6-21

Ohya heaves and a spew of bile ends up on the paint. "Fuck," she groans, to no one. She balances her hands on the edge of the bathtub and breathes. Her stomach roils, but it has that canyon-empty feeling she's so familiar with. "Okay," she whispers. "Breathe. Just breathe." She spends another fifteen minutes doing just that, her head dipped forward, a few strands of hair hanging down into her face. Then, she drags herself over to the faucet and turns it on. Hot water sputters out from the showerhead and pierces the mess of vomit. She watches as the yellow and red collection loosens and streams towards the drain, circling and vanishing down the grate.

She sniffs, and spits a few remnants down into the flowing water.

From outside the bathroom, she can hear her alarm clock going off. She doesn't even remember getting home. Her mind, exhausted to the point where it can't even raise her typical defenses, asks her, Why do I keep doing this?

She recalls her staggering walk home from Crossroads with Akira a few nights ago.

Hot shame flushes her face as she remembers what she'd said. Calling that kid and Lala-chan her only friends?

But it's true, her brain reminds her. Look around.

She lets out a longer groan that isn't quite a sob, but isn't quite not a sob either. She remembers, back in school, how she had all these people. People who would hold her hair back in this kind of situation, and people she would do the same for. People she talked to. People she would invite out and would invite her out. People who came to her to talk.

Where did they all go?

But, of course, she knows.

They all sent elsewhere. They all went to places she wasn't, because no one wanted to be around her anymore.

She remembers one friend, in particular, summarizing everything wrong with her like it was a shopping list. Ohya had thrown her drink in the woman's face.

What do they know? They've got no idea, she thinks. No one does.

But the thoughts don't have their typical bite. They sound flimsy, even to her. She folds her arms together and lays her head on the side of the tub. I'm so fucking tired.

And why the fuck didn't I vomit in the toilet?

A face swims up in her memories. Tae Takemi, The Plague, telling her with a cold, clinical detachment, about how Ohya was ruining herself.

You need help, a voice says.

Bullshit, she replies, and opens her eyes to watch the last of the vomit slip down the drain. I just need to lay off for a while. Detox, or something.

She sits there for another ten minutes, but soon the alarm noise becomes a nail digging deeper into her head, and she forces herself unsteadily to her feet. She stumbles into the bedroom, smashes her hand across the top of the clock, and drops down onto her bed. Her laptop digs painfully into her side, and she tries to shove it away, but it's tucked beneath her. She rolls onto her side and draws it out, then opens up the screen.

A number of icons appear on her desktop.

Phantom Thieves.

Natsuki Storage.

Ichiryusai Madarame.

Toranosuke Yoshida.

And there, in the bottom corner of her screen, is an icon representative of numerous notes and sources. She hasn't looked at that one for a long time.

Masayoshi Shido.

Memories crop up, and she shuts her eyes. Not today. Not now. Please? I don't want to think about this right now.

Her brain doesn't reply, but the dehydrated pounding gets worse, as if in response to her plea.

Ohya slams her laptop shut, and closes her eyes. She doesn't move for a very long time.

#

The doors to the train open and Ryuji steps out, hands shoved into his pockets. Ann follows him, and when he turns to say something she opens her mouth in a wide yawn.

"Tired?" He asks.

She shrugs, and shoulders her bag. "I guess. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah," Ryuji replies. "Me neither."

The two continue the length of the station and descend the stairs to reach the street.

"Heard from Haru?" Ryuji asks her.

"No," Ann says, and shakes her head. They walk out into the sunlight and head down the road. "I think Yusuke said he was going over to her place today."

Ryuji blinks. "For real? Yusuke's going to her house? Why?"

"I don't know," Ann says. "To talk with her, I guess."

"About what?"

"I don't know," Ann insists. She stares at the concrete as they continue to walk. "Sugimura, I guess. Or something."

Ryuji shrugs. "Guess that's a good thing to come out of all this. You can't marry a dead guy." Ann shoots him a look. "You know what I mean."

Ann sighs. "Maybe don't say that to Haru."

"I'm not an idiot."

They continue on towards their destination. "What do you think of all this?" Ann asks. "About Sugimura being... dead, and all? Do you think it had something to do with the mental shutdowns?"

