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Chapter Text

Akechi all but collapsed into the safe room in Mementos. His piece of shit of a father had given him 5 annoyingly difficult targets to take care of a day after he completed his first real world murder. 

Really he shouldn’t have expected the slightest bit of decency of a man who sends a teenager to kill others even younger than him just to ensure he becomes the Prime Minister, but here he is. Slumped against a wall as blood pours from the reminders of the sins of today.

Akechi clutches his side with one of his hands carefully angling it in a way where the claws of his gauntlets don’t dig into the wound to deepen it even more, he can’t afford to pass out at this moment. Blood runs down his face obscuring part of his vision, the metallic smell making him gag when he remembers when he last experienced it in such an overpowering way

He takes off his helmet and sets it on the ground next to him, he doesn’t need to hide his identity at the moment and he would rather not cause himself any more trouble breathing than the one he already has.

No enemies are nearby but Akechi can’t let his guard down just yet, soon this will all be over, everything he sacrificed is worth it, will be worth it as long as he gets to take down that wretched man. He won’t allow the lives he has taken over the years to be just for the benefit of his progenitor. 

Everytime Akechi closes his eyes he can see it, see him. The last time someone he killed affected him this badly was when he was just fifteen, in his first assignment as an assassin. But of course, everything about him has to be special in some way, so why not make the way in how his death tortures Goro fucking exceptional too?

Onyx grey eyes having their light drained out by force, dilated pupils from the effects of the drugs, discarded needles, bruises, cuts, deep lacerations in his wrists where the handcuffs dug into his skin, and still, his smirk was the thing that plagued Akechi’s nightmares the most.

Akechi would be lying if he said he wished he had only gone after the 5 targets Shido had given him, maybe in that case he wouldn’t be fighting against the pull of unconsciousness and trying to not bleed out all over the floor of Mementos. But something in him didn’t allow him to leave the men who made the last hours before his rival’s death miserable and tortuous to continue living as if nothing happened.

He risked his life, his chance to get his lifelong desire for revenge to kill those who hurt him , and somehow he didn’t regret it. But he also didn’t regret what he did yesterday

It was a sacrifice, one that had to be made to avenge his mother. Besides he did truly hate his rival, killing him might have ruined his only chance at intelligent conversations but it is not as if he would suffer that for much longer. He won, he won against him, he will win against Shido too and he won’t ever regret his victory.

Akira Kurusu is dead and Goro Akechi doesn’t regret it, and he doesn’t think he ever will. 

Black spots dance across his vision as his chest heaves for air, his injuries making it hard to breathe. He almost feels himself on the edge of a panic attack when he feels a feather light touch against his hair.

Akechi audibly sighs as the feeling grows into one of fingers running up and down his hair, a soothing sensation he hasn’t fully experienced ever since his mother died and last experienced for an agonizingly short moment months ago in a cafe.

He must be extremely out of it due to blood loss because almost finds himself leaning into the touch when he realizes no one should be here with him. The only other people with Metaverse access outside of him and Akira are his merry band of brainless sycophants who are now probably too busy grieving to put their heads together to create an actual plan or do something useful.

One useful thing about taking out Akira is that the rest of the Phantom Thieves are useless without their leader, one less threat to worry about in the future.

Akechi cranes his neck towards the source of the soothing feeling, one of his hands already readying a weapon to attack the being who managed to approach him enough to touch him without him noticing.

Goro feels himself being somehow yanked towards fully passing out and completely snapping out of it at the same time, because how the fuck is Akira Kurusu sitting right next ot him in Mementos with his infuriating smirk replaced by a gentle smile and his forehead distinctly lacking the gaping hole that should be in it.

“Hey” Akira’s smile widens when he finally noticed Akechi staring at him like a deer in the headlights, as if he didn’t just fucking murder him a day ago.

“How- what” Akechi stumbles over his words, something he hasn’t done ever since he first approached Shido when he was a mere child.

“You don’t look too good detective, aren’t you always the one reprimanding me for being an ‘airheaded self-sacrificial moron’ “ Akira chuckles as he maneuvers Akechi’s stiff body to make it so his head is resting on the other’s thighs. Akechi doesn’t know why he doesn’t stop him.

“What I did today is nowhere nearly as foolish as your daily feats of borderline suicidal adrenaline seeking behaviours”

Akira stills for a moment, his eyes widening a bit before he breaks into a small fit of chuckles “That’s a new one for sure! You should have shown this more vulgar side of you more often Mr. Prime Proper Prince” Akira’s shoulders shake with laughter “I am pretty sure Ryuji wouldn’t have thought of you as much as a pretentious asshole if you were a bit more open with your feelings”

Akechi’s shoulders tense before relaxing again at the return of the soothing motions in his hair (when had his body even relaxed in the first place?) “I am not interested in impressing your idiotic troupe thieves”

Akira’s expression sours for a moment and that is what snaps Akechi out of this friendly banter. Akira shouldn’t be alive, in Mementos or out of his Phantom Thieve attire, but here he is in a black jacket, blue scarf, covered in bruises and with grey bright eyes staring down at Goro as if yesterday never happened.

And that somehow makes sense, of course. Akechi’s rival, his equal, wouldn’t be defeated in such an unceremonious manner. Really how foolish of him to assume Akira would die that easily, but perhaps he can allow himself to enjoy this small moment of peace before they have to go back to their respectives sides of the chessboard.

“Come on Akechi, working with you was fun, you should really come back to the team” Akira drawled his face contorting into a playful pout.

“We are on different sides of the law Kurusu, and you know this. I wouldn’t be surprised if you already knew just how far apart in the morality scale we truly are” Akechi argued as he stared up at the boy above him.

“Who do you think I am? Of course I know! Just as you did your homework with researching my criminal record I also did mine. Through some less legal means…” 

“Oh? Do you plan on sharing how you figured out such classified information” Akechi felt the corners of his mouth start to pull upwards into a smile, not his polite boyish smiles he used as the Detective Prince, but an ugly bordering in cruel smirk that Akira often was able to drag out of him.

“Nuh uh, my lips are sealed until I get the ‘go ahead’ from the rest of the team” Akira used one of his hands to mimic zipping his face, locking it and throwing away the key.

“Did I ever mention how you could be so much more effective if you just dropped unnecessary burdens?”

“Yes, actually you did multiple times” Akira deadpans.

