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 Twenty:
Strengthening Bonds.
*Afternoon: Wednesday 4/27*
*Five days until Expulsion*
*Dogenzaka*
There are somethings in life that are simple yet can be powerful remedies. And curry is indeed one of those remedies.
"Whoa…!" Sora gasped as he took his first spoonful of his Dal curry, eyes wide.
"This is…incredible…" Ren remarked after swallowing his chicken curry.
Neku smirks behind his spoon, holding his own pleased sounds within his throat as his friends start to dig into their lunch. It was always a pleasure to see someone's reaction to their first Don Curry, there was a strange pleasantry every time he or the others bring new people here, and his two co-leaders were no different. Sora was quickly scarfing down his meal while Ren was taking is time consuming his meal, occasionally humming in approval from the wonderous taste.
There is heavy rain outside of the restaurant, the heavens opening before the three entered, so traversing through the city is no longer in their plans so they opted to just hang out in the restaurant for the rest of the afternoon. Not that it bothered Neku nor the owner for that matter, the man known as Ken Doi. The man has known Neku since his first foray into the Reapers' Game and ever since he escaped it this had become his third more frequented area within the city.
Since then he and the owner had gotten to know each other, so much to the point he's become a regular customer.
Its why he brought Sora and Ren here, partially anyway. The place was once a ramen exclusive restaurant, but from what the Player could gleam from the mystery change of product Don was trying to branch out and rebrand his work. Yet if he was asked for ramen the man would make one within a heartbeat, and even had to add it to the menus because of the constant ramen requests. That probably is one of the reasons his business had seen such a gigantic increase in customers.
"Man that's good…" Sora praised, planting his bowl down, "I think I'll order a second bowl…or third…maybe fourth…".
"Hey if you do, you're paying for them. I'm only paying for the first round," Neku says with a low chuckle, finishing his bow, "And if you're feeling generous I could go for another bowl too". Sora laughed and pulled his wallet out, readying to order the second round for them. Even though Ren politely offered to pay his share, Sora cheerfully rebuked he could pay for the third round if they so desire. The Trickster chuckles playfully at the boy's insistence as he made his way for the second order.
When he returned, they started to chat again.
"So what were we talking about before we ate again?" Sora asked while Ren sipped his coffee. He replied they were discussing the city Neku, and his friends were in during the third week of their game, and the former Player added that Sora had been in the process of explaining how that world worked. Sora shrugged and gave them a short version of why he and Riku were there. "Yeah it was a lot different then the first time I came there…" Sora admitted, "Like I've never seen the 4th and 5th district".
"But Joshua said it was a world that appears when someone needs shelter. What's that supposed to mean?" Neku asks.
Sora looked around for any eavesdroppers, then leaned closer into the trio and says: "See back then, when worlds disappeared it was a place for those who lost their worlds to got to". "You mean it acted like a haven? For those who lost their worlds?" Ren asks. Sora nodded and explained here and there how the world worked, and even wondered himself if it was still around now that the worlds were back to normal. Neku took a sip of his drink and asked if he knew why the Game suddenly took place there and not in Shibuya.
"Maybe Joshua wanted a change of scenario? I mean if Shibuya didn't disappear then there was no reason you guys should have ended up there," Sora says, "But then, if Joshua did take you guys there then he's gotta have a way to go to other worlds".
"Like what? How does one get off a world?" Ren asks. Sora explains they use Gummi Ships (he gave them a short version of their construction), strange items that can transport people from other worlds or using the corridors of light and darkness. They both looked at the boy, who frowned and asked: "…was I allowed to say that?"
"We won't tell Riku," Ren assures softly, "Sides I feel like we've long passed the secrecy stage". Sora hummed softly as their meal came to them, and then they resumed eating. All the while the conversation shifted away from Sora's worldly adventures and lore and moved onto more friendlier and personal stuff. Neku commented on Sora's method of eating, slowly tasting it and giving it very thoughtful looks with each bite, and he revealed that he was trying to figure out what herbs were added and swore he tasted the spices used were familiar.
"You can tell just by the taste?" Ren asked. Sora nodded and then snapped his fingers, revealing the ingredients and quickly taking another spoonful. He grinned and confirmed it, saying quietly it was "tadka spice". He happily ate away, proud his tongue could deduce what was used to make this excellent dish, letting his two friends chuckle and resume their own. Then Ren asked Neku, who was wearing a pair of purple headphones, about his taste in music.
To their surprise he revealed he was a music lover of all trades, not sticking to just one genre and would make dozens of playlists filled with all sorts of genres. Particularly today he was listening to smooth jazz on the way here during the rain, letting the smell of rainwater clear his head and let the music soothe him. He confesses he doesn't have his headphones on as much as he used to, that its only when he's alone or going somewhere that's a fair distance from where he lives.
Neku even let his friends try out the phones and played a few songs for them, hip-hop for Ren while some symphonic melody for Sora, drinking in their expressions and complimenting the music.
Nearing the end of their food, Sora asked Ren what his hometown was like before he was sent to Shibuya. Ren rolls his shoulders, quietly saying: "Nothing special nor remarkable, I lived in a rural area. It was quiet and not even remotely as bright as Shibuya, but it was a nice neighbourhood".
"Where exactly?" Neku asked.
"Just a couple of hours from here actually, but its not as populated nor frequently visited often enough to warrant attention. So the name escapes me," he admitted, "But I can't say I miss it entirely".
Ren sighs and tells the two that whatever potential friends he had there have all abandoned him ever since he was charged with the assault. Everyone had either completely rejected him, or they were doing everything they could to distance themselves from him. Not even his parents have reached out to him in support for his current state. Neku shows sympathy and understanding while Sora was quiet on the subject, occasionally scooping and dropping his meal in thought.
"Really? Not even a text to ask if you reached Leblanc safely?" Sora asked softly.
"No…and chances are I…won't be hearing from them until this probation ends…" Ren reveals with a soft sigh. Neku shook his head with anger in his eyes, and then huffed. "Sounds like real parents of the year," he said with slight bitterness in his tone, "They could have at least sent a letter or something to you".
Ren looks at the slightly older teenager with Sora, and when both eyes fell onto him, Neku dropped his spoon and groaned. "My parents aren't that much better. I mean, I get why but…" he sighed. "…they're on a business trip to America, and they've wired money to me monthly so at least I'm not gonna starve". He looked down at the table and revealed they've been in America for the past four years now. "Four years…and they never came back for holidays? Your birthday? Anything?" Sora asked.
