Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The moon loomed large in the sky.

Larger than the young man hanging before it had ever seen, a great and luminous eye that stood out against a sea of pure darkness, illuminated with an unearthly blue light that seemed to stare through his very soul.

Rocky craters devoid of life speckled the shapes and contours of crags and valleys. Devoid, as it was, of everything save for a strange and wavering shape of white light in its very center. 

Akira took the strange view in, hazy and shimmering before him as he tried to get his bearings and understand where he was. He shielded his eyes as he looked out over the unearthly landscape, looking for anything familiar. Something to grasp onto in the overwhelming oddity.

He was no stranger to bizarre dreams. But he felt like a stranger here.

An intruder.

The hazy shape of light on the lonely expanse of the moon resolved into something, while not familiar, unusual enough to stand out.

It was a great door formed of marble, implanted in the moon’s surface amongst pillars and glass.

Against it, a hideous darkness thrashed and writhed, before slithering away, a flash of light repelling it to burrow into the moon’s dust. 

Akira oriented toward the movement, trying to understand just what he was seeing. He felt himself move toward it.

The door was ornate, and …rather like the palaces he’d grown used to, something entirely not of this world. It stood like a gateway against the bright moon dust, sealed by great chains that all connected to a central lock…or something acting as one. 

He moved toward the lock– whatever it was. Something drew him toward it. It felt important.

Familiar.

A marble statue formed of a human torso embedded into the door lay bound, arms pinned by the great chains that crossed over it’s surface.

It was a young man, short hair covering an eye and a sad and muted expression on his youthful face, his body covered with sharp and furrowed slashes that slowly mended with the growth of marble.

For a moment, Akira saw not the statue, but a young man of flesh and blood with dark hair and pensive eyes, a sword in hand and a school uniform he swore he’d seen before splashed in blood. But in a blink, it was only the statue and the door. 

Akira's heart thumped like a small explosive had gone off in his chest.

Akira sat bolt upright in bed, throwing the covers off of himself and his partner at the same time. He grabbed his chest, catching his breath.

He felt his partner stir…shift..and an arm throw itself around his waist with the murmured, “S’not morning yet.” 

Akira gripped Makoto's shoulders like a lifeline. 

"Makoto. Makoto there's a boy on the moon. We met him."

Makoto murmured, rousing out of her own fretful dreams with a blink of her deep crimson eyes. The tank top she’d worn to bed slipped down her broad shoulder as stared at him uncomprehending for a moment.

“A…man on the moon?” she asked slowly, before her brow furrowed. “...where?” 

"On the moon." Akira repeated. He felt flushed and could feel his heart still beating hard in his chest as the flood of memories overtook him. "We met in a dream before. Minato– from the labyrinth. He's trapped on the moon."

Somewhere in his brain, Akira knew that this was a lot of bizarre, scattered information to drop on Makoto when he had just woken her from a dead sleep. but he had also just woken from a dead sleep, so it didn't occur to him to take it slow.

And it felt urgent.

Something about his rambling speech made her eyes widen, her breath catching as she placed a steadying hand on his chest. The sleep drained from her with her color as she paled.

“The blue haired boy…who was part of that Execution Squad, right?” she said slowly. Her fingers curled against his chest “Shit.” 

"Yeah," Akira nodded."We can't just leave him there. We have to get the Thieves together."

Chapter Text

The Shadow Operatives’ command room smelt of steeping green tea and roses, laced with the heady undercurrent of oil and the faintest taste of ozone in the air. It was as uniquely them , as it was nostalgic.

They’d long since moved out of the Iwatodai student dorms, and into one of the Kirijo group’s skyscraping offices…but the people currently sitting within were still the same. Changed, certainly, but the same where it counted.

Plush chairs and a comfortable table sat juxtaposed against the large monitor sets and weapons lockers.

Fine art mingled with weapons lockers.

And MItsuru Kirijo checked her tea with a smile and a small sip before looking up at the two men across from her.

The two men who’d been with her since the beginning, among the closest of her allies. The original Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, Akihiko and Shinjiro…and herself.

“It’s ready,” she said with a chuckle. “Nice and steeped.” 

"Nice and strong, like we like it, huh, Mitsuru?" Akihiko chuckled. He picked up his own mug.

“Just as you like it.” Shinjiro was already dumping in a few spoonfuls of sugar with a huff.

Mitsuru chuckled with Akihiko, smiling warmly as she leaned back in her chair. 

“At least you don’t pretend to like it bitter while choking it down like a certain Ken we know. I know you know where the cream is.” 

"Hey, hey, even with cream and sugar it's still strong," Akihiko chuckled, pouring milk in his. "Just because you add sweetness to it doesn't take away from its strength. Just the bitterness."

Akihiko gave Shinjiro a sly, teasing smile as he said it.

“Tch.” Shinjiro’s smile crossed his face even as he poured the cream. “Damn right, Aki. And don’t you forget it.”

They were older now…Shinjiro having taken to tying his hair back in a loose ponytail and wearing an often partially unbuttoned red silk shirt off duty…but they still joked around as they did back when it was just them.

A bunch of idiot teenagers playing with fire for the sake of the world.

Mitsuru sipped her tea again with a nod of her head. 

“Oh I wouldn’t dare say anything to wound your pride, Shinji. It’d be dreadful if you fell asleep on us again.”

Akihiro laughed, though there was a slight uneasiness to it. Perhaps unconsciously, he reached out with his free hand and brushed it over Shinjiro's arm.

"I think he's had enough beauty sleep for a while, right partner?"

Shinjiro caught his hand with a firm grip, nodding once. 

“For a good long while. You guys are stuck with me.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Mitsuru mused quietly into her tea, before she smiled. “Ah, actually…I did have something I wanted to say.” 

Akihiko squeezed Shinjiro's hand back for a moment before he released it. He looked up at Mitsuru.

"Oh.. yeah? What's up Mitsuru?"

“Tomorrow’s the anniversary of our first mission together.” she said “back when we were kids. When we became what would turn into the Shadow Operatives.”

"Oh damn." Akihiko's voice dropped almost to a whisper without even realizing it. "It's really the anniversary?"

Shinji’s eyes widened mid sip before he swallowed. 

“No way, ain’t no way it’s so soon.”

“No, it is.” Mitsuru chuckled. “...you know I keep track of these sorts of things.”
Her thumb brushed the edge of her cup in thought. “I just wanted to say…in light of that, how happy I am to have met the two of you. It’s been an honor to have you in my life.”

It came out almost awkward in its formality, but at the same time…very quintessentially her. 

Akihiko gave her a soft look.

"Honor's all mine," he said. "Fighting beside you two--and getting to come back from those fights-- has always been the best part of my life, for sure."

Shinji nodded, tucking a lock of his dark hair back as he flashed a half smile. 

“Yeah…There ain’t nothing like it. If I got the chance, I wouldn’t change it for the damned world. ‘Sides…meant I got to see those little punks you picked up grow up to be one hell of a team.”

Mitsuru smiled, genuine and bright as the moon, before she smothered it with a sip of tea.

“It’s mutual ...remember that time we were hunting that shadow through the playground by the shrine?” She laughed into her hand “...and I slipped and fell trying to stab it, right into the handwashing basin?” 

Akihiko laughed. 

"That was the kind of thing that's definitely funnier a few years down the line."

“If I remember correctly, when you came out of it you had a leaf stuck to your head.” Shinjiro said with a smirk. “I called you a tanuki for a week.”

Mitsuru flushed and coughed a little on her sip of tea “Funnier in hindsight” she agreed with a huff. “I also remember you making us all crepes when we got back to cheer me up.” 

"Those crepes were delicious," Akihiko nodded. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But come to think of it, how do we know you weren't replaced by a tanuki that night?"

Mitsuru looked at him with a quirk of her eyebrow.

“He’s got a point, Mitsu.” Shinjiro pointed his cup at her “we’re gonna need some proof.”

“A tanuki couldn’t possibly look this good..” she drawled.

Akihiko looked her over thoughtfully from head to toe and stroked his chin again. He looked over at Shinjiro.

"I donno, Shinji... what do you think?"

“Tanuki are gettin’ pretty sneaky these days. They’ve found the wonders of the mall makeup counter and are gettin’ better than ever.”

Mitsuru crossed her arms, looking at them with her stern and lidded eyes.