“So what, you magically survive, decide to visit Mementos out of your normal outfit and play with the hair of the person who tried to kill you?” Akechi taunts, but still (for some reason he can’t explain to himself) he doesn’t move from the thief's grasp “Is this something you did with the shadow’s of your previous targets?”

Akira snorted “You wish, only special people get this privilege detective so don’t waste it” he looked down as his not-thief-clothes “And for the lack of my dashing usual outfit… I guess it is because I am currently weakened to the point where a low level pixie could wipe my ass”

Now that he pays more attention to it, Akechi can see how severe some of the injuries look, some might be even worse than the ones he is sporting as of now. He had noticed the bruises when he first saw Akira, he wouldn’t be a detective if he weren’t able to notice details on people’s appearances even in a severely impaired state, but now that he is really looking… He doesn’t regret what he did to those men. (Akechi doesn’t feel lucid enough at the moment to ponder on why Akira hadn’t bothered to bandage up his injuries).

“And you still decide to visit the enemy? Knowing full well I could easily kill you?” 

Akira winks at him acting entirely too casual for the events transpired just twenty four hours ago “You know me Crow, always making stupid and irrational decisions”

Akechi shouldn’t be doing this, he has more important things to do. Like making sure he doesn’t bleed the fuck out and getting home to get the rest he needs before his scheduled interviews tomorrow morning, but still, knowing full well he doesn’t deserve this he can’t bring himself to depart from the gentle touch of his rival who is now weaving small braids into his hair.

Blood loss, a self-induced psychotic breakdown and pure exhaustion might be the reasons why he is still humoring the man who he loudly proclaimed to hate just a few nights ago, but it doesn’t really matter now does it? He can indulge in this small pleasure before he has to go back to his agonizing reality tomorrow.

Maybe this time he can avoid killing Akira in order to obtain his revenge, but that wouldn’t be a fitting end wouldn’t it? He never planned to make it past his quest for vengeance, so what would be the point of keeping his rival alive if he wouldn’t be there to indulge in their competitions. Akechi can’t truly prove to himself the claim of being better, more special than Akira if the other remains alive to discredit the tale.

Yes, despite how annoying the consequences of killing Akira were and will be it is still something he must do in order to finally turn the last page of the story, to finally be done with everything this world likes to constantly throw his way.

Akira continues running his fingers through Akechi’s hair, the half a dozen of little braids he created just minutes ago starting to become undone with nothing to secure their ends. The thief hums a familiar tune from Jazz Jin as Akechi closes his eyes to bask in the comfort of the rhythmic motions.

“Didn’t your group of thieves create a nonsensical rule about visiting Mementos alone?” Akechi tiredly mumbles.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, we mostly had that to ensure no one got hurt without having anyone else near to cover them, but it is not like they know I’m here anyways” Akira stayed quiet for a few seconds before adding in a cheeky manner “But I know my dear Detective Prince would protect me here”

Akechi opened his eyes again just to be greeted with Joker’s trademarked infuriating smirk, acting as if he just told the funniest joke known to man. Sometimes he wonders what he even saw in that fool.

“And what makes you think that?” Akechi couldn’t help but question. The man sitting with him is extremely clever, after all no one could be considered Akechi’s equal without having an intellect to match his, but Akechi is curious to know what could lead the thief to come to such a moronic conclusion “Surely you didn’t get enough brain damage to forget the events of yesterday night? Am I wrong?”

Akira’s eyes flicker towards Akechi’s cruel smirk. It appears that for a second the thief's eyes go completely blank as if finally remembering that the person he is gently taking care of in his lap is nothing more than a hitman, but as always, Akira’s next words are nothing Akechi could have ever predicted.

The fingers in his scalp twitch “So you didn’t kill the men who tortured me in that room as some sort of twisted revenge?” Akira taunts, his voice strangely cruel , as if he was getting pleasure from the shock that overtake the detective’s features “Or did Shido send you to kill them? After all, he is known for disposing of anyone he thinks may be a liability especially now with his paranoia worsening as the date approaches the election”

Akechi feels his body being consumed by a cold sweat “You… You shouldn’t know about that” He never mentioned Shido by name, ever. The man as Akira said was extremely paranoid at all times and didn’t allow himself to be mentioned by any name associated with him unless the meeting was in a secure location “How do you know about him!?”

If Akira knew about this, what else could he know about? Did he somehow find the connection between Akechi and Shido? Does he know he is the bastard child of the politician? He wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to piece that together, after all, Akira is too clever for his own good.

It also wouldn’t come as a surprise if Akira followed him into Mementos and witnessed killing the targets, among them the men who tortured him. What is surprising though is the fact that Joker’s bleeding heart didn’t make him intervene to save the ‘innocent’ lives taken by Akechi.

He has always known Akira isn’t the pillar of morality everyone claims he is, does he have a bleeding to a fault? Sure, but only when it comes to those he cares about or innocent people. The scum that earned themselves a spot in the Phantom Thieves’ hit list didn’t have an ounce of the man’s sympathy.

But at that, a memory from a conversation that happened not so long ago comes back to mind.

“Don’t you think it is cruel?” Akechi questioned during a peaceful evening at Jazz Jin, his gloved hands tapping against their table.

Akira swirled his drink around “Hmm?” He looked at Akechi, making eye contact, his gaze was even more piercing when not obscured by his glasses (At Akechi’s request).

“Changing hearts I mean. You leave someone as a shell of their former selves, a pathetic sobbing mess who will never find peace within themselves. Don’t you think that is a fate worse than a mental shutdown?” Akechi had thought about it a lot, and he knew Akira would have probably done it too. He wasn’t his philosophical debate partner for nothing.

“I am not sure if the team aside from Ann and Ryuji have really thought about what it means to perform a change of heart. Back then when we started we didn’t know if Kamoshida would survive it, but we still did it” 

The thief looked deep in thought, proving Akechi’s theory that he had contemplated the topic before, but based on his expression it appeared he wasn't quite sure on how to put it into words. Something surprising for his usually infuriatingly cocky rival.

“I don’t agree with playing judge, jury and executioner, but sometimes something has to be done in order to get justice for those who were hurt. If we had done nothing Ryuji, Mishima and I would have been expelled, more people would have been preyed upon by Kamoshida and Ann wouldn't have been forced to sleep with the guy”

He looked down at his drink, a little whirlpool dancing across the water “So no, I don’t regret it. I do agree with you that it is cruel, losing oneself is something that I consider a worse fate than death. But, wouldn’t Kamoshida’s victims have lost themselves to their suffering? Wouldn't Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba or Haru lose themselves amidst the desires imposed onto them?”

