#this is like that time my sibling explained what Metaverse was to me when we were bar hopping last

[thecorpulentbeagle]

Okujima Week 2020: Shadows

Today’s prompt is “Shadows”, which can mean anything from the monsters in the Metaverse to literal shadows. I decided to make this one a little bit of both!

This story will have spoilers from later in the game, so if you have not reached the Palace after Okumura’s (and since you are reading a fanfiction where Haru is involved, I assume that you have seen her father’s Palace!), then I would wait to read this story.

Please enjoy this second part of the Okujima Week 2020 Challenge!

Here is the fanfiction.net link.

As always: THIS STORY WILL NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 5 ROYAL, BUT WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 5.

Okujima Week 2020 Challenge:

Easing Tension:

Shadows

-Haru-

Sae’s Palace.

It was extremely interesting, as far as Palaces went. To be fair, Haru had only ever seen her own father’s and this current one, so she didn’t have much to compare to.

But this Palace, with the flashing lights and ringing bells from slot machines, was by far the more ostentatious of the two. There was so much stimuli that it was almost overwhelming.

The group had traversed the Palace, and all the while, Haru kept a close eye on Makoto.

She knew the feeling of going through a loved one’s Palace, of seeing the warped ideals and desires of someone you cared about.

That was hard enough, but the fact that you had to experience all of this while being alongside your friends was harder in some ways. It was true that they could comfort you, but it was also something that you wanted to hide from them. It was a personal family affair, and to have outsiders looking in was… uncomfortable to say the least.

So, Haru resolved to be by Makoto’s side, both in spirit and physically. The two had hit it off soon after Haru had joined the Phantom Thieves, and Makoto had been a comfort to Haru ever since her father had passed. The other girl knew what it felt like to lose a father, and Haru had felt comfortable confiding in her. Now, Haru was eager to return the favor.

The Phantom Thieves were currently on the High Limit Floor, which, as the name suggested, gave high rewards in exchange for high risks. They had just managed to get to this floor after having earned the coins to reach it in addition to changing Sae’s cognition to allow them entry without a “reservation”.

The group had learned that they would need 100,000 coins to reach the floor where Sae’s Shadow was waiting for them, and they were now heading over to a place called the “House of Darkness”.

As they made their way, Haru checked on her friend once again. She’d gone through a pretty rough situation just yesterday, and she was concerned that Makoto was still shaken up.

Sae’s Shadow had called the Phantom Thieves “losers”, but that petty and childish insult wasn’t what had really affected Makoto.

It was when she said that prosecutors such as herself rigged trials in order to win them that Makoto became deeply disturbed and upset by her sister’s admittedly deranged behavior.

“Are you serious, Sis!?” Makoto had shouted as her sister’s Shadow, which had been prepared to ascend to the next floor of the casino via elevator.

There had been a pause then, a silence that spoke volumes. Not only was Sae’s Shadow admitting horrific things, she was also refusing to even acknowledge her own sister’s feelings on them.

Haru herself didn’t have any siblings, but she could imagine how hurtful it would feel to be held in such low esteem from someone you trusted and respected. It was clear that Makoto valued her sister’s opinion of her more than almost anyone else’s, and Sae’s deepest thoughts and feelings appeared to not care at all.

It was no surprise that Makoto had then demanded, “Why won’t you answer me!?”

“Mako-chan…” Haru had whispered. Her heart had throbbed painfully at the desperation in her friend’s voice. It had seemed that Makoto was truly putting up a tough façade after all, and that it was finally showing cracks after one too many blows.

Sae’s Shadow had taunted them once more, completely ignoring Makoto, before finally disappearing.

Makoto had insisted that her sister’s thoughts were distorted, and that she had to be stopped. The Phantom Thieves eagerly agreed with her. Haru herself had assured her that everyone felt the same way.

She could be there for Makoto to make sure that she didn’t lose hope, just as she had done the same for Haru.

--

The Phantom Thieves arrived at the House of Darkness, and listened as the Shadow Assistant explained the rules of the game. It seemed that there would be a maze in the dark.

