WARNING: Has late-story spoilers. This oneshot expects you to have read up to Chapter 44 of Ace in the Hole
The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.
Ken stifled yet another yawn as he continued to pace in front of the television set. Koromaru sat on the floor, but his eyes followed Ken every moment.
Ken sighed before rubbing at his eyes.
It had been such a long day. First Akechi had decided to show up. Ken's first reaction had been to be confused. Why was Akechi here? And how did he even find where Ken had lived?
Then Akechi had to open his mouth…
Ken shut his eyes, trying to push the image of Akechi's almost maniac expression—the way his eyes gleamed with fervor—as he explained to Ken that he had been working for Shido all for the sake of revenge.
It was like looking at a distorted mirror. Ken couldn't help but think of a scenario where he had never come across Akihiko-san and Shinjiro-san's discussion, and so let his bitterness consume him.
Ken shook his head. Makoto hadn't dragged him to LeBlanc for that talk with everyone for him to wallow about this. He was just staying up to wait for Shinjiro-san to get back from work.
It felt wrong to wait any longer.
It was nearly 2:00 AM though… Ken sat down on the couch. Koromaru scrambled up to him, resting his head on Ken's lap. Ken chuckled softly before stroking the top of the shiba inu's head.
"Shinjiro-san sure is taking his sweet time tonight, isn't he?" Ken asked.
Koromaru just let out a little bark before snuggling closer to Ken. He sighed. Well… dogs did need more sleep than humans did. It was no surprise that Koromaru was tired.
Ken absentmindedly stroked Koromaru's fur as Koromaru drifted to slumber. Eventually, his eyelids started to grow heavier and heavier…
"What a night…" Shinjiro griped to himself as he trudged out of the elevator.
He normally liked his job, he really did. But damn, there were some nights that were rough. Especially when certain people got drunk and did something stupid. He really couldn't wait to shower and head to bed.
He pulled out his key and carefully unlocked it. He twisted the knob slowly to ease the door open and slipped inside so he wouldn't wake up Ken.
But he wasn't expecting the light to be still on.
"What the…?" he questioned. "Ken better not be up studying—"
He stopped short as his eyes fell on Ken slumped on the couch, with Koromaru sleeping on his lap. Shinjiro couldn't help but feel confused. Ken wasn't normally the type to fall asleep while watching a show—that was more Iori's forte—so why the hell had he fallen asleep on the couch? He didn't even have any books spread around him.
Wait… the TV wasn't even on. Then why was Ken just sleeping on the couch?
Shinjiro just shook his head. It wasn't important why he had fallen asleep on the couch. But he had to get Ken up. He'd have a serious crick in his neck if he'd keep sleeping like that. And it wasn't like he could carry Ken to bed like he could when Ken was still shorter than the girls.
He walked up to Ken, bending down and poking Ken's side. Ken was ticklish so the best way to wake him up was to poke him near the ribs.
"Ken, wake up," he hissed.
After only a few pokes, Ken's face suddenly scrunched up and his eyes fluttered open.
"Wha—" Ken suddenly gasped. "Shinjiro-san!"
Shinjiro snorted before straightening up. "Yeah, it's me. What were you doing, sleeping on the couch?"
"I didn't mean to—I was trying to wait for you to get back," Ken mumbled out as he rubbed at his eyes, his voice still a little groggy from sleep.
Shinjiro couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. That was weird. Ken had never waited up for him like this. Not that he wanted to, when he worked so late. Ken should be getting his rest.
"What's so damn important that you're making yourself stay up? Couldn't it wait until morning?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"It's important!" Ken said indignantly before he gave a little frown; then he pursed his lips together.
He suddenly looked really nervous.
"Um… well you see… Akechi came to see me earlier today," he said awkwardly.
What…?
"Goro Akechi?" he asked.
Ken scowled up at him before a small pout appeared on his face. "Yes, that Akechi. Who else would it be?"
His expression suddenly grew somber.
"Did he hurt you?" Shinjiro demanded as anger suddenly surged through him. "Threaten you?"
"No, it's just…" Ken trailed off for a moment before he slowly inhaled. "Shinjiro-san… he came here for a purpose."
Ken then bit his lip before meeting Shinjiro's eyes.
"Shido wasn't lying. Akechi is my cousin."
Shinjiro opened his mouth, but Ken shook his head.
"Akechi told me a lot. Our moms were sisters." A bitter smile suddenly filled Ken's face. "You've seen pictures of Mom. Her eyes are the same color as Akechi's."
