This story is a work of fiction.

Any relation to persons, living or dead, as well as events, are purely coincidental.

The author owns none of the characters, or events, that take place here.

The world is not as it should be.

It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" will soon descend.

However...there are those who would challenge fate, in desire for change.

Since time immemorial...they were known as,

"Tricksters."

Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to

First Heist: Akira Kurusu

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"Fucking brat...I'll sue you for this!"

The slight jostle of the train startled 16-year-old Akira Kurusu, his drowsy and tired state now thrown into an alert form. His eyes widened, and his heart was beating rapidly, though seeing the inside of the train car, crammed and filled to the brim with various people, set him immediately at ease. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Just a dream," he muttered, closing his eyes. "From back then..."

It had been at least a few months since the day he was arrested, and so far, his life hadn't been so great. His parents' relationship wasn't exactly the best, even before he was given a record. All they did was argue, even about the littlest things. His father was a small-time accountant at a local bank firm, but was easy to get along with. His mother, on the other hand, worked tirelessly day and night at the diner, where she frequently dealt with customers. She insisted that one must work hard to get ahead of life, and constantly tried to push that lifestyle unto him. His father didn't exactly agree with that, and was against it from the get-go, hence putting forth the strain. After he was arrested, it got even worse. His mother was disappointed and yelled at him, even when he tried to explain his side. His father tried to defend him, and nearly succeeded in doing so.

Unfortunately, in a small town like his hometown, word got around fast. The faculty was informed, and he was expelled. Most of his friends turned their backs on him, and a lot of people thought he was just another problem child.

Akira would have been run down to the ground, if not for the fact that he didn't let it bother him. From his viewpoint, society told him, this is what you get for sticking your nose into someone else's business. This is what happens for people who don't know any better. He refused to believe that he was in the wrong, otherwise what was the point of even agreeing to undergo probation? Regarding that matter, this proposition normally wouldn't have been offered to him, if not for the fact that the man in charge of his case was quite understanding and wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt.

The rules were pretty simple; stay out of trouble, and his probation would be lifted, and the possibility of his record being cleared almost certain, even though it would take a long time. He was given two choices, based on what his father told him. He would either live with the owner of a cafe who their friend frequented, or the daughter of a family friend. He chose the latter, as the idea of living with someone he didn't know wasn't exactly what he had in mind, though neither was his current option. All he knew about this person was that she lived with her younger sister, who was in high school, and had a high-paying job in the government. On top of that, she was also assigned as his probation officer as well, meaning that she would be monitoring his activities almost every day. Again, not exactly what he had in mind, but he wasn't in a position to refuse. It was either this or Juvenile Hall.

The train eventually reached the station, and opened its doors to him. Akira moved out with the flood of people, and eventually emerged out of Shibuya station, entering the station square. He was promptly amazed, as no matter where he looked, there were several people, packed into a tight crowd or another, traversing the street or walking down the sidewalk or simply hanging out at certain spots. "It's so cluttered," he thought aloud, having no choice but to enter the hazardous pack of migrating individuals. He took out his phone, looking at the message he received from who would be his new guardian for the year. 'Hachiko Statue...where is that?'

As soon as he entered the middle of the street, however, he stopped when he noticed an unusual icon on his phone. It was red, bearing a black insignia resembling an eye with a star inside. 'W-what?' he frowned in confusion. 'What is this? So creepy... When did this install on my phone?' He didn't recall seeing this before when he checked it before he hopped on the train bound for Shibuya Station, so it must have installed while he was on board...though how? As far as he knew, he didn't recall going to any new websites other than the ones he usually browses through, and he wasn't given any notices. Maybe it was a software update? Akira wasn't able to investigate any further, however, as the app suddenly expanded, covering up almost half of the screen. 'What the...'

Akira tapped the now blown-up icon on his screen, though nothing happened. He wondered if it was a bug or virus of some kind. Either way, he was getting rid of it. It was way too creepy, and for all he knew, it could mess up his phone, like ho wit was doing now. Sighing, he looked up, and suddenly became aware of the change of the world around him.

Everything had stopped.

