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.

Now, one such group of Tricksters has emerged, in order to rise up against this ruin.

They are known simply as…

"The Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to

19th Heist: Regicide, Part 2: Thieves

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The trip to the Main Hall was somewhat of a short affair. The group had split up rather than use the same route they had earlier, given that they were in the far back of the castle. Admittedly, Akira was concerned for Makoto and Ryuji since they were going in with little support. It would have been easier for them to just hunt down their targets individually, rather than separately. A better chance at success. But they were short on time and he had no choice but to accept that fact. They needed to hurry and reach the Treasure as soon as possible.

"I hope Queen and Skull will be okay." Ann said as they walked, mindful of their surroundings as they kept an eye out for any Shadows lurking about. "Ryu-" she cursed, nearly saying her teammate's name out loud before correcting herself. "Skull can be pretty hotheaded."

"He'll be fine." Akira replied. "Queen has him on a leash." It was mostly a joke, meant to help lighten the mood.

And it worked. Ann was giggling, nearly laughing as well, but she otherwise managed to keep quiet. "Yeah. I'd hate to see what might happen if he ticks her off bad enough… Hey, Joker?"

"Mm?"

"When we're done with the Palace, do you think you can come with me someplace?" Joker stopped, looking at Ann in curiosity. She was fidgeting, and perhaps anxious. "If it's okay with you."

Akira tilted his head, wondering what could have her so worried, but nodded. "Sure." Ann let out a relieved sigh. "C'mon. Let's get that key."

"Righto!"

TakeYourTime

The Shadow didn't even know what hit it. Literally. All it took was a quick swing to its head and the Bicorn was reduced to black-and-red splatters across the wall. Ryuji didn't stop as he jumped back to avoid being struck by a bolt of electricity, courtesy of a tiny little girl in a blue leotard with fairy wings and red hair. He was about to call on Captain Kidd to try and ram her, but Makoto had beaten him to it as she destroyed the Shadow in one quick shot with her revolver, aiming right for the head.

"Wow..." the blonde delinquent said in quiet awe, watching her spin the gun around like some gun-ho western sharpshooter before slipping it back onto her person. "You're a real crack shot with that, aren't you?"

"It's fairly lighter than Joker's handgun." she replied coolly. "Of course, it still has relatively shorter range, not to mention less bullets."

"Been meaning to ask 'bout that...do we got unlimited ammo or something?"

"I have no idea. You better ask Morgana that." Makoto answered, walking ahead of him. "Anyway, let's keep going. We need to find the Captain that has one of the keys."

That, and she didn't wish to stay any longer than they already were. Out of all the places in Kamoshida's Palace, the dungeon was arguably the worst for her. The atmosphere alone was dreary and unpleasant, but the occupants were a reminder of her failures. Of how she woefully averted her eyes to the truth. Kamoshida's statements about how Ann was looking away from Suzui's abuse struck home for her as well. She should have – must have known about the abuse, but she pretended to ignore it like everyone else. It was easier just to pretend it never happened and continue on with life.

She hated this place. She wanted it gone. And she was going to make damn sure that Kamoshida never got away with his crimes.

Unlike the rest of the castle, the dungeon was lit by torches, making it somewhat hard to see. On the other hand, however, Ryuji, who seemed to be adapting the quickest to their newest occupation, managed to find a way to sneak past Shadows.

Namely, just blow out the torches. Their clothes were already dark enough, so they blend into the shadows with ease once they hid from sight. And when a Shadow was close to noticing something, they made sure to end them with quick ease.

One in particular had found itself with a broken neck, courtesy of a powerful headlock. Makoto, with some embarrassment when questioned by an awestruck Ryuji, admitted that she was something of a yakuza film fan, so she knew pretty much the common ways to kill someone. And her aikido training worked wonders as well.

That, and the added strength her Persona gave her was no doubt a major boon as well.

