Morgana: This totally bites! What a shitty cliffhanger in that last chapter!
Ryuji: Right?! Its bullshit but at least we'll get to see what happens now, right?
Ann: God I hope so.
Shiho: Ren…Please be ok…
Makoto: Let's start the show.
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Ten
[Opening Scene: Shibuya (Nighttime)
Theme of Horror: Just Like This from Persona 3]
"Ren!" Makoto exclaimed as she rushed to the teen and knelt in front of him, not caring about the blood soaking her left knee.
Ren was thankfully breathing, but he was very pale and bordering on losing consciousness. She looked around and saw the adults around her continued to walk by as if nothing was wrong.
Why didn't they stop?
Didn't they see him like this?
"Can I get some help? My friend is bleeding out!" Makoto exclaimed, but the adults didn't spare her a glance.
They just kept walking past her.
Makoto reached into her bag, pulled out her gym shirt, pressed it against his wound, then reached into her pocket and began to dial for the police.
But as she looked down at his phone, she noticed two things. The first thing was a regular-sized notebook, and the other was on his cellphone. Makoto noticed that the last person he called wasn't the police; it was Sakamoto Ryuji.
'Why would he call Ryuji and not the ambulance?' Makoto questioned with narrowed eyes. Without warning, his body began to slump to the left, which jarred her from her thoughts, and quickly moved to hold him upright.
That seemed to jar Ren awake because his eyes opened weakly. "Ma…Mako…to?" Ren muttered.
Makoto jumped in surprise and look up at him, his eyes unfocused and distant, not like the intense stormy gray she had remembered seeing the last time they spoke.
It looked strange to see him look so weak.
"You're awake…Don't worry, we'll get you some help," Makoto said, trying to offer him a calming smile.
"You…Protect…Shiho…" Ren breathed out. "Kamo…Shi…he…did this…Please w…watch ov…"
"Kamoshida did this?" Makoto asked him, but his head slumped down, going unconscious once again. "Ren!" Makoto yelled out. It was then she heard the police's voice on the other line.
As she spoke to the police, she grabbed his phone, took down Ryuji's number, and returned his phone into his pocket but took his notebook and slid it beside her.
The moment Ann and Ryuji got off the train to the Shibuya and made their way to Shiho's apartment, they noticed a crowd of people surrounding an ambulance.
"Shit…There's an ambulance," Ryuji murmured to Ann as the pair looked at it. "I have a bad feeling about it. We should check it out…" Ann urged
Ryuji nodded in agreement before the pair ran towards the crowd. The duo shoved their way through the crowd until their hearts stopped.
Getting loaded up on a stretcher was a bloody, pale-looking Ren. "Ren!" Ryuji shouted as he pushed himself through the ground and made his way to his friend's side.
"Oh my god, Ren…" Ann whispered as she stood beside the angered and worried Ryuji.
"Sir, ma'am, we're going to need you two to back away at once," One of the EMTs said as he pushed Ryuji backward.
"What happened to him?!" Ryuji yelled angrily.
"We don't have times for your questions, kid," the other EMT said before he and his partner hoisted the stretcher up and pushed it into the ambulance before the two hopped in. Soon the crowd dispersed, leaving Ann and Ryuji looking at the blood-soaked ground.
"Damn it!" Ryuji raged furiously.
"Oh, Ren…" Ann murmured sadly.
"I know what happened to him," A voice said from behind them. Ryuji and Ann turned around to see Makoto behind him with a rolled-up shirt in her hands, which dripped with Ren's blood.
Both Ryuji and Ann could see the harrowed, haunted expression on Makoto's face as she stood there.
Ann frowned and said, "What are you doing here, Niijima-san?"
"I was heading home when I saw him. I'm the one that called for help and kept him alive until they came to help," Makoto said, her voice taking on a defensive edge.
"Now you choose to help," Ann frowned.
"Is this really the right time for this?" Ryuji questioned.
"I'm not going to leave someone to die," Makoto said before she took a breath and told Ann, "Look, do you want to know what happened or do you want to argue?"
Ann opened her mouth, but Ryuji said, "Look. I don't want you guys to fight, and I don't want to be a dick about it, but our friend is lying in an ambulance with blood all over him. I'd rather get the full story."
Ann closed her mouth and muttered, "Fine…"
"Small miracles," Makoto sighed out. "One important thing to note. I believe we should have Suzui-san with us."
"What does Shiho have to do with this?" Ann asked.
"He mentioned her by name before he passed out," Makoto answered with a frown.
"I do not want to involve Shiho in this," Ann said with a protective tone, a scowl written on her face.
Makoto took a sharp breath and said, "She's already involved if what Re-"
"Shiho cannot be involved with this," Ann angrily interrupted before her gaze softened. "She would never be able to live with the guilt if she found out she was somehow involved with what happened to Ren…"
"Very well," Makoto acquiesced.
