**Kurusu Home — Hours Earlier**
The house was quiet, uncomfortably quiet. The Phantom Thieves and Kairi Kurusu sat around the living room. Ryuji, Ann, and Sumire on the couch, Futaba and Morgana on the floor, Makoto, Haru, and Yusuke stood leaning against a bookshelf, and Kairi in the recliner. They all sat with their knees and hands shaking, just anxiously waiting in agonizing silence for news on their missing friend.
"Fuck!" Ryuji slammed his fist on the couch cushion. "I can't stand it!"
"Ryuji! Please, calm down," Makoto calmly scolded him.
"I can't stand waiting around! We gotta do something!" Ryuji yelled out.
"Look, I know you feel. We're all on edge, but there's nothing we can do but wait for Yu-san to come back," She said.
"It's a good thing Futaba kept her laptop in the van," Haru said, trying to calm everyone.
"Never leave home without it, hehe," Futaba said, cracking the first smile anyone had seen since the reception, before it quickly faded away. Sumire had read the note that Morgana had found, and everyone panicked. Kairi called Yu and told him about the message Akira left behind. Futaba used her laptop to track his cell phone and found him at a beach. They told Yu where Akira allegedly was, and he went to look for him. Everybody in the living room was anxiously shaking, hoping that Yu would come back to them with good news. Ryuji sat back down, seemingly fighting back the tears as he sniffed.
"Hey," Ann said, putting an arm around him. "Don't worry, it's going to be okay."
"I-I can't stand it," Ryuji said, wiping his eyes.
"What?" Ann asked.
"I'm such an asshole!"
"Why would you say that, Ryuji-senpai?" Sumire softly asked.
"I was mad at him for so long because it seemed like he was ignorin' us," Ryuji admitted. "I got jealous when we found out in the hospital that he'd agreed to hang out with Riku when we hadn't seen him in months, and I was pissed off when he kicked me in the face. I was so pissed off that I wanted to hit him back… fuck," he muttered. "I'm such a shitty friend… damn it!" He tugged at his bleached-blond hair. Morgana hopped up on the couch and laid a paw on his leg.
"Ryuji, I get how you're feeling, trust me. But you're not a bad friend. You're a good guy, and that's straight from the heart." Ryuji didn't see it, but Morgana shot him a soft smile. Kairi walked over to Ryuji.
"I don't know what Morgana said, but look at me, Ryuji-kun." He didn't right away. "Ryuji, please!" she spoke louder, which got Ryuji's attention. "You are NOT a 'shitty' friend, do you hear me?"
"That's basically what I said," Morgana muttered; Kairi continued as she put a hand on Ryuji's shoulder.
"You let anger and jealousy get the better of you; it happens. But what's important is that you don't let them get in the way of your true feelings. Do you understand me?" Ryuji silently nodded. "Good." She went back to the recliner.
"To be honest, I kinda feel bad as well, about…you know…" Ann trailed off.
"Yeah, the group chat…" Futaba somberly said.
"How did he find out about that?" Yusuke wondered.
"Akira said something to me about all of you talking about him behind his back," Kairi said. "Was that what he was referring to?" They all nodded. "Okay, somebody explain to me what that's about."
"Not long after Akira's change in behavior became really noticeable, we all formed a group chat dedicated to talking about him," Sumire responded.
"And what exactly about him?" Kairi crossed her arms.
"O-Oh, nothing bad," Futaba quickly said. "We would share whenever Akira had a seizure or something like that or whenever something happened to him, or whenever he told us something."
Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, let me get this straight, whenever Akira told any of you anything, whether it was as a group or individually, you went and shared it with everyone else?"
"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds awful," Futaba quietly said as she ran her hand through her hair.
"We were attempting to figure out what the issue was so we could offer our assistance," Yusuke said.
"Right, it was done out of concern for Akira, not out of malice," Haru added.
"So, you texted about trying to help him instead of actually trying to help him?" Kairi asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Now, that sounds really bad…" Futaba hung her head.
"Oh, you guys…" Kairi facepalmed and sighed. "Do you not know how much talking about someone behind their back can hurt them?" Everyone looked down in shame.
"I do," Ann somberly began, "and I still went along with it."
"That's different, though," Ryuji tried comforting her, "we weren't spreadin' rumors or sayin' bad shit about him."
Kairi sighed. "Look, I get that Akira keeps things to himself, but did you even try talking to him directly?"
"We tried, but he was so distant," Makoto rubbed her arm nervously.
"We sometimes didn't see him for days or weeks at a time," Haru added.
"Well, did you try texting or calling him?" Kairi asked.
"We mostly kept in touch through our Phantom Thieves group chat," Ann began. "Sumire is in contact with Akira the most. The two of them call each other and text often." Sumire didn't say anything as she, too, felt guilty for partaking in the group chat.
"I would assume so, considering she's his girlfriend," Kairi said. "But, what about the rest of you? You're his best friends, aren't you?" The Thieves all glanced at each other, shocked that she would even ask such a question. "You don't have to answer that, it's a rhetorical question. But let me ask you this: aside from Sumire, did any of you visit, directly message, or call Akira in the last few months just to see how he was doing?"
Makoto raised her hand. "I did…o-once."
"Okay, that's one. Anyone else?" Kairi looked around the room; no one else responded. "Obviously, you couldn't visit, but what about texts or calls in the last year, before he went back to Tokyo?" Same thing.
"Honestly, not since we first brought him back here last March," Ryuji said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well, why not?" Kairi asked. Again, no one had an answer, let alone a good one. "I don't get it. I thought you were Akira's best friends, yet you never call him on your own time. Even if he's here, away from Tokyo, what's stopping you from dropping him a line? Why wait until your group chat lights up?"
