Ren's eyes snapped open. The rain was lighter, so the streams of water over the roof tiles were smaller. The wind was quiet. He wasn't as cold as before. It was still dark, though.

Fear then shot through him again and his hands went to his neck. It was whole. No wound. Someone healed him. He started to get up, and he noticed there was a weight on his back. He craned his head, unable to see what it was, then turned over, and the thing slipped off of him and tumbled softly to the roof tiles. Ren pushed himself up to his knees and looked at the thing. It was a smallish black shape, undefined in the darkness. Ren touched it. It felt like wet fur. Morgana!

He picked up the soggy animal. "Morgana! Morgana! Hey!"

The cat did not stir. Ren ran his hands over Morgana's body. He felt a heartbeat, though it was soft. And Morgana seemed to be shivering. Ren pulled up his shirt and pressed Morgana to his chest, holding him there under his own wet clothes, figuring it was more warmth than nothing. He needed to get them out of the rain.

He looked along the roof's length and the most obvious way back into the resort, the second floor suites, were simply gone. The jagged remains of their walls did not promise a smooth descent to the first floor. But nearby, a tree trunk was sticking drunkenly out of the resort roof. It must be the one Ren knocked into Akechi back on the cliff. The hole it made, and the angle of the trunk, made for a somewhat convenient ramp into the first level of the resort. Light was pouring out onto the roof from below. Ren headed for it, set his rump on the tree, and used his legs to pull himself down its length into the resort, dragging himself uncomfortably over branches of all shapes and sizes. He kept both arms wrapped about the still form of Morgana.

As soon as his feet hit soggy carpet in the resort, Ren was confronted by a submachine gun, held by a masked man dressed in black. The characters for police were large and white on his uniform.

"Hold there, kid. What are you doing here?"

"This is my hotel."

"You are staying here?"

"Yes."

Another masked policeman arrived. "Who's this?"

"I dunno. Some kid, obviously. Says he was staying here."

"Good. Another witness. Come with us, kid."

"No, I need to get some help for my cat."

"What? Your cat?"

"Yes, he's injured. I need to take him to a vet."

"You can do that later. We need to talk to you first."

Ren felt anger flow through him. "No. I'm going to fucking do it now."

"What did you say?"

"I said fuck you. I'm going."

"You don't get it, kid. We're National Police. And right now, you're being detained for questioning. You want to be arrested instead?"

Ren didn't respond and moved to walk past the policeman, who promptly tackled him to the ground. Ren frantically turned on his side to avoid crushing Morgana. "You bastards! Let me go!"

"What's in his arms?"

"What's in your arms, kid?"

Ren's arms were snatched away and Morgana tumbled out of his shirt.

"Well, fuck me. It is a cat."

Ren stared for a moment at Morgana's limp form on the wet carpet. His earlier frustration blazing into a burning rage.

"I fucking told you!"

Ren struggled against the policeman holding him to the ground. He felt Arsene hover at the edge of his consciousness. He envisioned these policemen rotting away. Falling to the ground dead. His mouth opened to cast a spell.

Wait.

What am I doing?

Ren shut his mouth. Goosebumps going wild over his body. He'd been two words away from killing these people. Out of habit. Out of today's habit. Because he could. It was easy. It was far too easy.

Ren shivered uncontrollably as they handcuffed him. "My cat. Bring my cat."

"Yeah, we'll bring the fucking animal, kid. Shut up."

Ren sat in the dim light of a nondescript interrogation room. Windowless. Artlessly constructed of hollow block walls and bare concrete floor. The arresting officers had brought him here, chained his cuffs to the table itself, and left. He'd asked them why he was here, but they only said that he was a suspect and someone would come with questions. That was maybe four hours ago. Ren simmered in the silence; worried about Morgana, worried about everyone.

Maybe he should be enraged to be locked in here like a criminal again. But Ren wasn't. He wasn't sure of himself. He felt guilt, sorrow, relief, and giddiness all at once. But none of it felt like victory. They'd won. Akechi was gone for good. But there were literal piles of dead bodies up on that mountain, and it was his choices that lead to their creation. And his friends had helped him do it- and the day was so hectic, so knife's-edge the entire time, there wasn't even a unanimous vote for him to hide behind. He could only look to himself and his so-called leadership.

