Chapter Text
"Oh God...why'd you do it, kid?" Sojiro Sakura stood at his counter in shock. There was no way-
Suddenly, the door to his cafe smashed open with enough force to shatter the glass as it hit the banister. At the same time, two people stumbled through the entrance, their movements hampered by one hanging off the other's left side.
"What the!?...You!?"
"I was hoping I'd make it here before that aired..." Sae mumbled. Then, she spoke up, "He's alive. Can I get some help here?"
Sojiro moved around the counter to Ren's side. Together, they eased their way over to a booth and carefully helped Ren into a seat. Sojiro slid the table to one side to free up space and helped the barely conscious boy lay down.
Standing up and looking over his ward, he turned to Sae with a cold glare. She held her hands up, hoping to placate the mans anger, or at least redirect it.
"I had nothing to do with this. I interviewed him after the...interrogation...but I had no hand or say in his current state. I don't know any specifics, but I know they beat him badly and injected him with at least two doses of pentothal"
Sojiro stared at her.
"I'm sorry to run, but I can't stay here. I'm not sure yet what these kids got themselves involved in, but I can't chance anyone finding out he's here or that I brought him." She turned to leave, then paused after seeing the door. "I'm sorry about your door. I'll pay to get it fixed."
Sojiro didn't respond. He was again looking over Ren.
"I know he looks bad, but I know he'll be fine. He's the toughest kid I've ever met. Even beaten and drugged, he was able to recount the events that led up to this and bring me over to his side. All without implicating anyone else. …Not for a lack of trying on my part. He will need medical attention though."
Ren stirred and spoke, just above a whisper. "Ta-kemi. She knows."
The two adults looked from Ren to each other.
"I-I know who he's talking about. Sojiro said. "She's a regular of mine. I'll call her."
"Very well. If he trusts her, I'm sure she can help. I really have to go now."
"Thanks. For, bringing him here...and believing him. You don't have to worry about the door. I think we owe you."
Sae waved him off as she left. "No way. I'll be back soon and I'll pay you for it." Then she left, closing the door behind her.
Sojiro took a deep breath as her heels clicked away. Looking a seemingly unconscious Ren over again, he was certain the extent of punishment the boy had endured was partially, or perhaps mostly covered by his tattered clothing. He walked over to his ancient yellow dial phone, picked up a card the obscure doctor had left him and dialed the number. The phone rang just long enough that he began worrying she might not pick up. The thought hit him that if she knew and had seen the news…
"Dr. Takemi. I'm sorry, but we're closing early today due to unforseen circumstances. Please visit an ER if it's an emergency." Her typically dry and disinterested voice sounded even moreso than usual. She must have seen the news.
"Wait! It's about Ren. Please come the the cafe."
"Ren? But…ok, I'll be right there." Sojiro heard frantic movement before the call cut off.
He took a deep breath again as he hung up the receiver. He then heard a gasp from outside and someone worriedly called into the cafe.
"Boss!?" They saw each other through the now glassless door. "What happened!? Where's Ren!?"
Sojiro walked over to the door and opened it.
"Makoto? He's here. He's over there, but Makoto, he's-"
She rushed over to where Sojiro had indicated, ignoring his warning. When she saw him, she gasped and her hand shot up to cover her mouth. He looked bad, but she knew he was alive at least thanks to the slight rise and fall of his chest.
"My God. What did they- do to him?" She mumbled.
While Sojiro was still standing in the doorway he heard a pair of familiar platform boots approaching quickly.
"Christ, Boss. What happened to your door?" Tae asked, then she saw Sojiro and Makoto. "Where is he?" She asked, concern clear in her voice.
Makoto looked at the booth he occupied and backed away as Tae rushed over.
"What the hell happened to him!?" She looked at makoto and then Sojiro, both slightly withering under her glare.
Sojiro recovered first. "I don't have any specifics, but he was beaten and apparently drugged with pentothal."
"By who!? The news said- ...wait, the police did this!? How'd he get here!?"
"That one's older sister, a prosecutor, dropped him off and ran."
"We need to get him to a bed. I'd rather get him to my clinic, but he's in no shape to be moved that far. He stays upstairs here, right?"
"Yeah. I think with three of us we can get him up there easily enough." Sojiro replied.
"It won't be pleasant for him, but I'm going to try waking him up. It'll be easier to get him upstairs and assess his condition if he's conscious."
Tae moved to gently wake Ren and Sojiro looked at Makoto, concerned.
