Heya! I'm back! Goddamn, the longer I draft, the longer this thing gets and it's not even exactly halfway point lmao

anyways, thank you for your anticipation, Lord-Azrael3, Hiro56, Breaking-Benjamin-rules! I'm sorry about the cliffhangers (not really), and be warned, there're more! HAHAHAHA

Alright, without further ado, here goes!

The Gentle Awakening

"Death."

As he breathes that word, the others gasp. But they are unable to even get into a fighting stance, rooted by fear, just like he is. But Arsene is laughing, and Ren sees Goro looking at him in surprise. He forces himself to move and tries to walk closer. Much to his luck, Death doesn't even twitch, so he quickly pulls Goro away from underneath its towering frame and throwing his arm around his shoulders. "You good, Goro?"

"…I'm breathing," He murmurs quietly, looking up at the thing. "…What is that thing?"

Arsene answers in his stead, delighted laughter ringing through the dead-filled hall of the engine room as he bows, voice part gleeful, part worried. "I'm glad you see you here, my dear Thanatos! It took you quite a while. But why here? And where is your other half?"

To their surprises, Death staggers, a hand on its mask as it breathes, low growl and frigid air and decay following every puffs. After a moment, it says, its voice much kinder than what Ren thinks Death would have. "…Gone. Separated. He's… gone."

"What happened to you?"

Death doesn't respond, but it's slowly burning inside the flame of blue, much like a Persona would. And then, with a sound of shattering glasses, its form breaks and melts into—

—A human…?

It – he is pale and slender, his hair midnight black, swept back and slightly dishevelled. His eyes are a colour of striking, shining sapphire, like summer ocean shimmering under the afternoon sun, and he's wearing a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, yellow flowing scarf that perfectly encompasses his frame, and black pants. He then staggers forward a few steps before collapsing.

Queen rushes forward and catches him in time, surprised and concerned in equal measures. Ren has never seen something like this before – not a Shadow turning back to a human while enveloped in blue, just like a Persona. And he has never seen Arsene taking point and talking to one on his own before. He looks up as the Prince of Thieves flies down to the ground, high heels touching the steel, the everlasting grin shifting and faltering just slightly.

"Trickster," He says, drawing everyone's attention to him. He then glances at Ren, then back at this strange boy as he moans and gasps in Queen's arms. She turns to him and back, her hand careful on the stranger's neck, feeling his pulse. When Ren hums, Arsene continues, addressing all of them. "This is worse than I had originally thought. Take care of him, nurse him. We have to be fast, or all will be for nothing."

"What the hell's going on here? Arsene?" He asks.

"He is Death," Arsene explains. "And he has another half of his soul, who should've been here with him. That another half is gone. I do not know more, only he would. Take care of him. I refuse to let that boy die, not when he deserves life more than anyone here combined."

With a puff of smoke, Arsene is gone.

He isn't even sure what Arsene means by that – another half? What boy? There are so many more questions springing out from the answers. He looks at the others, as lost as he is, before he glances at Goro. After a moment, the boy murmurs. "…It – he did save me, after all. I… think, if he's… if there's a part of him that is human, then we should be able to pull him out of this place."

Ren hums in acknowledgement.

"He's stable, for now," Queen interjects. Skull walks over and sling the stranger's arm over his shoulders, hoisting him up. He stirs slightly, but doesn't seem to be conscious enough to hold anything remotely conversational with them. "Let's retreat. We have to take care of Crow as well."

He agrees.

The stranger can indeed be pulled into the real world, tangible and human.

He shifts, so that Goro could put his weight on the ground a little better, a bit more painless. He glances back to see Makoto trying to rouse the scarfed boy, to no avail.

"He's out cold. Where should we put him?"

"In my attic is fine," Ren says quietly, holding Goro up just a little bit more. The detective grunts a little, but accepts his help all the same. "I can sleep on the couch. And you, you're going to Takemi-san's clinic today then my room later. And no, you are not denying me."

Goro huffs a little, amused, before murmuring. "I hear you, Ren."

Ann and Yusuke are looking around, to see if the coast is clear or not, while Haru and Futaba are busy looking over the information in hand, trying to find as much leverage as they could against Shido. He hums quietly, seeing Ryuji keeping the strange boy on his feet just fine on his own.

