TW: Mentions of abuse
**March 20th, 2017 — The Final Day of Akira's Probation**
Almost a full year ago, Akira Kurusu was put on probation for a crime he didn't commit and sent away to Tokyo. Now, he was going home. The way Akira saw it, though, he wasn't really going home. After all, home is where the heart is, and whether it was Tokyo or Inaba, Akira felt at home. After saying his goodbyes to all his confidants and finally Sojiro, Akira exited Leblanc and headed for the subway station. He got off at Station Square and proceeded to make his way to the train station.
Outside of Shibuya station, he noticed a blue butterfly had landed on his bag. He did a double take, thinking it was Lavenza, the mysterious woman who assisted Akira in saving the world during his time in the Metaverse. He heard a voice calling his name; it was not Lavenza's, but a male voice from afar. He looked ahead and saw Ryuji trying to flag him down. When he looked back at his bag, the butterfly was gone. He shrugged it off, thinking it was just nostalgia or something.
He walked over to a parked van and was greeted by his fellow Phantom Thieves. The team he had spent the last year fighting with and saving the world; the friends he had developed a strong bond with. However, one member was missing, Sumire, who unfortunately had left town the previous day for a cross-country gymnastics retreat.
"What are you guys doing here?" Akira asked as he approached them, trying his hardest not to laugh at how unexpected of a surprise this was.
"C'mon, you didn't think we'd let you go home by train, did ya?" Ryuji responded.
"We thought it'd be fun to drive you home!" Ann added.
"I already bought my ticket, though…" Akira said, pretending to be upset.
"Bah! Ticket shmicket. Get in here, ya big dummy!" Futaba demanded. Akira happily obliged.
Makoto was in the driver's seat, as she was the only one in the group with their driver's license. Haru sat with her in the passenger's seat. Ryuji, Akira, and Yusuke were in the middle row with Morgana on Akira's lap, while Futaba and Ann were in the back seats. As everyone got settled in, prepping themselves for the three-hour drive back to Inaba they had ahead of them, Futaba posed the question that was on everyone's mind.
"You really, really gotta go…?" she looked a bit down. Akira just smiled at her.
"C'mon man, nobody's forcin' you to leave, y'know?" Ryuji added.
"Yeah, I know. And trust me, I don't want to leave either, but I have to go home." Ryuji sighed at his response. "Hey, come on, it's not like I'm never coming back. Mom and I will be here for Golden Week, and I'll be back this summer. Plus, we still have the group chat, and we can video chat as well."
"Yeah, but… even though your record is gone 'n all, don't you think some might still look down on you?" Ryuji worried.
"Maybe, but what are you gonna do?" Akira shrugged. "Don't worry; I have thick skin. I didn't let rumors get to me when I was at Shujin, and I won't let them get to me back home." He felt Ann's arms go around his chest as she hugged him from behind.
"I'm gonna miss you so much!" she squealed.
"Ann, you say that like I'm dying," Akira chuckled, patting her arms.
"What about me, Lady Ann? Will you miss me too?" Morgana asked.
"Yes, you too, Morgana," Ann giggled as she rubbed the feline's head.
"All right. Well, then, shall we get going? We've got a long drive ahead of us," Makoto said.
"Three hours isn't so bad. We've had longer trips in Mementos," Haru pointed out.
"We didn't have to worry about traffic in Mementos," Yusuke commented. Makoto started the engine, and the Thieves were on the road.
"Oh, shoot, since I'm not taking the train, I better call my mom and let her know not to come to the train station," Akira realized before pulling out his phone.
"That might be a good idea," Makoto agreed. Akira called his mother.
**February 13th, 2017 — Leblanc**
Akira had not had any contact with his mother during his time in Tokyo. Not by choice, though. Whoever Akira had pissed off was apparently determined to screw his life up as much as possible. The prosecuting legal team pressured the courts into cutting off all means of contact between Akira and his family after his mother had an outburst in the courtroom, trying her utmost best to defend her son. Both her and Akira were ordered to change their contact information and were not told each other's new info. They were both forbidden to try and contact each other in any way. Violating that rule would add another year to Akira's probation. They couldn't even receive any news of each other's well-being unless it was a severe emergency. Before Akira left, they both agreed they wouldn't risk it and tried their best to remind themselves that this was only temporary. Akira's mother broke down in tears as she watched officers escort her son out of their home and to the train station, unable to see or talk to him for a whole year. The following February, however, luck came in the form of Sae Niijima.
After Akira had turned himself in on Christmas day in order to testify against Masayoshi Shido, he spent seven miserable weeks in juvenile hall. The only thing that got him through it all were the letters he received from his friends and his girlfriend with the knowledge that they were working practically around the clock to get his sentence overturned. Despite this, however, Akira was terrified; he didn't know how long he would be locked up for. For all he knew, it could've been for a year, maybe more, maybe even life. All he knew was that Sae promised to get him out and, on February 13th, just over seven weeks after he was locked up, she fulfilled that promise.
Akira was released early in the day; Sojiro picked him up outside the detention center. The two drove back to Leblanc, where all his friends were waiting for him and welcomed him back with open arms and a loving kiss from Sumire. Futaba made a mocking "blech" face. Everyone had lunch as they sat and talked for hours, thrilled to have their leader and friend back. Although, as happy as Akira was to be released from juvie and be able to see his friends/teammates again, the best part of that day was still yet to come.
"So, how does it feel to be home?" Sumire asked as everyone was chowing down. Akira was scarfing down coffee and curry like he was going to the chair *wink wink.*
"Feels soooooo goooood!" Akira said with a mouthful of curry. He swallowed before continuing. "After the last seven weeks, I'm feeling a bit closer to heaven, hehe."
"They treated you fine, right?" Ann asked.
