(A/N: As the title says, It's Futabi's Palace in this chappie! :3
Without any further ado, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! 'CUZ HERE WE GO!!!)

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Opening

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------The Next Day: Café Leblanc's Attic------

The usually quiet attic of Leblanc began brimming with life and noise once more once the members of the Phantom Thieves climbed the stairs to it after attending Shujin's urgent assembly like told. Ryuji and Ann were complaining to one another about how pointless the whole thing was, while Makoto was trying her best to lower their loud and energetic voices like always, it was a weekday and she didn't wish to bother Sojiro or his business. Yusuke was complementing Ren again regarding the ratio of his room and how tidy and clean it was despite it being nothing more than an old attic. As a result, the whole attic was brimming with life and chatter after it was left quiet with only Ren and Morgana in it for a good while, and what made Ren appreciate that little moment more was the fact that his friends were the ones occupying its quietness.

While the others sat down and already made themselves comfortable like they were at home, Emiko was the last to climb up the stairs with a dull expression on her face, already fed up with Ryuji and Ann's loudness all the way from the school to Leblanc. However, she paused her tracks near the stairs next to the table placed there when her brown orbs met the sight of the white lotus she left with an anonymous note to Ren on it in full bloom, not showing any sign of dying any time soon. Her eyes were locked on the flower as they sparkled ever so slightly at the mere thought of how Ren kept it despite not knowing who sent it and how it added a little bit of life and color to the attic... it indeed looked so nice there.

"Do you like flowers?" Ren asked as he stood next to the girl.

"I... don't hate them." Emiko replied.

"This may sound stupid, but I actually like flowers, especially the lotus which I was named after. It was my mother's favorite flower, that's why."

"Your mother's...?" Emiko repeated, a sudden tint of sadness colored her tone.

"After her death, let's say that a lot of things changed between me and my dad. So that's why I was so happy when someone unknown left it to me. It brought me back a lot of memories about mom and my childhood. I'm really grateful to the person who sent it, whoever they were." The happiest smile made its way onto Ren's face as his grey eyes lit up as well.

He looked so happy-- peaceful even from the fond way he spoke about his late mother and recalled his childhood memories, the flower clearly meant a lot to him and held a great significance. And seeing how happy Ren looked gave Emiko a sudden wave of happiness and peace as well, knowing all too well that she drew a smile on his face the same way he did a few times already now. She felt like she had finally paid her debt to him, even if it was in secret, thus she couldn't help her own lips from curving upward to a joyous smile of her own, feeling rather satisfied and glad about herself, knowing that she's added some joy in Ren's life. It felt sweet in its own unique way.

"Hey, are you two going to keep standing there?" Ann called.

"Coming." Emiko fixed the position of her glasses before walking over to the couch along with Ren.

"Man, that assembly had me bored to tears." Ryuji buried his bored face in his palm.

"Huh? Did you have school too, Yusuke?" Ann pointed at Yusuke's school uniform.

"I'm doing laundry, and these are the only clothes I had to wear." Yusuke replied.

"You really should buy a couple more outfits..."

"Why am I not surprised...?" Emiko covered her face with one hand while sweatdropping.

"Come now, we didn't gather here to make small talk, now did we? Let's get to Alibaba's case." Makoto looked at the others firmly.

"Well then, I'll start. Looks like Futaba was listening in on Leblanc." Morgana spoke up.

"But why would she want to listen in on the café?" Ann tapped her chin.

"I have no idea."

"It's just like Boss said... she's a tough nut to crack." Ryuji commented.

"In any case, her hacking skills would be absolutely necessary if we wish to stand up to Medjed. Going by what she has told us, we may even be able to identify who they are." Makoto added.

"We'll have to trust in her skills for now then." Yusuke nodded firmly.

"Fight hackers with a hacker, huh? Can't think of a better way to shove it right in their faces." Emiko smirked

"Anyway, we found out that Futaba has a Palace... but can someone who isn't evil have one?" Ann looked over at Morgana.

"That doesn't matter. A Palace is the materialization of distorted cognitions brought about by strong desires... that's all. It just so happens that a lot of warped people turn out evil." Morgana explained briefly.

"She's so young though... the pain she's gone through must be the cause of her distortion." Makoto looked down.

".........." Ren pursued his lips in a straight line as he took Makoto's words. Futaba really was young and whatever happened to her, she just didn't deserve it.

"Maybe that has something to do with why she calls herself Alibaba." Ann commented.

"According to the chief's story, Futaba has auditory and visual hallucinations, right? There's a chance those are related to some important memories she's holding. It's hard to explain... but those memories may have been warped by the distortions." Morgana thought out loudly.

"Memories warped by distortions, huh...?" Emiko mumbled to herself bitterly.

"Basically we just gotta steal her Treasure, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Well, yeah." Morgana replied.

"So do we all agree about taking on Futaba's Palace?" Ann eyed the others seriously.

"She's asked us to do so. I don't think that part is an issue. If we heal Futaba's heart, it will not only help Boss, but she can then assist us with Medjed." Makoto spoke firmly, her voice was unwavering as ever.

"I agree." Yusuke nodded.

"I've been wonderin' about how Boss said 'a lot happened' after Futaba's mom died too." Ryuji wondered.

"Hold on a second. Our investigation of her Palace may not go like anything we've done up to this point." Morgana halted.

"Why's that?" Ryuji widened his eyes slightly.

"Having an individual ask you to steal their heart is an extremely irregular case. There's no telling what the Palace ruler's disposition will be like, or the distortion that'll be there. We may run into some unforeseen situations. Do you still want to go in?"

"Let's do it. As Phantom Thieves, I'm confident we can." Ren eyed his teammates seriously, his grey irises gave an intense gaze.

"Yeah, we'll save her for sure." Emiko's eyes were flaming with determination and resolve as well.

Because at that moment... she decided that she wouldn't let anyone else experience the same hell she lived with.

"Yeah, I agree." Ann nodded back at her firmly.