Shinjiro wanted to argue that while red wasn't the most common eye color, it wasn't rare either. Ken and Akechi's hair weren't even the same shade of brown. Ken's hair was several shades lighter.
"Ken—" Shinjiro began, intent on reassuring his ward but Ken cut him off.
"He told me about the one time we met when we were five, after my grandparents on Mom's side died. It jogged my memory." Ken folded his arms over his chest. "That did happen. I remember sitting on the hotel room's bed, watching Neo Feathermen with him."
Ken couldn't help but falter.
"Um… he told me something that might shock you…" he said slowly.
"You just told me that he's barged into our apartment just to tell you that you're his cousin. Try me," Shinjiro-san challenged.
Ken blew his bangs out of his face, but he still looked conflicted.
"Uh well… Akechi is Shido's bastard son," Ken finally said.
"Well… wasn't expecting that," Shinjiro thought to himself.
But Akechi was Shido's bastard child, huh? Then something occurred to Shinjiro.
"Hang on. He's been helping Shido, right? Why the fuck would he help his old man if Shido abandoned him and his mom in the past?" Shinjiro demanded.
Ken picked at a stray thread of his sleeve, suddenly looking a lot more nervous. Then he finally raised his head, meeting Shinjiro's eyes.
"Revenge. And he wanted to rope me into it," Ken said quietly.
Shinjiro-san groaned, rubbing at his face. Of fucking course.
Akechi must've been fucked up after losing his mom. Though that didn't justify aiding Shido just for the sake of revenge. Not with other people's lives at stake.
But… revenge? Ken had met his aunt like… once. Why did Akechi just assume that he'd want revenge against Shido for that? It'd make more sense if Akechi went for how Shido's men kidnapped Ken.
Unless… Akechi was actually oblivious to that Shido's men had kidnapped Ken. But that was nearly impossible.
It had occurred to Shinjiro before that Akechi had known about the plan to kidnap Ken but he never voiced it. It would just upset everyone in the long run.
But then Ken spoke again.
"It was like seeing how I acted seven years ago," Ken suddenly said, his voice hollow.
His eyes had a haunted look to him, his fingers curling into Koromaru's fur.
"Don't beat yourself up about this, Ken," Shinjiro scolded. "You made the choice to give up on revenge. Akechi is clinging to it. You can't beat yourself up for something that happened seven years ago."
"I know, I know," Ken sighed, his eyes lowering to the ground. "Makoto and the others told me the same thing."
"So, you told them already, huh?" Shinjiro crossed his arms over his chest. "Why didn't you come find me at Crossroads after what happened, then?"
"Didn't want to bother you…" Ken mumbled out, his voice barely above a whisper as he raised his head.
Shinjiro grumbled to himself. He should've figured it was something like that. But Ken was already looking down enough. He'd let it go… this time.
Shinjiro said finally, "You're not a bother, Ken. But it's good that you're telling me now."
"Mm-hm." Ken seemed distracted for whatever reason, his eyes growing distant.
Shinjiro narrowed his eyes. Was Ken trying to hide something else from him?
"Though um, Shinjiro-san…" Ken suddenly said. "There's something you need to know… he knows about what happened that night."
Ken didn't have to clarify. Shinjiro immediately understood what he meant.
"How the fuck…" Shinjiro trailed off as the realization hit him.
Shido. Of fucking course. Akechi must've gained access through them. That also explained how Akechi was able to find Ken, he assumed. He must've gotten ahold of Ken's personal info.
Shinjiro took a deep breath; getting pissed about this wouldn't help, especially when Ken already felt so bad.
"Are you okay?"
A bitter smile suddenly pulled at Ken's lips. "Define okay."
Shinjiro's heart gave a pang at that.
Shinjiro hated to bring it up but… the others needed to be told.
Shinjiro slowly inhaled before looking to Ken. "Since you already told your friends… when are we telling everyone on Port Island?"
Ken flinched at that. "I… I don't know…"
He sighed, his expression growing pensive.
"I… I guess it's best to tell them as soon as possible." Then he bit his lip before hesitantly looking to Shinjiro. "But um, Shinjiro-san… can you be there for the call too?"
Shinjiro huffed. "Dumbass. Of course, I'm gonna be there."
Ken was nervous for nearly the entire day. He texted the group chat with his senpai about telling them something important. He was spammed by demands about what was wrong; they jumped to the conclusion that something had gone wrong with the operation already.
They only quit it when Shinjiro-san told them to knock it off and to wait until the video call. It was a relief. He was already nervous about telling them the truth.
