Persona X TWEWY X Kingdom Hearts
Summary: Trapped in an unfair game? Fighting against society? Changing the hearts of evil adults? Save the world? Discovering oneself? Nothing out of the ordinary for these teenagers.
Chapter Sixteen:
Building Trust.
*Evening: Tuesday. 4/19*
*Wildkat*
With the infiltration completed, the Phantom Thieves retreated to their quote/unquote hideout following Sora's team reuniting with the others. With the intel from Neku's team, the layout of the castle explored by Sora's group, and Ren's giving them a route toward the treasure, anyone outside the group would have assumed that the hard work was all but completed.
The downside to their first steps towards the heist? Injuries and exhaustion.
Once they returned to the real world, bar Sora's group only feeling some aches and pains mixed with weariness, everyone else was in agony and some were close to collapsing in pain. They all agreed to regroup back at Wildkat for some healing thanks to some medicine Riku procured from his doctor he stored away just in case and had already contacted Naminé to prep them upon arrival. Upon arrival, they immediately had to put Neku's group with Ryuji forward for the medicine.
Rhyme had passed out when they came back to the real world and had Naminé not have some experience with head injuries (lessons she took from Aqua during the training) they would have taken her to a hospital. But thanks to medicine and some potions they managed to mix in, she was awake and ready to lie down for the remainder of the day. Ryuji's burns, fortunately, were easy to fix after some medicine and a bit of magic (secretly used by Ventus), at the very worst he'd just have to deal with potential blisters for a day or so.
Once medicine and healing were passed around, followed by several cups of varying beverages brewed/made/bought by Xion, the team gathered around to relay to the non-Persona users what happened. Sora's team, however, neglected to mention the players they encountered down in the dungeons after Riku insist they speak to Neku alone with Ren's group, on the odds that maybe that the game wasn't a topic they'd like to share.
"Can't believe we got our asses handed to us like that, yo…" Beat grunts, cracking his neck and rolled his shoulders, "Freakin' heartless…".
"Ouch!" Shiki squeaks and yanks her face back from Eri, who was applying medicine to her swollen eye. She whimpers in pain while her friend insists she stop being fussy and let her tend to her injury. Shiki frowns in pain and annoyance, near her Kairi was rubbing some healing cream on her aching wrists, wincing and occasionally remarking on the aching. She and likely the others have truly grown far too accustomed to the wonders of convenient healing.
"Really could've done without that heartless…the shadows were bad enough…" Neku grunts, "Hopefully that was a once-off…".
"Haven't seen any jesters during the whole thing, maybe Kamoshida's run out of them," Ann offers as she rubs her still sore arm, "Least I hope so!".
"It'd be nice if that's the case. Would make the heist easier for us if we didn't have to worry about them," Riku concurs, sipping his coffee. "But knowing our luck so far, he's gotta have some backup hidden away in case".
"But you guys found his treasure thingy, right?" Xion asks while holding a cookie in her mouth. Sora nodded and retells what his team found. Like Morgana says, the "treasure" was currently just a cloudy object that would only reveal its true form once Kamoshida's shadow becomes aware it's in danger of being stolen and loosely repeated what the cat told them. Ren folds his arms and hummed, concurring it made sense seeing as recent events relating to the two Kamoshida's, like how his slaves disappeared after Shiho's situation.
"So all we gotta do is send him the calling card and that's it?" Ryuji asks, "Why didn't we just do that from the start?".
"Of course not, why do you think we had to have done all this first?" Morgana groaned, "If it were that simple I'd tell you. A treasure won't stay materialized forever, the moment the impression is gone so too goes the treasure. Forever!".
"So we've only got one shot at this?" Neku grunts, "So how long exactly does it last?".
"A day, at most," Morgana reveals, "Which is why we need to be committed to taking his heart when we do send the card".
"Well, we can send the callin' card now, right? Let's do it and steal that bastard's heart!" says Ryuji.
Everyone looked at him, Neku especially with a "are you for real" look, and then gestures the wounded party. "After getting our asses handed to us, you wanna go after his heart now?" he asked, baffled.
"Not to mention not everyone is healed up entirely, Ren still looks like he's just about to collapse," Roxas points out, looking at the leader. Ren sighed defeatedly, affirming he wasn't in any condition to fight now, and by Riku's firm word they weren't going in without every Persona user in their team. Kairi also added that even if they were all raring to go and even if by tomorrow they were healed, she believes just getting to the treasure again was going to be the easiest part. The rest would be taking it from the Palace.
"Not to mention the security and whatever heartless that could be prowling around, and his reinforcements should he be forced to combat us," Rhyme added, "I for one refuse to rush in without at least making a plan before anything else".
"You guys still have thirteen…well I guess by now its twelve days…" Naminé says, "So it wouldn't do anyone any harm if we take at least a day or so to plan out the heist".
"I agree. Don't like the idea of losing time but if we want this to work, we're going to need to cover all bases," Ren concurs, "Plus it'll give us some time to prepare, and maybe unwinding a bit could help". Everyone agrees to this and even the other soon-to-be expulsed student reluctantly admits that may be a plan could work out for them. Rhyme says she'll review the intel they've got from the library along with any info the others have and then plan with Naminé's help, the older blonde offering some advice and insight.
"Sounds good, let us know if you need anything else," Ren says, getting up, "In the meantime, I think it's best to call it a day". Some yawned, some groaned wearily before bidding the guardians a goodnight and best wishes for tomorrow, leaving the café and the others to rest. Once they left, the guardians gathered around and discussed the rest of their report. "Players…like the ones in the Game, actually came to the Palace and could use their Psych without Personas…?" Naminé asked, settling in her seat with a frown.
"Yeah, and we've got a text from I'm guessing the Game master or whoever ran the show," Riku says, showing them the text they received, "And we saw first-hand what erasure is…".
"But hold on a second, don't you need a Persona, or be a Palace Ruler or even a shadow? I mean Neku couldn't even use his powers without a Persona," Roxas says, reminding the party of the limitations of their teammate. Riku confirms that's what the case was when they first met and even added he and the other two guardians were no different before and after they obtained their Personas. "Do you think this is another rule or something? Like, maybe the players get a bit of a leg up because of us?" he offered.
"If that's the case, why not Neku and the others?" Naminé added, "They're no more powerful than Sora's group".
"Not to mention even without keyblades, you guys handled them like they were nothing, right?" Ventus asked. They nod and lament that even without their keyblades, with their Personas and evident vast experience they wiped the floor with the players. Kairi even confessed it felt like those players were sent on a suicide mission than having an even playing field. Sora then mentioned they were called "Reapers" and heard "rules" from them, so they all figured the term "Reaper" must be something akin to a referee or someone supervising the game.
"Wish we could just ask Neku and the others about it…" Sora huffs, "Sure make things easier if we knew what else this game has in store for us".
"I doubt it's a happy topic between those four and chances are Ren, and the others don't know about it either," Riku sighed, "For now all we can do if nothing else, prepare for the last part of the heist". When he said that, Kairi turned to Naminé and asked if she had enough to work within their memories. The blonde nodded and revealed during their discussion and recap, she had peeked into everyone's memories regarding the castle and had enough to work with for key points that she'll go into with Rhyme.
"But my biggest concern at the moment is Kamoshida himself. If I understand correctly, as the Ruler he should be the most powerful being there bar the Phantom Thieves," she says, cupping her chin, "So do you think it's a possibility that he has a "true form" like the other shadows?".
