Akira pulls Ryuji to his feet. "How'd you do all of that?" The boy asks. "What was all of that?"
Akira takes in his gloved hands, the midnight overcoat. "I don't know." It's true. He doesn't understand what has happened. He knows, instinctually, that Arsene is part of him. His Persona. Yet, he does not know what that means.
"H-Hey, look!" Ryuji points to the castle's entrance. Six guards have emerged and charge, swords high, shields ready.
Akira smirks. "No problem." He steps towards them.
His clothes change. A flash of blue and he is in his school uniform once more. The energy drains from his body, and he doubles over, his hands on his knees. "Wh-what?"
"Oh, shit. Dude, what's wrong? Can't you do the thing?" The guards close in. Ryuji takes Akira's arm and shakes it. "Come on, man! What's wrong?"
Akira's mind spins. What's happening? What's wrong? Arsene! There is no response.
The guards are nearly upon them. "Screw it!" Ryuji shouts. "Come on, man! We've got to run!"
"Amateurs," says a high-pitched, boyish voice. A small, black and white flash darts from beneath the platform and moves to intercept the guards.
"Huh?" Ryuji asks. Akira can only stare. It is a cat. A cat on its hind legs, with a bulbous head dressed with a yellow scarf and tool belt.
It stops before the guards, strikes a pose with its feet squared, head up, and shoulders back. "Come out," it calls, "Zorro!"
A cyclone of blue flame spins up above the cat creature, and a huge, barrel-chested, black caped figure emerges. One arm behind its back, the other grips a rapier in a mocking salute to the guards.
"Show your might!" The cat cries, and Zorro swishes its blade through the air in a 'z' pattern. Six pillars of wind-whipped air twist around the approaching guards. They lift off the ground and whimper, briefly, before they collapsed back to earth in heaps of black ash.
Zorro vanishes. The cat turns back to the platform and the boys. "You two better be grateful."
They look at each other. "Is that a cat?" Ryuji asks.
"Must be."
The thing glares. "I don't have time to correct you right now. You both need to leave before more guards arrive."
To Akira, Ryuji asks, "Do you have the slightest idea about what's going on?"
Akira shakes his head. "I do not."
The cat groans. "Look, do you two idiots want to get out of here or not? I have no idea how you got here from the real world, but I'll have you know I just blew my whole infiltration to save your sorry butts."
"What'd you mean, by the real world?" Akira asks.
The cat begins to hop up and down, flapping its arms wildly. "We don't have time for this! Just come on!"
#
"We're clear. C'mon."
The cat leads them to a storage room with a grate leading to the outside. This, it says, is how it got inside the castle. When Ryuji and Akira tell it they just walked in the front door, the cat calls them fools.
"So, we can get out this way?" Ryuji asks.
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Its task almost complete, it relaxes a bit, slings itself against the doorframe and regards the claws on its paw with indifference. "But I have to say, frizzy hair, I wouldn't have thought you'd be able to summon a Persona."
"Thanks." He looks down at the cat-thing and says, "But what exactly are you? I mean, you look like a cat and-"
"I'm not a cat," the thing replies, an edge to its voice. "My name is Morgana, and I'm a human. Just like you."
"Uh, but you look like a cat, dude," Ryuji says.
"He has a point."
"Look, I don't have time to explain how distortion and cognition works. I've got a lot of backtracking to do today, thanks to the two of you, so how about you both get through that vent and get lost?"
Ryuji turns his hands up, palms out. "Know what? Fine. I'm done with this crazy place anyway." He approaches the vent and slides himself in. "Akira, dude, you coming?"
"Coming," he says, and climbs into the vent behind Ryuji.
Morgana watches the two of them leave. Once they reach the outside, their intention to leave should be enough to get them out of here. He shoves off the wall and turns back towards the hall. Well, never mind. Without them bumbling around in here, it should be easier to get where I need to.
#
"Navigation Complete."
Akira and Ryuji stand on a sidewalk. Both are out of breath, doubled over, hands on their knees. The sun breaks through the clouds overhead. People have returned to the streets. A minute passes before either can say anything. Then Ryuji looks at Akira and says, "Dude."
Akira meets his eyes. "Yeah." He feels different. The confidence has leeched out of him. He feels subdued, regulated, bottled up.
"Hey!"
