Not What You Were Expecting

by Cosmic Sky

Expectations were a natural part of life. Some were achieved, some were fallen short of, and others were outright shattered. The last one was most certainly the case of Akira Kurusu and Sadayo Kawakami. Not that either of them were complaining. Now, their respective families on the other hand...well, truth has a way of making itself known. So too do genuine feelings. Post-P5.

8. Chapter 8-Charting out the Future

Hey, everyone. Hopefully you're all doing well as we approach this last stretch of what's been one hell of a rollercoaster year. I can't quite say this chapter will be ending the current story arc in Tokyo, but it will be shaking things up as the character interactions continue. Oh, and some more Tokyo sight-seeing! Hope you all enjoy!

I do not own anything.

---

Not What You Were Expecting

Chapter 8-Charting out the Future

---

Koen-Dori, Shibuya, 7:11 PM…

Akira remembered what it felt like when he came back home to Meguro. Home, yes, that's what Meguro had been…but so too had Tokyo. After a while, he adjusted to his seaside quiet little town. That said, the longing was still there in his heart; it would remain until he was able to go back to Tokyo, go back to the multitude of friends and associates he'd made in the big city. There were many things that Tokyo had that Meguro didn't, which was naturally given the latter was a small shipping town with a modest population only around a thousand; Koen-dori saw three times that much traffic in a day, at the least.

Stretching almost five-hundred meters, it was one of the busiest shopping streets in Shibuya, especially around the holidays which were over a month away. Akira was ninety-percent sure that if they went browsing, they'd find some holiday sells up early. He would no doubt be proven right as they pressed onward.

That was fortunate as it meant that he could get some early Christmas shopping out of the way. As he'd learned from Ann, it was best not to let any potential shopping opportunity go to waste, especially if you had a little cash to burn, which Akira mercifully did.

Foresight was an interesting thing, some would even say it was essential; Akira's father had certainly drilled that into his head, even before he was sent to Tokyo. Once he realized that his adventures through the Metaverse could actually earn him real money, the gears in his head began to turn, granted it wasn't just in his head. It's not like he or the rest of his teammates had aspirations of getting rich, but they knew that they could earn a good amount of money from slaying Shadows and exploring Mementos. Needless to say, it was an awesome, albeit dangerous way to earn some money. First it'd been Akira, then Makoto, who reminded everyone not to blow through all the cash that they'd attained. Akira himself had adhered to that, knowing that when he revealed that bit of information his parents would immediately ask if he set aside any money for college. He did and he had no intention of touching that money until the promised time arrived; luckily, he'd also made sure to accumulate enough side money for little excursions like this.

Naturally, he'd had no issue using that money to pay for Victoria's Services and later the dates he and Sadayo went on.

Don't think about, Akira. The more you think about it, the more you'll worry. Everyone will pick up on it in a second, then you'll have to explain yourself. Before leaving, he'd had to repeat that speech in his head almost like a mantra. It was one of the many things that he did to keep from going crazy with worry over how the talk between his parents and his girlfriend was going. He'd already vowed that he'd wait until after he got back home and meet the former would he question how things went. Admittedly though, he was tempted to slip away from the group and send a text message. His mind projected a series of images afterward showing how that would go-things would go poorly. You've rolled the dice, all you can do is take what the dice roll gives you and move on from there.

As he sucked in a breath, he prayed that none of his friends had noticed his internal debate. As they moved along the crowd, he was relieved to see that had been the case with Futaba, Mishima, and Kaoru. He'd always quietly wondered what it would be like when Futaba started noticing real-life boys, something that he was sure Sojiro actually had nightmares about. Akira had quietly observed the slow growing friendship between the three. He personally had o idea where it would end, but he was curious-it was also going to be one hell of an amusing ride. Especially if one of the two boys attempted to make the first move. Should that happen, Akira believed it would be best to stay neutral as he cared for both Kaoru and Mishima, both boys looked up to him as a brotherly figure whom they could turn to.

Plus, he actually had a little experience in romance, actually, he had way more experience than anyone in the group knew. Giving an aside glance over to Ryuji, he knew that as well-meaning as he was, he'd likely be of little help to the two boys.

As it happened, Ryuji had been staring at the same thing he had. He caught Akira's gaze and leaned in, "So, um, did you see this coming?"

"Sorta." The black-haired teenager quietly responded. "You know that kid I hang out with down at the arcades, Shinya? I think he's got a little bit of a crush on Futaba too."

"Damn! That makes three! What the hell are we going to do?" Spasmed the former tracker runner sounding very much like the overprotective big brother. Akira laughed, Ryuji wasn't the only one who could assume that role, though he tried to keep it in moderation knowing the hacker needed her room to grow.

"Sit back and watch and advise when needed. No need to be overbearing." Responded the former knife-user in an almost sagely tone.

"Thanks for not mentioning me." Makoto sounded showing that she'd been listening in on the conversation too. Her red eyes scanned the three younger teens with her lips curved into a slight upward curve. "They've all been getting a bit closer together since you left. Mishima's even been helping her study for school from time to time. It's actually taken a bit of a load off of me." She added in a whisper as not to be overhead by the trio in front of them.

"You know, I think Futaba would understand. After all, she's going to be in your place in a few years." Akira stated. "Speaking of which, how's the college search been going?"

"I've got some…places in mind." She answered with a soft smile on her face. It was a smile that Akira had seen more often as the brunette gradually opened herself, which she thankfully now finally had people to open up to. Thankfully, that group including her sister, whose optimism had thankfully been restored. Still, there were times Akira felt that Makoto looked at him just a little different, such as now. "We've all been…doing some thinking about the future, right, Ryuji?"

Grinning Akira clapped his best friend on the shoulder. "Happy to hear that."

"Hey, hey, give me some credit! I have some plans beyond high school! I've pulled my grades up enough that I'm damn well going to graduate!" Proudly proclaimed the dyed-haired teenager. "Thing is…I…kind of wish you were still at Shujin so we could all graduate together." A downcast look fell over Ryuji's face, and Makoto's. They weren't alone as when Akira looked up, he saw Mishima looking back at them with a forlorn expression. The crossing light flashed white giving them and the crowd they were in the go-ahead to cross. Together six teens moved with the rest of the crowd. They were just six faces in a big crowd, completely unaware that four of their member had once plastered the billboards and big screens around them. And their merchandize had previously been on sell in some of the stores they were on their way to, and in some cases still was.

Akira deeply missed moments like this, the benign animosity that came with being a phantom. Technically speaking, only he, Ryuji, Makoto, and Futaba were phantom thieves…but in a way so too was Mishima, and Kaoru could count as the son of a phantom. But they were all still human beings, they were all still people, people with lives that they were enjoying.

"I think what's important is that we'll all be able to get together like this and say we survived high school." Odds were, that's exactly what they were going to do spring of next year. Would it be a little difficult? Yeah, but as Akira had learned, friendships and other relationships could endure the obstacle of distance. "Sadly though, I think you guys will get a grander graduate ceremony at Shujin than at my small-town school."

"Graduation will likely be used as another means to boost the school's reputation. It's still struggling to claw its way out of the whole that Kobayakawa dropped it into." Makoto explained.

"Gee, that's a little…inspiring and depressing to hear." Kaoru muttered. He was still in junior high, but he'd kept his eye on potential high schools. Of course, his father had a hand in that, wanting to make sure he got into the best school possible. After meeting Akira and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, Shujin jumped to the forefront of his mind. Unfortunately, if one googled Shujin Academy, the first batch of search results wouldn't exactly be what one would call encouraging. A thin smile formed on his lips as he looked back at the rest of his friends. "But here's hoping by the time Futaba and I graduate, things will be a bit better."

"You know, that actually sounds like something to be a little hopefully about." The hacker spoke up. "I mean, not all of the online reviews are bad. Some of them are actually…pretty good, especially concerning some of the teachers like Ms. Kawakami."

All things considered, Akira was good at suppressing his emotions, even in the presence of his trusted friends. It wasn't ideal, but sometimes there were some things you didn't let show in public…even if those things were pride at the god reputation one's girlfriend was building. He did let an impish smile show on his face. That's my girl.

When Makoto and Ryuji looked to him, they caught the smile on his face. Luckily, they didn't read too much into it, but they did take note of the light that radiated off his face. To them, it was actually a pleasant sight to see.

"Yeah, Kawakami has made one hell of a turnaround. You'll be lucky to have the new and improved version of her." Declared the former track star throwing his hands behind his head. Truth be told, he didn't have many particularly fond memories of the fuzzy-haired brunette, but those unfond memories were being balanced out by newer, fonder ones. Of course, it also helped that he knew that like many people, she had a story behind her, a story that he was proud he was able to help her tur the page on. "Speaking of which, hey, Mishima, hasn't she been helping you with some of your writing?"

"Yep! I've been going to her to edit some of the reports that I've been writing. She's…heh, you know, it's kind of a given since she's the language arts teacher. Personally, I think maybe she could stand in for the journalism class. She'd be a better fit than Ms. Okishima." Mishima muttered under his breath.

"Her criticisms are her way of encouragement." Makoto spoke in a sagely tone as she came to the defense of one of her favorite teachers.

