(Hello everyone! It's been years since I posted anything to FF (I used to do Homestuck fic back in 2010-2011 on an account I lost access to), so forgive any errors I make as I try to remember how it works around here. This story is being crossposted from AO3, and since it's still being written there, I'll be updating this one with a new chapter every five days until we catch up with it. Once we get to that point, I'll update this story within a day of publishing it on AO3. Thanks, and let's continue on to the real author's notes!)

In regards to this story: why did I decide to do a retelling with all-female Thieves? Well, one reason is because I just finished the female route in P3 and I theorized what it would be like in Persona 5. Then that really got me thinking deeper about this. One of P5's biggest themes is fighting against those in power, the underdogs of society who were put there unfairly snapping back at their oppressors and bringing justice to the world. I think the game does a stellar job at telling that story with a co-ed group, but I did start to think: wouldn't this also have been interesting if the main characters were female? As the gender that traditionally got (and let's be honest, often still does get) the short end of the stick in the world, I wonder how that might have affected their tale of fighting against a broken society? Would the villains view them differently? How might their relationships with each other change? I had so many ideas floating around that I decided to write out how I think it might have gone.

Now, as a few notes…

- I changed names where I felt I should based on gender. That included giving Akira a new name- I know Akira is technically gender neutral, but it's always seemed pretty masculine to me, not to mention that one of my closest male friends has that name. It was weird to write it because it made me think of him, so lady Joker gets a new name!

- There's going to be more sexism/sexual content in this story than the original game had, especially around the Kamoshida arc. I felt it was necessary if I really wanted to portray what I felt a group of all girls in the same situation as the co-ed thieves would experience. If you're worried these themes may bother you, please read with caution! I'll warn you in the notes if any particular chapter gets more intense than usual. That being said, this isn't smut, so don't expect all graphic sexual content. If you handled the normal game, you're proooobably fine.

- The genders of all the non-thief confidants will remain the same with the exception of Mishima. With Shujin being rewritten as an all-girl's school, that had to be changed.

- The first chapter of this story rips a lot of text directly from the game. I'll do that with a certain degree of frequency throughout the story, especially at points where I don't feel anything else can be changed about the dialogue, but it won't be nearly as blatant as this one is.

Alright, that's enough of me. Let us start the game!

Alarm bells ring out, and the casino floor falls into chaos. The intense focus each patron had on their respective game of chance is abruptly broken, heads turning and voices chattering in confusion as they search for the source of the disturbance. They won't find it looking side to side- a cloaked figure is leaping overhead from the light fixtures, pausing on one to observe the crowd below her. Briefcase clutched under her arm, a smirk grows on her masked face as a group of suit-clad men pushing their way through the casino finally take notice of her, pointing upwards and drawing the crowd's attention her way. With another leap, the girl is on the move again. Voices crackle through her earpiece as she jumps from various ceiling fixtures like it was nothing.

"Good. Now get running!" A childish voice declares.

"This is our only chance!" A much more dignified one, this time.

"Stay calm! You can get away now!" The next one is punctuated with a crash as the guards trying to follow her movements from below knock over a waitress in their rush, her tray falling to the floor as the champagne glasses smash.

"We'll retrieve the briefcase on our end." The girl moves through the shadows cast by the dimmed light, subconsciously nodding in agreement with the new voice- until she recalls the owner almost certainly can't see her in such detail, at least not while she's standing up here. Silly, she mentally chides herself. She's pulled from her own thoughts by a new transmission breaking through, fuzzy and choppy as it speaks about suspects and positions. Certainly not one she recognizes, if her furrowed brow is anything to go by.

"Hm…? What was that…?" One of the familiar voices seems puzzled as well. The first voice she heard butts back in, however.

"Don't worry about us. Just concentrate on getting away!" The cloaked girl was more than ready to take that advice. Leaping from a honeycomb patterned platform to a translucent purple fixture, the same voice continues to speak through her earpiece. "But I have to say, showing yourself above that crowd earlier was an excellent move. Nice work as always, Joker."

One of the voices speaks up, a teasing tone audible. The owner was almost certainly wearing a teasing smile. "I bet Skull wouldn't pull it off that smoothly."

Another familiar voice comes through, tone ladylike, smooth and critical. "This happens because you have no sense for aesthetics."

