Authors Note:

Hey everyone! Chapter 4 is finally here after struggles of getting this one done. I fell sick, going through multiple drafts and still but still managed to get this done! This is will be one of the last stater chaps before the story really starts. A huge reveal will be at the end!

Review Replies:

Janson Wu: This fic will mostly be using a mix of Minato's but mostly FES's as he can wield multiple weapons as this one can.

Guest: He'll be destroying more people in the future, don't worry. Oh no, he loves his ice cream too!

Nightly: Thank you! I made sure to make him look ham as possible, pft. I really wanted a scene where Minato and Kamoshida meeting in the real world but I couldn't justify how that would flow in this plot but hey, he scared him shitless regardless and he even remembers him in nightmares. Yep, Minato has ages of experience vs Akira's more impulsive choices, these two are complete opposites, but it's not like Akira won't learn and catch up eventually.

Drips of blue splashed onto the table, as Minato finished the second blueberry cone of the day. Sitting among three other people and one cat, he casually ordered another batch.

"Does using this place as a secret base come off as weird to you?" Ryuji said, watching people come and go from the shop on a nice, spring day.

"We're not exactly well known, besides," Akira pointed to the multiple regulars that frequented the store with their laptops, from students to office workers, "It's attached to a cafe that people often use to get work done."

"Would you rather we meet in a dark alley somewhere?" Ann spooned from a large parfait bowl, feeding Morgana the fruits that came atop. "Not like we can use any other location right now. Minato isn't even a student"

"As much as I would object to us being so wide in the open as Phantom thieves, hiding among the populace in plain sight is a pretty sound strategy." Morgana woofed down another strawberry, "You're so generous lady Ann!"

"Why Phantom thieves? Did you read too much manga, cat? I don't want to be compared to that guy" Akira could name one very famous thief from a certain anime, a very cheeky moonlight magician clad in pure white, tophat and monocle, sending calling cards to steal jeweled treasure. One he didn't exactly want to be their namesake.

"For the last time, I'm not a cat!"

"Oh! That guy! Yea…maybe we should get a better name for ourselves. People won't take us seriously if the first thing they think of is him." Ryuji hid away his copy of a very particular manga inside his bag. Until Morgana knocked it out, revealing its pages, splattered on the floor.

"Even reading this tells me this character is still easily above your levels." Morgana flipped through analyzing the Kaitou's tactics, "But we should take some pointers and give everyone here some code names so as to not alert the palace rulers. Not even this guy was stupid enough to yell out his real name at his pursers."

"Seriously? You got that from reading this?"

"Who knew fiction could help inspire reality. Code names wouldn't be bad. Although I do agree your skills as persona users are quite lacking at the moment." Minato finally spoke up, picking up the manga.

"It's not like we're doing this long term, yea? We're only changing Kamoshida, right?"

That was when a strange silence fell between the group, each with different opinions in mind.

Then Akira broke the tension.

"If this does work, think about the good we can do…"

"I won't force any of you to come along after this if you don't want to, especially you, Lady Ann. These circumstances are quite special after all."

"Only if our plan works out. I wouldn't mind."

"For real?" Ryuji said, wide eyed.

"Everyone's suffered enough under that tryannt's rule, but we don't know if other people are facing similar challenges as us." Ann scoffed, "For all we know, there could be other Kamoshidas out there needing a serious wakeup call."

"That's a good point. He wouldn't be the only one with a personal palace. So I take it you're all in on this then?"

Everyone nodded, with Minato giving Morgana a subtle acknowledgment that their gamble had paid off. The new Wild Card and his friends were now fully brought on as collaborators for their future plans.

"Alright then! Let's start with creating our code names and writing up a plan to issue out our calling card."

Minato opened up a bag full of materials, ones he had prepared under Morgana's direction. The first step was to make the right impression. "Since this is your school, we'll give you the honors of designing and issuing the notice."

Lighting up a single smoke near a desolate part of the city, Minato leaned up against a wall, his head craned against the sky. In his free hand, he held on to a messenger bag full of calling cards. The plan was set, code names were passed around, and each person was given a role to play for the change of heart. However, he couldn't help but wonder if something miraculous as this would ever happen.

"Will this really work…?" He whispered to himself. Faint smoke withering away into nothingness, fading. Could the power of this new god be what sets his plans in motion? He did not know. From the dangers cited by that strange cat, this could turn out to be a fruitless venture depending on how they acted.

