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

Second Heist: Blue Prison

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"...done."

Akira panted slightly as he sat on his bed, sweat slightly caking his skin as he stared at his new room. Before he could actually unpack, he had to clean it up. He found a thin layer of dust atop the desk that had been given to him, and the walls were somewhat musty as well, so he decided to give it a quick clean-up. It took about half an hour or so before he went to unpack. First, he gathered all of his clothes, separating them into the proper sections so as to not get confused, and placed them in the dresser he was also provided with. Then he unpacked the materials he was given by the few friends that he still had after his arrest, though they weren't much. They did make for nice decorations, brightening up the otherwise bland room. Lastly, he placed the rest of the boxes into the closet, which had a few items that he otherwise didn't really need right now.

Rather than be in his uniform any further, Akira had chosen to switch into more comfortable clothes, that being a plain black shirt with baggy sweats. It was his lounge-wear in a sense, leaving only his feet barefoot.

The frizzy-haired teen gave a small noise of accomplishment before he laid himself down on the bed, looking out the window. The blinds were still up, but through the small slits, he could see the sky turning light orange. It was already growing dark, it seemed. How long had he been unpacking? Well, at any rate, he was dead tired, and so exhausted. He felt like going to sleep right then and there. Then again, Sae had told him to get some rest, since they would be going to his new school tomorrow in order to properly fill out the paperwork to finalize his transfer there. As he thought back on his circumstances, he frowned.

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

'I'm not in the wrong here,' he thought, still concerned about his probation officer's words earlier. 'There was no way I could just let that happen.' At any rate...he may as well go to sleep. There was a long day ahead of him, after all. He pulled out his phone, checking to see if he received any new messages, and to his confusion, the strange app from earlier was still present on his phone. 'I thought I got rid of that,' Akira knew he had. That weird sensation and...thing...from earlier was still fresh in his mind. 'So creepy...it looks like an eye.' He tapped the icon, and dragged it down to the trash bin on the bottom of his phone. As he put his phone away, he closed his eyes. 'So tired...'

After a few minutes, Akira fell into the world of sleep...yet oddly, as he lost consciousness, he could have sworn he saw chains dancing around him, twisting and curling as he faded into unconsciousness.

TakeYourTime

[I hear you've become a probation officer, on top of being a guardian for a young man on probation.]

Sae winced as she briefly pulled away from her laptop. She had been going through the details of her latest case before her director called. At first, she assumed it was about the case, though it appeared that it was about Akira. She hadn't expected him to find out...at least, so quickly. "Yes, sir," she answered after a moment of hesitation. "I promise, it won't affect my-"

[Relax. If at all anything, your decision is admirable. I must admit, you're becoming a model individual, looking after both your younger sister and a problem child.]

"That's..."

[Anyway, how is that case coming along?]

"I'm reviewing the details as we speak," Sae answered. Thankfully, her Director had changed the topic of discussion, much to her relief. "So far, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Well, other than the fact that the victim remembers nothing of when he went ballistic in the middle of that meeting."

[Indeed...it appears that more and more people are becoming afflicted with these unknown cases of psychotic breakdowns. At best, it's just a minor coincidence...still, best to keep an open mind when investigating the matter. Just to be on the safe side, I've called Akechi-kun. He'll be assisting you on the matter.]

At the mention of the name "Akechi," Sae was glad she wasn't speaking with the Director face-to-face, otherwise he would have seen the cringe on her face. "I understand, sir." With that, and after a brief farewell, the call ended, leaving for a look of exasperation to appear on her face as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. "Good grief...he relies far too much on Akechi-kun." Goro Akechi, the supposed second coming of the detective prince, Naoto Shirogane, was a charismatic figure who was quite popular with the media, and gathered much support, though his actions in the past did draw the ire of the police force, namely due to his methods and way of thinking. Sae actually respected him somewhat, and would have been glad to work with him...were it not for the fact that, despite him being 17, he tried to ask her out to dinner.

Don't get her wrong, she was quite flattered, and he was certainly handsome, and had a commendable attitude...but there was something unnerving about Akechi that she didn't quite understand, like a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. As someone who trusted her instincts, she naturally denied every attempt he threw at her. It wouldn't be the last time she saw him, however, as the Director frequently called him to investigate matters. Right now, the case involved a CEO of a big-time corporation that was in competition with Okumura Foods, who had suddenly undergone a psychotic breakdown, and went ballistic during a corporation meeting. Naturally, the Prosecutors Office was called into compile a case, though there was something about it that piqued Sae's interest. Namely, the fact that this wasn't the only mention of a psychotic breakdown happening for no reason.