The few passing cars. The people passing through the sidewalks. The customers of the stores within view. The two birds above him that had taken off into flight. Even the large crowd of people surrounding him, all of which were either walking or running, were frozen in place. Behind him was a man talking on the phone, his mouth wide open as if in mid-sentence. Two girls had giant grins stuck to their faces, their left and right foot respectively held up in the air, just a foot above the ground. He grew startled, and looked around. Everywhere he looked, it was the same. It was like time had ceased to function.

"W-what's going on?" he questioned. "H-hello? Anyone?"

He called out, but no one answered. In fact, his voice seemed to echo, as if he were atop a mountain or inside a tunnel. He continued to look around, hoping to at least find someone who was also experiencing this anomaly. When he turned to face the Station Square, his eyes found something odd. There, burning within the crowd, was a brilliant, dark blue fire. 'A fire?' Akira questioned, uneasy and confused. 'In the middle of the street?' Further adding to his confusion, the flames continued to rise and build, slowly forming into a shape. He couldn't see it quite clearly, but it vaguely had a human shape, and what looked like wings spreading out. While most would have been freaked out, like he was earlier, Akira couldn't help but stare at it, slightly breathless. He wasn't sure why, but he could have sworn he saw something inside the flames. Something familiar. And the shape...oddly, he could almost make it out.

Then, crimson flames burned with the blue inferno, forming into what appeared to be a face; a wicked grin, and slit-like eyes. Then the torrent of flames parted, revealing a face that made Akira's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

His own face, bearing a toothy, maddening grin, the glasses discarded, and golden yellow eyes.

Then, like magic, everything ceased to be. As soon as he blinked, time had resumed. The blue flames and the Akira-lookalike vanished. The crowd continued to walk, unperturbed as if the sudden freeze of their moment had never happened. The frizzy-haired teen didn't understand what had just happened, as he gave another look around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary, but found none. 'I must be tired,' he decided, giving a tired sigh as his shoulders sagged, shaking his head. He looked back at his phone, and found that the weird app had reverted back to its normal size. Now that he thought about it...that unusual moment happened when the app appeared, didn't it? 'Well, better safe than sorry.'

He tapped the icon with his index, and then slid it down to the trashcan, where it proceeded to fall inside and shrink before it was out of sight, and deleted. Slipping it back into his pocket, Akira resumed his search for his guardian, and peered for anything even remotely resembling a dog statue. Eventually, he found it, as he caught side of it as soon as he reached the other side of the street. To his embarrassment, it was back at the Station Square, surrounded by several people, no doubt hanging around for whatever reason, and several trees. He made his way across the street once again, returning to the square, and reached the Hachiko Statue. Akira did a survey of the area, and found no one that seemed to remotely fit the description of someone who had a high-paying job. If there was anyone who fit that look, it might have been that politician standing atop the cardboard box with the green sash, making a public campaign speech.

'Okay, let's see,' Akira thought back to what little details he knew. 'My probation officer slash guardian is a woman, has a younger sister, has a job in the government...so what would she look like?'

If need be, he would have to ask around. Sure, he might receive a few odd stares, but if he gave a brief explanation, like he had just moved here for certain reasons and was looking for his caretaker, then it might lessen the painful glare he would no doubt receive, depending on who he asked. However, just as he was about to go to the nearest person, a voice spoke out from behind him.

"Kurusu-kun? Akira Kurusu-kun?"

Akira turned, and immediately found who he was looking for. A woman stood behind him, bearing long gray hair, asymmetrically parted on her right side and mauve red. She wore a black business suit, which seemed to be quite fitting on her slim form, with a black turtleneck. Her blazer's cuffs and the lower part had a clamshell-like design to them. Accessory-wise, she wore a necklace of a section sign (§), earrings, and a few dark hair clips found above her right ear. Her hand was on her bag, strapped to her shoulder, and thus showing off her violet fingernails.

Going by her appearance...she might be the one he was looking for. Although, just to be sure...

"It's nice to meet you," he said, bowing his head politely.

