6-22

When Haru asked Makoto if they could use the Student Council Room, privately, after school, Makoto knew what was coming.

But sitting here, facing her friend, as she smiles at her, Makoto isn't sure what to think. She can feel the shift in the air, the creep that's occurred between their relationship. It has only been a few days since Sugimura's heist, but Makoto knows things are different.

"I wanted to speak with you, Mako-chan," Haru says.

Makoto nods, and tries to keep the worry from showing. "I figured."

Haru giggles a bit. "Yes, I suppose it was obvious when I asked." She sighs, straightens and her face gets serious.

Here it comes, Makoto thinks.

"I've decided," Haru declares. "To join the Phantom Thieves."

Makoto doesn't sigh, she doesn't let her head dip forward, but she can feel a slight tingle of anxiety across her skin. She knew this would be the subject of conversation, but those words still shake her. "I see," she manages.

"But there are reasons for it," Haru continues. "Reasons that may not be obvious, even to the others." She holds up a finger. "For one, I do not approve of the ultimate plan to steal Sugimura's heart. I know there were good reasons for why we needed to enact that plan, but I feel like it was the wrong choice from the start. Had things been different between our two groups, we might've discovered Sugimura's Palace earlier, and been able to change his heart without the end result."

Makoto can tell, by Haru's phrasing, that she's not blaming herself for Sugimura's death, but still holds herself responsible to a degree. What stings are the words 'our two groups.' Now that she's joined the Phantom Thieves, she's not longer a part of 'my group.' The thought shames her. She knows she should be supportive of Haru, and be glad she's made this decision, yet she cannot help but feel a disgustingly small degree of pity for herself. If Haru's with the Phantom Thieves, what am I supposed to do?

"Second, I want to discover what happened to Sugimura. I don't believe his death was an accident, based on the circumstances, and what we were told by Iwai. I think my best chance of accomplishing this is to remain with the Phantom Thieves."

Makoto nods, but remains silent. "Third, having seen the twisted desires of Sugimura, and knowing there are others out there like him, I think joining the Phantom Thieves would allow me to make a difference in the world. Before, I was only thinking of myself. I was playing games and running from my problems. But now, I want to use this as an opportunity to do good. If I can help someone who's trapped in a bad situation, then it will be worth it. But, as I do not approve of how things were done with Sugimura, I think my presence within the Thieves could serve as a mitigating element to the more outrageous plans they - well, Akira - comes up with. No more hurting the targets in the real world, for instance." Haru folds her hands back together on the desk. "Have you any questions for me?" She asks.

Makoto smiles at her. "I'm happy for you, Haru."

Haru blinks, then sighs and slumps in her chair. "Did that sound rehearsed to you? Because it was very rehearsed."

Makoto tilts her head at a small angle. "Really? I didn't think so."

Haru lets out a small whine and leans forward. "I was convinced you were going to try and talk me out of it, so I wanted to get all my points across first." She looks up at Makoto. "You're not going to try and do that?"

Makoto shakes her head. "No. I know you've been struggling with figuring out which direction your life should take, and I'm happy you've make a decision."

Haru heaves out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Mako-chan. I want you to know, this won't impact our friendship. I'll have to spend time with the Phantom Thieves, but I want us to stay together too."

Makoto nods, and keeps smiling. "Good. I'm glad to hear that."

Haru stares at her for a time. Then, she asks, "Makoto, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

Haru's face flattens. "You know what I mean. What's wrong?"

Makoto feels herself sink into her seat. "I'm happy for you, Haru. I really am. I'm glad you've figured out your next steps. And I'm sorry if this seems selfish, but, I don't know what mine are." She turns to look out the window. "I used to think I knew what I was doing, but I don't think that way anymore. Ever since we got Akira and the others to confess, what with Sugimura, and everything, I just... I don't know. I feel like my life is spinning out of control, and I don't know how to stop it." She laughs then, but there's no humor in it. "It's funny. Things were much simpler when I just did what others told me to do."

Haru stands up, moves around the table, pulls out the chair next to Makoto, and sits. "Please, go on."

Makoto cycles through the last few weeks' worth of memories. "I think what's getting to me the most, is Sis."

Haru frowns. "Did something happen with Sae?"

Makoto nods, and relates the last interaction she had with her sister. "I don't really know what to do. She's been so angry recently, and I know it hasn't been easy, trying to tackle a high stress job coupled with taking care of me, but I thought our relationship was different than this. I feel like I'm fighting with her, but I don't even know what we're fighting about." She sits up straighter. "No, that's not true. She was mad because I was 'neglecting' myself to spend time with you. She thought the same thing with Akira, but-" She stops then, remembering the time she'd broken down in front of Sae when faced with the memories of Kamoshida's attempt. Had that really been only a month or two ago? It was hard to fathom the same person who had wrapped her in a hug and talked to her then, was the same who had shouted at her mere days ago.

