Author's Note: Hey everyone, FireSlash here and welcome to another one of my impulse fics. As I mentioned in my other Persona fic, I just recently got Persona 5 and started playing it. So far, I'm loving it, so much that I decided to write a fanfic about it. This was an idea I was originally going to use for a Persona 3 fanfic, but I decided to implement it into the world of Persona 5 seeing as it would contradict the plot of Persona 3. Instead, I'll be releasing a different version of that story sometime in the future. Anyways, the premise of this story is basically that Ren, who was born with a unique power, has been taken under Igor's watch and has been given Personas earlier than most. In addition, he also has been given extra powers to help him as well. If you're worried about Ren being an overpowered Mary Sue, then I assure you this won't happen. Though Ren will have a better understanding of the shadows and Personas compared to all the other characters (because he's been mentored by Igor), there will be things he'll need to be educated on. For example, though Ren is more knowledgeable than Morgana in those two fields, Morgana's knowledge in anything related to breaking into castles and being a Phantom Thief are unrivaled.
Also, I just wanted to stress that this is an IMPULSE FANFIC, meaning that to me, it's not a huge priority in terms of when I update. This is a story I'll only update when I feel like it. Updates could take as long as months or even years to produce, or they it could only take days. As such, I ask you to be patient.
Anyways, I hope you review and enjoy :-).
0000
To most, nightfall was a time used for recharging after a long day while simultaneously preparing for what's to come. Yet at the same time, there were some people who used night time to work, them not wanting to waste precious sunlight cramped in some stuffy office doing what they thought to be menial labor. But no matter how most used this time, it was undeniable how dangerous the world got each time the sun fell.
It was certainly true that most people who're usually active this time of day were honest people only trying to support themselves and/or their families. At the same time though, it was also true that whenever evening took over, the amount of shady people active rose. Some of these folks were either desperate or misguided, resorting to less orthodox methods of earning some quick dough. Those who participated in robberies or most organized gang related activities fell into this category. However, some of these people were just evil themselves, using the darkness to mask whatever sick acts they choose to commit with no reason but to satisfy some selfish desire. Murderers, rapists, arsonists, and desecrators were all proud members of this sick group of people.
Normally, it would be up to the police to bring these people to justice, but not all of them were reliable. As mentioned before, most police officers were definitely good people, willing to risk their lives for the sake of helping others. Sadly, like all groups owned by some sort of higher power, there were corrupt members crawling amongst them, hidden and holding more power than most of their comrades. All criminals knew this, with some of them using this knowledge to their advantage. Those with enough money were always willing to part ways with a small chunk of their fortune to escape punishment, creating a mutualistic relationship between the corrupted officers and the aspiring criminal.
Unfortunately for them, there was a special person who also chose to be active during the night, one who used this time to specifically hunt down criminals. Their reason for such wasn't anything too dramatic, they only desired to stop those trying to disturb the peace.
Who was this person? To the public, they were known as the Phantom Thief, the name stemming from the fact they managed to steal the hearts of the general populace all over the world. As for their 'secret identity,' the person who was not only responsible for keeping the streets of Tokyo safe but for becoming the first vigilante to last more than two years on the job was none other than a young boy named Ren Amamiya.
Like a certain famous fictional web slinging character, Ren didn't look like the type to play hero. He was quite nerdy looking, with his glasses plus his curly black hair and all. Along with his quiet and introverted nature, he was certainly no Superman or Iron Man, though he was certainly good looking. Yet, as many people have said before, looks can be deceiving.
Ren was an individual who loved to feel the thrill of excitement, the adrenaline rush satisfying him more than anything else he's experienced thus far. The more dangerous and extreme the situation was, the better. Why was he such an adrenaline junkie? Well, the boy didn't really know. However, he did have a feeling it was because he wasn't exactly like most people. For starters, he had special powers, gifts he used to aid him in his quest for justice. Superhuman strength, agility, and endurance as well as the ability to go intangible were quite useful when fighting people with guns. Yet, these were only the powers he used when fighting other humans. Ren also had the ability to travel between three different planes of existence and the ability to summon spirits know as Persona, but he never used them while in his world. Ironically, his intangibility only worked in his world.