The others go to Leblanc as he part ways with them, Goro limping beside him. Their walk is silent, save for the occasional pained grunts from the detective. Then, to Ren's surprise, the boy murmurs. "…Thanks."

"It's what friends do," He says with a smile. "But, you know, I really hate fighting a lefty like you. It's a change of pace I do not need."

Goro snorts. "Nor your Megidola on my hide, but I concur. We're a match made in hell, or something of the like."

Ren laughs. "You can say that again."

There is a short, content pause, before Goro frowns, his eyes darting into the direction of Ren's home. "…So, that person is Death? He doesn't look like one. He seems pretty human to me. If it hadn't been for the fact that we had witnessed him inside the Metaverse, I wouldn't have believed it."

"I'm as clueless about this as you are," Ren says. "My Arsene said nothing about this, only that he is Death, and all that. I'm tempted to punch Arsene sometimes, to be fair."

"Death, huh…" Goro mutters to himself. Then he says, a little louder. "We also have Shido to take care of. But you've already secured the route, so I don't think the timing would be a problem. We still have a bit of a breathing room."

"We," Ren hums, causing the detective to growl a little, defensive. He only laughs. "It's just, I'm glad I managed to beat some senses into you. Don't forget this, Goro; we are friends. This is what friends do."

"You are indecipherable," Goro mutters.

"So are you, to be honest."

"Shut up, Joker."

He continues to exchange light banters with Goro, and after a few minutes, they reach the clinic. He braces himself before knocking on the door, and Takemi, as if expecting him, opens it promptly. She opens her mouth to say something but stops, alternating her gaze between him and the boy is his arm.

The first thing she says is, "It's not you this time?"

Ren smiles slightly. "It's not me this time."

As per usual, she decides to not ask any questions, and pulls the both of them in. He's been in here too many times before, so he just puts Goro down onto the bed, careful not to touch his broken ribs and the large, blooming bruises on every little bit of his skin. Takemi disappears behind her counter for a little, and he uses this time to sit down on the stool just a little bit away from him.

The detective keeps his eyes on the ground, mouth pressed into a thin line, fingers nervously fidgeting at the frayed hem of his shirt. Ren doesn't push the issue; Goro will come around whenever he wants to, Ren's certain. For now, he will give the man time. To contemplate, to reflect, to see the wrongs that he's done… and to realize that he has a place he belongs to – at least, in Ren's point of view.

Goro sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose slightly. "…I can't go back to my place."

"You can stay at mine," Ren shrugs nonchalantly, a hand reaching up to graze his nails across a fading line of knife wound on his cheek, one that he got from that accursed interrogation room. "It'll be a bit cramped, though, with that stranger with us. So, sorry in advance."

"Don't apologize," Goro mutters, still not looking Ren's way. He opens his mouth, as if to say something, but stops himself midway. After a pause, he smiles a little, this time genuine. "…Thank you."

"I've told you this before, and I'll tell you again; you're welcome," Ren says, patting the boy's knee lightly, careful not to touch his injuries. "We're friends. Although… don't expect everyone to be all buddy-buddy with you. I'm the exception because I'm, well, me."

Goro rolls his eyes at that, but chuckles a little. "I won't. I'm fine with them not forgiving me. But you and them giving me a chance… that's quite enough."

He smiles.

Takemi comes back in, many equipment cradled in her hands, a disapproving look pointing at the two of them. Ren decides to scoot a bit away from Goro, and the look the detective is giving him is absolutely scandalous as Takemi starts berating both of them, pointing more at Goro than at Ren himself, before she starts examining the injuries.

Ren simply waits.

When he walks back to Leblanc with Goro in tow, he's greeted with Boss' absolutely furious yell as he nearly climbs over the counter to rip the detective a new one.

He takes a moment (a long moment) to calm Boss down, explaining his – their – reasonings, and letting Goro say whatever he wants to. As Ren expects, Goro does apologize, quite sincerely so. And that takes Boss aback enough for the older man to let him occupy the floor on the attic – Ren's attic – but not without threatening to rip his tongue off his mouth and shove it up his ass if he ever does anything even remotely suspicious.