"My life has always had a plan," Makoto says. "Stay at the top of my classes. Get into a good university. Get a good job that pays well. But, when you were missing because Sugimura had taken you, and when we were investigating the Phantom Thieves, none of that other stuff seemed important. But, I know it is important." She props her elbows on the table and puts her head in her hands. "I just feel like I'm spinning out, Haru, and I've got no idea what to do, or what to focus on."

Haru places a hand on her back and rubs it, gently. "That's hard, Makoto. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were having such a difficult time with your sister."

Makoto shrugs. "It's okay. I didn't really say anything. And you certainly had your own situation to deal with, which had to take priority."

"Still," Haru insists. "I should've noticed and said something." She takes her hand away. "Mako-chan, when I spoke to Yusuke about why he joined the Phantom Thieves, he said that when he realized other people were suffering just as much as he was, he knew he had to do something about it. Akira said something similar, when I spoke to him yesterday. One of the reasons I didn't feel right about being in the Phantom Thieves was because I felt like it was another thing chosen for me. But now, I can confidently say that this was my decision. I think, that if you're not feeling in control of your life, then you need to exercise some control. I think you need to consider what you want to do with yourself. Maybe, instead of bouncing back and forth from one thing to another, you should step back from everything and take some time to decide."

Makoto nods, listening, drinking in Haru's words. She comprehends the logic of them, but says nothing.

Haru beams at her. "Let me ask you something, what do you want? Right now? Doesn't have to be something big, just-"

"Ice cream," Makoto mumbles.

Haru blinks. "Ice cream?"

"Ice cream."

"Oh," she replies. "I thought you were going to say something else."

Makoto glances at her and smiles. "You said, 'Right now.' Right now, I want ice cream. But I get your point. Honestly? I'm not sure. I want to patch things together with Sae. And, well..." She trails off as her cheeks redden, but she pushes ahead. "I'd like to do the same with Akira."

"I see," Haru says, coyly.

"And I want to make a decision," Makoto says, ignoring the tease. "Like you did. I want to decide something for myself. Something that I can be proud of. Something that would make Sis proud too. And Dad, if he were here."

Haru stands up and holds out a hand. "So, it's settled then."

Makoto looks up at her. "What is?"

"We're going to get ice cream, then, we'll talk more about this. At least you'll have one desire fulfilled, right?"

Makoto chuckles and reaches out her hand, taking Haru's. "You're right," she replies.

#

The sun is beginning to set by the time the Thieves arrive at LeBlanc. They sit around the table, faces a mix of apprehension and excitement. Akira can tell that the fear of the last few days is still there, but he can also tell that there's something beneath it, something itching to get out.

Ryuji and Ann sit next to one another, like always, glancing at the others, both with small smiles on their faces.

Yusuke sits next to Akira, the image of collected calm, though, by the amount of times he adjusts himself in his seat, Akira can tell he's still nervous.

Morgana is perched on the desk, a bit away from the table. Akira has plans to talk to him tonight, before they head to Crossroads, but he still looks lethargic and upset.

Finally, there is Haru, who just told him her intentions, before the others arrived. She sits, ramrod straight in her chair, hands clasped in her lap.

"First things first," Akira says, and smiles at her. "The happy news. We have an official new member." He gestures towards Haru, who bows her head. "We spoke before the rest of you arrived. Haru has agreed to join us as a full-fledged member of the Phantom Thieves."

"Radical," Ryuji says, at the same time Ann says, "Congratulations!"

"That's wonderful," Yusuke intones.

"Great," Morgana mutters, but doesn't sound sarcastic. "Welcome, Haru."

"Thank you all, very much," Haru says, and raises her head. "I'm looking forward to working with you all. I would like to point out, however, that as a member, I would like some things to change within the group. Perhaps you'll think this as overstepping my bounds, as I've only just officially joined, but I have to insist that we no longer cause physical harm to our targets. No chloroforming, no attacking, nothing physical. We do nothing to them that could result in harm coming to them in the real world."

Yusuke nods. "I agree."

Ryuji arches a brow, and glances between Ann and Akira.

Ann, for her part, says, "Same with me. There's got to be a better way."

"I dunno," Ryuji says. "I mean, I'm not big on hurting people, obviously. But if the situation calls for it and-"

"If the situation calls for it," Akira says, and smiles at his friend. "We'll figure something else out." As to what that'll be, I have no idea. "But from now on, as we're all working together, I propose we select targets that don't come attached with a ticking clock, so we're not rushing like we did with Sugimura."

Ryuji crosses his arms, but nods. "I can agree to that."

"Me too," Morgana says. Haru and the others nods as well.

"Then, it's official," Akira says. "Haru Okumura is a member of the Phantom Thieves."

Everyone manages to grin at this.

"So then," Akira continues. "We've got a couple of things we need to do. First, we need to find out what really happened with Sugimura. If it was a mental shutdown, which is possible, then we need to discover the root cause and the perpetrators."

"How do we do that?" Ryuji asks. "I've been thinkin' it over, but I'm shit out of ideas."

