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Today was not Akira's day. The students at school were more vicious than usual; writing messages on his desk, making sure to talk about him extra loudly whenever he passed, and placing yet another white flower on his desk after lunch. Then, Akira takes a shift at Leblanc when Sojiro goes out to shop for groceries. Normally, Akira wouldn't mind taking over the cafe and serve the regulars considering how easy their orders were and how little Akira actually had to work. But, this time more customers than usual show up and order more than Akira was prepared for. The curry was thankfully pre-made and just needed to be served, the coffee on the other hand was the difficult part. The new customers were getting impatient with Akira, so he had to rush everything from serving the curry to the making a whole new blend. Rushing, as Akira painfully learned, has its consequences. The coffee didn't have its usual "spark", as Futaba liked to say, and it was far too bland to be considered Leblanc coffee. This caused the customers to be disappointed to say the least. And, to top the whole thing off, Akira trips.It wasn't a small stumble, no, it was a full on face-plant-spill-coffee-break-the-cup type of trip. On the bright side, the new customers left before Akira fell. Sadly, Sojiro walked in and gave the boy a good hour-long lecture. Today was definitely not Akira's day.Lectured and limping, Akira decides to go up to the attic in hopes he could just sleep away the rest of the day. But, of course he couldn't. He threw himself onto the mattress and reached into his pocket to take his phone out. He suppressed a groan when he saw how many messages he received. He opened the Phantom Thieves Group Chat since it had the most messages.
Joker entered the chat
Skull: kiraaaaa! finally!!Queen: Lovely of you to join us, Akira.Joker: Sorry, I was taking care of the cafeJoker: Want to fill me in on what's going onFox: We were discussing about our next trip to Mementos.Oracle: yeeeOracle: when is we going joker???Queen: Futaba. Grammar.Oracle: -_-Panther: anyways! when are we going kira? Oracle: mona says today Oracle: good training for noir says heFox: This is one of your internet references I know it.Oracle: mwehehehhe !!! >:3Noir: It would be nice to actually train!Skull: how bout it kira?? :)Akira groaned and threw his head into his pillow, resisting the urge to scream. He was not in the mood to travel to Mementos just for training that could be done any day. He was tired from his shift and he landed on his leg when he fell. And his day at school didn't help with his mood. But, everyone wanted to go to Mementos. Especially Haru and Morgana (he was definitely going to get an earful if he denied). Sighing, Akira typed out his answer.Joker: Fine lets meet at the station in a fewOracle: yayyyy!!!! Akira sighed and pocketed his phone, not bothering to read the other messages. He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up to walk downstairs. He ignored the glare from Sojiro and walked out of Leblanc with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Today was not his day at all.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akira was walking towards the café when he felt a shooting pain in his chest. Akira fell to his knees in agony."Ah! Shit....!!!" Akira grunted in agony. Tears prickled at the back of his gray eyes. "Dammit!"The pain started to slowly leave as Akira's phone rang. Ryuji was calling. Akira hesitantly answered the call."What?" Akira asked still a little snippy.
"U-uh hey. I know you wanted me to leave you alone, but I just needed to know that your okay,"
Akira's tone softened. Akira sighed. "I'm fine..."
"Ya sure? You sounded really-"
Akira started hyperventilating when he saw the walls closing in."W-why are they moving...?!" Akira mumbled. "They shouldn't move...! They can't- This has to be a dream...! This has to be a dream!"
"Akira? Akira what's happening?!"
Akira started to hear voices.
"Failure!"
"Why are you even here?!"
"I wish I had NEVER had you!!"
"Why do you have to exist!?!"
"You can't do anything right!"
"Why were you late coming home?!"
"Your nothing, but a burden!"
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!" Akira yelled plugging his ears.
"Akira? Akira!"
Akira started sobbing. Akira pressed the hang up button. Akira pulled his knees to his chest and he buried his head in his arms.
