Here's Part 2, featuring the surprise show ups!
I do not own anything.
Seaside Mall, Akira's memories of the place were fuzzy at best, this was actually his second time visiting the mall since coming back from Tokyo. It took him a few minutes of walking to familiarize himself with the long winding paths he'd walked as a six year-old. His pride kept him from getting a mall map to make sure they didn't get lost, not that he was stupid enough to get them lost. That being said, he had to admit the inside mall had changed quite a bit since he'd last walked in it. Half the stories he remembered from his childhood were gone, replaced by dozens of dozens of new establishments.
The one probably caught his eye the most was a lavish-looking restaurant that had a line stretched from the entrance to the outside. Based on what he could see it was new and popular meaning getting a reservation was going to be next to impossible. "This used to be a fortune telling shop."
"Really? Could have fooled me."
"Yeah, my mom took me here once just for fun to have our fortunes told, I remember my dad going off saying it was a waste of money." Searching the depths of his memories he attempted to recall a name. "The Sumaru Genie."
She shot him a cross look. "Cute name."
"I think it might have closed one year after we moved to Meguro, something about them losing business to another fortune teller across town or something. I don't really remember too well."
"This is an odd city you know that?"
"Why do you think my parents moved us out to the suburb, I can do weird, my folks? Not so much."
"Yeah, because weird is something you tend to have a knack for."
"Last I checked that wasn't a bad thing."
"Nope, in fact, that is part of your charm."
Smirking he guided her away from the restaurant up another level to the third of four floors. He recognized a great many of the shops there and knew immediately where to take his girlfriend. A few minutes later and they were standing before a grand establishment named Padparacha, the chief jewelry store in all of the Seaside Mall, and perhaps all of southern Sumaru. "If you want to look a-" He felt a tight hand grip his wrist then the next thing the knife-wielder knew he was being dragged along by his arm into a store with enough shiny objects it would have made Ann and Morgana go moon-eyed.
Akira had gone into Padparacha two times in his life, once with his parents when he was six and another time a few months later with his father to search for an anniversary gift with his dad for his mother. Again, his memories of the time were fuzzy and not all that accurate. What he did remember was the feeling of unease that came with having his every move watched. When he and his father returned he found the feeling had been magnified.
One of the reasons he suggested coming out to Sumaru City was because unlike his hometown he was just another face. Any time someone looked at his with suspicion it was because it was part of their job, not because they wanted to or felt they had to. That had been the case in Meguro where his every move was watched and cataloged-like he was some wild animal. Here everyone was given that treatment and that made him feel just a little bit better.
Sadayo looked like she was in heaven, which she was given the plethora of jewelry laid out before her. Rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, you name it and it was safely tucked beneath a glass or steel case that was nigh impregnable. Stars continuously danced in her eyes as they moved through the store alongside hundreds of shoppers.
"I know this is supposed to be my gift to you, but could you not exceed anything past eight thousand yen?" He whispered as a sweat drop began to develop on his forehead.
"Oh? What happened to all that money you saved up in Tokyo?" Don't tell me you spent all of you."
"Well no, but, you see, I…" It was almost karmic how his cat-like grins seemed to transfer onto her face while he stood there with a dumbfounded expression. "Just keep it reasonable Sadayo."
"Hey, who's the adult here?" With a light poke to the forehead she continued her browsing with him following close behind.
The former thief himself did some browsing, naturally after a whole year of metaphysical thieving he'd gained an eye for all things that shined and glittered. He had to admit the store was living up to its reputation as a first class jewelry store, almost every item he laid his eyes on had been made with near master craftsmanship. Chuckling the teen mused about how if Ann or Morgana were with him they would be the one singled out by security. Though the selection was vast few items caught his eye, even fewer were within the range of what he was willing to spend on a trip like this. Long before they'd even stepped inside the three-story jewelry store he'd resolved to buy his girlfriend something, it just had to be something she would cherish.
"Hey, Akira," He heard her call while he was lost in his own thoughts. Shaking himself awake he followed her voice over to a set of necklaces protected by a set of glass cases. It only took him a single glance to tell every item behind the glass was one hundred percent real and worth every one of the five or seven digits that corresponded to them. All of them seemed to have been made by the same craftsman since they all followed the same pattern: a geometric shape with two or even three colors that intermixed and shined when shined light touched them. Fitting enough a large crowd had gathered around the display eying each piece with various shoppers picking and pointing to what they wanted.
"So which one?" Akira asked finally pushing his way up to his girlfriend's side.
"That one right there." She pointed at a lone necklace that stood in the middle of an emptied out row. Compared to the others it was rather simple looking and for good reason. A titled star whose end points were all connected by a golden circle. The two colors of the star itself were a bright red and a canary yellow, alternating down to the center where a red star lay at the heart. "I can understand if you think it's a little-"
"I like it."
"Y-You do? Really?"
"Yep, red and yellow, two of my favorite colors."
