A/N: I decided I should probably post this since I've read it so many times and can't make anymore changes. Plus, the holidays are coming up, so I won't have the free time to really write for a while.
I did have to write some characters I've never written before, but it's been kind of fun. However, I'm surprising myself how much I am loving writing Akechi. He's so full of drama and sadness and I eat that shit right up. Step aside Ren, my new boy is Akechi!
Dislcaimer: I do not own Persona 5. If I did, I would have the kind of money to have a professional remodel my house...
Every time something went wrong, he could count on her to be there.
He didn't even have to ask. He just had to look at her the right way, and then she would be nestled in the safety and comfort of his arms and he would always be so happy.
He had no idea when it started. She was an interesting character. Just when he thought he could predict what she would do, she would throw him for a loop and leave his jaw agape. Most of the time, he closed his mouth angrily because she had been incredibly stupid and put herself in great danger. Half of those times, she snapped at him for even telling her that, but then she would avert his gaze, sigh, and offer a heart-felt apology. So he fell into a routine of asking what she was doing and where she was, really anything to put his mind at ease so he knew she wasn't going to do something to end up dead.
He assumed somewhere along the way, his concern for her well being became something a little more serious.
While Ren may have been told he was a charismatic guy and could charm every and any girl he crossed paths with, he denied it. He simply thought of himself as being kind. And he worried a lot about people. He didn't have many friends because of just how worried he would get over the stupidest things. He thought that it was because of that personality flaw that Makoto always grew upset with him.
But he eventually stopped trying to find her and started wanting to find her. She was becoming some sort of constant in his life. They could sit down and talk about intelligent topics, both agree to disagree about their opinions, or talk about the most asinine and mundane subjects they could think of.
When he caught a glimpse of her blush for the first time, something bloomed in his chest. He didn't know what to do with it.
So he ignored it.
Strong attachments were hard to come by, but when they were broken, a part of him died. He worked hard to keep whatever that feeling was from growing, but as the flower shop owner liked to tell him, "Once the seed is planted, it only needs the right conditions to grow."
And in his one true moment of weakness and desperation following Okumura's death, it grew with a vengeance.
Just as quickly as the seed had sprouted in his heart, she ripped it out and killed it.
The look of horror on her face would forever be etched in his mind, right next to Okumura's bleeding face.
He tried to chalk it up to an "emotional accident," which she seemed to agree with. He was hurt, but her feelings were more of a priority than his own. So he asked for her forgiveness, that he would forget it ever happened, and he would just pretend like he didn't fuck her senseless the night before.
But with the flower wilting in the palm of her hand, he knew that their friendship would never be the same again.
-.-.-
"I'm sorry."
He curses himself as he watches Makoto descend the stairs without looking back at him. This was not what his original intention was by asking her over last night. He had wanted to clear the air, to show her that he really wasn't going to let the events of the other night ruin their friendship. He would push down his feelings in an effort to make her comfortable around him again.
He was stupid to ask her over.
He was stupid to try and flirt with her.
So, here he is now, fingers painfully pulling at his hair because he is a fucking idiot.
He hears her return up the stairs, which surprises him. The first time she stayed, they didn't have school, and they had company. She couldn't have dashed out in embarrassment even if she had wanted to. However, they have school today. She must have forgotten something because why else would she want to return to his room? Perhaps to tell him she's leaving, or she never wants to see him again?
He looks up at her and meets her eyes for a second, then she breaks contact. He sits a bit taller when he notices a light blush on her face. Well, he is still naked, but he can't help but feel proud at the unspoken compliment.
She doesn't look up at him until she comes to sit down on the chair by his desk. "A-are you going to, um, g-get changed?"
His heart nearly explodes in his chest at the insinuation that she's in his room, sitting down, and asking if he's going to get dressed. Almost like she wants to watch him. She wouldn't have taken a seat to ask, then leave, right?
Laughter erupts from his throat. "Are you going to watch me?"
Her face turns bright red and she's quickly on her feet. His shoulders drop. It's probably too soon for him to be making those kinds of remarks. Just like how his comment blew up spectacularly in his face last night.
He really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes.
