TW: Mentions of Abuse

**March 20th, 2017 — Akira's Home**

The sun had long since gone down. Hours after his friends went back home to Tokyo, Akira found himself alone (except for Morgana) in his childhood bedroom for the first time in almost a year. So much had happened during his time in Tokyo that it felt like five years had passed rather than barely a year. Akira had been reunited with his mother, was back in his hometown, and was mere days away from starting his third and final year of high school. That last part was a bit unnerving for him. He wondered what it would be like to return to the school he was expelled from the previous year. Even though he was cleared of all charges, and his criminal record was gone, Akira wondered how would his fellow students view him, someone who was expelled. A delinquent? A criminal? The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't want to think about it at all.

As Morgana napped on his bed, Akira found himself at his old desk and looking around his room, taking in his surroundings. On his desk was a small box. Just glancing at it made him sad. He pulled it over to him and opened it. Inside was a necklace—a small silver chain with a black, stainless-steel dog tag. On the front was some kind of Kurusu family crest. It was old and very obviously DIY. The story was that Akira's grandfather had made it for his father, Minoru, when he was born. Minoru's father was a builder who made pretty much anything and everything, ranging from furniture to even jewelry. While he lived in Inaba, he had a carpentry shop in town, where he would take commissions and build things for people, usually by himself.

Not long after Minoru, his only son, was born, he crafted a family dog tag just for him. The only thing that was on it was Minoru's full name and his date of birth on one side, while the other side remained blank for a long time. That is, until Minoru got older. By the age of nine, Minoru was becoming quite the artist and came up with the idea of adding a symbol on the empty side of the tag. Minoru drew up concepts. He came up with the wings of a phoenix to symbolize strength and added a top hat as a tribute to two of his literary heroes, Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin. His father then came up with the idea of adding a thief mask to give it an air of mystery. Minoru agreed, and with that, the Kurusu family now had their own symbol. It took a long time to engrave it properly, but Minoru's father pulled it off. While an expert jeweler would laugh at his efforts, the engraving still came out exactly as well as they'd hoped.

The symbol was on the front. On the back were three names and dates of birth, Minoru's, Akira's, and another in between them. Akira's heart grew heavy; he missed them both.

"Hey, what's up?" Akira turned around to see Morgana stretching, slowly waking up from his nap. Akira quickly put the necklace back in its box, making sure Morgana didn't see it.

"Nothing, just happy to be home," Akira said as he flashed a fake smile at him.

"I meant to ask, there are three bedrooms in this place, right?

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, obviously this one's yours and your mom has her own, so who does the third bedroom belong to?" Akira didn't respond right away.

"…nobody. It's just a guest room," he quietly said, hiding his sadness. Morgana was still half-asleep, so he didn't quite pick up on Akira's sad tone of voice.

"Ooooooo, a room all to myself, mwehehe," Morgana chuckled. "Mind if I have it?"

"Pfft, get real," Akira chuckled as found his smile once again.

"Aw, come on. Why not?"

"Forget it, not gonna happen. The only place you're getting your own room is in your dreams," Akira chuckled. "Besides, it's pretty much a walk-in closet at this point. If you want to sleep surrounded by boxes of old junk and holiday decorations, be my guest."

"Eh, I think I'm good right here," Morgana relented. He smiled but sounded defeated. The two shared a laugh before Kairi called up to them from downstairs.

"Akira? Dinner time!"

"Coming!" Akira called back and turned to Morgana. "You hungry?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

A couple of weeks later, classes started back up. The first day of school was uneventful, but still weird. He attended Yasogami High School; the same school Yu and Rise went to, as well as his parents up until their second year when they both left to be homeschooled due to unfortunate circumstances. His high school looked the same, but the atmosphere was different. Akira would walk around the halls and hear the other students whispering about him. Similar to when he first got to Shujin.

"Isn't that the guy who got expelled?"

"I heard he has a criminal record."

"Really? I heard that it was erased."

"What did he do, again?"

"I think he assaulted a guy."

"You think he's dangerous?"

Akira sighed. "Yep. Just like Shujin," he thought.

Only this time, he had no friends to help him. He figured that would change after a few weeks or so. It was only the first day, after all. Aside from spreading gossip, nobody paid much attention to Akira. A few teachers asked him questions in class and, as expected, he answered them perfectly. Hearing others whisper about him, surprised that he knew the answer, also brought him back to Shujin for a brief moment. The kid had brains, which is more than could be said for some people at that school. Lunchtime was spent in the Phantom Thieves group chat. Everyone wondered how the first day was going for him. Akira simply answered it was the same, only less fun since they weren't there. At the end of the day, Akira was at his locker when suddenly…

"Yo, Kurusu!" Akira heard a voice call him out in the hall.