Haru gulped. She knew that Makoto had a fear of the dark, so she also knew that this next task would not be an easy one.

Before Haru could look to see Makoto’s reaction, she listened as the Shadow Assistant explained that they would be participants in this trial.

“Participants?” Morgana asked.

“Most certainly. The original intent behind the high limit floor is different from that of others. On this floor, VIPs are encouraged to send substitutes to compete in the games in their place. Consider it to be like the horses in horse racing.” The Shadow Assistant looked around. “However… it seems you have no substitutes.”

“Of course we don’t. That should be obvious,” Makoto snapped.

Haru looked to see that Makoto was frowning, which was understandable, as this was quite an annoying road block. But when she looked closer, she saw that Makoto had her hands at her sides, fists clenched.

She also noticed that her hands appeared to be shaking ever so slightly.

It seemed that Makoto was frightened after all.

The Shadow Assistant continued to explain the rules of the game, and the fact that they would receive 10,000 coins for completing the maze, which would go a long way in accomplishing their goal.

But after expressing her astonishment at that, Haru looked back to Makoto. Seeing her standing tall and proud but trembling made Haru’s heart ache once more, and she resolved then and there to help her through this maze as much as she could.

“…Well then, please enjoy.” The Shadow Assistant gestured towards the entrance, stepping aside.

As the group made their way forward, Haru made sure to meet up with Makoto and match her pace. The girl looked at her curiously.

Not wanting to admit that she had deduced Makoto’s fear immediately, Haru decided to ease into her comfort. “How are you holding up, Queen?”

“I’m alright,” Makoto murmured back. She turned to look at the rest of the group, which had moved to be in front of the two. “It’s just a maze, right?”

Haru nodded. “Yes. But it’s also in the dark.”

Makoto’s face twitched. “I know. There’s no need to repeat it.”

Haru realized she’d pushed a little too far. “Queen, I –”

“That’s enough, Noir,” Makoto replied curtly, essentially ending their conversation.

The Phantom Thieves made it to the door, with Akira preparing to open it. Haru made one last attempt to calm Makoto’s nerves.

“Well… just let me know how I can help. I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”

“That’s not necessary. I’m not a child. I’ll be fine.” Haru saw that Makoto’s jaw was now clenched in addition to her fists. She’d never seen the girl so on edge.

“If you say so…”

As the group walked through the doorway into the House of Darkness, Haru realized that it wasn’t just dark… it was pitch black. She couldn’t even make out her fellow comrades.

“God damn! It’s so freakin’ dark!” Haru turned her head toward the source of Ryuji’s voice.

“This is definitely not ‘a little’. We’ve been tricked,” Makoto added. Since Haru had made it a point to stay by her side, she knew where her voice was coming from.

“I’m sensing Shadows too. ‘Very simple,’ my ass,” Futaba complained.

“If we do not ascertain the layout and placement of the enemies, we will surely find ourselves in danger. I just hope there is an adequate way of doing so…” Yusuke’s voice rang through the air as well.

He was right. The Phantom Thieves had already encountered several strong enemies, and they were difficult to fight without this additional handicap. Haru blinked her eyes quickly, hoping that they would somewhat adjust to the darkness.

Then, she felt a slight tug on her hand.

She sucked in a quick breath, and grasped the handle of her axe with her free hand, getting ready to strike. She opened her mouth to warn the rest of the team, looking to her side to see what type of enemy they would be facing.

Instead, she realized that her eyes were slowly making out the form of Makoto. She couldn’t tell what expression she was making because of the lack of light, but she could tell that it was her friend holding onto her hand, and not an enemy preparing to attack.

She eased her hold on her axe, while at the same time, tightening her hold onto Makoto. “Queen?” she asked.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm?”

“For…” Makoto squeezed her hand. “For being curt with you earlier. I know you’re j-just trying to help.”

Haru didn’t get a chance to respond as the group moved forward, trying to figure out where to go next. It seemed that Akira had a hunch of where to go, and he indicated to the others to follow his footsteps.

