Sae swiped the keycard and they entered the suite. Akira drunk in the large windows with the view of the placid sea below them, the leather chairs and mahogany breakfast table. It wasn't quite as romantic or ridiculous as the train, but she still seemed to be doing a good job impressing her boyfriend. Sae suppressed a laugh. Boyfriend. She had a boyfriend.

She stepped behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Port Island wasn't the middle of nowhere, but it wasn't Tokyo either. A handful of stars were out, softening silvering the water below. Akira leaned back and sighed. Sae could still feel the muscle beneath his shirt, but he was loose, relaxed, like a lion resting in the grass instead of about to pounce. "You have a thing for amazing views, don't you?"

"If you're going to work fifteen-hour days, you might as well look at something nice." It was the only kind of beauty she had allowed herself. She had had no time for museums or concerts except for what she had to do to play the game at the office. And even working on her own, there had always been more briefs that needed to be filed, more depositions to take, more families to console. Maybe the whispers were about more than Akira or the shadowy gods. Maybe she had needed this vacation more than she realized.

"Well, you've got time for more than staring out windows now." He glanced at the closed door of one bedroom. "Morgana must've fallen asleep waiting for us. Probably swipe my face when I wake him up. He hates that."

Sae swallowed. Morgana. "He'll want to know where you were. What are you going to tell him?"

He shrugged. "The truth? Not looking forward to the teasing there. He's been wanting me to ask you out since this trip started."

Heat spread across her cheeks. The cat already knew? "Were we that obvious?" Holding hands in private, staring at each other, stroking each other's cheeks even before the kiss. They might as well have worn flashing signs. "I don't think I'm very good with this affair business."

"Don't look at me." He turned to face her. "Does it bother you that he knows? I'll tell him to keep his mouth shut around Ryuji and the others."

"No, no. I don't want to hide anything while we're here. Morgana will tease you. He wouldn't do anything to actually hurt us." Another reminder that this affair was time-limited. The days and weeks in luxury hotels would give way to their mundane apartments and they would pretend that nothing had ever happened except for saving Hachiro Sato. Which was, of course, what she wanted.

They would have to make the most of it. She swallowed again. "You don't have to wake up Morgana."

"There's only the two bedrooms." His eyes widened and his lips parted. "Oh. You want to—er, that is— Are you sure?"

"Very much so." Her mother would have been horrified at her directness. A lady never asked for sex so bluntly. But then, Sae had had to fight for anything she'd ever really wanted. "If you don't want to, that's all right."

Akira laughed a little. "I thought that was my line." He fidgeted slightly. "I'm just out of practice. I don't want to disappoint you."

"It's...been a while for me, too." And even when she had, they had been brief, furtive encounters in love hotels and no connection beyond the physical. The infatuations of her high school and university years seemed faint and unhelpful. "This is all new to me."

"We've got all night to figure out what we're doing." He kissed her, slowly. Warmth puddled through Sae, and she melted against him. Even the movement of their tongues was languid. Their feet moved almost of their own accord toward the bedroom.

But when Sae reached for the first button on his shirt, he pulled back gently but firmly. "Ladies first," he said, and there was something strange and pained in his voice. He spun her away from her and then his fingers were at her neck, undoing the clasp of her necklace and removing her earrings and laying them both neatly on the dresser. Sae almost teased him, but thought better of it. This, she realized, was the difference between Akira and what she had had before. They were friends—real friends and not just a polite euphemism. This couldn't and wouldn't be just mechanics. For as long as she could have him, Akira would be her lover in every sense of the word.

She snapped off her attorney's badge and let him slide her blazer from her shoulders. "Now is it my turn?" she asked with a smile.

He didn't smile back, and the air was thick with something worse than first-time nervousness. "What is it?"

"I have some scars. Not too bad, but I wanted you to know."

Was that all? "I've seen scars before Hell, I've seen you with your face looking like—" She stopped. She had seen him a bruised and broken mess. Confessions were the queen of evidence, and she had never looked too closely at where they came from. The police almost never left permanent marks, but Shido had wanted Akira dead. They wouldn't have cared how the body looked. "Let me," she whispered.