With Ryuji
Ryuji looked at his phone and saw that Akira hung up. Ryuji immediately started messaging the rest of the Thieves.Ryuji: Guys something is seriously wrong with Akira!Futaba: Thanks for the news flash Captain Obvious!Ryuji: Shut the hell up Futaba! Futaba: To bad so sad!Mokoto: Futaba that's enough. What do you mean Ryuji?Ann: I think your just exaggerating Ryuji. And besides why should we care?Ryuji: Are you effing serious Ann?! Just because Akira told you off for being to touchy, you stop caring about him?!Yusuke: I must agree with Ryuji. Akira has been acting quite strange and also it is meaningless to stop caring about our leader.Ryuji: Seems that ONLY Yusuke has brains! Haru: What do you mean by that?Ryuji: Haru I know your new and all, but you should flipping know when someone is acting strange!Ryuji: Tell me when you guys are done being clueless.Ryuji turned off his phone and he got dressed for bed.
With Akira
After Akira was done crying, he resumed his walk towards Lablanc. After Akira was in front of the café, and he opened the door with the key Sojiro gave him. Akira entered the dark café, walked upstairs to his 'room' and he plopped lazily on his 'bed'. Akira started feeling pain in his abdomen so he grabbed a pillow and pressed it against his stomach. Akira slowly fell into a deep sleep.Akira was awakened by a shake from Sojiro. "What...?" Akira mumbled with his eyes closed and his eyebrows furrowed.Sojiro shook his head. "Kid, your late for school! Did you even bother to change?" Sojiro asked pointing to Akira's clothes.Akira opened his eyes and he sat up as Sojiro left the attic. Akira went to the bathroom, changed his clothes into his uniform, put on his glasses, grabbed his bag and headed out the door even though his hair, somehow, looked even worse. Akira started walking towards the station. After the train ride and a few mile walks, Akira was in front of the school. Akira rubbed his eyes and he opened the door; The messy haired boy pulled out his phone to check the time. '9:48' it read. Akira missed a class. Akira knew that his next class would start in a few minutes so he started making his way toward the room, trying his hardest to ignore the whispers."Delinquent late again?""He looks miserable! I almost feel bad,""You shouldn't. He is a criminal after all,""I bet you he lives on the streets! Look at his hair!"Akira felt a warm tear trickle down his pale cheek. Akira made it to his classroom and sat in his seat and fixed his hair so it would hide his eyes, which had dark circles under them. Akira slouched into his seat and realized that Ann was in front of him who was sitting up straight. Akira glanced around the room and saw that almost everyone was staring at him with humor in their eyes. The class began when Mrs. Kawakami entered the room.After half an hour past, Akira felt like the walls were closing in on him, suffocating him. Akira started to lose his balance. The panicked boy gripped the desk for support. After Akira didn't feel as drowsy he released the desk. Akira kept staring at the desk trying to ignore the whispers, the walls, and the voices. When the bell rang Akira was the very last one to leave. Akira waited until everyone left, including Ann, and he slowly sat up and he used the desk for support; Akira grabbed his bag and started walking toward the exit. Akira rubbed his eyes groggily and scanned the hallway and saw Ryuji shouting at Ann. Unfortunately, Akira's next class was in the direction Ryuji and Ann were in. Akira exhaled sharply as he attempted to speed walk towards his next class. "Don't notice me, don't notice me, don't notice me!" Akira mentally prayed.Ryuji glanced at the raven haired boy and realized that it was Akira. Ryuji quickly walked after him. Ryuji put his hand on Akira's shoulder and Akira started walking faster, causing Ryuji's hand to slip away. Ryuji walked in front of Akira, Akira turned around immediately. Ann walked towards Akira causing him to stop dead in his tracks. Akira turned his head to Ryuji and Ann.Morgana peeked his head out of Ann's bag. "You need to apologize to Lady Ann for snapping at her yesterday!" The black cat spat.Akira looked at the cat and Ann. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" Akira hissed causing Morgana's ears to go flat against his head. "I'm sorry, but was I the only one that hadn't forgotten that I helped you? Your ungrateful, pushy and annoying butt? You know what, since you like being with Ann so much why don't you go live with her then? Huh? Why don't you go, and leave me like everyone else in my life?!"Akira was now shouting with hot tears running down his cheeks. Akira started walking away and he started walking downstairs."Akira..." Ryuji muttered under his breath.Akira ran down the stairs and he rushed out of the school not caring if he drew attention to himself. Akira wiped his never ending tears as he was walking to an alleyway. Akira sniffed and he pulled out his phone, opened up the MetaNav and traveled to Mementos.
