Ren stared out the window of the limousine as it headed for some destination unknown to him. His mind was a mess of thoughts. Yu's disappearance, Goro almost dying by Haru's hands, the eggshells Naoto seemed to be walking around him, this new Ken person, the dead look in Rise's eyes. Everything was just too much at the moment, so he retreated into his mind, ignoring the conversation of his friends around him. The only thing Ren wanted at the moment was some time to retreat into his head and figure all these things out. The helicopter ride over had been a small blessing as it allowed him some time to think over it all.
Yu's disappearance was by far the biggest thing that worried Ren. He had been with Yu last night as he and his friends told him the epic tale of their adventures. Ren had listened like a bright-eyed grandchild. It was an amazing tale and by the end of it, Ren understood why Yu and his friends were so close. It was also something he took to heart, if Yu was his example then these friendships he was making were something that would be lasting. That had been a comforting fact that had helped him fall asleep the night before.
But now Yu was gone and all that wisdom his mentor was always ready to shower him with was gone. Ren in a way felt alone. Sure he had been leading the Phantom Thieves well before Yu appeared but the wisdom Yu offered seemed to make him feel as if he didn't need to shoulder it all on his own. Admittedly it was nice to have someone Ren could fall back on if things got tough, but now he was once again the man that had to face it all alone. Ren wanted his mentor back. Ren wanted his friend back.
Then there was the look in Rise's eyes. She looked as if her whole world had just suddenly been destroyed. The Rise Ren had known was gone and replaced by the shell of a woman barely conscious. Futaba's connection with the idol only made the whole situation worse for Ren because Futaba only wanted to bring Rise's smile back but his sister had no real social skills to do so. Futaba was slowly retreating into her mind and Ren knew he'd need to keep a careful eye on his sister. Looking away from the window Ren glanced over at his navigator. Amidst all the ruckus of the other Thieves talking about things Ren didn't care about at the moment; Futaba sat glued to her phone. She was currently coping, at least not everything was horrible.
Speaking of horrible. Ren's eyes drifted back to the window after he received confirmation his little sister was fine for the most part. What the hell was that move Goro pulled? Offering a gun to Futaba then to Haru. Did he believe such a grand stunt would earn him atonement? Fool. Luckily neither Futaba nor Haru hated him. He understood why Goro had to do it however and while it wasn't the way he wanted Goro to do it, the gesture had been effective. Ren would at least give Goro that much. The shock of almost watching someone Ren cared about almost die in front of him by the hands of someone he just as equally cared about. That was kind of messed up. Also, in a way during all that, he felt Futaba grab onto his arm with a death grip. Futaba wanted to do something but it was as if she was paralyzed. Ren would not have held it against Haru if she had pulled the trigger to end his life, but it would have created a rift between them. Ren cared about Goro but he cared about all of the people around him.
A gentle touch on Ren's leg pulled his focus away from the storm of thoughts raging in his mind. Ren turned to the owner of the touch as his gaze leveled off against Makoto. She held his look with a concerned look of her own. She had picked up on his mental distress before anyone else had, how clever of the woman he had given his heart to. Then again that mind of hers was part of the reason he was so smitten with her. The problem was as soon as he saw that look on her face it was instantly replaced in his mind with the dead one Rise wore. Ren had to pull himself away as his heart lurched in his chest. His line of sight found its way back to the window. Would Makoto have that same look as Rise if something happened to him? Did she care about him that much? More questions flooded Ren's mind as he subconsciously gripped the fabric of his pants, jaw locked in a scowl.
"Ren…" Makoto's words were lost to him, his mind had drowned out everything else.
Also what was going on with the adults? They knew something and Ren could feel they were keeping it from him. Was it because they still saw him as a child? Yu had always treated him like an equal and now that he was gone is this how it was going to be going forward? Ren didn't want that. He was as much of a man as Yu had been. He deserved to know whatever they were keeping from him. He didn't ask for this fate but he had risen to the challenge none the less had he not?
"REN AMAMIYA!" A voice struck through Ren's thoughts like a lightning bolt.
Ren blinked and looked around him. No longer was the limousine the sight of a rambling chatter of his friends but now a stony silence had enveloped it. Every single eye was now upon him as a chorus of concerned looks pierced him from every angle. They had all realized something was bothering their leader.
"…." Ren glared down at the floor.
"Ren, what's going on?" Makoto's gentle voice broke the strained silence.