"I think so…I mean all those shadows wore masks and when we rip them off, they turn into true forms of themselves. But Kamoshida doesn't have a mask," Sora says. Xion, impressively, deduced that maybe that was because Kamoshida's "real self" is the shadow, so why would he wear a mask to hide his true form. "Plus remember what evil kitty said, that Kamoshida is the true jerk face that the real one is hiding away from the public. In the Palace, he can do what he wants and LOVES the attention".
"But that doesn't mean he may not have another form of his own, maybe when push comes to shove he'll reveal his real form," Riku said. "Then chances are confrontation are gonna be high, especially if Ann and Ryuji wanna settle the score with him".
"You think it's gonna be impossible to steal the treasure without fighting him?" Ventus asked. Riku chuckled and asked him when has things ever been simple for them, and he gets several chuckles from the others. Their luck will never improve.
"Guess we better head to bed then, got a lot of healing and work to do for the heist," Kairi says, yawning and getting off her seat. Everyone nodded and after a quick tidy up, they all head for bed. It was only when the three climbed the stairs and with the thoughts of bed entering their minds is when they feel the draining sensation from today's events.
"Man…this Game's rule is dragging me down…" Riku yawned as the trio climb the stairs to the hallway of bedrooms, "If it isn't the Persona awakening, it's this".
"I'm right there with you buddy…" Sora says.
"This sucks so much…" Kairi agrees, rubbing her eyes, "Kinda makes all that training we've done pointless if we can't use it in the Palace…".
Everyone bids each other a goodnight before entering their respective bedrooms, leaving the two to enter Sora's bedroom. So tired and aching from today's exertions, the hero doesn't even bat an eye when Kairi picks up her PJS she left from a previous night and just drags herself to the bathroom to change. He throws off his jacket, pants, and footwear then plops onto the bed with a weary grown. He yawned loudly and only lazily scoots over just enough to let Kairi have some space.
Kairi plops onto the bed with a loud yawn and snuggled into the large pillow as Sora throws over the sheet on their bodies. "You know… you've got a bed of your own…" he yawned/mumbled as Kairi nuzzled into him. "Your bed's cozy…and feels nicer…and smells nicer too…" she lists tiredly, unconsciously tangling her legs with his. "…fair enough…" he replied, throwing one arm around her. "No fair you always have the best beds…what's your secret?" she prodded.
"I dunno…" he replied drowsily.
"Tell me…" she whined.
She gets only gentle breathing and soft snores before she dozes off into the dream world.
*Yongen-Jaya Café Leblanc*
Entering his home with another yawn, Ren greets Sojiro sleepily while his caretaker nodded to him, it seemed he was used to his ward coming back late. The old man didn't even ask what happened today, he figured he must have seen how exhausted Ren is and probably decided he'd ask what the story about his weary form was about tomorrow. They go through the usual routine, he locks up and warns him not to be an idiot and Ren would go be the good boy and just die in bed.
Once in his room, he receives a text from the gang. Lying on his bed, he looks.
Skull: "Anyone else gets back home yet? I'm pooped… the second I lie my ass down it hit me like a freaking ton of bricks…".
Panther: "I mean we did get pretty far into the Palace…and got a real ass whooping…".
Jet: "Tzu fell asleep on the way home, and I'm barely holdin' on yo…".
Naminé: "King and the others are long asleep. But on the plus side, you guys found the treasure. Half the hard work is done".
Skull: "So Kamoshida'll turn into a good guy if steal that, huh…".
Joker: "That's a bit exaggerate, he's only going to endure the guilt accumulated from his actions".
Eri: "So Joker's in charge of when we send the calling card yeah?".
Joker: "Plus Reaper and King, seeing as they're captains technically. But we're not gonna send it until Tzu and Naminé form a plan. Like they said, charging headfirst into danger isn't the best option for us".
Xion: "XD."
Tigress: "Xion what's so funny?".
Xion: "I felt left out and wanted to say something :D".
Roxas: "She also discovered emojis…".
Joker: "Appreciate the attempts Xion. See you all tomorrow".
He lied his phone down on the lamp table after setting his alarm while Morgana nests at the end of the bed. "Sheesh, that girl's something…" he remarks, "Wonder what she's got against cats…". Ren lied down and teases the furball that his charm doesn't work on girls as well as he claims. He rebuked he has more charm than the four-eyed thief, and Ren replied: "Yeah but who has a better chance with the ladies? The human or cat?".
Morgana grumbled in response, turning his furry back on the leader. With their little squabble resolved, Ren looked up to the ceiling before his phone vibrated nearby. He prayed it wasn't another Xion text and picked it up to see something else.
A purple graffiti skull.
Blinking and sitting upon his bed, he opened his phone to see what this means. He got a text reporting: "The Phantom Thieves have successfully reached the end goal of the infiltration. All other teams will be counted for points during the infiltration. Currently reigning in the top charts is the newly formed Phantom Thieves".
"What the hell?" he says quietly as he re-reads the message repeatedly. Then he looked at the skull again and slowly his eyes widen in recognition. The skull…looked like Neku's mask.
*Morning: Wednesday 4/20*
*Twelve days until Expulsion*
*Subway*
Yawning again for the fourth time, Neku waits at the subway stop for the train to get here with Shiki and Eri near him. "Shiki, Shiki," Eri says, snapping her fingers before the girl's face. Shiki yelped and jumped out of her sleepy form, but her sagging eyes and slouched form told the two she wasn't as wide awake as they'd hoped and chances were she was going to fall asleep while standing in less than five minutes.
"Sleepy…" she whined, "Eri carry me…".
"HUH!? Do I look like Beat to you!?" cried Eri. Neku rolled his eyes at their banter, smirking at the still dozy Shiki who was swaying on the spot while Eri crossed her arms. He turned to his left to see Ann approaching them with a wave, greeting the two.
"Heya," she greeted, "I still feel a little tired from all the hard we did. You two feel any better?". She leans to see the near sleeping Shiki still struggle to keep her eyes open. Neku chuckled that his stalker was having a hard time staying awake from all the work they did yesterday and honestly answers he's only tired. When he mentioned Shiki's old nickname, the blonde girl looked at him with confusion and Eri clarifies it was an inside joke between the two.
"So we've still got twelve days left before the board meeting, right?" Ann asks as the train arrives.
"Yeah, according to Ren," Neku answers, "But we're waiting for Rhyme and Naminé to plan it out, remember?". Ann makes an "ahh" sound and scratched her cheek sheepishly, forgetting the whole plan. This made the older teen roll his eyes in annoyance before they enter the train, quietly thanking god they had Rhyme as the brains.
*Afterschool: Wednesday 4/20*
Rocking his shoulders and stretching after bidding his friends a farewell, Riku leaves his classroom just in time to bump into Beat and Rhyme, the latter heading for the library with Naminé to discuss a plan of action against Kamoshida. This leaves the two older teenagers to walk on ahead without any plans for themselves and just as they reached the stairs, they spot Ryuji leaning against the wall with a thoughtful look mixed with some form of frustration in his eyes.
"Yo, Ryuji, what up?" Beat greets, throwing an arm around his shoulders with a wide grin. The fellow punk flashes a grin and bumps fist with the skater while Riku waves casually, respecting personal space more than the skater. "What's with that rare look of thought?" Riku teased lightly. The thief gave him a rude gesture from his hand and then shrugged with some hesitance in his stance. He sighed in the end and says: "Look, back in the Palace I realized somethin'".
"What?" Riku asked when Beta gave him some space.
