TW: Mentions of abuse:

**Meanwhile — Kurusu Home**

Kairi Kurusu's mind was like a rowdy toddler in that it could not sit still for more than a few seconds. It hadn't even been an hour since her niece, her niece's new husband, a group of teenagers, and a cat had left to go save her son from…she still didn't quite get it. She had no clue what to think anymore. Her youngest child was the leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves, her niece was kidnapped and had helped put an end to the string of murders that occurred in Inaba back in 2011, and both were because of the existence of a whole other world where they had special powers…oh, and her son's pet cat could apparently talk.

"Fuck…" Kairi exhaled.

No matter how many times she ran through everything that was said earlier in her head, as she anxiously sat in the recliner, it didn't sound any less insane to her. Kairi decided she had to do something; anything to keep herself occupied, rather than sitting on the couch, twiddling her thumbs, and waiting for a phone call. The first thing she did was go upstairs, strip out of the green dress she wore to the wedding, and take a shower. While the warm, running water did help her calm down, the knowledge that Akira was still out there, probably lost and on the verge of another seizure…and just like that, there she went; jumping to conclusions and expecting the worst. It would take more than simply soaking in the shower to wash away her stress. Kairi didn't want to worry, she knew it wasn't healthy for her, but it was hard not to.

Kairi went to her room and put on some casual clothes, denim jeans, and a black, silk tank top. She usually wouldn't wear jeans in August, but the rain earlier had cooled things down quite a bit, and the weather report she saw the previous night said it would continue through the rest of the evening. Rather than putting her hair up in a ponytail, she decided to let it flow. It wasn't messy like Akira's or even Minoru's. She had kept the same hairstyle since she was in elementary school; straight and flowing just past her shoulders. The only addition that came with adulthood were bangs in the front. Before Kairi left her room, she glanced at a candle that she kept on her dresser. It sat in front of a framed picture of Tetsuya when he was ten years old. It was a picture she had pulled out and placed shortly after Akira went back to Tokyo in March. She sighed as she caressed the picture and softly smiled before leaving her room and going back downstairs.

Kairi switched on the television and began flipping through the channels—a weather forecast here, a news report there, some dumb soap opera every other channel. Evening TV on a Tuesday night was duller than dirt. Nothing was appealing to her, so she looked down at the Blu-ray player under the TV and thought about putting on a movie. She went to her collection of movies on the shelf by the TV stand and pulled out her favorite movie: "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." It was one of the few movies that she'd seen so many times that she could practically recite it from memory. Sometimes, she'd just throw it on for background noise while doing other things like cleaning the house, even quoting along with the movie whenever a memorable line came along. Scanning the movie shelf, she found herself thinking of her children's favorite films.

Tetsuya loved Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy when he was younger. They were some of the films she used to help Tetsuya learn English. Even though the only thing he really retained in English was Spider-Man saying, "It's you who's out, Gobby…out of your mind!" from the first film. That cornball bit of dialogue always made him laugh. One of Akira's favorite films when he was younger was "Finding Nemo." Kairi took him to see it while Minoru and Tetsuya went and saw "The Matrix Revolutions" in November 2003. Akira had snuck in some chocolates into the movie theater. He forgot about them completely when Kairi got them a bucket of popcorn. Upon returning home, Akira reached into his pocket to find that the chocolates had melted in his pocket. Kairi was not happy; chocolate stains were a pain to wash, but trying to get them out of a three-year-old's pants pocket was a whole other challenge. Subsequently, Kairi forbade him from sneaking snacks whenever they went to the movies. During a sleepover one summer, Rise snuck over a copy of "Aliens" that she and her cousins watched together in Tetsuya's bedroom. Akira was only seven years old at the time; he was so scared that he ended up crawling into his parents' bed after having a nightmare later that night. Needless to say, Rise got an earful from Kairi and Minoru at breakfast.

Kairi found herself laughing at some of these memories, but stopped when she realized that those times were long gone. She looked below the Blu-rays and on the bottom shelf where the home movies were. The longer she stared at the collection of DVDs and VHS tapes that documented the happiest memories of her family's life, the sadder she got. Maybe after Akira comes home safe and sound, they'll watch some together. Maybe his friends would get a kick out of seeing little Akira…great; now she was thinking like a mom who embarrasses their kids in front of his friends. At the same time, however, what she wouldn't give to hear Akira say something along the lines of, "Mom! You're embarrassing me in front of my friends." It would certainly be better than, "I don't have a mom."

While the cowboy movie played in the background, Kairi went to the office in an attempt to get some work done. She began preparing coursework and lesson plans for her students, even though the new term was still a few weeks away. She was distracted for a little bit, but her phone going off broke her concentration. She quickly grabbed it and swiped up to check her notifications. It was just another stupid spam email of the sort she had already received about seven of that day alone. Kairi thought about calling Dojima or Chie and asking for an update, but she knew it would be fruitless. She thought about calling Maki for a bit of emotional support, but it was already getting late in the evening. Calling at this time would probably cause her to worry more than she probably already was. Despite not being around as much due to her and her husband's work, Maki was still a good aunt to her kids. Their families went on numerous ski trips together, and the Kujikawas never missed attending one of Tetsuya's or Akira's birthday parties. Kairi sighed and threw her phone down in frustration, not bothering to pick it up off the floor.

Speaking of it being late at night, Kairi realized she hadn't eaten anything since the wedding reception. She got up from her desk and went to the kitchen. While looking through her fridge to see what was in it, she noticed that there was still some cheesecake left from Sunday night when Akira and the gang came back. There was also some leftover potato salad from the barbecue they had the previous day for lunch. However, like the channels on TV, nothing appealed to her. Kairi wasn't hungry; how could she think about food at a time like this? Kairi realized that she couldn't hold it in anymore. She closed the refrigerator door, stared at it for a second, then kicked it hard.

