March 25th, 20XX
Akira and Morgana didn't say anything to each other on their journey to Tokyo. By this point, nearly 3 hours had passed without a spoken word, there was tension in the air, and Morgana didn't feel like disturbing his human guardian and best friend. The morning had been pretty tense, not between the two of them but between and his mother. This was the last time he would see her in, possibly, a long time as, on this day, he left his hometown and moved permanently to Tokyo for university. He and his mother, Kairi Kurusu, had gotten into an argument the previous night. Akira didn't want to dwell on it right now. He was finally going to see his friends, the people he considered his second family, the Phantom Thieves.
"I can't believe we're finally going to see everyone. We haven't seen them since the summer break." Morgana said, finally breaking the silence.
"I know, I'm a little nervous, to be honest. But it's probably just excitement getting to me." Akira responded. Morgana noted that he sounded happier than he was at his home this morning.
"Are the others going to meet us at the LeBlanc?"
"No, but we're supposed to all go out to dinner later on tonight at Ginza."
"Ooooooo nice!" Morgana then gave him sad eyes. "Hey um, do you thin-"
"Yes, I will buy you some fatty tuna," Akira responded with a chuckle.
"Yes!" Morgana muttered under his breath, trying not to sound too excited. "...Thanks, Akira."
"Anytime, buddy." Akira patted his feline companion on the head.
"This is Shibuya. The next stop is Shibuya."
As the train rolled into Shibuya station, Akira got up from his seat and stepped off the train. A wave of nostalgia crashed in on him as memories of his first time arriving flooded his mind. That feeling kept up as he wandered through the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya. As he was about to turn the corner and head to LeBlanc, he spotted a familiar blue-haired woman in a white doctor's coat coming out of a small general store.
"Tae!" Akira spoke loudly without yelling out. The woman turned around and immediately had a happy and surprised face.
"Holy shit, if it isn't my little guinea pig," Tae responded.
The woman in question was doctor Tae Takemi, the back-alley doctor who ran her own clinic in Yongen-Jaya. She was an invaluable asset to Akira during his time as a Phantom Thief. Her medicine saved the group more times than he can keep count. Not only that, but she was one of the best people he met during his year of probation in Tokyo. He was glad he could help her find a cure for a young girl who suffered from a rare illness.
"How have you been?" Akira asked, chuckling at her guinea pig line, which he hadn't heard in quite some time.
"Just fine, same old same old. But you, you're anything but same old," Tae noticed that Akira had aged a little bit since the last time she saw him. While still sporting his black frizzy hair and faux glasses, he also began developing a bit of facial hair below his nose and on his chin. "Digging the beard and mustache," she said.
"Thanks, I like it too. I don't know if I'll keep it for long though, might shave it off before summer."
"Well, you do you. I like it, but I do miss that clean babyface look you had."
Akira chuckled and blushed slightly.
"So anyway, how's Miwa-chan doing?"
"Just fine, she already left to go her spring break. Shame, it would have been nice for you to see her."
"Well, I'm sorry I missed her, but I'll have more chances to see her since I am now staying in Tokyo for good."
"So I've heard, look at mister uni-boy," Tae nudged his shoulder, causing a shy smirk to grow on his face. "Boss told me already. Speaking of which, you should go. He's probably getting tired of waiting for you."
"You're right, but it was great seeing you again."
"Stop by anytime!" She pulled him in for one last friendly embraced and headed their separate ways.
Before going into LeBlanc, Akira peeked in the laundromat and bathhouse for another bump of nostalgia, taking in as many happy memories as he can, as if he was trying to forget what occurred in the last 24 hours.
Standing in front of Leblanc, Akira took a deep breath, put on his happy face, and went to open the door.
It was locked.
Thankfully, Akira still had the spare key Sojiro had given him not long after he arrived. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it. He walked inside the empty cafe, the lights were off, and Sojiro was nowhere to be found. Once the bell chimed once again and the door behind shut, he felt lost and slightly confused.
"Huh, I wonder where the chief is?" Morgana asked.
"I don't know; maybe he stepped out for groceries?" Akira wondered.