Ryuji makes a rude noise with his mouth. "Hell if I know. I mean, how the hell are we supposed to look into this stuff if we've got no idea how it all works?" He spreads his hands. "Who would want Sugimura dead? And why? We've got no idea. No real idea, anyway. And we're basin' it on the fact that Iwai saw what might've been a nosebleed, after he'd gotten his ass kicked, in an abandoned warehouse."

Ann nods, and stops moving. "Do you think we're in over our heads?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Ryuji says, and turns back to her. He fixes a smirk to his face. "Way, way, way in over our heads. But, so what? We've been that way from day one."

Ann smiles. "That's true. But it was one thing to go against Kamoshida. If it turns out there's someone out there causing mental shutdowns, it's an entirely different things"

"That's all the more reason we've got to do something," Ryuji says, and looks around. There's no one in their immediate vicinity. "Who else but the Phantom Thieves has a chance of stopping them?"

Ann lets out a small chuckle. "You're always so hyped up."

"What? Are you scared?" Ryuji asks.

Ann scowls. "I didn't say that."

"It's cool if you are," Ryuji says, with a shrug. "I'm pretty freaked out too. I mean, I know I keep it together really well and-"

"Wait a second," Ann says, and pats the air with her hands. "Hold on. You seriously think you 'keep it together' well?"

Ryuji looks at her with a confused gaze. "Well, yeah. Of course I do. I'm like the glue that holds this group together."

Ann starts to laugh. "You're a lot of things, Ryuji Sakamoto. Glue is not one of them."

"Then, what am I?

"I dunno. Like, soda or something."

His eyes arch. "Soda?"

"Mmmhmm," Ann says, with an enthusiastic nod. "The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. You're all full of sugar. You get everyone excited." She laughs. "You destroy teeth."

Ryuji's mouth drops open. "That's bullshit. I'm not like that, at all."

She shrugs. "I'm kidding about the teeth part, obviously. But the rest is true. You get the rest of us ready to go." She continues to walk and Ryuji joins her a second later. "I think that's why it works so well, with you and Akira. Akira doesn't do that well."

"What? Get people excited?"

"Yeah. I mean, he gets people ready and puts all the plans in motion, but I don't think he does anything that gets people excited. Once he's over in the Metaverse, sure. He's all suave and stuff. But you do that over here. I guess I just never really noticed before since you've been part of the group since the beginning."

Ryuji shoves his hands in his pockets. "Couldn't I be, like, an energy drink or something? Soda's real bad for you."

Ann laughs. "You know I'm not serious, right? I don't really think of you as soda."

"So what do you think of me as?" Ryuji's face hardens.

Ann swallows and feels her face redden. "Um, you know, like, stuff."

"Stuff?" Ryuji asks.

"No, but, I don't know. You're fine, Ryuji. You're fine."

Ryuji's face softens, but a strange look crosses over it. "Sometimes I really don't understand you, Ann."

Sometimes I really don't understand myself, Ann thinks. "C-c'mon," she says, as they turn the corner. "This is it, up here."

Ryuji nods and picks up the pace to match her newly acquired speed. "You sure it's cool that I'm coming to this?"

Ann nods. "I'm sure. I cleared it already."

"Okay," Ryuji mumbles. "Not sure what I'll say."

Ann glances back at him. "Just, be yourself. Positive. Fun. A little obnoxious. She needs more than just, well, me."

They turn off the street and head up the steps towards the physical therapy center. "You've seriously been comin' here all these weeks?" Ryuji asks.

Ann nods. "Yeah, I told Akira about this a while ago, but I think he forgot." She knows it's the note in her voice that makes him turn.

"Why haven't you reminded him?"

Ann shrugs. "He's got a lot going on. We all do, remember? Plus, we had that fight."

"Sure, but this is still important. And that fight's in the past now." He beams. "Thanks to me and Morgana."

Ann rolls her eyes. "Important to me," she corrects. "That doesn't mean it's-"

"It'll be important to him too," Ryuji interjects. "I know it can seem like he's a billion miles away at times, but he's not. Remind him, Ann. He'll make the time. Definitely."

Ann smiles. "See, this is why I like you."

It's Ryuji's turn to blush and they come to a stop in front of the directory. "So, like, which floor is Shiho on?"

#

There's a knock on Haru's door.

"Mistress?" Comes a voice.

"Yes?" Haru asks. She sits up from her bed as the door slowly slides open.