Confused? Well, it'll all make sense in due time…
Currently, Ren was out on one of his night shifts again, wearing his Phantom Thief costume. This outfit consists of a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black jogger-style pants, brown-black winklepickers, and a pair of red gloves. In addition, he wore a black and white mask which seemed to be modeled after a bird. His prey? A tall, blonde haired man who was renowned in the underground world as one of the best assassins in all of Japan. Now, Ren doesn't actively hunt specific people down, instead choosing to wander around until he finds someone trying to break the law, so him finding this dude was all coincidental. Well, mostly. With the way this man was hiding, there was no way his victim would be able to spot him before it was too late. It was only because Ren actually had a sixth sense when it came to finding those who wish to be hidden, a tactic known as his 'Third Eye,' that he was able to find him.
Standing on a thirteen story building, Ren continued to watch his target, who was positioned on the seventh floor of the building next door, a sniper rifle in hand. If he wanted to, Ren could easily ambush the guy right now, but doing so when an enemy was paying extreme attention to their surroundings wasn't the best idea. Instead, he was waiting until the man's target was in sight, wanting to surprise the man as he began to focus only on his target.
Thankfully, it didn't seem he'll have to wait long, for once a red sports car came into view, the assassin began to aim his gun. Taking a few steps back, Ren then ran towards the building's edge before leaping off it. As he fell, he tossed a dagger at the man's gun, disarming him before the boy crashed through the window. Having super strength himself, the boy had no trouble standing right back up. The assassin on the other hand took quite the heavy hit, making his recovery rather slow. Being the gentleman he was, Ren waited until the man stood up, wanting this encounter to be an exciting one.
"What the fuck?" The man groaned as he turned to face his opponent, his once stoic face falling once he saw who he was facing. "Damnit! It's you!"
"..." Ren remained silent, a trait which both his civilian and superhero persona had in common. However, compared to the meek personality his civilian identity wore, as the Phantom Thief, the boy always appeared to be confident, his body posture and the smirk on his face he constantly wore to battle being proof of this.
Getting into a battle stance, the assassin whipped out a hand gun and pointed it at the boy. "...Whatever. Let's just end this."
The man then fired three shots at the boy, only for Ren to dodge them all by simply tilting his body left, right, and then left again.
"It seems the rumors are true," the assassin cursed silently. Pulling out another gun, the man began to fire again, hoping that by using two guns at once, it'll be too much for the boy to dodge. Seeing what he was doing, the boy went intangible before any of the bullets were able to touch him.
"Fuck!" That's all the assassin could muster before Ren ran straight towards him, preparing to deliver a powerful right hook at the man. Blocking the blow with his arm, the man winced in pain. He knew the boy was stronger than him, but was he more skilled? Pulling out a pocket knife, he was about to find out. Swinging the knife at the boy's head, he was surprised to see his attack ended up hitting nothing but air, for Ren had ducked at the last moment.
Pulling back, the assassin tried to hit his target again, only for Ren to skillfully catch his wrist with his own hand. Before the man could even try breaking free, Ren struck him in the stomach, causing the man to fly into a wall. Watching the man struggle to get up again, Ren simply shook his head in disappointment. It seemed the blow the assassin sustained when Ren crashed into him earlier was enough to severely hamper his fighting capabilities. Such a shame…
Eventually getting bored, Ren slammed his foot into the man's face, knocking him out cold. After tying him up and calling the police, Ren then leapt out the building and began climbing down to a nearby alleyway to plan his next move, not having a reason to stay around any longer.
0000
With the time being past midnight, Ren ended up deciding to go home. After all, he was still a high school student, which as everyone knows, requires a lot of focus from an individual.
Taking a few steps out of the alleyway, Ren realized he was still in his superhero get up. Chuckling to himself, he stepped back into the alleyway before snapping his fingers. Doing so caused a blue aura to form around him, said aura consuming him a second later. When it disappeared, Ren was wearing his civilian clothes, which consisted of an unbuttoned black blazer, a black-trimmed cream sweater under the blazer, blue jeans, and brown shoes.
Now that he was in his civilian clothes, Ren then began walking home, only to be interrupted halfway through.
"Our master would like to see you," a female voice said in his head. Though the way the voice held itself suggested that it belonged to a grown woman, it actually belonged to a girl who was no older than eight years of age.
Smiling, Ren then proceeded to respond to the voice. "Alright. Let Igor know I'll be there in five minutes."
"Understood."
"Thanks Justine."
