#anyways before I even knew akechi was a thing (because believe it or not I managed to go into this game completely blind) I thought these—

[faeriedoodles]

I give you … them

[manias-wordcount]

Hey!!!! 💕So ramadan is coming up and I randomly thought of this during school lol so I wanted to ask you if you could write a headcanons post on ryuji, ann, joker and akechi (p5) where they basically fast with the reader for a day and then break the fast together at LeBlanc? Ty if ur considering !! 🫶🏼

(Sorry if this goes against any guidelines I couldn‘t find the page where it listed them hhhhh :‘) )

Phantom Thieves During Ramadan HCs (Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Akira Kurusu, Goro Akechi)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗜 𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗘𝗡𝗝𝗢𝗬 𝗘𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗛𝗘𝗛𝗘𝗛 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗶 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝗶 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗲

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

Ryuji Sakamoto

Almosts breaks his fast multiple times throughout the day by accident

Seriously, if it weren’t for Ann reminding him seconds before he was about to put something in his mouth, he would have failed miserably before first period even started

He tries his absolute hardest though!

Absolutely went out of his way to look up a bunch of different things about fasting during Ramdan to be prepared when you first asked if they would join you for one day

Naturally he forgot it all the day before they all planned to fast with you WHAHAHAH

But it made him really appreciate your culture, faith, and customs by the time you all sat down to break the fast at Leblanc

Just be prepared for enlightened Ryuji to come out from now on- 

Mans was tired and hungry at the end of the day so you know he’s amazed that you’re still able to function like a normal human being for a month like this

So don’t let any teacher, student, stranger, no one mess with you during Ramadan

Or else they’ll get a more than willing Ryuji to fight on your behalf so “you can save your strength” LMAO (bless his little heart)

Ann Takamaki

Ann is a bit better than he is

But she still has a moment where she almost breaks fast too early once or twice LOL

Though she tries really hard to stay on track- it’s just sometimes the snacks are a little too tempting

Even so, she holds through and can make it through the day with only minor bumps!

She knows a bit about Ramadan because she’s been around Muslim people here and there

Even so, you’re probably the first muslim person she’s ever been close to since the muslim population in tokyo is pretty small relative to the overall population

But she was really, really excited all day to come together to break her fast with the rest of you guys

Even though it was really different experience that what she was used to and she was very hungry all day, it brought a warm feeling to her heart

To Ann, it felt like she got to understand a bit more about you and your faith on a more personal level

And also, this was a great excuse to share a very special and very well deserved meal with friends <3

Akira Kurusu

Definitely grew hungry and a bit tired throughout the day

But had no problem keeping it up!

Of course that meant no trips to Mementos (he needed a break anyways)

And it made helping out at Leblanc a little difficult until it was time for him to break his fast

But he survived it!

He knew a little bit about Ramdan and what observing Muslims do during this time so he was able to mentally prepare for it a bit

But what surprised him the most was just how he was able to spend a lot of time thinking and being aware of himself and his surrounded

And naturally, it made him appreciate the effort you put into for something you believe in with all your heart- he thinks its commendable

So of course, you know he had to make the meal for you guys to break the fast with

And you know it was extra delicious and made for you liking as a bit of a thank you for sharing your faith with them <3

Goro Akechi

Out of everyone, he likely knew the most about Ramadan (and Islam in general, really)

It’s likely that Goro went to school with or had a coworker who was Muslim and he was able to pick up a few things here and there

Though knowing about the different populations of people who exist in your country when you’re supposed to be a civil servant helps too

So he was surprised when you invited him to fast with you, but he was honored as well

He knows how seriously Muslims take their religion so he felt like it was a privilege to join one of your customs

He did his very best to make sure he followed all the guidelines and the rules

And even though he felt his hand twitching for a snack in the break room of his workplace, he managed to make it to the very end\

Goro being Goro pulled you aside at the end of the meal and made sure to thank you kindly for the invitation

As a child who grew up in the system, small moments and gestures like this mean the wperorld to him because it makes him feel like he belongs somewhere

So naturally, your boy is going to appreciate you even more than he did already <3

[ruiination]

What are Akira's thoughts towards Akechi from when he first meets him to the end of the 3rd Semester events.

// This is so complicated. @luzofstars

So basically... Akira thought Akechi was interesting. He found him to be interesting right from the start. He wanted to know how the investigation was going, so of course he would engage with him. It was thrilling to have a detective actively hunting him. It was exciting to talk to him. He never fully trusted Akechi. He knew they couldn't really be friends. But at the same time, he was interested in learning about him. What started as learning about the investigation became a desire to learn more about Akechi. He felt there was a certain fakeness in him, which he also saw in himself. Though he couldn't tell if he was projecting. He could tell there was something different about him.

So anyway. Akira is... despite acting quite distant and aloof, he gets very attached to people. He spent so much of his life totally alone that it is so easy for him to latch on to people and care about them. Despite it all, Akira did start to care about him. He enjoyed their little game. But he did actually start to give a shit about Akechi. There was so much he wanted to learn. And as he learned small things about him, he only wanted to learn more.

After he discovered that Akechi was the persona user in the black mask, his feelings hardly changed. He kinda knew he should have been disgusted and outraged. Akechi was a killer. And he WAS, to an extent. He was upset and hated the things that he had done. But that desire to understand was still there. He couldn't write him off. He wanted to know WHY. I would say that Akira genuinely felt a similar way for Akechi as he did for any confidant. And even after he had him arrested and "killed", he didn't hate him.

At the end of things, Akira genuinely cared a lot about him. Even if he knew it was stupid. Once he learned everything, Akira wanted to help him. Just like he had helped the others. He knew that, if things had been a little different, he could have been exactly like him. The ONLY difference is that he had Morgana to show him another way and his allies to help him. Akira saw Akechi as a lot like him. A kid that got fucked over by selfish adults. He didn't even care about Akechi being punished (because my Akira lowkey is a prison abolitionist lol i wonder why) and he just wanted to help him find his way to begin to make amends or even just... Live a life that wasn't totally dominated by Shido. Akira, aside from the gravity of his actions, saw Akechi as he saw the others. He wanted to help him. He didn't believe it was "too late" because he doesn't believe there IS a too late.

When Akechi fought them, Akira just wanted to subdue him. But when things got worse and Akechi sacrificed himself... It kinda broke something in him. Akira had NEVER known anyone that died before. He tried so hard to save him, and he slipped away. The guilt he felt was unbearable. He refused to speak about it with anyone. He genuinely grieved his friend. A victim he couldn't save. A boy that never had a chance. He spent a lot of time wondering what he could have done. There had to have been something.

And in the original Persona 5, that was where my hc ended. But Royal really vindicated my headcanons.

So in the third semester, Akira doesn't even question how Akechi survived. He quickly accepts it and goes along with him. He wanted him to survive, after all. He actually enjoys getting to be around him with no mask. Even if I feel like he certainly has to be the calm and rational one. He would probably vouch for him too, because Akechi is his friend. And he has to save him NOW. He can't lose him again.

Of course, the truth of Maruki reviving Akechi does cross his mind, but he quickly pushes it away. He refuses to accept it. And when it finally comes out that stopping Maruki will kill Akechi, he really does hesitate. Because Akira cares about him. Akira wants to help him. He doesn't want it to be too late. But in the end, he has to accept it. At least this time he has a real goodbye. He still isn't open about his feelings with him. But does he need to be? His one wish was to have him survive, after all? Akira, despite how much he wants him to live, lets Akechi have the choice. A choice he had never been given before. He won't take it away like everyone else in his life had. So Akira grieves Akechi again after the end, but he had closure so it doesn't destroy him like it did in my original post-game concept. And this time, he can do it far more openly.

[krys-loves-otome]

Fictober 2020, Day 4: That Didn’t Stop You Before

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku: Romances Across Time Rating: General Pairings: Mitsuhide & Kyubei; Mitsuhide/Female Reader Insert Summary: Mitsuhide is late coming home one day. He hears from his trusted vassal Kyubei just how much his wife missed him. A companion piece to my fic Rub My Belly  Warnings/Tags: Pregnancy, the looming responsibility of future parenthood, Fluff, Is Kyubei being a bit of a smartass a warning? Probably not, but I’m saying it anyway.

My Fanfic Master List!

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To most of the outside world, Mitsuhide Akechi seemed the very definition of nonchalance. He always had an endless reservoir of quick wit and patience that made many a soul both incensed and envious.

That is, until he met his wife.

------

If one was to watch him long enough, they could see the edges of that carefully crafted fox mask crumble when those golden eyes were settled on the lady of his house. It amused Kyubei, Mitsuhide's most loyal vassal, as he watched his lord compose himself before he was to surprise his napping lady in the garden.

"How was she last night, Kyubei?"

Though the vassal was known to have the same unruffled nature as his lord, Kyubei couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips.

"Fretting most of the night because of your absence, my lord. When she wasn't pacing the floors, she was frantically sorting through her fabric collection to find her softest fabrics. She mumbled a lot about what could make a good blanket or what could make for a tiny kimono."

Kyubei helped Mitsuhide out of his clothes, changing into another kimono to remove the traces of his late-night work. Though the lady of the Akechi manor was accustomed to her husband's usual line of work, the residual scent of it on her husband bothered her more as of late. And neither lord nor vassal wished to stress her more.

"She also cursed your name a few times before she exhausted herself and went to bed."

"That sounds more like my lovely wife." Mitsuhide chuckled, "who knew one night away could cause her this much distress."

"She does care a lot for you, Lord Mitsuhide," said Kyubei, "And, if I may say so, you did leave her and Azuchi to go on a suicidal mission once upon a time."

"That incident has long since passed, Kyubei."

"The lady addressed it in her worries last night."

"All over one night of absence?"

"She is with child, my lord. The castle staff believes because she's with your child, her worries are now manifesting stronger than before because there will soon be two of you in this world."

Mitsuhide gave him a blank look.

"Tell me you're joking, Kyubei."

"Half-so, sir."

Mitsuhide sighed, running a hand through his hair but chuckled.

"As though a child that's like her wouldn't lead to my certain death. Two of them in this world would be too much for me."

Though Kyubei still kept his placid expression, his small smile was tugging harder at his mouth corners.

"A fear of death has never stopped you before. I highly doubt it would stop you now, even with fatherhood looming over you."

Mitsuhide smiled mischievously.

"My wife and any future children of ours has a far stronger grip on me than death does. I fear for them far more than I fear death."

"My condolences, Lord Mitsuhide," he chuckled and turned his attention back to the sleeping lady in the garden.

"I doubt she fears death either, sleeping so vulnerably like that."

"So, you understand my fear, Kyubei." He turned to watch his wife as well, sleeping away as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Is this why you never found a love of your own?"

"On the contrary," said Kyubei, "the greatest joy I've found is serving you and your house. To watch you and yours prosper is the only love I could ever ask for."

"You flatter me, Kyubei. Though I won't blame you if you decide to leave me if one of my children pulls your hair out or soils your robes."

"You speak as though I haven't experienced worse things than keeping children company, my lord."

"It will be my children you will be looking after, as the castle staff fears."

"And I still serve you, despite your flaws."

Mitsuhide laughed.

"Fair enough."

He turned back to watching his wife, her head resting between her shoulder and the bark of the tree. The bark texture would undoubtedly be very comfortable against her face, so with the final tightening of his sash, he stepped towards the garden, slipping on his sandals along the way.

"Inform the staff that I wish to be alone with my wife this evening. I fear for the poor soul that would dare to separate me from my wife again, especially if they have to deal with her wrath."

"As you wish, my lord." Kyubei bowed, knowing fully well it wouldn't be just the Lady Akechi's wrath that poor soul had to endure, but the wrath of the lord as well. A fate few survived unscathed from... if they were lucky enough to still be left alive afterward.

As he turned back to his previous task, Kyubei took a moment to watch Mitsuhide and his lady. His lord tenderly lifted her, so she rested more comfortably on his shoulder and chest. His arm circled protectively to hold her closer as his other hand gave similar loving attention to his lady's swollen abdomen. That was when the vassal finally let his smile fully realize itself. Mitsuhide wasn't the only one of the Akechi household that wouldn't let anything happen to this small family, his family, no matter the consequences to himself, he realized.

With a final nod no one else saw, Kyubei turned away and walked down the hall.

[stargazer-balladeer]

Asking Out A Clueless Reader [Persona 5]

anon: can i ask for a college au! hcs of p5 thieves & mishima crushing on a ~clueless~ fem reader & maybe asking her out? fem reader even for the girl thieves please coz i like them too oop- 

Characters Included: Akira Kurusu, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makito Niijima, Haru Okumura, Futaba Sakura, Goro Akechi & Yuuki Mishima

Note: Can I edit it a bit? I’m not so familiar with College AU that much (The College AU I’ve read so far contains NSFW), so Imma do it in Highschool setting (though the setting isn’t really mention here), if that’s alright with you. If you want, you can request again. :) Hope ya’ll enjoy this!

Reader’s Gender: Female

Warning: Spoiler warning!

Akira Kurusu

What attracted him to you is your personality at most, how innocent you were, how you never had any trouble communicating with him (even though he has a bad reputation), and how you stick up for yourself when you’re getting bullied. Those traits were just the beginning, and before Akira knew it, he’s already in love with you.

But the one thing he hated yet loved about you is how oblivious and clueless you are. Like you can’t pick up someone flirting with you unless someone told you about it, though you’ll still deny it stating they were just being nice.

This has an advantage and disadvantage at the same time.

Advantage because that means you weren’t interested in any boys and friendzone them immediately. Disadvantage, he gets friendzone as well.

Like the rest of the Phantom Thieves can tell their leader is already in love with you, and they tried helping him by making hints about it to your clueless self. Futaba practically screamed, “he’s in love with you!”. And you’ll be like, “Oh! I love him too! I also love all of you!” shots fire

But nevertheless, Akira never gave up. He persisted through your oblivious self by giving you your favorite flowers, favorite food and things you like. 

You, of course, thought he was just a caring friend (even though you wanted to believe he likes you just the same way you like him, but that’s just a secret).

I can see him taking his time in confessing to you, and when he does. You immediately friendzone him down. 

But he never gave up. He persisted that you two should go out, and you always thinking it’s a friendly hang-out. Akira’s actually, surprise surprise, on the verge of giving up, he actually doesn’t know what to do.

Even though you were clueless, you managed to notice his personality towards you shift. You thought, at first, it was something you did. But you realized (with the help of the Phantom Thieves) that Akira love you as much as you love him. 

This time, you were the one who confessed to him. To say he was shock was an understatement. He was overjoyed when you confessed to him your feelings, he literally grab you and hug you in pure joy. 

Ryuji Sakamoto

Ohh... boy.. here we go.

What attracted him to you is your willingness to support him, to befriend him and to take care of him, even though Kamoshida forbids everyone to talk to Ryuji. This poor bby admires your determination and willingness to break the rules just to take care of his body.

He has never admired you this much before, but now, he’s falling deeper in love with you.

His two friends, Ann and Akira, noticed his attraction to you so they endlessly teased him about it. The two of them even managed to pair you two up for a project, how they manage to do that, Ryuji doesn’t even want to know.

However, doing this said-project, is when he confessed his feelings to you. You. being clueless and oblivious, state you feel the same as him and hope you two continue being friends. OuCH--

Even though Ryuji wanted to give up, the now Phantom Thieves slap him back to his senses (Well.. Ann did the slapping). Now, Ryuji is more determined than ever.

Ryuji took Akira’s advice to take it slow, though Ryuji prefers a fast-pace since he’s impatient, he decided to do it. He waited patiently for you, giving you little trinkets he found and give you flowers he managed to steal from the flower shop.

How you still remain clueless is beyond him. Practically EVERYONE KNOWS HIS FEELINGS FOR YOU. ARE YOU THAT BLIND?! 

Anyway, for you to realize his feelings for you is one way, someone has to tell you and stick it through your thick skull. Which, in this case, is Ann. 

Ann might not seem like it but she deeply cares for Ryuji (AnnxRyuji fan here) and seeing him on the verge of giving up upsets her. So she confronted you. 

After this encounter with Ann, you immediately confessed to Ryuji the next day. How stupid you were, how you never realize you were hurting him so much, how you already love him as well.

Ryuji, at first was awestruck and speechless, like he’ll stand there, staring at you with mouth open. You need to say his name several times before he could snap out of his trance. He immediately screamed happily as he jumps around like a madman, screaming “I FINALLY GOT HER! WHOOO!”

You could only giggle at the sight.

Ann Takamaki

What attracted her to you is your willingness to stand up for what you believe is right and how you stood up for your friend. She was amazed when you started screaming at Kamoshida, who was about to hit your friend. She has grown to respect you, and soon came to love you even.

Of course she would subtle about this and try to act like everything was normal (alongside her bad acting skills). You and her immediately hit it off, much to her immense pleasure.

She found out your favorites and you two frequently hang out with each other. When she realized she likes you more of a friend, she panic. I mean, not everyone is accepting about LGBTQ+ community, hOW WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU THIS?!

Ann would DEFINITELY confined to Akira, Morgana and Ryuji about this, two of the people she could trust at the time being, alongside you. Morgana would probably be upset but he’ll eventually accept it. Both Akira and Ryuji said the same thing though, much to her displeasure, “be yourself”, “if you like her, go get her!” and “we’ll be here supporting you two.”

She knew they mean well, but that only makes her anxiety skyrocket. So she decided to just tell you directly. You, being your clueless self, thought she meant being your best friend, but she shot it down saying she wants to be your girlfriend, which made you blush.

Ann thought you were disgusted of her so she decided to walk away with a sad, teary face. You could only watch her as she walk away, like her, you were also conflicted. 

For the next few days, everyone could tell something was wrong with the two of you. They always see you two hanging out together, but now, it’s like you two were strangers to one another.

You, having enough of this, gathered your courage and march over to her classroom. When she tried to ignore you, you huff and welcome yourself to their classroom and walk towards her. She panic as she tried to run away, but you grab her wrist in time.

“When will you stop running away from me?!”

“When the tension between us is gone!”

“But.. I like you too, Ann!”

This cause her eyes to widen at your confession. And tears began to pour out of her eyes, she doesn’t know if its relief or happiness, but now she knew her feelings were requited and you feel the same about her.

She promises that the two of you will go through everyone’s criticism together.

Yusuke Kitagawa

What attracted him to you is your artistic skills, yes, nothing more. Jk. No, that’s only the beginning. He does admit he admires your skills in art, but what he adores about you is how you smile to him, welcome him to the school, how you gave him some of your food and help him in buying art supplies by halving your allowance. He’s forever grateful to you.

Unfortunately, this boy is the same as you, being oblivious to the fact he loves you MORE than a FRIEND. Which made his friends sigh at the two of you. Well, you know the saying, “Two idiots are better together.” 