"Nope. Only the occasional card, maybe even a video call for two minutes, but that's all I get," Neku says, "So yeah…I get it, not having great parents". Ren nodded in understanding, then chuckling about Ryuji's words about them feeling more connected then they thought. Neku smirks and rolls his eyes, then asked if Sora's parents were any better or heaven forbid worse. Instead Sora went silent and kept his eyes on the plate that was now devoid of food, quiet. This spurred the two to look at him and Ren even offered a gentle nudge with his elbow.
"Sora?" he asked.
"…I dunno what happened to my mom," he confesses. The two look at him with alarm, and Sora asked: "You guys remember that part about Naminé kinda messing with my memories awhile back?". During their explanation of nobodies and how their counterparts came to be, and reluctantly Naminé explained how she met Sora and how she somewhat warped and manipulated his memories to a point where everyone who was connected to him had just outright forgotten all about him. He clasped his cup and said: "When I came back home after finding Riku…my mom and home were gone".
"Gone? As in…passed?" Ren asked gently.
"No. Kairi told me that one day she just up and left our home behind and moved somewhere further into the mainland, but nobodies been able to find her," he says, "And…I think the reason she left was because she didn't remember me…and wanted to, you know, travel".
"Seriously? But everyone else remembered you, why didn't…she…" Neku asked before his and Ren's eyes slowly widen with realization as Sora's eyes dimmed and he slouched in his seat. A silence befalls the trio as the three settle into their seats, quietly taking in the information while at the same time Sora sniffles softly before rubbing his eyes, and then smiling. "Well, so long as she's okay and happy, I can't ask for more, right?" he asked. Neku shook his head and says: "The hell are you talking about? Your mom just abandoned you and you're thinking on her happiness?".
Sora rubbed his arm and said: "I know it sounds worse then I'm saying but…I haven't been home in two years now, maybe three, so imagine how she'd feel if she had to wait for her son to come back? At least like this…". Sora didn't finish and leaves his sentence unfinished, letting his friends fill in the void between them. Quietly Ren pushes his glasses up while Neku shook his head, grumbling and softly cursing Sora's inhuman level of forgiveness. Sora laughed weakly, apologizing for bringing the mood down like that, only for Ren to pat his back.
"Don't apologize. Evidently we're all victims of parental negligence," he joked softly, "But I personally feel a little better talking it out, even if it did mean the mood turned sour".
"…haven't talked to anyone about this before…kinda feels nice to get it off my chest, you know?" Neku confessed, then turned to Sora. "Sorry about bringing up some bad memoires". Sora waves him off with a smile, and thanks to the two for listening to him. "I don't think I even told Riku or Kairi yet…guess with everything happening I just didn't want to burden them, you know?" Sora says. Neku chuckles and threatens playfully if he doesn't at least tell Kairi he would. Ren subtly smirks and teases they'll just tell her Sora got upset and she'll tackle him with comfort.
Sora begrudgingly admitted that would be something Kairi would do.
As they finished their meals and ended their meet up with relived spirits and the weight on their hearts ever so slightly elevated by the burdens upon them, they bid each other a cheerful farewell and at the suggestion of Ren, promised to make this a weekly routine. They all parted ways and headed home as the day shifted into evening, unaware of their bonds growing stronger.
*Café Leblanc*
Entering his home with low yawn, Ren greets Sojiro with a small wave and almost reached the stairs to his bedroom before the old man called him out. He apparently wanted to have a chat with the student, which made Ren frown. He did however reluctantly agree to stick around to talk after letting Morgana out of the bag so he could scurry up to his room. And after a quick clean up around the café, the two settled down with a coffee and the old man spoke.
He surprisingly asked if school was going well for his ward, and of course asked if there were any troubles, by him or anything else. Even with Kamoshida suspended and out of his hair for now, the uncertainty of whether or not he had his heart change was still hanging over Ren's head and having that nugget of information given to Sojiro would very likely cause more harm to his current state of living then helping him.
"Nope, nothing other than being late on my first day…" assures Ren, "Maybe because I'm around people who are judged by their appearances I'm kinda sort of making trouble but that's all".
"You ever heard of the old saying, you can judge a man by the company he keeps?" Sojiro sighs while scratching his neck, "Listen I've gotta report to your probation officer twice a month. It's already a royal pain in the ass as it is".
"I deeply apologize for causing any inconveniences…" Ren says dryly, "But surely you can understand that sometimes it may be out of my control, like those rumours that spread around the school?".
Sojiro begrudgingly handed the boy that point and even asked if he found out who spread those stories about him, which Ren responded with a "no". But the old man lectured him about society being kept in check by laws and authority figures, even chastising the boy that if he had any intention of getting himself killed he could but should keep people out of it. Which was ironic to the Trickster considering how Ryuji was the one doing exactly what Sojiro was warning him about doing. "Last thing we need is more idiots like you running around," he remarked.
"…but this society needs more pessimistic and smart-asses like yourself?" Ren challenged. Sojiro's eyes narrowed at the boy's attitude, but Ren doesn't even buckle or meekly look away from him. He was done letting people label him and just outright ridicule him when they have very little idea on him as a person, and caretaker be damned Sojiro is no exception to his new rule. Then before they could continue this unannounced staring contest, the older man's phone goes off and as if he never heard Ren, he answered.
First thing Ren took note of was the sudden look of concern on his face and his tone, then his voice tone shifted into one that was warmer and gentle yet relaxed. Bizarrely, yet not unfamiliar to the boy. Perhaps this was a significant other or someone important to him, or maybe he just liked them and tolerated Ren, could be that. Soon he ended the call with a promise of the "usual" and Ren did his best not to think hard on what could be the usual. He returned his eyes onto Ren and placed his phone back into his pocket.
"Well your smart ass attitude aside… as you could see, I'm pretty damn busy with both work and my private life," he says, "So if you lend me a hand around here, it'd really be a great help".
"…sure," Ren says with a shrug, "I guess there'd be no harm in keeping where I'm currently living in clean and presentable". Sojiro smirked and gladly praised the boy for at least hearing him out. "Great to hear, but you know I won't have you working for free. You help me out around here, and I'll teach you how to make the perfect coffee".
"Seriously?" Ren asked with a smirk and raised brow, "You'll teach me coffee making?". Sojiro nodded and even threw in extra bonus of having some payment in addition to the lessons. Considering how little customers the café got Ren took note of the several benefits that came along with working for his caretaker. Plus it would mean he had some pay to use to help the group, and maybe with this career path and having some good points from his new mentor, maybe Sojiro could report back to his parole officer with more positive feedback.
"Okay, sounds like we have a deal," Ren says, shaking his new employer's hand.
