4 days remaining, nighttime

Ren saw it in slow motion.

He watched in silent disbelief as Reug's bloody eyes widened at the same time the bullet passed through his brain. His face went slack, like a puppet's strings being cut, and the blade in his hand clattered against the broken ground. He coughed twice. Blood spattered the front of his clothes and-finally, finally- the Alpha toppled backwards.

The Rogue Shadow was suddenly next to Reug. His hand wrapped around the back of his waist a second before he hit the ground, and Ren was hit with a sudden pang of envy. It was such a perfect look- the prince catching the princess before she fainted. So romantic, even if neither he nor Goro fit the bill.

Without warning, the Black Mask drove his sword through Reug's stomach.

Ann and Haru screamed in horror, and the pounding footsteps told Ren that Ryuji was sprinting for Goro, trying to make him stop. Yusuke followed closely, and Queen went for Goro. Before they could touch him, flowing red energy wove a blockade in front of them. Goro didn't even spare them a glance as he rammed the blade through a crack in the street. Blood dripped out of the dead Alpha's mouth.

The Shadow cupped Reug's pale cheek in his hand and brought his lips to the dead boy's ear. Ren seethed as Goro whispered something he was unable to hear. What luck Reug had! So much that he could be close to Goro (or a version of him) for the last moments of his life.

He snapped his fingers and conjured more of his psychotic power. It wrapped the impaled Alpha like a tornado, quickly turning from a dull pinkish-white to a bloody mess of red and pulpy black. When it dissipated and revealed only a rust-stained skeleton and a sword through its spine, Goro finally stepped back. He looked furious, and that certainly didn't change when Queen tackled him from behind. His face hit the ground hard, cracking Goro's mask and drawing some sharp choice words from that even sharper tongue.

"Get. Off. Me."

"You killed someone!" Makoto cried. "You didn't even know him, and you killed him!"

Ren laughed quietly at the Thieves' horrified and angry looks. Imagine what they would do- or try to do, Ren was practically invincible in his Palace- to him when they found out who set the house on fire.

"I'm an assassin. None of you were being particularly helpful."

"Screw that!" Ryuji yelled. "No one cares if you're an assassin! You killed some guy you met, like, an hour ago!"

"He threatened to kill Trae and one of your own." The fury in his voice sharpened to something steel-cold, and it made Ren shiver. Oh, Goro would be talking the same way when he learned about his mother's death, but the thought elated him. That voice was so beautiful. Hearing it again would be a blessing from the darkest gods. "Don't tell me you didn't feel the same instinct."

It was almost like the ground was trembling from his fury, or maybe it was Futaba's. She dropped out of her camouflage UFO and marched up to the beautiful assassin. "You saved Makoto," she said. Then Futaba slapped him across the face. Goro hissed, but didn't move. It would've been rather difficult to do so, considering the demon known as Makoto Niijima pinning him. "And that's for enjoying the kill."

"I'll accept that," he decided. Ren pouted in the shadows. Where was the real Goro's anger? His sharp tongue and sharper words? Why was he bothering to pretend anymore?

Arsene's masked face turned sharply in his direction, and Ren froze like a deer in headlights. He'd severed their contract temporarily, just like Thanatos taught him to. Surely he'd done it correctly?

Then he turned away and Ren exhaled.

"Something wrong?" Carmen asked him.

"Be on your guard," he warned.

She smirked, her mouth perfectly visible under her mask. "That's your way of saying 'I don't know.'"

Arsene pointedly ignored her. He raised his wings and flew in the direction of a semi-camouflaged Necronoicon. His chains clanked noisily behind him. For a Thief, it was surprising he allowed himself to have a bell of sorts around him. Or perhaps he simply couldn't get them off.

"That's enough!" Goro yelled, and Ren's eyes were drawn back to him. He was struggling on the ground, but with both Makoto and Ryuji sitting on him- the former who was in a good position to set up a headlock- there wasn't much he could do. "Get off before I incinerate you all!"