The woman smiled somewhat, though being around so many adults, Akira could easily tell that the smile was hardly genuine. If anything, it was troubled and strained. "Hm, you're younger than I'd thought you would be," she mused. She then introduced herself properly. "My name is Sae Niijima. I'll be your caretaker and probation officer for the next year."

'So...this is Sae Niijima,' he thought with curiosity. 'She looks pretty young...maybe a few years older than me. Although,' the frizzy-haired teen noted. 'It doesn't seem like she's happy about this arrangement, either.'

"Well," Sae said, her tone somewhat irritated. Whether it was about him or something else, he wasn't sure. For now, he kept silent. "Let's get going. I'm sure you're exhausted."

TakeYourTime

Flashback, three weeks ago

"W-what?" Sae blinked, stopping in her tracks. The door leading to the house remained open, and she would have closed it were it not for the fact that the person who had just called her had said something that took her completely off guard. "I-I'm sorry, could you repeat that for me, please?"

[I said, Sae-san, I need you to look after my son.]

The young prosecutor tried to form words, but they remained stuck in her throat. For the life of her, she wasn't sure what the hell the man was talking about. She quickly snapped out of her stupor, and closed the door behind her. "You're going to have to clarify for me here, Kurusu-san," she asked, stepping inside the living room and setting her purse on the night stand. "You called me not two minutes ago, and you're asking me to look after your son for no apparent reason? I don't..."

[R-right, sorry... *sigh* It's been really stressful. My wife and I are...well, we're about to file for a divorce.]

"I see...so what does this have to do with your son?" There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. Sae couldn't help but feel both worried and at the same time curious. The man was a good friend of her father's before he died, and while she remembered little of him, he was regarded highly. If her memory was right, he was an accountant at a well-known banking firm. Well respected by his peers as well, though she only knew this about the few calls the man made to her. "Kurusu-san?"

[...Akira-kun was...arrested the other night.]

Sae's eyes widened. "A-arrested?" she asked, startled. Instantly, a whirlwind of thoughts blew through her mind. Akira Kurusu, to her knowledge, was a first-year in high school, but that was all she knew. Going by that one sentence, she could make a number of judgements, but for now, she wanted to hear what Kurusu-san wanted to tell her. "How...did that happen?"

[According to the police, my son attacked a man, unprovoked, in front of a woman. If it were any other child, I might have believed that, but...I know Akira-kun. He wouldn't hurt someone for just no reason. He told me that the man was harassing the woman because he was drunk, but the police took his side. My wife...sorry, ex-wife, thinks I raised him wrong. That we screwed up.]

The woman sat down on the couch, taking a moment to process this information. "Kurusu-san...how old is Akira-kun, if I may ask?"

[Sixteen.]

"So he's a minor," Sae concluded. "If that's the case, then he should be allowed to be put on a probation period, isn't that correct?"

[Y-yes, that's right. Normally, we would have him stay here and I'd report to whatever officer they assign him, but...well, everyone thinks that Akira-kun's a problem child. Worse, somehow, his school found out, and they expelled him. *sigh* I want him to have a good education, and I...I can't provide him that here.]

"If that's the case, then why not move?" she inquired. "As I understand it, the minimal requirement of probation is one year. I'm sure there must be at least one school in Japan that would accept him, regardless of the fact that he has a record now."

[Well...the detective was understanding, but unfortunately, this thing with my wife is...well, I don't want Akira-kun to be around that. I called a friend of mine earlier, and he said that the owner of a cafe he frequents would be willing to take him in...]

The prosecutor quirked an eyebrow. That was strange. If Kurusu-san had already arranged for someone to look after Akira, then why was he calling her? And asking her of all people to look after him... Suddenly, realization struck her, and sat up straight. "You...want him to stay with me?" she asked, incredulous. "B-but I..."

[I know, I know...I'm asking you a lot. It-it's just, I don't trust a stranger to look after Akira-kun.]

"I'm a stranger as well," Sae tried to reason. "I know barely anything about your son."

[But I know you, if only a little. Sae-san...I know you still hate Niijima-kun, but please...I'm willing to pay for Akira's expenses, if need be. That way, you don't worry about having to pay. Just...please, Sae-san.]

