A/N Wow, Ren really has it tough right now, doesn't he? I can't blame him for reacting that way, I'd probably do the same thing :D
With that being said, welcome to chapter 8 of this story and first of all I'm sorry for such a long break, but first, I got a bit sick, and then my computer broke and I had to send it to be repaired... Well, I am not going to bore you with details, I just want to announce I am back and wish you a happy reading :D
Oh, and if you also read my other story and wonder about the next chapter, don't worry, I think it'll appear early next week. I thought about updating that other story first but decided that since I started work on this one earlier I thought it would be better to update this one first.
So enjoy:D
Ren desperately turned from side to side on his bed. The sound of Sojiro's and Haru's laughter and loud music coming from downstairs was irritating, especially since it was 3:00 in the morning and he had school tomorrow. The boy opted out from putting a pillow on his face when he was starting to run out of breath and, resigned, turned to his back and looked at the celling.
"This has gone far enough, Joker" A voice exclaimed "You have to do something."
"Oh!?" Ren sat up and looked at the cat laying in the opposite end of the room "Do you want me to remind you why this is happening in the first place!?"
"Hey, don't make me out to be the bad guy here!" Morgana hissed and stood up. "You're the one who tossed me towards the bottom of Mementos and indirectly killed me. Three times."
"What are you even doing here!? I thought I tossed you out of the window!"
"You did." The cat began to lick his fur "But I came back."
The teenager looked at the cat as if it was crazy.
"Dude, are you some kind of masochist or something? Get outta here!"
"Not until you help me get to the bottom of Mementos and locate the source of the Distortions!"
"The what-now?"
Morgana shook his head with disbelief.
"Come on, even you had to notice. Something is wrong with the storyline. This is not how the plot should progress."
"What are you talking about!? What plot!? Everything is as it should be!"
"OH, SOJI, I WANT YOU!" Haru screamed downstairs in her voice of 30-something sumo wrestler.
"Okay, almost everything..."
"Joker, don't you get how serious this is? If we won't fix whatever is causing those distortions to happen, then we..." Morgana stopped dramatically.
"Wait." Ren paled "You don't mean to say that we'll die, do you?"
"No, worse." The cat shook his head "We may never find out who the true culprit behind the mental shutdowns is."
Ren looked at the cat and blinked a few times. Then, he simply laid back and burst out with laughter.
"What!?" Morgana screamed angrily "What is so funny? Joker, this is serious!"
"I-i..." The boy had difficulties speaking "Oh my god… I already know who the True Culprit is, you dumb cat! It was that Akechi guy! Don't worry, though, I already found his Palace and got rid of him."
"You did what!?"
"Y-yeah!" The teenager was nearly crying with laughter. "Can you believe that what he desired was just… a normal house!?" The boy erupted with laughter as he remembered the look on Cognitive Ms. Akechi's face when she found the body.
Suddenly, something heavy collided with his face.
"OW! YOU LITTLE..."
"JOKERYOUIDIOTYOUWERENOTSUPPOSEDTOKILL..."
"LET GO OF MY HAIR!"
Suddenly, quick footsteps were heard on the staircase and soon, Sojiro Sakura and Haru entered the attic.
"Hey, keep it down, will you?" Sojiro asked angrily, completely ignoring the cat on the boy's head "We can hear you even from downstairs!"
Morgana put his little paws on Ren's eyes, causing him to lose his balance and fell on the bed.
"Now then." Sojiro spoke "I was going to tell you this in the morning, but since you're awake… Kid, you'll be living on the streets from now on."
Ren instantly tore Morgana away from his face
"WHAT!?"
"I spoke to Haru and we decided that this will be her room from now on. She needs to have a place to stay until I finish preparing my house for her to move in."
"You can't do this! I'm a minor!"
"I am really sorry for this, Ren-kun." Haru bowed down "But you know, it's not that bad. I'm sure there is a homeless shelter that will take you in. Of course, you're still invited to our wedding."
"I… what about my parents!? They paid you to keep me away from them!"
"Oh, I am sure they would understand… Oh, right, about your parents… Your mother called. She said your father has cancer."
"WHHAAAAAT!?"
