Chapter 12: Life Goes On

Emergency meeting.

This was something that Mitsuru hoped would never happen. Any sign of Nyx or the cult that had sprang up around it towards the end of that fateful year demanded an abundance of caution. She looked around the table. On her left sat Aigis, who betrayed no emotion through her movements due to her nature. However, her expression said it all. She just as worried about the news they had received from the Phantom Thieves.

On her right sat Akihiko Kirijo. She smiled fondly as she glanced at the wedding ring on her left hand. She knew that Akihiko wore his wedding band on a necklace, so it didn't get in the way of him punching people. She rolled her eyes. Truly a romantic.

He caught her looking and took her hand. "It'll be alright, Mitsuru. We're probably just freaking out over nothing."

Mitsuru bit her lip. "Maybe, but if it does become something..."

Any further conversation between the couple was abruptly halted by Junpei bursting into the room. "Sorry I'm late!" Chidori rolled her eyes at her husband-to-be. Some things never changed.

"You're actually early, Junpei-san." Aigis said.

"Huh? But wasn't this supposed to start at-" He turned to Chidori, a look of utter betrayal on his face. "You tricked me!"

She giggled and patted his cheek before taking a seat. "You'll get over it."

Mitsuru shook her head indulgently. While Chidori wasn't combat capable anymore due to her Persona having fused with Junpei's, in the years since the Dark Hour, she'd gone to college and became a psychologist. She specialized specifically in therapy for Persona users. Also, by some miracle only Junpei had any insight into, she'd fallen in love with him a second time.

Aigis's theory of Junpei's negative rizz having an integer overflow error and flipping around to maximum rizz was the only conceivable explanation.

Fuuka and Yukari were already there, and Yukari was exuding an aura of impatience. "Okay, can we move this along? I've got family problems to take care of."

"Wait, really?" Junpei said, "I thought you and your mom made up years ago?"

"It's new crap." Yukari said, "And not relevant to this meeting."

Fuuka looked at her friend. "Yukari..."

Mitsuru sighed. She knew that Ken would not be joining them, as he had given up his Evoker after the P4 Grand Prix incident. "Alright. To put it simply, the cult that popped up approximately a month before we battled Nyx never went away as we had previously thought."

"What the hell?" Junpei muttered.

"But... didn't Minato seal Nyx? Why are they still around? And why come back now?" Fuuka invoked the nickname they had for Makoto Yuki to avoid confusion when they would have to bring up the Phantom Thieves.

Mitsuru continued the briefing. "Yesterday, the Phantom Thieves accepted a request to change the heart of one Nozomi Suemitsu, who is one of the higher ups of the current iteration of the Nyx cult. When they encountered his Shadow in the Metaverse, he apparently became a Nyx Avatar."

"What?" Akihiko asked, "And they're still alive?"

"Damn it, Ren..." Yukari said.

Mitsuru nodded, "Yes, they're all alive. According to the report I received, the Nyx Avatar only used Arcana Shift once. The Thieves then defeated it with, and I quote, overwhelming force."

"So, what do we do?" Fuuka asked. "It's not like we can be around the Phantom Thieves all the time to help in case Nyx comes back somehow."

Mitsuru glanced at Yukari and noticed how tense she was. That made sense, because If Nyx broke out it meant that Makoto Yuki had died for nothing. "I have identified several businesses near the leader of the Phantom Thieves that some of us can take over to remain close and provide support if it comes to it. Fuuka, you'll take over the flower shop in Shibuya's underground mall. Akihiko, you'll take over the twenty-four gym in Shibuya. Ren Amamiya frequents that gym, so you will likely have the most contact with him. Junpei, if you are able, I would like you to take over the batting cages on Yongen-Jaya."

"Yeah, I can do that." Junpei said, "Some jackasses decided to light the Little League fields on fire, so I'm out of work at the moment."

"Heh, should be fun." Akihiko said, "Maybe I'll even have a chance so spar with the leader of the Phantom Thieves!"

"You still have that one track mind?" Aigis asked. "We should've expected this."

Mitsuru sighed. "Do I need to execute you, my dear?"