"I've had a notion with regards to that," Yusuke points out. Everyone turns to face him. "We know that the mental shutdowns have something to do with the Metaverse, although we're unclear as to the specifics. With the exception of Sugimura, we've halted our exploration of Mementos. If our operating hypothesis is that Morgana's memories - which are specifically tied to Mementos and the cognitive world - are somewhere buried in Mementos, then I think we should continue to our exploration."

Morgana hops off the desk and up onto the table. "That'll mean we need to start taking care of those requests from the PhanSite again."

"Which we should do anyway," Akira says. "To Yusuke's point, we were focused on Sugimura - with good reason - but since we couldn't publicize that heist, from the public's perspective, we've been silent since Madarame. Now would be a good time to send those Calling Cards. Yusuke already prepared them."

"Isn't Ohya going to print an article on us?" Ann asks. Akira nods. "Well, that's all well and good, but it's been a long time since we've even been on the PhanSite. We should have Mishima bring us up to date." She rolls her eyes at the look Akira gives her. "Yes, Akira. We all know you don't like him."

"I didn't say anything," Akira protests.

"You didn't have to," Ann replies, smirking. "But still, there have to have been some new requests since we chose our last three. We should find out."

"Yeah, but we shouldn't settle for those guys either," Ryuji puts in. "Like Akira said, the last person we took down, that regular people know about, was Madarame. We should start thinking about our next big target."

"But we should be careful," Haru says. "We don't want to go after someone we have any connection to, right? Perhaps we should take a look at those requests on the PhanSite to see if there are any, as you put it Ryuji, big targets."

"All this is well and good," Akira says. "And those should be some of our next steps. But, we've still got a long way to go in Mementos. We shouldn't rely on that alone to provide us information on the mental shutdowns. We're going to need to do some real world investigation too."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Ann asks.

Akira looks at Haru. "We should start with the known factors. Yukio Kan was a politician. We know he had a mental shutdown because I saw it, but the public was told he had a heart attack. If Sugimura did die because of a mental shutdown, there might be a connection there. His father was a politician, wasn't he? Haru, do you think you can look into whether or not his family had any connection to Yukio Kan or the New Dawn movement?"

Haru purses her lips. "I don't think they did, but I can find out."

"In the meantime, I think we should keep an eye on that Officer Kagawa, especially if he's got information regarding Sugimura's death." He taps his fingers on his leg. "I think we should request help from Makoto."

Haru's brows rise. "You want to use Mako-chan to-"

"No," Akira insists. "You'll notice I said, 'request help,' from Makoto. If she doesn't want to help us that's fine. But Office Kagawa could be a source of information for us."

Haru crosses her arms and stares at the ceiling, mulling this over. "Maybe I should talk to her."

"I think I should do it," Akira replies. "I want this to come from me, upfront. But, we could talk to her together."

Haru acquiesces with a small nod, but Akira can tell she's not entirely sold. That's fine, we just need to get the idea out there.

"We should also try and establish some kind of timeline for the mental shutdowns. Does anyone know when they actually started? I only heard about them when I got to Tokyo."

Ryuji makes a long, "Hhhhhmmmmm," sound, but doesn't say anything. It's Ann who replies with, "I don't remember them becoming a big thing until the spring, but I think I remember them being talked about as far back as the winter."

"I can't recall exactly when, either," Yusuke says. "You think knowing when the events began will help us pinpoint their origin?"

Akira nods. "I think so, yeah. We should also see if we can find references to any mysterious deaths, and things like that. Yukio Kan's was a heart attack, so maybe there are others like him."

"How are we supposed to know which are mysterious and which are real?" Haru asks. "We wouldn't know about Yukio Kan without you having been there."

Akira nods. "Good point. I don't really know. But it's a place to start while we work on those other angles."

Everyone around the table nods. A lot of the apprehension has diminished. It's still there, but with the new direction, Akira can see they're less inclined to dwell on it. Give them something to do, and it'll give them less time to focus on what's terrifying them.

If only he could think the same way. "Alright," he concludes. "We've got our plans. We'll talk more about the Calling Cards next time. I've got to get going soon, so for now, let's call it a day."

#

The Phantom Thieves file out until Akira is left alone with Morgana. The cat jumps up onto the bed and turns to face him. "You going to Tora's speech tonight?" He asks.

Akira shakes his head. "No, it was cancelled for some reason. Family issue, I think. I'm going to head to Crossroads a little early, though. Maybe make some extra yen."

Morgana nods and curls up on the covers. "I'll just stay here, then."

Akira sighs, takes one of the chairs and drags it over to the side of the bed, and sits. "Let's talk, Morgana."

The cat fixes him with a frustrated gaze. "Is this the part where you tell me what happened wasn't my fault?"

Akira has been trying to figure out how to handle this for a while. "What happened under that car?"

"I don't know," Morgana hisses. "I thought I cut all the right stuff." He hefts up a paw and flexes his claws. "These are pretty damn sharp. It took me a minute or two, but I got through them."