After a few close shaves and dead Shadows, Makoto and Ryuji eventually found their target. The room the Captain was in was somewhat small, easily big enough to house a few dozen people. However, the sight behind him was enough to chill both of the teens, as the cognitions of Shujin volleyball students were found inside a cage, all strapped to a wall while the armored knights struck them with their armored fists.

"The fuck!" Ryuji whispered in anger. "I know these guys aren't real and all, but what the actual hell!"

"Calm down." Despite her words, Makoto saw that her own hands were trembling in anger. The only reason she hadn't acted was because of Johanna sending out a gentle "pulse", subsiding the anger in favor of tranquil fury.

Ryuji didn't look pleased, but he remained rooted to his spot behind the entrance, glaring at the Shadows while watching and hoping that every last one of them died if he glared at them hard enough.

"Must you be savages?" the Captain asked with annoyance. "You may vent your frustrations towards the prisoners as much as you want, but do keep in mind that King Kamoshida has explicitly asked us to leave them alive?"

"Apologies, captain." the Shadow delivering the beating said in between punches. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Assholes..." Makoto silently muttered while her eyes glanced around the room. 'One, two, three, four… Including the Captain, that's five Shadows. The Captain is a powerful Shadow, so it's best if we fight it alone. The question is how to kill the other guards.'

Her mind went through several ideas. A distraction? No, that seemed to be the least feasible. Even if they could somehow manage to get the Captain out of the room, how would they prevent him from getting backup? The next idea would be to kill the other Shadows in the room, but that was also next to impossible. Especially since getting them out here would be quite difficult, including eliminating them one by one without the others noticing their absence.

What should they do?

Evidently, Ryuji was the first one to come to a conclusion. "I got an idea." he said, making her look at him curiously. "It's a stupid idea, but..."

"What do you have in mind?"

When he started to explain, Makoto felt a migraine coming on. She regretted ever considering this plan…

TakeYourTime

"Capture him!"

"C'mon, assholes! Follow the thief!"

The plan was ludicrous, but it was insane the way it had become effective. Ryuji had more or less offered to become bait, luring the Shadows out of the room. The Captain was trailing behind them while the rest of his subordinates were leading ahead. Separating the Captain was tricky, as Ryuji had to push himself to the limits by turning sharp corners and performing feints in order to trip them off.

Makoto had improvised, via by rope that was coincidentally lying around. Why, she didn't know, but she was hardly about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She did have to admit, it was certainly funny to see the Captain being lassoed and pulled away, the other knights to busy chasing after Ryuji. Assuming they were all weak, Ryuji could handle them with ease. She was nervous about facing the Shadow by herself, but she had faith that her friend would be coming back for her. If he didn't, well, she'd have to give him a good smack on the head.

The Captain groaned, its armor clinking haphazardly as it pulled itself up to its feet. Raising its head, it found Makoto directly in front of him, fists raised and legs spread apart. Her mask was also partially covered in blue embers, Johanna ready to be called on at a moment's notice.

"Welcome to the Brig." she said mockingly. "Care to give up your key?"

The Shadow growled as black fluids began to seep from its being. "Insolent fool!" The armor collapsed and the Shadow assumed its true form. To her disgust, it was a horned monster with an ugly face sitting on a toilet seat of all things, floating a foot off the air. The way the monster sat made it look like it was bored, but the crimson eyes it had were glaring down on her with madness and killing intent. "You will pay for raising your hands against King Kamoshida!"

Makoto was nonplussed. Instead, she welcomed the challenge. "Bring it!"

TakeYourTime

Akira and Ann arrived at the Main Hall. The scene was enough to bring nostalgic memories back to the former, recalling how he wound up here inside this castle on his first visit with Ryuji and Makoto. It was strange how they'd find themselves here again. However, the memories were far from pleasant and they were already shoved away from his mind, tucked back into a corner.

"The Captain has the key we're looking for, right?" she asked, earning a nod. "Do we know what it looks like?"