He finds his voice again when she walks towards the stairs. "Hey." His tone comes off a little too desperate, but she does come to a stop. "Will you wait for me?"
Their eyes meet once more and he holds his breath while he waits for her response. Finally, she offers him a smile and nods her head. "Don't take too long. You know I like to be at school early."
His smile widens to the point it hurts. He releases the air from his lungs and laughs to himself as she walks down the stairs. He can't find the energy to get up and he tips over onto his pillow. How he manages to avoid another painful (and maybe even a final) goodbye is beyond him. He knows he can't press his luck any further, and it would probably be for the best to discuss the situation with her before they reach school.
If he has learned anything about the last few days with her, it's that one touch is all he needs to block all sense of reasoning and act on his emotions. Did he like her? Of course. Did he love her? He's not sure. Did she think and feel the same things? Well, that's what they need to talk about.
They had crossed the line they had agreed on once, so the awkwardness of it all wasn't nearly as dense as the first time. She didn't seem to be as horrified waking up next to him, even if the regret was still lingering in the air. Basically, if they could endure these kinds of reactions and emotions, rejection would be a much easier thing to deal with.
Right?
What's going to happen if he tells her he likes her, and she says she doesn't feel the same? He would like to think she feels something for him, but if that's only a sense of respect for him rather than a romantic interest, how would he react? Would he really be willing to not only deal with the regret of sleeping with her, twice, but add more strain on their friendship when she denies him? Is saying anything to her even worth it?
He comes to the decision that he will think on it before he says something to her. Maybe stop asking her over and start asking her out. Go to the movies, go with her to the gym, help her with schoolwork somewhere besides his room. He'll read her expressions and reactions then. He doesn't want her to think he only spends time with her because she's a person he can have sex with.
He really doesn't want to lose spending any amount of time with her, which is why he's going to change how he spends that time. If she doesn't like him more than just a friend, well, maybe he can work on that. Let her mold him into the type of person she likes as long as it's something he can cope with.
His mind set, he throws himself off his bed and rushes to get ready for school. He's all but smiling as he makes his way down the stairs, bag in hand (and lighter thanks to a missing Morgana). He comes to an immediate stop on the last stair, his eyes landing on the only other patron in the shop. How is Sojiro not here yet?
But that's not why he stops. Makoto sits on one of the chairs at the bar, her hands to her head as if she's in pain. The dread and guilt hit him like a bullet train and his feet are frozen to the floor. She must have heard him come down the stairs, because no sooner does he take in her appearance is she turning and forcing a weak smile.
"Are you ready?"
The strain in her voice is too much for his heart to take. He drops his head to his chest, curses once more, then finds the strength to move. "I'm sorry, Makoto. Please," he stops to brace himself for the pain of his own words. "Please forgive me."
Her silence is the final stab to his heart. By some miracle, he shakes it off and walks towards the door without looking at her. He doesn't want to see the expression on her face. He doesn't want to have the walk to school be so damn suffocating and have that energy to rely on for the rest of the day.
He buries his regret and sorrow once more because she's more important than his own feelings. "Can I have the honor of walking you to school at least?"
She pushes her chair back, grabs the bag by her feet, then comes to stand next to him without a word. He holds the door open for her as she walks through and his heart picks up its pace by a fraction of a beat when she waits for him to lock up. At this point, he half expects her to run off, but she stays, and that makes him happy.
They walk in crushing silence until they reach Yongen-Jaya Station. He pulls out his phone as a means of distraction and he's relieved when he finds a few unread messages. He catches Makoto shift out of the corner of his eyes, then she takes a deep breath and he holds his own in anticipation.
"I'm sorry, too, Ren."
His fingers grip his phone to keep from dropping it, but before he can form a rebuttal, she beats him to it. "I should have stopped you, and I didn't. So please, please don't blame yourself. I'm just as much to blame as you are."
The arrival of the train to Shibuya cuts off any reply he would have said. As the doors open, he extends his hand towards her and flashes a smile. "Well, my Queen, let's get going."