She unbuttoned his shirt in silence and there they were: raised, red lines against the pallor of his chest. A lump formed in Sae's throat and her vision blurred. It was one thing to know that she had shut her eyes to corruption; it was another to see the evidence now years later when she was doing all that she could to atone. She brushed her lips against his chest and hoped that was enough.

Her own shirt and bra came off in a fluid motion without comment. Cool air caressed her bare skin, and Sae was suddenly, sharply aware that she was no longer in her twenties. Not in bad shape, but not what he would have been used to either. She hadn't been that pretty even when she was his age: too tall, too sharp, too sour. Old defiance welled up within her as she met his gaze and dared him to see the real girl and not a pinup fantasy.

Except he was looking at her like he wanted to have her for dinner. "You are gorgeous." His voice was a growl. "Absolutely fucking gorgeous."

Sometimes she wondered if Akira had hit his head as a child and acquired some rare mental disorder that affected his vision and taste. Or maybe this was a reward for some long-forgotten good deed she had done. Either way, Sae was past questioning it. "You can do more than look, you know," she said and placed his hand on her breast.

They didn't talk a lot after that. Pants followed the rest of their clothing and they tumbled onto the bed. Teeth and nails scraped across her skin. The languid heat had become an inferno, and her world narrowed to his weight under her and the movement of his hips. He was straining, trying to hold back but there was no holding back her own body, no delaying this. Her fingers dug into his flesh as her climax crashed over her.

She came back to herself by degrees. Cool sweat on her back. An almost pleasant pain on her breast. Akira's warm weight beneath her. She looked down. His hair was a complete mess, and sweat poured down his face. He blinked once, twice. "Wow."

Sae laughed and settled herself against him. "Wow" didn't seem adequate. Her body felt heavy and warm, but not tired. Leviathan, Shadows, they all seemed very far away. She and Akira were safe here. She smoothed his hair and kissed him softly. Another new thing. She could just lie here listening to the cadence of his heartbeat. No need for awkward excuses and throwing on her clothes to get back to the office. She had half expected the wildness to consume and leave nothing behind, but this was…comfortable. "You certainly didn't seem out of practice to me," she murmured.

It was his turn to laugh. "Neither did you." He focused with visible effort. "I think I might've overdone in though."

Sae followed his gaze. There was a red mark on her breast, with telltale if rapidly-fading indentions. Well, that explained the pain. "Well, well, our mild-mannered writer has a wild side."

"You're not upset?"

"Look at what I did to you." She traced the shallow scratches she left on his shoulders. "I...it's never been like that before for me. Losing control." It'd never been safe to lose control before, but her body had apparently decided that someone seeing the darkest parts of her meant that a little scratching and biting was all right. "Though we might want to be a little more careful so we don't have to end up answering awkward questions. Or wear scarves in the middle of summer."

He didn't laugh. "What's wrong?"

"You'll laugh at me."

"I handled the cat and the existence of another world. Try me."

It took him a moment to speak, and when he did his voice was soft. "I just...I've seen so much crap that sometimes I forget women actually want to do this. That I can touch you or whatever else and you'll like it. That I won't hurt you."

She wondered how much she would have to bribe someone to sneak into Shido's cell and punch him in the face. Kamoshida too, for good measure. The rape cases had always been the worst, and they left a scar that went far deeper than the victim. Wade around in the muck enough and you started to forget what was healthy. "You won't hurt me. I'll be the first to tell you if you do something I don't want. Same goes for you. Deal?"

"Deal. I draw the line and whips and chains. But I wouldn't mind a little experimenting."

And to think she had once worried about him corrupting Makoto. "You are incorrigible, Mr. Kurusu."

"I try." He fluffed her hair. "Stay with me?"

"Of course." Another rule of affairs that they were breaking, but Sae was beginning to discover that Akira cared no more for rules than he had before. Neither did she. She would drink deeply of her happiness while she still could. She burrowed into him, pulled the covers of them both, and fell asleep. But as she hovered on the edge between wakefulness and sleep, a voice whispered.

