Goro: Hello everyone Akechi Goro and I'm here to introduce the next chapter. We do hope you enjoy the show. And make sure you review to let us know *bows*

?: Yes. Review you damn brats or I'll sue!

Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Four

[Opening Scene –Shujin Academy (Daytime)
Theme of Shujin Academy: Want to be Close from Persona 3]
(will be the song throughout the chapter)

"Amamiya Ren, Please report to the faculty office!"

"Uh-oh. Speak about things getting worse," Ren muttered as he stood up. "Time to go face the music."

"Good luck, dude," Ryuji said with a smile as he held out his fist. Ren fist-bumped Ryuji and smiled at Ann before he walked out of the room.

Once Ren was gone, Ryuji turned to Ann and asked, "So, what do we do with what all we saw?"

Ann looked up at Ryuji, who was looking at her with a curious expression.

"I don't know," Ann answered. She honestly didn't want to talk about what she had seen. Not only because she was still stunned by it all but because she didn't want to see it.

She always knew Kamoshida was a creep. Hell, she used that knowledge to make sure Shiho was safe but to have it thrown into her face terrified her.

How could she keep protecting Shiho now that she was confronted with the darkest side of him?

But not only that, she wondered about Ren.

How was he able to summon that thing to save her and Ryuji from Kamoshida and those monsters?

She didn't know, but she didn't want to be involved in any of it.

But could she turn a blind eye to it all?

"How is your leg doing?" Ann asked, trying to redirect things.

"The same as always. It hurts like hell," Ryuji said bitterly, but he then perked up and added, "But you know what? It'll heal. Everything does in the end."

"You think so?" Ann asked.

"Yeah. I mean, at least I'm alive, you know? I would have been killed today if it hadn't been for Ren," Ryuji answered. "It gives me another chance to keep moving forward. Besides, it gives me just more ammo to stop Kamoshida."

'He truly hates Kamoshida…I wish I could ask him what his beef is with him…But I don't need any more reason to hate the man. I need to keep Shiho as a regular on the team for her future. That's all that matters. Nothing else…' Ann thought to herself sullenly.

But, it was then she remembered Ren's words.

"Well…When I met Shiho yesterday, I had a brief image of this scene. It was of us three, and we were standing above her. She was on the ground, bleeding, and Ann, you were crying…"

Shiho…

Something happened to Shiho, and it caused the scene Ren saw in his head. He stated he never met them before, but the moment he met her, he managed to see Shiho and herself and Ryuji there as well.

He had no reason to lie, but why would that appear in his head?

There were so many questions about Ren that she needed to sort through it all, and the only way she was going to do that was to talk to him.

Ann glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Shit," as she stood up and picked up her school bag. "I better get to class. Kawakami-sensei is probably pissed off at me for missing a good chunk of the day," Ann told Ryuji with an apologetic smile, but Ryuji waved her off as he put away his cellphone.

"My mom is picking me up to go to the doctors about my leg," Ryuji said with a frown. "I'll be back tomorrow, so don't worry about me."

"You want me to let Ren know?" Ann asked him.

"Yeah. There are still a few questions I need to know," Ryuji said with a smirk.

"Alright… It was good to talk to you again after so long. Maybe we'll get a chance to talk more sometime," Ann said as she looked back at Ryuji and gave a small smile, but without warning, Shiho walked into the nurse's office with tears in her eyes.

"Ann!" Shiho exclaimed as she rushed to Ann and hugged her tightly.

"I heard about what happened. Are you okay?" Shiho asked after she pulled away.

"I'm fine. Although, how did you find out?" Ann asked her.

"Well, our classmates have been talking about it all day," Shiho said. "You showed up with Sakamoto-san and Amamiya-san, all three of you looking terrible. There were rumors that Amamiya-san hurt you guys."

"Him? Hurt us?" Ryuji asked with surprise. "Bullshit, he saved our asses."

"Yeah," Ann agreed. "I was taken by some guys. Ryuji and Ren fought for me, and we all got hurt. Those two worse than me."

"Hey, I got my ass kicked. Ren did all the work," Ryuji said with a laugh.

Ann turned around to the laughing delinquent and replied, "Don't put yourself down like that. You helped too. It wasn't all just him."

"Sure," Ryuji said with a small smile. "But all the same, Ren saved us. Why would people be saying some shit like that?"