Makoto reached to her phone and dialed a few buttons, and seconds later, Ryuji's phone buzzed, much to his surprise. "There's my address. My place is nearby here. Meet me there once you finish talking to Suzui. I'm going to wash up."
"How did you get my number?" Ryuji asked.
"I saw it on Ren's phone. Meet me there in twenty minutes," Makoto said before she walked away.
Once Makoto was out of earshot, Ann looked to Ryuji and said, "I hate her."
"I know. I could tell," Ryuji said. "But she knows what happened to Ren, and we need to find out. So come on, let's make sure Shiho is alright and then get the answers we need."
[Scene Change: Suzui Residence (Nighttime)
Theme of Horror: Just Like This from Persona 3]
Shiho had just stepped out of the shower with a happy expression on her face. Her hanging out with Ren had gone great, and she was so delighted that he had walked her home. She had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be this happy.
"Shiho! You have guests!" her mother called out.
"Guests? At this time?" Shiho questioned, pushing back the bitterness when she heard her mother's voice.
Shiho walked down the stairs of her home and opened the door to see Ann and Ryuji on the other side.
Shiho greeted them with a smile, but that melted away when she noticed the dreadful expressions on their faces.
"You both look terrible. What's wrong?" Shiho asked the pair.
"It's about Ren…" Ann began.
"Can we talk in your room?" Ryuji asked her.
And it was then she knew that things were going to get worse.
[Scene Change: Niijima Residence (Nighttime)
Theme of The Longest Night: Between Doors from Persona 3: FES]
Hot water poured down Makoto's bare body as she stood in the shower, her eyes closed and her breathing slow and relaxed.
If there was one thing that she had to have after every rough day was a long, hot shower, and after today, she really needed to indulge in it.
But Makoto's mind kept going back to Ren. His words, his blood but it was his unfocused, distant eyes that kept appearing in her mind, troubling her. She turned off the water and let out a sigh of annoyance.
Even when he's injured, he was a thorn in her side.
Makoto stepped out of the shower and walked to her bedroom, and tossed on a simple black t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, and a moment later, she heard a knock on the door.
"Must be them," Makoto murmured. Drying off her hair quickly, she walked to her door and peeped through the hole to see Ryuji and Ann on the other side.
Makoto opened her door and said, "Please come in."
The duo walked into her apartment, with Ryuji giving it an impressed look. "What a place you got here, Niijima-san. It kind of fits your personality. Simple and Clean," Ryuji said with approval.
While many others would see Sakamoto Ryuji as a nuisance, she was envious of the punk blond.
Ryuji was rebellious, mischievous, disobedient, vulgar, and aggressive punk of a student that spoke his mind and didn't give a damn who heard.
He wasn't heald by the leash of expectations like she was.
He didn't have to deal with the raging storm of perfection that she had to sail through.
He didn't have to conform or be someone he wasn't like she had to be.
To Makoto, Ryuji represented the freedom she wished she had.
"Why, thank you, Sakamoto-san," Makoto said, taking no offense to Shujin's Punk. "I do try to keep my life as pristine as possible."
Makoto could see Ann frown at her words, but she shrugged it off.
Makoto had no idea why Takamaki Ann hated her so much. Makoto had done nothing to her, and yet, the bombshell blonde loathed her.
It didn't matter that Takamaki hated her.
The entire school did, so Makoto didn't hold it against her.
"It's because she sees you for what you are. Just like they do," The familiar voice whispered in her head, but Makoto ignored it.
But why couldn't she stop the pang in her heart at those words?
Makoto walked to her couch and sat down then motioned for the blond duo to sit as she said, "Make yourselves comfortable but not too much. No telling when my sister gets home. I don't want her to come home to a mess."
"No worries, we won't be here long," Ann told her with a cold tone as she sat down on the couch.
Makoto exhaled and said, "I get it, Takamaki-san. You do not want to be here. But for the sake of your friend whose life I saved, let's shelve your hostility for me and get through this. Got it?"
"Crystal," Ann hissed out.
The room became tense as Makoto let a serious look appear on her face. "When I found Ren, he had been stabbed in the stomach," Makoto began.
She could see Ryuji and Ann tense up, with Ann's eyes starting to glisten with unshed tears. "It was a terrible wound because there was quite a bit of blood loss. The last words he said to me was that Kamoshida did this."
She watched a look of realization hit Ryuji before a dark scowl appeared on his face. "Fucking Kamoshida…" He growled out.
"But he told me something else. He told me that Shiho must be protected," Makoto said. "I don't know if he wanted me specifically to protect her or if she just needed protection in general, but those were his words."
"I see…" Ann asked softly.
"Yeah. That's why I felt it prudent for Suzui-san to be here," Makoto replied. "If I'm putting the pieces together right, Amamiya-san wants to protect Shiho from Kamoshida…And you as well, Takamaki-san."
She watched as Ann shook her head softly with a murmur of "Me?" with Ryuji's eyes locked on her with a worried frown.
