"REN? REN GET UP!" Futaba's excited voice cut through the darkness.

Ren grumbled something before turning over and away from the loud noise that was Futaba. His navigator wasn't having any of that. Ren felt the shift in his bed as Futaba climbed in and pulled at his arm. It was at that moment Ren knew getting any more rest was going to be an impossible and rolled over opening one eye to look at his orange haired navigator. Futaba gave him an excited grin, the kind he could picture a dog getting when they heard the world 'walk'.

"Are you sure you should be waking him?" A new voice cut through the air.

Ren opened both his eyes as the fuzzy out line of Rise Kujikawa came into view. What was Rise Kujikawa doing in his room? His still not fully awake brain didn't have the answer and a yawn only seemed to confirm how much his body just wanted to crawl back into bed. Rubbing his face, the muddled nature of his mind slowly started to dissolve as clear thinking returned to him. Futaba was no doubt here because he had promised to hang out with her tonight. Rise was there if he remembered correctly to help them with the last part of the promise list.

"I'm up." Ren rolled his shoulders both hearing and feeling a few pops.

"You guys are too loud." Morgana got up, claiming the middle of the bed where Ren had been sleeping just a minute ago. He too had been napping but wasn't being forced to get up like Ren was.

"Sorry Morgana. See he's fine. Now come on get up!" Futaba grabbed Rens arm and pulled him to his feet.

"He doesn't look too awake." Rise glanced over the teen with a skeptical look.

"I'm fi-" Ren yawned again "-ne." before he reached for his glasses on the shelf next to his bed and slipped them on.

"Heh, let's go." Futaba rushed to the top of the stairs.

Ren had been napping after their trip to Shido's Palace. The last two days he had entered the metaverse twice and the fatigue of that was starting to catch up with him. He could have used a massage from Kawakami, but now that he had a girlfriend that almost felt like cheating. Or was it? Ren didn't want to dance that fine line. He just got a girlfriend and he wasn't about the risk that relationship on something like that. Reaching for his coat, he noticed Rise looking at her idol poster he had hanging up. He had various things he had gotten with his friends scattered around the attic of Leblanc, they were his treasure of sorts. Physical proof that his probation wasn't a horrible experience.

"Didn't know you were a fan." Rise look at him.

"Your music has a good beat. Granted I enjoy your last remix more than sapphire." Ren answered honestly as he felt in his pockets for his phone and wallet.

"That makes sense. That album was mostly made to be club dancing music." Rise acknowledge.

"So are we ready?" Futaba asked already half way down the steps.

"Yeah, let's do this." Ren called after Futaba.

Ren grabbed his leather bag, more out of habit than actually needing it. Morgana looked perfectly comfortable to sleep in the middle of his bed, rather than come with him and the two navigators. He didn't blame the cat. Futaba disappeared down the stairs as Rise followed after her at a more normal pace. Ren followed behind Rise as they entered the café. A few regulars barely paid them any mind as Futaba stepped up to the counter, casting her grin at Sojiro. The older man was currently brewing some coffee for a customer by the cash register.

"Alright we are off Sojiro! We'll be back later." Futaba explained.

Sojiro cast a long gaze over both Rise and Ren. "You guys aren't planning to stay out too late, are you?"

Rise pulled up her large sunglasses. "I don't think we will be. I'll make sure they both are back before curfew."

Sojiro nodded. "Okay, Futaba have fun." His gaze turned sharp towards Ren. "Keep her safe."

Ren nodded to the older man in silent confirmation that he would indeed watch out for Futaba. The reality was even if he wasn't told he would have done it anyways. Futaba was someone he just instinctively protected. Once Futaba obtained Sojiros permission, she darted out the door. A small but warm smile appeared on Rise's face as she and Ren followed after the teen. Futaba waited by the S.U.V. that Ren had seen Yu and Naoto use most of the times they had been there. After Rise unlocked the car, Futaba quickly climbed into the front passenger seat leaving Ren with the back seat.

