"Hey, this is Ren. I can get pretty busy so sorry I missed your call. You know what to do after the beep!"
Anne gritted her teeth before pressing the red phone icon on her screen. She then pocketed her phone in her shorts pocket.
"Ren, where the heck are you?" she grumbled under her breath, folding her arms over her chest. She then heaved out a frustrated sigh. "I should've gone with you…"
She was so worried. It has been about an hour since she had started trying to contact Ren. With their promised camping trip, they had scattered to gather supplies. She had gone with Makoto to pick up some miscellaneous supplies, while Haru took Yusuke and Futaba for cooking ingredients.
But nightfall was quickly approaching. She was seriously getting really worried.
"Any luck with Ren-kun, Anne-chan?" Haru asked.
Anne sighed, shaking her head. "Nope."
Haru sighed softly before pursing her lips together. A concerned expression marred her pretty face.
"I can't get ahold of Ryuji-kun, either… normally Mona-chan does such a good job with keeping Ren-kun out of trouble. Where could they be?" she questioned before biting her lower lip.
That's what Anne liked to know.
"I could always trace their phones," Futaba piped up.
"Futaba…" Makoto sighed before giving the younger girl a stern look. "We've talked about this."
Futaba puffed her cheeks out at Makoto. "Hey, I was just talking about tracking the GPS on their phones! That's not illegal!"
Makoto opened her mouth to retort but she was cut off by Anne's phone suddenly going off. It was the ringtone that she set to Ren's calls.
She dug out her phone, fumbling to take the call.
"Ren?!" she blurted out.
"Hey, Anne."
"Don't 'hey' me, buster!" Anne practically growled out. "Where have you been?! I've been trying to get ahold of you for ages!"
"The Metaverse."
"Huh?!" Anne sputtered out, only to scowl. "That's not funny, Ren! I know you can joke around a lot, but I was seriously worried about you!"
"Anne… it's the truth, I promise. Can we meet up at Leblanc? We need to have a talk. With everyone, I mean."
Anne huffed. "We're all back at Leblanc already."
"Okay, we'll be there soon. And… I'm sorry for worrying you. I didn't mean to, honest. We literally got dragged into a mess."
Anne felt herself soften at the sincere tone in Ren's voice. She then let out a little sigh.
"Well… just hurry up. It's been nearly an entire day since I've gotten to see you."
Ren let out a little laugh at that.
"So needy," he said teasingly.
Anne just grinned. "Hey, I need my daily dose of you."
"I'd be happy to oblige," Ren replied.
Anne could hear the smile in his voice.
"Ugh, it's been one day and you're back to being super mushy again!" she heard Ryuji complain.
"You're just jealous that you don't have anyone to be mushy with," Ren easily replied.
Anne couldn't help but giggle. She could hear the smirk in Ren's voice. Ren's little quip drew the usual reaction of Ryuji.
"Shut up! That ain't it!"
Anne giggled, interrupting the bickering between the two best friends. "I'll see you soon then. Bye-bye!"
She then hung up, feeling much lighter. She couldn't help but feel relieved that Ren (as well as Ryuji and Morgana) were okay! Though the thing with the Metaverse was weird.
She had thought they had gotten rid of the Metaverse completely earlier this year.
"So where have they been?" Yusuke asked.
Anne turned to her friends before slipping her phone back into her pocket once more.
"Ren claims that it's the Metaverse."
"Whaaaat?!" Futaba gasped, her eyes growing as big as saucers. "How the heck is that possible? The Metaverse ceased to exist!"
Anne sighed. That's what she'd like to know as well. She hoped that Ren, Morgana, and Ryuji would get back soon. There were a bunch of questions that they needed answered.
The wait for the boys to arrive just dragged and dragged. Makoto had to chide Anne to stop pacing and to be patient more than once.
But the moment Ren stepped through the door, Anne pounced on him.
"Ren!"
Ren was well practiced in this, however. He only took one step backwards before wrapping his arms around her. He gave her a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, Anne."
Anne smacked his shoulder, unable to hold back a scowl.
"You better be!"
"Sooo are the rest of us chopped liver then?" Futaba quipped.
"No, but Anne was the one to chew me out on the phone," Ren said with a cheeky smile.
Anne scowled before smacking his shoulder once again.
"Ow."
Anne rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Oh please, that didn't hurt at all."
Haru then clapped once to get everyone's attention. "Come now, we have a lot to discuss. Ren-kun, Ryuji-kun, and Mona-chan have been through a lot too, and they deserve to relax a little."
Ryuji groaned, rubbing his neck.
