This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.

Call The Wind To Choose Your Fate

Together, We Bear A Whole World's Weight

6/21 Saturday

Morning

The day's serene opening light lured Akira Kurusu's consciousness back into it through the room window. Seeing that Makoto was also awake beside him, he knew it was time. No more excuses.

Sure, they were both detained in a hospital, both of them still recovering from injuries... But that excuse didn't hold water any better than his last dozen did. The simple truth of the matter was, he'd been too afraid. Always afraid of what might happen when he asked the question.

But this time, he knew Morgana was right about him. Right to threaten to destroy his notes if he didn't go through with this. In this specific case only, he envied his friend Ryuji's more carefree outlook. Maybe then, his mind wouldn't be so crammed with the fear of what might happen.

Come on, now. The word's sounded like Sojiro's in his mind; stern but covering a desire to bring forth the addressee's inner courage. You saved the world. You stared down a God and shot it through the head. How tough can this possibly be?

He reached up to the night table beside the bed to grab his glasses and worked his lips numbly, trying to make them move when it felt like they'd forgotten.

"N-Nijima-san?"

Turning quickly at his voice, as if she hadn't been aware he was there, Makoto looked back at him, her ruby eyes lovely as ever. "Kurusu?"

Everything he'd spent months rehearsing was suddenly a blank page. No, not quite blank; it felt like it read 'AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH'. Improvisation time, then. I'm good at that.

"I heard from the docs", he tried. "You'll be getting out of here pretty soon, right?"

She kept uncharacteristically silent.

"You'll be going back to Tokyo. Same here. We've both got stuff we need to take care of. We did back then, too. We all agreed that we'd support each other in whatever future we decided to pursue in our lives going forward, and not get in each other's way."

Still nothing audible from her, merely a curious glance, wondering where exactly he was going with this.

"Feels like a long time, yet I remember it so well. I can even remember that weird lunchbox of yours. Buchimaru, wasn't it? Buchi-kun?"

Silence.

"We've kept our promises. I've kept my distance from you for years now. But the whole time we did... I kept on wondering every morning when I would see you again. So I could ask you how things were going, how Sae-san was doing. You know. Life stuff."

"Life stuff", she repeated blankly, though he was relieved to hear her speak. He'd almost begun to suspect something was seriously wrong.

"Now we're done with that", he continued breathlessly. "Or at least, you are. You got the job you wanted, although I know you want to work your way up to commissioner; they can't keep denying you promotions forever with all the good you've done. I have a few years of teacher's college left, but I don't anticipate any problems there. Then I'll be a teacher. An 'adult' at last", he smiled ironically at the bizarre-seeming notion that he hadn't truly 'grown-up' completely until he'd gotten started on a full career job. Certainly a better adult than a lot of the ones I've met in my time... But maybe not as good as some. Guess we'll find out.

There was no response from Makoto. Her gaze seemed permanently fixated on him, reflecting off his glasses. A thousand different ways to complete the final approach the subject formed in his mind and were dismissed just as quickly.

"But I realized, that's not the thing I really want right now. What I want... what I've always wanted for those six years... was you."

Quickly, before she could interpret his words, before his arms and legs could fully transform into useless jelly on the bed, he reached down to his pocket to grab the tiny black case, undoing the clasp to pop the lid open and reveal what lay within.

"I'm afraid that you've stolen my heart, Makoto Nijima", he managed a joking smile. "Will you return it to me now?"

She seemed to have frozen up entirely at the sight, staring deep into the facets of the exposed diamond. It was extremely tiny given his budget, yet it glittered in the morning light like a hundred prisms. It was obvious to him that she wasn't stunned by the diamond though, but the implications of his offer it conveyed.

Then... She unfroze. Her lips were the first things to move, but she rolled back into her bed beneath the sheet to hide her face. He wanted to see it and was halfway out of his bed when he heard the laughter.

Makoto Nijima hardly ever laughed. This was not necessarily due to a lack of happiness in her life, but simply a enduring part of her character. The restraint that was necessary to be a disciplined student council president with near perfect grades, to be the reserved tactician of the Phantom Thieves who stood at his side, helping them through the their greatest trials, to be her... meant that moments of unfettered laughter were few and far between. In fact, the last time he could genuinely remember such a moment had been all the way back when they had all just finished the Kaneshiro situation and had been nonplussed to learn none of the money inside the man's briefcase Treasure was real.

He tried to tell himself all this foreknowledge was the reason why her laughter sounded so unmistakably wrong to his ears... and he failed in that.

And if her laughter was rare, then uncontrolled, mocking laughter like this that should have brought the doctors and nurses running was nonexistent. Just as well; hearing it made his skin bristle.

"N-Nijima?!"

"So that's why you came", she remarked fake-sweetly once she'd calmed down. "It wasn't anything to do with helping to save lives, was it? It was because you actually thought I'd ever think of getting together with a worthless loser like you?"

Ruby eyes leered as she scoffed. "You're pathetic, Akira Kurusu."

Reeling from the scorn in her glare, Akira turned away, closing down... and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Wow. You really had me going there for a moment. Drop the act, would you? It's not necessary."

When he opened his eyes again, it was like someone had encased the room in an active microwave. A microwave that, curiously, didn't affect him, didn't melt his skin and bones down as he saw was now happening to 'Makoto Nijima'. The hospital room followed, walls drooping down in rivulets of white goop while the bed rails curdled and fell into the floor. The floor which then fell apart, tiles shedding off until there was nothing left.

Nothing but the empty void.

"I did nothing", a new voice came to him from places unknown. An adult woman's voice only traceable once a stain of golden light appeared out of the black to condense into a mask the height of a room. A mirrored, fully reflective geisha mask. The mouth never moved, but the voice continued. "Whatever you may be experiencing is merely a side effect of pulling your consciousness in here. You must be under a great deal of anxiety at the moment. Hardly what I expected from the great Joker, storied leader of the Phantom Thieves."

Distantly realizing that he was back in his traditional Phantom Thief regalia, Akira faced the colossal mirror mask before remembering what he'd learned since coming to Tosashimizu. "You would be Lady Scorpio then. The one who can't leave the Karma club. Ryuken's boss."

