Disclaimer: All characters and events that take place within the story are fictional. Any relations to real people or events are purely coincidental. All copyrights belong to Atlus.

Art by Zengoro on Pixiv. Thanks so much!

Warning: Deviants explores psychological disorders, thoughts of suicide, attempted suicide, sexual assault, and emotional trauma both from an intrapersonal and interpersonal perspective. If you or anyone you know are suffering from any of the above, please seek professional help.

Monday, April 18

Evening

The moment they'd returned to the real world the fatigue had hit them like a sledgehammer. Physical and mental exhaustion from being alert for hours on end combined with the brief moments of epinephrine rushes made them immediately call it a day and head straight to their respective homes.

Ren grimaced as he rigidly climbed the steps to the second floor of LeBlanc. The stiffness of his muscles had really kicked into overdrive after standing still on the train for fifteen or so minutes. He'd barely made it off the train, much less down the station steps. Not to mention his shoulder.

Deftly setting his bag down from his left side onto the small cabinet adjacent to the stairs Ren carefully shrugged off his blazer, careful to keep his right side as still as possible. Even a minor movement caused pain to shoot down his back and arm of the right side of his body.

"Hey, you sure you're okay?" Morgana's blue eyes were laced with concern, the black and white cat carefully studying him from the tabletop. "And don't tell me it's nothing. I'm not blind, you know."

Ren let out a heavy sigh, which transitioned into a groan as he twisted a bit too far. "It was only aching a little bit when we returned. Before that I felt completely fine. But it's been getting stiffer and stiffer."

Morgana watched him gingerly unbutton his white polo and take a few deep breaths to ready himself. With a grunt Ren raised both arms and worked his way out of his shirt.

"Holy shit," Ren muttered as he glanced down.

There was major discoloration all over his right pec that pooled over his shoulder. Black and blue marred with yellow at the site of impact with the discoloration continuing like a wave. It hardly appeared to be an injury he'd just received but was still gnarly to look at.

"Ouch," Morgana winced and turned away, keeping his eyes on the wound. "Guess that answers the question of not completely healing the wound and transitioning back, huh?"

"Yeah, a question I wasn't looking forward to getting an answer to, though," Ren gently poked at the bruise. Light flashes of pain, more annoying than anything, sparked where he prodded. "That medication we gave Ryuji the first time must have been really amazing."

"No kidding. Although the meds we brought did help, right?"

"A little. But every bit does help. And whatever Ann did worked even better," Ren remembered that warm sensation that rolled over him and sent tingles down his spine. He gave a cursory glance back down at his chest. "Makes me wonder what this would be like if we hadn't done anything."

Morgana grinned slightly. "Want to find out?"

"Only if someone else volunteers," Ren snorted and immediately regretted it, his face contorting as lightning shot down his neck. "Nevermind. We're not finding out."

"If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say whatever leftover damage our bodies received would be inflicted as if they happened over here. And since, I'm sure you've noticed, our bodies are tougher in the Metaverse it gets worse once we return to the real world."

Ren nodded as Morgana gave his hypothesis. He'd more or less arrived at the same conclusion. That just meant the hit he took was a lot worse than he initially thought it was. He might've lost his arm if he'd taken that hit in the real world. Broken bones, for sure. "We'll just have to be double sure that we take care of everything before we get back, then."

Morgana jerked his head towards the stairs. "Grab some ice once the Chief's gone. We'll take a couple days off from the Palace while I work on my thing. So just focus on getting better in the meantime."

Working his shoulder Ren shrugged into his nightshirt. "You still aren't going to tell me that idea you have?"

"Nope!" Morgana simply said as he hopped onto the workbench and carefully selected a few tools. "It's a surprise."

"Fine, keep your secrets," Ren muttered, not at all bitter. Damn, his shoulder was stiff.

Tuesday, April 19

After School

"'Sup!" Ryuji raised his hand in greeting as Ren stepped out of his classroom.

Ren nodded and held his phone up. "So what's this about getting stronger?"

Ryuji fell into step beside Ren as they descended to the first floor with other students, those behind them staying back a noticeable distance.