After that, when he walks (Goro limps) upstairs, he's greeted by the other Thieves, who's looking almost contemplative at the detective's subdued bearings. Ren nudges Goro towards the group, and he complies, albeit with discomfort and guilt in his expression. Ren then glances over to his bed, where Makoto is nursing the stranger, dabbing wet towels on his forehead.

"What've we got?" Ren asks, sitting down next to Goro, resting his cheek on his hand.

"As expected, he's got no phone, no IDs, nothing," Futaba says with a sigh, scratching the back of her head lightly in annoyance. "Dunno when he'll be up, although… he doesn't feel like a Shadow to me. But I've never seen anything like this before, so, yeah."

"Beats me, too," Ren shrugs. "I guess we'll have to wait and see. And what about the Calling Card? Are the setups ready?"

"Yup!" Ryuki cackles. "Futaba's gonna be dropping a bomb into the whole damn system, man! It's going to be awesome."

"Wait," Goro says, a hand held in the air. "Into the – what?"

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't have known," Futaba says before spinning the laptop into Goro's direction. "You see, I think this is Ren's idea? Or maybe ours, who cares, but look! If we're going to take down someone who's at the veeeeeery top of the food chain, then you can be sure we're going to go big."

Goro takes his time to look at the screen, first with a scowl, before his face grows into a crazed grin. He then laughs. "Oh! Haha! This! This is a masterpiece! Shido will be so pissed seeing the opposition challenging him in the middle of the crowds!"

"I am glad we're in agreement on that front, at least," Yusuke says, crossing his arms slightly. "As always, we will leave the timing to you, Ren. Do you wish to proceed right away?"

"Not yet," Ren says, glancing towards the sleeping boy, towards Death. "…We still have time, right? I want to… wait, and see if he's awake by then. We might get some answers to our questions, or maybe intel he might've had on him. Or—"

"—Even an ally," Makoto finishes. "I don't know about that, but I suppose being a little hopeful wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah," Ren hums. He then looks Goro's way before continuing. "Let's wait for our injuries to heal first, and we'll strike when we're at our best. Let's go get some rest, everyone. Good work today."

After choruses of goodnights and a few glances his way (he's going to ignore Haru's murderous smile at Goro, nope, he sees nothing), the only ones left are him, Goro, Morgana, and the stranger (Death), who seems to shift and stir slightly in his nightmarish stupor. Ren takes a good, long look at him, then at Morgana who seems uneasy, and finally, at an oddly quiet Goro.

"…Not going to sleep tonight?" Ren asks quietly. Even if he's dead tired, he knows Goro has much to think about, much to contemplate and consider.

A pause, then the detective sighs. "I guess not."

"…Want to play chess?"

"…Sure."

After maybe the fourth round, where their scores end at 2 wins, 2 loses, and Morgana's fallen asleep due to tiredness, Goro sighs and leans back against his seat.

Ren merely pushes the can of black coffee his way, his eyes closely watching Goro's reactions. He's tired, even defeated to some degree, but he looks free, the last lines of worries and scowls finally leaving his feature. What remains is the contemplative look as the boy thinks through all the things that had happened, Ren supposes; he, too, wouldn't have thought it possible that they'd end up here like they are now — friends, at long last, with no ulterior motives in their shadows.

Ren then glances towards the stranger on his bed, his face sporting a near-permanent scowl that refuses to leave, even when his consciousness is in another place entirely. He's pale, inhumanly so, and he reminds Ren of the Twin Wardens — pale, but not sickly. He's tall and lean, his shirt concealing muscles that would escape his eyes, had he not seen and helped Makoto taken care of him before.

Shido can wait a while longer — the election is still a bit away. They need time to think, to figure things out, and to find answers. Arsene still hasn't told him what he wants to know, instead retreating back into the vast, endless void that exists everywhere and nowhere all at once. He will have to wait, with no available choice in his hands. He sighs, tipping the content of the stale coffee can down his throat.

Goro takes a careful sip before murmuring, wincing ever so slightly as he twists his body wrong. "So… how do I do this?"

Ren tilts his head. "Do what?"

"Make amends," He says slowly, neither bashful nor condescending. His red eyes find Ren's, and Goro gives him a small smile. "I don't intend to leave things as they are. I have crimes to pay for, things to right. I want to… I don't know, make it better, somehow. For all of them, who chose to give me a chance. And for you, who forgive me."