He then rolled his shoulders before huffing out, "You said it."
"Let's grab some refreshments and head up to the attic," Makoto suggested.
Sojiro offered them some decaf iced coffee to drink along with their various snacks. Most of them accepted. Except for Ryuji of course, since he couldn't stand coffee at all.
Once they were seated, Ren cleared his throat.
"So—I met up with Ryuji. We were going to get the supplies when Ryuji noticed that Alice Hiiragi was hosting an event. Ryuji got super excited because he had a huge crush on her—"
"Did you have to put it like that?!" Ryuji protested before glaring at Ren.
Morgana simply cleaned his paws before grinning at Ryuji. "Well, Ren's description is pretty apt."
Ryuji proceeded to sulk. Haru took pity on him, patting him on the arm.
"Come now, Ryuji-kun. There's no reason to sulk like this."
"I ain't sulking!"
"Looks pretty close to it," Futaba teased.
Ryuji glared at Futaba, but the younger girl was unfazed.
"Aw, shuddup," he snarled out.
Ren just smirked at his best friend before proceeding to explain what had happened to them after Alice gave Ren a password to input into EMMA.
"Alice's Shadow was certainly… something," Morgana said.
"Something's one way to put it," Ren said with a shudder. "She had two extra eyes and she was uh…"
"Dressed like a dominatrix," Ryuji said bluntly.
"N-Not that's anything wrong with that, Lady Anne!" Morgana piped up.
"Oh don't worry Anne, her outfit was way kinkier than yours," Ryuji said bluntly.
Both Ren and Morgana glared at Ryuji.
Ryuji defended, "What? Oh come on you know I'm right!"
This statement only caused the two to glare at him harder.
Anne rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Though... She couldn't exactly deny it. Though she'd be honest—a part of her kinda missed the Panther suit. It had originally embarrassed her, but she eventually learned to embrace it as part of her.
"She was a total creep to RenRen too—" Ryuji suddenly yelped; Ren glared at him. "Why'd you kick me?!"
Anne's stomach started to twist at that. Alice was a creep to Ren? Like… with Kamoshida and her?
"What do you mean by that?" Makoto asked, concern edging into her voice.
Ren shot Ryuji a dirty look. Then he heaved out a sigh before running his fingers through his hair.
"Well… Alice hit on me. I turned her down obviously—even mentioned that I was already dating someone. She got all pushy and insisted that my girlfriend didn't matter. When I still said no, she got pissed and chucked us in a garbage dump."
Anne's blood began to boil. For a moment, her vision went red. Alice had flirted with Ren and he told her no. Her reaction was to leave him to rot?!
Anne's hands started to clench over her knees.
"Anne?" Makoto spoke tentatively.
Anne slowly drew a deep breath, forcing a smile. Though judging from the uneasy looks her friends exchanged, it probably looked unnatural.
"I'm glad that you and Ryuji and Morgana made it out safely, at least," she said, fighting to keep her voice neutral.
Morgana nodded. "It definitely wasn't easy—oh. Right. Sophia!"
"Sophia?" Makoto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Ryuji nodded vigorously. "Okay so RenRen touched this cube thingamajig in the dump where Alice kicked us into and out pops Sophia! She's an eye—"
Futaba groaned. "A-I. It's not hard, Ryuji!"
"Whatever! She's an—" Ryuji pulled a face before enunciating: "AI. The freaky thing is that she has a Persona! What is it again… Pee-thos?"
"Pithos," Morgana sighed out.
"She's now in RenRen's phone!" Ryuji said. "Futaba, you've gotta check her out!"
"So, to sum it up—you were brought into the Metaverse by Alice Hiiragi's invitation and met a sentient AI named Sophia… who is now in Ren's phone," Yusuke said blandly.
"Well, if you put it that way, it sounds crazy…" Ryuji mumbled out.
"But it's the truth!" Morgana insisted.
"I have to admit that it does sound… outlandish to put it lightly," Haru chimed in. "But with everything we've witnessed, is it really impossible?"
Makoto just folded her arms over her chest. "Hmm… I must admit that Haru has a good point. Though I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this."
They ended up discussing matters further before Ren introduced Sophia to them all. She was just adorable.
Though… Anne was concerned about the return of the Metaverse. Just what had brought this on?
Eventually they wrapped up the meeting. It was almost… nostalgic. She remembered all of those meetings last year, discussing Phantom Thief business. But either way, they agreed to visit the Metaverse the next day. Though, Ren asked her to stick around for some reason.
Anne looked to her boyfriend.