Sadayo kept smiling to herself as Akira flagged down a clerk and gave him the order. For someone buying what turned out to be a twenty-five thousand yen piece of jewelry he was awfully casual, so much so that more than a few people took notice of how relaxed he was. The transaction took less than five minutes and then they were on their way out of the store, a velvet-colored bag happily clinging to Sadayo's chest while her head leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder.
"You really know how to spoil a girl you know that?"
"Well, I'm not exactly an upstanding guy so there's that."
Everything in that moment seemed almost too perfect to be real so naturally something had to happen to ruin it.
Though it'd been a year since his life had been in any sort of mortal danger Akira's actuate senses remained. His ears, despite not having any adrenaline pumping through them, heard the frantic cries and shouting others would have missed. It came from way back, almost an impossible distance unless one's senses had been honed. Immediately his body went on alert and his normally docile gray eyes turned stormy in a heartbeat.
"THIEF!"
The heavy footsteps coming up behind them put all his senses on alert. With speed and grace and belayed his docile form the teenager pushed Sadayo aside as he spun around to see a grown man reckless charging out of the store. The first thing he spotted was the shopping bag, no doubt stolen, tucked beneath the crux of his left arm, in the other was a relative small looking revolver. Akira's mind raced with calculations and scenarios on how the confrontation would play out, almost all of them ended with that gun eventually going off.
That meant it was the first priority.
The thief locked eyes with his for only a fraction of a second, his dull green and his stormy gray. His mouth opened in a scream for him to move as he brought the gun up. As Akira expected, the man flinched under the fierce glare the teenager had directed at him giving him a window of opportunity.
His right arm shot out grabbing the wrist and squeezing it with an amount of force that seemed almost inhuman. The gun clattered to the ground while the robber cried out in alarmed pain, his cries grew louder when Akira ruthlessly slammed his knee into the man's stomach knocking all the air out of his lungs. In his other hand the shopping bag fell to the ground while his knees buckled. Still keeping his wrist in a death-grip Akira kicked the fallen revolver away then proceeded to twist the arm behind the man's back.
A maelstrom of curses flew from the man's though to Akira they were nothing but hot air. "Keep running your mouth and you're going to jail with a broken wrist, and perhaps a broken back." His voice was dark, cold, near demonic and it showed on the thief's face. His earlier perception of a weak-looking teenager had been replaced by something else, something that the lone robber knew could easily show him a world of pain he never knew existed. As expected his struggling stopped and his entire body went still. Once he sensed the danger had passed he turned to the right to find his clearly shocked and somewhat frightened girlfriend staring at him like he'd just nearly avoided getting run over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Against any sort of judgement she rushed over and threw her arms around him, asking him the same thing he'd asked her over and over again in a frantic voice. At first he was stunned, but then he relented finally answering he was perfectly fine. "Sorry if I scared you."
"Sorry, sorry? Warn me the next time you're going to risk your life like that!" She shouted, her body still shaking.
"Kind of hard to do, guys like him tend to act without thinking, though isn't that why you love them?"
The teenager and adult blinked once at the unfamiliar voice chastising them. Slowly the couple looked down to find themselves being stared by a young boy, no older than possible ten or eleven with coconut brown hair and matching brown eyes staring at them. There was a playful glint in his eyes as he shot the two of them a wide grin. Flashing them a peace sign he moved over to scoop up the bag that had fallen by the wayside, after examining the bag's contents he turned his attention to the thief Akira still had pinned to the ground. Immediately his friendly expression evaporated as he walked up to the man, it was almost cute the pout he had on his face.
"You know stealing isn't a very nice thing to do." He started staring down at the man with hard eyes. When he snorted out a curse the boy raised his hand, balled it into a fist, and then brought it down directly on top of the man's head.
"You damn brat!"
"Next time if you want something pay for it!" He shouted back.
"Takeo!"
Again, the couple's attention shifted to the further back. Apparently the robber hadn't been alone, and his partner had fared no better than he did. This one was somewhat better dressed thus looking less out of place then his partner. He had a red bruise on his left cheek signifying he'd gotten too careless and had ended up catching a fist. The miserable look in his eyes told them apparently his face hadn't been the only thing that had been bruised. Finally a face appeared behind the second thief, surprising young yet at the same time mature looking. The man was an adult counterpart to the young boy they'd met from the brown hair down to the face, the only difference was the eyes-mature and serious. The man's brown eyes looked from the boy then to Akira who still had the other robber immobilized. A smirk spread across his face as he approached. "Nice work citizen."
"Oh, well, just doing my civic duty." Akira chuckled enjoying the grumbling the two men did once they were lined up side by side. "I forgot how stupid some of the criminals here could be." He whispered to his girlfriend still feeling rather confident.
In what seemed like seconds mall security was crowding around the entrance of Padparacha along with half a dozen other people who'd been drawn in by the attention. Akira and Sadayo watched with half interest as the two would-be robbers would cuffed and lead away, mumbling curses at each other and in Akira's direction; the teen merely smiled to himself and waved back when one of them shot a nasty glare at him.
