AN: Sup sup peeps. This should be my finishing move with the prologue. I really wanted to give thieves more motivation than 'oh a different world, let's go save it'. I wanted this god to hurt them, make it personal. Just like Kamoshida! I hope that came through in the writing. Last girl Haru is up next. Such an underused character, an orphan who loses her whole family but still tries to bring sunshine to others. I always liked that about her. And when you like a character make them suffer endlessly until they come out even better.

Like pancake boy Akechi always says "I WILL BREAK THEM"

So here's warning ya. Enjoy X3

I own neither Batman, nor the Persona series.

As always love feedback

EDIT: maybe should have mad Rise of the Ashes a full chapter. *shrugs* I think it's still a good start to the story.

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Makoto amazingly held her emotions in check, a few tears fell in respect for her sister.

"Mako-chan…" said Haru looking at her worryingly. Haru always put others before herself, her story was hard but that didn't matter. Her friends needed her right now.

"Haru" Akira stated knowing how she deals with pain. "What about you? Please let us help ease the pain somewhat." He locked eyes with her and her resolve slowly crumbled. It hurt but she promised Akira to always tell him what was bothering her. So she would never again bear so much weight alone.

"I was at a meeting with the board. We were discussing our next steps as a company. It was the day after Akira left. It was going well, I was slowly gaining trust amongst the investors. All was well until…

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Sugimura rushed past the guards of the board meetings. He was paid to be silent regarding the canceling of the marriage. He was fine with the money at first, he could always find another slut to please him. That was until he released something amidst an odd nose bleed. They took away the company he deserved. The slut he deserved, and if he can't have what Okumura promised him… no one can.

He planned for months scheming. With the riches of his father's company, and his father's natural neglect of how he lives and spends his earnings, Sugimura's plan was fool-proof. All that was needed was some filled pockets in the right places.

He stormed the board room where he heard there was a meeting, the whole board would be there along with his bitch ex. As he crashed in, he straightened his tie and shouted to them all.

"Ladies, gentleman, and slut. I've come to claim what is rightfully mine!" he raised both arms dramatically, gesturing to the whole building.

The whole board was shocked at this development, especially Haru and president Takakura, he assumed that the very generous amounts of money offered to Sugimura would ease him off the deal. Clearly this kid was too dense to see dollars.

"Sugimura, what's the meaning of this, I thought you were smarter than this" Takakura stated from his seat at the head of the long desk, Haru sitting besides him with binders filled with plans for the company. She also was very flabbergasted at his arrival. He was a total creep but she assumed business was a priority over his lust.

The rest of the board murmured amongst themselves wondering what was going on

"OH, I'm smart alright, smart enough to know I got the raw deal, you and this bitch though some money would keep me away?! Away from what is RIGHTFULLY MINE!?" he shouted, wiping some more blood from his nose onto his tux sleeve. It came in waves, but recently it has gotten worse, especially in the nearing of the board meeting.

Haru noticed the blood and narrowed her eyes. That blood was darker than it should be. She would never forget the familiar shade from when it flooded out of her father's face. She still had nightmares. She took the president's hand and gave him a worried look. He must have gotten the message because when he looked at her he pressed the red button under his desk. The one that would alert the security.

"I DEMAND MY DEBT TO BE PAID, NOT IN MONEY BUT IN POWER!"he demanded loudly. He took out the gun he snuck inside the building. He made sure certain security members were in his pocket. He walked up to a random woman and grabbed hold of her. The older woman screamed as he pointed the gun at her.

"Now are we willing to negotiate?" he asked, chuckling darkly. He had their attention now, the lot of them standing from their spots on the board table. He grinned, the plan was going smoothly.

" Sugimura-kun please stop! Let… Let her go, it's me you want right? I'm the one who upset who!" Haru shouted to him. She would never let someone else pay for the mistakes she made. She didn't know that woman well, but she didn't deserve to die.

"Haru NO! Security will be here soon!" shouted Takakura trying to get a hold of the situation.

"SIR DROP HER AND AND WEAPON!" shouted a guard. He and nine other guards surrounded the room. Their weapons raised to the window that looked into the room. The secretary long ran for cover as the men guarded every possible exit.

"We have you surrounded Sugimura, please stop this before you do something you'll regret," Takakura said calmly. A guard shouted that the police were on the way. He dared to slightly relax, while Haru stood in her spot fidgeting from worry of the poor woman. The rest of the board were ducking for cover under the table or in the corner, trying to stay out of sight of the multiple guns. The poor hostage started sobbing, she didn't want to die here. What about her family?

Haru stepped boldly towards Sugimura, steeling herself for the confrontation. When Sugimura pointed the gun at her.

"Do you think I'm that stupid? That these guards scare me? The police scare me? YOU THINK YOU SCARE ME!? Tango is a go!

The moment he said that five of the guards turned their weapons on the other half. Cocking their guns in preparation.

"Nothing personal" Said one the them as he fired his weapon into the guard blocking the meeting door in the head. His brains splattered against. A war broke out between the men, guns firing everywhere, shattering the windowed wall, the whole board screaming in terror. Bodies littered the floor, all five of the non hired men were dead, only one of Sugimura's men was on the floor. Things were going swimmingly.

"Room is clear sir" said one of the men wiping the blood off his face, he didn't want to kill them. Some were his friends, but the money… the money… god, so much money. He wiped some black blood from his lips and took the secretary hostage. The rest of them took Takakura and some other board members too.

