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Damned to Hell
Saturday —June 06, 2021
Breakfast was relatively peaceful, for everyone was getting along. It was a strange crowd although their outward appearance would have made it easy to assume they had all been good friends for a while. However, there was always an awkward air between them and no one knew what exactly was the right thing to say...or whether it was even worth mentioning. Usually, the tensions sat between two people in particular, but this morning was different. Ren was sitting at their table where his phone began to ring. He turned up the volume before answering it, seemingly unassuming. The voice on the other line was painfully shrill and hysterical.
"How could you leave your family? We need help! You didn't even tell us!"
The voice boomed despite Ren's attempts to crank the volume back down—or better yet mute it.
"You are a selfish boy and all you think about is yourself! You left us when we needed you the most—"
The woman's distressed voice ended abruptly as did the phone call. The room tried to carry on the conversation but no one was paying attention to whatever was being said. The conversation trickled to an end, leaving them all in a pregnant silence. However, Ren resumed his breakfast as if the call never took place and his face recalled its usual guarded-look. The group would steal glances with each other here and there albeit no one wanted to ask for the longest time. Eventually, Ann plucked up the courage.
"Are you okay, Ren?" she asked cautiously.
"Yeah," Ren said slowly but responded a bit too quickly to be true. However, they all knew he was not going to talk now regardless. "I need to get ready before we go. Excuse me."
He rose stiffly to his feet, still evidently carrying the pain from Thursday with him. His lip began to heal, the swelling around his eye went down, and Ren began to gain more mobility in his wrist, which left the bruises to heal on their own time. Morgana hopped down from the counter and followed the boy from the kitchen and down the hall. Ryuji had the common sense to wait until Ren was out of earshot before he asked his question.
"What was that about?" he inquired, whispering to the best of his ability.
"It was a woman's voice and she mentioned family," Goro said in exasperation when no one else could answer. "It was his mother."
Everyone's eyes widened and it finally occurred to Goro that Ren may not have talked about his family as much with them. He picked up his own plate and promptly left the table to retreat to his own room. However, as he was passing, he felt a tug that took him to Ren's door. His feet moved on their own accord and he found himself knocking on the door before walking right in.
"Shit," Ren cursed and leaped to his feet, Morgana hopping off the bed. "What?"
"You have my charger," Goro said simply and a bit shortly, choosing to ignore the rude greeting.
Ren grunted and ran a hand through his hair, grabbing the charger but keeping his face hidden from view the entire time. Goro's eyebrows pinched together in disapproval.
"Who was that?" Goro asked, pointing behind him to the general direction of the kitchen. "On the phone."
"I need to run to the gas station," Ren replied instead and grabbed his jacket from his chair, slinging it over his arm. However, Goro sidestepped to block him. "Please."
He heard Ren's voice break, but he reacted too slowly. Ren slipped past him and out the door, practically flying down the hallway until he reached the front entrance. The buzz of conversation in the kitchen died as the resounding bang of a door echoed throughout the townhouse. Goro sighed and decided to corner the next best person—or cat. Before Morgana could escape, he closed Ren's door to effectively trap them both in the same room.
"Was it his mother?" he demanded in an authoritative tone.
"Duh," Morgana said with a shake of his head, sitting back on his haunches. "You already knew that so why ask me?"
"Because you are the only one to have met Ren's family," Goro replied testily. One did not have to be a rocket scientist to put that together. "I, on the other hand, merely had the fleeting delight of hearing about them."
Morgana looked suspiciously at him as if gaging how much he should reveal about the other. Goro groaned in both annoyance and impatience.
"He would have never told me about his family if he truly did not want me finding out."
"They see him as a walking paycheck," Morgana said with a roll of his blue eyes, swiping a tongue over the fur on his chest. He flicked his tail.
"And beyond that?" Goro pressed, slipping easily into the role of an interrogator.
"Nothing," Morgana replied simply and stretched, fur rippling along his spine as he straightened up and stretched the other way. "He's pretty much invisible."
"What about the scars on his torso?" Goro inquired sharply, mind flashing to the memory of seeing Ren without a shirt; his face grew hot almost immediately, but now was not the time. He forced himself back to the present. "Are those self-inflicted or from something...or someone else?"
