Heart of Justice

by ShadeJak

Teen detective Kyoko Kirigiri had strived to get into her father's school since she was a child, but one fateful night changed everything and she found herself forced to move and stuck on probation under false charges. But fate had other ideas, for her to take on the role of a trickster and topple corruption. Inspired by EpicLinkSam's P4/DR crossover fic "Nothing But The Truth"

45. My Tomb

7/25

Thinking things over from the previous night, and everything Sojiro had shared about Futaba, Kyoko had been pensive all throughout the school event amidst the students' gossip over Medjed's threats.

People were worried about the data leak threat, and such an act of cyberterrorism would be a very serious issue, and at this point it did indeed seem Futaba was their only chance of stopping them, as now, whether she liked it or not, the gauntlet had been thrown and the Phantom Thieves needed to respond. If Medjed did indeed carry out their threats, the police whom had already been critical of the Phantom Thieves, would most certainly blame them for whatever damage Medjed caused.

She thought about the last time she'd had a session with Dr. Maruki, where he'd mentioned his theories of how if the Phantom Thieves were real, if their abilities could be used to cure traumas that were otherwise nearly or outright impossible to treat by conventional means. Was it possible, she wondered, if Futaba had somehow come to the same conclusion?

It then the left the question of how Futaba even knew of the Metaverse. Kyoko processed what she remembered in her head, being in class.

That woman harassed Sojiro over some kind of research project called cognitive science that she believed was connected to the mental shutdown and psychotic break incidents, which were something this mystery metaverse assassin was committing, things very similar to the change of heart the Phantom Thieves did to their targets.

Cognitive science, whatever it was, whatever it entailed and connected or otherwise, to the incidents and how this assassin and whoever his benefactor Kaneshiro's Shadow had hinted at carried their crimes out, Futaba's mother Wakaba was apparently tied to in some way.

Sojiro had described Futaba as very smart, and she was clearly a very talented hacker...

Was it possible Futaba had access to the research, and put the pieces together from there, she wondered.

If so, it'd mean everything was connected. And then there was the mysterious circumstances around Wakaba's sudden suicide, and if it were indeed more then mere suicide. If it were, then what was the reason?

Perhaps some of the answers would lie in Futaba's Palace, once they were able to infiltrate it...

These thoughts on her mind, she waited for the assembly to finally come to a close so she could head back home and call the meeting.

---

"MAAAAAAAAAN that assembly had me bored to tears!" Ryuji grumbled as he took a hefty bite of his food. Following the assembly, Kyoko had met the others from Shujin and stopped in Big Bang Burger for a meal, save Kyoko who'd bought herself a bento elsewhere, and met up with Yusuke after, who'd bought himself some instant ramen.

"Did you have school, too, Yusuke?" Ann asked, sipping her drink as she looked over at him, as he was also wearing his summer uniform when they'd met up at Leblanc.

"I'm doing laundry, so these were the only clean clothes I had," Yusuke replied matter-of-factly.

"You... really need to get more outfits," Ann said, shaking her head.

"Come on, we didn't gather here to make small talk, did we?" Makoto asked as she finished her own meal. "We're here to discuss Alibaba's case, remember?"

"Indeed. When we'd left, Morgana had remained at Sojiro's and found Futaba's room, and he discovered she's been listening in on us at Leblanc," Kyoko explained.

"But why would she do that, though?" Ann asked.

"That... I don't know," Morgana said.

"It's like Boss said, she's a tough nut to crack," Ryuji said, frowning.

"Futaba would call Sojiro at very convenient times at the café every so often," Kyoko replied. "It stands to reason she had some way of knowing and has been eavesdropping the entire time. Likely she must have accessed some kind of surveillance equipment Sojiro might have set up for security purposes. But why Futaba would eavesdrop... who can say."

"In any case, I think it goes without saying her hacking skills will be absolutely necessary if we're to stand up to Medjed," Makoto said. "Going by what she told us, she may even be able to tell us who they are."

"Either way, she's our only chance," Kyoko said. "At this point, the Phantom Thieves are being watched by everyone for what our move will be, and the police will use any excuse to arrest us now. If Medjed does what they say they will, we'll get blamed for it."

"We found out Futaba has a Palace, but she doesn't sound like she's evil at all," Ann said.

"It's not a matter of someone being evil or not that creates a Palace," Morgana explained. "...A Palace manifests from distorted cognitions brought about by strong desires, that's all. It just so happens that a lot of warped people turn out evil."

"Makes sense," Kyoko said. "One way or another, evil people we've targeted who had Palaces were very megalomaniacal. They cared only about their own desires, and their complete disregard to other people as human beings and merely a means to feed those desires is shown by how their cognitions of them are severely dehumanized in one way or another."

"She's so young, though!" Makoko sighed. "In her case, the pain she's gone through must be the cause of the distortion."

Kyoko sat back, her hand to her chin in thought. "When I was at a session with Dr. Maruki a while back, he discussed with me how unfulfilled desires or untreated emotional pain can lead a person to very dark places. There was also something I'd discussed with him last week, that got me thinking if a change of heart can be used as a way to treat severe trauma," she explained. "A trauma that can't be treated by conventional means, or perhaps not entirely or so easily."

"The sort of trauma Futaba has experienced, and the effect it's clearly had on her," Yusuke mused. "Perhaps she's come to the same conclusion as well?"

"It's possible," Kyoko said with a nod. "With how Sojiro described it, it's gotten so severe that Futaba is now suffering from visual and auditory hallucinations."

"It'd go a long way explaining how her cognition would become distorted if she can no longer tell fantasy and reality apart," said Morgana. "There's a chance they're related to some important memories she's holding, too... it's hard to explain, but those memories may have been warped by the distortions."

"...But basically, what y'all are sayin' is we just gotta steal her Treasure, then she'll get better, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Well... yeah, basically!" Morgana said with a nod.

"Then it's settled, we're taking on Futaba's Palace?" Ann asked.

"She asked us to, I don't think that's an issue, now," said Makoto.

"Healing Futaba from this trauma by taking her Treasure means she'll be able to help us with Medjed... and also... it'll help her and Sojiro, too," Kyoko said. "...But there's something else on my mind, too, regarding what happened to her..."

"You wonderin' about what Boss said?" Ryuji asked. "I've been wonderin', too... Boss said "a lot happened" after Futaba's mom died..."

"Exactly," Kyoko said. "Losing a loving parent like that... I can't imagine what that's like, but after two years, and then Sojiro saying how despite he's made every effort to try and get her help she just grew progressively worse, and is fully convinced her mother's death was her fault..."

"You think it's possible something exacerbated this between the accident and when he took her in that made her believe that to be true?" Makoto asked.

"Most likely the answers can be found within her Palace," said Yusuke.

"Hang on, you all need to understand first that our investigation of her Palace may not go like anything we've done at this point!" Morgana cautioned. "Having an individual ask you to steal their heart is an extremely irregular case! For that reason, we could run into all sorts of unforeseen situations in there, so are you sure you still want to go in?"

"Yes," Kyoko said, glancing down at the cat and her tone stern. "...I want to know what happened to her, and I..." the young detective paused, growing tense as she pushed back thoughts of Yui and her own feelings about when she'd lost her. "...I can't leave her this way..."

"Kyoko..." Ann looked at the young detective in concern.

"Then it's settled?" Morgana asked, looking around and receiving unanimous nods of approval from the others. "Alright, then. Just make sure we're cautious."

"Well, then we just need to get crackin' on the keywords then, right?" Ryuji asked.

"From the looks of it, Sojiro Sakura's house is the location," Kyoko said, taking out her phone.

"So we got the "who" and the "where", all that's left is the "what", right?" asked Ryuji.

"We should try going to her house, first, then," Yusuke suggested.

"Boss is still downstairs running the café, isn't he? We should make sure he doesn't suspect anything," Ann added.

Kyoko nodded. She felt guilty having to go against what Sojiro had asked regarding Futaba, especially behind his back, but at this point, there was no other option. In a situation like this, she'd chosen asking forgiveness rather then permission if there was to be any chance of helping Futaba where others could not.

As the others headed downstairs, Kyoko had remained motionless and pensive in her seat for a moment before she stood.

"You alright, Kyoko?" Morgana asked.

Kyoko looked towards the stairs.

...Big Sis... she gave everything to save me. It's a debt I don't know if I can ever really repay. Is that why I care so much...?

"Kyoko?" Morgana asked, staring at the girl as she stood silently.

Kyoko shook her head. "Apologies."

"You thinking about... your friend?" Morgana asked.

"You're perceptive," Kyoko said. "...Or maybe I'm letting my guard down."

"Nah, lucky guess," Morgana said, his ears drooping in concern. "But it really sounds like she cared about you, despite everything. That's worth remembering, isn't it?"