"Great," Akira muttered, "these pricks…" The pricks in question were three guys who had been a thorn in Akira's side since elementary school. The ringleader was Raden, and he had two knuckleheads at his side, Jiro and Kaz. They were spoiled rich kid types who had bullied him for as long as he could remember. Akira got into many playground fights with them when he was younger, at least, until he went quiet after a particular event. They sauntered up to him and the ringleader slapped him on the shoulder.

"Wouldja look at what the janitor dragged in!" Raden smugly said. "How ya been?"

"What do you care, Raden?" Akira said, keeping his eyes focused on the contents inside his locker.

"Aw, c'mon, why ya gotta be like that? I'm just tryna welcome you back from the clink!" Raden slapped Akira's shoulder once again. "How was it? You remembered not to drop the soap, didn'tcha? The other prisoners take you fishin'? Hehehe." Raden's lackeys laughed at his bad jokes. Akira got what he needed out of his locker, slammed it shut, and left, forcefully bumping Raden's shoulder on his way out. "Wow, okay. That wasn't very nice, y'know!?" Raden yelled down the hall. Jiro and Kaz repeated what Raden said. Akira simply ignored them and kept walking. Once they were away from the school, Morgana poked his head of Akira's bag.

"Who were those guys?"

"Eh, just some assholes. They were the one and only thing I was happy to leave behind."

"Did you get into your share of fights with them?"

"Yep, from elementary onward…" Akira sighed. "After a while, they stopped getting physical and just hurled insults and made fun of me."

"Jeez, what'd you do to piss them off?" Morgana joked.

"Why do you assume I'm the one who pissed them off?" Akira chuckled. "I dunno why they have it out for me, but I don't care. They can keep hurling insults at me all they want. It's what they did before I left."

"And you didn't?"

"Nah, I got sick and tired of their crap a long time ago. I chose to be the bigger man and ignored them." That was technically true, but there was a lot more to it than that.

"Good for you!" Morgana praised him. "No wonder you didn't let the rumors at Shujin get to you."

"What can I say? I'm thick-skinned," Akira smirked. The two chatted about the day as they made their way home. As Akira and Morgana walked up to the house, Morgana decided to hop out of his bag. "What are you doing? You're not coming in?" Akira wondered.

"Nah, I'm gonna walk around in the garden for a bit. I need to stretch my legs after being in your bag all day. You go on, I'll climb up through the bedroom window later."

"All right, see you later." Akira nodded in response and went in the front door. "I'm home!" he announced. The smell of Leblanc coffee was in the air. His mother must've brewed some. He heard two voices talking; one of whom was his mother.

"Oh! Speak of the devil. There he is!" he heard her say as he removed his shoes at the entrance. "Akira! Come in the living room! You have a visitor!" she excitedly announced. Akira walked into the living room and found his mother sitting in the recliner and a familiar face sitting on the couch.

"RISE!" he exclaimed.

"HEYYYY~!" Rise excitedly jumped up out of her seat and rushed to hug Akira.

"What a surprise!" Akira hugged his cousin. "What are you doing here?" he asked before breaking the hug

"Duh! I wanted to see you, silly!" she playfully smacked him on the arm. "Sorry I couldn't come sooner, but I just got back from being on the road," she explained.

"Haha, no worries. How long have you been back in town?"

"I dunno, like… twenty minutes?" Rise answered as she checked her watch; Akira was stunned. "Seriously, this is my first stop. I haven't even been home yet," she laughed.

"Really? Isn't Yu-san wondering where you are?"

"Nah, he knows I'm here; don't worry. You have no idea how long I've been wanting to see you again!" she said, beaming with excitement. "Come on, sit down!" Akira sat down on the couch next to her.

"Can I get you guys anything to eat? To drink? Some more coffee, Rise?" Kairi asked.

"I'm fine, thanks, Mom," Akira said.

"I'm fine as well, Obasan. The coffee is absolutely wonderful, though!" Rise added.

"You can thank Akira. He brought it back from Tokyo," Kairi said before disappearing into the kitchen to let the two of them talk privately.

"This is seriously the best coffee I've ever had!" She happily announced.

"I lived in a café in Tokyo. The owner taught me a lot about coffee. Oh, and curry as well."

"Curry? Really?"

"Yeah, I'll make you some sometime."

"Look at you! You came back as a chef, haha!" she joked; Akira blushed. Rise then calmed down and got a bit more serious. "So, tell me, how was it in Tokyo? Was it hard?" Rise asked, holding his hands. Akira smiled and shook his head.

"Quite the opposite, to be honest. I mean, yeah, being away from here without being able to contact you sucked, but I met some great people who really helped me out. I made some really amazing friends and have my own group, like you do."

"Wow! You made friends? You?" Rise looked stunned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akira raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean, kiddo," Rise said as she placed her hand on Akira's hand. "You never really had a friend or any friends, let alone a whole posse or a squad to call your own."