Akechi had aided Shido. And Shido was the reason why the Shadow Operatives had hit so many troubles. He was honestly dreading to see how they'd react…
He was fairly confident that they wouldn't shun him for this but…
Koromaru suddenly jumped into Ken's lap, yanking him out of his thoughts. The shiba inu then let out a bark before licking Ken's cheek.
Ken couldn't help but chuckle before he petted Koromaru on the head. "Are you telling me not to worry?"
"I could've told you that," Shinjiro-san suddenly said, glancing up at the two of them.
Shinjiro-san was fiddling with the computer and wires for the video call, like how they had done with his friends when they called Mitsuru-san. But then his expression softened.
He asked, "Are you ready?"
Ken sighed, watching Koromaru drop back down to all fours before the shiba inu wandered off.
"As ready as I'll be, I guess," he said quietly.
Shinjiro-san just nodded before starting the call. Ken's heart thudded in his chest as the call rang.
Yukari-san picked up first—she had gone back to wrapping up her job, though with Kiyomi's early birth Ken suspected that she was in even more of a hurry to wrap things up. Akihiko-san and Minako-san were probably really exhausted from taking care of Kiyomi, who needed their full attention, as well as watching over the twins.
Yukari-san looked like she was ready to demand what's going on when Junpei-san joined the call. Then it was Akihiko-san and Minako-san, then Fuuka-san, and lastly Mitsuru-san and Aigis-san.
"Damn, you look like crap, Aki," Shinjiro-san suddenly said.
Akihiko-san immediately puffed up in anger. "Shut up, Shinji! You try taking care of a newborn baby!"
Well, Ken had to admit that Akihiko-san was looking a little… haggard. Minako-san looked just as tired, too. Newborn babies really did take a lot of you, so it wasn't a surprise.
"I've been looking after you all these years, haven't I?" snarked Shinjiro-san.
Akihiko-san looked like he wanted to retort but Mitsuru-san just gave him an imperious stare.
"Enough, Akihiko. And Shinjiro, stop egging him on."
"Hmph…" Akihiko grumbled under his breath, making Minako-san giggle in response.
"But um, Ken-kun…" Fuuka-san said gently. "What's the matter? What was so important that you had to talk to us all the sudden?"
Ken sighed. "Um, well… yesterday, Akechi came to see me."
"WHAT?!" Yukari-san growled out. "What did he want with you, Ken-kun?!"
"Did he hurt you?" Minako-san's cheerful expression melted away, replaced with panic.
"N-Nothing like that!" Ken said quickly before anyone else could throw in their two cents. "But it is important because… I found out a couple things. He admitted that he's been helping Shido. He said he worked directly under Shido."
"Does that mean… that he's the black masked Persona-user you've been looking for?" Junpei-san asked. "You guys had a suspicion about that, didn't you?"
"Maybe, but Akechi didn't delve deeper into it," Ken responded.
Ken kinda wished that he had, though. It would've been very useful to know that.
"Why work for Shido though?" Mitsuru-san's brow knitted together. "Did Shido promise him riches? Fame? Perhaps he aided in Akechi's career as a detective?"
Ken grimaced. He kinda wish that was the case. It just… dug up a lot of unpleasant feelings. He wished that recovery was linear. Media always made it look so simple. Why did he still feel guilty about things that happened a long time ago?
"No… Akechi's goal is revenge."
"Revenge? What could Shido do to a teenager?" Aigis-san tilted her head in bewilderment.
Ken grimaced. "Uh well… Shido is responsible for Ren's criminal record. But that's got nothing to do with why Akechi wants revenge against Shido. He's… Shido's bastard son."
It was quiet. So quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"Oh..." Fuuka-san breathed out.
Yukari-san was dead quiet, her eyes growing dull as she wrapped an arm around her torso. She was probably thinking about the twins…
"I'm guessing he tossed Akechi's mom like garbage, huh…?" Junpei-san suddenly said before a bitter smile curled at his lips. "Figures… some men just love to crap on their kids."
"Junpei…" Minako-san said quietly.
Junpei-san's smile became rueful, before he rubbed the back of his neck. "But this isn't about me. There's more to the story, right, Ken?"
That was rather sharp of Junpei-san. But then again, it might've been obvious that there was another part of the puzzle.
Ken took a deep breath. He could do this.
"You're right, Junpei-san. It's um… Akechi is my cousin…"
This earned him several wide-eyed stares. Junpei-san's mouth even fell open. Fuuka-san pressed a hand to her mouth as her eyes grew wide as dinner plates.