Haru was frozen, not able to do anything as a guard pointed a gun to her head. Sugimura smiled, black blood streaming down his cheeks. What was the end goal here? How does he think the police will just let him and his men just walk out?! She scowled angrily at him, not caring about the gun pointed at her. Everyone else came first, she couldn't stand anyone else dying for this company, in the battle four members of the board were killed by stray bullets. The amount of bodies littering the floor infuriated her.

Just then she heard a helicopter pulling in, the far away sirens closing the distance. The police were finally here.

"THIS IS THE TOKYO POLICE WE HAVE YOU, SURROUNDED COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" The officer screamed into his bullhorn from the copter. With any luck the policemen will make their way up the building soon.

"I can see it in your eyes whore. You think this is over, that you're being saved. That you can do something to stop me. I swear on my life I won't let that happen." gritted out Sugimura the blood spitting out of his mouth he was furious that the police arrived so quickly. He wanted to toy with her a little more.

"She and the president stay alive. I don't care about the rest, on my word gentlemen" he said as he shot the woman he was holding in the lower left jaw. The bullet shot up through the right top of her head leaving a crater with brain matter covering the ceiling. The woman fell down to the ground, lifeless.

The rest of the board shouted and screamed in terror. Haru's and the president's face went blank at the vile action. She died for no purpose. They all did, they would be avenged.

"COPS ARE HERE!" shouted a guard, two of them blocking the door. They slipped out a radio through the door and yelled "Take that to the guy in charge, anything funny and we will kill another hostage!" the guard shouted as the police scrambled to obey the orders.

Sugimura walked over to the guard holding Haru and took her from him. The guard went off to the corner of the room where the rest of them were huddled together in terror.

"Got what you want bitch?! Now shit's hitting the fan. And you're responsible." he said licking her cheek with his dyed tongue, covering the left side of her cheek in black blood. She tried to fight him but he was always stronger than her. He pistol whipped her for her defiance.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!" Takakura shouted, but the man holding him slammed his head against the desk. He fell on the floor in pain not dead but dazed.

"That's more like it now let's shut the FUCK UP! And wait for our friendly officer to answer our call," he said holding Haru up by the chin, she looked cute with his hand squishing her cheeks together. The raging fire in her eyes, while new to him was a turn on, along with the blood running down the right side of her forehead. With his black blood drying on her left.

Ten long minutes later Sugimura's radio rang. He picked it up and it said, " This is officer Tsuda Kagawa of the Tokyo Police. How can I mitigate this situation?"

"Hello officer, you can call me Sugimura. You can start by getting this DAMN CHOPPER OUT OF HERE! Can't hardly think straight!"

"First how many hostages do you have?" the officer asked calmly, he's been in situations like this before. Just not to this scale, there are a lot of important people in the building, and a lot up top who wanted this to go without a hitch. He steels himself up for what could be a long day.

"LESS IF YOU DON'T DO AS I SAY! NOW GET THAT FUCKING THING OUT OF HERE OR MORE PEOPLE WILL HIT THE PAVEMENT!" Sugimura yelled violently, as he did he grabbed an older board member. He was comforting the more afraid women of the board. He picked him up by the collar and dragged him out the corner. The man tried to struggle but he was a weaker man. Sugimura took a running start with him in his grasp and threw him through the window.

"Jesus, clear the area now INCOMING" yelled Kagawa, the older man was screaming bloody murder all the way down from the penthouse floor. The wind whipping against his grey hair as he flailed uselessly, until he suddenly smashed into the front window of a cop car destroying it. No one survives a fall from that height.

"I want a five block perimeter, and snipers on roofs this bastard isn't getting away. Tell the snipers to scope out hostages. The copter counted twelve hostages with six guards down and a hostage dead, but I want to be sure, and get that thing out of here. I don't want to see another dead body on our watch, there were already nine confirmed dead."

The officers got to work, grim expressions on their faces as the copter flew away. Sugimura had a confidant grin on his face. A minor setback but things were back on track.

"Good, now officer, I am in charge here, anything funny kills another one. This bitch is going to suffer" he said swinging her head side to side playfully, with her gritting her teeth at the notion.

"If I hear anything else, beside silence on this floor a person dies. Should I die or any of my associates...well I have a surprise." he said smugly.

Officer Kagawa narrowed his eyes, his sniper wasn't set up yet, but he had men sweeping the Okumura building. This is very delicate, no need to get hasty.

The man got a call in from one of his men inside. "Tell me some good news son"

"SIR I'VE FOUND A BOMB IN A STORAGE CLOSET!" shouted the man in a panicked state

Kagawa was infuriated. This bastard thought of everything. He yelled to another officer, "GET THE BOMB SQUAD OUT HERE! AND EXPAND THE PERIMETER TO THIRTY BLOCKS!" Everyone rushed about, afraid of the implications, while slammed his hand on the hood of a car. Who knows how many bombs there are in that bigass tower. FUCK FUCK FUCK! He slammed his fist down repeatedly on the hood, his rage getting the better of him.

"They sure are scrambling boss, I think they found our plan B" the guard in the corner said looking down at the cops running like chickens without heads. While he was off his guard a man from the group tackled him trying in vain to get an upper hand on a gun. He wouldn't die here, he refused to die.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT" shouted Sugimura as he pointed his gun at the man an shot him until he laid still on top of the guard. Sugimura reloaded his gun as the man bled out.

"Thanks boss"

"I wasn't aiming for him" said Sugimura as he aimed for the head of the guard, putting one between the eyes, the man bleed out even more black blood from the wound. It splattered the hostages as they screamed in utter shock. Two more men littered the board room floor.

"ALRIGHT ANYONE ELSE WANT TO PLAY HERO! ANY OTHERS WANT TO BE WORTHLESS LIKE THIS GUY!" Sugimura shouted pointing his gun in all directions including at his own men.