Dropping the last of his cigarette butt, he was interrupted in his musing when a few thugs approached him. Cold eyes watched like a predator as they tried to size him up, one, two, three delinquents from the city outskirts. Adorned with tattoos on their arms, wearing whatever rags they dragged up from the street, they were most likely a bunch of idiots from a small, local gang.

"What ya look'in at pretty boy?"

Minato ignored them, simply observing their movements.

"This is our territory, ya better get the hell out before we send ya to the hospital-"

SMASH

One good punch was enough to send their ring leader crumpling to the ground like a ragdoll. Bones cracked, body broken. The man screamed in pain, writhing, rolling in the dirt as bluenette placed a foot on his back, causing him to throw up from the force.

"W-Who the fuck do you t-think you are?!" Soon, his buddy met a similar fate when he attempted to throw his own fist, of which the veteran caught and threw him into the opposite wall. He then turned to the third member who now was petrified in his presence.

"Wh-whoa man! We didn't mean it like that-"

A stray kick flew through the air, stopping right before contact. The last man closed his eyes, yet he opened them to see he was mere inches from his fate, his muscles tensed from the adrenaline rushing to his head.

"G-gahhhhh, m-monster!" Taking this chance to run, the thug turned, ditching his friends, sprinting away to disappear into the dark streets of the city alleys.

Minato stopped, witnessing the fool's desperation to live. No, the desire to live. Suddenly having an epiphany, he smiled to himself. So this was what that cat meant by humans having desires. To quote him, all humans needed to have desires to survive, the desire to sleep, eat, fall in love and finally, the desire to stay alive.

"So what if…"

Watching the two men he had taken down still struggle, he could tell they wanted to stay alive. And yet that was when he wandered to himself, what if he were to twist those desires? Steal away the ones he did not like. Would people be a shell of themselves? No akin to apathy syndrome suffers? Perhaps he could use this to achieve his goals.

Drip, drip, drip the patter of light rain splashed against umbrellas of commuting students, strolling through the white of the cold morning light. Friends crowded together, heading their way to Shujin Academy in soaked uniforms under the gloomy rain. It would be another typical day of long lectures, and exhausting work hours for the staff.

Among the sea of people, Akira walked quietly, blending into the crowd, his accomplices separated from him by both by a few feet to not arouse attention. In the distance ahead, he could observe the emergence of multiple members of staff from their parked cards.

"Rainy again? It's been quite dark lately." Kamoshida mumbled to himself, his eyes dazed, with Kobayakawa greeting him at the front entrance.

"You're not wrong. Although I find the gray cloud that has befallen Shujin's reputation to be more concerning at the moment." The principal sighed, this entire week had been filled with paperwork and bad press from the media. Two things Kobayakawa dreaded in his deepest nightmares.

"Tell me about it."

"I'll be sure to stamp out any rumors in the coming weeks. I trust you can weather the storm for just a short while more, Mr. Kamoshida? Shujin will really need your support."

Kamoshida looked sheepish, cracking his neck, dark bugs under his eyes from a lack of sleep, nightmares of a grim reaper plaguing his warry mind. "Sure, right after I take care of that Akira kid-huh?"

He stopped after something light touched the bridge of his nose, craning his head up, his eyes widened at the red shower of cards descending from the sky. "What's this?" Kamoshida's lips thinned, then he felt his blood run cold.

"Kamoshida? Kamoshida, what is this nonsense?" Kobayakawa practically shook the gym instructor, noticing his colleague growing more and more pale by the second, "Is this some sort of prank your team hatched?"

Above them, rain drops morphed into crimson flurries, carried by divine winds blowing down from the heavens, scattering the red cards across Shujin, unlike the first snow of winter. Caught by both students and teachers alike, gossip ignited at their mysterious origins, and within days, this incident would be hailed as a divine intervention.

"Whoa guys, check this out! Someone's declaring war on Mr. Kamoshida!" One boy photographed the calling card, passing them around to his friends.

"Where are these cards coming from…?" A girl put down her bag, her jaws agape at cards dropping from the clouds.

"Maybe…maybe the rumors had some weight to them after all…?"

Kamoshida's hand shook, reading the message:

To the criminal King of Lust, Suguru Kamoshida, we are here to liberate you of your distorted desires today. We are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, we are many, and you are few.

We declare war.

