A New Route

by Nevermore-the-Dragon-Sings

Something strange happens after Sayori is deleted. Now she's fallen into a new environment with no clue how she's gotten there. Luckily, a seemingly harmless detective has her back. Soon a new mystery arises, connections are made, and Sayori has to decide. Who should she trust? Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems.

76. Chapter 75

I own nothing but the softness. That means if any of you actually ship Sayori and Akechi, you have to let me know about all of your headcanons and thoughts, and anything you make of them(if anyone actually likes it that much) you are required to share it with me! Please enjoy the chapter!

The Phantom Thieves looked at the guillotine uneasily, feeling a heavy and dark presence in the air of the Velvet Room, Joker was looking with his third eye, trying to see what might have caused the fusion tool to rise and drop on its own. He had never seen it happen before, and neither Lavenza nor Igor seemed inclined to say anything.

"Impressive… and fitting," Lavenza said under her breath, glancing towards Goro Akechi, and then to the stalwart Persona that he had called forth. She knew she was one of the only beings in this part of the Velvet Room that was able to see Goro Akechi and his activities, but it somehow uneased her that none of the thieves reacted in any other way aside from nervousness. She wanted to say something, especially to Sayori Matsu, who still thought her meeting with Goro Akechi earlier had only been a desperate fantasy.

However, she had felt this entire time that she was being compelled not to. Despite how circumstances had changed, and despite the fact that Goro was no longer going to follow the whims of the God of Control, he and Akira Kurusu were still meant to be rivals. They could interact however they wanted to in their real world, but Lavenza could do nothing to interfere.

Lavenza shared a glance with Jose, and she could tell they were both thinking the same thing. Though she and her brother could not do anything to guide these groups together in the Velvet Room, they could still guide them into action outside of this Velvet Room, where they could all hopefully reunite.

"Our mutual friend knows where the exit is," Lavenza said to Joker, turning her attention to the said creature of mankind's hopes. "Morgana, please guide them." The girl looked down sadly. "And thank you for all that you've done. It's a cruel responsibility that's been cast upon you…"

"I will accept your words of appreciation fully when everything is over," Morgana replied seriously. The cat could not see what Lavenza and Jose saw, unfortunately, but he seemed to understand her need to hurry things along. He yelled at the thieves to follow him, and they all began to oblige, following him into Akira Kurusu's old cell. Lavenza saw as Jose guided Goro Akechi and Monika in the same way, and suddenly the girl felt that she should say something more.

"Sayori Matsu…" Lavenza said softly, catching the downtrodden young girl's attention for a moment. "I could give similar advice to you, that you must reclaim your existence in reality. Right now, your existence in this world is much weaker than any of the other thieves. The God of Control knows this… I know it will use this to strike your companions down if it gets the chance."

"I won't let it get the chance," Sayori said resolutely. She smiled confidently, before slouching forward a bit. "It's sad to me… Even though this is only my first time being here, I'm thinking about how I will probably never see it again. After the fight with the God of Control, I get the feeling that it will finally be the end of the story. I'll have no more reasons to be here…"

Sayori held back a sob with shaking breaths. "I'll probably leave soon after that, with no chance to have fun with my friends like we used to. I'll never see any of them again…"

Whether the girl was truly thinking about the Phantom Thieves, or Goro Akechi, or both groups, it put a heavy weight on Lavenza's heart.

"Don't simply wait for the bottom to fall, Sayori Matsu. Strive forward with hope. It is a strange reality that you live in. I see nothing as being out of the realm of possibility," Lavenza said with a soft smile, walking up and patting Sayori on the wrist.

"There are limits even on what is possible here, I think," Sayori whispered, before shaking her head. "I'll go now. I may at least have more time to spend with my friends if we can manage to defeat the God of Control quickly…"

Sayori separated from the small child and ran through the way Morgana had shown them, up the stairs and through a once heavily locked and guarded door, meant to contain the "most dangerous inmate." Sayori didn't dare to look back as the singing and piano music began to fade, feeling as though she were being rudely awoken from the most comfortable rest she could ever hope to have.

Then, it was back into cruel "reality" for the Phantom Thieves, once again witnessing the horrid Tokyo and Mementos fusion. However, the thieves barely wasted a moment, following Morgana in the direction of the temple where he claimed the God of Control would be waiting for them.

Sayori gulped as she took her first stop onto a shaky bridge of bones, looking back at the door of the Quarantine Cell. For some reason, a part of her simply wanted to stay right next to the door. However, she brushed that strange yearning aside, knowing that she wanted to be right next to her loved ones until the bitter end.

---

Goro looked up towards the Persona that floated above him with a childish wonder, his eyes wide as both good and bad feelings intermingled inside of him. No longer were these feelings fighting inside of him and making him sick to his stomach about everything he did. Instead, they were just gentle reminders of a multifaceted truth that was neither beautiful nor ugly… Much like the god of wealth and death that floated above him, staring at him with a peaceful, yet stern frown.

Aidoneus's golden-black eyes flicked down to the mask held loosely in Goro's hand, and just like that, the calm moment was over. Perhaps he could ponder all the feelings his mind had come to terms with later, but for now, the reality of the situation was that he had a mission to complete.

Goro slipped his mask over his face, noticing with a slight pause that his joints no longer chafed as much as they had before, after wearing the same clothes for over a week. He wondered why that was as he walked over to Monika and Jose so that he could prepare to leave. However, as he approached, he couldn't help but notice the awkward stares the two were giving him as they talked quietly to each other.

"Do you think he'll get a new one every time he fuses a new Persona?" Monika asked, leaning down next to Jose, who shook his head.

"I hope not. There are some Personas that might lead to rather… inappropriate looks," Jose said with a shiver. "Though, I think the changes have more to do with the drastic differences in the masks that he wears…"

"Oh… That makes sense, I guess," Monika said, looking away from Jose, only to trip backward in shock when she came face to face with Goro, who was kneeled right down in front of her with an unimpressed look.

"What are you gossiping about?" The boy asked, his voice empty of emotion.

"Not much… Just asking Jose about your new garb," Monika said, pointing down towards Goro's body.

"What?" Goro asked in confusion, causing Monika's eyes to widen.

"Seriously? You really haven't noticed, yet? Look at yourself!" Monika shouted, getting up and dusting herself off. She rolled her eyes. "Watching the other thieves, I didn't think it was realistic that it would take a person this long to notice their clothes changed… Yet here you are, fully aware and just…"

Goro stopped listening to Monika, looking down and realizing more than his mask really had changed.

Black fabric wrapped around his body to form a slimming, yet impressively padded undershirt, with sweater like sleeves that bunched up around his wrists. In the shirt, Goro could feel the heavy lining that gave support and compression to his injured, sore limbs. Over top his shirt was a loose gray fabric that ended in a cape, hanging over his shoulders and down towards his legs, lined with red, and embroidered with red patterns as well. A silver gorget sat upon his shoulders, replacing the old neck armor from his previous ensemble. Silver armor was also set over his shoulders, elbows, and knees. Lastly, baggy gray linen pants hung loosely out of silver sabotan boots that were lined with the golden rings on his new mask's horns.

Goro looked at himself in shock, not realizing just how much his appearance had changed, since it had felt so similar to his older one. Actually, it seemed very similar to both of his old outfits, combining the padding and color scheme of his black-mask outfit, with the style of his more princely getup.

"You're right… How did I not notice this until now?" Goro questioned in alarm. "I mean, I literally felt like my clothes were burning off of my body, earlier…"

"Uhh… I'm not going to comment on that," Monika replied, knowing that taking the conversation in that new, weird direction was something they didn't have the time, or comfort, to discuss. "I guess… How do you like the new you?"

"It's hardly new," Goro responded. "It's just… more put together. It's more stable than it used to be, which is exactly what I need to be."

"Good… good," Monika said, before lifting her arms up and beckoning towards the door that would leave out of the Velvet Room. "Do you want to get a move on, then?"

"Yes, that would be for the best," Goro replied, nodding seriously. He looked down towards Jose. "Thank you for your assistance. I truly could not have gotten this far without you."

"There's no need to thank me. You had the strength inside of you from the beginning. I'm happy you realized it, Mister!" Jose said with a childish grin. He looked down shyly a second later, holding his hands together in front of himself and wiggling excitedly. "I can already feel the changes in the air. I'm so happy!"

"Changes? Are the Phantom Thieves already…" Goro trailed off, worried that the Phantom Thieves had already succeeded without him.

"Oh, don't worry about that yet, Mister! I'm talking about your Velvet Room… I mean, can't you tell It feels different than it has felt for a long time…" The boy gestured to the fixed guillotine, and then to the singer and pianist that were ceaselessly trilling on. Then he looked up towards the endless ceiling, and to the walls, where the gray, smoke-damaged walls were beginning to glow a more vibrant blue. The cinders and ashes on the floor were somehow beginning to be lifted up from the ground, on a wind that none of the inhabitants or visitors of the Velvet Room could feel.

"I suppose I just noticed," Goro said, looking around in nervousness at the subtly changing room.

"It's nothing to fear… The Velvet Room is just finally beginning to catch up to the progress you have made over the past year or so. I can't wait for you to see it when it is fully restored… I bet it was the most beautiful version of the Velvet Room that's ever existed!"Jose exclaimed, running up and hugging Goro around the legs.

"Wait… It's possible to come back here after this?" Goro asked, not understanding how that would work if the Metaverse was about to disappear.

"I mean… maybe," Jose said sheepishly. "I'm not sure about what will be allowed after this, myself. Still, at least to me and my master, you will always be welcomed in the Velvet Room, Goro Akechi."

"Indeed," Igor said, his eyes shifting to look at Goro Akechi. "My dear, young man…"

"Alright…" Goro replied with a nod, more reassured now that he felt there was a possibility of coming back to this peaceful place. If he could find this peaceful place for himself, it would only mean good things for his life.

"I guess this is going to be the only time I can come in here, though," Monika said with a pout.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Unfortunately, you're not a very positive addition to what it meant to be a safe space for Goro Akechi," Jose stated, frowning sadly.

"What? Do you really hate me that much?" Monika asked, crossing her arms and looking at Goro expectantly.

"Yes," the boy stated coldly, not bothering to sugarcoat it. "Let's get going now. Bye, Jose," he said, waving a small wave to his attendant and walking towards the door.

"Yeah. Bye forever, I guess," Monika said in disappointment, following Goro to the door.

"Bye Goro! Bye Monika!" Jose called out after the two, waving one of his arms in long arcs as the two teens disappeared through the door.

"I am quite interested to see where this new route will lead him," Igor said, chuckling.

"Me too, master," Jose said cheerfully, before putting his hands on his hips.