"Sugimura-kun, please… What do you want from this? If you want the company… just take it. I'll sign my stocks to you. Just please... stop killing people." Haru whispered in fear. She has never been more afraid. She risked her life for her freedom fearlessly, always saving others as a hero of justice. All these people died… and she could blame anyone but herself for not acting sooner.

"Plans change bitch! Now SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He threw her on the ground violently, and he grasped his head in pain. His headache was getting worse, pulsing wildly with no relief. Blood was practically shooting out of all of his orifices now. Black staining the whole of his otherwise white suit.

The shutdown is taking its toll, time to wrap this up. The running joke to the god was that Haru always had it the worst. A girl trying to shine onto a world covered in darkness. This took the cake for all of the work he has done in the last few months. He has watched the lot of them amused, his champion was outstanding but these Phantom Thieves warmed up to him the past year. He grinded in glee. He couldn't wait to put them against each other. A glorious fight of champions.

All he needed was the fire of their souls reignited, and the fight would be legendary.

He thought all this with glee, as he prepared for the grand finale.

Sugimura raked his hand, his hair and straightened his tie, as he walked towards Takakura. "I've realized I'm not getting out of this alive… so I'm going to fulfill my promise to you Haru~"

Haru looked up from the floor. That's the first time he used her name in a long time. He was about to do something big.

"Sir, I have a clear shot of Sugimura, he's aiming his weapon at the president" said a sniper calmly from his perch. A whole squad of snipers were set around the surrounding buildings. But the bomb squad was still making the rounds of the building.

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"DO NOT ENGAGE! We have bombs all across the damn building, we have no idea how many more there could be!" Kagawa shouted in an alarmed state. If they took him out who knows what could happen!

"But our orders…"

"I'm trying to save all of the hostages. NOT just the ones the higher ups care about!" he shouted in rage.

The orders were clear, the board while important were replaceable, Ms. Okumura was the lowest priority. The sick fucks prefer the girl dead so they could have more control of the company. Sugimura's own father was hoping they'd just kill him and her and just be done with it. This was already too much of a scandal. The brat spent his entire inheritage for this delusion, as far as he was concerned his son was already dead to him.

"Sugimura, please stand down, there is no way out of this, if you surrender now...I'll guarantee you a shorter sentence." the officer was lying through his teeth. News vans filled the streets as much as the police cars did. The people would want blood for the amount of death done today.

He prayed Sugimura wouldn't call him on his bluff.

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Sugimura snorted in mirth. Like hell he'd surrender. He was having too much fun.

"Seems the police are getting antsy. So we don't have much time." he said as he crushed his radio beneath his foot.

Takakura was still reeling from his head injury. Two women and two men were all that was left of the board. One of whom was just the secretary. Three guards were left. One behind him, one holding the secretary, and the last rustling Haru and the other board members into the center of the room. The center being where one was a glass wall now shattered on the floor, the lot of them having to step over the many dead bodies. He thought all this as he felt Sugimura's pistol against his head, hearing the cock of the safety. Sugimura crouched down to his level of his seat.

"Haru you can't keep your eyes off me can you? You look at me with such hate in your eyes. Did you really think I would let this side? That I'd just disappear, never to be seen again?" He said as he pushed Takakura's head up with his gun looking at her the whole time while smirking.

"Sugimura-kun, please just kill me instead. Let these people go and just settle this" Haru pleaded weeping.

"Shhhh… Save your begging for your own bullet. You are going to die, but I want to watch you suffer" he shushed her and looked Takakura right in the eyes and prepared for his shot.

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"Officer Kagawa is no longer in charge. Take the shot NOW!" shouted the higher up to the sniper.

The sniper nodded, he was beading sweat at the stakes that this held. He prayed he was doing the right thing, as the bullet left the chamber traveling the far distance.

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"You'll never get away with this," gritted out Takakura preparing for the end.

"I know," stated Sugimura as he pulled the trigger.

Two bullets flew through the room, one going through Takakura's head, the other going through the guard's right behind him. The sniper miscalculated the wind a bit stronger than he thought, he cursed as he tried to quickly reload his weapon.

Sugimura noticed his dead guard on the floor then to the bullet hole in the window and smiled. Looks like he was going out in a blaze of glory.

"Alas, our time cut short. Shame I couldn't play with the princess longer. But maybe I'll find joy in watching her fall from her tower." Sugimura said and started laughing maniacally along with his men. He stood up and pulled a detonator from his suit pocket. Arms spread wide and laughing like a madman he pushed the button.

"NOOO!" screamed Haru as she rushed to Sugimura. She reacted too slow as one the guard pistol whipped her again, knocking her onto the floor.

Sugimura smiled darkly down at her as the building started to give. The remaining hostages screamed as they tried to run down the stairs trying anything to live. The guards simply let them go. No surviving this.

"I'll see you slut. In hell!" Sugimura laughed darkly as the building started to lurch forward, dead bodies sliding forwards and out of the building window. As the bodies rained down the police were already evacuating the area. Civilians were cleared out the inside of the building as much as they could, along with the surrounding area, but who knows how many people were still in that building, as firemen rushed in to try to save as many as they could. The brave men entering the creaking building knowing they might not make it out.

Tsuda Kagawa failed, he knew he would get all of this pinned on him. Every tragedy needed a scapegoat. He would go out with dignity though saving as many people as he could.

Haru crawled up the table trying to get her bearings. The lights flickering doing nothing to help her headache, she shook her and looked around. Sugimura was holding onto the table, same as her only on the far right, still laughing uncontrollably. They were the only two left on the floor the rest of the guards fled in some way trying to save themselves.