“And how do I know you’re not a couple of snickering kitsune?”

“Uh oh, the old turf war. I think we got her, partner.” 

"Oh yeah," Akihiko nodded. "We've entered the scenario. Mutually assured destruction."

Mitsuru stared them down for a long moment before she leaned over towards the tea tray.

She picked up a dry tea leaf from the small pouch and flicked it with a markswoman’s aim to land atop Shinjiro’s head.

“Oh no. A real tanuki.” she said dryly. “You two are ridiculous as ever.”

They could see the smile tugging her lips. 

Just the hint of it cracked Akihiko and he started to laugh.

"We got her!"

Shinjiro snickered, though he did take the tea leaf off his forehead and toss it down onto the tray “Damn right we did.”

“Oh yes . I’m good as gotten.” Mitsuru leaned on her hand with a half moon smile and a low chuckle. “Just like the old days.”

She shifted, and her lips parted to speak again…

When the console behind her lit up all at once with a blaring alarm and a flash of ‘Alert’. 

Akihiko jumped, his muscles tensing.

"What? Tonight-- seriously?"

“You’d think they’d wait till tomorrow. Give us something to kill during the anniversary.” Shinji said dryly as he pushed out of his chair.

Mitsuru’s brow furrowed…in a smooth motion she stood and turned, walking towards the console with her cup in her hands. 

“It’s not one of the shadow detection alarms..” 

Akihiko had put down his tea and was already moving in behind to look over her shoulder.

"Not a shadow detection? What alarm is it then?"

One of the screens had lit up with a map of an old and familiar location…zeroed in the center of a man made island, a blinking red light illuminated a GPS dot labeled ‘Gekkoukan High School’.

“It’s the burglar alarm.” Mitsuru said darkly.

Akihiko narrowed his eyes. 

"A burglar alarm? At Gekkokan? But why would anyone bother breaking in there?" He didn't even bother asking why Mitsuru would have an alarm there.

“Stealing test answers?” Shinjiro joked. 

Mitsuru tossed her hair over her shoulder.

“As amusing as that may be, we can’t risk it. The last thing I want is another incident like with Strega. Akihiko, Shinjiro. With me. "She turned and hurried towards the elevator. “I’ll have the team prepare the chopper for deployment.”

Chapter Text

Gekkoukan High School-- despite being state of the art and built on a man-made island-- was no Palace. It was just a school. And this was just a recon mission. Which was why Joker and Queen had gone in alone, with Futaba as their backup on radio.

There had been a meeting beforehand, where Akira had filled the others in on his dream. The response had been... chaotic.

Half the Phantom Thieves were still reeling from the very idea that those strange people they’d met in a dream labyrinth really were real…

The rest were horrified and whipped into a frenzy at the very idea that one of them…the deadpan leader of the SEES squad…was nailed to the literal moon.

Theoretically.

A chaotic debate, memory poll, and things Makoto could hardly call ‘plans’ spread out over Leblanc’s empty tables were the punctuation marks to their fevered plans.

Plans that ended up with one word. Gekkokan.

Makoto’s motorcycle stopped before the great gates of the state of the art school, her fingers tight around the throttle as she looked up at its clock ticking later every second.

It was the dead of night, and the wind whistled through the cherry blossom trees lining the path ahead.

It was a perfect night for a B&E.

"Interesting building," Akira murmured into the radio."That's a big clock."

“That’s what she said.” Futaba murmured over the line. Akira quietly snickered.

Makoto dropped her head to the handlebars with a quiet groan, before she kicked down the kickstand.

“It’s probably the biggest damn school I’ve ever seen. It makes Shujin look…conservative.” 

"It does." Akira hopped off the bike and shook his hair out, teasing it from the way it had been flattened. "Kinda wanna smash the clock though."

Makoto pulled off her helmet, and hung it on the handlebars, shaking her hair out as well with a hum.

“Please don’t.” she smirked “the last time you smashed a clock on a heist you nearly got us caught.”

“YEAH.” Futaba cackled over the line, “calm down there, Captain Hook.” 

"Tch. Skull's the pirate, not me, remember?" Akira chuckled. Still the way he ran his fingers through his hair again and preened told a different story. "But I'll be good. We're here for information anyway."

“You really think we’ll find anything?” Makoto asked “...I suppose the student registry might help, honestly.”

"That's what I was thinking," he nodded. "We can remember names. If we can find their records it might give us a place to start looking for them."

He strode toward the shadowed side of the building.

“If you find them on the student list, I can probably get their personal details…what dorm they live in, that kinda thing.” Futaba said with a cheerful chirp.

“Once again…” Makoto slipped into step beside Akira “I’m glad you’re on our side, Navi.” 

Akira chuckled low in his throat.

"Same," he agreed. "Alright-- any good points of entry for us, or should we just try the second floor window?"

“I’m seeing some kind of courtyard in the back.” Makoto murmured “there might be a way through back there. Vents, maybe.”

“I’m pulling up blueprints now.” Futaba said over the radio. The sound of munched potato chips almost drowned out her further comment “man…this place is nuts.” 

"Nuts how?" Akira asked, his gaze sweeping over the courtyard that Makoto had pointed out.

It looked like it connected the athletics building and a rather nice modern looking addition to the main classrooms…with lots of platforms and struts for the walkway. Lots of places to climb.

“I mean, when you get past the fact this place is a school, it’s got some weird security measures…and this old blueprint’s got redactions all over the place.” 

Akira's eyes narrowed behind his mask.

 "Maybe you'd better tell us what kind of security measures."

Akira had a small scrape on his cheek by the time they made it to the records office of Gekkoukan high school, but otherwise, he and Makoto had gotten away unscathed.

Makoto adjusted her leather gloves with a sharp grimace.

“Why…in the HELL…” she growled, “does a school need that kind of shit guarding its test answers?”

As she stomped into the records office, she flicked on a small penlight to glance around. 

“It’s higher security than that fucking ocean liner from hell.” 

"I'd like to know that too," Akira said. He started opening file cabinets. "I wonder if it has anything to do with our target."

Makoto threw open another-- penlight quickly scanning across name after name, class after class. 

“Maybe…i’d say I can’t imagine why or how, but…” She tutted her tongue. “Did you hear who Navi said funded this place?” 

"I was a little busy at the time," he said, touching the scratch on his cheek. "Remind me."

“The Kirijo Group.” She whispered in a hiss as she pulled a large stack of records out and tossed them on the table to scour back by date for any familiar names. 

"Kirijo... isn't that the company you mentioned while we were doing our planning?"

Akira was carefully stacking manilla folders that he pulled out of the file cabinet.

Makoto nodded , flipping through another folder. 

“That’s right. The very same. They’re massive. Kirijo Electronics. Kirijo Pharmaceuticals, Kirijo security. They’re right up there with the Nanjo Group as one of Japan’s most powerful corporations. And they’re funding some…admittedly huge…school and filling it with high security.”

"Might be related then," Akira said. "Hey-- Iori-- that name sounds familiar, right?"

Makoto looked up and mimed a hat over her head. 

“...Junpei, right? That kid with the cap. Skull’s buddy.” 

"Yeah," Akira nodded. "I have the file for a Junpei Iori right here. Gotta be the same one, right?"

“It has to be…see if any of the other names in that folder sound familiar. I’ll…”

Makoto was interrupted by Navi’s panicked voice. 

“GUYS, Joker, Queen. We’ve got trouble incoming!” 

Akira froze, and immediately his gaze snapped to all the exits in the room.

"What;'s the situation, Navi? Advise."

“I’m not sure, there’s some kind of signal jam that’s only getting worse.” Indeed, her voice was starting to crackle out. “But last I saw on the security cams, there’s a fricking chopper headed your way. Real paramilitary shit!”

“....” Makoto began shoving files in her bag, before she looked up at Akira. 

“Let’s make a break for it. We got enough.” 

Akira nodded, shoving the folder in his black bag. 

"Let's go."

She gave him a sharp smile, before she made for the window on quiet footfalls…only to duck down as the roar of a chopper’s blades and the flash of a bright light illuminated the room, just missing her as she pressed low to the ground.

“Shhhit.”

Akira ducked quickly along with her, and hissed. He looked over to her.

"It will be a pleasure to meet you in the next life, Makoto," he said, with his characteristic dry humor. "But before then-- let's try the vents."

