Disclaimer: All characters and events that take place within the story are fictional. Any relations to real people or events are purely coincidental. All copyrights belong to Atlus.

Art by Zengoro on Pixiv. Thanks so much!

Warning: Deviants explores psychological disorders, thoughts of suicide, attempted suicide, sexual assault, and emotional trauma both from an intrapersonal and interpersonal perspective. If you or anyone you know are suffering from any of the above, please seek professional help.

Tuesday, April 12

Early Morning

The train doors slid open, hydraulics decompressing with a hiss as a sea of Tokyoites poured into the compartment. Ren joined the flow of men and women in black blazers, teenagers in school uniforms, or casually dressed university students packing themselves without a gap of air between them. None of them could have moved even if they'd wanted to.

The train wasn't this crowded yesterday, but Ren had also woken up late. The scolding Sakura gave him when he'd gotten back yesterday was grueling on his soul. Not only that, Ren was rather lethargic from a restless night of sleep. He could remember bits and pieces of that weird dream when he'd first awoken but like all dreams it scattered a mere five minutes later.

Ren hugged his bag into his chest and readjusted his glasses. He was thankful for his height. At least he could breathe, unlike some of the shorter individuals who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle.

Movement out of the corner of his eye naturally drew his attention. A girl in a Shujin Academy uniform was standing from her seat right next to where he stood. The girl's movements were graceful, flowing, and meticulous, and Ren was mesmerized. The uniform and black pantyhose fit her well showing off the slim physique. Her red hair was tied into a ponytail by a red ribbon, a few strands framing her fair skinned face. The girl's red eyes were bright, confident, and clear. She was stunning, and Ren found himself drowning in the girl's red eyes.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" the girl got the attention of a standing elderly woman carrying a bag of groceries. "Please, take my seat. My station is coming up shortly."

The woman smiled at the girl, "Oh, are ya sure, young lady? Well, thank you so very much."

The red-haired girl gracefully moved out of the way, despite there being so little space, for the old woman to take her place. Before the woman could sit, however, a businessman in his early thirties swiftly sat and closed his eyes.

"Oh," the girl's pink lips parted in surprise. "Wow, what speed! Excuse me, sir? That seat was for this lady..."

The man didn't respond. He seemed intent to keep "sleeping."

Ren leaned over to the two women. "Would you like me to 'wake' him up?"

The girl's wonderfully honest, red eyes met his grey. He swallowed. Those red eyes saw him.

"No, that's quite all right," she waved a delicate hand back and forth. "I can empathize with his position as well. He must really be exhausted."

She was innocently kind as well. A lump creeped up his throat.

"I apologize I couldn't be of any help," the girl addressed the elderly woman.

The woman smiled at both the red head and Ren, "Oh, don't you two worry about it, sweeties. I'm touched by your kindness regardless."

The girl returned the smile and held out a hand. "Then please, if I may carry your bags until my stop. I must insist."

"Thank you," the woman obliged and handed the bag off with a shaking arm. "Isn't it quite heavy for you? You're so thin."

She beamed at that. "Not at all! I train plenty."

The elderly woman and the girl fell into silence. Ren sensed this was when he returned to minding his own business. He frowned slightly. Why had he asked if they wanted him to wake the man up?

Yesterday's rain seemed to persist today as well, the droplets falling from the sky at a steady, moderate rate. Ren retrieved his umbrella from his bag. He wasn't about to repeat the same mistake he'd made yesterday. Extending the umbrella and holding it aloft, Ren was about to take a step out into the rain when a voice called out to him.

"Pardon me!"

Ren turned and saw those bright red eyes.

"Thank you so much for earlier," the girl stopped beside him. Her eyes were about shoulder height to him, Ren noted.

"No need for thanks. You're the one that helped her with the bags. I didn't do anything," Ren deflected, wondering why he didn't just accept it as the words reflexively spilled out of his mouth.

"Still, I just didn't want to be rude." She was still looking at him. "You're a second-year at Shujin Academy, right? I'm a first-year myself. I suppose that means you're my senpai, then." bzzzzzzzzt bzzzzzzzzzt "Oh, excuse me for just a moment." The girl pulled out her phone and tapped at the screen a couple times. Her eyes flashed. "That's right! Sorry, but I must be going. Please, excuse me."

"Sure. I'll see you around."

The girl flashed a smile before opening her own umbrella and hurriedly stepped into the rain.

Even though her back was to him Ren still felt as if those red eyes were watching him.

Afterschool

The school day passed relatively uneventfully. It seemed that thanks to Ren's icy response to rumors about him his classmates kept their whispers to themselves. At least, whenever he was around. The classroom went dead silent when he entered and whenever he stood up to leave. He'd rather have it that way than listening to constant whispers. Thankfully, the day was finally over.

There was a ten foot radius around Ren as he stepped out of the school's main gate and into the street. Fine by him. Meant he didn't have to watch where he was going.

"Yo!" Ryuji waved and sup-nodded at him from the mouth of the alley. "Looks like you made it out alive, yesterday."

Ren heard the whispers and shrugged to adjust his bag. "Yeah, somehow. I didn't get off easy, though. What's up, Ryuji?" Ren asked as he joined his blonde-haired friend.

Ryuji walked them further into the alley to get some privacy. "I think you're right about Kamoshida not remembering what happened yesterday. I asked him about the castle and he just looked at me like I was crazy. You know, on top of like I was an ant, or something."

