Miss Violet: This is the chapter of 2022. Let's hope for a rocking 2023!
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Sixty-Five
[Opening Scene: Shibuya – Okumura Residence (Midnight)
Theme of Tenderness: Brand New days -The Beginning- from Persona 3: FES]
When Makoto left Ren out on the balcony, she didn't expect to enter the room that she shared with Mishma to see the boy gone and Shiho in his place. But Makoto could see that there was something deeply wrong with the girl.
She looked so somber, so haunted, and it made Makoto strangely upset. "Shiho-san…." Makoto breathed.
"I couldn't sleep…." Shiho murmured.
Makoto frowned and slowly approached her friend. "Are you alright?" Makoto asked with concern.
"The palace didn't go well…." Shiho responded as she turned her head away from her. "I don't wish to talk about it….Please don't make me."
Makoto looked unsure but she softly said, "Then I won't. I haven't had the best day of my life either…."
"I wanted to go to Ren but he looks so exhausted, that It felt wrong to saddle him with me," Shiho murmured. "I-Is it alright if I….If you…."
Makoto offered a small smile to the girl and asked, "Do you want to sleep with me again?"
Shiho nodded.
Makoto wanted to blush but she noticed how lost Shiho looked and realized that this wasn't the time for her mind to escape her. Softly, Makoto walked to her bed, which sat opposite the bed that Shiho sat on, and pulled the covers aside.
She got into bed and kept the covers open for Shiho. Shiho silently got off of the other bed, approached the bed that Makoto was on, and climbed into it. Makoto gingerly pulled the covers over them both and pulled the other girl close to her.
"Rest. I'll be here when you wake up," Makoto said, repeating her words from the night before.
"Thank you…." Shiho murmured.
But while Shiho soon fell asleep, Makoto remained wide awake, unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching her from the shadows.
"Thank you for letting me stay here," Mishima tiredly mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.
"Considering I'm going to check on Haru, this bed would only be going to waste," Hifumi assured him with a small smile. "Besides, if I have to hear Yusuke snore for one more minute, I was going to give him a stern talking to."
Mishima let out a small laugh.
"Hey, by the way," Hifumi started. "Thanks for saving Yusuke, Ren, and I. It couldn't have been easy…."
"It wasn't," Mishima tiredly replied. "I don't think we would have been able to do it without Ryuji's sacrifice and Haru awakening her persona. But even if neither of those things happened, we're the Phantom Thieves. We couldn't leave you guys behind. Just don't fly off the handle like that again, okay?"
"I won't," Hifumi murmured. "I promise…."
Mishima gave her a kind smile and then got under the covers to sleep. Hifumi slowly crept out of the room, where she saw Ren at the door of the other guest room.
"Ren," Hifumi softly greeted.
"Hey, Hifumi," Ren said. "I take it you're going to see Haru?"
"I figured someone should go check on her," Hifumi shyly answered.
Ren gave a comforting smile and said, "I get that. You two must be close friends, huh?"
"Something like that," Hifumi slyly replied.
Ren chuckled and said, "Well, now that we're out of the fire of your mother's palace, let's try to get some normal sleep."
"You aren't kidding there," Hifumi told him. "I'm so tired, I could fall asleep on a pile of rocks and get a good night's sleep."
"You ain't lying there, sister," Ren agreed.
"But that wouldn't have happened had I not lost control. Ren, I'm so sorry," Hifumi apologized.
"Hey, no need to apologize to me," Ren told her with a friendly smile. "The same thing happened to Ann. If I didn't get mad at her for losing control of her persona, why would I get angry at you?"
"Are you sure?" Hifumi asked.
"Positive. I do, however, look forward to getting to see how well you can fight while in control in the future. If you wish to join the Phantom Thieves. But that can discussion can wait until after your mother's and Madarame's palace," Ren told her.
Hifumi nodded and smiled at Ren. "Thanks, Ren. Haru was right about you. You are an understanding guy," Hifumi complimented.
"With a few things," Ren winked. "Have a good night, Hifumi." Ren walked into the room and Hifumi made her way toward Haru's bedroom, where thankfully, the door was unlocked.