Kairi was right. The Thieves had no words. They always communicated with Akira through the Phantom Thieves group chat. Not since bringing home in March of the previous year had they individually contacted him directly, aside from the time Akira left after the gymnastics meet, but that wasn't what Kairi meant. Even during his probation year with a few exceptions, most of their text messages to Akira were, "Palace?" or,"What are we doing today? Are we going to Mementos/the Palace?" or, "I need help with something/Can you help me?" but rarely, if ever, "How are you doing?" or, "Are you okay?" There was a long moment of silence. Makoto remembered that one dinner she and Haru had with Sae.
"Sis really was right," she somberly began. "We haven't been there for Akira the same way he's been for us."
"Any problem we've had, he's helped us through it…" Haru added. "Meanwhile, w-we don't even c-call him j-just to say 'hello'…"
"Haru…? A-Are you all right?" Makoto noticed Haru didn't seem right. Her voice was shaky, and her eyes were welling up.
"A-Akira helped me to walk down my own path…and I yelled at him after he woke up from a seizure!" Haru threw her head into her hands and quietly sobbed. Makoto managed to calm her down after a bit. Kairi handed her some tissues.
"I understand. Akira inspired me to follow my dreams, too…" Makoto paused, "…he inspired me so much. I don't know where I'd be, right now, without him…"
"I know what you mean, Makoto. He did the same for me. Instead of trying to talk to Akira myself… I sent Shiho to talk to him for me…" Ann lamented as she ran her hand through her hair. "God…what was I thinking?"
"The first day I met him, I would've died if not for him. Akira didn't even know my name, and he saved my freakin' life…" Ryuji said, hanging his head.
"Without Akira's aid, I would have lost my passion for art and remained trapped under the thumb of a horrid man…" Yusuke exhaled.
"H-He gave me my life back…" Futaba sniffed. "I'd still be a shut-in without him."
"He was always by my side," Morgana quietly began, "and I just up and left him when he was at a low point, all over a stupid scratch on my ear. Big deal, I've had worse in the Metaverse." Sumire translated what Morgana said to Kairi; she was confused by what he meant about "Metaverse" but decided against asking about it for now.
"He's the love of my life. But I never realized how much we had in common, having both lost siblings…" Sumire rubbed her arm. "We all came together through hardship, pain, and loss. We all believed Akira's hardship was being framed by Shido, but we never stopped to consider if there was more he wasn't telling us, and we never asked until things got bad…" She and the other Thieves hung their heads.
"Even after we assisted in getting him released from juvenile hall, it still doesn't seem like we've done everything we could for Akira, as he had for us," Makoto said.
"He probably hates us now," Ann wondered.
"Oh bullshit!" Kairi burst out to the shock of everyone. "Pardon my language…look, I don't want you all to take this the wrong way. I swear, I don't—wait a minute," she began before stopping herself. "What…did you say about juvenile hall?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" Sumire asked as Kairi shook her head. "Um, well, Akira turned himself in as the leader of the Phantom Thieves to help convict Shido," she explained as Kairi's jaw hit the floor.
"You're kidding me!" Kairi yelled out in shock. "W-When?"
"It was on Christmas Day, back in 2016," Makoto began. "My sister was a prosecutor at the time. There's a lot more to it than this, but basically, she told Akira that the only way Shido could be properly convicted of his crimes was if he turned himself in as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. He did it without telling any of us."
"We all walked into Leblanc, expectin' to celebrate Christmas all together as a group. That's when Boss dropped the bombshell on us," Ryuji said.
"We and many other people Akira had assisted during the year worked to try and get him released," Yusuke added.
"Our efforts thankfully paid off, and Akira came home after seven weeks in juvenile hall," Sumire said.
"When exactly did he come back?" Kairi asked.
"Umm…February…13th, I think?" Futaba said, scratching her head. The others nodded in confirmation. Kairi did some math in her head.
"February 13th… That was the day I received the first phone call from him after he had left," Kairi recalled.
"Oh, yeah…you remember that?" Ryuji asked.
"I'm good with dates," she quickly said. "But you're telling me that earlier that day, and for seven weeks beforehand, my son was in juvenile hall!?" The Thieves awkwardly glanced at each other and silently shrugged. "Jesus, I'm definitely gonna have gray hair by the time I hit forty-two," Kairi muttered as she ran her hands through her head before continuing. "A-Anyway, um, what was I saying…? Ah, right, um… I don't mean for this to sound callous, but do you all actually care for Akira?" Again, her question shocked the Thieves. They all replied in some form or another that yes, of course, they did. "Well then, there you go." Everyone looked at each other than back at her, confused.
"I'm sorry, Kairi-san, I don't think we understand what you mean," Haru said.
"Look, I'm going to tell you all something you should already know. You ARE good friends to Akira, all of you. He never had many friends, or really any friends, even before his brother passed away. He had Tetsuya, Rise, and that was about it. Akira was always a shy, quiet, loner-type. I didn't know what to expect when he came home last March, but the last thing I expected was for him to call me and tell me that his friends were driving him home." Kairi began to smile softly at everyone. "When you all stayed for lunch that day, I could feel the bond you all shared, and not just because of the whole 'Phantom Thieves' thing. You mean a lot to him, and he's clearly important and means a lot to all of you as well. Now that you've all realized that, if you feel like you haven't done enough to show him that, then do so. Don't text about Akira; text HIM, call HIM, really be there for HIM. After all, actions speak louder than words. I would think the fucking Phantom Thieves of all people would get that… uh, again, pardon my language, hehe," she softly chuckled before continuing. "My son has a bubble around him, sure, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get near him. It means you have to be willing to be hard sometimes. Don't hold back with your love, and don't be afraid to try and uncover the pain that your friend is hiding or the tribulations he's going through. You know who is afraid to do that? Fair-weather friends, and that's not what any of you are. You're all more than that! Better than that! Do you understand me?" The Thieves averted their eyes but nodded in understanding as Kairi wrapped up her monologue.