Morgana flicked his ears to the side, those blue eyes staring at him without blinking. "If you care so much, you need to ask the source directly, Akechi."
Goro growled in frustration and raked his fingers through his hair. "Like he would talk to me."
"You would be surprised," Morgana replied, barely audible.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Times Square looked like any other New York City block, but it was far more crowded and there were tourists stopping traffic for pictures. It was no different than the tourists in Tokyo. Ren led the group down the streets, only to be stopped when Ann grabbed him by the crook of his elbow and yanked him back.
"Picture time!"
"Really?" Ryuji groaned.
"Shut up and deal with it," Ann said sharply and pulled out her phone, winking at the camera as the rest of the group gathered around. "Goro, hurry up!"
Goro knew better than to argue at this point, so he clambered into the back of the photo with Yusuke, who was the tallest, and Ren, who was the second tallest. He found he did not have to force a smile the way he usually did when he made public appearances. She snapped a picture and squealed at how well it had turned out, quite pleased with the results.
"I'm posting it on the school page!" Ann said and clapped her hands together. "There are like...a thousand shops I want to see!"
Just then, the digital billboard flashed a red warning: AUDIENCE DISCRETION. APPREHENDED SUSPECT OF ASSAULTS AGAINST CHILDREN IN CENTRAL PARK FLED THIS MORNING.
"Shit," Ryuji said, eyes widening. "The name's Bernard Gahr or something—"
"Name successfully found. Location...Mementos."
Everyone jumped at the random voice; Ren yanked out his phone as it began vibrating stronger than it would with a regular notification. He stared at his screen as did everyone else, frowning when he saw an app with a logo of a red eye…
"Begin navigation?"
"What?" Ann breathed, staring at her phone with shaky hands. "It's the MetaNav app!"
"Shit, shit, shit," Ryuji said and ran a hand through his short, spiky hair. "The hell this thing back for?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Morgana said from the bag, popping out and craning over Ren's shoulder to shake his head at them impatiently. "There's a target in Mementos!"
"Oh shit," Ryuji said for the sixth time in less than a minute. "Seriously? I wanna check it out."
"Ryuji!"
"Wait!"
"No!"
"Idiot…"
The group of friends found their world warping around them, unable to stop it while Ryuji chuckled guiltily. The streets of Times Square melted away as walls emerged around them, producing a grand room with several portraits hung up on walls. The walls were plain white, but the frames of these portraits seemed to shimmer and gleam as if almost inviting the Phantom Thieves to come closer. The portraits depicted different things but the images inside were moving. One was a painting of a tree with leaves blowing softly in a silent breeze, a black silhouette walking around the base of the tree before lying down.
"Is this…?" Sumire murmured, shrinking in on herself a bit as she tried to take in her surroundings all at once. "This can't be—"
"Mementos," Morgana said with a nod, putting a paw on his sword's handle. "We're back."
"But...how?" Ann gasped, looking around.
"Mementos will never be lost as long as there are cognitions in this world," Morgana explained and began padding around, taking a closer look at the portraits and inspecting every detail of them. "If there are options, it must mean these images are testing us…"
"Huh?" Ryuji said loudly, scratching the back of his neck. "Testin' what though?"
"How well we know our target," Morgana replied and shook his head, a look of worry spreading across his feline-like features. "I'm not sure what's going on or why the MetaNav app came back, but it means there's a target nearby."
"We didn't even come up with a codename or location," Ann said, rubbing her forehead as she tried to make sense of their situation. "All we said was a name."
"And I suppose that's enough," Morgana said and pointed to the portraits. "Each one has a different setting, something the old Mementos didn't have. This means we can select targets without having to be in their exact location! But, this also means that…"
When he trailed off, everyone took a step closer, clinging onto every word.
"It means that we need to choose the right picture," Morgana finished and put paw on the shimmering frame, which caused the image to ripple promisingly. "Whichever picture best represents the cognition of our target. It's a trade off, see? We have more mobility in this Mementos, but we need to know more about our target than just a name, location, and keyword like before."
"I see," Goro said softly to Ren, who looked at him with a small frown. "But this still fails to explain why we can transform without the aid of this app."
"It's the same way Mona can come and go between the two worlds," Ren hypothesized thoughtfully, hands sticking themselves in the pockets of his pants. "I think."
