All rights remain.

Bare Blood (PART 1)

Friday—June 12, 2021

"Hey! Are you sober enough for this?" Morgana hissed as he narrowed his bright, blue eyes in suspicion. He padded around Ren a few times to make sure, shaking his head. "You came home and you reeked of alcohol, just like Ohya."

Ren bit his lip as the memories of last night and early this morning came rushing back before his eyes. He had Goro's lips inches from his and if he had a hint of guts, he would have closed the distance...even if Goro did not reciprocate his feelings; he would take what he could get, even if it would end in rejection. Truthfully, he could still feel the lingering effects of the alcohol, but it was hardly the thing keeping his mind away from their missions.

"Hey!" Morgana said again but louder, fur bristling as he bared his canines. "We need you, Leader."

Ren snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked down at the cat, pushing his glasses into place. He nodded with conviction and leaned forward on the table, trying not to let his eyes stray over to Goro, who was watching him intently.

"Ready," he said and pulled out his phone. "Is everyone else?"

"Hee-ho!" Yusuke said melodically and enthusiastically.

"Hee-ho?" Sumire asked, knitting her eyebrows.

"Hee-haw!" Ryuji said and thrust a fist into the air.

"Hee-haw ?" Sumire echoed, looking even more confused.

"Oh, boy…" Ann muttered.

"We'll get you to say it someday," Ryuji teased and nudged her with his arm, causing her to scowl even more. "Aw, c'mon. Don't gimme that face."

Ren inhaled deeply and began the navigation, holding his breath until the world righted itself once more. Once again, The Phantom Thieves found themselves standing in a gallery of four portraits.

"They won't be long," Sumire said as she dusted off her sleeve, frowning as she prised off a piece of lint that clung onto the fabric. "We'll just wait…"

Ren nodded in acknowledgement of her words, but strode over to Goro, who was examining the other images with his arms folded across his chest and a hand cupping his chin. He wore an expression of deep thought, but averted his attention to Ren the moment he approached.

"What is it?" the Leader asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shifting his weight to one leg.

"These images," Goro said and waved a hand to the portrait of the tree; he sighed and turned his body to face Ren. "Do these hold significance or are they merely placed to throw us off?"

"They mean something," Ren said without hesitation, his voice low as he spoke, making sure he was not speaking too loud. "Based on the things I read, the locations are relevant."

Goro hummed and nodded, turning back to look at the portrait, tilting his head to the side as he removed his black mask.

"Hey," Ren said suddenly, tugging at Goro's arm to get him to turn back around. "I didn't forget last night...as drunk as I was."

"Are we really going to do this again?" Goro asked with a bit of a guarded edge to his words, biting his lip nervously.

"Yeah," Ren said without remorse or shame, shrugging one shoulder as he took a step closer to the other, leaning the other shoulder against the wall. He pulled a hand out of his pocket and opened it to reveal the chess piece he treasured. "Because I refuse to pretend last night didn't happen."

"That's not what I am doing if you are insinuating such," Goro said defiantly, squaring his shoulders and tensing. His spine stiffened as he straightened up with a ghost of a frown. "I just think there is a time and place to talk about it."

Ren rolled his eyes and took half a step closer, this time standing less than a foot away from him. "We're just waiting…"

"Wh-what are y-you doing?" Goro stammered as his eyes darted to the group of Phantom Thieves, who were occupied and engrossed in a story Ryuji was relaying. "Why now, Joker?"

"Fine," Ren acceded and stepped back, eyes flashing a bit mischievously. A grin flitted onto his face before he wiped it off, fingers coming up to hook themselves in the straps around Goro's arm. "These belts come off?"

Goro gave him a dubious look from the corner of his eye. "Of course they do. What purpose do you think they serve?"

Ren began to undo one, eyes lowered and hidden by his hair and thick lashes; his fingers worked on the buckle as he used the excuse to stand close to Goro. "I bet you could use them to tie up Shadows."

Goro gave him another look, narrowing his eyes a bit. "It's not long enough for that…"

Ren hummed and stepped back as they could hear the stirring of the Phantom Thieves as the others joined. He turned around and counted Makoto, Haru, and Sophie. He flicked one eyebrow up at Goro wordlessly before venturing away from him and back to the group.