"I was just thinkin' how I felt so sluggish in the Palace yesterday." Ryuji gave no mind to those around them. "Even moving as slowly as we were I still felt exhausted last night and this morning. Thought it'd be good to start working out again to make things easier."

"Working out, huh?" Ren said thoughtfully. He'd never really given it a try outside of mandatory school activities. Ren discreetly rolled his right shoulder. "If you're thinking of today I can't do anything too strenuous on my shoulder. It's still sore from that hit I took yesterday."

"No shit?" Ryuji chewed on his lip for a bit. "It shouldn't be a problem. I was just thinking of doing leg stuff, anyways."

"What's that involve?"

"I don't have access to the school's weight room anymore so we'll have to settle with body weight stuff," Ryuji gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, though, I already got a series of exercises in mind. Was thinkin' 'bout it all day in class."

Ren rolled his eyes. "Of course you were."

"It shouldn't be too hard. C'mon, let's go get changed."

"It shouldn't be too hard," Ryuji had said. Forget his shoulder, Ren's lower legs were numb and screaming at him to stop.

Ren had been keeping up just fine with squats, walking lunges, and calf raises. Then they'd started jumps that involved touching the ground without bending over at the waist and jumping as high as possible raising their arms into the air. His thighs were already on fire, and after the first set of jumps had gone completely numb. His heart pounded harder than it ever had before, and Ren felt himself growing lightheaded. He felt like he was going to die.

"Come on," Ryuji panted as he eyed the timer on his phone. "Two more sets and we can move on to the next exercise."

Ren didn't have the energy or air to muster a response. Oh gods, they had to do this two more times. And another exercise after this.

"Go!" Ryuji squatted down and touched the ground.

Ren only groaned as his mind and body begged him to stop. He touched the ground and jumped. His legs shook as he landed. One. Oh god, one.

Grunting with every leap, Ren forced himself to continue before he keeled over, panting for breath as his pulse pounded in his skull.

"Come on, Ren. Just a few more," Ryuji landed on his feet and placed his hands on his hips. "It's all in your head."

Motherfucker was already done with his set. Ren felt pissed off and respect at the same time. No way was he going to quit.

Struggling through the remainder of this set, Ren felt like he was cheating with his jumps barely leaving the ground.

"There! You're done!" Ryuji gave a supportive slap to his back, making Ren groan in pain. "Oh shit! Sorry!"

Ren held up a middle finger.

Ryuji only laughed at Ren's miserable condition. "Come on, one more set."

"Oh god, already?"

"Yup!" Ryuji chirped mercilessly as his timer rang. "Go!"

At some point Ren's brain shut off entirely. His body moving seeming of its own, although begrudgingly, volition. Managing to get through the last set of jumps, lateral lunges, and wall sits, Ren's legs were still shaking even as they sat on the floor with their backs against the wall. Holy shit he still couldn't feel them.

"Nice work," Ryuji trudged his way back, returning from the vending machine with waters in hand. "Wish they had protein, but that stuff ain't standard in vending machines."

Ren gratefully accepted the drink and cracked it open. Cool liquid coated his parched mouth and throat. He'd never tasted anything so good in his life. "Oh, I never thought water was this good."

"Yeah, right? After a workout water tastes amazing." Ryuji chuckled as he looked around nostalgically. "Damn, I missed this place."

They were behind the gym, just around the corner from the central courtyard. They hadn't seen many students come by here, so it was secluded enough and had plenty of space for them to move around.

"You do this here before or something?" Ren took another sip. God, it still tasted just as good.

"Yeah, came here all the time when I was on the track team," Ryuji slowly nodded as he stared straight ahead. "Yesterday felt like a real wake up call. I couldn't move the way I used to and I just felt so… weak. So I thought I should start workin' out again."

"If anything was a wakeup call it was that workout from hell you just had me do," Ren massaged his thighs. They still burned from the lactic acid. "I never thought my body could feel like this."

"Good," Ryuji crushed his now empty water bottle. "Gotta build this body up, ya know?"

"You seem pretty into this stuff. Any meaning behind it?"