"Now you sound like him," Goro grumbled and averted his attention back to the group's discussion.
"It's your call, Leader," Morgana said and turned to Ren; everyone followed in suit, looking at him expectantly. "What should we do, Joker?"
"Let's explore," Ren said with a nod.
"But which portrait is it?" Ryuji asked, holding up a hand to stop anyone from getting any closer. "I don't wanna choose the wrong one if we don't know what's gonna happen."
"I second that," Yusuke said, raising his hand.
"What do we know about the person?" Sumire asked, tapping her foot thoughtfully as she turned to face the group. "What was the name?"
"Bernard Gahr," Ann replied, folding her arms over her chest as she knit her eyebrows in concentration. "The leader of a New York City gang that has been terrorizing Central Park. He preys on teens who go there at night…"
She stopped, swallowing and unable to continue.
"Right," Ren said, filling in for her with an affirmative nod, although he seemed...far-off.
"So...you lost me, dude," Ryuji said as he stared at the four portraits that presented themselves. "We got trees in one, an apartment in the second, some office-thing in the third, and a waterfall in the fourth."
The rest of the group seemed to ponder each portrait until Morgana stepped forward and pointed at the one with a tree.
"It's Central Park, right? It's full of trees," the cat speculated. "I think it's this one. Any objections?"
The group chorused their agreements except Joker, who was staring at the one with the apartment. He was about to reach out, but stopped abruptly when Ann let out a shrill scream. Ryuji had touched the portrait and immediately disappeared within it, leaving without a trace.
"Follow the idiot," Morgana instructed and leaped into the painting after the impulsive boy.
The rest of the Phantom Thieves followed in suit, leaving Goro and Ren to stare at one another. Both exchanged looks, but the Leader ran forward and jumped into the portrait, leaving Goro to trail close behind. Together, they merged themselves into this cognition. A sensation of coldness washed over them as if they stepped through a waterfall, but it disappeared the moment they emerged on the other side, revealing a meadow with a single tree.
"This…" Goro paused as his eyes flicked this way and that, picking up on something that no one else could see. "This isn't right."
"Shit," Ryuji said and began to raise his voice. "Where the hell are we then? What's gonna happen?"
"Don't, don't!" Ann said, her voice rising in volume and pitch as her nerves got worse. "Oh, no!"
Ren stepped forward and turned to face the group, brandishing his knife as his eyes scanned over the clearing, seeing nothing but grass and the single tree. "He's right..."
"I can feel it," Goro said and curled his lip back in worry. "It feels like nothing's here."
"But how do you know we're wrong?" Ryuji asked again, this time a little more shakily. "I mean, do ya have a sixth sense for this sorta shit?"
"In less eloquent terms, yes, I suppose," Goro replied and turned to face the ravenette with his eyebrows raised. "D'you feel it, too?"
Ren nodded, twirled the blade on his finger, and sheathed it. "We'll go back and try the other—"
Before he could answer, the invisible doors that led back to Mementos closed with a bang, instantly trapping them in. Panic began to settle in the group, but Morgana yowled loud enough to be heard, effectively silencing everyone with a well-said "shut up!". Another door opened from a different direction, revealing a different exit, but it was impossible to see what was past the black void on the other side.
"How—"
"It makes sense," Morgana interjected, cutting Ryuji's question off and earning himself a momentary glare. He ignored it with a wave of his paw and gestured to Ren and Goro. "But we don't have time to explain. Let's get to that exit!"
The Phantom Thieves broke out in a sprint, making a break for the new exit. Goro watched Ren take the lead, willing to go first into the darkness but as he was silently and reluctantly admiring the teen's devotion to his friends, Ann's voice cut him off.
"Joker!"
Ren reacted a fraction of a second too late; the shadow slammed its body into his as he was trying to do a back handspring to evade the blow, but was hit to the ground and left dazed as he tried catching his breath. He growled and curled his hand tighter around the cold blade. He slammed his fist on the ground and sprang to his feet, prepared to lunge.
Morgana summoned Zorro, who bared his long blade with a graceful swish, and blocked the Shadow's second attempt to go after their Leader. Ren lunged with his blade in his left hand, jumping up and slashing down; his moves were jerky and staccato, sloppy at best. He swiped again, but missed for a second time. He had no choice but to step back and take to defense.
