Chapter XXI: Fractured Love
Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School (青山学院小学校)/Shibuya, Tokyo (渋谷区, 東京)/August 4, 2019 (2019年8月4日)/(Reality: August 4, 2021)/9:20 PM (JST)
A few days have passed since the Third Yami Matter event in the alternate Crimson dimension and Nomura's Obscurity in their dimension. The Vein Remnants were filled in on every specific and gruesome detail that happened. They learned how Persona's Ascendancy being used led to horrific consequences in the Crimson dimension. Ren was still shaken from accidentally killing civilians and Makoto (P5-Crimson). And even despite Hifumi resetting that dimension to its original setting, it still wasn't enough to erase the tragic and horrifying results Persona's Ascendancy caused.
However, the Thieves were back home and had to try to move on, as hard as they might be. Ren, especially, had it hard to move on and this started to affect his relationship with Ann.
It was another night. Another night outing for the Phantom Thieves. Another meddlesome spirit caused a ruckus in some local prefectures.
However, this troubled spirit was joined by another.
The Phantom Thieves faced off against the Toilet Ghost Couple: Aka Manto and Hanako-san. These two spirits recently formed a bond after chance encounters raiding restrooms in local schools. By teaming up, the Toilet Ghost Couple, a name the duo came up with, set about to haunt unsuspecting female students. However, their actions just happened to garner the attention of Shujin's urban legends: the Phantom Thieves.
Joker, Panther, Skull, Mona, and Queen formed a circle and surrounded the Toilet Ghost Couple. Readily arming themselves with their choice of weapons, the Phantom Thieves confronted the culprits of the school bathroom incidents.
"Heheh, well look what we have here! A bunch of grown-ups dressed up in silly costumes!" giggled a small girl figure. She is a young girl spirit. She is a roughly 4'5 feet tall girl with pale skin and shady-looking eyes. She has bobbed neck-length black hair. She has on a yellow shirt coupled with a red dress and red shoes. Her skirt has a rose crest embellished on her red skirt.
The taller masked figure chortled next to her. "They wear costumes and masks to hide their faces. Are you trying to copy me?" He is a white-masked man garbed in a blood-red cloak. The mask has slanted and spooky eyes and an equally spooky mouth. This evil spirit carried with him two different colored rolls of toilet paper. In his right hand, he had a blue roll. In his left hand, he had a red one.
"Hey, Aka Manto. I think these are the Phantom Thieves we've heard about."
"Then, why don't we humor them and challenge their urban legend status, Hanako-san?"
Tapping the bludgeon pipe on his right shoulder, Skull rolled his eyes. "Ok, are ya done talking?"
"YES!" The Toilet Ghost Couple shouted.
"Good, 'cause we ain't in the mood to hear y'all run your mouths off!"
Queen fiercely snarled as she rushed them with fists clenched. "Then, let's finish this up now!" She lunged at the Toilet Ghost Couple, throwing a powerful punch, which forced them to evade her. "Get back here!"
"Catch us while you can!" Hanako-san patted her butt, mocking the Phantom Thieves.
Aka Manto then veered toward Joker and Panther. Escaping his mouth, despite his face and lips concealed behind his mask, the spirit warned them. "And don't think we can sense something awry with your emotional relationship."
This elicited an irked facial and emotional response from the aforementioned couple. Joker was bothered, but Panther's eyes burned with fury. Swinging her whip hard, a streak of fire burst out and nearly scorched the Toilet Ghost Couple. The spirits quickly retreated, forcing the Phantom Thieves to give chase.
"Don't let them get away, guys!" Mona shouted as he and the Thieves pursued the spirits.
Joker and Panther raced ahead to catch up with the Toilet Ghost Couple. Renewed with furious vigor, Panther picked up the pace and outran Joker, much to the Phantom Thief leader's shock. Knowing full well how moody his wife had been since the incident, he wasn't expecting her to be full of anger tonight.
"Hey! Slow down, Panther!" Joker called out.
"No way! These two are mine!" Panther retorted as she and Joker ended up outside the gates near an empty playground. She and Joker scanned the area, tightly gripping her fire-imbued whip in hand.
Joker meticulously scanned the playground. When Aka Manto materialized behind him, Panther instinctively tossed her whip at the spirit. She didn't even give Joker a heads-up and attacked without provocation. Upon seeing his wife throw her whip toward him, he noticed Aka Manto behind him. He barely sidestepped the whip. Aka Manto, too, dodged Panther's strike.
As he rolled on the ground, he fired his Tyrant Pistol at the spirit. Hopping down in front of Aka Manto, Hanako-san intervened and moved him out of the way.
With his lips curving downward, Joker heatedly confronted her. "Panther, a little warning next time?!"
Furrowing her brows, Panther gave him the cold shoulder and focused intently on the troublesome spirits. She tossed her fiery whip at the two, making them dodge. Joker grabbed Panther's right shoulder, causing her to whip around and snarl.
"What now?! They're getting away!" Panther berated him.
"What is with you?!" Joker confronted her.
As the spirits noticed the heated confrontation, they taunted the couple.
"Well, are we having marital problems?" Hanako-san chortled, openly mocking their fractured relationship. She walked around, making creepy faces to distract the couple, but nothing she did got them to even notice her.
Throwing both toilet rolls at Joker and Panther, the rolls exploded like bombs, causing the couple to snap back to the reality of their situation. Joker jumped away on his left. Panther rolled away on the ground.
"Now do we have your attention?" Aka Manto rebuked, conjuring another set of toilet rolls. "We can't help but notice you both have some issues to work out."
Hanako-san added with a sinister chuckle. "But, don't worry we're gonna flush your relationship down!"
Scowling with irritation, the incensed red leather-clad Phantom Thief threw her whip at Aka Manto. Aka Manto dodged and threw another toilet roll. With a shot from his pistol, Joker blasted the roll into paper pieces. As Aka Manto and Hanako-san charged Joker and Panther, the Phantom Thieves jumped away, causing the Toilet Ghost Couple to crash into each other.
As the spirits fell, they bickered heatedly.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Hanako-san fiercely screamed.
"I should be saying the same to you," Aka Manto retorted toward her.
