Heeya! We're back!

DangerousFox682: Trust me, dude, Makoto's in for a lot worse than first shown, and it won't be till much later when you'll see what had happened ;) No regrets tho!

This chapter have no warnings to be applied. Just some canon divergence, and a part of Shido's Palace. Enjoy!

Death's Arrival

November 26th, 2016 [Saturday]

Ren is, unfortunately, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Not like it's the first, per se, but he still doesn't enjoy the feeling of helplessness.

He was beaten and drugged, the physical pain is always accompanied by the mental weariness against the harsh words and the empty lies. Luckily enough, he has friends he could lean on, so for now, the repercussions of being tortured are still minimal.

But sleep doesn't come as easily as it used to, and even if it does, he would end up bolting awake on his own bed, sweating. It has been less than a week since he first returned here (returned home), but the dreams and the memories are starting to become haunting, making him as listless as he is exhausted. Not to mention that everything itches, and he could do nothing but to scratch at the newly-forming scars to quell it.

Today, he wakes up a little earlier than he had set his alarm to, with Morgana purring worriedly up at him from his lap. He only smiles, patting the not-cat's head lightly. He then glances towards his phone, the clock reading three and a half in the afternoon. He should've been at school right now, but he's dead to the world — he can't return, not yet, not until Shido's brought down from his throne.

He sighs. "Sorry, Morgana. Did I wake you?"

"No," He says, pawing at Ren's hand until he puts it under Morgana's feet. "Are you sure you're okay, Ren? Makoto thinks you should visit a psychiatrist for this."

"I've talked with Takemi-san," He says, reaching for a bottle and popping out of it a pill. "I have medication for it now, and I have you guys with me. I'll be alright."

"…Just, don't keep things to yourself, okay?" Morgana murmurs, patting his hand with his soft paw. "We're here for you, Ren."

He smiles. "I know."

He decides to go about showering and brushing his teeth, his broken ribs and his injuries from before can still be felt. He grumbles a little as he puts on his cloth and returns to the bed, with Morgana beside him, his hand being hogged under the black fur and the snow-white paws.

He lets himself relaxes and closes his eyes, his other hand absently patting at the not-cat's back. He smiles; Morgana is right, he has friends with him, friends who would help him through the darkest times. He'll be alright, he's sure.

He takes his time just mulling over things, biding the time for the clock to tick the hours away. And before long, he hears the bells of Leblanc rings, and the sounds of footsteps approaching them.

"Ren-kun," A voice calls, and he looks up to see Makoto walking up the stairs to the attic, her smile slight and strained. He only gives her a small nod, his hand absently patting Morgana's black fur, eliciting a mewl or two out of him. When he doesn't move away from the bed, the Priestess walks over, reluctant. When she reaches them, she sits down beside him and murmurs, "Are you okay?"

"…Okay would be a stretch," He mumbles, rubbing at his eyes. Morgana looks up at him, but he only gives the cat another reassuring smile. "But I'm managing, somehow. I… feel a little strange, however."

"How so?" She questions, tilting her head slightly, a hand careful on his shoulder, calming him down somewhat.

He takes a moment to formulate a response; not long after they found a way to enter Shido's Palace, he could feel Arsene humming in contemplation deep within him. No words are spoken, but it feels like the thief is… pleasantly surprised, and perhaps shivering with anticipation, of something inside the Palace. Not a Shadow, or even another Persona User, but of something else entirely.

"I… I don't know how to put this, but Arsene has been… a little on the edge and a little… happy, ever since we secured the entry route into Shido's Palace," He says, drawing both Makoto's and Morgana's gazes to him. He looks up at the dust-filled ceiling and frowns a little more. "Not about a Shadow or a Persona User, but about… hm, something else entirely?"

"…Should that be worrying?" Morgana asks, head nuzzling his hand lightly.

"I'm not sure," He says, honest, leaning his head slightly against his clenched fists. "But it should not be so much as a hindrance for us. We'll go into the Palace again today. We're almost done with securing the route, after all."

