Ace In The Hole

by eiranerys

Shido has barred the Shadow Operatives from action for two years. But when the Phantom Thieves appear, Mitsuru decides that they have to take action. Luckily, there's a certain former member Shido doesn't seem to be aware of: Ken Amada. But when Ken meets the Phantom Thieves in person, he can't help but agree with their goals. He can't help but befriend them. Phantom Thief!Ken AU.

45. 44: Revelations

Chapter 44

Revelations

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Friday, November 25th, 2016

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"This is where your justice ends."

Pain suddenly exploded around Ren's skull. Then... he felt nothing... absolutely nothing.

But that wasn't the end of it. It was like being trapped watching a TV show but he couldn't move. He could see everything yet he wasn't there and couldn't feel anything. He watched Akechi slip out of the interrogation room, reporting to Shido. He watched the fear on his friends' faces. His heart clenched especially, watching Anne break down into tears.

"You promised me, Ren... why did you break your promise?" she choked out, clutching the necklace he had given her in one hand.

Then there was a gunshot and red suddenly spread across Anne's chest. Suddenly he could move again.

"ANNE!" he cried out, reaching out to her.

But Anne's form trembled for a moment before her knees gave way. Ren fell to his knees, reaching out to staunch the blood flow but his hands just passed through her.

"No... no..." he whispered, on the verge of tears.

He could only watch helplessly as Akechi followed each of his friends. Their expressions were worried, agitated... almost like a caged animal, even as Akechi shot them dead.

Ren just stood, horrified, watching his friends die, one by one. Was this his punishment? For not being able to save them to begin with?

But on top of that, he could hear his friends' words swirl around him.

"You did this... you weren't good enough..."

"We trusted you, Ren!"

"Is this truly how you repay our faith?!"

"N-No..." he whispered as he sunk to his knees, tears stinging at his eyes. "This—this can't be true!"

But it was true... they should've never been in this situation if he hadn't been so damn careless. How could he be so foolish about this? He had bitten off more than he could chew and his friends were the ones suffering from it.

"Ren... Ren..."

Someone speaking his name vibrated in his skull, the calls slowly growing louder.

"Ren! Ren! WAKE UP!"

Ren's eyes snapped open as he let out a sharp gasp, only to see Morgana sitting right on his chest. Morgana let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness..." he murmured, before sliding off of Ren so Ren could sit up. "You were worrying me there."

"It was just a dream..." Ren thought, his shoulders slumping with relief. "Everyone's okay. The plan succeeded..."

Ren slowly sat up and Morgana hopped onto the bed again, before Ren pressed a hand to his forehead. In the faint light, he could see Morgana tense up. He looked... conflicted about something.

"Ren... what was your dream about?" he asked tentatively.

Ren bit his lip, looking down at his lap. His friends' reminders echoed in his mind. He shouldn't bottle his feelings in...

"I dreamed I had failed," he said quietly, all but forcing the words out. Ren then swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat. "And... Akechi was going after everyone else. I couldn't do anything to stop it..."

Once again, tears pricked at his eyes. He just... felt so weak. He hated it! He hated it so much... He was supposed to be strong—he was the leader for hell's sake. And yet here he was hiding away.

Morgana then looked up, "But you didn't. You convinced Niijima to trust in you. You've reignited her desire to pursue justice. That's not a small thing, Ren!"

Ren just sighed heavily. He knew in his heart, that Morgana was right. But the what-ifs kept gnawing at the back of his mind.

"I know, Morgana, but..."

"No buts!" Morgana interrupted, his voice stern. "Ren... you've gotta stop focusing on the negatives! We can access Shido's Palace now. Ken's coming back later tonight... things are looking up. We can't be cocky, of course—"

Morgana then stopped short, giving Ren an irate look.

He huffed out, "Don't even start!"

"Start what?" Despite himself, Ren felt a smile tug at his lips.

"Don't play innocent," Morgana huffed out. "Now what I was saying...?"

"Things looking up?" he supplied.

Morgana nodded, "Oh right! Seriously, Ren, have confidence, okay? We'll be okay. You'll be okay."

Then he suddenly looked thoughtful.

"You know... maybe you should talk to Ken about this."

"Ken?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow at that.

Sure, Ken had suffered a lot but... Ren wasn't sure if things were the same.

Morgana nodded, though he suddenly looked somber.

"I mean, Ken has dealt with this kind of thing in the past. Not just... what happened with Shido. But he also went through a lot when he was just a kid. I'm sure Ken would understand... better than any of us."

That was really insightful of Morgana. The thought hadn't even come to mind.

"I'll think about it. I don't want to just dump it on him, just when he got back..."

Morgana sighed, before nodding reluctantly, "Fair enough."

Ren then reached out, petting him.

"But... thanks, Morgana. I know that you always have my back."

Morgana smiled. "Anytime, Ren."

But then Ren's phone buzzed. Morgana just sighed.

"Answer that and go back to bed. You need your rest."

"But I don't have to get up for school," Ren pointed out.

"Still...!" Morgana huffed out, before rolling his eyes. "You don't want to ruin your sleeping schedule. Once Shido's taken down, it'll be safe for you to go back to school. That's not too far off!"

"Yes, Mom," Ren said teasingly, before picking up his phone.

It was a message from Anne.

[Anne]: Hey are you up?

[Ren]: I am... Morgana just woke me up actually. What's up?

[Anne]: I couldn't sleep... I had a bad dream

Ren paused at that. Anne too?

[Ren]: Mind telling me what exactly?

Ren watched the three dots repeatedly pop up on the bottom of the screen as Anne typed out her message. He had a suspicion on what it was about.

[Anne]: ...I dreamed about the plan failing. I know that you're perfectly fine but I guess I needed the reassurance that you're still here, y'know?

[Ren]: I'm still here, Anne. You can't get rid of me

[Anne]: I don't want to! You're stuck with me, mister :P

Ren just smiled. He recalled Anne calling him her light... but she brought sunshine in his life. She made him smile, even on the darkest days when doubt ate away at him. He remembered how gloomy he had felt at his move to Tokyo and Sojiro and Kobayakawa had just rubbed the salt in. But then he saw Anne and he couldn't help but gawk from how beautiful she was. Then she had smiled at him. It had been like she was the one bit of color in his gray world.

[Ren]: I wouldn't change it for the world, Anne

[Anne]: Someone's feeling sappy tonight ;)

[Ren]: Yeah but you eat it up like candy

[Anne]: HEY

[Ren]: Hey I'm just stating the truth

[Anne]: You're so mean sometimes Ren...

[Ren]: Love you too

"Ren..." Morgana grumbled out, before "Go. To. Bed."

"Okay, bossy." Ren said playfully.

[Ren]: I have to go back to bed though or I'll face the wrath of Morgana

[Anne]: Haha, can't have that, can we :P

[Anne]: Good night, Ren. I love you 3

[Ren]: Night, Anne

[Ren]: I love you too

---

Sae wanted to meet Ken. "Properly", as she put it. So she asked Makoto about when Ken would be available to talk privately. But Makoto couldn't help but feel nervous about asking her boyfriend this.

Though Makoto was secretly glad that Sae hadn't insisted on talking to Shinjiro-san. Makoto wasn't sure if she trusted the two of them in the same room without trying to kill each other. At least not yet. She knew that if she and Ken continued dating—and she hoped that was the case—Shinjiro-san and Sae would have to learn to get along.

But still, she couldn't help but feel nervous that Sae was going to grill Ken.

She had resolved to do this yesterday, but Ken had been busy with... something. Though Fuuka-san had been awfully vague on what it was exactly. It wasn't a complete loss though, since she was able to speak with Minako-san. She could see why Ken was so fond of her. The older woman was kind and warm and funny, even though she had a penchant for teasing (much like a certain someone she knew).

"It'll be fine, Mako-chan."

Makoto had invited Haru over for a study session. Entrance exams, to be specific. Makoto's personal goal was Tokyo University, as ambitious as that was. Haru had humbler aspirations, as she'd be satisfied with any university with a good business degree.

They had gotten to talking though and Haru had confessed that she was considering trying to open a café similar to what her grandfather had run. And somehow... the conversation had shifted to Makoto telling Haru what Sae had requested.

Makoto sighed. "I don't know, Haru... what if Ken gets mad about this?"

Haru just giggled. "I don't think Ken-kun would get mad over something so trivial."

Then she suddenly clapped her hands together once, her eyes growing bright.

"Oh, I know! Ken-kun and Shinjiro-san might be tired from the drive—why don't we make dinner for them? It'll give you an excuse to go over too."

"That's..." Makoto trailed off and let out a quiet laugh. "That's very sneaky, Haru."

Haru just giggled, her light brown eyes sparkling. "I mean, we've spent so much time as Phantom Thieves..."

But still, Makoto couldn't help but feel hesitant. "Are you sure though? We did come over to study..."

Haru nodded, hard enough so that her curls bounced up and down.

"Of course! I'd like to practice more with my cooking anyways."

Makoto just sighed. "I just wish that Shinjiro-san was a little easier to impress with cooking."

Haru tilted her head. "But what about Ken-kun?"

"I... er... I've actually never cooked for him personally," Makoto mumbled out.

She never had really thought of it. Especially since Ken had been taught how to cook fairly well by Shinjiro-san. Should she try to make a bento lunch for him some time? Like maybe on a Sunday, given the huge lunches he got from Shinjiro-san for school.

Then again, he wasn't going to school right now.

What did Ken even like to eat? She knew that Ken considered omurice comfort food, because that was what his mother made him but... she wasn't quite sure.

"No time like the present, then!" Haru said cheerfully before she suddenly chewed on her bottom lip. "Oh, perhaps we should make something extra for Yusuke-kun."

Makoto blinked at that. That... was probably a good idea, given their friend's constant hunger.

They made corn miso soup, along with tempura vegetables and grilled fish. A simple dish, but it was a dish that Makoto knew how to prepare well.

Cooking with Haru was fun, though. Haru somehow always knew how to keep the conversation flowing, talking about whatever came to mind. Makoto had admittedly never paid any attention to growing plants, be it flowers or vegetables, but Haru's enthusiasm on the subject made it interesting to hear.

"Though, Mako-chan, weren't you planning on asking Ken-kun this yesterday?" Haru suddenly asked as they packed the food away.

Makoto shrugged. "He was busy with something. Something regarding Mitsuru-san. And I thought, maybe it'd be better to do this in person. It wasn't all so bad though. I got to talk to Minako-san."

Haru's eyes lit up at that. "Oh! What's she like, Mako-chan?"

"I think you'd like her. She's similar to Ren in a few ways. There's just something... magnetic about her? The way she talks to you makes it easy to talk to her. Ken's lucky to have her as a big sister figure. Oh, and she's clearly a doting mother—she's sent me several pictures of Kiyomi-chan already—"

"She has?!" Haru gasped.

"Do you want to see?" Makoto asked, fighting the urge to laugh at Haru's enthusiasm.

She couldn't help but think that when the time came—Haru would be a very doting mother. Though now she thought about it, Haru was the only one out of their group to never have met Yukari-san's twins. Makoto couldn't help but wonder how they'd like her.

Haru nodded vigorously, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Yes, please!" she exclaimed.

Makoto chuckled before pulling out her phone.

"Here you go," she said, handing the device to Haru.

Haru eagerly took her phone to look at the pictures.

"Oh, this is just adorable!" Haru gushed, her eyes sparkling. "Isn't she just precious, Mako-chan?"

Makoto nodded. "She is. I'm just glad that she was born healthy..."

Haru gave a nod as well. "Mm-hm, I'm grateful that everything seemed to pan out okay."

She then sighed longingly, which just confirmed Makoto's thoughts.

"Oh, you're so lucky, Mako-chan, for Minako-san to send you these pictures! Kiyomi-chan is so cute already—just imagine how she'll look like in a few months!" she gushed.

"I'm guessing that you'd be the type to want several children?" Makoto chuckled.

"Well... not several," Haru said with a giggle. "But I think three is a good number. I was always lonely as a child. I remember thinking it'd be so nice to have a sibling or two..."

She could honestly relate to that, due to the large age gap between her and Sae. Makoto often had to rely on her imagination and her toys for company.

Then Haru suddenly sighed, her expression falling. "But that's jumping ahead of myself... I have to focus on breaking the engagement to Sugimura..."

Makoto's stomach clenched at the mention of Sugimura.

"Maybe Sis could help?" Makoto ventured. "Maybe there's some kind of loophole we could utilize."

Haru smiled softly. "That's sweet of you to offer, Mako-chan but... this is something I have to do on my own."

"Do you have a plan?" Makoto couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"You could say that. But don't worry about me," Haru said vaguely, before flashing Makoto a brilliant smile.

Makoto still felt confused but... she trusted Haru. So she nodded.

"If you're sure, Haru."

"I am!"

Then both of their phones went off. Makoto felt her heart leap into her throat as she read the message—Ken and Shinjiro-san were back.

"Oh, good timing!" Haru said cheerily before pushing Makoto towards the door. "You should get going, Mako-chan."

"Kicking me out of my own apartment?" Makoto asked.

Haru just giggled. "Don't worry—I'm leaving too!"

But then her smile turned teasing.

"Besides... I'm sure that you're eager to see Ken-kun. I know you've missed him a lot."

"Haru!" Makoto protested, feeling her face flush.

She wasn't that obvious, was she? And it's only been a couple days since she had seen Ken.

She smiled innocently at that. "Am I lying, Mako-chan?"

"Ren is a terrible influence on you," Makoto grumbled out, unable to come up with any other retort.

But they gathered up the food and after Haru collected her belongings, they exited the apartment together. Makoto walked her to the train station, before heading for Ken's place.

She was surprised to hear barks, however. Shinjiro-san opened the door while Koromaru poked his head in between Shinjiro-san's legs. The pooch cocked his head at Makoto before barking one more time.

"Oi, Koro, pipe down," Shinjiro-san chided, gently nudging Koromaru's side with his foot. "It's just Makoto."

Makoto just bowed her head. "Good evening, Shinjiro-san. I, um, brought you dinner. I thought that you'd prefer that over ordering take-out."

To prove her point, she held up the plastic bag that contained the food. Shinjiro-san looked at her suspiciously, his lips forming a thin line.

"You didn't have to cook us dinner. You could've just come over and see Ken."

"What?!" Makoto sputtered out, feeling her cheeks heat up. "T-That's not it!"

How on earth did he figure that out?!

Shinjiro-san just snorted in response, folding his arms over his chest. He looked utterly unimpressed.

"You're an even worse liar than Ken," he said dryly, before stepping backwards so Makoto could come inside.

"I'm not a bad liar!" Makoto protested.

Shinjiro-san just smirked in response. "I just said that you're worse than Ken."

"Hmph..." Makoto huffed to herself; she couldn't help but feel a little peeved at Shinjiro-san's remark.

She then removed her shoes, setting them neatly by the door, before stepping inside. Koromaru looked up at her curiously.

"Do you remember me?" she asked hesitantly before crouching down and holding her hand.

Koromaru blinked at her before nosing her hand. He then barked a couple times before licking her hand. Makoto just giggled before petting him on the head.

"You're a smart boy, aren't you?" she couldn't help but coo.

She liked Morgana well enough. But there was something very endearing about Koromaru.

However... she was a little confused on why Koromaru was here.

"Koro insisted on coming," Shinjiro-san explained without preamble; he must've guessed what Makoto was thinking.

"He... insisted?" Makoto asked before she stood up. "So along with being a chef, you're a dog whisperer now?"