"All right. Let's just make sure we're cautious." Morgana agreed.

"Well, let's get crackin' on those keywords, huh?" Ryuji bumped his fists together.

"The ones we have at the moment are 'Futaba Sakura' and 'Sojiro Sakura's house.'" Makoto recalled.

"We got the 'who' and there 'where,' so all that's left is the 'what,' right?" Ryuji asked.

"Let us try going to their house first." Yusuke suggested.

"Yeah, let's go." Emiko smirked ever so slightly.

"Boss is busy running the café, isn't he? We should make sure he doesn't suspect anything." Ann informed the group.

With everyone agreeing on the idea, they all got up from their seats and began walking together down the stairs while indulging in light conversations along the way. On the other hand, Ren couldn't help himself but smile at his friends for wanting so badly to save that girl despite not knowing her at all. They were true Phantom Thieves and had amazing hearts within them, and that was one of the moments Ren couldn't be more proud of being the leader of such an amazing group.

"Important memories, huh... I'll be able to remember everything if I turn back into a human, right?" Morgana asked sadly, catching Ren's attention before leaving the room.

"Are you sure you're a human?" Ren wondered.

"That's not important! I'm talking about my memories here! I... definitely want this mission to succeed. If we can retrieve Futaba's memories, then I'd bet we can get mine back too..."

".........." Ren remained quiet.

"In any case, it's not every day you stumble upon a hacker like her around. You really do have a gift, don't you?"

"I'm just lucky."

"You sure live up to my expectations."

"I'm trying to."

"Hey, they went on without us! Let's hurry and catch up to them!" Morgana urged.

"Hey, guys. Wait for me!" Ren called after picking up Morgana and rushing out of the attic.

A gift, huh? Ren indeed was gifted... of having such amazing friends around him and never making him feel alone anymore for a second. So yeah, he really was gifted.

*******

------Sakura Residence: The Front------

Being outside of Sojiro's house for the second time felt definitely awkward for some of the thieves, the girls particularly, as they stared at the building with uncomfortable expressions before glancing at one another. The experience was everything but pleasant, desirable, or repeatable. Ann, Makoto, and Emiko all stole glances at the other from the corner of their eyes while recalling the events that occurred here the last time which felt like a real-life horror movie. The most embarrassing thing of all of that was how Makoto clung so desperately to Ren's leg while crying and calling for help, causing the student council president to feel really ashamed of herself. It also seemed like the boys had the very same thought as Ryuji, Yusuke, and Morgana eyed Ren who just sweatdropped heavily after knowing what they were thinking about; that memory wasn't something he wanted to recall either.

"Now, the last keyword..." Makoto trailed, catching the others' attention.

"She's a shut-in, so we just gotta figure out 'what' she thinks her house is. If she can't get out, maybe a prison?" Ryuji wondered.

"Conditions have not been met." The Nav responded.

"Perhaps a labyrinth with an unknown exit?" Makoto suggested.

"Conditions have not been met."

"Hmm... maybe an oasis?" Ann questioned.

"Conditions have not been met."

"Nothing so far. In that case, how about hell?" Yusuke asked.

Emiko face-palmed her forehead.

"Conditions have not been met."

"We don't have nearly enough clues..." Ann sighed deeply.

"If only we could ask her directly..." Yusuke commented.

"We can. C'mon, let's go see Futaba." Ryuji urged.

"But what will we say to get in?" Makoto held her chin.

"Whaddya mean? We're sneakin' in."

"You have to be joking. Won't the door be locked for sure this time?" A small gasp escaped Makoto.

"This again? Seriously...? Haven't you learned your lesson the last time?" Emiko sweatdropped.

"Nope." Ryuji replied casually.

"Why am I even bothering myself...?"

"I'll take care of that. Oh, and I figured out where Futaba's room was when I snuck in last night." Morgana spoke up.

"What if we run into Boss though? There's no way we'll be able to avoid his questions this time." Makoto rebutted.

"He's at work now, so I think we should be fine." Ann stated.

"Gettin' cold feet, Makoto? Don't worry, it'll be nothing. We've gone through loads of shit like this already." Ryuji grinned goofily.

"...This is our only choice, right? I suppose Futaba did get in contact with Ren... perhaps she'll at least be willing to speak with him..." Makoto looked down as she held her chin.

Nice, she was getting to something!

"...Very well. Let's do this." Makoto finally agreed.

Going inside the house from the open window, the teenagers soon heard the click of the door as he finally opened it, revealing Morgana's proud smirk for going in and unlocking the door from the inside. Walking again inside the hallway, after Morgana, with the old wooden floor creaking beneath their feet surely didn't give the most pleasant memories to the girls, especially Makoto. She made her way into the house with cautious and slow footsteps while constantly looking around her as if there was another figure lurking in the shadow despite it being sunny outside. After climbing up the stairs to the second floor, Morgana finally stopped his tracks upon pointing at a specific door that had a "Stay Out" sign on it along with yellow tape on it; wow, that girl had taken shutting-in to a whole new level.

"This is Futaba's room." Morgana pointed at the door.

"Futaba-chan? You're in there, right?" Makoto knocked on the door.

A moment of silence passed.

"There's no answer...." Morgana trailed.

"Futaba-chan, are you there? I'm sorry for being startled and screaming yesterday. It was so dark that I got scared." Makoto knocked again.

Another moment of silence.

"No reaction whatsoever." Yusuke commented.

"This is gonna be hard..." Ryuji sighed.

"What about chat?" Yusuke suggested.

"She deleted the address, remember? You think it's good now?" Ryuji asked Ren.

"Let's try it." Ren pulled his phone out.

Ren: Futaba.

Ren: Please.

Ren: Answer me.

"That's fast typing." Ryuji gasped from surprise.

"I think it's going through!" Ann looked at the chat that didn't give an error message.

"But she's not replyin'..." Ryuji felt disappointed.

"You're listening, right Alibaba?" Makoto asked firmly.

