CONTENT WARNING: The section beginning with "Haru didn't have an overwhelming abundance of belongings," contains references to sexual abuse of a minor, grooming and parental abuse. While not graphic, this content still may be difficult or upsetting to read, so please take breaks or skip sections as needed. Stay safe.


Ann
Lemme guess, Akechi's like tense and on guard and shit?

Kasumi
Yes. :(
I think it helps that I'm here, and Ryuji and Yusuke are being very respectful.
But he still doesn't really want to open up. X(

Ren
I wouldn't beat yourself up for that
He hasn't exactly opened up to anyone I've brought so far either
I mean, that I could see
Maybe him and Makoto had some sort of psychic conversation while she kicked his butt?

Makoto
We're 4:3, my favor.
Hardly definitive.
And no, we didn't.

Haru
Besides which, psychic is more my style than Makie's. (✿◠‿◠)
I suppose I could always try that tomorrow when I see him?

Kasumi
I'm pretty sure Akechi's too skeptical for that. X)
But you could always try!

Yusuke
Are you certain you wish to visit Akechi on your own Haru?
I don't aim to speak for Ren or Kasumi but I'm sure they would be more than happy to join you.

Haru
Thank you for your concern! But I promise, I'd prefer it.
I can protect myself, don't forget. ผ(•̀_•́ผ)

Ann
I mean, you're seeing your dad today, yeah?
That's gotta be stressful.
No shame in taking a breather after that.

Ryuji
yeah for sure like
haru my girldude u can take a day off sometimes ya know

Haru
I know, but thank you both. (´▽`ʃ ƪ)
I've spent far too much of my life waiting already.
I don't want to slow down now.(︶^︶)

Futaba
I know that feeling.
Uh
Give them hell if they give you shit?
Akechi and your dad I mean.

Haru
I plan on it. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

Kasumi
Scary Haru! :D
Scary in the good way, I mean.
Not scary to me. X)

Ren
Me neither haha

Yusuke
As expected from Noir then?
Frightening to our enemies but never to her allies.

Futaba
Sounds about right! ;p

Haru
You're all too kind. (✿◡‿◡)

Makoto
Ren.
If Okumura starts on his usual bullshit.
Shut him up.

Ren
Uh
I mean, yeah, I plan on it

Futaba
Huh, you're texting a lot more like how you talk, Makie.
No more of those weird contractions.
Diiiiiiid something happen?

Makoto
Nope.

Futaba
Okay, cool, leaving me on read for ten minutes.
I can take a hint. :(

Ann
I don't think it's personal, I promise!
Koto's just busy and all.

Yusuke
If I might play devil's advocate we are all busy Ann.
Not that I am bothered by Makoto's brevity. I have no personal issue.
But I can recognize that it might be offputting for some of us.

Makoto
Sorry.
Not busy as much as distracted.
I'll focus where it counts.

Ren
That's fine by me
I trust you to know where that importance is
Just let us know if there's something you need, yeah?

Makoto
Yes. I will.
Best of luck, both of you.
I hope Okumura cooperates.
I'll happily break his knees if he doesn't.

Kasumi
Scary Makoto. :D


10/18 – Tuesday
After School
Okumura Mansion

Haru's home was...big. That was the most positive thing Ren could find to say about it. To someone else, maybe, it would have been an impressive display of expensive architecture. Large glass walls to the east and west sides sun-lit the entire living room. Or den. Or whatever the hell the room was called. The hard concrete walls to the north and south were covered in large paintings that were probably incredibly valuable. Even the mantle above the enormous fireplace was decorated with little trinkets that seemed more expensive than personal.

Ren shifted on the couch next to Haru. This whole place was like a fucking museum. Clean, impeccably fancy. Something to be seen, not experienced. A place to look at, not to live in. Even without the issue of Haru's father, he could absolutely understand why the young woman spent most of her time away from home. And speaking of...

Kunikazu Okumura stared at his daughter from the other side of the living room coffee table. Patient, or maybe distant. Like he was looking right through her. His hair somewhat unkempt, stray hairs poking out of his combed locks. The man wore a plaid tie that was loose and untied around his neck, as if he'd completely forgotten it. A mirror of that cosmic captain. So small, so pathetic without that Metaversal authority.

"Father," she said. Her voice was cold, and calm. Steady as a glacier. She ran her hands across Mona's fur, the cat curled up in a ball in her lap.

"Haru," he echoed. Empty. Distracted. Eyes glazed over. Barely even paying an inch of attention.

Haru gestured to Ren. "This is Ren Amamiya. My boyfriend." A twinge of softness across her tone that sent a little flutter across Ren's ribs. "And his cat, Morgana."

Morgana merely gave a silent glare up at the man, the fur across his back prickled.

The man perked up at that, and Ren felt the urge to shy back into the couch until he phased through the cushions. Kunikazu blinked at him, half-squinting through his own glasses. Ren was struck with the momentary realization that the man's eyes were the same color as Haru's, and yet that distant gaze was infinitely unlike his daughter's. So empty, so cold. Cheeks gaunt, rather than her soft and dimpled ones. He was Haru's father, definitely. But he was nothing like her.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Ren said, bitterness sharpening the words as they left him.

Kunikazu simply nodded. Like a puppet jerked around on empty strings.