"But you won't," Noir said. She kneeled next to him and slung her axe over her shoulder. "Aren't we still useful? You might be able to fight your way through the Wish Palace and you might be able to find Ren. But you forget, you told us everything in the engine room; your past and all."

"Your point being?" he seethed.

"He manipulated the matter of the Hope Palace to escape," she said plainly. "It isn't too far a stretch to suggest he could do even more with Wish. So..." Noir swung her axe at him. The blade stopped a hair's breadth from his throat, and Goro went very still. "I suggest you do not make any more threats. And you," she told Makoto. "Should not pin down our strongest asset for a crime no one cares he commited."

"He doesn't have any family," Goro offered. Ren facepalmed at the blatant words, but when he looked up, his gaze skipped over the beautiful assassin and landed on something else.

Well, someone else. Who was sitting on a translucent bench, swinging her legs as if she didn't have a care in the world. She was dressed differently than the last time they'd met, now wearing a blouse and skirt, and there were no chains to be seen. Ren still knew it was her, though. There was no mistaking her golden eyes.

"Lavenza..." The Trickster barely whispered the name, but the girl glanced up from Le Grimoire, seeming confused.

Ren catapulted himself out of the rubble and sprinted for the Velvet Room attendant. She had promised to keep watch over him and speak frequently, but in the recent months there had been no communication between them. Ren had missed her. And now she showed up in the most inopportune of places, but it was alright. Ren felt a smile grow on his face as he sprinted past the Thieves and Arsene. She was here! She was here!

Lavenza glanced up as he skidded to a halt, nearly toppling into her. She made a startled sound and snapped her book shut, jumping to her feet quickly.

"Lavenza!" Ren cried, throwing his arms around her. He frowned when she remained still, so he took a step back and assumed the role of stern older brother. "Morgana was worried, you know, and so was I. We thought something had happened to you."

The girl looked up at him solemnly and refused to speak.

Ren's excitement gave way to concern. "Lavenza?" He tried for a laugh. It came out more nervous than he wanted. "Why the silent treatment? Have I done something wrong?"

Her pale hair started to rise around her. Lavenza still hadn't said a word.

"Lavenza, what is it?" His fear-sharpened senses turned to the surrounding area. The Velvet Room entrance certainly looked different than before. First, there was the bench Lavenza had been sitting on, then the sleek monorail behind her. The door that used to be a chained jail... actually, where was the door?

The attendant's cheeks were flushed. Her eyes sparked with an emotion Ren couldn't place. "Why are you still here?" she demanded.

The words took him by surprise, not because of their sharp tone, but because she had actually spoken. Still, he found himself confused and unable to give an answer other than, "What?"

She tucked Le Grimoire under her right arm. "You are not welcome," Lavenza told him firmly.

Ren felt like he'd been sucker punched, or worse, had a cup of freshly-brewed coffee thrown at his face- it had happened once, to the amusement of both Futaba and Takemi, an experience he was not eager to repeat- and stumbled back. "What?" he repeated. His voice gained strength. "What do you mean?"

"You have severed your contract with your Persona."

"Only temporarily!" Ren protested. "I had to, otherwise I couldn't take this Palace."

"And why," she demanded, her voice harsher than he'd ever heard it, "Why do you need to become like the corrupted humans you yourself defeated?"

The answer was clear in his mind. "Because if I do, I can bring Goro Akechi back. It's all for him."

Her mouth tilted down. "You broke the primary rule of the Velvet Room the instant you set fire to your home."

How did she know about that? And why hadn't she spoken up sooner, if she had been able to see him?

"I will take responsibility for my own actions," Lavenza quoted. "That is the rule you broke, and that is why you are no longer welcome here... Ren."

He fell to his knees as Lavenza looked past him, feeling like part of him had just been torn out. Why would this happen? He had done nothing wrong! The burned building had been like destroying a Palace- turning every shred of evil in that house to ash. As for the Palace, he accepted the actions as his own, but they were for a better purpose.

He was... he was blameless.

Yes. Of course he was. It made sense, didn't it?

Ren had done nothing wrong.

