Chapter One

It seemed that no matter where he went, horrors would still find their way to him. How naïve of him to think that after all this time, everything would be okay. He was, of course, promised a life that was destine to ruin, and ruin followed him two steps at a time. To think that it would come to this, of all things...

"Akira…" said Morgana, barely audible - at least, that's all Akira could hear through the ongoing noise in his mind. It was so loud yet so silent at the same time, it confused him. The sound was all he had that made him realize the scene before it, and it was pounding louder and louder, it began to hurt. He couldn't take it anymore, it was overwhelming his senses. On and on was the cacophony until it finally broke through his thoughts and into reality. The screaming in his mind became one with his own as Akira Kurusu broke down in front of the lifeless bodies of his parents.

The neighbors must have heard all the commotion, because within a few hours, the police had arrived to check the scene. Not only had they been murdered, but all their belongings just… disappeared. Luckily, Akira had composed himself by the time they'd arrive. Unluckily, they had begun to interrogate him.

The last thing he wanted was to be pestered and questioned about what happened. He had no idea himself. For him it had just been an average day, he went to school, then to work, and walked back home. He could not stress this enough to the detectives that had arrived on scene. To further his annoyance, they had started questioning whether or not he had been the culprit of the murder, given his past with a "certain group", plus a numerous of other instances in the past year. These people disgusted him if they thought that he'd be capable of killing his own family.

"Those insensitive bastards." He could hear Morgana clearly now after the interrogation. "Trying to see if you're at fault for this. They'll never change." Hearing his friend voice his thoughts eased Akira's insides. He felt lucky for at least having him by his side. They both took a seat on the sidewalk in front of his house, looking at the street light lit neighborhood in the middle of the night. The police were making calls and doing their work, and Akira felt perfectly fine staying away from them.

He felt his phone vibrate. Odd, who could be texting him now of all times, so late into the night. When he pulled out his phone, he felt surprised that the message was from the group chat.

Makoto: Akira, I'm so sorry… Sis told me everything she knew.

Ryuji: What happened?

Ann: Is he okay…?

Makoto: I'm sorry, I should have called you and shouldn't have said anything in the group…

Akira: Its okay, I'm glad you did.

Ann: Akira, what's going on?

Akira: My parents were killed.

Ryuji: Holy shit…

Yusuke: I'm terribly sorry to hear that…

Akira saw that the other members had said more in the group, but he put his phone away for now and buried his head in his hands. He felt guilty for worrying them, but relieved that he managed to let them know. They deserved to know as much, even after their separation, especially after all they've been through together.

"They seem worried, but it's only because they really care for you." Once again, Morgana resonated with his thoughts in perfect synch. It looked like he was about to say more, but one of the detectives came up to him.

"We'll be around the area for the night, searching for the culprit and further investigating the scene. As for you, according to what you said earlier, you have to other relatives that can take you in for the time being." He seemed to pause, trying to find the correct words.

"Given that you're a minor, we can't just let you go out on your own and find your own way of managing. We managed to contact someone who will allow you somewhere to stay and who will look out for you for now. Whether this person decides to be your permanent guardian is up to them."

Akira didn't have the energy to care who this person was. He should've been surprised that someone would want to keep him in their home, but he had other things to worry about.

"We called him quite a while ago," the detective continued, "so he should be arriving soon."

He had spent over an hour sitting on the sidewalk before a familiar yellow car pulled up near him. At first, Akira thought it was a taxi, but taxis rarely pulled up on his street, much less at 4 AM. When the driver rolled his window down, Akira was in shocked to see who it was. With a solemn look in his eyes, Sojiro Sakura had come all the way here for him. Despite the night he had been having, seeing his former guardian sent a comfortable warmth through his body, Akira couldn't help but to jolt to his feet.

Detective Nobody came over once again to greet Sojiro, then he turned to Akira. "I assume you're familiar with Mr. Sakura. He will be taking care of you from now on." Akira gave Sojiro a look, not believing the detective's words, seeking confirmation from him. Sure enough, he had heard correctly as Sojiro only gave him a reassuring nod and helped him pack the only belongings he had left into his car.

"Some night, huh?" Sojiro stated as they were driving away from Akira's hometown. "Listen, why don't you and the cat sleep for a while? I'll wake you when we get there."

And so he lay down on the back seat, Morgana curling up on his chest. The restlessness and anxiety had disappeared as they were crushed by the weight of everything he had gone through that day.