"Father," Haru said again, and his attention turned back towards her. "I am working with the Phantom Thieves." Her eyes were the sharpest shield. A dagger held parallel to his heart. Like she was daring him to approach. "I requested that they change your heart." Under ordinary circumstances, it'd be a bold tactic. But against the metamorphosing cognition of a changing heart...they'd decided it made the most sense to be straightforward.

"I see," he said. And those eyes saw nothing. He didn't even seem surprised.

"I wish to repay them," she continued, "with information about a few corrupt associates of yours. Masayoshi Shido, and the collective known as An-So."

Kunikazu blinked at that. "An-So," he echoed, sounding out the words. "Yes, I should...I donated to them. I should have files." The man patted his pockets oddly, lost – looking for his phone or something? "I'll...I can get those to you. That shouldn't be an issue." And he was silent. Lost in thought, maybe. "Shido. I don't..." He shook his head. "I never met the man. I don't...I don't think so."

Ren threw a glance towards Haru, whose lips were pursed. "Well," Morgana mumbled. "At least he won't spill any info we don't want him to." There was always the danger of Okumura revealing something in his confession that put pressure on Shido, thereby pushing the man to move on the Thieves before they had a chance to execute their own plans. Hopefully, the lack of "useful" knowledge made that risk a non-issue. Ren could hope, at least.

Kunikazu was near silent, mumbling something under his breath.

"You told me that you scheduled a press conference tomorrow," Haru said, almost prompting. As if she was the parent, and he the child. The thought sent a twitching tension across the tips of Ren's fingers.

"Everything," Kunikazu said. Answering a question she hadn't asked. "My..." He looked down at his hands. The glaze drifting from his eyes as a cloud might depart from blocking the sun. "Your boyfriend. I see." And he glanced up at Ren, who had to force himself to stifle a flinch, and then at Haru. "I take this to mean you have no interest in the marriage agreement?"

Haru tensed, and Ren didn't blame her. He scooted an inch closer, disguising it as his own uncomfortability. Praying the proximity would help somewhat. "I have no interest in pursuing a relationship with Fukui Sugimura." Her eyes narrowed. Sharper than anything he had seen before, like venom leaking into her irises. Morgana began to purr, quiet and calming, and yet Haru was still tense. "That man is nearly twice my age, and took advantage of my trust to indulge his own vile desires. When I am of age, not only do I have no intent of marrying him," almost spitting out the word, "but I plan to ensure he will never again come close to me."

Ren could barely breathe, he had to remind his lungs to continue to pull in air, filter the oxygen to keep his brain running. He had to be here for her. His own discomfort, that echoed pain, wasn't important.

Kunikazu looked similarly taken aback. Blinking at his daughter as if she had started speaking in tongues. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. A long, tense pause stretched across the seconds. "I shall...burn that agreement, then. There is no point in attempting to perpetuate it." Burn...sort of a peculiar choice of words, but Ren didn't feel much more than an instance of curiosity before relief swamped the feeling.

Haru similarly seemed to relax, her tense shoulders shifting back and down. "Yes," she said slowly, almost carefully. "That would be for the best."

Her father simply nodded, eyes glazing over for a brief moment again, before he seemed to focus. "Haru," he said. An odd quietness to his tone, a solemnity. "I have been...thinking of Senri quite a lot over these past days." Haru started at the name. Not tense, maybe, but...surprised, definitely. Kunikazu, however, glanced at Ren. "Her mother." A quick, simple explanation. Ren found himself honestly a little surprised the man even registered he was there. "She was..." Kunikazu shook his head. "I miss her."

"I remember," Haru said. "Stories, at least. You told me a lot about her, when I was young." Right, yeah. Her mom had passed early, she'd told Ren that. "You missed her then, too." A little ounce of sharpness across her breath.

"She was my friend." The words took Ren by surprise, and Haru similarly blinked quickly at her father. Kunikazu laughed, a single mirthful note stained through with what might have been grief. "I loved her, more than anything, but she was my closest friend. And she would...I almost forgot, how much we would bicker. Not fight, just...debate. Senri wouldn't stand for hypocrisy, even from me; especially from me."

A labored breath in, and out. He sounded exhausted. "I have...justified to myself, every action I have taken as your father. It was all for your sake, for the sake of our family." A wry, pained smile. "Your mother would never have accepted that from me. She would rather have left me, and taken you away, than allowed my...those actions to continue." He wavered. Like a blade of grass in the wind. "She would have been right to do so."

Haru's breath shuddered for a brief moment. And then steadied. "You wanted me to be strong, father," she said. And the young woman reached out a hand, taking Ren's and squeezing it tightly. "And I am. In spite of your efforts, not because of them."

"I wanted you to be obedient," Kunikazu said. A simple statement, a matter of fact, and Ren had to grit his teeth to stop himself from leaping across the coffee table and burying his knuckles into the man's nose. "Strength was...an excuse." He paused for a moment. "But you are strong, Haru. Stronger than me. More equipped to...to run this..."

Mumbling, the words drifting out of him absently. Another pause. Another hesitation. Wobbling ever so slightly in place, like he was listening to some far-off melody only he could hear. "When I was young, I chose to be free. I left my father's care, I met your mother, I raised you. And my father punished me every day for that transgression." Kunikazu's gaze drifted up towards the ceiling, off into nothing. "All he wanted was for me to return to him. To accept the destiny he had chosen for me."