Kyoko's neutral expression deepened to a faint frown. "...Maybe. I..." the words, she took a breath, for once, willing herself to speak when she was so used to being guarded and stoic. "...I need to help this girl... I know how that feels. That guilt, hating and blaming yourself for someone's death. This is clearly eating her up completely and there's nothing Sojiro's able to do about it."

"Kyoko... you're a good person. I bet your friend saw that, even when you didn't," Morgana said.

Kyoko folded her arms, unsure how to respond and regaining her stoicism instead as she looked back at the cat now standing next to her as she stood by the stairs.

"...Honestly, I hope I can have memories like that, and be remarkable too when I'm human again... I want this mission to succeed, too! If we can retrieve Futaba's memories, then I bet we can do the same for mine, as well," Morgana said, his ears drooping more before perking back up as he looked up at her again. "In any case, it's not every day you meet a hacker like her! I stand by what I said, Kyoko... you are a remarkable person with quite a gift, to boot! You really do live up to my expectations!" he added with a happy, approving purr as Kyoko heard the sound of another chain link shatter within the recesses of her mind at Morgana's resolve.

"...I appreciate it," Kyoko said softly, giving the cat a small, faint smile. "...Though we should probably get going or they're gonna wonder where we are..."

"Right! Let's go!"

---

"So... the last keyword, any ideas?" Makoto asked as the group stood outside the gates of Sojiro's house.

"If she can't get out, maybe it's a prison?" Ryuji offered, only to be responded with a shake of the head from Kyoko as her phone's Meta-Nav rejected it.

"Perhaps a labyrinth with an unknown exit?" Makoto suggested. Again, no luck.

"Well, Boss did say he was giving her a place she's safe, but she's also isolated, so... maybe an oasis?" Ann asked. The Meta-Nav disagreed.

"Nothing so far, perhaps she doesn't feel safe after all... how about "Hell"?" Yusuke offered, but the Meta-Nav once again did not accept.

"This is no good. We don't have nearly enough clues to go on," Kyoko said, staring down at the screen and the remaining blank space on the app. "The most we have now is it seems like whatever desire Futaba is feeling that created her Palace isn't about escaping to or from it."

"...If only we could ask her directly," Yusuke said.

"Whaddya mean? Boss's house is right there, we can just go in and ask!" Ryuji said, gesturing to the gate.

"What would we even say to her to let us in, though?" Makoto asked.

"Don't need to! We're sneakin' in!" Ryuji said with a smirk.

"You've got to be joking!" Makoto protested. "Besides, won't the door be locked for sure this time?"

"I'll take care of that!" Morgana chimed in, stretching in his spot on the stone walls surrounding the house.

"Still..." Makoto clenched her hands together anxiously.

"Brash as this method is," Kyoko said, pocketing her phone, "...As I understand it, Futaba never answers the door for anyone, so it's probably our only option if we want to speak to her..."

"Right! Not to mention, I've already found Futaba's room when we snuck in last night so I can lead you right there," Morgana said. "Chances are, that's where she'll be."

"What if we run into Boss, though? There's no way we'll be able to avoid his questions and Kyoko will just get in trouble!" Makoto said, still uneasy.

"He's still at work, now, so we'll be fine," Ann said.

"Gettin' cold feet again, Makoto?" Ryuji asked with a playful grin. "Don't worry, it'll be nothin'! We've gone through loads'a shit like this already!"

Makoto looked around, before locking eyes with Kyoko. "...I guess there's no denying it. This is our only choice, isn't it?" she asked. "Plus, Futaba was able to get in contact with you earlier, so if anything maybe she'll be comfortable speaking with you?"

"Only one way to find out," Kyoko said, turning her gaze towards the gate.

---

Within moments, the group found themselves upstairs in the Sakura residence in a narrow hallway and standing before a locked door. From the police tape stickers and the sign that read 'Private' and 'Do Not Enter', and the fact that no one hand opened the door even as they arrived, and the fact Makoto had made two attempts at knocking and called her name, it was clear to Kyoko and the others Futaba had no interest in coming out to greet them.

"Doesn't look like she's comin' out," Ryuji said.

"Futaba-chan?" Makoto asked, knocking one more time. "I'm sorry for getting startled and screaming yesterday. It was so dark and the lights went out and I got scared!"

A few seconds passed, but still no response.

"No reaction whatsoever," Yusuke lamented.

"This... is gonna be hard," Ryuji said with a deep sigh.

"Umm... Alibaba?" Makoto said, cautiously knocking again. "You're listening, right?"

A few more seconds passed, when Kyoko suddenly felt her phone hum and took it out. To her surprise, the Alibaba account that had contacted her in the past had messaged her, complete with its eyeless, grinning, cartoon cat icon.

[Why are you here?] the message read.

"Seems she's only reacting to that name," Kyoko mused as she showed the message to the others.

"Why?" Makoto asked, turning to face the door again. "...You're Futaba Sakura, aren't you?" she called, only to be met with nothing but silence in response again.

"Maybe she doesn't like us saying her name?" Ann asked.

"Whatever the case may be we don't have time for these games," Kyoko said. "Still... we need the keyword so for now we'll humor her, I suppose..."

"...Alibaba... we want to learn more about you," Makoto said, coming close to the door and speaking gently. "If we don't, we can't steal your heart. The reason we came here is because we need the keyword to enter your Palace. That's why we want to talk to Futaba Sakura herself, not Alibaba! You don't need to come out, just answer us!"

Kyoko, meanwhile, amidst the silence that followed, began typing a response on her phone to the message she'd gotten.

[Will you answer me here, then?] she asked.

Immediately, she saw that a message was being prepared, and a second after, it appeared.

[Ok.] the new message from Alibaba said.

"This seems to work," Kyoko said, turning the phone around for the others to see.

"...Alright then, if that gets her to answer," Makoto said.

[What do you want from me?] Alibaba asked.

Kyoko brought her hand to her chin in thought before typing a response.

[What's it like living in this house?] she messaged.

[It's painful...] Alibaba answered.

"Painful?" Makoto wondered, reading the message.

[Why is that? Sojiro cares for you and wants to help.] Kyoko replied.

[I know he does.] Alibaba answered, another message following.

[But he can't help me. No one can.]

Kyoko raised an eyebrow in confusion, regarding her companions, who also gave worrying looks.

[Why not?] Kyoko replied.

Another response came, and the young detective's eyes widened, her lips parting as horror overcame her face.

[I'm going to die here.]

"K-Kyoko?" Ann stepped closer, and she, too, stared in shock at the response. "Wha?! ...Die?!"

"Why would she...?!" Makoto stammered, aghast.

[Is this going to continue?] Alibaba asked.

[Why do you believe you'll die here?] Kyoko responded.

[Why?] Alibaba asked.

[Because this place is my tomb.]

"...I think we have our answer," Kyoko said, bringing up the Meta-Nav and typing it in.

Reality briefly became red and hazy for an instant before returning to normal.

"MATCH FOUND!"

"A tomb?" Makoto wondered.

"Input accepted! Searching for route destination!" the Meta-Nav's voice stated.

Another message came through from Alibaba, Kyoko turned over to the chat log.

[Was that enough?] Alibaba asked.

"Yes! It was plenty!" Makoto said, giving a light knock on the door. "You haven't forgotten your promise to us if we complete your request, right?"

Kyoko's phone hummed again.

[I haven't. We made a deal after all.] Alibaba replied.

[We appreciate that.] Kyoko answered.

"...That settles it," Kyoko said, returning to the Meta-Nav.

"We got what we needed, right? All that's left is to go!" Ryuji said, approaching Kyoko and tapping the icon on the Meta-Nav before she could open her mouth to speak. "Annnnd clicky!"

"You idiot! Not here!" Morgana cried out as the house suddenly split itself open into strange red ripples, opening to a cloudless, sunny sky...

---

...And into the middle of a vast, empty desert.

"...I was about to say wait till we're back outside," Kyoko sighed in irritation, putting her phone away in the pocket of her jacket tied around her waist.

"Wait, our clothes are still the same!" Ryuji said, gesturing to everyone still wearing their school uniforms.

"Not surprising. Futaba asked us to steal her heart so it'd be odd for her to see us a threat," said Morgana, once more in his cartoonish anthro form. "If she doesn't see us as an enemy, our clothes don't change. That's how it works. And also, Kyoko's right, why'd you get so hasty like that?!"

"Does that matter right now?! What's with us bein' in the middle of a desert?! Where's the tomb? It's hotter then it was outside in the real world, here!" Ryuji protested.

"As reckless as your action was, I'm inclined to agree," Kyoko said, folding her arms and looking around, her hand pinching her chin in thought. "...Even though we entered right outside her room we didn't end up in a tomb, let alone near one."

"She must really want to keep people away," Makoto mused, looking around as well.