Ren's phone buzzed almost instantly.

"Is it Alibaba?" She asked.

Alibaba: Why are you here?

"Why's she only reacting to that name...?" Morgana asked.

"You're Futaba Sakura, aren't you?" Makoto asked, but no response.

"She's not responding again." Yusuke said.

"Does she not like us saying her name?" Ann wondered.

"We have no time to dally around. We need her keyword before dealing with Alibaba's identity." Morgana said.

"We want to learn more about you. If we don't do so, we can't steal your heart. The reason why we came here is because we need the keyword to enter your Palace. That's why we want to talk with Futaba Sakura herself, and not Alibaba. You don't have to show yourself. Just answer some questions for us. Chat messages are fine." Makoto knitted her eyebrows.

Nothing.

"She has fallen into silence again." Yusuke frowned, clearly upset by the whole situation.

"Maybe it's cuz she doesn't trust us or somethin'?" Ryuji wondered.

"Hey, what should we do?" Ann looked at her friends hopelessly, seeking answers from their eyes.

However, all the young thieves fell into silence themselves as they glanced at one another with visible frowns on their faces as they felt tension grow around them. Just when they were so close to having a conversation with Futaba, she had just shut them out again with her silent treatment... just how close they were. But out of nowhere, Emiko made her way through the others who looked at her with curious eyes as she stood in front of the door, hands clenched tightly and taking a deep breath.

"Futaba, we know everything." She spoke with no filters at all.

".........!" Everyone widened their eyes.

"H-Hey, Mikki! What're you--" Ryuji got interrupted.

"Yes, we know everything about your mom. And I... I know how that feels, believe me, I really do." Emiko leaned her forehead against the door.

"........." The thieves became quiet at that point.

"I lost my dad because of my own stupidity, I killed him too... and I still blame myself for it. For the longest time, I also shut myself away from people. I was so pissed at myself and the world, but that cost me a lot... a lot more than I imagined. I was so lost and confused that I didn't know what to do. I had no one since I cut ties with everyone, even my dearest friends..."

Ryuji and Ann's faces had just twitched in pain after knowing that she was referring to them.

"I felt like I was in a living hell and I was falling into an endless abyss of darkness... I had no one. I was a complete mess. But now, you have the chance to save yourself and be free from all the pain and suffering, a chance that I didn't have like you..."

"Emiko..." Ren's chest stung him at her words.

"So please, Futaba... answer us. Don't make... the same mistake I did." Emiko was basically pleading at that point.

She shut her eyes as she kept resting her forehead on the door, hoping that her words reached Futaba somehow... because she really didn't want to witness yet another youthful soul go through what she did. The brown-haired felt a hand resting on her shoulder and when she looked behind, she saw Ann who gave her a kind and reassuring smile along with the others behind her, causing a small sad smile to find its way on Emiko's features. Emiko had just spoken from her heart and poured a lot of herself into her words, so they surely must've touched Futaba's heart in one way or another.

And they did.

Alibaba: OK.

The teens all grinned widely at the message that came on Ren's phone before looking back at Emiko with those happy faces, the warmth was overwhelming her heart that she couldn't help but grin herself. Ren specifically had the warmest and most satisfied smile on his face after seeing the result of Emiko's efforts paying off like that-- what she did was just amazing and took a lot of courage from her. But she did despite it all, she showed them her weaknesses, worries, inner self, but she also gave strength to someone else and made them trust the thieves as well.

She was truly strong... and Ren couldn't be any happier at that moment.

"Alright then... our leader, the guy who lives in Leblanc's attic, wants to speak with you." Makoto spoke before looking at the raven-haired, "We're counting on you, Ren. Try and get a keyword out of her."

"I've done my part, and now I'll leave it in your hands. Good luck, leader." Emiko shot him a smirk.

"Leave it to me." Ren nodded, accepting her challenge.

Alibaba: What do you want to hear?

Ren: How is living in this house?

Ren: Is it that comfortable in there?

Alibaba: It isn't comfortable.

Alibaba: It's painful...

Ren: Then why don't you go out?

Ren: If you're miserable, why do you shut yourself up in there?

Ren: You should try coming out.

Alibaba: I can't leave this place.

Alibaba: I'm going to die here.

"Wha-- die...?" Ann gasped in shock.

Alibaba: Is this going to continue?

".........." Ren grunted before typing.

Ren: Why do you say that?

Alibaba: Why?

Alibaba: This place is my tomb.

"Tomb?" Makoto repeated.

"You think that's it?" Ryuji asked.

"Try entering 'tomb.'" Morgana urged.

"Tomb..." Ren said after pulling the phone closer to his mouth.

"Input accepted. Searching for route to destination."

"We got it...!" Morgana exclaimed.

"........." Emiko gritted her teeth at the sound of the word.

Alibaba: Was that enough?

"Yes. It was plenty. You haven't forgotten your promise of helping us if we complete your request, right?" Makoto reminded the hacker.

Alibaba: I haven't. We made a deal.

Ren: Wait for us.

Ren: We'll change your heart.

Alibaba: Really?

Ren: Of course.

Ren: I promise.

"Futaba... thank you for putting your faith in us." Emiko whispered as she looked at the door.

"Well then, let's hurry up and go. Aaaand clicky." Ryuji grinned while activating the Nav.

"You idiot! Don't activate it here!" Morgana tried to warn him, but it was already too late.

Before any of the teenagers could protest or open their mouths, they were already warped and being forcefully pulled into a purplish dark vortex to the Metaverse. Pain rushed through their veins since it all came so suddenly without any further introductions thanks to Ryuji being the usual moron he was. Oh, they sure were going to give him a good piece from their minds later on after being done from the whole thing and it wasn't going to be anything nice or pleasant at all.