Hifumi slowly opened the door to see Haru in a deep sleep on her bed, still dressed in her outside clothes. As she stepped further into the room, her eyes glanced out at Haru's balcony and saw a glimpse of two shadows, one taller than the other but not by much, in an embrace but it vanished before she could figure out what it was.
Hifumi shook that strangeness off and slowly slid into the bed where Haru slept and gingerly lay beside her. Slowly, she placed her hand on top of Haru's and whispered, "Thank you for saving my life, Haru…."
She intertwined their fingers and softly kissed the girl on the forehead. Haru let out a pleased noise but remained asleep.
Hifumi knew that she still had to thank Ryuji, Shiho, Ann, and Haru vocally and apologize to the entire group for getting them into that situation, but for now, she would enjoy her rest with the girl she longed to be with.
"He still hasn't woken up," Ann murmured as she placed the back of her hand on Ryuji's forehead. While the delinquent looked far better than he had in the palace, he was still sound asleep.
Ren looked at Ann and then turned back to Ryuji. In the guest room, While the other thieves were still resting, Ann and Ren stood at the side of Ryuji's bed.
'Arsène….What happened to him?' Ren thought.
The world darkened around Ren and Arsène appeared beside him in a flourish of purple particles within a black cloud. Arsène frowned and said, "Ryuji is alive and well. His body was heavily weakened during breaking his limits."
'Breaking his limits?' Ren questioned.
Arsène frowned and stared at the dyed blond boy. "With anyone that can wield the power of a Persona or Personas, there is an ability that can unshackle that person to give it the power of a persona's fully realized form. But the costs of unshackling this power is enormous…."
'How so?' Ren asked.
"Well, the immediate effect that happens is severe exhaustion. The second is even after the body is well-rested, the spirit is too weak to handle the pressure that the Metaverse puts on it. And the biggest, the Persona and their user is disconnected from one another, leaving the user—"
'Like a regular human being….' Ren summarized. 'That is rough. Is Captain Kidd alright, at least?'
Arsène nodded. "He is with Milady as we speak," Arsène answered.
'With Milady?' Ren asked.
"Haru's persona," Arsène clarified.
'Wait, so Personas outside of my mind can speak to one another?' Ren asked with surprise. Arsène chuckled and nodded.
'That's….Surprising….' Ren thought. 'But why?'
Arsène chuckled and faded out of existence, leaving Ren back with Ann and the unconscious Ryuji. "He's so stupid," Ann whispered. "I told him not to take any risks…."
"Telling Ryuji not to take any risks seems to be the same as telling me to not be a hero," Ren admitted.
"Nigh impossible?" Ann joked with a smile devoid of humor.
"Nigh impossible," Ren confirmed. "He'll be alright, I know he will be."
Ann shook her head and walked away from Ren and stood at the other side of the room, near the window. "It's just not fair," Ann complained. "First I lose my brother, and when we finally get you back, I lose Ryuji. It's a fucked up equivalent exchange."
Ren walked behind Ann and took her into his arms. "I'm sorry…." Ren sincerely apologized.
"It's not your fault," Ann said as she leaned against Ren's touch. "It's Mitsuyo's fault. I'm stunned that we were able to do what did and save you, Yusuke, and Hifumi while with Haru and a powerless Ryuji…."
"That just shows that you all were strong enough to handle it," Ren complimented. "Ironically, despite being the leader of the thieves, this shows me that having a second in command is very much wanted in case we need another team on the field."
"Yeah," Ann mumbled. "So…. What happens now?"
Ren narrowed his eyes in thought. "We'll talk about it in the morning," Ren told her. "For now, let's get some rest, okay?"
Ann nodded and then hesitantly asked, "Can I….Can I stay in here tonight? With you and Ryuji?"
"Of course," Ren said with a smile.
[Scene Change: Shibuya – Okumura Residence (Morning)
Theme of Tenderness: Brand New days -The Beginning- from Persona 3: FES]
It was the soft breathing that brought Haru back to the land of the living. At first, she was terrified that Sugimura had snuck into her bed and opted not to open her eyes.
But when she heard a soft mumble of a familiar voice, Haru found the strength to open yer eyes, allowing her to see Hifumi's sleeping form.
It hadn't been a dream.
