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A satisfied hum fell from her lips after she sent the message. She had asked her precious leader that they needed to establish something. And it was urgent. It wasn't true. Goro was simply desperate to just fulfill her selfish desire. She had to know she was superior to Akira. She had to put Akira on the floor. Unfortunately not with Loki. She couldn't. Which was a shame.
A grin grew on her face when she received a message back. ' I'll be there.' Of course you will. Her grin grew to a smirk.
Goro stood outside Penguin Sniper idling on her phone. Thankfully, her rival is punctual.
"Ah, there you are. Sorry for the vague message."
Akira simply nodded her head. Is it just her or is that annoying little cat in her bag glaring daggers at her? Goro felt herself stiffen.
"It's alright, what did you need?"
Goro had to stop her oncoming smirk. "I believe it's important we settle something. Mementos would be a fitting place to do so." Akira tilted her head, "Why mementos?"
"It's difficult to explain here." She quickly darted her eyes to Morgana. Her rival, bless her, caught on.
"Alright, why don't you go take a walk Morgana?" The feline looked hesitant. But one interesting look from Akira and the cat hopped out and pattered away.
"Thank you for indulging me." Goro began to lead the other girl into an alleyway. She brought up her phone and with a press of a button they landed within the confines of the metaverse. She finally gets to see Joker come out and play again.
They walked to the depths of Mementos in silence, and Goro could feel the anticipation rush through her body. She could feel it spread from the tips of her fingers, all the way to her stomach and heart. Akira was trailing behind her, and she couldn't fight the smirk spreading across her lips. She had no idea what was going to happen.
For once, she would be able to wipe that smug look off Joker’s face. She’d be able to let go a little, and use just enough power to knock Joker on the ground and pin her there, taunting her. She was so full of herself , Goro couldn't wait to get in her face and scratch and bite and leave marks, couldn’t wait to close the gap between them and kiss her-
A shudder ran down her spine, and she shook her head like that would get rid of the thoughts. You’re going to kill her in 16 days , Goro reminded herself. Stop fucking thinking about this .
Once they reached a place that was satisfactory enough, Goro nodded her head and hummed in approval. “Hm, yes. This place shall do nicely.”
Akira’s hands were stuffed in her pockets, and she raised her eyebrow. “Why are we in Mementos?” She had finally asked. Goro had to suppress her chuckle. “This.” From her pocket, she brought out a gun, and pointed it at Akira. In return, she jumped back ever so slightly, looking at her with wide eyes.
She made a small noise of shock, causing Goro to smile to herself. “Don’t you remember what I told you? If you ever won against me using my right hand, I’d take you on with everything I’ve got .” Her voice lowered towards the end of her sentence, becoming more gravelly and rough.
“... I thought you meant in pool.” She rolled her eyes. Biting her lip to restrain her more nasty words, she shook her head. “That wasn’t enough to satisfy me. It’s your own fault, though .” Akira looked so calm despite the situation, despite the fact that there was a gun pointed at her head. Despite the fact that Goro can kill her at any moment . It infuriated her .
Oh well. She’s going to get her comeuppance later.
“Your insight allowing you to determine my dominant hand, your quick wit, and most of all, how fast you’ve grown… You’ve exceeded my expectations in every way .” Your stupid smirk, your annoying laugh that gets stuck in my head, your unruly curls that infuriate me to think about. Maybe she was letting too much slip, but she didn’t fucking care. Did it really matter, anyway? Akira was going to be dead in less than a month.
Her stomach rolled, and her heart stuttered inside her ribcage. “Thus, I’ve built up this urge to duel you, without holding anything back.”
“Alright.”
Truthfully, she’s been wanting to do this since she laid her eyes on the girl. She was so adaptable, so open, everything that Goro wasn’t. A pit of jealousy formed in her stomach, and she scowled. Perfect little Akira , she scoffed to herself. She won’t be perfect for much longer .
She forced a polite smile, with the addition of polite laughter. “Thank you for indulging my selfish request, Joker . Although, we have no use for pleasantries at this point, correct?”
Without a word, Akira nodded her head and smirked to herself.
Goro smirked, wide and unrestrained. She’d finally get to show Akira a fraction of her true power.
She jumped behind Akira to get the element of surprise and summoned Robinhood, who targeted her with Kougan. She managed to dodge it, but it threw her off balance and she fell to the ground. Before she was able to get up, Robinhood aimed a Megaton Raid hit at her, and she fell back to the floor. She hissed in pain, before rolling up and healing herself.
Fuck . Goro chewed on her lip, and fell back when Akira used an item to make her dizzy. Her head spun, and she forced herself to stand up straight. She was so focused on not falling over that she didn’t notice Akira’s persona hitting her with an eigaon. Her weakness. Goro thankfully catches herself, Joker is strong . But that definitely downed her HP, she shudders. She was unsure if that made her want to laugh or scream. Akira had another move, she used it to use a small healing fix.
Goro is quick to retaliate when she gets her chance, hitting Akira with an Eigaon spell. RobinHood's presence makes her body tingle with power. Akira stumbled slightly but didn't fall. Unfortunately, Goro mused. Akira then pointed her gun at Goro, firing and taking the princess' HP with it. Damn, that burns. As much as Goro appreciates RobinHood, to her dismay, he's weaker than Loki. Still, she wouldn't be happy if Akira beat her like this.
She could heal, as RobinHood so gently reminds her but she finds herself ignoring his effort.
Goro runs over to the side as fast as a bullet, making her poor little rival confused. She then brings her energy sword up and slashes. Parts of Joker's clothes rip. With a cry, she falls back. If only Goro did that with her own two hands. Goro trots over back to her stance with a smirk. She can't hide it this time.
"Had enough, Joker?" She taunts.
Joker had gotten up by now, a fierce look settling in her eye. "Never." Joker summons her persona from her countless variety and hits Goro with severe physical skill. Instantly putting her own health in the single digits. Shit. Goro trips and falls into the rough ground. Her clothes tattered.
She can't help it. She laughs.
Akira is taken aback. "Well.. This was not expected." Goro grins.
She felt a deep anger overtake her, and without a second thought, she rushed up to Akira and tackled her to the ground. A low growl spilled from her lips while she and Akira rolled on the dirty Mementos floor, trying to pin one another to the ground. “You think you’re so perfect , don’t you Joker- ?” She laughed maniacally, her eyes turning darker and more dangerous. She had successfully pinned Akira to the ground, struggling to keep her down.
She could kill her right now. She could take her sword and slit her throat, and watch the blood spill out from the wound and watch the life drain from her eyes. The thought made her nauseous, and she squeezed her eyes shut. No. She needs to stick to the plan. She doesn’t want to kill Akira in the first place.
Akira flipped them back over, and Goro struggled to overtake her again. “ I wouldn’t say perfect .” She gritted out in a strained voice. Goro kneed her in the stomach and she recoiled in pain, letting Goro pin her back down.
“ Of course you wouldn't. ” She spat out. “You haven’t even been doing this for a year and you’re already better than me. You have no idea what I’ve done. What I’ve been through .” Her arms started to ache from the force she was holding Akira down with, and her wounds were pulsing with pain. Fuck.