"Runnin' through the Palace, I can't run or even move like I used to…" he confessed, scratching his neck, "So since we ain't goin' today, how's about some trainin'? Just don't wanna sit on my ass all day".
"Training? Like what?" Riku asked, curious.
"Just some stretches and maybe some track runnin'. Don't wanna do anything too strenuous yet, ya know?" Ryuji says. The other two looked at each other and then nodded, deciding that they could do with some warmups before the heist anyway. "Alright, where do we meet?" Riku asked.
*Behind the gym*
Riku wouldn't lie, he had forgotten the simple yet satisfying rewards of partaking in such a normal session of training. It brought back a lot of memories of his youth as a blissfully unaware teenager who would spend most of his free time racing his two best friends on their home island. Not being forced to partake in far more lethal and exhausting obstacle courses that require him to be at full alert or even just using every sense in his body to know when and where the next trial would be coming from.
The three boys had spent the rest of the afternoon stretching and working out some kinks in their bodies before they partook in some track running. Nothing arduous or anything pro-level, just normal jogging laps around the field and then a few minutes to catch their breath and stretch more while he and Beat take some lessons from Ryuji. It was impressive to hear the extensive knowledge of track running from the punk, even pointing out a few mistakes they were making during their stretching and showing what sort of drinks to consume outside of water.
Each of them was wearing the school uniform, red with white outlines but varying in styles. Riku had his hanging over his shoulders with the collar zipped so it looked like a cap of sorts while Beat just had his tied around his waist, showing off his now sweat-stained white tank-top and Ryuji just wore his tank-top.
Granted Riku knew if he put the work in he could have speed his way around the course, covering at least seven laps in less than five minutes. But for the sake of maintaining his cover, he reeled in his ego and kept up with Beat and Ryuji as best as he could. He was surprised by Beat's stubbornness being a wonderous source of energy for him, by the fifth lap he was ready to fall over and die. But he refused to back down when he saw how Riku and even the slightly struggling Ryuji were still raring to go, even made at least to the eighth lap before they had to call it a day.
They hung out near the gym in the grassy patch just to catch their breaths and chill, swallowing some much-needed water and do some more stretching sessions with Ryuji. "So this is your secret spot?" Beat asked, gulping down some water and belching. Ryuji nodded, confirming this was the best place for him to train before everything went down with Kamoshida. So far, from what he has seen, nobody had come here to carry on the training. He figured there'd be no point sense track running was somewhat still dead in the water.
"You know for a guy who had his leg broken by Kamoshida, you could have fooled me with all that running you did," Riku praised while gesturing his leg, "Gave me a real run for my money".
"Yeah right, dude!" Ryuji laughed, "Seriously you looked like you barely broke a sweat runnin'!".
"Heh, Sora and I used to race each other all the time back home," he confessed, "Guess it paid off". Then after another gulp of his water, Beat lets another belch out before asking Ryuji why he wanted to train like this. The punk tries to use the same answer he gave them earlier, but Beat called him out. "Hey brutha, I saw ya fight back at that Palace, you seriously tellin' us you're worried about movement? Ya moved around with lightnin' and shit like it ain't nothin'!".
"He's got you there, Ryuji," Riku says with a smirk, "C'mon and fess up".
Ryuji groans loudly, calling them pushy but leaned against the railing on the pathway and says: "I've been thinkin' about tryin' to run again. When we were fightin' in that other world, it was a total shock. Couldn't move like I used to just felt so…lame".
"So you thinking of building some muscle?" Riku asked.
"Yeah, man! Anything's gotta be better than this flimsy body, right?" Ryuji answers, "Plus, maybe I'll be able to help out a little more". The way he said it bothered Riku, mostly because the moment he did his smile just dipped into a slight frown like he just exposed something vital to them and looked down at his feet. Riku quietly sipped his drink, contemplating the tone of the fellow thief and trying to understand where those doubts came from.
"Yo man…you do enough…" Beat huffs, "We wouldn't be going at Kamo-dickhead if ain't for ya!". Ryuji scratched his neck sheepishly, chuckling at the skater's words before Beat asked if what Morgana said got to him, about being an idiot or anything like that. Ryuji barked back the cat was just a smug arrogant little furball who acts all high and mighty when they're in the Palace, to which Riku teases the lack of certainty in his words warrants a bit of criticism.
"…you worried about letting the team down or something?" Riku asks.
"Yeah man…mean, we're just waiting for Naminé and Rhyme to get all that plann' done and then we go for his treasure…so I don't wanna screw it up," Ryuji confessed.
"Damn man! Yo for sure need to stop thinkin' like that!" Beat chastised.
"Beat's right. Not that I'm saying we should stop training though," Riku says, "But if you're that dead set on training and running again, we're gonna be expecting a lot from you".
Ryuji smirked at them and promised he was going to wreck his expectations. He then frowns with a "wait…" then blushes and reaffirms his promise that it'd be in a positive way. He also mentions he wasn't the only one who was getting in on this routine, that the two of them would be joining him. Riku and Beat looked surprised, which prompted Ryuji to point out it'd be pointless if only he was the one doing it and mentions they would benefit from his routine as well.
After that, he said: "Alright! Let's get back to it! I'll be doing some knee stretches, you guys focus on the normal ones!".
One more lap around the track was, sadly, all Ryuji could do. By the time they returned to his spot, the poor punk was hunched over, panting and coughing while shaking. He cursed that his legs were all tight, which made him grunt deeply and kick the ground out of frustration.
"Hey man, ain't gonna be an instant thing," Beat says in an assuring tone, patting him on the back. "We just gotta keep at 'em, ya feel?". Ryuji huffed in agreement, but his slouch didn't change. Riku looked around the track before leaning against the railing and asked if the track team held such standards back in the day considering the lengths of training Ryuji was doing. Ryuji and Beat joined him, letting the punk tell them more.
"Before Kamoshida came along and screwed everything up, the track team was the biggest thing this school had goin' for it," Ryuji says, "But it all changed when he got our coach fired and took over as a sub".
"For real man?" Beat asks, "Mean the teachers never said squat about what happened to the old coach!". Riku however remarked it was plausible that Kamoshida would do it, perhaps he felt threatened that the track team may outshine the volleyball team. "Think about it like this, what sounds more inspiring and looks better for the school? A volleyball taught by a former athlete or a track team that worked so hard without having a professional guide them succeed?" he asks.
"Damn it…way ya put it, it makes it sound like Kamoshida had it out for the track team from the start!" Ryuji growled, "He'd give us crazy workouts, and when we couldn't do them he'd add more on top of it".
"Damn man…day after day of that…" Beat grunted, "Shit, no wonder the track team went under. But he's got a real hard-on for you, don't he?".
"Yeah. Guess he knew I was the kinda guy who'd fight back," Ryuji admitted, shamed. "If my time dropped even by a little, he'd cuss me out! And on top of that he brought up my parents…". He stopped and then the angry turns into shame, making the poor punk look away from his two friends as if he had no right to even stand near them. But from one subtle glance, Riku sees darkness within Beat's eyes at the mention of parents.
"Ryuji? You don't have to say anything if it's too personal…" Riku offers softly. But Ryuji shook his head and confessed in truth he was misleading them when he said, parents. He only has his mother; his father would just sit around and drink. That would be on good days, on bad days he'd get beaten by his dad, or worse he hit his wife. "Worst of all, I dunno how he learned it, but that bastard told the whole damn track about it…".
"Then you punched him…" Riku says with a sympathetic sigh, "Damn Ryuji…and that's what lead him to disband the track team, and he covers it up by saying it was an "act of violence".