Haru kept her hold on Makoto’s hand, and noticed with a smile that Makoto was making every effort to stay next to her and hold her hand as well.

But Haru wanted to address her friend’s apology, as well as the slight tremor in her voice. Keeping her own low to ensure that no one else could hear them, Haru whispered, “It’s alright, Queen. I know that you’re trying to keep calm. I want to help you do that.”

“Thank you… for being so understanding.” Haru felt Makoto move closer, her arm bumping up against hers. “I… don’t want to push you away… but I just… don’t know how to handle all of this right now.”

Haru rubbed her gloved hand with her thumb, hoping to soothe her. Through all of this hand-holding, she could feel the tremors that the other girl was trying so desperately to hide. “I understand. And I don’t blame you for lashing out.”

“I just… feel so cowardly, only talking to you like this because no one else can see. I don’t want you to think that I don’t want to be associated with you.”

“It’s not because of me. It’s because you’re being vulnerable. It’s completely understandable Mako- ehem, Queen.” Haru gave a nervous laugh at almost revealing her real name in the cognitive world.

Makoto chuckled a little at Haru’s slip-up. “Thank you. You always know what to say. I’m very grateful for that.”

“Oh no. I just know what to say when it comes to you.” She paused. “This might be a little rude to say, but you’re easy to read if I look hard enough.”

“Ha. I suppose that’s true. But only for you, I hope?” Makoto sounded extremely sincere, even bordering on… nervous?

Haru knew that she cared deeply for Makoto, but didn’t want to take that final step of confessing, especially not now, given Makoto’s situation. Her feelings were delicate at the moment, and Haru wanted her to be in a place of stability before declaring anything.

Still, statements like that made it very difficult for Haru to not admit her feelings right then and there. Maybe a hint of them would work instead.

“I… might be the only one who looks that deeply,” Haru admitted, feeling a blush on her cheeks.

Makoto pinched the brim of Haru’s hat and tipped it down slightly, which caused her to splutter. “Perhaps.” She chuckled.

Haru straightened out her hat with a huff, nudging Makoto’s shoulder in a teasing rebuke. She wasn’t quite sure if her flirtations were too subtle, or if Makoto didn’t think of her that way, or even if Makoto was pushing away any thoughts or feelings like that for now until they were finished with their mission.

Her musings were interrupted by Akira slamming into a locked door with his shoulder. It didn’t budge.

The group expressed dismay at their bad luck, with Yusuke exclaiming that it was impossible, as this path was the only path available. Akechi indicated that it was most likely a trap, and that the organizers of the maze had no intention of letting any of the participants through.

As Ryuji angrily shouted about the cheating, Haru felt Makoto grip her hand tightly. “Regardless, let’s search for a way past here. We can’t get the coins if we don’t reach the goal.”

It seemed that Makoto had calmed down enough to be able to keep focus on what they had to do. Haru hoped that it was at least in part due to her influence, and that Makoto squeezing her hand just moments before was her seeking Haru’s support. She seemed much more confident than she had been only minutes earlier.

The group set about looking for a new way out, and before too long, Ryuji spoke up.

“Yo, look! There’s a breeze comin’ through here. You think it goes somewhere else!?”

“Hm, how convenient. If they’re not going to let us move forward, we can force our way through here,” Makoto added.

Haru realized that they would not be able to maintain this position, as they were going to need to go through the passageway single-file. She squeezed Makoto’s hand once more before letting go, noting how Makoto’s grip took a split-second longer than normal to loosen.

Haru waited as the rest of the Phantom Thieves went through, seeing as Makoto and herself were still in the back. After a moment’s hesitation, she realized that Makoto wasn’t making a move to enter either.

“Um… after you,” Makoto mumbled. Haru could barely make out that she was gesturing towards the duct.

“Thanks!” Haru chirped, wanting to acknowledge Makoto’s generosity. Besides, it was a comfort knowing that the other girl had her back.

After a few minutes of crawling, the Phantom Thieves emerged, and Akira planned their next move.