Akira seemed to notice her momentary weakness caused by her pain, because she kicked Goro off of her, and held her down. Gently . “Crow.” She shot a sympathetic look her way, and it made her blood boil. How dare she pity her at a time like this. If she could just use Loki- She’d beat her in an instant .
“Fuck you.” She pushed Akira off her, but she made no further effort to tackle her again. She crossed her arms over her stomach, trying to minimize the stinging pain in her stomach. Joker gently put her hand on Goro’s shoulder, and it left a tingling sensation where they made contact. She chose to ignore it. Goro slowly started to stand up, with Akira following her actions shortly after.
The two women had now settled on standing up-right properly. Akira had a look that she couldn't read. It's rare that she can. "No wonder that you're the leader of the Phantom Thieves.." Goro began, "It's unbelievable that you've caught up to me on this front already." The detective princess felt a familiar emotion bubbling up a storm within her. Rage. And Akira Kurusu, this fucking minx of a woman has the gall to say "Was that all you got?" With a cheeky smile. Goro will fucking ruin her. Let the blood flow from her head. Dig her nails into her already ruined body- kiss the bruises- What?!
".. No." Goro breathes out. She wants to choke this woman until she reaches her last breath. See the light fade out. "But if we go any further, we'd both go beyond the point of no return, wouldn't we?" She hardly covered her rage. But she didn't care. "Truthfully, I'm itching to see how far we could go.." How far they could go until Akira has had enough. Until Akira is crying from the pain Goro gives her- begging her to stop- what the fuck are these thoughts?
Akira is still grinning. If only she could bite her tongue. She wouldn't be grinning then. "But we have an important mission to complete. Until then, you're a vital ally to me." Logical. Focused. Perfect.
Goro grabs Akiras shoulder, leans in, and whispers. " We're done, Joker. Let's go."
--
They return to the real world, and the relief that floods through Goro’s body is instant. Healing certainly does help in the Metaverse, but the wounds leave lingering pains even after they’ve long dissipated.
“Hm, It seems I’ve learned quite a lot about you today.” Akira nodded her head in agreement. “As allies fighting alongside each other, your strength is truly reassuring. In all honesty, it’s to the point that I’d be relying on you in a pinch.” Her demeanor from earlier has completely reverted back to her Detective Princess persona.
“The feeling’s mutual.” The agreement made something stir in the pit of Goro’s belly. It made her stomach flip over, and she squeezed her palms into fists to dispel the feeling. It didn’t work.
“Haha,” She smiled pleasantly. “You truly are well composed.” The lingering tone in her voice was mean. Bitter . “I’m sorry that I asked you to indulge me, but I do feel a bit better now.” That was a lie . If anything, she felt worse. And by the look on Akira’s face, she knew that, too.
“Is that so, princess? I’m glad I could help.” Goro chewed on her lip more, the taste of blood spilling into her mouth. She swallowed back another growl, and sighed under her breath. “Ha.” She deadpanned, clearly not finding Akira’s attempt to rile her up very amusing. In place of saying anything else, she changed the subject.
“By the way, about that duel-- if we had fought to the end, do you see yourself winning?”
Akira paused, thinking to herself thoroughly.
“I definitely wouldn't lose. It’d be close, but I’d never let myself lose to you.” Goro threw her head back and let out a weak, unhinged cackle. “ Ha. Is that so?” Fuck . She didn’t know whether she wanted to strangle her or kiss her. Wait, what-?
She glanced around her surroundings. They were standing in front of the underground wall, and the street was nearly deserted. She could grab her and pin her against the wall right now, pull on her hair, tell her how fucking entitled she is- She’s so smug, she’d probably just be smirking the entire time - What the fuck is Goro thinking about?
“Hm. I supposed I could say the same for you. I don’t see myself losing either, you know.” She tried to compose herself. Akira was making that a nearly impossible task. “That’s unfortunate, because I know I wouldn’t lose.”
Something inside Goro snapped.
With a low, angry chuckle, she grabbed Akira by her collar and pinned her against the wall. “ Yeah? You really see yourself winning that ?” She pressed her knuckles hard against Akira’s throat. The girls expressioned remained stoic and unchanged.
She just nodded, and gave an affirmative hum.
“You absolutely infuriate me.” She growled through gritted teeth, her hands starting to shake. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry.
“I can see that.” Akira smirked a bit nervously, and Goro’s had enough . She dropped Akira’s collar, before sweeping her legs out from under her and watching as she fell to the ground.
Akira fell back onto her arms with wide eyes. Her chest was heaving up and down, and she looked surprised for once. Goro’s heart swelled with pride. Finally , she had managed to catch Akira off guard. “ You …” She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. It wasn’t worth it .
She’d only be causing a scene if this went too far, and that certainly won’t help her public image. Reluctantly, she held her hand out in front of Akira and pointendly ignored the fluttering in her stomach when Akira took her hand and propped herself up.
When Akira showed no signs of letting go of her hand, she ripped her hand away from Akira’s, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’m going to be entirely honest with you: I hate you.”
She absolutely despised everything about Akira. She hated how adaptable she was, how talented she was at everything, how special she was - She hated the weird feeling that fluttered in her stomach whenever she thought about the girl, she hated the fact that they didn’t meet sooner.
“I refuse to lose to you.” They were rivals, after all. It was only fair. She had to be competitive, she couldn't let Akira overtake her no matter the circumstance.
“Yeah. Me too.” Akira hummed softly. Ha. At least they were on the same page. At least she infuriated Akira as much as Akira infuriated her. She has to admit, she was quite shocked by that response, and felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. Oh.
“You really are-” She paused, and shook her head. “No. Nevermind.”
"Really hate losing, don't you, princess?" For whatever godforsaken reason, this is what tipped Goro over the edge. Not caring about who was around, she walked up to Akira and slapped her. She hoped it hurt.
Akira looked stunned. The girl put her hand over the mark. It was sure to leave a bruise. Goro cursed herself. She had acted completely out of character. She had to fix this. Somehow.
"My.. My apologies. I wasn't aware it was this severe." Play the victim. Like she didn't understand her own feelings. She hoped Akira lapped it up like a fucking dog.
".. Apology accepted," Akira seemed to trail off mindlessly, "If you do that again.." Goro raised an eyebrow. She didn't quite catch that. "Excuse me?" Akira shrugged. "Yes, well. That will never happen again, rest assured." She smiled. She needed to leave. Now.
"Thank you for indulging me today. It was a valuable use of time." Goro made a scene of checking her watch and gaping. "Oh, would you look at that? The last trains are leaving soon. We best be off."
"Leaving so soon?" Akira taunted. A hint of Joker in her voice. "Yes, I have a busy day tomorrow." Why the hell was the girl stalling? Akira stalked towards her. The girl was currently wearing heels. Goro didn't appreciate the height advantage..
She needed to buy herself more heels, it seemed.
"Why don't we go somewhere?" What was Akira getting at? Goro shook her head. "I don't follow. Nor do I have the time, I'm afraid." Akira frowned. Don't look at me with those silly puppy eyes.
"Now, Good day, Kurusu." She made her move, not bothering to look back.
If only she did, though.
She would've seen the devious smirk Joker had. A hungry gaze that watched closely until she was out of sight.