And then he'd almost killed two more people. Innocent people. Real police. It had been close. Scary close.

The door to the interrogation room opened. A tall, lithe woman entered. She wore a black pantsuit. Her hair was platinum silver and her eyes were deep crimson. A look of professional seriousness was on her face.

"You had to resist arrest?" said Niijima Sae.

"Where's my cat?" said Ren, a twinge of anger in his voice.

"It's fine, Mr. Amamiya. Calm down. I detailed a local squad car to take your animal to a veterinary clinic. Your cat is evidence in a major case, after all- and I'm obligated to preserve all evidence."

"And?"

"And it's tired."

"Tried?"

"Yes, very tired. The vet was confident that rest, food, and water are all that will be required."

"And everyone else?"

"They're fine. Firefighters found them in the woods a few hours ago. Apparently, they were out hiking and were caught in the forest fire. They are lucky to be alive- especially when so many of Shido's men appear to have been caught in the flames."

Niijima Sae walked to the corner of the room, reached up, unplugged the security camera.

"A perk of the position," she said as she turned back and moved to take her seat across the table from Ren, "I decide what is confidential."

She sat down in front of Ren, regarding him intently. "You really made this a pain in my ass, you know? If you'd just come in quietly, I could have had all of you out of here three hours ago. Instead, you now need to be interrogated, and obviously, I need to be the one to do it. Sorry it took me so long to get to you."

They stared at one another across the grey desk.

"Ms. Niijima," said Ren. "This feels familiar."

"Yes, it does. But, I don't really need to ask you any questions, this time, Mr. Amamiya. I've spoken at length with Makoto and I believe I have a handle on tonight's events. The real events. Though my investigative team is another story." Her eyes remained steady on him, seeming to invite conversation.

"Do you know what they are thinking?" asked Ren.

Sae looked at Ren intently, seemed to debate with herself, then said: "The running theory is that Shido's men fractured over the stress of pursuit from NATPOL and their individual greed. They killed Shido, then each other. It's a common enough end to criminal organizations: a battle to the death over the scraps. Based on what I've heard, my investigators are already enamored with the theory and are actively interpreting the evidence towards that conclusion."

"You're influencing them?"

"Don't be absurd. No. They are doing it to themselves. The idea that seven high-schoolers and a cat could defeat Shido's men in a gun battle on a mountaintop… They will look at the evidence and see what they expect to see."

Ren considered that. It made sense. "But the bodies? Some of the dead are-"

"Victims of biological weapons. Apparently Shido's faction had access to some strange toys."

Ren didn't know what to say to that, but he supposed an investigator wouldn't conclude "magic spell" as a means of death.

"What about Akechi?"

"A tragedy. Apparently, Akechi Goro was missing all this time because he was secretly investigating Shido's network. But, he was discovered and murdered on the resort roof by Shido's men in a savage execution. A heroic death for the Detective Prince. He was an ally of justice to the end."

Ren felt fury surge up inside him, "What!?" He tried to stand up in outrage, but his chained wrists pulled him back down.

Sae's face was impassive. "Yes. We have the murder weapon, we think. But due to the rain and standing water on the roof, forensics told me there is no real hope of getting prints. So which of Shido's dead men pulled the trigger will forever be a mystery." Niijima Sae's crimson eyes bored into him. Telling him to listen. "Do you have some other theory as to why Akechi Goro was here and who killed him? Is there some other suspect we should be looking at?"

Ren's anger faltered. He considered that: Police found him in the hotel. Saw him climb down from the broken roof. He would be the only other suspect. The rage left him. Well- if Akechi had to be remembered a hero, so be it.

Niijima Sae watched him calm, then sighed and looked at her watch. "Since my interrogation will reveal that you were just an unlucky bystander to such tragic violence, you'll be free to go soon enough. I just need to spend enough time with you to make it seem like I'm doing my due diligence."

Her crimson eyes flickered back to his. A look of calculation glimmered there, and for a moment, Ren saw in obvious detail the sisterly resemblance between Sae and Makoto. But whereas Makoto looked intense when she calculated, Sae looked intimidating- as if her calculation was regarding how to break him and she was now just deciding on the time to launch the attack.

"Since we have time," said Sae. "Tell me…"

Ren waited for the question.