*******

------The Metaverse------

Bright and sharp sunlight hit the eyes of the young teens which made them squinch them close due to the light that hit them so suddenly. Oddly enough, they also felt a sudden wave of heat rush through their bodies as if they were literally set on fire despite them being in the Metaverse for roughly a few seconds now. Once Ren's eyes adjusted to the sunlight that struck his irises, he finally opened them fully to meet the sight of his teammates who already did that as well while looking around them in pure shock and disbelief. He looked around himself only to realize that he was standing in a desert that expanded for as far as the eye could see, no soul was lurking around beside him and his friends. There was nothing but the hot, burning sand beneath their feet and the strong sunlight that was causing them to sweat heavily like there was no tomorrow.

More importantly... why the hell were they in a desert?!

"It's a desert..." Yusuke looked around him.

"I think we're fully aware of that by now, Yusuke." Emiko deadpanned.

"Yeah, we see that." Ryuji lowered his head comically, "Wait, what the-- our clothes are still the same?"

"Futaba herself is asking us to steal her heart. It'd be odd if she saw us as a threat. If she doesn't see us as an enemy, then your clothes don't change. That's how it works. But more importantly, I told you to be cautious! Why'd you activate it like that?!" Morgana shouted at Ryuji, already in his Metaverse form.

"Is that why we ended up in a desert? Where's the tomb? It's so damn hot here." Ryuji whined.

"No whining, you're the one who brought us here in the first place." Emiko wiped her forehead with her arm.

"She's right, you know." Ren agreed.

"Oh, c'mon, man! I thought we were bros!" Ryuji screamed comically.

"Hm?" Ren tilted his head after turning to a chibi figure, a question mark popping out of it.

"Even though we entered right in front of her room, we didn't end up inside it." Ann realized.

"She must really want to keep people away from her." Makoto analyzed.

"I see..." Ann nodded.

"What a bleak feeling this place has... it's the complete opposite of Kaneshiro's bank." Makoto looked around her in awe.

"Let's hurry up and get goin'. Where's the Palace?" Ryuji asked.

"Is it that way?" Morgana pointed at something shiny in the distance.

"Oh yeah, there's somethin' shiny." Ryuji tilted his head.

"A tomb in the desert... I see. Anyway, let's make our way there." Makoto informed the others.

"Isn't that kinda far?" Ann questioned.

"Are we gonna walk?!" Ryuji was about to freak out.

"Of course not! My paws will get burned!" Morgana argued.

And with that said, Morgana jumped up in the air and transformed into a car in midair before landing again on the sand, sending some of it flying in the air.

"I've been waiting for this." Yusuke chuckled.

"I'll make sure to put the AC on full blast!" Morgana exclaimed.

"You're so considerate!" Ann cooed happily.

"Hehe, r-right..." Morgana giggled shyly.

"For the first time, you've said something actually worthy, Mona." Emiko spoke.

"What was that?!"

"All right! Let's roll!" Ryuji laughed.

Nodding to one another, the group got on the Monamobile with the three boys sitting behind and the three girls in the passenger seat with Makoto taking the steering wheel. To say that the journey was rough under the sun, sweat, temperature, and hot air inside the car was a mere understatement. The air that came out from the AC inside the car wasn't providing any help and didn't feel like anything more than a light blow in the face, nothing more and nothing less. In the killing and unmerciful high temperature of the desert, a black car made its way into the wide empty sand-covered land, sending sandy dust floating around it as it moved forward. The boys were sleeping in the backseat after they somehow passed out from the heat while the girls looked extremely exhausted too, leaning forward with sweat covering all of their uniforms. It was unbearable, sweat was rolling down the teens' faces and drenched their summer uniforms entirely, causing their clothes to stick tightly with their skins which made them feel more angry and frustrated about the whole thing. But they were all too tired to even complain.

"It's stuffy..." Ann whined.

"Yes, I know... but it still beats opening the windows to the hot desert air." Makoto leaned on the wheel.

"I feel dirty..." Emiko sighed while leaning back on the seat.

Ann sighed while leaning backward as well, fanning herself with her sweat-stained polo shirt in a desperate attempt to stay cool.

"Hey, Ann. Can I have a drink? Didn't you have mineral water?" Makoto asked.

"I drank it already..." Ann was still fanning herself with her uniform.

"How are the guys...?" Makoto sighed, asking lazily.

"Huh...?"

Looking upward, Ann couldn't help but gasp in surprise and shock upon seeing Ryuji leaning his head above the passenger's seat with his eyes and mouth wide open. He was clearly staring at Ann's bra that was exposed to him since she still held the collar of her shirt, pulling it forward. Ryuji was gawking so hard at the scene he was seeing since his breath hitched and was opening his eyes more and more to the point of becoming almost bloodshot; he was clearly enjoying the view.

And to make matters worse, both Ren and Yusuke also leaned forward against the front seat with the former also looking at Ann but with a more stern and serious face. While the latter was simply eyeing at Makoto's sweat-drenched back-- boys were boys, no matter how good or disciplined they looked. It was actually no surprise for Ryuji to pull a stunt like that on Ann nonetheless, but for Ren to follow his suit... that was truly just unexpected.

"You guys...!" A vein popped on Emiko's face as she cracked her knuckles.

"I'll take care of this." Ann halted the brown-haired by grabbing her shoulder.

Oh, that was better to be good.

"Take this!" The platinum blonde-haired pulled the gear stick, causing the three guys to fly backward and hit the back of the car strongly.

"Mrooowgh! Knock it off!" Morgana cried out.

"Morons." Ann looked angrily at the three boys before huffing and folding her arms.

Ryuji fell on his head with his legs stretched up, while Yusuke fell on his stomach, and Ren on his butt, all of them winced in pain due to the powerful and sudden impact. That was such a harsh punishment, but they had it coming and should've known that before even acting in that way; how dreadful.

"You deserved it." Emiko shot the boys with a disgusted look before turning away from them.

"Oh...!" Ren got alerted as he leaned forward again.

"Is... that it?" Yusuke looked ahead.

"There we go." Makoto stated firmly.