“Let’s hope for being space princes or some bullshit.” Makoto said dryly as she glanced up. The light passed, and in it’s last fingers she saw a vent just over the bookcase to the left.

“There, on your 3 o’clock.” 

Akira nodded and ducked under the window, scurrying over to the book case. He climbed it expertly and offered Makoto his hand.

Makoto had grabbed his hand and scrabbled partway up the book case when the door to the office flung open, and the light blinded them both.

“Freeze!” A familiar voice commanded with the sharp clack of heels on tile “...You’d best have a good reason to trespass here.” 

Usually, Akira would not have frozen. usually he would have done the opposite. But that voice was as familiar as it was commanding. And Akira froze, and put his hands up, and turned with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Mitsuru, wasn't it? Long dream no see."

Makoto dropped to the ground and landed in a low crouch as she turned and looked up at the woman with a grimace. 

“...well damn.” She spread her hands with a grin “We didn’t expect you to come right to us. Must be our lucky day.”

Mitsuru Kirijo was…older…than he remembered. The woman was surely an adult by now, still young, but far more than the sharp and commanding teenager they’d met in the labyrinth.

But her curling, crimson hair was unmistakable…as was the sword she held firmly in one hand. What wasn’t…was the long white coat and the full leather catsuit she wore below it.

“...” she squinted for a moment before she pointed her sword towards them each “Queen and Joker!!”

Akira dropped into a sweeping court bow.

"The very same. And you're just who we were looking for. Did you have the dream too?"

Behind Mitsuru in the doorway two more figures lurked.

"Joker and Queen?" one of them murmured. "I haven't thought about that dream in ages..."

“Neither have I.” A looming man pivoted to peer in, his dark brown hair falling in his eyes as he huffed “...They still look like a couple of kids."

“No we don’t!” Makoto turned red under her severe bangs. 

Mitsuru stared at them for a long moment before she dipped into a bow in return 

“Now this is strange…No, I haven’t. Not in a long while.” She looked up at him with a nod. “the labyrinth dream, yes?” 

Akira stroked his chin.

"Maybe there's a better place to discuss this?"

Mitsuru stood, before tossing her hair off her shoulder with an imperious sniff. 

“Akihiko, Shinjiro…” She glanced over her shoulder “tell the pilot to make a landing in the courtyard and to prepare for two more passengers.”

“But my bike.” Makoto tried to protest,only for MItsuru to hold her hand up.

“And send a retrieval team for the Queen’s bike.” 

"Huh," Akira mused as he strapped himself in before take off. "You know, I don't think I've ever been in a real helicopter before."

"Let's hope you don't get real flight-sick," Akihiko drawled.

“It can’t be any worse than the flying cat-copter we’ve flown in.” Makoto chuckled as she strapped herself in as tight as she could.

Shinjiro snorted quietly, before he crossed his legs. 

“...man, though . I was half sure you guys were just figments of our imagination…at least until we heard about the ‘phantom thieves’ all over the news.” 

"Well, we were pretty sure that you guys didn't exist either," Akira said. "Looks like you've uh....."

“Gotten older?” Mitsuru asked with only the slightest trace of a smile, “understandable…given we had that dream quite some time ago. Way back in 2009.” 

Akira looked at Makoto, the surprise plain on his face even behind his mask.

"2009? But we only had that dream a couple of years ago-- in 2017..."

Makoto’s fingers had gone to her chin, and he could see the sharp crease between her eyes “...in 2017,” she agreed with a nod.

“But it’s obvious that more time’s passed for you.”

Shinjiro rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Huh. Come to think of it…there were a few things about that dream that were weird.”

For a moment there was only the sound of the chopper as Mitsuru closed her eyes. 

“Hmm. A shared dream is odd enough, but it seems one must also accept the possibility of the dreamers being from a different time.” 

"At this point, I'm just glad we were from the same world," Akira said. He laced his fingers together in his red gloves. "I have a question for you-- it's either going to confuse you, or its going to be uncomfortable."

Mitsuru extended her hand towards him in a silent command to speak.

"It's about Minato. Is he--" Akira made a soft noise as if he wasn't sure how to continue.

There was a wince that seemed to roll through the other group. Shinjiro pushed his hair back with a sharp hiss of breath.

Mitsuru stared off into the distance as her arms crossed under her chest. An expression of pain crossed her face as she took a soft breath before speaking

“Minato sacrificed himself for us…for everyone…a long time ago,” the words came out slow and deliberate. Akihiko looked down at the floor as she spoke.

"Oh." Akira responded softly. The full gravity of the SEES team's grief seemed to weigh on him. And yet... "I... I'm sorry this is a stupid question. Is he on the moon?"

“......” Mitsuru stared at him for a long moment, her eyebrow raised and her lips parted as she attempted to form an answer.

“What.”

“Like…” Shinjiro held his hands up. “fuckin’ literally or metaphorically, bud?” 

"I don't know," Akira admitted, holding his hands up in the same gesture. "I... had a dream last night. Like he was calling out to me. I was on the moon, but it wasn't the moon. And there was a door there, and someone chained to it."

Akihiko's gaze snapped from the floor back to Akira's face.

Mitsuru’s confusion vanished in an instant, and she took a sharp intake of breath.

Makoto looked between them with a concerned furrow of her brow, before she crossed her arms

“Sounds like it’s a good lead then.”

MItsuru’s eyes fell on Akira’s. 

“...We won’t be having this conversation here. Come along. I’ll tell you all about the night of the Fall when we can…when we can damn well comfortably sit down.” 

Chapter Text

Kotone had brought a boxed lunch to school, and she was waiting on the roof for someone to share it with. The sky overhead was a hazy blue with a scattering of lazy wispy clouds blown by a warm, gentle breeze.

The gentle scent of salt from the sparkling Tatsumi Port Island sea tickled the back of her nose as she leaned back and took it all in with a sense of bittersweet nostalgia.

She rolled her music player back and forth in her fingertips, her chestnut brown hair falling in delicate waves around the headphone she left clipped to one ear, the other headphone waiting for the lucky recipient of her home-cooked lunch to take and listen until class inevitably started again.

He was standing in front of her a moment later, his bright yellow scarf tugged in the breeze. She saw the soft curve of his smile, before he sat down beside her.

"It's been a while."

“Who’s fault is that?” Kotone teased as she offered him the free half of her headphones, her smile bright on her face.

“Come on, I’ll restart the song for you.” 

He chuckled, and leaned his head toward her.

"You sure love music, huh?"

She clipped it on his ear, before she scootched close enough to lay her head on his shoulder, the lunch between them. She looked up with a smile. 

“Uh huh. Sometimes music’s all you’ve got to get you through a bad day. A favorite song can be like…” She shrugged. “medicine on a cut. A hug from someone you love. Somethin’ like that. My brother…”

For some reason she felt a pang at the mention, but she continued “and I would listen to the same albums for hours on end some nights.”

He smiled at her, and touched his fingers to her cheek-- over-familiar.

"I know. I've missed you. And your music, too."

There was something strange about the scene. The clouds seemed to hesitate in the sky.

Kotone looked at the clouds for a moment as her smile waned a little sadder.

“I’ve missed you too,” she leaned into his touch, “It’s…” she felt a hot flush behind her eyes, the sting of tears. “It’s been longer than just since homeroom, hasn’t it?” 

"I think so." His fingers lingered on her skin. "It feels like I've been somewhere else, even though I'd rather be here with you. But I can't quite remember..."

Kotone’s hand reached to touch the back of his, “I’ve felt like I’ve been somewhere else too.” She murmured.

“One time…I dreamed I was in a labyrinth formed of strange movies…I saw all our friends…but none of them knew who I was.”

She laughed, even as the tears flowed down and over his fingertips. 

“Some nightmare, huh? Only...there were new people, kind people. It was kinda fun.” With a sniff she nuzzled his hand, “but we’re both here now. You can stay, right? “ 

He shook his head sadly, and leaned his face against hers, his hand slipping around to her other cheek. He whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry. I can't. But... I think someone's coming for you."

Kotone’s breath hitched, and her eyes stared past his hair at a sea cast in the pale green of the dark hour’s moon.

“But…” She whispered, her arms wrapping slowly around him “How..?”

His lips brushed Kotone's cheek as he turned to look up at the sky. As Kotone looked with him, she saw the great blue-green jewel of the earth taking up the horizon.