"Prince Taurus, please." The mask glowed with the same brilliant light before vanishing, leaving behind a more familiar bipedal human shape walking out of it towards him, though still garbed in an opulent kimono from centuries past and a more reasonably-sized copy of the same mask. Just as anachronistic-looking as Morgana said, and just as scary. If this were a Palace, I'd suspect she was a Shadow.

"I'd argue the point", he offered, "but then we'd be here all day. Fine. Call yourself what you want. Doesn't change the fact that you were born as someone else. Someone who you really are."

Scorpio hardly seemed riled by his stern words. A plain wooden table and chairs spawned from the lingering mists that had begun to cloud the void, allowing her to take a seat and beckon him to do the same before folding her large sleeves together.

"Maybe I'll stand", he offered mildly.

"If you wish. And you're right, of course. I was born under a different name, a different self. I simply can't remember the name of it. Fortuitously, I prefer this identity, just as I'm certain you prefer Joker."

"A code name", he insisted, fighting off the chill. "Just a code name, that's all."

"A code name", she repeated, "with a great deal of memories and positive feelings attached to it. A mask, you might call it. Yet... who are you you really, Akira Kurusu? How many masks can one man wear?"

"Is there a point to this?", he snarled. No matter what Scorpio said, that vision of the mocking Makoto was indirectly her fault. "Or did you just come to practice your sophistry to a captive audience?"

"No." The mask didn't move; he felt the smirk beneath it in her voice. "I came here to speak with you, Akira Kurusu. To negotiate."

6/21 Saturday

Lunch

"Over here", Aiko directed, letting the others follow after her through the milling crowds of weekend Tenjincho mall. "Open table."

Following behind, feeling newly vulnerable- like the artificial lights of the human world were just a bit too bright for her eyes to tolerate now- Reiha sighed. "There would have lots of open tables at the Starlight diner, why didn't we go there? This place is always too crowded and noisy on weekends."

"Exactly", Noel chipped in behind her. "This way, no one else will hear us Also, they would recognize Tsuruga-chan at that diner."

"We could've gone to our hideout too", Mirambela explained patiently, "but we wanted some place you'd be more comfortable with."

"Besides", Jiachi noted cheerfully, "this way we don't need to worry about that bratty cat barging in. I swear, if he ever leads someone to us when we're having a meeting..."

"Cat?", Reiha tried not to sound too confused- she knew enough of that would probably be happening soon anyway. "There's a stray cat following you around?"

"His name is Morgana", Aiko clarified as they each claimed their seats. "He's another member of the Phantom Thieves. And yes, like Pelagio, he talks. But only to us. Everyone else just hears meowing."

"So he's like Pelagio", Reiha considered, slightly more at east with the idea now than she'd been when they'd first returned from the gate and saw Pelagio swooping around, a talking falcon with the same voice as the soft-spoken armored knight who had fought so hard against her Shadow. "I'd have liked to meet him then. I like cats."

"Not this one", Jiachi warned her. "Besides, he's busy guarding the hospital."

"Guarding the-", Reiha stopped herself. If I keep asking dumb questions like this, we'll be here all day. "Right. Food first though."

"Food first!", Mira cried happily.

Fifteen minutes later they were all set, the five meal combos spread before them nearly too much for their tables to hold. Mira had the most number of spicy sauces arranged to complement her vegetables, sharing them freely while Jiachi eagerly eyed a fresh platter of teriyaki. "Got some Mushi steamed cakes too", he offered Aiko. "Grumpy bird likes those, right?"

"Save them for last", she advised, content to let everyone dig in for a while before speaking again. As expected, all the meat dishes outside of Jiachi's personal choice were seafood, some of it possibly harvested from the very waters around Kochi.

It'll be fine, she reminded herself for the fifth time. No one else has had a problem with the water contaminating the fish yet, and they won't for a long time. It's likely in very small doses still, so no one will feel the effects.

Still, just the knowledge that there was even a 0.1% chance that something could be wrong with this meal made her chew slowly and carefully, before going with her chosen main dish of curry. According to Akira, the man who had acted as his guardian during the tumultuous year of the Phantom Thieves had created some kind of scientific formula for making delicious curry, but the mall's variant tasted rather bland to her even with the added sauce.

"So", she gulped the first half down with ease before washing it down with water. "I suppose you should go first?"

Reiha's shadowed eyes rolled. "If you insist... and you're absolutely sure it's safe."

To demonstrate how sure she was, Aiko stared back, said nothing for twenty seconds, letting the din of the food court fill up the air around them without any of their noise pushing back.

"Fine", her friend sighed. "Okay. From the top. My legal name is Ruri Kaneshiro. Junya Kaneshiro's blood... is in me. When the Phantom Thieves changed his heart, made him go to the police and start spilling secrets... that was the last day I ever saw my mom. If Dr. Spica hadn't saved me, I'd probably be dead. Or worse."

"We know", Noel nodded somberly. That was one story he would never forget no matter how he tried to. None of them would. "Spica told us."

"Which I can still hardly believe", Reiha winced. "He reminded me like every day not to ever let any of that out in case someone in the syndicate heard. But he's also the only one who could've told you about me."

"We had to be persuasive with him", Julian admitted, carefully cutting the bulk of his spiced teriyaki into tiny chunks. "Don't worry, I doubt anyone in the Yakuza knows you're here."

"If they ever did find out", Reiha argued, "it would already be too late. There's nowhere else we can run. The doc came here with me because it was as far away from Tokyo as we could manage to get, a coastal Japanese backwater where no one had ever heard the name Kaneshiro. Well... at least until his name became a part of the Phantom Thief legend, that is. Heh. I guess he's famous now. Just like he wanted."

"Your secret is safe with us", Aiko promised vehemently. "We already decided to keep calling you by the name we all know, even if we know it's not your real one. That's the safest bet, right now."

"You'd better", she warned them acidly. "If that gets around, you'd be in the same boat as me, figuratively speaking."

"Spica told us that too", Julian agreed.

The way the older girl's eyes misted up surprised them all. "And yet, you're not staying away from me like you should. You actually fought to save me, when you could've just left me there in that Land. I don't... I'm not... sure what to say. I... Thank you. Thank you. For everything."

Aiko forced a snicker into her throat. "I suppose it's gotten to be a habit for us by now. Mira-chan and Rosea-kun had the same thing happen to them."