Shinjiro-san gave her a withering look. "Aigis acted as translator."

Makoto stared blankly at him. "Aigis-san can talk to dogs?"

"She and her older sister, Labrys." Then he paused and frowned. "Has Ken even explained what happened?"

Makoto shrugged. "Not as detailed as your story, but we've been given a rough summary."

After Makoto set the food on the dining table, she went to wash her hands. She liked Koromaru, but she didn't want to get any germs.

"Is Ken lying down or something?" she asked.

"He's showering," he corrected.

"I see..." Makoto responded.

Makoto wanted to ask what exactly the doctor's results were, but she held her tongue. Ken would tell all of them eventually. She just needed to be patient.

"So... how was your trip?" she asked instead.

Shinjiro-san looked surprised at her question before he shrugged in response.

"Good. I think Ken needed it. He got to relax a little..." He suddenly smirked, for some reason. "Even with the trouble that Minako and Iori gave him."

Makoto raised an eyebrow at that. "What kind of trouble?"

She could make an educated guess on what it was exactly. She had a small feeling.

"Shinjiro-san, I'm done showering, do you want—" Ken suddenly cut himself off, doing a double take; he even dropped the towel he was using to rub his hair dry. "Makoto?"

Shinjiro-san suddenly snorted, "Might as well. I won't have to watch you two make goo-goo eyes at each other."

Ken just scowled at him. "At least I don't get distracted by Makoto while I'm cooking and nearly let the food burn."

Shinjiro-san glowered at him for that jab. "Shuddup."

Ken rolled his eyes. "Why? Because it's true?"

Shinjiro-san looked like he was struggling to come up with a retort so he looked away, a scoff falling from his lips. Makoto couldn't help but giggle. She missed hearing their banter.

"Whatever, I'm going to shower. It's been a long drive."

Without another word, he stalked away. Ken turned his head, rolling his eyes once more at Shinjiro-san's back. Shinjiro-san was really lax about that kind of thing. Makoto would never have dreamed of backtalking Sae or her dad back when he was alive like Ken did with Shinjiro-san.

Makoto eyed her boyfriend, suddenly feeling tongue-tied. She had missed him—more than she had expected but she wasn't quite sure how to express herself. Sometimes she really wished that she had Anne's talent with socializing.

But then Ken stepped forward, suddenly tugging her into his arms. Makoto then inhaled, taking in Ken's fresh scent. He smelled especially nice, probably since he had just taken a shower.

"I've missed you," Ken mumbled out.

Makoto smiled softly. "I've missed you too."

She really missed seeing him in school. You would think that she'd be able to focus more on class, without her boyfriend's presence, but she found her mind drifting to how he was doing.

"Oh, um... I did bring you back something," Ken suddenly said, his voice sheepish. "A couple things actually."

Makoto blinked at him. "You did? You didn't have to."

"I know, but I wanted to. Come on, let's go to my room," Ken said with a smile.

Koromaru made a small yip, cocking his head.

"Stay, Koromaru. We'll be back soon."

"He's just a dog, you know," Makoto whispered to her boyfriend.

"A gossipy dog, you mean," Ken grumbled before tugging her towards the hallway. "There's a video recording showing that he snitched out Shinjiro-san that he was watching a cooking show to the girls."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. That was... interesting, to say the least, but she had learned to stop questioning things.

Ken opened his bedroom door, before pulling her in. Makoto glanced at him; it was only now that she realized that he never bothered picking up the hand towel that he was using to dry his hair.

"You're going to get sick, if you don't dry your hair."

"Huh?" Ken blinked at her before reaching up to finger a wet strand of hair.

"Where do you keep the towels again?" Makoto frowned, trying to wrack her brain; she could vaguely remember Fuuka-san asking Shinjiro-san the same thing, the night of the fireworks festival.

Ken smiled in amusement. "Makoto, its fine. You don't have to fuss. Ten minutes with wet hair isn't going to kill me."

"I suppose..." Makoto mumbled out.

Ken then picked up his duffel bag from the floor before pulling out a couple books and holding them out to her. They were in pretty good shape but then Makoto's eyes fell onto the title.

Her eyes widened at that. "Oh, you remembered!"

Ken just rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a good series. I think Yu-san mentioned that he read the entire series when he was in high school. But there's another thing I got you..."

Ken was suddenly blushing and he began to fidget.

"Umm... well... I found this while spending some time with my friends."

He then reached into his duffel bag again, before pulling out... a keychain. It was a plush keychain. To be specific, it was a Bunchimaru keychain.

"I uhh... I honestly was thinking of just getting you the books but I saw this when spending some with a couple school friends. And I know how much you like Bunchimaru and it's almost been a month since we've started dating so..." Ken trailed off before his blush deepened.

Makoto giggled before taking it from him. She then gave him a peck on the cheek.

"That was sweet of you."

She'd have to think on where she wanted to put it. Maybe her pencil case?

"But I didn't get you anything," Makoto said, frowning.

"Its fine, Makoto," Ken said quickly.

"If you say so..."

Even as she said that, she made a mental note to track down a gift for Ken.

Makoto asked, "How was your trip, though? I asked Shinjiro-san already but...?"

Ken then smiled. "It was... good. It was nice to see everyone. I don't think I realized how much I missed everyone until this trip."

But his smile suddenly turned wry.

"Though—I'll be omitting the fact that we had sushi. Don't want Morgana to get jealous."

"Can't have that, can we?" Makoto laughed, only for it to quickly fade away and she looked at her boyfriend nervously. "But um... Ken, what were the doctor's results? You never said."

Ken grimaced at that before he flexed his hand.

"The diagnosis is fairly good..." he said slowly.

"Fairly?" Makoto's heart suddenly clenched in fear.

"It's nothing terrible!" Ken hastened to reassure her, reaching out to take her hand. "Just that—my reflexes have slowed down. It'll come back in time, but it's a bit annoying."

"Just annoying? This wasn't annoying! What if this was costly in the Metaverse?" she thought with fear.

"Makoto? Makoto, breathe. It'll be okay."

Makoto's eyes snapped back to Ken. His expression was concerned. She realized that Ken had pulled her down to sit on his bed.

He then hugged her briefly. "I'll be fine, really."

"But what about in Shido's Palace—" she began.

"You know how Ren handles things..." he reminded gently before he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "We usually don't infiltrate the Palace for at least a week."

Makoto had to admit that he was right. While Ren could be occasionally reckless... he was always cautious when it came to ensuring that they were ready for Palace explorations. Despite all of the teasing everyone gave him, he always took Phantom Thief work seriously.

Makoto bit her lip before slowly nodding. She didn't want to tell him how frightened she had been for him, especially since she saw what Shido had done to him. She knew that Ken felt awful enough about it—she didn't want to add to his burden. He'd feel so horribly guilty if she told him.

Ken gave her another smile before leaning in to kiss her. They kissed just briefly. Too short, if you asked Makoto, but she pushed that out of her mind. She could focus on that later.

"Although, there is one thing, Ken," Makoto said slowly.

Ken just craned an eyebrow at that, "And that would be?"

Makoto winced before licking her lips. "Umm... you see... Sis wants to get to know you better. So she was wondering when you'd be available to have a talk."

"Just... the two of us?" Ken asked with a frown.

"I-I know that Sis and Shinjiro-san aren't exactly the best of friends, but she's willing to give you a chance!" Makoto hastily reassured him. "She promised me that. And that she's perfectly okay with us dating as long as it doesn't interfere with our studies. And—!"

But she was suddenly cut off by Ken leaning in and pecking her on the lips.

"That's not it." Ken then exhaled deeply before rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just—uh..."

He then sighed, looking down at his lap.

"Fuuka-san's parents are estranged from her. They never got along too well—they put pressure on her to become a doctor, something she never really wanted to do. And on top of that, when Fuuka-san was trapped in Tartarus before she awakened to her Persona..."

His expression suddenly darkened, glowering down at the floor. Then his hand resting in his lap clenched into a fist.

"They just shrugged it off. Even though she had been missing for ten days."

Makoto stared at her boyfriend with wide eyes. But she could tell that Ken wasn't finished so she stayed quiet.

"And they never approved of Shinjiro-san. Fuuka-san and Shinjiro-san agreed to a dinner so her parents could meet Shinjiro-san. It... didn't go too well. They wanted Fuuka-san to break up with Shinjiro-san. Pretty much gave her an ultimatum. Needless to say, Fuuka-san chose the person who cared for her as a person."

"Sis isn't them, though, Ken," Makoto said quietly and reached out to tilt his chin up. "She's different now."

She dropped her hands to her lap. Ken reached out, squeezing the hand resting on her knee.

"I know, and I'm happy for you. You deserve this second chance with your sister," he said sincerely, before cracking a wry smile. "But it's not stopping me from being a little nervous."

"Sis will love you!" Makoto said, speaking more confidently than she felt; to be honest, she was a little nervous.

She wanted Sae to like Ken. Ken was extremely important to her and she wanted Sae to understand that.

She somehow managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Ken. Just be yourself."

Ken nodded. "Alright, we'll meet with Ren and the others tomorrow so... how about this Sunday at eleven?"

"Sunday at eleven..." Makoto repeated, only for something to strike her.

"What's with that look?" Ken asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I was just thinking—" Makoto gave him an aside glance, "—you might earn some points with her if you tell her that you got me to watch Feathermen. I always got bored with it when we were younger."

Ken huffed out a laugh, his lips twitching into a smile.

"Is that so?"

"What can I say? You make it more interesting!" she giggled lightly.

She then leaned up to kiss him. Ken pulled away slightly, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"What happened to nagging me about my wet hair?"

Makoto fingered his damp hair for a moment. "You said you'd be fine with wet hair for ten minutes, right?"

A light laugh escaped Ken. She loved hearing him laugh, because it was so rare to hear it from him.

"I suppose you're right."

Then he pulled her close and kissed her.

---

Sae's vision was starting to blur. She rubbed at her eyes before setting aside the case file.

The Phantom Thieves' comments about overturning Ren's mark on his record kept rattling in her mind. It may be difficult... but it couldn't be impossible, right? So on the side, she had been looking into case files, to see how a false accusation could be overturned.

"What even is the time?" she wondered to herself before her stomach suddenly let out a gurgle. "It feels like I've been here for forever."

She peeled back her sleeve, glancing at her watch. It was half past six. She should try to head home for dinner. She had promised herself that she'd try to at least eat dinner with Makoto more.

Sae got up and stretched, before gathering her belongings. She tucked the case files in her bag so she could read them at home as well, before heading out.

It was honestly a little unsettling to see how the incident with Ren's "murder" was brushed to the side. And she had heard some whispers about not being to find anything online pertaining to that. It was horrifying to see the scope of Shido's power.

But the front doors suddenly slid open... revealing Akechi.

Sae's grasp on her handbag's strap tightened at the sight of him. She hadn't seen her partner for nearly a week, not since he went to go kill Ren. Seeing him again brought on the feelings of betrayal all over again.

He flashed her his trademark genial smile. "Good evening, Sae-san."

Sae pursed her lips. "Hello, Akechi-kun."

She stumbled over the honorific, as her heart gave a painful twinge.

"Why? Why was our entire relationship a farce?" she wanted to demand.

But she held her tongue. She couldn't afford to give away how she truly felt.

"Hm...?" Akechi tilted his head at her. "Is something the matter, Sae-san?"

"It's—" Sae sighed, pressing a hand against her forehead. "It's nothing. I'm just tired. I've been working on several things and I suppose it's taking a toll on me."

"Ah, hardworking as always! Though, take caution—wouldn't want wrinkles to form on your face due to the stress," Akechi said.

His tone was teasing, but Sae's stomach just twisted into knots. She wanted to grab him by the lapels of his coat, shake him while demanding just why he was doing this. There had to be at least a speck of goodness in him... right?

She was such a fool.

"Thank you for thinking of me," she managed to get out.

She bit the inside of her cheek, praying that Akechi would not notice her stilted words. She's a lawyer, bluffing and lying usually came natural. She can't let herself slip so easily. She took in a deep breath and ran some fingers through her hair, relaxing her stance. She would not let him see through her. No matter how she felt about his betrayal, she had to protect the others. He cannot suspect a thing.

Akechi tilted his head. "It's no problem, Sae-san. We are partners, after all."

Sae forced herself to nod with a neutral expression. "Yes. Of course, Akechi-kun."

She then pressed her lips together. She had to get out of here before she lost control of her emotions and revealed the truth.

"I should get going... Makoto is waiting for me," she stated.

"It's nice to hear you're spending more time with her," Akechi remarked.

She wanted to leave but Akechi followed after her briefly to still make small talk. This was going to be tougher than she thought. She kept her feelings buried but she nodded.

"Yes, I feel so guilty for paying more attention to my cases, I promised to make it up to her so—"

Suddenly Akechi laughed awkwardly. "Oh and I'm keeping you, aren't I? Do forgive me. Send her my regards. Maybe next time you could invite her to have lunch with us when she's free. I bet she would love to hear all about our cases together."

Sae bit back a snarl from escaping her throat. She had to squash down her protective instincts. Instead she flashed him a smile despite how the thought of smiling made her stomach twist.

Did Akechi even lose a wink of sleep with his plans of betrayal? A part of Sae just wanted to cut loose and demand just what was so important for Akechi to do all of this.

But somehow, she kept her composure.

"Trying to butter me up by inviting my sister won't help you, young man. You're paying for your own meal," she forced herself to tease.

Akechi pouted before he let out a chuckle. "It seems you saw through me."

She needed to leave. She couldn't stand another second of these lies. It was starting to make her sick.

"Well… we've known each other for a long time," she remarked. "But I must get going… Good night, Akechi-kun."

"Good night, Sae-san." He waved goodbye to her with a smile.

She went down the stairs and did not look back until she was out of the building. It was a relief to find her car. She immediately drove off for the apartment. Once she had parked, she rubbed at her eyes.

She need to get a grasp on her emotions. She couldn't give the game away. But she couldn't help but feel hurt so hurt by Akechi's betrayal.

At least she had Makoto again.

Sae then forced herself to climb out of the car after grabbing her bag. After locking it, she headed straight for the apartment. Their apartment was on the second floor so she just climbed the stairs. Walking helped push her thoughts out of her head.

Sae stopped at the door marked 220, digging out the apartment key to unlock it.

"Makoto, I'm home..." she called out.

"Hey, Sis!" Makoto stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Did you eat yet? I prepared something earlier."

She raised an eyebrow. Makoto was in an awfully cheerful mood.

Sae took a moment to put down her bag on the couch, before walking up to her sister.

"You're in a good mood."

"Ah...!" Makoto froze at that, before her cheek dusted pink. "W-What makes you say that?"

Then something struck Sae as she glanced at her flustered sister.

"So that's it," she thought wryly.

She quirked a brow at Makoto.

"Amada-kun's back, isn't he?"

"W-Who said anything about Ken?" Makoto all but squeaked out, her cheeks now darkening to red.

Sae had to fight the urge to chuckle. Makoto was really making it too easy to read her.

But Makoto hung her head, admitting defeat.

She murmured, "Okay, you got me. I went to see Ken earlier today. Oh, and he said that he's okay to talk to you on Sunday at eleven."

"That's good to hear," Sae said.

She pondered for a moment.

"We can talk at his apartment. Perhaps it'll make it feel less like an interrogation," she said lightly.

Makoto just smiled nervously at that. "I'll let him know about that."

Sae then sighed. "How is he?"

"Oh, he's doing well," Makoto said cautiously. "The trip seems to have helped him. You know Mitsuru-san, right? He has several other senpai who are like his older siblings. I think seeing them again has really... vitalized him, I suppose?"

