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Bound to Hell (PART 2...)
Sunday—June 7, 2021
A|N: Short chapter!
Ren wasn't the only one who struggled to wake after they returned from the Metaverse nor was he the last one to come to. He winced as he rolled his shoulder, gripping it tightly as the aching became bearable. They had returned to the same spot they had left...the townhouse living room. Looking to his left, he saw Ryuji's feet, which he promptly hit until his friend roused from unconsciousness.
"Wh-huh?"
Ren gave him a tired but genuine smile, lifting a hand to wave in greeting. "Welcome back."
Ryuji groaned loudly and threw his arm over his face dramatically, flopping back down on the ground. Morgana hissed and jumped up on his stomach, clawing at his shirt and causing the faux-blonde to shriek in pain and protest. Ren chuckled to himself and saw Yusuke sit up in his peripherals. Ann was the next to sit up, rubbing her eyes and neck; she tied her hair back and whimpered as she moved her arms stiffly. Goro got up first and moved over to help Sumire, placing a hand on her back for support as she put a hand to her head, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Everyone appears to be here," Yusuke said, then gasped as he fished through his pockets. Ren's heart jolted, wondering what it could be this time, but stopped short when the artist yanked out a pencil and kissed it. "Safe."
"Fuck you," Ryuji groaned as he watched the theatrical scene pan out with such an anticlimatic ending. "It's a pencil."
"Not just a pencil," Yusuke protested, holding up his finger and wagging it at the vulgar boy. "It is an artist's tool."
"Not now, Inari," Ryuji replied and waved a hand to silence him. He pushed Morgana off his chest and put a hand on his stomach. "I'm effing starving. Can we please discuss over dinner?"
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"Dude, I'm so sore, even my ass muscles hurt to sit down," Ryuji whined and put his head in his hand, stuffing one last french fry into his mouth. "But, shit, this food rocks!"
"Hey, you saw me go for that one!" Ann huffed and threw one of her own fries at Ryuji's forehead, smacking him right between the eyes. "Screw you."
"Don't," Ren said before his friend could say anything inappropriate and start an even bigger fight. He turned to the laptop sitting on the table, which had Makoto, Futaba, and Haru on video call. "You're not missing much."
"I feel like I am," Futaba said dejectedly and drew her knees up to her chest so she could rest her chin on them. "At least I've got Sojiro's curry!"
"Enough about us," Makoto said pleasantly, waving a hand and sitting forward. "What is America like? I wish I could have gone. I am so jealous!"
"Get off the table!" Ryuji shouted, grabbing Morgana by the scruff and tossing him to the ground.
"Hey! Don't throw me around like that, you stupid monkey!" Morgana hissed, claws sliding out.
Ren decided to tune out the quarreling friends and turn his attention back to the laptop screen, lifting a hand to show them the table and their friends all talking over each other about the french fries.
"Like I said, not missing much," the bespectacled boy said.
"How're you, Goro?" Haru asked as her eyes moved to look at Goro, who was subtly listening in on the conversation.
"As well I can," he replied smoothly then grunted in surprise when Ann's shoulder connected with the dead-center of his chest. "M-my fry!"
She had yanked the last golden stick off his plate and chucked it at Yusuke, who had thrown a pickle at her.
Makoto chuckled and added in a softer voice, "it looks like he is fitting back in okay."
Ren just looked off to the side, face saying nothing.
"Are you okay, Ren?" Haru piped up, frowning slightly as she noticed his crestfallen face.
"Fine," Ren replied and forced a convincing smile. "Just tired after the fight."
"I feel fine," Futaba said earnestly, shaking out her limbs and wiggling her fingers in front of the cameras to prove it. "Maybe you guys are getting old!"
Ren's eyebrow lifted in amusement.
"I wanted to talk to you about that, Ren," Makoto said and put her hand to her chin thoughtfully, her eyes glazing over as she began to think rapidly. She tapped her other fingers on the table. "I was in my lecture hall when everything stopped...the people, the conversations...even time. I ended up in a park, but I had no idea what I was doing."
Ren nodded.
"Well, I eventually got caught up with you, didn't I?" Makoto continued and frowned as she delved deeper into her memories. "When I came back, no time had passed in my lecture...I could barely get out of my seat after, I was so sore! But…"
"I don't know why you were there," Ren said truthfully, folding his hands and placing them on the table. He watched Makoto duck her head and write something off-screen. "Are you taking notes?"