"Of course", she nodded grimly. "That part makes so much more sense now. You both disappear without a trace, and then return weeks later. Don't tell me that horned bastard got to you too?"

Mira frowned. "Horned...? Oh, you mean Prince Taurus? Actually, we didn't meet him until we went to your Land."

"Then... how did you get to that other world?"

Neither of them looked excited at the prospect of explaining the respective worst days of their lives again, so Aiko took over. "Willingly. They were having some rough times. Then, they heard a voice calling to them."

"How far will you go?", Mira repeated, easily recalling the piercing, haunting words which had lured her into the world of her dreams. She would never forget. "How much more will you willingly ensure, until you can't handle the cruel reality that you're forced to submit to?"

"Vow to me", Julian continued for her, his face equally bleak for the memory. "Vow to me, and I'll deliver you from your troubles, and create a world you'll never want to leave." Waiting for Reiha to process the words, he shrugged. "Frustrating, 'cause we can't tell exactly who it was. Just sounded like it was my voice. Like I was talkin' to myself."

"Hm. Maybe you were?", Noel wondered. "Maybe that was your Shadow, calling out to you?"

He grimaced. "Maybe. How'd you get there then, senpai?"

"Fell in."

Going in together like this had been worth it just to see the range of surprise on everyone's faces, she decided then. "Uh, try again? I'm pretty sure you can't just 'fall in' to the gate. It's at the beach. The Yume Bay."

"So that's why we came out there", Reiha mused before rephrasing. "I fell in, because I was fighting that Taurus guy."

"Fighting Samesaji?", Aiko asked.

That name made Reiha blink in return. "Yeah. See, I was tracking a rumor... someone smuggling in some kind of new chemical into the city under the radar. I knew I had to check it out as soon as I heard Enmikaeda's guys were involved. Oh right, Enmikaeda is-"

"The new Yakuza chief in Shibuya", Julian cut in. "Kaneshiro's replacement. We know."

She heaved an annoyed grunt. "We should've stopped in with the doc before we did this. Then I'd know everything he'd already told you."

"It's fine", Aiko assured her, gulping down the last of the curry. "Unless you're really that stressed about having to talk to us? It's not like that 'Shirubashiti' of yours had much in the way of interesting conversation."

"No", she admitted distractedly. "Maybe that's the problem. I'm too used to having that adrenalin high, just running around and beating up criminals in there. Not much talking with words, just our fists... or whatever appendages the Shadows had to fight with."

"I'm sure that you'll be able to adjust, senpai", Mira promised her delicately. "You just got back to the real world. Once your spend more time here, your body will go back to normal."

"On that topic", Noel wondered, "what made you think you had to be the one to stop them? Why didn't you just call the police on them?"

She gave an embarrassed grin. "Well... For one thing, I don't trust the cops. Or didn't. Maybe I do a little more now. If I was the one to check it out, I could be sure the job was done right, that they wouldn't just brush it off as a prank. Whoever's doing this, they're pretty good at hiding evidence. But not from Hex."

"Hex?", Aiko asked in confusion. "But you were only Hex in the dream... no. Don't tell me...!"

"Afraid so", Reiha gave her an innocent shrug.

"Does Spica know?"

She laughed. "The doc helps me. I couldn't pull it off without his help. Sure, he didn't like it at first, but then he figured out that I was just gonna do it anyway even if he said no. So he made that armor for me, to protect me. It's even bullet resistant, unless you're right up close. I don't let them get that close."

"You really are the famous vigilante of Tosashimizu?", Julian stared open mouthed. "Whoa. Here I thought you were just playing that role in your Land. But I guess if you weren't, you wouldn't have such a good idea about the design of that armor, yeah?"

"The one in there was a bit different though", Reiha remarked. "That copy of my helmet... it did something to me. It made me think you were enemies, criminals. The real one enhances my voice to scare people, but it doesn't do anything like that."

"I'd hope not", Noel regarded her in worry. "Things are crazy enough already without having to worry about perspective-distorting helmets."

"About that", Aiko requested, "I'd appreciate it if you avoided sharing all this with Spica, at least for now."

"Done", she sighed. "The truth is, after everything that happened back there, everything I learned... I don't know if I really want to continue on as Hex. It's just like that Shadow said- I wasn't really enforcing justice, I was just beating people up at night 'cause it felt good. Too many bad memories associated with that helmet now."

"That's probably for the best", Mira agreed somberly. "You've been lucky so far. There aren't very many dangerous criminals in Tosashimizu city, compared to Shinjuku... but some of them do have guns. Taking them on like that, I'm amazed you're still alive."

"It was close a few times", Reiha confessed, folding her arms back. Knowing just how many scars were hidden beneath her gloves made them hard not to stare at sometimes. "And I guess that night was when my luck finally ran out. I was at the warehouse, investigating the shipments, when that guy came along. Samesaji."

"Samesaji", Aiko repeated, eyes widening. "Ryuken. If he was there, then those shipments he was protecting must've been... Never mind. Continue, please."

"Not much left to tell", she sniffed. "We fought. That guy's a real maniac when it comes to fighting, but you all prolly noticed that already. He didn't have any of those weird powers he used in the other world, or even a gun. He beat me legit, I'm sorry to say."

"His Persona, Mithras", Aiko explained. "He has one, just like we do, and it's really powerful. So you fought, and then...?"

"Then, I fell into one of the storage containers. It was just black water, so I thought it might've been tar for making tobacco, or some kind of drug ingredient. But as soon as I fell in, the stuff just swallowed me up. Like it was alive or something. Next thing I know, I'm in Shirubashiti hunting down evil Shadows, with no memory of how I got there."

"That's... different", Noel considered, carefully hiding the perturbing implications of her words. "Regardless, I'm glad you're safe now."

Stopping to finish her own meal, Reiha smiled back at him, a bit of much needed practice. "And so am I. Without your help, I'd have died there, never knowing what I was losing. Guess I should thank Pelagio too, once we're done."

"Take him the last Mushi cake", Julian suggested, raising the nearly empty bag while idly chowing down on another one.

"Not yet", she waved him away. "Still got some questions for you now. Don't care who answers."

"Happy to oblige."

The honeyed words made her freeze in her seat, not daring to turn around and see. The reaction on the faces of the others was enough to confirm it was who she'd thought it was, unable to take a seat but standing not five feet away from their table.