"Yeah, and thanks to that the other guys on the team treat me like some traitor…but they ain't wrong. If I didn't snap, they wouldn't have lost their shot at the championship," Ryuji finishes. Beat then growls and snapped at the punk. "Screw 'em then! They didn't back you up, aight? So why the hell do you get singled out?" he asked. The other two looked at the sudden angry skater, who called Ryuji an idiot.
"They ain't a team if they did nothin' for ya! That prick of a teacher threw your personal shit all over and got away with it! And I bet'cha anythin' when they were asked about what happened, they threw ya under the bus!" he listed. He throws his hand up, saying Ryuji didn't need the track team, he's got the Phantom Thieves and other friends who've got his back.
"Beat's right," Riku says, "What happened back then sucked and you got the short end of the stick…but now you can move on from it". Then he pushed off the railing with Beat, both of them smirked at Ryuji and offered him one more run before calling it a day. He accepted it with a wider grin and they shared a high five before running off.
Suddenly running…didn't seem so impossible to the punk anymore…
*Evening: Wednesday 4/20*
*Wildkat*
Approaching his home, Riku's phone vibrated in his pocket and he plucks it, seeing it was a text from Ryuji and Beat.
Skull: "Yo, you guys get home safe? No trippin' or anythin'?".
Jet: "Eyy man! Who you textin!? Gonna take more than runnin' to bring me down!".
Nightmare: "Yeah, I'm good man".
Skull: "Good for you guys…but man, I'm so outta shape. Like for real, felt like I could barely drag my legs up the station steps…".
Jet: "Shit man, you're jus startin'! By the time we're done with ya, you'll be running circles around them shadows!".
Skull: "Never would have happened back then…ugh, should've kept up my running".
Nightmare: "Hey, never too late to get back into the swing of things".
Skull: "I guess so… least my legs healed enough that I can actually run again. But it just brings back bad memories, so I've been avoidin' it".
Nightmare: "Understandable, considering what happened to you. But look man, we can keep this up, and sooner or later you'll be back on your feet in no time".
Jet: "Damn right! Sides, ya had fun even if it was tough, right?".
Skull: "Yeah…I mean I've got some friendly competition and we get to talk too…so yeah! I'll catch you later!".
Everyone says goodnight, and Riku enters his new home.
*Afterschool: Thursday 4/21st*
*Eleven Days until Expulsion*
*Shujin Academy*
"I swear…I didn't think anyone could be so oblivious to someone's personal space than Xion…" Kairi says while she and Shiki pluck the books from their lockers, "Who has she not be reported or something?".
"I warned you, she can be a bit difficult when it comes to modeling for her…" Shiki answers with sheepishness in her voice as well. Yesterday the triplets came to the Blue Élégant to start trying a few clothing Eri and Shiki had been working on for the past few months. Truly Kairi loved the idea and while she wasn't fond of a few color choices her new manager chosen on her she did like the dressing up a bit. She just wished Eri wasn't such a handsy person and the ridiculous poses she had them do to show off the style and looks of the clothing almost rivaled the training a dancer had to endure.
Kairi had no idea how flexible Naminé was, but she could tell by the agonizing look on her face she was close to snapping in two.
"I'm just glad it was over faster than I thought…I swear if she touched my butt again or encouraged me to lower the zipper to my top any further I'll strangle her…" Kairi swore as she planted the books in her backpack, quietly muttering about some lessons she had regarding math. Shiki quietly nods and placed her books in too, thinking how often she's heard someone threaten to harm her best friend, and yet Eri is so oblivious.
The brunette glanced down the hallway before turning back to Kairi and ask if Naminé or Rhyme had gotten back to her about their heist. "Nothing solid yet, I think Rhyme still wants to go over a few more pieces with Naminé," Kairi explained, "Says she doesn't want to take any chances". Shiki nodded in agreement, thinking back to how their rears were handed to them and could still feel the injuries stir up occasionally.
The two girls walked down to the school entrance and spot Ann standing near the lockers with a pensive and worried look on her face. They hear her muttering something to herself about asking someone something but judging from the conflicting looks on her face they sensed she was in a debate with herself. "Ann?" Kairi speaks up as Shiki stands nearer, "You okay?".
The younger teen turned to the two with a small smile, greeting them and tries to dissuade their worries. "It's nothing…just, you know? With everything going on here and there and with the whole you know what, it's just been crazy," she says with confidence. Her friends agreed that with Kamoshida and the heist on the horizon nobody has a clear head now, but the expert on hearts points out the girl had a very contemplative look on her face and expressed worry for her.
"You know you can talk to us right? We're on the same team, you know?" Kairi offered kindly.
"Yeah…I mean…you've probably got a lot on your mind right now a-and well…with Shiho in the hospital, you probably don't have anybody to talk to…" Shiki said, hesitant and shyly. Ann gave the two a grateful, but pain-tinted smile at the mention of her friend, and then rubbed her arm. She admits she does have some things on her mind but didn't want to burden the two with more worries. Kairi rolled her eyes and said: "If I offered lunch would that convince you to unload your burdens?".
"Humph, bold of you!" Ann says with a smirk, "If you seriously think that'll work…-
"And crepes for dessert after?" Kairi added with a raised brow.
Ann closes her mouth…and Shiki quietly says: "She's taken the bait…".
*Restaurant*
Together in a small but cozy restaurant after having a simple lunch between friends, Ann finally admitted to what's been on her mind. "It…about Shiho. I went to visit her yesterday after school and…I kinda told her about, well…what we're up to".
Kairi and Shiki share a glance between them before returning to Ann with expressions mixed with disapproval but sympathy. They weren't worried that Shiho would expose them or anything as ridiculous as that, but more so in case, someone overheard them. "I told her we were going to get Kamoshida to pay for what he did…and I guess, I may have mentioned we had a way to get him to confess without spilling the beans…".
"And…how did she react?" Kairi asked, worried by the frown on Ann's face. "…she said she was sorry," she sighed, "Sorry that she didn't tell me what was going on about Kamoshida, what he was doing to her,".
"She's in the hospital after trying to take her life…and all she's worried about is apologizing to you?" Shiki said, "That's…scary". Ann nodded in agreement, explaining that after she told Shiho what was going on with herself and the others after she apologized Shiho just fainted and went back to sleep, the doctors assured the girl it was just the medicine working and her body was still healing. Kairi shook her head, lamenting how horrible Shiho must be feeling after everything and still apologizing to Ann was the first thing on her mind.
"But it was my fault too…If I knew how much trouble she was in, I could have been there for her…" Ann laments, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "I apologized to her too…".
"…hmm…she's strong," Kairi hummed with a respectful smile. The two girls looked at her, and she elaborates. "She endured so much garbage from that piece of crap Kamoshida, and even after all she's been through she's still pushing. Ann was still in her thoughts even with everything that's happened, and sooner or later when she gets out of the hospital she's gonna keep on living on,".
"Kairi's right," Shiki agrees, "She's suffered from Kamoshida's cruelty, and even after everything was thrown at her, she still fights". She added that even if by the time she does get better chances were they would have already gotten a confession from that couch, she can still kick him in between the legs by living her life free from his grip. "He can't take away her strength, especially when she knows she has her best friend waiting for her".