"You're right, Kairi," Sumire began. "I just wish it was that simple."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, not only was it hard for him to talk to us, whenever he or we brought up certain topics, his migraines would flare up."
"What topics?"
"Well…you, for one," Futaba hesitantly admitted. Kairi looked confused.
"Me? What do you mean?"
"The argument you and Akira had before he left," Sumire spoke quietly.
"Oh…that…" Kairi bit her lip. "D-Did he tell you what happened?"
"No," Makoto shook her head. "As Sumire said, the pain in his head got worse when he tried to talk about it."
"So, what did happen?" Ryuji asked; Kairi sighed.
"Um, is it right to ask?" Haru pondered.
"Oh, c'mon!" Ryuji exclaimed. "How long are we going to be kept in the dark?"
"Ryuji, it's probably none of our business," Ann said.
"No…" Kairi began. "I'll tell you all if you want to know." Kairi went through her and Akira's conversation from that night. She explained how he came home limping.
"So, that's why he seemed like he was injured…" Morgana thought. Kairi then went through the shouting match that the two of them had and what Akira's final words to her were, both that night and earlier today.
"…my God…" Yusuke couldn't believe it; none of them could.
"And I thought what he said to us was bad…" Futaba rubbed her head.
"I…I never thought Akira could say such a thing…" Haru looked down.
"No, no way in hell that was really Akira!" Ryuji protested. "It's gotta be, like, another personality or somethin'!"
"She said that wasn't the case," Ann said.
"Y-Yeah, but that was before. What if it developed recently or something? Ain't that possible?" Ryuji wondered. Everyone thought for a moment.
"I hate to admit it, but it's not impossible," Makoto said. Sumire looked over at Kairi, who had her head in her hands after retelling the night her only living son broke her heart. She went over to comfort her. Kairi then told them what her parents last said to her before Hiroki Kurusu adopted her. The Thieves were angry and felt horrible for her.
"What!? That's awful!" Ann exclaimed.
"Sure sounds like those assholes could use a change of heart," Ryuji angrily said. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a knock at the door. The Thieves' gazes shot to the front door as Kairi rushed over and opened it up. It was Yu and Rise, but no Akira.
"C-Come in…" Kairi shakily said as she let them in. Rise was back in regular clothes, while Yu was still in his suit. They all walked into the living room as the Phantom Thieves looked at them.
"Rise-san? What are you doing here?" Sumire asked. "What about the reception?"
"We put an end to it early," Rise admitted, nervously rubbing her arm. "I-I wanted to help find Akira." Sumire took comfort in that.
"Well? What did you find?" Kairi asked.
"We went to the spot where you said you traced Akira's phone, and found this in the sand," Yu began as he pulled Akira's phone out. "Plus, we discovered his ID in a nearby ashtray. It was set on fire, but due to the rain earlier, the ashtray must've been too damp and therefore stopped it from completely burning to ash." Yu pocketed the phone and Kairi felt her legs turn to jelly. She began to stumble, but Yu caught her just in time before she fell to the ground.
"N-N-No…p-please don't tell me…" Kairi stammered; Yu gently set her down on the floor. Rise kneeled down to comfort her. Everyone looked to Yu, equally on edge. I-I-Is…he…?"
Yu sighed. "…I won't lie to you all. While it's still too early to say for sure…i-it might be a possibility…" he said. The Thieves all looked at each other and shuddered in fear before looking down at the floor while Kairi broke down crying, causing Sumire to walk over to her spot on the floor and comfort her with Rise, herself trying to hold back tears.
"M-My baby…" Kairi said between sobs.
"Look, we have some people patrolling the beach just in case," Yu continued, "but if you ask me, I think he's still alive." Everyone looked back up. "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to put out an APB. We'll find him, Kairi-san. I promise you." Kairi stopped her crying briefly and hugged Yu tightly. Once she let him go, Rise and Sumire helped her back to her seat. Yu got out his phone and dialed the station as the others looked back down at the floor. Some were trying to hold back tears, some weren't that strong, but one thing was for sure, they were all were worried about Akira. They wanted nothing but to have him back, safe and sound. "Yeah, this is officer Yu Narukami, badge number four nine seven eight." Yu began walking out of the room, but his voice was still audible to the others in the living room. "I want to put out an APB on a missing teenager by the name of 'Akira Kurusu.' Last seen-"
*BEEP* *Candidate Found.*
A muffled sound effect and a familiar robotic voice could be heard somewhere in the living room. At that moment, every head of the Phantom Thieves snapped up and went pale as they all looked at each other. Now, they were distraught.
"No…fucking…way…" Ryuji stuttered as he looked around. Rise stopped hugging her aunt as both looked at them, confused.
"You all heard that too, r-right?" Ann shakily asked.
"Impossible…" Yusuke quietly said.
"What? W-What is it?" Kairi asked as she wiped the tears from her face.
"Everyone, check your phones! Now!" Futaba ordered.
"Why?" Rise asked. "What's going-"
"JUST DO IT!" Futaba yelled. They all frantically pulled out their phones to check for the familiar robotic voice. As Sumire pulled hers out, she looked over at Rise, who looked puzzled as she stared at her phone.
"Rise-san?" Sumire asked; Rise turned to her.
"The weird app is back…a-and it has Akira's name…" she shakily said. Sumire quickly ripped the phone out of Rise's hands, and, just like she said, Akira's name was displayed in red letters over a black and red sinister background. She covered her mouth in shock.
