"Come, Goemon!"
Blue fire burst outward, causing the entire gallery to briefly fall still as Yusuke stood there breathing hard, blood running down his face from where the mask had been torn away.
Behind him was a tall man with a pipe and a smug expression.
Goemon.
He looked ridiculous, but he also looked perfect for Yusuke in a way Ren couldn't really explain.
Yusuke looked terrible, but his eyes were clear, and that was enough for Ren to relax a little.
"Well said," Goemon said, resting a hand on Yusuke's shoulder. "You finally stopped asking permission."
Yusuke swallowed. "Goemon..."
"I am here."
That seemed to be enough.
Madarame's Shadow gripped the railing hard enough that the gold cracked under his fingers. "What is this?! What have you done?!"
Yusuke raised the model katana, his hand still shaking slightly. "For the first time in quite a while, Sensei... I believe I have created something of my own."
Ren almost smiled, but the guards dropped down before he could.
For a second, they still looked like normal museum security. Suits, blank visors, batons. Then they twitched, and their bodies rippled like wet paint before splitting apart.
One became a long-necked thing with claws too long for its arms, while the other became a floating mask wrapped in cloth and smoke.
Yusuke stared at them with a frown. "So that is what hides beneath Madarame's security."
"Yeah," Ryuji said, gripping his mace. "Gross."
The long-necked Shadow hissed, and the mask shrieked in a way that made several of the picture frames rattle.
Ren's Third Eye flared, and he quickly caught the way the long-necked one recoiled from the cold air around Goemon while the floating mask twitched every time Captain Kidd's lightning crackled.
Ice for the tall one.
Lightning for the mask.
Simple enough.
"Skull, mask! Panther, tall one! Dove, cover Panther! Mona, air support! Hime, support Fox!"
"Got it!"
"Fox?" Yusuke asked.
"That's you!" Morgana shouted.
"I object to the lack of discussion."
"Object while moving!"
Ryuji moved first, charging beneath the floating mask as it tried to rise toward the ceiling. Captain Kidd appeared above him with a roar, his cannon already sparking.
"Zio!"
Lightning slammed into the mask and knocked it lower, and while it wasn't down yet, it was low enough that the others could actually reach it.
"Nice!" Ann shouted.
"Course it was nice!"
"Don't celebrate yet!" Morgana snapped.
Arsène chuckled somewhere in Ren's head. 'The pirate has spirit.'
'Don't encourage him.'
'But it is fun.'
Captain Kidd turned toward Arsène with a grin. "Boss, say the word and I'll blast it proper!"
"Patience, mon ami," Arsène said smoothly. "Let everyone have their moment."
Carmen appeared behind Ann and gave Arsène a lazy smile. "Oh? How generous."
"Only for beautiful women and trusted thieves."
"Cute."
Ren nearly sighed because apparently even his own Persona was going to be a problem now.
'Not now.'
'Especially now,' Arsène corrected.
The long-necked Shadow lunged for Yusuke while Ren was distracted, but Ann's whip snapped around its wrist before it could reach him.
"Nope!"
She planted her heel and pulled hard, dragging the claws away from Yusuke's face with barely any room to spare.
Yusuke blinked. "...Thank you."
"Thank me by not dying!"
Shiho was already moving by then, Scáthach appearing behind her with her spear held low.
"Lower."
Shiho dropped her stance and slammed her spear into the Shadow's ribs, making it stumble and turn toward her instead.
"Yeah," Shiho said with a sharp smile. "Look at me."
It did.
Which was stupid of it, because Ann pulled again from the side while Shiho struck from below, trapping the Shadow between whip and spear long enough for Carmen to raise one hand.
"Agi."
Fire burst across its shoulder, and the thing screamed as it stumbled back.
"Good girl," Carmen said.
Shiho blinked.
Ann blinked.
Scáthach's eyes narrowed. "Do not distract her."
Carmen smiled. "She did well."
"She is not wrong," Arsène said smoothly. "A clean strike deserves praise, especially from such a disciplined warrior."
Scáthach slowly turned her gaze toward him.
Carmen's smile widened.
"Oh? Careful, thief. I saw her first."