"Then why did the car end up in the Bay?"

Morgana rises to his legs, and arches his back. "Because I screwed up, okay? I screwed up. I read the blueprints wrong, or I got confused once I was under there because there wasn't enough light, or I just thought cutting something would stop the car when it wouldn't. The reason doesn't matter, Akira. I screwed up, and we all almost died because of it! Sugimura did die!"

Akira nods, watching him. Then, with a flick of his tail, Morgana turns and starts to pace up and down the bed, looking for all the world unsure of what to do.

"Fine," Akira says, and shrugs.

Morgana looks at him. "'Fine?'"

"Yeah, fine. You screwed up." The cat winces. "Your job was to sabotage the car, and you didn't. You've owned up to it, and in case you're wondering, everyone forgives you for it. Just make sure that, next time, you prep correctly." Morgana seems to shrink a little. "As far as I'm concerned, that's that."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, it isn't. We all almost died, Akira! If the car had sunken a little deeper, we might not have made it to the surface. I might not have made it out, if Haru hadn't carried me up. If Ryuji hadn't grabbed Yusuke, Yusuke would be dead right now."

"And if you hadn't jumped out the shadows and slashed the shit out of Sugimura in that alley, Haru might be dead. If you hadn't saved us in Kamoshida's Palace, Ryuji and I would definitely be dead and the Phantom Thieves wouldn't even be a thing," Akira says. "Okay, so you screwed up. It happens. But we still need you, Morgana. Especially if we're going to deliver these Calling Cards. Back in the beginning, when you all first appointed me as the leader, and I wasn't happy about it, you were the one who talked some sense into me. Well, it's time for you to snap out of it. If you want to be upset about all this, fine. You can be upset. You can't shut down." He smiles. "Maybe this seems unfair to you, but you don't get to space out whenever it's convenient for you. We need you."

Morgana's face softens and his tail swishes from side to side, slowly.

Akira gestures towards the stairs. "Look at everything we're up against. If there really is some grand evildoer out there setting off these mental shutdowns, who's going to stop them? The police? We're the only ones who can probably do anything about it, if we're right. You know more about the Metaverse than anyone, and if we can recover your memories, we'll know even more. In the meantime, you're our infiltration expert. We need you to get into places we can't."

Morgana sits back down, eyes wide.

"You messed up this time. But you've also come through, a lot. You just have to make sure it doesn't happen again. We made it through, Morgana. Now we have to move on."

Morgana bobs his head, licks his paw, and rubs it over his right ear. "Alright, alright. I get it." He glances away and makes a show of staring out the window. "You'd be lost without me, right?"

Akira laughs. "Right. Exactly."

Morgana looks back at him. "I'm sorry about the car. I really thought I knew what I was doing."

Akira leans forward and rests a hand on Morgana's head. "It's okay, Mona. We all know that. You've learned your lesson and we can move on. No need to keep harping on it."

Morgana lets loose a long sigh. "Okay, then." He jumps from the bed and lands in Akira's lap. Akira runs his hand along his back. "So, what's my role in all this going to be?"

"Like I said," Akira replies. "You're our infiltration expert. You go places we can't."

#

"So, anyway, we talked it out and he's good now," Akira says.

The bar patrons stare at him. One of them raises his hand, and when Akira nods at him, asks, "So, this is about your cat?"

"That's right," Akira replies.

The guy leans towards his friend and whispers, "I thought this was about Makoto."

"Me too," the guy replies.

"Nope," Akira says. "Just me and my cat."

"I have a cat," one of the drunker patrons mutters. "She's a real bitch. But I love her so goddamn much."

Lala walks down the length of the bar and chuckles, patting Akira on the shoulder as she passes. "Trying to change the narrative?" She asks.

Akira turns to follow her. "What'd you mean?"

"I mean, you're trying to distract your fans with stories about your feline comrade. What's going on with your human friends, eh?"

Akira has to stop himself from saying, 'Morgana is a human,' and instead says, "Things are good. They were a little rough for a while, but things are good again."

"And how's things with Makoto?" Lala asks, her face serious. "It's been weeks at this point. Any progress?"

He shrugs. "I'm sort of friends with her friend now, so I'm going to use that angle."

Lala nods. "Smart. The way to a girl's heart is through her friends, or so I hear." She pauses a moment, pondering this. "Wait, that's not the phrase. Well, whatever, you know what I mean."

Akira smiles and says that he does. They both turn when a familiar face walks in and plops down at the bar.

"Lala-chan," Ohya intones. "My usual, if you please?"

Lala heaves out an exaggerated sigh.

"Hello, Ohya. Hard at work again, I see."

"You bet," Ohya replies, but Akira notices she hasn't lifted her eyes to the two of them yet.

As Lala goes to fetch the drink, Akira walks up to her. "Toranosuke's speech was cancelled for today, as I'm sure you heard."

Ohya's response is a noncommittal grunt.