"FUCK!" she yelled as she listened to food items from her refrigerator door tumble and fall. Kairi sighed again, this time in exasperation. She was tired of and frustrated at the fact that she was waiting around and doing nothing while her son was in danger, and his friends were out there somewhere risking their lives. Kairi was done sitting on her hands; she wanted a chance to act.

And then, she got exactly what she wanted.

*Ding~ Ding~*

Kairi heard her phone go off all the way back in the office. She ran from the kitchen past the dining room and down the hallway before drifting into the office and picking her phone up off the floor. For the third time, thank God for carpeted floors. Then again, maybe her phone was broken somehow because what she saw wasn't a missed call from Chie or Dojima, or a text, or even another spam email. It was an app with a weird red and black eyeball icon.

"What the hell?" she muttered to herself. She was about to delete it, but the app seemed to have a mind of itself as it opened up. Without Kairi saying another word, the MetaNav automatically entered the keywords.

Akira Kurusu.

Cemetery.

Movie Theater.

"Wait," Kairi began to recall. "Was this what they were talking about earlier?"

For the ord-knows-how-many-ith time in the past ninety minutes or so, Kairi ran through the conversation that was had earlier about this other world. It seemed like she now had the power to enter it as well. Kairi thought about Sumire and Yu's warnings that it was dangerous for someone like her that didn't have the same capabilities as them. She thought about staying back as they said after remembering what Sumire told her before leaving. That she could die, and that she didn't want Akira to lose his mother as well. Then, she recalled what Akira said to her back in March.

"You may be my mother, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't have a mom."

That did it for her.

"No, Akira…" she said aloud. "You do have a mom, and I'm not standing by anymore."

Whether it was anger, fearlessness, stupidity, love, or all of the above, Kairi ignored Sumire and Yu's warnings, threw on a pair of tennis shoes and a denim jacket, grabbed her car keys, and headed out the door before getting in her old 1980 Suzuki Jimny and driving to the cemetery.

Despite it being an old car and having God knows how many miles on it, the small 4×4 was still an ol' reliable. Kairi wasn't sure why she never traded it in or upgraded to something more modern. Perhaps, it held too many memories that she wasn't rushing to get rid of it. She figured she would when the car would finally die on her completely, and she would upgrade to an actual jeep. A four-door with an actual back seat would be nice, but this wasn't the time to think about car shopping as she pulled up to the cemetery. Kairi switched the ignition off and got out of her car. She spotted Yu's car and the Phantom Thieves' peace van.

"They're still here," she thought aloud before turning towards the oak tree where the Kurusu plot was. She was about to start walking towards it when her phone beeped once again. "Okay, so what do I do now?" Kairi wondered as she pulled it out of her pocket. The weird red and black eyeball app opened up on its own. The keywords were already inputted, but there was something else as well, a message.

Are you willing to do what's necessary to save the Trickster?

"Trickster…? What?" Kairi scratched her head in confusion. Suddenly, the app started speaking.

*Beginning Navigation.*

"Woah, woah! Wh-What's happening!?" Kairi looked around her as the world seemed to dissolve and darken. She closed her eyes for a second in fear; when she opened them up again, the oak tree was gone, and a movie theater sat in its place.

*You have arrived at your destination.*

"What. The. Fuck just happened? Did that scotch from earlier…? No, no, the others talked about it too; I'm not crazy," She muttered to herself, sounding like a crazy person to anyone who were to walk past her. She took a deep breath and began walking towards the theater. The closer she got, the more the flashing neon sign and brightly lit marquee came into view. "Theater of… Pain?" Kairi exhaled deeply as she read aloud the name of the theater. Kairi wasn't fluent in French like she was in English, but she did understand a bit; though, right now, she wished she couldn't, as just seeing the name broke her heart. "Akira…"

*Ah, finally! Another customer!* a voice yelled out, startling her. Kairi yelped and looked to the ticket booth where the voice came from. She watched as a blue flame burst out from below, and a faceless figure dressed up as a theater usher stepped out and offered his hand. *Hi, how are you?*

"Uh-Uh…"

*Oh, right. Ticket booth, duh,* the usher said before retracting his hand.

"I-I-I-uh… I-I don't…" Kairi had no words for what she was seeing.

*Yeah, yeah, I know.* The usher gestured his hands around his head. *The whole "no face" thing is somewhat creepy. Not my fault; that's just how the Boss sees me, haha, w-which is ironic because he's never actually seen me, haha,* the usher laughed. Kairi zoned out for a second while the usher talked. She felt weird, and it wasn't because he didn't have a face or was speaking without a mouth. No, she knew that voice. *…hello? Are you there?* The usher waved a hand in front of her face as the surrounding sound faded back in.

"H-huh?" she asked after blinking a few times.

*I said, do you want a ticket?*

"Uh-Ummm…"

*Jeez, you don't talk much, do you?* Kairi couldn't shake the feeling she had.

"W-Who are you?" she tentatively asked.

*I stand corrected. But to answer your question, isn't it obvious? I'm the usher.* He spread his arms as if he were presenting himself.

"N-No, I mean…what's your name?"

*I can't tell you, unfortunately,* the usher rubbed the back of his neck. *And what I mean by that is that I literally can't tell you, not unless you want to shatter your eardrums and hear nothing but loud static,* he shrugged.