"Hey guys", Ryuken Samesaji waved as he sauntered through the crowd, his spiral earring jingling merrily in the mall's artificially dry air. "How's it goin'?"

There was much else for Akira to do but oblige Lady Scorpio's request. Whatever strange dreamspace he'd been trapped in, he couldn't seem to wake himself up from it. Not until she let him.

Still, he refused to take a seat, more out of reluctance to play by her rules than anything else.

"Whatever happened to you in the past", he claimed, "doesn't justify what you're doing. Your so-called 'Salvation' is total crap. The fact that you have to hide all this from the police is proof of that."

A polite snort emerged from the mirrored mask. "Said the Phantom Thief who acted in secret to steal people's hearts while going to school in public. Don't misunderstand us, Akira Kurusu. I admire what you and your friends attempted to do six years ago. You simply lacked the drive or the power to see it through to the end. That you were able to get that far at your age is a great testament to your will of rebellion."

"You know", he observed, "that sounds like a compliment, but some of the things your buddy Ryuken said to me suggests that you people just didn't have the right idea about what the Phantom Thieves were about. Our goal was to expose criminals who were protected by authority, and reform society so those people would be punished the way they should be. That's all."

"'That's all'?", she echoed nonchalantly. "So humble. And yet, that naive-seeming goal snowballed into something far grander, did it not?"

"Not really", he deliberately overstated his shrug. "Shido was just the biggest fish of the lot. The fact that he went after us first didn't change that."

"And after that? What did you do when confronted with the harsh reality of humanity's collective ignorance?"

"We... punched it in the face", he admitted reluctantly. Certainly, a lot of what they'd run into down in the deepest depths of Mementos had raised some haunting questions that stuck with him to this day. He'd figured a life well spent as an adult might answer some of those, but not all of them had been yet.

"You defeated a symptom, Akira Kurusu", Scorpio claimed. "I seek to cure the disease."

"More cute metaphors", he waved her words away. "Shido was fond of those too, you know. Didn't make what he was doing any less awful."

The sleeves parted as she spread her arms wide. "Then allow me to elaborate. As I said, Shido and the power backing him was merely the natural product of a larger problem. A problem that humanity has had inklings of over the past century, yet none have had the power or the will to deal with."

"You're talking about the other world", he guessed. "The Metaverse, or Faraway Lands, or whatever name or form it takes on."

"No", the flat denial surprised him. "That is the hidden half of our world. Like my face, it is a mirror that reflects the distorted image of things we may not be able to see in the better-known half. It has always existed, for as long as humanity has possessed sufficiently developed minds to imagine things, to conceive of things that do not truly exist in their reality. Destroying it completely is a fool's dream. Impossible. In fact, just the opposite- it shall be our Salvation."

"'Everything in the world is based on cognition'", he quoted Morgana's words to him from long ago.

"Exactly", she sounded eager. "At least for humans. Yet, we are quickly approaching the time when no amount of cognitive distortion will allow those in power to ignore the simple truth; our current world is doomed."

"You know", he considered, refusing to be shaken by the dire proclamation, "you'd do well in the ADF. Or one of those other doomsday cults that's been popping up. Very compelling voice, and you even sound like you believe your own hype. You'd have to ditch the mask though. People'd just find that freaky."

"And I see now why you chose the code name 'Joker'", she replied just as casually. "Using your humor to mask your fear. A common defense. Yet even you cannot deny the signs of it all around you. Metal, oil, wood, food, clean water, even fresh air... these and many others are precious resources that have now reached a point of scarcity. The point where many nations are willing to risk conflict to claim them, and provide for their needy citizens, the numbers of which grow by the hour."

For once not sure how to respond to the claim, he simply regarded the mirrored mask with disgust.

"The nations which do not hesitate to claim those resources for themselves will survive", she continued. "The ones who cannot will perish, destroyed by their own weakness. Masayoshi Shido and many in his party saw this, and knew that a different, more decisive form of government was needed to allow Japan to make those hard choices."

"Oh sure", he scoffed, rolling his eyes. The stark anger he'd felt at Shido both then and before hadn't ever quite gone away. Whenever he saw a sign of JCAP or the United Future party, or just some other powerful adult pushing others around, his skin still trembled sometimes, forcing him to quench a lingering flame of fury before it could ignite a situation. "I'm sure he was doing all that out of the goodness of his heart. Oh wait!" He brought a hand up to his face, a pantomime of embarrassment. "I saw his Shadow- his true self- and he wasn't talking about any of that stuff. Just megalomania and dumb analogies about stepping on ants. So much for that theory."

"You are no doubt referring to the many that Shido destroyed in his quest for power", she acknowledged. "Yet, when the hunger grows great enough, even smaller nations could be seen as ants. Ants which much be crushed, in order for the larger body to survive. If the choice came down to the lives of the entire population of Japan, or one-fifth that many people residing in several smaller countries, what choice would you make?"

"That's a non-choice", he protested. "It's like that old one where you see a train closing on five people and you have the chance to switch the tracks so it only hits one person. It's practically meaningless."

"It's the choice that all the leaders of our nations have begun to realize they must face", Scorpio countered, a note of regret in her voice. "Many shy away from making such a decision, as is to be expected. Yet, the less scrupulous of their number have already begun making preparations to ensure that their nation will be able to survive into the next century. Even if they must crush others beneath them. Such was the ultimate goal of Masayoshi Shido's research into weaponizing the cognitive world."

He felt the breath freeze in his throat before shaking it off. "That's... No. It doesn't matter what a handful of maniacs like Shido do. Nearly everywhere is a democracy now. If they can't seize power the way he tried to, the people will stop them."

"'The people'?", her voice dripped with scorn now. "Would you be referring to the same people who were so eager to surrender their wills to a malevolent God in exchange for peace and security? Who would have elected Shido regardless of his confessed crimes? No, Akira Kurusu. If a person grows hungry enough, they are willing to commit any sacrilege to ensure their own survival. When the first pangs of hunger begin to creep into the population of Japan, you know the choice they will make. The choice that every supporter and member of JCAP has already made."

He stared back, seeing his own warped face in the enemy's. "You're with them?"