"You're right, she isolates herself, she never leaves her room unless she needs to, and never goes out or interacts with the rest of the world to the point it may as well not exist to her," Kyoko said.

"It really does give this place such a bleak feeling," Makoto said, frowning. "It's the complete opposite of Kaneshiro's bank that was full of places and cognitions."

"Let's just get outta this heat, already! Any idea where the Palace might be?" Ryuji asked.

"Oh! Look over there!" Morgana said, pointing behind the group with his paw and causing them to turn.

Off into the distance, down a flattened path between the sand dunes, they could make out a structure, with a golden light shimmering from its steeple.

"Somethin' shiny's down there," Ryuji said, bringing his hand above his eyes as the sunlight flickered off it.

"If that's her Palace, we'll need to get over there," Kyoko said, taking a step closer.

"Are we gonna walk?! In this heat?! Kyoko, look how far away it is!" Ryuji protested.

"We'd wear ourselves out and likely faint from heat exhaustion before we'd come anywhere close if we went on foot," Kyoko replied.

"Hello?! Of course we're not gonna walk! My paws would get burned!" Morgana said, leaping into the air and burst in a puff of smoke, his van form landing in the sand in his place with a reverberating meow sound. "Everyone, get in! I'll make sure to put the AC on full blast!"

"I've been waiting for this," Yusuke said with a smile as he and the others quickly piled in.

---

The trip took longer then expected. Despite Makoto all but flooring the pedal and the air conditioning being at optimal performance, the glass windows that had to remain up did a fantastic job magnifying the merciless sun's rays down upon the hapless teenagers inside, baking them regardless. Kyoko had taken the window seat in the front, with Ann in the middle and Makoto driving, while Ryuji and Yusuke had taken the back. None of them were having a good time to say the least.

"...It's so stuffy even with the AC," Ann fumed, leaning forward and desperately fanning circulated air in her face from the vents as much as possible, the heat having already made everyone's shirts cling to their bodies with sweat.

"Beats opening the windows to the heat outside," Makoto sighed, resting against the steering wheel as she drove onward to their destination.

Kyoko took in a deep breath and let out a sigh of her own as she lay back in her seat, wincing from the heat it'd acquired from the sun and tugging her blouse. The young detective suddenly paused, her brow furrowing as a frown formed on her face as she continued to stare ahead.

"Kyoko? What's-?!" Ann began, pausing as her eyes went wide with shock as Kyoko's elbow swiftly rose up and sharply swung back to connect with Ryuji's forehead in one crisp motion as he sat there leaning forward and gawking at them with a stunned look on his face, the impact sending him toppling backward into his seat while Yusuke stared silently out the window next to him the entire time.

"Owww...!" Ryuji cried out, sitting back up and nursing his forehead. "C'mon, I didn't mean to stare! I was tryin' to see if we were close n' I just... h-how did you even...?!"

Kyoko silently pointed one gloved hand upward at the rear-view mirror to the boy's embarrassment before brushing back her hair as her expression reverted to its neutral state and not even bothering to glance back.

"You had it coming, pervert!" Ann fumed, glaring back at him as she continued fanning more AC in her face. "Try it again I'm knocking the seat back on you!"

"Look! Up ahead!" Morgana's voice said through the speaker, causing the five teens to peer through the window.

The van suddenly came upon an old sandstone road leading into what appeared to be an ancient Egyptian kingdom, and towering over it at its center with a gold steeple, stood a massive pyramid, maybe around 300 feet tall when compared to the other dwellings of the city that appeared to be around two stories tall. Unlike the rest of the desert, clouds and some overcast had accumulated around it.

A pyramid, an ancient TOMB for pharaohs from Egypt's long-lost empire in the age of antiquity... Futaba's Palace, Kyoko assessed as they drove closer.

"Keep going till we reach the pyramid," she said.

The van began to tremble crossing the sandstone path, the group looked out the windows at the many surrounding buildings, all of them seemingly empty. No sign of life or even Shadows seemed to be anywhere, even as they got closer to the pyramid and finally parking at its base.

No sooner had everyone stepped out when Morgana immediately reverted back to his cartoonish catlike form.

"Ugh, forgot how hot it is!" Ann whined.

"Like it was much better in there! The AC was practically lukewarm!" Ryuji grumbled.

"Hey, I did my best!" Morgana snapped.

Kyoko ignored the bickering between the boy and the catlike thief as she wiped sweat from her brow and slowly approached the stone path leading to the steps to the entrance, tall columns covered in hieroglyphs standing on either side of the path going roughly a story or two up to a large archway leading inside, staring in silence.

"So, this is a tomb, then?" Ryuji asked, coming over as well.

"Yes, for ancient Egyptian kings called pharaohs," Yusuke said.

"At least that's how they're mostly known, there's certainly a lot of theories around them, like being a device for reviving the dead," Makoto said.

"Reviving the dead? Hmm..." Yusuke approached it silently, before pausing and promptly finger-framing. "...It's beautiful, nonetheless! It's perfectly conformed to the golden ratio!" he stated approvingly.

"Hey, guys, can we save the sight-seein' and go in already 'fore I melt?" Ryuji asked, running his hand through his hair and promptly cringing in disgust at how much sweat came with it.

"That may be the best option," Kyoko said, wiping sweat from her forehead as well and promptly leading the way up the stairs.

Reaching the top, however, the group finally found shade, though the doors leading in were closed.

"So... this is really what she thinks of the house," Makoto sighed, looking around.

"We'll be able to find out Futaba's secrets in here, though, right?" Ann asked.

"A place formed of her subconscious, no reason we shouldn't," Kyoko said. "If it's born from distortion, whatever memories are linked to her trauma are probably here..."

The ground suddenly began to tremor, sand and dust drifting from the ceiling as the double doors slowly slid open with a resounding rumble.

"Seems we're being invited in," Yusuke said.

"Even still, be on guard!" Morgana warned as the group proceeded to walk inside and down a narrow, enclosed flight of stairs leading into the lower floor of a vast chamber. The walls were made of large orange stone brick, the floor a sandy brown. On the wall facing the group where a small set of stairs leading to the next floor stood to the left and right sides were four golden decorative sarcophagi with an orange mosaic plate in the middle. Sunlight poured through the air vents in the ceiling high above supported by tall columns to provide illumination along with strange blue lights resembling binary code crept along the walls around them. Another, more immediate thing quickly gained the group's notice, though.

"Wow! It's so nice and cool inside!" Ryuji said taking in a deep, relieved breath. "This place air-conditioned or somethin'?"

"It may be because Futaba's room has air conditioning pumping through it... no surprise if she keeps her doors and windows shut all the time," Makoto mused, smiling as she felt the cool air over her. "Either way, it sure is a relief!"

"Our clothes haven't changed either. That's never happened to us before," Ann said.

"It may be like Morgana said, because she asked, and therefore would on some level know we're here to help, she doesn't register us a threat," Kyoko said, bringing her hand to her chin in thought. "It'd also explain why we've not seen any Shadows, either, correct?"

"That'd be my guess," Morgana said. "In Kaneshiro's Palace, there weren't any on the ground level, only in the floating bank, because he believed no one could get to him, and therefore anyone on the ground didn't pose a threat, but we still had our costumes because he was so guarded from everyone. Futaba wants us here, though."

"As refreshing as that is, we're surrounded by walls," Yusuke said.

"Well, it is a tomb, probably not easy to get into," Morgana said. "Futaba may want us here on some degree, but she shuts herself away from everyone else, even the Chief."

"The metaphorical walls she puts up in real life are literal ones here," Kyoko observed. "We should start exploring for clues."

Leading the way, Kyoko ascended the stairs and soon found herself in what appeared to be a main hall area, with a massive set of stairs leading up, a few balconies were further up and she spied some turns but the stairs appeared to allow access all the way up to the top, where she could faintly make out a doorway.

"Damn, she got enough stairs?" she heard Ryuji mutter from behind her.

"No complaining!" Morgana hushed. "We're lucky we've not been attacked yet, and not only that, I can sense the Treasure up ahead! It should be just at the top of those stairs!"

"They do seem to head into the heart of the pyramid," Makoto said, approaching and folding her arms as she gazed up the ascending path as well.

"It'd make sense her Treasure would be there, then," Kyoko said.

"Well then all we gotta do is keep goin', right?" Ryuji asked. "Well what're we waitin' for, let's go, Kyoko!"

Kyoko gave a nod. "Just keep on guard... I don't feel entirely sure of this, it's still a Palace, after all..."

Once more leading the way, Kyoko began to ascend the stairs, her gaze taking in every detail the higher the group went and occasionally halting as they reached what appeared to be other floors of the pyramid, though the hallways, illuminated by bright torches, were blocked by large Egyptian statues and gateways, making them inaccessible. The only option, it appeared, was to continue going up.