There was a pleading tone, begging truly. The woman winced, unable to hear a grown man beg a woman who was at least twenty or so years younger than him to do something, in spite of it being something serious. She pondered the pros and cons. On one hand, having another person to look after, especially someone she didn't know at all, would be quite troublesome. While she didn't want to doubt Kurusu-san, she had Makoto to think about. She was the only family she had left after the deaths of their parents, and having a boy in the house, a hormonal teenage boy at that, was just begging for trouble. Additionally, being his guardian meant that she would no doubt be his probational officer, on top of being a prosecutor, which in turn meant more tiresome work. On the other hand...

After several seconds of silence, nearly a full minute, Sae responded. "...alright. Just let me know when to expect him."

TakeYourTime

The drive to Sae Niijima's house wasn't too long. Traffic didn't seem to be too horrible, though Akira was treated to his first taste of just how tightly packed Tokyo's major city streets were. People came in throes, and cars were constantly on the move, getting from place to place. The ride was also rather quiet, as neither had spoken during the whole trip there. Sae kept her eyes on the road, and Akira kept mostly to himself, staring out at the outside world moving quickly through the window. Eventually, after about an hour or so, they arrived.

"We're here," Sae announced. He nodded, and grabbed his bag from the backseat, leaving the car. To his surprise, the house was...quite luxurious. It seemed to be quite expensive, as did a few other houses he saw as he looked around, and it appeared to be a two-story house as well, predominantly colored white with clear windows. "Well, this will be your home for the next year, Kurusu-kun," his probation officer informed him, walking past him and heading for the door. When she noticed that he was standing still, she frowned. "What's the matter?"

"...it's big," he answered simply.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, being a prosecutor has its perks," she told him, much to his interest and shock. She was a prosecutor? At that age? He had to admit, he was impressed. She must have worked tirelessly to reach such a position, especially given how rough men were on women in the major government workplaces. "A high pay being one of them. Come on, I'll show you your room." He nodded, and followed her inside. Sae unlocked the door, allowing them entrance. He slipped off his shoes, and put on the shoes that were left out at the cupboard to place his. Then he entered the living room. Much like the outside, it looked to be quite expensive. Had he not known any better, he would have compared it to a five-star apartment building.

He didn't have long to admire the scenery, however. He continued to follow Sae, moving up the stairs and up to the second floor. In contrast to the first floor, the second seemed to be where the rooms were, as he found four doors, two of which he assumed to be Sae's room and her sister's. The fourth door was either probably the bathroom or a guest room, and the last was his. "The doors to the left are mine and Makoto's," Sae told him, confirming his suspicions. Shortly after saying this, she turned and shot him a glare. "I'll just say this; if I catch you in either my room or my sister's, I'm kicking you out. Understand?" He gave a nod of acknowledgement, understanding the threat. Sae seemed satisfied, and then walked over to one of the remaining doors. With a turn of the knob, she pushed it open, revealing a plain and empty room, having only a bed with another door, possibly the closet or something along those lines, and several boxes, which he recognized as his belongings. "This will be your room. Your stuff arrived yesterday, so you're free to unpack."

"...thanks."

Sae sighed. "Wasn't like I had much of a choice," she said tiredly before she crossed her arms. "Now...I got the gist of your situation from your father, but...I want to hear your side of the story." Akira furrowed his brow. Why was she asking him about that? She must have heard more about it from his father, shouldn't she? He wanted to ask a reason for this sudden question, but her gaze told him everything. She wanted to hear everything from his own mouth.

Reluctantly, Akira opened his mouth to speak...

TakeYourTime

"Just get in the car!"

"Stop it!"

It was already late at night, and Akira was exhausted. He had spent the day helping a friend with his assignment, though rather than what was supposed to be leading to late in the afternoon became late in the day completely. His body was sagging, and his eyes were droopy. His head hurt from all of that work he had to do, even though nearly half of it was done by his friend. His body felt so heavy that he wanted to fall asleep. His friend's parents offered to let him stay for the night as thanks, but he said he was okay.

Had Akira known what was waiting for him...he would have accepted the offer.