"Ooookay…?" Kairi decided against pressing further. She had to save Akira. "Uh-um look, uh, Mister Usher-" A sudden outburst of laughter cut her off.

*Ahahahahaha… "Mister Usher…" Ahaha.* The usher wiped away non-existent tears from his non-existent eyes. *S-Sorry, hahaha, it's just that, phew, I've never heard that one before. I already like you a lot better than the group that showed up earlier,* he said as he shook his finger at Kairi.

"The group? Y-You mean the Phantom Thieves?"

*H-Huh?* the usher sniffed and cleared his throat as he finished his laughing fit. *Phantom Thieves? Is that what they call themselves? Tch,* he scoffed. Kairi raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?"

*No, nothing, it's just that… Look, I'm not going to dance around it so…* The usher threw his arms forward. *I think they're assholes, all right? Especially the blonde guy.*

"They saved the country; I'll have you know," Kairi crossed her arms.

*Yeah, well, good for them. That doesn't mean I'm going to excuse them for disobeying the rules of this place… speaking of which…* The usher disappeared from the booth and appeared behind Kairi, startling her again as he looked over.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" she yelled as she turned around to face him.

*Easy, lady. I'm just checking.*

"Checking for what?" The usher didn't respond; he looked her over, nodded his head, and disappeared back into the ticket booth.

*Sorry, I just had to make sure you weren't sneaking any snacks in.*

"What?"

*The Phantom Thieves…* the usher callously called them. *Well, they snuck in some snacks. I could smell them from a mile away. I could've called them out on it, but meh, I thought it would be funnier if I let them get caught instead. Call it payback for the blonde guy kicking the door.*

"C-Caught? What do you mean? Are they all right?"

*Don't worry; they're fine,* he nonchalantly stated. *Look, I like you and all, lady, but I got a theater to run, so either you get a ticket, or you hit the road.*

"You don't have to be so rude; you know?" Kairi huffed. "Fine, I'll take a ticket." The usher nodded and pulled a lever inside his booth. Kairi picked up the ticket that slid out of the slot on the outside of the ticket booth. "What movie is this for?"

*Well,* the usher began as he put his hand on his chin, *Drunken Lust is no longer playing, and there's a showing in progress for Police Brutality, and unfortunately, no one will be seated after the doors are closed.* The usher then leaned in and whispered. *It helps maintain the illusion.* He leaned back and folded his arms. Kairi blinked at whatever the hell that was supposed to mean and sighed.

"All right, fine. What do you recommend then?" The usher paused as he looked her over again, this time staying in the booth.

*For you? I'd recommend "Dragon's Wrath,"* Kairi thought for a second.

"Huh, sounds like an action movie. Is it any good?" she felt silly asking this question.

*What am I, a film critic?* the usher began as he became frustrated. *You wanted a recommendation; I'm giving you a recommendation!*

"Okay, okay. Jeez…well, thanks, I guess."

*No worries. Enjoy the show.* The usher waved goodbye and disappeared.

"…no, it couldn't be…" Kairi thought, looking back at the ticket booth one more time before entering the theater.

It had been forever since Kairi had been inside a movie theater. The last time she went to the movies was when the Kurusu family went to see the first "Iron Man." It was the last movie they saw before their homey little movie theater closed down to make way for Cinema City. Out of protest and grief over her husband's death, she initially refused to take Tetsuya and Akira after it opened, but mellowed out over time. Unfortunately, Akira never did. He would get angry and/or sad whenever they even got near it. Tetsuya still went and even worked there part-time for a number of months; he said he hated it, but it was job experience and decent enough pay for a fifteen-year-old kid. Kairi hadn't been to a movie theater in almost ten years; boy, was this a hell of a return to one. She walked up a set of stairs and found herself in the lobby. There was a confection stand, velvet couches, and movie posters on the walls. Kairi's eye caught the golden double doors at the end of the hallway, and she decided to investigate. She felt a chill down her spine as she walked down the hallway. Before she reached the golden double doors, the usher popped back behind her.

*Ahem?*he cleared his throat.

"GAAHH, Jesus fucking Christ!" she yelled, cringing as she stood in place. "Will you stop fucking sneaking up on me like that!? Fuck!"

*Woah…quite a mouth on you there, hehe,* the usher chuckled. *Look, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm just letting you know that you're going the wrong way.* Kairi turned around and faced the usher.

"What's behind that door?" she asked, pointing to the golden double doors.

*That's the main theater hall. Our biggest stage and our biggest auditorium. Seriously, we got balconies, boxes, the whole shabang in there.*

"Mind if I go take a look?" Kairi felt curious; the usher just silently "stared" at her for a second, like she had just said something so stupid he couldn't process it immediately. "…what? Why are you looking—I mean…what is it?"

*And I thought I was the one without eyes…* the usher muttered as he facepalmed…or head palmed.

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked.

*Lady, do you not see the giant lock? Or the chains wrapped all around the doors?*

"All right, All right, I get it, sheesh," Kairi put her hand up to stop him.

*Anyway, your movie is right there.* The usher pointed to the door directly to Kairi's right. *Enjoy the show.*

"Yeah, you said that already." Kairi gave him the cold shoulder as she headed inside.

*Pfft, and she calls me I'm rude,* the usher muttered before disappearing into another burst of fire.

Kairi walked into the theater and came across a movie poster that depicted a man with his back turned. He had a dragon tattoo on his back, a belt in one hand, and a switchblade in the other. Though Kairi couldn't see the man's face, his head was turned just enough so that she could make out a bit from the profile, and her blood ran cold.