The two look up as a pair of police officers approach them. Their uniforms are crisp and pressed, the buttons on their caps polished. Their eyes are solid and stern. They are not the same men who arrested Akira that night, but they have the same look. He can almost feel the mask of respectful acquiescence slide back over his face. Several facts crash home all at once. They are in the real world once more. They are dressed in school uniforms. They are most likely very, very late for school. He keeps his eyes on the ground.
"What are you two doing here?" One of the officers asks.
"What?" Ryuji asks, his voice high and defensive. "We haven't done anything." Akira wants to tell him to be quiet, but Ryuji just continues on. "Why're you looking at us like that?"
"Those are Shujin Academy uniforms, aren't they?" The second officer asks. "Mind telling us why you aren't in school?"
Ryuji's response is to pull out his phone. His eyes bulge when he sees the time. "Oh, shit! Akira, dude, it's so freaking late! We were in that castle for hours!"
"Castle?" The first officer asks. "Are you two high?"
Ryuji's face is one of outrage, but before he can reply, Akira offers a deep bow and cuts in. "Please, excuse us officers. I sincerely apologize. We will be getting back to school right away." He holds the position, eyes fixed on his own feet.
The second officer grunts in reply. "Fine, get going. Don't let us catch you cutting class again."
"We weren't!" Ryuji shouts, but Akira grabs his arm and drags him away. "Dude, what the hell?"
"Let's go," Akira whispers. "Before we get in more trouble."
They get around the corner when Ryuji turns and says, "What was all that about? We should've-"
"They wouldn't have believed us," Akira replies. He hates how monotone his voice is. "It doesn't matter if our story was believable or not. Adults like them, they see only what they want to see. They don't care about the truth. To them, we're just two kids cutting class. Nothing else."
Ryuji stares at him for a moment, then frowns and says, "Fine." He leads them down the narrow street towards the school, which has reverted to its normal design. "What the hell?" Ryuji asks. Akira doesn't know what to say.
They head towards the main entrance, but Ryuji suddenly blocks Akira's path with his arm. "Hold up. I just thought of something. It's like, lunchtime. If we walk in the main entrance, everyone's gonna see us. Come on." Akira follows Ryuji back down the street, and around to the back of the school. The wall around the campus grounds is low, and the two are able to easily scale over a section of it near the gym. "This way," Ryuji tells him as they climb, "no one will even notice us."
They drop down the other side, and land in the center of a ring of first year girls, who all promptly scream. "Oh shit!" Ryuji cries, and tries to calm them down with platitudes like, "We're just looking at stuff," which only causes the girls to lose it more.
Akira, for his part, stands there, and tries to look meek. The girls scatter eventually, and Ryuji pulls him towards the walkway that cuts through the courtyard. They're barely on the concrete when Akira hears a throat clear behind them.
Kawakami-sensei is standing with her hands on her hips. Her face is contorted into a grimace of barely contained rage. "Five hours," she whispers. A number of other students are present on the crosswalk. Some of them clear the area, fast. Others turn so they can listen better. "You are five hours late."
"We-" Ryuji starts.
"Quiet, Sakamoto," Kawakami growls. "I do not have the time or the patience to deal with you right now. Get out of here." Ryuji stands still, a torn look on his face. "Now."
"Okaysorrybye," Ryuji says, and nods to Akira as he heads off.
Now, Kawakami's ire is focused solely on Akira. Despite all he's seen in the last few hours, he withers under the glare she gives him. It isn't just a look of anger or frustration, part of her looks sad. The sadness of someone who has had all their suspicions confirmed, but desperately didn't want them to be. "Faculty office. Let's go."
She leads him upstairs, past dozens of students who follow their procession. Akira can almost hear their thoughts. Who is that guy, and what's he done to piss Kawakami-sensei off so much? When they are alone in the faculty office, Kawakami turns on Akira, and the latter can see all the exhaustion in her face take a single, brief hold on her, before she pushes it aside and says, "It's your first day, and you're already pulling something like this? Kurusu-kun, don't you even care?"
He considers telling her about the trains. About his involvement in yesterday's accident, and the delays. But he's five hours late. The delays were bad that morning, but not that bad. "I'm sorry," he says. He is the humble, harmless student once more. He adds, "Very sorry," for good measure.
She sighs. "You're not even going to offer an excuse? I mean, come on, you were with Sakamoto, weren't you? Of all the people you could've met today, you met him."
"Ryuji?"
"Look, I know you're probably lonely. You want friends. Of course, you do. But Sakamoto? He's a troublemaker. A bad one."
