Disclaimer: I own nothing

While Ren and his parents rode the train towards Inokashira Park, things were noticeably less tense than they were during the trip to Shibuya. Meeting with Yoshida had surely helped with that, not to mention learning how Iwai wasn't dealing in any real weapons.

"Ren, I should apologize for doubting you." His father said. "I know you're not a criminal, and I shouldn't have let a model gun shake that belief."

"Don't worry about it, Dad. I understand."

"Still," His mother chimed in. "I wasn't expecting your friend to be so intimidating. I thought he was part of the Yakuza at first."

Ren cleared his throat. "Well, the thing about that…"

"Ren?" His father asked suspiciously.

"He used to be a member, but he got out of that life after he adopted Kaoru."

"He really was a thug?" His mother cried.

"Yeah, but he's not anymore. He's a good guy. And an honest one." Ren defended.

"Kaoru…" Masato muttered under his breath. "He mentioned that you were his 'bro', right? What's that about?"

"Oh, well, I just happened to get in good with him and Kaoru while I worked there. Kaoru actually decided to go to Shujin since I went there." Ren explained.

"Nothing else?" His father asked.

"Nothing." He lied with a stone face.

After a short moment of silence, Ren's phone began ringing. He answered and was nearly deafened by the caller. "Holy crap, are you guys recruiting me?!" A familiar voice cried out.

"Geez, Mishima, keep your voice down."

"How could I do something like that?!" He asked, still not lowering his voice. "This random second year just strolled up to me out of nowhere and handed me a-"

"Mishima!" Ren interrupted. "You shouldn't say things outloud like that. What if someone hears you and starts rumors?"

"R-right. Sorry." Mishima whispered. "S-So, are you guys-"

"No, it's just a meeting. It's to help with that problem you messaged me about."

"You mean those nightmares? I didn't really expect you to be able to help me with anything."

"Truth is, I don't know if we can, but I'm hoping we'll be able to get things back to normal."

"Alright. I gotta say, I'm happy to get something done about these nightmares, but I was really hoping I was gonna learn how to be a Phantom Thief." He said, totally disheartened.

"Well, you technically will. I'll explain everything at Leblanc. Until then, just go about your day like normal."

"Alright! I'll see you tonight!"

With that, Mishima hung up the phone, and Ren was brought back to reality when his father audiablly cleared his throat. "So, what was that about?"

"O-Oh…" Ren stuttered, completely forgetting how his parents were sitting across from him. "Uh, my friend, Mishima is having girl troubles. So me and a few of my friends are gonna help him."

"You mentioned meeting at Leblanc. Does that mean that this meeting with all of your friends is to help him?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah…" He confirmed, his words trailing off, waiting to see if his father believed him. Seconds felt like hours as he awaited Masato's response.

"That's my boy!" He cried out. "Helping a friend lose his v-card! What a good guy! I wish I had someone like you when I was a teenager!"

Ren sunk into his seat both in relief and in a vain hope to distance himself from his father. He was relieved when the train announced that they were now stopping at their destination. As they left the train, Ren sent out a text to Ohya, letting her know that he'd be leaving her a 'present' near the rowboat rentals under a bench.

He quickly guided his family to the park where they toured through the beautiful scenery with Kimiko often commenting on how stunning it was. As they neared the boat rentals, Ren was about to suggest that they take a rest on one of the benches. He was stopped, however, when he spied a familiar reporter.

"O-Ohya?" He whispered.

Said reporter turned around at lightning speed, almost as if she had heard him whisper her name. "There you are, you little brat!" She yelled as she ran towards the Phantom Thief.

"Ohya, wait!" He pleaded, holding his arms out in front of him.

"Wait my ass!" She cried, snapping her arm back in preparation to slap him. "I left an interview with an important politician for this! And you can't even be here on time?!" Ohya released her arm, letting her open palm soar through the air, slapping Ren across the face.

"Ren!" His mother cried.

"Who do you think you are, lady?!" His father yelled, interrogating Ohya.

"Me? Who are you?" She rebutted, poking her finger into Masato's chest.

"I'm his father! Do you have some sort of problem with my son?!"

"His father?" Ohya asked. An idea suddenly rushing into her mind. She looked to Ren and flashed an evil grin.

It was almost as if she had transmitted her thoughts into his mind. He shook his head, begging her not to do it. Ohya looked at both Masato and Kimiko and bowed. "I'm happy to meet you. My name is Ichiko Ohya, and I'm Ren's girlfriend." She said with a sincere smile.

"Girlfriend?!" The two of them shouted.

