Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart
Shot 25: A Fight for Freedom
It's the last Sunday of January, a month since the leader of the Phantom Thieves was sent to juvenile hall. Today, his girlfriend took an early morning train down to her bestie's new home for a much needed breather.
Having arrived at her destination in a small apartment complex, Ann walks up the stairs and down to the second door labeled "C2". She rings the doorbell and waits for someone to answer. She hears a familiar voice come from behind the door.
"Who is it~?"
"Cake delivery for Shiho Suzui~!" Ann jokes. Shiho opens the door and they both squeal and laugh as they hug each other as tight as they can.
"Hey! How've you been?!" Ann asks.
"Just fine! Thank you! Come on in!"
Ann came in to say hi to the family, Shiho gave her the grand tour of the place, and finally stopped in her room for some girl talk. Every minute that passed brought them deeper into the good old days where the world can be hell and they'd still be chatting away, just like the best of friends should be.
"So anyway, I knew Mika would keep up the good girl act, no matter what, so I… ugh…" Ann rubs her forehead and shuts her eyes to ease the sudden hit of fatigue. Shiho leans in to see her face.
"Ann? What's wrong?" Ann shakes her head and smiles at her bestie.
"Oh, nothing. Just didn't get that much sleep last night. Anyway, where was I…? Oh yeah! So I went over to… Mika and… ugggghhh…" A stronger wave of fatigue hits her and she covers her face.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Y-Yeah… I-I just… didn't get much sleep last night…"
"Here. Let me get you some water." Shiho briefly leaves the room, then comes back with a glass of water. Ann smiles as she reaches out to take it.
"Thanks, Shi- AGH!" Just when she's about to grab it, Shiho splashes the water straight in her face, then quickly rubs her face with a hand towel.
"S-Shiho, hey! W-What the…?!" Shiho pulls the towel away, having rubbed if the concealer makeup in Ann's face to reveal the dark bags under her eyes.
"Just last night? It looks more like more than two weeks! Look at you! Even your bags have bags!" Shiho shoves her hands up Ann's shirt to feel up her waist.
"H-Hey, don't! T-That tickles!" Shiho narrows her eyes at her best.
"Funny. You're a sucker for stuffing your face. Why does your stomach feel boney…? Unless you stopped completely." As soon as Ann tries to object…
"This is too extreme to be a diet, so don't even try to say that." Ann falls silent as her bestie gives her a worried look.
"Ann, it's not like you to stop eating… Is everything okay?" Ann stares at her bestie and sighs.
"... You really do know me, don't you…?" Shiho retakes her spot on bed next her and leans in, ready to listen. Ann takes a deep breath and starts talking.
"So hey… do you remember Akira?" Shiho lightly punches her in the arm.
"Don't change the subject!" Ann shakes her head as she pulls out her phone.
"No, trust me. He's part of the story. Anyway… um…" She blushes as she bashfully shows Shiho a slideshow of her and her boyfriend hanging out together. The lovey dovey slideshow makes Shiho giggle.
"And you said dating was cheesy!" she says. Ann plays with her right pigtail.
"Yeah, I know. That was only cuz I wasn't really interested in anyone and seeing real couples kinda weirded me out… But after hanging out with Akira a bit, I started to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to at least give it try."
"Sooo… was it?" Ann shoots a beaming smile at her bestie as she rocks back and forth.
"No! It's fun! Going to places with your friends is cool, but going on a date with a boyfriend is super exciting! We ate lunch together at school and took walks together in the park! Oh, and remember how I said I'd want to have my first kiss on the Seaside Park Ferris Wheel? I did it~!" Shiho giggles.
"He he, I knew it!"
"Hm? Knew what?" Shiho cocks an eyebrow at Ann.
"Honestly, I'm not that surprised that you two hit it off. In fact… I kinda pushed him to do it." Ann's eyes pop.
"What?! When?!"
"Remember when you two came to visit me together and you ran off to the bathroom? I may have told him you were a little into him…" Ann gasps and glares at her with a tinge of red in her cheeks.
"Shiho~?!"
"Ha ha ha! Sorry! Anyway, he told me he loved you back, so I made a deal with him: In exchange for my blessing, he promised to take care of you after I moved… Is he doing a good job?" Ann grabs a pillow and hugs it in her arms.