"Isn't that...?" Morgana mumbled, his brow furrowed. Haru was similarly staring so oddly at her father, like something in his words had...had tripped a memory.

"Whether or not you have ever listened to me, listen now. You have done to me exactly what your father did to you. You let your son be free, and punished him every single day for that freedom, waiting for him to return home and accept the destiny you chose for him. And in doing so, you have forever lost your daughter. If mother were still alive, what do you think she would say to you, to that!? Which of us would she stand with!?"

"And I have forced you to inherit that pain," Kunikazu continued. "I have..." He shook his head, eyes shut, shuddering at nothing. "A father should not repeat his own father's mistakes. But I have repeated mine. I hated my father, and yet I expected...I expected you to love me." A single bark of laughter, dry and bitter. Maybe guilty.

And the man opened his brown eyes. Numb, glazed over. Empty. "Everything I did, I did for my legacy, of training a worthy heir to my name. I thought only of raising the prodigal son my own father wished of me." He bent his head, hands clasped in his lap. Leaning forward, as if threatening to tip over and fall through the coffee table. "And I fear that I have lost my daughter in that desperation."

Haru's words. The same ones she had spoken to Kunikazu in his Palace, echoing now out of his mouth. Ren glanced towards his girlfriend. Haru's eyes were wide, blinking quickly. Mouth slightly open. Like she was lost for words completely. Ren squeezed her hand, once, and Haru closed her mouth. A breath in. A squeeze back. "You have," she said, simply.

Kunikazu flinched, taking his daughter's words like a blow. "I see." Barely audible, shivering words. "I am sorry. I am sorry, Haru."

Haru grit her teeth, a shudder burning through her breath. "What now, then?" she said. Quick, and angry. "You apologize, you confess, you turn yourself in. You leave me with...with scars, and abandon me?" She pursed her lips. Ren could feel the tension in her touch, the anger pulsing behind that perpetual gentleness. "What does it all amount to? Seventeen years under your roof, and what do I have to show for it?"

Her brown eyes wavered below her knit brow. "An inheritance gained through abuse. A company that will never accept my decisions. A name you have raked through the mud." Every word was woven through with fury, and yet Haru did not raise her voice a single decibel. Cold, and shuddering, and furious. Searing and frigid at the same time. "This catharsis is moot, father. And I will not accept your apology."

Kunikazu barely reacted. He straightened up again, wavering in place. Gaze so eternally distant. "My finances will...be seized, no doubt," he said. "I can...there is some, that I can..." He nodded to himself. "I will make arrangements. Perhaps Hyodo would...she is...no, you are better off making your own decisions now. Whatever those may be." He seemed to regain his focus, the attention returning to his eyes as he gazed towards his daughter. "You want to be free." It was almost a question.

Haru paused. A long moment of hesitation, of frustration. "Yes," she said, finally, the word strained. Ren could hear the intent behind it, the faint echo of every word she wanted to say in its place.

Kunikazu nodded, slowly. "Then I will ensure you are," he said. "That is...that is the most I can leave for you. I...if there was more..." He trailed off, frowning.

Haru squeezed Ren's hand once more, tight, before letting go. She stood, scooping Morgana into her arms – the cat clung to her with a surprised little 'murp.' "That will be enough, then." She stared at her father. A silence that stretched into what felt like minutes. Ren stood too, waiting for his girlfriend's next word, her next decision. "I hope one day I will no longer have to be angry at you, father." Haru turned away, letting out a long breath, holding Morgana tight to her chest. "Maybe then, you will finally talk to me as an equal." And she walked. Step by step, away from her father. Away from the echoes of pain still hanging in the air.

Kunikazu didn't move. He just watched her go with that same blank expression, glazed-over eyes.

Ren stared at the man. The first and last time he would probably ever get to say anything to him, to his girlfriend's father. To that man who had hurt her. "She's not alone," he said, finally. "She won't be. She's got friends, people who care about her. More than you know. And we'll be there to support her every step of the way."

"Thank you," Kunikazu said, simply.

"I don't want your thanks," Ren snapped. "I'm not reassuring you, Okumura. Your daughter is probably the single strongest, bravest, and most resilient person I fucking know, and she's still struggling because of the shit you put her through. So if it wasn't for you, my girlfriend would probably smile a lot more than she does."

He scoffed, turning away from Kunikazu. "Maybe that's stupid, I dunno. But I'm telling you that she chose us. We're here for her because that's what she wants." He sent a glare towards the man. "She didn't choose you. But you chose to be a piece of shit. That's on you, but she's the one who has to deal with the fallout. So, as someone who cares a whole fucking lot about your daughter?"

Ren walked towards the door, refusing to look back at that abusive bastard any longer. "Pay back what you owe, and get out of her life."


Ann
So what happens to your dad's money?
I mean, does it go to you if he's in jail?

Haru
Not under ordinary circumstances, but he did agree to sign over some of his finances to me.
It hardly compares to his net worth, but that money should last me for a while. (✿◡‿◡)

Kasumi
Only some? :O

Haru
Any assets linked to his crimes will be frozen upon his arrest.
And my father has very few assets that are not gained through the abuse of his workers. ( ̄へ ̄)

Yusuke
I see.
I hope it is not rude to ask but do you feel uncomfortable with surrendering those assets?
Considering their origins I would think it a priority to distance yourself from them.