"Uh… so what's up?" Anne said uncertainly.
Ren let out a little laugh before rubbing the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry. For making you worry. And the whole… thing with Alice. I saw the look on your face when I was talking about that."
"Ren… you have nothing to apologize. Especially the crap with Alice!" Anne was suddenly struck with a horrible thought, and she looked anxiously to him. "Ren… she didn't try to touch you, right?"
Ren shook his head, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Nothing like that. She just… looked up and down at me before she tried to flirt with me." But then Ren suddenly frowned. "Though… Alice got kinda weird when I said that I had a girlfriend. She got even more aggressive towards me because of that."
Something felt off though.
"Ren, are you telling me the full truth? She didn't hurt you did she?" Anne asked hesitantly.
Ren heaved out a sigh.
"It's not a big deal, sure she kicked me to the ground but I've been hurt worse," Ren said with a small laugh.
Anne frowned harder. He was holding back.
"Ren…"
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Right... I can't keep anything from you. So I might have downplayed it in front of everyone, but she kicked me down. Then she kinda... stepped on me, before making her demands. Really high and mighty about it too while she was flirting. It was… extremely uncomfortable."
Anne couldn't help but shudder. She had admired Alice before...
So finding out the ugly truth about her left a very bad taste in Anne's mouth. But Anne pushed that out of her mind. Right now, she should prioritize Ren.
"Just forget that," Anne said softly before grabbing ahold of his hand.
Ren squeezed her hand. "I'll try."
"I'm sorry she treated you like that," Anne said softly, before giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I know Shadows aren't exactly friendly, but still…"
Treating someone like they are some object they can control and look down on... That was the true Alice Hiiragi?
Then he grinned before looping an arm around her waist, bringing her out of her thoughts, drawing her close to him.
"Sorry to Alice, but I have the perfect girl already. That ship has sailed."
Anne giggled as Ren leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. She still couldn't understand why Ren had chosen her. Not to mention that he looked even more handsome without his glasses.
"You're such a smooth talker," she said, keeping her voice light and teasing as she fought down a blush.
"You know you love it," Ren teased her.
"Um, what's going on exactly?"
Anne jumped at the sound of Sophia's voice, before her cheeks reddened. Shoot, she forgot that Sophia was going to be hanging around in Ren's phone. This might make her private time with Ren a little awkward.
"N-Nothing, Sophia!" she stammered out.
Futaba then let out a long-suffering sigh, reminding Anne that she was still in the attic.
"Seriously, get a room." she grumbled out, before pulling a face.
Morgana sighed. "Don't encourage him, Futaba."
"We have one. So get out so we can use it," Ren retorted just a beat after Morgana's statement.
Morgana stared irately at Futaba. "See what I mean?!"
"Why do Ren and Anne need a room?" Sophia piped up.
"Forget it, it's not important!" Anne said hastily.
She then turned to kiss Ren on the cheek. But he turned at the last minute, and their lips met briefly. It would've been sweet if it wasn't for Futaba's grumbling.
She stepped away from Ren.
"But I need to head back before it's too late." She gave Futaba a quick hug too. "Good night guys!"
She could hear Ren and Futaba bickering about Anne and Ren being 'mushy', but then Ren distracted her by offering to let her get a closer look at Sophia.
But… her good mood quickly slipped away from her.
Just what would they discover in Alice's jail?
The day after had been… packed. Exploring the Jail was both exhilarating and exhausting.
But they needed more intel on Alice. So, Anne had secured permission to see Alice in person, bringing Ren and Morgana along with her.
Anne's eyes were drawn to the front as Alice walked onto the stage. Several people cheered for her. A couple of them even shouted: Alice, I love you!
"Holy crap, she really is adorable," Anne said quietly.
Ren then leaned forward to whisper to her: "Not as adorable as you."
Anne rolled her eyes at him before giving him a light push.
"Uh-uh, no flirting! We're here on a job, remember?" she whispered.
"Can't I multi-task?" Ren asked, looking offended.
"Both of you, shh!" Morgana hushed them.
They sheepishly turned their attention back to Alice.
"Thank you for joining us, Alice," the male host was saying. "You sure have been busy these days, haven't you?"
Alice smiled brightly. "It's only thanks to all of my fans that I've been able to do what I do."
"And what a number of fans you have!" he exclaimed. "Talk about strong support! Am I wrong to presume that you designed the outfit you're wearing right now?"
The female host by his side smiled warmly. "It's just so cute. Very expressive."