"Oh…my God… This can't be real…"

She walked into the auditorium and found the cognitive audience. She didn't recognize as many people as the Phantom Thieves, but it was still freaky. Rather than being ten seats in the center of the front row, there was only one. Kairi took a deep breath and reluctantly sat down. The lights came down; the curtains were pulled aside, the countdown started, and Kairi heard her son announce that it was showtime.

The film began with Akira when he was thirteen years old. He had on a black, long-sleeved t-shirt and held his arms together. He was in his room, blankly staring at the camera. Kairi didn't know what to think, but she was scared. The next thing that happened was Kairi in the film came in and kissed Akira on the cheek.

"I have to go to work, sweetie," she said casually like nothing was wrong. Akira didn't react in any way, not even moving a facial muscle. "Akira…honey…?" Kairi softly asked in an attempt to get Akira's attention. He looked at his mother. Her light-brown hair was messy, and her clothes were wrinkled. It must've been the weekend or one of her off days; there was no way she was going to teach English to high schoolers dressed the way she was.

"…" Akira looked like he wanted to say something but didn't say anything; instead, he shot her a soft smile.

"Hey, I have an idea," she smiled back. "Why don't we go get ice cream tomorrow, just you and me?"

"…" Akira silently nodded, but his smile disappeared. This was the fifth time Kairi proposed this in the last month, but she never followed through with it, and this time would be no different. Kairi gave Akira one more kiss on the cheek and rubbed his back. Akira grimaced slightly as he picked up on an odd smell on her breath. It was also then that he noticed her way of speaking. It was slower and seemed faintly sloppy, though he didn't know why.

"I love you," Kairi said before getting up and walking out of Akira's room. "Oh, if you need anything while I'm gone, ask Shingo, okay?" Akira silently nodded, then Kairi was gone.

"S-Shingo…" Just hearing her film counterpart mention that bastard's name made Kairi's stomach churn. It didn't get much better when the bastard in question showed up on film. He was shirtless, and his dragon tattoo came into view of the camera.

"So, she's gone, huh?" Shingo said to no one in particular. Like the movie poster, he had a belt in his left hand. "I gotta blow off some steam somehow, and since your mom refuses to give me so much as a fucking hand job, you're going to have to pay instead."

"NO!" Kairi shot out of her seat and yelled at the screen. The cognitive audience did not take kindly to this.

*SHHH*

*BE QUIET!*

*SIT DOWN!*

Kairi turned around and yelled back at them. "DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO SIT DOWN! THAT'S MY SON UP THERE!"

*CRACK*

Kairi turned back to the screen to see Shingo wiping Akira with a belt. Akira barely flinched or reacted in any way, but Kairi was furious.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" she yelled, but she couldn't do anything. It was just a movie, after all.

The film continued, and it was torture for her to watch this vile man torture her son while she was none the wiser. Cigarettes were put out on Akira's skin, belt lashings were given, bruises were left on his body and arms, and worst of all, scars were left by a switchblade. Kairi couldn't take it anymore, eventually falling to the floor and breaking down in tears. She felt horrible, like she had purposefully neglected him after his brother had died. Like Akira told her during their argument, she had abandoned him. Kairi realized that she had turned into what she had vowed she would never become, her own parents. Kairi didn't watch the rest of the film, as she spent the rest of the runtime on the ground, heaving and breathing uncontrollably. Not even Sumire's routine seemed to work. She had counted to four so many times the numbers were starting to lose their meaning. Nevertheless, she caught the last words Shingo said.

"If you tell your mom or anyone else about this, I will kill you and her. Do you understand me?"

Kairi felt the lights come up and heard the screen go up. She was still crying on the ground, occasionally dry heaving, but without throwing anything up. She felt like she was in a nightmare that she had brought upon herself. Then, she heard a voice. His voice.

*Well, well… Look who it is.* Kairi slowly looked up at the stage and saw the monster that hurt her son standing before her, smugly smiling without a shirt on. A second dragon tattoo drawn across his chest.

"Y-You…n-no…it can't be…" Kairi refused to accept it. "Y-You're not real…"

*You're right; I'm not. But I'm real enough, babe.* Shingo spread his arms and spun around. *You know, all this coulda been avoided. I was just looking to get some action.*

"Why… Why me?" she quietly asked.

*Because you're hot, duh. Plus, I got a thing for light-brown hair. It's kinda my thing, you know? Hehe…* the slimy bastard chuckled. Kairi tried standing up, but couldn't find the strength. She wanted to vomit.

"I-I never wanted you around… I-I never even wanted another relationship…" she somberly said.

*Then, why'd you invite me over, huh? You were just as lonely as I was. What, you just wanted a drinking buddy?* Kairi cringed as he reminded her of her drinking days. *That's it, isn't it?* he smiled. *You just didn't want to drink alone, so you brought me back to your place even though you had a kid? You let a total stranger stay home with your kid while you went out drinking.*

Kairi couldn't say anything. She stayed on her knees with her head hung low and her eyes closed. Kairi never told anyone, not even Akira, but there were no part-time jobs after Minoru died; that was a lie. She was instead out drinking in a bar in the next town over. Tetsuya found out after she came home drunk late one night and confronted her about it. He talked her out of drinking and helped her get back on track. Tetsuya wasn't only a support system for Rise. For hers, his, and Akira's sakes, Kairi agreed and stopped drinking, but started right back up again, stronger than ever, after Tetsuya died. Kairi didn't want Akira to see the mess she was, so she left him home alone to go out to the bar, drinking herself half-blind, usually until closing time. It was two years after Tetsuya passed that she first met Shingo and brought him home. Akira told Maruki that she never became a full-on alcoholic. The truth was, she had; Akira was just too disconnected to see it.