"Don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Makoto murmurs, a hand patting his matted hair lightly, carefully, always so kind. She has been his most stalwart mental support, even amongst the Thieves, thus far. "We still have a little breathing room. Taking a step back every now and then is imperative."

"Alright," He hums, exhaling and closing his eyes. "Two more letters of recommendation, and the route to the Treasure should be secured."

"Mhm."

"That should be doable within today."

Makoto pauses at that, and frowns at him.

"Do I have to remind you just how much you seem to be hurting every time you take a hit?" She asks, and when he doesn't respond, she quickly jabs his side — right into his still broken ribs, making him yelps and hunches down with a hiss. "This, exactly."

"Senpai, could you hit harder?" He mutters under his breath, making extra sure to emphasize on the word Senpai as he forces himself to evening out his ragged pants as he tries to reduce the pain. Makoto seems a little apologetic (and also a little annoyed), so he just smiles. "But… thanks, for worrying. I'll be fine, don't worry. I have friends that look out for me better than I for myself, so everything is going to be okay."

She pauses, looking at him for a while, before sighing quietly. "You know, you're really bull-headed at times. No wonder you make an excellent Leader. But you're making us worry ourselves to death here."

He chuckles lightly. "Sorry."

Morgana curls up on his lap, and draws his hand back to his head. He hums, scratching his ear lightly, while Makoto keeps patting his shoulder and his hair (like a mother, Ren muses), keeping his mind somewhat off the discomfort and the pain. He hums, content, as he relaxes his shoulders.

It takes the others a few moments later to arrive at the attics, and by then, he's already a bit more awake and less in pain, fingers rubbing at his eyes lightly. When they all gather around, they all remain silent, waiting for his orders.

"Today, we're going to finish acquiring the rest of the letters. And, while we're at it — Futaba?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to try to look for something—" He pauses, frowning a little. He isn't even sure what kind of thing he (or Arsene, if he's to be precise) wants to look for. But then, as if sensing his question, Arsene hums from deep inside his chest, and the words enter his mind without so much as being heard. He then recites them exactly as they are. "—For something that is Shadow-like, that's unusually strong, in there."

"Shadow-like?" She stresses the last word. "What do you mean by Shadow-like? What you're looking for isn't a Shadow?"

He shakes his head. "I'm not sure myself, but Arsene insists. He says… that its Arcana is Death, and that was that."

Futaba contemplates on this information for a while before nodding slowly. "I'll try, but I don't guarantee the results, Ren. Although, Death… should be easy to find, since we see so little of them inside any Palace anyways. No false alarm to worry about."

"True," He hums, lightly scratching at his leg. "Well then, everyone… let's do this."

The air in the Palace is unusually stale, even by Ren's standard.

There are Shadows, true, but they seem… tense, even afraid, of something. When he gets caught by one, it just… looks his way, before looking around and running with tail between its legs. Not all of them act this way, which makes it even more suspicious. But it makes his venture towards the remaining letters easier, so he counts his blessing and moves on.

Oracle's scans can never pinpoint what is wrong, exactly, but there have been trails of darkness and curses and half-dead Shadows scattered in some areas, particularly in the outermost hallways. And the destruction has been pretty thorough — some of the Shadows are left alive, that is true, but a poke of a knife is enough to kill them. Fox thinks whatever lay waste to these monsters are powerful; maybe even Ren's rival, or perhaps stronger.

He decides to dwell on it later while also avoiding any trails of deaths along the way. So, with a sigh, he orders the others forward, to find the IT company president.

…Who, it turns out, ticks Oracle off so much that it's actually kind of hilarious.

After his long, painful monologue about manipulating the information for their people's own gain, Oracle just drops her act altogether (not that he could really blame her), and soon they're face to face with the Shadow, who's ready to fight against them.

Or so he thought.

"You! Are you the ones who bring that thing here!?" The president growls, backing away, not transforming just yet. Ren pauses, looking at the others, who's giving him myriads of confused expressions. "You've been laying waste to our outer defences for the past two days! What did you do!?"

"…Laying… waste…?" He repeats slowly. "What thing are you talking about?"