Akihiko adopted a roguish grin. "Go right ahead, Mitsuru. After all, the last time you did that, I ended up crushed between your-"

"What about me?" Chidori asked swiftly to prevent the mental images no one wanted to propagate.

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "I'm sending you psychological profiles on all of the Phantom Thieves. I want you to identify any potential powder kegs."

Chidori frowned. "Do we know the method of Awakening?"

Yukari shook her head. "No, but we do know that they do not use Evokers."

"Concerning."

Yukari sighed. "Is that it? Because I have to go lock horns with my stepdad over stupid crap and I have to drag Ren into it." Without waiting for an answer, she left the conference room.

"Yukari!" Mitsuru called out.

"WHAT?"

"You may be interested to know that Ren reported that he was successful in calling an Ace Detective an Ace Defective."

Junpei and Yukari looked at each other before they burst out laughing.

"Wait, Dad wants to WHAT?" Ren yelled.

They were in the attic of Leblanc. Yukari had told Ren she needed to meet him as soon as possible. He had expected some sort of Persona problem, but this...

Yukari only had to look away to confirm it.

"Dad's going to disown me?" Ren's voice cracked. "Are you kidding me? You've got to be. This is a terrible joke, Yukari."

Yukari said nothing. Her stare told him that this wasn't a joke. "Fucking..." He swore bitterly, "Does he care that much about his self-image that he can't handle me being related to him?"

"Ren, let me make something perfectly clear." Yukari said. "I am on your side. I am fully prepared to cut all ties with him if he does disown you."

"I'm guessing we have to go now?"

Yukari nodded. "Yeah, Dad wants to have a family meeting about it that'll happen with or without you."

Ren angrily wiped the tears pricking at his eyes. "Damn it... fine. But there's someone that has to come with us. God, this is not how I wanted her to meet them..."

Yukari's eyes went wide. "No..."

"Yep. I have a girlfriend. And she is going to be pissed." He pulled out his phone to call her, "On my behalf, I should add. And yes, she's a member of the Phantom Thieves."

Makoto answered after the second ring. "Hey, you. What's wrong? Usually, you text if you want to hang out."

"Oh, nothing much. Dad wants to disown me. We're having a family meeting about it today. I need you." Ren said.

"Give me twenty minutes and I'll be ready. Where are we meeting?"

"My sister and I will pick you up." Ren said, "Makoto... I... "

"I'll stand by you no matter what, Ren." Makoto knew that he knew that, but she also knew that he needed to hear it right now.

"Thanks, Makoto." Ren said, "I love you."

"I love you too." She hung up.

Ren grabbed his bag and motioned to Morgana. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

"This is not how I imagined meeting your parents, Ren." Makoto said.

Ren sighed. They were standing outside the home he grew up in. The home he had mourned his birth mother in. The home he could very well find himself exiled from forever in the next few minutes. He looked down at his hands to find them shaking. "I... I'm sorry."

She took his hand. "Nothing about this is your fault, Ren."

He swallowed. "I know. It's just hard to see it that way right now."

Morgana was mercifully silent, he kept his head out of the bag, just in case Ren needed him.

"Well, now or never." Yukari muttered. She took out her keys and opened up the door. "Hey, we're here!" She called out. Their party filed into the house and took their shoes off before moving into the living room. Both Isako and Akira Kurusu were waiting for them.

"Who's this?" Akira asked, motioning to Makoto.

"Makoto Niijima. I'm Ren's girlfriend."

Akira frowned. "You seem like a perfectly fine young lady, why would you waste your time with someone like Ren?"

All at once, any remaining patience Ren and Yukari had gone out the window. "The hell is your damage?" She seethed. Ren said nothing. He was just tired of being the world's whipping boy.

Isako raised her hands in a calming gesture, "Please stop, yelling won't solve anything here."

Yukari set her shoulders back. "Oh, yes. Because abandoning Ren will solve everything, right?"

"Yukari, you need to understand the position we're in." Akira said, "I've already been passed up for a promotion once because of... ah..."

"Just say it." Ren spat. "You've already decided, haven't you? This isn't a discussion or an opportunity to plead you to change your mind."