Preparing to take the Toilet Ghost Couple down, the other Phantom Thieves arrived and intervened on Joker and Panther's behalf. With a shotgun in hand, Skull shot at Aka Manto first. Having summoned Diego, Mona's Persona cast Magarudyne to blast Aka Manto, but Hanako-san managed to jump away at the last second. However, Queen sprang off a rooftop and flew down, catching Hanako-san with a Nuclear Fist to the spirit's face, sending her crashing into the playground.
As frustration consumed her, Panther stood up and fiercely glared down at the two spirits. Channeling intense flames in her whip, the wild flames matched her inner wrath.
While Mona healed Joker with Dia, he turned back to Panther's direction.
"Lady Ann, come over here so I can heal you!"
Silence. Panther intentionally ignored the cat.
"Please, Lady Ann!"
With eyes full of ire, Panther walked right over to the spirits. The fires surrounding her whip became intense and frenzied. The other Phantom Thieves noted Panther's odd behavior and took caution.
"Hey, Panther! Mona just told you to get healed!" Skull called out, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Panther continued her calm and methodical march toward the spirits. Her footsteps sounded like rhythmic heartbeats. When the spirits looked up at Panther, they saw her eyes became cold and devoid of the energetic spark they once had.
"Ann!" Queen instead tried calling out by her friend's real name.
Aka Manto grabbed Hanako-san's hand and tried to flee, but a shot from Joker's pistol stopped them dead in their tracks. Panther summoned Celestine into battle. A pillar of intense flames kicked up, surrounding her and the Persona. Everyone witnessed those devoid eyes become possessed with fiery vexation.
Trying to reasonably reach his wife, Joker yelled out to Panther. "ANN!" He and the others watched as Panther's flames wiped out the schoolyard equipment structure that obstructed her path. The flames quickly consumed Hanako-san and wiped her out, her screams faded as quickly as her entire existence did.
Having witnessed his partner-in-crime cleansed away, Aka Manto was aghast in disbelief. Joker and the other Phantom Thieves were taken aback by Panther's lack of regard for her surroundings and public property. The wild flames reminded Joker of his blue fire and were equally as potent.
"What are you waiting for, Joker?! Now!" Panther snapped, waiting for Joker to take his cue to attack Aka Manto. Her patience quickly grew thin. "God, do I have to do everything around here?!" She and Celestine turned their intensified flames on Aka Manto.
However, Joker took action and saved Aka Manto from sharing Hanako-san's fate. He hit Aka Manto with a headshot and wiped him out. Having witnessed her husband take out the other meddlesome spirit, Panther scoffed and called off Celestine. Once she calmed, her flames died down.
"Guys, we need to clear this fire out!" Mona called out as Panther walked away.
While Skull and Queen put out the fires caused by Panther and Celestine, Joker and Mona watched Panther walk away.
"Lady Ann!"
"Ann! Hold on!" Joker called to her.
Panther stopped dead in her tracks and scowled in irritation. "What the hell do you want now? We took care of those spirits, didn't we?" She whipped around. Her scornful eyes glared at Joker and Mona. "Can I just go home already?"
"Your behavior was erratic, Lady Ann! This isn't like you!" Mona openly cried to her.
"Yeah, you've been so moody and bitchy these past few days. What the hell is eatin' at ya, Ann?!" Skull questioned her. "Talk to us! What the hell is up with ya?!"
Queen nodded. "I wasn't there in that other dimension, but I know based on what you told me what happened was a horrific experience. But, don't keep whatever's bothering you bottled up! Tell us!"
As Panther frowned and turned away, Joker approached her. "Ann, please! Stay and listen…!"
"Stop. Right. There."
Joker halted his march as Panther's words stopped him. She glanced past her right shoulder and scoffed.
"Look at you. You still haven't gotten over what happened in that dimension. Are you still feeling guilty for accidentally killing those people? The same people who called us monsters?" Panther questioned the Phantom Thief leader in a low and undignified tone. "Get over it already! Worry about what happens in our future! Not anyone else's!"
"Ann…!"
"Stay back!" Panther turned and hissed, obstructing Joker's path with a pillar of fire. As she forced him back, Panther scoffed and walked away, leaving her friends to pick up the pieces.
"Dude, what's eating her?" Skull asked Joker. "You didn't say anything…"
"I haven't said anything, but she's been distant and moody since we came back."
Queen approached Joker. "Do you want me to talk with her?"
"No, I have to do this."
Mona conveyed grave concern. "Please do, Joker. I'm worried about her."
Taking a deep breath, Joker rushed out of the school playground and followed his wife's supposed direction. He completely lost her on the way back. However, he knew of one place she likely might've gone: their apartment.
Amamiya-Takamaki Residence (奄美・高崎 レジデンス)/Shibuya, Tokyo (渋谷区, 東京)/10:10 PM (JST)
Returning from the elementary school location, Ren opened the door anticipating his wife to be home. He noticed the entire apartment was obscured in darkness save the light in the kitchen. After taking off his shoes and shutting the door behind him, Ren's Adam's apple moved as he swallowed hard. His mouth became dry like sand.
He walked into the hall. The sound of a thunderstorm emanated outside the apartment. It also started to rain and downpour just when Ren walked in. The unsettling thunder and rain brought an unsettling vibe to the dark atmosphere.
As he walked by the living room, his eyes discerned dark shades and shadows shifting around the dark space. This further added to the disconcerting vibes he got. Ren looked away and headed for the kitchen.
Just then, he paused and turned when a pair of blue eyes opened up. The same cold, lifeless eyes he saw not too long ago glared at him dead in his tracks. A flash of lightning crackled outside the window as the bright flash revealed Amamiya-Takamaki Ann, sitting in a chair. Rising from the chair, Ann methodically walked up to her husband.
"Hello, dear. I've been waiting for you," Ann addressed him in a collective but cold tone.
"Ann."
"Did you make sure to leave your shoes at the door and lock up?"
"Ann, listen…"
She got up right in Ren's face. Her dull and lifeless eyes stared into Ren. Feeling chills going down his back, the man was unnerved by the woman's unsettling glare. She slapped the side wall with her hand.
"I said, did you leave your shoes by the door and lock up?"
"Y-Yeah, I did."