Haru
I had no intention of ever using them for my own benefit.(︶^︶)
But I had hoped to put it towards a good cause.
There is quite a lot of restitution worth paying with that money.

Makoto
Which the SIU would never pay.
No doubt my sister's friends will be skimming off the top until it runs dry.

Ryuji
damniiiiit
dude that fucking sucks
i mean im still real glad we changed his heart and shit
but why did it have to be the fuckin COPS who get his cash?

Futaba
Uhhh guys?
Not to be even more of a party pooper but like big important thing we're not talking about here.
Hey Haru. Where are you gonna LIVE? ?

Haru
Oh! I forgot to mention that part! (*/ω\*)
Ren did a search online and found a small apartment in Minato.

Ren
Twenty minutes from Shujin by train
Rent's pretty cheap too, shouldn't be an issue
And there's a gardening store close by, so Haru's plants are gonna be happy
The previous owner is
What's the word
He really wants to rent it

Makoto
Motivated?

Ren
Yep that's the one
Haru's been emailing the guy for the past couple hours just hashing out details
Pretty sure he'll bite by tomorrow
But just in case he ghosts us, I've got a couple backup options

Ryuji
dude

Ren
?

Ryuji
nah nothin man you're golden keep going

Futaba
Ryuji are you SERIOUSLY swooning over your bf talking about real estate?

Ryuji
I MIGHT BE SHUT UP
ITS DOMESTIC SHIT SO SUE ME

Ren
Hahahaha

Haru
o(〃^▽^〃)o
The only unfortunate news is that moving from my father's home to this apartment will likely take a full day.
I'll have to ask that we postpone our planned celebration while I move my belongings.
I'm very sorry. (__)

Ann
While YOU move your belongings?
Haru. Friend.
You have like seven people who can help with that.

Kasumi
Mhm! :)

Futaba
Uhhh more like six maybe?
I have very not-good-at-lifting arms.

Makoto
I'll carry two people's worth then.
No worries.

Haru
Thank you all.
I'm still quite stuck in my own self-reliance, aren't I?

Ren
Hard habit to break
I get it

Haru
Well, again, thank you.
For your patience.
I love you all very much.

Yusuke
I can say with certainty that the feeling is mutual.
You are an immensely valued member of this team.
And also an immensely valued person regardless of proximity to the Phantoms.

Ryuji
damn right!

Yusuke
Also I hope this is not too rude to ask but will we be partaking in celebrations afterwards?
I was quite looking forward to the barbeque location that Ryuji recommended.

Haru
I think that can be arranged. ( ̄▽ ̄)b


Ren
By the way, I don't know if Haru's told you, but there's one more thing
And I'd like to ask you to wait to tell everyone else

Makoto
If you're keeping secrets, you realize Ann will probably kill you.

Ren
Yeah but she wouldn't kill you and that's why I'm letting you in on it
That was meant to be a joke

Makoto
Not a very good one.
So, what's this one last thing then?

Ren
You remember what Haru told her dad back in the Palace right before we left?

Makoto
Vaguely.
Something about how her mother would have taken her side, and not his.

Ren
He said it back to us
In reality, in his house, almost verbatim
As if he'd just come up with it on the spot, like they were his words

Makoto
Ah.

Ren
We already knew cognition works like that a little bit
Palace stuff affects reality stuff
But somehow, we were able to plant an idea during that change of heart that altered Okumura's cognition in an incredibly specific way

Makoto
Granted, that's terrifying.
I have a feeling I know why you're telling me to keep it secret, but I need to hear it from you.

Ren
It's not a secret
I'm prioritizing
We already all agreed we were going to put infiltrating Sae's Palace on hold
And this could potentially be the fix we were looking for
A way to change her cognition without changing her heart
But we still haven't made our decision on Akechi, and that might change a lot
Ordinarily, I wouldn't bring this up until we finally meet up to plan the infiltration

Makoto
But it's my sister, and you want to brace me for that conversation.

Ren
Pretty much
Morgana's made messing with cognition like that sound pretty fucking dangerous
So I wanna make sure you have the time to think it through

Makoto
I suppose I should thank you.
Ugh, I sounded like Akechi there.
Thank you.
Though I will say, I hoped it wasn't something like that.

Ren
Sorry

Makoto
Don't be.
Just because it's a hard sell doesn't mean it shouldn't be sold.

Ren
That was like almost poetry
Except it didn't make any sense

Makoto
I recognize that, thank you.


10/19 – Wednesday
After School
Cafe Leblanc

Ren
How'd things go with Haru?

Akechi
We got tea and crumpets and gossiped about boys.
How the fuck do you think it went?

Ren
I'm not psychic Akechi

Akechi
Fine.
Allow me to spell it out for you: I'm a murderer and your girlfriend is a self-appointed heroine.
I'm lucky she didn't beat me within an inch of my life.

Ren
Haru's a lot kinder than you give her credit for

Akechi
Her kindness is irrelevant.
Regardless, I suppose the Thieves are lucky to have someone willing to do what is necessary.

Ren
I guess that's kind of a compliment

Akechi
Fuck you.

Ren
And necessary in what way?

Akechi
Necessary in sparing me your insufferable pleasantries.

Ren
Pleasantries
What, did she threaten you or something?

Akechi
Something like that.