The shadows will not stay silent forever.

Akira woke with the dawn, the sun warm on his face but his muscles still sore from the night before. He was suddenly wide awake The night before. Sae had asked him to kiss her and he had and they had come back to the hotel and...he looked over. Sae set up in bed, beautifully gloriously naked with flyaway hair but frowning at her phone, as if he had caught her in a liminal state between efficient attorney and passionate lover.

Not a dream then. He could get used to looking at her like this. "Morning."

She looked at him and her face changed. A soft smile played on her lips. "Good morning." She ruffled Akira's hair and kissed him. He was beginning to think she had a thing about his hair. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah." He smiled back at her and gestured to the phone in her hand. "Probably more comfortable for you if you do that in the common room."

Her gaze softened and her cheeks pinked. "You asked me to stay and I did," she said softly. "I didn't want you to worry if you woke up and I wasn't there."

Akira bit his lip. He hadn't lied to her. He'd never had a fling before, only read about them in mangas when he was twelve and fascinated by anything with even a hint of sex. They had trained him to expect the dig of her nails into his skin and the screams and groans that had torn from her throat as she rode him, but not the way she had kissed his scars or the way she was looking at him now. This wasn't just sex, but it wasn't like what he had had with Hifumi either, but something he had no name for. He ran his fingers from her cheek to her jaw. This was quiet and warm and peaceful.

Only… He peered at her. There were dark circles under her eyes. "Did you sleep well? Everything stay quiet?" Even after last night, there was still a part of him that expected her to vanish into the air. For Shadows or just Fate to shatter this temporary happiness.

"Mostly." She sighed and handed him her phone. The browser tab was open to a PDF of what looked like some kind of journal article. "Yes. It's just that there's so much to do. We still have no idea how to get the Kirijo Group to cooperate and the Shadows are still there." She looked down. "I don't know how to fight magic, Akira. I've been looking up post-traumatic stress all morning because that's the closest thing I can think of, but it's still not exact. I was lonely before you came back, but I wasn't mentally ill. Someone or something targeted us and Sato and I don't even know how to start looking for them, let alone defend myself."

The old Joker would have had some bit of bravado for her, but Akira didn't. There were still demons out there, and even when he had had the means to fight them on their own ground, he had only discovered Yaldabaoth at the last possible moment. But...but he wanted to give her something. She had gone out of her way to soothe his insecurities and be gentle in her own way. "There's got to be someone we can talk to. Why don't we brainstorm over breakfast?"

"Well for starters, you can talk to your best friend in the whole world," Morgana said as he nudged open the door. His gaze held way less shock than any magical house pet should have when he found his owner in bed with a woman who had once threatened to put him in jail. "Not nearly so beautiful as Lady Ann, but congratulations!"

A lot of things happened at once. Sae let out a growl that Akira had thought he'd only ever hear from a Mementos denizen. "You...I...get out!" She lunged from the bed. "Out!"

Morgana sniffed and dodged her. "Tell your girlfriend that it isn't nice to menace people, even if they do have paws." He looked her up and down. "Gotta admit she looks way better than the other one. That spiked collar didn't do a thing for her."

Akira blinked and the part of his brain that was still functioning was dimly aware that he should probably do something before his best friend was murdered. He got up and touched Sae's shoulder. "Easy." And then, to Morgana. "Scratch or meow next time, would you? Also, out!"

"I am most cruelly put upon. There had better be some tamagoyaki in this for me." He winked at Akira. "Seriously, good job." And with that, he strutted out of the room.

They watched him in silence. "Well, you said that you didn't mind that he knew," Akira told her at last.

Sae froze for exactly one second. And then she laughed. Not the wry chuckle that had become so familiar to Akira, but an actual guffaw that rang through the bedroom. "I did say that, didn't I? I'm going to kill him. Give me a minute to get dressed and we'll have breakfast and face the music."

