Persona X TWEWY X Kingdom Hearts

Summary: Trapped in an unfair game? Fighting against society? Changing the hearts of evil adults? Save the world? Discovering oneself? Nothing out of the ordinary for these teenagers.

Chapter Thirty-Five:

Painting a Plan.

*Evening: Friday. 20/5*

*Sixteen days until Deadline*

*Wildkat*

"OUCH!".

"Will you STOP fidgeting already?".

Roxas grumbles angrily as he willed himself to stop moving and fussing as Eri applied the medicine to his swollen eye, hissing occasionally with each prod of the white cotton against his very sensitive skin. "Sheesh, thought you keyblade wielders or whatever you guys are wouldn't be so fussy with this," Eri says with a huff, "Thought you'd be like, I dunno, barely noticing the pain". Roxas replied that when she goes through what he went through today then she can complain, groaning from the aches afflicting his body.

Neku chugged down a can of soda, huffing in agreement as he feels his own exhaustion tugging on his limbs. "Least we didn't get our assess handed to us like last time," says the orange youth, "Roxas being there really made a difference". The rest of the Player team agreed and even boasted the former nobody's skill in battle, which luckily brings incentive and encourage for Xion and Ventus, who were busying themselves with medicine making for Ren's team. After Joshua's intervention, the group found themselves back in the RG with a text assuring them they have passed the mission.

"Fo' real brutha, that dickhead Reaper throws punches like a frigging truck," Beat says while slouching on the couch, "Jus' happy the prissy kid showed em' up". Once the party returned, they made their way back to Wildkat to rendezvous with the others since the leader of the team figured Ren's team wouldn't be much longer with the scouting. And he wanted to make sure everyone was at the base so they're caught up to speed to what they discovered and what their plan was, especially with how complex and tightly secured the Palace was.

Unfortunately according to Kairi, Sora has still yet to wake from his slumber and it looked like he wasn't looking any closer to waking up, worrying the leader. "And Sora's still out, yes?" Rhyme asked and like yesterday, Xion sighed and said he was still sleeping without a single change to him. Kairi's tried using magic to try and help deduce what's happened to him or if she could help speed along whatever resting process his body was going through but she found nothing. She points to Ventus and revealed he's even asked their master if there was anything she could do but like everyone else she was at a loss as to what to do.

The gang all, hesitantly, came to the same conclusion that this may be a case of waiting until Sora wakes up or something else come along and helping them. Which means Kairi may potentially not be able to partake in the heist if it means leaving Sora behind. And losing another one of their ace in the holes is not what the Phantom Thieves need with a heist on the horizon. Which made him try and ponder what other alternatives they had, and those thoughts were eventually changed into Yusuke and Naminé.

He'd have to wait for Riku and Ren to give them a better idea on how those two worked, though he wasn't expecting much or really anymore from those two than Ren and his group when they first started off. Though Naminé may not be a fighter like the others, he did hope she would at least have something to bring to the table, maybe magical knowledge or whatever else Sora's friends do if not beat the hell out of things with giant keys.

Then a jingle goes off and when all eyes looked they see Ren's group re-entering the café, and much like when she first awakened her Persona, Naminé was being carried by Riku. "…is this gonna be a thing with her?" Neku asks as they joined the gang, pointing at Naminé. The blonde, wearily, raised a hand to shoo off Neku's question and sighed they found the treasure. "And much like Kamoshida, the treasure is located at the back of the museum," Ren explains, opening his bag to let Morgana out onto the table, "Unfortunately unlike the pervy teacher, the security is far from laxed".

Riku explained that apart from the fact they were dealing with modern security protocols that were completely out of their hands, it seemed Madarame was not taking any chances with potentially being targeted by the thieves. "He's not only gonna stand in front of the treasure all day long, but he's got it in a cage surrounded by lasers and armed guards around it," Riku finishes, pinching the bridge of his nose, "This is far above the levels of paranoia". Morgana even commented Kamoshida didn't even station guards near his, and even left the treasury open.

"Damn…he's not taking any chances," Roxas grunts after another prod from Eri. Rhyme offered the possibility that because Yusuke and the others know about his scam, it is likely that his Shadow has been greatly affected by it. With three people who know the truth despite the claim they'll never speak of it, it is likely that paranoia has worsened for the Shadow and it refused to take any chances. "Meaning stealing the Treasure is not going to be as simple as last time," Shiki sighed, "And with that level of security…".