“There’s no such saying like that.” -Makoto

Though Yusuke’s case is much more understandable, since he didn’t grow up in a favorable household, with no one telling him love and such. He devoted his life in his arts, and was pick up by his master, Madarame. But was ultimately betrayed by him.

Anyway, you two will hang out like normal. But, unlike your clueless self, Yusuke will pick up on his heart beating faster around you, how he started to become nervous whenever he’s near you and how he started to view you in a different light.

He thought he was ill, really. Until the Phantom Thieves explained to him that he was in love with you. 

He decided to believe in them, I mean, there’s no reason for them to lie, right? So he asked their advice.

“Ooh! Ask her to paint her nude!”

“NO! FUTABA-CHAN!”

“That’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“...” 

“...Yusuke.. no.”

So Yusuke decided to just tell you, but he didn’t account to the fact that you were also clueless and oblivious. So when he confessed to you, you were confused.

Yusuke decided to explain to you what he understand from his friends. And you started to understand it as well.

And the two of you decided to try it out, if it fails, then the two of you can still be friends. But not to worry! Luckily, the feeling of love is mutual between the two of you, and you two were NOT planning to break it off any time sooner.

Makoto Niijima

What attracted you to her is your dedication to your studies and beliefs, how you also carry yourself in such a prideful manner yet everyone around you respects you (which she’s totally not jealous of) and the fact that you will stand up to yourself if you feel them saying something bad about you or the people. Makoto admires these traits of yours from afar as she watches you animatedly argue to the teacher about something which she doesn’t understand, she marvels at the sight of you.

If you’re in the Student Council, she would try to befriend you. But she’s so socially awkward that you decided to be her friend, probably out of pity. She was BEYOND embarrassed at this encounter, it was so unlike her! But nevertheless, she was happy that you’re her friend now.

You two can be seen hanging out in Makoto’s office as she signs all the papers while you are either helping her or just talking to her about your day. She’s happy either way really, but she much enjoys hearing your voice over her scribbles on the papers.

You might think Makoto is also oblivious or clueless, but I don’t think she’s that kind of person. I think she knows that she’s falling in love with you and, like Ann, panics about it.

Unlike Ann though, Makoto doesn’t confides it to her friends, preferring to keep it to herself. But if Akira max out her friendship, she would bring it up to him. Akira just listens as she explains it to him, before saying the same thing he said to Ann.

Nervous would be an understatement for Makoto. You might think she’ll confront you about her feelings, oh no no my dear. I believe she’ll outright IGNORE it.

You’ll slowly notice how Makoto tries to ignore you and avoid you. You think that you must’ve done something wrong for Makoto to act like this. So, you did the most logical thing, you did a Kabedon on her.

She shriek a bit when your hand slammed on the wall behind her as she stares at your innocent face. “W-Wha--?”

“Why’re you ignoring me, Mako-chan?” 

She b l u s h e s. 

She tried run away from you but you hold her in place with your hand on either side of her body. 

With no other options, she decided to just tell you about her feelings. 

You listened as she spills out her secret to you, that she’s bi, that she likes you for a while and that if she tells you, she’ll risk getting told off by other people and risking losing you. 

I think, even though you’re clueless and oblivious, you knew that she meant more than a friend. You told her the truth, that you don’t really know what kind of love you hold for her (she saddened at that) but when she confessed, it made your chest beat faster and float. 

Makoto blinks, once, twice, thrice, before flashing you a smile and bringing you in a relieved hug. Tears started to build on her eyes as she exhale a sigh of relief.

She also promises you that you two will go through the criticism of society together.

Haru Okumura

What attracted her to you is how you also took an interest to plants and take care of them. She’s also attracted to your strong will to be yourself despite everyone telling you to change, you paid them no heed. You also don’t let others push you around, not even your parents (if you have one). 

Out of all the girls, she’ll immediately accept the fact she’s bi and in love with you.

I would like to think she’ll also take it slow in asking you out, Like Akira, she’ll start out with giving you small trinkets that reminded her of you, giving you your favorite food and giving you meaningful flowers. (I would like to think she knows Victorian Flower Language).

She would probably be subtle about her affection towards you. But I would DEFINITELY see her giving you flowers that means admiration, affection and love. (With you being clueless about the meaning of the flowers).

Haru, unlike the others, doesn’t mind if you’re clueless and oblivious to her affection. In fact, she enjoys seeing you being your clueless self. 

I think she’ll be open about her feelings to you to her Phantom Thieves, with them accepting her for who she is. 

Unlike before, she had to hide the fact she’s bi since her father thought it was a disgrace to the Okumura’s family name. But now, no longer in her father’s control, she can be open about her sexuality and no longer feels insecure about it.

When she confesses to you, expect it being simple enough. She would bring you two flowers that means love (White Carnation and Red Carnation). You would accept them, of course, and then she would confess her love to you.

You, being your clueless self, thought meant that she wants to be more than friends. “So.. we’re best friends now?”

Haru, nonetheless, giggles as she shakes her head. “Nope. I want to be your partner for life, [Y/N]-chan! Your girlfriend!”

When it finally register in your mind, you immediately became twins to the Red Carnation. Haru giggles once more to your cute expression as she brings you to a hug.

(I hope you accept her confession, or else you’ll feel the wrath of the Phantom Thieves...)

You two will DEFINITELY promise to each other that you’ll love each other, no matter what anyone says. 

Futaba Sakura

What attracted her to you is how funny you can be and how good you are in programming, like hacking and encoding codes. How you speak for yourself if you’re being downgraded by someone. How you speak so easily to someone about technical stuff. She REALLY wants to befriend you, but she’s still a socially-awkward NEET girl.

You’ll probably notice her staring at you, before her turning her head away in embarrassment. You have to be the one befriending her in this case. 

When you befriend her, you two will be inseparable. You two will do everything together, prank calling someone, hacking into a website, encoding codes, and probably make a game together.

Futaba was so happy that she finally has a friend that’s almost like her, seeing the world in the same yet different point. 

I can totally see her like Yusuke, being oblivious and clueless about her feelings to you.

When Futaba started to feel something weird happening to her, she freaks out. IS SHE SICK?!

The Phantom Thieves, and Sojiro, explained to her that no, she’s not sick and no, she’s not gonna die. They’ll explain to her that she’s in love with you.

Futaba is aware of the LGBTQ+ but she didn’t think it was possible to a girl like her. But she guess it’s the case where you’re disclose to everyone and someone comes in and you’re immediately in love with them. 

“No Futaba. That’s called obsession.”

“... same thing.”

Like the Futaba we all know and love, she doesn’t know what to do. She panics whenever you show up or she thinks about her feelings. 

Then, one day, she decided to just tell you and get it over with. But she decided to do it very uniquely. 

She programmed a website that reveals to you about her feelings. When you open it, it pops out, “I ❤ u. Would u be my girlfriend?” 

You immediately knew what she meant, even though you’re clueless and oblivious. You threw yourself to a anxiously waiting and fidgeting Futaba, who screams as she catches you and both of you falling to the ground.

You two promise that no matter what anyone says, you two will be together forever. She’s your number one after all~

Goro Akechi

What attracted him to you is how you carried yourself, similar to Makoto basically, and your intellectual ability. He’s also attracted to your observant and quiet nature, and how you appear to be aloof at times, you were also listening to others conversation (COUGH so me COUGH). And the fact that you saw him through his mask and lies. 

He befriends you immediately and the two of you hit it off fairly easily. The two of your personality coinciding with each other. 

If he feels himself falling in love with you, he’ll deny it. He doesn’t want you involve any more than this, he already befriended you, he doesn’t need to give you anymore danger. But he couldn’t help the fact that he already has opened his heart to you. 

But he knew you were clueless and oblivious, so he decided to go along with it. Hiding away his feelings. 

He thought he was being sneaky, but the Phantom Thieves caught on his feelings for you. At first, they don’t encourage him, since he’s a traitor still. But they soon accepted it and supported him.

Akechi was still hesitant to follow his heart but Akira encourages him. So he decided to court you in a traditional way. 

He started out slow, similar to Haru’s and Akira’s. Giving you small trinkets, buying your favorite food and taking you places to places. 

He thought you’ll leave him after his reputation was tarnish after Shido admitting his crimes. But you stayed with him, so he decided to confess to you.

You, being clueless, thought he was referring not wanting to be friends with you since he’s wording goes, “I don’t wanna be friends with you anymore.. I can’ take it..-”

You started to tear up and Akechi flinch when he sees tears in your eyes. Wha-?

“You don’t want to be friends with me, Akechi-kun?” You sniffed and Akechi now realized his mistake.

“N-NO! I MEAN--!”

You bursted out crying, which attracted attention to the both of you. “Akechi-kun doesn’t like me anymore!”

“[Y-Y/N]! C-Calm down! I love you!” Akechi proclaims as he held your crying face between his hands.

You sniff as you stared at him. “.. you do?”

Akechi nodded his head. “Yeah.. and I want to be your boyfriend, [Y/N].”

You decided to just nodded your head, not trusting your voice as Akechi held you in pure ecstatically, completely ignoring the stares you two are getting.

Yuuki Mishima

What attracted him to you is the fact you stood up to him when he was getting bullied, and your determination to stand up against the bullies, even though it got you wounded. He was forever grateful to you though, that’s a plus. He’s also attracted to the fact that you believe in the Phantom Thieves’ justice, just like him.

He already knew he was in love with you since a long time ago. (fun fact: you two are childhood friends). He’ll always worry about you if you get beaten up by bullies,

The fact that you were clueless and oblivious is what Mishima GREATLY dislikes about you. It’s already embarrassing that you’re the one sticking up for him, but the fact that HE has to make the first move. 

Mishima might need encouragement before actually doing something, that someone would be Akira ofc. After him encouraging the bby fanboy, Mishima would be walking up to you but his confidence would slowly go down and would ultimately back out at the last second. (Akira and Morgana sighing in the background).

I would think Mishima would confess on you by accident rlly. While doing the project, he’ll accidentally slip it out.

You (ofc) thought he meant being best friends. Mishima decided to let you believe he meant that. 

Akira would sigh in frustration and just resort in talking to you directly. 

He would explain that Mishima loves you, and not as a friend, as a girlfriend and he’ll also add that Mishima is a chicken.

You would ultimately be the one confessing to his flustered self, who just nodded his head. 

[I tried, okay? But I’m not used to Mishima’s character yet ;-; srry bby boi]

[x] Main Page || [x] Persona 5 Page

[ancient-day]

Thoughts on Goro and his plans post-Shido

Goro was a person willing to do anything it took to accomplish his goal, and it's incredibly impressive how much he was able to achieve by his own merit and hard work. Yes, he was chosen by Yaldabaoth, and yes, he was given things he never would have had access to otherwise from Shido, but there's no denying his own personal victories and feats. He was an ambitious person with strong conviction, and he stuck to the path he's chosen no matter how risky it’d been.

But where did that leave him when his goal was stripped away? When he lost his life's fight against Shido and everything he thought he knew, what did he have left at the end of everything he'd done?

( under a read more for length )

His plan was to thrust Shido into a living hell (not necessarily take his life), and in order to expose or shame him, Goro would also have to risk exposing himself to the public. And that would have likely resulted in his own arrest, which Goro would have been prepared for. After all, what would a private revenge be worth? After causing so many accidents, injuries, and death, allowing the man to fall as a victim or martyr behind the scenes wouldn’t work, and he’d understand better than most how necessary it was to have proof of those actions. It was the only way to really knock down a man who prided himself on reaching the top and being adored by the masses.

He must have known Shido's destruction through a plan like this was going to be both his freedom and his sentence because he could not intertwine himself in Shido’s web without suffering any of the consequences of his downfall. Unless he fled the country beforehand, which could have been part of his plan with those hints he's dropped about wanting to travel the world in the future and/or lay low after Shido was elected. But even then, what would be next?

What did Goro want, aside from Shido’s suffering?

He said it himself: he wanted to be wanted, needed, and loved.

So in a hypothetical scenario where he had succeeded in bringing down Shido, what he would be left with would either be imprisonment or a life on the run, alone. His deeds would catch up with him, and despite what he may say otherwise, he had shown signs of regret and uneasiness in his actions (examples: post-Okumura’s death, he visited Leblanc looking pretty damn miserable before Akira got his attention, as well as when he told Akira he regrets that they didn’t meet sooner). With those weighing heavily on his conscience, as well as his life of lies and secrecy, how would he ever obtain those desires of being wanted, needed, and loved?

How could he ever trust those feelings from anyone who didn’t know who he had been until that point?

Goro must have thought about it, at least to some extent. If he thought about his plan and got to the point of having sincere remorse at not having met Akira before it all happened, then it’s likely he had to acknowledge that his plan did not leave him with a happy ending for himself, either. And whether his regret came from wishing he’d never done any of it or regretting the ending he’d chosen for himself now that he had someone who made him want to stick around, it’s hard to say for sure.

But with all that being said...

Everyone’s pointed out how his sacrifice seems silly when he could have taken that step back and joined the thieves on the other side before the wall rose, but the truth of the matter is that he stayed behind intentionally.

So why would he do that?

True, the PT extended their hands and spoke of second chances, but for someone like Goro, those ideas were completely nonsensical because he did not believe that people could change. He was not exempt from this, and he held himself accountable for the things he’d done as both a way of feeling in control of his situation, as well as strengthening his resolve to do what he felt needed to be done no matter the cost. Again, at his core, he was someone with drive and ambition to do so.

And with that belief that people could not change, he was able to justify killing them because they dug their own graves and deserved it. Holding himself to the same standard would align with his justice. In Goro’s mind, he deserved to die alongside everyone else; however, before facing his own justice, he believed others deserved it first. If he’s going down anyway, might as well take them with him.

I would even argue that his challenging the PT even after they’d beaten him with Robin Hood was him resigning himself to his fate. Using Call of Chaos on himself was not a guaranteed victory, and he even expressed to Akira that they would fight and fight until one of them was dead. It’s honestly no surprise that at his defeat, he was dumbfounded that they didn’t just kill him. He didn’t think they should trust him to change, and he may not have been sure of himself to do the same, either. (He may have also internalized Shido’s threat where failure/losing was met with harm or death).

So as a final act of free will, he took himself out of the game and trusted Akira to finish what he started in the way he never could.

In the original version of P5, that would be where the argument ended; however, Royal presented a couple more alternatives for his fate.

First, when he reappeared on Christmas, he immediately turned himself in. Going back to the previous discussions of where his revenge may have put him, this made sense as something he may have already considered to happen to him anyway had he survived his plan. And at least this way, he could once again repay his debt to Akira by ensuring his friend stayed free.

And when that proved to amount to nothing, he was visibly agitated that he’d been released and immediately wanted to fix the oddities that were happening so he could get back to where he felt he deserved to be. There’s no way to know for sure  when it clicked that there was a huge possibility he was dead in their original reality (although we can surmise it was early enough after seeing both Wakaba and Kunikazu), but he remained firm in his resolve the entire time.

Conversations at the Jazz Club gave a bit more insight on his feelings toward himself, mostly resulting in admissions to knowing the others didn’t want him around, indirect ways of saying he found people like himself disturbing, and suggesting that he’d been reading up on the topic of happiness in philosophy “for fun.” In Mementos, he also expressed his awareness that the team did not enjoy working with him and that they were put off by how he acted when he fought. To his face, both Haru and Futaba said that they were happy to have him so long as he didn’t do anything to hurt them and to be grateful they were so open-minded, but in the saferoom with Akira, they expressed their true feelings of not wanting him there (where he could still potentially overhear them).

Simply put, he was once again aware that he was unwanted, but he was at least needed. The idea of being loved probably felt so outlandish to him that he didn’t even want to entertain the idea, hence why he continuously pushed Akira away and called his affections brainless or a waste of time. One out of three wishes was probably more than he ever thought he’d get.

Because when he faced death in the engine room, he’d shown himself vulnerable, desperate, and pleading for Akira to fulfill that final promise. He’d sounded like the person who admitted all he wanted was to be wanted, needed, and loved, but by the third semester, he closed off that side of himself entirely as if resigning to the truth that he’d never have those things, so why acknowledge them? Why bother working toward them? Especially if he was just going to disappear again anyway?

So after once again having something to actively work toward, Goro could delay having to think about his future because the possibilities he’d left himself with were either prison or death. When Akira asked him toward the end of the 3rd Semester what his plans were, he dodged the question saying it was none of his business, but he knew there was nothing waiting for him after defeating Maruki. No point even coming up with a bullshit answer when he didn’t even have a future at all.

And he held onto this come February 2, despite having his suspicions confirmed and needing to persuade Akira it was still the best possible option for them to return to their true reality where he might be dead because his life was just a trivial thing anyway. This was also the first time he openly admitted to having been manipulated his whole life and being done with it all, even if it meant giving up the other parts of his dream (being wanted, and possibly even being loved).

Of his three potential plans for himself, he’d chosen death, prison, and death again. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t actually dead; he believed he was, and he chose it again.

Which brings us to the final scene where he was seen accompanied by men in suits while wearing his typical uniform. While helpful for the player to recognize him, it also gave the impression that he wasn’t trying to hide in public since he would be just as recognizable to anyone else. So whatever he was doing with them is up for debate, but a fair assumption would be that it had to do with Shido’s case, putting him back in the possibility of arrest, or he was able to find a new goal to work toward that he never disclosed on-screen during the few months he was presumed dead. But that goal involved him needing to be escorted, presumably out of town since he’d been at the station.

[ Ideally, the unused scene where he checked himself into the Rehab Facility (or Women’s Shelter) could be treated as canon, and it would mean that working toward making things right and recovering were his new goals (and ones that wouldn’t require a deadline). ]

So did Goro want to die, or did he deem it necessary?

In true Akechi Goro nature, both were just as likely. Even if he craved companionship, he never allowed himself to fully embrace or accept it, even with Akira. He’d made up his mind that they were unattainable goals he’d never truly reach, and thus had nothing left to truly live for outside the goals he felt were obtainable (goals that included taking down the most powerful man in the country and stopping a man with enough power to alter reality and become a god). And once those were over and done with, he was once again left with nothing but a dream he’d never have and a conscience caught up with him. Death probably felt like a comfortable option to not have to face and deal with those thoughts since he’d lived all eighteen years of his life miserable enough already.

His sense of justice mingled with his low self-worth would dictate that he deserved to die; however, Akira’s impact on his life had the power to shift this ever so slightly from being definite to something he’d have to at least consider a bit more. Meaning that he may not have been actively suicidal right away, should he survive, but he would potentially pick up or continue self-destructive tendencies and struggle with those feelings even if he never reached the point of attempting. The possibility would be there, and he could be pushed to that point again.