Alice giggled. "Thank you so much! The theme of my current line is 'Alice in Wonderland'. I feel like fashion is a rare and beautiful thing that can take anyone into a world built on their dreams."
Anne blinked. That was an interesting way to explain it. It was definitely different than how her parents looked at it.
But Alice continued to speak.
"You can find a side to yourself that you yourself didn't know you had. Fashion can do so much for us."
Anne leaned forward, growing more interested. Alice's voice grew impassioned as she spoke about fashion.
"I try my hardest to focus on that whenever I try to design another piece," Alice finished, placing a hand over her heart.
The female host nodded. "Such wise words for a fashion veteran! What originally spurred you into the fashion industry—if you don't mind me asking?"
Alice's expression became conflicted for a moment. Then her face grew sad.
"To be honest, I was very shy growing up. I didn't have any friends in school. I wanted to change so much, but I couldn't figure out how to do it."
Then her expression brightened, and a smile curled at her lips.
"Then one day, I saw the most beautiful dress in a shop window. When I put it on, the world felt brand new. It was like I was hit by a blinding ray of light. I couldn't help but think—I really can change! That's what wearing that dress made me feel. I strive each day to give that feeling to every person who tries on one of my designs."
Oh wow… Anne couldn't help but feel awed.
"No, stop," she told herself. "Alice has been stealing Desires!"
"I want to give that ray of light to others! That's what inspired me to get into the fashion industry."
Anne's breath caught at Alice's declaration.
She… wanted to be a ray of light to people?
"Could this be me? If I had let myself become warped with anger at what Kamoshida did…?" Anne questioned to herself.
She… didn't like the idea. Anne stared down at her lap, suddenly finding it hard to swallow. A pit began to form in her stomach.
"Anne?" Ren spoke lowly, before taking her hand.
Anne then looked up, managing a weak smile.
"It's nothing, Ren. We should focus on finding out more about Alice," she said quietly.
"Anne—"
"Ren, please. We can talk about it later, okay?"
Ren sighed before pursing his lips together.
"Okay," he agreed, but Anne could hear the reluctance in his voice.
But as they turned back to the stage, chaos broke out.
Going further into Alice's jail just further confirmed things for Anne. Alice had become so warped. Anne sensed that she spoke truly, when she talked about wanting to be a ray of hope. But… Alice has lost her way.
It just made Anne more determined to help her see sense.
Anne shook her head. She had to push this out of her head. She would try to snap Alice out of it, but… they also had that skeevy cop's threat hanging over their heads.
There was just no way that they'd let the police drag Ren back into jail!
"If Alice publicly admits to what she's been doing, that should clear up our names as well," Morgana was saying.
Anne nodded. "Then we don't have to make a deal with him in the first place!"
Ryuji scowled. "I can't believe that he'd think that we'd help 'im, after threatening Ren like that!"
Makoto sighed. "I think he was just trying to scare us into thinking that helping him was the best option."
"It's still utterly unforgivable!" Haru said, narrowing her eyes.
"Nevertheless, we've yet to find a way into Alice's castle…" Yusuke sighed.
"Yeah, so… what are we gonna do about that wall?" Morgana asked. "That's our biggest problem."
"In trouble?" Sophia spoke up. "I can help."
"Sophia, you can help us over that damn wall or…?" Ryuji asked.
Sophia let out a little hum as she thought over it.
"Hmm… I don't think I can help with that exactly. Oh—Futaba, what about hacking it?"
"Maybe if it was linked to a terminal…" Futaba said, though she sounded doubtful.
"That's perfect then," Sophia announced. "There's a control panel behind the other side of the wall."
"Really?!" Futaba gasped.
"It was saved in my memory when we first confronted it. So therefore—yes, really."
Ryuji's face broke into a grin. "Man, I can't believe you remember that! You really have an eye for that!"
"It's A-I," Sophia interjected.
Before Ryuji could protest, they were distracted by Sojiro walking up to them. Fortunately, he seemed willing to let them to do what they needed.
"Now we just need to figure out how to get Futaba over the wall…" Morgana mused.
Haru suggested climbing it with her, to ensure that she wouldn't be hurt by Shadows. Yusuke then pointed out that there were too many searchlights.
"I have an idea on how to handle that," Morgana said. "We're gonna need a decoy to put a dent in the defenses for us."
Anne couldn't help but look to Ren. Ren let out a sigh, pressing a hand against his face.
"So… you're volunteering me again," he said dryly.
Ryuji snorted. "Like we had to make you go with Anne."
"What if I refuse?" Ren asked, his voice turning petulant.
Makoto sighed. "Come on, Ren. Don't be difficult."
