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Ann walked into the hospital room, her hands shaking. Shiho waved, and Ann immediately gave her a hug before sitting in the chair beside her.
Ann took a deep breath. Things had been getting more dangerous than ever before, so she had to tell Shiho the truth, just in case she didn't come back. She knew she wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but if there was anyone she could trust, it was Shiho. And besides, she wanted to tell someone outside of the Thieves what was going on, if only to help prepare her. Nobody understood her better than Shiho. Perhaps it was selfish, but she needed Shiho's support, now more than ever.
Ann smoothed out her pigtails. "Shiho… I have something to tell you."
Shiho raised her brow. "You're one of the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?"
"Wha…" Ann trailed off. She shouldn't have been surprised. "You can read me like a book, huh?"
Shiho nodded, a small smirk on her face. "Pretty much."
Ann stared at her shoes, away from the white of the hospital sheets. It was time to let the skeleton out if its closet.
"I became one after…" she trailed off. "I couldn't just let Kamoshida go after what he did. I wanted to stop him, but I also wanted to give other victims hope and courage… which I couldn't give to you."
"Ann…" Shiho sat up. "That wasn't your fault."
Ann wanted to scream that yes, it was. That she hadn't done enough to protect Shiho. That she had let Kamoshida get away with so much. But before she could utter a word, Shiho raised a hand.
"I blamed myself for so long," Shiho went on. "That I was only getting what I deserved. That I had to put it up with it, for the sake of my future. But I couldn't deny how awful it made me feel. I tried to ignore those feelings… but then, after…" She stopped, a glassy look coming across her eyes.
Whenever she saw that look, a part of Ann wished she really had killed Kamoshida. Shiho would live with the scars of what he had done to her forever.
"I couldn't take it anymore," Shiho mumbled. "And the worst part is… I felt guilty even after doing it. Like I caused everyone so much trouble. But at the time, I just felt that there wasn't any other option."
"Shiho, that's not…" Ann shook her head. "No! You don't have anything to feel sorry for. The school tried to cover up everything that bastard did. Our parents were all in on it, because they cared about our success and the school's reputation more than us as people."
"Right," Shiho breathed, "so you shouldn't blame yourself either, Ann. He hurt you as well."
"It was all for you," Ann said. "I… I didn't care about him at all, to be honest. I only kept seeing him for your sake. But… I was just enabling him, wasn't I?"
She gritted her teeth. A lump formed in her throat, and her nails dug into her palms.
"Shiho, um, I have to tell you the truth," she said. "I had the chance to kill him… but I let him go. At the time, I felt he would suffer more if he stayed alive and paid for his crimes. But, honestly, I've always wished I could've asked you what to do, because you were his main victim."
Shiho closed her eyes. "I've definitely wished he was dead before. But him being dead doesn't make the pain go away."
"Yeah…" Ann agreed. "Is there even a 'right' answer anyway?"
"Sometimes, you just have to do what you feel is right," Shiho said. "And I think that's what you did, Ann. That's the best I could ask for."
Ann felt a sense of relief. Sure, still a little unsure, but far better than before. If she and Shiho could agree it was the best decision, then that was good enough for now.
Ann noticed, for a moment, Shiho had tears in her eyes. Shiho quickly brought back her smile.
"I'm going to miss you, Ann," she said. "To be honest, I won't miss Shujin itself that much, but I will really miss you. I'm sorry, I know you struggled to make friends…"
"That's fair, there's way too much drama at Shujin," Ann laughed. "And I'll be okay! I've made a lot of new friends this year. I'll still really miss you, though. You better make sure to stay in contact, okay?"
Shiho nodded, with a playful smirk. "Obviously."
Shiho reached up to pull Ann into a hug. Shiho found herself beginning to sniffle, though she tried to pretend she wasn't. Ann's own eyes watered, and she hugged Shiho tighter. Neither of them wanted to let the other go.
"Ann…" Shiho breathed out. "I really admire what you do, but don't do anything stupid, okay?"
"Too late for that now," Ann sighed. "We're in too deep."
"Ann," Shiho said, her voice strained. "I believe in you. You're gonna make it through this."
"I hope so," Ann nodded. She felt Célestine responding in her mind; both herself and her Persona were encouraged by Shiho's kindness. Ann wondered how powerful of a Persona user Shiho would've been; with her resolve, she could even rival Joker himself. But then again, Shiho wasn't one for combat. She was far too kind.
Ann shook her head. She couldn't drag Shiho into this mess anyway. She'd been through enough already. It was Ann's turn to protect Shiho for real. She wouldn't let anyone hurt her again.
"I know so," Shiho replied, so confident despite everything that had happened. "We survived Kamoshida, didn't we? We can survive anything."
Ann nodded, feeling the same confidence. "Thanks, Shiho. We're going to survive this. I know we are."
She stood up to leave, but felt Shiho's gentle hand on her arm.
"One more thing," Shiho beckoned Ann closer. Ann leaned in, a little confused. She was close enough to admire the shimmering gaze of Shiho's eyes, the grin across her lips…
And then Shiho kissed her on the cheek. Ann felt her whole face go warm. She stepped back, watching as Shiho's smirk became… annoyingly, but endearingly smug.
"I love you, Ann," Shiho told her. "Not just because you're a Phantom Thief, but because you're you."
"Shiho…" Ann leaned in. Her heart thumped. "I love you too."
She and Shiho shared a kiss: a messy one, but one full of passion and desire. Ann squeezed Shiho's hands, giving Shiho a tender smile.
"Wait for me, Shiho," she promised. "I'll be back."
In her heart, she wasn't sure she'd make it through, but she told herself she would. For Shiho's sake.
Art of Shiho as a Phantom Thief!