"Well, he's a real bully, first of all! Always teasing me and fawning on me every chance he gets! And for some reason… I-I always really enjoy it. Like he knows the right buttons to push… He always treats me like a princess, putting me before himself, spoiling me rotten… I never feel like just a doll when I'm with him. Never even bothered to try bringing… that thing up… He's loyal, kind, strong, assertive… and really really sweet… He's… the greatest guy ever…" Shiho gives Ann a warm smile, happy that she's found such a great partner in Akira.
"That's so great, Ann. I'm glad you u two are making each other happy-"
"... So why…?"
"Hm?" Ann suddenly frowns and grips her pillow hard, contain her frustration.
"... A guy like that… doesn't belong in jail…!" As soon as she hears those words, Shiho figured out what's wrong and gasps in disbelief.
"… No…! … Did he…?" Ann nods in confirmation, then turns to her.
"... Usually, I'd be careful about this, but… I trust you, so… here's the whole story…"
Having complete trust in her bestie, Ann tells her everything about the Phantom Thieves. How she became one to help Akira and Ryuji finally stop Kamoshida, how they formed the organization to help those in need, and every adventure they've had since their first heist. As she is explaining her story, she notices that there doesn't seem to be any drastic change in Shiho's facial expression.
"Huh? You don't seem all that surprised…" Shiho looks down at the ground and chuckles.
"Um… To be honest… I kinda already knew…" Ann's eyes widen as she turns to her.
"Remember when you guys made that broadcast all over Japan? When the Phantom Thieves showed themselves, one of them had twintails that looked waaay too familiar. And I could tell it was your voice when you talked, even with that voice scramble effect. I recognized Akira-kun's and Sakamoto-kun's hairstyles too." Shiho rubs the back of her neck.
"And now that I think about it… it felt a little strange that everything at Shujin started to change right after Akira-kun came." Ann stares at her bestie in astonishment and sighs.
"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Shiho frowns.
"So, what happened?" Ann hangs her head.
"The prosecutors were having a tough time building a case against Shido. We were the only ones who could testify, but the police would do whatever it took to make sure we weren't seen as heroes. There was a chance they'd fake a crime and pin it on us to have us all arrested… So to keep that happening… Akira agreed to turn himself in and take all the blame. Since he was already on probation, he was sent to juvy, no questions asked… And it all happened on Christmas Eve…" Ann closes her eyes.
"We… had a date at his place that night that didn't go so well… I left cuz I knew he was hiding something from me… When I got there the next morning… he was already gone…"
"Oh, Ann…" Shiho pulls Ann in for a hug and Ann rests her head on her shoulder.
"Everytime I think about what happened that night," she says. "I keep wishing I hadn't left the way I did… I know he was keeping a secret from me, but still… That date shouldn't have ended like that…" Ann gently pushes Shiho away and digs into her bags.
"So, I've decided… He saved me from Kamoshida… Now, it's my turn to save him." She pulls out a clipboard and shows it to Shiho so she can see all of the signatures written on it.
"A petition?"
"Yeah. I've been running around all over Tokyo since the new year, chasing people down for their signatures to protest to his arrest. I've contacted everyone Akira knows to see if they can help, like starting forums and making TV announcements. I hear that all the teachers at Shujin are gonna send a message, a local doctor is giving him credit for helping her perfect a medicine to prove his good character, and some politicians have something in the works." Ann turns to her bestie, seeing her surprised face, and chuckles.
"Yeah. It's scary to think about who he's connected to." Ann turns her attention back to the clipboard.
"Anyway… me and my friends found a lead. We're going to talk to the woman Akira defended back in March next Sunday. We're hoping we can get her to testify… but I'm still collecting signatures, just in case." Ann tries to rub the tiredness out of her eyes.
"I guess in the middle of all that… I forgot how to sleep and eat." Shiho frowns in concern.
"Wow… And I thought you were working hard on your modeling job… You're working yourself to the bone with this…" Ann rubs her arm up and down.
"I dunno… It just feels like I owe him after everything he's done for me…" Shiho shakes her head.
"Still, I doubt he'd want you to stop taking care of yourself! I bet if he knew you weren't eating or sleeping, he'd be worried to death." Ann weakly chuckles and nods as Shiho grabs her clipboard and a pen.
