Chapter 14
I'll Face Myself
Wednesday, August 10th, 2016
"Is everyone ready?" Ren-san surveyed them all, only for them to nod furiously.
This was it. They were finally going to change Futaba-san's heart.
But honestly it was a bit strange for him. There was no full moon looming in the sky. They were standing in a pyramid, not in the old dorm. And Ren's style of leadership was rather… different than both Minato-san and Minako-san's.
Minato-san and Minako-san were as different as night and day. Ken remembered finding it hard to believe that they were siblings, let alone twins, when he had first met them. But they held themselves with a quiet confidence, capable of whipping out strategies within a blink of an eye. Minako-san would break their tenseness that came with a full moon mission using her cheerful attitude, which often prompted Minato-san to tease her in his own way. As different as they were… they were an unbeatable team.
Ren-san was… impulsive. He experimented and adapted. He wasn't afraid of attacking their opponents' weak side. Though honestly, he could have gone without mugging Shadows…
Neither way was superior, though. Ren-san was a good leader. He looked out for everyone, even though both he and Makoto-san were older than him by a year.
But then again… Ken looked up the flight of stairs. He had bigger things to worry about. Like the whole thing with Futaba-san. He meant every word he said to her in private.
And her Shadow still concerned him. Her whole Palace did. The back and forth between the booby traps and Sakura-san's cognition trying to give them helpful clues. Her Shadow wanting them to help, to dropping them into a sand pit and sending the other Shadows on high alert after them… Would her Shadow be in disarray? Bounce back and forth between begging for help and attacking them?
Those murals made it clear she desperately needed help. She can't shoulder this pain and torment any longer.
Ken felt a hand on his shoulder, which made him jump slightly. Makoto-san gave him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, it looked like you were a bit nervous," Makoto-san said gently. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah… I'm fine." Ken forced himself to smile at her.
He didn't want her to worry. Especially since she was fretting over him just a couple days ago.
"I'm just… thinking," he added.
Makoto-san gave his shoulder a light squeeze.
"Everything will be fine… we'll save Futaba-chan," she said with conviction.
She suited confidence very well. There was a sparkle in her eyes, as she stood tall.
Ken just offered her a small smile. "I hope you're right."
"Let's do this, guys!" Ren-san called out to them, before sprinting up the stairs.
They raced up the several flights of stairs, only to stop before the great door… that was slowly disappearing.
"Yes, it worked!" Ryuji-san cheered, pumping his fist.
"Heh, what did you expect?!" Morgana demanded, grinning widely. "Come on, the Treasure awaits us!"
"Wait…" Yusuke-san stopped and looked around.
"What is it, Fox?" Anne-san asked.
Yusuke-san placed his index finger and thumb on his chin. "I was just wondering… Boss's cognition is not greeting us one more time it seems? I would have expected him to give some final words or something."
"Oh yeah, you'd think he'd drop more cryptic shit at us or something. Or some last speech or whatever." Ryuji-san shrugged.
Ken looked around and now it made him wonder why that was as well. Though he supposed Boss's cognition had only one purpose and that was to leave hints. Just as Ken thought this, Makoto-san and Morgana voiced his thoughts aloud.
Makoto-san clasped her hands behind her back as she spoke, "It makes sense actually. Boss's cognition thus far has appeared to give us clues on how to go in further or hints about Futaba-chan's past."
Morgana nodded next to her. "Exactly. He essentially already served his purpose. She's at war with wanting help and wanting to push us away. Boss's cognition fulfilled the former."
Ren-san cleared his throat, interrupting them all.
"We shouldn't linger, the Palace is on high alert. We need to keep going. Futaba's treasure isn't going to steal itself," he pointed out.
The group all nodded in unison and moved forward now that the way was finally open.
The lift took them higher up, taking them to a chamber where holograms of computer screens flickered in and out. Ken actually recognized some of the symbols from Fuuka-san's work.
"Wow… this is incredible," Anne-san breathed, as she twisted around to survey the entire area. "This is really the core of Futaba-chan's Palace?"
Yusuke-san nodded sagely. "Indeed, it suits a hacker's aesthetic very well."
"But where's the Treasure?" Makoto-san asked, looking back and forth. "And where's Futaba-chan's Shadow?"
Morgana directed them upwards, claiming that the Treasure was somewhere up. Apparently, he could smell it. There's a bloodhound joke he could make but considering Morgana's appearance that wouldn't exactly work…
They climbed several stairs, dodging Shadows for the most part, before they eventually entered a room that was lit up with an odd green light.
In fact, the only thing inside was a sarcophagus.
"Is this really it?" Ryuji-san grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "Dude, talk about a letdown…"
"Come on, don't talk like that, Skull," Anne-san scolded, hands on her hips. "It doesn't matter what Futaba-chan's Treasure is…"
"We should take a look so we can take the Treasure," Makoto-san said.
"Isn't it… a bit strange though?" Ken asked. "Wouldn't the host be defending it? Like with Kaneshiro…"
"Don't jinx us, Ace," Ren-san warned, before quirking an eyebrow at Ken. "I wouldn't mind an easier heist…"
"TREASURE!"
And Morgana has been set off. You could practically see the stars in his eyes. Though he had to wonder why Morgana did get that way…
Ryuji-san started to move to push the sarcophagus open, and Morgana ran up to join him. Just as Morgana peeked his head inside the sarcophagus, the room began to shake.
Anne-san nervously inched closer to Ren-san. "Um… What was that?"
Where was Futaba-san's Shadow? This was getting more concerning by the minute. The room was shaking more and more, the group all fell down, scrambling to try and maintain balance. It was as if there was an earthquake.
A few bricks were suddenly torn away from the top. A single bloodshot eye appeared.
"FUTABAAAAAAA!"
Ken winced as the roar blasted his eardrums.
"What was that?!" Ken thought with a panic.
"D-Don't tell me…" Morgana whimpered out; he had apparently come to some kind of realization.
"Everyone, look out!" Ren-san shouted, as the rest of the bricks began to crumble away.
Ken used his arm to shield his face as a wild wind began to tear through the air, ripping away the bricks. An especially powerful gust sent Ryuji-san and Morgana flying. He whipped his head back, and to his relief, they had just skidded back several feet. If they had fallen off the pyramid, at this height…
"Seriously, what is this?! This is just insane!" Anne-san shouted; her arm was thrown up to shield her face as well.
"It's… it's a cognition!" Morgana said through gritted teeth. "A cognition formed by Futaba!"
"A cognition…? Wait…" Ken thought.
It hit him like a ton of bricks. It resembled a Sphinx… but the woman's face… it was like the woman in the murals!
"It's Futaba-san's cognition of her mother!" Ken gasped.
"Then why is she tryin' to kill us?!" Ryuji-san demanded. "None of the cognitions attacked us before! They were creepy slaves and other shit, but not like this!"
"And none of the ones were like Boss's before either, remember?!" Anne-san argued back.
"No time to speculate or argue!" Yusuke-san shouted. "We need to avoid—ack!"
Bricks and stone were falling everywhere, with how the cognition of Isshiki-san was tearing apart the chamber so she could attack them. Somehow, miraculously, they managed to escape that unscathed.
The cognition had completely torn away the walls of the chamber, leaving them on top of the pyramid. The cognition then launched itself in the air, flying high above their heads. But the way it was flying about, it reminded him of how they weren't able to hit the Hanged Man Shadow while it floated in the air. Not even Yukari-san's arrows could strike it. But it had to have a weakness, didn't it? The Hanged Man Shadow had those statues. But what of this? She was far away and just circling around like a shark in the air.
"Do not approach the pharaoh's tomb!" she spat out venomously. "Misfortune will befall you now!"
But since they had wanted to take Futaba-san's Treasure, her cognition of her mother wanted to kill them for it? Just what was Futaba-san's Treasure?
Her subconscious was truly at war with itself. But it seemed the destructive side was winning. The Palace itself, the Shadows that guarded it, the many puzzles, the booby traps, and now this monstrous cognition… all with the intent of trying to push away any who try to help her. Only the Sakura-san cognition seemed to be the last shred left that wasn't destructive.
They had to help her. They couldn't let this continue. It's clear just by her mother's cognition that it will only get worse before it's too late. And if they fail…
Ken shook his head. No… he couldn't think like that!
