Shiho before his eyes narrowed looking the two of them over. No one said anything for a moment before Akechi spoke.

“Kusuru? Sakamoto?” He questions as he stares at them with that same ever so slight head tilt he did when he was trying to piece together a puzzle or solve a mystery set before him,

“How do you know who we are?!” Ryuji demands stomping his foot and looking angrily at them before he seems to remember Shiho is there right behind the other boy and he quickly steps back as if to show he wasn’t as hostile as he was beforehand.

“Your hair, your mannerisms, and your voices are dead givaways.” Akechi chimes simply as he stares at their masks before slowly reaching up to remove his own. A moment passes before a loud voice fills the room.

“WAIT WHAT?! Kechi?!” Akira hears Ryuji exclaim next to him before laughing. “Dude how the hell did you get in here and why are you dressed like a band kid?”

“Oh Skull…” Morgana sighs from not very far away and Akira doesn’t miss how Akechi and Shiho both take a step back and away from Mona’s general direction. Clearly the two of them had no idea what exactly Mona was and were being wary just encase. Which he couldn’t really blame them for considering the sheer amount of shadows they had logically encountered on their way here.

Slowly realization seemed to settle in Ryuji’s brain and his eyes went wide. “WAIT! Do you have a persona too?! Yo that’s awesome!” He laughs as he walks up and claps a hand on his shoulder.

Akira can't help but think of how the Akechi they had known in January logically would have twisted Ryuji's arm behind his back if he even so much as dared to try something like that but this Akechi instead just looks down at the hand on his shoulder then back up at Ryuji. Then he turns to stare at him and Morgana seeming as though he running a million different things through his mind all at once. 

No one says anything as Akechi stares at them as if confused before Morgana finally sighs and shakes his head.

“Skull you big idiot, you can’t just throw terms around and expect people to understand what you mean.”

Seeming offended, the blonde turns and snaps back. “What but you do that all the time and Joker and I just roll with it!”

“That’s because I know Joker is smart enough to catch on to what I’m saying.” Mona snaps back almost instantly.

“Oh so you’re saying ‘Kechi and Shiho aint smart or somethin?” Ryuji growls getting closer to the cat, offended now on the behalf of the other two.

“WHAT! No!” Morgana exclaimed in return pouting now and opened his mouth to say something again before suddenly the floor there between the three of them and Akira and Shiho began to bubble that same black oozy darkness that indicated a guard was about to form and a guard meant shadows. Shadows meant a fight and they couldn’t chance that here, not with a non persona user like Shiho with them.

“Let’s retreat back!” Making the call he is quick to move towards the door momentarily forgetting that unlike before not everyone followed his orders without question yet and neither Goro or Shiho moved. Instead the two seemed to stand their ground ready to fight the Shadows that flowed out of the bubbling ooze.

Two Pixies, a Bicorn, a Cait Sith, and an Incubus.

Panic flooded through his veins as he reached for his mask. Surely Goro could take out maybe three or four of them before they could attack but Shiho would still be in danger and-

Akira watches in confused fascination as Shiho steps out from behind Akechi and pulls out what was definitely Goro's laser pistol before pointing it up at the two Pixies, easily taking them out in quick succession. Moments later Akechi summoned Robin and took out the remaining shadows with a singular bless attack.

As the shadows fade away the room is silent for a moment before Ryuji starts laughing. “DUDE that was awesome!” He exclaims smacking Akira’s arm to look over at them as if Akira had managed to take his eyes off Akechi since they’d first walked into the room.

Before they could celebrate for too long though another oozing puddle formed there in the middle of the floor, this one far FAR bigger than any of the previous ones before out of it popped an Archangel and another fight quickly began again.

It’s when the fight is finally done and Akira is working on opening the iron bar puzzle thing like he did before when he strolls up to where Akechi is standing. “So how did you end up in here anyways? And how did you know how to fight already because that was awesome dude!” He exclaims, staring at the boy in white as he looks over his sword as if to ensure there were no scratches to it after it had fallen to the ground. 

When he doesn't get a response after a moment he grumbles, kicks at the floor a bit, and says. “Hey are you trying to ignore me, or are you struggling to hear after that loud ass attack?” Because in fairness he was also struggling to hear well after that Vajra Blast from the Archangel and perhaps he was talking a little louder than normal but man that attack had sucked.

Sighing, Goro rolls his eyes, finally looking up from the gun to Ryuji. “Well, it’s definitely one of those two.”

“So are you going to give me an answer?” Ryuji asks, arms crossed but looking more curious than annoyed.

Putting his gun up Goro looks over at him and tilts his head to the side a bit One of his hands coming up to his ear as if to hear better. “Sorry, Did you say something?” Not waiting for an answer from Ryuji he lets a smirk come to his face as he turns and walks away.

Shiho does her best to stifle her giggles as she watches from not too far away. Looking over to her he frowns a bit that she seemed to be taking Kechi's side and thinks:

Traitor.

Things move fast from there and Akira had never regretted raising a Palace’s security level so much in his life. There was no time for questions and even less time for answers as he did his best to complete the Ram head puzzle using third eye as more and more shadows continued spawning in the room they were in and down the hall. And while sure the four of them were holding their own without Akira it would only be a matter of time before they were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of shadows that seemed to flood towards them.

As he pulled the last Ram head chain that would lower the bars he called back to the rest of them to move and unsurprisingly Ryuji and Morgana moved near instantly but Shiho hesitated looking to Akechi for instructions before moving when he nodded to her.

Once the five of them were finally in the next room with the door closed firmly behind them they all let out a sigh of relief at least until another guard turned the corner and rushed towards them, sword raised high to attack. Wasting no time at all though Akira rushes in and hopes onto its shoulders before ripping the mask from its face in one easy swoop.

The resulting shadow was…underwhelming to say the least. A single pixie floated there before the 6 of them angrily fluttering her wings as she glared at them. Figuring all it would take was a single shot from his gun he raised it and was ready to pull the trigger when Mona instead instructed him to wait.

Oh. We’re doing this now then.

Fair he was wondering when he was going to get his first new persona this time around and it was already happening far later than he had originally anticipated but that was fine. It wasn’t as though he were on a time limit to acquire any of the personas here since much to Caroline and Justine’s confusion there was more than a fair share of shadows already logged in their compendium. All of them he had remembered having in his heart at one point or another last year.

Just like Akira expected it only takes one bullet but instead of destroying her in an instant the way Akira’s bullet would have, the small pellets from Morgana’s slingshot only knocked the poor Pixie to the ground instead before the group moved to surround her. Well everyone but Shiho who seemed a bit confused on what exactly was going on.

“Wait wait!” The Pixie wailed from the floor. “Please don’t kill me! I don’t have any money or anything but please!”

Morgana sighed a bit at her answer but never lowered his comically oversized sling shot fall from where it was held, pointed directly at the Pixie to remind her any moment could be her last.

“Sorry but we’re in a hurry.” Huh had Morgana always been that blunt and to the point with shadows? Akira wasn’t sure he remembered Morgana talking much with shadows himself near the end so perhaps he always would have been.

Desperate not to be killed the moment her usefulness was proven to be nonexistent to Morgana she began to stammer again:

“Can’t we work something out? Don’t kill me please!” She begged and Akira swore he could hear Goro scoff at her pleas but glancing out of the corner of his eye at the boy holding the plastic ray gun he looked just as much like the princely performer he had back in Sae’s palace.

Was he imagining things again?

“Won’t you let me go?” Right a thought for another time he rationalized as he packaged the memory and slotted it into the “I’m not sure but Goro is acting weird…I think” section of his mind that just seemed to keep growing with each passing day.

Akira turned his attention back to the nearly whimpering pixie ready to finally give her an answer when Goro chimed in first.

“Perhaps if she has no goods that would be of use to us it would be best for us to release her for the time being as this appears to be occupying far more of our time than originally anticipated.”

Well he wasn’t exactly wrong, Pixie wouldn’t be giving them anything, at least not money or an item.

Not this time.

Nearby Pixie had begun to speak again without giving Akira a moment to chime in: “Are you the type that can’t say no?” She giggled at the group and Akira smirked slightly knowing Akechi just had to be fighting back an annoyed noise and eye roll at what the pixie was saying.

“I totally know how you feel. I’m the same way.” The Pixie continued speaking as if something were slowly dawning on her as she spoke.

“WOH I feel different. Something’s happening!”

“What the?! What’s going on?!” Morgana squawked from his right.

The Pixie suddenly flew back into the air as if no longer afraid of the multitude of weapons still trained on her.

“Oh yeah I remember now! I don't belong just to King Kamoshida…I’m an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity, my name is Pixie.” She says giggling as if she had just discovered a well hidden secret about who someone had a crush on rather than her own name.

Her attention does not seem to be on you. Santanel chimed in somewhat unexpectedly, startling him a bit. Akira had known the other Persona was there inside of his heart for a while now but unlike Arsene he hadn’t immediately begun to chat with him again after he’d recovered all of them.

While Arsene and eventually a few other personas had all taken their moment to sit and talk to him and welcome him back. Satnael had simply sat in his heart silently, observing, as if waiting for a moment he was needed rather than joining in on meaningless conversations.

“Something is wrong.” Santanel spoke. “She is not looking in your direction at all. You did not speak to her. It is unlikely she feels any sort of bond to you-” The Persona continues on.

Akira hums as he listens to Santanel's observations and simply stands with a hand half stretched open as he did every time he was accepting a new persona into his heart. Ready to catch the form of a mask they morph into and rush at him. He’d made the mistake once or twice of not catching the introductory impact with his hands instead of just letting it snap to his face. The impact without his hand as a buffer first felt like the equivalent of a gigantic monster sized rubber band being yanked back to full extension before being released to snap to his face.

The stinging it left on his face just under where his mask lied would last for minutes to hours and he’d quickly learned to avoid that at all costs.

So he stood ready for the mask as the pixie floated before them realizing her true name before gasping:

“I’m pixie! From now on I’ll live in your heart!” She exclaimed excitedly before beginning to glow a soft blue hue then being engulfed in a string of light blue lights curling in on one another, round and round till her form was gone from view, spinning as she morphed just like any Shadow before her had.

Akira looked over to catch a glance at the others as they stared in awe at the phenomenon.

Everyone but Akechi who seemed far more interested in keeping an eye on the door lest they be interrupted by more enemies. Akira could hear the little chime back where the Pixie had been and he turned ready to catch the mask rushing to him but it flew right past him.

Wait.

WAIT.

WAIT WHAT

“Fucking ow!” He hears behind him as Akechi hisses in pain suddenly.

Akira turns to face him instantly to find him clutching at his mask, slightly hunched in pain. As if..

As if…

As if he’d been hit in the face by a giant comically oversized rubber band.

oh no
Oh shit.
Well fuck

Nobody moved for what felt like an eternity before whatever spell had fallen upon them was broken by Ryuji’s voice.

“H-Hey Mona! What was that about?! What did Ak- HE just do?!” Ryuji exclaimed loudly as he stared at Akechi as if the boy had grown a second head while said boy was still rubbing at his skin under his mask as if to get rid of a lingering sting. The cat excitedly jumped up and down at what just happened though and exclaimed.

“He sealed the enemies appearance and powers into his mask and made it his new persona…Is such a feat even possible! Even I’ve never seen anyone pull that off!” The grin on his face is massive as he speaks, clearly elated at the turn of events while all Akira can feel is dread pooling in his stomach over everything that has happened in the past few moments.

He had missed getting pixie, which arguably wasn’t the worst thing in the world. The two of them had never really seen eye to eye on most things and he had rarely needed to use her with Ryuji on the team anyways. It wasn't the end of the world that she hadn't joined him but the fact she had ended up joining Akechi instead was an entirely different can of worms that he wasn’t sure how to open yet.

Any moment now Akechi would bolt he was sure. Being outed this early as a wild card was sure to turn everything on its head and cause their dispute with Shido and everything leading up to it that much harder. Akechi would logically never speak to them again so they couldn't find out about Loki. Akira frowned worriedly as Akechi finally straightened and looked their way.

Akechi however seemed far calmer about the situation than he expected him to be as he began to brush off his outfit. Though he supposed Akechi had always been, mostly calm, about pretty much everything while under pressure if Sae’s palace was anything to go by.

“Duuuuuude!” Ryuji exclaimed excitedly. “What the hell was that!” The boy rushed up to him all but bouncing on his heels as he spoke. Akira couldn’t help a small thrum of jealousy as it washed through him. He didn’t remember Ryuji being that excited when he had gotten Pixie…though perhaps it was because he was still confused and acclimating to a new soul inside his heart at the time. He’d prefer to give it the benefit of the doubt and say that was why and not because he was more excited here and now.

Was Akira jealous of Akechi? No…right?

Adjusting his mask as if all it had done was nearly fall off, Akechi walks past Ryuji as though he isn’t even there before saying. “It's nothin important I’m sure.” Akira couldn’t help the small smirk that came to his face when he remembered saying those exact words just a year ago. Man the two of them really were on a different wavelength than everyone else huh?

Morgana wouldn’t let the dismissal go lightly though, “Of course it is! Only one heart exists per person so normally a person can only have one persona!”

“So this is a good thing?” Shiho asks softly as she slowly makes her way back over to the group from her hiding place now that the fight is over. She seemed both excited for Akechi and yet contemplative. Which was fair. All of this couldn’t be an easy adjustment for her to understand.

Plus Akira himself still wasn’t exactly sure how being a wild card worked other than he and Akechi were extremely adaptable when it came to social situations. Perhaps that played a part in it? Being able to wear whatever mask is needed of you in a social situation being the same comparison as being able to wield whatever Persona was required in a specific battle.

Akechi clearly intended to keep moving on and attempt to ignore exactly what just happened but Morgana and Ryuji had no intentions of letting him do so.

“Incredible! That ability will give us a HUGE advantage in battle!” Morgana exclaimed, jumping up on a nearby table to be eye level with Akechi. He stood, crossed his arms over his chest and announced firmly. “You have to join us!”

Akechi stopped where he was walking and stared at the cat for a moment or two before shaking his head no.

“Sorry not going to happen I’m-”

“BUT DUDE!” Ryuji cut him off before he could get much else out, pulling a small frown to the detective's face which he quickly hid. “You mentioned being a detective to help fight against asshole adults right! Well aint this perfect! You can help us fight against Kamoshida and his bullshit! AND you can access multiple Personas while doing it! That’s like hella awesome dude!”

“Surely this was just a fluke and I’m far too busy with-”

“We can work around your schedule.” Akira chimes in for the first time since this whole debacle began. “We have your number so we can discuss what times work best for you and work from there.” He says as he walks over to stand by the boy and then risking life and limb places a hand on his shoulder causing Akechi to look at him, confusion littering his face.

“If you’re willing to, we'd really like you to accompany us during this.” He says honestly hoping the feelings he’s trying to put into his words translate well enough for Akechi to understand just how much he wants him to stay.

In an instant Akira can see what seems like a million different emotions flash through Goro’s eyes  all at once from those words before he snaps his head to look away from him hiding whatever it is he’s feeling now. Akira was sure he was going to reject them again and he’d just have to accept only seeing Akechi on rare occasions before Akechi instead surprised him for the third time that day

“...if you are being so insistent and accommodating then who am I to refuse.”

Surprise floods his veins at the statement and Akira knows he has the biggest shit eating grin on his face at that moment. He can only hope that Ryuji or Morgana elect not to comment on it so he doesn’t have to explain. Thankfully the two of them seem far too distracted by the previous events to notice and the moment Akechi agreed to stay and fight with them their faces lit up in excitement as well.

“Hehehe I like you even more now! I really do have something special after all finding such talent!”” Morgana seems far too focused on congratulating himself to notice how Akechi kept looking at him curiously. Probably somewhat caught off guard by Mona’s attitude towards everything as well.

“All right! Try to do that even more when the opportunity arises.” Mona instructs sticking a paw out towards him as he speaks intently.  You two better help out as well!” Morgana exclaims as he finally hops down from the table he had climbed and pads down the hallway a bit.

“Hell ye! We’ll hold every last one of em’ up!” Ryuji basically yells as he follows behind the cat. Perhaps due to the overwhelming excitement the two of them feel right then, no one bothers to correct Skull about how loud he’s talking.

Despite the two before them excitedly talking to one another, Akechi hasn’t moved. “Hey…you alright?”

“Ah yes apologies, the pixie is just…quite loud. Unlike Robin. I was not expecting it I suppose.”

Akira opens his mouth to reassure him that ‘You’ll get used to it.’ Before realizing what he's about to say and snapping his mouth shut instead. He couldn’t reassure him of something with no proof of having experienced it or Akechi would think he was pitying him because of this unfortunate situation. Though he had to admit he didn’t remember Pixie being all that noisy. Perhaps it was Loki giving him and Pixie a hard time instead.

"We should get moving then..." Akira says not liking the concept of having a non persona user in a Palace for longer than needed. It was a risk and one he really didn't feel comfortable taking now that so much was different. "This way." He nods to a door before opening it for the others to walk through with Ryuji leading the way.

The room they entered had seemed just as bland as the last few preceding ones. The main difference being this one was far more of an open floor plan, high rafters, and a checkered floor pattern that reminded Shiho more of a Pizza Parlor than a castle like the other rooms had. The group had somewhat split up, still hovering close enough to one another just encase a shadow were to unexpectedly appear. They didn't say much though as they explored the room as a whole to see if they could find anything.

It all happens so fast from there.

“SHIHO MOVE!”

Shiho barely had time to process whose voice it was that was yelling at her. Instincts scream for her to move but her body freezes in place at the sound of yelling being directed her way before a body slammed into her side knocking her nearly off her feet as she stumbles away from the force.

“H-Hey!” Turning though the rest of her sentence is caught in her throat as she watches another one of those gaudy statues they had seen earlier, fall from the rafters above, directly onto where she had been standing moments ago.

Directly where Goro was standing now.

“Goro!”

He barely has time to look up before it crashes into him. She can hear the wind being knocked out of him as it slams into him knocking him from his feet, and a loud crack as his head hits the floor too. But even after all that she can see him struggling to try and push the statue up and off of where it now sat firmly on his chest, pinning him to the floor. “S-Sh-Crap…”

“Akechi!”
“Kechi!”
“You two watch out!”

Three more voices rang out in panic at Goro's state though the cat thing- Morgana’s voice mainly seemed to be trying to warn them about something instead as the sound of laughter began to fill the room. The clinking sound of chains sounded before more and more statues began to slam down towards the ground around them. Turning the room into a nearly deadly game of dodgeball-dodge statue.

Morgana yowls loudly when one finally lands on his tail pinning it to the floor no matter how much the cat monster thing tugs at it.

“Yo Mona you ok-ACK!” In the split second Ryuji had taken to turn and check on their feline friend, a statue slams down onto the back of his shoulders knocking him from his feet and to the ground chest first.

“Skull you idiot!” Mona criticized him but was clearly upset that they both had been caught. Shiho finds she can’t help the yelp that comes from her as she has to step further backwards when one of the statues slams into the ground in front of her. Rushing in to help Joker is about halfway there when the floor suddenly gives out from under him. Shiho can hear a half yelp make its way out of him before he’s gone and the floor closes back up where he had been.

With everyone else pinned down or having fallen through the trap doors Shiho notices how the statues stop falling down from the rafters and the ones that hadn’t hit their intended targets slowly begin to rise back up into the sky, pulled up by the chains that were connected to their heads.

The same chains that were connected to the ones on top of Goro and Sakamoto, preventing the entire weight of the statues from pressing into them more than what was needed to pin them down, clearly not aiming to kill them quite yet.

Shiho quickly shoves the little toy gun into her pocket as she rushes forwards and throws all her weight into desperately trying to shove the statue off of Goro’s chest. The harsh stone of the statue had no give though even as she backed up again and rushed in again slamming all of her weight into it. Again and again even as the dull ache began to settle into her shoulder.

“Shiho, calm down. You’re just going to hurt yourself.” Goro managed to get out even as he struggled but even as he tried to reassure her, the sense of helplessness still began to settle into her chest.

Clapping slowly began to fill the room, slow, meticulous, condescending.

“Well done, truly a horrendous performance all around.” Kamoshida’s voice spoke as he made his way out of the shadows and more clearly into the room where they could all see him. Alongside him nearly a dozen of the guards rushed into the room as well, quickly lining the edges of the room surrounding them.

Looking around, seeing absolutely no way out, fear began to take hold of her heart for the first time since she had found Goro.  “No….no…no…..” Shiho’s legs wobbled as she stood there staring at her friends, trapped with nowhere to go. “No please.”

This is my fault. If I was stronger maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

Kamoshida grins widely as he walks past the statue that had Ryuji pinned down, sliding his hand across it as he goes. “Trying to team up with the track traitor? You want to be blacklisted too Suzui? And after everything I did for you?” Looking at the others uninterested Kamoshida began making his way towards her with a look on her face that made Shiho’s skin crawl.

Panicked, Shiho felt her legs moving before she had even realized she was running, only to run right into three guards who were standing waiting behind her. Shaking hands reach for the gun Goro had given her as she points it at them, left, then right, then the middle one not sure which one to actually aim at as they began to advance on her, using their shields to press into her space and make her keep stepping backwards to stay on her feet.  A few wobbly steps backwards and she backs right into what feels like a fuzzy rug and it only takes a moment to realize she had backed right into Kamoshida and his hideous robe.

“Oh Suzui.” Sighing as if he were simply disappointed in her he places a hand on her shoulder and she wheels around to face him, dislodging it as she goes. Her hands wobble even more as she points the gun towards Kamoshida now, though the man seems completely unphased despite it.

“Such disrespectful behavior towards your king and even after I made you a starter and everything. Perhaps I was right, a bitch like you isn’t suitable for anything like playing on a volleyball team.” Pain explodes across her hand when he slaps the gun away, it clacking and skittering across the ground far from where she could use it. “You’re far more suited to stay right between my legs more than anything.” He laughed and Shiho felt her stomach roll, nausea rushing through her at what he was insinuating.

“If you’d just shut your mouth and stayed as my punching bag then none of this would have happened Suzui.” Kamoshida waves his hand in the air and the chains connected to the statues go from taut to full of slack making the full weight of the statues compress them. She could hear the pained wheezing of her friends as they desperately tried to breath, every second a moment closer to them possibly dying.

If I’d just stayed quiet, if I just did what he said, none of this would be happening. It’s all my fault.

“no…” Her legs gave out from under her and she stared forwards helplessly as the statues weighed down onto her friends chests, as Goro struggled to force the statue up and off himself so he could breathe. As the cat thing desperately tries to get his tail out from under it to reach Sakamoto who is desperately clawing at the ground as if he could crawl away from the crushing weight on his back. While Akira still hadn’t reappeared from the trap door he’d fallen down.

“Hey falling to your knees already?” Kamoshida grins. “Good. You didn’t even deserve to stand in front of me anyways.” She feels his hand reach down and caress her cheek and she wants nothing more than to pull away. “If you beg for my forgiveness from down there perhaps I’ll let your friends live.” The chains to the statues slowly grew taut again letting Goro and Sakamoto breath in a much needed gasp for air but no further, ensuring they couldn’t escape.

Just like she couldn’t escape.

Shiho could feel tears welling in her eyes.

I’m trapped and I’m dragging them down with me.

“People like you should stay on their knees where they belong and make me feel go-“

“ARE YOU JUST GOING TO LET HIM TALK TO YOU LIKE THAT?!” Goro's voice rang out even as he struggled to keep the weight of the statue from crushing him. “STAND UP DAMN IT! STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND FIGHT!” 

“but…but I…” Shiho whimpered.

“You placed the wrong bets with her. She can’t save anyone.” Kamoshida laughed as he snapped his fingers and the statues pressed in harsher, making them gasp for air. “Heh, she can’t even save herself. She’s nothing but a coward.”

“SHUT HIM UP!” Goro roared before the chain to his statue went completely limp leaving him gasping almost desperately for air.

“…no….that’s what you are!” Shiho says firmly as she slowly pulled herself to her feet, knocking his hand away from her. “A coward who hides behind those willing to cover for his horrid acts.”

“You and your friends are trapped once again. Facing a foe who means to destroy you.”
A pain shoots through her head, slicing like a hot knife through her mind. It felt like something was pulling at the very edges of her mind, willing it to expand further, further than she had ever let it before.

“Time and again you find yourself trapped. Sealed away from your freedom.”

Her hands shoot up to grab at her hair as the pain only seems to multiply even as a warm feeling bubbles up in her chest. Something new and welcoming and free. Even as her knees shook and her head screamed in pain she managed to stay standing, simply hunched over now clawing at something on her face. When did something get on her face?

“Will you continue to look the other way?”

Even behind the pain she could still think and this…This felt like a turning point. A point of no return.

“To let others make choices about your freedom for you.”

No, No one got to choose her path for her anymore. No one but herself. She began to pull at the edges of whatever it was that was on her face, nails clawing underneath it to yank and twist.

“Or will you fight.”

It was a challenge she’d no longer look away from.

“I won’t turn away anymore!” Shiho feels herself yell more than she hears it.

Very well I’ve headed your resolve. The contract has been sealed . No longer will you take the abuse of the world and turn away from the truth."   A flash of blue fire rushed across her face leaving behind a winged mask in its place. “Never will you allow yourself to be trapped again!!”

Finally she found her grip on the edges of it.

“Shiho?” A voice whispered from nearby unsure and perhaps afraid but she couldn’t pay attention to that now. What mattered now was the man in front of her who was trying to hurt her friends, trying to trap them there. He needed to go down.

She could distantly hear the small whimpering sound she made as she began to peel whatever it was off her face, energy surging out from her as she did knocking back the guards and toppling the statues over freeing her friends.

“FLY FREE!” She wretched the mask from her face. “FITCHER!”

Chapter Text

Is this…what mama felt?

Pressure building in his chest as his heart thumped desperately against it, the burning slowly spreading out throughout his veins becoming all consuming, the edges of his vision darkening ever so slowly. Desperation settled in more and more as he opened and closed his mouth, gasping for something—anything—as his arms wobbled and shook, trying to push away the statue, cutting him off from precious oxygen.

Pointed edges dug into his sides and hands as the growing panic slowly started to fade into a distant fuzzy lightheadedness. Sweat clinging to the back of his nape as the burning slowly grew cold like ice.

Get out. Get up.

Focus, he had to focus. He had to get out from under this or—

A bathtub overflowing with water that was never turned off flashed in his mind. Squishy carpet leading to the door of the bathroom. Cracked tile flooring soaked from one end of the room to the other. An empty pill bottle floating on the water, spinning tauntingly as it bumped the leg of the tub. One hand hanging over the edge of the tub and nothing more.

Rushing into the room, water splashing everywhere as he did. Looking down at her, she simply looked like she was asleep. She looked…peaceful. For the first time in forever, face underwater, she looked happy.

Could this moment even compare to how she must have felt then? Water looming over her head, the pills making her body too sluggish to rise above it. How terrifying it must have been for those moments to be unable to break the surface and take a desperate gasp of life-saving air if she had changed her mind. Did the fight slowly drain from her as well as the life giving oxygen slowly whittled away from inside her leaving her feeling like an empty husk of a person just like him?

Did she think of him the way he could only think of her now?

Here he was, being given a second chance to fix what he fucked up. And now after all the ways he had avoided it until now, this was how he died?

The same way his mother did?

It was poetic...

It was a joke.

Perhaps it is what we deserve after all the things we have done.

Loki’s snarling brought him back to himself- at least as best he could with how dark the edges of his vision were now.

Time was running out as he wasted brain power with these needless thoughts. The sharp pain that had settled in the back of his head began to dim to a dull ache before fading away as if it wasn’t there at all. Lifting his arms began to feel like a monumental task that grew more difficult every second he laid there till he simply couldn’t find the energy to raise them from where they lay.

Things around him began to fade into a quiet buzz. The yelling, once so clear, now felt impossibly far away, as if he were in a tunnel moving away from it before suddenly the all consuming weight is knocked from his chest and he’s finally, finally able to drag in a shuttering wet breath.

Stinging pain rattles in his chest with every breath as he desperately drags life giving air back into his tired lungs. Feeling returns to him slowly at first with a tingling feeling settling in his fingers before snapping back at it full force, like a bungee cord that had finally reached its full extension, with the pounding headache that made every light in the room feel like that damn spotlight from Maruki’s damn palace and the damn acorns or whatever the hell they were that he’d thrown at him made of holy magic during their final fight.

All verging on overwhelming while feeling like they were the only thing even keeping him on this side of coherent at the moment as he shakily manages to shove himself over onto his stomach, his arms barely able to support him as he wheezily dragged in more painful lungfuls of air.

Coughing and blinking back black spots, he desperately dragged air into his lungs as he looked up to try and find the commotion of a fight. Fading back in again was the noise of those around him, slowly sharpened into focus.

Looking down on to the ground again as he coughed, just in case he threw up, he felt strength slowly return to his limbs again. Barely able to focus on anything else, he at least knew he couldn’t risk choking again when air still felt like such a precious commodity.

Vision still slowly clearing, Goro had enough coherent thought coming back to him to look up to where he’d last seen Shiho. Instead of his eyes landing on the girl, however, all he saw were shadows surrounding something. Morgana was off to the right desperately trying to draw the Shadow’s attention to turn towards him instead but they paid him no mind.

At least five Beriths instead stomped their hooves at whatever-or whoever- it was inside the circle they created. Horses snarled as they rose up on their hind legs, ready to slam their full body weight upon their enemies at their riders command. Strong to fire and completely immune to bullets, meaning that slingshot the cat had aimed at them was going to do jack shit.