Her smile in return eases some of the pain in his heart as she takes his hand and they both step onto the train. He never lets go of her hand until they make their transfer, then he reaches for it without asking. The light dusting of pink growing on her face is the reason his heart reaches its original, unbroken state.
He's very grateful for the near-packed train in Shibuya, as he gets to wrap one arm around her to keep her steady. She stiffens when his hand reaches the small of her back, but she never protests or pushes him away. As the train continues on its path, he swears she leans into him without the excuse of the bumpy ride.
It is at this moment he knows that everything is going to be okay.
-.-.-
That night after the heist, the silence is broken with the question everyone wants to ask.
"How the hell did he catch wind of our plan?!"
Ren does all he can to focus on a rescue mission, but it's extremely difficult to do when all he wants is to find Akechi and kill him. Makoto's safety must be his first priority. Everyone had all agreed that sleep would be hard to come by and time was not on their side. While he had wanted everyone to go home and rest, their determination had been overpowering.
"I have no idea," Futaba replies. "We had his phone bugged and when I checked last night, there was nothing new! He couldn't have known!"
The room falls silent once more, but the gears in everyone's head are very much in motion. Ann is next to speak up. "Well, I don't mean to sound like a terrible person here, but Akechi is pretty smart. What if he just…figured it out?"
"I woulda known," is Futaba's immediate response. "I kept track of where he was, who he spoke with, everything! There's no way he did something without me knowing!"
Ann holds up her hands in defense at the younger girl's retort. Yusuke, however, always seems to speak when someone is angry, as if he just reads lips and not the emotion behind the words.
"What if he didn't use his phone?"
Futaba turns her glare to the boy sitting across from her. "He's always on his phone! All of you are, too!"
But Yusuke actually brings up something he had never considered. Yes, Akechi is intelligent, but he may have been more observant than Ren gave him credit for. What if he found Futaba's behavior strange when she stole his phone while the others tried to buy her time by deflecting his attention? He also worked with the police, so him talking to officers personally would not at all be suspicious. He didn't need to use his phone to contact them if his plans changed.
"What if he got a new phone?"
Ren swears Futaba is going to lunge across the table and strangle Yusuke, but Morgana intervenes. "Regardless," he says as the younger girl leans back in her seat. "That's not really important. We can work out how he discovered our plan later. Right now, we need to focus on getting Makoto back."
Slowly, all eyes in the room turn to him. His defense reaction is to ask why everyone is looking at him, but now isn't the time to be hiding secrets from his friends. They only want to help. Hell, he's pretty sure Morgana and Futaba are very well aware of his relationship with Makoto anyway.
"You need to tell us how you knew what was going on, Ren."
Morgana's statement chills him to the bone. There's some slight resentment in his voice, almost telling him that he is disappointed in his leader. He shakes his head to rid himself of the thought. Again, he can deal with repercussions later.
"I didn't really know it was going to happen," he says, his eyes falling to the floor. "It was just a feeling." He pauses, his hands balling into fists on his lap under the table. He takes a deep breath before he lifts his head to continue. "Akechi had been coming around the last few days before the operation." Everyone's eyes widen at this, but he presses on. "I didn't think anything of it at first. We would sit and talk and play chess and kind of unwind that way. But…"
When he trails off, Morgana pounces. "But what, Ren?"
In retrospect, he should have told the team. But there was little time, and after speaking to Makoto, he really didn't know if it was a valid threat, or as she had stated, was just a method to throw him off balance to make his capture easier. His stomach begins to turn and his nails dig deep into his palms. He could have saved her. They could have saved her! But he was stupid and kept his mouth shut!
"Now is not the time to dwell on your regrets."
It's Haru.
"You obviously feel like you should have done something, but the reason I feel like we need to know is so we can help." She smiles sweetly at him, and he swallows to clear his throat. He will not cry in front of them. "Please, remember that she is also our friend and any information you have could help us find her."
The stifling tension in the room fades into a sense of understanding. It's a powerful change, he can even see sparks ignite in each of his friend's eyes. He actually has to look away for a brief moment because he is sure he's about to cry.