"W-Wait a moment," Mitsuru-san suddenly said, holding up her hand. "Your mother's maiden name was Himura. Not Akechi."
Ken grimaced. "He told me that he changed his name a while ago. He didn't elaborate further."
"If I may offer a hypothesis…" Aigis-san spoke up. "It's most likely that Akechi changed his name before approaching Shido. If he wished to enact revenge, he would most likely do all that he could to mask his true identity, lest Shido realize his intentions."
"And he must resemble his mother," Fuuka-san said. "Shido doesn't share a hair or eye color with Akechi, after all."
"Well... I mean Shido is bald. So not like we'd know that part," Junpei-san pointed out.
Yukari-san rolled her eyes and huffed out, "Junpei, you do realize there are pictures of him on the net when he first entered in the political scene and he wasn't bald back then."
"Like I keep up with politicians!" Junpei defended.
"Enough you two!" Mitsuru-san interrupted in exasperation before she sighed. "Please continue, Amada."
Ken nodded at vaguely remembered his aunt. She had Akechi's hair and eyes. Even in the face, she had resembled Akechi. Why had he been blind to the truth…?
"From what I remember about my aunt, I think you're right, Fuuka-san. Mom has the same eye color as Akechi and my aunt Tsukiko…"
"But she passed down her hair color to you," Mitsuru-san finished.
Ken fidgeted for a moment, fingering his bangs for a moment. There was more to say, to explain to them but… something was burning in his mind…
"I'm sorry," Ken blurted out.
"H-Huh?" Minako-san looked bewildered, even blinking in confusion. "What are you apologizing for, Ken-kun?"
"If our suspicion is right and if Akechi is the black-masked Persona-user…" Ken swallowed hard. "That means Akechi has caused so much trouble for the Shadow Operatives… he's responsible for why Shido is so untouchable…"
"Don't be ridiculous, Ken," Akihiko-san said sternly. "You met him once when you were a kid. You had completely forgot him until he reminded you. And you've always been against his actions. You've got nothing to apologize for."
"And we have talked about this before, Amada…" Mitsuru-san reminded, her voice unusually gentle.
Ken sighed before hanging his head. "I know, I know… I'm sorry. I just can't help but think about the what-ifs in my head. And… I can't help but think about how Akechi personally hurt Haru and Futaba, not to mention how he tried to kill Ren. Akechi kept repeating that we were 'family'…"
"Sometimes that means nothing," Minako-san said quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. "Minato and I were pushed from relative to relative. They all resented it because we were a burden and a drain on their funds."
Akihiko-san winced before taking her hand. Minako-san just smiled before her fingers curled around his hand, a silent thank you for the support.
"My parents are not… the most pleasant people either," Fuuka-san said with a wince.
Ken grimaced. He just couldn't fathom why Fuuka-san's parents just wouldn't care about her disappearance… on top of that, they had the gall to act like they had a say in who Fuuka-san chose to be with.
"My old man…" Junpei-san suddenly spoke, his tone suddenly venomous. "He was a piece of shit. He was way more interested in getting drunk than me."
"Besides that, nobody's accusing you to be like your uncle, Ken-san," Aigis-san said softly. "Why would it be any different than Akechi?"
Ken pointed out, "But he never hurt people like Akechi…"
"That's wrong and you know it, Ken-kun," Minako-san spat out.
Ken winced. From the moment they had met, Minako-san had hated his uncle. She probably would've decked him if Akihiko-san hadn't held her back.
"He refused to take care of you, he guilt-tripped you about being 'lucky' that you had someone to look after you! He may have never physically harmed people like Akechi has but it doesn't take away that he did hurt you," Minako-san hissed, both hands clenching into fists.
"And blood ties don't define who you are," Akihiko-san said firmly. "You're not Akechi. You chose your path, a long time ago."
Ken sighed; he knew that they all had a point, but it was just hard sometimes…
"I'll try to keep that in mind." Then Ken bit his lip. "Though um… there's another thing I need to tell you."
He hated that Akechi had reminded him how obsessed he was with revenge, that he had truly believed that he had nothing else to live for. The despair he had lived with… it was such an unpleasant memory.
Koromaru crawled into his lap, pressing his head against Ken's hand. Ken took the moment to pet Koromaru on the head. It calmed his nerves as always.
"Akechi… wanted to rope me into his revenge plot. He had this crazy idea that I would want revenge against Shido too."
"Where did he get that crazy idea?" Akihiko-san looked baffled.