Ren didn't want to be a leader at that moment. He wanted to just step out of the limousine and find his way home. He longed for the silence of the dusty attic of Leblanc. He just wasn't mentally up to be the one that solved everyone's problems, that told everyone what they needed to do. Tomorrow maybe, but not right now. He wanted to retreat into his mind and sort his issues out. But no matter how much he wanted to slack in his responsibly as a leader, that didn't change the fact he was just that. Their leader. They needed him to be the man he always was. So he'd be just that.
"Yu-senpai disappeared." Ren started.
Concern was replaced with shock on the faces of his friends. Everyone looked around at each other as Ren let the words hang in the air. Ren didn't know how many of his friends understood his relationship with Yu but they all understood that the two of them had been at the very least friends. As the shock played on his friends' faces, one face among them seemed to indicate they already knew. Ken Amada. Ren didn't know what to think of the other man. He had an air of maturity to him that was only mirrored by Goro Akechi. Ren got the impression he was someone that, like Goro, had been forced to grow up too fast. Next to Ken sat Koromaru, an adorable older dog who held the same spark of intellect that the fox from Inaba had. Ren needed more time with them to shrug off the distrust that he currently had. Their appearance, while explained as being Shadow Operatives, just didn't sit right with Ren.
"You knew." Ren's tone was sharp as he glared towards Ken.
"Of course I knew. Aigis-san told me." Ken replied.
"Do you know what they are hiding from me?" Ren leaned forward as he spoke.
Ken adverted his eyes from Ren as he leaned back and pet Koromaru. "Yes. It's Aigis-san's decision if you are told. I will, however, say it concerns your safety."
Ren could appreciate the straightforwardness of that answer. So they were keeping it from him because of his safety. Ren's mind jerked, throwing him back into his mental hole. So it concerned his safety. Ren's mind could only connect that statement with Yu's disappearance. Where they afraid he would disappear as Yu had done? Ren needed more answers.
"My specific safety or the safety of my friends?" Ren pressed to try and get more answers.
"Your specific safety, but you didn't hear that from me." Ken glanced at Ren from the corner of his eye.
"Whine…" Koromaru's ears folded back. "Arf."
Koromaru jumped down from Ken's side crossing the limousine to stop in front of Ren. Ren glanced down at the dog before he sat down at Ren's feet and put his head on his lap. The soft thump of Koromaru's tail echoed in the silence. Ren felt some of his mental defenses instantly be defeated by the dog's honest approach. Koromaru was trying to comfort him in a pure dog way, and Ren wasn't about to resist the comfort. Ren reached out and pet Koromaru's head as the dog leaned into the touch. Ren could feel some of his tension start to melt away.
"What'da'ya mean? Ren is in danger more than the police being after him?" Ryuji shouted as he glared at Ken.
"I can't answer that." Ken sighed.
"Why not? If Ren's in danger we got to protect him!" Ryuji got to his feet aggressively.
Ken looked swiftly at Ryuji, a hint of anger in his eyes. "And that's exactly what I'm doing! I'm not telling him because if he knew it would put him in danger! Yu-san seemed to have known and now he is gone!"
Silence only was broken by Koromaru's whimpering.
Ren finished scratching Koromaru behind the ear before giving him a silent signal to return to Ken's side. Koromaru seemed hesitant but still moved to jump onto the seat next to Ken before laying down and snuggle next to him. Together the two of them looked like the perfect picture of dog and boy. Ren's vision swept across his friends' faces. They all wore terrible expressions. They needed Ren to step up as a leader now more than ever, regardless of how much Ren didn't want the job at the moment.
"Enough everyone." Ren started as he ran his hand through his messy mop of hair. Ren took a second to collect his words before he spoke again. "There has always been an inherent danger on my end to our work. This new one, whatever it is, doesn't change much. I'm still a wanted criminal. We seemed to have forgotten we are all wanted criminals and there have always been risks involved in what we do. Should I remind you all that I was almost killed by Goro less than a month ago? I say this not to discourage anyone but so we can gain some perspective. Goro has a list of over 50 palaces and if you don't want to accept the risks that come with changing people's hearts, I won't hold it against you if you leave. But eyes up everyone, there is still work to be done. Now, who's still with me?"
A few seconds of silence before. "I am, I started you all off on this path and I'll see it through!" Morgana proclaimed before he stepped into the middle of the limo and looked at everyone. "I still need to get to the end of Mementos and would like it if at least a few of you joined me."
"Me too! I might have gotten my mom's research now, but that only makes me even more qualified to be a navigator. I got yer back bro!" Futaba grinned to Ren.
"Like hell, I'll back down from this!" Ryuji proclaimed. "I'm in always!"
"Me as well, we started this group together and together I want to remain." Ann nodded to Ren.
"Leave now? What a preposterous idea. I shall remain." Yusuke shook his head.