Ren takes a moment to consider. Truthfully, he doesn't have a clue what the others would think. But he knows what he wants Goro to do, so he settles with that as the answer. "You'll have to ask the others their opinions on this one, but for me… live your best. Help those who are wronged. Do what your heart think is right—"

"My heart has been wrong so far, though," Goro says with what Ren thinks is self-depreciation. "I don't think trusting my heart is—"

"You haven't been trusting it," Ren corrects him. When Goro looks up, he continues. "When you killed a person in there, in the Metaverse. Did you feel guilt?"

Goro is about to retort, but he pulls back, seemingly taking Ren's inquiry seriously. After a moment, he nods slightly. "…Surprisingly, yes."

"Then that means your heart still knows right from wrong," Ren says as he takes a sip. "You just chose to ignore it, and let your rage and hatred took control."

Goro pauses, frowning, a finger rubbing at his chin. Ren eyes him carefully, and smiles in relief as the worries and the confusions in his eyes are gone, melting back into the pool of crimson. Then, Goro murmurs. "Okay. I think… I can do that."

Ren laughs quietly. "Don't worry, you've got this. And I'll be with you all the way."

Goro snorts. "You certainly are the most interesting person I've ever had both the displeasure and the delight to meet, Ren."

He decides to ignore the backhand compliment. "Thanks."

Afterwards, they share little talks about nothings, providing them both with a sense of normalcy, helping them forget about all the things that have been going on. Ren's sure as hell he's not going to be getting any sleep tonight, so might as well.

Goro is… actually quite intense, and even a bit of a sarcastic person, when he drops his little goody-two-shoes mask. Ren finds it entertaining and a little bit annoying, but he supposes Goro doesn't share his flair for dramatics. But he enjoys their conversations regardless (and, to be frank, he's also a bit unnerved at how violent Goro's words are, sometimes), and soon finds himself feeling like talking to an old, dear friend he's never had the chance to have before.

Ren shivers when Goro suggests ripping off Shido's tongue, shoving it up his ass then kicking him off the helm of his boat. Ren has to quickly put that line of thought to rest while reminding Goro that no, they will not be murdering anyone, no matter how vile they are. Ren's elated to see that Goro takes Shido's accusation about him harming the man quite seriously (how do you not know of this before?) – it's a proof that his heart is in the right place, just that it's been covered up by circumstances that were out of his control.

Goro is alright. He's a good person.

And Ren'll make damn sure to help him as much as he could, from here on out.

The strange boy wakes up at the edge of dawn.

Goro's half dozing off, and Ren's halfway leaning down onto the couch when the boy stirs with a groan. He nudges Goro awake and walks over. Those striking blue eyes look a little dazed, but they clear up with surprising speed. The stranger's gaze then shifts around the room as he mouths something under his breath. When he catches Ren's eyes, he frowns a little, but doesn't openly turn hostile or, hell, even surprised.

His voice is a bit different from when he wore the visage of Death in the Palace, although Ren's sure he could've remembered such a kind yet commanding tone right away, regardless of his form. And the first thing he says after slumbering for a few hours is, "…Thank you?"

At this, he hears Goro snorts a laughter and sits down at the foot of the bed. Ren takes the chair that Morgana's curling on, pushes him off (sorry not sorry) and drags it to the bedside before sitting on it. He then smiles slightly. Instead of asking questions, the boy seems surprisingly quick at adapting to new and unfamiliar environment. And to thank them, first thing first, says a lot about who he is.

"You're welcome," Ren says. "I'm Amamiya Ren. And that's Akechi Goro."

The boy's eyes shift between the two of them, contemplative. Then something clicks, and the boy smiles, bowing his head slightly, a hand on his chest. "My name is Mochizuki Ryoji. A pleasure making you acquaintances."

Mochizuki seems very pleasant, for someone who wears the cloak of Death. Before Ren could ask about that, Goro beats him to it. "I'll not beat around the bushes, then. You're Death? A Shadow? What are you, really?"