Sae just smiled. "That's good to hear."

But despite herself, Sae couldn't help but smile sadly, watching Makoto's glowing face as she spoke about her boyfriend. She couldn't help but think of the little girl with big red eyes, who would come running to Sae when she had a nightmare. She depended on Sae to drive away the monsters under her bed.

But Makoto was no longer that little girl. She was eighteen now, on the cusp of adulthood. Right before her eyes, Makoto had grown up and... she had missed some of it due to her blindness.

"Sis? Is everything okay? Did something happened at work?"

Sae sighed, pursing her lips as the memory of Akechi came flooding back.

"It was... a mixed bag," she said slowly.

"A mixed bag?" Makoto echoed.

"It's been chaotic with the sudden death of the SIU director," she said, to evade the real point.

Makoto frowned, folding her arms over her chest.

"I don't think that's it, Sis," she said flatly.

Makoto stared at her, with unwavering eyes. However, Sae had to give her kudos for picking up on it. In the past, Makoto would've just dropped the subject.

Sae gestured to the couch. "Let's sit down for this."

When they did sit together, Makoto looked at her expectantly. Sae heaved out a sigh, before running a hand through her hair.

"I... saw Akechi-k—Akechi—today."

Sae bit the inside of her cheek once again. When would she manage to kick the habit?

"I... I know that he's hurt you, Makoto. And your friends. But to me, he was my partner. And... I thought he was my friend," she added in a small voice. She then wrapped an arm around her torso. "And... I think he's the one responsible for my boss's death. It's terrifying to think about the culprit I've been searching for was sitting and having bentos with me almost on a daily basis. I... I'm trying to divorce the two images from each other. The person I thought he was and the person he actually is and..."

Her hands were starting to tremble in her anger. She stilled when she felt her little sister reach over and held onto her hands.

"I know, Sis," Makoto said softly, before she touched Sae's arm briefly. She then winced for a moment. "I, um... well, you know how we had to use your Palace for our plan? We ran into your cognition of him."

The cognition selves, huh? Their plan had ridden on Ren's being there, if she recalled correctly. Honestly, Sae was still struggling to wrap her mind around this whole thing. Even though she had visited her own Palace, just minutes before its destruction.

"He was kind... earnest," Makoto continued. "You shouldn't beat yourself up for believing in his act. He's got the entire nation fooled, after all."

Sae then sighed. "It's not just that Makoto... many in the work force looked down on me. Saying a beautiful young thing like myself should worry more about finding a husband. He was... the only person that never treated me that way. And now I wonder, maybe he was just laughing at me behind my back."

"Oh Sis..." Makoto said, her eyes filling with sorrow. "It's not your fault."

Sae sighed, closing her eyes. She had never said it to Makoto, but she had... harbored hopes that Akechi and Makoto might eventually grow close and potentially start dating. Akechi... had led a lonely life so she had hoped that the two of them would bring each other happiness. Maybe he could be part of a new family.

Makoto suddenly straightened up. "How about we switch to a different topic? Too much heavy conversation isn't good for the soul. This will be a bit of an awkward question however, so bear with me..."

"Hmm?"

Sae's eyes flitted back to Makoto's face; for some reason her little sister was smiling wryly.

"Were you planning on telling me that you had hoped to play matchmaker between me and Akechi?"

Sae's jaw dropped.

"WH—How?!" she sputtered out, before coughing into her hand. "I-I mean... don't be ludicrous, Makoto!"

Makoto giggled, her eyes suddenly sparkling with mirth. "You can't hide it from me, Sis. Your cognition of Akechi was a tad... flirtatious towards me."

Then she raised an eyebrow.

"Just—really, Sis? Me and Akechi—that's never going to happen," she said bluntly.

"But I thought—with how he is..." Sae managed to choke out.

"Sis, I didn't know you were this easy to tease," Makoto said lightly. "But it's good to see it worked, you're in better spirits now."

Sae was surprised. She switched to an awkward question and teased her just because she wanted to make her feel better? She was touched... and annoyed.

"Who taught you this?" Sae demanded.

Makoto began to tick off her fingers. "Ren, Futaba... and I suppose a little from Ken and Shinjiro-san."

"Amada-kun and Aragaki?!" Sae exclaimed.

Makoto just laughed, before nodding. "Yes, them. You haven't seen them together. Not really. And you don't really know Shinjiro-san. He can be rather sweet when he wants to be."

"More like bitter," Sae grumbled out, unable to stop herself from scowling.

Sae considered herself a good debater—you have to be, in order to be a good lawyer. But Aragaki really batted away her argument without even blinking. On top of that, the man was simply infuriating, rude, ill-mannered...

"Sis..." Makoto said with a sigh.

Sae sighed. She knew that she would have to deal with Aragaki more, now that she knew that Makoto was dating his charge. But still... she couldn't help but feel irritated at the mere thought of him.

"I know, Makoto, I know. I'll play nice, for your sake."

Makoto smiled softly. "Thank you, Sis. Really, it means a lot to me."

Sae just reached out to squeeze Makoto's shoulder.

"Of course, Makoto."

Makoto then smoothed out her skirt as she stood up. "But I assume you haven't eaten in a while, yes? Let me warm up dinner so we can eat."

Sae watched her little sister disappear into the kitchen. Despite herself, she smiled. Akechi may have lied to her. But she knew now that Makoto meant what she said.

She had Makoto still, and that's what was important.

---

Saturday, November 26th, 2016

---

"Ren, wait."

Ren paused at the door, turning to look at Sojiro.

Sojiro then sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh... you might want to stop by my place, before going to take care of your plans today."

"To get Futaba?" Ren couldn't help but feel confused at Sojiro's cryptic words.

Ken was back so they were going to catch up on what happened back on Port Island. That, and let Ken know what they discovered in Shido's Palace.

"Let's go with that," Sojiro said in a halting voice, before hastily picking up a glass to clean up.

Ren rolled his eyes at the obvious lie. Yeah, right. If that was the truth, then he'd give up being a Phantom Thief.

"Wonder what Boss was talking about," Morgana commented to Ren as they walked over to Sojiro's house.

"Who knows? Sojiro was acting kinda weird," Ren said with a shrug.

But he probably would've gotten one hell of a scolding if he didn't listen.

Once he reached the doorstep, he rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing Futaba.

"Uh... Futaba, you know what Sojiro meant about me coming here?" he asked.

Futaba just cracked a grin before letting out her trademark mischievous giggle.

"Come in and find out. The package came in early today."

"What package? I didn't order from the TV program," Ren said, feeling more and more confused.

Plus those always arrived at the café.

"Stop lollygagging then!" Futaba said, before gesturing for Ren to follow.

Ren sighed before kicking off his shoes. He stepped inside only to smack into a pile of stacked boxes. Something inside the boxes rattled.

"Ow!" Ren rubbed his face. "Jeez, Futaba, are you ordering parts to build a computer or what?"

"Nope~! It's for you!" Futaba said with a grin. "Take a look."

Ren grumbled to himself before grabbing a box. Inside were... bandages. Loads and loads of bandages.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"Counted 'em. There's 99 of them," Futaba informed him.

Morgana then jumped out and got another box open. "Painkillers?"

"Vitamins, supplements—you name it!" Futaba chirped.

"And you counted 99 for all of them?" Ren asked.

"Ding ding ding! Give the man a prize!" Futaba chuckled out.

"Please tell me this is for Sojiro," Ren groaned out.

"I would... but I'd be lying, Ren," Futaba said with a snicker.

"Who the heck even o—"

Ren then stopped short as a memory suddenly floated into his mind.

"But there must be something I can do..."

"Like what, buy him a shit ton of medicine?"

"Oh, what a marvelous idea, Shinjiro! I'll look into it right away!"

Ren sighed heavily, before hanging his head. "It's Mitsuru-san, isn't it?"

"You'd think Ken would've said something," Morgana grumbled.

"Hey, look on the bright side!" Futaba snickered. "We won't have to buy much medicine for the first trip to the Palace."

"But 99 each?!" Ren cried out incredulously before he rubbed the back of his neck. "Who the hell buys this much of a single thing?!"

"Mitsuru-san, apparently," Futaba quipped before smirking. "I mean, she can definitely afford it."

"What are these, by the way?" Morgana piped up.

Ren walked over to where Morgana was standing on one of the boxes. He picked up one of the contents.

"Protein shakes. Why would Mitsuru-san think I need that?! I'm fit!" Ren couldn't help but feel a little offended.

"I mean just look at Shinjiro-san and Akihiko-san," Morgana pointed out. "They're very—"

Futaba exclaimed, "Ripped! Oh man, you should've seen Akihiko-san! That police uniform of his hides just how jacked he is! You could probably dry clothes on those abs!"

What was that supposed to mean? Though Ren was grateful that Ken wasn't here. Something told him that Ken would be horrified to hear this.

But Ren pushed that out of his head.

"Ken's got a similar build to me," Ren grumbled out.

"But anyways, Sojiro said that we can go see Ken now, but you gotta get these boxes to the attic after he closes," Futaba informed him.

Ren opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"But let's go see Ken!" Futaba said brightly before grabbing Ren's wrist and dragging him towards the door.

This earned them an indignant yowl from Morgana.

"Wait for me!" he cried out.

---

Due to the delay, Ren, Futaba, and Morgana were one of the last to arrive.

"Someone's late," Anne teased lightly.

"You can blame Mitsuru-san," Ren grumbled before plopping next to his girlfriend.

Makoto just blinked in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean?"

Ren just huffed, choosing instead to point at Ken.

"Why didn't you warn me?!" he cried out.

"Hello to you too, Ren—it's wonderful to see you too," Ken said dryly, before raising an eyebrow, "And for the record—I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mitsuru-san bought me a gazillion medicines! And bandages! And protein shakes! I'm in shape!" He couldn't hold back the whine at the last part.

This earned a few snickers from everyone else.

"You could always use them at the gym," Ryuji pointed out.

Ren retorted, "Not the point!"

Anne patted his hand. "Aw, don't worry, Ren! I like you the way you are!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ren exclaimed.

"Stop taking it so seriously, you dork," Anne giggled before leaning to kiss his cheek. "It means I love you!"

Ken rubbed his forehead. "Oh boy... sorry about that, Ren. Mitsuru-san was just worried. You should've seen her when Shinjiro-san first woke up from his coma. Though honestly I think the protein shakes were either Akihiko-san or Minako-san's idea. Akihiko-san does use them a lot when training and Minako-san probably thought it'd be funny."

"It is most certainly not," Ren grumbled out.

"Oh stop pouting like a baby!" Anne sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm not pouting—that's Ken's shtick."

"Hey!" Ken protested before shooting Ren an annoyed glare. "That is not true!"

"Now, now... it's not nice to pick fights, Ren-kun," Haru said in a placating tone, waving her hands in a 'calm down' gesture.

"That aside, how was Port Island, Ken?" Yusuke said, flashing Ken an amused look for his outburst.

Ken looked taken aback by the inquiry, blinking at Yusuke a couple times.

"Oh... it was good. Great, actually. Shinjiro-san proposed to Fuuka-san too."

Ren blinked. That was a surprise, to put lightly.

"Oh, congratulations to the both of them!" Haru exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"About time!" Ryuji grumbled. "Yusuke and I gave you the idea to give your mom's old ring to Shinjiro-san like four months ago!"

"Ryuji, you wouldn't know romance, even if it bit you in the butt." Anne deadpanned.

"H-Hey!"

"You gotta think a proposal through!" Anne exclaimed, suddenly become starry-eyed as she clasped her hands in front of her. "You only can propose once, you know. It's got to be special!"

Special, huh?

"Putting the pressure on Ren, ehhh?" Futaba teased.

"I don't mind rising to the challenge," Ren said, winking at his girlfriend.

Anne swatted at his shoulder, puffing her cheeks out at him. Ren just laughed—she was really too cute.

"Don't encourage this!" she huffed out.

"But anyways..." Makoto interrupted, before giving Ken a smile. "Pass on my congratulations. Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san deserve this."

Ken smiled back at her. "Thanks, Makoto."

However, Ren couldn't help but feel curious.

"How did the proposal even go?" he asked.

Yusuke suddenly leaned forward, his eyes alert. "Yes, tell me all you know! It'd be an excellent wedding gift, if I could capture the moment of the proposal!"

Ken blinked owlishly at Yusuke, before rubbing the back of his neck. "Um... I hate to break it to you, but I wasn't there for the proposal."

"Laaaame!" Futaba huffed.

Ken rolled his eyes at her. "Stop being so nosy."

"Ren started it! And don't be a killjoy, Ken!" Futaba declared, pointing right at him.

Ryuji just grinned. "I mean, Futaba's got a point."

"About Ken needing to not be a killjoy or about Ren?" Anne quipped with a teasing smile.

"Hey!" Ken glowered at both Anne and Futaba for the cracks at him. "I am not a killjoy!"

"Nyeh." Futaba stuck her tongue out at Ken, before flashing him a playful smile.

Ren just grinned as Ken continued to glower at her. Maybe it shouldn't be at Ken's expense, but it was nice to joke around like this. Things were stressful enough with worrying about Shido, so he was glad that all of his friends could kick back and have fun still.

Yusuke then coughed. "Did anything else happen on Port Island?"

Ken shook his head. "Not really, aside from seeing everyone. It was nice to see them in person again, though. I missed everyone... more than I realized."

Ken's expression suddenly became wistful. Ren couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Ken had lucked out, with the encounter with Shido. He had to ensure that nothing like that would happen to any of his friends.

But then Ken rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking sheepish. "But I guess I was lucky that none of the girls cried."

"Ken's true weakness—crying girls," Futaba intoned in a grave voice.

Ken glowered at her.

"Be quiet..." he grumbled out, huffing.

Ren couldn't help but snicker to himself. He couldn't help but notice that Ken didn't deny it—no, it was more he couldn't deny it.

But then something suddenly sparked in Ken's eyes. "Ah, that reminds me. Ren—I found this while trying to find... something else."

He took out a drawstring bag from his jacket pocket, tossing it to Ren. Ren opened it, upending the bag into his hand. A couple of somas fell into his open palm.

Ren stared in shock. Okay, he wasn't sure what he was expecting Ken to give him, but this sure wasn't it. He honestly hadn't risked using a soma, after they had to discovered how powerful that particular medicine was. He couldn't help but think that it should be used for an absolute emergency.

"Somas?!" Morgana gasped. "Where did you get these?!"

Ken explained, "Mitsuru-san supplied them to me when I accepted the mission back in May. It was part of the supplies I gave you when I first joined you guys, but I left them out since I thought it'd might make me look suspicious."

That did make a lot of sense.

"But why did you suddenly find it again?" Ryuji asked with a frown.

Yusuke, however, pursed his lips together. "You mentioned trying to find something else."

Ken just smiled wryly. He reached under his shirt, pulling out a silver chain. Ren's eyes were immediately drawn to the black ring in between Ken's fingers.

"Good catch, Yusuke. That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about..."

Makoto reached out, but not before glancing to Ken with a questioning look in her eyes. Ken just unclasped the silver chain before handing it to her.

"What is it though, Ken-kun?" Haru asked.

"It's called the Ring of Darkness," Ken stated as Makoto started to examine it closely. "Think of it as a... charm. Minato-san gave it to me many years ago. It shielded me from my Persona's weakness."

Ren was curious about it as well, though, so he asked Makoto if he could see it as well. She handed it over without any complaints.

