Unthinkable

by Cosmic Sky

What they had was a forbidden relationship on multiple levels, especially given the scandals that had already shaken up Shujin. Still, what they had, Akira and Sadayo wouldn't give up for anything. They still had some obstacles to face, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. Their relationship was many things, but it wasn't by any means weak.

Well, this is another slight break from my long-running Persona stories. As with my last two Tae stories, this One-Shot will be set in the continuity of The Royal. It feels nice being able to do my first Joker/Kawakami story set in Persona's 5 updated retelling. That retelling and the third quarter's dynamics gave me an idea for this One-Shot, along with listening to one of my playlists. This is another crack at me writing song-fics and examining our favorite student/teacher and thief/maid relationship. Hope you all enjoy!

I do now own anything.

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Unthinkable

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"Do you want to go to a wedding?"

Akira did a complete double-take, his eyes wide and blinking. His girlfriend stared back at him, her face warped in neither a grimace nor was she shyly looking away. She was just patiently awaiting his answer. Their usual roles had been completely reversed.

"S-S-Sure." The teenager finally responded. First off, it's not like he'd ever been to a wedding before, he'd actually been to five in his lifetime, one of them being one of his uncle's. He was no stranger to them. "Um, where's it going to be at?"

"It's going to be held at the Hotel Gajoen Tokyo…in Meguro City." Sadayo answered, the last part coming with a smile. Akira smiled as well, then outright laughed. "For the record, yes, I thought of you when I first heard."

"Ah, I'm touched." He replied. "So, um…who's the wedding for?"

"Miss Nakaya."

"She's getting married? To who? Her ex-boyfriend?" Akira inquired, surprise overcoming him. It started to clear as his girlfriend nodded. Ms. Nakaya…Ms. Nakaya. Though he was still a little bit of a pariah, but for the most part, he'd become accepted at Shujin. It definitely helped that the school had been rocked by more scandals than just some so-called "thug from the countryside" transferring into Shujin. At least a third of the student body and teachers avoided him, but another third had somewhat warmed up to him. Amongst the latter had been Mikiko Nakaya, a rather kind and encouraging teacher just about two years older than his girlfriend. Once she got past Akira's toxic and forcibly-given reputation, she turned out to be a rather kind and friendly biology teacher. Akira had come to greatly appreciate her help, especially since she was willing to actually appoint him as a type of tutor from time to time.

Those times had also allowed him to glean a little into her social life. Though well-respected by students and teachers alike, it seemed that the poor woman wasn't quite as fortunate in love as she had been in other fields.

He uncomfortably thought back to the day she'd walked into class looking like she'd just been ran over by a tank. Even if she tried to hide it, Akira knew the look of hidden sorrow; he'd worn it a couple of times himself. Throughout the entire period, he could tell that she was trying to hold it together, a fact that some other students clued in on. Given that she was one of the nicer teachers at Shujin, a silent agreement was reached not to give the black-haired woman too hard a time. From his girlfriend sitting in front of him, he'd learned that they were right to.

"Yep, her and Hiranuma-san. Don't ask me when they got back together because I seriously don't remember it." Sadayo answered. To say that she was puzzled over the development would have been an understatement. This was the fifth one of her colleagues getting married! Seriously, what the hell was going on! She knew that sometimes one person getting married could spur others on, but she couldn't help but feel like what was happening to all of her adult colleagues was more than a little strange. "I still remember when she was so down about their break up two months ago."

"Is it possible that they could have made up in that time? I mean, it was two months ago so maybe…" Akira trailed off, letting the thought hang in the air. Behind his neutral expression, the gears in his head were turning, pushing him to one conclusion. It was one that a part of him was silently hoping wouldn't be the truth.

Sadayo could see those gears, even if she didn't admit it, or show it. "I'd say it's possible, but…"

"But…" Her boyfriend encouraged, leaning forward and gazing at her with his storm-gray eyes. It was his way of feeding the fire within her. Their ice-cream sat atop the table, temporarily forgotten as this new topic took precedence.

"I…consoled her, and the breakup was…pretty messy. Not that I approached Hiranuma-san, I didn't want to be that intrusive, but I…did some snooping." Her brown eyes flickered to his face; Akira's grin made her cheeks burn pink. "Things had been rocky for about a week, and…apparently, Hiranuma-san met someone else while working at his job and…they hit it off so well that he decided to end the relationship between him and Nakaya-san."

Akira winced in visible pain at the revelation. Being dumped was bad enough, but being dumped on the premise that your lover's met someone else, someone better? That was just damn painful. That said, the news left him more curious than he had been. "And now they're…back together? Enough so that they want to get married?"

Sadayo shrugged as she took a scoop of her ice-cream. She hadn't completely forgotten about it, and in taking a bite, she reminded Akira of it. Both of them ate a few more scoops before continuing their conversation. "When I asked her about it, she said that it was a rough patch, but they've moved past it. It was one hell of a makeup, one that I'm pretty sure that I would have heard about."

"Do you remember seeing them together again after the breakup?" Akira questioned.

The teacher's expression turned thoughtful as she comped through her memories. As she did, Akira felt every beat of his heart, each one ringing with anxiety. "Come to think of it, I don't. Strange thing is, I would always see them by this little grocery store on the way home. Hiranuma-san also owns a dog and I usually see him walking it there. When he was dating Nakaya-san, I'd see them together in the park Tuesday though Thursday. The last time I feel like I saw him there, and he was with someone that wasn't her."

That's what Akira had been dreading to hear, though he didn't show the dread on his face. Or at least he tried not to. "I see, well that's…surprising."

"Damn right it is, and it's something that's been gnawing at the back of my mind since I heard about the wedding." A heavy sigh followed as she dug her spoon into her banana split. "It's, I'm happy for her, but…"

Without a word, the teenager reached out and took hold of the teacher's hand. It was a soft embrace that she was all too familiar with. Sadayo looked up to him with a warm smile, one that he returned. Geez, it's hard to believe that we've been together for going on five and a half months. A little while longer and it'll be half a year. Yep, five and a half months of dating one of her students, an unthinkable, unimaginable sin that would have gotten her fired and arrested and Akira forever shunned. It was genuine miracle that they hadn't gotten caught, not even on quiet little dates like this.

Squeezing his hand back, she spoke to ease his fears. "I'm not letting it get me down, at least not too much. I'm thirty-years…we've still got time." She felt her heart flutter at her words. While she always hoped she'd be saying those words to that special someone, she never in her wildest dreams would have imagined that she'd be saying to them to one of her students, just barely half her age. Like she said, life was strange, but it was a wonderful kind of strange sometimes. "What about you? Do you…wanna go to it?"

"Yeah, I'd love to." He answered. "To be honest, I just wish we could go as a couple."

Her smile turned sorrowful. "Same here, but at best, I can just say that you're part of my four guest students. Maybe in another three or four years…" She let the thought hang in the air for the both of them to grasp at. Call them optimistic, but they were both confident that they would still be together in that time. They had to be patient, though sometimes that was easier said than done. "You, um, you'll have something to wear, right?"

"I'm open to some suggestions." The teenager coyly stated. His girlfriend rolled her eyes. "Hey, hey, I'll think of something. Actually, I'll go out and buy something. Really, when I came to Tokyo, I didn't pack to include any sort of formal clothing because I really didn't think I'd be attending any formal events."

"Well, you're not really alone in having to upgrade your wardrobe. I decided to go out and buy some better clothes after Akiya-san got married."

"Akiya-sensei? Oh yeah, I remember, he got married too…about two weeks ago."

"Yeah, it's been back-to-back weddings for the last month! And so many of them have been so extravagant! Seriously, I'm honestly wondering where some of them are getting the money for these weddings, and some of the honeymoons! Akiya-san said that he and his wife are honeymooning in Niseko!" The brunette bemoaned, a hint of envy evident in her voice.

Akira could sympathize as he'd dreamt of going snowboarding in Niseko. Maybe not as a honeymoon destination, but as a sort of vacation. Honestly, he thought that now would be a good time for him to take a vacation, him and his whole team. They'd just defeated a giant metaphysical robotic god who believed it was doing the right thing by controlling humanity. That sort of thing entitled a vacation or some sort of break, right? Staring down at his bombe glacée, he briefly thought that maybe his team had gotten that…but he couldn't help but feel like something was still wrong. His girlfriend's words had only furthered that suspicion.

"Well, it's at least good to know that some people are…having fun I guess." Akira offered, partially I an attempt to disguise his innermost thoughts. He didn't know how successful it would be against his girlfriend, who could sometimes read his mind as easily as an open book.

