"Dude, calm down." Akira laughed at Lucas who was pacing back and forth. "How the heck are you more nervous than me?"

Lucas looked at him in disbelief. "How are you not? Your about to propose to your long-time girlfriend!"

Akira had to admit he had a point, his initial nerves had faded away after they bought the ring, a fourteen-carat diamond with a gold ring base that costed so much Lucas nearly passed out.

They were currently waiting outside the police station the girl of his dreams worked at, the only reason they were standing out there though was because the rest of their friends weren't there yet, and Lucas who was nervous himself. (which was hilarious to Akira.) He was also just generally people watching, and getting endless amusement out of the glances some of the other people on the street were giving to his flustered American friend.

"I don't need to be nervous, it's called confidence." Akira said, smirking as Lucas took a few calming breaths. "How's your love life going by the way?"

Lucas looked at him with a raised eyebrow, rolling his shoulders in and effort to release the tension that had settled there, Akira pressed forward. "I'm about to propose to mine, Ann and Ryuji are probably dating in secret, Akechi is currently hiding from the press again after that loud love confession between Haru and him, and then there's you."

Lucas cocked his head a little like a puppy, a couple strands of his white blonde hair falling in front of his eyes. "What about me?"

Akira raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me that there's no one that's interested in you or vice-versa?"

Lucas thought about it for a brief moment then shook his head. "No way, there's no one in this world that would want to be with me, and I haven't really allowed myself to feel things for anybody."

Akira sighed and leaned against the building, ahead of him across the street, he saw the rest of his friends leaving the station all at once, except Akechi who was probably hiding somewhere still.

"Dude, you have to let yourself feel something." Akira said to Lucas who had noticed the others himself.

"I do feel things man, just not for anybody." Lucas insisted, he turned away and mumbled something under his breath, but Akira wasn't able to catch it. He intended to press more but was suddenly tackled in a bro hug by Ryuji who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Congratulations man, I'm the best man right?" Ryuji said, Ann smacked him in the head affectionately.

"Ryuji you idiot he hasn't even proposed yet!" She said, however the grin on her face was sparkling.

Haru and Futaba both gave him hugs. "I hope all goes well." Haru said, Futaba said nothing, but she smiled at him with shining eyes, tears of joy threatening to break through.

Morgana mewed and jumped into his arms, nuzzling his chin and purring. "Meoowwww! I'm totally psyched for this moment."

Yusuke walked up and put a hand on his shoulder, a pleased smile on his face. "I shall draw you a portrait of your wedding day my friend, it pleases me to see to lovers coming together."

Shiho gave a small smile and nodded her head, a subtle gesture. But a genuine one nonetheless.

Akira grinned and looked around, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "Thanks everyone, suddenly I actually do feel nervous, heh." He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Lucas standing by, awkwardly watching the exchange.

Akira smiled and walked over to put a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "We should give some love to the guy who helped me pick out the ring." Lucas' eyes widened, and he looked at Akira in confusion, who just smirked at him.

Akira took a step back as everyone swarmed Lucas and started giving him hugs and smiles and asking questions, the American looking thoroughly abashed.

Haru walked up to Akira with a sad smile on her face. "Akechi couldn't be here today sadly, too risky. But he does send his regards."

Akira waved his hand. "It's fine, I understand, what is he doing anyway?"

Haru shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, he just said he had to check something that's been eating at him.

Akira hummed. "Well I'll ask later. Congratulations on your new relationship with each other by the way." At Haru's shocked look Akira smirked. "Me and Makoto were nearby when it happened, it was so fluffy. Like your hair."

Haru sighed and rolled her eyes, she walked back to the group and clapped her hands catching everyone's attention. "Alright everyone! We've loitered around long enough." She gave a side glance to Akira who rolled his shoulders and smirked. "We've got an engagement to get to."

Everyone began shuffling inside the police station, smiles and jokes all around, Akira in the back letting everyone go first, suddenly though a chill went down his spine and he stopped cold. Lucas who was beside him stopped as well and looked at him and smirked.