A simple, yet ominous message, printed on the calling card was enough to force the man to clasp his mouth, fighting an urge to hurl. Words he did not understand, however, he felt something primal within him stir, fight, run, and cry out in despair. But he held it in, just barely.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kobayakawa," he mumbled. "I may need a small break before hosting class today."

Minato stood on the roof of a tall skyscraper, channeling minor amounts of wind to disperse the calling cards into the clouds, enjoying the cool breeze. Once he had run out of cards, he sat down on the edge and listened to his headphones to pass the time. Only a few more hours left until he could bear witness to a miracle, one where he even prayed would work. And so he bided his time.

When the alarm on his phone beeped, he snatched up and teleported to their usual meeting spot next to the Shujin campus. Akira being the first to show up.

"Excited for the field trip?"

"Kamoshida's been giving me death glares all day long. You bet I am."

"To be fair, you were watching him back too…" Morgana meowed, popping out of the boy's school bag.

"Just to remind you all, I will be staying clear of the actual fight itself. Only when your lives are in danger do I step in."

"We're fine with that arrangement. What's a victory if we have to rely on someone else to do it for us?"

Minato nodded approvingly. The new WildCard was proving to be no slouch and he liked it that way. If it would have been any different, then he surely would have blown their heads off by now.

But then he noticed Akira tossing him an empty bag. "Can you help us at least carry some stuff we find along the way? I want to raid that bastard's palace dry before we finish the job."

Now this was amusing, making the bluenette chuckle, "Aren't you the stingy one. You'll rob the poor man dry not only of his prize but also his daily wears? Just how evil are you?"

"Let's just say we need the cash real bad. I see an infinite money glitch, I take it for all its worth,"

"Haha, sure. Go wild."

The once great king trembled beneath the trickster's feet, crumpled to the floor in his own tears at his jury. A golden crown held in the masked thief's hand as cold eyes glared down at his pathetic figure. The sinking feeling of being watched by a malevolent reaper from the darkness shook him to his core.

"P-please! You can't…this is all I have left…" Groveling, Kamoshida bowed his head, afraid to even meet with his judge's gaze. They were strong, he was weak. And so the strong ate the weak from his own words.

"Is that all you have to say?" Panther cursed, lighting a fire ball that barely messed the shadow, driving him into a corner.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I am a pig, a horrible monster for everything I did!"

"That's not what I wanted to hear you jerk!" Her blue eyes lighting up in a blazing fiery, throwing out her wipe.

"B-but…I-I"

"You better go back out there and apologize to the rest of the school and Shiho you hear me?!"

"Y-yes! I will! I'll apologize to everybody and turn myself in! Will that be enough..?"

"Just to let ya know? We're letting you off light. Don't ever pull this type of shit ever again, got?" Skull stepped in, pointing his pipe at the shadow, who froze, only moving his head in a frantic up and down motion.

"Good. Now we'll be leaving with the spoils." Joker turned, a golden crown in his hand, everyone following his lead, but then he stopped to turn his head, his voice now a low growl, "Be glad this is the only pay back you're getting."

With sheer indifference, the thieves left the king's castle in a flash of blue light as the building crumbled without its owner, teleporting them to the entrance.

"Finished sooner than expected, congrats on being ahead of schedule." Reaper, or the man known as Minato Arisato, snapped his fingers, warping them to the exit of the sinking castle. Earth shook, pillars collapsed, and shadows crushed under the sheer weight of the disappearing palace.

"We better get out before this place takes us down with it."

"What's done is done now."

"Will this crap really work?"

"Everyone, now is not the time to hold doubts…"

Together, they departed the distorted space, with a strange mixture of calm and euphoria at their victory. When they arrived back in the real world, there was a moment of somber silence, followed not by a celebration but a tense atmosphere of uncertainty. Did the change really work? Had they affected the real Kamoshida and won their gamble? Or will this cause a mental shut down and they'd all be labeled as accessory to murder? Only time would tell.

And so they scattered on their own.

Dropping to the floor, bowing his head to the assembly, Kamoshida mirrored his shadow self, repenting for his crimes. Warm tears once again rolled down his face, dark circles under his eyes as he cried for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what I did!" His broken voice echoed through the entire assembly hall.

Akira watched from the crowd, already noticing the amount of people recording the chaos with their phones, ready to post the confession on the internet. Staff members scrambled to stop students left and right, snatching their devices away, however their attempts were futile.

"Yo this is crazy…did he really do all that stuff?" A brunette whispered, already snapping multiple photos.