"Yeah, all things considered, it is…for the best, maybe. I mean, just a few weeks ago, the country's would-be prime minister stepped down and basically admitted to so many crimes it'll probably be another year before he appears in court, and that's if he doesn't whizzle out of it someway."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I hear the prosecutor they got for Shido is going to be quite thorough." The Phantom Thief affirmed in a sing-song voice. Sadayo stared at him with a curious glance, then slowly smiled-her way of silently agreeing with him. "Overall, I…guess I'm happy to hear all this good news. I mean, when we went to take o Shido, we all knew in the back of our minds that there was going to be some fallout. So far, I almost feel like…"

"There hasn't been enough of it? Maybe it depends o what news station you're watching. Go to some foreign networks and you'll find they've stayed on Shido. Every day it seems like someone else is coming forward to testify against him." Her brown eyes met the Persona-user's. While she saw relief there, she also saw concern. "Akira, this is just my opinion, but…I think you guys did it. You stopped him, so don't think about it anymore. Even if it takes a while, he's going away for all the horrible things he's done. You can close the book on him." It was her turn to reach across the table and take his hand.

Without a moment's hesitation, Akira gently gripped it, basking in the warmth that flowed into him from her. A lot of the time, she often said that he was her pillar of strength, but the sentiment actually went both ways. He honestly wasn't sure he'd have been able to make it this far without her there, giving him strength at times when he needed it the most. Even if his life wasn't in danger, he doubted that he would have been able to keep on fully walking ahead without her with him.

Such a deep yearning, I must say, this is not merely lust, this is indeed love. Love for one who by all rights should be beyond your grasp. A deep and booming voice sounded from within his mind. It still sounded like thunder, carrying with it the force that could shake clouds. Akira felt a tingle throughout his body as it reverberated throughout his skull. Even after he told himself he could get used to this, he was still left a little shaken, something that didn't go unnoticed by his girlfriend.

"Hey, you okay?" Sadayo questioned.

"Fine, just…I have a lot on my mind." He answered. "I guess I need to go out and buy a suit for this. Like I said, this'll be the first formal event I've attended since I've been here in Tokyo."

"You don't have to go all-out. I mean, I don't want you spending a whole lot for a suit that you're probably only going to wear once." The brunette offered.

Taking bite out of his glacée, the teenager cocked his head in mock thought. "But, Sadayo, I want to look really good. Especially since I'll be able to see you in a beautiful dress fit for a bridesmaid."

As usual-his well-aimed compliment got her cheeks blazing. Akira smirked as the blush grew and her mouth fell open, the language arts teacher was clearly at a loss for words. In other words, she looked great in the eyes of the Phantom Thieves' leader. If he could have, he'd have reached across the table and kissed her, alas, they were sitting on opposite sides instead of together. Akira made a mental note that he'd have to do it next time they came here. As for now, well, he simply helped himself to a spoonful of his girlfriend's banana split. That finally snapped her out of her embarrassment; a cute glare followed.

Turning her noise, Sadayo reached over and cut out a chunk of bombe. Akira continued to grin in amusement, especially as he watcher her get a little smidge of chocolate on her face. Putting his spoon down, he reached forward ad wiped it off using his finger, then cleaned said finger off with his tongue.

Redness returning to the school teacher's cheeks as she looked down at their frozen desserts. "You know, I'm…I…I'm kind of going to miss you being able to do that sort of stuff to me at the wedding."

"Me too. I like doing it." He answered truthfully. As she'd learned within the first month of dating him, Akira was a physically affectionate person. It was ironic as he was someone who seemed lax, yet some part of him on guard, always watching and calculating. Maybe that factored into his affection as with her, he could let all of those things go, just as she could let go of all of her stress and uncertainty with him. "Sadayo…um, depending on how late the…you know what, forget it. I'm doing it anyway."

Sadayo smiled at him, giving a nod of confirmation. She didn't need to ask him to explain what he meant-she already knew.

She considered herself lucky to have someone as devoted as Akira. Regardless of his younger age, he had a type of maturity that genuinely surprised her, and he wasn't afraid to use it to comfort her. That devotion and maturity were two reasons why she'd fallen in love with him, and why she had a sinking suspicion that she might perhaps…remain in love with him for some time to time.

"So, Sadayo, is there any special someone that you'll be bringing with you? Come on, you can tell me and I'll keep it a secret!"

"Sorry to say, but he…um, well…there's no one. No one special, but I can think of a few guests that I'd like to bring, some students."

"Students? Well, sure, I'm actually inviting some students myself, but I was kinda hoping that I'd see you coming in with a man! Come on, I'm tying the knot! You shouldn't be far behind me!"

"Hey, I'll get there someday! I'm just still searching for mister right; it's taking me a little while longer and that's fine. He's out there and I'll find him, and when I do, I promise, you'll be one of the first to get the invites."

"You better!"

"Out of curiosity, you wouldn't happen to have any preferences on what I should wear, would you?"

Playfully rolling her eyes, she took another bite of his bombe. "Just wear whatever you want, and make sure it's appropriate for the occasion. That's all I'm going to ask of you." Truth be told, she was actually curious to see him in a formal suit. The image was enough to get her…excited, not that she would let Akira see that, or know that. "As for me…you'll just have to wait and see."

"I'll brace myself to be utterly amazed…and keep my hands off of you until the time is right." He affirmed with a cocky grin. Sadayo both loved and hated that grin. "Hey, I don't think you ever told me when this wedding's going to be taking place. Next week?"

"Pretty much, it's next weekend so you've got a week." She paused to watch his face, his mind mentally running through his potential schedule. "If you've got…plans next week, then I can understand."

"I'll be able to make it. Ever since…you know, my schedule's been pretty free." It was a phrase that he hadn't thought he'd be making a month ago. Hell, a month ago, he hadn't been able to go out without a hoodie over his head for fear of someone recognizing him. It'd been a little frustrating, but he'd shouldered it. In a way, all that had came after, everything that he was experiencing now seemed like the reward for that. So why was he having such a tough time accepting it?

The booming voice in the back of his mind egged him on in a certain direction.

Gradually, the couple finished their frosty desserts, putting a little pep in their eating since they were in the first stages of melting. Both of their mouths were left feeling quite cold, a rather happy feeling that they embraced. It wasn't anything that a kiss once they were outside couldn't fix. The winter chill that blew through Tokyo seemed nonexistent to the two of them.

Sadayo's cheeks burned as they broke apart, "Thanks for…treating me to dinner, a-a-and dessert."

"Well, I am your boyfriend, so it's sort of my thing." He jubilantly replied. "So, is there anyone else you plan on bringing along besides me? I think Haru said she's going to be free next week too if you're interested. She'd love the chance to go to a wedding like this."

"Then I'll let her know as soon as I can." The brunette said. Glancing at her, Akira saw thoughts whirling in her head. He gave her hand a slight squeeze. That was the incentive that she needed. "If she asks you for a dance, accept, and be happy dancing with her."

"I've danced with Haru before." Akira admitted. Sadayo wasn't surprised as he'd told her before. He'd had to tell her a lot about his relationship with his teammates, particularly his lady teammates. First and foremost, there was Makoto…whom he'd fake dated. And Ohaya. "She…I think she…likes me."

"Yeah, I've had a feeling about that." His gray eyes widened. Giggling, she flashed him a wink. "Hey, she's one of my students, remember. I've seen the way she's looked at you a couple of times."

Akira took the news in strides. Sometimes, he forgot that his girlfriend really, really paid attention to her students nowadays. At times, he felt like an idiot for not realizing that. He was at least happy that his girlfriend had taken notice of the…female attention that he could garner, from girls around his own age. The two of them had talked about it once, one of their talks in December when he was rooming with her. His absence at school hadn't gone entirely unnoticed, and some actually found it difficult to deal with. That included teachers and some of his own classmates. Admittedly, when Akira heard that, he felt a sense of…relief, and happiness. Sadayo knew those were the feelings that her words would provoke in him, thus the sparkling smile that she'd given him when she broke it to him.

If some of those students who'd taken a liking to him showed up at the wedding, would they ask for a dance with him? Would any of them have the courage to? Eve if his reputation had improved, he was still considered a pariah by at least half the school, not that it bothered him.

The thing that stuck in Akira's mind though was the thought of anyone dancing with his girlfriend. Personally, he saw Sadayo as a beautiful woman, she was a beautiful woman, though very few knew that. He prided himself on being one of those that did. Akira always felt like her beauty was his alone to enjoy; that wouldn't quite be the case at this wedding.