Ken let out a heavy sigh. "The day when I met Akechi—it was because my grandparents on Mom's side of the family had died. Mom came to Tokyo to arrange the funeral. But she reached out to my aunt Tsukiko who was estranged from the family. They ended up fighting over what led to her being estranged from the family."
"I know that you've mentioned having an aunt before but… you never said that she was estranged," Fuuka-san mentioned.
Ken sighed. "I actually… didn't realize why until Akechi reminded me. Mom was always vague about it."
"Your grandparents disowned her, because she became pregnant with Akechi… didn't they?" Yukari-san said quietly.
Ken could only nod. Personally, he couldn't fathom it. Women should be allowed to have a choice, if they want to keep their child or not, of course. But to shame a woman for wanting to keep their child just sounded so cruel.
Yukari-san let out a heavy sigh, a bitter smile twisting at her lips.
"I knew I had lucked out when Mom was understanding about me wanting to keep the twins but… it kinda gives me a new perspective, you know?"
"Oh, Yukari-chan…" Fuuka-san sighed, a sorrowful frown tugging at her lips.
"W-Well, ignoring that, you still would've had us!" Minako-san interjected but then she bit her lip. "I'm guessing… your aunt wasn't so lucky, Ken-kun?"
Ken sighed, shaking his head. "Unfortunately… no. She killed herself at one point."
Fuuka-san gasped, her eyes growing wide with horror. "That's just awful! She must've felt utterly alone…"
"No kidding…" Akihiko-san mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wait so… if your aunt grew estranged from the family because she became pregnant…" Minako-san gasped as well. "Shido's the reason why your family fell apart."
"Damn…" Junpei-san uttered, looking at a loss for words for once.
"But you barely remember your grandparents, no?" Mitsuru-san questioned, looking puzzled. "And you met your aunt just once. Why would Akechi assume that you'd want revenge over that?"
"Maybe because he's lost his marbles," Shinjiro-san grumbled out.
Ken sighed. He guessed that Shinjiro-san mentioned that to lighten up the mood, but it didn't stop him from feeling nervous…
But he had to say it.
"He um… he knows about what happened. The night… Mom died," Ken managed to get out.
It was quiet. Dead quiet. Ken couldn't help but fidget, feeling anxious about how everyone would react to this.
"W-What?" Aigis-san finally uttered, breaking the silence. "How is this possible?"
"Shido," Akihiko-san said with a dark look on his face. "It's gotta be him."
Ken just winced. He wouldn't talk about how Akechi talked about his aunt Tsukiko's suicide note, though… he wouldn't do that to Shinjiro-san. The intense guilt… no. They had all moved on from the incident more or less. He refused to rub salt in that old wound.
"That little—!" Minako-san's expression became furious. "He dug up your personal information?! He's been stalking you?!"
"Hang on…" Ken said nervously. "There's more…"
"More?!" Minako's voice cracked.
Her ears were burning red; he was getting her worked up with frustration. Ken felt guilty. He wouldn't let Shinjiro-san know about the suicide note. But he had to tell them about this.
"It's more than Shido ruining our family… as I said, he knows about the night Mom died. He… he threw that in my face. He thought… I am the same as him." Ken was struggling to get the words out. "He thought, that the reason I am living with Shinjiro-san was because I am just like him, biding my time to… to…"
"That piece of shit!" Junpei-san interjected.
"That scumbag! He thinks he can go around and dig up your personal info, lord that over you, and expect you to go along with his schemes just because he's projecting his choices on you?!" Minako-san was getting louder and louder.
Ken fidgeted. "Um, well… Futaba said that she could help with enforcing our security—"
"That's not the point, Ken-kun!" Minako-san snapped, holding up a hand to stop him.
Ken couldn't help but wince. Minako-san was just getting started, though.
"He doesn't know jack shit about you and Shinji!" Akihiko clenched his fists.
Ken was almost scared to look at Shinjiro-san right now.
"I'm gonna wring that little twit's neck! On top of that, we don't even know how long he's been aware of you guys being related… Shido's plan wasn't only directed to Ren-kun… he was targeting all of you!" At that final declaration, Minako-san's voice begin to tremble.
But the implications of Minako-san's last statement started to sink in.
He hadn't realized that… Ken couldn't help but feel horrified.
Akihiko-san put a hand on Minako-san's shoulder.
"Mina, you've gotta calm down."
"But he—!" Minako-san began to protest.
"Ken and the others need to focus on Shido right now. The election isn't too far away—less than three weeks away. We'll deal with Akechi and the rest of Shido's cronies after. I get it, I'm beyond pissed off too, especially at Akechi just assuming what Shinji and Ken's situation is and all the grief Shido has put everyone through, but you're getting even more worked up than me," Akihiko-san said, before giving Minako-san's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "We gotta prioritize things. Especially with the things at stake here."