Ren throws Goro a stink eye, but he's ignored. He then looks towards Mochizuki, whose smile doesn't waver as he shifts slightly. Morgana hops onto Ren's lap, keeping watch, not uttering a word. To Ren's surprise, the strange boy actually answers those questions quite nonchalantly, as if aware that they know just enough about him. "I… am not exactly a Shadow. A part of me is human, after all. But yes – I am Death, and I was once the Avatar that carried out a certain entity's will."

"That creates even more questions than it answers them," Goro frowns.

"Goro, could you be cruder?" Ren hisses and bows apologetically. "Sorry about that, we've been in some tough spots recently, so we're all on edges."

The boy puts up a hand and smiles. "It's quite alright, Amamiya-san. We didn't exactly meet on what could be considered a normal circumstance. So, you're the Wild Card, I presume?"

Ren flinches back slightly at that, and looks at Goro, who's frowning. "How did you—"

"Arsene told me about you," Mochizuki says. At this, Ren tilts his head in confusion, and the boy is quick and not hesitant to explain. "I… am a Persona, if you could believe me, bound to someone very dear. And Personas – we're all connected, in a way. But only few could actually approach or even talk to me, considering my… complicated relationship with the Sea of Souls as a whole."

The Sea – he's heard the Wardens talked about it, once or twice. Some of his summoned masks even claimed they're from the Sea of Souls, so he supposes it isn't as far-fetched that Personas would be able to communicate with each other, seeing that they come from the same place.

There're a lot of questions at the tip of his tongue, but Mochizuki looks deeply troubled, even with that admittedly charming smile on his face, so he drops it. Goro does the same, relaxing slightly, his red eyes glancing towards Ren. When the silence starts to set in, Ren breaks it. "It would be better to wait for my friends to arrive first, so we… can discuss things. It's already Sunday, so you hopefully won't have to wait long."

The boy tilts his head slightly before nodding once. "I understand. And… I know there's no point asking this, since he would've been here by now, had you found him, but… have you seen him? My friend, Yuuki Makoto?"

Ren knows Makoto is a very common name, so he immediately thinks that yes, he might've heard of or seen him before. But after a second, that isn't it – he doesn't know someone with that particular surname and first name. So, he shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but I haven't."

Mochizuki looks down slightly, his smile faltering. "I… see. But he's alive, that much I'm certain. Although, I know nothing else more. My connection with him is… hampered, somewhat."

Ren frowns. "You said you're a Persona, so is he—?"

"A Wild Card? Yes."

To be fair, Mochizuki seems extremely trusting, saying things without delays, without reluctance. But Ren knows better – Arsene is chuckling in his head. The only reason this person, this Persona, this Death, is saying these things is because he knows Ren's other self, knows Arsene. Without that, he doubts the boy will say anything to anyone at all.

And Ren's surprised, too, to learn that there is another Wild Card out there. But he supposes, given the magnitude of Personas he could summon, and many more that exist as Shadows and out of his reaches, it would come as no surprise that there'd be more people who'd be able to call for their aids like he could. He's special, but he's not entirely unique, after all.

"Much like you and I, then?" Goro says. When Ren nods, he catches Mochizuki's curious gaze. Goro then sighs a little. "It's complicated, but I think I might be a Wild Card, just not given whatever this contract Ren's been spouting about."

"Dude, could you please word it a little nicer?"

Mochizuki chuckles a little at that before speaking lightly. "I see. I won't ask more than necessary, don't worry. And thank you again, for helping me."

"He still hasn't told us why we found him in there," Morgana chips in, and Ren agrees.

To his surprise, the boy readily answers, "I am not quite sure about that, myself. I apologize for not being able to explain more."

A pause, then all three of them say simultaneously. "You understood that?"

He tilts his head. "Why wouldn't I?"

Ren gapes, but remembers that they met inside the Metaverse. He facepalms himself. "Right, I forgot we met where Morgana was a monster cat, and not a cat."

"I'm not a cat!"

"I'll keep the questions to myself until the others arrive," Goro says as he yawns. "I'm going to take a nap. You do whatever you want to do, I suppose. But know that I still don't trust you yet, Mochizuki-san."

The boy casually smiles and waves his hand. "I don't dare enough to ask for you to trust me, when you know so little about me. But I do hope I will be able to gain that trust afterwards, Akechi-san."

