Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart
Shot 10: Menehune Memories
Akira, Ryuji, and Mishima are standing in the middle of the hotel lobby ready to begin debate.
"Our trip is almost over…" Mishima says. "By tomorrow night, we'll be in a airplane heading home." Ryuji scratches his head in frustration.
"Dammit, this isn't how stuff was supposed to go!" he complains.
"What do you mean?"
"We ended up walkin' around same as we always do in Japan! I mean we even ate at a freakin' Big Bang Burger! It's like we never left!" Akira pushes up his glasses.
"Now that you mention it," he says. "It has kinda felt that way, huh?"
"Right?!" Mishima crosses his arms.
"Whine all you want, Sakamoto-kun, but that's what the trip was supposed to be." Ryuji glares at Mishima.
"But weren't some other guys gettin' all cozy with their girlfriends or some shit?!" Mishima tries to recall.
"I think…" Akira turns to Ryuji.
"Yeah, there were. One of them being your roommate." Ryuji stomps his foot.
"Then that's it! That's what this trip's missin'! C'mon, we totally get movin' during our free time this afternoon!" Mishima looks at Ryuji with confusion.
"What are we going to do?" he asks.
I smell fish in this plan, Akira thinks. The same fish that stunk back in Japan.
"Make a once-in-a-lifetime summer memory!" Ryuji declares with a smile. "Hawaii's famous for its beaches, and y'know… what happens in Hawaii stays in Hawaii!" Ryuji fist pumps.
"We can get some girls' numbers durin' the day, then sneak away to 'em at night! You in or what?" Akira shoots a narrow eyed look at him.
"Are you talkin' a "One-night Stand"? Uh, I'm gonna go with "What?"." Ryuji shakes his head.
"Don't be such a sour puss! It'll be fun! Right, Mishima?" Mishima's eyes widen.
"Me too…?"
"Yeah! It'll be great! Neither of us have girlfriends who'd get mad at us about it either!" Mishima looks concerned.
"I guess that's true, but…" Ryuji smiles at Akira.
"C'mon. I know you're actin' all cool, but you're totally comin' with. No question about it." Akira crosses his arms and glares at him.
"Didn't I tell you back at the Fireworks Festival that I don't do blind dates?" he scolds. "And are you assuming that I don't have a girl who'd be pissed about this?" Akira knows for a fact that Ann would explode and hang him by a noose with her whip if he went through with this and she found out. Even just the thought of it...
YOU'RE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH!
*WHOO-PISH!*
... Made him rub his throat and gulp. Furthermore, he wouldn't dare break the most valuable heart he could ever steal.
"Dude, if you really had one," Ryuji says. "You would've told me by now, wouldn't you? It's basic Bro Code."
"Well I-" As if on cue, Akira's phone rings to interrupt them.
"Ohhh, you get a message? Who could that-" Ryuji comes to a realization and stops himself.
"Uhhh actually, you don't gotta answer that. It might be something about you-know-what." Ryuji turns to Mishima.
"C'mon Mishima, let's go!" Mishima is shocked.
"Wait, what just happened?!" he exclaims. "It's only going to be the two of us, Sakamoto-kun?!"
"Don't gimme that look! We're goin' to Waikiki! Try 'n get a little more excited about it!" Mishima puts a hand on his face and groans.
"Man…" Ryuji turns to Akira.
"Check your message back at the room, then meet us at the beach, got it?!" Akira watches Ryuji storm off, dragging a reluctant Mishima behind him.
Poor Mishima, he thinks. He's in for a world of hurt. He looks down at his pocket.
That aside, did Futaba finish sorting out the data from Makoto's sister's laptop?
xxx
Akira arrives back at his room to check his messages in private. Can't risk someone seeing it if it was a Phantom Thieves message.
He pulls out his phone and smiles to see Ann's picture tagged on the message boxes.
Ann: Hey, you! R u busy?
- We're all way in Hawaii, so I wanna go to the beach, just the 2 of us. ;)
Getting cozy with my girlfriend, Akira thinks. Ryuji was right! This is exactly what this trip needs!
Akira: A perfect day on a beach in Hawaii? :o
- Alone with my smokin' hot girlfriend?! :)
- In her blazin' hot swimsuit?! :D
- THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF! XD Let's do it!