"S-Sumire…?" Haru shook.
"Don't tell us…" Makoto was frozen. Sumire uncovered her mouth and looked up at them.
"It's the MetaNav…and Akira's name is a hit…" Despite the floors being carpet, you could still hear a pin drop.
"No! No fucking way! That can't be right!" Ryuji protested. "He can't have a Palace!"
"Palace? What are you talking about?" Rise was confused.
"Morgana, what the hell? You said Persona users couldn't have Palaces!" Ann asked, turning to the feline.
"Can someone please—wait, did you say 'Persona?'" Rise asked once again.
"They can't! I-I don't understand," Morgana replied, just as shocked as everyone else.
"WHY IS THE CAT TALKING!?" Rise freaked out.
"I AM NOT A-" Before Morgana could finish his usual 'I'm not a cat' spiel, his eyes went wide. "Wait! YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME!?"
"You can understand him?" Kairi asked her niece.
"YU! GET IN HERE!" Rise yelled; Yu came running in.
"What, what's going on?"
"The cat's talking!" Rise exclaimed. Yu looked at Morgana, then back at her.
"Rise, what are you-" he began before getting interrupted by Rise.
"And the kids know about Personas," she added.
"What!?" Yu looked at the others. "How do you all know about Personas?" he asked.
"I have no clue what is going on right now…" Kairi spoke into the void as she threw her hands up in the air.
"How do you!? Have you been in the Metaverse?" Morgana asked.
"Jesus, the cat really is talking…" Yu went wide-eyed.
"Stop calling me a cat! My name is Morgana!" he yelled.
"Woah, okay, sorry… But I asked first; how do you kids know about Personas?" The Phantom Thieves looked all at each other.
"You are both aware of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, right?" Makoto asked; Yu and Rise both silently nodded. "Well, that's us."
"W-Wait, you guys are the Phantom Thieves?" Yu stood in shock.
"Yep, us and Akira," Futaba added.
"AKIRA IS A PHANTOM THIEF!? AND HE HAS A PERSONA!?" Rise was freaking out. Even Kairi wasn't freaking this much.
"Rise, please, take it easy," Kairi tried calming her down.
"HOW ARE YOU TAKING THIS SO LIGHTLY, OBASAN!?"
"Here, why don't we step outside for a minute?" Kairi led Rise out of the living room and out the back door that was in the kitchen. The two found themselves outside on the patio. Rise seemed like she was hyperventilating. "Easy, Rise. Here, try this, Sumire taught it to me. First, I want you to count to four in your head." Rise did as instructed. "Okay, now inhale, count to four again…good, now exhale. Keep doing that until you feel better." After a minute, Rise found her normal breathing pattern again, but she was still panting a bit.
"T-Thank you *pant* T-That was just *pant* a lot *pant* at once. I mean…a talking cat?"
"I didn't believe it at first either, but now that I know you can hear him, I have no choice but to buy it."
"So, you can't hear him?" Kairi shook her head. "What about the fact that Akira is a Phantom! Thief!?"
"Oh, I've known for a while." Rise eyes nearly exploded out of her head.
"How!?"
"It doesn't matter right now." Kairi patted Rise on the back.
"I can't believe he didn't tell me."
"Why would he? He didn't tell me, and I'm willing to bet those kids in there haven't told some of their closest friends or family members either. It's just better if we keep some secrets to ourselves…some." Kairi gave Rise the stink eye.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Rise asked.
"When you came to visit me before the wedding, and I asked you how Akira was doing…why didn't you tell me about his seizures?"
"Wait, you still didn't know about them?"
"I walked in on the kids talking about them earlier; I thought I was gonna have one of my own." Kairi put her hands on her hips.
"He told me last night that he told you the other day."
"Well, he didn't. I just found out earlier today. But my question is, why didn't you tell me?"
"I-I-uh…" Rise looked down in shame. "I didn't want you to hear it from me. I didn't know whether or not to tell you. I'm really sorry." Kairi placed an arm around Rise.
"Look, I understand. You didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, I get it, but I still wish you would've told me. The rest of those kids in there and I are worried to death about Akira, and that's partly because secrets and important things were kept hidden."
"You're right," Rise admitted. "Again, I'm sorry."
Kairi exhaled and softly smiled. "Don't worry; I forgive you." Rise smiled back.
"Still, I can't believe it…Akira is a Phantom Thief, AND he has a Persona. That's just insane…" Rise shook her head.
"Okay, what's this 'Persona' thingy you keep mentioning?"
"Um, I should probably let Yu explain," Rise said. The two walked back inside to the living room, where Yu gave his explanation.
"I'll try and keep it brief. Back in April 2011, I moved here from the city because my parents had to work abroad for a year. However, as soon as I arrived, there were a string of mysterious murders that started happening. First, a TV announcer, then, a girl who went to Yasogami High. Soon after, we learned of this thing called the Midnight Channel. A mysterious channel that only appeared at midnight on evenings when it rained. Someone would appear on it and then, days later, would turn up dead. We found out that the Midnight Channel was home to another world. Whenever somebody appeared on the Midnight Channel, we would venture into that other world and rescue them before they were killed."
"Who's 'we?'" Kairi asked.
"Me, Chie Satonaka, Yosuke Hanamura, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Naoto Shirogane, a bear named Teddie…"
"…and me," Rise added. "I was actually one of the people that appeared on the Midnight Channel. I was thrown into the other world. Yu and the others rescued me, I awakened to my Persona, and joined the team."
"Wait, you were nearly a victim?" Kairi asked. Rise nodded. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry…" Kairi said as she covered her mouth in shock.
"It's fine, Obasan," Rise waved her off.