"Hey, if you think seeing him- like this- may be too much, you can stay down here. I'd say you could go home, but I get the feeling that would be pointless."
Makoto smiled slightly. "No. He was strong for us. Now I'll be strong for him. I'm not leaving his side."
As Tae gently shook Ren awake, he gasped and flinched away, immediately grimacing in pain. She was quick to back off and try calming him as he looked around in fear.
"Hey, easy. You're at Leblanc. You're safe."
Makoto slowly approached the booth, trying not to startle him further.
"You're ok, Ren. Please relax.
The tension drained from his body and his breathing slowed.
"Mako." He said weakly.
He reached for her, trembling and she very carefully took his hand. She saw there were bloody rings around his wrists and had to hold back a surge of tears.
Tae let them have a moment. "We need to get you up to your bed. Think you can help us with that?"
He nodded, gave a weak squeeze to Makoto's hand, then released and sat up slowly. It was obvious that it took great effort as he scowled at the pain. He looked up, his eyes watering. "Mm'sorry. Can't- stand."
Makoto let out a slight sob and moved to help him while Tae did the same.
Sojiro put a hand on her shoulder. "Let me help the doc get him upstairs. You go up and make sure our path is clear. There should be some towels up there, lay a few across his bed, yeah?
Makoto wanted to protest, but nodded and quickly disappeared up the steps.
"Ready doc?"
"Yes."
They both braced themselves under Ren's arms and wrapped theirs around his back. He winced at the contact and nearly every movement they made caused his breath to hitch. Tae and Sojiro shared a sideways glance at each other and nodded lightly. He was in really bad shape. They made it up the stairs with some help from Ren and got to his bed. As soon as they had him sitting on the edge, he lost consciousness. His head lulled forward, but Sojiro caught him and they laid him down carefully.
Tae checked and timed his pulse. "It's slow, but it's there."
The other two let out the breath they had been holding. Sojiro checked the fuel in the space heater, turned it on and moved it closer to the bed.
Tae stood up and looked Ren over for a few seconds. "I need to get these clothes off him so I can examine him. I'll need some help."
Makoto walked up to Tae, blushing slightly. "I'll do it. We're umm...kind of dating? He won't mind."
Tae gave a slight smirk. "Oh? Ok then."
Sojiro chuckled lightly. "I'll leave it to you two then. Let me know if you need my help. I'm gonna make some coffee and another batch of curry. Something tells me we're in for a long night and probably a lot more company."
"If anyone else comes by, don't let them up here. I know they'll want to see him, but it won't do anyone any good."
"Understood."
With that, both parties went to work.
Tae and Makoto worked carefully to remove Ren's clothes, leaving him in only boxers. What they found left both of them speechless for a short time. Makoto had her hand over her mouth again and was losing the fight against her tears. Tae was trying to remain stoic, but rage was apparent on her face.
Three injuries stood out amongst everything else. One was a literal boot print in the center of his chest, another on this right leg and a severe impact on his stomach where it looked like he'd been kicked full force. There were bruises of varying severity across his entire torso and face, small cuts and scrapes here and there, multiple messy injection sites on his left arm, showing he had clearly tried to fight them off and lastly, the lacerations around both of his wrists. A clear sign that he had been handcuffed while beaten.
"A long night, he says...yeah, I'd say so." Tae muttered. She then turned to Makoto. "I know this is hard to see, but like you said downstairs, you need to be strong for him now. I'm going to need your help here."
Makoto wiped her tears and looked up at the rafters while working to control her breathing. After a few seconds, she looked down and nodded to Tae.
"I'm ready. Just tell me what you need."
"We'll need to clean him up a bit first. Any dirt or dried blood is going to keep me from getting an accurate idea of his condition. We need a wash basin or something similar filled with warm water and as many clean wash rags as you can find."
Makoto nodded and went downstairs.
#
Sojiro made his way downstairs after leaving his ward in the care of Tae and Makoto. He leaned against the bar with his head in his hands and took a deep breath, telling himself Ren would be ok. He thought to flip the sign on his door to closed and lock up for a long night in his humble cafe.
"Think I need a smoke first."
He stepped outside and lit up a cigarette, taking an especially long drag and holding it in for a few seconds before finally exhaling. He instantly felt a little more calm as he watched the cool breeze wisp away the smoke. It was dark now and there were few people still milling about. He noticed a group approaching, led by Futaba who was carrying Morgana. The Phantom Thieves all wore somber expressions.