Ann: LOL! Yesss! :)
- I'm not the only one who looks hot in a swimsuit, so don't forget yours! ;)
Akira: Gotcha! Sit tight, Ann-pan!
Just when he was about jump into the bathroom to get changed, he receives another message. This time, from Ryuji.
Ryuji: What was that message earlier? Was it from Futaba?
- Wait, don't tell me… Was it a girl?!
- C'mon, you gotta make memories with us instead! We bombed it on that beach in Japan, after all!
Akira lets out an exasperated sigh.
"He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?"
Me: Dude, not the kind of memories I wanna make. -_-
- If you really wanna go for another Operation Babe Hunt, be my guest, but I'm out.
- Just do me a favor. Make sure your fail isn't as bad as last time, okay? Mishima don't need the scars.
- C'ya, Skull. :P
And with that, he jumps into the bathroom to get ready for his Hawaiian date.
xxx
Akira jogs through the tropical trees towards Waikiki Beach wearing his blue swim trunks and sandals. He stops when he sees his girlfriend sitting on a bench near the shore.
He never got tired of this sight: Her in her two piece, spaghetti strap, floral pattern bikini that reveals all of her stunning features. From her perfectly sized bust to her curvaceous waist and thighs. He can't help but crack a mischievous grin and snicker.
I could sculpt all of this beauty in vanilla pudding with my eyes closed! he thinks. Hahaha! Pudding…!
Akira tones down his grin and walks over to her.
"Ah! There's my Ann-pan!" he chuckles. Ann turns to him and greets him with a blushed smile.
"It's finally just the two of us," she says. Akira nods and continues to stare at her swimsuit, which she notices. She stands up and crosses her arms, still sporting her smiling face.
"Hm hm hm. Aren't you starring a little too much? This isn't the first time you've seen me in this." Akira smirks at her, noticing her saying that, but chuckling like she's enjoying it. In fact, the way she's crossing her arms right below her chest can't be ignored.
"Yeah? Well, I can't help it. I'm dating a woman who's the perfect combination of sexy and cute." Ann's eyes widen and her cheeks puff out a little.
"Oh, come on," she pouts. She smiles again, walks up to him, and locks her hands behind his neck.
"But… I'm glad to hear you say that, so I guess I can let you off the hook." Akira wraps an arm around her bare waist.
"I shouldn't even have been on there to start with!" he exclaims. "I'm allowed to stare at you now, y'know!" Ann giggles.
"Hey, let's go for a walk," she says.
xxx
As the couple are strolling down the beach, Akira spots someone in the distance coming their way.
"Aw shit!" Before Ann even had time to ask, he tackles her into the bushes and pins her to the sand.
"Hey- Ow! Akira, what the he-" Akira quickly covers her mouth and shushes her.
"Keep it down!" he whispers. "Numb Skull at 9 o'clock!" Ann joins Akira in peeking his head out of the bushes and looking in the direction he's looking. She quickly realizes what he meant by "Numb Skull".
"Ohhh! I see." Ryuji and Mishima walk towards a group of ladies and Ryuji starts chatting them up. By the look on his face when they walked away, it didn't go anywhere near well. The conversation was very short too. Mishima scratches his head.
"Sakamoto-kun, can we please stop now?" He begs.
"I can't let things end like this, dammit!" he exclaims. "We gotta make something outta this boring ass trip!"
"We?! I didn't even agree to doing this in the first place!" Ryuji kicks the sand in frustration.
"This would be so much easier if Akira tagged along! I can't believe that asshole ditched us like that!" Mishima crosses his arms.
"Considering how bad this is going, I'm not surprised," he groans. Ryuji glares at him.
"What was that?!" Ryuji spots his next target.
"Hey, let's go for those girls! C'mon!" As the two are walking away, Mishima stops when he catches the couple in the corner of his eye. In a panic, they frantically wave their hands, shake their heads, and make Xs with their arms to get their message across: Please don't tell him! Please don't tell him!
The Phantom Aficionado Website administer nods and shoots a thumbs up.
"MISHIMA!" Mishima sighs as he reluctantly chases a determined Ryuji.
Akira and Ann slowly step out of cover as the two walk away. Akira facepalms himself and shakes his head.