There was something almost... supernatural about it. While black rings were very much a thing, something in Ren's gut told him that the ring was special. Ren then peered closely at the ring—there were almost rune-like engravings carved into the metal.

No... wait. Ren looked at them more careful—now that he thought about it, they looked like ancient Greek.

Just where had Minato-san gotten this from then?

Anne exclaimed, "Hang on—seriously?! That's insane!"

Ken nodded. "Minato-san said not to ask where he got it from though—he claimed it was a long story."

"But why not bring it out earlier?" Yusuke asked with a frown.

Ken's expression faltered before he rubbed his arm. "Well... I thought it wasn't fair to you. I wanted to be on equal ground with you, I suppose."

Ren frowned at that. That made sense too. It'd be kinda crazy to see Ken just shrug off a certain type of attack. That would've raised questions that Ken wouldn't want to answer. But why did Ken feel like he had to take it out now?

"So why are you getting it out now?" Morgana unknowingly echoed Ren's thoughts.

Ken sighed. "Mitsuru-san insisted on it, if I wanted to continue Phantom Thief work."

"She's a protective one, isn't she?" Ryuji muttered.

"It's understandable though," Haru chimed in. "And Shido's been a personal obstacle for Mitsuru-san for quite some time."

"This will just give us another asset during our ventures inside Shido's Palace," Ren stated.

A bark suddenly caught all of their attentions. Koromaru then trotted over, a toy rope hanging from his mouth. He then dropped the toy in Ken's lap with a happy bark.

"Wait, Koromaru's here?" Ryuji asked.

"He insisted on coming," Ken said absentmindedly, rubbing the top of Koromaru's head.

"I wish you told me!" Ryuji complained with a huff. "I would've brought Shoyu with me then!"

Haru laughed. "Well, there's always next time, right?"

Koromaru then whined before nosing Ken's other hand. Ken huffed before picking up the toy rope. Koromaru enthusiastically made a grab for it, clamping his teeth over the other end. Ren blinked, watching the exchange. It was kinda weird, watching Ken play with Koromaru.

Though this did make Ren think of how he's tried to play with Morgana in the past. He got offended in the past, but Ren had noticed how the ball of yarn he bought had mysteriously disappeared.

"How uncouth..." Morgana grumbled from his vantage point, Haru's lap.

Koromaru then suddenly dropped the toy rope to nuzzle Ken's hand.

"Aww!" Anne cooed as Koromaru laid his head in Ken's lap. "Koromaru is sooo cute!"

"W-What about me, Lady Anne?!" Morgana whined at her.

Anne barely glanced in Morgana's direction. "Oh, you're cute too, Morgana."

Ren had to stifle a laugh.

"Outshone by the dog, eh?" he thought with a snicker.

Morgana's ears drooped. "Why do you have to sound so dismissive?!"

"R.I.P. Morgana," Futaba snickered out.

Ken just looked at Morgana in amusement before his eyes lit up in recognition. He then reached out, grabbing a bag.

"That does remind me—I did try to buy everyone a little something while I was in Port Island..."

They weren't terribly pricy gifts, but the sentiment was nice. Though Futaba just about knocked Ken down with a hug after receiving her gift—some kind of Feathermen retro game. (Koromaru hadn't been too thrilled with that, though, since he was resting his head in Ken's lap.)

"These sweets are so good, Ken!" Anne said before popping another mochi into her mouth.

Ken smiled. "I'm glad you like it. It comes from Minako-san and Yukari-san's favorite sweet shop."

"I definitely wanna visit Port Island now!" Anne exclaimed.

"I'm just your side dish, huh?" Ren lightly teased his girlfriend. "Sweets are your one true love, it looks like."

Anne just giggled in response, blowing a kiss at Ren.

"Aww, Ren—you know that there's enough love in my heart for both of you," she said with a cute smile and a wink.

Ryuji just threw a throw pillow at Anne, who instinctively batted it away. The pillow then hit Makoto, making her sputter.

"Enough with the gushy crap!" he griped.

"No!" Anne said childishly, sticking her tongue out at Ryuji.

Haru clapped her hands twice to grab everyone's attention.

"Ken-kun, you haven't told us the doctor's verdict," she said quietly.

Ken's content expression suddenly faltered. Makoto gave him a concerned look. He should've figured that she had gone to see him last night—he hadn't given her a present, after all. Ken must've told her already.

"The good news is that the doctors believe that there shouldn't be any lasting effects, due to just receiving one dose—"

Ren sighed in relief. The idea that his friend could suffer from lasting consequences plagued Ren's mind, despite the reassurances he had gotten from both Ken and Anne. It was a relief to hear that. He still couldn't help but run the what-ifs in his head...

"Is there bad news?" Morgana asked tentatively.

Ken grimaced. "Well, right now my reflexes aren't the greatest. The doctors have told me that it shouldn't be permanent though."

Ren frowned, pondering over the news. It could be worse—like Ken suffering from organ failure. Or him having lasting symptoms like Shinjiro-san and his lack of temperature control.

But would Ken be okay with fighting Shadows in the Metaverse? That was the biggest question for Ren. He could see the others exchanging uneasy looks, too.

"I'm glad it's not permanent at least," Yusuke said carefully.

Ken slowly nodded. "Yeah, I am too."

Ren sighed. What could they even say? Ren doubted Ken wanted apologies right now.

"But what about you, Ren?" Ken asked. "Takemi-san looked over you, I assume?"

Ren nodded before he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm just glad that she didn't ask many questions about what happened to me."

She knew about him being the leader of the Phantom Thieves and all, but he didn't want Takemi to worry about him. She just made her usual comments before finally giving him some pain meds. Ren would probably need them especially with the Palace runs.

Ken said with a smile. "I'm glad to hear that. Oh and what was the Palace like?"

"It was... something," Anne replied slowly.

"So eloquent, Anne," Ren couldn't help but tease her lightly.

She stuck her tongue out at him in response. He just chuckled.

Haru clarified instead, "It's a luxury cruise liner. We've managed to figure out that we need to enter the assembly hall inside the Palace but—"

"We need five letters of introduction from Shido's VIPs," Morgana finished for her.

"I see..." Ken frowned, before rubbing his chin. "That's quite troublesome."

"That's putting it very lightly," Ren thought with annoyance.

"Shido's been a pain in the ass for years, figures that his Palace would be the same," Ryuji joked lightly.

Haru looked between everyone, before suddenly clapping her hands once.

"Enough talk about Shido's Palace. Let's just enjoy ourselves for today," she suggested.

Ryuji's expression suddenly brightened. "Dude, I don't think Haru has seen the entertainment room! There's so many video games packed in there!"

"Ryuji, you shouldn't just invite yourself like that..." Makoto chided with a frown.

But Ken just laughed, shaking his head.

"It's fine, Makoto," he said with a reassuring smile.

Haru bit her lip as she glanced at Ryuji.

"Um... this is a little embarrassing but I'm not all too familiar with video games," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Uncultured swine!" Futaba gasped, clutching her hands against her chest. "Are all third-years attending Shujin like this then?!"

"Hey!" Ken and Makoto protested at the same time.

"You didn't even know about Super Nario Jubilee, Makoto!" Futaba cried. "JUBILEE! That's a total classic game! Even noobs should know about Jubilee!"

"Why are you lumping me in then?!" Ken demanded, earning an annoyed glower from Makoto.

Futaba flapped a hand at him. "Pffft, you probably didn't know until someone like Junpei-san made you play!"

Ken opened his mouth to retort, only to snap it shut. Ren started snickering—damn, Futaba had Ken's number.

"But anyways!" Futaba hopped to her feet, her eyes gleaming. "We have to educate Haru—right now!"

"H-Huh? Hang on a second, Futaba-chan!"

Futaba pulled Haru to her feet and dragged her over to the entertainment room, ignoring Haru's protests. Ren just laughed, unable to stop a grin from forming on his face. Especially when Ryuji chased after them with excitement.

"Hell yeah! Let's educate Senpai!" Ryuji called out, helping Futaba drag Haru.

"Ren-kun! Heeeeelp!" Haru cried out to him, earning laughter from several of his friends.

"I see we've awakened the beast." Yusuke quipped as he stood up.

His friends slowly followed suit. Morgana, however, jumped into Ren's lap.

"Talk to Ken," he insisted.

He then dropped to the ground, darting to the entertainment room.

Ren sighed, rubbing his face. Then he approached his friend.

He drew a deep breath, before tapping Ken on the shoulder. "Hey, Ken, can we talk for a sec?"

Ken turned to look at him. "Something the matter, Ren?"

Ren frowned, "Well, it's a little thing."

Ken stared hard at him. Then he raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Little, huh?" he asked blandly.

Ren gaped at him. "Hey! What's with that judgey look?!"

Ken huffed, "I know that look. It's your how-do-I-explain-this look."

"I do not have that look," Ren protested.

Ken just snorted. "Sure, Ren."

Ren grumbled to himself for a moment, before lifting a hand to run it through his hair.

"It just... uhh... would you say that you ever had dreams about your experiences?"

Understanding suddenly filled Ken's eyes and his expression softened with pity.

"I have..." Ken confirmed, before absentmindedly rubbing his forearm. "I've dreamed about my mom's death. The incident where Shinjiro-san almost died, and the battle with Nyx."

Then he suddenly faltered, and a grimace twisted at his lips.

"As well as... other recent events."

Ren sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling very stupid. He should've known. From what Ken had told him, it was just as traumatizing as what happened to Ren while in interrogation.

"So—how did you deal with that?"

Ken looked down at the floor for a moment.

"It helps to talk about it... don't bottle it up. Fuuka-san had to remind me this very recently."

Ren frowned.

"I hate feeling so weak, though..." Ren mumbled in admittance.

"You're not weak."

The vehemence in Ken's voice caught his attention. Ren sighed, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Ren, you went through something traumatizing. And don't forget you did it to save us all. And I'm not surprised that you've been dreaming of it. One theory of why people dream is to sort through complicated feelings."

"Complicated, huh?" Ren thought with a bittersweet smile. "That's putting it mildly."

Ken then shrugged. "And... you can always talk to me if you have those dreams. I'd be happy to lend an ear."

"You got pretty pissed the last time I tried to have a 3 AM conversation," Ren pointed out.

Ken's expression suddenly deadpanned. "That's because you texted me asking whether or not a slug is a naked snail."

"Hey, I needed to know!" Ren protested with a laugh.

"Somehow I doubt that," Ken said dryly.

Ren just grinned, before a thought suddenly struck him.

"By the way, we do need to get together to talk about Haru's birthday. It's coming up soon."

Ken nodded. "That's fine. I don't know how long the planning will take but... I'm busy tomorrow afternoon."

He winced at the last part. Ren couldn't help but feel confused. What was so bad about tomorrow?

Ken sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Niijima-san wants to talk to me privately. To... get to know to me better."

Ren winced with pity. The way she had argued with Shinjiro-san still stuck in his head.

"Good luck with that, Ken. I think you'll need it."

Personally, he was a little glad that the Takamakis were working abroad still, as much as he knew Anne missed them. He didn't know what they would think of him, especially with his record.

Ken blew his bangs out of his face. "Thanks. I suppose it's just a lucky thing that it'll be just me for now."

Ren patted his shoulder. "You'll be fine."

Ren then grinned as a thought suddenly struck him.

"You know—Makoto once mentioned she's into Feathermen. Maybe you can mention—"

"I do not need to use Yukari-san to butter up Niijima-san," Ken interrupted with an eye-roll. "Makoto mentioned that to me too, by the way."

Ren just nudged Ken in the side, "Just keep it as the trump card. Though I gotta say—I don't envy you at all."

Ken said sarcastically, "Thanks, Ren—your faith in me is inspiring."

Ren just gave him a thumbs up and snarked, "Hey, you're welcome!"

"That was sarcasm, Ren."

"Really?" Ren gasped dramatically, clasping a hand to his chest. "I had no idea!"

Ken's answer to that was throwing a pillow right in Ren's face.

---

Sunday, November 27th, 2016

---

Makoto had warned her that where Aragaki and Amada-kun lived was not... exactly normal. But Sae still wasn't expecting this.

If Sae had to guess, this was Kirijo-san's doing.

She stared out of the glass wall, a heavy frown on her face. She had never expected to deal with... Makoto dating. Makoto just never seemed interested, more keen on studying.

"Or maybe you've been just blind about Makoto's wants this entire time," said a snide voice in the back of her head.

Sae sighed, pressing a hand against her temple. She just had made so many mistakes, when it came to Makoto. She couldn't help but question if she even knew her little sister.

The elevator suddenly let out a quiet ding, and the doors slid open. Sae cautiously stepped towards the door before giving a light knock.

"Get a grip!" she scolded herself. "You can talk to Amada-kun like an adult."

She could hear barking on the other side. They had a dog?

But then the door suddenly opened, revealing Amada-kun. He was wearing a different outfit than he had worn in the café a few days ago. He looked healthier, with his complexion no longer being pallid and there were less shadows underneath his eyes.

An albino shiba inu peered at her from behind Amada-kun. He cocked his head at Sae for a moment, before blinking up at her. Sae couldn't help but stare, feeling a little frozen.

"Hello Niijima-san. I hope you're doing well today," he greeted her cordially before taking a step backwards so Sae could enter.

He then turned and nudged the canine with his foot.

"Be nice, Koromaru," he said, his voice slightly chiding.

Koromaru blinked up at him before making a little yip. Amada-kun rolled his eyes, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yes, you. The innocent act works on Shinjiro-san, not me."

Koromaru let out a little whine before trotting out of the living room, heading down a hallway.

Sae coughed. "I... wasn't aware you had a pet."

"He's not a pet, he's a companion," Amada-kun corrected for some reason, and then he coughed into his hand. "But would you like some tea or coffee, Niijima-san?"

"That would be—" Sae felt herself flush as her stomach suddenly let out a growl.

Amada-kun then smiled wryly. "Ah, I see that Makoto wasn't exaggerating."

Sae's lips tightened at that. Just what had Makoto told him? He must have noticed her apprehension as he immediately clarified.

"She mentioned that you would often just grab an energy bar for meals. I'll cook you some lunch too then."

"But—!" Sae began to protest.

"Really don't worry about it, it's no trouble at all," Amada-kun said politely.

She figured it was best to not argue. He would probably do it regardless of her protests so she may as well accept his hospitality. She gave him a nod and he smiled. He gestured for her to sit down at the couch. Sae couldn't help but feel at unease as she reluctantly sat down.

He was being perfectly polite to her. But the cool politeness almost seemed like a mask to her.

She started to wonder if the second guessing of Amada-kun's hospitality had anything to do with her feelings now regarding Akechi-kun... no, he was just Akechi now. She had to stop doing this to herself.

She wondered why she even made a comparison between Amada-kun and Akechi. Was she becoming cynical at the smallest sign of kindness? It probably didn't help that something about Amada-kun's smile reminded her of her partner. She couldn't place why though.

She shook those thoughts out of her head. It was an irrational comparison. She can't be jumpy and let the other stresses outside of this situation cloud her judgement of Amada-kun.

She still didn't know how to feel about all of this. Makoto had grown up when Sae wasn't looking. She had found friends... and a boyfriend she clearly adored, if not loved.

It's true that she had once hoped that Makoto and Akechi would eventually start dating but this... felt like an entirely different level.

Sae rubbed her forehead. She couldn't help but wish there was some kind of guidebook to all this. To add all of this, Aragaki seemed more familiar with Makoto than she had expected. The mere thought that Aragaki had a leg up on her was... irksome.