Ren nearly sighed because apparently even his own Persona was going to be a problem now.
'Not now.'
'Especially now,' Arsène corrected.
Zorro appeared behind Morgana with a wry laugh, sword resting casually against his shoulder. "Your other self has confidence, Joker."
"He has a problem," Morgana snapped. "Arsène, stop flirting like a man-whore and help!"
Arsène placed a hand over his chest as if wounded.
"Such cruel accusations from such a small captain."
"I'M NOT SMALL!"
Zorro laughed harder.
Ren decided he did not want to know how a Persona could be a man-whore.
Or why Arsène seemed proud of it.
Morgana launched himself upward with Garu anyway, cutting across the floating mask before it could recover from Ryuji's lightning. He managed to land on a display case, but he immediately slipped because he had clearly been trying to look cool.
"Ow."
"Mona!" Orihime yelped.
"I'm fine!"
He was not fine, so Orihime raised her hands immediately.
"Maria, Dia!"
Maria appeared behind her in blue flame, gentle and smiling as a soft light washed over Morgana. The not-cat perked up almost instantly.
"See? Fine."
"Liar," Ryuji said.
The floating mask screamed again, releasing a wave of disgusting pressure that rolled through the gallery. It felt like the sculpture from earlier had crawled into Ren's head and dragged its fingers across his thoughts.
His knees bent, not from pain, but from the sheer wrongness of it.
"Ugh," Ann gagged. "I hate that."
"Some kind of mental attack!" Morgana shouted. "Stop it from casting!"
Orihime pointed forward, and one of her hairpins flashed before shooting a thin beam of light directly into the mask's damaged eye.
It did almost nothing.
The mask still flinched.
Orihime blinked. "I think I annoyed it!"
"That counts!" Ryuji shouted.
"It really does!" Ren yelled back.
The mask tried to cast again, but Orihime shot it in the eye a second time. It flinched again, and now it was very obviously pissed.
Which was honestly pretty funny.
Maria folded her hands at her waist. "A gentle heart does not mean a harmless one."
Arsène chuckled. "Beautifully said."
Maria turned her pleasant smile toward him. "Thank you. Please do not distract my lamb."
Arsène bowed deeply. "As you wish."
Ren could feel Arsène being insufferably delighted and decided to ignore him before the man somehow made it worse.
The long-necked Shadow snapped its jaws and the floating mask shrieked again, both of them sounding far more offended than injured.
"They are upset," Yusuke observed.
"Probably because we're clowning on them," Ryuji said.
"We are not clowning," Morgana snapped.
"We kinda are," Ann admitted.
The long-necked Shadow screamed and rushed them again.
"Oh, now they're mad," Ryuji said.
"They have been mad," Shiho replied, shifting her grip on her spear.
"Yeah, but now they're mad mad."
"Joker!" Morgana called. "Now!"
Ren moved.
"Arsène."
Arsène appeared behind him with a bow as Ren fired twice, not at the mask, but near it. The shots made it jerk away from Ryuji and toward Yusuke, which was exactly where Ren wanted it.
"Fox!"
Yusuke moved awkwardly at first, but then Goemon stepped closer behind him and his stance settled into something better.
Not perfect.
Better.
"Bufu."
Frost swept across the floor like a brushstroke, and the long-necked Shadow shrieked as ice locked around its limbs.
Yusuke stared at the magic he had just cast. "Marvelous..."
"Later," Goemon said.
"Right."
Shiho moved before Ren even gave the order, striking the frozen Shadow hard enough to crack the ice. Ann followed with another burst of fire, and the Shadow shattered into black mist.
One down.
The floating mask tried to run.
Or float.
Whatever.
Morgana shoved it down with wind, Orihime shot it in the eye again, Ann caught it with her whip, and Shiho pinned part of its cloth to the floor with her spear.
For a second, everyone had it trapped.
Ryuji grinned. "Captain?"
Captain Kidd's cannon sparked violently. "Boss?"
Arsène glanced at Ren, and Ren adjusted his gloves before giving a small nod.
"Now."
Captain Kidd roared with laughter. "HELL YEAH!"
Lightning crashed down, and Ryuji's mace hit a second later, slamming the mask into the ground hard enough to crack the gold beneath it.