"Yeah, I did not quite hear correctly, I was busy with Haru." Sojiro smiled to himself "IBut t was either cancer or common cold."
"Well then, shall we go?" Haru blinked towards Sojiro.
"Of course, Milady." The man kissed her cheek and they slowly walked downstairs, hand in hand.
Ren regained his thoughts and quickly sprinted after them, but they were already downstairs.
"You are going to regret this moment, old man!" the teen shouted at the top of his lungs
"See?" Morgana asked "This has to be stopped. So how about we form an alliance? I help you get rid of Haru, then you help me with my problem. What do you say?"
"What do I say?" Still angry, the boy picked up the cat and walked towards the window "Goodbye, Morgana."
LINE BREAK
The rain was extremely heavy, even for late September. Ren was already completely soaked with water, and he preferred not to think about the condition of the stuff in his backpack (Sojiro did not give him a suitcase when kicking him out). Still, they were definitely in a better shape then the stuff he was forced to carry in his hands.
Ren was desperate, angry, and hungry. The guy did not open the door, too. Angrily, the teenager kicked them a few times, and that finally got him a reaction.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" A voice said from inside the house.
Ren sighed with relief and took the hoodie off. He heard some footsteps, and soon the doors opened, revealing a person inside.
"Yeah, do you need some– HOLY SHIT!"
"Yo, Sakamoto." Ren waved his hand. "You won't believe this… Sojiro Sakura kicked me out of the house."
The blonde did not reply, only backed away in fear.
"Yeah, I know that's unbelievable" Ren continued "I mean, what have I even done to him, right? Well, but the point is I kinda don't have anywhere to go, so I just thought, you know, maybe I could stay with you for a few days..."
"Huh?" Ryuji took a few steps forward "Dude, but I hate you!"
Ren shrugged his shoulders.
"And that's why you won't let me stay for a few days? Come on, what is wrong with you? I mean, what am I supposed to do? Go live with the Shadows in Mementos?"
"How do you even know where I live!?"
"That was easy, I was simply spying on you since..."
"You what!? What the F, man!?"
"It's kind of cold, mind If I come in?"
The black haired boy took a few steps, but Ryuji suddenly blocked his path with a hand.
"Uh-Uh. No way, dude."
"Ryuji, please!" Ren asked "I am cold and I am hungry and..."
Suddenly, the doors slammed shut in front of his face.
"Oh, yeah!? OH, YEAH!? Fine, you asshole!" Ren screamed "I am now going to your Palace for sure!"
"UP YOURS, PSYCHO!" Ryuji shouted from the other side.
Ren let go of his stuff and started pounding on the doors.
"Sakamoto, open right now! I am NOT going to live in a homeless shelter! I know you can hear me! OPEN THE DOOR!
Suddenly, the boy heard what was similar to a chuckle coming from his backpack. He slowly turned around and opened the bag.
"He's not gonna let you in, is he?" Morgana smiled vengefully .
"Not your buisness!" Ren shut the backpack again.
"If only there was a way you could get rid of Haru." Morgana teased from inside of the backpack
"Oh, I will get rid of her for sure." Ren replied, looking around for a fast-driving car.
"How? You're homeless, friendless..."
At this moment, a brilliant idea erupted in the teenager's head. He smiled with his trademark evil smirk no #27, and nodded to himself while crossing the street.. He's not really friendless, is he?
"Thanks for the idea, Morgana." Ren said, putting the backpack down.
"Huh? What idea?"
No response.
"Joker? You there? You know, I actually have something that might interest you."
Still no response.
"Oh, God dammit Joker, will you stop playing games!?"
The cat positioned itself better, extended it's paw, and, using it's claw began to try and unzip the backpack. It was not an easy task, and Morgana's paw was aching from the effort, but just as he was ready to give up, he managed to unzip it just a little bit. Again positioning himself better, the cat used it's second paw to slowly enlarge the small hole he created, until finally the hole was big enough for him to stick his head from the backpack.
"Huh?" The cat muttered after getting his head up "Where is he?" Suddenly, he paled underneath his fur "Wait a moment, that's..."
A loud horn caused the cat to turn around. Morgana's eyes widened and he paled even more underneath the fur. The cat opened his mouth and tried to struggle, just as the horn sounded again.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!""