"You handled that situation rather well," the brown haired man stated stepping up beside them with a small smile. "Something tells me this wasn't the first time you saw danger coming your way hot and fast."
"I've faced worse than some asshole with a gun thinking he's all that." The former thief muttered. There was something about this man that set off a few of his alarm bells. In his gut he felt a tight pull, almost like he did when he was in the presence of strong beings in the Metaverse. A part of him wanted to turn his head to look his way while another part kept him from doing so. The whole thing had his body on half alert.
This didn't go unnoticed by his brown-haired lover. She too was experiencing a sense of déjà vu trying to place the face of the mysterious man. Like her boyfriend he was dressed rather casually in jeans and a t-shirt, and like Akira he was fairly handsome to boot. In stark contrast to Akira's messy black hair his was light brown and perfectly parted around his forehead. He stood surprisingly maybe half an inch or so above her boyfriend who already towered over her. Most importantly the man's generally aura was completely and utterly different from Akira's, it was warm and bright, almost likes rays of sunlight. Wait a second, red shirt, brown hair, good lucks, and seemingly wa- "Um, you wouldn't happen to be-"
"Tatsu! Takeo!"
The two brown-haired males immediately turned around with smiles on their faces to see a woman with shoulder-length blackish-blue hair hurrying towards them with a young girl with similar colored hair hot on her trails. Upon seeing them the boy, Takeo, triumphantly held up the shopping bag with an ear-to-ear grin, the woman scooped him up into her arms in seconds while the girl immediately hugged the leg of the man.
"Wow, who would have thought we'd run into one of Sumaru's two famous ace detective. I guess you really are a lucky charm Akira. Akira?" In the two years they'd known each other Sadayo had rarely, if ever seen Akira look like he was standing on the edge of a nervous breakdown. The few times she had could be counted on a single hand. What she saw before her wasn't just her boyfriend on the verge of a breakdown, it was him staring down his worst nightmare made really. "A-Akira?"
"Takeo, how many times do I have to tell you not to run off after daddy?" The dark-haired woman chastised her son looking him over for any sort of injury.
"I know mom, but we got these for Aunt Lisa and Aunt Maki so I couldn't just stand there and do nothing." The boy stated sadden he'd made his mother worry. His face soon brighten as he held up the bang then pointed to Akira. "But I didn't get hurt thanks to him."
Akira jumped, yes, the boy who'd faced death countless times and survived being erased from existence jumped. Not from the stares of the two females, but from the older male who was now eying him with near analytical eyes. They reminded him of the Niijima sisters, Sae more so than Makoto since this man was clearly more experienced than his former teammate, and if he had to guess even her adult sister.
"Um, just out of curiosity, you wouldn't happen to be the Tatsuya Suo of the Sumaru City Police Department would you?" Sadayo asked with a hint of awe in her voice, completely blind to her boyfriend's furious shaking of his head.
The two children giggled while the man, Tatsuya groaned. Beside him his wife laughed. "Told ya' someone from out of town would recognize you."
"Here I thought you brought me along just so you could get that 'heroes' discount'." The detective groaned.
"Oh come on Tatsu-chan, that's half the fun of taking you shopping with me." The woman giggled grabbing a hold of his arm.
"Besides making him carry and pay for everything?" Sadayo playfully jabbed doing the same to her own boyfriend.
While the two adult women laughed at their fortune Tatsuya rolled his head to the side with a groan. By now they'd attracted quite a crowd who was now snapping pictures of him, his family, and the mysterious young man who'd single handedly prevented the robbery. "Takeo," he began addressing his son then turning to face Akira who straightened up. "Whoever you are, pick your marriages carefully. As you both can see, it's too late for me."
"Sounds like you want to be on dish duty again day." The detective's daughter snickered while her brother burst into laughter.
"Thank you for stopping the robbery and keeping all the yen we just spent from going to waste." The woman started reaching out her hand. "Maya Suo, as you can guess this is my husband Tatsuya, these are our kids Takeo and Akemi."
Graciously Sadayo took it, "My name is Sadayo Kawakami and this is my boyfriend, Akira Kurusu. We're from out of town, or rather I am."
"You from Seven Sisters?" Tatsuya immediately questioned.
"Actually I'm from Meguro, just outside of Sumaru." It was miracle his voice was still working and his knees hadn't liquefied. Every bone in Akira's body was screaming for him to grab Sadayo and high tail it as far as he could away from Sumaru's City's second best detective. Only a thin layer of composure kept him stationary.
"You picked a lousy day to take her out on the town." Akemi jabbed narrowing her eyes at Akira. It was clear in that instant who the Suo family genes had taken root in and Akira for one wasn't surprised.