This time, it's a boisterous voice that rings through. "Nobody asked you, Inari!" The cloaked girl smiles as she continues to jump above the crowd like it was nothing, making it onto another platform and curving around a bend. There is pause only when she sees the nearby ledge- and more importantly, the three guards standing atop of it. They shout out instructions as she's spotted, and a voice through her headset speaks up, sounding significantly more tense than before.

"Just run! Get out of there!" Despite the rising anxiety of her team, the masked girl shows no such fear. Redirecting her course, she leaps onto another honeycomb patterned platform, long black trench-coat billowing behind her like the wings of a bird. Landing with one red gloved hand to help balance herself, she continues to move at a rapid pace while the allied voices keep talking.

"Okay, the enemy's focus is on her. Looks like the rest of us can slip away." The girl's red ankle boots click on each platform she leaps to, but don't seem to affect her mobility in the slightest as she moves with an agile grace over a row of arches.

"Everyone remember where we're meeting up?" Another voice asks through her headset as the girl leaps onto a sign and up onto a balcony of sorts. One of the familiar voices assures this one that she'll guide them, but the mysterious girl's focus on the voices is broken as she halts, seeing two guards standing in her way.

"Stop right there!" One declares before he and his partner suddenly twitch, transforming from regular humans to bulking, masked figures. This bizarre transmogrification doesn't even faze the girl, nor does the appearance of an identical beast behind her. As she turns, curly black hair bouncing over her shoulders, a voice in her earpiece calls out.

"Take em down, Joker!" With a smirk, the girl doesn't waste time. Leaping into the air with grace and onto the shoulders of the newest monster, she reaches down to rip off the mask it wears, shoving it back. With a flash of red and black goo and a gurgle, it goes through a second transformation- this time into a towering creature that looks like the product of a bull and a rattlesnake's unholy union, its blocky tail swinging behind it as it growled down at the intruder. This didn't seem to faze the girl at all. Ripping off her mask with a flash of red, a winged figure appeared behind her, shrouded in shadow. It was only visible for a moment. With a twist and a pointed arm, the figure flapped its wings, unleashing a flurry of twisted ribbons of red and black upon the beast. In just one hit, it had fallen with a scream, vanishing into black mist with a hiss like water on a burning stove. With the girl putting on the mask yet again, the winged creature vanished, leaving just the girl and the faint smell of something having just rotted. "Okay, pull out before backup gets here!"

There was no time for gloating, however, and the voice in her earpiece reminded her of that. There was a flurry of other voices, but the bubbling of black liquid and subsequent appearance of a new masked guard stopped them. Raising its arm, it swung at the masked girl with a baton buzzing with electricity in its hand. Despite the speed at which it moved, she was faster- with a flip, she vaulted herself onto a platform behind her, jumping to a lower balcony and landing with grace. No enemies around this time- good. "Joker, behind you! Go through that door!"

With the guidance of her voice, the girl turned and bolted through the door, exiting the lavish casino and entering what seemed to be a sort of staff hallway. The only decorations were various glued posters declaring multiple statements of victory- a far cry from the luxurious carpeting, gold panelling, and frankly excessive amount of lights outside. "You should be able to get out that way! Hurry!"

"Dude, can she even hear us!?" The boisterous voice from before sounded worried.

"Don't worry, I'm picking up everyone's voices." Another voice assured that one. "Just go, Joker!" She didn't need to be told twice. Speeding off, the girl took a hard right through another door, bolting down the twisting halls. Running down a set of stairs, she heard that boisterous voice once more.

"Tch! We got away from a bunch of those guys in black, but there're still loads more of em… " The frustration in that girl was evident, and our masked heroine could almost picture the snarl on the face of her ally as she bolted through another door, entering a hallway with a glass window. A guard ran by on the other side, hand up to touch his own earpiece.

"Where'd they go?! Dammit! I can't confirm the intruder's location!" He cursed before running off. With a smile, the masked girl moved forwards, halting only as she turned and noticed that another guard was present- this one not behind any glass. Quickly darting behind a nearby box, the girl stayed quiet and waited for the familiar voices to come back- and come back they did.