The street lights of a huge truck was the last thing Morgana before ending what was already his fourth incarnation.
LINE BREAK.
"So let me get this straight." Kaneshiro said, as one of his henchmen was handing Ren a glass of wine "THE Harru Mercenarru that your talking cat brought home has fallen in love with Sojiro Sakura, is right now in Cafe Leblanc, and is occupying the room that was intended for you?"
"Yes, that's right." Ren said as he took a sip of wine
"And you want us to get rid of her?"
"Exactly."
Kaneshiro looked up at his Henchmen and they both burst out laughing.
"Kid… do you think I have a death wish?" Kaneshiro asked. "I am not touching this with a ten feet long stick."
"What do you mean! I help you all the time, I bring you girls, I brought you even Tae Takemi… why don't you wanna help me!?"
"It's not that I don't want to, just..." A young, bruised girl handed Kaneshiro a bottle of whiskey. She turned around, noticed Ren, and burst out with tears, quickly running away "Thank you, Makoto!" Kaneshiro yelled after her "Kid, do you even know who Harru Mercenarru is?"
"Not really..."
"Good for you. Just be happy you did not end up like Agent 47."
"Who?"
"They found his body parts swimming through Sumida." Kaneshiro's henchman explained "They said his last job was to try and kill Haru Okumura."
"But- but I cannot go to homeless shelter!"
"Well, looks like you're screwed then." Kaneshiro nodded his head "I really am sorry, Amamiya-kun, but, like I said, you should just be happy that she has taken a liking to you. You say she's overly sweet and naive? Good. Then just get out of her way and nothing too bad should happen to you."
"I see…" Ren nodded sadly. "Well, I am a bit disappointed, to be honest, but I understand where you are coming from."
"I am happy to hear that."
"Thanks for the drink." Ren stood up. "Well, I actually have another reason to come tonight."
"Oh?"
"I came to warn you… you know, I live on the streets now, so I hear lots of stuff I should not hear and… well, I heard the head of a Yoshitomi gang is speaking all sorts of rubbish about you… he says soon your Empire will fall and he will take what's right fully his… you know, that sort of bullsh..."
The boy stopped as he heard glass shattering on the floor.
Kaneshiro stood up.
"WHAT Yoshitomi leader!?" He asked in a different voice.
Fifteen minutes later, Ren left Kaneshiro's hideout, smiling to himself. That is, until he opened his backpack.
"What are you doing here again!?" The boy picked up the cat by it's black fur.
"I told you before!" Morgana tried to struggle "I have nine lives!"
"But why do you keep coming back!? Do you REALLY enjoy when this happens to you!?" The boy prepared himself to throw.
"Joker, wait!" Morgana meowed "Before you toss me in front of a car again, I really think we can help each other out!"
"How!?"
"Not so fast. First, you have to promise to take me to the bottom of Mementos. And no funny buisness this time!"
"And why would I do that?"
"Because I have something that might interest you."
"Like what?"
"Uh-uh. Give me your word, first."
The black haired boy rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Morgana, I will thr… I mean take you to the bottom of Mementos. Happy now?"
"I would, If you'd just put me down."
"I was TRYING to put you down since the day I met you!"
"Joker, this is not a time for Jokes!" Morgana stopped and facepalmed. "Look, just put me down, okay? And reach inside your backpack."
Ren sighed, kneeled down and put the animal to the ground. Distrustful, he carefully put his hand inside the bag. Aside from all the books, notebooks and knifes that he usually carried with him, he felt he was touching something small and metallic. He reached out for it and pulled it out of the backpack.
"What the hell is this?" He looked at the cat.
"Well, this, Joker, is a smartphone." The cat answered calmly "Haru's smartphone, to be precise. I stole it from her when she was sleeping."
"Whatever for would I want her smartphone!? If you tricked me..."
"UGH! You really are hopeless" Morgana shook his head. "Check her contacts!"
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
With hesitation, Ren opened Haru's contact menu, but as soon as he did that he started to see where Morgana was coming from. The last call the girl got was from a number which was described as "Bastard"
"Haru's fiance." Morgana commented simply, climbing on the boy's shoulder. "Must be worried sick about her, don't you think?"
