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.

Friday, April 22

After School

Kasumi's head was threatening to explode from the volume of information she'd just taken in. Niijima-senpai had spent the last fifteen minutes showing her evidence and describing her theory. Pictures of student files, the image of Kamoshida looking at the file that Kasumi thought was unmistakably hers, and the strangeness regarding the entire situation did make her stomach turn once Makoto arrived at her conclusion.

Kamoshida-sensei had, directly or indirectly, caused Suzui Shiho to jump in an attempt to take her own life.

That was hard to believe. How could an adult do that to someone? Much less someone younger than them.

But what really sent her head spinning was the fact that Amamiya Ren's criminal record wasn't just a rumor. He'd seemed so caring, though. And he'd rushed out without hesitation when the girl had jumped. That couldn't be the action of a criminal, could it?

"Yoshizawa-san," Niijima-senpai placed a hand over hers, the Student Council President's brown eyes piercing. "Does what I'm saying make sense?"

Kasumi rubbed her temples, frowning. "Yes. Yes, you do. But why are you telling me all this?"

Niijima-senpai blinked rapidly. "I'm tired of sitting back and riding things out. I-I need to take responsibility. I need to make sure that this never happens again under my watch."

Kasumi's eyes fell onto the upperclassmen's phone."Is that why you found me? Because of Kamoshida's unusual interest in me?"

Niijima-senpai gave a small nod. "I still would like to find out what happened to Suzui Shiho. The fact that the faculty has refused to address the situation and removed all evidence online means I can't trust them. At least, not all of them."

Kasumi mentally went through Shujin Academy's teachers for one that stood out as being helpful. Only one jumped out at her. "Kawakami-sensei?"

The Student Council President looked surprised. "Yeah. She's been gone since Monday as she's 'not been feeling well.' Maybe it's me being paranoid, but I find it suspicious."

"But if she hasn't been here, then…"

"Right. She can't help us," Niijima-senpai sighed. "Which means it's just you and me."

"What about the second-year students? Certainly they'd be willing to help figure out what happened." They'd help without a doubt. Kasumi just knew it.

The third-years eye's flashed fire for a second as she spoke through gritted teeth. "That's what I thought, too."

"Did… they refuse?" Kasumi couldn't believe it. Not him.

"Yes! No, not really," Niijima-senpai groaned. "They- Takamaki Ann was upset with me. I've never even talked to her before in my life and she scolded me. Me!"

Kasumi flinched as Niijima-senpai's voice approached yelling level.

The girl sitting across from her noticed and immediately reigned in her emotions. "Sorry. I'm just… Getting back on topic, they don't seem to trust me. And they don't need help figuring out what happened."

"They already know?"

"I believe so."

Kasumi leaned back the remaining inch between her and the backrest, the plastic block pressing against her shoulders. "So the matter at hand is how to get them to trust us. Do you think they are still on campus?"

Niijima-senpai was already shaking her head. "None of them have after school activities. They were gone by this time yesterday. I doubt they're still here."

"No choice but to wait until tomorrow, then?" Kasumi chewed her lip. She had practice tomorrow. She wouldn't be able to stay for long.

"Unfortunately," Niijima-senpai activated her phone and flipped through the pictures of the student's files. "I could just call them but… that would make them even more suspicious."

"I could try to talk to them. They don't know me. Not really, anyways," Kasumi gave a nervous laugh. Right. She was a stranger to them. A complete stranger. No one here knew who she was.

"That would be our best option. Not that we have any other choice." Niijima-senpai stood up abruptly and placed her hands on the desk. "Thanks for listening to this… and agreeing that I wasn't going crazy."

Kasumi smiled and nodded. "Of course! It was nothing at all."

"You can go home, now. I've taken enough of your time as is. Oh!" Niijima-senpai held out her phone. "May I have your number? We should keep in touch."

"Certainly," Kasumi took the phone and tapped in her number. "Um, my phone's been acting up lately, so if I don't respond it's not because I'm ignoring you."

"Is it? Why don't you just get a new one?"

Kasumi averted her eyes. "I've… had this one for a long time. I have a lot of good memories with it so I'd like to keep it for as long as possible."

Niijima-senpai glanced at her panda pencil case. "I can understand that. All right. Duly noted."

Kasumi packed her bag and bowed. "Until tomorrow, senpai!"

