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Crossing Bridges
Tuesday—July 22, 2021
Haru closed the door behind her as softly as she could, ears straining to hear any telltale signs of movement.
"Another late night, hm?"
Haru yelped and jumped nearly a foot in the air, hand flying to her chest. She spun on her heel to see Makoto standing there, still in her day clothes with a cup of coffee in her hands.
"I wanted to get some things done so I didn't have to worry about it the next night," Haru replied once her heart rate slowed to a reasonable pace. "Then we can spend more time with Futaba-chan."
"Have you spoken to her about tomorrow?" Makoto inquired, taking a seat at the kitchen table, setting her mug down to pull out her phone. "She seems...different ever since they left."
Haru hummed thoughtfully and took the seat across from Makoto, folding her arms over the table with a frown.
"She was pretty close to Ren, wasn't she?" the bob-haired girl said and leaned forward as she put her phone down. "Maybe she just misses him."
"She wasn't like this when he went back to his hometown," Haru pointed out rationally. "She was sad, yes, but she is taking it worse now."
"Of course—they are across the world. And I have to admit, Leblanc does feel empty without the others."
The business president heaved a heavy sigh.
"I think a lot of things are happening over there—even Akechi-san is back after being away for months. No one really knows how to feel about that and...I think Ren might be having some trouble adjusting, too."
Haru scratched her head then ran her fingers through her short hair, not sure how to respond. She knew her friends were capable and she never worried about them moving across the world since they were going together, but it seemed like there was more trouble for them than she initially thought.
"Not to mention, Futaba losing her Persona," Makoto added as an afterthought.
"The Metaverse and being a Phantom Thief has taught me so much," Haru said earnestly as she put a hand on her chest and shook her head. "I wouldn't want to lose my Persona any more or less than Futaba-chan. But, I also don't want to be a Phantom Thief for the rest of my life."
Makoto looked at her in surprise.
"To me, an ending contract is a finish line….an end in sight for us that wasn't there before," Haru explained in a way that made Makoto adopt a thoughtful look. "And Futaba discovered the secret to her mom's killers. How much more fulfilling can that get?"
"That's true," Makoto said and twisted her hands in her lap before she tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "She accomplished what she set out to do and was successful. What better reward is there than that?"
Haru hummed and finally rose to her feet, stifling a yawn behind her hand. Makoto rose, too, a look of concern on her face.
"I didn't mean to keep you up," the former student president said frowned guiltily. "We can talk tomorrow."
Haru broke out into a smile and dipped her head at the other girl. "Goodnight, Mako-chan."
She made her way to her room, closing the door but finding the silence unsettling.
As tired as she was and as sore as she was from walking around Tokyo today, she could not find a comfortable position to lay in. She tossed and turned all night, huffing sighs here and there. Eventually, she threw in the towel and clambered into the kitchen to make tea when she pulled out her phone and found some old texts from Ren. Biting her lip, she decided to see if he would respond.
Haru (02:47): How is everything? Ren (02:50): Fine. What are you doing up? Isn't it late? Haru (02:51): I couldn't sleep. I was hoping we could talk.She was now unsure whether he was going to agree or not. It felt like there was a lengthy pause in between that text and his response, but he finally replied.
Ren (02:54): Sure.Haru let out a breath of relief as her phone lit up with Amamiya Ren's name. She answered on the first ring and put the phone to her ear, making sure to speak softly. Their flat, after all, was not the largest.
"Is something wrong?" Ren's voice asked from the other end.
"I couldn't sleep," Haru admitted while she played with a strand of hair on her finger. "I didn't want to wake Mako-chan up either."
There was another prolonged silence before he spoke again. "I'll video call you."
Haru accepted the video chat request from "amamiyaren" and propped her phone up on some book so she didn't have to hold it. On the other end, she could see sunlight streaming through windows from the first and second level of their living room, which appeared to be empty otherwise.
"Where is everyone?" Haru asked, trying to peer around Ren's shoulders as if that would provide her a better view.
"Sumire's gymnastics practice," he replied with a shrug of one shoulder.
"Why aren't you there?" Haru asked teasingly, but she knew she would get an honest answer.
"I had things to do here first," Ren replied unsurprisingly. He put his chin in his hand and stared not at the camera but his keyboard. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I am—I just—er—look," Haru said as she turned her camera to her computer screen, adopting that faux-polite voice as she zoomed in on a picture of him and Makoto. "I was browsing through her social media. She still has that posted."