"What is she talking about?!" Kimiko asked her son.

His father, however, showed his notorious perverted side. "Alright, son! Nice job landing a hot older woman! I'm so proud of y-" His praise was interrupted by his wife, instinctive striking him with a magazine she kept in her purse for such occasions.

"Ren!" His mother said commandingly. "Tell me who this woman is!" She ordered aiming the magazine at the journalist.

"Anytime now, Ohya!" Ren pleaded.

"Fine, fine." She said loosely. "Ma'am, I was just joking. Your son and I aren't in any sort of illicit relationship, I swear."

"Oh yeah?" She asked, turning to Ohya with murderous intent. "So, who are you?"

"Already told you, my name is Ichiko Ohya. I'm a journalist."

"A journalist?" His father asked, rising from the ground.

"Yeah. I met your son last year while he was serving out his probationary sentence."

"You know about his probation?"

"Of course. I actually helped track down the woman who lied about him assaulting that bastard who framed him."

"Y-you did?" The two asked simultaneously.

"Sure did. Now if you don't mind, I need to have a private discussion with your son about something." She said, dragging Ren off into the park, leaving the two parents in a daze.

After reaching a spot far enough away from his parents, Ohya threw Ren in front of her. "Alright, start explaining!"

"Me?! What about you?! Why are you here?!" He cried.

"You know why I'm here! You can't just send me a text message and expect me not to come running."

Ren raised his finger and began to argue, but stopped when he realized that he had no counter. He simply stood there with his mouth agape and his finger pointed upwards. "I-I… Alright, fair enough." He said, turning away and chastising himself for not waiting until he planted the card to text her,.

"That's what I thought. Now what's this present you've got for me? It had better be good!"

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a calling card and handed it to her. "Take this." He said. "There's an address and time on there. The meeting is happening tonight."

"What meeting?" She asked as she examined the card.

"We'll be explaining your nightmares. It's our hope that knowing what's causing them will make them stop."

The journalist looked to Ren with a raised brow. "Who's this 'we' you're talking about."

"The other Phantom Thieves."

Ohya let out a long whistle, her eyes widening. "I'm meeting your team? No kidding? Wow, that's big."

"To be fair, you've already met at least two of them." He smiled.

"Really? Who?"

"Well, Morgana for one." As he said this, the cat popped his head out of Ren's bag, meowing hello.

Ohya shook her head, smiling as she reached up to pet the cat. "Very funny. I'm still a dog person, but I can make an exception for this little guy."

"So I assume it's safe to say you'll be there?"

"Absolutely. If there's even a chance of stopping these damn nightmares, then count me in. They're annoying as hell!"

"All right. I'll see you there tonight."

After another minute of back-and-forth, the two said their goodbyes and Ren returned to his parents. Deciding to continue their tour of Tokyo, Ren dragged his parents to Shinjuku, answering their questions about Ohya and how he met her along the way.

Upon entering the red light district, Ren instructed both of his parents to stick close to him and ignore any people trying to talk to them. Although the three of them were besieged by hosts with every step, Ren had visited the area enough to know how to deal with them quickly.

Guiding them through the streets, he finally reached Chihaya's fortune telling space. He turned to his parents and suggested the two get their fortune read by her, hoping that he'd be able to find some way to sneak behind her and get the calling card into her deck without either her or his parents noticing. Before he could even plan his method of how to approach, however, his parents walked back around the corner with somewhat amused faces.

"What are you two doing? Aren't you going to get your fortunes read?"

"We were going to, but she said that she was closing early today, but get this: she said that she knew we were coming and to tell our son to 'meet his Fortune at the Crossroads'." His father explained. "You know, I know none of that stuff is real, but she was so confident about us having a son. It was crazy. She didn't even have to think about it."

Ren looked at his parents, dropping his head and bringing his palm to his face. "Of course Chihaya would know I was coming. Idiot!" He berated himself. Walking with his head sagging shamefully, he gestured for his parents to follow him as he walked towards the Crossroads bar."

As Ren reached for the door, his father stopped him. "Ren? You do know this is a bar, right?"

"I'm aware. It's also called Crossroads." He said pointing to the sign above his head.

Kimiko's eyes lit up like the night sky. "Was she telling the truth?! Is she a real fortune teller?!"

Ren didn't bother answering, opting to simply walk into the bar. Much to his expectations, Chihaya awaited him there, sitting at the bar while chatting with Lala-chan. Upon noticing his entrance, she gave a warm smile and a wave. Both Kimiko and Masato just stared dumbfoundedly as their son sat down next to her, as if expecting her to be here.