At that moment, Kairi Kurusu never felt more ashamed of herself in her entire life.

*Gotta say, you're a shitty parent, hehe. No wonder the bastard said he didn't have a mom anymore. Pfft.* Shingo spat on the stage floor.

"…no." That was the last straw. Kairi's eyes snapped open, and she found the strength to stand back up as she clenched her fists and stared Shingo down with murderous intent.

*Hey, you finally got back up; good for you, babe. Although, if I'm honest, I think you looked better on your knees if you know what I mean,* he said as he grabbed his crotch. Kairi didn't say anything as he began walking towards her. *What, nothing to say? Bah, doesn't matter anyway. Way I see it, that pretty mouth of yours is only good for-*

"SHUT! THE FUCK! UP!" Kairi yelled; Shingo stopped dead in his tracks. "You're right," she continued, "maybe I am a shitty parent, maybe even a shitty person. But you're a thousand times worse than I'll ever be! I let an abhorrent, loathsome, and atrocious piece of shit like you around my Akira. I wasn't around when he needed me the most, and I have been trying to make up for those mistakes for the last five years. And in all my trying, it might not have been enough. Now, he's lost and alone, and he probably hates me. But no matter what Akira thinks of me, he's all that I have left. I vow that I will be better! I will be the loving mother he deserves! I WILL SAVE MY SON!"

"Well, it's about damn time…"

Kairi twitched as she heard a voice inside her head. She put a hand to her temple; she started getting a headache.

"You sure kept me waiting. Despite numerous losses, you still maintain thy willpower to fight for the ones you love."

"Argh! Gah!" Kairi grabbed her head in pain as the voice continued.

"Tell me, do you truly wish to save him? Are you willing to die standing up in order to bring him home and destroy any varmints that stand between you and his well-being?"

Kairi's body stopped jerking around as she removed her hands from her head. She looked up at Shingo with her glowing yellow eyes.

"You're goddamn right, I am…" Kairi quietly said, seething with anger.

"… Very well."

All of a sudden, she felt the mother of all migraines. The pain now seemed to be amplified by a thousand as it flowed through her body.

"You want my power? You've got it."

Kairi tugged at her hair and screeched in pain, all the while feeling like her entire body was on fire.

"Let us form a contract, then, shall we?"

"ARGH—AHHHHH!" Sweat began to soak her clothes; Kairi felt like fire was about to explode out of her eyes.

"I am thou, thou art I."

Kairi felt a mask appear over her eyes. She put her hands over it and started tugging at it.

"Call my name and unleash thy rage…partner."

"Come to me… MARTHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Kairi screamed as she tore the mask off her face like a band-aid, awakening to a Persona of her own. She felt blood splatter and drench the contours of her eyes and cheeks before she found herself engulfed in a blazing, blue inferno that was so blinding that Shingo averted his eyes. When the shadow looked back, it didn't know what it was seeing.

Behind Kairi stood her Persona, Martha. A tall, ghostly woman in wild west getup; green shirt under a brown tombstone-style vest, brown pants, black leather belt, black cowboy boots, and brown deerskin gloves. Her face was mostly covered up, save for her blue eyes, by a red bandana over her mouth, all topped off with a brown wide-brimmed hat with a soft black crown that sat atop her flowing curly light-brown hair. The ghostly woman also brandished an 1866 Winchester rifle with a light brown wooden stock and forestock, a golden receiver, and a dark steel barrel. All the while, riding atop a light-brown ghost horse.

Kairi tilted her head back up. Her outfit matched the ghostly cowgirl almost to a tee. Kairi's only differences were that she had on a short dark brown duster with a green snakes embellished on it as well as her boots, and the red bandana was around her neck rather than over her face. Kairi also had twin Colt Navy revolvers with green inlaid snakes on the grips, similar to the ones Clint Eastwood had in the "Dollars" trilogy, but they were holstered in her belt. In her hands instead, she held a bladed staff that she twirled before staring down Shingo once again, who looked both angry and terrified.

*Y-You cunt! You brought this on yourself!* Shingo angrily yelled before morphing into Beelzebub. *You're going to regret not putting out!*Kairi brushed a lock of her hair to the side, unaffected by Shingo's transformation into the monstrous pest.

"The only thing I regret is that when I kicked your teeth in, I didn't feed them to you as well." She twirled her bladed staff once more before tilting her ten-gallon hat upward and shooting an evil smirk. "That's not a mistake I'll make again." Beelzebub roared, but Kairi wasn't afraid. She was ready for a fight. "You want some action? Come and get it, you low-life son of a whore!"

Meanwhile, the Phantom Thieves finally exited the theater they were just in after fighting a horde of shadows. Their conditions ranged from acceptable to battered, but none were worse off than Sumire, who Yu was carrying in his arms as they rushed out into the safety of the lobby.

"Quickly!" Rise yelled to Yu. "Let's put her down over here!" She pointed to the velvet couches.

"Hang on, Violet, you're going to be all right," Yu assured her as he set her down on one of the couches while Sumire groaned in pain. She wasn't entirely knocked out, but she was in terrible shape. The rest of the group caught up, out of breath. Yusuke was clutching his side as Futaba and Ann helped him out of the theater, while Ryuji and Haru were helping Makoto walk, each carrying one of her arms around their shoulders.

"Jeez, that was *pant* a lot of shadows…" Ryuji panted.

"Yeah," Ann agreed as she and Futaba helped Yusuke sit down. "Wonder what got them all riled up like that?"