Her family's newest maid, Timiko, pushes her face inside. "There's a young man here to see you."

Haru blinks. "A young man? To see me?"

Timiko nods. "Yes, Mistress. He's, um, well, he seems somewhat odd."

Haru's eyes narrow. "Odd, how?"

Timiko frowns and squirms a bit. "Well, he said he wished to... paint me."

Haru shifts so her feet are on the floor. Why is Yusuke here? She gets up and brushes her clothes smooth. It's afterschool, but she'd come right home afterwards, without talking to anyone. "I know him. Please, show me to him?"

Timiko bows. "Of course."

The maid leads her out of her room and down the hall, finally turning towards a large stairwell that looks out over the living room. In the center of the room stands the familiar young man, who spins around as he takes everything in.

"My word," he says, once he spies Haru. "Your home is gargantuan."

Haru smiles and descends the stairs.

"Hello, Yusuke," she says, and turns to Timiko. "Thank you." She's never been comfortable dismissing people before. Timiko bows once more and offers up a quick pleasantry before returning to her duties.

Haru turns back to Yusuke and says, "May I ask why you're here?" She chides herself. "Not that I'm not happy to see you."

Yusuke inclines his head. "I was not present at our latest meeting, but I have been brought up to speed. The truth is, I came to ascertain your present conditions."

Haru blinks. "Huh?"

"I came to check up on you."

"Oh," Haru says. "I see."

"Is there someplace less conspicuous, we could retire to?"

Haru nods and leads him away from the living room. There's a den down the hall in which they won't be disturbed. She opens the door and Yusuke gasps.

"Is... is that..." He charges across the room and stands before the wall, gazing up at the painting.

"Oh, yes, that's father's Jackson Pollock," she says, staring at the painting. "He-"

"Drool school," Yusuke says, reverently.

"I'm sorry?"

"Is this authentic?" Yusuke asks, turning back to her.

Haru stares up at the painting. It's never meant much to her, even when her father made a big deal of purchasing it. The canvas is covered with little more than a corruption of paints, zigzagging and crossing one another. To Haru, the Jackson Pollock has always looked like several dozen paint cans exploded at once. "I believe so."

Yusuke shudders. "I must sit." He staggers over to a couch and plops down. "This is a surprise. I'd no idea your family were collectors of such fine works."

Haru stares down at her hands. "Well, they're not. Not really. Father buys art because they have value as capital investments." She nods towards the painting. "I'm not even sure he knows anything about the artist. I don't."

"Travesty," Yusuke whispers, and shakes his head. "I will have to teach you of its true value, someday."

Haru nods. "Alright. Someday."

She sits in a chair across from him. "You said you wanted to check up on me?"

"Indeed. With everything that has happened, I wanted to see where you stood."

Haru crosses one leg over the other. "Where I stand?"

Yusuke nods, and folds his hands together. "Akira mentioned to me, yesterday, what you said while we were in the Metaverse. When he addressed you as Rose, you replied that that wasn't your name. I've also noticed that you'd been somewhat quiet when we were over there. I excused most of it as nerves, but now I am not so sure."

Haru takes a deep breath and lets it out. "I see."

"Furthermore," Yusuke points out. "I believe you are suffering significantly, over the death of Rin Sugimura. I admit, I am also a bit put off by the situation." He frowns then, and looks away from her. "I have been speaking, recently, with a friend of mine. Perhaps we went about this mission the wrong way. Perhaps we got so caught up in the events as they unfolded, we didn't stop to consider if our method was the right way." He takes a long breath and exhales it slowly. "And perhaps, had we done things differently, he might still be alive." Haru opens her mouth, but Yusuke quickly interjects, "However, I do not believe that what happened to Rin Sugimura was our fault. We did not cause his car to drive into the Bay. If a mental shutdown was at fault, we did not cause it."

Haru waits for him to continue, but he stops then. "I have given this a lot of thought as well, Yusuke. I agree, what happened specifically wasn't our fault. I do believe, however, that things could've been done differently. I understand that hindsight is 20/20, but we could've pursued another path."

"I think that," Yusuke says. "Perhaps, we let the ends justify our means. We put ourselves and our target in grave risk.

I do not wish to see this happen again."

"Nor do I," Haru answers.

Yusuke's smile is small, but there. "You have not considered yourself one of us this entire time, have you?"