But Scorpio laughed politely and shook her head. "No. Neither do I condemn them for following their instincts. I'm merely saying that they, and all the other nationalist groups which have appeared in the recent years since the Demiurge's fall, are the symptoms of a greater problem. The only source of release from this hunger, the only Salvation... lies within Faraway Lands. Within Personas."

Briefly checking the crowd to ensure he was alone, Aiko took a breath. "See previous answer in regard to repeated question."

"Translation: Fuck off", Julian seconded.

Reiha looked around as well before speaking, checking to see if there was anything around that could be used against Samesaji. The best she could find was a dull plastic fork, which she concealed beneath her glove sleeve as the man approached. He, at least, didn't have his hammer with him now.

"There's no need to be like that", he tried to mollify their unforgiving stares. "Believe it or not, I'm not here to fight. Actually, I was kinda interested to see how this would pan out. Looks like you pulled it off again. Well done."

"No thanks to you", Mira accused him. "If you're not here for anything, then please just leave us in peace."

"Actually", he brushed a lock of hair back. "That was the idea. An olive branch. Scorpio's idea, naturally."

Relaxing a hair, Aiko watched him carefully. "She's persistent, I'll give her that. Not too smart though, delivering all her messages through you."

Ryuken didn't flinch at the insult. "Well. I'm sure you would prefer this to her usual way of reaching out to people, eh?"

"We... would", she admitted shakily, ignoring the confused stares of her friends. Every recent visit to the Velvet room had been tinged with the urgent fear that Scorpio might pay her, Igor and Bartholomew another visit.

"And King Leo's not much better when it comes to going out", he scratched his head. "Really, it's so annoying, having to be the public face of our group. That was another reason why I wanted someone new."

"Sorry to disappoint. But you know, that means if you ever decided you'd had enough of this insane scheme of theirs, you could actually put an end to them too."

Far from insulted, Ryuken visibly brightened at the suggestion. "Ha! Nice one, trying to reverse our offer. Y'know, I'm definitely not leaving the Masked Circle or anything, but if you kids ever want any help with whatever your next trip into Faraway Lands is... I'd be up for that. I could use a good adrenaline rush, killing those Shadow scum."

"No thank you", Noel replied in disgust. "We would only set sail with people we can trust. Last time we met, you tried to kill us, and almost succeeded."

His calculated look at each of the others ensured no one would blab about their planned summer vacation after exams were over. A canny leader would use that opportunity to strike.

"Just following Legem Naturae", he said defensively. "Ideas are only useful if you have the power you need to carry them out. That's why. That's why we're making this offer of truce. You kids do your thing, and we'll do ours. And you don't interfere with our crew, and we won't interfere with yours."

For once his words- and everything he hadn't needed to mention- deserved some consideration, in Aiko's opinion. Certainly, they'd promised each other that some day they would bring down the Masked Circle and put an end to their preying on human lives... but the time when the right opportunity would come for them to do that still remained a distant unknown. Meanwhile, the possibility of a Masked Circle member- or possibly even more than one- intruding on their own journeys would remain a constant threat to them, even if they never decided to launch an attack in the real world.

"Deal", she decided after a moment, raising a finger. "On one more condition. Either you move all your Shadows back to the Karma club, or we get rid of them ourselves."

"So you were the ones who were doing that", Ryuken murmured about the sudden disappearance of the Shadows they'd hidden away in caches across the breadth Kochi. "How were you able to find them anyway? One time you might get lucky, but three?"

Aiko smiled. Good, so Scorpio can't read my memory from this far away, only intrude on my sleep at night. "Trade secret. Sorry."

"Fine", he grunted. "Go nuts. Not like we need them that badly anyway."

Jiachi barked a nasty laugh. "So you don't even care, do you? It doesn't matter to you if someone accidentally stumbles on one of your hidden Shadows and gets killed by it. Oh yeah. Real nice."

"If they stumble on one", Ryuken countered, his voice chilly, "then they have a chance. A chance that will change their lives forever. For the better. Or can you honestly say to me that awakening to your Personas hasn't changed you all?"

The crew stirred together at that, knowing better than anyone else the kinds of changes they'd gone through in the act of accepting their Shadow and transforming it into a Persona. None of it could be called exactly radical, but certainly noticeable for anyone who spent time with them.

"And what if they don't?", Jiachi argued, rage coloring his face. "Then they just die. And unlike us, they won't have friends to help 'em through it. You know what? I think we should just take you now. Four on one, and you don't have your cheap OP Persona powers here."

The swift look of delight on the man's face confirmed Aiko's worries about just about much he would enjoy such a conflict, and she rose out of her chair. "Rosea-kun, that's enough. We're taking their truce, if they agree to our conditions."

His rage began to fade from his face, but not from his voice, his fingers twitching. "...Alright. If you say so, captain."

Ryuken found this hilarious as well, chuckling to himself and throwing a mock salute. "Look at you. Big tough guy, and all it takes is one word from a little girl a year younger than you are, and you'll all 'aye aye captain, whatever you say'. Pathetic."

For a moment Aiko worried that might be enough to set Jiachi off and start a brawl right there in the food court, but he held himself back. Instead, he channeled anger into a savage grin back at him. "Oh yeah. You're so right. I should totally be like you and take orders from a couple of crazy shut-ins who want to doom the world."

"Doom the world?" Ryuken shook his head. "Just the opposite. But I suppose kids like you need that delusion to keep going against us. Keep on believing we're all cartoon villains whose only goal is being evil. Sure, why not? Maybe if I do an evil laugh, it would make it easier for you to hate me?"

He was prevented from practicing his suggestion by Reiha standing up from her seat. "Enough. You've said what you want to say, and we agreed to your deal. Scurry back to your club and tell your masters that we accept."

Ryuken smiled in appreciation. "Damn. Heart of the tiger, eh? Now I wish you'd been awakened when we fought earlier. Might have been more interesting. She is awakened, right?"

"She is", Aiko replied evenly. "Now if you're done, please leave us in peace."

"One more thing", he promised, returning to his earlier polite demeanor and waiting to speak until Reiha returned to her seat. "How's Joker?"

"Kurusu-kun is fine. He's recovering from his wounds at the hospital."

"Good", he nodded gratefully. "Glad to hear it. We might disagree about a lot of things, but there's no denying he's got skills."