Evening

Ann sat heavily on her bed, fingers entangled with her platinum hair and towel as she rubbed out whatever moisture she could after her shower. It was the only way she could feel warm these days. Tokyo was muggy this time of year. She never felt cold before, but now she shivered from an imaginary breeze as gooseflesh rose.

Bright lights illuminated her room. Clothes were scattered across the furniture and floor, wardrobe a rainbow mess, magazines bent and crooked on the floor from being stepped on- Ann admitted that living alone had made her complacent with keeping tidy.

Ann chuckled to herself. They said a person's room reflected their mind, didn't they? "If so, then I'm…"

The heavy sigh that followed didn't alleviate the weight pressing down on her chest. It never did, anymore.

Ann wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and wake up from this nightmare. But this wasn't a nightmare that she dreamed about, oh no; this nightmare was reality. Ann cursed her naivety that wondered what it would be like to lose a friend. That dark part of her imagination that couldn't help but be curious. Now she knew. And she wishes she didn't.

If she hadn't thought of that would Shiho still be here? If she'd been paying more attention could she have done something? If she'd given in to- Ann violently squelched the thought. No, giving in wouldn't have done anything but bring more pain. Maybe Ann would have been the one that jumped. Shiho would be the one feeling the pain Ann was now. She couldn't do that to her only friend.

Ann wiped the tears she just now realized were streaming down her face. Her hands balled into fists so tight they ached. She beat her hand into her mattress over and over again. "Goddamnit… Damnit. Damnit. Damnit!"

"Why her, Kamoshida?" Ann smothered herself with her towel.

Ann saw Shiho laying in the hospital bed on life support. Why wasn't she waking up?

Ann saw Shiho sprawled before her, naked. What did she do to deserve that?

Ann saw Kamoshida smiling. How she loathed that the man still occupied her thoughts.

Her tears quickly transitioned being born from grief to rage. "I'm going to fucking kill you, Kamoshida. You hear me?"

The chiming of her phone stilled her thoughts. A message.

Ryuji: We're all set for tomorrow!

Ryuji: Hope you guys are excited! Cant wait till you see what I came up with!

Ren: Are you sure you got this covered?

Ryuji: Dude don't sweat it. I got this.

Ann sniffed and blinked away what tears remained. Her fingers began to move.

Ann: We're counting on you. We can't afford to mess up tomorrow.

Tomorrow. It will all be over tomorrow.

Ryuji: I know. We got one shot at this.

Ryuji: Don't worry Ann. We'll make him pay.

Ann reread the last sentence over and over like a prayer.

Ryu: I even made a logo for us!

Ann inwardly groaned. She remembered what Ryuji's art looked like in middle school.

Ann: A logo?

Ryuji: Hell yeah. You'll see it tomorrow.

Ren: Should I be worried?

Ryuji: Dude seriously?

Ren: What?

Ren: Oh, Morgana said to make sure there's no spelling errors.

Ryuji: Cmon guys, it's not like I'm writing an essay!

A chuckle escaped from Ann's lips.

Ann: And make sure it doesn't lead back to us.

Ryuji: I know! I know!

Ryuji: Geez. It's like talking to my mom about my grades.

Ann: And what does she have to say about your grades?

Ryuji: That's none of your business!

Ren: Anyways... Try to get some rest tonight you two. We have a busy day tomorrow.

Ryuji: Oh man, don't know if I'll be able to. Too much energy rn!

Ren: Just try to, okay? Last thing we need is you falling asleep in the middle of a fight.

Ryuji: Bro that won't happen! Swear!

Ann typed in a message before tossing her phone to the side and laying back onto her mattress.

"We'll make him pay, Shiho."

Ann closed her eyes and saw Shiho's smiling face.

"Even if it's the last thing I do."

She repeated that mantra until restless sleep claimed her.

Saturday, April 23

Early Morning

"A calling card?"

"It was posted before everyone got here this morning."

"Does this mean the rumors are true?"

Ren, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana all lounged comfortably at the end of the hall furthest from the message board plastered with red cards that were surrounded by students egging to get a closer look.

"Heh, not bad, huh?" Ryuji rubbed his nose, smirking.

Ren nodded towards the board. "You have one of those?"

Ryuji's smirk widened and he pulled a card out of his pocket between his fingers. "'Course I do."

Ann took it and read it out loud. "'Sir Kamoshida Suguru, the horny bastard of Lust…'" Ann eyed Ryuji over the card, took a deep breath, and continued. "We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done today, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'"

They all stared in a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment at the card for a few more seconds as Ryuji continued to proudly smirk.

