So...Akechi gave Joker his number.

Does he regret it? Yes, very much so.

If Mona had a phone, he would've given it to him even though Joker is the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Because fuck that guy.

As they were separating and saying goodbye, Joker asked Akechi for his phone number so they could keep in contact and plan their next meet-up.

He sighed, tired from dealing with Joker and the battle, he gave in easily. He turned back to Joker and replied. "...fine. I don't have my phone on me so hurry and take yours out. I'm only going to bother saying it once. It's -"

He recited his number and grinned as Joker struggled to find his phone and hurried to input his number in. Crow should have done the mature thing and waited patiently as Joker pulled out his phone and told him he was ready….but he doesn't give a shit if this was childish, he was going to enjoy every second of it.

"Okay, got it. I'll just put this number under lover~"

Crow's grin immediately dropped as he felt goosebumps rising from his arms.

'Ugh. Gross. That's it. I need to get out of here.'

"Woah Joker! Bring it down a notch!" He heard Skull laughed in the background as he left them. He hopes Joker isn't going to be as annoying on the phone as he was in real life.

And he was. Well Joker doesn't really do the flirty bullcrap as much, but he likes talking and asking questions. A lot.

It's kind of depressing, but he messages Akechi more than everyone else on his phone all combined.

Joker:

Good morning! How are u today? :)

Same as always.

Have you found a new bounty for us?

Where should we meet up?

Joker:

Nope. Just wanted to talk to u.

…

Joker:

Gotta know more about our new member.

I'm not a part of your group!

Joker:

:'(

And that's the basic gist of their conversations. It's only been a week and Joker always find time to message him sometime during the day, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

He makes a casual joke here or there, ask what Akechi's opinion is on something or what his likes and dislikes are, and talks about his day. It's like he's pretending that they're friends or something which they are not! And Akechi plans to keep it that way.

Everything else felt like it returned back to normal again. Akechi went to school, solve cases for his detective agency, cause some psychotic breakdowns for Shido. Same old, same old.

He didn't bother going back to Helen's whatever show to report that he took down Ca Ong. It was obvious since the Shadow hasn't appeared there anymore, but he kind of regret not being able to see her face when he tells her the information. Oh well. There's better things to do than to prove how useful he was to a stranger.

For all of the hectic crap that came with this issue, Akechi did enjoy meeting Quatre's siblings and want to visit them again. They were adorable and wished him luck for his fight with Ca Ong. They were a pleasant bunch, Akechi wanted to give them something as a thank you gift since he did receive a huge payout for the Shadow even after splitting it with the Phantom Thieves. He has free time today and had already contacted Quatre that he was going to be visiting. There was no response yet, but Akechi doesn't mind stopping by for a few minutes to drop off the gifts if he was currently out on a mission.

He already bought them a few souvenirs from Auguste Isles, the latest popular board games and card games for the kids to enjoy, but perhaps he should buy some seeds so they could grow some crops too. He was debating if he should buy tomato or carrot seeds at the moment. Akechi finally shrugged before purchasing both and a book regarding how to take care of plants.

Akechi grinned as he stuffed everything neatly into his book bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder as he thanked the lady before leaving Junes.

He wondered what the kids were up to as he walked through the streets of Tokyo.

It was quiet. Too quiet. It was almost eerie how silent the town is.

Akechi would've thought that there would be a lot of noise during the daytime since this town was only filled with children. However, he guessed he was only at the entrance and everyone might all be eating lunch or somewhere further in town.

He shrugged before walking past the entrance walls. He still remembered the basic layout since Quatre and the children gave him a grand tour. Akechi smiled at remembering how enthusiastic they were to meet him.

He eventually stopped in front of the dining hall. It's weird now that he still hasn't seen or heard anyone yet while walking in the town. Where did everyone go? He hopes that he was just being paranoid...he frowned as he opened the doors slowly.

"Hello?" He peeked his head in. He didn't see anyone.

"W-who's there?" A scared voice called out.

