Anne hadn't felt this happy in ages. Shiho was back for winter break, and she had just given Anne the best news. She was coming back to Shujin!
But then Shiho suddenly flashed her a sly, mischievous smile.
"So, how's everything with you and Ren-kun?"
Anne blushed at the question, and her blush only grew more intense at Shiho's knowing smile.
"Hehe… it's been great."
Anne began to fiddle with the clothes on the rack as she tried to distract herself from the teasing gleam in Shiho's eyes.
"Ren is such an amazing boyfriend. We spent Christmas Eve together at his place and it was such a great date!"
"Oh?" Shiho asked, her dark eyes glinting with curiosity.
"Enough about that!" Anne squeaked out before Shiho demanded details.
Okay, maybe it was her fault for mentioning it in the first place. She loved Shiho, but she wanted to keep what had happened between her and Ren that night close to her chest.
She then turned and raised an eyebrow at Shiho. "What about you, Shiho? Got a special someone in mind?"
Shiho shrugged. "Not in particular. I want to focus on my volleyball training right now."
Anne smiled. For as long as Anne had known her, Shiho had dreamed about reaching the top as a volleyball player. It was part of the reason why she wanted to apply to Shujin Academy. Shujin was known for being one of the top schools when it came to athletics, but volleyball came up on top.
Something… tickled at the back of Anne's mind. Anne blinked. That was a strange feeling.
"Speaking of that… I did really well at the big meet the other day," Shiho mentioned.
Anne pumped a fist. "I'd expect nothing less of you! I'm so proud of you, though!"
Shiho blushed slightly. "Aw, Anne… It's really because you've been supporting me this entire time."
Anne waggled a finger at her. "Uh-uh! Don't downplay how hard you've been working, Shiho!"
Something suddenly caught her eye, and Anne glanced to see what it was. She then beamed as she realized who it was.
"Ren!" she called out to him, waving enthusiastically to him. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Anne."
Ren flashed her a smile but there was something… strained to it.
"Is… something the matter?" Anne asked cautiously.
Ren shook his head before leaning in to press his lips against Anne's temple quickly. Anne happily leaned into the embrace, unable to stifle the giddy smile from spreading across her face. She adored that Ren would casually show his affection for her.
"I wanted to see you, that's all."
"Aw…" Shiho cooed, unable to hold back giggles as she pressed a hand against her cheek.
Anne found herself blushing again before she cleared her throat. She then gestured to Shiho.
"You remember Shiho, right, Ren? I know it's been a while but…"
Ren flashed a smile towards Shiho. "Mm-hm. How I could forget my girlfriend's best friend?"
Shiho let out a little laugh before twirling her ponytail with one finger. "Well… I wouldn't blame you if you forget. I mean, my parents' jobs made me switch schools so early in the semester."
Anne giggled. "He has to know, what with all the bragging—I've told him all about how amazing you are at volleyball!"
"Careful, Anne, you might give me an inflated ego," Shiho teased with her usual gentle smile.
"She has done a lot of bragging," Ren agreed, a small smile forming on his face.
Anne smacked his shoulder.
"What? It's true, Anne," Ren stated before rubbing his shoulder.
"Hehe… sorry you have to deal with this so much, Ren-kun," Shiho apologized.
"Shiho!" Anne couldn't help but whine out.
Shiho laughed, affection shining clearly in her eyes. "I'm just teasing, Anne. You've always been my number one supporter, you know."
"Of course I would be!" Anne exclaimed, pressing a hand against her chest. "You were there for me when nobody else was…"
She couldn't help but falter at that. She still remembered how lonely the first few months in Japan had been…
"Aw, Anne…" Shiho suddenly giggled. "I just couldn't help myself—your drawing really was awful."
"That's not the point!" Anne couldn't help but laugh.
Out of the corner of her eye, Anne saw Ren looking at the two of them with a sad smile on his face. He seemed to realize this, and he quickly wiped the expression from his face.