"That reminds me, didn't those weird cards call Kamoshida a criminal?" Another student pulled out a red card she had saved from her pocket, "Check this out…"

"Holy shit, didn't they rain down from the sky? You don't think those phantom thieves are real, do you?" Someone else gossiped, but was rebutted by one of their more skeptical friends.

"No way. Stuff like that can't exist. There's gotta be a more sound explanation. What do you think, Makoto?"

The group of third years turned to their student president, who was caught on the spot. A girl with brunette hair cut into a short bob. Makoto Niijima was a rational person, someone more than capable of calling bullshit on most extraordinary things with a logical explanation. However, not even she could put all the pieces together this time around.

"As the cards did fall from the sky, it would be a vital clue if we can discover their origins." Bluffing her best, she felt herself unconsciously turn towards another person in the crowd, one with messy black hair and thick rimmed glasses. Somehow, she had picked him out through the sea of students, with an aloof expression on his face. While others held surprise, shock, or bewilderment, he alone did not react. It was if he already knew the results from the very start.

"F-for these sins! I'll kill myself right here and now!"

Shifting her attention back to Kamoshida, she saw a second year student yell at the instructor, calling him a coward.

"Turn yourself in and repent for what you did!" Ann pointed an accusatory finger, "You don't deserve the easy way out!"

"You're right.." Kamoshida bowed his head, "Someone, I'm begging! Someone please call the police! I'm turning myself in! I don't care if any of you take this to the media! Just let everyone know that I'm sorry!"

Scrolling through the online feeds, Minato saw the news headlines were now bombarded with the news of Kamoshida and his sudden confession. Watching, analyzing, and dissecting every clip he came across, he could tell the man had genuinely turned a new leaf. The once tyrant king was now kneeling before his slaves, begging for forgiveness.

"It worked…it really worked…"

Chuckling, his own body trembled in excitement. Those kids had done the impossible and now he knew he was on the right track. Gray eyes lit up in excitement, glowing in the darkness. It won't be long now. Humans were capable of change, desires could be stolen, and a change of heart could-!

"Ey, Mina, we're back!"

He snapped out of his trance, greeting the teens with a smile. "Hey, I saw the news, congrats on a job well done!"

"I know right? I can't believe that actually worked!" Ann chirped, "I have even more good news too! Shiho just awoke and I her told Kamoshida apologized!"

"That's fantastic news, lady Ann! I'm glad everything worked out in the end." Morgana jumped out of Akira's bag, landing on the rough alley concrete on all fours.

"Yea man! We finally showed that jackass who's boss " Ryuji was next to arrive, followed lastly by the raven haired Wild Card.

"With no mental shut downs in sight too. So it looks like stealing a shadow's desires is a surefire way to change them for the better." Minato concluded, "I have to say, your theory had some weight, Mona."

"Of course! I played one of the most vital roles in this operation after all."

"The first thing you did was slob all over that crown."

It took Akira a while to clean off whatever residue was on the item they stole. Pulling it out of his bag, he presented it to everyone, "Can't believe this was causing us all so much trouble."

"All for a tacky gold medal…" Ann hissed, "Anyways, I say we pun it off as soon as possible. I can't stand looking at it."

"Since it's a medal, it's gotta worth lots right?" The former star of the group perked up, examining the item in question.

"I doubt a fake would fetch the price of the real deal, but it's worth a shot. Who knows? We might just make some good change out of it either way." Pawing at the medal, Morgana knew it was a replica from one glance. But that didn't mean it wouldn't sell.

"Sweet! Maybe we can do some kind of celebration with the funds too!"

"Oh! Like a get together with unlimited ramen?"

"What? No, you're thinking too small, Ryuji." Ann began, the model practically beaming, "If we get enough funds, maybe we can try out that place!"

"Steak house?" Akira raised an eyebrow.

"No, even better."

"More ice cream?" Minato threw his input.

"It has all you can eat ice cream!"

"I'm in. But we have to get the funds to go to this place first don't we?" The veteran shifted his gaze to Akira, "So how do we plan to pawn this off? Know any places?"

"There's one, yea. Shady as hell, but I know someone who'll basically take anything." Akira returned his gaze, "Do you still have the rest of the junk we collected from that place?"

The veteran nodded, "Want me to help out? The bag's pretty heavy. We really raided that place clean."

"Glady."