"I can tell you miss him a lot. Still, these kind of things take time. You've already collected a bunch of pages worth of signatures and you guys have a lead, right? How about you just take the rest of the week to rest up for Sunday? If that woman is stubborn, you'll need all your strength to convince her. And remember: No matter what you're doing or where you are…" Shiho hands Ann her clipboard, having put her signature on it, with a smile on her face.
"I'll be right here, supporting you." Ann, moved once again that her bestie's supportive push, gives her a warm hug.
"... Thanks, Shiho… Now, bring me all the food in your house! I'm starving!"
xxx
It's the first Sunday of February, the day the former Phantom Thieves confront the woman Akira saved to get her testimony. After Akira's trial, the woman moved away from Kamakura to another small town south of Tokyo to escape the scandal, which is where his friends are heading now.
After hopping off the train, Ann, Ryuji, Futaba, and Makoto walked through the suburban area to the woman's house.
The four stop in front of a small house.
"You sure this is the place, Futaba?" Ryuji asks. Futaba shows Ryuji the info on her phone screen.
"Name. Address. This is definitely the place," she says with certainty. Makoto leads the way as they walk up to the door.
"Alright. Now, when we see her, let's try to bring up the subject delicately," she suggests. "Considering what happened and who she was dealing with, it's possible that she might not be so open to talking about the case."
"That means you, Ryuji," Ann says.
"Shuddup, I know!"
"By the way, Makoto, is there any reason why you're in a suit and wearing fake glasses?" Makoto had borrowed one her older sister's suits and bought glasses with fake lenses.
"Just trust me." They arrive at the door and Makoto knocks and rings the doorbell.
"Hello~? Ms. Rine Shiouta-san? Are you home?" There's no answer. She tries again.
"Hello~? Is anyone home?" No answer again. Ann looks around and sees that there's no car in the driveway.
"Y'know, there's actually no car here… Maybe she's out?"
"There's no record of her having one, though," Futaba says as she checks the info. As the girls are looking around, Ryuji sees a woman walking down the sidewalk.
"Hold up. Is that her?" The girls turn to see the woman.
"Aaaand Bingo was his name-o~!" Futaba jingles.
"Remember. Delicacy." Everyone follows Makoto as they approach Rine Shiouta.
"Hm? Oh, hello," she says, seeing them walking towards her. "Can I help you?" Makoto politely bows to her.
"Good afternoon. Would your name happen to be "Rine Shiouta", by any chance?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Good. My name is Makoto Nijima. I'm a public prosecutor looking into a case that just reopened." The three stare at her with widened eyes.
"Ohhh! Now, I get it," Ryuji whispers. Ann gestures him to be quiet.
"If I could please have a moment of your time," Makoto continues. "I'd like to ask you some questions. And please know that any information you share with me today shall be kept confidential." Ms. Shiouta starts to worry.
"W-What case are you talking about?" Makoto pulls out a notepad with nothing written on it.
"For starters, are you aware that the man who was supposed to be the new prime minister, Masayoshi Shido, has been arrested as the mastermind behind the mental shutdown crimes?" Ms. Shiouta nods.
"Y-Yes… I-I'm aware of that…"
"Well, I've been put in charge in investigating another case. One that he manipulated in his favor. Last spring in Kamakura, the town you last resided in, a sixteen year old boy named Akira Kurusu was arrested for assaulting Shido. The reports say that you testified against him, saying that he suddenly attacked him, pushing him to the ground and injuring him…" The woman starts to feel uncomfortable.
"However in light of recent events, we believe that this testimony was false and Shido used his connections to turn the case in his favor while concealing his identity. According to Kurusu's side of the story, Shido was intoxicated and he tried to force himself on you, so he stepped in to help, pulling him away. The reason Shido was injured was because he fell down by himself… Is this true?" Ms. Shiouta hesitates to speak, then shakes her head.
"... N-No. T-The boy suddenly attacked him…" she lies. "He pushed him to the ground. I-I was only a witness…" Makoto sighs, expecting this would happen. But she pushes on.
"Shiouta-san… Shido is being tried for numerous crimes. Most of them, we've already proven, so he will be sent to jail. If you feel that there's a chance he may come after you, don't worry. He can't do anything to you anymore." Ms. Shiouta turns her head.