"And do not fret, Minako-san," Aigis-san spoke up. "I will happily assist you in punishing Akechi afterwards."
Ken waved his hands. "G-Guys, that's not necessary!"
He didn't need them to pick fights with Akechi. Especially since Akechi would be toast if both Minako-san and Aigis-san went after him.
"Hey… Shinjiro-senpai, are you gonna be alright?" Junpei-san was looking directly at Shinjiro-san with a sad expression.
Ken finally looked at Shinjiro-san and he looked very conflicted.
"Yeah, I'm just fantastic, Iori…" Shinjiro-san said sarcastically.
Ken felt his heart sink. He was even more determined to never tell him about the suicide note.
Fuuka-san placed a hand on her chest, "Oh… Shinjiro."
Ken winced. Fuuka-san almost never called Shinjiro-san by his full name, not since they had started dating.
"It's a load of shit is what it is!" Akihiko interrupted, his voice growing heated and his silver eyes snapping with anger. "He's just projecting onto you Ken! You know the truth! Shinji would never—"
"Aki… forget about it. It's in the past. It's like you guys said, he doesn't know about our situation. And truth be told, even if he found out the full story, I get the feeling he wouldn't car," Shinjiro said in a bittersweet tone.
Yukari-san spoke up, concern in her eyes, "Are you sure? I mean—"
Shinjiro-san interrupted her, "Yeah, don't worry about it. Look, I can't say hearing this stuff is all sunshine, rainbows, and shit. It fucking sucks… but I'll get over it. So don't go giving me that mopey expression, Ken."
"What?" He blinked.
"I can't imagine this was easy for you to explain. But Akechi is dead wrong about you. You're not like him. I already told you, didn't I? You both made different choices. You let go of your hate. He refuses to let it go."
Ken was at a loss for words so he just nodded. Everyone else seemed to relax a little bit after that. But even if Shinjiro-san said he'd get over this… no, he can't tell him about the note. He refused. He wouldn't put that on Shinjiro-san's conscience.
"But um… what now?" Fuuka-san suddenly spoke up, looking worried. "Akechi was able to find out where Shinji and Ken-kun are living… should they relocate?"
"No," Mitsuru-san spoke up, her voice firm.
When the others gave her startled looks, she was quick to clarify.
"Not when Shido is watching the Shadow Operatives' movements like a hawk. It'd be best for Shinjiro and Amada to stay put. If they move, that will put Shido and Akechi on alert. I imagine, for obvious reasons, Akechi came to visit Ken behind Shido's back. Regardless we don't wish to draw attention from either of them." Then she gave Ken a stern look. "Amada—I'd suggest you stay in the apartment as much as possible. Only step out if it's important, such as infiltrating Shido's Palace or Mementos.
Ken sighed to himself. Okay so there was Haru's birthday party they were planning… but he'd stick to that once they celebrated Haru's birthday. Haru had spent so long celebrating birthdays without anyone who actually cared for her. He wasn't going to miss it.
But it was a good thing he had already made the arrangements for Makoto's Christmas present. He didn't have to go hunting for a gift for her.
Mitsuru-san then looked to his guardian. "And Shinjiro… perhaps it'd be best if you resign from your job—"
"No," Shinjiro-san said, his voice growing stubborn. "That'll tip off Shido. It might make it tougher for Ken to slip over to Leblanc."
Mitsuru-san looked conflicted, but she let out a sigh.
"Very well. I see your point, Shinjiro."
"Of course you do."
Mitsuru-san glowered at him. "Arrogance doesn't suit you, Shinjiro."
Shinjiro-san just smirked. "It ain't arrogance when I'm right."
Mitsuru-san scowled at Shinjiro-san, but Ken's attention was drawn to Minako-san.
Minako-san was pursing her lips, looking conflicted for a moment.
Then she looked up. "Uh… hey, Ken-kun?"
"Huh? What's the matter, Minako-san?" Ken asked.
"You know we love you, right?" she said gently. "It wouldn't even matter if you were Shido's son."
Ken couldn't help but shudder. Sharing that horrible man's DNA…? Especially what Shido had put him through recently...
He had no real attachment to his father but from what Mom told Ken—he wasn't a bad man. His parents' marriage was just not meant to be.
"Your dad and I just wanted different things," was what Mom always said.
But she always said that she was grateful for their short time together—especially since it led to Ken being born.