"Aren't you happy for me?"

"Wha-of course, I'm happy for you! I'm just surprised, that's all. Like I said, you were always kind of a loner, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true, but things change, people grow. I'm not the same as when I left."

"I can tell, heehee! But really, I'm happy for you, Akira. If anything, I'm relieved. I was so worried about you. You know, Yu and his uncle worked most of last year trying to get the court's decision overturned?"

"I didn't know that, no. I'm going to have to thank them," Akira smiled.

"Well, you might have an opportunity soon!"

"What do you mean?"

"Yu and I are supposed to have dinner tonight at his uncle's house. You're more than welcome to tag along if you want." Akira entertained the idea. It would be nice to spend more time with his cousin, especially after being away for so long. He also liked Yu, and though he wasn't familiar with his uncle, he owed him a 'thank you' for trying to help him. Plus, it's always nice to see some friendly faces, even after a somewhat dull day at school. "No pressure, though, you probably have homework."

"Nah, nothing I can't handle or get done quickly. If you don't think I'd be imposing, I'd like to come with," he answered.

"Great!" Rise was ecstatic. She checked the time once again. "I should get going, but I'll pick you up later! I know Yu's missing me dearly right now, heehee," she giggled and stood up. Akira walked her out and gave his cousin one more hug goodbye before she left. He went back into the living room just as his mother returned from the kitchen.

"Did Rise leave?" Kairi asked as she sat down in the recliner.

"Yeah, just now."

"And she didn't say 'goodbye' to me? What am I, thin air?" Kairi scoffed but laughed it off; Akira chuckled. "So, how was your first day back? Was it okay?" she inquired as Akira sat back down on the couch.

"It was fine. Nothing special."

"Were there any rumors?" Kairi winced as she asked; Akira nodded.

"Don't worry, though. It was the same in Tokyo, but like there, they'll fade over time," he gave a reassuring smile.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later," she commented.

"Fingers crossed. By the way, Rise invited me out to dinner tonight. It's gonna be at Yu-san's uncle's house."

"Oh, Dojima-san?"

"I guess so; I've never met him personally. What's he like?"

"I don't know him too well either. Your dad and I went to high school with him and his sister. He was in my class and she was a year above us, but we didn't know each other too well. I can't remember her name, though," Kairi said, scratching her head. "Don't worry, though, Dojima-san's really nice. I got to know him a little bit last year when tried to fight your case after you left."

"That's what Rise said. I figured it would be a good opportunity to thank him."

"That's very sweet of you," she proudly said.

"So, it's okay if I go?"

"Yeah, of course! Just as long as you finish your homework before you go."

"Don't worry; I'm already on it," he smiled. He was about to leave and head up to his room before his mother stopped him.

"Oh, and Akira?"

"Mm-hm?" He turned back.

"Morgana stays here from now on," she sternly said. Akira thought he had been able to sneak him out this morning. He thought wrong. "I'd prefer it if you didn't risk getting into trouble by bringing him to school."

"Sorry…" Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just that he's been my partner for the last year. We go everywhere together," he argued; Kairi sighed.

"Just don't bring him to school anymore, at least. Anywhere else is fine, okay?"

"Okay, sorry, Mom," Akira apologized.

"Oh, no worries, honey. I just want to look out for you," she smiled as she got up to hug him and kiss him on the cheek.

"I know. Thanks," Akira smiled back.

"All right, you're free to go," she said, as she playfully ruffled his hair. Akira nodded and went up to his room to do his homework. He was a bit upset, but understood where his mother was coming from. She just wanted him to keep out of trouble after losing him for a year. As he sat at his desk, working out some history homework, Morgana tapped on his bedroom window. Akira walked over to the window and let him in.

"Hey!" Morgana said as he jumped on the bed and Akira sat down in his desk chair.

"Did you get some good exercise?"

"Definitely. It's so cool having a backyard to run around in."

"Haha, you sound like a dog."

"I'm not a dog, I'm a cat."

"You said it, not me, hehe," Akira chuckled.

"I-I MEAN… ugh, never mind." Morgana looked defeated. "By the way, who was that woman who left a bit ago?"

"Oh, that's my cousin."

"Huh, she's really pretty," Morgana said before letting out a seductive meow.

"Tch, first Ann, now my cousin? You really have no shame, do you?"

"What? I'm just saying she looks pretty. Besides, my heart belongs to Lady Ann only~."

"Right…" Akira chuckled. "That reminds me, I'm heading out to dinner with her tonight to catch up."

"Oh nice! Where at, sushi bar?"

"No, it's going to be at her boyfriend's uncle's house."

"Nice! Well, I hope you have a good time."

"Yeah, thanks…" Morgana looked and saw that Akira looked bummed. It looked like he had a thought floating in his head.