With Ryuji
During class, Ryuji pulled out his phone and he messaged everyone in the group chat.Ryuji: Guys I think we should meet up somewhere and talk about Akira.Futaba: I think so to. After you messaged us, I heard a noise outside my house and saw Akira walking towards Lablanc and it was almost one in the morning!Ann: Yeah I think so to. Akira totally screamed at Morgana and then rumors were going around saying that Akira left school!Haru: I hoped that was a lie.Yusuke: Where shall we meet?Mokoto: Perhaps the diner?Ryuji: Sure. I'll message you all after school.Ryuji quickly shoved his phone into his pocket.What was wrong with Akira?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
In MementosJoker was walking around the dark and gloomy tunnels of Mementos when he saw a Shadow. The Shadow acknowledged Joker and started charging at him. Joker drew his weapon and attacked the large figure. The Shadow was a Cerberus. Joker scanned through his Personae and picked Jack Frost and used Diamond Dust. The Shadow was eliminated right away. Joker smirked. "Looks like it was weak after all," He muttered. Joker continued his walk around Mementos until he would grow tired.
With Ryuji and the Rest of the Crew
Ryuji was looking at the clock impatiently. Five more minutes until school was over; Five minutes felt like five hours to the boy. After the minutes had passed, Ryuji was the first one out of the classroom and he immediately pulled out his phone and started messaging his teammates.Ryuji: I'm heading to the diner right now. See ya guys there.Ryuji shoved the phone back into his pocket and rushed out of the Shujin doors and he ran towards the diner.Once Ryuji was outside of the diner, he looked around to check if any of his friends arrived at the same time he did. Ryuji checked twice, but he saw nothing. He checked again and then he saw Ann and Mokoto, running towards him."Hey!" Ann greeted out of breath. Mokoto seemed out of breath to. "Have...the others arrived...yet?"Ryuji shook his head. Ryuji's phone chimed.Futaba: I'm running late so I might get there in a few minutes or so."Futaba's runnin' late," Ryuji informed.Ann and Mokoto regained their breath. Morgana's small head peeked out of Ann's scholl bag."Why is she running late?" The black cat asked.Ryuji still hasn't forgiven Morgana for scolding Akira, but he decided to answer him anyways."Didn't say," Ryuji replied as his phone chimed again.Haru: I apologize, but I am going to be a little late to our meeting, the company decided to hold a last minute meeting."Haru's runnin' late to, somethin' with the company," Ryuji informed as they heard footsteps walk towards them.Ryuji looked up from his phone and saw Yusuke walking towards the diner."I apologize, my train was delayed. Where's Futaba and Haru?" Yusuke asked noticing the two female's absence."They are both running late," Ann informed.Yusuke nodded in understanding. Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows looking troubled and hesitant."What's wrong Ryuji?" Mokoto asked.Ryuji looked at Mokoto and sighed. "Just thinkin' about Akira..." Ryuji informed sadly.Mokoto walked over to the teenager and put her hand on his shoulder, attempting o comfort him. "I know your worried Ryuji, we all are... I'm sure Akira's fine,"Ryuji looked up at her with annoyance and confusion in his eyes. "'Fine'? How is yelling at his friends, crying, and showing up hours late to school fine?!" Mokoto removed her hand and looked at Ryuji with concerned eyes. Ann stepped in between them and glared at Ryuji."Don't talk to Mokoto like that!" The blonde scolded.Ryuji would've argued with Ann if it wasn't for his phone chiming nonstop. Ryuji pulled out his phone with an annoyed expression on his face, Ryuji saw that he received a message from Futaba.Futaba: Come over to Lablanc NOW! I've got something you all might want to see! Hurry!Ryuji shoved the phone down his pocket and said, "We need to head to Lablanc!"Ryuji started walking away from the diner along with his friends.
In Mementos
Joker had became tired from exploring so he sat down on to ground and started thinking to himself."I wonder if Mona will actually move i n with Panther..."
"I wonder if my teammates are still my friends..."