But either way, the mere idea of him being Shido's son was just… ludicrous.
"I still remember our first meeting, you know," Minako-san continued, her eyes softening as she reminisced. "I didn't know how important you'd become to me. I invited you to dinner for the first time because you seemed… lonely."
He remembered that too. At the time, he was so baffled. What would an older girl want with him? He had felt that nobody had cared about him… and yet Minako-san had extended her hand out to him.
Before he knew it, Minako-san had been dragging him off to just hang out in the city. Sometimes Minato-san joined them but more often, it was just the two of them.
Though, annoyingly, she was the one to start ruffling his hair—and the others soon followed suit.
He loved all of his senpais, but Minako-san was special to him because she had been the first to reach out to him.
Ken coughed, before clearing his throat.
"You mean a lot to me too, Minako-san," he said softly.
His heart couldn't help but warm as Minako-san smiled brightly at him.
"Ken-san, there is something I am concerned about…" Aigis-san suddenly spoke up.
Junpei-san raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha mean by that, Ai-chan?"
"Is Akechi still fooled? Does he still believe that Ren-san is dead?"
Ken just gave a half-hearted shrug. "Far as I know… yes. Akechi even started to ramble about how he had 'triumphed' over Ren."
Yukari-san snorted at that. "Akechi is in for a surprise, then."
"Hopefully that won't happen until you steal Shido's heart," Mitsuru-san remarked.
"Don't jinx them, Mitsuru-senpai!" Junpei-san exclaimed. "You know what they say 'bout tempting fate!"
Ken let out a strained laugh in response, before rubbing the back of his neck. He personally hoped that he wouldn't be anywhere near Akechi when he realized the truth. Something told him that Akechi wouldn't take it well at all.
Fuuka gave him a concerned look. "Try not to worry about that, Ken-kun. Just focus on keeping low until you and the others can take down Shido for good."
Mitsuru-san nodded in agreement. "Yamagishi is right, Amada. Hopefully Akechi will know to stay away."
"You never did mention how you got Akechi out of the apartment," Shinjiro-san remarked idly.
"Uhh, well… I got mad at him, and I kicked him out of the apartment," Ken mumbled out.
Koromaru suddenly wandered up to them.
"Oh hi, Koro-chan!" Fuuka-san greeted.
Koromaru looked straight to the screen before letting out some barks. Aigis-san blinked a couple times before speaking.
"Koromaru-san would like to report that Ken-san threatened to throw out Akechi unless he removed himself from the apartment," she announced, hardly even blinking.
This earned a few guffaws and snickers from certain people. Ken just shrank into his seat, feeling himself blush out of embarrassment.
"Too bad that didn't happen," Junpei-san said in-between snickers. "I would've liked to see that."
Yukari-san scoffed. "You weren't even there, Stupei."
"It's the principle of the matter!"
"Amada…" Mitsuru-san scolded. "You shouldn't go picking fights like that."
"I know, I know…" Ken mumbled out.
But then Mitsuru-san's expression turned thoughtful. "But I suppose I can't blame you for that, given the circumstances."
"Hey, how come Ken gets a free pass about picking fights?!" Akihiko-san protested.
"Because Ken doesn't do it to every random sod on the street," Shinjiro-san deadpanned.
"I don't do that, Shinji!"
Shinjiro-san just rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure, Aki. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Akihiko-san opened his mouth to retort, only to be cut off by a baby's cry. Minako-san immediately jumped up.
"Hang on, guys. I'll be back after I calm down Kiyo-chan!"
Without another word, she scampered out of view. Akihiko-san rubbed at his face.
"Sorry, we're still trying to figure out Kiyo's schedule," he apologized.
Yukari-san shrugged before giving a wave of her hand. "Babies are babies. Plus, it's been barely a week since she's been born."
But then a smile curled at her lips, her eyes suddenly softening.
"Even with all the sleepless nights, they also will bring you the greatest joy."
"Aww, that's so sweet…" Fuuka-san said with a giggle.
Junpei-san snickered. "Sooo, Shinjiro-senpai. When are you and Fuuka planning on having a baby?"
Shinjiro-san turned red at that. It was kinda impressive to see how fast Shinjiro-san was turning red.
"For the love of… we haven't even talked about planning the wedding! Why are you immediately jumping to babies?!" He then narrowed his eyes dangerously at Junpei-san before demanding, "And what about you, Iori?!"
"Hey no! We're not taking the baby spotlight off you!" Junpei-san yelled while blushing.
Ken couldn't help but chuckle at that. Though he was glad that Junpei-san didn't get it in his head to start teasing Ken about this kind of thing.
