"Ken-Kun!" Naoto snapped as he raised the gun at Goro.
Naoto didn't know what to do, someone wLet as pointing a gun at her brother. Adding another gun would just complicate things. Also, this was Ken-Kun, they had met before and Naoto's impression of him was that he was a good kid. Still, Naoto's hand traveled to her concealed firearm without any sane conscious thought. She didn't want this to turn violent but if it did she was ready.
"You are Goro Akechi correct?" Ken asked as his tone seemed to hold a deadly kind of intent.
"Yes." Goro nodded.
Goro didn't seem at all shocked by the gun drawn against him. It was almost eerie how calm he was, giving Naoto the sinking feeling this wasn't the first time he had been in this particular situation. Goro never really shared much about his past with her. Naoto understood why his past was stained with pain. There weren't many good memories. Even so, Goro had shared a few highlights. Proof that the boy was slowing opening up to her. Naoto took a tentative step forward, a silent gesture to prove she was on his side. Goro seemed to notice instantly and put his hand up to stop her. Naoto retreated, pulling down her cap. It was clear this was Goro's fight and he didn't want her to interfere.
"You've killed 17 people, three of whom were innocent. Do you deny this?" Ken accused him.
"Ken-Kun, please stand down. I don't know what you are trying to accomplish here but shooting a man in cold blood won't solve it. I thought you knew that." Aigis tried to be a voice of reason but there was too much tension in the air.
"I don't deny it if you want I can name them all off for you." Akechi took a stepped towards Ken. "Do you know one of them?"
"I don't have to know any of them to be distrustful of a serial killer. They let you walk free, but what about the families of those you killed? Are they okay with this? You took things from them that are irreplaceable!" Ken growled his finger moving over the trigger.
Akechi took a few more steps forward. "I dunno, why we don't ask them."
Instantly a scuffle broke up between the two of them. Naoto adverted her gaze to the ground. Only the gunshot that rang out caused her to look up at the commotion. Goro quickly overcame Ken, taking the gun and forcing the other boy back. Yosuke shifted next to Naoto and leaned in.
"Do something…" Yosuke insisted.
"I can't. Goro needs to do this for himself…" Naoto whispered back to her friend, knowing he wouldn't understand at this particular moment.
"You bastard." Ken sneered loudly as Koromaru appeared at his side, growling at Goro.
"You're not wrong." Akechi countered coldly as he racked the slide of the gun, ejecting the spent casing and putting a new round in the chamber.
Goro flipped the gun around in his hand as he stepped up to the Thieves. Instantly Naoto knew what the boy was going to do. Her heart sank to her stomach. She didn't want to look but her body didn't listen to her command to look away. First Goro offered the gun to Futaba. It was quickly rejected by the navigator. Next, he offered it to Haru, she took it. Naoto sucked in a breath as Goro got to his knees.
"Haru!" Ann shouted.
"Everyone get back!" Ren swiftly ordered, the intensity in his gaze showing his seriousness about the issue.
"But Ren!" Ryuji tried to protest.
"Now." Ren's words had a finality to them.
At his command, the other Thieves collectively took a few steps back. Naoto understood Ren's decision at that moment. He had stated before the only ones that could hold a grudge against Goro and if this was how that grudge was going to play out, out of respect for both Haru and Goro he'd made sure it'd play out. It was a decisive choice and Naoto could respect Ren's ability to lead at that moment. Like Ren, Naoto would respect Goro's decision to offer contrition in this way.
Haru looked at the gun in her hand before she pointed it at Goro's head. It was at that point that Naoto had enough and turned away. She couldn't do it, she couldn't see someone she cared about to be executed. She had just lost her best friend and now she was about to lose Goro, fate was feeling particularly cruel at the moment. The sound of a gunshot once again echoed in the air as the smell of spent gunpowder wafted in her direction carried by a slight breeze. A clatter of something hitting the ground rang next but Naoto couldn't bring herself to look just yet.
"GORO AKECHI!" Haru's voice rang out.