This is where I slip into explicit interpretation and headcanon territory, but given everything he’s been through and the potential for inheriting his mother’s depression, I do think it dangerous for him to be left alone with himself without any sort of help (therapy, friends, colleagues, etc.) because he’s shown signs of how these things have seriously affected him and the way he thinks. I think he could easily fall into the mindset of not wanting to die, but not wanting to be alive, either, and some days the scale would tilt in favor of one or the other a bit more heavily.

It’s how his sacrifice could hold so much impact because it didn’t feel like a lazy attempt at redemption; he chose to die even after he struggled all his life to make it to where he was. He chose to die when he’d finally been given a chance to live freely. These weren’t just simple solutions no matter how much he’d argue otherwise, even if he saw his life as trivial and disposable.

The short answer: it’s complicated.

I have no idea what Atlus has planned for him from here, but I do hope that he has the opportunity to start over and truly live a life free of Shido’s and Yaldabaoth’s influence. He still has his promise to duel Akira again, as well. So whether he turns himself in, travels the world, takes those steps to heal through therapy/rehab, or spends some time laying low before his rematch, he has more options now than he ever did before.

[tickly-tufts]

A Treacherous Interrogation

Spoilers for Akechi’s confidant in P5R, along with general P5 spoilers.

---

“Goro Akechi. Ace detective, celebrity... and would-be traitor to the Phantom Thieves. You have information that I want.”

If looks could kill, Akira would have died right then. As things were, however, Akechi could only glare.

Lured into Mementos by the promise of another duel, it had been embarrassingly easy for Akira to trap him. First, he’d been knocked out. Then, he’d been restrained. When he eventually regained consciousness, it was to find himself bound to the wall with coils of rope, red mask nowhere to be found.

“And what makes you think I’ll tell you anything?” he practically snarled.

“You know, I really did like you.”

Akechi froze.

“I was always happy to see you at Leblanc, or spend time with you around the city. That’s why I wanted to believe you were innocent... but I'd just be living in denial at this point, wouldn’t I?” Akira looked remorseful for a few seconds, then seemed to shake it off. “I have my team to think about. I have friends to protect. And so...”

Leaning in, he whispered his next words in Akechi's ear.

“One way or another, I'm going to make you talk.”

A shiver ran down Akechi's spine, both from the threat and Akira’s warm breath. This was accompanied by a stab of fear, though Akechi was quick to suppress it.

“What, are you planning to torture me?” he scoffed. “Harming someone for information is rather low, don't you think?”

A smile that was pure Joker broke out on Akira's face. Akechi didn't like it one bit.

“Torture, yes. Harm, no. I think I've come up with a pretty good compromise.”

And then he was lifting the hem of Akechi’s shirt, pushing it up far enough to expose a few ribs.

“W-What do you think you're doing?!” Akechi protested, a light blush dusting over his cheeks.

“Just getting ready,” Akira smirked, setting his gloves aside.

“Getting ready? What are you even- Ah!” 

Akechi flinched at the first brush of fingers against his skin, the close contact feeling strangely intimate. However, while the motion might’ve been tender on its own, the tingling of his nerves told a different story. Slowly, the sensation radiated outwards, commanding all of his attention. It took roughly a minute for his body to betray him, releasing an uncontrollable flood of giggles.

Akira eagerly welcomed the sound.

“Tickle, tickle, tickle!” He pinched at Akechi’s ribs. “Who knew the Detective Prince was ticklish?” He dug in a bit, grinning when Akechi squealed. “You like that? It sure sounds like you do! I bet you wish you could move right about now.”

“Fuhuhuck ohohoff!”

“Swearing already? How rude...” He promptly scribbled his nails across Akechi’s stomach.

“GahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAGH!”

“Anyway, enough small talk. Who are you working for?”

And thus the interrogation commenced.

---

Quite some time later, Akira began to wonder if he’d underestimated Akechi’s resilience. Despite being so ticklish (and struggling quite fiercely), the latter didn’t seem any closer to spilling his secrets.

“I’m kind of impressed how long you’ve held out,” Akira admitted aloud. “But if you’re really gonna be this stubborn, then I think it’s time I got serious.”

Taking the opportunity to catch his breath, Akechi’s mind began to race. Though he’d managed to endure the tickling up to that point, he didn’t want to imagine how it could possibly get worse.

“Having second thoughts?” Akira questioned, casually tapping his fingers against Akechi’s sides.

“You’re w-wasting your t-time,” Akechi countered with a scowl, though the effect was ruined by his flushed face and watery eyes.

“Suit yourself,” Akira shrugged, lowering his head.

And before Akechi had a chance to brace himself-

PBBBBBBBBBBTTTTTT!

Akira’s lips were vibrating against his bare belly.

“WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA?!” Akechi screeched as if he’d been shocked. “STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!” he demanded, writhing helplessly in place. 

Akira wondered if Akechi could feel him smirking, blowing raspberry after raspberry as his captive grew more frantic.

“YOHOHOHOHOU BAHAHASTAHARD!” Akechi tried to shout, cackling hysterically all the while. 

It seemed only a matter of time before he was overwhelmed... until the unexpected happened.

“ENOHOHOHOHOUGH!”

Akira backed off immediately, staring in awe as Akechi’s princely attire melted away. Left in its place was an entirely new costume, darker and slimmer in appearance.

Akechi didn’t notice until Akira pulled off his helmet, exposing his openly stunned face.

“Huh... guess that confirms my theory. You really are the Black Mask.” 

Both were silent as they re-evaluated the situation. Akira, however, recovered first, jumping right back into the interrogation.

“GYAHAHAH! WHAHAT THE FUHUHUCK?!”

“Oh, did you think we were done? Not even close!” he emphasized with rapid pokes. “Still, who would’ve guessed I could just tickle you into transforming? Definitely didn’t see that coming when I set all this up.”

Even though Akechi’s new costume covered his entire body, Akira found it was perfect for gliding his fingers across. Akechi, on the other hand, came to the horrible realization that the skintight material was absolutely useless against tickling.

“Wow, I can’t believe how smooth this is! I could just spend forever running my hands over it...”

No, worse than that, it seemed to amplify everything. There was just something unbearable about being teased this way. Akira detected this vulnerability as well, slowing down to trace shapes beneath Akechi’s raised arms.

“Feel like naming your employer yet?”

Akechi refused, only to squeak in alarm when Akira wandered lower.

“Sensitive?” Akira goaded, softly scratching his inner thighs.

“You-! Eheheheheek!” Akechi couldn’t help but squirm, legs shaking violently but unable to budge.

“Awww, how cute!” Akira's tone turned playful. “Maybe I should be nice and just stick around here.”

He did just that for several minutes, keeping his touch almost feather-light. The reactions it elicited were as amusing as they were endearing, and for a short moment, Akira allowed himself to forget why he was doing this.

“Look at you, so sweet and adorable... Why haven’t I heard you laugh like this before? It’s way more charming than the fake one you always use, and paired with that smile? I think I’m in love.”

And then something in Akechi seemed to snap.

“Don’t mock me!” 

Akira faltered.

Despite looking furious on the surface, Akechi’s eyes were filled with genuine hurt. The sight of it made Akira’s heart drop.

“What’s wrong?” he asked automatically.

“Is that some kind of joke? You subject me to all of this, then ask me what’s wrong?” Akechi let out a strangled laugh. It sounded more like a sob. “I would’ve preferred actual pain over this humiliation!”

He might’ve been referring to the chosen method of interrogation, but Akira somehow doubted that. It hadn’t seemed personal until the very end, when Akira’s natural tendency to flirt with the detective had taken over.

“...Is this because of the ‘love’ part?”

Akechi recoiled.

“I hate you.”

No you don’t. 

That's what Akira had thought the first time, clutching that familiar glove in his hand.

“No you don’t,” he stated directly this time, not as a challenge, but as a gentle observation. The affectionate tone with which it was delivered was enough to make Akechi turn. 

“What- Why would you-” He stared in disbelief at Akira’s expression, looking for some hint of deceit. When he found only kindness and understanding, he gave up...

...then solemnly confessed everything.

The kiss Akira pressed to his head afterwards was a grateful one.

[twilightknight17]

So I almost disqualified these anon asks for using “every single [fanfic]”, but honestly the fact that we’ve moved to actually looking at the game itself feels strangely like progress. Plus, this is technically at least halfway to a new topic. You’re still harping on about Goro, but at least there’s a second target.

I have given you homework, though. Hope you don’t mind. You lot really need to start providing some evidence for the things you’re claiming.

I might jump around a bit while answering this, because three asks worth is a lot to cover, but let’s talk about Okumura along with the usual bullshit, under a cut!

P5 really doesn’t delve as deeply into the nuances of its morality as it could. They definitely gloss over a few things that could have been really interesting explorations of character motivations or potential conflicts in the group. (Conflicts that would have been a lot more interesting than Morgana throwing a temper tantrum.)

Not exploring those things leads to a bad habit in the fandom of black-and-white thinking when it comes to characters, instead of making the slightest effort to read past the surface level. People seem very quick to assign labels of “good” and “evil”, instead of accepting that maybe characters can be morally grey.

That’s what you’re doing now. So:

Homework: Please show specific examples from the game:

- where it’s implied that we are supposed to “want them to hurt Akechi.”

- where it’s implied that Akechi wanted to kill Ren “out of fun”

Because why would the game need to disprove something it didn’t say in the first place? It’s not the story’s fault that you’re making wild assumptions.

.

Anyway, let’s jump and talk about Okumura!

I think the issue is that, when looking at the situation around Okumura, all the nuance is eclipsed by the fact that he didn’t deserve to die like that. Okumura received disproportionate retribution for his crimes, and between the media immediately turning on the Phantom Thieves (because it was being manipulated), and the kids panicking and worrying about Haru (because they never wanted to kill anyone), the rest gets set aside. Hell, it took them two days to remember that there was a possibility that Black Mask got him, they were so freaked out.

And there’s not really a moment to go back and discuss, “Well, yes, he shouldn’t have died, but he did still do horrible things”, because at that point, that would just be disrespectful to Haru. She’s mourning her father, and the lost chance to get back the man he used to be.

(Which is a different issue, because Haru wasn’t going to get him back. He was going to go to jail. There wasn’t going to be a happy family afterwards. But... I’ll chalk that up to teenagers not thinking ahead. It’s not like they think about what becomes of their other targets, either. I did read a really good fic once where Akira had to admit in front of Haru that he thought she was better off with her dad dead. She didn’t take it well.)

Homework: Please show specific examples from the game:

- where it’s shown that Haru actually, specifically forgives her father. The third semester does not count, because that’s an idealized version of her father.

However, Goro does mention that his targets were doing the same thing as him during the engine room confrontation. While Goro doesn’t name Okumura specifically, the implication is there. And Wakaba isn’t mentioned, but considering how many people support the theory that Wakaba experimented on Goro...

I kind of want to write a oneshot of Akira/Goro and Haru/Futaba arguing about this now. Can’t really hit harder than, “You killed my mother!”/”Your mother tortured me with illegal experiments for a year!” X’D

Anyway, when I wrote Cascade, Okumura not being killed by Goro was meant to be a result of the Thieves getting to Goro earlier. He hesitated, because he was with the team. He’d been with them for an entire Palace, he knew how a change of heart worked, and his sunk-cost-fallacy mindset was starting to change, even just a little. It wasn’t because Okumura was a “tragic figure”, and you can’t really compare that to canon when the situations were different.

.

Now. Regarding this bit:

“the writing and the tone is that he, not Shido, is to fully toblame for the worst stuff. Why else do people still say he approached Shido intending to kill from the start?”

Shido’s perception of Goro is literally a soulless puppet that does whatever it’s told. Shido is ordering people killed just so he can become Prime Minister, and lets other people request targets in exchange for political favors. Shido has no qualms about having his allies killed when they’re no longer of use. That’s right there, in the game. How do you get “Goro is to blame for everything” out of that unless you’re a brain-dead idiot just looking for reasons to hate him? A powerful man orders a teenager to do horrible things, with the implication that there will be consequences if he refuses, and it’s the teenager’s fault??

During the confrontation with Shadow Shido alone, you get:

Shido mentioning that he “controlled” Goro

Haru saying specifically to Shido, “You even killed my father.”

Shido admitting that “It was thanks to me that Akechi was able to properly use his power to begin with.”

And then there’s the SIU Director before Futaba’s Palace, saying that the plan to trap and frame the Phantom Thieves was “too brutal to be [Akechi’s] own idea.”

Homework: Please show specific examples from the game:

- literally anywhere where it’s implied that Goro’s offer to Shido was specifically about killing people

- literally anywhere where it’s implied that any of this is Goro’s fault alone

Because as far as I can tell, the only reason people claim that Goro showed up at fifteen years old and offered to murder people is because they’re idiots, interpreting the character in the worst way possible because they already hate him. The most likely scenario is that Goro showed up with a pitch of, “I can use these powers to get inside information and make your opponents embarrass themselves.” Shido is the one who started using him as a supernatural hitman, the “”“proper””” way to use his powers.

If the SIU Director thinks the Plan was too brutal to be Goro’s idea, and Goro himself refuses the order to kill the rest of the Phantom Thieves, I find it very hard to believe that he started out as a killer. Technically, he never says he wants to kill Shido, even. In the end, what he wants is basically a change of heart.

Because really, as the Thieves point out, they’re not so different.

[patchesthegothictramp]

Part two of my P5R review: Maruki

Let me start this by saying that I honestly really enjoy him as a villain. I really like the idea of villains who aren’t completely, clearly evil like Shido is. That being said, I think I disagree with a majority of people who think he’s good. First of all, while he does give therapy… or something similar to it, I’ll get back to that, it is very much self-serving. It’s made clear in his confidant that he’s mostly interested in his cognitive pscience research and since we know he has a persona before coming to Shujin, we can assume he only really took up the position of therapist to find out more about what exactly happened to Kamoshida.

About the therapist part, he’s a terrible one. And it’s not surprising since once again, he’s there to further his research and help these kids with the power of changing cognition, not therapy. I say this as someone who has studied the subject; he breaks a lot of ‘rules’ (I’m not speaking about written rules here, just things you shouldn’t do when you’re acting as a therapist). 

First there’s Ren, who he himself points out doesn’t speak much but never follows up on that. Royal makes it painfully clear just how traumatised Ren is. We already know he has some memory loss of the incident because he doesn’t recognise Shido even when he’s standing right in front of him which is already a huge red flag that he is Not Okay, but there’s even small things like his hands shaking when he has to sign his name just to rent out a DVD. The fact that so many people point out how quiet Ren is, is telling too- he’s not just a silent protagonist, he’s traumatised because the last time he spoke up against something in the real world it landed him in jail. He puts on fake glasses to hide away from society as later confirmed by Ryuji and Akechi on separate occasions.

Yet… instead of helping Ren speak about his issues, about the possible abuse he may have gotten from Kamoshida since Maruki knew he got involved in that case, he immediately just talks about his own research, and his own problems. That’s a huge no-no for a therapist- you NEVER discuss your own issues; you do not put that burden on your patients but here’s Maruki doing just that with Ren. You could argue he’s also a bad therapist because of his whole plan of escapism as reality. Instead of helping patients move on from their grief or other issues, he reinforces them for the sake of their happiness. The job of therapy isn’t to make you happy, or at least, it’s meant to help you get to a place where you can deal with issues on your own which is the opposite of what Maruki is trying to do.

All in all that doesn’t make him a bad person, being bad at your job isn’t inherently evil, it just means you should probably pursue a different career path which is fine for him since he’s mostly a researcher anyway. The reason why I think he isn’t a completely good person either is because of what he ends up doing. A lot of people seem to think his intention of making everyone happy means his intentions are good so he’s a good person… but he’s doing this at the cost of free will, and also he starts of doing this for selfish reasons.

He wants to originally make it possible so that you can stop criminals from committing crimes by essentially controlling their thoughts, because of the trauma his fiancé suffered… but that kind of technology sounds fucking terrifying. Sure, he’s thinking of it as a ‘stopping a person from murdering people’ but could you imagine that kind of technology in the hands of someone like Shido? ‘Crimes’ wouldn’t just be something as cut and dry as murder, he could consider dissent against him as a crime and make people do as he wants… which in the end Maruki does to Ren. When you don’t complete his palace in time, Maruki doesn’t just let Ren live out his life in happiness, he knows Ren still opposes him so he makes him live in his own nightmare- becoming completely lethargic and never leaving his room, never interacting with anyone and just sleeping away his days. We only know he does this to Ren, who’s to say he won’t do this to other people? Or worse?

Throughout Maruki’s palace we see just how little he cares about free will. In his assessments in the palace, people are assessed to determine how to make them happy, and one wrong answer that points to them being unhappy is the idea that pursuing your dream, even if it’s not working out, is bad. Maruki doesn’t believe in working hard towards your dream, only in doing what makes you happy. In his world, society would stagnate because there would be no reason to improve in his view, and improvement takes mistakes, trial and error, which lead to unhappiness. Except even if you’re fine with that… Maruki isn’t an omnipotent god. He can’t stop floods, global warming, earthquakes and generally natural disasters, only people’s feelings about them. But in his world no one would work to possible find solutions to help with that cos again, that means working on things you might fail at.

Playing through it, it took me a little more time to realise just why Akechi was so horrified by this world. I assume then he immediately realised the consequences I listed off, because yeah, a world where you can only do what someone else dictates makes you happy is horrifying. Maruki just isn’t a good guy. He’s not evil like Shido, but it is a different kind of evil, even when he’s got some good intentions. We’re just used to seeing something so obviously evil like Shido or Kamoshida but I still believe this is a different kind of evil. The second he thinks he can play god like that is the moment I realised he just can’t be listed off as a good guy the same way the Phantom Thieves are. It’s the reason why they oppose him in the first place, to the point that even Akechi, someone who used to have no interest in anything but beating Shido (and to an extent, having a rivalry with Ren) is the advocate for reason within this world and beating what he considers to be a bigger threat to them then Shido ever was.

That being said, Maruki does serve as an excellent villain to the Thieves. He’s not an outright criminal because there aren’t exactly laws in place saying you can’t become a god, he’s close to all of them because he was the guy they went to to speak about their greatest concerns making it that much harder to fight him. On top of that, he doesn’t hate the Thieves, he’s not opposed to them personally, and if anything is quite supportive of their actions, to the point that he himself wants Ren to see the world he’s created and lets them roam his palace without trying to personally stop them (The shadows do try to fight you still yeah but in this sense Maruki’s conflicted, he wants them to realise by themselves that his world is better but also doesn’t want them to stop his plans either).

Moreover he fits the themes of persona 5 so well and as another counterpoint- he too rebelled against society and awakened to his persona but it only led to him wishing to impose a different kind of oppressive rule that took away people’s free will.