"Um, it feels good, for one. Like, nothin' beats workin' up a good sweat. And it's supposed to be good for you, right? Healthy and all that," Ryuji shrugged at the last part.

"I can kinda see what you mean," Ren said as he felt this warm fuzzy feeling in his brain. "My body hurts like hell but it's a pleasant pain."

"See, you know what I mean," Ryuji made sure to tap Ren's left shoulder this time. "Plus if we keep this up we'll look freakin' awesome! Six packs here we come, baby. Whoo!"

Ren covered his face with his palm. Ryuji was a total weirdo sometimes.

"But hey, seeing you work through those exercises was super motivating for me. So I'm expecting you to get in on this, too," Ryuji stood up and stretched. He reached out to help Ren up.

Ren grabbed Ryuji's hand and was pulled up, almost falling onto his face as his legs wobbled beneath him. Ren couldn't help but laugh at the feeling of his muscles not responding.

"All right, I think we took a long enough break."

What.

"Come on, we're running a mile."

A mile.

"I'm gonna go my own pace, so don't worry about keepin' up with me. It's three laps 'round the school."

Wait.

"I'll meet you back here in a bit!"

"Ryuji, I can barely walk!" Ren hobbled after his blonde friend. "Goddamnit."

"Hey, you made it!" Ryuji waved at him at the finish line, all smiles. "Good job, dude!"

"I… fucking…" Ren panted like a dog as he dragged his feet to the finish and weakly slapped Ryuji on the shoulder. "Hate you."

Ryuji had a shit eating grin on his face. "Come on, let's stretch it out."

Ren imitated Ryuji for the next few minutes, stretching muscles he never knew existed while sweat continued to pour down his face. Ren closed his eyes and took off his glasses as they finally finished.

"Damn… didn't think I was that tight," Ren heard Ryuji mutter.

They made their way back to a wall and sat against it, breathing somewhat normally now. Ren leaned his head against the rough textured wall, eyes still shut.

"Thanks."

Ren felt a pleasant breeze wash over his sweat-slicked face. It felt amazing. "What for?"

"I uh… apologized to Ann the other day when we went to the airsoft store. I know I said I'd do it after we handled this whole Kamoshida thing… but it kinda just happened. Guess I couldn't handle it anymore, I don't know."

"Nothing to thank me for. That was all you, man," Ren punched Ryuji lightly on the shoulder, wincing. "Ow."

"Just accept the thanks, damnit," Ryuji elbowed him not too gently. "I don't think I coulda done it without you around, anyways. We wouldn't be doing this whole thing if it wasn't for you. Never woulda gotten the chance."

Ren remained silent as he struggled to find the proper words before speaking. "You two would have made up eventually."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You're friends," Ren decided to keep what he knew to himself. "Friends who care."

"Yeah, well… It was a bit late," Ryuji growled bitterly.

"It's never too late."

"It was this time," Ryuji said simply.

Ren squeezed his eyes shut tighter. He couldn't refute that.

Evening

Trying to lower himself onto his bed slowly Ren instead fell onto it, his legs failing beneath him as they still burned with lactic acid. He didn't understand, they finished working out hours ago and his legs still hurt. Like, a lot. Walking down the station steps had been a whole ordeal on its own. Ren felt like he understood the aches and pains of the elderly. Massaging his aching thighs Ren examined the now "clean" attic that he called his room.

The bookcase was now organized with the piles of textbooks that had been placed haphazardly around the room. Cardboard boxes were neatly stacked according to weight and tucked into the corner, out of the way. Anything that hadn't been dusted before was now. Although it seemed that no matter how much he dusted or wiped things down there was a constant glitter of dust catching the light from the few free hanging light bulbs.

Turning around and wiggling the window open Ren stuck his head out and took a deep breath of humid Tokyo air. It was barely any cooler outside, but Ren wanted some fresh air more than anything after being cooped up in a dusty attic all evening. The air here didn't hold a candle to that in his hometown.