Ren
I was joking what the fuck

Akechi
You likely wouldn't see it as such.
Okumura made it clear that she will not permit me to die before I have done what I agreed to do.
Perhaps she meant it as a kindness.
Regardless, I would consider that powerlessness a far worse fate than death.

Ren
Okay

Akechi
Oh, I'm sorry, am I boring you?

Ren
Sorry, I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to say to that

Akechi
Then say nothing.
And enjoy the fresh air for me, will you?
I'm sure freedom tastes just fucking spectacular.

"Maybe getting Akechi a burner phone was a mistake," Ren mumbled, pocketing his cell.

Kasumi nodded solemnly. "Burner phone means no internet acc-access," she sighed. "And no internet access means no more cat pict-pictures." Morgana perked up slightly at the statement, his tail flicking back and forth out of the loaf he'd made on the countertop.

Ryuji gawked at the girl from halfway across the cafe. "Akechi sends you cat pictures!?"

"Well not anymore!" she replied, with a little frustrated huff.

Ren chose not to correct the miscommunication, slipping out of his booth and stretching his arms over his head. "Hey Ann, you said Makoto was going to meet us there, yeah?"

Ann nodded, spinning her phone idly on the table with one finger. "Yep. She and Haru are lugging her stuff into...I mean she just said transporting, I don't know how they're actually getting it there."

"Do they let you take large boxes onto the subway?" Yusuke mused from his seat at the counter. "I've been accosted for attempting to transport my canvases to and from Kosei before."

Futaba spun around, leaning her elbows on the back of her booth to smirk at Yusuke. "Bet that's just because they think you're so suspicious, Inari."

Ren couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, since we're still waiting on the go-ahead, I'll put some coffee on. Anyone–"

"Me!" Futaba said, throwing a hand in the air with such vigor that she nearly toppled forward over the booth.

"Yo, ditto on the coffee time," Ryuji added.

Ren blinked at his boyfriend. "You...know it's like, super bitter still, yeah? I mean, I could drown it in sugar, but..."

Ryuji rolled his eyes. "Yeah, dude, of course I know. But, I dunno, kinda wanna expand my horizons and shit, you know?"

"Expanding horizons later," Ann said, scooting out of her booth, her focus on her cell. "Haru just gave the green light on the apartment." She sent a wild grin up towards the others. "She's officially got her own place." And Ren felt his heart ignite against his ribs with a flame that was almost joy and almost pride and probably a whole lot more besides.

"Perhaps we should celebrate the occasion with a round of Leblanc's finest," Yusuke said, quick and hopeful.

"Come on," Ren laughed, gleeful sparks licking at the inside of his throat with every breath. "Let's help Haru first. Celebration comes after."


Haru had her pink sweater tied around her waist, wearing a simple white shirt as she lifted a box bigger than her torso out of the trunk of her father's car without much apparent effort. The sun was setting over the apartment complex, flooding the entire parking lot with faint orange light that made the young woman look almost radiant, her hair catching the sun like it had back in Mementos.

Ren tried to remind his lungs to continue drawing breath.

Ann bumped her shoulder into his with a smirk. "Dude. You are so bi."

Ren managed to cough out a laugh. "Right, because you are totally immune to the charms of women way stronger than you." And he gestured with his head to Makoto, who was managing to lug a pair of fertilizer bags across the parking lot, one under each arm.

Ann spluttered out "shut up!" and smacked him upside the head, her cheeks dusted with crimson.

"If you can't take the heat..." Ren said, chuckling off the blow.

"If you two don't help," Makoto said, her voice making the pair jump. "Then I'm pretty sure that means we get your share of the barbeque." And she sent a little smirk towards them, before adjusting the bags under her arms and heading up the stairs to Haru's apartment.

"She really needs to stop being so fucking confident," Ann grumbled, though she seemed barely able to maintain her scowl.

Ren sent a glance over his shoulder to Futaba, who was typing away on her laptop. "And I think she's picking favorites. No scolding for her favorite hacker, huh?"

"Yeah, me and Makie are basically BFFs," the girl said with a smirk. "Also, I'm moral support." Without looking up from her computer, she waved a hand back and forth in the air. "Go go go. Lift those boxes. You are strong. You can do it." Every word in the same deadpan.

"Fuck yeah!" Ryuji shouted from across the parking lot, and Ren nearly choked on his own laughter.


Haru didn't have an overwhelming abundance of belongings, but the apartment itself was...a lot smaller than it had seemed in the pictures. It had taken a long few hours of mulling around other Thieves in the cramped three rooms before they managed to find a place for everything. Ren hadn't considered himself particularly claustrophobic before, but now he was fairly certain he had a mild case of it. But there was something to be said for the frankly contagious level of determined energy that Haru had brought to the occasion. Even Ryuji had taken the minimum amount of fresh-air breaks, and Ren was pretty sure Futaba had been halfway through programming some sort of organization simulator by the time they finished.

Ren's arms and legs were eclipsed in that dull, satisfying ache the Metaverse could never hope to emulate. And sitting with his friends around a barbeque table in a private room of all things, listening idly to their small talk as he slowly and systematically stuffed his face? There weren't really words to describe it. The closest one he could land on was...irreplaceable.

"Did any of you happen to catch my father's confession this morning?" Haru asked. It was a simple question, but one that sent a slight silence across the table.

"Yeah," Ren said, feeling almost ashamed to admit as much.