"You just had to ruin it for me, didn't you?"

"Sorry." She said with her hands held flat to one another. "I read your fortune once I saw that you were going to visit in my fortune. Apparently, none of your plans are going to work out today."

"That seems more apparent by the second." He said, sitting down. Turning to his parents, he introduced them to his friend. "Mom, Dad, this is Chihaya Mifune. She is a genuine fortune teller, and my 'Fortune'." He said, the word fortune loosely falling from his lips.

"How many women do you know?!" Masato asked.

"Normally, I'd smack him, but by this point, I think it's an important question." His mother nodded.

"I don't think I introduced you to Tae yet." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "She's my doctor."

"He knows a hot doctor too?" His father questioned no one. "God! Why did my son get all the luck?"

"Honey…" Kimiko warned.

"I'm sorry my dear, sweet wife." He apologized, showering her with kisses.

"To be fair, I never said she was 'hot'." Ren pointed out.

"Is she?" His father asked, his tone flat.

"..."

"That's what I thought."

Lady Escargot cleared her throat. "Normally, I don't mind customers chatting it up and ignoring me, but I think I at the very least deserve a hello. Don't you, young man?" She said to Ren.

Shaking his head, he smiled at the bartender. "I'm sorry, Lala-chan. You're right. How've you been?"

"Well, I lost my best employee. I don't suppose you're here to take your job back?"

"Sorry, but I'm only here for a few days."

"Figures." She said with a sigh.

"Wait." His mother said. "You used to work here? In a bar?"

"Oh don't worry, honey. I never let him touch so much as a drop of alcohol." Lala-chan reassured.

"I see… Thank you, miss…"

"Lady Escargot, at your service. But you can call me Lala-chan."

"Thank you… Lala-chan…" Masato hesitantly spoke.

"Why don't the two of you take a seat at the bar while your boy talks with Chihaya in one of the booths. I'm sure they have a lot to talk about. Don't worry. Drinks are on the house for you two."

Ren and Chihaya both moved to the back so they could talk in private with the fortune teller starting off with a smile. "So, can I get my calling card now?"

Ren sagged his head even further as he pulled out the card. "Using your powers isn't fair."

"Neither is having nightmares every night."

"You sure seem chipper for someone who's having 'nightmares every night'."

"Well, once I found out that you were coming back, I figured that meant that I didn't have to worry anymore. By the way, when I read your fortune, something else came up."

"What is it?"

"Apparently, you're going to be meeting someone you hadn't planned on. The Councilor."

"Councilor?" Ren repeated, thinking back to all his confidants. "Doctor Maruki?"

"Maybe. But don't worry about anything. From what I could tell, your meeting will go smoothly."

"I'm glad. Can't say I was expecting to run into him anywhere though. When will I meet with him?"

"Right now." As she said that, the bar door opened and, sure enough, Doctor Takuto Maruki stepped in, wearing his old lab coat.

Chihaya stood from her seat and walked to Maruki. "Excuse me, sir, but there's a friend of yours waiting for you." She said, gesturing to Ren as she also waved him goodbye.

"Amamiya-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question. I didn't think you even drank." The Phantom Thief joked as he stood from his seat, approaching his friend.

"Not usually, but even then, I'm allowed to drink."

"Fair point. I was just in here talking to a friend. The one who just left. Seriously though, what are you doing here? And why are you wearing your lab coat? Didn't you become a taxi driver?"

"Perhaps, it'd be best if we sat down to talk." Marukui suggested.

Ren gestured towards the booth he was just in, but before walking there, he turned to his parents. "Sorry, but could you give me a little longer. I wasn't expecting to run into Doctor Maruki."

"Of course." His mother replied.

"Ah!" The good doctor exclaimed. "You two must be Amamaiya-kun's parents. It's an honor to meet you."

"Yeah, we've been getting that a lot lately." Masato said, only to be jabbed in his ribs by his wife's elbow.

"How do you know our son?" Kimiko asked.

"It's a long story. The short version is that he helped me write my paper on Cognitive Psience. And then helped me see the error of my ways."

Ren's heart nearly began beating out of his chest. "Cognitive Science?" Masato repeated. "What's that?"

"And what do you mean he helped you see the error of your ways?" Kimiko questioned.

Maruki smiled. "Just a field of science dealing with how we percieve things. Nothing too interesting. As for your question, ma'am," He said, turning to Ren's mother. "I'd rather not say. It wasn't my best moment." Turning to Ren and nodding his head towards the booths, he asked, "Shall we?"