"That must've been right after you came back for Tetsuya's funeral."
"Yeah… That was part of the reason why I briefly left the idol business. I came back here, and the next thing I knew, I was getting kidnapped. I'm sorry if I kind of became a stranger for a while after the funeral. To be honest, that whole 'adventure' with the Midnight Channel helped me cope, and it took my mind off of Tetsuya. Plus, I met the love of my life in the process. God, what a year that was…" Rise sighed.
"I understand," Kairi softly smiled at her. Rise did the same.
"Anyway, long-story-short," Yu continued, "using our Personas in that other world, we caught the killer."
"I remember those murders. Every time a body was discovered, there was fog. And then, near the end of the year, fog covered the town for, like, a month straight. You're telling me you were the ones who put a stop to all that?" Kairi asked Yu and Rise, who both nodded. "Fuck…" Kairi huffed as she rubbed her forehead. "I don't usually swear, but… God…"
"There, I gave my explanation; now it's your turn." Yu looked to the Phantom Thieves. "How do you know about Personas?" he asked, questioning them like a cop.
"Basically, Akira, Morgana, Ann, and I first formed the Phantom Thieves after Akira and I accidentally stumbled into the Metaverse one day," Ryuji began.
"'Metaverse?' Is that what you called the other world?" Yu asked; the Thieves nodded. "Huh…that's actually way better than what we called it."
"What did you guys call it?" Ryuji asked.
"…TV world…" Rise admitted as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Huh…?"
"We jumped through a TV to access the other world." Yu casually said; the Thieves all looked at him with confused looks. "Hey, you guys have a talking cat; no offense, Morgana. Is it really that hard to believe?"
"…I guess not," Ann shrugged as Makoto continued.
"Throughout the year, by using our Personas, we went into the Metaverse and changed the hearts of criminals."
"Near the end of the year, in order to save the country, we had to do battle against a malevolent deity, which Akira defeated by using his Persona, the second son of God, Satanael, and vanquishing the being with a bullet to the head," Yusuke explained.
"Hold up, so what you're saying is…Akira summoned a demon lord, and shot a giant god in the face?" Rise asked, wide-eyed.
"There's still a lot we're leavin' out, but yeah, pretty much," Ryuji shrugged. Kairi walked out of the room and came back with a glass of alcohol.
"Obasan…" she said with concern when she noticed the glass.
"Sorry, I just need one to calm my nerves. I don't drink anymore, but this is far too much at once," Kairi said before taking a sip. "Yecch, that's gross…"
"What is it?" Yu asked.
"Some old scotch. Not my first choice, but it's the only booze in the house." Kairi took another sip. "But there's still something none of you explained. What exactly is a Persona?"
"Simple answer? It's the physical manifestation of your inner-rebel or your true self," Futaba began. "In the other world, which is based around human cognition, we use the powers of our Personas to fight monsters called 'shadows.'"
"That's the simple answer?" Kairi took another drink as Futaba's words went over her head.
"Yeah…hard to believe, right?"
"To say the least…" Kairi sighed. "…but I guess I believe you."
"Okay, now that we've got the explanations out of the way, can we please focus on the fact that Akira has a Palace!?" Sumire asked.
"Well, at least now we know why he was acting so different. His desires are distorted," Morgana said. "But I still don't understand how that's possible, since he awakened to his Persona."
"Is the Metaverse coming back, an' our hearts got, like, rebooted or somethin'?" Ryuji asked.
"No, that's not how it works. Once you awaken to your Persona, it means you have definitively conquered your shadow," Morgana said. "It should be impossible for him to develop a Palace now."
"Wait a second… Kairi-san, you said that Akira changed after his brother passed away, right?" Haru asked. Kairi nodded as Haru turned back to Morgana. "Is it possible that the Palace could've formed before he awakened?"
"Honestly, that might be possible, but I still don't get it…if he already had a Palace, he shouldn't have been able to awaken in the first place," Morgana replied.
"So, not only did he go borderline catatonic, but his desires became so distorted that he developed a Palace? As a child, no less? Oh God…" Makoto whimpered as her voice cracked.
"Maybe, Akira blames himself for what happened to Tetsuya?" Ann wondered.
"Like, me with my mom…" Futaba looked down; Yusuke walked over and held her in his arms, comforting her.
"So, what, Akira thinks he killed his own brother?" Ryuji pondered.
"Of course, he didn't!" Rise yelled. Kairi finished her scotch.
"During our argument last March, I remember Akira saying that it was his fault that Tetsuya died," she said.
"What!? But that's ridiculous!" Rise said. "Obasan, you can't seriously think-"
"Of course, I don't!" Kairi snapped. "I don't believe it for a second!"
"Maybe Akira doesn't see it the same way," Futaba began explaining. "It was the same with me; my cognition was so warped that I blamed myself for my mom's death, believing it was my fault. That's how I wound up with a Palace."
"Okay, hold on, you all keep saying the word 'Palace,' what does that mean exactly?" Yu asked.
"Morgana, you're up," Futaba said as Morgana climbed up on the couch. Haru translated for Kairi.
"A Palace is a manifestation of 'distortion,' strongly negative or corrupt thoughts that warp one's perceptions. During our time as the Phantom Thieves, we used an app called the 'Metaverse Navigator,' or 'MetaNav' for short, and infiltrated the Palaces of criminals to get them to confess their crimes."
"But didn't Futaba-chan say she had a Palace of her own? What was her crime?" Yu asked.
"Not all Palace owners are necessarily evil. Palaces can be formed if one's cognition is distorted to a certain degree. Futaba's Palace manifested out of psychological trauma, which is probably what happened to Akira," Morgana explained.