Diving into another alleyway, Ren looked around to see if anyone was around. Seeing as the coast was clear, the boy's eyes then began to glow blue as he started to recite some inaudible words. Eventually, a blue door formed in front of him which he then opened a second later. After the boy's entire body passed though the door, it quickly disappeared, no traces of its existence being left behind…
0000
In a small pocket dimension isolated from the rest of the universe was an area known as the Velvet Room. The Velvet Room was, simply put it, absolutely strange. For starters, you cannot gain entry to the place unless you were invited. Guests however never physically enter the room, their minds doing so in their place. Secondly, the place was known to a very, very, very small number of people, most of them having been guests themselves. Lastly, the Velvet Room has no official form, forming a physical representation of a visitor's heart. As such, the Velvet Room has had many forms, changing each time a guest entered the plane of existence.
As one can see, nearly everything involving the Velvet Room was certainly a mystery. However, perhaps the biggest mystery about the Velvet Room was the man who ran the place himself: Igor. In terms of appearance, Igor was the definition of shady. An old man in a full on suit with a huge nose and creepy grin wasn't someone who seemed all that trustworthy. But, as all who've visited the Velvet Room knows, Igor's help was needed if they wished to succeed. Everyone brought into the Velvet Room was there because they have the power to save the world, a world threatened by creatures known as Shadows. Not much was known about Shadows, other than the fact they were created by humanity's twisted desires. To combat these creatures, Igor was responsible for giving several humans the power of Persona, which allowed them to summon spirits to combat all who oppose them. Granted, Igor wasn't the only being with the ability to bestow Personas to people, but he was easily the most knowledgeable. He had the power to fuse Personas, a gift which no one else can claim to possess.
In addition, it should be noted that the people Igor chooses to offer his services to are all special in one particular way, they can wield more than one Persona. This was what Igor called the power of the Wild Card. A person with the power of the Wild Card has the ability to alter their personality at will, allowing them to utilize multiple different Personas in battle.
Normally, Igor never bothered to interfere with anything himself other than by offering his services to those possessing the abilities of the Wild Card, but there was one time he broke that rule. Ten years ago, the man had brought a young boy under his wing, said boy also having the ability of the Wild Card. However, compared to his other clients, the boy was special. For starters, Igor never invited him to the Velvet Room. During their first encounter, the boy actually managed to physically find it himself. When questioned about how he not only found the room, but managed to enter it without an invitation, the boy shrugged his shoulders and said it just happened. Taking immediate interest in the boy, Igor decided to become his mentor, teaching him about art of summoning Personas while keeping a close eye on him. For once, the man did fully not know what destiny had in mind for someone, only able to see tiny glimpses of his possible futures.
Making sure his apprentice didn't get himself killed while in the real world, Igor had bestowed upon his several powers, including the ability to summon Personas outside the Velvet Room and the world of Shadows, the only two places where most were able to wield such powers. However, he strictly warned the boy to only use his Personas in his world when there was no other option. As for the rest of his powers, as long as he didn't get caught, he was free to do whatever he wanted with them.
Speaking of his apprentice, he had summoned him a bit ago, but it seemed he was running late.
"Ugh, where is that idiot?" A voice which belonged to a girl said, bothered by the fact the boy was seemingly running late. Chuckling to himself, Igor looked up from some tarot cards he was playing with. Standing in front of him were two girls in identical police uniforms. Though they were identical twins, they were easy to tell apart. For starters, each girl had an eyepatch on a different eye. Their hairstyles were different too, with one of the girls deciding to keep her silver hair in a braid while the other chose to keep her silver hair in two buns. Finally, their personalities were different, one being rash while the other was professional.
"Relax Caroline, he should be arriving soon," the girl with the braid told her identical twin sister, which only made her pout.
"But Justine, he's always late," Caroline whined, finding it very disrespectful that an apprentice was keeping their master waiting. What were Caroline and Justine you might ask? Well, they were residents in the Velvet Room as well. Where they came from was a mystery which only Igor knew the answer to, and it was one he wasn't willing to tell. There was really only one piece of information that one needed to know about them though; that it was their responsibility to aid Igor's apprentice, a job they took seriously. In fact, the three of them and Igor were like one big happy family, even though the apprentice spent most of his time on Earth. Why was this the case? Well, Igor wanted to see how the boy functioned in a normal environment, using his powers to create artificial human beings which served as guardians, providing him with all the necessities he needed. To outsiders, they were his parents, but in reality, they were only there to earn money and care for the boy while he was on Earth. His true family was in the Velvet Room. Where was his blood family? No one knew...