Before the president could say anything, there's a bestial roar coming from afar, echoing through the halls and the steels, ricocheting endlessly until they're surrounded by it. Fierce, demanding, and in pain. Ren frowns, then glances at the president who, much to his surprise, is shoving a recommendation letter into his hand before he runs off.

"Wait—!" Skull begins, but he stops him with a raised hand.

"Don't bother, Skull. He's gone," Queen supplies, walking up to him and taking a looking at the genuine article of a recommendation letter. Ren shoves it into his coat then looks up, focusing briefly on the sound of thunderous bellow. "Is that perhaps the thing the president was talking about?"

"Possibly," He nods, and as if to confirm his suspicions, Arsene hums in the pit of his soul. He frowns a little deeper, this time. "He even gave us the letter without so much as a fight after hearing that roar, so I guess that might've been the Shadow-like that Arsene mentioned."

"If this entity fought against the Shadows of this place, is it perhaps our ally?" Fox says, a finger on his chin, thoughtful. "If so, recruiting it might be a better play for us in the long run."

"We won't know for sure until we meet the thing," Ren murmurs. "Oracle, can you pinpoint its location?"

A pause, then she shakes her head. "Unfortunately, no. I can't seem to pick apart any particularly strong signals. At least, not from here."

"Then, we continue with our search. One letter remains, ladies, gentlemen."

He pushes the feeling of restlessness away, fully aware of what it is. All he could do now is getting ready for whatever is going to happen.

The Cleaner doesn't care diddly squat about the mysterious entity that's been terrorizing the place.

He knows about it, that is for certain. While Fox's drawing the best tattoo he could've conjured in the spur of the moment, there's a roar again, from further away, this time. He glances at the Cleaner, who just smirks at him. "You hear that, boy? That thing's been making my cleaning jobs a living hell. I wonder what it's aiming for, rampaging around the ship like this."

"I thought it was with you," Ren decides to say, relaxing his stance as to not seem on guard, enough to pull the Cleaner's tongue a little looser.

"Of course not. I don't have anyone under me that hit like a freight train like that," He says with a grin, as if amused, his hands on his hips. "I thought that thing might be your ally."

"Uh, no, we're not even sure what it even is," Queen mutters, a finger on her chin, contemplating. "What happened?"

"Oh, y'know, this and that," The Cleaner drawls, his grin lop-sided, as he waves his hands about. "The thing came outta nowhere and did a number on the left wing of the ship, at first. Almost flattened me, even. Looks weird for a monster, though, and pretty intimidating, with crooked mask and coffins for wings and all that."

"Coffins for wings…?" Ren repeats, frowning slightly. That sounds as ominous as it could get, not to mention the occasional beast-like roar and the fact that, due to this man and the IT company president's words, it nearly levelled the Palace by itself.

"Yeah, like Death incarnate, or something."

And this, the voice inside him laughs, and before long Arsene's amused and delighted hum is echoing inside his mind, sending shiver of anticipation that is not his, and dread that definitely belongs to him, down his spine. Delightful! He is here, Trickster! Death is right here with us! Find him. You need to find him!

He frowns deeper at that. Arsene is never talkative with him, at least, not like this. But now, it seems like he wants to find this mysterious entity, and knows just what the thing is, exactly. He decides to murmur to himself, asking his own mask for information he needs, information that Arsene decides to keep from him.

"What is this thing? Why do you want me to even find it? Do you want to indirectly kill me or something?"

Laughter rings through his mind, and he steps back slightly, waving for Noir and Queen to take his place. When he has a bit of a distance from the Cleaner, he hears Arsene says with a flair fitting for the King of Thieves. Of course not! I am Thou, and Thou art I! Why would I want for my other self to perish? I do not amuse myself in the suffering of the just and the innocent, my boy. Only that of the wicked and the cruel.

"Uh-huh," He mumbles, but smiles slightly. He knows what Arsene said is the truth, even if he is a little… mad? Insane? Unhinged? "Yeah, you're right. But still, you have to answer my question, man. What's the deal with this Death that you seek?"