"Stop, up ahead! This is bad- you'll never get away if you just keep fighting! Hide in the shadows and sneak past when you see an opening." Ah, she loved doing this. With an inhuman flash, the girl darted forward from one box to another, repeating the action with a speed that made her seem more like a quick brushstroke than a human girl. Waiting behind the box closest to the guard, she simply knelt patiently as she waited for him to confirm that he hadn't seen her, running off in the direction she had just come from before she uncloaked herself.

"Now's your chance! Run for the stairs!" And with that direction, the girl moved, darting up the stairs and into the darkness. Up and around a corner, she realized the next glass panel held a control room behind it. Stopping and pressing herself up against the wall next to it, the girl listened as a man amidst a room full of technicians hurriedly tapping away on computers stood up and practically shouted into his cell phone.

"She's not alone! Find them and kill them all!" If she hadn't had such trust in her team, a statement like that might have worried her. But they were a capable group- surely the others could watch out for themselves. Without wasting another second, the girl kept running, passing the control room without detection. Around a bend, up another set of stairs- the sound of footsteps that weren't her own heels made her acutely aware that she was being followed. Bursting through a door at the top, she ran forwards and braced herself on the railing- Wait, railing? Looking down… she was above the main casino floor again!

"Something wrong?" The voice chimed in. "The exit should be up ahead." Raising her head, the girl looked forwards… towards a giant stained glass window.

For the first time since her chase began, she spoke. "Through there…?" Despite her dramatic and flashy appearance right now, the girl's voice certainly couldn't have belonged to someone who was older than her teens. Even so, it carried a mature feeling, and if her feats of skill up until now hadn't proven her to be powerful and clever beyond her years, perhaps her voice might have leant a hint.

Unlike her own, the voice of the girl speaking to her seemed to belong to someone younger. "Nnh… That's just how it is! After that commotion, the bottom floor's-"

She was cut off by a voice from earlier. "- Completely closed off. Hey, can you make it?!"

Despite the worry in her teammate's voices, a moment of analysis and the girl had a plan. A smile snuck onto her face as she made her decision on how she'd approach this. Just as she did, a voice from behind her shouted out. "Over there!" Tsk. Guards. Turning, the girl observed three men standing in the hall directly behind her, all wearing suits and all aiming pistols in her direction. "There's nowhere to run!"

A statement like that felt like a challenge, and the girl couldn't resist one of those. She gave them a stare before simply vaulting onto the railing, turning to her right and running across it as their surprised gasps faded into the background noise of the chaos occurring below as she was noticed. Stopping and crouching right in front of the stained glass window, the girl paused to look behind her at the guards standing where she had been just seconds before. She granted them a smile as she braced herself. "See ya!"

And with that, she jumped directly into the window to the sound of the screaming patrons below. Arms previously held up to protect her head fell to her side as she soared out, nearly floating out above the world as the voices chided her for her dramatic exit. "What a showoff!"

"You're so reckless. You know that?" Despite the scolding words, the voice was light and seemed more playfully annoyed than upset. Everyone knew how capable she was, after all. No need to worry about her flair for the dramatic. The girl landed with a roll, steadying herself on the ground as glass fell around her. Taking a moment to gather her bearings, the girl stood up and faced away from the casino- only to be abruptly blinded by lights. Nothing at all like the glimmering, gaudy lights present inside the building, though- these were lights from police vehicles.

"Enemies here?! These readings… it can't be!" For the first time, the voice sounded genuinely panicked. The others joined it.

"What happened?!"

"An ambush!?"

"Joker, can you handle this?!"

"Joker!"

"Oh no!"

The girl stared out at the crowd, nearly dumbfounded for a split second, just as an officer called out. "Capture her!"

That was all she needed to break from her trance and start running. Searchlights trailed her as she darted to the right, running as fast as her slender legs could take her. Reaching a wall, she swung herself up onto the ladder of a fire escape, barely escaping the crowding officers below as she scurried upwards. She looked down briefly upon the small army of shouting policemen, a tiny smile on her face. Even now, the girl wasn't phased.

But she certainly wasn't incapable of such a feeling- something that was proved as she reached the top of the ladder to find a squadron of officers waiting for her. There was a moment of pause, the world going still, before one raised his gun and smacked her in the face. With a cry, the girl fell from the ladder, tumbling down to the sea of officers below. Hands grabbed, pushed, pulled, and in an instant she was on the ground face down, hands pulled behind her back and a knee pinning her down by the neck. As her head spun from the impact of the fall, she barely managed to regain her composure enough to register a man in uniform approaching. He wasn't wearing the tactical gear of the rest- this was clearly a senior officer.

