This is a short story I wrote about Joker's time in juvie after Christmas Eve. I forgot to upload it, so I'm doing it now, especially considering The Crimson Masquerade has a few references to this story. Enjoy!
Chapter One: The Walk
His final interrogation was over and his fate sealed by the look of it. Akira Kurusu felt somewhat motivated considering he had wept the night before. Even as a child, he was at ease when in solitude; but on the night before Christmas, as a young man, he felt truly alone. For all the things the Phantom Thieves achieved, all the lives they prevented from becoming undone, Akira was still to turn himself in as leader of the Phantom Thieves to prosecute Masayoshi Shido, a man whose despicable deeds would have doomed the nation. Above all, he chose to do this to protect his friends and comrades, and to protect someone he held most dear.
Makoto wished to spend Christmas Eve with him. He could not turn her down – he needed to be with her, one last time. How he wished to tell her of what he had to do, how desperately he wanted to hold her tight and kiss her and hear her voice telling him all would be fine. If she said it, he would believe it and never doubt it for a second. But he could not bring himself to tell her. The immediate reaction, after all they had been through, would be pain. So he kept quiet and gave himself to the now. However, Makoto heard something from her sister on the matter, and the wound in Akira's heart was exposed. Though she could not see the image in all its clarity, Makoto saw through Akira's efforts to keep the truth from her.
She left then, worried and saddened. Akira could not hope for any semblance of a loving farewell. All he could do was break every promise he made to her on sunset dyed afternoons and late night conversations. Without his closest companion, Morgana, to give him consolation, Akira had little else to do but turn in early. He knew he failed his girlfriend. Deep in dreamless slumber, tears landed on the pillow. Come the morrow, things had somehow gotten worse.
Makoto was there as soon as Sojiro arrived to open the café. It was not like her to knock frantically on the café's door to be let it, but the shaking in her hands said one second longer might have done it. She saw him right as he made his way downstairs to leave as early as possible, and her silence spelled it out clear. She knew. Sae was also there that morning, with shame written all over her face. Not only had she been forced to opt for this measure to fully prosecute Shido, she also had to disclose this to her sister. In the end, Sae proved a steadfast ally to the Phantom Thieves' justice. Without her aid, Shido would have wrought ruin upon becoming Prime Minister, and Akira would be dead.
Still, Sae could face neither Makoto nor Akira. In light of circumstances, it was only fair she explained things to the other adult in the room, a baffled Sojiro Sakura who already understood he was about to lose the closest thing he had to a son. Sae discreetly asked Boss to accompany her outside, leaving both youths in the café.
Eyes on the floor, Akira would not look at her from the shadow of his hooded sweatshirt. For the first time in a year, he felt no confidence in anything he could say or do – he was catatonic. But not Makoto. She grabbed his hand at once and pulled it towards her as if vehemently urging him to stay. Still he would not turn to look at her. He knew that if he gave in for even one inch, he would falter and compromise her and their friends. And yet…
"There has to be another way!" Her heart was in her breath. "Please! Look at me!"
"Makoto…" His voice was tired. "It's for the best."
"Please… no."
His felt his time running out. Now or never.
"I love you." His words were sincere to the very root. Yet they were heavy and blunt as stone.
He did not expect what occurred then. Her hand clamped his shoulder like an iron claw. He could have opposed resistance to her strength and it would have made no difference. She turned him around to face her with daunting force. And before he could react, she embraced him fiercely, protectively. His breath was almost squeezed out of him.
"I will wait for you…" She spoke in his ear. "I love you."
Their time had run out. Physical strength alone could not have parted them. It was only by their wills that they separated from their embrace, slowly and reluctantly until the one remaining bond was one hand cuffed in the other. The lingering sensation of his touch stayed with her, as her did with him. Thus began an unbearably long day. Makoto spent most of the day in LeBlanc after Akira left. At several times she excused herself to go to the restroom, coming out more red-eyed every time. Akira's presence was still in the air, like a silhouette that clung to everything he ever touched, almost a real thing despite his definite absence.
As for Akira, the world between LeBlanc and his next destination was a blur. The contrast between both places was a blow to the senses. Whereas the café inspired warmth and comfort, the very exterior of the youth detention centre was cold and sterile, like a catacomb. Another interrogation ensued, along with tedious paperwork which Sae helped him with. Despite his assertive responses, all he could hear was still Makoto throughout the entire length of it all. His spirit was wounded, but not broken; it would surely hold, so long she kept her voice, and that of his friends echoing in his thoughts.
Then, a strange sound brought him to the present. It was like wail of the undead, the cackling of the damned, the roar of the possessed, all at once originating from the depths of Juvie Hall. It took him a few seconds to realise it was the sound of chaotic joy. Akira soon came to learn the place was far from a tomb, it was full of life, loud and unruly. And eyes, lots of them, many following him as he made his way past mess hall towards the cell blocks. Sae and the warden, a tall, lean man in his fifties with sharp features called Saito Himonya walked behind him.
The inside of the cell was what he expected it to be. Two bunks beds, a desk, a sink and shoe lockers. Everything fit neatly in the reduced space, which looked well maintained. It strangely did not feel constrictive either. There was even a small window at the very top of the wall, through which the sun would easily light the room if it was not so cloudy.
"Your cellmate his doing his duties at the moment. You will meet him at lunchtime, Kurusu-kun." Himonya told him with a voice that could be either warm or cold.
"I trust you will be on your best behaviour, Akira." Sae joined in. "Himonya-san, could you give us a minute?"
"Of course," the man said as he stooped down on walking through the door.