"Well…we do have a plan on how to get the treasure," Naminé says with a yawn and a bit of a mumble, "We've a way to procure it, but everything else is gonna take me some…some…time to…*yawn* think of…". Naminé then slowly slumps against Riku and then the next thing they knew they could hear her gently snoring against him. The master sighed and lamented his friend's lethargic state, softly commenting that she was still unable to keep up with the rest of them. "Even Yusuke isn't half as tired as her…" says Riku, gesturing the weary but far more awake thief.

Yusuke nodded in agreement, voicing his worries about her form in the coming heist, which he also adds he was still unsure of how the process worked. Ren explained in laymen's terms that the heist is the final step to changing Madarame's heart and get him to confess his crimes. "That's the final step, but it is also the worst part of the task, and without a doubt the most dangerous," explained the Trickster, "Its also the most delicate part". Yusuke raised a brow and Neku told him that if they don't do this right, there is a chance they could ultimately cause deadly harm to Madarame, potentially even killing him.

With his eyes opened in shock, Yusuke almost jumped from his seat before he looks down at the table in realization. "Look…we know how hard this is gonna be…" starts the teen but Yusuke asked how likely would his death be if they do everything to the letter. Rhyme tells him that if all they do is steal his Treasure then that will be it, the rest will follow suit to how Kamoshida changed. Nodding, Yusuke sighed and agrees. "Much as I desire justice, sensei's death is not what I seek. After all, if he dies none of his victims will get justice," said the artist.

"Yeah…but Naminé doesn't look like she's gonna be going all master planner on us right now," Ryuji commented, gesturing his friend, "Girl's probably gonna sleep through the night". Ren chuckles and reminds him that they have time to think of a plan before Madarame's exhibition ends, which will allow them to rest and gather up gear for the heist. "Besides Naminé's gonna need time to plan out the heist".

"Right, so we'll just play everything by ear," Rhyme agrees and turned to Yusuke, "In the meantime, you just act like everything is fine with your sensei and maybe even get an idea on what he's planning with Naminé". Yusuke nodded and said he'll keep them posted if his sensei says anything, worrying he may use this exhibition to recruit Naminé. He gets off the couch, lamenting he should return home before his sensei questions where he's been. "It'd be in everyone's best interests if he believes I've gone low contact with all of you, lest he suspects something," he said.

He bids the team a goodnight and assurance that he'll be fine going home alone before leaving the café. Once he is gone, Neku retells what happened to them in the Game. "And it looks like we're done with the Game for now," he finishes, showing the text from Joshua, "Says it his way of saying sorry…". Beat grumbles it was a shitty apology since it's happened twice now that they nearly died thanks to BS rules and Reaper ass kissing. "Sides, prissy kid didn't step in the first time when that shit went down!".

"BUT on the plus side, now we can focus on Madarame and not worry about the Game getting in the way or splitting the party again," Rhyme reminds with a nod, "Though…we're down two still…". Riku sighed and asked if anything changed, which like everyone else Xion said nothing had changed. "Kairi's not even sure how long he'll be sleepy sleeping…and she tried kissing and that didn't work!" Xion said. Riku sighed that the princess kiss doesn't work to begin but he expected Sora would have reacted to it. "We don't have much of a choice," Ren sighed, "With or without those two, we're going to do this soon before the exhibition ends".

"Agreed. Once Naminé gets some rest, we'll start with the planning," Rhyme said, "In the meantime, everyone else just go about your days like normal, okay?". The gang nodded and slowly dispersed, heading back to their homes.

Later at night before he went to bed, Riku receives a text from Ryuji in the "Buff Boys chat". He laments letting the former track runner choose the name.

Skull: "Dudes, anybody else felt shitty during the scouting today?".

Jet: "Nah man, all good 'ere!".

Nightmare: "Was your leg acting up again?".

Skull: "Damn it…yeah…".

Nightmare: "Okay then, then how's about we do some more running for tomorrow? May as well work out the kinks before the heist".

Jet: "Fo'sure brutha!".

Skull: "Alright, I'll see you two tomorrow then after school".

Riku sends them both a goodnight text and heads to bed.