"Yeah… yeah he looks at me like that, too. But isn't it a good thing that he doesn't remember? He can't report me for kicking his ass," Ren joked.

"Pffft, now I wish he'd remember. Prick deserves to be taken down a notch. Not that I want you to get in trouble or anything, man," Ryuji quickly added.

Ren grinned. "I got you."

"So about that whole castle thing," Ryuji licked his lips. "Do you think we can go back?"

Ren's eyebrows shot up. "Go back? Dude, do you not remember the whole almost dying part?"

"I know, I know. How could I possibly forget about that? Look, we know what we're getting into and we can be more careful this time. There's something I want to check out."

Ren crossed his arms. "And what's that?"

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "I don't know if you remember, I think you were knocked out cold at the time. When we were being dragged through the castle I… I saw some pretty messed up things."

Ren waited for him to elaborate.

"There were members of the volleyball team getting the crap beaten out of them. And I'm sure you've noticed around school. The volleyball kids look pretty banged up. And there's no way whatever is happening to them is from practice alone," Ryuji explained as he gestured to his face.

Ren had noticed some of the volleyball club members looking pretty bad. What was his name? Mashima? Kishima? "Yeah, there's a guy who sits in the front of my class that looks like he was jumped in an alley."

"Right? There has to be a connection, man. This is about Kamoshida and it doesn't just involve us. If Kamoshida is really beating kids during practice, that shit ain't right," Ryuji looked like he couldn't be convinced.

"All right," Ren relented. "I want to get back at that scumbag for leaking my info, too."

"Yes!" Ryuji pumped his fist. "Now all we gotta do is figure out how to get back there." Ryuji looked to Ren. "Any ideas on how we do that?"

Ren shrugged. "No idea."

Ryuji deflated. "Great. I tried walking through the route we went through yesterday but no castle. Wait, didn't you have a navigation app open on your phone?"

"Did I?" Ren couldn't remember. He pulled out his phone. "It's likely. I do remember it being a little-" A red and black icon was on his phone again.

"What's up?" Ryuji moved to look at Ren's phone. "What's that eyeball-lookin' thing? It's pretty freaky."

"I don't know. I've tried to delete it multiple times but it keeps coming back. Even restarted my phone, too." Ren tapped on it and a map came up. Red streets and black buildings. The same as yesterday. "I think you're onto something, Ryuji."

"What? Seriously?" Ryuji rubbed his upper lip. "Maybe I'm like... secretly a genius."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Ren pulled up his search history. It was all here. Kamoshida... Pervert… Castle... and Shujin Academy. "I think this is it."

Ryuji snatched Ren's phone out of his hand. "Holy crap, you weren't kidding! Maaaan I'm so good."

"Beginning Navigation."

"Wait, did you just-"

The world spun and they both stumbled, catching themselves on the alley wall.

In front of them where Shujin Academy once stood was a familiar castle.

Morgana peeked around the corner, spying the Shadow that patrolled the corridor. It didn't seem to notice him as it habitually marched with its eyes forward. Morgana probably could have walked right under its nose and gone unnoticed. But that wasn't necessary. Not yet.

Morgana waited for it to rotate and turn its back before darting across the hall. He paused at the opposite corner for any hurried footsteps. They were still consistent. Morgana was still in the clear.

Things had gotten dicey for a bit after Frilly Hair and Blonde Boy escaped. The king had gone into a frenzy afterwards. Morgana cringed at the memory of the beatings and screams of the prisoners in the dungeon.

Despite knowing better, Morgana's mind wandered to those two boys once again. Frilly Hair had Awakened to his Persona. A powerful one, at that. It had wrecked the entirety of the main hall. That one could prove to be useful. Morgana was already beginning to see how Frilly Hair would fit into his plans.

Rapid, heavy footfalls snapped Morgana out of his revelry. He quickly took a concealed position behind a bust of the king as two guards bounded into view and around the bend. They were in a hurry.

"What the heck is happening this time?" Morgana weighed the possibilities. He hadn't quite found what he was looking for, but it could be behind any of these doors. Heck, it could be in the room right next to him. Following the guards was a risk, they could always turn around when he wasn't out of sight and get spotted. At the same time they were getting further and further away, meaning Morgana would have to hurry after them or possibly lose them for good. But they were certainly riled up about something.

Against his better judgement Morgana checked his surroundings for any guards before darting after the patrol.

Ren and Ryuji walked across the lowered drawbridge while warily watching for any signs of guards. No alarms, no clamoring of metal feet, no shouts to signify that they'd alerted anyone of their presence. So far so good.

"So what are you hoping to accomplish here, exactly?" Ren at least would like to know what the end goal was. He didn't like this place one bit, and liked coming back even less.

Ryuji paused and stayed silent.

"You didn't think this far ahead, did you?" Ren sighed. He already knew Ryuji was impulsive. He just underestimated how impulsive.

"Well… to be honest I was just tryna see if we could even get back here, ya know?" Ryuji scratched his neck, abashed. "But hey, we answered the question of if we were crazy or if this was real, right?"

"Ryuji… I never doubted that this was real, but that doesn't keep it from being crazy. We have no idea what this place is. Is it some alternate dimension? Maybe we got teleported to another planet. I- We," Ren corrected himself. "May even be inside of Kamoshida's head for all we know."