But this was bad. If Yukari-san was here, she might be able to shoot it down, but that wasn't the case. Most of the weapons here were close range…
"Mona, do you have any ideas on how to tackle this?" Ren-san shouted.
"We… we have no choice, Joker…" Uncertainty made Morgana's voice waver and he stared at the ground.
Then his little paws balled into fists before he looked to Ren-san. He gave a little nod.
"We'll have to use our spells and guns to take it down! I'll try to figure out some kind of weakness while we're at it!"
"Got it!"
They opened fire, but it barely did any damage to Isshiki-san's cognition. It didn't exactly help that the distance caused their spells to peter out. This had just… gone from bad to worse. They would get too tired out if they kept using spells recklessly.
But what could they do? Aim for her wings? But the distance would allow her to dodge it all too easily…
"Ace, look out!"
Ken looked up, only for the cognition to slam her paw down on him. Ken squirmed underneath but the cognition just pressed hard. Ken wheezed for air. It was starting to grow difficult to breathe…
"Johanna!" Makoto-san shouted, before he heard an explosion.
The cognition growled, but finally let him up, taking to the skies again. Ken jerked up in a sitting position, desperately gulping for air.
"Ace!"
Makoto-san suddenly knelt in front of him, helping him up. She put a hand on his shoulder, before closing her eyes in concentration. A warm feeling swept through his body, healing most of his injuries.
"Ace, you need to focus," she chided. "You really looked like you were zoning out."
"I'm sorry… I was just thinking about how to handle this…" Ken quickly apologized.
He then looked back up at the cognition with a frown, which was still soaring high in the air.
"I've faced a similar Shadow before I joined up with you guys… but that Shadow had a weakness to target. I don't know if this one does. I was thinking we could target her wings, but I think we're just too far away."
"We'll just have to buy some time, until Mona can figure out something…" Makoto-san sighed before she smiled at him. "I'm glad that my attack made it let up though…"
Ken winced. "Thanks, Queen."
The cognition then drew in close, flapping her wings hard. The force knocked them all several meters backwards. He heard Ryuji let out a pained cry as he skidded backwards.
That attack was definitely wind based… And the cognition was taking advantage of that.
Ken gritted his teeth, before tearing off his mask. Kala-Nemi appeared with a flash, firing at the cognition.
"Goemon!" Yusuke-san summoned his Persona, before pointing at the cognition. "Take this!"
Ice formed around her paw, and the cognition growled, shaking it violently to shake off the ice. But Ren-san and Makoto-san took advantage of the brief distraction to fire attacks at her.
When the cognition recoiled, Ren-san took the opportunity to shoot with his gun.
Anne-san darted over to Ryuji-san, helping him up. But even at a distance, Ken could see that his eyes were unfocused, and he swayed back and forth. The cognition snarled, raising her paw to slam down on Ryuji-san.
But Morgana quickly intervened by summoning Zorro. Anne-san supported Ryuji-san with one arm, but she tore off her mask with her free hand.
Carmen's cigar glowed bright red, before flames roared to life. The cognition hissed in pain as the flames licked at her paw. Morgana then took the opportunity to heal Ryuji-san, with the cognition momentarily distracted.
The cognition let out a roar, before ascending the sky, higher than before.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Morgana shouted. "She's rearing up for a powerful attack! It looks like she wants to divebomb at us!"
He wished that Fuuka-san was here. Morgana was decent enough during the Palace explorations. (Although admittedly, he only could compare Fuuka-san to Rise-san, and he hadn't exactly seen much of Rise-san in action. He heard Mitsuru-san had briefly before Fuuka-san joined but he hadn't joined SEES until after Fuuka-san.) But they really needed someone who focused on analyzing. Especially for a fight where a weakness was unclear…
The cognition flew in the air, for several moments. Ken couldn't help but feel antsy, even as he tensed. It was like the whole thing with the Hermit Shadow again. The Hermit Shadow took a long time to charge up that attack, but it had really packed a punch.
And then a loud, piercing sound, like a missile, echoed through the air.
Isshiki-san's cognition struck, divebombing at them all. A section of the ground was destroyed, even. But thankfully nobody was standing there. But the force was strong enough to send Ken to his knees.
"Mona, have you figured anything out?!" Ryuji-san demanded, all while pushing himself up in a sitting position.
"I'm sorry… I don't know!" Morgana cried out.
He sounded utterly miserable. It was extremely unlike him. He prided himself on being an advisor to Ren-san. Admittedly he was very good at what he did.
"There's no pattern… I… I…" He sounded so helpless before uttering, "I'm sorry."
"What are we going to do, then?!" Yusuke-san exclaimed.
"If Mona can't figure out a weakness…" Anne-san breathed out.
"M-Mom?"
Ken's head whipped to the sound of the voice. It was Futaba-san. She had followed them inside?! But… how? It was only then Ken noticed; Sakura-san's cognition was standing besides Futaba-san. The holographic priest gave her a bow and a smile, before vanishing.
"So-Sojiro? Where did you go?" Futaba-san ran up to the spot where the cognition was standing, before he vanished.
"Futaba-chan?!" Anne-san cried, immediately on alert. "What are you doing here… how did you get here?!"
Ren-san, on the other hand, just stiffened. He then abruptly dragged a hand down his face.
"When we used the Nav to go inside the Palace… she must've received it too!" Ren-san exclaimed.
Dammit… and she remembered what they had told her about the app.
"What is this going to do to her Palace…?" Yusuke-san asked.
"Are you seriously asking that now?!" Ken snapped, irritation flaring inside of him.
He knew that it was worrisome, but they should be more concerned with the cognition. Not to mention, the cognition was angry at Futaba-san. She was in more danger than anyone else here.
"Futaba-san, you have to go back! It's too dangerous for you to be here!" he said urgently.
"I can't leave now that I'm—" But Futaba suddenly stiffened, her eyes growing wide with fear.
Her knees suddenly buckled together, before she fell down.
"No… no…" she whimpered out, before falling to her knees.
She pressed her headphones hard against her ears, as if it was her lifeline.
"It's my fault…" she choked out.
Then it suddenly struck Ken. Her headphones… were they meant to block out her auditory hallucinations? He remembered Sakura-san talking about how Futaba-san suffered from both visual and auditory hallucinations. She must be hearing the accusations again.
"Futaba-san!" Ken staggered to his feet and rushed over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders.
He shook her lightly. He had to snap her out of this.
"Futaba-san, you have to snap out of it! Those men… they said those things just to hurt you! You have to fight through it!"
"I…" Uncertainty shone in her eyes. "I… no… they're right…"
"Ace is right!" Anne-san had joined him, kneeling beside him. "You know the truth, don't you? Your mother loved you! She never hated you! She didn't regret giving birth to you!"
"No… It's my fault…" Futaba-san's voice cracked, and Ken felt his heart break hearing the pain in her voice. "It's my fault that Mom…"
She squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear trickling down her cheek.
"No, you can't blame yourself, Futaba-chan!" Makoto-san said.
She knelt by Futaba-san's other side, placing a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder. She hesitated for a moment, but then she reached out, brushing the tear away from Futaba-san's face.
"Your mother's death was a tragedy, but it's not your fault! The mother who loved you is not a lie!" she insisted.
"That was all just a front," Futaba-san mumbled out, her voice shaky before she started shouting. "She hated me! Because she had to take care of me, she couldn't fully focus on her research… I was just a burden to her! A leech… had she been married maybe it would've different, but I was just in the way! A problem! They all knew it! Her family! Those men! I was just a parasite she got saddled with! And she killed herself because she couldn't handle it anymore…!"
Ken opened his mouth, but he found himself at a loss of words. Ken's hands curled into fists. Could… this be Miyuki and Kaito's thoughts had Yukari-san not… He vigorously shook his head. He can't think like this right now.
He hated this! Their words weren't reaching Futaba-san. How could they help her?
"That's right… it's all your fault!" the cognition spat. "You killed me! You were such a nuisance! I should have never had you! I would have been able to focus on my research… if it wasn't for you!"
"Hng…"
The hurt in her eyes were as clear as day. Just looking at her made his heart ache. Just what could they say to get to her? Ken released her but didn't move away from her.
"Futaba-chan…" Anne-san whispered, her voice cracking ever so slightly.
Makoto-san looked at a loss what to say, her hands suddenly clenching around her kneecaps.