"...I wonder if Skull still cares..."
In Reality
Ryuji and the rest of the crew were walking towards the entrance of the café when they saw Futaba on the ground crouching, and she looked ashamed?"Hey, what is it?" Ryuji asked when they all were near the entrance.Futaba slowly got up from the ground and she turned to her friends holding her phone out to them."U-um... I had the idea of hacking into Akira's phone and found this...." Futaba informed.On Futaba's phone it showed what was on Akira's phone, which were a few messages.
???: Hello Kurusu.
Akira: Who are you? ???: Figures. I'm the one you call "The Abusive Bitch" am I correct? Akira: How the hell did you get my number?! ???: That's not important, what's important is that your father and I have decided that we will take you back home in two weeks. Enjoy the time you have left. Akira: No! And he is not my father!
Akira: Answer me, Shiori!
Contact could not be reached.
Futaba pulled her phone back from the confused group."I also hacked the security cameras that were near Lablanc and found out what happened last night," Futaba said. "The footage is in my computer. Follow me,"Futaba lead the group into her room where she had already opened up the footage. Futaba sat in her chair and she sped up the footage to where Akira was in view.
"Ah! Shit...!!! Dammit!"
"Huh...?" Morgana mumbled confused.
"What?"
"I'm fine..."
Hyperventilating was heard on the footage. Akira was frantically looking all around him in panic.
"W-why are they moving...?! They shouldn't move...! They can't- This has to be a dream...! This has to be a dream!"
The others were left in shock once they saw their leader crying hysterically. Futaba was about to shut off the footage until Ryuji pointed something out."W-wait, turn it up...!" The vulgar teen demanded.Futaba did as she was told and heard Akira chant continuously."Leave me alone. Leave me alone. Leave me alone. Leave me alone. Leave. Me. Alone. LEAVE. ME. ALONE...!! Just....go away please...! You've destroyed my life enough...! You can't do this...! Please don't make me do it...!""Shit..." Ryuji cursed under his breath."Who was he talking to?" Ann asked."Whoever it was, it definitely wasn't friendly..." Morgana replied.Ryuji pulled out his phone with shaking hands, and clicked on the familiar red eyeball app. Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows in frustration."You guys don't think..." Ryuji muttered still staring at his phone. "You don't think he has a...palace do you?"The others surrounded Ryuji. "Akira... Akira Kurusu..." Ryuji said to the phone hesitantly.
"Candidate Found,"
Ryuji clenched his fists while tears prickled at the back of his eyes."No..." Mokoto muttered under her breath, sounding as if she was on the edge of a break down."I-I thought persona users weren't able to form a palace. Wasn't that correct Morgana?" Yusuke asked still shaken.All eyes were on Morgana, who was pacing around the computers frantically."That should be correct! Right? Because they have control over their desires and therefore they have their personas'...!" The cat ranted."But Akira has multiple personas," Futaba reminded. "Maybe one of his personae turned back into a shadow? Ninety-nine percent of his personae were originally shadows..."Silence took over the room."That doesn't matter right now. What matters is the key words..." Ryuji said with full determination."Right... So the place has to be Lablanc-" Morgana was interrupted by the familiar robotic voice.
"Candidate Found,"
"M'kay we got that part down," Ryuji muttered."Maybe we should discuss this after school tomorrow. It's getting late..." Mokoto suggested.Ryuji opened his mouth to argue, but he closed it. Ryuji sighed. "Fine, but right after..." The rest agreed and then they all left to their respected homes. Ryuji was staring at the ceiling in his room, looking extremely frustrated. "I'm gonna save him...No matter what..." He declared.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ryuji was sitting at his desk in class as he stared at the clock intensely. One more minute until school would end. The bell finally rang and Ryuji immediately ran out of the classroom. Ryuji's phone chimed. It was The P. Thieves group chat.Futaba: I did some research on that Shiori lady and found something.Mokoto: What is it?Futaba: Here.