"On this, of course," Makoto said as if it was the most normal thing. Her pen moved quickly as she scribbled hastily. "If I don't understand something, I gather as much intel as I can. Documentation goes a long way."
Ren's face broke out into a small smile as he shook his head. He would have expected nothing less of the Phantom Leaders' Advisor. He rested his elbows on the table and cupped his chin in his hand, turning his head back to look at his group of friends.
"Is our Leader getting nostalgic?" Makoto teased as she watched Ren's usually alert expression soften. "I hope everything truly is going well for you guys over there."
"No complaints," Ren lied as his eyes flickered over to Goro, unable to tear his gaze away. The Detective had his head thrown back, laughing as Ryuji got smacked with hamburger bun, ketchup smearing all over his face. Yusuke had mustard on his cheek and Ann had two pickles in her hair. "How is Tokyo?"
Makoto was about to answer when Futaba let out a stifled sob. Ren blinked in surprise, eyes going over to the square of her screen, eyebrows furrowing.
"What's wrong?" he asked, bewildered at the random outburst.
"I-I just miss y-you, that's all," Futaba sniffled and wiped her eyes and nose with the back of her hand and sleeve. "I just feel l-like you are all d-doing great...better w-where you guys are n-now."
Ren felt a familiar stab of that insecurity surface deep from within his repressed memories. It was the same as when he thought his friends were better off without him in Maruki's distorted reality...when he had given serious consideration about letting them live in their paradise…
"That's not true, Futaba-chan," Haru said softly, putting her head in her hand as she tilted it to the side. "I miss you all terribly! I will come and visit you in Shibuya soon!"
"As will I!" Makoto chimed in, trying desperately to cheer up the sad teen. "Haru and I are ten minutes apart; we can visit you together!"
"Oh…" Futaba said and looked down at her knees. Her wet eyes moved up to look at Ren cautiously. "A-are you going to visit?"
"Of course," Ren said with a nod, knee bouncing.
"W-will you ever c-come back?"
"Of course," he repeated.
Futaba sighed and finally took a deep breath, knees lowering so she could look directly into the camera.
"To stay?"
Ren had to pause on the answer; of course he was going to come back to Tokyo, but whether he was going to stay in Tokyo was...unclear now. He never had much time to think about what he was going to do now that he had forged a contract with the Metaverse, but as the question lay out on the table, he had to stop and think. He loved his country and his city, but he was not sure it was where he wanted to stay…
Right now, the fear of watching his friends move on while he was stuck was too much to bear. He knew he should not feel this way for it was he who pushed Goro into accepting the vow...but he did feel a sort of fear for his future...and theirs. He stole a glance at Goro, who was now going on about chess, trying desperately to explain the rules to Ann and Ryuji, but to no avail. Had he ruined Goro's future?
Of course.
Ren knew the answer but he tried to believe Goro would have wanted the same thing as he; still, he seemed to have no desire to stay with him even if they shared the same fate. Ren had offered to stick together, but Goro appeared to want to put as much distance between them as he could after this year. Ren looked down at his hands as his heart seized. Was he a fool to think he would be able to spend the next tomorrow with Goro? Was he a fool to think they could build their own future together?
"Ren?" Futaba's voice cut him off from his endless line of questions.
"Futaba," Ren said softly, then stopped himself. "I'll always come back to Tokyo."
It was the best answer he could give her. Fortunately, it made her happy enough to stop the tears and pacify her from her endless questions with impossible answers.
"High school's been lonely so far without you," Futaba admitted, almost guiltily. "But Sojiro's been keeping me company and I've been getting out more. I went to the Big Bang Burger! Oh, hey, Ren! Remember when you did the challenge?"
Ren chuckled and nodded, eyes growing gentler as she recalled the fond memory. "I thought I was going to die."
"So dramatic," Makoto jested.
"You could barely move!" Futaba squealed and laughed, which rang out with genuinity. "I had to practically carry you back to Sojiro's!"
"Ah, yes," Ren said and nodded as he, too, remembered. "I think I slept for six hours after that."
"You did," Futaba said through her fit of giggles.
"Is that when we went to Mementos to find the sibling bully?" Haru inquired, face breaking out into a smile of her own. "And Joker was moving so slow that day? And after we were driving around, he fell asleep in the back seat?"
"Yep!" Futaba chirped.
Ren listened to them regale one another with their old stories, mind slipping back into its own thoughts.
