Chapter Text
Yosuke was good at making mistakes.
It was a strange talent, sure, and nothing that would get him a promotion at his shitty desk job, but it had been a useful skill nonetheless. He had tripped his way into the best friendship (partnership?) of his life, klutzed his way to his own Persona, and went from bullied to being in the Investigation Team with a partner (in all the definitions except the one Yosuke refused to acknowledge). All things considered, he was pretty cool.
The other members of the Investigation Team didn’t seem to share this view.
“First off,” Chie started, and Yosuke sighed loudly. “You didn’t get your own Persona. Yu basically did it for you!”
Yu, stoic as ever, chuckled. His gray eyes gleamed in the low lights of Shibuya’s Central Street. The massive billboards reflected hues of gold and red onto his hair, making it shimmer, iridescent. They had come to Shibuya for a month-long trip that Rise had rightfully titled Mission: Relax. In the months after Yu’s departure from Inaba and his subsequent return once he turned 18, everyone had been fretting over their own sets of problems. Chie over her cadet training program, Naoto over her business woes, Kanji over finishing high school alive, Rise over being a pop star, and Yukiko and Yosuke over their terrible mid-terms while juggling mind-numbing jobs.
At least Yu seemed to be doing okay. Well, as okay as he could be after being basically kicked out. He glanced at his partner again.
“How do you like Shibuya?”
Yu smiled wryly. “Are you asking me because you’re worried I don’t like it?”
“Can you not answer my question with a question?”
“Can you not answer my question with a question?”
“Can you not—ugh, fine, yes, I was worried, whatever. So. Shibuya.”
“It’s pretty,” he mused, smiling a little as Naoto pulled Kanji from his path into incoming traffic. “It was what we needed.”
"...Although," Naoto said, adjusting her cap against the evening breeze, "calling this a vacation while we're averaging twenty-two thousand steps a day does seem somewhat misleading."
"It's called sightseeing!" Rise grinned, walking a little faster past the billboard of herself. She had put quite an effort into not being seen this trip, wearing those stupid glasses Yu had gotten for all of them once.
“Sightseeing, huh,” Kanji sighed, holding the five shopping bags Rise and the others had dumped on him. “The only sights we’ve been seeing are malls.”
Yukiko laughed loudly at the joke, making everybody wince and at least three passersby turn their heads to gawk at their sound pollution. Naoto narrowed her eyes and hurried them along.
“We can’t get recognized,” Naoto hissed at them once they were a fair distance away. They were in the station area now, by a rack of job listings. “If we do, this trip will have to be cut short rather quickly.”
Teddie cried in agony at the thought and Naoto cursed louder, slapping him on the head. His blonde hair seemed untouched even as he recoiled, frowning.
“I miss Nanako-chan,” he said solemnly, “But the hot babes in Shibuya are just unmatched!”
“Why’d we bring him again?” Yosuke groaned.
“Come on,” Chie urged them to get moving again. “I see a steak kebab place!”
“Maybe they’re selling Phantom Wafers,” Yukiko said curiously. She had developed a fascination with the Phantom Thieves. So had Naoto, but for very different reasons.
As they made their way over to the stall, Yosuke felt himself relax. Yu bumped into his shoulder again, beaming. His hair was messy from the wind and his eyes gleamed with a familiar shine of happiness that Yosuke had been missing recently. He leaned in closer, down towards Yosuke’s ear. His voice was raspy. He shivered.
“Do you think we’ll see any cats here?”
Yosuke pulled back with a scowl. “We’re in Shibuya.”
Yu widened his eyes and Yosuke straightened. “Please?”
His composure slipped a little. “You’re not Nanako,” he said weakly.
“I wish Senpai was,” Teddie sighed.
Their laughter dissolved into the evening rush of Shibuya. Chie was already arguing with the vendor over whether buying six kebabs technically counted for the sharing discount while Rise covertly ducked behind Kanji as the bill came out.
"Yosuke!" Chie cried. "You just got the brand-new phone!"
Yosuke frowned at her. "Exactly why I don't have enough cash."
"This store only takes Apple Pay," she said, waggling her eyebrows.
Yosuke fished for his phone with another theatrical sigh.
Maybe this trip really had been what they needed.
***
"Morgana!"
"...Huh?"
He blinked himself out of his thoughts.
Akira was looking at him expectantly from over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised.
"I've been saying your name for the past five minutes."
"Have you?" Morgana mumbled.
Ann laughed, reaching over to scratch behind one of his ears. "Come on, Mona. What's on your mind? Your ears have been twitchin' all afternoon."
"It has been rather noticeable," Makoto agreed.
It had been a long, humid summer day, and the Phantom Thieves had unanimously decided to spend it doing something that didn't involve Shadows, Palaces, or life-threatening confrontations. Cake Knight Rises had finally premiered, and even Makoto had admitted she wanted to see it after Yusuke had spent three straight days insisting it was life changing. Futaba had opted out of the experience, claiming it was much easier to pirate it online.
