My gosh! It's been SO long! I am really sorry everyone, but I have been so incredibly busy with work and holidays and a new project I've been mulling over for a while now. Aaaanyway, I did say I'd finish this and I will :) It will just take longer than I had originally planned, so thank you all for sticking around even after my long break :)

Btw, I got a review from a guest asking me if this story could ever see the pairing Akira/Haru: sorry for taking so long to reply, but I couldn't send you a message since you're not a registered member ;) I honestly do not know if I will be able to pair them at this point in the story since it's almost finished, but I could at least try to hint at something (like I did in this chapter).

Sorry for the long AN, now you can go ahead and hopefully enjoy this chapter! ;)

Goro Akechi was still wearing a wide smile on his face after leaving the Niijimas' apartment as he headed to his own place, despite the throbbing pain in his side, though he guessed it could have been worse. Thanks to that weird butterfly, one of his stitches had come off but other than that his wound looked fine. He knew he would be required to pay another visit to the punk doctor who had saved his life to get the wound checked, but for now he could relax for a while. Or so he thought.

In fact, as soon as he arrived in Shibuya a group of teenage girls spotted him from afar, despite him wearing Akira's hoodie which was the total opposite of what he normally wore in public. One of the girls shrieked excitedly and elbowed her friends, pointing at him.

"LOOK, IT'S AKECHI-KUN!" she shouted louder than it was required, causing many other heads to turn in his direction.

The last thing he needed was to be recognized in public now that he knew Shido was after him. After all, he had already tried to kill Tamiko-chan, and he would have surely succeeded had it not been for Igor who had completed the job before him.

And it was right in that moment that the terrible truth struck him: Shido wanted him dead, and he wouldn't stop until the matter had been taken care of. Which meant he would look for him anywhere, including his friends' places, and he knew Shido had all of their names and addresses. The man knew exactly where each one of them lived, where they usually hung out, which school they attended, and their connections. In other words, his friends and their families were in mortal danger because of him.

He needed to take them all to a safe place where Shido couldn't find them. But where?

A flashing light momentarily brought him back to reality, and he realized with horror that many had taken out their phones and had started taking pictures of him. Ignoring the adoring girls' pleas to get a coffee together, Akechi turned the other way and quickly left the crowded square to head to his apartment. Those stupid people would surely post the pictures on the internet, which meant Shido could track him down more easily. Instead of walking the usual streets full of people and shops, Akechi took a shortcut through narrow alleyways with full dumpsters and skinny cats that seemed to be able to see right through him with those sharp, yellow eyes of theirs. When he finally turned the last corner, he sped up and ran toward the shabby, grey block where he had spent the past three years. He mentally cursed when he read the sign "Out of Order" attached to the elevator's doors, and started climbing the stairs up to his floor two steps at a time. When he arrived however, he noticed the door to his apartment was slightly ajar, and he could hear muffled voices from the other side.

"…must be some kind of clues around here. Search thoroughly."

Akechi walked slowly toward the sound of the men's voices as if compelled by them, and he had already extended an arm to open the door…

"Are you out of your mind?"

It took all of his self-control not to scream when someone spoke, loud and clear, in his ear. He instinctively took a step back and stared at a large, blue butterfly which was floating in front of his eyes. "Are you suicidal, perhaps?"

Before Akechi could open his mouth and answer, the butterfly cut him off and spoke again. "There are Shido's men in there. You will want to leave now."

"Can't they hear you?" he whispered, noticing how the butterfly was speaking quite loudly.

"No. Only people who have access to the Metaverse can hear my voice" it explained. "Why did you come here? Get out."

"I need my stuff!" he retorted angrily.

"No, you don't need your stuff. You can borrow Akira Kurusu's clothes, and you definitely don't need those stupid games…"

"This is my home!"

"Not anymore!"

Those two simple words were enough to leave him speechless: how much had he lost because of Shido? First his mother, and consequently his only family, then Tamiko, then his freedom and now he didn't even have a place to live anymore…

"Listen…" the butterfly said more softly, as if reading his mind. But he never got to hear what it was about to tell him, for it was interrupted by the sound of two new voices coming from downstairs. Whoever that was, they were getting closer. And they didn't sound like normal neighbors.