"Eh, it wasn't great, in fact it wasn't good at all, but it could've been worse, I guess."
"Actually, did you lose weight?" Haru pondered aloud.
"Did I?" Akira looked down at his waist. "I don't feel like I did."
"It would be understandable," Yusuke began, "I've heard the food in prison is quite foul."
"You heard correctly..." Akira shuddered, thinking about the juvie's mess hall.
"So... What did you eat?" Ryuji asked.
"Was it bugs? Fermented Mackerel? Or maybe durian?" Futaba asked.
"What!? No!" Akira exclaimed.
"You're missing the point..." Makoto sighed.
"What's important is that we're all back together," Morgana chimed in. "Although, I was hoping for sushi for my welcome back party."
"For the last time, you stupid cat, we're not celebrating your return! We're celebrating Akira's!" Ryuji yelled out.
"That's kinda harsh," Morgana pouted.
"Where were you when we were working our butts off trying to get Akira released from juvie?" Ann added.
"I…uh…" Morgana trailed off.
"…don't have a good answer?" Yusuke asked, finishing Morgana's sentence.
"N-No, I-umm…" Morgana was at a loss for words.
"Guys, come on, forget about it," Akira chimed in. "We're all back together, that's all that matters."
"Akira's right," Sumire began. "This is a time of joy." The group went back to eating and chatting before Sojiro came around the counter and tapped Akira on the shoulder.
"What's up, Boss?" Akira said, turning around and looking up at Sojiro.
"Here…" Sojiro handed him a folded piece of paper. Akira was confused, and so was everyone else as the conversation halted and silence filled Leblanc.
"What is this?"
"Just open it." Akira looked at the paper, then at Sojiro, then back at the paper before unfolding it. When he did, he read what was on it, and couldn't believe his eyes. His mouth went agape and his hand went over it.
"Akira, i-is everything all right?" Makoto worriedly asked as everyone looked concerned. Akira didn't respond, instead looking back at Sojiro.
"I-Is this really what it looks like?" he asked. Sojiro finally cracked a smile and nodded his head. Akira looked back at the paper and beamed with joy. "Oh my God, ha-hahaha!"
"What is it, man?" Ryuji asked. Akira was too entranced to answer. Sumire, who was sitting next to Akira, leaned over and looked at the piece of paper. She saw a name.
"Kairi… Kurusu?" she asked.
"It's my mom. This is her contact information!" The Phantom Thieves worried expressions slowly faded and turned jovial when they saw how happy Akira looked. "I-I can't believe this! H-How did you-?" he turned to Sojiro as he cut him off.
"Don't thank me. Thank Sae Niijima. She was the one who found your mom's new number. I'm just the bridge that's connecting you two, hehe. I talked to her this morning before I came to pick you up. She's waiting for your call." Akira shot out of his seat and hugged Sojiro tightly.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much, Boss!"
"Hehe, no worries, kid." Sojiro reciprocated the hug and patted him on his back. Akira broke off the hug and looked at his friends.
"D-Do you guys mind if-" Akira began before the group cut him off, happily urging him to go call his mother. "Thanks, I love you guys!" Akira quickly said before running up the stairs to his bedroom. The Thieves all looked at each other and chuckled.
"A whole year…" Sumire sighed. "I can't believe it's been that long already…"
"He's going home next month, right?" Ryuii asked. The silence from the rest of the group served as confirmation, and the happy-go-lucky Thieves were suddenly hit with a harsh dose of reality. Akira Kurusu was going to be leaving them soon.
"What's the matter? We were all so excited a moment ago," Makoto said, looking around at the others. "How about this? Since Akira is going home next month, then the Phantom Thieves are truly disbanding, correct? Today, we can celebrate Ren's release and commemorate the day of our disbandment." Ann burst out laughing.
"What kind of commemoration is that?" she asked.
"I was serious when I said it," Makoto grumbled.
"It sounds like a good idea to me, Mako-chan!" Haru said. She was about to give Makoto a peck on the cheek but resisted the urge as it would've looked awkward in front of the group, who didn't yet know about the two's relationship.
"I agree," Yusuke nodded in agreement.
"Same!" Futaba added.
"I guess you're right," Ryuji smiled. "When he gets back, we're gonna double our excitement!"
"I'll only agree to double my excitement if I get sushi," Morgana proclaimed. Everyone glared and rolled their eyes at him. "What? Oh, don't look at me like that! I've been eating nothing but garbage for the past two months!"
"Same could be said of Akira, but you don't see him whining about not having sushi, do ya?" Ryuji retorted.
"Shut up, monkey!"
Meanwhile, Akira was excited, but nervous at the same time. This would be the first time he would talk to his mother in almost a year. It wasn't like he left on bad terms with her, but he also realized that he had changed a lot since he left. He wasn't the same Akira that she waved goodbye to ten months prior. How would he dance around the whole Phantom Thieves thing? Did she even know he was in juvie for the past seven weeks? If not, how would he bring it up? Should he bring it up?After pacing back and forth for a moment, worrying about every possible way this phone reunion could be ruined, Akira dialed the number that was on the page and pressed the call button. Every ring felt like it lasted for an eternity. When the receiver clicked, Akira's heart skipped a beat.
"H-Hello?"
"..." Akira didn't say anything, he couldn't believe this was happening. It was really her voice.
"Akira…?"
"… hi, Mom," he said, smiling. All his worries faded away and the two of them proceeded to talk for hours. They talked for so long that the celebration downstairs went ahead without Akira.
**Present Day**
Meanwhile, back in the van.
"Hey, Mom, it's me."
"Hi honey! What's up?"
"HI MRS. KURUSU!" Ryuji yelled into the phone, causing Akira to cringe.
"Ryuji!" Ann scolded him. He just smiled and shrugged it off.
"What was that? Haha," Kairi asked, laughing.