"You're the only one who can do it by yourself, Ren," Morgana added.
Ren groaned. "Fiiiine…"
Anne still couldn't help but feel worried, though. Was Alice still intending to go after Ren? He'd be perfect pickings if he went alone!
"This is pretty dangerous, though," Anne spoke up. "Even for Ren! Shouldn't someone go with him? I know that we will need to disable the searchlights and help Futaba over the wall but…"
"I can support him!" Sophia said. "I'll divide the enemy's attention between him and myself. This will help lighten the burden on Ren."
Anne relaxed a little at that. It made her breathe a little easier, knowing that Ren would have back up.
Morgana nodded. "Good thinking, Sophia!"
"But let's divide our roles now," Makoto suggested.
Ren nodded. "Right. So—first up. The searchlights."
"If it's busting up searchlights, then I'm game!" Ryuji said.
"Of course you'd jump for that," Futaba snarked.
"Aw shuddup!" Ryuji cried out.
Everyone couldn't help but laugh at that. Haru just reached out and patted his shoulder.
"I better come along and make sure that Ryuji doesn't go too crazy…" Morgana grumbled.
"And I can make sure that they don't kill each other," Anne quipped.
"We aren't that bad!" Morgana and Ryuji cried out in unison.
Anne just giggled, raising an eyebrow at them. Sure, their bickering had calmed down somewhat after everything they went through together, but Morgana and Ryuji wouldn't be themselves if they weren't fighting like little kids.
"Then that leaves Yusuke, Haru, and I to protect Futaba as she gets to the control panel," Makoto said.
"This is good too, since Makoto can heal Futaba's team, while Morgana can heal his team," Ren said, nodding. "I think… everything's all set. Are you guys ready to end this?"
Yusuke nodded gravely. "Let us clear our name and ensure your freedom!"
"YEAH!" they chorused together.
"Just be sure to get plenty of rest tonight," Morgana warned.
"Ah, never change, Morgana," Ren teased.
Morgana puffed up in anger at that, glaring at him.
"Hey! Maybe I wouldn't nag you if you just went to bed at a normal time—"
"Your idea of a normal bedtime is 10:00."
"That's perfectly normal!"
"Yeah, maybe for a thirteen-year-old," Ren shot back.
Haru just giggled before clapping her hands together once. That got their attention.
"But Mona-chan is right—we need to be at our strongest tomorrow. So, we should be really heading back."
They nodded before getting to their feet. Anne stayed though because she wanted to talk to Ren before heading back to her apartment.
"Can I help you, my lady?"
Anne just raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.
"You can, actually."
She then poked him in the chest.
"Your job is the most dangerous one, you know. So—no reckless stunts."
Ren might've made a joke another time. But his expression grew serious.
"I'll be as careful as best as I can, Anne. I promise. I know how dangerous this is."
"Not to mention that Alice has a… fixation on you," Morgana piped up.
"That's exactly why I'm worried!" Anne exclaimed. "What if she takes the opportunity to snatch you up?!"
"Well… I'll do my best to avoid that," Ren reassured her, before taking one of her hands and kissing the back of it. "But you'd come and save me if not, wouldn't you?"
Anne couldn't help but blush.
"Well, of course I would!" She then awkwardly cleared her throat, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Though—I should really get going. I'll see you tomorrow."
"No goodbye kiss?" Ren pretended to pout.
"And that's my cue to leave," Morgana muttered before scampering for the attic.
Anne let out a little sigh, shaking her head. But a smile curled at her lips. She leaned up, resting her hands on Ren's chest before pressing her lips against Ren's. Anne let her eyes close as she savored the kiss. Even after Ren had moved back with his parents, Anne could still taste a hint of coffee.
They hadn't gotten nearly enough alone time as Anne would've liked. She had been daydreaming about all the stuff they'd be able to do together after dealing with long-distance for nearly four months now.
But that was okay—they'd have plenty of time after taking care of Alice.
The plan was in action. Anne was vaguely aware of Futaba cheering on Ren, as she, Ryuji, and Morgana snuck their way to the search lights.
"How are we gonna do this?" Anne questioned.
"We need to take out those guards," Morgana said, his voice hushed. "Are you ready to take them on?"
Ryuji quietly smacked his fist into his open palm. "Let's do this!"
Morgana gave a little nod before jumping into action. Blue power glowed around him as he summoned Zorro. The blast of air smacked into the group of Shadows.
Anne was the next to move. With a flick of her wrist, her whip lashed through the air. Ryuji then struck with Captain Kidd. The force of Captain Kidd's attack was strong enough to make the ground shake a little.