"Right, so I don't have much more information on that front, but," and here he leans in, "I have it on good authority that the Phantom Thieves are going to strike soon."

Ohya glances up at him, then looks away. "Oh boy, look at you, 'I have it on good authority,' yeah, yeah. Whatever. It's about damn time, anyway. The hell have they been waiting for, all this time?"

Akira frowns at this, and grabs a glass to fill it with water. "How should I know?" He asks.

Lala returns and puts the small drink before her, and Akira pairs it with a water. Lala nods approvingly before turning to deal with a few customers down at the other side of the bar.

"How's all your associates doing?" Ohya asks, taking up the alcohol and having herself a long sip.

"My associates?" Akira replies. "What're you talking about?"

"You know," Ohya replies. "Munehisa Iwai. Tae Takemi, also known as 'The Plague?' Those fine people."

Akira rolls his eyes. "Would you drop this, please?" Ohya hiccups and Akira notices, for the first time, that her cheeks are tinted red. He hadn't noticed due to the low lights in the bar. "Are you drunk already?"

"'Are you drunk already?'" Ohya mocks. "Fuck off, kid."

Akira speeds off towards Lala and tugs on her sleeve. "Hey," he says, when she turns to him. "I think Ohya's hammered. Like, already hammered. The usual approaching midnight hammered, but it's-" he checks the time on his phone, "only a little past eight."

Lala looks over his shoulder at the woman, and frowns. "Poor thing," she whispers. "She must've been having a tough couple of days."

"Should we do something?" Akira asks. He looks back at Ohya, who sits, slumped in her seat, slowly devouring the alcohol. The water remains untouched.

"I'll cut her off," she says, then glances at Akira. "I hate to ask this of you, again, Akira, but-"

"Yeah," Akira replies. "It's fine. I'll help her get home."

Lala rests a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good friend, Akira Kurusu."

They turn and head back towards Ohya. By the time they reach her, she's finished her drink. "Lala-chan," Ohya calls, in the same tone she usually does, but minus the bubbly happiness it typically holds, "another, pretty please!"

"I don't think so, Ohya," Lala says, as they come to a stop. "I think you've had enough."

Now, finally, Ohya fixes Lala with her gaze. It's not steady. "What'd you mean?" She asks. "Cutting me off? Is that legal?"

Lala frowns. "Enough jokes, Ohya. You're practically sweating alcohol. It's time for you to go and sleep it off." She reaches out and slides the water a little closer to her. "Here, have some of this."

Ohya stares down at the glass of water, and shakes her head. "Bullshit, I don't need that. I'll just down some coffee and I'll be fine by tomorrow. That's how I operate."

"I'm serious, girl."

Ohya glares up at her. "So am I, man."

A few heads turn their way. Some of the stares are angry, others are the kind of excited curious worn by people who are looking for others to get into trouble.

Oh shit, Akira thinks.

Lala and Ohya stare at one another. Ohya's face is scrunched up in drunken anger. Lala's face is impassive.

It's Ohya who blinks first. Lala keeps on staring until she finally says, "Alright, sweetie. It's time to go. Akira will help you get home." She reaches out and takes the empty glass from the bar and moves off.

Akira exits and walks around the bar until he's next to her. "Hey, let's go, yeah?"

Ohya doesn't move. Akira reaches out a hand and taps her shoulder. "Ohya, we should-"

"Don't fucking touch me," she snaps, and yanks herself away. She teeters on the edge of her seat, but manages to stay upright. With a snarl, she puts both hands on the bar and steadily manages to lift herself until she stands. She starts to move towards the exit and Akira follows.

They get outside and turn towards the edge of Shinjuku. Ohya keeps her eyes on the concrete as they walk, and Akira stays next to her, being sure to steer her when the crowds get too thick. After a few minutes, Ohya spits out a curse. "Fuck, why did I say that?" Only, it sounds like she says it more to herself.

To her credit, she only stumbles twice, and even then, it's not bad. Akira is more concerned with some of the strange looks they're getting as they pass more and more outrageously dressed people.

"Hey, Ohya?" He asks.

"What?"

"You want some coffee? It's a little out of the way for you, and LeBlanc will be closed by the time we get back, but I've got they key. Obviously."

"Obviously," Ohya repeats. Then, a few moments later, she answers, "Yeah, okay."

"Cool."

The trip is a short one, as Shinjuku is only two stops from Yongen-jaya, but it feels a lot longer. On the train, Ohya keeps making uncomfortable faces as the machine accelerates and decelerates, and Akira is very happy to get her off before she pukes.

For a Wednesday night, Yongen-jaya is more lively than usual, and one guy whistles at Ohya, but is promptly told to fuck off by both Akira and Ohya. They reach LeBlanc without any further incident.

When he walks in, Morgana greets him by bounding down the steps. "Hey, so I was thinking that-" the cat stops when he sees Ohya, who shoves herself up to the bar. "What's she doing here?"