Akira continued his insidious assault, "Don't you see how this affects me- us, Ren? Even if you're innocent, the stigma will follow you and everyone connected to you forever. You'll be working dead end jobs forever, and that's if you don't relapse-"

"Re-" Ren was angry, and wanted to scream and shout at his father -the person who were supposed to protect him when no one else would- but he couldn't find the mental energy, "I didn't do anything wrong! How is protecting a woman from some drunk guy something wrong?"

"That isn't what her testimony said." Akira said sullenly.

"She lied!" Ren snapped, "And because that trial went at lightning speed-"

"Enough, this isn't a discussion." Akira said. "Ren, I will be disowning you as soon as the paperwork goes through. Yukari, you'll cut ties with him too, yes?"

"Go fuck yourself." Yukari swore. "Actually- no, you'd probably enjoy that too much. I don't give a damn what you say. He's my brother, and I'm going to stick with him no matter what."

"But your career-"

Yukari snorted. "Please, the original Red Feather still draws massive crowds on the convention circuit even through its well known that he's a massive asshole. I'll survive." She folded her arms. "Why do you care so much, anyways?"

Ren activated Third Eye and took in his parents' body language. Arsene, I'm in no shape to interpret this. Can you lend a hand?

Arsene responded immediately, "Your stepmother feels trapped in her marriage, but doesn't want to leave. Based on what Yukari has told you about her past, I'd wager she doesn't want to be alone again. As for your father, from what I can gather from your memories and what I've seen here, it seems that he cares only for himself and his own self-image. I'm speculating, but I think he might see your stepmother as nothing but a leech, the cost of being able to tell people that his stepdaughter is an actress."

Akira brushed her concerns aside. "I care about your future, Yukari. After all, you're my only child."

"Akira!" Isako said.

Makoto finally spoke her verdict. "Despicable."

"Excuse me?" Akira said, "Look, Niijima-san, what would your parents do if-"

"Uh oh." Morgana and Ren said in unison.

"My parents are dead." Makoto stood, her fists shaking with her pure, undiluted fury at the failure that dared to call himself Ren's father. "My mother died giving birth to me, and my father died in the line of duty as a police commissioner. But I know one thing. If I was in Ren's shoes right now, they would not abandon me. You make me sick. Parents aren't supposed to abandon their kids!"

"Do you not understand how much of a burden he is on us?" Akira yelled, "He's eating away at our lives!"

"No, he's not!" Isako interjected, "Akira, stop this! Can't you see we're about to lose both our children forever?"

"Did I ask you for your opinion?" Akira responded coldly

"Do I look like I care? Do your damn job! You're his father for God's sake! You're supposed to protect him when no one else will! You're supposed to be his shelter from the storm, not throw him into it!" Makoto was getting far too emotional. It didn't help that Ren's father had said the exact same things that Sae often said to her. "Forgive my language, but I have no other words to properly describe you." She locked eyes with Akira, subjecting him to the death glare that was the last thing that many Shadows in the Metaverse saw, "You are a piece of shit."

Yukari shook her head. They were never going to convince him. "Let's go. This is a lost cause." As Ren and Makoto got up to leave, Yukari turned to her stepfather. "Do not attempt to contact me. We're done. I don't care who's hurt or who's dying, I will not respond."

"Yukari-" Akira began to say.

"If I wasn't clear already, FUCK OFF!"

Akira looked between the rest of his family. Isako refused to meet his eyes. If looks could kill, Yukari would've struck him dead a hundred times over. He stood and began to walk away. "If you want to keep anything from your room, take it now. Tomorrow it all goes in the trash. Where it belongs. With you."

"Go to hell." Makoto said, sensing how Ren had recoiled from that parting shot.

After Akira had left, Isako shook her head. "Yukari, Ren... I'm sorry... I tried to stop it; I did. But he won't see reason."

"Selfish bastard." Yukari said. "Mom, I-"

Isako stood up and hugged her daughter. "I know, Yukari. You're going to do what you think is right. I would not expect anything less."

Ren stood. "I guess... I'll go through everything." He didn't want to, it was going to be too painful right now, and his father knew that. Damn him.