"Wait!" Ryuji's eyes shot open like he'd just had a revelation. "'Inside Kamoshida's head?' Ren, what if that's true? What if everything we're seein' is somethin' that Kamoshida wants to happen? The beatings, this whole king of the castle thing, all of it!"

Ren could feel the cogs turning in his head. "But it can't just be what Kamoshida wants to happen. Although we have no actual, tangible proof of physical abuse at volleyball practice, what if it's also what Kamoshida has already done or is doing? Past sins, guilts, regrets, we could find something to get some sort of leverage over him. We might even be able to stop something from happening in the first place."

"Ohohoho, Reeeeeeeeen," Ryuji looked absolutely ecstatic. "If that's the case, we can actually get back at the guy! Oh man, I haven't felt this hyped in years!"

Ren grabbed Ryuji by the shoulders in an attempt to calm him down even though he was just as excited. "Okay, so what we-"

"Hey!" A familiar voice loudly whispered to them. They spun around and saw a familiar cat-thing. "Stop making a commotion! The Shadows are already onto you."

"What- it's you!" Ryuji ignored the cat-thing's instructions and pointed at it.

"Sheesh, I was wondering what the Shadows were getting riled up about. And don't point fingers, it's rude!" The cat-thing waddled up to them and glared daggers. "Figures that it's you two. What are you doing here? You barely managed to escape last time!"

"Hang on, you were here before. Do you know what this place is?" Ren crouched down to get eye level with… it.

"I thought you guys already knew. This is a school." The cat-thing pointed at the obvious castle.

"But this is a castle!" Ryuji pointed at the obvious castle as well.

"Yes," the cat-thing exasperated. "The school is the castle and the castle is the school."

"Wh-what?" Ryuji seemed positively lost.

"They're the same thing," Ren offered.

"Oh, got it." Ryuji turned towards the cat-thing. "Why didn't you just say that?"

The cat thing facepalmed and groaned. "Why do I even bother? Look, this castle is how it's owner views the school. It's not that complicated."

"You seem to know a lot about this, uh..." Ren's mouth worked as his thoughts couldn't formulate a reasonable statement. "Do you have a name?"

"I," the cat-thing puffed up its chest proudly. "Am Morgana. An honest-to-god human."

"A human?" Ryuji scratched his head. "No, no, that can't be right. You're obviously a cat."

"That… well…" Morgana poked his forefingers together. "That's what I'm trying to fix. Something happened to me and I now look like this. Speaking of which, since I got you out of that hairy situation last time you're going to help me with that."

A scream sounded off from the interior of the castle. It was pained, raw, and bone chilling. Ren and Ryuji paled at the sound. The Morgana's ears twitched.

"More of the same today, I guess," Morgana muttered. "It's like this all the time. It was even worse yesterday when you two escaped. He went into a frenzy."

"You mean Kamoshida?" Ren clenched his jaw. "Wait, we have some questions-"

Ryuji began pounding on the front door. "Kamoshida! You son of a bitch! Get your ass out here and let's settle things! If what you're doing is physically abusing the volleyball team, you got a lot to answer for!"

Morgana ran up and pulled on Ryuji's leg. "Hey, let's not be hasty now! I don't know what your deal is with Kamoshida but he is the king around here. He's got a lot of soldiers. I mean a lot. And they're already on edge with yesterday so how about we cool it for a moment!"

The rattling of jingling chains froze all of them on the spot. Ryuji and Morgana turned to see the drawbridge they'd crossed being raised.

Ren stared into oblivion, reaching up to his throat with a shaking hand. He didn't want to go back to that cell. The same four walls day in and day out. Suffocating. No one to talk to. No one to see other than men with badges. Ren felt someone shaking him but his eyes saw nothing but prison bars. He couldn't breath. He was going to die here.

"This is the strength of your determination?"

Arsene stood before him with its arms crossed, displeased. It was much smaller than yesterday, only being twice as tall as Ren rather than a towering nightmare. "This is the man I made a contract with? The one who cursed the injustice he's seen in the world? Pathetic."

"I-I can't breathe," Ren managed to squeak. He still grasped his throat.

"Then take a deep breath. Ignore the world around you and focus on the present. What is it that you want to do now? Set your eyes forward on that singular goal. Reach out. Grasp it with your own two hands."

Ren's diaphragm convulsed. Choking sounds escaping from his mouth as his throat closed and opened. Closed and opened. Closed and opened. But it never seemed to open enough.

"Control," Arsene growled.

Ren managed to suck in a shaking half-lung of air.

"Strengthen your will, and stand!" Arsene barked in a tone that wasn't one used to being denied.

Ren shot to his feet, a complete lung-full of air filling his chest. Whole. Complete. In control.

Something streaked in front of Ren's face. He felt the air displacement as a small puff against his cheek and nose. The sound of high tension being released and an object striking stone with high velocity rang out in the courtyard.

Ren instinctively recoiled, stumbling as he moved faster than he'd anticipated. He righted himself and assessed his surroundings.

He, Morgana, and Ryuji were still in the courtyard, a few feet from the front door which remained closed. The drawbridge was raised, barring their only known exit point. The same guards he'd seen yesterday crowded around them, swords and shields drawn. Guards armed with crossbows manned the higher elevations of the walls and battlements, aiming the shining points of the crossbow bolts in their direction.

