Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart

Shot 14: Speak of the Devil...

And now, we return to our continued report. This morning, the police have announced that they detained a suspect who may in fact be the leader of the Phantom Thieves group…

Shock. Confusion. Nausea. Deep worry. All of those feelings rushed through Ann's body as she stares at the news broadcast being shown on the jumbotron in Shibuya. She saw him being dragged away a few days ago, but it was still so hard to believe.

Akira Kurusu, her boyfriend and the unstoppable leader of the Phantom Thieves, has been captured by the police.

"Ann-chan, can I get you to look over here?" In her sudden shock, she completely forgot she was in the middle of a shoot. She snaps out of her trance, turns to the cameraman, and bows her head.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" The news broadcast catches the cameraman's attention.

"So, he got caught," he says as he walks to Ann's side. "Man, that group sure was something." Ann turns attention back to the jumbotron.

"Y-Yeah…"

As the cameraman asks her if she would be all for having her next shoot be idol themed, Ann just kept staring at the giant LED screen, recalling how she saw the police take him away. She tried to go after him, but Akechi grabbed her shoulder and shook his head. He gave them very clear orders to run and don't look back. In the end, she painfully admitted that was all she could do.

Akira was all she could think about at this moment. What's happening to him right now? Is he okay? What are they doing to him? Is he being tortured? Will he be able to last in there? When is he coming home?

Her attention snaps back to the cameraman when he waves his hand in her face.

"Hey, you seem a little out of it today," he says. "Do ya need a break?" Ann sighs and nods. Her worry was consuming her so much, she can't properly focus on her job. A quick break is probably best.

"Alright. Ten minute break!"

xxx

Ann grabs her drink, takes a seat near the camera setup, and breathes deeply a couple times to calm her nerves. Everyone in the group agreed that they wouldn't contact each other and live their normal lives to avoid arousing suspicion, but it was the hardest thing to do for her when the man she loves in danger. He had become the very core of her normal life, so how is she supposed to live it when he's not with her?

At that moment, she remembers the words he shouted before he was caught.

I'll come back to you! I promise!

Akira Kurusu isn't one to break his promises, so all she could do right now is believe in his words with all of her heart.

"Someone's not looking so pretty today with that pathetic miserable face." Ann didn't have to look to see who was talking to her.

"Oh… Hey, Mika…" The catty brunette sits next to her rival and crosses her legs.

"I can't get my turn in if you keep slacking off all day," she groans. "It's such a pain."

"Right…"

"And didn't you say you were gonna "take my spot away"? How are you supposed to do that if you don't even do your job?"

"Sorry…"

"Well, it's like not you could steal it, even if you wanted to. Ya know, you really shouldn't make promises you can't-" Ann finally snaps and gets up in Mika's face.

"Hey. If you're talking to me just to be a stuck up bitch," she says in a cold, deep tone, accompanied by a menacing glare. "Do me a huge favor and leave me the hell alone." Mika's eyed pop a little at Ann's outburst as she hangs her head.

"Well… that's a first. Never seen you actually blow up before." Ann grips her bottle.

"Well, I don't really have any reason to be happy right now, alright? And I'm definitely not in the mood for you spouting any of your crap. So again: If that's all you're here for, GO. AWAY." Mika takes a sip of her drink and rolls her eyes.

"... They say just talking about it helps…" Ann shoots a narrow eyed look at Mika.

"You wanna hear what I have to say? I thought you said you had no problem hating me." Mika gives Ann the usual stink eye.

"I don't. But if I'm gonna beat you with beauty, I need you to be at the top of your game. Fair and square, remember?" Ann's face becomes flooded with worry and she sighs.

"... M-My… My boyfriend's kinda in trouble," she confesses. "And I don't have any way to know if he's okay… He promised he'd be back, but…" Mika scoffs at Ann.

"If he promised, then stop being stupid and worried about him." Ann turns to her cold-hearted rival in surprise.

"As far as you know, he's on his way back home right now. All you gotta do is shut up wait." The fact that the person who hates her guts is trying to help her out makes her words all the more meaningful. And she's right. Unless she hears otherwise, Akira is most likely already on his way back to Leblanc.