"We'll just have to wait and see."

"So this moon thing," Ryuji said, fidgeting back and forth with the yo-yo in his hands. "Do you think Joker's finally lost it, man? Or is there really something to it?"

He glanced over at Yuusuke, who was taking up most of the messy floor of his room, half reclined on a large beanbag chair.

The young artist’s long limbs were splayed out as he balanced a pencil between his fingers in the air above his head…a messy sketch half finished on a pad on his lap.

“We did dream of another team of persona users.” he mused in his usual drifting manner “...twice. Do you remember the dancing thing? I remember the dancing thing.” 

"Tha dancing thing," Ryuji snorted. He flicked his yoyo. "Man, that can't be real. That had to have been like, a bad beef bowl coming back to haunt all of us."

“I didn’t eat the beef bowl that night.” Yusuke sat up, turning the full force of his long lashed and severe eyes towards Ryuji. “I’d skipped to work on my masterpiece for the art exhibition.”

As per usual, the always strange Yusuke Kitagawa didn’t even think to mention that it wasn’t exactly normal to ALL have the same food-borne fever dream. 

Ryuji sighed and flopped backward on his chair's back, looking at Yuusuke from upside down, as if he'd make more sense from that angle.

"Man, when do you ever eat? Maybe you had the dream because of hunger, man. That happens too."

“I had ramen with you earlier today,” he leaned on the back of his hand with a thin smile “...and anyway. The choreography was too good to be simply a dream. I even remembered the steps when I woke up.” 

"Shouldn't that mean it was even more likely to be a dream?" he murmured. "Man... I don't know. But if that kid really is on the moon I guess it means a new mission for us, huh?"

“Stealing the man from the moon...” Yusuke smiled at Ryuji, “is it any harder than stealing hearts?” 

Ryuji continued to stare at him, and then he laughed.

"Uuuh I mean yeah I think it's a little different, but fun different? I'll steal a guy, why not."

He slipped deliberately off the chair and onto the floor next to Yuusuke.

Yusuke’s long arm wrapped around him and pulled him close to share the space on the bean bag, humming thoughtfully as he did.

“I’ll steal a guy too.”

There was a little pause, before he looked over at Ryuji with a grin as bright as it was charming.

He was very clearly rather proud of his own joke.

Ryuji laughed and nuzzled him, wrapping his arms around Yuusuke in return.

"Man, you stole my joke too."

The spoon rang on the sides of the mug like the sound of a little bell.

"Black, or with milk?" Fuuka teased, calling from the kitchen.

“Gah!”

The eloquent non-answer came strangled from Ken Amada’s throat as buried his face in his hands.

“Fuuka, I’m not a kid anymore!” the young man had grown a lot since his days in SEES…and not only in the way he’d shot up like a weed only a few short years later.

The young man’s fawn-brown hair bounced around his face as he looked up, and with all the confidence he’d gained as one of Mitsuru’s top Operatives…he replied.

“With milk, please.” he dropped his voice into a murmur, “and maybe some sugar.” 

Fuuka laughed lightly, and peeked her head around the edge of the doorway to smile at him.

"Thank goodness you're not a kid any more, if it means you can take your coffee with milk and sugar."

A moment later she stepped into the room holding a steaming mug in each hand.

Ha, ha,” despite the dryness of his fake laugh, he had a grin across his face, one of his long legs crossed over the other as he propped himself up by the elbows.

“It’s still an acquired taste. I’ve just acquired the forbidden knowledge that coffee tastes like crap on its own.” 

"Well, I've had coffee that tasted nice, even black, but I still think its improved with cream and sugar." She set one of the coffee's down on the nearby table and sat down next to him, handing him the other mug.

He took it gratefully “and like always, you’re right.”

He gently bumped his shoulder against hers, before taking a long sip. 

“...that being said…you really do make a great cup of coffee, Fuuka.” He giggled “you’ve come a long way…I remember when Shinjiro used to panic about putting out fires and stopping you from putting in salt and stuff.” 

Fuuka flushed, laughing again but with a little cringe.

"Well you know, I did hear that a pinch of salt in your coffee grounds will reduce the bitterness.... but I don't think I'll try it without supervision."

Ken laughed. 

“Probably a good idea…but I’m not about to tease you about stuff from when we were kids.” He looked up at the ceiling as he lowered his coffee cup “We’ve all come a hell of a long way since then. In all kinds of ways.” 

She leaned her shoulder on him as she sipped her coffee, and nodded.

"It's true. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago... this will be ten years..."

Ken’s smile grew a little sober as he sipped his coffee. His weight leaned a little more against her shoulder as he nodded.

“Hard to believe it’s been that long,” he mused. “yet at the same time…it feels like something that happened in another world. Ten damn years since…yeah.” 

"Yeah." She sighed softly and leaned against him in return. "Did you get that text earlier? Mitsuru says there was some kind of problem at Gekkoukan."

“I did!” he said with a nod “...what timing for it too.”

Despite the slight flush that crossed his face, his arm gently looped around her his coffee cup held to his lips by his free hand.

“She followed up. It’s some kind of break in or something…but what I don’t get is why anyone would. It’s a school.” 

"Oh I didn't see that one. I wonder why anyone would do that..." she bit her lip. "If they were looking for information on the shadow projects it's all long gone by now..."

Ken nodded against her shoulder. 

“Yeah, Mitsuru made sure of that. Hell, I’ve cleared out enough of those old labs to know she’s been scrubbing every trace of them out, except for the secure copies at HQ. So if that’s what they’re after, they’re kind of shit out of luck.” 

"Maybe it's unrelated..." Fuuka bit her lip. Despite saying it, she didn't really mean that. "After all... coincidences happen..."

Ken’s fingers idly toyed with the ends of her hair, humming gently in thought. 

“They do…but I dunno. The timing’s kind of odd…”

Maybe it was paranoia…but Ken had always had a good head on his shoulders, especially when it came to foul play. 

"I hope they check in soon... I guess we'll just have to wait and see..."

Chapter Text

The ticking clock in Mitsuru's private office filled the room, cutting through the oppressive silence around them as Mitsuru leaned on her hands to peer at the pair seated on the other side of what was once her father's desk. 

Her desk now, for some time - a symbol of the responsibility she took on after she'd lost him all those years ago. 

The two - thieves, for lack of a better word, had been rather quiet since she had Akihiko and Shinji close the door behind them. Perhaps they were intimidated.

She'd been told she had to be more approachable, so she put on her best smile, a slice across her face as she sighed "well. Here we are...no longer confined to the cramped helicopter..."

Joker nodded. He looked ill at ease in the office, and she noticed that he kept glancing at her clock, and away again. He folded his hands in his lap. "Here we are. So, I guess, where do we start?"

Where to start was a good question. The two had broken into Gekkokan - they certainly weren't who Mitsuru had been expecting to find when she and the others rushed over to stop the burglary. And then Joker had dropped a bombshell. He'd had some kind of dream, or vision, about Minato.

The girl - Queen, she'd called herself, had her head hung low with her fringe of brown hair over her mask as she smiled tensely "would you like Joker to explain the dream again?" 

Mitsuru was no stranger to strange dreams. Dreams where she and the rest of her team had seen strange dancing competitions - or confusing dreams of labyrinths and twisting hallways she could never quite fully remember. 

She was no stranger to the strangeness of their world, either. A shadow had lived amongst them, wanting to be human. The Dark Hour - Tartarus itself. If this man had had a vision of Minato - their wild card - the one who saved them all, it would be prudent to listen. 

"indeed. Please, elaborate."

Joker leaned forward, pressing the tips of his red gloved fingers together. "Alright, so in the dream, first I was looking at the moon. A bigger moon than I'd ever seen. And then I was on it, somehow. But it wasn't exactly the moon, it was like, the essence of the moon. This huge, vast expanse. And there was a giant door there."

Mitsuru's fingers laced together tighter, memories of the top of Tartarus coming fresh to her mind. The massive, green-tinted moon looming above all, splitting into something monstrous as it pushed them all down into uselessness.

Until Minato rose up. 

"A giant door," she said slowly "I see."

"And there was a statue, chained to the door," Joker explained. His voice was low, somehow both worried and... revenant. "But for a moment it wasn't a statue. It was someone that I recognized. A person. ...Minato, from the dream of the Labyrinth."

