The pain was almost blinding as Akechi slipped on his tan peacoat. His shoulder wasn't something that was going to heal easily with how he kept re-injuring it. Still, it wasn't the time to worry about the injury, he had other more important things to do. The best he could do was to mask the pain with another dose of painkillers. It didn't bother him as much as it might other people, but painkillers would mask all weakness. Retrieving said painkillers from the bathroom, he caught a good look of himself in the mirror. He didn't like who he saw. The Goro Akechi that had been Shido's pawn for so long stared back at him. Sneering at his reflection, Goro retrieved the medication and popped two pills before returning to the bedroom. It could take up to an hour for the pills to take effect but by that time Akechi would be in the den of lions and one never showed any weakness to a lion.

There was a soft knocking at the door. Akechi turned towards it and rolled his bad shoulder before reaching out and answering it. Naoto stood in the threshold, the concern written clear as day over her face. It struck the second coming of the detective prince hard in his core. This woman that he barely knew was more family to him than anyone else had been in his entire life. That look was for him and the fact he put it on her face was probably the most heart sinking in the world.

"Here," Naoto held up the pieces of the firearm he had almost used to end his life that morning.

Akechi slowly reached out and took the pieces from her. How swiftly Yu had taken it apart this morning seemed to hint that Naoto's partner had at least some experience with firearms. Considering he used a katana in the metaverse, Akechi had to wonder where that experience came from. Moving the pieces to the bed, he carefully reconstructed the firearm. Racking the slide a few times to make sure it was functional, the firearm looked ready for service. After putting a bullet in the chamber and sliding the magazine in, Goro slipped the weapon into the hidden shoulder holster under his tan peacoat. The weight of the resting gun against his side was a bit sobering. Naoto had entrusted his gun back to him despite just a few hours ago he had thought about using it to end his life. She either had more faith in him than he deserved or just understood she couldn't stop him. Possibly it was both.

With the gun secured, Akechi reached up to tie his necktie. However, the pain from his shoulders caused him to hiss with pain at the action. Naoto seemed to take that opportunity to step up and just tie his tie for him. She was very particular in how she did his tie, making it as neat and professional as the cultivated imagine of Goro Akechi would have it. In all honesty, the button-down shirts and jeans he had been wearing the past few days felt far more normal now than the get up he was currently wearing. Just something about this tan peacoat brought back so many dark memories but it was a necessary evil at the moment. Naoto buttoned up his jacket to complete the look before taking a step back.

"How do I look?" Akechi asked genuinely wanting to know how Naoto felt as he slipped on his black leather gloves.

"Like a Detective Prince," Naoto suggested.

"More like Shido's puppet," Akechi replied dryly.

"Those days are over." Naoto insisted before continuing. "Are you sure you need to do this? He'll know you failed to kill Ren."

Akechi gave the woman he thought of like a big sister a passive look. "I must. It'll be better if I'm by Shido's side when the calling card drops. Also, he'll need me to protect his other world, so I doubt he'll kill me flat out for my failure. He's already growing suspicious if that little trap in his cognitive world is anything to go by."

"At least wear your sling. Your shoulder…" Naoto started but Akechi cut her off.

"No weakness. If my ploy is to work, Shido needs to be convinced I'm still very much on his side. It'll work better if I appear to hide my injury. He knows I injured myself but he is still expecting me to come in. If I came in appearing too injured he'd lose faith in my ability to get the job done. If I'm still injured but can still come in and pretend everything is fine; he'll see I'm more loyal to him then my pain." Goro explained with a sigh. "If I don't answer this call, there will be consequences… Deadly consequences. He'll send someone to kill me, and if he knows I was here that means everyone here as well, then the rest of the Phantom Thieves. He normally doesn't move so fast without good reason but he seems tense now that it's so close to the elections."

"Be careful." Naoto cautioned.

Naoto wore her worry on her sleeve. Something Akechi though he never found endearing about people, however, this was Naoto. He'd do anything to keep her safe now, and this was something he needed to do to keep not just her but everyone safe. He now had everything he wanted; love, acceptance, and most of all people who he could rely on. This was all a gift but Shido was still a big threat over all of this. Also, he still had his crimes to pay for. Once his bastard father had a change of heart he'd turn himself in, but for now, he'd enjoy the fleeting time he had. It was a chance to be who he could have been if he hadn't gotten tangled up in Shido's web.