An interesting specimen, Arsene muses, but he sounds a little… worried, Ren thinks. He's a good person at heart, as terrifying as he may be. But what irks me is the fact that he's somehow been separated from his other half. We must find him first, and then… only then will I tell you more.

"You're unbelievable," Ren mutters under his breath, but nods resolutely. "But if you think it—he is of any worth and not a danger to my friends, then we'll find him for you."

Much appreciated, Trickster. And… keep this from Igor and the Twin Wardens. Do not let them know of this Death, of Thanatos, just yet.

He pauses a little at the name, Thanatos. Sounds like a Persona, but strange on his tongue. Arsene gives him no other chance to continue his pursuit, as he hears sounds of handclaps, and Arsene's presence is back into the deepest corner of his soul, waiting to be called upon when asked.

He sighs as he turns to face the Cleaner, then glances at Fox as he continues to brandish his brush against the white canvas, conjuring up what Ren thinks looks like a phoenix… he hopes. Because he doesn't want to get into a fight with this one, thanks.

After an eternity and a half, Fox finishes, his drawing garnering the approval of the Cleaner, who asks for Fox to become his tattoo artist. Ren tries to grab Fox's tail and tell him to just pretend to accept it. But he knows Fox better than this; he is an artist with pride, after all. So he sighs when Fox immediately refuses, and a fight breaks out right then and there.

"Do you know the word pretend, Fox?" Ren grumbles, a hand on his mask, flame dancing across the edge. He shuffles through his Personas and lands himself at no other than Arsene, who readily answers to his call.

"I do know what the word means, Joker. But I refuse to bow down and put my artistic soul to shame!" Fox declares, striking what Ren thinks is a… pose? "I shall not allow anyone to trample on my art as he pleases like so!"

He sighs. "You're unbelievable. But I guess that's why Noir likes you."

At this, he hears a grenade going off, and sees Noir decapitating a Shadow with her axe, her face beet red. She then stutters. "H-h-how did you know—?"

"It's pretty obvious, Noir," Panther giggles as she whips one of the demons into shape, then engulfs it in a high column of searing heat. "The only ones who'd be blinded to this is Skull and Fox himself!"

"Hey! I know she likes him!" Skull retorts while hitting a flying fireball hard, sending it back to the demon and hitting it right between the eyes. "Home-run!"

"If even Skull can tell, then I can say that you are pretty obvious, Noir," Ren chuckles, carefully ordering Arsene to keep his distance, wings ready to spread and fly.

"What are you all talking about?" Fox inquires. "I do not think that anyone here dislikes me, am I wrong?"

"Jesus, Inari, you're dumb," Oracle hisses.

"What is the meaning of that?"

"Guys!" Queen's sharp, exasperated voice cut through their banters. "Please focus on the task at hands first? And please leave Noir a breathing room. Any more than this and she's going to burst into flame."

Ren chuckles, fingers absently rubbing at the wound on his arm, scratching it. "Roger that."

With the Cleaner defeated and the last letter in hand, Ren decides to call it a day.

But, as Fate would have it, their trek back outside through the engine room gives him a chance encounter with someone he'd call a friend, who seems so lost in the idea of revenge.

"Long time no see."

Ren turns to the man in question, his red mask retaining the luster it once has, his expression partially concealed, yet it is clear to him that there is both relief and anger in his dark red eyes. Ren puts his hand up to stop the other Thieves from attacking right away (sentimentality and all that), and he smiles slightly despite the situation before murmuring. "Been awhile since you put a bullet in my head, Akechi."

The man snorts, arms crossed, as he leans back in his stance slightly, carefree. "You said that, yet here you are, alive and well. I must congratulate you, though, for managing to deceive me."

"It's not like I could manage it alone, or anything," Ren says quietly, eyes glancing to the side as he watches his friends' reactions. They're hiding their disgusts, but all of them also have a little empathy for this boy, too. He's glad they all agree with him. "Without these guys, I would've been dead."

"You say that, but it's you yourself who come up with the plan, no?" He says, shaking his head slightly. There is both mirth and annoyance dancing in his eyes, which remain locked onto his, unflinching. "You truly are interesting… Quiet, yet possessing the courage and determination to take actions."