"It's Akechi...is everything alright?" He narrowed his eyes, observing the place more closely now, trying to find out where the voice was coming from as he walked in further into the building. Of course everything isn't alright, but Akechi needs more information and hopefully these people could tell him something.

A small head peeked out from the kitchen area, Akechi could see how frightened the kid was before he ran up and hugged him. He was shocked and confused. No one ever came to him for comfort before (he could count the amount of times he's been hug on one hand). He needs to find out what the hell is happening that a kid feared for his own life.

Akechi awkwardly patted the kid's head and placed his other hand on the kid's back. Should he pick the kid up or put the kid behind him as he take a look around? Was it acceptable to pick up the kid or weird since the second time that they met? He bit his lip, he doesn't know what is the best way to handle the situation. However, he knows that they can't stay in this area for long if there's a potential enemy walking around. This building has large windows that anyone could easily break to get in, making it unsafe to take cover in here.

There were more kids that slowly appeared from the kitchen, some of them were even holding weapons to defend themselves. Akechi felt his throat tighten at the sight. Even he wasn't that young when he held up his first sword, his eyes stared sadly at the trembling small hand.

"Hello." He said softly, hoping to look as harmless as possible. "Do you know where Esser-san or Quatre are? Why aren't you with them?"

"Emilia got sick from those bad guys outside town. Quatre-nii went after them." The child's voice was muffled by Akechi's coat. Akechi's fingers ran through the kid's hair, he hoped he was able to calm the kid down a bit by doing this.

"I see, where's Esser-san then? I'll bring you guys to her."

The kids slowly walked towards Akechi while he asked questions. They lowered their weapons but they never fully put them away. He was sad to see that they didn't feel safe enough in their own homes to sheath their weapons, but he put that thought away as he tried to gather information.

"Esser-nee, I think, went into the sleeping quarters with Emilia. We were about to follow her but we heard loud noises and ran in here." The kid put on a brave face, but he couldn't stop himself from sniffling.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. We'll just go there then. You have me, the person who defeated Ca Ong, so you don't have to worry anymore." Akechi felt embarrassed that he was boasting out loud but he needs the kids to be optimistic and calm so they would be willing to move to a different location. It was one thing to boast to the adults and people who look down on him, but it's another thing when someone was actually interested.

The kids' eyes widened in amazement. The kid that was holding onto him finally loosened his grip to look up at him.

"You beat it?!" They shouted excitedly, their fear being forgotten at the moment.

While Akechi didn't want them to make a lot of loud noises in fear of any intruders still loitering around, he couldn't bare to tell them to quiet down. He kept glancing at the open door, making sure that they weren't suddenly going to get ambushed by anyone.

"Yes. I'll tell you more about it later. Let's go find Esser-san and everyone else first so I could tell everyone at the same time." He said with a grin.

They nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, can you tell me where the sleeping quarters are? I'll lead you guy there."

They all chattered at once while Akechi was trying to decipher their words. He think he knows how to get there now, but he repeats everything just in case. After receiving their confirmation that everything was correct, Akechi took his gun out and pointed it to the ground. He shouldn't need to use his Persona. He believes that his light (and dark) spells and his gun should be good enough to fend off anyone. While his Persona is more powerful, the attacks and spells take longer to cast so he rather not use it unless he's desperate.

He ordered everyone to stay behind him as he led them outside, checking to see if the coast was clear. After confirming that he didn't see or hear anyone, Akechi nodded at them and walked out. The progress was so slow, he had to hide at every corner, checking to see if there was anyone around the corner. Luckily, they never found any intruders as they walked to the sleeping quarters. Quatre must have chased all of them out.

Akechi looked at the kids and said that they should announce themselves first before going in, just to make the others aware that they weren't the enemy and attack them blindly when they come inside.

The kids knocked and said their names before Akechi said his name too and opened the door. He peeked his head inside just to make sure that the kids' information were indeed correct before letting them inside.

The scene was chaotic when he opened the door. There were kids running around or standing still to watch Esser and the sick child.