Finally he was leaving, disappearing back into the milling crowd, but Aiko felt herself standing to chase after him, calling out to him. "Samesaji?"

"You know it's Taurus", he teased, though he did stop. "What?"

"What should I tell Koto-chan? What should I tell her if she asks about you?"

The words didn't have nearly the impact on him that she'd hoped for, merely shrugging it off. "You can tell her exactly what I tell her. That her brother is working very hard to build a better world. For her, and for everyone else."

Returning to the table, she caught a displeased look from Julian. "Why'd we agree to that stupid truce? You know that they're just buying time until they can slide a knife into our backs."

"I know", she acknowledged, regarding her entire crew in turn before heaving an exhausted sigh. "We'd better slide our knife in first then."

The mist around them had begun to thicken, and take on temporary substance before shifting into some other cloud shape. Akira could think of several theories as to why that was, and didn't like any of them.

All he knew was that the longer he stayed here, the more on edge he felt. Unfortunately, he'd already tried pinching himself.

Instead, he tried talking. "Personas help with a lot of things, on both sides of our world", he noted. "But I kinda doubt they can magically provide more of these resources you say that nations are thinking of stealing from each other. Maybe if you find someone with the Persona Demeter?"

"The Goddess of harvest", Lady Scorpio noted, sounding briefly amused at the idea even though her mask showed no sign of it. "One of them anyway. But I'm afraid not. The collapse is inevitable, Akira Kurusu. Whether it be thirty, fifty, or even a hundred years from now, it will begin. The suppressed negative energies of humanity's collective psyche will overflow and drown this world in sorrow. The only ones who will survive, who will be able to rebuild and carry on into the future, are those lacking chains upon their true natures. The Awakened."

His spatial sense seemed to shift for a moment, and Akira was glad that Aiko Tsuruga had warned him of what was happening. Trying to persuade me. Trying to influence me so that I'll buy into her story, start to think that maybe she's right.

Fortunately, this was hardly the first time he'd faced something like this. He'd lost count of the number of times a Shadow had tried use some kind of brainwashing effect against him or one of his fellow Thieves to try and turn them against each other, and he knew how to recognize it by the hazy feel it always started with, like he'd briefly blacked out and was struggling to remember why his was there... and then, if he couldn't remember to resist in time, a false reason would be provided for him.

"So what do you want from me then?", he continued, acting as if he hadn't detected Cleopatra's power working on him. "Or did you just want someone to practice that spiel on? Gotta say, you're a better orator than Shido's Shadow was. Not that that's saying much."

"I drew you here to try and convince you of the righteousness of our cause", she explained. "You and your fellow Phantom Thieves could be a great asset to us. The Dream Voyagers have refused our offer, for now... but you are more experienced in such matters. I believe you will make the right decision."

Sighing at the flattery, Akira carefully removed his eye mask, so that she could see the iron resolve in his dark-eyed glare. "I believe so too. I already have, in fact. Sure, I'll let the others know exactly what your plans are, and that you expect us to actually help you. I'm sure they could use a good laugh."

"More jesting", Scorpio remarked, annoyed at the time wasted. "Yet, if you do so, how do you know that they won't agree with us?"

He shrugged. No matter how he tried, visions of his friends kept entering his mind's eye as he pictured how such a talk with them would go. Like old times. I'll look forward to it. "If they do, then they're welcome to it. But they won't. Because I know them. I know exactly how they all feel about rotten adults imposing their desires on people who can't fight back. You'd just better hope we're all too busy with life to pay you another visit."

"We are not... rotten", after remaining level for their entire chat, she sounded strangely insulted by the implication. "We are like you, Akira Kurusu. We have Awakened to our true, superior selves. Don't you see? We are trying to save humanity, just as you once did."

"By throwing people to the proverbial sharks", he dismissed the plea. "Innocent people, who don't have the slightest idea what's really out there."

"Their ignorance is no fault of ours", she argued tersely. "Those who have survived their awakenings have been quite grateful to us for expanding their minds, Prince Taurus foremost among them."

The mist was gathering anew, he noticed. White points hovered in the periphery of vision like knives.

"A man I knew told me something once", he tried, thinking back to one of Sojiro's best lectures. "He said that the fear of a future event is almost always more powerful than the event itself. If you let it, that fear can dominate you, make you look into the future with dread instead of being able to enjoy the present for what it is."

He swore he could hear some kind of low gnashing noise, jaws stretching, ready to sink into him for his insolence.

"It's just too vague, y'know? What, you're tormenting people, maybe killing them, just so that they might survive this big calamity you think is coming in the future?"

"Not think", Scorpio cut in. "Know. I have seen it. All that I have seen has come to pass."

"Uh-huh." The grin that had brought a twinge of fear into the corrupt hearts of countless Shadows crept onto his face unbidden. "I have a friend, Chihaya Mifune. Not a Phantom Thief, but... she used to say the same kind of thing. She knows better, now."

"So you have no intention of listening to reason", she determined, the pale mist around them beginning to snap at his heels. "You have betrayed the banner you chose when you became the Phantom Thieves, to fight to preserve the same status quo which caused you grief six years ago."

"Fight?" His gaze narrowed. "I'm not fighting for that. I'm tired of fighting. You'd better hope I stay that way. Just ask Samesaji."

"No thank you. I have no desire to waste any further time on you, Akira Kurusu."

He didn't need his Thieves' instincts screaming at him to know he had mere seconds to speak before the rising wave of white crashed over the both of them. He'd seen it before, a common enough way to end a dream.

"You", he remarked in frigid calm, "are no Lady. Any more than Samesaji is a Prince, or Osamu Sanaki is a King."

"And you", she replied without missing a beat, "are no longer Joker."

The tide crashed down on them both, sweeping away tables and chairs alike.

And there was nothing but white.

The white became a light. The hospital ceiling light, drawing him back from what must have been a lengthy slumber.

Makoto was there on the bed next to him, watching him.

"I suppose that fight must've been more taxing than you said", she remarked, the smirk from how unbearably cute she had found his sleeping still lingering on her face. "After six years, I wouldn't be surprised if we've fallen out of practice with that. Of course, we believed we would never need to fight again. That we could stop, and live out our lives as normal."

Lurching as his waist rose, he shook his head. "Not normal. Our Awakenings changed us. Even if they hadn't..."