Eventually, after waiting three minutes for the boy, he eventually arrived.
"Sorry about that master," Ren said as he awkwardly rubbed his head in embarrassment. Yes, Igor's apprentice was none other than Ren Amamiya. As Igor was about to address him, he saw Caroline walk towards the boy before striking his backside with a police baton. The reason she even had a police baton was due to the fact that each time Ren entered the Velvet Room, it would take the appearance of a prison. Both Ren and Igor knew why this was so, but they never bothered to change this. According to Igor, the boy was simply not ready for what's required for him to do so, which somewhat bothered him. After all, prisons were rather gloomy places to be around.
"Ow! What was that for?" Ren shouted as he covered his now wounded bottom.
"That's for keeping master waiting!" The girl told him before resuming her post next to her sister. Smiling at the scene, Igor then proceeded to speak to his apprentice.
"Greetings my young apprentice. I have summoned you here because I have some exciting news I wish to share with you. It has to deal with the Velvet Room."
Hearing this made Ren's face light up in excitement. "Are we finally going to change this place's look?"
"Indeed," Igor said with a nod. "I believe you are finally ready to confront the demons residing in your heart. As you know, by doing so, you'll be able to change the appearance of the Velvet Room to something more pleasant. But, I must warn you, doing so will be your hardest challenge yet."
"What do you mean?"
"To confront the demons residing in your heart, you'll be required to undergo a transformation known as 'rehabilitation.'" Igor told him, causing Ren to tilt his head in confusion. "What this process contains, I cannot tell you, at least, not right now."
"I'm confused," Ren muttered, a phrase he's said over thousands of times since meeting Igor.
"As you should be. Do keep in mind that I do not plan on hiding anything from you, so you'll eventually receive your answers soon. I can tell you one thing about the rehabilitation process though, if you wish."
"Please do master."
"Understood. As you already know, the bridge between the Shadow realm and your world is weakening…"
Ren nodded upon hearing this. He knew all too well how the shadows have been affecting his world, for they were causing people to have mental breakdowns which in turn has been causing many lethal accidents to occur.
"And if nothing is done, then your world will soon cease to exist," Igor continued. "Of course, you have the option of staying in the Velvet Room if this happens, but only you will survive. There is some good news though, you have the power to stop all of this."
"I do?" Ren asked in disbelief he could actually do something to prevent his world from devastation. Igor nodded in response.
"Yes. As I've told you before, you possess the powers of the Wild Card, a gift which indicates an individual's vast potential. Even so, your power is unlike any I've ever seen. I don't fully understand it myself, but I do understand this, you have yet to awaken your full potential."
Ren gave the man a surprised look. He understood he was powerful, but powerful enough to save the world? It never even crossed his mind. "I haven't? Then how do I go about doing that?"
"If you complete your rehabilitation, then you will surely unlock your ultimate power."
"So all I have to do is complete this 'rehabilitation' process and the world is saved?"
"Don't act like it'll be easy," Caroline told him. "As our master already said, it'll be the hardest thing you'll ever face."
"She is right," Justine agreed. "The rehabilitation process will push you to your limits both physically and mentally."
"Though it will be difficult, you will be receiving help not only from us but from other people as well. If someone proves to be useful to your quest, then I will bestow upon them a Persona as well as the means of transporting themselves to the Shadow World."
"So, what you're saying is that I need to make friends…" Ren stated, somewhat disappointed. As someone who wasn't the most comfortable with social situations, this was a pain to hear. Don't get him wrong, Ren wasn't the type of person who hated people, he just found the whole process of introducing himself to others to be rather awkward to perform.
"Like I've said before, your rehabilitation process is designed to challenge you," Igor said before magically pulling out a folder from thin air. "I assume you know what this is, correct?"
Ren nodded, surprised by what Igor was offering him. "A contract?"