Sae's eyes traveled through the living room. Her eyes were suddenly drawn by the mantle. Several pictures frames sat on top. Without realizing it, she was standing up and coming closer to get a better look.

There were various pictures. Some of Amada-kun, some without. There were a couple of group pictures of nine or ten people squishing in for a picture.

"They look so happy," Sae mused, feeling a sudden wistfulness.

Sae... honestly never really had friends, even growing up. She had been alienated by her classmates in the past for being a teacher's pet. But then Sae threw herself in her studies, aiming to be the very best prosecutor that Japan had seen.

Maybe if she had taken a different path—then maybe she wouldn't have ruined so many people's lives.

A quiet yip suddenly caught Sae's attention. She looked down to see that Koromaru had returned. He cocked his head at her.

"Ah... hello," Sae said, unable to stop herself from feeling a little awkward.

Koromaru blinked imploringly up at her.

"Umm... do you want a pat?" she asked, unsure what he wanted.

Koromaru seemed to let out an affirmative bark so Sae bent down and rubbed the top of his head. She then moved to give him a scratch behind the ear and Koromaru let out a small pleased sound.

But as Sae moved her hand away, he suddenly licked her hand.

Sae couldn't help but yelp in surprise. It was wet and warm. She moved to shake her hand, but then she realized that Aragaki and Amada-kun wouldn't appreciate dog saliva on their floor.

"Why did you do that?" she hissed out in a whisper.

"Niijima-san? Is Koromaru bothering you?"

Amada-kun suddenly reappeared, frowning at Koromaru.

"Ah, no, it's just—" Sae felt her face heat up. "H-He licked my hand."

Amada-kun's lips seemed to twitch—as if he was trying to stifle a laugh or smile.

"Well he is a dog. They do that. It's their way of saying hello," he said, the amusement in his voice clear as day.

"I-It just caught me off guard, alright?!" Sae couldn't help but snap out, feeling defensive at his comment. "I haven't been around many dogs!"

"It's nothing to be ashamed about, Niijima-san," Amada-kun said nervously, then he cleared his throat and pointed down the hallway. "The bathroom is the second door on the right, if you'd like to clean up."

"Thank you," she said stiffly.

Sae followed his directions and opened the door to a clean bathroom. She immediately stepped to the sink and turned on the faucet.

"Why does Makoto even like him?" Sae grumbled to herself, vigorously scrubbing at her hands. "Practically laughing at me for being surprised—the nerve!"

She sighed to herself. She shouldn't be hasty and make any snap judgements yet. That would defeat the purpose of coming here.

After she dried her hands, she stepped back out. Her stomach rumbled at the smell of food.

She then walked over to the living room, where a small dining table was set up. There was a bowl of stir fry, chopsticks by it, and a cup of steaming tea. Amada-kun sat opposite, with his own cup of tea.

Sae took the seat across of him.

"Um... thank you for cooking me this," she said, still feeling a little awkward.

Amada-kun shrugged. "It's no problem. Stir fry is quick and easy."

Sae cautiously picked up the bowl and took a bite. Flavor suddenly burst in her mouth. She never thought Amada-kun would be a good cook.

"This is delicious," she said before lowering her chopsticks to rest on top of her bowl. "But... I apologize for having you cook for me like this. I'm the guest after all."

"It's no problem, Niijima-san," Amada-kun said, before his expression suddenly softened. "On the day I met Makoto, I had to persuade her to sit down and eat lunch too."

"Are you two classmates?" Sae asked.

Obviously, they were in the same year but... more about Makoto she didn't know. Another stab to her pride. She would make it up to her however. She promised.

Amada-kun took a sip of tea before letting out an affirmative hum. "Back in June, I transferred into her homeroom. Our homeroom teacher put me right by where she sat."

"I see..." Sae trailed off for a moment.

She took the opportunity to take another bite of food, before washing it down with some tea.

She couldn't help but wonder, however. Aragaki had been vehement that they were just friends when she had asked him about Makoto and Amada-kun's relationship.

But she pushed that aside. She needed to stop boxing him in as just Makoto's boyfriend. He was his own person.

"You know, Shujin does consultations for post-graduation for third-years," Sae mentioned, after clearing her throat. "Right around this time. Do you have any idea what you want to do after graduation?"

Amada-kun answered, "I did mine last January. Gekkoukan believes in doing it for second-years rather than third-years."

Then he stared down at his cup.

"When I resigned from the Shadow Operatives, I thought that I would rejoin them after I graduated from high school. Then when I entered high school, I thought I wanted to become a defense attorney. To help the innocent from an unfair sentence."

Sae winced at that. All of those people she had helped imprison... it would forever lay on her conscience.

"I'm sorry. It's because of people like me that created such a system..."

"The system shaped your actions, Niijima-san. I can't deny it can be a... difficult environment to handle." Amada-kun then took another sip of his tea before he spoke, "Akihiko-san is another of my senpai. Four years ago, he decided he wanted to become a police officer, in order to protect people. He's met... more than one person who didn't have noble goals, who were aiming to do the same thing. On top of that, Naoto-san had to pretend to be someone she wasn't, so she would get the respect she was denied otherwise."

He then looked to her, his expression serious.

"It's true that you have made your fair share of mistakes. But it's never too late if you want to atone."

Sae couldn't help but blink. That outlook, she might've expected from someone older than her. But Amada-kun was several years her junior. Just what had he gone through to shape his outlook on things?

He idly traced the rip of his cup, his eyes growing sad for some reason. "Besides, I admit that I would've made some serious mistakes when I was younger, if it wasn't for Shinjiro-san pulling me back."

Despite herself, she couldn't help but pull a face at the mention of Aragaki.

Amada-kun's lips twitched into a smile before he let out a soft chuckle.

"He's really not that bad, Niijima-san. I can't deny that he can be rough on the outside... and well I know he hasn't been fair to you sometimes... but he's a kind man. He's always looked out for me, even when I didn't deserve it," he said.

"Hmph. I'll believe it when I see it." Sae sniffed before taking a bite of food.

They spent more time talking than Sae had expected. He hadn't been nearly as talkative as some of Makoto's other friends back at the café, but he seemed to do better talking one-on-one.

"I do... have one question, however," Sae said after a moment of hesitation.

Amada-kun tilted his head, "Go on."

"Are you... in love with Makoto?"

She wanted to know. He certainly cared for her, that much she had seen already.

Amada-kun's breath caught in his throat, before a flush crept into his cheeks.

"I..."

He then swallowed hard.

"Makoto is... important to me. I want to make her smile. She makes things a little brighter by just seeing her. I want to be by her side and help her reach her dreams."

His expression then considerably softened, a gentle smile creeping on his face. Sae blinked at the sight.

A part of why Sae thought it was best for Makoto to focus on her studies was because high school romances were often times passing infatuations.

But... maybe it wasn't the case for Makoto and Amada-kun.

Then his expression grew serious.

"But I don't know if it's love yet. We've only been together for a month. I'm not sure. But I care for her deeply and I just want her to be happy."

Well, that also answered her earlier question of just how long they were dating.

"I see..." Sae said softly.

If this was Makoto's choice for a boyfriend... well, she could certainly do much worse than Ken Amada... ignoring the boy's rude guardian.

Then again, Makoto could have been dating Ren. She was growing to like him, but she couldn't help but shudder at the idea of dealing with him as her little sister's boyfriend.

Sae then looked to him. "Thank you, Amada-kun. I... I know that I've made mistakes with Makoto. I realize now that I've treated her poorly. But I do want her to be happy. I'm glad that you feel this way."

Amada-kun said slowly, "I won't deny that seeing your sins personified in your Palace hurt Makoto. But I know that the two of you making amends means the world to her. I'm glad... because not everyone gets such a chance."

"Who—" Sae then stopped short.

She winced. That was right. Haru Okumura and her father...

"I won't let go of this second chance. I swear it," Sae promised, placing a hand over her heart.

Then her phone suddenly buzzed. She dug it out of her pocket, checking it for a message. Sae frowned as she skimmed the message. Even with her demotion, she was still kept rather busy.

"I have to go," Sae said with an apologetic smile. "Work calls."

Amada-kun nodded, "Do what you have to do, Niijima-san."

Sae rose to her feet, inclining her head at him, "And... take care of yourself, Amada-kun. Especially in Shido's Palace."

Amada-kun blinked, looking taken aback by her well wishes. Then he smiled.

"I'll do my best, Niijima-san."

---

Monday, November 28th, 2016

---

Goro couldn't believe his eyes.

According to this, Aragaki was the one responsible for his aunt's death. Which meant that... he was indirectly responsible for Goro's mother's death as well. He glared at that thought. Something he can take care of later, Shido comes first on his list.

It was honestly incredible how the Kirijo Group was able to mask the truth. But if that was the case, what else was the conglomerate hiding? There must be something more, given that Shido had earned the Shadow Operatives' enmity by blackmailing the head of the Kirijo Group.

He knew that Aragaki was a Persona-user, but if this report was right about his Persona going berserk—then he was a dangerous man. Then why did Ken continue to live with him?

Goro tried to think back to what Ken had said about Aragaki. How long had he been under Aragaki's guardianship? There were a lot of blanks in between the nine years since his aunt's death and now.

And the question was, why did Aragaki even care about Ken's well-being?

Not to mention that Ken spoke of Aragaki as someone he respected, if not loved. But if this was the case, it was not earned. He murdered Goro's aunt in cold blood and destroyed the house, to boot.

Wait... Ken wasn't stupid. Surely he must be aware of this? A thought crossed Goro's mind and he couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement soon as it came into his head.

Perhaps Ken was like Goro. Could it be possible he and his cousin had a lot more in common than he realized? Just biding his time for revenge—?

Goro's thoughts were cut off by the ringing of his phone. Goro fished his phone out of his pocket, grimacing at the caller ID—it was Shido. He must have a job assignment for Goro. He was annoyed at Shido interrupting his train of thought, but no matter, he can't let these small bumps in the road stop him.

He took the call, pressing it to his ear.

"Hello, sir."

"I have an assignment for you. A certain thorn must be dealt with as soon as possible. The data should be sent to your phone, delete it as soon as you read it."

Straight to the point as always. But Shido's paranoia is exactly why Goro did his best to do everything to the letter. Shido didn't trust anyone and was quite smart at hiding his tracks and cleaning up loose ends. Though he had been more and more demanding as the election drew closer. Probably so his election as prime minister would run smoothly.

"Understood, sir. I will follow up with you soon."

"Good. Don't fail me."

Then he hung up.

Goro just sighed to himself before closing the files he was reading. He stowed them away in his briefcase before standing up.

He did some research on the target; he had a hunch it would be Shido's next assignment. Heizo Tamashiro... Goro read through everything Shido sent him, checking to see if there was anything he didn't already know. Once he was certain he got the gist of everything he would need, he deleted the data as requested.

Honestly, he found it ludicrous to see how much of a hard time the Phantom Thieves had with unlocking the Palace. They were just so incompetent, with the exceptions of that weird cat, Niijima-san's sister, and his cousin. But even then, the cat was too arrogant, and the other two were held back by their incompetent teammates. Amamiya certainly had an amazing ability but he was too much of a moron and too busy playing court jester to use it properly.

"Not that that matters anymore. Such power wasted on that trash. Good riddance," he thought to himself.

Once he determined the keywords, he headed for the Palace's counterpart in real life. He made sure that he wasn't being watched before slipping into the Palace.

Goro inhaled deeply, feeling Loki's power course through him. It felt good to use Loki more instead of Robin Hood. Robin Hood was no slouch when it came to power, but Loki easily had him beat.

Heizo Tamashiro was one of Shido's political opponents, a descendant of Japanese nobility. From what he found the report, Tamashiro even had the blood of Japanese emperors in his veins.

His Palace was akin to an Egyptian temple, where he was the god that the masses worshipped. It was honestly pathetic.

Goro found it too easy to get through the Palace. The Shadows were nothing to him.

But Goro found his mind constantly drifting to Amamiya and his ragtag team of misfits. The way they would bicker, and make a game out of fighting Shadows. Why didn't they take this seriously?

Goro shook his head vigorously, trying to shake out his thoughts from his mind.

"Why am I still thinking about them?" he grumbled to himself.

They were defeated. They had fallen apart at the death of Amamiya. They didn't matter, not when his revenge was within reach. And with them scattered and their morale broken it would probably be easier swaying his cousin to his side.

Goro focused on the Shadow pacing down the hallway. He took out his gun and fired it. The bullet nailed the Shadow right in the back, before dividing into three Shadows.

All of them took on the form of a partially nude woman with a lioness's head. An Egyptian headdress sat on her head, with a cobra in the center.

"Take them down, Loki!" Goro called out his Persona.

Loki slammed down his sword, a wave of dark energy sweeping the area.

The Shadows cried out in pain, before two of them disintegrated into fine ash. But the last one was still clinging on. She crawled towards Goro.

"Wait! Please, don't shoot..."

"Would you prefer me to stab you then?" Goro asked coldly.

Honestly, what was it thinking, getting closer?

"No! Not that!" the Shadow yelped. "Please—I'll do anything! Humans want money, don't they? I have plenty of that!"

That made Goro remember how Amamiya would demand money or items from the Shadows... Goro had been surprised, but Amamiya shrugged it off, saying that being a Phantom Thief wasn't cheap. He hated to admit it, for a fool that was actually rather clever.

But that wasn't the stand-out to Goro... that was how Amamiya could use so many Personas. Goro had always assumed, even if there were other Persona-users, he was special. He had two Personas.

And yet, Sakamoto implied that Amamiya utilized countless Personas.

Amamiya was able to recruit weakened Shadows into his arsenal. What if... it was the same for Goro? None of the others had multiple Personas, not even his cousin. Only he and Amamiya had more than one. A cold smirk crawled onto Goro's face.

Goro demanded, "Join me. You want to live? Then prove your worth to me."

The Shadow stared up at him, only for her expression to light up.

"Fine... I won't let you down. I'm not a Shadow—I was once part of the sea of souls. Thou art I... and I am thou. I am Sekhmet. Those who stand in your way will fear my wrath, for I will bathe in the blood of your foes!"

She then disappeared into blue flames before they were absorbed by Goro's mask.

Goro blinked, reaching up to touch his mask. It had worked... he could scarcely believe it.

"No... what am I thinking? Of course it worked! It worked for Amamiya, didn't it?" Goro berated himself.

He was just as good—no. He was better than Amamiya. After all Amamiya relied on his 'team' to get anywhere with the Palaces. Without them? He was nothing.

He started laughing. He couldn't help it. The Phantom Thieves, Shido... none of them mattered. He would destroy any who got in his way.

But... now he's discovered this... he might as well utilize this new tool as much as possible.

---

Tuesday, November 29th, 2016

---

Goro couldn't help but stare at the building in front of him.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the sight. Not that he didn't have a nice place to live himself. But that was on his own dime. There was just no way that Aragaki could afford this on his salary. And obviously, it wasn't coming from Ken... Kirijo must be providing provisions for them both.

Goro shook his head. He wasn't here for that. He was here to illuminate Ken to the truth...

He could hear the whispers as he entered the lobby. Goro tried not to cringe at that. His resurge in popularity was a double-edged sword. He didn't want to draw attention to this.

But he had a reputation so he flashed the onlookers his TV smile, before giving a wave. He then hastened towards the elevator, letting a sigh of relief as the doors closed behind him.

He then reached into his jacket, pulling out the manila folder holding the family record. He anticipated that Ken may be... skeptical of the truth, so he had made a copy of the records.