Ren couldn't help but glance at his phone. Not a single phone call or text message from anyone he knew prior to coming to Tokyo since he'd arrived had been exchanged. It was strange. Ren thought he'd be more annoyed or maybe even upset that there was no communication at all. But he felt nothing.

His brows furrowed as he rubbed locks of hair together. How could he not care or even feel the tiniest thing? Ren didn't… dislike his parents. So why didn't he feel anything? He cared for them, at least. Didn't he?

The loud snap of a spring knocked him out of his speculations.

Morgana had been sitting at that desk since they'd gotten back. Ren had tried to steal peeks here and there while cleaning, but the black and white cat had been strangely attentive and blocked his view. Ren still had no idea what Morgana was making. Or how he was making it, for that matter.

Knowing that the cat wouldn't answer him, Ren decided that he might as well study. The material they were learning at Shujin was a lot different than what his previous high school taught. He had some catching up to do. With a sigh Ren cracked open his notes and textbook, resigning himself to an evening of boredom.

Morgana's occasional maniacal chuckle broke the sound of tinkering. Ren couldn't help but be a little worried.

Wednesday, April 20

Early Morning

Every single clatter of the train track and screeching of brakes caused another lance of pain to shoot behind Ren's eyes. His legs still burned as he clutched onto the hand loop for dear life, his knuckles a ghost white. He'd taken a couple of the pain medications he'd gotten from Dr. Takemi. Whether they weren't working or simply hadn't kicked in yet, Ren wasn't sure. All he knew was that this headache was the worst by far.

It felt like someone was taking a spike and stabbing it behind his eye with every loud noise, sudden movement, and flash of light across his shut eye lids. He could feel a pressure at the back of his throat, the distinct sensation of wanting to vomit. The only thing he could do was pray the meds kicked in, focus on his breathing, and distract himself with something else.

Something else.

He'd had a dream of the Velvet Room last night. The same hawkish-nosed man and twins being present along with that calming, yet ominous piano and vocal accompaniment. Ren intentionally didn't think of the cell.

They spoke of his newly awakened power, what they called: the Wild Card. A rare ability, according to them, that allowed him to hold multiple Personas. And one that came with "unlimited potential." Whatever that meant.

Ren's head swam as terms such as "execution," "fusions," and "third-eye" bounced around like ping-pong balls. It was a lot of information to process at once.

Another ear-piercing screech of brakes as the metro approached a corner, Ren tightening his death grip as the cabin lurched into a not-too-gentle turn. His stomach churned.

The metro pulled into Shibuya Station and Ren joined the flow of people out of the crowded cabin onto the bustling platform. Ren walked past students just like him, blue-collar workers, and other everyday commuters who waited impatiently to board the train to a less crowded part of the station. He finally found a little wall to himself and leaned his back against the cool tile surface.

After taking a moment for the nausea to subside Ren looked around and realized he had no idea where he was in the station. Great. Now he had to navigate a sprawling metro while partially mentally incapacitated.

Taking a deep, steady breath, Ren closed his eyes and focused.

When he opened his eyes the world had a… clarity to it. It was like everything in his vision captured his attention at once. Ren could read every single letter in sight at the same time, knew that there was a newspaper stand describing the events of the latest subway incident, a job magazine, a man standing off to the side who's caller ID read "honey," and that a local supermarket was having a special sale from twelve to two in the afternoon. It should have been overstimulating but it wasn't. If anything, his headache declined to an uncomfortable throb.

That man's clothing tag was still attached, that woman's bag was beginning to fray at the corner, Ginza line was located beyond the stairs, that student had a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe, details that were visible for even a single moment became clear to him. It was beautiful. Ren blinked and the world returned to normal: loud and hazy.

The urge to vomit slammed into him like a truck. What the hell was happening to him?

Evening

Throughout the day Ren had entered that state of clarity. Although he couldn't remain in it for very long, ten seconds at most, he was now able to turn it on and off like a switch. Ren decided he would work on maintaining it for longer durations.

"Welcome," Sakura glanced up from the coffee roaster, pot of hot water in hand as Ren walked into the store. "Oh, it's just you. Still limping?"