He stays silent, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. Arsene stirs inside him, ready to lash and claw, but he stops him with a hand to his chest. He believes that Akechi is just like him, and perhaps, had they met a bit earlier, or in a different circumstance, things could've worked out much better than this.

From all the conversations and the subtle expressions that he's had with and seen from him, Ren knows, almost at an instinctual level, that Akechi is a good person warped by the corruption of the system. And, Akechi confirms his suspicions with the next sentence. "Under different circumstances, we could have been great rivals… or perhaps even friends."

It pains him to see the darkness of the world taking its roots so deep and so thoroughly. He wants to save this boy, he really does, but he isn't sure just words are going to work. Still, he has to try, because rebelling against the injustice in this world is what he's destined to do. So, he wears his best mask, the Joker, and grins, forcing himself to relax slightly. "Aren't we already friends, though?"

Whatever Akechi was expecting, it certainly isn't what he had just said. He doesn't laugh, he doesn't lash out, he just… blinks stupidly a few times, eyes narrowing. Then, his voice rips out between his teeth, like poison rotting the air around him. "You must be joking, you damn clown. Friends? I was just using you in my investigations, and you were simply enabling me, were you not?"

"I genuinely enjoy my time with you," He says quietly, taking a step closer. Akechi's immediate response to his advance is to back away. Ren pauses. "I consider you a friend still, Akechi. A very close friend."

At this, he pauses, before bursting out laughing. At the irony of his words, perhaps… or at himself. "Hah! How wonderful… you don't allow yourself to be enslaved by human relations or past selves. That is perhaps why your heart is always free, unlike mine…"

"We were just born into different circumstances, is all," Ren says. "I can't say I know about what you have to go through, but… if I had been in your shoes, I might have already given up a long time ago. You still haven't, right? It's not too late, Akechi. You don't have to fight us."

He only sighs. "I wonder why we couldn't have met a few years earlier… Amamiya."

"It's still not too late to turn back," He tries to reason, but Akechi will not have it.

Ren opts to stay silent as Akechi unveils his true purpose; that he is Shido's bastard son, that he wants nothing more than to put the bullet between the man's eyes, that he would go to great lengths to exact his revenge on the man who wronged him. Ren understands that; he is the rebel, after all. Wanting to get back at the man who wronged you is something he would do, too, even if his methods are different from what Akechi had planned.

He's consumed by fury and hatred that he's seeing nothing else, hearing no one's calls. He's locking his cries for help deep within his own heart, silenced it with a gun, as he trudges forward into hellfire in order to carry out what he had set out to do. Commendable determination, but it will destroy him, and Ren can't have that. Deep down, they both are the same – someone wronged by the system. Someone beaten down by those who would manipulate their powers for their own selfish gains.

Ren breathes, Arsene's voice ringing inside his head, contemplative. He's unhinged. He's gone mad, and his hands are stained. Are you certain you're willing to risk it all to save him?

Yes, he answers, without a second thought, without doubt. Even like this, even when he's smiling madly, his dark red eyes crazed, there's pain behind them. He's desperate, and Ren wants to save him, because that's what friends do. He is just like me. If I had been in his shoes, who'd know what I would've done? I want to save him; with all that I've got.

Very well. I have heeded your resolve, Arsene laughs as flame dances from his mask, and from the blaze of blue comes the original thief, with his ever-laughing visage and the midnight wings. I shall lend you my aid, boy. Whether he lives or dies now depends on you.

He nods, before steeling himself. The others try to join in as Akechi sends the other Shadows berserk, but he puts up a hand to stop them. Panther's looking his way, and he only gives her a smile. "Joker…?"

"Take care of the Shadows for me," He says quietly, his hands cold as anxiety crawls down to his fingertips. He then turns back to Akechi, and points his blade at him. "You and me, Akechi. We're going to settle this, once and for all." I'm going to save you, whether you want to be saved or not.

The others are reluctant, but then they nod. Skull pats his back lightly before muttering. "Then we'll leave him to you, Joker. Good luck."