Ah, you'll have to share her with others…just as you have to do when you're together at school. Quite irritating, isn't it? Will you have the willpower to bear through it?

I'll have to. Besides, it's not like I'm one of those ultra-possessive guys who can't stand other people looking at his girl. I'm not THAT immature. The teenager declared.

Even though it will be your first time seeing her in such a state?

If I can't handle this…then this relationship isn't going to last, it wouldn't have lasted this long to start with. Akira retorted, not with anger or spite, but the quiet confidence that had come to define him.

Evidently, it was the answer his other self had been hoping for, as his booming laughter echoed in his head. Akira almost felt like there was a crack of thunder inside of his head. Thankfully, he'd gotten used to it since the final battle against Yaldabaoth.

His mind grew fuzzy as he thought back to how life had…changed while continuing on following the final battle in December. Yes, final battle, yet…there was a part of him that felt like it hadn't truly bee the final battle. Satanael had fed that confusion with his small whispers, him and at times Arsène.

"Do you remember what it was like when you went to your first wedding?" His girlfriend's voice yet again roused him from his inner thinking.

A wistful look overcame the teenager's face as he looked skyward. "My first wedding, I think I was about…four years old. My uncle Kunishige got married and naturally, the whole family was there, me include." He looked to his brunette lover with a wild smile. "I remember playing soccer with a few other kids and getting hit and falling on my butt. My aunt Ayaka made it up to me by giving me a big slice of the wedding cake. Best chocolate-flavored cake that I ever had."

Sadayo burst into laughter at the newly revealed piece of information regarding her boyfriend's past. Her mind pictured a young Akira playing with other kids until accidentally getting hit and falling down. The laughter magnified as she pictured him crying; admittedly though, she pictured herself swooping in to hug and comfort him, no doubt as his mother had done.

"Well, lucky for you, I don't think there'll be any ball playing going on, not that I don't have any faith in you." He playfully rolled his eyes at her jab. "Your uncle Kunishige, he's the second oldest after your father, right?"

"Yep. When the…mess with Shido happened, my dad called him and they talked about me going to live with them in Sendai." He spoke with a clear and calm tone. Akira had long since made peace with the encounter that had changed his life, for multiple reasons. "Sadly, when he tried looking around, there weren't any schools that would take me so that option was ruled out."

"I see." Even before they got together, Akira had gradually revealed how the decision was made to come to Tokyo. She was frankly a little surprised that it hadn't been the Kurusus first choice. First and foremost, his parents had thought of sending him to live with one of his uncles, both of whom were ready to take him in, but complications had thrown a wretch in those plans. "Well…are they happy with how things have turned out?"

"Yeah, they are. Really, my whole family is just happy that I've not only thrived, but also that Shido's accusation has been withdrawn. Seriously, some of them thought of outright throwing a party."

"That actually doesn't sound like a half-bad idea to be honest." She giggled. "It's not everyday that you're accused by the would-be prime minister, then the charges are dropped. Not to mention the same man who pressed them is at the epicenter of the biggest political scandal of the country's modern history. Sometimes, I think it's a little surprising no one's called you up for an interview."

"Eh, I'm not. There's only one person that I'd give an interview to, and she's more than happy that she's the only one I'll give an exclusive to." It was ironic that for as dramatic a person as he could be, Akira preferred staying out of the spotlight. Then again, it was his Joker identity that took all the media attention. He was content with having things stay that way. "Still, it's definitely going to be something that gets talked about at the next family reunion."

"You'll be the center of attention. Kind of wish that I could be there to see it." The language arts teacher mused. Her eyes and Akira's met as they waited at the street light. They hadn't unknowingly walked into the barrier, but that didn't make it any easier to come upon it.

"One day." Akira affirmed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"One day." She affirmed, squeezing his hand back.

Meeting one another's family was something of an inevitable step in every relationship. Sometimes that could get complicated. In regard to their relationship, complicated was the word. In spite of that, neither of them were scared. The possibility of disaster was certainly there, but neither Akira or Sadayo felt themselves trapped by fear.

For the latter, it was a surreal thing as she'd grown uncomfortable used to living in fear. Eve after she'd been freed from the Takases' stranglehold, she lived in fear of her relationship with Akira being found out. She'd jumped from one hotbed into another, the second arguably being as volatile, if not more so than the first. Sadayo could remember how she looked herself in the mirror and asked what the hell was she thinking? Especially after the start of the school year was marked by a teacher sexually harassing the students!

From time to time, Sadayo still asked herself that same question, but the answer always came to her, especially when she looked to Akira.

She looked to him now, as they walked side by side.

Being a romantic, she knew the whole "love is worth it" argument. It was one of the most ridiculous, yet empowering things in the world, and it wasn't just limited to fiction. Reality had plenty of examples, the two of them being a prime example. That very fact might have been unthinkable to her at one point in her life, but now…

A wedding… Sadayo thought in her head. A flower of depression began to bloom within her as they entered her neighborhood-it meant that their night out together was about to end. As usual, Sadayo wasn't ready for it to end. It was an evolution of the feelings she'd had when she was his maid. He treated her better than she deserved, so well in fact that she was genuinely sad when their time together came to an end; it was not the feelings she should have been having, but she did, she had.

"One of these days, you're going to have to let me walk you home." She mused.

Akira chuckled. "One day, though you can't deny that you're liking this." Her cheeks blushed showing that he'd hit the mark.

"Geez, you've got to turn the charm down one of these days."

"Hmm, I don't think I will, it keeps you blushing and I love that cute face of yours." The black-haired teen coolly fired back. His reward was a playful slap on the shoulder. Their joint laughter gradually died down as they peered into each other's eyes, heartfelt emotion rising within them. They'd inevitably been in this position so may times before. Sometimes, he left her there at the door…and other times he followed her beyond it.

This wasn't going to be the latter.

Shutting their eyes, they leaned in, their lips meeting at simultaneously and sensually sucking each other. Akira's hands moved from his teacher's shoulders to around her waist, hugging her against him. Sadayo's rose up to caress his cheeks, feeling the warmth within them. They held the kiss for a full minute, sensually pushing their tongues forward and back before separating. Cheeks red, lips swollen, they panted out clouds of cold air as they stared at each other.

A second kiss ensued.

"Goodnight, Sadayo." Whispered the Persona-user.

"Goodnight, Akira, and see you tomorrow." She responded with a smile that made the winter chill seem nonexistent.

"Yeah, see ya' then."

They'd repeated the words to each other so many times they'd lost track. They held each other's gazes, smiling until she disappeared behind the door. Akira turned his back to her apartment and began to walk home.

It was a quiet and soothing walk that gave him time to organize his thoughts. At least until he got home and was greeted to the sight of a human Mona talking with Futaba. Luckily, they weren't too keen on questioning him on where he'd been; he'd been out and he had fun, that was enough for them. Plus, it meant they could finally go home. He reminded them that they could have just gone home before, but both wanted to see him come back first, something he laughed at.

He closed up the shop and moved up the stairs to his room. Coat off, shoes off, he sat down atop his bed, a sense of calmness and unease swirling around him like a whirlwind.

Everything seems perfect, doesn't it?

"…But that's the problem. I wasn't expecting everything to be so happily ever after, but this is…" He put his right hand to his chest, where he felt his heart maintaining a steady beat. This wasn't something physical, it was just something…something instinctive.

Will you use this wedding to gauge how far this unease goes?

"I will." Akira answered, his quiet voice still resounding throughout the room. It was literally just him and his other self, who rumbled in acceptance of his choice. "But I'm not going to let it distract from the fact that I've got a chance to spend some time with my girlfriend." There was a beat as he let out a humorful chuckle. "Even if I can't treat her like my girlfriend."

Deep laughter rumbled through Akira's mind again. But you ARE going to steal her away for a dance, right?

The fallen angel couldn't have been any prouder of the grin his human half bore as he answered his question.

---

One Week later…

They both had promised themselves and each other that they would play it cool at the wedding. Really, it shouldn't have been that hard for either of them. They did this plenty of times at school, except they weren't at Shujin. He wasn't wearing his school uniform and she wasn't wearing her everyday work clothes.

Either a western suit or a more traditional look, either one would do. Akira had gone with the former, dressing in a classy black suit and tie that had all been finely pressed along with dress pants and a pair of shiny black slacks. It was a rather basic look, but on someone as handsome as Akira, it worked incredibly well, more so give he chose not to comb his hair in any way, shape, or form. Many would agree that was indeed part of what made him look so…appealing.