"Hey, is something on your mind?"

"Nah, it's nothing. Mom knows you came to school with me today, and she's not exactly thrilled about it."

"Ah, well, at least you didn't get caught with me in your bag."

"Yeah, right…" Akira looked down. "She also says that you shouldn't come with me to school anymore."

"I see." Morgana joined him in looking down. There was a moment of silence between the two of them. "Maybe she has a point."

"What do you mean?" Akira looked up at him.

"I mean, you should listen to her. She just got you back after being without you for a year."

"Aw, come on, it's not like bringing you to school could get me arrested," Akira joked.

"No, but it could get you in trouble, maybe even expelled. You were expelled from there once."

"Thanks for the reminder." Akira rolled his eyes.

"My point is, the teachers are probably looking for a reason, any reason, to bust you."

"Yeah, right, 'cause I'm sooooo dangerous," Akira sarcastically said before chuckling.

"Says the guy who took down a giant god not four months ago."

"Point taken."

"What I'm trying to say is, it'd be a shame to get into trouble, especially now," Morgana argued. Akira thought about it for a moment and sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he relented.

"I'm always right," Morgana smugly proclaimed.

"All right, all right. Don't get cocky," Akira smirked before going back to his homework.

"I'm gonna go beg for a snack. I'll leave you alone to work."

"Okay, see you later," Akira nodded before Morgana walked out of his room.

Shortly before six in the evening, Rise showed up at Akira's house to pick him up. Akira brought with him some of Leblanc's signature coffee blend that Sojiro had given him to take home as a "thank you" gift to Yu and Dojima. He thought it'd be nice to share it with others rather than just keep it for himself and his mother. It was about a ten-minute drive from Akira's to Dojima's house. Along the way, they kept chatting about Akira's year in Tokyo and Rise's idol work. Eventually, they arrived at the Dojima residence. Rise rang the doorbell to be polite. Akira expected Yu or Dojima to answer the door, but instead, it was a short, brunette-haired girl who looked about twelve years of age.

"Rise-san!" The girl exclaimed as she ran to hug Rise's waist.

"Hey, Nanako-chan! Great to see you again!" Rise beamed. "There's somebody I want you to meet. This is my cousin, Akira. He just came back to Inaba after being in Tokyo for a year. Akira, this is Nanako, Dojima-san's daughter."

"Nice to meet you, Akira-senpai!" Nanako politely greeted him with a bow.

"Likewise, Nanako-chan. You can just call me Akira, though," Akira bowed back.

"Okay!" Nanako beamed. "Come on in! Big Bro is already here!" She said before going back inside the house.

"Big Bro?" Akira asked Rise.

"It's what she calls Yu. They're actually cousins as well, but I guess 'Big Bro's' just more affectionate," she explained and shrugged.

"Ah, gotcha."

"Come on, let's go."

"After you, Big Sis," Akira chuckled.

"Oh no, don't you start," Rise laughed it off. The two made their way inside. Yu got up from the couch and walked over to them.

"Akira-kun! Great to see you again," Yu exclaimed.

"You as well. It's great to be back. How are you doing, Yu-san?"

"I'm doing well, but more importantly, you. Tokyo wasn't too bad, was it?" Akira shook his head.

"No, it wasn't too bad. In some ways, it was actually great."

"Really? I'm kind of surprised."

"Sweetie, he went to the big city, not to war!" Rise chuckled as she went to kiss Yu. Akira felt embarrassed for a moment as he awkwardly stood by while his cousin made out with her boyfriend.

"Haha, I'm coming, Nanako," Akira, Rise, and Yu heard an older male voice from outside say. Shortly after, Nanako came back inside from the garden with her father. A middle-aged man with dark-gray hair, gray eyes, and dressed in a dark gray shirt with pulled up sleeves, a loose, light red necktie, and a brown belt with a metal buckle, as well as a pair of dress pants along with dark brown shoes. He also had a pack of cigarettes in his side pocket. "Ah, hello there. You must be Akira-kun," he said, walking over to Akira. Nanako went to the kitchen to check on dinner.

Akira bowed. "Yes, Akira Kurusu."

"Detective Ryotaro Dojima. It's a pleasure to officially meet you," Dojima smiled.

"Likewise, Dojima-san."

"You know, my sister and I were in high school around the same time as your parents. In fact, I was in the same class as your mother before she left."

"My mom did mention that."

"She and I talked now and then over the past year so. Considering everything she's gone through, I have to say, she's a fighter that's for sure."

"Yeah, she is," Akira smiled melancholically.

"Anyway, I'm sorry we couldn't do much for your situation, but we tried our best."

"No worries. I'm still thankful for you both for trying as hard as you did."

"Well, your mom worked harder than the both of us combined," Yu said as he pointed to himself and Dojima. "I guess it all worked out well in the end, though, right?"

