Captain Blues: Ahoy-hoy! Captain Blues of the SS FleetingDream is back! Now, let's start the show!

Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Forty-Seven

[Opening Scene: Madarame's Shack (Afternoon)
Theme of Meeting: Zodiac from Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP Ver)]

"This is taking far too long," Haru murmured as the unmarked black cars drove off. "They didn't bring out anyone, so they may be inside still."

Hifumi frowned at this statement and said, "With all of these people? They would have to be the champions of hide-and-seek to avoid them."

"Good point," Haru whispered. She lowered the binoculars and said, "It was a good call to hide in this alleyway."

"W-Where did you get those binoculars?" Hifumi asked.

"I dunno. Anyways, I hope they'll come back soon," Haru whispered.

"O-Okay," Hifumi stammered before a portal opened up behind them. Hifumi and Haru turned around as Yūki and Ryuji walked out first, with an unconscious Yusuke slung on their shoulders, followed by Ann with Morgana, who was in mid-transformation back into a cat, on her shoulder, and ending with Ren, Shiho, and Makoto walking out.

Hifumi was stunned at the sight of the portal while Haru excitedly stated, "You guys are safe! But how?"

"Had to transport inside of Madarame's before his guards came," Ann told Haru. "But we don't have time for that. We need to get Yusuke somewhere so he can rest."

"Did he…?" Haru drifted off.

"He did," Shiho replied.

"I know I believed you guys before. But seeing you walk out of a red and black portal makes me believe you guys twice as hard," Hifumi said.

"Trust me, Hifumi-san, that portal is nothing compared to what I saw," Makoto told her.

"Can we get going?" Ryuji asked, slightly impatient.

"Yeah, let's jet," Yūki said.

"Let me call Botan so we don't have to carry him," Haru told the group.

[Theme of an Officer: Suspicious Person from Persona 5]

As the limousine picked up the group of teens from the alleyway between the two apartment buildings, Zenkichi narrowed his eyes as he sat in an unmarked black car with Sae in front of the Madarame Shack.

"Let's follow them," Sae told Zenkichi, who nodded in agreement.

[Scene Change: Yoshizawa Residence (Afternoon)
Theme of Yoshizawa Residence: Seven Sisters High School B from Persona 2: Innocent Sin]

"I think we should call him."

Yoshizawa Emiko turned to her husband with a frown on her face. It had been three days since her daughter and Amamiya Ren's blow up and Sumire had been locked away in her room since.

She and Shinichi decided to keep her home from Shujin to avoid Ren, but Sumire had not come out of her room.

"She's been up there for days, Emi," Shinichi said.

"She needs time, Shin," Emiko told him. "Please give her the time that she needs to recover. She'll come down when she's ready. I promise."

Emiko prayed that her husband would listen to her request. She already felt intense guilt over having that doctor violate her daughter's mind, she didn't need more added by sending her daughter back to that man.

Shinichi sighed and said, "Okay. Just a few more days. But after that, we're taking her to see him…."

"That's all I ask," Emiko whispered before she glanced at the stairway.

'Please Sumire, get better….'

[Theme of Blue-Eyed Shadow: Snow Queen's Theme from Megami Ibunroku Persona]

"Focus, dear sister."

Kasumi shut her eyes as she sat in a meditative stance.

"I understand the pain that you've gone through since my time away. But your hurt is causing unneeded strife in your life," The blue-eyed version of herself whispered. "In order to heal you, we must fix your broken heart, and your fractured mind."

Since the shadow came into her life three days ago, Kasumi had been like this. Following the orders of the sweet-sounding replica. There was something about this being that soothed the raging emotions in her heart.

And bit by bit, Kasumi could see a stained glass repairing itself, painting an image of a girl standing in the middle, of a lake filled with rose petals.

The face was still too blurry, but Kasumi could see that the person wore a one-piece flowery pink gymnast leotard with white gymnastic shoes, and her red hair tied into a ponytail.

She knew that she should be excited about getting the pieces. This image must be a part of the truth that the blue-eyed shadow has talked to her about.

But instead, apprehension filled her being. For she knew if this picture became complete, she may not like what she would find out about it.

But whether or not this path leads to ruin or the truth, she would see it through.

Because deep in her heart, she knew that she had to.

[Change Scene: Shibuya – Okumura Residence (Evening)
Theme of Okumura Residence: Have a Short Rest from Persona 5]

"Finally, we're back," Ryuji groaned out as he and Yūki sat Yusuke down on the couch. "Man, this guy isn't heavy, but he's damn lanky. Made it hard to keep from dragging him."

"At least we made it back," Yūki said as he smiled.

Makoto crossed her arms in thought.

"What's wrong?" Hifumi questioned.

"I noticed on the way back that a black car was following us. I'm unsure if it's just me being paranoid or not," Makoto told the group.

"Maybe it's just paranoia," Ann yawned out.

"Still, we should be careful. With Hasegawa-san out there, we can't get caught flatfooted," Ren said. He then turned to Haru and said, "If they did follow us here, I don't think it will be a good idea for us to use this as a meeting spot anymore. Don't want to put you at risk."

"I understand," Haru said. "Thankfully, I have another idea for a meeting spot if we can't use my home any longer."

"Really? Where?" Ryuji asked.

"It's a dorm building that my father owns," Haru answered. "He was going to build a housing area for the Big Bang employees but that idea fell through. Now it's just collecting dust."