"Wow…" Ann breathed.

Ryuji completely missed Ann's sarcasm. "Not bad, huh? I went through a bunch of references online. Took me a while but I think I got it."

"Uh-huh?" Ann's voice cracked. "Yup. I know what you wanted to say… but it sounds really dumb."

"I find your logo lacking, too," Morgana tilted the card with a paw for a better look.

Ryuji's left eye twitched. "Okay, I can take the actual calling card message sounding a bit cheesy... But don't you make fun of my logo! That took me hours yesterday!"

"Seriously?" Ren took the card from Ann and looked at the strange face with a tophat. It didn't look like it'd take hours to draw. "That's the least important part."

Ryuji snatched it from Ren's fingers before he could examine it too carefully. "All right, enough about that. Seems like we've riled up the crowd, though."

"Yeah…" Ren watched students speculate in the large crowd. "I wonder what Kamo-"

"Who's responsible for this?!"

"Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear," Ren breathed as the students parted like a sea before the fuming form of Kamoshida, who looked to and fro like a predator.

"Did you do this?" Kamoshida swiped a calling card from one of the students closest to him and tore it in half, screaming into another student's face, "Or was it you?!"

The students scattered until they were the only ones remaining.

Kamoshida glared at the board before turning and spotting them.

Maybe it was the smirks on their face, but Kamoshida's face purpled with rage as he stomped up to them. "Was it you two?" he seethed.

Maybe it was finally being able to see him unnerved. Maybe it was seeing the man about to snap. Maybe it was because they were about to win. Ren's cheek tugged as his smirk widened. He readjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked up into Kamoshida's blood-shot eyes. "What if it was?"

Kamoshida drew his hand back, hand curled into a fist. Ren watched him oh so carefully. He knew Kamoshida could knock him out cold. But he'd have to hit him first.

The fist relaxed as Kamoshida took a deep breath and turned away. "What trash… It's not a problem, anyways. You'll be expelled soon enough."

Ren blinked. The Kamoshida before him was the one from the Palace. "Come… Steal it, if you can!"

Ren blinked again and the image was gone.

"What was it you said?" Ren put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "I believe it was, 'Why not hit me? Just a little bit? Ohhhhh, right.'" Ren snapped his fingers. "'You can't.'"

Ren watched the entirety of the man's back flex. He knew what was coming. And he saw it from a mile away. Ren was already moving before the fist was striking forward.

With a crash Kamoshida's fist smashed into the wall where Ren's head had been. The pained curse that Kamoshida let out was music to his ears. Ren had to keep his laughter in. "Come on, you two. We're gonna be late for class."

Lunchtime

Makoto sat across from Yoshizawa-san with the calling card placed on the table between them. It was heavily marked with highlighters and scribbled notes. She'd read it over a dozen times- she practically had it memorized at this point. Makoto read it out loud once more, slowly annunciating each word and mentally digesting it.

It wasn't exactly William Shakespeare and what it implied was quite obvious to anyone that read it. But Makoto still couldn't get herself to believe it. Makoto glanced up at the straight-backed girl in front of her. "We're on the same page, right?"

"That Kamoshida-sensei sexually assaulted Suzui Shiho-san against her will, Amamiya Ren-senpai, Takamaki Ann-senpai, and Sakamoto Ryuji-senpai were aware of this and are going to somehow steal Kamoshida-sensei's 'desires,'" the red-headed gymnast flawlessly repeated the conclusion they'd reached ten minutes ago.

"Uugghh," Makoto groaned as she tapped her pen incessantly on the card. That's what was throwing her off. "How the heck do you steal someone's 'desires'? What does that even mean? Obviously 'desire' here pertains to 'Lust' up here. But how do you steal someone's lust?"

"The fastest way would be to ask them directly, no? Again, I could try and confirm it with them," Yoshizawa-san was so eager Makoto felt hesitant to send her off.

Makoto glanced at the clock and her shoulders slumped. "Lunch is almost over. Try to find them after school. I'll still be on campus for a while, so if anything comes up let me know."

After School

Kasumi was eying the clock the entire time after lunch. 3:15 was when the bell rang. At 3:10 her bag was already packed. 3:14 and she was at the edge of the seat about to fall off. At 3:15 she gracefully twirled out of her chair, pushing it in as she spun around and practically jogged out the door.