--
Goro's heels clacked on the steel flooring with every step she took. In any normal circumstance her heart would match the slow steps. Today was unusual. The lifeless halls of the underground only made her heart speed up. She could make it through, however. She practiced not to vomit. It certainly didn't help that she was on her monthly cycle. All the more reason for her to feel like shit.
With a distant sigh, she mindlessly fiddled with her tie. After this all her hard work will come to fruition.
The further she walked the closer another figure got to her. Recognition sparked within her. Sae-san.
"A-Akechi-chan! ? Wh-why are you here?"
Ah, right. Of course Sae-san just had to be here. It was typical for the woman.
Putting on her best Detective Princess smile, Goro spoke.
"Why do you seem so surprised?"
Naturally, she knew the woman wouldn't be happy with such a condescending response but she couldn't help herself. She needed to breathe after this conversation. Goro felt her stomach start to turn. Not yet , she scolded herself.
Sae-san began to complain about how her director needed to step in just to get involved. Goro understood that much at least. "How did you get approval?"
Ah, Goro had practiced this one, just in case. "For the same reason you did. I am heading up the investigation team, after all." Sae-san stared at her with an air of disbelief. It didn't matter if she didn't believe her.
"Don't you think it's only natural I'd have the right to interrogate the culprit?" The look in Sae-san's eyes said no but once again, her opinion is irrelevant.
"They assigned you command?!" Goro wished this woman would just fucking walking away already . She just wants to shoot her rival, go home and throw up.
Goro found herself stringing up another lie, claiming she was actually only assisting. She planned that one too. Just in case.
"I am surprised it's this far underground though," which wasn't a lie. She is surprised. "There aren't any other's incarcerated here, yes?" Goro knew the answer. But she had to be sure. This can't all go to waste.
"Nobody would ever know if things got a little violent.. " Came out before she could even stop herself. It's hard not to think about. She wonders what face Akira will make..
She's thought about that a little too much.
After some more questioning from Sae-san she finally walked away. What a stupid woman. Believing a young person like herself would ever actually be allowed access here. Goro couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed at how foolish she was. No matter, time to end this.
Despite the growing pit in her stomach, she walked down the corridor until she reached the end, listening to the sound of her heels clack against the steel ground. The sound echoed in her brain and made her head spin. This truly didn’t feel real. It would finally be over, after this.
She stopped in front of the door, noting the police officer standing guard. “Ah, excuse me..” She addressed him, watching as his gaze turned to her. “Is it alright for me to ask that you accompany me? Interrogating a murderer while unarmed makes me uncomfortable,”
She avoided his gaze and shrunk her posture to make herself look more pitiful, while the officer nodded his head. “Of course, Akechi-chan,” He stepped in front of her protectively and opened the door, slowly stepping inside. What a fool , she scoffed internally.
Once Goro heard the click of the door closing, she swiftly stepped behind the officer and wrestled the gun out of his hand. She had the element of surprise, so she quickly pulled it out from his hands, aiming it right at his heart. He turned to face her, shocked, and put his hands in front of him.
“Wh- What are you--!?”
She made eye contact as she pulled the trigger. The sound of the bullet echoed throughout the steel room, and she watched as he grabbed his chest, letting out a strained gasp and pained sound before falling to the floor. His blood trickled into a pool all around him, and she turned her gaze to Akira.
“Hello, there! I’m here to rescue you!” She smiled softly, before dropping her expression to something apathetic and cold. “That’s what you were hoping I would say, wasn’t it?” Akira looked horrible . Her face was scratched and bruised, and she was breathing hard and heavy. Her wrists were covered in rope burn, and somewhere in her stomach, a pool of rage and protectiveness was sinking into her gut. Goro looked down and took the sight in one last time. She's mine to hurt. Mine to kill.
She was going to kill Akira Kurusu . She swallowed down the waves of nausea overtaking her, and slowly approached Akira. “Well? Aren’t you going to say something?”
The girl in front of her just shrugged.
“The drugs are still in my system, sorry if I’m not the greatest conversation partner right now.” Her grip on the gun tightened. Drugs. They drugged her . Honestly, she shouldn't be surprised, but that won’t stop her from wanting to bash in the heads of whoever did this to her.
“Do you know how easy it was to do this? You and those thieves of yours think you’re so smart .” Anxiety pumped through her body, and her blood was running cold.
She has to go through with this. If she doesn’t, everything she’s done so far would be for nothing.
Akira shrugged, before wincing in pain. Fuck. After this, Goro was going to fucking kill whoever did this to her. “Lucky for you, I can’t put up much of a fight. They already did most of your job, anyway.” There was a beat of silence, the two of them staring at each other.
She swallowed thickly, letting out a shaky breath before pointing the barrel of a gun at Akira’s forehead. “You have no idea what I’ve done to get to this point.” She smirked wide, trying to hide the way her stomach was twisting and sinking. She felt sick. Akira didn’t seem phased at all, even with a gun pointing at her head. Goro’s stomach sank even more when she thought about it. It probably wasn’t the first time.
Goro bit her lip, enough for a drop of blood to trickle down. This feels like shit, she thought. This didn't feel like an earned win at all. She wasn't even the one who gave Akira all those purple bruises.
With a growl, she shoved the gun onto the table in a fit of rage, making the other girl jump. " God, it shouldn't be like this!"
She sounded like a child who didn't get her way but with all the emotions swirling in her, she didn't give a shit. Akira stared blankly at her. "Aren't you going to shoot me, detective?"
Goro glared at her, "Not when you weren't all bruised because of me. God. " Time to re-work shit. "Aw, feeling sorry for me?" Akira attempted a chuckle but ended up hacking her guts out. Pathetic. Disgusting. Hot.
"You should feel sorry for yourself, looking like a fucking abused cat."
"So mean. Are you on your period, honey?" Goro couldn't fucking take it anymore. Within a flash, raven locks were tugged on hard .
She growled lowly, closing in the distance between her and Akira, leaving only a few inches of space left. “ I could shoot you right now. ” Goro sneered, scoffing and staring right into Akira’s eyes.
“Then do it, detective. ” She smirked, biting on her lip. She was calling her fucking bluff.
Not a second to waste, Goro pulled , bringing the girl's face to hers. Smashing their lips together. Roughly. The blood that Goro got from biting her lip was meshing in with their lips meeting another. Becoming red. The two women grabbed onto each other's shoulders, becoming desperate and deepening their kiss. Goro swiped her tongue across Akiras lower bloodied lip, demanding permission. When the other woman simply smiled into the kiss and kept her lips sealed Goro could only snarl. She'd have to use a bit of force then.
She bit down hard.
Akira let out a gasp, opening her mouth just enough so Goro could sneak her tongue in.
Akira retaliated and snuck her hand into Goro’s hair, and pulled hard . She hissed under her breath, pulling back for air and panting. Wiping at her lips, her gloves revealing a full trail of blood.
“ Fuck.” Her voice was rough and low, while Akira looked at her with wide eyes. “You got something on your face.” Akira snickered to herself, while Goro rolled her eyes. Akira Kurusu is going to be her downfall. (She already was.) “Shut the fuck up.” She scoffed, before Akira pulled her in by her tie and kissed her harder .
This time, Akira took more control, swiping her tongue anywhere it could reach. Goro let out a low moan, surprised. It was messy, fitting for an abused, desperate cat. She licked along the roof of Goro’s mouth, and Goro nearly choked. Akira’s tongue was everywhere , her head started to spin and her knees buckled under her.