"So you remember the Labyrinth dream too..." Mitsuru chewed her lip - and when she really thought about it, the image of Joker and Queen swam up from the hazy memories of that time too. 

"I remembered those dreams, yeah..." Queen piped up, her gloved fingers lacing together. "And I wasn't sure what to make of Joker's dream, but he's never steered us wrong before. He...he saw that statue, and he saw it was Minato and got the feeling that maybe we could...help..."

Joker dreamed of a person chained to the door - Minato, and thought he could help.

The very idea sent her stomach twisting into knots. Minato - who'd died too soon. Minato - who'd given his life so save them all. Minato - Minato, who every one of them missed every day. Her eyes started to sting as she took a deep breath.

"I got the sense that he was in trouble somehow," Joker nodded. "That's why we went to Gekkokan, to see if we could find evidence that he - and all of you - really existed. And if so, if he was in trouble like I thought."

"Well I can assure you - we exist, and he very much existed." Mitsuru frowned. "...but we were all under the impression that he'd died after that final fight...the last we saw of him was his passing not long after." 

Queen spoke up, though, placing her hand on Joker's wrist. "But we know a little something about things not being the way they seem. We - the Phantom Thieves - were wiped out of reality for a little bit - we've seen the world twisted by one man's cognition into a false reality, too."

As Queen put her hand on Joker's wrist, she saw the way that the young man's breath seemed to catch in his throat. Probably at the mention of Minato's death. It wasn't easy - not for any of them.

He nodded when Queen spoke. "It's true. Things aren't always what they appear to be..."

"It's possible that his death was really something...else. And that's whatever this door is." She said reassuringly, "and if that's the case, we want to help."

Mitsuru's fingers tightened together, and she drew a tense breath through her lips "it's...true. The truth is often obscured by the strangeness of the other world. I...I'll accept this as a possibility--the chance that Minato somehow survived that final sacrifice."

Memento Mori. Wasn't that the phrase that echoed around their dorm in those final months? To always remember...one day you'd die. A prophecy that came true for Minato - unless...

"Assuming that's the case," Joker said, his jaw set, "I want to find some way to help. Like Makoto said."

Queen nodded. "We all want to find some way to help, Miss Kirijo." 

Mitsuru closed her eyes, squeezing her fingers together to still them from shaking. "Your kindness in this matter is appreciated. I hope you won't regret it later when I take you up on that offer."

"To hell with that," Joker declared, waving his hand. "I'd never regret doing anything to save a friend."

Mitsuru chuckled sharply, as her eyes opened enough to focus in on him. 

"You understand how important Minato is to me - to my team. I'll hold you to your lack of regrets - as I fully intend to utilize your assistance above and beyond whatever limits you may think you have if it means bringing him home."

"And I hope you're both prepared to follow through on your words here!"

A new voice cut like a lance through their conversation, rich, purring and catlike. Mitsuru and the others looked around for the speaker, but there was no one to be seen.

Mitsuru's frown deepened as she looked up, slapping her hands on the table as she stood. "Show yourself! I didn't allow anyone else in my office!" 

She saw Queen hiss in a breath as she jolted backwards "Joker - what...were we followed?"

"No," Joker shook his head. "Look. Can you see it, or is it just me?"

He pointed at the closed door of Mitsuru's office, which as they looked, Mitsuru saw a blue light start to shine around the cracks in the door, subtly at first, then intense, then overwhelming.

It looked as if some kind of blue portal of light was opening where the door should be.

Queen startled, her hands raising off her lap to hang in the air as her breath caught in her chest. "Oh...oh...I see it, Joker!" 

"I..." Mitsuru leaned forward, the light overwhelming her vision - it was enough to send her reeling "I...see it as well."

A figure appeared in the doorway, lithe and feminine, and as she stepped out, framed by the blue light, she had a catlike smile, pale bobbed hair and golden eyes.

A figure Mitsuru had seen in her dreams - Elizabeth, the Velvet Room attendant.

"Joker - " Queen had started to whisper. "She's that woman who wore that bizzare dress in that dream of the cinema labyrinth we had!" 

Mitsuru pushed herself off the desk and around to stand before the woman with a point of her finger. "Elizabeth - the attendant of the velvet room! The woman who...who set up that dancing contest in our dreams!"

Joker's expression turned into a grin like the edge of a knife. "I remember her. Hello, Miss Elizabeth." He stood, and gave a little bit of a bow.

"Oooh, so polite!" the woman giggled. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen, Mistruru, Queen, and Joker. It is I, Elizabeth!"

She did a little twirl, as if to match Joker's bow.

Queen dipped into a bow just a moment too late , but Mitsuru remained standing. "...it's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Elizabeth. Can I get you a cup of tea?"

"Oh that's very kind of you, but I really can't stay long!" she cooed. "I'm here about our dear Minato!"

"...He seemed familiar with you in the dreams. I ...imagine in some way he was your charge?" Mitsuru placed her fingers on her chin "...I assume this means you have news relating to our group agreement to rescue him."

She put her hands together, squeezing them tightly, a bright, soft look in her sparkling golden eyes. "That's right! I've been working all this time for just such an opportunity, and it's finally arrived. But it will be difficult! And you only have one chance!"

That was all Mitsuru needed - the understanding that there was a chance at all. The confirmation that - limited time or no, there was indeed a way to save Minato. 

If this mysterious attendant of 'the velvet room' could offer it, then by hell she'd take it. "The Shadow Operatives are at your disposal. One chance is all we need."

Joker felt like he'd been holding his breath though Elizbeth's whole explanation. How Minato had never technically 'died', but rather had his spirit bound to the moon to act as the seal on some creature of malevolence called Nyx. And how the pathway would be open soon - ten years to the day since the moment. Something called Tartarus would appear, and they'd be able to make their way to the apex, to get to him.

The trick was that if they took Minato back, then Nyx would be unsealed.

"You'll have to find some other way to seal her," Elizabeth had explained.

One look at Mitsuru's face told her all he needed to know. She was already thinking about putting herself - or someone else - in Minato's place.

Joker slapped his gloved hands on the table. "Screw that! We'll just defeat this Nyx permanently this time."

Mitsuru jerked up, her eyes flashing towards him "You don't know how strong she...it is," her breath hissed through her teeth "the trouble with Nyx is that as long as humanity has any death drive at all - as long as it yeans for death and despair - it'll always regenerate." 

Her breath shuddered before she confirmed his thoughts "if we need a new seal, and there's no other way to distract or confine it, I'll act as the new seal."

"I knew you were going to say that," Joker hissed. "It was written on your face. But that's not happening. The phantom thieves already defeated two gods - I'm sure with the help of your shadow operatives, we can take down a third."

Elizabeth clapped her hands together. "Oh my!! What an idea!"

Queen punched her fist into her hand. "...the God of Control couldn't stop us. Neither could Maruki's false god of lies....We're not about to let another friend get sealed away alone forever, Ms. Kirijo!"

"...what an idea indeed," Mitsuru murmured, "defeated two gods already? I'm not opposed to trying, in fact - I'd love to see Nyx scrubbed off the face of this earth for good - even if it's a risky prospect."

Elizabeth's coy, catlike smile widened. "I do believe that you could do it - but it would take more than just the Phantom Thieves and the Shadow Operatives. You'd need every Persona user in Japan with you to stand a chance at destroying Nyx for good."

Joker's smile spread just like hers. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear, Miss. Elizabeth. To me, that sounds like good news."

MItsuru's painted lips parted in a hesitant smile. "Every Persona User in Japan...well - my Shadow Operatives already have a very strong team in our employ - outside of our original squadron. As for the rest, perhaps we can put out feelers to draw them in towards us in time for the operation."

Queen nodded firmly "other Persona users - assuming we can find them all, I don't doubt we'll succeed. Joker - " She flashed him a wide grin. "I'm more than ready to kill another god with you."

Joker punched his open palm, a grim smile on his face. "Good. I was worried we might get rusty. Let's get to work on this."

Mitsuru walked out into the hallway as everyone left - the message was sent the moment the Phantom Thieves and Elizabeth departed to gather the Shadow Operatives - all available units - to the command center for an urgent meeting. 

The Phantom Thieves - when they'd broken into her facility she hadn't expected this. Not only were they allies - fellow Persona users as well - but they carried with them a will to save Minato.