"Didn't expect to find some girl." He spoke as he looked down on the masked girl, kneeling down to grab her by the hair and lift her face up to look at him, ignoring her pained grunt. "You have your teammate to thank for this. You were sold out."

The shocked expression on the girl's face wasn't hidden by the mask. Releasing her hair, the man stood back up. "Suspect confirmed. Cuff her." One of the men behind her grabbed her arm, pulling it up against her useless squirming. The cold twist of metal and the clink of a cuff sealed her fate.

The girl had been caught.

…

She awoke to a splash of cold water over her head. Barely managing a tiny groan, the girl attempted to lift her aching head up despite the protests from her bruised neck. Tired grey eyes attempted to adjust to the room around her. Men in suits, grey walls, security camera… Where was she?

"No dozing off." The closest man, the scary one with the strong jaw and cold expression spoke. The girl squirmed, the cold handcuffs behind her keeping her bound to the chair she was seated in. Her neck ached as she turned to look at them, bruised face contorting in confusion and fear as she realized she was trapped.

"You still don't get it, do you?" The suited man spoke again as the girl pulled helplessly against the cuffs. Her school uniform was soaked from the ice water, but she didn't think the cold turtleneck and blazer were the only reason a chill was suddenly sent down her spine. "Give it up!" With an angry shout, the main lifted his leg, kicking her directly in the stomach. Gagging, the girl was helpless as her chair fell down from the kick, slipping away from it as she tumbled down onto the floor. With her hands behind her back, she couldn't prevent her head from smacking off the cold concrete floor. Hissing in pain, she had no time to react before a shoe was pressed up onto her head.

"Come on, cooperate. Or what, do you want another shot?" Shoe pressing into her pounding skull, the man spoke with a quiet anger. The girl's eyes drifted over to the wall where the camera was recording everything. Following her gaze, the man looked over at it as well before shaking his head and kneeling down, grabbing her by the hair and lifting her head up. He smelt like cigarette smoke up close, and the girl's nose crinkled. "Huh? What about the camera? Are you thinking it can be used as video evidence?"

As a matter of fact… yes, she had been. Well, maybe not thinking it- after everything that had happened these past few months (that she could at least recall, even in her fractured mental state- she certainly hadn't been a normal student), she was more than convinced of the corruption amongst the police. Surely some bastard in power would keep them from using this tape. But even after everything she'd seen, she had at least been hoping they could. Still, declaring that would be… unwise, to say the least. She spoke, previously confident and cool voice weak and strained. "Of course not…"

"So you're not that dumb." Said the man, throwing her head down and standing up. "Which is good, 'cause we get to take as much time as we NEED!" With that last word, he brought back his leg to hoof her in the stomach again. With a wheezed cough, the girl started to gag, curling in on herself from the force. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes that she could barely hold back, the soaked back strands of hair sticking to her face creating a display that was nothing like the cocky, charismatic girl hopping around the casino. Standing back, the man observed her pained attempts to keep it together. "What's with that weak expression? On your period or something, princess? If that's the worst you can take, you're in for a rough time." Stepping back, the man walked to one of the other suited men, taking a clipboard from him and reading off of it to the writhing girl on the floor.

"Obstruction of justice, blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons…" His tone was bored as he read it off like it was a shopping list. The idea might have made the girl chuckle if she was in any other situation. Hi honey, what do you need from the store? Oh, some eggs, milk, blackmail, defamation, and maybe bread if it's on sale. Her delirious line of thought was interrupted as the man spoke again, this time with a more serious voice. "Manslaughter too, yeah? Talk about the works. To think that all those crimes were lead by a bitch like this. And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it… Huh? You should know your place."

With a flick of his head, the man motioned to the other suited man who'd originally handed him the clipboard to move forwards. Grabbing her roughly and throwing her into an upright position, the girl braced for the worst… but was surprised when she felt her handcuffs being removed instead. Reaching forwards, she rubbed at her marked wrists- one of which had been cuffed so tightly that it was cut, dried blood running down her forearm and under the sleeve of her blazer. The broad jawed man walked forwards, crouching in front of her and holding out the clipboard and producing a pen from his jacket. "Sign here. It's a confession under your name."