For the next two hours before the place locked up, Ren studiously learned everything he needed to know about running this coffee shop, which blends were exclusive to Sojiro and which were store use, how to use the tools and equipment for the place and counter along with how to work with change. Worryingly it was more complex than sudoku. But by the end of the day, Sojiro handed him a set of keys for him to come and go if he pleases during the night.
Laying on his bed Ren bids his furball pet a good night before turning in…
*Early Morning: Thursday 4/28*
*Four days until Expulsion*
*Shujin*
Adapting to school life was surprisingly more challenging than adapting to a life where your existence wasn't supposed be. For Roxas anyways, but the present challenges are far more appealing and less gloomy than the old work-place he used to reside in, and at least the vast majority of people here didn't carry blank expressions or carry snarky attitudes. They were more cowardly and hesitant to even brush shoulders with him, and the ones who knew about Ryuji's background steered clear from the boy like he was the plague.
Walking out of maths class, he should be heading for his next lesson about this world's culture and history, except he was making a beeline for the school yard for a quick snack and rehydrate himself thanks to this surprising heat. Spring was coming closer to its end and then summer could finally kick off, so it made sense that there was some heat here and there. Also likely he wasn't going to attend the class and would very likely just wait it out for the next one to kick off.
"Can't believe you sometimes…" he says with a light chuckle. With his backpack turned into a front-pack, he adjusts the sleeping Xion on his back, easily walking on as if he were carrying a normal bag on his back. He knew it deep in his heart the girl was never going to survive maths without falling asleep, and the very moment the teacher had instructed them to open a page in their book she fell into a deep slumber. It was like the teacher's monotone dull voice casted a spell on the poor raven, and now here Roxas was carrying his best friend like it was a regular old day for him.
He got a few looks sure but ones who teased him were quickly rendered silent when he glares at them or if someone mocked the lazy girl, he turn full body to them and give the look the promised their school life would come to a very aggressive end.
Problem was waking Xion up is a challenge in of itself, probably more difficult then stealing a Ruler's heart. The girl was essentially dead to the world when she sleeps, a heavy sleeper that puts other heavy sleepers to shame. You could throw her off a building and she'd barely flinch from her slumber, and he warned everyone to never throw water on her. One time he did it and she retaliated by kicking him in the stomach so hard he swore he nearly coughed up his pancreas…and then she proceeded to go back to bed.
"Excuse me".
Roxas stopped and turned around to see a girl, relatively Kairi's age, standing behind with some folders in her arms. She has brown hair in a bob cut with blunt bangs and a French-braid styled headband (Eri told him what "French was) that matches her hair color. Her eyes are reddish-brown. She is of average female height; kinda taller than Ann but closer to Kairi's. The uniform appears normal but without the standard blazer. Instead, she wears a black halter vest over a long-sleeve white shirt with a turtleneck (which is different from normal turtlenecks for female students as there is a noticeable zipper). She wears the regulation black and red pleated plaid skirt, black pantyhose, and black-brown ankle boots.
He recognized her as Makoto Niijima, the student council president of Shujin Academy, and apparently a hard-ass rule preserving robot. Roxas adjusts his friend who was now nuzzling into his neck, turning to his "senpai" who now sported a look devoid of amusement. She looked to Xion, then to Roxas. "Is there something wrong with her?" she asked, her tone was straight forward and laced with authority. Roxas sighed: "She's just sleeping…she's pretty lazy when it comes to, maths…you know?".
"Have you tried to wake her up or do intend on carrying her around all day?" she asked exasperatedly. Roxas rolls his eyes and rebukes that he would if he had to, to which his senpai shook her head and "insisted" if Xion wasn't going to wake up then she needed to either be collected and returned home or head to the nurses office. "You can't afford to miss any classes right now and lugging around your friend isn't part of the school protocol," she lectured, gesturing down the hall, "So please head to your next class and I'll take your friend to the nurse".
Roxas however huffs and marches down the hallway, blatantly ignoring her orders and heads for the nurse's office. Makoto turned to him and called his name aloud, which made him stop and tiredly turn back to her with a loud: "What?".
"You-
"Roxas, could you shout any louder?".
They both turn to see Ventus and Naminé approaching him and the two girls. Naminé giving their senpai a polite smile while Ventus glances at the sleeping Xion. "Sleeping in school again?" he asked, gently poking the sleepy girl's forehead. Roxas chuckled dryly, gesturing to his friend while Makoto crossed her arms and inquired where these two were supposed to be, and Naminé curtly replied they were just heading to their history class but heard Roxas' voice and came to see if he was having issues.
"Hang on, I got an idea," Ventus offers and walks around to Xion's ear. He learns in and then lets out a small "meow". Xion immediately opens her eyes and kicked flipped off Roxas' back and landed three feet away from the group. Like a graceful gymnast, she lands on her feet with her hands raised up for combat, eyes burning with steeled concentration and even her childish innocence was nowhere to be seen. The three stared at her in disbelief, with Makoto having her eyes as wide as dinner plates, nearly dropping the folder in her arms in shock.
When Xion's eyes detected no cats in the vicinity, she blinked and looks around before relaxing with a small yawn and then stretched. "Nap time is over…no evil kitties in sight," she yawned and then smiles at her bewildered friends. The two guardians turned to Ventus with their mouths open and he explains he found out Xion's hate for cats is so bad it can awaken her even from the deepest nap time she could endure. He found out once when he was playing with a few cats outside of the café with her nearby.
"Maths is her weakness and apparently anything relating to cats is her alarm clock…" Naminé says with a shake of her head and a smile, "She's such a weirdo".
"HEY! I'm a fun weirdo!" Xion argued back with a pout. She joins up with her friends as Roxas handed her bag back and proceeds to head to their classes, all the while Naminé occasionally "meowing" or doing the cat call lowly and making Xion either jump or pout at her, while the boys laughed. They left a very confused and shocked Makoto behind, standing there with her eyes wide and body stiff as a board.
"W-What…just happened?" she asked quietly before her eyes fall onto the four new students, watching Xion flail her arms up in down in protest while her blonde best friend still meows near her. The student president frowns with suspicion, but quietly leaves them to their own devices since they were heading to their classes.
Maybe she should keep an eye on them and their friends in future…
*Afternoon: Thursday 4/28*
*Shibuya: 104 shopping mall*
"How exactly was I supposed to know this can't go with this?" Kairi asks with a roll of her eyes, holding a blouse and pair of shorts in her hands while Eri lectures her about fashion rules and sets. The two red haired thieves were standing near a bunch of clothing that were neatly folded and set in piles by Eri, the slightly older girl lectured Kairi while nearby Ann and Rhyme were looking at some clothes that they were considering picking up for themselves.