Clenching her hand, Ann leaned back. A demure and creepy smirk adorned her features. "Good." She inhaled deeply and pointed to the couch. "Come, why don't we talk, dear?"
"Ann, what's up with you? You never call me dear. And this tone you're taking with me. What's going on? You haven't been yourself these past few days. The way you killed that spirit, destroyed that school property with your fire, and left us to clean up your mess! Ann, get your shit together!"
With her back facing Ren's, Ann rolled her eyes and made mocking faces.
"Oh, that's rich, Amamiya Ren, especially coming from you. The same guy who flipped out and went all psychopathic dragon on us, pretty much burning down Shibuya, and accidentally causing the deaths of innocence! And ohoho! You have the nerve to say I haven't been myself and I should get my shit together?!"
"Ann!"
She whipped around, uncurling her lips into a vicious snarl. "NO! YOU SHUT UP!" Her outburst silenced Ren. "Heh, now do I have your attention? Yeah, you're the one who hasn't been yourself. You still haven't gotten over that incident a few days ago!"
"I know you're still affected by what happened, Ann! The others who went with us are still hurting! I mean, for god's sake, even Morgana hasn't gotten good sleep!"
Ann nonchalantly shrugged. "That's my problem, how? Morgana's a big boy. He can take care of himself. He's got that blonde vampire bitch to coddle him. He doesn't need his Lady Ann anymore."
"Mia isn't hogging Morgana to herself. We gave Morgana the freedom to do what he wants so we can spend time together."
"Tell that to Morgana, who keeps calling her 'Oh, Lady Mia, please feed me!' It's as if he forgot all about me!" She said, mocking Morgana's tone and mannerisms.
"Don't badmouth one of our friends like that."
Ann scoffed, whipping her hair back nonchalantly. "Like I give a damn."
"ANN! THAT'S ENOUGH!"
"NO! YOU SHUT UP, REN! IT'S MY TIME TO VENT!" She quickly shut him down. "You couldn't help yourself! You said we should've been more careful and not rely on our Persona's Ascendancy in fear of causing collateral damage. You're the one who's always concerned about getting innocent civilians involved. But, oh, what did you go and do? A giant monster just happens to wreck that town, you go ape shit, and go all Persona's Ascendancy on us! You broke your own word, Ren! You got innocent civilians involved, but that's not all, you killed them! You burned them alive! You even killed that world's Makoto! You made our counterparts hate us! They think we are monsters!" She could hear Ann (P5-Crimson) vehemently spouting hatred and wishing them to leave.
'SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU IMPOSTER!'
'FUCKING LEAVE! FUCKING LEAVE NOW!'
'TAKE YOUR FUCKING MONSTER AND LEAVE!'
Shaking her head, Ann scowled. "That other me had every right to be pissed at us! What business did we have meddling in their affairs? They were minding their own business but nooo you wanted to play superhero team-up with our other selves! We could've just gone in there, found the Yami Matter ourselves, eliminated it, and gotten the hell out of there! But, your ego couldn't be satisfied, couldn't it, Joker?!"
The repeated mantra of Ann (P5-Crimson)'s ire paralyzed Ann from top to bottom. Folding both arms around herself, she shivered as if she were cold.
"I don't blame her at all!" Ann yelled while shaking her head. Ren cautiously approached her, but she slapped his hand away. "Get back! We should've settled down like we were supposed to! We'd be a happy couple! We'd be doing our normal career routines! And I'd be modeling more often than I should be, but nooooo! We just had to get roped back into this Phantom Thief bullshit! I wanted to settle down and live the rest of my life peacefully with you! But, then Hifumi had to play fucking goddess again and bring in a bunch of edgy hipster vampires into our lives! It's one load of crap after another!" Ann attempted to tear at her hair and screamed. She smacked away a vase, which fell and smashed into pieces.
"ANN!" Ren reached over to restrain her, but she kicked him off.
"THIS IS ALL OF YOUR FUCKING FAULT, REN! IF WE HAD JUST GONE IN AND FOUND THAT YAMI MATTER SOONER, THAT WOULDN'T HAVE EVER HAPPENED! BUT, WE WASTED TIME MINGLING WITH OUR OTHER SELVES!"
Grinding his teeth, Ren had taken enough of his wife's verbal spat. "MAYBE YOU SHOULD CALM THE FUCK DOWN!"
"OH, AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? TURN INTO A DRAGON AND BURN ME TO DEATH?!"
"DON'T BE STUPID! I WOULDN'T…!" Ren turned away and clenched his fists.
A conniving smirk adorned Ann's face. She calmly paced around him like a hungry scavenger on the prowl. "Heh, look at you. You're so pathetic, Amamiya Ren. Oh whoops, did I leave out my last name from your full marriage name? You don't deserve to share my name. Not after the shit you pulled in that other world."
There was a brief silence from both argumentative partners. Another flash of lightning lit the darkened living room. Unfazed by the resounding thunder, Ann folded her arms and cast a demeaning glare at her husband.
"So, have you ever thought about your future? Or, are you too busy trying to relive your glory days as a Phantom Thief?" She asked Ren, who couldn't form any words at the tip of his tongue. She shrugged and sighed out of exasperation. "Why am I not surprised? You don't even know what you want in your life. Well, I'm not about to let some Metaverse or Persona's Ascendancy powers affect our lives. You know what I'm thinking about? Our future. Our finances. Our job securities. We need to stop living in the past and think about our futures. Oh, how can I forget? Our children, if we ever decide to have a kid or adopt one. What if we end up with a daughter?"
Ren spoke up. "I'd want what's best for us and our child! You know how hard I've been working! And how hard you've been working!"
"Yeah? Well, it's not good enough. I just found out my job and financial security are not as good as yours. Hell, you, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba have all gone to school or are still attending classes to help with your careers. Me? I'm stuck modeling. I've never been to college once!"
"Well, that's your problem." He retorted, which unnerved Ann.
"WHAT?!" She walked up and got in his face. "And what about the possibility if we have a daughter who ends up in a shitty situation like me? I DON'T want her to go through all the abuse I went through. Between being bullied by other kids and possibly harassed by another monster like Kamoshida! Do you want that?!"
Ren snapped. "NO, I DON'T!"