Realization hit him in that moment,without Akira’s assistance they would be in for a slog of a fight to actually defeat them Morgana’s wind abilities would bounce off their tough hide with little to nothing to show for it and Robin’s bless attacks would be able to strike them down over time—if he could focus enough past the dark spots dancing across his vision to summon him.

Weak to only one thing, they would need someone like Kitagawa to do anything to them with something like—

“MABUFU!!”

Bright light blue crystals formed on each of the Berith’s chests before they could react, shattering and clashing into one another in an icey display as the shadows cried out in distress falling to their knees as their weaknesses were struck.

Now kneeling, they revealed Shiho standing behind them, a mask in her hand, persona behind her smiling confidently at what had just happened—at what she had just done.

Satisfaction vanished just as quickly as it appeared, however when the glooping sound of more dark globs of that same almost ink like substance bubbled up from the ground, a clear sign that more Shadows were soon to appear. Worry flooded her face and Goro knew he needed to get to his feet, he just had to force them to cooperate with him despite how little they seemed to want to.

Ignoring the way they shook as he pressed himself up slowly to his knees, Goro shivers as he slides one foot under himself, letting one knee continue to press into the ground as he raises himself into a higher kneeling position. Leaning on one hand planted on the ground to keep himself from falling over he takes a moment to let his rolling stomach settle once more and the edges of his vision to slowly come back into focus. Taking a few deep breaths Goro leans back to lean on his right knee and stabilize himself a bit, clutching to the knee not currently on the ground to prevent himself from falling over as he feels his center of gravity shift drastically.

Once the world is done swimming in his vision he leans forwards, planting both of his hands on his knee now to press himself up onto his other foot as well. Wobbling only slightly as his right foot sides under him as well now Goro has to stick his arms out to stabilize himself a bit as his head pounds angrily at him.

Blinking back the way the world swirls around him Goro reaches for his gun to try and help her only to come up empty as he taps against the empty holster. Confusion floods his hazy mind before slowly recollection comes back to him. Shiho, he’d given her the gun before this because she needed a way to protect herself against the shadows that intended to kill her. Now all he had was his blade and his personas if he could get his mind to clear enough to call upon them.

Stumbling forwards he finds himself forced to lean heavily against the large overturned statue beside him as his legs wobble like that of a baby deer.

“Son of a bi-”

Get your shit together already.

“Easy for you to say.” Goro grumbles but takes two more deep breaths shaking his head harshly as if that would magically fix his issue before turning back to where Shiho was. Standing her ground for the moment, alone, she seemed able to adequately handle them for the moment that Goro could waste another moment or two still trying to get the burning pain in his lungs to fade to a more bearable sting. Using the statue as stability for just a moment more Goro glanced around the room trying to find the familiar mop of black hair that was most notable of Kurusu but came up short no matter where his eyes wandered.

Unease settled in his stomach at the concept of his rival Kurusu having been defeated so easily that he wasn’t anywhere to be found but for the moment he pressed it to the back of his mind. Right now his focus had to be on the others and getting them out of here before Shiho’s adrenaline from her awakening petered out and she collapsed. Forcing all of his pain and unsteadiness as far down as he could he pressed off the statue and rushed forwards into the fight, ignoring the way his legs still wobbled ever so slightly.

Glancing down at Sakamoto who was still lying on the ground while the cat tried to get him back onto his feet as he rushed past him, Goro made a note to check on him once the fight was done. The last thing he needed was to potentially lose two phantom thieves on the same day to some pervert in a bathrobe. These were meant to be people who would eventually together be able to rival even his own power, they could not fall here, not if he had anything to say about it.

As the Berith standing between him and the fight reared up onto its hindlegs Goro used the opportunity to slip underneath it and to the side of the others, ignoring the dizziness that nearly overwhelmed him at the sudden jarring movement. For now he blinked back the spots that were trying their best to form again in his vision before beginning to calculate just how many threats there were around them, 6 Beriths and out of the corner of his eye he noticed 3 Cait Sith slinking up to fight as well.

Noting the way Shiho was favoring her left leg and how much the cat seemed to be fretting over the blonde on the other side of the room Goro knew they needed to wrap this fight up sooner, rather than later, so taking one last deep breath Goro ripped his mask from his face.

“ROBIN HOOD!”

✦

Standing beside the girl who only hours ago had never once held a gun in her hand and watching her hold her own against the ravenous shadows before the two of them, Goro couldn’t help the slight smirk that came to his face as he yanked his saber from its holder.

Told you she was a fighter. Sounding just as satisfied with himself as Goro was sure he did when he told the police their mistakes to their face.

For once Goro had to admit Loki was right.

The hell do you mean for once

Shiho Suzui was one hell of a fighter, maybe inexperienced and perhaps leaving herself open far more than she should causing Goro have to cover for her mistakes but the way the spirit of rebellion burned brightly from her was clear in the way her Persona swept the shadows before them away as if they were mere ants. A natural at pressing forwards no matter what attempted to knock her down Goro couldn’t help but wonder idly, as he impaled one of the Cait siths that rushed towards him, why exactly that Shiho hadn’t been by the Phantom Thieves side during their last run. Considering how fast she had picked up on the general concept of the Metaverse and how easily she adapted to each changing situation Goro found her to be someone he could almost admit to enjoy fighting beside.

And perhaps if he was a somewhat less prideful person he would but for now her stance was too sloppy, her battle instincts too new, and her knowledge of this world too little to consider this girl anything close to a threat an ally. But with how quick she seemed to be picking this up perhaps he could admit that if he didn’t have nearly 2 years of experience over her that perhaps one day she might have actually been a compeer to him.

Another Ice attack slammed its way home and the Berith before them cried out before freezing and then slowly piece by piece disintegrating into ash that fluttered away. Shiho spun to him with a wide smile on her face as her bird-like persona hovered silently behind her. “I did it!” Grin never leaving her face as she exclaimed to him excitedly.

For now though Goro could admit, he was almost impressed by her-

Suddenly one last Berith roared angrily on the other side of the room where it had been attempting to impale the blonde and the cat. Seeming angered by its inability to end either of them it turns its attention towards them, rearing up onto its hind legs before slamming down onto the tile floor with a loud clack before it shoots forwards across the room heading straight for him.

Goro’s hand moved to his mask ready to call for Robin to eviscerate it when he heard Shiho instead yelling “Fitcher!” And only a split moment later the entire Berith was coated in a fine layer of ice that then shattered, ripping an ear piercing cry of pain from the shadow as it faded into dust.

Glancing back at the girl he could see a wide smirk on her face even as she panted from over exerting herself so closely after her awakening. Persona hovering behind her proudly, stanced and ready to strike down any other shadow that dared make its way towards them.

- Ok Goro was a little impressed.

Ash fills the air as the last of the Berith’s before them disappear from the sharp ice attacks she threw their way under the instruction of Goro. Fighting beside him was different now with Fither by her side, able to hold her own with more than just the small pistol that Goro had provided to her. Able to really and genuinely fight back to her heart's content with Fitcher easily flowing across the battlefield like Shiho herself did on the Volleyball court.

After striking down the last armored man on the horse that had turned his attention towards Goro, Shiho could feel a strange stiffness to her arms and legs as though she had spent an entire day working out by Kamoshida’s request without a single moment’s rest, as if she had pushed herself far further than she should have and now everything was catching up to her. Crashing upon her the moment she had acknowledged it, as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water upon her, the weakness rushes through her limbs and into her chest in a matter of seconds.

Shiho stumbles forwards a bit, drained from her first fight and her awakening. Knees banging against the floor, pain blossoming there, she whines softly before looking up when she hears footsteps approaching. Loud stomping filled the air around them alongside a growl she was far too familiar with and a sense of dread welled up inside of her as a shiver ran down her spine.

Looking up, her vision is filled with the sight of a horrid pink thing, ugly bathrobe cape, and Kamoshida's fist raised high to strike at her. Too tired to fight back she simply closes her eyes and awaits the hit before suddenly there is the sound of the cocking of a gun. Slowly opening her eyes she sees Crow standing there with the gun that had been knocked from her hand earlier when Kamoshida had cornered her but most pointedly she realizes where it is pointed– right at Kamoshida's head.

For a while no one in the room moves, the guards, the monster cat, Sakamoto, Goro, even herself, frozen in this moment in time as if someone had managed to find Father time’s clock and prevent the hands from ticking forwards. Silence settles around the room heavy like a weighted blanket, sitting there almost comfortably, until one of the armored guard’s shields bumps something sending a change reverberating around the room snapping everyone out of the semi trance they had all seemed to fall into.

Before Kamoshida can get enough of his wits about himself though to do anything more there are words being spoken to him:

"It only takes one." Calm as ever Goro never looks away from the man before him even as his face twists in a snarl, fury and annoyance clear as day as he stared the other boy down.

"Heh, some lowly peasant like you doesn’t have the nerve." Kamoshida laughed looking at him as if he were simply a pest in need of getting rid of.

"Try me." Crow continues without flinching, staring Kamoshida right in the eyes and Shiho watches as the man's eyes slowly go wide, realizing Crow really meant his words before slowly stumbling back and away from them.

"GUARDS! WHERE ARE MY GUARDS?!" He demands as he stumbles away but Crow isn't looking at him anymore at all as he bends down to offer her a hand to help get up.

“Are you ok?” He questions as she takes his hand and he slowly pulls her back up to her feet again. Quickly offering her a shoulder to lean on when her legs wobbled beneath her again. “Don’t worry it’s not just you.” He reassured her as her arm wrapped around him to stay standing. “Everyone is exhausted after their awakening.”

“Awakening?” Unsure of what that meant at the moment other than that she felt like she’d participated in about 5 of Kamoshida’s practices back to back and wanted to sleep for a week.

Goro holds her arm tighter when she feels her legs start to wobble slightly again. “It’s the process that just occurred when you find your will of rebellion but I don’t have time to fully explain it. For now know you did something most people are incapable of doing. Now get up we need to go.”

Nodding like she understood what he was saying felt like the best idea so she did and he let out a content hum before his eyes snapped back to the man who is standing about half way across the room now. As if sensing something that she was unaware of Goro moved to stand slightly between her and Kamoshida. Glaring between the two of them Kamoshida seemed to debate attempting to initiate another fight before a growl came from the boy standing in front of her. Stepping farther in front of her to prevent Kamoshida from being able to see her at all as he raises his gun to point directly at the man across the room, the tip of it shimmering in the light of the room, catching the eye of everyone around. The intent clear but his words made it even more so:

“I don’t miss.”

Shiho found a shiver running down her spine at Goro’s voice, significantly lower than she could remember hearing it since the two of them had met, far more dangerous. Sounding less like a threat and more like a promise now as he holds the gun up, pointed towards the man that had made her life a living hell the past year. And for a small moment, a moment that Shiho barely processed, a dark thought crossed her mind-- She wanted him to pull the trigger.

Blinking a bit at the realization that thought had really just passed through her mind, she tried to feel bad about it before the memories of all the things Kamoshida had done to them over and over without any consequences made any twinge of guilt she felt over the thought vanish just as quickly as the thought had.

Peeking her head a bit over Goro’s shoulder Shiho was just barely able to see the upper part of the man across from them. A million emotions seemed to cross over Kamoshida’s face in that moment ranging between a fury she was all too familiar with, all the way to something she was far more intimately familiar with personally but she had never seen on his face before, fear. Kamoshida was afraid of Goro, the same way everyone on the volleyball team was afraid of him and in a way despite it wasn’t because of her Shiho couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction of seeing the tables turned the way they were.

Taking one, two, three steps backwards Kamoshida seemed to debate yelling something before he simply turned tail and ran like the coward Shiho had finally realized he was, metaphorical tail between his legs, ugly bathrobe flowing behind him as he did. It seemed Kamoshida was retreating for the time being, they would finally have a chance to breathe which Shiho was more than thankful for with how her legs wobbled under her weight.

Ryuji knew you had to be a certain kinda person to be able to work with the police at the age they were. To be able to fight injustice in the real world, face to face with it and the dangers that came with it wasn’t something a lotta people could do, let alone would do. Standing there and facing the jackasses of the world to fight for it to be a better place and what not was something he could get behind. Being able to deal with the police's bullshit to work with them though was something else entirely

Recognizing this, Ryuji could almost admit this was something that impressed him about Goro considering how stuck up half of those assholes could be. At first Ryuji honestly thought Goro was just a pushover, perhaps even a suck up, and that was what got him where he was within their ranks. Doing whatever the adults said just like their class president in order to be liked and as a result kept around but as he slowly stood up from the ground again with Morgana’s help he felt a chill run down his spine at the look that sat there on Goro’s face as he stood there with a gun pointed directly at Kamoshida’s head.

Sitting behind that mask wasn’t the look of some teenager being led around by their nose by adults. It wasn’t one that you’d see on TV or out in public on the face of the Detective Prince. No this was different. This was dangerous and familiar.

Angrily the older man before him slams his hands onto the table screaming words that are now just a blur of bitter anger. Hands flinging left and right wildly as he tries to make his point to the woman before him who seems as though she is finally done dealing with this nightmare.

Arguing between the two only grows louder as the woman gestures at the bottle in the man’s hand with a disapproving but angry look before she gestures around the room to all the other bottles just like it that lie empty on the floor or half drank on the counters, table, and even atop the fridge. Seeming fed up with her words the older man turns to face towards him and the young boy doesn’t know what to do other than to back further away until he bumps into the wall behind him.

Angrily the older man begins to gesture at him instead with the bottle in his hand, words flying out of his mouth that only sound like garbled noise as he gets closer. Crouching down to the ground the boy pulls his hands over his head in fear but hears the woman yell louder than he’s heard her yell before and he hesitantly looks up to see she’s grabbed the man’s arm stopping him.

Breaking glass falls from the wall a moment after as the bottle flies across the room. Glass shards shimmer down beside where he stands only missing him by inches as the remnants slowly seep down the wall and onto the floor. Looking at it for only a moment the boy hears something loud bang into the table. Fear rushing through his veins he looks up again trying to locate the woman but he can’t see her.

“M-Mama?!” Standing before he can be bothered to think of the consequences he rushes forwards towards the man to get him away from wherever she had ended up. Slamming small hands into the back of the man's legs as if that would stop him from hurting them he yells desperately for all of this to end. Pain explodes across his face in an instant and he quickly finds himself back on the floor he’d only just left.

Whimpering he looks up when a shadow moves to loom over him. The angry face of the man sneering down on him as he raises his foot up to step down upon him. Closing his eyes he curls up tighter before there is more yelling and the sound of something cocking.

Opening his eyes slowly he sees the woman standing there behind him, something shiny and silver in her hands pointed towards the man. She yelled more words and slowly the foot that had hovered over him pulled away and settled down on the ground again. Turning his attention away from him the older man looks at the woman angrily. Words are exchanged but the boy is too focused on the woman to care.

A face usually so full of warmth and love looks as though hell itself were there within their kitchen. Her hand moves the silver thing and points at the man then to the door but her eyes never leave the man who is standing between them as she demands something of him.

Time feels as if it doesn’t exist as the three of them linger there before finally with a snarl answer to the woman's question the man turns and storms out the door, slamming it hard enough the walls shake and a few of their small Knick knacks fall from their shelves shattering upon the floor as they do.

Instantly the woman pushes their dining room table against the door before she is beside him, the look of fury gone from her face as she gently cradles his face looking him over for any boo boos that the older man may have given him. There are calming soft spoken words being directed towards him but he still can’t get the image of the woman's face from moments ago out of his head.

Looking between Goro and where Kamoshida stood Ryuji understood in an instant the look on Goro’s face. Fierce protective anger and a willingness to take the next step forwards if he had to, just like his mother had been willing to, all those years ago, to protect him. It was a look that made Ryuji acknowledge that there was a side to Goro he hadn’t seen before this, a side that perhaps almost scared him to think existed there below the surface of the happy go lucky smiling Detective Prince that he presented himself as.

And for a moment as he finally managed to get to his feet and he rushed in to help them fight off the rest of Kamoshida’s men Ryuji wondered: What else was there to Goro that he hadn’t realized was there before?

Waking up in an unknown place wasn’t a first for Akira- hell it wasn’t even a second or third- but it was still just as disorienting as the first time it happened. Groaning Akira slowly comes too, cold seeping through his clothes as he slowly opens his eyes, blinking away the remaining lightheadedness that tries to settle there. Moving his hands under his to slowly push himself to sit up, Akira can feel the cold press of cobblestone against his gloves as he presses himself into an upright position as the sound of falling water makes itself known before the searing pain shoots up his wrist along his arm and into his shoulder where it feels as though he had lit the spot on fire.

Quickly he yanks his left hand away from the ground, holding it close to his chest instead, supporting himself with only his right hand instead as he does his best to calm his rolling stomach and bite back any noise of pain that tries to make its way out of his lips. Knowing any weakness at the moment could easily attract any nearby shadows to pounce upon him Akira takes a few deep breaths, slowly letting them out.

Once the nausea passed and he was able to force himself the rest of the way up and onto his butt Akira takes a moment to try and roll his wrist again, hissing at the pain that comes near instantly with the movement and with how his shoulder was still stinging as though burning Akira knew the damage from the fall must have been worse that what he expected.

Blinking a few more times he groans, reaching up to yank his mask off his face and sighing in relief when the cool gentle rush flows through him, the clear unmistakable sign that healing magic is flowing through him. Bruises from his fall fading away alongside the lingering pain in the shoulder he had clearly landed on when he hit the ground to begin with after Kamoshida’s little trap door incident. Even as he tried to think back he found he couldn’t remember hitting the ground, though given how long it was taking for the cool healing magic to wash away the lingering pain, he doubted he’d wanted to.

As the final tingling leaves the tips of his fingers Akira does one last glance over himself to ensure there was no lingering damage before noticing the rather unsightly tear on his jacket sleeve with a frown. Stretching from where the seams met and then jaggedly down till about where his elbow was normally hidden by the dark fabric Akira could help the mostly annoyed growl that slipped from him as his other hand came up to thumb at the ruined fabric. Clearly it had snagged on a ragged piece of cobblestone or perhaps a jagged rock in the more distorted area, either way he silently hoped it would repair itself upon their next visit because if there was one skill Akira Kurusu still hadn’t picked up on yet it was sewing.

Huffing as he lets the fabric slide from between his fingers he shakes his head a bit, silently reminding himself that hitting Kamoshida any harder than he’d already planned to could kill him so he needed to reel in his aggravation, be the calm collected leader they all always expected him to be.

Reaching up and rubbing at his eyes from under his mask he slowly begins to piece together where he was. The sound of running water, the cold cobblestone beneath him, and that unmistakable noise of a snarling shadow not too far away. Pulling his hand away from his face he glances up to really take in the room, noticing the swinging cage over the pond nearby before his eyes were drawn to the singular large shadow looming just ahead of him in front of a door with vines upon it.

Realizing he must have fallen all the way into the basement area of Kamoshida’s palace made that small seed of irritation make itself known again but he was right in front of a will seed so perhaps this wasn’t the worst turn of events it could be. Slowly getting his feet underneath him again he spares a quick glance around idly wondering if he should just grab the seed while he’s here before slowly the memories of what led him here settled properly and worry flooded his veins.

Shit.

The last he’d seen of both Goro and Ryuji the two boys were both actively being crushed by statues and Kamoshida was making his way towards Shiho who had no way to defend herself. This was no time to be fooling around with a will seed, he needed to get back to the others.

Where the hell was that elevator?

Leading the small band of misfits again this soon was not something Goro had anticipated, having only led the gaggle of annoying teens the few times Akira had been afflicted with status ailments for too long to be a coherent leader. During those times while his commands had been followed, they were often met with scoffs of annoyance, eye rolls, or just general comments of discontent, no matter how correct the call of action was or how similar his orders were to a command Akira would give. Now it was so different Goro was sure that if he could get physiological whiplash he would.

Shiho was often the first to do whatever it was he ordered them to do but he was sure that had to do with the hours the two had just spent side by side working together to keep her alive. Growing accustomed to moving from his orders without question if it meant they could avoid a fight or coordinate more effectively in a fight. It appeared her awakening, while having tired her out just as much as anyone else would, was not enough to keep the ever resilient girl down, more than used to having to give her everything while already working on empty.

Meanwhile Ryuji Sakamoto was slightly more hesitant to blindly follow his words, which was a more intelligent decision than Goro was usually willing to give the impulsive boy credit for. Instead he constantly hesitated for a few split seconds glancing towards the cat and then back to Goro again as if waiting for the cat to confirm Goro’s orders were a good decision before actually acting upon them. Which wouldn’t be a deal breaker if it weren’t for the fact they had now taken 3 more extra fights than they needed to while already exhausted because when Goro had given the order for him to hide Sakamoto had waited just those few seconds too long and alerted the guards instead, getting them caught once again.

Meanwhile the cat seems willing to listen to his commands but eyes him with the look of someone who knows far more than they are letting on or at least suspects that something more is going on behind the scenes than they are aware of. Following every command with the same conviction he did when Joker gave commands but remaining silent throughout it. Eying him during fights as if noticing how little hesitation Goro fought with or how familiar he was with his persona and Goro hates it.

This same damn cat who had apparently been his literal downfall during his last run through of this was apparently already well on his way into seeing through him yet again simply because he refused to let these two simpletons and Shiho make stupid mistakes that could get them all killed. Once again there was a lingering chance he could end up outing himself because he refused to act more incompetent than he was for the simple fact that doing so could wind up with all of them beneath a Bicorn’s hooves or impaled upon a Power’s spear without Akira’s power as a backup.

Frustration licked at his palms as they hovered over his sword during their next fight. Desires to slash, rip, tear this damn shadow to bits hovered just on the edge of his thoughts as he looked it over but the flash of white as his long sleeved shirt slid into the corner of his vision reminded him just why he couldn’t give into them. Aside from the girl only feet from him, these simpletons had no idea of Loki’s presence and if he had anything to do with it, this time they wouldn’t.

Remembering to keep his anger in check again while working with them was a strange feeling if he were being completely honest. Hiding his rougher edges and Loki from them for their month inside of Sae-san’s palace had been something simple in a way, there were no expectations for how they would react to anything he did nor did they have any frame of reference of what to expect from him. During January and February however he willingly pushed his sharper edges into them as harshly as he could to drive them as far away as possible, intending to ensure that any care the few overly empathetic thieves had gained for him would be dissolved away like the sand in the hour glass that was his life, slowly ticking away.

Now he stood here with Hereward’s weight sitting solid and constant in his chest alongside of Loki, neither being able to do much other than be less than silent observers while Robin cockily slashed through any shadow that made the mistake of turning its attention his way.

Eventually the four of them manage to make their way into yet another large Cathedral like area with statues of the basta asshole himself all over the vestibule. Once they stepped through the doors into the Sanctuary they were instantly greeted with rows upon rows of red and black pews all facing forwards towards what must have been easily one of the most gaudy statues Goro Akechi had ever lied his eyes on - and that was saying a lot considering he’d seen the insides of Junya Kaneshiro’s heart.

Solid gold standing in a large armor with a sword in hand as if to brandish off the forces of evil, the statue stood there smiling down at the multitude of other statues hanging off of it. A few scantily dressed young girls clung to his arms staring up at him dreamily while another held onto his leg staring up in near worship. Surrounding the main piece were even more statues of young women with the same level of scantily dressed outfits or in some cases even less. Bowing down as well but chained to the edges of the room were even more statues of people of all ages, ranging from young teenage boys to older adults, all bowed in a position of near reverence to the statue in the middle and suddenly Goro felt like he was oddly back in Maruki’s palace once more.

When no long mechanical tentacles appeared Goro turned his attention back to the statues on the wall. Most of the statues lacked defining details to them aside from their general shape, though Goro would swear he recognized one of the statues as Kobayakawa if he wasn’t mistaken. However, something that quickly stood out about these statues is that every single one that was strapped to the wall that was made to look feminine had extremely intricate details from top to bottom, as if he had spent more than enough time staring at them individually to recount each of these details effortlessly. If Goro had the privilege of letting Loki or Hereward free at the moment he would smash every single one of them to pieces just for the hell of it.

This Kamoshida asshole was reminding him more and more of those sleazy men who made themselves more than a little at home in his and his mothers small apartment. Smart remarks, snide comments, punishments if the person didn’t bend to their will, and the narcissist attitude to genuinely believe that despite all this that they deserved to be treated like the pristine peak of society who all others should bow before.

If he didn’t have some small semblance of respect for Shiho and Takamaki he’d march back in here alone tomorrow and make this son of a bitch plead to apologize for what he’s done. Taking a deep breath to calm himself Goro spares one more glance around the room before a thought occurs to him. Turning his back to the statue that he wanted nothing more than to cut in half and instead faces Sakamoto.

As if sensing eyes on him the other boy quickly glances over his shoulder towards him before spinning fully to face him. “Something up?”

“Your phone.” Sticking his hand out expectantly he looks to what appear to perhaps be pockets on Sakmoto’s pants. “I wish to check something if you would be so kind as to allow me a quick glimpse at it.” Apprehension appeared on the blonde’s face and for a moment it felt like he was back in February all over again but what came from the other boy wasn’t what he expected.

“Dude you can’t just look in other people’s phones! That’s like super creepy and like an invasion of privacy or somethin!”

That didn’t stop you lot if I remember correctly. The bitter thought comes to him before he can fully stop it but he just as quickly waves the thought away with the reminder that if they hadn’t bugged his phone Kurusu would have been dead by his hand.

“Plus we can’t use em in here to like call anyone or take pictures or nuthin. We’ve tried.”

With a shake of his head then he dismisses the idea of looking for the metaverse app on the blond boy’s phone quickly realizing at this point if he were to insist on attempting to use it that he would appear suspicious for having this much knowledge of the metaverse already. Alongside that thought was the concept of leaving Akira behind in this place and as much as he had full confidence in his Akira’s abilities to handle himself he had to remind himself this wasn’t his Akira . This was a wet behind the ears persona user who didn’t even have a second persona in the form of Pixie because he’d stolen that .

Searching for the boy though could take half an hour at best and multiple hours at worst and from the way Shiho had all but collapsed into one of the nearby pews when they had stopped walking as a collective, Goro knew they simply didn’t have that kind of time or energy to afford to a search party as a large group. Attempting to convince these two overly loyal thieves to leave their precious leader may be easier now than it ever had been before but even now seeing the way both of their brows were furled in concern, he doubted he’d be entirely successful.

Reaching up and running a hand through his hair Goro felt like he was slamming his fists into a brick wall as he tried to come up with a solution to their current predicament. Perhaps somehow convince them Akira would already be outside or instruct them that they needed to prioritize Shiho considering her recent awakening. After they were back in the real world then Goro could acquire his phone, slip back into the metaverse, find the insolent fool who fell through a trapdoor of all things and then-

“Are you all just standing around admiring the scenery or?”

Goro’s thoughts are cut short by the question and instantly his eyes dart up to see the insufferable idiot in question standing there with both hands stuffed into his pockets leaning against the wall next to the door as if he were simply wandering into Leblanc after an uneventful day and not after falling through a literal trap door in a palace to land in who knows what kind of hell down below.

God he wanted to strangle him and wipe that shit eating grin off his face.

At the thought of strangling though his own chest thumped in pain slightly reminding him just what he’d gone through himself not too long ago and the idea evacuated his mind in a near instant. Instead he turns to look at the other boy offering him a somewhat aloof unimpressed look.

“Glad to see you were willing to join us again J-“ Goro quickly catches himself before he says the boy's code name and opens himself up to more questions than he’s ready to answer. “-just as we were about to come and try to find you.” Covering his near blunder without so much as a flinch, Goro watched Akira chuckle at his expense and ok perhaps that strangulation idea wasn’t the worst thing in the world after all.

“Sorry it took me so long.” The dark haired boy mutters clearly amused as he pushes himself off the wall behind him using the heel of his shoe and approaches them leisurely. “But I did find a portrait of Kamoshida not too far away that doubles as a door.” Goro’s interest peaked at that. “And from what I saw when I peered through it, it leads us back to the front so we can get out of here without too much backtracking.”

The sheer relief rushing through him was palpable and while his annoyance at Akira and his theatrics remained, he was simply glad there seemed to be an end to their stint in this palace for the day. Especially with how tired Shiho clearly was and since he was still meant to meet Sae to finish paperwork that he’d previously agreed to.

Goro fought not to wince at the thought of how many texts and missed calls he probably had on his phone from the older woman and just how much of an earful he was bound to get for making her wait this long. For now he needed to focus on getting out of here and figuring out how to explain having Robin Hood.

“Well then, lead the way.” Goro hums and he doesn’t miss the way Akira’s smirk only seems to widen.

“It would be my pleasure~”

✦

Leaving the palace was considerably easier than entering it with Sakamoto actually listening to the commands given his way by Akira without question allowing them to avoid a considerable amount of fights as a result. Returning to the real world came with the lingering aches and pains as it always did but he was quick to step in alongside Akira when Shiho appeared to need extra support to stand.

Looking to the girl to ensure she could stand on her own before he retracted his arm, Goro could feel eyes lingering on him as he did and quickly racked his brain for some excuse to avoid the inevitable conversation that was about to happen. Deciding the best option would be delaying the inevitable he speaks first.

“Perhaps one of you can escort me into the building to acquire my cell phone from the student council office before the gates close for the day?” Goro asks of them as he glances over at the school from the alley the 5 found themselves in now. “I was meant to meet Sae-san today for a rather important meeting.”

“Dude, that's what you’re worried about?” Ryuji exclaimed, shaking his head. “Aren’t you like exhausted? I know I was after meeting Captain Kidd!” Curse their unnecessary over the top empathy for others they barely even knew. Goro finds himself tugging on his gloves before he even notices.