At a changing booth Shiki was trying to encourage Xion to wearing things outside of her usual wardrobe, namely shorts and even a nice blouse. Kairi placed the red blouse down on the pile and decided to try and find a colour fitting the skirt Eri had offered her. "I'm just saying our clothes are fine…" Kairi weakly argued as she looks around for more suitable styles. Eri counters that wearing the same clothing is both very suspicious to everyone who sees them on a regular basis and extremely unhygienic to wear the same clothing every day.
"Sides, doesn't it bother you three to wear the same clothes every day?" Eri asks while handing her a jacket to try on, "I mean I can't wear the same shirt in a row!".
"W-Well yeah sometimes…but when we're adventuring we don't exactly think on what outfits we wear…" Kairi explained while she holds out a t-shirt. Since the revelations were out and now that the gang was likely going to be stuck in this world for the unforeseeable future, Riku had recommended they start to adapt to this world and buy some essentials to blend into the world more easily. Kairi didn't exactly dislike the idea of getting some more clothes, she liked the idea of shopping with her friends.
The downside was there was apparently so many new rules of clothing she and the other two former nobodies had no clue of. What colours clashed, what can't go with what and more rules that went over Kairi's head and it turned her little shopping fun into a dreaded trip of necessities. But she couldn't exactly refuse to go with Eri since she knew every shopping place in the city and was friends with some of the owners so getting a discount or two was nice, and truth be told she knew Naminé was in desperate need of a new set of clothing.
Kairi can't remember her wearing ANYTHING bar her dress and sandals.
Reluctantly Kairi picks up a few sets of clothes and heads into the booth just as Naminé and Xion entered their own. After a while, Naminé exits her booth with hesitation in her steps and keeps her face down to hide her blush as her judges watch her come out. She wears frilly camisole with three colours from yellow to pink to violet- and cream-coloured capris for bottom attire, and finally a pair of dark sandals. Her friends praise her style choice and Ann complimented the more "sexy" look she was aiming for, which made Naminé go red and wave her hands.
Eri frowns and then tapped her chin, before she hands her another set, imploring she'd try these at least. Naminé follows her request and after a few minutes later, she comes out again. Now she is wearing a beautiful white blouse with frills at the end while wearing a denim blue small jacket that hugged her petite form, a long skirt with white-pink cloth that reached her knees and a pair of elegant cream boots, around her wrists are bracelets similar to Kairi's but more modern. She kept her hairstyle same as always, but she was still blushing.
Ann and Shiki squealed in delight with Rhyme giving her several approving compliments and some towards Eri. The red-haired fashion queen smirked at her, blowing her a kiss as if she just completed the perfect statue.
"You look amazing Nami~" Ann praised, "You make white look so pure and sexy at the same time!". Naminé's blush goes darker as she shrank under the praise, very unaccustomed to attention as this. Rhyme gently assured her she looks amazing, and even added Riku may not be able to take his eyes off her, which only caused Naminé to flush even deeper and squeak a few times before Eri guided her back into her booth and told her to get dress so they can pay for her clothes.
"Kairi? Xion? You two done yet?" Rhyme asked.
"GAAH! What is this thingy!? How do you put it on!?" wailed Xion behind the booth. Once she finished, Naminé sighs and enters the booth, chastising her friend gently that she needed more practice with her bra. She came out again and awaited for her friends to come out, ignoring the confusing looks her friends were giving her. Soon enough Xion leaves the booth and stands before her friends, with a pout. Unlike her best friend, Xion wore clothing nearly like her old one.
She is wearing a black and red sleeveless hoodie, and a black and red tartan-pattern miniskirt. She wears black heeled boots with red soles, a leather choker, and a necklace with a round black pendant. She wears two belts with a chain hanging from one attached to her skirt. She has red cord wrapped around her left wrist, and a leather bracer on her other wrist. The only thing Xion had openly revealed about her desire for clothing was to wear more accessories and branch out beyond just on her wrists, hence the choker.
"This feels familiar…" she muses, "I swear I saw someone wearing these once…".
"Just have the same awesome taste as you do~" Eri remarks, "That choker makes you look unique and daring~". Xion huffs and asked were the chokers meant to be super tight and had Shiki assist her in loosening it up, while the others wait for Kairi to come out. Behind the booth, she said she found something else while looking and wanted Shiki's opinion on it. The moment she said that she came out wearing none of what Eri had, but whatever complaints she had died the moment she saw the girl.
Kairi now wears a jacket that carried a similar trait to her normal adventure clothing, a light pink jacket with a pyramid shaped pouch in red on her belly, a small grey bag by her hip held by a black strap around her shoulder. Inside her jacket is a light violet tank top with her necklace hanging freely, the sleeves were light pink mixed with a bit of beige, on her wrists she carries her bracelets. The jacket had a hood that was has some cat motifs like eyes, a nose and ears like her previous outfit. She wore light violet leggings with Paopu stars imprinted on it, and finally big black boots. She gave her friends a cheeky smile and asked: "Do I win the cute award?".
Eri and Shiki glanced at each other while the other two judges ogle her, grinning.
*Later*
"You used magic to change it?" Ann asks as they all enjoyed their mini lunch. Kairi nodded and explained her mentor taught her how to enhance her clothing with magic to make them as equally durable as their normal adventuring ones. "I only enchanted this one because I really liked the cat hoodie, and it's nice to just wear normal day to day clothes, you know?" Kairi explains as she nibbled on her cookie.
"I agree, I wished I had thought of that…" Naminé muses after sipping her iced tea, "Though I suppose until I find that one".
The other non-guardians asked if Kairi could do up some magic for a few of their favourites in the future while Shiki was sketching out her brand-new idea regarding Kairi's attire. Xion was guzzling down her soda before she asked the other girls about their choice of clothes, remarking they didn't buy anything for themselves. Rhyme lamented she wasn't overly fond of shopping for clothes because she could rarely find clothes that she liked in her size and preferred clothing like hoodies, punk like Beat's.
Ann admitted she just didn't have the time for clothes shopping since the ordeal with Kamoshida started and was just fine with whatever she had in her wardrobe for now. Eri and Shiki weren't hunting for clothes anyways, saying they have enough for the year and wanted to focus more on designing clothes than buying. Xion hummed in agreement with Rhyme when it came to clothing preference, remarking that Roxas loves big and baggy clothes and would often lend her one of his.
"They make for useful night-gowns, I confess," Rhyme giggled, "Plus they're so comfy too".
As they consumed their drinks and food, the conversation changed. Kairi asking if anyone has heard anything about Kamoshida or anything regarding the change of heart. Like before they haven't heard anything, and because Rhyme was a little more on friendlier terms with the teachers, none of them could answer what was happening with Kamoshida, being equally confused as the students. "Not even the volleyball team knows what's happened to him," Rhyme reveals.