Ren didn't need to look down to see that he was walking like a stiff board. "Yeah. I never knew my muscles could get like this."

"Don't hurt yourself, now," Sakura chuckled and shook his head. "Hey, uh, do you have anything going on tonight?"

Ren had spent the afternoon in the library, doing his best to study and ignore the whispers that remained for the entirety of his time there. He felt like he'd absorbed as much information as he could for the day. Morgana still needed to work on his thing so Ren had planned to take it easy and relax. "No?"

"Do you mind helping out, again?" Sakura nodded towards the sink. "It'd be a great help."

"Sure. Let me get changed and I'll be right back."

After setting down his bag Morgana wriggled out. "So, the Chief wants your help again, huh?"

"Seems like it." Ren shrugged off his blazer. His shoulder still ached slightly but it was bearable.

"Good," Morgana hopped out and made his way to the desk. "That means I can focus on my project. I should be able to finish tonight."

"So we'll be good to head into the Palace tomorrow?"

Morgana's blue eyes took in Ren's stiffly walking, aching form. "Only if you're up to it."

Ren nodded. That was good enough for him. He'd work through it somehow. "I'll let the others know."

Typing out a quick message Ren tapped the send button. Almost immediately his phone pinged.

Ryuji: Whoo! About time! Let's get back to it!

Ann: Glad to hear it. I'll be ready.

Ren stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "We're good for tomorrow. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Got it."

Returning back to the cafe area Ren quickly got to work on the dirty dishes. As he was scrubbing away Sakura fared the last remaining customer good night.

The cafe owner let out a heavy sigh. "Guess we're done for the day. Thanks again, by the way."

"No problem." Ren was staying here rent-free, after all. If it wasn't for Sakura he had no idea where he'd be right now.

"Do you think you'd be able to do this every now and then?"

Ren paused. "Clean dishes, you mean?"

Sakura made his way over to him. "Starting off, yeah. But closing up the shop on your own."

"I think I can do that." Ren didn't know what to say. This was a good thing, right? Sakura was beginning to trust him a little bit more.

"That'd be great. I can't pay you, though," Sakura looked around the shop before settling on his coffee roaster. "How about instead I teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee."

"Uh…" Ren stared at the roaster, remembering the face-twisting bitterness that he was forced to consume every morning. It'd smelled great, but… "Who's going to drink it?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You'll begin to enjoy it eventually. But if not you, me. If not me… I don't know. A girl?"

Ren nearly dropped the plate. "A girl?!"

Sakura grinned from ear to ear. "Got something you want to say, mister?"

"No." For whatever reason red hair came to mind. "Add on teaching me how to make your curry and you have yourself a deal."

"Works for me," Sakura patted him on the shoulder. "I wiped everything down already. Just finish up the dishes for tonight and that'll be all. I got the sign."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

"Night, kid."

Thursday, April 21

After School

"I'll say it again, this will take some physical effort from all of you," Mona finished strapping on the device on his own wrist. "It will assist somewhat, but most of the work is going to be done by you."

Joker examined the harpoon like head protruding from the rectangular device on his forearm. It looked… complicated. "So we just aim and press this button?"

"Yeah. It'll launch forward on its own, but you're going to have to pull yourself up. In the MetaVerse with our increased physical abilities, we should be able to do it."

Panther glanced up at the broken staircase twenty or so feet above them. "Right…"

Joker shrugged, aimed at the staircase, and pressed the button. The arrowhead shot forward violently and embedded itself into the wall, the rope cycling back until it drew taught and pulled him forward slightly. Crouching down and leaning back as far as possible, Joker jumped and pulled as hard as he could.

Panic set in only after he realized how quickly he was approaching the staircase. There was no way to slow himself down as he slammed into the stone handrail and flipped over onto the stairs in a heap of cloth and limbs.

"Dude, you okay?" Skull shouted from below.

"Yeah… you okay?" Panther was trying not to laugh.

Joker held up a thumb over the ledge. "I'm good." He rubbed his ribs. Ow.

Moments later the rest of the group made their own ungraceful leaps, filled with their own fair share of bruises.