As a character too, I love him, I think he’s a really, really good and interesting character and I honestly can’t wait to play NG+ and look at all of the stuff he says to you in detail because I honestly think he’s a great villain for the Thieves to fight in term 3.

[xathia-89]

Headcanons: Modern Warlords and finding out she’s pregnant

I’ve only done Nobunaga, Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, Yoshimoto and Shingen 

Nobunaga

Everyone had been eager for him to get home, even Hideyoshi, which was a giveaway that his fireball was up to something. The press and public knew nothing of her, despite the suspicions that when she moved in with him then the rumours that Nobunaga was no longer single would be circulating. He still attends events with a different woman on his arm, or on his own. She always dressed him up and made sure that he looked as handsome as possible and never voiced any problems with the arrangement. Until the last few weeks anyway, and during the latest one, she had gotten so tearful and upset that she had locked herself in the bathroom until he had to leave. He had ended up sending Hideyoshi over to look after her for the time being and she was asleep in their bed when he had made it home.

Getting to their penthouse was east, but even the doorman seemed to know something as he walked into the entrance hall of the apartment block. Then when he got through their front door, she wasn’t in her usual spot on the sofa, hiding from him but there was a plain box wrapped in a ribbon with his name on it and the faintest smell of freesias from her perfume only frustrating him more.

Opening the box gave him more questions, since the sole object enclosed was a memory stick with a note saying to plug it into the television.

The image flickered onto the screen once it loaded. She looked as gorgeous as usual, but something was bothering her from the expression she was wearing, and the way she was playing with the hem of her skirt gave that impression as well before she gave a strained smile.

Hey, I know you expected me home since everyone has practically shove you into our apartment by now. I’ve something to tell you, but it comes with some agreements and adjustments.

The concern on her face worried him, along with the fact that she couldn’t say this straight up to his face.

I had to organise this because you’ve been so busy with work that you’ve missed all of the clues. I’m not blaming you, it’s the nature of you and your work, I’m explaining myself in the situation, and the only other person who knows our exact situation as well is our doctor, who was told he couldn’t tell anyone.

All of the worst-case scenarios were flying through his head. Maybe it was cancer, possibly terminal, or was it an autoimmune problem? Moving could help with this, and definitely a private nurse and doctor.

We’ve got a little princess on the way.

His mind went blank until her rich laughter from the screen brought him back, while holding an ultrasound photo in her hands.

She’s doing well, growing as she should be for how old she is. But there are a few questions I need to know the answer to before we get too far ahead of ourselves.

He felt the sofa dip under her weight, giving her time to settle comfortably before her screen self nodded for him to look at her in person, the screen switching to black. His body turned on automation, an arm supporting his weight over the back of the sofa behind her, and his free hand cupping her damp cheek. She was the type to cry when she was stressed and then cry more because she was mad at herself for crying as his thumb stroked over her skin.

“Please, what are those questions, fireball? Aside from that, I will need to know what you will need for a comfortable pregnancy, and if you are okay with a swift court ceremony the moment I get us a spot and then a big press ceremony when our princess is around nine months old?” The words couldn’t fall out of his mouth quickly enough, watching her facial expressions closely. “I’ll make a public announcement that you aren’t to be bothered, and I’ll assign you a bodyguard who will get his own team together and ensure that you aren’t bothered by the press.”

Her laughter made him stop, in time for him to see the cutest shade of pink creeping up her cheeks. “You just answered them,” she smiled. “I was in love when I found out I was pregnant, I just needed to know if I was doing this on my own with your financial assistance, or if we were in this together.”

Her expression was the cutest, and it made him melt on the inside. He kissed her lovingly, his arm sliding from the sofa to around her back and then lifting her onto his lap.

“Not a chance of you being on your own fireball, and I’ll fire anyone who tries to insist I remove the wedding band to sell anything,” he murmured, nuzzling into her hair.

----------------------------------------------

Mitsuhide

He hated some missions some days, and this was definitely one of them. It had been six months since he had last seen, spoken or held her in his arms. He hadn’t been able to even let her know that he would be gone in person, he had been at work and then told by his superiors that he was leaving now for the mission after the briefing. She had told him that morning that she had some news for him after work, and it had turned into six months of hell to find out. Being dismissed by his superior officers was the best feeling he’d had in a long time, though his glare had probably sped up the final briefing as he crossed the grounds to get to the on-base housing.

“Akechi-sama!” A recruit snapped to attention, a blush on his face at being caught lingering around his front garden before a familiar face opened the front door of his house and urgently gestured for him to come in.

“Thank god,” Ieyasu muttered, the blond man who had answered the door leading him through his house. “There were constant rumours that you had defected or died. The idiot couldn’t get out of the house some days for admirers.”

There was an extra layer of venom to Ieyasu’s tone that Mitsuhide didn’t like, never mind that Ieyasu had nicknamed his wife ‘the idiot’ for the entirety of their marriage. Though the idea of anyone bothering his little mouse in his absence was a sour taste in his mouth.

“And this is Daddy terrorising Uncle Hideyoshi,” Mitsuhide froze for a moment before bursting through ahead of Ieyasu into the living room where her voice was coming from.

The focus of the room was on him, captured and still in the moment as his golden gaze was fixated on his wife. She was lounging on the sofa, headphones on a very pronounced bump and hooked up to a laptop playing a video as he crossed the room seamlessly. She was a cycle of emotions before he sat down on the sofa and looked at the screen. It was playing out a video of the previous summer, he was terrorising Hideyoshi at a barbecue in the back garden, his chest swelling with new feelings as he recalled what he had overheard before busting into the room. His arms were around her, and he didn’t trust himself to speak as his friends all smiled and nodded their heads at him in goodbyes, leaving the couple in peace.

His wife had managed to wriggle free, removing the headphones from her bump, tidying them away before Mitsuhide pulled her back onto the sofa, secure in his arms. He nuzzled into her neck, still believing it to be a dream. He could never have dared to hope that this was the news that she had wanted to share. He was absent more than he was present, and she always seemed to be willing to wait for him, even now her fingers were finding those spots on his head that would relax him. It was too good to be true on the surface, this could be a dream still.

“Mitsuhide?” Her voice vibrated through her chest and against his, it was the right pitch, volume and tone for her as he lifted his head from her hair. “I think we need to talk.”

“I assume that this was the thing you wanted to discuss before I left?” He hand was stroking over her bump, trying to keep himself from breaking as he felt a foot collide with his touch.

“I had missed my period, and I wanted your opinion on waiting to get a pregnancy test or not,” her voice was so soft and unassuming, before her hand was on top of his. “I waited until it was clear that you were on an assignment before I went to speak to Ieyasu. He’s kept the bill for you.”

“Not long left then?” He had a lump in his throat at the thought of her going through pregnancy alone, but she was insanely strong like that.

“About three weeks, and then we get to meet our little girl,” she was so happy to share the news with him finally, their fingers entwined as a head butted against them.

“I presume my little mouse has done all the work for her arrival?” He chuckled, nuzzling into her hair as he was in the realm of disbelief over the news. He didn’t have long to prepare mentally for this, but then again he never did with his missions.

“Of course,” her tone was sly, looking up at him. “But, your superiors refuse to believe it’s your child and give you the time off.”

“Mm, well, when she arrives, then I am sure that there will be irrefutable evidence to her patronage,” he smirked before kissing his wife softly.

-----------------------------------------------------

Yoshimoto

She had been off-colour recently, though seeing her at the exhibition that she had mostly inspired was also the thing that made him realise just how much she was bothered by it. He had to admire how much she was playing nice with the pervy old men who sponsored him as a way of finding new mistresses at these events. Natsuki had a way with words on turning them down, and it had only turned nasty on a handful of occasions. Mostly they would end up flattered to have met her, have an enlightening conversation and then come to find him and praise him for having such an intelligent partner. It made sense for her glass to be filled with ginger beer, as she loitered near one of his sculptures, tilting her head as though she was absorbing her interpretation of it.

He wanted nothing more than to show her off to the room, but he had to suck it up as he was stuck in a conversation with a few of his long standing sponsors. He was mostly discussing the turbulence that had surrounded Japan and influenced his works, but the sound of a slap silenced everyone and made the room look straight to the source of the sound.

Natsuki was looking mortified, her hand over her mouth in shock at what she had done since his cheek was flushed red from the strike. He didn’t recognise the man standing over her, but it took the room a few seconds to start murmuring with their presumptions while Yoshimoto was making his excuses and heading straight for her.

“You ought to have her thrown out! Terrible behaviour when all I did was ask to buy her a drink,” the stranger immediately began to launch into a rant the moment he approached.

“Are you okay?” Yoshimoto asked her, realising that she was shaking as well when he was closer.

She shook her head. “He was trying to get me to leave with him, he was on about getting to know him better and he was lavishing on the features of his hotel room,” her ramblings were displaying her vulnerability. Yoshimoto was never one for public affection at the viewings, but his arms were around her, stroking her back as he glowered at the stranger. “He was saying that I needed to be nice to him and be a good girl because he knows people and that he would make my life difficult if I didn’t sleep with him. Then after I first refused, he was saying I should be used to whoring myself out because I’m an artist and that’s how I’ll really get my patrons to afford to eat. He said that getting my work shown is good, but I should suck him off and then his friends, and then I’ll get rich the way a girl like me should be.”

It was impossible to avoid not knowing what had happened at that point. He could hear most people displaying their distaste, and even more shifting uncomfortably to see the intimate gestures between him and Natsuki.

“I’d not associate yourself with her any more, she will drag you down to the degenerate level that all artists thrive on,” the stranger sneered, before one of the sponsors was able to make his way over and insert himself into the conversation.

“Mr Ito!” The sponsor smiled broadly. “May I introduce you to Natsuki Saito, the heiress of Saito Fashions, and to the star of the event, Yoshi?”

The expression on Mr Ito’s face fell rapidly, as he realised the assumptions that had been made were all wrong.

“I must admit that when I heard the name Yoshi I did assume that Natsuki was the artist at first as well, until her father explained that his future son-in-law was seeking some sponsorship to spread his work. Mr Saito was full of nothing but praise for Yoshi, and how Natsuki had worked so hard to ensure that their relationship met all of his terms for his blessing. So I know what Miss Saito is like, Mr Ito, and for her reaction to have been so extreme, then I do also believe her story. Which isn’t the first I’m hearing of your behaviour. All of our business has been conducted under certain good faith clauses, but this is very much coming into doubt especially since you’ve begun to deflect all payment requests to my payment departments while continuing to keep all of your income,” the conversation began to fade into the background as Yoshimoto walked himself and Natsuki out onto a small and private balcony for some fresh air.

“I’m sorry,” was out of her mouth before he could stop her.

He wrapped his arms back around her, bringing her flush to him as he kissed her forehead. “You have nothing to apologise for, but it’s very unusual behaviour for you.”

“I found out I’m pregnant this morning,” she blurted out, before blushing furiously.

Laughter was his knee jerk response, he couldn’t stop himself before he squeezed her tightly. She was the only person on this planet that he would even have considered having a kid with, but it just had never been a conversation that they had ever had in all of their years of dating as she pouted up at him. “I’m sorry, but that was the cutest way of telling me,” he chuckled, kissing her hair. “Is that why you’ve been so strange for the past few weeks?”

“Yeah,” she admitted reluctantly and buried her face into his chest before she remembered that she was wearing makeup and groaned in defeat.

“Let’s go home, I think my sponsors can take care of things,” he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hideyoshi

Late nights and long shifts were the norm. She knew that it would be lonely at times when they met at university, but now they were both flourishing in their chosen careers. At the moment, it wasn’t something that she appreciated while she was sat on the sofa, picking her lip from nervousness and watching the sunrise while waiting for him to get off a sixteen-hour shift. Normally, it could and would have waited until after she came home from work so they would both be rested, but sleep was the last thing on her mind.

“Natsuki?” His footsteps were rushed from the front door of their small apartment, a frown on his face as he knelt down in front of her, checking her over visually for signs of illness. Then his gaze fell on what was tightly clenched in her hand.

The deer in headlights look wasn’t one she saw often on him. He saw all sorts of scenarios at work, but it wasn’t him that was affected by the situation, her hand beginning to reluctantly uncurl from around the object. The puzzle pieces began to fall into place. It hadn’t been food poisoning, she had been moodier than usual and her clothes weren’t shrinking.

“Have you seen a doctor?”

He would jump to that, as she picked up the letter next to her with the hospital’s header on top of it. The results in black and white for them both to see.

“I went yesterday morning, after taking a test before you came home from work. But, I still didn’t believe that, so I took this one last night after work,” she explained quietly. “They’ve booked in a scan for next week, first thing in the morning just after your shift ends. I gave them your name as the father and this slot magically appeared after they tried to say it needed to be the middle of the day.”

“It’ll take no time at all then for my colleagues to be teasing me,” he was smiling widely as she finally lifted her head.

“I thought you didn’t want kids just yet, that your career wasn’t as stable as you would like?”

“No, but you’re pregnant right now, and I can’t see anyone but you being the mother of my children,” his joy was barely contained, kissing her on the head as she was frozen in confusion. “We’ll need to make sure everything is sorted. Maybe look at moving sooner rather than later, and school areas are definitely a cause for concern,” he was already miles ahead of her, shattering all of her fears as she laughed brightly. “What?”

“You’re such a mother,” she giggled, wrapping her arms around him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shingen

When she remembered the tabloid stories about him, it always made her nervous. He came from money and constantly had models, pop stars and influential people falling over him. He was gorgeous, men and women alike would fawn over him as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger before a ‘tsk’ noise made her jump.

“Yukimura would kill him if he did anything,” Kenshin scoffed, shaking his head at the television that was currently playing the music awards ceremony. Managers almost never managed to get any kind of spotlight, but Shingen just attracted attention by nature. It had gotten to the point that he had hired a security detail for the pair of them by default. “You’re the only girl that hasn’t made any scenes or drama for the sake of headlines and attention, and Shingen has stayed completely faithful to you.”

“Did you tell him where we really went yesterday?”

“I’m not Yukimura,” Kenshin scowled, pouring himself out a large sake, and then carried a fresh bottle over with him to sit with her on the sofa. “But don’t delude yourself that Shingen won’t know something is wrong with you.”

“He doesn’t need me adding to his worries,” she snapped back, arms folded over a bloated stomach after she leant back into the sofa cushions.

“That’s for him to decide,” Kenshin replied, sitting at the opposite end of the furniture, before the chaos on the screen, caught both of their attentions. The two were fixated as a rising starlet was trying to throw herself at Shingen, shrieking loudly and demanding that he acknowledged the pregnancy results in her hand.

He was as graceful as ever in the face of accusation, but paused and the facade seemed to crack as he read the sheet. It was passed to Yuki, the two muttering and the smaller man shaking his head before Shingen was looking at the intruder again.

“What’s your name?” He wasn’t as put together as usual, and it was going to make stories regardless of what the outcome was here.

“Yuka Saito,” she proudly announced, apparently glad to be getting her five minutes of fame.

“Which means these results aren’t yours,” Shingen was looking down the camera, he always told them to watch a specific station each time he was on the television and she knew why now. “Kenshin, keep yourself parked on my couch with her.”

Everyone was startled by the sharp change in demeanour, not that it stopped all the photos being taken. The speed at which Yukimura had the car already brought to Shingen and then speeding off down the road had everyone with slack jaws. Then the reporters started buzzing with news of ‘her’, trying to work out who could possibly have the playboy manager on a leash.

Kenshin didn’t care that he was in trouble, he simply changed the channel they were watching on the screen after closing all the curtains around the penthouse apartment.

“Natsuki!” was bellowed the second the door was thrown open before Shingen came storming into the living room. “What did I tell you about going to public hospitals?”

“That’s what you’re choosing to be mad about at this moment?!” She yelled back in disbelief, standing up from the sofa.

“Right now, yes!” He frowned. “I told you when we went public that this sort of thing was liable to happening,” Shingen sighed, his hand running through his hair. “Kenshin, I’m revoking your sake and pickled plum tab for a month, and I’ll make it a year if you slip up before the baby has their first photoshoot released.”

“Wait, what?” Natsuki was frowning in confusion, before Shingen had his arms around her, stroking her back and burying his head into the crook of her neck. He was making sure she was okay while coming down from his own adrenaline high. “I thought we agreed that this would be nothing serious-”

“Natsuki, nothing serious was over the moment we fell into bed together,” his head was lifted, and his hands were cupping her cheeks now with a faint blush over his cheeks. She could feel Kenshin smirking at her from behind, and Yukimura was trying to look anywhere but at them. “You haven’t left my apartment for longer than a day, and I can’t remember the last time you did anything more than collect things out of your apartment never mind sleep there.”

“I assumed that you wouldn’t want a baby given your lifestyle and the type of job you have,” she trailed off, playing with his tie.

“And I would give that all up, because I know I am in love with you. It’s only been you for more than two years now, more than that really. You know me. You knew what was going on and what my reputation was, and you never once pressured me into changing when we were casual for the eighteen months before that. You don’t try to change things that would make me unhappy, but there is one thing I’d love to change about you,” he paused, and smiled as she went to object. “Your last name,” Shingen was soon down on one knee in front of her, holding her hand as he looked up at her in earnest.

Natsuki was crying like a baby, throwing her arms around him instantly. “Yes! You impossibly smooth buffoon!” She cried, clutching at his jacket.

His chuckle was low, the two cradled close together as Shingen lifted her up and moved them both to sitting on the sofa again. Yukimura and Kenshin were back to checking the security as he held her close, the unease banished from them both for now.

[thepancakeboi]

53. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

Divergence AU Part V

Previous | Next (coming...soon) | AU list | Prompt source

Fanfic under cut

12/10

“Do you really think the others will be okay on their own?”

My question, although probably unnecessary, is a valid one. Queen, Noir, Panther, and Fox are going to deal with the IT president, while Mona, Skull, Joker, and I are going to find the third Will Seed that Mona sensed was nearby. I know that we only have a week left to secure the infiltration route, but the idea of us splitting into two different groups is a little concerning.

“Don’t worry, Crow,” Skull replies. “They got this.”

“They aren’t weak,” Mona adds. “That letter is as good as ours!”

“My apologies,” I say, adjusting my white gloves out of habit. Even if they know who I am and what I’ve done, Joker is the only one who has seen my other outfit. I shouldn’t care what they think of me, but I’ve kept it a well-guarded secret for so long. Force of habit, I suppose. “Shall we continue?”

Joker nods, taking my hand in his as he leads the way. He’s been doing this ever since that night in Leblanc. I’ve stopped questioning it after the first fifty times. It’s...nice. The rest of the thieves haven’t commented on it yet, nor do they seem confused. Maybe they already knew of Joker’s feelings.