"…the boss wants that kid dead, anyway? Seems pretty harmless to me."

"Don't question his decisions, Tengo-san. Just do as he says."

Neither Akechi or the blue butterfly managed to react quickly enough: two large men in black suits stopped on the last step and looked at Akechi- apparently unable to see his tiny companion flying above his right shoulder-, their mouths open in a comical "O" before one of them, the slimmest and yet deadliest-looking one, extracted a heavy-looking gun and pointed it at him, shouting, "He's right here everyone!"

"Oh shit!" was Akechi's comment as his legs moved automatically to his right and the boy dashed madly upstairs, the blue butterfly flapping its wings as fast as it could to keep up with him.

"Where are you going?!" the insect asked him.

"Roof. Dunno" he panted as he kept climbing, too scared to turn to look if his chasers were close or not.

Despite the shouting and the vibration of feet stomping onto the floor, no one opened their doors to check what was happening. Akechi imagined everyone knew someone was in trouble, but decided that their lives were much more valuable than their curiosity.

When the boy reached the last floor, which was completely empty apart from a dark grey door at the end of the hallway, he could only hope no one had locked it because he didn't have time to retrieve the keys from his jeans pocket.

He didn't stop running when he reached the door, quickly placing one hand on the handle and turning it, and slamming his shoulder against the cold metal to force it open. He emerged onto the rooftop where he had never been before. Judging by how dirty the entire place looked, he guessed not many of his neighbors came there often either. A hissing sound went right past his right ear, and Akechi quickly turned to look at one of the men in a suit pointing a gun at him.

"Those bastards are not joking, are they?! They even got a silencer!" he said shocked.

"Are you going to stay here and find out or what?" the butterfly pressed.

"Where am I supposed to go?!" he asked then, moving his head left and right to try and find an escape route.

"I don't know, just do something!"

"You're of great help" Akechi commented sourly before picking a random direction and running toward the edge of the roof. "It was NOT nice to meet you!" the boy exclaimed before jumping without thinking.

He wanted to die without the need to see the ground getting closer and closer before splatting himself there, but for some reason he couldn't keep his eyes shut. He felt gravity pulling him down, bullets missing him by a few inches, and a girlish voice ringing in his ears. Out of pure instincts, he reached out and grabbed onto a large satellite dish standing proudly by the edge of the neighboring building's roof. The object, however, snapped under his weight and Akechi felt his body hanging for just a second before falling down again.

"Craaaaaaap!"

Still holding a solid grip onto the only thing in his line of sight, the boy watched powerlessly as the wide dish fell down with him, before slamming onto a thick billboard which had been placed right between the two buildings, poising on it and then losing its balance again. Akechi never let go of the dish until it finally crashed to the ground with a deafening sound.

"Are you alright?"

"After falling from the eighth floor and a satellite dish as parachute? Never been better, really" Akechi replied ironically as he massaged his back.

"You're lucky you survived. You did something very brave. Or very stupid" the butterfly said, seemingly very impressed.

"Well yeah, you know. I wasn't really thinking. By the way…" Akechi stopped for a moment to observe the insect's reaction, a tiny smirk appearing on his face as adrenaline kicked in. "Can you believe that, if I had died there, my last word spoken would have been "crap"? Looks like swearwords are most people's famous last words after all."

"Yes, at least people who die in horrible accidents" the butterfly commented, and they both laughed, still unable to believe they had avoided certain death once again.

Their brief moment of piece was quickly interrupted by the arrival of a shiny Tesla pulling off and revealing more men in black. Akechi forced his tired legs to move hastily and began running again, choosing the most complicated way to go back to Shibuya in the hope to leave his chasers behind. He doubted they would follow him to an open and crowded square and execute him in front of hundreds of people. Besides, there must be a reason why they used silencers: they most likely didn't want to make their actions known publicly also to avoid to let people know the great Masayoshi Shido was behind it all.