“Are you saying you would rather inflict this punishment onto those willing to impose their will onto others instead of waiting for their victims to lose their will to rebel? To live?” 

On that outing Akechi certainly didn’t expect that answer, Akira admitting that what he was doing to their targets would make them envy the dead? And still not regretting it? But as always, Akira always has a way of surprising him.

“Again, I can’t say anything until I get the ‘go ahead’ from my sources, detective!” Akira winked like the cocky bastard he is.

“Okay then, tell your source that they will get themselves killed if they continue sticking their nose into affairs that aren’t theirs” Akechi replied in a voice eerily similar to his cheery Detective Prince voice. Trying to hide how much it actually scared him knowing that Akira and his thieves already had information that could easily derail his plans for revenge.

“Aren’t we already neck-deep into affairs that shouldn’t be our business anyways? We are Phantom Thieves, it's kinda our job” mischievousness dances in the gray eyes staring Akechi down, he pretends he doesn’t take it seriously, that it all is a game to him. But Akechi knows just how serious Akira is about obtaining justice for others.

After all, if he was as brainless and naive as the rest of his sycophants Akira’s behaviour under the rage status effect would be a lot different. Instead of wildly attacking and throwing insults at the enemy, not caring where his blows hit as long as they do, Akira becomes a silent and deadly predator much like Akechi. 

Akira uses precise yet brutal blows to effectively kill his targets, forgoing all the theatrics and flips to instead finish the fight as soon as possible. He would jump behind a target and sink his dagger into its neck while the expression on his  blood covered face remained completely neutral, only his eyes revealing the storm that hides beneath the mask. It was terrifying, it was beautiful, it was mesmerizing .

Akechi suddenly started coughing, an ugly sound that came from the fact he started to choke on his own blood from leaving his injuries unattended for too long, as he was distracted by the man in front of him. It always seemed like Akira’s mere presence was enough to make Akechi throw all logic and survival instincts out the window. 

Ignoring injuries, going after targets he wasn’t explicitly ordered to kill, getting too close, what’s next? Apologizing for the error of his ways while begging on his knees? Throwing his life away to protect the other boy? Ridiculous. 

Akechi dug his hand into the pockets of his Metaverse suit to find a healing item, he didn’t have many left due to the fact that he relied on Akira’s stash of heals and SP recovery and didn’t have time to restock on his own after what happened yesterday.

He didn’t really have the energy to go shopping when he was doubled over a toilet bowl retching and choking on the remnants of what used to be the instant coffee he got for dinner. Because of course Akira had to mess that up too.

“You know, you still can still drop by Leblanc if you want to, you know? Sure Futaba may not be happy, but I am pretty sure I can convince Boss to make sure she leaves you alone” Akira fiddled with his bangs in that way Akechi always observed him do, it was a nervous habit of his. One that Akechi clung to remember that in fact, Akira is human and not some angel sent from heaven to punish him for his sins.

Akechi finally managed to fish out a life stone and quickly used it on himself to avoid the dangerously high possibility of him passing out from blood loss “Do you really wish to invite your killer to your place of residence? I am certain I have asked this many times before, but how idiotic can you be?” The detective felt the fog clouding his mind starting to lift a little bit at the use of a healing item, in a matter of minutes he should be in a better shape in order to make his way out of Mementos.

“This may come as a shock for you detective, but I care about you. I am not sure how I have to show it or what I have to do in order for you to believe it” Akira sighed, as he averted his eyes from Akechi’s and instead redirected his intense gaze to the ceiling. As if it could answer all of life’s questions 

“I am not sure if you will ever come to accept that someone cares about you” Akira’s voice was soft and full of regret “Your mind is a labyrinth, one path leading to the truth and another to what you believe is the truth. It is not that you aren’t aware of the facts, you are a genius after all, but there are certain things you are unable to accept no matter how much evidence is supporting them. By the time you will realize what the truth was, it will be too late to back down”

“You seriously think you know me so well don’t you?” Akechi scoffed, he was tired of other people assuming they knew him so well, his fans, his coworkers, his classmates, Shido, all of them were fools who believed they were entitled to a piece of Akechi’s real self. But, as much as he hated to admit it Akira was the one who came the closest to the detective’s true self, he might have even seen the ugly truth hiding behind his princely mask yesterday in the interrogation room.

“We both wear masks in one way or another, you do it to get an advantage over people, to find something you can exploit. I do it in order to protect and interact with the ones I care about. Different reasons, but at the end of the day we are both liars” 

And, once again Akira is right. Akechi has noticed how Joker effortlessly balanced his marks and swiftly exchanged one for the other when interacting with his sycophants. A skill that endlessly infuriated the detective when he first noticed, his ability to not have to resort to a single mask, but have a whole army of them at his disposal, being able to make people trust you in a way Akechi never could manage from others.

Yes, at the start Akechi resented that skill. He wished he could wield more masks other than his Detective Prince persona, but he couldn’t afford that, he has a public image to maintain after all. But, as he grew closer to Akira he started noticing how his real self only would shine through when they spent alone time together, and that was for the both of them. 

The duo could show the most ugly, jagged and cruel parts of themselves without being held accountable or being judged by others. Two sides of the same coin who could only shine when faced with each other. Akechi loathes to admit it, but he has never felt as free as in those alone moments with Akira. That’s why he came to resent Joker’s friends so much.

With them in the picture Akira would never achieve the full potential Akechi knew he was capable of obtaining. He always wanted a rival in full shape to challenge him, one that would fight as dirty as he does, but Joker’s merry little band of thieves would make that impossible.

Akechi did hate the thieves, he holds a shred of respect for them, but he truly despises the effect they have on their leader.

But what’s the point in that? Akira may be alive now but he will be dead for good in a matter of days. Even if seeing the thief again was equally terrifying as much as it was relieving for some strange reason, he couldn’t let Akira live.

‘I am not sure if you will ever come to accept that someone cares about you’. The words rang through his mind again, his chest felt like it was about to burst and both liquid hatred and obsession were going to pour out of the hole. 

Akira couldn’t care about him, he couldn’t care about the man who orphaned two of his friends, killed innocents, and tried to kill him. It was unfathomable, but somehow in the bottom of his heart, he knew it was true. That the man with the bleeding heart, his equal, the subject of his obsession since Madarame’s palace, his rival could be the only person capable of welcoming him with open arms.