Composing himself enough, he turns to his friends and tells them what had happened. "It was a normal game of chess right up until he attacked my queen with no real reason. It actually cost him a critical move to end the game." He pauses to steady himself, anger creeping into his tone from remembering that damn smirk as Akechi dangled his game piece. "He told me that sometimes, it's not always fun to take out the king directly, but to watch what happens when he loses his most important player."
Everyone is equally surprised, then the surprise fades into anger. "Oh, hell no!" He anticipates an outburst from Ryuji, but he is also relieved to hear that his friends are just as pissed off as he is. "And he thinks he's gonna get away with this?!"
Futaba is on her computer instantly. "Oh, I'm going to find you, you piece of stupid human flesh!"
"So you think instead of going after you, he cancelled his plan and single-handedly went after Makoto?" Morgana asks.
"That's incredibly foolish of him," Yusuke adds as he folds his arms over his stomach. "She would have utterly destroyed him."
Ren almost laughs while Morgana responds with, "In a one-on-one fight here, yes, but in the Metaverse? He's extremely dangerous."
Yusuke shrugs his shoulders. Ryuji chimes in under his breath. "I think she'd still kick his ass."
Regardless of how impressive (and intimidating) Makoto could have been, Morgana is correct. Akechi also could have very easily caught her off guard. Suddenly, a new wave of fear causes him to double over, successfully halting all conversation around him.
"Ren?"
What if she was already dead?
What if Akechi pulled the trigger meant for him and killed her?!
He's going to be sick.
He pushes his chair back and stands quickly. Again, it's Haru's voice that stops him in his tracks. "Do you think she's dead?"
The silence fills the room once more and his guilt pulls on him until he collapses back in his seat. His hands cover his face and he groans in frustration. "I don't know."
"I don't think he will kill her." He lowers his hands and stares at the cat sitting in front of him. "He wants to kill you, so I'm sure he's holding her as collateral."
"You don't know that."
"I don't think he would either," Futaba says as she looks at him over her computer screen. "I mean, the big dogs are probably the ones pushing him to kill you, so I still think it's the end goal." She turns her attention back to the computer. "I may need more time to actually confirm that, since it seems that Inari might be right about the phone."
Ren's voice sounds desperate, even to his own ears. "How much time will you need?"
Futaba gives him a classic 'is that a challenge' look before returning to her computer. "I'll find something by the end of the night, or I won't eat Sojiro's curry for a week!"
"Perfect!" Ryuji stands and stretches his arms over his head. "Futaba has a task, so what about us?"
"A trip to the police station might give us some insight as to where Akechi could be."
Ann's suggestion trips a wire in Ren's mind. "No." He is quick to his feet. "I have a better idea." Some semblance of a plan comes together. "Ryuji, I want you to speak to Mishima. Tell him to keep the Phan-Site active and public. Forge comments if you have to. I need everyone who checks the site to know they haven't heard the last of us."
Ryuji offers a thumbs up and he turns to Ann. "Go with Ryuji so I know that the two of them don't get off topic."
Ann laughs as his blonde friend shouts a "hey man!" before he addresses Yusuke. "I need you to head to Shinjuku and speak to Ohya, the news reporter at the Crossroads bar." He pulls out his wallet and hands him a few thousand yen bills. "Tell her I sent you. If that's not enough, tell her you're Madarame's pupil. She'll likely ask you for details, but tell her after she agrees to publish a headline story about the Phantom Thieves. It can be good or bad, I don't care, so long as it's published by morning."
Yusuke stares at the money in his hands like it's the most beautiful thing in the world. "Word of advice, bro," Ryuji says before he steps down the stairs. "Don't linger. There's some…strange people out that way."
"Futaba, I need you to put a tracker in Morgana's collar." The feline perks up at his name. Ren drops his gaze to meet his eyes. "After it's on, I need you to find Akechi. Follow him around. Maybe it will help us find Makoto, or he will say something. I trust you enough to know what you're doing."
Morgana rises to all fours and shakes his head in confirmation. "I mean, I am the best."
Ren allows himself a small smile before turning his attention to Haru. "You're coming with me."
His senpai claps her hands together and smiles. "Where are we headed to?"
"We're going to talk to Sae."