"What is the extent of your relationship with my little sister?"

Ren's breath caught. Seriously? In this situation? Was that a priority? Ren lifted his handcuffed wrists and they jerked quietly against the chain keeping him secured to the interrogation table.

"Can you undo the cuffs?"

Sae leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Eyes narrowing.

"Answer the question."

The door into the lobby opened and revealed Ren's friends clustered around a cushioned bench in the hallway. Gloomy faces turned his direction, then bloomed into smiles and sparkling eyes. The sight touched Ren to his core, a warmth glowing within him- to have these amazing people react like that just from the sight of him; He felt like the wealthiest man in the world- flush with the currency that one could never spend, but which purchased happiness.

"Ren!" was the chorus.

Ren's eyes flicked around everyone and he smiled. Then his eyes settled on Makoto's face, which glowed with relief and happiness, her crimson eyes shining brightly in the lobby light. She took a single step forward, but Ann and Futaba were already leaping at Ren. The two mercurial ladies having transitioned from low worry to high joy so fast their circuits were overloading, causing them to tear up. Ren stopped as the two women rushed him. He'd been through this before. Those two just didn't have the same reins on their emotions as the others did. He braced himself. They plowed into him- it was like standing against the ocean surf.

Ann hugged him tightly and then stepped back, wiping her eyes, "I'm so- glad." She finally managed to get out.

Futaba buried her face in Ren's side and said nothing.

The others approached at a more reasonable indoor speed. Haru replaced Ann's position and took her own hug, eyes sparkling. "You know, Morgana saved me kinda the same way. That wind-landing maneuver of his is a really useful trick."

"What?"

"Oh, you didn't see? He leapt off the cliff as soon as it seemed like the fight was over. Scared us all half-to-death before I realized what he was planning. Well- he'll tell you all about it himself, I'm sure."

Ren looked up from Haru and Ryuji reached over for a fist bump. "Hell yeah."

Yusuke watched the process. He was holding a cat carrier in one hand. Ren offered his fist to Yusuke. The tall man looked at it, smiled softly, than accepted. They bumped fists. "The fist of triumph," said Yusuke, "Well deserved."

"By us all," finished Ren.

Makoto stepped forward, and Futaba finally let go her own grip to step back and watch. Center of attention now, Makoto blushed and hesitated. Then her face gained a determined cast, and she stepped forward towards Ren. Taking the cue, he wrapped her into a hug and she buried her blushing face into his chest.

"When Sae told me you were alive," she said in the halting voice of someone holding back tears, "It was like waking up from a nightmare. You know? When all the terror melts away because you realize it wasn't real."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

But then the internal time limit of Makoto's public display of affection ran out, and she backed away from him. Ren's eyes shifted to the cat carrier in Yusuke's arm.

"How is Morgana?"

"Sleeping," said Ann.

Ren stepped forward to see inside the carrier. Morgana was curled up in a ball, but one blue cat eye opened and looked at him, it's vertical iris focusing in on Ren's face.

"Ren," said Morgana's weak voice.

Ren put his face close to the cat carrier. "Thanks for bringing me back."

The cat eye blinked slowly, tiredly.

"I require fatty tuna. Doctor's orders."

Ren smiled. That was a sure sign Morgana was just fine.

"Well, it's nearly midnight," said Sae as she joined them in the lobby, standing before them all with hands on her hips. "Sorry to say, but the resort is closed. It's a crime scene. And every room in town is booked. But I won't be sleeping, so you all can use my room. I requested enough extra futons, and there is enough floor space to accommodate you for one night. Just use the hotel yukatas for now, I'll have you things brought to you in the morning."

A murmur of thanks and appreciations came from the group.

"Head outside. The van is already waiting to take you there."

The group turned and walked towards the front door. Makoto, Ren, and Sae lagged behind.

"Thanks, sis," said Makoto.

Sae looked at Makoto with an expression that Ren couldn't read. An appraising look, perhaps? Pride? Satisfaction? Ren wasn't sure. Then Sae said: "Makoto, bring Mr. Amamiya to more dinners at home. The Niijima table has lacked good men for too long."

Makoto gave her sister a surprised and confused look, mixed with a blush. "Umm… Oh- okay." Her crimson eyes flicked to Ren's. Ren put on an innocent expression.