"Me, as well," Lavenza stated, walking over and standing next to her brother. "Jose, while we wait, would you like to watch your layer of the room restore itself? I have been watching myself for a few minutes, and it is quite peaceful."

"Sure!" Jose replied, throwing his hands up excitedly. The two giggled and sat down on the floor, finally able to take a break from the task of helping their wildcards along their journey.

---

Goro noticed something strange as soon as he and Monika made it into Shibuya. The girl looked very different to how she had before. A shujin uniform replaced the vague one from before, while her pink brown hair was now a dark ebony.

Monika looked confused for a moment, blinking her now dark brown eyes, before realizing herself that her appearance must have changed.

"Oh, right!" I've been in the Metaverse so long I forgot I would look like this after leaving…" The girl coughed, clearing her throat. "Leavin' I mean… It's probably better to stay like this for the time bein'. It would be easier to show something to Sayori rather than explain it."

"I see…" Goro said, his voice a cold whisper. I suppose Sayori knows you in this form…

"They must have gone that way, towards the temple," Monika stated, pointing out the large structure in the distance.

"Let's go," Goro stated, not wasting a second and running up the beginnings of a bony bridge that lead up to the temple. Hopefully, it doesn't take too long to catch up to them…

---

The Phantom Thieves ran up the platforms as fast as they could, made only somewhat difficult by the lack of railings. Several times they nearly ran right off the edge of the trail because they didn't see the dead-end coming up until they were seconds away from it. Then there were the precarious jumps to higher and lower platforms, as well as paths that ran parallel or perpendicular to the ones they were currently on. It was a harrowing, confusing experience, and it was easy to foresee them getting lost. It was only Oracle and Mona's navigation that kept the thieves on the right path.

As to be expected, Valiant's glitching resumed shortly after leaving the Velvet Room. It had not been following its normal pattern all that day, and with the God of Control having been revealed as being the one who inflicted her with this condition, Valiant knew it would continue to get worse. That gave the thieves a desperate sense of urgency to defeat the god.

Still, as they continued, it was only to be expected that they would be met with opposition. When they still were not that high over the city, Oracle sensed a highly dangerous enemy waiting to cut them off. There would no doubt be more of them as time went on.

First, while the civilians down below still had visible distinguishable features, was an archangel that introduced itself as Uriel. It tried to dissuade the thieves and make them turn back, but the thieves were quick to reject the very notion. The fight began, with the angel summoning multiple minions to its side that the thieves would have to eliminate as well.

The Phantom Thieves used their usual methods, and at first, the fight was going well enough. However, the angel was clearly miles above them in terms of power. The thieves were having trouble defending themselves while trying to identify a weakness. What made it worse was that the minions the Shadow summoned flocked to Valiant like moths to a lamp, laying heavy damages to her shielding effects that left everyone else without her protection.

It was not looking good for the thieves until Uriel's weakness was finally identified as Curse.

After defeating the archangel, the thieves took a moment to regroup, noticing that below them, civilians were starting to disappear. As Panther said, no one could be considered a stranger anymore.

Still, judging by the screams of panic, the people below them were starting to notice the chaos around them, due to the thieves' interference.

The Phantom Thieves moved on, traveling higher and higher until the civilians below them were only moving dots on the ground. There they had an encounter with another angel, Raphael. It quickly became apparent that for this fight, they would need Valiant's shields much more than their last fight. Instead of attacking, the angel kept raising the value of its strength and defense. Even with Panther taking these buffs away, getting hit by one of the angel's attacks would certainly mean certain death.

Once again, the angel seemed to have it out for Valiant. When it finally started attacking, it sent its attack right into her shield. It was similar to how one might stab a whole through something with a single nail, as opposed to having weight distributed throughout a bed of needles. Normally, Shadows attacked in a pretty wide range, with weak amounts of power that Valiant could easily block. This was heavy amounts of power driven into a single point of her shield, passing through it and making her shield effect shatter.

The girl quickly tried to recover her shield while the angel took the opportunity to attack some of the other thieves. Fortunately, Panther managed to debuff his attacks at the very last second, meaning the affected thieves were only mildly injured.

Still, the Phantom Thieves could already tell they were way out of their element in these fights. If the enemies they faced continued this pattern of getting stronger and stronger the higher they went, they doubted they would be able to do it with their strength alone.

The thieves managed to find their footing in their current fight with Valiant and Panther working overtime, raising shields and nullifying the added strength Raphael was supplying himself. They did this every chance they got, while Joker and everyone else focused their attention on attacking the angel so quickly and ruthlessly that it never got the chance to breathe. The intensity that the thieves fought with was out of desperation, but it eventually got them the results they wanted.

The next fight they engaged in, they only survived through luck. When the people below them weren't even dots, but one blurry mass of a shimmering shape that moved around the edges, they met their third opponent. A feminine angel that introduced itself as gabriel once again pleaded with the thieves to turn back. Despite being weak and weary, the Phantom Thieves again rebuked the idea. A new fight started, and the Phantom Thieves were quick to engage, wanting to get the battle over with.

The angel used powerful Bless attacks, and Joker was quick to nullify as many of these attacks as he could. Once again, Valiant was the subject of harsh bullying by the Shadow, and just barely managed to keep her weakening shield from shattering like before. The other Phantom Thieves weren't doing much better. Their energy was mostly exhausted at this point, and they all had injuries that were hindering them from moving quickly and attacking.

The group honestly thought that they were going to lose this fight, if it wasn't for the fact that Gabriel's attacks seemed to mostly be redirected towards herself. Using this advantage, they managed to finish her off, and then spent a few minutes trying to recover.

"It looks like… there's still one more we have to get through, before we even meet the God of Control," Oracle reported, dangling her feet off of the ledge.

"It's not looking good for us," Queen said, flexing her sore arms over her head. "I don't know why, but I really did expect these fights to be easier than they have turned out to be…"

"I mean, we're goin' up against a god, so of course our strength wouldn't feel like it's enough to beat all of these assholes gettin' in our way," Skull said, trying to sound reassuring, but only managing to make the thieves more tense.

"Our strength isn't enough…" Noir repeated idly, hugging her knees. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Valiant wearing a dazed, sad expression, hearing what they were all saying, but too dizzy to say much.

"They're all going after Valiant so much, too," Noir said, shaking her head. "You would think they'd go after Joker, since he is so important to this whole scheme…"

"Indeed. The God of Control can control her glitching, so why even bother being so harsh?" Fox questioned. "Why does it have a specific interest in hurting her?"

"Lavenza said before we left that it wanted to kill the rest of you by going through me. I help guard all of you, so I suppose it makes sense. The Shadows even go after you guys once I am down for the count," Valiant explained, only for Queen to shake her head.

"We all make valuable contributions to the team. Yes… your situation is unique, but…"

The strategist was silent for a long time, trying to sort through her thoughts of what might be going on here.

"Let's just make it so that we don't have to worry about what the God of Control might try," Joker stated. "Is everyone done resting and eating?"

The Phantom Thieves all nodded and shoved their trash into their pockets and weapon holders, not wanting to rain litter down on an already chaotic city.

Valiant got up and stretched, grabbing her shield off of her back. She felt so incredibly uneasy, her chest tight with a feeling she didn't know how to describe. It ached as though she were simply winded, yet the pain was emotional, making her head clouded and dizzy.

"Just… keep moving forward. Keep your promise and bring justice to Shido, and then go home… Protect everyone… those are the only things left to worry about…" Valiant whispered, trying to make the awful feeling go away. Even after resting, and eating what Joker had brought along to restore her energy, she still felt dizzy and sick from all the fighting. Not to mention the fear of what would happen if they lost.

She stared down at the long, long fall down to the ground, and the lack of railings, and the precarious bony bridge, and knew that they couldn't afford to make even one wrong move.

I won't. We've made it this far, and I refuse to stop going, no matter how bad I feel… Valiant thought to herself, running along with the Phantom Thieves.

The Phantom Thieves had no idea how closely they were being followed. They could not know that defeating the Archangels had cleared the way for their so close-and yet so far-allies to quickly catch up to them. Their short break had also allowed for it. They had no way of knowing. Oracle wouldn't have even thought to check for anyone behind them.

They wouldn't want to anyway. The Phantom Thieves would not allow themselves to look back, or show regret, at the end of their long journey. They wouldn't slow down for the past.

It was up to the past to catch up to them.

---

"All we gotta do now is keep climbin'... We're almost there!" Skull shouted, jogging in place as the Phantom Thieves looked up the final staircase they were on. Skull's celebration was cut short, however, as Oracle sensed the presence of another nearby enemy waiting to greet them.

"It's not gonna be that easy," Oracle reported, her tone all seriousness as she looked slightly down, her attention completely focused on her scans. "We've got another one of those angel things coming up… It's right past this stair- What the…? This reading is off the charts!" she exclaimed, noting the sudden large difference in power between the thieves and the soon-to-be confronted enemy.

"It must be because this is the final guardian. I expect it will be the most powerful of them all," Fox said grimly, inspecting his blade one last time. They had recuperated as much as they possibly could. He had faith that they could face this.

"W-Well, Joker? You really think we can do this!?" Oracle asked, stuttery and nervous as she rubbed her feet together, looking as though she were going to turn herself inside out with nerves.

"We have no other choice," Joker stated darkly, running up the steps. The Phantom Thieves, though incredibly nervous, weren't going to leave their leader to face this threat alone. They were worried for all of their safety after all. So they would follow their best friend and leader as far he needed them to go.

As soon as they reached the platform at the top of the steps, a powerful force knocked them all slightly back. Valiant grimaced as her boots screeched against the ground, trying to slow down with whatever friction she could. She looked up at the familiar presence of a golden angel figure that quickly turned into a less familiar human shape. It had black hair and wore golden armor, and looked down at the thieves with a rage that told the teens that it thought itself superior to them. The angel's identity was quickly identified by Joker.

"How unexpected. To think you would slay every archangel that arrived before me…" Michael observed, flexing his fingers in an obvious gesture of power, trying to convey how much more power he held in his little finger, compared to all the other angels the group had faced.

"So that means you're the last one who's gonna get in our way!" Panther stated, her determination showing strongly as she took a defiant stance.

"Dare you destroy the very ruler you wished for? Humans are truly arrogant…" Michael lamented, staring into their eyes with the intensity of a soul-seer.

"Not everyone wants that thing ruling over us!" Fox objected, slashing away any insinuation that what they were doing was wrong.

"Wish you to be free? Love you diversity?" Michael asked, his voice now on of pity, though his expression remained unchanged. "Since the dawn of time, man hath failed to put an end to quarrel. Now they finally desire a strong ruler. What justice have you in disturbing that wish?"