Akira couldn't help but chuckle. "That's not it, Makoto." Red eyes blinked at him in surprise and waited for an explanation. "What gnaws at him is the music she listens to while in class. She's a fan of Toshirō Mayizumi." The rest of the group looked at him like he'd just spoken Greek. Another laugh fell past his lips as he locked eyes with Mishima, who was looking rather gloomy at the moment. He wasn't bog on reliving the nightmare that he had in journalism class. "Japanese composer. Mishima's not a fan, can't say I am either, but hey, every musician has their fans."

"I'm certainly not one of them." Mishima moaned.

Kaoru looked between him and Akira. "Okay, first off, how the hell do you know that?"

"Mom's a dancer, her side of the family are what you might call a little more traditional. For the record, there were times I was willing to go play out in the rain than stay indoors when I went to go visit them." Akira responded feeling nostalgic for his visits to his maternal grandparents. He could only imagine what they'd think of him when they learned what he'd gotten up to over the last year. His grandmother would likely go white from shock then faint.

"I'm tempted to ask why would a journalism teacher even have orchestral music playing." Kaoru shook his head. "Good thing I don't plan on pursuing any careers in journalism.

"Hey, everyone has their tastes." Makoto again spoke up.

"Yeah, but it's not fair for her to make it feel like what we're writing will make the difference between us living and dying!" Cried the Phan-site manager. The boy was looking like he was having war flashbacks, which he likely was. "I mean, seriously! I can understand wanting to get us into the mood to write, but did she have to put on a track that made it feel like we were literally walking along a tight rope! Or racing to outrun the Tokyo bombing!"

Futaba looked to the boy with a face covered with pity…and a slight twinkle of horror. "Okay, so I know to stay as far from journalism class as possible. Actually, I had no intention of going there, but you've given me more reason, Mishima."

Surprisingly, the spiky-haired boy shaped up. "You still should take some sort of writing class."

Seeing his chance, Kaoru pounced. "Or, you know, a drawing class. That could be fun."

Akira and Makoto exchanged silent looks as they watched Mishima's face morph into one of horror as future scenarios played out in his head. They questioned who would be the one to break up the up incoming fight, only to have their blond friend do it for them.

"Eh, don't bet on that. Futaba frankly sucks with pen and paper." Ryuji shrugged. None could tell if he was either oblivious to the tension between the two boys or if it was his own way of breaking said tension between them.

"Urgh, this again. We live in a digital age, one day pen and paper will truly become a thing of the past!" Defiantly proclaimed the orange-haired girl.

"Yeeeah, but what are you going to do about working a stylus? Sure, we can leave paper behind, but virtual pen and paper will definitely still be a thing." The Phantom Thieves' hacker looked at the team leader with a bewildered, then absolutely annoyed glare. As he always did, Akira chuckled, the rest of the group following suit. "Remember, there's something to be said for the low-tech way-like actually having a face-to-face talk with people like you're doing now."

Immediately, Futaba's childish glare crumbled as she looked around her at the five other people whom she'd just spent the last couple of hours with. Sure, she was closer to the three who like her shared the power of Persona, the three she'd risked her life with, but Futaba couldn't quite bring herself to exclude Mishima and Kaoru, both of whom were looking at her like she was some precious jewel. It wasn't the first time they'd looked at her like this, in particularly Mishima who'd seem a little interested in her the first time they met. As for her regarding him…not so much. But by the fourth meeting, she'd…changed her view of him somewhat. Meeting Karou had been different-he'd been rather energetic right off the start; he got into a rather passionate debate with her over which installment of Feather Rangerman had the best battlizer, a debate that had ended with Futaba begrudgingly admitting defeat. She vowed she'd get Kaoru back for making her agree with him. Looking at this beaming face, that promise seemed so…distant.

Her room was something else that seemed distant now. The small, filled up space that had been her entire world…she now was able to think of it as small. That feeling was only reaffirmed as she looked around her, at the multitudes of people walking the streets around her. Futaba knew if she were to dive headlong into those bustling crowds, she'd panic, but here amongst her friends, people she trusted…she felt calm. She felt…happy even.

Acting on impulse, she grabbed Akira's hand and began to pull him along, leaving the rest of the group to follow after them. Looking around, the former Wild Card recognized they street they were; he immediately knew where Futaba's destination was. Truth be told, it was actually a little bit a of surprise that Futaba hadn't gone there before.

"You know, I kind of wish Mona was here with us." Makoto mused as they came upon said destination.

Ryuji snorted. "I don't. The last thing we need is him meowing in our ears."

"Um, wouldn't he maybe…I don't know, be worshipping NANAKO?" Kaoru curiously asked. He couldn't place it, but looking between the two, he had a feeling that they knew something he didn't. That same feeling stirred within him when he looked over to Akira and Futaba.

"Well…he'd certainly take an interest, Karou, I can tell you that." The former spoke. The polished stone statue remained in pristine condition just like the last time he'd seen it. A smirk tugging on his lips, Akira stepped forward and placed his hand against the cool surface of the stone statue. "You know, everyone always compared me to a cat."

"I can see the resemblance." Makoto quipped with a smile. "If there's any cat in the world I'd compare you to, NANAKO is probably a good fit. You bring good luck wherever you go, right, guys?" It was ironic that she would make such a remark with what many would call the wrong statue. If one wanted luck, they should have gone to Hachiko's statue in Shibuya.

But for the five other teachers, the cat statue represented the sixth member of their group, the one who'd saved them all.

"Eight may be the lucky number here in Japan, but seven still carries a fair amount of good luck with it." Mishima grinned.

"Kind of funny considering you've always struck me, and maybe everyone else as more or less a black cat." Kaoru offered with an equally jubilant expression.

He wasn't wrong. The longer Akira had stayed in Tokyo, the more people seemed to compare him to a cat, which they weren't exactly wrong to do. Especially since more often than not he traveled with an actual black cat in his bag. In particular, his nimbleness and quickness and curiosity strengthened the parallels; some made the comparison as a compliment while others meant it as an insult. It didn't take long for Akira to learn how to take both in strides.

At his surrogate little sister's request, he stood beside the statue of NANAKO, arms crossed and a lazy smile on his face. It wasn't his first time posing beside statues; he was beginning to like doing so. Futaba wasn't the only one who took a picture of him, Mishima and Kaoru joined in as well, grinning just like her. Once they'd all taken their pictures, she ordered Mishima to get a group shot of them. Akira watched how Kaoru's face brightened while Mishima's dropped. Then he declared they'd take another one with him in the midst; the opposite reaction ensued as Futaba shrugged out a yes. Watching them, Akira wondered how far their competition would go tonight, and if Futaba would take notice of either of their romantic interests. He considered it a blessing that Sojiro wasn't here was he'd likely have rung both boys' necks.

Another day perhaps.

"Alright then, time to go do some shopping! Come on, everyone! Winter shopping starts early!" Passionately declared the bespectacled girl once all the photos had been taken.

"Yep, I can tell she's been hanging out with Ann." Akira joked to his two teammates. "Should I be worried?"

"I am." Ryuji answered. "Then again, no offense, but when you come back, she'll be your problem most of the time."

"Hey, she'll be around for your last year, yours and Ann." The fuzzy-haired youth tapped his best friend on the shoulder. "Speaking of Ann, count ourselves lucky she isn't here." No sooner had he spoken the words did he watched Ryuji's face, namely his eyes. There was a brief twinkle of sadness as he absorbed his words. What was more telling was how there was no snappy reaction to his comment; that right there spoke volumes in Akira's eyes.

"I'm just glad that a certain other cat isn't here. I could do without getting my face scratched up." Defiantly stated the Phantom Thieves' strongman.

"They really don't like each other, do they? Akira's cat and Ryuji?" Kaoru whispered to Futaba who was back to furiously typing away on her phone.

She looked up at him and grinned. "You have no idea."

"Sometimes, I've seen Ryuji arguing with Morgana like he was a real person. A person that really got on his nerves a lot." Mishima's face bent in concentration as he thought back to all those times he'd seen his blond friend arguing with their mutual acquaintance's cat…and why the cat at times seemed to be arguing back. He was no animal whisper, but he could almost assume that the cat was hitting back at Ryuji. Peering at the brown-eyed male, "Guess he's not a cat person."

Akira and Makoto exchange mutual looks, slow smiles forming on their faces. "Hm, I wouldn't quite say that." The two said in unison.

"And there you two go again, sounding like everyone's parents." Ryuji wasn't blind to the looks in their eyes. He felt a slight nervous sweat beginning to creep up on him, but he fought it back and kept his cool. This wasn't a talk he wanted to have in public, especially not in the presence of Futaba, Mishima, and Kaoru.

The former spoke up at that moment. "Akira's still the fun parent though."

"Hey!" Called the red-eyed brunette of the group, the rest of them burst into laughter. Makoto's cheeks flushed red as she found herself in a familiar place. Her eyes briefly swerved to Akira's laughing face; she was happy to be back there, happier than she thought she would be. It was how she…wanted things to be.

---

7:57 PM…

"You know, those guys are going to be in real trouble if Futaba learns how to really twist them around her finger."

Ryuji raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "You really think she's capable of that?"

Akira shrugged. "I'd like to say no…but hey, you never know, especially if she really begins opening up to them." There was a beat as stormy gray eyes met hazel brown. "Or, you know, she realizes she can use their crushes on her to get them to do almost anything. Depending on if Shinya gets involved, we may end up looking at a three-way."