Akechi peered behind him to make sure he doesn't see anyone before closing the door gently and walked up to her while putting the safety back on his gun and putting it away. She looked stressed trying to take care of the sick Erune while a few of the kids were watching worriedly over the scene. Some of the others were scrambling around, getting water or towels to help the poor child. He doubt that they have a lot of knowledge about the medical field other than the basic first aid. Quatre and his sister were the oldest of the group and they were only around 17 years old.

Akechi was willing to admit that he also doesn't have a lot of medical knowledge either so he asked Esser if he could call a doctor for Emilia. While Esser frowned, she agreed that having the child be looked over by a doctor is the best choice so Akechi looked on his phone for the nearest doctor. He found a doctor in a small clinic 30 minutes from here. He decided to give them a call and after a few rings, someone picked up the phone.

"This is Takemi speaking." A female voice spoke.

"Hello? I have a child that just consumed an unknown drug. She has fallen ill and I was wondering if you were able to come here to check up on her? I also wanted to know if I could do anything in the meantime to help her."

"I see. Unfortunately I don't take house calls, I highly recommend that you take her to the hospital and have her get checked out."

Akechi's heart drop, Yongen-Jaya was the closest district to this town. If he tried finding a doctor from a different place, who knows what will happen to the child in the meantime. He refused to let someone innocent die in front of him, especially not a child! "You are the closest doctor that I could find, please reconsider! We live outside Tokyo so sending her to the hospital is not possible at this moment." He asked desperately.

"...I see." She paused for a moment while Akechi was waiting anxiously for her answer. "Tell me the side effects and we'll go from there. What town are you in?"

"Thank you! We are located in Stardust Town." Akechi said in relief. "Okay, her symptoms are —" he began listing them. She listened to him patiently before telling him the best way to help the patient was make her vomit the drug out. Takemi was planning on packing a few things then head out towards them, she gave him her cell phone number and told her to call him if anything changes in the meantime. Akechi thanked her profusely before hanging up the phone. He repeated what the doctor said to Esser.

While he was wondering about something for awhile, he finally found the right moment to ask his question.

"Uh, where is Quatre? I heard he was chasing the intruders out, shouldn't he be back by now?"

Esser looks exhausted when he asked the question. He could see the stress lines when she frowns. If she was Sae, he would try to lighten the mood with a joke about it. However, he's not sure how Esser would respond to his jokes, especially since one of her family members is currently sick. She hesitated, "...he's most likely cleaning out their hideout."

"I see…?" He's not sure why that's a bad thing, if those people live just outside Stardust Town, wouldn't Esser want them to move farther from their hometown?

Esser could sense his confusion as she went to explain further into detail.

"He's going to kill all of them. I don't like it, but I can't argue against him now, not when they drugged one of our own and tried to overtake our home." She clenched the towel tightly in her hand, her face darkens at the memory.

Akechi looked at her fist before pondering what his next words should be. While he doesn't condemn Quatre's actions, Akechi personally doesn't kill people. It takes a lot of strength to end someone's life and he doesn't want to be the one making that choice (he already knows the loss of his mom's death and he rather not make anyone else go through that with his actions). He wonders what Esser would want in this situation. "...what do you want Esser-san? What do you want to do to resolve this or what was your plan originally?"

Esser smiled bitterly, her Erune ears lowered in response. "Of course I want to protect my family, that's why I joined the Eternals and became the strongest gunsman out there, but violence isn't the key. It won't solve our problems, but only induce the flames of our rivalry. I was hoping that the mafia were going to back off after they heard of our statuses as the Eternals, but I suppose I was foolish to believe so. I have managed to prevent Quatre from destroying their base until now, but I fear that the mafia's action this time will successfully push him over the edge."

Akechi felt bad for her; he understands her point very well. Even if this mafia is killed off, their family members or another gang who is in an alliance with them will attempt to fight back. Revenge is a great motivation after all (Akechi is all too familiar with that concept).

He looks at her as he asked neutrally, "Do you still believe that? After everything that happened?"

Her eyes were fierce as she responded with one word. "Yes."

Akechi let out a smile. "Then I'll go find him. I don't know if I could stop him, but I remind him there are still other choices other than violence."