Her heart stuttered in her chest and her stomach flipped over and over again. Fuck. Before she could take over the kiss, Akira grabbed a fistfull of Goro’s hair and tugged as hard as she could, pulling Goro away from her. She gasped, letting out a low groan at the sensation and biting down on her lip, causing more blood to trickle down her chin.
“Sorry, princess. Needed to breathe,” Akira smiled smugly, and Goro would much rather kiss that stupid smirk off her face. “ Don’t fucking call me that ,” She deadpanned. She opened her mouth to ridicule her, call her an idiot and a fool, but Akira was trailing soft kisses down her neck before she got the chance. Fuck . She felt dizzy. A small whine formed in the back of her throat, and she didn’t miss the chuckle that came from Akira’s lips. She was irritatingly hot.
She wanted to be rough . She wanted to pin Akira and take everything, she wanted to ruin her .
But not right now.
Right now, she wanted to be gentle and take care of her. She wanted to find whoever did this to her, and knock their fucking teeth in. She wanted to hold her face tenderly and brush her curls out of her eyes. She loves her so softly it’s fucking sickening . She’s never been so soft in her life, she’s used to sneering and faking smiles and watching her targets bleed out on the floor while she walks away cackling. She’s used to being cold and distant, not caring.
She finally pulled away from Goro’s neck, noticing how Akira’s lips were nearly bruised. She did that . Goro reached her hand up to hold Akira’s cheek, and her heart squeezed at the way she nuzzled into the touch. Her thumb brushed over a deep, dark bruise, and Akira flinched.
She felt a wave of anger wash over her. “Who did this to you?” Her voice was still gravelly from their kiss, and she gently rested her forehead against Akira’s. She could feel the other girl shrug again. “I was too drugged up to remember what they look like. Does it really matter? You were gonna kill me, anyway.”
"That's different."
Goro had to take a step back when Akira suddenly burst out with laughter. "That's so you, Goro!" She sounded fucking delirious. "It's Akechi." She huffed. Goro concluded she wasn't going to get much more of a coherent response from the girl. She had to get her out of here.
"You know Goro, I think I was meant to give Sae something." Goro raised an eyebrow.
"Like there was a plan. But I don't remember." So she knew. She knew Goros' plan to kill her. And made a counter plan. Well, that counter was clearly the most idiotic thing alive. Did those thieves seriously believe shoving their precious leader into the hands of the police was going to save their little group? It was curious how they figured her out though..
"Explain once you're coherent, Kurusu."
Goro took out her phone. Escaping through the metaverse sounded like a viable option, right now. With a quick tap, the two girls felt the world turn upside down.
"Huh, no costume for us." Akira pouted. That was strange. Why weren't they in their metaverse suits? Goro grit her teeth. Didn't fucking matter. The brunette grabbed the dazed girl's arm in an attempt to help her up. Only for the drugged klutz to lose her balance and slam into her. "Watch it!" Goro growled.
"Mm, warm." Akira started to nuzzle into her chest. Swaying her head back and forth like a fucking cat. Goro felt her cheeks light up and swiftly grabbed her shoulders to pull her off. "Enough! You clearly aren't capable of walking. Do I need to carry you?"
"You're the detective princess! I should carry you." Akira whined. For fuck's sake. They were running out of time.
Without further protest, Goro scooped Akira up, one arm beneath her legs and one propping up her back. She started to head towards the exit, thank god for those bouldering sessions.
"Why are we leaving?" Akira wondered. God she was so far gone. Goro made a mental note to track down and carefully torture each individual that did this. (Goro especially couldn't wait when it was her fathers turn.)
Goro decided to just ignore Akiras protest. They'll have to have that.. Talk.. Later.
However, Akira increasingly became confused. Goro was blocking out most of the nonsense while walking through gray halls. Although, one thing caught her attention.
"So, when's that bullet gonna get lodged into my brain? I'm waiting."
"What-?! I-"
Seriously, what nonsense is going through her head. Goro wants to ask but considering their little event earlier she thinks she knows.
Goro just had to focus on getting out. Where could they go through? Her apartment? No, too risky. Take a load of cash, hop on a train to somewhere far away never to see this shithole again? Spend the rest of her days with Akira? Ha. She wishes.
A hospital is a decent option right now. But with Akira being a known phantom thief now..
She'd likely just be turned in again. Goro sighed against dark curly locks. She was avoiding this option. But she knew it was the only one that could mean the girl's safety.
LeBlanc it is.
--
Once they were safely out of the palace, the way to LeBlanc was a surprisingly fast one. Of course, with Akira’s nonsensical drugged rambles, Goro’s patience was wearing even thinner than before. The nearly debilitating cramps settling in her stomach certainly weren’t helping, either.
Oh well. At least she didn’t have to watch Akira’s bloody head slam into the steel table and throw up the second she got home.
Once they had reached the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya, and Goro was sure they wouldn't be spotted, she pulled her phone from her pocket and with the click of a button, she watched as the world around them warped.
Akira, who was currently half asleep and burying her face in the crook of Goro’s neck, let out an unintelligible mumble. “ I can’t understand what you’re saying .” She groaned through gritted teeth, nervously gripping the door to LeBlanc.
Through the stained glass door, she could see inside the cafè. The phantom thieves were all inside, clumped together like sitting ducks, as expected.
They looked scared. Terrified, even. And in any other circumstance, Goro would love to see them beg and scream and cry for mercy, but right now she needed to help Akira. At the counter, it seems that Sojiro-san and Sae-san were talking in hushed, concerned voices.
She took a deep breath, and opened the door.
All heads immediately turned. The silence is deafening.
“Akira--!” Ryuji was the first one to rush up to her, eyes widening the second he noticed Goro. What an idiot. How was that not the first thing he noticed? “Wh- Akechi-!?” He jumped back, face scrunched up in hatred. “What the fuck did you do to Akira? Give her back- Wait, what- What the hell is going on-!”
Goro rolled her eyes, and without saying anything, she gently set Akira down in the booth closest to the door.
Everyone else was still sitting in stunned silence, except for Makoto. “Excuse me, Akechi. Explain.” Based on the look in her eyes, and the tone in her voice, she was beyond livid . Just then, the other thieves jumped in, screaming over each other in concern and confusion. She couldn’t make out any discerning conversations, not until Morgana’s grating voice spoke up.
“ Everyone shut up! ” He screeched, effectively shutting up those annoying thieves . “ Akechi .” He jumped up onto the booth Akira was sitting in, and nuzzled against her. “ You better have a good explanation for why you’re here and why Akira’s all bruised .” His tail was agitated and puffy, raising straight up. His ears were pinned back against his head. She even managed to piss off the cat .
“Do you all seriously think I’m the one who beat her?” She felt a pool of anger settle in her stomach and pump through her veins. Everyone stared at her with agape mouths and wide eyes.
“You were gonna kill her!” Ann rushed over and stood in between where Goro was standing and where Akira was sitting, like she was pointing a gun at Akira right now. “ I didn’t .” Were they really going to do this right now? The most important thing was that Akira got help .
Goro was no expert, but her ribs were at the very least fractured. She had so many cuts and bruises that should be taken care of now . She might as well hurry this up.