Anne couldn't help but frown. Something was up. But what was it, exactly?
"I'll be glad to come back though," Shiho suddenly remarked.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ren asked.
"Oh… I think I forgot to tell you but—Shiho is coming back to Shujin!"
Ren's eyes widened at that.
"Are your parents transferring back?"
Shiho shook her head. "Everyone knows that Shujin is the top school when it comes to volleyball. It took some… begging on my part but my parents finally agreed to let me transfer back to Shujin."
Anne couldn't help but beam. Things were panning out perfectly. Soon she'd have her best friend back in Shujin and hopefully next year, Ren would be in her class again!
"I was so sad when her parents' jobs forced Shiho to transfer," she added. "But all's well ends well!"
Ren smiled faintly before the same sad look flashed in his eyes. Anne frowned. Seriously—what was up with Ren today?
"Is everything perfect now?"
"Perfect?" Anne repeated.
She couldn't help but feel confused at Ren's cryptic question.
"Ren, what do you mean…?"
"Do you really prefer things this way?"
Ren was giving her a pleading look. It was like… he was begging for her to understand… something.
Anne echoed, "This way…? I mean, both you and Shiho are here and everything's going great. It's definitely better than the alternative when we—"
Anne cut herself off as something flashed in her mind. She was strapped down while… Mr. Kamoshida leered at her with eerie gold eyes and a creepy smirk. She had honestly wanted to die and—
"Takamaki, don't you dare give in!"
Ren's resonant voice cut through the air.
"Fight back! You're stronger than this!"
Anne shook her head and mumbled, "T-That's weird… I was cornered, I wanted to die and…!"
Anne stopped short at the hopeful look in Ren's eyes. Why was he looking at her like that?
"Just think about it, Anne. Okay? I have to go—I'll talk you later."
Ren then stepped forward, pressing a gentle kiss against Anne's brow before disappearing into the mall's crowd.
Anne blinked, feeling utterly confused.
What was that all about?
Less than a week later, Anne had her answer. She couldn't believe that she had fallen for this fake world completely and utterly.
It was a small consolation that she wasn't the only one but…
Anne nervously twisted the whip in her hands. Her stomach was doing crazy flip-flops as she followed her friends through the Palace. It was so strange to her. She hadn't expected that this new stadium would be the place of a new Palace.
"Ren… please be okay," she begged to herself, as anxiety gnawed at her insides.
She felt horrible enough for getting sucked into this… fantasy, unaware that Ren had been internally begging her to snap out of it for a week.
How could she do this to him?
On top of that… there was the question—how the heck was Akechi alive to begin with? And why was Ren working with him?
"Panther?" Haru touched her arm, concern burning in her eyes. "Is something the matter?"
Anne forced a smile. "Yeah, don't worry, Noir! I've been just thinking about how I hope that Joker hasn't run into any trouble! You know how he's a total trouble magnet."
Ren had joked about this in the past—claiming that he didn't find trouble. Instead he claimed, "Trouble finds me."
Ryuji glanced in her direction. Sympathy flashed in his eyes.
Then he looked down to Morgana.
"Mona, let's hurry. Joker needs us."
Morgana nodded firmly. "Right, though—don't do anything crazy like rush ahead of us."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ryuji said hotly, shooting Morgana a glare.
"Come now, you two can argue later," Yusuke stated. "Joker needs us!"
Makoto sighed, shaking her head. "Why are you encouraging them to argue later…?"
Futaba snorted. "Skull and Mona wouldn't be them if they didn't argue like cats and dogs."
Morgana opened his mouth, probably to protest that he wasn't a cat. But Makoto suddenly coughed.
"Come on! Fox is right—Joker needs us. We can't have any delays."
Ryuji and Morgana grumbled to themselves but thankfully settled down.
Makoto took the lead. While she was their tactician, she was technically their second-in-command too. It was only natural that she would take the lead in Ren's absence.