"Ren, wait a moment."

He turned to Isako. "What?"

She approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I know that I could never replace your birth mother, Ren. I've never tried." She pulled him into a hug. "Regardless of what your father might say, I will never stop believing in you, Ren. I know you're innocent, because I know you're a good boy, no- a good man." She looked into his eyes, and an understanding passed between them. "Stay the course. Never give up."

Ren sobbed. Like so many other things in his life, this wasn't fair. But he would have to find a way forward regardless. "I... I love you, mom."

From Yukari's muffled curse and the way Ren's tears intensified, Makoto realized that this was the first time that Ren had called Isako that. Ren broke away from her and she turned to Makoto. "He hasn't been giving you too much trouble, has he?"

Makoto shook her head. "No, ma'am. I know this might be... extreme to say this at this point, what with me and Ren still being in high school, but I honestly can't see myself ever leaving him."

Isako smiled. "Good, if Ren needs anything it's a good woman by his side to make sure he keeps his head on straight."

"We should go." Yukari said.

"What about the stuff in Ren's room?" Makoto asked.

"Knowing Da- Akira he's probably going to call the cops on us for trespassing if we linger much longer." She spoke.

Ren looked towards the stairs. "No, there's something I need." He ran up the stairs and headed towards his room. He threw open the door and headed to his desk. Sitting on the right side was a battered TV, but it was what it had hooked up to it that was more important. The old game console and his collection of retro video games. He glanced around the room. His models could all be replaced given time. He had the clothes he liked to wear with him already. Everything else was just... stuff. He grabbed a duffel bag and shoved the console, games, and cables in.

Then he left for the last time.

As they walked to the car, Makoto started to cry. "This isn't right." She managed to get out, "Parents shouldn't leave their kids. Unless... they have to." No one else said anything as they drove away.

On the drive home, Ren fell asleep, and his head ended up in Makoto's lap. Morgana hopped out of the bag and curled up with them. "Whatever gods are deciding to screw with his life are being far too cruel. He doesn't deserve this." Morgana said.

"No, he doesn't." Makoto gently removed his glasses from his face, so he didn't have to worry about breaking them. Then she leaned down and kissed his forehead. "He's in our care now. We'll protect him. No matter what."

Yukari's shoulders sagged as she relaxed. Ren was in good hands now. Yes, the world would continue to try to tear him down. But he had friends and loved ones who stood ready to come to his defense.

Today was a dark day, yes.

That just meant it was almost time for the sun to rise.

As far as his friends knew, Ren was fine. He had told them that his father had disowned him and that he was having a rough time, but he didn't need them to make a big deal about it.

In reality? He was pissed.

The worst part was that it wasn't the kind of anger that you could put into words. It was just a pervasive red haze over everything. Anything and everything was making it fester. He couldn't take the risk that the wrong thing would set him off and he would lash out and-

God, what if he hit Makoto? Merely imagining the look of utter betrayal on her face was enough to send him into a tailspin.

He did the only thing he could think of to work out his aggression. He went to the gym, threw on some boxing gloves, and started giving the heavy bag the business.

There wasn't any form. There wasn't any discipline. There was barely any self-control. There was just a teenager who could barely contain his all-consuming anger about everything that had happened to him.

On the edge of his vision, he was mildly aware of someone coming over and holding the bag for him so he didn't have to stop every few punches to wait for the bag to settle. He misjudged a wild hook and tripped. His path towards the ground was suddenly halted by a pair of hands grabbing him before he fell. "Easy there, kid."

Ren took a moment to catch his breath before looking at the man. He was of average height, and wore a tank top and boxing trunks. The scars on his face and chest spoke to a life of danger. Oddly, his hair was purely white. "Thanks. I'm... not having a good day."

"Just not good? Damn, I'd hate to see you on a bad day." He extended one of his fists for a fist bump, which Ren reciprocated. "Name's Akihiko." He pointed a thumb towards the door that lead to a boxing ring. "You want to go a few rounds? It helps getting the anger out if you get hit back."

Ren shook his head. "No, I don't want to hurt you."