As she drew closer, however, Kyoko noticed the apparent doorway at the top was a large structure glowing a bright green, gold engravings in the wall with a greenish-blue light emitting from it with binary code scrolling across it. This, however, was not what caught Kyoko's attention most, but rather the figure who was standing before a door that looked identical to the door that lead into Futaba's room, facing away from them.

The figure slowly turned towards them, causing the group to pause.

It was a young girl, maybe a few years younger then any of the teens standing before her. She had long copper-red hair reaching all the way down to the small of her back, with straight bangs, and long sidelocks that went just past her shoulders, with a few strands sticking up in the back. She was dressed like an ancient Egyptian queen, with a gold gorget and bracelets, with a flowing white skirt reaching just down to her sandled feet and held in place by a gold sash around her waist. Her chest and neck were covered in bandages and she wore a gold Egyptian headband with a carving of a dragon with blue, green, and red jewel scales on its neck in the front, though most noticeable was her glowing gold eyes, framed by a pair of large thick-framed round glasses that took up practically the entire top half of her face.

"I saw her when I snuck into her room yesterday evening," Morgana said. "This is definitely her Shadow!"

"And she's all dressed like a queen, too," Ryuji remarked.

"Futaba Sakura, I presume?" Kyoko asked, approaching the girl.

The Shadow Self, who had been standing silently and unnaturally still until now, slowly turned her gaze towards Kyoko, her face as neutral and unreadable as Kyoko's often was, yet said nothing.

"Futaba, we came, as we said we would," Kyoko said, taking a step closer. "Is the Treasure up this way?"

The Shadow of Futaba continued to stare, entirely unresponsive.

"C'mon! Say somethin'!" Ryuji said, coming over.

"Hey, don't be like that!" Ann protested, walking over and giving the girl a gentle smile. "I'm so sorry, Futaba-chan. It's alright, there's no need to be afraid. We're here to help you."

"We need to know where the Treasure... something that means a lot to you, may be. We can only help you if you tell us," Kyoko said, trying to think of the best words for this to not come off like she were trying to interrogate her. "...She's... telling the truth, we're only here to help."

The Shadow Self continued to stare at her, but said nothing.

"...This is getting us nowhere," Yusuke sighed.

"Let's just leave her and go on ahead," Ryuji muttered. "You said the Treasure's up there, right?" Ryuji asked, looking over at the catlike thief.

"That's what I'm sensing," Morgana said.

"We may need to take that chance. She couldn't engage with us directly in the real world, either," Kyoko said, looking back at the others.

"...Those who plunder my tomb, why have you come?"

The group turned, facing Futaba, who had now just spoken to them.

"Sh-She talked!" Ann gasped.

"...Why have you come?" Futaba repeated, staring at them.

"Futaba," Kyoko said, turning and taking a step forward. "You know me, correct? You asked that we steal your Treasure." The young detective frowned a little as she glanced awkwardly to the side, trying to word things properly again and not come off too intimidating. "...You've not been well, have you? You know this, it's why you asked us to do this, and it's why we came."

The younger girl stared up at her a moment. "...If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might."

"...That's rather defiant-sounding," Morgana remarked, concerned. Kyoko couldn't deny his observation was true, Futaba's tone had noticeably shifted from curious to almost threatening.

"Oh!" Yusuke said suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "...I believe, perhaps, this is that "tsundere" thing where someone is very harsh or very sweet depending on their mood."

The young detective glanced back at him with a confused look for a second before looking back at Futaba. "What do you mean?"

Futaba looked at Kyoko, her luminescent eyes meeting Kyoko's own gaze before speaking again, her tone now becoming even more foreboding. "...Considering the state my Palace is in," she said, "...There is no way that you can steal it..."

"CREEPY CHILD! YOU KILLED HER!"

Kyoko and the others froze at the sound of a furious, adult female voice.

"STOP CRYING!" an enraged male voice yelled.

"YOUR FAULT!" another man's voice shouted.

"MURDERER!" an older female voice snarled venomously.

"YOU'RE A PLAGUE!" a woman's voice screamed.

The angry jeers and accusations repeated over and over, echoing through the halls of the tomb as it began to tremble around the group as they all looked around in confusion.

Futaba's Shadow let out a pained whimper as she collapsed to her knees, covering her ears and trembling in terror as the voices only grew louder and angrier.

"WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING?!"

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!"

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!"

Kyoko's brow furrowed, her hand pinching her chin as she looked at the Shadow, who slowly stood herself up and looked downward towards the floor, a thousand-yard stare on her face.

"...That's right... I did it..."

"What?!" Ryuji looked over in shock, as did the others at Futaba's words as the Shadow slowly looked up at them, her form becoming translucent like a specter as she began to hover off the steps.

"...I... am the one who killed my mother!"

As if in response, a loud shriek resounded from outside the pyramid, sending a powerful tremor through it, causing the group to all look around frantically in alarm. Whatever it was, it didn't sound human at all.

"What was that?!" Ann cried out as she looked about in worry.

"Something's outside," Kyoko said, looking at the air openings in the ceiling high above in suspicion.

"Is it Shadows?" Makoto asked.

Futaba's Shadow-Self shook her head. "...My mother exists here as well," she said, rising higher in the air as she faded from existence as the tremors worsened. "...And I will remain here, until I die..."

A bright flash of light engulfed the group, and as the light subsided, the Phantom Thieves discovered their Metaverse costumes had appeared.

"Our clothes!" Queen said, looking at her leather costume.

"If I had to guess, her paranoia that's kept her locked away's kicked in. She sees us as a threat, now!" Ace said.

Those voices, though, she wondered. Did they have something to do with her current state?

---

Futaba's body suddenly jerked at attention as she sat at her desktop. She wasn't sure why, but she could feel her heart start to race, and a chill run down her back as she looked around her bedroom. Magazines and books lay about all around the floor, her curtains were closed leaving her computer screens and desktop computer providing its only illumination.

The chills, her heart beating faster, the sense of as though bugs were crawling across her skin. She knew this feelings, and panic set in. She knew what always came next.

"N-No... not again...!" she stammered, feeling a cold sweat coming.

The small teen gripped the sides of her seat, crossing her legs and squeezing her eyes shut as she attempted to take deep breaths, her headphones' music was still playing, but all she could hear was faint ambience.

"YOU KILLED HER!"

"MURDERER!"

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!"

The voices thundered in her head in a cacophonic maelstrom as Futaba whimpered, pressing her earphones hard against her ears in hopes of drowning the cruel words out with her music, but to no avail, and the cruel words continued to scream at her from within her own mind as she remembered the angry faces of the people they belonged to.

The girl trembled, adopting a crouching position in her chair as her arms hung limply at her sides and wanting nothing more then to curl up and disappear as she felt tears form in her eyes.

"...That's right," she wept, "...It should have been me... I killed Mom... I don't deserve to be alive..."

She fell back into her seat, hugging her legs up to herself and burying her face into her knees. "This place is a tomb... I'll die here!"

"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU SHOULD DIE!"

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!"

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, SAY SOMETHING!"

"SHE NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAD YOU!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Futaba cried, out, sobbing as the voices only grew more harsh. "...S-Someone... please... help me..."

The chill that ran down her back only worsened, her mind filling with a horrible white noise as a growing paranoia that felt as though she were being watched built up inside her.

No... please... no...

Futaba whimpered in terror as she turned her chair around and saw why, pulling herself closer to her desk to give herself as much distance from the apparition that stood before her.

It was a woman, roughly in her late 30's and dressed in black, her dark hair in a bob cut and her complexion deathly pale. Her sunken, bloodshot eyes, framed by her glasses, bore a hateful and angry gaze down at Futaba as she mouthed the girl's name silently through grit teeth.

"Mom...?!" Futaba shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut as she cowered in her chair, terrified as the ghastly woman seemed to become taller and appeared to be drifting closer till she loomed over Futaba, that horrible, furious scowl still on her face. "N-No... please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry...!"

Futaba's eyes opened cautiously, the nightmarish phantasm was gone, but her fear had not subsided in the least as she dug her fingers into her hair, holding her head in her hands as she broke down into frightened sobs.

---

Things had only gotten worse within the Metaverse as the Thieves drew closer together from the growing tremors that now shook the entire structure from every direction, the horrible, unearthly shriek bellowed from outside once more.

"What's going on, here?!" Skull protested.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Futaba's voice echoed from the halls of the tomb as red and black smoke began to gather above the group.

"What in the world...?" Fox wondered.

His answer came as a the smoke transformed into a giant spherical stone with a barcode and a series of keyboard symbols sequenced to resemble a cartoonish angry face dropped down towards them.

"CRAP! RUN!" Mona cried out, the group immediately rushing down the stairs fast as they could as the boulder began to roll after them, crushing columns and whatever else was in its path on the way down. Finally reaching some walls, the Thieves quickly split up and hid behind them as the boulder rolled past, crashing through the floor and leaving a pit into a basement area.