"Nice work, guys!" Futaba cheered them on. "Now all there's left—"
She suddenly broke off with a gasp.
"Sophie, you gotta get to Joker!" she suddenly yelled.
"The hell's going on, Oracle?!"Ryuji demanded.
"Joker, get out of there!" Futaba ignored them.
"Oracle, what the hell is happening to Joker?!" Anne demanded.
Even as she asked it, Anne had a sinking feeling of what had happened. This was exactly what she had feared…
Futaba was silent for a few more agonizing moments.
"The Shadows got him. And… they took him to the castle."
Anne's hands clenched into fists, a small growl emitting from her throat.
"Then we storm the castle," she declared.
"Wait a second! I'm worried about Joker too, but we can't do anything without taking care of those searchlights!" Morgana protested.
Anne looked back to the searchlights. She then lifted one hand, tearing off her mask. Carmen appeared above her head. The cigar in her mouth glowed bright red before flames burst into life, setting all of the searchlights on fire.
"That work for you, Mona?" Anne asked flatly.
"Note to self: don't piss off Panther," Futaba said with a gulp.
Anne's hands twisted around the handle of her whip as her blood continued to boil.
"Alice Hiiragi…" she growled out, "is dead meat."
Well. That could've turned out better. Apparently, Ren had been ignorant to how much he relied on his friends' back-up. The Shadows had overwhelmed him, and the last thing he was aware of was Futaba yelling for him before blacking out.
Ren had regained consciousness not too long ago, only to find him chained by the wall.
Ren couldn't help but gulp as Alice approached him, her eyes greedily looking him up and down. He couldn't help but feel that he was being mentally undressed.
"It seems I've caught a handsome little thief," she purred. "And now he's all mine."
Ren tried to inch away as best as he could with the manacles attached to the wall. Which sadly meant that he couldn't get away far.
Ren's skin prickled as she slid a hand against his chest, as if his skin was rebelling against Alice's touch. This was wrong, Anne's touched him like this all the time, but this wasn't Anne. It didn't hold the same comfort and excitement. Alice's eyes looking at him like she was already undressing him. Ren felt a lump form in his throat as an unsettling chill crawled up his back.
No… he can't let her know that she's unnerving him. He had to stay strong until the others came to get him.
"Uh… sorry to say, but that's wrong. Firstly, I'm my own person, you know? And secondly—I already told you that I have a girlfriend!"
Alice growled. "No! You're mine!"
She grabbed him by the front of his shirt, yanking him forward. Ren couldn't help but wince as his bindings bit into his wrists at the sudden movement.
"M-I-N-E!" she ground out.
Ren shook his head. "Nope. I only have room for one dominatrix in my life and you ain't it."
"Anything she can do, I can do better. Ten times better!" Alice hissed.
Oh he doubted that. Anne may have never been in a romantic relationship before he came along, but once she grew comfortable with the more physical aspects of their relationship, Ren quickly learned that she was rather curious.
And well. She was a quick learner.
Besides that, he took offense at the implication that he only cared about the physical side of their relationship. Sure, that side was really great.
But Anne made him smile. Even on his darkest days. And during the tail end of their Metaverse adventure, he had definitely had a lot of those. Anne called him her light.
But Anne? Anne was his ball of sunshine. She helped chase away Ren's doubts with that beautiful smile of hers. She brought color in his life when his days were gray.
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Alice snapped. "You're thinking of Takamaki-san!"
"What of it?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow. "She's my girlfriend. And I still count my lucky stars that she picked me."
"Forget her! She's yesterday's news! I can show you a whole new world!"
"No thanks, I'm not interested in any magic carpet ride in a Destiny movie with you," Ren quipped, a smirk forming on his lips. "I'm happy with what I've got. Only one girl is allowed to tie me up and step on me, and her name is Panther."
Alice's face contorted with rage, but Ren didn't care. It was way too fun needling people. Not to mention that Alice kinda deserved to get refused, after everything she had been doing.
"I won't give you a choice!" she snapped out.
But there was a sudden crashing sound, as the doors banged open.
Ren then heard a familiar sound of a whip being cracked and Alice screeched in pain as the whip lashed against her arm.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" Anne all but bellowed out.
Anne stormed towards them. Ren could see their friends scrambling after Anne, but his eyes were on Anne.
Her eyes burned with righteous fury. In fact, a blue aura seemed to glow around her, like she was ready to sic Carmen on Alice any time.
Damn, she looked hot when she was all determined and filled with righteous fury.