Now it was Ryuji's turn to shrug. "Unless punches start flying, I ain't getting involved."

Laughing, Akira softly nudged his best friend. "Damn, look at you considering playing peacemaker. Sounds like someone really has changed."

A nervous blush colored Ryuji's face. He made a false show of continuing to look at clothes when his attention was really elsewhere. Clothes shopping had never particularly been an interest of his, but making new friends had broadened his horizons. One friend in particular hadn't just broadened it, she'd practically blown it up. Still, Ryuji never had and never would consider himself a fashion expert. Akira wouldn't either, they both knew that authority would ultimately rest with their mutual friend and teammate, whose stylish tastes were actually a part of her chosen career path.

Both Akira and Ryuji quietly hoped that one day, either ten or twenty years from now, as they were walking the malls of Tokyo, they'd see billboards of their blonde friend. It was a dream that Ann had confessed to the two of them, she quickly laughed it off saying that her odds were still in the thirties; Akira had retorted that was better than nothing and he had faith in her. Ryuji had voiced his support next. He'd engrained the smile Ann had given the two of them into his mind, it was one of many images of the pig-tailed blonde he'd vowed he'd never forget.

At this moment, Ryuji could feel himself longing for the presence of his blonde-haired teammate. Albeit, he had a feeling that if she were there with them, they'd be spending more time shopping than they likely originally intended to…and likely spending a little more money than they intended to. Futaba had been given something of a budget when Sojiro allowed her out in the presence of the rest of the group, something that Makoto would enforce if need be. Albeit she was taking the opportunity to do some clothes shopping herself. It was clear that Futaba hadn't been the only one influenced by the Phantom Thieves' fashionista.

"So, um, you got any plans to come back over winter break?" Ryuji asked as they drifted back over into the men's section. As they expected, winter clothing was out in full force giving them something to disguise their talk.

"I plan on trying to, though if we get a snowstorm expect a delay. Trust me, it'd suck to be caught in a snowstorm while on the railway." Akira responded.

"I remember you saying something about that before. It happened when you went to go visit your mom's folks, right?"

"Yep. Hey, at least we were able to stay at their place, which I certainly wasn't complaining about."

To Akira, it was easy to see the gears in Ryuji's head turning. Over the course of his year in Tokyo, they'd opened up to each other about their family lives, which were somewhat polar opposite. It was indisputable that when it came to fathers, Akira had gotten lucky whereas Ryuji hadn't, but neither boy let that stop them in developing their friendships. If anything, hearing Ryuji's story only strengthened Akira's bond with the dyed-haired delinquent.

"Your mom's folks," Ryuji began, his eyes darting across the store. "They're…well-off, right?"

"Yeah, you could say that." When it came to his family, Akira preferred staying as tight-lipped as possible, only giving out the bare minimum of details. Personally, he didn't see his parentage as anything special-he had two loving parents with steady jobs that had provided for them for years. Going beyond that though, to his extended family was where he felt the story changed a little. His father was the oldest of three boys, the children of a watchmaker who'd had to build his family back up after World War II. Said war had also had an impact on his mother's side of the family, who'd lost a great deal yet held onto the regal status and pride that they'd maintained prior to that. Such things had served as a roadblock to his parents' relationship; thankfully, they'd been able to overcome it. Such roadblocks sometimes sprang up in relationships, including his. Putting down the sweat shirt he'd been looking at, he looked straight at his best friend, who finally met his gaze and held it. "This is about Ann, isn't it?"

Nervously scratching the back of his head, Ryuji's face blushed red as he attempted to work up the courage to confirm his friend's suspicions. Akira was perhaps one of the sharpest people he'd ever met. His intuition was crazy from Ryuji's eyes. "Back in…June…Ann and I…we…we did it." He felt his heart slam against his chest as the memory of that rain summer afternoon played in his mind. It'd been without a doubt one of the best days of his life, and he was sure it'd been one of Ann's as well.

His words painted a picture in Akira's mind. There was a sigh as he put up the clothes he'd been inspecting and walked over to Ryuji. With an ear-to-ear grin, he wrapped his arms around the dyed-haired blond. "It's about damn time! I'm so proud of you, man!" Shouted the normally cool and collected teenager.

"H-H-Hey, not so loud! We're in a store, remember!" Oh, the irony of his words. Heart-racing, he looked around, half-expecting to see Futaba poking her head out having heard them. Thankfully it was just them and a bunch of other store-goers, none of whom were looking at them funny. Still, he took the time to enjoy the guy-hug from his best friend. "Y-Yeah, we…we did it. We banged each other." He affirmed in a low whisper, something that would have caught a handful of people off-guard knowing how loud he could be. It was proof that he'd changed a great deal since Akira's departure from Tokyo. "We've been together since summer."

"That's a good five months at the least. I'm proud of you, man. I was afraid I was going to have to come back and kick your ass into gear to get you to confess to her." Akira grinned.

"Yeah, well, no pro-wait, what do you mean kick my ass in gear? You knew?" As soon as he spoke, he sealed his mouth shut, having remembered who it was he was talking to. Akira merely grinned at him. "Yeah, well, better late than never, right?" As he nodded Ryuji suddenly felt himself beginning to relax. "Alright, you make three people I've told about this."

"Hm, your mom, Sojiro, and me, right?" He nodded. Akira wasn't at all surprised that he was third to know, or that Ryuji and Ann had chosen to keep their relationship a secret. He could certainly sympathize. "Your mom must have been over the moon to find out."

"Like you wouldn't believe." The former tracker runner affirmed remembering the night he'd told his mother he was dating Ann. She hadn't been able to stop crying tears of joy for hours while hugging him. "Her folks…well…they've…kind of accepted me."

"By which I'm guessing her father threatened to beat you to within an inch of your life if you ever hurt her, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Akira laughed as he tapped his best friend on the shoulder. You know, you should probably be taking this a little more seriously. When your time comes, you're going to be in the same boat. A voice that sounded somewhat like Arsene's whispered in his ear. It was entirely right, but at the moment he felt it better to focus on Ryuji. "How's about Sojiro?"

"Heh, he said pretty much the same thing as you." Ryuji laughed, which made Akira laugh as well. "Apparently, a lot of people saw me and Ann becoming a couple as inevitable. Imagine that?"

"Well, you two bickered like an old married couple, I'm now just waiting for you two to actually get married. I'm going to be the best man, right?"

"Come on, like there's really any other choice out there!" Exclaimed the former runner. "Seriously though, um…thanks for…well, I think it's better that I did it on my own. Asking her out I mean."

"Hey, this is your love life, yours and hers really. The important thing is that you were able to do it and she said yes." With a Cheshire grin, the black-haired teen leaned forward. "Now…I'm going to assume you two have been using protection, right?"

"Damn right we have." Answered the blond with a blush on his cheeks. "Our folks lectured both of us about that, especially hers."

"No grandkids until you're twenty-five?"

"Try thirty-five. Which, frankly, I'm…not really against. Truth be told I…kind of want to avoid thinking about kids." His face turned dour; Akira fully understood why.

He reached out and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We talked about this, remember?" Ryuji's eyes met Akira's, he found sympathy there as he always did. "For now, how's about we focus on making sure you've got a full wardrobe for all your dates, and any other potential events, huh?"

"H-Hey, I've made it this far…though I'm really glad you're here to help me keep on going. I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with how I dress. I know not to make a fool of myself when I drop by Ann's shoots."

Akira knew that was a center piece to the relationship between his two friends. He was actually a tad surprised that in the five months the two had been dating, no one of note had discovered their relationship from eavesdropping on those shoots. In particular, her rival, Mika, would have taken every opportunity to use a potential relationship to tear Ann down; looking at Ryuji, Akira suspected that had been a reason he's kept his distance at times. He imagined it was a point of quiet worry for him, the type of which Ann likely had to ring out of him and confront.

When it came to looking classy, Akira didn't like to consider himself an expert, but he knew a thing or two about knowing how to dress. First and foremost, there was his father, who always had to look presentable as part of his job. As his father once said, it wasn't a good look to show up hoping to sell an internal or external design when it you looked like you had no sense of design yourself. Akira had subconsciously taken those words to heart, only realizing it into his teen years. His maternal grandparents had only added to those tendencies; much like his father, their intentions were well-meaning, albeit a tad more suffocating.

Akira tried to be the best of both but also a little hands-off when it came to his friends, particular Ryuji who always seemed to seek him out for advice. It was now official that he'd be seeking his advice on one more topic.

"So, um…have you ever…you know, done it before?" He asked in a quiet voice as they continued to shop around.

"Yep." The enigmatic teen responded in a casual voice. He didn't need to look up to see Ryuji blinking; in spite of that, he wasn't surprised. Akira looked up at him, "Not with any of the girls on the team. I've…met someone, someone outside the team."

"Really? Awesome! Maybe sometime we can have a double date or something!" His reaction was both a blessing and a curse.

