A year ago, an innocent country boy in Japan was wrongly branded a criminal by a malevolent will. Cast out of his home, he was forced to move out to the big city of Tokyo to serve out his one-year of probation. He was expecting to just live the honest school life he had always lived, but he got way more than that.

Not only was his false criminal record made public to his school, labeling him as an outcast, but he was dragged into the distorted world of human cognition, the Metaverse, and forced to take part in a deadly game with the fate of the world on the line. Most people would buckle under that kind of weight. Not this boy, however.

Fueled by rage and the desire to burn down the rotten society around him, his rebellious will was set free as he awakened to the power of the heart known as Persona. With this power in hand, he gathered a ragtag team of misfits who awakened to the same power to form the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, an organization dedicated to reforming society by stealing the hearts of the wicked in the name of justice and freedom.

After going through many ups and downs and escaping death countless times, the Phantom Thieves emerged victorious in purging their world of corruption and laying down the groundwork for a new world to be born. Now, having accomplished his ultimate goal, met irreplaceable friends, found the love of his life, and given the world a chance to change for the better, sinful but righteous Trickster, Akira Kurusu, is enjoying his peaceful ride back home.

…

Or rather, he's struggling through his troublesome one.

xxx

Akira: "... Life… Just why?"

Morgana: "C'mon! Don't let up! 1… 2… 3… PUUUSH!"

(Author's Note: Any FFXV fans out there? Sing along with me: … Oh darlin', darlin! Staaand, by me! )

Stranded on a freeway along the shoreline, Akira, along with his senpai, Haru and Makoto, his art school friend, Yusuke, his best bro, Ryuji, his "baby sister", Futaba, and his lover, Ann, grunt loudly as they push their van down the road while their cat friend, Morgana, keeps the wheel steady.

"Quit slacking off, Ryuji!" Morgana shouts. "All your brainpower's been turned into muscle! Use it!"

"Can it, cat! Nggggggh!"

"Can we please take a break?!" Futaba whines. "I think my arms are about to fall off!"

"Yeah, let's take a breather!" Makoto says. The group immediately drops to the asphalt and wipe the sweat off their faces, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

"I still don't get how the hell you guys forgot to put gas in the damn van!" Akira groans.

"We didn't!" Ann says. "We got a full tank right before we came to pick you up!"

"Makoto, how old is this thing?!" Ryuji asks.

"Apparently, my father had it since he was a teenager," Makoto answers. "I think this is the first time it's ever had problems like this."

"And it hasn't been used since, correct?" Yusuke assumes. "Then it should no surprise that time has done her in… Still."

"God~ Why now, of all times~?!" Ann whines.

"How close are we from the nearest gas station?" Haru asks. Futaba whips out her phone and checks the map. The answer does not please her.

"...Another! Freaking! MIIIIILEEEEEE~!"

PToH: " Uggggggh… "

As everyone is dreading their misfortune, Akira spots a vehicle far in the distance coming towards them. As it gets closer, he jumps from the ground and points at it.

"Tow truck, 12 o'clock!" Everyone, seeing the truck, jumps up and starts doing everything they can to get the driver's attention. Akira, Makoto, Haru, and Yusuke use their phones to flash the sun towards them, Ann and Futaba start shouting and waving, and Ryuji starts waving his jacket around. Alas, the truck just zooms right past them.

"DAMMIT!" Ryuji curses. Akira's shoulders slump.

"Some chill ride home…" he mumbles. Ann crosses her arms and sighs.

"Yeah. Maybe we should've just let you take the train after all," she says. Akira smiles and shakes his head.

"Nah. I get to hang out with you guys a little more. It's fine." As all of the pushers try to catch their breath, Morgana starts meowing.

"Hey guys! Look!" Everyone heads to the front of the van and see the tow truck start to slow down and turn right.

"Are they… turning around?" Yusuke asks. After turning all the way around, the truck starts slowly moving towards them.

"They're coming back!" Ann shouts. After stopping right in front of them, the female driver hops out of the vehicle.

"You kids need a hand?" she asks the group.

"Our van ran out of gas," Makoto says. The driver takes a good look at the van.

"Huh. Haven't seen one of these in a while. What, you dig this up from the scrap heap?"

"It's her late father's old van," Yusuke says, gesturing towards Makoto. "It's been years since its last use."

"What's the trip?" Ryuji wraps an arm around Akira's neck.

"Tokyo to Kamakura," he says. "We're takin' this guy home."

" Wooo! Yeah, y'all're gonna have a hard time makin' a round trip. I'm surprised y'all even got this far." The driver shoots a smile at them.

"Tell ya what. I'll take y'all as far as the gas station, but I'll do a little work on this dino to make yer lives easier, free of charge. I'll even toss in a full tank. How bout that?" Everyone's faces brighten up at the driver's generosity.

"For real?!" Ann exclaims. "Thank you so much!" The driver walks back over to her truck.

"Don't mention it. You kids just hop in the van and wait." The band of thieves get back in the van and sit back as the tow truck makes a U-turn and backs up close to them. The driver then gets out to hook the truck up to the van, them gets back in to start driving down the road with the van being dragged behind her.

It seems that Lady Luck is being merciful now.

Persona 5: Heart Flight Home

Coming in June

Only on AO3