“I didn’t go through with my plan, and Akira’s alive. What else needs to be said? She needs medical attention, we don’t have time for this.”
She stepped closer to Akira, but the rest of the thieves gathered with Ann, effectively blocking Akira from her reach. “That makes no effin’ sense! You sold her out, then what? You just decided to bring her back to LeBlanc safe and sound?” Ryuji shouted, throwing his hands around before crossing his arms and eyeing her.
Goro definitely didn’t want to explain that she made out with Akira and has certain…. affections towards the girl.
And although it was true, she wasn’t very keen on admitting that she never wanted to kill Akira in the first place . But it seems like they’ll be here all day, otherwise .
She gritted her teeth together and let out a reluctant sigh. “I didn’t want to kill her.” Futaba and Ann both scoffed, clearly not believing her. “It definitely didn’t sound like that in the phone calls!” Futaba scrunched her nose at Goro in disdain, and-- Wait, what?
“Did you bug my fucking phone ?” Futaba looked away nervously. “No! Yes! It isn’t important, we’re talking about Akira right now!” Oh, so they can grill her, but she can’t interrogate them in return? She bit down on her lip and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Have you considered that I was lying on those phone calls? Out of anyone, you all should know about that.”
Yusuke was the next one to speak up. “Very well, but-- Like Ryuji said. Why did you decide not to go through with it? Or better- Why were you going to in the first place?” Of fucking course . She isn’t telling them shit. They don’t have the right to know about Shido.
“I’m not going to answer that. Does it really matter? Akira’s alive, and she needs to be treated right now . We can save the interrogation for later.” They all grumbled. "Fine," Makoto said, "Akira needs medical attention urgently. Let's take her to Takemi." Goro was grateful the useless peons seemed to be in agreement on this.
This time, Goro had assistance in dragging Akira. The thieves were hovering over them while they walked. Goro, truthfully, hadn't heard of Takemi. Apparently the woman knew of the whole phantom thief situation and swore to secrecy. If Goro had known she would have gladly avoided LeBlanc.
"I swear if you're lyin' an you did this to her.. " Ryuji grumbled behind him. Ann swatted him with a hushed ' quiet!' . God, they couldn't just shut up and help, could they?
Once they had lifted Akira up the steps, which thankfully was easy with the extra manpower, Goro shoved the door out of her way. She guessed that 'Takemi' was the woman sitting at the reception desk. Goro couldn't help but notice her alternative look.
The phantom thieves' filled in and Goro couldn't help but be annoyed considering the claustrophobic amount of space. "Please! Akira needs urgent care!" Futaba shouted, like she was on the verge of tears. Takemi's eyes widened, her jaw dropping. "I- okay, please come to the exam room." She stood up, "Ah, I'm sorry only one of you will be able to come in at a time."
"I will." Goro stated possessively. Making sure there was no room for argument, Goro swooped her arm over Akira and dragged her into the room. She couldn't help but smirk at the thieves' little protests, clearly not happy, but not trying to make a scene either.
Takemi closed the door and nodded her steel eyes towards the hospital-like bed.
"I need to know exactly what happened." The woman looked skeptically at the detective princess. "Some pieces of shit beat her. I think her ribs are broken." Goro exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"God. I'm guessing it was the police.." Takemi sighed with a tone of anger. "It's been all over the news that they caught the phantom thieves' leader." Goro nodded as she set Akira onto the bed. The girl fell unconscious as soon as her head hit the pillow. Goro felt her heart ache. She was a part of the reason the girl ended up in this state.
Takemi leaned down, tugging the girls' uniform up. "Yeah.. Her ribs are definitely broken." Takemi sounded like she was genuinely upset. Does Akira just become buddy-buddy with everyone?
"Well, how long will it take to heal?" She said hesitantly. "At least 6 weeks," Takemi responded. "I'm gonna keep her here overnight to thoroughly examine her. You can leave now if you want." Goro felt her heart clench.
"I'll.. Stay here if that's alright." Takemi gently nodded. Goro sat down in the corner. She had no right to leave. This was mostly her doing after all. Oh, right. She should probably let Akira's worshippers know. She pulled out her phone. To her surprise, she was still in the groupchat.
Akechi : Akira's going to have to stay overnight.
Ann: whats wrong?? will she be ok!!! and dont think ur off the hook mister!
Ryuji: YEA. You've got a ton of explaining to do you piece of shit
Akechi: If you must know, it's confirmed that her ribs are broken.
Haru: Can Takemi help?
Makoto: I had guessed as much..
Ryuji: dude… we're so talking about all this. Akechi.
Ann: Ryujis right! For once. Akechi come to LeBlanc tomorrow and everyone else! we need to talk asap
Yusuke: I agree.. I just wish I could've done something to help our leader..
Futaba: me too.
Makoto: Alright, it's agreed. LeBlanc tomorrow. 9am sharp.
Goro didn't bother looking anymore and put her phone away. She doesn't even know exactly what will be discussed but she already hates it.
Fuck tomorrow.
--
Goro had stayed at Takemi's clinic all night. The poor woman had to practically throw her out.
During the morning Takemi told Goro that Akira should be able to leave later in the day. (The sloth was still sleeping.) Goro insisted that she could just stay. (She didn't want to go to LeBlanc.) However, the woman didn't take it. "You need to get your mind off this, take your stress levels down." She spoke sternly. Goro didn't like that she had a point.
So here she is. Outside of LeBlanc. At 9:10am. So she was a little late. It wasn't her problem.
Goro didn't want to do this. After yesterday she concluded that she could not stand being around the thieves without Akira emotionally present. Let alone physically..
Grumbling under her breath, Goro opened the door to Leblanc. As expected, all the Thieves were huddled around each other and muttering to each other in hushed whispers. They turned their heads to look at her, and unsurprisingly, Makoto was the first one to break the uncomfortable silence.
“You’re late.” She deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest and gazing at Goro with disdain. “By 10 minutes. If you must know, I was watching your leader ,” She spat out bitterly. “If you don’t believe me, check with Takemi-san.”
Ryuji groaned out a curse, and hastily stepped closer to her. “Okay, cut the shit Akechi- Why the hell did you not go through with it? How do we know you won’t just stab us in the back later?”
Hm. That was a good point. If it weren’t for Akira, Goro wouldn't give a single shit about the Thieves.
“Well, it’s simple. I walked into the interrogation room with an officer, then I stole his gun and shot him. I pointed the gun at Akira, but we…. Had a heart to heart, of sorts.” She paused. That was definitely one way to put it. “Is my act of sacrifice not enough? I may very well be killed in return for not shooting Akira.” She walked past the thieves and sat down at her usual seat. She was still hesitant to answer why she had a change of heart.
Finally, Haru spoke up. “If you have that much to lose, why do it at all? Akechi-chan, it doesn’t make sense.” She muttered softly, while Goro openly rolled her eyes. “Wait, Akira? ” Futaba raised her brow, sneaking into Goro’s personal space. “Why the sudden name change?” She flushed. Oh. They were annoyingly perceptive, sometimes.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but… I’ve grown quite close to Akira. Despite the circumstances, I value her as a friend.” That was surely an understatement . Akira was the only person Goro’s ever cared about since her Mother died, she’s the only thing Goro’s ever enjoyed. Akira is the only person who can ever make Goro feel the way she does .
