The Last Promise

Warning: Persona 5 ending spoilers ahead!

Chapter 1: A Promise Revisited

December 24

I walked through the streets of Shibuya alone, not feeling as happy about us defeating a malevolent god as I'd hoped. Maybe it was because Morgana, who'd been an important part of our group since the beginning, even if he'd thought otherwise for a little while, had vanished shortly after the battle. Maybe it was because we still didn't know if we'd be able to see Shido- the evil man whose many crimes included having my mom killed- get what he deserved. Or maybe it was because I wasn't with Akira Kurusu, my boyfriend, the leader of the Phantom Thieves, and the person most precious to me.

A little less than four months ago, I, with Akira's help, had made a promise list of various tasks to work on, so that I could go back to school. With his help, I'd completed all of them- returning to Akihabara, visiting Shujin Academy, learning more about my generation, having a conversation with a stranger my age and even fulfilling the one promise I'd left unfulfilled from my mom's promise notes- except for one.

It was a simple one- "Being okay without you around," but it was also the hardest, kind of like a boss in an RPG that only has the basic attack but has super high stats and HP. I'd gone through my entire life without having Akira around, so why was it so hard to be without him? The answer was simple-I'd fallen in love with him. The only question was whether he felt the same way, and luckily for me, his answer was yes.

Of course, the last two months were nothing if not hectic. Our country's law enforcement agencies wanted us in prison, and a government conspiracy wanted us dead. The only way to uncover the true identities of those who were plotting to use the mental shutdown incidents for personal gain required Akira to fake his death, and the only way to ensure that the public would hold Shido accountable involved reaching Mementos' depths and stealing its treasure. The Metaverse was gone, and I hoped that meant that our battles would be, too, so that I could enjoy Christmas Eve with my boyfriend.

Once I got to a relatively quiet spot, I took out my cell phone and called Sojiro, my late mom's close friend and my adoptive dad, to make sure he was all right even after the chaos that had gripped the city. He picked up almost instantly, probably knowing how much he'd scared me when Akira and I got home to a ransacked Leblanc with him nowhere to be found.

"It's me," Sojiro said. "You OK, Futaba?"

"That's my line, Sojiro," I said. "I was really worried about you."

"Oh, yeah," Sojiro said. "What happened was really crazy, what with the red sky, raining blood and all, but it looks like the Phantom Thieves put a stop to it."

"We sure did," I said. "All that's left is to take care of Shido."

"Right," Sojiro said. "Head on home when you can."

"Gotcha," I said, before hanging up.

I then decided to rectify my being alone on Christmas, and sent a text message to Akira, telling him that Sojiro- who'd started out as his probation officer, but eventually became just as much a dad to him as to me- was OK, and asking him to spend Christmas with me.

About a minute or so passed without a response from Akira, and my heart started pounding. Usually, he was pretty good about responding immediately, so I wondered what was taking him so long. We'd devoted the entire day to stealing Mementos' treasure before anyone could take action against us, and now that we had succeeded, our schedules were clear- or at least, they should have been.

Finally, he sent a text message saying, "Sure," and my heart nearly leaped out of my chest. Luckily, I managed to calm down in time, and arranged to meet with him at the statue of Buchiko. I quickly headed over there, eagerly awaiting the fun Christmas date both of us deserved after everything we'd overcome today.

Standing at the statue of Buchiko, I checked the inscription, and saw that he'd continued waiting for his owner even after the old man died. It was a heartwarming tale of animal loyalty, but at some point, you have to move on. It was hard accepting that my mom was dead, but by doing so and overcoming my guilt, I now had a dad, a boyfriend and many other friends.

As Akira approached, I waved him over.

"Thanks for coming, Akira," I said.

"Not a problem, Futaba," Akira said. "There's no way I'd miss spending tonight with you."

I grinned. I didn't have the guts to make a straightforward love confession, so I asked him why he was so nice to me. Akira was a nice guy who'd helped out a lot of people, but in my case, it was because he was in love with me.

"Gotcha," I said. "Welp, let's go get something to eat first."