"Maybe Leblanc went out of business," Morgana said with a chuckle, which he meant as a joke.
"Why would you even say that?" It was then that the pair heard a chuckle behind the counter, followed by a slight bump and a faint "Ow." Akira put 2 and 2 together immediately and lowered his head while shaking it in amusement.
"Hit the lights, Yusuke!" He heard a familiar female voice demand while whispering.
The lights came on, and poppers went off in the air, showering Akira and Morgana in confetti. Akira finally lifted his head and looked around to see his best friends, his former guardian, Sojiro Sakura, and, surprisingly, Sae Niijima, the elder sister of one of his friends, spread throughout the cafe. Before he knew it, he was swallowed in a group hug from 6 of his former partners in crime.
-Ryuji Sakamoto, a faux blonde, former Shujin track star, turned rebel and a real dickhead in Tycoon.
-Ann Takamaki, a natural blonde rising supermodel in the fashion world.
-Yusuke Kitagawa, the "weirdo" of the group, a literal starving artist who needs to learn how to manage his finances better.
-Makoto Niijima, the former student council president of Shujin Academy, and definitely NOT a robot.
-Futaba Sakura, hacking genius, pseudo little sister to Akira, and really needs to understand the privacy of others.
-Haru Okumura, the wealthiest ball of floof you'll ever meet, also the most secretly dangerous.
Quite a rag-tag group of individuals.
"Look at this guy right here; how have you been, man?" Ryuji asked his best friend while wrapping his arm around his shoulder.
"We missed ya!" Futaba exclaimed in a muffled tone as her head was buried in his chest.
"Guys... I... can't... breath..." Akira chocked out.
"Me... neither..." Morgana followed.
"Hahaha, too bad, we're just so excited to see you that you're gonna have to deal with it," Ann replied, not letting go of her hold on her friend.
Akira began tapping on the shoulders of those hugging him.
"Hehe, alright, give the kid some room to breathe," Sojiro interjected from behind the counter. To
Akira's relief, they all relented, except Futaba, of course. But by this point, Akira had gotten enough of his breath back to pull her off him himself. The ginger-haired girl pouted slightly but smiled once again once Akira rubbed the top of her head.
"It's been a while," Yusuke said in his typical calm tone.
"Did you get taller?" Haru asked in her sweet voice.
"You look well," Makoto said with a smile on her face.
"What about meeeee?" Morgana whined.
"You too, Morgana," Ann replied as she pet the cat, causing it to let out a satisfied meow.
"Hello, Senpai," Akira heard a voice from further back say. The rest of the group made way for the familiar redheaded girl to approach the man she loved.
The girl in question was Sumire Yoshizawa, a future Olympic gymnast and the girl who had stolen Akira's heart. She and Akira embraced as the others watched in total happiness, happy for their two friends. Sumire let a few tears of joy drop, causing the other female thieves to do the same. Except for Futaba, the sight was too cheesy for her to take seriously. Nevertheless, she still suppressed the urge to make a jokey remark at the pair's expense and let the two lovers have their moment.
"I've missed you so much, Senpai."
"Me too, Sumire. But I told you, you don't have to call me Senpai."
"Sorry, I'm just so happy to see you, Akira!"
"Me too," Akira looked up at his friends, "and that goes for all of you." He exclaimed.
When Sumire let go of Akira, the boy turned his attention to his former guardian.
"Hey kid, how are you doing?" Sojiro asked.
"Not too bad. A bit tired from the trip but otherwise good."
"How's your mom doing?"
The mention of his mom made the smile on Akira's disappear for a brief moment, it quickly returned, and he hoped the others didn't notice.
They did.
"She's doing fine," Akira replied; clearly, this was a sentence he forced out with grit. But he still maintained his happy mood. Thankfully, Sojiro decided not to prod any further.
"Good to hear; she know you got in okay?"
"Yeah, I texted her when I arrived in Shibuya." Akira lied; he hadn't texted or spoken to his mother since last night.
Akira then turned his attention to the woman who got him out of juvie, Sae Niijima.
"How are you, Sae-san?" Akira said as he greeted her with a bow.
"Just fine, it's good to see you again; welcome back," Sae said with a smile. "Come have a seat."