"Your life is pointless!" the cognition hissed out, venom dripping from her voice. "Nobody cares about you!"
"Nobody cares about me…" Futaba repeated faintly, more tears streaming down her face.
"Futaba-chan, no!" Makoto-san shook her head. "That's not true! We care about you! Boss too! He's worried sick about you!"
Futaba-san just shook her head. "I'm just a burden to Sojiro. And people are on his case because they think he's a bad parent… It would be better if I just…"
Ken swallowed hard. He… understood the feeling. But it had to be even worse for Futaba-san, because of the supposed abuse Sakura-san was being accused of on Futaba-san. She had to feel helpless… because she couldn't talk to people. Testify that it was nothing but a lie. That he was one of the only people who even tried to help her.
"No!" Ken raised his head to see that Ren-san was the one who spoke. "Futaba, that is not true!"
Ren-san's voice was fierce as he stared at Futaba.
"Sojiro loves you. He only cares that you're happy. That's why he brought the doctors to you… but he backed off when you wouldn't see them, because he knew that it made you uncomfortable. That's why he buys anything you ask for. Feeds you anything you want, like his curry. All he wants is to see you happy again!"
Futaba-san's eyes were filled with shock, before whispering, "He… he does?"
Futaba-san then suddenly clutched her head with a pained cry. Her face contorted as she pressed her hands against her temples.
"W-What's the truth…" she whimpered out, squeezing her eyes shut. "I… I don't know!"
"Futaba-san…" Ken murmured, feeling his heart break watching her.
What could he do to help her? Why couldn't he reach out to her like Akihiko-san had to him…? Akihiko-san had been blunt with him, but that's what he needed. He didn't need to be told: It'll be okay.
He needed to be snapped back to reality and Akihiko-san had. From what he remembered—it had seemed almost effortless.
"Because she thinks she killed her mother…" Makoto-san said slowly, "And because she thinks she should be dead—Futaba-chan gave birth to a Palace where her mother wants her dead?"
"Futaba-chan, you need to look!" Anne-san cried, her voice growing desperate. "Really look at her! This is not your mom!"
"She loved you…" Ken said, a sad smile on his face.
"Yeah, very much! Boss told us all about it!" Ryuji-san exclaimed.
"Guys, the cognition is circling again…" Morgana warned, keeping his focus on Isshiki-san's cognition while they tried to get through to Futaba-san.
"Open your eyes, Futaba-chan!" Anne-san begged.
"Those men mar her memory with ugly brushes, trying to paint a false picture of her. But the one we were told of from Boss is of a woman who cared deeply about her child," Yusuke-san said passionately. Then he looked to Futaba-san. "Do not give into the illusion!"
"No, she didn't…" Futaba-san mumbled out.
Makoto-san exclaimed, "Listen to us! Boss told us everything. She was a single mother… but did her best to raise you. This is just a false memory foisted upon you by the men in black!"
"A false memory…?" Futaba-san repeated, her voice faint.
And then… Shadow Futaba materialized.
"Ugh, not now!" Ryuji-san moaned out. "We can't fight them both!"
He then reached up for his mask, but a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
"Wait, Skull!" Ren said sharply, shaking his head. "Look at her face."
He was right. There was no malevolence coming from Shadow Futaba. If anything, she looked determined.
"Futaba Sakura! You have to remember!" she exclaimed.
Ken's eyes widened. Futaba-san's Shadow… it really was a Shadow of repressed feelings, both good and bad. Or maybe, to be more accurate, Futaba-san's repressed memories.
Futaba-san's eyes suddenly glazed over. She was silent for several minutes. The Shadow seemed to disappear again. What was going on with Futaba-san? They all looked at each other with worry. But were distracted by the howls of Isshiki-san's cognition. After another minute, Futaba-san finally lifted her head. She slowly climbed to her feet.
"She's up!" Ryuji-san exclaimed.
This place… everything about it was beyond Futaba's wildest dreams. She ended up at a pyramid. Sojiro was a purple hologram dressed like an Egyptian priest that leads her to some doppelganger of hers also dressed like some kind of Egyptian royalty or something.
And now… a giant monster with her mother's face, telling her everything was indeed her fault and she should die. It all hurt so much to think about. She fell to her knees. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't silence the jeers and awful memories.
But all too soon, everything was silent around her. The lighting all around her in a green hue. And standing in front of her was the other her, with the golden eyes.
"You're the reason she committed suicide. You were just getting in the way of her research. Or that's what we kept saying over and over for years. Why did you think it was suicide?" the other her questioned.
Futaba answered weakly, "Because of the note…"
"Exactly." The other her nodded. "The men in black suits read her suicide note to you. And what was written on it?"
"All of her complaints…" Futaba hung her head low, "About me."
The other her bent down and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes. The shock and the pain led you to avert your eyes. But they kept reading it aloud in front of your relatives. Think hard... was that suicide note real? Did those words sound like how she would phrase things? You never even got the chance to see the handwriting. None of your family did. They didn't question any of it. But… deep down… I know you have doubts, because they are my doubts."
Futaba felt her breath hitch but she still didn't look up.
"Deep in your subconscious you knew something about this didn't add up. Would the mother we loved so much truly have written that?"
Futaba licked her lips as she shook her head, she still couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with the other her.
"When she was alive… did she ever say such horrible things to you?"
Futaba felt as if the wind was knocked out of her from her other self. She froze briefly. Then shakily moved her hands from the side of her head as she finally met the gaze of the other Futaba.
The other her let go of her shoulder and stood up as she stared down at Futaba with a gaze that reminded her too much of her mother.
Futaba didn't know where she found the strength, but she rose to her feet.
"No! She scolded me whenever I had tantrums. But she never talked to me like that! Never called me any of those things! She… she cared for me!" Futaba found her voice.
Futaba didn't even recognize the sound of her own voice. She sounded so… sure of herself.
The other her nodded and asked, "Then what about the suicide note?"
"A total lie! It has to be!" Futaba found herself shouting.
The other her nodded in approval. "You finally see the truth you've locked away deep in your heart. You were used! They must have forged her suicide note and laid the blame of her death upon you, then destroyed her life's work!"
Futaba felt herself shaking but not in fear for once. No, she felt… angry.
"They trampled all over your heart when you were still just a child!" The other her raised her hand to point at Futaba. "Yes! You're angry! Good! Get mad! Don't forgive those rotten adults who stole her from us!"
Futaba took a deep breath, staring at the ground once more, before looking up at her other self again. More anger was burning in her eyes.
"It's because I couldn't face myself, or Mom's death… the thought any of it could be true just…" Futaba shook her head and stomped her foot. "Even then, why did they have to yell at me like that?!"
It all became bright again. The group… those Phantom Thieves were around her once more…
"She's up!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Futaba-chan?!" Anne expressed with worry.
A sharp pain pierced through her skull. Futaba clung to both sides of her head as she winced. She never had a headache like this one before. It felt so different from the others.
A feminine voice from within called out to her.
"What denies you is an illusion. A curse put upon you by the heartless. You knew from the very beginning. And yet… you cowered from fear."
"That's right… I knew but I…" Futaba said weakly but tried to gain her footing despite the piercing headache.
The monster with her mother's face screamed out from the distance, "It's all your fault…! This time, you'll be the one to die!"
"Will you die as you're told?" the voice continued. "Just who will you obey? Cursed words spat out by an illusion? Or the truth within your own soul?"
"It's all your fault! It's ALL your fault!" the monster wailed as it flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked everyone off their feet.
"I won't let those distorted lies deceive me anymore…" Futaba winced as she stood more upright. "I won't be led astray by other's voices anymore either!"
She lifted her face towards the cognition, glaring up at it. Determination burned in her eyes.
"You are not my mom! You're just a lie created by those horrid adults… I… I…" her hands clenched into fists. "I will never, ever forgive them!"
"Don't tell me…" Ren-san breathed out, his eyes widening in shock. "But this is completely different from the rest of us!"
That wasn't entirely accurate but Ken could understand why Ren-san would feel that way. While the circumstances are definitely different, Futaba-san would be fueled by her anger at the people who hurt her; instead of how the others had awakened to their Persona by embracing their sense of rebellion. This… was her rebellion.