"WELL, NEITHER DO I, AMAMIYA REN! I DON'T WANT OUR CHILD TO GO THROUGH HELL AS I DID!"
"THEY WON'T!"
"HOW WOULD THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?! COMING FROM YOU, SOMEONE WITH A PREVIOUS CRIMINAL RECORD!"
She went too far and vitriolically reminded Ren of his past transgression, even though he was wrongfully accused of it. He clenched his hands and bit his bottom lip. He watched as Ann turned away and started toward the front door.
"Wait, Ann! You're not going out alone at this hour?!"
Ann laced up her boots. "So, what if I am? Why do you care, Amamiya Ren?"
"But, it's raining-!"
She rolled her eyes. "God, what are you, my parents? Lay off!" She propped herself up and grabbed a red and white umbrella. Gripping the handle part of the umbrella, she opened the door. "Goodbye, dear…"
Suddenly, she paused halfway through her sentence and felt a warm, throbbing sensation spread across her forehead. Palming her forehead, her face contorted with pain. She let out a few deep pants and dropped to a knee.
"Ann?!"
"R-Ren… I don't feel so…" Ann muttered as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. She leaned on a side table and collapsed, her head nearly cracking the edge of the table. Her body hit the floor with a painful thud.
"ANN!" Ren wailed in horror as he picked up his wife from the floor. Scared out of his wits, he held his wife and put a hand on her forehead. Her face felt hot as if she were running a fever. He noticed her complexion was getting paler. He checked her pulse and gasped. "Oh god… No! Ann! Ann! ANN!"
Not a moment too soon, Ren called for an emergency. The ambulance arrived, only slightly delayed by a few minutes due to the weather. Ren joined Ann in the ambulance van. On the way, Ren held Ann's wide. She hadn't moved since her fall. However, she was still breathing, a good sign all around. What escalated from a tempestuous argument became a horrific situation.
All while firmly holding Ann's hand, Ren immediately phoned those who were closest and able to reach the nearest hospital they were being transported to.
Park Hotel Tokyo/Minato, Tokyo (港区, 東京)/10:35 PM (JST)
Since the incident with Nomura's Obscurity, Skyler and Hifumi hadn't interacted much. And with them not bonding as much, Io hadn't been active and rested inside Hifumi. The few times the couple acknowledged each other was when discussing the Phantom Thieves' disastrous mission.
Skyler had been in the dumps since failing to save the Australian girl. Although he had given her a mercy killing, he couldn't stop thinking about the horrid images of the abuse and experimentation the girl had gone through. He questioned what kind of father would do that to their child. Most of all, he wondered who was responsible for the experiments and turning the girl into the jellyfish abomination.
To help uplift the Revenant's spirits, Hifumi offered to take him out of the apartment and enjoy leisure time away from missions. She even suggested they get separate beds in their hotel room to give each other space at night.
Facing their hotel room window, Skyler watched the ongoing night activity. He remembered Hifumi suggesting that they find a local nightclub. He didn't know the exact reasoning but he easily figured it'd be for them to dance and hang out.
Hifumi approached him. Before he said anything, he once again saw the horrific images of the experimentations done on the Australian girl. As a result, he nearly had a panic attack, prompting Hifumi to console him. She held him and felt his shaking. She internally blamed herself for letting powers cause them enough problems.
"No, don't blame yourself, Hifumi. It's anything but your fault," Skyler replied as he started to regain his composure and hugged her. "It's just hard to forget what I've seen."
Just then, Hifumi instinctively flung herself off Skyler and felt Io's presence vacate her body. Io quickly materialized beside the couple, alarming them.
"You two. We have a problem. It's Ann," Io informed them. "I sense her distress. She's in pain right now."
"What happened, Io?" Skyler asked the pale Revenant, whose face conveyed anguish.
"The Yami Matter has gotten to her. It's infected and taken root within her," Io regretfully informed them. "She's being taken away to a medical facility."
"Which one?" queried Skyler, who stood up and prepared to leave.
Closing her eyes, Io visualized the exact hospital. "Hirata Clinic. Please help Ren, Skyler. He needs all the help he can get."
"I know where that is. I'll be back, you two," Skyler said as he walked out.
Holding Hifumi's hand, Io gave her a self-assured smile. "It'll be ok. Right now Ann needs support and Skyler can provide that."
Hirahata Clinic/Shibuya, Tokyo (渋谷区, 東京)/11:15 PM (JST)
Having been successfully transferred into a patient room, Ann was motionless and peaceful in her bed. Ren sat beside Ann, not budging from his place since being brought here. He, Ryuji, Morgana, Makoto, Skyler, and Mia were the first ones to arrive. They surrounded Ann, having been struck with fear over her sudden breakdown and collapse.
"So, you two argued and then she collapsed?" Makoto asked Ren. "And she said all that horrible stuff to you?"
"Dude, that doesn't sound like the Ann I know," Ryuji remarked. "Sure, she can be stubborn, but she'd never cut it that deep bringing up that bullshit felony or blaming you for what happened in that other world."
"But, it is partly my fault. I let my anger get the best of me and I let my Persona's Ascendancy get out of control. I burned all those people! We shouldn't have met our other selves!"
Shaking her head, Makoto put on a resolute look. "No, it was the Yami Matter who instigated that conflict. You only reacted toward its attack on those people." She turned to Ren. "Look at me, Ren. Now." She got him to look her in the eyes. "I do not blame you for killing the other me. You were blinded with anger. You couldn't restrain yourself. I can only imagine how hard it must've been for you. And in the end, Hifumi restored that world to its original setting, erasing our tampering with that dimension. Those other selves don't even remember you being there, Ren."
"She's right, Ren. I know it's not easy, but you should let it go," Skyler advised the Phantom Thief leader.
Morgana hopped on Ann's bedside and placed a paw on her forehead. "You're right about one thing. This doesn't sound like the Lady Ann we know. Almost like something has taken over her and manipulated her actions. She has been acting out of character these past few days. Tonight pretty much solidified that based on what we saw. Her lashing out at Ren with vitriol dialogue was the proverbial icing on the cake."
"Like something's taken root inside Ann? I shudder to even think what it might be," Mia queried.