Akira went back to his room to dress. He was going to have to have a word with Morgana about privacy. He smiled to himself. They were besieged by Shadows and a life hung in the balance, but silly, everyday things like this still happened. Just like the good old days.

Sae and Morgana were waiting for him at the breakfast table in the common room, having apparently reached a truce. "He pawed at tamagoyaki on the menu," she said. "I hope that's all right."

Akira stared at her. She was wearing a shirt. A mauve shirt. And not even a turtleneck. "You're not wearing your blazer," he said dumbly.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course not. It's hot out and we don't have any meetings today." Recognition dawned in her eyes. "Wait, did you think that was all I ever wore? You did, didn't you?"

"I like it. It brings out your eyes." His face burned. "It's not like I ever saw you in anything else!"

She shook her head. "What am I going to do with you, Akira?"

"I can think of a few things." He crossed the distance and kissed her upturned face, enjoying the gasp he pulled from her.

"Hey, guys? I'm right here." But Morgana inclined his head towards Akira. "She must like you if she can put up with lines like that. I told you it wasn't hopeless."

Breakfast arrived a few minutes later, and the three of them dug into their eggs. This, Akira thought, was nice. Good food, beautiful views, a book to work on, and a romance with a woman who was far more than he deserved. It was as if he had finally woken up after a deep sleep. The chains around his heart had broken just as surely as the ones around Arsène on that long ago Christmas eve.

But how long you think this satisfy you, boy? I know what you really want. There was a sharp, stabbing pain behind his eyes and then Akira was someplace else. Sae and Morgana were still seated at the breakfast table, but the view behind them was of Yongenjaya. A newspaper was open on the table. His own photo, smiling broadly and wearing a tailored suit and slacks stared back at him. His doppelganger held a pocketwatch engraved with a quill pen LOCAL AUTHOR WINS SHUGORO PRIZE the headline blared.

Akira frowned. It wasn't impossible for a debut young adult author to win, but he'd told himself it would be enough for him to earn out his advance.

But glory, that would be nice. Finally prove to your mother that you chose the right path. And opening those kinds of doors, you could date Sae as an equal. And it's been all about her lately. The door to his left opened, revealing an immaculate study of darkpaneled wood and law books on the wall behind the desk. Next to one shelf was a framed award for "ethics, integrity, and outstanding service to the legal profession."

Wait. Something wasn't right. This wasn't Sae's apartment.

Good catch. It's yours. Well, yours and hers. Seems awfully quick to be fantasizing about this sort of thing, but you always were a romantic. Shame people would laugh at you. The Phantom Thief and the woman in charge of his case. Might give some people ideas and SIU is still a little sore about her leaving. This affair is the best you can hope for. Unless...

Unless?

Unless you become the Phantom again. Change hearts. Somebody has to rule the world. Might as well be you. Come find me when you're ready to talk.

"Akira!"

Akira found himself once more in the hotel. Sae's arms were around him and there was no hiding the fear on her face. Even Morgana looked nervous. "Are you all right? You clutched your head and then it was as if you were a million kilometers away."

"Fine." His voice was hoarse and he reached for the glass of water. It had seemed so real. And so tempting. And crazy. Even if Sae would date him once they got back to Tokyo, you didn't start thinking about the new apartment for at least a year. But still, to have a life with someone who knew what he really was and still wanted him...

"You are a surprisingly bad liar for a thief." She softened. "Our mutual friend?"

"Our mutual friend." He raked his hands through his hair. Maybe it had been naïve to hope that just having Sae in his arms would be enough to drive the voices away. "I don't understand. Last night was everything I wanted and then some. Why didn't it work?"

Morgana rolled his eyes. "Because you weren't doing all that well before Sae made your heart start going pitter-patter. As I've been trying to tell you. Sure the dating helps, but it's only one thing."

"What did he say?"

"Apparently, that I'm an idiot. Those articles you mentioned, about posttraumatic stress, what did they suggest?"

"What you might expect. Don't isolate yourself. Do small things to establish a sense of agency and control." She barked a laugh. "According to the Internet, I might want to consider getting a hobby. Lower stress level."