"She's having some coffee," Akira replies.

"Who're you talking to?" Ohya asks.

"My cat."

Ohya turns her head and spies Morgana. "Awwww, hey there, kitty kitty." She wiggles her fingers. "Want to play?"

"Ugh," Morgana responds, tail swishing. "Is she drunk?"

"Very," Akira replies, and heads behind the bar. "Anything in particular you want?" He asks her, as Morgana hops up onto the bar.

"Coffee," Ohya barks.

"This'll be fun," Akira mutters, and he grabs an apron and ties it around his back.

He spends the next few minutes brewing, and Ohya spends those minutes with her head on the counter.

This isn't funny anymore, Akira thinks, as he watches her. She needs some help.

It's not a pleasant thought, and it's one he'd rather shy away from, given everything that's happening with his Phantom Thieving life. That doesn't mean it's not a real problem. He finishes the brew and brings it over to her. "Here," he says, setting it next to her hair.

Ohya sits up, and her face looks like it regrets moving so fast, but she takes the mug and mutters, "Thanks," before taking a sip. She winces and says, "Bitter."

Akira shrugs. "I heard that was good for countering alcohol."

"Who told you that?"

"Sojiro."

Morgana comes around the bar. "I don't remember Boss saying anything about that."

Akira looks down at him and shrugs.

Ohya nods, and looks around. "Where's the old timer anyway? He hasn't flirted with me in a while."

Akira sighs. "He's at home. We're technically closed."

"Awwww," she says, but it lacks her usual charm. "And you opened just for little ol' me? How sweet."

"Uh-huh," Akira says, and steps away to clean up the instruments. Discussing anything else with her would be a bad idea, he can tell.

There's a knock on the door. Akira's head whips around, and he sees that Ohya's does the same.

Another knock.

Akira peers through the glass, but it's difficult to tell who it is, so he gets closer. Morgana jumps back up onto the counter, and his mouth drops open. "Is that Iwai?" The cat asks.

Akira gets closer and realizes Morgana is correct. Iwai stands outside, peering in, face grim, hand raised to knock again. "Yeah, it is."

"What's he doing here?" Morgana asks.

"Who is that?" Ohya asks, squinting. "Tell them to go away. We're closed."

This night just keeps getting better and better, Akira thinks, as he slides out from the bar and heads for the front door.

"What'd you think he wants?" Morgana asks.

Akira shakes his head. "I don't know. But I doubt it's coffee." He unlocks the door and pulls it open, just a bit. "Hey," he says.

"I've got to talk with you, kid," Iwai says.

"And it couldn't wait?" Akira asks. Iwai's face tells him it couldn't. "Okay," he says, and steps away from the door, allowing Iwai access.

Iwai grunts by way of a possible 'thanks,' and steps inside. His eyes immediately flick to Ohya. "Who's that?" He asks.

Ohya's own eyes widen. "Oh, shit."

"Just a friend," Akira says, and steps between them. "What's so urgent?"

Iwai looks at Akira, then back at Ohya. He takes Akira's arm in hand and lightly drags him down the length of the bar, towards the stairs. "Remember when I tried to talk to you? It was a while ago, now."

Akira reaches into his memory. "Vaguely," he says. Wasn't that the same day Haru went missing? That's right, he was trying to tell me something. "But you haven't said anything since."

"Right well, I've been trying to postpone it. Or hope that the bastard would forget about it, but I guess that's not the case."

They come to a halt by the stairwell, and Akira pulls his arm free. Morgana bounds up three of the steps and turns back to face them.

"What's this about?" Akira asks.

Iwai holds his gaze and doesn't say anything for a time, then, he rolls up one of the sleeves of his shirt. A long, tattoo of a dragon wraps itself around his forearm. "You know what this means?" He asks.

"I can guess," Akira replies. "You were yakuza, right?"

Iwai nods and pulls the sleeve back down. "Yeah. I was. Years ago. I... did some shit. You know. But I got out. I left to take care of Kaoru, and I haven't gone back since."

Akira begins to feel some tingle across his skin. "But?"

"I was part of the Dragon Syndicate," Iwai continues. "A branch of them, centered in Shibuya with some reach into Shinjuku. A few of the guys who came up with me are still there. Old timers."

The flush begins to spread. "But you're out, right? I get that you once being yakuza has helped us out the last few months," he says, peering over to make sure Ohya was at the bar. He leans in and whispers, "By the way, she doesn't know about the Thief stuff, so don't say anything about that."

Iwai glances at Ohya and replies. "Sure. Whatever."

Akira continues. "Why are you telling me this if you haven't been associated with them for years?"

Iwai's mouth grows taut. "I am out. Thing is, there's this guy, and he's head of my old branch of the Dragon Syndicate. A couple of years ago, he started rising through the ranks, but he had some run-ins with the police and needed to make himself scarce for a bit. He's back now, and he's... he's doing things differently."

Akira shrugs. "I'm still not sure what you mean."