"I know", she smiled back. "I learned more about the world in that year than I did in a year of college. If to be 'normal' is to merely keep your head down and never speak out, then-"

"Then screw being normal", he nodded, knowing without needing to check that she would have expressed the sentiment more eloquently. "Nijima-san..."

"Yes?" The curious expression on her face brought the light reflecting off her eyes into greater focus, bringing them that much closer to the ruby red tint he remembered.

But that had nothing at all to do with why he found himself freezing up. She was listening, ready to consider anything he had to say. He could feel the ring, the tiny diamond, still in his pocket. Waiting for him to bring it out for her to see it sparkle in the morning light. He'd already said the words once.

Waist weakening from anxiety, he fell back down into the cushions, scattering his fizzy hair along its surface. Not now. Another time. When the time is right. "N-never mind. I'm glad you're alright."

"Almost alright", she corrected him. "Almost ready to leave. I must admit, I've been feeling impatient. This hospital's selection of books is abysmal. Perhaps I should donate a few more interesting ones once we're out of here. I assume you'll be going back to the college in Tokyo soon?"

"As soon as I'm cleared", he acknowledged grimly, reaching down to the gauze still wrapped around his injury. "I'll have to do some catch up work. But after that's done, I think we should let our friends know what's been happening over here in Tosashimizu."

"I think so too", she smiled back. "Just be ready to rein Sakamoto in once he finds out what they did to us."

He nodded. That, at least, he was confident that he could still do.

As opposed to everything else.

6/20 Saturday

Evening

"You don't have to do this, you know", Reiha advised Aiko once they were out of the heart of the city and nearing their objective in the merchant district, wading through a kaleidoscope of urban light and people. "Keeping an eye on me?"

"Not really", she maintained. As always, Reiha seemed to have an uncanny knack for navigating places in the near darkness that had fallen onto Tosashimizu, and now she understood the reason why... among other things. "I trust you."

"You shouldn't", she claimed, coming to rest near a convenience store. Even a full day later, the effort of her awakening still weighed on her body and mind. It hurt to think about it too much. "Not after what you've learned."

"After what I've learned?" Moving over, she took one gloved hand into hers. "If anything, I'm more interested now. I guess Vitienne is right after all- I'm a sucker for people with problems."

"You are different", Reiha gave an amused grin. "But I think we both know the real reason that you wanted to talk in private."

She could think of a dozen reasons, but choosing one took enough time to make her bite her lip.

"Kujou", Reiha suggested, deliberately calm. "You said you saw everything, right? And you're right- it was just like you said. Just a couple of hours ago, I remembered everything that my Shadow did here."

Aiko gaped. "And you didn't tell us?"

"There wasn't much to tell", she shrugged, bracing herself for the worst as had become habit since yesterday. "You saw most of it already. The way she acted towards Kujou. I hope you and Rosea-kun didn't get in too much trouble for that."

"Just a week of detention. Honestly, I expected worse. Or at least, worse for poor Rosea-kun."

"Yet he jumped in there without hesitating", Reiha smirked. "Good quality to have in a friend. Although I'm sure on some level, he was thrilled to visit 'the forbidden paradise'."

"Kujou was never his friend", Ai pointed out.

"No." Her face became downcast. "She was mine."

Knowing now where Reiha was leading them, Aiko braced herself in turn. "And maybe... a bit more than that? Just like you told me before?"

"Uh-huh." Finding a bench, she lay down and studied the dark sky over their heads. As she had said, the feel of the cold night air soothed her, and her experiences in Faraway Lands had done nothing to change this. I am still me. In the end, what my Shadow turned into makes far too much sense for it to be anything else.

Once Aiko had joined her there- again a surprise, considering what she was about to say- she carefully continued. "I think... it's a phase that everyone goes through around our age. Only natural really, when most of your close friends are the same gender. But most people grow out of that phase pretty fast, and, well... Kujou and I... we didn't."

Leaning back, she stretched. "I suppose that's why... That's, like, the one insult that Kujou never threw at me. I always wondered why that was. Not that it would've done her any good."

Reiha scowled. "Don't pretend for my sake, Tsuruga. I've seen you. I've seen the way you act around Vitienne-kun and Rosea-kun sometimes. And of course, the way you react to any mention of Tatsunoko."

Blunt use of words like that reminded Aiko why she had treated spending time with Reiha like she figured responsible adults treated alcohol: A nice occasional treat, but dangerous to do too often. At the same time, the truth of her statement couldn't be denied, and it this point it was almost a relief to admit it.

"That's not a bad thing", the older girl reminded her gently. "It's just a thing. A thing that happens to the majority of girls your age."

"But not to you?"

She chuckled. "Remember, I am still technically on the SDC. And three years older than everyone thinks too. If I wanted to get with Tatsunoko-kun, I would've gone for him long ago. He is quite the catch, I have to admit. God, there must be such a fight going on over him now that he's no longer with Kujou."

"Not for me."

Reiha scoffed. "You liar. I thought someone who Awakened to a Persona was supposed to be honest with themselves?"

"Nope. Not lying", Aiko maintained before relaxing a shade. "I've had, um... other things on my mind to deal with."

"No kidding." Even now, remembering everything she'd seen the Voyagers do to defeat her Shadow, it was still hard to believe the truth. She was right. She is a fighter. So is Rosea. They all are, except maybe Vitienne. In that way, they really are like me. "Well, let me take one thing off it then... no."

Wincing in the dim light of the store, Aiko gazed back in genuine confusion. "Um... can you be a bit more vague, please?"

"Ha ha." Reiha began studying her gloves. "You know what I mean. The thing that we've been so carefully dancing around ever since we left Tenjincho. No, Tsuruga. I didn't help you just because I hoped you would... be with me. I helped you because I want to help good, just people, protect them from the bad ones. I loved Benihime Kujou... but I hated the way she behaved, and in the last few years, she's only gotten worse."

Aiko blinked. "Oh. Um, no. I didn't think that."

"You are now though."

An exasperated sigh. Still the matchmaker, even now.

"Hey", Reiha called her attention back. "That was why I brought this up, Tsuruga. Because I want you to be able to feel comfortable around me. If anyone could... if just one other person can, other than Kujou... Although I suppose she won't any more now, right?"