"Plus, I may or may not have broken a cyber-law or two…" Futaba awkwardly admitted; Yu shot her a look. "Nothing too bad, I swear!"
"Anyway, most people's negative and corrupt thoughts were combined in a location called Mementos, which was basically everyone's Palace. In there, we fought the shadows of people who hadn't yet developed Palaces. Some people, however, if their desires are distorted enough, develop Palaces where their shadow-self lies." Despite having everything translated to her, Kairi thought she was going nuts as she watched her niece and her niece's new husband listen intently to a meowing cat.
"So, Akira is trapped in one of these Palaces?" Rise asked.
"No, just his shadow. The real Akira is still out there somewhere," Morgana explained.
"You mean…?" Yu wondered; Morgana nodded.
"Akira's still alive for sure; the Palace wouldn't have come up otherwise." Yu told Kairi what Morgana just said. She was relieved, but not by much.
"It's not much of a silver lining, but it's something," Makoto anxiously said.
"Well, what are we going to do? We have to save him, right?" Ann asked.
"Why are you even asking? Of course, we do!" Sumire adamantly expressed. She stood up; the others looked at her and could see she had a fire in her eyes. "I don't care what the risks are. I don't even care if I don't have Cendrillon with me, and I end up having to throw rocks at shadows. I will tear that Palace down, brick by brick, with my bare hands if I have to in order to save Akira."
"Sumire's right. To Hell with standin' around an' doing nothing! I'm gettin' my best friend back!" Ryuji stood up.
"What kind of friends are we if we don't risk our lives for our leader the same way he has for us? I will do whatever is necessary in order to save Akira!" Yusuke stood firm.
"Damn right!" Ann followed. "I'm not gonna let Akira suffer anymore!"
"I'm going to help my friend! Count me in!" Makoto declared.
"Agreed! I refuse to sit around any longer!" Haru added.
"Operation: Save Akira is officially a go!" Futaba jumped up from the floor.
"Well then, I guess it's unanimous," Morgana said. "Our target is Akira Kurusu; let's save him, for real, this time."
"YEAH!" The Phantom Thieves all yelled in unison, motivated as ever. Their flames of passion and desire to help others had been reignited after they had been extinguished for a time. It was only a shame that it took this kind of situation to get them going once again.
"I'm going too!" The Thieves all turned to Rise. "I have a Persona, and I'm not just going to sit around and do nothing while my cousin is in trouble."
"Rise, are you sure you-" Yu began to argue before being interrupted.
"Yu, don't you dare try to talk me out of this! I'm going and that's that!"
"Guess we know who wears the pants in that relationship," Ryuji quietly muttered to himself before snickering. Ann heard him and rolled her eyes.
"Well, if you're good in a fight, I don't see any reason why you couldn't come with us," Morgana relented.
"I-uh, actually, I wasn't much of a fighter. I was more of a support-type and a navigator," Rise admitted.
"Oh, so like me!" Futaba said.
"So, you guys already have your own navigator?" Rise asked; they nodded.
"Wow, they kind of remind me of us," Yu said.
"Same, it's kind of endearing, isn't it?" Rise smiled. The Thieves all softly smiled back.
"Hey, it works out; we could always use more support," Futaba shrugged; everyone agreed.
"All right, then I'm coming too!" Yu announced. "Saving people is part of my job, after all."
"With Yu at our side, we'll definitely succeed!" Rise added. "He can actually wield multiple Personas." Morgana went wide-eyed.
"W-Wait, you're a wildcard?" he asked Yu.
"Yeah, why?"
"So is Akira," Yu and Rise went wide-eyed.
"Wait," Yu thought aloud, "was Akira…a guest of the Velvet Room by any chance?"
"Jeez, I had no idea my cousin was such an enigma…" Rise murmured and exhaled.
"Err…'guest' isn't exactly the word I'd use," Morgana said, tilting his head.
"What do you mean?" Yu asked.
"LATER!" Sumire yelled; everyone was caught off guard. "I-I'm sorry for yelling; I'm just really anxious."
"No, no, you're right, Sumire-chan. Questions can wait until after we get Akira back. Now, let's go."
"Ah, actually, we can't go yet," Makoto said.
"Wha-Why not?" Rise asked. "Can't we just go into it through that app, like you explained?"
"Not quite; we still need to figure out the keywords for Akira's Palace," Haru said; Yu and Rise looked at each other.
"…keywords?" They said in unison.
"We need a name, a place, and a distortion in order to find and access it. Basically, a who, a where, and a what. That's how we enter Akira's Palace." Yusuke explained as Futaba took Rise's phone into her hands.
"All right, name is obviously taken care of. Now we need a place and distortion. Let's go, everyone, who's got ideas?"
"How about 'Kurusu House?'" Ann suggested.
*Conditions have not been met.*
"Figures. That would've been too easy," she added.
"Don't tell me… Leblanc…?" Ryuji winced.
*Conditions have not been met.*
"Oh, man! Phew!" he breathed a sigh of relief. "That would've been a pain in the ass."
"How do you know it's not anywhere else in Tokyo?" Ann asked.
"I-uh… Morgana?" Ryuji gulped as he looked at the cat.
"No, it can't be. If Akira's Palace formed before he awakened to his Persona, then the Palace would've been someplace he'd been around before, so Tokyo is out," Morgana explained.
"Well, that's a relief," Futaba exhaled.
"Kairi-san, do you have any—Kairi-san?" Makoto noticed Kairi staring at the floor.
"Huh…what?" Kairi said before rubbing her head. "Sorry, I was up in the clouds, still trying to wrap my head around all of this." She cleared her throat. "You were saying?"
"We're trying to find some keywords for Akira's Palace," Sumire said; Kairi stared and blinked at her in confusion.