*Afterschool: Saturday. 21/5*

*Fifteen days until Deadline*

After school let the students out, the three boys managed to sneak around and reach the track after Riku made sure there wouldn't be any teachers or guards around the area. Once they did some stretches the three started off light with some jogging to break into the swing of things, and after two laps of simple jogging they kicked it up by sprinting. It was going well at first with Ryuji managing to stay in league with the other two but by the third lap he not only started to lose some spark in his run but he lagged farther and farther behind.

While Beat and Riku had barely broken a sweat, Ryuji was hunched over and sweating while his bad leg was shaking like a brittle stick just seconds away from crumbling under the weight. They ultimately huddled back and rest for just a bit for Ryuji's sake. The boy lamented that he want to run faster was greatly overshadowed by his leg's limitations, that even this was too much for someone who used to be training for the nationals. "I totally suck balls now…can't believe I used to train for somethin' like the nationals…!" he says chastising himself.

"Eyy man, loosen up on yourself!" Beat said, "We jus' gettin' started!". Riku concurred with the skater, assuring Ryuji that even he and Beat were still getting into the full swing of the trek. Ryuji smirks at him with a gleam in his eyes, bragging his knows Riku was just trying to make him feel better. Then a voice full of irritation directed towards Ryuji demanded to know why he was on the track. They look ahead to see three boys in track running uniforms that were likely in the same age of the three.

"Nakaoka… Takeishi…" Ryuji said with surprise and even showed it on his face. The former commented he saw Ryuji running through the windows and Takeishi accused and mocked the boy, wondering if him running was an attempt to come crawling back to the track team. Ryuji denied it, most hesitantly than his two friends would have ever expected but doubt was plastered on the faces of his former teammates. Nakaoka even commented that this spot was Ryuji's old training ground, but then claimed it was theirs now.

Takeishi, just to rub salt into the wound, remarks that they don't even have locker rooms now thanks to a certain "someone". Shame coated Ryuji's face and under the glares of his former team he couldn't help himself and averted his gaze from them. Beat growled and almost lunged to throw someone from the former team into a wall but Riku quickly stepped in, insisting they not descend into fighting. More out of the concern for their well-being than Ryuji, considering none of them look like they'd survive a brawl with Beat.

Ryuji weakly persists they weren't fighting and even Nakaoka clarified that this wasn't even close to a real fight. Then it seemed to dawn on them that Riku is one of the transfer students, and it opened a new wound to pour salt on that was Ryuji's character, asking the silver head if he was going to hang around with the loser. The third ex track runner even "warned" the two that the moment Ryuji gets angry he'll hit them, just like his father did. He even had the nerve to say "like father like son", and commented on how scary it sounded.

"You guys LOOKIN' for somebody to hit ya?" Beat growls, "Cause keep talkin' shit like that and you gonna find it fast!". Ryuji even growls alongside his friend that his father has nothing to do with this. "Calm down, both of you," Riku says, "Don't let these idiots get you all riled up for nothing that concerns them". Much as he wanted to put a fist into their faces and maybe a solid kick to their guts, getting those two hot heads into trouble with the school is the last thing they needed. Ryuji stiffens before he manages to control his temper and reels back from his intimidating stance.

Ryuji then tries to apologize but Nakaoka dismissed his attempts, reminding the boy that they were all victims of Kamoshida's abuse. That the training, if you could even call it that, alongside the beatings were ruthless but they all toughened through it for the sake of the team. Then he gets into Ryuji's face and tore into him, exclaiming he had to go and ruin for them all because the teacher was only saying the truth about his father. He denounced him as a teammate, chastising himself for ever thinking Ryuji was a team player.

With that, he and the others left Ryuji behind once more. "Eyy Riku, you got some fire ball or somethin' to throw at them?" Beat asked. "Nothing they'd survive from, sadly…" Riku grunts as he folds his arms. A sad chuckle rumbles through Ryuji, followed by a sheepish neck scratch as he lifts his head up. "I almost gave him a good punch when he started to talkin' about my dad…" he confessed and then even said he really hasn't changed at all. "Dude, ya ain't gonna change that quick!" Beat said, "Sides those assholes were hitting ya where it hurts!".