Screenshot sent
Shiori Hanasuki, is known as a heroine to many orphanages because of her adoption spree she does every year. Hanasuki is the mother of about twenty-five children who most of them are either adults, or teenagers. When she does her adoption spree, some have reported that she would act a certain way when in the orphanage, and then when she leaves the orphanage she would change her attitude entirely. Hanasuki's current adoptive teenagers are, Mitsuo Kanasa age 12, Mitzi Hanaku age 15, Taka Higaku age 14, Akira Kurusu age 16, and Saki Hanaku age 17.Ann: Wait, Akira's adopted?!Futaba: Seems like it.Ryuji: Wait. Where is Akira?Mokoto: He's not here?!Ann: Actually I didn't see him in class.Futaba: I just messaged Sojiro and he said Akira never came back and he thought he stayed with one of you guys!Ryuji: Shit! We gotta find him!Yusuke: I agree.Haru: What about the keywords? Mako~Chan told me about the palace.Ryuji: We'll worry about that later!Ryuji shoved the phone down his pocket as he exited the school.
Meanwhile
Joker was on the ground, bleeding. Joker coughed and blood clots spilled onto the ground. The Shadow hit Joker with Agi and it nearly killed him. Joker crawled away from the Shadow, not far enough to escape, but far enough that he was safe. Joker used his persona to heal him, but he stopped midway."No..." Joker murmured. "I...don't deserve it...!"The Shadow tried to hit Joker once more. but Joker was to far away. Joker crawled towards the exit, while dodging life threatening attacks. Akira was on the ground in the alleyway and he was losing blood, fast. The partial healing must not have worked properly. Akira started army crawling out of the alley leaving a blood trail; he saw his friends walking toward his direction. Akira, with all of his strength, he managed to get onto his hands and knees, giving him the advantage to grabbed the other's attention.Ryuji heard grunting and immediately recognized the voice."Akira...?"Ryuji and the rest of the group were walking while looking around them, that they didn't acknowledge the suffering teenager who was right in front of them. Akira reached out and he grabbed Ryuji's foot, knocking him on the concrete."The hell-! Akira!" Ryuji gasped as he got on his hands and knees. Akira coughed once more and a blood clot splattered onto the ground. "Takemi... I need Takemi...!" Akira mumbled in pain as his bony arms were about to give. Ryuji immediately grabbed Akira around his ribs and lifted him off of the ground, with the help of the others of course. Akira grunted in pain as the others stood him up. Akira clasped his free hand around his throat, signaling that he couldn't breathe. Akira forced a cough and blood splatters escaped his bloody mouth."Shit, we need to hurry!" Ryuji stated as everyone dragged Akira toward the Clinic that Akira had once brought them to. Tae was sitting at her desk when the door burst open. Tae was startled by the sudden noise, but then jumped from her seat and immediately approached the group."What happened?!" Tae asked in alarm. "We don't know! We found him like this!" Ann replied with tears escaping her eyes. "Can you help?!"Tae nodded as she opened the door to a room. "Quickly, move him onto the bed!" Ryuji and the others immediately dragged Akira into the room and gently lifted him onto the bed. Akira coughed and blood droplets splattered everywhere. Tae quickly walked up to the injured teen and checked for a pulse."What happened?!" Tae asked the bleeding teenager."Mementos...!" Akira gasped, alerting the teens. She knew!?Tae growled slightly as she grabbed a large wrap from a nearby cabinet to try to stop the bleeding. "You'll need to take him to a hospital! I'll call an ambulance! Hurry!"Ryuji and the others quickly started helping Akira up as Tae called the nearest hospital. Ann held the bloody wrap on the wound as Ryuji and the others were trying to help Akira up as gently as possible. Akira suddenly pushed the others beside him, making a open path in front of him, and he vomited mahogany blood in the nearby trash bin. Akira coughed a feeling blood clots as the others watched in shock.Tae hung up the phone and quickly grabbed a rag to clean Akira's mouth that was smothered in blood. "He's losing blood fast! The ambulance should be here soon- Kurusu? Kurusu!"Akira could hear Tae's voice far away... Akira gasped for air as his eyes shot open, revealing his new surroundings.