She had helped saved Hifumi, Ren, and Yusuke from Mitsuyo's palace.
She had awakened her Persona….
There were a lot of things that Haru wanted to do. She wanted to scream, jump and maybe celebrate. But instead, she swallowed all of that up. It wasn't time to celebrate quite yet. Not while Madarame and Mitsuyo's palaces remained standing.
After that, however…. Anything could happen.
Haru carefully slid out of bed, after kissing Hifumi's forehead, and crept out of the room. Down the hall, she could see Shiho and Makoto talking by the front door. She watched as the two shared a brief hug before Makoto left her home.
Haru watched as Shiho stood at the door for a moment and then turned around to walk back toward the hallway, only for the girl to stop when she noticed Haru. "G-Good morning, Shiho," Haru greeted with an unsure tone.
"Good morning," Shiho softly greeted.
There was silence.
"I heard that you awakened your Persona….I knew you could do it," Shiho told her with a ghost of a smile. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Haru meekly accepted. "I….Well….I wish there was an easier time to become a persona user, but now I have the chance to help all of you."
"I'm sure you will," Shiho remarked. "I'm going to get a little more rest before everyone else awakens. Please excuse me." Shiho walked past Haru and walked into the second guestroom, closing the door behind her.
Haru sighed.
That could have gone better…
The door to the fourth guestroom, which was directly behind her, opened, and Yusuke bumped into her, which caused Haru to squeak in alarm.
"Ah! Forgive me, Okumura-san," Yusuke apologized.
Haru shook her head with a kind smile. "No forgiveness needed, Kitagawa-san. I was in the way of the door," Haru told him.
"Still, it is unbecoming of a gentleman to bump into a lady," Yusuke said and then offered and apologetic bow. "I apologize."
"Again, that's quite alright," Haru laughed.
Yusuke stood upright and said, "I also must thank you. I managed to overhear Mishima-san and Hifumi-san last night while I slept. You, along with Sakamoto-san, Takamaki-san, Suzui-san, and Mishima-san rescued Tōgō-san, Amamiya-san, and myself. I cannot thank you enough."
"There was no way we would leave you three behind," Haru told him with a smile. "Just, try not to get captured again, yeah?"
Yusuke chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Um, Okumura-san is there a notebook and a pen nearby?"
Haru blinked.
"Sure. I'll show you where it is," Haru told him.
"Much obliged," Yusuke thanked.
Yūki was awakened by the sound of writing and a sunbeam hitting his face.
Yūki groaned and slowly leaned off the bed to see Yusuke drawing in a notebook. Where Yusuke found a pen and notebook, he had no idea. "Yusuke-san?" Yūki yawned with a stretch, his pajama shirt sliding down his left shoulder.
"Ah! Good morning, Mishima-san," Yusuke greeted without looking up from the notebook. "How was your rest?"
"I-I think I should be asking you that," Yūki shyly answered. Yūki didn't mean to be so shy, but it was often that he woke up in the presence of anyone, let alone some as handsome as the artist.
"I can't remember the last time I slept so deeply," Yusuke commented as he looked up briefly at Yūki, only to look back down at his notebook. "I feel invigorated. Also starving, but that can wait until after I am finished."
"I can get you some food if you'd l-like?" Yūki offered.
"I thank you, Yūki-san. But that will not be necessary. When an artist finds inspiration, he must capitalize on it immediately before the muse leaves him," Yusuke told him. "What I do request, however, is for you to remain in the pose."
"Um….." Yūki drifted off as he looked down at his body. He was laying on his side with his right leg on top of his left, and the top half of his body was propped up by his right arm. "Sure, I-I guess…."
"Marvelous," Yusuke murmured.
A minute of silence passed.
"So, what are you drawing?" Yūki inquired.
"That is a surprise," Yusuke remarked with a chuckle. "You don't have to wait long for it, however. That I promise you."
"Okay…." Yūki mumbled, her cheeks burning slightly when Yusuke's intense eyes looked at him.
After another three minutes, Yusuke said, "Aha! I have finished." Yusuke unfolded his legs, placed them on the floor, and stood up. Yusuke strode up to Yūki as he tore a piece of paper from the notebook and handed it to him. "Now, I shall be off for the hunt for food, Mishima-san," Yusuke announced and then strolled out of the room.