As she looked out the window towards the Tokyo cityscape, the building crashed forward a little more, the ground crumbling around them. Sugimura slipped forward, catching himself by the tips of his fingers. Haru saw this and tried to reach out to him trying to save him despite all of this.

"SUGIMURA-KUN TAKE MY HAND, I'LL FIX THIS I PROMISE!" she shouted loudly. She made the mistake of not changing his heart, but even if he went brain dead from all of the pressure on his mind...she would help him. Because she knew, as bad a person Sugimura was, that he wasn't in control of his actions. No matter what he says.

He chuckled darkly in response "Even after all this you're still…" He looked down, seeming to ponder his next move. " SUCH A STUPID BITCH!" he raged at her, his brown eyes clotted with the black blood. "You think you can save this somehow?! That I'll just say sorry and this will all go away?! I'D RATHER DIE THAN ACCEPT YOUR HELP!" he spitted at her.

"YOUR TOWER IS CRUMBLING PRINCESS! ACCEPT YOUR EXECUTION!" he yelled as the building creaked forward again, the pieces of the building beginning to fall all around, one lucky one struck the bolted down table. The rods and electrical wires were the only thing keeping the table from falling the multiple floors down.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT BITCH! KNOW THAT AS YOU ENJOY THE VIEW!" He tried to attack her from his risky position. He lost his grip on the table, screaming and laughing uproariously as he fell to his doom.

"NOO!" Haru yelled tears streaming down her face. This whole time she was trying to save everyone before herself. That was how she strived to live, but Sugimura won. He made sure everyone died before her. Her every attempt to try and remedy it was meant with more violence, more death. As more and more rubble of her father's business around her, her grip on the table loosened. The building also lost the last of it's crippled structure as it started to fall forward with her. As she fell towards the pavement, the wind blowing in her hair, she accepted her death. And prepared to atone for all of her selfishness. Sugimura was right, all she could blame was herself. She'll make it right,

I'll make this right. I promise I'll make this ALL right. I promise. I'll atone for my sins!

She made this promise as she closed the distance to the ground. The pain was fast but unbearable, as she hit the pavement at max velocity, and everything went black. As the princess felt this, her castle crumbled on top of her, sending debris everywhere as a cloud of smoke overtook the surrounding area.

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The whole group was in utter shock as Haru's tale, what happened to her would surely go down as one of the greatest tragedies to befall Japan. And Haru, like always, tried to shrug off the massive trauma with her signature fake smile. Sumire and Makoto were having none of it as they swarmed her with comforting hugs, Haru's facade broke and she bursted into a wail of sobs.

"I-I need a smoke. I'll be right back" Sojiro said as he made his way from behind the counter and through the mass of teens that went through more pain that could be described. He made his way out of the door, and drew his cigarette out with a shaking hand. The rain pouring down on him as he took a moment to compose himself. At that moment, he made a silent oath. He knew holding these kids back from their mission was the dumbest thing he could possibly do. So instead, he promised to protect them in whatever way he could. Be the father figure that they so desperately needed in this hellscape that they fought in. He flicked the remains of the nicotine onto the wet ground and went back inside his shop. He had a new purpose now, and would do whatever he could to aid in this fight.

Futaba sat in her middle booth alone, as the others tried to help each other get through the grieving. She watched her surrogate father walk out the door, needing a moment to himself. She felt so guilty, she was the luckiest among them. Who knows what would have happened if Lavenza didn't pop in when she did?! Sojiro could have died with no purpose other than trying to stir her anger. and she would have been killed just as violently as the rest. She was pissed at whoever this enemy was, was on a whole different level than what they ever faced in the past. Even Maruki couldn't compare. She looked around at the wreckage he left of her family, and swore to bring her A-game in the battle to come.

Akira stood silent the whole thing listening to all of their stories. While Akira comforted his group gathering them all around and suggesting a memorial for all those lost, a voice of dissent rose.

"Before you all continue to lick your wounds, I need to ask. Haru, are you sure you saw Sugimura's eyes like that? The rest of you also, is it true you were assaulted by multiple people having these psychotic breakdowns while I was dead?" asked Akechi with his hand to his face in ponderment.

"I'll-I'll never forget that look of hatred in his eyes." Haru said through the tears.

"Yeah, that's right! Those guys were all having the shutdown at the same time!" added Ryuji.

"This does not bode well. If you recall from our battle in Shido's palace, I only forced two shadows to go berserk. While I could do more, the sheer amount mentioned in Haru's story would take a lot from me. Furthermore, Sugimura would have to have had his shutdown last multiple months in order to take out his plan. The mind can only take so much before it quits on itself. The complexity of speech and actions also concern me. I could only have a shadow do one thing mindlessly. They focus on the one task and only that task when under the spell, and after completing it, the mind flatlines." Akechi explained.

"Whoever this god is, we'll make them pay for this, I swear it on my life" Akira swore to his team. They all nodded in agreement, all game faces on.

"Don't let your emotions control you." Akechi said coldly. "This god desperately wants you to fight it, you're playing right into his hand. The best way to piss this bastard off is to just walk away"

"ARE YOU FOR REAL?! THAT BASTARD KILLED EVERYONE CLOSEST TO US AND YOU JUST WANT TO WALK AWAY! LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED!" Screamed Ryuji, pounding his fist on his booth table.

"Everyone you cared about, unlike the rest of you. I have nothing left to lose, and nothing to gain. In fact the god did me a favor of reviving me... now I can personally tell them to fuck off." Akechi grinned smugly.

"I can't believe you're fine with letting him off. Just like Maruki this guy has you under his thumb" Akira said, scowling at the detective.