Haru stares at him, at this young man who had helped her so much these past few days. Then, she shakes her head. "No. I haven't."

Yusuke gives the nod people give when they hear their predictions confirmed. "And now?"

Haru feels herself deflate a bit. "I'm not sure," she mutters. "I thought, after Sugimura, I would... I don't know. In the Palace, I felt that I had a clear path forward. But he's dead, Yusuke. I don't know what I should do now."

Yusuke is silent for a time. "I understand," he finally says.

Haru turns her head. "Do you?" She knows it sounds petulant, and she cringes a bit at the sound.

"Have you forgotten?" He asks. "Mere hours after Madarame's confession, he was murdered in the street."

Haru's eyes widen. "Oh. Oh, no. Yusuke, I'm sorry. I forgot and-"

He holds up a hand. "It's understandable, given the circumstances. I felt very confused when this occurred. It took being around everyone, from Boss to the Phantom Thieves, to recover. In truth, I haven't fully. I still think about Sensei. Every day, in fact."

Haru nods her head. "I'm sorry, Yusuke."

"But," he says, and holds up a finger. "While I believe solitude fuels the soul during the creation of glorious works of art, I do not believe it helps overmuch in these types of situations. You are upset, of course you are, but shutting yourself off from everyone will not help you." Yusuke stands, bows, and prostrates himself on the floor. "Therefore, I am asking, Haru. Please, consider joining us in full. Stay with us, so we can discover what truly happened to Rin Sugimura and his driver. So we can continue to help those who need it. And so," he looks up at her. "We make sure that the ends never justify the means again."

Haru stares down at him, red in her cheeks. She isn't sure what to make of all this, but his words spin around in her head.

"You will, naturally, get to chose your own code name," Yusuke finishes, and rights himself.

Haru wants space to think, so she quickly asks, "How did you decide to join the Phantom Thieves?"

Yusuke shrugs, as he stands and moves back to the couch. "I do not recall having any kind of epiphany. However, I believe it came about when I learned of Madarame's depths of depravity. When I learned he had no only harmed me, but many others. None of these others had any recourse. They were not believed. They had no defenders. And once you begin to see that kind of thing in one place, you being to see it everywhere. Somewhere along the line, systems fail us. People like myself, people like Akira, people like you. We were all trapped in bad situations. And when I realized that, as a Phantom Thief, I could help alleviate others of their dire circumstances, I realized I could do little else. Plus," and he waves his hand through the air, "Mementos provides no end of inspiration."

Haru considers this. "But I didn't think that way," she says. "I didn't think, 'I should be a Phantom Thief to help people.' I didn't think about others. I only thought about myself."

Yusuke shrugs. "It is difficult to help others if you cannot help yourself, first. I didn't fathom this bigger picture until after dealing with Madarame. That doesn't mean you cannot shift your perspective now."

Haru nods. "I suppose that makes sense." She sighs. "Do you really think I should join?"

Yusuke inclines his head. "I think you should do what is best for you. The point of the Phantom Thieves is to free people to help them determine their own fate. It would go against our goals if we forced you to join." He folds his hands together again. "But I do think that there's a place for you with us. I think that, with your help, we can discover what happened to Sugimura, and we can stop it from happening to others."

Haru stares down at her hands, and her vision focuses on her fingernails. Not for any particular reason, but because she wants something to look at. I have a chance, she tells herself. A chance to do some real good in the world. Sugimura may have died, but I'm still free of him. Shouldn't I take this chance? She looks back up at Yusuke. "Thank you, Yusuke, for taking the time to talk to me. I really appreciate it, and I think it really did clear some things up for me." She takes her phone from her pocket and checks the time. "I have work with Akira tonight. I think I'll address some of these points with him as well."

Yusuke smiles and stands up. "All I can ask is that you consider it, Haru." He bows. "Thank you for taking the time to listen to me."

They exchange a few more pleasantries, and then Yusuke leaves.

#

Akira lowers the fertilizer onto the cart and begins to push it across the storage room.

"Mona-chan decided to stay home today?" Haru asks, from where she stands, clutching her clothes nervously in the corner.

"Yeah," Akira grunts as he slides the cart into place. He dusts his hands off against one another and turns back to her. "I need to talk with him soon. He's pretty freaked out over what happened." He trails off without finishing the thought. He knows Haru must feel the same, to a degree. "Did you talk with Makoto today?"