The fight to get into the room is all too simple, largely in part due to Joker’s damn Shiki-Ouji, a Persona that I have come to despise. It, alongside Arsène and Jack Frost, is one of his main Personas. Shiki-Ouji, though, nullifies nearly all of Robin Hood’s attacks...as I found out the hard way during our duel last month. Not even Loki would have been much more help against it. That thing has become the bane of my existence.

I’m just glad Joker doesn’t see me as an enemy.

He leads the way back to the large double doors, slashing the rose vines with unerring grace before pushing the doors open. With this task done, the four of us enter the room. We’re greeted by harsh, indeterminate whispers. Their content means nothing to me-

“I trust no one but myself.”

I recognize that voice. Shido. I grit my teeth as his voice rings and echoes off the walls. The others don’t seem to notice, but it’s as clear as day to me. I tune the others’ voices out as Joker takes the Will Seed from its pedestal, straining to hear the inner thoughts of that bastard. For a few seconds, it remains incoherent whispers, until...

“The enemy is coming...in more ways than one.”

It takes nearly all of my willpower to not react to this. These are his inner thoughts, aren’t they? If that’s the case...could he know? Is Shido starting to realize the suicide-murder shtick was faked, that Ren is still alive and currently traversing his Palace? And...oh no.

In more ways than one.

That can only mean one thing...

Shido knows.

He knows I’m not on his side.

Or maybe it’s his normal paranoia? I can’t be certain. It isn’t like I can ask Shido himself. He’d lie and say he trusts me, the action almost as natural to him as breathing. If he does know, what am I supposed to do...?

“Hey, you okay?”

Mona’s query snaps me out of my thoughts. “I’m fine,” I easily lie. “Just a little nervous, I suppose.”

Skull, the dense idiot that he is sometimes, buys it. “Man, you looked like you’d just seen a ghost! Warn us next time, will ya?”

“I will,” I respond, looking at the others to gauge their reactions. Mona doesn’t seem entirely convinced, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to probe further. And Joker...I can’t read him. All I get is the feeling that he sees through my lie. “Anyway, we have the Will Seed. What’s our next move, Joker?”

Joker thinks for a few moments before answering, “There’s nothing else here. Let’s meet up with everyone in the safe room.”

His hand slips back into mine as we leave the room behind us. This close to him, I can finally see that he wasn’t convinced in the slightest. I know he’d try to get me to open up to him if it weren’t for Mona and Skull. Despite this, his eyes plead with me under his mask, trying to get me to tell him what’s wrong. I refuse to look at him as the last statement I hear from that cursed room echoes in my ears:

“The only thing you have to do is follow my order.”

We arrive at the safe room to find the others already there. “How did it go?” Queen asks as Skull and Mona sit down. I choose to stand a little way back from the group, side-eyeing Joker as he rests his head against my shoulder. What does he think he’s doing? Judging by the cheeky smirk on his face, he’s trying to be as distracting as possible.

“Joker got the last Will Seed!” Mona replies, simultaneously answering Queen’s question and taking my attention away from the menace next to me.

“Aw yeah, and we got the fourth letter!” Oracle says. She is beaming as she holds up the envelope for everyone to see, apparently proud of her group’s accomplishments.

“Sweet!” Skull exclaims. “All that’s left is the cleaner dude! Let’s go find him and kick his ass!”

“Wait!” Panther interjects. “We don’t even know where he’d be.”

“Who cares? Can’t we just cause some trouble again?”

“We could, but...”

“Then-”

“As much as I would like to take the cleaner down now, we should wait,” I say before Skull can get another word in edgewise. “He’s stronger than any of the VIP’s we have fought so far.”

“How about tomorrow?” Noir chimes in. “It’s Sunday, so we won’t have school.”

“I agree,” Queen adds before looking at me. “Will you be joining us?”

I wish I had more time to think things through. If only we could wait a few more days. Time, however, is in short supply. “I should be able to, though if anything comes up, I’ll let Joker know,” I say while gently pushing Joker’s face away.

That smirk from before fades away, replaced with a carefully crafted neutral expression. His voice rings with authority as he says, “Sounds like a plan. We’ll meet up tomorrow afternoon.”

Tomorrow afternoon. That’s when the deed will be done. If my revenge plan is going to work, I’m going to have to kill him, for real this time. There’s no going around it. My mind is so preoccupied with planning how to accomplish this that I don’t even notice everyone else has left until I’m startled out of my thoughts by the kiss Joker plants on my cheek. He looks concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“What makes you think it isn’t?” I ask back, dodging his question.

“You seemed tense earlier. And a little scared. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Soon, this will all be over.”

Over in ways neither of us would want, yet it’s the only way this could ever end. This is how it was meant to be from the beginning: with one of us dead.

12/11

I tap my fingers idly against my leg as I wait on one of the catwalks in the engine room. Earlier, I had texted Ren saying that I would be running late and to go on without me. He must have bought it because when I had entered Shido’s Palace, the Phantom Thieves were nowhere to be found. I had told them the cleaner would likely be in the engine room. They must be farther inside.

My suspicions are confirmed a moment later when the group comes walking out, celebrating their recent victory. How delighted they must be now that they have the final letter. That happiness is about to be destroyed. Joker is the one to notice me, of course. He halts, looking up at me. “Crow?” he asks. “What are you doing up there?”

I leap down, doing a flip before landing effortlessly in front of the thieves. Damn Joker’s habits rubbing off on me. I expect to feel some level of anticipation, or maybe regret, but I feel...nothing. I don’t see Ren or Joker in front of me. All I see is another obstacle, blocking my plans from coming to fruition. “Did you really think I would let you leave this place alive?”

“Huh?”

My gun is out, pointed at him in an instant. I won’t give Joker the chance to say another word. Time to pull the trigger.

...except I don’t.

What’s stopping me from firing, from killing this menace? My hesitation wastes valuable time, time that the rest of the thieves use to prepare themselves to fight if necessary. I no longer have the advantage of surprise. Why didn’t I just kill him first? “Keeping you alive was a terrible decision.”

“What’s gotten into you, Akechi?” Queen asks. I don’t miss the dropping of codenames. “You were the one who suggested this plan.”

She’s not wrong. I had been the one to plan most of this heist, due to my knowledge of Shido’s Palace. “Nothing has changed. This camaraderie between us has all been an act.” The lies slip so easily off my tongue, and I find that I’m starting to believe myself. “When Joker started to piece things together, I knew I would have to change my plans, and in order to do that, I had to make him aware of my original plan. I’ve been planning this from the start. You all were simply so foolish as to trust me.”

“All an act...?” Joker asks, hesitant. It’s as if he’s trying to deny the words I’m saying.

I refuse to answer his question, instead deciding to say, “I’ve never shown you my true power, have I? Here, I’ll show you...while you die. Persona!”

I can feel Loki’s presence as two Shadows materialize from thin air. A Cerberus and a Cu Chulainn. Perfect. I direct Loki to use his signature Call of Chaos on the two Shadows. Their complexion turns black and red as their true destructive potential is unleashed. I can hear Cerberus growl as it paws at the ground in anticipation, waiting for my command to kill these wretched thieves.

“What was that?” Oracle asks, voicing everyone’s surprise at Loki’s brief appearance. “That wasn’t Robin Hood.”

“You’re right,” I confirm with a grin, “but that’s the least of your concern. You better not underestimate these two.” I leap back, putting the berserk Shadows between me and the Phantom Thieves. In a mad rush, the two Shadows launch themselves at their foes. I don’t expect the Shadows to win; they’re just meant to wear the enemy down.

Mona’s voice rings over the din of the fight. “Go, Joker! If anyone has a chance of getting through to him, it’s you.”

I see Joker nod, and, before I can even react, he’s using his grappling hook, sailing over the Shadows and landing a few feet away from me. The absolute fool. “You just made a grievous mistake,” I snarl. “You’ll need your teammates if you have any hopes of defeating me.”

He shakes his head. Cocky little shit- “I don’t need to defeat you.”

That catches me off guard. Just what the hell is he planning? “Then what is it? Are you going to abandon your teammates, just like you wanted before when I suggested leaving them to work with me?”

“I’m not abandoning anyone.”

“Oh, is that so? Then maybe we should put an end to our duel, striking and striking again and again until one of us is dead! Unless you’re so spineless that you’ll run away with your tail between your legs. Is that your master plan?”

“No,” he replies, his voice firm. “I love you, and I’m not leaving you.”

I laugh. He’s more foolish than I gave him credit for. “Then tell me, Joker. Will you love me for this?” His eyes widen ever so slightly as I point my gun at his face, aiming right between his eyes. It’s a pale comparison to the terror Sae’s cognition of Ren expressed. He’s too naive to be afraid. “There’s no cognitive double to save you this time.”

Joker, the absolute idiot that he is, doesn’t have the common sense to back down. Why is he just standing there? Move, damnit! It’s as if he’s deaf to my silent pleas. He refuses to move. He even has the gall to smile a little as he replies, “Hey, I’ll always love you no matter what. I’ll take a bullet for you, even if you’re shooting.”

I could do it. I could shoot him right now. But now, in this critical moment, I find myself hesitating once again.

Do it.

But he’s the only good thing in my life-

Do it! Watch as the light leaves his eyes!

I don’t...I don’t know if I can do it again...

What about your revenge? He’s in the way!

I tighten my grip on the gun...but I still can’t pull the trigger. Why...why can’t I kill him!? “How stupid are you? Would you really let your irrational feelings get in the way of your goal?” I have no idea if I’m asking him the questions...or myself.

“It seems you let your ‘irrational’ feelings get in the way of your goal. Aren’t you going to shoot?” he adds, almost sounding a little cocky at the end.

How dare he...

“Don’t lecture me!” I yell, whipping the gun away from his face. It clangs against the floor, the sound echoing in my ears. It’s clear I’m not going to shoot him point-blank anyway. “You think you know me, that you’ve got me pinned down. You don’t know anything about me! All you are is some criminal trash living in an attic who thinks he’s in love with an ace detective, a celebrity! You’ve deluded yourself and refuse to see the truth. How foolish you were to think that you meant anything to me, Joker!”

“You’re wrong!” He grabs my hand, the same hand that a few moments prior had been pointing a gun at his face. “I love you, and I’ll always love you. And...I know you love me too. We don’t have to fight-”

“I will get my revenge,” I interrupt as I pull my hand out of his grasp, refusing to listen to another word of his, “against Masayoshi Shido...my father. And you’re in my way.”

That makes him stop. The shock on his face is undeniable. “Shido’s...your father? Were you ever going to tell me?”

“What would’ve been the point?”

“Goro,” he starts; he must be taking this seriously if he’s using my first name, “we can still change his heart. Just let me hel-”

“I’m warning you. Stand. Down.”

“Please. I love y-”

Something inside me snaps. “NO! Just shut up, and die, Joker!”

There is only one way I can think of that’ll make me able to kill Joker. I welcome it with open arms. Loki’s mad power washes over me, my outfit changing in an instant. The world is tinted red, though I’m not sure whether it’s from the intense desire to murder or the lenses in the black mask. Maybe both.

But that doesn’t matter.

Nothing matters.

The only thing I want is to kill!

Destroy!

Massacre anything that stands in my way!

...starting...with...Joker.

A lopsided grin creeps on my face. Oh, this will be fun! I wonder how far I can go with this...

Let’s find out.

With little abandon, I rush straight at Joker with my serrated blade. It’ll tear him into pieces!

My sword clashes against his signature dagger. Somehow, he stands firm. How? How can he...?

Oh, so what!? He can’t possibly last for long! I go for another slash, but he yet again blocks it with that damn dagger of his. Our blades continue to strike against each other, neither of us able to land a hit on the other.

Again.

And again.

And again!

But then, as I throw all my strength into another frenzied slash, he weaves out of the way, kicking the sword right out of my hand as I start to stumble.

No way. How could this attic trash possibly be stronger than me!?

Joker lunges at me, the dagger no longer in his hand. Somehow, he manages to knock me off balance. He tries to restrain me as I thrash while screaming insults at his face.

One of my hands reaches my mask. Perfect.

I don’t even think.

I just act.

Only one thought rages in my mind.

I will kill Joker!

I command Loki to use Maragion. He won’t be able to block this attack. Screw his Shiki-Ouji!

For a brief moment, the flames surround Joker...but suddenly, they turn on me. I grit my teeth at the searing agony radiating through my body. Damnit...of all the times he wasn’t using that Persona-

My mask reforms, but is quickly pulled away from my face. Joker tosses it to the side, once again trying to hold me down. He flinches as my claws rake across his face, but he doesn’t budge.

He’s saying something to me, but I can’t hear him.

I don’t care what he’s saying! He should be dead!

I almost manage to hit him a second time, but now he’s able to use his hands to pin mine down. I try desperately to claw at his hands, but they’re just out of reach.

Damnit!

Joker’s still talking. Now I can make out his words. “...love y...please...it’ll be...”

What is he thinking!?

Even now...

As the seconds slowly tick by, the psychotic rage that overtook me starts to dissipate. Joker keeps on saying the same thing over and over: “I love you, Goro. Please, calm down. It’ll be okay.”

Over.

And over.

He sounds so distraught as I continue to fight against him. Repeating those same words. It’s no use. Joker’s determined to stop me.

Eventually, I stop struggling, panting as I try to catch my breath. I finally manage to gasp out, “What are you doing?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“I...I didn’t want this.”

“I know. You didn’t want to shoot me.”

“I-”

Our conversation is interrupted by a pained scream. We both look over as Cu Chulainn falls to the ground. Cerberus must have fallen earlier in the fight, as it’s nowhere to be seen. The rest of the thieves look a little tired but otherwise no worse for wear. I turn my attention back to Joker, frowning as I see blood dripping from the thin slashes marring his beautiful face. “It’s fine,” Joker says, noticing where my attention is. “It doesn’t hurt. But are you okay?”

My laughter is strained, forced. “That’s what you’re concerned about?”

“But you got hurt.” He moves his hand to gently caress my face. “If I had known you were going to use that move, I would’ve used a different Persona.”

“Why would you even care? I just tried to kill you, damnit!”

“Because I love you, Goro. And I always will. You could’ve shot me, and I still would have loved you just the same.” Is it just me, or did his voice crack just a little there? “Goro, no matter what happens, I just want you to know I love you dearly, and-”

“Ugh, can we save the cheesy romance for later?” Oracle butts in.

Oh. That’s right. We’re not alone here. And with how things currently look... “Joker?” I start.

“Yeah?”

“Get off me.”

“Aww, I was enjoying this,” he says with a chuckle. He waits a second before moving so that I can push myself into a sitting position. The sudden movement causes me to hiss in pain. “You didn’t answer me earlier. Are you okay?”

“I have been through worse.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’ll be alright. Any other questions before we leave this wretched place?”

“Just one. Why did you do this? Did something happen yesterday?”

I almost tell him. My lips part, about to answer, but I realize it might take too much time. “How about we save that question for Leblanc? It...might take some time to answer.”

“Okay. We should head back to the central hall,” he adds, addressing everyone with that. He then turns back to me and, with a smirk, kneels down and puts one arm behind my back and the other under my knees. I realize what he’s doing just as he proceeds to pick me up bridal style with little regard for if he gets jabbed by the pointy parts of my true outfit. The rest of the thieves seem just as surprised and shocked as I am. Meanwhile, Joker grins at me as he says, “Hi, Akeppi.”

“Joker, what are you doing?”

“Showing you how much I love you.”

“You stupid, insufferable-” The rest of what I was going to say is cut off by the soft little kiss Joker gives me. He looks like he would love to kiss me more, but he’s not about to test his luck when I have so many ways to potentially harm him right now. It takes me a few seconds of mulling my response in my head before I begrudgingly finish, “...lovable menace.”

“I know. But I’m your menace.”

That alone gets me to smile. He’s right. It only took me trying to kill him to see it. “Yes, you’re my menace, and nothing is going to ever change that.”

[saiki-in-jsl]

No Powers Saiki AU (3k)

Where he also has anxiety and selective mutism. (But also, nobody has powers. And that volcano issue never happens because I SAID SO.)

Uhm uhhhh, in no way am I a doctor, so this may not be very accurate. Sorry!!

TW: Panic attack, I don’t think this one needs a skip so I’ll just leave it as that (but if you need one, tell me :eyes:)

Also on my ao3!

Also well shit, I do like myself some good Kusuo and Akechi friendship :,)

Also also, ugggghhhhhh, the italics stuff don’t go through when I copy and paste from my docs rip. This is why I prefer ao3 more (and because their tagging system is HEAVENLY) so if you wanna read with all them proper italics I suggest switching to my ao3

ALSO ALSO ALSO, RIGHT WHEN I FINISHED THIS, I DISCOVERED ASL AND JSL ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SO D A R N H E C K I’M SORRY. I did a big oopsie,,,let’s,,,pretend that asl,,,is,,default,,?

Saiki Kusuo was not your typical boy.

Since he was young, it had been painfully obvious that he was a gifted child, surpassing his brother by intelligence and strength. This had drawn many curious scientists to him, and after several tests that went on for hours and hours, he finally broke. He stopped talking and he stopped wanting to be around people.

His mother, equally as tired of the scientists as her son was, decided to hide his identity away from the public, constantly moving from location to location to avoid the people who knew of her son’s abilities.

This barely helped with Kusuo’s social development as a child, so the more he moved, the more he decided that he would much rather live in an isolated world than a world filled with people with prying eyes and loud mouths.

He did make a friend once though, but it barely lasted due to unforeseen circumstances that involved a few beat up bullies, and it had surprisingly hurt when he had to move away again. Akechi was his first real friend, and realizing that he won’t be seeing him again felt weird.

As much as he loved being alone, a friend would’ve been nice.

So the night before they moved away, he had pushed open his parents’ door, gripping his pajama top tightly, and whispered really really softly to his mother, “Mama. Will I ever make a friend?”

It was the first time he had spoken in a very long time, in fact, his mother couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken to her without pointing and hand gestures. So predictably, she cried and hugged him tight, mumbling how sorry she was for ruining his chance at making a friend, too caught up with trying to avoid those nosey scientists.

Middle school went by like a blur, aside from the occasional school switch that still happened, yet not as often as elementary. He didn’t remember a single thing that happened during those school days, maybe a few anxiety attacks in the bathroom and a sad attempt at trying to socialize, but that was it. Maybe it really was easier to be alone, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about losing his breathing from the sheer amount of stress he got from the assembly hall.

Highschool came and Kusuo had a new plan: Accept that having friends are not necessary and speaking with your mouth is dumb. 

He quickly learnt how to use ASL, much preferring that language over vocally speaking, and made sure his grades were as average as possible. He had excelled through middle school and elementary school like it was nothing, but it had led him to be placed on stage many times because of this. So no more of that, because that was a recipe for disaster to him.

Kusuo made sure everything was in perfect place before heading to school. He made sure the school knew about his condition, and he also made sure to let them know he didn’t want to be publicly known as the school’s “mute kid”, so he’d definitely blend in without an issue.