Morgana scowled, tail puffing up and sticking up in the air as he scrunched his nose. “Why should we believe anything you say?”
God. Why did Akira choose such pathetic friends?
“I’m not here to convince you of my innocence. I’m here to explain the situation, which I’ve done. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to be on my way--” She was worried sick about Akira. Surely she was in great hands with Takemi, but she needed to see for herself. She needed to see if she was awake, and they needed to talk .
When she stood up to leave, the Thieves surrounded her and blocked the exit. “I don’t think you should leave yet, Akechi-kun.” Haru said with a stern expression on her face, while the others made some sort of acknowledgement in agreement. “That’s quite foolish, Akechi. That can’t be all of it, surely,” Yusuke muttered, squinting at her in suspicion.
What the fuck else do they want to know? She’d rather drop dead than tell them about Shido. There’s no way in hell Goro’s telling them about everything that happened in the interrogation room. As far as she’s concerned, this conversation is over .
She crossed her arms, feeling her eye start to twitch in annoyance. “That’s all that will be of use to you.” Goro repeated, continuing to stand. It seemed neither of them would budge on this. How unfortunate for the Thieves, because Goro would stand here all day if she needed to.
“Who ordered you to kill Akira?” Makoto started questioning her again. She very much didn’t have the tact for grilling someone, that’s for sure. Hopefully she has no interest in becoming a prosecutor like her sister.
“As I said. I have no interest in giving you any other information.” Maybe she’d tell Akira, whenever she’s healed. Maybe Akira would comfort her, or plan a change of Shido’s heart. But Goro was never going to tell the Thieves. And God. Whatever God is out there, she truly wanted to thank them. As her phone starts ringing it's cursed rhythm.
"I better take this," She spoke with a bittersweetness that she knew would piss them off. " This isn't over..!" Futaba whisper-yells. Goro turns on her heel and rushes out the door. Oh thank fuck. Her heart races when she sees the contact. Akira.
She answers immediately. "Akira?" She winces, catching her slip up far too late.
"Uh, last time I checked I'm Takemi. But I do happen to be Akira's doctor." God damn this woman. Goro was in no mood for games. "I- why are you calling from Akira's phone?" Takemi lets out a small laugh. "A certain someone doesn't have my number in case of emergencies." Well, yeah. It wasn't like this punk wannabe was her doctor.
"Is this about Kurusu?" The woman on the other line snorted. "Don't think I didn't hear what you said the first time," This woman is now on her shit list. "Anyway, you should come back on over. Your little cat is awake." With that the woman hung up. Unbelievable. Whatever. At least she now has a suitable reason to NOT speak to the thieves.
She definitely did not sprint to the clinic. No, she walked like a respectable citizen. Average.
She sprinted.
When she got inside Takemi seemed to be waiting for her arrival. The woman had a cheeky smile on her face. "Didn't go far did you, detective princess?" Goro, the outstanding woman she is, ignored her. And walked into Akiras room.
Akira, who was now very much awake, looked far more lucid than she was yesterday. Thank god. However, there were still marks over her body. Proof that yesterday was no dream. Goro frowned.
"Ooohh! Morning, my savior." Akira giggled. Clearly, she was still waking. The cat-like girl started to really stretch like one. "Ow!" Goro was at the girls side immediately. "You fool! You're still recovering."
"Nah. Fine now." This woman would be the death of her. "Doctor said I can go home now." Goro wanted to strangle her for her stupidity. "That doesn't mean you're fully recovered!" Before their bickering could continue, Takemi entered the room.
"Hey, I don't want your lover's quarrel disturbing the people waiting." She scolded. Goro was flabbergasted. "She can go home, yes. But she should stay in bed with little movement for at least a few weeks." The woman instructed. Sending a subtle glare Akira's way.
"Fine." Akira huffed. Takemi looked at Goro, "You can help her get home, right?" The brunette nodded dutifully. "Good. Also, make sure her stress levels are kept down."
"Of course." How the fuck was she going to do that with all the shit she's caused by not killing her?!
Nevertheless, Goro wrapped an arm around Akira's arm. Heart fluttering at the touch. Akira groaned. Before they left the room Takemi shouted, "Make sure you bring her back if there's any issues!" The door shut. How the fuck do you become friends with a doctor, Goro looked astonished at the limp girl clinging onto her like a koala.
Great. Back to LeBlanc. With the thieves. Her favorite. The hopeful side of her hopes they've fucked off by now but she doubts it. Her luck is pure shit.
As expected, they erupt into excited screams when they see Akira, only for those screams to be cut short when they notice the state she’s in. “Hi, guys--” She smiled, but Goro could tell how exhausted she was. She had bags under her eyes, and God knows she didn’t sleep peacefully.
Gently, she sat Akira in the booth once more, then backed away so all her friends could crowd around her. She watched as Akira frowned at their distance. They were all talking over each other, asking millions of incoherent questions. Despite that, Akira was somehow able to understand her teammates.
“I’m okay. Just have some broken ribs, and Takemi said I was concussed. It should heal up in a little over a month. No, the plan didn’t quite work out the way we planned, but it’s okay. No, obviously Goro didn’t shoot me. Yes, the drugs have worn off… Mostly.” The Thieves seemed to calm down considerably afterwards.
She was certainly curious about their plan… Perhaps she should ask Akira about it when she’s a bit more lucid. And well-rested. Shortly after they assured Akira was safe, they turned to face Goro.
“Don’t think we forgot about you. It’s time you tell us everything .” Makoto cornered her against the counter, but Goro didn’t step back an inch. Did she really think she could intimidate her? Pathetic.
“ Guys. ” Akira spoke from her seat. “It’s okay. We talked. She doesn’t have any ulterior motives this time.” Well. That was a lie. They haven’t talked about it in the slightest, because Akira was too loopy from the drugs to understand anything, but… It was safe to say Goro didn’t have any ulterior motives at this point.
If she did, they would make things far more complicated than they already were.
“Oh really ? When did you talk about it then?” Futaba was clearly skeptical, leaning closer to Akira to look for any signs of deceit.
Luckily for the both of them, Akira had a stone-cold pokerface.
“We talked about it when we went through the Metaverse.” What a great lie . Futaba’s bugs wouldn’t work in the Metaverse. Maybe Akira had learned a thing or two from her. Futaba bought their lie, and nodded her head in approval. “I see…”
Haru eased into their conversation. “I think we’re done interrogating Akechi-chan for now. We’ll talk more about it later, but Akira healing should be our top priority.” Finally , someone in their group of Thieves had common sense. Then, she turned to face Goro.
“You aren’t off the hook for now, so don’t get comfortable. We’ll all be keeping our eyes on Akira, so we’ll know if you do anything . Okay?” She nodded her head in understanding, and the rest of their group stormed over to smother Akira with affection.
Ann pulled her into a tight hug, as well as Ryuji. They were both teary eyed and cried into her shoulder, squeezing her to near death. “When Sae didn’t bring you back to LeBlanc we were so worried-” Ann cried into her shoulder, while Ryuji nearly openly sobbed.
He muttered something incoherent, probably something similar to Ann’s comment. Akira patted them both on the back. “It’s okay, guys. I’m okay,” Goro’s heart swelled at the sight, and she forced herself to look away.