"Oh! Hold up," Futaba said as she waved her hands. "Everyone, shut up! I need to tell you something!"
Everyone at the table quieted down and turned their attention to her.
"I have some big news," Futaba said and clapped her hands together with a cackle. "I figured out who my mom's forgers were. One anonymous tip to the police, courtesy of me, and they've finally been apprehended!"
There was a collective gasp, even one from Ren.
"Holy shit…" Ryuji said in awe.
"A momentous wonder!" Yusuke exclaimed.
"F-Futaba!" Ann said shrilly, tears filling her eyes. "That's wonderful news! You...you did it!"
"I knew you had it in you!" Sumire said, voice trembling with happiness.
"That I did, Lady Ann," Futaba said with a warm gleam in her eyes, one that reflected the triumph and victory she must have felt inside. "Thank you, guys. I-I just wanted to tell everyone."
"The perfect closure," Morgana murmured as his ears flicked over to Goro, who merely looked away.
Dinner went by smoothly as everyone seemed to be in higher spirits from that news, but something was still nagging at him in the back of his head...well, many things were but some were more potent than others. Once they were all finished eating, they signed off the video call, bidding everyone a farewell.
"I hope they get to visit America soon," Ann said as they all gathered onto the two small couches that sat in the townhouse living room.
Ren eventually decided to get some chairs from the kitchen to avoid being crammed on the sofa, squashed between Ryuji and Sumire.
"Ouch, Ryuji!" Ann hissed and punched him in the arm. "You stepped on my foot on purpose!"
"I didn't," Ryuji insisted and rubbed his arm ruefully. "Shit, you punch hard."
"I can move," Sumire offered immediately, getting up to her feet, but Goro grabbed her hand and gestured to himself. "What?"
"Only if you're comfortable," he said.
Ren bit his tongue and nearly choked on the air he was inhaling when Sumire shrugged her shoulders and gingerly sat down on Goro's knees to make room for Ann and Ryuji. He felt his face burn with heat and was grateful when a series of vibrations from his phone gave him an excuse to leave.
He saw the ID and answered it. "Haru?"
"Yes, it's me," she said, excitement lacing her tone. "There's something I want to tell you. It was supposed to be a surprise for Christmas, but I can't wait. You can't tell anyone else or let Makoto know I told you."
"Okay?" Ren asked, now confused, curious, and slightly anxious. He had never been good at surprises. Still, he kept his answers short to get to the answer quicker.
"So, my father left me the business," Haru explained, rustling coming from her end of the line. "I was looking at the paperwork for international affairs and it turns out he had investors in America."
"Yeah?" Ren asked, prompting her to continue.
"Well, our advisors and ambassadors said it would be good for the company to have foreign investors in case we ever open up outside Japanese borders," Haru said then clicked her tongue as if chiding herself. "Let me get to the point. Around December and January, I will be coming to New Jersey for a semester! My business had transferred my schoolwork to Princeton!"
Ren's heart leaped at the thought of being reunited with one more friend.
"It's just for a semester and then I'll be going back to Tokyo, but I couldn't wait to tell you," Haru shrieked and took a deep breath to calm down. "And there's one other surprise."
"More?" Ren said with a chuckle, wondering if he would be able to keep this to himself until Christmas...of course he could. "What is it?"
"Makoto and her sister, Sae-senpai...well...Sae-senpai is taking over a case in Philadelphia. Well...first they are going to London—"
"They plan on coming here?" Ren asked, then backtracked. "To America, I mean?"
"It's crazy!" Haru said with a giggle, humming thoughtfully. "It's as if fate is bringing us back together—"
"T he future is like a cog; as you act, the gears of fate, too, will move."
Pain seared behind Ren's eyes; he clapped a hand to his face, digging the heel of his palm in his eyes and rubbing.
"Well, that's all," Haru said then squeaked as she seemingly remembered something else. "Oh! I wanted to ask a favor, Ren."
"Sure," he grunted out through gritted teeth, still trying to rub away the ebbing pain.
"I wanted your help telling Futaba...I know she and Boss are planning to visit you around Christmas time with us, but...I don't know how she'll take it if we tell her we're all heading off…"
"Sure," Ren said again, distracted as the pain seemed to come back in waves. He was about to say something else, when he spotted Goro round the corner. "I'll talk later."
He hung up rather hastily, making a mental note to apologize to her later and explain his untimely departure, but now he had to deal with the pain in his forehead and the person standing before him.