Akechi reached for his signature attaché case and pulled it onto the bed. Opening it up, a stack of papers and his laptop greeted him. Several of the papers held his report on the Phantom Thieves and he already made copies of it and gave them to Naoto. He would have given her the report from his case but Akechi wasn't about to have anything amiss about him. The slightest suspicion could be deadly. Fishing around Akechi found a small hidden pocket within the case and pulled forth a USB drive. It looked fairly innocuous but it was something Akechi had been using for the past few years to give himself a bit of a safety net. He was no fool, he knew enough about Shido to realize there could always be a point when the man turned on him. This USB drive was his small insurance policy. Reaching out he handed it to Naoto.

"Nee-san, if the worse happens and I don't meet you guys tomorrow at the Diet building. Make sure the files on that get to Sae-san and a part of the police department you feel you can trust. It's by no way complete, but it has enough evidence on it to either be a barging chip or take Shido down." Akechi explained. "If I'm successful tonight I should have more, but I need to give you guys something to use against Shido if I fail."

Naoto looked down at the USB before looking back up at Akechi and nodding. "Got it. Good Luck Goro-Kun"

"I'll contact you when I am available to do." Goro put on a smile, it might have been the fake plastic ones that he famously wore for the media but he couldn't leave Naoto without trying to cheer her up.

"You and Kanji, both of you can be such fools at times." Naoto stepped forward and pulled Akechi into a hug.

A hug was such a normal human thing to experience, but for him, it felt almost foreign. Akechi could count all the times someone actually embraced him like this on his hands and still have fingers left over. It was such a warm feeling to be embraced and honestly so rewarding. It was almost enough to just bring him to tears, but there could be no tears. The most corrupt politician in Japan right now was waiting on him. Tears would be a luxury for another time. Akechi returned the hug before stepping back and nodding to Naoto. He then picked up his attaché case and headed out.

"Alright, let's take five here. Go get changed, Mika-chan!" The photoshoot manager called out.

For the past hour or so Ren had been sitting among a group of people, as Ann and her rival Mika had been posing for a camera. Ren watched passively not super interested but more there for moral support for Ann than anything else. They had barely made it to the shoot, the movie Futaba had produced had taken up most of the remaining time of the day. Luckily they had both made it in time just as the sun started to disappear behind the building of the Tokyo skyline. The light was fading fast and no doubt the shoot wouldn't be going on much longer before the sun completely disappeared from the horizon.

As the manager called for a break, Ann stepped up to him. The crowd that had gathered moved to the manager to review some of the photos on his camera. Though Ren knew nothing about photography, from his angle the shoot seemed to have progressed smoothly with both models giving their all. The outfit that they had on Ann did well to show off her figure and possibly if Ren already didn't have a girlfriend he might have paid more attention to it. Loyalty was one of his defining features and it wasn't a trait he wanted to lose with errant thoughts of other women.

"Man, this was so fun! Today has been great so far!" Ann started before she slightly trailed off "Well… As far as the photo shoot goes… How was I?"

"You gave it your all." Ren encouraged his friend.

"Well, yeah! I had to work extra hard with you watching, Ren." Ann let a burst of light laughter fill the air between them before she continued, her gaze falling out to the river next to them, "I know I said I wanted to be the number one model, but I'm okay with that not happening just yet. For now, I just want to keep improving, one step at a time. Then someday down the line. I'll be able to look at myself with pride. Hopefully, people will see that confidence and draw strength from it. I'm gonna be a ray of light for the people of this planet…" Ann turned back to Ren. "Just like you and Shiho are for me…"

Ren secretly wondered what Makoto would think of that if she had heard Ann. Ann's voice seemed to hint she meant it in a purely platonic way. Still, Ren knew for Ann, he would always be the one that got away. If he had chosen her, he probably could have twisted his fate and had Ann at his side instead of Makoto. If it wasn't for Ryuji, and to some extent Morgana, he would have at least probably tried a relationship with Ann. Speaking of Ryuji, tonight was the night he'd start to put his plan in motion, a plan he had Yu's backing on.

"You can do it, Ann." Ren smiled at his friend.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks! Ren, you're… my light." There was an admiration that rang in Ann's voice that Ren could only nod at. Maybe Ren wasn't so bad at this leader stuff as he had felt like recently.

