For Akira Kurusu, the nightmare was never the same, but it was always worse.
"Tetsuya! Tetsuya! Come on!"
"Easy there, Akira. You're supposed to wait for me. I don't want you jumping on your own. Heck, I don't even think we should jump from here, it's too high, and they say the current is strong today."
"But you promised!" Akira threw a tantrum and turned away from his brother.
"I know I did. I just want to make sure we do this safely. Just hold on. Mom's gonna be pissed if something happens to you." Tetsuya looked out over the edge. Akira patiently waited for his brother to give him the all-clear. "Okay. I think this could work." Tetsuya said, still looking out over the edge. "We just gotta…"
Tetsuya's voice began to fade out and was instead replaced by a droning sound. Akira turned around and saw a man dressed in black with a red coat and a black and gold mask with frizzy dark hair, just like his, and glowing golden eyes appear behind Tetsuya. Akira froze, unsure of what to do.
"Akira? You there, buddy?" Tetsuya asked without looking back. The noise was still muffled. Akira was still frozen, like he was mentally shut down. He couldn't do anything to prevent what happened next. "Akira…?" Tetsuya called out one more time.
The man in the red coat flashed a sinister grin before kicking Tetsuya off the cliff. Tetsuya's scream of terror came in crystal clear and briefly snapped Akira out of his daze as he rushed to the edge of the cliff. He looked out over the edge, trying desperately to spot his brother, but he couldn't. The man in the red coat laughed before talking in a sinister, almost distorted-sounding voice.
*Tch, are you ever going to stop blaming yourself? Well, not that matters anyhow, pathetic little shit,* t he man shook his head.
"T-T-Tets…" Akira was at a loss for words.
*Oh, shut up. He's dead; get over it. You don't need him. You don't need anyone anymore. I'm all our real word-self needs.*
"Wh-Wha…?" The man pulled out a tool of some kind and twirled it around in his hand until a blade unsheathed out of the end.
*Sorry to say, but only one of us will be set free, and it ain't going to be you, kid.* The man suddenly grabbed Akira and threw him to the ground. Holding the blade up to his throat, he stared into his eyes and yelled, *NOW LET ME OUT OF HERE!*
"Akira-kun…?" a voice softly whispered. Akira, lying face down on his desk, opened his eyes and shot upright. He had fallen asleep at his desk the night before with his headphones still on, which he quickly threw off. He felt a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to flinch. "O-Oh! I-I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" A female voice asked. Akira turned around to find Yukiko Amagi in her bridesmaid dress with her hands covering her mouth.
"Wha-What?" His clothes from the previous evening were drenched in sweat. He was breathing heavily and practically confused at what was going on.
"A-Are you all right?" she asked. Akira managed to regain a bit of his composure.
"Yukiko-san… yeah, sorry, I-uh…" he began, rubbing his forehead. His migraine was horrible right now, and he felt nauseous. He missed the booze. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"Um, well, I'm here to help Rise get ready. Your mother asked me to come and wake you up. It's breakfast time." Just hearing the word, "Breakfast" made Akira want to hurl.
"Ready?" Akira was still confused. "Oh, the wedding, right…" he rubbed his head some more. "Wh-What time is it?"
"Almost eight a.m," she replied, checking her watch. Akira heard multiple voices downstairs.
"Who else is here?"
"Chie and Naoto are here as well."
"Right…" Yukiko noticed more and more that something felt off about Akira. For one, his breathing still hadn't changed and he looked dizzy.
"A-Are you sure you're all right, Akira-kun?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he tried to reassure her. Whether it worked or not was anyone's guess. Akira could barely recall what day it was. "I just had a bad dream." Akira noticed his sweat-drenched clothes. "Plus, I really need a shower, hehe," he forcefully chuckled.
"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear about your bad dream." Yukiko cleared her throat. "But, um, the bathroom is free if you need it." He sure did need it. Akira was hoping Yukiko would leave soon so he could avoid ruining her dress.
"Thanks, Yukiko-san," Akira put his head in his hands.
"All right. Well, see you downstairs. Cute cat, by the way!" she added before exiting his room. Akira didn't quite catch what she said, though; he was lost in his own thoughts.
"Another bad dream, eh?" Akira jumped at another sudden voice. This one being Morgana's, who had also just woken up and was stretching on the bed.
"Jesus, why's everyone trying to give me a heart attack this morning!?" Akira raised his voice.
"Sorry," Morgana recoiled. "I didn't mean to startle you. So, who was that?" the feline asked.
"A friend of Yu and Rise's from high school. She manages the inn where the others are staying."
"Ah, I see. Well, she seems nice enough. I'll let the 'cat' part slide…" Morgana scratched his ear before continuing. "So, what were you doing all night? You slept at your desk?"
"Um, yeah. I was just-um…" Akira glanced at his wastebasket. "Nothing, just listening to music; I guess I fell asleep."
"Uh-huh, right…" Morgana said. He knew something was up, but by this point, he also knew that it was pointless to press for answers. "Well, I'm going to go take a walk outside for a bit before breakfast. What about you?"
"I have to get ready. I'll be down in a bit." Akira still felt nauseous. He prayed that Morgana would leave the room soon so he could run to the bathroom and throw up.
"Okay, see you later," Morgana said as he hopped off the bed and left the room.
After waiting for a minute to make sure Morgana was really gone, Akira rushed to the bathroom as bile and stomach juice spewed from his lips. It wasn't as loud as it was two days ago in Leblanc, but it wasn't any prettier. In his first window, Akira ran the shower and the sink to cover up the noise just to be safe, not wanting the people downstairs to hear him. He felt like utter crap, and couldn't wait to leave Inaba for good. He didn't know why he was throwing up. Was he sick? Was it alcohol withdrawal? Who knew? Akira didn't, but he also didn't give a damn.
Once Akira was done, he showered, brushed his teeth, and splashed water on his face. He checked himself out in the mirror; he didn't just look like something the cat dragged in. The cat ate him, shat him out, and covered him in sand. Back in his room, Akira got his tuxedo out of his suitcase and put it on. After trying and failing to tie his tie, he decided to leave it for now. Akira massaged his head for a minute, trying anything to make his migraine hurt less. Ultimately, it was a fruitless effort. His head hurt no matter what. His eyes went around the desk, trying to find a painkiller of some kind, and landed on the box that contained his family's dog tag. For some reason, he pulled the box over to him and opened it. Only to find that it was empty.