"Are you ready?" he asked everyone once he was in earshot.

"We have the dates, right?" Makoto asked and looked around the party to make sure someone would confirm it. As predicted, Sumire pulled something from her pocket. "Excellent."

"Let's do this."

Ren jumped into the portrait first, emerging from the other side and brandished his knife with flair, turning around to address the group as they all emerged from the door of blackness.

"Today, we stick together," he decided, his tone leaving no room for argument. "As big a group as we are, we need to stick together for this reconnaissance mission."

"We agreed," Morgana piped up and jumped a little so the others could hear him better. "We're learning about our target as the Phantom Thieves. We're staying as a group."

The rest of the party all nodded and chorused their concurrence, allowing Ren to take the lead as usual. He walked in the front and middle while the others flanked him. However, he gestured for Goro to his left, giving him a knowing look. The wearer of the black mask nodded and quickened his pace to join Ren at the front, hand on his red, serrated blade.

For the most part, Ren and Goro worked swiftly and efficiently with one another, leading the group to the first warp light, which took them to the entrance of the apartment complex.

"Will ya do the honors?" Ryuji asked as he pointed to the window of the first floor.

Ren picked up the nearest branch and slammed it hard against the glass, shattering the barrier; he punched out the rest of the shards of glass and provided a way in for the others. Once again, Goro and Ren resumed their positions at the front, acting as scouts and giving the Phantom Thieves a clear path.

"You agreed," Ren said mildly, though he was surprised. "I didn't think you would...given how hard you've been working to avoid me."

"Is it your end goal to start a fight here?" Goro said in exasperation, crouching low and narrowing his eyes as he peeked around the corner. "Because you are infuriating."

Ren waved their friends over as he crouched next to Goro. "And yet you're still talking to me."

"Wipe that smug smirk off your face, Joker," Goro huffed as he and Ren moved ahead to the next hallway.

The pair stopped short when they spotted a dormant Shadow lying on the ground, appearing to be fast asleep and unaware of their presence.

"Shall we?" Goro asked.

"Let's go."

Ren yanked the Shadow's mask off and did a backwards flip to avoid a mighty swipe before going in for a follow-up attack.

"Jack-o-Lantern!" Goro said, putting a hand to his mask.

"Jack Frost!" Ren called out.

Both Personas went for the offensive move, aim matching perfectly. The Shadow wailed and tried to retreat. However, Ren slammed the butt of his gun to the back of her head. She stumbled to the ground and burst into tears.

"Wait! Wait!" the Shadow gasped and threw her hands in the air. "P-please, I'll d-do anything. Don't kill m-me!"

Ren exchanged looks with Goro before he stepped back. "Go for it."

"Anything?" Goro said to the Shadow and hummed thoughtfully, crossing his arms over his chest. "Lilim?"

"Yes!" The Shadow assured shrilly, covering her face with her hands. "Anything you desire! Is it pleasure? Lust? Satisfaction?"

"Nothing of that sort," Goro said with a wrinkle of his nose, something Ren found endearing. "I am not disrespectful."

The Shadow widened her eyes and let out a cry. "Why are you being nice? What am I supposed to do with that now?"

The Black Mask just shrugged.

"You're interesting," Liliam said and rustled her wings before furling them close to her body. "I like you. You have a kind heart and are definitely a sight for sore eyes! For that, I will lend you my power. Take me with you!"

Goro gasped as she merged herself within his mask. Ren had witnessed, for the first time, Goro gaining a new mask. For a while, he truly thought he was the only one with that ability; but, the second Wild Card would sensibly be able to do the same thing. The Phantom Thieves watched in suppressed awe and perhaps apprehension.

"It turns out he does harness powers parallel to our leader's," Yusuke observed quietly.

"I dunno if that's good or bad," Ryuji muttered under his breath.

"He's probably more powerful than Joker," Sumire said earnestly and backtracked to defend her claim as she earned herself a couple of glares. "He could clear Palaces alone whereas we always had the team. That takes power. We don't really know if Joker could have done that."