"We'll take up tennis or something. I'd say ping-pong, but I want to save at least a little of my dignity." He sobered and pulled back to take her hands. "And this? Do you still want this if I can't keep Leviathan at bay all the time?"

"Yes. Oh yes."

Well, that was good then. Akira exhaled. He felt like two very rambunctious children were playing tug-of-war inside him. He hadn't been crazy before all this either, just bitter and rootless. And then Sae and his unknown adversary had broken through the fog. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

Morgana coughed. "I'm right he—oh nevermind. But she has a point. Personas, Shadows, all of it are just manifestations of very human feelings. Fear, loneliness, love." He sounded a little sad and Akira wondered if he was thinking of Ann. "We treat this like a regular mental disorder. And maybe that means you should talk to your friends about all this."

"You mean Futaba?" She knew all about hearing voices. And…and it had been too long since they'd talked. She'd gone from a shut-in to running a start-up. They'd meant to keep in touch, but they had always been some VC to meet or story that needed writing. Another connection he had let atrophy.

"I meant in general, but sure. She might as well have been your kid sister."

"I'm going to call Futaba," he told Sae. "Get some grounding. It's not fair for you and Morgana to be my only emotional support. No more cutting myself off. No more being lonely."

She nodded at him. "I'll call Makoto. She'll probably want verification I'm actually on vacation anyway."

She has no idea. He tried very hard not to think about the fact that Makoto wouldn't have any idea what they were up to and never would. He waited until Sae went back to the bedroom, found his phone and called. "Is this a bad time?"

"Akira! No it's not a bad time. It's been way too long. I was starting to think I was going to have to hack the traffic cams if I wanted to see you." Her voice was louder and clearer than it had been in high school, full of life and confidence. He closed his eyes. It was so easy to forget sometimes that he had done good, not just prevented evil, and that good had outlasted the Phantom Thieves. "How have you been?"

"Not good." And, very slowly and carefully and leaving out any hints of Leviathan or his new romance, he told her about the mysterious voice and what he and Sae were trying to do. "I really have no idea what I'm doing here. Unless you can work your magic on the Kirijo servers."

"That would be illegal. Also, I already tried once and got nowhere. But those voices aren't good at all."

"Everyone keeps saying that." He took a deep breath. None of them liked to talk about what they were before the Phantom Thieves—the scars were still too painful. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you deal with the hallucinations?"

"I'm not sure I would call locking myself in my room dealing. I'd have killed myself if it wasn't for you."

"But you didn't. You survived for years."

"Honestly? The headphones. Anything I could do to block it out. Recite poetry or nursery rhymes in your head. Whatever you do, don't talk back. Ignore it."

Which was exactly what he hadn't been doing. "Thanks."

"Anytime. I owe you one. And hey, call me if you need any help with this Shadow investigation."

"You'd do that?"

"Once a thief, always a thief." He could almost see her smile. "You aren't alone Akira."

"Thanks." He didn't trust himself to say more. He wasn't alone. Those he loved were still there if only he would reach out to them.

And I do love them Futaba. Morgana. Sae. We were already friends. It's just the sex that has changed things. That kind of love brought down one god. I may not have my Personas anymore, but I have what powered them. He looked at the ceiling. I really don't like your odds.

He found Sae in the bedroom. "Did it help?"

"Some," he admitted. "How's Makoto?"

"Lecturing me about being up and working at this hour."

"Well you were working. Technically. While also making out with me."

She shoved him playfully. "You are insufferable. You're going to pay for this. I'm thinking shopping."

Akira laughed. Whatever happened next, he was with those who loved him and no longer trapped in a half-life. And that was worth facing any demon.

I want to thank you guys for the response so far. The story up through ch. 9 is on AO3, though I'm making minor revisions as I upload here because everything up through 7 was written without access to the game. Secondly, Yu's wife was unnamed because I hadn't fully decided a month ago who that was. 98% chance it's Naoto with an outside chance of Marie and done for plot/foil reasons regardless.