"Don't worry about it, hehe. So, I wanted to let you know there's a slight change of plans. My friends are driving me back instead of me taking the train."
"Really!? Your friends are driving you home!?" Kairi sounded surprised, but excited.
"OOOF!" Ryuji grunted.
"Yeah, sorry, it was kind of a last-minute change," Akira said as he elbowed Ryuji in the gut, causing the blond runner to let out a pained grunt. Everyone was giggling.
"Ah, so that's them I hear?" Kairi was chuckling.
"Yep, that's them, hehe. Looks like you'll be meeting them as well."
"Sounds great! I can't wait to meet them!"
"Anyways, I gave Makoto, the driver, our address. The good news is that, since I'm not taking the train, I'll be home earlier than planned. We should be there around one o'clock."
"Alight, no worries! I'll see you later then. I'll make lunch for you all!"
"Great! Thanks, Mom! Talk to you later," Akira hung up. He turned to Ryuji, who was still clutching his side.
"What'd you do that for?" Ryuji asked.
"For shattering my eardrum, you jackass," Akira laughed. Thankfully, the rest of the ride was a lot smoother.
After three hours on the road, they arrived at Akira's home. It was a nice enough looking two-story house with a patio/garden to the left. It was a clearly old, but it served as a steady roof over Akira's head for many years. As they pulled up, they saw a woman in a green sweater and blue jeans combo waiting outside by the front door. The Thieves concluded that it was Akira's mother. He had texted her shortly before their arrival, letting her know that they were five minutes away. Everyone made their way out of the van.
Akira took a deep breath, pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and got out last. He looked in front of him and saw his mother for the first time in almost a year. He dropped his bag, causing Morgana who was inside to let out a slight yelp, and quickly walked towards her as she ran towards him. They hugged each other tightly as Kairi started to cry. The sight was a bit too much for the Phantom Thieves, as they began to tear up as well. After everything Akira had been through, they were so happy for him to be able to have this moment of pure happiness.
"Are you all right?" Kairi worriedly asked, pulling away to get a good look at him.
"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine," he smiled.
"Oh my son! My beautiful son!" Kairi couldn't help herself. She pulled Akira back in for another hug. "I missed you so much. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. I didn't fight hard enough," she cried.
"Mom, stop it. I know you tried your best. Shido was just too strong, but he's in prison now. We don't have to worry about him anymore." Akira tried to calm her down, but hearing Shido's name made Kairi's blood boil.
"If I ever see that man in person… I don't know what I'll do." Kairi was serious. She was typically a very sweet person; however, if someone tried to hurt her son, she became un-fuck-with-able. Akira knew that firsthand from past experiences. Experiences he'd rather not think about right now.
"Like I said, don't worry about it. It's all over now," Akira reassured her. She calmed down after seeing him smile. He was right, now was not the time to think about getting even. Her son was back. "Anyway, I have some people I'd like you to meet." Akira guided his mother over to his friends, who were waiting by the van. Kairi looked relatively young for her age. She had long, very light-brown hair, looked around five foot three (six inches shorter than Akira), and had very clear skin for a woman in her late thirties. She could almost pass for his older sister. Kairi smiled and greeted her son's friends. "Guys, this is my mother, Kairi. Mom, I'd like you to meet my friends… my best friends," Akira clarified, smiling at the group who in-turn smiled back. "This is Ryuji Sakamoto…"
"Hey there!"
"… Ann Takamaki…"
"Hello!"
"… Makoto Niijima…"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kurusu."
"… Yusuke Kitagawa…"
"Lovely to make your acquaintance."
"… Haru Okumura…"
"Hello, nice to meet you, Kurusu-san!"
"…and Futaba Sakura…"
"Yo!"
"Sakura? Are you related to Sojiro?" Kairi asked Futaba.
"Yep, yep, I'm his daughter," Futaba cheerfully answered. Despite typically being shy around strangers, she didn't feel this way around Kairi. On the contrary, she felt quite comfortable.
"Ah, how nice. I didn't know he had a daughter," Kairi had never met Sojiro in person. She had only talked to him once when Sojiro got her new contact info for Akira after his release from juvie. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all!" she beamed as Akira's bag started to ruffle on the ground and out came a muffled sound from inside.
"Will you let me out already!?"
"Oh? Is that Morgana?" Kairi cheekily wondered. Since Morgana would be going with Akira, he had to ask his mother if it was okay to have a pet in the house. She was more than happy to welcome Morgana as part of the family. Akira grabbed his bag and opened it up, Morgana's head popped out, and Kairi was instantly in love.
"Phew, finally. It was getting stuffy in there," Morgana said before turning to Kairi. Kairi proceeded to rub Morgana's head. "Mmmm-meowwww..." The feline purred with enjoyment.
"Thank you so much for driving Akira home! You arrived at a perfect time; I'm making lunch for all of you."
"That's very kind of you, Kurusu-san, but we have a long drive-" Makoto began before getting cut off.
"Oh, no no! I insist! It's the least I can do for all of you to thank you for helping Akira through this past year," Kairi said cheerfully but entirely serious.
"Please, don't misunderstand, Kurusu-san. He helped us just as much, if not more, than we helped him," Yusuke said.
"I'm very happy to hear that. Nevertheless, lunch is almost ready, and you're all invited. I'm not taking no for an answer," Kairi spoke with a smile but was deadly serious. She would steal the keys to the van and throw them into Shichiri Beach if she had to.
"Aw, c'mon, why not? You said it yourself, Makoto, we're on break," Ryuji argued.
"Yeah! Plus, it's lunchtime; do you really wanna drive back another three hours on an empty stomach?" Ann added.
"I'd rather not, if possible…" Yusuke somberly said.
"I vote we stay!" Futaba yelled out.