A flicker of red moved at the bottom of Ren's periphery. Red gloves adorned his hands and a familiar weight on his face. He was wearing the same clothes as he did yesterday when he'd summoned Arsene. When had that happened?

"Oh, shit, we're so screwed, man!" Ryuji, still dressed in his everyday school-wear, gulped.

Morgana glared at Ryuji, although Ren saw a hint of fear. "You just had to go knocking, didn't you? What did you expect to happen? Now you're going to get us all killed!"

"No, no, no," Ryuji spun in circles. "This is crazy. Absolutely crazy."

"Hey, Ren," Morgana side-eyed him. "Can you do the same thing you did yesterday?"

"I-I don't know," Ren admitted. He didn't even know what he'd done yesterday. Everything was so impulsive. But judging from their situation he didn't have much of a choice. "I'll do my best."

Morgana clicked his tongue and drew a saber. Where did he even have that? "That'll have to do for now. I'll keep us from getting shot. You deal with the frontliners. I'll assist whenever I can." Morgana scanned the battlements. "But don't count on too many of those."

Ren eyed the dozens of crossbowmen and swordsmen. "Yeah… yeah I won't."

"Here," Morgana tossed something to him. "You'll probably need this."

Ren snatched the flashing metal out of the air. "Really? A knife?"

"It's my backup!" Morgana's voice went up an octave. "And it's better than nothing. Get ready! They're coming!"

A stampede of metal and a hail of crossbow bolts rushed to meet them. Ren gripped the dagger tightly, it's weight unfamiliar to his hands.

Ren didn't have the luxury to contemplate what was happening. He barely had time to register his own surroundings before being spurred into action by instinct. As chaotic as the environment was around him the world was strangely clear. A blade coming from his lower left. Another from above. Ren pivoted on his right foot, deflecting and sliding the blade seeking to drive itself into his skull with his own and dodging out of the sword aiming to slice off his left leg's arc.

He didn't think of how he moved faster than he'd ever had in his life or how he was inhumanly strong. What he did think was that his knife couldn't puncture through the guard's plate mail. He had to aim for the gaps at the joints. He shouldn't squeeze his dagger as tightly as he could. He had to loosen his grip on the dagger during impact. The shields offered the guards more options to defend and attack with. But they made blindspots Ren could exploit. The swords were long. So close the gap. There were more of them. They had to be mindful of where they swung or stabbed. The armor slowed them down. Ren was faster. But Ren couldn't dodge that incoming blade.

"Arsene!"

With a burst of blue fire Arsene clawed at the guard, cleaving through the armor like thin paper. "Quite a crowd you've gathered for the second show," Arsene mused.

Ren ignored Arsene's quip and continued fighting. Arsene brought new options. A burst of black fire, felling a guard at Ren's rear, a solid point of contact Ren could leverage his momentum around, and, most importantly, someone Ren could leave his back to.

Ren was vaguely aware of Morgana along with another… Persona, had he said? Broad chested and sporting an incredible mustache, he heard the cat-thing say 'Zorro.' It released blasts of air that bounced all crossbow bolts back. Morgana himself sliced at the legs of guards.

Unaware, Ren saw that singular goal and reached for it. He would hold it in his hands. He would not be defeated. Not here. Not ever.

In the chaos Ren failed to notice the lack of blonde hair.

"Let me go, fucker!" Ryuji kicked at the guard with futility, his foot simply grazing off of the metal armor. He was so embarrassed. And terrified. Not that Ryuji would admit to either. With nothing to defend or attack with he'd been quickly overwhelmed. Not for a lack of trying, though. The blood trickling off his knuckles was a testament to that. Who knew punching metal plates would hurt so damn bad?

Ryuji was being herded to the battlements. Not dragged. No, definitely not dragged. He'd tried calling Ren or that cat-thing… Morgana… for help. But his voice didn't carry in the clamor and chaos to catch their attention. Not that they had any to spare; they were in a fight for their lives. One that Ryuji felt more than helpless in.

Shit… if only he wasn't such a liability. This had been his idea, too. Oh man, what if they all died here? Ryuji had been aware of that possibility when he'd asked Ren to return to the castle. At least, he thought he was aware. But this creepin' sense of responsibility and fear said otherwise.

Ryuji looked over his shoulder to observe the fight. He couldn't see Ren or Morgana themselves, but their Persona's still ripped and tore at the armored guards. Ryuji knew Ren and Morgana were still givin' it their all. And here he was, getting his ass dragged and able to do nothing 'bout it.

The guards started ascending with Ryuji held between them. Where the hell were they taking him, anyways? Reaching the battlements and walking past crossbowmen who fired, reloaded, and fired again. Ryuji flinched every time a bolt fired. One of those could be the one that ended Ren's or Morgana's lives. Goddamnit.

Ryuji was tossed onto the battlements, his back to the low, exterior facing wall. The guards kept him at bay with their shields and swords presented to him. Shit, if only there was something he could do! Grabbin' a crossbow was out of the question. He'd get stabbed eight times before he'd even reach them. Grab a sword? No way in hell, he'd lose his hand attempting to and get stabbed eight times.

One of the guards reached into its bag and procured a scroll. It unrolled and presented the piece of paper to Ryuji. A charcoal portrait of that bastard Kamoshida smugly smirked at him.