Kusuo couldn’t believe what was happening. He hadn’t even fully registered his first year of highschool properly and his second year was already here. 

To start off, he had friends, something he did not expect to have. He could predict many things, the weather, what people were thinking, and if he tried hard enough, he could even predict who would walk by his classroom in the next second. But he did not see this one coming.

He didn’t even know how. Nendou was a dunce who went from copying his homework to hanging around and inviting him out for ramen and Kaidou was a chuunibyou who thought Kusuo’s hand gestures was some sort of secret language and ended up perceiving Kusuo as some ally to Jet Black Wings.

Yumehara, for no reason other than the fact that Kusuo looked cute, decided she was meant to be with him. A lot of effort was taken to avoid her, but just as she lost interest in him, the class- no, the world’s idol decided she’d have a crush on him too. Then there was the class representative, Hairo, who constantly screamed and moved and how does he not get tired? 

Then there was Kuboyasu, Toritsuka, Aiura, and so many people it made his head spin.

But they all had one thing in common when they communicated with him, and that was the fact that they all thought he was deaf. Granted, people who use ASL were commonly deaf, so he wasn’t blaming them for assuming so, and it did help him a little since this made them talk less around him and gave him a good excuse for ignoring them half the time.

Two years he spent in this highschool, and not once had he fired rapid ASL before. He never got the chance to, and he didn’t have much care for doing so. Mostly because most of the people around him didn’t even understand sign language.

But sometimes, listening to Toritsuka talk on and on about some cute girl could really put you on edge. Especially when he kept egging Kusuo on about the type of girls he liked.

The thing was, Kusuo didn’t like romance. He liked observing it and the idea of it, but he would never want to be a part of it. Frankly enough, he didn’t find any joy in it, he much preferred a life of solitude.

“C’mon, I know you can understand me, Saiki,” Toritsuka poked, grinning widely. “What kind of girls are you into? Or perhaps are into boys? Seriously, tell me, maybe we can go on a double date sometime. What about Teruhashi--“

Kusuo scowled, taking a step back and suddenly flying into fast ASL that roughly translated to several insults and long explanations as to why Kusuo wasn’t going to tell him. Toritsuka only blinked in surprise, because he swore he just saw the middle finger between those fast hand gestures, and he took a step back, raising his hands in defeat.

“Relax! Alright!” Toritsuka said, dropping the subject for good. “Next time fling me a note or something, that is seriously intimidating!”

Kusuo winced, feeling the third piece of paper Kaidou had just flung at him hit his head. This had been going on for the whole period, and Kusuo wondered why the teacher hadn’t noticed it yet. Most of the notes Kaidou sent weren’t serious anyways, and clearly not worth writing back to him.

He barely understood the references the boy was making anyways. 

“How about we hang out after school? Do you like cake?” The last note read.

Kusuo smiled softly. “Yes, I do like cake.” He wrote, and with ease, he strategically threw it back so it would land perfectly on Kaidou’s table.

Being around Teruhashi was not ideal at all, because wherever she went, many people would follow. Kusuo hated crowds more than anything, it made his throat close up and his face a little sweaty, though his facial expression would never express his discomfort.

It would always remain blank and devoid of emotions.

Which always peaked Teruhashi’s interest. She found it a challenge to make the “deaf” kid who barely spoke gasp at her beauty, it would be a mighty achievement, yet no matter how hard she tried, it just never worked, which only pushed her to try harder. It resulted in her falling in love with him, unfortunately.

“Saiki does have a cute face though,” Teruhashi mumbled under her breath right as she walked along with Kusuo. She assumed he couldn’t hear her, so she regularly said things like those quietly to herself whenever he wasn’t looking her way. He appreciated the compliment at times, but sometimes, they do get a little creepy.

Nendou probably didn’t understand the idea of deaf people, or perhaps he thought his idea was pretty smart. Either ways, Kusuo sometimes couldn’t understand why he had to shout at him to communicate.

Did Nendou think deaf people just had very very poor hearing? Probably. But it often got annoying when they were in public places, and Kusuo couldn’t even tell him to quiet down because he couldn’t tell when exactly he was actually shouting.

Both his shouting and talking volume were around the same range.

But, it was rather nice of him to go out of his way to learn a bit of sign language just so he wouldn’t have to shout at Kusuo anymore. It was actually pretty nice having an ASL buddy.

Note to self, do not use ASL around Kuboyasu too much. He will and can mistake them as gang signs and get either sappy or angry. Kusuo said in his head as he watched Kuboyasu stare off into the distance with his fists clenched, reminiscing about his gang days.

Several times Kusuo had mistaken Hairo’s sad attempt at ASL as actual words and once spent half an hour straight wondering why the boy had signed refrigerator geese to him during that dodgeball game.

Saiko had once walked up to him and declared that whatever “nonsense” Kusuo was going to sign, he’d know right away what they would mean. At first, Kusuo found it hard to believe that the rich boy had taken time to learn ASL within his one day of being in this school, but as it turned out, all Saiko did was hire a translator to follow him around to translate Kusuo’s words.

That was possibly the most amount of effort he’d ever seen from Saiko, and it was good enough.

Kusuo wondered if learning ASL had magically made him more attractive. Aiura would not leave him alone, with her blonde hair, tanned skin, overly accessorized things, and bubbly personality. She wasn’t like Teruhashi, who attracted more men than Kusuo could count on his fingers, so she wasn’t as annoying to be around with.

But then again, she was more forward than Teruhashi too, so it didn’t make her more appealing either.

Seeing Akechi again resurfaced too many feelings. He hadn’t really realized how much he missed his first friend, but then again, the same boy was probably very aware of Kusuo’s high intelligence and may accidentally reveal his secret with that blabbering mouth of his.

Though, Kusuo had to admit, Akechi hadn’t changed one bit since the last time he saw him. Besides the haircut of course, and some other details, like how good he was at deducting now.

Being around Akechi was always strangely comforting back then, there was just something about listening to him talk that made Kusuo feel comfortable. You could say his talking was like white noise to Kusuo.

“Why does everyone assume you’re deaf? You’re not deaf, you just don’t like talking a lot, right? Why don’t you tell them that? Is it because you find it easier to pretend to be deaf? I can understand that, you were always really quiet, which was nice because you were a great listener too. I never found out why you up and left our elementary school without saying goodbye, but you were crazy sma--” Okay, that was when Kusuo made him stop talking, and Akechi took this as a hint to keep it a secret. There was a pause before Kusuo finally signed something to him.

Sorry. 

“Nothing to apologize! I don’t think it was your fault anyways, but your plan worked like a charm honestly,” Akechi smiled. “I hope you missed me, because I know I missed you. We have a lot of catching up to do, I’ll start! So basically…”

Kusuo did. He really did miss him.

A play. Their class was doing a play.

After all that effort of trying to stay off the stage, he still couldn’t avoid it.

He’d feel bad if he didn’t show up to contribute, so he definitely couldn’t just ditch them. The most he could do was play a background role, but even then he’d still be painfully aware that he would be in front of the whole school, and he just couldn’t handle that.

But seeing everyone giving their all to make this play work, Kusuo couldn’t help but join along, regardless of his own condition.

Practice for the play went smoothly, and he found himself being able to cope with it. All he did was sway around like seaweed, since that was his role, and then walk off when his scene ends. Easy, nothing too complicated, he would be fine.

Until Saiko got his sensitive feelings hurt and decided to pull their budget on literally everything, including the costumes. Now, Kusuo couldn’t care less about that issue if it weren’t for the fact that; if the other cast didn’t have their costumes, they wouldn’t stand out as much, and there’d be a higher chance of the audience staring at him.

Yet there wasn’t much time to do last minute preparations for props and clothing, so everyone was encouraged to try their best in making their own costumes before the deadline. Kusuo predicted that no one would actually follow through, and for once, he wished he was wrong.

Apparently he didn’t wish hard enough, because that was exactly what had happened during the play. Everyone mostly came in their gym clothes, some with small props to make it look like they’ve tried, and some who just didn’t do anything at all.

When Kusuo’s scene finally came up, he and the rest of the people who played as seaweed scrambled onto stage, making waving motions with their arms to simulate seaweed underwater. Things went well for the most part, Kusuo did as practiced and waved around just like his other seaweed playing classmates, but the longer he stayed, the more aware he became.

Eyes, everywhere, in front of him, staring too hard, too long. Their mouths are moving, but he can’t hear what they’re saying, it was like they were on the other end of a glass wall. Were they talking about him among themselves? 

Had it always been this warm on stage? Was it normal for his hands to shake? Was he breathing? He didn’t remember exhaling, nor inhaling. His throat went dry, his whole body rigid from...fear?

Someone was pushing him, someone else was pulling him, but he can’t properly grasp what was happening. 

The world went a bit blurry before he completely went dark.

Kusuo woke up in the nurse’s office, body aching and throat dry. He wondered how long it took for him to wake up, but depending on the sun outside, it may have been an hour or so. He sat up slowly, groaning slightly from the pain, before suddenly being attacked by a hug from a familiar person.

“Pal! You’re okay,” Nendou cheered, finally pulling away from the hug to double check on his friend. He lifted his hands, proceeding to sign to him, You just suddenly fell over after they pulled you off stage.

My bad, Kusuo signed back tiredly. Sorry.

“What’d he say?” Kaidou nudged Nendou. Did he really have to ask? It was quite obvious.

“He says he’s fine.” Nendou answered, completely leaving out Kusuo’s apology, which he found strangely comforting yet offensive.

“He literally had a panic attack on stage, what do you mean he’s fine?” Kaidou argued, then he looked over at Kusuo with a deeper frown. “Why didn’t you tell us you were having an attack?”

“He wasn't being attacked,” Nendou said blankly.

“A panic attack, it’s different,” Kaidou huffed. “Saiki, not to be intrusive, but do you have anxiety?”

Did...he? He honestly never thought about it properly. Sure, he did have anxiety attacks every now and then when he was a kid, but this was the first one he had after a long time, so he never really considered he might’ve had anxiety.

Actually, it was starting to all make sense to him now that he thought about it.

“I’m going to take that as a yes but you didn’t know,” Kaidou said slowly, concern laced in his tone. It made sense that Kaidou would know, it did seem like he used to have the same issue.

“Oh for sure, can’t you tell from the way his eyes had widened just now by half a centimetre?” Akechi piped up from behind. 

Good freaking grief.

He knew his mother didn’t trust doctors, but Kusuo really needed to see one after literally fainting in school. Not only that, it wasn’t his first time having an attack either, this was just the first time it had gotten this bad.

Sitting in a psychiatrist's waiting room felt odd, because it seemed a lot more homey than a regular doctor’s waiting room, with paintings hung on the walls and carpeted floor. He wasn’t particularly nervous, but he knew his mother was, because the hand she was using to hold onto him was shaking.

It’ll be okay, he reassured, squeezing his mother’s hand tight.

And it was okay. The lady was really nice to him, gentle and understanding, she barely pried and most of the questions she asked were pretty normal. She was a little surprised to learn that Kusuo could speak, but not in a way that was obvious, only Kusuo could tell that she was.

Communication with her was sorta slow. He had to type onto his notes app on his phone for her to read to answer her questions instead of hand signing, which he didn’t really mind all that much.

His mother, who had been waiting outside for them to be done, immediately got up when Kusuo was finished and asked several questions, one being: Did he need to take medication now?

Fortunately enough, it seemed like his case wasn’t too severe yet, mostly because he could still handle being around people without an issue, so he didn’t need to take any meds for now. Although his selective mutism was pretty serious, it wasn’t too bad either in his case, due to the fact that Kusuo spoke through sign language rather than verbally, so he wasn’t completely mute per se.

He came back next week, and the next, and many more weeks after that. He really liked this therapy thing.

“So your friends think you’re deaf, so you’re using that as an excuse to ignore them sometimes?”

Oh, when she put it like that, it just made him sound like an asshole. But yeah, he pretty much was doing that.

“Is there a particular reason why?”

Kusuo drummed his fingers on his lap. There were many reasons why, but those reasons had long lost their meaning. At first, it was because he didn’t want any friends, but now that he did have friends, there wasn’t any reason for him to keep following them through. No matter how many times he told himself he didn’t like them, they were still his friends.

“And why do you not want any friends?”

“Making friends was hard, keeping friends was hard, and losing them was even harder.” Kusuo typed out. “I guess I stopped trying. But then they started coming to me, and it was weird because I had already accepted it.”

“So you got scared?”

She could say that.

She uncrossed her legs, only to cross them back moments later, and adjusted her glasses, leaning forward, “It’s okay to feel scared about losing your friends, but if you’re going to push everyone who wants to be with you away, then how are you going to know if they’ll truly leave you? There’s nothing wrong with wanting space, but people do need other people to survive.”

One of the many things he did like about his friends was the fact that they all knew he enjoyed sweets. It was pretty obvious that he did, with the way his face would smile softly and soften at the taste of coffee jelly.

Surprisingly, they never notice that he’d much rather be left alone. Either that, or they don’t care.

It was a small outing event, they were mainly just eating and talking, but also trying their best to include Kusuo as much as possible, even though he didn’t mind being left alone with his coffee jelly and cakes.

“Man, I feel bad not including Saiki in conversations sometimes,” Kaidou mumbled, assuming Kusuo didn’t know what he had just said because he wasn’t reading Kaidou’s lips. “Since it’s hard to talk to him sometimes.”

“I’m sure we’re trying our best,” Teruhashi beamed, making Kaidou flush red.

“We should probably just learn sign language like Nendou did.” Kaidou hummed, rolling a fork between his thumb and finger. “It’d be a lot easier.” Though possibly soul crushing for him, considering Kaidou had cram school and such already on his schedule.

“Sounds fun,” Kuboyasu commented. “I’d be down. Maybe we can surprise him.” Oh that was just too much, too nice, Kusuo didn’t even know what he did to earn this much love.

Nendou snorted, grinning widely as he pumped his fist on his chest, “I can teach you all!”

“That would save a lot of money.”

Kusuo stopped eating, a rare sight to see despite him being undisturbed, and he placed his spoon down. Everyone stopped talking, looking over at him in confusion before he finally opened his mouth, surprising them even more.

“I can hear you,” Kusuo managed out. “I always could.”

Teruhashi was the first to react, eyes widening and her face turning bright red. All those comments she muttered, he had heard them all.

Nendou blinked, smiling widely with his arms spread wide, “Congratulations on learning how to hear, pal!” Not quite there, but appreciated.

“Uh, uhm, OF COURSE! I knew the whole time,” Kaidou flashed a charming grin, which would’ve worked if it weren’t for the awkward pose he was doing.

Kuboyasu only stared, and drank his tea, “Oh. Well.”

“Sorry.” Then Kusuo paused, and raised his hands to sign. Felt more comfortable being like this, but you all are too nice to me. So the least I could do was tell you the truth. I don’t talk because I have selective mutism.

Nendou translated for them, and they all softened hearing this. Kusuo pressed his back against the booth seat and fiddled with his spoon before taking another bite. That felt easy, and weight lifting. Now that they know, he didn’t have to feel so bad about them going out of their way to do things for him just because they thought he was deaf.

“Of course I knew from the beginning,” Akechi boasted slightly, eyeing Aiura and Toritsuka with a smug grin. Aiura rolled her eyes at him, but pointed at Kusuo with a narrowed look.

“So you, like, could hear us the whole time,” she confirmed with him again. “I always thought you were just stupid smart, or something, at figuring things out despite not being able to hear, y’know?” Well, she wasn’t wrong about the smart part.

“That is so annoying!” Toritsuka blurted. “You’re annoying! Jeez! Would’ve been so much easier! Did you not tell us because you want an excuse to ignore us?” Kusuo recounted the number of times he avoided Toritsuka running towards him from behind, pretending he couldn’t hear him.

He proceeded to shake his head, very very slowly.

“He’s lying, by the way,” Akechi whispered. Kusuo clicked his tongue at that, earning himself a cheeky grin from Akechi.

Well that was that, now they all knew Kusuo wasn’t some deaf kid, even though that info might’ve spread throughout the school, which he really couldn’t care less about.

It was really nice, though, having friends he could trust.

[ikeromantic]

Trust

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfiction, approx. 2200 words. This scene takes place toward the end of Ch. 13 of the Romantic Route. SPOILERS!

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Base Villains

Mitsuhide felt a surge of incoherent rage. His beloved little mouse stood beside the shogun, her arm in his iron-grip. Her face was bruised - and likely more of her that he couldn’t see. Her clothes were torn and bloody. If Ashikaga thought this would bring him mercy, he was badly mistaken.

She turned her eyes from the shogun to look at Mitsuhide. There was a world of hurt in that gaze, but strength too. Despite all she’d suffered, she was angry and determined. There was even a flare of joy in her at seeing him.

“You base villains,” Ashikaga shrieked. He waved the guards to attack, but the daimyo’s men didn’t move.

Motonari ignored the shogun completely. He gave the chatelaine a saucy grin. “Hey! Yer lookin’ pretty good fer a prisoner, m’lady!” He even dipped in a slight bow to her, though the effect was somewhat lacking given the blood spatter and gore on him.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, my love.” Mitsuhide took a step toward her.

She smiled, though the expression clearly caused her pain. “I knew you’d come.”

“I hoped you would say that, which is why I endeavored to come just as you needed me.” Mitsuhide couldn’t help the genuine affection that colored his voice when he spoke to her. He was still angry - still planning to tear the shogun’s body into pieces - but that rage burned right beside the fires of his love. One did not contradict the other. He knew he didn’t need to gentle himself for her. “I will have you free and in my arms in a moment.”

“Guards!” Ashikaga shrieked, his voice cutting through the nearby sounds of battle. He was not a man that liked being ignored.

The door of the side room burst open, spilling the shogun’s personal guards into the room. Where the daimyo’s men would not obey, these men were eager to do as ordered. There were only four of them, and at least one looked as if he was already half-dead.

“I expected more from you, Yoshiaki. It seems your popularity has taken a plunge.” Mitsuhide lifted his sword, ready to fight.

Motonari laughed. “Aww, if I’da known you were so hard-up fer help, I might not a’ betrayed ya so quick.”

The shogun’s face flushed crimson and he shook with anger. “You - you fools think to mock me? Know your position!” He jerked the chatelaine in front of him. “Besides, I have a hostage. You are mad to go against me!”

“I am quite sane, I assure you,” Mitsuhide’s eyes narrowed. The shogun clearly wasn’t. Mitsuhide was willing to kill a man for making his little one cry. For this . . . death was too easy. “Yoshiaki, this world has moved on. It has no more need for men like you. Because you fail to grasp this, I have come to assist you off the stage myself.”