“As tired as I may be-” He lied. “-I simply cannot with a clear conscience leave Sae-san to finish all the work that the two of us were meant to finish together, alone.”

Seeming impressed with Goro’s resilience, Ryuji just laughed, seeming ready to say something else before Shiho spoke up first.

“I’ll take you. It wouldn’t be weird for me to be in the school after hours since the volleyball members usually stay pretty late.”

Relief washed through him at the easy out of the conversation the girl was giving him and he’s quick to nod in agreement. “Sounds as though a solution has been found then. Perhaps it best we split here for the day then until-”

“We can wait for you two.” Blasted Akira Kurusu speaking up always when it's the most inconvenient of times.

“Very well then.” Knowing he has to agree lest he bring any possible suspicion his way. Playing the part of a new curious and somewhat unsure persona user was imperative at this moment or everything he’s done in the past life time and even now will have been for nothing if he ends up getting discovered too early. “I suppose the two of us will return momentarily then.”

Yoshizawa hums a soft tune to herself as she adjusts her bag on her shoulder. Surely she had spent enough time in the library reading by now for it to be just about time to head off towards Gymnastics practice. Pulling her phone out of her pocket she frowns a bit and sighs as she taps at the screen trying her best to get the darn thing to work with her at all. As she opened the door to the library and stepped out into the hallway however a dark screen was still all that stared back at her reflecting her face back at her as if purposefully being as difficult as possible.

Sighing softly she turns to head for the stairs still not looking up from the phone that was giving her so much trouble, tapping at the dark screen constantly although seemingly fruitlessly. Walking towards the stairs she was just about to stick her phone back into her pocket in defeat when the screen finally turned on, at the exact same moment her shoulder slammed into something very solid.

Her balance is completely thrown off and she throws her arms out to try and regain some semblance of it before she ends up on the floor. Before she can flail for too long though a gloved hand wraps around her wrist pulling her back to being far more steady on her feet. Blinking a few times Yoshizawa looks up to see who exactly it was she had both apparently run into and they had saved her from falling onto her face, surprised to see a somewhat familiar face. Though this face shouldn’t be here…this was Shujin.

“Akechi-san?”

Red eyes stared at her, seeming almost unimpressed with her nearly rather embarrassing incident. Though his overly wide smiling face tried to tell a different story altogether instead which confused her for a moment as she looked over at the person standing beside him as well. Oh that was Suzui senpai, from the volleyball team, one of their ace players if she remembered correctly from what other students had told her.

“You really should be more careful where you’re going.” Glancing back to the brown haired boy as he spoke, Yoshizawa felt a bit more embarrassed about the whole thing once again. “Things could have been much worse for the both of us if my reaction time was even a moment slower.”

Chuckling softly he lets her go before glancing at her phone. “Ah phone troubles? Perhaps a local repair shop could assist you.” Honestly a fair recommendation considering how much her phone seemed to almost be fighting with her nowadays. Every time she tried to put her password in it always wanted to insist it was wrong at least three times before finally actually letting her in. And her background kept seeming to change on its own. Every time she set it to be one of her and her sister, the next time she opened her phone it would be of something else completely!

She’d almost assume someone was messing with her if it weren’t for the fact none of her information seemed to have been stolen yet and none of her stuff had gone missing. Going and getting it checked out by someone who knew what they were doing more than her might actually help, after all that’s what she had done with Dr. Maruki. When she’d had no idea how to move past the loss of her sister and days seemed to blur around her in a rush that she never seemed to be able to get a handle on, she had gone to someone far more qualified to help and now, now she was finally able to do things and be herself again.

Thinking about Dr. Maruki and how he had ended up at her school after everything though brought her mind back to the situation at hand and the question she had forgotten to ask earlier.

“Akechi-san, what are you doing at Shujin?” Tilting her head to the side curiously as he looked at him. “As far as I know you don’t attend here right? Unless I’m mistaken? I only just transferred here myself a few days ago so I’m still getting to know everyone but I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

For a moment something seemed to pass across Akechi’s face but as soon as she blinked it was gone, that same pleasant look plastered on his face as if it had never left to begin with. Had the other thing just been her imagination then? She had been having trouble sleeping recently…

“I was here gathering information about a case earlier and appear to have left my phone behind so I returned to retrieve it. I’m sure you understand why exactly I can’t disclose information about my case however.” Tugging at his glove a bit as he spoke he then glances over towards the student council room. “Now as nice as it would be to catch up Yoshizawa, I do have a coworker who is currently waiting for me rather impatiently so I really must be going.”

Stepping to the side a bit so as not to block their way anymore she nods and then bows a bit.

“Of course, I understand. Well for what it is worth it was nice seeing you again Akechi-san even if it was a bit unexpected.” Giggling, she turns and is just about to head down the stairs when she hears Suzui senpai speak. “Oh. It’s locked.” Glancing back once more she can see the two of them frowning at the door to the student council office. Akechi’s hand comes up to his chin as he seems to lose himself in thought for a moment while Suzui pulls out her phone and checks the time. “It’s still before 6, perhaps Niijima-san is still here. I can go check the library and see-”

“Oh do you need to get inside?” Deciding to interrupt a bit Yoshizawa walks closer to the two once more who are now both staring at her almost, calculatingly, as if unsure exactly what her angle here was with her question. Feeling the pressure of both of them staring almost expectantly, Yoshizawa pulls her bag down her shoulder a bit and begins rummaging through it. “I have a key in here….somewhere…just give me a moment.” Mumbling as she does her best to move the items inside her bag around enough to finally find what she was looking for.

“A key?” Suzui asks her somewhat curiously, glancing at Akechi then back to her. “Why do you have a key to the student council office? Usually people have to have been attending a school at least 6 months or even a year before you’re allowed to join.”

“Oh I’m not a member.”

“Then you stole a key for this room?” Akechi’s voice chimed in this time, seeming almost amused with her. “If so, perhaps I need to arrest you, Yoshizawa. Theft is a rather big deal I’ll have you know.”

Easily picking up on his teasing tone Yoshizawa finds a smile coming to her face before she even thinks too much about it as her fingers finally find the item she was looking for and pulls it from her bag with a satisfied hum.

“I didn’t steal it.” Chuckling she slides past them and pressed the key into the lock. “All honor students are given one at the beginning of their tenure. While we aren’t allowed to use it when the student council has meetings or are in there with other students or anything like that, we are told that if we’d like to we can always use the room to study quietly since the library always has so many people in it. Basically because we’re required to keep up a certain standard with both our athletics and our academics, the school tries to accommodate us by offering us somewhere quiet to work where we can’t be interrupted by other people.”

Turning the key, the door pops open with a satisfying click. “There you go!” Smiling at the other two she steps once again to the side for them. “I hope you don’t mind if I wait here for you to finish. If something were to happen to the room that I unlocked for you I could be in big trouble.”

“An understandable approach considering the circumstances.” Akechi agreed with a nod before turning and stepping into the room with Shiho right behind him. Once the two were within the confines of the room Yoshizawa could faintly hear the two talking with one another about something, though with how low the two seemed to keep their voices she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. As if able to hear her thoughts and know the way she was tempted to lean closer in to try and hear more of what they were saying, Akechi’s head snapped to look at the door suddenly causing her to let out a small squeak at getting caught and quickly looking away.

Pulling out her phone Yoshizawa does her best to distract herself as she tries her best to get her messenger app to send a message to her coach that she may be running late for practice by about 15 minutes. That should be enough time for the two of them to grab Akechi-san’s phone and Yoshizawa catch the next train.

Once she finally managed to get her messaging app to work with her she looked up just in time to see the two exiting the room together with somewhat rather serious looks on their faces before they morphed into smiles when they noticed she was looking.

I hope they’re both ok. They both seem rather stressed about something…

“That was rather quick.” Giggling softly to try and act as if she hadn’t seen anything more than she should have, she leans over to close the door behind them and turn the key back to lock it once more. “Hopefully you two got everything you need since I do have to head out soon and Nijima-senpai left a few moments ago.”

“Ah yes I was able to require my phone thanks to your help so you have my gratitude Yoshizawa.” Goro says with a nod as he holds up said required phone with a smile. Before anyone can say anything else though the phone in his hand lights up as it begins to vibrate rather loudly, two sets of eyes move to the phone in Akechi’s hand instantly. Glancing over at it, Akechi looked back at them somewhat sheepishly before lowering the phone and looking to see what had caused the notification.

“Oh it seems Sae-san has been texting me…quite a lot…” Looking at his phone he began to scroll up through what Sumire assumed were quite the number of messages before looking up towards them apologetically. “Apologies again for cutting this so short Yoshizawa but it appears I simply cannot linger here for much longer. Perhaps we can grab a coffee some time before my next interview.”

Oh? Coffee? Well that sounded quite nice actually!

“Oh of course Akechi-san! I know you’re quite busy so if we can’t I totally understand but if you do have time then I’d love to get a coffee and catch up with you.” Smiling widely at the idea, Sumire reaches for her phone. “Perhaps I can give you my number and you can text me when you’re free?”

Seeming caught off guard by the offer, Akechi's eyes go slightly wide for a moment before letting the passive pleasant look take over once more. Glancing down at his phone he seems to hesitate for a moment before nodding, tapping away at his phone for a few minutes and offering it over to Sumire.

Once she’s entered her information she happily hands it back over to the other boy who quickly pockets it and turns to head for the stairs. “Please excuse us.”

Looking down at her phone once the two of them are out of sight she finds herself smiling sadly as she thinks back to when she and her sister had first met Akechi. Sumire had been so shy, hiding behind Kasumi as if Akechi were something from a horror movie, far more intimidating in real life than when seen through the lens of a TV screen. After only exchanging a few words the two of them had excused themselves having to go meet with their father and head home. Sumire had admitted later she’d wanted to at least attempt to be his friend but it had been such a scary thing to try and befriend someone like him. So standing here and now with a new chance before her, Yoshizawa stood firm.

“A chance to befriend Akechi-san…that’s what you would have wanted right Sumire…so that’s what I’ll do, to keep living for us.”

Stepping back outside Goro had been somewhat silently hoping that the 3 other nuisances had simply gotten sick of waiting for them and had vacated the premises. But as his eyes landed once more on that familiar mop of black hair and ridiculous fake glasses Goro sighed realizing he really shouldn’t expect anything less from the world's most annoying second year. Glancing over to Shiho who seemed almost equally apprehensive about reapproaching the group Goro could tell she was still actively trying to wrap her head around what exactly happened inside the walls of the palace.

“It will be ok I’m sure. You grow used to the voice in your mind after a little time. They’re you in a sense and mostly only mean to assist you.” Not exactly used to attempting to comfort others or even really caring to, Goro wasn’t entirely sure he was making much of a difference at all until the girl's shoulders slowly slumped back down from where they had been so tense moments ago. Perhaps he was better at this than he thought.

Doubtful.

Goro did his best not to roll his eyes at the scornful tone of his own Persona, moments after just telling Shiho how about how they were only there to assist you.

Keeping you on the right track and ensuring you don’t get distracted by such frivolous things when you have justice to obtain is assisting you.

Goro takes a deep breath to calm himself from Robin’s words and the constant reminder that making connections was a foolish endeavor on his journey of revenge justice, knowing he can excuse it as him getting ready to talk to the group again if Shiho questioned it.

As the two walk the final way down the steps and over to the three who were waiting for them Goro pulls out his phone as he looks at the numerous missed calls and texts frowning when he noted the last mentioning her being perhaps a bit worried that he hadn’t answered any of her attempts to reach him.

Feeling all of their eyes linger on him as the two of them walk over Goro takes a moment to settle his nerves and remind himself they were staring because they were curious and not because they knew anything more. Before any of the three can say anything to him Goro quickly speaks instead.

“It seems my presence is required at the station to finish filling out the rest of the packets I was unable to do today due to being here.” Goro explains as they walk up to the three who were still waiting for them. “I hate to cut this short but if I delay my arrival any longer she is bound to begin questioning me and…I’m not entirely sure how I would even begin to explain all the things I’ve seen today.” An easy enough lie with enough probable cause that logically they shouldn't question him too much on it and it would hopefully buy him some time to figure out an excuse for having Robin.

Popping his head up at the start of a conversation the cat tilts its head to the side before firmly nodding. “Well bringing unwanted attention onto any of us would be a bad idea for now especially with how new all of you are to this. I think you should go and we can meet up tomorrow after these three finish up with school for the day if that works for you.”

“T-That cat is…talking?” Shiho half whispered in surprise as she stared at Morgana, who looked over at her proudly at the comment. Goro had to fight not to roll his eyes at the fact the cat didn’t seem to realize that Shiho wasn’t in awe but more along the lines of contemplating if she secretly passed out at some point and was now dreaming.

Silently Goro was thankful that it was Shiho who pointed it out and that he hadn’t had to, faintly remembering his well…rather dramatic overreaction while in the Shujin classroom during October that arguably had done him no favors when it had subsequently revealed himself as the traitor among the thieves. Goro does his best to look at the cat in alarm as well, even going the extra mile to step slightly between her and Morgana as if to protect her from him.

Seeming to note their apprehension and not excitement the cat’s ears pressed flat against the top of his head.

Almost like a real cat.

Goro found himself musing as Ryuji laughed nearby before walking over and offering the two of them drinks from his bag.

“Grabbed these while you two were inside. Take whichever one you want.” It seemed they weren’t going to bring up the rather large elephant in the room quite yet and instead were simply trying to…be friendly? Goro wasn’t sure what the intention was but he took one of the bottles from him without bothering to really look at it, sliding it under his arm and feeling how the cold exuded from it- pressing into his side despite his jacket between it and him. For now if they had no intention of bringing it up then he certainly had no intention of mentioning it, especially when he didn’t have a reasonable excuse ready.

“Why thank you Sakamo-

“Ryuji dude common! We just totally kicked ass together and I already told you that you can just call me by my first name remember.” Irritation flooded his senses at being cut off but remembering himself he was quick to ensure it never appeared on his face knowing to do so would surely lead them to asking more questions with how annoyingly inquisitive they were.

“Right…Thank you Ryuji.” It still felt strange coming from his own mouth and he was sure if Sakamoto ever remembered anything he would hate the very concept of Goro Akechi of all people calling him by his first name but for now he had an image to uphold and-

The ringing of a phone dragged him out of his thoughts and it took him a split second to realize it was his phone that was ringing. Reaching into his pocket and fishing it out he looks to see Sae-san’s name in large letters across the front of his screen. Feeling the rest of the group's eyes on him he looked towards them sheepishly before answering the phone.

“Hello Sae-sa-”

“Finally!” Loud enough for even Shiho to hear from next to him despite not being on speaker. “You were meant to be here over an hour ago!” Voice clearly annoyed but also twinged with worry Goro felt something settle tight in his chest. “I haven’t been able to get a hold of you, where are you?”

“Ah my apologies Sae-san, something came up at the school I was doing the interviews at and I was held up assisting a group of students.” Not the truth but also not a complete lie either, he was sure the thieves could understand the necessity of it. “I was actually just leaving to meet with you to finish the paperwork. I can be there within approximately 20 minutes.”

Hearing a huff of annoyance from the other end he then hears. “Fine, but if you’re even a moment later you’re doing the rest of this paperwork on your own….Be safe on your travels.”

Then the only noise he hears coming from the phone is the dial tone, a sure sign that Sae had hung up, but not before leaving Goro with even more conflicting feelings stirring in his chest. Why did Sae-san seem like she cared so much more than she had the last time. Was it his imagination? His desire to be wanted?

Goro wasn’t sure what exactly it was but he had to admit as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, it felt…nice in a way.

As Goro picks up the phone and looks apologetically at the rest of them, Akira decides it’s a good time to call it a day. Everyone was already exhausted from the amount of unexpected fights and especially Shiho considering her unexpected awakening alongside however tired she must have already been from her Volleyball practices the past week. Alongside Goro’s attempt at pretending to be tired from his awakening as well, it was clear they weren’t going to get anything else done today, even if they stayed.

All of them stayed fairly quiet as Goro finished his quick call with Sae, even Ryuji. But once the phone was back in his pocket Ryuji was speaking. “Dude it sucks you have to go and do even more work after today.” Shaking his head Ryuji leans against the nearby wall of the school in a pose Akira would almost call a pout.. “Guess we’ll have to wait to tell y'all more about all that other stuff later then.”

Taking that as a good enough cue as any Akira nods in agreement before standing up straighter, the same way he did when giving orders as Joker. Clearing his throat a bit he waited till he had everyone’s attention before speaking

“Ok everyone, we should head home. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves by lingering here. I’ll make a group chat and we can text about when would be a good time to meet again. Shiho, do you need any help getting home?” Looking up to the girl who kept glancing over at Akechi for some reason.

Shaking her head quickly she responds: “No no, I’m ok thank you.” Bowing slightly she goes to turn to leave when Morgana unexpectedly chimes in from where he’s standing on the nearby fence post. Sitting back on his haunches, tail swaying back and forth curiously he happily tilts his head curiously looking at the girl.

“Oooooo milady would you mind if I accompany you home?” Morgana purrs happily towards Shiho much to both the girls surprise, his surprise and from the way his head snapped to the cat, perhaps Akechi’s too for some reason

What? Mona wanted to go with…someone else?

Seeming rather put on the spot, Shiho looked awkwardly between the group before rubbing her arm a bit. “S-Sorry my parents aren’t exactly like…pet people…” She mumbled embarrassedly as she looked off to the side. “I don’t think they’d let you in the house but if you wanted to sleep in like the garage or something I could probably arrange something…”

Morgana makes a face at that and quickly shakes his head no. “I’m not sure what a garage is but something in my intuition tells me that it isn’t a pleasant place to sleep so I’ll be sticking with this guy then!” Mona then hops over onto Akira’s shoulders. Akira isn’t entirely sure how he feels about being Morgana’s second choice after said cat had all but lived in his pocket for the last year and a half but honestly the relief at having his feline companion near again overtook that rather quickly as Mona’s fur brushes up against him.

Goro looks between each member of the group for a quick moment before holding one hand over the bottom of his phone so that Sae couldn’t hear him and speaking with them. “Apologies but it appears she is still waiting for me as it isn’t too late yet so I really must be going.”

“We can meet up tomorrow then? To discuss everything?” Akira felt himself speaking before he was even aware of the thoughts and for a split second Goro got that look on his face again like he was going to run, run and never look back even once, but instead it quickly slid into something more passive and he nodded.

“That should be acceptable, though I’ll have to check my schedule and let you know some time later tonight if I really am free.”

“I know I’m free! And now that we got even more power we can take this asshole down easily!” Ryuji laughs, tossing his arm over his shoulder, bumping Morgana to the point the cat made a loudly displeased noise and hopped down into his bag instead with an annoyed flick of his tail.

“Well I’m down if everyone else is.” Mona huffed as he sat in the bag as if he owned it and he wasn’t squishing all of Akira’s textbooks and the bread he’d bought earlier from the school store.

Then everyone is staring at Shiho who seems to feel rather put on the spot. “O-Oh…uh I should be? I don’t think we have volleyball practice tomorrow?” Anxiously leaning from foot to foot Shiho looks off to the side clearly not used to so much attention.

“Well with that I should probably be going.” Goro speaks, turning everyone’s attention to him instead. Akira noticed out of the corner of his eye that Shiho seemed to relax at the feeling of everyone turning away from her. “Sae-san has been waiting for me for about an hour and she’s rather displeased as you probably heard.” With that he puts the phone back to his ear before turning and heading off back down the street towards the trains. Watching him walk away Akira quietly hopes that this isn’t the last time they see Goro Akechi, that they hadn’t somehow spooked him away permanently by outing him as a wildcard so early on.

Once Goro was out of sight it was then that Shiho pipes up and Akira drags his eyes away from where he last saw Goro to instead look to her. “I suppose I will see the two um…” She looks over at Morgana unsure. “..three tomorrow?” Even as she changes the number her tone is filled with something akin to unease but when none of them correct her, she nods and gives a small bow to them to excuse herself. “I should get going then…”

None of them had any objection to that so Shiho glanced between them one last time, eyes lingering on Morgana for just a moment longer than the other two, before turning and heading off for the train station to go home without another word. Once Shiho was out of view though Ryuji smirks a bit, turning and looking at Akira and subsequently at Morgana who was in his bag.

“Man she seems super weirded out by you.” Ryuji laughs at Morgana’s expense for a moment before continuing. “I’m sure she’ll get used to it though.” Perhaps like Akira’s own memories there were still some small threads that connected all of them together, a tiny hint to the bonds they used to have. As strange as the concept may seem, Akira was growing more and more convinced of it day by day working with Ryuji and Morgana, who were both surprisingly more hospitable towards each other than they were last time, for the most part.

“Well I mean I am pretty special so of course most people would be pretty surprised by me to begin with.” Morgana snickers a bit as his tail smacks against the inside of Akira’s school bag. “I’m sure she’ll get used to it soon enough, you two did after all.”

Akira finds himself nodding in agreement before he can think too much on it, whether because he actually believes it or just to reassure his kitty he’s not entirely sure.

“So then we’re gonna meet tomorrow to talk about like everything, right?” Ryuji chuckled. “Dude we so gotta pick a name at some point! Oooo what about like The Thieves! Or or like The Phantoms Strikes!” Frowning a bit for a moment he seems to remember. “Hmmmm something about that one makes me think of an old movie I watched so maybe not…It’s gotta be good!”

Akira can’t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm, same old Ryuji, and man was that comforting in a way.

“Well using the roof as our hideout might not really work now so before picking a name we have to pick a new location.” Morgana mumbled, ears flattening against his head a bit as he spoke.

“What why?” Looking caught off guard and confused, Ryuji looks up from his phone and back towards the two of them. “Thought the roof was a pretty solid spot, none of the teachers ever look up there.”

Sighing and shaking his head a bit, Morgana gives Ryuji a moment as if expecting for the other boy to suddenly realize exactly what the problem both he and Akira had already picked up on. When after a few moments Ryuji still seemed equally as confused as he had Morgana lets out a tired sigh and shook his head a bit as if to say Ryuji you idiot, without actually verbalizing it.

“Trying to sneak someone who doesn’t attend your school onto campus and all the way upstairs to meet at the rooftop would be next to impossible.” Huffing Morgana looks over towards the school building as if expecting Akechi and Shiho to be back already.

“Finding a new place to work from would be our best course of action at the moment. Getting caught wouldn’t be very Thief like of us after all.” Morgana had a point. The roof had worked for them as well as it had for so long because everyone on the original team had attended Shujin but if Akechi really was going to stay by their side from the get go this time…then they were going to have to figure something else out.

“Perhaps Inokashira park?” Akira muttered out loud thinking back to how many times he’d been able to meet basically one on one with any of his past confidants there without worrying about being interrupted at any point. “It’s not too far away by train and should be fairly accessible to everyone.”

Nodding in agreement, Ryuji's grin is even bigger now. “Dude! Two new members in one day? It’s like we’ve become an actual official team now!” Grinning widely Ryuji glances down at his phone before looking slightly pale suddenly. “Oh shit! I forgot I was supposed to get groceries tonight for dinner! Mom’s gonna kill me. I gotta go!” Pocketing his phone and chugging the last of his drink Ryuji took off for the train station.

“Just text the group chat with where we’re meeting dude!”

As Ryuji disappeared down the same stairs as the rest of them had, Akira found himself leaning against the nearby wall thinking about the words Ryuji had just said. A team…With 5 people now they really were a team weren’t they?

A team…without Ann. The other blonde who had been there for him when things had been tough. Who had relied on him when she needed someone. Who desperately just needed a friend. How the hell was he meant to befriend her now, things had changed so much. Akira honestly wasn’t sure, perhaps the price of saving Shiho simply had to be his friendship with Ann.

He knew he’d done the right thing when it came to saving Shiho, that was never a question, but now he wasn’t entirely sure what would happen next and after having lived this entire year once before, that was a terrifying concept.. A new team of Phantom Thieves that apparently included Shiho Suzui and Goro Akechi somehow. Akira wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it yet or if things would stay like this for long but for now it was something he was going to have to get used to apparently.

Going through the motions for now seemed like the safest bet to ensure that everything still happened in a way that could guarantee that they defeated Yaldaboth and ensure the world would still be free at the end of the day while only changing a few things here and there. So much had already changed drastically from his small bit of influence so far it seemed and if things kept changing so much Akira was almost afraid of what may happen. For a moment the thought of just trying to force things back on track to the way they were meant to be but then his thoughts wandered back to Goro and Akira knew in that moment he wouldn’t have the strength to. He knew he would always do whatever he had to to ensure what happened in the engine room never happened again, even if it meant missing out on old friends.

Yusuke was meant to be their next stop of sorts, helping him and stopping Madarame in the process. Cutting off a significant enough source of income to Shido that he’d take notice of them, at least that’s what Goro back in Maruki’s palace had told them was why he’d started investigating them. Gathering allies from other places and continuing down their path towards their final fight with the Grail and Yaldabaoth seemed like the best solution but…

But Futaba.

Knowing his Pseudo sister sat locked in her room reliving a day in her mind over and over, unable to remember what truly happened. Guilt clawing at her like a hungry animal, trying to rip her apart, to consume her from the inside out. She’d spoken to him quietly about the figures that would appear around her and call out such horrid words at her that she never deserved and about how sometimes she’d wake up scared she was back at her uncle's living among the animals on the floor.

Could he continue on their current path and simply ignore the pain she was going through? The guilt? The visions and the tormenting words from what she believed was her mother. Meanwhile Yusuke had to deal with the pressure that came with living with Madarame and his ever lingering art theft, only having a bed roll to sleep in and barely any food.

While one of them had a loving father who was doing their best in a situation that was all but a carousel that had no exits without the truth being revealed to her, at least she was in a warm home with someone who cared. Meanwhile the other was in a maze that had no exit, desperately crashing after an ideal that would be his exit that never truly existed at all, every step being revealed to be another challenge of creating something good enough to be stolen from him and earn him the privilege of another day living within his own prison.

If things were so ready and willing to change around him this time around then what could happen if he was too late this time? Akira stared down at his phone, eyes lingering on the date. Madarame’s exhibit would start in May one way or another. Would they be able to help both of them? Asking the thieves to attempt two palaces at once seemed almost cruel when remembering just how much they used to take out of him when they’d first started to explore them.

Pressing the top part of his phone into his forehead Akira closed his eyes tiredly.

What were the Moral ramifications of ignoring someone in trouble if you’re helping someone else while you do?

While getting the call from Sae to come in was a grand excuse for him to separate himself from the other teens before too many questions could be asked, he did somewhat worry that perhaps Shiho wouldn’t keep her word. How many questions would it take from the three boys to make her admit to what she saw? How many conversations until something slipped out unintentionally? How soon would they know too?

Hoping they would simply escort her home for the time being Goro did his best to focus back on the stack of paperwork before him. This wasn’t the first nor would it be the last time he and Sae were stuck at the office this late finishing up papers, organizing files, reworking applications for information, and just generally trying to stay ahead of an organization, that while letting them be apart of it, is constantly trying to drag them down into the depths of failure by their own hand.

After his third packet Goro glanced over at the desk drawer to the right, eying it for a few seconds before indulging in his curiosity. Slipping the drawer open he looks down into it, pulling out a singular manila folder that sat within its confines. Staring at the blank cover he wonders if this will bring him any of the answers to the questions he’s been rolling around in his mind ever since he woke up again in his room instead of that horrid hospital room.

Slipping his finger under the edge of the front he stops when he notices Sae was speaking to him once again. Glancing up from the folder he looks to where she is staring down at another packet of her own, which makes him look back to his own for just a quick moment before looking back to her again.

“Apologies Sae-san, would you mind repeating that for me? I was somewhat occupied with my own packet and missed what it was you needed.” The somewhat half white lie wouldn’t hurt anything though with how she seemed to simply raise an eyebrow at him. He found he was quickly doubting she had believed him. Thankfully though, even if she didn’t believe his words, she chose not to call him out on it instead she glances back down at the packet before her one more time. Seeming to think her words over for a few moments with a frown stuck to her face. Sae then sighs tiredly, one hand coming to rub at the bridge of her nose as if to relieve any tension building there before repeating the words that Goro had missed the first time “Occasionally I find myself wishing you were my younger sibling instead of Makoto, Akechi-kun.” Goro suddenly felt very frozen to his spot as he held the case file.

More stunned at the words than he would like to admit, Goro answered the only way he knew how to: “Surely you jest Sae-san.” Ignoring the way his voice sounded uncharacteristically tight as he spoke.

“Makoto is smart, sure but if she would just apply herself, maybe she could achieve the kind of things you are. After all, you two are practically the same age and look where you are while she doesn’t even have a part time job yet. Her academics are impressive but that comes from devoting nearly all her time to such. When she’s older and has to balance life and other concerns, will she even have the experience necessary to do so at this rate?”

Deciding not to press further into that subject area at the moment simply from the fact that he had no idea what to say for once in return to that, he instead turns the front lip of the case file he’s holding open and stares down at the papers inside of it finally.

And it instantly feels disappointing.

“Sae-san, What do you remember of that case on Kayo Murakami that occurred a few months ago?” Picking up a piece of paper that listed the missing persons report as well as a copy of the warrant for his arrest if he were to be found Goro’s eyes scan over the other papers below as he waits for her answer.

Sae glanced up from her paperwork, leaning over slightly to catch a glimpse of the case file Goro was going through before frowning slightly. “If you have time to be distracted by other cases that aren’t under our jurisdiction then surely you have time to be working on these packets with me you know.” Dissatisfaction sitting clear as day on her face as she watches him flip to the next page without a word, but Goro elects to ignore her. Sae sighs being more used to his antics by the day and just resumes her work.