"They're right, Mako-chan," Haru said, holding her girlfriend's hand.
Akira leaned in and whispered to Makoto. "Trust me; Mom won't let you leave otherwise, hehe." Makoto found that she couldn't argue with her growling stomach, let alone the mother of the leader of the Phantom Thieves.
"All right then," she relented.
"Great! Come on in!" Kairi proceeded to lead the group into the Kurusu home.
As they walked in the front door, they got a small tour from Kairi. To the left was the living room, and immediately to the right was an office. In front of them were stairs on the left and a hallway to the right that led to the dining room and kitchen, as well as a bathroom with a shower. Upstairs there were four doors, one bedroom on the left, two on the right, and a second bathroom at the end, this one with a bathtub. Everything was familiar to Akira, even the yellow-carpeted floor.
"What do you all think?" Kairi asked.
"Nice place!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Looks smaller on the inside than out."
"That's because we're still in the hallway," Akira pointed out.
"It's a very lovely home, Kurusu-san." Haru smiled.
"Very home-y indeed," Makoto added.
"Yeah, you've lived here your whole life?" Ann asked Akira.
"Yep, sure have," he answered.
"In a way, so have I, haha," Kairi chuckled as she looked around with her hands on her waist.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked. Kairi turned back around to face the Thieves.
"Long story; I'll tell you all some other time," she replied with a smile.
"Wow! This sure beats the attic at Leblanc," Morgana commented.
"Oh, is he hungry? I bought some cat food for him," Kairi said.
"I'm not a cat…" Morgana moaned and sighed. Kairi was unaware that Akira and his friends could understand Morgana. Akira chose not to tell his mother anything about the Phantom Thieves, knowing it would worry her too much. But that didn't stop Akira from having a bit of fun.
"No, he was just saying how nice the house was," Akira smirked. Kairi raised an eyebrow and smirked back.
"Didn't know you were a cat whisperer, haha," she said, playfully tapping on his chest. The group glanced at each other and snickered slightly. "Well, anyway, since it's such a nice day out, I figured we could eat out on the patio," Kairi proposed.
"That's a great idea, Kurusu-san!" Haru beamed; everyone agreed.
"Why don't you all go outside and get settled? I'll bring lunch out in just a bit. Akira, can you help me in the kitchen?"
"Sure thing, I'll be there in just a sec," Akira replied. Kairi smiled and gave a head nod before heading off to the kitchen.
"Can you tell her not to call me a cat?" Morgana asked Akira.
"I could… but where's the fun in that?" he smirked and rubbed the feline's head. Everyone laughed.
"Get used to it, kitty, mwehehe," Futaba giggled. Akira went to help his mother in the kitchen while the others made their way out on the patio. It had a large table and plenty of foldout chairs. They all took seats and started chatting.
"This house is very nice," Makoto said as she took in the sights of the garden/patio.
"For real! It looks really old, though. At least on the outside," Ryuji said.
"Well, it's not a penthouse, but it'll do," Morgana said. Akira walked back out with a pitcher of water and served them all.
"Oh, I'm sorry. If my house isn't up to the standards of The Great Morgana, he's free to leave," Akira said sarcastically.
"Nah, it'll do, mwehehe." Akira rubbed the cat's cheek before heading back inside.
"So, what d'ya guys think of Akira's mom?" Futaba asked.
"She's very lovely!" Haru said.
"Yeah, she seems cool. 'Cat' stuff aside," Morgana added.
"I wonder if she'll show us some of Akira's baby pictures!" Ann giggled.
"That would be quite a fascinating sight," Yusuke said.
"I like her too, she seems chill!" Futaba exclaimed.
"Same. How 'bout you, Makoto?" Ryuji asked.
"I like her as well," Makoto began. "Honestly, I feel a bit relieved…"
"What do you mean? Relieved how?" Ann asked.
"Seeing as Akira didn't talk much, or at all really, about his family or his life here, it led me to assume the worst, but, after meeting his mother, I don't think I have anything to worry about."
"Agreed. I don't recall Akira speaking much about his family or home life either, and seeing the marks and scars throughout his body last year also made me fear the worst for him," Yusuke said.
"H-Huh?" Haru was stunned.
"To be honest, I was thinkin' the same. But if he was gettin' abused, it's clearly not from his mom," Ryuji added.
"W-Wait! A-Abuse!? W-What do you mean? A-And what marks and scars?" Haru shakily asked. She, like everyone, had been aware of the injuries he suffered at the hands of the police. The others had seen marks on Akira's body during other occasions, like at the bathhouse near Leblanc or at the beach. Neither of which Haru was there for. Akira possibly having been abused was news to her.
"I first noticed 'em when he, Yusuke, and I went to a bathhouse not long after stoppin' Madarame. I decided not to ask about them, but I knew just from a glance that some of them were from abuse…" Ryuji hung his head.
"Ryuji…" Makoto somberly said.
"You sound like you're talking from experience…" Futaba added, sounding sympathetic.
"Were you abused too?" Morgana concernedly asked; Ryuji nodded.
"Let's just say my dad was an asshole before he left my mom n' me. It was mostly smacks on the head and name-calling."
"I, unfortunately, understand what you mean," Yusuke empathized with him, thinking back to his time under Madarame's thumb.
"I don't have any scars like Akira does, but… yeah…" Ryuji sighed.
"Ryuji… I'm so sorry…" Haru somberly said, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"No matter what, abuse is never okay. I'm sorry you went through that," Ann added.
"Don't worry, it was a long time ago. My point is, does Akira's mom seem like the kind of person who would abuse him?" Ryuji asked.
"Nuh-uh. Definitely not," Futaba was adamant.
"Maybe it was his dad?" Morgana theorized.
"Who knows… we haven't seen him around, so maybe all of that's behind them?" Ann suggested.