The car made its way closer and closer to the enormous tomb that stood right before their eyes in the distance, ready for a new adventure to come. None of them had the slightest idea of what to expect since they were drawing closer to their destination, but one thing was for certain... at that moment, they didn't want anything more than getting out of the car. After the long road trip was finally over, the thieves finally made it in front of the Palace, still having traces of exhaustion and the unbearable heat on their faces. The moment they set their feet out of the Monamobile and him turning back to his usual Metaverse form, they all let a simultaneous sigh they had no clue they were holding all that time; finally out and away from the stuffy car and the sweaty seats that were burning underneath them. At last, they arrived at Futaba's Palace after that one long and hot trip and although they were still outside, it was still far better than the atmosphere of the vehicle even with that poor excuse of an AC turned on.

"It's so hot..." Ann whined.

"The AC ain't workin' at all! The hell was that lukewarm air about?" Ryuji complained to Morgana.

"That was the best I could do, so quit your yapping!" Morgana shouted at his face.

"For real, you are so half-assed!"

"What was that?! You wanna fight, punk?!"

"Geez, shut up! It's hot, so don't make me more irritated!" Ann threatened.

Without saying any word, Emiko walked to the two arguing morons with a vein popping out of her head, clearly pissed off from their loud voices and the heat and sweat. She grabbed both the blondie and cat's head whom she lifted up and smacked them powerfully against each other, not holding back on them at all.

"OUCH! THE HELL?!" Ryuji screamed.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Morgana also yelped from pain.

"A tomb..." Ren mumbled to himself while looking at the pyramid.

"To think her Palace would be a pyramid..." Makoto stated, standing next to the leader.

"I never thought I'd see one with my own eyes." Mikki added.

"Hey, a pyramid's a tomb, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Yes, it's a pharaoh's tomb." Yusuke replied.

"That's how it's mostly known. There are a variety of theories on it. For instance, it's even said to be a device for reviving the dead." Makoto explained briefly.

"No wonder why that's her Palace..." Emiko trailed.

"Yeah..." Ren agreed.

"Reviving the dead, hm...? It's beautiful nonetheless... it's perfectly conformed to the golden ratio..." Yusuke stared at the pyramid with great admiration.

"Hey, guys, can we go in already? I'm gonna melt also..." Ryuji whined.

All of them nodding at Ryuji's suggestion, they've wasted no time in walking inside of the pyramid in a hurry away from the scorching sand and hot air of the desert. And the moment they stepped inside, they were hit with cool air all over their faces and bodies, sending light shivers down their spines since their clothes were still sweaty, but it gave the most beautiful and satisfying feeling ever. The biggest smiles were drawn on the teens' faces due to the cold atmosphere inside, feeling ready to melt in that amazing bliss.

"Whoa, it's so nice inside! Is this place air conditioned or something?!" Ryuji asked happily.

"It may be because Futaba's room in reality has AC pumping through it. Either way, this is a relief..." Makoto smiled.

"Huh, our clothes still haven't changed even now. This has never happened to us before." Ann commented.

"It is refreshing that she doesn't see us as a threat... but we are completely surrounded by walls." Yusuke added matter-of-factly.

"I guess this is a tomb... it's probably not made to be easy to get into. Anyway, let's explore." Morgana announced.

Walking deeper into the pyramid, the group began climbing up the stairs since there was literally no other way around the moment they set foot inside. The young thieves were still in the midst of their own joy of the coldness of the air inside while looking around them in awe at the walls and torches that hung on them. They never saw a pyramid outside of pictures in books, so actually being inside of one was a pretty unique experience itself even if it was in another world... oh, if only the circumstances were different.

"These stairs go pretty far." Ann whined as she stopped her tracks.

"There's way too goddamn many..." Ryuji complained, halting his progress himself.

"Don't ask for too much. You should be happy we're not being attacked as we ascend. More importantly, I can totally sense the Treasure ahead. We're getting pretty close now!" Morgana's eyes sparkled.

"These stairs seem to be headed into the heart of the pyramid. I wonder if that's where the Treasure awaits..." Makoto trailed.

"Oxymoron." Emiko's voice came out all of a sudden.

"........?" All the group turned back to the brown-haired.

"Hm? What do you mean, Emiko?" Yusuke asked curiously, interested in her choice of vocabulary.

"Look at these patterns on the walls." Emiko rested her fingertips on the wall next to her, "Instead of hieroglyphs, a lot of modern symbols and characters can be seen on them. Like here, this is binary code for example. I'm guessing it's because of Futaba's love for computers and hacking."

Looking back at her teammates, they all were looking at her with wide eyes while blinking in confusion a few times, all simultaneously.

"What?" She asked them suspiciously.

"Oh nothing, we were just thinking how amazing what you just said. You really are an observant one, huh?" Morgana smiled.

"And you were speaking passionately as well. It's quite refreshing if I can say." Yusuke added.

"Yup, you sounded so cool too!" Ann agreed cheerfully.

"You should've seen your face when you were talking. It's really admirable." Makoto chuckled.

"Don't tell me... you're into that kinda stuff too?!" Ryuji widened his eyes in realization.

"That's not the issue here..." Emiko looked away, cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Oh, you're embarrassed?" Ryuji grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm not."

"Mikki's embarrassed! Now that's somethin' you don't see!" Ryuji wrapped an arm around her neck as he poked her cheek with his finger.

"If you ever value your life, then you'd better step away from me... right now!"

"No chance! It's been forever since the last time I saw you like that!"

"Hahaha..." Ren chuckled lightly.

Emiko growled angrily under her breath, her embarrassment only building up in the process. On the other hand, Ann's smile slowly disappeared from her face as it turned to a frown upon seeing how much those two were having fun together. It brought a lot of fond memories to her since middle school, so it wasn't the first time she ever saw something like that, but there was something different at that time... something unpleasant.

"Welp, time to keep climbin' then. Let's go." Ryuji exclaimed as he let Emiko go.