A will that was soon confirmed to be towards a reachable goal. Elizabeth gave them the option - a once in a lifetime opportunity to break the bonds of death and save what was once lost. 

Her heart raced - pounding with excitement in her chest as she kept her outward composure.

We could still save him. We could bring him home. Her hopes - dreams - they weren't all for nothing. 

That Joker - with his determination to kill Nyx and save Minato - lit a fire inside her she thought long smothered. He was willing to kill a god - something she'd never achieved. He killed two, while they only managed to put one to sleep with the sacrifice of a friend. 

It was enough to send her reeling. He'd even seen through her - spotting instantly her plan to sacrifice herself, and declaring it wouldn't be necessary. 

It was a bravado she desperately wanted on her team.

Akihiko stood up from where he was sitting as Mitsuru came into the room. He snapped off a salute - a habit of his somewhere between teasing and completely sincere.

"We saw the message, boss. You're calling everyone in? It must be big."

Mitsuru lightly saluted him back, before she tutted her tongue. 

"I'm calling everyone in Akihiko. It's..." She shook her head "it may be the biggest mission of our lives."

Hours later, Akihiko lay on the couch - or more accurately he lay on top of Shinjiro, who was laying on the couch. He drew lazy, thoughtful circles on his boyfriend's body with the tip of his finger.

"It feels like a dream," he murmured. Mitsuru had explained everything. "We might actually be able to save Minato. Even though..."

Shinjiro had his hand wound through Akihiko's short hair, his eyes somewhere faraway "Even though we thought he died. Guess it wouldn't be the first time one of us came back from the dead."

"Guess not." Aki bit his lip, thinking back to that day in the hospital, when Shinjiro had come back to them. "I always thought he sent you back to us. He'll be so happy to see you, Shinji..."

"...somethin did, certainly." Shinji's nose wrinkled - and for a moment he seemed to almost say something before he shook his head "I know he'll be happy - I'll be damned happy too. Even if I might punch his nose in for sacrificing his own ass."

He chuckled, nuzzling Shinjiro's hand with his head. "Honestly, he'll deserve it."

They were talking like it was a sure thing, that they'd be able to rescue him. But that was the only way to talk about it. They couldn't leave any room for doubt.

"He will," Shinji snorted through his nose, "dumbass - lucky he's cute. Everyone'll forgive him anyway."

"We're a forgiving bunch, huh?" he chuckled softly, and punched Shinji in the shoulder.

Shinji's snort turned into a laugh "Whatta ya hittin' me for? Fuck, cut that out!"

He squirmed under him for a moment "dumbass."

Shinji lay against the couch, brushing Akihiko's hair again as the faint sensation of his whacking hits faded into the background of his mind. He laughed along for a moment before he closed his eyes.

Damn - we really can save Minato… It was a thought that circled his mind like a hungry animal - eager to jump forward and into the fray to make it happen. Minato had saved his ass - done so much for them to give them a reason to live even when half of them were living each day like they were ready to die. 

Even if he felt like he was forgetting something on the tip of his tongue -he knew Minato was still out there for them to reach out to and save. Now it was their turn to give Minato a reason to live - with them.

"Who's the dumbass, dumbass?" Akihiko squirmed on top of him, chuckling. But Shinji could tell that the same, or at least similar thoughts were chasing in his mind, too, and he was just looking for a distraction.

"You, stupid. I Mean, lookat ya." Shinji placed his hand on Akihiko's face, briefly and playfully smothering him down "I didn't do shit."

"Just trying to kill me, eh?" He squirmed and kicked his feet lightly.

"Maybe a little, " He smirked "don't worry, it ain't gonna be a big death."

Joking around helped - lightened the mood - got them thinking a little less about death.
Death had come up too often for their group, already. 

He scooped Aki closer to his body. "I'm sure Mitsuru'd forgive me for that, especially if it shut you up for a few hours."

"For your information, Mitsuru's told me she loves the sound of my voice," He grinned teasingly, and looped his arms around Shinji's shoulders.

"Ough, I knew the boss had a dark secret - turns out it's a lack of taste." Shinji teasingly shot back, his arms snaking around his waist.

"Oh just wait until she hears that." Akihiko batted his eyelashes at him. "Bye bye helicopter privileges. Better find a way to shut me up so I don't tell her you said that."

"Gooddamned pain in the ass flirt," Shinji huffed again - before swiftly yanking him up onto his lap and smothering his mouth with a kiss.

Joker was quiet on the ride back that dropped them outside Gekkokan, and Makoto knew it was because he had a lot on his mind. A lot that he wouldn't want to talk about with the chance that someone would overhear, even if they were one of Mitsuru's employees. They sat in silence, his hand squeezing hers.

Makoto's fingers squeezed his tight as she watched the city roll by. In all honesty she felt the same way. Their work as the Phantom Thieves taught them the value of keeping things quiet - away from prying ears. 

She believed Mitsuru was someone who wanted to save her friend - but she couldn't bring herself to be open just yet. 

But what really surprised her was the truth that Akira's dream had held more than just a little truth - it was an undeniable fact, verified by that strange 'Velvet Room' and its attendant.

The car dropped them off and Joker slid out into the shadows once more, pulling Queen into the darkness low beside the buildings there. The first thing he did was ping Futaba.

"Navi, get the gang together. We have a lot to talk about."

"A hell of a lot," she muttered under her breath - listening as Futaba's voice piped in from the other end of the line. 

"The mission went that badly, huh Joker? Alright. One Phantom Thieves meetup - comin' up!"

"We'll meet you at the hideout. Joker out." He turned off his comm, and turned toward Makoto. That was when the grin finally split his face again. "Looks like we have another big mission."

Makoto felt herself grinning back, taking his hand in hers with a nod. 

"Sounds like the biggest one yet - we've got to get...what was that, 'every Persona user in Japan' for this one?"

"Seemed like a pretty sizable list from the way Mitsuru was talking, wouldn't you say?" He squeezed her hand, and bumped his shoulder against hers as they started to make their way back to her hidden motorcycle.

She pressed against him, practically leaning her head on his shoulder for support. It wasn't just a long list - it was an intimidatingly long list on a timer. But - they were good at information gathering and acting on it quick, weren't they? 

If there was a way for them to get the whole list - and any missing from it - the Phantom Thieves and those Shadow Operatives would manage. 

"Big enough - but not too big for us to manage. They're as good as ours."

Joker grinned widely. "I'm looking forward to meeting them all."

Chapter Text

The world had sure changed since 1999, hadn't it? Maya Amano had witnessed the grand cross - the very fabric of the way the extra dimensional powers touched upon their own world shifting. She'd seen technology refine until schoolchildren were carrying powerful computers in their pockets.

And most of all she'd seen the way Persona had changed. The way the users awakened, and the sorts of groups they formed - it'd all changed so much since the 90's.

She wasn't staying in a very fancy hotel in Tokyo - one of the little capsule hotels that were going out of style, half the room taken up by a pinboard she'd set up detailing her findings over the years. Inaba TV Murders, Apathy Syndrome, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and Mental Shutdowns - and the transcripts of every interview she'd taken on each. 

Maya was still a reporter after all - all the time she was out there, away from her comfortable bed with Katsuya - or Ulala and Kaoru's company - she spent it investigating and learning the hidden stories of the children who saved the world time and time again. 

She looked over the board again, her eyes lingering on the latest bit of information - a miracle scoop stolen from her sources on the Kirijo Group she'd yet to fully verify. 

'Commotion at Gekkoukan High? Helicopter deployed on site.'

Somehow she doubted the Kirijo Group would be happy to verify that leak.

A trilling, tweedling noise suddenly filled up the little room - Maya's phone had gotten a text. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the message, from an unknown number.

[Meet me outside. - A friend.]

Now that was interesting - an amused smile crossed her face as she stretched in the cramped confines of the tiny room, and grabbed her favorite heart-patch coat to throw over her shoulders - if this 'friend' turned out to be an enemy, she had ways of dealing with them. 

She'd never let too much caution get in the way of a scoop. 

"Well, well...let's go see what sorta friend we've got! Let's think positive, right?" It was silly--but talking to her 'Persona' often felt like reminding herself she was still there in her heart. 

With her hands in her pockets, she headed out towards the street below.

The street was as busy as usual, with people passing quickly to and fro. The trick to picking out her 'friend' was simple - they were the one who wasn't moving.