"What are you all so down for? You know he's alive, right?"
Haru replied. "We do know he's alive, thanks to Futaba-chan messaging our group chat, but we also know he's in really rough shape."
Sojiro thought to ask how Futaba had found any of that out, but decided it didn't matter for the moment. "He's upstairs being taken care of by Dr. Takemi and Makoto. Unfortunately, while you're more than welcome to hang out downstairs and have some coffee and curry, the doc has made it clear that no one else is allowed up there for now"
Ann asked what they all wanted to know. "Hey Boss...how bad is it? Her tone was strained and deeper than her usual cheerful demeanor.
"I won't lie to you kids, it's pretty bad. I haven't seen what was hiding under his clothes, but it's not pretty. Sae told me he'd been beaten badly and injected with Pentothal as a kind of 'truth serum'."
The whole group looked down. Haru was first to speak once again. "How horrible..."
Yusuke was next. "Even with all we've seen and all we know, it's incomprehensible that such acts would be carried out by the police against a minor."
"Once he's recovered enough to join in, I expect a full explanation of what you guys have been up to and what led you all to this point... For now though, come on inside. I gotta make the coffee and food. You're all welcome here for as long as you'd like to stay, provided your parents or guardians are ok with it."
"Thanks, Boss." They all replied, piling in after Sojiro opened the door for them.
He finished his cigarette with one last long drag, flicked the butt into a can next to his door, flipped the sign to closed and blew the smoke out (away from the kids) as he walked in and locked the door. As he walked behind the counter to get started in the kitchen, Ryuji piped up.
"Yo Boss, what happened to your door? You have a break in or something?"
"Heh. Sae Niijima happened to my door. When she brought the kid here she had him hanging off her side, trying to support him because he could barely walk. She threw it open so hard it smacked the wall and shattered the glass as she came stumbling in. What a rollercoaster that was. I had just seen the news and then that happened and I saw her of all people. I yelled at her to get out, but then I saw the kid on her shoulder."
"Holy shit..." Ryuji breathed.
"Speaking of the news, do you know what that felt like? Not knowing what was going on and seeing that report? How many other people know and are gonna be devastated by seeing or hearing that?"
The Thieves all looked at each other guiltily and then down at the floor. For a third time, Haru spoke up first.
"We're very sorry for deceiving you, or at least leaving you out of the loop. To be honest, we didn't know they would announce his...death like that. If it weren't for Futaba-chan messaging the group chat, we probably would have thought we failed. As far as who else knows, we will have to wait on Ren."
"It's alright, it's not like I'm mad at you kids or anything. I just can't imagine what you guys have been doing and what you got yourselves involved in that led to all this."
Futaba spoke up. "We're all actually involved and even we can hardly believe it sometimes. As far as what we've been up to, for now I'll just say that it's related to mom's research."
"Wakaba's research? Cognitive Psience, was it?"
"Yeah. There's a lot more, but like you said, we'll wait for Ren to recover before we explain it all."
The conversation lulled as Sojiro worked in the kitchen and the Thieves chatted quietly amongst themselves.
A few minutes later, a very tense Makoto came downstairs. When she saw everyone, she smiled, relaxed a little and went over to give them a minor update.
"I'm sorry I can't tell you more yet, but just know he's really alive and he's going to make it." Her voice was quiet, but confident. Her friends nodded and smiled back.
She then turned to Sojiro.
"Boss, I need warm water in a basin or large bowl and as many clean washcloths as you can spare."
"You got it. One second."
#
Makoto returned upstairs with a large pot full of warm water and plenty of clean washcloths, the latter carried in a paper grocery sack. While she was gone, Tae had improvised an IV drip by hanging it from the shelf next to his bed. She asked the doctor about it as she set the pot and rags down.
"What are you giving him?"
"Just fluids to keep him hydrated and help push the pentothal out of his system. I also drew some blood. Once we're done here, I'll go back to my clinic and run the sample to make sure there's nothing else we need to know about... Well, let's get him cleaned up. You wipe him down and I'll focus on any cuts or scrapes."
Makoto nodded. Tae went to her bag, pulled out some peroxide and cotton balls and they both set to work. Makoto tenderly wiped down his stomach, chest and arms, changing out rags often while Tae treated anywhere she saw broken skin. When Makoto moved to start on his face, she affectionately ran her fingers through his hair and then moved it out of his face. She saw there were red marks where his glasses usually sat, then saw a dark bruise on his left temple. She let out a slight gasp, which got the doctor's attention.