"Captain Shadows are wearing gold armor, so..."

Unfortunately for them, it was going to be a needle in the haystack, as Akira learned when he took a peek inside the Main Hall, only to frown in distaste when he saw the Shadows patrolling the grounds.

All of them were wearing gold armor.

"Great." Ann hissed. "What do we do now? How're we supposed to find the Captain?"

To that, he had no answer. If he did have one, he sure as hell didn't know it. This was troublesome, that was for sure. How was he supposed to find the right target? Did they have some kind of distinguishing figure from one another?

"...allow me to give you a gift." Igor's words came back to him. "I believe you'll come to appreciate its worth, as you've chosen to pursue the path to becoming a most magnificent thief."

Akira furrowed his brow. What was this gift Igor had given him? Would it be of any use? He remembered the feeling that came to him when Igor had given it to him, whatever it may have been. He pursed his lips, trying to recall the feeling. The feeling of his mind unraveling, the world coming into sharper focus…

"Joker?"

Akira looked up and gasped. Faintly, he could make out a bright blue aura around Ann. Behind her, the spectral image of an inert Carmen stood by, behind her with its golden eyes locked on to him with a hint of amusement. He glanced over his shoulder to find Arsene smiling at him, the wicked flaming grin ever present. Orpheus stood beside him as well, arms folded and waiting patiently for the time when he'd be called upon.

What…?

This...this was unreal. What was this? Was this the gift Igor talked about? He looked into the Main Hall and found a similar phenomenon around the Shadows. They were surrounded by a dark red aura, violent almost.

One in particular, however, caught his attention. Namely, the gold light that was directly in its hip. It was thin, with two strips poking outward.

"...huh." Akira said simply. "This should come in handy." Ann stared at him in confusion. "I think I know who we're after. The Shadow by the painting. He has the key."

"Really? How can you tell?"

"I'm not sure how to describe it, but… I think I can see something. Like an aura. I can see Carmen standing behind you." Ann blinked and looked over her shoulder, but found nothing. "I don't know how it works, but I know that guard has the key."

"Huh..." she said slowly before nodding. "Okay, then. How do we reach the guard?"

Akira smiled as he dug inside his pocket, holding up a few pellets. "We use these."

TakeYourTime

When Ryuji arrived, shortly after managing to lose the Shadows that had been pursuing him, he found Makoto cycling around the room on her Persona, avoiding ice blasts shot at her. Each blast created a spire that shot upwards, almost as if they were meant to impale her. Had she been any slower, she very might well have been killed. The strange demon that was sitting on the toilet released a roar as it sent out more ice blasts. She swerved, sweeping around in a full circle before she charged right at the Shadow.

"Begone, thief!"

Ice gathered around him, but before it could-

"Captain Kidd! !"

Ryuji's mask erupted into flames and his Persona charged forward, ramming right into the Shadow at top speed. As a result, the ice blasts were off the mark, missing Makoto completely. Makoto went at full speed, light gathering around the wheels of her Persona. A roar ripped from her throat as she pushed Johanna up, spinning in mid-air and slamming the rear wheel straight into the Shadow's face. As a result, it was thrown straight across the room, slamming right into the wall. The wall gave way, crumbling and making the Shadow fall to the floor in a heap. Makoto landed back on her feet, mask reforming.

Ryuji ran over to join her, Captain Kidd still at his side. "Sorry I'm late!" he apologized hastily. "Took me ages to shake 'em off!"

"It's fine. You got here on time, Skull." Makoto smiled before she turned her attention to the Shadow, which floated back up, holding its head. "What do you say we give this guy a good thrashing?"

The blonde delinquent gave her a shark-like smirk, twirling his weapon around in his hand before settling it on his shoulder. "Thought you'd never ask."

"Insolent...thieves…!" the Captain Shadow growled. "You will not make it out of here alive!"