But he wouldn’t let himself fold, he wouldn’t let himself grow weak at the touch of another. He hates Akira, as much as the other man may be insane for not reciprocating on those feelings, Akechi does in fact hate him.

Gazing at the man above him, his hair framing his piercing eyes, his porcelain skin, that heart that is simultaneously golden and oozing with repressed rage. Akechi remembered the nights spent at his apartment, on the floor of his bathroom staring at his blood stained hands, desperately wishing Akira would see them and wash the red off them. Someone to embrace him because of his flaws and not despite them.

And, in the blink of an eye Akechi isn’t sure if he truly hates the thief who is still gently running his fingers through the detective’s scalp. Despite all the ugliness and hatred he has explicitly professed to the man, he is still here. 

Right then and there Akechi decides, yes he does loathe Akira Kurusu. Hating him comes as easy and blinking, something he doesn’t even have to think about in order to do. But, at the same time Akechi does in fact cherish Akira. Caring about him, even in his own twisted way, came as easy as breathing, something he never thinks about doing, but now needs in order to survive.

The idea of watching Akira die again is suddenly unappealing, as much as he does wish to sink his hands into the others throat, he would much rather leave a mark, a reminder that he was there, instead of snuffing the presence that lights up those eyes. And maybe, just maybe everything that has happened so far is enough to satiate his hatred. 

Akira is still an obstacle for his revenge, but maybe he can get him to understand he needs to do this in order to move on, and then they can finally continue on as rivals. Hate and fondness tainting their interactions in a much less pronounced way than before.

“You’ve been quiet for a while, maybe you decided to finally slow down and let my words reach you” Akira finally redirected his gaze towards the man sprawled across his lap “I love you”

Akechi’s breath hitched as his brain struggled to process those words. His fatigue riddled brain trying to find an explanation on how those words could mean anything else but what their literal meaning is. But, Akira did say how much he cared about him before.

“Please, please… If you are lying-” Akechi could feel his voice break as a sob started crawling up his throat. Because of fucking course the only person ever since his mother died who decided to show this care for him is someone who he tried to kill. Of course the world would be so cruel as to put the one person he wants to consider a future within as a wall he must destroy in order to achieve his revenge “Don’t… don’t lie to me about this please…”  he struggled to let the words out.

“I’m not lying Goro” Akira’s smile was soft, like everything he simultaneously loved and loathed about the man “I love you”

Akechi wanted to cry, laugh, and scream all at the same time which resulted in an ugly noise finally crawling up and out of his throat. He wanted to grab Akira, pull him close and never let go, but he also wanted to sink a dagger deep into his heart and examine it until he found where those pure feelings were hidden. He wanted to crawl into Akira’s chest and never come back out.

“ Akira…” The name was said like a prayer, as if just saying the name of the man who cradled him so gently would wash away the blood in his hands, the sins that worked as chains dragging him down to hell “ Please stay with me, I don’t care about any of your friends, just please don’t leave me”

“Oh Goro…” There was as much mockery as genuine empathy on the mere pronunciation of that name. A chill crawled up Akechi’s spine “You know that I’m not really here”

“What? What….?” Akechi could feel how his breathing started becoming erratic, his heartbeat  pounded against his chest. It felt like Loki was trying to crawl his way out of his ribs “What are you talking about…?”

“Mementos is fascinating isn’t it?” Suddenly the hands carding through his hair felt cold, deathly cold “Remember when you first started coming here? What did you discover?” Akira questioned, his voice becoming more and more distorted as the sentence went on.

“You shouldn’t know about that” Akira’s black fluffy hair started becoming wet, as if he had just come out of the shower, but something in Akechi’s mind told him that it wasn’t water. “How… how do you know about that?”

“How Mementos is all about cognition, fascinating isn’t it?” Blood started running down Akira’s face, his bright gray eyes becoming dull, like a corpse “If you imagine something hard enough, if you believe something hard enough… It almost becomes real doesn’t it? That's how you met your mother again for a while”

Suddenly a gaping hole appeared in Akira’s forehead, it was gory, messy and disgusting. Akechi could see pieces of his brain through the injury, it was nothing like those cheesy horror movies, a real head wound isn’t clean.

Akechi tried to scramble out of the other man’s grasp, but Akira’s cold hands latched to the detective’s arm, his grip far stronger than what it should be possible.

“Don’t you remember Goro? You killed me” Akira smiled down at him, it was a rotten smile, full of hatred, malice and hurt.

Akechi felt his heart stop for a moment. That would explain why Akira knew things he wasn’t supposed to, how he never even questioned his other costume or expressed surprise at what Akechi was doing.

Was this some idealized version of Akira that Akechi’s brain created and Mementos brought to life? No, he hadn’t realized up until a few moments ago the extent of his feelings towards the man. Did the cognition just tell him what he wanted to hear? Was Akechi’s brain torturing him with the notion that the man he killed with a smile and a cold gaze would ever love him? That Akechi could ever be loved?

‘By the time you will realize what the truth was, it will be too late to back down’ Akira’s words rang through his mind again. Was this his trust? That he loved a man who he can never get back? That he envies and loathes the only person that has ever shown care for him? That he was so rotten that he could only bite those who offered a helping hand towards him?

“You looked so real… you felt so real… Was this just a sick trap my mind was playing on me?” Akechi could feel the tears burning at the corners of his eyes, ready to fall at any moment. Waiting for the dam to break.

Akira’s eyes widened before relaxing again, more blood pooling out of the injury in his forehead “You understand me, I understand you, but we fundamentally misunderstand each other in all the ways that matter most. I hate you Akechi Goro, I love you even if I am not supposed to” The pure hurt in Akira’s expression was enough to make all that remained of Akechi’s sanity snap.

Akechi was finally set free from Akira’s grasp when the thief’s lower body started to melt into a puddle of blood, crimson washing over the floors of Mementos “And I hope you know enough about the real me to know he felt the same, until you put a bullet through his head” Akira took a few steps back

Akira’s body completely disappeared, leaving only blood behind. Akechi immediately rushed to where the other boy stood and reached into the puddle as if trying to pull the body out of its depths.

Akechi felt his body start shaking with sobs and a guttural scream tore through his throat, his hands were once again covered in blood, and this time there would be no one who would be able to clean it. Because Akechi got rid of his only opportunity for repentance. At least he could meet his failed lover once again in the embrace of death after he personally saw life flicker out of his father’s eyes.

Chapter Text

It was safe to say that Akira Kurusu was feeling like shit. Nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared him for what happened yesterday night…? (Akira’s brain still isn’t too sure about the time or how long it lasted).