"Io woke up tonight and she sensed Ann suffering," Skyler revealed. "She told me and Hifumi that Ann was trapped inside her own mind. She felt Ann's anguish and that another Yami Matter had manifested. I didn't know what to think until I got Ren's call. Io told me to go and Hifumi stayed behind to console her."
Clenching his hands, Ryuji growled and cursed. "Son of a bitch! Another Yami Matter?! And one inside one of my BFFs?! These assholes have made it personal!"
"I can feel something akin to a Yami Matter essence inside her," Skyler approached Ann's side.
"Then, we're going to have to go inside her mind. We can save Lady Ann," Morgana firmly stated. "It'll be much easier since she's unconscious."
"Well, Ren?" Makoto turned to him. "What do you think? We better hurry for Ann's sake."
"There's no telling how much time she has left. As long as that Yami Matter stays inside her, she'll never wake up," Mia said.
"I called Shiho, too. She said she was coming here as fast as possible. I have no idea how long that'll take," Ren informed them.
"In that case, it's now or never," Morgana said.
Taking a moment to mull over tonight's events, Ren closed his eyes and kissed Ann's hand. He got out of his chair. With a resolute look, Ren scanned everyone and nodded.
"Yes, there's no time to waste. Let's save Ann before Shiho gets here."
The group crowded by Ann's side and placed their hands on top of hers. Each closed their eyes and transferred their cognitive selves into the unconscious woman's mind.
Inside Ann's Mind
Opening his eyes, Joker found himself inside the realm based on Ann's memories. Horrified by what he saw, he recognized his surroundings. The location resembled Shadow Kamoshida's throne room. However, there were subtle differences from the familiar surroundings.
"Dude, look," Skull clapped Joker's right shoulder. He pointed Joker toward objects that stuck out like a sore thumb. This even took Mona by surprise.
In place of the self-portraits of Shadow Kamoshida were portraits of Cognitive Ann. There were random pictorials of Cognitive Ann in provocative and lewd poses. These twisted images were created based on the Yami Matter twisting Ann's image. With Shadow Kamoshida gone, it was apparent the Yami Matter revived Cognitive Ann and gave her the keys into Ann's mind. Sion, Queen, and Mircalla were baffled to see this side of Ann.
"Tell me this isn't what Ann thinks of herself," Mircalla was baffled.
"No, this is not our Lady Ann!" Mona angrily hissed at the portraits.
"Yeah, this is that cognition that Kamoshida's shadow spawned!" Joker growled as he turned and ran off. "Ann!"
"Dude, wait! We wanna stay together!" Skull yelled and pursued his best friend.
"If this place is structured like Kamoshida's Palace, then I know she might be!" Mona shouted.
"You lead the way then, Mona!" Mircalla followed the cat's path.
Following the group ahead, Queen and Sion exchanged worried glances.
"We have to make sure that Joker doesn't get too careless, Mako." In this rare instance, Sion didn't call Queen by his given pet name.
"No kidding. So, no Mako-kins?" Queen asked with a straight face.
"Are you kidding? After what you guys and I have been through, I'm not in a joking mood," Sion frowned as he and Queen kept pace with the others.
"ANN!" Joker screamed so loud he hoped his voice would reach his wife somehow.
Opening her eyes, Ann groaned and stirred. When she moved, she felt restraints binding her on a flat surface. Clarifying her blurry vision, she was able to make out some furnishings and interiors that looked straight out of Kamoshida's perverted mind. Instinctively expecting him to show up, her eyes fell on a 30-foot-tall statue of herself.
Except, this Ann statue had a revealing bikini, cat ears, and an elaborately designed princess crown.
Gasping aloud, Ann tried to scream out, but a hand quickly clamped her mouth shut. The hand came from a black gooey mass, which materialized next to her. As the black goo made a couple of disgusting gurgles, a pair of white eyes opened up, revealing blue irises similar to Ann's.
"Shhh. Nuh uh, no you don't, sweets." A devilish giggle paralyzed Ann. She glanced over to her left and saw a face she never wanted to see again.
From this formless black mass, a humanoid figure took on a familiar form. One that Ann vividly remembered. It became the cognitive form of Ann floating down opposite her. She's clad in a revealing pink and black leopard spotted bikini, black headband cat ears, and a princess crown with elaborate rose gems decorating it. In contrast to Ann's horrified expression, a sly and seductive cat-like smirk adorned Cognitive Ann's features.
Cognitive Ann withdrew her hand from Ann's mouth. "Surprised to see me?"
Ann snarled. "YOU!"
"Hey, no shouting."
"How are you here?! I killed you!"
Cognitive Ann pinched Ann's cheek. "It's because of you, Ann sweetie. You brought me back!"
"Like hell, I'd let you inside my head!"
"But, you did. Well, at least your darkest desires and insecurities did. Everything you see here was born from all of that," Cognitive Ann informed her. She leaned over and whispered in Ann's ear. "What's more, you can thank the Yami Matter for that. I am independent of Kamoshida's abhorrent desires."
"What, but how did…?!"
"When you left that dimension, you felt so down for poor Ren and took that other bitchy Ann's spiteful words to heart. You kept those insecurities bottled up, allowing a shard of the Yami Matter to enter inside you."
"And that created you?" Ann realized.
"Right! And guess who's been in the driver's seat of this body since you left that dreadful place?"
Realizing that Cognitive Ann was responsible for controlling her, Ann clenched her fists and tried to attack her. However, Ann saw her wrists and knees were bound by metal clamps. Feeling a cold draft brush against her, she felt goosebumps flash over her skin. Looking down, Ann realized she was butt naked, which was done to humiliate her for Cognitive Ann's cruel pleasure.
"My clothes?!"
"Gee, you just noticed? You were never the brightest bulb out of the Phantom Thieves. That's why you depend on others. You rely on others because you can't do anything on your own. You needed others to help with your friend Shiho. You needed the other Phantom Thieves to finally beat Kamoshida!" Cognitive Ann taunted her, incessantly giggling. "And right now, you need your friends to come to save you. What a fine mess you've gotten yourself in! And I must say…" She smacked Ann's butt, her hand clap sounded like the lash of a whip. "...you are fine! Now, more than fine. You're fucking hot. I'm fucking hot."