"Well, before you three showed up, his records leaked. Everyone is talking about his criminal record," Shiho explained.

'Criminal Record?' Ann thought to herself.

"He has a criminal record? Him of all people?" Ryuji asked.

"From what the rumors said," Shiho answered. "But when I spoke to him yesterday, I didn't see anything that resembles how bad these rumors are."

"Besides, he was helping me get into the school," Ryuji stated. "Why would he beat Ann and me up only to help me and Ann get here? That's stupid."

"Exactly what I thought," Shiho said with a smile.

"I'll have to talk to him about it," Ryuji said before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and frowned. "That aside, classes are going to start soon. You two better get going. My mom is here to pick me up."

"Right," Ann said. "Come on, Shiho, let's get to class."

But Shiho shook her head. "I have to find Amamiya-san to thank him as well for keeping you safe," Shiho replied.

Ann then noticed Shiho's eyes shine with an idea. "I know; how about we go out to dinner? As thanks for being safe and sound. All four of us. My treat."

"Whoa," Ryuji said. "I'd be down for that."

Shiho smiled at him before she looked to Ann and asked, "What about you?"

'This is the first time in a long time I've seen her happy like this…' Ann noted with a slight frown on her face. But did she want Shiho to be involved with the new student? If these rumors were true, he was dangerous.

But then again, he saved her life today. Why shouldn't she give him the benefit of the doubt?

'Ugh, more questions!' Ann thought.

Ann leaned down to Shiho and whispered, "Shiho, you know I'm always ready to hang out with you, but are you sure you want to invite Amamiya-san? Those rumors about him…"

Shiho nodded with a larger than usual smile. "You're safe, and Sakamoto-san and Amamiya-san saved my best friend. It wouldn't feel right only having Sakamoto-san there and not the other person."

"Alright," Ann relented. "I have to get to class, but if I see Amamiya-san, I'll pass it on to him."

"Nonsense," Shiho said before she moved away from Ann. "I'll be asking him myself," she stated before she ran out of the room before Ann could stop her.

"Whew, she ran hella quick," Ryuji noted. "Guess she wanted to find him quickly."

"Yeah…" Ann said with a frown.

"Well, this is a wonderful start to your first day here," Kawakami stated as she stared at Ren.

"You're late to school, and when you do show up, you show up with the biggest troublemaker in Shujin in Sakamoto Ryuji and Takamaki Ann, looking like you've fought in a war."

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for a damsel in distress," Ren said with a dry tone.

"Do you think this is a joke?" Kawakami asked him with anger.

"In a cosmic sort of way, yeah," Ren replied.

"In a cosmic sort of way?" Kawakami repeated. "Well, let me bring you back down to Earth. You are here because no other school will accept you due to your record. You are one expulsion away from going to jail, and instead of keeping your head down, you wind up in a fight along with one of the biggest known delinquents. All on your first day at Shujin."

Ren shut his eyes and said, "Then in your infinite wisdom Kawakami-sensei, what should I have done? Leave Ryuji to die and leave Ann to a fate worse than it?"

Ren then opened his eyes which allowed Kawakami to see the anger within them. "You and everyone else may shy away from doing the right thing, but I refuse to do that. Yeah, doing what I did got me in this situation in the first place, but I don't regret it."

"You don't?" Kawakami asked in surprise.

"I don't. I did what I thought was right and paid for it by having my life ruined, but as long as I breathe, I will help anyone that cannot help themselves. Consequences be damned," Ren finished.

Kawakami could see that the youth believed the words that he had just spoken, and for a moment, she was impressed by the determination he held.

But these very same beliefs were going to get him killed, and judging from how he looked, he may have barely escaped that fate when he helped Ann and Ryuji.

For a moment, Kawakami thought that maybe she should intervene and steer him away from those thoughts and reform him properly, but she immediately thought against it.

She had tried to help someone once before, and look where that got her.

"I don't even know why I bother," Kawakami suddenly announced with a sigh. "Just…Try to keep your nose out of trouble."

"Alright," Ren said.

"I contacted your caretaker and explained what happened. You'll want to head straight home after school. He sounded a bit annoyed at this development," Kawakami explained.

"Thanks," Ren sighed out.

"Lunch will be ending in a few minutes. You can wait outside for me until I'm done. We will walk to class, and I'll introduce you to everyone. Until then, no more fights," Kawakami commanded wearily.