There, leaning against the light pole, not quite obstructing traffic, was a tall, slim, tousel-haired young man in thick, black glasses. To most people he'd have been pretty anonymous. But Maya was a reporter with an interest.

Maya gave him a half wave, her smile spreading across her face as she minced up - she was getting older, but she'd never lost that spry excitement that carried her through that first adventure back in the day. 

Ulala still made fun of her for 'acting like a giddy schoolgirl'. As if she was any better!
"Hey there!"

He gave her a little wave. 

"Maya Amano, right?" He stepped away from the pole as she came up to meet her. "Get some coffee with me?"

"Ohhh," she leaned in with a smile, her eyes flicking over his features for a moment. Taking him in, comparing him to the always vivid memories of the countless investigations she held around her - 

She had an idea who this boy might be. She looped her arm around his with a smile. 

"I'd absolutely love to! Thanks..." she leaned in to whisper with a wink "Mr. Kurusu."

"I see some kind of reputation precedes me." She saw him raise an eyebrow as she slung her arm around him, but he didn't complain, or pull away.

Maya flashed him her brightest grin, her silver-flecked dark hair falling around her face as she started heading down the street. "You can call me a big fan of your work, if you'd like."

"Of my work?" he smirked. "Tell me what you know about it."

"Well..." Maya dropped her voice low "I know the leader of the Phantom Thieves was a very busy man in the sorts of spaces I tend to find myself in." 

She flashed a wicked grin. "Call it 'cognitive psience', if you want."

The young man grinned, and held open the door of a coffee shop for her as they ducked toward it. "My contact said you might know about that."

"You can consider me a bit of an expert in the field," Maya laughed, walking into the cafe with a curious look around. "Hell, if you really wanted to be grandiose, you could say the whole field came about because of me...in a way."

It was some small, anonymous coffee bar, and Kurusu's nose wrinkled slightly as he looked it over, as if he was judging it, but he shrugged and led her to the counter, anyway.

"Now that's something I'll be fascinated to hear about. I think we have a lot to share with each other."

"Probably~," Maya chuckled as she settled onto one of the stools. "Though I'm curious why you decided to drop in on little ol' me so suddenly!" 

She flashed a smile. "This wouldn't have something to do with the recent upset at the Kirijo Group's facilities, would it?"

"You're very well informed." He grinned and waved the barista over, ordering a couple of hand poured coffees. "And very correct."

"Ah hah, I knew it!" Maya pumped her fist, leaning towards him with a wink. "Another Phantom Thief original then, though hardly in a ...oh, what do you call them nowadays...palace?"

"A palace, yes." Akira smirked as they received their coffees, and he picked both up, standing up. "Why don't we go sit in one of the booths and we can get a little deeper into it."

Maya's excitement only grew - she rarely got to have the occasional interview with Persona users directly, getting the details of various breaches between worlds as first-hand as she could - it was usually just her investigative chops, her gusto, and her eye for the spaces between worlds that helped her figure out as much as she had.

This - this 'new friend' of hers was a rare and valuable opportunity to get LOTS of good information. Information she could take back to the rest to add to their ongoing assessment of the world after the world's sudden change. 

"Lead the way, hon!"

They talked for a long time. Anyone who overheard them would have thought it was nonsense, but Akira hung on every word from Maya as she told him about 1999, the grand cross, and the day the world changed. It put so much in perspective. In return, he told her about the battle against Yaldabaoth, and Maruki.

And about the strange dreams that he and the other phantom thieves had had. The dancing. The labyrinths.

Maya - who's animated 'big sis' energy made her sound younger than the years written in the subtle flecks of grey in her hair and the smile lines on her face - scribbled notes down on her paper pad with a palpable excitement. 

She asked questions - lots of questions. Names, Faces, enemies, 'why dancing', and 'the velvet room's changed? Did you hear why? and 'How's Igor doing?

The last question got a sad little laugh out of him. 

"Pretty badly, for a while actually. I didn't even meet the real one until the end of our first adventure. But he seems alright, now."

He shook his head. It was so strange, and it seemed like it had all changed so much. And it seemed.... also like it was always the same. Like they were all fighting the same battle that never ended, handing the torch to one another, one decade after another.

"Good to hear it, I was worried when he suddenly shut all those doors on us. But - " Maya sighed with a shake of her head, "he had to adapt, just like everyone else."

"It seems like the whole world had to adapt," he said, shaking his head. "You know, you must be a great reporter. The way you describe all of it, it almost feels like I was there."

The older woman flushed, laughing as she fanned herself with a grin. 

"You know, that's maybe my favorite kind of flattery!" She pointed her pen towards him with a wink. "I get by - if you ever want to read some of my articles, I can recommend a few."

"Please do," he grinned, lacing his fingers together as he shook off the strange sense of deja vu. "But there's a little more that I wanted to discuss. The reason for the incident at Gekkokan that you heard about so quickly."

"I've got my ways," she laughed and cupped her hand over her mouth to whisper. "I have some bugs in the Kirijo Group's offices. My buddy Kaoru helped me get them." 

Her wicked grin tugged the smile lines on her face, as she leaned on her hands. "But - fill me in. I only know the bare minimum here."

"Bugs?" Joker hissed, the grin widening on his face. Oh, Kirijo-senpai was going to HATE that. "Alright, so do you know about the incident ten years ago with Nyx?"

"Mmm hmm," She nodded her head. "The one behind the Apathy Syndrome - there was briefly a cult in her name as well that lead to humanity triggering it's death urge and kick starting a near-apocalypse. I have some information that it ended at the top of Tartarus with the unit that'd later become Kirijo's 'Shadow Operatives', right?" 

For someone putting it together from pieces - she certainly seemed well informed. He wasn't going to question it. She was clearly a crack reporter and had a real reason to put things together. He was impressed.

"That's right. When it ended at the top of Tartarus, that group lost someone. Their leader."

Maya was enraptured. She'd gotten the sense of a lot of the Phantom Thieves activities from her various reports, but she couldn't have imagined just how much she'd been missing. 

Each minute held like, a dozen new notes for the board back in Katsuya's office, and she was already most of the way through *one* notebook when Akira began talking about Tartarus. 

They lost someone...their leader.

Her pen froze at that, and she felt her smile start to fade. Memories from another time - a time where she died in Tatsuya's arms with one last smile - came back to her until she pushed them back down. Memories of the other world's Tatsuya fading back home replaced them, only for everyone to forget the connections they made until the brutal shift in reality brought them trickling back. 

"Awful..." she murmured. "I know how awful that feels."

Kurusu's fingers twitched on the table, and he nodded. "Elizabeth - one of the velvet room attendants - she says there's a way to bring him back. But there's only one chance, and we need every Persona user in Japan."

"....Every Persona user in Japan you say?" Maya's head shot up, and her eyes focused in on him as she leaned across the table "in order to bring back someone lost - "

She smiled sharply. "I've heard of crazier ways to defy fate, and it's your lucky day, kid. I've got the hookup to the early Persona users."

-

Naoya had been in Okinawa when he got the call from Maya, but he took the train back up to Tokyo for the meeting. It was too intriguing to pass up.

He was supposed to meet up with a girl named 'Makoto Niijima', who Maya had insinuated in text was a Persona user associated with 'that big event not too long ago in Tokyo'. 

He'd gotten the request to meet her at, of all places, a dart and pool bar in the Kichijoji district. He'd been asked to dress casually - but to wear something red around his neck.

Naoya had obliged the request with a blood red choker. Even though he was 40, he'd never given up his glam or punk side, and he hoped that a sleeveless band t-shirt, ripped skinny jeans, and long stacks of bracelets was casual enough for the person he was meeting.

He sat at a corner table while he was waiting, and sipped on a beer.

A young woman was nearby, throwing darts at a machine by herself. She had short brown hair cut in a bob, dressed like some sort of biker in a dark pair of leather pants and miltary surplus boots - matching the crop leather jacket she wore over a white half-shirt. The edges of a tattoo--blue and strikingly angular - peeked out from underneath the shirt. But the most striking thing - at least for Naoya's directions, was the short red scarf tied around her neck and hanging over one arm as she lined up another shot. 

She glanced over at him with a smirk, an obvious invitation.

His gaze fell on the red scarf and he raised his eyebrows. His contact, then? Looks like he was dressed alright, if so. He hopped up and swaggered over toward her.