"Well, Joker," a voice purred behind him. "It seems you've finally been kicked off your high horse. How does it feel to be on the ground with us mortals?"

Ren slowly stood up. He couldn't find the energy to raise his head. "I don't have time for this, Shadow."

"Do I sound like a Shadow to you?" the rogue Akechi demanded.

"He sounds pretty real to me," a second voice added rather unhelpfully.

"I'm positive he is, Morgana." Ren finally turned around to face them. Sure enough, the cat and the Shadow were glaring at him. The former's paws were crossed over his chest, but Goro seemed to prefer the multitude of sharp objects on him, if that wicked looking sword was anything to go by.

"Give up," Morgana demanded in typical hero fashion. "You can't win this. Just let go of the Palaces, and this can be over."

"I don't need to win," Ren told him simply, wondering what part of that he didn't understand. Arsene must have told the other Personas, who told their masters. Most likely, Morgana was just that kind of cat, who had to say dramatic stuff to feel noticed.

"As of now, you do."

Ren flinched in surprise as Arsene all but materialized in front of him, neatly tucking his wings in. "Dammit, Arsene! You scared me!"

"You're against a wall," he pointed out, ignoring what Ren said- a fact that hurt his feelings. "Facing three hostile...beings... and a neutral party behind you. There are few ways you can turn this around."

He did have a point-

But if he gave up now, everything would be for nothing. Ren would never see Goro again. He had to get away, even if it meant destroying a Shadow in the process. And since they were technically all Shadows- Morgana included- there was no reason he shouldn't be able to.

He was just about to pounce when the ground shook. Goro hissed a curse, taking his eyes off Ren for a second. "Oracle! Get them out of here! We're not done here!"

She saluted at Necronomicon's console before vanishing. "You got it, Crow!" A green beam flashed on the ground, courtesy of her Persona. "Follow me, people!"

Ren carefully sidestepped away from Arsene. Last battle, it had been all too easy to control him; like there was a string still connecting them. He would try it again, he thought, but when he reached out of the link, there was nothing but air. Lavena had most likely severed his ties to Arsene when she stripped him of his title as a Wildcard.

Cracks splintered out from the already shattered street, dropping concrete into darkness. Chunks of the sky came crashing down, one landing dangerously close to him. Ren looked around uneasily. Illusions wouldn't help him teleport, and the Palace- self-destructing as it was- would never respond to his demands. With Lavenza refusing to let him access the Velvet Room, that left only one option. That place.

"Get out of my way." he demanded. Ren's voice rang harsh in his ears. "Now."

Goro sighed and unsheathed his own weapon. "See," he told Arsene. "Even this Joker knows that 'go to hell' is unoriginal. Even if his," he turned back to Ren, and in a blink of an eyes summoned fire, "Is just as cliche."

"Joker, you have to come with us!" Morgana begged. "This place is coming apar- waah!" The cat leaped backwards seconds before a fist-sized chunk of white slammed into the ground. The impact sent them all to the ground, and the already-weakened concrete spiderwebbed cracks outward. He got to his feet unsteadily. It really was time to go.

"You three- hurry!" Lavenza cried. Ren turned around as she threw the train car open. "Go faster!"

He realized his mistake as she smiled. Ren felt a hand on his shoulders, and the next thing he knew, he was flat on his back. Goro's face was a breath away, his sharp red eyes glaring upside-down at him. "'Trickster' my ass," he huffed, shifting more weight onto Ren's chest. He was so close- his body pressed against Ren's, the Shadow's head on his chest-

Too close too close too close-

"Morgana! Move your ass!" Goro barked over his shoulder.

"Akechi, he's in the Velvet Room. We need to leave," said Arsene. Ren heard the chains clank next to him. "There is still a clear path to Despair's exit. He'll be fine."

"I could always kill him," Goro breathed.

"You could," the Thief said. "But you would also die-" There was a sharp intake of breath. "Look out!"

A rush of feathers obscured his vision. When Ren could see again, the weight on his chest had considerably lessened. He sat up to find another white chunk an inch from his hood, and more importantly, his head.