Sadayo Kawakami certainly thought so.

She was left utterly speechless at the sight of her boyfriend dressed in formal clothing, this being her first time seeing him. The absolute worst part of it was that she couldn't reach out and hug him like she wanted to. At least the feeling was mutual.

The teacher herself was going to be one of the bridesmaids, and that meant dress in a certain way. Like him, she'd gone for a western look, albeit she'd had to dress up a little more given the role she would be playing. That meant getting her hair down; unlike his, care had clearly been given to it, having been done up in a small ponytail though the curly dark brown mess that made Sadayo Kawakami who she was remained. Akira was happy that it had, and he was happy that he was able to see her in all of her radiant splendor. Her silvery white dress sharply contrasted his jet-black of his own suit and tie, which was bloody-red. Really, they were polar opposites down to one thing, albeit no one but them knew it. Akira's eyes zeroed-in on the ring fastened to a gold chain that she wore around her neck. He looked like he'd just seen a shooting star.

Sadayo's eyes met his; in that moment, she knew that he had his ring on hand, likely hidden in his pocket where none could see it. Her cheeks flushed red as she tried to think of something to say.

"Ms. Kawakami, you look great!" Haru had unlikely came to both of their rescues. "This is the first time I think I've ever seen you dressed so properly!"

"F-F-Fits the occasion, doesn't it?" She managed to recover. Sadayo broke eye-contact with Akira, focusing her attention o the fluffy-haired heiress who'd thankfully failed to read the mood. "Haru, Kurusu-kun, you both look great as well."

She did a slight bow, as did Akira, both teenagers basking in their teacher's praise. Both of them felt their cheeks burning red, albeit for slightly different reasons.

"Hey, hey, don't forget about us! We showed up too, just like we promised Nakaya-sensei!" Shouted a voice familiar to them all. The trip looked to the side and waved at the approaching Ann and Shiho. Like everyone else, they'd put on their best, Ann sporting a fiery-red dress that had Akira silently smirking while Shiho wore a complimentary blue dress. "Hope none of you thought of starting the party without us."

"We wouldn't dream of it, Tamaki-san, Suzui-san." The language arts teacher greeted. It warmed her heart to see that so many students had came to the wedding, all of them smiling and laughing. She couldn't quite explain it, but it felt like it was a major show of trust between students and teachers. Something nipped at her; loath as she was to admit it, it especially gnawed at her when she looked to Shiho. The teacher couldn't put her finger on it, but every time she did, she felt her heart twist itself into a knot. Seeing her with Ann and talking with so many others made the knot form, but it couldn't tighten. Sadayo hated the feeling, but she didn't let it fully consume her. This day was too important, and too happy for that.

Well, she couldn't quite say she was completely happy. Her eyes darted back to Akira, who was looking at her. The messy-haired teen gave her a smile, one with a hidden meaning behind it. His lips moved in a silent statement, "You look beautiful." Her cheeks burned red, something she tried to hide as she guided them into the hotel.

Hotel Gajoen Tokyo was every bit as lavish as the countless pictures o the internet made it out to be. Even though only a portion of the hotel was open up, the rooms and gardens were all still sights to behold. Sadayo and Akira were both impressed with what they saw as they moved about in their respective duties; or duty in Sadayo's case, Akira was merely a guest. His secret girlfriend was busy moving about to help make sure that the wedding went off without a hitch. Besides the somewhat gloomy weather, so far, that's exactly what was happening.

Eve though he was officially just another guest, Akira quietly did his part to safeguard the wedding. Sadayo knew that's what he would do and thus didn't try to stop him when they caught sight of each other. Those times were also when they felt their hearts race within their chests.

Upon seeing one another, their first instincts were to hug and kiss. Both individuals felt themselves yearning for physical intimacy that went beyond simple hugs, such as what Sadayo gave her students. Akira had watched on with an amused smile. When it came to the two of them, a friendly hug was where it stopped at. Neither of them had touched one another in that way in months, before they decided to enter into a relationship.

Said relationship hung over their heads like an invisible halo. That was actually how it should have been; as they'd discussed, this day wasn't about them, it was about another happy couple. But still, the thief and the former maid's minds couldn't help but wonder, especially as the wedding's climax drew closer by the minute.

Being a bridesmaid. Sadayo was quite busy, though it was the fun kind of busy. Several had joked that she'd taken the role of "bridesmaid chief", including Mikiko herself. Luckily for her, the actual wedding director, her mother, chose to allow it.

A: You're really good at this, you know that?

Looking at her phone, her cheeks blushed at the text message her boyfriend had sent her. Even if she couldn't see him, she could still feel Akira watching over her. He was such a protective lover, sometimes overprotective, but that was one of the things she liked about him. It really showed that he cared.

S: You know that I've always had an eye for detail, it's just a part of who I am.

A: It's one of the things that makes you totally awesome.

The smiley face emoji made her laugh. It was almost entirely cut off as she felt someone approaching her.

"My, my, you're looking awfully happy looking at your phone. Let me guess, your boyfriend couldn't make it?"

It wasn't like Sadayo and Ms. Chouno hated each other, they'd actually moved further away from that in the last two months. The latter cited the former's revised work ethic as the reason for that, a statement that Sadayo honestly agreed with. Not to say that they'd become close, but they were better off than where they were before.

Granted, some antagonism remained.

"B-B-Boyfriend? N-No, I'm just talking with my mom. I told her that the wedding's underway and has gone off without a hitch so far." Lying was not a pleasant thing to do, but sometimes it was necessary. Sadayo knew that better than most people, and she'd learned to lie better than she would have ever wanted. A large part of that was thanks to Akira.

Luckily for the both of them, it was more often than not easy to distract Ms. Chouno. "Ah, yes, it is a petty she wasn't able to come to a wedding as grand as this. Personally, I think this may be the most spectacular wedding thus far."

"Yeah, it has seemed like everyone's been trying to top each other, hasn't it?" For whatever reason, over the last two days or so, whenever Sadayo thought of the weddings she'd attended, her head would throb. They weren't consistent enough to qualify for a headache so they had to be something else. The problem was, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "So, um, just out of curiosity, have you noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary?"

"So far, no. By all accounts, this wedding is proceeding on track, and at quite a lovely pace I might add."

That made her sigh in relief. It's not like directing the wedding was her job, yet she just couldn't help herself.

Or maybe it was that slight throbbing in the back of her head.

Something isn't right. Not with any of this. Whose voice was that? Was it hers? Why was it rising up now of all times?

As she and Ms. Chouno parted ways, Sadayo's hands went to the ring that hung around her neck. "Akira," she whispered in a voice so quiet none could hear her. As she spoke his name, she felt a sudden pulse ring through her body.

-o-

From the moment Akira woke up, he knew that this wedding was going to take up his entire day. He told his two unlikely teammates that. Kasumi immediately understood, and sorrowful wished she could attend the wedding herself. Given the fact that she had practice, she couldn't. As for Goro, he took the news with a neutral frown and said that they'd make up the loss of time on their next trip into the mysterious Palace.

"Be the outlook for any more strange distortions. I believe you and Yoshizawa-san mentioned something about how one or two more of your teachers getting married earlier."

"Oh yeah! Now that you mention it, you have a point. I've noticed that a few of Shujin's teachers have gotten married. I think some of them were in some long-running relationships."

"And they just suddenly all decide to tie the knot at around the same time." The knightly-looking Persona-user looked straight at Akira, already knowing what he was thinking.

"Yeah, I know. Strange timing doesn't quite cover it." He admitted, hands in his pocket and a deep frown on his face. What he didn't add was that the teachers in question had all come from Shujin Academy. Akira didn't say it, but one look at Goro and he could tell he was likely thinking the same thing. Eve Kasumi might stumble upon that realization if left to sit upon it.

Here he was, sitting the stands as his biology teacher and her former boyfriend exchanged their vows and officially became husband and wife. He was happy for his Nakaya-sensei, he truly was.

But beneath it all, in the core of his being, he knew that this was wrong. That all of this was wrong. The feeling grew strong, yet was also countered when his Japanese language teacher stepped up to give her wedding speech. His girlfriend was giving that speech.

Everything that they'd been through flashed through his mind. All of that had undoubtedly been real.

"So, this is really it, huh? The final battle?"

"Yeah, or at least I'm hoping it is. We have no idea what we're going to find down there."

"But whatever it is…you guys can…you guys can beat it, right?"

"…Yeah, we will."

"Good, because you made a promise."