A chilling wave of cold air settled over the area. Giant chunks of ice, jagged and spiky, began to form around him. "Scatter!" Makoto shouted quickly. Ryuji dived out of the way while Makoto dashed to the side, avoiding the cluster of ice. Upon impact, a giant iceberg formed, covering the entire back half of the room in ice. The Shadow wasn't about to stop, however, as it gathered another round of magic energy, ready to fire off another salvo. Makoto's eyes narrowed, hand gripping her revolver. "Skull! On my mark!"

"Ready!" Ryuji called back, a hand over his mask.

The Shadow raised its arms over its head, ready to send the two thieves to hell. At that moment, Makoto acted and took aim, pulling the trigger. The bullet struck true and struck the Shadow in the eye, causing it to cry out in pain. Immediately, the clusters of ice shattered apart, exploding in its face and trapping it inside its own ice. Makoto smirked. 'Thought so! With so much power gathered up, it needed to concentrate! With its concentration broken, it can't act!'

And now, it was open.

"Skull!" Makoto shouted.

Ryuji grinned maniacally as Captain Kidd emerged in a blazing flourish, slamming its foot on the from of its ship and took aim, electricity gathering inside its barrel. It tipped its hat to the Shadow almost mockingly before it shot a giant bolt of thunder straight at the Shadow.

As soon as it struck, the ice shattered and the Shadow let out a howl of scream. Then the room fell into dreadful silence as black chunks of ice cluttered the floor, shortly melting into black-and-red goop. Breathing a sigh of relief, Makoto holstered her revolver and walked over to the puddle. There was something glittering in the faint light.

"Here we go..." She went down to her knees, scooping up the item in question. It was a silver key of typical design, looking as if it belonged on a ring. "One down, two to go."

"Sweet~" Ryuji chuckled. "In that case, let's head on back to the elevator. By now, Joker and Panther are done."

TakeYourTime

Separating the Captain Shadow from the other guards had been easy. Morgana had given him a few smoke bomb pellets to use, so he used them to great effect. He had been gambling on this new sense of his, this Third Eye to see through the fog, but it worked like a charm. He found the Captain, and with Ann's help, they were able to swiftly pull it away. None of the Shadows ever realized what occurred, and even if they did, they made sure to cover their tracks by locking the door behind them.

Still, though…

"Hey! What's the big idea, rough housing me like that?!"

Why was the Shadow a Pixie of all things?

Given their previous encounters with Captain Shadows, they had all been garbed in gold armor and exceedingly powerful. Instead, however, they were met with the tiny little figure from when they entered the Palace before. It was certainly strange, but not unwelcome. If anything, it made this quite easy. Akira already had his knife and gun out, ready to take the Shadow down in a second. Arsene wouldn't even be needed for this.

Ann, however, seemed somewhat hesitant. "Um..." she shifted her feet around, looking highly uncertain. "Sorry?"

"Sorry?!" the Pixie cried. "I think I got a bruise 'cause of you! Hrgh, this is why I hate troublesome brats!" Akira stepped forward, spinning his knife around, mostly to intimidate the Shadow. "H-hey, what're you planning on doing?! Y-y-you think King Kamoshida'll let this slide?!"

"How's he gonna know if you're dead?" he retorted. The Pixie fell silent at that.

"Hold on a sec, Joker..." Ann put a hand to his shoulder. She knew it was a bad idea, trying to protect the Shadow, but she couldn't help it. It just didn't feel right to her. Then again, she had just started. "Isn't this a little harsh?"

"You can't underestimate them." Akira reasoned. "Last time that happened, it wasn't pretty."

"W-wait, you're not planning on killing me, are ya?!" the Shadow said, now growing nervous as sweat trickled down its face. "Look, I'm sorry for calling you a brat, okay?! L-let me off the hook, yeah? I won't say a word, I promise!"

Akira rolled his eyes. Begging, really? He was about to raise his gun, but Ann looked ready to step in, making him frown. It was a bad idea, considering to let the Shadow off the hook. What if it was going to lie and attack them when their backs were turned? As much as Akira wanted to, he didn't want to risk the chance of what might happen.