Kamoshida's voice came from the scroll. "You stupid knaves came again, I see. How stupid. Making the same mistake twice. Heh, I can't even comprehend what must go on in that empty space between your ears."

"Wha-Kamoshida?!" Ryujij snarled, hands clenched. "You effin' coward! Can't even come down here yourself, huh?!"

Kamoshida heartily laughed. "And what? Waste my precious time with three intruders? No, I have much more… entertaining things to do."

"You talkin' 'bout beating the volleyball team? Yeah, I know about that. And we're gonna prove it and get your ass fired!" Ryuji took a step forward and was forced back by a wave of a sword.

"Ooohh sure," Kamoshida almost purred. "That's fun, too. But what I'm doing now is so much more… satisfying. I can't possibly take my own time to deal with the star runner. Oh, right. Former… star runner."

Ryuji's jaw hurt from clenching his teeth so hard. "You took everything from me! I fuckin' hate you so goddamn much. I've got nothin' to lose… I'm takin' you down no matter what!"

"Really?" Kamoshida actually purred this time. "Even at the cost of your friend's lives down there? How self-centered of you. It really was your fault the track team disbanded."

"Th-that ain't true," Ryuji's voice cracked. "It's your fault, Kamoshida. It's always been you."

"Again, blaming the king for your peasant problems. Was I the one that brought you here? Was I the one that decided to snap? Was I the one that betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes and dreams?" Kamoshida jabbed a metaphorical finger into Ryuji's chest with every word.

Ryuji slumped against the wall and slid to the ground. He buried his hands into his face and shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the sounds of battle from the courtyard. God fuckin' damnit it wasn't his fault. It was Kamoshida's! But Ryuji couldn't do anything about it. Not a damn thing. Fuck! He can't run anymore… the track team is gone… he was gonna get his friend's effin' killed… Shit… was everything his fault? How was he gonna pay 'em all back for his mistakes?

"I'll carry out your death sentence once I'm done with your two friends. Don't worry, you'll get to say a long goodbye to their decapitated heads," Kamoshida promised.

Ryuji's world seemed to shrink to where only he and his thoughts existed. Ren's head stuck on a pike.

Ryuji felt a presence in front of him. He was gonna die. He didn't even look up. "Just fuckin' end it already…"

"So you plannin' to give up?" a hauntingly familiar voice asked.

Ryuji opened his eyes and saw himself… only with yellow eyes. "Who… who the hell are you?"

The other Ryuji waved him off. "I'm you. And you're me. And I'm sick and tired of your bitchin'. 'It's all my fault,' 'I'll pay them back by dying,' 'I'm so selfish.' Stand the fuck up."

"Don't tell me what to effin' do," Ryuji growled, anger now rising in his chest.

"Then stay on your ass while your friends die. You call Kamoshida a coward, but you're the real coward if you give in," yellow-eyed Ryuji knocked his fist against Ryuji's head.

"Don't effin' touch me!" Ryuji smacked the hand away.

"Then make me!" his doppelganger's punch caught Ryuji's cheekbone, sending him sprawling to the floor. "Wipe that little depression off your face and stand up!"

Ryuji rose to his knees. He tasted blood. "Yeah… yeah I'm weak. And I know that better than anyone else." Ryuji wasn't mentally strong enough to withstand Kamoshida's verbal jabs. He wasn't responsible enough to take charge of the track team and do things the right way. He wasn't brave enough to stand by her side when she needed it most. His mom worked multiple jobs to make up for the lack of his father. So many regrets. And so many other people that were better than him. But if there was one thing he had to do...

His lookalike crossed his arms. "So what're you gonna do 'bout it? You gonna whine again?"

"No…" Ryuji spit a glob of blood onto the floor and stood. "I'm gonna make Kamoshida pay. That shitty adult thinks he can push me around. He thinks he can't be touched. He thinks he can get away with anything. He thinks he can use people for his own personal gains. I'll stand up to anyone who thinks they can get away with using others to their own advantage. I'm gonna take that bastard's stupid smile and wipe it from his stupid fuckin' face!"

Blue embers curled on the edge of his look alike's clothes. "Then you'll mutiny?"

Ryuji slammed his fist into his other hand. "Guns blazing."

His doppelganger was swallowed by blue flames. "Even if you meet Jack Ketch?"

Ryuji cracked his knuckles. "Dead men tell no tales."

The yellow-eyed Ryuji reached out to him, hand extended. "THEN PLEDGE YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO ME. I AM THOU, THOU ART I... THOU WHO HAS BEEN DISGRACED!"

Ryuji clasped arms, gripping its forearm. The blue fire trailed up his arm and the rest of his body caught flame. The blaze licked at Ryuji's neck, and like a tinder to a powder keg the fire exploded. Ryuji felt the arm gripping his disappear as intense pain replaced it. Fuck, this hurt. But Ryuji smiled. Nothin' was going to stop him. It was payback time.

"HOIST YER FLAG AND RALLY THE HEARTS OF YER FELLOW SCOUNDRELS! PILLAGE AND PLUNDER THOSE THAT THE LAW CANNOT TOUCH! CALL UPON MY NAME, AND VENTURE INTO THE UNKNOWN TO WREAK HAVOC ACROSS THE SEAS!"

"Kill him!" Ryuji vaguely heard a guard yell. He felt something push him.