"That was close," Queen said, sighing in relief.

"What do we do now?" Panther asked.

"Let's head back up, we can still-!" Ace began, only to be interrupted by the sound of the pyramid's walls rumbling again, causing the group to turn as massive doors formed at each floor, a final one appearing just a few steps up from where the Thieves were and blocking their access.

"..." Ace's brow furrowed slightly behind her white mask as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"...It seems she's shut us out, just as she has the rest of the world in reality," Fox observed.

"There needs to be another way in," Ace said, her gaze turning towards the pit further down the boulder had created.

"You may be right, but with her Shadow like this, our best option would be to retreat for now," Mona said. "We can investigate it another time, when we're ready. We don't know for sure what we're dealing with."

Ace closed her eyes, sighing. "As much as I want to disagree, you may be right. If Futaba is this paranoid thanks to her trauma, there may be more obstacles and Shadows then normal right now..." The young detective folded her arms. "Very well, let's head back, then..."

Leading the way back, Ace could only wonder what those voices she'd heard in the Palace came from, or who they'd come from.

---

"The date that Medjed has set for the alleged cleanse is August 21st," the TV reporter narrated on the news as Kyoko and others sat at one of the dining booths of Leblanc, watching the television on the wall. "...That date is fast approaching. The Phantom Thieves," the reporter continued, the Thieves' logo appearing on the screen, "...Whom they've singled out, have yet to make any notable actions nor a public response at this time. Will Medjed carry out their cyberterrorism?"

"In order to stop them, we'll have to help Futaba before then," Makoto said, looking over at the others.

"That means our deadline would be about two days prior when we factor the calling card into question, which means visiting Futaba again to make sure she gets it," Kyoko said, pinching her chin in thought.

"...Which we'd have to do by the 19th, then," Makoto replied.

"We're getting this done sooner then that," Kyoko said, folding her arms and gazing at the other girl with a determined, stern look. "Those voices we heard, none of them sounded like Futaba's or Sojiro's. Sojiro was adamant on the fact he's certain her mother's death was not something Futaba did, and she'd never do something like that. Someone, or several people, convinced Futaba to think her mother's death was her fault. I want to get to the bottom of that."

"You think if we do, we may be able to get Futaba to lower her guard enough we can get to her Treasure?" Ann asked.

"It's the best chance we have," Kyoko said. "However, after what we saw in there, Futaba's more guarded, I imagine her trauma is causing it. If we can find another way in, maybe we can find clues."

"It's... because of her, isn't it?" Ann asked cautiously, prompting the detective to look over. "...You know how she feels."

Kyoko was silent and looked down at the table, recalling her earlier conversation with Morgana on the matter while the others were out of earshot. "I do... yeah."

"What's up? Who's "her"?" Ryuji asked.

"Ryuji, it's..." Makoto started, but Kyoko raised a hand softly.

"...You should probably know," she said, her gloved hand slowly closing around her glass of water and preparing to share the story...

---

"...Wow..." Ryuji frowned, looking over at his friend from his chair with concern. "Kyoko... I'm sorry."

"You hold this against yourself because you feel you could have made things different," Yusuke said.

"I know I could have," Kyoko said. "...All because I didn't trust her when she needed me to most. If that hadn't happened, she'd still be alive. That's something I have to live with knowing, even if..."

The young detective shook her head. "My grandfather said it was her own fault. She wasn't good enough, and that's why I didn't trust her so she got herself killed, and me..." Kyoko glanced down at her gloved hands a moment. "...For that reason, he said that it was foolish to grieve, and that now it was time to properly claim the birthright he'd given me."

"For real?! How effin' insensitive can that old man get?! She was your friend, damnit!" Ryuji snapped suddenly, earning a stern look from Kyoko, but he didn't flinch this time. "Kyoko, be mad at me all you want about sayin' that, but he's wrong! Sounds like she really meant a lot to ya, and treatin' it like she just... served her purpose or like bein' friends with you was just to make you a better detective? That's shitty as hell! Someone talked that way about you if somethin' happened, I'd wanna punch their teeth out!"

Kyoko stared in silence, unable to think of a response. The feelings of how she owed all she was to Fuhito Kirigiri were at war with Ryuji's words, and others. She thought of how her grandfather forbid her from seeing her mother, and how she felt. Her earlier conversations with her new friends passed her mind, as well.

She remembered the voices from Futaba's Palace, they reminded her of her grandfather's harsh words when she'd been arrested for stopping that man that evening, and the humiliating trial, and after being sent away, as though he'd feel nothing but disgust seeing her be sent to jail if she failed her probation and no longer could be of use to him...

As those memories swam in her mind, however, Kyoko couldn't help but feel it in her gut how his approval meant less then it once did.

The young detective brushed back her hair as she noticed in the silence, everyone was now looking at her with equal amounts of concern, something she hadn't had commonplace in her life since Big Sis.

"...Whatever is going on, I have no reason to believe Futaba had any fault in it, at least not in any deliberate manner that warranted what those voices we heard said. We need her to see that if she's going to have any chance of recovering," she said, her neutral look returning to her face.

"Well... if we're doin' this, then meetin' up in Shibuya then comin' here would be kinda a pain, right?" Ryuji asked, deciding to go along with Kyoko's change of the subject. "Since it's summer n' all, maybe we can make here our hideout for awhile?"

Kyoko pondered a moment, it being summer it probably wouldn't have seemed too odd to Sojiro to have them over on the days where she deemed it best to meet up. "Very well," she said with a nod. "If we make our meetings as infrequent as possible it shouldn't raise any suspicion from Sojiro. For that reason, we should try and get through as much of the Palace as possible save should we encounter any barriers."

"Then I suppose that settles it," Makoto said with a smile. "That would make things a lot more convenient, and I agree we should go all-out on our infiltration to make our meetings less frequent or you're right, Boss may get suspicious."

"Still, there's no telling what may happen inside that pyramid," Morgana said, a normal cat once more and perched on the dining booth's frame. "You've got a point about how to stay below suspicion in the real world, but still need to be cautious that Palace doesn't become our tomb as well."

"Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation ain't it?" Ryuji said with a chuckle. "Dealin' with international hackers AND lookin' for a Treasure in a pyramid?"

"How can you be enjoying this?!" Ann protested. "This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know!"

"Yeah, I do know! Just gotta keep our morale up if we're gonna pull this off!" Ryuji retorted.

"He does make a point. I suspect with Medjed's threats and until Futaba can help us, the public's faith in us may begin to dwindle," Yusuke said.

"He's right, the longer they don't get a response, the more worried the public may become," Kyoko said. "Furthermore, our lack of response would make us look cowardly, or apathetic to what they threaten to do, and make Akechi's claims against us more credible."

"In that case," Makoto said, "...the sooner we infiltrate the Palace, the better..."

---

With everyone having left, Kyoko had gone upstairs for the night, thoughts of visiting the bathhouse before bed on her mind when her phone suddenly chimed, prompting her to pick it up.

[Gotta say, our trip in sucked!] Ryuji had messaged.

[Will doing this really help us stop Medjed?] Ann answered.

[And we're certain they'll follow through with their threat?] Yusuke had messaged.

[Medjed will definitely make a move.] Alibaba replied.

Kyoko blinked in surprise, as did, she suspected, everyone else looking at the chat log by the hacker's sudden arrival given the pause that followed.

[Alibaba?!] Ann had overcome her shock first.

[What are you doing here?] Kyoko messaged.

[I'm checking in on your progress. How much longer will it take?] Alibaba answered.

[Your heart is more problematic then we anticipated.] Makoto replied.

[What do you mean?] Alibaba replied.

[It's hard to explain, but you're certain you can stop Medjed if we succeed?] Kyoko messaged.

[Of course.] Alibaba responded.

[What evidence do we have to support that, though?] Yusuke messaged.

[Your work will be rewarded. I promise.] Alibaba messaged back.

[Besides, you don't have any other options, correct?] she added.

[Prove it.] Kyoko answered.

[As you wish. One moment...] Alibaba replied.

Alibaba's icon vanished from the chat log.

[Whaddya suppose she meant by that?] Ryuji asked.

[I just hope she's not about to cause real trouble for us.] Makoto said.

[I still have concern for Futaba herself during all this.] Yusuke said.

[All had to happen over summer vacation, though?] Ryuji asked.

[I seem to recall you sounding rather thrilled.] Ann replied.

[Regardless of whether she can prove it or not, we don't have any other choice.] Kyoko answered, only for her phone to suddenly chime with a message from someone else, whom she saw to be Mishima.

[KYOKO! PLEASE ANSWER! THE PHANSITE'S GONE!] the message read.

The young detective raised an eyebrow.

[Hold on.] she told the Thieves' chat log before responding to Mishima.

[You sure your internet didn't just go out?] she asked Mishima.