Yūki looked down at the paper and let out a soft gasp.
The paper held a beautiful drawing of himself, with the bottom half of his body having a mermaid's tale. The drawing of himself was laying on a rock in the middle of a cathedral with sunbeams coming from the upper right corner of the page.
Yūki didn't know how but the way Yusuke made the drawing version of himself with such soft and glittering eyes stunned him.
"Oh…." Yūki whispered as he stared at the beautiful drawing, only to see a small note at the bottom right corner of the paper.
"Thank you for saving me,
Kitagawa Y."
Yūki blushed and silently promised to forever protect this drawing.
[Scene Change: Shibuya – Okumura Residence (Living Room - Morning)
Theme of Meeting: Paulownia Mall from Persona 3]
"Ren-kun!" Shiho yelled in excitement as she jumped into Ren's arms. Ren laughed as he returned the embrace with a spin. "I'm so glad that you're okay!"
"We wouldn't be okay if not for you guys," Ren replied with a smile. "Haru, Ann, Mishima. Thanks for saving us."
"Truly, thank you," Yusuke bowed.
"Thanks," Hifumi smiled.
"Anytime," Haru chirped.
Mishima clapped with a wide smile while Ann nodded, a distracted look on her face. "Just be sure to thank Ryuji when he wakes up, alright?" Ann asked.
"Always," Ren promised as he sat Shiho down. "Wait, where is Makoto?"
"She had to leave early," Shiho answered. "She needed to talk to her sister about the case."
"Case?" Hifumi asked while Yusuke raised an eyebrow.
"We had to lie to Niijima-san and Hasegawa-san and say that you three were kidnapped. Technically it was the truth but we couldn't tell them how," Ann explained.
"Oh wow," Hifumi gasped. "I caused such a mess."
"Hey, don't blame yourself," Ann said. "You're not the only one to pop off using your persona like that and if we encounter any other persona users, I doubt you'll be the last. So don't sweat it, alright?"
"I agree," Shiho said with a warm smile. "Besides, we were able to save you three at the end of the day. That's all that matters."
Hifumi nodded but stood from her chair. "Still, I'm sorry, all of you," Hifumi said as she bowed to the group. "And thank you for saving me."
The group smiled and gave their friendly wave-offs. "Hey!" Morgana's voice shouted. "So this is where you guys were!" The group turned to the balcony to see Morgana trotting inside.
"Morgana!" Ann, Ren, Shiho, Makoto, and Mishima shouted.
"Greetings," Yusuke greeted.
"This is still so weird to me," Hifumi chuckled.
"Where have you been?" Haru asked their friend.
"Well, that's a whole ass discussion that can wait a bit," Morgana answered and then turned to Ren, Yusuke, and Hifumi. "I overheard what happened during my mission. You three went missing? Where?"
"Mitsuyo's palace," Ren answered.
"Wait, another palace?" Morgana asked. "Did you guys find one after Madarame was handled?"
"We found that the same night we found Madarame's treasure," Ann explained. "It didn't go so well."
"So, there are three active palaces at the same time….This is something," Morgana said to himself.
"Three?" Ren asked.
Morgana shook his head. "It's a mini-palace that we can worry about later. Right now, we need to have a team meeting! Give me full deets on what's happened."
The group exchanged looks and then Haru divulged everything that happened since that day. Once she was done, Morgana sat in stunned disbelief. "Yeesh, so Hifumi and Haru are persona users. This must be fate at this point," Morgana commented. "And now, we have two palaces and ten of us, with eight of us able to use our personas…."
"So, what are our options?" Ren asked.
Morgana opened his mouth to respond, but a voice said, "Seems like there is only one option to me."
The group turned around to see Ryuji at the hallway entrance, his left forearm pressed against the wall with a toothy grin.
"Attack them both," Ryuji answered.
Miss Violet: So, on this New Year's Eve, we end the last chapter of 2022 with some fluff and a game plan. The next chapter will deal with Makoto's plan, Ryuji and the thieves, and Morgana, Haru, Mishima, and Hifumi going through the palace to find Mitsuyo's treasure.
After that….The double heist! Until next time!