Naoto's attention snapped back to the scene. Instead of finding her little brother lying dead, she found him in being held by a very angry Haru Okumura. Haru had him by the collar of his jacket and even if she was at least six inches shorter then him she looked him in the eye with a deep blazing look. The gun lay at Haru's feet as a small smoking impression in the ground sat next to it. Naoto let out the breath she had been holding in. Deep in her heart, she was pleased her brother had at least dodged a literal bullet for the time being.
"Look me in the eye Goro Akechi!" Haru ordered. "You think I'll give you the easy way out! Do you think your sins will be forgiven if you give your life to me? You're wrong! I command you to live! Live your life remembering what you did but also live because while you aren't innocent, you were a pawn in someone else's game. Use what you learn from these sins you bare as a path to become a better man. A greater man! You shall not forget them but you are NOT allowed to be consumed by them! My father's death is because of Masayoshi Shido… All because…" Haru's voice started to falter as tears appeared in her eyes. "Because… of a stupid connection. My father…" At that point, Haru burst into tears unable to continue.
Haru's sobs filled the air as she collapsed against Goro. Goro quickly pulled his arms around her keeping the Okumura heiress on her feet and letting her just sob into his chest. Goro looked down at the woman sobbing in his arms as Makoto and Ann stepped forward to comfort Haru. After a quick exchange, Goro handed the distressed Haru off to her two female friends before taking a step back. The shock was still clear on his face.
"Ken-Kun, Goro Akechi might be a person who killed 17 people at one point in time, but he is no longer that man nor will he ever be that man again. I ask you please don't raise a gun to my little brother again." Naoto informed the other shadow operative, unable to keep a bit of bite from her tone.
"I see that Naoto-san. Forgive me, but I had to be sure." Ken asserted as he gave a slight bow to her.
"If you have any more hesitations about who I choose to bring on this mission, discuss it with me first. Is that understood?" Naoto didn't like using her authority this way, but she didn't need any more situations like this happening again.
"Yes, ma'am," Ken replied swiftly.
"Bark!" Koromaru barked as he sat at Ken's side.
"This is about Aragaki-san isn't it Ken-Kun?" Aigis asked looking at her companion, compassion reflected upon her face.
Ken swiftly looked away from Aigis. "In a way..." There was a pain in those words, and which lead Naoto to wonder the full context of it all.
Aigis nodded seeming to understand something no one else did. Naoto would try and get the details later, but for now, there were far more pressing matters to discuss. With Goro now safe Naoto needed to focus all her attention on finding her partner. She needed to discuss things in private with Aigis until they formed a plan on how to bring Ren into the fold. Naoto was curious about if Mitsuru had informed Aigis about Yu's disappearance and if so, how much did the android know.
"Aigis-san, I believe you and I have some things to discuss. As you are the lowest number I assume you'll be taking command." Naoto gathered.
"Correct, I will be taking command of the shadow operative part of the mission. However, I will be deferring to you about the individual details of this case Naoto-san. When I read your file it stated you prefer an advisory role, can I trust you to fulfill that role?" Aigis swiftly asserted command of the situation, Naoto could respect that.
"Yes." Naoto nodded.
"Understood. Let us commence the sharing of information. Ken-Kun do to the sensitive nature of this information, can you see to the other teenagers?" Aigis looked to her fellow operative.
"Sure. Koromaru can you go with Aigis?" Ken looked down at the Shiba Inu at his side.
"Whine, whimper…" Koromaru's ears went flat against his head.
"He wants to go with you and speak with the feline known as Morgana," Aigis announced. "I believe it would be far more optimal to take him with you Ken-Kun."
Ken smiled. "Alright, Koromaru lets go together."
"Bark!" Koromaru trotted after Ken.
"Naoto-san, Yosuke-san, Rise-san. Follow me please." Aigis turned to head to a black SUV that was parked next to the helicopter.
"Goro-Kun, come on!" Naoto called to the young man.