"Yes, lets." He replied, letting out the breath he had been holding in.

As they sat down, Ren took a few deep breaths. "Sorry about that." Maruki chuckled. "I wasn't sure if they knew about everything yet, so I mentioned Cognitive Psience so I could guage their reactions."

"So long as you don't tell them anything, it's fine. Anyway, what's going on? Why are you here? And dressed like this?"

"I'm celebrating, actually." Maruki leaned back.

"What kind of celebration?"

Maruki began searching through his bag and pulled out a large stack of papers, presenting it to Ren. "How Trauma Is Obtained, Perceived, And Dealt With. A Comprehensive Study On The Effects Of Traumatic Events And The Results Of Different Methods Of Coping." Ren looked up to the good doctor. "Did you write this?"

"I did, indeed. After what happened in my palace, I decided to start over, but that didn't mean I had to stop helping people. For the past several months, I've been working on this paper in my free time. As for my lab coat, I wore it to present my paper. It helped motivate me to do my best." Maruki looked down with a sad, but content smile. "Even if I couldn't do it as a councillor, I thought it would be good to help other people learn how to get through their grief in a healthy way." He looked back up at Ren with an slightly eager expression. "My central point in the paper is that 'you keep going'."

Ren gave a somewhat sorrowful smile. "That sounds familiar."

"Sound advice. Given to me by a good friend."

"Sound advice that you're parroting as your own?" Ren teased.

"I-It's not like that! I credited it as an anonymous friend!" Maruki defended.

"I'm just joking." Ren chuckled, leaning back into his seat. "We haven't really talked since I left. How have you been?"

Maruki relaxed in his seat and looked at Ren with a content smile. "I've been good. And you?"

"The same, more or less." Ren looked off to the side for a moment, debating on whether or not he should ask what was on his mind. Leaning forward, he took a deep breath. "Have you… Seen Rumi?"

Maruki was caught off guard by the question, stunned silent for a moment. "No… Though the metaverse, as well as my reality were destroyed, Rumi's life hasn't changed since I first altered her memories."

"Have you tried starting over with her?"

Maruki smiled and shook his head. "I can't do that. The truth would come out eventually. And even if it didn't, my guilt wouldn't let me."

"Guilt?" Ren questioned.

"After the Phantom Thieves stole my heart, I thought a lot about what I did. Even understanding my goals, I realise now how dangerous and idiotic my plan was. Reality, harsh as it may be, can't be changed. As real as it was, my reality lacked the one thing that humans need to be who we are."

"What's that?"

"Pain." He answered, looking down at the table. "Our persona's were formed through the realization that we've been wronged by something or someone, and deciding to stand against it. They're the very thing that allowed the Phantom Thieves to do what they did. I realized that people grow through suffering. Sometimes we let it consume us, destroy us. Others though, they use it as the fuel they need to keep going and grow. When you look at it with a clear view, we learn from pain and let it shape us into kinder, better people."

"I still don't understand."

Maruki gave Ren a soft smile. "I took that away from Rumi. Instead of changing her life, I should have stuck by her. As difficult as it would have been, as likely as it would be that she'd never fully recover, I should have become the thing for her to hold on to. Her lighthouse in the storm. It would have taken a long time, but it could have been something that allowed her to continue on no matter what. She may have even used it to change the world for the better. Now though, as happy as she is, she will never get the chance to overcome what hurt her…"

Ren gave a sympathetic look towards his friend. "Doctor Maruki," He said. "As true as all that may be, you did it out of concern for the one you love. I think that if you rekindle your relationship with Rumi, and if she finds out about what happened, she would love you all the same. She may even thank you."

"Maybe, but there was a time when I'd have thanked someone for helping me like that. I know better now though. No matter what happens to me, I'll keep on going. Even if it's a slow, painful crawl, I won't give in." Maruki said, his voice full of determination.

"I'm happy to hear that." Even knowing that his friend was likely hurting more than he could tell, he couldn't help but smile also knowing that he was filled with such determination to reach for a better tomorrow. "Listen, this is kind of sudden, but are you doing anything tonight?"

"Well, aside from my celebration, no. Why?"

"We're having a meeting tonight. The Phantom Thieves that is."

"What about?"

"A few of my friends have been having nightmares about our battle with the God of Control. We're planning on telling them everything. The metaverse, personas, palaces. Do you think you'd be willing to join us? Two of them are from Shujin, so having you there may help."

"I'm honored you want me there. When and where are we meeting?" He smiled.

"Eight o'clock at Leblanc"

"I'll be there."

"Thank you."