A familiar, melodic tune is what Akira slowly awoke to when he regained consciousness. His mind was foggy, but the melody of Velvet Room was unmistakable as he awakened.
He opened his eyes to the sight of his usual cell; the blue lining of the walls, the chains hanging from the ceiling, and soft light filtering in through iron bars. He briefly wondered at why he was called in his sleep, but through his grogginess he couldn't actually recall falling asleep the night before. A harsh, scolding voice brought him out of his thoughts, though he barely recognized the words being spoken.
Akira lifted his head but immediately regretted it as he was hit with a sudden wave of vertigo. 'Sitting up; not a good idea' he groaned in his mind.
A sudden chuckle from afar caught his attention.
"Seems the inmate has had an interesting… Fate brought upon him." Igor's deep voice spoke from his customary desk in the center of the prison.
'What is he going on about?'
"You've gotten yourself into quite the predicament, Inmate." Justine chided in her mellow tone.
"How the hell did you manage this one?" Caroline scolded.
"What are you talking about?" He finally asked, attempting to sit up. That's when he started to realize something was very wrong.
First, he never remembered the walls of his small cell being so tall. Everything felt like it grew two sizes, and Caroline and Justine's looming presence over him was not just an effect of him lying down. What was going on here?
Caroline smirked.
"You hadn't noticed? Typical. Take a look at yourself and you might get it." She scoffed.
"Take a look at myself? I don't get what you're implying-"
Oh.
Oh no.
Akira peered down at himself and had to do a few takes to make sure what he was seeing was correct. From what he could see of himself, his long fur was a dusty black with some slight curl to the tips.
'This cannot be happening right now.' His mind went into a panic and he quickly circled himself, spotting a long, fluffy tail that whipped behind him in his confused agitation. He wiggled the appendage a bit to make sure it was really attached to him.
"I think he makes for a pretty cute cat, right Justine?" Caroline chided. Justine sighed.
"Caroline, it will be hard for the Inmate to complete his rehabilitation as a feline. How are we supposed to help him if he's no longer human?" Caroline's smile dropped at Justine's comment.
"Hey, Inmate. You better figure out how to fix this soon. I don't want our roles as wardens to be considered a failure because you went and got yourself changed into a cat of all things!"
Akira, meanwhile, was still flailing about, not one hundred percent sure how his cat body worked yet. 'Dumb four legs, can't stand right yet, and dammit! This tail is-'
Tripping over himself, he tumbled off the bed and onto the floor in a heap of fur and hissing. He rolled back onto his belly, giving up on standing on four legs for now and settling on just laying down on the cold concrete. Caroline giggled at his antics while Justine watched amused.
"You may be an okay thief, but you're a pretty horrible cat!" Caroline chuckled.
"How am I even supposed to do this?" Akira groaned.
"Girls, I will leave getting him situated to you two. Trickster, heed these words. It seems someone has given you this form as ramifications for recent actions. You must discover what the proper solution to this predicament is and solve it so that you may regain your true form. Otherwise, I fear you may remain in this state for the rest of your life." Akira's eyes widened, the weight of what Igor was describing now firmly resting in his mind.
"Alright Inmate. We'll get you steady on all four paws, but then you gotta figure the rest out for yourself!"
'What did I do to deserve this…'
"Here kid. You can borrow these for the time being. They're Futaba's old clothes, but they should fit you well enough."
Sojiro handed Morgana a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. The boy was still currently wrapped in Akira's blanket and as nude as a newborn. He took the clothing with a quick thank you.
"I told Futaba to wait downstairs. Would be awkward for her to walk in on you like this. I'll let you get changed. If you need anything, we're right downstairs." Leaving it at that, he turned to walk back downstairs. Morgana could hear Futaba questioning the man about being so secretive, but he seemed to wave it away.
Morgana stripped himself of the blanket and immediately shivered at the sudden chill that hit his skin. 'Cat fur sure does come in handy in cold weather'. He slipped on the sweat pants as best as possible, tying the drawstring so they wouldn't slip off his body. He grabbed the t-shirt, noting the faded smiling Big Bang Burger-kun that stared back at him. It was soft despite its age, and he spent a moment just running his fingers through the fabric. 'Is touch always this sensitive to human skin?'
He breathed in a long breath and let it out. He should be ecstatic to greet his friends in his new form. He'd been looking forward to this for so long now, so why did he suddenly feel so nervous?
'Is it because Akira isn't here? Am I missing his encouragement that much?'