"Hopefully. Otherwise, I'd feel bad about leaving Akira here…" Makoto said, hanging her head.
"Agreed," Yusuke began, "after all he's been through, our leader deserves a stable life." The others nodded in agreement. A few moments later, Akira walked out.
"Hey guys, food's almost ready," he cheerfully announced. He noticed a few of his friends looked a bit down. "Hey, why the long faces?" As if they were communicating telepathically, they all agreed not to ask about Akira's father unless it was Akira himself who brought it up and decided to let it go.
"Don't worry about it; we were just talking about how much we're gonna miss ya!" Futaba smiled.
"For the last time, I'm not dying!" Akira joked. "Now, would you guys mind helping me set the table?" They obliged and helped set the table for their outdoor lunch.
**Moments Earlier**
"All right," Akira said, walking through the backdoor and into the kitchen. "Everyone's hydrated," he announced as he set the pitcher of water down on the counter.
"I really like your friends, sweetie! They seem really nice," Kairi said, smiling, while she finished preparing their meal.
"Yeah, they're great. I don't know how I would've gotten through this past year without them."
"And the girls are so pretty, too," she commented with a smirk.
"Haha, yeah, they are," Akira blushed.
"Soooo… which one are you dating?" Kairi cheekily whispered, teasing her son.
"MOM!"
"Oh, come on, tell me! Is it Ann-chan?"
"Heh, no."
"Futaba-chan!?" Kairi went wide-eyed as she believed Akira was dating his guardian's daughter.
"No! Mom! Please, stop. You're embarrassing me," he laughed it off.
"I know it's not Makoto-chan or Haru-chan since they're together."
Akira raised an eyebrow. "I never told you they were together."
"Uh, aren't they?" Kairi looked confused.
"Well, yeah, but how'd you know?"
"Haru-chan calling her 'Mako-chan' and holding her hand earlier was kind of a dead giveaway, heehee."
"Oh, well, good catch," Akira chuckled.
"Thank you," she proudly smiled. "Though I'm glad my gut was right. Would've been pretty embarrassing otherwise, haha. They're cute together. But back to you, you said you had a girlfriend. I was just curious as to whom it might be."
"Right. Well, anyway, sorry to disappoint, but my girlfriend couldn't make it. She left for a gymnastics retreat yesterday."
"Aw, that sucks," Kairi frowned.
"Tell me about it…" Akira sighed. "I miss her already."
"Aw, cheer up, sweetie, you'll see her again soon I'm sure. And I hope I get to meet her soon."
"I know, and I'm sure you will. Do you need help with anything else, Mom?" Akira asked.
"Nope, all good here. Lunch is just about ready," she announced. "Might be time to go and set the table. Can you handle that for me?"
"Sure, no worries." Akira went to grab plates from a tall cabinet. He noticed the blue butterfly fluttering around again, but it once again disappeared after he rubbed his eyes. He took out five dishes from the cabinet, set them on the kitchen counter, and then took out four more. Akira then grabbed the eating utensils. Kairi noticed he had a stack of nine plates and nine sets of silverware. He realized he couldn't carry all of this outside by himself.
"You may want to go ask your friends for help," Kairi chuckled.
"Good thinking," Akira responded with a smile. As he headed through the back door, which led from the kitchen to the outside, to ask for help, he overheard his friends talking about his father and heard the word "abuse." He felt a shiver go down his spine as he walked back into the kitchen. Kairi turned and noticed the sad look on Akira's face.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I heard them talking about Dad," Akira quietly said.
"Oh…" was all Kairi said. She stepped away from the stove and faced her son. "Knowing you, I assume you didn't talk to them about him."
Akira shook his head. "No… I haven't talked too much about my life here."
"I also assume then that you didn't tell them about Te-" Kairi began before Akira cut her off.
"No," he quickly stated.
"Why not?"
"I don't like to talk about them."
"Not even to your friends? You seem so close with them," she said with worry in her voice. "Sweetie, they're the first real friends you've had since… well, ever. You called them your best friends."
"I know."
"Akira, it's okay to open up to them, you know? I mean, it's clear that they care about you, and that you care about them too," she placed her hands on his shoulders.
"I know… I know…"
"They must've seen the…" Kairi shuddered. "…on your body at some point, right? How did you explain those?" Just thinking of her son's marks dug up a painful memory for Kairi.
"Just… climbing trees, playground fights, and stuff like that," Akira answered, hanging his head. Kairi hugged Akira.
"Honey, if you really care about them, you'll tell them the truth. At least, tell them about your marks. I don't want them getting the wrong idea about your father. It would be disrespectful to his memory."
"I just don't want to have to talk about…" Akira paused as a shiver went down his spine. "…'him,' and what he did to us." Kairi shushed him.
"Don't go there, sweetie. Don't think about that." Akira nodded and apologized. "You don't have to bring him up if you don't want to, but I'd hate for them to assume that your injuries are your father's fault when they're not. He was a great man; never forget that."
"You're right," Akira nodded, "I'm sorry. I'll tell them soon, I promise."
"Okay," she pulled him in for another hug.
"Sorry if that kinda put a damper on our reunion," Akira weakly chuckled.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Kairi began to smile softly. "Nothing could ruin this day for me. I'm so happy you're home."
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, Akira." The two broke their hug, and Kairi went back to the stove. "Anyway, lunch is ready to be served. Go tell everyone to come grab a plate."
"All right," Akira responded. He put on a happy face and pretended he didn't hear their conversation.
The lunch Kairi had made was delicious. Futaba seemed the most surprised out of anyone. She didn't think anything could ever beat Leblanc's curry, but Kairi Kurusu's cooking was a worthy contender. Kairi asked question after question about Akira's year in Tokyo, asking what it was like to be there simultaneously as the Phantom Thieves. Talking about the year without mentioning any of the group's thieving adventures proved to be quite a challenge.