"Do you think we should try and figure out where he went?" Ann asks, resting her elbows on the table. Naminé shook her head and reminded them of how suspicious it'd be if the students who are connected to Kamoshida suddenly stalked him or sought him out during his self-imposed suspension. "Remember, anything we do could potentially harm Ren and the other's chances of remaining in the school," Naminé says softly.
"What about that other student he was going to expel? Mishima?" Kairi asked, "Do you think he would know anything?".
"I doubt it," Rhyme sighed, "Mishima has always been his punching bag, but that obedience doesn't warrant him to know what Kamoshida is up to, nor would he be informed of where he could be".
"Pfft, not like we should even think about going to him, the little wimp was the one who spread Ren's record around the school!" Eri says with a scoff, "Sides he's too much of a pansy to help us anyway. We go to him we may as well have gone to Kamoshida and told him what we're up to".
"Harsh…" Shiki chastised.
"Bleehhh…." Xion groaned, sticking her tongue out. She quickly hands Naminé back her drink and guzzles hers to cleanse the taste of Naminé's tea from her tongue. The blonde rolls her eyes and remarks she needs to expand her plate of food choices. "Unfortunately, we can't do much else until Kamoshida returns or when the 2nd arrives," Naminé says with a sigh, "I hate to say it everyone, but we don't have any other options as opposed to wait".
Some groaned and some nodded in agreement before they ordered another round of drinks, slowly the conversations shifted into more friendly and calming. Then Rhyme poised a question to Kairi. "Back on the islands in that cave, with the drawing of you and Sora," she says. Kairi blinks before Rhyme asked: "What exactly does that mean? You two were exchanging stars".
Kairi blushes but her two friends were grinning excitedly at the question. "Oooooohhh that little sweet exchange?" Naminé asked with a wide grin, "Well you see, Rhyme…".
"Kairi has a SUPER BIG crush on Sora!" Xion reveals. Kairi squeaks and almost shoved her half-eaten cookie into Xion's mouth to stop her from speaking, but the truth had come out. The other girls cooed in excitement of this, Rhyme giggling at the scarlet faced princess who grabbed the hem of her hoodie and covered her entire face with it as she was pelted with questions about her feelings to Sora. Xion innocently going on about how Kairi was always "wuvey dovey" around him, how she melts at his smiles and whenever she got a hug from him she's on cloud nine (whatever that means).
Naminé did nothing to stop her and even added a few moments in their lives to the others, making Kairi whine in embarrassment and plead for them to leave her be. "But Kairi that's adorable~ I mean I can't blame you, he's a cutie!" Ann praised, then she frowned, "Wait…stars?". The others girls looked at her, Kairi slowly coming out of her hoodie shell and looked at the girl. "What stars are you talking about?".
"Oh…well, the drawing me and Sora made years ago was originally just our portraits, but I guess one day he added the hand and star." Kairi explained, "And then a few days later, I saw it and well…I added my own hand and star".
"Aww that's cute~" Eri teases, "But what's it supposed to mean?".
"You see, there are star shaped fruits on the play islands called Paopu fruits. There's an old legend about that when two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. No matter what, they will always be a part of each other lives," Kairi explained. She giggled and admitted she partially believed in the legend but recent events in her life have convinced her that perhaps the legend is real. "That sounds so romantic~" Shiki sighs dreamily, thoughts on Neku.
"It sounds so cheesy…but given all the crap you guys get up, romantic legends is probably the most believable thing I'd believe!" Eri giggled.
"With everything that's happened, it sounds the least absurd thing I've heard…" Rhyme confessed, "What about you…Ann?".
They all turned to the girl who had wide eyes that could rival dinner plates, her glass of soda was held mid-way towards her mouth and her skin as ashen like she had been touched by death itself. There is a silence among them, and slowly the girls start to worry about their friend's sudden silence and Kairi almost reached over to tap her, not even snapping her fingers in front of her face broke the poor girl's sudden stiffness.
And then, she said it.
"I shared one with Ryuji…" she says simply.
The girl's stared at her with wide eyes, some even had their jaws fall and shared several glances at each other before Ann grabbed her head and screamed: "I JUST SHARED A SUPER LEGENDARY ROMANTIC PIECE OF FRUIT WITH RYUJI SAKAMOTO!".
"…congratulations!" cheers Xion.
"THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!".
*Meanwhile*
Humming away while tidying up his house, Neku was suddenly interrupted by a phone call. He answers it without looking at the ID and greets them and in turn gets a yell from Ryuji.
"DUDE! HELP ME!" shrieks the punk, forcing Neku to move the phone away from his ear, "ANN'S GOING CRAZY! SHE'S LITERALLY SENT ME SEVERAL THREATS AND IS BLAMING FOR SOMETHING! RHYME EVEN TEXTED ME TO HIDE!".
"…nice knowing you Ryuji," sighs Neku before he hangs up.
*Afterschool: Friday 4/29*
*Three days until Expulsion*
*Shujin*
Stretching and having some muscles pop, Ventus exited the Shujin school building as he waves to his friends heading off to their own thing. He looks towards the sky while inhaling the fresh air before he plucked his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the contacts and sees Aqua and Terra's names within the list, but then with a small sigh escaping his lips he stuffed the phone back into his pocket and then leaned against the wall of the building.
It's been nearly two weeks now since he and the others first came to this world and there was still no way off this place. Granted he knew Aqua, and the others would have come for them if Kairi had asked, yet he hated to say he liked the idea that she wanted them to explore the world and train on their own to mature as keyblade wielders. As he stared into the skies with a frown, the weight in his heart growing and settling into his stomach, thinking on his home world and his two most important family within.
It is bizarre to him that suddenly now when things had become so much more normal and peaceful that now when he's out there in the endless sea of worlds, he started to feel homesick. Looking back on his time there, after what happened with the great war and then finding out where Sora was, going home with the others to train had turned into a wonderous year for him. It was probably because he was there with Aqua and Terra again after everything that had gone wrong. Now though he was here with his close friends but those two were again far away from him.
"Wonder how they're doing…" he says to himself as he once again takes his phone out and looks at their names. Truly he knows how pointless it is, considering those two don't have Gummi Phone and even if they did he didn't know their numbers. This was more of a comfort mechanism for him whenever things get tough for him, and sometimes it was comforting for him to believe they were close to him whenever he needed their voice. Maybe he could ask Kairi if she could teach him how to get into contact with them.