Yusuke rushed to Ren's side and unsheathed his katana, slashing horizontally. The Shadow bellowed in agony as the tip of the blunt blade tore through its body.
The Shadow released a sheet of ice that chilled the room, penetrating their attire and hitting to the bone. Yusuke and Ren were the ones to receive the primary blast; the former was able to dodge with relative ease, but the latter got struck with the heavy sheet of ice; Ren looked frozen to the spot for a second or two before he began to move again, roaring with newfound and uncontrollable rage as he went in for a second offensive attack.
"Arsène!" Ren bellowed and ripped off his mask, catching the air from Arsène's black wings. He did a front flip down and tried stabbing the Shadow from above, only to get knocked aside by the Shadow's staff. He landed with a resounding thud, body crumpling and leaving him in a heap. He lifted his head and threw his hand up. "Eiha!"
The Shadow bawled in pain as it was engulfed in dancing flames; Ren went in for a follow-up attack, but went too late. The Shadow recovered just quick enough to send another sheet of ice directly at Ren. While there was enough time to dodge, Ren only threw his arms up in an 'X' to protect his face, but he was frozen to the spot again. The rest of the Phantom Thieves watched on in horror as their Leader struggled. It took several seconds longer for Ren to break himself free, but when he did, the shards of ice shattered and fell to his feet.
"Stay focused, Joker! Stop being so reckless!" Morgana panted as he dealt with another's Shadow, who emerged from the depths of the dark. He dodged a physical attack with ease and pulled out his sword, jabbing and making its mark.
Goro landed next on Ren's left and stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder, with his ray gun raised. His counterpart pulled out his own handgun with another suppressed shout of rage and began shooting madly, seemingly not bothering to even aim. Every bullet missed its target except one, but it grazed its toros. This caught the attention of Ryuji, who looked over his shoulder with a concerned frown. Fortunately, the Trickster did not see the expression for it would have most likely angered him further, but Goro knew the look was warranted. Ren was one of their best marksmen besides Makoto, and he was missing his target as if he was attacking with his eyes closed. Ren's body shook although Goro was not sure whether it was from the constant blasts of ice or his temper.
"Move!" Ann cried out.
Ren's mind was not in the fight, nor was his heart. Therefore, it was no surprise when he, once again, was caught off-guard. For the third time in this fight, he was caught in an ice blast. He remained frozen in a running pose and it took him even longer than the second time to break free. This time, he doubled over and braced his hands on his knees, panting heavily as the ice shattered and littered the ground. He looked pale, almost sickly.
"We must retreat!" Yusuke shouted above the chaos, slashing upward to avoid an attack from above. "There are three more approaching!"
"Either that or finish this quickly!" Sumire said and gasped as she did a backflip to avoid getting crushed by a staff. She used the last of her remaining bullets but the Shadow refused to go down.
"Two more over here!" Ryuji shouted and roared a battle cry. "Captain Kidd!"
The blonde boy's Persona emerged; the ghostly pirate used his boat to protect his summoner, but Ryuji was struggling to hold the barrier standing between the Shadow and him and Ann.
"Retreat!" Goro suddenly shouted, using his voice that crackled with the hint of insanity. Everyone, taken by surprise, looked at him. His hand was on Joker's back, who was still winded. "Now!"
No one wanted to argue with the demand, especially since it was given by the wearer of a Black Mask. Goro threw Ren's arm around his neck and began running for the both of them although it was much harder than he would have imagined. Ren, at least, was attempting to move, but his movements were sluggish and stiff as if he was still fighting off the freeze. With Ryuji's Persona occupying the Shadows, the others were able to slip past and hurl themselves through the exit.
Ryuji came in last, panting and groaning as they all ended up on the floor of Mementos...back where they started. The tree's leaves blew around innocently, giving off the impression of safety.
"We-we're not p-prepared," Yusuke said, panting heavily as he leaned against the wall, taking off his mask and rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Isn't that obvious?" Morgana hissed and growled. "We were lousy! What the hell was that? Our fighting looked better when we first started! Uncoordinated! Unorganized! We were throwing curses and wasting energy like we have unlimited stamina—"
Ann, Yusuke, Sumire, and Ryuji all looked dejected at the criticism, but Goro offered them no words of comfort.