"Like granting that wish is justice either!" Mona shouted, glaring up at Michael in fury. "How can you say people are free when they're chained up in prisons in this broken world?"

"What justice do you have to control people that don't wish to be controlled! You turned people into puppets long before Mementos fused with Tokyo!" Valiant exclaimed. "And don't you dare pull your stupid justice argument! I know what justice is! I know what it's supposed to be! You and your master have only ever corrupted it… and I know… that I won't allow you to define it any longer!" The girl seethed, her memory of the Justice arcana a wound in her heart. These gods kept tearing it open, pouring mountains of salt and acid into it. The spite this caused was beginning to become the main, spiteful reason she was helping to tear through these enemies with no remorse.

"If someone has lost their way, it's our job to help them come to their senses!" Noir shouted, her conviction strong. The Phantom Thieves could all sense the growing hostility the archangel was beginning to feel towards them. They all got into battle stances, as prepared for it as they were going to be.

The angel suddenly did something strange. It looked right at Valiant, through her mask and into Sayori's bleeding heart. The girl got a horrible feeling, knowing that for whatever reason, she was going to be the focus of his attacks. "So, you commit any degree of sacrilege for your justice…" Michael roared, spinning in midair and materializing giant swords from the folds of his wings. "...You are beyond salvation!"

Why… do I suddenly feel so scared… and not even for myself? The girl thought to herself, pulling out her own weapons as the fight began. Though she was scared for her own safety, the reasoning for the Shadows attacking her-and her alone-so viciously, was beginning to make her suspect there was a deeper purpose in it.

Immediately, the same pattern of Valiant getting the worst treatment became apparent. However, to say that the Phantom Thieves had it easy would be a false statement. Michael seemed to have the combined power of all the archangels before him. He summoned other strong Shadows to fight with him, built up his strength constantly, and used powerful Bless attacks. With all of these abilities at his disposal, it was easy for Michael to divide his strength, attacking the teenagers mercilessly regardless of that weakness.

Still, the Phantom Thieves did their absolute best. They met the henchmen Shadows with decisive moves, even as the enemy swarmed like a hive around them. Panther, Oracle, and any other member that had the slightest idea how to do it all began to remove the strength Michael was supplying himself with. They did this all while trying to fight back.

Unfortunately, it soon became clear that these tactics would not be enough. As Valiant cut through and blocked the Shadows that surrounded her, all while doing her absolute best to keep everyone else protected, she noticed that her teammates were gradually being pushed away, from her, and from each other. They were being scattered and weakened, and Valiant knew that being surrounded and outmatched, combined with being unable to be near each other, would lead to an inevitable loss.

The girl cut through another, weaker Shadow, watching it dissolve into ash and dust, when she noticed that Michael was staring right at her. Valiant barely had any time to react, raising her shield up and planting her feet into the ground as the archangel suddenly charged towards her, ramming into her shield and sending her skidding back across the uneven flooring of the bridge made of bony material.

Valiant tripped and fell backwards on a particular piece of flooring, and then her back slammed into something solid that shot up from the ground. She quickly realized it was one of the impossibly tall pillars that surrounded the sides of the platform the thieves were fighting on, and could feel that the backs of her feet were no longer on solid ground. Valiant was in danger of falling, or being pushed off, at any moment, and realized in a moment of panic that Michael had her cornered, blocking her ability to run forward. Aside from levelling his own power at her, a line of Shadows surrounded her, keeping her in place over the ledge.

The Phantom Thieves quickly realized what had happened. Screaming fierce battle cries, they quickly tried to run over and help Valiant out of her situation, only to quickly be engaged in combat by the other Shadows. Michael wasn't willing to let go of his new hostage.

But… Wait… If I am a hostage, he would have pushed me off by now, right? Instead of engaging the other thieves in combat, why not just threaten to push me off in order to get their surrender? Valiant asked herself, looking up at the archangel that towered above her. His expression never changed, but the way that he stared through Valiant, to something behind her, told the girl more than enough. He was waiting for the right opportunity to push her off. Whatever that opportunity was, it didn't necessarily revolve around getting a reaction out of the Phantom Thieves.

Valiant knew she didn't want to wait around and see exactly why Michael was waiting to push her off. Her instincts told her it was a far more terrible reason, and in situations like this, she needed to trust herself. Right now, she was cornered and unable to fight, her health in the red and her energy nearly gone again. What she needed to do was get out of this position she was in.

For a moment, Valiant wondered if she would be able to vault herself over the wall of Shadows without being killed. However, her uncertainty was more than proof that it was too dangerous to even try. However, that was the only way to get through the Shadows and back to her teammates…

Unless…

Valiant looked behind her, through the rib like pillars, down the sheer drop that could kill her instantly if she fell. However, she could also just barely see the edge of the path that the Phantom Thieves had used to get to this point. It wasn't too far of a drop.

If I jump, and aim correctly, I could get myself onto that path. Then I won't be cornered anymore! I can just run back up here on the other side of this Shadow wall, and rejoin the fight! Valiant thought to herself resolutely. Slowly, in an attempt to avoid having her plans found out by Michael, Valiant scooted her body over, into the gap between pillars. There was no railing, but a sheer drop down below. Valiant backed up ever so slightly, planning out her movements carefully.

Suddenly, Michael twitched. The wall of Shadows suddenly began to move towards her, all wielding weapons and spells with the intent of killing her instantly. Whatever opportunity Michael was waiting for had arrived, and Valiant couldn't give him a moment of her hesitation.

She spun around on her toes, quickly did her best to calculate where she would land…

And jumped.

As she felt the absence of ground beneath her, Sayori heard the distant shouts of her teammates screaming her name in horror. She felt bad for not letting them know what she had planned, knowing to them it must have looked like she was trying to end it all. She closed her eyes against the harsh currents of wind that blasted into her face, trying not to think about it as she hoped for the best.

"Look out!" a girl's voice screamed, cutting Sayori's thoughts short. The thief briefly noticed how familiar the voice sounded, before she suddenly felt something solid grabbing onto her.

One arm wrapped around her back and neck, supporting it like a newborn. Another arm held her tightly under her knees. Someone was holding her, shaking like a leaf with the sudden burden of catching her-bridal style-while she had been in the middle of falling. Sayori felt embarrassed, until she suddenly remembered that no one except the Phantom Thieves were supposed to be on this path.

Sayori's eyes shot open, and the next few moments seemed to pass like a scene from a fairytale.

"Goro?" she asked, reaching up a hand and touching the side of the boy's face, feeling the warmth of his cheek. Her mind reeled, trying to process what was right in front of her. "You're really… here?"

She couldn't dare to hope in this broken world of distorted desires.

"Yeah…" Goro said softly, his eyes tired but lighting up, unable to believe his luck that reuniting with Sayori was in private… mostly. Monika was still there, so far unnoticed by Sayori, but at least there was no awkward reunion with the rest of the thieves to deal with first…

Carefully, he set the girl's feet down on the platform, putting his own hand on her face as well. "It's really me, Sayori. I promise… I'm alive, and I came back… I want to do everything that I can to help you," Goro said, wishing he could make this moment last. Sayori deserved to have the most special memory of reuniting with him. He had seen how badly she had grieved for him earlier, and he wanted to make her forget that sadness as much as possible.

"Goro…" Sayori whispered, her voice going hoarse. Had he always been there? How had he escaped? Why hadn't he immediately come back to the group… to her? "How could you not… Why wouldn't you ever…?"

"I wanted to, so badly," the boy whispered, suddenly looking so small and pitiable. "But I couldn't until now. I'll explain everything!"

"Yes… You will," Sayori said, leaning her head against Goro's chest. "Just… Not right now. You're right here. You're alive… How?"

"I had some help… An old friend of yours saved me," Goro replied. He noticed that Monika had disappeared somewhere, but he decided to give credit where credit was due. "Still, what she did hardly compares to how you've saved me… I know I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you being here, and being alive. You are a reason for a dead man to rise again…"

Sayori smiled and blushed, looking back up at Goro, enjoying the surreal feeling of being back in his presence. She never thought she would get to experience this feeling again...

Tears began to stream down her face, and she shook her head. She understood that they were happy tears, but she didn't want to cry now. The pain and confusion of losing him, and feeling so disappointed in herself when Shido…

Sayori sniffled, looking down guiltily. "Goro… I'm sorry. Shido's not. We couldn't… I failed."

"Don't be sorry… Don't feel like you've failed… Not when it comes to that bastard. I don't care about him anymore, Sayori," Goro stated, wiping away Sayori's tears with his thumb. "When you're about to die because a puppet of you that your bastard father sees you as is about to shoot you, while the only thing your true loved ones can do is listen to you die on the other side of a wall… It really makes you realize how empty of a life you've lived, dedicating it to hatred and revenge. I'm done with it. I'll always be a bastard... But I'd rather embrace that, and be the biggest bastard of them all, than pretend to be some perfect detective prince. A detective prince isn't what's going to defeat an evil God, and it won't help you go home… It never was going to be." A wide grin spread over Goro Akechi's face. "Maybe the real me can, though."

Sayori went wide-eyed at his bold claims. Hearing Goro talking like this… It was so nice. She no longer had to guess what he was thinking, or his intentions. He was being real around her, and it wasn't because he was dwelling on past memories… It wasn't because he felt trapped, and wanted someone he could be free with. He truly was free, now… They both were.

"Okay…" Sayori said, her words stolen for a moment as a stunned blush spread across her face. She grinned, too. "I'm so happy for you! And… I'm happy for me, too…" Her expression became serious. For as much as she wanted to continue this reunion, and enjoy being with him, another part of Goro's statement stood out to her. "You said that you wanted to help us? We're actually in the middle of a fight right now, and we could use another teammate to help us win."

"Definitely!" Goro said, nodding affirmatively.

Without waiting another second, Sayori grabbed his hand and ran up the bridge, dodging Shadows and retracing her steps back to where she had jumped from. They shouldn't have wasted as much time as they had. She berated herself for not running back up as soon as she had gotten over her shock.

But it's okay, I think. In a situation like this… the others will understand. Even if they don't, as long as we defeat Michael, and then the God of Control, I can forgive myself for this… That's what matters...

Sayori squeezed Goro's hand, and smiled in relief when he squeezed back. It wasn't an illusion. She wasn't dead and stuck in some endless dream. Things were going to be okay…

And when the fight with Michael is over… We'll take a few minutes, and go right back to where we left off…

---

After seeing their dear friend jump to her most certain death, the Phantom Thieves fighting began to falter, despite their best efforts to keep their strength up. After Sayori jumped, the thieves all tried to run and get her, hoping their Personas could float down and grab her, only for Michael and his Shadow servants to take the chance to push their upper hand even higher. In order not to instantly die, the thieves had to resume their battle, though it was hard to do with the new wave of grief flooding through them.