“We were gonna have a welcome back party, but… That should probably wait until you’re healed, right?” Futaba frowned, and Akira affectionately ruffled her hair.
“We won’t wait too long. I promise, Futaba,” She beamed, and nodded her head in understanding. “Well, we did still successfully change Sae’s heart, yes?” Yusuke jumped in. “We’re in order for a celebration. It would be better for us to have a… More laid back gathering.”
Akira nodded her head enthusiastically, and Goro felt a wave of jealousy briefly wash over her. This was supposed to be her time with Akira. Not theirs. Luckily, it seemed that Akira felt similarly.
“That sounds great, guys. I’m feeling a little tired, though, so I think it’s best for me to go upstairs for now. We can celebrate tomorrow, hm?” Everyone agreed, and shortly after, they poured out of LeBlanc.nc.
As if one cue with the final bell, Akira slumped over the table. "Come on, you can't sleep on the table." Not like her metal bed was any better. The raven haired girl began to whine, "Table comfy." God, how did she put up that act earlier? Goro was perplexed.
"You won't be saying that when you wake up with a sore side." Goro was on the verge of just carrying the girl again. That was until mother nature decided to rain upon her the most unbearable pain imaginable. "Excuse me.." She muttered before dashing to the bathroom. She'll be quick.
All was well in cleaning herself until she realized something. There were only pads. What the hell?! She looked around eagerly. Nothing. Not a tampon in sight. Panic welled inside of her.
"You've been in there awhile, you okay?" Akira asked. Sounding like a slug if it could talk. Goro put her hands in her face. This is how far she's fallen.
"Where are the tampons?" She cringed as the words came out of her mouth. There was a delayed response.
".. Don't have any here."
This is the worst day of her life. Her worsening cramps agreed with her as they raged inside her.
Goro doesn't know how long she was sitting there. Just contemplating her fucking life. She apparently sat there too long. She heard the bell on the entry to LeBlanc. What? Fixing herself, she opened the door. Her stomach dropped.
Akira was gone.
What does she do?! Where the hell did she go? Goro had to breathe. She put her hand on the wall, deep in thought. Where would've Akira gone? In that state? Well it wouldn't have been far. Takemi's? Perhaps, if she felt very poorly. Although, knowing the self sacrificing girl she crossed it off the list. But where else would make sense?!
Goro was a second away from giving in and pulling out her phone to call the phantom thieves until she heard a small ding . Akira was standing in front of the door, panting. She had a pack of tampons in her hands. Goro felt her jaw start to ache from how much it dropped.
Akira stumbled towards her with a proud smirk. "For my picky princess." She sparkled, handing the pack to Goro. Goro, still being rendered speechless, simply walked back into the bathroom.
"Goro? Goro? You forgot the tampons." Ah, yes. She slightly opened the door to snatch the pack from the girl's hands. She needed to set things straight after this.
After the detective princess had sorted herself out she gave Akira a piece of her mind.
She dragged her upstairs, refusing to look at her, with a flushing face. She'll get there, she told herself.
"Lay down, moron." Goro mumbled. Still struggling to make eye contact.
"Nothing to be ashamed about, y'know." Goro shook her head at Akira's words. "We are not discussing this." Goro gently tugged the girl to the bed. Tucking her under the covers. She hated that she wanted her to be comfortable.
"You should lay down too." This was all because Akira was in a delirious state of mind, Goro reminded herself. "I'm quite alright." She wanted to run to her wrecked apartment, take a painkiller and sleep.
Goro supposed her job now was to make sure Akira didn't go around breakdancing all over the attic.
"You're on your period. Lay down, darling." Goro narrowed her eyebrows. "I'm quite alright considering your…earlier shenanigans."
Akira huffed and tugged on Goros' coat. "I won't be able to sleep without a cute girl next to me.. Oh, what will I dooo?" She dramatized it. Goro will be holding this over her head for the rest of her life.
"Perhaps die from exhaustion, then."
Akira's face grew offended. "The cute girl would never be that cruel!" She says directed towards the girl who almost shot her plus made her lips bleed.
Without a warning, Goro felt herself being pushed into the bed. " Wha- what is the meaning of this-?" She made an ungodly noise when she felt Akira wrap tightly around her.
Akira didn’t answer. Instead, she giggled into her chest and squeezed her tight. “Akira, let go --” She tried to push Akira back, but decided against it when she was worried about hurting her ribs. She huffed into Akira’s hair, which was currently sprawled all across the bed.
“Akira.” Goro deadpanned, reluctantly wrapping her arms around the girl. “Goro.” She whispered softly against her.
She felt her insides squirm at the sound of her hushed voice, and she felt all tingly at the feeling of Akira’s arms around her. They shouldn’t be doing this right now.
Goro should be double-checking and taking care of Akira’s wounds-- should be getting her painkillers, because God knows how much pain she’s in right now. Of course, in typical Akira fashion, she acts completely unbothered by her circumstances.
But it was too comfortable. It was hard to force Akira off her, and it was even harder not to relax into the warmth of Akira’s body pressed against her. She could just… Lie here for a while. There was no harm in that. Especially if Akira insisted on it.
The girl snuggled closer to her, and Goro couldn’t fight the wave of affection that spread through her. When Akira’s hands found their way to Goro’s hair, she leaned into the touch and let her eyes flutter shut.
She felt a sort of drowsiness take over her mind, and just before she was drifting off to sleep, a deep pain settled in her stomach once more. Of course. She couldn't get a break today. A wince washed
over her expression, and it seemed that the other girl noticed.
“Goro? Do you need painkillers love?” The pet name made the tips of her ears burn red. Was she delusional ? She was the one with broken ribs. “I’m quite fine, thank you. Are you still drugged up?”
What other explanation was there to Akira treating her like this?
She paused briefly, before looking up at Goro and shaking her head. “No. I don’t think so.” She sat up, and Goro tugged her back down. “What are you doing?” Akira furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, like Goro was being the weird one.
“I’m getting up to grab you some painkillers?” Goro rolled her eyes. “Akira. Your ribs are broken.” Akira tilted her head like a cat. "So that's why it feels.." Goro heard enough. They should have painkillers in the bathroom.
She hoped this knocked Akira out.
Upon her return, Akira had gotten up and is currently sitting on her desk. God, she's going to have to shove these pills down her throat, isn't she?
"Just what are you doing?"
"Makin' a bomb."
There was a mutual silence.
That was until Goro grabbed the girl and shoved her into the bed. There was of course a struggle. "You have to take these, cmon!" She growled. Akira kicked her in retaliation, weakly.
"You need them more!"
"For fucks sake, I can handle a few cramps, your ribs are broken!!" Akira seemed to calm down, struggling less. Goro could just barely hear the quiet whimper she let out. Goro shook her head.
"The sooner you take them and rest the quicker we can… discuss our situation in the morning." That was unless Goro packed her things and took a train to nowhere before dawn.
Thank fuck , that seemed to be enough to convince the girl to down the pills. "You should still take one.." The raven murmured. Goro's uterus seemed to agree with the way it was basically tearing her apart. "Fine."
With that, Akira finally settled under the covers.
"I'll be here… If you need anything." Perhaps not after midnight though, when she takes that train to nowhere, she muses to herself.