"That is a scary thought…" Haru fretted.

"He is trying," Sumire said in defense of the teen she had come to grow a bit more comfortable with after spending a lot of time with him during Maruki's rule.

As true as those words were, however, they did little to assuage their anxiety.

Meanwhile, Ren glanced at Goro with a grin on his face, panting slightly. "Not bad for an improvisation."

"Don't go there," he grumbled in response.

"We could do this, you know," Ren said, voice and face turning serious as he lowered his volume. "You and me."

Goro wanted nothing more than to be like this with him...fighting in the Metaverse while living a normal life together...just the two of them…

"You were always so idealistic, Joker."

Ren narrowed his eyes challengingly. "Is that a bad thing?"

Goro, despite his best to look impassive, could not answer and that was confirmation enough for him.

"I won't give up on us," Ren said stubbornly.

He straightened up from his hiding spot and surveyed the long hallway, deducing he was not in the company of Shadows. His hand gripped the chess piece tightly as he came up to the nearest door. The others gathered round shortly after, all looking at the door as if it would unveil some unholy thing.

Ren customarily went first, opening the door slowly before pushing it the rest of the way with his shoulder. At first, the room showed nothing but blackness, but there was something to be heard beyond the darkness. All at once, everyone adopted a defensive stance, though Ren didn't know why. Sophie tilted her head to the side and stood up straighter.

"I hear you."

Ren felt more uncomfortable that he couldn't pick up on a single voice when everyone else could hear something. Concerned, he focused on Goro, who couldn't seem to hear anything either.

"You distort the memory," Sophia said to the two of them, evidently echoing what she heard. "You upset its equilibrium."

"How?" Ren asked with a frown, feeling a bit indignant after that. "What should we do then?"

"Offer a bit of your power," Sophia said in an innocent voice, truly not grasping the size of that demand. "You must give to take."

"And what exactly does that entail?" Goro asked but it came out more a demand than anything, looking as displeased as Ren felt.

Sophia was not terribly fazed by his intimidating demeanor.

"A memory...for a memory," Makoto said as she began to piece together the context clues. "It will take a specific memory from whoever bears it. Gahr in real life is a tradesman. This is how he pulled the wool over so many of his victims' eyes."

Goro hesitated, looking uneasy at the idea of exposing a memory for the sake of seeing another's. He twisted his hand around the blade of his sword; he truly did have things to hide not from others but from himself...memories buried deep within his subconscious that he chose to forget.

"Leave it to me."

Everyone jumped and looked at their Leader, who looked solemn but determined all the same. At first, there were murmurs of protests, but Ren threw out an arm and the whispers ceased. His sight found Goro, who gave him an unreadable but knowing look. The ravenette just blinked.

Don't think differently of me.

"It's okay."

Ren slowly peeled off his mask, which didn't come off without a fight. A trickle of blood seeped through the holes of his mask, spotting the white with red. He grunted, feeling like someone was ripping glue from his face...skin and all; he doubled over as his mask fell to the ground with a clatter, which burst out in flames.

"Damn it."

Ren lifted his head to reveal the flecks blood still soaking his face.

The room seemed to groan before it engulfed Ren in the brightest light like a spotlight on a dark stage. The group moved towards him instinctively, but he held up a hand to stop them. As anxious as he was, he did not want them involved. The light began to pierce and burn him and before he could say anything, he was gagged with metal. His wrists, knees, and ankles were next to be bound. He overbalanced and submitted to a kneeling position, at the mercy of whatever power held him captive and was exposing him.

The room finally lit itself, revealing its content. Ren froze when he recognized the same kitchen of the home of his biological family. The rest of the Phantom Thieves were going to have a front row seat into the memory of his childhood.

~FLASHBACK~

Mother sighed as she stared at her son with emptiness; she was annoyed at his constant pestering and repetition of the same question. If he wanted to go outside, she would not stop him in the end. She walked over to the door and yanked it open.

"Go outside, boy," she said carelessly, shrugging her shoulders. "I am going to sleep."