And so he kept running desperately, turning every time he had the opportunity to, so that it would be much more difficult for those men to aim at him steadily. When he finally emerged into a street full of people, he knew he had made it: he pressed his hands against his sides and bended over, trying to catch his breath and ignoring the people's curious stares. He was getting used to that, anyway. He turned to glance behind his back but there was no sign of his chasers, though Akechi doubted they would give up so easily.

"What do we do now?" the butterfly asked, and Akechi snorted with a tiny smirk.

"What do I do, you mean. You don't need to worry about a thing since you are invisible in this world, and that Igor guy cannot sense your presence in the Metaverse."

"I am trying to help you here" the girlish voice remarked sourly.

"Not really doing a good job there, I'm afraid" Akechi scoffed, and the butterfly fluttered its wings as it was its customs when it was irritated. "Well then, Goro Akechi: aren't you forgetting something very important?"

Akechi raised a brow at the insect and eyed it blankly. "Like what?"

"Like Okumura-san. I heard Tamiko-chan's family will soon head to her place to collect her belongings before the funeral. What do you think they will say when they see she has been hosting someone who's supposed to be dead?"

"Holy shit, you're right" Akechi ran a hand through his hair, looking nervous. "Do you know when they're coming?"

"No, they weren't sure. But they did mention sometime before the funeral, which is to be held tomorrow at 6 PM. So it may be later today or tomorrow morning" the butterfly replied.

Akechi seemed to be thinking hard before speaking again. "Alright then, let's stop by Tamiko's apartment."

The truth was that he really didn't want to return to that place, because he didn't want to recall all the moments he had spent with Tamiko-chan. It still hurt like hell to think she had died because of him. Because she had accepted to help him. Because he had gone to her place, messed up her peaceful and promising life in order to save himself, and ended up getting her killed. He was responsible for her death, and he wasn't sure he was ready to visit her apartment again. But the butterfly was right, too: he simply couldn't leave Okumura to his fate there, risking the entire world to find out he was still alive. At least, not yet. That would ruin everything.

So he stuffed his hands in his pockets and began walking to Tamiko's old apartment, trying as much as possible to get distracted by the sight of couples holding hands, and thinking that, despite it all, he still had friends and Makoto…

"About that, congratulations. You finally made it!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop reading my mind?!" Akechi exclaimed louder than intended, causing many people around him to glance at him: some looked scared, other confused and other sad. He guessed they all thought he was completely crazy for talking to himself like that. "And now you make me sound like I just escaped a sanatorium!"

"Then lower your voice" the insect retorted nonchalantly, though he guessed it would be smirking if it could.

"How about you stop talking to me, eh Cho-Cho-chan?" Akechi replied, and smirked widely when he heard the girlish voice exclaim a "What?!"

"What did you call me just now?" it said angrily, and Akechi chuckled.

"Cho-Cho-chan. Fits you like a glove" he answered without turning to look at it. "I mean, I just had to give you a name since you don't seem to be willing to leave me alone."

"Alright, fine!" it said sourly. "But only until I get my memories back!"

"Sure thing."

Soon though, his sense of humor abandoned him when he was in the proximity of Tamiko's apartment, and his bad mood came back. Cho-Cho-chan seemed to understand what he was feeling for it went to rest gently on his shoulder, allowing him to carry it all the way up to his former friend's place. Akechi still had his copy of the keys which he used to unlock the door, finding it exactly the same way he had left it that dreadful day. His eyes instantly fell on the note he had left her before going out to meet Shido, and he noticed how the girl had put the piece of paper on top of a few others he had written before, as his way to inform her of where he was going when she was not at home. His heart ached at the thought of Tamiko storing all of his notes- which he had scribbled without paying too much attention or caring to write more than a few lines- as a keepsake…

"It wasn't your fault…" Cho-Cho-chan said sadly. "She knew how you felt about her. And she knew the risks when she accepted to help you."