Oh, Ryuji, that'd be possible if my relationship was…normal. He thought behind an amicable smile. Truth be told…the few seconds Akira devoted to thinking of a double date between him and his two best friends left him feeling terrified. The reactions of the people in his life, his friends and loved ones, to his relationship with Sadayo had always been stood in his mind like a lone tree in a prairie. The sun rose and fell to be replaced by the moon which did the same, rain fell and thunder boomed, but the tree remained, unflinching and immovable. The only thing that would cut it down would be the hand of man, or woman. Though Ann hid it well, Akira knew she was still very much haunted by the ordeal with Kamoshida, Shiho surely was which was why Ann was haunted as well. Though her anger had been focused on the bastard himself, he'd noticed how she sometimes let some of it slip toward the school staff, which some would have argued was perfectly reasonable considering more than a handful of them knew of his abuse but chose to say nothing about it.

"Hey, don't worry, I won't pry." Came the runner's voice. Ryuji was smiling at him, giving him that assuring smile that gave Akira a spark of optimism that the future wasn't as grim as he thought it could be. "When you feel you're ready…tell me about her. It's fine if it's just me, I can keep a secret, ya' know."

The optimism in him had been strengthened, or considering his friend's magical element, jumpstarted via lightning. "Thanks, Ryuji…that…means a lot."

"Just being the same type of friend that you've always been to me. I'm just…um, you're better at this than me so, I'm hoping you can…help me out a little. I've done pretty good over these last few months but-"

"You've bee yourself, which is what I'm sure made Ann fall for you in the first place."

Akira quickly lost himself in the haze of shopping with his best friend. They would rejoin the other four members of their group in a little while, but first there was this private talk they needed to have with each other-this reassurance of their brotherly friendship.

-o-

"Aaand, finally, it's chow time!"

"For once, you're not alone. Finally, meal time!"

"You know, we wouldn't have had to wait so long if you'd made up your mind sooner." As Mishima expected, Futaba playfully stuck her tongue out at him. He still found himself laughing at her. "Onward, everyone, crabs await!"

"You know, I've never eaten crab before. I mean, I've had seafood, but that's mostly been limited to sushi." Kaoru admitted as they followed after the bespectacled girl. "Is this Kani Douraku place really that good?"

"Your taste buds will be amazed, Kaoru." Proudly proclaimed the fuzzy-haired teen. "Won't they, Makoto?"

"Yep, we ate here once." Affirmed the brunette looking at the distant scarlet-red crustacean that served as the restaurant's logo.

"On a date?" Kaoru questioned.

For a hot second, Akira and Makoto looked between each other. Off to the side, Ryuji silently watched the reactions of the two. The talk he'd had with the former was still fresh in his mind, particularly the bit about Akira telling him he was seeing someone who wasn't on the team. Ryuji whole-heartedly believed him. He wasn't one of those people who believed that dating within the date led to disaster, partially because at the moment the "team" was…inactive. Not to mention it wasn't like there was a rule that they could only date each other. The thing was, Ryuji caught how Makoto and even Haru seemed to look at Akira more than the rest of them.

"A lunch date," The red-eyed brunette answered. "Akira actually brought me here after school to help me unwind."

"A friend introduced me to it, Kani Douraku was one of his favorite places to eat. He took me here and made me a fan, thus I shared its joys with Makoto. And now I'm sharing it with the rest of you." Finished the former knife-user with a wink.

"So you did, and so you have." The student council president declared in a sing-song voice. "I'm happy to be able to come back here to eat with some company."

"What'd be nice is if we had the whole team with us. Heh, here's hoping we'll be able to do so before I leave."

"Dude, we're definitely having a get together bash before you leave. The whole team will be there!" Proudly proclaimed the blond. "Er, well, almost everyone."

Now it was Akira and Makoto exchanging looks, grins in fact. Ryuji noticed their expressions and groaned, then shot them both looks silently asking them not to bring this incident up. Akira only grinned wider as his best friend half-heartedly glared at him. Chuckling, he threw his arms around Ryuji's shoulder causing the boy's glare to break. They hurried along with Makoto and Kaoru following suit after that. Both Akira and Makoto knew they had to make a haste as sometimes their chosen dining place could be quite packed.

This wasn't quite one of those nights, but it was a night when quite a few people had chosen to dine out. Ironically, it reminded Akira and Makoto of the day they'd first entered the restaurant. Finding a seat wasn't hard, but they knew if they'd been a couple of minutes later that wouldn't have been the case. That's how it was this time; like them, more customers were trickling in. Luckily, they got in fast enough for their group to find a table for themselves to seat down. That was the easy part, the hard part came once they got a look at the menu.

"Holy shit." Kaoru muttered. Being the son of a former yakuza, cursing wasn't anything particularly new for him, but his father did want him to keep it to a minimum, which he did. However, when on his own he did let a curse word or two slip on by, much like countless other people his age, including Ryuji.

"Come on, don't tell me you've never had crab before." Mishima joked, half-hoping to hide his own bewilderment at the array of dishes offered on the menu. Kaoru shot him an accusatory glare. "So, Futaba, what'll it be?"

"You're not getting the large hair crab. I'll get you a medium and split it with you." Akira immediately spoke in an almost fatherly voice.

"Hey! That's not what I want! And don't you mean split it with you and Makoto! I heard she's a fan of it too!" Futaba cried out.

"Actually, I was planning on getting the grilled king crab." She spoke up.

"Really? That makes two of us!"

"Um, Futaba, I-I'd split the middle crab with you." Mishima spoke up. One could have said that a powder keg was waiting to go off between the three younger members of the group, all of whom were sitting together to the opposite of the other three. Futaba sat at the edge with Mishima and Kaoru to her right. Needless to say, the boys weren't entirely comfortable with the sitting arrangement, though they both knew it was likely for the best as sandwiching Futaba between the two of them could go south.

For several seconds, the former hikikomori stared at the menu, her eyes intently scanning its contents like it was a line of computer code. She suddenly planted the paper menu down and looked straight to Akira. He could see she'd made her choice.

"The king crab special." She declared with a chirpy smile.

Heh…just like him. Quietly thought the curly-haired teenager. "Alright then. That's three out of three."

Kaoru and Mishima looked between each other, their faces going through an assortment of emotions before finally settling on one-acceptance. Their faces slowly curved into a smile as they looked directly to Akira.

"We'll be splitting the medium hair crab." Mishima declared.

Being the last one left, Akira quickly came to his decision. "The I'll take the king crab tsukuri."

The waiter came by to collect their orders, which they each gave. Akira watched Futaba give hers, his mind jumping back several months to when she was too nervous to speak thus passed that role off to him. He was prepared to play it for as long as possible; it reminded him of when he was younger and his parents always took over for him. His father would always pat him on the head telling him that one day he'd be able to speak for himself. He was hopeful that Futaba was beginning to arrive at that stage.

When their orders began to arrive, the six teenagers didn't waste a second in diving into their food. Like so many others, their table became encased in a cloud of crunching and chewing. And laughter.

As Akira and Makoto had predicted it was a fulfilling dinner, a great way to begin wrapping up the night out.

"Alright, I officially love crab." Kaoru declared with a near dream-like expression on his face.

"Me too." Mishima repeated.

Finally rounding it out was the object of both boys' affections. "That makes three. I'm so having Sojiro bring me back here. And maybe asking him to learn how to cook crab."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure if the Boss puts his mind to it, he can do it." Ryuji offered. "Hey, Akira, they have seafood like this in your hometown? It's a fishing town, right?"

"Meguro? Like you wouldn't believe. Every year that's actually a competition between some of the local restaurants to see which one of them can cook the best dish. It's a local tradition you could say." The rest of his friends were leaning forward, clearly eager to hear more about his hometown. Akira chuckled as he took another bite of his meal. "It's a tradition that goes back over three-hundred centuries, back to Meguro's founding. The story goes a couple of fishermen were competing for the favor of a passing samurai warlord. Those two families were known as the Eguchi and the Awaya Clans, both of them still have seafood restaurants that are still thriving to this day."

"Hey, I remember you told me about the Awaya one. You said they specialized in making fish sticks." Mishima spoke up.

"They do, the best fish sticks and fish kababs you'll ever taste."

"Damn, now you're making me think we need to pay a visit to your hometown instead of you coming to see us." Ryuji declared.

"You know, I wouldn't mind that. Granted, Meguro's much, much smaller and quieter than Tokyo."

"As long as they have wi-fi, I can make do!" Futaba stated, albeit her mouth was full of crab, something that Makoto bit back her tongue in reprimanding her on.

"Hehe, good to know. Anyways, the cook off ending with the Eguchi Clan being declared the winners. Even so, the samurai was so impressed by the food he'd been served he proclaimed he would return the next year and issue the same challenge to the two families. Naturally, the Awaya Clan vowed next year they wouldn't lose…and they didn't. The two began to prepare for the samurai's return every year, his return bringing a fair amount of revenue to Meguro, which was steadily growing over time. It continued like that for about six years…after the sixth year, the samurai died. The town mourned, even erecting a statue of him near the town square." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his phone. After two minutes of searching, he pulled up an image of the statue and laid it on the table for the rest of his friends to see. All five of them leaned out of their seats to catch a glimpse of one of Meguro's landmarks.

"Your village must have hired some good artisans, or had some living in the village at the time." Kaoru marveled. Given his parentage, it was only natural he had an eye for detail, something that some of his school teachers had taken note of, especially his art teachers. His chestnut brown eyes looked over every detail of the nine-foot bronze statue that stood in his friend and idol's hometown. The photo had been taken on a clear and sunny day allowing the samurai statue to shine. "I gotta say, that's pretty awesome."