At Futaba-san's declaration, blue flames exploded around her, cloaking her body for a moment. When it faded, Shadow Futaba floated above her host, becoming translucent. Shadow Futaba's form began to shift, transforming into a… UFO?
Wait a minute… wasn't this how the Investigation Team awakened to their Personas? Their Shadow-self became their Persona… He still remembered how Kanji-san and Naoto-san had explained it to him. It had been hard to wrap his mind around, even after he had defeated his false Shadow-self. But now… he was witnessing it firsthand.
Tentacles then extended from the Persona, lifting Futaba into the air before she disappeared into it. That was… unexpected. Whenever Fuuka-san summoned Juno, she just appeared inside the glass orb that made up the lower half of Juno's body. This was entirely different however.
Understandably the rest of the Phantom Thieves were concerned, they never dealt anything like this before.
"Futaba-chan?!" Makoto-san cried out.
"Don't worry! I'm okay!"
Ken's eyes widened as a similar sensation hit him. Futaba-san wasn't talking aloud. She was speaking to them telepathically. This was how Fuuka-san spoke to them when they were in Tartarus!
And just right when he was thinking that they needed someone who focused on support… Futaba-san's Persona was like Rise-san's and Fuuka-san's!
"Dude, what was that?!" Ryuji-san demanded.
"It's okay!" Ken said, turning to face everyone.
When they looked to him in confusion, Ken started to clarify.
"Mona, let her take your place! You can focus on attacking now! Her Persona… I think it specializes in support! She should be able to help us find a weakness!"
"Personas can do that?!" Anne-san sounded bewildered.
"I've gone through countless Personas, and none of them can do that…" Ren-san shook his head, sounding more than just a little skeptical. "Are you sure about this, Ace?"
Ken mentally stumbled at Ren-san's question. Shoot, he had to be careful. He just nodded firmly.
"Positive! We all heard her voice just now, right?" Ken looked around and they all nodded at him. "That has to be the reason, right? She'll give us support and be able to help us coordinate! Just watch her in action! I can feel I'm right!"
He almost slipped up again, but thankfully he managed to recover. He had to remember Mitsuru-san was counting on him too.
"Yeah!" Futaba-san sounded completely different now.
Her voice was filled with energy and determination. Her liveliness caught Ken caught off guard. This was Futaba-san's true self, wasn't it?
"Necronomicon and I will lead you to victory! That thing's gotta go, help me get rid of it!" she exclaimed.
"Don't let us down!" Ren-san said with a grin. "But let's do this!"
"But just how are we going to take down this thing?" Yusuke-san asked. "She's impossible to deal with!"
"This will be no prob!" Futaba-san declared.
Necronomicon zoomed into view, before a bright green light suddenly radiated from it. A ballista appeared, out of nowhere.
"This is my cognitive world! So that just means I can hack into this, no problem!"
"I'm not even gonna pretend I understand how this works…" Ryuji-san shook his head and rubbed his neck.
"This is too… overwhelming," Yusuke-san groaned, shaking his head.
"Shoot her with this!" Futaba-san continued, ignoring Yusuke-san and Ryuji-san's complaints. "And then you can beat the crap out of her!"
"Someone needs to man the ballista!" Ren-san said.
"I'll do it!" Anne-san interjected, before sprinting over to the ballista. "I'll shoot her down, no problem! I am gonna protect Futaba-chan from all these horrible thoughts that made her want to die!"
Ren-san flashed a proud smile at her for a moment before he snapped back into leader mode. Ren-san gestured to the cognition.
"Everyone, distract her! We can do this!" he barked out.
"Right!" they exclaimed.
Ken summoned Kala-Nemi to heal up everyone. Ren summoned Ame-no-Uzume, which fired a Zionga spell at the cognition.
Goemon summoned a flurry of ice, and Zorro sent it hurtling wicked fast with a Garula spell. But before Makoto-san could move, the cognition pounced, swiping with her paw. Ken and Morgana managed to dodge, but the others weren't so lucky.
But since she was so close… Ken ripped off his mask, summoning Kala-Nemi. Golden light flared, making the cognition hiss with pain.
"Zorro, show your might!" Morgana followed suit, blue flaring around him for a moment. Zorro slashed with his rapier, summoning a flurry of wind.
While the cognition was distracted, Ken hurried to help Makoto-san up.
"Thanks," Makoto-san said, before pressing a hand against her abdomen with a wince. "I wouldn't be surprised if that leaves a bruise, though…"
"I can heal that too," Ken reminded.
Makoto-san gave him a small smile. But they snapped to attention as the cognition launched her counterattack.
She blasted a powerful gale at them, but they managed to hold their ground. The cognition let out an annoyed growl before launching into the air.
"Fireee!" Futaba-san suddenly crowed out.
Ken whipped his head to see that Anne-san had the ballista aimed at the cognition. The arrow tore through the air, striking the cognition right in the chest. She let out a screech of pain before she started to tumble down. She crashed hard enough to make the ground shake violently. She clung to the edge of the pyramid, swaying back and forth from dizziness.
"Yes!" Anne-san cheered, before running back to join them.
"Everyone, go all out while we can!" Ren-san ordered.
"Hey, Ace!" Ryuji-san called out to him. "Wanna a lift?"
"A… lift?" Ken said slowly.
"You know, I'll get you close and personal to Futaba's mom! Double attack it while you're at it!"
Ken nodded. "Let's do it."
Ryuji-san crouched down, cupping his hands so Ken could step onto it. With a grunt, Ryuji threw him in the air. Ken narrowed his eyes as he made his descent, before stabbing the cognition right in the face. He then hurled his spear right at the cognition's chest, before ripping his mask. Kala-Nemi appeared, just as Ryuji-san summoned his Persona.
They launched their attacks right at the same time, light and lightning intertwining together.
He dropped to the ground, just as Makoto-san summoned a Freila spell, not letting up on the attacks to overwhelm the cognition.
"Nice!" Ryuji cheered, flashing him a thumbs up.
He had to admit… that was pretty fun. Ken bent down to retrieve his spear.
"Hey, stop messing around!" Morgana scolded. "Focus!"
"Relax Mona, we haven't forgotten what's at stake!" Ryuji-san huffed.
Futaba-san's voice echoed in all their minds again.
"Hmm… it looks like she's weaker to physical attacks!" Futaba-san noted. "Go get 'em!"
"That's my specialty!" Ryuji-san said with a grin, pointing to himself then Yusuke-san, "Fox, you too!"
Physical attacks though? He wondered if gun attacks were the same, then.
"Let's do this, Captain!" Ryuji-san bellowed.
Captain Kidd appeared, before quickly lunging forward, striking the cognition several times.
"Right behind you Skull!" Yusuke-san ripped his mask off to summon his Persona again.
Goemon sped towards the cognition, slashing at the cognition right in the face. Goemon then leapt out of the way before the cognition could counter. Morgana was already moving to the offensive, as Yusuke-san's move gave him an opening. Zorro darted forward and strike with his own attack. Makoto then followed up with a physical attack she rarely used, speeding up to ram into the cognition, the impact exploding like a bomb.
Anne-san's Persona didn't have physical based attacks, so she whipped out her gun and let loose.
It was in that moment that the cognition finally recovered, attempting to swipe at them again. Ken threw himself to the ground, managing to dodge it but most of the others weren't so lucky. She then pushed off—making the ground shake—and ascending the sky once again. The others managed to get to their feet. But then Ken noticed that the cognition was considerably tired out, her movements slower than before.
"Halfway through!" Futaba-san shouted, her voice now gleeful.
"Someone will have to man the ballista," Yusuke-san said.
Ren-san nodded, before turning to Ken. "Ace, you wanna give it a go?"
Ken nodded. "Yeah. Leave it to me!"
Ken ran to the ballista, grabbing the handles. His teammates continued to distract the cognition as he leveled the arrow at her. Futaba-san coached him through it, something he appreciated. He had barely noticed Futaba-san's comments she was giving to the others, since he was more occupied with watching for an opening. His hands were aching from handling such a heavy device, but he pushed through. But it was a relief when he finally managed to fire the arrow, nailing his target perfectly.
The cognition collapsed again, allowing them to open fire.
"Show no mercy!" Ren-san commanded, sweeping his hand at the cognition.
They jumped to follow Ren-san's order. They were determined to defeat the monster that Futaba-san's mind had given birth to… due to her belief that her mother committed suicide because of her. It was like… facing Futaba-san's inner demon in a way (without actually fighting her Shadow).