Kairi had not heard any news about her son until their phone conversation on February 13th. Just as Akira thought, she didn't even know that he had been in juvie for seven weeks. Akira decided to keep that to himself, not wanting to worry her or risk her finding out about him being a Phantom Thief. That was all in the past now, no need to bring it up now. Akira did most of the talking. He told a well-crafted story, recounting his year, telling only bits of the truth and leaving out the Metaverse.
"This is soooooo good, Kurusu-san!" Ryuji said, enjoying his meal.
"Oh, please, Ryuji-kun. Call me, 'Kairi.' That goes for all of you," she said to the other Thieves. "Except you. You're sticking with 'Mom,' got it?" she poked Akira in the arm.
"Fair enough. Would be too weird otherwise," Akira chuckled.
"Sumire's gonna be so jelly when she finds out what she missed," Futaba chuckled.
"Sumire?" Kairi asked.
"My girlfriend," Akira responded.
"Ohhhhh, I see…" Kairi smirked. "That's a pretty name," Akira nodded, blushing slightly.
"Did you not tell your mom you were seeing someone?" Ann asked Akira.
"No, I did. I just didn't say who," Akira said before taking a sip of water.
"Since he didn't tell me, I assumed it was one of you girls, haha," Kairi said. The female Thieves went wide-eyed. Akira started coughing as his mother's comment caused his water to go down the wrong pipe.
"Mom!" Akira's face resembled a tomato. Everybody laughed.
"Oops, sorry. Slip of the tongue~," Kairi winked and grinned profusely. She knew what she was doing.
"Sumire is Akira's girlfriend. They've been together for, I dunno, a year?" Ann explained who Sumire was to Kairi as Akira was still recovering from his water mishap.
"A year!?" Kairi went wide-eyed before looking toward her son. "You're seriously telling me you've had a girlfriend for a year!?" Akira coughed a few more times before answering.
"Not exactly," he began, "I've known for about a year, but we only officially started dating last July."
"Okay, I have to know. How did you two meet?" Kairi excitedly asked Akira.
"Come to think of it, I don't think we know either," Makoto pointed out. "When did you meet her?" Everyone looked at Akira with interest.
"April 12th," Akira replied without hesitation after one more cough.
"You remember the date?" Haru asked.
"Of course, I do. It's an important date for me. It's when I first met Sumire," Akira had gotten everyone's interest now. "There wasn't a whole lot to our first meeting though. It kinda just happened out of nowhere…"
**April 12th, 2016 — Tokyo Underground Subway**
Akira stood in line, waiting for the train to take him to Shujin Academy. This had been Akira's second day, and his criminal record had somehow gotten leaked. Everyone around the school was talking about him, thinking he was a dangerous psychopath. Rumors began to circulate that he carried a knife, that he had killed somebody, and Akira's "favorite" rumor: that he was involved in elephant tusk trafficking. None of which was true, obviously. The first day had been eventful to say the least, accidentally stumbling into another world, nearly getting killed by monsters, gaining powers, and meeting a talking monster cat… and he still had a whole year to go. While on the platform, he heard other Shujin students whispering around a girl a few spots in front of him.
"Look, isn't that her?"
"You mean, the one with the red ribbon?"
"Uh, I guess so."
"She's so thin…"
"It's not fair, I've got my hair in a ponytail too…"
"Okay, and what does that got to do with being thin?"
Akira didn't partake in the whisper game. He didn't talk much himself and hearing the other students whispering about somebody other than him was a nice change. Akira did, however, take notice of the girl in question. Her red hair was neatly tied up in an equally bright red ribbon. Akira didn't think much of it at first glance. The train arrived and passengers got on. The girl in the red ribbon took an empty seat and looked up just in time to see Akira getting on the train. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and their hearts both skipped a beat. Akira looked away and kept to himself as was his custom. The girl looked down at her feet and twiddled her thumbs for the duration of the ride. As the train was nearing Aoyama-Itchome, the girl stood up and offered her seat to an elderly lady.
"Please, take my seat. My station is coming up," she said to the old woman. Akira looked over his shoulder.
"Are you sure?" the old woman asked. The redhead nodded. "Then…" Just as the girl moved out of the way, a man in a business suit rushed in to take the now empty seat.
"Oh wow, what speed," the girl muttered at the man's eagerness/unkindness. Akira turned around fully. "… Excuse me? That seat was for this lady," she said to the man. He looked up at her before falling asleep without skipping a beat. "Oh, uh…" the girl felt bad.
"Want me to 'wake him up'?" The redhead looked to see the boy she had locked eyes with earlier.
"H-Huh?" she asked, flustered.
"I said, you want me to 'wake him up'?" he asked nonchalantly.
"O-Oh, uh…" Like her hair, the girl's cheeks were red. "No, it's all right. I understand his position as well," she smiled at him.
Akira nodded and turned back around. He listened as the girl and old woman continued to converse. She offered to carry the old woman's bags. The girl didn't mind, saying that she trained plenty. Akira's attention was piqued. He got off the train and started walking out of the station. He felt butterflies in his stomach after talking with her. He wasn't sure why he even said anything in the first place. Akira was always quiet and reserved, especially in the last three years. However, he felt different after yesterday. Did awakening to his Persona change him that much? Perhaps. Or maybe there was just something about her…
"Pardon me…" Speak of the devil. Akira turned around to see the girl with the red ribbon running up to him.
"Hi, there," he spoke.
"Thank you so much for earlier," she bowed.
"Um, for what?" Akira scratched his head. His heart was beating rapidly.
"For speaking up when I offered my seat on the train."
"Oh, uh, no worries." Akira still didn't know what made him do that, but, right now, he was glad he did.