"…Thanks."

Despite his attempt to sabotage the Thieves earlier, Akechi seems to let the others do whatever they want with the Shadows this time. Soon, they're standing opposite from each other, silent, alone. But words are unnecessary; right now, all they can do is fight, and whoever comes out on top will be able to do whatever they want.

Arsene laughs a little as he hovers behind Ren, his dark, slender fingers moving just slightly, drawing little lines of red and black, of curses and darkness, in the air. Akechi seems to contemplate on something, but he only grins as he calls for Robin Hood, which is not what he had just used to cause those monsters to go berserk before.

And then, they clash.

Being left-handed makes Ren a little uncomfortable, his southpaw stance matching all too well with his right-sided one, dagger and blade clashing and sending sparks into the air. Arsene and Robin Hood, too, are exchanging blows – or rather, not so much blows but blessings and curses, darkness and light curling around each other, contrasting, complimenting each other like light and shadow, yin and yang.

But Ren knows that this is not who Akechi truly is. The goody-two-shoes is nothing but an act, and Ren will drag his true self out of the darkness and beat the living shit out of it. That's what Akechi needs, right at this moment – a proper, unrelenting thrashing that would make him see that there's yet chance for him to change, even if there's blood on his hands, even if he's done things absolutely unforgivable.

He flips over Akechi as the other thrusts his blade, and nicks the boy on the cheek just below his blood-red eyes. The man grins, maddened, licking the descending blood as he waves Ren forward, enticing him to continue his assault. And assault he does, with his hand grabbing onto the scruff of the other's neck, knife pointing at his throat, creating a thin line of red as he, in turn, counters with a rapier jab to his leg, drawing a long, shallow gash on his calf.

He then headbutts Akechi, causing Arsene to laugh delightfully, and making the culprit flinches through the shear suddenness of the act. He then reaches to grab his wrist as he falls backward, and pulls him up to his feet, only to smash the hilt of his blade on his solar plexus. Akechi doubles over, and when Ren reaches for a finishing blow, Akechi swings up into a skyward strike, glancing his chest and barely missing his face.

"Not bad, Joker," Akechi grins, and his smile – they're not fake. This time, it is real, and this is the genuine Akechi Goro that he has grown to love.

"Same goes for you," He grins back, making a point of brandishing his blade tauntingly. "Come on, man, this all you got?"

"Of course not," The other boy bares his teeth, primal instinct taking over. "I'm going to show you the real me this time, Joker! Don't die just yet, not until I show you just how much better I am against some attic-trash with shitty friends like you!"

Just how much envious I am of you and your bonds.

Those aren't the words Akechi has spoken, but Ren knows that they're his true wish. Deep down, he wants to have friends, too. And Ren knows that Akechi's also afraid of bonds, because bonds have never been kind to him. They're cruel and ruthless and twisted and vile, and Ren will do everything to make him see that the bonds that they share are real, that Akechi is his friend.

Akechi calls for that vile power again, and black envelops him as his laughter rings into the engine room. He sees Queen and Morgana looking back at him, but he shakes his head; he will succeed, and they will not get in his way, no matter who they are. He points at them, signalling that they are not to interfere, before he turns back to the laughing Akechi, now donning black mask—

—Like what Madarame, Kaneshiro and Okumura had told them.

He could hear some gasps from the others, but choose to ignore it as Arsene returns to his side. Akechi then smirks before turning his mask into his original — no, his other Persona, his other self, much like Ren's Wild Card power. The horns and the blade and the arrogant stance as it sits in the air, its chin on its curled hand, is just like what he'd expect of Akechi. The boy grins, and the name slips through his mouth like poison. "Loki."

If you're going to do this, then I'll stay by you, my boy, Arsene whispers into his ear as he unfurls his wings, black feathers adorning with dark flames of the curses he always wears like badges of honor. Now come, let us show this cur what we're capable of!

"Yeah!" He shouts. One strike, one exchange of blow, and he will end this.