Sneaking through the Palace wasn't as good of a distraction as Anne hoped though. Fighting Shadows were kinda a reprieve though. But the Shadows were tough, tougher than the Shadows they had encountered in the depths of Mementos, even.
Eventually they could hear fighting in the distance.
"That has gotta be Joker!" Ryuji exclaimed, his hand clenched into a fist.
Without warning, he suddenly broke into a sprint.
"Skull, wait—!" Yusuke reached out to him to try and grab him by the sleeve, but Ryuji was already disappearing into the new room.
Anne cringed as she suddenly heard an anguished cry.
"What's going on?!" Anne exclaimed.
Makoto just pursed her lips together. "I don't know but we need to find out!"
They rushed in. The first thing that caught Anne's connection was a red shining figure. Wait—was that a Persona…?
Then she looked to Ryuji. Ryuji was panting slightly, his clothes torn a bit.
"Dammit, Skull—I told you not to run ahead!" Morgana snapped, shooting him a glare.
Ryuji fired off a retort, but Anne's attention wasn't on him or Morgana. She had eyes for only Ren. Pure relief and shock shone in his dark eyes. Anne bit her lip.
A smile suddenly broke out on Ren's face.
"I knew you'd make it." Then he tilted his head. "Though—you're cutting it a little close, aren't you?"
"Always the joker," Anne said with a shaky laugh.
Was he mad? Was he just masking things? He was good at hiding how he felt… Anne couldn't help but think of he had hid that he felt like such a failure with the fiasco with Okumura.
Anne hated that she didn't know. Before they had started dating, Ren was her closest friend, barring Shiho.
Ren just winked in response to Anne's comment. "Well… my codename is Joker."
"Our apologies for making you wait so long!" Yusuke stated, clenching a hand into a fist.
"Wait… is that…?" Haru suddenly voiced.
Anne winced as her eyes drifted over to the dark clad male standing next to Ren.
That person was… Akechi.
"We saw him die! We heard the gunshot and then Futaba couldn't sense his signal. I don't get it… how does any of this make sense?!" Anne thought, feeling completely baffled.
Why was Ren of all people working with him too?!
After finding out that Akechi had lost his mother because of Shido's poor treatment, Anne could see why he had been so desperate to tear down Shido. But that didn't erase all of the heinous crimes he had committed, plus the fact that he was willing to kill Ren in cold blood… all for the sake of revenge.
There was just no way that Ren would want to work with Akechi!
Unless… he had no choice. Guilt wormed into Anne's gut once more.
And there was Dr. Maruki.
He was dressed differently, like a scientist. His normally messy hair was slicked back. And the way he held himself… was a complete 180.
"Seriously—what's going on?" Anne couldn't help but sputter out. "You're working with Akechi, and why is Dr. Maruki here?!"
"Hang on—that's Yoshizawa!" Morgana said, pointing at the shimmering red figure.
Anne realized with a jolt that Morgana was right. She was tied up, and the younger girl was unconscious, her head lolling back and forth.
"Why's her Persona doing this? What's going on?" Morgana suddenly shook his head, his expression growing serious. "That's not important right now. We have to save her—no matter what!"
Yoshizawa was a Persona-user… and Morgana knew? They would need to give an explanation for that later…
"Everyone, fall into formation!" Makoto said, her voice suddenly commanding.
Ren suddenly turned, giving her a soft smile. "I knew you'd snap out of it."
"Joker—" Anne began, as words began to swirl in her mind.
Ren just stepped forward and pressed a finger against her lips. He gave her a slight smile.
"We can talk later, okay? We have work to do."
He then jerked his head towards Yoshizawa's berserk Persona.
"You've got my back, right, Panther?" he asked.
Anne slowly nodded. "Always!"
They had a date. February 3rd.
They had a little over three weeks to defeat Dr. Maruki.
Anne couldn't help but feel conflicted. She knew that he was a kind man, with their interests in mind when he crafted this dream world. It wouldn't be easy opposing him but… she couldn't let him overwrite people's hardships for the sake of a shallow happiness.