"Shido is gone, but there is still more to do. I too will stay with you." Haru offered Ren a small smile.
Ren could feel the spirits in the limo shift. Even if he didn't feel like being a leader, he still had the ability. That was a bit comforting at the very least. Turning to his left he looked towards Makoto, as she was the only one who hadn't spoken up. She offered him a coy smirk as she raised an eyebrow in his direction. Ren could have read into that reaction but Makoto spoke up before he had to delve too deep into it.
"Ren? You think I'd leave now?" Makoto reached over and took his hand. "I'm with you." Her gaze turned towards the rest of their friends. "I'm with everyone."
Ken gave a soft chuckle from the other end of the limo. "Amamiya-san you have quite the charisma about you. You remind me of some great men I have known."
"It's Ren if we are going to work together. We will stand on even ground… Ken." Ren announced.
Ken smirked. "Ren then."
"Bark!" Koromaru got up and puffed out his chest.
Morgana nodded. "Of course!" He jumped up to sit down next to the dog.
"Arf. Arf. Woof woof!" Koromaru nudged Morgana with his noise.
"Yep, never stopped them before. I'm more than a cat after all." Morgana flicked his tail.
"Woof." Koromaru wagged his tail.
"Hold up. Can Morgana understand the dog?" Ryuji blinked.
"It's not the first animal he can communicate with," Futaba interjected.
"Wait, you guys can't understand Koromaru?" Morgana looked shocked.
"Arf." Koromaru seemed to nod.
"Nope, Morgana you can talk to animals," Ren stated.
Morgana perked up and gave a slight chuckle. "My power knows no bounds!"
"Power? Being a cat being able to talk to other animals? Doesn't sound all that surprising…" Ryuji drawled as he put his hands behind his head.
"Shut it you blond ape," Morgana growled, ears back, tail twitching.
"Ape? The only animal besides the dog is you." Ryuji countered.
Ren looked between his two teammates. In an instant, he remembered the car trip with Chie and Naoto and how Yu flawlessly redirected the two. No feelings were truly hurt by the end of that trip even if Naoto and Chie hated how the other drove. Now that Yu was gone, all that Ren had left with was his wisdom. Ren looked between the two and took a deep breath. Let's see how functional Yu's wisdom was.
"I don't know about that, you smell like one." Morgana arched his back.
"Ryuji wise man's words." Ren gave his best friend a stern look.
Ryuji's attention quickly locked onto Ren. Ren relaxed slightly giving his friend a knowing look that said it all. 'That's right Ryuji you wanted a girl right?' Ren asked silently without speaking a word. Ren could see the hesitation play across Ryuji's face and Ren knew he had to seal the deal. Ren's gaze drifted to Ann and quickly his best friend followed. Ryuji let out a long sigh as he quickly conceded defeat to Morgana, realizing that fighting the cat would get him nowhere in the long run.
Mission success.
"Sorry, Morgana," Ryuji spoke but there was clear hesitation in his words.
"What?" Morgana was quickly thrown off by Ryuji's sudden apology.
"I said I'm sorry alright!?" Ryuji looked away from the cat swallowing his pride. "I shouldn't have made that comment. It's cool you can talk to other animals."
"Okay." Morgana sat back down and just stared at Ryuji.
"What just happened?" Futaba looked around at the group.
"I kind of want to know too," Ann stated.
Ren smirked in triumph at his accomplishment. Not only did he defuse the situation but even Ann noticed something about Ryuji. His plan was all coming together. Ren felt the anxiousness he had been feeling finally melt away. How had he forgotten? His friends, this group… He may have been their leader but they all were more than willing to let him lean on them. He had been selfishly holding himself inside his head when he could have been just talking to them.
"I'm trying to be more mature ya know. Arguin' like that with Mona, that ain't mature." Ryuji rubbed the back of his head.
"I like this new mature Ryuji." Haru giggled.
"I do too. Good Job Ryuji." Ann smiled at Ren's best friend.
"Looks like we're here," Ken informed everyone as the limousine came to a stop just outside of a large hotel.
Everyone filed out of the car and headed into the hotel. Ren followed after his friends before he realized Futaba and Makoto lagging slightly behind the group. Glancing behind him at the two most important women in his life, he caught them talking to one another. Makoto had a ponderous look on her face as Futaba seemed to be explaining something to her. Ren stopped to figure out what the two were up to but they both seemed to realize his attention was now on them. Futaba seemed to whisper something to Makoto before she picked up the pace and ran past him. Ren watched her go before Makoto walked up to him, stopping at his side.
"What was that about?" Ren asked his girlfriend.
"What do you think?" Makoto fixed him with a look that confirmed his suspicions.