"All right, Break time's over! Ann-chan, you're gonna be the main focus for this session!" The photoshoot assistant called out.

"Got it. Hey, let's catch the 'Futaba Cannon' in Shibuya after the shoot ends. Okay?" Ann asked dropping hints that she wanted to head to Shibuya to catch the calling card.

"Sure." Ren agreed to before Ann stepped back up to the photoshoot manager.

The shoot ended just as the street lights came on around the city. Ann changed back into her street clothes before they both headed deeper into the city. The plan they made on the subway was to hang out around Shibuya Crossing. There were plenty of large screens in the area and they could watch the fireworks that stemmed from the news of the calling card from there. It was promised to be quite the event. After getting some street food from a local vendor not far from the crossing, Ann and Ren found themselves a spot in which they could see several of the big screens across the crossing.

Ren settled down before turning to his companion. The drone of the same repeated new report about how the police put an end to the Phantom Thieves' reign of terror echoed over the general mummer of the Shibuya crowds. Ann stared off into the crowd her gaze seemed distant as if she was thinking deeply about something. Ren let her think, never one to fill the air with empty words.

"Back when I met Shiho when she saved me… I realized that personal relationships are something to be treasured. That's why I'm not going to run away anymore. I'll face myself head-on. This time, it's my turn to help someone." There was a determination in Ann's voice that she had previously not expressed before. "But…. I'm still kinda worried. Do you think you could help me, Ren?"

Ren nodded. "Of course." And he meant it, his friends were all important to him.

"Mm-hm!" Ann's smile brightened. "You can lean on me too if you need it. I heard about what happened the other day… Well, I know everyone is concerned about you but I don't want you to think we aren't here for you."

"I will," Ren vowed.

"Good! …I feel like we finally see each other eye to eye, Ren. I'm so glad I met you…" Ann's words were warm as she gave him a gentle smile.

There it was, that spark. He had felt it between all his friends when he had got a true bond with them. Ren had done it again but secretly he had to wonder; could he have gotten it before now or was it just that he was now trying that it happened. Either way, he was glad for it. If only he had the time to get a true bond with Yusuke before they faced Shido tomorrow. Yusuke had an art exhibition this week Ren had promised to go to with him. If all went well, Ren would have an unbreakable bond with all his friends before he and Futaba left to Inaba this Thursday.

"I can sense a new power growing within me!" Ann explained as she put a hand over her heart before she jabbed Ren lightly in his good side with her elbow, there was care behind the move as to not hurt him. "That doesn't mean I'm going to stop counting on you. After all, you're an eternal member of my fan club."

"What's that?" Ren inquired cautiously.

"It means forever! Got it? Now let's eat and wait for the fireworks!" Ann grinned at him pleased.

Ren nodded and returned her smile with a smirk of his own. They both settled down into a comfortable silence eating their food. The lull of the street filling the empty spaces between them. It was a pleasant experience and mentally relaxing, which was probably a good thing. Tomorrow brought with it probably a tough fight and the start to the end of a man that had negatively touched both himself and several of his friends. Shido was going to pay and the Phantom Thieves would be the arbiters of that justice. Suddenly both his and Ann's phones went off.

'Futaba cannon primed, commencing firing!'

The text boldly declared as Ren looked up from his phone to the large news report in front of him. Ann leaned forward her infectious smile causing Ren to spring one of its own. Shido was about to be reminded of his hubris and everyone else was going to know the start of the truth. Tonight was the night the Phantom Thieves having outmaneuvered their enemies, threw Shido into a defensive corner. The most powerful man in Japan at the moment was going to lose to a group of teenagers and young adults.

The dull drone of the news before him lingered a half a second longer before the screen was replaced by the defiant symbol of the Phantom Thieves. It wasn't just one TV, it was all of them! Futaba hadn't let a screen that could be viewed go to waste. Everyone would see. The prerecorded audio echoed in the air, causing the people around Ren to pause and look up at the giant screens. People stood shocked by the sudden message as murmurs echoed through the confused crowd. The police had been playing that same police report over the news that the leader of the Phantom Thieves had died in their custody and now new evidence was staring them straight in the face.

"Is this for real?" A voice called from the crowds.

"Unbelievable…" Another voice echoed.

"This has to be some kind of publicity stunt." Another voice called out trying to calm some people around them.