His hand throbbed with the memory of her taking it and holding it in-between hers. The top of his right hand felt warm as he recalled the gentle kiss she'd placed against it. Akira remembered how he'd returned the gesture before departing to join the rest of his team. Down into the depths of Mementos they went, unsure of what they'd find, and being absolutely shocked and repulsed with what they did. Ultimately, it came down to an angelic robot-god representing the human desire for control and order; Akira remembered the voices of the people of Tokyo energizing him in that fight, specifically his girlfriend's.

That is all you desired, to return to your homes and ordinary lives. None of you possessed any desire to rule, thus the crown was passed from you all to another.

…And the one who took the crown…is the Ruler of that Palace.

Akira's mind had been divided into two halves. One continued to watch the wedding while the other furiously complied the information that he had on hand. Two sides working independently of each other, yet remaining perfectly aware of the other. If he hadn't come to Tokyo, Akira knew he never would have been capable of such a thing. If he hadn't come to Tokyo, there's a lot of things about his life that would have been different.

He never would have met Sadayo, he never would have gotten to know her, and he never would have fallen in love with her. It was because of her she was sitting her, utterly captivated by her heartfelt speech wishing Nakaya-sensei and Hiranuma-san a lifetime of happiness. He clapped for her, more so than anyone else, more so than his two teammates.

She knew that her eyes shouldn't have gone to him, but they did. Maybe they were being overly cautious, they probably were. Regardless, she looked straight at him, and Akira looked back at her. Though they were both smiling, the true light of their smiles were only for each other.

As the wedding had gone on, it grew harder and harder to keep away from each other. The mood had already turned romantic before the bride and groom even exchanged their wedding vows, and after that, it thickened. Bombastic cheers went up when the pair publicly kissed, thus igniting a firestorm of applauses from the guests. Nakaya and Hiranuma took the first slice of the wedding cake, signaling the start of the real wedding feast. The Kujaku Hall, the meeting room, was the perfect place for that.

In spite of the festive atmosphere, there were still rules. Namely no alcohol for the students under eighteen. That included Akira, Ann, and Shiho, but not Haru. The fluffy-haired brunette had sheepishly told them it probably wasn't a good idea for her to try to sink them any alcohol. Ann pouted while Akira merely shrugged. It wasn't like he'd never had a drink before, especially give who he was dating. He spotted said woman one table away, enjoying a swing of bear. She was too caught up in her drinking to notice Akira, at least at first. As she felt his eyes on her, he looked away. He knew that she wasn't fooled.

And apparently, Ann wasn't either.

"Hey, Akira? Any reason why you were staring at Ms. Kawakami? What, have you caught her out drinking before?" An inquired.

"Hmm, like two times." He casually answered. There was a list's worth of excuses he could give in response to the questions his teammates could ask. Lying wasn't something he enjoyed doing, but he'd grown extremely good at it, even with his own teammates. "She knows how to hold her liquor."

"Huh, I always wonder where we'll be when we finally get around to drinking." The blonde girl mused, her eyes slowly drifting to Haru.

"Oh, don't look at me. I'm not really in a big hurry to find out." Haru defended with a laugh. "Still, my father has told me to be careful when I start drinking, to start out slow and learn what my limits were."

"My parents said the same thing, though my dad added he'd prefer it if I never got around to drinking." Shiho laughed. Her laughter was the catalyst for the rest of them. "Still though, drinking at a formal event like this seems nice."

"I'll raise you one better, eating at one is the best!" Her best friend exclaimed. Akira and Haru shared a look between one another. They both knew though Ann was happily moving through the main course meals such as the sliced-up steak and occasional skewers, what she was really hungry for were the desserts, of which there were many of. She was reserving herself until the happy couple cut the first slice of the wedding cake. They'd all see how Ann's eyes sparkled upon seeing it, then the rest of the dessert bar. "I gotta say though, having a wedding like this is pretty awesome."

"It is. Personally, I chose the perfect place for it." Haru added with a dreamy look in her eyes. Her gazed turned around them, clearly showing her drinking in the sight. Akira took a moment to admire how serene she looked. He knew the reason why; he was surprised with what she said next. "I don't know why, but it feels like my last experience with marriages and weddings didn't end so well."

Akira's eyes flew wide open.

"Really? But didn't you say that you attended some wedding for one of your dad's employees?" Ann inquired.

"Yes, but, now…when I try to think about it, my memory gets a bit fuzzy. I don't know if it was because of something I ate or something that I drank." The heiress noted.

"Um, do you…think you were even really there? Do you remember who the wedding was for?" Shiho asked.

"Hmm, when I try to think about it, no. Only vaguely. It was in late October, when the fall leaves were on full display. It was…beautiful, I think." With a shake of her head, she reached forward and stuck her fork into the sliced salmon that she'd stacked her plate with. Her intense thinking was quickly forgotten about as she bit into it.

Ann and Shiho followed suit, and Akira pretended to as well. Sugimura. The name rippled through his mind in the form of a growl. From the looks of things, Haru had completely forgotten that she was due to be married to a complete scumbag by her father, who he'd seen die on live TV back in October. The wedding she was describing couldn't have taken place, instead what had happened was a funeral-her father's funeral.

"Even for us, the dead suddenly don't get back up and come back to life. Not…not without something dangerous being afoot."

Goro had been so right about that, and he'd been proven more correct as they explored the Palace that had appeared atop the Odaiba stadium.

His mind buzzed with those thoughts as he continued to eat with his friends and classmates. Not one of them suspected that his mind was racing a mile a minute trying to understand these oddities, not even his teammates who shared his supernatural life. They seemed to have forgotten that life completely, as if it never happened.

But not Sadayo, who remained aware of it, yet she seemed to be at a half-way point of some sort.

-o-

Akira wasn't thinking about the myriad of oddities that had been plaguing him and everyone around him since the new year started. He was focused entirely on his girlfriend.

Part of the problem with being in a secret relationship was it meant that some public activities couldn't be done, at least not with too many eyes watching. Seemingly a quarter of Shujin was watching them so if they did dance, they'd have to keep it low-key. That also meant that they would have to dance with others; normally, that wouldn't have been too difficult, but it was proving hard to tolerate at the moment.

Akira Kurusu watched as his girlfriend danced with one of her coworkers, Jūshirō Awashima, the AP history and civics teachers. Personally, Akira had no particular disdain for the man, they'd only interacted once or twice, and those times had been civil. That was in the past though. In the present, he was currently dancing with his girl, and Akira could see that he was very much enjoying the dance.

The music sure as hell wasn't helping matters.

Naturally, it was all romantic songs, classical music and a few pop songs-something for everyone. It was sure as hell setting the mood. The first song, the heartfelt and emotional "Shiawase o Forever" by Misia. Akira was pretty sure his opinion that it was amongst the top ten wedding songs was shared by many others; the blissful expressions on everyone's faces as the song played for the bride and groom seemed to cement that. Following it, a plethora of other romantic songs had begun to play, including a few foreign ones.

Any one of them would have been a pleasure to dance to; they were dancing, just not with each other. Akira stood on the sidelines as he watched Sadayo and Awashima-sensei share another dance. Every now and then, her dark brown eyes would meet his. He could see the worry mounting in her eyes and it concerned him. So he smiled at her, he smiled as best he could. This wasn't what he wanted, but he had a feeling it would happen.

Try as she might to hide it, Akira could see that she was enjoying the dance to. Yes, they were together, but that didn't meant that they couldn't share a casual dance or two with others. She danced with others, and so had Akira.

Out of curtsy, he'd danced with Ann and Shiho. With the former, he asked who she would rather have had for a partner: Ryuji, Morgana, or Yusuke. She begrudgingly said Ryuji, but Akira could see the glint in her eyes. He half-jokingly said that next time then, he'd invite him. Ann's blushing face and frantic attempt to downplay her response was a sight to see.

Yep, no matter what's going on, I've got to make sure that Ryuji comes to another event like this. The question with that future promise was how would Morgana react to it? Akira could venture a guess and found the results would be equal part annoying and equal part amusing.

"Um, Akira?" Called the voice of his fluffy-haired teammate and friend. Breaking out of his observation, Akira looked to his right to find her standing about two feet from him. The expression on her face was rather obvious. "I was wondering if you…um, would you be up for a dance?"

"His response was immediate. "Sure, I'd be honored, Haru."

"Actually, I think the honor is mine." The heiress giggled back, gently taking his hand. Though Haru handled the heaviest weaponry of the team had a sadist slumbering in her, her hands were as soft as flowers. That darkness aside, she was a kind girl whom he was glad to have been able to save from an abusive marriage; he was even happier to have her as a friend.