"I don't believe you."
They stare at each other in silence. No, what Akira doesn't believe is that he just said that. More words tumble from him before he can shut his dumb mouth. "He seems like a good guy. Maybe he just-"
"That's enough." Her words are cold now. "Don't speak to me like that."
Akira sucks in his lips, bows and says, "I'm sorry, Kawakami-sensei."
The woman looks at the clock on the wall. "Lunchtime is almost over. There was someone I wanted you to meet, but I suppose it'll have to wait until another time." She stares up at him for a moment, then says, "I don't want you pulling something like this again. Got it?" He nods. "Alright, then. You've got to introduce yourself to the class. Come on."
She leads him out as the bell rings. Students shuffle back to their classrooms. Akira follows her down the hall to class 2-B. Kawakami slides open the door to the room and steps inside. "Alright," he hears her call. "Settle down." He steels himself, and follows her inside.
The first person he notices is the blonde girl from the castle. The one Ryuji called Takamaki. She sits with her head propped up on her hand, gazing out the window, indifferent to whatever's going on up front. She glances in his direction once, blinks, and then looks back out the window. That is not the reaction Akira had been expecting.
"...Akira Kurusu," Kawakami is saying. "We had him come late today because he wasn't feeling well." At this, Takamaki does perk up, and looks at Akira with suspicion. Does she remember what happened in the castle? "Introduce yourself to the class," Kawakami says.
It is only then that Akira notices how nervous everyone in the room looks. They all regard him with trepidation. He bows and says, "I'm Akira Kurusu. I hope we get along."
The whispers begin.
"It's him, the one I told you about."
"Quiet, he's looking right at us."
"Do you think he really keeps a knife on him?"
"I don't see a scar, maybe it's on his chest or something."
Akira does not understand what is happening. Why are they afraid of him? He glances at Kawakami, who frowns and looks at the ground. She knew about this. The rumors continue to escalate, even as he stands there, even as he hears them all. "Quiet down," his teacher finally says. She points at a desk near the back corner. It is directly behind Takamaki. "Take a seat over there, alright?" Akira nods and heads for it. He stops, for a bare moment next to Takamaki's desk, and glances down at her. She gives him a confused look. "What?" She whispers.
"Take a seat, Kurusu-kun," Kawakami calls. He steps past the desk and sits down.
Two girls a row over bring their heads together. "Did you see that? Do you think they know each other?"
"Maybe they're dating?"
"If that's true, then she's cheating on him with Mister Kamoshida!"
Akira stiffens at this. Takamaki visibly shakes as well, but both remain silent. Akira stares at the back of her head. He needs to speak with her and find out just what the hell is going on.
#
School does not go well. During the last period, a teacher asks Akira a question about Plato and logic. Akira does not know the answer, and as the teacher admonishes him, the rumor-loving students erupt in a flurry of gossip.
"He's a delinquent after all. No wonder he got it wrong."
"Of course he wouldn't know. I bet those glasses are just for show."
"Man, he's going to do so bad on the test."
He ignores these as best he can, and when the last bell rings, he shoots out of his chair. Takamaki is making a beeline for the door, and Akira has every intention on asking her what she knows about the castle. Kawakami enters the room and blocks his path. She beckons and he follows her out into the hall. He sees a blonde flash as Takamaki turns down the stairwell further down the hall.
"So, here's the deal," Kawakami says. "Tomorrow, I want you here, first thing in the morning. There's someone I want you to meet. I think she'll be a good influence on you. Not like…" It is only then that she notices Ryuji sauntering his way down the hall. "Speak of the devil. I assume your homeroom teacher gave you a talking to about being late this morning?"
Ryuji sighs and stares at the ground. "Yeah." He glances at Akira and whispers, "Meet you on the roof," before he turns and stalks away.
"So," Kawakami says, having not heard Ryuji's words. "I can count on you being here tomorrow morning, yes?"
Akira keeps his eyes on the ground, nods and says, "Yes, ma'am."
"You can just call me Kawakami-sensei," she says. "I'm not old enough to be a ma'am yet."
"Of course," Akira says, eyes still on the ground. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kawakami-sensei."
He spins and walks as fast as he dares to the stairwell. A number of eyes follow him as he ascends. He knows he needs to talk with Ryuji, but part of him just wants to get out of Shujin and go home. He arrives on the third floor, and continues up. He finds a double door leading to the roof, and peeks through the door's window to see Ryuji, alone, perched on a discarded chair. He opens the door and steps outside.