Luckily, after an emergency visit from Doctor Takemi all he had to do was rest… lay limp on his bed… and be an absolutely useless mess of a leader who can’t even find it in himself to at least formulate a proper plan in order to steal Shido’s heart.

When Akira used to lay awake on sleepless nights and he imagined the aftermath of the events of their plan he never imagined it would be like this.

He expected the emotional hurt from being betrayed by someone he deeply cared for, he expected the police officers to be assholes and maybe rough him up a little bit or try to scare him. He never imagined the sheer brutality that he would experience in that dark moldy room.

The other thing he didn’t expect was the amount of burning hatred that would grow in his heart towards the man who ordered his assasination and caused his arrest, when he first became lucid after all the drugs he could swear that his shaking was caused by pure rage instead of fear. That anger made an offer from the past pop back into his mind…

But, he doesn’t really want to think about that, or the room, or Akechi.

Akira sighed as tried to roll over to his side in order to grab his phone only to be once again reminded of the reasons he was doing his best impression of a statue in his not so comfortable bed.

Broken ribs, a fractured leg from where the officer stepped on it, multiple potentially infected injection marks in his neck, cuts, bruises, a rather nasty gash in his forehead and deep lacerations on his wrists from where the handcuffs had dug so hard into his skin to the point where Takemi advised him to take it easy in order to avoid potentially permanent nerve damage. 

Oh and to add insult to the already multiple injuries, Akira couldn’t even take pain medication due to the fact that no one was sure about how much or what was pumped into his body in the last 24 hours, joy.

Akira managed to reach for his phone with the least amount of pain possible in order to answer the messages Ann and Ryuji had sent him over the last hour. The thieves had planned to visit him in teams of two while taking multiple detours on their way to Leblanc in order to avoid being tracked or followed by any of Shido’s men. Not even Moragana had seen him yet as the cat was exiled into the Sakura household for the time being.

This was the first team being sent over and Akira had chosen his two first companions to join him. It would be the first time anyone in his team saw how bad the injuries were. 

Sure, Futaba had used her little-sister-hacking abilities to look into Akira’s phone camera and promptly got a heart attack at how bad he looked. But, she doesn’t really count since she hasn’t had the chance to actually see them in person, or talk to him.

As his phone screen turned off the thief was greeted by his reflection in the dark screen, he really looked like a mummy with the amount of bandages covering his body. 

Those giant square med-kit band aids covering his face, bandages wrapping around his head from the hit he took to the corner of the table, bandages across his wrists (the pressure almost reminding him of those god awful handcuffs), compression sleeves on his chest, a makeshift splint on his leg, and of course, more bandages across his neck to cover up the ugly looking marks from the drug injections.

Somehow the thing that unsettled Akira the most about his own reflection was how his eyes looked. His normally bright and piercing gaze (that sometimes unsettled others but that is what the glasses are for) looked dead and empty, even when switching to the camera app to get a better look nothing changed.

Akira wanted to curl up into himself, he wanted to crawl into the nearest hole and never come back. Maybe then he would stop feeling so numb, like his body wasn’t even his own, like it was ruined in more than one way by his experiences.

But, he was fine. Akira was fine, no matter how numb and tired and miserable he felt completely and utterly fine. He had to be, even if his reflection caused him disgust like he had never experienced before. He felt like a failure.

Akira was starting to believe the bullet in his forehead would have been more merciful than what he went through. 

God, Akira had to stop looping back everything into Akechi. He could be honest enough with himself to admit that he missed the man more than what he could safely express to his team without an immediate outraged reaction and the burning question that was ‘Why do you miss someone like him?!’.

‘Why?’ Indeed, because he didn’t know the answer to that question himself. 

Maybe it came from all those nights over at Jazz Jinn, just the two of them and the music. No need to worry about changes of hearts, murders, arrests or sex pest politicians.

But, instead of his brain decided to bring back a nice conversation with Akechi, like the one where he went on and on about Featherman lore for three hours straight (Akira had never seen him so passionate about something before), his brain decided to bring back the last conversation they had at their little secret haven before Akechi became the third member to blackmail themselves into the team. 

This conversation was one that contained almost all of the topics they liked to avoid when in that place, the ones they pretended didn’t exist in order to at least for a moment pretend they were still normal teenagers. No high stakes, no thievery, no enemies, just two friends hanging out.

“You know? With how passionately you defend the Phantom Thieves, someone might come to believe you are one of them, and that would certainly be bad, no?” Akechi chuckled in that fake proper way he always did in public. Akira much preferred the genuine and ugly laughter he could coax out of the man once every full moon.

“Good thing you know otherwise detective” Akira smirked, trying to keep the playful mood of the conversation, even if it was starting to delve into dangerous territory “I am just an overeager fan”

Akechi hummed as he stared deeply into Akira’s eyes, the thief could argue that those red eyes were even more piercing than his gray ones “A fan whose friend group fits the criminal profile created like a glove? An overeager fan who spends his time exclusively with victims involved in each and every one of the Phantom Thieves cases?”

“Do you plan on going back from what you said in the train station during the Medjed case?  Are you going to report us, Akechi?” Akira lightly taunted, as much as he loved annoying the detective to see that flash of anger flash through his plastic facade, this wasn’t a topic he really wanted to be talking about right now. So subtle redirection it is.

Akira mentally prepared himself for what he was about to say, he needed to come up with something that would absolutely throw Akechi from his game.

“Do you wanna see me in handcuffs that badly, detective? I am pretty sure that can be arranged” he purred, staring up from his long eyelashes (bless mascara and eyeliner).

Akechi frowned, but it was clear from the way his eyes stared deep into Akira’s soul that the change of his expression didn’t come out of anger, but out of seriousness “There is no need to try to derail the conversation, Kurusu. I am just saying this in case you want to avoid getting yourself into an unsavory situation”

And just like that the playful mood that came from just entering Jazz Jinn transformed into an almost grim atmosphere.

Did Akechi know what was going to happen to him in that room? Was that the reason he said that? Call Akira insane but he was willing to forgive Akechi’s assasination attempt, after all he understood his extremely tough position although not fully. His friends may not agree, and they are completely in their right to do so as Akechi took far more from them than he did from Akira.

But, if Akechi knew what was going to happen to him at the hands of those officers and still threw him to the lions… A seed of resentment might start to grow its roots into Akira’s heart. 