"Me and Ren watched it over lunch," Ann added.

"I was there too," Morgana grumbled from his hiding spot on Ren's lap – a precaution, in case the staff came back to check on them.

Haru giggled, and the sound caught Ren by surprise. "It was rather underwhelming, wasn't it?"

"Uh," Ryuji said, glancing around the table as if trying to get confirmation he wasn't speaking out of turn. "I mean, yeah. He apologized for all the union busting and shit but...fuck, yeah, underwhelming's a good word."

"I would say pathetic more than underwhelming," Makoto said under her breath, picking at the meat on her plate.

Haru nodded. "That too, yes." She smiled, some sort of unshakable lightness across her expression. Like the mask of a smile she'd worn the first time they met, but...different. Honest, somehow. "I've spent so long building up that moment in my head, imagining my father apologizing for his abuses, and now that I actually get to see it?" She paused, taking a brief sip of the tea she'd ordered. "I'm not sure what I was waiting for."

"Perhaps for your father to break the bond holding you to him," Yusuke said, the blunt honesty of the words almost making Ren flinch. "I would say – at least, from my own experiences – that you may very well have been holding out for that tether to splinter. As I was, in the days before Madarame's confession." He hummed a thought that nearly blended in with the hissing of the table's hot plate. "But I assume you may have arrived at the same conclusion that I did."

"That he won't," Haru finished. "That it's up to us to sever that anchor."

"Yes," Yusuke said. Simple as anything, and yet the single word held some impossible vastness behind it. "Though, of course, we need not do so alone."

Haru smiled wider, full and bright. "Of course. I wouldn't expect any of you to allow me to do so." She beamed towards her allies. "You're all far too kind for that. And," with a little wink, "a little bit meddlesome when it comes to doing the right thing."

"So says the h-heroine of justice," Kasumi teased.

"My point stands!" Haru said, giggling out the words. And she paused, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "You have all shown me a lot of patience as well. And yet, there is still a person I wish to be, and I am so very far from being her." Haru glanced down at her hands, flexing her fingers in and out, as if reminding herself of her own strength. "My father is facing penance. I will never again have to compromise myself to please him. Now the only obstacle is...myself, I suppose." An odd silence that seemed to stretch for longer than it was. "Not even Sugimura will keep me from that."

Ren felt his stomach lurch at the name. Holy shit. He tried to keep from gawking at his girlfriend. He wasn't quite sure if he was proud of her, exactly; he definitely was, but it was more complicated than that. Like he was...scared for her, almost. An echo of dread, of wriggling anxiety. Of shame she didn't deserve to feel.

Ryuji quirked his head at the young woman. "Sorry, did I forget a name or something, or–"

"It's just someone from her dad's...I mean, his circle of...!" Morgana squeaked. Clearly trying to cover up for what he must have assumed was a slip of Haru's tongue. "No one important, okay!?"

"Morgana," Haru said. A little glimmer of fatigue leaking through her smile. "It's alright." And she sent a glance across the table. "I trust you." The statement didn't seem particularly meant for any one of them. Perhaps it was meant for all of them.

"You don't have to," Futaba said. "I mean, uh, I know we'll all like...like everyone will still accept you, and stuff, even if we don't understand." She winced at her own words, as if she didn't like the way they tasted on her tongue. "But not everyone needs to...needs to know everything." Realization struck Ren between the eyes. It wasn't just Haru she was reassuring. Most likely, it was herself too. Finding a reason to keep those secrets she'd only spilled for him and Morgana. "It's okay to ask for that."

"But you would listen if I did," Haru said. Not quite a question, but almost one. "If I wished for you to understand, would you try to?"

Futaba pursed her lips. Glancing away from the young woman, like wilting from the softest interrogation. "We would," Ren said, cutting in to try and ease the obligation off of his sister. "Of course we would. Whatever you have to share, we'll listen."

Kasumi took a long breath, humming into her closed mouth. "Barbeq-barbeque isn't a hot pot," she said, slowly. "Which I'm glad about, cause hot pots make me anx-anxious. But I think..." She glanced towards Yusuke. "Hot pot round robin?"

The young man lit up. "Yes!" He lightly smacked his fist onto the table, somehow failing to disturb even a single utensil with the motion. "We have a tradition of sharing secrets and woes over a meal, especially when a new Thief has joined our ranks. Our stories, so to speak, as much of them as we are willing to share." Makoto seemed to tense at the statement, a little bitterness flickering through her tired eyes. She...had she looked that exhausted all day? Or was it the day itself that had weighed on her? For a brief moment, Makoto wasn't sitting between Ann and Ryuji. She was at her own table, a stranger eavesdropping on a conversation that she had no place in. The thought curdled at Ren's gut.

Haru nodded, seeming to consider Yusuke's words. "You owe me nothing for the truth." An odd weight to her words, something solemn and...vital, maybe. Something that stung at the edges of Ren's eyes. He wished he was sitting next to her, rather than two spots away, just so he could hold her hand again through this. "I...wish to let go of that shame. More than the man himself, I loathe...the feeling that I must be silent. That those around me would shun that truth into null."

"Then you've got the floor," Ann said. An odd flicker, like secondhand anger. Not at Haru, past her. At the remnant puppet threads trailing off the young woman. "And I promise no one here is going to abandon, or shame, or pity you." She let out a sharp breath. "And if anyone outside the Thieves treats you like shit for that, I've got a box of matches with their name on it."