Goro turned and moved to catch up with their group. Ken and Koromaru headed up to Ren to no doubt introduce himself. Ann and Makoto seemed to have gotten Haru's sobbing under control and the whole group was starting to gather around Ken. Hopefully, Ken was subtle enough not to draw Ren's attention to the adult's car. Naoto had a feeling Ren realized there was something they were keeping from him and knew it would only be a matter of time before he would learn the full truth. A flick of unease registered in Naoto's gut as she thought about Igor once again.
"Naoto-san, I also read in your report that you always drive. With your numerous advanced driving qualifications, I believe this is the best course of action. However, if you are too tired from your trip, I can operate this motor vehicle." Aigis offered Naoto a set of keys.
Naoto took the keys. She would rather drive. "Where are we headed Aigis-san?"
"The Jilong Hotel, I have acquired the full top floor of the building for the purposes of this operation. I have also put the direction into the navigation device for this vehicle." Aigis got into the car as she explained. "As this is a 45-minute drive, I assume that shall be enough for us to brief each other on the details of the mission before we rejoin the teenagers once again."
"Hopefully." Naoto nodded as she moved around to the driver's side of the SUV.
The SUV was different than the one they had been using as it had third-row seating. It meant there wasn't much room in the trunk area for everyone's bags but there was more room overall for seating. Half the bags got stored in the back area while the rest were stuck in the third row with Yosuke who had opted to stay in the back. Rise and Goro took the middle seats as Aigis took the remaining front seat. Once everyone was packed in, Naoto pulled out. The limousine behind the SUV remained stationary as Ren's group filed in, but no doubt whoever was driving it knew where they were going.
As soon as they got on the road, Naoto starting briefing Aigis on the whole situation regarding Yu's disappearance. Aigis listened quietly only interjecting when she had a serious question. Goro also helped fill in a few details and after about 15 minutes Aigis had the full story. Aigis seemed to be thinking about the situation but Naoto couldn't fully tell. Aigis was still a bit of an enigma to the detective. While there were a lot of human-like qualities to Aigis, there were still a few purely android ones as well.
"When I met Igor he seemed like a very helpful person. I know he isn't human but was something else because he commented once that we were both similar beings. That is probably why he showed me kindness despite what I am." Aigis looked down at her lap. "Has Ren-Kun given any information about Igor?"
"He might have said something to Yu, but I never asked. I was letting Yu deal with the wildcard aspect of Ren's power, after all, he would know more than me." Naoto drummed her fingers across the steering wheel as they sat at a red light.
"I see. I have spoken with Yu in the past about Igor as well as the velvet room. He commented that Igor to him was helpful and guided him on his path to the truth. Everything seemed to match my previous assumptions about him. Do you have the note? I'd like to look at it." Aigis asked.
Naoto nodded as she stepped on the gas as the light changed from red to green. "Of course. Goro-Kun, the note is in my bag in the file folder for this case. It should be at the top. Can you get it for Aigis?"
"Sure, Nee-san." Naoto saw Goro duck down to search her leather bag from the rearview mirror.
"If I may. Can I ask a question?" Aigis suddenly asked.
"Of course." Naoto glanced at Aigis from the corner of her eye.
"You have called Goro-san your brother and he, in turn, calls you his sister, but there is no blood relation between you or am I mistaken?" Aigis cocked her head slightly.
Naoto let a small smile appear on her lips. "Goro-Kun is an orphan so I have adopted him. For now, the arrangement isn't official, but after this case is over I plan to make it."
"Ah, yes. If a human child is abandoned other humans may adopt them like animals from a shelter. How very noble of you Naoto-san." Aigis reached for the note as Goro handed it to her before she quickly started to look it over.
"I've always wanted a brother." Naoto offhandedly commented before she returned to the discussion at hand. "From the note, we can assume that whoever wrote it has to have some affiliation to the velvet room. That limits us to wildcards and attendants. As Yu was a wildcard and was abducted, I can say it could be an attendant. That leaves Elizabeth, Theodore, Margaret and Ren's, attendants. I don't know who his attendants are."