[No! My internet works fine, it just says the site doesn't exist when I try to access it!] Mishima replied back quickly.

[The fruit of my labor, gone forever!] he continued.

[You think Medjed did this? It's gotta be! Like a penalty for cheering for the Phantom Thieves] he messaged next.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow in curiosity. It was definitely possible, but it seemed with Medjed's past behavior they'd have announced it was them. Which left one possibility...

[Whoa, hold on! Something changed!] Mishima messaged.

[It's a message. It says "Is this proof enough for you?" What is this, some kinda virus?!] he asked.

Well, that answered that theory, Kyoko thought, though she decided to remain unresponsive to see what happened next.

[Oh. Hey, the site's back up now, just like I left it. Sorry for the freak-out!] Mishima replied.

"Was that Futaba? Talk about a crazy thing to pull off as proof," Morgana remarked, reading the messages as Kyoko turned her attention back to the Thieves' chat.

[I'm back. Mishima messaged me.] she messaged.

[What happened?] Makoto asked.

[Alibaba said she'd prove herself. She did.] Kyoko replied.

"I know you want to help her, but we should take some time off to rest and get ready before we go back in," Morgana said. "Futaba's mental state is different from past Palace Rulers. There's no telling what we're dealing with or if her cognition could spontaneously change for the worse and create new obstacles or dangers as a result."

Kyoko sighed and gave a slight nod, despite the slight furrow of her brow and frown of her lips betraying her otherwise neutral face that made it evident she wasn't particularly okay with the idea despite conceding the cat's point.

[I'll let you all know when to come to the hideout.] Kyoko messaged before setting her phone down. Her mind set on a hot bath before she figured out the rest of the night and bedtime as the situation had left the young detective's mind restless. Thankfully summer break had started and there was no school tomorrow.

Maybe get some laundry done, too. Her thoughts turned to Kawakami, and their last conversation and at the rate Kawakami's health was going it wasn't something she felt right about putting off. Heading back downstairs, her bath supplies in hand, she took up the old landline phone and dialed Kawakami's number.

A few seconds passed and no answer, but when it was picked up, Kyoko heard a woman's voice, but not Kawakami's.

"Hello? This is the head nurse at Aoyama Hospital, speaking on behalf of Kawakami-san," the woman on the other end said.

The young detective paused a moment. Had Kawakami finally taken her advice. "I see. May I speak to her?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," the nurse replied. "She's collapsed and was admitted to our hospital."

"Excuse me?" Kyoko asked, concern growing, now. "Is she alright?"

"She's stable, if that's what you mean, but she's in no shape to leave," the nurse responded. "Who may I ask is calling?"

Kyoko took a deep breath, her gloved hand tightening on the receiver. "...Kirigiri. Kyoko Kirigiri. I'm coming over, let her know I'm on my way if she wakes up. She knows me..."

Quickly writing down the hospital's address, Kyoko set aside her bath supplies and returned upstairs.

"What's going on?" Morgana asked, looking up from his spot on the bed.

"It's Ms. Kawakami," Kyoko said, grabbing her school bag. "She's in the hospital. Her health's gotten worse."

That cat immediately stood.

"That's not good!" he gasped. "Let's head over right away!"

---

"Jeez," Kawakami sighed, looking down at her lap in embarrassment, a glass of water in her hand as she sat in her hospital bed and Kyoko seated nearby on a stool and Morgana hiding in her bag nearby. "I'm just a little overworked, alright? No need for everyone to make such a big deal about it!" she said, forcing a small laugh.

"I beg to differ," Kyoko said flatly as she looked her teacher over. Kawakami looked significantly worse then before as all the makeup she'd caked on for school and her maid job to conceal her poor health was gone: She now looked noticeably pale, her eyes were now more sunken with obvious dark circles formed below them, and it looked like she was even struggling to sit up, let alone keep her glass of water straight till Kyoko decided to intervene and place it on the feeding tray for her.

"C'mon, I can't be that bad-looking," Kawakami muttered, trying to lighten the mood but being met only with a stern glare from the girl. "...Well... at any rate, thanks for coming to check up on me!"

"Kawakami-sensei, this has to stop," Kyoko said, folding her arms as she sat back down. "The only ones you're doing any favors for here don't deserve that from you."

Kawakami shook her head. "Kirigiri, it's you who need to let this go. I can't stop now, I shouldn't have collapsed at a time like this. With summer break I have more time to make more money," she said, her eyes suddenly going wide with horror. "My god! How am I going to make the payment today?!"

"What's this about not making a payment today?" a snide, condescending male voice asked, prompting both to turn towards the door.

Kyoko's brow furrowed at a middle-aged man standing at the doorframe, arms folded and smirking in a very unfriendly way before he came in, followed by a woman in a rather fancy silk shirt with rather excessive-looking jewelry, by Kyoko's assumption, the man's wife.

"So, this is where you've been hiding," the man said with a sneer as he stood on the other side of Kawakami's hospital bed, his wife next to him. "I called the school and no one answered!"

"T-Takase-san?! You contacted the school?!" Kawakami shuddered, recoiling.

Kyoko glanced over at Kawakami, then over at the couple, the last name immediately ringing familiar to her.

"Why wouldn't I? You didn't answer your phone like you're supposed to," the man, Takase, said, a mock-concerned tone as he put his hands to his hips. "Then, when I tried again and thought you'd finally answered, the nurse picked up and told me you were here..."

"That's such an inconvenience for us to have to come down here, especially when you missed a payment," his wife chimed in, her tone as smug and conceited as her husband's. "...Still, I'm sure it's not like you collapsed on purpose knowing our credit card payment is coming up soon, so we'll be needing that transfer..."

"I-I'm sorry. It... won't happen again," Kawakami stammered.

The young detective had decided she'd heard enough. She'd known these two people for roughly a minute and already she disliked them far more then she already did based on what she'd gotten out of Kawakami before. "It's not very polite to come in and harass someone over money when they were just hospitalized."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, who are you again?" the wife asked, she and her husband looking over at Kyoko with expressions that were pure passive-aggressive spite.

"I... these are Takase-kun's guardians, the ones I mentioned," Kawakami told Kyoko. "They took care of him."

"Is that what they call it?" Kyoko heard Morgana mutter bitterly from her bag recalling what Kawakami had said of them and what he'd recalled Kyoko had already deduced.

"A-And, this is one of my students, she heard what happened and came to visit me," Kawakami explained to the couple anxiously. "I'm... sorry... she didn't mean it, she's just worried for me is all."

"A girl this time, huh?" Mr. Takase asked with a condescending laugh as he looked back at Kyoko again. "...Ms. Kawakami here's not exactly a good role model, young lady... especially after all she did to him."

"I'm... sorry..." Kawakami grew crestfallen, her pale face filled with guilt and shame.

"Did to him?" Kyoko asked. "You mean try to help him keep his grades up while he worked all those jobs?"

"Kyoko, please..." Kawakami stammered.

"Where would you hear such a tall tale like that?" Mrs. Takase sneered, her faux-innocent, haughty tone making it evident to the young detective she knew exactly what Kyoko was talking about and that it was an issue they felt no shame over being the cause of the problem.

"This selfish woman showed no sympathy for our poor nephew's busy schedule and then when he couldn't meet her expectations she outright abandoned him, leaving him to fail, and... well... she knows the rest, don't you, Ms. Kawakami?" Mr. Takase asked, a cruel smirk directed at the teacher making it clear he enjoyed every moment of it.

"Soooo," Mrs. Takase crooned mockingly as she turned her attention on Kawakami as well, "...When shall we be expecting that money?"

"As soon as I get out of the hospital. If I'm well enough, I can be out first thing tomorrow morning," Kawakami said, not even able to look at them, now.

Mr. Takase scoffed. "Good to see your little fainting spell hasn't made you forget your place in this," he said.

Kyoko's neutral expression hardened noticeably to a cold, dangerous glare as she rose from her seat.

"I've heard enough," she said, standing, her glare growing more cold. "...Did you just come here for a chance to kick her while she's down?"

"Such disrespect to your elders, young lady!" Mrs. Takase snapped, giving Kyoko a withering glare.

"Don't be surprised, if she's Kawakami's student it's no surprise she'd be this vulger and thoughtless," Mr. Takase assured her.

"Kyoko..." Kawakami whispered.

"Don't pay them," Kyoko snapped. Kawakami looked up at her in shock, but also, the young detective noticed, appreciation to have someone defend her even if she had insisted so much she didn't deserve it. Turning her attention back to the couple who'd exhausted her normally vast amount of patience, Kyoko took a step forward. "In fact, I don't think you owe these people anything."

"You really should learn when to keep your mouth shut and stay out of others' matters!" Mr. Takase sneered. "Our precious nephew, Taiki, he was like a son to us, died all because of this woman's overbearing expectations. It's a miracle she wasn't fired, really, with the lawsuit we could have brought... and she's so selfish she believes she should still be teaching and is considering not repaying our kindness?"