"We would like for all of his cases to come to light," Makoto continues. "And if Kurusu is, in fact, innocent, we would like to clear his name. However, we can't move forward unless we have the whole story-"
"Y-You already have the whole story! He assaulted him! I saw him do it! End of story! Now, please excuse me…" As she tries to speed walk to her house, Futaba rushes in front of her, blocking her path.
"Liar!"
"Wha-" Futaba stomps her foot.
"Akira saved you! I know he did! He's a good guy! He'd never hurt anyone!"
"Did he tell you that? Some criminals do try to hide it." Shiouta glares at Makoto.
"And she's the real liar! Anyone can see that she's too young to be a prosecutor!" Makota sighs, admitting that her cover's been blown.
"Y-You're right. I'm sorry," she says. "I'm not prosecutor, but my older sister is. She's looking into this case too, but couldn't make it today." Shiouta marches past Futaba.
"Well, tell "your sister" that she'd be wasting her time coming here! You have your story. Now, please leave." Ryuji blocks her path next.
"You kiddin'?!" he barks. "Shido's been playin' everyone for years! Everything he says is a lie, which means Akira ain't guilty of shit! He shouldn't be rotting in a cell because you're trying to cover for that asshole!"
"Huh?" Makoto steps forward.
"Kurusu was sent to juvenile hall this past Christmas for another crime he didn't commit," she explains. "However, if you can simply tell us the truth, we can clear his name. Shido should be charged with more crimes, including sexual assault. Please." The woman hesitates before marching away.
"... That boy… is nothing but a criminal! He deserves everything he's getting! And if you all keep this up, you'll get the same treatment! Now for the last time, leave!" As she reaches her door and pulls out her keys…
"... Hey…" A hand turns her around and she has no time to react as a pissed off Ann backhand slaps her hard across her face, making fall on her side.
"Whoa! Ann!" Ryuji shouts.
"Sorry. I shut my mouth and held myself back, but now, I'm pissed." Ann hovers over her and shows her some info on her phone.
"See this? We did some digging around and found out that you've been involved with some pretty shady money dealings while working under Shido." The woman's eyes widen in shock as Ann kneels down and gives her narrow eyed glare.
"Now, tell me… How do you think the police would handle this info on top of you lying under oath…? I'm thinking probation or months of jail time."
"W-What?!"
"So this can go one of two ways. 1. You tell the police what really happened that night and walk away. 2. You get arrested and they force you to tell the truth. Your choice!" The woman shuts her eyes.
"I-I already…!" Ann grabs her by her collar.
"Ann, calm down!" Futaba shouts. As Ms. Shiouta braces herself for an assault, something drops onto her blouse. She slowly opens her eyes to see Ann's leaking angry face.
"I can't believe… he was labeled a criminal trying to save someone like you!" she growls. "He could've easily just walked away and let it happen, but no… He had to suffer cuz you're too damn scared to tell the truth!" Ryuji tries to march over and pull her off, but Makoto stops her. Ann lets go of Ms. Shiouta's collar and steps back.
"Akira's not a bad person…! He always puts other people before himself, no matter what happens afterwards…! He never stops trying to do the right thing…! Even for people who don't deserve it…!" She glares at the woman through her tears.
"Are you seriously just gonna let a person like that rot in a cell?! After he saved your rotten life?! He could've just let Shido tear you apart, but he came to help you! You owe this to him!" Ann's anger quickly turns into regret for having done something that might've gotten her arrested as well, which would've wasted her lover's noble sacrifice.
"... I'm sorry… I know you're just scared after what he did… Speaking up against someone in power is never easy… Believe me, I know that pain all too well… But I also know… that if you don't speak up… there's a chance that it'll get to a point when nothing you do will make it better… Akira doesn't deserve all the pain he got… I know you know that… It's not too late…" Tears stream down her cheeks as she bows to her.
"So please…! I'm begging you…! If you wanna help put Shido away for good… if you wanna make things right, then help us…! I know I'm asking a lot… but I'm as desperate as I can be right now… because Akira… because… my Akira…!" Ann takes a deep breath and makes one last shout.
"... MY BOYFRIEND'S IN TROUBLE AND I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!"
Ms. Shiouta stares at the weeping model after she poured her heart out to her, then gets to her feet.
"... I guess this is karma," she sighs. "... For me letting things happen the way they did…" Ann lifts her head up.
