"Akira" Normal Speech

'Akechi' People's thoughts

"Persona" Other being's speech

'Velvet' Other being's thoughts

Disclaimer: You know the drill, Persona and the SMT franchise belong to our lord Atlus, may they milk Persona 5 so much it will make Persona 4 look underappreciated (and I have no problem with that)

Prologue

A New Game Begins

Velvet Room

"How…interesting" there was no other way to describe the current development that he was now being witness off, and even in the realm of possibilities that he had came up, one like this had never made itself present.

But that wasn't a bad thing, not at all. He honestly should had seen it coming, after all even if he had this whole game planned out, he should have known just how unpredictable the power of the Wild Card could be, especially in the hands of such a Trickster like him.

He chuckled slightly, thinking of how the real Igor would have loved to have him as a guest in this very same place, too bad that the honor of guiding him fell onto his own shoulders. He could even see the effects he was having onto the wardens that he had assigned to help him nurture his limitless power.

But to think he would be able to affect the other Wild Card of this game so early, far earlier that he could have ever conceited, to the point that his own predictions almost become completely null. In any other situation such a thing would have unnerved him at least a bit, after all if there was something he didn't like, it was the lack of control.

But something about the current events was enough to spark something inside him. This game had started as a way to test mankind, to see if their will of rebellion was strong enough to fight against their desire for control, but even now as the game took a sudden turn that he was not able to foreseen the fact still remained.

The game continued, one that he would observe and judge. He had underestimated the Trickster, and now the consequences of doing that were making themselves present. Even if the young Wild Card wouldn't call his current situation a good one, there was no denying that it was an interesting one.

And to think his power could still grow…

"Is there something wrong, Master?" a calm, melodic voice regarded him, forcing his eyes open, his vision being greeted by two pairs of golden eyes, both belonging to one of the results of his rather sudden intermission into this Velvet Room.

Two beings, once being one and the same, regarded him with curiosity-filled expressions. Even if their appearances were of young human girls there was no denying they were anything but such, after all they had a power that he didn't, which was why he bothered to keep them around, or else the Trickster's grow would have been affected negatively.

And he couldn't have that, now could he? What was the point in a game if the field wasn't evenly matched?

"Master?" this time it was a more energetic voice, even if it still sounded meek compares to how she usually treated the guest of this room. It seems they had noticed his small shift during his trail of thoughts.

"Nothing to worry" his deep voice echoed in the whole room, his wide grin hiding behind his linked hands, which rested above his wooden desk "But it seems our guest's journey has taken a sudden twist. I wonder, shall he rise from the deeps of despair, or will he fall victim to the poison that is betrayal?" and even as he closed his eyes once again, ignoring the flashes of emotions that made themselves visible in the warden's eyes, only one thought crossed the God's mind.

What an interesting game had just begun.

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How could it have come to this?

Why was this happening?

Why was she doing this?

Such questions were swarming his mind, his brain trying to come up with some sort of answer, but it was able to find none, or at least not one that didn't leave a horrible taste in his mouth.

And even as his whole body refused to move, even as he felt pain on his back, courtesy of the Persona holding him to the ground, his tired gaze still moved upwards, seeking the eyes of the only person that could answer all those questions for him, even if the answers might not be the one he was looking for.

However the only thing that he saw was a pair of cold brown eyes that regarded him as nothing more than a mere annoyance. A gaze like that was something he was used to at this point, after all he had been regarded as a criminal for the past month by everyone he knew, but to think it would be her the one having that gaze… it was enough to make him almost gasp, the only thing stopping him being the lack of air in his lungs, also a result of the weapon that was pressing him to the floor below him.

He tried to find something, anything, in those cold orbs that would tell him that this was all a lie, some sort of trick or heck even just a nightmare, but watching the same eyes that had once looked at him with nothing but warmness and wit, now looking down at him as if he was an insect made him feel as if he was being stabbed, a shiver going down his spine.

His lips tried to move, but no sound escaped his mouth. He didn't even have to ask though, for the simple question that he was trying to convey was more than obvious in his own dark-grey eyes.

Why?

This should have been a simple, if yet hard mission for them. Infiltrating a Palace, explore and secure a route to the Treasure, send the calling car and finally stealing said Treasure, triggering a so called change of heart on their target and making them atone for their crimes.

It might sound crazy and nonsensical for anyone that didn't know about the cognitive world, but for them, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, it was nothing but your standard mission, even if the target this time was bigger than anything they had ever faced.

A powerful, highly charismatic and confident politician, Masayoshi Shido had been their newest target. A man that under no other circumstances would have been targeted by them, after all on the surface he simply looked like that, an excellent politician with a bright future ahead of him and anyone that followed him.

But a sudden incident with the man had forced them to act, if nothing but to prove his own innocence. His palace had definitely been the hardest one they had ever faced, the Shadows inside being nothing short of ruthless, with the place itself being a true representation of how the man saw this country.

That, combined with the information that they had discovered during their infiltration was more than enough evidence for the man deserving a change of heart.

And they had been so close to accomplishing it! So close of stopping him and not only giving a step forward to prove his innocence, but also to stop him from making Japan nothing but a stepping stone for the man's insane ambition.

And yet…

"J-Joker…" he heard a raspy, tired out voice to his side. His head turned as much as it could, his gaze moving from cold brown eyes to pained blue ones, only that these ones didn't belong to a human at all, even if the owner of said eyes would tell you otherwise. Instead they were the eyes of a small black creature, one that he knew very well, after all he had taught them everything they knew about how to be Phantom Thieves.