"And you had the gall to tease me." He quipped. Akira didn't listen however, he spun around and started looking, Lucas' mind went into detective mode, realizing something was wrong he started looking around as well.

Out of the corner of his eye he found his target, his lungs forgot how to produce air when he saw a mane of blonde hair, and furious not quite sane eyes staring him and Akira down, swallowing down the lump in his throat he nudged Akira.

"By the bus station." He whispered, Akira's eyes slowly trailed to his left, and cursed when he saw him.

"Christopher…" Akira growled, instinctively he stood behind Lucas to block him from Christopher's sight, which didn't do much due to his American friend's superior height.

Christopher started to slowly stride towards them, his glare twisted into something unholy, and Akira felt his heartbeat pick up.

"Get inside now, he cant and wont do anything to us there, too risky." Akira just about shoved Lucas inside trailing close behind, turning around he saw Christopher stop in the middle of the crosswalk, just staring into the building.

Christopher pivoted on his heel and walked back the way he came from, and Akira breathed out a hard sigh of relief. "Damnit, this was stupid and risky. I should have known better." Akira said.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked.

"Christopher, serial killer as he may be, and even though he nearly killed you is a dirty lawyer for the police. He was bound to show up here, as a matter of fact I'm honestly surprised he wasn't already here." Akira said.

"So… basically I should high tail it outta here before my murderous uncle does something drastic." Lucas summarized, Akira gave him an apologetic look and Lucas sighed.

"Alright, I'll go… I hope the proposal goes well." Lucas waved his hand and left the station, glancing around the area for any white blonde-haired people, he started jogging in the complete opposite direction of the way Christopher went.

Akira felt a pinch of sadness in his chest, he felt like he just shooed his friend off, and he kinda did. But he knew it was for his own good, pivoting on his heel he went to find Makoto and his friends.

LINE BREAK.

Lucas had to refrain from looking over his shoulder every two seconds, he was already conspicuous enough, and it was times like this that he wished he had a darker hair color as to hide better.

He had texted Akira to let him know he was back in Chinatown, but had yet to get a response, stopping at a takoyaki stand he did his best to discreetly look around as he bought a stick.

Lucas took a bite and allowed himself to relax a fraction, his uncle wouldn't dare try anything out in the open around all these people, and he hadn't even seen his uncle anyhow, he glanced into a small souvenir shop that catered towards American people, and an amused smile slipped onto his face at some of the 'American items' on display, action figures, key chains and overly priced postcards.

A hand clasped onto his shoulder suddenly and his heart froze up, without bothering to look Lucas slammed his elbow into his attackers' stomach, a yelp of surprise coming from him, passersby turned to look as Lucas spun around and took a swing at him.

He stopped just in time before his fist connected and let out a breath of relief and mild irritation, he looked at the two girls accompanying him before leveling his gaze onto the capped boy.

"Don't sneak up on me, I almost hit you Junpei." Lucas said, a stern glare on his face.

Junpei rubbed his stomach and raised an eyebrow. "You did hit me though." He said.

Lucas ignored this, he promptly began to swap his gaze back and forth between the two girls with him. "Mitsuru, Yukari. To what do I owe the pleasure." He said with complete false cheer.

Yukari stretched her arms over her head. "Mph, someone's not in a good mood."

"Well I've kinda been on the run from my serial killer family member so excuse me if I'm not falling into your arms from joy." Lucas said dryly.

"Ehh, you'll love me eventually." Yukari quipped, to which Lucas gave her a blank stare in response.

Mitsuru sighed and stepped forward. "We have some things we need to talk to you about, you will come with us now." She grabbed Lucas' arm and attempted to pull him along and was mildly shocked when he yanked his hand away fiercely.

"I got a better idea." Lucas said taking a wide step back. "How about you leave me alone for a bit, I'm not in the mood to talk about my little destiny or getting your precious friend back, I'm tired. I'm hungry, and you made me drop my takoyaki." With that Lucas pivoted on his heel and made to walk off.