"Right. Too bad I was the one approaching her first and asked her. If I hadn't, she'd still be alive, and probably become the best journalist Japan has ever had…" he retorted, unable to control his anger. He wanted to leave the damn place behind, where her perfume still lingered in the air. He could see from the living-room that on the kitchen counter there lied a thick steak which was starting to rot, and he guessed Tamiko was planning on cooking something special for him after delivering the letter to Akira. Everything in the apartment had been left with the intention of returning and finishing what had been started. Everything showed Tamiko-chan was expecting to return home and go on with her everyday life. But she never made it back.

The air felt very thick and almost tangible, and Akechi couldn't help but think something in that apartment felt "suspended", as if waiting for someone to continue from where they had left off. Like pausing in a videogame.

"Akechi-kun" Cho-Cho-chan whispered gently. "We should make haste."

He nodded without saying a word and, after collecting the notes he had written and removing every traces of him ever being there –his vast experience working side by side with the police helping him in the process-, he moved to the kitchen, instantly spotting Okumura still lying in his cot as always. He seemed to be the only thing in the apartment that hadn't changed a bit, and the boy found himself eyeing the sleeping man wishing he could fall in a dreamless slumber too.

He sighed loudly and took out his phone. He hadn't been thinking about it, but now it felt natural, as if he had known all along. He knew exactly where to take Okumura.

He unlocked the screen and swiped his finger across it, then tapped on the eyeball.

He heard a thud, then watched as the world around him shifted: the walls in Tamiko's kitchen melted away, before rising up again with different shapes and colors. And so did the floor, and the ceiling and all of the surroundings until Akechi found himself standing inside Mementos. Okumura was lying at his feet, and Cho-Cho-chan was still resting on his shoulder.

"You know what?" it said. "You should become a real detective once this is all over. You've really got what it takes."

And, despite the emptiness and guilt he felt, Akechi couldn't help but smile weakly.

"You two what?!"

Ann Takamaki was listening intently to her friend Makoto while the two girls sipped hot cocoa in a crowded café in Shibuya. The dark-haired girl giggled softly at her friend's impressed face. "You heard correctly."

"And who made the first move?" Ann asked. "He did" Makoto answered and took a sip of her cocoa.

"Freakin' finally!" Ann sighed contently, genuinely happy for her friend. She then observed her for a moment before continuing. "It's really nice to see you happy again, Mako-chan. You deserve it."

"Thank you, but so does he."

"Right" Ann mumbled. "He has been through a lot himself, hasn't he? And hearing about Tamiko-chan was horrible…"

"Yes, poor girl…" Mako shook her head and scowled. "And to think I was jealous of her…"

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known…" Ann grasped her hand, squeezing gently until the other girl smiled weakly.

"Though, I've been thinking…" Ann broke the silence after a short while, during which the two girls simply sipped their hot chocolates and stared out the window. "What do you think it's going to happen once Shido has been taken down? He will confess everything, and Akechi-kun's name will most definitely be mentioned…"

"I know, I've been thinking about that too" Makoto replied and bit her lower lip. It was the truth: ever since the boy had showed up at her place and left after a session of cuddles and kisses, she had been thinking about their future. And particularly his. "Honestly, I do not have an answer. After all, Goro is a victim himself due to the sufferings he has endured since childhood, and what with a father like Shido…" Makoto made sure to lower her voice as she spoke. Then she exhaled loudly. "But the fact he has indeed caused the deaths of so many people remains, and the police surely won't believe the fact he is a Knight of Justice that kills people's Shadows in an alternate world. And my sister won't be able to help this time… and I am so afraid, Ann…"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up" Ann apologized. "I'm sure we will find a way. We always do."

"I sure hope so" Makoto replied sadly. "For Ann, I don't know what I'd do if I lost him again…"

"Have you ever been here before?" Akechi asked Cho-Cho-chan, the butterfly promptly replying with a "no, never".

"Mhm… it feels like something's missing, here…" Akechi muttered, mostly to himself as he scanned his surroundings. Then it became clear. "Of course! Those two annoying twins are gone!"