Akihiko laughed. "That's cute, kid. Come on."

He walked off and Ren followed. He climbed into the ring while Akihiko got his gloves on. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Akihiko snorted. "Sure. Whatever you say. Oh, you got a mouthguard? Or headgear? You're gonna need them." When Ren didn't answer he threw pairs of each at him. "How long you wanna go?"

Ren put his headgear on. "Until I'm unconscious or I'm not pissed at the world anymore."

Akihiko let out a breath. "Damn, it's almost like Shinji decided to come haunt me for a bit." He muttered. He finished getting his gloves on, then got in the ring. "Ready?"

Ren put his hands up. "Ready."

Akihiko grinned. "Ding ding."

The anger that had been simmering in Ren finally boiled over. He lunged forward and unleashed a punch at the smug smile on Akihiko's face. Akihiko juked to the right, letting Ren's blow sail on by. Then he countered with a blow of his own.

Ren blinked. Why was he staring at the ceiling? He scrambled to his feet to find Akihiko waiting for him. "You'll never beat me if you just swing like a wild man." He said.

Ren put his hands up and advanced, slower this time. Akihiko had a point. If he just flung around without care in the Metaverse, the consequences could be deadly. He needed to treat this the same, He had to take his anger, focus it into a single white hot point-

Akihiko fired off a punch at his head again, but Ren had his number this time. He ducked under it and popped back up with an uppercut. It solidly connected with his opponent's jaw, but only made him step back. Ren kept up his assault with a classic 123 combination. Akihiko blocked them all high, leaving his core exposed. Ren took advantage with a gut punch using every ouce of his strength.

-and release!

Akihiko was flung back into the ropes. He cocked his head. "Not bad. Let's see how you keep up with this." He launched forward and unleashed a measured onslaught of blows, all while strategically repositioning to avoid what counters Ren was able to muster. Ren had no choice but to weather the assault. Finally he was sent to the ground again. "Stay down, kid."

Ren paused to take stock of his emotional state. He was understandably annoyed that he had throughly gotten taken apart by Akihiko. But the haze of anger that had fallen over him was gone, He spat out his mouthguard, "Yeah, alright,"

"A Wild Card giving up so soon? Now I've seen it all."

Ren snapped up to a sitting position. "You know who I am? What I am?"

Akihiko nodded. "I'm married to Mitsuru. Of course I know." He took off his gloves and sat next to Ren. "What's got your trunks in a twist? Is it real life or is it... other stuff?"

"Real life. My dad disowned me." If he knew who he was, then a long winded explanation wouldn't be necessary.

Akihiko knew he wasn't the best with words, but there had to be something he could say. "That's rough, buddy."

Ren shot Akihiko a look, then he started laughing, laughing, and laughing some more. It came out of him in a torrent. Just the sheer incredulity of someone quoting that line at him in response to his troubles made all the anger melt away. "God, I needed that."

Akihiko got up and offered Ren a hand. "That's all it takes sometimes. You ever want to go at it again, I'll be here."

Ren chewed on the inside of his mouth for a second. "Could you teach me how to fight like you do?" He fidgeted, "I guess I'm just paranoid about not having something to fallback on in the Metaverse if I get disarmed."

"Sure, come by whenever. I'll be here."

As Ren left he muttered to himself. "If someone had told me this morning that getting my ass kicked was going to help with my anger, I would've been very skeptical..."

Time moved inexorably forward, and as such, Ren continued to forge new bonds and strengthen old ones. A chance encounter with a Shogi prodigy yielded a bond of the Star, while finally responding to Mishima's incessant requests to hang out created the bond of the Moon. He began to help Yusuke out of a creative slump that had settled in since Madarame had turned himself in. He helped Ryuji ensure Shujin's track team could endure by exposing their advisor as a Kamoshida in the making.

Also, Ren noticed that Kasumi had stopped pining for him with such abruptness that he was mildly concerned. However, with no way to broach the topic without stepping on a landmine that would threaten team cohesion, he opted not to poke at it. He also noticed that she was spending a lot of time with Ann for some reason. Was it related?