Ren just sat back and watched as everyone stopped to stare at the screens. They pulled out phones, cars stopped and rolled down their windows, people came out of stores and restaurants to see what the commotion was about. The whole nation was enraptured by the screens, entranced by the Phantom Thieves. If Ryuji's whole goal had been for that nation to recognize the Phantom Thieves it was at this moment that the world would take notice. However just as they were about to announce Shido name the screen cut out, replaced by the SMPTE color bars.

"What the hell it was just getting good!" A man shouted to Ren's left.

Ren knew the work Futaba had put into this calling card. Ren had watched her ferociously work on the code between lucid dreams and mountains of pain this past week. To see the SMPTE bars was disappointing but Ren could almost see Futaba smirking behind her computer as the challenge presented itself. Seconds later the broadcast appeared back on all screens, Ren's belief in Futaba only confirmed.

As soon as Shido's picture appeared on screen a collective gasp could be heard from the crowd before it broke out into a loud conversation. While they had the attention of everyone, Shido was still much loved by the public and to reveal his face to be the mastermind of it all was shocking no doubt. It would take way more than this announcement for people to realize the true villain Shido was, but doubt was starting to grow in the crowd as their preconceived notions were challenged.

"We should leave, don't want to get recognized," Ann whispered as she rose to her feet.

Leaving now was probably the best idea, everyone was so fixed on what was happening that no one would notice them slip away. Nodding to Ann they both started to force their way through the crowds as their outlines appeared on the screens. Police were trying to manage the crowds that gathered as Ann and Ren made their escape. Onto the train and before long walking down a silent street in Tokyo not far from where Ann lived.

"Did you see the crowds? They ate it up." Ann grinned as they walked.

"I wonder what Ryuji thinks." Ren off-handedly commented.

Ann paused putting a finger to her chin as she thought. "He's probably freaking out right now. I can almost picture him jumping up and down."

"You two have known each other for a long time?" Ren carefully inquired, the game was afoot, he needed to ease into this conversation.

"Yeah, since we were little. We always got along fine but we kind of lived in different spheres of life so to speak. Who knew I'd be working with him so much nowadays." Ann shrugged before she looked at Ren curious. "Why do you ask?"

Careful Ren… What would Yu do? 'Be honest with your friends. That's always the best policy.' Ren could hear Yu's words echo in his head. Alright, if he wanted to do this, he needed to be calm and decisive. Personality traits Joker had in spades. So Ren started to challenge his alter ego.

"Ren are you okay?" Ann suddenly questions as Ren fell too silent.

"Ryuji likes you," Ren started suddenly as he squared his shoulder and took on the air of Joker.

"Wait… What?" Ann stared at Ren as if he just sprouted a second head.

"I'm serious. He'll never admit it but I'm his best friend and I know." Ren continued.

Ann turned away from Ren and started along the side of the street. Ren knew he needed to give her time to process the information. From Ann's reaction, she didn't see what Ren did and the information caught her off guard. Slowly Ann sighed and turned and looked at Ren.

"You're going to try and get us together I take it?" Ann expertly figured out.

Ren nodded. "Yes, will you at least hear me out?"

Ann seemed to think about it a second or two before she sighed again and looked at him. "Alright, you've more than earned yourself the ability to be heard out but I'm not agreeing to anything."

"Fair," Ren confirmed before he continued. "Look, I know as he is now Ryuji isn't what I'd consider prime boyfriend material, but he has the fundamentals. He's okay looking, he is very loyal, has a good heart, and generally cares about the people around him."

"He is also loud-mouthed, clumsy, rude, and short-tempered." Ann countered.

She knew Ryuji's faults to a 'T'. It made sense, after all, they knew each other for quite some time. "As I said, he needs some work, but I think I can make him at least a little better. Someone that you would like to date." Ren explained calmly.

"How?" Ann questioned folding her arms across her chest.

"Would you date me?" Ren asked.

"…" Ann went silent and that told Ren everything he needed to know.

"Between me and Yu-senpai, we got this. Give me until the end of the month." Ren pleaded.

Ann shook her head before she suddenly gave him a lazy smile. "Alright Ren, you're on."

"You won't regret it." Ren confidently responded.

This was shorter then I wanted it to be. I did quite a few edits to make it longer but I couldn't really make it seem to work. I gave up and just decided to post it after editing it. The next couple of chapters will make up for it because Shido's fight is around the corner. The Shido fight is huge, I hope you guys are looking forward to it.