Ken fired another attack, which made the cognition slump against the pyramid.
"Yes!" Ryuji-san crowed, pumping a fist.
They formed a half circle, aiming their guns at the cognition. Ren stood in the center, aiming his pistol right at her chest.
"Futaba… if only I had never birthed you…" the cognition said weakly, "then I…"
"No matter what you say to me…" Futaba-san said slowly before her voice grew determined. "I will live!"
Ken couldn't help but smile proudly at that. Futaba-san… she had realized the truth she had been burying this whole time. And she had done it all by herself.
"FIRE!" Futaba shouted, her voice ringing with her newly found determination.
Ren pulled the trigger, the bullet hurtling towards the cognition. Red spurted from the cognition as the cognition shrieked with pain. She lost her grip on the pyramid, plummeting to the ground. Before she finally dissolved into thin air.
"We… we did it," Makoto gasped out.
She then sank to her knees, before letting out a relieved laugh.
"That was… that was too close…" she breathed out.
"Agreed," Ken sighed, leaning against his spear for support.
He then looked up to the sky, where Necronomicon was hovering. The tentacles reemerged, wrapped around Futaba-san, slowly depositing her back to the ground.
Futaba-san twisted around to look at what she was wearing. To be fair, it probably was shocking to her to be suddenly wear this. It had been weird for him too.
"Whoa… this is new!" she breathed out.
Like the other girls, her suit was skin-tight. It was mostly black, with green glowing lines outlining it. But her mask caught his eye more. They were more goggles than an actual mask, actually. She looked like she stepped out of a sci-fi anime.
"Dude, you were amazing!" Ryuji-san ran up to her, grinning at her. "Seriously, we would've been screwed if you hadn't saved us!"
"Skull put it rather bluntly, but… I have to agree." Yusuke-san smiled. "You truly have overcome your inner demons."
"Uh… thanks?" Futaba-san tilted her head.
A bright light suddenly appeared, blinding them all for a moment. Then Futaba-san gasped, her eyes growing wide.
"Mom?!" she cried out.
It was Isshiki-san. But the image of her was translucent. Was this her spirit?
No, that was silly… this was probably Futaba-san's true cognition of Isshiki-san. Now that she rejected the lies forced on her, her true perception of her mother can emerge.
"Futaba…" Isshiki-san's voice was soft. "Thank you for choosing to remember the real me."
Futaba-san sniffled, pushing up her goggles to wipe at her eyes. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Mom. I'm sorry for being so selfish, Mom…"
She suddenly made a movement to approach Isshiki-san, but the dark-haired woman shook her head firmly.
"Futaba, you can't come here," she said gently but firmly.
"But I finally got to see you again…!" Futaba protested. "After so long!"
He understood the feeling. He would love to talk to his mother again, even for a minute. But he could also see why Futaba-san's cognition was stopping her. It wasn't healthy to dwell on the dead…
"Futaba-san, you can't," Ken said quietly. "Although she's just a memory of your mother, she's right…"
"But…" Futaba-san's bottom lip trembled.
She was going to start crying, wasn't she? He was not good with crying girls.
Isshiki-san's voice was still gentle but firm. "Futaba… you're being selfish again."
Futaba-san made a little sound in her throat.
"Mom, I…" Futaba-san's voice suddenly broke. "I love you… I-I'm sorry I didn't say it enough to you before you…"
Isshiki-san's expression was loving as she looked at Futaba-san. But her image suddenly flickered.
"Futaba, I love you too. Take care of yourself, please. I want nothing more than for you to live your life to the fullest. I've always wanted that for you. You have others to rely on now too. Don't forget that. Don't forget those around you now. And don't forget your real memories of me. Keep both close in your heart always, and you'll never be alone again."
Ken swallowed hard at hearing those words. He remembered talking to his mother's grave countless times… telling her that he was okay now because he had Shinjiro-san and the others to look after him.
Futaba-san probably needed to hear this as well.
Then Isshiki-san disappeared. Futaba-san was silent for a moment, her lips slightly parted. The group all huddled around her in silence as well. Everyone looking at each other, wanting to say something to her but not sure what to say first.
"Right. Medjed…" Futaba-san then turned on her heel without another word.
That was… not what he expected.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Ren-san raised an eyebrow.
"Home, duh," Futaba-san said with a shrug. "I can do that since I have the Nav."
Ren-san gave Ken an aside glance. Ken just shrugged. He wasn't sure what to make of this mood change as Futaba-san just… walked out without another word.
"She… marches to the beat of her own drum, I suppose." Yusuke-san said slowly.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Ryuji-san huffed, before scowling. "Not even a thanks."
"Well, you said it yourself," Makoto-san pointed out. "She saved us…"
"She really is a strange one," Yusuke-san sighed, shaking his head.
Anne-san rolled her eyes in response, putting her hands on her hips. "You're one to talk, Fox."
"She… She really did a great job," Morgana said faintly. "Far better than me."
Ken knelt so that he was closer to Morgana's level. "Hey. Don't say that. You've guided everyone through the Palaces well. You taught everyone how to be a Phantom Thief. That's not a small feat. Also, we never would have made it through this desert on foot."
Despite his attitude, Morgana did have some insecurities. And he understood what it felt like when you think you're not contributing enough…
"But I couldn't…" Morgana mumbled out, "not with the cognition…"
"Honestly, I think only Futaba could have helped us with this…" Ren-san knelt beside Morgana, putting a hand on his head.
When Morgana looked at him in surprise, Ren-san continued.
"You saw how the cognition was… it was totally out of any of our leagues. I don't think any of us could have guided us to beat that thing. Not Queen, not Ace, and certainly not me. Don't beat yourself up. We all hit hurdles sometimes, but that's why we're all a team. We need each other to succeed. And Ace is right, we'd all be barbeque in that desert without our trusty Morganamobile."
"Really?" Morgana said slowly.
"I prefer the term Monabus," Yusuke-san said but then was elbowed by Makoto-san.
He gave her a look and she shushed him. This puzzled him even more. Ken just shook his head, Yusuke-san didn't know how to read the room sometimes…
Ren-san ignored them, he offered Morgana a playful smile. "We're partners, remember? Or did you forget that?"
"Well…" Morgana trailed off but was interrupted by Anne-san.
"Uhh, guys? The Treasure is gone…"
"What?!" Morgana yelped, before running over to the sarcophagus. "How is this possible?!"
Then he gasped, his eyes growing wide with some kind of realization.
"Wait, I get it… the Palace, without a ruler to hold it together… the Treasure has no need to be a core!"
"Wait then… what's holding this together?" Ryuji-san gestured to everything around them.
"Oh no," Ken groaned. "Here we go…"
"Not only did Futaba enter her own Palace…" Makoto-san said slowly, "but her Shadow transformed into a Persona! This place…"
"It's going to self-destruct, isn't it?" Ren-san deadpanned.
"How did it hold up so long?!" Anne-san cried out.
The ground started a familiar shake.
"The Treasure must have clung on for so long because Futaba herself was here along with her awakened Persona, clinging to their desire for Futaba to make peace with her past, but once she made peace, it vanished!" Morgana explained as he ran to the edge, "Come on, let's go!"
"Hang on, we're going to run down here?" Ken said in disbelief.
"We don't have a choice!" Morgana fired back at him, whirling around to face him. "Come on, before the Palace collapses completely!"
They ran down the edge of the pyramid, and Anne-san eventually tossed Morgana in the air so he could transform into his bus form. (She didn't have to be that rough with him.) They all but fell into the bus, and Makoto-san floored the gas pedal, speeding out of the Metaverse and into the real world before the Pyramid fell on top of them.
For some reason… they found themselves in front of LeBlanc, instead of Sakura-san's house.
Ryuji-san let out a groan. "You guys okay?"
"Define… okay…" Ken groaned as well, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "I hate the getaways…"
"You don't really have a good history with them, do you?" Makoto-san laughed softly.
"Hmph." Ken glowered at the ground. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer."
"In Ken-ese…" Ren-san said in a sagely voice, pointing an index finger to the sky, "…that means yes."
"I didn't ask you, Ren-san," Ken grumbled.
"Hey, where did Futaba go?" Makoto-san asked in confusion as they slowly stood up.