"Huh?" Cho-Cho-chan flapped its wings and began dancing around his head. "Who?"

"Those two… Caroline and Justine. They always stand over there, ready to kick you in the shin and teleport you to the Velvet Room…" Akechi explained. Though he couldn't see its expression, the boy felt Cho-Cho-chan's mood darkening. "I see… That reminds me of something terribly familiar, but I cannot recall what… I guess that impostor is planning something if he is hiding from you."

"It's definitely strange. A door to the Velvet Room is always available to Wild Cards like me and Akira whenever we come to the Metaverse, so I am quite surprised it is not here now. It must be as you say. Maybe Igor is getting ready."

"Mhm…" the butterfly hummed, obviously deep in thought, but it didn't add anything else.

"It's getting late. I should probably warn the others Shido is after me, which means they are in danger too" Akechi announced after checking the time on his phone. "Okumura-san should be safe for now. Or at least I hope…"

"Safer than in the real world" Cho-Cho-chan chimed in, and Akechi nodded before returning back to Tamiko's apartment.

The two companions glanced around the room nervously, making sure no one else was there. Once ascertained they were alone, Akechi ran to the door and opened it to leave Tamiko's small flat for the last time, without looking back. He might spot something, anything that would remind him of a particular episode spent with the girl, and his mood would darken even more. Instead, he focused on the task ahead: sending a message to the Phantom Thieves asking them to gather their necessities and- if required- loved ones, and meet at LeBlanc. Then he would quickly update them all and convince them to move to the Metaverse. At least until Shido was dealt with.

He sent the message when he was in the train to Yongen-Jaya, most of his friends replying with a confused "Why?" It was particularly tough to convince Yusuke, since the boy was apparently in one of his inspirational moments and would stubbornly refuse to meet at the designated spot. When Akechi was forced to write it was a life-or-death situation, he finally agreed, though he claimed to be rewarded with fresh sashimi.

One hour later, Akechi was opening the door to LeBlanc where he immediately spotted his friends and- his heart gave a small kick- Makoto sat at the table closest to the entrance. No one else was occupying the other seats, though Akechi did notice that Sae-san and Sakura-san were engaged in a hushed conversation by the counter. They both looked puzzled and worried.

"Goro, what's going on?" Akira immediately asked him.

"Yeah, why the emergency meeting?" Ryuji chimed in.

"And why did you tell us to bring our families?" Futaba interjected, lifting a brow at him. Akechi looked from each one of his friends to Sae-san and Sakura-san, then back at them. "Right. We're in trouble."

"When aren't we?" Ryuji smirked and then chuckled softly, then groaning in pain when Ann elbowed him in the side.

"I suppose I can speak freely since both Sae-san and Sakura-san here know about our true identities. Shido is after me and, consequently, after you guys too, judging by what he did to Tamiko…" Akechi paused for a moment with a sad expression, then he forced himself to shake it off and continue. "He's got intelligence spying on you all, so I am afraid your families are in danger, too."

"That Masayoshi Shido…" Sae-san commented angrily. "Sounds familiar" Sakura-san was massaging his chin as he thought hard. "Isn't he that famous politician everyone is praising? The one who's going to win the elections?"

"...and my father" Akechi added nonchalantly, earning a long gasp from the man in front of him.

"Wait a minute" Sakura-san was staring at him with a shocked expression. "You… you are Masayoshi Shido's son?! How come that the media never found out? You are famous, after all. And why do you use Akechi as your last name?"

"Slow down, Sojiro" Futaba smirked, though there was no real amusement in her eyes. "One question at a time."

"Right" Akechi nodded and took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, he is my biological father, but he abandoned my mother when she was still pregnant. After giving birth to me, she took her own life out of shame and desperation, so I grew up in orphanages, changing foster families all the time. And since Shido never bothered to look for me, or even recognize me as his legitimate son, I took my mother's last name and never revealed who I really was to him. Up to this day, after working closely with him, I never told him. Which is why the media never discovered this particular aspect of my life. Whenever I was asked, I simply stated I never met my father, so they stopped questioning me about it."