"Yes. You see, by signing this contract, you agree to take full responsibility for whatever you do while you undergo the rehabilitation process. Signing this contract is perhaps the most important part of the process, so if you refuse to sign it, you might as well not even begin. Dishonoring the contract will also end the process. So, what is your decision? Will you choose to take on all the responsibilities which come with the rehabilitation process, or will you choose to continue your life of leisure while the world crumbles around you? Keep in mind, this is your decision and you decision alone. No matter what you choose, it will not sway our opinion of you…"
With little hesitation, Ren grabbed the contract and signed it, for he didn't want to stand by while Shadows continued to destroy his world. Otherwise, what was the point of saving people if they were going to die soon anyways?
When Ren handed back the signed contract to Igor, the old man smiled at him. "The deed has been done. From now on or until you break the contract, you will be undergoing the rehabilitation process, congratulations. Now, we must ask you to leave as we prepare for your trial. We don't want spoilers now, don't we?"
Knowing this as Igor's way of telling him he needed his privacy, Ren waved goodbye to the Velvet Room's residents before leaving. Looking at her master, Justine noticed he looked happier than usual.
"You're excited, aren't you?" The girl asked her master.
"Indeed I am. I eagerly wait to see what he's truly capable of…"
0000
Arriving back to his world, Ren began walking home again, thinking about the whole rehabilitation process Igor mentioned. He honestly had no idea what was to come next. How will his life change as a result of the process? Will he have the strength to abide by the contract? Ren had so many questions, questions he knew he wouldn't get an answer to right now…
"Help! Somebody!" The shout of a woman snapping him out of his thoughts, Ren immediately checked his surroundings, wondering where the source of the voice was, soon realizing the woman was right across the street. Further glancing at the woman, he noticed she was being assaulted by a man eager to satisfy his sexual urges. Neither of them noticed him.
Looking down, Ren began to think about what to do in this situation. For starters, since they were across the street, Ren couldn't just summon his vigilante clothes since the bright light that surrounds him while transforming will alert them of his location. They may even get a glimpse at his identity before he transformed. Perhaps if he were in the shadow world, he'd be able to change into his getup before being noticed, seeing as the whole transformation process actually took a split second there.
His second option was to try and find a hiding spot and transform, but who knows how long the woman could hold on. He wanted to get rid of the man before he could do anything drastic to her.
Sadly, this just left him with one option; run in and play hero. Dashing across the street, Ren gripped the man by the shoulders and tossed him to the side.
"What the fuck!"
As the man got back up, Ren only scoffed at his pathetic behavior.
"Run," Ren told the woman. Scared, the woman did not question her savior and immediately left the scene.
"Damn you! You just let her get away," The man growled in anger, before trying to chase the woman. However, before he could get anywhere, Ren elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to kneel over in pain.
"I'm calling the police," Ren said as he dialed them up. However, instead of being intimidated, the man just started laugh.
"Go ahead, call them! The police are my bitches."
It turns out, the man was right. He was a leading member of a large scale corporation, which meant all he had to do was simply twist the story around to make it seem like Ren was the bad guy. With Ren being only sixteen, he had no say in the matter, leading to his unjust arrest, thus beginning Ren's life as a 'delinquent…'
0000
*One Week Later*
His trial taking nearly a week to complete, it was decided the boy was to face a year's probation. He had also been expelled from school, with Igor having his 'parents' find him a new one. Sadly, it was too far for him to travel to, meaning he had to live with someone else for a bit. Seeing as he was now a documented criminal, the only person who was willing to take him in was a man who was friends with his 'parents.' How this was possible, Ren did not know, but he was pretty sure Igor had done this ahead of time, using them to understand human culture better. They were his puppets after all, meaning he could do whatever he wanted with them.
"Couldn't he have picked someone with a nicer place?" Ren asked himself as he looked at a small house located in one of Yongen-Jaya's many alleyways. Sadly imply put, the place was depressing. The small house was grey in color and appeared to be rusting. Surrounding it was a rusty back fence placed to keep would be trespassers out. Sighing, Ren was pretty sure this was Igor's way of testing him. He was undergoing the rehabilitation process, whatever that meant, so it was expected things would be getting more difficult for him from now on. He was also a 'criminal,' meaning he should be glad someone actually wanted to take him in, otherwise his life would be over.
Knocking on the door, Ren waited a few minutes for his caretaker to open up, only for such a thing to never happen.
"Did I take a wrong turn somewhere?" Pulling out a sheet of paper, Ren glanced at it before turning his attention towards the mailbox attached to the gates. "No, this is definitely Sojiro Sakura's place. I guess he's just not home…"
With Ren now confirming that he was at the right place, he continued to wait for Sojiro, who after five minutes, still has yet to come back to his living quarters. Realizing Sojiro might take a while to come back home, the boy was about to sit down on the sidewalk when a delivery boy arrived, holding a package.