Glancing through the file was bringing him more questions than answers and Goro could feel the annoyance settling on his shoulders like a familiar weight. Paper after paper stared back at him with little to nothing to make them worth being there at all. Documents of mundane activities that apparently the man had involved himself with, where he got his car, how often he voted, his high school teachers, and even his dentist.

Goro suspected the accusation of attempting to kill a well known politician in an inn while he was supposedly with a mistress had incited quite the stir and the police had gone above and beyond to retain information on the person in question who would try something like this and yet…

None of this information was in any way substantial enough to help anyone who would be making an attempt to actually solve this case. At most the case was filled with page after page of information simply so the police and the firm could say an attempt had been made and not with the intention of actually ever bothering to solve the case.

Ready to annoyedly toss the file away for getting his hopes up and providing nothing more, his eyes suddenly catch a name at the bottom of one of the pages. Ichiko Ohya. Curiously Goro turns the page to see if there was any further information on the name but other than a small scribbled handwritten note that apparently this person was their partner of some sort, there was nothing.

Well at least this was a start, time to figure out just who this Ichiko Ohya was.

Shouldering the familiar weight of Morgana in his bag felt far more like a weight being lifted off his shoulders than one being added. Clear displeasure loomed on his face at first at being forced into the cloth prison as Mona had put it, before deciding the concept of having to walk all the way back to wherever they were going was far less appealing than being carried there.

Akira can’t help the smile that settles onto his face as he adjusts his glasses heading off towards the train station side stepping each person who stopped in front of him or was walking a bit slower than he was. As he approaches the train station he glances at the cat and instructs him to keep his head low or they wouldn’t be able to board.

Mumbling his displeasure at being forced to huddle inside the bag Morgana huffs once before turning slightly and letting his head fall into the bag as well, easily hiding him from any prying eyes on the train that may question if they had paid the pet fee or not. Thankfully the ride to Leblanc from his school wasn’t a long one, with only one transfer that he was sure Morgana would come to learn by heart once again as he had previously.

Memories of his feline companion popping his head out of his bag while in the Shibuya station to comment on different things such as the amazing smelling bread cooking at a local bakery or how the jewelry another woman was wearing would look beautiful on Lady Ann . Both of them so used to their little ritual of chattering away subtly as they rode the train together, quiet whispers to one another or when Akira held his book at what would appear to be a strange angle to strangers but the two of them both secretly knew it was so that Morgana could read along with him.

Today though instead of any of their usual little routines and rituals, Morgana lays inside the bag in a ball almost pouting in a way and it makes something in Akira’s chest tighten. As nice as having Morgana back was, it almost felt like having a cognition back instead of one of his best friends. The furball who had stood by his side almost every day for the past year and a half was now replaced with a young feline whose only interest was to use them to become human again.

Trying his best to shove the emotions down he quietly reassured Morgana they only had one more train to go until they were at their destination but all he got was a huff in response. Morgana himself clearly still rather peeved about their current setup not even bothering to offer him a response. Akira could only hope his resentment towards the situation would dissipate over the course of the next few days and he’d grow used to the bag when he realizes he’d have to walk everywhere otherwise.

✦

Stepping into Leblanc now always felt like coming home,

“Hey, stay upstairs while we’re open for business.”

Even if Sojiro was glaring at him from behind the counter as soon as he walked into the cafe and the customers still looked at him as if he didn’t belong there at all. The smell of coffee, the gentle buzz of the TV put on low volume alongside the hum of the fridge, and the sound of a metal ladle bumping against the edges of a large curry pot were all things he’d come to associate with home. Letting out a small sigh Akira began to head for the stairs when familiar blue hair caught his eye, glancing over Akira was immediately greeted by the sight of Takemi sitting at one of the booths and felt himself stopping to look at her without even meaning to. It wasn’t often he saw her in her casual clothes.

Clearly feeling the eyes on her shoulders Takemi seemed to sense the eyes that were lingering on her and glanced over her shoulder to look up at Akira who was still standing near the edge of the counter. “Yes?” Curiously she looked him up and down and despite how many times he knew she had seen him in his school uniform undershirt doing her tests he still felt oddly exposed. Adjusting his bag, with Morgana in it, slightly on his arm he locked eyes with her as if to show he wouldn’t fold and she smirked at him though before either of them could say anything more Sojiro was huffing annoyed.

“Hey, lay off the customers.” Grumbling, the older man shakes his head at him and then turns to face Takemi instead as he rubs the back of his neck looking embarrassed on Akira’s behalf. Which for all intents and purposes was more than his own folks had ever done before. “Sorry if he was rude, Doctor.” Sojiro sighs exasperatedly.

Seeming amused more than anything, Takemi leans back and crosses her legs, leaning her elbow onto it so she can rest her head on her hand, as her eyes continue to linger on him, scanning up and down as if evaluating him for something. Despite knowing exactly what she has in mind it still makes his skin crawl ever so slightly. “I don’t mind.” Amusement littered her tone as she spoke.

When he didn’t immediately move though, Sojiro huffed, pulling the towel from his shoulder as if to dry his hands that were already perfectly dry. “Come on, you're getting in the way. Go on upstairs.” Waving the towel off towards the stairs with a frown. Not wanting to disappoint the elder man, Akira just silently nodded and shuffled his way off towards the staircase not bothering to glance back as he went.

Easily avoiding all the stairs that creaked loudly Akira made his way up to the second floor and sat the bag with Morgana in it onto the bed so that the cat could climb out and onto his bed.

“What the?! What is this place?!” Expecting the cry of despair Akira barely paid it too much mind as he moved to put the bag over next to the stairwell. In all honesty the room wasn’t even in as bad of shape as it had been the last time Morgana had first arrived there. He’d spent more time cleaning up the desk and the shelves near his bed simply so he wouldn’t have to bother with it later. Though the cat didn’t seem to appreciate the extra effort he’d gone through this time at all. “Is this some kind of abandoned house?!”

Flattening his ears to his head Mona bent down to the bed as if to emphasize their point of how horrid his living conditions were, which to be fair no they weren’t great but at least he had a roof over his head and a mattress under his back after everything that had happened with Shido, the cops, the judge, and his parents.

So lost in thought he completely missed the sound of footsteps approaching up the stairs and into the room he now called home once more. “Hey are you-” Exasperation clear in his voice, Sojiro made his way over to stand beside him looking down at Morgana and guilt crept across Akira’s shoulders like an unexpected weight. Why he wasn’t sure, he knew Sojiro liked animals, hell he knew Sojiro would come to love Morgana, so why did he feel so guilty about this?

“I was wondering why I heard meowing…” Looking around the room as if trying to spot any more hidden animal companions of his, Sojiro eyed the shelves and under the bed before turning back to Morgana with a huff. “What did you bring it here for?!” Demanding tone and yet, just underneath it was clearly thinly veiled concern for Mona’s health.

Same old Sojiro.

A simple thought but one that filled him with relief nonetheless. For now the older man was still somewhat the man he had known last time. If he hadn’t been well…

That wasn’t a thought Akira enjoyed entertaining.

“It doesn’t have a home…” Akira mutters to the man, reaching up and adjusting his glasses slightly out of habit, a way to try and upend some of the nervous energy that was now settling along his shoulder blades as the older man stares him in the eyes. Akira, despite the overwhelming unease he felt at the eye contact, refused to look away. He couldn’t chance standing down now if it meant he could lose Morgana, too much had changed already.

Crossing his arms looking more than a little annoyed at Akira’s antics, Sojiro spoke again, this time making his annoyance at the situation clear. “Not my problem…This place is a restaurant animals are a no-go. No matter how cute they may be.” Looking over at Morgana again though he lets out a tired sigh, moving to rub at his eyes from beneath his glasses, seeming to debate if his own words were as true as he thought they were.

Silence hung between the three of them for a while before Sojiro simply sighed again looking at Akira again. “Though I guess you might stay on good behavior if you’ve got a pet to take care of…” One last glance at Morgana’s sad eyes, ears flat on his head, was enough it seemed to break Sojiro’s tough facade and the man finally muttered somewhat defeated. “Fine…”

Looking at Akira then at the stairs then Morgana once more Sojiro shakes his head as if unable to believe what he’s about to say. “But keep it quiet when we’re open for business and don’t let it roam down stairs or I’m throwing it out.” A threat Akira knew the older man would never follow through on but he nods along anyways to make it clear he was listening to the older man’s words. “Oh and I’m not going to take care of it for you. That’s all on you.” Akira bites back the smirk that tried to come to his face when he thinks of all the food Sojiro had made the cat in the past as well as the multitude of cat toys Morgana had owned thanks to Sojiro, just so happening to see a deal on them.

Once he seemed satisfied that Akira understood the conditions set before him for him to be allowed to keep Morgana at all, the man turns towards the steps and without another word heads down them with a huff. Only once Sojiro is completely out of sight and there is no sound of the man making any form of return does the cat finally speak.

Slowly sitting back up on his rear, Morgana tilts his head curiously at Sojiro’s retreating form. “Was that the ruler of this place?” Akira frowned slightly at the words but shrugged instead of saying anything. “He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump.”

Akira’s frown grew once more and he turned away from Morgana as it did, pretending to busy himself with adjusting things on the nearby table. Being reminded Sojiro had done the bare minimum to make this place even hospitable because he had been expecting some degenerate who would attack people on the spot was never something that brought anything but unease and resentment he knew was misplaced.

“Then again I suppose to normal people I just sound like a meowing cat.” Akira was sure of Morgana could be smirking in this cat form he would be at this point, the sound of clear amusement coming from his as he says those words and suddenly his mind is looming back to that one June afternoon all over again and the acknowledgment of words that sealed Goro Akechi’s fate.

“Seriously, It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice…” Sojiro’s voice snapped Akira back to the world around him as he looked at the older man who he hadn’t even heard climb the stairs once again. Making his way over to the two of them Sojiro stops beside the bed to put down a steaming plate of freshly cooked noodles.

“Make sure you wash that dish.” Blunt and to the point Sojiro looks over Morgana as the cat excitedly and happily rushes to the plate to start eating the food that the older man had provided to him acting as he hadn’t eaten in days. Which, in hindsight, made a strange form of guilt run through Akira at that thought. Akira had known this time around Morgana didn’t have anywhere to go after they left him behind at Kamoshida’s palace and yet he left him there alone again, not even trying to offer the cat a place to stay for the night out of worry that it would cause something to happen. And yet here they were with Shiho awakening to a persona and not Ann, things had changed with or without Akira inviting Morgana back to his home for an extra day or two. Instead the cat had arguably gone without a comfortable place to sleep, anything to eat, for those two extra days. He himself had been miserable without his fluffy companion who people had come to associate with him from the sheer amount of time they spent together and none of it had been worth it when everything had changed anyways.

“By the way have you decided on a name?” Sojiro’s inquiry brought his thoughts back to the present and he glances over to see the other man staring at him somewhat expectantly. Ah right they still needed to name their new stray companion didn’t they. Even though by all means he already had a name long before Akira had ever met him.

Adjusting his glasses slightly he looks between the older man and then Morgana one more time before speaking. “It’s Morgana.”

“Morgana huh?” Clear disappointment littered Sojiro’s voice as the older man unfolded his arms from across his chest and an almost dejected look flashes across his face for a few moments as he says: “I was hoping I’d get to name it.”

And Akira knew from before that the man had wanted to name Morgana but he had never learned what it was exactly that the older man had planned to name their furry feline companion so this time around, he asked.

“What were you thinking?” Glancing to the older man but not actually fully turning to face him Akira still caught the melancholy look that came to Sojiro’s face as he reached up to adjust his own glasses this time rubbing at his eye for a second before quickly moving his glasses back to where they belong as if to hide the previous action.

“Wakaba.”

Oh.

An awkward air formed between the two of them then. A man mourning a lost loved one silently while a boy who would have had no way of knowing about who exactly that woman was stood nearby with no way to be able to provide the man even the smallest semblance of comfort other than:

“That sounds like a really wonderful name.”

“Yeah…it was.” Then the man is leaving and Akira for the first time in a while, can’t tell if he said the right thing or not.

Humming with a sense of superiority, completely missing the tense air that had filled the room only moments ago Morgana laughs as he takes a break from the food before him. “Looks like the chief likes me more than he likes you!” Snickering the cat's tail wags a little bit before he happily goes back to eating the rest of the food.

Akira sighs and finds himself idly twirling a piece of his hair as the cat chomps down loudly.

Most people like Morgana more than me…

Ma moitié A simple word meant to comfort him, to remind him he was wrong, but instead all it did was remind him of the part of him that everyone seemed to like more anyways.

Joker

Akira. Sterner this time Arsene all but growled his name and Akira sighed, rubbing a face across his face. Usually he was better at stopping the spiraling thoughts before they got too bad, too self deprecating. Maybe he was just tired? Today had been a long day filled with more expected turn of events than he had even the slightest idea where to start compartmentalizing.

Ryuji trying to use the metanav to skip further into the palace
Goro being in Kamoshida’s palace.
Shiho being in Kamoshida’s palace.
The two of them exploring the palace together.
Shiho awakening apparently to a persona when he wasn’t there at all.
Kamoshida’s shadow having new traps that they hadn’t encountered before.
Shiho seeming to trust Akechi more than she trusted the rest of them
Morgana offering to go with Shiho over him.

Everything was just…a lot

Deciding it was best to just get ready for bed Akira walks over to the box that holds every piece of clothing he has and the few personal effects he was allowed to bring with him. Digging into it he pulls out a few of his Shujin uniforms, setting them to the side on the couch before finally pulling out his spare set of night clothes. As he pulls them out a few of the items from his confidants come tumbling out as well having gotten caught in the fabric.

The loud clacking of the calculator as it hit the ground was enough to garner Morgana’s attention from where he was finishing up licking the plate. Hopping off the bed and trotting over Morgana looks at the items curiously, gently batting his paw against the calculator whose screen may be cracked now before his eyes fall to the magazine that had fallen not too far away as well.

“Oh my! Who is that?” Questions came instantly as he walked over to it, staring at the cover in an almost love struck manor. “She’s absolutely elegant! Beautiful! The epitome of grace!” Glancing over as he puts the rest of his Shujin uniforms back up, Akira quickly notices that Morgana is staring at the magazine that Ann had given to him with her picture on the front. It seemed Morgana’s crush was going to start before he even met the girl.

“A model.” He settles on a safe answer as he moves to pick up said magazine and the calculator. Turning to put them back up he doesn't notice immediately as Morgana gently paws something out from under the couch that had fallen there. Once out from under the couch again Morgana stared down at the rectangular piece of paper curiously.

Bright pink with a picture of a woman in a maid outfit blowing a kiss on it alongside the words. “Unlimited free Massages for my bestest master ever~” written on it.

“Hey Akira, what’s this?” Glancing over to see what it was exactly Morgana was asking about, Akira feels his face heat up instantly as he bends down and snatches the coupon off the floor with speed that rivaled him in the metaverse.

Nope Nope I am not explaining this to Morgana without context.

“Nothing important!” Shoving the coupon along with the other items back into the box and quickly closing it so he could shove it back onto the shelf Akira shakes his head. Ears still burning somewhat at the embarrassing concept of explaining to his cat that his homeroom teacher would occasionally come to his bedroom and give him massages while dressed like a young maid who acted like a cat girl sometimes.

Wow in hindsight that feels a lot more complicated than I remembered it being.

Shaking his head as if to refocus his thoughts away from his previous confidants that he still had to reestablish and instead to focus on the one right in front of him at this very moment that he had the chance to get close with again. His best buddy, his kitty cat, who didn’t remember him at all.

A frown hovered on his face but he quickly shook it away. There was no reason to let Morgana see him so upset already, especially when there was no way to explain to him exactly why he was upset.

Easy just tell him the truth and then go from there.

You and I both know that’s a horrible idea.

Akira is right. Informing anyone of our knowledge of a prior timeline at the present moment would do nothing but alienate us from our potential allies and at worst cause us even worse issues long term. For now our best choice is to keep quiet about it.

Considering how few times Santanel had bothered to chime in thus far Akira figured keeping this somewhat quiet was far more imperative than he even realized yet- well one part of him clearly had but that wasn’t the point. For now he would take Santanel’s word for what it was and keep things quiet. Garnering suspicion or distrust this early on would only inhibit him from doing what he had to do, take down asshole adults, save Goro, shoot a God in the face-

A sense of satisfaction flooded his chest at the memory that Akira was sure was coming from Santanel.

- and then only have to worry about taking one other God down, Emma. Only 2 Gods this time should be nothing and considerably easier considering he planned to avoid Maruki like the plague, no way in hell was he making his friends go through that a second time. Even though a cold heavy dread settled in his chest as he thought of the one adult he thought he could trust.

“Hey you should get ready for bed you know. We have a long day tomorrow if we’re going to have that meeting and still explore the palace.” Only here with him for one night and already Morgana was back to the mother hen he had always been when they first started exploring the other world together. Akira can’t help the soft smile that comes to his face at it and he simply nods in agreement.

“Sounds like a good idea buddy, I’ll be right back then. I’m going to go brush my teeth and get changed.”

✦

After Akira is finally settled in his bed, pajamas on and phone plugged into charge, he reaches over pulling the covers up to his chest before patting the spot on the bed next to him for the cat who was still sitting on the floor staring at him.

At the confirmation of permission Morgana hops onto the bed once again glancing around a bit before starting to kned at the bed to get comfortable on the bed. “If I’m being honest though, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida’s cells. Much roomier and for the most part considerably warmer.” Laughing softly with a shake of his head as if those extra days within the confines of Kamoshida’s palace had been nothing more than a small inconvenience and not a matter of life and death.

A moment of silence settled between them for a moment as Akira slowly relaxed onto his milk carton bed once more. As he starts to let his eyes slowly slide closed he hears Morgana talking again so he forces his eyes to stay open. “Remember how you guys asked me about what I am?” Morgana hums as his back leg scratches his head without him even seeming to realize it was happening at all. “The truth is I don’t remember anything about my birth. I think the metaverse distortions made me lose my memories and my true form.”

Morgana continued to explain to him not knowing Akira was well aware of exactly what it was exactly Morgana was technically. But explaining that to him was unlikely to get a positive reaction much like Santanel had said and he’d rather not lose trust with one of his closest companions when they’d only just been reunited. Hell would Morgana think he was making fun of him if he told him he was supposedly the formation of the entirety of the people’s hope? Instead he fell back to a light tease to maybe calm the cat down, who was currently digging his claws into his blanket as if it had stolen away his memories and not Yaldabaoth.

“Is that form a cat?”

Instantly Morgana is on his feet looking at Akira, clearly appalled at the suggestion. “No! It has to be human! I mean why else would a cat be able to talk like this. There’s no other explanation!”

Akira forces himself not to make a face at that. If Morgana’s defense though if he had told himself a year ago that his conveniently talking feline friend was the personification of the hope of humanity and with his help alongside his friends that he would shoot God in the face at the instruction of a man with a long nose and a little girl from a room shaped like a jail that resided in his heart well…

Honestly it wouldn’t have been the craziest story but he certainly wouldn’t have believed him, though he would have to admit he would have commended him for his creativity.

“Let me make myself clear. You taking care of me won't be for nothing it’ll be give and take. Due to my knowledgeable and dexterous nature. I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools.” Oh Morgana had apparently kept talking while he was lost in thought.

Deciding it was best to play dumb for the moment as he slowly moved his hand to slide a few of the lock picks he’d already made that were sitting on the window sill further back so they weren’t as visible. “Really?”

Grinning in a way only Morgana could somehow make a normal cat’s face do, he looks smug for a moment and quickly says. “Whoa I can't tell you more unless we settle on a deal. In exchange for you keeping me here. I’ll teach you about these tools. How does that sound?” Akira thinks over the concept of having to pretend to be a really fast learner or purposefully fumble and break a few would be lock picks to make it believable.

Oh, that also meant he couldn’t use his Eternal Lockpick. Finding 10 different vials of literal liquid mercury hadn’t been easy, even with the random and wild variety of loot the shadows within Mementos would occasionally drop after a fight, it had taken literal months to collect enough to make the lockpick under Morgana’s tutelage. Knowing he wouldn’t actually be able to use it without raising suspicion on why exactly he had such a piece of equipment already, Akira let out a small resigned sigh. He’d at least keep it in his pockets, just in case they absolutely needed it.

Noticing Morgana had stopped talking, Akira glances back at the cat once more and nods.

“Let’s do this.”

Tail thumping against the bed a few times Morgana smiles wildly at Akira’s words before laughing loudly, joyfully.

“I like that answer! Hehehehehehe Then it’s a deal!”

Morgana purrs softly as he stamps around in a circle a few times before laying down in the spot.

“Alright I'm gonna stick with you wherever you go from today on.” Declaring it as if it were a fact, which it was but Morgana didn’t know that, at least not yet. “I expect great things from you. Don’t let me down okay?” Akira smiles softly at that as Morgana lets his eyes close.

Hesitantly Akira lets his hand gently pet his way down Morgana’s head and his back, the soft fur feeling just as familiar as it always had. He’d really missed his kitty in the few days they had been apart…and now he was finally home again beside him. And despite how crazy everything else had been that day and how much he had to do tomorrow…

For tonight, as Morgana purred against his hand, this was enough.

Pulling at the edges of his gloves once again when the train finally came to a complete stop Goro took a deep breath to settle his nerves as he stood and made his way off the train not bothering to hide his face. It was unlikely anyone in the cabin recognized him, after all it was mainly filled with nearly passed out old drunks and a few maids here and there.

The amount of activity around him the moment he stepped off the train though was a stark difference to previous moments as numerous groups of people rushed towards their destinations together loudly chattering about their plans for the night all the while people with signs tried to direct them up the stairs and off towards their specific stores. Brushing easily past all the advertisers and keeping his head low as he passed one patrolling cop he stepped out onto the main street.

The area was a buzz with nightlife as people milled about here and there. Wanna be idols blowing kisses at disgruntled unkempt office workers who were aiming to end their night far more plastered than they had started it finding more enjoyment in the bottom of a bottle than they did in anything they did during the day. Hosts doing their best to encourage anyone and everyone into their bars over the nearby competitors offering deals on booze and smoking areas.

Knowing loitering around for too long was bound to draw unwanted attention he quickly made his way further into the district, off towards his main goal of the night. He’d long since changed out of his school uniform having no interest in peaking the interest of the local police. Detective working with the police or not, he was still only 17, and the police, schools, and many others didn’t look highly upon people his age being out this late at night, especially in a place like Shinjuku.

As he passed the first side alley he glanced over and noticed a woman in a purple dress sitting at a small table. Tilting her head almost curiously she stared at him intently as if seeing something that no one else could and Goro instantly felt perceived in a way that left him on the verge of uncomfortable despite how little the woman had done. Quickly looking away from her he continued on towards his goal but he could still feel the way her eyes followed after him long after he let himself be swept away by the crowd until he finally came to a stop at a small entryway that included a single door forwards or a set of stairs off somewhere else. .

Glancing up at the bright pink sign of Crossroads bar and then down to the nearly gaudy yellow signs lining either side of the entrance Goro debated leaving for the fifth time in 10 minutes. The likelihood this ended up being a dead end was far greater than it actually revealing any information he wanted. But he was already here and leaving empty handed without even trying would sit as a defeat to him more than anything. If he was going to find out anything about Kayo Murakami then his search had to start here -in this seedy little bar at the back of the Shinjuku district well past midnight.

Sparing one last glance at the paper in his hand with the singular name written on it: Ichiko Ohya, Goro walked up to the doors and made his way into the bar hopefully to get more answers.

Chapter Text

Goro huffs as he slowly walks into the overhang area. Grabbing a hold of the gaudy golden handle, Goro takes one last glance behind him before pressing the door open and walking into the room. The first thing that strikes his attention is the dim lighting of the room, lit only by the red lights of the hanging signs and untoned lighting beneath the shelves lined with booze. Bar stools lining the main bar across from what appeared to be more private booths with curtains meant to obstruct view from anyone who were to try and peep in with prying eyes. Noticing the woman standing behind the bar as she chatted with an intoxicated patron, Goro took a moment to settle himself with a deep breath before stepping over the threshold.

Instantly the rush of noise from the outside world was sealed away and the noise of the bar enveloped his senses instead. The clatter of clinking glasses as the few patrons drank away their sorrows, the drunken mutterings from some while others just made annoyed groans and whines as they drank. Alongside all the other noise, quiet music filled the room as well that Goro was quick to pick up that he’d heard before. Shrugging off the small spark of surprise that had nested in his chest at the recognition at the quiet buzz of the music in the background Goro takes a few more steps further into the room. Taking note of how the only people who bothered to even look up toward him in the doorway were the bartender and a woman in a dark shirt all but slumped across the counter. Sparing himself a quick moment Goro quickly scanned  the faces of the remainder of the drunken crowd to ensure none of them have any sort of relation with Shido that could result in his appearance at this bar of all places being relayed back to Shido himself—

“...How old are you, boy?” Train of thought broken instantly, Goro’s eyes snapped to the woman behind the counter whose attention was now solely focused on him.

19 His mind instantly relayed to him, but he didn’t speak up. For one, mentioning that age when he still appeared to those around him as a minor was a quick way to get himself thrown out before he could ask any questions and the second reason being despite the years he’d lived having an additional 16 months added to them, his current ID wouldn’t reflect that at all.

The complications of time travel are far more widespread than we originally accounted for. Annoyed grumbling came to his mind in a near instant as well, seeming to have put together the same line of thought as Goro had moments ago.

Would flashing his arguably fake badge here be the best option? Sure, he worked with the police, but the badge he carried in his wallet was all for show and held no weight to itself at all. A pretty paper weight at best whose appearance was meant to appease those around him.

How adept a description.

Electing to ignore Robin’s unnecessary comment, Goro took one deep breath to calm himself as he stepped further into the establishment under the watchful eye of the bartender he still hadn’t answered. Knowing his time was running out, he simply walked over to the bar, close enough where hopefully only the bartender would be able to hear him muttering:

“I’m here looking for someone by the name of Ohya? I was told she was a reporter who may be able to assist me on a few professional matters.”

Instantly, the bartender’s eyes narrowed, looking him up and down a few times in a condemnatory fashion. For a moment, Goro felt a seed of dread form in his chest that he said the wrong thing and flushed his chances of finding any answers here down the drain. Before either of them could say anything more, however, the man currently sloshing half of his drink over the bar about a foot away spoke instead.

“H-Hey….aint you that…that uhhh etectivvvve kid er somethin?” Slurring every word with a clear indication that he’d drank more than his fair share before he knocked back yet another shot before continuing his slurred one sided conversation. “Seen you on TV….I’ve seen you URP—” A burp ripped itself from him mid-sentence, but he didn’t let that stop him. “You uh like solve things and shit with….with the police er somethin’, right?”

Goro tensed. Being spotted in a seedy place like this and immediately recognized by someone completely plastered was not the way he had intended for this night to go. Eyes looking toward the door, Goro began to wonder if cutting his losses and attempting to find another way to approach the woman in question was a wiser decision than standing here just asking for other people in the bar to notice him. Especially with how loudly the man before him was while slurring his words, any concept of volume control lost to the bottom of the bottle he currently had his hand wrapped around.

As if able to sense what the boy was thinking, the bartender spoke up then and shook her head.

“Listen kid, I don’t know what business you have with her but she isn’t in at the moment so—”

“LALA-CHAN, stop flirting with the clien-clientells-client….the people here and get me another drink!” A giggling voice called from the end of the bar. A moment later a woman who matched the picture Goro had found in the police database for one Ichiko Ohya, was flopping over and waving the glass she was holding in her hand. “Come oooonnnn my cup is basically dry. Don’t leave your absolute best customer waiitttinnnggg.”

Goro offered her a polite smile while the bartender rubbed her face tiredly before pointing for him to sit then without a word turning and walking back across the bar. Almost as if he wasn’t even there, the bartender—Lala, if the name the drunken woman had been calling her was to be believed—went back to serving drinks to a few people. Pressing a drink into the hand of the drunken man near Goro to distract him before turning and mixing a few more customers' drinks until she finally reached the other end of the bar where Ohya flopped across the bar giggling at her. Shaking her head a bit, Lala bent down to whisper something to Ohya, cupping a hand over her mouth to prevent anyone from reading what she was saying.

Goro watched curiously as a range of emotions went across the drunken woman’s face: surprise, anger, confusion, were just a few that Goro could recognize in that small span of a few moments as Lala slid her another glass, clear instead of the muddy, darkened colors of her previous drink. Perhaps water, with how easily the woman downed the entirety of the cup, or perhaps she was just more of an alcoholic than Goro could have imagined, being able to down an entire cup of vodka like that. Though for the sake of the woman’s liver, he quietly hoped it was the prior and not the latter.

Sighing and sliding Ohya one more glass, the barkeeper then turned and locked eyes with Goro before simply jerking a thumb back to indicate a door tucked away at the back corner of the bar, close to a dart board that had caught Goro’s eye when he’d first walked inside. Goro had to hand it to her, the coloring of the door, the placement, and the lighting did a good job of disguising it into the wall to the point that if it hadn’t been directly pointed out to him he may have very well missed it without getting any closer. His attention was drawn back to the bartender when she jerked her thumb at it again then looked away from him completely as if he didn’t exist and never had.

Goro had worked with Shido and the other people in his line of work for long enough to understand a silent order when he saw one.For a moment he considered ignoring it, just to be stubborn, to show he couldn’t be bossed around by any random adult who happened to be older than him.

Do you want answers or not?