"Hm, there's someone there!" Morgana warned.

"Hey, is that...?" Ryuji whispered.

"That's Futaba's Shadow. It isn't the real her." Morgana completed the sentence.

"Oh yeah, you've seen her face. True. This one's kinda dressed like a queen."

The Shadow was an exact copy of Futaba herself with the hip length bright orange hair, and the large black circular glasses-- the difference was that her eyes were golden like any Shadow self they've encountered so far. She wore clothes in the style of Egyptian fashion as a combination of Cleopatra and a Pharaoh, consisting of an outfit that included a sleeveless top made of wraps that also covered her neck and exposed her midriff and a white floor-length skirt along with wraps that connected to her bracelets and upper arm pieces, and a golden headpiece that had a snake in the front and bared the top of her head along with red jewels.

"So you're Futaba Sakura..." Makoto widened her eyes slightly.

".........." Shadow Futaba didn't say a word.

"Hey, where's the Treasure?" Ryuji asked.

"It's doubtful that you wouldn't know where it is." Makoto commented.

"Hey, say something!" Ryuji urged.

"Don't be like that! I'm sorry, Futaba-chan. It's OK, there's no need to be scared. So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?" Ann approached her slowly.

"We're here to help you, Futaba." Ren followed.

"........." Shadow Futaba remained silent.

"This is going nowhere." Yusuke stated.

"Let's just leave her." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders.

"You're not serious, are you?" Emiko was taken aback a bit.

"Will you guys shut up for a bit?!" Ann asked angrily.

"Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you come?" Shadow Futaba suddenly talked.

"She talked... but..." Ann widened her eyes.

"What're you sayin'? You want us to steal it, right?" Ryuji questioned.

"If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might." Shadow Futaba challenged.

"That's rather defiant sounding." Morgana narrowed his eyes.

"Perhaps this is that 'tsundere' thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood." Yusuke said.

"That's not it, you idiot... you know what? Just forget it." Emiko sweatdropped.

"Considering the state that my Palace is in... there is no way that you can steal it." Shadow Futaba informed them.

Out of nowhere, the Shadow dropped on her knees on the stairs while grabbing her head tightly, catching the teens completely off guard.

"Creepy child!"

"You killed her!"

"You're a plague!"

"What are these voices?" Yusuke asked.

"Murderer!"

"Why don't you say something?!"

"Murderer...?" Makoto repeated.

".........!" Emiko widened her eyes as she looked around her.

"You're the one who killed her!"

"It's all your fault!"

"This is horrible..." Ann said.

"Hey, the hell is this?" Ryuji asked.

"Killed her...?" A cold sweat rolled down Ren's face.

"Don't come near me!"

"Don't stand there, say something!"

"It's your fault!"

"Murderer!"

"....That's right. I did it." Shadow Futaba floated in the air.

"What...?" Ryuji asked shockingly.

"I am the one who killed my mother." Shadow Futaba declared.

Without any further introductions, the Palace began shaking crazily in the same way as before collapsing after stealing the Treasure. Some members of the group yelped in surprise and stumbled in their way while leaning against the walls for dear life so they wouldn't fall down. And just when they thought that things quieted down, a loud high-pitched screech echoed through the halls of the pyramid, sending shivers down the high schooler's spines and draining some color from their faces due to the surprise.

"What was that?!" Ann panicked.

"My mother exists here. I will remain here. I will do so until I die." Shadow Futaba spoke before disappearing in the air.

And with that said, blue flames engulfed the teens and surrounded their bodies entirely, causing their clothes to change from their normal uniforms to their thieves' attires. That could only mean that Futaba began seeing them as a threat and things would become more serious than before.

"Our clothes...?!" Queen widened her eyes after everyone's attire changed to their thievery ones.

"She sees us as a threat now...? What's going on?!" Fox asked.

The Palace shook once more, making the girls shriek in surprise and almost trip and fall down once more. That sure was such an unexpected turn of events.

*******

------Meanwhile: Sakura Residence------

The sound of fingers typing on a keyboard echoed in the room as the dim green light of various computer monitors pierced through the darkness and slightly illuminated the features of a dull and tired face across them. Futaba's eyes wandered around behind the lenses of her glasses on the texts and codes that were floating around, sending the smallest proud smirk across her lips on the achievement she was accomplishing. But the words of a certain member of the Phantom Thieves came back to the forefront of her mind when she spoke to her behind the door a little while ago. She said she killed her dad as well? How? And why? While she wasn't the type of person to pry into someone else's life, she couldn't help herself but feel curious. Her tone and the way she pleaded indicated how much she also suffered in her life just like her.

"But now, you have the chance to save yourself and be free from all the pain and suffering, a chance that I didn't have like you..."

"So please, Futaba... answer us. Don't make... the same mistake I did."

That was what she said.

So maybe... the two of them weren't so different from one another, after all.

"Hm?" Futaba questioned herself after she stopped typing on the computer, "This... again..." She mumbled while curling herself on the chair.

"Creepy child!"

"You killed her!"

"You're a plague!"

"Murderer!"

"Why don't you say something?!"

"You're the one who killed her!"

"...That's right... I killed Mom. I don't deserve to be alive... this place is a tomb... I'll die here..."

"That's right, die!"

"Don't come near me!"

"Don't just stand there, say something!"

"It's your fault!"

"No...! Someone help me..."

Her voice was barely loud and could hardly be described as a whisper, but desperation was present and more than crystal clear in her tone. Her heartbeat increased drastically, her breath hitched, and her limbs shook as she continued shaking her head in denial in an attempt to kick those voices away from her head. Every day, every single day, those voices haunted her and never left in her dreams and wake, constantly reminding her of the unforgivable sin she's committed for her mother's sake. But what hurt her more is that every word spoken to her was so true that there was no denying or mistaking it; she was a murderer who had her mother's blood on her hands. Futaba didn't deserve any breath she was still taking and the world would be better off if she was gone.