She couldn't help but think about Shiho with her quiet strength. It was horrible, knowing what Kamoshida did to her.
But…
There were many good things that came out of bearing hardship.
She couldn't help but think of all the times she had spent with Ren, trying to figure herself out. And she had just… thrown it all away.
Speaking of Ren… her eyes drifted over to her boyfriend. She had been wanting to talk to him for a few days now but she couldn't help feel afraid to.
Leaving him to figure out this all on his own had been simply horrible of her to do. She had wanted to talk to him in private but something made her completely tongue-tied.
Anne was suddenly snapped back to reality at the bell's shrill ringing, signaling the end of the school day. Everyone perked up at that and they all quickly dispersed from the classroom.
Determination suddenly flared inside of Anne. She could face monsters, conspiracies, and a god. She could face Ren.
Anne screwed up her courage, reaching out to tap her boyfriend on the back.
"Ren?" she said softly.
Ren turned around, looking at her. "Something the matter, Anne?"
"No. Yes." Anne slapped her hands over her burning cheeks. "U-Um, I was wondering if we could talk. If you're not busy of course!"
Ren chuckled before stepping around his desk. He then bent down, pressing a light kiss against her forehead.
"I've always got time for you, Anne."
Anne bit her lip before getting up herself. Ren hadn't called her 'my lady'—his preferred pet name for her—since before they had been sucked into this mess. Was it a sign that this was really bugging him? Or was she just looking too deeply into this?
She hated second guessing so much…
But to her surprise, Ren turned to take her hand and intertwined their fingers together. Anne's heart gave a little flutter of hope. Maybe Ren wasn't angry with her after all.
She gave his fingers a squeeze as they walked out of Shujin.
"So… to Leblanc?" Ren asked.
Anne hesitated. "Actually… I was thinking about heading to my place for a change."
Ren raised an eyebrow at that, but he gave a little nod in agreement.
The walk to her apartment was quiet. They passed by several people. Their expressions were happy but… at the same time, Anne couldn't help but feel unnerved. There was something… off about their expressions.
Anne shook her head as her apartment complex came into view.
Morgana abruptly jumped out of Ren's bag.
"Morgana…?" Ren questioned.
Morgana shook his head. "I'm fine, Ren. Lady Anne wants to speak to you alone so… I'll just explore the neighborhood until you're ready to head back."
Anne managed a slight smile. "Thank you, Morgana."
Morgana just smiled. "Any time, Lady Anne!"
And without another word, he was gone. Ren gestured for Anne to lead the way so she did.
They stepped into the lobby and rode the elevator to the sixth floor. Anne let go of Ren's hand only once they were standing in front of her apartment. She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door.
Anne cleared her throat, looking to Ren nervously. She had invited Makoto and Haru over a couple times, but Ren had never been here.
"Do you want a drink? A snack?" she asked once she had shut her bedroom door; she wanted to be a good host.
After all, Ren had always been a great host to all of them whenever they hung out together at Leblanc.
Ren just shook his head. "No, I'm good, thanks."
Anne sank onto the edge of her bed before crossing her legs.
"Um… sorry about the mess."
Ren spoke gently. "Anne, what's wrong? You've been so serious the entire time. You're usually a chatterbox. It was kinda weird to see you be so quiet."
Anne puffed out her cheeks. "You're acting like I never shut up."
Ren just chuckled.
"That's not what I meant. But seriously—what's the matter?"
Anne slowly exhaled before wrapping her arms around herself.
"I wanted to say… that I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Ren echoed.
Anne bit her lip. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry that I fell for Maruki's reality. I've been wanting to give you a proper apology for days now…"
Ren grew quiet at that, his expression practically blank. Anne just bit her lip in response. She should've known that it was bothering him.