"Argh!" Yusuke groaned. "…it may have had something to do with the treasures we've stolen," he pointed out.

"Right, the…will seeds? Is that what they were called?" Haru thought aloud as she and Ryuji set Makoto down on one of the empty couches.

"Whatever they are—OW!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Shit! Sorry…" Ryuji apologized.

"Don't worry; it's not you, argh…" Makoto hissed in pain before continuing. "Someone clearly doesn't want us to steal them."

"You know what that means?" Morgana added with a smirk. "We're on the right track."

"Yeah, we're going to steal every last one of those bastards!" Ryuji pumped his fist.

"Then we'll save Akira!" Ann added.

"We will, but we gotta stop for now. Fox and Queen are banged up, and Violet almost died back there. Had I not given her a defense boost, those last couple of hits would've been deadly," Futaba said.

"Oracle's right," Yu began. "We've made good progress already, but we almost lost one of our own in that last fight. I say we head back and-"

*So, enjoying the shows so far?* Yu was interrupted by a familiar voice. The usher appeared out of nowhere, standing smugly behind them with his arms crossed.

"GAH! You son of a bitch!" Ryuji jumped. "What the fuck is your problem!?"

*My problem? I don't have a problem,* he calmly said as he tilted his head, looking over at Sumire, Makoto, and Yusuke in pain on the couch. *But it looks like you do.*

"Look, they're badly injured. We need you to restore our healing abilities," Yu said as he stepped up to the usher.

*No can do. Besides, I'm not the one who took your powers away.*

"What about medicine?" Morgana asked.

*What do I look like, a pharmacist? This is a movie theater, not a medical clinic.*

"There's gotta be something you can do! Our friends are in trouble!" Ann yelled.

*Sorry.* The usher put his hands up. *But it's out of my hands. There's nothing I can do…*

"Please! We need to help them! There has to be something that can be done! Anything, please!" Rise pleaded, on the verge of tears. The usher looked towards Rise and sighed as he thought for a second.

*Look, I'm sorry. I wish I could help, but, like I said, there's nothing I can—wait…* He moved his head around like he sensed something.

"What? What is it?" Yu confusedly asked.

*I can't help you, but there might be someone who can… I can smell it.*

"What are you talking about?"

"Smelling without a nose…? Sure, why not?" Futaba murmured.

*There's another one who just showed up not too long ago. She's got powers, like you guys.*

"Wait, there's another Persona user in the Palace!?" Morgana asked as his eyes went wide.

"What do you mean!? Who!?" Yu asked the usher.

*Calm down, I don't know who she is, but…* The usher sighed and turned toward one of the theaters before pointing to it. *She's in there…there's—Hey!* Yu didn't listen as he began to rush to the door.

"Skull, Mona, Panther, and Noir with me! The rest of you, stay here. We'll be back soon!" Yu declared. Rise nodded as she and Futaba stayed behind to look after Sumire, Makoto, and Yusuke while Yu and the others ran towards the door. He tried opening it, but it was locked. "What the hell!?" Yu yelled as he tried pulling on the door. The usher showed up and leaned against the wall. "You said to go in here!" The usher put his hand up to his head and shook it.

*You didn't let me finish,* he said as he leaned against the wall with his arms and legs crossed. *There's a screening in progress, so I'm not technically allowed to let you in, but I'm willing to look the other way, just this once.* The usher snapped his fingers, and the group heard locks clicking as the door opened. *Oh, and, uh, word of advice: You see that rug over there?* The usher motioned his head toward the circular rug in the lobby where young Akira's shadow sat earlier. *Keep her away from it if you want to save your friends.*

"What the hell are-" Before Yu could ask him to explain his vague warning, the usher disappeared into another burst of fire. "…and he's gone…" Yu sighed.

"That guy really gets on my nerves," Ryuji muttered.

"Yeah, but at least he's willing to help us," Ann added.

"I wonder why. It seems to me he had a change of heart when Venus asked him for help," Haru noticed.

"We'll figure it out later," Morgana said. "Are you guys good?" The Thieves nodded. "All right, then let's go!" They hurriedly entered the theater, ignoring the poster in front of them, and found themselves in the middle of an ongoing fight between a cowgirl and a giant insect.

"Fucking Beelzebub," Yu muttered.

"What the fuck!? Who the hell is that?" Ryuji asked, spotting the mysterious woman in a black, lone-ranger-style mask. The battle was fierce. Beelzebub kept throwing curse attack after curse attack at Kairi, but she kept gracefully avoiding them all, diving around the stage as she slashed at the monstrous insect with her bladed staff.

"MARTHA! KOUGAON!" Kairi called upon her Persona and hit Beelzebub with a heavy Bless attack, which knocked him down, but didn't keep him down for long.

*YOU FUCKING BITCH!* Beelzebub shouted. *THAT FUCKING HURT!*

"If that hurt, then I'm not the bitch; you are," Kairi said before unleashing a Riot Gun firearm attack on him, which knocked him down once again.

"Wait a moment, that voice… I-Is that Kairi-san?" Haru's eyes went wide.

"What!? No way!" Ann exclaimed. Kairi pulled out her twin revolvers and was about to shoot, but was caught off guard by voices. She looked behind her and saw Yu Narukami in his old high school uniform, three people in costumes, and a monster cat.

"Huh? What the—ARGH!" Kairi's brief moment of inattention caused her to get hit with a Maeigaon curse attack, which sent her flying through the air. Her revolvers went in opposite directions. She hit the ground hard.