"I wouldn't expect any birthday cards", Aiko smirked back. "I did try to tell her that it wasn't actually you, but good luck trying to explain all this crazy Shadow stuff to her. Nobody can understand it, unless they see it themselves."

"Hell", her friend snorted, "I lived in a Land for weeks, and I still don't get all of it. But I'd certainly like to learn more, if you'll have me."

"If we'll have...?" She came up short. "What? Seriously? You actually think we'd say no to you joining us, after all that?"

Reiha shrugged wide. "I'm used to rejection. And I totally get why you might not want me around. Not sure if you've noticed, but I'm kind of a mood killer, y'know."

"Not to me", Aiko affirmed, arms folded crossly. "You think we might not like you because we've seen the hidden, ugly side of you... but we've also seen the good side. You know what I see when I look at you?"

Her friend couldn't find any words to answer with.

"I see someone who's been through more pain than anyone should have to deal with. You might feel like that broke you, made it impossible for you to enjoy life like 'normal' people do. So instead you pick out people you like, people like me, and try and help them enjoy their lives more. But... you don't have to give up on your own happiness! It matters! Even if it doesn't matter to you, it matters to other people. It matters to me, and you can damn well bet it matters to Dr. Spica."

Reiha seemed to soak the words in slowly, impossible to tell if any of it had gotten through. "Nice speech. You practice that?"

"Just this morning, in the mirror." Tired of the mandatory sarcasm required when talking to her, she dropped the pretense. "Actually, I did rehearse that. Something like it. With myself. We're more alike than you think."

"More alike...?"

"Not in that way", Aiko frantically corrected herself, knowing immediately that it didn't need to be clarified. "Just that... for a long time, I wondered why I existed at all. My life was such a damn mess. I left Tokyo and came here, because I wanted to find a real home. An answer."

"And", Reiha hesitated. "Have you, now?"

"...Maybe", she considered. "All the Faraway Lands stuff aside, I'm happier here than I ever was living in Tokyo... but maybe that will change when we go back there this summer. That's the other reason I wanted to talk to you in private. To invite you to go with us."

Reiha gaped, mentally examining the offer like she thought it might be a live bomb. "What? You're okay with me going?"

"I'll ask Spica if you want me to", Aiko amended. "But I think it would be better if you asked him yourself. I don't expect it will be dangerous, but he's the expert when it comes to being cautious."

"The expert at running and hiding, you mean", she snorted. "Fine. I'll go ask him myself. I'd love to go with you... but if there's any risk that I might be recognized, I shouldn't. I won't risk what he's worked so hard to give me."

"I'll be waiting to hear back from you on that then", Aiko said. "I have to call and book the hotel, after all- my mom's place is only big enough for two... and if I can avoid having to stay there, I will."

"A hotel?" Reiha frowned. "In Tokyo? You can seriously afford to pay for four of us? Is Vitienne actually going to cover-"

"No. I won't ask that of him. But I can", Aiko nodded happily. "We can. Thanks to the money we've earned by defeating Shadows and hunting treasures. Normally we only use that fund on weapons and medicines and stuff, but this is special. It's for all of us, to help us unwind, after..."

"After a couple of insanely stressful weeks spent fighting Shadows and trying to save my sorry ass", Reiha finished wearily. "My fault, I know. But sure. If you're okay with it, and the doc is... then yeah, I'll definitely go with you."

"Then our contract is sealed", Ai agreed in satisfaction. "I'd better catch the next bus back- you have someone else you need to talk to, don't you?"

Eyes sliding shut, Reiha nodded back. She did. Of course she did. "Be careful, it's late."

"I will. See you at school on Monday."

For an unknowable amount of time, she waited, not moving. It wasn't out of fear, not exactly. It was because this moment called for a genuine reaching out devoid of any sarcasm, which was something that she remained shamefully inexperienced at.

Time to learn.

Dr. Spica had, understandably after last time, locked his door. She had to knock, but the instant he opened the slot and saw her eyes she heard the various latches being opened, letting her into the aquatic room which they both jokingly referred to as his 'lab'.

He didn't expect the crushing bear hug she delivered as soon as the door was open any more than she did. It just happened. It felt natural, so natural and warm and right that she never wanted to let go.

"T-Tawa?", he managed to wheeze out from the pressure. "Is something... wrong?"

Not yet willing to release him completely, she simply changed her grip, one arm around his shoulder and the other clapped to his neck, holding him at a distance so he could see the loving look in her eyes.

"No, doc. Nothing's wrong. I just... I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" His eyebrow rose, no doubt wondering if this was another unusually distinctive impostor come to visit him. Her Shadow had been very distant from him during their brief visits, well aware that any slip might make him suspect something was up. "For what?"

"For everything", she tried not to tear up. "For saving me. For protecting me. For always being there for me. I never thanked you for any of that."

Confusion gradually transformed into relief and he smiled back, the silver ring at his neck jangling as he returned her embrace. "You're... welcome, Tawa. You're always welcome."

More alike than I knew, Reiha realized dimly. Like her, Spica had abandoned his own happiness, a potentially lucrative career in the Dragon Syndicate, in order to devote his life to caring for someone else.

That was what family did. In a way, it almost felt like that was the easier way to live.

I suppose we'll find out which one it is, she decided, pressing into his strong shoulder until nothing else mattered in the world.

A/N: Not quite at the end of the arc just yet. Unfortunately I am getting swamped with work right now so the next one might not be out until January. Happy Holidays y'all.

EnPassant4262: Good analysis and soundtrack name.

Ward Point: Thanks, hope you enjoy the rest of it up to this point. As you said, I don't want the Phantom Thieves to steal the show too much, but they're welcome as a supporting crew to pick up the next generation when they stumble. In particular, I find Akira is difficult to write sometimes, wavering between glib and serious.

Defender 31415: Edgy? I suppose so. I plan to back off from that level of darkness for a while and let the crew just enjoy life until the next crisis.

That status condition is something I made up not seen in Persona games. Fortunately, it's different from traditional vampirism in that it can be cured by relax gels and the victims don't try to suck others' blood, they just try to hurt them. If you've ever played Final Fantasy Tactics, you probably know how aggravating a status ailment vampirism is, the way it spreads. I wanted something like that to fit with the Shadows' theme. I guess if it has to have a name, maybe 'bloodlust'?