"Looks like we have to practice getting that right," Panther rubbed her elbow, wincing.

"So, uh, we never talk about how uncool we just were, right?" Skull massaged his shin.

"Yup. This never happened," Joker immediately agreed.

"I'm glad this grappling hook worked out. I had to make one for each of us, which is why it took so long," Mona frowned as he looked over them. "I'll make some adjustments later. But for now, we can finally move ahead."

Joker peered up the spiraling staircase that seemed to go on forever. "My legs are gonna kill me, tomorrow."

"'Muscle Glory,' 'Macho Muscles,' 'Manly Muscles,'" Skull read off the titles of books on the shelf in the massive library they found. "Jeez, everything here's 'bout getting ripped. That guy's obsessed with his muscles."

Panther glanced over her shoulder from another section. Boys and their strange obsessions. "Gross."

Joker and Skull looked at each other.

"For research purposes?" Skull asked.

"For research purposes," Joker repeated as they pulled a book off the shelf.

"Hey," Panther called out to them, "Before you two get distracted you might want to check this out. The bookcase here is filled with the names of the volleyball team."

They made their way over to her section as she pointed them out. "It looks like they're just the boys, though. There must be another section with the girls, then."

Panther scanned the spines of the books as she moved past shelf after shelf. A name that was vaguely familiar jumped out to her. Shiho had mentioned her one time. "Found it."

Panther pulled the book free and opened it. There were no words. Just pictures.

She snapped the book shut. Stay calm, Ann.

"What's in it?" Joker asked from the boy's volleyball section.

Panther stuck the book back on the shelf and scanned, looking for a very particular name. She felt herself shaking, biting her lip hard enough that she tasted blood.

"Panther?" She heard Joker ask, worried.

"Where is it?" Panther muttered quietly to herself, her finger running across book spines. "Where is she?"

"Hey." More urgently now.

"Here!" Panther pulled the book free.

"What's that?" Skull asked, suspicion lacing his voice as he grabbed the book with one hand, stopping her from opening it.

Panther glared at him. "Let go."

Skull's eyes grew determined, damn him. "Not until you tell me what this is."

"I have to know."

Joker threw one of the books into the ground, hard. "They're pictures," he seethed. "Of the girls."

"Ann, don't," Skull pleaded.

"You don't get it, Ryuji. She's my best friend! I have to know! I have to!" Panther didn't let go. She wanted to cry. But she wouldn't cry. Not now. "I have to know what that fucking bastard did to her!"

Ann watched Ryuji's eyes dance through a rush of emotions. Fear. Pain. Determination. Then she saw him give in.

"Fine." Skull's hand dropped from the book. "We'll be over there if you need us."

Panther nodded, clutching the book to her chest.

"Don't force yourself, Lady Ann."

Skull sat at a table, placing his head onto the table and folding his hands behind it. Joker paced back and forth, agitated, rubbing locks of hair together. Mona occasionally looked over in her direction before turning away.

Panther remained where she was. She simply stared at the cover. 'Suzui Shiho,' it read. She'd been so eager to open it before, swept up in the moment. But now that it was here… She felt her stomach turn to ice. Panther shivered.

Steeling herself for what was to come, Panther peeled the cover back.

She wanted to scream, to cry, to deny everything she saw in those pictures. They told her everything she needed to know. What she didn't want to know. The pain in Shiho's face was right there in front of her, staring at her as if she were the culprit. For all Ann knew… she was.

Panther didn't know how long she combed through the book. The emotional toll felt like hours had passed. When she had finally placed the book back where she'd found it the guys were still in the same positions. Skull sitting, Mona peering around, and Joker pacing like a guard dog told to heel.

The sound of her footsteps made them look in her direction.

Joker finally stopped rubbing his hair together. "You okay?"

Panther brushed past him. "Let's get this son of a bitch."

A/N

Hello, hello~

It seems like the time I can dedicate to writing is getting less and less, so chapters are getting shorter as we go along. Hopefully this will change for the better and I can upload my usual chapter lengths, but bear with me for now.

Don't really know what to say for this chapter... Oh, don't skip leg day.