Ventus stops his thinking when he hears someone grunting and straining, prompting him to look up and see in the green patch of grass by the gates is a girl carrying a large bag. He pushes him off the wall and approached her, seeing her struggle with the bag. From what he could see she has chin-length curly light auburn hair, she is of average height but a bit shorter than Ann, wearing the school jersey, all red with some white on her legs.
"Umm, do you need some help?" he asks, suddenly nervous. The girl turns her head to him and there he sees she has beautiful brown eyes. She probably wasn't that much older than himself he notes. She smiles gratefully and says: "O-Oh, thank you but I'm fine…". Ventus raises one of his golden brows, noticing the shaky legs and slipping bag, prompting the girl to flush and weakly remark he was still in his uniform. He rolls his eyes and carefully takes her bag, which turned out to be compost, and heaves it on his shoulder.
"There we go, where's it going?" he asks without any strain in his voice. The girl looked impressed by his strength, probably because of his lanky frame, but the smile was wider and grateful. "Oh just over here," she says, pointing towards a patch of bare earth. Ventus nodded and follows her towards the little garden-in-making. He helps her empty and sort out the bag's contents, trying to equally spread out the earth so the bed is covered.
Once they finished, they both stood up to take note of their work as the girl clapped her hands, panting lightly. "Whew…that should do for the rest of the month," she says with a little breath, "Least that's taken care of". Ventus nodded and inquired about the plants she'd be planting, and she goes on about what she had in mind and what the school will allow. "But you're doing all the work, shouldn't you get to say what plant goes where?" he asks.
"Sadly no, but they want pretty flowers so I can sneak a few unique ones here and there," she teases. Ventus smiled at her, then notes she took out a notebook and started to trace something on it. "Okay, now for the roof," she says and pockets her small notebook. "Huh? Wait…you're not gonna carry compost up to the roof, are you?" he asks with wide eyes. The girl sheepishly admits she just must carry one and the garden for the rest but assured him this was nothing. "Its also getting late, so I'll probably be here for the rest of the day," she admitted.
"Hey, uh, would you like some help?" Ventus offers, "Umm…I've got nothing going on so…if you need a helping hand…".
"That would be splendid," she says kindly. Then she tapped her chin in thought while staring at him, and then said: "Umm…Roxas, was it?".
"N-No, I'm Ventus!" he says with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his neck, "He's my brother". "Sorry about that, my name is Haru," greets the girl with a warm smile and gave him a small bow, "Thank you for your help, Ven-kun". He blinked as she leads him towards the building, a little taken aback by the honorific. And unable to hide the rosy colours in his cheek.
*Evening: Friday 4/29*
"Whoa…I'm beat…" Ventus huffed as he sat down against the wall with Haru gracefully sitting near him, panting, and wiping the sweat mixed with dirt off his forehead. He and the fellow student look on at their work with proud but tired eyes, setting the set of beds are prepped and primed for the next few months. After carrying the bag of compost all the way up to rooftop, Ventus and Haru started to work on planting the seeds, spreading the compost, re-working on the beds carrying the earth and then finishing it all off with some watering.
As mundane and simple as the tasks sounded, they were exhausting. Ventus had to be as careful as he could when he was raking the earth as to make it as even and flat as he could while at the same time not to over water a certain spot and not to step on the planted seeds. It also was more difficult when Haru had to use manure on the plants and he had to hold his breath during the raking, he has a very weak stomach. And the amount of times he had nearly tripped or fell on his face because of how narrow the pathway between the beds was put his training to shame.
"This would have taken much longer if you weren't here, Ven-kun," Haru says gratefully while leaning against the wall, "Sorry I took up the rest of your evening".
"Oh no worries…h-happy to help," he laughed tiredly. Then his stomach growls audibly enough for even Haru to hear, making him sheepishly grin. "Heh…guess I worked up an appetite…". Haru smiles in agreement before she got off the ground and even offered him a hand. When he took it, she surprised him with her strength, easily hefting the boy to his feet. Ventus blinked with surprise and nearly fell on his face, only managing to stay on his feet through sheer muscle memory. "Well if you're interested, may I treat you to dinner? As thanks for your help?" Haru asks.
He blushes and nervously stammered a "sure" but then the girl's phone goes off in her pocket. When she took it out and looked on the screen, Ventus sees her face drop like a ball and suddenly the warm smiling girl disappeared. Haru gave him an apologetic look before answering her phone and no sooner did she say "hello father", the defeated and resigned look in her face worsened. Almost like she had been thrown into another world. She quietly hummed and agreed with whatever her father requested on the other end and in less then a minute since the call started, it ended with Haru barely raising her voice to say goodbye.
"I…I apologize Ven-kun, we'll have to post-pone the dinner," she says softly, defeated. Ventus scratches the back of his neck and sheepishly teased they could take a rain-check and do this again when she got the free time. As if he just nodded simply, Haru bids him farewell and sullenly walks away, leaving the rooftop and the boy behind. He watched her leave in silence before his shoulders slump and body slouched with disappointment.
"Why did she look so down when her dad called?" he asked himself. With a shrug, he grabbed his bag and uses Flowmotion to leave the school, heading home. All the while thinking about Haru.
*Afterschool: Saturday 4/30*
*Two days until Expulsion*
*Tokyu Plaza*
Skull: "Yo, anybody hear anythin' 'bout Kamoshida?".
Reaper: "Nope, haven't heard jack about him".
Tzu: "Nobody seems to have heard anything. Not even the volleyball team".
Joker: "What's wrong Skull?".
Skull: "I dunno…I'm just kinda anxious… I mean, I keep thinking we're gonna end up expelled even after everything we've done. Mom's totally gonna suffer if that happens".
King: "Come on Skull, you gotta think positive! I'm sure what we did worked!".
Skull: "Kinda hard to be King…I mean if we didn't even help Panther and Suzui…".
Scarlet: "Skull you're being so pessimistic I almost mistook you for Reaper XD. Take King's advice and stay positive, otherwise you're only going to end up losing sleep over it".
Reaper: "I know where you live Scarlet…".
Jet: "Yo man, forget about it for a while! You sound like your in the dumps with all this".
Skull: "Sorry, guess you're right. Kinda feel better after talking to you all about this. Thanks".
"Man, this is really eating him up inside, huh?" Riku says as he stuffed his phone into his pocket while Kairi and Sora send one final text each to their blonde friend. "Can't say I blame him though, I mean if we really did all that for nothing, he and the others are gonna be expelled," Kairi laments, "Bad enough for Ryuji but Ren getting expelled during his parole?".