Ann smiles at Mika.

"You're so right," she chuckles. "Thanks, Mika." Mika gets out of her seat and walks away.

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and get your shoot done already!" Ann slaps herself to regain her focus and gets ready to continue the shoot.

xxx

After taking his last picture, the cameraman gives Ann a thumbs up.

"Alright, Ann-chan! We're done! You're good to go!" Ann breathes a sigh of relief, glad that finally has a firm hold on her focus. Something she hasn't had for a few days.

"Mika-chan! You're up!"

"Okay! (Finally!)" Ann immediately rushes over to Mika with a smile on her face.

"Mikaaa! Hey, thanks sooo much for earlier! I really appreciate it!" Mika's eyes widen before she puts on her good girl smile.

"Huh? Oh, it's no trouble at all!" she giggles. "I'm just glad I could help." The cameraman laughs at their conversation.

"Looks like you two are finally getting along!" Ann wraps her arm around Mika's shoulders and smiles at him.

"Mm hm! We're best friends now!" The two rivals giggle, then starts talking to their teeth while keeping their smiles on.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mika asks.

"Nothing. I really did wanna thank you. I just knew I could do it now and make you accept it since you're so keen on playing good girl for everyone."

"Weeell, aren't you a clever little skank." As they are talking, the news broadcast on the jumbotron catches their attention. What they hear… is far from pleasant.

We have breaking news. The young man being held in custody has committed suicide. The police have confirmed his death, although details have not been released. To repeat, the suspect has committed suicide while in custody.

"Huh. Didn't he wanna talk that badly," Mika says. "Guess that's that, huh?" She doesn't get a response. When she looks at Ann, she sees the obvious paleness on her face, the quivering of her lips, and the shock in her eyes.

Mika waves her hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Earth to Blondie. You there?"

Suicide… Death…

Those two words echoed endlessly in her mind, getting louder and louder the more they bounced around until they were as loud as thunder.

Her head began to spin like a whirlpool, her eyes hazed, her vision blurred, her breathing started getting erratic, her balance was waning, and her heart began to break twice as severely as when her best friend moved away. Overwhelmed by the weight, she finally dropped to her knees and starting vomiting on the ground, to Mika's shock.

"Whoa, hey! U-Uh, someone!" Ann's state of shock prevents her from noticing her surroundings as nearby staff rush over. It's as if, for a moment, she couldn't feel the world anymore.

xxx

After spending what felt like an eternity in a state of pitch black emotional darkness, a hard shake on her shoulder is what brings Ann back to reality. She sits up, shakes her head, and rubs her eyes to shake off her prolonged daze.

"Hey! Are you coming back to life or what?!" She looks to her right and sees her mean queen rival sitting next to her.

"Huh? Mika? Ugh, what happened?" Ann asks while rubbing her forehead.

"I should be asking you that!" Mika barks. "What the hell was with you freaking out after that Phantom Thieves broadcast?! You almost got your damn vomit all over my boots!" Ann immediately remembers what caused her to black out: The news broadcast about him… and his confirmed death. She hangs her head.

"Oh… yeah…" Mika rolls her eyes, annoyed by her rival's absent-mindedness.

"Whatever. Anyway, this is your place, right?" Ann looks to where Mika is pointing to on the left side. It's the apartment complex she lives in.

"What the… How'd I end up here?"

"Uhhh, I drove you?" Ann notices the seatbelt around her and the interior of the car she's in. At first, she wondered why on Earth Mika of all people would take her home. It didn't take long for her to figure it out.

"Oh right. This is part of your "Good girl" act, huh?" Mika glares at her.

"What kind of witch do you take me for?! Yeah, I've been a bitch to you and don't regret it, but I'm not heartless enough to just leave you there on the ground when you're sick!" Mika turns her head.

"It wasn't part of my "Good girl" act. It was just… the right thing to do, I guess." Ann stares at her rival, who responds with the usual stink eye.

"You… had to cancel on your turn today, huh?" Ann says. "Sorry… and… thanks…" Mika rolls her eyes again and unlocks the car door.