"I worked under that horrible man for so long… I knew he could crush me with a snap of his fingers… He seemed untouchable… so when I heard he was arrested, I had my doubts… But… no more…" Ms. Shiouta turns to Makoto.
"You said your older sister is a public prosecutor, right…?
"Huh? Oh, yes." She walks over to her with a smile.
"Do you have her number? I'd like to contact her right away, if possible." Everyone's face lit up with glee.
"For real?!" Ryuji shouts. Makoto quickly pulls out her phone.
"O-Of course! Right away!" Futuba couldn't help but hug the woman.
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much!" As Makoto gives her Sae's contact info, Ryuji walks over to Ann with a smile on his face as she dries her eyes.
"Hey, nice job!" he says. "That "girlfriend" angle you went for was really somethin'! I think that's the best acting I've seen from you!" Ann turns to Ryuji with surprised eyes.
"Huh…? O-Oh, right… um…" She and Akira agreed that they'd both be more open about their relationship after their final mission, but after he was arrested, she completely forgot about it, which means Ryuji is still in the dark.
… Better late than never, I guess…
Ann pulls out her phone, unlocks it, and shows Ryuji her wallpaper.
"Huh…? … Wait…" His eyes pop out of his head when he sees the wallpaper of Akira kissing her cheek. He looks at her as she puts her phone away.
"... I wasn't acting…"
xxx
A few days after the confrontation with Rine Shiouta, everyone gathered at Leblanc after school. Sae said that she would have the results of her testimony today, so everyone wanted to be together to hear the news.
The Phantom Thieves wait anxiously for Sae's phone call in the quiet cafe. Futaba's rocks back and forth in the booth.
"Nggggggh! This is the longest four hours of my liiife~!" she groans.
"It's only been half an hour," Haru points out.
"I suppose you could say one's cognition of time tends to slowly down when they're overly anxious," Yusuke says.
"You guys ran all over the city trying to make this happen," Sojiro says. "Have a little faith." Ryuji nods in agreement.
"Yeah. This is gonna work… After all the shit we did… it has to…" As everyone is conversing, Ann was hunched over in her seat with her eyes closed and hands folded in prayer, wishing that her love would be freed.
Everyone jumps at the sound of a phone ringing. Makoto, feeling a vibration in her pocket, pulls out her phone.
"... It's my sister," she says as she stands up. "Cross your fingers, everyone." Everyone gulps and Ann prays harder as she isolates herself in the bathroom and answers the call. This had to be the longest, most nerve wracking couple of seconds of their lives, and they've fought against a god. This is the moment of truth.
After spending what felt like an eternity in the bathroom, Makoto walks out with an expressionless face. Ann jumps out of her seat.
"Well?!" Makoto silently looks at everyone before speaking.
"We'd better get ready…"
"For what?" Ryuji asks. With a triumphant smile on her face, she gives everyone a wink.
"... For his Welcome Home party on the thirteenth."
xxx
A lonely eggshell shaped prison made of chains floats adrift in the endless void of darkness with the most sinful criminal, a black winged angel, slumbering inside, isolating him from everyone.
The chain prison suddenly ceases and a veil of light surrounds it. Glowing white hand prints appear all over it and the chains slowly crack. And finally, the chain cocoon unravels, its shards burning away in white flames, and the fallen angel is freed.
Grogginess from his long slumber blankets his mind, yet his eyelids crack open for him as a shining doorway of light appears above him. From it, a goddess with hair of shimmering gold descends to meet him, trapping him in her embrace and pulling him up to the realm of light from whence she came.
... The fallen angel, cast out of the world he came from, is being brought back from the void.
xxx
When the prison guard opens the door, the sunlight immediately burned his retinas, having been accustomed to the dim lighting of his solitary confinement cell. He grunts and shields his eyes from the blinding light, then cracks his eyelids open and slowly walks into the field of white. His eyes rapidly blink to adjust to the brightness, then open wide to let him behold his surroundings. In front of him, he saw two steel fences stand parallel to each other to make a path leading to a door that would take him outside the prison wall. Behind him, he saw the concrete building that was his home, which he thought he would never get to leave.
"Heh… How many times have I seen that face on an innocent prison inmate made a free man?" the prison guard rhetorically asks. The guard gestures him to follow to down the path. Though it may be several feet away, the walk felt really long as disbelief hides in the depths of his soul, only to be erased when he finally reaches the door and the guard happily opens it for him.