Akira couldn't believe his eyes. He frantically searched around his desk, under it, and went all around his room trying to find where the dog tag was. He knew he had left it in there. He had pulled out only one other time, and that was the day he returned home. After searching everywhere in his room, he couldn't find it. Akira was angry at himself. It was then that the thought of running away crept back into his head. He tried to shake it, but it seemed like more of a sure thing now. He hadn't given it much thought. Maybe he would wait until a day or two after the wedding. Or, perhaps, Akira would be gone before the sun went down.
As he exited the bedroom, he could hear laughter coming from the dining room downstairs, but all their chatter was not helping his migraine. In the dining room sat Rise, Chie, Yukiko, Naoto, and his mother. The bridesmaids were in their dresses, and Kairi had on her own green dress with tiny golden embellishments. Only Rise was still in a robe. Akira thought it was odd, seeing as she was the one getting married in just a couple of hours. They all sat around the table, enjoying coffee and other things for breakfast. With his migraine feeling extra painful, Akira knew it would take a lot more grit to force a smile and not let his anger spill out. He took a deep breath and walked into the dining room.
"Morning, everyone," he announced as everyone turned towards him.
"Ooh~, check out this handsome fellow who just walked in!" Chie chuckled. Akira certainly didn't feel handsome right now.
"Chie, stop it! You're embarrassing him, haha," Rise chuckled. As the bridesmaids chatted amongst themselves, Kairi got up out of her seat and walked over to Akira.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said as she hugged and kissed Akira on the cheek. He hesitantly reciprocated the hug. "Need some help with your tie?"
"Sure," he flatly replied; Kairi fixed his tie for him and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks."
"There's coffee in the kitchen; help yourself," she smiled forcefully. Akira went to the kitchen and served himself a pick-me-up. It wasn't Leblanc's coffee. Akira could tell because it wasn't very good, but he needed some kind of caffeine in his system to get him through the upcoming day. He looked around the kitchen, then in the dining room, and noticed Morgana was nowhere to be found.
"Did Morgana eat yet?" Akira asked, walking back into the dining room, and taking a seat at the table next to Rise.
"I filled his bowls and brought them outside," Kairi responded. The others gushed about him.
"We saw him chow down, he's one cute cat!" Rise beamed. "Your mom said you've had him since you first got to Tokyo?"
Akira nodded. "I found him a few days after I got there. He's a good companion, though a bit annoying at times."
"He's definitely a charming little guy!" Yukiko added.
"I could just eat him up!" Chie joked.
"I'll tell him you said that, or maybe Akira could, haha," Kairi chuckled.
"Sorry, ladies, he's got his heart set on another," Akira deadpan quipped.
"Oh? And how do you know that?" Rise asked, giggling and sipping her coffee.
"He told me," the others chuckled. Everyone thought he was kidding. "I'm serious, he's got a massive crush on a friend of mine."
"Akira's a bit of a cat whisperer," Kairi joked. "I swear, sometimes it seems like he and his friends talk to Morgana like he's an actual person."
"I thought only crazy old ladies did that?" Chie wondered.
"Tch, teens nowadays…" Naoto rolled her eyes.
"Naoto, you say that like we're ancient," Yukiko smiled.
"You ladies aren't ancient; I am," Kairi joked. "You're all young and vibrant. Pretty soon, I'll be forty-two and dusty, haha."
"Oh, stop! You're not old Obasan." Rise reached across the table and grabbed her aunt's hand.
"Yeah, Kairi-san, don't be so hard on yourself," Yukiko said.
"You could pass for twenty-two," Chie chuckled.
"I agree, don't you think, Akira-kun?" Naoto looked over at Akira, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Huh? Yeah, I guess…" he replied unenthusiastically.
"Thank you, guys. That means a lot." Everyone sat and enjoyed their morning coffee for a bit. Akira found himself getting lost in his thoughts again. This time, thinking back to his dream and the man in the red coat. He looked identical to the Joker he saw in the mirror.
"So, Akira," Chie began as she looked at Akira, who snapped out of his thoughts, "a little birdie told us you had a bad dream," she said before glancing at Yukiko.
"Thanks a lot, Tweety," Akira thought. "Yeah, it's nothing; don't worry about it," he waved it off.
"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Rise asked, rubbing his back. Akira yawned and nodded.
"Positive. It's just a bad dream, so what?" he said before taking another sip of coffee and turning to Rise. "Moreover, shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"It won't take me long. Besides, there's no hurry," Rise answered.
"No hurry? You know, for someone who's getting married in a couple of hours, you seem oddly relaxed," Naoto pointed out; Everyone else agreed.
"Yeah, why is that?" Yukiko wondered.
"I dunno, I just am," Rise shrugged before taking another sip of coffee.
"Rise," Chie began, "you should be freaking out right now, or at the very least, you should be more excited! Even Akira-kun's more excited, and he's not even smiling," she chuckled while Akira glared at her. "… What? It's just a joke…" She looked around the table at everyone else who was giving her similar looks. "… I was just kidding!" Suddenly, everyone turned their heads as there was a knock on the front door.
"Who's that?" Rise wondered. She looked over at her aunt, who was grinning.
"Come on in, Sis!" Kairi yelled out. The front door could be heard opening.
"Hello!? Anybody home!?" a woman's voice called out before two people entered the dining room. It was Maki and Shinsuke Kujikawa, Rise's parents.
"Mom!? Dad!?" Rise shot out of her chair and hugged her parents.
"Hi, sweetie!" Shinsuke greeted. "Surprised to see us?" Rise pulled back.
"What the—!? I didn't think I'd see you until the ceremony," Rise said, ecstatically.
"Your Obasan called last night and invited us over for coffee!" Maki began. "We figured, 'why not drop in now?' Plus," she paused and turned to Akira, "I wanted to see my favorite nephew~!"
"Oh, so I'm the favorite nephew? Or is it just because the other one is gone?" Akira thought. "Hi, Obasan," he uttered, trying to sound happy. He turned to Shinsuke. "Hello, Ojisan, how are you guys doing?"