"And you had the restraint not to deck them as hard as you could have, I'd say the old Ryuji wouldn't have held back," Riku reminds. Ryuji nodded with a deep exhale and then turned to the two with a grin, thanking them for helping him calm down. Then they heard the boys argue ahead of them, and just one glance at them told the group that despite how united they seemed ganging up on Ryuji they seemed even more dysfunctional as a group among themselves.

"Guess its not all sunshine and roses over there either," Riku comments. "Yeah…kinda thought that after they kicked me out and Kamoshida getting arrested they'd be, I dunno, buddy-buddy…" Ryuji said with a sense of sympathy. Then he shrugged and said he shouldn't get involved; likely he'd just add more heat to the argument. "And you said you haven't changed…" Riku says. He then clapped both blondes on their shoulders and offers them some ramen as a treat, claiming apart from progress being made, they needed something to cheer up the punk.

*Evening: Saturday. 21/5*

*Fifteen days until Deadline*

*Wildkat*

After chucking his bottle of water in the recycling bin, Riku's phone goes off before he enters his home and answers it without needing to see the ID.

Nightmare: "What's up?".

Skull: "Just…wanted to say thanks for today. I really owe you guys".

Skull: "Its just, I get so pissed off easily".

Jet: "Yo man, ain't easy keeping your temper when dickheads poke family, you feel?".

Skull: "I know but…I don't wanna cause a scene. If I do and Ren gets involved, dude is gonna have an even harder time here, ya know? And you guys wouldn't be any different…".

Nightmare: "Hey man, you managed to stop yourself before doing that. Give yourself some credit".

Nightmare: "Forget about them, we worry about ourselves first".

Skull: "Yeah, maybe you're right. Thanks again guys…".

Riku bids them both a good night and heads inside.

Meanwhile in Sora's room, Kairi remains sitting by his side with her phone in hand, lazily and boringly scrolling through all the social medias that plagued the digital world. She occasionally likes something, scrolls pass and reads some articles but most of it were all fodder and noise for her to dry and distract herself from the worries that were plaguing her mind. Namely the fact Sora has still been sleeping since he rescued the others and has done little to nothing in showing he was going to awaken soon.

Letting out a tired sigh, Kairi was about to put her phone down and just go to bed when it vibrated. She sees the call was in a group chat Ann started titled "Strengthening the Heart" and sees Shiki is part of the call. "Be nice to talk to someone I guess…" Kairi says as she answers the phone with a greeting.

Panther: "You doing okay Scarlet? Anything on King?".

Scarlet: "He's still a lazy bum, worse than usual…".

Panther: "Seriously? And you tried everything?".

Scarlet: "What else can I do? Kissing didn't work and shakes probably just tell him to stay sleeping!".

Tigress: "Have you tried throwing water on him?".

Scarlet: "No…but I think that's going a little too far…".

Tigress: "Man…you sound so exhausted".

Scarlet: "I…am, if I'm honest".

Panther: "Then you need a break! How about we get together for a while? Get your head cleared and maybe work on strengthening our hearts?".

Kairi paused and pondered on the offer, biting her lip and glancing back at Sora. Much as she sought some brevity and time to herself that didn't involve worrying herself to turning her hair grey, she couldn't just leave Sora on his own in case he indeed wakes up or needed help. But the longer she resigns herself to constantly spending time in his room, the more she feels suffocated and worries turning into the worst cases or outcomes. Maybe she could have Xion, or the others watch him just in case…

Scarlet: "Yeah…I think I could go for one".

Panther: "GREAT! Then lets head to Inokashira Park tomorrow. We can get there by train right?".

Tigress: "Yup, maybe something outside the city can help you".

Scarlet: "Sounds like a plan, I'll see you two tomorrow then".

*Afternoon: Sunday. 22/5*

*Fourteen days until Deadline*

*Inokashira Park*

Leaning on the wooden railing with Shiki and Mr Mew, Kairi watches as Ann hypes herself up for whatever plan she has in mind. The princess wouldn't deny it but there was something relaxing about this part of the world. Maybe it was the more tranquil and calming presence this part had, or it was just nice to escape from the city for a little while and hang with her friends. She has Xion and the other twins watching over Sora and got regular updates from them so at least her worries were put to rest for the moment.

"Man, big and open places are great! I got a good feeling my training is gonna go super well today!" Ann boasts. She had this proud and knowing grin on her face as she reminds the girls the purpose for the training, and even bragged she had an idea on how to make her heart stronger. Shiki looks excited while Kairi had an amused look on her face, genuinely curious as to what madness she was about to witness from Ann. "See, I think having a strong heart means you don't let anything get under your skin," she explained.