Why…? Why would she do that? Akira asked himself, gritting his teeth and taking off his mask. A head injury he had received from Michael's barrage of attacks had left a trail of blood down his forehead, dripping in between the space between his face and his mask, pooling on the edge and making the summoning of his Persona an uncomfortable process. His limbs and body were burning with pain, making it difficult to move around the battle arena with his usual grace and speed. The other thieves weren't much better than him, barely able to maneuver their bodies with the grace and skill that was necessary to win a fight like this. It was a miracle none of them had yet to pass out, though they were all dangerously close to doing so.

A sudden, swift attack from Michael and his servants suddenly had all of the thieves on their knees. As Akira put his hands on the ground to try to push himself back up, another sharp sting sent him back on his knees. Everyone quickly realized what was happening.

Michael was making them all kneel before it and the God of Control, before it killed them. The realization made bile rise in all of the teens' throats, as they knew they wouldn't be able to handle another attack from the archangel.

"Have you any last words to say to your true God, disgraced Phantom Thieves of Hearts?" the Shadow said, charging himself up for his final attack.

The Phantom Thieves all remained silent, not wanting to let the Shadow have the satisfaction of seeing them crack, though it probably couldn't feel satisfaction anyway.

Ryuji suddenly took a deep, shuddering breath, grimacing as he could feel the grating sensation of broken ribs rubbing together in his chest. "Go to hell, you effin' bastard. Gettin' pleasure out of beatin' the shit out of kids, murderin' them and controllin' them."

Makoto nodded, breathing heavily. "You and your Master are nothing but... parasites to this world…"

"Are we really the parasites, though? You were the ones with a parasite among your number…" Michael said, raising his hands to increase the force of the spell he was about to launch towards them. "Now, pay for your disrespect…"

The Shadow swung a ball of light that burned the Phantom Thieves' retinas. They all did their best to keep their eyes on each other, knowing that this was the end.

As the beam of pure, holy light shot towards them, a sound like cracking glass was suddenly heard from above. The thieves all looked above them to see a large pink and green shield spreading out above them, cracks slowly mending themselves as vine-like threads stitched their way through.

"That shield…" Yusuke gasped through choked breath, recognizing the characteristic pinks and greens instantly.

"That's gotta be…" Ann mumbled.

"Then that means…"

A hopeful gasp from Haru and all of the other Phantom Thieves was quickly highlighted as Sayori came bursting up the path that led to the arena.

"Kore!" She screamed, sending her Persona out towards a group of Shadow servants. Vines shot out from the Persona's fists, impaling, and then running through the Shadows with ease.

"How…?" Futaba checked her scanners. "How did Sayori get so OP?" She analyzed her friend's power readings, and found that an incredibly powerful strength boosting spell was attached to her.

"But… none of us gave her that… And she doesn't have any strength boosts on her Persona…" the girl pondered, looking up at her friend.

The answer to the question came in the form of a black and white blur that shot through the air, ramming into Michael with the force of a raging bull. Red fires burned in the Persona's eyes as it regarded the thieves, it's white hair flowing in an invisible wind.

"Aidoneus!" A voice screamed, causing the Persona to race into action once more, slashing Michael through with a bident that it pulled from its cape. The archangel was effectively knocked back, the thieves looking at the display in amazement.

"Sayori! Thank goodness you're alright!" Makoto ran up and hugged the girl tightly, before pulling the girl back and shaking her vigorously by the shoulders.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Ann snapped, her angered voice only slightly cracking with the tears of relief that fell down her eyes.

Sayori groaned, dizzy as she grabbed Makoto's hands to stop the girl's frantic shakes. The other thieves latched onto her in a fierce group hug not a second later. Sayori looked away from them in guilt. "S-sorry, everyone… I know that was stupid and dangerous. I just knew that I was being held hostage, and I had to get out of the corner that the Shadow put me in."

"Still, you could have waited a bit longer, or told us what you were planning on doing," Yusuke said, his voice hoarse, but otherwise cold towards Sayori.

"Besides, if you really were being held hostage, it would have killed you when we fought back after it cornered you," Morgana pointed out. A confused frown appeared on his and everyone else's faces when they saw Sayori shaking her head, a barely contained smile on her face.

"Wait…" Haru looked up at the mysterious new Persona, and then back at Sayori's smiling face. "If we weren't the intended mark for that hostage situation, then… Who-" She cut herself off, noticing that Sayori looked like she was barely able to contain her happiness, her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth pressed in a thin line as her mouth curved upward.

The Phantom Thieves reunion with their teammate was cut off as Ryuji separated from the hug, looking at Akira with a grin.

"Joker! Man, why did you wait so long to pull that Persona out?" the boy asked, slapping the leader on the back.

"Um… That's not… mine?" Akira said, unsure as he looked up at the Persona that had mysteriously appeared, and was currently scratching at Michael's face like a rabid cat.

"No… It's mine," a new voice said from behind the group of thieves. Recognizing the voice instantly, everyone's faces shot in the direction of it, gasps and breathless screams erupting from the thieves as Goro Akechi regarded them all.

"He caught me on the way down…" Sayori said, with the happiest smile on her face in weeks.

"That's where the strength boost came from!" Futaba shouted in realization, separating herself from the group hug to get a better look at Goro's apparent new Persona.

The thieves separated from the hug, staring at Akechi in discomfort, as well as wonder. He seemed so… different. It was hard to tell if that was in a good or bad way. Sayori ran back to him happily, noticing that he seemed to suddenly feel strained.

"We can discuss my return in a minute. Right now… I really would rather not be doing all the work myself," Goro hissed, Michael grabbing his Persona by the face and slamming its head into the platform they were all standing on. The supports shuddered with the force as Goro nearly collapsed to his knees.

Sayori helped him back onto his feet, supporting him until he could stand, while looking at her teammates. "He's right! You guys need to heal!" the girl shouted, grabbing their bag of supplies and tossing medicine towards each thief.

"Agreed," Akira said stoically. After making sure he and his teammates were once again ready for battle, the thief spun around, his coat flourishing behind him, before he ripped off his mask and sent his Personas towards Michael. The other teens followed shortly behind.

The fight, though still incredibly difficult, became much easier with all of the Phantom Thieves together. Together, under Akira and Makoto's leadership, the team ran towards Michael's Shadow army. Together, Ryuji, Haru, Yusuke, Ann, Makoto, and Akira slashed and bashed their way through the enemies that had swarmed them earlier. Akechi, the one with the highest amount of energy out of the teens, was a living battery. He offered strengths and support along with Futaba. Morgana benefitted from this, healing his teammates whenever they needed it. Meanwhile, Sayori kept a strong shield up against Michael, making sure the archangel couldn't attack them while they plowed through his minions.

As the fight with the small-fry Shadows ended, and the real fight with Michael began, the thieves gave Goro small jabs.

"Showing up so unfashionably late, and yet you get the easy job? We'll have to fix that now," Yusuke commented, running forward.

"Yeah," Ryuji added. "You've got that badass new Persona after all. Better put it to good use!"

Goro was quiet as many more playful jokes and teases were said to him. Though they said it in a tone that showed no ill will or uncomfortableness, he knew that they felt as weird as him.

No… Even if they do feel weird about it, there's no way I wouldn't feel weirder. After all, I'm the only one that knows about what happened to Haru's father… What I really did. I need to tell them after this. Now or never… no more bullshit.

The thought of having to confess everything, and sort through it all with them should have been overwhelming. It was finally time. No more hiding things from someone. They would all know, and they would decide his fate.

And Goro didn't mind it. Even through the awkwardness, and the anticipation, there was a sense of pride inside of him. He was doing the right thing, and he was right where he wanted to be.

Sayori backed up to stand beside him, raising her shield and covering both of their heads.

"Are you doing okay? You're getting kind of slow…"

"Me? Never," Goro waved it off, focusing his attention on the fight, sending Aidoneus out to violently stab Michael. Goro smiled in satisfaction as the Shadow grunted in agony, before turning to Sayori. "Thank you for checking up on me though."

Sayori smiled sweetly. "No problem!" she chirped, before running forward and blocking a strike from the Archangel that would have hit Makoto otherwise. She sent Kore out a second later, sending thick vines that wrapped around the Shadow and choked the life out of it, for a good few seconds at least. The attack only lasted a few seconds, in order to save Sayori's energy. However, the effect it had on the Shadow was apparent, weakening and disorienting it to the point that the thieves could perform one of their All-Out Attacks.

Goro had never seen Sayori use Kore before, and did his best to not himself get too mesmerized by it. Though he could spend his time admiring how Sayori was doing so well… It was only a repetitive feeling. After all, the fact that Sayori was doing so much better for herself, and the simple fact that she was there, was why Goro felt so assured… At least, he was sure it was why he could be here without guilt crushing him down before the thieves.

Perhaps Goro's thoughts truly were causing him to lag too much, because suddenly she was right by his side, and they were attacking the Shadow in perfect tandem. Michael was nearly dead now, and the thieves were still doing modestly well. They were all powerhouses at this point, and focusing their skills together like they were made their attacks all the more lethal.

At some point during the fight, Sayori grabbed hold of Goro's hand. Her head was starting to feel incredibly dizzy, even though nothing had happened to disorient her. The two summoned their Personas, sending the two flying together to stab through the archangel multiple times. Michael probably only needed one or two more good hits before it finally fell, and then the group could finally move on.

The dizzy feeling in Sayori's head suddenly grew worse, as she realized her entire body had started to go numb. With dread, Sayori gulped as she tried to put up a shield to protect everyone from a last ditch attempt to kill the thieves that the Shadow ws conjuring.

And then Sayori glitched.

And so did her shield.

Blinking in and out of existence, Sayori flickered on and off like a lightswitch. Everyone stared in bewilderment and fear. Then, they all noticed something that made their faces go white.

"That spell… It's strong enough to kill any one of us in one hit!" Futaba shouted. "Everyone, move out of the way!"

The teens all began to follow the girl's instructions, before they then noticed that the one Michael was aiming for, couldn't actually move. The Shadow was staring right at Sayori as it raised its arms and aimed. The girl was currently frozen in one place, her movements being delayed by her constant disappearing and reappearing.

As the Shadow shot its deadly attack at Sayori, the rest of the teens each put themselves between Sayori and her glitching shield, watching as the perfectly timed attack went right past it, hurtling towards them all. The thieves began to dive to the side, tackling Sayori down with them. The teens waited in fear for a few seconds, expecting the worst.