"May we have a moment?" Goro asked, ever so polite. He gestured to his own bedroom door. "It won't be long."
Ren just dropped his hand and used the other to grab Goro by the collar of his shirt, yanking him inside the room and closing the bedroom door. He stifled a groan of discomfort and pressed Goro against the wall, arm acting as a bar to pin him there.
"What are you doing?" Goro demanded, scowling.
"You tell me," Ren said, matching his tone. "What do you think you were doing in the Metaverse? You could have cost us the fight!"
Goro's eyes hardened but his bravado faltered visibly. "I-I...how dare you accuse me of nearly losing the fight?"
"None of us lost control like that," Ren snapped heatedly, firing himself up.
"It's none of your concern," Goro hissed, pushing him off and fixing his shirt pointedly. "Besides, I am not the only one who was making poor decisions based on emotions today."
"So, you want to bring that up," Ren huffed, then waved his hand to stop the conversation. "No, we're not starting that. I need to talk to you."
"Do you," Goro grunted, but his tone softened a fraction. "What about?"
Ren dove into the story about Haru and Makoto, and how they were both coincidentally making their way to America even though he swore the Phantom Thieves were going to disband for good. Goro's expression went from irritation to curiosity as the story progressed and Ren began discussing his hypotheses.
"I agree," the Detective finally said with a nod of affirmation. "I don't believe these are mere coincidences as you said. It was like that fortune-teller predicted... t he future is like a cog; as you act, the gears of fate, too, will move."
"Do you think…" Ren trailed off, feeling childish for even asking. "Do you think Igor will offer them the same contract?"
"To the Metaverse?" Goro clarified then shook his head as he shifted the weight to one leg, tapping his foot. "I doubt it, but even so, Ren, I cannot see any of them taking it."
"R-Ryuji might've," Ren whispered.
"That's what you want to believe," Goro said bluntly but not unkindly. "But there will come a time where the Metaverse won't call them anymore. I don't know when that will be, but…"
"It'll happen," Ren said softly, looking at the floor but conveying no emotion. "I have one more question."
"And that is?" Goro asked smoothly.
"Why isn't it working with Futaba?" Ren asked, biting the inside of his cheek as he dared inquired. When the other paused before answering, Ren knew he was not going to like the answer.
"The Metaverse no longer extends its contract to her," Goro said slowly, staring at him with that same, blazing look. It was as if he was scrutinizing him. "Necronomicon will be dormant."
"She was with us in the Metaverse a few hours ago," Ren stated factually, debating for the sake of his own hopes.
"And that was her last time," Goro replied evenly. "She has consciously and subconsciously come to terms with her mother's passing and the truth behind her mother's death. Did you not hear her over the video call about the discovery of her mother's forgers?"
"I did," Ren said defensively.
"And Morgana said it was the perfect closure," Goro continued, now beginning to pace. "He and I looked at one another for a reason."
Ren clenched his jaw, remembering that tiniest detail but wondering why it was so important. Nothing was making sense to this terrible news.
"He stated Futaba's only mission was not to join the Phantom Thieves but to discover what had happened to her mother. This was when you visited the beach in Japan your second year at Shujin. It was not long after you changed her heart…"
Ren just stared at him incredulously.
"And because she did just that, her contract ended."
"Does she even know?" Ren asked sharply, which came out more of an order than anything.
Goro remained silent.
"When did you hear that?" Ren asked a bit hysterically, now losing his cool composure. He hated the way the pieces started connecting themselves because it meant it was real. "H-when did you and Morgana even talk?"
"During our return to this world," Goro replied, this time sounding a bit furtive. "He and I found our way to the Velvet Room. That is when Igor told us...the rest."
"W-why Morgana?" Ren stammered and frowned. "Why wasn't I brought?"
"Morgana is the only other one who was offered the same contract," Goro explained and rubbed his forehead tiredly. "It makes sense seeing as he was a direct product of the Metaverse."
"T-that...I see," the bespectacled boy said with a nod, logic dawning on him. It would make sense and he sometimes forgot Morgana was no ordinary cat...aside the fact he could talk. "But why was I not there?"
"Perhaps…" Goro said with a shrug. "You weren't ready to hear it."
Ren looked away forcefully, hands curling into fists as they shook. "Maybe they're right then."
Goro watched in silence as Ren's shoulders stiffened and the mask of indifference returned. He excused himself politely and exited the room without another word.