Ryuji plummeted towards the moat, the blue fire engulfing him flaring as he tumbled over the edge of the wall.

He felt no fear or panic as he fell. Ryuji reached up to his face and felt something. He only had one thing left to do.

Ryuji hit the surface of the water with a slap. His back stung, numbed, then tingled. The cold water embraced him and pulled him under. The light above grew dimmer and dimmer, the world around Ryuji growing darker and darker. He sunk into a realm not often explored by humanity.

His lungs burned and the water pressed down on his chest. Ryuji shouted and tore the skull mask from his face, expending all the air in his lungs that bubbled towards the surface. Only the dark waters heard his cry.

A mast rose up from the darkness of the water. A large flag with a Jolly Rogers on a field of black fluttered violently from an unfelt wind. Ryuji was soon scooped into the crow's nest. The mast connected to a large wooden deck emerging from the depths. Ryuji felt himself accelerating towards the surface.

A large figure stood at the helm. It's skeleton face grinned up at him, a red eye flashing in the darkness. A black eyepatch covered it's other eye and a black tricorn hat sat on its head. A torn red cape fluttered from its shoulders. It raised a cannon arm to salute him.

Ryuji held onto a rope, standing on the railing of the crow's nest with a single leg and leaning over the deck of the galleon that rose higher and higher. Ryuji broke the surface of the water and started laughing. He wore a high-collared black jacket with elbow and knee pads. A double sided red and black bandolier hung from his waist. Black pants, knee pads, and black combat boots covered Ryuji's lower body. Loud yellow gloves fit snugly on his hands and a red ascot was tied around his neck.

The galleon continued to rapidly rise from the water, Ryuji was soon several dozen feet higher than the walls. He could see the courtyard, the guards, and Morgana and Ren along with their Personas. They all ceased fighting to gawk at him in disbelief.

"Oh," Ryuji shouted from his vantage point, all grins. "Wassup, Persona… This fuckin' rocks! Kamoshida thinks I'm gonna pillage his castle? He's got that right! I'm gonna make him pay for everything he's taken from me and everyone else. Nothing's gonna stand in my way. YOU WATCHING, KAMOSHIDA?! The first thing that goes is this wall and all those stupid guards in the courtyard!"

Ryuji extended his arm, thumb pointed downwards. The gunports of the galleon raised, row upon row of cannons emerging from the lower decks. A twenty four gun declaration of war.

"Let's send 'em to the bottom of the ocean. Fire in the hole! CAPTAIN KIDD!"

Captain Kidd spun the helm, laughter clear and proud. A thunderclap of cannon fire accompanied a flash of fire and smoke. Even from higher up Ryuji could feel the concussive blasts rattle his bones. The shockwaves rippled the water below. The stone walls caved like something out of an action film, relenting to the red hot cannonballs. Guards manning the battlements tumbled and were crushed by the rubble. The rounds continued to punch through, cleaving through line after line of guards who erupted into black smoke. They impacted the floor, leaving foot-deep trenches and tossing up chunks of stone and shrapnel. Soon the entire area was covered in dust and smoke. Ryuji's ears rang loudly.

"Wooooooooohooooooooooo! That was fucking awesome!" Ryuji's holler and laughter trailed off. "Oh fuck… Wait… Uh… Ren? Morgana? You guys okay?"

Ren felt someone shaking him. How many times had he passed out like this in the past couple days? More than the rest of his life, that's for sure. And his ears rung like crazy. Could he even hear anything?

The world slowly gained clarity and the shaking intensified. Ren opened his eyes.

"Phew, thank god you're alive. I thought you were a goner."

"Morgana?" Ren shook his head. "God, what the hell happened?"

"Ryuji's freakin' crazy! That's what," Morgana scratched his ears. "Zorro barely managed to divert those cannonballs from blasting us, too."

The area around them was the aftermath of a warzone. Loose dirt was tossed up and deep scores scarred the earth. Remnants of the wall were scattered across the courtyard and shards of cannonballs were embedded into solid stone. Holy crap. Ren felt strangely humbled.

"Holy shit, I'm glad you two are alive!" Ryuji ran up panting, dressed very differently from before. A gunmetal skull mask hid his upper face.

"Yeah, no thanks to you!" Morgana jumped up and down, stomping the dirt. "Do you have any idea how close we came to dying?"

Ryuji got strangely serious. "Yeah… yeah, I know."

"You do?" Morgana asked, surprised. "I mean… you better know!"

Ren stood, wavering. His balance felt off. He placed a hand on Ryuji's shoulder to stabilize himself. "Thanks… I think… for saving our asses back there. But next time, please warn us if you're going to shoot danger close with mother effin' cannons." Ren started laughing at the end. It sounded ridiculous.

Ryuji chuckled. "I will. Hopefully there isn't a next time."

"If you two knuckleheads are done, can we get out of here? Last thing I want now is for more guards to show up." Morgana started making his way to the galleon; the only way to cross the moat now that the drawbridge had been blown to kingdom come.

Shrugging, they both followed and left the castle behind.

The moment they stepped off the galleon to the other side of the moat Ryuji tripped as his body flared with blue fire. His strange clothes disappeared along with the entire boat. Ren caught him just before he face planted.

"What the- I'm so tired all of a sudden," Ryuji's grip on Ren was weak.