"Did you find something else?"
"Yes."
Makoto moved back a little to let Tae examine the marks and bruise. Some of the anger from earlier returned.
"It looks like his glasses were on for at least part of that...interrogation, and this bruise... Well, it's not important right now. Finish cleaning his face off and we'll sit him up."
Makoto sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over Ren. She put one hand on the back of his head and one under his back and carefully raised him up, essentially hugging him with her chin on his shoulder as Tae examined his back.
"There's only some minor bruising back here. Nothing that should require special attention. You can lay him back down."
The younger girl nodded, but didn't move. She was gently running her hands through his hair again and though she wasn't crying, her eyes were wet with tears. Tae gave a slight smile and stood up.
"We're pretty much done here for now. I'm going to go back to the clinic and run that blood sample. Boss has a card of mine downstairs, but here's another. Call me if anything happens. I'm not going home tonight, so I'll be close by. I'll run this sample and be back with some pain meds for him that won't interact with anything in his system. I imagine none of you will be leaving either, but what I said earlier still stands. No one else needs to come up here other than you, Boss or I."
"Ok." Makoto said quietly as she laid Ren back down.
With that, Tae disappeared downstairs as Makoto looked Ren over carefully.
#
The remainder of the Thieves and Sojiro downstairs had fallen mostly silent as they ate and drank, the latter at the bar while the rest occupied booths. They all looked up as they heard someone coming down the steps.
Ryuji stood up quickly, bumping the table a bit. "How is he, doc?"
"He'll live, but recovery will take some time. I have to ask you all to stay down here for now. I recruited Makoto to help because she was here first, so she's allowed up and of course boss is since he's the kiddo's guardian, but the rest of you need to stay down here."
Ryuji sat back down dejectedly, but agreed along with everyone else with a nod.
"Well, I'm off to go run this blood sample and bring back some pain meds. I'll be back soon."
Sojiro pointed at a large to go cup on the counter. "There's an Altura blend for you, on the house."
Tae grabbed it as she strode towards the door. "Thanks, Boss."
As Takemi left the cafe, everyone went back to half-heartedly eating in relative silence. The coffee and curry were delicious as always, but no one was in much of a mood to enjoy anything while their leader suffered upstairs.
#
Makoto had moved from sitting on the edge of the bed, to Ren's desk chair that she had pulled over next to him.
"Hey... Ren... You can stop pretending to be passed out. I know you've been awake at least since I sat you up. I felt you tense up..."
He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times. His gray eyes were unfocused and lacked the soul piercing depth they usually held. As he looked at her, they sharpened slightly, but it was clear his mind was still in a fog.
"Mako..." He mumbled.
He reached up for her with his left hand, then his eyes rolled down to see the IV in his arm. He recoiled and his breath caught as he moved to rip it out of his arm. Makoto intercepted his hand and tried soothing him.
"Hey, hey, it's ok, you're safe, you're home. Takemi did that to help you get better."
He relaxed some and his breathing slowed as he laid his head back down. He opened watery eyes, took as deep a breath as he could and sighed. Then he mumbled again.
"Hurts."
Makoto thought her heart might actually break. In the corners of her mind she could feel guilt pulling at her. The plan had mostly been hers. Everyone contributed, they all went with it and Ren had readily accepted the starring role, but it was mostly her idea. This was all her- ...She shook her head slightly. That train of thought wouldn't help him right now.
"I know... I'm sorry... Dr. Takemi went to test some blood she got from you. She wanted to make sure whatever is in your system won't react to pain medication. As soon as she's done, she'll bring you something that will help. Ok?"
He nodded slightly, then closed his eyes.
"...Stay?"
"Of course. I'll be right here."
Hearing that, he truly relaxed and after a few moments he was asleep. Makoto found a blanket and covered him with it, then sat and held his hand, periodically running her other through his hair. Eventually, exhaustion took over and while still holding his hand, she laid her head down on her other arm and drifted off to sleep.
#
Ren awoke to a familiar darkness, a familiar cold slab against his back and familiar cuffs on his-
He shot upright and grunted as he fought against the bindings on his wrists.
"Inmate, please calm yourself. You are in a place of safety." One of his two wardens spoke with her usual muted tone.
Ren looked up and began to regain his senses. Justine was looking at him with what appeared to be genuine concern and for once Caroline did not smack the bars to his cell or yell at him. A deep and familiar voice cut through the silence.