Ryuji stands as he approaches. "Hey. Glad you could make it." He wears a faint smile on his face. "I'm guessing Kawakami gave you a pretty big warning about staying away from me, huh?"
"This afternoon, yeah. She said you're a pretty big troublemaker."
"Yeah, well, a lot of people think that." He leans back on the roof's large A/C unit and says, "Anyway, we should probably talk about that castle." Akira nods. "So, I saw Kamoshida today, and he didn't even blink at me. Like, he didn't remember what happened over there at all."
Akira reaches his hands up to rub his eyes, but his fingers brush against the lenses of his glasses. "Yeah," he says. "That Takamaki girl we saw-"
"Ann?"
"Yeah, her. She's in my class. She didn't say anything either."
"When those guards were dragging us to that courtyard, we passed a bunch of cells filled with people," Ryuji says. "I recognized some of them. They're students here! I saw a couple today, but it's the same story. No one remembers anything. Dude, what the hell is going on?"
Akira shakes his head. "I have no idea."
"I mean, we weren't tripping on anything, right? I don't do drugs or anything, but it's the only explanation."
"Not to mention that cat thing."
"Yeah! What was up with that? Morgana, I think it said its name was. And hell, while we're on the subject of weird shit, what about you? I mean, your clothes changed into that badass coat, you summoned some kind of giant demon thing and you moved really fast and kicked some serious ass!"
They look at each other for a few moments, but neither of them have an answer. Finally, Akira cracks a smile. "Maybe we really were high."
"This would make one hell of an anti-drug ad." He chuckles and crosses his arms. "But. Even if that was all some weird shared dream or hallucination, it doesn't change the fact that you saved me in there." He holds out his hand once more. "So, thanks Akira. I owe you one."
Akira smiles and shakes it, but his grin fades when Ryuji's face falls. "What's wrong?"
"Shit man, I don't know how to tell you this, but..." Ryuji reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. "I looked up your name. I was just curious, yeah? But I found all this crazy shit about you online."
"What kind of crazy shit?"
Ryuji frowns and no longer meets his eyes. Instead, he just hands Akira his phone. Akira scans through the site's information. It's all there. The arrest. The trial. The verdict. This is why everyone was freaked out about me. "But this is supposed to be sealed! I'm a minor!"
"Someone leaked it," Ryuji says. "And I bet I know who did it."
"Who?"
"Kamoshida, of course."
Akira isn't sure what to make of that. "But why would he do that?"
Ryuji shrugs. "He doesn't want you here, he doesn't like you, he just likes to have control over everything, take your pick. But I'd bet a hundred thousand yen it's him that did this."
Akira's hands shake as he hands the phone back to Ryuji. "A teacher...would really do that?"
"Dude, you saw Kamoshida in that castle! The guy was about to do a lot worse to us than just leak our shit online. And, honestly..." Ryuji's voice lowers a bit. "He did the same to me last year."
"Wait, seriously?"
Ryuji yawns and straightens. "Yeah, but that's a story for another time. All I'm saying is, if you were looking to keep a low profile, he's not going to let you. But," and his grin returns, "I think you and I will get along just fine as troublemakers." He sets out towards the roof's door. "I'll catch you later, Akira." Then he's out the door, and gone.
"See ya, Ryuji," Akira says.
He stands on the roof for a bit longer, and enjoys the solitude and silence. With someone like Ryuji around, maybe things won't be so bad. He leaves.
#
That night, he collapses into his bed, fresh from a Sojiro scolding. The school had called him, and informed him of Akira's extended absence. While his guardian hadn't asked very many questions, he'd made his stance clear. This one slip up was all that Akira was allocated. Any more messes or problems, and he'd be out on the street.
Akira had not offered any excuse. What could he have said? His thoughts drift back to the castle, Kamoshida, Morgana and Arsene. What is... But he drifts into sleep before he can finish the thought.
Moments of blissful rest. Then the sound of chains, and a low moan. Akira's eyes open, and he finds himself in the destitute cell. "Oh, no." His head turns and he looks past the bars to the figure sitting behind the familiar rotting desk.
"Trickster," Igor says, his voice a low rumble. "Welcome back."
###
A/N: I want to thank everyone who has read this. I appreciate every comment I get. Stay tuned!