She didn't deserve to live... she had to die-- the sooner the better.

*******

------Futaba's Palace------

Still baffled and in a state of shock about the whole situation, the Phantom Thieves all glanced at one another before blinking their eyes in pure confusion. First, it was the nature of Futaba's Shadow despite the fact the real one was who asked them to change her heart, then the voice they heard, the scream and ripped through their souls, and all the unstable shaking of the Palace as if it was about to crumble and fall at any moment. The words they heard when the Shadow was still here never failed to leave their minds... what did they mean when they said that she killed her mother? Didn't Sojiro tell them that she committed suicide? Then what could they possibly mean by that? That didn't make any sense whatsoever. Everything that happened inside of that pyramid was far from being normal or comprehensible... then again, what part of a world existed by the distorted desires of the public was even normal?

"Well... talk about a tough audience to please." Flare was the first to break the silence.

"That's really the first thing you have to say?" Joker sweatdropped, earning a shrug from the pale blue-haired thief.

"Dammit! What the hell...?" Skull groaned.

"This is bad--I'm having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation. We should regroup and--" Queen's words were interrupted by the place shaking again.

And it was even stronger than the last two times.

"What now?!" Panther shrieked.

As if on cue with her words, a giant boulder landed down, earning wide eyes and shocked gasps from the thieves.

"Oh crap...! Bad, bad, bad! Ruuuuuuuuuun!" Mona yelped.

They all began running down the long stairs with the boulder rolling down behind to crush them while they were screaming for their lives, but they split into two groups and jumped on the side. The boulder continued its way and rolled away as the loud creaking voice rang through the pyramid, causing their eyes to wander upward to see that the once-open door on top of the stairs closed on its own. The thieves leaned their backs against the wall while panting rapidly due to how fast they've run at a speed they never thought they possessed until now because of the adrenaline that kicked right through their limbs. However, Skull was the most among them to take damage since his broken leg began acting up again, causing him to wince quietly under his breath while gritting his teeth. Panther seemed to notice the pain he tried to hide and attempted to approach him, but he gave her his usual goofy and wide grin to tell her that he was perfectly fine.

But still... that was a damn close call.

"We're safe... that was too close." Queen panted.

"It's been a while since I ran like this... I feel so rusty." Flare huffed.

"Now what?!" Panther asked.

"Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what's going on, it seems the door is shut. What should we do?" Fox questioned.

"I think our best option is retreating for now. This won't be as simple as we expected. Why don't we prepare a little more, then come back?" Mona suggested.

"Good idea." Joker agreed.

"OK." Queen nodded, "Then let's retreat for now and return to the Palace another day."

******

------Evening: Café Leblanc------

Luckily, Sojiro had already left the shop and no one was in there to interrupt the group's meeting, so Ren let them all in after unlocking the door with the spare key he had from his guardian. Wasting no time, Ryuji and Ann plopped down into the closest booth they've come across before throwing their heads on the table, clearly still overwhelmed by the whole experience with the boulder. The rest couldn't blame them since they were pretty shaken up themselves as well, thus they sat down in silence to organize their thoughts to be able to think of what their next step is going to be. A few moments of silence passed, making Ren glance at his teammates who seemed to slowly recover from the exhaustion that was taking over them, especially since Ryuji and Ann lifted their heads from the table and re-adjusted themselves.

After some thought, Ren went to the kitchen to prepare something for his friends to help them relax and lessen their stress and returned soon after with a tray of coffee cups and a glass of soda for Ryuji. The group all cheered for Ren before taking their drinks and indulging themselves in the taste, seemingly relaxing a lot more than before; Leblanc's coffee worked like magic. In an attempt to change the heavy atmosphere in the café and kill the silence, Ren took the remote and turned on the TV, a news channel was the first thing that came on it.

"The date that Medjed has set for the alleged cleanse is 8/21. That day is fast approaching. The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry out their cyberterrorism?" A TV reporter stated.

"In order to stop them, we need to help Futaba Sakura before the 21st. Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th." Makoto spoke firmly.

"Meetin' up in Shibuya then comin' here's a pain, right? Let's make this place our hideout for a while." Ryuji suggested.

"Convenient enough." Ren agreed.

"That's actually not a bad idea at all." Emiko admitted.

"Is everyone fine with this place being our next hideout then?" Makoto asked.

"We must take care not to be discovered by Boss." Yusuke commented.

"There's no telling what may happen inside that pyramid. We all need to be cautious so that place doesn't become our graveyard." Morgana added.

"Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation. We're dealin' with international hackers and lookin' for a Treasure in a pyramid." Ryuji grinned.

"But we can't afford to ignore them." Ren stated.

"How can you be enjoying this? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know?!" Ann scolded Ryuji.

"I know that!"

"Sure you are." Emiko scoffed.

"What was that?"

"That reminds me. While we were in the Mona car, you were staring at me with a dirty look, you perv." Ann glared at the blonde-haired boy.

"Shuddup! It was a great view! You guys were lookin' too, am I right?!"

"Indeed. The pyramid's golden ratio was truly a sight to behold." Yusuke spoke dreamily.

"That ain't what I'm talkin' about..." Ryuji said.

"What do you have to say in your defense, Amamiya? And I won't accept any half-assed excuses." Emiko cracked her knuckles as she stared at the dark-haired deadly.

He cleared his throat as he felt a slight shiver running up his spine.

"I wasn't staring, Lady Ann. I'm a gentleman, after all." Morgana said proudly.

"It's not that you 'weren't,' but that you 'couldn't' since you were transformed, am I right?" Ann asked while Morgana sweatdropped.

"Will we be all right like this...?" Makoto mumbled under her breath, sighing to herself.