"Guys! We have to strike now! Hit him with everything you've got!" Yu ordered; the others nodded.

"MILADY!"

"CAPTAIN KIDD!"

"ZORRO!"

The Phantom Thieves called upon their Personas, and all hit Beelzebub with their strongest magic attack. He managed to evade Haru's Psydyne but got hit by Ryuji and Morgana's Ziodyne/Garudyne combo, which dealt massive damage but not enough to keep him down.

"Persistent bastard. Panther! Put him to sleep!" Yu ordered.

"Got it!" Ann nodded. "CARMEN!" She used Dormima to put Beelzebub to sleep.

"Hopefully, I still have enough Stamina for this… KAGUYA!" Yu hit Shining Arrows on Beelzebub, a bless attack that served was his weakness. This time, he stayed down. "Guys! Finish him off with an All-Out Attack, NOW!"

"NO!" Kairi yelled. Yu looked behind him to see the woman slowly getting back up to her feet. "HE'S MINE!" She got her bladed staff back out, leaped towards Beelzebub, and started viciously slashing at him, driving her weapon into him again and again, but he wasn't dying.

"Guys! He's about to recover!" Morgana pointed out.

"Let's help her!" Haru yelled. She, Morgana, Ryuji, and Ann jumped into a five-person All-Out Attack to assist Kairi with the beat down. Kairi seemingly delivered the final death blow by driving her staff right into Beelzebub's eye, after which he finally stopped moving but didn't disappear.

"AND STAY DOWN, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Kairi shouted before losing her balance. Thankfully, Yu caught her before she fell to the ground.

"Woah, easy there, are you all right?" he asked; Kairi found herself panting.

"Y-Yes...*pant* thank you. Just tired… *pant*."

"Kairi-san, is that really you?" Ann asked.

"Ann-chan…? W-What are you wearing?" Kairi asked before looking at her own clothes. "Wait, what am I wearing?"

"It's your Metaverse outfit; you changed when you awakened to your Persona," Morgana explained.

"What the hell…? Wait a min—Morgana!? I-Is that you!?" Kairi's eyes went wide as she looked at the monster cat before her; he nodded and smirked.

"I've wanted to say this to you for over a year, Kairi-san: Stop calling me a cat!" he cheekily said.

"Now's not the time, Mona," Yu said.

"Wait, slow down, I have no clue what's going on. I feel like I was blinded by a red mist for a while there. Or hell, not even a red mist, a blue one," Kairi said as Yu let her stand on her own.

"Yeah, that's kinda what happens when you first awaken. I guess you're pretty exhausted now, huh?" Ann asked.

"You have no idea…" Kairi leaned forward, putting her hands on her knees, and exhaled before breathing heavily. "I've never felt this tired before. I've gotta start going back to the gym…"

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's prolly normal considering your age," Ryuji casually said; Kairi looked up and glared at him.

"Hey! I'm not that old!" she scoffed.

"I-I-uh… crap, I didn't mean it like that… I meant…uh-mmm…" Ryuji was completely flustered.

"Smooth, Skull…" Morgana said, rolling his eyes.

"…sorry, Kairi-san," Ryuji apologized, feeling embarrassed.

"It's fine," Kairi waved it off as she went to pick up her revolvers.

"Kairi-san, we'll explain everything, but right now, we need your help," Haru said. Kairi didn't quite catch what she was saying as she was looking for one of her guns.

"…wait, where's the other one?" she thought aloud.

*Click*

As Kairi looked around for her missing revolver, she heard a click behind her.

"Look out!" Ann yelled. Kairi turned around to see Shingo back in his human form, pointing her missing revolver at her.

*You fucking whore! All I wanted from you was a bit of pussy, but you had to go and leave me hanging. Well, not anymore!*

*Click* *BANG* *Click* *BANG* *Click* *BANG* *Click* *BANG* *Click* *BANG*

Five shots popped off. The Phantom Thieves flinched and covered their eyes. Expecting the worst, they opened them, only to see Kairi still standing and the shadow on the ground. Kairi had nonchalantly fired five shots from her hip, watching as the cogni-shadow stumbled and fell to the ground onto his knees, leaning forward, clutching his chest. She walked over, stood over him, and pointed her revolver at him.

"Hmph," she smirked.

*Click* *BANG*

She huffed before putting one more round, this time in his head. The cognition turned to smoke and disappeared for good.

"When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk," she smiled profusely at her quip, calling back to a scene in her favorite movie. The others rushed over as she picked up her other revolver, twirled it around in her hand before smoothly holstering it. They were speechless and impressed by what they had just seen.

"Are you all right, Kairi-san?" Morgana asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kairi exhaled and smiled.

"Wow, I didn't know you could shoot like that, Kairi-san, hehe," Yu chuckled, impressed.

"Neither could I, haha," Kairi chuckled. "I've-uh, I've never actually fired a gun before."

"F-For real!?" Ryuji exclaimed; Kairi shook her head. "Coulda fooled us."

"So, what the hell did I just fight?" she asked. "It wasn't the real Shingo, was it?"

Morgana shook his head. "Just a cognition, don't worry about it."

"Huh," Kairi shrugged. "Either way, that felt really good."

"Wow, remind me not to piss you off, Kairi-san, haha," Ann chuckled. "Who was he anyway?"

"Hold on!" Yu began before Kairi could answer. "As much as we'd all like to ask questions, it's like Noir said, we really need your help, Kairi-san."

"Tell me what I need to do." Kairi was relieved; she preferred not to have to tell them about her history. The lights flashed toward the will seed door. The chains snapped off, and the door opened.