As everyone files out of Leblanc, Ren speaks to them one last time. "Don't stay out too late. Don't get into trouble. Futaba, keep us posted on what you learn."
They all nod in affirmation and go their separate ways. As he heads to the train station with Haru, he turns to her and says, "thank you. For earlier."
She's caught off guard by his comment, but she smiles at him a moment later. "I just ask one thing in return."
"And what's that?"
"I get to use Akechi as target practice for my new rocket launcher."
Her smile and deadly implication is contagious. "You can have his remains when I'm done with him."
-.-.-
"She said she'll be here as soon as she can."
Ren releases his breath. He was worried that Sae would have denied a request to speak to Haru about her father's murder. He played on the fact that it was her job to investigate, and if she was anything like her sister, nothing was left open-ended. Especially with the push from Haru that she "may or may not" also have information about the Phantom Thieves.
To be honest, Ren is nervous. Extremely nervous. He may have used Haru's situation to pull Sae away from corrupt ears — or worse — Akechi himself, but time is not on his side. The others may have convinced him that Akechi wouldn't kill Makoto, but that didn't mean he wouldn't hurther. Deep down, he believes Akechi's main objective is to kill him, but he still doesn't know how he plans on going about it, or when. All he can say, is that the longer it drags on, the more he's going to lose focus and fall apart.
And that means he needs Sae on his side. He assumes that coming out and telling her that her younger sister has been kidnapped by Akechi will only create chaos. Sae is likely more intelligent than he's aware of, but this situation isn't about smarts. It's about emotion. And he needs to approach her cautiously, but immediately at the same time.
He needs her to trust him, to help him, to help Makoto, and if she knows of the full situation, she may be able to help. The fact that concerns him is that they didn't officially change her heart, so he is unsure how she's going to react. But she must still love her sister, right?
It's a huge gamble, but he has little options and little time. He can only pray that he plays his hand correctly. Because things are either going to go terribly wrong, or wonderfully right. The stakes are too high for him to mess up now.
He can only hope that Makoto's safety is more important to Sae than anything else, or he's fucked.
"When she gets here," he says as he faces Haru. "I need you to leave the two of us alone." He raises his hands when she opens her mouth. "I don't want her to implicate you in anything I say. Or have her turn her focus on you and ignore me completely." Her mouth closes. "Please, trust me."
She doesn't appear to like what he tells her, but she slowly nods her head. "You appear to know what you're doing." She smiles. "I trust you."
A small wave of relief washes over him as they continue to wait in silence. His mind is still racing with last minute questions and concerns, trying to tie up loose ends that he may not think about in the heat of the impending conversation. Sae is going to be sharp. He must know what he's going to say before he even says it. Any amount of hesitation will land him six feet under.
He's never been one for a script, but right now, he sure as hell could use one.
Ren had asked Haru to hold the meeting in one of the warehouses of her father's business to keep their discussion a secret. The warehouse is deserted, something he wanted but is saddened about at the same time, but Haru didn't seem to mind. It's easy enough to know when Sae arrives as he can see the headlights from a car cut through the shadows of the entrance. Haru walks out of the office room to greet her, and he is hit with a terrifying thought.
What if Sae suspected an ambush and brought back-up?
She probably deals with a shitload of crazy criminals, and what's more shady than asking to meet at some closed up warehouse alone?
He almost falls out of his seat when Haru appears with a woman he's met once, but recognizes immediately.
Apparently, Sae is just as surprised to see him.
Her eyes narrow after recovering from her shock, and something cracks in him. He knows the look well.
I'm going to save you.
Clearing the thoughts away, he stands to greet her. "I believe we've met once."
Her glare intensifies. Haru takes the opportunity to slip quietly out of the room. "You're that delinquent transfer student."
He wants to say something snarky in response, but doesn't believe it's a great way to start the conversation. He decides to not waste her time before he loses her interest and leaves. "I'm sorry for calling you out here like this, but there's something I need to ask you." A deep breath. "I need your help."
He swears she scoffs at him. "My help? I didn't come here to engage in your teenage-,"
"It's about your sister." He gets the reaction he hopes for. Her words come out as a gasp, her eyes go wide, and her body stiffens. He has her full attention, so he can't afford to lose it now. "She's been-,"
"What have you done to her?!"