"Congratulations. Have a good day." After giving him a nod, he steps out of the door, duffle bag in hand, and takes a deep breath his nose and mouth. Akira Kurusu's first taste of freedom in two months.
He hears a car horn honk, a familiar yellow car pulls up in front of him, and he smiles at the old man smirking at him.
"Hey! Kept me waiting. Sheesh," he complains. "To be honest, I didn't really wanna come, but your sister just wouldn't stop buggin' me. Anyway, you're a free man now, aren't ya? Heh, it'd look bad on me if you did something again on my watch." Akira chuckles as Sojiro fixes his car mirror.
"Alright, let's go home. It's cold, so get in quick."
xxx
As Sojiro drives Akira back to Yongen, they find themselves in a vaguely familiar situation.
"It's not moving at all…" Sojiro sighs. The radio is on.
Due to the railroad incident this morning, widespread delays have impacted various lines and…
"Another accident, huh?" Sojiro suddenly chuckles.
"Heh. Reminds me of that day back in April. Remember when we went to introduce you at the school?" Akira chuckles and nods.
"It's almost been a whole year since then, huh…" Sojiro frowns and sighs.
"Thinking back… I was pretty awful to you, throwing you in that storage room all by yourself… Then again, soon you're gonna be…" Akira smirks at the old man and lightly punches his shoulder, making him smirk back.
"You made some great friends here. You'd better thank them when we get back, alright? Heh… Especially that girl of yours…"
xxx
After a much longer drive than expected, Sojiro drops Akira off in front of the alley leading to the cafe, then drives off to park the car at his house. Akira walks up to the front of the store and stops to looks at the Leblanc entrance, happy that he gets to see this place again after so long. And his friends would be waiting on inside, no doubt.
As he is staring, Sojiro walks up to him, pats him on the back, and urges him to open the door. Akira nods, grabs the door handle, takes a deep breath, and slowly pushes the door open as he enters the building.
One by one, he saw the faces of his closest friends. His bespectacled pint sized baby sister gives him a beaming smile, his brunette eldest senpai and his oddball Kosei High artist friend wave to him, the youngest fluffy haired senpai giggles with glee, and his blonde muscle head best friend jumped from his seat. However, there was one very important face that was missing from the group. Ryuji, seeing him searching, walks over to the stairs and bangs on the wall.
"Yooo~! Come on down! Your boyfriend's here!"
The sound of footsteps thundering down the stairway echoes through the room. When the missing someone finally appeared, Akira instantly flashes back to the that moment almost a year ago when they first met under that store awning in the rain… and just like back then, the sight almost made his heart stop.
The bushiest twintails he's ever seen, hair of flowing shimmering ash gold… and the eyes. He had heard of people having eyes that weren't black, but it was the very first time he's ever seen one of them… and they were a stunning sky blue. Back then, he was just stunned by her beauty, but there were so much more emotion behind this meeting. They knew each other's names, Akira Kurusu and Ann Takamaki, and were very much in love. And even after two months of separation, that feeling hasn't faded. In fact, it had undoubtedly grown stronger.
As the two just stood where they were, taking in the fact that they were seeing each other again, Akira lightly chuckles and takes off his glasses to rubs his eyes before they leak.
"Dammit… Look at you… Still as drop dead gorgeous as the day we met…" He puts his glasses back on and gives Ann his biggest grin.
"... And everyday since…" Ann just lets the twin rivers of tears roll down her perfectly red cheeks and sniffs as her body trembles and a warm, affectionate smile blossoms on her beautiful face.
"... Stupid."
That's all she says before the their magnetic pull overwhelms her, making her sprint towards him, jump into his arms, throw her arms around his neck, and crash her pink lips into his for a passionate, long awaited kiss, which he naturally accepts, no caring about who's watching. It was a moment they had shared together so many times before with an incredibly heartrending feeling added in, and it felt amazing.
Ann nuzzles her face in his chest after breaking the kiss, giggling as she dried her face on his white shirt.
"... Hey there!" Happy to be home with his friends beside him and the love his life in his arms, the free man closes his eyes and embraces her as tight as he can, dipping his nose into one of her pigtails and whispering in her pierced ear.
"... Hey, you… I'm home…"
Target: Hit