"Well, goodnight, sis."

"Goodnight. I'll try to see you in the morning."

Niijima Sae returned through the lobby doors to the interior of the police building. Makoto and Ren turned and followed the others outside.

"What did you talk about in there?" said Makoto.

"You."

"What?"

"She asked me about us."

"What did you tell her?"

"Basically, what I told you the first night in the resort.'

"Ren, but that sounds like-..."

"I know what it sounds like."

"Oh. And you told Sae?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I tell her the truth? She asked."

"I see..." Makoto trailed off. Her smiling cheeks a bright, blushing red.

With a police driver, they were not free to talk, but the events of the day were oppressive enough. Conversation was sparse amongst the Phantom Thieves for the short drive across town. Coincidentally, Sae's room appeared to be in the same hotel where they spent their first night.

The Phantom Thieves took Niijima Sae's key to the room, and found the promised futons and yukatas. It was the only change of clothing any of them had, as their personal effects were all up on the mountain. But fatigue was heavy on all. they each gathered their robes, went to the shared bath, and took care of business. On the men's side, conversation remained light. Ren, Ryuji, and Yusuke all more or less occupied within their own minds, sparing only a few words about nothing.

Ren was the first to finish and return to the room. He selected a futon at random, his eyes heavy, he slid into it and sighed. Drifting off to sleep almost immediately. The others filtered in one by one and did the same. The mixture of relief, past stress, and trauma proving a powerful soporific.

But in the quiet of the night, in the midst of dreams and restful oblivion, they all moved, unaware and asleep. Makoto rolled onto her side, scooted over, placed an arm over Ren's chest, her head nuzzling into his side under the shoulder. Morgana was already sleeping on Ren's torso, curled into a feline ball. Ann tossed and her wrist fell atop one of Ren's outstretched arms. Yusuke managed to rotate, the top of his head near the top of Ren's, their hair touching. On the opposite side, Ryuji was sprawled out over a large area of the floor with one of his ankles over one of Ren's ankles. Haru was near Ryuji, rolled over in a graceful side-sleeper's pose, but the toes of one of her feet were pressed into the outside of Ren's lower thigh. Futaba was flat on her back, both calves resting to each side of Ren's other knee.

And so the Phantom Thieves slumbered contentedly as one.

They slept late. Awakened in the late morning by a member of the hotel staff informing them that some policemen brought their luggage. They collected these items, then filtered off to bathe and dress at their own speed. The hotel was full of police and government workers, all members of Sae's investigative team, or of the National Police. The walls were relatively thin. This maintained the relative silence amongst the team, none of them eager to speak about the events of yesterday. Even Ryuji was tight-lipped, uneasy by the sheer number of badges all around him.

Ren waited for the others in the lobby. Haru was calling in a limousine. She decided this was good enough reason to flex her financial muscle and get them out of this town. Ren listened idly to the morning news while he waited. Someone was watching it in the small breakfast room.

"Initial information from the National Police seems to indicate that the rogue faction of Masayoshi Shido fractured under internal pressure near the seaside city of Matsuzaki. Acting SIU-director Niijima Sae held a brief news conference there this morning."

Ren turned to look at the TV. Niijima Sae looked striking, as usual, but clear lines of fatigue were evident under her crimson eyes. She stared down a pool of microphones with a no-nonsense look.

"I am not at liberty to discuss in detail an ongoing investigation, but it does appear that, last night in the hills above Matsuzaki, the Shido faction destroyed itself in an internal power struggle."

"Ms. Niijima! What about the rumors of Akechi Goro? Was he somehow involved?"

"The body of Mr. Akechi was found, yes. Initial findings seem to indicate that he may have been investigating Shido on his own, and we believe he was killed in a manner that seems to resemble an execution."

"What was he investigating, Ms. Niijima?"

"I don't have that information. I don't have anything else to say about Akechi Goro at this stage. The investigation will need to continue. Is there another question?"

"Is Mr. Shido alive, Ms. Niijima?"

"No, his body was found on the hillside below a mountain resort. As far as we are aware, he was physically incapable of getting there himself. It is our current theory that he was a victim of his faction's disintegration."