"Huh, looks like he's not here again," the boy said to himself. "He's probably working at his cafe again. Let me see, it was Cafe Leblanc, right? Yeah, it is. Might as well head there now."
Watching the boy leave, Ren decided to secretly follow him. If Sojiro wasn't going to come to him, he might as well go to him. Hiding in the shadows, Ren made sure to stay hidden as he followed the boy, his experience as a vigilante allowing him to do so flawlessly. Eventually, the two arrived at a small cafe in a packed street, where Ren began waiting outside as the boy went in to deliver the package. When the boy exited the cafe, Ren waited a few moments before entering the store himself. Doing so, he was greeted by the sight of several people gathered around, seemingly having a casual conversation about the recent tragedies that have been caused by people spontaneously blacking out. Eventually, a slicked-back dark haired man with a receding hairline, a goatee, and glasses glanced up, noticing the boy. An annoyed sigh escaping his lips, the man waved his acquaintances goodbye before walking towards Ren.
"Right, forgot about today," the man grumbled as he began analyzing Ren with his eyes. "The name's Sojiro Sakura and I'll be watching over you for the next year."
"It's nice to meet you," Ren said, a bit shyly. Just by his body language Ren knew Sojiro wasn't too keen on taking care of him.
"Truth be told, I'd rather not have to look after a delinquent," the man bluntly told him. "But I'm doing this 'cause I know your parents. Now come."
Following Sojiro to the upper level of his cafe, Ren found himself in an extremely messy room. Taking a peak around, he saw there were several boxes scattered around. In addition, there were several books and two tables at the left side of the room. Finally, there was a sofa bed at the room's back right corner. Safe to say, this place was a dump.
"This'll be your room," Sojiro told him. "If you want this place cleaned, you'll have to do it yourself. Also, since you'll be living under my roof, I have some rules for you. First, do not use this place to do anything illegal. Secondly, do not disturb the customers downstairs. Finally, do not damage the building…at all! As long as you obey these rules, then I could care less about what you do up there. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir," Ren said. "Thank you for the room."
Nodding, Sojiro began descending down the stairs. "I'm going downstairs. I'll be back to check up on you before I close shop."
With Sojiro leaving, the boy was now on his own. Looking around, he decided that he might as well start cleaning the place up. While doing so, he began to think about everything that's happened to him so far. Not only had be begun his rehabilitation process, but now he was a documented criminal for doing the right thing. His life was certainly weird before, but now, he could add rough to the description.
"Huh, so you actually tidied this place up," Sojiro asked, having just entered the room. Looking at a clock, Ren realized he was cleaning for four hours now. "I heard you moving some stuff around, but I didn't expect you to actually be cleaning. Well, I'll be going now. Get some rest, tomorrow we'll be visiting your new school to get your schedule. Night."
Waving goodbye, Ren waited until he heard the door close before doing anything else. A quick peek out the window showed Ren that the sun had set, meaning he could sneak out now and patrol the city. Even though he was on probation, he wasn't going to allow this to stop him from being a vigilante.
Snapping his fingers, Ren summoned his Phantom Thief clothing before leaping out the window, ready to kick some ass…
0000
Ever wanted to turn invisible just to avoid a situation? Well, that was how Ren felt like when he visited Shujin Academy for the first time. The principal, a large bald man, immediately made it clear he wanted nothing to do with him. The same went for his soon to be homeroom teacher, a black haired female named Sadayo Kawakami.
The meeting itself was rather short with them basically telling him not to do anything stupid, but the looks of disgust they kept giving him was enough to make anyone feel uneasy. At the same time, ever since he first set foot into the school, he's been suffering from a massive headache. The boy had no idea what was causing it despite having head pains similar to this in the past, but it made him feel restless. Thankfully, the meeting ended up only taking five minutes, meaning Ren didn't have to suffer from it for long.
"You okay?" Sojiro asked, though based on his tone, the man seemed to care little about how the boy was feeling. His headache having died down after the pair began driving away from the school, Ren nodded.