"How do we know you'll keep your word?" Akira demanded harshly.

The Shadow winced at the cold tone in his voice. He made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of letting her escape. "Y-you can trust me!" she pleaded pitifully. "Here! I'll even give you the key to the elevator to the Upper Floor!" Hastily, she pulled out a silver key from somewhere on her person, tossing it to the two thieves. Ann snatched it out of the air. "There! Will-will you let me go?!"

Akira gave her a flat stare. Ann, however, cut in before he could say anything. "Hold up."

"W-what?"

"Do you think this is enough to bargain for your life?" Ann questioned. Akira blinked and looked at her. One moment she was trying to save the Shadow's life, and the next she was trying to push it to the wall? This was strange. "You're gonna have to give us more than that."

"W-what else do you want?!"

Ann smiled sweetly. "Info." Now the frizzy-haired teen understood what she was getting at. "We know that we need three keys to open up the gate to the elevator. We know that one of the Captains is in the dungeon, but where's the last one?"

"H-huh? The other guy?" the Pixie stuttered. "Um, I really don't know. All I know is that he roams the halls whenever he wants. And its usually when the guards are screwing around."

Akira hummed as he filed the information away for later. This was useful intel. Morgana would definitely need to hear about this. Maybe they could exchange information once they reconvened. Still, this was going to be inconvenient. If they had to cause trouble to get the Captain to show up by messing around with the guards, how long would it take? Which method would work best? Direct confrontation?

So tiring… Still, they had to persevere.

"S-so, will you let me go?!"

Akira mulled over his options. It would be better to kill the Shadow, but...they did strike a deal. "Get going." he said, lowering his guns. "And make sure to hold up your end of the bargain."

"You..." the Pixie looked unconvinced. "You're really going to let me go?"

"Do you want us not to?" Akira asked back with a raised eyebrow. The Shadow shook its head violently. "Then get going." The Shadow seemed unconvinced at first, but it then made its retreat, vanishing past the door. The frizzy-haired teen then let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his dark curly locks. That was certainly something. Still, they had what they needed now. Assuming the others succeeded, they now had two keys.

Just one left to go.

As they prepared to leave, Ann stopped him again. "Hey, uh..." the red-clad girl figdeted, playing with one of her pigtails. "Sorry 'bout what happened back there. It's just..."

"I know." he said in understanding. "It's your first time fighting with us, and cornering a Shadow up close and personal."

"Y-yeah..." Ann nodded, slightly ashamed of herself. "I know they're our enemies, but I just can't help but feel sorry for 'em. From what you guys told me, they're just serving Kamoshida. They didn't ask to be bound in those clunky suits. In a way, I kind of feel sorry for them." She bit her lip, staring at the ground. "It kind of makes me realize...that could've been me. Or anyone at our school, really."

Yeah… Akira silently agreed, staring at the spot where the Shadow had been. In a way, the Shadows are prisoners here too.

TakeYourTime

A few minutes later, the phantom thieves returned to the room where the elevator was. "Yo." Ryuji greeted with a two-finger salute, Makoto trailing behind him with a satisfied look. "Good news, y'all. We snagged ourselves a key."

"Same here!" Ann met his look with a smile of her own. "That's two keys! Just one more, and we're a step closer to Kamoshida!"

"Mm." Makoto nodded. "The quickest way into the tower is through this Sanctuary on the upper levels of the castle. After that, everything should be cake walk. Now then, where's Mona…?"

"Right here!"

The group jumped as the bipedal creature appeared into their line of sight, practically leaping into view from the ceiling. "Shit man!" Ryuji cried. "Don't do that! You nearly gave me a freakin' heart attack..."

"How'd things go on your end?" Akira asked.

Morgana smirked. "Easy as pie. The Shadows didn't notice me whatsoever. How about you guys? Did you get the keys?" Ann and Makoto dug into their pockets, pulling out the items in question. "Nice. That's two out of three."