Rise got into the driver seat and they were quickly on the road. The goal was for Futaba to go to Akihabara, mostly alone to go pick up a game she had been wanting for some time. With Rise being someone that can get recognized in public and Ren someone that absolutely couldn't be recognized in public, the idea was that the two of them would be staying in the car. Luckily the cool nature of it being late September meant the wait would be pleasant. Ren would only head in if Futaba needed sudden help or something went wrong. Futaba had agreed that she would text one of them if something did go wrong. The fact Rise had decided to go with this plan is what surprised Ren the most, but he wasn't going to question it.

After a drive, Rise pulled the S.U.V. into an underground parking spot just outside the place in Akihabara Futaba wanted to go. Seeing at it was a weekend, the area around Akihabara was pretty busy and Futaba would have to navigate the crowd to get to the place she wanted to. Also because of the crowd, Rise could only find a parking spot that was almost a block away from Futaba's destination, so that was another obstacle Futaba would need to account for. Ren didn't know how exactly he felt about this.

"Alright, I'm off! Wish me luck!" Futaba said opening the door and taking a step out. "I'm going to go take a look around by myself, both of you wait here for me. I'll be back, in a half an hour. If I'm late then... wait here for me." With that Futaba shut the door and started to walk off.

Ren watched her go until she was out of sight before he sighed. A small part of him wanted to get out and follow her, but he knew deep down this was something she needed to do alone. He would just have to wait and believe in her. If she could cross this last obstacle, then the promise list would be completed. Futaba would probably never be what people considered 'normal' but if she could pass this hurdle it would mean she was at least passable for normal some times.

"This may take a while. Do you want to get up to the front seat? We can talk." Rise asked front the front seat.

Ren considered the idol's words before climbing into the front seat Futaba had just left. As he settled in, Rise adjusted her seat to get more comfortable. It was at moment Ren realized that he was going to be sitting in a car alone with the idol. How many of Rises fan would of done something unspeakable for this opportunity, yet here it was happening like it was just any other day of the week. Ren wouldn't consider himself the biggest fan of the idol but he was a fan none the less.

"You do realize how much of an anchor you have been in her life right?" Rise suddenly asked drawing Ren's attention to the idol. "After what happened to her."

The look on her face seemed to indicate she understood Futaba's pain, Ren could only think it had to be from the connection they shared during their combo scans. "I do. I thought not so long ago that life had dealt me the worst hand. My parents all but abandoned me after my conviction and shipped me off to the city so they didn't have to live with the shame. It was only after I met Futaba did I realize how foolish that way of thinking was. The cards were stacked against her from the beginning and by some miracle she can still smile." Ren turned and looked at Rise. "How much do you know about her situation?"

"Quite a bit. I'm sure you know more though. I gave her my number after we left Akechis Palace the first time. When we connected that first time, I felt it all. For someone that seems to have trouble connecting to people, she was quick to accept connecting with me. I think honestly she longs for connection, it's just difficult for her to do so. We've been texting back and forth ever since. That first connection however…" Rise's face softened as tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes. "I felt her pain uncensored. I have never felt anything like that. That loneliness, that feeling of worthlessness, the voices… Now that I know about it, I could never turn my back on her. I know she has you and Sojiro, but she could definitely use a womanly influence in her life."

"Is that why you agreed to this?" Ren softly asked.

"Yeah, I may not be the best person but I promised her I'd try and be there for her the best I could." Rise explained. "but I don't think I'll ever take the place of Ren 'Her savior' Amamiya"

"Savior?" Ren was half surprised to hear Rise put it like that.

"That's what she believes you are. You chased all of her shadows away and if that wasn't enough, you continue to stand by her and support her. That makes you pretty amazing in her eyes." Rise pointed at him.

"She deserves it." Ren stated simply.

A light chuckle filled the car from Rise. "Makoto is very lucky."

"I like to think I'm the lucky one." Ren leaned against the door, idly watching someone walk to their car before he returned his gaze to Rise. "So how does your Persona connect with people?"