"Akira. I want, no, I need you to know that you did the right thing, from the beginning. I am sorry that I could not help you better - that we had to resort to this. Just know that we won't leave you here. We'll find a way, I promise."
"Thank you, Sae-san." Akira said discreetly.
"And please, be very careful. If anything happens, call me."
"Sae-san. Thank you for your support. I know this is hard, on all of us. But rest assured, I have no regrets."
Sae only nodded. She bowed as means of farewell, but before she walked out of the cell, she turned to him one last time.
"Loyalty is a precious thing, so is the willingness to defend and stand up for those you care for. I'd like to think my sister would be well with someone like you."
Akira smiled. He thought it best not to disclose anything on the matter. Maybe one day… Then, Makoto's words rang back in his ears. It felt as if she had just said them. Other voices joined in the stream of thought. Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, Haru, and Morgana. Absence was not an easy burden to deal with, but never in the entire time he had known them did they give him a reason to doubt. They trusted so much to him, and he never let them down. Would it not be fair to have some faith on them? Would it not be worth enduring whatever may come to see them again at the end of this tunnel?
He was a prisoner once more, but no longer to fate.
"Hey you, aren't you a fancy looking dude?" A high pitched screech of a voice pulled Akira out of his thoughts. In his sudden startle, the image of a thin, pale youth with shaggy red hair looked like an alien apparition. "So you're gonna be my cellmate, huh? Name's Yasunori Kujo. Who are you?"
"Akira Kurusu. Nice to meet you."
"Formal guy, huh? Ease down on that while you're here. Trust me. Not saying you'll get bullied for that; at least not just that, huh?"
"I see."
"Good thing I met you quick too. See, the best time to get locked up is at night, cause then you don't have to wander around the place with nothing to do. Trust me, though, you will be given stuff to do. But, well… you'll soon enough." He made a brushing-off gesture. "Let's go eat, huh?"
"Sure." Suddenly Akira felt just the same as he did when he first set foot on Shujin. Though probably nobody would judge him here like in Shujin, he was undeniably as much of an outsider in that moment. Same as back then, his first acquaintance was somewhat eager to show him the ropes. This fellow somewhat reminded him of Ryuji, something as reassuring as it was haunting. Nonetheless, Akira smirked at the thought that a strange phenomenon could occur in the correction facility, in turn causing them to bond over an effort to stand against it. If they were lucky, a library mouse might join them.
Then his smirk faded. Given the heap of the crimes he was charged with, the eventuality of his release lay far in the distance. But whether he was let go tomorrow or in four years, Morgana would still not be there.
Yasunori kept talking, seemingly oblivious to Akira's heavy introspection. The latter clung to the carefree, somewhat grating, sound of his words to stave off the dread in his mind. Yasunori spoke quickly, but he was clear when pointing out the more useful information. Akira took strict mental note of it all. However, bits of syllables snuck in his head every now and then. Together, they formed one question.
"Would you really wait for me?"
Akira frantically tried shaking it off.
The taste of the food did little to change his inner tune. It was not unpleasant, but it was definitely bland and lacking in flavour –cleaning his plate left him hungrier, especially when thinking about the curry and coffee Sojiro taught him how to make.
"Do we get kitchen duty?" Akira asked him. The sudden nature of his question seemed to take Yasunori aback; he was caught quiet for the first time since they met, maybe even for the first time in his life.
"Yeah, guy. Why?"
"I like cooking." Akira responded plainly.
"Oh, okay. I mean, hopefully nothing fancy. We don't get much to work with. Chances are one of the guys here cooked this. Oh, but speaking of stuff we do. Come, this will make you look forward to lunchtime." Yasunori led Akira to the kitchen in the back of the mess hall. Just as he guessed, there were two other young inmates in there; two rowdy looking boys who fixed their eyes on Yasunori and Akira like nails as soon as they walked in. Yasunori paid them no mind as he walked towards one of the modest-looking refrigerators. "Drink this." He handed Akira the container of a liquefier.
"What is this?" Akira asked, observing the beverage. Only a fifth of the whole left.
"It's good for you – that's what it is. Come on, look, it's mostly empty now. Guys do come tip some and the staff doesn't keep anything here longer than three days."
Yasunori sounded secure. Akira decided to go along, especially with the two others behind them. In one swoop, he tipped the container down his throat. He could not drink the pale liquid in one go; it was too thick and chunky to go down quick. It did not appear in that moment to be a prank by Yasunori, however. Despite its consistency, the shake was quite good.
"What's in this?" Akira asked, passing the tongue of his teeth.
"Oh, you know. Cocoa, bananas, some vanilla, and a secret ingredient – my spit."
"Eh, could be worse." Akira downed the rest of the beverage, undaunted by the revealing of the secret ingredient.
"Don't listen to him." One of the two youths in kitchen duty called out behind them. "He just says its bananas and cocoa so people will drink it without being grossed out."
"Rooster, why don't you tell him what's really in it?"
"Well, he's already drunk it. Can't hurt, huh? It's tuna, peanut butter, pineapple flavoured water… and bananas, yeah – that one was no lie."
"That's his protein shake, he thinks." One of the youths laughed with some malice. "That'll make you buff, Rooster? That'll get you ripped?"
"Hey, it might!"
Akira could only look at Yasunori "Rooster" Kujo with confused eyes. His time as a prisoner may not be shaping to be the dreadful time he expected at first. But even without a reprisal of the Metaverse that welcomed him to his life in Tokyo, he was headed for strange times.
"If you are still there when I get out, I'll have quite a few stories to tell you." He thought to himself.