The thing is, Akira knew that's what he saw her as, but he had an overwhelming feeling that she saw him as something a little more than that.

He heard a piano playing on the speakers signaling the start of a new song. Haru had been waiting for it to begin so she could share a full dance with her. There was no problem in obliging her. As they gently swayed to the playing music, he saw Sadayo and Awashima-sensei still dancing together. The latter looked to be enjoying himself, the former…somewhat less so. She saw her boyfriend and one of her students begin to sway to the music together.

It was Sadayo's turn to nod in understanding acceptance. Akira's smile was brief, but as bright as the sun itself.

Mou sukoshi (A Little longer)

Akira mentally cocked an eyebrow. Wow.

Hey, it could have been much worse. Besides, I must say, this song is…quite fitting. Satanael chuckled. He wasn't even trying to hide the amusement he felt at his human half's predicament. How he made it through it would be quite a sight, him, and his lover.

Mou sukoshi nee mou sukoshi (A little longer, please a little longer)

Anata no soba ni i sasete yo (Let me continue to be by your side)

Hontou wa zutto koko ni koushite itai kara (The truth is, I wish we could remain like this forever)

Mou sukoshi nee mou sukoshi (A little longer, please a little longer)

Anata no yume wo mi sasete yo (Let me continue to dream of you)

Owari no konai futari no sekai wo (In a world of you and I, which doesn't come to an end)

Tsuyoku dakishimimete futari no jikan (As we embrace each other tightly, the time you and I..)

Togire Togire (bit by bit)

Omoide bakari ga fuete (Only memories accumulate)

Kono mama yume wo mi sasete (Please let me continue to dream, as it is..)

The piano continued to play, and with it, the dancing continued. Akira liked to dance, his mother had happily taught him and she'd been the one he'd practiced with. He'd watched his parents dance together and in the back of his mind always wondered if he would ever be able to do that with that special girl. Fortune may not have always been with him, but he'd gotten lucky in that he'd gotten to fulfil his wish. This wasn't quite it though. However, he was sure that Haru was having a long-held wish of hers fulfilled, and he was betting so too was Awashima-sensei.

Ato sukoshi nee ato sukoshi watashi wo dakishimete ite (A little remains please! A little remains)

Itsunomanika fukai nemuri ni hairu made (Continue to embrace me in your arms, without realizing, until we fall into deep slumber)

Ato sukoshi nee ato sukoshi nagai (A little remains please! A little remains)

Kisu wo shiyou (Let's have a long kiss)

Karada ga tokete shimau made (Til our bodies melt away completely)

Akira had wanted to laugh. While swaying to the music, his eyes met Sadayo's from across several feet. It seemed both of them were in their own little words, gazing off into the stars where the other lay. They wanted to reach out for that glimmering star, but knew that would shatter the hearts of their respective dance partners; so, they continued to dance with them, enjoying the dance for what it was worth.

Karendaa mekeru tabi (Whenever we turn over the calendar)

Futari no jikan togire togire (The time you and I, bit by bit)

Omoide bakari ga fuete (Only memories accumulate)

Kono mama yume wo mi sasete (Please let me continue to dream, as it is)

Mou sukoshi nee mou sukoshi watashi wo terashite ite (A little longer please! A little longer to continue to shine on me)

Nagareboshi no you ni kie nai de ne (You won't vanish like a shooting star, will you?)

Hakanai yume no you ni (Just like a fleeting dream)

With those last keys from the piano, the song concluded, and with it, some of the dances. A brief reprieve fell over the dance floor as some couples separated for a break while others merely took a small break in preparation for the next song.

As much as Akira wanted to look away to see what his girlfriend and the history teacher were doing, his focus was locked in on Haru. Throughout the whole dance, her face had been shimmering with romantic affection for him. As the song played, he watched that affection build up within her; there was only one way that Haru could let it out.

Sadayo, I really hope you'll forgive me for this. That was the prayer he murmured as his teammate and friend leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. He accepted it, but he didn't exactly recuperate it like one might have.

Haru noticed that, it was one of the contributing factors that made her pull away almost ten seconds after the kiss had begun. "I-I-I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It was…great. You're a pretty good kisser, Haru." Okay, maybe that probably wasn't the best thing for him to say at the moment. For the most part, he was playing this whole thing by ear and hoping it didn't blow up in his face. "Thank you for the dance, Haru."

"I should be the one thanking you. I've wanted to do that with you for a long time." She giggled. Her cheeks flushed red just a second later. "T-T-T-The dance I mean."

"The kiss was pretty nice too." He added. Again, maybe it was for the best that he didn't add that, but the words slipped out of him. Honestly, he did think Haru was a good kisser, she just wasn't the best one he'd ever had.

That honor went to the woman standing about six feet from him. To Akira's great relief, Sadayo's wasn't angry; there wasn't a hint of anger or heartbreak to be found on her.

"Still quite the charmer, aren't you?" She casually remarked walking toward him.

"Heheh, sorry. It's not my fault that girls can't help but be attracted to me."

"Uh-huh. Not every girl." Akira laughed as he knew that was a lie, and Sadayo knew it was a lie too. Laughing, she held out her hand. "So, you up for a dance with your language teacher this evening?"

He quickly took her offered hand, feeling the familiar warmth flow into him. "For you, Ms. Kawakami, always." Her hand curled around his.

The next song began, and with it, their swaying.

"I'm sorry." Akira whispered, knowing that only she could hear him. In spite of that softness, his voice was filled with heartfelt yearning and sorrow. He knew that she'd seen the kiss and felt like he'd committed a betrayal of her trust and love.

Until she spoke two simple words.

"It's okay." The invisible tension that had been gripping Akira was dispelled. Looking into one another's eyes, she laughed, enjoying the shocked look on his face. Its presence as well as the genuine sorrow in his apology were all proof that what her student had for her wasn't just a silly crush. She'd known that long before, but she liked being reminded of it from time to time. "It's okay, Akira."

They both had promised each other that they'd share a dance together. It may have taken time and they may have had to go through a few obstacles, but in the end, they'd kept their promise to each other.

"You gave an awesome wedding speech." The black-haired youth whispered again, still keeping his voice low so that none but her could hear it.

"Thanks. I spent almost an hour practicing it and hoping I didn't screw it up." Her response was jubilant. She was fighting the urge to rest her head on his shoulder as she liked to do, but such a thing might have been seed as too intimate by some.

Though finally together, they restrained themselves. That restraint could endure for a couple more hours longer until they got home.

---

Yongen-Jaya, Several Hours later…

Half-way on the trip back, they met up. From there, the rest of the trip was taken together; the destination was her apartment. Akira was quite familiar with it, having spent almost all of December living there. Any longer and he'd come to see it as home in the same way as his attic. There was a chance that it would in time.

Was it optimistic to think that way? Yeah, it probably was a bit overly optimistic, but Akira chose to believe that. It wasn't that he believed his future would be bright, he knew that darkness loomed in it, just the same it did for everyone. What was important was that you kept on going, even when the way forward was shrouded in shadows.

He followed close behind her as she opened the door and stepped in. Everything went like clockwork, her setting her purse and a few other bags down, namely sealed up desserts given to her as a thank you gift from the wedding. Together, they put those things up, ending at the fridge which Akira closed. The pair locked eyes with each other.

In the next second, their lips met, hunger pumping through them and being satisfied with every second of the kiss. Hands shot out, wrapping around one another ad holding one another close. Lip locked, they began to move, just barely avoiding pumping into the furniture. Short breaks for air came and went; they didn't look to their surroundings; they kept their gazes on each other.

They toppled to the couch in a tangled mass of limbs and kisses. Neither of them stopped, only indulging in a brief break for air, then going back to devouring each other's lips.

"Akira," The teacher whispered when they broke for air.

He loosened up his tie, followed by the first two buttons of his dress shirt. "I had a lot of dun at the wedding." He declared.

She smiled at him. "I'm happy to hear that. I…had a lot of fun too." A jolt of amorous excitement raced through her as she felt her boyfriend's arms wrap around her waist, bring her close against him. "My dance with Jūshirō…I enjoyed it, but not as much as my dance with you."

His trademark chuckle made her heart flutter, as did the glint in his eyes. Sadayo visibly shook with excitement as his seductive grin shown, and it did so just for her. "Same here." Their lips met again in another kiss. It started out soft and tender, but inevitably turned passionate.