Again, he really didn’t want to be thinking about any of this right now. His brain power would better be occupied by planning their next heist, but still, his mind would just not cooperate.

God, he wanted to dig his nails into the insides of his thighs and arms and somehow rip out all the blood vessels and nerves in them, tear them out like candy from a piñata. 

The sight of his bare legs due to the black loose shorts he was wearing was enough to drive his brain into overdrive and cause his breathing to become less controlled than before; he needed to erase the phantom touches that the room left into his skin.

One of his hands clawed at the skin in his leg, opposite to the fractured one, red marks started to blossom in his pale and bruised skin. Seeing the marks somehow helped Akira a little bit, seeing his skin being tainted by his own touch is better than the alternative. For the first time, he thanked the fact that his skin was quick to show the scratches due to its sensitivity.

Even then, the pain in his thigh from the scratches (and everything else) was still not nearly as overwhelming and nausea-inducing as the sheer pain that came from any harsh movement from his arms due to the wrist and rib injuries. Takemi’s words about not straining his wrists flash through his mind.

As Akira tried to brush his fingers across the red marks in his leg his hand started shaking, he was barely able to control the movements his wrist was making, all that combined with the stinging sensation of the cuts and the blood that was quickly beginning to seep through his bandages was causing the last strings of sanity he had to snap one by one.

He decided to lay back down in bed, being careful with his ribs, he really couldn’t wait until he would be able to finally take pain medication. The corners of his eyes started to sting from the unshed tears trying to crawl their way out of their rightful place, where no one would be able to see them.

Akira quickly blinked in order to make them disappear, he refused to break even if there was no one here to bear witness to his fall. He had to be strong, he couldn’t afford to let slip any of the masks he has carefully crafted across these past few months.

Joker was a performer at heart, even with no audience to impress, even in an empty theatre where only his reflection could work as a judge… Akira refused to let the show end, not when they are so close to the finishing act.

> Hey

> I see you sulking over there and your mic is picking up a concerning amount of sighing 

> U ok big bro? ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

I’m ok Futaba <

Just tired ig <

:( <

Akira stared at his phone screen, as much as Futaba’s concern made his heart warm up at the feeling of finally having a family worry about him he really didn’t want to burden her. He knew how badly his little sister was worrying during his capture and he really didn’t want to make it worse by drowning in his own misery, at least somewhere where she could see it

> Yeah… I don’t believe u

> Do u need me to come over? 

> I can keep u company until the blonde squad comes in (•̀ᴗ•́ )و

Nah it's fine <

I just gotta wait a few more minutes <

Dw about it, I’ll be fine <

> Okay then… (｡•́︿•̀｡)

> I have a couple of things to take care of

> Things you will probably be grateful for hehehe

> Call it a surprise (ᵕᴗ ᵕ⁎)

He had no idea what this so-called ‘surprise’ could be, but knowing Futaba it was going to be something extremely unexpected, probably illegal and impressive for a fifteen year old to do.

Akira was going to shove his whole body under the covers after throwing his phone to the opposite side of the bed when he heard the bell to Leblanc chime as footsteps loudly approached his attic-room. 

“Ow! Ann, you elbowed me in the ribs! Quit shoving me out of the way” Ryuji shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s not my fault you are being slow Ryuji, and that you almost got us caught by a police officer for acting suspicious” Ann loudly complained as her pigtails became visible from the top of the staircase “We wasted waaay too much time trying to come for an excuse for sneaking out late at night”

“Yeah because you can’t lie for shit! OW that hurts!”

They were seconds away from finally seeing the horrible state in which their leader was in. For the first time in a while Akira felt ashamed of how his body looked, marked by the actions of rotten adults.

“Akira! My dude, how are you-?” Ryuji’s eyes widened as he stared at the bed bound Akira whose lower half was completely covered by blankets “Holy shit! Are you okay?”

Ann gasped and her hands flew to cover her mouth “Akira?! Wow that’s… that’s a lot worse than I thought it would be” She quickly rushed to Akira’s side being closely followed by Ryuji.

“Dude I promise next time I see Akechi I am beatin’ the shit out of him!” Ryuji snarled, and Akira had never seen him as angry as he is right now. Sure he always knew his best friend hated Akechi, but he didn’t expect it to get to this extent. Taking into account yesterday's events… on second thought it shouldn’t be surprising.

Ryuji was inspecting Akira’s injuries especially his arms that were in full display due to the short sleeved black shirt with a cute cat drawing in the front, the bandages which were partially blood stained certainly didn’t help with the alarmed expression both blondes were sporting.

“Akira don’t you have to change those?” Ann worriedly questioned as she sat in one of the chairs that was next to Akira’s milk crate bed “I am no medical expert, but I am pretty sure blood stained bandages aren’t a good idea” she cringed.

“Yeah man” Ryuji unceremoniously plopped himself into the other chair (both of them dragged by Sojiro earlier today when he heard that his foster son’s friends were visiting) “We can’t just pop a pill and ignore these like we usually do with our Metaverse injuries”

“ I am fine guys, trust me” Akira said despite knowing that the lie was completely unbelievable to anyone with a pair of working eyes “Boss is coming later to help me change the bandages and take care of the wounds, I am not supposed to be using my wrists at all”

Ann and Ryuji clearly didn’t buy it, but they decided to leave it alone for now, probably saving the whole ‘it isn’t healthy to bottle up your emotions’ talk until the rest of the team was there.

After a while the conversation shifted from the awkward fussing over injuries into the normal (well as normal as they can be) topics of their day to day conversations. 

Ann’s new modeling gig and how Mika showed up with amazing makeup that managed to shift all the attention to her, but at least she and Ann managed to have a civil conversation instead of arguing (mostly on Mika’s side) and they even shared some make up tips. Akira requested Ann to share those with him later, probably when he was finally able to use his hands normally.

Ryuji talked about school and how Akira missed out on a lot in the just two days he has missed so far. Apparently there was a riot in the cafeteria that ended up in a food fight between Phantom Thieves supporters and the people who believe they killed Haru’s dad. It ended with a massive amount of detentions and even some expulsions. And to make it even worse, it took 20 minutes for the staff to actually do something due to the fact that there are still issues regarding the effect of the principal’s murder.

Some other anecdotes from the other Phantom Thieves were also shared by the blonde duo, like Yusuke somehow obtaining two new lobsters in the 24 hours where they haven’t interacted, and Makoto finally having something resembling a proper heart to heart with her sister.