"I know that Akira… But unlike the doctor, there are options. Maruki wanted to create a twisted version of the world. This guy just wants a new toy to play with. I won't give him that satisfaction, nor should any of you. I can't force you to agree with me but as it stands, the best way to win this game of chess is to simply not play. Goodbye." Akechi curtly said as he went for the door. He tried to push it but it wouldn't give.

"The hell?" Akechi was puzzled as Sojiro just opened the damn thing moments ago. He put his weight in the force trying to get away from this cafe once and for all. To finally escape his prison, but it was no use.

"Man, you sure got me all figured out, eh? Pancake Detective?" a gust of wind blew its way through the cafe, a bright blue light making itself known by the stairway. Everyone turned to see a figure standing there, a dark smile on its face.

"LAVENZA?!" Akira shouted in shock. The attendant had black blood streaming out of her eyes and mouth.

"The person you are calling is not available please leave a message after the beep" she said as she smirked at the trickster. "For a dude who maxed out his knowledge, you aren't too bright"

"YOU LITTLE!" screamed Ryuji recognizing the fact at hand.

"So it's you…" acknowledged Akechi.

"Yes, yes I'm the guy you all are talking about, the god that sent you all to this world. Welcome to Chinatown by the way, nice to know even Igor can have a sense of humor. Though I'm still upset that I didn't have my fun with Futaba." she shrugged.

"If you lay a hand on her-" Sojiro gritted out before he was interrupted.

"You're powerless to stop me, think for a moment daddy-o, I killed hundreds of people just to assemble this room. What's a few more? The god inhabiting Lavenza's body asked with a smug grin on its face.

"Consider yourself lucky Sojiro, you were considered to die too. It went something like Futaba walking up to this shop. So close to greeting her father for the morning, then BOOM! The place explodes, beans and curry falling from the sky. Her vengeance set as I send a nobody to slit her little throat. After all, where would the Phantom Thieves be without their quirky hacker?" he looked her right in the eyes as he said it, making her quiver in fear.

"That's enough! leave her alone and tell us what you want!" said Akira standing between this god and his surrogate sister.

"Akechi was right on the money, a man from a great anime said, 'overwhelming power is pretty boring,' words could never ring truer. I want you thieves to do what you do best. Steal hearts, the world in chaos trying to find you. But with a twist!" they exclaimed grinning ear to ear.

"You know where I'm going with this. Mirrored selves, reflect on what could have been yada yada yada" she fanned her hand in bored fashion.

"But most importantly fight my champion. He doesn't know it but he needs new adversaries. The rogues gallery is great and all. But he needs people to challenge his justice, something new to grunge about, something new to keep him up the endless nights in fear. Something to add to his endless guilt. And I figured you… so what do you think?" they chirped.

"Are you serious?!" Makoto screamed.

"I don't care about this guy all I care about is the guy who KILLED MY MOM! And they're standing right in front of me." Ryuji barked, preparing himself for a fight. As he did as promised his thieving uniform appeared out of nowhere. The rest of the group aside from Akechi followed suit as the target of all their new agression was right in front of them. Sojiro ducked behind the counter, ready for things to get messy.

"Take this outside guys, no fighting in the cafe!" Sojiro begged. He didn't know if he was getting through to them. The whole thing going way over his head. He reeled at their outfits, especially Morgana's entirely different form.

"Better listen to your daddy kids, I know you want me bad, I'm counting on it even. But you fight all the minions before the final boss. Do that I'll gladly pummel you, just prove yourselves a worthy opponent to my dear Batman. And I promise a chance at me." Lavenza's possessor stated bowing deeply.

"And if we refuse, if we rebel against a god? Like we always do?" asked Akechi grimly.

"I already promised a fight if you do this. The rest are set on getting my head on a platter. What will it take to get you to wish the same. You said yourself you have nothing to gain from fighting me, so how about this? If you don't play along, if you don't agree to this deal... I'll make each of you experience a pain so great, it'll make all of your deaths seem like heaven"

The room fell in a raging silence to the god's threat. Akechi scowled at this, seeming to try and call a bluff.

This is bullshit, they didn't go through all this trouble to just kill us.

"Don't believe me? How 'bout a taste Mr. Detective?" they snapped their fingers, and a course of excruciating pain rained down on Akechi. A pain worth a million deaths caused the man to collapse on the tile floor. Blood sprayed all over the door wall, covering the Sayuri.

Akechi twitched on the ground covered in cuts, he saw the same blackness he had twice before.

The whole room screamed in terror, Akechi lay dead on the cafe floor. His blood covered all of them. No sooner they started screaming the god snapped again. Akechi's body and blood seemed to go in reverse, returning to the stance it was in before.

"AAAAAGGG!" Akechi screamed in pain collapsing on his hands and knees from the sheer amount of pain he went through.

"Ah shucks, well as they say fourth time's the charm, are we more agreeable now Mr. Goro?" asked the god.

"I'll-I'll break you. I'll make sure YOU'LL FEEL THAT PAIN A THOUSAND TIMES OVER!" Akechi shouted rage, getting the better of him. His dark thieving uniform appeared.

"That's the spirit! Now do we have a deal Phantom Thieves? Or does another person need to die?" they asked calmly.

"OK! Just stop, we'll do it, please just stop. Where do you want us to start?" asked Akira solemnly. They were concerned with no way out but to obey.

"You're the leader Joker. I am but the audience to this grand show. Though I suppose I'll throw you a bone just to get the story kicking." the god threw a book from their pocket towards Joker, he caught it.

Alice in Wonderland?