"You're not getting away with this! You're going to pay for trying to destroy Ren and I's relationship!" Ann screamed in Cognitive Ann's face.
Suddenly, Ann heard the familiar cry of her husband.
"ANN!"
With tearful eyes, Ann tried to scream, but her voice went mute. After a few tries, Ann noticed no scream came out.
"Now, now, we can't have any of that, sweets," Cognitive Ann gave a dark and malignant smile. She heard the sound of footsteps. Turning around, she and Ann saw Joker joined by Mona and Skull.
"Ann!" Joker called out.
"Hey, there's two!" Skull pointed out.
Mona eyed the Ann bound on the wall. "Lady Ann, we're here!"
Sion, Queen, and Mircalla quickly arrived on location. They saw the two Anns.
"Well, it's not hard to figure out who's our Ann," Queen shot a fierce glare at Cognitive Ann.
Upon facing Cognitive Ann, Sion and Mircalla's eyes instinctively glowed red.
"Well, look who's here," Cognitive Ann shifted a sensual gaze on Joker. "Isn't that right, dear?"
Gritting his teeth, Joker responded with an intense growl. "You're the one who's been controlling my wife!"
"God, isn't it obvious? You guys were never the brightest," Cognitive Ann shrugged. Her fiendish smirk faded, replaced with an angry scowl. "Amamiya Ren, are you mad? Mad enough to turn into that dragon again and burn me alive? You want to burn the one who shares your wife's face and body?!"
The condescending tone exuding from Cognitive Ann gave the same scorn Joker felt during his heated argument. This was the creature he argued with. Ann's will had been suppressed by Cognitive Ann. Seeing his wife on the wall, Joker responded to Cognitive Ann with wild blue flames. From out of the blue flames, Raoul materialized behind Joker.
Ann tried screaming, but her voice was still silenced. She might as well be screaming into a void. However, she was screaming inside her mind. She couldn't do anything while trapped by bindings and her voice trapped inside her mind. She helplessly witnessed her friends prepare to battle Cognitive Ann. The more she resisted, the more strain she put on herself.
Looking to further Ann's humiliation, Cognitive Ann gave Joker a horrible reminder of the heated argument earlier. She pointed her finger and gave him the same look from the argument: the cold and demeaning glare meant to demoralize him.
"This is all your fault, Amamiya Ren! It's all your fault!" Cognitive Ann scornfully growled at him. Narrowing her eyes, she uncurled her lips and spouted more scornful remarks. "Have you still not considered anything for our future?! Do you not care for our finances and job security?! What about my job security?! What about me?!" She let out an incandescent scream as the reverberations from her scream shattered the glass inside the room.
Covering their ears, the Phantom Thieves and Vein Remnants were rendered paralyzed by Cognitive Ann's ear-piercing cries. Then, Joker managed to brandish his pistol and fired at Cognitive Ann. The shot hit Cognitive Ann's left cat ear, which made her stop screaming.
"Humph, well that wasn't nice, dear," Cognitive Ann scoffed, an undignified look crossing her face. "Have a look. Is this the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, Amamiya Ren?!" With a finger snap, various television screens appeared, showing all of Ren and Ann's disagreements, including the intense argument amid tonight's thunderstorm. "Ohoho, now here's something juicy! How about Amamiya Ren and his slut having JUNGLE FEVER?!"
All the screens went static only to switch to a scene of Ren and Ann having sexual intercourse one evening. Quickly scanning the screens, Joker and the others were taken aback. Cognitive Ann incessantly laughed at Joker.
"LOOK AT YOU FUCKING YOUR PROSTITUTE!" Cognitive Ann laughed, openly doxxing Joker and Ann by sharing their intimate love in privacy. "OH YEAH! YOU'RE ROCKING HER WORLD, HUH?! FEELS GOOD TO FUCK THE WHORE! THEN, WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH HER, YOU CAN GO FUCK HIFUMI, MAKOTO, HARU, AND THOSE VAMPIRE WHORES MIA AND EVA!" She said all this while in Sion and Queen's presence.
This certainly didn't sit well with Queen and Mircalla. Clenching her fists, Queen summoned Agnes. Driving along with her Persona, Queen and Agnes went for a straight attack on Cognitive Ann. Preparing to stop the duo, Cognitive Ann snarled. However, Agnes dropped to a wheel, doubling as a launching platform for Queen, who sprang forward from her Persona vehicle. Catching Cognitive Ann with a right hook, Queen punched her hard enough to send her flying far back.
Panting hard, Queen shot a steely gaze at the evil doppelganger. "That's all I can stand hearing you run your mouth like that!" She raised her right hand and clenched it tightly. "And I won't have you talk down about my friends! And that includes my Haru!"
Then, Mircalla attacked Cognitive Ann with her metal tail. While attacking Cognitive Ann with her Stinger-Type Blood Veil, Mircalla invoked her Freezing Roar Gift and unleashed projectiles of freezing ice at their enemy. Cognitive Ann narrowly dodged Mircalla's attacks and distanced herself from them.
"And no one shit talks me while I'm here," Mircalla fiercely scowled.
Spitting blood from her mouth, Cognitive Ann gave a mocking chuckle. "Damn, neither of you don't hold back. Well, now you've gone and done it." Palming her face, her bluish eyes turned bright gold and volatile.
A dark red aura formed over Cognitive Ann, enabling her to unleash stray blasts that wiped out the television monitors. Slouching over, Cognitive Ann's body underwent a grotesquely physical metamorphosis.
"Now you've gone and pissed me off! AMAMIYA REN, I'LL MAKE SURE ANN WILL NEVER HAVE YOU! AND THE REST OF YOU CAN JOIN HIM AS PART OF MY FULL COURSE MEAL!" Cognitive Ann viciously declared. Her human frame morphed into a giant monstrosity. Before increasing her size, Cognitive Ann looked down for a moment as she flashed everyone a repulsive demon's face with sharp teeth, a widened mouth, and red eyes. This was enough to startle the group.