It was true that he did find himself relying on Akira's assurances during his time with his friend. Whenever Morgana had doubted himself Akira was always there to believe in him, to tell him that his dream was possible. Even when he had had a falling out with the Phantom Thieves and had wanted to leave, Akira had put his faith in him that he would come back, and when he did he welcomed him with open arms.
Morgana shook his head.
'I have to do this without him. What kind of phantom thief would I be if I can't stand on my own?'
With new resolve he made his way to the steps. He quietly headed down and as he made it to the landing he made a sharp turn into the bathroom and shut the door quickly. He flipped the light on and turned to face the mirror, bracing himself for the sight.
A young boy of about twelve or thirteen stood in the reflection. His hair was tousled and messy, reminding him strongly of Akira's bedhead. Round blue eyes gazed back at him from a round yet slim face. The shirt and pants were baggy on him, so oversized they made his skinny arms and neck that much more prominent than before. He scowled and his reflection mimicked him, deep furrows burrowing themselves into his young face.
'Why did I have to be a kid? I couldn't at least have been a teen?' He ran a hand through his hair. 'Guess I'll have to deal with it.'
He flipped the light off and opened the door, taking a step out into the café. Futaba was seated on a barstool at the counter, a spoonful of curry in her mouth.
"Af goob af alwaf Sobiwo" She garbled out through a mouthful of rice and curry.
"Chew and swallow before you talk, Futaba." Sojiro laughed, moving to pick up a dirty mug from the counter. When the two noticed Morgana, Sojiro stopped what he was doing and Futaba swallowed her food.
"Who's the kid? I don't see any other customers around." She went for another spoonful of curry.
"Well that's uhh-"
"Don't recognize me like this Futaba? I'm kinda surprised." Morgana smirked, moving over to stand next to her.
Futaba spit her food out and the spoon made a loud thunk as it was dropped. She whipped her head look at him, shocked.
"No way. Morgana? Is that really you?"
"Surprised by my manly charm?" He stood proudly, chest puffed out. Futaba reached out and grabbed his cheeks.
"Ah! Shtop that!" Morgana growled.
"Yep, that's totally Mona. Tactless as always and the same chubby cheeks. But, this is all so weird and sudden. How did you suddenly just become human? We didn't even recover all of your memories yet." Shrugging, Morgana moved to sit down at the bar.
"Not really sure, but we should probably wait for the others to get here before we go into detail."
"Alright. They probably won't be here for a few hours though, they still have school to go to and all. Speaking of the others, where'd Akira run off to?" Futaba asked, peering around Morgana to look at the stairs to the attic.
"Yeah about that…" Morgana began, cringing.
"We're not sure where he is, he never made it home last night." Sojiro picked up for him. Futaba went wide-eyed.
"He never came back? Then I'm guessing it was you who was texting us Mona?" Morgana nodded. "Is he okay? He could be in serious trouble." Futaba prattled on, worry donning her face.
"He's probably fine, he can take care of himself. Once the others get here we can properly discus what to do about this. For now, all we can do is wait." Futaba gave a sad hum in affirmation. Neither of them liked sitting around when their leader was in possible danger, but all that's all they could really do.
"In the mean time… Morgana, how about I introduce you to the amazing world of console gaming." Futaba grinned. Before he could even reply, Futaba had grabbed ahold of his wrist and dragged him off his stool and up the stairs.
"You have to be the clumsiest cat I've ever seen."
"Give me some credit, I wasn't exactly born like this."
"How hard can it really be to walk on all fours?"
"Granted, this was all thrust upon him at once. He is doing much better than when he first woke up."
"At least Justine appreciates my efforts."
"Sh-shuttup!"
Akira had been practicing for a good half hour and finally managed to at least be steady on four legs. He wasn't exactly adept or even comfortable yet on his paws- feet- but he was getting there. Caroline and Justine had been coaching him to the best of their ability through the bars of the cell. They couldn't exactly help him physically, since the door was firmly locked, but they shouted mostly criticism through metal door. The small ball and chain was still tight on his back ankle, which made moving around all the more difficult.
Finally, he was able to take steps without tripping over his tail or his own feet. He attempted some jumps onto the small bed, and although unsteady, he was able to roughly judge distance and power needed.
It was strange to be able to jump so far. Only in the Metaverse was he able to leap so high, but the form he was in now seemed so much more powerful in comparison.