Akechi seems to share his sentiment, as Loki pulls its searing blade backward, as if preparing for a single strike that would either win him all or lose it all. Ren stands up straight, a hand on his face as his mask no longer exists, as Arsene draws the power from deep within his Sea of Souls, from his endless possibility, from his unbreakable bonds.

And then, their darkness collide.

He walks over to the kneeling Akechi, the man himself spent and exhausted to the bone, his mask half-shattered, his smile softening slightly.

"I won," He says quietly, and glances sideways to see the others returning to him. It seems like their fights were over a while back, but they've stayed true to his order and simply kept watch as he duked it out with his best friend (his greatest rival) and settled their differences through fistfight.

Akechi laughs, his breath slightly ragged. Probably some broken ribs, judging from the way he clutches his flank tightly as the laughter rumbles through his being. After a moment, the man looks up at him, his eyes freer than ever before. "You won."

He waits for a moment, eyes gauging the man's expressions. Skull then says from the side, arms crossed over his chest. "You've had enough?"

"I know," He whispers, subdued and quiet. He then eyes Ren then speaks wistfully. "I know. You're so lucky, Amamiya… to be surrounded by friends and teammates who acknowledges you. And once Shido confesses his crimes, you'll all be heroes. As for me? People will find out what kind of atrocities I've been doing, that all my deductions were simply charade. Everything I've built will vanish."

"…Turning people psychotic, then solving the cases yourself," Ren mutters quietly, pushing the mask off his face. He doesn't want to talk to Akechi as Joker, this time, but as Amamiya Ren, a friend, a rival. "And you did that by joining forces with Shido."

A self-deprecating laughter. "In the end, I couldn't be special."

Skull half-rolls his eyes. "Dude, you're more than special, y'know?"

Akechi looks up.

Queen continues, half torn between admiration and annoyance. "It pains me to admit, but your wit and strength far exceeds ours. Well, not exceeding Joker's, but he has that power through his bonds with us, while you have no one. You're strong, Akechi-kun… and I'm honestly envious, if I'm going to be honest. It is frustrating, to see just how much my sister trusted you."

He glances to Noir as the girls speak softly. "I have no intention of forgiving you for what you did to my father, but I sympathize with you. I wholeheartedly understand wanting to get back at all those people who've wronged you. The thoughts have crossed my mind, too, sometimes."

"But when you gained the power to fulfil that desire," Fox says, his voice low. Ren doesn't stop him – Akechi doesn't need just reassuring words, but the truth that he had a choice, but chose to go down this path on his own, too. He has to face his own mistakes, if he's going to have a chance to redeem himself. "You only used it for your own self-benefit."

"If you have the ability to use multiple Personas, you probably have the same talents as Joker – the power to turn bonds into strengths. But because you went through life alone, the power you awakened to was fuelled by lies and hatred," Oracle mutters. "Still, you thought that was enough. And that part, I totally get."

"You excelled at everything over us, but one," Fox says.

Akechi is looking at him, his eyes knowing. He had already realized their difference, it seems.

"…Friends, huh…?" He murmurs, looking down at his hand. Ren glances at the other, asking for approval with silent gaze. They seem reluctant, but ultimately nods. Each and every one of them agrees with him, this time; that he, too, could've turned out the way Akechi has, had it not been for them here, by his side.

"Alright! Let's get that Calling Card ready!" Skull says, then turns to Akechi. "Dude, we're gonna be taking Shit-do down, what yer gonna do?"

Panther seems a bit reluctant, but since they all have the same mind on how to do this, so he nods. She inhales once. "It'd be a problem if you kept getting in our way, so… wanna come along and help us settle things?"

This time, Akechi seems absolutely stupefied by that sentence. Ren concurs; the people he had just tried to kill is offering him a spot in their team still. But there's something more in his eyes, something that Ren knows all too well – hope. But the boy bites back the first thing that comes to mind, and says with his logic instead of his heart. "Are you all idiots? You should just get rid of me—"

"—Nuh-uh, not happening," Ren says with a chuckle as he walks over. Then, he holds out a hand to the boy, while the other just looks at him idiotically. "Come on up. We're still friends, even if the word is a bit of a stretch. But we can always start over, correcting things. You're not alone, Akechi. Not anymore."