Annoyance rumbled around in his mind that Loki was right. Goro wanted answers, more than he cared to admit, as he stubbornly sat in this uncomfortable chair. After a quick middle finger to Loki, Goro stood and quietly made his way down the hall of the bar. Ducking beneath the swung out arms of loud drunkards and weaving his way between seats sitting half in the walkway as the patrons laugh or reach out to try and chat, Goro ignored them all, making himself as small as possible for the moment.

Hesitating at the end of the bar, Goro finds himself looking towards Ohya once more before noticing Lala jerking her head in the door’s direction, gaze lingering on him out of the corner of her eye, urging him to head into the backroom. Steeling himself for whatever could be behind the door, Goro crosses the last few feet toward it before grabbing the knob and slipping inside hopefully before anyone but Lala notices.

Glancing around the room Goro now finds himself in; he's surprised to find an impressively large space. Half of the room seems to operate as a storage room, rows and rows of bottles lined on shelves alongside mixers, extra glasses, napkins and more boxes. The other half of the room is a bit more surprising to Goro, a small couch nestled into a corner along with a side table and a small tv. Perhaps this room was meant to operate as a break room of sorts for Lala on long nights, though it had appeared she had no help so Goro isn’t sure she’d be able to take breaks at all. Glancing around, he quickly spots a singular chair near the couch as well and decides that was probably the best place to wait for Lala; he takes a seat there.

Pulling out his phone, he fights back a flinch when he notices the time. Perhaps he can simply skip school tomorrow with the excuse of a canceled magazine photo shoot or perhaps an interview, the school was gullible enough to believe either story. Either way, Goro finds it less and less likely with the passing minutes that he will have any desire to force himself through a day of socializing at his school before being forced to meet with Kurusu and his band of misfit toys that now included someone new. A piece to the puzzle Goro hadn’t been prepared for, especially when said piece had offered him companionship despite witnessing Loki’s power first hand. 

While she had seemed soft spoken and perhaps even a pushover to begin with, Shiho Suzui had proven herself during their time within the walls of the palace. Eyes blazing with a passion and determination that was hard to replicate and Goro found wondering where the girl had been during their last game of cat and mouse. Deciding after a moment that occupying his mind with Akira and his companions would do nothing but wear on his already paper thin emotions, Goro instead decides to focus on something else instead.

Kayo Murakami.

A name that sat in the back of his mind the same as every other name that had ever been sent to him for his second job . A young reporter, a hit he had once taken, and now one of the biggest lingering mysteries Goro didn’t have the answers to no matter how hard he searched. Even after looking through the poorly put together police file on her, Goro felt no closer to knowing the truth of what happened on the night of the shut down than he had previously. Running through what he did know felt like it simply left him in a maze filled only with dead ends and no way out.

Kayo Murakami, age 26, Originally from Okinawa but moved to Odaiba after graduating college along with her roommates who lost contact with her after she was employed by the News company she had worked for at the time of her disappearance. Occupation Reporter. Known for getting too close to certain stories and pushing the boundaries of others, she was well respected in her field if not a bit resented at times by her peers for her unwillingness to back down from difficult stories no matter what the price. Presently missing and assumed deceased. After following a story on a politician it was reported she snapped under the pressure of trying to find a story where there was none and attempted to murder the politician with the intent to stage it as a one night stand gone wrong for him but instead the politician had managed to fight her off and she had been missing ever since. The crime scene photos showed more than enough blood to assume that the woman had not made it very far before succumbing to any wounds that may have been made to her in self defense but a body had never been found and the case had been left to gather dust on a shelf in the back of the police evidence locker alongside all of the other cold cases the police simply didn’t have evidence for or had decided they had better things to do.

Better things to do or perhaps they had reasons from a certain bald headed annoyance to keep everything under wraps instead. Goro feels a growl of annoyance bubble up from inside of him  at the thought of just how many of the police he worked with on a daily basis that his father had sat snuggly in his pocket.

Not that Goro had any right to be throwing stones when he stood in a glass house, sitting just as trapped inside of Shido’s coat as the rest of them before this. A pawn to be used to strike down the defenses of those who aimed for Shido, strong when used right and yet disposable at a moments notice. In his previous run his eyes had been blinded to the truth but now he could see through all the smoke and mirrors his father had placed before him. Now his vision was clear and he would not fail this time to drag the man into the gutters where he belonged. To ensure Masayoshi Shido suffered just as much as all the other people around him had, Goro knew he would give everything he had.

Suddenly, just for a moment as he sits there, Goro would have sworn the world around him shifted ever so slightly, twisting and blurring around him before snapping back into place like a rubber band pulled too tight. Blinking a few times and reaching up to rub at his eyes, Goro glances around the room but absolutely nothing seemed any different. Sitting quietly he waits for something to make itself known but when the silence around him persists he simply shakes his head and turns his attention back to his phone. Perhaps he was just more tired than he thought.

Opening the Featherman App he scrolled over to the episode list to see what episodes were meant to air today. A very small tinge of annoyance ran through him as he strolled through the episode list that he was here at the moment instead of sitting at home watching the marathon. And wow what a weird experience it was to see NEW next to an episode name or COMING NEXT WEEK and yet he knew he could recite the plot for each one.

No he wasn’t a big Featherman nerd. He just…appreciated the cinematic themes that the show presented in a fashion that any age could understand and had a memory that made it easy to remember each episode without any trouble. He definitely hadn’t watched each of those episodes multiple times to the point he could recite what the characters were going to say as they said it. That would be ridiculous…

Goro idly flips through the app for a while before finding an older episode to fill his time while he waits for whatever it was that the bartender had planned for him. Hopefully just a talk but if not Goro‘s pocket knife sat comfortably in his pants waiting to be used at a moment’s notice.  It was one he’d bought off some man in all black in the side alley of Kichijoji in exchange for a bread roll he’d bought from the store in the train station. A strange deal but one he had accepted at the leisure of having a small and easily hideable weapon on his person at almost all times. 

About 4 episodes in, Goro quickly perked up at the sound of the door handle to the room being jiggled a bit as if someone were struggling to open it. Struggling? If it were the bartender she shouldn’t have any issue getting inside her own storage room. Closing his phone and glancing up to it Goro’s hand hovered over his pant’s pocket. Had the bartender been a plant? Had they sold Goro out? Had there been a person among the crowd he hadn’t recognized?

If the cleaner was here for him then he wasn’t going down without a fight. Hand sliding into his pocket as the door opened Goro clutched the pocket knife tightly before the rush of adrenaline left him all at once at the picture before him.

There was Lala holding an arm full of empty boxes. Balancing them easily enough now that she had finally managed to get the door open without being able to see past the wall the items in her arms made. Walking in and barely sparing Goro a glance despite the way his own eyes lingered on the woman, Lala strolls past him and to the other side of the room depositing the boxes beside a small pile of other ones, presumably to be cut up and disposed of later, before turning her attention to the little couch nestled in the corner.

Goro watches with  growing curiosity and confusion as she pulls the cushions off of it one by one before she reaches down into it to grab something. For a moment Goro’s entire body tenses as if expecting a weapon to materialize in Lala’s hand from within the couch. That was until Lala steps backwards, pulling with her a metal frame of sorts with a thin mattress tucked inside of it that unfolds moments later into a bed right before Goro’s eyes.

Oh the couch must have been a sleeper sofa, Goro hadn’t even considered that possibility.

Tossing the cushions off to the side Lala stood once more leaning over to the little table nearby and picking up what looked like a little black box, which Goro quickly recognized as a remote. Without a word Lala strolls over and quietly sits the remote next to Goro as a silent invitation before she turns and walks over to a shelf, pulling blankets and 2 pillows from a box there setting them on the end of the now existent bed. Goro knows he wants to say something to her but for the moment what exactly he wants to say is lost to him. Instead he sits silently and watches as Lala walks over to a different shelf this time, grabbing a bottle from it, and then without a word leaves the room once more.

Goro can feel his confusion growing, alongside the ever present annoyance. If the woman intended to avoid Goro’s questions then inviting him into the backroom seemed somewhat counterproductive all and all. Plus the silent invitation to make himself somewhat comfortable by offering him the remote to the nearby tv seemed unnecessary as well. That was unless she was simply trying to trick him into lowering his guard.

Eyeing the remote, Goro debates standing up and marching his way back out of this bar at this point. Wasting time here when it was appearing to be a dead end after all was starting to wear at Goro’s somewhat already frayed patience from today. Between the drunks he was forced to deal with on the way here and then the way the bartender just seemed perfectly content to keep him waiting without so much as a word, Goro could feel what little patience he still has left slowly slipping away.

Coming all the way here, seeing her and then leaving without answers you’ll hate yourself in the morning.

More than you already do.

Give it a few moments more. Let our efforts not be in vain.

You can sleep after we get answers.

Goro huffs at their points before leaning back in the chair he was sitting in and flipping on the tv. For a moment only static fills the screen before it finally clears up to a random channel with a man with black hair, a red tie, and a gray suit selling jewelry. Finding no interest there Goro starts flipping through the channels one after another. As he stops for a moment on a news channel,Goro finds himself rolling his eyes as they report for what felt like the hundredth time on the train derailing.

‘A miracle’ , they kept calling it but it didn't feel like that to Goro, not at all. Sighing, he presses the channel up button until he finds a station that had an episode of Featherman playing on it. Glancing around as if to ensure no one else was secretly around watching him and that there were no cameras in the room, Goro finds himself sliding his chair forwards until he is a fair bit closer to the TV screen.

Slowly starting to really relax as he stares at the screen Goro can’t help the small smile that tugs at the end of his lips as he watches the team standing before the villain of the week and proclaiming that they were going to take them down. Goro watches episode after episode before his attention is snagged away from the massive battle on screen as his body let out a rather involuntary yawn. Eyes clenching closed for a moment as his hand moves up to cover his mouth, Goro finds his previous tiredness making itself known once more.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket once again, he spares a quick glance at the time. Immediately Goro feels his lips pulled down into a  frown, instead of the smile that had come from the Featherman marathon, when he notices it was nearing almost 3am now. Oh school was going to be hell today if he did end up bothering to go after all but at least the trains would hopefully be near blissfully empty once they started back up at 5am, if he caught the first one at least.  What he was going to do until 5am in this section of town he wasn’t sure yet considering the less than savory kind of deals that tended to go on in the back alleys of this area.

Taking a taxi would be too much of a change this early on with how traceable it would be on his finances since goro hadn’t risked carrying cash on him to come here and any kind of transactions appearing on the card Shido had given him could result in alerting the man to his actions. Shido wondering what he was doing out and about this late at night would only cause more issues for him in the long run.

If the piece of shit even bothered to pay attention. His arrogance over the control he believes he has over you knows no bounds if the one who stole your face was to be believed.

Drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves this early on would be unwise. Waiting for a train would be the wiser decision

Goro lets out a tired sigh but knows he agrees with both personas and turns his attention back to the tv when he hears the characters all loudly cheering for defeating the henchmen. That meant it was time for the big bad of the episode to make his appearance and-

Goro jolts harshly as the sound of the door creaking open echoes through the room. Scrambling quickly for the remote he turns the TV off before turning to see who it was entering. His mind was far too occupied with trying to prevent someone from catching him enjoying one of the few things he had left to himself that he hadn’t even thought to check the threat first.

Idiot. He scolds himself mentally for not focusing on the threat first, hadn’t he learned that lesson yet.

When his eyes finally land on the door he is quick to recognize Lala standing there looking at him with a raised eyebrow as if to question what his scrambling had been for. Instead of saying anything however, she simply shrugs, seeming content  not to comment on it. It’s then Goro takes in everything before him.

There in Lala’s arms was the woman Goro had come to the bar to question to begin with being no help to the bartender whatsoever as the woman tries to use her hip to knock the door further open and step inside. Ohya’s camera hangs by the strap from one of the bartender's hands since the woman in turn was simply dead weight in Lala’s arms, clearly too inebriated to realize what was going on around her or perhaps even completely unconscious. Lala sighs as she finally manages to make it into the room without incident. After kicking the door closed, walking past Goro, and all but dropping the incredibly intoxicated woman onto the fold out couch bed, Lala moves over to the bedside table to very gently place down the camera.

She certainly treats that camera far gentler than she did the reporter it seems.

Once the camera had been sat down far from any edge it could fall from, Lala turned her attention back to him for the first time since she had indicated to him to enter this room to begin with nearly two and a half hours ago.

“Look kid…She’s not much in the right mind for talking tonight so I want you to be blunt with me and explain why exactly you’re here and what intention you have for her considering I’m aware of your affiliation with the cops.” Lala speaks, arms crossed as she did, looking down on Goro as if to intimidate him. Goro mentally rolled his eyes at the intent but seeing the way Lala stands between him and Ohya, he quickly deciphered the action less as one of ego but more of protectiveness and Goro feels himself untense ever so slightly. Lala’s attitude wasn’t about who he was but who he was affiliated with, and considering the things the cops in this city got away with Goro couldn’t entirely blame her for her stand-offish attitude towards him.

Perhaps vague honesty with a few lies sprinkled in here and there would be enough to gain this woman’s trust and ensure he wouldn’t be rudely thrown out on the streets after waiting so many hours just to speak to her. Goro picks up the remote to turn the TV off before turning his attention back to the woman before him.

“Kayo Murakami has been missing for a few months now and the police have had no luck pinpointing her location to the point that it would be considered a cold case. However I heard that her partner from the news had become something of a bother to the local police force with her reluctance to give up on the case.” Watching as Lala lips turn down at the word bother Goro takes only a second before continuing. “I, however, agree with her.” A look of surprise passed across Lala’s face for only a moment before being schooled back into the neutral look she was trying to stick to.

"You agree with her?” Parroting back his statement as if to be sure she had heard him correctly. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Just as it sounds.” Goro looks to the sleeping reporter then back to the bartender. “I believe there was more to Kayo Murakami’s disappearance than a woman who unexpectedly tried to kill a politician without cause. There are too many discrepancies between supposed witness statements and what the people who knew Murakami have said about her character. Alongside that information, the footage from the cameras at the hotel where this took place had been mysteriously misplaced. I would mention more but as it is still technically an open case at the moment I find I cannot disclose any more information that I have on it without risking my position.”

Goro watched a variety of different emotions cross the woman’s face as he spoke before settling on a seemingly strategic indifference as she uncrossed her arms.

“If you believe her then what are you doing here? Clearly you already know more than she does.” Guarded, perhaps even angry,  as she spoke.

“I, in fact, know very little when the police consistently sideline the investigation. You’ll find they are far more interested in it gaining cobwebs rather than the actual truth of the matter. I believe, however, given my current record of solving crimes that I can get to the bottom of this mystery with the help of your friend.” Goro sits up a little bit straighter in his chair as he speaks as if that alone will manage to win the woman in front of him over to his side.

“Wouldn’t this be a conflict of interest if your bosses don’t seem to want to investigate it?”

Damn her for being perceptive and intelligent . Goro was far more used to the gullible sheep of society who only needed a flash of a pretty smile and a few sweet words to sway their opinions to his favor. Meanwhile it seemed Lala would need more convincing than just sugar coated lies and empty promises.

“That is why I am here alone at night without anyone else.” Goro explained with a smile. “I believe it best for my presence here to remain mostly under wraps if we are to get to the bottom of this mystery. I wouldn’t want my boss and colleges to find out I was going behind their backs before we can figure out why Ms. Murakami was targeted-”

“You think she was targeted?” Cut off immediately at the words, a fair indication that the bartender truly was listening to his words and considering what he was proposing.

“While I have no proper evidence of this at the moment-” Goro begins, listening to Robin’s quiet scoff in the back of his mind as they all think of the singular message with the woman in question's name that sat within Goro’s phone. “-but reporters in the past have often been the targets of both verbal slander and physical assault when they have dug too deep into a story that someone didn’t want public.” Goro could tell from the look on her face he was close to convincing her now. “Wouldn’t you say leaving this mystery open ended would only put your friend Ohya-san in even more danger than she already is as she tries to investigate alone?”

Seeming to contemplate his answer for a while Lala’s eyes lingered on him, looking him up and down as if trying to see something she couldn’t see previously before finally sighing. Arms crossing Lala glances over to Ohya who had started to snore a little louder now before looking back at Goro.

“You do unfortunately have a point. At this rate she is more likely to end up getting herself injured if not killed. While I may not entirely trust you yet you do appear to have good intentions though I haven’t been able to figure out what it is you are gaining from this.”

“My sole interest is uncovering the truth.” Rehearsed words coming from him far too easily. The same words he had spoken time and again while working alongside the people he had been destined to betray. An answer he clung to as a way to justify all that he was doing, all the things he had done .

Eyes across from him narrowed at the easy response before she sighed once more. “That’s a fair answer though it feels far more like a rather rehearsed ideology than something spoken from your heart dollface.” Lala muttered to him as if seeing right through his words and into his soul. Instantly Goro felt pinned in place, body tensing, ready to make a break for it if he had to. “Anyways, your real reasoning for all of this must be important to you for you to hang out in a place like this so late at night so I’ll hear you out. You want to help Ichiko find answers, actual answers , then very well you have my approval and my assistance with whatever you need darling.”

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and ensure he didn’t show any of the temporary distress that had flooded his veins at her words, Goro nods. “Sounds like we have come to an agreement then. I will assist Ohya-san on her investigation while keeping it under wraps from the police and she will help me solve a case that even the police dismissed.”

“And I’ll do my best to make sure neither of you end up getting into more trouble than you should dollface.”
Goro resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the tone coming from the woman, acting as if she were his moth- acting as if she were someone who had the authority to scold him. Goro instead simply offers her a polite smile and reaches his hand out for her to shake. ”It’s a deal.”

Lala smiled a bit at that and took his hand into her own shaking it for a moment before pulling back. “Well then, it seems we’ve come to an agreement dollface.”

“Please stop calling me that.” Words coming from him before he gave them much thought.

That in turn earns a quick chuckle from Lala whose smile only grew wider. “If that one doesn’t suit you I have plenty of other names, pretty boy.”

“Akechi. My name is Goro Akechi.” Quickly offering his name with the hopes of placating her enough that she would quit with the nicknames. Despite the growing frustrations at her words, Goro finds himself looking off to the side somewhat embarrassedly as Lala coos yet another nickname his way. When was the last time someone had given him a nickname that wasn’t Sketchy Kechi or… little bird .

Seeming to notice how he didn’t  like any of the previous nicknames, Lala pouts for a moment before suddenly perking up, a gleam in her eye. “Satoshi-san mentioned you were apparently a pretty well known detective so how about Detective Dollface then?”

Goro has to force himself not to make a face at the name but his silence seems to speak enough for him and Lala chuckles once more at his expense. “Fine Akechi-kun, I’ll drop dollface but you’re stuck with pretty boy.” Lala says pointing at his chest as she speaks before she crosses her arms once more, hands sliding into the sleeve of the opposite arm to hide them away from sight.

Goro wants to argue more against the use of such frivolous nicknames but the sound of groaning fills the air as Ohya turns over on the makeshift bed and kicks the blanket off of herself. Before Goro can say anything, Lala sighs as she walks over and bends down to pick the blanket back up.

“She is going to have quite the hangover tomorrow and it’s completely her own fault.” Shaking her head Lala looks at the woman with a face of disapproval and perhaps slight disappointment.

“You were the one who served her those drinks. One could make the argument that you were the cause of her hangover.” Goro points out as his eyes lingered on the black haired woman as well.

Lala laughed at that comment, her face slowly turning from the disappointed frown to something far more lighthearted and perhaps amused. “I like you kid, you’ve got guts to say things others don’t.”

Goro certainly hadn’t been expecting that kind of reaction from the woman after essentially calling her an irresponsible business owner in a more roundabout way. She however seemed to take the backhanded statement and roll with it as if it were no problem at all.

Being a bartender must give someone pretty thick skin it seems.

“I should probably take my leave now then.” Goro finds himself saying after a moment. “Taxis are only bound to grow more expense as the hour grows later so if Ohya-san is unable to speak right now then I should-”

“Look pretty boy I’ll take a guess you don’t live within walking distance of here do you?” Lala spoke as if it were a fact, less a question and more of a statement. Looking back to Ohya she threw the cover over the restless reporter once more. “Look you can stay here till the trains start back up but if even a single bottle of liquor goes missing-”

“I can assure you I have no interest in such things, especially considering the legality of me partaking in such substances.” Goro cut her off. Offering her one of his princely smiles as he spoke but still it felt like she saw right through it unlike others he had offered the same smile to.

“Either way,” Lala begins as she shuffles over to a keyring hook located just by the door, “Just let her sleep for tonight and we’ll arrange a time for you to talk with her later. You can even use the backroom here if you’re worried about people seeing you in a bar late at night. I know your reputation is everything to you idols and–”

Goro felt himself bristling at that comment instinctively. He wasn’t an idol. He worked for what he had gained, sure some of it was fake with a few of the cases having been caused by him before being subsequently solved, but there were more than a handful of cases Goro had spent hours upon hours stewing over. Multiple near sleepless nights spent working on a case that inevitably the police themselves would take credit for despite having their own heads so far up their own asses they could see out their mouths. Hours upon days upon weeks of work that had gone into creating a personality people could easily consume so that he could get deeper into the dark pits of mementos did not mean he was an idol.

“-Whatever you say Kid.” The woman's words brought him back to the real world. Blinking a couple of times as everything pieces together and catches up to him. It’s only then he realizes he has spoken out loud while his thoughts had bounced around internally.

“I am not an idol.” Words that had slipped from his mouth instinctively to protect his own pride. Words Goro hadn’t even realized he’d said until Lala dismissed him as she moved to grab something from a nearby shelf. Goro could feel his cheeks warm much to his chagrin at his little slip up.

Smooth.

Shut up!

Goro knew at that moment if he could pummel his own personas he would.

“Anyways if for any reason something does happen I live just upstairs. I’m sure you saw the stairs to it on the way in.” Lala explains as she slips off her work shoes and steps into a different pair that were sitting there just by the exit. Glancing back at Goro she offers him a knowing smile. “Ohya tends to sleep pretty heavily after she’s drunk a fair bit so the television isn’t likely to wake her up. Enjoy the Featherman marathon kid.”

Goro could feel the embarrassed flush on his cheeks nearly immediately at that but he bit back any kind of response as she chuckled at him and headed out the door. Once the door was closed and locked behind her Goro let his head thunk against the back of the chair groaning miserably.

So she had caught him watching the show. Great . Groaning miserably he runs a hand down his face, silently hoping she wouldn’t spare that knowledge to anyone else. The last thing he needed were headlines reading: *Detective Prince actually Nerd Prince all along? Featherman Superfan!*

He’d never heard the end of it from his fans and especially the thieves- oh well…He supposed he didn’t really have to worry about their reactions anymore. It wasn’t like they were friends of his anyways. Both times they had worked together was towards a mutually beneficial goal, nothing more. Plus the entire time they were working together in Sae’s palace they had all been against him from the start. How he hadn’t managed to see through them was beyond him. Perhaps his ego truly had blinded him at the time considering even Sakamoto or Takamaki had never even come up on his radar as individuals keeping things from him.

Sure he’d learned fairly quickly that he couldn’t begin to guess how the mind of Akira Kurusu worked and maybe he’d elected to avoid Futaba Sakura more times than not with the goal of not dredging up bad memories for either of them. But to have been fooled by thieves who couldn’t keep secrets and were unable to lie convincingly?

What a sham to the Detective Prince moniker he was before but now, now he would prove he was deserving of the title. Show everyone just how skilled he was even if others stood in his way. Prove to his father that he held no power over him, not this time. Goro Akechi would get the last laugh.  But for the moment, as he picks up the remote and flipped the television back on, he’d enjoy the Featherman marathon.

Cold, it was so cold. Why was it so cold?

“Jo-”

What was that? Voices?

“Joke-"

Someone calling out for him?

“- oker!”

It all felt so far away and yet so close.

“JOKER!”

Eyes snapping open at the sound of his team mates' cries, Akira quickly shakes his head, blinking back the dizziness that had washed over him.

Where?

Where was he?

Blinking a few more times, the world around him comes back sharply. Excruciating pain in his hands, cold salty trails down his face, throat burning, vision flooded with the taunting steel before him. Large and imposing before him the red symbol stares down at him in a way that Akira was sure it would be sneering at him if it could, single eye staring.

Hands slamming into the metal before him once more without any command from him, he inhales sharply at the pain that shoots through them and up his arm. But even then his hands pulled back once more to try and slam back against the metal when another set of hands grabbed him instead. Instantly he was thrashing in the grip as yet another pair of arms wrapped around him, this time around his chest trying their best to drag him back and away from the steel wall before him.

“Joker please!” A voice yelled as he tried his best to retch his arm back and away. Had to get back, had to get through. Had to get to him.

He had to.

Another voice is screaming as pain tears through his throat once more and it’s only then does his brain process it’s him who is screaming, bellowing from the top of his lungs desperately. Screaming to the world as if that would be enough for him to pass through the wall that now separated them.

Separated him from Goro.

“LET ME GO!” A Ragged voice ripped from his throat as he screamed, thrashing in the arms that held him.

Akira just had to get there too.

   

Further

  Leaving him to die alone.

Harsh metal looming before him tauntingly. Bright red symbol staring back at him from the one thing separating them from the one thing he desperately needed to get to . A single eye and two hands holding the entire world there in front of him.

Trapped behind the symbol.

He had to get to Goro.

Save him.

Save him.
                                                                                                                              SaVE HIM
                                                                Save Him                                                                                                                         sAVE HIm
                                                                                                         savE HIm
                                   SaVe HIm                                                                                                  Save Him

Save him.
                                                                     SaVE HIM
                                                                                                 Save Him                                                                                                                         sAVE HIm
                                                                                                                                                                                                SavE HIm
                                                    SaVe HIm                                                                                      Save Him
 
       

   

Broken voice tearing itself from him as he threw his entire body weight against the hands that desperately scrambled to hold him tightly. Words were lost on him beyond his own desperate cries. Water rushing in his ears, too overwhelming for anything else to break through.


PLEASE.

“PLEASE.”

I have to save him

I only just got him back

                   

don’t do this

Akira felt himself hit his knees before he realized he was falling. Jarring sharp pain flaring instantly but he couldn’t care less as the sound of a gunshot echoed all around him only muffled by the large unyielding door before him.

Silence.

Nothingness.

Gone.

Goro was Gone.

Akira felt his head pressing against the cold metal floor as a noise ripped itself from him so pained and broken that Akira wouldn’t believe it had come from a person if it wasn’t tearing at his own vocal cords. Emotions clawing their way out of him so visceral it felt as though he had been gutted from the inside out.

Why? 

Akira just wanted to save him. Even if he hated him for it.
Desperation clawed its way up his back.
Why couldn’t he save him?
Why couldn’t he be enough?

Pain blossoms across Akira’s battered and bruised hand once more as he slams it into the ground.
Akira clenched his eyes closed tight as he fought the tears welling in his eyes from the pain.

Suddenly a new voice chimed in the room, only a few feet from him.

"It’s ok Akira-kun, I can bring him back as good as new."

Words echoing from all around him, with that same self assurance that Maruki always had when speaking to Akira as though he knew everything about the boy and his wishes. Akira slowly opened his eyes. Ignoring the way the floor below him grew wet with the few tears that had managed to escape from him, Akira pulled himself to his feet and faced the man who haunted him even now.

Maruki stood there, dressed the same as he had during any of their therapy sessions, white coat and blue shirt, stupid brown flip flops and a sense of relaxation around him. Maruki offered him a soft smile as if to reassure him but all it did was make his stomach roll when he remembered the last time he’d seen it was that night in February when his entire world came crashing down around his ears. Bowing before him Maruki gestures up to the sky above them for Akira to look.

Akira instantly feels his stomach roll as he watched a body fall from the ceiling above him, stopping just inches from crashing to the floor, caught only by the dozens of strings wrapped around every part of its body, face staring down at the ground as its head lulled left and right on the wire. Suddenly one string jerked upwards forcing the head to look up towards him instead sending shivers down Akira’s spine at what stared at him.

Cold empty hazy unseeing red eyes, a wide blue lipped smile stretching across its face, the doll reached out to him, offering its arms open as if to ask for a hug.