LINE BREAK
The sunday was unusually warm for autumn, and the clear sky certainly was a nice addition after almost a week of constant raining. The trees somehow managed to keep their leafs green, and the bride smiled, happiness shining in her eyes.
To Ren, this all was extremely irritating.
The boy kept checking his watch, but so far, the ceremony sadly continued without any interruptions.
"Where the hell is he!?" The teenager whispered to his backpack.
"Calm down, he will be here soon… I think." Morgana meowed nervously
"He better be. Remember what I said I will do to you if it turns out I came here for nothing?I will cut off your tail, and..."
"I said calm down!" Morgana answered more nervously "I am sure..."
"Huh?" A man sitting a row further back looked around "Am I crazy or was that a cat just now?"
Ren punched the cat slightly
"Shut up!"
The wedding ceremony was nearly done. Sojiro and Haru prepared to exchange their weddinng rings, and the priest smiled at them gleefully. Sojiro neared to Haru and whispered something that made her giggle.
A red-haired girl sitting in front row also giggled maniacally, looking at the scene.
Fasterfasterfasterfastergoddammitfaster Ren thought, observing the scene even more nervously.
Finally, the priest spoke.
"Sojiro Sakura, do you take Haru Okumura as your lawfully weeded wife, and promise to be with her for better or worse, for sickness and health, till death does you part?"
"I do." Sojiro replied, Haru's reflection shining in his eyes.
"Haru Okumura , do you take Sojiro Sakura as your lawfully weeded husband, and promise to be with him for better or worse, for sickness and health, till death does you part?"
Haru looked at the older mine, her heart already beating insanely fast. She could not believe this moment was here.
"I-"
"THERE YOU ARE, YOU BITCH!" Someone shouted from behind the set up benches.
Everyone turned around to see a middle aged, man, whose dark brown hair have already begin to become gray. The man was dressed in all-military clothing, had a band stretched on his forehead, and an eyepatch on his right eye. Ren took a deep breath with relief.
Out of all the people, naturally Haru was the one to react first. Her facial expression changed to that of pure terror, her usually lively eyes freezing in place.
"SNAKE!?" The girl shouted with fear "H-how did you find me here!?"
"Not happy to see me!?." The man shouted and quickly walked towards the couple. He stopped in front of Sojiro and glanced right into the old man's eyes. "What's the big idea trying to take my fiance away!?"
"Wait..." Sojiro looked at the girl "You're engaged!?"
"I am so sorry, Soji-kun!" Haru looked like she was about to cry "I never suspected he'd find me here… I… I… my father decided all this! I never loved that man! I love you! I want to stay with you forever!"
"Stop it!" Snake said harshly "You know what the deal is!"
"Look, mr. Solid." Sojiro tried to act tough, but he was covering in fear "I don't know what Haru-chan's father promised you, but the fact of the matter is, she doesn't want to be your wife. Can't you just leave her alone?"
"How dare you?" The other man asked in a deadly voice "HOW DARE YOU!?"
"I am sorry, but I must ask that you leave this wedding. Otherwise, I will have to call the police."
"Silence!" Snake grabbed the girl's hand. "You are coming with me! This wedding is cancelled!"
"NO!" Haru begged "Soji, please!"
"You want to get married!?" Snake yelled "Well, here's a wedding gift from me to you!"
The people on the left side suddenly started to cough violently and move away from their seats as apparently a smoke grenade exploded, limiting their ability to breathe. The guests sitting on the right side immediately got up and started to escape, screaming in fear.
In the chaos, Snake grabbed Haru by the hand and forcefully dragged the girl to his car parked just outside the place.
"SOJIROOO!" Haru shouted with tears in her eyes, extending her hand towards the man.
"HAARUUU!" Sojiro shouted with tears in his eyes, extending his hand towards the girl.
Solid Snake pushed the girl inside of the car, which then drove away quickly, as Sojiro fell to his knees.
"Oh my God, Haru!" The man yelled, watching the car drive away.
Ren was observing the scene, chewing yet another bubble gum.
Abruptly, another car stopped by, and, from it's rear window, a person holding what seemed to be an SMG, looked out, and fired some rounds at the red-haired girl who then collapsed on the ground.