Goro inhaled. This was it.

Ken had to say yes. He had to have no love for Shido, between what he had done personally to Ken himself and what happened to their family. And the Phantom Thieves were done anyway.

But none of that mattered, even if Ken was skeptical he could just show him this was worth pursuing. After all he wasn't about to expect Ken to help him and he do nothing in return. They can both get their revenge (if his hunch was right, and he was confident it was). They would take care of Shido and after Aragaki. Their mothers can rest easily.

"How wonderful... very soon it will be done. I'm so close," he thought with a suppressed chuckle.

He cleared his throat. He can't get too over-confident. He still had to get him to say yes. He swallowed his anxiousness and excitement as he straightened his tie.

The elevators then chimed, snapping Goro out of his thoughts. He stepped out, looking towards the only door on this level. He then raised one hand, rapping hard on the door.

Nobody answered.

Goro frowned. Well maybe he was being cautious after the incident with Shido.

So, he rapped harder on the door, hoping that his knocking sounded more urgent.

His decision bore success this time. Goro heard light footsteps on the other side. Then the door suddenly swung open, revealing Ken dressed in his normal casual outfit, a dark blue long jacket over a black sweater, an orange scarf, and dark blue pants.

"Akechi-san?" Ken looked taken aback. "How did you—"

He then cut himself off, pressing his lips together. His eyes darted back and forth.

Goro just raised his hands. "I needed to talk to you."

"About what?" he asked, his voice suddenly careful and guarded. "We haven't spoken since... the casino."

Goro let out a little sigh. "It's been... quite hectic. And I felt guilty so I came to express regret that I failed to save Ren-san, I know I promised the others but... I underestimated how quickly—"

"I'm sure you did what you could," Ken said curtly, before he tensed up. "I... let's not talk about what happened, okay?"

Goro searched Ken's expression. He had a sad look to his eyes, but no hostility. Good, he can still work with this. It certainly made things easier if his cousin didn't want to talk about that pathetic friend of his.

"Very well... but there's something important we must discuss. However, it's a rather delicate topic, may I come inside?"

Normally, he would wait for an invitation, but Goro sensed that Ken would not listen to a veiled request. He would have to be straightforward.

"Just come out and say it," Ken said, sounding really exhausted.

"I don't know if you want others to hear this," Goro said quietly.

Ken sighed. "Fine but we stay by the door. A... friend from out of town came in, and is sleeping. I don't want him to be disturbed. We should keep our voices down."

Goro raised a small brow but complied, stepping in as Ken let him in. He stayed on the welcome mat inside while Ken stared at him, obviously confused. He looked quite tired too.

What he said though put Goro on edge. Aragaki obviously wasn't here or Ken would have mentioned that. A friend? Was it possible one of the other Shadow Operatives were here? He definitely agreed with Ken's sentiment to not wake them. He didn't want anyone getting in his way.

Goro held out the file to him. "Please, read this. It'll make sense if you do."

Ken looked suspiciously at him before gingerly plucking the file from Goro's hands. He slowly opened it, his eyes darting back and forth. Goro sat in silent anticipation for Ken's reaction. He watched his expression morph to shock before he suddenly snapped the file shut.

"What is this supposed to mean?" Ken demanded. "Your last name is Akechi."

"I changed it recently for reasons," he said vaguely.

He would explain it to Ken, once he had agreed to work together.

Goro implored, "Listen to me... I've only recently found out that we're cousins. Think hard—we met as children, in fact."

Ken's breath caught in his throat before he stared down at the floor. "That's..."

"I know it was long ago, but do you remember?"

"Y-Yes... I remember. I remember us talking and... our mothers got into that big fight. I just never realized that—"

Goro interrupted him, "I know. Don't worry, I didn't realize when we met again that it was you. We only met once before, after all."

Goro licked his dry lips as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. His hands were shaking. He was getting too anxious and too excited. He can't screw this up.

"But our mothers would never have a falling out if it wasn't for Shido." Goro forced himself talk quietly, but venom still crept into his voice. "He drove a wedge between them. Your mother saw right through him but my mother was blinded by her feelings... our grandparents would've never had disowned my mom if it hadn't been for Shido!"

All of this... was Shido's fault. Goro was going to relish enacting his revenge on that piece of shit...

"What do you care so much about Shido?" Ken asked quietly.

"Have you not figured it out yet?" Goro asked and kept his voice quiet; he was honestly surprised that Ken hadn't pieced it together. "My no-good, self-serving father... he's Masayoshi Shido. He ruined my mom's life!"

Ken looked shell-shocked. "Shido is your father...?"

Goro's hands clenched into fists.

"He's made my life hell!" he hissed quietly. "He caused my mother to despair ever since he's discarded her. It slowly killed her. Everything I've worked towards... has been all for her."

"What do you mean... everything you worked for?" Ken croaked out, he seemed afraid.

He had to be careful about what he said next, he knew that this was a lot for Ken to find out. But he had to handle this smarter, or else he'll push his cousin against him.

"Listen, I understand how it must look. But it is as I said, everything I've done is for my mother's sake. I got close to Shido and worked directly for him. He's certainly an unpleasant asshole to have the displeasure of working with, but in the end it will be worth it. Once he lets his guard down, then I'll strike."

"You've been with him?" Ken glared.

He needed to be very careful.

"I do not approve of what he did to you. But you seen firsthand what a callous bastard he is. He needs to be brought down, for good."

"But you've still been working for Shido," Ken snarled quietly.

Good, Ken absolutely hated Shido. He could work with this.

"If only to enact my revenge. Won't you join me?"

"Wh—" The word seemed to die on Ken's tongue as he gawked at Goro.

"You suggested that we continue to work together," Goro reminded.

"Yeah, as Phantom Thieves!" Ken hissed. "Akechi-san, this is crazy!"

"It isn't!" Goro insisted quietly, even as a flare of annoyance filled him. "He personally harmed you! Don't you want revenge?!"

Why wasn't he understanding? Ken had remained silent, panic filling his eyes. Maybe Goro needed to elaborate more on what Shido had done... yes he just needed to help him understand.

"Think about it—if our mothers had never fought, there was a high possibility that we would've grown up together. Shido robbed us both of so much! Don't you want to pay him back?" Goro asked.

It still made his blood boil, thinking about it. Shido... he deserved to burn. There needed to be consequences for his actions!

"And you care about the Kirijo Group head, do you not? He's given her hell," Akechi pushed.

He had ambivalent feelings about Mitsuru Kirijo. On one hand, he knew little of her as a person, but Goro still couldn't help but dislike that Shido was so dismissive of her for simply being a woman. On the other hand, her family hid and censored what happened to Ken's mother. True, it wasn't her doing, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth that Ken trusted her so much. Though he needed to keep a clear head. It's very possible Kirijo didn't know what her family did.

But still, since Ken liked her so much, shouldn't he be jumping at the opportunity? Shido harmed Ken, tortured him, and blackmailed his Shadow Operative friends. He should be gunning for him on that alone.

"Yes but..." Ken trailed off, before wrapping one arm around his torso.

Goro sighed. Perhaps he should try a gentler approach; Ken did seem overwhelmed. It wasn't his style, but he had to make his cousin understand.

"My mother always regretted letting things end the way it did, with your mother," Goro persisted. "Shido didn't just ruin her life because he threw her away as a single pregnant woman... he indirectly ruined her relationships with her entire family, our family. From the moment she found out about your mother's death—she's regretted it. She even talked about it in her suicide note. That never would have happened if Shido didn't drive a wedge right into our family."

Ken stilled at that, before meeting Goro's eyes, his expression gentle.

"Akechi-san, I know how it feels..." he said, his voice soft with sympathy. "Really, I do. I obsessed over my mother's death for two years. I couldn't think of anything else."

So he did understand how Goro felt! His hunch was correct after all! Goro took a deep breath and tried not to let relief wash over his expression. There was a look in Ken's eye that forced him to pause.

"But... revenge is not healthy for you. You need to let go of your anger. Yes, I doubt that Shido has an ounce of goodness in him. But think—would your mother want this for you? To be obsessed with avenging her?"

Goro stared, baffled. What the hell is he talking about? Just what was his angle?

"But aren't we the same?"

"Huh... what?" Ken asked, suddenly staring at Goro in confusion.

"Isn't that why you're living with Aragaki?" Goro demanded. "Your mother's killer?"

"Wait... that's not—!" Ken started to say, his face growing pale.

But Goro just held up a hand, halting him.

"Something had been rubbing me in the wrong way about your mother's death... so I did some poking around and I discovered the truth. Aragaki killed your mother! That must be why you're living with him, right?" Goro whispered with narrowed eyes.

Ken stiffened for some reason, his expression becoming unreadable.

"You're just biding your time, gaining his trust. Once his guard has been lowered... you'll strike and get your revenge! How is that different from what I'm doing with Shido?! And believe me, I'll help you if that's what you want. You don't have to hide it from me. I'd like to take a shot at him too, after all, if he never killed your mother, my mother never would have committed suicide." Goro couldn't help but let a smile slip through as he whispered, "You can trust me. We don't have to take care of this alone. We can both get what we wanted all along. Revenge!"

"... up."

Ken suddenly uttered something, something so quiet that Goro didn't hear.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Ken then met his gaze, his eyes suddenly smoldering with anger.

"I said shut the hell up," he growled out quietly.

He took one angry step towards Goro. For a moment, Goro thought he saw the glow of a blue aura surround Ken. Then he blinked and the glow around Ken had disappeared. He must have been imagining it.

"You know nothing about how I feel about Shinjiro-san." His voice was level, yet there was no mistaking the rage brimming from it. "He saved my life. He always looked out for me, even when I was an ungrateful brat and I didn't deserve his kindness! You know shit about our situation, Akechi!"

His voice had been deadly quiet but he was very much pissed. He never heard Ken ever speak like that. Goro knew he should tread carefully as clearly he went wrong somewhere but he was too vexed now. How could he defend that scum?

"You're joking? You actually care about her murderer? This isn't a ploy?" Goro asked with disgust.

"Yes I do! You don't know anything about the truth of what happened!" Ken's eyes blazed with anger. "Did you really think you can waltz in, dump this news on me and assume that I'd happily jump in on your crazy scheme?"

"But we're family—" Goro protested heatedly, but Ken refused to let him have another word.

"Sometimes family doesn't mean anything!" Ken cut him off, his eyes suddenly hard as flint. "I would know. You know who's the people who cared for me? While growing up, it was everyone back on Port Island. And now, it's them and everyone in the Phantom Thieves."

"The Phantom Thieves?" Goro repeated softly. "You mean, the group who is so pathetic and fell apart at the death of their precious leader?"

Ken froze before taking a step backwards and glared.

"Was that one of the things Shido ordered you to do?" he said quietly, his voice suddenly shaky.

Goro chuckled. "There's nothing to hide. He had it coming. So pathetic. You should've seen him sniveling, begging for his life."

Ken looked startled for a moment, fear filling his eyes. But then he regained his composure. Goro couldn't help but feel irked about that stubborn gleam in his eye. It reminded him of Amamiya's quiet defiance, his silent refusal to react to Goro's taunts.

"That's not Ren," he said firmly and folded his arms over his chest, his eyes suddenly growing cold. "And pathetic, huh? So you were jealous of someone so 'pathetic'?"

Goro opened his mouth to retort but Ken pressed forward.

"I'm not blind. I could see the way you would glare at Ren when we were in Niijima-san's Palace, when you thought nobody was looking. You were jealous of him. For what? For being a good leader, for having the trust of everyone—I don't know."

"Shut up!" Goro snapped. "I was the one who prevailed over him! I watched him bleed out on the table! He could only watch helplessly as I shot him down!"

"Why did you have to kill him?" Ken demanded, even as his voice began to shake again. "He did nothing to you!"

Nothing. Nothing! Goro wanted to snort at that. He had almost ruined it all for Goro. His plans would've gone up in flames, if he hadn't taken Amamiya out. And the fact that Ken was still so loyal to him was simply infuriating.

"Why do you take his side?!" Goro demanded.

"Because he's my friend!" Ken retorted.

"What has he even done for you?!" Goro demanded, red-hot anger suddenly spiking inside of him. "He's nothing! No—less than nothing!"

He didn't understand... just what was Amamiya's secret? What made his friends so damn loyal, to the point of near-worship? What made him so special in their eyes? He saw with his own eyes how Amamiya sometimes annoyed the crap out of his friends. And yet, they still loved him. Goro just didn't understand why.

Ken glared at him. "Don't you dare speak of Ren that way!"

And to see Ken's angry face, because Goro had insulted Amamiya... it made Goro's blood boil. It was like Amamiya was taunting him beyond the grave. He stole away his cousin's loyalty!

"You know what I see?" Ken continued, his voice growing icy. "A petty and jealous child who's completely blinded to what's really important. And you know what? I think even now, Ren's beat you. You obviously can't let go of your anger towards him."

How dare Ken try to lecture him! Shouldn't he of all people understand?!

Perhaps he just hadn't explained properly. That had to be why Ken didn't understand.

"But—"

Ken spat out, "No! You've been helping Shido this whole time! All of the blood is on your hands! Does it ever bother you? That you caused countless deaths?! You keep going on and on about wanting revenge, because of your mom. But have you considered that you might've orphaned others for your quest of revenge?! You gave Shido the tools to threaten Mitsuru-san! On top of that, you killed Ren!"

At the mention of Amamiya, his voice grew wobbly. The anguish in his eyes was clear as day. But it only worked to infuriate Goro.

"He didn't deserve any of that!" Goro shouted. "The power, his friends—nothing! Absolutely nothing! He's meaningless! And he's dead! Your loyalty means nothing!"

He moved to grab Ken's arm, but a low growl suddenly reached Goro's ears. An orange and white blur suddenly appeared and an albino shiba inu was standing in between the two of them, his lips pulled into a fierce snarl.

The shiba inu was not an intimidating species. But Goro couldn't help but feel afraid. He didn't doubt that this dog would attack, if it felt that Goro was a threat to Ken.

It kept growling at Goro, even as he took a tentative step back.

This was not going the way it was supposed to! He just... didn't understand!

"Get out," Ken spat out, his voice dripping with venom.

Goro looked at him in shock.

"But Ken—"

"GET OUT!" he suddenly screamed, his voice cracking at the last part. "Get out before I throw you out myself!"

Goro took a step back. Ken was always so mild-mannered. And yet his eyes were blazing with anger, his words spoken with such vitriol.

He pressed his lips together. He didn't know where he went wrong, but Ken had made it clear that he was furious with Goro.

He walked out and as soon as he was in the hallway, Ken slammed the door shut, the force making him cringe.

Goro didn't even make it to the elevator before he started mulling over their argument.

Ken's words about his mother... they stuck the most in his mind. Goro just squeezed his eyes shut.

"He's wrong..." Goro murmured. "Mom would want this... she would want that bastard to suffer as much as she did."

And the targets... they all had warped hearts. There was nothing wrong with what he was doing!

Right? No of course he was right. He knew what he was getting into, and he would see it through. No matter the cost.

It seemed there were some more details he needed regarding Aragaki and his cousin. But that can wait. It would be unwise to push Ken right now. Perhaps the night after the election he could try again.

---

Ken's knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground. His head was spinning so hard that he actually felt a little vertigo.

Goro Akechi was his cousin. And his reasoning was that his mother—Ken's aunt—wanted this. Ken honestly wanted to throw up.

All of the blood on Akechi's hands... all of those innocent people! It was for the sake of revenge. He didn't see what was wrong with his actions. He only wanted Shido to go down... hard.