"We're great!" Maki began. "How about you? It's been a long time, hasn't it?" she smiled.
"Yeah, really long. Since the funeral… and you never called once afterward. Did you even know about my probation?" "Yeah, long time," he said, Maki nodded before hugging him once more.
"I love that beard!" Maki exclaimed, rubbing her fingers across his chin. "It looks so grown up!"
"Hehe, I've been getting that a lot…" Akira said, trying not to let annoyance slip through. Rise noticed and decided to save him from being floof'd by her mother.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet my best friends and my bridesmaids. This is Chie, Yukiko, and Naoto. Guys, these are my parents, Maki and Shinsuke."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Shinsuke bowed.
"So nice to finally meet you!" Maki bowed as well.
*Ahem?* "Excuse me, don't I get a 'hello?'" Kairi joked to her sister, holding her arms out.
"Of course, you do, little Sis!" Maki walked over and hugged Kairi. It had indeed been forever since they last saw each other. Similar to Yu and Riku's parents, Rise's folks were usually busy overseas, mostly in Paris. They rarely came back to Tokyo, but they'd be damned if they were going to miss their only child's wedding. Maki broke the hug before turning back to her daughter, only now realizing she was still in a robe.
"Rise! Why aren't you ready!?" she freaked out.
"Mom, relax; there's no hurry," Rise chuckled, trying to calm her down.
"No hurry!? Honey, today's only the most important day of your life!" Maki exclaimed. "Wait…" she thought for a moment. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"
"I asked her that last night. She said, 'no,'" Kairi shrugged.
"I just didn't want to risk spilling coffee on my uchikake, haha," Rise chuckled.
"Well, time to get moving!" Maki yelled out.
"Okay, okay…" Rise sighed as she, her mother, and her bridesmaids headed upstairs to get ready.
"Would like some coffee, Shinsuke-san?" Kairi offered.
"I'm fine right now, thank you, Kairi-san. Do you mind if I go out and have a quick smoke?"
"Not at all." Shinsuke nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Akira and Kairi alone. Kairi sat back down and finished her coffee. The silence was unbearable.
"So, you talked with Rise last night?" Akira asked; Kairi nodded as she put her cup down.
"It was late, she was having a hard time falling asleep because of the heat. I found her going through one of the old photo albums."
"Ah, okay."
"Oh, before I forget, what time is Sumire supposed to arrive at the train station?"
"Uh…one sec, let me check…" Akira pulled out his phone to check the itinerary. "…a little before two o'clock."
"Does she have a ride to the wedding hall?"
"I don't think so. I assumed she would take a taxi or something."
"Tch, a taxi? In Inaba?" Kairi snorted.
"What? We've got a service."
"Not a good one," Kairi remarked. "Why don't you give me her contact info? I'll go and pick her up."
"Sure." He gave her Sumire's contact information.
"It's about time. Can't believe it slipped my mind so many times. At least, this way, she won't be forced to put up with public transport."
"Hmph…"
Afterward, the awkward silence came back, though, the sounds of giggles and loud chipper voices could be heard as the bride-to-be was getting ready upstairs. Akira looked down as his head went up into the clouds; he had nothing to say. Kairi did, but she didn't know where to begin. The two of them had had very limited interaction since Akira came home, and it was starting to become a burden on her mind. As much as she tried to push it down and bury it, the last words he said to her before leaving back in March replayed in her head every time she looked at him. The last words her parents said to her were also replaying in her head. Kairi was trying to stay strong and put on a brave face, but she was sad, furious, and hurt, and it was getting harder and harder to accept the fact that she was slowly losing everyone she cared about.
"Are you done?" she asked.
"Huh?" Akira looked back up.
"With your coffee, are you finished? If so, I'm going to clean up."
"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm done," he said, handing her the cup. "Want any help?"
"No," she quickly replied before clearing the rest of the table and walking to the kitchen. There was frustration in her voice. As much as she loved Akira, Kairi knew she would have to confront him eventually. She didn't know when or how she would, but she was getting closer to reaching her breaking point.
True to her word, it didn't take Rise long to get ready. By eight-thirty, everyone was ready to head out the door. Morgana came back inside, and he and Akira headed upstairs to grab the acoustic guitar, and Morgana got into his bag. Rise, her parents, and the bridesmaids went to their cars while Kairi waited downstairs for Akira. As he came down, she noticed him carrying a gig bag. This was the first time she had seen it.
"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the gig bag.
"Huh? Oh, it's a guitar."
"I didn't even know you brought a guitar!" Kairi smiled. "When did you start playing again?"
"Not long after I got back to Tokyo. Ryuji bought it for me."
"Aw, how nice! So, why are you bringing it?"
"Rise asked me to play a song with her at the reception."
"Oh, that's awesome! I can't wait to see it!" Kairi was beaming.
"That makes one of us." Akira was not. As he said that, Kairi noticed his bag on his side seemed to be moving. He was about to head out the door when his mother stopped him.
"Hold up. What do you have in there? I could've sworn I saw it moving."
"It was just because I was swaying."
"Akira, show me what's in the bag," she demanded; Akira huffed.
"I had a feeling this would happen," Morgana said. Akira opened the bag, and Morgana's head popped out. Kairi brought a hand to her head.
"You're kidding me. You were going to bring Morgana to the wedding?"
"I told you, he goes everywhere with me. He'll be good, and he won't disturb anyone," Akira defended. "Besides, you said I could bring him anywhere but school."
"Akira, you're not bringing him to the wedding," Kairi said, getting more annoyed.
"Why the fuck not!?" Akira asked, also getting more annoyed.
"Akira! Watch your language!" she raised her voice. "He's staying here and that's final!" Both Akira and Kairi were fuming; Morgana couldn't take it anymore.
"Look, just forget about it, okay? I'll stay, it's fine. Don't make things worse," he said to Akira.
"How!? How am I making things worse!?" Akira turned to Morgana as he hopped out of the bag and sat on the stairs.
"Look, I appreciate you trying to stand up for me, but me going to a wedding is not worth getting into another argument with your mom over." Kairi heard nothing but meows.
"We're not getting into an argument!" Akira yelled at him. Kairi awkwardly watched as Akira had a conversation with the cat. Morgana meowed something again, and Akira responded, "Fine! You wanna leave!? Leave! That's all you do anyway!" Morgana hissed at him and disappeared into Akira's bedroom upstairs. Akira turned back to his mom. "There, he's gone. Can we go now?"