At last mall security arrived on the scene to clean things up. Both of the would-be robbers were searched, had nearly every item of worth, be it their own or stolen, confiscated and finally handcuffed. The whole thing had attracted quite an audience. Out of reflex both Tatsuya and Akira did their best to hide their faces from the flashes of cameras and phones least their stony faces making the rounds on the internet. Tatsuya already knew when he went back to work in a few days this little incident would be all his colleagues would talk to him about. For Akira having his little act of heroism dominate his next talk with his friends was the last thing he needed. More so if he was spotted with their homeroom teacher.
"I know you didn't mean to, but could you stick around for a second?" Tatsuya asked walked over to Akira. "Procedure and all."
The teen shot an apologetic look at his girlfriend who simply nodded. Before allowing him to depart she took his hand and gave it a reaffirming squeeze. It seemed to push away a good deal of tension that had round up inside of him.
"Your boyfriend seems awful jumpy around police." Akemi noted as Sadayo joined them on a bench just outside of the police huddle. "Bad history?"
It was a little unnerving how direct and forward the girl was. Sadayo had heard stories of the famous Suo brothers of Sumaru City, ace detectives who'd solved numerous cases. The fact that one of them had a child who'd apparently inherited whatever keen eye that ran in the family didn't come as a surprise to the teacher. "Yes well, let's just say he's had some…run-ins with law enforcement. Nothing to worry about though." It was a half-baked lie she hoped none of them would see through, and she prayed like hell Akira was able to keep his cool long enough for the situation to defuse.
"Really? Here I just thought he was getting grilled like anyone who stands by dad." Takeo muttered doing his best to get a look at his father and Akira. He was in and out of the crowds forcing Akemi to get up and constantly hauling him back, lecturing him on letting their father do his job. "But he's on vacation!"
"Not anymore." She lectured pulling him back by the cuff of his shirt.
"Quite a pair." Sadayo chuckled watching the two sibling get into a childish argument.
"You should see them when they're a home trying to decide who's Red Hawk." The dark haired female laughed in response. "They love each other though, and their father."
"What's it like be married to a local celebrity like that?" It was an honest question as though only just meeting each other Sadayo could feel something of a kinship with Maya. Perhaps it was rooted in the fact both of them were involved with men whose career choices had led them to becoming rather famous, or infamous in Akira's case.
"I love the press like any woman would, but sometimes it's just too much. It's always too much for Tatsuya." Maya laughed crossing her legs with a smile. "Any time he can he carves out as much time as possible for me and our kids." A light blush colored the journalist cheeks as fonder memories of the last nine years resurface within her mood. "To the public he's the brooding bad-boy detective that always catches the bad guys, but around us he's a real sweetheart."
Giggling the teacher looked back at the crowd which obscured her boyfriend from view. "I can understand being in a relationship like that. To the world he's just a person, but…to the people he cares about he's…well, he's practically Superman."
"Exactly! Definitely the kind of one in a million kind of guy who you'd fight the entire world for." Maya exclaimed before realizing how childish she looked. "Uh, sorry about that. Tatsuya's the calm one and I'm the hyperactive one."
"That I can also understand." She giggled again remembering how tame she was compared to Akira. As she had discovered, opposites did in fact attract.
"So, if Akira's from the suburbs what about you? You said you were from out of town."
"Tokyo."
"Ah, I see."
"So you're from the big, big city."
Sadayo jumped back when she found herself in the crosshairs of the scope-like eyes of the two Suo children. Immediately she felt a sweat drop come on. "Uh…is that a problem?"
"Nope, Tokyo, the capital of Japan and the epicenter of all things weird and unnatural." Takeo stated in a cheery voice.
"Home of the MIA Prince Detective Goro Akechi and MIA Phantom Thieves of Heart." Akemi added with a hand on her chin.
"Hold it right there you two." Maya interjected, all form of humor lost. In its place was a motherly sternness Sadayo remembered all too well from her own childhood. "Manners remember."
"Sorry Miss Kawakami." The siblings said bowing their heads in perfect unison.
"Yes, um, no harm taken. Like I said, Akira brought me out here since we both had some free time on our hands so we decided to come out to Sumaru."
"How's the visit so far been?" Maya asked with a grin pulling at her lips as well as that of her children.
"It's been…exciting." The teacher concluded smiling. "I hear there's a famous seafood restaurant in this mall. It's partially why I wanted to come here instead of the Sky Museum."
"I see." Suddenly the dark-haired woman stood up with a proud smile on her face and her hands on her hips. "As thanks for helping us and as a citizen of Sumaru City consider lunch on us!"
"Come again?" The three females and young male turned around to see Akira and Tatsuya approaching them, both with puzzled looks on their faces. The later having grown used to his wife's zany ideas merely stared at her silently asking for an explanation.
"Heheh, so…Tatsuya, how do you feel about turning our family lunch into a…uh…"
Flickering his eyes from the teacher to the teenager the detective smiled, a small smile, but one that everyone took notice of. "Consider it a Suo family treat."
