Chapter Text
Morgana and Justine spent what felt like eons guarding the hospital where Akira had been dropped off. Days bled into each other. They took turns waiting beneath the window of Akira's hospital room and walking a perimeter around the building. Justine could make it so people just didn't see her, and no one took notice of a stray cat, so stealth wasn't an issue. The man in the paper bag never showed up.
Justine often looked through Akira’s grimoire with worry. The knowledge within was blurry and getting blurrier by the day. His bonds and his compendium of Personas kept eroding. After the first few days, the pages of the grimoire began to fill with creeping black tendrils, slowly taking over the information within.
Until, finally, one day, Akira left the hospital. When Morgana and Justine felt him leave, they rushed to watch from the bushes along the front.
The man carrying Akira was fairly nondescript, but the sight of him made Morgana start in surprise. He'd believed the paper bag man when he said he'd killed Akira’s parents. But it looked like his dad was alive! Morgana felt hope swell.
Morgana and Justine followed the Kurusus as they headed into a parking garage. Akira’s father headed to his car and carefully buckled Akira into a car seat.
Morgana was already planning how to get back to the Kurusu house to keep this family safe when a flash of light momentarily blinded him.
When his vision cleared, there was no one standing by the open car door.
Suddenly, both Morgana and Justine could sense Something behind them. Something old and powerful and malicious and familiar. Before they could turn and look, though, hands reached down. One grabbed Morgana by the scruff of the neck and lifted him in the air. The other grabbed Justine by the back of her dress and lifted her with equal ease.
They were turned to face that Presence, wearing the face of Akira's father. Morgana fought the way his body went limp at the scruffing. Justine scrambled with her book, her one eye wide, as she tried to summon something to fight back.
The being that held them tsked gently. “None of that. I just want to talk, but if you press me, you'll regret it.”
Justine froze, her face working to try to hide her fear.
They both knew who this was. They knew that, with just the two of them, they didn't stand a chance against him.
“What…” Morgana started.
Nyarlathotep cut him off. “You two are going to leave your little Trickster alone. No visits. No guarding. He is mine now.” He smiled, and the smile stretched too wide for a human face. There were far too many teeth.
“Or else what?” Morgana demanded, falling back on bravado. All of his fur stood straight up.
The smile widened. “It would be easy to get you both out of the way. Justine, how would you like to be split in half again? Or even smaller fractions?”
Justine flinched, hard.
Nyarlathotep’s grip on Morgana tightened. “As for you, Little Hope, your form would be far too easy to crush into paste.”
Morgana looked at his expression and believed him.
Justine’s voice was shaking when she spoke up. “Why warn us? Why not just destroy us instead?”
Morgana yelped at her words. “Miss Justine!” he hissed at her.
But Nyarlathotep just laughed. “Think of it as a kindness. Not to you. To my other half. You're both from that Room he made, after all. You're not really supposed to be pieces on the board. If you go back to what you're supposed to do, I'm sure you'll be safe, but if you keep meddling, there will be consequences.”
Silence stretched out between the three. Behind them, Morgana could hear Akira whimper.
Finally, Nyarlathotep broke the silence. “Am I understood?”
Morgana shared a fearful glance with Justine.
“Yes,” Morgana said.
“Yes, sir,” Justine added.
Suddenly, Nyarlathotep's smile was completely normal. His dark aura seemed to disappear completely. If it weren't for the way he held up Justine so easily, he'd seem just like Akira’s dad had been.
“I'm glad we sorted this out,” he said. He dropped them both. Justine jerked to catch Morgana before he fell to the unforgiving asphalt. Nyarlathotep walked around them without another glance.
They watched as he closed the door next to Akira and slipped into the driver's seat. Just before he closed the driver side door, he looked back at them. “I'm doing you a favor,” he said. He didn't raise his voice, but they could hear him perfectly even so.
“The Trickster you knew isn't even there anymore.”
With that final jab, he closed the door and drove away.
Morgana and Justine stayed there, both frozen in their own thoughts and fears, for a long time.
Finally, after Morgana's fur had flattened and Justine's shakes had stopped, Justine whispered “What do we do?”
When they finally got moving, the pair headed for the Velvet Room to talk. Igor didn't have much to give in the way of advice.
“It would be safer for you to stay here, Justine. And you are welcome as well, Morgana. But your choices are your own. “
Despite his eternal grin, the long-nosed man seemed sad when he spoke to them.
Morgana and Justine curled up together in the far corners of the Velvet Room, beyond where any guest could reach. They stayed there for a day or so. Nyarlathotep had scared them both, but neither wanted to admit it. Their words to each other were stilted and quiet. Despite the safety of the Velvet Room, they kept looking over their shoulders.
It was Morgana who broke the still quiet. He took a deep breath, and began to squirm out of Justine’s lap. Justine uncurled, frowning at him. “What are you doing?” she asked. Her tone was mostly back to its usual flat affect.
Morgana huffed. “I'm going. We- we can't help Akira, not right now, but there's at least one other person who needs help right now.”
Justine just tilted her head in a silent question. Morgana went on. “I'm going to find Tatsuya and help him. By my thinking, he's our best bet to get past that Crawling Chaos.”