"Freakin' moron!" he grunts. "I specifically told him to ease up this time!" Ann turns to him.
"This time?" Akira turns to her with a narrow eyed look.
"Remember when we took Futaba to the beach? Well, while you girls went off banana boating, Ryuji dragged me and Yusuke on Operation Babe Hunt." Akira pinches the bridge of his nose.
"It went as bad as you think it could've. He forced me into it, so my pride took such a hit." Ann puts her hand on her forehead and shakes her head.
"Wow…" Akira crosses his arms and glares at her.
"I blame you for that shit, by the way!" Ann turns to him in surprise.
"Me?!"
"You just had to go and make fun of his skills with girls, didn't you?! And why'd you even include me in your insult?! You know I stole your heart fair and square!" Ann glares at him.
"It's called acting! I wasn't really talking about you!" He rolls his eyes.
"Oh, acting, huh? Amazing how your acting sucks when it counts, but it hits platinum with crap like this."
"Hey, shut up!" Akira goes back to glaring at her.
"Did you really think by "You should treat us better" he meant as guys and not just human beings? No matter what you mean, words still hurt!" Ann crosses her arms in thought, then sighs.
"Well… I guess that was a little mean. Sorry." Akira smiles and grabs her hand.
"Oh, just forget about it. I could never stay mad at you." Ann smiles back at him and they continue their walk.
xxx
As the couple are strolling down the beach once again, Ann stops when the garlic shrimp sign catches her eye.
"Oh! I know that food stand! They sell garlic shrimp there!" Ann pulls on Akira's arm.
"I've heard it's super delish! C'mon, we should try it!" Akira chuckles at her excitement.
"Sure thing," he says. "I'm always down for tasting new food." Ann clings onto his arm, which sinks in between her ample breasts.
"Alright~!" she cheers. "I love that about you~!"
And I love those about you, Akira thinks as he blushes.
"... We split the bill though." he declares.
"Awww, but I didn't bring my wallet~!" Ann looks down for a second before realizing the obvious.
"... Wait... Oh shoot! Of course I don't have it! I don't have any pockets! ... Sorry, can you spot me?" Akira starts laughing.
"Ann-pan, I was just joking! Calm down! ... Uh..." Akira's smile turns into a skeptical stare.
"Wait... Right before you realized you didn't have your wallet... were you trying to stiff me with the bill?!" Ann laughs nervously.
"Uhhh... Maybe?" Usually, a boyfriend would be irked about something like that... not Akira though. He just smiles.
"... You're mischievous... I like that." The two walk over to the man near the sign and request two plates of garlic shrimp.
xxx
Akira waddles over to the table where Ann's waiting while being extremely careful not to drop any of the massive portions of shrimp on both plates.
Ann sees him coming over and her eyes widen at the size of the plates.
"Whooooa~!"
"I-I know, right?" Akira stutters. "B-Biggest plates of anything I've ever seen in my life." He successfully reaches the table without incident and sets the plates down in front of their chairs. Ann looks out towards the horizon of Waikiki Beach and lets out a relaxed sigh.
"It's so nice here," she says. "It's like I'm in a dream." As she's gazing off, she notices her troublemaker boyfriend swipe a shrimp off her plate.
"Did I ever tell you about the guy who stole my food and lived?" she asks in a threatening tone. Akira mischievously grins.
"No." Ann slams her a hands on the table, glares at him, and reaches for her shrimp.
"That's cuz he didn't live! Give it back, dammit!" Akira laughs as he holds her back.
"Alright, alright! You can have it back… but you can't use your hands." Ann quickly figures out Akira true intention and smiles.
"Hm hm! You're so cute… Ahhh!" She keeps her mouth open so the Akira can feed the shrimp to her. He places it in her mouth and she bites down on it, sucking the meat right out of the tail skin. She smiles from ear to ear as she chews.
"Oh my God, it's so good~!" Akira burst out laughing again.
"Ahahahaha! You're the cute one, getting so excited about food all the time!" Ann giggles as she starts digging into her meal.
xxx
Akira and Ann toss their plates into the trashcan near the garlic shrimp sign.
"The exotic flavors of another country," Akira says. "There's no way you can resist 'em." Ann giggles at his comment. The guy standing near the Garlic Shrimp sign waves to them to get their attention.