Haru shakes her head. "Not really. We saw each other in class, and she invited me to lunch and somewhere after school, but I declined. I wanted some time alone. To think."

Akira tries to fight the smile off his face. "Then Yusuke showed up."

Haru's grin mirrors his own. "Then Yusuke showed up."

"People think he's a bit out there, but he's actually pretty smart," Akira says. "I think so, anyway."

Haru nods. "He is. Very smart, and creative. And he had some interesting perspectives." She purses her lips and Akira waits for what she's going to say. She steps forward. "I'm confused, Akira. I like the idea of the Phantom Thieves, of helping people who are in need, but I can't help but feel responsible for what happened to Rin." She holds up a hand when Akira's mouth opens. "I know it wasn't our fault, not completely. Something happened. Possibly a mental shutdown, possibly something else. But we still lured him out to a warehouse and chloroformed him. We could've killed him by doing that. I..." She scrunches up her face. "If we're doing the right thing, why does it feel like the wrong thing? Like, with you and Makoto."

Akira blinks. "Huh?"

"You treated her poorly. Kept making her jump through hoops. Hurt her feelings. You know how she felt and yet-"

"How about how I felt?" Akira asks. "You know, I think that was pretty obvious too. But how was I supposed to know? She was investigating us, and I didn't know if she was a friend or a foe."

"Of course she was a friend," Haru snaps. "You keep hiding behind this idea that there are enemies everywhere, that you can't trust anyone."

"That's because there are and we can't."

"But you just assume. You assumed Haru was bad. Just like you assumed the police wouldn't help me and-"

"Oh, come on," Akira says. "Are we back on that? You and I both know they wouldn't have done anything."

"Maybe," Haru says, and nods. "But we could've reached out to Officer Kagawa. We could've at least tried to find out what he could've done for us."

Akira throws his hands into the air, takes a deep breath, and wills himself to calm down. "Sugimura had already taken you to that Kaneshiro guy. He was looking for you, and was going to do horrible shit to you if he found you. We couldn't afford to wait. Was it the best plan? No. But it was the only one we could put together."

Haru takes a step closer to him, face hard. "You do not need to remind me of what Sugimura almost did to me, Akira. I was there. You were not. My point is this. From the very beginning, there was a lack of communication between all parties. I am not blameless in this. But I cannot help but feel that if we worked better with the people around us, if we stopped being so distrustful to the people who have only shown themselves to be friends, then what happened to Sugimura might've been avoided."

Akira stares at her. She doesn't get it, he tells himself. Just like some of the others. She doesn't get it. But then he stops himself. Didn't she? Didn't the others? Trapped in a box. Haru might've been wealthy, but she still had no recourse, just like the others. He wills himself to calm down. I can't keep doing this, he thinks. I can't keep getting defensive every time this happens. He takes a deep breath. "Okay," he says. "You're right. If I'd spoken with Makoto earlier, and brought you two into the fold faster, we might've discovered that Sugimura had a Palace weeks ago. We could've done something about it then." He doesn't point out that it wouldn't have changed many of the factors. Sugimura's Palace would've still been a car. They still would've had to find a way to stop that thing. They still wouldn't have had a way to communicate with the outside world.

But maybe they would've found a different way.

"I'm sorry, Haru. We wanted to help, but I don't think we did."

She shakes her head. "No, you did. We did change Sugimura's heart. I know we did. We didn't drive his car into the Bay." She takes another step forward, her face more resolute than before. "I want to find out what happened. This may seem crazy, but I think Sugimura should get justice as well." She shakes her head, as if daring him to deny this. "He was horrible to me, but he was a victim too. We shouldn't just shrug our shoulders and say he deserved it. If it was a mental shutdown, I want to stop them."

Akira smiles. "Then, have you made your decision?"

Haru nods. "I have. But I want to speak to Makoto first. Once I do, I'll let you know what I've chosen." She smiles, and repeats, "What I've chosen," to herself, as if she's suddenly forgotten Akira is there.

#

Akechi stares out the window at the Tokyo skyline. His own reflection - pale - stares back at him. A million lights shine up from the streets, and he knows each one is a little person, trapped in their little world, filled with little problems.

"Goro," Shido says.

Akechi blinks and brings himself back. "Sorry. I was lost in thought."