"It's down!" Morgana shouted.
The team shifted forward, but Yusuke stepped past them.
"Allow me."
Ren looked at him carefully. Yusuke was pale, his legs were shaking, and his breathing was ragged, but his eyes were steady.
"Can you?"
"I must."
No one argued.
Yusuke raised his katana with both hands as Goemon stood close behind him.
Not controlling him.
Standing with him.
"I refuse to let another fraud decide what my hand creates."
The blade came down, and ice and blue flame crossed the floor in one clean stroke.
The mask split apart.
The cloth dissolved.
Black mist scattered across the gallery.
Silence followed for about three seconds before Madarame's Shadow screamed.
"You... You ungrateful brat!"
Yusuke slowly raised his head. "No. I believe I am finally grateful to the correct people."
Madarame's face twisted. "This is not over."
"Yeah, villains say that a lot," Ryuji said, resting his mace on his shoulder.
"Skull," Ann sighed.
"What? He does!"
Madarame snarled before the shadows around him swallowed his body, and the remaining guards vanished with him.
The gallery was empty for about three seconds before Yusuke's knees buckled.
Ren caught one arm while Ryuji grabbed the other.
"Whoa! Easy there, dude!"
Yusuke blinked slowly, like he was offended the floor had betrayed him. "How... inconvenient."
"You ripped a mask off your face and summoned an ice thief," Ryuji said. "You're allowed to be tired."
"Goemon is not merely an ice thief."
"Yeah, yeah. Artistic ice thief."
Yusuke looked offended, but he did not have the energy to argue.
Ann hurried over, worry replacing the fire in her expression. "Is he okay?"
Morgana nodded, though his ears were tilted back. "Awakenings take a lot out of you. Especially the first one."
Orihime was already beside Yusuke with her hands raised. "Maria, Dia."
A soft light washed over him, and his breathing eased slightly, though only slightly.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
Orihime smiled. "You're welcome!"
Shiho glanced toward the balcony where Madarame had vanished. "We should leave before more guards show up."
Ren nodded. "Agreed."
"But we just got here," Ryuji complained weakly.
Ren glanced at Yusuke, who was doing a terrible job of pretending he could stand on his own.
"No. We're done for today."
Nobody argued with him.
Not even Ryuji.
---
Getting out of the Palace was easier than getting in, mostly because they did not bother sneaking with style this time.
Ren and Ryuji helped Yusuke walk, each holding up one of his shoulders. Yusuke tried very hard to make it look dignified, but it did not work.
"I am capable of moving my own legs," Yusuke insisted.
"Cool," Ryuji said. "Do it then."
Yusuke attempted one step, and his knee dipped immediately.
Ren tightened his hold without saying anything.
Yusuke went quiet.
Ann, Shiho, and Orihime followed close behind. Ann kept glancing back toward the museum, Shiho stayed near Yusuke in case he slipped again, and Orihime looked like she was one wrong word away from trying to heal the concept of sadness.
Morgana walked ahead of them with his tail flicking anxiously.
No one really joked after that, at least not until they reached the real world.
The museum vanished.
Gold became street.
Their outfits disappeared, their weapons faded, and Yusuke nearly fell again.
Ryuji sighed. "Yep. Leblanc."
Ren nodded. "Leblanc."
---
The trip back was awkward, but not because anyone said anything wrong.
No one said much at all.
Yusuke stared down at his hands for most of it, flexing his fingers occasionally as though he expected the katana to still be there. Ann watched him with a complicated expression, Shiho stayed close to Orihime, and Ryuji kept opening his mouth like he wanted to say something before thinking better of it.
Morgana sat in Ren's bag, unusually quiet.
Ren appreciated that because he did not know what to say either.
What could he say?
Congratulations on your Persona?
Sorry your life exploded?
Welcome to the team?
Your guardian is worse than you thought?
None of it felt useful, so he just helped Yusuke keep walking.
One step at a time.
---
DING.
Sojiro looked up from behind the counter.
Then he stopped.
Ren could admit that they did not look subtle.
He and Ryuji were holding Yusuke up by the shoulders, Ann, Shiho, and Orihime followed behind them with matching expressions of concern, and Morgana was in Ren's bag pretending very poorly to be a normal cat.