Her shoes made a satisfying, rhythmic clack as she almost slid down the stairs, the balls of her feet lightly tapping the edge of each step as gravity pulled her forward and down. She arrived at the second-years floor just ten seconds after the bell had rung. Not fast enough, it seemed, as she caught a glimpse of platinum blonde, dyed blonde, and curly black at the landing below her. She picked up the pace.

The school's PA system chimed, announcing, "Sakamoto Ryuji, Takamaki Ann, and Amamiya Ren, please report to the Faculty Office immediately. Sakamoto Ryuji, Takamaki Ann, and Amamiya Ren, please report to the Faculty Office immediately."

The three students in question paused just long enough for a brief, one-sentence exchange, before continuing towards the school entrance. They weren't just going to ignore the summons, right?

"Hold it right there, you three!" Chouno-sensei, the English teacher, sped walked down the hall.

"Go!" Amamiya Ren shouted as they dashed out of the entrance.

Kasumi hesitated. She had to catch the 3:40 train in order to make it to practice on time.

The trio disappeared around the gate.

Kasumi was about to take after them when a booming voice shouted from behind her, "Yoshizawa-san!"

Kasumi turned to see Kamoshida glaring down at her from down the hall.

"PE faculty office. Now."

Getting to the throne room had been faster than Joker thought it would take. Using that chandelier in the cathedral had not only allowed them to avoid a huge number of guards but also cut time. It'd been nerve wracking swinging from chandelier to chandelier, for sure. And it was a miracle how none of the guards ever bothered to look up. Joker made a mental note that people don't tend to look up.

"The hell?" Skull muttered as they peeked into the throne room. "Door's just sittin' wide open and there's no one here."

"All the guards are probably everywhere else in the castle. I don't think they expected us to get this far without getting noticed. Come on, it's our win as long as we steal the Treasure!" Mona waved them forward as he pressed into the room.

Pushing open the treasury's door they were once again surrounded by glittering gold coins, jewels, and trophies. Where once was a glowing mote of light was instead replaced by a floating, jeweled crown made of rich red velvet.

"Is that it?" Panther whispered in a tight voice.

"Yeah… that's it," Mona's eyes were the size of saucers as he leaped up and down. "It's here! The Treasure is here! Oh… it brings a tear to my eye."

"Isn't this supposed to be Kamoshida's desires? Why's it so pretty?" Panther slowly walked around it. Her hands balled into fists. "It makes me want to smash it."

"No! No no!" Mona stood protectively between her and the Treasure. "No smashing! I have no idea what kind of effect that would have on the Palace's Ruler."

"I know, Mona," Panther venomously spit. "I'm just saying."

"So we just have to grab this thing and get out, right?" Skull reached out for it, his fingers brushing the surface.

There was a loud clap and the crown was knocked away from Skull's grasp by a volleyball. The golden headpiece spun in the air as Kamoshida's Shadow form leapt up and grasped it, landing on his feet.

"You won't be taking this," Kamoshida snarled, bright yellow eyes glowing like a wolf's. "This symbolizes that I am the ruler of this castle."

"Well whaddya know? The pervert was waitin' to ambush us, huh?" Skull tapped his pipe on his shoulder. "Gotta say… it suits you."

"I made it easy to find you," Kamoshida placed the crown neatly on his head, his body being consumed by the blackish ooze that they associated with Shadows. "I'll dispose of you myself."

Kamoshida's form twisted, the sound of snapping bones cracking behind the transformation. The blackish ooze exploded outward revealing a reddish demonic form that unmistakably had Kamoshida's face. The king's attire had changed completely. The only clothing it wore was mid-thigh jersey shorts and the rich, crimson cape, showing the sinewy, bulging muscles that flexed with every movement. "Right here. Right now."

Joker drew his pistol and racked the slide back, chambering a round. "You're on."

Makoto was waiting impatiently in the Student Council Room for Yoshizawa to return with some form of news. She went over accounting reports in the meantime, although she couldn't help but glance at the calling card that was poking out of her pencil case.

What was taking her so long? It'd been over forty minutes since school had ended. Where was she?

Makoto checked her phone for any messages. Nothing.

She was just about to put it down when her screen flashed. "It's her."

Makoto quickly opened the message.