"That sounds more like having thicker skin though," Kairi argued softly, "But how exactly does that work?". Ann, with a look of a child who just figured out the mystery of the world, said she wanted Shiki and Kairi to say stuff to her that should shock her and she's going to try and to get fazed by them. "Like what?" Shiki asked. Ann grinned and exclaimed they had already started, her hesitation wasn't going to stop her. Both girls glanced at each other, slightly worried Ann's thinking might be too complex for them to understand. Then with shrugs, they turned back to Ann with thoughts.

"Umm…you're…stupid?" Shiki said. Ann nodded and encouraged the two to resume. Shiki then calls her an airhead that has as much braincells as a rock, which Kairi snickers at but Ann, impressively unfazed, demands another. Kairi decided to throw in her two yen and said: "You have as much of a fashion sense as Beat does!". Ann nodded and kept asking for them to keep going, which Kairi and Shiki decided to keep throwing challenging words and insults alike, and yet Ann seemed to be completely unfazed by them.

"Ann this feels like we're trying to tear down your character than strengthening your heart…" Shiki said with a shake of her head, "Besides, nothing seems to be bothering you". Kairi also commented it was likely Ann knows they wouldn't say half the stuff to her unless they were enemies, which Ann sheepishly commented that was somewhat true. Then Kairi smirks evilly and said: "Your love life will be with Ryuji Sakamoto~". Ann leaps back with clear horror dressed onto her face, staring at Kairi as though she were the devil in disguise.

"That was WAY too cruel Kairi!" said the horrified Ann while Shiki was laughing profusely. "You did tell her to say things to faze you~" Shiki cheekily reminds. Ann huffs and crosses her arms with a pout, lamenting she didn't feel any stronger than when they started. Kairi concurs that perhaps insulting her friend would likely cause the exact opposite effect. Then before they could start a new process, Ann's phone goes off and startles to three. She apologizes and checks it to see it was an email from her job.

"Huh…that's weird. The shooting is still far off but they're telling us to watch the time and our surroundings," she explained, "Apparently some models haven't been showing up lately". "Oh that doesn't sound good…why the concern?" Shiki asked. Ann says they were asked and apparently the models say there were changes in the schedule. Many shoots have been panicking and scrambling for substitutes for the models. "That's weird, has that ever happened to you?" Kairi asked. Ann replies she's never missed a shooting before. She also mentioned it must be extremely confusing for the staff to see a substitute instead of the model, and hopes it doesn't happen to her.

"This all sounds like a mad house in the making," Kairi comments, "How do you deal with that?". Ann giggles and explains she's just used to it, since she was just a kid. Which prompted Shiki to ask how did she even get into being a model to begin with. "Oh I never told you two? Well its because of my parents. See they're both fashion designers who put on some really extravagant shows," she explained and then added that since they jump from country to country she only sees them for half of the year. Though she sadly confessed it was starting to become less these days.

"That's terrible…" Shiki lamented, "I mean I get they're busy but…". Ann waves her off with a go-lucky smile and said she's used to it and prefers this since it allows her to relax more often. "Plus it'd be a lot harder to be a Phantom Thief with them around, you know?" she said, "But not gonna lie, it was pretty tough when I was little. It was just me and our live-in caretaker. Didn't really have any friends back then…". She then awkwardly laughed, saying she made things go dark really fast all of a sudden.

"So is that why you got into modelling? Because your parents has some influence on you?" Kairi asked. Ann nodded and said that it did make her feel closer to them for sure, but to her it is just a hobby. "I don't think I'd wanna make it into a something I can live off of. Since that's how Kamoshida first spotted me…and then the rumours started flooding in". Her friends nodded in understanding but then in order to perk them up Ann turned to Shiki and asked her where did her desire to make clothes come from. With a smile she said: "Eri kinda kick started it but after some fiddles and experimenting, I kinda found my own niche".

"Since I like dressing people up and bringing out their confidence, I figured why not do my own brand that anyone, no matter how old, big or small you are, people will see your beauty. My clothes are just the bait, you know?" she explained. Kairi teases that sounded so shrewd and like a scheme with all the greatest of intentions, which Ann noted and even asked how much Eri influenced the poor girl. "…that…does sound a lot more malicious when you put it like that". Kairi smiled at them both and then Ann asked about her parents.