Ren nodded before Kawakami waved him off, but as he walked out the room, she couldn't help but watch him walk away.

He walked with his shoulders square and his head held high.

Who knew a criminal could have such ideals?

'Maybe there is more to him than I thought,' Kawakami thought.

An idea then formed in her head.

She may not be willing to put herself out there for a student, but she could see someone doing that.

She picked up her phone and dialed a few numbers before she asked, "Hey Principal, can you have Niijima Makoto come to the faculty office?"

Ren shut the door and took a deep breath.

His parents had raised him enough to know he shouldn't have talked back to his elders, but she threw his case in his face, which brought up some issues he had yet to work out.

But he never did learn how to keep his mouth shut.

"Amamiya-san!" a voice shouted from his left.

He turned his head to see Shiho coming towards him.

'Shiho? I wonder what she could want,' Ren thought to himself as Shiho stopped in front of him, looking slightly winded, but he could see a small smile on her face.

"Ann and Sakamoto-san told me what happened today. That you saved them both from these guys before school started," Shiho said.

"I only did what anyone would have done in my shoes," Ren said with a polite smile. "Hell, Ryuji was the one who led the charge. I just followed."

"Sakamoto-san said you were the one who took charge. He only took punches. They both credit you with saving them, and I want to thank you properly," Shiho said before leaned forward in a deep bow.

Ren could hear the various students whispering about him and quickly leaned Shiho back up as he said, "Don't worry about it."

Shiho looked at him and said, "You know, there are rumors about you being a criminal being spread around school. They had been since this morning, but you act nothing like those rumors…"

"Thanks?" Ren replied, but inwardly, he thought, 'Rumors? What rumors?'

"I have v-volleyball practice after school, but…I would like to take you out for dinner," Ren couldn't help but smile as Shiho's face flushed.

'She must have figured out what her proposal sounded like,' Ren thought.

"I-I mean," Shiho said with a stammer. "A-As thanks for saving Ann from something evil. I invited Ann and Sakamoto-san as well, so it won't be j-just us."

"I won't be able to tonight," Ren regretfully said. "I have to report to my caretaker immediately after school."

"O-Oh…" Shiho said, but then Ren watched her eyes slightly brighten as she replied, "I have practice tomorrow…So how about the day after tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Ren said with a smile.

Shiho smiled at him and said, "I'll talk to Ann and Sakamoto-kun about the day after tomorrow. I look forward to it."

"As do I," Ren replied, only to grin when Shiho's face heated up once again.

Just then, a sullen-looking boy walked up to Shiho, and Ren said, "Shiho-san…Kamoshida-sensei requests your presence…"

Ren saw the smile fall from Shiho's face at the mention of Kamoshida, but she immediately forced one on her face and said, "Thanks Mishima-kun."

Shiho then turned to Ren and said, "I-I must go, but I will see you soon," before she ran off, leaving Ren alone in the hallway, but he didn't miss that regretful look that sullen teen had shot him before he left.

'I wonder what that was about?' Ren thought before the bell rung.

Kawakami walked out of the room and said, "Come on, let's go."

Ann had to admit. She felt terrible for Ren.

The minute Kawakami introduced him; the classroom immediately rebuked him. They were openly talking about how they didn't want the criminal in their room. Despite his introduction being kind sounding, she could see the sadness in his gray eyes.

He didn't look like the confident person he was in that castle. Nor did he look like the criminal she had briefly believed he was.

He looked like a sad student surrounded by a storm of rumors.

Just like she was.

And while that didn't make the dozens of questions she had about him go away, it made her more sympathetic to him.

"Why don't you take a seat behind Takamaki-san," Kawakami said.

She watched as Ren walked down the row, but Ann took his hand before he could walk past her, which caused him to look at her in surprise.

She gave him a small smile and a squeeze of his hand before she released it, hoping he got her message within her little action.

He nodded with a smile and sat behind her.

"Oh wow, she grabbed his hand."

"Are they together?"

"She's cheating on Kamoshida with him? Or maybe the other way around."

"They must be together. He was seen carrying her with Sakamoto Ryuji earlier today."

She sighed.

"Thanks," Ren whispered from behind her.

She looked back at him and gave a small smile.

"You're welcome…" She replied.

She wasn't sure about what to do with Ren before in the nurse's office, but now she felt more at ease about him.