She hopes morning never arrives.
--
She stayed up for the next few hours, debating her choices.
She could stay here until morning and talk it out with Akira. They could discuss what to do, and maybe Akira would let her stay in LeBlanc with her. Maybe she could tell her about Shido, maybe they could go into his palace and watch his shadow thrive on the ground in mercy--
Or, she could gather all her belongings together right now and walk out the door and never return; never see Akira again. She’d take every penny she has and board a train somewhere before Shido’s pathetic hitmen can track her, then she’ll live her life in the shadows forever. She’d never hurt Akira again, and she’d inevitably die in some ditch somewhere.
Obviously, one of those was more ideal. But it wasn’t realistic. If she stayed in Akira’s life, she’d only hurt her more. Sure, she didn’t kill her, but it won’t take long for Shido’s men to track her down and do what Goro couldn’t.
If she truly cared about Akira, which-- Unfortunately, she does-- too much-- then she’d get up right now and leave.
She squeezed the bed sheet underneath her and scowled. She wasn’t going to put Akira in danger any longer. It isn’t like Akira would miss her, anyway. How could she, when Goro had been lying to her for months? When she had been planning to kill her?
Goro slowly sat up from the bed and hovered over Akira’s peaceful figure. Her chest rose everytime she took in a deep breath, then slowly fell once she exhaled.
It was unfair . Even while unconscious, she was still absolutely gorgeous. Despite the bruises all over her face, despite the deep bags under her eyes. She wanted to kiss each and every bruise. Aiding her in healing. Then she'd give her more. Perhaps even shed skin.
All Goro ever wanted was Akira. Ever since her Mother passed, she was filled with bitterness and hatred toward everyone around her. Once she met Akira, that was different. She was the only person who could keep up with her, who could understand her.
She hated it.
Hesitantly, she let her hand fall down to Akira’s pretty curls and brush them out of her face. She kept her hand there, just for a moment. Goro ran her fingers through her hair because it was the last time it would ever happen. This felt oddly domestic. She wanted to do this for the rest of her life.
With that thought, she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her hand away. She looked one last time to make sure Akira was still sleeping, and turned away. I don’t have time to be a sentimental fool , she reasoned. God, what’s wrong with me?
Before she could take another step, she felt long, slender fingers reach out and grab her wrist, pulling her back down to the bed.
Goro let out a small noise of surprise, and quickly turned her gaze to the girl next to her. “Akira--?” Surely she was sleeping ! Goro had even checked to make sure she hadn’t woken her--
“Don’t go.”
Her voice was quiet and small. She sounded absolutely wrecked . Goro had never heard her sound so… Weak.
“ Please.”
Goro didn’t notice it before, but… Akira’s hands were shaking. It was clear that she was trying to hold it together, that she didn’t want to seem as weak as she was. But Goro could see right through it.
Oh.
Oh.
Her heart shattered in her chest, and in a way she’d never felt before. Seeing Akira be so small made her want to brush the hair out of her face, hold her close, tell her everything would be okay--
Goro had never felt so weak, either. She’d never succumb to this tactic with someone else, she’d laugh in their face and tell them to go die in an alleyway somewhere. But Akira made her weak.
She felt absolutely pathetic.
From the small sliver of light that was shedding into the attic, she saw tears trail down Akira’s face. Akira was crying .
She was completely out of her element. She had no idea what to do. Goro had never been tender or loving before. But Akira made her want to try.
“Are you in pain?” She supposed it had been enough time for the painkillers to wear off. Akira sat up, blinking the tears away and forcing herself to stop crying. With her free hand, she wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks.
“No. Well-- Yes, everything hurts like hell-” She laughed weakly, trying to smile. Instead, it came off as a pathetic cry. “I don’t want you to go.” Goro was astonished. How could this literal angel want her here?
"No. No, you don't." She bit as harshly as she could. Akira didn't seem to let up, however.
"Yes. I do," she spoke through sniffles. "I want you so bad. Stay by my side, please.." Akira made for a pathetic sight. Her cheeks were puffy and stained with tears. She looked ethereal.
"You have no idea the extent of what I've done," Goro whispered. Goro continued, "The people I've killed to get here.. The people I'm involved with.." Akira seemed to perk up at this.
"Is it something to do with that person, 'Shido'?" Goro jolted back, standing up in a state of distress.
"H- how-! Could you-"
"Futaba bugged your phone."
Goro's heart dropped. Her plan was truly going to be fucked up no matter what, huh? Why couldn't she ever win? She just wanted to win for once in her worthless life. Akira seemed to break the silence. Unusual.
"I can help.." No. Akira and her little group would just make a mess, she's sure. Goro shakes her head. "Absolutely not." Goro is shaking at this point. What the fuck does she do? Getting on that train is looking real good right now.
"... The others don't have to be involved." Oh great. Akira was spouting nonsense now. (Goro has wanted to hear those words for a very long time.)
Akira moved on the bed, drawing closer to her. "We could take him down together. I get why you don't want the others to be involved- just- let me help, please." She confessed through sobs. Goro needed to breathe. She couldn't handle a cute girl like Akira telling her this. Especially not when she's covered in those marks. A flash of rage burst through her, recalling it wasn't her that gave Akira those purple bruises.
She needed to kiss Akira. Now. "Come here." She sat on the edge of the bed, opening her arms. Immediately Akira crawled over.
Fucking finally , she thought as they embraced again. Why had she been denying herself this? If Akira wants to ditch those thieves and be with her, what's the issue? She knows there's many but she'll think about that later when Akira's bruises aren't looking entirely kissable.
Akira is practically in her lap all while Goro is lapping up her neck with her tongue. "Once these marks disappear they're getting fucking replaced. " She growled into Akira's ear. "Please.." Goro kissed the bruise on her cheek. Finally, she moved to her lips. Those were thankfully ripped by Goro herself. (She had already figured out who some of those police were. They were as good as dead.)
Akira kissed back. It was slow. Bittersweet. It felt like an unspoken promise. They were really doing this.
The sudden shift from desperate to sweet had Goro feeling whiplash, but she accepted it nonetheless. It was a chaste kiss. No tongue. It felt sweet. Goro had never been kissed like this. It was always lustful. And while she does feel lust for Akira.. This is more. She almost doesn't want to say the word. She knows it's love.
She pulled away. Biting her lip, she told herself, she can't cry. Not in front of her new partner in crime. It'd be humiliating. Well. Said partner was in fact crying in front of her at this very moment. But that's different. (She was lying to herself and she fucking knew it.)
"Goro..?" Akira whispered, cupping her cheeks within her hands. Goro couldn't stop it. The dam had been broken. It had been building up for hours. The tears came crashing down her cheeks. Unstoppable.
Akira looked at her like she was precious. Wrapping her hands around her head and bringing Goro to her chest. At least now Akira can't see how pathetic she looks right now. The thought Akira put behind the gesture only made her cry harder.
"We'll get through this together." Akira furthered their promise.
Goro.. Had never had anyone care this much about her in her life. Not since her mother. What did she do to deserve this? Nothing good, likely.
Goro didn't realize she was dragged and tucked into bed with Akira. The girl wiping away her tears with a silent confirmation of
'We'll figure it out.'
Goro has never slept so peacefully in her life.