"I wonder..."

"I'm home!"

Sae's eyes traveled to the entrance, where a young girl entered the living room after she closed the door. It was a girl, a year or so older than Akira, with brown hair in a bob cut with blunt bangs and a braided headband. Her eyes were the same mauve red color as Sae's. .She wore what appeared to be the Shujin Academy uniform, only without the standard blazer. Instead, she wore a black halter vest over a long sleeve white shirt with a turtleneck. She also wore a black and red pleated plaid skirt. She had black tights and brown ankle boots.

"You're home awfully late," Sae remarked, a smile spreading across her lips. "And after that complaint about you wanting me to be home for dinner."

Makoto Niijima, Sae's younger sister, giggled abashed as she set her schoolbag on the rack. "Sorry," she apologized. "I had last minute student council business to take care of."

"It's fine." A brief exchange later, and the two siblings began having dinner. Though it was hardly anything fancy, being a simple curry dish, Sae could honestly say that she enjoyed it. It was at times like this that she could enjoy being away from the workspace, away from the sexism and expectations of her damned peers. She glanced at the empty seat by the table. 'Strange,' she thought. 'I thought Kurusu-kun would have joined us. Hm...he must be tired.' "So, how as school today?"

"Same as usual," Makoto answered, taking a spoonfull of her curry and downing it. "The workload was a bit much today. I'm guessing its because of that transfer student we're getting." The girl looked up at her sister, curious. "Speaking of that transfer student...I noticed we had an extra pair of shoes in the cupboard. A boy's, at that. Did that boy you're supposed to be looking after come today?"

Sae nodded. "That's right," she confirmed. "Akira Kurusu. He'll be a second-year at Shujin, starting on Monday. I've already given him the ground rules, though."

"About Kurusu-kun," Makoto set her fork and spoon down, leaning on the table with her shoulders a bit as she tilted her head. "You said he has a record?" Her sister nodded again, leading for the student council president of Shujin to furrow her brow in thought. Sae hadn't told her much, other than that his parents were divorced shortly after the incident, and regarding said incident, he attacked a man. The details were murky, and while she wanted to ask Sae, she didn't want to accidentally step on a landmine that could potentially blow up into something she didn't want to get into. Instead, she settled on Sae herself. "Will you be okay, Sis?" she asked, surprising Sae, who looked up from her dinner. "I mean, you already have enough on your plate with me and your job, especially with the case you're working on. Are you sure you're gonna be okay, being someone's probation officer?"

The young prosecutor gave a light shrug. "That all depends on Kurusu-kun," she answered simply. "If he doesn't cause any trouble, everything should be fine." She then smiled softly. "Enough about me, though, Makoto. You should worry more about yourself. After all, once you're done at Shujin, there's college to think about. Speaking of which, have you decided which one you want to enroll at yet?"

"Hm...I'm thinking about..."

TakeYourTime

When Akira opened his eyes, he saw blue.

Brilliant, vibrant, aquamarine blue.

"What...?"

His eyes began to drift. The ceiling was unfamiliar, as were the walls. They were padded, yet looked quite comfortable, marked by few golden tailings. However, the scenery around him was wrong. His belongings were missing, even the desk and dresser. The nightstand was also gone. The bed also felt uncomfortable as well, more solid and hard than the comfy, white fluff he had fallen asleep on earlier. Slowly, he sat up, also noticing the lack of comforters on his body. He looked around again, and noticed that the room was quite small, barely bigger than the size of an apartment's kitchen. What was even stranger still were the shackles that hanged from the ceiling, dangling from black chains. In the background, he could also hear music playing from what sounded like a speaker of some sort, a wonderful female voice singing in tune with the piano, performing a wonderful opera.

'What's going on?' he questioned, frowning. 'I could have sworn I was...'

"Hmhmhm...what an interesting guest we have this time around..."