"So that place would have things like beddings and things like that, right?" Shiho asked.

Haru nodded.

"Yeah…." Ren mumbled, stroking his chin. "That might work. We'll keep that in mind."

"Ngh," Yusuke groaned as his eyes fluttered open.

"Well, well, well. Sleeping Beauty is finally awake," Morgana joked as Yusuke lifted his body off the couch and rubbed his forehead.

"W-Where am I?" Yusuke asked.

"You're at my home," Haru said.

"Ah," Yusuke said as he shook his head and looked at all of the faces before stopping at Morgana's. "I thought you said that you aren't a cat?"

Morgana's face turned emotionless as he dryly recited, "I'm not a cat. I am a small, domesticated, carnivorous four-legged creature that belongs to the Felidae family."

"Isn't that just a cat?" Hifumi questioned, causing the group to look at her in alarm.

"You could hear him?" Shiho asked, alarmed.

Hifumi blinked in surprise and replied, "I-I can. H-How is that possible?"

"Hm, it could be because you were close to the Metaverse's exit," Morgana theorized. "Perhaps the energy the portal made was just enough for you to understand me."

"That makes no sense," Hifumi whispered. "I mean, wow…."

"So it was all real?" Yusuke softly asked.

[Theme of Heart-to-Heart: Confession, Secret from Persona 5]

"I'm sorry," Yūki told the aspiring artist.

Yusuke chuckled and said, "It is not your fault that this has occurred. It is mine. All of it…."

"So you did know," Ann gently asked. "How long?"

"I'm no fool," Yusuke softly admitted. "Strange people had been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. B-But… who would want to admit that the man they cared for like a father, the man they owed their life too was doing such terrible things?"

The group remained silent as somber sympathetic looks formed on their faces.

"But why stay, dude?" Ryuji asked. "Why keep yourself under that torture?"

"Well, as foolish as it sounds now, considering the truth, he was the one who painted the "Sayuri." On top of that, I owed him a great debt…."

"Because he raised you," Makoto murmured.

"Yes," Yusuke replied. "I… never knew my father. I was told by Madarame that my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three. That's when he took me in. He told me that he helped my mother a great deal while she was still alive."

"He told you?" Yūki asked.

"To be honest, I don't remember much about my mother. Just that she loved me dearly and that she trusted him a great amount. That's all," Yusuke answered. "Which is why I also did everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a father but he changed… or I should say that he hid his true self very well…."

"To think that he would insult my mother and treat the "Sayuri," the very foundation of his art, like that!" The fire that Yusuke had was smothered out when he sighed. "When all of you mentioned the plagiarism, and from all that I saw, despite wanting, nay, hoping that it was all a lie, deep down, I knew you all were right."

"That's why you fought us so hard," Haru sadly said. "You were running from the truth."

"I was," Yusuke whispered. "And you can only run so far until it catches up to you. And today, it has. I am sorry that I ran for so long…."

Yūki knelt beside the couch and said, "It's okay. We've all run from the ugly truth in our lives before. That just means that you're only human. There is nothing to apologize for."

Yusuke stared into Yūki's eyes before he closed his own and said, "Thank you. I am grateful for the chance to face what I have been denying all this time."

"You are way too serious, Kitagawa," Ryuji joked with one eye closed and a smile on his face. "I can tell you're probably the type to get stuck in your own head. I suggest going with the flow. It's how I get by."

"Honestly, I'm the same way," Ren said. "We've all been through a lot and sometimes, getting stuck in your own head can be a detriment to your mental well-being. But now, you don't have to go through that on your own. You have friends here that are ready and willing to listen to your thoughts. No matter how down they are."

"Exactly," Ann added. "We're all in this strange tale together, right? Might as well lean on each other for the support others won't give."

"What do you plan to do now, knowing the truth?" Hifumi asked.

"Truthfully, I don't know," Yusuke admitted.

"Well, I know one thing," Shiho began.

[Theme of the Phantom Thieves: Hero Theme from Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP Ver)]

"We can't help the fact that Madarame has become this terrible being. But we have the power to stop him from not only hurting you, but we can avenge everyone else he's destroyed in his relentless pursuit of greed," Shiho told him.

"That's right!" Haru chirped. "You guys have the power to change his heart and make him atone for his crimes."

"And make sure he never does this again," Ren said.

"Change his heart…." Yusuke murmured as he stared at his right hand. He closed his hand into a fist before he looked at the group and said, "Then let me join. Let me become a member of the Phantom Thieves."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Ren asked.

"If I had faced reality sooner, all of this could have been avoided. Because all of you right. I must put an end to this. Not only to avenge those that have fallen to him, but to stop him from using anyone else!" Yusuke's voice quieted down as he whispered, "That is the most civil thing I can do for someone I once called "Father." And only then, can I redeem myself for my inaction and blindness."

"Well, what do you say, Ren?" Ann asked.

All eyes turned to Ren, who simply grinned and held a hand out to Yusuke. "You better keep up. Because from here on out, we're going full throttle in stopping him," Ren announced.

Yusuke nodded and clasped his hand with Ren, a grin forming on his face. "I won't let you down," Yusuke promised.

"With your skills out there, I have no doubt in my mind that you won't," Ren told him before there was a knock on Haru's door.

[Theme of Apprehension: Premonition from Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP Ver)]

Haru and Ren exchanged a glance as Makoto muttered, "Unless someone ordered takeout, I think they know we're here…."

Captain Blues: Until next time *evil smile*