"Yeah…she's a great girl, isn't she?" Ann asks rhetorically, "I'm so glad I got to tell her everything I couldn't bring myself to say before…". She becomes quiet and clasps her hands on the table, and with an intake of breath, she tells Kairi and Shiki about her conversation with Ren nearly a week ago. Revealing what Kamoshida threatened to do to Shiho if Ann didn't sleep with him, which Kairi's eyes narrowed in disgust and anger while Shiki looked horrified by the mere thought of depravities that the teacher would stoop to.
"…I'm going to break his freaking jaw…" Kairi says.
"B-But you didn't!" Shiki reminds, "…right?".
"I had only agreed to it so that I wouldn't ruin Shiho's dreams…but stupid of me to think that when he would never put her on the bench and cost any victory to his team games," Ann sighed, "If I called his bluff, maybe he wouldn't have…".
"OR he could have done something much worse than benching Shiho," Shiki says with a shake of her head. Ann didn't disagree but confessed that maybe she didn't believe in Shiho's ability in the grand scheme of things. "You can't blame yourself for something that was completely out of your hands…" Shiki says, "Between Kamoshida having the upper hand and Shiho trying to protect you from him, you were in a pretty bad situation".
"You think so?" Ann asked, "All this happened because of how weak I am…".
She shook her head, admitting that her being weak was why she believed in Kamoshida's authority severely outweighed Shiho's own ability to her earn her spot on the team. Shiki looked at the table, remembering when she was trying to understand what Eri meant about her not wanting to be her but just herself. She lacked that strength to stand out as herself, and constantly feeling like she was destined to stay in the background while her friends find themselves and what they were after. It took her fighting to survive to understand that her strength was within her, and always falling behind the others became a hindrance to herself.
"…I almost went to Kamoshida's just to keep her safe…if Ren hadn't been there to hear me out…jeez…" Ann says with a bitter laugh.
She teases about how pushy he was when it came to understanding her, then softly remarks he was just trying to help her. "He kinda reminds me of Sora…ya know? They're just helping people for no reason other than…wanting," Ann says. Kairi smiles warmly but then Shiki chirped in: "Neku's no different".
"Really? No offense but Neku didn't give me that impression…" Ann says with a sympathetic smirk. Shiki shook her head and says: "No, seriously! I mean, I know he can come across as jerk…a smart-ass…blunt…and straight forward…err…".
"You said he's nice, right?" Kairi asked with a smirk. The plushie-carrying girl squeaked and rambled on about Neku. "Neku is a bit of a stand-offish person but he's honest with you. I know what I said says otherwise but really…the five of us wouldn't even be together without him, you know?" she explained, "He used to be so distant from others, even hating other people and hated having friends because that means they'd rely on him and…well…he somehow brought us together".
"…even helped me when I felt so worthless compared to Eri…but he helped me figure out my value too…plus he's extremely close to Beat and Rhyme…".
Ann and Kairi watched her ramble on about the orange teenager, the latter smiling in a familiar way while Ann giggled at the girl. This made Shiki stop when she notes her friends were watching her with amusement and even with glints in their eyes that held a knowing look. Shiki blinked and then suddenly blushes profusely when she put it together, making her stammer and try to explain her respect for Neku.
"So Neku's a sweetheart too?" Kairi teases, "Or are you going to go on about his eyes? His spiky hair? Or his dashing fashion sense?".
Shiki glows so redly she could light up a dark room, shrinking and holding her plushie up to hide her steaming cheeks as her friends coo and tease her obvious crush. Ann placed her chin on her propped hand, talking to her friends. Both to open more to her friends and spare Shiki any more embarrassment. "Back then, people used to call me all sorts of names… "prissy bitch," "Kamoshida's girl", I got tired of it so quickly," she confesses, "But someday I wanna be able to take those labels in stride, to tell the truth".
"I get it…" Kairi admits, "Kinda like proving those names didn't define you then, and they never will".
"Exactly. But, um…Personas are the power of the heart, right? Ann says. The other girls nod in understanding and encouraged her to speak her mind. "So if I'm right, the stronger my heart the stronger my Persona becomes".
"So you want to strengthen your heart?" Shiki asked.
"Yeah. I mean, I wanna help people, save them from trouble. Save them from people like Kamoshida, like we're going to, you know?" Ann says. She then leaned back into her seat, huffing that she doesn't fully understand how to strengthen a heart and for all she knows it could be utter nonsense. "But I'll find the answer, promise".
"Well then! Let's help each other out!" Kairi cheered, "If we're gonna take down Kamoshida, and get strong enough to protect not just other people but our friends, then how about we all strengthen our hearts?".
"I like the sound of that…" Shiki agrees with a smile.
The three girls place their hands on top of each on the table, affirming a new promise between the three thieves. Then after that, they all settle down and started to ask the big question Ann had unknowingly begun:
How does one strengthen their heart?
"How about I never get any more refills on fountain drinks?" Ann suggests with a big grin. The other two girls looked at her, Shiki giggling profusely at her statement while Kairi counters that not getting refills doesn't count as empowering your heart. They start to talk more into the afternoon about strengthening their hearts, all the while was unaware of the slowly strong bond forming between the three hearts.
*Shiki's Place*
As Shiki placed Mr. Mew on the windowsill so she could rummage through her back for her keys, her phone vibrates. She looks to see a text from Ann in their trio group chat they dubbed "Heart Strengthen".
Panther: "Hey girls, just wanted to say thanks for listening to me earlier today".
Scarlet: "Not a problem Panther. It was fun to have a girl's meet up".
Tigress: "Yeah! Those crepes were delicious~".
Panther: "Also, I think I've got an idea on how to strengthen our hearts".
Tigress: "So soon? Ooh tell us!".
Panther: "Well… it's uh…what's the term?".
Scarlet: "In development?".
Panther: "Yeah! As soon as I think of something, I'll let you girls now! Hope you'll join me then!".
Scarlet/Tigress: "Got it/Will do!".
Shiki returns her phone into her bag and heads into her home, smiling at the thought of her new friends' new plan.
*Evening: Friday4/22nd*
*Ten Days until Expulsion*
*Udagawa Backstreets*
In need of some peace without worrying about Sojiro coming up unexpectedly, one of the leaders of the Phantom Thieves found himself walking through the city in deep thought. Morgana had gone on his own for a while, wanting to see more of the city and possibly find something interesting. Ren was mostly just walking through Shibuya without any direction in mind and just let his feet walk aimlessly while his mind wanders in thought and reflection.
Nearly two weeks now since he set foot in this strange city, and so much has happened to him. Adapting to city life was already a challenge with how loud and cramped it was compared to the simple yet cozy neighborhood he once resided in, the buildings that towered over him were intimidating and so bright and loud it was off-putting and amazing at the same time. And yet all things said and done, this all pales in comparison to what's happening right now. Kamoshida, the Metaverse, monsters and so much more oddities that felt like it was all taken from a comic book.
And now only ten days remain before his fate will be altered. Everything riding on the success of this heist, do or die as Ryuji would say.
His feet bring him to the backstreets and up a small hill with stores still vibrantly beating and voices cheerfully talking away in the restaurants. Ren climbs up the hill and sees before him a massive wall decorated with graffiti, nearly taking his breath away at the sight. He approached the wall where a massive cat-like humanoid reigned over the art, captivating his attention and guiding him to look at the other styles that many upcoming or even professional artists had left their marks on this wall.
"Ren?".
He looked to see Neku standing near the wall as well, quiet with hands in his pockets and a pair of purple headphones casually laying on his shoulders. The orange teenager waved at him as a sign of greetings while the black-haired thief nodded, a small friendly smile appearing on his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked, curious. Neku shrugged and gestured the wall, saying: "This is my spot. I used to come here a lot more back in the day but…well, it just brings back some rough memories". Neku hesitates and Ren swore he saw a flash in his blue eyes, but the teenager quickly hides it away as quick as it came.