Before she could say anything, he walked out the front door and towards the car. Kairi was confused and concerned that Akira kept talking with Morgana like he was a human. She grabbed her keys and walked out to the car. She and Akira didn't say a word to each other.
The wedding began at the Tatsuhime Shrine, north of Inaba's central shopping district. Yu and Rise had opted to go for two ceremonies, one at the shrine and one at a church. Yu had on a black wedding kimono, while Rise had on a white wedding kimono and a matching headdress. Only close family members attended the ceremony at the shrine. Yu had his parents and the Dojimas with him, while Rise had her parents, her paternal grandmother, Kairi, and Akira. The only non-familial member that was present at the shrine was Riku, the photographer. He and Akira didn't interact much, as Riku was on the clock. The two simply waved and shared a head nod greeting and went along with the ceremony.
Afterward, before heading to the church, Yu and Rise went their separate ways to change clothes. Akira and Kairi went to the church for the second ceremony and caught up with everyone else. The Phantom Thieves and the Investigation Team were there, as well as about fifty or sixty other people Akira didn't recognize.
"Yo!" Ryuji shouted out to Akira, as he stood with the others. Akira walked over while Kairi went off on her own.
The Thieves were all elegantly dressed. Akira was in a standard black and white tuxedo, while Ryuji had on a black suit with a dark-red shirt and black tie. Yusuke had the same, only it was a purple shirt instead. Meanwhile the women's dresses all had their own style. Ann's was a red, strapless cocktail dress with black stiletto heels. Makoto was in a dark blue, body-con dress with matching open-toed shoes. Haru had on a pink, A-line dress with a beige vest and pink Mary Janes. Futaba wore a green, halter-top, but didn't bother with fancy shoes like the other three women, opting instead to take a page out of Ryuji's book and wear her usual black, knee-high boots. She looked like she wanted out of that dress as soon as possible.
"You all look nice," Akira said as he joined them.
"What's up, man?" Ryuji asked.
"Nothing much. Have a good night?" Akira asked around.
"No…" Futaba and Yusuke answered in unison before glaring at the other two couples present.
"So, how was the shrine?" Makoto asked.
"Good. It was a nice ceremony," Akira responded. "You okay, Haru?" he asked, noticing her curiously looking around.
"Oh, yes. To be honest, I'm rather surprised. I would have thought the wedding of an idol would have more guests," Haru commented.
"I guess she just wanted to keep things simple," Akira shrugged.
"By the way, where's Morgana?" Ann asked.
"He's back home. He decided to stay behind and not come," Akira replied, not wanting to bring up the verbal altercation from earlier.
"Aw, I hope he doesn't mind being all alone," Ann frowned.
"He'll be fine. The cat could use a break after living with Futaba for so long," Ryuji joked.
"Hey! If anything, I'm the one who needs a break," Futaba said. "Hey, Makoto, you and Haru wouldn't mind taking him for a while when we get back, would you? … Hello…? Earth to Makoto?" Makoto didn't respond. Someone had caught her eye.
"Isn't that Riku-kun?" Makoto asked, pointing out the familiar face.
"Who?" Futaba asked. Everyone looked where Makoto was pointing.
"Holy shit, it is him!" Ryuji exclaimed. "What's he doing here?"
"He's the photographer," Akira responded. "Hey! Riku!" he called out and whistled, grabbing Riku's attention before beckoning him over to the group.
"Oh, hey, guys!" Riku said, walking up. "What's up?"
"This is a surprise!" Haru said, smiling. "Akira said you were the photographer?"
"That's right."
"I didn't know you were into photography," Ann said.
"It's a passion of mine, yeah, but right now, it's just something I do for part-time work." Riku looked around and noticed two new faces. "Sorry, I don't think we've met."
"Yusuke Kitagawa, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"H-Hey, I'm Futaba…" she shyly said.
"Riku Ibushi, I'm Akira's seat neighbor in a lecture we both have. So, is this the whole group?" he said to Akira.
"Almost, there's also my girlfriend, but she won't be here until later," Akira said.
"Nice!" Riku nodded. "Well, listen, I have to get back to work. Why don't I take a picture of all of you together?"
"That would be awesome!" Ann beamed. The group got together for Riku. Everyone smiled and looked happy and ecstatic, except for Akira, who was obviously faking his smirk. The migraine had only gotten worse as the day progressed, and being now surrounded by more than a dozen loud voices was not helping.
"All right! nice shot! Thanks, you guys," Riku said before walking off.
"You-hoo! Akira!" Speaking of loud voices. Akira heard someone yell out his name from afar. He looked in the direction of the call to see his godmother, Maki, making her way over.
"Oh, great…" he thought. Maki arrived and stood before the Phantom Thieves. "Hi, Obasan," he forced out along with a smile. Maki, being too entranced and excited by the wedding, didn't pick up on it.
"What's going on?" Maki asked.
"Nothing, just hanging out," Akira began before introducing his friends to his godmother. "Obasan, these are my friends; Ann, Ryuji, Makoto, Haru, Yusuke, and Futaba. Guys, this is Rise's mom and my godmother, Maki." The Thieves all politely greeted her back.
"Nice to meet you all. I have to say, this is a nice change," Maki said.
"What do you mean?" Makoto raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that Akira was never known for having any friends. Now, here he is with a whole group of them."
"And a girlfriend, but she's not here right now," Ryuji added.
"You have a girlfriend!?" Maki, beaming, went wide-eyed and looked at Akira. "That's incredible! How come you never told me?"
"You never asked," Akira murmured.
"Sorry, what was that?"
"It just never came up, sorry." Again, Maki didn't see the signs, but it was clear to the other Thieves that she was rubbing Akira the wrong way.
"Well, still, I'm proud of you! Could've gone either way, but I'm glad you found some friends of your own!" Akira's eye twitched. "Well, I have to go. It was a pleasure to meet you all!" Maki said before walking away.
"Wow, she's a pistol," Ann remarked.
"More like a shotgun straight to my gonads," Akira grumbled.
"Oh, come on, she wasn't that bad," Futaba said.
"She seemed nice enough. She probably didn't mean what she said," Haru added.