"And kind of sweet, ya' know, especially considering he probably could have burnt the town to the ground for someone spilling his food or something." Futaba offered.

"As tempted as I am to say that sort of stuff only happens in the movies, I've studied enough history to know there's a grain of salt to it." Sounded the former iron-masked Phantom Thief.

"Yep. People were major assholes back then, but it seems like this guy was pretty nice to your town. Sucks that he died in battle though." Ryuji spoke.

"Well, that was the warring states era for you. Meguro's ancient residents knew that…and so did the samurai, who pretty much came to our town to get away from it all." He'd gone back to the statue a week after he'd came home. As a kid, he could never understand that sense of anxiety of wondering when your life would end. His tenure as Joker of the Phantom Thieves of Heart had taught him, of both that fear and the need to unwind and relax every now and then. "A funerary feast was had in his honor." He continued captivating everyone's attention. "A few months later, about the time the warlord would visit…the Eguchi and Awaya Clans had another cookoff, one primarily for the sake of the village. The village chief, in spite of knowing he couldn't reward them as lavishly as their lost patron, still awarded the winner of the cookoff, that time the Awaya Clan. Heh, the Eguchi Clan proclaimed that they wouldn't lose next year. The village chief, realizing that they'd started a little tradition, decided that this would be a yearly tradition in Meguro-the village's yearly cookoff. Still going strong hundreds of years later give or take."

"That's…pretty awesome. I didn't know that you came from a town with a long tradition like that." Spoke up the dark blue-haired member of the group. "Akira, I never knew your hometown had a tradition like that."

"Since it's a cooking competition have you considered taking part in it?" Makoto inquired, genuinely curious as this was the first she'd heard of it. "Thanks to Sojiro-san, you've definitely got the cooking skills to compete."

"Ain't that the truth." Laughed the Wild Card. It had been somewhat of a difficult decision to reveal his city-borne culinary abilities. His parents were the first to become aware of them; neither of them were as surprised as he thought he would be, especially his father. That was natural given he'd known Sojiro and knew of his cooking abilities. Next came his inner circle of friends, the people who were still willing to talk to him upon coming back to Meguro. He'd gradually revealed more from there. "Still, my cooking abilities aren't exactly focused on seafood, even though the cookout doesn't just focus on seafood anymore."

"Then why don't you practice? In fact, why don't you practice to become a chef? You're probably the best cook I've ever met." Kaoru offered remembering all the times he'd tasted food prepared by the enigmatic teen. Needless to say, each time had been a wonderful experience, especially when it was at Leblanc alongside his father. "Personally, I think you'd make a good chef."

"You're make a great one." Added the hacker. "You're practically already good enough to take over for Sojiro, which he'll likely ask you to do one day."

"One day…I'd like to do that." He admitted while reaching for his phone to put it back into his pocket.

"One day," Makoto repeated having identified his train of thought. "But it's not something you want to do as a mainstay job. There's something else, isn't there?"

"Heheh, astute as always, Makoto. Yeah, I'm…kind of at a crossroads you could say. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do, what I want to study." Leaning back into his chair, he looked at his fellow high schoolers, a lazy smile on his face. "Truth is, I'm actually a little envious of you guys, you all already have an idea of what it is you wanna do."

Kaoru and Futaba blinked in shock as they realized Mishima had been included in that grouping. The two looked to the aforenamed boy expecting an explanation.

It was delivered with a blushing face. "Um, well, I-I-I wouldn't exactly say that I'm completely sure of what I want."

"Me neither." Ryuji added with a similar embarrassment.

Lacing his fingers together, he leaned forward, his eyes on the table. "The Phantom Thieves…I…I want them to be like that statue in your hometown, Akira." His voice was incredibly low, as it always was when discussing the anti-heroic vigilantes. Even though the team was "officially" disbanded, it was important to keep a low profile. "What you guys did…you didn't change save the world, I feel like…you helped change it for the better. You sure as hell helped change a lot of people for the better."

"Amen to that." The boy's junior high counterpart stated raising a glass up. What began as a toast between the two became a toast for the entire table. "So, um, does this mean you…plan on writing about the Thieves, Mishima?"

"Well…sorta. I would love to write…and direct." He looked to Ryuji and Futaba, their eyes widening as they latched onto a certain line of thought. Akira and Makoto, knowing him a bit better, knew where he was going with his words. "As in a documentary director."

"What? Really? But isn't that kind of…boring?" Immediately interjected the bespectacled hacker.

"Hey, Futaba, remember that nature documentary we watched last fall?" Akira innocently asked.

Her expression became pensive as she dug up the memory. When she looked to Mishima, she had stars in her eyes. "Oh, that kind of documentary director! That's totally awesome! Go for it!"

Ryuji looked at his friend and snickered, as did Makoto. For his part, Mishima sent Akira silent thanks for the save…but he was…curious as to exactly what kind of nature documentary he and Futaba had watched. While he would have liked to have been looked at in awe, he feared falling short of those expectations.

"R-Right now, I'm kind of…in the middle of a couple of writing projects. One of them is covering the fallout from Shido's arrest and his party's scattering." He clarified.

"Geez, that's still going on? I mean, I know this stuff takes time, but I'd honestly expect for some of this to have…cleared up a little." Ryuji said leaning back and wrapping his hands behind his head. "I mean, at least some arrests have been made."

"Charges of bribery, extortion, political malpractice, conspiracy, including conspiracy to commit murder in some cases. We're talking about almost a quarter of the Japanese government." He briefly looked to Makoto; it was only natural that she'd been following the fallout as well. Though Sae had made the switch to being a defense attorney, she still wanted to ensure Shido and his collaborators faced justice for their crimes. "Some of them have turned on each other, which isn't surprising. A lot of those bastards know what kind of charges they could end up facing."

"Yeah…it's been…I know that there are plenty of better and more experienced investigators and writers, but I…" Mishima trailed off, the weight of the road ahead clearly bearing down on him.

"It's still worth it to true. Besides, you may see something that they won't." Declared the teen who'd one-shot a god to save the world.

His words hit with that same force. A spring of optimism opened up within Mishima, he was again had Akira to thank for it. Another in the long list of things he had to be grateful to the small-town teenager for. He wasn't alone.

"Whelp, sounds like you've got a plan for the future, Mishima. That's something to be proud of!" Ryuji complimented. "When you shot your first film, you'll let us see the first screening, right?"

"Yeah, we're your friends so we get first look!" Added the team's hacker.

"Um, would…I be included in the first screening?" Kaoru to nervously spoke up causing Mishima to look up at him. "Also…if you ever decide to get into that kind of movie making…would you…mind a little help?"

The spiky-haired teen nervously looked back at the younger boy. "W-W-Well…y-yeah. I mean, I'm always open to help…especially from my friends." His eyes intentionally swooped to Futaba, then the other three who sat across from him. All four of the Phantom Thieves smiled. Looking back to Kaoru, he grinned. "You know I don't think I'd mind maybe one day…doing a yakuza-focused project, maybe something about how hard it is to leave that life behind but the results are worth it. What do you think?"

"That'd…that'd…that'd be awesome! Yes! I'd love to work with you on a project like that!" Suddenly, a sheepish smile overcame him. "Uh, I'll…ask my dad firth and see how cool he is with it."

"Hey, um…would either of you two be up for…me helping out a little? Any way I can? Please?"

"Yes, you can!" Both boys yelled in perfect unison, their cheeks crimson. One could have looked at the pair of them and nearly confused them for twins.

It was a sight that had the other three members of the group cracking up. Akira in particular looked to the scene with a heartfelt smile. Yet again, he felt a familiar surge of warmth inside of him. In a way, he'd nurtured the three sitting across from him; after almost six months away from them he was more than happy to see that they'd grown, and that they were placing their eyes on the future.

The future…He mused leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling lights. It's not like I need to hurry to figure out what to do with it, but I…still want to figure it out so I can get started on the path.

---

Shijiyama Hotel, 11:13 PM…

He was nervous to the point that his leg continuously bounced up and down while he watched the living room TV. He couldn't' focus on the program airing, though he tried to, he really did. Feeling a constant rumbling in his gut, he avoided in dramas that happened to be playing at that hour; he was feeling superstitious and didn't want to jinx things. Truth be told, it was actually kind of laughable, he'd never been a particular superstitious person, but this situation had pushed him in that direction.

Part of it was his sense of powerlessness.

His adventures in Tokyo had taught him of highs and lows, some of which he had no control over. In a way, the latter presented the ultimate test-what did one do with a situation that was out of their control? How did they react to it? That question had defined his life for the past year, and would likely continue to define it long after, such as now.

If he wanted to, he could have called either his parents or Sadayo. The former had already called him.

"We finished talking to Kawakami-san about five minutes ago and are on our way back to the hotel. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. We'll tell you what we've decided upon once we get back, Akira."

He could have fought warped desires given form, demons, madmen, and a mad guy, but his mother's word was still final.

What he found particularly troubling was that he hadn't received a call or text message from Sadayo. It was ridiculous, but a part of his mind couldn't help but jump to the worst-case scenario.