"…You all are truly beyond my comprehension," Akechi chuckles slightly. "Especially you, Amamiya."

"…Ren."

"Huh?"

"Call me Ren… Goro," He smirks. Truthfully, he had been referring to the Thieves by their first names for a while, now. But he had never gotten to call Akechi by one, even when they are so close. And since he thinks he knows Akechi enough, and that he considers him a friend – a very close, very dear friend – then he'll extend this offer to him, too. "All my close friends call me that."

"…Hah," Akechi laughs, before reaching out and grabbing onto his hand. "Alright… Ren."

Before he could pull Goro to his feet, however, someone claps their hands. And when Ren looks up, he sees cognitive Goro there, followed by battalions of Shadows. And soon, they're completely and utterly surrounded.

The cognitive Goro pulls out its gun, then points at the real Goro, who pulls his hand off Ren's (no, don't run now. He's right here, ready to help, Goro) and turns to face the Shadow. It then says flatly. "Captain Shido's orders… He has no need for losers. Well, this just moves up the plan a little. He was just going to get rid of you after the elections, anyway."

"What?" Goro growls, disbelief clear in his tone.

The cognition shakes its head. "Did you truly believe you'll be spared after all the things you undertook? Don't tell me… were you actually feeling good, having someone relying on you for once?" And then, it smirks, "By the way; the captain said it's time to receive retribution for causing the mental shutdowns."

They played him; Ren realizes. He is seen as nothing more than a tool, and that causes anger to bubble inside his chest like boiling water, and Arsene is hissing, having felt the same fury he's feeling right now.

Surprisingly, Skull speaks up, furious. "What the hell, man!? That bastard's the one who put him up to it! If anyone's gonna be getting any retribution, then it's him, not Akechi!"

Goro then shakily stands up and pushes Ren away a little, his smile so kind, so broken. Ren's breath catches in his throat as Goro laughs. "I see…"

He could barely contain himself as the cognitive Goro drones on and on and on about how useless he is, how he is nothing more than a tool that would soon be discarded, even if he's Shido own son. The only thing stopping him from doing anything is the Shadows looming before him, eyes blood red, ready to lash out, ready to tear through them.

His team, too; the anger radiating from them is palpable and suffocating. He could feel Queen clenching her fists as she growls out between her teeth, at how messed up all of this is, at how painful it is to even know that Goro has been so wronged like this. It shouldn't have been so; he is just a kid. He's Ren's age, for fuck's sake. He shouldn't be seen as tools as discarded like some trash—

He must've failed to notice what they were saying, because next he knows, Goro is pointing a gun at him as the cognitive Shadow eggs him on.

But he knows, from the look in his eyes, that it's not Ren who he's going to shoot.

Then, he says with a smile. "…Goodbye… Ren."

"No—!"

He reaches for Goro as he shoots the Shadow, and then aims at the emergency button at the side. He has to stop, or he'll be trapping himself in with the Shadows, and he won't survive with those injuries—

I refuse to lose a friend like this!

As if hearing his silent wish, something tears through the Shadows and stops Goro cold in his track.

Ren looks up as darkness swirls around and rips the lives right out of the Shadows, turning them into nothing but dusts. The sarcophagi shift on its back, forming into a half-circle, its visage is of hollow eyes and steel and black cloak of despair. The jagged blade is lodged into the floor as it descends and stands just behind the detective, its breaths guttural and animalistic.

He looks behind it, to see that in the span of a few seconds from being somewhere else to standing there in all its unearthly glory, it has ripped and torn everything it its path that has not been claimed by the darkness to shreds. And then, Arsene laughs as he appears without Ren's consent.

Understanding dawns on him as he breathes the word Arsene sends directly into his mind, causing his soul to quake in fear of the manifestation of Mankind's most dreaded existent—

"Death."

Yeahhhhhhhhh that is a thing! :D I might focus a lot on Ren and Goro and less on the Thieves, so apologies in advance about that.

Anyways! See you later, folks!