"Ah, me then." Ren reasoned.
"We are both worried about you. You started to worry me when you zoned out like that." Makoto's voice was soft as Ren saw the reflection of pain in her eyes.
"I'm sorry…" Ren reached out to take her hand. "It's just… I had a lot on my mind. Still do."
"About what happened to Yu-san?" Makoto inquired.
"Yeah, but also that tense situation with Goro at the airport, knowing people are keeping things from me for my safety, these new shadow operatives, and Rise… Yu proposed to Rise the day before he disappeared. She's had that look of…" Ren paused as the haunting look appeared once again in his mind. "Complete devastation. I don't know why, but I can't get that look out of my head."
Ren tried to avoid Makoto's gaze. He didn't know why, but he could to vividly picture Makoto with that look and that alone made his heartache. He never wanted to see a look like that even close to her face. Makoto gave a soft sigh before she stepped in front of him. Ren tried again to avoid her look but she quickly reached up and gently took off his glasses. Without them Ren felt a bit weird, he couldn't retreat behind them as he normally did. His anxiety was spiking again but at least it was only the two of them. He could fall apart in front of her... right?
"You're afraid." Makoto reached up and put a hand to his cheek again she saw right through him. His masks were nothing against her, but he was okay with that.
Ren couldn't keep the pain out of his eyes now that he was exposed to her. "I thought I made peace with all these risks but of course I am." Ren leaned into her touch, it was so inviting to his rattled soul. "Yu… He was my mentor. I couldn't help but look up to him. Everything was so normal up to that point. Then all of sudden he's gone. What happened Makoto?"
"I don't know and there is no way for us to know. Ken admitted they are keeping things from us, but Shirogane-san and Akechi are both detectives. You don't need to solve this yourself, we can depend on them." Makoto tried to convince him.
Ren was having a hard time believing her as much as he so desperately wanted to. Stepping forward he pulled her close to him and held her tightly against him. She didn't struggle and after a second her arms enveloped his waist as she snuggled against his chest. Ren rested his cheek against the top of her head. For a long moment, they just stood like that.
"Makoto… Please never leave my side." The words came out as nothing more than a whisper in a moment of weakness, but that didn't devalue them.
"I don't plan to, so don't be afraid to lean on me like this," Makoto replied pulling away from him only slightly so she could look him in the eye.
"Thanks." With that Ren stole a quick kiss before stepping back. "I love you."
Makoto gave him a warm smile. "I love you too Ren. We should probably catch up with the others though." Makoto looked toward the entryway of the hotel.
Ren followed Makoto's line of sight towards the front entrance of the hotel. Ken and Koromaru stood by the entryway of the hotel desperately trying to give Ren and Makoto that much needed private moment. Ken was trying to not look over their way as he sat on a small bench and pet Koromaru. The dog was snuggled up on his lap and looked comfortable. Ken still had a ways to go before Ren completely trusted him, but he was getting there fast.
"Yeah, you're right." Ren gave Makoto a small smirk. "Someone needs to pilot this ship of fools."
"Oh, you see me as a fool?" Makoto jeered as she handed him his glasses.
Ren took his glasses and slowly slipped them on. "No, I'm the fool. You, my Queen, are a priestess."
"Priestess?" Makoto questioned. "What does that mean?"
"I'll explain it later. Oh… One more thing, you don't need to worry about my health anymore. I'm fully 100 percent healed." Ren announced.
"Healed?" Makoto aggressively poked his side and seemed surprised when he didn't flinch. "How did that happen?"
"I met a goddess." Ren couldn't keep the smile off his face.
"What? When?" Makoto questioned.
"Again I'll tell you later. It gives you the incentive to talk to me later in private when everyone isn't waiting for us." Ren teased as they walked.
"I didn't need an incentive but I'll play your game Amamiya." Makoto smiled at him as they stepped up to Ken.
"You two ready to head up?" Ken looked up at them as he slowly got up from the bench.
"Yeah, sorry. I needed a minute." Ren explained.
Ken shrugged. "No big deal. You looked like you had a lot on your mind. Feeling better?"
Ren glanced towards Makoto and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay now."
Ken turned and led them into the hotel. "Good, we rented out the whole top floor of this hotel so it requires a special key to access. Follow me."
Ren nodded and soon they followed Ken into the lobby of the hotel. They appeared to take a special elevator in the back and after a quick trip up, the last four members arrived in the large foyer area of the top floor. Everyone was already there and getting comfortable in the many chairs and couches that dotted the large area. Ren did a quick headcount to make sure everyone was there before his eyes settled upon Futaba and Goro. Goro had an uncertain look on his face as Futaba loomed over him. She held two phones in her hand and after a second she handed one to Goro then sat down next to him. Ren wondered the context of that exchange but figured he'd ask his sister about it later. Ren moved to sit down on an open couch, moving over slightly so Makoto could sit next to him.