“Ą̷̘̠̩̞̪̯͊̈̊̄k̵̞̝̤̖̗͚̎̔i̴̥̹̮̔̓͝͝r̴͓̺̭̪̹͎̎̍͂͘ȧ̵̱͆,I̷̛͓̼̹̲̘̓̌͋̎̈͒͜͠ ̸͉͎̣͚̏̃͝͠m̷̢̢͔̣̹̼͚̓̿̑̽̃̉̕͝ͅī̸̺s̷͍̱͎͍̉͘s̶̼̞̟̹̦̤̊̓̐ͅé̷̞̟̮͔͖̮̂̀̓͑̀̄͊d̶̛̦̣̲͎͔̥͈̹͛̏͂̈́͝͠ ̸̢̦̼̞̲̿͒͗ŷ̴̯͖̻͓͛͊́̅̈́̏o̴̘̳̙̮̤̫͆̿̿͘ŭ̸͓͊̏͊̒͘.̵͉̯̫͎̦͇̒́͌̀́͒͠ ̸̗̩̪̒̓I̷̙̭̙̦͚̫̐ͅ'̷̢̛̖̜̹͙͇̱̖͐͐m̵͓̟̝̬̓͜ ̵͖̝̦͙̩̫̦̘̈͂̊̐̈́̊b̸̟̐͛a̸͖̪̿̃̓̒́̂͜͠͠c̶͙̻̳̯̘͍͙̗͋͂̎̃̆͗͝k̴̨̖͙̺̃͐ ̵̨̛̺̟̲͍̞̏̈̊̉̓̍͝j̷̡̨̠̦̩̈́̈́û̵͙̥̞̹̩̦̒͆̅͜ṡ̷͚͍͕͑̀͋ţ̸͚̠̣̬͐̇ ̶̢̢̺̩̼̱͙̑͘f̸̨̹̼͇̃̔̒ͅo̸̘͊̉̋́ṛ̸͛̎́̆̈́͐ ̶̭̤͆̐̓ý̴̠̬̘͈͔̝̥o̶̝̊̆̎̽ǘ̵̼̭͓̣̳̦̑̐̈́͝.̷̛̝̳͎̫̗̬̜̉̾̍̈͘͘͝ ̶̢̥̦̺̻̫͎͑̈́͆̓͂.” Voice coming from the doll, reverberating all around him and the room, quiet to begin

before growing to a near roar as if to consume him. Akira  raised his hands up to cover his ears, shaking his head as if to drive the

words the doll was speaking away. “D̸̩͍͙͖͖͍̎̉̒͌̓͐͌͋o̷̡͌͗n̶̠̯̻̱̳͓͋'̴̭̤̒͊t̸͚̺͒͋̚ ̶̝̲̔̄b̴̛̹͉̏̍e̵͖̙̞̊̊̈̓͂ ̵̠͕͕̥͎̼̭̺̓̍̚ả̷͖̬̯̭̗̮̽̿̅̽͋̀͜f̴̜͇̝͓̖̿r̶̪̳͒͆̔̕å̸̠̗̥̥͑̈́̓̓͜í̸͚͓͍̦̓͑̀̿̊͠ͅd̴̡̦̙̥͍̤̯̮̑ ̵̭͉̘̠̐̀̅͆̀ͅl̷̢͕̻͙͈̦̲͂͐o̸͉̤̜̳͚̰͑̊̍̕v̸̧̨͉̗̒̈̐ę̵͖̭̝͊͂͑̈́͋̓̌̀ͅ.̴̜̱̲̜͂̆͂̕͜ͅ ̴̥̠͔͌̃̽Į̵͈̈́́̄̐̾̀͠  ̸̭̫͈͉̯̙͖̘͑̈́͊ẘ̴̨̘̟͆͂̂̌̐͌ō̴̯͉͇̣̥̘̓̋̓͜n̵͙̤̩͛͗͋͗͛̔̒͊ͅ'̶̧̼̖͍̯̦̌t̸̜͕̤̼̮͐͒͜͝ ̷̥̰͔̯̙͔̪̿ͅl̷̨͕̼̬̻̯͈̮̈́̐̊͂͝é̷̢̩̅̕a̵̦̦̖̯̦̫͉̦͌̒̆͐̅̀̽̊v̶̹͖̳̭́̌́͂͊è̶̲͕̜̘͙̰͗̒͐͗̌͠͝ ̷̳̥͈̰͇̳̑y̸͙̭̆́̌̀̈́̂̚͘ơ̷̛̹̝͚͎̜͙̆̎͆͆͜͝ȕ̵͍̬͊̽͒̐͑̚ ̷̘͖̰̱͂͘ȧ̵͓͉̀̔̇̊̀͆ǧ̵͎̤̱͇̌͜ͅả̶̼̟͍̬̀͂̒̓̍͝i̶̢͈͉͓̣͐͗͆ń̷̟͖͔̝͉͉̈̄͂͠.J̴͉̏͗̕ų̵̢̛̠̖͔̠̌͐̀̉͐̈́̋͜s̵͉̅͘ẗ̴̢̛̞̠̩̼̱̤́̓͗̔͜ ̴̘̱̜̠̬͛̇͗̀̅̔̕͠ļ̸̙̫̪͔̻̮̈́͝ͅë̸͔́͜ť̴̨̯̫̞̟͕̙̂̇̆͘ ̶̧̡̧̣̜̺̐͆̇m̵̨̻͚̠̗̔̊͗̈̇ȩ̶̢̤͉̠̫͐̈́͌́̑͛̕ͅ ̶͇̖̙͆̓̇̃̌͝s̶̮͇͇̯̦͍̞̠̾͋̿̀̕͠t̵̛̩͚̮̤̣̼̰́͛a̴̜͚̯̻͛͐̔̌̎̌̇y̶̛̹̩̜͇̬̻̱̱̎͆͛͝͝ ̵̦̲̝̯̖̝͚̫̂͂͠h̶̦̥̟͕̬̯́̃͆͌͌̓̕̕e̴̡̼͍̭͉̻̻̲̽̈́ŗ̵̞͎̫̟̭͖̠́͐̑͒͘e̶̡̖͓͚̓ ̸̮͕̼̹̭̘̘͇̅̌̈́̅͗l̶̞͈̉̑̈́͋̏̇̽̎o̸͖͌v̴̱̮̖͚̲̩͂e̸̟͇̪͉͔̥̣̓͛̓̇͑̉̕ ”

No, that's not what that boy would say. It was wrong. Everything was wrong.

Walking closer and closer to Akira, arms still held open widely as if patiently still waiting for the hug Akira had no intention of giving it. When it went to touch him Akira knocked the hand away, stumbling back a few feet before slamming into the wall behind him. Head tilting to the left as if to emulate confusion and perhaps hurt, the doll followed him step for step before stopping only inches from Akira, caging him into the wall behind him. It felt far too similar to the way the boy the doll was pretending to be had cornered him in an alley demanding Akira fight to kill him. 

When it went to touch his face, the hand felt like ice against Akira’s skin.

Cold. Dead.

Akira’s hand shot up to knock it away and instantly the doll reeled back as if it had been struck across the face. Pain lingering in its face at the rejection it had just suffered before it pressed close once more desperately, hands trying to grab at any part of Akira it could reach now. When Akira tried to make himself even smaller once more the doll’s hands instead found purchase on his shirt, clenching it tight in his fists as it fell to his knees in front of Akira.


“D̷̦͂̒̍̋͘ò̴̘̱̠̟̿̄̕̚͜ͅn̸͚̅'̵̨̧̨͈͉͓̣̰̏̏͒͆̅ţ̷̱́ ̶̨͖͓̒̉́͋s̷̼̱̞̣̟̱̗̀͊̒̋͛̌̅ȅ̵̢͔̩̺͚̯͝n̷̡̗̙̭̳̽́͑͒̎̓͘͘ͅd̷̥͎̐̔́̈́̏̏ ̵̘̜͍̼͓̇̅̃̓͒̎͜͝m̶̢̖̘̰̞̐̅̔͘e̸̟̪̱̥͙͒͠ ̴̢͓̭̞̬̫̆̈́̄̌̕̕͝a̵̝͐ẉ̷̑̔ạ̵̜̭̞̥̈́̎ŷ̷̹̞̰̬̍͌͛͑̚̕.̸̛̖̑̏̈́͂̎̌͝ ̵̛̙̗̳̬̪̥͔̇̌͒̆̈́̌̈I̴̛̪̜̥̱͗̔̈́͗̅̐͊ ̴̨͇͈͚̝͋̕j̸̡̰̻̹̹͓̖͓͌̀͝ư̶̡͚̻̬̙͚̄͆͗͗̊̂͜s̵̰̖̫̫̞͍̀t̸̰͖́̾̅̽͝ ̵͉̟͑̿̅̈́͠w̶͇̜͍͆̏͒ä̶͈͚̹̘̩́̈̇͊͂ṇ̶͙̇̇̅͗́ͅt̴̜̻̰͈͔̙̘̃͊͆̌̀͝͝ͅ ̶̭͙̝̄̔̑͗̉͛̐̉͜͜t̸̢̓͑̓̍͂̎̄õ̵̰̝̐̀̈́̕͜͝͝ ̴̱̀̾̽͠ṣ̷͓̏t̷͇̰̦̐̑́̄a̷̲͐̈́͌͑͗̕͝͠y̶̢̥̦̰̖͌̈̂̀̀̋̚͠ ̷͓̠͇̻͓͓́͌̄̀ͅͅb̴̛͎̱̺͚̅ͅy̴̯̗͊͠ ̵̧̨̛̫̮̼͈͇y̴̘̬̓̀o̷̙̼̭̍͑͋̀́̈́̕͠u̵̢͕̘̐̑͊͒̕͠ŗ̵͈̱͔͇̖̮̗͂̃̓̕͝ ̸̇̈́̈́ͅs̶̻͓̝͎̓̌̀̕̕̚i̵̩̭̖̇̍̈d̴̪͂̓̀͗̽̅ȩ̴̫̯̞̿̆̆̉̕.̶̦̗̻̜̓ ̶͍̭͋͊͛́͂I̴̢̥͔̩͌̅̐'̶̮̣̖̞̇͋͝m̵̢̘̱̤͖̗͉͆̉ ̶̜͍͍͖͕͙̙̙͗͠b̵̧̡̮͍͎̉͊̈́͆̍̂̄̍ȩ̷̊͆̔̿͌g̸͍̯̻͛g̸͇͖̪̦̱͙̦̑̑̂i̵̧̖̣͎͋͗͛n̴͈̦̻̭̻̱͍͗̇͘͝͝g̵̢̡̮̝̺̱͎̥̐͂̇̎͐͝ ̴̦̹͈̇̀y̵͈͙̠͗o̵̧̞̣͓̰͖̿ṵ̵͍̩́̕ ̸̞̤̤̑̀̃͗ń̸̢̟̥͓̱̩̮͒̄o̷̢͙̜̪͑̎t̴̥̩͋̾̓̅̇͒̊̍ ̸͉̳̘͉̗̦̅͑̍t̷͙̬͓̄͝ō̶̥̺̳̠͌̔̂͒͘ ̸̳̿̾̽͑͆̚͝͝ͅd̷͇̍̓̌͒õ̵̳̪̭̤̣͠ ̴͍̬̹͚̗̓̇͒̇̐͗͛͜ţ̴͓̤̤̇h̴̡̤̹͖͎̋͌į̵͍̲̾͌̀̒͗̏̒̌s̶̪̗̞͎̮̞͂̊͐͑̉̕.̸̛̰̥͕̤̫̘̹͈̄̌͌̒ ̴̣͖̻̦̝̻̤̜̍͐̋̾͑J̵̻̱̬̖̱͚̏̃͜ǘ̷͈̦͓̳͕s̷̫̺͙͒͠t̷̤̱̣̝̆͊̓ ̴̡̛̲̗̟̣̟͕̔̑̋́͐ͅl̵̢̡̢̛̘͔̭̪͒̎́͗͐ȩ̵̣̥̞̀̓͒͘͝t̶̘̞̱̂̈́̓͘ ̴̗̼̟̻̬̽͊̓ẖ̵̢̯̝͔͇͂̽͛̍́͂̚̕i̵͕̅̉̎̕͝m̶̰͇͍͘͠ ̶̬͇̃̌̃̌͠͝͠h̴̢͓̺͍̯͐̒̾̽è̸̼l̴̫̗̱̓͝ͅp̷͎̝͎̜̥̲̈͑́͜ ̶͚̞̝́̍̐̑̕ů̸̠̜̝̥̂́̾̽͗͝s̷̹̍̈́̀̀̎,̴̧̖͙̪͌̌̀̿͋̐̚ ̸̧̘̣̤͖͚̘̌̈́p̴̛̘̯̰̱̯̀̇͋̓̑l̸̛̰̲͖̙͓͌̾̋̈́̓͜͝ͅe̸̥̤̣̥̻͉̿ä̵́͂̈́̆͂̎͒̑ͅs̶̪͖̑͝ȩ̴̡̣̼̊̽̄ ̸̨͉͓̩̜͈̀̐̆̇̈̀̕͜͠Á̸̡̗͖̻̜̳̯̋͑̓̇͜k̷̠̟̦̉̀́̆̃̐̇͝ì̵̢͖̠̈̊̓r̶̨͚̫͉̳͚̫̜̅̐͝a̶̮̋̍͗̄̐̆̍́.̷̠̦̇̈́ ̵̧̺͙̲̭̈́̏P̶̞̋̃l̵̫̿̈́̈̌͝e̶̙͚̖̫̩͍̼̟̔̓̔̅͊͊̓͒a̴̺̐̍͛́ṣ̴͖̬͑̍e̶͕̜̯̼̤͈͓̋́̽.̸̛̪͕͙̾̉͆͋”

Akira shook his head reaching down to try and pry the dolls hands off of him but they were too tightly fisted into his shirt, knuckles white with how tightly he held. Akira tried to claw at the hands but even as he tore into the back of ungloved hands, streaks of red appearing there as well, the doll still refused to let go.

“He simply wishes to stay by your side, Akira-kun. The same way you wish for him to stay there as well. Why do you fight against what will make the both of you happy? Against what will make him safe and alive ?” Maruki’s taunting voice came from beside them but Akira didn’t bother to look over at the man in question, unable to tear his eyes off of the life-like doll before him.

  Goro would never say those things. Freedom, death, those were what goro had asked of him. Staying by Akira's side in a false world was something the other boy would never beg of him.


“D̶͍̆ó̶̳̮̱̞̚n̴̢̦͔̗̰͍͉͇̒'̵̼̫̒̃͑͊̉͋͘͝t̸̡̬̫̠͕͛̓ ̴̨̹̤̱̲̏́ͅk̴̡̢͚̤̟͓̟̏ḭ̶̬̞͉͗͐͆̐͝l̴̢̯̭̣̄̄͒͋̆͘l̵̠͖̭̺̞͖̰̈́̌͑̾̒̂͗ͅ ̶̡̜̩͈̝̣̒́̆̿̚m̴̲̹̞̪̟̮̍͒̊̋͒̄̅͜͠e̸̲̮̰͈̳̟̙̾̈́̓̚ͅ ̷͍͕͖̕Ȁ̴̧̼͚͖̤͗̅̒̏͂̕k̸̳͙̗̦̎̈̽ͅi̶̺̖̳̯̕r̸̢̝̝̝̜̲̳̱̐̔ą̶͔̊͊͋̄̇̚͘” Broken, scared, the voice begs as its hands shook despite the firm grip never loosening at all,

“
P̸̼̣̆̈́̍̂́̅ļ̷̟͖̃̌͒͐͊ͅe̷͚͂̔͊̅̉́́a̸̰͖̼̗̹̽̅̂̊̀̆s̷̡̨̬͈̜̏͊̔̊͂̏͛ë̴̢̼̺̖̖͎̤́̊̀.̷͔̟̰͗̔̌͑͝͝P̷̘̳͈̱͋̎̾͛̈́̏͊ͅl̵̠̗̠͖̉́ȩ̴̗̫͓͍̾̊̓̅̕a̶̭̳̳̳̦̖͑̋͊̅́ş̶̧̤̥̼̑̋͋͛́͑̃ę̷̨̛̳͇̭̎̄́͒̈̿.̸͖̈̈́͊P̸͔̗͕̫͕͐̽̏̈̂͝l̶̺͕̗͙͇̺̏é̴͙̙̿̅͋̀͘ā̸̡̛͇͕̮̫̊͜ͅs̴͍͉̑̓e̶̘̩̖̾̅̇̉.̷̞͇̞̤̤̾̿̊͋͒͌̕P̸̣̘̹̼͋̀̆͋̽͋̕͜͝ļ̸͈͓͖͊̓̓̚ę̸̘̞͒̈́̋͠â̵̗͉͎̩̠̐̒̎̀s̵̬̙͕̯̋̋͛̎͘ͅé̶̖̝̠̉͂́̀̈́̎̚.̵̛͉͎̾̇̉P̷̢̓̇͌̀͘͠͝l̶̲͙̺̦̄ę̸̛̛͈̬̼͙̎̌̉̿̓à̷̮͉͙̠̬͆̐̇̆s̶̼̱̖̫̱̃͌̔̏̐̕e̴͚̎̇̿̄́.̷̯̭͉͕̖̹̔͒̆͜P̵̨̺̅̑̿͐̇̈́l̷̠̗͔̟̥̜̥̈́̌͜e̶̦̥̞̼̗͑̌͝ͅa̸͍̼͛̆̃̒͂š̶͔͔̞̭̣͜é̵͇̒.̴̛̲̝͈̽̊́P̷̼͉̤̰͓̑̓͠l̶͓̬̼̤̜͆̄̀͆͝͝e̴͖̤̬̜̞͛ā̴̻͎̦̭̞́͗s̸̞̼̭̭̟̣͛̌͛ë̷̱͚̬̯͈́̈́̃̽̈̊͋͛.̶̧̹̪̝̙̖̳̽̾̔̀P̸̢̣̱̱̥̫͈̽̏̒l̸̹̩̆̎̿e̷̯̱̜̅̊̚͠͝ͅa̷̧̳̠̠͆s̸̨͖̻̈̊̎́͗ē̶̝̤̭̌.̶̧̰̭̝͑̐P̵̠̹̽͌̑ļ̸̳͉̹̬͑̽̀̿͆̎͘ͅĕ̵̛͕̯͈̖̤͛̇́̾̃a̸̧̡̛͖̰͆͛͒̄̊s̶̢͖͖̈́͋̾̔͆̊͘e̴͙̳̩͔͍͖̻̣͂͒̋͒̂̚.̶̺̾̐̉P̷͍̹̈̊͊͆͋͌͝l̷̝̆ė̶̼͚͈͓̿̄́̐̏̈́ͅà̵͙̳͇̇̀̔s̴̛͕͕͓̈̃̅̈́̓ȩ̸̗̹̝̲̉̀͝.̵̢̣̬͑͛̅͒͝͠P̶̝̠̋̾̄͝l̷̳̠̳̫̠̬͂͂̿́͛̍͘e̶͖̥̓͋ͅa̴̢̱̜̜̮̙̙̽̅̅̊̂͐͜ş̶̣̱̅͌͠ẹ̶͉̦͌̕.̷̢̧̤̎P̷̨͚͕̣̣͉̟̖̚ĺ̸̢͇̱͓̠̖̱͇̅e̵̳̋̇̈́͂̊́͝ą̴̹̳̱̈͑̇͘ŝ̴̨̲̗̘̰̯͓͓̃̀͛̐̕͠ë̵̢̟̯̀̎̀.̵̨̦̞͓̓̆̍P̶̨̨̻̘͛̌ļ̶͎̫̰̊́̉͜ͅë̵̟̲̠̝́̇̌́̽̀̀ą̴̨̥͚̗̺̰͍͌͐̋̈̍s̵͎̳̙̈́̈́͝ͅe̵̪̝̓̓.̸̠̙̜̀͜Ṗ̴̛̳͙̳͎̭͙̇͝l̸̨̯̝̹͉̜͗̀̏̆͛̓̄ē̷̻͉͔͇̳̈̾a̸͔̞͙̾̀̇̈̈̈͝s̴̮͂̾̾̔̈e̵͍̹̬̰̻̬͐̊̀̒̚.̶̫͉̣̣̄̓ͅP̵͉̩̫͋l̶̢̢̳͕̞̏̏̒͘ḛ̴̛̰̟͇̃̔͛̈͝á̶̜̪̯͕͎͠s̵̼̽̃̌̍͊́̍͝ẽ̶̡͚̟͖̎̾̉̓̾̚͝.̶̢̪͚̃̔͝P̴̗͙͔̰̘̙̝̆̊̔̋l̴͓̮̗̰̱͇̃̽͐̈̍̿̀͠ͅe̴̡̮̣͍̰̽̾ͅǎ̸̜̠̏̈́̆̏̓̕s̴̱̪̥͕̠̾͂̈e̴̡̱̠̻̦͙̣̣̓̍̈́͌͝͝͝͝.̷̨͚̰̯̥͖͛̽̏́͗̐̽P̷̛̝̬͙̫̻̦̌͆͂̾͝l̷̪͓͆̽͗́̂̂e̶̦̥̜̘̚ā̷̢̙̣͈s̶̛͈̫͇̰͝ẹ̷̢̼̝̱͈̽͛̃̏͑̄͝.̴̤̬̮̠̺͎̦͓͆͠P̸̹̜̠̝̯͇̓͗̔̈́̇ļ̷̤̻̟̦͚̰́̐̈́̒͝ę̴̡̣͓͉͇̩͂̽͜ã̸̢̤̮͇̳̠̆̿̒͘̕s̷̳͈̘̻̭͂̃̆̕ͅȩ̸̛̜̘̮͖̬͉̀͑̈͋̈.̵͚̙̥̦̗͓͂P̶̪̖̜̝̤̜͆̌̑̉̓̕l̴͓͇͎̒͑̓̃͌̇͝͠è̵̪̦͎̻̟̪̐̽à̵̘̘͎̼͆̉̔͘s̵̢̡̰͓͎̜̬̗͑͌̇̽̋e̸̛̩̯͇̻̤̲̝̎̽.̴̙̣̍̈́̾P̴͖̹̱̗̏̀́́͂͛̾l̷͈͕̆̓̓̽̏̃è̶̝̞̪̀̂͂͑̇͆͝â̵͎͆̅̚̕s̵̖̦͎̘̭̣̟̑ę̴̛̞̗̥̳̈́̂̎̋͌̉͜.̵̜̦̦̦̱̜̻̆P̴͇̖̭̑͋̐̋̾̒͠͝l̵̛͍̪̲͓̤̟̣̦͋͐͆̾͂͘e̵̡̺̤̮͓̍̃̊̈́̈́͋͜a̶̜̞̬̺͓̔̆̑͘͜͠͝ś̴͎͖̍̒̓e̶̝̫̱̣̩̞̕P̸̼̣̆̈́̍̂́̅ļ̷̟͖̃̌͒͐͊ͅe̷͚͂̔͊̅̉́́a̸̰͖̼̗̹̽̅̂̊̀̆s̷̡̨̬͈̜̏͊̔̊͂̏͛ë̴̢̼̺̖̖͎̤́̊̀.̷͔̟̰͗̔̌͑͝͝P̷̘̳͈̱͋̎̾͛̈́̏͊ͅl̵̠̗̠͖̉́ȩ̴̗̫͓͍̾̊̓̅̕a̶̭̳̳̳̦̖͑̋͊̅́ş̶̧̤̥̼̑̋͋͛́͑̃ę̷̨̛̳͇̭̎̄́͒̈̿.̸͖̈̈́͊P̸͔̗͕̫͕͐̽̏̈̂͝l̶̺͕̗͙͇̺̏é̴͙̙̿̅͋̀͘ā̸̡̛͇͕̮̫̊͜ͅs̴͍͉̑̓e̶̘̩̖̾̅̇̉.̷̞͇̞̤̤̾̿̊͋͒͌̕P̸̣̘̹̼͋̀̆͋̽͋̕͜͝ļ̸͈͓͖͊̓̓̚ę̸̘̞͒̈́̋͠â̵̗͉͎̩̠̐̒̎̀s̵̬̙͕̯̋̋͛̎͘ͅé̶̖̝̠̉͂́̀̈́̎̚.̵̛͉͎̾̇̉P̷̢̓̇͌̀͘͠͝l̶̲͙̺̦̄ę̸̛̛͈̬̼͙̎̌̉̿̓à̷̮͉͙̠̬͆̐̇̆s̶̼̱̖̫̱̃͌̔̏̐̕e̴͚̎̇̿̄́.̷̯̭͉͕̖̹̔͒̆͜P̵̨̺̅̑̿͐̇̈́l̷̠̗͔̟̥̜̥̈́̌͜e̶̦̥̞̼̗͑̌͝ͅa̸͍̼͛̆̃̒͂š̶͔͔̞̭̣͜é̵͇̒.̴̛̲̝͈̽̊́P̷̼͉̤̰͓̑̓͠l̶͓̬̼̤̜͆̄̀͆͝͝e̴͖̤̬̜̞͛ā̴̻͎̦̭̞́͗s̸̞̼̭̭̟̣͛̌͛ë̷̱͚̬̯͈́̈́̃̽̈̊͋͛.̶̧̹̪̝̙̖̳̽̾̔̀P̸̢̣̱̱̥̫͈̽̏̒l̸̹̩̆̎̿e̷̯̱̜̅̊̚͠͝ͅa̷̧̳̠̠͆s̸̨͖̻̈̊̎́͗ē̶̝̤̭̌.̶̧̰̭̝͑̐P̵̠̹̽͌̑ļ̸̳͉̹̬͑̽̀̿͆̎͘ͅĕ̵̛͕̯͈̖̤͛̇́̾̃a̸̧̡̛͖̰͆͛͒̄̊s̶̢͖͖̈́͋̾̔͆̊͘e̴͙̳̩͔͍͖̻̣͂͒̋͒̂̚.̶̺̾̐̉P̷͍̹̈̊͊͆͋͌͝l̷̝̆ė̶̼͚͈͓̿̄́̐̏̈́ͅà̵͙̳͇̇̀̔s̴̛͕͕͓̈̃̅̈́̓ȩ̸̗̹̝̲̉̀͝.̵̢̣̬͑͛̅͒͝͠P̶̝̠̋̾̄͝l̷̳̠̳̫̠̬͂͂̿́͛̍͘e̶͖̥̓͋ͅa̴̢̱̜̜̮̙̙̽̅̅̊̂͐͜ş̶̣̱̅͌͠ẹ̶͉̦͌̕.̷̢̧̤̎P̷̨͚͕̣̣͉̟̖̚ĺ̸̢͇̱͓̠̖̱͇̅e̵̳̋̇̈́͂̊́͝ą̴̹̳̱̈͑̇͘ŝ̴̨̲̗̘̰̯͓͓̃̀͛̐̕͠ë̵̢̟̯̀̎̀.̵̨̦̞͓̓̆̍P̶̨̨̻̘͛̌ļ̶͎̫̰̊́̉͜ͅë̵̟̲̠̝́̇̌́̽̀̀ą̴̨̥͚̗̺̰͍͌͐̋̈̍s̵͎̳̙̈́̈́͝ͅe̵̪̝̓̓.̸̠̙̜̀͜Ṗ̴̛̳͙̳͎̭͙̇͝l̸̨̯̝̹͉̜͗̀̏̆͛̓̄ē̷̻͉͔͇̳̈̾a̸͔̞͙̾̀̇̈̈̈͝s̴̮͂̾̾̔̈e̵͍̹̬̰̻̬͐̊̀̒̚.̶̫͉̣̣̄̓ͅP̵͉̩̫͋l̶̢̢̳͕̞̏̏̒͘ḛ̴̛̰̟͇̃̔͛̈͝á̶̜̪̯͕͎͠s̵̼̽̃̌̍͊́̍͝ẽ̶̡͚̟͖̎̾̉̓̾̚͝.̶̢̪͚̃̔͝P̴̗͙͔̰̘̙̝̆̊̔̋l̴͓̮̗̰̱͇̃̽͐̈̍̿̀͠ͅe̴̡̮̣͍̰̽̾ͅǎ̸̜̠̏̈́̆̏̓̕s̴̱̪̥͕̠̾͂̈e̴̡̱̠̻̦͙̣̣̓̍̈́͌͝͝͝͝.̷̨͚̰̯̥͖͛̽̏́͗̐̽P̷̛̝̬͙̫̻̦̌͆͂̾͝l̷̪͓͆̽͗́̂̂e̶̦̥̜̘̚ā̷̢̙̣͈s̶̛͈̫͇̰͝ẹ̷̢̼̝̱͈̽͛̃̏͑̄͝.̴̤̬̮̠̺͎̦͓͆͠P̸̹̜̠̝̯͇̓͗̔̈́̇ļ̷̤̻̟̦͚̰́̐̈́̒͝ę̴̡̣͓͉͇̩͂̽͜ã̸̢̤̮͇̳̠̆̿̒͘̕s̷̳͈̘̻̭͂̃̆̕ͅȩ̸̛̜̘̮͖̬͉̀͑̈͋̈.̵͚̙̥̦̗͓͂P̶̪̖̜̝̤̜͆̌̑̉̓̕l̴͓͇͎̒͑̓̃͌̇͝͠è̵̪̦͎̻̟̪̐̽à̵̘̘͎̼͆̉̔͘s̵̢̡̰͓͎̜̬̗͑͌̇̽̋e̸̛̩̯͇̻̤̲̝̎̽.̴̙̣̍̈́̾P̴͖̹̱̗̏̀́́͂͛̾l̷͈͕̆̓̓̽̏̃è̶̝̞̪̀̂͂͑̇͆͝â̵͎͆̅̚̕s̵̖̦͎̘̭̣̟̑ę̴̛̞̗̥̳̈́̂̎̋͌̉͜.̵̜̦̦̦̱̜̻̆P̴͇̖̭̑͋̐̋̾̒͠͝l̵̛͍̪̲͓̤̟̣̦͋͐͆̾͂͘e̵̡̺̤̮͓̍̃̊̈́̈́͋͜a̶̜̞̬̺͓̔̆̑͘͜͠͝ś̴͎͖̍̒̓e̶̝̫̱̣̩̞̕P̸̼̣̆̈́̍̂́̅ļ̷̟͖̃̌͒͐͊ͅe̷͚͂̔͊̅̉́́a̸̰͖̼̗̹̽̅̂̊̀̆s̷̡̨̬͈̜̏͊̔̊͂̏͛ë̴̢̼̺̖̖͎̤́̊̀.̷͔̟̰͗̔̌͑͝͝P̷̘̳͈̱͋̎̾͛̈́̏͊ͅl̵̠̗̠͖̉́ȩ̴̗̫͓͍̾̊̓̅̕a̶̭̳̳̳̦̖͑̋͊̅́ş̶̧̤̥̼̑̋͋͛́͑̃ę̷̨̛̳͇̭̎̄́͒̈̿.̸͖̈̈́͊P̸͔̗͕̫͕͐̽̏̈̂͝l̶̺͕̗͙͇̺̏é̴͙̙̿̅͋̀͘ā̸̡̛͇͕̮̫̊͜ͅs̴͍͉̑̓e̶̘̩̖̾̅̇̉.̷̞͇̞̤̤̾̿̊͋͒͌̕P̸̣̘̹̼͋̀̆͋̽͋̕͜͝ļ̸͈͓͖͊̓̓̚ę̸̘̞͒̈́̋͠â̵̗͉͎̩̠̐̒̎̀s̵̬̙͕̯̋̋͛̎͘ͅé̶̖̝̠̉͂́̀̈́̎̚.̵̛͉͎̾̇̉P̷̢̓̇͌̀͘͠͝l̶̲͙̺̦̄ę̸̛̛͈̬̼͙̎̌̉̿̓à̷̮͉͙̠̬͆̐̇̆s̶̼̱̖̫̱̃͌̔̏̐̕e̴͚̎̇̿̄́.̷̯̭͉͕̖̹̔͒̆͜P̵̨̺̅̑̿͐̇̈́l̷̠̗͔̟̥̜̥̈́̌͜e̶̦̥̞̼̗͑̌͝ͅa̸͍̼͛̆̃̒͂š̶͔͔̞̭̣͜é̵͇̒.̴̛̲̝͈̽̊́P̷̼͉̤̰͓̑̓͠l̶͓̬̼̤̜͆̄̀͆͝͝e̴͖̤̬̜̞͛ā̴̻͎̦̭̞́͗s̸̞̼̭̭̟̣͛̌͛ë̷̱͚̬̯͈́̈́̃̽̈̊͋͛.̶̧̹̪̝̙̖̳̽̾̔̀P̸̢̣̱̱̥̫͈̽̏̒l̸̹̩̆̎̿e̷̯̱̜̅̊̚͠͝ͅa̷̧̳̠̠͆s̸̨͖̻̈̊̎́͗ē̶̝̤̭̌.̶̧̰̭̝͑̐P̵̠̹̽͌̑ļ̸̳͉̹̬͑̽̀̿͆̎͘ͅĕ̵̛͕̯͈̖̤͛̇́̾̃a̸̧̡̛͖̰͆͛͒̄̊s̶̢͖͖̈́͋̾̔͆̊͘e̴͙̳̩͔͍͖̻̣͂͒̋͒̂̚.̶̺̾̐̉P̷͍̹̈̊͊͆͋͌͝l̷̝̆ė̶̼͚͈͓̿̄́̐̏̈́ͅà̵͙̳͇̇̀̔s̴̛͕͕͓̈̃̅̈́̓ȩ̸̗̹̝̲̉̀͝.̵̢̣̬͑͛̅͒͝͠P̶̝̠̋̾̄͝l̷̳̠̳̫̠̬͂͂̿́͛̍͘e̶͖̥̓͋ͅa̴̢̱̜̜̮̙̙̽̅̅̊̂͐͜ş̶̣̱̅͌͠ẹ̶͉̦͌̕.̷̢̧̤̎P̷̨͚͕̣̣͉̟̖̚ĺ̸̢͇̱͓̠̖̱͇̅e̵̳̋̇̈́͂̊́͝ą̴̹̳̱̈͑̇͘ŝ̴̨̲̗̘̰̯͓͓̃̀͛̐̕͠ë̵̢̟̯̀̎̀.̵̨̦̞͓̓̆̍P̶̨̨̻̘͛̌ļ̶͎̫̰̊́̉͜ͅë̵̟̲̠̝́̇̌́̽̀̀ą̴̨̥͚̗̺̰͍͌͐̋̈̍s̵͎̳̙̈́̈́͝ͅe̵̪̝̓̓.̸̠̙̜̀͜Ṗ̴̛̳͙̳͎̭͙̇͝l̸̨̯̝̹͉̜͗̀̏̆͛̓̄ē̷̻͉͔͇̳̈̾a̸͔̞͙̾̀̇̈̈̈͝s̴̮͂̾̾̔̈e̵͍̹̬̰̻̬͐̊̀̒̚.̶̫͉̣̣̄̓ͅP̵͉̩̫͋l̶̢̢̳͕̞̏̏̒͘ḛ̴̛̰̟͇̃̔͛̈͝á̶̜̪̯͕͎͠s̵̼̽̃̌̍͊́̍͝ẽ̶̡͚̟͖̎̾̉̓̾̚͝.̶̢̪͚̃̔͝P̴̗͙͔̰̘̙̝̆̊̔̋l̴͓̮̗̰̱͇̃̽͐̈̍̿̀͠ͅe̴̡̮̣͍̰̽̾ͅǎ̸̜̠̏̈́̆̏̓̕s̴̱̪̥͕̠̾͂̈e̴̡̱̠̻̦͙̣̣̓̍̈́͌͝͝͝͝.̷̨͚̰̯̥͖͛̽̏́͗̐̽P̷̛̝̬͙̫̻̦̌͆͂̾͝l̷̪͓͆̽͗́̂̂e̶̦̥̜̘̚ā̷̢̙̣͈s̶̛͈̫͇̰͝ẹ̷̢̼̝̱͈̽͛̃̏͑̄͝.̴̤̬̮̠̺͎̦͓͆͠P̸̹̜̠̝̯͇̓͗̔̈́̇ļ̷̤̻̟̦͚̰́̐̈́̒͝ę̴̡̣͓͉͇̩͂̽͜ã̸̢̤̮͇̳̠̆̿̒͘̕s̷̳͈̘̻̭͂̃̆̕ͅȩ̸̛̜̘̮͖̬͉̀͑̈͋̈.̵͚̙̥̦̗͓͂P̶̪̖̜̝̤̜͆̌̑̉̓̕l̴͓͇͎̒͑̓̃͌̇͝͠è̵̪̦͎̻̟̪̐̽à̵̘̘͎̼͆̉̔͘s̵̢̡̰͓͎̜̬̗͑͌̇̽̋e̸̛̩̯͇̻̤̲̝̎̽.̴̙̣̍̈́̾P̴͖̹̱̗̏̀́́͂͛̾l̷͈͕̆̓̓̽̏̃è̶̝̞̪̀̂͂͑̇͆͝â̵͎͆̅̚̕s̵̖̦͎̘̭̣̟̑ę̴̛̞̗̥̳̈́̂̎̋͌̉͜.̵̜̦̦̦̱̜̻̆P̴͇̖̭̑͋̐̋̾̒͠͝l̵̛͍̪̲͓̤̟̣̦͋͐͆̾͂͘e̵̡̺̤̮͓̍̃̊̈́̈́͋͜a̶̜̞̬̺͓̔̆̑͘͜͠͝ś̴͎͖̍̒̓e̶̝̫̱̣̩̞̕P̸̼̣̆̈́̍̂́̅ļ̷̟͖̃̌͒͐͊ͅe̷͚͂̔͊̅̉́́a̸̰͖̼̗̹̽̅̂̊̀̆s̷̡̨̬͈̜̏͊̔̊͂̏͛ë̴̢̼̺̖̖͎̤́̊̀.̷͔̟̰͗̔̌͑͝͝P̷̘̳͈̱͋̎̾͛̈́̏͊ͅl̵̠̗̠͖̉́ȩ̴̗̫͓͍̾̊̓̅̕a̶̭̳̳̳̦̖͑̋͊̅́ş̶̧̤̥̼̑̋͋͛́͑̃ę̷̨̛̳͇̭̎̄́͒̈̿.̸͖̈̈́͊P̸͔̗͕̫͕͐̽̏̈̂͝l̶̺͕̗͙͇̺̏é̴͙̙̿̅͋̀͘ā̸̡̛͇͕̮̫̊͜ͅs̴͍͉̑̓e̶̘̩̖̾̅̇̉.̷̞͇̞̤̤̾̿̊͋͒͌̕P̸̣̘̹̼͋̀̆͋̽͋̕͜͝ļ̸͈͓͖͊̓̓̚ę̸̘̞͒̈́̋͠â̵̗͉͎̩̠̐̒̎̀s̵̬̙͕̯̋̋͛̎͘ͅé̶̖̝̠̉͂́̀̈́̎̚.̵̛͉͎̾̇̉P̷̢̓̇͌̀͘͠͝l̶̲͙̺̦̄ę̸̛̛͈̬̼͙̎̌̉̿̓à̷̮͉͙̠̬͆̐̇̆s̶̼̱̖̫̱̃͌̔̏̐̕e̴͚̎̇̿̄́.̷̯̭͉͕̖̹̔͒̆͜P̵̨̺̅̑̿͐̇̈́l̷̠̗͔̟̥̜̥̈́̌͜e̶̦̥̞̼̗͑̌͝ͅa̸͍̼͛̆̃̒͂š̶͔͔̞̭̣͜é̵͇̒.̴̛̲̝͈̽̊́P̷̼͉̤̰͓̑̓͠l̶͓̬̼̤̜͆̄̀͆͝͝e̴͖̤̬̜̞͛ā̴̻͎̦̭̞́͗s̸̞̼̭̭̟̣͛̌͛ë̷̱͚̬̯͈́̈́̃̽̈̊͋͛.̶̧̹̪̝̙̖̳̽̾̔̀P̸̢̣̱̱̥̫͈̽̏̒l̸̹̩̆̎̿e̷̯̱̜̅̊̚͠͝ͅa̷̧̳̠̠͆s̸̨͖̻̈̊̎́͗ē̶̝̤̭̌.̶̧̰̭̝͑̐P̵̠̹̽͌̑ļ̸̳͉̹̬͑̽̀̿͆̎͘ͅĕ̵̛͕̯͈̖̤͛̇́̾̃a̸̧̡̛͖̰͆͛͒̄̊s̶̢͖͖̈́͋̾̔͆̊͘e̴͙̳̩͔͍͖̻̣͂͒̋͒̂̚.̶̺̾̐̉P̷͍̹̈̊͊͆͋͌͝l̷̝̆ė̶̼͚͈͓̿̄́̐̏̈́ͅà̵͙̳͇̇̀̔s̴̛͕͕͓̈̃̅̈́̓ȩ̸̗̹̝̲̉̀͝.̵̢̣̬͑͛̅͒͝͠P̶̝̠̋̾̄͝l̷̳̠̳̫̠̬͂͂̿́͛̍͘e̶͖̥̓͋ͅa̴̢̱̜̜̮̙̙̽̅̅̊̂͐͜ş̶̣̱̅͌͠ẹ̶͉̦͌̕.̷̢̧̤̎P̷̨͚͕̣̣͉̟̖̚ĺ̸̢͇̱͓̠̖̱͇̅e̵̳̋̇̈́͂̊́͝ą̴̹̳̱̈͑̇͘ŝ̴̨̲̗̘̰̯͓͓̃̀͛̐̕͠ë̵̢̟̯̀̎̀.̵̨̦̞͓̓̆̍P̶̨̨̻̘͛̌ļ̶͎̫̰̊́̉͜ͅë̵̟̲̠̝́̇̌́̽̀̀ą̴̨̥͚̗̺̰͍͌͐̋̈̍s̵͎̳̙̈́̈́͝ͅe̵̪̝̓̓.̸̠̙̜̀͜Ṗ̴̛̳͙̳͎̭͙̇͝l̸̨̯̝̹͉̜͗̀̏̆͛̓̄ē̷̻͉͔͇̳̈̾a̸͔̞͙̾̀̇̈̈̈͝s̴̮͂̾̾̔̈e̵͍̹̬̰̻̬͐̊̀̒̚.̶̫͉̣̣̄̓ͅP̵͉̩̫͋l̶̢̢̳͕̞̏̏̒͘ḛ̴̛̰̟͇̃̔͛̈͝á̶̜̪̯͕͎͠s̵̼̽̃̌̍͊́̍͝ẽ̶̡͚̟͖̎̾̉̓̾̚͝.̶̢̪͚̃̔͝P̴̗͙͔̰̘̙̝̆̊̔̋l̴͓̮̗̰̱͇̃̽͐̈̍̿̀͠ͅe̴̡̮̣͍̰̽̾ͅǎ̸̜̠̏̈́̆̏̓̕s̴̱̪̥͕̠̾͂̈e̴̡̱̠̻̦͙̣̣̓̍̈́͌͝͝͝͝.̷̨͚̰̯̥͖͛̽̏́͗̐̽P̷̛̝̬͙̫̻̦̌͆͂̾͝l̷̪͓͆̽͗́̂̂e̶̦̥̜̘̚ā̷̢̙̣͈s̶̛͈̫͇̰͝ẹ̷̢̼̝̱͈̽͛̃̏͑̄͝.̴̤̬̮̠̺͎̦͓͆͠P̸̹̜̠̝̯͇̓͗̔̈́̇ļ̷̤̻̟̦͚̰́̐̈́̒͝ę̴̡̣͓͉͇̩͂̽͜ã̸̢̤̮͇̳̠̆̿̒͘̕s̷̳͈̘̻̭͂̃̆̕ͅȩ̸̛̜̘̮͖̬͉̀͑̈͋̈.̵͚̙̥̦̗͓͂P̶̪̖̜̝̤̜͆̌̑̉̓̕l̴͓͇͎̒͑̓̃͌̇͝͠è̵̪̦͎̻̟̪̐̽à̵̘̘͎̼͆̉̔͘s̵̢̡̰͓͎̜̬̗͑͌̇̽̋e̸̛̩̯͇̻̤̲̝̎̽.̴̙̣̍̈́̾P̴͖̹̱̗̏̀́́͂͛̾l̷͈͕̆̓̓̽̏̃è̶̝̞̪̀̂͂͑̇͆͝â̵͎͆̅̚̕s̵̖̦͎̘̭̣̟̑ę̴̛̞̗̥̳̈́̂̎̋͌̉͜.̵̜̦̦̦̱̜̻̆P̴͇̖̭̑͋̐̋̾̒͠͝l̵̛͍̪̲͓̤̟̣̦͋͐͆̾͂͘e̵̡̺̤̮͓̍̃̊̈́̈́͋͜a̶̜̞̬̺͓̔̆̑͘͜͠͝ś̴͎͖̍̒̓e̶̝̫̱̣̩̞̕.̴͕̰̱̉”