His sense were heightened beyond anything he had experienced before as well. He could hear the tiny scratches of Igor's quill against parchment as he wrote at his desk, and the clinks of chains in a far off cell. He could smell an icy mint scent that seemed to drift off the denizens of the Velvet Room and luckily overpowered whatever scents lingered around his cell that were less than pleasant.
In short it was all very weird.
"Think he's ready Justine?" Caroline asked, turning toward her sister.
"Probably not, but we can't coddle him any longer. It's time for you to leave, Inmate." Justine replied. "You're going to have to navigate by yourself, for we cannot accompany you outside the Velvet Room." Akira nodded.
"Shouldn't be too hard, I do it everyday." 'Just have to get back to Leblanc and get my friends to help me out. Shouldn't be too hard, right?' Caroline smirked.
"Better hope you're right. Don't go getting yourself killed out there, got it?" Akira sent her a snide grin.
"I won't." He answered. The twins both nodded towards him. A glow suddenly lit up behind him and he took this as his cue to exit.
When Akira stepped out into the back alley of Shibuya, he was assaulted on all sides by information. He could hear the crowds of the bustling street clear as day from the alley, and the smell of mold and rot was like death to his nose. He wrinkled his face in disgust and shook himself out, trying to rid his sinuses of the foul odor. As he padded towards Central Street he was thankful for the thick fur coat protecting him from the harsh December air.
When he reached the street he was suddenly proposed with a problem.
'Man people are really tall'.
The crowds loomed over him like towers, and their feet now seemed like deadly weapons ready to step on or kick his small form.
'Alright let's stick to the edges of the street, I can't get hit if I don't go into the- AH!'
He leapt back as someone stepped out from a storefront, shopping bags swinging from their arm almost smacking him. The person stopped and peered down at him.
"Awww kitty! Look at him, he's so fluffy!" The woman cooed to her friend, who also now stopped and noticed Akira at their feet.
'Not good not good. Dammit, curse my kitty charm. Stop, no, don't admit that.'
"Hey little guy, are you lost?" She bent down to his level, reaching out a hand to Akira.
'No I'm not lost, and I'd appreciate if you didn't- HEY!' Akira shrunk away from the girl's hand as it rubbed his head. His ears went flat to his skull and he bolted, leaving the girl in shocked surprise.
"Aw, must have scared him." He could hear her sad sigh from his new position behind a garbage can twenty feet away.
'I can't get caught up like that, or someone will pick me up thinking I'm lost or a stray! Gotta be more careful. Now think… I have to make it to the train and somehow sneak on without anybody noticing.'
Back to his original plan, Akira made his way along the outskirts of the street, taking tiny back alleys and alternative routes when he could to avoid the sight of any cat lovers walking around. Luckily he was dark in color, so he easily blended into the shadows.
Finally he emerged in the square. He looked out at the mass of people, a sense of dread burying itself in his stomach.
'That's a lot of people I need to get past.'
The crowd was fairly heavy, and to get to the station he had to cross the street and get into the subway. He gulped, steeled himself, and then made a dash through the mass of pedestrians.
There were shouts and yells as he made his way underfoot. His heart stopped a few times as he narrowly avoided getting kicked or tripped slightly on his paws, but finally he breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to the station. He jumped into the bed of bushes that lined the street and took a moment to catch his breath from his death sprint across the clearing.
'Never doing that ever again.'
Breathing restored, he hopped down from the ledge and headed towards the train station. To get to Leblanc he had to somehow sneak onto the train headed toward Yongen Jaya, but this would be difficult.
'Come on, you've infiltrated plenty of palaces, you can sneak on one stupid train.'
He made his way down the stairs and toward the entrance. Nobody seemed to be watching closely, so he quickly slipped through the gate and headed for the platform. A voice sounded on the overhead stating the next train was arriving soon.
'Alright wait for it… Gotta find the right person… There!'
As the train pulled into the station, he dashed for a woman holding a rather large shopping bag. He maneuvered himself under it, and to the best of his ability crawled with her as she boarded. When she went to sit and set her bag down, he moved himself under the seat and situated himself between the bag and the wall.
'So far so good.'
He sat still until the overhead announced the train had arrived at Yongen Jaya. The moment the doors opened he was on his feet and out the door.
'Just a little bit farther, almost there.'
There you have it, chapter 2!
I was going to include the meeting with the p-thieves in here but decided to save it for next chapter. I think it will flow a bit better to save it for next time, soooo the big reveal will be next chapter!
Till next time!