"Payback time, you Yoshitomi rat!" the person yelled, as the car quickly speed away from the place.
"Oh my god, Futaba!" Sojiro yelled, knelling by the girl and weeping.
"Dear God!" The priest yelled "What's that big fire over there!?"
The old man looked up, still weeping, and his eyes drastically widened after seeing what the priest was reffering to.
"OH MY GOD, MY HOUSE!"
LINE BREAK
"Your daughter has extreme luck she survived, Sojiro-san." The friendly doctor said as he exited Futaba's room "Somehow, all 29 bullets missed just enough to not cause any permament damage. There was an internal bleeding, but we managed to stop it."
"Thank you so very much, doctor." The man said weakly, wiping his eyes "ls she be okay?"
"She's clearly shaken, and we would like to keep her her for a few days, but I don't think there will be any permament damage." The doctor smiled "If everything goes okay, Futaba will be discharged in a few days."
"Can- can I maybe see her?"
"Well..." The doctor sighed "I'd rather you just rest. That'd be better for both her and yourself."
"Please!" Sojiro begged "I need to see her!"
"As you wish." The man nodded his head "But please, don't stress her out too much. She needs to rest."
"Yes, of course..."
Sojiro entered Futaba's room, where the girl was connected to all sorts of medical equipment. She slowly turned around and smiled. Her heart rate was not perfect, but it was steady.
"Hello, Sojiro." She said weakly.
"Hello, Futaba" The old bartender felt he was about to cry. "How are you holding up?"
"Been better." the girl replied. "You?"
"I've… been better too."
"When can we go home?"
"About that..." Sojiro could not contain his tears "Girl, our house… everything… is gone."
"Huh?" The girl's heart rate increased "What do you mean gone!?"
"It all burned down..." The man whispered "I am so sorry..."
"WHERE WILL WE GO THEN!?" The medical equipment started to make some alarming noises "Where will we live?"
"Calm down, my dear." Sojiro whispered "I still have my coffe, we can..."
Suddenly, the door opened again, and two more males entered the room.
"Futaba Sakura?" The older man asked.
"Yes?" The girl answered weakly.
"I'm detective Ryotaro Dojima, this is Tohru Adachi. There's a warrant for your arrest."
"Game over, girl." Adachi added "What are your ties with the Yakuza?"
The equipment errupted with all kinds of noises, from beeping to buzzing. Futaba's pupils almost reached her eyelids. The girl began spasming and choking rapidly, and her heart rate started fluctuating heavily.
"Oh my God!" Sojiro ran out of the door "NUUUURSSEEE!"
LINE BREAK
Sojiro returned to his restaurant tired and desperate. According to the doctors, Futaba might never speak again after the attack she suffered in the hospital. The shock was just to big. All the old man wanted was for the girl to be healthy again. He did not care aboutHaru okumura or their home anymore, they could live in LeBlanc, just…
"Making curry?" The man froze in place as he recognized the voice. "I want some too."
Sakura finally turned around and saw Ren Amamiya staring at him with his cold, grey eyes.
"What are you waiting for?" The boy asked "Extra-spicy, please."
"Y-you..."
"What? Oh, don't act all surprised, I told you you were going to regret that." The teenager said calmly, reaching for something into his backpack
"You… did..."
"Indeed I did." The young man finally grabbed and pulled out… a cat… "Well, thanks for your help, Morgana, but I won't really need you anymore." The cat meowed in a shocked tone in response "You did not actually believe me, did you?" The next meow was more angry "Come on now, we all lie sometimes… DON'T YOU DARE HITTING ME!" The boy yelled as the cat swung his paws in the air. "Yeah, yeah, I promised, I know… I didn't promise when, though."
The teenager stood up and tossed the cat out of the window. Then, he turned to Sojiro, smiling widely.
"Okay, you know what, I am actually in a good mood today, I don't need your curry. I assume that the room upstairs is free again though?"
Sojiro looked like he could not speak.
"Well, in that case guess I'll be going now… man, I'm beat." The boy was already on the staircase "Goodnight, Sakura-san!"
And with that, Ren entered the room he reclaimed, and happily threw himself onto the bed, singing the theme song he has composed for himself.
"You'll never see it coming, You'll see that my mind is too fast for eyes..."