How the hell did this happen? That line kept repeat itself in the mind of Akira as he and Sadayo settled into their seats with the Suo family right across from them. Yes, he had planned on treating Sadayo to lunch at Johnny Roger, perhaps one of the few places he remembered from his childhood, but not like this. Not sitting across from the last person he wanted to run into in Sumaru City. This was different from Sae and Goro, both of them he could deal with, play their games and outwit them. Tatsuya Suo didn't play games, and he'd faced down greater adversaries than him. Oh, and he was completely and utterly on his own with Sadayo with him and absolute no back up plan. Just peachy.
The first thing he did upon stepping foot into the seafood restaurant was calm his wired nerves, he had to or else he'd be inviting disaster on himself. Akira's memories of the place were surprisingly strong and vivid, everything from the thick smell to the warm feeling that came with entering the establishment. Sure the layout of the place had changed, but the sense of relaxation and peace were still the same; that helped put his mind at ease.
Another was seeing the old bartender simply called "Master" wave at Tatsuya and Maya. It appeared they and their children were regulars or at least the old man was familiar with them. The scene greatly reminded him of Futaba and Sojiro back in Tokyo.
As he looked over the menu his eyes continuously squinted. "The menu sure has changed a lot."
"It's been a while since you've eaten here before?" Maya inquired.
"Yeah, you could say that." He quietly answered. Quietly looking over he saw his girlfriend had gone moon-eyed over the impressive menu. "See anything you want?"
"Everything." Was her star-studded reply.
The family of four and former Sumaru native all laughed at the woman's answer; in their own way they all knew how delicious almost every dish offered was. Eventually the waitress came by and everyone placed their orders.
"Earlier you said you used to live here, when did you move?" Tatsuya started off staring directly at Akira. There was something about the boy that stirred his mind, like looking at a piece of case evidence on display.
He kept his eyes from flicking from side to side, a sure-sign that something was up. Taking a deep breath Akira let the words flow out of his lips as if he were speaking the natural truth. "When I was eight my parents moved out to the suburbs, Meguro, to be precise. I lived there for a while then I…graduated high school and decided to go to college in Tokyo." Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly the best lie, but it was believable. Thanks to his height, looks, and general attitude Akira really could pass for a college student. Would it get past a reporter and veteran detective? He and Sadayo were crossing their fingers.
Sensing the baton had been passed Sadayo started speaking. "I was in my second year of teaching in grade school when we met."
"Where'd you two meet?" Maya asked now fully invested in their story.
"Coffee shop." The former thief and maid said, both with rather mischievous smiles on their faces. Across from them the married couple looked at each other and mouthed "classic".
Takeo, who'd been mostly silent through the entire exchange looked back and forth between the couple. "Second year? But aren't you a bit old to only just be- OW!"
Withdrawing her fingers from her brother's face Akemi looked at him with cross eyes. "Don't ever question a woman's age doofus." She said in a haughty voice.
"Take your sister's advice." The dark-haired teen said chuckling as the boy rubbed his cheek. "If a woman ever asks, just say she looks beautiful."
"Good boy." Sadayo stated affectionately kissing her boyfriend's cheek.
"I see you've trained him well." Maya chuckled happily tapping Tatsuya's shoulder; the knowing smile he shot his younger counterpart conveyed all the respect he'd earned in that second. "As for me and Tatsuya, work related."
"She was hired to do a report on me, I let her tail me for a while, one thing led to another and then, well," Rather than finish he simply held up his left hand showing the golden band around his ring finger while his wife happily clung to him. Takeo and Akemi, used to their parents' displays of affection simply looked away in mock disgust, as expected of them.
Though Sadayo took the story at face value Akira…didn't. They're only telling us half the truth. He'd seen enough and been through enough to know when he was being told a half truth and an outright lie altogether. They weren't so much physical signs as a gut feeling, a sixth sense if you will. They've told this story before and people have bought it. The kids don't known the full truth, probably for their own safety. If he still had his glasses Akira was sure they would have had an ominous shine to them, which was why he was thankful he no longer wore them. "You must have broken a lot of hearts in town when you two got together Suo-san." He said with a happy smile.
"You have no idea, thankful it did stop the massive influx of lover letters I kept getting in the mail." The brown-haired adult groaned. "You ever go through that?"
Again, the student and teacher shared a knowing look between each other. "I've…had my admirers." Akira finally chuckled. "Thankfully they were nowhere near as rabid as yours' were, I hope."
"Sounds like I've got a rough future ahead of me." Takeo noted looking deep in thought after hearing the two older men speak.
Beside him Akemi scowled. "Rough future? As a what? Beat cop?"
"No Akemi! Don't you get it? In a few years I'll be a stud just like dad! Even worse, just imagine what'll happen when my police career takes off!" The older sibling passionately retorted puffing his chest out.
"It will be tough, but the road of the heartbreaker is one that must be treaded for some." Akira added, once again speaking in a sagely tone of voice. "The road will be long and arduous, but you must endure."