He blinks and she's backing him into the wall, her expression forcing him to hold his hands up in defense. Words tumble out of his mouth. "I-I didn't do anything!"
His back hits the wall as she stands inches away. He honestly fears for his life. "I will murder you, cut you into pieces, and burn your remains if I find out you did anything to her!"
A part of him is happy to know she's so upset about her sister.
The other part of him…is horrified.
"Please, I need you to listen to me." He shuts his eyes, more so to remove the terrifying images of her cutting his body in half, and blurts out, "She's been kidnapped and I need your help to get her back."
The silence is almost as scary as her reaction. Realizing this is the best chance he has, he lays out the situation for her. "Without going in to too much detail, Akechi threatened to kill me. But when he realized he was outmatched, he went after her. I don't think he's going to hurt her, because he wants to hurt me, but I need as much help as I can get right now. So I'm reaching out to you."
Again, he meets silence. It's overpowering, and he can barely breathe. He lifts his head to look at her, but his heart sinks as he takes in her reaction.
She doesn't believe him.
She says as much. "You expect me to believe you? You, some criminal youth who has nothing better to do than fabricate stories?" The glare returns. "And you involved my sister in it as well? She knows better than to associate with juveniles like you!"
He stands a bit straighter at the insult, but reminds himself he's not here to pick a fight with her. "You can call me whatever you want, but it doesn't change the situation. Makoto is my friend, one of my best friends, so please-,"
"How dare you say that about her!" Ren bites his tongue until he's fairly certain he tastes blood. "Don't even think that you are good enough to be her friend! Trash like you don't deserve to speak to someone like Makoto!"
As hard as he tries to prevent it, he snaps. Somehow, he keeps his voice calm and quiet, but his tone is quite clear. "Do you know how scared she gets on the nights you don't come home? Do you know how many times I've stayed up on the phone with her because she doesn't want to be alone? Do you know that her biggest fear is that you hate her?! Because she's not good enough in your eyes?! Would you even know if she was missing, or would you only know when the school called, or some uniformed officer told you she was dead!?"
He pauses to catch his breath, to unclench his fists (he can feel blood trickle down his wrists), but more importantly, to let his words sink in. But he doesn't stop for long.
"I love your sister." He feels his heart break at the confession because he's not saying it to her. "I would do anything for her. I would listen to you berate me all day long if it helps bring her back. So really, I'm not asking you to help me; I'm asking you to help her."
Ren stares at the ground for a long while before he finds the courage to look up at Sae. She's a mix of facial expressions, which leads him to believe that he's gotten through to her on some level. But he doesn't think she's fully convinced. "I'll do this with or without your help, but if your sister's safety isn't enough to persuade you, I'll add an extra incentive." He barely manages to swallow the lump building in his throat. "I'll tell you everything you want to know about the Phantom Thieves."
He really wants this to be a last resort, but the flash in Sae's eyes is instantaneous. "What?"
He doesn't repeat himself. "Will you help me, or not?"
She is quiet for a few minutes, but his eyes remain on her face while she reaches her decision. She locks eyes with him, and the pressure lifts off his chest. He recognizes the determination. Makoto had the same look when she told him that night that everything was going to be okay.
He just doesn't know which objective it comes from: her sister's safety, or her career.
"What do you need me to do?"
A few things I want to say: I really need Sae for upcoming chapters, so I may have rushed her section here. It will be continued in a future chapter, but I also feel that Sae is very worried about her sister and can easily tell a liar from a trustworthy person. Detectives and prosecutors are paid to do just that. Sae's unchanged heart is why I peppered in her hidden love for her sister.
Also, there are several moments in the game where I was surprised Akechi never figured out Ren and company were up to something. The most notable was the phone. However, I am very skeptical, but Futaba's reaction may have been a bit over the top. He may have thought so in the game and failed to find her bug, but if he was at all suspicious, I personally believe he would have gotten another phone. Just my thoughts, and how this story even really came about.
Thanks for reading and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
龍の神様