"Yeah, that's what usually happens when people first awaken to their Personas. Like Ren, yesterday," Morgana explained. "Now, since we have a spare moment. Like I was saying earlier, there's something I need you- Hey! Where are you two going?"

Ren and Ryuji had already begun walking away. "We're going home."

"Wait, you can't just leave like that. Don't you dare walk away from me! Get your ass back here!"

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."

Ryuji practically slammed his back into the wall. "Oh thank god we're back. Sorry 'bout dragging you into that." He closed his eyes and groaned. "Holy crap, I'm dead tired… How you holdin' up?"

Ren sighed, only now the achiness catching up to him. "I thought I was fine. Must be the adrenaline wearing off. I'm smoked now. Oh, man, I could go for a nap."

"Or two," Ryuji agreed. "Gonna sleep like a rock when I get home. You know… we never found out if that castle is inside Kamoshida's head. If it is, we got some digging to do. So tomorrow I think I'm gonna ask those people I saw in the castle. See what they know. Wanna help me out?"

Ren put his hands on his hips, still breathing heavily. "I don't know how much I can help. I didn't see their faces and everyone avoids me like the plague."

"Shit, that's right. Well… we'll figure it out tomorrow." Ryuji's stomach rumbled. "As you can hear, right now I could really go for some food. Wanna come?"

Ren's own stomach felt like a bottomless abyss. "That sounds amazing. Got something in mind? I have no idea what there is to eat around here."

"Oh, a ton of stuff!" Ryuji said with his usual energy. Seems like the prospect of food rejuvenated the guy. "But right now I'm feeling beef bowl. Come on, I know just the place."

"So," Ryuji said between bites. "I know your record and what not is all over the forum. But what's the deal with that?"

Ren slowly set down his chopsticks. Any appetite he'd had vanished in an instant. "You really want to hear it?" Knowing what he did about Ryuji, Ren could predict more or less how he was going to react.

"Yeah, totally! I mean, if you're comfortable with sharing," Ryuji said with a mouth full of food.

Ren stayed silent. He'd told this story a thousand times before in his head. Rehearsed how and what he'd say when someone asked. Now that the moment was here, however, the thoughts weren't really coming together. No, that wasn't it. He was still afraid to talk about it.

Ryuji noticed and swallowed loudly. "Hey, whatever happened ain't gonna change how I think of you. Like I told you yesterday on the rooftop I don't care 'bout your record. You saved my life and as far as I care…" Ryuji shrugged. "That's all that matters. Trust me, bro. You'll feel better if you talk about it."

Ren knew that. But it didn't make it any easier. Ren shook himself and took a deep breath. He remembered what he'd thought earlier in the courtyard, fighting for his life. He would not be defeated. "I was out late one night. I'd forgotten to get something at the grocery store on my way home from school and my mom needed it for dinner. So I went back out to get it. No big deal. On the way to the market I heard an argument between a man and woman. A couple, I don't know. The woman sounded pretty distressed and I thought I should check it out. Make sure everything's okay, you know? Anyways, I look down the street and see this guy trying to grab the lady. He was obviously drunk. His voice was slurred and his movements sluggish, the whole deal."

Ren's mouth was dry so he gulped down some water. His hands were shaking and his eyes were beginning to ache. "He was trying to get her into his car. Telling her that she should just listen to him and satisfy his… needs. The woman noticed me. Cried for help," Ren's voice cracked. "The look in her eyes, Ryuji. I've never seen someone look so afraid. Before I knew it I was right next to them. The man was on the ground, bleeding from a head wound. Nothing serious, but heads bleed a lot. Said he was going to sue me for assaulting him. Someone must've called nine-one-one. The… The co-... the cops came." Jesus, that was the hardest part. "They talked to the guy. Treated him real nice and respectfully. Then they put the cuffs on me. Put me in the back of the police car. Put me in a cell. The woman testified against me. Said I actually assaulted the man. You know the rest."

Ren released the plastic cup from his grip. He hadn't realized he'd been squeezing it this entire time. It was completely unusable, now.

"You're fuckin' kidding me," Ryuji combed a hand through his blonde hair. "That's seriously what happened? Effin' prick."

"Yup," Ren whispered. "That's what happened."

"I don't know what to say other than that freakin' sucks, man," Ryuji sighed angrily. "And shit... the woman testified against you, too? What the hell. For what it's worth, Ren, I think we're more alike than I originally thought."

Ren frowned. "How so?"

"Y'know…" Ryuji leaned far back into his chair. "We're just treated like we don't belong. You know I did something stupid at school before. You got it worse, but they don't welcome me either. I don't really want to speak for myself, but you're not a bad guy. At all. You're always helpin' me out when I ask for it. And hearin' what happened to you I know your heart's in the right place. You got my back, Ren; so I got yours from tomorrow on."

That must've been it. Ryuji felt like an outcast as well. No friends, no expectations, and no way for them to redeem themselves in the eyes of their classmates and teachers. A strange thing to find kinship over, but a welcome one nonetheless. "Sure. But no more cannons, okay?" Ren smirked.

Ryuji smiled back. "That was pretty cool you gotta admit."

"It was really cool," Ren agreed, unable to stop the creeping smile on his face.