However, nothing happened. Sayori chanced looking up, her eyes widening at what she saw.

Her shield was still glitching, holes starting to burn in and weaken the foundation, glowing a light shade of blue. Laid over top of it was another shield that glowed a sickly green. It also glitched, though it remained solid whenever Sayori's wasn't, flashing in and out so that there was always something in between the attack and the thieves. The glowing ball of light that the Shadow had sent towards them was sticking onto the shield, clipping onto it like the edge of a magnet. The other thieves looked up just in time to see the attack flatten and fizzle away.

"Oracle, was that your shield?" Goro asked, remembering that the girl had a way of turning the tide of battle in their favor.

"No, that definitely wasn't me… I was so scared that I froze up," Futaba replied. Looking down in shame.

"Hm… I see," Goro mumbled, looking around for the person he knew had to be responsible for such an odd turn of events. The shield looked like some cheap, crappy video game asset, while the way the attack clipped onto it and disappeared looked like what Goro had seen whenever Monika had deleted something.

He looked towards Sayori, wondering if she felt any recognition for what had happened, despite knowing she had absolutely no way of figuring out Monika's true nature.

Goro brought Sayori closer to him, in the event such an attack from Michael occurred again, and resumed battling Michael. Sayori, and the rest of her teammates were obviously very confused about the appearance of the second shielding effect, staring up at it nervously ever now and then. Still, they knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and used the new shield to their advantage in their battle against Michael.

One good hit from one of Akira's Personas, and the archangel was on its knees. The Phantom Thieves performed yet another All-Out-Attack, and the Shadow gave a dying cry, dissolving away into nothingness.

Goro, Sayori, and the rest of the thieves all watched it disappear, bending over their knees and breathing deeply, each so exhausted that they could fall over with the slight push of the breeze. Still, with the already limited time they had, the Phantom Thieves had to do something else important while they rested. Sayori looked at Goro, and knew something was on his mind, just as there were many things on hers. The thought that soon enough, she was probably going to be leaving everyone, and now she had even less of a reason to be okay with that. The time she had missed with everyone… and all the ways she had fallen short.

Goro Akechi could barely talk, forcing oxygen into his lungs desperately, but he still had so many things he needed to say… He needed to say things to everyone, but at the moment, all his mind could think about was everything he wanted to say to Sayori. It was certainly the most difficult, thinking of all the grief he must have put her through. He was about to stand up straight and look at her, when he felt her reach out and hold his hand tightly from where she stood next to him.

Sayori felt a bit anxious all of a sudden, having not experienced this kind of affection in a long time. Still, feeling that way was all the more reason she wanted this moment, where it could just be the two of them. Even with the Phantom Thieves there, she and Goro could be right beside each other, standing high above this wasteland of a city.

"Now that we finally have a moment, I was thinking we could… Pick up where we left off, when you caught me…" Sayori said, her insides fluttering and spinning about nervously in her stomach.

"Yeah… I would love that," Goro agreed, reaching over and grabbing her other hand. They were facing each other, mere centimeters apart, and he felt that same dizzying feeling, too. He had missed her so much, he realized. Feeling sorry for putting Sayori through it had only been his way of not constantly admitting it to himself, and it had worked too well.

"Could I… Kiss you?" He asked.

Sayori wasted no time, bringing her hands up around Goro's shoulders and standing on her toes, doing her best not to force her face into his and break something as she carefully pressed her lips against his. Goro wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting Sayori up slightly. She was rather amused as her boots were suddenly on top of his, realizing how close Goro wanted to be as he held her tightly against him.

Sayori smiled, tightening in her hug around his shoulders. She had been getting lots of hugs lately from her friends, but they hadn't been able to fill the missing ache of Goro's hugs. They both needed affection, and love, and just simply touch at the core of it all, and to be able to mutually give that to each other was an amazing feeling for Sayori, being able to fulfill her own needs while also helping someone else out.

Goro especially needed it now, having not been held in a very long time. It was overwhelming, this happy feeling that exploded in every inch of skin and in his chest at being touched again after so many weeks.

Sayori said nothing, though she probably should have when Goro started to cry. He was quiet about it. Sayori only knew about it from the wetness she could feel dripping onto her face. She knew intuitively that he didn't want the Phantom Thieves to know about it, probably because he worried they would tease. It was a small, inconsequential thing to worry about, but Sayori understood. For the last few seconds of their kiss, she angled Goro's face away from the thieves and wiped at his eyes with her thumbs. He pressed his forehead against hers in thanks, and she smiled even wider than she already had been.

They broke their kiss after that, but still did not let go of eachother. Sayori leaned her head against Goro's chest and smiled, imagining them alone, even as she knew the reality of their situation was not so kind.

Akira was the first to break the silence, walking up to Goro and looking him up and down, as though he were still unsure if his eyes weren't deceiving him. Goro stared straight into his eyes, not wanting to convey any cowardice. As unlikely as it would be that he would receive it anyway, the last thing he wanted was their pity.

"How are you alive?" Akira

"That's… a bit complicated to explain," Goro began, trying to sort through the complicated knowledge he now had of how Monika had broken a game's rules to allow him to survive.

"We kind of anticipated that… Considering how hard it is for any of us to even figure out how you survived," Makoto stated, her tone taking on a harsh edge.

"Where were you hiding this whole time?" Morgana questioned, his paws on his hips. "Why didn't you just go to the hospital?"

The Phantom Thieves began to berate him with questions, each a new layer of complexity that was difficult for Goro to explain on his own. He was thankful that at least Sayori was standing there with him. Seeing her looking down thoughtfully made him think that the situation was a reverse of how it used to be… Now Goro was the overwhelmed one, while Sayori seemed so calm. Maybe his memory wasn't the best, but he felt as though he remembered that it used to be the reverse.

"Hey, Goro…" Sayori began, cutting through the malaise of questions that were flooding his brain. A look of realization was dawning in her eyes. "You said that an 'old friend' of mine was the one who saved you… Start there, because I am curious what you mean by that."

Goro was about to reply, when the queen of shit timing herself walked into his view, grinning at everyone nonchalantly.

"That would be me that he's talking about, Sayori," the now ebony haired girl began calmly.

Sayori's eyebrows shot up in sudden confusion. "M-Mai? How? I didn't think it was you that saved him… Sorry, I guess," she said, beginning to ramble nervously, wondering how she could have been so wrong.

"Actually, Sayori… You're probably more right than you think you are," Mai said, looking down at the ground nervously.

Sayori then realized something off about the girl, from the oddly specific way her hair was done, and most strikingly of all was how different her accent suddenly sounded.

"Wh-Wh-Whuh? Why does your voice sound so different? Normally, you sound just like Ryuji… And… your hair… and everything…" Sayori said, thoughts that scared her now bubbling to the surface of her mind in seconds.

"It's pretty obvious, right? I mean, plenty of people have figured it out so far… Even Goro Akechi," Mai said, her voice quiet and nervous. "Though, I can't blame you for not jumping towards the answer right away. After all, I am responsible for so much of your pain…"

Sayori's eyes widened as her heart began to pound with fear. "No, wait! Y-You're Mai Mori! One of my best friends ever since I got here. Y-You gave me a safe place to stay in school when I first got here!"

Just like her.

"You made me feel right at home, providing me with a club just like the one I used to be in!"

Just like her.

"You…" Sayori's voice broke. "You read and supported my poems! I never felt like you caused me any pain!"

It's her…

Mai smiled fondly, before her face fell. All of a sudden she looked so very tired, and unlike the Mai that Sayori knew. It was as though that girl were completely gone.

"Well, here goes nothing."

Sayori blinked once, and then twice, as Mai's appearance changed. Her black hair faded to a pinkish-brown, and emerald green shined through her black irises. Her appearance somehow became tidier, as her voice softened from the hard tone it once had been. Mai was no longer there. Instead, a face that Sayori had doubted she would ever see again turned to face her, having apparently been there all along.

Monika stared at Sayori for a few quiet seconds, resisting the urge to shy away. She had seen Akechi's behavior and fully agreed. This was not a time for timidity. So Monika waited patiently and respectfully for Sayori's response.

She was met with harsh surprise as suddenly Sayori was standing right in front of her, a gloved hand already connecting with her cheek in a harsh, yet concise manner.

As Monika stumbled backwards from the slap, Sayori pulled her hand back, clenching them both into fists. Every second she looked at Monika, the memories came rushing back, pounding back into her skull and tearing into her soul. Looking at someone who she had once believed was her friend now made Sayori only want to vomit.

"How could you?!" Sayori screamed, tears flooding her eyes against her will. She didn't want to cry, no matter how much the betrayal hurt to think about.

Monika did not react after her initial stumble in shock. She merely bowed her head. Her head swam with what she could say now, but there was really only one thought sentence that came to mind.

"I… I'm sorry," the girl said, keeping her shaking voice as calm as she could. She looked up at Sayori, and internally deflated.

Sayori shook her head, gritting her teeth angrily and turning away. She tried to steady her breathing, thoughts flying through her head at such a rapid pace. The things Monika had said and did to make her hurt herself so badly… Those few words that had brought Sayori down to her lowest point… Sayori couldn't remember them. She didn't want to. Monika's malevolence towards her made Sayori relive those same emotions all over again…and she had been Mai all along!

Sayori trembled, overburdened by an emotion that she couldn't name. Was it anger for what Monika had done to her? Maybe it was fear that she would do it again… It could have even simply been the overstimulation of all these different emotional responses suddenly being thrust upon her.

Distantly, she was aware of the Phantom Thieves discussing things amongst themselves. It made her happy that, although they were confused about why Sayori had slapped this girl that had just appeared, they trusted her judgement enough not to scold her. Sayori could feel their concerned stares on her back, trying to gauge if they could ask her if she wanted comfort without feeling overwhelmed by even that.

"Sayori..." Goro's voice said calmly, his face coming into view slowly. He waited a few seconds for her to confirm she was ready to hear what he had to say, before beginning.

"The only thing I can say that is truly and completely unbiased, is that she did save my life. That is only me giving credit where it is due. I owe her that much, for making sure I could see you again," his frown became vicious, and his eyes cold, as he regarded Monika from behind them.

"I despise her otherwise, for what she did to you. It is your right, and only yours, to decide how you feel about her, though. Just know that it is okay to hate her, because I know you are uncomfortable with feelings like that… I will support you either way…" Goro said, his voice calm and reassuring, even as he occasionally shot Monika a deathly glare.

Sayori sniffed, nodding her head in understanding, before holding her arms out to request a hug. Goro was quick to oblige, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly, combing his gloved fingers through her hair.