Akechi paused to let the information sink in, observing Sakura-san's kind face as the man processed the news. He turned his head when he heard a small sob, and was quite surprised himself to see Sae-san was listening as intently, a few tears wetting her cheeks. "Akechi-kun, I had no idea…"

He simply nodded, his lips forming a tight line. Sae-san knew about what he had done, but she had yet to hear his childhood story, and consequently the reason why he had done those things. When he guessed the man was ready, Akechi continued. "I know Akira has told you everything about me. The terrible things I've done… I know I cannot undo them, and I will eventually pay for my crimes." He stopped to glance at Makoto, who was struggling to look back at him. "However, I wanted to say how much I appreciate what you've done for me: despite it all, you took me in more than once, gave me a shelter and food and never spoken a word about me to anyone. For that, I thank you sincerely." Akechi bowed to show how much he respected and appreciated the man's kindness, leaving him baffled and blushing. "Come on, kiddo, it was nothing!"

"However, I must ask one more thing of you, probably the greatest" Akechi sighed and then looked straight into his eye. "You are to leave LeBlanc, at least until we have dealt with Shido once and for all, and go into hiding together with Sae-san."

"What?!" Sae looked outraged. "I can't leave my work behind!"

"I knew you'd say it" Akechi smirked. "But with all due respect, allow me to tell you that your job is not your highest priority right now. I know how much you care for it, but a dead sister wouldn't be of any help to Makoto."

Sae reeled her head back and lifted her chin, processing what he had just said. Despite her defying expression, she must agree with him for she nodded without another word.

"I didn't bring anyone" Ryuji broke the silence after a while. "My mother is out of Japan to visit her father. He doesn't live here at the moment, because he is being treated in Singapore in a highly-specialized hospital or whatever to treat his lungs condition. She should be safe."

"And my father is somewhere safe, isn't he Akechi-kun?" Haru asked him worriedly, and the boy gave her a short nod and a smile. She smiled back, telling him with her eyes she fully trusted him.

"My parents are somewhere in Ohio right now" Ann said cheerfully. "I don't think Shido would bother to look for them there, and even if they did, they change location all the time."

"Sojiro is here with us" Futaba commented simply.

"And I don't have anyone but you guys" Yusuke smiled, looking like he didn't have a care in the world and apparently not realizing how much his friends cringed at his words.

"Same here" Morgana shrugged.

"And my family is on a business trip in South Korea. How convenient, right? So, it's settled" Akira clapped his hands and looked at the others. "Where's this safe haven, Goro?"

"Why" Akechi smirked. "Mementos, of course."

It took a lot of effort for Makoto to convince her elder sister to pack a bag with only the necessary things, and leave behind her large collection of outfits and make-up because "you won't be living there for the rest of your life".

On the contrary, Sojiro Sakura showed up twenty minutes later at LeBlanc with a backpack and a stoic expression. However, it was with great sadness he locked the front door and, with one last glance behind at his beloved café, he followed the eight teenagers and the black cat. They didn't walk long, stopping outside the shabby clinic and waited until Makoto and Sae joined them after taking the subway.

"Well, there's not much else to say" Akechi shrugged before taking out his phone. He could feel both Sae-san's and Sakura-san's curious stares, but the boy ignored them and tapped on the eyeball as usual after making sure they were the only ones in the dark alleyway. Sae and Sojiro took a step back as soon as they noticed the world around them shifting, an expression of pure horror on their faces but they didn't dare speak a word.

When the shifting was complete and the teenagers and the cat started moving around, both Sae and Sojiro let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding. "Holy moly" Sakura-san commented as he looked around "what is this place?"

"Is it here you come when you… ehm, change people's hearts?" Sae added, lifting a brow when she saw the teenagers' clothes change into their Thief outfits. She and Sojiro seemed particularly interested in Morgana, whose head had grown three times its original size.