He got a few yards before a new face appeared in front of him and stopped him. He had a mane of grey hair and grey eyes, and for some odd reason had boxing gloves tied to his belt buckle, he was wearing a tank top that showed off his muscular form, he also had a band-aid just above his left eye.

Lucas would be a total liar if he said he wasn't the least bit intimidated by this newcomer however reluctant he was to show it.

"So… you're really about to force me to come with you by threatening me with this meathead?" Lucas said scathingly.

The newcomer smirked. "I wouldn't call myself a meathead, but I do tend to go on a rampage from time to time, rar rar and whatnot."

"Sarcasm. Lovely." Lucas deadpanned. "You got a name, or shall I call you old man?"

"Akihiko Sanada, nice to meet you. Lucas, I've heard a lot about you, particularly your fighting skill." Akihiko introduced.

"So you wanna fight me, is that why your group is calling me out?" Lucas asked.

Mitsuru put a hand on his shoulder. Lucas didn't shake it off this time. "No, that's not the reason. We came to you…. Because of your situation."

"I don't understand."

"You have… a shard of Nyx inside you… our friend in fact, Ryoji. And your other teammate, Goro Akechi has a shard of Nyx inside him as well, however it's malevolent." Yukari explained.

Lucas just about leaped away from them. "How the hell do you know that?" He demanded.

"Imagine our surprise when Goro Akechi contacted us and told us this information. And imagine just how valuable that made you to us." Junpei said.

Lucas grit his teeth in anger. Akechi that bastard. He's a mole?

"That's not the only reason we came to you, this other one is also of great importance." Mitsuru said.

"What." Lucas growled.

"Your serial killer uncle." Akihiko said. "We can help you take him down."

"And why would you do that?" Lucas questioned.

"Take it as a sign that were on your side, we both have the same goal." Mitsuru explained.

"And that is?"

"To save our friend from the situation he's in obviously." Yukari said with an eyeroll, as if it were obvious.

"Well while the offer is tempting no thanks." Lucas said, shoulder checking Akihiko on his way past. "We got it handled."

Junpei was suddenly in front of him again. "Is that why he killed five people in one night? Because you got it handled?" He sneered.

Lucas suddenly grabbed Junpei and flung him at the other persona users, only the latter's experience with fighting kept him from falling down, suddenly Lucas' body language turned very hostile.

But it wasn't at them, a couple feet in front of them stood the devil himself, or at least in Lucas' own mind.

Christopher smirked as he looked at his nephew. "Hello Lucas, my precious nephew."

Lucas gave him a withering glare. "I wasn't so precious when you nearly beat me to death, not your… usual M.O"

I shouldn't be taunting him, but I cant back down. Lucas thought, Christopher's eye twitched, but he kept his smirk in place.

"Ah that was just a bit of… familial love, though I did go a bit far I admit." Christopher said in a light voice, a pleasant smile on his face as if he was discussing the weather.

Yukari stepped up beside Lucas. "Do you have these thought's when your cutting the hearts out of your victims?" The model asked, Lucas stiffened up.

Christopher's smirk still remained in place. "Thought I would be shaken up by that? Heh, come now, I know all about your group and what you do, what your secret is."

"Oh?" Mitsuru asked stepping forward. "Then you should know not to mess with us."

"On the contrary." Christopher said linking his hands together. "You shouldn't mess with us. I know you Phantom thieves have been prodding inside my heart, so I shall tell you that I am a nothing, just a pawn. I do our goddesses work by using human hearts as a sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?"

"Oh you would love to know wouldn't you?" Christopher said scathingly.

"So that's why you're a killer?" Lucas asked, his voice shaking. "Because It's what Nyx wants?"

"Don't you say her name you filthy bastard!" Christopher snarled. "I should have cut your heart out that night, but because your my sister's child I didn't."