Sayori leaned in close as Goro held her to his chest, the weight of resentment on her chest lessening slightly. Despite the pain Sayori felt at everything she had been forced to feel, she had to admit she was grateful for this single thing Monika had helped her to get.

It wasn't enough to forgive Monika completely… If anything, on a scale of absolute hatred to forgiveness, Sayori would say she was only a quarter of a way from hatred. Still, it was enough for Sayori to calm herself down, and decide to act civilly.

"I am… you…" Sayori loosened her grip around Goro slightly, stuttering to find something to say as she faced Monika, holding onto Goro's hand tightly, assured as he held on just as so.

"Thank you, Monika… for saving him," Sayori said, fully uncomfortable, but meaning every word.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves looked between the two groups, intending to ask for an explanation of what had happened that they did not know about. However, they were interrupted as Goro walked over to Haru with a serious expression on his face.

"It is… difficult for me to explain this to you… I do not fully understand how it works, but it is important that you know this, Okumura-san. Before anything else… You need to know that I did kill your father… I thought I didn't, but in reality, it was only that I was made to forget…"

Haru looked at Goro in surprise, glancing at where Sayori was standing. The girl seemed equally shocked and confused.

"Akechi-kun… I don't understand. You were 'made' to forget? What does that mean?" The girl took a deep, shuddering breath, glaring at the boy. "Did you, or did you not, kill my father?"

"I did…" Goro said, staring down at the ground with a look of shame and disappointment in himself. "It's still hard for me to wrap my head around, because when I look back on that moment, I remember letting him live… But what happened after that... Okumura dying anyway was the result of what really happened… or was supposed to happen."

The boy closed his eyes, feeling the dark look Haru sent him in response to his vague answer. How could he even begin to explain what he had learned?

"It wasn't… my choice. It was not the person who I remember being back then, and not the person I am now. I was reset, for a time, as Monika explained to me. Still, the result is the same. Your father was killed by my own hands, and I can never do anything to make up for it. I can only give some half-assed apology and deal with the fallout."

"I still don't understand…" Haru whispered, looking over at her teammates for help. However, none of them could piece together what Goro was trying to say. As far as they could tell, Goro was admitting to murder, yet somehow he didn't remember doing it, and had once truly believed that he didn't.

"Does that mean Sayori was wrong?" Futaba asked. "She said she knew Akechi didn't do it, and fully believed him when he said so. Was… Was that a lie?" She hated the confusion she suddenly felt about everything. Hatred for what Akechi had done to her mother still burned brightly within her, but at least that feeling was focused. Everyone knew what he had done. There was no denying it. But here, the truth of what had happened to Haru's father was all muddy. On the surface, it sounded as though Akechi were making some shitty excuse about why it couldn't have been his fault that Okumura died. However, why admit to killing him? They all already had believed that he could not have done it because of Sayori's testimony, so why add such a confusing complication to it?

"Sayori wasn't wrong," Monika said, rubbing at her cheek. "At least, not entirely. The God of Control that you are all trying to fight briefly, um… reloaded a save, after Akechi spared Okumura. In this reality, we all could say we remember him not doing it. However, back then he was still on the fence, down to the very last second, about killing Okumura. A being with the ability to manipulate reality behind the scenes could easily go back and change things, without any of us being the wiser."

"I bet you know a lot about that," Sayori muttered, before looking down. She felt all of the Phantom Thieves confused stares, and knew it was time to come clean. She was probably the only one out of any of them who understood what Monika and Goro were talking about.

"Guys, this is hard for me to say, but… the reality we live in is only a videogame," Sayori said, trying to keep her voice level and even so they wouldn't think she was losing her mind. "What they are saying is that this game has save files, and one got reloaded in order to change Goro's actions, but in his memory he did not kill Okumura. In our reality, however… He did."

"Sayori, did you hit your head on something?" Ryuji asked, walking over to check on her. Henearly reached over to check for a temperature, only for Sayori to frustratingly smack his hand away.

"I'm fine! I also know what I am talking about! With everything that is happening around us, is it really hard for you to believe that we are in a video game?" Sayori pouted, before looking down sadly. "Still, I get it, too… Trying to comprehend that the reality you have lived in for so long is fake is… very difficult. I normally try to ignore it. You all definitely think I'm crazy."

"Well…" Makoto said uncomfortably. "How could you expect us to believe that?"

"It is true, though," Goro said. "Sayori, Monika, and I all know about it. I only found out quite recently… Monika told me." he looked over at Sayori, wanting to talk to her about all the thoughts about reality he had gotten recently. More than anything, he wanted to hear her point of view on it. She had known for a very long time, after all.

Futaba was a bit more open to the idea, raising her eyebrows and looking around thoughtfully. "That explains why I could see Sayori's name as a file name in the metaverse… I guess."

"Wait… you what?" Ann asked in alarm.

"Still, that's not quite enough to prove any of this isn't just a few peoples' delusion," Fox stated.

"Oh… You want proof?" Monika asked, crossing her arms. "Makes sense. Even Akechi needed proof. I could ask you guys what your principal's last name was, for some very quick proof. However, there is another, much better idea. I should probably wake them up by now anyway. They both deserve to know the truth, too."

"What are you talking about?" Akira asked.

"Quiet, protagonist. I have a point to prove," Monika stated, walking over to Futaba. "Could I see the flashdrive, please?"

"What… What flashdrive?" Futaba said, playing dumb. With Sayori's hostility towards the girl, she wasn't so sure she trusted Monika with something both mysterious and possibly dangerous.

"The flash drive that I gave to Goro Akechi that Sayori retrieved from his apartment. I know what I am doing with it… Probably better than you do," Monika stated, holding her hand out for Futaba to put the drive in.

"I-is that a challenge?" Futaba asked, deciding to challenge the girl in hopes of making a distraction.

"No, that's just stating a fact. You've never deleted a person before, nor do you know how to immediately access the contents within this file," Monika said, emphasizing her held out hand. "Now give it to me, please."

The mention of deleting a person only made Futaba more guarded, backing away from the girl and shaking her head.

"Futaba, It's fine," Sayori said, giving Monika a dark look. "I know what she is talking about. It's better for your safety that you give the drive to her…" She knew Monika wasn't going to do anything to Futaba, given how she was apparently trying to turn over a new leaf, but that didn't change her mistrust of the girl. Yuri, Natsuki, and Sayori herself had been victims of Monika's actions before. There was no use creating more.

Monika was cringing at the implications Sayori had made, though. Sayori wasn't going to pretend to be apologetic about it, though. The seriousness of her attitude seemed to at least convince Futaba, at least, as she took the drive out of the side of her mask, and dropped it in Monika's frozen hand.

"Thank you…" Monika said, giving a sweet smile to Futaba, before looking at the flash drive for a few moments. The fusion of Mementos and the "real world" made it easy for Monika to access the files without needing a computer, as she had done in the Metaverse once before. She quickly found Natsuki and Yuri's files, accessing them and opening them in a certain way.

The others waited impatiently, watching as Monika briefly seemed to zone out. None of them were quite taking it seriously, except for Sayori and Goro, who knew the truth.

After a few seconds, reality itself seemed to bend and break, and Sayori could see words appearing in her peripheral vision. If she tried to look straight at it, she would be unable to. Still, she could briefly make out Yuri and Natsuki's file names.

"What the hell?" Ryuji yelped, stepping back as air in the area next to him began to fizz and disrupt. Files now unlocked and opened, Natsuki and Yuri arrived. Two new beings made of brand new code being introduced into what was once thought of as a closed system. Seeing reality in such a warped state, the Phantom Thieves mouths fell agape, unable to deny it any longer.

Yuri and Natsuki fell to the floor of the platform, groggy and disoriented. They reminded Sayori of when she had first arrived, and she knew her arrival must have been similar.

After a few seconds, Natsuki and Yuri woke up, sitting up and stretching. Yuri stretched her arms up and combed through her hair. A confused look came over her face as she realized her hair was still silky smooth. Meanwhile, Natsuki yawned daintily, before her nose suddenly wrinkled as she smelled something foul.

Sayori's heart nearly pounded out of her chest as she looked at her friends. She had thought she would be only relieved and happy to finally see them, but all she could now feel was fear and sadness.

Dried blood stained Yuri's uniform shirt, a messy stab marks all over the front of her uniform. Old vomit decorated Natsuki's chin and chest, being the foul smell that bothered the girl as she woke up. She also seemed much thinner than when Sayori had last seen her.

Sayori put her hands around her neck, thoughtful as she realized she had arrived in a similar way. Aside from being alive, she had come into this world in the same condition as when she left her home. Seeing the mess that the other two girls were in, it was clear that the same was for them.

Yuri's eyes snapped open as she realized she was in an unfamiliar place. Unlike Sayori, however, she had the misfortune of waking up on a platform high above the city. The young girl screamed, which immediately snapped Natsuki awake.

"Wh-what?" the smaller girl mumbled, looking around and realizing how high up she was as well. Screeching, she latched onto Yuri in terror. "What's going on? Where are we?" Yuri was mute with fear, curled up against Natsuki and shivering.

A sudden thought occurred to Sayori. She quickly took off her mask so that her face would be visible, before walking over to them.

"You're in Tokyo, right now… Well, I guess it's only half Tokyo right now," she explained, watching as the two girls' attention suddenly snapped over to her.

"Who…? Who are-" Yuri began to ask, before her pupils suddenly seemed to constrict. She screamed again, high pitched, and sounding more like an animal's dying cries. Natsuki looked over, and suddenly went through the same thing.

Futaba, Yusuke, Goro, and Makoto all covered their ears, bothered by the shrill noises that didn't seem possible for two humans to make.

Sayori looked at Monika for help, as well as someone to question for what was going on. However, her attention was forced away from Monika when felt two pairs of hands grip onto her shoulders and pull her onto her knees.

"Sayori!" Natsuki began to cry. "A-are you okay? My head is all messed up… But it feels like you went missing… I didn't see you in school at all last week." The girl put her hand against her forehead as a headache came on. "But, also wasn't the school festival supposed to happen? Instead we just… started out with all new decorations and plans…?"

Yuri was crying as well, her overwhelming tears and sobs overpowering her ability to speak. However, when Natsuki went quiet to process her thoughts, Yuri finally found the ability. "You must think I'm awful, Sayori! I remember it, too! You were missing, for an entire week! Yet, I never said a word after the day you left the club early. Then, the next week, when we were continuing preparations, I tried to… with your friend… I…" Yuri closed her eyes tightly, her fists suddenly clenching tightly on the fabric of Sayori's cape. In genuine pain, Yuri hunched over the girl and cried. "I told him… horrible things, and then when he said- was it no or yes? I think I… to myself, or was that just a dream?"