"Stop," Ren's voice cut through the diatribe; he pulled himself off Goro and stepped forward to confront the feline. "Don't take it out on them."
"You're right," Morgana said, although his voice grew harder and colder. He folded his arms and flattened his ears. "You were the worst out there...taking hits like you didn't care...aiming like you were fighting with your eyes closed...everyone had to cover your ass in that fight."
Ren flinched a little, but he did not back down.
"That's not how I taught the Phantom Thieves to fight," Morgana continued and bared his sharp teeth aggressively. " Especially the original Phantom Thief! You could have gotten yourself or someone else hurt with your carelessness!"
Ren remained impassive, but there was a hint of guilt in his tone. He spoke softly. "I do care, Mona."
"Your head wasn't in the fight," Morgana said abrasively, his own hurt reflecting his tone. He looked...betrayed. "Neither was your heart."
Ren, now lost for words, merely shrugged his shoulders and threw his hands up in defeat. He turned to address the group, who all looked shocked and anxious at the tension. "I'm sorry."
"Shitty leader moment," Morgana huffed in conclusion, eyes narrowing with malice as he regarded the Leader of the Phantom Thieves with the utmost disappointment. "We relied on you when we shouldn't have."
Ren's eyebrow twitched as if it wanted to go up in a challenging way, but he stopped himself and shrugged his shoulders again in defeat. He growled in frustration and slammed a hand against the wall.
"Joker—"
Ren rubbed his hand over his mouth and exhaled sharply, putting his face in his hand. Ann tried stepping forward, but Ren turned his back to her, flared up his collar, and broke off from the group. Once he put some distance between them, he stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned on his shoulder against the far wall, head hung low.
"Why'd you have to say that?" Ann demanded, rounding on Morgana. "That was awful!"
"He needed to hear it," Morgana said, tone a bit softer but still rough. He looked at Ren's back with a guarded expression and shook his head. "I've been with him the longest...and the most. I know when that kid's in his head and can't get out. We can't have that, not now."
"Yeah, but, dude...tact," Ryuji said, shaking his head.
"He's our leader," Morgana persisted stubbornly, turning to face the group again. "So we rely on him. He can't mess around. None of us can."
Goro fell silent and sneaked away from the group to approach Ren, who was staring at the ground with a sharp frown. He was just standing there, glaring, but he had a far-away look in his eye.
"I believe we know which one is right," Goro said as he got within earshot. "We need to start there."
Ren looked up at him, fists uncurling as he seemed to relax in the presence of the other. "It's worth a try."
Goro's smile flitted across his face for a fraction of a second. This was the Ren he recognized the most...the one who was able to handle the pressure and shit dumped on his shoulders despite having to bear the weight alone. But, this time, Goro wanted Ren to know he didn't have to.
"With you by my side and I will fight and defend," Ren said softly, voice barely above a whisper and if Goro did not see Ren's lips moving, he would have missed it entirely.
Ren pushed himself off the wall and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder before withdrawing it and returning to the group.
Goro watched in shock, unable to move. Ren's touch sent painfully comforting bolts of electricity surging through his muscles. He watched the group shuffle awkwardly at Ren's return, but the Leader began speaking and they all nodded, seemingly happy to hear whatever he was saying. Goro finally found the will to move his feet, following the group to the portrait of the apartment, catching onto Ren's words.
"I think it is the flat," Ren explained and gestured to the portrait of the apartment. "Even though he attacks at Central Park, it's not his jail or his castle. It's his territory; and the news never mentioned anything about attacks at work. So, that leaves this flat...Gahr's home. This must be where his true cognition lies."
"Damn," Ryuji said, impressed.
"Spoken like a true artist," Yusuke said with a nod of approval, gesturing to the painting. "Home is where the heart is...for the most part."
Ren hummed and nodded.
"If we were to base our decision off previous experiences, Gahr's Haven is home."
"Haven," Morgana piped up, nodding slowly as he mulled over Ren's words. "You're right. We're looking for Shadows' Havens now...just like before it was jails and before that it was palaces."
Ren merely lifted the corner of his lip up in response.
"Now that's speaking like a true leader of the Phantom Thieves."