But…even if it comes to that…even if they reject her…I won't. I refuse to. Even if the possibility was ugly beyond words, he'd quietly braced for it. Akira wasn't a blind optimism, not even after Sadayo had decide to recuperate his romantic feelings, while he was happy, he still knew that a long and arduous road lay ahead of them. Part of its obstacles included his parents, the very people who'd raised and loved him, whom he loved in return. He'd came to blows with them before, specifically over some of his actions as a Phantom Thief. Ironically, that was nothing compared to his romantic ventures-it always seemed to be the basic things that caused the greatest upset.

Leaning back against the couch, he tried to calm his racing heart one last time. This time, it seemed to do the trick, somehow. Acceptance seemed to be the key.

He'd done his best to keep his mind off this moment throughout the night out with his friends. Akira had certainly enjoyed himself, hanging out with his friends just like old times. He was always happier and more relaxed when he was around people he felt he could trust, people he could be himself with. There was also something fulfilling in hearing how they're all moving on with their lives in their own respective ways. They'd all been through their fair share of traumas that had shaped them into who they were, but it wasn't going to weigh them down for the rest of their lives.

Still, they all knew that the road to their respective futures wasn't going to be easy; Ryuji in particular knew that. A thin smile formed on the teenager's face as he remembered the optimism that his best friend had held, as well as the support he'd found. Support that now included a girlfriend. Akira found himself laughing yet again at the relationship between the two human friends he'd made in Tokyo. He'd seen the signs as early back as Madarame's Palace, the quiet protectiveness that they had of each other, how they seemed to drift toward one another above others in their team. Ann had been the most heartbroken when he'd seemingly sacrificed himself to save the rest of them from Shido's sinking Palace.

Akira would never forget the sheer gut-wrenching pain that tore through him as he watched the bastard's inglorious cruise ship sink into the water. It didn't matter that all of this was inside of someone's head, it was real enough as it always was, and it was absolutely terrifying.

He'd already lost one friend, one teammate, and he felt like he'd lost another one, his best friend. Looking to the side, he saw how his pain was still only secondary to Ann's.

She looked simply devastated, and she had every right to be. Tears streamed down her face as she shouted out the name of their at-the-time fallen friend.

And then he showed up alive and well, joking about the reactions his heroic sacrifice had invoked.

In retrospect, Akira probably should have cautioned him against making said joke, but he was happy to see his best friend was still alive. At least a beat down from all the girls was preferable to him actually dying, though as he watched he suspected that if they kept going they actually would have killed Ryuji. All in all, it had been a surreal, laughable end to what was their toughest battle yet, and what they hoped would be the last.

Akira wouldn't say that Shido had permanently tainted his view of politics, but he had shown him how incredibly ugly they could be. The thing was, it wasn't even about politics, it was about power. It was an intoxicating thing, something that could easily drive people to do absolutely wrenched things to one another.

Looking down at the palm of his hand, Akira was reminded of the other tenant of power-it was a means, not an end, at least most of the time anyway. He had power, power he'd fought and struggled for, and unlike Shido he'd chosen to use it mostly for the benefit of others. To Akira, it had felt so good, so right fighting for others who couldn't fight back themselves. Sometimes it wasn't easy, and it meant putting himself and others at risk…but Akira felt like there were some things he couldn't walk away.

That had been the case with Sadayo. Everyone around him had called it stubbornness, they were right.

Laughing, Akira realized he really was like a cat that kept on toying with something that had caught his interest. It was an impulse he'd never been able to fight. Looking back up at the TV, he could almost see Oshiro-sensei smiling at him.

"I wonder what you would have had to say about the talk with we hand." Greater laughter slipped past his lips as he pictured his civics professor meeting Sae or Yoshida. He wanted to see both of them before he left Tokyo, he almost felt like he had to. In the case of Yoshida, he hoped that the older man would be able to make time for him. As he'd been keeping up with politics, he knew he'd been a little busy as of late. The formerly disgraced Diet member was now one of the few "decent" politicians left (he'd always been one of the decent ones, but after the fall of the Conspiracy, it became more pronounced).

The hairs on his back stood up as he sensed an approaching presence. Even when he wasn't in the Metaverse, his senses had remained ultra-sharp, sharp enough that he felt he could literal shift small changes in the air. Over various calls with his teammates he'd learned such sensory abilities had stayed with them, namely Yusuke who often spoke to him of how he still retained much of the samurai-like combat instincts he'd developed in the Metaverse. That went for all of them. Even if they could no longer transform into their alter egos, the traits of those alter egos were still a part of them. In Akira's case, the near supernatural senses he'd used to predict approaching threats.

His shaking came to a stop as he listened to the footsteps, then to the key card being inserted into the door lock. It was like the only sound in the world to him, followed next by the door knob turning.

"Akira, we're back." His father called.

Rising to his feet, he walked over and greeted both his parents. Neither of them looked any different from when they left. His mother met his eye and smiled, walking over and placing her arms around him, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her in return. Though he'd been back for little over an hour, he felt like he was just coming in from the cold, such was his mother's touch. After almost a full minute he gave the same treatment to his father. The warmth they gave him lingered within him as his father directed the two of them toward the living room table, which had seen quite a lot of use since their arrival.

Just like before, his parents sat on one side and he sat on the other.

"We sat down and talked with Kawakami-san," His mother began, her fingers laced together atop the table. Akira tried to read his mother's tone and face, but she was doing a remarkable job of keeping him in the dark. "She told us…everything."

"Everything," Akira repeated feeling his own heartbeat within his chest.

It was then his father stepped in to explain. "Yes, Akira, everything. From how you two met…to everything in between to…how you two…got together." Father and son held one another's gazes, silently waiting for one to make a move and break the tension. Azumi quietly sat at her husband's side. Again, she knew what was running through the eyes of both men, but chose to remain silent. She recognized this was an important moment for father and son. The former motioned for his son to stretch out his hand, which Akira did. Kunihiro's hand fell atop his son's. "That night when we went down to the police station…that night that woman lied and collaborated with Shido…a part of me was…scared for you. I was scared that one experience would…turn you into something of a misogynist."

The teenager blinked. "You…seriously, dad?" When his father looked up at him, he saw the fear in his father's eyes, the fear that had been there that night. He hated himself for forcing that awful feeling into both his father and his mother. His shoulders transformed into lumps of iron. "I…I couldn't do that; I wouldn't do that. Doing that would mean hating too many important people in my life, starting with mom." As he spoke the words, he directed his gaze toward the woman herself. Blue eyes watered with tears as she reached forward and added her hand to the embrace.

"What happened to you was the sort of thing that could taint a person's ability to trust people. Were you to become an introvert, I don't think anyone would have blamed you, we certainly wouldn't have." Azumi stated with heavyset eyes. "We were so worried about how that night would shape your outlook on life and people."

"In a way…it did, I won't lie to either of you about that." Akira began. "I was hurt and angry and I…I used the Metaverse, my identity as a Phantom Thief to act out on that. I know it was dangerous, but it was how I vented. At some point though, it stopped being about venting and became about…"

"Helping people." His father finished for him. "You helped as many people as you could, even when it put you too close to the edge."

He didn't refute his father's words. "I had a feeling that if either of you could see me, you'd have told me to stop and think about my future, which was I putting at risk over and over again."

"We would have." Kunihiro affirmed. His face softened as he smiled as his son. "For the betterment of many, including Kawakami-san, you didn't. She told us how you stood up for her, especially at the hospital."

A slight blush came over the high schooler's face as he remembered that somewhat pivotal moment in their relationship. "I, uh, I got scolded by the hospital staff."

"As you should have, but the situation was understandable." His father further softened.

The two males exchanged light-hearted laughter. Azumi let it go on for a few minutes before coughing into her hand. They immediately went silent and gave her their full attention, such was the family dynamic even here so far away from home.

"Akira, she told us of how you found out about her…second job." She spoke in a quiet, almost clinical voice.

To Akira, it was like watching a bolt of lightning flying at him. "It was Ryuji and Mishima's idea!"

"Which you ended up having to pay for." Kunihiro stated, having suddenly gone somewhat pale and his eyes distant. Akira could only blink in surprise at his father. This seemed to happen every time he found out about one of his more…outlandish adventures or activities here in Tokyo.

"Um, it all worked out though? That's gotta count for something, right?" Nervously laughed the teen.

His mother sighed, reaching over and rubbing his father's shoulder. "Yes, it did. Ms. Kawakami told us how you called her up again after that. We're…grateful to learn she wasn't a prostitute like we, like I, originally feared. We're also grateful that you didn't take advantage of her."

Sometimes, it felt like yesterday he was staring at his now-girlfriend dressed in a rather provocative maid outfit. Naturally, he'd been at a loss for words, his mind trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Somewhere back there though, he mused about how Ryuji and Mishima had skipped out on what was likely the most middling interesting thing about the whole venture. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing too. "I know not a lot of guys in my position would have done the same, but I didn't because you two raised me to be better."

"That's all we asked for, and we were happy to learn that we succeeded somewhat." Spoke his father, having recovered. "That said, you…Akira, you realize that technically speaking you made her into a criminal accomplice with creating those infiltration tools and bombs, right?"

"Yeah, I…kind of knew that. Still, she was pretty good at it." Again laughed the teenager. "The truth is, watching her work kind of reminded me of you, dad."

Kunihiro crossed his arms, a thoughtful look on his face. "I was rather surprised myself. Apparently, her father taught her well. Now I'm actually looking forward to meeting the man myself."

"Really?"