One word repeated over and over, begging, pleading for Akira to choose Goro’s life over the consequences and effects of the rest of reality. Sobbing for Akira to save him from the mistakes he had made instead of facing them with the brave face that Akira remembers the boy forcing back in February.

This was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

Akira was doing his best to be strong.

But God, Akira didn’t feel strong as the doll with the face of the boy he so desperately wanted to save clung to him like he was the only life persevere for a man drowning.

“Oh Akira-kun” Akira tried his best to ignore the other man, especially when he was using that tone. The tone that made it sound like he knew everything there was to know about you both inside and out. The tone that made it sound like he was simply speaking facts that everyone else was already aware of.

The exact same tone he’d used when he looked him in the eyes in Leblanc and told him that Goro was dead.

“ No matter how much you give and give and do and try and suffer. No one sees it. No one cares. Every piece of yourself that you carve out as you try to make yourself worth their interest, is simply tossed to the side after only a short time.” Maruki’s voice taunts him once more, sounding far more cynical this time than the gentle scolding he’d tried to give him before.

“Aren’t you tired of being a passing fancy? Aren’t you tired of giving everything for people who never thank you? Aren’t you sick of making yourself into something for anyone to bother loving you.”

Akira tried to ignore the way those words felt like daggers digging under his skin and into his heart. Akira gripped the hands of the doll tightly in his own as he clenched his eyes closed.

Stop talking Stop talking Stop talking

“Aren’t you lonely? Everyone once they’ve had their fill of you fixing their problems discard you. All except the one boy who never asked you to fix anything for him.”

Akira felt tears welling in his eyes as Maruki spoke. Thoughts coming to him, selfish thoughts that he had shoved to the side in February for the sake of giving the boy he cared so much about at least a single thread of his own agency.

“Don’t you want to be selfish? Just this once?

Shaking his head, Akira flinches when he feels a hand come to rest on his shoulder. Meant to be comforting and grounding but instead the hand felt like it was shoving Akira underwater into a whirlpool. Pressure pushing down on him not giving him even a moment of reprise to sort through the crashing waves of emotions that were assaulting him at that moment.

“Akira it’s ok to want to bring back the one person who may have understood you in a world that never did.”

A broken noise came from Akira at that. Maruki was right, god he hated that. The world never had understood him no matter how hard he’d tried so he learned to shape himself to fit whatever mold someone needed for them to want him around. Cutting off pieces of himself, forcing himself into a different mold for each person until there was nearly none of himself left at all. Hiding what little of himself he had left deep inside himself so he wouldn’t lose it, far from prying eyes.

But then Goro .

Goro had seen through every mask he’d thrown up, every façade he pulled, every fake word he spoke and pressed forwards uninterested in any of it. Goro had wanted the small shriveled up piece of who Akira really was that he’d hidden away and he’d wanted that. Giving him the title of rival, pressing him to be his best, and listening when Akira felt like he needed to speak. Goro who had wanted every piece of Akira that no one else had and had slowly let himself open up to Akira in turn.

Akira feels the grip on his shirt move. Releasing only long enough for the hands to find purchase somewhere else, on Akira’s back gripping it just as tightly. Letting his eyes slowly open, Akira can see Goro’s the doll's terrified face staring at him only inches away. Opening and closing its mouth over and over but no sound came from it now as it began to shake before shoving its weight forwards into him knocking them both to the ground.

Pain blossomed across his back and tailbone as he took the brunt of their fall and both of their weight but his attention was quickly drawn from the pain back to the doll when it grabbed him by both of his shoulders straddling him to pin him there on the floor. Once more it stared down at him, mouth open and closing silently, as it refused to look away from his eyes.

“Akira.” A voice spoke, calling for him but it didn’t sound right, didn’t sound like Goro.

Shaking more and more the doll began to break before him, both emotionally and physically. Cracks began to worm their way across its face, pieces and chunks falling off as the crevices widened by the second. 

Desperately the doll leaned in, grabbing Akira's face in its deathly cold hands once more. Pieces of broken ceramic stabbed into Akiras cheeks as the doll's hands splintered and cracked but still it grasped at him desperately. 

Akira tried to reach up and pry the hands away once more but the doll's arms gave way under his grip, shattering into pieces within his hold, cutting deeply into the boy's palms. 

Blood on his hands.

There was blood on his hands.

Goro…

Despite the arms being gone, the dolls hands still moved as if drawn by some invisible force as the dolls face leaned closer. Mouth opening and closing again and again repeating some unknown phrase. Soon all Akira could see was the doll's face, everything else around them fading to the background as cracks rippled down its face from its eyes almost reminiscent of tear streaks. 

This close Akira could finally make out what the doll was saying or at least he could follow the way its lips moved, lips shaped around one word repeated again and again.

“Akira.”

Repeating over and over with no sound being born from the dolls throat, as though the broken voice box no longer existed at all. Akira could feel pieces of the doll's face falling down onto his cheeks, small pieces at first with sharp edges that nicked his cheeks. Then bigger chunks that felt bruising as they landed on him. 

“Akira!” That voice, not the dolls, but loud and echoing as if as close to him as the doll were.

Akira feels nauseous as he notices the doll's face has become fractured and broken to the point that someone else may not recognize it but Akira found himself pinned there by the red eyes that stared at him. Staring into the broken holes that now littered its once blemish less face, a dark inky void beyond them as if meant to hide an indiscernible sorrow.

“Akira!!”

Lips leaned closer and closer before they were being pressed against his own. Instead of soft and warm, the way he had always imagined the boy's lips would be, they were jagged and painful. Cutting deep into his own lips as the doll tried its best to close any distance between the two that existed even as it continued to fall apart in his hands. Jagged broken pieces cracking and shattering more and more as the doll pressed their lips harsher together as if trying to meld them into one.

Air was quickly becoming a scarce commodity as the doll leaned all of its remaining body weight against him, trapping him, hurting him, even as it tore itself apart at the seams. Akira couldn’t bite back the whine as he felt the blood flow between their lips as the doll refused to pull away.

Soon Akira finds his vision completely trapped by the red eyes staring down at him, even as they too begin to crack and break apart. Chunks falling down against his face forcing Akira to have to close his own eyes to protect them from the sharp porcelain pieces. When he does reopen them he feels horror flood his veins as he stares up into two empty holes where his eyes once were.  Akira’s hand moves on its own trying to cup the face that pressed against him, no longer trying to push it away but accepting the pain and trying to comfort the breaking doll. Akira’s thumb gently rubbed its cheek only to feel it break apart like sand in his hands, falling to the ground beside him as the cracks grew wider. In return the doll press itself even more harshly against him for a moment before suddenly the weight above him is gone as it pulls back to look at him. Empty holes where its eyes should be. Blue lips cracked and broken, painted now almost completely red by Akira’s own blood, shard chipping and breaking off even now as it stares at him.

“p̷̙̋̕l̴̲͚̐e̶̦͘å̴̲s̴̪̑̐ͅe̷̠͉͑̆”

Biting his lip at the words that came from the broken doll brought pain but also helped ground his mind as he shook his head back and forth.

“It’s wrong.” Words coming to him in an instant. “You’re not a doll Goro…” His hand reached up once more to touch its face, ignoring the way the sharp pieces cut into his fingers. “You’re no one’s puppet…not anymore…”

At the words the doll's mouth opens once more in what looks like a silent scream before pieces of porcelain come cascading down upon him, broken pieces and chunks falling against him before shattering into even tinier pieces as they hit the floor. Bit by bit the doll above him crumbled completely against him as panic flooded his veins.

“Hey. Hey Akira!” A loud voice yelled around him as Akira sat up amongst the shattered mess around him, hands grasping at the broken pieces, not bothering to care as each one cut deeply into his palms.

No.

No.

Sobs bubbled up in his throat again as his battered and bruised hands slowly released the porcelain only to move up and clutch at the strands of his own hair. Akira desperately tried to ground himself, biting back tears, ignoring the pain. Goro was gone. Goro was gone again. He’d damned the boy once again.

He’d killed him.

It was his fault.

Goro was dead.

Goro was-



















“Akira!”

“Akira wake up!”

Jolting harshly Akira gasped as his eyes shot open staring up at the brown pillars of Leblanc above him. Hands clutching at the bed sheets he was laying on as if they were the only thing keeping him there instead of being drawn back into the world he’d only just escaped.

“Hey are you ok?” A familiar voice floated to him after a few seconds. “You started tossing and turning.” Voice filled with concern and perhaps very thinly veiled annoyance.

Akira blinked a few more times before he realized that there were two things missing from his bed at the moment. His blanket…and one cat not a cat manifestation of humanity's hope. Taking a few more deep breaths before finding in himself to move, Akira slowly turns so that he can peer over the side of his bed without sitting up.

Laying there on the ground was one somewhat disgruntled cat looking up at him while completely tangled in his missing blanket.

“Mona?” Akira winced slightly at the sound of his own voice in the mostly empty room. How broken–how weak–it sounded.

“Oh…you’re…” Morgana doesn’t seem to know what to say as his ears flatten against the top of his head. A gentle thumping starting only moments after as his tail smacks against the floor over and over again, a clear sign that something was wrong. No words were spoken for a moment and the only noise in the room is the quiet thumping of Morgana’s tail, the small sniffles coming from Akira every few seconds, and the quiet buzz of insects outside his window.

“You’re crying…” Morgana finally speaks, unease clear in his voice.

Confusion floods Akira’s veins instantly as he raises a hand up to his face. Jolting slightly when he feels the wetness on his cheeks. Yanking his hand from his face, Akira stares down at his hand and the tears linger there on his fingers.  In a near panic Akira quickly reaches back up, rubbing the tears away as fast as he can as if to hide what had just happened.

They can't think I'm weak already.

“I’m fine.” Words slipping from his mouth instinctively but sounding hollow and fake even to his own ears with how watery his voice was. “I just…had a bad dream.” An easily dismissible answer but something he knew Morgana was likely to believe. Rubbing his face once more to try and get rid of any lingering tears that were trying to well up in his eyes, he almost misses as Morgana jumps back up to the bed with a bit of the blanket in his mouth, noise coming from him as he nods his little furry head. 

Whatever the kitty was trying to say however was too muffled in the blanket to understand so Akira reaches over and takes the end from him. Seeming satisfied at that Morgana doesn't say anything as he hops back down to the floor to grab another bit of the blanket in his mouth as though to help pull it the rest of the way onto the bed.  Once the two of them manage to pull the blanket the rest of the way up, Akira letting Morgana feel like he was helping more than he needed him to, he gently gives Mona a few thank you pets before he realizes just how cold he’s started to feel without his blanket on and he's quick to throw the end back over his legs. Warmth after being exposed to the cold air of the drafty attic sent shivers down his spine and he quickly moves to tuck the blanket tighter around his legs to try and keep that warmth as close as possible.

Taking a few more deep breaths to calm his still slightly racing heart, Akira glances at his phone he’d knocked from his charger. Quickly noticing to his relief that it’s only 5am and he still has some time to sleep before he needed to be up to help Sojiro open, he takes a moment to change his alarms before moving to sit his phone in the nearby window sill. Once that's finished he finally lays down once more and pulls the covers over chest once more as he lets his eyes slowly slide closed. Despite having his eyes closed Akira finds himself listening intently to Morgana as he pads his way around the bed, towards the end of it for a moment before padding back up towards his chest, clearly trying to find a place to sleep without risking being knocked to the floor once more if Akira began to toss and turn.

Of course he'd stay away. Why wouldn't he. 

While Akira could understand Morgana not having any interest in sleeping close by after having been unceremoniously tossed to the ground, he couldn't deny it hurt in a way for his little kitty to make the choice to stay away. Feeling resignation settle in, Akira pulls the covers even tighter around himself as if that would drive away the heavy weight settling in his chest like a stone. 

Only a few moments later however, a different lighter weight pressing down on him makes Akira open one eye back up. There Morgana stood with a single paw resting on his chest looking back and forth between Akira's face and chest rather unsure. After a few seconds pass Morgana slowly puts a second paw onto his chest, the weight a familiar comfort unlike the one that had tried settling there instead only moments ago. Staring at Akira's face Morgan seems to take Akira's silence as permission and the kitty continues to clamber up onto his chest, padding around in a small circle there for just a moment before laying down and driving the previous weight in Akira's chest away.

As soon as the kitty is settled, Akira lets out a small comfortable sigh and instinctually he finds his hand moving towards Morgana’s fur but stops short, hand hovering just over the kitty as he wonders if his touch would be welcome after what happened. Hesitation lingers there for a moment before his hand slowly lowers into the kitty's fur and when Morgana makes no sound to object, Akira can feel his shoulders slowly untensing as relief rolls through him once again.

Soft.  

Go to sleep ma moitié. Neither of us will leave your side.

Feeling far more at ease with his furry friend so close to him and enjoying the feeling of his fur between his fingers.  Akira lets his eyes slowly close once more. No longer afraid of facing the nightmares alone, Akira feels a smile slowly making its way to his face as he continues to slowly pets his feline companion.

It's the low quiet vibrations coming from the small black and white bundle only a few minutes later that finally allowed Akira to be lulled back to the world of dreams once more.



Mementos, dark, cold, lonely…

The only sound echoing through the dark hallways being the footsteps of a single person, clawed feet clacking against the ground lightly with each step.

As much as they would prefer to be able to walk silently through the many tunnels that twisted and turned around them, this was what they had been given and what they would work with. The near silent tunnels were a stark difference to the growling voice inside their head, licking at the back of their mind, ready for the command that would come soon enough. That same voice whispered sharp promises to him while another voice tried to reassure him that all was well. That everything would be ok, this was like any other mission. But aside from their voices there was no other noise, not even that of a skittering shadow. The halls were empty and devoid of life as if every being near was anticipating something catastrophic was bound to happen soon.

After wandering through what felt like never ending hallways, the sole occupant of the hall finally turned one last corner before their eyes fell on it: the entrance to the sole part of mementos they needed. Taking a steadying breath they squared their shoulders before they slowly began to take the steps that would close the whittling distance between them and their target. As they stepped through the entrance they were instantly swallowed by white light and static only to be spit out on the other side. It was a feeling they were sure they never get used to, no matter how hard they tried. But their attention was quickly pulled away from the tingling feeling still lingering in the tips of their fingers and toes when their eyes finally landed on the shadow before them.

A soft kind smile coming from the enemy that stood before them blinded their vision for only a moment and it made their stomach twist and turn in ways that made them feel the urge to empty it then and there.

No focus. Scolding themselves as they looked away from the kindness that was exuding from the shadow.

They couldn't stop now. Even as their hands held at their side shook with unease, they took the next step forwards towards the shadow.

“Hello Goro.” The voice coming from the shadow may as well have poured cement onto his feet with how frozen in place he suddenly felt at the words.

She knew, the shadow knew, which meant- no it had to be a fluke.

“I wondered when I would see you.” The voice continued speaking softly, the gentle smile never leaving their face as the shadow stared at him, hands clasped together in front of her. Even behind their black mask Goro Akechi didn't feel hidden, instead he felt as if the shadow were staring through him, into his very soul where Robin Hood and Loki had both suspiciously gone silent. “I’ve known for a while that he was going to send you to see me. It’s ok. My only regret is I didn't have more time to settle things before now.”

His shaking hands clenched tightly around his sword, the other clenched so tightly into a ball that his own clawed fighter tips were digging into his palm, drawing blood that pooled there like a warm reminder that everything happening here truly was real and not a figment of his exhausted mind. The shadow before him had made no move to run, to hide, or even to fight back. They just continued to stare at him with that insufferable kindness in their eyes.

Wakaba. Ishiki.

How could she just stand there, knowing it was him, knowing what he’d been sent here to do.