"After what happened at the Palace…just everything really, guess I just needed to get away for a while and…weirdly I felt a calling and here I am," he explains as he stands in front of Ren. Ren nodded in understanding, looking back at the graffiti in thought before turning to Neku. "Are any of these yours? I think you mentioned, or someone had, you've got the penchant for this type of artistry," Ren asked, hoping to stir up a conversation between himself and his partner in crime.
"Nah…too many artists have already claimed this wall. If I tried my work would probably be swamped with everyone else's expression," Neku answers, "Sides…I've still gotta decide what my mark is gonna be". The headphone-wearing teenager folds his arms and unprompted, he started to talk about the artists and what styles they were originally from, expressing a genuine passion and respect for them, especially regarding the cat art. Ren listens intently, nodding and remarking here and there while letting Neku sing.
Then from the corner of his eyes, he spotted another familiar figure walking down the streets. Ren turned around and just before he went down the steps, he sees Sora. Neku turned to him, then followed his gaze to see ahead of spiky brown hair disappear. "Huh? Was that Sora?" Neku asks. "Yeah…wonder what he's doing on his own…" Ren says with a curious tone. With shrug, Neku walks ahead and follows the boy, leaving Ren to quickly chase after the two.
Bizarre as it is, Sora didn't seem to have a destination, like Ren earlier. Much like him, Sora just seemed to be wandering around in silence and even his movement was tainted with something neither the two could understand nor put a word on, it was like the boy had just awakened from a long slumber and had no clue where he was. Not that Ren would put it past him, there have been days where he sometimes feels like all this was a dream and he was misplaced in a strange new world.
They soon reach the Scramble Crossing, where the city was just as lively even at night. Hundreds of people across the street, all wrapped up in their worlds and lives, faceless people bypassing the two teenagers as they followed their teammate. Neither could explain why this compulsion to watch over the boy was washing over them or why they had to follow him. Ren, and very much Neku, somewhat felt a similar bond to Sora, something about him clicked within them.
Maybe to Ren, it was because these two were the first few who accepted him as a friend without question.
Sora soon stood in the center of the crossing; his head turned toward the giant building known as the 104 building. As the two teens reached the sidewalk, they watched Sora stare at the building as still as a statue. They share an exchange of concern and worry about this before they approached the boy, calling his name. Yet he stood there still, unresponsive and when Neku yelled his name a little louder, Ren reached for his shoulder.
"Sora?", he says, grabbing his shoulder.
Like a splash of cold water striking his form, Sora gasps in shock and almost recoils from Ren with a raised hand. The flash of shock and even fear in his cobalt blue eyes startles the two, and Neku swore had he not identified the two teens Sora might have taken up an aggressive stance against them. It takes a moment before Sora showed he knows where he was and lowered his arm. "Guys? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Watching you walking like a lost tourist," Neku says with mirth.
Sora blinked, then looks around and then heaves a sigh. "Whoops…guess I must've just lost track…" he confessed with a sheepish grin. Ren sighed in relief, chastising him playfully for his head in the clouds. Sora laughed in response before they all got out of the center before upsetting someone and stood on the sidewalk for a moment before Neku offers them a place to hang around and more importantly away from the eyes of people.
In the underpass of Shibuya, the trio of teens leaned on the railings that overlooked a busy highway with cars zipping by. This was a rather scarce area in the middle of the night, something Neku knew off heart based on the days he needed some alone time or whenever he just wanted to be part of the city without noise. In the silence between them, the three teens mulled over the situations that fate had planted them in, seeking solstice.
One who is trapped in a jail of his own heart where should he fail whatever task that was forced upon him his future would be doomed for destruction. The player is unaware of the new Game he and his friends had unknowingly been entered in where potential risks could be far worse than the prices they paid before. And finally, the guardian who remains an anonymous hero who saved the worlds from oblivion, now taking a role in a game where he had so much to lose and yet so few answers to glean from.
One desperate for comfort, one desperate for answers, and one desperate for assurance.
"…So…you guys think we can do this?" Neku asks, looking at the bypassing cars, "Mean, we're gonna be pulling off one hell of a thing".
"Nobody is pretending this will be easy…I think even Ryuji is aware of the risks," Ren says as he folds his arms on the railing, "Victory…or we face either dying or worse".
"…we can do it…".
They looked at the boy in the middle, looking up to the night sky. "We might have stumbled in the infiltration, but we're all in this together, not just because we've either got a grudge against Kamoshida or we want to get payback for what he's done to the others," Sora says, "It took all of us to get this far, and together not only will we get justice for the students he's hurt, but we'll also look out for each other".
The two teens looked at him as he lowered his head, sheepishly chuckling and apologizing for sounding so cheesy and cliché. Yet instead of teasing him, Neku laughed and remarks: "Humph…yeah, guess that about sums up the majority of us".
"Looking out for each other…hmm…that's generous of you for only knowing someone for two weeks…" Ren added while pushing up his glasses as a smile appears on his face. Sora shrugged and assured them it was just how he is. Neku hums quietly, remembering how he first met the boy and how quick he was to befriend him even after he was trying to use him as leverage. The most baffling thing this city could ever present to Neku was this boy.
"We're not gonna lose then," Neku says with a smirk, "Between all of us, Kamoshida doesn't stand a chance".
"Agreed. Soon we'll have a plan to take his heart and bring him to his knees for everything he's done," agrees Ren with a wild smirk.
"And that's a promise to the Phantom Thieves," bragged Sora.
They nodded to each other before they resumed their hang out and watch the stars glowing above the ocean of lights of the city. A city where it holds many secrets and urban legends, and several powerful hearts that were slowly forging powerful bonds between several thieves. The Trickster, Guardian, and Player silently enjoyed the peace before the upcoming daunting task that lies ahead of them, and with so much riding on this with not just their futures at stake.
For as short as their time has been since they first met, a solid bond was forged between the three leaders of the challengers of society. One who faces a potential destructive future, the other who must prepare for an unforeseen chance of destiny, and the last taking up the mantle of the player yet again for his city's future. Despite the secrets they each kept to themselves, both great and potentially life-changing, there is an unspoken trust between them.
After an hour of quietly clearing their minds, the three friends bid each other a good night and an agreement to meet up at Wildkat for the briefing. Unaware that a powerful light was growing in their hearts, a link between each other newly forged.
*Evening: Saturday 4/23rd*
*Nine Days until Expulsion*
*Wildkat*
Gathered up at the café, the Phantom Thieves, both Persona users and non-users, settled in the lounge area. Most amusing of all and something anyone who set foot into the café would take note of was the efforts Rhyme and Naminé spent on this meet-up. They had a projector resting on a stool with a small whiteboard in front of it, curtained the windows to blackout the light and most amusing of all was Rhyme even carried some accessories that would have been worn by a commanding officer. She even wore a red beret hat just to empathize point.
"Somebody's excited to reveal her grand plan," Neku teased as he settles onto the couch with Shiki and Eri.
"Where'd you even get that stuff?" Riku asked.
"Online shopping," Rhyme confessed, "But that's not important, we've got a heist to plan". Once finished, Naminé started up the projector and showed the party. "To recap: we're goal is to steal Kamoshida's heart before May the 2nd, which according to Naminé we'll only have eight days tomorrow to pull off". She showed the mug shot of Kamoshida with a heart adorning a crown and some treasure, gesturing the target with her ruler.