"…I'm gonna need more than that, Sumire."
"Well, are there any places you can think of that are significant to Akira in any way? We already tried this house."
"Um…" Kairi thought for a bit. "School? No…" she muttered. "Oh! Maybe the lake where Tetsuya…the lake." She struggled to finish her sentence.
"Does the lake have a name?" Futaba asked.
"Not as far as I know, it's just a lake."
"Okay… 'Lake.'"
*Conditions have not been met.*
"Nada," Futaba shrugged.
"Umm…what about the hospital?" Kairi suggested.
"Hospital?" Haru wondered.
"Right," Makoto began, "Akira mentioned that he went to visit his father there before he passed away. It may have had an effect on him…'Hospital.'"
*Conditions have not been met.*
"Damn," Ryuji muttered. "Wait! Akira's dad died in a construction accident, right? Maybe a 'construction site?'"
*Conditions have not been met.*
"Well, it was worth a shot," he mumbled.
"Hold on, what was it that Akira's father working on again?" Yusuke asked.
"It was a 'movie theater,'" Kairi somberly said. Somehow, the MetaNav picked up her sad, quiet tone.
*BEEP* *Result found.*
"Yeah!" Ryuji exclaimed. "All right, we got the place, now we just gotta-"
"Hold up," Futaba stopped him. "We still don't have the location."
"What!? But, the MetaNav said we got a hit!" Ann was dumbfounded.
"Yeah, but not for the location, for the distortion," she clarified; the Thieves all looked at each other.
"Akira's distortion is a movie theater?" Yusuke pondered.
"His father passed away when he was only nine…" Haru trailed off.
"Has he had a Palace for that long…?" Sumire gloomily wondered.
"Guys, focus!" Morgana demanded. "We still have to find the location."
"Is it Cinema City?" Rise suggested. "That's the name of the movie theater that Ojisan worked on. It's in the next town over."
"No, a Palace's location and distortion can't be the same thing," Morgana explained.
"Elementary school, maybe?" Kairi wondered.
"Oh, right, I remember Akira was always getting into fights with a few other kids who picked on him," Rise recalled. They entered the name of the school.
*Conditions have not been met.*
"No dice," Futaba shook her head. They all quietly thought some more.
"Wait a second…" Everyone turned to Kairi once again. "Try…'cemetery.'"
*BEEP* *Result found.*
"We got it!" Futaba exclaimed.
"The cemetery?" Sumire asked.
"After Tetsuya passed away, Akira went to the cemetery twice a year; on February 11th and on May 16th…" Kairi trailed off.
"February 11th was when Ojisan got into his accident, but he didn't die until ten days later…" Rise looked down and trailed off as well.
"Akira did say he prefers to forget about seeing his father in a hospital bed," Yusuke recalled.
"So then, May 16th was when Tetsuya…" Ann figured as she looked to Kairi and Rise, who both sadly nodded. There was another moment of silence. "Akira…" Ann meekly murmured.
"All right, we have the keywords. We might not have a specific deadline this time, but I say the sooner we secure our route to the treasure, the better. Do you all agree?" Morgana looked around the room as everyone nodded.
"Treasure?" Yu asked.
"We'll explain when we get to that part," Morgana said.
"That's kinda the endgame, ya know? We gotta a lot to do before we get there," Futaba added.
"Fair enough," Yu nodded. "You kids have your van?" The Thieves nodded. "Great, then you can follow us to the cemetery."
"Let's go, now," Sumire said as everyone began walking towards the front door.
"Wait! I'm coming too!" Kairi said as she got out of the recliner and tried following them out.
"Obasan, you can't," Rise tried to stop her.
"Kairi-san, I really don't think you should. The other world is really dangerous for non-Persona users," Yu added.
"I'm not fucking asking, Yu-san!" she snapped. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while my son is in trouble!"
"Listen to him, Kairi," Sumire began. "We're all Persona users, and we have no idea what we're going to be up against. Even with our numbers, it could still be very dangerous."
"Sumire, I-"
"Kairi, please!" Sumire yelled. "You could get die in there! Akira's lost too much already; he can't lose his mother as well." She took Kairi's hands into hers. "Please, stay here," Sumire practically begged Kairi to stay as she looked into her eyes and saw the same fire she had earlier. Kairi gave in, looked down at the ground, and sighed.
"Please…I'm begging you all…" Kairi cried. "Save my son…bring him back home to me safe and sound."
"We will. I promise you." Kairi pulled Sumire in for a comforting hug. Sumire fought back tears as this wasn't the time to cry. She let go of Kairi and walked out the door. The only one left inside was Yu.
"It's good that you're staying here," he told her. "I have people out looking for him right now. If they find him, Chie or Dojima will call you right away."
"Thank you, Yu-san," Kairi nodded. "And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."
"Don't worry about it," Yu smiled. "We'll get Akira home safe; you have my word," he said before walking out the door, leaving Kairi alone with her thoughts. She exhaled a deep breath that felt like it had been building up for hours, but she didn't feel any better. With nothing better to do but wait, she went to the kitchen and poured another glass of scotch. She was about to take a sip when she stopped herself. Kairi looked at her drink and poured it down the kitchen sink along with the rest of the bottle.
"No…" she murmured to herself. "I can't go back there. I won't go back there…"
**Shadow Garden Cemetery**
The Phantom Thieves followed Yu and Rise to the cemetery. The ride was tense for the drivers and passengers inside both vehicles, but they all knew what they had to do. For better or for worse, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts were back, but it was bittersweet, to say the least. They arrived at the cemetery; everyone got out of their vehicles. The burial ground stood before them, seemingly stretching on for miles, with a single hill in the center.
"Jeez, this place is huge!" Ryuji exclaimed. "You could totally get lost in this place."