Following the Wild Card, Minato went through numerous back alleys, until they landed on the city outskirts with a rundown shop hidden in the concrete jungle of broken buildings. Graffiti covered portions of the walls scribbled with crude text, along with sprinkles of trash laid across pothole littered ground was enough to make the average person's turn back at first sight's notice. When they stopped at the entrance, he noted the countless gun models on display and then the suspicious store keeper running the business when Akira greeted the man.

"Afternoon, boss. I bought some stuff you can look at." Not even flinching, Minato saw the boy pour out whatever junk they had stolen and onto the store keeper's front desk.

"Is that a gold medal?" The man picked up the item from the pile, "Hmmm, you know kid. Wasn't there an olympic medalist that got arrested from some high school recently?" He gave Akira a questionable look.

"Since I'm offering one now, wouldn't you say it'd fetch a higher price with all the news surrounding them?" The Wild Card smirked, which caused the man to sigh deeply.

"Alright, I won't ask any questions. Now how about I take the rest off of you too? Thirty thousand for the medal and another thirty for the rest of this junk?"

"Deal."

The store keeper then turned to Minato, now more warry, "And who's this friend you brought with you, kid?"

"Minato Arisato. It's nice to meet your acquaintance. Just a family friend looking out for him in the area." The bluenette reached out his hand. His smile was gentle, giving the air of a well mannered individual.

"You can call me Iwai." grasping firmly onto the other's hand, for a rough handshake, Iwai couldn't help but swallow his discomfort around the bluenette. His time in the Yakuza told him there was something off about him, yet he could not pinpoint what.

"I see you have a nice selection of models here. Akira's been raving about how good they are to me all the time."

"Hopefully, he isn't causing you too much trouble. Do take care to not have them be seen in public. It could cause some…issues."

"Thank you for your concern. I believe it is getting pretty late." Minato signaled for the boy to go, "We should get you home before your caretaker starts getting worried."

Iwai saw the two leave from the window with Minato joking around with Akira who snarked back ,leaving him alone with his thoughts in the shop. Now that he was left on his own, he began to realize why the blue haired man felt so off. Sinking down into his seat, he recalled some very nasty rumors spreading around the city outskirts. Recently, three members of a local loan shark gang were assaulted by someone of his exact description, all fully grown men, each with terrible body counts reduced to sobbing messes on the ground. This scared Iwai dearly.

And so he decided to keep his mouth shut, as he saw dead gray eyes peek back at him, fully knowledgeable of his fear.

Minato exited his apartment, teleporting to his intended destination in an instant, arriving at a tall Hilton building. With the palace spoils liquidated, the rest of the team had planned a celebration. A few moments later, he saw three familiar figures and a cat secretly hidden in the Wild Card's bag arrive by foot.

"You guys ready to go? We only have an hour's reservation for the spot." Ann beamed, leading everyone inside to register and then to a table in the center of a bustling buffet. From what Minato could tell it was quite fancy, with countless high profile figures. Shifting his gaze from face to face, he made sure to not meet any past acquaintances . Good, no one else was here.

"This is pretty fancy." Akira grabbed a bit of smoked salmon, sitting down next to Minato in the middle, meanwhile both Ryuji and Ann were already going through multiple plates of food. The former track star was woofing down piles of meat, compared to his counterpart stuffing down numerous flavors of exotic cake.

"Well yea! It is pretty well known. The Hilton buffet is the best!" Grabbing another piece, Ann made sure to sample all there was to offer. There was even a spicy sweet chocolate she managed to pick up from one of the more exotic tables.

"If we could do this after every heist, I'd be down for it." Ryuji bumped a glass with Akira, both downing what appeared to be root beer.

"Are you stupid? We can't go around throwing our money away like this and have people not question where it keeps coming from." Morgana chided, although he too was too engrossed in the food to really care.

"The cat has a point. We should create some kind of a collective fund if we want to keep going like this." Akira suggested, "Banks are traceable so I say cash is king."

"I am no cat-"

"I'm surprised all of you went along with this phantom thief business just like that." Minato said, "Although I agree that some people do need a wakeup call." He turned his head, gesturing to a rich lady scolding a waiter for dropping a plate of steak all over her dress.

"How much do you think this dress is worth?! I can't believe Hilton has such incompetent staff!" The women screamed, demanding compensation, before a manager hurried over, bowing and forcing the staff member to apologize before the scene was over.