Haru smiled softly, and didn't say a word. Not for what felt like an eternity. "I was in love with him," she said, finally. "Or, no, not exactly. I don't think it's appropriate to call what that was 'love.' I..." She pursed her lips. When Haru spoke again, her voice was low, almost blending into the background noise that leaked through the walls into their room. "My father kept me isolated. He kept me...from people, made it clear to me I was not to be anywhere that he did not have full control of. And, despite the compromises he made with me, the ways in which he acquiesced when I..." A little laugh bubbled out of her, shaking her head, a bitter surprise gleaming in every note. "My father knew I was a girl for a year before he agreed to let me present myself as one."

Ren's breath caught. Morgana was tense on his lap, his claws digging into his legs. Like he...oh, right. Ren shifted his leg, the cat starting. "Go ahead," he said, keeping his voice low. "You wanna be an anchor for her too, right?"

Morgana glanced up at Ren, blue eyes wide and shimmering. He didn't say a word, but he didn't really need to. The cat hopped down, stealing beneath the table.

"My name as well," Haru continued. "It took a long time to convince him. I don't even remember exactly–" She jumped in her seat, the entire table flinching in unison. "Oh!" And she glanced down to the side of her chair. "Hello, Morgana. You startled me."

"Sorry," Ren said, barely able to smile, but still managing one. "I should have said something, I just didn't wanna interrupt."

"I can talk for myself!" Morgana replied, haughtily.

"Yes you can," Haru said, almost cooing out the words as she leaned down to scoop the cat into her arms. "Thank you, you're a very sweet kitty."

"Yes I am," he said, nuzzling against her.

"Do you wanna keep going?" Kasumi asked, clearly trying to hide a smile.

"No pressure," Ryuji added, quickly.

"I do," she said. "If it's alright for me to." And Haru's gaze flitted towards Ren.

The room almost felt like a sauna that had just gotten all the steam vented out. Only seconds before, the air had been hard for Ren to breathe, and now...it felt simple. Like he didn't need to brace himself for what came next. "I'm not taking it back," he said. "We're listening. For as long as you have something you want to share, we'll hear it." An echo of nods around the table.

Haru nodded. Another stretch of careful silence as she ran her fingers over Morgana's fur. Ren could hear the cat purring from halfway across the table. "I felt alone, most of my life. The people at my father's dinner parties would look at me and see his child. Daughter or son, it didn't matter. I was secondary. My existence was a proxy, like an excuse to add 'father' to his list of accomplishments." A tension. Brief, and sharp. "Sugimura was the first of my father's associates who seemed to see me for me. He had an interest in me, indulged topics that met my fancy. I was charmed by him, despite the disparity of...well..." Haru gave a wry, bitter smile. "He had just graduated college, and I was barely out of Junior High. Too young to know better."

"Fuck," Ann whispered.

"I had other friends, at times," Haru continued. "People who treated me with kindness. Even a few who I would say I loved." Her eyes were calm and steady. "None that my father approved of. None that he would allow me to see, for long. Those bonds would strain, and those friends would leave." A little flicker of a genuine smile. "You all are the exceptions to that rule. You, and Sugimura."

Haru's gaze drifted, maybe to avoid looking at them, maybe just falling into her own thoughts. "My father encouraged us to keep meeting. Sugimura would flatter me, push me past my own better judgment. And the game would continue." Her face curled oddly, a myriad of expressions here and gone in an instant. "I was told by him, by my father, that it was acceptable. Expected, even. First, for friends. Then, for a boyfriend and girlfriend. So I acquiesced. What else was I to do? I considered his company a blessing," she spat the word, anger eclipsing her breath, "because I had nothing else to cling to."

And she turned back to the table. "Sugimura may have been the one to assault me, but my father is just as complicit. He knew full well what that man intended for me, and he not only allowed but encouraged it." A wry, low chuckle. "Odd, isn't it? So many confessions at that podium earlier today, and yet 'I gifted my daughter to a predator' was not one of them."

Ren expected the silence to stretch. But it didn't. "Do I have permission to say we should have killed him in the Palace?" Makoto asked. Her hand shook lightly against the table, and she shifted it off the wood. "That I...I fucking wish I had. Or that we'd let Akechi do whatever the fuck he wanted."

"Granted," Haru said, with a laugh that sounded almost like a sob. "I'm glad we didn't, but I won't deny that I have wished for that."

Ren felt sharp, like his insides were poking at themselves. He had to take a long few deep breaths before his words would obey him. "I wish we could have found you sooner. Not even us, necessarily, just...anyone." He shifted in his seat, finding it poking into him at impossible angles. He wasn't really sure how he'd ever been sitting comfortably. "I know that can't change what happened, but I want you to know that...that what happened wasn't your fault. It wasn't, and it isn't. We shouldn't have to...no one should have to protect themselves against the people they trust. We're not built for that. It's not a thing humans can do, not until we've already been hurt worse than we can bear." His voice wavered, and he forced it to steady. "And even if it were just me, I'd still do whatever I could to make sure you never had to face him again."