"Skull, grab the will seed," Yu began, "everyone else, back to the lobby." Everyone nodded. Ryuji went and grabbed the will seed, which sent a burst of energy to everyone, even to those in the lobby. Kairi followed Yu, Ann, Morgana, and Haru out into the lobby.

"You're back!" Rise exclaimed. Yu noticed Sumire, Makoto, and Yusuke were better already. "The will seed helped, but it's still not enough."

"That's why I brought back help." Yu turned his head as an old west woman joined the others. "Hey, Rise, guess who?" he smirked, deliberately forgoing his wife's code name as Kairi lifted her mask.

"OBASAN!?" Rise couldn't believe her eyes.

"KAIRI-SAN!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"The heck!?" Futaba was caught off guard.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise, haha—argh…" Yusuke chuckled in pain. The only one who didn't respond was Sumire, who had fallen asleep on the velvet couch. Kairi didn't say anything; she just smiled and shrugged at their reactions as she put her mask back down.

"B-B-But, how!?" Rise asked, still not over the initial shock.

"I'll explain later; for now, Yu-san said you needed my help. What's going on?" Kairi asked.

"Fox, Violet, and Queen need healing," Futaba explained as she scanned Kairi. "And looking at your stats, you've got exactly what we need to help them."

"Oh! You have Mediaharan!" Rise exclaimed. "Use it!"

"All right," Kairi nodded as she pulled her mask off and called upon Martha again. They were speechless at the ghostly woman who appeared before them.

"Woah, nice horse!" Futaba commented. Kairi used Mediaharan, which healed everyone fully. Makoto and Yusuke stood up and stretched out.

"Ah, much better," Yusuke commented. "Thank you, Kairi-san."

"Agreed. You really saved us there," Makoto added with a smile.

"Well, Yu-san and the others did just save me, so It's only fair I return the favor," Kairi said before looking over at Sumire, who was waking up. She walked over to the couch and kneeled down. Sumire sat up and rubbed her eyes, confused why she felt better after taking two devastating hits.

"Wh-What? Am I dead?"

"On the contrary, sweetie. You're very much alive," a familiar voice said. Sumire looked to her left and saw a woman she didn't recognize in an old west getup, smirking at her.

"Wh-Who…wait, Kairi!?" Sumire asked, and Kairi nodded.

"Welcome back, Sumi," Kairi smiled as she put a hand on Sumire's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Me? I-I'm fine. I-I just-" Sumire was cut off.

"Can't believe I'm here?" Sumire nodded. "I know, me neither," Kairi chuckled before standing back up. "All right, now, can someone explain everything to me properly? I want the 'what,' the 'why,' the 'where,' everything." The Phantom Thieves proceeded to give her a rundown of what was going on. The group re-explained the concept of Palaces, how they work, and what they've gone through so far in this one. Surprisingly, Kairi mostly understood everything they said. They told her about the theaters, but not what they saw in them, opting to keep that to themselves for now.

"Any questions?" Yu asked. Kairi shook her head.

"None, I think I got the gist of it," she responded. "I think you all know what this means, don't you? I'm joining you guys, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer this time," she firmly stated.

"Oh, I don't think we were going to protest," Sumire chuckled.

"We sure as hell weren't. Were we, guys?" Yu also chuckled as he asked everyone, who smirked and shook their heads in response.

"I mean, you nearly took out that shadow all by yourself!" Ryuji remarked.

"You probably would've done it if we hadn't shown up and distracted you, hehe," Ann nervously chuckled.

"Sorry about that, by the way," Morgana added; Kairi shook her head and chuckled.

"I still can't believe Morgana—er, I mean, Mona can talk… God, what a day…" Kairi sighed in exhaustion.

"Believe it," the feline cockily said, crossing his arms.

"Anyway…" Rise began before yawning, herself exhausted. "It's good that we've got an extra set of hands to help us out. Let alone one that can actually heal us."

"You can't heal yourselves?" Kairi asked.

"Nah, we lost our healin' abilities and our medicine when we first walked in here," Ryuji said.

"Theater of Pain indeed…" Yusuke quietly said.

"Wait, remember what the usher said about the rug? That must've been a trap designed to take away healing items and spells," Morgana theorized.

"So, we fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book? Some thieves, we are," Ann scoffed.

"Well, we were a bit rusty. It has been a while since the last time we were in a Palace," Makoto said, rubbing the back of her head.

"It doesn't matter now. We have three will seeds and one more to go. Shall we?" Haru proposed.

"No, we're done for now. Kairi-san just awakened to her Persona, and some of us almost died. Let's take a break and come back first thing tomorrow morning," Yu said.

"I hate to admit it, but, as much as I would like to keep going for Akira's sake, Yu-san is right; I am exhausted. I don't think I can keep going," Kairi admitted.

"Besides, the will seeds and Mediaharan were only good for strength," Futaba began. "Stamina-wise, we're all running on empty."

"All right, then how about we rest up for the night and then we come back tomorrow morning to finish the last theater?" Rise proposed.

"That sounds good," Kairi agreed.

"Oh! Hold on!" Ryuji began. "Why don't we think of a code name for Kairi-san?"

"No need, I already thought of one," Kairi smirked. Everyone leaned in, curious to hear what she had in mind. "Call me, 'Viper.'"

Author's notes:

I didn't originally plan on having Kairi join the team, but once the idea came to me, I couldn't shake it, so here it is. For context, her persona is Calamity Jane and the name 'Martha' is Jane's first name. The code name is Viper, since it goes well with her love of westerns, and I just think it sounds good.

That's it for notes, hope you enjoyed ;)