"Right," Akira smiled.

"Sorry to interrupt, but dinner's ready!" Nanako yelled from the kitchen.

"Well, then, shall we?" Dojima said.

Everyone sat at the table and enjoyed dinner. Nanako was a surprisingly great cook for her age. Akira had a great time. Dojima and Nanako were very kind to him. Nanako kept staring at him for most of the night. It was clear she had a slight crush on him. Dojima told Akira about how he took Yu in when his parents had to travel overseas for work for a year back in 2011. Akira saw a bit of Sojiro in Dojima, though he imagined Dojima was friendlier to Yu when he arrived than Sojiro was to him. They were family, while Akira and Sojiro were strangers, after all.

After dinner, Akira pulled out the coffee blend and brewed some coffee for everyone, even Nanako. Yu and Dojima were a bit skeptical about having coffee so late in the evening, but gave in when Rise convinced them they had to try it. The aroma alone was enough to persuade them to change their mind, and the taste made them glad they did. Akira liked seeing them happy and enjoying Leblanc's coffee.

He thought it would be hard readjusting to Inaba, but there were people in his life who made it easy for him. His mother, Rise, Yu, even Nanako and Dojima, people he had just met, were kind and inviting to him. Sure, school wasn't off to the best start, but he figured it would get better. At this moment, though he was away from the Phantom Thieves and missed them dearly, he still felt happy.

Little did he know, the rest of the year was all downhill from there.

That's not to say it was all bad afterward. Just not as good.

There were still some fun moments. Mostly outside of school, which was a repetitive slog. Since he never seemed to click with any of his schoolmates, like he had with the likes of Ryuji or Ann, he gave up on trying to make friends. Not that it mattered all that much because Yu and Rise's friends were kind to him as well.

In February of 2012, shortly before Yu went back home to the city and long before Akira had been sent away to Tokyo, Yu and Rise had introduced Akira to their friends; a group they had been with since their high school days. Together, the seven of them referred to themselves as, "The Investigation Team." Akira didn't know why. Nevertheless, they were all extremely friendly and took a shine to him.

—Yosuke Hanamura; manager of Junes, a big department store, and a bit of klutz.

—Chie Satonaka; Yu's fellow police officer-in-crime, and a quirky meat and kung-fu enthusiast.

—Yukiko Amagi; manager of Inaba's famous inn, and a terrible cook with an odd sense of humor.

—Kanji Tatsumi; skilled at knitting, sewing, and crafting, tough on the outside but soft and effeminate on the inside.

—Naoto Shirogane; Inaba's own private detective, someone really friendly but who's also a little too serious for her own good.

Yosuke and his supposed younger brother, Teddie (or Ted for short) constantly fought while working together at the Junes department store. Ted was an oddball character, constantly making bear puns for whatever reason. Sure he was the mascot of Junes and in a bear suit most of the time, but come on. Akira never found him all that funny.

Chie was extremely energetic and friendly. She sometimes took Akira out for steak skewers, loaned him kung-fu dvds, and tried to teach him some moves. Akira could never say that he had a boring time with Chie, but then again, in the time that Chie knew him, Akira never said much to begin with.

Akira never admitted it, but he did have a small crush on Yukiko for a time. Even though his emotionally disconnected mindset, the kid had good taste in girls. Her laughing fits were one of the few things that made Akira smile, though it was more out of awkwardness than anything.

Kanji was kind of dumb at times. He would give Akira talks about growing up and being a man, all the while making stuffed animals. Akira was a bit scared of him at first as looked kind of tough, but he quickly realized that he was mostly just acting tough and was, in reality, a sweetheart.

Naoto was nice and friendly, but the most serious out of all of them. She was a detective with an intuitive mindset. The downside was, she was so focused on her job sometimes that she didn't really know how to switch off sometimes. She didn't say too much to Akira, and neither did he, so naturally they got along the best.

After Akira returned to Inaba, it felt like he was being re-introduced to all of them. He came back an entirely different person than when he left, and the Investigation Team took notice. They all felt terrible about what happened to him the previous year; even Naoto had investigated his case. Akira appreciated their sympathy. Yosuke generously offered Akira a part-time job at Junes if he needed some extra money. Akira was thankful but declined the offer. He still had quite a lot of money left from his Phantom Thief days. Not that they needed to know that. While he liked the Investigation Team and enjoyed hanging out with them, it wasn't the same as the Phantom Thieves. After all, they were all in their early twenties. It's harder to have that same connection with people who aren't the same age as you. Plus, he missed his own friends.