"And it's not," Ryuji cut in. "It's not just Ren." He sniffled once, rubbing his eyes on his sleeve, his lip wavering. "It's bullshit. Every single bit of that is fucking bullshit, and none of it should have happened, and you never should have been through it. But you're not fucking alone, okay? You're...none of us are leaving you!" He gestured sharply and passionately to the table, to the Thieves. "Not a goddamn one. We're right here, and we're not going anywhere!" And he rubbed at his face again, breathing unsteadily. "We're here."

Yusuke reached over to pat Ryuji's back. "It may take a while to forget how to be your father's daughter," he said, careful and quiet and so very kind. "But you have all the time in the world for that. That's what we're fighting for, all of us. So that we all may have time enough to let go of those who have wronged us. And if you must make that...vile bastard let you go, then I will gladly lend my strength to ensure that he does. As your teammate, and as your friend."

Haru smiled at them, her eyes curling through a dozen degrees of melancholy in every shade of brown. Morgana wriggled and adjusted in her arms, seeming to press himself against her even more firmly. "Thank you," she whispered. Barely audible. Steady, yet...maybe only by a bit.

"Maybe it's silly of me," Kasumi said, quietly. "But I hate that no one around you said anyth-anything. I'm...so angry that they left you alone to deal with that." A shaky breath escaped her, and Ren couldn't tell if it was more fury or grief that bit at her tone. "Even if it was str-strained, they should...someone should have said something."

"We'll say something," Morgana said. He craned up, shoving his head into Haru's chin, purring out every word. "That's what the Phan-Site is for. And as long as we keep fighting, and showing people that there's someone out there who can listen, then people will start saying things more. No one will ever have to be quiet again, not like that."

"It still isn't fair," Makoto said. "It...can be both, can't it? We can fight to make things better, but that doesn't make our pain any less..." She grit her teeth. "Any less fucked. It doesn't change that we had to fight, that were the only ones holding our head above water for years." The young woman crossed her arms, glancing down, not meeting anyone's gaze. "Fixing the world doesn't make us any less of victims. And it doesn't mean we have to shut up and be happy about it." It didn't seem like much of a reassurance, but judging by the continuing softness of Haru's expression, it had probably reached her like one.

Futaba nodded, slowly, silently. And then she mumbled something inaudible under her breath, before raising her voice. "I won't let him say anything." Her voice strained through the statement, cracking on the final note, and she winced away from the sound but held strong. "I could...I mean, I guess, I, there's, me and Bis can keep an eye out, or write a program, and we'll...if Sugimura tries to say anything public about you, or tell lies about what happened, or anything, then we'll stop him. I won't let him." There probably wasn't a word in any language to express how thankful and how proud Ren felt towards his sister in that single moment.

Haru just stared at the girl, blinking, like she wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Thank you," she repeated.

Ann slowly pivoted in her chair, facing the young woman. "Haru? Would it be alright if I held your hands for a moment?"

Another little pause, and then Haru nodded. "That would be fine," she said, placing Morgana down on her lap and gingerly extending her hands, palm down.

"Thanks." A little smile in her voice. Ann reached out and took both of Haru's hands in hers. "Do you know if he has a Palace?"

Haru hesitated. "Mementos," she said, simply.

Ann nodded. "Okay. Okay, that's easier." Breath in, breath out. Ren couldn't barely even feel his own heartbeat, but it was almost like he could feel hers. "I got unlucky. I think, in a way, a lot of us did. Because Kamoshida wasn't...it couldn't be personal. After all he did to me, when it came time to decide what to do about him, to change his heart or...you know. It was complicated. There was just too much at stake. I didn't make the decision I did because it was the best one for me, I did it because I didn't want to hurt my friends."

Ren could hear the smile in her voice, even as she was pivoted away from him. "I think I did the right thing. If I could do it all over again, if it was just me who he'd fucked over, if no one else had a stake in it, then maybe changing his heart was still the best choice. I don't know for sure, I just...it might be." Ann shrugged. "I've changed my mind a lot on that, actually. But my point is a lot of people had a stake in what happened to Kamoshida."

Something seemed to sharpen in the air, like a breath wound to a razor's edge. "Sugimura is small fry. He's not a public figure. He doesn't have a Palace. None of us gain anything from taking him down. The SRU doesn't ever need to know he existed. Which means that there is no one in the fucking world who deserves to have a say in what happens to him except for you." And the sharpness softened, in a way. "Even if that's just to ask us to pretend we never heard of him. That's a choice too."

Haru blinked quickly at nothing, at...there were tears shining in her eyes. "That's...not an easy choice to make," she managed.

"I know," Ann said. "And I wish there's something I could do to make it easier. But, no matter what, it'll be your choice. Whatever it is, it's yours. And there's not a single person in this room who wouldn't support you through it completely. We trust you. I trust you, unconditionally." A little laugh, brief as a breath. "And there's nothing you could ever do to change that."

Haru nodded slowly, and her expression wavered, and she let go of Ann to cover her mouth with one hand. "I need a moment," she said, her voice shuddering. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to hold back," Morgana said, pushing his head against her arm. "No one here is going to judge you. We love you, Haru." And there was a smile in that little, feline voice. "You don't have to be afraid of that."

Whatever Haru had been holding back, that broke the dam. She leaned forward, cradling Morgana close to her chest. Crying, halfway to silent. Her shoulders shaking with every tear. No one said a word, or reached out a hand.

But it almost felt like no one needed to.


A hundred thousand thank-yous to Jane for her patience with this chapter, and for her beta reading notes, reassurances and constant inspiration through it.