The boy, no older than seven or eight, tore out the door. The moment he stepped foot outside, the door slammed shut behind him. Boy winced and turned around slowly, hand reaching out to hover over the knob...but he thought better of it and decided to explore its dusty roads; he wandered not too far, just glad to be outside and kicking or throwing rocks to see how far he could get them.

When Boy was done, he headed back home—only to find it locked. Boy frowned and tried a few more times before going to the window and rapping his knuckles on the glass.

"Mā?" Ren called out.

He felt a rush of relief when Mother's face appeared. "I told you to stay in."

"I wanted to play."

"I told you no…" Mother feigned a look of sadness and fear, darting her eyes around and lowering her tone. "Now Kuchisake-onna is going to get you...she's coming. She finds disobedient children. She'll carve a smile in your face with scissors."

"Mā!" Ren moaned and began knocking harder on the glass, pressing his face against it and smearing it. "No! Let me back in! Take me back!"

Silence.

"Don't go, Mā, please!"

Mother's face disappeared from view, deaf to her son's pleas and cries. Ren finally gave up and slowly peered around, expecting to find the Slit-Mouthed Woman walking down the street looking for him. He sniffled and dried his eyes, leaning his back against the side of the house and drawing his knees to his chest.

"Mā," he whispered as he flinched and cowered at every small noise and movement. "Please take me back…"

~END~

Presently, Ren watched the scene play out with embarrassment and rage; he resented his mother for constantly neglecting him, leaving him, abandoning him...he hated that memory. It was a night of constant, debilitating fear...fear of being watched...the anticipation of possible death against someone who was unstoppable...able to scream but still having no one to care enough to help…

Ren turned his head away from the scene, glad the gag was there to cease the stream of curses going on inside his head. He had worked hard to sweep away those memories and feelings, pretending as though they never existed, but it was brought back to light against his will.

Now that Ren had been exposed and left vulnerable, the room revealed its own memory, conjuring the scene of a young boy and an older man with a cane. The boy had his hands against the wall, shirt pulled over his head to bare his back, which already had angry red marks...old scars. Ann gasped and looked away from the brutality, but she could not block out the sobs of agony from the boy. Ryuji groaned in sympathetic pain and put an arm around her.

"How awful," Haru said softly, her hand over her mouth as her eyes watered. She grabbed Yusuke's arm, who stiffened but allowed it.

He hummed in agreement and bowed his head. "An atrocity."

Ren watched with reservation, although it was nothing short of what his own father did. When the scene faded, the door behind them swung open, allowing light to flood into an otherwise empty room. The Phantom Thieves departed, Ryuji taking the lead this time while Ren hung back and waited until everyone vacated before leaving. He walked with vigor, head and eyes locked forward, not wanting anyone to rehash what they saw.

Fortunately, it was merely Goro who fell back in step with him. For a while, the two walked in silence, but as Ren was lost in his thoughts about the next room, Goro's hand brushed his own. Ren would have jumped at the contact (which left a burning sensation), but he found comfort in the sharp sting. He still kept looking forward, but he could not hide the small smile forming on his hollow expression.

"Your call, Leader...what do you wanna do? How much can ya?" Ryuji asked after a short pause.

"We have eight doors on our list now," Makoto pointed out as a reminder, trying not to look too pushy.

Ryuji threw her a nasty glare, mad that she was so inconsiderate, but Ren cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"We'll keep going."

Sumire frowned.

"Man, you don't gotta push yourself too hard," Ryuji said but stopped short when the other shook his head.

The argument died out, so Ren resumed his place at the front, going up to the third floor. Because it was uncharted, he broke up the group into smaller parties and had them travel like that. He rounded each corner carefully, crouched low to avoid possible detection. He listened hard for any sounds of movement or whispers, but everything remained eerily silent.

Yusuke followed in close, peering over Ren's head. He said nothing and simply rested a hand on his shoulder. Ren averted his attention back at Fox with a questioning look, but he did not push away the comforting hand. Yusuke was able to offer solace without uttering a single word. It was a strange ability but one Ren did not hate.