Her apartment and his attic had always been private sanctuaries for them. Rather fitting given that's what the definition of a home was. Akira had been the first to open his up to her, and she in turn had opened up hers to him.

"When you were dancing with Haru, that was…that was the proper way for things to go." The brunette whispered when they separated again. "Either her or Ann…or Shiho. A girl your own age."

"Yeah, I know," Akira admitted. "In another life, that's how things might have gone…but that isn't this life." Looking straight into her eyes, he affirmed his decision again. That determined stare of his was one of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him. "I know it's unusual, unthinkable even, but this is the path I've chosen."

"The path we've chosen." She corrected. "It's a strange one, an unthinkable one to be honest, but I'm proud that we chose it." Reaching up and cupping his face. The desire to intimately touch him had burned within her the moment she saw him at the wedding. If her fellow teachers could have read her mind, they'd have been disgusted she were having such amorous thoughts of a student. She pictured the first thing they would have done was compare her to Kamoshida. Sadayo always braced herself for those, knowing that they would come if anyone looked to her and Akira from an outside perspective.

What they had was strange, unusual, unthinkable, forbidden, illegal, yet they cherished the relationship and had fought to maintain it.

"Akira, could we…dance again?"

"Another dance, you know, you took the words right out of my mouth."

He got up from her, still holding his hand and using it to help her up. They'd lost about twenty percent of their clothing, having been in the process of getting settled in for the night. Akira had lost his tie, unbuttoned his shirt and ditched his black jacket. As for Sadayo, she'd let her hair come undone and removed her gloves. Both of them stood barefoot and proud, their feet being warmed up via their movements and the carpet floor beneath them.

Akira had pulled out his ring and placed it around his neck, it stood as a perfect mirror to the one that lay around his girlfriend's neck. The two of them took some time to admire the twin rings engraved with their initials, mementos from their trip to Hawaii.

"Thanks for wearing it." She murmured as they gently swayed to an unheard beat.

"It was given to me by my girlfriend. If I don't' go out on certain occasions with it, I feel like I'm missing something." Came the Phantom Thief's response. "Someday, I'm planning on wearing it on my finger."

"Really?" In spite of trying to sound playful, a jolt raced through Sadayo at his words. Hearing that declaration sent her heart into a fast-paved flutter, even as she continued to gently sway to the side with Akira. "You'd wear it on top of an ordinary wedding ring?"

"Yep. How's about you?"

"Hehehe, I don't think I'd mind. Besides, I'm happy to let people know that I've found that special someone and I'm so devoted to him."

His face morphing into a heartfelt smile. Sadayo's own brightened. They both began to lean forward, their lips second away from connecting when their tranquility was broken.

Ring! Ring!

Akira groaned. "Somebody better be on their way to the hospital." His girlfriend giggled as she removed herself from his arms so he could go pick up his phone.

While he did so, an idea came to her leading her to walking back into the kitchen to get her own phone from her purse. She just decided to take her entire purse back to her room rather than wait and come back for it later. Bits of the conversation that had interrupted their dance could be heard.

"What? No, no, that's not how you make a castella cake! You should have used better honey!" It was clear he was fighting to keep his annoyance in check. The Japanese language teacher found it pretty funny.

Almost three minutes later and the call ended. Akira took a minute to caress his brow. "Note to self, write down a few recipes and leave the rest to them."

"All finished?" His girlfriend called. Turning around, he was quite happy to see that she'd stuck around.

"Yeah, hopefully for the night. Think any good would with trying to teach Ryuji how to cook?"

"Haven't you taught him before? And didn't you say that…didn't quite go as bad as it could have?"

"It could have gone worse." The memory was crystal clear in his mind. "What's the worse that could happen?"

"Food poisoning?" She offered.

"Oh come, Ryuji's not that bad. At least he's not Makoto."

There was a beat as they stared at each other.

"…I…I remember that one." The brunette mused. "She tried to give cooking a try during the school festival and the results were so horrible it sent three students to the nurse's office."

Akira's stomach trembled at the memory. When it came to cooking, some people were naturally gifted, some got better through trial and error, and for some there was just error. Error so bad that they should have been banded from the kitchen. He didn't quite want to say that Makoto fell into that category, but…well, he thought it best she stay away from cooking for a while.

His mind was drawn away from the memory as he heard music playing. Looking to his girlfriend, he caught the smile that was brimming on her face. She held up her hand; he took it without a second's hesitation and guided her back to the living room.

"Like I said, when you were dancing with Haru…that's…how things would have normally turned out. How a lot of people would say things should have turned out." Sadayo stated looking directly into his eyes. "I tried to push you onto that path because it would have been the best for you." Her smile turned sad as she yet again toyed with that possibility. The pain manifested on her heart.

As the beat began to pick up, Akira tightened his hold on his teacher's waist and brought their lips together.

Moment of Honesty,

Someone's gotta take the lead tonight

Who's it gonna be?

I'm gonna sit right here

And tell you all that comes to me

If you have something to say

You should say it right now

As the echo sounded, they separated.

You ready?

"I didn't want any other girl, and I still don't." The Phantom Thief declared, his eyes burning with the same intensity as they did the evening he confessed to her.

Sadayo's hands tightened his backside. "And I…wanted you too, even if I didn't want to admit it."

You give me a feeling that I never felt before

And I deserve it, I think I deserve it (I think I deserve it, I think deserve it…Let it go)

It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore

I can't take it (I can't take it)

I was wondering maybe

Could I make you my baby

If we do the unthinkable, would it make us look crazy

If you ask me, I'm ready

"I'm just happy you said yes." The teenager whispered.

"I'm glad that you waited for me too, and gave me the extra push to go forward with this." Came her jubilant response. It was funny how that tense afternoon she believed would be one of dread and disappointment had turned out to be the opposite.

I know you once said to me,

"This is exactly how it should when it's meant to be,"

Time is only wasting, so why wait for eventually?

If we gonna do something 'bout it

We should do it right now (We should do it right now)

Bay, uh

You give me a feeling that I never felt before

And I deserve it, I know I deserve it (I deserve it, I know I deserve it, Let it go)

It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore

It's what we make it (It's what we make it)

I was wondering maybe

Could I make you my baby

If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy

Or would it be so beautiful, either way, I'm sayin'

If you ask me, I'm ready (If you ask me, I'm ready)

If you ask me, I'm ready

"Sadayo,"

"Since then…I haven't been given any reason to stop, and I'm glad I haven't give you a reason either." Though he continued to sprinkle her with affectionate kisses, she'd subtly come to control the dance. All the time he spent with her had paid off incredibly well.

Why give up before we try?

Feel the lows before the highs

Clip our wings before we fly away

I can't say I came prepared

I'm suspended in the air

Won't you come be in the sky with me?

I was wondering maybe

Could I make you my baby

If we do the unthinkable, would it make us look crazy

Or would it be so beautiful, either way I'm sayin'

If you ask me, I'm ready

Akira felt the edge of the bed beneath his legs. Still holding onto his girlfriend, he sat down, holding her in his lap as he did so. His intuition told him that his girlfriend was building up to something; he had a gut feeling what it was.

"Whatever you're going through…I'll be ready to support you" Her voice lined up with Alicia Keys' echoing lyrics perfectly. Akira's eyes widened, then softened.

I'm ready I'm ready

Gently, he turned the two of them over so she was lying on the bed with him looming over her. "I will…but for tonight…let's just make it about us. No one and nothing else."

She sighed, yet smiled at him none the less. "Alright, but I won't accept anything but your best."

His grin turned from heartfelt to seductive, a change that made her heart flutter in excitement.

All of the feelings they'd let accumulate for the last week came pouring out from that moment onward. They'd reached a fever pitch during the wedding where the two had to constraint themselves. The second they were in the teacher's apartment, that restraint came undone.

---

"It's…wow."

"Yeah, Palaces tend to invoke that reaction, but I'll be honest, this one's in a bit of a category all on its own." Akira remarked. His words rung true on multiple levels as this Palace was unusual in so many ways that it had fallen into its own special placement. A part of him was genuinely unnerved at the secrets it might hold. He simply couldn't shake the foreboding feeling within him.

His girlfriend was getting that same feeling as she stared at the metaphysical mass of architecture that sat atop the incomplete stadium. It was her first time seeing a Palace with her own eyes, and it showed, even as she tried to hide it. "So…no one else can see this? Not even your teammates?"

"Just me, Goro, and Kasumi." He replied with a slight grimace.