Rise put a finger to her chin clearly trying to think of a way to explain it before she just leaned back and let her hand fall into her lap. "My Persona was born out of my confusion of not seeing who I really was. I'd constantly be looking to other people to find justification to who I was at any given moment. I made myself so different to those around me I couldn't see the real me among the sea of personality traits I had acquired. What I wanted deep down inside however, was to connect with people so they could see the real me. I guess that's why I got a support Persona instead of an attack one like everyone else. I believe Himiko doesn't just scan, she connects instead. Or maybe its just something my Persona evolved to do along the way. Either way, I figured it out while here in Tokyo as we solved the mystery behind the midnight stage. If I get in physical contact with other people, I can use that connection to bolster their power. In Futabas case I can use my power to bolster her power, but to connect like that is really rather complicated. Persona are innately personal things so to bolster someone it mixes all sorts of feelings people keep just under the surface.

"Sounds like a burden." Ren interjected.

Rise shook her head. "It might seem like that, but I don't see it that way. With this power I can help my friends even more then I could before. I'm innately suited to being a navigator, but I don't like it all the time. I have to watch from the sidelines while everyone else fights and gets hurt. Futaba feels the same too sometimes. So at least with this power to connect people I can offer more support to you in the front lines." She looked at Ren as if thinking about something. "Maybe I should try connecting you and Yu some times."

"You can connect other people?" Ren asked suddenly curious.

"Yeah. I become the catalyst for the connection, but what is shared is between both people that I connect. During the fight with Sae, I connected Yu with Yosuke. They are best friends so the connection was easy to establish in the heat of battle. Those two trust each other in a profound way I can't begin to describe. In order to do it a few conditions must be met. The first one is I have to be able to touch both people at the same time. The second is they both must be willing to connect with each other. Which means they must already have some sort of bond with each other. The connect takes a few seconds but in those seconds time seems to stop as the two people connect and an understanding is reached. What happens afterwards is up to the people I connect." Rise leaned against the steering wheel as she explained before looking at Ren. "You would you be willing to connect?"

Ren nodded. "I'd be willing to try it."

"Good, so can you tell me where you learned to dance?" Rise switched topics fast as Ren caught the glint in her eye.

The conversation took a more light-hearted turn at that point. Rise was someone Ren found it easy to talk too, as it was just easy to share with her. They talked about several things, dancing and music being the center of most of the topics as they both had that in common. A few times Rise told a few story about her group's past adventures in Inaba. It had been a pleasant time and Rise was definitely someone Ren was happy he knew a bit better.

"It's been 45 minutes.." Rise suddenly announced. "Futaba hasn't texted."

Ren suddenly realized this simple fact too, which caused tension to bubble up in his gut. "I'll go check on her." Ren opened his door.

"I'll wait here in case she comes back, hopefully nothing has happened." Rise's tone was a bit worried.

"We'll see." Ren shut the door and headed into Akihabara.

The crowds were starting to die down by now. It was getting later in the day and people were heading home or going to go get dinner. Looking around for is missing Navigator, he headed for the store she had told them she was going to be going too. After a causal glance and not seeing a familiar color of orange, Ren reached for his phone.

Joker: Are you alright?

Luckily the reply came fairly quickly.

Oracle: Crap, sorry I lost track of time. Heading back now.

Joker: Where are you?'

Oracle: By the electronics.

Ren looked up and scanned the area again, this time silently activating his third eye. The crowd around him dulled before the faint outline of his navigator caught his attention. A feeling of relief swept over him instantly as he quickly moved to catch up with her. A look of surprise appeared on Futaba's face as he stepped up to her, before she had this look of sadness.

"Sorry… I, ummm.. I was having fun." Futaba quickly bounced back and smiled up at him. "Guess that means I beat my mission, huh?"

Ren gave his navigator a half smile as he nodded. She had done it and he was very proud of her accomplishment. It wasn't so long ago that something like this was impossible, now here she was out in a crowded part of town on her own and actually having fun. If all the struggles he had with her were all leading up to this moment, then it was all worth the reward.

"Y'know, it was the same Akihabara as before, but everything looked so different to me this time. It's not just here though. My whole world is expanding! Every day brings new and different discoveries. The direction of Sojiro's cowlick, the atmosphere of Yongen, the various types of coffee beans... Things might be the exact same as they were yesterday, but from my perspective it's all spinning. I knew it was possible, but I had never really felt that sensation before now. I just hope I can keep changing little by little… like everyone else does." The excitement flowed from Futaba like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

"Take your time." Ren said easily both trying to encourage her but letting her do this at her own pace.