"What about babies?"
Minako-san had returned with Kiyomi in her arms. She plopped back into her seat, shifting Kiyomi in her arms.
"Say hi, Kiyo-chan," she cooed to her daughter, raising her little hand in a wave.
"It's nothing, Minako." Mitsuru-san sighed. "Iori is just teasing Shinjiro. And Shinjiro fired back."
"Oh?" Minako-san's expression turned devious. "About him and Fuuka-chan having babies? It'd be nice for Kiyo-chan to have playmates. Though, speaking of which, you and Chidori need to get a move on."
"HEY!" Shinjiro-san and Junpei-san shouted at the same time.
Laughter broke out into the group and Ken couldn't help but chuckle along with them.
Fuuka-san waved her hands, a small pink blush on her cheeks. "Shinji and I haven't even discussed children. That won't be happening for a while."
Ken would never voice it (because Shinjiro-san would probably smack him for it), but he couldn't help but think that Shinjiro-san would make a wonderful father when the time came.
"How did we even get to this topic…?" Mitsuru-san sighed.
"It was Kiyomi-san, I believe," Aigis-san stated.
Ken's eyes drifted over to baby Kiyomi. Akihiko-san had leaned over, his hand smoothing at the fine hairs on the top of Kiyomi's head. Kiyomi then reached out, latching onto her father's finger.
To think… that there was a possibility that Kiyomi wouldn't be here today. Because of Shido.
"Ken-kun?" Fuuka-san's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Is something the matter?"
Ken shook his head. "Not really… just thinking about Shido."
Mitsuru-san pursed her lips. "Amada… just promise me that you'll be cautious when you return to Shido's Palace. He won't go down easily."
Ken just nodded. "I will. Though I can't make promises for Ren…"
"Maybe you should get a leash for him," Minako-san joked.
Shinjiro-san gave her a look. "You're one to talk, Minako."
This made a few people laugh in response.
Mitsuru-san then cleared her throat. "I believe that we have prolonged this call enough. We all do have work and duties to attend to."
Junpei-san groaned. "Ugh... don't remind me—I have so much paperwork to do. It's like having a pile of homework all over again!"
"You'll get through it, Junpei-kun. You always do," Fuuka-san said with a kind smile.
"Speaking of which…" Mitsuru-san looked to Ken. "Amada, have you been keeping up with your studies? I don't think I have to remind you how important your studies are right now. You shouldn't slack off just because you can't attend school right now."
Shinjiro-san scowled at that. "Don't encourage him, Mitsuru. His constant studying late into the night is why he has reading glasses now."
Ken waved his hands. "Don't worry, Mitsuru-san. I've been keeping up with the studies."
Makoto had also promised that she'd come over and study with him when she could, but he wasn't going to share that. He didn't need to give Junpei-san and Minako-san more ammunition to tease him with.
Mitsuru-san nodded. "Very good. I'll speak to you all soon."
"Hopefully we'll able to spend New Year's together," Fuuka-san said with a soft smile. "Good night, everyone."
"See ya!" Junpei-san gave a little salute before cutting off the call.
Minako-san and Akihiko-san gave another wave before they cut off the call as well.
It was quiet for a moment but then Shinjiro-san turned to Ken.
"Are you okay?"
Ken slowly nodded before offering his guardian a small smile. "I think… I'll be okay, Shinjiro-san. I just needed the reminder. But… what about you?"
Shinjiro-san snorted. "I told you already, I'll get over it. Come on, let's get something to eat."
Shinjiro-san ruffled his hair and for once… Ken couldn't bring himself to protest.
He followed Shinjiro-san into the kitchen. He already got some food out. Ken began rolling up his sleeves as he took the vegetables Shinjiro-san passed over to him. He started washing the carrots in the sink.
Goro Akechi was not his family.
Family were people who wanted him in their lives, the ones who had accepted him—no strings attached—and the ones who loved him no matter what.
And he knew exactly who that was.
Hey guys! As you can probably summarize, this is a collection of oneshots pertaining to Ace in the Hole, my Phantom Thief Ken AU. This takes place in between Chapters 44 and 45. Full Deck will have "deleted scenes", as well as prequel and post-canon oneshots. I've decided that I won't write a full Strikers fic but if the inspiration strikes, I will write Strikers oneshots.
A big shoutout to angelrin89, my wonderful beta, for taking the time to edit this little oneshot. She made some great additions!
But I hope you guys like it and got some found family feels. I'll update this whenever inspiration strikes so I'll see you next time!