We walked around the city, and saw long lines at every single place that had fried chicken or cake. Apparently, the fact that the world almost ended tonight didn't do much to deter people from getting out to celebrate Christmas. All my time as a shut-in must have caused me to underestimate just how large Tokyo really was- when big cities in RPGs have, at most, a few dozen NPCs, it's clear that they don't do the real thing justice.

"Sorry, Futaba, but it looks like we won't be eating out tonight," Akira said, "unless Leblanc counts, of course."

"Fine," I said, a bit annoyed.

It was disappointing, but I convinced myself that there would be all sorts of opportunities to do this later with Akira. What I didn't know was that Akira was treating this night together as if it were our last. I wish I'd realized this sooner, but in hindsight, maybe it was his intention that I didn't.

We got on the subway and headed back to Leblanc- thankfully, not too many people were ready to go home yet. Once we got in, Akira cooked up some curry for the two of us. A turkey might've been nice, but Sojiro didn't have the money for that, so curry had to do. Still, once I tasted the curry- Akira's tasted like Sojiro's, which tasted like Mom's- I couldn't really complain.

After eating, we went upstairs to Akira's room in the attic. For a place that used to be a storeroom less than a year ago, it was surprisingly clean, at least compared to how my room used to be.

"Here, I've got a gift for you," I said, and brought out some headphones that I'd bought. While Akira was back at school and taking exams, I'd taken a third solo outing to Akihabara and bought a pair that was the same brand I used.

"Thank you," Akira said.

"Great," I said. "The sound quality's real impressive, and..."

I gushed about the technical specs of the headphones for several minutes, while Akira listened attentively, and pretended that he was following all that. I was really happy that Akira was happy with his gift, but no matter what I did, the nagging feeling wouldn't go away.

"You know..." I said, "even if we've changed the public's hearts, we've still got to deal with Shido, right?"

"Yeah," Akira said. "Makoto's sister's on the case, though."

"I know," I said. "But she needs evidence, right? So how's she gonna get that if the Metaverse doesn't exist anymore?"

Akira remained silent. Maybe he didn't know the answer to that question... or maybe he did, and it wasn't one that I'd like. He was always good at keeping morale high even when things looked bad, but maybe doing so now was beyond his ability.

After a long pause, Akira sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Akira said.

I was thrown for a moment. Why was Akira apologizing for our present circumstances? We'd done as much as we could, and I believed I could trust Sae Niijima, but did Akira know something I didn't?

"Huh?" I said.

"Never mind," Akira said.

That answer only made me worry more. The simplest way to deceive people was to not say more than you needed to, so that you wouldn't have to say something totally false or end up contradicting yourself. That said, it was also easy to read between the lines and find the truth based on what the liar didn't say- in this case, it was clear that Akira knew something about the case that I didn't, and he was keeping it from me.

I checked my watch.

"I've got to go home," I said.

"All right," Akira said. "I'll walk you back if you like."

I shook my head. Even when I was still a shut-in, I could walk the distance from my house to Leblanc in order to deliver the calling card for Akira to pick up, so walking back by myself was nothing I couldn't handle.

"I'll be fine," I said, and got up to leave.

I took a few steps toward the stairs leading down to Leblanc, and stopped in my tracks.

"I know you're keeping something from me," I said. "I just wish you could trust me enough to tell me what."

Akira remained silent. The way I'd phrased it was too blunt to be easily answered, and it was more of an accusation than a question.

"Good night," I said.

Somehow, even though leaving Akira behind was harder than ever, I did so anyway- I had to. The situation was getting too tense and awkward, and I no longer wanted to be there. Perhaps Akira would be ready to tell me the truth later... if I ever saw him again.

I tossed and turned in my bed. Usually, sleep came easily to me, back when I wanted nothing more than to dream about my mother- maybe a bit too easily, considering how quickly I tired out- but even though I was exhausted after an extremely long day, I couldn't fall asleep at all.

I'd heard that it was natural for people to have arguments with their lovers or spouses, and the only question was whether it was often or bad enough that it was no longer a good relationship. In my case, I still loved Akira, and wasn't even angry at him- I was simply worried, and hoped that he could make things better, like he often did. Maybe he already had.