"Whatever. I'll have plenty more. Now get outta my car and make sure you get some rest." Ann nods, grabs her bag from the back, gets out of the car, and waddles towards the building's front entrance.

xxx

Ann plops down onto her living room couch and stares at the ceiling in the dark, quiet room. The state of room reflects the state of her heart too perfectly. Dark, empty, and devoid of any happiness. She obviously never thought that it would be like this. She had Akira, after all.

After a moment of total silence, a loud high-pitch sound catches her attention. It sounded like it came from the balcony. She turns to the balcony door as the sound goes off again. Turns out it was a cat's meow.

"Lady Ann?! Lady Ann, are you in there?! Let me in!" Ann walks over to the door and opens it to let Morgana, who obviously rushed over after hearing about Akira, inside.

"So, this is your place, huh?" he says as he pads inside. "It's a major difference from the attic." He shivers as Ann closes the door behind him.

"Hey, why is it so dark in here? And turn up the heat! It's freezing in here! Brr!" Mona hears a sudden thud behind him and turns around to see Ann sitting in fetal position. He rushes over with worry.

"Hey! Are you alright?!" Her body starts to tremble as she finally breaks down in tears. It was like everything had been taken from her again in the same manner as before, but this time it's lost forever.

"No! Not you…! Please! Anything but this…! D-Don't leave me…! Akira…!" Seeing his smiling face, being held in his strong arms, hearing him say "I love you" everyday. It was immeasurable how badly she didn't want that to end.

She lifts her head up and looks at Mona when hears his purring and feels him rub up against her thigh.

"It's way too early for that," he says. "You know we can't trust the police or anything the mass media is saying. Unless we see it for ourselves, we can't believe that what they said about Akira is true. Besides, he promised you he'd come back, didn't he? It's Akira we're talking about, so he'd never go down that easily." At that moment, Ann remembers who her boyfriend is: The badass, unstoppable, gunslinging leader of the Phantom Thieves, Joker, whose fury reduces all foes to dust. Even if you're ready for him, you'll never see him coming. Your fall by his hands will be your last surprise.

After calming herself down, Ann laughs out loud, realizing how stupid she was for breaking down the way she did, and rubs her eyes.

"You are so right!" she exclaims. "What the hell am I freaking out about?! It'll take more than police to bring him down!" Ann picks Mona by his shoulders, stands up, and holds him on her shoulder while petting his back, as if she were hugging him, which he more than enjoyed.

S-So… warm, he thinks. I could die happily right now!

"Thanks a lot, Mona." The black cat nuzzles against Ann's head.

"Purrrrrr… Mewwwwww! Mrrrooooooow! MrrraaaaAAAooooowww!" Ann didn't mind that he was into it. He deserves it after bringing her back to her senses.

xxx

It's early in the morning. Ann let Mona stay with her for the night and sleep next to her in bed.

As Mona is enjoying his crush's arms being wrapped around him while he slept, he hears her phone go off. He sleepily escapes her embrace and walks over to her phone. His eyes pop open and a gasp escapes his mouth at the sight of the text that was sent to her.

He rushes over to wake her up, pushing his paws on her face.

"Hey! Lady Ann! C'mon, wakey wakey!" Ann turns her head in her sleep. Mona resorts to beating his tail against her face.

"Lady Ann! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" She turns her head face down and covers herself with her blanket. Determined to awaken the sleeping blonde, Mona gets down from the bed, then rushes to the other side to climb to the top of her dresser. He positions himself and crotches down.

"You made me do this." The black cat leaps of the dresser and dive bombs right on top of her, making her jolt awake.

"OHMYGOD, WHATTHE-!" Ann looks around, then glares at Mona with dreary eyes.

"Mona, what the hell?!" she says groggily.

"Check your phone!" Ann rubs her eyes, grabs her phone, and opens the text message she received. As she slowly read the words, not only did her eyes widen in shock, but her heart started warming up again as her world came to life.

Futaba: EMERGENCY UPDATE!

- The "Devil" has escaped from "Heaven"!

- I repeat: The "Devil" has escaped from "Heaven"!

- All "Sinners" rendezvous at "Hell" immediately after school!

xxx

As per Futaba's instructions, Ann met up with the others at Leblanc after school and they all waited in the attic for Makoto's sister. It was a very long wait, but considering that she thought he was dead yesterday, Ann was just happy he was coming.