"I agree. I'm sure it was just an offhand remark," Yusuke said.
"Yeah, I guess. It's just that I haven't seen her in years, since…" Akira trailed off.
"Since what?" Ryuji asked.
"Since I was arrested…" Akira lied.
"Oh, was there fallout between you two?" Makoto timidly asked.
"No, not at all, she and Ojisan are pretty busy overseas, so they don't come back to Japan often. they weren't here when I was arrested, but Mom filled them in. They also believed me."
"Oh, well, that's a relief."
"Still, not one to be afraid to speak her mind, is she?" Ann chuckled.
"Some find it endearing," Akira shrugged.
"Do you?" Yusuke asked.
"'Endearing' isn't the word I'd use, no." The Thieves, minus Akira, chuckled. Maki meant well, and it wasn't her intention, but she really did piss Akira off. More than he wanted to admit.
Eventually, it was time for everyone to go take their places inside the church. The Thieves all sat together, while Akira stayed near the entrance with the other groomsmen and bridesmaids. Yu was already at the altar with Yosuke, the best man, by his side while Chie, the maid of honor, was also at the altar, standing on the opposite side. As the music began playing, the rest of the wedding party made their way down the aisle. Kanji with Naoto, Akira with Yukiko, and Dojima with Nanako. Nanako smiled and waved to Akira, who reciprocated. Despite the migraines, he wasn't so made of stone that he would give Nanako the cold shoulder. Once the party was set, the rest of the guests stood up in anticipation. As everyone eagerly waited for Rise, Akira looked around the church. He noticed Rise's parents and grandmother were in the pews.
"That's weird. I wonder who's giving her away then?" he thought. He then looked over at the other Thieves sitting together.
*Let Me Out!*
Akira hissed in pain and visibly flinched.
"Shut up…" he whispered. The voice was louder than before. It was like it was getting closer. He massaged his head as he felt Dojima nudge him softly.
"Are you feeling all right, Akira-kun?" Dojima softly whispered to Akira.
"Just a headache…" Akira whispered back. He noticed the Thieves looking over at him and looking concerned. He decided to fake a smile and shoot them a subtle thumbs up.
Eventually, music began playing. Rather than traditional Japanese music or church organs, what began playing was a moderate-tempo rock drum groove. Everyone was confused, and their confusion only grew as crunchy rock guitars came blasting in. The only one who had any idea what was going on was Yu, who could be seen smiling profusely, shaking his head in disbelief and amusement. Akira recognized the song right away from the opening drums. It was Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me." As the guitar riff began, the church doors opened up to reveal Rise with her back turned. A moment later, she turned around and began walking down the aisle, holding a microphone, and singing the song.
(I want you to want me)
(I need you to need me)
(I'd love you to love me)
(I'm beggin' you to beg me)
So much for not turning her wedding into a Risette concert. As she sang, the "audience" started getting into it. It was a song pretty much everyone in Japan recognized as Cheap Trick were considered the American Beatles, (yes, really).
(I want you to want me)
(I need you to need me)
(I'd love you to love me)
(I'll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand-new *skirt*)
Rise changed the lyric from "shirt" to "skirt" and winked at Yu.
(I'll get home early from work if you say that you love me)
Then the chorus kicked in. Most people are more familiar with the "Live at Budokan" album version of the song. However, the studio album version features an echo effect on the last word of each line of the chorus that the Japanese fans shouted during the live concert, which then ended up on the live album. The wedding guests shouted them out like in the live version.
(Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?) (Cryin' cryin' cryin')
(Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?) (Cryin' cryin' cryin')
(Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin') (Except that one, obviously)
(Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?) (Cryin' cryin' cryin')
As the song switched to a guitar solo and Rise continued to strut down the aisle, Yosuke leaned into Yu.
"Are we going to hell for this?" he whispered. Yu looked over at the priest, who was also into the performance, and smirked.
"Nah, I think we're good. Besides, at least she's not singing her first choice."
"What was it?"
"'Cherry Bomb' by The Runaways," Yu chuckled as Yosuke went wide-eyed.
"Christ…"
"Hey, watch it! We're in a church," Yu whispered.
"Oh, right, sorry…" The song ended, and everyone applauded. Rise pulled up her veil and stood at the aisle in front of her soon-to-be husband.
"Well," the priest began, "that was… something, hehe."
"Sorry, father," Rise whispered and giggled.
"Don't be sorry, it was… interesting, hehe," the priest cleared his throat. "Well, then, shall we begin?"
The second ceremony went off without a hitch. When Yu and Rise read each other the vows they'd written for each other, it brought some guests to tears. Akira looked around and noticed Ann, Makoto, and Haru were having a hard time keeping it together, ruining their makeup as tears strewed across their faces. At the same time, so were Chie and Yukiko. He then looked over at the family members. Yu's parents were happy for their son. Maki and Shinsuke Kujikawa were shedding happy tears, as was Kairi. Surprisingly, so was Dojima, who was standing next to him. Akira didn't think Ryotaro Dojima would be one to cry at weddings (or at all, really). In a sea of happy smiles and tears of joy, Akira stuck out like a sore thumb. He couldn't muster up the effort to even fake it.
Eventually, the priest made it official. "I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Rise popped her foot as Yu kissed her. It was the happiest day of her life.
Afterward, the reception was held at a wedding hall near the outskirts of Inaba and was decorated with white pillars and draping fabrics with mood lighting. Yu introduced Akira to some of his friends from high school. Akira learned that Yu had been a part of quite a few clubs from the people he met, including music, drama, and sports, including soccer and basketball. One woman he met seemed nice but came off as rather bitchy. Akira didn't think much of it. There were a few other people he met, including someone Yu used to tutor, a nurse who worked at the hospital where Yu worked part-time in high school, a woman who Yu met while working part-time at a daycare…there were a lot of people. Akira was dizzy. He was particularly interested in a guy who apparently ran a local liquor store.