Everything was going fine, completely fine, so much that Akira was almost able to forget about the shit show that was yesterday night (?). At least that was until, as always, something just had to happen, and that something had to affect him in ways he hadn’t even considered.

At some point during the conversation Akira was teasing Ryuji and the blonde retaliated by doing a mock punch towards his arm. The thief didn’t even have time to think about what he was doing  when he scrambled back into the bed as far as his injured wrists and leg could take him.

The pure terror that he felt at the hand reaching out towards him was nothing like he had ever experienced, at least without including the interrogation room. Akira could feel his breaths becoming more and more labored as he brought one of his hands to his chest in an attempt to feel his heartbeat. He was genuinely starting to worry that somehow his heart would leap out of his ribcage and crash onto the floor in a mess of blood and gore.

Suddenly his body felt cold and hot at the same time, he felt as if hands were reaching out and grabbing every inch of his body, he felt completely trapped and no matter how hard he struggled he couldn’t move.

‘You are not getting outta here in one piece’

‘You really think someone’s coming to save you? Don’t make me laugh’

‘You know? If I squint you almost look like a girl’

‘Yeah! For a boy this one ain’t half bad!’

‘You are getting what you deserve you criminal trash’

Words rang through his mind like ping pong balls, there was nothing to stop the flow of disgusting words running laps through his mind. 

But really? Was it even that bad? There are people who have been through worse, hell his friends have been through worse, including Akechi. Does he really have a right to complain?

The injuries are bad, he can accept that, but was everything else just as bad? Does he deserve to feel disgusted by the rest? It was only some groping and touching, and he is pretty sure he got shoved into someone’s crotch at some point, but it was clothed, so does it really count? It's not like something else happened, and after everything with Kamoshida, does something like this really matter?

Akira doesn’t want to act as if something bad happened to him when it was just his mind blowing things out of proportion. It wasn’t all the way so why would he care? Except he does care, and as much as he feels stupid for caring, the memories of violent and intrusive touches keep flooding his mind until he is paralyzed in fear.

His brain feels stuck in a cycle of painful touches and reminders, he feels like he is drowning until he vaguely registers what feels like someone grabbing his shoulders in a gentle way. It isn’t anything like the painful sensations from before, this feels nice…

“Akira! AKIRA! Are you okay?!” Akira finally felt himself be pulled out of his mind and noticed that had been curling into himself in a way that was making his injuries throb more than before. As he lifted his head he saw Ryuji standing behind Ann with a panicked expression on his face.

Ann was the one grabbing his shoulders and rubbing comforting circles into them. Akira started to feel how his body relaxed as he leaned into a comforting familiar touch, these are his friends, he could trust them. Soft words of encouragement and affection were whispered by Ann as Ryuji sat next to Akira and started rubbing his back in the same nice way.

“That's it, breathe with me Akira” Ann softly spoke, a gentle expression on her face despite how panicked and confused she must feel by the situation. 

After what felt like ages of copying Ann’s breathing patterns and letting himself be pulled out of his nightmares by two of his closest friends, the thief started to finally relax enough to get his swirling thoughts back in control.

“Dude are you okay? You freaked out real bad” Ryuji asked, concern lacing his tone “I didn’t mean to scare you or anything, I’m sorry for that” Akira noticed how his friend was sitting close enough to where he could comfortably rub his back, but far away enough where he doesn’t feel crowded or overwhelmed.

“Sorry I don’t know what came over me” Akira looked away, unable to stare at the concern in his friends’ faces. He is the leader for fucks sake, he can’t be freaking out and making his friends worry about his well being for no reason “I didn’t mean to snap and dump that to you guys, sorry” Akira started toying with his bangs as he spoke.

“Akira this doesn’t look like nothing to me” Ann’s hands traveled down Akira’s arms until she grabbed both of his hands inside of hers “Something clearly happened back there, and you freaking out isn’t the only evidence of that” She ran her gaze through Akira’s body, pausing every time she came across an injury or bandage and frowning when she noticed the red marks on Akira’s leg.

“You aren’t ‘dumping’ anything into us man” Ryuji smiled at him, it wasn’t one of his usual confident grins that he uses to make everyone feel energized and ready for a battle. No, it was a tiny warm smile, one that clearly showed how much affection he felt towards his best friend “We are your friends and we care about you, ya know? 

Akira had no trouble believing that he knew his friends cared about him despite the little voice in his brain that tried to convince him otherwise. But, he still didn’t want to burden them with what happened to him, they already had hard lives and he doesn’t want to inconvenience them more. Sure he told them a little bit about his first arrest, but he didn’t share the more… gruesome details of the interrogation, even if it wasn’t as bad as the one he experienced yesterday.

The only person he opened up more than anyone else, the one who he felt could understand their similar circumstances… Well, that didn’t turn out really well. But despite that he didn’t stop himself from reaching into the pocket of one of his shorts and grabbing the brown leather glove that was given to him by his rival a few days ago. Despite having only owned the article of clothing for a short time, Akira had already developed a habit of toying with it whenever he got nervous just like he does with his bangs.

“Akira…” Ann sighed, she looked like a worried parent trying to get their sick kid to stay in bed. Weird because it was usually Makoto the one mother henning the group, or him according to Ryuji, but that is different, he is the leather after all “You were shaking like a leaf while begging us to go away and not to hurt you and flinched when Ryuji reached his hand towards you. You are not okay”

“I’m fine, for now at least” Akira emphasized, he is getting a little tired and he still has to talk with Boss about some of his treatments before going to sleep “Really, I will talk to you guys about it whenever something is actually wrong, but I can deal with it I promise” He was lying and everyone else in the room knew it.

“Will you come talk to us if anything happens? I am happy to hear you dude, that’s what friends are for” Ryuji patted his shoulder, making his movement slow and traceable to Akira wouldn't be startled by it. While he appreciated the gesture, he didn’t want to be treated like a traumatized child.

“I promise” He smiled as he lied through his teeth, not an ounce of shame or remorse was felt as the words came out of his mouth. He would not worry his friends more than they are already worried, especially since that might hinder one dangerous plan that the back of his mind, the part of him that he hid from most people around him, has been crafting for a while. A twisted part of his mind that refused to let things with Akechi end in this way 

“Can we just change the topic for a while? Please” His voice turned low and breathy, like he was trying to choke back a sob, but it was perfectly controlled. Akira knew it was kind of a low blow to resort to playing with his friends’ feelings to change the topic, but he kinda needs it at the moment, he can feel bad later. After he is healed enough to chase after the detective and demand a proper rematch.