Some time in the evening, everyone hears a woman's voice from downstairs.

"It's me. You can all come down now." Everyone goes down the stairs to the store to meet Makoto's sister, Sae.

"You're her sister, correct?" Haru asks.

"Makoto told me everything." Sae looks at Futaba with a remorseful look and bows to her.

"Futaba-chan, I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble this past summer." She is referring to when she threatened to dissolve Sojiro's custody of her unless he surrendered information about his previous job. Futaba just smiles.

"Nah, that's ancient history…" Ryuji scratches his head in anger.

"But man, that goddamn detective!"

Goro Akechi is the only one not present among the Phantom Thieves, which they are more than happy about. Why would they want him anywhere near Akira after he deceived the group and tried to kill their leader?

Not only is he the the one who sold them out during the casino heist. He is also the black masked Metaverse user who's been causing the mental shutdown and psychotic breakdown crimes, including the deaths of Futaba's mother and Haru's father. After getting Akira captured, he was planning on using his connection with his superiors to enter the interrogation room he was being held in, assassinate him, and stage it as a suicide, which the police under corrupted influence would tell the media.

Had he been successful, it would have ultimately been the end of the Phantom Thieves organization. However, they were prepared in advance, and according to Futaba…

"Look who's here!" Everyone turns to the door where a smirking, chuckling Sojiro stood. Not wanting to keep them in suspense, he steps aside and opens the door to reveal a shadowy figure in the doorway.

Relief. Joy. Warmth. Overflowing love. All of these things made Ann's heart do quadruple flips as she beheld the all too familiar outline of a man: Tall, broad shoulders, and frizzy hair standing triumphantly in his school uniform. The biggest smile she's ever had appeared on her face and she laughs a little as the figure marches into the cafe and whips out his usual glasses.

"Speak of the devil…!" With his signature cocky smirk and mischievous snicker, Akira puts on his spectacles and they gleam as he pushes them up.

"And the devil shall appear!"

Immediately after announcing his long awaited return, Akira is tackled by Ryuji, Ann, and Futaba, almost knocking him to the ground. His best friend and his girlfriend grab his head and mess with his hair while his baby sister just hugs him.

"GAH, FUCK! Hey! Ease up on the hair! And watch the glasses!" The three let go and back away while the rest of the group walks over to greet him.

"Hey, ya big bastard!" Ryuji shouts, punching his shoulder. Ann, wanting to save her happiness as his lover for later, gives him a backrub.

"How've ya been?!" Akira points his forehead.

"C'mon, Ann. I mean, I died," he says sarcastically. "Shot right here on my forehead and left for dead. So, yeah. I'm fan-tas-tic." Ann giggles, happy that he's still the same mouthy troublemaker she fell in love with.

"You must be fine if you're joking around like that."

xxx

The rest of conversation consisted of explaining the Phantom Thieves' master plan of deceiving Akechi and his superiors to Sojiro and Sae, including mentioning how Sae's interrogation of Akira was their biggest gamble to get her on their side. Had he failed, Akechi's assassination would have been successful and he would have died for real.

They then explain that their goal was to get proof of Akechi's deception and hide their presence from the masses so that they can go after their true foe in complete secrecy. Then, once they secure the infiltration route to his Treasure, Akira will cause an uproar by announcing his return and that the Phantom Thieves are about to tear down Japan's current society and "take" the country.

After explaining everything and going over tomorrow's agenda, everyone heads home for some much needed rest.

xxx

It's nearly midnight and Akira and Mona are fast asleep, with Akira sleeping more soundly than ever. He deserves it after all the hell he's been through.

Suddenly, Mona hears a loud banging coming from downstairs. He tries to ignore it, but it goes off again and again until he finally gets fed up with it.

"Uggggh! The store's closed!Who's banging at the door so late at night?!" He's tempted to wake Akira up, but he's supposed to be playing dead man, so he can't be seen by any strangers. He jumps off the bed and jogs downstairs to see who it is.

After a few seconds, he hurries back up and pounces on Akira's face, waking him up. Apparently, that's his job now.