By noon, everyone was there. The bride and groom enjoyed their first dance to Queen's "Somebody to Love," before the DJ started playing his custom playlist of popular wedding staples. Everyone was having a good time. Phantom Thieves danced with Phantom Thieves, Investigation Team with Investigation Team, and eventually they mixed it up. Akira spent most of his time in the corner rather than the dance floor. Whenever someone asked him to dance, he turned them down, even Nanako; the stone-hearted bastard. The dancing paused for a bit as members of the wedding party began making speeches. Yu's father, Yu, Rise, the bridesmaids (even Nanako), and Yosuke all gave toasts. Akira sat at a table with the other members of the Phantom Thieves and was thankfully spared from giving a speech of his own. Afterward, the guests began getting food from the prepared buffet.
"Mmmmmm!" Ann savored her food. "Wedding food is seriously the best!"
"Right!?" Ryuji added. "I can't get enough!"
"They really went all out with the buffet, didn't they!" Futaba exclaimed. "None of it beats Sojiro's curry, though."
"Man, you're really addicted to that stuff, aren't you?" Ryuji chuckled.
"And you're not?" Futaba raised an eyebrow.
"I just can't believe you haven't burned a hole in your stomach from eatin' it all the time."
"Nah, I've built up a tolerance. My stomach's made of steel, mwehehe," she chuckled.
"You do eat vegetables as well, don't you, Futaba?" Makoto worriedly asked.
"…uh, do carrots in the curry count?" she guiltily smiled.
"My God…" Yusuke said, his eyes lit up as he took a bite. "It's sparking so much creativity. That reminds me, I must ask the bride and groom if I may paint them before we leave."
"That reminds you? Food?" Ann laughed.
"You never know when inspiration might strike," Haru giggled.
"Akira, do you happen to know when the bride and groom are leaving for their honeymoon?" Yusuke asked. Everyone turned toward him, but Akira was not listening. He was looking down at his still untouched plate. Someone else had his attention.
*When are you going to let me take the wheel, huh?*
The voice asked. It didn't need to shout anymore. It was like it was right next to him.
"A-Akira…?" Makoto, who sat next to him, tried gently shaking his arm.
*I've waited long enough. It's time you let me take over and save your life.*
"Oh, fuck… is he having another seizure?" Ryuji quietly said. "Should I go tell someone?"
"…what?" Akira came back to reality. "Sorry, I was, uh, lost in my thoughts."
"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," Ann said.
"What, you've noticed?" Akira asked.
"We all have," Futaba added.
"Right…" "And I'm sure you've all been talking about it behind my back too," he thought.
"Were you having another micro seizure?" Makoto asked, her hands still worriedly placed on his arm. He quickly pulled it away.
"No, I was just daydreaming, all right?"
"Jeez, you ignore us back in Tokyo, and you even ignore us when we're all at the same table?" Ryuji callously uttered.
"Ryuji!" Ann said.
"What's your goddamn point?" Akira asked, glaring at Ryuji.
"My point is, you've been ignorin' us for months at this point," Ryuji said.
"I haven't been ignoring you. I just like to be alone sometimes; what the fuck do you want from me?"
"Akira, he's right…" Haru began. "You've been so distant, lately."
"Maybe we're just growing apart," he said absent-mindedly. The others couldn't believe what he said.
"You're kidding, right?" Ann scoffed. "That's stupid! After everything we've been through? How can you be growing apart from us?"
"Nothing lasts forever, you know?" Akira shrugged. "We're not the Phantom Thieves anymore," he said aloud as everyone shushed him. "Oh, give me a fucking break, it's not like I yelled it out."
"Is that really what you think, Akira?" Yusuke pondered. "Do you truly feel as though you're growing apart from us?"
"Honestly? Yeah, I do…" Akira coldly responded with only a hint of hesitation. "Deep down… you know I'm right," he added, avoiding all eye contact. Futaba looked down; his words hurt her.
"I thought we were, you know…" she began to whisper, "…Phantom Thieves for life."
"We are, aren't we?" Haru added. Akira didn't say anything.
"Akira, we're not blind," Makoto began. "We can see that you're hurting, right now…" Before she could keep going, Kairi walked over to their table.
"Hey, guys!" Kairi began. "How's the food, good?" Everyone silently nodded. She could tell the air was off here as well, just like at her house earlier in the day. "Akira, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to pick up Sumire, okay?" Akira wanted out of the current conversation with the others and saw a way out.
"Hold on, I'll come with you to the parking lot. I need to get the guitar out of the back." He got out of his seat. The Thieves could tell what he was doing. "I'll be back in a minute."
"O-Okay, let's go," Kairi said as she and Akira headed out towards the parking lot. The others looked despondent.
"Is it our fault?" Makoto pondered. "Were we not there enough for him?" No one responded. Maybe, if they had just had more time. Love and friendship were all a matter of perspective, tied to time and place. It seemed like they had missed their chance to make things right. Akira had emotionally walled himself off from them in the past few months or so. In their eyes, they had failed him. But none of them wanted to admit it.
Meanwhile, the walk to the parking lot was short but tense. Akira grabbed the gig bag out of the back of the 4×4 and closed the trunk without saying a single word to his mother.
"All right. I'll see you later," Akira said, Kairi caught him before he walked away.
"Hold on, is everything okay with your friends?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, the air around that table was so thick you could cut it with a knife," she said, folding her arms. "Is something going on?"
"No. Nothing." As usual, Kairi didn't buy it, but she was done, not pressing further. She had had enough.
"Are we going to play this game again?" Kairi said somberly.
"I'd rather we didn't."
"Then can you tell me what's the matter?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Akira, I can tell when there's something wrong or when there's something you're not telling me."
Akira scoffed. "You sure know how to pick an opportune time to bring up things like this."
"Honey, please tell me what's wro—HEY!" Kairi shouted as Akira began walking away. She grabbed his arm. "Don't you walk away from me when I'm-"
"ALL RIGHT, FINE!" Akira snapped before going off on a rant. "You want to know what's wrong!? I'm not happy! I can't remember the last time I was happy! I HATE that I've had a fucking migraine for months at this point! I HATE being back here! I HATE my friends! I HATE that they're talking about me behind my back! And I HATE YOU FOR TRYING TO CONTROL MY FUCKING LIFE! THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG! SO, WHY DON'T YOU JUST DO WHAT YOU DO BEST AND LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, YOU BITCH!"
Kairi was hurt and nearly broke down right then and there. She hoped the music in the wedding hall was loud enough to drown out their fight. Akira once again began walking away. He stopped when Kairi began speaking again.