"The Dragon's Boss, the head honcho, wants to keep his Organization as clean as possible. Hell, rumor is he's thinking about taking things legit. This new guy? Doesn't see things like that, and people are whispering that he's going to be making moves against the Boss."

"Can't the Boss just do something?" Akira asks.

Iwai shakes his head. "This guy's got allies. No one knows who they are. But I was talking with a friend the other night. He's got ways of making people disappear, or have accidents." The flush settles across his face, now. "Look," Iwai finally says. "He's been roping in kids from local schools. Shit, he's got a few of your classmates from Shujin. He brings in people who aren't loyal to the Dragon Syndicate, just him. The old timers, those still part of this branch are too scared to do anything about him. And for those of us no longer involved, he's... well, he's coming after us too. To ensure our loyalty."

"This guy is threatening you?" Akira asks.

"I had a meeting with him a few weeks ago," Iwai says, and his head droops forward. Akira thinks he almost looks ashamed. "It was when I had you watch Kaoru. He wanted to take my son under his wing, which was bullshit. He just wanted someone I cared about close, so he could guarantee I wouldn't make any moves against him or warn his Boss. But I couldn't give him Karou, Akira. The kid doesn't know anything about that world. He doesn't even know I was yakuza. I couldn't give him Kaoru, but he needed someone, or I wouldn't have walked out of there, and Kaoru would've been killed."

"Wait a second," Morgana says, from where he sits on the steps. "Is he saying that he-"

"I told him about you," Iwai finishes.

"You told him about me," Akira repeats. "Wait, you told him about me?" His pulse quickens. "Me? You fucking told him about me?" He reaches for Iwai's collar, but the man grabs his wrists before he can do anything. "You fucker! Why? Why would you do that?"

"Bastard," Morgana hisses and starts trying to angle to leap at Iwai's face.

"Listen to me, Akira," Iwai says. "I didn't tell him about the other stuff because I didn't know about it. All he knows is that you got things like the card reader and shit from me and-"

"And you fucking told a yakuza boss about me?" Akira shouts. "What the fuck am I supposed to-"

"He doesn't know you," Iwai says, and shoves Akira a few steps back, breaking contact. "I didn't give him your name, just told him about you. I had no damn choice. But listen, there's more to this. Shit I've got to tell you and-"

"I don't care," Akira shouts, throwing his hands in the air. "I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!"

Iwai takes a few steps towards him and gets in his face. "Would you shut the fuck up and listen to me for a minute? There's shit I need to tell-"

"Fuck you," Akira spits. He puts his hands on his head. "Oh, this is so bad. This is so fucking bad."

Iwai grabs his shoulders. "Look, calm down. I'll talk you through this and-"

"HI-FUCKING-YA!" Screams a voice, and a jar breaks apart over Iwai's head.

His face goes limp, and coffee beans rain down and scatter across the floor, along with the glass.

Iwai drops to his knees and slumps against the wall, unconscious.

Akira looks up and finds Ohya, shakily on her feet, half a broken jar in her hand.

"How's that for... wait," she says. "Shit, I had a really good line in my head but I forgot it."

"Ohya," Akira shouts. "What the fuck?"

Ohya shakily straightens and frowns at him. "What? He was attacking you."

"He was..." Akira starts, but trails off. He looks down at Iwai's still body. "Oh my god, is he dead? Please tell me he isn't dead!"

Morgana runs up towards Iwai and lifts himself onto his hind legs towards his face. "He's still breathing," he reports.

Akira tries to process all this. He doubles over and puts his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths. "Oh crap. Oh crap. What the hell are we gonna do?"

Ohya leans against a wall, still bleary eyed and holding the remnants of the jar. "I told you this guy was trouble."

Akira holds up a hand to silence her. "Please, please stop talking. I need to figure this out."

Iwai's unconscious. I can't leave him here. I need to take him somewhere, and I need to clean this all up before Sojiro gets home. But Iwai also told me he told some yakuza guy about me, so how am I supposed to-

"Why not take him to Takemi's?" Ohya asks.

Akira scowls. "Please stop talk-" He stops. "Takemi's. Yeah, yeah." He pulls out his phone and checks the time. "She might still be in. We can..." He looks down at the body. But he's heavy. How am I supposed to get him there? Ohya's drunk and Morgana's a cat. They can't help.

Akira spins towards Morgana. "Stay here," he says. "Keep an eye on both of them. I'll go get Takemi."

"Why are you talking to the cat?" Ohya asks. She hiccups.

"Got it," Morgana says. "What if Ohya tries to leave?"

"At this point? Just let her go." He takes a few steps towards the door, then he stops. Then, he groans. "No, don't let her go. I don't know if she'll be able to make it back on her own. She's got to stay here until she sobers up. Hopefully, I'll be back in five minutes."

"What're you-" Ohya starts, but Akira fixes her with a gaze.

"Just stay here, okay? Don't go anywhere, please. I'll be right back."