I eventually dozed off, probably because I was too tired to keep up even the unconscious effort of staying awake in bed, and drifted into a dreamless slumber. The last clear thought I had was the hope that when I woke up, everything would be all right, and I could enjoy another celebration with my boyfriend and those who had helped save this world.

December 25

The next morning, I woke up even later than usual. I was never much of a morning person, even before I stopped attending school and having reason to wake up in the morning, and this time, just as my going to sleep was dictated by my body, so too was my waking up.

I quickly got dressed and set out for Leblanc. We'd promised to meet up there on Christmas Day, and I hoped that someone would have some good news.

When I got there, I saw Makoto had already arrived, and was sitting in one of the booths near the back. Sojiro stood behind the counter, with a despairing look on his face. He usually didn't take not having customers on Christmas Day this badly, so something had happened.

"Hey, where's Akira?" I said, loudly enough that it would wake him up if he were sleping in the attic.

Makoto looked at Sojiro, who shook his head.

"He wasn't in when I got here," Sojiro said. "I know he doesn't like to have to do the dishes, but..."

Makoto's cell phone rang, cutting off Sojiro's lame attempt at a joke to lighten the mood. She looked at the caller ID, apparently expecting a call.

"It's my sister," Makoto said, before picking it up. "Hi, Sis ... I'm at Leblanc, with Boss and Futaba. The others aren't here yet."

A long pause followed, and Makoto's eyes widened

"Wait, are you serious?!" Makoto said. "Akira did WHAT?!"

I was tempted to point out that Sae was always serious, to the point that Makoto seemed easygoing in comparison. But now wasn't the time, and I was desperate to find out what she'd told Makoto.

"What's this about Akira?" I said.

"Sorry, Futaba wants to know what's going on," Makoto said. "Tell her the truth, but please... be mindful of her feelings."

After another pause, Makoto handed the phone to me, and I lifted it to my ear, as I sat down at the counter.

"Futaba-chan?" Sae said. "Are you there?"

"Yeah," I said. "What's this about Akira?"

Sae sighed.

"Last night, just after all of you parted ways, I met with Akira-kun," Sae said. "I explained to him the harsh but necessary truth- that even though Shido could now be tried, we needed a witness to testify about his crimes. With Akechi missing, that role fell to Akira-kun, and he accepted."

"That's good, right?" I said. "If Akira's testifying, then Shido's definitely gonna be found guilty, right?"

"I'm fairly confident about that," Sae said, "but that isn't the problem. Testifying requires Akira-kun to admit to being the leader of the Phantom Thieves, and thus, in violation of his probation. I'm sorry... but to ensure that Shido goes to prison, Akira-kun will be going to juvenile hall."

"Juvenile hall?!" I said. "That's not fair!"

"No, it isn't," Sae said, "but in a bad situation, Akira-kun chose the best possible option, for the sake of protecting those important to him and accomplishing the mission you all undertook together."

"Akira..." I said, and broke down in tears. My words and emotional self-control failed me, and all I could do was cry like a small child. The last time that had happened was when Sojiro had confronted me about the calling card in my room, but Akira had taken over, explained everything and helped get Soiro on our side. This time, it was Sojiro's turn to step in.

Sojiro walked up, laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, and took the phone from me.

"It's me," Sojiro said. "I got the gist of it from hearing Futaba and your sister."

A short pause followed.

"No, don't apologize," Sojiro said. "I kept telling him to stay out of trouble, but I'm actually glad he went and did this. The only one who deserves to be punished is the guy who killed Wakaba."

Another pause happened, and I could only guess what Sae was saying- that she intended to ensure Shido got what he deserved.

"Yeah, I'm counting on you," Sojiro said. "Well, I'll hand it back to your sister now."

Sojiro walked over and handed the phone to Makoto.

"Sis? It's Makoto," Makoto said, before pausing, likely to listen to another of Sae's apologies. "No, I don't think you did anything wrong. It's just hard to accept right now." Another pause followed. "Don't worry, I'll tell the others. I'll talk to you later, Sis."

Makoto then hung up, and sat there, at a loss for words.