"Got a bad feeling that'll be the last time we see our leader as a free man…" Riku added as he and the other two islanders walked down the streets of Shibuya's Dogenzaka. After school and changing into their normal gear, Kairi had insisted they go shopping for their new duds after she changed hers the other day. While the two were as eager to do shopping as Roxas wanting to do homework or study, their red head bestie had pointed out that their wardrobe was in desperate need of diverse clothing. Namely opposed to just school uniform and their one casual clothes.
Sora tried to argue they had their night and sleepwear, and Kairi asked him if he was going to walk out in the streets in his pjs. Riku rebuked that he wouldn't have put it past Sora.
Kairi rolls her eyes as they came to a place Riku had openly said during their walk he wanted to look at, IL CAVALLO DEL RE. It looked to be a bit more posh and expensive looking place, but Riku had enough funds for himself and after a talk with Eri, he admitted that he somewhat wanted to try and branch out. They entered the store where the manager or even the owner for all they know awaited them, giving them unamused looks before he returned to whatever he was doing. Kairi had a worrisome feeling this manager didn't get teenagers as customers very often.
But to the younger teens surprise, Riku immediately struck up a conversation with man about the styles he was looking for a while, expressing wanting to look nice and casual yet stylish. This gets the manager's attention and when he took a glance at Riku, he mustered a polite and even friendlier smile before guiding him around the store. "Its probably cause Riku looks like a rich hipster," Sora snickers, making Kairi giggle as they waited for their friend by the entrance. She didn't have to look to know this place wasn't for her just by how "adult" it looked.
She didn't want to imagine Sora in these clothes, he hated the school ties alone and wearing one for half the day was enough for him.
After fifteen minutes, Riku came out of the store with two bags and in his new outfit he was going to have Kairi enchant. And needless to say the two friends can see he wore the new apparel like he was born to.
Dressed in a grey suit-like jacket with a black shirt decorated with thin violet patterns within, wearing a sleek grey set of pants with a stylish black and grey belt with a key token for the buckle, a silver wolf. He assured them it was a keychain he never planned on using, so it'd suit better as a buckle. There is a chain connecting from the right pocket to the back pocket, his shoes were sleek and shiny black dress shoes with the store brand on the back. He runs one hand through his hair and gave them a suave smirk, asking if he looked the part.
Kairi gave him two thumbs up while Sora warns him he'd better not wear that around the girls in Shujin. Riku nodded, agreeing the last thing he needed was attention.
"Pfft, like you don't enjoy being the untouchable eye-candy for the girls," Kairi teases.
"I was more concerned with them ever connecting me to the Phantom Thieves…but yeah I guess I do enjoy being Mr Eye-Candyman," Riku laughed.
"Right…anyways! Sora, you're turn!".
"Ugh…" groans the boy.
*Cat Street*
Unlike Riku, Sora never really, big shock, had a fashion sense. Back home he just wore whatever he wanted, and his most fancy clothing was his school uniform, and while that may not have changed here Kairi still wanted him to at least wear something else than his adventure clothes. So after some debate on what style would suit him, Kairi had to relent and text Eri for advice on her spiky haired friend and did her very best NOT to admit she wanted to see her future boyfriend (something her friends will NEVER let die) in something nice.
She pointed them to a store Neku frequented back in the day in Cat Street and upon arrival, they could immediately see why she'd think he'd find his clothing heaven. Inside the store, the manager was far more openly welcoming than the one in Riku's choice when he saw them. The store, Jupiter of the Monkey, had plenty of clothing that suited Sora to the ground, and even perhaps Ventus and Roxas would take a liken to this store.
After a bit of browsing, Sora found a few he liked and went into to change. By the end of his pile, he came out after deciding he'd have Kairi enchant them. The moment he did, Riku whistled with approval while Kairi did her very best not to ogle…and failed.
He wears a dark red jacket with black pockets on each side, a zipper with a unique chain attached to the zipper while the shoulders were black all the way to the bicep. Inside his jacket is a violet tank top with the brand name on the back, a pair of shorts that reached below his knees coloured white and dark purple and a small pouched strapped to his right leg. His shoes were probably the smallest set he's ever worn with lone red lines from the heel to the tips on both sides, the main body black. He even wore fingerless gloves that were black with white knuckle covers.
"Well? How do I look?" Sora asked, turning around for them to see everything. Riku gave him a nod and even complimented his sense of fashion. They turned to Kairi who was staring at him, then jumped when she noted them staring and clears her throat. "G-Good… it looks good on you," she admitted, ducking her head to hide her blush. Sora scratched his cheek sheepishly while Riku smirks at her blushing nature, and then heads to front desk with Sora to pay for his attires. Kairi meanwhile takes a very deep breath.
"…now I want him OUT of those…" she mumbles to herself.
"You say something Kairi?" Sora asks, appearing behind her. She jumps with a light shriek and reels on him, exclaiming: "NO I WASN'T THINKING ANYTHING WEIRD ABOUT YOU!". She slammed her hands to her mouth, now with cheeks practically burning red while behind a baffled Sora is a Riku trying his best not to laugh. With the tip of her ears bright red, she quickly spun around and declared they were done shopping and marched out with a bit of speed in her walk. Sora looked at Riku's smirk, asking if he said something.
"Kairi's just in a world of her own buddy," he assures as he patted his back and walked after the girl. Sora shrugged in response and follows him. Smiling softly as he leaves the store to catch up with the others, genuinely happy that they can do something as normal and every day as shopping together.
Hopefully this new norm will continue…
*Afterschool: Sunday 5/1*
*One day until Expulsion*
*Yongen-Yaya*
"Glad you got my text," Takemi greets as Riku enters her clinic. The silver haired master waves at her before dropping his bag on the waiting chairs. "You said you needed to see me about our arrangement, is there a change?" Riku asks.
"Yup. I developed a new medicine, mind coming into the back to have a test run?" she asks even as she got off her chair behind the counter to start to process. Nodding, Riku follows her into the next room and settles in her check up office. He sat on the bed as his doctor prepares the medicine, quietly waiting and checking his phone for any texts from the gang. He sees one from Beat and while Takemi was busy, he decided he'd answer his friend.
Jet: "Eyy Night, you thinkin' we're gonna be good? Tzu's starting to really get antsy, and I think she's read the same pages of her book three times now!".
Nightmare: "Can't say I blame her, everyone else is either gritting their teeth or just pacing around the place waiting for tomorrow,".
Nightmare: "King and Scarlet aren't doing much better, don't wanna imagine how the others are doing, especially Joker and Skull".
Jet: "Shit man…this don't work, then they're screwed…".
Nightmare: "I know Jet…but unless we actually go after Kamoshida ourselves and take him out, we're gonna have to trust Mona's word".