Yusuke looked like someone had taken his entire life, shaken it violently, and then handed it back upside down.
Sojiro's eyes narrowed.
"Kid."
Ren froze for half a second before smiling.
"Coffee?"
Sojiro stared at him.
Ren stared back.
"...And snacks?"
A long silence filled the café.
Ryuji looked between them nervously, Ann covered her face, Shiho sighed, and Orihime raised her hand politely.
"Water too, if it's not too much trouble?"
Sojiro rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sit down."
They sat down.
Well, most of them sat down.
Yusuke sank into the booth like his bones had become wet paper while Orihime immediately sat beside him.
"Do you want water? Coffee? Curry? A blanket? A motivational speech? I can do all of those."
Yusuke blinked at her. "Perhaps... water."
"Okay!"
Sojiro brought water.
And coffee.
And snacks.
He acted annoyed about it, but Ren noticed he made enough for everyone.
Ryuji noticed too. "Thanks, Boss."
"I'm not your boss."
"Thanks, Ren's boss."
Sojiro gave him a look.
Ryuji shut up.
For a while, the café was quiet except for the clink of cups and the soft sound of everyone eating. Yusuke held his cup with both hands and stared into the coffee like it might explain something to him.
It did not.
Coffee was good, but not that good.
Eventually, Ren stood. "We'll go upstairs."
Sojiro looked at him, and Ren looked away first.
Ryuji and Ren helped Yusuke stand again while the girls moved with them, quiet and careful. Morgana slipped out of Ren's bag and darted toward the stairs before Sojiro could comment.
They started heading up.
Then Sojiro's voice cut through the room.
"Ren."
Ren stopped, and the others stopped too.
Sojiro's eyes were sharper now. "Stay a minute."
Ren's hand tightened slightly on Yusuke's arm.
Orihime noticed immediately.
So did Ann.
Shiho gave Ren a small nod. "We'll get him upstairs."
Ryuji hesitated, but Ren nodded.
"It's fine."
Ryuji did not look convinced, but he took more of Yusuke's weight and helped him toward the stairs. Yusuke glanced back once with too much in his expression.
Gratitude.
Embarrassment.
Exhaustion.
Fear.
Ren pretended not to see most of it because it was not his to point out.
Once the others disappeared upstairs, the café felt much quieter.
Sojiro leaned against the counter. "What happened?"
Ren opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
There were a lot of things he could say.
Palaces. Shadows. Personas. Madarame. Paintings on walls. Yusuke's face when he finally understood what investment meant.
None of it was his story to tell.
Ren gripped the strap of his bag.
"He found out someone he trusted hurt him worse than he thought," Ren said quietly.
Sojiro said nothing.
Ren forced himself to keep going.
"And he doesn't really have anywhere safe to go tonight."
Sojiro's expression changed.
Not much.
But enough.
Ren hated how nervous he felt, and he hated that his voice had gone quiet. He hated that asking for help still felt like stepping off a roof and hoping someone caught him.
"I know this is asking a lot," Ren said. "And I know I'm already a problem you got stuck with. But can he stay here for a couple days? Just until he gets back on his feet."
Sojiro stared at him for a long moment.
Ren tried not to look away.
He failed after about five seconds.
Damn it.
Sojiro sighed. "Two days."
Ren blinked. "Really?"
"Two days at most," Sojiro said firmly. "And you tell me if this turns into something bigger than one kid needing a place to sleep."
Ren let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. "Thank you."
Sojiro waved him off. "Don't thank me yet. I don't run a hotel."
"No," Ren said, smiling faintly. "You run a café with suspiciously good timing."
Sojiro pointed toward the stairs. "Go upstairs before I change my mind."
Ren bowed his head slightly before hurrying after his friends.
Sojiro watched him go with narrowed eyes.
Something was wrong.
Something had been wrong for a while.
The kid came back bruised too often, his friends looked too tired, and now one of them had shown up looking like he had nowhere else to go.
Sojiro looked at the stairs for another moment before turning back to the counter and pouring one more cup of coffee.
He left it there.
Just in case.
---