Akira's eyes widened as he whipped around. His confusion continued to grow. A series of bars, reminiscent to a cell door, obstructed him while the door itself was left open, leaving him free to leave. Outside the cell doors was a circular room, also colored that mysterious, yet comforting shade of blue. Several other cells lined the walls, sirens attached at the center of the ceiling, no doubt where the music was being broadcasted. The floor was made entirely of brick, though within the center was a blue carpet with a golden design; of what, he couldn't quite make out. However, what caught his interest most were what stood at the center of the room, directly facing him.

There were two people. One was a young girl, looking no older than twelve or thirteen, bearing slightly pale skin and large, golden eyes, which seemed to stare at him with an unknown intensity. She was rather small, and had a slim form just by going by the black gloves and leggings she wore. She wore a velvet blue dress, with a black design at the front, held in place by four golden circles, two on each side. Her hair, which came down to the hem of her dress, was platinum blonde, held in place by a velvet blue hairband, a silver butterfly wing on the right and left side, directly behind her ear. In her hand was an abnormally large book with a black binding. The other was an eldery man, who sat leisurely at a desk, which sat in the very center of the room. He wore a fine black suit, which fit well on his slim form, while his hands, hidden by white gloves, were folded and sitting underneath his chin. He was bizarre, in that his back was hunched forward, and his nose was abnormally long. A wide, toothy smile was plastered across his face, so wide that it would have threatened to break his face in half. He was also bald, with what little hair remaining on his dome being finely combed and swept back behind his ears.

Akira stared at them with confusion. Who were they? What was this place? Was he in prison? The thought put him in a slight panic, given his predicament. He should have been at Sae's house sleeping, not in a cell. Although, he never heard of a prison block looking so blue, or that a desk sat in the very center of the block. He pushed himself off the bed, and cautiously stepped out of the cell, stopping just short of a few feet.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man," the old man greeted him, smile still present. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance. It has been so long since we've had a guest. Now, introductions. My name is Igor," he then gestured to the small girl next to the desk. "This is Lavenza. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

The girl, now identified as Lavenza, gave a small smile as she bowed her head. "I am Lavenza. I am here to accompany you through this time."

Akira stared back, unable to answer her. Instead, he was only wracked with even more confusion. His hand touched his temple, grasping it as he felt the onset of a headache coming to plague him. "I...don't understand," he muttered. "I was in my room...how did I...?"

"Fear not," Igor told him. "You are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you, within your dreams." As he removed his head, the frizzy-haired teen stared, incredulous. A dream? This was a dream? Well...it certainly felt like it, but this was bizarre. Also, summoned? What did that even mean? What was even going on? "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those, who are bound by a contract, may enter." The long-nosed man paused, and then looked at the prison block, which he had referred to previously as the Velvet Room. "Still...how curious. To think that it would take the form of a prison..."

Akira's eyebrow rose. Why was he so surprised? If he ran the place, shouldn't he have known it would be a prison block? Seeing his confusion, Lavenza spoke up, "The Velvet Room's appearance reflects the state of our guest's heart," she told him, though as she spoke, her tone became saddened. "Thus, with you as our guest, it has taken this shape; a blue prison, and you, its prisoner."

"I...don't understand," he shook his head, still unable to process all of this. Prisoner? Reflecting his heart? What did any of this mean?

Igor, however, seemed to understand his frustration, and waved. "It may take some time to fully comprehend," he told him. The man gave a light chuckle, as if amused by something, before he crossed his leg. "We summoned you here to speak of important matters, my dear guest. Matters that may come to be pivotal in your future."

"Matters...?"

"Yes," Lavenza nodded. "The world is not as it should be. It is filled with distortions. You may not realize it, or see it...however, in the coming of days, you will. When it does come, you must make a decision."

He frowned deeply. Akira didn't really understand what was going on...but for some reason, he listened intently. These people didn't seem like they were lying, and this feeling...how should he put it? This place...even though its appearance was rather dreary, something about it made him feel...at ease. Thus, calmly, and feeling his headache beginning to fade, he lowered his hand. "A decision?" he questioned. "What kind of decision?"

"What, indeed?" Igor chuckled. "As Lavenza has said, the world is not as it should be. Perhaps, if the discord of man proves far too great...ruin will fall upon this world, and you will be forced to stand at the very front."

"...and what happens if I can't overcome it?"

"You will know if that is the case," Lavenza answered him simply. Just then, the beautiful music ceased, and suddenly, Akira's body grew heavy. His limbs became limp, with he left struggling to try and support his own weight while his eyes closed rapidly, trying to stay awake. Sirens blared, as if signalling a prison break. "It appears that our time is up."