From the backroom, a set of double doors opened and Naoto stepped out with who Ren could only assume was Aigis. Ken nodded to Aigis before disappearing behind another door that lined the foyer's walls. A few seconds behind them Rise appeared, she seemed to have what appeared to be a katana in her hand before she crossed the room and sat down next to Yosuke. That look in her eyes had faded but there was still uncertainty that lingered there. Naoto scanned the room before her eyes locked with Ren's eyes. The detective wore a guarded look that was hard to read.
"Everyone, welcome to the field command center of the Shadow Operatives. As most of you know I'm Aigis and as Yu Narukami has gone missing, I'm the current commander of this base of operation. As to not mess with the current leadership of the Phantom Thieves, I'll be appointing Ren Amamiya field commander. If that is acceptable, Amamiya-san?" Aigis turned to look at him.
Ren shrugged. "I suppose, Ren is fine by the way."
"Good, Naoto-san. As you have all the information will you please get everyone up to speed?" Aigis looked towards the detective.
Naoto nodded and stepped to the middle of the foyer. "This morning, Yu Narukami disappeared from his bed. After ruling out all reasonable methods for his escape, we determined he must have been somehow pulled to the other world. Two pieces of evidence lead to this conclusion. The first is that my partner's primary Persona is now under the care of Rise. By Izanagi's own words, the Persona told us Yu was in a dark place but safe for the moment and that Yu was given the option to send him to Rise, and Yu took that deal. So by that, we can deduce where ever he is, one can use a Persona there. The other world is the only place this is possible to do easily." Naoto then paused, there was an uneasiness to her gaze as she shifted on her feet. "The second piece of evidence was a bit more damning. In the bed where Yu had been sleeping a note was left behind. The handwriting upon it didn't match anyone I knew, but I can speculate that the person who wrote it was Margaret. Margaret is Yu's attendant from the velvet room, which in this case it would make sense. The words she wrote were simple." Naoto moved through the foyer to stand in front of Ren. Her gaze was intense as she looked down at him. "They read 'Don't trust Igor. Something has happened to Lavenza.'"
Ren froze as his blood turned to ice.
"Wait a minute, I've heard that Igor name before…" Skull mulled over loudly.
"Igor is the guy that runs Ren's velvet room. Ya know the place he goes when he spaces out." Futaba explained to the other teenagers.
"How do you know that Futaba?" Ann asked.
"It was mentioned before just after our two favorite detectives saved Ren. I asked Ren about it later." Futaba informed the room.
"Who is Lavenza, Ren-Kun?" Naoto asked ignoring the talk of the others.
Ren shook his head. "I don't know. Honest."
"Who is your attendant?" Naoto questioned.
"Caroline and Justine granted I won't call them attendants. More wardens than anything else." Ren replied feeling as if he was back in that interrogation room again.
"Ren-Kun. What is Igor like for you?" Aigis asked as she fixed him with a piercing stare.
"I guess cold would be the best way to describe him. He has a long nose and some weird bulging eyes, he looks weird. He has a deep voice…" Ren paused to try to sum up the man that was in control of his velvet room. "He has spoken of ruin and the means by which to oppose it. That I must be rehabilitated that is how I avoid ruin. He speaks to me normally in my dreams, but is always present when I enter the velvet room."
"A deep voice…" Aigis looked off distantly. "The Igor I know doesn't have a deep voice."
"You've meet Igor too?" Ren asked looking towards the android.
"Correct, seven years ago." Aigis nodded.
Something seemed to click for Naoto. "Could it be, Ren-Kun's Igor isn't the real Igor?"
"An impostor?" Aigis speculated.
"It would fit the theory." Goro chimed in.
"What does that mean for Ren?" Makoto looked up at the detective.
Naoto looked at Makoto, her eyes betraying traces of fear. "That's the problem we don't know yet."
There was a silence that echoed among the group. As if all the life the group had was just suddenly sucked out. The looks Ren was catching from his friends made him uncomfortable. It would appear this new danger was real and if it concerned Igor, he didn't have any special tricks up his sleeve for this situation…
I had some problems with this chapter. It didn't flow right and I rewrote part of it... Like I had Ren not as bothered as he is at the beginning of the chapter and I didn't have the Makoto interaction. They seem to help the flow. I don't know now that I'm editing for myself... I can't really get a feel for what is working and what isn't working for chapters.