Despite still being in constant contact with the Thieves through the group chat, he was beginning to feel the distance separating them, especially between him and Sumire. Akira announced that he, Morgana, and Kairi would be coming back to Tokyo for Golden Week. But he was heartbroken when he found out Sumire would be going on another cross-country gymnastics retreat and wouldn't be back until after they had gone back to Inaba. While he understood and was proud of her, not being able to see her still hurt. Despite that, Golden Week was fun. They drove down to Tokyo. Sojiro agreed to house Kairi in his spare guest room, so she wouldn't have to waste money on a hotel, while Akira kept his usual attic bedroom. Kairi did hang out with Akira and the other Thieves for a while, including dinner at the Wilton Buffet and joining them for karaoke one night, but mostly left her son to be with his friends.

While Akira was busy hanging out with the Thieves, Kairi talked with Sojiro at Leblanc. They got to know one another and became good friends. Sojiro found out that she used to be an English teacher, but stepped away from it after Akira was sent away to Tokyo. She was very fluent in English, and didn't even have any English-speaking relatives. She was just as, if not more, fluent than Ann, and she hadn't even previously lived abroad like Ann had. Not only that, but she began studying English very early in life. She had dreams of becoming a screenwriter in America, but, unfortunately, life got in the way. Sojiro got to know her well, but he still noted that she had some reservations about sharing certain things, similar to Akira. Golden Week went by quickly. Kairi got to know Akira's friends a lot more throughout Golden Week. Despite her being twenty-plus years older than them, she fit fight in with the group. They all liked her a lot and were eager to see her again. Akira, Morgana, and Kairi left Tokyo, sad to leave but grateful for the time they spent. Sadly, for Akira, leaving Tokyo again meant going back to a mundane life away from his friends.

From then on, Akira's days consisted of a routine. Wake up, go to school, get mocked by Raden, answering questions in class (the order of those last two changed every day), come home, do homework, eat dinner, go to bed. Every day seemed to be exactly the same, and Akira soon found himself counting down the days until graduation. As time passed, he grew more and more disconnected from those around him. Rise found herself out of town once more for work. Yu was busy at the police station, working under Dojima as an officer in the hopes of becoming a detective someday. He saw Nanako and the other Investigation Team members around town every now and then, and had friendly chats with them, but that was it. Even his mother; he and her started talking less and less to each other. Not that they were mad at each other, Akira just didn't feel like he had anything to say. He found that he was slowly slipping back into the mindset he had before Tokyo. He thought he was just missing his friends and girlfriend, but it felt like it went beyond that. Akira started feeling… empty.

**May 16th, 2017 — Kurusu Home**

One afternoon, Kairi was feeling a bit under the weather. She had gotten food poisoning from takeout she and Akira had ordered the night before. Moreover, it was pollen season, and she had terrible allergies. She was in the living room, sitting in the recliner, wearing a pajamas and robe combo, reading a book, and enjoying some tea when she heard Akira come downstairs.

"Hey, I'm going out for a bit. I'll see you later," Akira said as he put his shoes on.

"Where are you going?" Kairi asked before remembering the date. "Oh…right… Hang on; I'll come with you," she said as she put her book down.

"Mom, you're sick. Just stay here and take care of yourself. Besides, you already went there the other day to take care of the plot. I'll take care of it if I need to; don't worry about it," Akira insisted.

"Akira, are you sure? I'm feeling better," she lied. Like mother, like son. "You don't have to go alone."

"Mom, seriously, it's fine. Besides, I'd rather go alone anyway…" Akira's voice trailed off.

"…okay," Kairi reluctantly accepted. "I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you, too," Akira said without much feeling. "Do you want me to get anything from the store while I'm out? Maybe a trip to the Shiroku store for some medicine?" he kindly offered.

"No, that's fine, I have everything I need already. Thank you, though, sweetie." Akira nodded and left the house. Kairi sighed; she thought for a moment and began to cry quietly. Morgana came down from Akira's room and cuddled up to her. He made her feel a bit better. Morgana had no clue where Akira was going, and it wasn't like he could simply ask Kairi. She got up and went up to her room. Morgana followed her. He watched as she lit a candle and quietly said a prayer. She then sat on the edge of her bed and cried some more.

"Yikes, I wonder what all that's about…" Morgana thought aloud. Kairi looked back up when she heard nearby meowing.

"Oh, Morgana…" She noticed him sitting in the doorway of her bedroom. "I-I'm sorry. I… do this every year on this day," she quietly said. Morgana went and cuddled up to her. "I-I miss… him… s-so much…" Kairi quietly sobbed as she stroked the fur on Morgana's back. Morgana wasn't sure who exactly she was talking about. He figured it was Akira's father and that Akira was going to the cemetery to pay his respects. However, Morgana still had reservations in his mind since he still wasn't sure if it was Akira's father who had abused him in the past. Although, from the way Kairi was crying, it couldn't have been him… could it?