"Anne, I won't lie. I was really confused when I woke up in this reality," Ren said softly. "And to see you incredibly happy because Shiho hadn't gone through Kamoshida's abuse. It left me… conflicted. And seeing everyone else be happy as well—it was hard to see. Because you all went through hardships, and Maruki had created a world where you guys were happy."
"Ren…" Anne bit her lip. "I was also happy in our world. I remember all the good times we had together."
A smile tugged at her lips as she thought of that fateful day on the rooftop, the day where they had confessed their feelings for each other. The way he held her in her arms, the warmth in his eyes as he reminded her that she had him.
"You'll always have me, Anne. I swear it."
Then he had kissed her. It had literally taken her breath away.
Anne pressed a hand against her chest. "And I know that everyone else feels the same way. We definitely had it rough, but our experiences also gave me some of the closest friends I could ask for."
Ren smiled hesitantly. "I'm glad. I wasn't sure if it was right to make you remember."
"I'm still trying to figure out what the right choice is," Anne admitted, twirling her finger around her hair. "I dunno if Dr. Maruki's world is better. But I can't stop thinking about Shiho and what happened to her. She was stuck in therapy for months. She's taking it slowly. She didn't play volleyball at all this year..."
Anne closed her eyes. She couldn't help but think of what would've happened had her best friend never gone through the pain she was forced to endure.
"No, that mindset is wrong," Anne decided.
"Do you regret your choice then?" Ren asked.
Anne opened her eyes to look at her boyfriend.
"Do you remember why I decided to become a model? Shiho inspired me—no matter how many times she fell down during her physical therapy she always got up. I want to be similar inspiration to people everywhere. I want to be a ray of light for them, like how Shiho and you are for me."
Then she pressed a hand against her chest.
"Plus, I dunno if we would've gotten so close if we hadn't had those tough experiences to deal with together. As much as I wish Shiho didn't go through that pain, Shiho is recovering. Not to mention—this isn't reality. I may have been 'happy', but it wouldn't have been real."
Ren gave her a slow smile. "I'm glad, Anne."
He then let out a sigh.
"I was worried because I thought that you would've preferred for Shiho to never have gone through that. I haven't been sure how to talk to you about this kind of thing."
Anne smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, Ren. I should've talked to you about this sooner."
"It's okay, Anne. We were both kinda at fault here."
"I won't deny that it made me happy to see Shiho well and pursuing her dream. But Shiho has moved on. She didn't lose hope even when her physical therapy was so tough… Shiho was my inspiration. I was thinking of her when Kamoshida was begging for his life. When he said that he'd kill himself, I knew that he couldn't be allowed to take the easy route out. I can't take the easy route out." Anne admitted.
Ren suddenly stood up and embraced her. Anne looked up at him, startled.
"What's this for?" she asked, feeling a little flustered.
"I'm proud of you, Anne," he murmured before dropping a kiss on the top of her head.
Anne felt her cheeks warm up with embarrassment. "I didn't really do anything… Just say how I felt."
Ren chuckled. "Reminds you of a certain moment?"
Anne smiled before pulling him down to lie down on her bed. She rested her head against his chest before slowly inhaling his scent.
"How could I forget? You listened—when I felt nobody would."
She still remembered her desperation, feeling utterly alone. But Ren had pressed her, refusing to walk away from her. That had left a lasting impression on her.
"You didn't even know me. But you insisted on hearing me out."
Ren chuckled. "You were crying and upset. Only a monster would walk away from that."
"I couldn't figure you out, you know. I kept wondering what your deal was. But that was only the start. You've helped me out so much…"
Ren slipped his arms around her waist. "Anything for you, Anne."
"More like you couldn't resist a sad face on a pretty girl," Anne lightly teased.
"Especially not you," Ren said, a small smile forming on his face.
Anne couldn't help but falter. She couldn't help but feel bad, for accepting Maruki's reality even if it was only a little while.
Ren seemed to sense her serious mood and looked at her in confusion.
"What's wrong, Anne?"
"I just—" Anne cut herself off with a sigh. "I… I feel worse about accepting this reality."