Holy shit, he hadn't even noticed that falling.

Arsene dropped from the sky, holding the Shadow Akechi by his ragged cape. "It's almost like you want to die," he hissed, setting him on the ground. The Shadow stumbled a few steps, and his Persona caught him. "I await my thanks," he added.

"I had it covered," the Rogue Shadow lied. He turned his back on the Despair Palace and stepped into the train.

Ren felt anger boil in his chest. How dare a pathetic Shadow be so rude to his Persona! But, he reasoned, it was Goro's Shadow. It was something he just did. Maybe it was permissible, maybe it wasn't.

Be as that may, he reminded himself as the street shuddered under him, he wouldn't see anyone again if he died here. Ren jumped to his feet and raced away, leaving Arsene and Lavenza to their silent conversation.

---

"This feels familiar, somehow," Goro quipped.

"Shut up," Ren muttered, dragging himself up Leblanc's rickety stairs. He barely noticed the traps on each floor, nor the Shadows manning them. "I'm tired and I haven't eaten for a day."

"Your trip to the Despair Palace was worthless?"

He found the energy to crack a slight smile. "Not entirely." The two bars in his pocket were hardly anything to survive on, but they would do for the time being. "There's a chance I can take more when they arrive at the Wish Palace."

"I'd suggest having our Shadows do it instead." The red-eyed Shadow easily kept pace with him, exhausted as he was. "You don't look well."

"Obviously," he mumbled to no one in particular.

"There are four days until you can relinquish your hold on the Palace," said Goro. "You have utter control of this place, so it's quite difficult to understand why you don't make a tower in the sky and stay there."

"Stop questioning me," Ren demanded with a sudden surge of anger. He stumbled over the last step and collapsed dramatically on his bed.

"Stop ignoring me." The truth of Goro's blatant statement cut a hole in his chest, and he reluctantly opened his eyes. "Don't ignore your biggest asset because I remind you of the real Akechi."

"I'm tired. We can talk later."

"I know I'm only a Shadow, but you made me for a reason!" He sounded frustrated. "I'm not a doll you can use whenever you feel like! I'm a living being!"

"That's enough!" Ren snarled, sitting up and pinning him with a deadly expression. "I told you, we'll talk later. You are my creation, and you are under my command. Do you understand?" The last words came out so vicious, even he winced.

The Shadow's bloodstained eyes bored through him. Ren half thought he would dare to attack him, but then came a tap on the window.

Goro turned around and left silently.

Ren glanced up at the panes to see the same face grinning down at him. "Did I interrupt something?" the Rogue Shadow teased.

"You-you came back," Ren gasped, feeling his personality do a 180. "I mean-" Oh, he was so pathetic. He was a Shadow, not the actual Goro Akechi, and still he was an absolute mess!

The Shadow smirked, but it was a tired look. "Cat got your tongue?" he asked languidly, leaning against the window frame. "I thought you were supposed to be more like Arsene."

Ren threw a pillow at him, raising the window with a flick of his fingers. "Shut up."

"Now why would I do that?" He shifted into a crouching position, bracing himself against the window frame. "Onto more serious matters, however; you wondered why I came back?"

"Sure," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"I came for you."

Ren's eyes snapped open. He couldn't help the heat that flooded his face or the sudden impulse to bury himself under the covers and never come out. "What?" he squeaked.

Goro's eyes laughed at him, and Ren's embarrassed flush quickly turned to fury. The Shadow took his hand off the window, balancing like some sort of ninja. Even though he was wearing a white collared shirt, he could almost imagine it; although in Loki's garb it was a bit more convincing. "I'm here for you," he repeated. "You see, if I'm here, you can stop all this nonsense."

"You're only a Shadow," Ren managed. Oh, he was so perfect. This Akechi was so lifelike. Of course, he couldn't be real, because Goro was dead and only Ren could bring him back.

"I'm real," he said, "But it doesn't matter. Do you know why, Joker?"

Ren leaned his head against his pillows and tilted his head.