Goro lets out a hmph before he walks back to the dingy couch and curls up, ready to fall asleep, the mental and physical exhaustions finally catching up to him.

Ren takes a moment to study Mochizuki, who's breathing calmly, his eyes glancing out the window and to the dim sky beyond the tinted glass. For someone called Death, he looks so soft, so gentle, so kind. Ren feels like he'd be able to trust this man with his own life, and won't ever regret it. Logically, that shouldn't be the case – hell, he's called Death, trusting him should've been out of the question. And yet, his heart knows that this boy is a good person, maybe even a better person than Ren is.

When he catches Ren watching, he doesn't react negatively, only smiling slightly, so kind yet so sorrowful, the deep-seated sadness hidden behind the veil of shimmering blue, like the morning sky hiding the forming clouds of rain behind the sunlight. Ren thinks he forgets to breathe for a few seconds, and only inhales when the boy does the same. The smile widens a little before Mochizuki looks away, thoughtful.

Ren offers, first, knowing exactly what he needs. "Would you like to take a shower? And maybe, with breakfast and coffee, too?"

He seems a little surprised, but soon chuckles, all the tenseness leaving his feature. "I'd love to."

Boss doesn't seem surprised when he asks for the shop to be closed for the day, and he almost prostates himself thanking the man for it.

Mochizuki, once properly showered and dressed, comes out of the bathroom, hair slightly damped and losing a bit of their swept-back shape. He curls his long, yellow scarf over his neck, tugging half of his face under, as if seeking some kind of warmth. Ren's cloths seem a bit too small for him, so he makes a mental note about buying the boy a few new sets of attires later on.

He sniffs, and seems to liven up a little at the smell of caffeine. Ren smiles and waves him over to the counter, the simmering hot curry already served up. When Mochizuki half-confusedly settles into the seat, Ren asks. "What kind of coffee?"

Mochizuki thinks a little before smiling. "Black would be preferable."

"A man after my own heart," Ren says with a cheeky grin. He's brewing his own anyways, so he doesn't have to do more work with this. Silently thanking Mochizuki's preferred choice of beverage, he pours the content of the glass jar into two cups, and pushes one in Mochizuki's way. The boy nods once before clapping his hands and muttering Ittadakimasu under his breath.

Ren cleans up before walking over to join him, his own curry already half stale. When he finally sits down, Mochizuki speaks up softly, slowly. "Your fights still haven't reached their ends yet, I assume?"

"Nope, but I think we're pretty close," Ren says with a confident grin. Only Shido stands in their way, now, and when they put up that Calling Card, they'll hit him fast and hard, dragging him down from his blood-covered throne and making him atone for his crimes.

"…Allow me to aid you," Mochizuki offers. When Ren's staring at him, wide-eye, he elaborates. "I have my urgencies, true, but no clues to work with. Besides… I do think that you could use a hand or two. If you think you can trust me enough to utilize my service, that is."

"I know I can trust you," Ren says. "Death or human, Personas or Shadows… you did save us and Goro back then. Even if you did it to find a way out of the Metaverse, I don't think any bad person would just casually throw his half-conscious body into the fray like that."

Mochizuki blinks a little before laughing lightly. "Wild Cards really are the same. You are just like him. Like Makoto."

"What's he like?"

There're so many emotions brewing inside those eyes – regrets, joy, sorrow. The one thing that's absent from the pool is anger. Then he speaks, softly, with pain and proudness under his tone. "He is infinitely patient, and kind – kinder than anyone I know. He values other's lives – even mine – more than his own. I see that you, too, cherish your bonds more than anything else, Amamiya-san."

Ren smiles a little, patting the boy's shoulder in reassurance. "Let us hear your stories, and we'll help you find him. And – please do drop the honorifics. I don't think our ages are that different?"

"Thank you… Amamiya," Mochizuki says. "I'm… not sure if my age works the same way as yours or not, but before I—" At this, he stops himself from saying something, before he shifts his tongue a little and says something else, instead "—Before this, or rather, after I'm here… I was — am — seventeen."

He's pretty confused about that, huh.

"Same age," Ren decides to say, chuckling lightly, not commenting on the stutters the boy has just shown him and drawing the boy into another set of laughter. "School?"