Minato watched the teen's emotions change, from pity, to anger, then to a demand for justice. Even know he was the one who fired off a small gust of wind to cause the chaos. Of course, he felt sorry for the staff member, but he needed the team to be emotional and fight for a cause. A cause he would soon take over.

"The hell's her problem? It was an honest mistake." Ann hissed, her fork stabbed deep into her strawberry shortcake.

"Yea. Couldn't she have given that guy some leeway? People working service jobs already take enough shit." Ryuji put down his plate.

"He could have."

All heads turned to Minato.

"But she definitely would have sued the business at worst, or the man would have lost his job at best."

"She thinks she has enough backing from her family to take down anyone smaller than her." Akira stabbed a steak knife into his salmon, splitting it down the center like butter. "People like this don't know what it's like to be on the receiving end of an onslaught."

"So you suggest we do just that, huh?" Morgana meowed.

"To create a less shitty world? Why not."

"Are you all sure about this?" Minato egged them on, "Even with powers such as this, one misstep could send you to the big man upstairs. These people may not have persona, but they can wipe out entire family lines if they wanted to."

At that, the atmosphere at the table took on a somber mood, with one person looking to the other in deep introspection. If they couldn't change the world then who could? Who else would save the weak from the strong that misuse their resources for evil?

Akira stood up from his seat, pulling the knife out from the salmon, stabbing it into a cake in the center, "We may be weak, we may be few in numbers, and we may be risking our lives, however, refusing this opportunity may just be the biggest regret in our lives. Being scared to do the right thing."

A second knife placed itself near Akira's, "Second that. People deserve better. I can't just sit by and ignore anymore new Kamoshidas". Ann cut out a slice.

"I'm coming too. There's no telling who we could help with this. I'm gonna start running again." Ryuji pulled a second steak knife into the mix.

"Hey! Hey! What about me? I can't pick something like that-"

Minato placed a fork and a knife to the center, forming a metallic circle of blades, "There, I'll be your arm, Mona. We ran outta knives so I'm gonna use this fork instead."

"Aww noo, you'll ruin the icing!"

"Too late."

"This is so unfair, I was looking forward to that pudding!"

Minato held in a laugh, watching the teens fight over who would get the better slice. Ann pushed Ryuji's hand away from the most delicious part with a chocolate on top, and the track star was fighting her back. Morgana sneakily pawed off small amounts from the side, with Akira snatching up a stray strawberry when no one was looking.

Watching the scene made the bluenette feel at peace, fighting a yawn, he wanted to doze off right then and there for a while. However, he perked up when he noticed Akira suddenly stop, his eyes growing dark. Black pupils closely akin to a hawk's watched as a certain man passed by. Orange glasses, fancy suit, trailed by two equally well built body guards walking to the hotel's elevators.

The boy's hand trembled, shaking.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh-!?"

Minato patted the Fool on the shoulder, jolting him awake from his daze.

"Something bothering you?"

Akira shook his head, "My stomach hurts…I'll be back."

Watching the boy leave, Minato once again looked back in the direction of that man. All the determination Akira had raved about collapsed in an instant. It was as if he was facing an old trauma, a threat so high that he would need to reach the peaks of the metaverse to take down.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Hands in his pockets, Minato walked back to his apartment complex. By the time the celebration was over it was nightfall. Strolling under the starless night, he passed several street lights until he stopped at its entrance. Yet, just as he was going to head upstairs, he met eyes with the complex's manager. Still well dressed with his dark hair slicked back, the man known as Asano Gina, held a different personality in the darkness.

"Mr. Arisato, before you go. We would like to inform you of certain shady individuals prowling the night."

Asano's eyes narrowed, his mafia tattoos being revealed slightly from under his sleeves. Light obscured a part of his face. A hidden pistol strapped to his belt showing signs of use.

Minato shrugged, passing the manager, who stood as still as a statue.

"Please take care to lock up."

When the bluenette closed the door to his apartment, he collapsed on the other side, sliding down the wall until he was level with the floor. A hand clasped to his head and a smile growing on his face, revealing rows of teeth. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an old photo, staring at it as if he was looking into the past.

Letting out a sigh of relief, "Finally…I'm almost there…" He managed to choke out from his throat, exhausted. Sinking deeper down onto the wooden floor, Minato shivered, holding more of his emotions. Regret, guilt, shame, dragging him further into the abyss.

"Hamuko…just wait a while longer, alright?"

Authors Note: Like the surprise?