Yoshizawa: I got called into the PE faculty office by Kamoshida-sensei. It-

Makoto checked the time stamp. It was right after school ended. Yoshizawa-san had said her phone had been acting up. Makoto's eyes locked onto the one word that she could see from the calling card. She could feel the blood draining from her face.

Lust.

"Oh no."

Mona leapt to the left as a volleyball made a crater where he was standing a moment before. "He's getting faster!" he shouted.

Another ball rocketed towards him. He'd barely gotten his bearings. "Zoro!"

A rush of wind knocked the projectile off course and sent a pile of gold coins raining down across the room. Mona didn't know how many more of those he could handle.

"A little help?" Mona requested as he dived behind a pile of coins.

"A bit busy here!" Skull shouted from somewhere on the other side of the room.

They'd gotten flooded with Shadows the moment the fight had begun. As if Kamoshida wasn't bad enough with his constant volley of serves, they had to deal with all his lackeys.

Two gunshots rang out from Mona's right.

"Mona," Joker shouted, apparently having enough breathing room to think. "Keep Kamoshida busy. Panther, you and I take care of the remaining guards! Skull, blast that door shut!"

"On it!" Skull grunted, the hollow ringing of metal following suit.

"Okay!" A staccato of firecracker-like fire rang out from Panther's Skorpion.

"Moving!" Mona announced, peeking out of cover before hurriedly ducking behind it as another ball flew just past his face.

"I can hear you, you damned brats!" Kamoshida shouted.

"I can't move!" Mona clutched his slingshot. He just had to get rid of that basket of volleyballs. Make it a little harder for Kamoshida to reset.

Scooting a few feet back but still remaining behind the wall of coins, Mona tried to remember where Kamoshida was standing. He raised the sling shot up. There was about right. And then the basket of volleyballs was… there.

Mona took one steady breath. Then another. "Let's do this." He darted out from cover, releasing a hail of sling shots one after another, the metal marbles zipping through the air towards the basket with a satisfying thwip thwip thwip.

Metal striking metal pinged after each consecutive hit, Kamoshida too busy focusing on lining up a shot to realize what was happening. Kamoshida leapt up just as Mona's last shot struck, breaking one of the walls of the basket as balls flooded across the floor.

"Zoro!" Mona managed to knock Kamoshida's serve away just in time.

Kamoshida's foot twisted as he landed on a ball, landing in a messy heap of cloth.

"Haha!" Mona laughed triumphantly before Kamoshida stood up, eyes smoldering.

Grumbling, Kamoshida grabbed another ball off the floor.

"Sorry?"

Skull grunted as he swung his steel pipe into the strange flower plant person and sent them flying into a pile of coins. He turned towards the crowd that was gathered before him and yelled a challenge. "Come on! Who's next?"

"Arsene!"

A torrent of black fire and raking claws disintegrated the crowd in front of him.

"Oh, Joker you gotta take all the fun, don't ya?" Skull tossed his pipe onto the floor in defeat.

"Less playing, more fighting," Joker sighed as he took a moment to catch his breath, hands on his hips. "You gonna get the door or what?"

Skull rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, I'm workin' on it, okay?"

"As long as you get it done." Joker jogged off to find something else to deal with.

"Man, hope he realizes that's the only entrance," Skull mused. He shrugged. Wasn't his problem. "Captain Kidd, blow that wall into- Suzui?"

The floor around Panther was pooling with liquid gold as Carmen's fire turned this side of the room into an oven. Panther could feel herself losing energy, fast. But it was all she could do to keep the Shadows from entering.

"Hey, Skull!" she shouted over the roaring flames. "You just about ready... yet?"

"Ann!"

Panther clamped her hands over her mouth, eyes immediately watering. "Shiho?"

"Ann, let me in!"

It was her. That smile. That voice. She was alive.

Ann let the flames drop. She didn't notice her skin-tight red suit had disappeared.

"Captain Kidd!"

The skull pirate smashed into the ceiling above the doorway, causing rubble to collapse in front of Shiho.

Panic caused Ann's heart to leap. "Shiho!" She scrambled towards the rubble and began pulling at rocks. "Shiho!"

Ann felt arms pulling her away. She fought back. "No, Ryuji let me go! Shiho's right there! She's right there!"

"Calm down, Ann! That ain't her!" Skull's mouth clamped shut as one of Ann's fists clipped him across the jaw.

"She's here!" It had to be her. It had to be.

Ryuji grabbed both her arms to keep her from swinging anymore. "Ann, that ain't her. She's not here. She's in a coma."