"We got a lead on the third Captain." Ann informed everyone. "Apparently, he usually sticks close to Kamoshida. The only time he comes running is when there's trouble brewing."

"I've heard something similar." Morgana nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Shadows were talking about how they had to go through some kind of punishment when a Captain caught them slacking off."

Makoto frowned heavily, pursing her lips as she put a hand to her chin, deep in thought. "This sounds troublesome… How're we supposed to get to the last Captain?"

"What's there to think about?" Ryuji asked. "Sounds to me like we just gotta break shit and kill Shadows, take the key, and voila. The key comes to us!"

"Yes, but that means we'll have to fight. There's a lot we don't know. We have no idea how much ammunition our guns have here while in the Metaverse. Lesser Shadows are easily dealt with by hitting them a few times with our weapons, but the stronger ones require us to use our Personas. If we have to fight, we need to conserve our strength. And if this last Captain is powerful, we'll need all the strength at our disposal."

Ryuji deflated at Makoto's explanation. It was certainly quite the dilemma. "So, then what do we do?" Ann asked. "Do we cause a racket? Or...do we convince the Shadows to try and cause a racket for us?"

"What? Convince the Shadows?" Ryuji stared at Ann weirdly. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Well, we did convince a Shadow to give us the key, so..."

"Wait, seriously?!"

Morgana cocked his head. "That...could work." he said, albeit with doubt. "The Shadows don't actually have that much loyalty to Kamoshida. Especially the weaker ones."

"So, they're more or less prisoners, just like the guys in the dungeon, then." the red-clad girl said aloud, causing the others to look at her. There was a fire in her eyes again, this one bearing determination. "In that case, what if we tried something like this? Akira's got this thing where he can see Shadows' strengths or something. If we use that, we can tell the Shadows apart, then confront the weak ones and convince them to try and stage a fight in the Main Hall."

"Hm..." Morgana closed his eyes. "An ability to tell Shadows' strengths, huh? Sounds like you've been holding on me, Joker!" A Cheshire-like grin appeared on Morgana's face as he pumped a fist(?) into the air. "Alright, let's give it a shot. In any case, dealing with the weaker Shadows will be pretty easy, compared to the other ones!"

TakeYourTime

Kamoshida's Shadow had been feeling restless. Ever since Ann's awakening as a Persona-user, he had ordered all guards to be on high alert. He shuffled staff around, forcing several others to abandon their shells and assume their true forms. It would be difficult for the thieves to move around unhindered this way. In fact, he was hoping they'd get themselves killed just by trying to break into the castle.

Even so, he couldn't shake off this feeling of irritation. Something just didn't feel right. Being the embodiment of his real self's dark and distorted wishes, formed from the depths of his own black ego, it could feel his growing anxiety and fear. But why? What reason was there to be afraid?

When he thought about what could make him feel so afraid, the first thing that came to mind was the troublesome transfer student and that white-masked kid. He couldn't remember the latter's face, but he automatically associated him with the shitty brat that stood up to him. He didn't understand why he did that, but he knew one thing for certain: they were both troublesome little shits that annoyed him to no end.

"Those goddamn brats." he seethed as he twirled his wine glass around, sitting loftily in his throne. The Throne Room was truly a grand place. It was his epicenter, the very foundation of his standing in Shujin Academy. Though the throne was simple and small, his presence more than made up for it. "Why is it that insist on getting in my way?"

"My Lord." the Captain at his side bowed his head. "Pay these knaves no mind. Sooner or later, our men will capture them. And when we do, we shall execute them and make them an example."

Kamoshida's Shadow smirked evilly at the mental image. "You're right about that… But I still can't help but feel annoyed. Increase the level of security in the Sanctuary. I doubt the brats will make it that far, but it should make for some good entertainment."

"Shall I bring in the Princess, for your evening fun?"