"Wait…" Natsuki's eyes suddenly went wide as she turned towards Yuri. "Yuri, what about you? Are you alright? I remember walking into the clubroom, and seeing you… You were on the floor, and the smell, it was-" Natsuki was cut off as she looked down at Yuri's shirt and saw the blood. Her breathing became panicked. Not to mention her stomach… It felt… tighter than normal.

Sayori looked at the two in sympathy, knowing how much they suddenly had to work out in their heads. Still, the concern as they began to make sure the other was okay was something that warmed her scared heart.

"Natsuki… You… You must be hungry, right?" Yuri suddenly exclaimed, her face going white as she looked at the throwup on the girl's face. "Oh… Oh, you poor thing. You must be so, terribly hungry if you're throwing up when you're already so… How thoughtless of me," Yuri said, berating herself.

What's going on? Sayori thought to herself, unaware of what the two girls were talking about.

Goro tapped her on the shoulder, remembering that Monika had mentioned something like this to him before. Sayori looked at him in worry, her expression going ashy gray and sickly as Goro leaned over and whispered in her ear, what he knew of Natsuki and Yuri's fates.

"They… That really happened to them?" Sayori whispered. Goro nodded grimly, and the girl gasped. She quickly hugged the girls back tightly.

"We… We are glad that you missed us, too," Yuri said, sounding a bit overwhelmed, before taking a deep breath. "If you don't mind, could you explain what's going on? If you even know what's going on that is… Also, get Natsuki to eat?"

I'm never eating what Natsuki brings to the club with her again… Sayori thought to herself as she nodded, reaching over and pulling some of the curry out of their bag of health items. She needs all the food she can manage to get… She's so thin!

"Thanks, Sayori," Natsuki said, clutching at her tight stomach, her mind dazed and aching as hunger ravaged her body. "So, do you know what's going on? Also, who's that boy that's standing by you?"

Goro was looking back at the Phantom Thieves, who were all processing what they were seeing. Futaba seemed to notice especially how abnormal their appearance was, analyzing exactly how they had shown up, trying to comprehend something that had only one explanation.

"Sayori's glitching suddenly makes sense," Goro could see her mumbling to herself.

"And what was that thing that Monika said about your principal?" Yusuke asked, looking at Akira.

"And calling him the protagonist, like this is some sort of anime…" Ryuji stated, gesturing to Akira.

"I don't… Remember our principal's first name," Haru said, a guilty frown on her face.

"These girls were… Only files before, weren't they?" Makoto asked, to which Futaba nodded.

"They don't… Feel like anything from the Metaverse," Morgana added. "When I saw it, and felt them enter, I also could tell… They feel just like being around Sayori."

"Well, it looks like it's time to explain everything again," Monika mumbled, stepping in between the two groups.

She held her arms up to get everyone's attention, watching as Goro and Sayori absentmindedly sorted through the Phantom Thieves' bag of food and water. Goro was continuing to hand out food, as well as water, to Natsuki and Yuri. Sayori managed to find a stack of napkins in the bag, and was soaking them in water so that the two girls could clean themselves off.

"Thank you," Yuri said, smiling at Goro. "You are very kind, and I can tell Sayori has not changed a bit, at least in regards to her own gentleness…"

Goro watched as Yuri continued eating, smiling mirthlessly to himself. Monika was getting everyone's attention, preparing to explain absolutely everything to them. There was no need for him to pay attention himself, but soon enough this girl would know everything.

As Yuri turned towards her club president, hearing her beckoning call, Goro scooted away from her and Natsuki. Sayori didn't notice at first, and he thought for a second that he would prefer it that way. Yuri, Natsuki, and the Phantom Thieves were all about to learn the full scope of what the girl had been through, and as a part of the girl's suffering, he felt that he shouldn't be near her when the inevitable backlash came.

However, Sayori noticed he was edging away from the group, and quickly followed after him. Goro didn't try to stop her, knowing she was too stubborn for that. After a second, they were a few meters away from everyone else, Monika's voice barely a background noise.

"I think I've already figured out the whole story," Sayori said quietly, crawling over and leaning her head on Goro's shoulder. "I know they're all going to get upset, so I want to spend a bit more time with you now."

"That's okay," Goro said, his voice quiet. He noticed that his heart was racing, Sayori's head on his shoulder a comfortable weight. It was also one that he was going to lose very soon, if Monika was to be believed.

"So… you know," Sayori said quietly. "About reality?"

"Yes…"

"Are you mad at me?" Sayori asked. "I never could…"

"I could never be mad at you for something like that," Goro said, taking her hand in his. "What you've been going through alone this whole time… I could never begin to comprehend it…" A tired sigh escaped him. "Still, that does make me think… all the secrets we have been keeping from each other."

"Yeah… All of these things that felt impossible to say…" Sayori trailed off.

"Still, we finally know all that there is to know, right?" Goro asked, to which Sayori nodded. "You've met the worst part of me, and I know the worst of you… We have no reason to hide anything from each other anymore, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah… No more secrets, and no more lies," Sayori said, rising up to face Goro. She leaned her forehead against his. "We'll both tell each other these sorts of things from now on. I can handle whatever you have to say, and I won't be afraid to tell you even the most scariest things…"

"I will do the same for you," Goro said, leaning into the touch with a smile.

"We'll face this twisted reality together, no matter what," Sayori said, her voice suddenly excessively cheerful. However, she suddenly adopted a sad tone. "Still, I think I will have to go home soon…"

"Yes. Monika theorized as much when I was hidden away," Goro said. He kissed Sayori softly on the lips, before quickly parting his lips to speak. "It's going to be terrible, having another person to miss."

"I'm sorry…" Sayori mumbled.

"No… You've given me a wonderful gift, Sayori… I should be thanking you."

Sayori's uncontained joyful smile set Goro's heart ablaze, and he let his own grin settle onto his features. It didn't ache to wear, like his smiles so often did. He thought that after so long of having no reason to smile, his facial muscles would protest the sudden stretch, but they instead worked perfectly, wanting to show Sayori how happy he was with her, just like the rest of his body, soul, and mind.

Goro nearly leaned in to kiss her again, when he suddenly felt two strong hands grip the side of his head and hold him in place. He watched in dismay as Natsuki appeared behind Sayori, grabbing her shoulders and yanking her backwards. Seeing Monika and the Phantom Thieves protesting the actions in the background, he knew the one holding him in place had to be Yuri.

With the way she is holding me, Yuri could very easily snap my neck if she felt the need to, Goro thought to himself, unease settling into his behavior as he remained perfectly still. There is no point in doing anything rash.

His decision was proven correct as Sayori easily broke hold of Natsuki's grip, marching over and forcing Yuri's hands off of Goro's head. She grabbed the two girls by their wrist and dragged them all over to where Monika and the rest of her teammates were staring in awe. Goro felt awed himself, though he knew by now how persistent and convincing the girl could be. He quickly stood up and walked over to her when he saw her beckon to him.

His musings on her behavior went utterly silent as she wrapped an arm around his waist and held him against her.

"So, you all know the situation by now. In short, I was co president of the literature club, and now I am a Phantom Thief in Tokyo…And-" She gestured to Goro with a happy smile. "I have a boyfriend, now."

"Why is it him, though?" Natsuki said, her tone dripping with bitterness. "Monika told us what he's done, and that you know what he's done!"

"Yes! Natsuki is right!" Yuri persisted. "I refuse to believe that you would knowingly date a serial killer, Sayori!"

Sayori blushed, looking almost sheepish, before clearing her throat. "The points you are making are… true, in a way. I… understand where you are coming from… Still, I trust that Goro is not going to do something like that again. Besides, I feel like after what we have been through, I have more reason to be scared of our club president, then of the boy that protected me and let me live with him for over half a year."

Yuri and Natsuki went silent, looking back at Monika, who was herself, looking down in shame. Explaining everything also meant explaining everything to the Phantom Thieves. The teens were all looking at Monika with what may have been murder in their eyes, and absolutely no one could blame them for that.

"I know it's not nice of me to do this to you guys. He has hurt and killed a lot of people, and I have known this, and still let myself be with him… but I made my decision to trust myself, and when it comes to Goro, this is ironically the one time where I know trusting myself won't lead to my death…"

"Sayori…" Natsuki trailed off.

"Now that I think about it… reality is very unclear for us now, and it must have been unclear for you for a long time," Yuri guessed, watching as Sayori's sheepish smile let her know she was right. "I can see your point of view. The fact of the matter is that, though in the world of these games he has done many horrific things, he cannot be convicted of any real-world crimes, because this is not the real world…"

"That's… actually not what I have really ever thought, except for maybe a long time ago, when I was so doubtful of myself," Sayori stated. She grabbed Goro's hand and squeezed it assuringly. "Goro has done many awful things… Things that cannot ever be truly forgiven, and I understand anyone who does not want to. I will never hold that against them. I have people I hate now, like Shido… He has done as many crimes as Goro has, and maybe more. Yet, Goro was the one who actually committed them, while Shido merely orchestrated them. My feelings for them both, despite being involved in the same crimes, are very different…"

Sayori frowned, the words in her mouth coming out like her mouth was stuffed with cotton, yet she soldiered on, sure of what she wanted to say. "I can only tell you… It's just how I feel, and that I know Goro has a wider threshold for change than Shido… I know that Goro found no enjoyment in the crimes he committed. When he was given a good reason, and the right motivation, he wanted to escape…"

It was harder to admit this next part to everyone, but it had to be said. "I don't want anyone to be hurt when I say this, but I am never sure of what is true and what is not true, anymore. The fact that reality is so muddled, and that a god can just reset our morals, makes me believe more than ever that simply abandoning Goro, and not trying to help him, is not the right way to handle his crimes. Justice shouldn't always be about punishment… it should also be about helping others to see the error of their ways, and help them so that they won't do it in the future…"

It was odd for Sayori to hear herself say that. On the one hand, she truly did believe that. Punishment was not the sole factor of justice, and law and order. She always believed in helping others and being kind. Yet, at the same time, her mind these days had been clouded with thoughts of anger, hatred, and of course, revenge on Shido. Revenge was punishment for wrongs committed. It was so hard to balance in her head, and Sayori knew she would never be sure of the mental gymnastics it took to understand her feelings completely. All she could really do right now was conclude one thing.

"And I am selfish," Sayori finished, gripping Goro's hand tightly. "I want to help Goro Akechi, and stay together with him, because I know we can both help each other. It doesn't feel… bad or wrong to be with him… So, I want to be with him."

Natsuki's frown turned impassive, and she shivered as she got up. Goro Akechi, with the information she had just learned about him, made her feel skittish around him. Still, she could not show that fear.