"She wasn't even your real sister you delusional monster… and she wasn't my real mother." Lucas mumbled.

"Oh, she wasn't?" Christopher heard anyway. "Then tell me, why does she look exactly like me? Why is she the spitting image of both of us?"

Lucas' eyes widened, his body started shaking. His mind went back to his conversation with Akechi.

You know how my mother knows Japanese and was Japanese herself, yet I have no Japanese blood whatsoever?

My mother isn't really my birth mother.

My uncle has zero relation to her.

Lucas felt a sharp spike of pain in his head, and he covered his ears with his hands to stop the sudden ringing.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Christopher asked, a shocking softness to his voice. "It seems that somehow your mind has been damaged, you can't even remember who you were related too, even though we look exactly like you."

Christopher looked at the other four Persona users. "Desist your actions. Or we'll have to kill all of you." With the threat in place Christopher casually walked away.

Lucas didn't acknowledge the threat, nor the existence of anyone around him, he had fallen to his knees, body feeling to heavy to keep upright anymore.

What… what the hell did that conversion chamber do to me? Did it destroy my mind and memories? Lucas thought, covering his eyes with his hands. I said it so surely too, something happened to my mind!

"Hey, Lucas." Yukari whispered and kneeled down in front of him. "C'mon get up, people are staring."

Lucas slowly lifted his head to look at Yukari, and her throat tightened. The bright sun had caught his eyes, which were watery from unshed tears, making them dance and glow like a purple ocean her pulse quickened when a single tear fell from his left eye and left a track down his face.

He's a beautiful crier, that is not fair. Yukari thought. She managed to shake away the red hue on her face and her thoughts and stand up to offer a hand to him, which he took.

"Nothing to see here move along." Akihiko said shooing the crowd away, it took a minute but eventually they continued with their business.

Mitsuru dragged Junpei and Akihiko to the side to speak with them, Yukari however stayed beside Lucas, a gentle hand on his back that for some reason she found herself a little unwilling to take away.

It wasn't until Lucas looked at her and smiled so gently that her chest tightened, and her face turned red did she realize what was wrong with her.

Oh crap, he's cute. Yukari realized, her heartbeat quickened and her body caught fire when Lucas gently took the hand resting on his back in his. He stared at the entwined hands for a second as if in shock before gently letting go.

He looked up at her face and nodded his head, his posture suddenly stiff, the air between them had seemed to thicken with a tension Yukari didn't think she would feel for anybody else.

He's stiffened up. Yukari realized. Does he feel it too?

"The help you could offer." Lucas blurted out catching their attention. "What does it entail?"

"Well it's simple, we already know that while your tampering around in his heart he's still roaming around killing people, taking innocent lives." Mitsuru's eyes hardened, and she clenched her fists. "That will not stand."

"So, while you're on the inside we'll make sure that he wont kill anymore people, those sacrifices will be put to a stop, and he wont touch you again, so you can focus on changing his heart." Akihiko finished.

"That sounds very sweet, which means there's a catch, there's something you want from us, from me in particular I'm assuming since you came to me." Lucas deducted.

"After this heart changing business is done, we want you and Goro Akechi to come with us. To Iwatodai." Junpei said.

Lucas whistled. "That's quite the price, I just drop everything here and come with you to help? What about the dark hour here? I'm the only one of my friends to have an evoker."

"We thought of that." Yukari said from behind him. "Airi is very strong, strong enough to handle whatever comes at her here on her own. The only reason you took her down back then was because you hit her with a surprise attack."

"Oh really?" Lucas said, an unbelieving tone in his voice.

"Really." Mitsuru confirmed. "She is strong enough to use some of her Persona skills in the real world, trust us when we say she's more than a match for anything that comes her way."

"You've convinced me." Lucas said, a look of relief passed over everyone's faces, but Lucas wasn't finished.

"I just have one question though."

"Of course, ask away." Mitsuru obliged.

"What makes you think I could be of use in Iwatodai, and why Akechi too?" He asked.