"Because." Goro was suddenly pointing a gun at his head. Startled out of his daze, Ren flopped out of bed and jolted to his feet. What?

"I'm going to kill you right now."

The Shadow fired. Ren dove to the ground, feeling the bullet part his hair on the way past and embed itself in the wall. With just a thought, he slammed the window down, trapping Goro on the other side. "That was rude," he whined, sitting back on his bed. "You already shot me once, there's no reason to do it again!"

"I'm done with all this bullshit!" he raged from behind the glass. "You think anything here really matters to me?"

"You're a Shadow," Ren reminded him tiredly.

"No," the assassin snarled, "I'm not! I'm a human!"

"You can be both human and a Shadow," Ren offered. "Like my Shadow Morgana."

"Morgana is a Shadow, dammit!" Goro shattered the glass with a fire spell, but before he could leap inside, Ren sealed it again. "I could do this all night. You may as well let me in."

"Liar." He'd already noticed how pale he was. "You're an awful liar."

"I'm telling you the truth," he protested. Ren sensed the subtle shift before the Detective Prince said, "Allow me to give you an example: I hate you. You absolutely disgust me."

"Lie," Ren said promptly. "If you hated me, would you have saved me in the engine room?" Please, he prayed silently. To whatever gods were watching this, even if it was a game to them, they had to make him right. Goro had to love him. Because if he didn't... well, Ren had no idea what he would do, but it wouldn't be good for anyone in Jamestown, much less Japan.

Goro looked away. "I...There's no reason to ask about what's already happened. My actions were obvious. Does it matter why?"

"It matters to me," Ren said honestly. "I love you."

He recoiled like he'd smelled something awful. Or like he'd been jumpscared, the way Makoto accidentally jumpscared Futaba. "L-love?" Goro practically choked on the word. He recovered enough to sputter, "That's a terrible choice on your part," before stammering out some unintelligible words.

"Why?"

"Love is worthless," he spat. "It's not even real!"

"Technically," Ren pointed out, opening one bar with an obnoxious crackly sound, "Nothing is real."

"It's all our perception," Goro finished with an annoyed sound. "How our senses perceive the world around us. Believe it or not, I happen to know someone who studied that."

"Someone other than Isshiki Wakaba?"

"It doesn't matter," he declared, and although Ren wanted to know more, there was no changing Goro Akechi's mind, even if it was only a Shadow.

Ren pouted. "But I love you~"

"Fine. I'll humor you," Goro said, leaning on the glass. "Why do you love me? Or," he added with a roll of his lovely red eyes, "The 'real' Goro?"

"Because he's cuuute!" Ren sang.

"That's sexual attraction, not how you define love."

"And he's not that funny, but he sometimes tries to be and its adorable. Also, he hangs out with me because he pretends to think I'm interesting, but really decided I'm disgusting. He said he hates me, but I don't think he really means it. I'd do anything to save him."

"Now look who's lying?" the Shadow crooned. "You fell in love with the fake Detective Prince like every other worthless fan of mine."

"You're wrong." Ren could barely find the words over the pain in his chest. "I love Goro Akechi."

He raised an eyebrow. "Hypothetically, if I believed you, how did you know you loved me? You realize that my views on love are very different to yours."

"Love is a chain," Ren recited. "That's what Akira said to me. Most likely what you believe?" Goro's stunned silence was enough to make Ren continue. "I... you know that 'love at first sight' cliche? I think I felt something immediately, and followed my instincts. He was never the same person from day to day. But when he challenged me in the Metaverse and told me he hated me, I knew for sure."

"How ironic," the Rogue Shadow muttered.

"Says the master of irony," he retorted. "But that was when Goro was himself. Honestly himself, and I realized... I think I realized then that I would do anything to make him happy."

"And you think happiness means love?" he scoffed. "Happiness is temporary."

"You really don't like the idea of love, do you?" Ren asked. When Goro only answered with a glare, he sighed. "After a hundred eighteen days exactly-" he'd felt each day like a stab in the chest- "I still haven't given up hope."