"'Ey! You two from Japan?" he asks.
"Huh? Oh, yes! We are!" Ann answers.
"How bout them Phantom Thieves, huh? The guys that steal hearts! Ha ha!" The couple's eyes widen.
"You know about the Phantom Thieves?!" Ann asks.
"Heard about 'em on the news. They've all the rage in Japan, yeah?" Ann clings to Akira by his waist and whispers in his ear.
"This is incredible!" Akira snickers mischievously as he wraps his arm around her shoulders.
"Say if y'run into 'em, tell 'em I said hello," the guy says. "And ask them to change people's hearts so that everyone loves shrimp! Haha!" Akira scratches his head.
"Uhhh… I doubt that's how that works…" The guy strokes his chin as he examines the couple.
"By the way," he says. "The legal age of consent in Japan is 13, right?"
"Huh? Yeah, it is," Akira answers. The guy cocks an eyebrow at the couple.
"So... you two honeymoonin' here?" Their couldn't have turned red any faster.
"HON...! HON-HON...! HONEY...! WHAT?!" Ann panics.
"N-No!" Akira quickly answers. "I-I mean, we're a thing, but we're on a school trip! A-And... that stuff won't be for a while!" The guy laughs at their expense.
"Sorry! Didn't mean to pry," he says. "Anyway, you two go have fun now!" As the two speed walk away, Ann looks back at the guy waving goodbye to them, then at her man.
"D-Do we really seem like that?" she asks in a whisper.
"Just keep walking."
Deep down, they were happy to be seen like that. It's just too embarrassing to admit right now.
xxx
Ann wants to go mess around in the ocean, but she said she needed to put on more sunscreen. Lucky for her, there were people handing out free towels and suntan lotion.
Akira sits next to the spot on the beach Ann is laying her towel down on, staring at the people giving out free towels and lotion.
"It's like Hawaii understands your needs," he says to himself.
"Hey, Akira?" Akira turns to his girlfriend and blushes when he sees her lying face down on the towel with her head in her arms… and the straps of her top undone.
"Do you mind rubbing some lotion on my back-"
"HolycrapYesPleaseThankyou!" Akira quickly grabs the bottle and scoots ups to Ann's side. He stops to stare at her long gorgeous back before squirting some lotion in his right hand.
I don't think I've ever stopped to admire how tall she is… Tallest girl I've ever seen in my life.
"Y'know, you can sit on me further down if you really need to." Those words were enough to make Akira squirt more lotion in his hand than he can hold.
Control yourself, Kurusu!
He takes a deep breath to calm himself and slowly straddles onto Ann's lower back. As he's rubbing the lotion in his hands, he hears Ann giggling.
"What's up with you?" he asks.
"Not that I'm surprised, but… you sure get turned on easily." His face lit up like a red light bulb and he attempts off of move her back.
"Don't stop, Akira! It's fine. Really." Akira hangs his head in embarrassment.
"Girls are so lucky theirs don't show," he whines. "You could be turned on up to your eleven setting right now and I wouldn't know." Ann giggles again.
"Who said I'm not?"
"... Wait… are you?" Ann goes silent and Akira decided to focus on her back. He takes a deep breath, presses his hands down on her lower back, and slowly moves them upward. Ann starts shrieking and laughing.
"Oh! Ahahaha! Cold! Cold, that's cold!" Akira chuckles as he runs his hands up and down her back. Ann starts moaning in delight as his firm hands apply cold sunscreen on her.
Aw maaan, this is the best day ever, Akira thinks.
"Mmmm, that feels good," Ann says. Akira puts on a nervous grin.
"I-I'm glad you like it!" Akira stops when Ann turns her head to look at him with a rather seductive look.
"Hey… you wanna rub some on my chest too?"
...
You wanna rub some on my chest too?
On my chest?
Akira quickly turns away and covers his mouth to hide his sleazy smile, with little sleazy snickers escaping his mouth.
"Rub lotion on my chest" are officially the most beautiful words I've heard in my entire life!
"Sooo, is that a no?" Akira shakes his head to snap himself out of it and glares at her.
"D-Don't tease me like that, woman!"
"I'm not teasing you. Just think of it as… me apologizing for what I said back in Japan." Akira's face is flooding with hesitation.