Ah. So that's why they released her. She'd been confused over the momentary act of kindness from the men who'd shown her none up until now. The man leant in again, once again overpowering her with the scent of smoke. "Don't expect to walk out of here in one piece. We are going to make you understand that one must take full responsibility for their actions."

Even in her hazy, pained state, she was able to muster up a cold look in the man's direction as she took the pen and clipboard from his hands. Holding it up, she strained her mind as she tried to remember. Confession… a name. They'd need a name, but… her mind was so hazy. Focus, focus! She was…

Aki Kurusu.

She struggled with the kanji, shaking hands trying to make out the fine lines of each one. Remembering her name had been a struggle enough- writing the kanji was a new challenge in itself. But she finished, pausing before handing it back to the man. After that, things were fuzzy again. He'd taken it, said some things to her, and spoken to the other men in the room, but…

It was black.

…

By the time Aki awoke, she was sitting in a chair at a table. No cuffs this time, she noted groggily- and she had company. Not the man from before, but a woman in her mid-twenties with grey hair combed to the side. The presence of another female didn't make the atmosphere any less tense, even if the black suited woman seemed a bit more sympathetic towards her plight judging by her expression. "... I didn't expect it to be you."

Even with her softer tone, there was a determination behind her voice that Aki wasn't nearly drugged enough to trifle with. "You'll be answering my questions this time." The grey haired woman's attention was caught by something on the floor- a syringe, to be specific. She grimaced at the sight. "Those bastards…" Turning back and leaning in, she looked Aki in the eyes. There was no unpleasant smell of smoke this time, only a very light scent of perfume. "Can you hear me? It seems you've been through a lot. Almost anything can happen here… and I can't stop them. That's why I need you to answer me honestly. I don't have much time either."

Leaning back, the woman crossed her arms as she looked Aki over. "What was your objective? Why did you cause such a major incident? I didn't think it was a prank from the get-go, but I couldn't assemble a case for prosecution. It's because I couldn't figure out the method behind it."

Aki couldn't help but smile, even if it hurt her swollen lip. Even in a situation as humiliating as the one she'd found herself in… looks like she still had some leverage over the people around her. "Of course you couldn't… Nijima-san."

Sae Nijima. Right, that's who this was. Her brain was a jumbled mess of names and memories and instructions, but she'd at least managed to pluck this woman's name from that cacophony of pain and noise. They did know each other, that much had to be true, but from where… Aki had no memory of that right now. In the sea of chaos inside her drugged brain, picking that out would prove to be another challenge.

Sea of… Haven't I heard something like that before…? What came next? Why can't I remember?

Sae sighed, pursing her lips. "I need to know how you did this. This is my case, after all. It seems you're coherent if you can remember my name." The grey haired woman wasted no time after coming to that conclusion, instantly breaking into the questions. "When and where did you find out about that world? How is it even possible to steal another's heart? Tell me your account of everything."

Looking the black haired girl in the eye, Sae's focused expression was an utter contrast to the lost and hazy look on Aki's face. Had they used an adult dosage of that drug on a teenage girl? "Kurusu… Start from the beginning."

For a moment, Aki was silent. What would be defined as the beginning of this roller coaster ride that her life had become?

... You are held captive.

A prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance.

This is truly an unjust game… your chances of winning are almost none.

But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…

I be you you… please overcome this game… and save the world…

The key to victory lies within the memory of your bonds- the truth that you and your friends grasped.

It all began that day… When the game was started half a year ago…

For the sake of your world's future… as well as your own… you must remember…

...

She took a deep breath, and allowed the memories of that first month to come to mind.

And there's chapter one! This is a retelling of the original tale, so most plot events will remain more or less the same. However, they won't be quite so identical to this chapter- I just wanted to set the tone as best as I could, so I tried my best to recreate this scene faithfully. I won't be going over every identical detail to the original game from this point on so things won't get boring, and I'll add some new scenes that weren't in canon. Expect it to get more interesting from this point forwards!

That's all from me. Please let me know how you liked it and if there's anything I could improve on! I'll update as soon as I can!