"Now then as far as we, and by we I mean Morgana understands, all we need to do is steal his heart, IE the treasure Sora's group found," the youngest teen reminds.
"Like how? Do you guys just grab it and take it back to the entrance…?" Eri asked.
"That's what I'm assuming," Morgana offers, "Problem is until we send the calling card, we don't know exactly what form the treasure will take". The gang shares several looks of concern while some throw out ideas on what it could be. Rhyme clears her throat and Naminé changes the screen to show off the Palace's full form, which Rhyme reveals to the non-Persona users that the treasure was in the tallest tower within the castle, providing them with a challenge in terms of escaping with the treasure.
"Regardless of whatever treasure it may be, we have a problem with simply escaping with it," Rhyme continues, but then Xion raised her hand. "…Xion?" she asked.
"Umm…if we send the calling card to Kamoshida, that'll spook his other self, right?" she asked. Rhyme nods, and then the raven says: "So he'll know we're gonna come and steal his treasure…won't that mean he'll be SUPER cautious and uptight too?".
"Yo shit…girl's got a point!" Beat says, "What if he beefs up security? Or gets more heartless?". Morgana let out a small huff and worryingly affirms Beat and Xion had a valid concern. "Once a shadow ruler is aware their treasure is in danger, chances are they will do whatever it takes to keep it safe. Security will without a doubt be on high alert".
"Just as well Rhyme and I already thought of this," Naminé says, changing the screen to show three areas. First was the entrance with Kamoshida's giant portrait, the second was on the next floor in the library with a door just down the hall, and finally, the distortion-filled room with the moving ground and another door. Thanks to Sora and his team's reconnaissance, the blondes confirmed these were being used by Kamoshida's knights to gather up whenever they find intruders or if the king called for backup.
"The very moment we steal the treasure, chances are Kamoshida will have an alarm or worse confront us, and the last thing we all need is to deal with both the ruler and his legion of soldiers," Rhyme says, having Naminé showing another screen with images of the shadows, heartless and knights Kamoshida has, "Between the ruler and those minions, not only will we be outnumbered but we don't know how strong Kamoshida is in comparison".
"Which means we'll need to cut off his reinforcements if we want to stand a chance against him," Naminé added, "Which is where Kairi and Sora come in". She changes the screen to show the two with their masks in chibi forms and shows three medieval lifts the knights use. "The two of them will cut off their transports, starting from the bottom and then making their way to the top to provide back up for team "Treasure Snatchers"," Naminé explains. Kairi and Sora looked at her, slightly confused as to why the two were on such a duty and Rhyme explained they have a better understanding of the castle than the others, and based on their ability to show up when needed, it made sense they'd oversee a task requiring speed.
"I agree," Ren says with a nod, "Cutting off reinforcements will do us wonders…but that doesn't stop him from calling more and taking the slower route".
"It's likely there will be knights either patrolling the area or they'll hoof it up to throne room as soon as their king demands," Naminé says and concurs, "But we do have a solution for this". She changed the screen to show hallways that connected to the next floor and each one had chibi faces of the thieves. On the first floor were Beat and Riku, the second floor was Shiki and Mr. Mew (with a mask Naminé drew up), and finally on the third was Neku. "These will be choke points, all you guys have to worry about is dealing with Kamoshida's soldiers on that floor".
"That seems a bit risky…don't you think? I mean…" Ventus says, rubbing his neck.
"Sure you'll be outnumbered, but keep in mind these aren't anything you guys haven't beaten before," Rhyme reminds, "Plus Shiki can let Mr. Mew run loose without worrying about the others, Neku can go wild with his psych, and I don't think I need to explain you, Beat".
"Running wild without worrying…considering how weak his men are, all they have over us is numbers," Riku surmised and then smirks, "Which means if we play our cards right we'll effectively leave him all alone".
"Which if he is the strongest monster in the Palace, all the better for us," Morgana says with a nod. "But wait, what about the others?".
"Here's where the Treasure Snatchers come in," Rhyme says as Naminé changes the screen to show Ren, Ryuji, and Ann's chibi faces surrounding the treasure, "You three will be in charge of taking the treasure, but that also means your chances of encountering Kamoshida will greatly rise". Ren rubbed his chin in thought, not entirely liking the idea he'd be confronting Kamoshida with just two of their teammates, but Ryuji grinned and Ann smirks, both approvingly. "So we get to lay the smack-down on that bastard? Sounds like the best part of the plan!" he says.
"Yeah! Between the three of us, we can take him!" Ann boasts.
"Don't get so excited, remember we don't know the extent of his strength until his "true" form is revealed," Rhyme insists, "Plus even with all three of you, it might not be enough". The screen changes again to show a layout of the castle leading from Riku and Beat to the throne room, showing the group with arrows directing to the throne room, "Once you all clear out the guards, if you have the strength and energy, make your way up to the throne room and provide back up to Ren's team". "So we can all ambush and overwhelm him…" Kairi hummed, "Sounds like we've got a leg up on him".
"I dunno…what if he's got more cognitions like Ann?" Neku says leaning forward on his seat, "Remember how she was? What if he's got more like her?".
"Lady Ann won't be a problem. Remember our Lady Ann took her down, there can only be one shadow, and recreating one would be impossible, even for a Ruler," Morgana assured, "But anyone else who has a closer link to is fair game".
"So he could have Mishima or worse Shiho as cognitions?" Shiki asked with a deep frown. Morgana nodded reluctantly, giving Ann a remorseful look but she shakes her head. "That'll just make taking him down all the sweeter," she growls.
"Hold up, while everyone's doing their own thing, what about you and Morgana?" Roxas asks, looking at Rhyme. Rhyme has the screen change and shows Kamoshida's mug shot, Ren's team chibi faces, and finally herself and Morgana's faces. "We've no idea on what Kamoshida's true form is capable of nor do we even know what he'll look like, so what me and Morgana will do is stay in the shadows to oversee and study him," she explains, "I hate to do this, but we'll have to rely on Ren and the others to keep him occupied and give us data".
"Better than throwing everything at him on the go…" Ren sighed, "But I understand, so long as Ann and Ryuji are cool with it". They nodded with reluctance but still smirked. "So have we covered everything?".
Rhyme and Naminé looked at each other, before sheepishly saying: "Well…we've had a discussion and we're…thinking we could benefit from this". They changed the screen to the treasure room, drawn by Naminé to show off the loot. "Since we're already committed to stealing his treasure we think, perhaps we could…lighten his load by taking his horde," Naminé suggested with a sheepish grin. The others, more so the guardians, were surprised that Naminé and Rhyme were considering going all out and stealing the treasure like actual thieves. Everyone else was considering it with grins.
"Umm…not to sound like a downer but…don't you guys have enough to deal with already?" Ventus says. "Oh yes…which is why…" Rhyme says before Naminé changes the screen to show herself and the others in the treasure room, "We'll be the ones taking the treasure,". Roxas and Xion grinned excitedly with Eri having yen signs in her eyes, only Ventus looked concerned by this sudden plan. "We won't be combating anyone, all we have to worry about is getting the treasure and escaping while the others deal with everything else," Naminé explains.
She shows more screens showing how they were going to steal the treasures without even announcing their presence to Kamoshida. Several towers were ranging in height and scale that all connected to the castle, where she shows several clotheslines connecting to each tower with money bags tied onto the lines. "Here's what we have in mind," Rhyme says, showing another screen. It was the same as the previous one except it had the other chibi faces, three on the towers, one in the treasure room, and finally one at the drawbridge.