Shido’s words echoed in his head tauntingly. Instructions that were given to him clear and concise as Shido spoke with an indifferent look on his face as though he weren't derailing a woman's entire life.

Goro was meant to send her into a mental frenzy through the use of his powers to make her seem unhinged before all of her colleges, her friends, and family.

Here he was meant to discredit her, end her entire career, derail her life and yet before him the shadow seemed nothing but resigned to their fate, as if they had no intent to fight back  despite knowing exactly who it was that stood before her.

How?

Why?

Why wasn’t she afraid?!

A strange rage bubbled beneath the surface as she stared at him.

Pity, it had to be pity, she knew who he was and all that he had lost.

He didn’t need her pity! She should be frightened! Terrified! He was going to ruin this woman and yet she continued to look at him the same way his mother had the day before she-

NO!

Shaking his head aggressively to get the thoughts out, he forces his mind to focus on the present. Goro wasn't here to reminisce about the mother who didn't want him, or about the rest of the adults around him who looked at him like he didn't belong. He was here by direct order of his fath of Shido to remove the one main issue that stood between him and the research that they desperately needed to help explain more about whatever the hell this power of his was. Goro could hear the beginnings of loki whispering in the back of his mind again to just do it. Get it over with, handle her so he’d never have to see her again and feel these complicated twisting feelings. Robin stayed strangely silent inside though, seeming to have nothing to say to combat the growing feelings that were building inside of the boy the longer he and the shadow stared each other down.

“It’s ok Goro.” The Shadow suddenly spoke, snapping him out of his internal struggle, his attention snapping back to the shadow of the woman in front of him. When Goro said nothing in response the shadow continued. “You know, I have a daughter a few years younger than you, she likes Featherman too. I think the two of you would be lovely friends if you gave it a chance. I know you’ve only met a few times but-” The shadow continued on some long winded statement, all the while staring at him as if he wasn't about to send her into a state that there may be no stepping back from. As if he wasn't about to make a single decision that would change the course of hers and her daughters life forever.

Standing in front of him still offering that same gentle smile as she spoke about all the fun that he and her daughter could have together once everything was over, Goro realized something. The damn shadow was trying to comfort him!

HIM!

The person who had single handedly ruined the lives of more people than he could count on both hands at this point. The man who had the ability to get away with it all because how would the police ever prove a modem operandi. How would they ever prove it wasn't the people making these choices by their own will.

Yet she refused to be scared of him, to instead attempt to comfort him as if he were some sniveling child and not the person who had all the power in this situation.

The fury inside of him continued to boil higher and higher.

She wasn't allowed to do this. To look at him like he was worth something, to show him pity as if-

It dawned on him then, this was her pitiful way of trying to stop him from making the choice he knew he was going to. As if to prevent him from sending her into that state by placating Goro with pleasantries, to make him feel pity for her because of her daughter. The shadow seemed to think acting like he mattered to her would somehow change the decision that he was about to make. Instead her little plan had backfired and all he could feel was rage, a voice raging inside of him was getting louder and louder in his ears.

Do it.

                                                                  Do It.

                                                                                                                                  DO IT!

                                                                                                                                                                                              DO IT!

Soon all he could hear was the voice screaming at the back of his mind that sounded strangely like the voice of the man who had walked out on his mother so many years ago. Then alongside it the desperate cries from an entirely different voice that begged for him to take a moment and just think it through, to really see what she was offering but it was washed away far far away to the back of his mind as his father’s voice moved to the forefront alongside what sounded like rushing water and thundering clouds.

“LET ME!”  The voice cried shrilly in his ears to the point it was nearly painful and he released his sword, letting it clatter to the ground, as both his hands reached up to his head as blinding pain rippled through it. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Every beat of his heart could be felt throughout his body as if someone were slamming an ice pick into his head. It hurt, everything hurt.

Wetness formed in the corners of his eyes before it rolled down his face in long trails. Why did everything hurt?

This shouldn't be hard, it was Wakaba Ishiki , she had experimented on him for years . She had done things he could never voice to another person because who the hell would believe some 15 year old orphan over an established researcher who worked for the government. Goro knew he should want to send her mad, send her crying and into a pit of sorrow for all the time she had stolen away from his childhood.

And yet.

He remembered the woman who gently ran a hand through his hair, soothing it away from his sweaty face after he’d come back from the metaverse, tired, sore, and near tears. The woman who had helped him into a seat, gently running a hand through his hair until his trembling had stopped, reminded him that he was ok, he was back in the real world. Telling him that those monsters– now he knew them as shadows– couldn't get to him anymore and staying silent as the tears had ran down his face, but he’d preferred it that way, he hated being coddled.

✦

He remembered a small black haired child following her around as she had worked at a desk, while Goro sat nearby on a small exam table, that Wakaba had bought a small pillow for to make it more comfortable for him. He remembered the small one…futab….futaba? She’d asked for one of her ice pops from the small mini fridge Wakaba had kept in her office and with a smile Wakaba had not only gotten her one but also had offered one to him. He’d stared at it as if it was a foreign object until she’d frowned. He’d expected harsh words and perhaps angry hands for him unintentionally rejecting her gift but instead she’d just turned her frown towards the red popsicle in her hand. “Don't like cherry? That’s ok.” She said suddenly the gentle smile returned. “We have a few others too! We have lemon, lime” She’d moved back towards the fridge rummaging into the freezer part.

“Oh blueberry too”

“No mom, that's my favorite!” The little girl had called out at that which made Wakaba frown again and suddenly Goro felt his muscles tense as he got ready to bolt for the little girl as Wakaba walked closer to her now. No Goro wouldn't let her hurt her. He was on his feet in an instant but froze as Wakaba bent down to Futaba and gently spoke.

“Now Futaba, are you being selfish again?” Gently scolding the little girl. “What if our friend here likes Blueberry too?” Goro felt frozen, like all the blood had drained from his body, the adrenaline crash he quickly recognized it as. He’d felt so panicked that Wakaba was going to hurt Futaba over something so small that he’d sent himself into a fight or flight mode when he hadn't needed to. Why had he assumed she was going to hurt her when all he’d seen was the woman be kind to her?

“Goro honey?” The voice snapped his attention back to the real world around him and he reeled backwards, bumping his back into the exam table behind him when he realized that Wakaba was no longer bent down in front of Futaba but now only inches away from him. Locking eyes with the boy as the frown returned for a third time in only 10 minutes but this time her eyes reflected genuine concern as she stared at him. “Honey, are you ok? You’ve grown quite pale, is this an after effect of something that happened on the other side today? Are you feeling ok? Do you need to lie down? What do I need to do to help?”

The questions one after another weren’t even the overwhelming part, no it was the concern laced in every word, the sympathy dripping from her sentences as if he was someone worth sympathizing with. Suddenly he felt something cold pressed against one of his hands and he snatched it quickly to his chest before his eyes snapped down from Wakaba’s worried ones to that of the black haired girl who was quietly holding the blue popsicle towards him while staring down at the floor.

“I'm sorry I was selfish… If you like this one too then you should enjoy it too.” Akechi stared down at the Blue popsicle like ti was more likely to bite him than anything else before shakily unpeeling his hand off of his chest and slowly reaching for it, the cold spreading through his finger tips quickly without the insulation of the gloves from the metaverse that he found himself enjoying more and more each time he wore– and feeling more and more vulnerable in the real world every time he didn’t.

He stayed quiet for a moment before a gentle bump to his shoulder snapped him back to reality once again, he was spacing out a lot recently…that couldn't be good.

Say thank you.

 A voice in his head chided him, making him jump and he quickly nodded looking down to the younger girl and hesitantly saying.

“T-Thank you Futaba..” He figured honorifics were unnecessary considering the circumstances and the little girl in turn actually gave him a wide smile.

“You better enjoy it!” She giggled before turning and quickly scurrying off to the other side of the room again to play with her Featherman figurines she had brought with her that day. He could hear Wakaba chuckle and slowly stand, gently ruffling his hair as she did.

“Go on and eat kiddo.” She said softly before sighing and bit as she retracted her hand. “Unfortunately they want you to go back in again today…I keep telling them it’s a bad idea but they won't listen so…rest for now ok? I’ll come back when it’s time ok?” And with that she’d left the room taking Futaba with her. Goro watched them exit the room in silence, staring at the now closed door as he contemplated for the millionth time to just leave, to run and never look back. But then the face of a woman with red eyes and oily brown hair popped in his mind again and he quickly dismissed any idea of running.

Glancing down at the popsicle in his hand he found that part of it had actually started to melt with how long he had stared at the door for.Taking it and holding it between both of his hands for just a moment to let the coolness of it spread through his fingertips Goro sighed softly before he finally decided to open the see through package and eat it. The cold made him shiver as he bit into the top of it before he noticed something on the ground not too far away from the door he had unintentionally went back to staring at once more.  Curiously Goro walked over and bent down to see what exactly it was.

A Featherman action figure, Futaba must have dropped it on the way out. Something about staring at it brought back a weight in his chest at the thought of all the silly things he had given up since arriving here. Reaching down and grabbing it, twirling it around in his fingers Goro finds he’s quick to recognize the figurine.

It was Featherman Gray. Currently one of his arms was stuck upwards striking a pose, while the other had been bent in a random direction, from when it had hit the ground logically.  As he held it in his hand he couldn’t help as he smiled down at it, his favorite character right there in his hands, no longer something so far out of reach…he should hide it. Make an excuse when they come back looking for it that he’d never seen it, to act as if it had never been here to begin with. He’d never had toys before other than the small beat up Featherman ray gun that his mother had barely had enough money to buy for him second hand. The same toy gun that the orphanage had ripped from his hands day one and tossed in the trash as if it were an affront to them. Acting as if his little toy, the only thing he had left from his mother, was a poison meant to fester and destroy all they held dear.

No that would be you soon

Goro stared at it ignoring the voice in his mind, instead glancing back up at the door once more fidgeting as he did. It would only be one, a single secret, a single comfort…

Until they found him with it.

How quickly would they rip it away? How quickly would he AND Futaba lose the figure as they threw it away right in front of him again?. He sighed resigned and finished the popsicle, throwing the stick away before walking back over to the little exam table that he tended to use as a bed when he was in here. Hoping up on it he laid on his stomach as he posed the figurine, making a fake voice for it as he played pretend for the first time in what felt like years. Maybe playing with the figure for a little while he could simply ignore the world around him… just for a little bit.

Time passed around him but all that mattered at that moment was the little figure in his hands and the world he was crafting around him before suddenly another figure appeared in his vision and a voice said:

“I found you at last Pigeon Gray!” Quickly he recognized the voice as belonging to Futaba as she held Featherman Red’s figure in her hand making it bounce across the bed towards him and his- the figurine he held as well. “Now time for our fated d-du-dua-” She frowned.

“Duel?” Goro helpfully provided and the girl quickly grinned and yelled much louder now. Instead of seeming upset he’d had her figurine she instead seemed to be taking it completely in stride.

“Our fated duel!” Before making ray gun noises and explosion noises as she danced the figurine around the bed and Goro…he sat there staring unsure what to do before feeling a playful side of him he didn't really recognize anymore bubble to the surface and said.

“A duel I’ll win.” With a grin before making the figurine point its hand at Red and making small “pew Pew'' noises as he did. Futaba gasped and rolled the figurine upside down using both of her hands to make it look like Red had done a cartwheel out of the way of the blast. Goro couldn’t help the wide grin that pulled to his face as he watched her before making his own figure dive to the side to avoid Red’s attacks as Futaba eagerly yelled out her own pew pew kapooshes as she made the figure act as if it were attacking. It went back and forth for a while before Futaba made the little red figurine fall to the bed dramatically.

“Oh no!” She exclaimed. “How could I lose?!” As Goro made Gray walk up slowly to his downed ex-comrad, pointing the toys little fake pistol at him before making it say.

“It’s ok red, you just got outplayed.” To which both the kids started giggling before the door suddenly unceremoniously swung open, banging against the wall as it did, making both kids jump as two men in suits walked in. All of Goro’s bubbling attitude disappeared in a matter of seconds and Futbaba quickly hopped off the bed keeping her head down as if knowing she wasn’t meant to be there beside him. Goro starred as they got closer, clutching the Featherman Gray figurine tight in his hands as he did.

Before the two men could get within arms reach of him however another person rushed into the room as well.

“I already told the two of you that the answer was no!” Wakaba’s voice echoed through the room as she pushed past the two suits, standing directly between Goro and the glaring men. “Not yet, we agreed to at least 2 hours rest!”

“Plans have changed, we need more evidence so he’s to go in now.”

“And what are you going to do if he winds up getting himself killed from how tired he is! He’s a child !” She took a step forwards towards the men as if to make them step back and further away from him while Goro did his best to make himself as small as possible.

He hated this feeling, the feeling of being trapped, nowhere to go.

No way out.

He jumped when a hand landed on his own and squeezed gently. Yanking his head around his vision was filled with a long black haired person pressed close to him.

Oh. It was Futaba.

With her hand on his he looked back up at Wakaba and the suits arguing as they pushed further into Wakaba’s space and ice settled in his stomach when one of them raised a hand as if to hit her.

“I’ll go.” Words coming from him without much thought, his voice coming across more confident than he felt at the moment but he felt emblazoned by Futaba’s support and slowly stood up leaving the figurine on the bed as he walked to stand next to Wakaba. Relief flooded his veins as he watched the man in the suit slowly lower his hand back to his side.

“But Goro dear, you only came out 45 minutes ago, that’s not a long enough rest to-”

“The kids made his decision.” One of the suits snaps, reaching down and sharply grabbing Goro’s shoulder.

Get your hands off me you filthy Trash. A voice Goro didn’t recognize echoes loudly in his head but he ignores it when Wakaba steps up again.

“And as the lead researcher here I will remind you that I make final judgment calls. Back off the kid. NOW” She snaps, which surprised Goro, he doesn't think he’s ever seen Wakaba mad before this.

The man tsked as he released Goro’s shoulder giving him a sharp shove backwards which made him tumble but he stayed on his feet.

Kill him

That voice was back. What the hell was that?

He frowned but soon enough the man in front of him finally backed off when Wakaba said something else to him but Goro was far too focused on trying to get his breathing back under wraps as he stood there. What had that voice been?

He was dragged out of his thoughts again when suddenly the ball of black hair was back in front of him again.

“Hey…you ok?” Futaba asked him curiously with a sad smile on her face as she looked over at the boy in front of her. He sighed having no interest in worrying the other girl so he simply nodded after a moment of wrestling his emotions under control again.

“Yes, of course Futaba, I’m fine…” He said gently before reaching over and ruffled her hair gently which made the younger girl whine loudly and swat at his hand.

“Heyyyy don't tangle my hair, it takes fooorreeevvveeerrr to brush all the time, don't make it worse!” She whines and Goro chuckles before he can catch himself. After a moment he recognizes that someone else is also chuckling at what was happening. Quickly he looks up from Futaba to see Wakaba Ishiki standing there staring at him with this fond sad look on her face that reminded him far too much of another woman who had once been apart of his life and suddenly a gross feeling settled in Goro’s chest so he yanks his hand away from Futaba’s head instantly.

“Do you want to rest Goro?” Wakaba’s voice asked gently as she walked up to the two of them. “I doubt I’ll be able to keep those two off your back all day before you have to go back into the Metaverse unfortunately so if you’d like to take a nap for the time being at least I'm sure I can at least buy you that much time. I know you’ve mentioned before how much going to that other side and fighting takes out of you…” She seemed unsure in her words for the first time today as she spoke to him. Goro found the longer she looked at him like that though the more he hated it and quickly turned away from her so he wouldn’t have to see it any more.

“I’ll be fine, I can go back in now it isn’t that bad..” He lied, he was exhausted. The constant back to back excursions of the metaverse were beginning to wear on his young body if he was being honest. But honesty didn't keep him valuable to them, honesty meant they might replace him, honesty meant one step closer to his father just to be kicked backwards 3 more. Honesty had never helped him once in his life and just like any of the other times if he was honest he would only regret it and he knew it so instead he swallowed his pride, and his feelings, and once again he lied. 

“I don’t need to be coddled like a child.” He said simply crossing his arm, looking over to the gray pigeon figure on his “bed” with a frown. Oh how easy it would be to indulge in childish enjoyments for once, having never had the chance to enjoy such small things since his mothers passing. But to focus on anything other than fighting in the metaverse and being of use to this shitty place to get closer to his father felt like a genuine disservice to his mother and her memory at this point. The sooner he made that asshole pay for what he had done to him and his mother the better. Things like rest, and childish enjoyments, meant little if it meant his father got to keep living his life as if he hadn't ruined his mothers entire existence and tossed her away as if she were nothing more than trash. Frustration burned bright in his mind and licked at his fingers.

Break it

That voice from before was back again and this time it was directed at the little gray Featherman figurine still sitting there not too far away. It would be so easy too. To pick it up, snap it in two. To feel the satisfaction of breaking something with his own two hands the way he breaks weaker shadows down in the metaverse. It would be so easy…

But-

It would also mean he would make Futaba Ishiki mad and for all the times she may have annoyed him in the past, she was one of the few constants in this hellscape of a place and he didn't want to give that up…at least not yet.

Soon but not now…

“Goro sweetheart.” He heard behind him and the term of endearment did nothing but make his stomach do flips inside of him desperate for the kindness to disappear. He could deal with hatred, anger, disgust but this queasy kindness that was sure to eventually lead to something else felt deceptive and uncomfortable. All it was doing was setting him up for heartbreak when she eventually showed her true colors just like every other adult Goro Akechi had ever met.

“I said I can go back in.” He snapped angrily stomping his foot a bit, which probably wasn’t the best way to demonstrate to an adult he was mature enough to make a decision like this but he was just so sick of being coddled by this woman when he knew it was all just a front to make sure he stayed useful to the research team.

Frowning but sighing, Wakaba finally nodded and turned to get the machine ready for him to enter into the Metaverse for the second time that day, even as his body begged for rest. 

He could rest later. Right now he has to prove himself useful.

✦

Goro snaps back to reality staring at the shadow before him who has that same sickly motherly look to her face as she takes a step forwards towards him. One hand stretched out as if to touch him and despite all the space between them Goro still feels himself taking steps back and away from her before she can close any of that distance.

“Goro honey? Are you ok?” She questions and something about that makes him even angrier than before. Her tone being soft and unsure made pinpricks of annoyance flare inside of him.. This charade of her pretending she cared about him, just like every other adult in his life, to get something from him or to prevent him from doing something was something Goro could see through a mile away.

She’s just like everyone else.

Ripping his mask from his face his voice echoes around the room as he screams for Loki. He needed to end this, to get it over with. Once Wakaba Ishiki was discredited and out of the way then he’d have the research. Then he’d have answers. Then he could understand why he had to go through everything they had put him through.

Then he could understand why she had been willing to do it.

Even as the flames surged up from behind him and the black and white persona with a sword glowing bright like a fire formed behind him, Wakaba made no move to flee. Instead she continued to step closer to him until she was only an arms length away. From where she stood now she had to look upwards to see the face of Goro’s persona but instead of seeming afraid of the force of nature behind Goro she instead simply smiled. Wait…smiled?

Goro blinked at her a few times as if to clear his vision and see the truth but her smile never vanished as she looked up to the entity behind Goro. Had she simply accepted her fate?

Waving at the persona Wakaba spoke once more.

“Hello Loki.” She says, with a warmth to her voice that Goro can’t remember ever being directed towards his persona before this “It feels like I haven’t seen you in a very long time.”

Goro could feel his persona growl angrily at her just as much as he could hear it. Loki’s fingers twitching around the sword as if waiting for the very second the command will be given so he can lunge across the room and impale her, forcing her to suffer as much as they had because of her choices.

No Loki. That’s not why we’re here . He quickly reminds the persona but it does nothing to calm him.

“I believe the last I saw you was when you fully awoke to him and Robin wasn't it?” She chuckles a bit as if recalling a fond memory. “You were so tired after you completely collapsed and slept for three days. But it was no wonder, having more than one persona like that in your soul must have been exhausting.”

Goro stares at her not knowing what to say for a moment but it appeared Wakaba wasn’t done speaking anyways. Her face grows far more serious as she looks down to Goro for a moment, examining his face, then back up to Loki.

Finally, she’s realizing the situation she’s in.

Finally the fear was going to come and she’d beg for her life and he’d laugh at her and tell her she couldn’t stop him now and-

“Thank you Loki-,” Wakaba begins and Goro can feel the persona behind him moving back slightly as if the words coming from her mouth burned him. “-for saving my daughter's life."

Goro felt like his brain had short circuited at that very moment. As though he were attempting to connect two far fetched ideas with a rubber band but as soon as they were touching the band snapped and sent everything cascading down around his ears instead.

She was…thanking Loki?

“If it weren’t for the two of you, Futaba would have died that day.” Stepping closer Wakaba offers yet another gentle smile to the zebra persona. “I know it must have been painful for the two of you to fully awaken before you were ready to but I’m so very thankful you did. Futaba is my whole world and if anything had happened to her I would have been destroyed.”

Goro jerked slightly when he felt something wrapping around him, panic flooded his veins.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

He’d let his guard down and now the shadow was going to-

to-

to…hug him?

Arms wrapped around him, Goro finds himself pulled to the chest of the shadow as it hugs him tightly. Warmth exuding from her in a way Goro knew shouldn’t come from shadows but Goro felt himself relaxing into it without much thought. When was the last time someone had hugged him? When was the last time a touch from someone else didn’t hurt?

Jolted back to reality when he hears Loki growl, Goro quickly pulls his hands up and shoves himself out of Wakaba’s arms, ignoring the way hurt seems to flash across her face for a moment.

It’s then another noise seems to pierce the very air around then, blaring around the room, deep and sonorous. Consuming all of their attention as they all three look around to try and find the source. It disappears for a moment before occurring once more, somehow even louder this time.

Goro whines softly at the third time the loud noise fills the room, echoing all around them, and even within his own head it feels like. At the fourth time Goro finds himself falling to his knees too overwhelmed to remain standing. Eyes clenched closed he almost misses the only other noise, it’s someone speaking.

“Goro!”

Hands there are hands on his face.

Eyes slowly peeling themselves open he finds himself only inches from Wakaba Ishiki who is kneeling before him.

“Goro, you have-” A fifth loud ringing cuts out most of whatever she is saying to him. “-remember Goro.”

Remember?

At the sixth ring Goro gasps in pain as the world swirls in his vision-

Blinking a few times as the world sways in his vision before he slowly realizes he’s staring up at the roof of his little apartment there in Tokyo phone alarm blaring just to his right every few seconds. Goro takes a few deep breaths as his memories do the equivalent of a dance inside his mind. Was this some kind of joke? Every other day having dreams about the past and the things he had gone through? Perhaps it was the consequence of time travel – that concept still sounded just as dumb to Goro as it did before but he couldn’t deny where or when he was.

Sighing Goro looks over to the window that’s letting in blinding annoying rays of sunshine which meant it had to at least be some time in the morning and he should probably at least get to up to check if he can still make it to school but the longer he lays there the less appealing the idea is. Mind still doing its tumbling dance as he thinks back to the days he had spent in that laboratory and the decisions that had ultimately led him where he was today, Goro quietly thinks back to Wakaba’s face in those moments in Mementos together before everything truly went to hell with no way back.

Kind.

The word sat at the forefront of his mind as he thought back to her. Despite her willingness to test on him and the other orphans who had been there, she had never been unnecessarily cruel like some of the other doctors. Sure there were moments a younger Goro may have been afraid of her for the things she was doing but he also could recognize the way she did her best to provide them with comfort throughout it.

Was it some kind of cosmic joke that one of the two people in the world that had ever treated Goro with genuine  kindness had also been one of the many to exploit him for the sake of the betterment of others. How had someone like Wakaba Ishiki ended up working for the group that was more than willing to use the lives of those society deemed less worthy as a stepping stone for scientific breakthroughs. Why had she been willing to send him into the hellscape that was mementos with nothing more than the clothes on his back and a hope he’d come back out but then give him small gifts and comforts he’d only been able to dream of before? Bringing him boxed lunches made so carefully as if true care had been put into each of them.  Was it a means for him not to leave? Had she simply been trying to convince him it was all for the greater good, that his suffering was just a small stepping stone?

Goro wasn’t sure and during his last little excursion through 2016 he hadn’t cared enough to want to look into it. Now however, Goro found that perhaps he had a chance to get the answers he didn’t before. After all, he was already one step closer to Kayo Murakami and whatever she had on his father. What was to prevent him from learning more about the woman he had stolen away from Futaba Sakura.

Goro remembered back in November when he’d been allowed to join the thieves temporarily how frequently they all talked about what they hoped to accomplish after everything with their thieves work was done. Thinking back to how each of them had a differing answer but the one that had stuck with him had come from Futaba Sakura, her words a jarring reminder of what he had done for the sake of his revenge.

Quietly staring down at her computer screen she had all but whispered an answer: “I want to continue on to try and learn what happened to my mother, the reason why she was killed. I still want to find out what happened to her research... I mean changing heart wasn’t really why I joined in the first place, she was. Maybe it’ll be a bit harder without the metaverse at my side but I’m going to find those men in the black suits even if it takes me the rest of my life.”

Goro couldn’t help but feel the smallest tinges of guilt borrowing in his chest as he listened to her speak of the other woman with such conviction. Before, during last November, he couldn’t be bothered to hold onto the guilt knowing it would only hold him back rather than help him press forwards. Goro couldn’t afford to let anything stop him then. Emotions like guilt or regret were things he had to shove deep down inside of himself lest they fester and consume him.

Goro had been sent after the woman before with the promise of answers. The promise of understanding why they were experimenting on him. What they planned to do with the information they had gained from the days upon days of tests. Perhaps even what these powers were meant for to begin with. On top of everything, it would allow him to truly prove his worth to Shido and allow him to get one step closer to destroying him.

Goro at age 15 fell for every false promise that spewed from Shido’s lips far too focused on believing he had the upper hand against the man. Truly holding onto the concept of being able to destroy the man who had walked out of his life once but now Goro at 17– technically 19 – knew better than anyone that those lies had only been meant to manipulate him. There were no promised answers, instead the notebooks that had been retrieved from Wakaba’s lab had instead vanished into Shido’s office never to be seen again. Answers he was owed lied locked away behind closed doors.

No more than that, answers that Futaba Sakura was owed.

Goro held his hands up above him for a moment, staring at his palm that seemed to gleam red in the light of the room. This hand had taken Wakaba Ishiki away from her daughter and doomed the young girl to a life not too unlike his own. One filled with anguish, blame, and self doubt that lingered even on his good days. To have subjugated Futaba Sakura to that same pain simply on the flimsy backbone of promises that came from a man so slimy it put slugs to shame. It was foolish, it was desperate, and worst of all it was pointless. Goro Akechi had killed Wakaba Ishiki and ended up getting himself killed as well, all for nothing.

Those notebooks currently locked away and his memories with her, those both held the key to all of this he was sure. The answers to why he was sent after Wakaba Ishiki and no one else and why she had been the first of those he was sent after who died. He just had to find them, then he and Futaba Sakura could have the closure they needed– no they deserved.

“I’m coming for answers you piece of shit.” Growling it up to the roof as he thought of his father’s smug, punchable face, before thinking back one last time to the woman and her smile.
“I’m going to figure this out…” He promises quietly. Not only for himself but for a now orange haired girl and the woman he took from her.

Clenching his hand into a fist Goro takes a deep breath before slowly opening it again, the red gleam nowhere to be found.

Staring at his hand for a few more moments before letting it fall back to his side Goro lets out a tired groan as he slings his other arm across his face hiding away from the sun in his room. Laying there for a moment feeling sleep tug at him once more Goro knows he at least needs to check the time. Slapping his other hand around on his bed for a while Goro huffs annoyed as he keeps coming up shirt before finally his hand lands on his phone. Peeking out from under his arm only long enough to see the time on his now illuminated phone screen Goro groans once more when he finds he’s barely been asleep for 3 hours at this point. Sighing he opens his alarms and sets one for around 1pm. That should give him more than enough time to get up, shower, put on any makeup he needed to hide any indication he was tired, and head off towards Shujin Academy or wherever it was that the little thieves would choose to have their meet up at.

As tempting as just not showing up was he was aware how much suspicion that would shine on him this early on and for as much as he liked to think he could trust Shiho Suzui not to mention the existence of Loki to any of the others Goro was also pointedly aware that his entire life had been painted in betrayals from people he thought he could trust. To quietly hope that this would not be the same case was the same childish optimism that had scolded Akira for having when he spoke of how sure he was that none of his fellow thieves would ever choose to stay in Maruki’s reality.

Once the alarm had been set Goro opened his phone to his messenger instead and for a moment laid there staring at a single name that he had a desire in the back of his mind to call, to talk to after having memories like this dragged up from the pits of hell. Akira had always been the easiest person in Goro’s life for him to talk to and yet…this wasn’t that same Akira. He could only imagine the reaction this akira would have to him calling him at this time of day to all but trauma dump about his issues and experiences with a woman who would eventually become the first person’s blood he ever had on his hands. Akira would probably block his number and call the police in an instant so with a sigh he let his arm flop back to his side, phone still in hand as he moved to hide behind his other arm once more.

Stupid sunlight.

Investing in blackout curtains had seemed like a foolish waste of money before but now knowing that he’d have more than his fair share of all nighters in the upcoming months, it seemed like a far better investment than he’d ever given it credit. For now though the only thing he wanted to focus on was going back to sleep so letting his phone go he reached down, grabbed the end of his blanket and pulled it over his shoulders once more as he slowly tries to let his mind calm down enough to sleep.

He had a long day ahead of him after all.