'Again?' Ren mentally asked himself as he held his head in confusion. For some reason, the boy would get headaches in the most random places, receiving one each time he entered them. They would last until he was a certain amount of distance away from said place. Strangely, there'll be times when a place he used to visit with no problems began to give him headaches and vice-versa. He once asked Igor about this, only for the man to tell him it was nothing, which the boy knew was a lie. 'Whatever's causing this to happen, let's just hope it goes away soon. Otherwise, going to school will become a serious pain…'
0000
Having got off the subway the next day, Ren's head began to bother him again, much to his annoyance. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it right now. He couldn't just stop what he was doing and buy painkillers, he would end up being late to school on his first day. Even if this wasn't a problem, all the painkillers he's taken thus far only seemed to reduce them.
Holding his head, Ren walking, trying his best to ignore his increasing head pains, only for him to realize it was raining upon leaving the subway system. Quickly checking his phone, he sighed in relief seeing it was only a passing shower. According to his phone, the showers should be ending in a few minutes, which meat he could have gotten the painkillers to waste time. Sadly, it was too late to go back now.
Putting his phone back in his pocket, he suddenly noticed from the corner of his eye that a girl who looked to be his age was watching him. The girl stood nearly a head shorter than him and had bright blue eyes and wavy platinum blonde hair styled in bushy pigtails, with parted side bangs on the right side of her face. She was currently wearing a school uniform consisting of a white shirt, a blue jacket wrapped on her waist, black socks with white lining, and dark brown shoes. Finally, she also had a red hairpin and a silver necklace on.
Eventually realizing that he noticed her, the girl blushed in embarrassment at being caught. "Sorry, you just looked like you were in pain. Are you okay?"
Ren nodded in reply, which only made the girl frown.
"You sure? You're clenching your head pretty hard over there."
"I'm fine," Ren said, giving her a small smile. "By any chance, do you have any pain killers on you?"
"No, sorry," the girl answered, upset she couldn't help him. Seeing as her uniform implied she attended Shujin Academy, he was about to ask for her name, only to be interrupted by a white car pulling over. It's window rolling down, it was revealed the car belonged to a muscular man with black curly hair.
"Need a ride?" The man asked the girl. Nodding, she jumped into the car. The man turned his attention towards Ren. "How about you?"
"Heh, no thanks," Ren replied, not wanting to be a nuscanse.
"Eh, suit yourself." As the car began leaving, Ren noticed a depressed frown form on her face. Perhaps he should her ask about it later? Nah, the two didn't even know each other. Doing so would make him seem like a creeper.
"What a fucking pervert," someone grumbled. Turning to his right, Ren boy had taken shelter from the rain next to him. The boy had spiky blonde hair, dark brown eyes, and stood almost a few centimeters shorter than Ren. The boy's outfit consisted of a black blazer, which so happened to be unbuttoned to reveal a yellow t-shirt with a comic style star symbol and the word 'ZOMG!' while simultaneously wearing plaid trousers which also consisted of black and red striped pair of pants which have black suspenders that hung down instead of being worn on his shoulders. Finally, he wore a white belt and white sneakers. Ren didn't even have to look at him to know he was angry. "Seriously, fuck Kamoshida."
"Kamoshida?" Ren asked out loud, not meaning to do so. Having heard this, the boy gave him a confused look.
"Dude, you don't know who Kamoshida is?" The boy asked in disbelief. "How's that possible? He's the most popular person at school, even though he's a teacher. He fucking pisses me off, acting like he's the king of the school and all…"
Seeing as Ren's confused expression only continued to grow, the boy began scratching his head. "Really? I thought you attend Shujin Academy. You should know who he is... Then again, I've never seen you around. Hey! Are you the transfer student?"
Ren nodded, causing the boy to look him up and down. "Huh, you don't seem like a criminal. Meh, whatever, the rain's stopping. We might as well head to school now. Come on, I'll show you the way. Oh, and the name's Ryuji Sakamoto, nice to meet ya."
"My name's Ren Amamiya," Ren greeted, extending his hand, which Ryuji shook. Afterwards, the two boys began to head to school together, with Ryuji casually mentioning how he just wanted to go home already. To be fair, Ren was feeling the same way, especially with this damn headache he has.
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"Uh dude, you look ready to puke," Ryuji mentioned as they traversed an alleyway. The closer and closer the two got to the school, the more painful Ren's headache got. In fact, the boy was sure this was the worst his headaches have gotten so far.