"I- I wanted to apologize for today." Ryuji was deathly serious as he stared into his beef bowl. "I dragged you into something without really knowing the dangers. I asked for help, not knowing what I wanted to do. I just... I just want to get back at that bastard so bad."

"I take it there's more to it than what you told me yesterday?" Ren picked at his food. He still wasn't hungry anymore.

Ryuji took a deep breath. "Yeah. Before Kamoshida came along the volleyball team wasn't anything special. The track team was the club getting all the achievements. We were good, real good. Not to toot my own horn, but I was one of the strongest runners on the team. Sprints? Count me in. Distance? Crushed it. Hurdles? Like a monkey. Then our coach got fired and Kamoshida took his place. Practices had no rhyme nor reason. Just brutal physical beat down."

Unconsciously or not, Ryuji began rubbing his right thigh. "The team was on edge. I was on edge. Kamoshida found out that my mom was raising me on her own. Started joking how it must not be that hard being a woman and all. How she could use her body and... well, y'know. One day I had enough of his badmouthing my mom and snapped. Tried to slug the bastard. Got my leg broken, the club disbanded, and killed any hope the team had all in one fell swoop." Ryuji mimicked swinging a baseball bat and pretended to watch a ball soar.

"And that's my story. The complete one. I just thought it was only fair since you told me yours." Ryuji gave Ren a weak smile.

"I don't know about now," Ren said slowly. "But at one point I may have done the same thing if someone said those things about my mom."

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Ryuji sat up and pulled out his phone. "I just realized I don't have your contact info. Give me your number and chat ID."

"Sure thing." Ren took out his own phone and they exchanged contact information.

"Don't know if you've heard, but tomorrow we're having a volleyball rally. Recommended by none other than your freakin' highness," Ryuji spat every word. "Means no classes in the afternoon. We can walk around and ask volleyball members then. Dude, the hell?"

"What?" Ren was suddenly concerned.

"You barely touched your food. Come on, eat up! There's tons of ginger here." Ryuji was all smiles once more.

Ren felt something strange. A small ticklish feeling in his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he'd hung out with a buddy. Too long, that's for sure. Ren prayed that there would be a next time to just relax like this without that much of a care in the world. That would be enough for him.

Ann sat on the bench in the courtyard near the vending machines. A small alcove that people could find some semblance of privacy in this school; so long as there wasn't anyone buying a drink from these particular vending machines. The hum of the refrigeration units kept it from being completely silent. Before, the silence was like simply enjoying the other person's company. Not suffocating like this.

Shiho sat across from her, eyes once so cheerful and bright now dull and withdrawn. Shiho held the can of milk tea with her hands on her lap. It was still unopened.

"Hey, Shiho," Ann said quietly. "Do you want me to open that for you?"

"What?" Shiho finally looked at her. "Oh, no that's quite all right. I can do it myself."

"... Right." Ann's heart felt like it was pounding ten times harder than before. "Sorry, you just hadn't touched it yet. Is… Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Ann could see the internal conflict that her best friend was battling out behind her eyes. Who was she to talk, though? She also felt that inner turmoil in her own chest. But at the very least she could carry some of whatever burdened Shiho.

"I haven't been sleeping well," Shiho's grip on the can tightened and she averted her eyes. "There's just been a lot of things on my mind, lately."

"What kind of things?" Ann probed.

Shiho sighed, frustrated. Her voice shook as she spoke. "Nationals are coming up soon. And I keep thinking that I don't deserve to be on the starting lineup. There are third years who work so much harder than me that are on the bench. Am I really good enough? I-I don't feel like I am."

Ann wrapped her arms around Shiho, pulling her close. "Don't worry, Shiho. You deserve to be there. You work harder than anyone else." Ann buried her face into Shiho's neck. "I know you do."

Ann felt Shiho swallow. "Yeah… Volleyball's the only thing I'm good at, after all."

"Shiho, you know that's not true," Ann broke away and held her best friend at arm's length. God, Shiho looked exhausted. "Is that injury okay? It looked really swollen when I first saw it."

Shiho seemed to curl up. "It's nothing, Ann. I promise. It's normal. Everyone gets them when a meet's coming up."

Ann didn't want to doubt her... Shiho was the only one she had. What kind of friend would Ann be if she couldn't trust her best friend since middle school? A bad one, without a doubt. Everyone needs someone they could trust wholeheartedly. Like how Shiho stood by Ann's side when no one else would, Ann would do the same. Ann swore she would not let Shiho be alone. "Okay…"

A/N

I feel good about Ryuji's awakening scene itself, but I'm a little unsatisfied with the dialogue. I went through close to seven different iterations but none of them felt… right. Since Captain Kidd is a pirate and all I wanted to add in some pirate jargon, but not too much. I think I hit a proper balance. Oh, Jack Ketch is what pirate's call hangmen. So meeting Jack Ketch means getting hanged. Apparently.

Forgive Ryuji's foul mouth, he's a dirty boi.

We're almost at the end of the exposition dump. Another two or three chapters and I can finally stretch my wings and begin to tug at P5R's given narrative. This won't be a day by day account of P5R, so it won't be a total slog.

It may get… frustrating with Shiho and Ann coming up. A lot of things would be solved if they could just properly communicate, and dear god I wish it were that easy in real life. But humans are complex social creatures, and we complicate every situation we come across.

As always, thanks for reading and I'll see you next week! Would love to hear more about what you all think so be sure to let me know!