The stress of her Palace still clung to them, despite it all being over. Assuming it was over. Morgana understood why the Thieves wanted something normal. As normal as they could get.
"So?" Akira asked.
Morgana blinked again, trying to gather himself. Something hummed at the corner of his vision.
Familiar. He perked up.
“Guys, I’ll be back. I’ve got something to do.”
“Mona—” Akira started, but he was already gone. He hopped off Joker’s shoulder and down to the ground, darting off before anyone could question him.
If my intuition is correct…
They had been looking for their next target. And for the mysterious Persona-user Kaneshiro mentioned. He slipped between pedestrians, weaving effortlessly through the crowd. Someone cooed and reached down for him, making him squeal and jump away to the outskirts. In the alleys, the night yawned into dark shadows that outlined the squeaking mice and burnt out cigarette butts. Office workers chugged alcohol and burped, producing smells terribly offensive to his delicate nose. Yet he could still sense it, overlying everything. Almost like a…Shadow.
His pace quickened.
Who are these people? He padded forward, narrowing his eyes as the orange-haired one scanned his phone and talked to the vendor. He felt the presence most strongly from them.
The man froze.
"...Partner?" The grey-haired one ventured. Morgana ducked back into cover, his heart hammering. He could hear the man’s breath quicken.
“Who’s there?”
Shit. Morgana dropped low to the ground, glancing around the corner. The man was hunched over. “I’m you and you’re me, dammit,” he hissed. “I’m you and you’re me—”
The grey one dropped to his side, looking concerned. “Yosuke. What’s happening?”
The steak-smelling one paused too, leaning down to meet him. Morgana leaned in a little, straining his ears. Just a little closer and I could hear them…
Hesitantly, he slinked forward.
The policewoman’s hand drifted toward the brim of her cap as she talked to the vendor quickly, trying to get them moving. Morgana stared directly at the Shadow presence. It appeared to be a blonde, young boy with model-like features, but he knew better. It felt no different from the Mementos Shadows, with a signature almost akin to the Reaper.
This is bad news. He stumbled back. I need to find the others.
The Shadow swung around and focused its bright blue eyes on him.
Shit, shit, shit—
“Kitty!”
Morgana froze. I…wasn’t expecting that.
The boy crooned at him.
“You’re so cute!”
This thing can’t be a Shadow. It’s too stupid.
The blond boy lit up with childlike delight, his blue eyes sparkling akin to Ann’s. The oppressive aura that had convinced Morgana he was staring at some impossibly powerful Shadow vanished beneath an expression so openly excited it bordered on ridiculous. That thought lasted all of two seconds.
"I'm gonna pet him!"
The blond lunged with an unnatural strength.
Every instinct Morgana possessed screamed at him to move. He twisted away just as the boy's hands closed around empty air and shot between a pair of pedestrians. Behind him he heard several voices call out at once.
"Teddie!"
"Wait!"
"Don't chase it!"
Morgana hissed, darting around a trash bin. He risked one glance over his shoulder. The Shadow was still coming. Akira, where are you?
"Come back, kitty! Are you okay?"
Morgana veered sharply into the street to avoid him. His paws skidded across the painted curb, claws scraping uselessly against smooth pavement. The cars rushed in front of him.
A cyclist shouted, forcing him to leap awkwardly back toward the sidewalk. Just as the Shadow reached him.
"Got you!"
Two arms wrapped around his middle. Morgana thrashed instinctively, a primal fear enveloping him. “Let go of me!”
The Shadow only hugged tighter.
"You've got to be more careful, kitty."
Morgana twisted and fell to the ground.
There was a sharp crack. White-hot pain shot from his foreleg to his shoulder. His body seized before he even realized he'd tried to cry out. The Shadow’s smile vanished immediately.
Morgana's paw dangled uselessly. His stomach lurched. He staggered onto three legs and tried to run, but his injured leg buckled beneath him, sending another wave of agony through his body. The ground rushed up to meet him. Sounds blurred together into an indistinct roar of traffic and shouting as his vision tunneled.
“Kitty?”
The last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him was the glint in the eyes of the grey-haired boy as he approached him.
***
Yosuke stared blankly at the twitching cat on the ground.
“Teddie. You just killed a cat.”
Teddie sniffed, his eyes filling with tears. “I didn’t…”
Yu glanced at Yosuke one last time before rushing to its side. He held its neck gently for a moment before sighing.
“It’s alive. I think it passed out from the pain. Its foot was broken.”
Rise frowned at Teddie. “Why would you do that?”
Teddie hung his head. “It…I…it was…”
“Just because things are fluffy doesn’t mean you can chase em, man,” Kanji growled. “Look, it’s hurt now.”
“It wasn’t Teddie’s fault,” Naoto said sharply. “Well, not entirely. That thing was running right into the street! It would have died if he didn’t catch it.”
“Okay, but did anyone else feel their Personas just now?” Yosuke asked nervously.
Slowly, everyone shook their heads.