Jet: "I got ya man, jus' don't feel right, you feel?".
Nightmare: "I feel you buddy…".
He pockets his phone just as his doctor turns to him with another glass of her latest concoction. "I made a lot of variations to the previous drug, all based on your last trial run," she explains and sits down on her stool. Riku looked at the liquid, now more like crystal dark blue and not smelling like death crawling up his nose…but it still smells awful. She insist he drink it in one gulp and even after the hesitation, he performs.
The taste is both bitter and sour, overwhelming even. Riku had to plant the glass down before he was overcame with exhaustion and fainted temporarily.
When he woke up, the doctor took down the notes and remarks his reaction to the drink was just as she expected. "Wha?" he groaned, shaking his head while trying to sit up. "If you feel daze, that's completely normal. After all I did mix in some special…components," she admitted and wrote down the results in her clipboard. "Okay I'm gonna take your temperature and blood pressure, I'll also be drawing out some blood".
"Oh joy…" Riku groans out.
Takemi went on more about her tests, wanting him to do some motor skills at a later date, and then went into medical ramblings about the formula. She practically spoke another language to the dazed student as his darkness started to combat the strange weariness and daze induced state he was in. Part of him started to wonder if her concoctions were medicine or just very poorly made alcoholic beverages that would have killed someone. He really hoped if this doctoring thing didn't work out Takemi doesn't go into the drink mixing business.
"Oh, so you ARE here…".
Walking in the medical room was a police officer, which Riku internally groaned at the mere sight of the man in blue. "Terrific, just what I needed…" he thinks as the doctor coldly informed the policeman she was in the middle of an examination. "I've told you before officer, if you want to investigate me you'll need a warrant," Takemi reminds with as much enthusiasm as Riku had for taking the medicine. The officer had a counter to her "reminder" and revealed he was here because there was a report.
He then said he needed to see some medical history Takemi had, and even bragged she probably didn't even have time to hide any incriminating evidence. Riku quietly sighed, is every police officer this much of an ass?
Unfazed, Takemi said: "Must been under orders from the Medical Chief of Staff". With a small gesture, she showed her records on the computer near her. And unfortunately for the officer, the only thing she had was just one report on ONE patient, and that was Riku. This made the master jump in, suggesting if the report was about improper billing then that can't have been the case because he had just had his test done and didn't receive a bill yet. "So no receipt, means you've been sent on a wild goose chase," she says with mirth.
Incensed, the officer asked what was happening, and Takemi just refuted his temper with the truth. He had been manipulated and the report that he received was fictious. It definitely seemed to Riku it was made to just harass her instead of being a genuine report of concern, and when she finished, instead of accepting this was nothing more than a misuse of the police force, the officer turned to Riku. Now he was being interrogated by the man, accusing him of doing something illegal since he didn't look sick. "Do these guys just have an issue against teenagers or is it just us?" he thinks to himself. "I've been dealing with severe stress thanks to the entrance exams I'm taking," Riku lies, "And its gotten to a point where my body's suffering from it".
"Its true. The last time he came here he looked like the world was ending, so I gave him medicine before and now we're just having a look to see if its working for him," Takemi explains, "Which you rudely interrupted".
The officer scoffs, but without any real probable cause or as they both pointed out no evidence or even a warrant, the officer reluctantly agreed to leave. But not before he called Takemi "infuriating" but then added: "I'd expect nothing less from the "Plague". He storms out and almost slammed the door behind him. Takemi sighed and shakes her head, saying: "I am so over this".
"Is this a regular occurrence or is the "Plague" starting to wear out its overstay?" Riku asked with a huff. She admitted that this wasn't anything new as he expected that this was likely from her former superior who made the false report. She even reminds him he heard their conversation last time he was here, and Riku put together that this doctor was trying to pressure her into stopping her medicinal practices. But when he was about to ask more, she quickly resumed her practice.
"So now I'll be drawing some blood out of you. There'll be some mild anemia, but it'll be temporary. You'll be fine," she assures. Riku frowns with uncertainty but follows through with the doctor's orders.
*Evening: 5/1*
*Wildkat*
"Just some blood my foot…" grunts Riku as he feels the uncomfortable irritation on his arm tingle. But just when he was about to open the door to his home, he gets a phone call. "Now what?" he asked when he sees it Takemi ringing him.
"Hey there, my little guinea pig. Did you make it home safely? You seemed kinda dizzy, so I thought I'd make sure you got home safe".
"Aww you do care," Riku teased, and when he heard her chuckle lightly, he assured her he was perfectly fine. "That's good. Most patients get sick on the way after their medicine, so just thought I'd check on you," she revealed.
Amusingly to Riku she even said if he felt sick at all, call her and she'd take care of him. Then ended the call with some excitement in her voice about the next trial run. Riku hummed and concurs with a different level of excitement before hanging up and entering his home.
*Later…*
Panther: "Tomorrow's the deadline…right?".
Tigress: "Yeah, May 2nd".
King: "Meaning the board meeting's gonna happen, right?".
Joker: "And our expulsion if we indeed have failed".
Scarlet: "Mona said it SHOULD work, and we followed through with everything we were supposed to do…".
Tzu: "And based on how he put himself on a self-imposed suspension during the tournament season, it seems likely a change of heart HAS occurred."
Reaper: "Or maybe he's trying to keep himself distant from everything that happened, like maybe those rumours might be followed up after Shiho's jump."
Skull: "Jeez Reaper! Can you NOT!?".
Nightmare: "Great…now that's a possibility stuck in my head…".
King: "Reaper's pessimism aside, we don't really have any other option then just going to school and seeing what happened".
Jet: "Spike's right…hate to say it yo but we don't got much of a choice…".
Joker: "…whatever happens, I'm glad to have worked with all of you, and if luck's on our side…well, hopefully we'll hang out again".
Reaper: "You and me both…".
King: "Same…good luck everyone".
As Ren laid his phone on his desk with Morgana curling up at the end of the bed, he laid there in thought wondering if tomorrow will either be his end…or beginning to something else…
A/N:
So we're at the end of the deadline build up…did they change his heart and will be saved or expelled? And if they are expelled…what other price do they have to pay?
QUESTIONS!
Q1: Thoughts on this chapter?
Q2: Which hang out did you enjoy?
Q3: Island Trios new duds?
Q4: Haru and Makoto?
Q5: Which other Persona character do you wanna see sooner than later?
Q6: Did you enjoy how the hangouts were done during the deadline waiting?
Q7: Sora cooking?
Q8: Kairi and Sora fluff?
Q9: Guest characters?
As always everyone, thanks for reading! Stay awesome but more importantly stay safe!