"Know what I think?" Mrs. Takase asked, smirking at her husband. "I think if this... murderer, here, wants to have any hope of making amends she should show some extra remorse for being so thoughtless, in a very material and undeniable way!"

"You can't be serious," Kyoko scowled, her gloved hands clenching to fists at her side. "To be frank, in the short time I've come to know you, you're giving the impression you saw your nephew as nothing but a meal ticket to live outside your means... After all, I imagine you'd have to have been earning enough on your own to qualify for custody of him..."

"That's enough from you, kid!" Mr. Takase snapped, his smug smirk fading to an angry glare.

"...So one might be put under a very unfavorable impression that you were only bothered by his death because it means you can't leech off him now, till you found a scapegoat to replace that role you assigned him," Kyoko continued, undaunted and glancing down at Kawakami, who looked unsure how to respond.

"Ahem! Such accusations could get you in serious trouble!" Mrs. Takase hissed.

"I accuse you of nothing, I'm merely explaining the impression your behavior is giving me regarding this visit, and that others might interpret it as, too," the young detective said coldly. What she'd have done to not have had her license suspended right now...

"Watch your tongue, young lady! You didn't know what a troublemaker Taiki was!" Mrs. Takase warned, though glancing at her husband as if expecting him to engage.

"Indeed, it's why we kept him in line by putting him to work," Mr. Takase said, his smug look returning.

"That's... not true. He was a good kid," Kawakami said weakly. "It's why I..."

"Abandoned him right as you convinced him to study when he should have been working because he wasn't doing well enough, which tired him out so that it lead to the accident?" Mrs. Takase sneered. "...And now you're deciding you don't want to atone for causing his death anymore? You truly are a terrible person, after all! It's not like we're extorting you, we could always sue the Board of Education if you're going to be so selfish."

Mr. Takase chuckled, smirking at his wife. "True, I wonder what they'd do? Or perhaps if we had a talk with your school? Your days as a teacher would be over!"

Kyoko folded her arms, giving an iron glare at the couple. "How many more times do you intend to contradict yourselves?" she asked, her tone close to a threatening one, now. "...All this time and you could have simply accommodated both work and his studies for him... or would that affect your free money handouts too much?"

Mr. Takase looked livid and indignant, now, he opened his mouth to speak, but Kawakami found her words first.

"Kyoko! Please, don't..." Kawakami sighed. "...I'm so sorry, my student means well and she just worries for me... misplaced as her concern may be. I'll pay it... Soon as I'm released I'll wire the money to you..."

The Takase's exchanged a glance, Mr. Takase giving an approving nod. "...We knew you'd see your position sooner or later. We'll be looking forward to that payment!" he said as he and his wife turned to leave. "...Also, do well to teach your students better manners, or we might need to ask you for a suitable apology on top next time..."

Kyoko could feel the sting in her hands from her fists clenching so tightly, before letting out an exasperated sigh. She'd not expected them to make her so visibly angry, perhaps, she thought, because they reminded her so much of the man she'd gotten arrested for trying to protect that woman from that fateful night. Infuriatingly smug and arrogant of their position and her unable to do anything about it at the time.

"...I'm sorry," she said softly.

"No... I should be," Kawakami said softly, looking down at her lap. "You shouldn't have had to see that. I just need to find a way to make more money... with school out for summer break I have more time to, at least. Transferring to our sister company might help with that, it's the only way..."

Kyoko folded her arms again as she turned to face Kawakami. "No... letting them get under my skin was careless on my part... but you can't let them keep doing this to you or it'll be for the rest of your life," she said.

"...I can't believe I'm getting scolded by one of my students. Again," Kawakami said with a bitter laugh. "Why, though? Why put yourself at risk like that trying to me when I'm not worth it?"

Kyoko looked down at her bedridden teacher from where she stood. "Kawakami-sensei... I've made a mistake, too, once, because I made a poor call of judgement. It's more then just... a case to me, I suppose. I finally realize that. Maybe it's just that I know how it all feels... and how easily others can use that to take advantage of you."

Kawakami didn't prod, but she did look surprised, a bit touched, even, by Kyoko's statement. "So, is this to make up for that? Isn't it basically what I'm doing?"

The young detective shook her head. "No. This is a matter of me knowing what you're feeling, I suppose, and what can come of it... whether it was his relatives overworking him or you turning your back to him, or both, his relatives are going to keep using that to control you," she said, sitting back down.

"Kirigiri... I don't know how I can get out of this," Kawakami said, quickly forcing a smile. "So... I'm not gonna worry about it, alright?"

Her smile didn't last, however, Kyoko could see her teacher was struggling to hold back tears. "I... I hear what you're saying... but it doesn't change that maybe if I didn't do that... turn my back on him when he needed me most... this never would have happened. If I'd stood my ground at what others said."

She nursed her forehead, fighting off a dizziness from her exhaustion. "It's a way I can apologize to Takase-kun, too, right? His guardians, who took him in when he lost his parents, if they want money I should pay it. I understand you mean well, but whether what they're doing is wrong or not, this is my penance, alright?"

Kyoko's expression grew stern. "...That's just something they want you to think. Neither of them cared for him nearly as much as you did, if at all. He was always just a way to live outside their means to them and guilt-trip you into being his replacement," she said.

Thoughts of Big Sis's final letter came to mind, and even times she'd spent with her, and recalling the person she had been then. Kyoko could see, now, living only for detective work and nothing else, living on her grandfather's terms, wasn't something Yui would have wanted. Despite how things ended between Kawakami and her tutoring sessions with her student, she doubted he'd have wanted his guardians, who'd only used him, to subject Kawakami to what they'd done to him...

"If only saying no were that easy," Kawakami mused, frowning in defeat. "...Sorry, my thoughts are all over the place. Still... thank you for coming. Even if I don't think I deserve it, it means a lot to see someone care..."

Kyoko gave an assuring nod, hearing a chain link shatter within her mind.

"I'll be released tomorrow, so don't worry. The IVs here are really..." Kawakami covered her mouth quickly as she stifled a coughing fit. "...Sorry. The IVs here are really good, so please... forget about this incident and don't worry about me."

She looked over at the clock on the wall. "...You should probably get going. Visiting hours are almost over, after all, and I'd like you to make it back safely..."

"Very well, please take care of yourself, though," Kyoko said, picking up her bag that Morgana was hiding inside of as she took her leave, casting one last glance at her teacher as she suppressed another coughing fit before departing, one more destination in mind tonight before she headed home...

---

Kyoko turned the corner of the bustling evening streets of Shibuya to where she remembered Chihaya, the fortune-teller who'd sold her a useless block of salt to change her allegedly bad future for an absurd amount of money had set up her booth.

The memory was more then enough to make the young detective, despite her neutral expression, suppress a hint of anger, as it seemed the fortune teller was currently occupied with another customer seated at her table. Deciding not to engage right away, Kyoko took out her phone and pretended to be focused on it as she inched close enough to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"So... um, how're you healing?" Chihaya asked her customer. From a glance, Kyoko could see the fortune-teller looked very concerned. Her customer, a young woman, on closer inspection, looked rather anxious.

"I'm fine!" the woman said rather abruptly. "It was my fault, anyway! Yuya said so! He says he doesn't want to hit me but I always made him so mad..."

Chihaya flinched at the woman's words, frowning. "...I suggest you break up with him. Things are only going to get worse at this rate."

"I can't!" the woman gasped. "I'm the only person who cares about him! How would he survive without me?! There's gotta be another way!"

Kyoko closed her eyes, lips parting slightly to let out a sigh. An abuse victim in denial, it wouldn't surprise her to see someone who convinced her to buy a useless chunk of salt to avoid death try and use this to sell another to such a person, yet either by her observation Chihaya was an exceptionally talented actress or she really was worried about this woman's well-being.

"...Very well," Chihaya said, laying out her cards. "We'll ask the tarot... O divine power, shed light upon her fate!"

A moment passed before Chihaya turned the cards over. "I've seen everything..." She frowned, Kyoko noticed growing anxiety on the fortune-teller's face. "I... I sense a dark presence within your boyfriend, his heart seems to be... possessed by a demon," she said. "...This demon may hide itself away at times, but when it strikes, it will bring great misery with it..."

The woman looked worried, now. "What kind of misery?" she asked nervously.

Chihaya looked down at the cards, crestfallen and deflated. "...Y-You will be hospitalized for severe injuries suffered in a violent domestic abuse incident, and he will be arrested for it."

The woman was aghast, now. "H-Hospitalized?! ...Arrested?!" The woman looked down at her lap, trembling. "I knew I shouldn't have let Yuya throw my Holy Stone away!" she wept. "He said I shouldn't be wasting my money on some dumb rock and spend give it to him instead! This must be my punishment for letting him do that! Please, I need to buy another one!"