"Yeah. That sounds good. Oh by the way… I got a text just a few minutes ago from Kana-chan saying she got a job at a convenience store. It sounds like she's just happy to be living life like a normal teenager. Plus, she got study guides with the money she made! She's gonna take the high school entrance exam! Even Kana-chan's trying to step out into the world." Futaba explained her excitement flowing over.

"You can't lose to her." Ren encouraged.

"You're right!" Futaba nodded with a smile. "Hey! You said you'd give me a reward if I completed my promise list, remember?!"

"I honor my promises!" Ren declared to his navigator.

"You da man!" Futaba grinned at him and grabbed his arm. "Come on lets head to the car, I don't want to worry Rise." She started to move through the crowds like a champ as Ren followed after her. "You know, I was looking at a bunch of things thinking about what to buy… But it felt kinda weird. There were plenty of things I wanted, but it was all stuff I could get if I worked really hard. And after all… I already have something I wouldn't have been able to get on my own." Futaba glanced back at Ren. "You don't think so? No… You're forgetting… You gave me something really important."

Ren had a feeling he knew were this was going, but he would let Futaba tell him. This was all for her after all.

"You gave me my life back." Futaba slightly tightened her grip on his arm before she continued to speak. "It's thanks to you that I learned I'm fine just as I am… and that I learned to trust my mom again. I was as good as dead, but you resurrected me. I want to use my work with the Phantom Thieves to return the favor. And when I remember all the friends I've made… it's like I'm tapping into some kind of unknown power!"

Suddenly Futaba let go of him and stopped. Worried Ren reached for his navigator before she gave him an excited look. It was then Ren knew he had accomplished his set mission yet again. He now had a true bond with Futaba, granted he already had what he considered a true bond with his navigator. This was more of a culmination of everything they had gone through and a now verbal agreement that they would be there for each other through thick and thin, like the siblings from different parents.

"Whoa! My heart just leveled up! A new me rises from the ashes! Hello Prometheus!" They started to walk again, this time side by side. "You gave me my life back, so it's my turn to risk my life for you. Feel free to tell me anything. I'll do whatever I can to help. I'm serious, okay?"

"I'm counting on you!" Ren nodded.

"Leave it to me!" Futaba pumped her fists in the air as they walked before she pushed up her glasses. "And. I never said I was gonna let my reward go unclaimed!" Ren let a small chuckle escape him as he glanced at Futaba as they walked. "So, lemme see..."

Futaba let a comfortable silence lapse between them as they walked and she thought about what her reward would be. Soon they made their way back to the S.U.V., Ren caught the Rise's relieved look as Futaba once again climbed into the front seat. Ren moved to the back and got in as Rise turned the engine over and started to pull out.

"Ren…" Futaba started. "I think I want to go on a vacation with you. Or at the least just get out of Tokyo for my reward. I don't know when we'll be able to do it, but now that I know this world isn't so scary to explore I want to explore it. Mom promised me we'd be able to go on a vacation after she got done with her work, but she wasn't able to… but now I want to go with you because we're… family… Right?" Futaba looked back at Ren as she spoke.

"Yeah, Futaba we are family." Ren reassured his sister.

"Heh," Futaba's warm smile made him feel warm inside. "Thanks bro."

"Getting out of Tokyo…" Rise repeated as if she was mulling over the words. "Y'know. I think we can arrange that Futaba-chan."

"What really?!" Futaba asked clearly surprised.

"If just getting out of Tokyo is your goal, how would you two feel about coming to Inaba with me and the others?" Rise glanced at Futaba for a second before looking back at the road.

"Inaba, your group's home base? That sounds awesome!" Futaba reached for her phone clearly going to look up the town.

"Nothing is arranged yet, but I've talked with Yosuke and we thought it might be a good idea to head back on the 8th and hopefully be back here in Tokyo by the 11th. It's one of our friends birthday and I have some business I need to take care of there." Rise explained.

"I'd love to go! What do you think Ren?" Futaba glanced back at Ren.