The adults around the table broke out in blissful laughter while the youngest of the table rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Geez, Mr. Kurusu, please don't encourage him! His head's big enough already!"
"Better big headed than empty headed." Takeo countered smiling.
"What about a big empty head? You've certainly got one of those."
"Now, now guys, no more bickering until after we eat." Maya finally said getting her laughter under control then spying their waitress returning with their food. As she expected her children immediately ended their squabble and grabbed their forks and knives. "Just in case you two ever plan on having kids remember, food is always a great neutralizer." She said with a wink causing both of them to blush deeply. "Now then, let's eat!"
The roasted shrimp Akira and Sadayo dined on was on par with the garlic shrimp they'd enjoyed during the school trip to Tokyo, Akira would even have to say it was better. He'd gained a taste for any kind of cooked shrimp since that trip courtesy of his girlfriend. Apparently they weren't the only ones with a taste as both of the Suo children had ordered a plate full of shrimp as well. Tatsuya went with grilled salmon and Maya had ordered a plate of readily cooked kabayaki. In seconds the table became a cacophony of chewing and to a lesser extent smacking. Each occupant of the table had a near heavenly expression on their faces as they savored each bite.
"If you don't mind me asking, Akira, what exactly is it you're studying?" Tatsuya asked taking a minute to pause in his eating.
Remembering their earlier conversation Akira spat out, "Law so I can be a lawyer, defense lawyer."
"You don't look like the kind of guy for that." Akemi off handedly commented earning an elbow jab from her brother.
"I've…gotten that before." The dark-haired youth replied. "I imagine it'll be hard for me to get clients in my first years."
"If I may say so, you're a good looker, so you'll probably get a good crop of female clients." Maya's words immediately lit a fire in Sadayo as evident by the momentary pause in her eating.
"Did something in your past inspire you?"
Akira nearly choked on his food when the voice of the younger Suo brother penetrated his ears. Once again their eyes locked in a silent engagement. There wasn't any malice of suspicion on his eyes, only an honest to God curiosity. In return Akira knew he saw suspicion in his; the earlier incident in front of the jewelry store had already given away a handful of hints about him. Like he wasn't a stranger to violence nor was some run of the mill robber something that could scare him. On top of that there was the strange feeling he felt nagging at the back of his head.
Regardless, he knew playing the silent idiot wouldn't get him out of this, nor would telling a whole hearted lie.
"Yes, something in my past…did happen." His shoulders slumped a little and his normally calm voice lost some of its cheer. "I've…seen some bad things happen to people who didn't deserve the suffering they got. A lot of them were hurt because they couldn't fight back or no one was willing to fight back for them, I decided even if it's only a little bit that's what I'd like to do with my life. I may not win every battle, but I at least want to do whatever I can to help people in need." He hadn't spoken a lie, or even a little white lie, but he hadn't told the entire truth either.
Though everyone at the table was looking at him it was the detective who he focused on. He was the one who Akira's words had the greatest impact on. His brown orbs remained unchanging though Akira could see the thoughts and guesses running through the older man's head.
An honest smile slowly spread across the man's lips before he swallowed another piece of salmon. "I see, that's admirable goal. As someone who's seen the inside of several courtrooms I can tell you that road won't be easy, but I can tell by the look in your eyes you've got the will to stick it out."
This time the older man's words had something of a cleansing effect on him. The spring that had been round up inside of him began to uncoil itself allowing a sense of relief to spread through his body causing him to physical slump back into his chair, nearly dropping his fork and knife.
Sensing something amiss but not understanding what the youngest Suo child decided to add her two cents to the man-to-man conversation. "Our dad has that effect on everyone he interrogates if it makes you feel better Mr. Kurusu."
"I wasn't interrogating him Akemi." Tatsuya gently scolded.
"You kind of were dad," She shot back still eating as if nothing had happened. "You had him about to confuse to the last time he shop lifted."
"I did not."
"Did to."
"Did not."
"You so did."
"I so did not."
As the father and daughter decided into a childish back and forth Sadayo found herself laughing in spite of it all. She knew she should have been comforting her boyfriend, but for once seeing him squirm in such a way actually managed to bring a smile to her face. In a way it almost felt like a cosmic payback after all the times he left her flustered and breathless. Across from her Maya and Takeo looked between each other then back at the other half of their family, eventually they too joined Sadayo in a chorus of laughter.
You know, I think I'd prefer to be back in Mementos or exploring a Palace than here. Were the thoughts of the Phantom Thieves' enigmatic leader.
Time passed and eventually of their plates became depleted until nothing but scraps remained.
"It all lived up to the rumors." Sadayo admitted feeling as if she'd just finished an entire Christmas dinner by herself.
"Still as tasty as I remember." Akira complimented stretching out his arms. The more he'd eaten the more memories of his childhood he'd felt spilling into his mind. "Definitely coming back here when we get the chance to."