"Oh, that's right…" Yusuke-san looked around. "Though, I suppose she could've just walked home…"
"Hey, what's going on out here?" The door swung open, revealing Sakura-san; he stepped outside, blinking at them. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Um…" Anne-san winced. "We… we… came here for some coffee!"
Anne-san bobbed her head before she beamed at Sakura-san.
"Yeah! Your coffee really hits the spot, Boss!" she declared.
Okay, that wasn't the most terribleacting but… it still made him cringe a bit.
Makoto-san nodded as well. "We might as well, since we came all this way to visit with Ren."
"I'm not thirsty though," Yusuke-san said, apparently oblivious to what Anne-san and Makoto-san were trying to do.
Ken had to fight the urge to facepalm. Yusuke-san… still not reading the room it seems.
"Though, doesn't coffee make you even thirstier?" Yusuke-san said. "It won't fulfill our thirst. In fact, it would dehydrate—"
Makoto-san quickly elbowed his side again, making him yelp.
"Yeah, iced coffee sounds great," Ken said smoothly, diverting Sakura-san's attention away from Yusuke-san. "Especially in this heat."
"Don't I know it," Sakura-san sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Though with this many customers…"
He pointed at Ren-san, who stared in confusion.
"Come in and help me."
"W-What?" Ren-san asked dumbly.
"Did I stutter?" Sakura-san retorted, folding his arms over his chest.
He looked at Ren sternly.
"Come on, especially after how I'm serving your friends," he said, before grabbing Ren-san by the arm and hauling him inside.
"Oh, um, actually—I have a quick errand I have to do… I just remembered about it. So I'll catch up later!" Makoto-san said quickly.
Anne-san caught her eye and nodded. "Okay, Makoto. See you soon!"
The others went inside LeBlanc, before Makoto-san stopped Ken, before holding onto his arm.
"I was hoping that Ren could come to check up on Futaba, but Boss kinda stole him away… but you were pretty worried about her also… Come on, let's go."
Ken nodded, before following her out of the alley. Though Ken noticed as she walked, she would wince a bit ever so often. Ken couldn't help but frown at the sight of her pained expression.
"What's wrong?" Ken finally managed to ask her when they stepped into the alley that led to the Sakura residence.
"Oh…" Makoto halted in her walking, before speaking again. "It's just… I got knocked into a pillar when you were working on firing the ballista," Makoto explained, resting a hand on her lower back. "I'll… I'll be okay. I just need to rest…"
Ken frowned, before reaching out to her. He didn't like seeing her in pain. "Could I?"
"Huh?" Makoto blinked at him, before lowering her hand, moving it to her side once more. "What are you talking about?"
"Just trust me."
Ken rested a hand on her back, careful not to touch anywhere… inappropriate. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on Kala-Nemi. Kala-Nemi's presence in his mind was fainter, as they weren't in a Shadow nest, but he could still feel it. He hadn't been able to sense it so well in years but with him fighting in a Shadow nest on a regular basis, it made his senses sharper.
He concentrated for a moment, before his hand began to tingle with a healing spell.
Makoto stiffened for a moment, all while her cheeks turned pink (because well, he was touching her in a place where she wasn't usually touched), but then relaxed as the spell swept through her.
It was the most he could do in the real world, unlike his senpai who could summon their Personas in the real world. But he was glad that he could do this at least.
"That's incredible," Makoto-san breathed in awe. "I didn't know that you could in the real world…"
"I've been practicing," Ken admitted, pulling back his hand.
It's been so long he almost forgotten how to do it, so he needed to get the practice in. Not that Makoto needed to know the first part.
He hated lying to them all so much…
"Could you… teach me?" Makoto-san asked hesitantly. "Sis has asked me a couple of times if I've taken a fall…"
She then sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"It's nice to know that she's concerned but… I've had a hard time explaining the bruises. I don't want her panicking and thinking I have some secret boyfriend who… well, is a thug," Makoto-san winced, then shook her head. "My sister is very observant but also comes to the worst conclusions."
"Hmm…" Ken clicked his tongue, as he thought about how to explain it. "It's just really focus. You have to focus on your Persona's presence in your mind and concentrate on the healing spell. There's not really anything I can teach you."
"I see…" Makoto's expression turned thoughtful before she shook her head.
She then clapped her hands together once, before turning back to Sakura-san's home.
"But anyhow! Let's check up on Futaba-chan," Makoto-san said, but then she suddenly froze.
"What's wrong—?" he began to ask.
Futaba-san was slumped against the wall.
"F-Futaba-chan?" Makoto-san's voice was filled with panic, as she knelt right in front of Futaba-san.
She shook the smaller girl lightly, but her head just lolled forward. If anything, Makoto-san just knocked her glasses askew.
"Please say something!" she begged.
Ken knelt down and took Futaba-san's wrist, checking for a pulse. To his relief, he could feel one… albeit a slow one since she seemed to be unconscious.
"It's okay, Makoto-san," Ken said. "She's just sleeping."
"O-Oh… thank goodness…" Makoto-san let go of Futaba-san before she dropped down to her knees. "I thought… because her awakening is so different than ours, that we did something wrong…"
"While it's true that Futaba-san's case is very different," Ken said. "But you know that Personas and Shadows are two sides of one coin, right? That's probably why Ren-san gains new Personas with the Shadows."
Or something like that. But he could still remember Kanji-san's surprise when his Shadow hadn't turned into a Persona back during the crisis with Sho Minazuki. A Persona manifested due to strength of heart… due to self-awareness. It was no surprise that people could gain Personas in many kinds of ways.
If they had killed Futaba's Shadow, it'd be a different story. That would probably lead to disastrous consequences, which could be related to the mental shutdowns (not that they had the evidence for it yet, but he couldn't help but wonder after spending time with the Phantom Thieves). But this wasn't the case. It had transformed into Necronomicon. Futaba-san was safe… in that matter.
Makoto-san's brow furrowed as she digested what Ken had said.
"It really was a different case with Futaba-chan…" Makoto-san suddenly bit her lip. "I'm glad that she got to get some self-closure with her mother's cognition but…"
Ken met her gaze. He understood completely.
"But it makes you wish that you had the same chance but with your dad," he said softly.
Makoto-san nodded furiously. "I know that Dad's death wasn't as entwined with Kaneshiro as it was with Futaba-chan and her mother, but I wish that I could talk to him just for a moment… I miss him so much…"
"I'm sure that he's still watching over you," Ken said, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a comforting smile.
Makoto-san smiled softly. "Thank you, Ken."
But then she turned her attention back to Futaba-san, her expression turning worried again.
"But…" Makoto-san seemed to shake as she gazed at Futaba-san's unconscious form, "what should we do…? What's wrong with her?"
"Didn't Ren-san mention something about knowing a doctor in Yongen-jaya?" Ken asked, turning to look at her. "I'll take Futaba-san back into her room, and you can message Ren to contact her to meet you. It'd be better to have a professional opinion."
"Okay." Makoto-san nodded. "That's a good plan."
Ken lifted Futaba-san with ease. She didn't even shift as he adjusted his grip on her so he wouldn't drop her. Should he be concerned that Futaba-san felt so light? She was quite petite, shorter than Fuuka-san even, but still he couldn't help but wonder if she was eating healthy.
He carried her into the house, laying her on top of her bed. Her room… was rather messy. Maybe he could tidy up a little while he waited for Makoto-san.
Ken had managed to toss out all of the bowls of ramen and other trash bags. (There goes eating healthy, but if she eats this much instant where did she put it all? She was so thin!) And cleared up some of the manga volumes on the floor, stacking them on Futaba-san's desk, when he heard a knock on the door.
Makoto-san cautiously opened the door, peeking inside. "Oh, you managed to clean up a bit."
"Yeah… it was bothering me," Ken said with a wince.
"So, this is the girl, huh?"
The doctor was not what he had expected. Ken's eyes were immediately drawn to her legs. Ken quickly mentally smacked himself for staring.
She looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. She had short navy blue hair and was dressed in a punk fashion. She wore a black mini-dress under her white lab coat, a black studded choker, and a pair of gladiator sandals.
Ren-san had some… weird associates.
So, this was the woman experimenting medicine on him? Though Ren-san did state it was all herbal it still had him… concerned. Meeting her did not change the mixed feelings he had, even if her medicine did help them in the Metaverse.