Akira stopped at a flower shop to buy some flowers before going to the Inaba cemetery. It was on the outskirts of town. He took the bus to get there. As he walked, he began to feel sad. Akira never liked going to the cemetery, then again, does anybody? Nevertheless, he knew it would be terrible of him not to come at all. He typically visited the cemetery twice a year on two particular dates. This was one of them.

Akira walked up a small hill and found the Kurusu family plot. It was right under a great big oak tree, the only tree in the cemetery. The gravestone had the names of his grandfather, who he sadly never got to know as he had passed before he was born. His father, Minoru, tragically passed away the day after his ninth birthday, or more accurately, eleven days after his ninth birthday, but Akira chose not to think about that. And then… there was another name—the reason he came on this particular day. Akira took a deep breath, kneeled, and placed the flowers at the foot of the gravestone.

"Hey…" he began. "I'm sorry I couldn't come last year. If you really can see everything, like Mom used to say, you probably understand why…" Akira paused. "I'm trying my best to get through this year, but to be honest, it's been tough. I felt like a different person in Tokyo, and I felt good about myself for the first time in a while, but now that I'm back here… I feel like I'm losing all of that growth and regressing into my former self, and I don't know why…" Akira sighed. As usual, he didn't cry. "I'm trying my best to be there for Mom, though; don't worry. Despite everything, we're doing okay," he let out a sad smile before standing up again. "I-uh… I really miss you guys…" Akira looked at the name next to his father's. "I know, it's silly…" He forced a chuckle. "If you were here right now, you'd probably tell me to let it go and forgive myself, and that it wasn't my fault, et cetera… but I just want to say that I'm sorry about what happened… I can't help but still feel responsible… I guess that's just who I am…" Akira deeply exhaled.

"I'll see you guys soon…" He said before turning around and walking away. As he left the cemetery, he didn't feel sad anymore. He just felt empty, completely blank.

**July 31st, 2017 — Sendai**

When classes ended for the summer, Akira was ecstatic to be able to go back to Tokyo. His mother opted not to join him this time since he told her that he and the Thieves would be going on a road trip across the country. Sumire, unfortunately, wouldn't be able to join them due to gymnastics obligations, however, her and Akira did manage to get in some time together before she left. Specifically, some "private" time where they consummated their love. As far as first times go, it wasn't awkward. They just let their love for each other carry them. After she left, the Phantom Thief Summer Road Trip was officially underway. Everyone, minus Sumire, piled into the newly acquired Phantomobile RV and headed out for a fun, month-long cross-country excursion. Their first stop was Sendai. It mostly just a place where they could rest for the night on their way to Sapporo. Although, they did enjoy a fantastic dinner at a gyutan restaurant. The girls slept inside the RV, while the boys and Morgana were forced to share a tent on the RV roof.

"Man, it's sooooo hot in here…" Ryuji whined.

"Indeed. The humidity is going to make sleeping difficult," Yusuke agreed.

"I blame Morgana and his fur," Ryuji fired.

"Says the monkey!" Mona fired back.

"What was that!?"

"Will you two shut up, already!?" Akira quietly scolded them. "The women can probably hear us through the roof, you know?" He was right. Ann, Futaba, Makoto, and Haru were listening to the two of them bicker, frustrated as they were trying in vain to fall asleep.

"Why do we gotta sleep on the roof, anyway?" Ryuji complained some more.

"The tent's attached to the roof. Don't like it? You can go sleep under the tree outside," Morgana said.

"I'd almost instead prefer that. Sleeping in the beauty of nature," Yusuke commented.

"Yeah, well, not me, unless it's inside a tent. I don't wanna wake up and find bugs and bird crap all over me," Ryuji said.

"Not to mention mosquito bites…" Morgana added before looking around the tent. "…wait, I think there's a mosquito in here."

"No, there ain't."

"Yeah, there is. It's a big one, and it's got blond hair," Morgana chuckled.

"Mona, I swear to-" Ryuji was cut off.

"Okay, if you two don't stop talking in the next two seconds, I'm tossing the both of you out of here myself," Akira threatened them.

"I agree, you're both being rather obnoxious," Yusuke commented.

"He started it!" Ryuji pointed the finger as Akira buried his face in his pillow and sighed.

"Oh, for the love of…"

"What are you, eleven?" Morgana retorted.

"I wanna go to sleep. Please?" Akira's muffled voice asked. Morgana and Ryuji stopped their bickering, and the tent was quiet for a few minutes when Ryuji, unable to get to sleep, broke the silence.

"Y'know, all my complainin' aside, I'm really glad to be here with everyone. I can't remember the last time I went camping," he made sure to speak quietly.

"Indeed. Camping was something I've wanted to do for a long time. For my first time, I must admit, I'm enjoying myself," Yusuke said.

"What about you, Akira? You ever go campin'?" Ryuji asked. There was a long pause and then a deep sigh from Akira. "You okay, man?" Akira stayed quiet. "Sorry, you're prolly tired. I'll stop botherin' you."