"You bitch!" Alice snarled out, clutching at her arm.
Ren couldn't help but smirk as he noticed something black ooze out from the wound.
"Atta girl," he thought proudly.
"You're the one who stole my boyfriend!" Anne growled out.
"He was there—so I took him. You shouldn't leave your toys lying around if you care so much about them," Alice shot back, a smug look on her face.
Ren couldn't help but feel offended at Alice's assertion. He put up a good fight! It's not like he got his ass knocked down in ten seconds flat.
"Don't you dare call Joker a toy!" Anne yelled, jabbing a finger in Alice's direction.
"Are we going to have a cat fight?" Ryuji asked quietly, only to yelp as Makoto gave him a sharp jab to the side.
Anne's eyes then darted to Ren. She scowled once more. Then her hand rose, tearing off her mask and called for Carmen.
Carmen appeared, flames exploding to life. Ren winced as some stray embers landed on him. Alice hissed out a profanity, jumping away to dodge Anne's attack.
Anne was apparently waiting for that.
She pivoted on her heel, snatching Ryuji's club from her—ignoring their friend's protests. She then rushed forward, smashing the chains that bound Ren. They fell down to the ground with a loud clink.
"My hero," Ren said, looking up to Anne with a smile.
Anne blushed at his comment but before she could say anything, Alice interrupted.
"NO! HE'S MINE!" Alice screeched. "You can't take him!"
Anne growled in response, before dropping Ryuji's club.
"Joker's his own person! Stop acting like he's a shiny new toy you want! You know what you are?" Anne then narrowed her eyes, before taking a step forward. Then she pointed at Alice. "You're just a whiny little brat who's throwing a temper tantrum!"
"SHUT UP! You'd never know what it's like!" Alice snarled out. "No more! I won't be pushed around anymore!"
A sad smile suddenly appeared on Anne.
"You don't know me, Alice," Anne said softly.
Alice just shook her head, before glaring at Anne.
"I know your type! You're just a spoiled pretty bitch who will break the heart of any guy she sinks her claws into!" she growled out.
"You know nothing about Panther!" Yusuke abruptly spoke up, rage filling his voice. "She has shown people kindness, even when they have wronged her!"
Futaba nodded fiercely; for once, she agreed with Yusuke.
"And she understands what kind of pain you go through… and she'll empathize with your pain!" she added.
"You're just looking at how Panther looks like! You ain't judging her as a person!" Ryuji snapped.
Morgana nodded vigorously as well, his eyes hard.
"You're just projecting your flaws onto Panther!" he exclaimed, balling his paws into fists. "You wished that she was all the things you're accusing her of—you feel that it justifies how you're treating her and Joker!"
Makoto gave Alice a cold look, folding her arms over her chest.
"You understand nothing of Panther, if you think her of a petty heartbreaker," she said flatly.
Sophia clenched both hands into fists. "I may not have known Panther as long as everyone—but she's been nothing but nice to me!"
Anne's eyes widened at that, before uttering, "You guys…"
She looked absolutely shocked at their friends' quick defense of her.
Ren just nodded. "I don't know what made you so damn warped, but you really fail to understand what makes Panther, Panther. She's not perfect by any means. But she's got a heart of gold and would do anything for the ones she loves."
Ren then turned to look at Anne, giving her a smile.
"That's why I fell in love with her."
Anne's cheeks went bright red, matching the hue of her suit.
Alice instead just let out a little growl. "This isn't over, one way or another, I'll make you mine!"
She then snapped her fingers. A bright light flared to life, and they were forced to avert their eyes.
"Dammit, she got away!" Ryuji growled out.
"We still need to make the Desires appear," Morgana reminded. "Joker, we should get moving."
"One minute." Ren held up his index finger.
"Wait, why—"
He didn't have time to clarify before he was tackled by Anne, her arms circling around his waist. He stumbled back a couple steps. But he recovered, and he picked her up. He spun her around. Anne let out a surprised yelp at that, but then she started giggling. Ren couldn't help but laugh along with her.
When he set her down, he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You were pretty damn badass back there. My hero."
Anne blushed again before giving him a playful push.
"Are you okay, though?" she asked, her eyes softening with concern.
Ren shrugged. "Yeah. She got kinda touchy feely but then she got mad when I repeated that I had a girlfriend already. Then Panther kicked down the door and interrupted."
Anne growled. "Oooh… I'm gonna kill her!"
Haru laughed softly before approaching Anne. She then reached out, patting Anne's arm.
"Now, now… Joker is safe now," she said in a consoling voice.