"Toudou right? Naoya Toudou?" she said as he approached, flinging the dart straight into the bullseye with a wide grin and a pump of her fist. 

Turning, she offered her hand. "Makoto Niijima. Nice to meet you."

He took her hand and shook it with a nod. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Niijima. Love the place you picked for our meeting."

"It's an old favorite hangout of mine," Makoto said, squeezing his hand before letting go and gesturing to the second set of darts.. "...my friends and I used to come here all the time when we were all in high school. It's also a pretty good place to talk about - you know, private matters."

"Always good to have one of those when you're in high school," he grinned. "I still remember. Yuuka would have loved for me to take her some place like this."

He grabbed a handful of darts as well.

Makoto walked forward and yanked hers from the machine , glancing back at him with a curious tilt of her head. The craning of her neck showed off more traces of what must have been a very extensive tattoo. 

"Yuuka huh? A friend of yours? You should invite her down sometime. I've got a membership I can lend you." She walked back to the staging area, leaning on the post between them. "...is she a Persona user too?"

He glanced curiously at the tattoo, peeking out where he could just barely see it. Made him wish he had a tattoo.

"You go right for the throat, don't you, Niijima?" he grinned. "I'll remember that. And yes, she's a Persona user."

It looked like the crests of waves, and some curved, mechanical looking shape that was mostly covered by her shirt. 

She laughed into her hand "I can be a little blunt, yeah. Don't ask me to show you my wrestling moves." 

She grinned, tossing a dart in her hand and gesturing for him to take the first shot. "Your friend, - invite her sometime. I'm a Persona user, too, one of the Phantom Thieves. I'm told you're the kinda person I can trust with that information."

"All the way to the grave, promise." Naoya grinned, and stepped up to throw. He tossed the dart off with decent form but no real killer intent - he wasn't fantastic at darts but it was fun. "So you're part of the new generation, huh?"

Makoto nodded her head, tossing the dart in her fingers before she caught it and made a throw - the killer intent in her throw was pretty clear. A lot like Yukino and her razors, Makoto's throw was deadly precise as it hit the bullseye. 

"Yeah - I awakened when I was faced with some smug prick who thought he owned everyone in town just because he was extorting them. Decided I was done being everyone's little perfect honor student and embraced my rebellion." 

She glanced over at him. "...was it different back in your day?"

"Very different," he nodded. He'd been right in his prediction, this girl was going to cream him at darts and that was fine. "There used to be a ritual."

"...a ritual?" She chuckled "like one of those playground games kids play? My sister used to talk about that kind of thing when we were younger."

"Exactly like one," he nodded. "Half of us thought it was a joke when we first tried it, but it worked. Back then, reality was... more malleable."

It was strange to remember. Strange the way the world had changed. Become so much more rigid and unyielding. But it had to be. It was what protected them all.

"I've seen what the world looks like when it gets a little more malleable," Makoto mused. "the depths of Mementos, or ah...Maruki's horrible semester."

She lined up another shot with a frown on her face. "It used to be like that alll the time though? How'd you keep it from falling into complete chaos?"

He chuckled. The answer was clear. "We didn't."

Over the course of the game of darts (which Makoto creamed him in, as expected) he explained the story. First, his own, and his friends. The days of St. Hermelin High. The Snow Queen. The DEVA system. Kandori.

To his story, in addition to her rapt attention between her fierce concentration on the dartboard, he'd gotten a very quiet "what the fuck" when it ended. 

"And everyone could summon multiple Persona?"

"Yup," he nodded. "I've heard that's a bit of a special talent nowadays, but back then, it came standard."

"Yeah, only Joker and the other 'wildcards' were able to summon more than one. Everyone else just got like - the symbol of their rebellion, or the reflection of their true self or something." Makoto leaned over to rib him with her elbow. "honestly I'm a little jealous!"

He chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be too jealous. It means you have a 'true self' in there, right? Not something everyone can say."

The younger woman blinked, rubbing her neck with a flustered half smile. "I guess that's true, huh? How about you? Do you got one you hold over the rest?"

Naoya shook his head. Unlike some of the others, who had ended up with a single Persona after the Grand Cross incident, Naoya's had never frozen that way.

"Nope. Just me and the hundred other mes here, you know?"

"So you're like another wildcard," Makoto tutted her tongue thoughtfully. "Interesting - there's nothing wrong with that, honestly. I think it makes for a wildly versatile person - both in combat and in life."

She laughed into her hand. "Sometimes I worry I'm a bit too rigid. Akira keeps teasing me about being 'awkward' because of it."

"You two must have a great relationship," Naoya chuckled.

So this is an older Persona user - one of the old 'wildcards' from the early days.

Makoto smiled widely at him as she gathered up her darts with one eye on Naoya. He was friendly - but absolutely with the same manner that Joker often had. The kind of 'way about you' that spoke to a mask for any occasion. 

He was handsome, and frankly - interesting. She got the feeling if she'd asked she'd get an absolute wealth of intel about the 'old days' and the nature of the power they all controlled. 

She grinned, flushing a bit as she clutched her darts in her hand, she and Joker...Akira...had a wonderful relationship. She loved him enough to sway from the path of a cop to join him as his partner in crime, after all - a path that had been very good to them both. 

"Flatterer - but it's true. We've been together since high school. I met him while I was trying to bust him for being ...you know. A phantom thief."

"Since high school, huh? So, a couple years ago?" He teased, seeming to know it was welcome. "Are you legal yet? I could get you a beer. You were trying to bust him, eh?"

"Hey, at our age it feels like a long time!" She laughed, shaking her head with a sharp smile. " but - I'd love a beer."

She pointedly didn't answer if she was legal or not. For her - with the sorts of things she and Akira had been doing with the rest of the Thieves the last few years - it didn't matter what was legal and what wasn't. 

"Yeah - the principal was strong-arming me to get some dirt on him and his friends. Threatening me, you know?"

"Sounds like you didn't exactly luck out on the school front." He shook his head with a sly smile and pulled the darts out of the board putting them away. Then he bumped her shoulder with his. "Come on, lemme get you that beer and you can tell me the story."

It was almost strange how much space the older man seemed to share with Akira.

She flushed, shaking her head with a bemused smile as she followed him, bumping her shoulder back. It had to be a wildcard thing - the fool's presence. That air that allowed the chosen to pick whatever Persona they wished. 

It really was endlessly fascinating. 

"Give me two beers and you'll get the extended version. Uncut."

"Only two beers for the uncut version?" he teased. "Well, you are pretty short."

Makoto's face flushed a ferocious red as she fell into sputtering and stammering.

Short...SHORT??

Words wouldn't come, so Queen fell back on ol' reliable.

She punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could.

He only laughed at that - and he put three beers down in front of her.

Maybe she wanted to impress him, or maybe she did start to get drunk after only a couple of beers, because when she told the story, she told it with all the gravitas of a yakuza flick. The leadup - Kamoshida, the mysterious events around Shujin and the nearby city, the principal extorting her with her sister's reputation. 

She laid it all out, pouring her lingering feelings of genuine anger out into the descriptions of the local branch of the yakuza kneeling at a politician's feet, and the obsessive money-collection. Each palace - each story she told with detail and excitement - until she got to the confrontation with Shido and the lead into their conflict with the God of Control. 

She only hitched once - when she was remembering the assumed death of Akechi alone in the sinking ship of Shido's ambition.

But she finished strong - painting the image of the great gun blasting the god to pieces as well as she could before she led into the mess with Maruki.

She could tell that Naoya was hooked, hanging on every word with that lazy smile of his, sipping his own beers. When he laughed, which was several times, his earrings glittered in the lights of the bar.

"Well damn. You're a hell of a storyteller. I'm not sure I can tell ours half as well. Bravo, phantom thief."

Makoto grinned behind her third beer bottle, before taking a long sip and winking. "You can call me Queen if you want. But thanks~. Heh, I watch a lot of yakuza flicks."

"It shows. You and Yuuka would get along." He finished off his beer. "So what does a phantom thief want with a humble itinerant like myself, anyway?"

"You'll have to introduce me - and you'll get to if things go my way."

Makoto leaned on her hand. "It's simple - I want you. You and every Persona user you know. We have a mission...a heist... coming up and in order to pull it off we need the help of every Persona user in Japan."

Naoya whistled. "Now you *really* have my attention."