"Look…" Makoto said. "I've spoken to Amamiya-san before, and he's had issues with how possessive Kamoshida is to you, Ann."
Ann cringed at this and asked, "You guys heard that?"
"He and I overheard you talk with Kamoshida, yes. We both noted how he sounded possessive of you and when it was over, you ran away in tears. Amamiya-san was very concerned about this and wanted to investigate what Kamoshida has been doing to everyone," Makoto explained.
"With all of this taken into account, I believe he found something that involves Shiho-san, and it caused him to get attacked by Kamoshida…Leading to the events of tonight…" Makoto finished.
"Did he say what he found?" Ryuji asked.
"No…He just said Kamoshida did this and to protect Suzai-san," Makoto replied. "But it makes me curious as to what he found and why he contacted you Ryuji instead of the police after he was stabbed."
"Why are you so curious?" Ann suddenly asked. "You didn't care at all about what everyone else is going through with Kamoshida before. All that matters to you is your perfect marks and your paragon image, so why the hell do you suddenly care?"
"Ann…" Ryuji began.
"No, Ryuji!" Ann exclaimed as she stood up from the couch, anger showing in her eyes. "Niijima-san thinks just because she helped Ren that she can suddenly thrust herself into something she didn't bother to care about before when we all suffered in silence!"
"What is in it for you, Niijima-san? Do you want to take away the one person that cares about what people are going through? Or are you planning to rat him to Kamoshida yourself so you can look good in his eyes? Well, whatever you plan to do, you can go fuck off!"And with that, Ann marched out of Makoto's apartment, slamming the door behind her as hard as she could.
Makoto immediately clenched her fists, a burst of anger flaring in her eyes but as quick as it appeared, it was snuffed out, replaced by a blank expression. Makoto looked to Ryuji and said, "That is what happened…"
"Thanks for telling us," Ryuji said. "And I'm sure Ren will thank you later for this, but still. Thanks for saving our friend."
"It was the right thing to do," Makoto said with a slight nod.
"Well, I better get out of here, catch you later," Ryuji said with a nod before he walked out of the apartment, leaving Makoto in her living room alone.
Makoto walked back into her room, sat down on her bed, and saw her bloody gym shirt.
She walked towards it and unfurled it to reveal Ren's journal and said, "They may not want to tell me, but you will Amamiya-san…"
[Scene Change: Suzui Residence (Nighttime)
Theme of The Longest Night: Between Doors from Persona 3: FES]
At the sound of knocking on the door, Shiho's head snapped up from the pillow, her cheeks wet with tears.
"Come on, Shiho. Open the door," Her mother ordered. "You have a call!"
Shiho buried her face into the pillow, wanting nothing more than to smother herself in it.
The night had gone so well.
But now, it was all torn asunder.
'Ren….' Shiho thought tearfully, only for her mother to open her door. "Suzui Shiho!" Her mother exclaimed, which caused Shiho to look at the woman with barely hidden contempt shining through her teary eyes.
"Are you deaf? Did you not hear me telling you to open the door?" Her mother angrily asked before she hissed out, "Forget it. You have a phone call. It's Yuuki Mishima," her mother said, which caused Shiho to pale.
Her mother tossed the phone at her and left the room.
Shiho stared at it, a look of dread on her face before she picked up the phone and murmured "Hello Yuuki-san…" as she walked to her bed to sit down.
"Hey, Suzui-san…" Mishima said with that familiar empty tone that made her stomach curl. "Kamoshida-sensei wants you to meet him early tomorrow morning," Mishima said softly.
"Kamoshida wants to see me tomorrow m-morning," Shiho stammered out. "W-Why did he have you tell me now?" Shiho asked him.
"I don't know, but it's what he ordered me to tell you…From the tone of his voice, he sounded like he didn't want a "no" for an answer…" Mishima replied sadly.
"O-Okay," Shiho said before she hung up the phone. Slowly, her eyes drifted over to her work desk, specifically to the desk's second drawer where her knife was hidden.
"All you have to do is turn that knife to your chest and plunge it in…" the voice whispered inside of her head. Shiho gazed at the drawer longingly.
But after a moment, Shiho shook her head.
She couldn't do it. Not to Ann, Ryuji and Ren.
So instead, Shiho curled up in her bed and began to sob, not wanting to face tomorrow morning, especially knowing that Ren wouldn't be there.
[Scene Change: Shibuya (Nighttime)
Theme of The Longest Night: Between Doors from Persona 3: FES]
But unbeknownst to Shiho, sitting beneath her open windowsill was her four-legged protector, Morgana.
'So Kamoshida wants to meet her tomorrow, huh? I better find a way into that school…' Morgana thought to himself with a frown before jumped down from the windowsill.
Ryuji: She has his notebook…Holy fuck that is bad news.
Ann: What does Kamoshida want with Shiho!
Morgana: Only one way to find out.
Makoto: Yes…Only one way to find out…Stop the show.