Regardless, Ann's grades improved. When she complained about all the extra studying Kasumi was making her do, Ren could only nod in solidarity. Half the time he and Makoto spent together ended up being a study session. He didn't mind, of course. It made him feel like college was actually within his grasp instead of just a pipe dream.

Oddly, Ryuji echoed her complaints. For some reason. When pressed on who he was studying with he clammed up. Yusuke had helpfully pointed out that if Ryuji's exam scores didn't improve, then they could make fun of him. If they did, then there was a mystery to solve.

Finals came and went, with decidedly less panic than usual. Ren was unconcerned about his score, given the amount of times Morgana parroted "Oh, we can do this!" Luckily he learned how to talk to Ren in class without meowing loudly to everyone else.

Plans were quickly made to go to the fireworks festival. Which was why Ren was waiting in Shibuya Station with Ryuji, Morgana, and Yusuke.

"Damn it!" Ryuji complained. "Why is it so hot?"

"It is the middle of July, Ryuji." Yusuke said. "Why aren't you two wearing yukata?"

"Don't got one." Ryuji said.

"My dad threw mine in the trash." Ren deadpanned.

Ryuji cringed. "Dude, I get wanting to shit on shitty dads, but come on..."

They were interrupted by two high school age girls they didn't recognize. One was wearing a purple yukata while the other one was in pink. "Hey, are you going to the fireworks festival?"

The other twirled her hair. "Do you, like, want to go together?" She batted her eyes at them and giggled.

Ren grinned. "Sorry ladies, I'm spoken for."

"Same." Ryuji said.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, but directed his attention to the girls. "Apologies, but I would rather attend the festival with my friends."

The first girl advanced on Ren, "Oh, come on. Don't be laaaaaame. I'm sure a guy like you has a few dirty little secrets tucked away, yeah?"

Arsene, help!

"Again, you don't want my help with this."

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

They turned and saw Makoto, Ann, and Kasumi, all resplendent in their own yukata. "Oh, just hitting on this cute guy. He says he has a girlfriend, but I think he's just playing hard to get." The girl in the purple yukata took her life into her own hands and dragged a finger along Ren's chin. "Aren't you, baby?"

Makoto sighed. "That girl seems pretty interested in you, Ren." She moved between Ren and the girl, then pressed her body up against him. He automatically wrapped his arms around her and held her close. One of her hands came up to caress his cheek. "It's such a shame that you already have a woman."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "I don't mind sharing..."

Makoto made a show of looking the offender up and down as if she was actually considering it. "No. Run along now."

"Makoto?" Ren asked as soon as the interlopers had left.

"Yes, Ren?"

"Please be possessive of me more often."

Makoto tilted her head to the side. "Hmm, I'll need to take that under advisement. Perhaps I can make allowances for good behavior, my darling thief."

Kasumi flinched with secondhand embarrassment. "Was I that cringe?" She whispered to Ann.

"Probably?" She admitted. "It's okay, you get to be that cringe about me now."

Kasumi smiled and took her hand. "Thank you for reminding me, mon amour."

"Wait a sec! When did this happen?" Ryuji asked while gesturing towards Ann and Kasumi.

Yusuke stroked his chin. "Yes, this is rather sudden, isn't it?"

Ann brandished a finger gun at Yusuke with her free hand. "Good question."

Kasumi preened. "And we refuse to elaborate." She and Ann turned and left for the festival, with Ren and Makoto hot on their heels.

Ryuji couldn't help but smile as they walked out into the night air. "Hey, Yusuke? Do you know what you want to do with your life yet?"

"Art." Yusuke said simply. "But I'm still struggling with the cognitive dissonance between simply painting for the love of art and painting for money. I... don't want to become like Sensei."

Ryuji shrugged. "So don't. I mean, you need money to paint, right? And to y'know, survive."

Yusuke frowned. "Let me pose a hypothetical question. Let's say someone significant in the art world has asked if they can become my patron. But in return they want to market me as a... tortured artist. What would you do?"

Ryuji furrowed his brow in thought. "A couple weeks ago I'd tell you to take the deal without a second thought. But now... I don't know. Is it okay if I talk about what I'm planning?"

Yusuke nodded. "Of course."