Shido smiles. "I could tell." He gestures to the chair across from his desk, and sits in his own, folding his hands together as he does so. "You said you had something to share with me?"

"Sae Niijima," Akechi says, as he lowers himself into the chair. "She's the Public Prosecutor I work with. She believes there's a connection between the mental shutdowns and the Phantom Thieves."

Shido's brows rise. "Interesting. We know of their connection to the Metaverse, at least. Did she elaborate on this theory?"

Akechi frowns. "She mentioned the name, Wakaba Isshiki. She thinks her research is being manipulated."

Shido blinks, surprise writ across his face. "How did she figure that out? I thought we'd tidied that bit up?"

Akechi draws his lips into his mouth, then shrugs. "That was my first assignment. I wasn't as careful."

"She stepped into traffic. She left a suicide note. From what I hear, her daughter had a total mental breakdown over it. That should've been enough to throw anyone off the trail."

"Evidently not," Akechi replies. "Though, I do not believe this is any cause for alarm. Sae Niijima trusts me. She thinks of me as an ally. As such, now that I know about her theory, I can safely guide her away from it."

Shido swivels in his chair, stands, and makes his way over to the cabinet. "Why not just trigger a mental shutdown? The easiest solution would be to get rid of her."

Something constricts in Akechi's throat. "No," he manages. "I don't think that's best. She's too close to this. If we need to, we can pressure the SIU into firing her. But, if we do that, we miss an opportunity."

Shido opens the cabinet and withdraws a tumbler, and pours himself a drink. He turns back to Akechi with a smile. "You said she thinks there's a link between the mental shutdowns and the Phantom Thieves. You want her to believe they're behind all of them."

Akechi smiles and nods. "I've already made my public opinion of the Phantom Thieves known. We planted the seeds of their wrongdoing with the painter."

"And now," Shido says, and takes a drink. "All we have to do is fan those flames." He nods and sets the drink down on the desk. Then, he frowns. "We haven't heard from them recently, from what I understand. Where are we, specifically, in that regard?"

Akechi shifts in his seat. "I had my hands full recently, dealing with a particular request from the gangster. I plan on returning to the investigation now. Considering that the SIU will be doing the same, and since Sae Niijima has expressed interest in this, and given what we suspect of their methods, we should be able to narrow things down very soon."

"But what do we know?" Shido asks.

"They're students," Akechi replies. "They have to be, to have targeted Kamoshida first. I cannot say how they gained access to the Metaverse, but it's possible it was done by accident, as we've been very careful with the information regarding it. We've managed to piece together a few links, as well. Namely, Nakonhara Natsuhiko."

"Should I know that name?"

Akechi shakes his head. "He's a nothing from nowhere. But he had a request taken out against him on the PhanSite before it went private. Additional digging revealed that Nakanhoara used to be an apprentice for the painter."

"And you think that's how the Phantom Thieves found out about him?"

Akechi nods. "I do. I think, if we could pinpoint their next targets, we may be able to find a more concrete link. In the meantime, I'll have people watch Nakanohara and see if they can't get anything from him."

"And what about Shujin?"

"Interesting you should bring that up," Akechi says. "I just took care of an individual for the gangster. It turns out, his fiancé is a third year at Shujin. It's interesting, as you would expect him to be the kind of person targeted by the Phantom Thieves. It makes me wonder why they didn't target him."

"What makes you think they knew?"

"Because the fiancé, Haru Okumura, is friends with Makoto Niijima, who was one of the individuals targeted by Kamoshida before he had his change of heart. I've also found out that she's been spending his time with several other individuals who are linked to the Kamoshida case, ironically, through Sae Niijima, who is the aforementioned Makoto's older sister."

Shido frowns at this. "Small world."

"Indeed."

Shido takes up his drink and takes another sip. Then, he turns to the window. "And it keeps getting smaller. Stay on this, son, and keep me posted."

Akechi inclines his head, even though Shido isn't look at him. "Of course."

##

A/N: Hey gang, Happy Friday! What a week, eh?

I noticed there's a good number of new people checking out Crimson. If you're one of them, Welcome! I'm happy you've read this far.

Feel free to come say 'Hi' on Twitter, and if you get the chance, check out the TV Tropes Page for this fic that a couple of really amazing people put together.

And, to everyone, thank you very much for reading Crimson!