"Where's my son…?" she quietly asked, holding back tears. "I want him back…" Akira, not bothering to look back, answered in the cruelest way possible.
"They're both gone."
Akira walked away, leaving his mother alone in the parking lot with the pieces of her heart scattered all over the pavement. That was twice now Akira had broken it. She got in her car and broke down crying. She thought, maybe, she just didn't deserve to be happy. It took a lot for her to stop, but she knew she had something to do. Kairi wiped off her dripping mascara and cleaned up her face as best she could before switching on the ignition and driving to the train station.
Akira made his way through the lobby and was about to re-enter the hall, but suddenly felt a burst of pain in his head. He kneeled on the floor as he clutched his forehead in pain, gritting his teeth. After about a minute, he got back up. Akira felt confused. He remembered every word he said to his mother, but didn't remember going out to the parking lot in the first place. Nevertheless, he didn't feel remorse. Akira re-entered the hall and walked toward the small stage that was there, drawing as little attention as possible and putting the guitar down before walking back to his seat.
"Is everything all right?" somebody asked, but he didn't know who.
"For fuck's sake, why's everybody asking the same goddamn questions today?" he thought, unfortunately, not with his inner voice.
"Woah, what's with the hostility?" Futaba asked, stunned.
"Look, I'm fine…" Akira huffed, looking down at his plate.
"Dude, we can tell you're not fine," Ryuji said, concerned.
"Did something happen between you and your mom?" Ann asked.
"No."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
*SLAM*
"Christ, yes, I'm sure!" Akira slammed his hand on the table.
"You don't have to hit the table, Akira," Haru calmly said.
"Whatever. Why do you keep asking?"
"We could see the two of you talking outside from here." Yusuke pointed out that the right side of the hall was a wall of windows with a full view of the parking lot, as well as an emergency exit. "It seems like there was some kind of verbal altercation between the two of you."
"No, we're all good," Akira said before finally eating his food that had, by this point, gone cold.
"Akira…?" Makoto began.
"What?" Akira coldly responded without looking at her.
"We want to help you."
"Hmph…" He pretended not to hear what she was saying. The others took over.
"Makoto's right, you're not right in the head. And not just 'cause of your migraines," Futaba said.
"Akira," Yusuke began, "we don't feel as though we've been fair to you."
"Maybe because you haven't, but fuck it. It is what it is," Akira replied, still not looking up from his plate.
"Dude, we're really worried about you…" Ryuji said.
"Yeah," Ann continued, "you mean a lot to us, and seeing you like this is breaking our hearts."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I told you, I'm fine." Akira felt the anger rising.
"It's like Mako-chan said," Haru began, "we want to help you, Akira…"
"Help me!?" Akira had had enough. He slammed his hand on the table once again; he looked up at the others and spoke angrily, but without raising his voice to avoid drawing the attention of the other guests.
"A-Akira-"
"Do I look like I have a fucking sign on my back that says, 'Help Me?' Do I look like I want your fucking help? Don't give me that bullshit, Haru." The group was stunned by the words they were hearing; Akira got up out of his seat. "Let me tell all of you something. Next time one of you needs help, feel free to go to each other, in fact, I encourage it. But don't come to me anymore. I'm not your fairy fucking godmother. I help you guys out for an entire year and, as soon as I leave and go home, I don't even receive so much as a lousy fucking phone call from any of you. So, if you expect me to keep busting my hump for you, only to get nothing but an empty, shallow promise and piece of chocolate on Valentine's Day in return, then don't bother dragging my angry, exhausted, seizure-riddled ass back into your bullshit, got it?" The Phantom Thieves stared agape and wide-eyed at their leader's incandescently fuming state; a few of their breaths cracked "I'm going outside for some air," he said before walking away from the table.
The Phantom Thieves looked at each other in disbelief. They couldn't believe that their former leader and best friend, the kindest person they knew who had always been there for all of them, just basically told them all to bite the big one. Akira went outside and leaned against the wall. He checked his phone to see if Sumire had called or left a message since the previous night; she hadn't. He was alone with his thoughts. Usually, this was how he liked it, but recently, his thoughts had been poisonous to him. Akira didn't know what to think. Looking around, he felt imprisoned, chained to a place that he wished to escape from, but couldn't. Though, he didn't know where he was going to go, right now, anywhere was better than where he was currently. Akira sighed and re-checked his phone and saw that fifteen minutes had passed.
"Great…"
Akira almost thought of walking away right now. There was a bus stop right near him. It was within view. All he had to do was get on a bus and be free. Before he did, however, he remembered something; he promised Rise he would accompany her on stage. Akira felt no obligation; he could've walked away, it's not like the entire wedding hall was anticipating, or even expecting a performance. For whatever reason, however, Akira huffed and went back inside the wedding hall.
"One song, and then I'm gone."
He went up to Rise at the wedding party's table and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled at him.
"Hey, kiddo! Having fun?" Akira nodded. "What's up?"
"When are we… you know, performing?" Akira awkwardly choked out, nervous at the prospect of performing in front of everyone. Rise checked the time.
"We can go right now, if that's all right with you?" Due to all the ongoing festivities, Rise was unaware that Kairi was gone, and seemed to had forgotten that Sumire was supposed to be here.
"Sure." Akira didn't forget, but didn't feel like waiting any longer. He wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
"Great! Let me talk to the DJ." Akira nodded. He discreetly walked onstage and got the guitar out of the gig bag. He only noticed now that there was only an amp on the stage. An amp made for electric guitars, not acoustic-electric, and no other microphones in sight. He cringed at how he imagined the sound was going to come out.
"Ahem, check, check, one-two-one-two," Rise tested the microphone. The hall went quiet and turned toward the stage. "Hi, everyone! Thank you all so much for being here today! Um, I know it isn't time to open wedding gifts yet, heehee," Everyone chuckled as she continued, "but there's a little something special I'd like to do right now…" Akira strapped the guitar around himself and plugged it in. He gently turned the sound up to avoid feedback. He motioned to Rise to give him one second to fiddle with the amplifier to try and find a sound that wouldn't suck. After about a minute, he gave up.
"Fuck it, that'll have to do… fucking piece of shit…" he thought to himself before walking up and standing before a wedding hall of about seventy or more people staring at him and Rise. He started shaking.