"Ugh, I don't wanna think about getting lost in a cemetery," Ann shuddered.
"They have a haunting beauty, but even I must admit, I've often felt unnerved around them," Yusuke added.
"Ever since my father passed away, I've never felt comfortable near cemeteries," Makoto said.
"You read my mind, Mako-chan," Haru responded, holding on to Makoto's hand.
"I should probably go visit my mom when we get back," Futaba thought aloud. "The last thing I want is that winged monster to come back and haunt me."
"That's an uncomfortable name," Morgana said, looking up at the sign above the cemetery gates. "Pretty, but uncomfortable, considering the circumstances."
"Morgana-senpai, do you think the Palace will be around the Kurusu grave?" Sumire wondered.
"It's possible."
"If that's the case, then we won't have to go too far," Rise said.
"What do you mean?" Sumire asked.
"You see that giant tree up there?" she pointed out to the oak tree on top of the hill. The cemetery's only tree.
"Kind of hard to miss," Yu said.
"The Kurusu plot is right under it," Rise added.
"Wow, good real estate," Ryuji commented. Rise took a deep breath. She was obviously feeling uneasy. It had been a long time since she had visited her uncle and older cousin, and now she was back at the cemetery, under the direst of circumstances; to save her little cousin from the darkest depths of his heart. It took a lot of strength for her not to break down right then and there.
"Are you all right, Rise-san?" Sumire asked; Rise silently nodded.
"Yeah, sorry. I just…I know we have to save Akira but, from what you've told us about Palaces, everything's going to change once we enter the other world, right?"
"That's right," Morgana said.
"Then, in that case…do you all mind waiting just one moment? I feel like a visit is long overdue," Rise said, rubbing her arm; Everyone understood.
"You want us to come with you?" Morgana asked.
"If you want to. I don't want to force you," Rise said.
"Nah, we don't mind. Might be nice to pay our respects," Ann said and the Thieves agreed.
Rise softly smiled as everyone walked through the cemetery gates and up the hill to the oak tree. Yu, Rise, and the Phantom Thieves stood in front of the Kurusu family gravestone. It was in pretty decent condition. It seemed that Kairi never stopped coming once a week and always cleaned it when needed. The Phantom Thieves couldn't help but feel sad; even though they had never known any of them. Hell, one of them they only found out about a few hours earlier. Nevertheless, their hearts broke as they looked at the gravestone and met the other members of the Kurusu family.
Hiroki Kurusu: May 3, 1940 – November 9, 1999 — Beloved Father, Grandfather, Guardian Angel.
Minoru Kurusu: June 23, 1977 – February 21, 2009 — Beloved Husband, Father, Cowboy. "When you've had a sh***y day, even the worst beer goes down like water."
Tetsuya Kurusu: April 10, 1995 – May 16, 2011 — Beloved Son, Brother, Cousin, Daredevil.
"Hi, guys…" Rise began. She took deep breaths to try and hold back tears. "I'm sorry I haven't been up here in a while…" she cleared her throat. "Uhm, this is my husband, Yu. He's the love of my life." She then turned to the Phantom Thieves and smiled. "And these are Akira's friends. Guys, this is Ojiisan, Ojisan, and Tetsuya." The Thieves all silently greeted the spirits. Rise turned back to the gravestone and kneeled down as she put her hand on Tetsuya's name. "I'm so sorry, Tetsuya… I feel like I've failed as a cousin to Akira…" She sniffed and let a few tears drop. "But I'm here to make up for it, right now… I'm going to save him… I promise you." She brushed her hand across Tetsuya's name. "I love you, cuz…and I miss you…" Yu kneeled down next to Rise and comforted her. Sumire noticed the grave to the side.
"Tatsuo…Kurusu?" she asked, noticing the grave had the same death date as Minoru's birthdate. "Is there a relation?"
"Huh?" Rise picked herself up from the ground and wiped the tears away. "Oh, that was Ojiisan's wife. I never knew her; she died during childbirth."
"How tragic. It's almost as if there is a curse upon the Kurusu name," Yusuke pondered.
"Why is she separated from the others?" Haru asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, but this is actually her plot."
"What do you mean, Rise-san?" Makoto asked.
"Legend has it the Kurusu plot is named after her because it was originally purchased by her family. But they moved away somewhere else…"
"Wait, you mean 'Kurusu' is her name? Not Akira's grandfather's name?" Ann asked; Rise nodded.
"Ojiisan took her name when they got married. I can't remember what his name was before, though…" Rise scratched her head. "Oh well, anyway, I don't know why he did it. Maybe he loved her that much? Even though they were only together for about six or seven years or so."
"Wow, so the Kurusus really are romantics when it comes to the ladies, huh?" Ryuji commented; Sumire couldn't help but blush.
"Haha," Rise softly chuckled, "not just the ladies…" she winked; the Thieves were confused. "Anyway, we should get moving. Should we just enter through here?"
"No, we should go back to the entrance and enter through there. Odds are that the Palace will be right on top of here." Morgana said.
"All right, then let's head back," Yu suggested. They returned to the cemetery gate, making sure no one was around. The sun was long as the night had begun to fall earlier than planned due to the rain. Not that it mattered; the sun never shined in the Metaverse, after all. Come hell or high water; they had a mission to accomplish, and someone to save.
"All right, here we go…" Rise pulled out her phone and pulled up the MetaNav. "So, I just put in the keywords?" The Thieves nodded.
"The name, the location, and the distortion," Morgana said. Rise nodded, took a deep breath, and entered the keywords into the MetaNav. This was going to be a long night…
Akira Kurusu.
Cemetery.
Movie Theater.
*BEEP* *Results found. Beginning Navigation…*