"Yeah, you don't have to be so bloodthirsty," Futaba said with a snicker.
"Guessing you said something mushy like 'ooh, Panther is the only one for me! Sorry but you gotta find another man!'" Ryuji snickered.
Ren cracked a smile. "Something like that. I told Alice that I only have room for one dominatrix in my life and that spot is taken already," Ren said with a cheeky smile.
Anne let out a squeak at that.
"Gross," Futaba said, disgust dripping from her voice.
Sophia tilted her head. You could practically see the question marks floating around her head.
"What's a dominatrix?" she asked innocently.
Makoto glared at Ren briefly before turning to Sophia.
"Nothing you need to know, Sophia," she said briskly.
Sophia frowned. "But it's information I need to know. I must learn everything I can."
Makoto sighed. "No… you don't."
Ren just grinned cheekily. "What can I say? Panther can top me any time."
"JOKER!" Makoto's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't make me slap you."
"Joker, stop…" Anne moaned out.
Ren chuckled before snagging her around the waist and pulled her close to him. He then leaned in and kissed the crown of her head.
"Okay, okay I'll stop. Sorry about embarrassing you."
Ryuji made a disgusted sound before pulling a face. "Get a room, you two."
Ren smirked. "Okay, so get out—"
"Not this again!" Morgana moaned out.
Makoto just sighed, shaking her head. Ren couldn't help but smirk. Ryuji was asking for it; he had practically walked into it. He really made it wayyyy too easy for Ren.
"This would be an excellent opportunity if I just had my sketchpad on me," Yusuke lamented.
"Ugh, why do you have to be weird, Inari?" Futaba complained before poking Yusuke in the ribs.
Yusuke glowered at her. "I believe that you of all people cannot say that."
Futaba just stuck out her tongue at him. Morgana then pointedly cleared his throat.
"Come on, guys, we have to get to the top of the birdcage. We have to confront Alice," he reminded them.
Ren waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
"Do you?" Morgana asked, a hint of sass to his voice.
Ren opened his mouth to give Morgana some sass back, but Anne elbowed him in the side. Ren let out a little grumble at that, as his girlfriend gave a nervous giggle.
"We kinda got distracted, didn't we?"
Haru giggled as well. "You could say that again."
Yusuke then gestured to the door. Ren couldn't help but stifle at a laugh at how hard Anne slammed the doors open. The doors hung loosely from the hinges now. It was a bit of a running joke amongst their group that they shouldn't mess with Makoto, but Anne was no slouch either.
"Shall we head off, then?" Yusuke asked.
Ryuji then smacked his fist into his other hand.
"I'm ready to kick Alice's ass!" he declared.
"That makes two of us," Yusuke seconded with a firm nod of his head.
Slowly they head out of the room. But then Ren reached out, looping his arm around Anne's waist.
"Joker—"
Ren pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers. Anne sighed against his lips before Ren reluctantly broke off the kiss.
"That was a thank you kiss. For the road," he said with a wink.
Anne blushed at that before bumping her shoulder against him.
"That's our thing, isn't it? Saving each other, right?" she asked playfully. "You pushed me to rebel against Kamoshida—"
"All of the times you pushed me out of the way of a Shadow's attack—"
"Reminding me to fight back when I had lost all hope when Yaldabaoth tried to erase us—"
"And just now," Ren said with a grin.
Anne suddenly frowned. "But you're not playing bait again. Not if I have anything to say about that."
"We can't have the lady upset, can we?" Ren laughed.
He then snagged one of Anne's hands, lifting it up so he could press a small kiss against her knuckles.
"No, we can't," Anne said, a devilish smile pulling at her lip.
She suddenly turned, pivoting around.
"Race you to catch up to the others!" she suddenly cried out before breaking into a sprint.
Ren gaped after his girlfriend before running after her.
"Cheater!" he yelled.
"Like you wouldn't do the same!" Anne yelled back at him.
Ren couldn't help but grin though as he chased after his girlfriend. Even though they still needed to clear their name by beating Alice, Ren couldn't help but feel glad that Anne had his back.
Now and forever.
I was inspired by a talk with my friend angelrin89. She was in the middle of playing P5S, and was like "okay fandom, I've done my waiting. Where's my damsel Ren fic with Anne saving him from Alice?!" I had another P5S idea but I really liked the idea so I scrapped that idea and ended up writing this! The Alice arc has some good Shuann food too so I feel that it's very fitting!
And a big thank you to angelrin89 for betaing this as well! I hope everyone has been enjoying all the good Shuann Week content!