The fortune-teller's eyes went wide in disbelief. "Another one?"

"Yes! It needs to be bigger, too!" the customer begged. "I'm low on cash right now but you said I can pay in up to thirty-six installments, right?"

Chihaya was silent a moment, before looking away. "Honestly... I feel breaking up with him would be best."

"No! I can't abandon Yuya!" the customer pleaded. "Let me do this!"

"She really thinks having a Holy Stone will stop her boyfriend from abusing her?!" Morgana asked, poking his head from Kyoko's bag and looking over at the two. "There's no way that can be true, right?"

Kyoko looked away from her phone. "It's not. It was fake, remember?" she asked.

"Oh, right," the cat said, ears drooping. "It's a shame, it'd make our jobs easier of a Holy Stone could change someone's heart. This Chihaya woman's fortune-telling skills definitely are legit from what we saw, but that stone doesn't do anything..."

"...Change someone's heart," Kyoko mused to herself, pinching her chin in thought as she looked over at Chihaya and her customer. "If we just knew his full name..."

"Oh! Then the Phantom Thieves could do it!" Morgana said, beaming with excitement.

"If he's abusive and hurting this woman, and considering what Chihaya said about him," Kyoko said quietly as to not alert Chihaya or her customer, "...It's possible his Shadow is in Mementos."

"I'm pretty sure it would be! We just need his full name, then!" Morgana said.

"Huh? Is there a cat nearby?" Chihaya suddenly asked, looking over, and her and Kyoko's eyes promptly met. Kyoko's brow furrowed as Chihaya's eyes went wide with recognition. "H-Hey! Were you eavesdropping? This is an invasion of privacy!"

"I think you know as well as I do the stone won't help her," Kyoko said, coming over. "...Wouldn't you agree?"

Chihaya wilted under the young detective's gaze. "It..." She paused, realizing she'd fallen right into Kyoko's trap. "L-Listen, some fates in this world are inescapable, alright? For instance, the demon that resides in her boyfriend's heart is not something that cannot be exorcised by normal human methodologies. Fate... is absolute..."

Kyoko watched the fortune-teller carefully, her body language, her tone, everything. It was clear Chihaya fully believed everything she was saying, now, and the worry she had for her customer was, in fact, genuine, but it didn't seem to stop her from considering said customer's request.

"What are you... saying?" the customer asked, looking at her like a scared child.

"...You... you may be able to control the demon's temper if you buy another Holy Stone," Chihaya said.

"...Don't," Kyoko promptly, and sharply interrupted. "It won't change anything."

"Who are you, exactly, Miss? How do you two know eachother?" the woman customer asked, looking up at Kyoko from her seat. "Are you saying there is another way to approach this situation?"

"I think you should consider what she said about breaking up with him," Kyoko said.

"I told her already, I can't do that!" the woman protested. "I won't leave him all alone!"

"I see, what's his name, anyway?" Kyoko asked.

"I-It's Yuya. Yuya Uchimura," the woman said. "But... why did you want to know? What are you planning on doing, exactly? Don't you dare call the police!"

"I won't call the police," Kyoko said, frowning. "I was merely curious."

"You're up to something, I'm sure of it!" Chihaya protested. "You're not a mobster's kid, are you?"

Kyoko gave a quizzical tilt of an eyebrow. "If I were, then I don't think you'd be here, having this conversation with me right now," she said in a tone meant to make it abundantly clear what an absurd question that was to ask, causing the fortune-teller's anger to fade, as if she had to concede Kyoko's point but not wishing to say why in front of her customer.

"Something could happen, but a Holy Stone won't fix it," Kyoko said. "You're not living with him right now, are you?"

"Yes, I am," the woman started.

"If your parents are in the area stay with them for a few days," Kyoko explained. "Take some time away from him, come up with a good excuse if you have to and get your parents to cover for you, too."

"My mom and dad aren't far. You're not... going to get him hurt, are you?" the customer asked, looking at her in suspicion.

"You have my word he won't be hurt, nor will the police be involved," Kyoko said, folding her arms and giving the woman a serious look to make her sincerity clear.

The woman looked down at her lap a moment, before looking back over at her. "Okay... I trust you. I'll... I'll do what you say."

"Excuse me?!" Chihaya gasped, stunned at the woman's response.

"I don't know what she has in mind to help, but she seems like she's being honest about it," the woman said, still noticeably anxious as she rose from her seat. "...Besides... Yuya has all my money... h-he's going to pay me back, someday, but till then, I-I think at least for now, I should put my trust in her instead of thirty-six payments for a Holy Stone."

Chihaya sat dumbfounded as the woman left, rising from her own seat indignantly and glaring daggers at Kyoko once she was gone.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the fortune-teller snapped. "Unless you actually are the daughter of a mob boss planning a hit or something, how can you feel okay with yourself giving her false hope?!"

Kyoko's brow furrowed as she looked over at her. "You're one to talk," she said dryly.

"Hey! False accusations like that will make divine power rain down punishment on you!" Chihaya protested through grit teeth with an indignant huff. "I've seen everything, a vision of you groveling on the ground for your mistake! If she stays with her abusive boyfriend, she'll suffer a horrible injury very soon! If you're so sure you can change such a fate, by all means try, but I already know you'll fail! You can't fight fate!"

"Then if I succeed and prove I can, you'll refund me for your "Holy Stone", deal?" Kyoko replied, giving the young woman a look that made it clear she was no where close to impressed or intimidated.

Chihaya didn't respond, instead just quietly looking away, trembling a little. "...Once you realize your mistake, do come back, and admit to letting a true expert handle it. My accuracy is one-hundred percent, in case you forgot! That," she hissed, looking back at Kyoko with a pained look on her face. "...Is what you're trying to defy. It always comes true, for better or for worse! Now, if we're done, here, just leave me alone, alright?"

Sitting herself back down, Chihaya promptly gathered up her cards and began to pack her things, Kyoko deciding to take her leave as well.

"Something about what she said bothers me," Morgana said as Kyoko made her way back to the stations.

"About her accuracy?" she asked.

"Yeah, it sounded like she totally believes it," the cat said. "But why sell those phony Holy Stones?"

"I don't know, it's like she knows they're fake but seems to want to believe they work, too, given her concern about that woman," the young detective said.

"If we deal with that woman's boyfriend in Mementos, and change his heart, then that's gotta change her fate!" Morgana said.

"There are many stories where one meets a terrible fate on the path they took to avoid it, but there's others where it's averted by knowledge of it," Kyoko said. "...Where vision of it comes as a warning to incite the hero to change it."

"Well, whatever gives her that sort of ability to see the future, maybe it's the same way!" Morgana offered.

"Only one way to find out," Kyoko said as she headed down the steps to the platforms for the trip back home. Ryuji certainly wasn't wrong, she thought. Summer break was going to be very interesting...

---

A/N: And thus begins the arc of Futaba's Palace! I was able to get this chapter out, hope you enjoyed it!

I do sometimes wonder now what kind of Palaces some DR characters might have. Celestia for instance I think would have what appears to be a glamorous gothic-looking castle, only for it to be revealed on the inside to look very fake, like soundstage sets filled with props, fake backgrounds and walls, etc, her Shadow wearing a glamorous "vampire queen" gown that crumbles off after the boss fight revealing thrift store hand-me-downs and her servants filling her dark candle-lit throne room are initially shrouded but revealed as just mannequins and cardboard cutouts when actual lights cut on. Her boss fight I think would be on a large opera stage but be like Sally Stageplay from Cuphead in that she constantly changes the battlefield's design and forms obstacles via stage props and set pieces being moved about throughout the fight and what costume and "theme" that are homages to different plays she selects with a giant wheel she spins befitting her gambler motif that determines what "stage" they get.

Two and a half months of leave from work due to injury and now I'm finally going back starting next week. I'm glad I was able to at least get some chapters for both stories out before then!

0 - The Fool: Rank 6

I - The Magician: Rank 6

II - The Priestess: Rank 3

IV - The Emperor: Rank 2

V - The Hierophant: Rank 4

VI - The Lovers: Rank 7

VII - The Chariot: Rank 9

VIII - Justice: Rank 3

XI - The Strength: Rank 3

XII - The Hanged Man: Rank 3

XIII - Death: Rank 5

XIV - Temperance: Rank 7

XV - The Devil: Rank 2

XVII - The Star: Rank 1

XVIII - The Moon: Rank 4

XIX - The Sun: Rank 4

XX - Judgement: Rank 2

1 - The Councillor: Rank 5

? - Faith: Rank 3

Kyoko's Personas: Shiisaa, Nigi Mitama, Suzaku, Flauros, High Pixie, Leanan Sidhe, Orthrus, Sandman, Phoenix, Izanagi