As she slammed against the nearest wall, Cognitive Ann's skin started melting. Her skin became sickeningly pale and gooey, mostly on her left arm. Her once 'cute' form took on a malformed appearance. Opening her mouth, the skin flaps around the sides of her mouth tore open. Her mouth then became exaggeratedly larger, big enough to swallow an adult human. Her teeth became sharp. She grew 30 feet in length. Despite her hair remaining identical in shape and texture, her pigtails took on twisted forms and became stained with dark reddish blood. The cat headband became meshed on the crown of her head. A long, prehensile cat tail poked out from her butt and wagged around.
Cognitive Ann let out a ghastly roar, powerful enough to shake the enclosed building. Firmly holding their ground, the group evaded long-ranged red lightning bolts from Cognitive Ann.
"We'll need to divide and conquer. Half of us stay and fight this thing! The others can go free Ann!" Sion declared. "Joker, you should go and get Ann." He motioned over to Queen and Mircalla.
Nodding, Joker gathered Mona and Skull to rescue Ann. Cognitive Ann aggressively turned her attack toward them, but Sion interjected and summoned his Hound-Type Blood Veil. The pair of hound heads bit down as they grabbed and pulled Cognitive Ann away. Mircalla rolled to the side and shot her metal tail through the creature's torso while gutting it. Using this chance to strike, Queen's Persona, Agnes, bombarded Freila into Cognitive Ann's body. Taking a substantial amount of damage from the party, Cognitive Ann rebounded with a loud wail so loud it sent a shockwave that knocked the group away.
Taking full advantage of the others handling the monstrosity, Joker, Mona, and Skull climbed over where Ann hung. Joker's Raoul stayed in place to protect the group from stray blasts and any possible chance of Cognitive Ann sneak attacking them.
"Lady Ann! Can you hear us?!" Mona called out to the seemingly unconscious woman. "She can't hear us?!"
"Hey, Ann! Wake up, it's us! We're getting ya outta here!" Skull said as he bashed the clamps with his bludgeon. After a few thwacks, he broke up one clamp, but there were three more to remove. "Hey, Joker! Mind getting the top ones holding her wrists?"
Worryingly glancing over his wife's mentally broken and physically humbled state, Joker momentarily focused on saving her. He placed a hand over his mask and conjured blue flames, the same fires he used as Raoul ΩX to destroy Myrk Hedoro and accidentally burn P5-Crimson's innocent people.
Seeing the blue flames, Mona and Skull naturally became wary.
"Joker, what are you doing?!" Mona exclaimed.
"Dude, that's the same fire…!"
Joker cut off Skull and furrowed the bridge of his brows. "I know what I'm doing." He declared with determination. He channeled the blue flames over one metal clamp. After a few moments, the flames pried open the clamp. Ann's left arm was free. He used the same fire to open the other clamp, freeing Ann's right arm.
Mona tried breaking off the clamp holding Ann's right ankle. As he pulled hard, the cat's face turned beet red. Then, he opted to pick the clamp with a claw. After a few picks, he opened the clamp and helped free Ann. Joker caught Ann, who fell in his arms and began stirring.
"Ann?" Joker whispered, getting her to hear his voice.
Finally coming to, Ann clarified her blurry vision and saw Joker looking at her.
"R-Ren? You're here." Ann blinked.
"Of course, I'm here. Thank god we found you."
"We found and rescued you, Lady Ann! You made us worried!" Mona chimed in.
Skull gave a big grin. "We never abandon each other." When he veered toward Cognitive Ann, his smile faded. "And we know why you've been moody lately. It's 'cause of her!"
Gazing toward the horrific monstrosity Cognitive Ann became, Ann became repulsed. "It's her fault! She's the one who controlled me and said those horrible things to you, guys!" Her face contorted with anger as she jerked Joker away. "She won't get away with this! She's gotta pay!" With a passion matching the fire in her eyes, wild flames burst from Ann's face as her red cat mask reappeared.
Joker, Skull, and Mona backed off as the flames burned around her and rings of fire wove around Ann. Springing out from the flames, Ann emerged fully garbed in her Panther garb. She had her whip ready for battle.
As Cognitive Ann brushed Sion, Mircalla, and Queen back, the creature twisted her head around and let out a ghastly scream. Undeterred by the monster's intimidation tactic, Panther smacked the ground with her whip, sending a trail of fire that startled the abomination.
Panther shot a piercing, steely gaze that became unsettling to the Yami Matter creature. With another crack of her whip, Panther summoned Celestine to battle.
Having become distracted by Panther's fiery presence, Cognitive Ann unintentionally left herself open for the Phantom Thieves and Vein Remnants to ravage her with attacks. Converting a hand into an Ogre-Type Blood Veil, Sion rushed over and shoved the demonic hand through the creature's face, ripping and tearing off pieces of her flesh. Cognitive Ann tried shaking Sion off, but Mircalla interjected and fired rifle rounds into the creature. Queen's Agnes used Mediarahan to restore the health of the two Revenants and herself. Queen jumped into the air and dropped down, landing a Nuclear Fist on Cognitive Ann's backside, unleashing an immense force that nearly snapped the creature's back.
Mona and Skull summoned their Personas: Diego and William. The former distracted Cognitive Ann, allowing William to mercilessly blast her with Ziodyne. The creature was electrocuted and left a stumbling mess. Joker sent Raoul to severely punish the creature that used and mimicked his wife. Raoul unleashed a merciless Maeigaon, which burned and immobilized Cognitive Ann.
"STOP!" Panther demanded as she cast a menacing glare at Cognitive Ann. "SHE'S MINE!" The flames of passion whirled over Panther and Celestine. As these flames enveloped them, the Phantom Thief and her Ultimate Persona combined to form their Persona's Ascendancy: Celestine ΩX.
As the Yami Matter creature slowly regained its bearings, it looked up and hissed, not out of defiance but mostly desperation. The others felt the power gap widening by a great margin. To further demonstrate her superior power, Celestine ΩX with murderous intent prepared to do what she almost did with Shadow Kamoshida.
Only this time, no one decided to stop her. Since Cognitive Ann was a Yami Matter entity, there was no concern about Panther mercilessly killing another person.
"You nearly destroyed my marriage with Ren! You used my image for your perversion! You looked into and exploited my memories!" Celestine ΩX scornfully chastised the Yami Matter creature. "FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE, BURN IN HELL!" She amassed and fired Ω Blazing Hell, a large flaming blast, that collided with and obliterated Cognitive Ann, burning the abomination alive as she was instantly dusted into nonexistence.