"Sounds like you'll definitely be coming back, next time you might want to pay us a visit." Maya laughed. "If you're ever interested in getting your name out there come by Kismet Publishing."
"I'll consider it." Akira replied looking over the business card. From what he could tell the publishing agency's address hadn't changed, he remembered his father briefly taking him there once on a trip. "So, anyone up for dessert?"
When the time to pay came Tatsuya and Maya refused to allow either Akira or Sadayo to spend a cent of their money, insisting it was their personal treat.
"Thank you again for the lunch. We appreciate it." Sadayo began giving a courteous bow.
"Thank you for paying our little city a visit. Next time you're in town feel free to look us up." Maya said returning the gesture.
Not so surprisingly Takeo and Akemi stepped directly in front of the former leader of the Phantom Thieves. Takeo was the first to stick out his hand with a wide smile on his face, in turn causing one to develop on Akira's as well.
"It was nice meeting you Mister Akira, future defense lawyer."
Lowering himself to one knee he took the boy's hand, and offered his other to his sister. "It was an honor meeting both of you, future ace detectives." With a similar grin to her brother's Akemi shook his hand as well. The rush of warmth that ran through him was familiar, almost like he was forming yet another confidant. Looking up he saw the older Suo looking down at him with a knowing smile, a far cry from the expression he usually wore when reported about in the news. It was welcoming and inviting, like a warm flame.
The two groups parted ways outside the entrance waving their goodbyes to each other. On the Suo family end the youngest of the bunch hurried on ahead chatting to themselves while their parents hung back.
"He's a good kid." Tatsuya solemnly said.
"I know that voice," Maya smirked. "There's something special about that kid isn't there? Koharu and Akemi certainly seemed to take a liking to him."
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." Her husband shrugged. Upon feeling her soft hand caressing his face he felt obligated to give some form of an answer. "I don't know why, but I just have a feeling me and him are going to run into each other again, kind of like how I ran into you after…everything that happened."
Looking back Maya found the couple had disappeared into the ever growing crowd of people. She felt a smile form on her lips. "I'm not against that happening, there was something a little…funny about him. To be honest he kind of looked like some of those pictures of the Phantom Thieves' leader, Joker." Even though the person in question was completely different Maya didn't enjoy so much as saying the word in front of her husband, it made his entire body bristle.
Shaking the feeling of unease off the younger man chuckled to himself. "From what I've seen from reports those two do look alike. Who knows, maybe it's just a coincidence."
"I thought detectives weren't allowed to believe in coincidence."
Rather than verbally reply Tatsuya threw his arms around his wife and kissed her cheek. Happily accepting the gesture Maya wrapped her other arm around him then leaned into his shoulder. "Coincidences aren't all bad, after all, that's how I ended up married to you and having two great kids."
It was Sadayo who chose a place for them to sit and watch the sunset. Ebisu Beach was relatively empty for such a pleasant afternoon. That made it easier to find a spot for them to collect their thoughts and enjoy the last moments of their vacation, and for Sadayo to get some information out of her boyfriend.
Kicking off her shoes she enjoyed the feeling of warm sand beneath her feet. "You know you could injure your feet doing that." Akira cautioned keeping pace with her.
"Maybe it's worth the risk. I don't get a lot of time to hand down to the beach back home so I'm enjoying myself here."
Smirking he reached down to untie his shoes and slip off his socks, in a minute he was walking barefoot with her down the orange-bathed sands of Ebisu Beach. Their hands were interlocked and for once it was him who was leaned on her. "I'm sorry about scaring you earlier."
She didn't speak to him until they both sat down, side by side with the sun to their faces. The lower edges of it had already begun to disappear beneath the horizon elongating shadows and cooling the air. Keeping her eyes on the horizon she gripped her lover's hand a little tighter, "I knew when you were a Phantom Thief you risked your life on a daily basis, but…seeing it in person was just…I don't think I've been that scared for you since December."
Internally he winced, for a number of reasons the past December wasn't a fond time for him to look back on. The month had been filled with trials, victories, and losses that had marked him for life. And that was just speaking for him, that month had been hell for his lover as well, perhaps more so than him. "I'm sorry I put you through that." Pulling her in a little closer to the point her curly brown locks tickled his noise he kissed the top of her head.
It felt good to be wrapped up in Akira's warmth, it made her feel safe and secure. "I know you are, I just…I just can't help it. I'm older than you and I'm your girlfriend, of course I'm going to worry. I worried all throughout December rather or not you were safe." She'd barely slept that entire month, coming in some mornings with visible circles under her eyes. More than a few of her fellow teachers and students had asked her if she was alright, it took all her willpower to lie and say she was. Finding the strength to look up she found him staring at her with perfectly clear eyes. "I worry about you, but I know you're the kind of person who can't turn a blind eye to injustice when he sees it. That's what makes you you, and that's why I love you."