Esser finally smiled for the first time today.

"Thank you."

Akechi took off after Esser told him where the Mafia's base was. He could hear very loud screaming off in the distance after leaving the town. He ran faster, trying to get to the scene, hoping he could get to Quatre in time before anything drastic happens.

"I'll fucking kill you! Then I'll massacre the rest of you shitheads so my family will never have to live in fear ever again!"

"AHH!" The men started screaming as Quatre prepared his daggers and got into his fighting stance.

The scene was horrifying to see, there were bodies on the floor with slash marks on them. The blood pooling beneath them doesn't seem to be too bad though. It looks like they haven't lost too much blood that they were in the danger of dying from blood loss. Those guys should be able to survive at the moment unless Quatre plans on finishing them off.

"Wait! Wait! You there! Please help us! You can't let him get away with this!" One of the guys begged for Akechi's help as he just arrived at the scene as a bystander.

"Wait Quatre." he said as he calmly walk toward the enraged Erune.

"Huh?!" Quatre turned and glared at him. His eyes flashing with hatred as he stared Akechi down.

Those men seem to calm down a bit now that Akechi chose stepped in. Well they're going to be in for a surprise.

"You can't kill them yet. At least wait until I leave before you go through with it. I can't be associated with this scene." Akechi felt a little sadistic, he wants those assholes to sweat in fear like how they made those children feel after their town got attacked.

"Then hurry up the fuck up and leave! I'm not letting any of these insects get away. I've been tolerant of their existence for awhile and this is how they want to behave? By poisoning my family?! Fuck that shit! They deserve what's coming to them!" He yelled as swung his daggers.

"Okay, but calm down first. You'll become reckless if you let your anger control your actions. You taught me that Quatre. Remember that you have a family to return home to," he said.

Quatre's breathing seemed to slowly turned back to normal as he glanced between Akechi and the guys pathetically whimpering on the floor.

"Tch, my sister sent you didn't she." He scoffed. "If I have to dirty my hands so my family can live in peace, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to accept."

"...I can't tell you what's the best choice in this situation, but killing these guys might send a bad message to your family, that the only solution to end conflicts is to kill your enemy. There are other ways to punish someone without death. I'm sure you can think of another method that could prevent these guys from coming back. Giving them first hand experience about the wrath of an Eternal would send a good message I would think." He smiles innocently. Akechi hopes that Quatre gets the message.

Quatre's mouth twitched upwards at the suggestion. "I forgot why I found you interesting. It's fun to see when you reveal your sadistic side."

Akechi felt flustered over his words. He usually tried to hide his less than ideal self, but Quatre already saw that side of him when they first met. He didn't know that someone would actually accept and even like that side of him, but he feels very fortunate that he became friends with Quatre.

He smiled and said, "Give them hell Quatre."

Quatre's grin was full of teeth as he lifted his weapons and charged at them. The mafia guys were slowly trying to edge away while they were talking, but they never took the chance to start running...until they saw Quatre's new facial expression.

Letting those guys live might be a mistake. If they know his name, they could possibly spread rumors about Akechi's sadistic side and try to ruin his reputation, but he found that he doesn't care at the moment. As long as Quatre doesn't regret his choice later, Akechi is satisfied. Besides, if anything, Shido will take care of the problem and he doesn't give a shit if Shido's hands were stained with red.

'Well, it's time to see if the doctor was here yet.' He thought as he left the scene, listening to the screams of Quatre's victims.

By the time, Akechi came back and the doctor was already there and was examining Emilia.

Everyone was watching carefully, trying to see what the verdict was

"Emilia is going to fine...right?" Jacob asked.

Esser went to hold that child's hand as she said quietly, "let the doctor work."

He bit his lip as his tears threatened to fall.

They waited patiently as she did her work. It was deathly quiet. Akechi couldn't help but to recall the moment after his mother's death and how quiet everything was around him. He clenched his fists as he hoped that he was able to call the doctor in time, that this will not be a repeat of his past. Akechi doesn't even know this child, and he was surprised that he was emotionally invested in her well-being. It was strange.