"Roxas, you'll be the one loading the treasure into the bags and then you send each bag down the clothesline to the towers. I, Xion, and Ven will take the bags and send them down towards each other, and finally, they'll go to Eri," Naminé explains, "Then once we empty the vault, we'll use the lines to zip down to Eri and escape with the treasure,".
"Damn…this is a heist," Eri laughed, "Well we may as well make a pretty penny or thousands". Riku praised the two blondes along with the others and then confessed he got more medicine from the doctor while Eri and Shiki reveal they have their new gear ready for combat. "Sounds like everything's in order! Now all we gotta do is just send the calling card and take it from there, right?".
"Uh yo…ain't tomorrow Sunday?" Beat points out. The others looked at him before Ren confirms tomorrow was indeed Sunday, which meant school was closed. But Ren was smirking still and claimed this was an even better opportunity for them. "Hear me out, if we wanna make sure Kamoshida sees the calling card, we'll need to do more than just send him one," he explains. He takes his phone out and shows them he took a few pictures of the school's bulletin boards scattered around the building. "If we make enough to completely cover these boards, the whole school will be talking about it, and gain Kamoshida's attention".
"Meaning there's no way he'll miss it, and we'll have all the preparations ready for the big day," Riku says, but crossed his arms, "But that doesn't solve the closed school issue…".
They all looked at one another, hoping someone would have a solution, but Morgana huffs: "Well what do you think we've gotta do? We'll just have to go".
"You want us to BREAK INTO school?" Shiki squeaks, "Do you have any idea how much trouble we'll get into!?". But before the others voiced their objections, Neku rebukes that even if it was during open times they'd still be unable to plaster the bulletin boards without someone ratting them out or worse getting Kamoshida on their backs. "If we wanna do this, we're gonna have to break in the school and put them up at night".
"Neku's right…" Sora said, "I don't want to get us into more trouble but we've gotta do this,". The others slowly agree with him and after some debate, they agree that at least if they do this at night, chances of being caught were minimal and the results will serve them. "Okay then, who's gonna write the card?" Kairi asks. Ryuji pipped up and says he'd do it, despite Ann and Morgana teaming upon him. But Ren shrugged and after some silent questioning between him, Neku and Sora, he nodded and granted Ryuji permission to be the writer.
"Just make sure there's no connection between us and the heist. And make sure you let him know we're coming for his heart, okay?" Ren instructs. Ryuji nodded and then asked whose coming with him. Naminé offers to draw at least the cover of the calling card, and Beat offers himself and Riku to go as muscle. The others go with the plan and, the four set a time to meet up and then the team disperses.
*Leblanc*
Returning to his home, Ren bids his guardian a good evening and just as he starts to talk, his phone vibrates. He quietly excuses himself and looks at the messages.
Skull: "Man…there's so much I wanna write on the calling card! It's tough to figure it out!".
Nightmare: "Just write something on the lines of taking his heart and his crimes, you're not writing an ode!".
Panther: "Anyone else having second thoughts to let Skull do this?".
Scarlet: "You're asking now?".
Jet: "Yo man just write somethin!".
Skull: "Dudes chill! I got this! Even got a logo for blondie to draw up too!".
Panther: "…a logo?".
Reaper: "What's with the branding?".
Skull: "Pfft no! I mean…no! You'll set it on Monday!".
Joker: "And now we worry".
Skull: "Relax, you guys get some rest! Big things coming on Monday!".
King: "Best of luck tomorrow…".
Ren bids everyone a good night and settles on the stool near the counter to engage with Sojiro.
*Evening: Sunday 4/24th*
*Eight Days until Expulsion*
*Shujin*
Quietly climbing over the gate, Riku lands on his feet like a ninja and after a quick look around, he gestures the others to follow him. Naminé was boosted up over the gate thanks to Beat and soon the rest followed the master through the schools. Dressed in black from feet to neck, they all huddled closely beneath some bushes, Riku peering over to see in case some security guards or someone was patrolling the place.
Unlikely as it may seem given the school's poor handling of money and budget cuts being a regular occurrence here, the last thing they needed was to be proven wrong and arrested before their heist. He lowers himself and asked Ryuji for the masks. It was better to ensure they were all entirely in shadow and now give away anything connecting to them. Ryuji grabbed his backpack and pulls out four ski masks for the others, handing them one at a time.
"Ryuji, what the hell?" Riku growls as he holds his one up. His mask had bright green circle outlines for his mouth and eyes, while Naminé, Beat and Ryuji's were bright blue, orange, and even red. "They were the only ones at the store, man!" Ryuji barked back defensively, throwing his own. Riku grumbles: "If this was all they had then you go to another store!". Naminé hushes him as they climb over the railing and quietly make their way into the main building that was stupidly not locked.
"Why aren't the doors locked?" Riku whispers as Beat and Ryuji uses their phone's flashlights to illuminate the pathway, "I know security seems pretty light but for god's sake locking the doors is the bare minimum!".
"…guys, how often does this school get broken into?" Naminé whispers as they climb the stairs.
"Err like, twice a month maybe?" Beat shrugged, "Ain't nothin' special taken…".
"I'm honestly convinced Kamoshida is the sole reason this school has any hope of staying open…" Naminé huffed.
They make their way into the printer room, where impressively the door was locked. But after a few jiggling and some light force, they open the door and sneak inside. Naminé immediately takes out the calling card cover she drew for the team and started to work on the printer, praying it wasn't one of those loud and noisy ones that could wake the dead. As she worked on it, Riku picks up the calling card and whistles lowly at its design.
"Whoa, this looks great Naminé," Riku praised, "Ryuji came up with this?".
"Err…sort of…I mean he just gave the details but I just…went a little experimental with it…" she says, hiding her glowing cheeks. After a few minutes, she copies at least a hundred covers and then requested Ryuji's letter. He hands it to her, thanking him, and just when she was about to plant the card onto the glass surface of the printer, she pauses and looks at the letter. Curious as to what he could have written on this…
And immediately cringes at it.
"Goodness Ryuji…your handwriting is terrible!" she whisper-yells while she starts up the machine. Ryuji barked that she should focus on printing the stuff out while he and Beat kept an eye out for anyone patrolling. The girl rolls her eyes and starts finishing the task, quietly praying the couch could read his horrible writing.
Later they started to post the calling cards all over the bulletin boards they could find, eventually covering them all in the red cards. Once finished, the party escapes the school undetected.
Come tomorrow, the Phantom Thieves will steal Kamoshida's heart.
A/N:
I'm really sorry this was late.
So regarding Ann's Confidant, I am aware hers is suppose to happen AFTER Kamoshida's heart is stolen. But is anyone gonna complain?
Also after some thoughts, I have decided to not include the Neo cast. One reviewer suggests I leave them for Strikers and that's what I'm gonna do.
And finally, a bit of trivia. Shiho was supposed to die in this story and join Rindo (Neo protagonist) in the new game but after some reviewing and writing I realized that's another story itself. So Shiho won't die in this.
QUESTIONS:
Q1: Thoughts on this chapter?
Q2: Bonding sessions?
Q3: Rhyme and Naminé's debrief?
Q4: Sneaking into the school?
Q5: Happy to have Naminé and co join the heist?
Q6: Any other pairing you'd like to see?
Q7: Excited for the heist?
Again, sorry for the late post. As always thanks for reading everyone! Stay awesome but more importantly stay safe!