"Don't." Ren said almost immediately. "You pulled yourself out of it."
Anne couldn't help but frown. Ren was sometimes… incredibly forgiving. Though—she couldn't help but wonder what wish had Maruki granted for him. She knew that Ren's relationship with his parents had been… strained, thanks to his confrontation with Shido. From what she remembered, they had been recently trying to talk to him but Ren had stubbornly refused to hear them out.
"Only because you snapped me out of it," Anne insisted. "But… I never will lose my way again. For now on, I'm going to face reality. For me, for Shiho, and…"
Anne felt her face warm up as she turned on her side, looking at Ren.
"And for you. I want to face the hardships life throws at me—no, us. I know I'll be okay, with you by my side."
Anne then suddenly felt something in her heart stir. It felt similar to when Carmen transformed into Hecate.
But Ren chuckled, pulling her out of her thoughts. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"I feel the same, Anne. I was glad to have Sumire jump up to help me, and well—Akechi is a bit complicated. But I couldn't help but wish that you guys were with us during that first trip to Maruki's Palace."
Anne sighed. "Ren… are you gonna be okay, facing Dr. Maruki? I know that you guys got pretty close with you helping him with his research and all…"
She couldn't help but feel worried. While a Palace didn't mean you were evil—Futaba being a prime example—going through Dr. Maruki's Palace was definitely not going to be easy. And Dr. Maruki said he didn't plan on backing down. They would have to go all out in order to defeat him.
And Anne did like Dr. Maruki. He was a kind man who earnestly wanted to help people. There was something about the man that had made Anne want to open to him. And she hadn't been the only one.
Ren was quiet for a moment, pursing his lips together.
"Okay... may not be the right word for it," Ren said quietly. "He was the first adult who tried to be open to me, I won't deny that it kinda hurts to know that we're now at odds."
Anne laughed softly. "I can hear the 'but', you know."
Ren chuckled in response. "But I'd be lying to myself if I just shut my eyes and let Maruki do what he wants. It won't be easy for sure… but I know that I can do it if I have you and everyone else by my side."
Anne crawled over to him, hugging him tightly.
"Do you remember what I told you… the night Okumura died?" she asked softly.
Ren just smiled. "I believe it was something along the lines of 'hell or high water, I'm here for you. You're officially stuck with me'."
Anne giggled. "I mean it, you know."
Ren pulled her close, kissing her on her temple.
"Yeah, and I'm glad for it. I think… I might have hesitated if you guys hadn't snapped out of things."
Anne just hugged him, burying her face into Ren's chest for a moment. She slowly inhaled, taking in his scent. His scent was always soothing. She had liked the smell of coffee before meeting Ren, but after the way coffee started to cling onto Ren… it made her love the scent so much more.
Then she peeked up at him.
"Hey, no more what ifs, Ren. We're facing Dr. Maruki and taking back our reality… together."
"And you say that I can say cheesy lines," Ren teased her with a lopsided smile.
"S-Shut up! I was trying to be encouraging like you, Ren!" Anne sputtered out.
Ren just laughed, the sound making Anne's heart swell up with happiness. With the stress with Shido and then infiltrating Mementos… she hadn't heard that sound in a long time. Then his eyes softened as he gazed at her.
"But… thank you, Anne. I know you've told me repeatedly that you've come to important realizations because of me by your side… but I need you just as much."
Anne sighed softly. It wasn't always easy. The aftermath of Okumura's death, Ren's state after the interrogation, not to mention all the crap with Shido…
But she'd do it again, if Ren needed her.
"Any time, Ren."
I've seen a couple of fics tackle Ren in a romantic relationship during the 3rd semester, so here's my take on Shuann & the third semester! Most of my fics are set in the vanilla timeline, so I'm glad that I could finally write more with Royal!
My next fic will most likely be the Free Day prompt. I'm working on a Soulmates prompt but it'll most likely be late.
And as always, a big thank you to my friend angelrin89 for her edits!