Seeing as their group had grown to include nine members, it was getting a little crowded where they were standing. Haru attempted to inch out of the way of the duct so that Makoto could pass through. She made sure to keep close, though, because she wanted to go right back to the physical contact they had before.

She heard rather than saw Makoto emerge from the duct, and she felt her presence as she stood up behind her.

What she wasn’t expecting was for Makoto to continue to walk forward, and she bumped into Haru’s back, gasping slightly. Apparently, she hadn’t heard Akira’s planning and had assumed the rest of the group had made their way onward.

As the other girl apologized, Haru assured her that she was fine. Besides, she didn’t really mind this kind of physical contact with her either. Though it didn’t last long, as the other girl moved quickly away.

A few minutes later, the Phantom Thieves finally arrived at a new part of the maze. Thankfully, this one had light.

“Oooh, we made it through!” Morgana cheered.

“Is that it, though? It feels like there’s more up ahead,” Ann said.

Haru looked to her side to see that Makoto was looking much happier than she had been going into the dark. Of course, her brow was still furrowed in concentration, but that was her normal serious countenance, not a cover-up of fear.

This was the Makoto she knew.

And in her heart of hearts, this was the Makoto that she loved.

 --

Part two is now complete! I always thought that it was a little bit strange that Makoto had no reaction to the House of Darkness, considering how much she freaked out in the Sakura residence.

Granted, being in the Metaverse with her “Queen” attire probably makes her feel more confident (plus the game wanted to be serious at this point without goofy hijinks), but I still thought it was a little off. Maybe they’ll have addressed it in Royal… but probably not!

I also had to go back and re-watch some of Sae’s Palace to write this. I haven’t played Persona 5 in a long while (so that playing Royal feels like a brand-new experience), and I actually forgot some of the details needed for this story (like the name of the maze and some of the dialogue). It was interesting to see how the dialogue could indicate Okujima if you already ship it. The quote where Haru says Makoto’s name sadly as her sister’s Shadow taunts them is actually in-game, so that works enough for me as proof!

All kidding aside – hope that you enjoyed. Tomorrow will be the third installment, so see ya then!

[yusuke-of-valla]

Meeting the Fam

They say when you marry a guy, you marry his family too. Well, Yusuke isn’t getting married yet, but he’s gotta introduce his s/o to his family at some point, right? 

Each Phantom Thief is going to have a slightly different reaction

In the Case of Ren (and also Morgana)

Ren's cautious as he approaches the Amagi Inn. Even with the Metaverse gone, it’s relatively easy to slip back into the role of Joker. With Morgana on the ground beside him, Ren sneaks to the door.

In his pocket is a calling card addressed to him and Yusuke, requesting their presence at the Amagi Inn at 7:00PM sharp. Ren doesn’t know who sent or why, but like hell is he taking Yusuke into such an obvious trap. Yusuke’s train arrives at 6:30, a half hour from now, so Ren plans to try and stake out the situation, if not handle it himself so he can have a nice, peaceful, visit from his boyfriend.

Ren gets to the room noted on the calling card and hears the bustle of people setting up. He can make out voices through the door, but not what they’re saying exactly. Ren nods at Morgana and the two wait in the shadows for someone to open the door.

When they do, Ren jumps them, hoping to put them in a hold and drag them to the side, but they swing their arm back in surprise, hitting him in the face. Well it looked like their arm, but it must have been some sort of pipe because Ren definitely feels metal connecting with his face before passing out.

“I gave Yusuke’s boyfriend a concussion!” an accented voice says frantically. “I gave Yusuke’s boyfriend a concussion! He’s gonna kill me.”

“Labrys, it’s fine, you didn’t give him a concussion.”

“He ain’t wakin’ up. What if I killed him?”

“You definitely didn’t kill him, calm down.”

Ren slowly opens his eyes to see gray eyes and blue hairs. “Yusuke?” he mutters.

“Nope,” the figure says amusedly, “but it’s ok, people get us confused all the time. Family resemblance.”