"Huh?! Ugh! Mona, what the hell?!"

"Downstairs! Quick!" Akira groans as he struggles to sit up, rubs his eyes, gets out of bed, and slowly walks downstairs. His grogginess vanishes in an instant when he comes down to the cafe and sees someone at the door.

"Huh?... Annie?!" He jogs over to the door, noticing the time on the clock, and opens it.

"Hey! It's almost midnight! What're you-" Ann cuts him off when she starts rubbing her hands on his face, then his shoulders, and finally his torso. Afterwards, she reveals her smiling face, flooding with tears.

This doesn't come as a surprise to Akira at all. The woman had to spend two whole days worrying about if he was alive or not. He knew this would be coming, sooner or later.

Akira pulls her inside, closing the door behind her, and wraps his arms around her waist for a tight hug, leaning his back against to door and stroking her head as he does so.

"It's okay," he whispers. "Go ahead…" Ann grips at Akira's shoulders, buries her face in his chest, and slowly opens the floodgates. She starts sniffling, then it escalates to sobs, and finally leads to loud screams. Akira just remained silent and let her cry, feeling her warmth and her pounding heart as she trembling and still stroking her head in an attempt to calm her.

After a long moment spent in his tender embrace, she finally calms down enough to talk.

"W-When I said… I freaked out when I saw the news," she stutters. "I didn't say how much… God, it felt like someone shot the biggest hole in me…! I was so scared!" She wraps her arms around his neck and smiles.

"But… this is you, right? You're really here?" Akira pushes her chin up and gives her a long passionate kiss, which is very much welcome.

"That proof enough for you?" he asks in a whisper. She chuckles and nods as she rubs her eyes. Akira notices some folded clothes in her bag, smiles, and pats her on her head.

"Go get changed in the bathroom. I'll be waiting for you upstairs."

xxx

After a few minutes, Ann walks up in her PJs and walks over to the bed where Akira is already laying down.

"I had a feeling you'd want to stay the night after he came back," Mona sighs. Ann slides into bed with Akira and he throws the blanket over them both as she gets snuggled in. As her head finds its rightful place on his chest, a golden four-leaf clover dangles in front of her face.

"You actually saved me back there, y'know," Akira says as he puts the necklace in her hand. "When they used those drugs on me, I completely forgot everything… But when I looked at this, all my memories started flooding back. I didn't remember the whole plan… I just knew you were waiting for me to come home. In a way… you helped bring me back." Akira presses his forehead against hers.

"... Your light brought me home… like I always knew it could." Ann doesn't say anything. All she does is smile, peck his lips, and silently goes to sleep.

"You're not tempted at all?"

"Hm?" Mona hops onto the bed and Akira turns to him.

"You brought her here so many times for dates," Mona says. "And this is the second time she's spending the night. You seriously don't wanna… y'know… make the move?" Akira stares at Ann's sleeping face and lightly massages her cheek.

"Can't say I haven't had those thoughts. I mean, just looking at her takes my breath away. But I didn't fall for her just for that. Out of all the hearts I've stolen, hers is the one I wanted the most. If a situation like that comes up where we both want to, it'll happen… but I'm not gonna force her to do something she doesn't wanna do. Besides, after Kamoshida, I'm pretty sure that's the last thing on her mind." Mona already had a lot of respect for Akira as a leader, a comrade, and a friend, but that respect just skyrocketed.

"Man… you really are something else," he sighs. "No wonder she chose you." Akira turns to his feline friend.

"Hey, Mona? Thanks for taking care of Annie for me," he says.

"No problem. Lady Ann was really devastated when she saw that broadcast. I didn't hesitate to be her shoulder to cry on… or her kitty to snuggle." Akira grins, knowing that he put his trust in the right person…

At least until he heard the "snuggle kitty" part.

"Wait," he says in a cold tone. "Snuggle? What the fuck are you talking about?" Mona turns away from him and curls up into a ball as he snickers.

"Nothing. It was just a hug… A really warm… tight… snuggly hug… Mwehehehehe!"

"Note to self: Give Mona a glacier bath after our final mission!" The two continue to quietly argue, not noticing Ann's giggles as she listens with her eyes closed.

Target: Hit