But he supposed that wasn't entirely fair to Ren-san… Minato-san and Minako-san had some weird friends too.
They stood back as they let Takemi, as Makoto-san told him the doctor's name in a whisper, examine Futaba-san.
"You know," Takemi said casually, "this is going to cost you. House calls aren't cheap."
"O-Oh… I see…" Makoto-san winced. "How much will that be?"
"Makoto-san, she's joking," Ken said, having caught the look on her face.
It was all too familiar to how Minato-san would make jokes.
"Oh…" Makoto-san shook her head. "But how is she?"
"She's fine. Her pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and breathing… they're all normal. No ocular abnormalities either. She just appears to be in a stupor. Furthermore, she lacks muscle for her age, and I don't think she has much stamina."
It took Ken to register all she had said.
"A stupor?" Ken repeated, before it hit him. "Oh… I think I get it."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Futaba-san probably only eats what she likes," Ken pointed out.
The ramen bowls that littered her room were proof of that. Shinjiro-san would probably have a fit at that, honestly…
"She's probably not eating healthily… which contributed to her body to being unbalanced. She must get tired out easily if she hasn't been eating properly."
"Hmm, not bad." Takemi looked at him curiously. "It appears that's not the case with you."
Ken just rubbed the back of his neck, offering her a sheepish smile. Shinjiro-san was very… insistent on him eating healthily. He remembered that his old friends on soccer club would rib him about that…
"This really is an abnormal case…" Makoto-san mumbled to herself, only to jump when Ken nudged her in the side.
They couldn't let Takemi catch onto their activities at all. Though he had to wonder what she said to Takemi to get her to come examine Futaba-san.
"B-But anyways!" Makoto-san bowed. "Thank you for helping us out here. I know that you didn't have to."
"No problem." Takemi shrugged. "I'll just expect my little guinea pig to buy a bit more than he usually does next time he visits me."
Guinea pig? And Ren-san actually did let her call him that? That wasn't a joke earlier when Makoto-san brought it up?!
But then Takemi left, leaving them alone with Futaba-san. Futaba-san slept through it all, smiling gently in her sleep.
Ken sighed. "We'll have to tell Sakura-san. He'll find out eventually anyways."
Makoto nodded in agreement. "Let's head back to LeBlanc then."
They returned to LeBlanc and told Sakura-san about how they found Futaba-san passed out in front of the house and helped her inside. He hurried back, and the others followed suit.
Sakura-san gently prodded his adoptive daughter.
"Hey, Futaba?" He shook her shoulder gently. "Hey…?"
Futaba-san just let out a soft moan, before rolling onto her side.
"Jeez… not again," Sakura-san sighed, shaking his head.
"Again?" Yusuke-san echoed. "What do you mean by that?"
"It happens every so often," Sakura-san began.
"F-For real?!" Ryuji-san demanded.
"She just used up all of her energy," Sakura-san explained. "Like batteries running out of juice, but… you found her outside?"
Makoto-san just nodded.
"She… actually stepped outside." Sakura-san was so shocked, his eyes wide.
"I-I think you should be more concerned about this, if this is a common thing…" Ken said shakily, "I mean her eating habits… and the lack of exercise…"
He'd know that Shinjiro-san would be. Maybe it was because Sakura-san spoiled Futaba in that way. And she hadn't exactly been getting exercise…
"I can't force her to exercise. And I tried changing up her diet but… after a while it got hard. She would refuse to eat much unless I gave her certain foods. She's been so fragile, I just did what I could to make her comfortable," Sakura-san said, before he shrugged; but then he smiled. "But she'll stay this way for a few days and she'll be up to her usual self."
"A few days?!" Anne-san exclaimed. "Shouldn't you take her to a doctor? There's one right here in Yongen-jaya…"
"I would, if she'd let me…" Sakura-san sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I'll make sure that she'll get plenty of rest. Let me close the store and you kids can go home."
Ken sighed. He was being a bit harsh on Sakura-san. He can't forget Futaba-san's mental state before all this. He shouldn't start critiquing Futaba's diet and exercise when she wasn't in the best headspace and Sakura-san was doing the best he could despite it all.
But… as soon as she woke up, he was going to make certain she started having some healthier habits. Ease some of Sakura-san's worries, of course.
"H-He can't be serious," Morgana said shakily. "A few days… We don't have time! Medjed is going through with its threat in like ten days!"
"Morgana…" Ken whispered warningly, shooting the cat a look. "I know that the situation with Medjed is serious, but Futaba-san's wellbeing was our priority."
"He's right, Morgana. Besides that, awakening to a Persona is tiring enough," Makoto-san added in a quiet tone.
Thankfully Sakura-san didn't hear them talking to the cat. Sakura-san left to go watch his shop, Ren-san promising him they would all leave soon, they just wanted to stay a bit longer to watch over Futaba-san.
If he remembered correctly… Minato-san and Minako-san actually slept for an entire week after awakening to their Personas Orpheus and Eurydice.
"I know but…" Morgana sighed, lowering his head. "…I'm sorry. You're right."
Then Futaba-san let out a contented sigh. Ken looked to see that her eyes flickered open, and she was staring up at the ceiling.
"That's right… Medjed..." she sighed again.
Ken wasn't surprised at the drowsiness of her voice. She blinked sleepily; her voice was now heavy with exhaustion.
"Mm… so tired… gonna sleep some more…"
"Wait, can't you—" Ryuji-san hung his head as Futaba rolled over and began to sleep again, letting out an annoyed groan.
"We'll just have to wait," Makoto-san sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "It's a bit worrisome, though… but it's not like we know any other hackers…"
Well, they didn't know any. Though he didn't know if Fuuka-san was that good. She was extremely talented, but he didn't think she could take on Medjed. And the stuff Futaba-san did was next level, it shocked all of them.
No… the best solution was to wait.
They all slowly made their way out. Trying to be quiet as possible as they left, wanting to give Futaba-san the rest she desperately needed.
Soon as Ken shut the front door behind him, Ryuji-san finally spoke up.
"Hey Morgana, when we were in the Palace, you got a brief glimpse right?"
Morgana was perched on Ren-san's shoulder, giving him a puzzled look. Ren-san just shrugged. Morgana tilted his head towards Ryuji-san.
"Huh? Of what?"
"You know, that Sarcophilus or whatever?" Ryuji-san clarified.
Makoto-san let out an exasperated sigh. "Sarcophagus, not Sarcophilus! Those are two different things."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah—same difference." Ryuji-san waved her off. "But you got to peak your head in there, yeah? Did you get to make out her Treasure?"
"They are not the same actually. Sarcophilus is a genus of carnivorous marsupial best known for its only living member, the Tasmanian devil," Yusuke-san interjected with a smile; Anne-san and Ryuji-san blinked at him in confusion and he responded with a huff, "I actually studied for my midterms and got that one right."
"Ugh! Not the point! Will you hair-splitters stop interrupting and turning this into a class lecture!" Ryuji-san exclaimed.
Makoto-san giggled at him. Ren-san chuckled and rolled his eyes. Ken couldn't help but sigh again. Morgana just shook his head.
Morgana then seemed in deep thought while Yusuke-san and Ryuji-san had some back-and-forth bickering. Morgana cleared his throat loudly while Makoto-san already broke up the debate.
"I do remember. At the time I wasn't sure really since I only saw it briefly."
Anne-san leaned forward, "So what was it, Morgana?"
"I saw a single scroll lying in there." Morgana nodded.
They all remained silent for a few seconds.
"I… wonder what it would represent." Yusuke-san tapped his index finger on his chin.
Ren-san played with his hair, seemingly in deep thought. His eyes widened, then his face morphed into one of pity.
Ken inquired, "Ren-san… what's wrong?"
"I think… that scroll must have represented the fake suicide note." Ren-san answered slowly.
The group all quietly gasped. They all looked around at each other, heavy frowns on their faces.
"The… mural… the first one we saw…" Anne-san wrapped her arms around herself.
"Yeah… those men in the black suits…" Ken trailed out. "They had a scroll in their hands in that mural… it represented the suicide note."
"It... was staring at us the whole time, wasn't it?" Morgana sighed somberly.