"Sure if we can get everything worked out. We'll need to get all five letters before we go for Shido's heart and make sure we can figure out a calling card. Plus Sojiro will need to agree. Also Inaba is quite far, we'll need money to get there." Ren knew he had to put realistic expectations on this but honestly he really did want to go.

"If you both agree to come, don't worry about getting there or lodging. I can cover that. You guys can even bring Morgana too. The letters should also be easy to get now that we have those scans." Rise glanced at Ren through the rear view mirror. "Also Ren I'll need you for a music video." Ren knew he wasn't going to be able to say no to that request.

"Really? I'll ask Sojiro when we get back. Ren don't worry about the calling card. I got an idea for that. " Futaba pumped her fist. "This is gonna be epic! Thanks Rise!"

Rise laughed at Futaba's antics. "Your welcome. Please don't get your hopes up. Inaba is just a small town but it's completely different from Tokyo."

"Completely different? I can work with completely different." Futaba nodded as she continued to look up Inaba on her phone.

It was only a short time later that Rise pulled the S.U.V. up to the familiar streets of Yongen-Jaya. Futaba quickly got out as soon as the car came to a stop. Rise and Ren took a bit more time as they made their way up to the alley that lead to Café Leblanc. Once they got into the coffee shop, Futaba was found sitting on one of the tall back chairs at the counter, already explaining to Sojiro why he should let both her and Ren go to Inaba. Sojiro who looked like he was in the middle of closing up shop and wasn't expecting Futaba sudden exuberance; gave both Ren and Rise a look as they entered.

"… So Rise agreed to pay for everything so will you let me go Sojiro? Please…?" Futaba drawled.

Sojiro sighed. "Now look here, I know you got your independence back but don't you think a trip is kind of pushing it?" The worry was clear in Sojiro's voice.

"That's why Ren will be going with me! He'll take care of me!" Futaba countered.

Sojiro looked towards Rise. "You're that Rise person right? Can I really trust to take care of these two?"

Rise put on one of her award winning smiles. "I won't be alone. I have several people I trust that can keep an eye on them and Inaba is a small town. I'll make sure Futaba calls you every night if that will help."

"Yeah, I promise I'll keep in touch Sojiro." Futaba was putting on her sweetest act.

"Hoo boy." Sojiro sighed again. "Look I'm not comfortable with you leaving with someone you only met less than a week ago, but I also think this would be good for the both of you to get out of this city for a while. If the trip isn't until the 8th at least give me a day or two to think about it okay?"

"That's totally fair, there are some things that need to happen before we can confirm the trip. So think it over. I should head back, though. I got work at the studio I should get done before I can call it a night." Rise said as she turned to leave.

Before she could go, Futaba got off her chair and gave her a hug. "Bye Rise"

Rise returned her hug. "Bye Futaba-chan. Bye everybody." With that Rise left.

Sojiro gave Ren a skeptical, questioning look. "Something happen between the two of them that I should know about?"

"It has something to do with our work as Phantom Thieves, both of them are navigators in that other world. You could say they bonded quickly over that fact." Ren explained simplifying as much as he could.

"Huh," Sojiro said as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it.

"She is a good person Sojiro. I know you want to protect me, but you don't have to protect me from Rise." Futaba climbed back onto the chair she had been perched in before.

"I'll think about it Futaba, we should be heading home. We can talk about this more later. Ren lock the place up behind us." Sojiro's dad voice was definitely on point.

"Okay." Futaba muttered before she looked at Ren. "Talk to you later bro."

Ren gave Futaba a smirk. "Later little sis."

Sojiro got a look on his face that said it all. It was one of those 'I'm so tired I just don't care at the moment' kind of looks. Ren watched both of them go before doing as Sojiro instructed and locked up the shop behind them. Turning off the downstairs lights, he made his way up to his room to get ready for bed. Going to bed early tonight was definitely a good idea as his body was still tired. As he got to the top of the steps he found Morgana still perfectly asleep in the spot he had curled up in after Ren had gotten up. Lucky cat. After getting changed, Ren moved the cat over slightly and collapsed on the bed. Sleep came quickly after that.

Next chapter is fairly long, and needs a bit more editing then some previous ones. Hopefully you like this one. I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP but let me know how I'm doing and leave a review.