"No need. I'm not in the mood. For once." And such a shame, too. He never once tired of playing with his Princess' body. Such soft, tender skin. Not a single blemish. A shiver ran down his spine, remembering the last time he had the opportunity to ravish her form. The sensation was a thrill, far more than anything he had felt when he took it upon himself to take the purity of the other maidens that threw themselves at his feet. But dammit, ever since those brats started to get involved, he found little enjoyment in taking it upon himself to fool around with his concubines! "More importantly, my loyal knight… Did you make sure that the keys to the dumbwaiter have been distributed?"

The gold knight bowed its head humbly. "Yes, my King! We also discovered the thieves' previous point of entry and sealed it to the best of our ability! Now, they will have no choice but to go about the determined routes!"

"Good! I want their heads on a pike! Especially the one with the white mask. For some reason, his face irritates me the most." Kamoshida's Shadow declared.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room were thrown open. "My King!" the Shadow cried. "There's-there's trouble in the Main Hall! It's a mutiny!"

He felt his anger skyrocket. "WHAT?!"

TakeYourTime

Persuading the weaker Shadows hadn't exactly been easy. In fact, it would've been next to impossible to do so, were it not for Ren's newfound useful ability. He made a mental note to thank Igor profusely for it the next time he was in the Velvet Room.

Ann had been the one to successfully convince the weaker Shadows to cause a disturbance in the Main Hall. Seeing as how it was directly next to the entrance of the castle grounds, it made perfect sense to lure the last Captain there. Her acting skills were quite something, if perhaps leaving something to be desired. At times, they were worried she was going to botch the whole thing, but everything had worked out in the end.

Akira marveled at the sight as he and the rest of the phantom thieves hid safely in the corridor leading into the Main Hall. The Shadows were bickering amongst each other, loudly declaring slander against Kamoshida to demanding that he pay them more for their services, and other such things. It almost brought a tear to his eye, really.

This will so piss him off.

"Man, I wish I could see Kamoshida's face." Ryuji said, doing his best to hide his snickers so as to not be heard. "Who do you think he'll be more pissed off at? Us, or his own guards?"

"Hard to say." Akira replied with a cheeky grin. "But this'll get his attention for sure."

"I'm still surprised this worked." Morgana said in all honesty. "Ann-dono really is something."

"Why thank you!" said girl beamed happily. "I guess all those modeling sessions paid off, huh?"

"I wouldn't go that far..." Ryuji muttered under his breath. Makoto didn't say anything, but even she felt that Ann's "acting" skills weren't exactly perfect. Still, neither was about to complain. "Anyway, what do we do once the cap shows up? It'd be a pain if we had to fight him while the other Shadows are around. What if rounds 'em up to his side?"

Makoto folded her arms. "I think we should be more concerned about the Shadows. From what Joker and Panther told us, it seems like he doesn't take disobedience well."

As it turned out – not even a minute later – that Makoto Niijima had been correct. Suddenly, the dissension had been quelled in little more than a second. Black-and-red liquid splattered all across the Main Hall, with several knights slaughtered in the blink of an eye. The phantom thieves were shocked by what they had seen, especially when their eyes caught sight of the culprit.

The Shadow, no doubt the last Captain they needed to defeat, strode forward. Like the red armored knight that had defended Kamoshida on their second visit, it rode atop a horse and was clad in armor, this time without horns and more reminiscent to that of European armor. Baleful yellow eyes glared out from beneath the eyeholes, and in hand was a long trident.

"What…" Ryuji found himself strangled, unable to breathe. "What the fuck?!"

"He killed them..." Ann whispered in horror. "How could he…?!"

"What insolence..." the Captain hissed as his stead let out an angry whine while he swiped his trident, throwing the blood off of the implement. "You dare defy King Kamoshida? And for things so meager..." With a swing of its trident, the remaining stragglers were wiped out and their remains were splattered across the hall. It then directed its attention to the thieves, looking around the room. "You thieves, I know you are responsible for this uprising. Face me, or hide in the shadows like the cowards you are!"