Ren-san reached over and lightly pet Morgana's head. Morgana didn't complain as he relaxed his posture while still perched on Ren-san's shoulder. Makoto-san placed a comforting hand on Anne-san's shoulder. Anne-san let out a deep breath but gave Makoto-san a sad smile. Yusuke-san began to fidget where he was standing, a quiet sorrowful look on his face.
"Whoa guys? Why are we all so down?" Ryuji-san looked around at everyone, "It sucks that happened, and honestly it does sadly make a lot of sense that would be the source of her desires. After all that's where the shit all started for her. But that is in the past right? We helped save her! She's gonna be okay now!"
Everyone was quiet for a moment, but they all seemed to relax finally. Everyone smiling a bit now. Ryuji-san wasn't exactly elegant with his words, but he knew what to say when it counted.
"Yeah, she's gonna be fine…" Ken let out a sigh of relief.
Thursday, August 11th, 2016
"The girl seriously just passed out?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Ken stifled a yawn with his hand.
Shinjiro frowned, before glancing at the clock on his laptop. It was past ten. Ken didn't have bags under his eyes but… "Ken, have you been getting enough sleep? You look like you haven't gotten any sleep."
"I'm fine, Shinjiro-san…" he sighed, before yawning again. "I'm just tired after the fight we had. We got put through the wringer."
"What exactly happened?" Shinjiro demanded.
"A Sphinx tried to kill us."
"Ken," Shinjiro ground out.
He really hated it when Ken tried masking things by dodging the question.
"We just… struggled with her cognition of Isshiki-san until Futaba-san entered her Palace and awakened to her Persona. Her Shadow changed into her Persona and everything."
"It did?" Fuuka suddenly approached, peering over Shinjiro's shoulder.
She rested her chin on his shoulder as she looked at Ken. "That sounds an awfully like how the Investigation Team gained their Personas."
"But their Shadows went all berserk," Shinjiro said. "From what you've told us, looks like her Shadow was more like Teddie."
His lips formed a thin line as a memory came floating to his mind.
"No actually… she sounds more like Metis."
Despite everything, he couldn't forget about how Metis had attacked Ken when she first showed up. Aki had to restrain him from attacking the then interloper. But be that as it may, she was trying to help Aigis. Isshiki's girl sounded like she had an erratic Shadow from what Ken described. Pushing them away, but also wanting help. In the end, she just wanted to help the girl.
"But anyways, I'm glad that Futaba-chan will be okay," Fuuka cut in. "You'll be checking up on her, won't you?"
"Yeah, we will." Ken rubbed his face. "Sakura-san claims she's always out for a few days at the very least but…"
Ken then sighed, before pursing his lips. Shinjiro frowned. He hoped that Ken wouldn't be stressing out too much over this.
"Everyone's pretty worried. Medjed's deadline isn't too far away."
Shinjiro made a face. "Sheesh… what the hell has he been feeding her?"
Ken fidgeted for a moment. "I don't know the extent of it but I found a lot of ramen bowls in her room…"
Why wasn't he surprised? The Phantom Thieves in general seemed to have shitty eating habits. Kitagawa seemed to starve himself so he could buy art supplies. Takamaki had an even bigger sweet tooth than Takeba. And given that Amamiya lived in the attic of a café, he highly doubted the kid was getting to eat half decent food. Niijima and Sakamoto seemed to be the only ones getting decent meals.
"It's not Sakura-san's fault… Futaba-san had not been mentally well for a while. He tried to encourage healthier habits but nothing really worked. So he just did what she was willing to eat so she'd be more comfortable," Ken said with a frown.
Shinjiro sighed. Ken must have noticed how irritated he looked. Depression did encourage bad habits. He shouldn't blame her guardian. And for all he knew maybe Amamiya did eat better, it's not like he saw what the kid ate every day. It's not fair to Sojiro Sakura to assume the worst because of those conditions.
Amamiya only lived in the attic because of how badly Sakura was doing mentally. And Sakura's eating habits made more sense when Ken put it like that. But it still wouldn't do.
Maybe he should just start sending Ken off with meals when he went to see the group. Somebody had to give them proper nutrition. Why did teenagers have to have crappy eating habits?
"What's with that face?" Ken quirked a brow at him. "You're still glaring."
"Nothing," Shinjiro dismissed. "You're imagining it."
"Uh-huh." Ken sounded completely unconvinced. "Sure, Shinjiro-san."
"What are you planning, Shinji?" Shinjiro turned his head to see Fuuka raise an eyebrow at him. "You're making that face."
"Tch, did you two decide that you just have to pick on me today?" Shinjiro grumbled.
Fuuka just giggled before leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "Well, I suppose we should be nice today of all days. It is your birthday, after all."
"Yeah, happy birthday, Shinjiro-san." Ken fidgeted again, before looking at Shinjiro hesitantly. "Um… did you like…?"
"Yeah. It was great, Ken," Shinjiro said quickly.
"Oh, what did you get him?" Fuuka asked, apparently oblivious to the brief panic that appeared on Ken's face.
"Uh… well…"
"Just a cookbook with Korean recipes," Shinjiro said quickly.
Hopefully Fuuka would buy that lie. Because he really didn't want to screw up the actual proposal. Minako and Takeba would both murder him if he screwed it up. They would never let him hear the end of it.
"Oh." Fuuka blinked, before she finally nodded.
Ken's shoulders just slumped in relief. He didn't blame him. He was kinda worried that Fuuka wouldn't accept his lie.
"That's a nice present, Ken-kun! Maybe we should look through it for dinner tomorrow night, Shinji. Since we're having dinner with everyone tonight for your birthday."
"Fuck…" He thought wincing internally.
God dammit… where the hell was he supposed to come up with a Korean cookbook? Would Bookworms have anything like that?
"Maybe…" Shinjiro drew out the word, all while desperately trying to come out with an excuse. "But I was thinking about cooking your favorite stuff for tomorrow night. Since you probably haven't had it in a while."
"Oh, that's not necessary, Shinji! It's sweet of you, though."
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ken rolling his eyes. He really couldn't wait for the day when Ken got a girlfriend, whenever the hell that was. Then it would be time for payback.
"But since it's summer vacation, I think I'm just gonna go back to bed," Ken said with a yawn. "I'm still pretty tired."
"You'll be okay by yourself, right?" Fuuka asked, before she frowned in concern. "You shouldn't sleep the entire day, though! Maybe you should set an alarm…"
"I know, I know," Ken groaned. "I already have Shinjiro-san nagging at me…"
Fuuka smiled apologetically. "I know, but can you blame me? It's been a long time since you've been by yourself…"
"So, I can live in a dorm when I'm thirteen, but I can't be trusted to take care of myself when I'm eighteen," Ken deadpanned, before rolling his eyes. "Good to know."
Shinjiro rolled his eyes. "Quit being a smartass, Ken. Fuuka's just worried."
"Yeah, like she's the only one," Ken said dryly, before his expression softened. "But… enjoy your birthday, Shinjiro-san."
"Yeah, yeah." Shinjiro waved it off. "Try and get some rest, yeah?"
"Will do."
Ken gave one last wave, before he cut off the connection.
KALA-NEMI
Level: 36
Skills: Makouha, Kouga, Recarm, Diarama, Mediarama, Snap, Hamaon, Mahama
Next Skill: Makouga (Level 38)
I know that I said I expected the chapter to be on the shorter side but uh… it just didn't happen. Whups. But anyways, Futaba's Palace has finally been completed! It was mostly canon scenes but… I really enjoyed writing my own spin of things. Ryuji and Ken's co-op attack was inspired by their (and Anne and Morgana's) unison attack from PQ2, in case anyone was wondering.
I also will be updating Kala-Nemi's skillset at the conclusion of every Palace. And in this AU, Makoto will only learn Diarama/Diaharan, since Ken has always been healing based.
And happy late P3D/P5D release day! I got to play already and I already adore the game. Been thinking of what songs Ken would have in this AU's version of P5D, and I picture him having Road Less Taken and Wait and See (I know it's SEES's battle theme and this is more P5 oriented but shhh). May write an omake about Caroline and Justine's first social scene in this AU, but we'll see.
Edit Notes (8/9/24): After discussing things with my beta angelrin89, we decided to tweak the Treasure to not being Futaba herself. It doesn't fit with the lore super well, since Futaba herself can't be the root of her distorted cognitions. We agreed that it should be the fake suicide note and we added some dialogue to reflect that. Thank you again, angelrin89, for your wonderful work!