Hearing those words always made Akira feel as if he were walking on air. Kissing his girlfriend's forehead he said nothing and simply basked in the joy of having her back in his arms, away from any sort of danger that could harm them.
"You still worry about it don't you? Someone finding out I mean?" Akira didn't need to answer her, the silent shudder that ran through him were enough of a response. "Is that why you were so jumpy? Because you were worried someone making the connection between you and Joker?"
"Well, it's been almost one year, and the popularity hasn't exactly died down." He reasoned. "People are still blaming us for almost half the Japanese government either being prosecuted or now living in disgrace."
Sadayo said nothing as she realized how true her lover's words were. Despite all they'd done the Tokyo police never were able to get over being outwitted by a band of high schoolers. She heard rumors and stray talk as she walked the streets of Tokyo. Admittedly some nights she went to sleep terrified of what would happen if they ever caught any member of Akira's band of thieves. "It's over now."
"Maybe, but there's always a part of me that…keeps looking over my shoulder, waiting to see a black van or someone tailing me. Next thing I know someone's breaking down my door, handcuffing me then dragging me into a police car." There was a brief pause than a humorless chuckle. "Heh, here I am talking about my own arrest like it's about to happen."
"Then stop talking about it." Sadayo chided. "The more time you spend worrying about an issue the less time you have to live for yourself. You're the one who taught me that."
"…You've come a long way since we've first met." She heard him chuckle.
"And I have you to thank for that." The teacher clarified planting a light kiss on his lips. "Did you mean what you said in the restaurant? About becoming a lawyer or was that just to throw them off?"
"No, I've…can you honestly see me inside of a court room?"
"Actually yes, I can."
"Really?" He said arching an eyebrow. "You can see me in a suit passionately fighting for some nameless stranger's life or whatever?"
She grinned, "You make it sound like that'd be something entirely new for you."
Quickly as it came the smirk fell from his lips as did his eyes. "Being able to win in a courtroom wasn't going to help you, and it sure as hell wasn't going to help any of the others. It's just…when I'm not Joker how will I-"
"Akira, look at me." Clapping both hands on the sides of his cheek she turned his head until they were eye to eye. Immediately she saw him seize up a little like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She always enjoyed having that little bit of power over him. "Do you know who it was who saved me from becoming a prostitute? Who reminded me that I still had it in me to become a great teacher? Who exposed Kamoshida's actions to the entire world? Who was brave enough to turn himself in so none of his loved ones were incriminated?" The seventeen year old blinked once then opened his mouth to respond. "It was you, Akira Kurusu, the man behind 'Joker'. That man, the same one I'm in love with, can be whatever damn well he wants to be if he puts his mind to it."
Instead of a witty comeback he grabbed the brunette and pulled her back into the sand, happily nuzzling her messy hair while she playfully told him to stop. A few beach goers who'd been watched chuckled to themselves before moving on.
Silence permeated the space between them save for the sound of the sea waves slushing against the shore. Having been in this situation before Sadayo was determined not to be the first one to break or crack under Akira's response. Instead of a laughing he genuinely smiled at her while leaning back until he was lying flat on his back. Releasing a happy sigh of relief she joined him on the sand.
"I think I know what they mean when they say behind every great man there's a great woman, not that you weren't always a great woman." He finally said.
"From a thief to a lawyer, quite the turnaround huh?" Sadayo leered.
"Considering my record that's actually not a big thing for me, but I'm still proud of it none the less."
"Really? Spend an entire year evading the law then start practicing it? Akira Kurusu, I have never met any guy quite like you."
"Good because you might have fallen for him instead of me."
"Not to worry." Sitting up she reached into her purse and fished out the necklace he'd bought her earlier. Holding it up to the setting sun the red and yellow glittered brightly giving off the appearance of gold. She'd never had much a taste for jewelry, gold jewelry especially, but this would be the exception to the rule. Placing the star-shaped pendent around her neck she turned to her boyfriend. "I could search the whole world and I'm sure I'd never find a guy like you, Akira, you're my one and only."
They never separated after that, not even when they boarded the train to take them out of Sumaru. Finding a set she leaned her head against his shoulder and quietly dozed off while Akira kept the peaceful smile he'd worn on the beach with him. Through the window he saw the sunset had been bathed the landscape a myriad of red, yellow, and orange.
He remembered once spending all summer afternoon playing the punch with his parents, it was one of the happiest memories he'd possessed. Now he had a new one to supplement that one. The last thing the black-haired teenager saw was the fading sunlight reflected off his girlfriend's necklace, and then he joined her in an afternoon nap for the remainder of the trip.
So yeah, Tatsuya and Maya, the P2 duology's protagonists…together. Yes I know, impossible, yes I know it breaks canon laws, but dammit I love them together! The ending of Eternal Punishment pisses me off as much as how little recognition the first two Persona games get, but I digress. I imagine by this point Tatsuya's become a prominent detective in the city so Akira would be a little jumpy around him. As always, leave a review and until next time!