He grunted and put his head in his hand, trying to rid his mind of the persistent buzzing, but his peace didn't stay for long. He could hear movement of heavy footsteps of Shadows lurking nearby, walking up and down the hallways. He automatically sought out Goro, blindly lifting a left arm to feel for the other's body, but he was alone. Ren forced his eyes open despite the dizziness.

"More power resides in thy hands," came a low voice, one Ren knew. "Do not be bound by the ghosts of thy past. Call upon me, thy expergefactor."

"Joker…"

"Joker."

"Joker!"

Ren came to, snapping his head up in surprise; Ann was bending over him, shaking him by his waistcoat. He looked at her blearily, but it took a moment for him to realize they were being surrounded and attacked. Ryuji flew through the air and landed next to him in a heap, gasping as he put a hand on his chest, winded. He jolted with adrenaline and looked around, hands curling into fists as he tried to keep his head clear.

"Daisoujou, mahamaon!"

Bright red light burst from the Persona Ren had summoned, the echo of wings flaring out to encircle the Shadow, who tried to block it.

"Messiah, megidolaon!"

Goro threw up his mask, which set itself alight in black flames. A bright light burned from Crow as he looked up at it.

"Carmen! Agi!"

"Goemon!"

"Milady, psio!"

The Shadow overcame the worst of the attack and conjured a barrier that reflected the attacks back to their castors. Ann tackled Haru out of the way as the blast came back to them while Yusuke and Goro both dodged their own.

"Someone get behind it!" Morgana shouted.

Sumire threw out her grappling hook and tried taking off, but the Shadow threw up its staff. The Oni bellowed and lunged for the redhead, grabbing her hair and yanking her to the ground. Sumire grunted in surprise and rolled out of the way of the weapon that missed her face by inches. Bullets came flying from all directions, overwhelming the Oni until it crashed to its knees with an angry bellow.

"Let's dance, Cendrillon," Sumire said as she removed her mask; she thrust her sword into the Shadow deep, striking it in the chest hard enough to cause it to burst in an explosion of black smoke.

"Not bad," Ryuji said, impressed.

"Dangerous, but cool," Ann said and wrapped her whip around her arm as she nodded to the others. "Better not stay here though. We probably attracted a lot of attention with all the noise it was making."

The teens hurried from the hallway, Ren taking the lead once more. He brought them to the third floor, inwardly dreading the next door. Unsurprisingly, it was no different than the first and the third room was no different than the second. Each room demanded memories that Ren had to supply, having to use more force with each removal of his mask.

By the eighth and last room, Ren had been taxed of everything he had. Once he was bound by the chains and he tried to remove the mask, he found it would not come off. His friends watched with rapt and increasing worry as he doubled over on his hands and knees, chains rattling as he moved feebly.

"This is shit," Ryuji murmured to Makoto, who gave him a sympathetic but hollow smile. "I dunno how much more of this I can take."

Ren's jaw clenched as he gave it another valiant attempt. With each room, the pain of baring himself worsened despite his desperate tries to convince himself he would be fine. His bravado was slipping as fast as his stamina, but he knew why he couldn't prise it off. Every memory of his negligent mother brought more walls up around his heart. He was tired of his friends watching the pitiful scenes unfold, revealing the worst of his childhood…

Memories of their financial struggles, memories of his mother whining about how bitterly unfair her life had become. The truth about his family was slowly coming to light, draining his strength and resolve to fight. Ren ached with hurt, embarrassment, and anger...now his frustration was mounting to the point where the ringing in his ears was the only thing he could hear until…

"Bare thy heart," came the very familiar voice of his Persona. "Call upon my name. My power is for thy use."

Ren's head cleared only enough to capture the words.

"Blasphemy" Arsène murmured although his voice rang clearly in his mind. "Drag thy enemies to Hell with thee."

Ren slowly grabbed his mask and prised it off, howling in agony as the blood poured down his face and splattering everything in proximity. He could not see nor remember anything, for his mind blissfully slipped into unconsciousness as the last drop of blood smeared the white of his mask.

Question for anyone: do you prefer Kurusu Akira or Amamiya Ren?