"A hospital....?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Why is he in a hospital...?Where were his friends...?Where's his best friend...?Where's his Ryu....?Akira felt his anxiety grow as his heart seemed to skip a beat in fear. "Not again...! Not the hospital...!"His heart rate picked up. The door slowly opened, revealing a young woman with blonde hair in a tight bun and she was in nurse scrubs. She had a clipboard in her hands along with a green pen."Ah, your awake. Good," she said as she approached the confused teenager. "It has been a long while. I am Mira Satana, I will be your nurse while you recover from your unknown incident."Akira became more confused. "Wha...? I-I... Why am I here...?!" Akira became more and more anxious.Mira gave a sad yet reassuring smile. "It's alright, Kurusu-chan. Also, to answer your question, your friends called a ambulance and they stated that they found you in an alleyway bleeding... Do you know what happened?"Mira gave a reassuring look as Akira tried to process what he just heard. The memories were coming back to him. "I was in the alley..." Akira began as his nerves settled. "I was bleeding..." Akira furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "I...can't remember the rest....!"Mira gave a sad smile as she held her clipboard against her chest. "That's alright Kurusu-chan. You lost a lot of blood, so it's only natural that you don't remember," "Where are my friends...?" Akira asked as he suddenly felt exhausted. "Your friends just left the hospital. They visit everyday, would you like me to contact them?" Mira asked in a sweet tone. "No, it's fine- wait, what do you mean everyday...?" Akira asked I'm confusion. "H-how long have I been out...?"Mira's face saddened. "Well, you passed out when your friends contacted us, but you have been out cold for about two weeks.... Three starting tomorrow..." Akira's eyes went wide in pure shock. "T-three weeks...!? Th-that can't be true...!" Mira frowned in sadness."I'm deeply sorry, Kurusu-chan, but it is..." Akira sank into this bed. Akira looked down at his torso and his scrubs were slightly open, revealing a wrap covering his torso from under his chest to his waist. The wrap had a few blotches of blood that must've soaked through.Three weeks..."Okay, we got his keywords down, all we need to do is infiltrate it," Morgana stated as he sat down on the table. "Since Akira is in the hospital, we'll need a stand in as leader. I personally vote for Makoto,""M-me...?" Makoto asked in confusion and embarrassment. "I agree, Mako-chan will make a great leader!" Haru agreed as she flashed a sweet smile at the blushing brunette."Yeah, Queen is our advisor so she'll make a fantastic leader!" Futaba said as she adjusted her glasses."I agree," "Yeah!"Ryuji growled slightly as he pounded his fist onto the table, startling the group. "Stop talkin' like she's gonna permanently be leader and that Akira's perfectly fine! Akira might be in trouble and all your doing is going on and on about Makoto bein' leader!""Ryuji!" Ann scolded, as she hit his arm. "There's no need to yell,"Ryuji shot daggers as he sat back into the booth. Everyone felt guilty. "We didn't mean to make it sound like Mako-chan was going to be leader permanently..." Haru apologized as she rubbed the side of her arm in guilt.Ryuji knew that the others apologized, but he didn't hear. Everything was now white noise. "It's been nearly three weeks and 'Kira hasn't woke up yet...!" Ryuji shouted mentally. "How long has he been laying in that alley....? Must've been a long time....and I wasn't there for him.... What kinda friend am I...?!""Ryuji?" "Huh..?" Everyone was staring at Ryuji. "Did you hear us?""Sorry, I didn't. What'd ya say?" Ryuji asked. "We were going to head into the palace tomorrow since it's getting late," Makoto explained as she fixed a piece of her hair. Ryuji opened his mouth to argue, but shut it once he saw the clock. 8:37 PM"Fine, but we're goin' in right after school..." Ryuji demanded. Everyone agreed as they packed their belongings to leave. Ryuji was sitting on his bed staring at the ceiling. "He'll wake up...I know it..." Ryuji turned off the light and closed his eyes to drift into a deep sleep. "Goodnight, Kurusu-chan." Mira said as she exited the room. She closed the door, leaving the blank faced boy in the darkness. Akira felt a lukewarm tear run down his pale cheek. Akira gritted his teeth as more tears streamed from his faded eyes. Three weeks....