"No," Ann croaked. She shut her eyes and saw Shiho in a hospital bed. "She's right there."

"Ann!" Ryuji screamed at her. "Listen to me! We're in the Palace. What'd you say we're here for?"

"To… get revenge."

"Damn straight. Come on, Panther. We're gonna give it to 'em good, right?"

Panther swallowed, ignoring the cries of Shiho on the other side of the rubble. She took a shaky breath. "Yeah. We're gonna make sure he doesn't forget it."

Skull pulled her to her feet. "Then let's go get 'em."

Joker grunted as an angel with a bdsm kink tackled him to the floor in a tangle of limbs, feathers, and leather. Shoving her off with a kick to the midsection he rolled on top and buried his dagger in the angel's chest. She dissipated into black smoke.

"Can't catch a fucking break," Joker muttered as he popped two pain meds into his mouth. His bruises already felt like they were throbbing less.

The sound of crumbling rocks and a small cloud of dust from the entrance announced that it was sealed.

Taking a cursory look around Joker didn't see any other stray Shadows in the area. They must have cleaned them all out, then. A flash of red from the corner of his eye.

Joker's head whipped in that direction. He took a step towards it before stopping himself. No, Kamoshida took priority. He had the Treasure. That was their win condition.

Joker made his way towards the grunts and smashing of stone floor, arriving just in time to have Mona slide past him. "Gonna tag you in. I need a second."

Seeing the floor pockmarked with small craters, Joker nodded. "Don't take too long."

He stepped out into the open, arms held wide. "Kamoshida!"

"Another rat," Kamoshida seethed. There were no more balls around him so they circled like a pair of sharks. He nonchalantly picked up a trophy from a pile of treasure beside him. "Why can't you all just scurry back into your holes where you belong?"

Joker shrugged, tossing his knife between hands. "Thought we'd expand a little. Found out it was pretty fun sticking it to the big guy."

Kamoshida snarled and brought the trophy to his lips.

"What the hell are you-"

Panther and Skull joined him.

"Door's sealed off. It's just us in here," Skull tapped Joker on the shoulder.

Kamoshida spit on the floor at the sight of them. It was a bright red. "That's just fine. There's less collateral damage that way."

"Uh… does he not realize we outnumber him?" Panther pointed out.

"Who kno-?!" Joker suddenly found Kamoshida standing in front of him.

"Oh sh-"

"What the f-"

Joker crumpled as he felt like he'd been hit in the stomach by a cement block. Air exploded out from his lungs, leaving him hacking for air.

A kick sent him skidding across the floor, eventually rolling to a stop with his back on the floor. Every breath was agony and sent a flare of pain up his side.

"Aaahhh…" Kamoshida made a satisfied sigh as if he'd just had a refreshing drink. "This hits the spot."

Joker glanced over with watery eyes, seeing Kamoshida indeed drinking from the trophy. His movements seemed lighter and faster than before.

Skull and Panther writhed on the floor as well, pained groans escaping their lips.

"Come on," Joker rolled over and onto his knees. He tried to stand but his legs felt like they were filled with sand. His body screamed in protest. "Almost there."

Shaking, Joker finally rose to his feet, wavering unsteadily. He put up his hands, dagger still in hand. "Is…" Joker wheezed. "Is that all you got?"

Kamoshida smirked. Joker watched as carefully as he could.

Kamoshida moved inhumanely fast. Joker barely had time to register the demon's movements before they were raining down on him.

Joker caught a punch and sliced his dagger across Kamoshida's purple forearm, leaving a trail of red behind. He saw Kamoshida's off hand lash out and tried to move away in time but got clipped across the face, spinning him around.

Joker stumbled, facing Kamoshida just in time to duck beneath a haymaker. Joker lashed out with his dagger, his wrist being grabbed and twisted up and away. Joker screamed as Kamoshida forcefully spun him around, any more and his shoulder would pop out of its socket.

"Let him go!"

Skull's pipe slammed square into the back of Kamoshida's head.

Joker scrambled away as Kamoshida released him.

Skull swung again but Kamoshida easily grabbed the pipe mid swing. A crack and lash whipped Kamoshida's head to the side, an angry red line across his cheek from Panther's whip. He staggered once more as the whip slashed across his leg.

Joker took this chance and leapt onto Kamoshida's back, plunging his dagger to the hilt in Kamoshida's mid section.