*******

------Meanwhile: Sakura Residence------

Working again on her computer, Futaba's half-lidded eyes scanned the screen on the codes that were floating around the screen as its dim green light slightly illuminated her pale face, showing how skinny it was. Her irises suddenly snapped wide open as her fingers abruptly stopped typing on the keyboard when she heard a light whisper ringing in her ears. She immediately curled herself in a ball on top of her chair by bringing her knees to her chest and grabbing her head, shaking it violently to dismiss all the words she hated and despised so much. The whispers soon became louder and more audible to her that kept reminding her of her unforgivable sin and making her lose hope of salvation to her filthy soul that was stained with the crime of murder.

"Not again..."

In the midst of her shaky and desperate mumbles, the image of her deceased mother appeared right behind her with her eyes locking on the girl intensely, her expression twitched in pure sadism and joy. Every word she muttered quietly to only for Futaba to hear, caused the young girl to squirm more in pain as she shut her eyes tightly, crying, and begging for the illusion to disappear.

"Rgh... agh... ngh..." She struggled in pain as the illusion faded in the air, "Mom..."

*******

------Café Leblanc's Attic------

Locking his grey orbs on the ceiling above him, Ren couldn't bring his mind to stop thinking about all the crazy events that unfolded that day in Futaba's Palace. It was still hard to believe how the pain and regret about her mother's death caused Futaba to develop a Palace of her own... Ren was so similar to her in many ways with his own mother's death. Had he succumbed like her back than six years ago, would he have developed a Palace as well? The mere thought made him feel a little bit uneasy. Sojiro also said that she was suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations which concerned him about her state a lot more than before; what was she thinking right now? Was she in pain? Was she crying? Was she screaming or begging for help? Ren felt his chest tingling at those thoughts, unable to imagine what she must be going through right now... but he could understand her very well too, he lost his mom in the past and kept blaming himself for the longest time.

So they... were not different from one another at all.

What brought Ren's attention back was the sound of his phone vibrating, his comrades already discussing what happened that day via IM like always.

Ryuji: Well that sucked.

Ann: Is doing this really going to help us do something about Medjed?

Yusuke: Do they truly intend to follow through on their threat? It'd be a shame if our efforts were a waste.

Emiko: That's true, but we all know that's not going to be easy.

Alibaba: Medjed will definitely make a move.

Ann: Alibaba!

Ren: Futaba!

Alibaba: I'm checking on your progress. How much longer will it take?

Makoto: Your heart is more problematic than we had anticipated.

Emiko: And yes, take it literally.

Alibaba: What do you mean?

Ren: Well...

Ryuji: Hey, Alibaba!

Ryuji: Can you really do something about Medjed?

Alibaba: Of course.

Yusuke: Unfortunately, we have next to no evidence to support that.

Alibaba: Your work will be rewarded, I promise.

Alibaba: Besides... you have no other option, do you?

Makoto: I suppose that's true...

Ryuji: Can you do stuff like take down a server? Show us.

Makoto: Hey! Don't start any trouble.

Alibaba: That's all it would take to convince you?

Alibaba: All right. I ask that you take care of this quickly.

Alibaba: Until then.

Ann: Wait! Are you ditching us again?

Emiko: You just had to open your big mouth again, huh, Ryuji?

Ryuji: I was just tryin' to help!

Emiko: ...Clearly you are.

Makoto: This is troubling, but... we need to do what we can at the moment.

Yusuke: I have concerns for Futaba herself during all this.

Ren: Me too.

Ryuji: Man, why'd this have to be during summer vacation?

Ann: We don't have any other choice.

Makoto: Ren. As always, we'll leave it to you to call us together.

Ren: Of course.

"The sight of her Palace bothers me too... we have to do this." Morgana spoke firmly.

Before Ren could even open his mouth to speak, his phone vibrated once again as he received a flow of text messages at a hurried pace. Which were all from...

Mishima?

Mishima: Hey, listen up! This is horrible! The Phan-Site is gone!

Ren: What?

Mishima: I try to access the URL, but it says that page doesn't exist!

Mishima: The fruit of my labor has completely disappeared!

Mishima: Oh! Do you think it's because of Medjed?!

Ren: No, it's Alibaba.

Mishima: Huh? Who's Alibaba? Anyway, this has to be Medjed's doing!

Mishima: Is this supposed to be some kind of penalty for cheering for the Phantom Thieves?!

Mishima: But wait, they're totally jumping the gun! There's still time until the cleanse!

Ren: Calm down, Mishima.

Mishima: How am I supposed to when the website is gone entirely?!

Mishima: Hold on, something came up.

Mishima: "Is this proof enough for you...?"

Mishima: What's that supposed to mean? Do you think it's a virus?!

Mishima: Oh!

Ren: What is it now?

Mishima: Well, uh... it looks like everything's back to normal.

Mishima: Sorry for making a fuss about all this...

Mishima: I'm going to try and look into it a little more though. See you.

"Was that Alibaba proving what she said earlier? Talk about a crazy thing to pull off..." Morgana trailed.

Crazy indeed... what Futaba was capable of doing was truly insane. And was why The Phantom Thieves needed to save her; they couldn't allow such a young heart and talent to be consumed by darkness and distortion, a world where there was no coming from. A world every member of the thieves experienced and had a bitter taste of but were able to overcome thanks to the strength in their hearts, and that was the strength they were going to give Futaba.

*******

Ending

*******

Word count: 9323 words

A/N: Okay! I will finish the chapter here!

Gosh, I'm super super sorry for the late update! I was editing the story from all the grammatical mistakes, typos, poorly written paragraphs, and everything. Then I became so slumpy and lazy that I temporarily lost my motivation to write again.

So I had to take a break...

Please forgive meeeeeh! ;^;
Here's a long chapter as a token of apology for the long wait. I love you all and I feel like crap for keeping you hanging like that... ;-;

At least, I was able to cover a good amount of stuff in this chappie, hehe~
Hope I was able to convey Futaba and Emiko's feelings well. And speaking of Mikki, YO THAT'S SOME SOLID CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT THERE!!!

Anyways, what do you think of this chapter? Liked it?

Let me know! 😊

Rand Talih💞

Published on: Fri/May 29/2020