"Time marches on in your world," Igor stated. "We shouldn't keep you here any longer. Until then...farewell."

And with that, Akira's eyes gave way, and he fell back, falling once again into the black abyss of unconsciousness.

TakeYourHeart

When Akira Kurusu awoke, he was greeted by a plain, white ceiling.

Bland, uninteresting, and utterly plain.

"...what a weird dream," he muttered tiredly as he rubbed his eyes, pushing himself up from his bed, removing the comforters. Seriously...what kind of dream was that? Ruin, a prison, fate...none of it made any sense. And those people...how did he dream up those guys? Well, he shouldn't think too much on it. For now, he should be getting ready. With that in mind, he discarded his lounge-wear, tossing them into the bin, and slipped on his casual clothes; a simple black jacket with a white top and blue jeans. Lastly, he slipped on his glasses. As he did, he heard a knock at the door. "It's open."

The door opened, revealing Sae in her black suit. "Good, you're up," she said with a nod. She then took a look around the room, observing it critically before giving another nod, this one of approval. "Hm...not bad. Could use a bit more work, but otherwise rather tidy." Then, as quickly as the expression formed, she returned to her firm, serious expression. "Alright, come on." He gave a nod, and followed her out the room, closing his door and locking it. As he did so, he caught sight of a girl standing not too far, peeking her head out from the door, having dark brown hair and red eyes. Akira assumed it was Makoto, given the slight resemblance between her and Sae. Makoto seemed to be giving him an analytical look before she returned to her room, closing the door.

'What was that about?' he wondered, but shrugged. Maybe she was just curious about the boy her sister was supposed to look after, or was just giving him the stink-eye. He didn't dwell on it for long, quickly catching up with Sae.

Once he was gone, Makoto opened the door again, stepping out, and looking at the stairwell, where Akira and Sae vanished. "Akira Kurusu," she hummed thoughtfully, folding her arms and tilting her head. "He doesn't look like the kind of person who'd just attack a person without reason. I wonder what happened..." She didn't think on the matter long. She could ask her sister, though it may have been faster to ask the boy himself, although it would have been quite rude to do so. She was worried about Sae, however. By taking in Akira, she was putting more work on herself than necessary, which was saying something since she was always putting put on work. Much expectation was placed on her, since she was in a high position in the Public Prosecutors Office. Makoto wanted to help in some way, though she always wondered how. When she thought about it more...maybe she could help her by keeping an eye on Akira? If he turned to be a problem child, then she could keep an eye on him at school. Plus, being a student council president had its perks, so maybe...

"...well, I'll suppose I can know what kind of person he is tomorrow."

TakeYourHeart

Akira's first impression of Shujin Academy, in spite of the facility being quite large and up-to-date as one might expect of an elite boarding school, was a prison. The minimalist clock that hung at the front, above the entrance, was an almost taunting way of saying 'its time to serve your sentence,' fences surrounded the entire building, and the gate, from his standpoint, seemed to be the only way in and out. Since it was a sunday, there was no one here except for the faculty members he saw. He wasn't given a tour of the school, instead following Sae straight to the principal's office.

And speaking of the Principal...Akira had never seen such an overweight man in all of his life. The Principal, known as Kobayakawa, was a large man, even by, ahem, fat standards. His brown suit seemed to struggle fitting his rather large form, his belt strained, and the flab of his skin even spilling out over the collar of his shirt. He was completely bald, and his ears seemed to be sinking into his own fatty flesh. Even the chair he sat on seemed to be struggling, holding his weight. Beside him was a woman, likely a teacher, with dark brown unkempt hair and dark brown eyes. Her face looked absolutely ragged, exhausted and tired, with dark rings underneath her eyes. She wore a yellow striped sweater with white and red horizontal lines, a blue denim skirt, white heels, and carried a notebook underneath her arm.

"To reiterate," Kobayakawa said sternly with a narrowed glare aimed directly at him. Akira was unfazed, having been used to seeing such looks before. "Just so we're clear, you will be expelled immediately if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side..." His glare hardened. "You may have done a variety of things in hiding in your hometown...but you WILL behave yourself here."

'Typical,' he thought with disinterest. 'No matter where I go, I'm being labelled an outcast, all because I tried to help someone. I probably would have had to deal with this kind of treatment too, if I wasn't expelled from my old school.'