Before anyone can even celebrate, the raging flames from Celestine ΩX's attack lived up to its name. The fires became a literal blazing hell that spread and started destroying the Palace from within.
"We've gotta get out of here before we are consumed by the flames!" Mona wailed as he hurried out the door.
"Ann! C'mon!" Skull called out to Celestine ΩX, who landed beside Joker and Skull.
"Hey! Let's get out of here!" Sion shouted.
"Lead the way, Mona!" Mircalla ran after him.
Joker turned to Celestine ΩX, who didn't bother to look him in the eye. Instead, she ran ahead and followed Queen. Skull grabbed Joker.
"Hey, snap out of it, man! Let's go!" Skull yelled, snapping Joker out of his trance.
As the group headed out, the flames consumed everything in its path and started leaving no traces of the Yami Matter's presence. Once they reached the exit door out of Ann's mind, they jumped through before the flames could reach them.
Hirahata Clinic/Shibuya, Tokyo (渋谷区, 東京)/12:10 AM (JST)
As the group woke up, they were back inside the hospital room. They were much relieved to have survived and escaped the horrific ordeal. However, one issue remained.
Ren quickly turned to his wife's bedside. He grabbed her hands fearing the worst, but he and the others heard her murmuring. Ann finally opened her eyes and stirred. Ren's face lit with elation as his wife awoke to see the real world again.
"Lady Ann!" Morgana cried out with tears in his eyes.
"You had us all worried!" Makoto added, equally happy to see the woman alive.
"Ann! Don't do that to us again!" Ryuji shouted as he hugged her.
Skyler genuinely smiled. "We're glad you're back."
Mia nodded. "Yeah, but that Yami Matter was a real bitch. Thanks for taking her out for us."
"Y-Yeah, sure…" Ann said while being overwhelmed by her friends' reactions toward her reawakening. "Ren?" She looked over to Ren and saw his hands firmly holding hers. Although Ren was happy, the same couldn't be said for Ann.
Upon arriving, Shiho saw her bedridden friend and ran over to her crying. Mia approached Shiho and hugged her girlfriend Shiho, who wept and thanked the gods that Ann was ok.
"Thank you, Ren. I was worried about her," Shiho bowed as she noticed Ann not even looking at Ren. Before she could ask, she refrained from saying anything more without upsetting her best friend and Ren.
Ann withdrew looking at Ren and stared at her bed instead. This befuddled Ren. He wondered why Ann wasn't bothering to interact with him.
Chapter Soundtrack
Final Fantasy XV OST Volume 2 - 88. Daemons - Eternal Darkness- Another MOTW theme for fighting the Toilet Ghost Couple. Ann's rage against the MOTWs and lashed out at her teammates.
Final Fantasy XV OST - 75. Broken Bonds - In the aftermath of slaying the MOTWs, Ann continued to lash out at Ren and her teammates, especially mentioning the Crimson dimension of being viewed as 'monsters', before storming off. As Ren's friends encouraged him to follow her, Ren figured that their apartment was where she was.
Catherine OST - 07 Fear - Ann falls unconscious much to Ren's shock, and she is taken to the hospital.
Lacuna Coil - Enjoy the Silence - In Hifumi and Skyler's hotel, Skyler's traumatic reflection over killing the Australian girl, while Hifumi feared her powers caused problems. At the same time, Io sensed Ann in trouble and asked Skyler to help Ren save her.
Final Fantasy XV OST - 77. Cartanica - In the hospital, Ren and his allies are with the unconscious Ann before going inside her mind.
Catherine OST - 08 Pandemonium - Inside Ann's mind, which resembles Shadow Kamoshida's throne room. It is played for horror compared to Shadow Kamoshida's Palace as a dark reprise.
Catherine OST - 18 Woman's Hand - Ann and Cognitive Ann. Ren and his group confront Cognitive Ann.
Catherine Sound Disc [07] - Pictures at an Exhibition "The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yagá)" - vs. Cognitive Ann. Freeing Ann.
Persona 5 OST - Regret - Ann becomes Persona's Ascendancy and volcanically obliterates Cognitive Ann and the whole Palace-like area. Ren and his group return to the real world and escape the flames. The recovered Ann wakes up from the hospital.
A/N: I must say this was an emotionally charged chapter I've written for this story. The intense and sorrowful moments had me invested while I was writing. Some parts were hard and exhausting to write (and none of those are from the argument). But overall, this proved to be an intriguing experience.
This chapter followed the fall-out from the previous chapter and the Phantom Thieves dealing with the post-trauma from the Third Yami Matter causing damage to the Crimson dimension. As soon as they left, another Yami Matter slipped inside Ann's head and took root while manipulating her actions. That YM shard harvested Ann's memories and created its own Palace, allowing Cognitive Ann to reform from her previous memories when she explored Shadow Kamoshida's Palace. With no Shadow Kamoshida to boss her around, Cognitive Ann promoted herself from slave to mistress.
The heated argument. What can I say? The moment Panther mercilessly erased that evil spirit, her shift to the dark side took a turn for the worst. Writing that argument was tense for me as I've had to essentially write an Ann that's an exaggerated caricature of the one I've been writing. Hence why I took the previous Cognitive Ann and turned her bitchy character up to eleven. She's essentially become one of those 'Hate Sink' characters, but thankfully she's a one-off MOTW (and a Yami Matter creation) and there were no issues to wipe her out. But, man, even if that was a 'fake Ann' using Ann's mind and body, imagine had that been an argument with the actual couple. Anyway, the scene did its job and allowed for some tension, building up to Ann's collapse.
To further illustrate Ann's insecurities, Cognitive Ann exploited and reminded her of her own weaknesses and reliance on others. The Palace that Cognitive Ann made is a nod to Futaba's as like Futaba before her, Ann is suffering from severe depression based on her insecurities. Though both manage to overcome their inner demons, Ann is still left in her depressive state.
In contrast, Skyler and Hifumi hadn't been on speaking terms much but they haven't broken out into heated arguments. This chapter verifies that Skyler is still reeling from the traumatic experience of killing that Australian girl in the previous chapter. They're still working out their relationship.
Until next time, see you soon!