“Mistah Amamiya are you alright?” The figure of a highschool girl with silvery hair and red eyes shoves the other person out of his view. “I didn’t hit ya too hard or nothin’?”

Ren doesn’t respond, too busy processing the other aspects of the girl’s appearence, namely the metallic parts jutting out of her head and the parts that clearly made up her arms and legs.

“A robot?!” Ren gasps. He scrambles back and stands up to take stock of the room. There are a bunch of people he doesn’t know all staring at him, standouts being one boy who looks his age, a second robot, and a dog.

Ren takes a second to compose himself. “Who are you people, and what do you want?”

A redhead in business attire steps forward. “We are the Shadow Operatives, a group of Persona users who work with the government--”

“A Mitsuru?” A brunette woman with short hair -- who Ren swears he recognizes from somewhere but can’t place-- puts a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “Maybe we shouldn’t open with that, the kid’s obviously on edge already.”

“I know, that’s why I thought establishing ourselves as fellow Persona users would be helpful.”

“Sure, but I don’t think mentioning the government connection will really help our standing with the one Yusuke made clear was pretty screwed over by the government.”

“How do you guys know Yusuke?” Ren asks.

The blue haired one steps forward again. “Yusuke’s my brother. I’m Naoto Arisato.”

Now that name rings a bell.

“The First Detective Prince?” Ren says, “Yusuke never mentioned you.”

“But he mentioned having siblings right? And that he’d been living in Iwatodai before transferring to Kosei and living with Madarame?”

Ren nods.

“Yusuke didn’t mention me or use his real last name because it would draw too much attention,” Naoto explains. “But yeah, these are the guys we lived with on Iwatodai. When I told them Yusuke would be in Inaba we decided to throw a surprise party since most of us haven’t seen him in a year. I really expected him to explain all of this when you told him about the calling card.”

Ren says nothing.

“You didn’t tell him about the calling card.”

“It was a mysterious card dropped in my mailbox with an ominous message! It screamed ‘trap!’ If I’d told Yusuke he would have insisted on coming with me and I wanted to make sure the situation was non-hostile first!” Ren says defensively.

Everyone in the room shares a glance. “So… who’s idea was the calling card again?,” a man in a baseball cap asks.

“Naoto’s.” the highschooler replies without missing a beat.

Naoto facepalms. “They’re Phantom Thieves, I thought it’d be cute! And even if it was a little suspicious, why wouldn’t you tell Yusuke about it? What was you’re plan if we were hostile?”

“I’d figure something out.”

A woman with light blue braided hair giggles. “Wow. You know the saying that people tend to date guys who remind them of their father? Well running in like that was very Akihiko of you.”

A silver haired man looks like he’s trying to decide if he’s touched or offended..

“It’s not like I didn’t tell anyone,” Ren insists. “I told my cat. Speaking of which, where is Morgana?”

“I think I saw a cat bolt when I knocked ya out.” Labrys says.

“Yes, and he ran all the way to the train station to tell me that Ren had been kidnapped by robots” A new voice says from the door to the room. Yusuke’s standing with Morgana in his arms. “Mitsuru if you didn’t already, could you order some fatty tuna? I think Mona deserves it.”

“That’s really what you’re going to open with?” Mitsuru says, smiling. “What happened to your manners?”

Yusuke grins “It’s good to see all of you. I just wish you’d given me a heads up-”

“It was Naoto’s fault.” Ren says.

“Oh at least take half the blame.”

The second robot-- the blonde one-- takes a seat and motions for everyone to do the same. “We all have a lot to catch up on, shall we do introductions over dinner?”

Everyone starts chattering in agreement. Ren takes a seat next to Yusuke, and slips his hand into his boyfriend’s.

“Are you alright?” Yusuke whispers, “I love them but they can be a lot all at once.”

Ren shrugs. “Nah, rough start, but they seem cool.”

“I’m glad.”

Ren sneaks a quick kiss against Yusuke’s cheek before being absorbed into the Shadow Operative’s dinner conversation.