"You good?" she asked him, covering the microphone.
"Yeah, just nerves. I'll be good once we start."
"Okay… Oh!" she realized. "One second, everyone," she said into the microphone before pulling Akira aside.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I was wondering if you could do me a small favor."
"I'm doing you a big one right now, so why not?"
"Well, there's another song I'd like us to do."
"And you're just telling me now!?"
"Sorry…" Rise gritted her teeth. "I was gonna ask this morning, but it slipped my mind when my parents showed up."
"Instead of or on top of 'True Story?'"
"On top off…" Rise winced; Akira sighed and huffed. "It's an easy one, don't worry."
"… All right, fine, which song?"
"Patience." Akira thought for a moment.
"The Guns N' Roses song?" Rise nodded. "Uh, hold on…" Akira was playing the song in his head. He remembered the chords, the solo, and even the whistle at the beginning. It all came back to him. "Yeah, we can do it."
"Can we do it right now?"
"Sure…"
"Yay! Thank you so much!" she hugged him. "Do you need me to do the whistle?"
"No, I can do it," he assured her. "I'm in a different tuning, though. Is that all right with you?"
"Yeah, I found a backing track last night. The DJ has it loaded up. I—or should I say—WE got this!" she clarified before both made their way back up in front of everyone. Rise cleared her throat once more. "Um, sorry about that, haha. Anyway, for those of you who don't know him, this is my cousin, Akira Kurusu!" There was a round of applause for him as Akira faked a smile and bowed. "And as a wedding gift, he's agreed to accompany me in singing a couple of songs." More applause. "This was a song I loved when I was younger. You might recognize it; it's called 'Patience.'" The crowd cheered like they were at a concert. Akira leaned into the microphone.
"This was kind of impromptu, so you'll have to forgive me if I screw this song up," he deadpanned; the crowd chuckled. Akira took a deep breath, did some muted strumming to count himself in like on the record. the DJ hit play on the backing track and Akira began strumming the chords while whistling the intro. Riku was standing near the front of the stage, taking shots of the performance. Meanwhile, at the Phantom Thieves' table, as some of them were still trying and failing to fully process what Akira had said to them moments earlier, Makoto looked around.
"What's up, Makoto? What are you looking for?" Ann asked her.
"Is Kairi-san back yet?" she asked, looking toward the exit.
"Well, Sumire isn't here, so prolly not," Ryuji replied with a shrug.
"I do hope they are filming this. It would be a shame if Kairi-san and Sumire didn't get to see this," Haru remarked before she looked over at Futaba. "Are you all right, Futaba?"
"Y-Yeah," she nodded, "I just can't believe what Akira said to us…"
"Tell me about it," Ann exhaled, "That didn't sound like him at all…"
"I agree, I hope it was just the migraines speaking for him…" Yusuke worriedly said.
The attention went back to the stage as Akira finished the intro and let Rise take over on vocals. Despite sporadic audible feed-backing from the guitar, it was a stunning performance from Rise and an impressive one from Akira. Despite staring down at his guitar for pretty much the entire performance, never once looking at the crowd, he found ways to get creative with his strumming, pulled off some nice licks, and even improvised a nice acoustic solo after the second chorus. The song cadenced on a nice D major chord, and the two were received with overwhelming praise. It was quite a pleasant surprise for everyone who was present.
"Thank you so much, everyone!" Rise began. "Um, like Akira said, this wasn't planned initially. I came up with the idea just last night after flipping through an old photo album. That was a song that is very near and dear to my heart. It was one of the first songs I was aware of when I was younger, and there's one person who sadly isn't here with us anymore that I would like to dedicate it to, so if you would join me and raising a glass…" Rise grabbed a glass of her own. Unfortunately, Akira had nothing on hand, but he was confused by what was going on. "That was for my other cousin, my first and, for a while, only friend, Akira's brother: Tetsuya Kurusu." She raised her glass. "To Tetsuya!"
"TO TETSUYA!" Everyone joined her—except the confused Phantom Thieves.
"Uh, what did she just say…?" Futaba asked.
"Brother…?" Haru murmured.
"D-Did we miss something?" Ann asked around the table, completely baffled.
"I-I-what…?" Ryuji's brain felt like an internet page not responding.
"W-Wait, Akira has a brother?" Makoto was stunned.
"I realize we are all caught off guard right now, but does Akira seem all right to you all?" Yusuke said, pointing at Akira on the stage.
"So now," Rise continued, "the song we were originally meant to do, haha," she chuckled. "Akira and I played this one time during Golden Week, and I wanted to share it with you all. This is 'True Story!'" She announced as the hall applauded. Rise looked at Akira and saw him frozen and staring into space. "Akira? You okay, kiddo?" she asked, but not before covering the microphone with her hand. Akira looked dazed, confused, and lost in his head. He was back on the cliff. He had just seen the man in the red coat kick his brother off the cliff and heard him fall to his death. The man looked him in the eye and shot him an evil grin.
*My turn!*
"You…killed him…I…killed…" Akira whispered. Rise gently put an arm on his shoulder. A sudden flash from Riku's camera snapped him back to reality. Akira visibly cringed in pain. He stumbled slightly, clutching his forehead.
"Woah, woah, a-are you okay?" Rise worriedly asked. Akira batted Rise away. "H-Hang on; it's gonna be okay," she said before going back over to the microphone. "Um, sorry, everyone," she began. The guitar feed-backed louder than before. The entire hall winced as they felt like they heard nails on a chalkboard. "Sorry," Rise continued, "we're not going to be-"
*SMASH*
Rise yelped in terror. The entire wedding hall gasped.
*SMASH*
"FUCK!" Akira screamed in agony as he smashed the guitar on the ground, Pete Townshend-style. "GET OUT!"
*SMASH*
Once the neck had snapped off the instrument, Akira threw it down and put his foot through the body several times over. The guitar shattered into pieces; there were bits of wood all over the stage. The store clerk really underestimated how bad of a shape the guitar was in. It fell apart like a breakaway prop in a movie, or Akira's sanity. Once he was done, Akira stumbled around the stage before falling to the ground. The hall gasped once again.
"AKIRA!" Rise rushed over to him. He began having another seizure, perhaps his most violent one thus far. "HELP!" she cried out.