"Figure we could have a throwback to the very beginning! A refresher of sorts! The castle of lust rages on it's war to feed it's desires. Find a hatter, and dump all of his tea in the port!" the god rhymes out of time. They then revealed their true form, a cartoony looking kid wearing bat themed pajamas.

"My name is Bat-mite number one fan of Batman! Go on thieves and conquer the reflections that be! Though I fear you might not like what you see!" they said dramatically before bowing once more.

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MIRRORED MOON RANK UP 1/999999999

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Lavenza kneeled over coughing the black blood out. That demented god was finally gone. She fought viciously for control throughout the whole discussion but was powerless to his expansive power.

"Trickster, thieves, I'm so sorry. This god is beyond anything I've encountered as an attendant. At least the dreaded god of control settled for just cutting me in half." She spitted some more blood on the floor. She weeps out the remainder of the black blood of her eyes, the clear liquid of her regular tears washing it out.

"Hey, hey it's ok Lavenza, you did your best. We all know that you weren't in control" Akira went over and crouched down to comfort her. What a bad night this turned out to be.

"No. It is not ok. Trickster frankly we're outmatched, I hold out hope for you as I always and forever will. But this is different, I swear on my life that whatever you need from me will be given. That whatever strength you need, whatever battle you enter into. I will be on your side." She raged on, the yellow of her eyes shining brighter than they ever have before.

"My master feels the same, whatever training you all need we will provide. Be it fusion, teaching, or skill honing. We will give it our all. This god will pay for his insolence!"

"Thank you Lavenza, you heard her everybody let's take this guy down!" Akira shouted to his team, his family. They wouldn't rest until they got their justice.

"HELL YEAH! LET'S TEAR EM APART!" Ryuji shouted.

"Needless to say I'm with you on this. He'll pay! And he'll go down even harder with me by you!" Akechi shouted, clutching his chest still but on his feet.

"Futaba already mapped out the city to look for you, I suggest we spread out find this 'hatter' and put him into the dirt," Makoto said, punching her fist into her palm.

"Mm hmm! I separated the city into neighborhoods. Each one of you takes a quadrant, maximizing the search. Here look Joker!" She slid the computer around to her leader.

"You guys sure you want to get started now? Might be good to hold that memorial. Take a moment to breath after all that has happened." Akira said he was concerned for his teammates. He was glad they were so pumped but they needed to grieve.

"With all due respect, the best way to honor those dead is with my axe!" Haru shouted fierce determination running through her.

"Senpai, I think I speak for everyone when I say we want to hit the ground running!" Sumire said, pushing her glasses back up.

"I concur," Yusuke added. Everyone else added in their cheers of agreement.

"All right then. Let's take the world one more time!" Akira cheered. The Phantom Thieves were back together. All scum should fear the thieves that would steal their distorted desires.

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April 9th, Night

Chinatown

Rain

Batman raced to the address, burning rubber with gritted teeth. Joker was probably twelve steps ahead of him, and who knows what he is planning to do with the hostages! He arrived and jumped out the batmobile. He entered through the roof entrance hoping to avoid a more violent entry.

"Welcome Batsy boy, I see a snitch is in our midst. HAHA!" Joker said through his television communicator. "Not that it matters though, that just means you get a sneak peak at what's to come! Lucky you!"

"You're so kind Mistah J. Allowin' him to witness such coolness!" swooned Harley in the background.

"I know, I know. He should be grateful really. BEHOLD!"

Spotlights shined down onto tied up nuns. Their screams muffled from the tape on their mouths. The rest of the room was devoid of life as Batman swooped down to free them. The was the wrong move as he tripped a laser activating some kind of gas onto the whole of the room.

"It's the latest in Joker technology, we present our newest innovation in the Joker Toxin! Patent Pending." Joker chuckled as then nuns started to laugh painfully hard.

Batman put on a gas mask as he undid the bindings on the women. Knowing Joker, the poison was a whole new compound, with all existing cures being ineffective against it.

He hated being right sometimes. He stuffed both women into the car and began his race to the Panessa Studios.

"Oracle, I'm sending you a blood sample, I need you to isolate the compound and find a cure." Batman said over the insane chuckling of the two nuns behind him, he didn't have much time.

"I'll do my best, this stuff is nasty. But I'll contact you as soon as I have something." Oracle said signing off from the call. There was no time for pleasantries, lives were on the line.

"Robin, any sign of Mad Hatter? Or Sionis for that matter?" Batman asked.

"I found a weapon cache for Black Mask, but nothing concrete for his main hold. Jervis has multiple new goons brainwashed into doing his bidding. No matter how much I punch em' they either don't remember anything or refuse to talk." Damian replied.

"Keep at it, one is bound to crack. I'm one route to the studios. Let me know if anything turns up."

"Roger"

That was probably the luckiest they were going to get tonight. It was almost dawn and the cure for the new toxin will take time. Jervis' hypnosis is hitting goons harder than usual and Sionis has to have hideouts all over the city. To top it all off Riddler has set up shop somewhere new as well. If the trophy death trap he found was any indication. This long night was quickly turning into a long week.

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"Think that's him?" Mona asked as they watched the man drive off hastily.

"Has to be. The photos of him were all blurry but those ears are a dead giveaway" Joker answered. "Queen we found Batman, he is on route to your quadrant. Drives a very flashy car, can't miss it"

"Understood, I'll track him to see what I can find" Queen answered.

"Just don't get caught stalkin' like ya did back in the day!" Skull teased.

"Do you want to get smacked?" replied Queen sternly. She would never live that down.

"Remember guys, look for anything that relates to the book 'Alice in Wonderland'. Be it a fancy hat, rabbits, stuff like that." Mona spoke.