"Kuni, Akira." Azumi quietly spoke bringing both men to heel. Akira refocused his attention on his mother, recognizing the aura she was projecting. "We were told that you paid for her services with the money you gained from battling Shadows in the Metaverse. Is that true?"

"Yes. I…sometimes I would…stick around a bit longer to slay and shake down more Shadows so I could get some more money to pay for her services." He confessed.

"And you did all of this knowing the story about her ill sister was a complete lie, right?" Azumi further pressed. Her son silently nodded. She looked to Kunihiro, then back to him. "Exactly how long did it take you realize that story was a lie?"

"Hm, about a couple of days, a week really. I listened around the school for any mention of Sadayo having an older sister and got nothing. On top of that, something about her story just…didn't check out with me." His parents shared a short exchange right in front of him. They knew he was a smart and quick kid. There was no way in hell he'd fall for such a lie, partially sine by that point Akira himself had started learning the ins and outs of lying. "Even though I knew she didn't need the money for a sick relative…I…still felt like she needed the money for something else. On top of that I…" a blush crept over his face as he took the first step in his confession. "I…liked having her around outside of school. Not to mention when she was with me I could…give her a break; I could see that she needed it from time to time."

"It's kindness like that that I was afraid you'd lose after what happened that night." The family patriarch admitted. "Akira, she told us how you went out of your way to help her. She told us how you defended her from the Takases at the hospital." Kunihiro waited for his son to meet his gaze before giving him a bright smile. "As your father…I'm proud of what you did."

"And as your mother…I am as well." Azumi seconded.

Akira felt like he'd been caressed by the winds of spring. Warmth and relief trickled through him. "I just…did what I felt I had to do."

"Which, in our eyes…was the right thing." His father comforted. "If it had been your mother in that situation, I don't think I need to tell you how I would have reacted." Both father and son looked to one another and smiled, they looked to the mutual woman in their lives and found she was smiling as well. It was unanimously agreed the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree, and that was without a doubt a good thing. "You gave that woman a ray of light when she needed it the most, even if you knew there were dangers in doing so."

"I couldn't just up and leave her, no matter how many times she told me to. Mom, dad, I…I understood some of what she was going through. That sense of worthlessness, that pain, that…sense of failure." He forced out the last bit with his eyes focused on the table, he could still the deeply contorted look on his parents' faces. They had nothing to do with the encounter with Shido, but the aftermath had left them just as shaken as him. While he was in Tokyo, they'd endured constant spite and ridicule from their neighbors, all over him, over their supposed failure to raise him into a "proper young man". "She had every right to keep her second job a secret, and I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure it stayed that way…but I also wanted to make it so she could quit it. So she could be free."

"We know, Akira. She told us how protective you became of her, how you…fell in love with her, and she fell in love with you." As he'd heard the story, Kunihiro had felt his heart stir. He'd listened to the details, but he knew where the tale would end, so did his wife. The at times quiet and even fierce devotion that Akira had showed to his teacher…all of it reminded them of each other, of the love that they bore for one another and how they expressed it. "It didn't matter that she was your teacher or that she was older than you…you just saw a woman whom you wanted to protect and cherish, right?"

The iron that had formerly tainted his arms began to lessen as he met his father's gaze. "Yeah, I…that's what I saw her as." He looked to his mother, her gaze was just as soft as his father's. She knew what sort of feelings had been compelling him to act; she'd demonstrated those feelings herself, especially when she first saw him and Sadayo together down by Daiba.

Azumi let out a heavy sigh as she held her son's gaze. "After hearing her side of the story, Akira, I can admit that I…overreacted. I'm sorry about that."

"Mom,"

"No, please, I…I know that I jumped the gun. Thankfully, Kawakami-san was able to explain the entire ordeal to me." Both of her hands reached out to cradle Akira's. Both of them could still remember when the latter's hands were so small they could easily fit in her palms. His hands had been so soft and warm back then, innocent. They were still soft and warm…but the innocence was gone from them. "If it weren't for you, that poor woman would have been forced to become…" She couldn't say the words as even now hours later it was hard for her to think about. If nothing else, Azumi was glad that her son had intervened to save her. "I'm still not sure how you did it…but I'm glad you were able to save her."

Gently gripping his mother's hand, he nodded, first to her then to his father. A somewhat blissful silence fell over the table with the buzz of the living room TV in the background. It was both soothing and a little nerve-wrecking, almost serving as a countdown to the next portion of the talk. It was time to hear the verdict.

"Akira," the family patriarch spoke catching his attention. "How serious are you about this relationship with this woman? Where do you see it going? Where do you want it to go?"

Both of his parents were looking at him in the same way, asking the same question. There wasn't a need to ask how of his relationship with Sadayo they knew of, they knew enough. Knowing them…they'd also asked this question to her.

It would have been easy to give an impulsive answer, but that would have been the wrong one. This wasn't a decision to be taken lightly.

When it came to Sadayo Kawakami, Akira never took anything lightly. He gave her his all. "I want to take my relationship with her…absolute to the very end. I know it won't be easy, it hasn't been easy…but we've made it through. With every fiber in my body, I want to keep doing that, I will keep doing that because I love her." For the briefest of moments, he felt the world around him slowing then, as if bracing itself for his next words. "Mom, dad, I love her with all my heart and want to spend the rest of my life with her."

There was nothing else to be said, no passionate declarations that what he was feeling wasn't just a teenage crush or momentary fling. All of his determination he put into his words and painted onto his face. Rather or not it was enough was enough for his parents he could only pray.

"After hearing her story…and seeing her will…we gave Kawakami-san our blessings to date you." Azumi spoke, keeping her face eighty-percent passive. The last twenty percent manifest in a slight smile that she directed at her son.

Her husband's smile was wider. "We…we do wish this had been a little different, but we saw how much she means to you…and we can see how much you mean to her. We won't stand in the way of that."

Not even a full ten seconds after they'd spoken, Akira bolted from his seat, practically knocking it over. With the quickness of lightning, he raced around the table and seized both his parents in a hug.

"Thank you, thank you so much, mom, dad!"

Both parents were more than a little caught off-guard. They were still getting used to the bullet-like speed their son could move at when he wanted to. More often than not he liked using that speed to surprise them.

Once they recovered from the shock, the parents returned their son's embrace. Admittedly, it felt good to have his arms wrapped around them, and theirs wrapped around them. Kunihiro and Azumi had a feeling this would be the reaction of their revealing of their approval of his relationship with his former teacher. While they had given their approval…there was still more to be said about the matter, something Azumi reminded Akira.

It was clear that a great weight had been lifted from the seventeen-year-old. Now that he had his parents' approval, he felt like he was practically sitting on a throne of clouds.

"While we have given you two our…approval, Akira, we're going to lay down some ground rules." Apparently, not even his father's voice had been enough to break it. Admittedly, Kunihiro was a bit happy to see his son's now unshakable good mood. "She told us that you two have…" a blush crept over his cheeks, and his wife's. Akira's cheeks blushed as well, he gave both his parents a nervous smile. "She told us that you two used protection."

"W-We did." The gray-eyed teenager affirmed. His previous joy at their acceptance had now been replaced by shyness and embarrassment as he was forced to reveal more…intimate details of his relationship with his former teacher. "We were…very careful." Damn, this really is awkward as hell!

So, this day has finally come. Both parents thought with their mental selves looking like pale white sheets floating in the wind.

"Akira," his mother began, her blush growing redder as she looked to her son. "Is it…true that when you…faked your death to evade Shido, you…stayed at Kawakami-san's…apartment?"

His cheeks burned as he recalled the memories, starting with Ryuji and Sae hauling him back to Tae's clinic. Apparently, it'd taken almost three hours to pump all the drugs out of his system. Akira could thinly remember the punk rock doctor standing over him, a look of deep worry on her face. Then he remembered the door opening and Sadayo walking in. She dropped her purse and fell to her knees in front of his bed; he was too groggy to remember much else beyond her taking his hand and crying. He hated seeing her cry, he hated making her cry. All he could do was squeeze her hand to let him know he was alive.

"It's true, I did." He admitted. "It's not like I was taking the whole thing as a joke…I just…I just needed some place I could lay low at."

"And you couldn't do that at the homes of any of your other teammates?" Azumi inquired.

Shaking his head, the acrobatic youth responded, "It would be too dangerous. Akechi knew the faces of everyone on the team and I couldn't take that chance. With Sadayo…well…I figured she would be the last person anyone would really suspect, especially since by all accounts I was just another student of hers."

"She was questioned about you after your supposed suicide." Kunihiro said.

"Yeah…she told me about it when she got back from work that day." The memory had been far from pleasant, for either of them. Sadayo had told him how…funny it was being told that he was dead when she knew better than anyone that he was alive and well. She'd joked that she'd become a great actress in that she could fake being shocked and heartbroken enough to fool federal investigators. "I stayed with her for…well, really most of December. We…" The blush returned stronger than ever as the happier memories came back to him. "We basically lived together. And we-"

"Yes, Akira, we know." His father interrupted. Akira could practically see the steam rolling out of his father's ears as the conversation had moved to a more…illicit area. "We're happy that you two used protection."

"We always did." His laughter seemingly broke some of the near comical tension in the room. "When we first started dating, Sadayo laid out some ground rules, one of which was when we…did have sex we'd always have protection."