Akira grimaced. "Guess we're found out."

"Then let's give him a greetin'." Ryuji growled, still peeved as they stepped out into the Main Hall. "Yo, asshat! Here we are!"

"Hmph..." the Shadow scoffed, its steed letting out a grunt. "You are foolish to defy King Kamoshida and try to persuade these fools."

"They aren't your slaves!" Ann shouted hotly. "They're people as much as we are!"

"Nonsense. From the moment they set foot in this castle, they were meant to swear themselves to our glorious king! If they fail to meet our expectations, they are cut down where they stand!"

Prisoners, no different than the slaves.

It seemed Ann had the right idea.

Arsene let out a wicked laugh in his heart, mask already burning to embers. "...I guess there's no more reason to talk, then." he said, holding a hand over his face as Arsene manifested behind him, claws seeping with power. "Let's go!"

There was no hesitation. The anger that burned in his heart was fuel for the fire. Akira was now dead set on making sure Kamoshida payed his dues twice over.

TakeYourTime

The past few days had been especially hard on poor Mishima.

Ever since word got around that Ryuji and Akira were going to be expelled and rumors of Makoto Niijima being stripped of her position as Student Council President started to circulate, the school had been in an uproar. Some were happy that the transfer student and trouble child were being tossed out, but others were questioning why Makoto was being targeted. Mishima, of course, knew that the reason why was because she had also been snooping.

Kobayakawa had been flustered by this outcome, though. Once, Mishima had caught the overweight man fruitlessly trying to convince Kamoshida otherwise about the decision, but the volleyball teacher had ultimately won him over, just like all the other times.

That being said, Kamoshida had been unusually irritated all week, in spite of the fact that he had more or less made sure that Akira would never see the light of day again and Ryuji finally kicked out of school. He had been uptight and aggressive, which showed in their gym sessions.

As usual, he was singled out and made Kamoshida's whipping boy. To add insult to injury, Kamoshida called him to his office and beat the ever loving shit out of him. He was now sporting several bruises and a swollen black eye. Nothing a quick trip to the local pharmacy and nurse's office couldn't fix. He was lucky he wasn't suffering from a black eye, that was for sure.

Curiously, though, speaking of Akira, Ryuji and Makoto, the combination had indeed been an odd one. Mishima made sure nobody knew that Akira was staying with the Niijima family, so nobody understood why the Student Council President was hanging around a delinquent. Him hanging around Ryuji was a given, since they both shared a similar history and both hated Kamoshida.

Recently, however, the group had expanded. People have talked about seeing the two troublemakers, Student Council President, and even Ann Takamaki, Kamoshida's object of lust since the school year began hanging out together. A truly odd combination, one that got many people talking.

Mishima himself was curious, but he couldn't approach them. Every time he saw Akira and Ann, he couldn't help but feel shame. The former had no idea why his record was spread, and every time he saw Ann, he was reminded of the day Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself.

Even now, he was still seeing those dead eyes. It got to the point where his parents recommended he start seeing a therapist and take anti-depressant pills.

By now, a week had passed since Kamoshida had declared his intentions. In spite of that, though, Akira and the others were not deterred in the least. If anything, they looked far more determined to make trouble for the bastard. Mishima felt envious and wondered what made them so courageous.

As he walked through the halls, nursing his still swollen cheek, he noticed how several students had gathered in front of the bulletin board.

"What is this? Some kind of prank?"

"You read it, right? It this a joke?"

"What does it mean, anyway? We will take your heart. That sounds kinda lame, don't you think?"

Mishima tilted his head and walked over. There were several red cards posted on the bulletin board. Some of which had a childish design of what appeared to be a demented shark-like grin with eyes peering out beneath a tophat. Others had a message printed on it.

"The Phantom Thieves of Hearts…?"

TO BE CONTINUED...