He crossed his arms as his right hand grabbed the fabric of the coat on his left elbow. Akechi prayed. He hasn't prayed in a long time, not since his mother passed away, but he prayed that this child survives.

It took awhile before the doctor confirmed that Emilia was going to be fine. She gave her active charcoal which apparently prevents the body from absorbing the poison. She also hook an IV bag to make sure Emilia gets her fluids back after she trying to vomit the unknown drug out.

He let out a relief sigh and smiled as everyone hugged each other. Esser profusely thanked the doctor as she put her instruments away. He also went up to them to thank her.

"Thank you for taking your time to come here Takemi-sensei."

She nodded as she closed her bag. "Don't worry about the bill for now, I'll send it to you later when she gets better. Well if that's everything, I need to get back now."

"Please allow me to walk back with you." Akechi said.

She gave him a long look. "There's no need for that, I do have some experience in self-defense afterall." Takemi smiled wickedly as she help out a scalpel. Akechi didn't know where she pulled that out (her lab coat? Are doctors supposed to store their tools in there?) and he wasn't sure that he wanted to ask about it.

"Oh I wasn't doubting your self-defense skills. I wouldn't think a doctor would be willing to go through a forest filled with monsters and bandits without any form of combat skills. I actually need to go back to the city too and was wondering if I could accompany you."

He could tell that her amusement rose at his reply. "Not a bad deduction. Very well, let's get going then. I need my caffeine boost before heading back to my clinic to finish some last minute paperwork."

She turned to the kids and Esser, "Remember what I told you and let me know her progress, okay?"

"Yes, thank you very much!" Esser bowed deeply that her light pink braids touched the floor.

"Everyone, thank the doctor." She said while bowing.

"Thank you sensei!"

Takemi looked a bit stunned before quickly recovering herself. "There's no need for that. I'm just doing my job." She muttered.

Esser stood up, smiling. "You're the first one adult who went out of their way to help us. You have our thanks. Whatever you need, the Eternals Esser and Quatre will come to your aid."

"Blah, kids nowadays are too straightforward. I don't know how you're not embarrassed after saying all that." Takemi smoothed her hair as she avoided eye contact with everyone, a light blush was seen across her cheeks. "Hopefully you won't need to see me anymore after this."

"I hope to visit you as a friend the next time I see you. I'll make sure to bring a thank-you gift when I visit the city next time."

"Okay, enough mushy talk, I'm taking my leave now." She looks at Akechi. "Let's go kid."

As she turn to leave, Akechi waved to the kids and said goodbye. "Please say bye to Quatre for me."

Esser gave a nod and a grateful smile as she bid them farewell.

As they were walking out of town, Akechi remembered something.

"I never told you my name did I? I'm Akechi Goro." He said as he walked besides her.

"Thanks, but I don't bother remembering names unless they're my patients." She looked at him critically as they left town. "I don't mind having another guinea pig though, I'll give you a discount on my medications if you're willing to help me out. There are some side effects to my clinical trial though, the worse case so far is that the patient blacked out. Not a bad deal right?" Takemi smiled darkly at him as she finished her sentence.

"Ah...ha...ha. I'll think about it." He laughed nervously. "I travel around Tokyo often, I'm not sure if I have time to participate in a clinical trial, I apologize for that."

"That might also help…" She muttered. Akechi was curious on what she was thinking.

"That might work out." She said. "You could grab my packages for me. I run an independent clinic so if I could save money on shipping then that's fine with me. However officially you need to work as part of my clinic to get the packages since I order specific chemicals that can only be given to labs, hospitals, or clinics. What do you think? Is this doable?" She gave him a side glance.

"Yes, that seems like a good deal and it wouldn't be strange that an employee receives some type of benefit for working." If he wants to gain more experience in battle, having someone supplying him medication would work it. Potions and elixirs are great, but he also wants painkillers and sleep aids.

' A detective while working at a clinic and collecting bounties on the side. I hope people don't think I'm so poor that I need to work 3 jobs.'