"You're a second-year at Shujin Academy, correct? I'm a first-year there myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn't want to be rude to my Senpai."
"Don't worry about it."
"Well, since we're heading the same direction, shall we walk to school together?"
"Um, yeah. Sure." The two exited the station and began walking towards the high school.
"So, what's Shujin like?" she asked. Akira thought about saying "a castle," but this was no time for bad jokes.
"I'm not entirely sure. I just transferred here."
"Ah, I see. So, we're in the same boat, then?"
"Boat?"
"The 'new student' boat."
"Ah, yeah, seems like it."
"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Yoshizawa. And you are…?" Akira didn't want to share his name. She seemed like the one person at Shujin who didn't know who he was or know about his criminal record.
"I'll… keep my name to myself," he responded. Yoshizawa raised an eyebrow.
"Being standoffish doesn't suit you well." Her remark made Akira chuckle slightly.
"You didn't give me your full name either, you know?"
"Fair enough. It's Sumire. Sumire Yoshizawa. Now, won't you tell me your name, Senpai?"
"You don't have to call me 'Senpai'."
"Well, then, what do I call you?" Sumire chuckled; Akira gave up. He figured better she learned who he was through him rather than the gossip-spreading parasites in the school hallways.
"Kurusu… Akira Kurusu…"
"Oh… so you're Kurusu-san…?" Well, there went that. Seemed like she knew after all. Of course, she did, how could she not? Akira was only the talk of the entire school.
"…Yeah," Akira sighed.
"May I… ask you a question?"
"Sure, why not?" Akira responded flatly.
"Is it true that you smuggle elephant tusks?" Akira chuckled, as did she. "I'm sorry, that was a bad joke," Sumire smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you, Akira-senpai." Sumire was the first person at Shujin, aside from Ryuji, who hadn't dismissed him as soon as she found out who he was. Not even Ann or Makoto could claim that they hadn't.
"It's nice to meet you as well, Sumire-chan," Akira smiled back. He felt comfortable talking with her, which was more than could be said for most people back home. "I'm serious though, you don't need to be so formal with me."
"I'll try and remember that," she nodded. "Oh! I just remembered that I have class-duties this morning. I'm sorry, I've gotta rush. See you!" she quickly said. Akira smiled and watched as she sprinted ahead.
"Wow…" Akira thought aloud. It was like something hit him right between the eyes, and, for the first time since he arrived in Tokyo, Akira felt hopeful for the future.
"…and that's how we met," Akira finished telling his story. The Thieves were a bit stunned. Considering their relationship, they expected something more extravagant out of the first time they met.
"That's it?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, pretty much," Akira shrugged.
"That's not too dissimilar to how his father and I first met. It's always the simplest moments," Kairi added. The Thieves were tempted to ask about Akira's father right then and there, but felt that it wasn't the right time.
"Still, not much of a meet-cute…" Futaba said.
"Didn't think so either, but after that, I couldn't get her out of my head. We kept seeing each other pretty much every day after that. We talked more and more. She offered to teach me some gymnastics. I dunno, she was just really sweet and friendly," Akira smiled.
"If I may ask, when did you first realize you were falling in love with her?" Yusuke asked.
"Ooooooo, that's gotta be a good story!" Ann excitedly said.
"May 30th, that's when," Akira again immediately answered without hesitation. The Thieves had to think for a moment.
"Oh, the clean-up day at Inokashira Park!" Makoto recalled.
"Bingo," Akira said, snapping his fingers. "After our group was done cleaning up, the others decided to ditch me. The stigma of having a criminal record… well, you know," The others nodded in understanding. "Anyway, I was just gonna eat my soup on a bench by myself when-" Akira was interrupted by Morgana clearing his throat. Akira looked down at him. "What?"
"I was there too, you know?"
"Sorry, me and Morgana," Akira clarified.
"W-Wait a second, you brought Morgana to school with you?" Kairi asked.
"Umm… maybe?" Akira replied, awkwardly smiling. Kairi shook her head and chuckled.
"He brought me everywhere, mwehehe," Morgana said. All Kairi heard were meows as she looked down at Morgana and then back up at Akira.
"Keep going," she clicked her tongue and shook her head, smiling.
"Right. Anyway, Sumire walked over to me. We had gotten pretty close by that point; not romantically, but as friends. We hadn't started going out yet, but we had hung out and often flirted with one another. She took a seat next to me, and we started talking while eating our soup. Suddenly, she noticed a little girl who had let go of her balloon. She immediately shot up out of her seat and leapt to catch it before handing it back to the little girl."
"Aww, how sweet!" Kairi commented.
"It absolutely sounds like something Sumire would do!" Haru added.
"I don't know what it was," Akira began. "I kinda always felt a little something since I first met her, but after seeing that, I knew for sure that I was in love with her." Kairi, Ann, and Haru let out simultaneous "awws."
"That was a cute story. I can't wait to meet her!" Kairi exclaimed.
"I think you're really going to like her, Mom," Akira said.
"Hey, as long as she makes you happy, that's all that matters to me."
After lunch, Akira brewed some coffee for everyone. Sojiro had given him some samples of Leblanc's selection of coffee beans. Kairi was shocked. Despite being more of a tea person, she couldn't believe how good the coffee was. After lunch, Kairi suggested Akira take his friends up and show them his room. Akira found his room in a noticeably much cleaner state than it was when he left. Even though he was gone, cleaning Akira's room had given Kairi a bit of comfort. The year was long, and she had to find ways to keep herself occupied. Akira's bedroom was reasonably big. He had film posters on his wall, a small vinyl record player, a television not too dissimilar to the one he had at Leblanc, a desk to study at, a shelf with books and school textbooks on it, and, of course, a nice, real bed. Akira had spent the last year sleeping on either a makeshift bed in Leblanc's attic or a cruddy bed in juvenile hall.