Mitsuru smiled confidently. "Because all of this started in Iwatodai, which makes it the source, everything there is much more intense then here, and because he also has a shard of death inside him, a part of Nyx herself, but the evil part."

Lucas was still a little concerned, but he couldn't find any lies in their words, they weren't telling the whole truth he felt, but he also didn't think they were expressly lying to him, with a little reluctance, Lucas held his hand out, which Mitsuru immediately took.

"You have a deal, I'll go with you, but you'll have to talk to Akechi yourself." Lucas said, a playful expression on his face.

Mitsuru for her part smirked. "Deal, once it's over contact us, and we'll come get you."

The Iwatodai Persona users began to walk away, leaving Lucas alone, however almost against his will his eyes seemed to drift towards a certain girl with brown hair, and his breath caught in his throat a little when she glanced back at him, Lucas for his part was suddenly utterly captivated by her large honey brown eyes.

She gave him a bright smile and turned away, breaking the trance Lucas was in, he blinked after her still for a couple seconds and shook his head.

"The hell is wrong with me…" Lucas muttered to himself and continued his journey to his current residency, a barely perceptual blush on his face.

LINE BREAK.

"Ryuji… explain to me why almost every officer in the station is smiling at me right now, I saw you go around and talk to most of them, what did you say?" Makoto asked, a playful glare on her face.

Ryuji grinned and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "No reason really, we just wanted to surprise you and I got a bit carried away."

"We?" Makoto echoed, and on cue, the rest of her friends and her boyfriend walked in the room (minus Lucas and Akechi), Makoto instantly noticed a certain tension coming off said boyfriend in waves,

"Akira? Not that I'm upset by this at all, but what brings you here?" Makoto asked, kissing his cheek affectionately.

"Well… I… uh…" Akira couldn't seem to get the words out, Makoto found it amusing but at the same time concerning, he was sweating, and his eyes kept going in and out of focus.

"Akira what's wrong? Where are the others? Is everything okay?" Makoto asked worried, looking around for their American friend.

"No. Wait yes! Yes everything's fine, more than fine." Akira managed to say.

Ryuji rolled his eyes and patted Akira's back, giving him a comforting smile, Akira drew strength from his best friend and took a deep breath, turning back to his lover he opened his mouth to speak.

"Makoto, do you remember our first real date?" Akira asked her, Makoto nodded quickly, of course she remembered, she went back to the arcade with him and they played Gun About for hours, at the end when Makoto was getting frustrated Akira hugged her from the back, entwined his hands with hers and helped her aim, at the end when they finally one Makoto Jumped in victory and turned and kissed him, drawing awe's from people around.

She blushed at the memory, and Akira found the confidence to continue. "I know, it's been awhile since we were able to see each other until I came back, but it made me so happy to know our love for each other was as strong as ever, it's something in recent days I found myself wanting to lose less and less, and now, I'm certain… I don't ever want to lose it. I want to keep it for myself for the rest of my life. Because I love you, and I am that selfish."

Makoto's eyes widened.

Akira pulled the ring out of his back pocket and slowly went to one knee, his friends backed away to give them room, Haru was not so subtly recording. Makoto's eye's widened even more and her hands flew to her mouth, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. Her breath hitching to keep from crying.

"Makoto Niijima, I love you, I'm in love with you to a point where I'll never get out, and I don't want to. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

A/N: That might be my biggest dick move cliffhanger ever! I'm terribly sorry about not writing a chapter for so long, I've been going through a lot recently, with hurricane Florence, and my cousin passing away last Sunday I've had little motivation to write, plus I'm currently sick from the stress of it all.

I know they are excuses, but they are all true, and I'm very sorry for not writing for so long, with that being said I don't know when the next chapter will be out.

With THAT being said, I did really enjoy writing this chapter actually. It took my mind off it for a while.

Anyway, thanks everybody for the reviews, I shall see you next time. On Persona ball Z!