"Caroline and Justine, they are apparently twin loli wardens. Ren's velvet room is a prison. He is bound in chains upon entering. He gains new Personas through executions. Ren called the whole place sadistic and Igor goes on and on about his rehabilitation." Yosuke called from the back of the SUV.
"A prison?!" Aigis remarked. "Something doesn't seem right about that."
"Yu's was a limousine. What was yours?" Naoto thought about it and agreed that it didn't seem like a very forgiving place.
"It was an elevator forever going up. This writing isn't Elizabeth's and from the penmanship, I believe it's fair to say a female wrote it." Aigis looked at the note. "If Ren-Kun attendants are working currently with Igor then I don't think they would have written this."
"So that leaves Margaret and if the note is for Yu that makes a lot more sense. She was trying to warn him about Ren's Igor it seems. But who is Lavenza?" Naoto turned a corner as she spoke keeping her eyes on the road as she thought.
"Yosuke-san are you sure Ren-Kun's attendants are Caroline and Justine?" Aigis affirmed.
"Yeah. We had a big talk about them when I was with Yu, Ren, and Ryuji after Ren got his true bond with Ryuji." Yosuke answered.
"It's not too illogical of a jump to assume Lavenza has something to do with Igor and possibly Ren if the current Igor is suspicious. She has had something happen to her, perhaps incarceration into Ren's prison. Furthermore, if Ren is bound in chains while he is there, we know for a fact that the prison was made to hold a wild card." Goro deduced soundly.
The implications of that statement hit Naoto hard. She should have realized it before but that's why she wanted Goro with them. His mind was sharp and clearly could pick up on any small detail Naoto might overlook. Naoto was proud of him at that moment, he was already proving himself as her temporary partner.
"You think Yu could be there?" Rise's voice suddenly cut into the conversation.
"It's a theory but yes." Goro smoothly commented.
"Problem is getting into the velvet room, only those who have formed a contract can enter," Aigis explained. "There might be pieces we are still missing to this puzzle. I suppose our next action should be to discuss how we should deal with Ren-Kun. I believe Naoto-san's assessment that bringing these facts to him could put him in danger and with the current evidence, I believe that is a very real possibility. My directives are to protect Ren-Kun as he is the current Wild Card, holder."
"I believe we should tell Ren, we know Igor can't be trusted so if he continues to trust Igor it could lead him astray." Goro countered. "As someone that has already been led astray, I don't want Ren to suffer a similar fate."
Naoto mulled over the options in her brain. Ren was someone they needed to keep safe at all cost, yet he was the only one that could investigate the velvet room for clues to Yu's disappearance. Naoto sighed as her brain started to auto-pilot the car. What would Yu do in this situation? Probably take everything on himself. Naoto gripped the wheel at that realization. Yu would take on everything and that's probably why he was gone now, he had probably had done just that. Normally his brash approaches paid off, but not this time. It was time for Naoto to make her own brash choice.
"We need to tell Ren. He needs to know and understand the danger before him. Protecting him will be our priority, depending on the answers we get from him. We may need to confront Justine and Caroline." Naoto affirmed to the rest of the car.
"Very well, I'll protect him as I protected Makoto. I have no objections to this." Aigis nodded.
"You won't be the only one. We'll all keep Ren safe!" Yosuke responded.
"We have to… Yu is depending on us too." Rise's voice held a firm tone.
Naoto glanced at Rise from the rearview mirror. That thousand miles stare she had been wearing most of the day had faded. Replaced by a new look. One of determination. It was a welcome change in Naoto's book. Hopefully, Rise would be able to find new strength from this all. They needed her skills more than ever if they were going to find Yu, also the fact she now held Izanagi meant she was now also a valuable combat asset.
"Rise, we will also need you. Are you up to that?" Naoto asked, not leaving any room for misinterpretation. She needed Rise to know she was needed in all this. Naoto was depending on her.
"Naoto, whatever you need. You can depend on me as you depend on Yu." Rise affirmed as Naoto felt her gaze upon her back.
"Good, I will." Naoto proclaimed as they pulled into the parking lot of the Jilong Hotel.