They exchange phone numbers and he peeked at what she wrote under as his contact name. Guinea Pig Employee. He sweatdrops. It seems that she still hasn't given up on trying to get him to participate in her clinic trial.

As they continued their idle chat, eventually they made it back to the outskirts of Tokyo.

"Well I'm going to a coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya, do you want to come along?"

"Yes, I am also in need for some coffee to get back home."

"I really enjoy this place, it's small and quiet. The coffee is quite good also." As they walked, she pointed down the street to their right and stopped walking. "Oh, my clinic is going to be on the left, going up the stairs."

"I see."

"Let's hurry, I don't usually stay in the area this late, I don't know when the cafe closes."

They continued their walk and finally they were outside the cafe.

"Thank goodness they're still open. I'm not sure where I would have to go as a back-up around here if they were closed."

Takemi opens the door and the doorbell's soft chimes alerted everyone of their presence, which turns out to be two people.

' It really is quiet.'

Takemi sat in front of the bartender counter. Akechi hesitated before taking her right side, sitting next to an old yellow telephone. There was a nice painting of a woman in a bright red sweater holding a baby while gazing lovingly at him. The painting looks very familiar, but the title of it eludes him. He knew that it was related to Madarame and that he stolen it from a pupil of his, but that was as far as his knowledge goes.

He didn't know how relaxed he was until a voice appeared behind him. "Lovely painting isn't it? Even though I have seen this painting many times, it still manages to leave me in awe each time I see it."

Akechi tensed at the voice before turning towards it. He saw a teenager with dark blue hair, his bangs parted right in the middle. He looks like one of those ikemen that women would go crazy for and he wore a Kosei High uniform. Akechi wasn't surprised that the stranger was interested in art since Kosei was known for their art program. However, he looks familiar… Akechi was trying to place where though. He searched through his memory before narrowing down on one person.

Could it be a coincidence? Joker did recommend him this coffee shop, maybe he told his little party too.

"Yes, it truly is." Akechi responded. He has a feeling that this person might be a Persona-wielder so he closed his eyes to concentrate.

He wasn't sure why but he has an ability to sense if someone had the ability to summon a Persona. It wasn't a skill from either Robin Hood or Loki, but it's useful when Shido demanded that he cause a psychotic breakdown on a Persona user. Since it takes a bit of time and a great amount of concentration, he doesn't use it fairly often.

He wonders if anyone else had this ability too or was he the only one who was special?

The person stopped talking to him too, making it easier for him to focus in his surroundings.

After taking a minute or two, Akechi can confirm that he does have one. There's a high chance that this person is Fox...goddamnit it, he just wanted to relax and somehow on his off-time, he managed to find the identity of another Phantom Thief. It's not 100% confirmed, but his appearance does match Fox's.

"You planning on ordering something kid?"

' Oh crap!' He flinched at the voice.

Akechi opened his eyes, he only came in and sat down so far. Akechi blushed as he weakly smiled as he looked to the left where the menu that was hanging from the ceiling.

"Can I order a Blue Mountain coffee?" He asked.

"Coming right up." The barista said as he proceed to make Akechi's order.

"Boss, I must thank you for the coffee, it was wonderful as always." Fox said as he lifted his bag and walked towards the door. The doorbell rang as he opened the door and left into the night.

Akechi mentally sighed, maybe now he could finally relax. His coffee was placed in front of him as he said thanks to the barista. He lifted his cup and took a small sip. Akechi could bask in the taste of this coffee. He had this specific coffee bean before at Auguste, but somehow this place made it better and he wasn't sure how that was possible. He could see why a few people had recommend the place to him.

As he proceeds to savor his coffee, the doorbell jingled as the door opened once again.

"Oh it's you again. How's the coffee?"

Fuck relaxing. Apparently it's overrated. Akechi slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the door. If he was any trying to be any less than perfect, he would have spat out his coffee after seeing him.

There he was, Joker, standing and smiling without a care in the world.

Author's Notes:

This chapter actually came out fairly quickly because I had written a specific scene beforehand and writing the chapter revolving around that scene wasn't so bad. Now it's going to be slow from this point onwards.