Yosuke groaned. “Okay. Alright. That’s…probably not good.”
“Not one day off,” Naoto grumbled. “Okay, let’s get to our hotel. We need to take care of that cat.”
“We should drop it off at the vet or something,” Rise suggested, looking concerned. She stroked through its black fur. “It looks really hurt.”
“It’s better we take care of it,” Naoto countered. “We don’t want unnecessary attention.”
There was something odd in her tone that Yosuke had learned not to question.
“Can we take care of it, though?” Yukiko said, crouching down next to it.
Yu nodded. “I have some stuff.”
They all turned to look at him. He flushed.
“In my first-aid kit, I mean.”
Yu slid one arm beneath the cat's chest and another under its hind legs, careful to avoid the limp foreleg. Even unconscious, it tensed at the movement, a weak twitch rippling through its body before it settled again. Teddie made a sad cooing noise.
Yosuke scanned the crowd. People had already begun slowing down, some whispering as they stole glances toward the group. One woman even raised her phone.
"We're attracting attention."
Rise followed his gaze and winced.
"Right. Let's go, Senpai."
Kanji stepped in front of the group almost automatically, his broad frame blocking the view of the cat as Yu adjusted his grip. Rise and Yukiko fell in beside him while Chie shot the gathering onlookers an awkward smile. They slipped into the flow of pedestrians, leaving the food stall behind. Teddie walked close enough to Yu that he nearly stepped on his heels, stealing anxious glances at the cat every few seconds.
“I’m beary sorry,” he mumbled to it, wringing his hands. “It’s going to hate me.”
Yukiko eyed him critically. “It’s a cat.”
“You can apologize when we get there,” Yosuke muttered, urging him forward. “Come on.”
It only took twenty minutes to get to the nice hotel Rise had booked, but they were twenty long ones as they all stared at their furry new friend, out of their depth. The hotel itself was beautiful, though, with stained glass windows and tall golden elevators that reached unimaginable heights. Rise’s money went far. The second they stepped in, the bags were swept away and their backpacks taken up to their room by a concierge service. The cat remained cradled against Yu’s chest, facing no resistance from any of the staff.
“We’re on the, lets see here…twenty-nineth floor!” Rise chirped eagerly as she bounced in front of the elevator. “Teddie, thanks for booking this for us!”
Yosuke stared at her. “He booked it?”
“Mmhmm!” She said cheerfully. “I was hesitant, but he said he had some funds saved up and wanted to treat us.”
“Funds…” A very bad thought was forming in Yosuke’s head. “Teddie. Did you use my credit card for this?”
Teddie’s eyes grew watery again and Yosuke contemplated all the ways he could strangle the little bear before resolving to bring it up another time. He sighed deeply, looking up at the elevator. Teddie gulped and hid behind Kanji.
“It’s fine.”
The elevator pinged and they all hurried in. The inside was spacious and smelled like expensive air freshener. Ugh. I don’t even want to think about how much this costs. He thought miserably about the instant ramen dinners in his future. At least I still get Junes discounts.
"Twenty-nine," the pleasant recorded voice announced.
The doors slid open onto a plush hallway lined with patterned plaid carpet and warm lighting. Their room was on the smaller side, thankfully, but it had a nice window view. Rise unlocked the door with a keycard, practically throwing it open. A cream-colored couch sat opposite a wide television, sunlight's last traces fading beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Yosuke froze at the sight of the problem he had been anticipating.
“Teddie,” Yukiko said, her voice low and dangerous, “Why did you book a room with only one bed?”
Teddie yelped and hid again. “I…I didn’t want to spend too much money—I didn’t think it was an issue!”
"...There are eight of us."
Teddie nodded weakly.
"And one bed."
"...Yes."
"And your solution..."
"..."
Kanji pinched the bridge of his nose. "Man, how’d you survive in the TV World for so long?"
Teddie flopped back on the bed. “I think it’s perfectly roomy.”
Rise burst out laughing. "I can't believe this."
"I can," Chie sighed. "This is exactly what I expected when you said Teddie handled the reservation."
Yu, who had remained blissfully uninvolved in the conversation, carefully lowered the unconscious cat onto the couch. "We can figure out the sleeping arrangements later."
He was already unzipping his backpack.
Yosuke blinked.
"You really carry a first-aid kit everywhere?"
“For you,” Yu winked at him, which was really just unfair, and went back to the cat.
The silence stretched between them. Yosuke glanced at the cat.
"Wait. Guys, it has a collar."
They all looked at it again. Perfectly groomed hair. A yellow scarf tucked around its neck, half-torn. Trimmed nails.
This is someone's cat.
"We mortally injured a housecat within two hours of being here," Naoto sighed.
"It's not mortally injured!" Teddie cried out. "It's just-"
"Okay, okay, everyone calm down," Yu said, rubbing his temples. “Okay. I have a idea…”
“Me too,” Yukiko pitched in.
Yosuke sighed. This is going to be a long trip.