Everyone took their seats around the cafe, either in booths or on the stools at the counter. As Sojiro prepared his famous curry, the others just talked about their lives. All of the ex-phantom thieves, except Futaba and Sumire, were either in or about to start university. Sojiro was more than happy to give Akira his old room back rent-free, provided he helps out around the cafe now and then. Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Haru, and Makoto would be attending the Univerisity of Tokyo while Yusuke would be attending Tokyo University of the Arts. But before that, the thieves had two weeks off for spring break and decided to plan a camping trip in a couple of days. At the behest of Futaba, Sojiro convinced his customer to loan them his RV once again. The thieves referred to it as their phantom mobile after their cross-country trip last summer. They found themselves laughing about that trip once more and gushed how exciting it was to visit so many places and try different cuisines. Akira had picked up a lot of culinary expertise, which he has since developed even further to the point of wanting to open his own restaurant. But that wouldn't happen for a while, he thought, for now, no need to worry about the future, just enjoying the present.
"So, what's it like back home? You live in Inaba, right?" Makoto asked Akira.
"Yeah, it's alright. It took a little bit of time to shake off the whole criminal record thing thoroughly, but eventually, people moved on and forgot."
"Do you have any friends that you hang out with?" Ann chimed in.
"Not really. I have a few friendly acquaintances, but nobody on the level of you guys." That made the thieves blush a little. "I do hang out with my cousin and her boyfriend a lot when she's not busy doing her idol work. Aside from my mom, they were the only ones who tried to fight for me when I was first arrested. If not for her and her boyfriend, I wouldn't have been able to hold out for the rest of the year."
"You didn't have any trouble at school, did you?" Haru asked in a slightly worried tone.
"Oh no, not at all. Even after people forgot about the criminal record, I just preferred to keep to myself. But no one ever bullied me or anything if that's what you're worried about," Akira quickly shot down. Haru breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wait, hold up," Ryuji interjected. "Did you say your cousin was an idol?" He looked at his best friend with wide eyes.
"Yeah, since she was 15, she's 22 now and still working hard."
"Okay, I gotta ask, who is she?" Ann asked. Everyone was curious; Ryuji especially leaned in with curious intent.
"You've seen her on my wall upstairs," Replied Akira with a hint of a smug grin on his face. The thieves thought for a second, Futaba was the first to say something.
"No way! You mean Risette?" Futaba's question nearly gave Ryuji a heart attack.
"NO. FUCKING. WAY!" Ryuji exclaimed before receiving a punch in the arm from Makoto.
"Hey! Language!" She said in a stern, authoritative voice.
"Sorry..." Ryuji said with a whimper. Sae chuckled with a bit of pride at the sight of her little sister putting the potty-mouthed teen in his place.
"But, for real? Your cousin is Risette?" Ryuji asked.
"Yep, although I call her Rise, or occasionally 'cuz," Akira replied.
"Dude, you never told me."
"You never asked," Akira had a hint of frustration in his voice that thankfully no one caught this time. Likely due to everyone being surprised at the new info they had just learned about their leader.
"And you said she has a boyfriend already, yes?" Yusuke asked.
"Yes, well, fiancee actually. They're getting married this summer."
"Hmmm..."
"What is it, Yusuke?"
"Do you think I could paint-"
Akira stopped him right there.
"No, you cannot paint them nude. She's family, for God's sake. I don't want to see her nude."
"Isn't it weird that you have a poster of her on your wall, though?" Futaba wondered with a grin. Akira clearly knew where she was going.
"In my defense, 'Taba, did you see any family pictures in my room?" Akira retorted.
"Fair enough." Futaba conceded.
"I was simply going to suggest painting them for their wedding," Yusuke came back into the conversation.
"I think you'd need to be formally invited, Yusuke," Haru chimed in.
"Ah, right," He said with a slightly defeated look on his face.
"Too bad, I love to eat at weddings. The desserts are so yummy!" Ann said. Yusuke was trying very hard not to shed any tears.
"Boss, if I may ask, is the curry nearly ready?" He asked Sojiro, who chuckled.