Ren made a face as if confused on why she brought it up. In truth, even Haru didn't know why she brought it up again—but ever since Yusuke's comment in Mementos, her mind flashed back to those thoughts every so often.
"Oh."
She drummed her fingers against the table and decided to try a different approach.
"We never got to talk much."
"That's true," Ren said slowly and leaned back. "What do you want to talk about?"
"How do you feel about…losing your Persona?" Haru asked almost shyly, but she knew she had no time to worry about beating around the bush. She tried watching a change in his expression, but as always the Leader was perfectly stoic.
"Scary," Ren said truthfully although his tone did not really indicate any fear. Perhaps it was just a standard answer.
"It'll happen to everyone," she reminded him but it sounded like a question in need of some confirmation.
"I guess," he said.
"And that's okay," she said after a moment. Haru recounted what she told Makoto. "I know I will apply what I've learned in the Metaverse and as a Phantom Thief in the real world."
"Yeah?"
Haru smiled warmly and nodded, glad he was so understanding; it made it easier to talk to him. "I know I'm quiet and a lot less opinionated than Mako-chan, but it's not how I want to live."
"You stood up to your father and fiancee," Ren pointed out graciously. "I know that couldn't have been easy."
"No...it wasn't easy," Haru said in agreement, mind flashing back to the carefully covered horrors of her past. "But, Okumura Foods is...recovering."
How much did she want to tell him? Did she want to go into the depths of her struggles juggling a company while going to school and also battling the publicity? New York City might be considered a concrete jungle, but things in Tokyo were no tamer, especially for her.
"What do you mean?"
Of course he would pry; Haru inwardly expected the slight interrogation, but it didn't make it any easier to talk about. She looked away from the screen, biting her thumbnail, a bit of a nasty habit she picked up.
"It's been very busy since you left, especially for the company," Haru said carefully, aware of how much she would reveal tonight. "It's been...messy since the whole incident and the publicity from my father...well, it hasn't been making things easier. But, I can't expect things to change if I don't make them, you see?"
"Sounds like it's still a lot," Ren said sympathetically.
It suddenly reminded her of all the times she and Ren would spend time together, talking about the obstacles in her life. How much time had changed yet there were still things that stayed the same.
"I suppose," Haru replied and shook her head, forcing a waxy smile on her face. "It's nothing I can't overcome."
"You don't have to do that," Ren said almost immediately, narrowing those sharp, gray eyes with disapproval. "You don't have to pretend like you aren't struggling."
"I…" Haru trailed off because she could not lie to a face that looked so genuine. "It's been the biggest challenge I've had to face yet. But...I'm just glad I don't have to go through it alone."
"That's good," Ren said with a nod of his head, looking at something off-screen.
"Is everyone back?" Haru asked, noting the background noise and the sound of a door opening.
The raven-haired teen nodded.
"It's okay," Haru said and rubbed the corners of her eyes, taking a deep breath in. "I should try and get some sleep anyway. Thank you for talking to me. I always enjoy our conversations."
"Likewise," Ren said and gave her one last worried look. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I've got good friends to help me along the way!"
With that, she parted ways with a cheery smile, keeping it on until they both had signed off the video call. Once Ren was off her screen, she was able to finally let it drop. While it was not exactly what she had in mind, their time together was not wasted.
.oOo.
Goro was never one to indulge in someone's insipid needs, but when he found Ren sitting with Sumire as she openly wept over her gymnastics practice (of all things), he felt his anger ebb away to annoyance. She was needy, emotional, and childish and all Ren ever did was encourage the behavior by giving her all this unnecessary attention. He let out a sharp sigh and put his chin in his hand, watching the ravenette stand there while she cried into his chest.
"So…." the Detective said with some bite. He earned himself a piercing but fleeting glare from the other, but he was in no mood to play nice. "You did poorly at practice."
"I felt like it went horribly," Sumire said with a nod, sounding and looking like a dejected puppy that made Goro want to gouge his ears out.
"Then it probably did," he said impatiently, having little reserve in his harsh words.
Sumire looked at him with wide eyes, which made him feel even more irritated. So, she was expecting sympathy...
Goro grunted, harboring no desire to give her any in the slightest.
"Akechi," Ren said in a warning tone.
"So what're you going to do about it?"
Ren threw him a nasty glower.
"You look uncoordinated in the video," Goro said flatly. He rolled his eyes at Ren, who had given him a disapproving look, and tossed it to her. "Here."
Sumire was evidently not ready for her phone to fly back to her—she stretched out her hands, but it fell right between her fingers and clattered to the ground.