"Which you two will continue to do." The family matriarch declared. Akira stood at attention as his mother stared him down. This was the other side of her approval, the strings that came with it. "Akira, you and Kawakami-san will continue to use protection until you have graduated college. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Responded the former Phantom Thief leader. He knew that one was coming.

Inhaling through her nose, she locked eyes with him, commanding every ounce of his attention as she'd done thousands of times before. "Should a…slip up happen…it'll be up to you two to decide what to do." Her hand reached out and found Akira's. "If you two decide to keep the baby…we will support you, all three of you." She watched her son's mouth fall open in a gasp. Giggling, she winked at him. "That said, I would prefer it if you waited until you were thirty before making Kuni and I grandparents." With her other hand, she reached over and patted her husband on the shoulder.

"J-Just wait a little bit, okay? T-Take some time to get established so she won't have to support all of you at once." His father offered.

"Trust me, I don't plan on letting that happen. You raised me to be better than that." Affirmed the younger Kurusu.

A sense of sublime pride and relief washed over the family patriarch. "I'm…happy to hear that. But I also have to tell you to do something that'll make you happy. Something that'll make you happy and provide for your family…it won't be easy, but I believe you can do it."

"Buuut, don't feel like you have to shoulder the burden all on your own, Akira." Interjected the brunette. "Remember, Akira, a relationship, including a marriage, is a partnership. After talking with her…I believe Sadayo Kawakami is willing to work at it. And I know that you are too."

A cocoon of warmth encircled the family of three. The tension that had so tightly gripped Akira throughout the night had gradually melted away leaving him with a sense of liberation he hadn't felt in a while. He felt himself falling back into the puffy white clouds of joy and relief, above him stretched an azure sky of infinite possibilities that he felt he could reach up and grab. When the time came, Akira would reach for them, and he would grasp them.

"So," he began looking between his parents. "What happens now?"

"We continue our little stay here in Tokyo." Kunihiro affirmed. "That said, we now know the real reason you were so eager to come back to Tokyo." The younger Kurusu playfully scratched the back of his head while Kunihiro chuckled. His intuition had been right on the money, even though the girl in question was wildly different from what he'd been expecting. He was fine with that though, and so was his wife. "We won't chain you down to us to keep you from her, or anyone else, but at least let us know when you two are out and about."

The teen breathed out a sigh of relief at that.

"Akira," his mother called. "While we're giving you this freedom, we're going to trust you not to abuse it."

"I won't, I promise, mom."

"Good…we'll be having lunch with Kawakami-san tomorrow." She added with a somewhat self-assured smile.

It took Akira a second to realize what she'd just said. "Huh? L-L-Lunch? W-W-Wait, you mean you and dad-"

"And you, naturally." His father added with a smile.

Akira blinked at his parents. Neither of them were lying…but he could feel they were keeping something from him. "…Um, okay." He finally admitted. At the very least I'll be able to see her. That counts for something.

"It's just lunch, we need to…we would like to sit down and discuss some things with both you, together." His mother went on to clarify after seeing the acceptance on his face. That was one thing she could say about her son she was reluctantly proud of-he knew how to take supposed setbacks in stride. "Once we finish talking, you two can have the rest of the day to yourselves…up until ten o'clock."

Immediately, the Wild Card's face brightened. "That'll work! That's great!"

The two parents exchange brief smiles with one another, they clearly knew the reaction their son would have upon learning they were giving him and his girlfriend the latter half of the day to themselves. It cut both ways as personally they would have liked to have the following Sunday to themselves.

"So, where's this…talk going to be? Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling it won't be at Leblanc." Akira inquired.

"We have some place in mind, which we've told her. As for you, you'll just have to be patient and wait until tomorrow." His mother answered with a wink. He groaned, but smiled back showing he accepted their decision. "Alright then, you can shower first, we'll take ours after you."

It would have been wise to keep his mouth shut, but Akira just couldn't help himself. "When you say yours, you wouldn't happen to mean you two-"

"Akira!" His dad cried with a hot-red blush on his cheeks. A smaller one colored Azumi's cheeks.

Snickering, he rose from the table. "Sorry, sorry! I'm going to go get ready for my shower now! Nice talk, mom, dad!" In another burst of speed, he was gone leaving the two alone at the table.

The interior designer sighed into his hands while his wife rubbed his shoulder, sweet giggles fluttering from her lips.

"I suppose this has all…gone well." Raising his head from his hands, he was met with the azure blue eyes of his wife. No matter how matter how much time passed, he never tired of looking into them, of basking in the affection they always held for him. "This…isn't what I was expecting."

"Neither was, but that's a part of life-dealing with the unexpected." The gymnast admitted. Scooting her chair over so they were close enough, she leaned on his shoulder. "Still, I never imagined our Akira…sure, I think he had a crush on his fourth-grade teacher, but that was it." Her right hand moved to find her husband's, who wrapped it in a warm embrace. "He's a lot like you, Kuni; I'm so happy for that."

"And you based on the way he reacted around her." Chuckled back the black-haired man. "Azumi, so much happened to him away from home…so much bad and good…it's…hard to take in some times."

She nodded. Over the last six months, they'd noticed changes in their only son. Akira had always been mature for his age, but after returning from Tokyo he had an almost worldly wisdom and weariness to him that left them both contemplating what had happened to their boy. Day by day, they learned a little more about what had brought about such changes. These past two days they'd learned what the source of one of the biggest changes in their son had been.

As they had learned, falling in love changed a person. Love had a tendency to bring out the best in a person, even if, or especially if that love was a forbidden one. The collaborated tale between the Shujin teacher and their son had proved that.

"I always wondered how his love life would pan out." She whispered. "I…hoped it wouldn't be like ours, but it seems that he's taking after both of us in facing an uphill climb."

"He'll make it." Kunihiro affirmed in a determined voice. "And I believe she'll make it too, right alongside him."

Serenity eclipsing her heart, Azumi moved out of her chair and onto her husband's lap. The move temporarily surprised him, but only for a moment. Her hands rose to cradle his face while his wrapped tightly around her waist. There was a brief pause before the two leaned forward, their lips connecting in a sweet and tender kiss. It was actually the first they'd shared in hours, their minds filled with too many thoughts to have the chance to stop and focus on each other. Feeling the same sense of liberation and relief as their son, they finally turned their minds and bodies to one another.

Unknown to either, hidden behind the wall was their son. He leaned against the wall with a content smile on his face. Sadayo…I wonder if one day that'll be us. I wouldn't mind if it were. Akira felt the temptation to call his girlfriend and tell her the good news, but it'd probably be best until after he showered first. Though the next sit-down with his parents loomed over him, Akira felt his mind focusing on one question, where would he take his girlfriend for their date tomorrow? There were a wide range of possibilities. For Akira, it felt like he had all the time in the world to pick from them.

---

Okay, there it is, an end to an unplanned hiatus that I'm hoping won't be repeated. Sorry for the long wait, everyone, some real-world issues came up that I had to work through.

While this story is certainly focused on Akira and Sadayo, I do want to give attention to their respective inner circles. Heh, there will come a time when some of those inner circles collide mind you. This chapter followed up after the last one in focusing on Akira, it wasn't the entire gang but he got to spend some time with some close friends. In writing this, I was happy to show how everyone's subtly moving on with their lives, while at the same time taking some time to remember where they've been. As many of you no doubt know, the big reveal was that Ryuji and Ann are an item in this story.

For those of you curious, a few years back I wrote a little story called "From a Spark to a Flame" featuring Ryuji and Ann getting together. In the context of this story, the its events are canon so to speak. You don't have to read it to understand any major parts of this story, but it is something I felt like including since I added them as a pairing in this story. I've always been a sucker for side pairings and Ryuji and Ann are one such pairing I especially liked. On top of that, it blended well with the former's friendship with Akira; the two are polar opposites with Ryuji knowing Akira is the savvier one who'd likely know how to be in a relationship. Akira being Akira, would also be able to pick up Ryuji having feelings for Ann and vice versa thus being a ship-on-deck (and yes, he's going to have to break the news to Morgana).

Toshirō Mayuzumi was a Japanese composer known for implanting new instrumentation alongside classical Japanese musical techniques, his works drawing inspiration from a variety of sources from jazz to Balinese music. He's considered one of the pioneers in the fields of musique concrète (concert music) and electric music.

Yet again, this chapter included some real-life locations. Koen-dori is a shopping street in the Shibuya area, one known for having the hottest trends in fashion, entertainment, and so forth. It has tons of malls that you can easily lose yourself in. The Nanako cat statue can be found in front of Muji attbe Shibuya Seuby department store; it's not quite as famous as the statue of Hachiko statue, but it's still a popular enough sight in its own right. Kani Douraku is a real-life restaurant in the shopping district known for its myriad of crab-based cuisine. Not a bad place to have dinner with your friends. It all made for some nice friends focused fluff.

Now then…yep, Akira and Sadayo are a go from the Kurusus side! Odds are most of you saw this coming from reading Chapter 6 which ended with Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu giving Sadayo their blessings. All that was missing was one final talk with Akira and that's the end of it, well, mostly. The next chapter will have some Akira/Kawakami romantic fluff as they've finally got a massive weight off their shoulders. It'll be set up for the other set of parents that our star couple is going to have to win over, and some other interesting developments.

Until the next chapter, everyone. Stay safe and healthy!