"Yes" Makoto answered "Though this is only a very large, dark territory crawling with lesser Shadows. The real villains have their own 'Palaces', which are places their distorted desires have created, and where their Shadow selves reside…"

"Spare me the details, little sis. Even though it sounds very interesting, I don't understand a word you say" Sae commented, making the others chuckle lightly. "This place is creepy, though! And you say there are Shadows wandering around?"

"Yes, but for some reason they can't come up here" Akira reassured, though neither Sae or Sojiro looked at ease. "How can you be so sure?" the man asked.

"Because we have tested it many times. I mean, not even the Reaper ever came up here, right?" Ryuji chirped, causing the others to pale at the memory of a crazed Reaper.

"The… the Reaper?!" Sojiro was regretting the decision of moving to that unsettling place more and more by the moment, and wasn't even trying to hide his discomfort anymore.

"C'mon Sojiro" Futaba nudged him in the side playfully "You're safe here, and we're not letting you get hurt!"

"Akechi-kun…" a very shy voice spoke next and, when everyone turned towad the source of the sound, Haru could be seen shrinking under everybody's intense gaze. "Ehm I.. I was just wondering if… my f-father was here?"

Akechi smiled kindly and nodded, walking toward a dark corner where, after paying enough attention, they could all see a pair of legs sticking out of a warm-looking cover. When they all got closer to the person lying on the floor, they realized it was Okumura-san after all. Warm tears started running down Haru's cheeks, who couldn't take her eyes off her asleep father. She knew he wasn't really sleeping, more like in a sort of coma, but he looked so peaceful now, more than she had ever seen him in all her life ever since her mother passed away. Akira moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his chest. The gesture only made the girl sob slightly louder into Akira's shirt, not caring that ten more people were watching her. Akira kept whispering soothing words into her ear, and they eventually seemed to work for the girl wiped her tears away and smiled weakly. "I am sorry" she said shyly, still sniffing now and then "I am such a weak girl…"

"Don't ever say that!" Ann almost yelled at her friend "You're one of the kindest and bravest persons I have ever had the fortune to meet." Haru watched as every single one of her friends nodded with a large, encouraging smile and she eventually returned it. "Thank you all so much!"

"You shouldn't probably thank me" Akechi said apologetically as he dropped his head in shame. "I am the one who did this to your dad, Haru-chan…"

Haru simply shook her head and then gave him one of her rare, though highly effective determined glances. "You might have done this, it is true, but it was to save his life and ours. I cannot imagine how tough it must have been for you, Akechi-kun."

"I will bring your father back to you" Akechi said with a short nod of his head. "I promise."

It took a couple of days until they were all settled inside Mementos, during which neither Akira or Akechi spotted Caroline and Justine. The two teenagers were discussing the circumstances as Yusuke positioned his canvas at the center of the room with a satisfied look on his face. Sojiro looked annoyed after being prohibited to smoke whenever the teenagers were around –which happened quite often- and Sae was desperately trying to make the place cleaner and "look more like home", as she liked to say. Haru would often kneel down by her father and make sure he was comfortable, often whispering something into his ear because she was convinced he could hear her despite his comatose state. Ann and Ryuji were fighting loudly over the fact that the blond boy wanted to find a way to make his TV and Playstation work in the Metaverse, while the other was trying to talk some sense into him.

"You just can't, Ryuji! There's no power in here!" Ann was saying, but Ryuji would retort with a "How do you know? We never tried!"

"Do you even see any power outlets around here?!"

Morgana was rolling his eyes as he licked his paws, while Futaba took her laptop and positioned herself next to Yusuke with a sly grin, coming up with provoking comments to annoy him on purpose. "All I need to do is go back to the real world, charge my baby quickly and come back here" she said proudly to Makoto, as the dark-haired girl passed by her to put down the bags with groceries.

"Isn't that dangerous, though?" Yusuke finally put down his brush to give Futaba a worried look. "Shido's men might be there waiting for us, for all we know and you risk your life for a computer?"

"Are you concerned about my safety, Inari?!" Futaba mocked.