Groaning, Ren flashed the other boy a reassuring smile, though it looked more like one of those smiles people gave before they died. "Yeah...I'm good."
After saying this, a sudden blast of pain began to fill his head, causing his eyesight to spazz out for a second, making him see purple. Miraculously, not only did the pain disappear a few seconds later, his headache vanished as well.
"I don't know dude, you almost fell over."
"Huh, I actually feel much better now."
Shrugging his shoulders, Ryuji continued leading Ren to the school, only to stop once they got there. In front of them was a large castle, one where the school was supposed to be located. Looking around, the two boys also noticed the sky was red, which contrasted the cloudiness from earlier.
"What the hell?!" Ryuji shouted in disbelief. "What's this thing doing here? Did I take a wrong turn? No, I've done this too many times to mess up. Come to think of it, I've never seen this place before…"
As Ryuji continued to ramble on, Ren continued to glance at the castle in disbelief. He knew what this place was, having visited much smaller versions of them in the past. However, two things stood out to him. First off, this castle was larger than any he's ever seen. Secondly, he knew where they were, they were in the Shadow World. The castle in front of him was actually a shadow nest, meaning that if this was indeed the school, someone extremely corrupted must value this place. The question was, how did he get here? He certainly didn't remember opening a portal to the Shadow World, only doing so when Igor sent him out on training missions. It wasn't like he could have done it by accident either. Like with the Velvet Room, creating a portal to the Shadow World required time and concentration.
"So how did we end up here?" Ren asked himself. Right now, it didn't matter how they got in here, right now, Ren needed to get Ryuji out of here. Without a Persona, the boy was easy prey for the shadows. Grabbling Ryuji, the boy's hands began to glow purple, causing his aquantence's eyes to widen.
"Dude, what the fuck are you doing?" Ryuji asked as he stared at the boy's hands in disbelief, unable to react in any other way.
"I'm getting us out of here," Ren told him. "You can't be here. It's too dangerous."
"You know this place? Seriously, what in the actual fuck is going on!"
Opening his mouth to reply, Ren shut it upon seeing an armored humanoid with a black mask walking towards them.
'Shit, a shadow," Ren mentally groaned to himself. If he was alone, then he would have ran in there and killed it without hesitation. Sadly, Ryuji was here. Doing so might cause the shadow to target both of them and without a Persona, the boy will die to any magical attack this thing dishes out.
Thankfully, the shadow has yet to notice them. Thinking, the boy decided the best course of action would to bring Ryuji into the castle and search for a safe room, which were sections of a castle which shadows could not enter due to the lack of corruption in said room. Of course, they could hide behind some trees, but truth be told, it would be easy for a shadow to ambush them.
"Ugh, I can't do it here," Ren said before he began dragging Ryuji to the castle. "Listen, I know you have questions and I'll answer them later, but for now, you need to trust me if you want to live."
"I knew I should've ditched school today…"
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Entering the castle, Ren pulled out a concealed dagger, something he kept on him at all times. Leading Ryuji deeper into the castle's main hall, staying on high alert for anything which wanted to pop up. However, as he did so, the castle began to fade away, turning into the school's front entrance before fading back into the castle.
"Is this...the school?" Ryuji asked the boy.
"Yes and no," Ren replied. "I'll explain later, when we're not in danger."
"You know, you've been talking about how we're in danger, but you never told me why…"
Opening his mouth to reply, he ended up closing it at the last second, as he saw two shadows approach them, spears ready.
"Halt! You have trespassed the king's grand castle," one of the shadows said. "Such is a crime punishable by death."
"By death!?' Ryuji shouted in fear. "Ren, what the fuck are these things?"
"Shadows," Ren stated as he got his dagger ready. "Stand back, I'll deal with them."
Twirling his weapon in his hand, Ren prepared to summon one of his Personas, only for his increased senses to kick in, detecting something behind him. Turning around, Ren became face-to-face with another pair of shadows, both also having their weapons ready. Before the boy could even react, one of the shadows struck the boy with the blunt end of its spear. With the shadows being on par with Ren's physical strength, the blow was enough to daze him.
"Bring them to the prison," a shadow said as it began picking up the injured boy, with the other shadows grabbing Ryuji. This was the last thing he heard before falling unconscious...
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Author's note 2: almost forgot to ask, which girl would you like for me to ship Ren with? Let me know in the reviews :-).