He was two blocks away from his home when he heard the sound of arguing. It was a man and a woman, and not too far away given how he could somewhat hear them clearly. He frowned, and shook his head in disappointment. All adults did was argue, just like his parents...was it really so hard for them to try and reach a moot point? Unfortunately, those thoughts faded away instantly as he reached the corner, and found that it sure as hell was anything but an argument. A man was in front of a car, standing on the sidewalk while struggling to keep a hold on a woman. He couldn't seem the clearly, but if the man's tone was anything to go by, he was clearly not happy.

"How dare you cross me!"

The woman struggled, trying to break away from his grasp. "S-stop it!" she pleaded. "Let me go! No!"

"Don't give me that shit!"

As Akira drew closer, he could see them more clearly. The man was bald, wearing a black suit with a dress shirt in plain view, and orange-tinted sunglasses settled over his face, while the woman had brown hair, falling down to her shoulders, a white blouse and a plain black skirt with leggings and black heels. The man's face was slightly pink, and even from where he stood, the frizzy-haired teen could smell the unmistakable, pungent scent of alcohol. 'He's drunk!' he realized, and became uneasy. The woman was clearly in trouble, and he could help...but a drunk was the last thing he needed to deal with. While he has not experienced what it would be like to be on the receiving end of a drunk's actions, he knew that it wasn't ever good. Also, for some reason, the man looked familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Either way...he couldn't just ignore this!

With a resolve in mind, Akira moved in to confront the man. As he did, the drunk struggled with the woman in his arms. "Tch, what a waste of my time!" he slurred in anger. "You think your worth wasting my time?! Huh?!"

"I-I'll call the police!" the woman resisted.

In spite of this threat, the drunk didn't seem even the least bit worried. "Feh, go ahead," he told her, smirking. "Call 'em if you want...they won't do a damn thing. The police are my bitches! They won't take you seriously."

"S-stop!"

Akira had just reached the foot of the curb when he heard the sirens wailing. He looked around, and noticed there were a few lights on, though the curtains were drawn. The drunk gave a scowl, and spat out, "So someone called the cops?" He then turned back to the woman, and grabbed her by the wrist. "Get in the car, woman!" Once more, the woman yelled at him to stop, and tried to resist. "Stupid, moronic fools like you just need to shut up, and let me steer this country!"

Finally, the teen came up to the sidewalk, and glared. Defiantly, he yelled, "Hey!"

The shout caught the man's attention. The woman's face lit up, thankful that someone had managed to hear her and was trying to intervene, but the drunk didn't look the least bit pleased. Underneath the shades, he gave the boy the most dirtiest look he had ever seen, bridled with rage that someone was standing up to him. "The hell are you looking at?" he growled, turning to face Akira. "This ain't a show, brat...get lost!"

"I will," the boy glared back. "As soon as you leave her alone!"

The drunk didn't hear him. It was more accurate to say that he outright ignored him and turned back to the woman. "See? This happened because your so damned slow!" he slurred. "Now, get...in the damn...car!"

The woman looked terrified as he reached for her. She tried to flee, but he grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled. The pull was strong enough that one button of her blouse was sent flying off, showing off a slight glimpse of her bra. He roughly grabbed her by the shoulders, and began to pull her towards the car. She tried to get out of his grip, but he was far too strong. She looked at the boy, eyes begging. "H-help me! Please!"

He didn't even waste time. With clenched fists, Akira stomped over, and grabbed the man by the shoulder. "I said, leave her alone!" With a pull, he pried the man off of her. The drunk looked even more angered by his defiance, but he didn't even have the time to threaten him as he began to stumble on his feet. His foot tripped over itself, and as he fell his body turned at an angle. To both the woman and Akira's fear, he hit the curb right on the head. At first, the man was unresponsive, not moving, leading Akira to become fearful. He stared at his hands in horror, wondering if he killed a man, but then saw the drunk slowly get up. His glasses were gone, left on the sidewalk while he gripped his face, blood leaking from a small wound on his forehead. As he got on his knee, the man glared at Akira with utter loathing and contempt. Weakly, the boy backed away. "I...I'm sorry, I-"

"Y-you..." the man growled, animosity radiating off of him. "Fucking brat...I'll sue you for this!"