"If you are thrown out," Kobayakawa continued. "There will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind." Akira gave a nod, if only to appease the man, before Kobayakawa gestured his head to the woman next to him. "This is the teacher in charge of your class."

She gave a small bow, and answered in a tired tone that matched her face, "I'm Sadayo Kawakami." She produced something from her pocket, and laid it on the desk. The frizzy-haired teen took it, and gave it a brief look. "That's your student ID. Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And if, by chance, you have any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all."

She paused, and then looked at Kobayakawa.

"...that IS your promise, Principal Kobayakawa, right?"

'Even the teacher thinks I'm being an inconvenience,' Akira thought, now growing somewhat annoyed with his treatment. Not even a day in Tokyo, and he's being treated like crap. 'Then again, in my new teacher's case, that might be justified...she looks dead to the world.'

"Indeed," the fat man responded. "He is responsible for his own actions."

Kawakami sighed. "Why does it have to be me, though?" she asked. "There surely would have been better candidates."

"It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening."

'More like you wanted to dump me on someone as fast you could.' Akira wondered how much longer he would have to listen to this. All they were supposed to do was just explain things, not go into a rant about his placement. Thankfully, Sae saved him as she gave a light glare, her tone showing annoyance. "I hate to be rude, but do you mind if we get going? Unlike you, I'm not given the privilege to enjoy Sundays off."

"Of course, Niijima-san," Kobayakawa nodded, a smile that Akira recognized as the look of someone trying to appease another who was of higher power. Understandable, since she was a prosecutor, though something seemed off about it. He wasn't sure why, but...no, must have been his imagination. He was probably still tired after that weird dream. "It's rather commendable for you to look after someone with a record, especially since you're a prosecutor at your age!"

She didn't even deign to respond to that. "I've already discussed everything regarding the matter, so Kurusu-kun understands his situation."

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, and Kobayakawa, nervous, gave a small nod. Akira had to admit, it was rather amusing to see the man being off-put. Kawakami, on the other hand, sighed before she turned back to him. "Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom."

He nodded, and then turned to follow Sae out the room. After reaching the entrance, Sae stopped and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Good grief," she muttered in disapproval. "Even if you have a criminal record, they could show at least some bit of tact in front of a student." She then turned to face him, placing a hand on her hip. "Looks like your past is following you, even here. I've said it before, but don't cause any unnecessary trouble for me, alright?" Akira nodded. He pretty much had that fact drilled into his head at this point. Sae seemed a bit satisfied with his answer, but then shook her head. "Well...come on. Let's go."

With that, they left Shujin Academy. Unknown to Akira, however, a teacher was observing him from one of the classroom, staring at him with a look of contempt.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WARNING! WARNING! THIS NOTE CONTAINS SPOILERS RELATED TO THE END OF THE GAME! IF YOU HAVE NOT REACHED THE DEPTHS OF MEMENTOS, OR THE FINAL DUNGEON, DO NOT READ THIS NOTICE!

A/N: And chapter three is published at last! Took a bit longer...namely because I was just done with the Velvet Room sequence, only for my computer to wig out on me and delete my progress, so I had to rewrite the whole damn thing.

Anyway, as you can see, Lavenza and Igor are the ones in charge of the Velvet Room. Does this mean Yaldabaoth is out of the story? HELL. NO. I'm simply handling things in a much more different approach. It's my own spin on things, rather than a scrapped idea from Atlus...at least, to my knowledge.

Some fans might be concerned about this, since Yaldabaoth taking over the Velvet Room is very crucial to the end of the game, as well as the events of what happens in the game. However, just because he is not in charge of the Velvet Room, does not mean he won't be a major influence in what is to come. If I removed him from the story, it would take a LOT of think as to how to make the story progress without its primary conductor at the helm. So, if anyone who has finished P5 or knows about Yaldabaoth is worried, don't worry. He is not out of the game. TRUST ME. If at all anything...he'll be in a position you least expect.

I had debated whether or not I should use Lavenza, or have Caroline and Justine at the start, whether as actual assistants rather than two halves of a whole or not was up for debate. Instead, I just went with Lavenza.

Another thing I want to discuss is the Phantom Thieves lineup. EVERYONE is still accounted for. Ryuji, Anne, Morgana, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru...no one is being replaced. This also goes for the Confidants.

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