Kamoshida roared in pain, tearing the pipe away and smashing his fist across Skull's face. Joker felt two hands grasp his shoulders and he was flung up and over Kamoshida, grunting as he hit the floor hard.

Joker's world spun wildly. His sense of balance and up and down was completely thrown off kilter as he struggles to regain coordination. When the world finally did stop spinning he saw Panther being held in the air by the throat as Kamoshida stomped towards the trophy he'd left on the floor.

Kamoshida picked it up and drank deeply, bright red trickling from the corner of his mouth. Joker watched in horror as the wounds they'd inflicted healed without any hint left behind.

Kamoshida raised Panther higher, who kicked at the air in vain. "When will you realize that everything you do is for naught?"

He smiled as he watched Joker and Skull struggle to stand. "I am the ruler of this castle."

His grip tightened around Panther's neck. Her face was almost as red as her suit. "I am the king."

Kamoshida walked up to them before letting Panther go. She crumpled to the ground, hands at her throat as she struggled to breath. "I am above everyone else."

Kamoshida stepped onto Joker's back and pressed him into the ground. He leaned down. "I make the laws around here."

Joker felt Kamoshida's shoe grind against his back. It felt like a hundred fire ants biting him. Joker's right hand sought his handgun. He only found air.

The pressure on his back increased and Joker felt like his spine was going to pop. Spittle flew from his mouth as he held in his screams. His right hand finally found purchase on a familiar grip. Joker raised his hand and pulled the trigger.

"Fuck!" Kamoshida screamed as a splash of hot blood splattered onto Joker's face. The pressure on his back released completely as Kamoshida took a few unsteady steps back.

Joker felt hands grabbing and hauling him up onto his feet. They found purchase on the coin-ridden floor. His foot knocked against something.

The trophy rolled away from him. Joker looked up from it at Kamoshida, who was eyeing it like a lifeline. Kamoshida lunged.

Joker raised his hand and squeezed the trigger. The trophy shattered into hundreds of pieces, dark blood spilling onto the floor.

"Noooo!" Kamoshida wailed. "My trophy! Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

"Don't fucking care," Panther groaned, holding both herself and Joker up.

Skull pulled himself up, retrieving his pipe along the way and using it as a cane. "You ready… for round two… without your magic healing potion?"

Joker saw the flash of red from the corner of his eye. A ponytail?

Kamoshida noticed it too. He smiled.

A smile that was wiped clean off his face as Mona leapt up from behind, somersaulting over Kamoshida's head and landing in front of the rest of them, crown in hand. "I got it!"

"What?" Kamoshida's mouth was agape. "No! Not my Treasure!"

Joker raised his gun. "Checkmate, asshole."

Shot after shot rang out in the treasury until Kamoshida's purple, demonic body was riddled with holes, laying on the floor crawling away like a bug.

They followed him as he crawled towards the balcony, leaving a bloody trail behind him. Kamoshida propped himself up against the railing, eyes filled with terror.

"Please… spare me," Kamoshida pleaded, yellow eyes filled with desperation. "It's always like this… Expectation after expectation! No matter what I do it's never enough! What's wrong with claiming a reward for that?"

Skull shook his head and spat on the floor. "Excuses now? Unfuckingbelievable."

Kamoshida let out a pathetic squeal as Panther hauled him up and pressed him against the railing, Kamoshida's head hanging over the edge with a thousand feet of open air between him and the floor. Her eyes were cold. "Scared? Cause this is the same fucking view Shiho had before she jumped!"

Panther gave him a shake for emphasis. "I'm certain she was scared, too. But she felt like she didn't have a FUCKING choice!"

Panther pushed him further out, his chest now hanging over the edge. She leaned over next to his ear. "I'll make it real clear what your options are. What would you like to do? You want to jump and take your chances? Maybe you'll die. Maybe you'll live in a hospital bed for the rest of your sorry life. Or do you want to stay up here with me? I guarantee it won't be pretty."

Kamoshida only whimpered.

Panther thrust him over the edge. "FUCKING ANSWER ME!"

"I don't want to die!" Kamoshida yelled, tears streaming down his face. "I don't want to die! Please! Don't kill me!"

Panther threw him back onto the balcony with a curse.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Kamoshida said over and over again, bowing his head. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Shut up!" Panther screamed. "I bet everyone said the same thing. But you… You took everything from them because you couldn't keep yourself in check!"