"And you trust him… He won't do that sort of thing again?" She asked, sizing the boy up. Natsuki didn't trust Goro Akechi farther than she could throw him, but she knew she trusted Sayori. The girl cared for everyone, while expecting little in return. If she wasn't scared of Goro, and she really wanted to pursue her feelings for him… Natsuki would support her, she supposed. She would be glaring suspiciously at Goro until he proved his innocence to her personally, but she wasn't about to deny Sayori someone that made her happy.

"Yes… I trust him with my life," Sayori stated, startling even Goro Akechi himself, who now looked absolutely shell shocked with the level of trust the girl actually had for him.

Yuri clasped her hands together, bowing her head. "I am sorry for misunderstanding you earlier, Sayori… If those truly are your feelings, I promise not to get in the way either… After all, it is very clear that your teammates have ample enough reason to dislike Goro Akechi and your relationship, yet they also actively support it. Natsuki and I... " the girl smiled calmly to herself. "We have been out of the loop for so long, I suppose our reactions occurred too late. We will have to learn from these Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Natsuki questioned, crossing her arms. She smirked. "I guess that just means I'm cooler than you, Yuri. I already accept it!"

"Likely story!" Yuri exclaimed, raising her eyebrow and smiling as she stood up to her full height.

The two girls playfully argued with each other, avoiding talking about the other elephant in the room. Monika took the venomous glares everyone was giving her in stride, looking over to Akira Kurusu with a look of intense urgency. Now that everything had been explained to everyone, and the truth of their reality was revealed, it was time to focus their attention on what they had originally come here for.

"Alright, guys," Akira began, having picked up on the girl's silent message. "As we all now know, those of us that are able to fight have to go defeat a God of Control, and as Monika hypothesized, this will very likely send Natsuki, Yuri, Monika, and Sayori home…"

"I suggest that Monika keeps Natsuki and Yuri safe somewhere slightly away from the battle," Morgana proposed. "Natsuki and Yuri have just woken up, and they are inexperienced in combat. Someone needs to keep them safe, but we need as many people with Personas and fighting capabilities as we can get." The cat crossed his stubby arms, looking around at everyone to see if they agreed.

"I…guess that sounds fine," Natsuki said, her quivering form betraying how much she didn't want to be alone with Monika.

"Hey, I'll be there, too," Yuri said calmingly. "If we need them, the Phantom Thieves will be within hearing range… Though, I hope we won't have to worry about that…" Yuri clasped Natsuki's shoulders gently, looking at Monika pointedly,

Monika tried to smile assuringly, though she immediately knew it wasn't giving the impression she wanted it to. She quickly put her serious, blank expression back on, hoping her sincerity would bleed through into her words. "I promise I will do my best to keep you safe, and I won't do anything to purposely hurt you like I did back then…"

"You… You have a lot of nerve," Natsuki growled, her voice wavering. "You and Sayori were both awake for so much longer than us… We missed all these important moments in your lives. How can we trust you to do anything, now? How could I…" The girl trailed off, looking down with a suddenly terrified expression.

"Natsuki, what's wrong?" Sayori asked, walking over to Natsuki and tilting her head up.

"I… I don't want to be in the literature club if Monika is going to be president… But if I don't go to the club… What will be waiting for me at home?"

"I… I'm stepping down," Monika said desperately. "Trust me, I don't plan on forcing you three to ever see me again. The player thinks I was deleted from the game files anyway, so it won't be a problem." The girl watched in misery as Natsuki latched onto both Sayori and Yuri in a tight hug.

"It looks like you're not made of stone, after all," Goro observed, stepping over to observe the girl. "You're the one who caused all of this."

"I know," Monika said, looking down at the city below.

"We're never going to forgive you for what you did to Sayori, as well as the rest of these girls," Haru stated, walking over to Monika and giving her a hard look.

"I know," Monika said again, not meaning for her voice to come out so monotone.

"Still, is that really your solution?" Futaba asked, pouting. "You're really just going to disappear forever?"

"That sounds a lot like running away to me," Ann stated.

"I… suppose so…"

Akira looked at Monika pointedly. "Do you know why we're letting Goro Akechi continue to work with us?"

Monika considered the point for a moment, before shaking her head. Goro looked over, curious as well.

"Sayori, and more importantly, Goro himself, has stated that he is going to face his crimes… That he wants to grow beyond them," Makoto stated, looking out into the distance.

"We can never forget what he has done, but if he is willing to face the full weight of his crimes, and isn't going to shy away from changing, then who are we to stop that?" Yusuke asked.

"We are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Changing distorted hearts is what we do," Morgana said with a smile.

"We all sorta let him on because… Well, he did it by himself. We didn't have to steal his heart… He wanted to change," Ryuji said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, he probably had some help from Sayori," Ann suggested with a shrug. "Just saying…"

"I see what you all are trying to imply," Monika said, before shaking her head. "To me, it all depends on what the club wants. Me being there only hurt everyone. Leaving might give them peace."

The teens all frowned at her logic. No matter how much her viewpoint made sense, they most certainly did not have to like it. Still, before they could try to argue, Sayori walked over to everyone, dragging Yuri and Natsuki with her.

"So… what do all of you think? I mean… about reality being… the way that it is."

"When you look around at what is happening around us, it makes sense," Makoto stated. Not just the Phantom Thieves, but everyone around her simply nodded in agreement.

Sayori and Monika both looked around in shock, not expecting such a nonchalant reaction.

"Aren't you guys… freaked out?" Sayori asked, clasping her hands together to stop herself from nervously fidgeting.

"I mean… at first, yeah," Ryuji stated. "But all this stuff seems like something you would only see in an anime or a videogame…"

"It's kind of cool, actually," Futaba said cheerily, looking through her mask's scanners. "Technically, I've been hacking a game ever since I became a Phantom Thief! That's awesome!"

"Still, why are you guys acting so calm?" Sayori asked, looking hopelessly at Goro for help. The boy shrugged, unable to explain to himself why he suddenly felt so unbothered.

Yuri closed her eyes thoughtfully, twisting a lock of her long hair in her fingers. "I believe I don't feel as strongly as you or Monika because… I am not alone in feeling this way. Knowing that reality is false, and being alone in that knowledge, sounds like something that would make me lose my mind all over again."

"We all have each other now, though," Natsuki said, beaming happily as she easily put together what Yuri was implying.

"You'll never be alone in this knowledge again, Sayori," Goro said, realizing he shared the train of thought. "Whether we are real or fake in this unclear reality, we are what we are… together."

Yusuke smiled warmly, closing his eyes. "We can support each other with our shared knowledge now… and maybe there are even some hidden perks to knowing this secret that you never considered before…"

Haru giggled, leaning against Yusuke's shoulder. "There he goes again…"

"What are we going to do with you, Yusuke?" Ann asked, her voice fond.

"Not to mention, facing this stuff together will help us all figure it out," Morgana stated, looking at Monika in confusion. "If reality was bothering you so much, why didn't you just tell your clubmates?"

"...I wasn't thinking clearly," Monika said, shaking her head. "That's really the only reason I can give."

"With how it affected me, I could make the argument that you were trying to protect us," Sayori offered quietly, hesitant to give Monika any sign that Sayori would still be pleasant to her.

Still, the quiet statement made a small smile light up dimly on Monika's face.

"Alright, now that all of the housekeeping is done, and we all know each other a bit better," Akira began, his voice carrying a bit of urgency, "We really need to go. That God isn't going to wait for us to defeat it."

"I mean, technically this moment could last as long as we want it to last," Monika pointed out. "We have time to go to the Velvet Room and restore your guys' energy. We could also make more Persona fusions, and hope you guys have all the items you will need."

"...I see," Akira said lamely. "Well, we don't want Tokyo to be like this that much longer… We should be moving on soon."

"But… If this moment can last as long as we want…" At Haru's words, everyone looked at Sayori.

"I know it's going to be hard, and you guys are going to miss me," Sayori began with a gentle smile, "but I refuse to believe we will never see each other again after this."

"Yeah, I don't care if it is deemed impossible," Goro stated. "We will meet again." He looked down, a brief moment of hesitation passing over his features, before he looked up in determination once again. He walked up to Sayori and grabbed her left hand, holding it tightly with his right.

"Until then, could we…?" Goro felt embarrassed to be asking something so sappy, but Sayori only smiled wider and leaned over, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah… I won't let go of your hand," Sayori answered. "Fighting may become slightly more difficult, but I would like to keep holding onto you, too."

Goro nodded, his throat becoming tight with so many of the things he wanted to say. He wondered if he would even get a chance to share these things with her now.

The Phantom Thieves quickly went to the Velvet Room, as Monika suggested that they do. Luckily, Lavenza had moved the door to be right next to them. After having their energy restored, the group of teens all stood together.

One last time, they looked out at the chaotic city. The threat of them disappearing forever weighed heavily on their minds, as well as the realization that no matter how the battle ended, they were about to lose a close friend. Maybe it would only be for a little while, or maybe it would be forever… Either way, the thought of Sayori going away, and her and all of her clubmates returning home, weighed heavily on their minds.

"Are we ready for this, guys?" Joker asked, looking at his team. He wanted to say his question was simply for motivation, and that the teens were supposed to answer with a "Hell yeah!" But this was a moment of genuine doubt for him. He didn't know if he was ready.

"We've got this," Ryuji stated, patting the leader, their friend, on his back.

"We gave each other, and we will face this last fight together, as true Phantom Thieves, finally fully reunited!" Morgana shouted.

"Welcome back to the team, Crow," Ann said cheerfully.

Goro said nothing. His mind had started to drift off somewhere it had no place being at the moment, thinking of all the sweet moments he had somehow been gifted. Still, in this battle, the thieves needed to all be completely focused on the present situation.

"Are you okay with being called Crow?" Sayori asked him, an embarrassed smile on her face.

Goro realized that in the background, Natsuki was teasingly calling him a birdbrain. He chuckled at the teasing name, before squeezing Sayori's hand tightly once again.

"Yes, I would like that very much," he said, clearing his throat. "And I'm ready to go, now…"

"Well, that seems to be everyone," Sayori said, noting that all of the thieves had indicated the same sentiment in some form or another, from shouting, speaking, nodding, or even playfully saluting.

"Let's go, then," Joker said, stepping over to the large temple doors. With a single light push, the doors swung open.

Not pausing to glance back at the city or wonder if they had missed their last chance to do so, the teens stepped through the doorway.

It slammed shut behind them… And there was no turning back.

So I lied. Now there are only two chapters left! Also, I really hoped you liked the chapter, and that you found the kissing scenes tender as f*ck. I am really happy with how this chapter came out. It's been too long since I got to write soft Sayori Matsu and Goro Akechi.