"C-C'mon. You know I'd never do anything to objectify you."
"Yeah, I know. This has nothing to do with that. If you want to, go ahead."
"But I-I… um… This is k-kinda…" Ann glares at him.
"Hey! Do you wanna do it or not?!"
"Ack! Yes! So badly!" Ann pushes herself up in her forearms so that her chest is off the ground, shuts her eyes, and blushes.
"T-Then do it quick, please. If anyone sees, I'm changing my mind."
Are they bigger than they look? Do they really grow constantly? What would they feel like? Firm? Squishy? All these thoughts made Akira's heart skip every other beat.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod! He shakes his head and gulps.
Calm down, man! Don't think about too much! Just do it and get it over with!
The "criminal" takes a few deep breaths to mentally prepare himself, then leans forward to positions his hands under her, ready to grope, and shuts his eyes.
Okay… I'm… I'm… GOING IN!
"I see. So this is the true passion of a man and woman in love…"
Akira freezes at the sound of the voice of a certain odd man of an artist who had their school trip destination changed because of a storm. He and Ann turn to their right to see him just standing there with his hand on his chin looking at them in observation. Ann's bod could not have been more red, almost looking like severe sunburn.
"OH MY GOD!" Akira rushes off of Ann's back while she hurries to put her top back on.
"Yusuke! What the fuck are you doin'?!" Akira barks at him.
"I came here in search of scenery that will spark an urge to paint in me," Yusuke explains. "That's when I noticed you seated comfortably upon Ann's posterior." He waves his hand.
"Oh! There is no need to stop on my account. Your passion intrigues me. Please, continue." Ann glares at him after putting her top back on.
"Like hell we will, you perv!"
"Very well. Putting that aside, Akira. I recall you saying that you had plans to bring a girlfriend to Inokashira Park. I hadn't the slightest idea you were referring to Ann." Ann redirects her glare at Akira.
"Wait, you told him we're dating?!" Akira shakes his head.
"No! All I said was that I wanted to bring a girlfriend there! I didn't say anything about you being my girlfriend! And this was before we started dating!" Akira scratches his head and looks to Yusuke.
"Anyway Yusuke, ya mind giving us some privacy?" Yusuke nods.
"Certainly. And worry not. I shall keep this from the others as well. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Yusuke walks down the beach to leave the couple be and they let out a deep sigh of exasperation.
"Aaaand there goes the bazonga groping mood…" Akira groans.
xxx
Down by the shore, there is a vicious splashing far too big to be human. A single human.
After pushing off on the sand below her, Ann lifts a rattled Akira out of the water by his waist, allowing him to to gasp for air.
"GAH! FUCK!"
"Hahahahaha! Dive! Dive!" Akira screams as his girlfriend forces him underwater again. He frantically swims for his life after she lets go.
Hecate's supposed to be Fire-based Persona! he thinks. How's this girl so damn fast in the water?!
He feels Ann's fingers slither up his back and her arms wrap around his neck in a choke hold. He stands up, getting his head out of the water, and tries to break her hold.
"H-Hey, hey! W-Wait wait wait wait! Ease up, Annie!" he gasps. Ann grins devilishly.
"What's wrong?!" she laughs. "Is that all you got?! And you're supposed to be the unstoppable leader of the Phantom Thieves!" Shots at Akira's pride, fired.
"Excuse me?!" Ann lets go of him and backs away.
"Alright, you big baby! If you really need it, I'll give you… ten seconds to get ready." She takes a deep breath, dives underwater, and circles around like a shark. Akira stands there with a smile on his face.
"Gutsy move, taking a swing at my pride." His ten seconds pass and Ann jumps out of the water from behind him.
"Ready or not, here I-" Akira quickly turns around and catches in the air with her arms, to her dismay.
"Uh oh…" Akira grins mischievously.
Serves ya right for getting so cocky challenging me.
"Gotcha!" Ann screams as he hurls her back underwater. True, it surprised her that he was finally able to catch her.
But not as much as the kiss he planted on her lips after he pushed off the sand and sent them both floating through the water. Her feet were off the ground, she can see her twintails flowing with the currents, and she can feel the resisting force as they floated forward. It was like they were floating in a sea of nothing. Just the two of them.