"No, no. That's not it, sorry. I was just thinking," Akira finally said.

"About what?" Morgana asked.

"Camping with my dad…" Ryuji went wide-eyed. Yusuke and Morgana were equally surprised. Suddenly, the whole tent was wide-awake, including the RV. The four women didn't care about sleep right now. This was the first time Akira had mentioned his father at all. "Last time I went was with him…"

"You went camping with your father?" Yusuke asked.

"Yeah… we'd go from time to time. I was pretty young. Like six-seven years old, something like that. They were great times." Ryuji was afraid to ask, but he saw this as the time to finally ask about what's been on his mind for over a year at this point.

"H-Hey, Akira… mind if I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure."

"I-It's… about your dad, if that's cool."

"…go ahead…" Akira knew what was coming. His mother was right; he had to tell them the truth about his father, but he wanted to avoid telling the truth about what was really on Ryuji's mind.

"D-Did… Did he…"

"Abuse me?" Akira said point-blank. Ryuji, Yusuke, Morgana, and, unbeknownst to them, the girls who could hear their conversation from inside the RV were shocked by Akira being so blunt.

"…yeah…" Ryuji said, Akira sighed. He sat up as best he could, considering the cramped conditions of the small tent.

"My mom said I should tell you guys about him so that you don't get the wrong idea. I'm just sorry that it took me this long."

"So…" Morgana began, "you're saying he didn't…?"

"No; he didn't abuse me. He was a great man. I loved him, and he loved my mom and me." "And also… no… I can't…" Akira thought.

"Then… where are the marks from?" Ryuji asked. "Was it really from climbing trees?" Akira took a while before answering.

"Ryuji, this is a sensitive topic. Perhaps now is not the right time-" Yusuke began before being cut off by Akira.

"… I won't lie to you. I was abused…" And just like that, the group's suspicions were confirmed, but right now, they were wishing they had been wrong. "But not by my father or my mother. It was someone else who abused me."

"Who?" Morgana asked.

"It… doesn't matter. He's gone and out of our lives. I really don't want to talk about him. Even thinking about him makes me sick." Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Then, if I may ask, what happened to your father?" Yusuke asked, another pause before the answer.

"You remember when you all drove me back home in March? We were all hanging out in my room when Makoto picked up that picture of me with my parents on my ninth birthday?"

"Yeah, I remember you got kinda sad for a sec…" Ryuji recalled.

"Yeah… that's because he died the next day…" The tent was speechless. Morgana heard quiet but still audible gasps from Ann, Futaba, Makoto, and Haru inside the RV.

"Shit… I'm so sorry, man…" Ryuji tried comforting Akira.

"It's okay… I've shed all my tears over it…"

"Can I ask how he died?" Morgana asked.

"He was part of a construction crew hired to build a movie theater in the next town over from Inaba. A scaffold he was on wasn't properly set up, and he ended up falling from maybe… I dunno… twenty-five or thirty feet in the air and landing on his neck."

"Fuck…" Ryuji exhaled.

"My word…" Yusuke gasped; Akira continued.

"The worst part about it is, he didn't die right away. He ended up in a coma. We hoped he would pull through, but he never woke up…" Akira paused. "He died after ten days in a hospital bed."

"But… you told us he passed away the day after your birthday, though," Morgana somberly said.

"That's just how I see it, unfortunately. I just prefer not to think about him in that hospital bed. I hate cemeteries, but I still go to see him every 11th of February. It's why I don't particularly care about celebrating my birthday, either…" Akira said, there was another moment of silence.

"Aw, dude, I'm so sorry…" Ryuji said, putting his arm around Akira.

"You have my condolences as well," Yusuke added.

"I'm sorry I made you bring it up," Ryuji said.

"Don't be. It's hard to talk about, yeah, but I'm glad I told you. I just don't want to bring it up anymore, if that's all right." The others agreed.

"I guess I ruined our night then, huh?" Ryuji awkwardly chuckled.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It was a long overdue talk," Akira smiled and reassured him. "But now that it's done, let's just go to sleep."

Akira, Ryuji, and Yusuke laid back down and quickly fell asleep. Though it was tough after hearing all of that. Judging from the reactions Morgana heard from inside the RV, the girls heard everything. Akira never said anything, but he assumed they heard everything as well. Either way, it was never brought up by anyone again, and the trip continued smoothly from then on. Morgana was relieved to know that Akira wasn't abused by his father. However, as he tried going to sleep, a thought occurred to him. Akira said his father died days after his birthday, which is in February. If that's the case, then why did he go on May 16th? It couldn't have been because of Akira's father, but from the way Kairi was crying on that day, it had to be someone important. Was there someone else?

Had Akira lost more than he let on?