"Akechi," Ren hissed.
"Doesn't look better or worse to me," Goro muttered darkly under his breath, but frowned when Sumire bent over to pick it up, only for the screen to remain black. "I'm sorry. I can get you a new phone—"
But much to his surprise, the redhead giggled and pocketed the broken phone, wiping her eyes and face dry. "Goro-senpai, you finally killed my indestructible phone. I'm impressed."
Goro just blinked at her because he concluded she had perhaps become momentarily unhinged.
"I guess I really do need a new one now," she said and held up a hand. "Don't worry about it, senpai. My insurance for my phone will send a replacement in just a few days!"
At that precise moment and before Goro could really get a good retort in, Ryuji came storming inside, Yusuke close behind.
"Dude," Ryuji said and nudged Ren hard with an elbow, standing up and stretching. "Ann's makin' me go grocery shopping since I stole her leftovers. Can you please go with me? Besides, I need someone to help carry the bags."
"Fine," Ren said with a complacent nod, turning to Yusuke. "You, too."
"I shall find the finest lobster on the avenue," Yusuke vowed.
Goro bit his lip and he watched the three of them leave, abandoning him with Sumire. He stood there awkwardly in the middle of the living room, knowing he should not leave Sumire alone, but wanting to. Instead, he sat tentatively on the seat farthest away from the couch and crossed his legs at the ankles, leaning back with his chin in his hand.
"Sometimes I can't really believe it's you, Goro-senpai," Sumire said after a bit of a tense silence. She looked at him shyly through her lashes.
Goro felt his eyes roll to the ceiling and if he rolled them any harder, he was sure they would be in the back of his head by now. He knew exactly where this conversation was going and during a time where he could not bring himself to be pleasant today.
He and Ren had woken up from their night on the roof, having fallen asleep. Loud-mouth was the one who caught them and had taken quite the mickey out of them both for it. While Ren seemed unbothered by it, Goro felt a bit more annoyed at the mockery. To make matters worse, the cheeky teen seemed amused, too...like it was a game to him.
~FLASHBACK~
"Dude...I find you in the weirdest places," Ryuji said with a snort.
"Better or worse than last time?" Ren quipped and sat up, rubbing his back ruefully.
"Well, last time you were in Ann's bed, so I guess this is better...because it looks way more innocent," Ryuji said and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Don't let her hear you saying things like that," Ren chided lightly.
"Oh! Oh?" Ryuji gaped. "Care to share or…?"
"You know I don't kiss and tell."
~END~
While both he and Ryuji knew Ren was joking, it still bothered him. Perhaps it was the Leader's seemingly personal goal to flirt with everyone he talked to or his overly swaggering demeanor, but whatever it was, it frustrated him. Goro could remember Ren being this pathetic, little thing, sniveling at the feet of adults to seek their approval...or maybe that's how he wanted to envision his past rival because it made him feel better about himself…
"I apologize if my company is that corrosive that we still need to debate over my existence," he muttered unpleasantly and turned his gaze away from her to stare at a single spot on the floor.
"N-no!" Sumire said at once, holding up her hands and looking ready to get worked up all over again. "That's not...that's not what I meant. I just—it's nice to have you back—"
"You can drop the pleasantries, Yoshizawa," Goro sighed tempestuously, annoyed that she insisted on still dancing around him, treading around him and his feelings like she was walking on eggshells. "I know I'm not exactly everyone's preference."
"That's not true, Goro-senpai, you know this," Sumire said, growing uncharacteristically serious as her voice lowered a few octaves. "You know they want you here. Haru admires your charisma. Ann was comfortable enough going into your room…Ryuji goes on about your video game skills. Yusuke loves the way you can pick up on the smallest detail and claims that you're an 'artist on the inside'...Makoto envies the way you can make connections with people without even trying—I think she mostly means about her sister Niijima Sae-senpai. Futaba loves your dry sense of humor…"
Goro was barely listening, but most of what she said stuck. While he did appreciate her generosity, he would always feel out of place amongst this ragtag group of individuals...even if their intertwined past was simply 'water under the bridge' it was still water nonetheless, strong enough to sweep away the bridges they built and all it took was a single storm…
"And Ren…" Sumire said and twisted her hands in her lap as she got this glassy-eyed look on her face. "Well...he has his own way of showing his support. You two do spend a lot of time together."
"We live together," Goro deadpanned and gestured to the ceiling for emphasis.
"He's comfortable around you—"
"If you ask me, he's comfortable with everyone."