"All I wanted was for Akira to get through his probation without any problems," Sojiro said. "At first, I thought I needed to be a hardass to him, but then I realized he wasn't such a bad kid, and just needed an adult who he could depend on, and who'd show him the right thing to do. But to think that by doing the right thing, he'd end up like this..."

Just after that, the rest of our friends- Ryuji, Ann, Haru and Yusuke(or Inari, as I called him)- showed up. Ryuji was just as oblivious to the mood as he was when he casually waltzed up to us after nearly dying in a giant explosion, while Haru and the others seemed to notice something was up. Once Sojiro explained it to them, they didn't take it any better than I did, but didn't have any ideas at first. The only option was to overturn his sentence, but in a country where securing acquittals was extremely hard, overturning a conviction was probably all but impossible.

Then, a seemingly innocent question caused us to have a burst of inspiration- what would Morgana do here? He went almost everywhere with Akira, so he was in some ways closer to our leader than the rest of us, myself included, were, so he'd likely know how best to help Akira. He was the core of our group, who taught us about the Metaverse and gave the Thieves the knowledge of how to steal hearts, so maybe he'd figure out something. He always laughed at us when we didn't get certain things, so I was sure he'd find us all pretty pathetic right now.

We promised to meet again another time. Like it or not, we weren't going to free Akira overnight, especially not when everyone else was having just as hard a time with the news as I was. Maybe they weren't in love with him, but they also considered him an important person, and would have to live without him as long as he was imprisoned.

After everyone left, Sojiro sat down across from me in the center booth. Normally, customers would be sitting there, but one plus side of having a struggling cafe owner as an adoptive dad was that we had a free meeting spot.

"Is something the matter, Futaba?" Sojiro said. "Well, apart from the obvious."

I sighed. I wasn't ready to tell Sojiro about the fact that I was going out with Akira, but it was clear that he was important enough to me that there wasn't any point in hiding it.

"How to put this...?" I said. "Remember those promise lists Mom used to make for me?"

"Yeah," Sojiro said. "I was a bit unsure of whether to do them with you, since it might seem like I was trying too hard to be just like Wakaba, and I don't exactly have the cash for a good reward. That said, I'm glad you're thinking of them."

There was a time when any reminder of Mom- from her curry to the way she raised her daughter- only caused me pain, but luckily, I was past that. Mom might be gone, but her daughter was still alive, her curry was being served at Leblanc and I hoped that one day, her research into cognitive psience would help people.

"Akira and I did one together," I said, "as a way of helping me get ready to go back to school. There was one promise we didn't get to, though, and that was being okay without him around."

I could tell that Sojiro got it pretty much immediately.

"And now, like it or not, you've got to do that one anyway," Sojiro said. "Life has a way of separating you from your loved ones."

I couldn't say anything, and only nodded, since I felt bad for whining about this in front of Sojiro. He'd always loved Mom, and now he had to deal with Akira going to juvenile detention for doing the right thing. Then again, maybe because he'd gone through something like what I had, he knew how I felt.

"Still, just because people come and go doesn't mean you have to deal with it alone," Sojiro said. "Akira and the others helped you deal with Wakaba's passing, and now, it's my turn to help you out."

I smiled, only a little relieved. There had to be something we could do for Akira, but for now, going through life without him seemed to be a little more bearable. I didn't want to have to go through this- or at least, wanted a little more time to prepare myself- but there was no point in complaining about what could be changed. I could learn to live without him, and once he was back with us, that would be all the reward I'd need for the last promise on my list.

Author's Notes

Here's my project for Camp NaNoWrimo of July 2017, a story covering how Futaba fares while being separated from Akira after the final battle, being forced to do the one item on her promise list she least wanted to tackle.

For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is a project in which writers have a month to complete a 50,000 word novel (although the exact total can vary based on the kind of project), and it generally takes place in November, but also has "camps" held in other months, such as July.

Futaba's inner monologue can be a bit of a challenge to write. In-game, she speaks in slang and gaming lingo in relatively lighthearted scenes, and speaks in a more serious and formal manner in serious ones.

I may be running into some canon scenes, but I'll skip over them or rewrite them with unique dialogue, since this is supposed to be my fanfic.