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Do you want me to contact your friends?" Mira asked with hope in her voice. Akira turned his head to face her."Sure...thanks, Satana-san..." Akira replied in a sad voice. Mira gave a sad smile."Would you like anything else?" The nurse asked. Akira shook his head. "I'll go and contact your friends now,"Mira left the room. Akira sank in his bedding, letting a million voices consume his mind."Okay, are we all set for the palace?" Futaba asked. Everyone nodded with determination. "M'kay, let's go..."
"Akira Kurusu... Leblanc... Dungeon... Beginning navigation...."
Once everyone was aware of their surroundings, they all stared at the scene on front of them. There was café Leblanc right in front of them, except there was a large gate with a large lock on it. "The hell....?" Skull murmured under his breath as he stared at the metal gate lock that looked similar to a skull. Skull approached the gate and reached out his hand to grasp the lock. The lock seemed to be just a regular lock. It didn't contain any special key, no odd feelings, no nothing. "This...is too easy...!""Oh, just open it already, Skull!" Panther whined. Skull cursed the blonde out under his breathe before he unclipped the lock from the steel gate. Skull opened the gate, allowing them to enter the café."S-so...you couldn't contact them...?" Akira asked in sadness and with small anger in his voice."I'm sorry, Kurusu-chan, but they didn't pick up... I tried multiple times..." Mira said in solemn. "Would you like me to contact your guardian?"Akira gave a small sigh before he nodded with tears in his eyes. Mira walked out of the room. "You said you would always be there for me..."-
Akira was walking out of the school with his head down and his hands in his pockets. He found a note on his desk telling him the most hurtful comments. Akira heard footsteps running behind him.
"Hey!" Ryuji called. "Where ya going?"
Akira stopped walking and turned around to face the other teen. "Just... walking back to Leblanc... Why?"
Ryuji frowned at the lack of eye contact. "Hey, are you okay? You seem down..."
"I'm fine...just tired..."
"But why are you not looking at me...?"
"..."
Akira huffed as he lifted his head to look Ryuji in the eyes. "I'm looking at you..."
Ryuji gave a small smile before he placed his hand on Akira's shoulder. "Good! Then, I get to see those eyes of yours...! H ey, let's go get some ramen, I'm starving!"
Akira smiled as Ryuji's became brighter. "Yeah... Let's get some ramen...!"
Ryuji patted Akira's shoulder as they both started walking. "Hey... You know you can talk to me, right?"
"Yeah, of course..."
"Good. I'll always be there for ya, leader!"
Akira chuckled with his best friend. "Yeah...same..."
-
"Dammit..." Akira murmured as he let the tears fall from his eyes. "Should of known...it wasn't going to happen anyways....""Woah...!" Oracle whispered as they all scanned the premises. "Wh-why does he see it like this...?"Instead of the regular café everyone always knew, it was the inside of a dungeon. There were thick metal chains hanging from the ceiling, a few bloodstains on the walls, as well as on the counter. "W-wait... aren't there supposed to be shadows...?" Panther asked. "Why is it empty?""You tell me, Panther." a familiar voice said. "Why aren't there Shadows?""Akira?!" The shadow looked an exact replica of Joker. He snickered and snapped his fingers. In a blink of an eye, there was a huge cage trapping them in. "The hell?! Akira, let us out!" Skull demanded as he gripped the steel bars. The shadow seemed to soften at Skull's voice. "Dude, just let us out! We're tryna help!""...You can't." the shadow said bitterly. "No one can. Not even you, Skull..." The surroundings of the group changed and they were now in an actual dungeon. The cage was gone, but they were now in a cell. Shadow Akira was standing outside of the bars and Skull immediately ran up to him."Akira, please let us out of here...! We can help you, we won't stop trying to help you! Hell, I'll effing go to the damn treasure myself and change your heart!" The shadow closed his eyes and gritted his teeth."Do you ever stop lying?" "What?""You're lying. You don't care about me, you never did!" he roared, "You promised me you would be there! You never are! None of you are!" The shadow's voice was now turning into a demonic voice over and Skull jumped back from the bars in surprise. "You want to get out of here, figure it out."Skull saw the shadow hesitate when he left and walked back to the bars. He sighed deeply as he thought of all the moments where he could've been there for his best friend."I'm saving you, Akira," he vowed, "no matter what."