"Roger, no luck here," Noir replied.

"Nothing," Fox added.

"Sorry" Violet apologized.

"Let's say I never read the book. Can I get a rundown of what's in it?" Skull asked hesitantly.

"Just go off the cartoon, it's what I'm doing" Oracle replied.

"Hey, what about the live action movies?" Panther asked.

"We don't talk about those," Oracle said darkly.

"*Sigh* I can't believe I'm stuck with these idiots again" Crow said tiredly.

"Hmph. Looks like business is back to normal, though I wouldn't want a huff of whatever those nuns had" Mona shivered at the sight. The gas started to leak out of the building.

Joker smirked at that. He was glad Oracle and Mona put together these communicators for Sae's castle. They have been a big help to stay in contact. He had to say he missed this, but that doesn't mean Bat-mite won't pay for what he has done.

"Cops are closing in. Let's bounce" Mona said cheekily. They both jumped off the rooftops, making their escape. With everyone equipped with their own grappling hooks, surveying the city will be easy. They had a lot of work to do.

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BREAKING NEWS:

We are here in Chinatown, where a massive toxin has been released into the surrounding neighborhood. The police advise an evacuation until the toxin has cleared. This is to be believed to be responsible is the notorious clown prince of crime Joker. As he unveils his newest plot.

In other news, a massive spike of missing persons cases have been opened as people seem to vanish without a trace. This does not bode well, if you are familiar with Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter whose MO is hypnosis of unsuspecting victims to do his bidding. If you see a person wearing a white rabbit mask, please run to safety and contact local authorities.

Is your child in a gang? We have reports that Roman Sionis aka Black Mask is recruiting teens into his massive empire. As well as a possible team up with the notorious Penguin, if the decrease in gang violence is to be believed.

Finally, Gotham Deathtraps. It seems that Riddler is at it again with his entrapping puzzles, as his infamous trophies have popped up all over the city. Please if you see a green trophy or green graffiti near you, DO NOT ENGAGE! Alert your nearest officer, and let the police handle the removal of the item

This is Vicki Vale, of Gotham News. Telling you to stay safe, and please for the love of god stay in during the night. Signing off.

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AN:

It's finally done! Now I can go about with glee!

Hope you like the setup I've written. Especially Haru, the part I'm most proud of. A sort of demo of things to come. Took all week.

Six in the morning but I'm up writing this. I swear I should move to the other side of the world just to achieve a normal sleep schedule.

I love both of these properties so much! I can't wait to have them clash heads!

I hope you guys feel the same! 3

I know focusing heavy on the persona side of things. I promise more Batman will come in future chapters. It is just a matter of setting the Phantoms up in the world. Which has now been done.

Next chapter might take a while, I really want longer chapters for each update.

So stay tuned!

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BONUS CONTENT:

"So Akira where do you want us all to set up shop?" asked Morgana. If they were putting together a plan of action to find the Hatter, they needed to set their quadrants in stone.

"This city is huge, we have a lot of ground to cover. Not to mention we need to find a place for us all to live." Akira stated. He looked at the Gotham map Yusuke had sketched out. Information scattered across the huge bulletin. They made their way upstairs to his bedroom showcasing their work.

"For tonight we'll all sleep here. It'll be crowded sure, but I'd rather keep you all safe here than risk it somewhere else. While you all were looking for this guy, I took the liberty to buy us all sleeping bags. Oh, Akechi I suppose I should go out and get you one." Sojiro explained.

"I'll be fine thank you. I don't plan on sleeping for the time being. There's too much work to do." Akechi gritted out. He did appreciate the thought though.

"I'll have the girls help me look for places, I memorized the layout of the city like the back of my hand. I'll find a place but I'll need help on the particulars." Futaba said smugly.

"That sounds fun at least. Maybe we should find a place for each quadrant and use them as spare hideouts." Ann suggested.

"That sounds good. We would have a better hold of the city that way." Makoto nodded.

"Do we truly have the means to buy that much property?" Sumire asked politely.

"We still had a shitload saved from past heists. Worse comes to worse we go to Mementos and grind money out of shadows. With the Nav back at least that is taken care of!" Ryuji grinned.

"But oh man! I can't wait to have my own place!"

"Isn't it the team's place?" Yusuke asked blankly.

"Let's focus. We had multiple reports come in that some places are more dangerous than others so we should probably place more heavy hitters there. Gotham has a massive train system just like Tokyo, so transport shouldn't be an issue. But ultimately it's up to you Akira" Makoto advised.

"There seems to be an uneven amount of neighborhoods. I volunteer to take on the straggler." Akechi said leaving no room for question.

"Right. Let's go from north to south." Akira started his plan of action.

"Makoto, I want you to take the Cauldron, Panessa Studios, and the Merchant Bridge. You have the most connection to the police force and the Cauldron seems to be the headquarters of the entire force. I also want you to keep an eye on the Merchant bridge. Batman has a hard-on for the city but I want to know if he leaves and goes at all times. You'll also cover the Mercy Bridge with Sumire. But your main priority is getting an ear inside the force. Make sure the clean stay clean."

"Understood" Makoto nodded with determination. She would gladly make sure the police uphold the justice they promise.

"Aw I really wanted to check out those studios." Ann pouted.

"I believe that's why Akira didn't set you there" Yusuke stated coldly. Ann scolded at him in response.

"Morgana you're with me as always. I want to make sure the cafe stays secure no matter what. Our quadrants will be Chinatown and Drescher. I need you to use your cat form to infiltrate the clocktower. Batman has been sighted there more frequently than any other place in the area. He'll never suspect a stray cat being a part of this team. We'll also help Haru in watching the Perdition Bridge in tracking him. Drescher is also home to a Queen Industries building, get eyes in there and make sure they're on the up and up. While you do that I'll look into Ace Chemicals." Akira continued.