The shogun’s eyes were wide, though with fear or anger, it was impossible to say. “Insolence! Make your jokes while you have breath for them.” Then he smiled and pulled a dagger from his belt. He pressed the sharp edge to the chatelaine’s throat.

She gasped and froze.

Behind them, one of the servants - no, Mitsuhide realized - Kyubei! - began to step forward. Mitsuhide gave the barest shake of his head. An attack now would mean death for his little mouse. The right moment would come.

“See they do not approach me,” Ashikaga ordered his men.

The half-dead looking guard bowed to the shogun. “As you command, majesty.” Then he turned his gaze to the intruders. Mitsuhide saw in them the fires of fanaticism, and the darkness of death approaching. This man had no fear, not anymore. He pulled a long sword and held it up. “I sentence you to death, kitsune. It is too light a punishment for turning on the shogun, but it is the best I can mete out.”

Motonari gave an excited shout. “Hell yes! Looks like one o’ yer men has got some backbone!”

Yoshiaki hissed something to the chatelaine and then pulled her to the corner of the room.

“I’ll take the room. You can have the shogun.” Motonari didn’t wait for a reply, just charged forward. He was immediately met by the half-dead fanatic, who despite his wounds, was clearly the best of the remaining fighters. “Let’s have us some fun!”

“This will be no game,” the fanatic’s expression was grim.

They exchanged blows, their blades screeching as they met again and again.

Mitsuhide shook his head. Mouri was mad, but at least that had its usefulness. At least this provided him an opening. He dodged past the remaining guards toward the shogun.

“You rush to your end,” Yoshiaki shouted. He pushed past the doors to a small balcony. It was a bare ledge with no railings. Below, the battle was slowing as men died or surrendered. Their cries were carried up to the tenshu on the cold night air.

The chatelaine went with him, the dagger still on her throat kept her still and compliant.

“If you so much as twitch, I’ll throw you to your death,” the shogun hissed at her.

Mitsuhide sheathed his sword and pulled the matchlock from his back. There wasn’t enough space on that narrow ledge to fight. In this, the tanegashima was a better choice. If his aim held true. He checked the load and primed it to fire. Then he pointed it at the shogun. “Do not move.”

The shogun pressed his knife hard against the chatelaine’s throat, drawing a thin line of blood. “It is you who should be careful of his movements.” He grinned, already feeling he’d won. “Now lower your rifle.”

“You can only kill her once, Yoshiaki.”

“Disarm yourself and kneel, kitsune! Do it, or I will kill her!”

Despite his words, Mitsuhide was terrified. Seeing the blood on her neck only drove home the very real possibility that she would die here, now. He would still finish his mission. The shogun would die. But his little one . . . The thought froze his limbs and stopped his heart. He told himself that Ashikaga would kill her anyway, even if he dropped the gun and knelt. Yet . . . if there was a chance that he would let her go . . .

Seeing Mitsuhide’s conflict, Yoshiaki’s smile widened. “Call off your troops and I will let the girl live. Do it, and I may even forgive you for turning against me.”

Mitsuhide didn’t move.

“Now, or must I say it louder?!”

He ignored the shogun and studied the face of his beloved little one. She saw the decision he had to make. And she understood. Without moving, she gifted him her trust. His little mouse knew the risk he was about to take and accepted it, as he must. Her bravery made his chest hurt and his throat close. But he could only honor it now by taking action.

As Mitsuhide took aim, the chatelaine lifted her hands and in a practiced motion, grabbed the shogun’s knife arm. “Now,” she shouted. She had only seconds that she could hold Ashikaga at bay.

Mitsuhide sent a prayer to whatever gods or devils may be listening, and he pulled the trigger.

The moment stretched. He saw the powder light, heard the explosion of the bullet as it left the barrel. Watched Ashikaga’s ribs buckle under the impact, and his blood stained the cloth around the wound.

“What?” The shogun looked down at himself in confusion. His grip on the knife loosened. The blade fell to the ground.

The messenger stopped fighting Motonari in the room behind them and flung himself toward Mitsuhide. There was death in his eyes. He knew he couldn’t survive this attack, but he was determined to avenge the shogun as his last living act.

Kyubei lunged forward, putting himself between Mitsuhide and the nearly dead warrior. His sword took the man in his gut, stopping him before he could so much as breathe on Akechi. The hate in the messenger’s eyes burned to emptiness as his life-blood spilled. Kyubei watched impassively until he was sure the man was really dead.

“Nice kill,” Motonari remarked. “Who’re you?”

“No one.” Kyubei gave a half smile and pulled his sword free.

Mitsuhide spared a moment to clap him on the shoulder. Their eyes met. There was much to discuss, of course, but it could wait. The shogun was dead, the chatelaine was alright, and there were yet plans to put in motion.

“Mouri, go make sure Kennyo isn’t overwhelmed. There is still fighting on the grounds below us. Everything must be calm before the shogun arrives.”

“Yer losin’ yer mind, kitsune. The shogun’s right there.” Mouri’s eyes narrowed as Yoshiaki staggered to the edge of the narrow ledge. His legs shook. His chest spasmed as he gasped for air. And then, Yoshiaki Ashikaga fell.

Mitsuhide closed the distance between him and his little mouse. He pulled her tight against him. “You are alright.”

“I know.” She snuggled closer.

“Guess I’ll leave ya two lovebirds and go see to Kennyo,” Motonari said gruffly. “Ya did good princess.”

She didn’t look up to watch him go, though Mitsuhide’s eyes followed the pirate until he was gone from sight. Then his attention was back on his little one. Her deep, shaking breaths slowed and steadied. “I hope one day, awful things like this don’t have to happen anymore.”

“As do I.” He stroked her back gently. He had wanted to insulate her from this. To protect her. But his little mouse was strong enough to see death and recover from it. She’d proven herself yet again to be his match. Here she was, injured and in shock, yet she still held strength. Though he hadn’t believed he could love her more, he felt a surge of affection for this strange, sweet woman.

A dry cough from the room behind them eventually broke their moment of peace. Kyubei, still dressed as one of the daimyo’s servants, stood beside . . . Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Or, his replacement.

“Sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering when you’d clear this place out. My room is a mess!” The shogun wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Kyubei nudged him. “The shogun would never apologize.”

“Ah, right. Interrupting you was an annoyance. How dare you embrace and not regard my entrance with the appropriate obeisance?” The shogun smiled.

Mitsuhide smiled back. “I see. My apologies to you then. Shall I kneel?”

The chatelaine looked down at the ground below for a moment as if to check that Ashikaga’s body was still there. Then she looked back up at his double. “You - who? No wait! You’re the scribe! We met you in Kyoto at the shogun’s estate.”

“Riku, at your service, princess.” The shogun bowed. “Ashikaga kept my service while he was in hiding here, and eventually brought me out to scribe for him. Just as Akechi suspected he would.”

“And you made contact with my spy as instructed, I see,” Mitsuhide smiled.

“I did. He told me your idea and, at first I wasn’t interested but -”

“I am very persuasive,” Kyubei grinned.

Riku, now the shogun’s double, nodded. “And the daimyo agreed to go along with it, provided his family was spared. So here we are.” He looked a little nervous.

“You will make an excellent shogun in exile,” Mitsuhide reassured him. “All you need do is enjoy the remaining wealth of the Ashikaga clan and stay out of Oda’s way.”

“I will,” Riku’s expression was determined, if a little pale. “It’s more than I ever could have hoped for as a mere scribe.”

Mitsuhide nodded. “I will leave you in Kyubei’s care for now. He will alert me if you need support.” His eyes fell to his little mouse. “I have more important tasks this day.”

He spared not a heartbeat more before lifting her into his arms. It felt like they’d been apart forever, though it was really only a few days. Mitsuhide carried her past the few lingering fights, and into one of the daimyo’s guest rooms. It was quieter here, though the smell of gunpowder and blood still hung on the air.

“I would take you to Kyoto, but first . . .” he brushed a finger along the edge of her jaw. Her cheek was swollen and bruised. “We must see to your injuries. What happened?”

She told him about her capture as he gently rubbed balm into her wounds. Mitsuhide could tell it stung - both the ointment and relating her capture. But he was proud of her for trying to outsmart Ashikaga’s man, and for fighting back.

“I am sorry I wasn’t there to protect you,” he said softly, and kissed her forehead.

She put her hand to his cheek and shook her head. “You can’t always be right beside me. I don’t expect you to be. I did my best to keep myself safe and . . . I knew if I couldn’t, that you would rescue me. And you did.”

Mitsuhide felt a sharp warmth in his eyes and realized he might cry. Her trust in him . . . he simply didn’t have words for the way it made him feel. “I love you, little one.”

“And I love you.”

Next: Tears of Joy

[crowsent]

AUgust 2020: Angels & Demons

Challenge given by @augustwritingchallenge

Summary: Goro won’t ever get justice. Vengeance, though... Vengeance Goro could get.

“Don’t you want vengeance, Goro Akechi?” A hand shot out from the darkness. "I can offer you vengeance. All I ask is possession of your immortal soul."

Pairing: N/A can be interpreted as ShuAke

Characters: Goro Akechi, Joker (Akira Kurusu/Ren Amamiya)

Word Count: 2305

CW: N/A

Notes: the tumblr version is unformatted. for that reason, i highly recommend you to read the ao3 version instead so yall get that sweet sweet tone difference.

i didnt include the “angel” part of the angels & demons but you know. potato potahto. also, big thanks to @yusuke-of-valla​ for giving me an AMAZING prompt. hope i did it justice

AO3 Link: HERE

=

She was buried quietly, without fanfare and without mourners. Goro remembered staying at her grave hours after sunset, clutching the single flower he brought for her between his fingers so tightly it had crushed the leaves and petals and stem into a mangled mess.

The sky was a dark inky blot by the time a woman with tightly bunned hair and a blue and white striped uniform came for him and said that since his last living relative was six feet underground, Goro would be put into foster care. Dark clouds swirled over the horizon, flanking the boom of oncoming thunder. Goro wanted to tell her that he had a living relative still, a piece of trash masquerading as a man. Shido. Masayoshi Shido.

But who’d believe a dirty bastard child over the nation’s darling upstanding politician? The son of a whore with not a single yen to his name against a “respectable” and reliable Masayoshi fucking Shido. Even as a child, Goro understood that he won’t get his justice. This biased, pathetic excuse of a system won’t ever give him his justice. He followed that woman into an orphanage and let the years pass being shuffled from place to place. No roots. No friends. No bonds. Just a pebble thrown into sea, meant to be swallowed and spat back out again.

Goro won’t get justice. Justice for the years he suffered unwanted, unneeded, and unloved. He won’t get justice for his mother whose only mistake was being too kind and loving something that deserved no love at all. Justice for the society that looked at his face and deemed him unworthy to be saved and left him to drown.

Goro won’t ever get justice.

“But I can give you vengeance.”

Vengeance.

That word, over and over again in his dreams, a promise, a vow, an offer and an absolution. Goro didn’t know when it started, exactly. All he knew is that at some point in the blur of his adolescence, a voice started calling out to him in his dreams. Hands with black-painted nails, perfectly manicured, beckoning him into the depth of an endless void. Pointed horns and red eyes. A smile and the glint of shiny teeth. And in his mind, the voice would ring out, “Vengeance. Vengeance. Vengeance.”

Justice is for children. Wide-eyed children with petty idealism and a gross misunderstanding of how the world works, of how cruel the world is, of how unwanted and unneeded and un-special they were. Vengeance, though… Vengeance for his mother’s life ruined by the selfish ego of one man undeserving of every breath he deigned to steal, his cruelty, his blatant disregard for the one thing that Goro had in this sham of a life. Vengeance for Goro. Vengeance to quell the pit of hatred and despair and the thrashing of wild listlessness and chaos.

Vengeance, Goro could get.

“Don’t you want Vengeance, Goro Akechi?” asked the voice in his dreams. “Son of a whore and a bastard child. You are playing an unjust game in a world that will never deliver justice.” A hand shot out from the darkness. Pale skin. Dark nails. And past that, further in, gleaming eyes. Blood red. Inhuman. “I can offer you vengeance. I can offer you Masayoshi Shido’s head on a pike, his legacy tarnished, the vision of Japan he was willing to burn the world down for handed to you on a silver platter.”

And in his dreams, Goro always refused. Denied and rejected and lashed out with violent words and the hurl of his fists that only ever seemed to pass through smoke. Even in his dreams, he was taunted. Taunted with something he can never truly have.

That time though, that night, on the eighth anniversary of the day of his mother’s death, on the day Goro stood alone over her grave crushing a delicate flower in his murderous, loveless hands, the creature lurking in Goro’s head won.

In that dream, Goro had reached out back into the darkness, hands shaking as he hesitated mere inches from the flawless hand beckoning him into a mad abyss. “And you’d want something in return, I presume?”

There was almost a chuckle in response to that. “But of course,” said the creature. Horns flashed for a brief moment, sharp and black and angled forward. Flames seemed to lick up the creature’s smile. “All I ask is possession of your immortal soul, Goro Akechi. Give that to me upon your death, and you will have all that you want and more.”

A soul. A soul to finally see Shido fall. To see his pathetic excuse for a father finally get his just desserts. A soul to get the justice -the vengeance- for his mother, for himself. Goro leaned forward, let his bony half-starved hand grasp the one shrouded in darkness, and spoke:

“You have yourself a deal.”

Because really. His soul was dirty, broken, and worth less than the mud on his shirt.

If that’s what he had to give, then he’d give it. Gladly. A hundred, a thousand, a million times over.

The figure in the darkness of his dreams grasped his hand, grasped it tightly, too tightly, until it began to hurt but Goro held on. Then the hand shaked his, slowly, deliberately, and a burning searing pain followed. Not in Goro’s hand but further in, his chest, his head, his heart. His soul. It burned and burned and burned a searing pain, like something was peeling his skin away bit by agonising bit. Still Goro held on.

“Stubborn,” chuckled the voice in Goro’s dream. The hand receded, the pain faded, until all that Goro was left with was darkness and the piercing red eyes. “We will get along well, Goro Akechi.”

The eyes vanished and left behind an echo.

“You may call me Joker.”

Goro woke up.

He was not a child, not a teenager fraught with dreams of deals and vengeance and darkness. He was Goro Akechi, a respected detective fresh out of the academy, praise and accolades and connections to his name. Loved by the common folk for his humble beginnings, an orphan who had to work and bleed and sweat to claw his way into the upper echelons of society, a beacon of hope that maybe they too can make their way up the ladder. Loved by the elite for his charm and wit and charisma, his flawless manners, his cadence, his posture, his mask. One of his masks.

It took years. Years longer than what Goro would have wanted, years longer than what Goro could have been patient with, but at last, he could begin the endeavor that kept him going through years. Bring down Shido. More than a quick death. More than humiliation. More than anything Goro himself could have thought of.

The thing that Masayoshi Shido valued most. Himself. His reputation. His power. His legacy. His control. Brick by fucking brick, Goro would tear it all down. Watch the ruins burn in ashes. Have Shido’s name cursed for years, for generations, for future historians to come. Have the entirety of this nation sneer at the mere mention of his name.

All it took was a soul.

The best damn thing Goro’s soul could ever be worth, honestly.

“I can do many things, Goro, but even I can’t delay a dedicated media crew,” came a voice in his head. Familiar, after years of hearing it. Joker stood at the doorway, insouciant, relaxed, leaning against the frame of Goro’s bedroom door with that irritating nigh-permanent smirk on his face.

He looked human now, which was probably the most unsettling thing about him. No horns. No face wreathed in fire. No clawed hands, no tail, no wings. Joker’s red eyes were a very human black, framed with glasses that made him look innocent and harmless when he was anything but. “Out of bed Goro.” Really, the only thing that belied Joker’s true nature was his smile. The glint of canines just a bit too sharp to be human, visible for only a breath before vanishing once again into this perfect veneer. A mask. “The new Detective Prince can’t be late for his own interview, Goro. Out of bed.”

The pillows were soft, the mattress inviting, the window positioned just so to let the right amount of sunlight in. Ultimately simple, so that when reporters and paparazzi invaded what little semblance of privacy he had left, all they’d see was a humble man living a humble life. The image Goro wanted to cultivate, that Joker advised him to cultivate. The perfect mask.

With a heavy sigh, Goro dragged himself back to the realm of the conscious with a false smile, practised so often it reached his eyes, crinkled them at the edges and lit them up how a real smile would. It was terrifying how he didn’t even have to think about it, how it was as easy as breathing. “My interview isn’t until after noon.” Goro can’t quite remember the last time he smiled genuinely. It was terrifying that Goro didn’t care. And though sleep clung to him still, Goro sat straight-backed, knees slung over his bed and crossed at the ankle. An image. A mask.

Joker gave him a smile. Well, it wasn’t entirely a smile. There was joy in it, sure, and more than a little excitement, but Goro had never quite seen another human being give that look. One of hedonistic greed not for power or wealth but for thrill, chasing something that can’t be caught and loving every second anyway. A dangerous thing, an incorporeal thing, an emotion or an experience or just the mere imaginings of something too alien for Goro to grasp.

“It isn’t. But wouldn’t you want to witness the death of the IT President that eats from Shido’s hand like a loyal dog?”

But then again, Joker wasn’t human.

For all Goro knew, this look was how creatures like Joker smiled. If they could even smile. If Goro could even smile. His camera-ready expression slipped into something other at the news. Lips stretched wide, teeth bared. It might have been a smile. It might have been him imitating the expression Joker’s face. It might have been simply Goro, delighted to know that the crumbling of Shido’s empire had already begun. Sadistic and feral and removed.

“I thought you said that Shido shouldn’t die,” said Goro conversationally, in the same tone one might discuss the weather. Despite how still and steady his voice was, he could not hide the excited tremor that ran through his body, the thrill of seeing his dream finally begin to take root and bloom into an ugly thorny rose.

If Joker noticed, he did not say. “True. I said Shido shouldn’t die. But I said nothing of the men working under him.” Goro was on his feet. Wordlessly, Joker handed him a simple summer outfit, a coat, his gloves. “The ultimate suffering for Shido is a life without power, without influence. A long life of being less than nothing. His subordinates though?”

“Weapons,” said Goro as he dressed himself. To be used against Shido. To have their lives be the sword and the bullets and the gun. To have their deaths be a wound.

For a split second, Goro could have sworn that flames erupted in Joker’s eyes. But when he blinked, it was gone, and Joker was laughing.“Right you are, Goro. They’re casualties in the war. Trash. Tools that have outlived their usefulness.” Joker led Goro out the bedroom, into the hall. Handed him a cup of coffee and a sandwich. “A threat to Shido perhaps?” Joker paused his stride just long enough to look into Goro’s eyes. “Maybe our IT President found something about Shido that he shouldn’t have.” They did not stop in the dining room for Goro’s breakfast.

“Did he?”