"I want to run." Ryuji said, "But with my bum leg, the chances of that are low. Me and Ren have been training sure, but honestly? Any plans of getting back into track during high school are probably shot. I need rehab for my leg if I'm going to have any shot at running in college."

"What will you do if even rehab doesn't work?" Yusuke asked.

"Before I met... someone special, I wouldn't be able to tell you." He smiled, "But now I know. If the verdict comes back that I can't run good enough to do it competitively, I'm gonna go into sports medicine. Help people who want to do what I want to do. I'm still going full tilt towards my dream. But now I ain't being reckless about it." He laughed. "It's weird, man. I think your problem is that you're being too strict with yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.

"I mean... why do you think your mom painted the Sayuri?"

Yusuke did a double take. He thought about it. "I don't know... her health was failing, but yet she put all her remaining life into it. She could've painted anything for her final masterpiece, but she chose to paint herself holding me as a baby."

"I think it's because she had hope." Ryuji said, displaying wisdom that no one would have expected from him. "Hope that you would find a better life that she would've ever been able to give you."

"Hope..." Yusuke looked ahead and saw Ren and Makoto sharing a tender moment. Her hand against his cheek, his soft smile. As their teammate, he knew of their struggles. Especially Ren's recent issues with his father. He put his hands up and framed them. "There." He had not told Ryuji that he had refused the offer due to the stipulations involved and had entered into a contest to earn the same deal, but through his own ability.

And now he knew what he was going to paint.

Ryuji scratched the back of his neck. "Uh... did you figure something out?"

"Yes, I believe I have. Thank you, my friend."

"Cool."

"Yes, it is very cool, Ryuji. And so have you."

"Eh?" Captain Kidd? You're actually talking to me?

"Heh. Wouldn't be fair to jump-scare you with what's about to happen. You've been so focused on your goals and helping your lady friend that you haven't even noticed how much you've grown."

(Music Start: Persona 5 OST - Our Beginning)

Yusuke noticed that Ryuji was off-balance. "Ryuji? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a twinge from my leg. Just give me a moment." What do you mean? I just have a plan B now?

"That is true, but you also take the time to help others, you're embracing the possibility of failure, and you have discovered that failure is not the end. You have overcome the reverse of your Arcana, the Chariot. You do not hesitate to take control of your life, as you once did. As a result, your heart has grown stronger, and me along with it."

In his mind's eye, he could see Captain Kidd glow brightly and begin to morph. Becoming something better. Stronger. He placed his hand over his heart, "I am thou... thou art I..."

Ann looked back at them to tell them to hurry up. Then she saw what was happening. She chose to stay quiet and let Ryuji have the moment.

Captain Kidd? That was the Ryuji of yesterday. Now, he... his Persona was Seiten Taisei! "No way!" He muttered. "My Persona... became Sun Wukong?"

"Don't let it go to your head."

Ryuji grinned as he rejoined his friends. He was ready for whatever life decided to throw at him now. And as for Haru's dilemma, well he didn't have an answer yet.

That was okay though. He had faith in her, his friends, and himself. That would be enough, he reckoned.

Enough to make a miracle.

(Music End)

A/N: Yep, emergency meeting. Mitsuru may or may not have a big red button that immediately sends messages out to the rest of SEES.

Did you think I wouldn't have Akihiko and Mitsuru be together? Ha! That's a good one! Tell another!

Ren's dad is a dick. Ren's just realizing it for the first time in the worst possible way. At least he gets his retro games out of it.

Have no fear about Isako, she'll be leaving that ass, it'll just take her a bit to figure things out.

Okay, real talk time. Ren's anger at everything is actually based on something from my personal life. Long story short, after my parents divorced, I went through a period where I was just angry. It wasn't directed at anyone or anything in particular, but it was almost inescapable.

Luckily Ren has Akihiko to knock some sense into him.

The fireworks festival happens. Makoto awakens something in Ren. Ryuji evolves his Persona. Ann and Kasumi confuse everyone.

We all know what comes next.

It's time to rouse the Oracle from her slumber, and for the Boss to rise from his solitude to protect his charges.