"…I've been through many," He says reluctantly, his brows furrowing. "I'd… rather not talk about them, if you don't mind?"

First roadblock, Ren notes, but he understands that. There are things Ren doesn't like talking about, too, not for any particular reasons except for the pain or the uneasiness that accompanies saying them. Much like how he doesn't like talking about how he hates that his parents have to work away from home or in some other places all the time, leaving him half-rotting in Inaba with practically nowhere else to go. And when he does think about that, let alone talk… it makes his scars itch almost uncontrollably.

Speaking of Inaba, he thinks he won't be able to return there, since the rumors have already settled in, and his old friends have all but cut contacts with him, now. Maybe he should ask for his parents to transfer him to Shujin for another year. And he just knows that they would accept it without a second thought, seeing just how livid they were when they heard he pushed that drunken bastard to the ground.

It wasn't my fault, mom, dad! Believe me! She was crying for help—

—Silence, you ungrateful brat! You're a fucking failure of a son! You know what, I have friends in places that will take a violent little shit like you in. You're transferring, and no objections! Not until all the rumors die down so that we can live in peace!

He sighs slightly and shakes his head, focusing himself on the task at hand. He smiles in understanding and waves his hand. "I don't. I know exactly what it feels like, not wanting to talk about things."

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you're okay now?" Ren asks again. Judging from the look of his face, Ren thinks he's alright now. But what happened yesterday doesn't really convince him. "You were pretty bad yesterday."

"I'm quite alright," He says with a small smile. "Without my connection to Makoto, I can't maintain my form as Death for too long. I've been in there for over a week, and… I was discovered on that ship during the final two or three days, so I had no choice but to turn into… that, and fight to survive."

"…I see," Ren hums. "Turning back into your human form is like recharging, then?"

"Somewhat, yes," Mochizuki smiles. "This is quite new to me, as well. Alas, I'm confident that I can lend you my aid against whoever it is that owns that ship. To have a place of his own just so – his heart must've been incorrigibly twisted, no?"

"You've got that right," Ren says. "He's the worst. I'll tell you about him later, when everyone's here. They – we need to hear your stories as much as you do ours."

"I agree," Mochizuki hums. "But, Amamiya… I do apologize in advance if I have to lie by omissions about something — many things. The circumstances in which I was separated from Makoto leaves me with little rooms for error."

"Got it," Ren says. To say that he'd have to lie by omission means that he'll be telling things that are necessary, and Ren understands the need for secrecy. After all, that's what he did with Goro, too. Not exactly lying by omission, but by faking his own death through plans not discussed in front of him. "If you say clearly that you'll be lying, then I think that's enough of an indication that you're not exactly comfortable with deceiving people."

"I'm not," Mochizuki affirms, his smile slightly pained at that. "I've lied and deceived and hurt many people dear to me before, Makoto included. I don't want to do that again, not if I can help it."

He seems to have gone through a lot, Ren thinks. He spies Morgana coming down, looking at them strangely, but ignores them and goes onto one of the tables and curls up there, waiting. Ren then glances up at the clock, and sees that it wouldn't take too long for his friends to arrive now. Then, remembering that his friend is also called Makoto, he adds, "And huh… my friend's name is also Makoto (maybe he has to refer to her as Queen just to not confuse his own ass), so… I'll be referring to yours as Yuuki for a while, if that's alright with you?"

"He's not mine," Mochizuki says, his cheek slightly dusted with pink. At this, Ren's mischievous spirit acts up, and he knows on an instinctual level that this Yuuki is much more than just a friend to Mochizuki. And when he spots Ren's grin, his face reddens even more. "I'm serious, he's not mine."

"If you say so," Ren says with a chuckle. "Well, regardless, you can refer to him as Makoto just fine. I'll call him Yuuki, as to not confuse the people within the group… at least, until I get to know him better."

"Duly noted," Mochizuki hums. "And… thank you, again, for doing this… for me."

"You're welcome, Mochizuki," He says. "You are a good person; I just know it. Let us help you."

"Thank you," The boy beams.

Ren hums and continues savoring the taste of his coffee.

It looks like he'll be getting his hands full for the next month, as well.

Alrite! How was it? Let me know!

See you later!