"They never see me coming!" Morgana laughed smugly.

"Why are we infiltrating random companies Senpai?" Sumire asked.

"Frankly, we have no idea who to trust in this world. And I don't want a repeat of Okumura Foods." Akrira answered darkly. He wanted to make sure they covered all of their bases, so they wouldn't get cornered like they did back then.

"Which brings us to Haru, your quadrant is Ottisburg and Ryker Heights. There are a lot of companies on Founders Island. I need all of them looked into. Ryuji will team up with you in order to look into Port Adams. You two will also share the lookout of the Salvation and the Penitence Bridge. The main companies to focus on are Wayne Enterprises, Goth Corp, and Lex Corp."

"Thank you for trusting me in such matters" Haru bowed. It was a lot of work, but she'll gladly put her experience with big business to use.

"Sumire, as I said you will help Makoto with the Mercy Bridge. But, I also need you to survey the Grand Avenue and Kingston quadrant. Try to find a trustworthy doctor that will help us in the Elliot Memorial Hospital. Also I need you to look into the Wayne Enterprises headquarters. Wayne has a foothold into almost everything in Gotham, I don't trust that, We could be looking at a whole new Shido."

"I won't let you down Senpai!" She shouted.

"If you hold such worry for Wayne, why don't I look into him personally?" Akechi asked, scowling.

"I'll get to you. You wanted that extra territory after all," Akira calmed the detective.

"Ryuji, as I said I want you to cover the two bridges connecting Founders to Miagani. Also Haru could use all the help she can get with Port Adams. But your quadrant is the Bristol and Park Row area. You'll also need to help Yusuke with the Mainland Bridge." Akira stated.

"That's a lot of bridges dude. By the way what's up with Port Adams?" Ryuji asked.

"It rubs me the wrong way. All these guns are coming from somewhere, also we have reports of human trafficking, drugs, and a number of other things to consider. That port is the largest in the city. There's gotta be something there. Also I need you to get in with the street level thugs. I feel you are the best person. Park Row is were most of the crimes take place, can I trust you to handle all that?" Akira asked.

"Piece of cake!" Ryuji exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Um, should we really let Skull handle gangs. No offence but he isn't really the hardest guy." Makoto said doudfull.

"Yes, I'm with Akira on this. I personally encounter some these low lifes on our quest to find our leader. They make Skull here sound like a rocket scientist! And with his more vulgar nature he'll blend right in!" Morgana argued smiling cheekily.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Ryuji asked, preparing to fight the cat.

"A compliment, so take it!" Morgana scowled at him.

"Get along with you two. I'm not letting you guys divide the team again." Akira chided like a parent.

"Sorry" they both apologized, eyes downcast.

"Moving on, Yusuke." Akira looked towards him, Yusuke standing straighter to prepare.

"As I said before, you will help Ryuji with the Mainland Bridge. Your quadrant will be the Bowery and Sheldon Park. Futaba found a hat shop in that area, so look into that and see what you can find. Other than that, gangs are almost as prevalent as they are in Park Row. The gang hideout is the most known, the Iceberg Lounge. Get what information you can, keep an eye on Ryuji, and watch each other's six. Make sure you guys aren't surrounded by goons."

"I understand." Yusuke nodded. He was a worse actor than Ryuji, but keeping an eye out for Skull was a better bet.

"Now Akechi."

"Finally…" Akechi groaned out.

"As per request, I want you on the Amusement Mile, the Industrial District, and the Coventry. You'll help Ann scout the Pioneer Bridge. With this territory I'm giving you a lot to cover, first up I want you to look into the Sionis steel mill. That guy is really shady, just from hearing about him. Also look into the My Alibi nightclub, jokes aside I have a hunch that something is up with the place. Finally, your job is to find information on the 'Riddler' guy who's leaving death traps all over that and Ann's quadrant. You always said you liked puzzles so I figured this was made for you."

"Hmpff. Consider it done." Akechi said in a condescending tone. Work always did quell his anger, and this 'Riddler' character sounded like the most fun to be put into his place.

"That leaves me right?" Ann asked cheerfully.

"Yep. You got the Diamond District and Burnley. We don't have much info on the area, and that isn't good. Find as much as you can in the area, the only other thing is to help Akechi with the Riddler. There are trophies all over the city, some of them have claimed victims. I need you to do all you can to help stop him. Also as mentioned please keep a lookout for Batman on the Pioneer Bridge."

"Ok!" Ann chirped. She knew she wasn't the smartest when it came to puzzles but she'll do her best.

"Our priority is this Mad Hatter. All of you look for anything related to the book 'Alice in Wonderland'. The rest comes after that. All of you should also try to find a pawn shop like Iwai's, so we can sell our loot. Everyone clear on what they have to do?"

A chorus of agreements spread the room.

"Good. Futaba mind the shop, search for any new information and relay it to us. Boss? Look after her. LET'S STEAL SOME HEARTS!" Akira cheered followed by the rest of the room. Everyone exited the cafe starting their work, leaving only two left.

"Well, I guess I'll make some curry for when they come back" Sojiro shrugged trying to find something to pass the time.

"That sounds great Sojiro! Make sure to put extra love into mine!" Futaba demanded cheerfully.

"Always" he rubbed his daughter's head, much to her annoyance. He'll make sure to do his part in his own way.

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AN: Added this in for those who like to visualize where everyone is. Also this truly completed the explaining portion of this work!

Next up the fall of Wonderland!

See ya soon!