Ren went first, putting his hand on the painting, palm flat. He looked behind, eyes searching the group, before he leaped forward. The rest followed as did Goro, putting a hand on Sumire's back as a gesture of encouragement. She grabbed his arm gratefully in response and the two jumped in together, emerging on the other side after enduring the uncomfortable feeling of being doused in cold water.
"Take a load of that," Ryuji said, eyes wide.
The group gasped collectively as they soaked in their surroundings. They were in Central Park but instead of being surrounded by the rest of New York, there was a lone building that stood in the middle of Central Park. It must have been the Haven Ren had mentioned before…
"We shouldn't stay long," Ren decided after a short pause. "There's too much and we came half-cocked."
"I agree," Morgana said, giving Ren another approving smile and nod of his head. "We can't afford getting hurt here. We secured a way to the Haven. We'll work on the infiltration point tomorrow."
The party all chorused their understanding; Ren turned around to the exit; the doors had not shut themselves yet, which meant they were most definitely in the right place. As they were heading back, something flew past the group from above and landed in front of the doors. Ren did a back handspring to avoid a collision, this time accurately, as the others leaped back.
"Fuck…" Ryuji muttered as he stared at the massive Shadow before them.
It had the body of a bull but it stood on two legs, towering well over ten feet tall and weighing more than all of them combined.
"Asterius Picaro," Morgana moaned and shook his head. "We're in trouble."
"Really?" Ryuji snorted sarcastically and summoned his Persona. "Captain Kidd! Get 'em!"
The pirate demon sent a blinding blast of lightning that struck the Minotaur, but it barely fazed the bull. He swung his axe and hit Ryuji with the blunt end of it; if it were not for Yusuke's intervention, things would have been worse. Fox had begun shooting at the bull with his assault rifle; he swapped out the gun for his katana and got on a knee, prepared to dodge as the bull switched targets and began running towards him.
"Move, Fox!" Morgana shouted.
Ren seized Goro's long blade from his hand and launched himself into the air, calling upon his Persona, black wings bursting forth with a blazing light and providing Ren with incredible air in his jump. The Trickster landed in front of Yusuke and flung the blade over his shoulder and flat against his back; the axe came down vertically and slammed into the red blade with a deafening echo.
Yusuke's eyes widened as Ren stood above, facing him with a pained expression and grunting with the pressure. It did not take long for Yusuke to recover for he lunged forward with his katana and impaled the beast with the end, digging it through to the hilt and out the other end. The bull roared, leaving a painfully ringing in the ears, and staggered back as Yusuke yanked his katana out, black ooze dripping from the blade.
The wound, however, began to heal itself as the bull took a few steps back.
"Leader?" Morgana asked in horror as the Minotaur continued to heal itself at a heightened pace.
Joker looked at Crow knowingly and held out the sword for him to take back. The other accepted the return and nodded.
Ren threw his mask behind him as the blue flames burst from it. "Arsène!"
Goro ripped off his mask and howled to the sky. "Loki!"
Goro's demon burst forth with a burst of black light and brandished his red sword as his red blade glowed in his hand. The rest of the Phantom Thieves broke off from the fight, leaving Goro and Ren on their own.
He preferred it this way, when it was just him and Joker. He looked over and saw Ren standing at his side, eyes blazing with a flare of burning passion; he lifted his right hand and held the blade up to his chest with a soft grunt, switching so he stood back to back with Goro. Ren looked over his shoulder with a grin and winked at him.
Goro's chest tightened as the two turned themselves so they faced each other, foreheads touching.
"Let's do this," Ren murmured with a sinister smile.
"Let's," Goro said ominously.
"Ravage them!"
Ren raised the gun in his right and while Goro raised the gun in his left hand, emulating a perfect mirror of one another. Together, the guns went off in unison, sending a bullet and a ray at the Shadow, the blast striking their enemies and disintegrating it.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The group of friends was able to evacuate the Haven after the defeat of the Minotaur, leaving them stumbling back onto the streets of Times Square, however, things were different. As they straightened up, flexing every sore muscle, Ren had looked at his phone's screen…
"No time has passed."
"What?" Ryuji barked as if it was some great insult towards him personally.
"It's different," Morgana said as he shook out his fur. "Everything's changing."