But she still had too many questions about him. Ann took out a piece of paper and wrote, "Meet me on the roof after school," on it before she reached back and quickly placed it on his desk while he wasn't looking.

School had ended, and Ren found himself walking up the stairs to the roof from the note Ann had passed to him.

He opened the door, and the first thing he noticed was a girl sitting on the roof.

The girl had chin-length curly light auburn hair and brown eyes, and she wore a pink turtleneck cardigan that was zipped up to her navel with two large pockets on the front and short puffed sleeves and a long-sleeved white shirt underneath.

She also wore the standard black and red tartan skirt, white tights with a black flower pattern, and black Mary Jane shoes, and she was sitting on the far edge of the roof and looked to be planting something.

She was so engrossed in what she was doing; she didn't even notice that he was on the roof.

"Whew," She said with a smile as she wiped the sweat off her brow. "All finished."

"It looks nice," Ren said with a smile, which made the girl jump before turning around to face him, a shocked expression on her face.

"O-Oh hi," the girl stammered. "You startled me."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Ren said with raised hands. "I've been here for a few minutes now. I didn't have the heart to disturb you."

"Thanks," she said with a small laugh. "You must be the new student here."

"How can you tell?" Ren asked.

"You've been heavily talked about all day. From your looks to how you showed up and why you are here," she explained.

"I hope you don't believe all that you've heard," Ren said.

The girl giggled faintly and said, "You seem nice. Nothing like the rumors so far."

"Thanks," Ren said. "I have that going for me, which is nice."

The girl giggled again as she stood up and walked past Ren, which made him turn around. "I'm Amamiya Ren. I hope to see you around sometime."

The girl turned back and said, "I'm sure you will, Ren-san," before she turned away and walked through the door.

Seconds later, Ann walked through the door and said, "You made it."

"Well, I figured it was you who left the note. But I got to meet another student. She seems nice," Ren said.

"Ah, you mean the girl I just passed? She doesn't talk much to anyone," Ann said. "But I'll take your word for it."

"Awesome. So, what did you want to speak about?" Ren asked.

"I want to know who you are," Ann said.

"I'm Amamiya Ren," Ren said with a blank tone.

"No…Who you really are, smartass," Ann replied with narrowed eyes.

"I…" Ren began. "I don't know what you mean, truthfully."

"Before I came up here, I went to gather all these rumors about you. I know you're not some evil monster that hurts everyone. You saved my life. Ryuji's as well. But there is a lot more to you than meets the eye. I want to know more about you," Ann told him.

Ren looked out to the horizon, his eyes closing for a moment before he opened his eyes and asked, "Where is Ryuji?"

Ann blinked.

"He went home early. He should be here tomorrow. Why?" Ann questioned.

"Tomorrow…I'm going back to the castle," Ren said. "There is something I need to find out."

"You know how to go back?" Ann asked.

"I have an idea, but I'm not quite sure how to achieve it. All I know is that I need Ryuji here to get to the castle," Ren said told her.

"But there is something else," Ann stated.

"There is something else," Ren confirmed. "Something is going on at this school, and the castle is just the start of it. And seeing your schoolmates in the castle makes me wonder about how Kamoshida views all of the students, but since I just got here, I don't know anyone."

Ren then let out a sad sigh and added, "And now, with my record exposed, I don't think anyone would want to help me."

Ann thoughtfully nodded before she said, "So you want to find them in the castle and match them up to the real ones? Something Ryuji and I can help you with..."

Ren smirked as he turned back to her and said, "Humankind cannot obtain anything without first giving something in return. Something of equal value must be lost. That is the law of equivalent exchange."

"So for you to tell us who you are, you need our help in playing Guess Who with the students essentially?" Ann questioned.

Ren nodded.

Ann crossed her arms and stared at him for what felt like years before she said, "Truthfully? I don't want to stick my nose into whatever that castle is, nor do I want to involve myself in this shitty place…"

"But something has been worrying me. It was what you said about Shiho. About h-how we were around her, and she was on the ground, bleeding. I can't ignore that. So if that means helping you in your goal to stop Shiho from her fate, I will do it."

"And in turn, I'll give you all of who I am and all that I know," Ren replied as he held out his hand to her.

Ann looked at his hand before she nodded and placed her hand in his and gave it a shake.

Goro: And that is the end of this chapter. So it looks like Ann is taking more of a lead approach. The next chapter will deal with more adventures in the castle as well as meeting more confidants. Until the next time.