TakYourTime

After he was finished retelling his story, Sae folded her arms, a hand at her chin. For the longest time, she was silent, and had never interrupted him. She silently listened, giving slight nods to show that she was following. Eventually, she spoke up, breaking the tense silence that had begun to make him uncomfortable. "So...you saw a man, who was clearly drunk, harassing a woman, and tried to intervene," she recapped. "However, he hit his head on the curb, and promptly sued you. After that, you were arrested." He gave a nod of confirmation. She continued on, "Once the faculty learned about this, you were expelled from your old school, and as a result, you had to move here to Tokyo, as part of your probation." The woman then shook her head, giving a sigh. "You've had it rough...although, maybe that's what you get for trying to step into an adult's business."

Akira winced, and looked away, unable to meet her gaze. So...that was it? He was just supposed to watch it all happen? Stand by and do nothing?

"Look," Sae said, regaining his attention. "The only reason I'm looking after you is because my father and your parents knew each other. I have enough on my plate with my job and looking after Makoto as it is, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't cause any unnecessary trouble. I am your probation officer for the year, after all."

"A whole year..." That's right...he nearly forgot. The probation period lasts a year, doesn't it? Meaning he would be under the same roof as her for 12 months, along with another girl. As if it wasn't awkward already, living in the same space as a prosecutor.

"At any rate, it's best if you unpack and go to bed. We're going to introduce ourselves to the faculty at Shujin Academy, the school you'll be attending, tomorrow." The woman's red eyes narrowed at him as she folded her arms, giving him a cross look. "There's rarely a place that accepts someone like you. Try to understand that." He gave a solemn nod. Sae seemed to be satisfied, and then took out something from her pocket. She walked up to him, and held out her hand. Gratefully, he accepted it, giving it a quick examination. It appeared to be a key with a red accessory. "This is your room key. There's only one, so don't lose it." She looked as if she wanted to say something else, though her phone began to rang. Sae took it out, and gave Akira another look before she walked away, pressing the phone to ear. "Hello? Oh, Makoto. Yeah, don't worry, I'll be home for dinner tonight..."

Her voice faded as she walked down the stairwell, vanishing from sight. Akira's stare lingered fro a while before he turned to the door leading to his room, and stepped inside, closing it behind him. As soon as it locked into place, his beg fall from his shoulder and hit the floor while his back leaned against the door, staring up at the ceiling with a weary look.

'Well...this ought to be an interesting year...'

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: Hey everyone, Demons Anarchy of Pride here. Glad to see that everyone's enjoying the story so far! I had to admit, I wasn't expecting this much of a reception. Still, makes me happy. Anyway, as you saw, Akira's life has finally begun, though its quite the rough start. I'm hoping I got Sae's characterization down right, and not made her how Sojiro was in the beginning of the game. If anyone thinks I have any problems with how I made Sae in this chapter, please tell me as soon as you can!

Now...regarding the ideas that are going to be in this story. One premise has already been done; namely Akira living with the Niijima family. If I remember right, he was originally going to be a neighbor to them, but instead, I went with the idea of him actually living with them. Now, normally, this would cause some concerns, since the idea of a boy and girl who are not related in any way living together is usually frowned upon, so I made Sae into his probation officer, on top of being a prosecutor. I hope that idea sticks, though. To be honest, I don't know if its actually possible, and I'm trying to branch out here.

Also...yes. Hifumi Togo is going to join the Phantom Thieves. I did saw that I was going to implement some of the ideas Atlus originally had in mind, didn't I? I have her starter Persona worked out, but not her Ultimate, or her outfit yet. *sigh* Work in progress, ya know?

Well, that's all from me. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.

Oh wait, almost forgot...when I publish the next chapter, there will be one detail you will notice, but fret not...just because I'm making altercations does not mean I am removing any content whatsoever. The only changes are Hifumi joining the Phantom Thieves, Akira living with Sae and Makoto, and one other thing, but other than that, the story remains unchanged.

That's it for now, everybody...now I bid you adieu~