"Trickster, your daring and marvelous plan to escape death has succeeded. It was quite the show. However, you seem to now find yourself -or rather your mind- in a place of darkness. I ask that you overcome this, lest you fail your rehabilitation and ensure the coming ruin."
"If you don't regain control of your mind soon, you'll lose your mask and all of your personas, inmate!" Caroline yelled as always, but with a hint of something else in her voice.
Justine followed up. "Now inmate, return to your slumber. We will not meet again until you have saved yourself."
Ren felt exhausted as he lay back on the slab in his cell. He would have to think more about what the twins and Igor had told him after he got more rest. Maybe Mako could help him...
#
Ren awoke again to find himself standing in a dark hallway. Whispers began to reach his ears.
'I hear he carries a knife.'
'He looks calm, but I bet when he loses it...'
'Why is the Delinquent in the library?'
'Is he actually studying?'
He shook his head and walked, shutting out the rumors that had followed him since the day he started at Shujin. The whispers dwindled until he turned a corner and found himself on a familiar street at night. He listened for what he knew he'd hear and headed towards the sound of a man and woman arguing.
'It wasn't a mistake. I did what was right.'
'I did what was right. I swore to Arsene that I hadn't made a mistake when we made our pact.'
Though he believed what he was thinking, Arsene felt distant in his mind. Since he had vowed to abide his rebel soul, his first and true persona had remained at the forefront of his mind, even conversing with him frequently. Now though, he could barely feel his presence.
"Get in the car!"
"Please! Someone help!"
His pace quickened. As he approached the familiar scene, he reached up and grabbed the man's shoulder. As soon as he did so, the ground beneath his feet gave away and he fell into nothingness.
He flailed and looked around wildly as he continued falling, hearing voices from all directions at varying volumes.
"Guilty!" -gavel crack-
A chorus of his friends and girlfriend. "I can't be friends with a violent delinquent."
"I can't be with someone like you. It's over. Goodbye."
Faces appeared before him, then turned away and disappeared.
"You've disgraced us! Do you have any idea how bad this will make us look!? I'll be lucky to even keep the store running!
His father's voice was severe and he could hear his mom crying in the background.
"No. I didn't do anything wrong. I just tried to help..."
His voice was quiet and weak. Maybe he had made a mistake. He felt a familiar weight on his face. He reached up to feel the white domino mask just in time for it to break and fall off. He could no longer feel Arsene within himself as he continued to fall...
#
"...en? Ren? REN!"
He jerked awake and yelled out as he sat up, stopping short at the pain and then coughing, making it even worse. His eyes were panicked, looking around the room trying to get his bearings. He took quick, shallow breaths and his heart raced. As everything came into focus, his eyes landed on Makoto who was standing by the bed. As he looked at her worried face, he began to relax.
Makoto didn't really know what to do or say for a moment. She decided to ask him what happened.
"...Did you, have a bad dream?"
"...Yeah... Yeah it was, just a nightmare."
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"It was..."
The scenes from his dream flashed through his mind. Everyone from his old life had turned on him. No one even tried listening to his side of the story. He felt darkness creeping further into his mind. If his new friends found out how broken he was, they would abandon him too. He'd already had three episodes in front of Makoto. It was only a matter of time.
"...nothing... It was nothing. Just a bad dream. Really."
He smiled. It wasn't genuine.
Makoto wasn't convinced, but she didn't want to push him. "Ok. Please talk to me if you need to. I want to be there for you. I am here for you."
"Of course, Makoto. I know you are." The words were hollow.
Makoto was still worried, but she smiled at him and then turned to upright the chair she had kicked over while trying to wake him. The first rays of light were starting to spill through the window. She had gotten some sleep, but it hadn't been great sleep and she was a little stiff from the position she'd been in. As she sat back down at his side, she considered if him not using her nickname held any significance.
"Everything still hurts... Gonna sleep."
"Ok. I'll be here. Dr. Takemi should be back soon."
He nodded and closed his eyes. Makoto became conscious of a friction in the air between them. She felt as though she was only seeing Ren and found no traces of his bold alter ego. She tried not to think about what either observation meant, but one thing was clear. Ren was not ok.
'Joanna. Can you sense other personas?'
'Are you sure you wish to know the answer to the question you are about to ask?'
'...Yes.'
'No. I can no longer sense Arsene within him.'