"Ms. Niijima! What about rumors of strange figures in storm clouds? Many people in Matsuzaki reported seeing strange shapes in the sky last night."

"If you are asking me about what some people think they saw in a lightning storm, then you are all obviously out of real questions. This conference is over. Your networks will be duly appraised of our progress."

"Wait! Ms. Niijima! Ms. Niijima!"

Whomever was controlling the TV then switched the channel. It appeared to be some sort of local news program.

"Wowy zowy! Did you all see the storm last night? The lightning was intense!"

"Yes, it was. My dogs were freaking out all night!"

"Fun fact: That was the earliest and most intense monsoon Matsuzaki has ever experienced in recorded history. Almost three months early, and dropping a whopping 100 millimeters of rain in two hours!"

"That's amazing! Was there any flooding?"

"No, it looks like we got lucky this time. And speaking of lucky, the Matsuzaki High baseball team has a lucky seed in the Spring tournament this year. Lets go to Mr. Hanada for local sports!"

The limousine arrived. They loaded their things.

"Sae sends her apologies," said Makoto, "Apparently, the press conference was unexpected and delayed her this morning. She wishes us a safe journey. And to do better at staying under the radar."

Still uncharacteristically quiet, they all loaded into the vehicle and it drove them away from Matsuzaki. As they entered the toll road, Ren's mind drifted to the fate of his friends. Ren worried for them. The battle of the mountain top was sure to have changed them all, for good, or ill, or both. The extent of any damage might take a while to appear. How would the blood and the killing weigh upon them? Would it change them? They'd seen violence in the Metaverse, but yesterday was something else entirely. Their human opponents made it somehow more real. Heavier.

Ren looked around the limousine. His friends were gloomy, each of them looking out a window, eyes glazed, seeing something other than what was in front of them. Perhaps the battle last night. Perhaps something else entirely. Ren didn't know. Couldn't know. Not until he had a chance to speak with all of them. Find out what was going on inside.

And what about himself? He'd killed several people yesterday. He could see their faces in his mind when he thought about it. Any time he used his persona abilities, he would see their shock, their fear, and their… change of color. He shuddered. He didn't like the memory. And then there were the two honest policemen he'd almost killed on a whim. Ren was now scared of what he could do with just two words.

He could also see Akechi's head popping open, over and over. Strangely… that one didn't bother him as much. It almost made him feel better. Relieved. And THAT worried him. It wasn't too far from enjoying killing, was it? And from there, what else might he be capable of-

Ren's train of thought derailed as he felt a smooth hand close on his. He looked down. Makoto's hand. He looked up. Her crimson eyes were looking at him intently. A soft smile was on her face.

"Ren. We made it."

Right. They made it. They were all alive. Their enemies were not. Ren took in a big breath of air and let it go softly, blowing out his doubts and worries. He smiled at Makoto. She always knew. She understood. This woman was amazing.

Then Ren experienced a flash of memory: of the chromatic fading of Shibuya Square, and of Morgana's voice:

Even if you feel that only darkness lies ahead… As long as you hold hands together… See through it as one… the world will never end!

Ren regarded his friends again and their gloomy faces. He didn't need to burrow himself down into a well of self-doubt. It was time to fix this weird silence that was hanging over them since late last night. Start there. Then worry about everything else later.

"Anyone want ramen?" said Ren.

Ryuji's head jerked around, a smile exploding onto his face. "Hell yeah!"

Smiles sprung up throughout the limousine. Affirmative statements chasing away the cloud of silence.

"I'll look for a good one online!" said Futaba.

"Driver!" called Haru.

"Yes, Ms. Okumura?"

"We would like to stop for ramen soon. We'll let you know the place when we find it."

"Very good, Ms. Okumura."

"Ramen!" complained Morgana. "What about sushi?"

"I'll give you all the fatty bits from my pork bowl," said Ren.

Morgana's ears perked up. His tail flicked. He did enjoy fatty pork. "Fine. I suppose that will do for now."

And the limousine carried them all away from the sea and mountain of Matsuzaki- enroute to Ren's hometown once again.

And a ramen shop with at least a four-and-a half star rating.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading.

I wrote this story because I was not ready to say goodbye to the Phantom Thieves after Persona 5, and I thought others might feel the same way.

I hope it satisfied.