Morgana was his name, and his current state just made him grit his teeth in frustration, realizing just how bad their situation actually was. The small cat-like creature was also down on the floor, pain, shock and anxiety being the most prominent feelings in his blue eyes, and how could he blame him for that?

After all he was also being pressed into the ground, only that by a Shadow, a Cerberus to be more precise, the small Persona user being below the beast's paw.

If he could he would have crawled towards his friend, or at least done something to help him. He hated seeing Morgana looking so utterly defeated, he would honestly take his prideful attitude over this any time of the day.

But almost as if feeling his thoughts, the being above him pressed his weapon against his back even harder, sending another wave of pain through his body. A Persona, he noted, was the one keeping him as a hostage, one that he had never seen his partner using until this day.

And considering what his partner was doing with it, he would have preferred to have never seen it in his life.

Speaking of said partner…

"How far have the mighty fallen, wouldn't you say, Joker?" she finally spoke, her voice just as cold as it was mocking, and even as he looked at her again, even with her clothes being completely black instead of the white and red he was used to seeing, and even with a completely different Persona under her disposal there was no denying it, it was certainly her, no nightmare, illusion or trick of his mind.

Akechi Goro, the woman known by the world as the Detective Princess, but to him she had been so much more. Not only was she his best friend, but also the third and final member of the Phantom Thieves alongside him and Morgana.

Codename Crow.

His Partner.

Her shoulder-length light brown hair, brown eyes and fair skin, it was definitely her, even if the sneer she was aiming at him was so utterly bizarre in his mind that he would have mistook her for anyone someone else if it wasn't for his current situation.

His lips tried to move again, his desperate gaze getting nothing but a raised eyebrow from the older girl, a serrated sword in her hand, a gun in the other, combined with her black outfit definitely made for a sight to see.

One that right now was doing nothing but making him sick.

"Why…?" he was finally able to whisper, the pain of her surprise attack still fresh in his body. He never had his guard up around her, he trusted her after all.

And now both he and Morgana were paying the price for that.

He almost feared that she hadn't heard him, but she confirmed hearing his words once she stabbed her sword to the ground, her feet moving slowly towards him, her eyes still locked onto his own.

She walked until she was right in front of him, and not a second later she kneeled, her free hand moving below his chin and raising his head forcefully, making him grunt and forcing him to look straight at her.

Her hand then moved from his chin towards his cheek, the action being as slow as it could be, her cold palm meeting the side of his face while her thumb kept moving almost tenderly, as if she was caressing him.

And in any other situation this would have probably broken the calm visage he always kept around others and instead turned him into a blushing mess, but right now the only thing he felt was confusion.

Because just for that one moment he could have swore that he saw something, a glint of something in her brown eyes, something that made him remember. He didn't know what that was, but for that single moment she was back at being his partner.

But as soon as it came it was gone, instead replaced by a glare. She removed her hand, and even as cold as it was he found himself missing her touch. She stood up again, and his eyes widened as he saw her raising his other hand, aiming at him with the weapon she was holding.

"I'm sorry…" was that regret in her voice? He would like to think that it was, but it was hard to tell at this point, specially as he felt his vision go blurry, the events of the day finally catching up him, his eyelids feeling as heavy as they could get.

"Akira!" and even as he heard Morgana's cry he wasn't able to do much about it, although the last vestige of consciousness he had felt like telling him to not break his own rules about codenames.

"Your justice ends here" the way she spat the word justice almost felt as if she was mocking everything that they had done so far, so when he wasn't able to keep his eyes open any longer, the last thing he saw being the end of her gun, he was actually relieved.

At least he wouldn't have to see her like this anymore.

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The next time he opened his eyes he found himself staring at the black sky that was Japan's night, the moon being high in the sky.

He had expected something completely different, since he honestly thought he would never open his eyes again, and definitely not in the real world. For some reason he at least expected to see the Velvet Room for at least one more time.

And yet here he was, in what was probably some sort of alley. Where exactly he didn't know, only that it was definitely outside of the Metaverse.

Not knowing where you were would be something that would normally sprung him into action, but right now he was so utterly tired that he doubted he would be able to move any muscle even if he tried.

Which he was actually forced to after a few seconds of noticing something on his chest, a small weight that made him move his hand towards it, his fingers touching soft fur that was instantly recognizable to him, and he was just glad to he could feel the little cat's breathing on his chest.

That small moment of gratefulness didn't change the fact of what had transpired. She had been their teammate, friend, and yet she had attacked them, she had almost killed them right there…

But they were alive somehow, and he knew it wasn't either his or Morgana's doing. She had spared them, even though killing them at that point would have been the easiest thing in the world.

But why? He found himself asking that same question again in his mind, the same one that still plagued his thoughts. Why had she done this? Why had she spared their lives?

And even as uncertainty filled his heart, even as he knew that his life would forever be different from now on, with no way of clearing his name and with The Phantom Thieves being in shambles, a small fire still made itself present in his gaze.

He would find those answers, even if it would cost him his life.

He was the leader of the Phantom Thieves after all.

And if he couldn't even deal with something like this, what right did he have to call himself that?

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Well I was bored after finishing my 2nd playthrough of the game, saw some fanart of FemAkechi and then thought about a small AU when both her and Joker met before the start of the game and then I just rolled with it.

Nothing but a small one-shot AU that takes place right before Joker is sent to live with Sojiro, with the events prior to that obviously being different, with the two main factors being a) the game starting earlier with Joker awakening his Persona before being sent to Tokyo and b) He meets both Morgana and Akechi earlier too.

This will probably stay like this, unless people actually like the idea, in that case who knows. Thank you all for reading this.