Yusuke elegantly ignored her and returned to his painting, causing Futaba to snicker even more.

"This is all I could buy that doesn't require cooking. Tomorrow we're buying a portable grill" she announced happily, but Sae simply scoffed. "I need a correct and balanced diet to keep myself in shape."

"Then I can go back to the real world and cook something for you" Makoto replied, waving her hand carelessly and causing Sae to widen her eyes in fear. "Are you crazy? I won't allow you to risk your life because of my diet!"

"Then you will have to do with what you've got" Makoto shrugged. "However, we are eventually going back. We need to stop Shido. He is the reason why you're here in the first place."

Sae opened her mouth to retort angrily, but Makoto cut her off. "Sis, you promised."

The elder girl closed her mouth with a resigned expression, though her eyes told otherwise. When Akechi came over to help Makoto with sorting the groceries, the girl smiled a toothy smile. "Hey there, stranger."

"Stranger? Shall I introduce myself and charm you all over again?" Akechi joked and Makoto giggled and punched him lightly on the arm. As they worked in silence, Makoto felt Akechi's intense gaze on her, and knew he needed to tell her something.

"Listen, I-" he paused as he thought, sorrow written all over his face. "I just heard the police have closed Tamiko-chan's case as a yakuza casualty…"

"What? But it's not true! It was Shido's fault!" Makoto protested outraged, but Akechi simply shook his head, though he was as disappointed as her. "I know, though technically it was Igor who killed her." Akechi stopped for a few seconds and clutched his hands. "But I wanted to tell you I am attending her funeral."

"What?" Makoto widened her eyes. "But you can't! Shido is after you, he will know you're going to be there!"

"I know" Akechi nodded seriously "which is why I am not going to introduce myself at the actual service. I will hide somewhere until it's finished, and then I am paying my respects and leave."

Makoto didn't know that to tell him: a part of her really didn't want him to go because she was extremely scared Shido would find him, but the other part of her knew there was no stopping him and it was only right he went. She ended up nodding in defeat, and he smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Thanks for understanding" he whispered, before standing up and heading toward the exit.

It was heart-breaking to say the least. Tamiko-chan's family and friends looked devastated, but her mother in particular couldn't stop crying and sobbing desperately, trying to find some sort of comfort in her husband's arms. Akechi couldn't stand the thought of having caused so much pain to all those people, who had nothing to do with him or the circumstances he was in. He couldn't stop thinking that he was the reason why Tamiko-chan would never come back to her family, to her crying mother.

He considered leaving multiple times as he hid behind a large cherry tree, away from everyone's eyes, but he realized it was not right. He couldn't run away like a coward because he deserved to suffer along with the others, because he was responsible. And because it was only right he stayed. For Tamiko.

He patiently waited until the ceremony was over, and watched as every family member and friend paid their respects and left a gift for the late girl. When the last person had left, Akechi observed quietly as Tamiko's father literally had to drag his wife from their daughter's tombstone. The car door closed and the vehicle soon sped up and was out of his line of sight. Only then did the brown-haired boy come out of his hideout, took a careful look around to make sure no one else was there with him, and slowly approached the site as if there were some kind of repelling spell surrounding it. He forced his legs to move forward until he was facing the large stone with Tamiko's name on it. He didn't have much to offer at this point, because an apology would be utterly unnecessary. And so, he picked up some wild flowers and stuffed a hand in his pocket, where he retrieved all the notes he had written and that she had kept. He placed the flowers on the tombstone, then put the notes in an envelope he had previously bought, sealed it and buried it beside the tombstone. He stood there for a while, in silence, reading her name on the stone until it lost its meaning, and then he left without a word, for no word could ever truly express his sorrow.

Sorry for the lack of fluff between Mako and Goro in this chapter, though I did try to include a scene or two :) But I had to re-read all the previous chapters because it's been so long I almost forgot where we were in the story :O And I felt like I just needed to post a new chapter soon, so thank you again for your patience and for reading!

P.S. I will try my very best and publish a new chapter before the end of the world, I promise! :D