"Parent. Just me and my mom," Shiki confessed and revealed her dad died years ago when she was just a kid. Ann blanched and apologized but the younger girl shook her head, claiming it was years ago and in truth she has no memories of him. "But you know, mom's around and we've a better connection than most. And well…she was glad I have friends now!" she giggled. Then she looks at Kairi with the same question in her eyes, but the princess shakes her head. "I…don't remember them…" she admitted.

"My grandma was the one who raised me up until I was transported to the islands…even nowadays I can barely remember her". The two frowned with sympathy but Kairi shrugged and assured them she held onto those fleeting memories and it was all she needs. "Besides, I've had Sora and Riku, and for a time they were all I needed," she said, "Now I've Naminé, you guys, can't say being alone is a thing for me!". They giggle in agreement and decide they had enough heart-to-heart chit-chats for today, opting to get some crepes before going their separate ways again.

*Evening: Sunday. 22/5*

*Fourteen days until Deadline*

*Wildkat*

Panther: "So…after we met up, I tried doing runway walks on the way home. Like a cool, sexy woman would walk".

Panther: "Then some girl, who was just watching me, started to copy and runway walked with me!".

Tigress: "Aww that sounds so cute~ Was she a child model or something?".

Panther: "OH shit! I didn't consider that!".

Scarlet: "Or maybe she's just a kid who liked how you walked and tried to copy you for funsies?".

Panther: "That…could have been the case too… GAHHHH! Now this is gonna bother me all night! Why did you two have conflicting opinions on this!?".

Scarlet: "You started it…".

She bids both a good night and heads into the café. "I'm home," she says with a small yawn following her announcement. Ahead she sees Riku at the counter with Ventus and Naminé, serving them both a brew of coffee. She receives a greetings from the boys and a half-heartedly greeting from Naminé, eyes fixed on the counter with several papers and pencils and marks strewn about the place. The princess asks if she was already working on the big score, to which she was rewarded with a grunt of acknowledgement.

"Naminé's been brain storming all sorts of back up plans and then some," Riku says as he places the two cups down for the two, "She's got the how to steal part down, but now she's working on everything else". Kairi places her bag beside the couch and joins them at the counter, asking for details. "Like we said two days ago, we're dealing with modern security this time, and one thing goes wrong and we'll have the entire museum on our backs," Riku listed and then says everyone's been trying to figure out what the treasure could be, or what form Madarame could take later.

"So far Yusuke said his sensei hasn't said a word about us or the legal actions but he's still gonna go through with it," he finishes. "Talking about holding a grudge," Kairi says as she sits on the stool, "But then again we're the first ones to really jeopardize his career, right?". Riku nodded and even shows her on his phone that Mishima has been doing some digging under Ren's order. "Our "manager" has gotten a few more victims coming out in private.".

"A bummer even with all those victims, it won't matter because of Madarame's influence, right?" Ventus asked. Kairi nodded as Riku reminds everyone of Madarame's supposed connections to a security force that may or may not have any semblance of morality. "But hey at least when we change his heart, those victims can tell their stories and maybe get some justice for everything he's done to them. Hell some of them may even get a chance at becoming artists again," Riku says with confidence.

"So long as that plagiarizing jerk gets what he deserves," Naminé says as she scribbles more notes. Kairi nods and then lets another yawn out, deciding to go and get some sleep. However before she moves, she notices the lack of two former nobodies and asked: "Hey, where's Roxas and Xion?". No sooner did she say that, the door leading to their bedrooms exploded open and out came tumbling were the two mentioned nobodies.

Once they slammed onto the ground, Xion practically throws Roxas off her and turned to the others with wide eyes of panic. And then she said the words that none of the guardians ever wanted to here ever again:

"SORA'S GONE!".

A/N:

Hello…yeah…here's chapter 35.

So I don't have any questions this time as I don't think now's a good time to ask but depending on how this chapter is received, I will release an update explaining when chapters will be coming.

Until then: I hope you all enjoyed this one, sorry if it's a bit rushed or not as good as usual, been awhile. As always, thanks for reading, stay awesome but more importantly stay safe!