Shinjiro-san was right. He was so right, when he had told Ken that even with righteous revenge... it would forever stain your hands. There was no turning back.

But did Akechi even care? Isshiki-san, Okumura-san, all those people dead because of Akechi's quest for revenge... not to mention, all of the people that also was hurt or killed along the way.

And he had almost murdered Ren. He would have murdered Ren, if it wasn't for the plan they came up with.

Yet... something nagged at Ken. He knew that a life of a bastard was not easy. He remembered how even Minako-san had tried to dissuade Yukari-san from having her child—knowing that she would have a difficult time after bearing Minato-san's illegitimate children.

He had been twelve when he had found out about the attitude about bastard children. But... Akechi had to live with the fact his entire life.

He wasn't heartless. He could understand why Akechi was bitter at his situation.

Ken's fingers curled into the carpet.

However... that couldn't negate his actions.

On top of that, it didn't even seem Akechi felt any remorse over his actions. He thought he was in the right.

And where did this leave the situation with Shido and his mom? He didn't want to think that his mother would never associate with such a heinous man but...

What if he had been just looking at her through rose-tinted glasses this whole time? He was only nine when she died. What if he had been blind to her faults due to his young age?

A quiet whimper caught his attention and he looked up to see Koromaru looking mournfully at him.

"I'm o—" Ken then stopped short.

No... he wasn't okay.

Just how did Akechi assume that Ken would be down to join him with his plan for revenge? Had he lost his marbles?

"He and Shido are more alike than he realizes," Ken muttered to himself. Then he sighed , before he gave a sad smile to Koromaru. "Sorry we woke you up buddy."

Koromaru didn't make a vocal response, choosing to nuzzle Ken's hand. Ken just heaved out a sigh before petting Koromaru on the head. As always, it was calming.

He wished Shinjiro-san was here. But he wasn't, working at Crossroads. And he didn't want to call. He didn't want to sound like a needy child.

Where was he supposed to go with this?

"It doesn't matter, I guess... as long as Akechi buys that Ren is still dead," Ken thought.

He hoped that his acting skills were enough to convince Akechi that Ren was dead. Akechi couldn't realize the truth. They would be screwed, in more ways than one, if that happened.

Ken snapped out of his thoughts—his phone was vibrating. He pulled it out of his pocket.

Text From: Makoto

[Makoto]: Hey Ken, can I come over? I... um... I missed you today.

Ken sucked in a breath. He could practically see Makoto's blushing face.

At any other time, he would've been happy to have Makoto visit. But he was still trying to make sense of things. And he couldn't just say: No, Makoto, now's not a good time.

On top of just sounding like a jerk for turning down his girlfriend like that, she'd want to know why not and then he'd have to make up some lie. And the thought of lying to his girlfriend made his insides squirm.

…Not to mention she'd probably get mad enough to want to kick his butt if he did lie to her and she figured it out.

Ken dragged a hand over his face, stifling the urge to groan.

But how could he even begin to explain this to her?

"Oh yeah, I'm doing great today, Makoto. Just found out that I'm cousins with Akechi!"

He didn't want to believe it when Shido told him that, but to have Akechi storm in here and throw it in his face, with evidence to boot really made it hard to deny anymore. And to top it off, Shido was Akechi's father. That was an entirely different can of worms. And he thought his wonderful uncle was bad enough.

"I should've just slammed the door in Akechi's face," Ken grumbled to himself.

Okay, technically he had but still...

But then a sudden memory floated in his mind—Makoto hugging him, after breaking down about the whole mess with Shido.

"You can lean on us."

Ken sighed softly. He just needed to be honest about it. He turned his attention back to his phone.

[Ken]: Um... hey. Can we... talk about something serious?

[Makoto]: Ken? Is something the matter?

Ken sucked in a breath. What a loaded question that was.

[Ken]: It's... complicated. I need to tell you in person.

[Makoto]: Okay... I'll be there as soon as I can.

His stomach still felt all tied up in knots, though. He just felt like a complete, utter mess.

Koromaru tried to distract him, but Ken could hardly register it. He eventually settled for sitting on the couch. Koromaru rested his head in Ken's lap and Ken absentmindedly stroke the top of his head. It reminded Ken of the days while he was still living at the dorm, during his second year of junior high.

He looked up at a sharp knock on the door. He shifted Koromaru off his lap, drawing out a whine from the shiba inu. He then went to answer the door. He then paused, realizing he should've peeked through the peephole before answering the door.

He was so stupid.

Fortunately, it was Makoto.

"What's the matter?" she blurted out once Ken opened the door.

Ken somehow managed a smile, before taking her hand and tugging her inside. Ken shut the door.

"Um... look. Don't be mad," he said slowly.

"Just tell me already, Ken!" Makoto abruptly snapped.

Ken couldn't help but flinch at the harshness of her tone, making her wince. She slowly inhaled, as if to calm herself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," she said, shame-faced.

"No, it's okay. I know that you were just feeling antsy, especially with what I said." Ken then sighed, before his hand tightened around Makoto's. "It's just... Akechi kinda came to see me a little earlier."

"WHAT?!" Makoto all but shrieked out.

Ken grabbed onto her other hand with his free hand, giving both of her hands a squeeze.

"He didn't do anything to hurt me."

Makoto looked at him, her eyes still filled with panic.

"B-But how did he even find you? You never showed Akechi where you lived! You were careful about that, especially with us worrying about him catching onto the Shadow Operatives."

He didn't even think about that. That must've meant Akechi managed to dig through his records or something. The thought was... unnerving, to put it lightly. He needed to have a talk with Fuuka-san about that. Maybe Futaba as well. See if their information could be further protected. The way Akechi had talked about Shinjiro-san also implied that he managed to dig deep into the Shadow Ops' records.

"I don't know," he admitted before guiding her to sit down on the couch.

"Wait so... what did he want with you?" Makoto asked. "Just why would he seek you out like this?"

Ken pursed his lips. He knew that Makoto was far from fond of Akechi. There had been how she had felt jealous of him, with how he monopolized Niijima-san's attention. Not to mention his personal antagonizing of her.

There was no easy way to say this. He just would have to spit it out.

"Well, um... he kinda just dumped the news that we're cousins."

Makoto stared at him. She stared and stared.

Ken coughed. "Um... Makoto?"

Her eyes suddenly narrowed, her eyes little more than slits. "Where did Akechi get such an insane idea? And why would he even say that to you?"

"Do you remember when I told you about the time my mom brought me to Tokyo? How I met my aunt's son? His name was Goro."

"B-But..."

Makoto then seemed to change her mind on whatever she was saying, choosing instead to clear her throat.

"How are you feeling?" she finally said.

Ken withdrew his hands, so he could wrap his arms around himself.

"He told me that he was doing all of this—the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns—for Shido. Just so he could get revenge on him. Well okay, he never admitted he was the one who specifically did those things, but he may as well have. He admitted he did dirty work for Shido. He admitted he went to assassinate Ren on Shido's orders."

"Wait, back up... revenge?" Makoto parroted, wide-eyed. "Against Shido? What did Shido do to him?"

Ken sucked in a breath. "Apparently... Shido's his father."

"Shido is Akechi's father?!" Makoto sputtered out, her face growing pale. "How did that happen?"

"The usual way I assume," Ken said dryly

Makoto glared at him with flushed cheeks. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Right... sorry." Ken sighed.

He still didn't know what to make of all of this. He knew he was floundering.

"It appears that Akechi seemed intent on dropping several bombshells on you," Makoto suddenly remarked.

Ken sighed, looking down at his lap. "You can say that again."

Then Makoto suddenly reached out, tilting his chin up. Then her fingers brushed against his jawline, before turning his head so that he had to look at her.

"You still haven't answered me, you know. You never told me how you're feeling," she said softly.

Ken bit his lip as his chest painfully constricted.

Ken hissed out, "Akechi is my cousin. He's convinced that he's doing the right thing, because apparently Shido drove his mother, my aunt, to suicide. He kept insisting that it's what our moms would've wanted."

He then let out a bitter laugh.

"And he didn't care. To hell with everyone else, right?"

Ken's hands clenched around his knees. His chest was just getting tighter and tighter. He couldn't help but feel angry and disgusted.

"But... weren't you the same as him once?" a small voice whispered in the back of his mind.

"What if... I'm not so different from him?" he asked quietly. "He sounded so angry and bitter at his situation. I was at that point once."

He couldn't help but sorely regret his past actions. He knew that Shinjiro-san didn't blame him at all for the fiasco with Takaya, but it didn't mean that it absolved him of guilt.

"But aren't we the same?"

"Isn't that why you're living with Aragaki? Your mother's killer?"

Akechi's words vibrated inside his head. The moment he had spoken them, Ken had seen literal red.

"But Ken—" Makoto began, but Ken shook his head.

"He said it. I don't know how he found out, but he discovered the truth. He knew that Shinjiro-san was responsible for Mom's death. Then he—"

A little gasp escaped Makoto and she started to shake.

"You're saying that he invaded your privacy like that?"

The outrage in Makoto's voice made Ken realize that she wasn't shaking out of fear, but out of anger.

"I'm going to wring his neck," she seethed, her hands clenching into fists. "He has no right! How dare he?!"

Ken wasn't paying attention to her fury, he just rubbed his neck and sighed.

"He tried to use it as a fact to persuade me into joining his little crusade of revenge against Shido," Ken mumbled out.

Makoto stopped short at that, before studying his face closely. She suddenly hugged him. Ken rested his chin on top of Makoto's shoulder, drawing a shaky breath as she gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"You're nothing like Akechi, Ken," she said gently.

"But—" Ken began to protest.

"Let me finish!" Makoto interrupted, before her tone noticeably softened. "Maybe at one point, you felt angry. You were all alone, after losing your mother."

She then pulled back slightly, a worried frown forming on her face. Then she inhaled shakily.

"But don't forget that you made the choice to let go of your anger, Ken." She then pressed her hand against his chest, right over his heart. "Your heart is what really makes you different from Akechi. You care. You always have, even when you thought the only reason you had for living was to avenge your mother. You tried to protect Fuuka-san from Takaya killing her. That's not something Akechi would have done. You are not the same as him."

Ken pursed his lips at that. Of course he didn't want Fuuka-san to die! He'd be heartless if he didn't try to do something.

He wanted to believe in her. But doubt continued to gnaw at his heart.

The wild look in Akechi's eyes... the fevered way Akechi had talked. Had he ever looked like that? The mere thought of it made Ken want to shudder.

Not to mention that other fact...

"Okumura and Isshiki-san are dead because of Akechi," he said quietly, before hot tears started to sting at his eyes.

Ken blinked a couple times to try and push them back.

"A member of my family caused Futaba and Haru so much pain. Pain that I know all too well."

He just... couldn't comprehend Akechi justifying his actions. When Akechi lost his beloved mother and he just took away Futaba's. Maybe Akechi felt slight pangs of guilt. But it clearly wasn't enough, given the way Akechi had kept saying that he wanted to get revenge against Shido. No amount of guilt was enough to stop him from continuing to hurt more and more.

Just what would be too much, a too high price to pay?

Makoto started at his statement, her breath hitching in her throat.

"Oh..." she breathed out.

Then she suddenly picked up Ken's hand with both of hers again.

"But it's not your fault. Haru and Futaba would never hold that against you!" she exclaimed.

"But—"

Makoto suddenly let out a frustrated sigh, "Maybe you need to hear it from their own mouths then."

It took several moments for Ken to register her words.

"What?" he said dumbly.

But Makoto ignored him as her fingers rapidly tapped out a message on her phone. Then she abruptly shoved her phone back into her schoolbag, standing up. Her hand curled around his wrist before she pulled him up.

"Come on, Ken, we're going to LeBlanc," she said briskly before dragging him to the door, "We're settling this now."

---

"Sooo... why did you exactly call this meeting, Makoto?" Ryuji asked.

Makoto just folded her arms over her chest, before looking to Ryuji. They were all gathered around the table in the attic. Sakura-san had fulfilled his promise, closing up LeBlanc early so they could talk in private.

"Well... it's a couple things," she said after a moment of hesitation.

Ken bit his lower lip as identical looks of confusion crossed his friends' faces. But then he looked to Makoto. His girlfriend seemed to be considering how to word it.

However, he shouldn't be leaving it to her.

He put a hand on her arm to halt her. When she looked up to him in confusion, Ken abruptly cleared his throat.

"Um, the truth is... Akechi came to see me today."

He wasn't surprised to be met with silence.

Haru clasped both hands over her mouth, a slight tremor running through her body. Futaba gaped at him, before her jaw suddenly tightened. Ren tensed up at that, before narrowing his eyes. Yusuke's entire form grew rigid, before his lips pursed together so tightly that they were little more than a thin line. Anne and Ryuji exchanged startled looks. Morgana had been relaxing in Haru's lap but he was immediately on alert.

Unsurprisingly, it was Ryuji who spoke first.

"THE HELL?!"

Haru slowly lowered her hands, before her expression grew serious. "He didn't hurt you right, Ken-kun?"

"Just what did he want?" Futaba spat out.

Ren then held up a hand and everyone immediately grew quiet.

"Let him talk, guys," he said evenly.

Ken smiled faintly at Ren, before pursing his lips.

"Akechi came to see me earlier today... he told me that we were cousins."

"That's BULLSHIT!" Ryuji interjected, his voice growing more and more heated. "Did he seriously believe that you would just believe whatever shit he comes up with!?"

"Hang on, Ryuji," Yusuke said abruptly, before looking to Ken carefully.

Ken's heart started to race. He was beginning to feel queasy as a strong wave of anxiety suddenly hit him.

Ryuji faltered at that, his angry expression suddenly melting away.

"Ken-kun, you're not saying...?" Haru trailed off for a moment, her face growing pale.

Ken slowly nodded, before wrapping a single arm around himself. Makoto looked to him with sympathy before touching his shoulder. He gave her a brief smile before taking in a shaky breath and then dropping his arm back to his side. He owed his friends an explanation, after dropping this kind of bombshell.

"So..." Ren's voice cut through the silence, disbelief in his tone, "You're saying Shido didn't actually lie to you?"

"Wait... you knew?" Morgana asked with surprise.

"He mentioned to me after we had a private chat after both of us were returned safe and sound. I told him that it was a load of crap because the mouth it came from was Shido." Ren shrugged. "I didn't bring it up because it's Ken's business to tell, not mine."

Ken sighed. "Sorry guys... I didn't say anything because like Ren explained, it was told to me by Shido. He's not exactly the most trustworthy source. And disregarding Shido... I only told Makoto this before, but I've actually visited Tokyo when I was a child. When I was five, my grandparents on my mother's side died from a car accident. My mom was in charge of arranging their funeral. But... she wasn't their only child. She had a twin sister."

"I remember you telling me that there was a scandal involving your mom's twin sister," Ren voiced.

"A scandal?" Anne asked, her blonde brows furrowing together.

Ken nodded. His fuzzy memories were growing clearer. Akechi's words had begun to jog his memory.

"My aunt Tsukiko was disowned by my grandparents for reasons my mom never explained to me. She was always super vague about the circumstances. But Mom asked her to come to Tokyo when my grandparents died. She agreed, and like how Mom brought me with her... my aunt brought her son, Goro."

Wrinkles suddenly formed on Futaba's forehead, and she began to frown, making Ken falter.

"What's wrong, Futaba?" he asked hesitantly.

Futaba just shook her head.

"You should finish what you said first," she told him.