"Y-you're lying..." The Shadow seemed overwhelmed. "You wouldn't... you can't do that!"

Ren refused to let him look away. "I love him."

Goro lowered his eyes, looking like a confused puppy. "You bastard," he growled, probably unable to think of anything else to say. "Piece of shit... attic trash..." The Rogue Shadow stammered out more insults, seeming completely lost.

"I love him," he repeated.

The Rogue Shadow gaped at him like a fish.

"Close that mouth, dear, you'll catch flies." Ren had gotten perhaps two chances to tease Goro, and the furious expression on his face was reward enough for certain death.

"You... you can't love me!" he protested.

"And why's that?"

"Because-Because who could trust a waste of space like me?"

"Is that what you think?" Ren was genuinely hurt. "You think both you and Goro are a waste of space?" He shook his head and slid onto the ground. "Love and trust are two different things, you know. I don't think they're mutually exclusive, but it's impossible to control love, I think. Trust, as Akira said, is earned." He frowned. "She also said I deserved no trust, but that's besides the point." The Shadow's teeth clenched at that, and Ren felt his face flush. He cared enough to be angry at that? Did that mean he had a chance with the real Goro? Even if it was a jump in logic, and a big one at that, it was hope.

"So what? You can't trust someone who tried to kill you twice, and actually killed you once!"

"I can, and I can prove it." Ren walked over to his workbench, tossing the empty wrapped to the side. He opened his backpack; he'd asked Haru to bring it up discreetly. Inside were his carefully wrapped knives- he had yet to use them- one throwing needle, a pile of dark clothes to replace Arsene's garb, and two large books. Ren picked up the bigger of the two- the cover he'd slaved over for two days finally looked impressive enough- and opened the window with a clever pulley system Futaba designed.

"What's this?" Goro scoffed, dangling his legs into Leblanc's attic. "You're going to read me to death?"

Ren chuckled softly. In his hands, the book began to glow softly. He'd known, of course, but the Days had never glowed before. "Rogue Shadow, this is a collection of every letter I wrote to Goro after his death. You have to understand, this was not the first time I'd witnessed death." He laughed to himself. "But when he died, it was the first time I'd lost someone dear. Of course, after that I couldn't feel a thing. I fought Shido, and when he returned to a human form, I turned him into a bloody slab of flesh."

He remembered vividly the fight against Shido, the cold rage searing his veins as much as his wounds. He remembered the politician's muscled form, Ren waving the others away and tilting a knife cruelly in his hands. Most of all, he remembered the way the worm had begged for death. The criminal had the gall to beg for a swift death when he'd made enough people suffer to make Ren's torture methods look childish.

"After that, I felt sure he would be back. So I wrote letters every day to give to him." The book's glow was now bright enough Ren had to squint to look at it. The elegant designs on the cover were nearly white. "You asked me if I trust Goro Akechi," he said. "If I can trust a Shadow of him, I can trust him, correct?"

"I'm not sure I follow..."

"This is my Treasure," Ren told him. "This is what you came for, right?"

"If I take this and get out alive, it'll destroy everything."

"Yes," Ren agreed. Without warning, he threw the book at Goro, and on instinct, he snatched it out of the air. Awe filled his bloodstained eyes. "But I'm not afraid."

"I trust you."

---

Sup, my dudes!

I think I did pretty good with this chapter, considering I created bad circumstances and limited time for Goro to love Ren.

Also, yall probably noticed the bolded stuff. Yeah, that's important. Trust me on that.

Sooooooooooo IM SERIOUS SOMEONE DROP SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR MORE SHUAKE FLUFF AT THE WINDOW PLZZZZZZZ

Thank you to all my amazing readers who (somehow) made it this far!!!! If there's something that should be changed (grammar or otherwise) comment and I'll do my best to fix it.

Yes, I made a new banner, and I think I'm proud of it. 

Anyways, SHITS GONNA GO DOWNNNNNNNNNNNn!!!!!!

Word count: 4660

Idk what else to say... so ill do what every smart person does. Ehehe...

Robin out!!!!

no but really im proud of this