"I accept defeat! I'll abandon the throne! You're the ruler now! What you do with my life is up to you. You have that right!" Kamoshida's head touched the floor.

Mona's ears laid flat against his head. "It's your call, Panther."

Skull nodded. "Mona's right. This is your revenge more than any of ours."

Joker stared at the prostrated form of Kamoshida. He wordlessly held out his handgun grip first to Panther.

Panther looked at it for a long time before she took it. She aimed and pulled the trigger.

"You're kind, Lady Ann," Mona spoke in a comforting voice.

Panther shook her head. "No. Death is just the easy way out." She flipped the handgun and handed it back to Joker. "I want you to take the hard road, Kamoshida. Live your fucking life regretting what you've done."

Kamoshida nodded, staring at the bullet hole an inch in front of his face. "I will… I'll return to my real self now. I'll make certain to live out the consequences of my actions."

Kamoshida shimmered in sparkling light, much different than how Shadows usually disappeared. Mote after mote, until nothing was left behind.

A heavy shake nearly knocked them all on their asses.

"The Palace is collapsing," Mona warned as he tossed the crown to Joker. "We need to get out of here, now!"

Skull looked around the treasury. "Any ideas? We blocked off the only exit!"

Joker tucked the crown under his arm and looped his grappling hook around the ledge. "See you at the bottom."

"You crazy sonuva-"

"Whooooohooooo!" Joker jumped.

"You're a fucking lunatic, Ren," Ann panted as she leaned against the wall. "At least tell us so we can mentally prepare!"

Ryuji tapped at his phone. His eyes widened and he held out the screen. "Hey, check out the nav!"

"Destination has been deleted."

"It worked," Ann muttered. "It really worked."

Morgana disentangled himself from the trashbag. "What about the Treasure?!"

Ren raised his hand and showed off the gold medallion.

"The hell?"

Ann frowned. "Wasn't it a crown?"

"It's the source of Kamoshida's desires. The origin, if you will," Morgana padded up next to them. "To him, this medal is worth as much as that crown in the Palace."

Ryuji got real close to the medal. "An Olympic medal, huh? So that bastard kept clingin' to his past success and couldn't let go."

"This means that we succeeded, right? Kamoshida's heart is changed." Ann glanced back and forth for confirmation.

Morgana shrugged and simply answered, "Probably."

Ryuji threw his hands up in the air. "Oh for fucks sake! Our expulsions are on the line here!"

"Hey, this is the first successful case for me, too," Morgana pointed out. "But there's no doubt this is going to have a huge impact on Kamoshida. The whole Palace disappeared, after all."

Ryuji hopped from foot to foot. "Ugh! Now I feel all restless. Ain't there a way to check now?"

"Look, I'm worried too," Ren admitted, running his finger over the medal. "But we'll know soon enough. We did what we went out to do."

"Yeah," Morgana agreed. "We saved a lot of people from what we just did."

Ann's gaze turned distant. "Yeah… I suppose we did."

"Damnit," Ryuji sighed. "Guess we got no choice but to wait."

Ren swung his bag over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go home."

Makoto cradled the first-year girl in her arms, hugging her close. It was just the two of them in the PE Faculty Office. "Everything's okay, now, Yoshizawa-san. You're okay."

The red-head sniffed in her arms. "Niijima-senpai… he was… he was going to…"

"Shhhh," Makoto stroked her hair. "You don't have to say anything. It's okay. You're okay now."

A/N

Forgive me for the later than usual release on Sunday. I wasn't able to start working on the chapter until Friday evening. Cranked out most of it yesterday and today. There are probably a lot of annoying grammatical issues and whatever, but goddamn I'm just glad I got everything I wanted to put in here.

Phew. A lot happened this chapter. I really wasn't expecting the Kamoshida fight to take up half of it, but here we are. Hopefully I managed to capture the imagery and the action was exciting enough throughout the whole thing. I was actually planning to have Ann's perspective during the last bit where she was holding Kamoshida over the edge, but I didn't know what to put as a break between perspectives without hard cutting. Plus, I think I got most of her headspace through her dialogue so it's not that big of a deal.

Anyways, I reached the end of the script for what I have for the game, so we'll see how much time I have to play and plan out the next chapter this week. So chapter next week maybe, maybe not. I'm really sorry for being so wishy washy and flakey lately, but it just can't be helped. Till next time, folks! And thanks for reading!