"Hehe, don't worry, kid, it's ready. You get the first plate as usual."
"Thank you, Boss," Yusuke did shed a tear that time, but a tear of joy. Everyone Laughed.
"Oh, that reminds me," Akira turning to Sumire. "Being family and all, I was invited, and the invitation said I could bring a plus one. You down? It's in mid-August."
"Yes, I have a gymnastics retreat early in the month, but I would love to come with you." Sumire happily responded.
"Great!" Akira leaned in and kissed her cheek, causing her to blush.
"Lunchtime, everyone!" Sojiro exclaimed.
For the next couple of hours, Leblanc was filled with stories and laughs from everyone as they savored Sojiro's famous combo of curry and coffee. Akira felt like he was home. He didn't miss Inaba at all. Or his mother.
After lunch, once everyone had left, saying they would meet up at Ginza, Akira helped Sojiro clean up. The two caught up a bit and shared a few chuckles. That was until Sojiro brought up Akira's mother.
"So what's Kairi up to these days? Still teaching?"
"No, she's been on sabbatical for a while," Akira replied, mentally preparing himself for a conversation he was not looking forward to.
"Oh, that's a shame. Is she dating anyone?"
"What are you getting at, Sojiro?" Akira said with a bit of hostility in his voice.
"Hehe, don't worry, kid, it's not what you think. I'm just asking." Sojiro tried to brush it off as a joke. He really was kidding, though. He had no interest in Kairi Kurusu other than a friend. "I'm just curious. I haven't heard from her in a while, or you for that matter."
"Well, I've been busy. You know, entrance exams, applications, etc."
"Mmm-hmm."
Akira started getting a migraine. Sojiro noticed.
"You okay, kid?"
"Just a headache. Don't worry. Do you mind if I go lie down?"
"Sure, I can finish up cleaning. Your room's how you left it, and the bed's already made."
"You mean the thin mattress on milk crates? Gee, thanks." Akira said sarcastically with a chuckle. Sojiro was annoyed but chose not to say anything and chalk it up to fatigue from Akira.
Akira, however, was, in reality, not happy. He remembers the first couple of weeks trying to sleep in the attic. His "bed" was not comfortable at first; he did get used to it eventually but not before waking up with pain in his neck every day for two weeks or so. Morgana was already upstairs. He heard Akira's comment and was not pleased.
"That wasn't a nice thing to say to the chief, you know?"
"Look who's talking, mister 'maybe he went out of business.'"
"Okay. What's with you today? You've been acting grumpy for a while now."
"I'm fine; I just have a headache, that's all," Akira said as he laid down, facing away from Morgana.
"If that's your excuse for your behavior now, what about last night when-" Akira quickly turned and faced the cat.
"Say another word, and I'm sending you to Futaba's," Akira usually said this in a playful manner. There was nothing playful about it this time. He was dead serious and clearly angry. "Now, let me sleep for a bit. Aren't you the one always telling me to go to sleep? 'Go to sleep, Joker!' 'Oh, you must be tired, shouldn't you go to sleep?'" Akira said in his best Morgana voice.
Morgana was angry and decided to leave Akira in peace. Once he reached downstairs, he cuddled up to Sojiro, who was reading the newspaper inside one of the booths. Though he could not understand Morgana, he still heard what Akira said upstairs.
"Hey buddy, you okay?" Sojiro asked, petting the cat and getting a few meows in return.
"I'm worried about Akira, chief..."
Notes:
Hiya, sooo this is my first story. Got bored, thought of it, decided to write it. Gonna be taking some inspiration from a Youtube comment I saw on a video of Joker's palace theme.
There will be some serious topics and I will be putting some trigger warnings in the chapters if need be. I won't go too far into dark territory, but I can't promise it won't delve into it slightly.
Also, Royal is partly canon. Maruki never had a palace, Sumire doesn't have a sister. They both have personas though. Think of this as P5 vanilla mixed with some elements of Royal. Which means Akechi is also dead, sorry Akechi fans. Also, Strikers is NOT canon. They did take their cross-country trip the previous summer, but without any EMMA stuff, so no Sophia, Zenkichi or Ichinose.
Got all that? On with the show.