Ren was a completely different person when he was with his friends and while this may not seem like the most unusual thing, Goro was still taken aback at how much Ren turned into Joker, even when not in the Metaverse. The boy took every opportunity to be snarky and cheeky when around his group of friends…
"That may be true, but there's something spec—"
"Don't finish that," Goro snapped before he could rein in his temper. But, he let it flare anyway. "There's nothing special about me and there is certainly nothing special about our interactions."
It was, after all, wishful thinking but hearing it from someone would mean that it might just not be all in his head. The very thought of it even becoming a possibility made his heart slam against his ribs dangerously.
"I misunderstood," Sumire said and looked away guiltily. "I'm sorry. I guess…maybe I was a little jealous of you two."
Goro's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, almost as quickly as he regretted his harsh tone, but he had little desire to have a petty heart-to-heart with her given that their time spent together was...questionable. Maruki's name still left a sour taste in his mouth and his mind unconsciously associated her with him and that entire ordeal.
"I guess you and I aren't so different," Sumire finally said when he didn't respond right away.
This elicited a dry laugh from him. "You and I are similar? Pray...how?"
Sumire gave him a look of surprise, taken aback that he was now far more invested in their conversation.
"Well," she said slowly. "Despite the fact that I find talking to people about my struggles healthy while you insist on bottling it up until it explodes...you and I have similar pasts—"
"You know nothing of my past," Goro snapped before he could check himself.
Much to his chagrin, she merely giggled. "I know. That's because you never talk about it."
Goro frowned sharply, taking her tone as if she was accusing him.
"I guess I'm just trying to get to know you since we're friends after all," she said and shrugged her shoulders as if those words were some he heard often.
"Friends?" Goro echoed, finding the word rather distasteful. "Is that what we are?"
"Yes," Sumire said firmly, sounding more sure of herself than she had this entire day. "We are, senpai. You and I...well, it feels like you and I can understand each other more than you think."
"I highly doubt we—"
"We both regret our pasts," Sumire said before he could finish. "What I did to Kasumi was something I couldn't get over. It wasn't until Ren-senpai offered to be friends with me that I could really come to terms with mine.."
"And?" Goro said snarkily.
"I owe him a lot—"
"And I owe him nothing."
Sumire gave him a gentle smile.
"As intriguing as this is, I have little interest in talking about your 'senpai' for hours on end," Goro said shortly, realizing he could essentially be stuck listening to this girl's tangent for the rest of their evening if he didn't put an end to it now. "I have better things to do."
"Of course," Sumire said, not put out by his attitude in the slightest. "I understand. I'm sorry, Goro-senpai."
He stared at her evenly for a moment before finally hissing the words through his teeth. "Why do you insist on calling me 'senpai'? I find it extremely obnoxious."
Once again, Sumire just laughed warmly. "Everything annoys you. But to answer your question, I do it because it's my way of showing respect."
Goro wrinkled his nose at that. "Respect?"
"Yes," Sumire said with a nod of clarification. "Especially when they are my friends. It's important to me that they know they're respected."
Goro's eyes hurt from rolling them so much. "You aren't relenting with this 'friends' label, are you?"
Sumire shook her head. "Whether you want to admit it or not, you do have friends—people who care about you."
He blinked and sat back in his seat, refusing to humor her with a response. Whether they truly cared about him or not did not phase him in the least.
"So, why didn't you come back right away?" she asked.
"I am not talking about that," Goro said curtly, feeling his ire spike back up.
"I had a feeling you would say that," Sumire replied and rose to her feet.
The moment she had done so and began walking towards him, he jumped to his feet defensively, not sure if he was expecting her to strike him or if he should ready himself for a fight—as ridiculous as it sounded logically—but what he did not expect was an embrace. He immediately stiffened; the thought of returning the gesture never crossed his mind once. However, she continued to hold him until the door to the townhouse swung open. Whatever the newcomers were saying immediately died out.
"Sorry," Ryuji said as he cleared his throat awkwardly, dragging the other two boys to the kitchen. "Don't mind us, you two."
"Enough of that," Goro hissed, thoroughly exhausted by his antics and in no mood to play his little game of mockery. He stepped away from Sumire and turned his shoulder to her.
The girl had turned as red as her hair, but she was the last thing on his mind. Suppressing a growl of frustration, he raked his fingers through his hair and stalked off, deciding he had had enough torment for today knowing full well there was more to come tomorrow.
Still, he would cross that bridge when it came.
Short chapter but more to come soon!