Ann and Ryuji locked eyes with each other, a whole conversation happening in the span of a few seconds where words were only spoken through blinks and eye movement. They still looked worried, but they probably knew that pressing Akira any further on the topic wouldn’t have a pleasant aftermath for anyone involved.

After that Ryuji quickly started going on a rant about how Yusuke had been planning on the group chat a new painting with Haru’s help and how the latter was planning to buy tons of expensive art equipment to surprise the artist. 

Ann started recounting the events of her date with Shiho earlier in the week, and how she was so excited to be able to finally go out with her girlfriend and have fun, despite everything that happened with Kamoshida. Even as she spoke of this happy times, her voice was somber and knowing.

A couple hours of casual, yet slightly awkward conversation went on before Ryuji got a text from his mother and said his goodbyes as he quickly made his way down the stairs, when he reached the bottom the called out to Ann to tell her to hurry up and that he will wait for her outside the cafe.

“Hey… not to assume or anything, but” she tried to calm herself by breathing, but Akira noticed how it came out shaky “The way you reacted and how you referred to yourself as disgusting when you were panicking… Shiho said some similar stuff when, you know” Ann trailed off, clearly not wanting to continue the sentence, but making its meaning very clear.

Akira took a deep breath to steady himself, knowing that his plans for the future and his image as a reliable leader could depend on his answer “No, it's nothing like that. I just felt dirty from the cold water and dirt all over my body” he smiled with everything but his eyes “You know I had to take a thirty minute long shower after that to get the dirt out of my hair? Pretty sure Boss had a heart attack when he saw the estate of the guest shower in his house?”

Ann gave him a look that all but spelled ‘I don’t believe you in the slightest’, but apparently decided to let it go as she said her goodbyes and made her way down the stairs, even thought there was a considerable distance between them now, Akira could still hear Ryuji excitedly talking to Ann as they left Leblanc.

After he was left alone again Akira started to feel that familiar anger that accompanied him whenever he did an alone trip to Mementos. Whenever he went to let out steam and just fought everything that so much as glanced at him. He was shaking again, but this time it wasn’t fear, it was pure boiling rage.

A rage that came with an itching in his hands, hands that wanted to wrap around the throat of the shadowy figures haunting the corners of his mind, rage that urged him to grab his dagger and plunge it into the eyes of his current target, rage that wanted to destroy everything obstructing his path with burning fire. Rage that urged him to seek out the only other person he knew would understand the feeling.

Stupid decision or not. Akira couldn’t wait until he was able to walk on his own (without Boss having to help him move around like a toddler barely learning to walk), and throw the glove that was given to him as a symbol of a promise back to the man who offered it. This time he wasn’t looking for a rematch, he was looking for an ally.

One that would be incredibly dangerous to have both as an opponent and a partner, but one that he couldn’t bring himself to hate at the moment, especially knowing that at the end of the day they were two sides of the same coin. 

He couldn’t be sure that Akechi wouldn’t just try to kill him again. After all he knew the detective wasn’t working with the man out of respect or anything like that based on the poorly contained anger showing on his recordings of the phone calls with the man. Akechi clearly held a grudge, one he might now Akira to meddle with even if he did offer before.

Akira was about to throw himself face first into the pillow when his phone notified him of a new message, specifically from Futaba’s custom ringtone (her favorite Featherman opening song).

> Hey so…

> There is literally no nice way to say it so I am getting it over with

> As you honorary little sister (and maybe legally at some point I dunno)

> ( ,,,’･~･’,,)

> I hacked into the cameras of the interrogation room

Akira felt his heart stop for a moment and suddenly everything felt all too real again, but he couldn’t let that stop him. He had to ignore the noise of needles breaking as they hit the floor, the chorus of shouting rough voices, and the angry stomps of violent men. He had to somehow defuse the situation.

Look I am not mad at you or anything <

Akira knew this was one of the biggest lies he had said today, because he wasn’t just mad, he was fucking furious. At the men for not only hurting him but leaving the evidence for his sister to find, at Futaba for disregarding his privacy even though he knows she has his well being in mind, and most importantly of all at the man who orchestrated everything in the first place.

He willed his shaking fingers to continue writing his answer even if he felt his teeth grind in rage so hard he was starting to get worried he would crack them.

But, please can you just forget it and move on? <

If you plan to use it to convince me to talk to the others I won’t <

Just don’t share it pls <

> I won’t dw

> It's just that I knew your injuries were bad…

> But this is way worse than anything I could have imagined

> God, the first piece of bad information I get on Akechi I am publishing

> I need to ruin that prick’s image

> 凸( •̀_•́ )凸

Was this your surprise? <

Because if so this is not cracking the top 10 <

> Please with how your parents are this *has* to be in the top 10

> But no

> The plan was to find the names of the men in the room

> And BOOM change of heart

> Maybe go a little bit rougher on them than usual

> But they are already dead

> All of them, Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic breakdowns

> Akechi killed them

> It was gorey, a lot more than usual

> Like Ake-shit really wanted them to *really* feel it

It could be that Shido just asked them to dispose of them <

For evidence of something similar <

The guy did seem a bit too paranoid <

> Yeah but that wouldn’t explain the increased brutality

> I looked at the leaked pictures

> It looked like something straight out of a R-Rated horror movie

> Like Terrifier 2 or something

> (O_O)!

Why the *fuck* did you watch that movie? <

Seriously that one’s bad <

> OK DON'T CHANGE THE TOPIC MR DEFLECTION MAN

> The point *is* that it was way worse than usual

> And I tracked Akechi’s phone records

> Shido didn’t ask him to kill them

What the fuck? <

????? <

> Yeah so the only reason he did it was for personal pleasure

> He would gain nothing from doing it for *himself* yk?

> Hell it could actually mess up his plan 

> Whatever it actually is

> So there is only one theory left

> As much as I hate to admit it

> he probably did it for you

You mean to seek avenge after my death? <

That he caused <

> Ok the guy *did* seem a little bit over infatuated with you

> Even *I* can see it

> It is probably his weird method of at least giving you respect beyond the grave

> Anyways I’m going to sleep I need to not be a zombie tomorrow

> Gn big bro

> I will find more information later

Akira stared at his phone screen in awe before putting down the phone and resting it against his chest, he felt a smile tugging at the corner of his lips at the knowledge that his plan to work with the detective may work after all.

And if he felt the same amount of sick pleasure Akechi probably felt in killing the men who hurt Akira. That was only for him to know.