"Only you three." Even though there was a lot about the Metaverse she didn't yet understand, Sadayo still tried to learn fast. For starters, she knew if anyone had that strange power, Persona, they could see these Palaces and explore them. That should have went for this one as well, but apparently not. "You three. Akira, you're special amongst Persona users, Akechi-kun was…" Her chest tightened as she tried to figure out what category to put the former Prince Detective. "Well, you said he's a Wild Card like you." He nodded, seemingly going with it. "That just leaves Yoshizawa-san…Yoshizawa-san…"

Holding onto her hand, Akira watched his girlfriend's face tighten in concentration. This wasn't expected. True, Sadayo had been shocked speechless, but now that she'd recovered her wits, it seemed the mysterious Palace was a puzzle that she was trying hard to solve, just like him.

Hm, another indicator that you two are a good match, eh?

"Sadayo," Akira began. "What is it?"

"I don't know, it's just…Yoshizawa-san…she can see this Palace too. She's not a Wild Card like either you or Akechi-kun. She's…she's…wait, you mean Kasumi Yoshizawa, right?"

Her boyfriend titled his head in confusion. "Yeah, I mean, unless there's a…"

"Sumire," she answered for him, "Sumire Yoshizawa, a first-year student." Before she could say anything else, the wind itself seemed to pick up around them. It may have been natural, but Akira didn't take any chances. His right hand untangled itself from Sadayo's left, his entire arm wrapped around her, pulling her close. "A-A-Akira," the teacher whispered in shock.

Instead of her, he was looking around, his eyes as sharp as razors. Sadayo had rarely seen his eyes take such form, though when they did, it was because he felt the situation warranted it. Looking back at the Palace, she felt that just maybe this was one of those times.

For what felt like hours, Akira held his girlfriend against him, his senses on full alert as he surveyed the surroundings just as he did as Joker of the Phantom Thieves. Sadayo was mostly silent as she too was doing her own analysis of things. Her gaze fell back on the Palace, the towering bizarre mass of architecture that defied every notion of common sense. This was what her boyfriend and his friends, her students, spent their time exploring? An even more pressing question gnawed at her, what kind of human mind could produce something as distorted as this?

Rather she liked it or not, she knew that her boyfriend wasn't going to rest until he found out, and yet again, the fate of the world may have depended on that.

"Akira, I…I think we're okay." Her whispering voice drew his attention like a lightning rod. He looked apprehensive, but relented none the less. The teenager still kept his arm around her, something that Sadayo appreciated. "I can't put my figure on it, but…I don't get that whole 'evil overlord' vibe from it like you said most Palaces tend to have."

"Me neither, but that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. We've already encountered our fair share of trouble on our way up." His serious expression melted as he looked to her. "But it hasn't been anything we couldn't handle. A phantom thief, a dark knight, and a ballerina make for a pretty cool team."

"Bizarre is another word that I'd use." Sadayo laughed. "Still…I'm worried that it's just you three. Especially since you and Akechi-kun…"

"We've still got the truce going." He affirmed, then looked back at the towering Palace. "He's just as disturbed by all of this as I am, especially his whole being alive." Turning his gaze back to her, the Phantom Thief's gaze softened. "Sadayo…I…I don't know anything for sure, but-"

"You think this is the cause of all of it, right? All the weirdness that's been happening? How everyone seems so…happy." She deduced.

"Sadayo," he whispered.

"Do what you guys always do." His eyes widened at her words. Spinning around, she raised both hands and placed them against his cheeks. Somehow, in spite of the light snow and cold breeze, they'd managed to stay warm. That warmth passed into his cheeks. "Akira, I'm not going to pretend that I've fully wrapped my head around what's going on. I'm still struggling to accept what happened last December, but I know one thing-if this thing is here, then it's not a good thing. There are things here that simply shouldn't be…no matter…how much we may want them to be. Heh, I've seen enough to know that at some point down the line, this is going to turn bad somewhere, so someone had better be there when it does."

Akira's right hand rose and fell atop the teacher's left. Though her words were confident, they also carried a tinge of resignation in them. That light sorrow showed on her face as well. He had a feeling that she as right, and someone was going to have to be there when things went south…but she wasn't happy that someone was going to have to be him.

"I'll keep my promise." He affirmed in a gentle yet firm voice; his girlfriend knew it all too well.

"I know you will." She laughed, reaching up and pecking him on the lips. Fortune was still with them as there was practically no one in front of the still under construction stadium. Sadayo imagined that came as a boon to the odd trio that had set out to explore this Palace. "Just…crossing my fingers that this one doesn't involve some super scary bones jetting out of the ground and the sky literally raining blood."

"Crossing my fingers too, but hey, in this life, anything can happen." He moved his arms around her waist and held her close. "Regardless of whatever this is, we'll beat it, and I'll come back to you like I always do."

Both of their faces lit up with smiles as they leaned forward simultaneously. Instead of a simple peck on the lips, it was a full-on kiss, one that they savored before the supernatural construct that radiated an unearthly aura. For a moment, it was just as invisible to them as it was to the rest of the world. The sorrow that bubbled from within it was burned away by the love emanated by the man and woman in front of it.

Upon breaking the kiss, the couple departed, leaving the Palace behind them. It would linger in both their minds, linger being the word in Sadayo's case as she knew her boyfriend would be tasked in fully exploring it, and likely bringing it down. That would be anything but easy, especially with only two teammates, but Akira trusted them with his life. Most importantly, Sadayo trusted Akira.

She had to have thought it absurd a hundred times by now, the relationship that they shared. It wasn't one of teacher and student, but one of lovers. For a time, they were secret lovers, but Sadayo liked to believe that one day, they'd be able to lose the secret part. For that to happen, they'd have to be patient. She had faith they could be that, and so did he; they'd made it this far after all.

They were both confident that they'd be able to lose the secret part of their relationship. As they discussed the night before, if they could…then they wouldn't mind a repeat of yesterday, except instead of a guest and a bridesmaid, the wedding would be theirs. No more hiding.

It was a far-off dream, but one that they felt they could pursue, that they would pursue. Reaching it wouldn't be easy, but Akira Kurusu and Sadayo Kawakami knew the most important things in life were the things that you had to fight for, that's part of what made them valuable.

---

It's been a while since I've done a straight Joker/Kawakami One-Shot, mostly since "Not What You Were Expecting" has eaten up a lot of my writing time. This was a break in that as well as my previous stories which were all most set in the same continuity.

This story was my stab at writing life going on for Akira during the events of the Third Semester, and how some of his Confidants could potentially be affected. The entire story came from the throwaway line about how dozens of Sadayo's colleagues were having "fairy tale weddings", yeah, I don't think anyone had to think too hard about where those were coming from. Still, it was an interesting little throwaway bit that I decided to roll with, and it lined up well with my favorite P5 couple. I decided why not explore Akira and Sadayo attending a wedding for a Shujin teacher and the little adventure that would ensue, including a test of their relationship. Given what sort of one they have, they can't exactly show up as a couple, can they?

Intermixing with the above was my desire to put some more songs in my stories. Alicia Keyes being one of my favorite singers, I personally thought Unthinkable was a good song choice for the two of them since the song's about an uncommon or perhaps even forbidden relationship, but going through with it anyway. That was the original intent, but once I started writing and got to the actual wedding segment, I decided to just outright add another song, one that might seem appropriate, thus I spent almost an hour browsing Japanese wedding songs and romantic songs; an unexpected but enjoyable amount of time spent. The one I landed on was Kiroro's Mou Sukoshi (A Little Longer) which I felt oddly felt. Especially since I added Haru to the mix. If limited to the core team...she'd be who I would ship Akira with the most. It's pretty much canon that she's somewhat smitten with Joker, so I added a potentially romantic dance where just for a little bit, they can seem like a couple. On the other hand, I felt it suited Akira and Sadayo since their time together is limited and they'd like to spend just a little while longer with each other. While listening to it, I also couldn't help but think of Haru's unwitting role in this.

Finally, at the end, I had Sadayo taking a peek at Maruki's Palace alongside Akira. It's similar to my previous three-chapter Tae story where she was able to see the Palace as well. Though Sadayo outright entering the Metaverse is a dangerous unlikely, the third Semester gave us a Palace coming to the real world with only a handful able to see it. I rolled with her close connection to Akira being enough for her to see it as well, though I'd like to have shown it in more detail. Ah, that's what a potential sequel could be for, one involving our favorite teacher (and former maid), a certain little sister gymnast, and potentially a well-meaning researcher with snacks.

Hopefully, you all enjoyed this little story. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to NWYWE within the month. Until then, take care, everyone!