Akira decides to put an end to that moment by bringing them both back above water to catch his breath. He smirks at her.
"Never underestimate the Joker." Ann remains silent and just places her hands on his shoulders and her forehead on his chest. That underwater moment made her heart burst.
"Annie? You okay?"
"Y-You… You just kissed me… underwater…" Akira's face tinges red.
"W-Was that… not a good idea?" After a few seconds, Ann slowly slides her hands behind his neck and wraps her arms around him.
"Um… Can you… again?" she whispers.
"Huh? Sorry, I didn't hear you." Ann pulls her head away, sneaking glances at him.
"C-Can you… do that again… please?" Akira smiles at her, sweeps her off her feet, and carries her like a princess as he starts walking farther out into the water.
"Hold on tight, okay?" Ann giggles a little and tightens her grip on him as he carried her into the sea. He could've just taken her in his right arm and swam out, but he chose to carry her in both and walk her to make her feel special. She wondered if he would be able to do this without the water… But who was she kidding? Of course he could!
He stops when Ann's head is just barely above water.
"Take a deep breath… and close your eyes…"
Ann looks up to look into his dark gray eyes that reflect back at her. The security of being held by him, the butterflies in her stomach, the growing warmth in her heart. All the signs she could read very clearly: She's madly in love.
Ann gave Akira a beautiful smile, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before he gently presses his lips against hers and they submerge back into the water. Once again, the two hold each other tightly as they breath each other's air and float along the ocean currents, little fish and rays of sunlight surrounding them in the water.
It was a surreal moment that lasted a surprising long time before they had to come back up for air.
xxx
After a long day of excitement and fun, the couple decide to end it with a nice quiet moment of sitting on a bench and watching the sun set on the horizon.
Akira and Ann gaze at all of the yellow, orange, and red blanketing the sky as the giant star sinks into the ocean.
"...It's beautiful," Ann says.
"Yeah," Akira sighs. "This one feels kinda different from the one we saw back in Japan… Maybe that's because we're seeing it by ourselves." Ann giggles as Akira places his hand on hers.
"As dumb as he is... Ryuji was so right. You made this the best day on this trip hands down."
"Hm hm… did we do everything you wanted to do?" Akira smiles at her.
"I told you already, didn't I? I just wanted to spend a day with you. What could be better to do than that?" Ann giggles again and looks out towards the horizon.
"You know," she starts. "I told Shiho I wasn't into this cheesy dating stuff… But now that I've actually tried it out... it's really not that bad." Ann looks at her boyfriend and smiles.
"I guess it's because I have someone special to do it with… Thanks." Akira chuckles and slides over to brush his hand across her cheek, which she really enjoyed. He stares lovingly into the tiny twin seas of sky blue that is her eyes. He would never say it because it's a total cliche, but in his perspective, the most glorious sunset in the world couldn't even come close to being as beautiful as her.
"... I love you, Annie." It was a little random for him to say, but it was a simple explanation of why he's with her now and how he feels. It was good enough.
Ann blushes as she secures his hand on her face.
"I love you too," she giggles, topping it off with a passionate kiss. Ann grabs something next to her and shows it to Akira.
"Here. You can have this… It'll help you remember how special today was." Akira stares at the pair of Hawaiian dwarf dolls holding hands. He immediately catches how they are in his and Ann's likeness.
"Oh, this is cool! Where'd you get it?"
"Someone was passing out trinkets while you went to get drinks. I told him they looked like us, so they gave it to me for free. They're super cute, right?" Akira pats her on her head.
"They are... I love them. Thank you." Ann giggles, happy she managed to get him a good present after all the treats he's bought for her.
"Hey, let's come back to Hawaii sometime," she suggests. "I mean… by ourselves." Akira smirks at her.
"I'm already cooking up a plan!" he boasts.
Next time, he thinks. It's definitely for the honeymoon!
"Yes!" Ann notices the orange sky turning black.
"Anyway, it's starting to get dark… Should we head back?" Akira wraps his arm around her bare waist.
"Just a little longer," he mumbles. "I don't want today to end yet." Ann blushes, lays her head on his shoulder, and wraps her arms around him.
"... Okay." Akira rests his head on hers, basking in the Hawaiian sunset. A perfect romantic evening abroad for two infamous thieves in love.
Target: Hit