He pushes the door open, steps out, shuts it and makes sure the closed sign is still in place. Then, he runs down the street towards Takemi's clinic.

Please let her be there, please let her be there, he thinks, and as he does this, his subconscious does its best to ignore thoughts about the yakuza and Iwai's betrayal.

#

Takemi examines the head wound. "Good thing he had that hat on," she mutters. She pulls back one of his lids and shines a small light into it. Then, she does it with the other. "His pupils are the same size, so that's good. I may be jumping the gun here, but I think he avoided a concussion." She turns and shoots a withering look at Ohya, who pales. "No thanks to you," she snaps.

"She was," Akira tries to explain, and takes a minute to try and organize this thoughts. "She was defending me. Or thought she was. I was freaking out. Iwai grabbed me and she thought he was attacking me, so she hit him."

Takemi turns her glare to Akira. "Never a dull moment, huh?"

Akira tries to smile and fails. "Never."

Takemi had been closing up her clinic when Akira sprinted up to her. He gave her the briefest of rundowns. Iwai was unconscious at LeBlanc, after being hit on the head with a jar of coffee beans. Takemi had run back inside - impressive, given her heels - and grabbed a few items before rushing back out. "Let's go," she'd said.

Iwai stirs beneath them and groans.

"Oh, he's waking up," Ohya says, excited.

"Thanks for the update," Takemi replies.

Akira had noticed something odd when Takemi had walked in and seen Ohya. A brief flicker of recollection and confusion, which was quickly masked when she saw Iwai's body.

Iwai's eyes open and shift around, taking in the group of people who all crowd around him. A few moments pass, then he stiffens and tries to retreat backwards, but is blocked by the wall. "The hell is this?" He growls out, then looks at Akira. "What happened?" He shakes his head and winces, then lifts a hand to his skull.

"Careful," Takemi says. "You took a hit. It doesn't look like you suffered any damage, but don't get up too fast."

"What the hell?" He whispers, and lowers his hand to his lap. "One second we were talking, and now I'm on the floor. What happened?"

Ohya clears her throat, then hiccups. She's still drunk, Akira can tell, but seems to have sobered up a bit from the coffee. "That was me, so, you know, sorry."

Iwai looks at her, a frown on his face. "What did I ever do to you?"

"She thought you were attacking me," Akira replies. "You grabbed my shirt and-"

Takemi stands up. "Just what the hell is going on right now? Why are you all here? I thought LeBlanc closed earlier than this?"

"We are closed," Akira replies. Then, under his breath he adds, "Doesn't stop people from showing up." He sighs and straightens. "Ohya and I came here from my part-time job. She wanted some coffee so I made it for her. Then, Iwai showed up. He had something to tell me, and he did, and then Ohya hit him because she thought he was attacking me. That's it. That's everything."

"What was he telling you?" Takemi asks.

Akira looks at the floor. "That's... don't worry about it."

Takemi looks back at Ohya, "And how do you know her, exactly?"

Akira follows her gaze, and Ohya looks from one to the other, still dizzy. "She's my friend," he replies.

"I see," Takemi mutters, and turns back to Iwai.

The man begins to try and rise, but Takemi holds out a hand against his chest. "Don't try to get up too fast. Take it slow. I don't think you have a head injury, but I want to make sure. You should come back to the clinic with me."

A crooked smile plays across Iwai's lips and he looks ready to say something, but then he grows more serious and says, "I need to talk to Akira. Alone."

"Sorry, but that'll have to wait," Takemi insists. She stands and holds out a hand for him. Akira shifts over and does the same. Together, they gently haul Iwai to his feet. Once standing, the man wears a grimace, and steadies himself against the wall, but doesn't seem to be suffering too much. "You can talk tomorrow."

Akira bites the inside of his mouth. "Can we have, like, five minutes?"

Takemi and Ohya glance at him. "Seriously?" The former asks.

Akira nods. "Just five minutes, then you can have him."

Takemi shrugs, and jerks her head in the direction of the bar. "Fine. I'll be outside. Help him out when you're done." She casts a final glance at Ohya, and turns back to Akira. "And come by the clinic tomorrow. I want to talk to you."

Akira thanks her as she moves away. "Yeah, so," Ohya says, rubbing the back of her head. She backs away a few paces. "I'll, uh, just be at the counter. I guess. Sorry. About the head thing."

Iwai grunts in response, then winces. Ohya powerwalks away.

Akira turns back to Iwai and leads him a few steps away. "You've got five minutes, go."

"The thing I wanted to tell you," Iwai says. "Before that crazy bitch hit me, was that this guy's name is Junya Kaneshiro." Akira feels the floor drop out from under him. Iwai, oblivious, continues. "And he's the one who knocked off Rin Sugimura."

##

A/N: Phew. Pretty sure this is the longest chapter yet. A lot of work went into this. Didn't help that I was sick last week, which is why I didn't post, but I should be good for now. Thanks for waiting. I always appreciate it.

Thanks, as always, for reading Crimson!