“Does it matter?” Joker asked.

“It doesn’t.”

Joker chuckled. The hallway light flickered with each breath and the shadows curled at his ankle. “We’ll create a story, Goro. The president dies from some… unseen force and you’re simply the good samaritan who wanted to help. You’ll get closer to the public, you get an in with Shido, and you get to watch the fall from inside the ivory tower.”

Goro took a sip of his coffee. Roasted to perfection. “And you will get my soul.”

They passed by the floor mirror in the living room. Joker’s reflection was not that of a man with fluffy black hair and a dark button-up. It was shadow and flame and a creature with horns and black-clawed hands. “And I will get your soul. But only after you watch Shido get dragged through something worse than hell. Such is the terms of our deal.”

All for the price of Goro’s soul.

“Well,” Goro smiled, sharp and fake and utterly convincing, “I suppose I’ll take my morning walk. I have an interview coming up, after all. I should clear my head.”

Joker laughed. Deep, hungry, triumphant. He vanished into black smoke and receded into the dark corners of the house just as Goro opened the door. He wasn’t gone though, not really. There was a fire in Goro’s chest, painful and freeing and damning all at once. A brand of malediction and a stain on the soul he already sold.

And when Goro saw a brown-haired man in nice clothes with a laptop bag slung over his shoulder suddenly collapse in the middle of the street, grasping his throat for invisible hands that slowly strangled life out, he heard Joker’s voice in his head again. Loud, clear, and malicious.

Vengeance.

Vengeance.

Vengeance.

Goro dropped his coffee and his breakfast and rushed forward, putting on a mask that fit far too well on his face. “Are you alright sir!?”

Vengeance.

[akirakurusuimagines]

The Reaper’s Game

@p5auweek​ day five: Crossover with another fandom AU (The World Ends With You)

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

Akira looked up at the figure he once partially considered an ally, his vision hazy, head spinning, and body numb, the combination of drugs, exhaustion, and failure weighing heavily on the boy who stood up against fate. He had barely processed the muffled gunshot that Akechi fired at the guard who let him in and the subsequent thud on the floor of the corpse, much less the way that the same gun was aimed at him, ready to take his own. 

Akechi spoke, but Akira could barely hear him. His blood was pounding in his ears, arms trembling ever-so-slightly. He didn’t want to die… but he had failed, and this was the consequence of his hubris. Memories of a blue butterfly’s words rang in his head: this is truly an unjust game; your chances of winning are almost none. Where did things go wrong? 

“Case closed,” Akira finally processed the words, his eyes widening as the barrel hovered right over his forehead, the smoking gun ready to fire once more. “This is how your ‘justice’ ends.” 

Akira felt an electrifying shock of pain followed by the sound of the muffled gunfire, and then...nothing. 

Only darkness. 

Emptiness. 

The leader of the Phantom Thieves that took the nation by storm was dead. 

“Nngh…” the bustling sounds of Shibuya crossing made Akira’s ears ache. It took him several moments to come to complete consciousness, feeling the rough texture of concrete against his face. He slowly sat up, dizzy, surprised to see where he was��— why was he here? Was this some sort of sick joke? He died, he knew he did! And yet, there he was, a familiar spot in Tokyo, full of people of all ages who ignored him, simply walking on the striped lines, aiming for a destination he couldn’t possibly guess.

Akira felt queasy thinking about his own death, not wanting to remember the strange sensation of having his brains blown out. Akira’s shaky hand came up and pressed against his forehead, trying to feel for where the bullet went through, but searched as he might, he found nothing. It was just his fluffy black hair and his smooth skin. He sighed in relief, honestly unsure of what he would’ve done if it turned out that he did have the wound on his face. This was all too confusing. Was it a dream? Akira wasn’t sure, but he figured nothing would change if he just sat there all day. 

He stood up, but the unmistakable gentle clink of something dropping caught his attention. A pin? He didn’t recognize it, but figured it must’ve been on his person. Akira looked around for a moment to see if anyone was searching for it before he knelt down and took it in his hand, tossing it up in the air and catching it, only to feel a strangely familiar sensation. My third eye? He was astonished with how it activated without his prompting, and clutched the strangely designed pin in his hand once more, noting the way it dissipated. 

“What the hell is going on…?” Akira mumbled, shoving the pin in the blazer’s pocket of his school uniform and fishing around for his phone or any other interesting things he had for some odd reason or another. He wondered if he’d even have it, considering the police confiscated it when he was arrested. The sudden weight in his front pocket accompanied by his ringtone made Akira nearly jump out of his skin, and he scrambled to retrieve it.

Reach 109. 

You have 60 minutes. 

Fail, and face erasure. 

The Reapers 

Akira stared at the message for several seconds, wondering if he should take it seriously. He made note of the time, just in case, but began to scroll through his phone in hopes that he would be able to contact someone⁠. His phone did say that he had full signal, so he didn’t think it would be a problem, until he realized that he couldn’t back out of the message. 

“What?” Akira tried and tried again, each time resulting in failure, no matter what he did or what he tried. Not even the small hacks Futaba had taught him were useless. “Ouch⁠—!” a sudden sting of pain erupted in his left hand, as if he had been burned with a branding iron. He turned it over, eyes widening as he watched as a timer ticked away on his hand, something he believed should be impossible, yet it made the threat on his phone much more terrifying. Erasure… what did that even mean?

He didn’t have time to ponder anything as strange symbols began to float in his peripheral vision, every nerve in his body screaming for him to run. But he couldn’t. Akira’s feet were frozen in place as he watched the symbols manifest into creatures that oddly resembled shadows, clearly intent on swarming him. “This isn’t the Metaverse, what the hell is going on?!” he was frustrated, and rightfully so, barely dodging a swipe from something that seemed like a bear, if not for the colors and painted-on appearance of its arms.

“Damn it⁠—” Akira seethed, looking for a way out. Luckily, even if it wasn’t the Metaverse, his experience from being Joker was a great advantage he had under his belt. Spotting an opening, Akira ducked under the monster’s swing, feeling rather light, and made a bolt for the crowd, breathing heavily as he continued to run, only stopping when he was sure he lost sight of them. 

“Somebody! Anybody!” Akira yelled out, the strange pit of despair welling up in his stomach as he slowly came to the realization that no one was intentionally ignoring him⁠— they couldn’t see him. Nor those creatures, apparently. Was he in some sort of hell? He never thought it would be like this when he died. Maybe if he was a little more religious, he could’ve avoided this. 

Akira noticed he had run all the way towards Hachiko, right next to the train station. He should be able to get to Yongen from there, but remembering the message on his phone made his skin crawl. 109 was his destination— it was better to figure out what was going on first, especially with that ominous threat.

“Aaaahhh!!” A series of shrill shrieks snatched Akira’s attention, and he watched in horror as those very same monsters he believed he had outrun were attacking those he thought to be civilians. In a matter of seconds, several people disappeared from the crowd as if they were never there to begin with. 

He stumbled back, watching the shadow-esque creatures approach him. They… they were erased. It made sense to him now, but that didn’t solve the problem of how he was going to escape these things. He could only run for so long, and they seemed relentless. Still⁠— he didn’t have much of a choice. Akira took one last look at the impending doom before sprinting away, only to collide with you, causing you both to tumble, with him landing on top of you. 

“I’m so sorry, I have to go⁠—!” Akira exclaimed, just barely figuring out the fact that he could touch you, and his shock only increased when you cupped his cheeks out of the blue, not moving to push him off of you or anything. 

“There’s no time, make a pact with me! Now!” 

He thought you were a little crazy, being so bold and then suddenly asking for a pact? “What?” 

“Just agree! We’ll both be erased if you don’t! Hurry!” 

Akira took one look over his shoulders and shuddered, seeing them approach. “A-Alright,” he nodded, adrenaline pulsing through his veins. “I accept⁠—” 

No sooner than he uttered those words did a wave of light wash over you two, and a strange feeling not unlike the one he felt as he created new bonds secured your fate with his.

“Look out!” somehow, you seemed to know what you were doing, hastily apologizing before kicking him off of you, barely dodging yourself as one of those large beasts slammed its fist down on the ground where you two were just laying, standing up and getting into an offensive position. “Can you fight?”

“I⁠ don’t—” 

“Just try!” 

Akira looked skeptical as he rose, though he figured that considering the Metaverse and personas existed, there must be a way to fight. It couldn’t hurt to try and call on Arsène somehow. He wondered if he would be able to, stuck in his school uniform, no mask to rip off, but the rebellious fire in his soul never diminished. Akira was Arsène, and Arsène was Akira just the same. “Come, Arsène!” Akira extended a hand outward, momentarily stunned seeing the familiar red arm and black claws mimicking his movement. 

“Holy shit⁠,” he heard your voice from behind him, clearly surprised seeing him summon Arsène. Not a second later watched as you lit the assailant on fire, inexplicably hovering over the ground for a split second. “But I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve too.” 

Akira was silently grateful for the hours of torture he put himself through in the gym as he spun around and kicked, watching as Arsène’s heel sliced through one of them, erasing them in the same manner they had erased the others.

He heard static and watched as you dusted your hands and shirt off, before rushing over to him. Akira had to admit he thought you might’ve been aiming to punch him, but when you threw your arms around his neck, cheering, he couldn’t help but smile. You two had survived for now— but it wasn’t going to be enough. You had to keep moving, especially because more of those damn things were going to come after you. 

“We did it! I can’t believe we did it⁠! I can’t believe I found a partner, and a powerful one at that, I⁠—” 

“There’s no time to relax,” Akira gently pulled you off of him, confusion written all over his face. “You know what’s going on, right?” he looked at his left palm, wincing as the timer read 30:28, “Can you explain… all of this? But we should probably keep moving, those monsters are going to come after us again.” 

 “No, we’re safe now,” you explained, still grinning out of relief. “They won’t attack us out of the blue now that we have a pact. Anyways, sorry for before. I should introduce myself,” you stuck out your hand for him to shake, telling him your name. “I hope we get along! We have a long week ahead of us.” 

Choosing to ignore the words that only made him more confused, Akira took your hand and gave it a firm shake. “I’m Akira Kurusu, nice to make your acquaintance,” he cleared his throat and shoved his hand in his pocket quickly after, looking away, up towards the skyline where he saw the brim of 109. “What the hell is all of this?” 

“I think it’s the reaper’s game.” 

“The what now?” 

You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly, “you might not believe me, but it’s true. I’m… something of a casual occultist? I just enjoy reading those types of stories. Anyways, I’ll explain while we head to ten-nine.” 

“You got the message too?” 

“Every player did. You have a timer on your hand, right? We don’t have time to waste, let’s go,” you declared, marching forward with confidence now that you had a partner to help you battle against the creatures. 

Akira had to jog to catch up to your quick speed. “Slow down! I still don’t understand what’s going on!” He was starting to wish that you were Morgana with how you were unintentionally dodging his questions. A sudden, nauseating swarm of emptiness overtook Akira at the thought of his roommate who was most certainly not a cat, and subsequently, the other Phantom Thieves. How were they all? Were they stuck in this hellscape too? He was worried, and rather stunned to have seen no news about him or the Phantom Thieves at all, not even as he passed by hundreds of people. 

Even so, he didn’t have much of a choice of what to do. Akira simply had to trust you, and trust you he would. If it meant the both of you surviving until the end of this week, he’ll do anything. 

[completeotometrash]

Obsession~ (Mitsuhide x reader)

It was something in his smile.

              At least, this is what she swore drove her crazy in the late hours of the day, or as soon as she awoke in the morning, and she dare say even in the middle of the afternoon. She just couldn't accept feeling this strongly about a man.

No.

              She wouldn't allow it. She was not meant to fall for someone. She didn't believe she deserved a feeling what one may dare call, love. The burning sensation of the sake in her cup as the strong liquid slowly, smoothly, went down her throat. Another late night with the kitsune himself.

Mitsuhide Akechi.

              The man her thoughts couldn't help but run to. She was never the expressive type of woman, more-so, closed off, or, "cold". These terms did not bother her in the slightest. As a matter of fact, she found other people's input quite amusing most of the time. Not that their opinion truly mattered anyways. All but Mitsuhides'. He was so different compared to other men. He found her naturally stoic personality amusing and would test to see if he could make her flustered. She hated it with the very depth of her core, because he succeeds most of the time.  

             A small sigh leaves her body as she gazes at he presumably perfect man in front of her. First looking at his eyes. Eyes the color of a burning ember that held so many secrets. Secrets she desires to know. Something about his mysterious nature allured her to him. Made her want to know everything about him, even though the chances of anyone doing that are very slim. Her eyes traveled down slowly, going to his cunning smile- the one he always wore to keep people at bay, his sharp gnaw line,  and finally to his pale skin- and how it managed to glow in the dim candlelight placed in the center of the dining table that sat between them.

              She then realized just how tipsy she is when his deep voice let out a low chuckle, noticing her wandering gaze. The young chatline was never completely sure as to whether Mitsuhide knew of her feelings. Some days, it was almost as if he could read minds. But he would have said something at this point, no? After the year she's spent in Azuchi, she felt something for him from the start. That something grew more and more after multiple of his teasing antics. She stayed in this time because her life was meaningless in the future. She felt like she belonged here. Being in the Oda with all of the warlords made her feel more at home.

              She watched Mitsuhide down yet another cup of sake. He's already nearly doubled the amount she's had this month and hasn't showed any signs of being drunk or tipsy. She and Ieyasu once made a small joke about it, stating that Mitsuhide could possibly be a severe lightweight, just really good at pretending to be sober. They had become surprisingly close- and in his own, sour, prickly, way admitted he respected her more than most people. He's always been a good person to turn to, a close friend.

              Mitsuhide deviously smiles, "Little mouse, you've been awfully quiet. And that red tint on your cheeks is quite amusing." He slowly leans closer over the table, his kimono moving just enough to see a glimpse of his toned chest.

              She takes a deep breath, trying to get her words together in her scrambled mind. "What 'red tint?'" She crosses her arms in a presumably un-ladylike manner, watching his hand sneakily move to her face. She stays still, curious to see what he's doing.

              A gentle, cold, touch follows on the center of her right cheek, moving to cup her face ever so gently. It's the little touches like these he loved to torment her with. Randomly playing with her hair, the small, teasing kisses on her hand or forehead. The seemingly innocent- no. The sneaky things he would randomly whisper in her ear. He was good at pushing you just on the edge of breaking point. He knew how to drive someone mad, and she was his next target.

               She tries to fight the urge, but fails as she slowly leans into his touch, "Must be the alcohol." She states blankly, her heart beating in her chest hoping he bought it. She doubts if he believes her, and feels sudden emptiness when he pulls away, the spot on her face he touched burning with his imprint. An imprint that felt like daggers slowly melting her skin.

              Her hand raises to the spot. Looking at him with raging emotions in her eyes. Emotions she always tried to suppress before. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream to him about how she felt. How it drives her crazy, and she lays awake every night thinking of him. She knew it would not be mature to act on these feelings. Not while drunk. She stands up, gently pushing in her chair. "I should really get to bed." She states with hesitance.

            Mitsuhide perks up, "I'll walk with you, wouldn't want such a clumsy woman like you tripping over your own feet." The stupid smirk on his face makes her want to punch and hug him at the same time. She wishes he wouldn't follow her, she just wants to be alone. But as he stands up, something stops her from telling him to stay.

              She walks  in front of her chamber door, turning around. "Thank you for watching out for me." She looks up at him, showing one of her rare, very hesitant, smiles. He says nothing, grabbing a small strand of her hair. She watches as it runs through his long fingers, almost completely mesmerized. There he goes with the touching again. She knows it sounds strange, but his hands were always something she found very interesting about him. She noted a while ago that he has very long, precise fingers- and as his touch becomes more frequent, she also notices that his hands are always cold. In a soothing way, almost. It would be a lot better if it were more of a loving gesture rather than something to simply get a rise out of her. Another rush of emotions take over her senses, she looks down. Mitsuhide took notice and she could tell by the way he tilted his head to look at her.

              She feels a finger lift up her chin gently, molten gold eyes once again peering into her own. Her heart was hurting.  Hurting so much she felt her eyes start to water before she closes them. Why must he do things like this? Why can't he just leave her alone? She tries to pull away but he blocks her way, laying his arm against the wall, trapping her. His hand never leaves her chin.

              He looks her up and down, "I knew there was something wrong with our little chatline." She presses her hands against his chest, giving a hard push. He stumbles slightly but easily regains balance.

             "I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave now Mitsuhide. Now is not the time to fool me with your antics." She feels the wetness of her cheek with her palm as the tears start to fall. Despite her efforts, they just kept coming.

              He pulls out a handkerchief from his kimono, "Who said I was playing antics?" His voice is softer than usual as he walks closer to her.

               She shakes her head, backing up again. "I did, because that's what you do Mitsuhide. You tease me every day. You lead me on and, one minute you're playing with my hair and the next you just-!" Her voice that continued to grow louder is suddenly stopped by a single finger pressing against her lips. She feels her body start to shake, she knew she was beginning to break down. It was too late now, once she started she couldn't stop.

               Mitsuhide gently wipes away her tears, kissing her brow. Until she pulls away yet again. "You keep doing it! Why must you make me feel like this all of the time?'' She runs her hands through her hair, "I can't take it anymore Mitsuhide! I can't keep wondering how you feel about me when all you give are mixed signals!" she sits down on the ground, covering her face with her hands. Everything was blurry now, she could only see his figure sit next to her quietly.

              He wipes her hot tears yet again gently. When she looks focuses her vision on his face again, there is no longer a cunning smile there. But the first seemingly genuine expression she's ever saw on him. She bites her bottom lip.

He looks concerned.

               "I believe I took it too far. I apologize, Little Mouse." He pulls her in close to his chest, rubbing large and slow circular motions in her back. "But I will say again, I was never playing antics."

              She sniffles, "Then what the hell was that meant to be? Some messed up way of affection?" She shakes her head, "Yeah right." Her body continues to lightly shake as he refuses to meet his eyes.      

              He repositions himself to sit right in front of her, grabbing her hand. "No. That's exactly what it is." a smile curls his lips waiting for her reaction.

              She looks up with hope shining in her eyes. "What?" she looks down at their interlocked hands.

              Mitsuhide speaks again- "Look at me." She takes a deep breath, looking up. "I have feelings for you. I always have." he strokes her cheek gently, coming closer.

              As if it was instinct their lips interlock, and it was better than anything she had ever imagined before. A fire ignited within her as butterflies were flying out of control from the pit of her stomach. It almost seemed too good to be true on both ends. She pulls away, panting- the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. He holds her close, keeping a tight grip. Even though it hurt a little she didn't mind. She didn't want him to let go.  As she breathes in, her now lovers familiar smell of gunpower and sake became more intoxicating than the alcohol.....