Naoto parked the SUV in the closest spot she could find from the entrance. As everyone climbed out, Naoto grabbed her leather bag and threw it over her shoulder as they all entered the hotel. She then followed Aigis to the hotel elevators. After inserting a physical key into the elevator, it started going up to the top floor. As the doors opened up, an open floor plan came into view. A large foyer area with several couches and chairs was directly in front of the elevator. Doors shot off around the foyer no doubt heading towards the hotel rooms. It would seem this top floor was designed to hold some sort of small private conference area no doubt for businesses with rooms on the same floor. Aigis ushered everyone in before standing in the middle of the foyer.
"For now this is our base of operations. Rise-san, Yosuke-san, I'm putting you both up as active members from your reserve status. Goro-san, as with the rest of the teenagers around your age, each of you will be receiving temporary membership to our agency. If you wish, you may attain permanent membership once this case is over." Aigis informed the group.
"Never thought I'd be asked to do something like this when I signed up." Yosuke sighed rubbing the back of his head.
"Thank you for allowing us in on this case Aigis-san." Rise bowed.
"Rise-san… I'm sorry about Yu-san. We will find him." Aigis smiled warmly at the idol.
"You have nothing to be sorry about Aigis-san." Rise put a hand on Aigis' shoulder.
"Thank you Rise-san. I heard that you now control Izanagi-No-Okami, which in theory makes you a front line attacker again. I had Mitsuru-san send us a variety of weapons that would be suitable to fight shadows with. Would you like to pick one out or will you be retaining your role as a navigator?"
Rise looked hesitant at the question. Naoto caught Rise's glance and nodded to her. Rise knew how to fight, not as good as Naoto, Chie, or Yukiko did but she understood the basics. Self-defense was important for the idol, as fans had been known to get rowdy in the past. Naoto and Chie both set aside time to get Rise trained well enough that she could hold her own until the security arrived.
"… Yes, I'd like to fight with everyone else. If that is okay." Rise looked around the room.
"The power of a Navigation Persona is both rare and very useful. But I understand there might be a desire to fight within you Rise-san. Follow me." Aigis turned towards a set of double doors.
Rise followed Aigis and Naoto followed behind the two of them. Behind the double door was what appeared to be a conference room. The room had several large metallic crates set up on the conference tables and after Aigis inputted a code into them, an automatic hiss filled the room as the lids began to open. Several weapons carefully packed away were in each crate. Naoto had to admit she was impressed there were this many weapons in a hotel room. She also had to ponder if the hotel staff knew, surely some eyebrows would be raised if they did.
"Please take your pick, I have secured weapons that are both ideal for the investigation team as well as the Phantom Thieves. It struck me as odd that they fight with fake weapons while in the Metaverse, so I have procured real weapons to see if there is a difference in lethality against the shadows." Aigis explained.
"Yes that is rather odd, but our team has always used real weapons and they seemed just as effective as the ones used by the Phantom Thieves," Naoto informed Aigis as she leaned against the wall next to the double doors. "I believe it has something to do with cognition and if the shadows believe they have real weapons then they are real weapons."
"They gave me the same explanation when I asked them the other day," Aigis explained. "I have assessed most of their combat abilities and feel they would benefit from the use of real weaponry, but if they insist on using fakes I will not stop them."
"This one…" Rise pulled out a katana from the crates of weapons.
Rise had an eye for something Yu would use. Yu was an expert at double-handed bladed weaponry. While the blade looked a bit strange in Rise's hand, Naoto could understand how she was drawn to that particular weapon. It was the type of weapon that had defended her all these years as she stood behind everyone. Yu had made sure nothing ever breached the back lines for very long, anything that got back there quickly found out just how protective Yu was of his navigator.
"It's a good choice Rise." Naoto affirmed to her friend.
"It's only until we find him." Rise gripped the weapon tightly as she pulled it to her chest.
"Of course." Naoto smiled.
My editor left and I've been busy with stuff these last few weeks. I was waiting on my editor for a week then decided to just do this chapter myself when I had spare time. Updates will be slow but I'll get them to you.