"R-Right." Ken cleared his throat. "My aunt brought her son to the hotel room and we ended up spending some time together while our moms talked. But then, their talk turned into an argument."

Ren suddenly sucked in a breath. "I remember you told me that your grandparents disowned your aunt for some kind of scandal." Then his brow furrowed together. "So... you're saying that your grandparents disowned her for becoming pregnant out of wedlock?"

Ken bit inside of his cheek for a moment before reluctantly nodding. It was honestly the truth. He couldn't help but think of Yukari-san's mother. Takeba-san was supportive of Yukari-san keeping the pregnancy, especially after she had explained how much Minato-san had meant to her.

He couldn't help but wonder, if his grandparents had been more accepting of his aunt's pregnancy... things would've been different. Very different. He could remember his aunt's angry words about his grandparents. And frankly... he couldn't really blame her for feeling bitter.

"That's simply heartless for them to do that." Yusuke murmured, a frown forming on his face.

"Yusuke!" Makoto exclaimed, looking to him in disapproval. "You're talking about Ken's grandparents—"

"It's okay, Makoto," Ken cut in, holding up a hand. "I understand where he's coming from perfectly."

And it's not like he had any emotional attachment to them. He could scarcely remember them.

Yusuke, however, was still frowning. He seemed deep in thought, staring down at the floor. But he suddenly looked up.

"But why tell you now, Ken? Surely Akechi was after something. Not just to tell you that he found out that you are cousins."

Ken sucked in a breath.

"Well... that's because he had this crazy idea—to try and rope me into a revenge plot against Shido."

It was silent for a moment. Then Ren took off his glasses, staring at Ken.

"Are you serious?" he asked incredulously.

Ken just shrugged helplessly at his friend.

"How could he ask you of that?!" Haru suddenly burst out, her voice growing more and more heated.

Her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had gone white.

"Even if he doesn't know about your past, it's simply deplorable! How could anyone be simply okay with just suddenly dropping that kind of news on you and expect you to be okay with jumping on board with an insane revenge plot?!"

"You're... not mad, Haru?" Ken asked carefully.

Haru's eyes widened at that.

"Heavens no! You're a dear friend to me, Ken-kun. I'd be a hypocrite if I judged you for that." She suddenly frowned, becoming downcast. "After all... Father was no saint."

"Haru..." Yusuke murmured, reaching out to touch her hand briefly.

"Yeah!" Futaba seconded, nodding firmly. "I mean, you can be such a nag, not to mention a total stick in the mud..."

"Futaba!" Makoto reproved with a frown.

"But you're a great friend!" Futaba finished, ignoring Makoto. "You may be Akechi's cousin, but blood doesn't mean everything, you know. I mean, Haru isn't at all like her dad. Or Ryuji and his dad. I don't know who my dad is, but I don't care. I have my mom and Sojiro too. That's all that matters!"

Haru nodded in agreement, before smiling gently at Ken.

"He may be your closest living relative, Ken-kun. But you aren't Akechi. The two of you are quite different. We would be foolish if we didn't see that."

Ren smiled at Haru and Futaba before turning to Ken. "It seriously doesn't matter if Akechi is your cousin. We know the difference—that you've always got our backs, no matter what. You're our friend. You may have obsessed over the idea of avenging your mom like Akechi is right now, but you broke the cycle of revenge. And you were just a kid when that crap happened."

"I get bein' pissed about screwing over your mom, because when it's your asshole of a dad," Ryuji said, his expression darkening. "But still—all of those lives he decided to stomp over because he wanted revenge is way too much!"

"It's too high of a price to pay," Yusuke agreed with a nod. "You never believed that. You felt guilt for harboring such thoughts towards Shinjiro-san."

"Yeah, comparing yourself to Akechi is nonsense, Ken. You've proved yourself time and time again," Morgana said.

If he wasn't sitting down already, he might've collapsed to his knees in relief.

He whispered, "Thank you... thank you. I was so worried that you'd hate me for this..."

"We would never hate you for this, okay? You are nothing like Akechi!" Anne exclaimed fiercely, before clenching one hand into a fist.

Ryuji shifted in his seat. "Wait so—if Akechi is seriously your cousin... you're saying Shido screwed your aunt?"

Ken grimaced. The statement was rather crass, but unfortunately, Ken couldn't deny it. Akechi was the result of the relationship after all. Though he did have to clarify something.

"I did not need that mental image," Ren said with a shudder.

Ken rubbed his chin for a moment, "Thinking back on what I overheard Mom's argument with her sister—I think they were in an actual relationship."

The moment he said that, he pulled a face. Thinking about Shido in any kind of romantic relationship... he had to repress the urge to shudder. Even if Shido was manipulating his aunt in order to get—ugh. He was going to stop thinking about this.

Futaba wrinkled her nose before making a gagging sound. "Ew! That makes Shido like your evil uncle or something."

"They weren't married, though, Futaba-chan. I think that's stretching it," Haru said.

Morgana cracked a smile. "Gotta look for the small blessings."

But thinking back to his mom made his heart ache. Was he really wrong about her the entire time?

"Hmm?" Morgana looked to Ken sharply. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing..." Ken muttered, wrapping his arms around himself.

Morgana swatted at Ken's hand with his tail.

"That's a lie if I ever saw one!" he scolded.

"Yeah, Morgana's right—just tell us!" Ryuji seconded, only to turn to Ren with narrowed eyes, "Don't you start, RenRen."

"Who, me?" Ren gasped, pointing at himself with sarcastic innocence.

Ryuji jabbed a finger into his face, "Yes, you! Who else would be a piece of crap about me and Morgana agreeing 'bout something?!"

"Uh... am I chopped liver?!" Futaba demanded.

Ryuji glowered at her. "Shut it."

"Why do you guys always act like it's a catastrophe happened when Ryuji and I agree, huh?!" Morgana demanded.

"Hey it's once in a blue moon when you and Ryuji agree," Anne said teasingly.

"HEY!" they protested in unison.

Ren suddenly snorted before he smirked at Morgana. "Catastrophe, huh?"

"Don't start, Ren!" Morgana hissed out.

Ren and Futaba started snickering at their pouting expressions and Ken couldn't help but laugh along as well.

But Ken quickly grew somber as his friends looked to him.

"What... what if my mom isn't as good of a person I remember?" he asked in a small voice, hating how childish he sounded. "What if I've been idealizing her this whole time?"

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy and his friends' expressions became... conflicted. Ken couldn't help but regret voicing his thoughts. Then Futaba spoke up.

"Think hard, Ken..." Futaba said urgently, "What was your mom like?"

When Ken looked at her, her expression was dead serious

"I..."

Ken closed his eyes.

His mother was terrible at knitting and sewing. She had been incredibly proud when she managed to finish a scarf for him, one that she had fashioned with her own hands.

She was a wonderful cook. She always would claim her cooking tasted so good to him because her secret ingredient was love. She'd always punctuate this claim by giving Ken a hug and a kiss.

Maybe she had been a little blind to her parents' faults but she loved her family with all her heart.

She had loved him so much. She always had a smile and a hug for Ken, even when she was dead tired from work.

"Mom was a good person," he said softly before his voice cracked; he swallowed down the lump suddenly forming in his throat. "She loved me..."

He missed her... he missed her so much.

Futaba nodded firmly, folding her arms over her chest. "There you have it."

"Why did you bring it up like that though, Futaba?" Yusuke asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Futaba's pleased expression faltered, quickly replaced by a sad one. Her lips pressed together, forming a thin line.

"I was thinking back to my Shadow pushing me to remember how my mom really was. I figured that Ken needed a similar push too."

"Oh, Futaba," Makoto sighed out, her voice soft with sympathy.

Futaba shook her head, before cracking a smile towards Makoto.

"It's okay. I needed it back then."

Anne abruptly snapped her fingers. "That reminds me. Futaba, you looked like you realized something earlier. What was that about?"

"Oh that." Futaba sat up a little. "I was just wondering—your mom's maiden name can't be Akechi, right? You're not dumb. You would've picked up on something way sooner if it was."

Ken shook his head. "No, before she married my father, her name was Hikari Himura."

She was buried with that name too, but he didn't want to add that. The topic was serious enough already.

"Akechi was vague about it, but he changed it at some point," Ken explained. "That's what he told me."

"My theory is so that Shido wouldn't recognize him through his mother," Morgana said.

"It's true that Shido and Akechi look almost nothing alike. I think your theory may be right, Morgana. It would definitely work to shield his purposes to Shido," Makoto agreed.

"Though... it is dangerous how he managed to seek you out like that." Ren mentioned, his eyes hardening.

Makoto's expression darkened at that before folding her arms over her chest. "That isn't all. Somehow he managed to dig up info on Shinjiro-san and the truth about Ken's mother's death."

"W-What the hell?" Anne choked out, her voice cracking at the last part. "That's just—"

Haru's eyes were wide with shock.

"I know, it was stupid of me to not check before opening the door," Ken mumbled out.

"Maybe it was a bit naïve, but he's the one who stalked you, Ken. Akechi has the lion's share of the blame," Morgana argued.

Ren frowned deeply, before turning to Futaba. "Futaba, would it be possible for you to work with Fuuka-san about strengthening the defenses with the Shadow Operatives' archives? Akechi had to have gotten that due to his connections with Shido."

Futaba nodded. "I can definitely do that."

She then smirked, before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"By the time I'm through with it, they'll never be able to crack through the Shadow Operatives' defenses again!"

"But in order to prevent this from happening again... I think that you need to not answer the door at all, Ken," Makoto said.

Haru nodded, before adding, "We can message you for when we're planning on coming over, Ken-kun. Just for an extra bit of security."

Ken sighed before nodding. He wasn't thrilled about the whole house arrest already, but he knew that they posed a good point.

He wasn't looking forward to talking about this with Shinjiro-san, however. Shinjiro-san was not gonna be happy about this. It was a stupid move on his part, and he could already hear Shinjiro-san's lecture about this.

Ryuji pounded a fist into his palm. "This is pissing me off! I wish I could beat up some Shadows right now!"

"Whoa—calm down, Ryuji," Ren said, holding up his hands. "It'll be soon, okay?"

"We do have a few weeks until the elections," Haru added, before her expression grew determined. "We'll make Shido pay... no matter what."

Ren just nodded with a smile before rising to his feet, "Thanks for your faith, guys. But I'll tell you what—since we're all together now, how about I raid Sojiro's fridge and whip up some curry for all of us?"

Yusuke gave a little nod, "That sounds marvelous."

"Woo-hoo, free food!" Ryuji cheered with a pump of his fist.

"Always thinking with your stomach, I see," Anne snarked with a teasing smile.

Ryuji glared at her. "Ah shuddup! You're not any better than me!"

"That is not true!"

"You still inhale sweets like a vacuum!"

"You do the same with beef bowls!" Anne shot back, hands on her hips.

"Do not!"

"DO TOO!"

"Anne-chan, Ryuji-kun, please don't fight!" Haru attempted to intervene, waving her hands at the two underclassmen.

Futaba shook her head vigorously. "No, no, keep going. The TV shows lately have been so crappy. This is way more entertaining."

"Futaba-chan!" Haru exclaimed, exasperated.

Futaba cracked a mischievous grin. "That's my name, don't wear it out!"

As their friends continued to bicker amongst themselves as they headed downstairs to the café, Makoto drew close to Ken as they both stood up.

"Do I have to say I told you so?" she said, with a hint of smugness in her voice.

Ken huffed before running a hand through his hair.

"You were right. I suppose I just needed to hear it from them." he said quietly.

Makoto leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "So no more nonsense about you being just like Akechi, okay?"

"Okay, okay... you guys hammered it in already enough," Ken grumbled out.

Then a laugh suddenly escaped him.

"Akechi claimed that we were the same, when he told me that he knew about Mom's death. I got mad enough to swear at him."

Makoto's eyes narrowed at that. "So, I'm decking him the next time I see him? Good to know."

"Makoto!" Ken couldn't help but laugh. "I don't want you to get arrested for assault. Ren's record is enough."

"Hmph..." Makoto folded her arms, a cute scowl on her face. "It'd be worth it."

"No! Since when are you Ryuji?" Ken said firmly, even though the thought of his girlfriend punching Akechi was amusing.

Makoto opened her mouth to reply, but only to be interrupted.

"Makoto, Ken, stop giving each other goo-goo eyes and get your butts down here!" Ryuji bellowed from downstairs.

There was a sudden smacking sound and then a yelp from Ryuji.

"Inside voice, Ryuji!" Anne snapped at him.

"Wonder if Anne realizes she's being almost as loud as Ryuji," Ken murmured.

Makoto then gave him a sideways glance.

"So... is Shinjiro-san working at Crossroads tonight?" she asked innocently.

"Yes?" Ken quirked a brow at her tone.

"Would you be... opposed if we spent some time together after this?" Makoto asked, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink.

Ken just cracked a smile at her. "I'd never be opposed to that."

Then he grasped her hand and tugged her towards the stairway.

"But come on, let's get downstairs before Ryuji comes looking for us." he said.

Makoto just laughed lightly before giving his hand a squeeze, "We can't have that now, can we?"

His friends filled dinner with chatter and laughter. However, Ken couldn't help but think about how Akechi looked to them with disdain.

How could Akechi expect Ken to choose him over the Phantom Thieves?

This was where he was meant to be, and Ken felt one hundred percent confident in that choice.

---

So... this chapter took longer than expected. I'm really sorry, guys. With a mix of going back to school, motivation block, and uh... playing Trails of Cold Steel IV... it took a while to finish this chapter.

So. Ken and Akechi. A big reason why I made them cousins in this AU is because I wanted to draw parallels between them. The two Justice Arcana characters. I know a couple people have been expressing that the main characters need to be more sympathetic towards Akechi in reviews, but I don't believe that it's true.

Akechi killed Wakaba and Okumura, family members of the PTs. He helped Shido rise to power. He killed countless people at Shido's behest.

Ken (and the PTs) are not obligated to overlook that. Ken does pity Akechi's situation to a degree (given how he saw that Yukari was given a hard time about choosing to keep the twins instead of aborting her pregnancy, plus what he went through personally), but he can't overlook this, the fact that Akechi was going to kill Ren, and that he helped push Mitsuru in a situation where she could be easily blackmailed.

I do have something different planned for Akechi, but you'll have to wait and see what's up my sleeve.

I'm building up to the Akechi confrontation. As you saw in the first Akechi POV… he has realized that he can capture additional Personas. Which of course will influence the big fight with Akechi. This idea came from a conversation with angelrin89, and it was originally her idea. And as always, a big thank you to my wonderful beta for her hard work!

However, I do want to say something.

For the past nearly 3 months, I've been receiving several comments asking where the update is. I was even bothered about it on a separate oneshot. I have a life outside of writing. I'm allowed to write other fics. I do not want a repeat of this. It does not motivate me to want to write faster.

I've been rewriting parts of this chapter because I was really unsatisfied with everything. I WILL finish this fic, no matter what.

Additionally, I do want to mention that I know about the Scramble localization announcement. I'm excited to finally get it. But I want to reiterate that I do not want to bothered about a Scramble fic in this verse. The constant pestering is wearing my patience thin and makes me want to make a Scramble fic less. I will make my decision at the conclusion of Ace in the Hole, and that's all I have to say on the matter.

Also if you want news on my fanfiction and hear me talking about my progress on writing the chapters, I have a discord server dedicated to Ace in the Hole. You can message me here on FFnet for an invite or you can send me a message on my tumblr (eiranerys or personaaceinthehole).

And again, I want to thank everyone for their support. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you.