"Excuse me for one moment," he said before flopping down, face-first, on his old mattress and letting it absorb him for a minute as the others chuckled and looked around his room.
"Damn, this is a nice room! Way better than mine," Ryuji said.
"What the heck is that?" Futaba asked, pointing at the record player.
"It's for music," Akira began, "here, I'll show you." Akira got up from his bed and walked over to the record player. He looked through his vinyl collection before pulling out an album and dropping the needle. A bright, heavily processed piano intro came on before a male American voice began singing.
(You know I'm a dreamer)
(But my heart's of gold)
(I had to run away high)
(So I wouldn't come home low)
"And that's how it works. It's not rocket science."
"Huh, seems like a lot of extra work just to listen to music. What's wrong with just listening through your phone?" Futaba asked.
"I wouldn't expect you to get it right away, 'Taba, but trust me, this is way better," Akira stood firm.
"Uh… if you say so…" Futaba was still hesitant. She was all about newer technology. Aside from the retro video game console Akira had bought from the second-hand shop next door to Leblanc, she had nearly zero interest in older technology. If it couldn't be hacked, what was the point? The Thieves took seats around Akira's room as the music continued.
"What is this song?" Yusuke asked as everyone sat down.
"It's by an American metal band from the eighties called 'Mötley Crüe.' The song is called 'Home Sweet Home,'" he said, smirking.
"A-ha, I like what you did there, haha," Ann giggled.
"Yeah, I figured it was appropriate, hehe," Akira chuckled. "Plus, I really like the song." A drum fill lead into the first chorus.
(I'm on my way)
(I'm on my way)
(Home sweet home)
(Tonight, tonight I'm on my way)
(I'm on my way)
(Home sweet home)
The Thieves all hung around in Akira's room for a while as the hair-metal band played in the background. Haru and Ann examined his record collection more closely. There were a lot of old albums, mainly foreign acts, from a wide variety of musical genres; rock, pop, funk, RNB, metal, punk, hip-hop, easy-listening, and even disco. Ryuji and Futaba scoffed at the fact that Akira didn't have a modern game console and instead, only had a Nintendo Wii. Morgana hopped on the bed and stretched out; eagerly anticipating sleeping in a real bed after nine months on a flimsy mattress and almost two months on the streets. Yusuke framed Akira sitting at his desk; he thought about sketching him. Makoto looked around and noticed a picture on his nightstand of a young Akira sitting on the couch with his parents.
"Is this really you?" she smiled as she grabbed the picture frame and showed it to him. The photo had the caption, "Akira's 9th Birthday — February 10th, 2009."
"Yeah…" Akira paused. "…that's my parents and me on my ninth birthday." Akira thought back to that day and felt sad. He did his best to hide it, but it wasn't easy, especially when he remembered who took that picture.
"Well, well, look at little Joker," Morgana joked.
"Ha-ha," Akira feigned laughter, burying his sadness.
"So, this is what our fearless leader looked like as a child?" Makoto giggled as she passed the picture frame around.
"Aw, look at you!" Ann cooed. "You were a handsome little guy!" Akira blushed.
"And you already had those glasses on," Yusuke noticed.
"If I remember correctly, that was taken not too long after I started wearing them. Mom said I looked cute in them," Akira recalled and chuckled.
"Indeed, you truly looked adorable," Haru added; Akira blushed some more.
"Do I not look adorable now?" he quipped.
"Nah, dude. You got ugly," Ryuji joked.
"I have a feeling Sumire might disagree with you on that," Akira retorted.
"Ooooooo, fair point. You don't even have a girlfriend, Ryuji, heehee," Futaba mocked; Morgana chuckled as well.
"Futaba…" Haru said, shaking her head.
"Why you gotta throw it in my face like that…?" Ryuji looked defeated.
"Aw, cheer up, man," Akira began. "I'm sure there's someone out there willing to put up with your loud mouth, haha," he chuckled as Ann looked away, blushing slightly.
"Thanks, I guess… really fillin' me with hope," Ryuji sarcastically quipped.
"Hey, you called me ugly," Akira pointed out and chuckled.
Everyone joked around for a bit, making the most out of their time left together. Eventually, all good things must come to an end. Around three-thirty in the afternoon, Makoto decided that it was time to drive back to Tokyo. Akira, Morgana, and Kairi walked them back to the van. Each hug the Phantom Thieves gave Akira seemed to last forever. Futaba especially did not want to let go. They were sad to be leaving their close friend and leader. Oh, and Morgana too, of course. Akira reassured them that this wasn't goodbye; it was just, "I'll see you later."
"When we message in the group chat, you better answer right away, got it!?" Futaba yelled.
"Haha, I promise," Akira said. They said their goodbyes and waved out the window as they started to drive off, Akira, Morgana, and Kairi happily watching. Kairi could tell her son was sad to see his friends leave and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Feeling a bit blue?" She asked, watching the van make a right turn and disappear from view.
"Nah, I'm fine. I'll see them again soon. For now, I'm just happy to be home," he said, smiling at her. "Let's go back inside," he suggested. They turned around and began walking back towards the front door. Akira was stopped when he heard a voice. He looked behind him and saw the blue butterfly again, only this time it sounded like it was softly calling out to him.
"…Tr-…er-…ick-…" Akira couldn't quite make out what he was hearing.
"Akira? Hello…? Earth to Joker?" Morgana was calling out to him. This caused Kairi to turn around as well.
"Akira?" he turned to his mother, who was calling him. "What were you looking at?" he didn't respond immediately. He looked behind him again; the butterfly was gone. Akira thought it was just his imagination.
"Nothing. Just thought I heard something," he replied, walking back into the house. As the door closed behind them, the butterfly reappeared again and whispered before disappearing once more.
Akira never heard or saw it again.