Justine stood with care, watching the tiny kitten start heading towards the exit. “How do you plan to find him on your own? Especially since you cannot cover ground very quickly.”
Morgana hunched and growled. “I'll figure it out! At least that way I'll be doing something instead of waiting for my best friend to get hurt even worse!”
Justine caught up with him within two steps and quickly scooped him into her arms, ignoring the way he twisted and scratched.
“Put me down!” Morgana demanded.
But Justine shook her head, even as she strode toward the exit. “No. It will go faster if I help you.”
When they found Tatsuya, he in the garage of the Suou household, just sitting against the wall and staring into space. Justine stepped closer, Morgana perched on her shoulder.
A small shiver passed through Tatsuya before he looked up at them. His eyebrows drew together. “Why aren't you with Akira? What happened?” he asked.
Morgana shared a look with Justine, then looked at Tatsuya again. There were bags under his eyes. Morgana thought he might be shaking, too.
The not-cat jumped down, before clambering up into Tatsuya's lap. It wasn't very comfortable with his motorcycle leathers, but the teen clearly wasn't doing well. He needed comfort.
Unfortunately, Morgana only had bad news to share. “The situation isn't very good,” he began.
—
Tatsuya listened to Morgana's whole story with a growing dread and a growing anger.
“He must have been lying when he said Akira wasn't there anymore. But, at least right now, we can't get him back. So we're gonna help you instead,” the kitten finished.
Justine had taken a seat on the ground next to him. She was quiet, paging through a thick book. Most of the pages were black, but it was a textured blackness. Slick and writhing, like tentacles. Tatsuya thought of the brand on his right hand.
They were still putting themselves in danger, offering him help like this. Tatsuya didn't need help. He didn't deserve it, not after what he'd done. He'd fix this, alone. Akira had already been hurt, but he could try to save him from any further harm. It was the least he could do.
Besides, now Tatsuya knew where to find “him”. “He” was at the Kurusu place, trying to twist Akira like “he” had twisted Jun on the Other Side. If Tatsuya could take “him” down now, maybe it could stop “his” plans, whatever they were.
Besides, Tatsuya dearly wanted to rip “him” apart. Now, he could.
Carefully, he removed Morgana from his lap and stood.
“What are you doing?” Morgana asked.
Tatsuya walked to his motorcycle, grabbing his helmet. “I'm going after him,” he said. “I'll get Akira back. You can wait here, or go back to the Velvet Room.”
Morgana galloped after him, leaping at his leg and hooking his tiny claws into the leather. “Wait! It's suicide to go alone!”
Tatsuya unhooked him and set him back down. “'He’s already threatened you both,” he said. “And I'm not leaving Akira with ‘him’.”
Morgana looked frantic, glancing back at Justine, who stood up.
“You will do no one any good if you die,” Justine said.
Morgana nodded. “Besides, you look exhausted! And it's pretty late! You should get some sleep first if you're going to go fight.” He sounded desperate.
Tatsuya looked at the two and swallowed. He didn't know how to explain the feeling he had, that if Nyarlathotep had wanted him dead, then he'd be dead already. He selfishly didn't want to tell them how damned he was.
But it really was late. Maybe he could get a little sleep. Sleep always came with nightmares these days, but, facing two determined little faces, he felt his will eroding, at least for now.
He set down his helmet, his shoulders slumping. “Fine. I'll get some sleep if you both do too.”
As Morgana crowed success, Justine simply nodded. “That is acceptable,” she said.
So Tatsuya led a young girl and a tiny kitten to bed.
When Tatsuya woke up, sweating from a nightmare about Akira being smothered under oily black limbs, the sky was just starting to grow light. Justine and Morgana were curled up around him, both sleeping soundly.
Tatsuya sat up, careful not to jostle the other two, and looked at the brand on his right arm. It was hardly visible in the dim lighting, but he could always feel it.
Akira was in danger. The longer he spent with “him,” the worse it became. Morgana and Justine would definitely try to argue, to convince him not to go alone. They might try to come with him, even after Nyarlathotep's clear threats. But, right now, those two were asleep.
It was his chance. If all went well, maybe Akira would be safe by the time those two woke up.
Carefully, Tatsuya slipped out from between Justine and Morgana, listening closely for signs they may be waking. Once free, he ghosted his way to the garage and his motorcycle and slipped on his helmet. He kicked the bike into gear and headed for Akira's home.
When Tatsuya reached the house, the sky was beginning to tinge in the soft pinks and oranges of dawn. Birds chirped in trees, breaking the stillness and quiet of the street.
The last time Tatsuya had rescued Akira from this house, he'd broken a window to get in. But “he” was here. Tatsuya knew Nyarlathotep watched him. The element of surprise wouldn't help him here. Tatsuya walked up to the front door and knocked. If “he” refused to answer, Tatsuya could always break a window later.
But that wasn't needed. The door swung open, revealing what seemed to be a man holding a baby. The last time Tatsuya had seen Akira's father, he had been a Shadowman. Now, he was dead, and the Crawling Chaos was using his image.
In his arms, Akira was smiling, but something about the expression seemed forced. The idea that Nyarlathotep might force Akira to act happy stoked the rage in Tatsuya's chest.
He took a step forward, clenching his fists. Light flared around him as he summoned Apollo.
Nyarlathotep tilted his head with a mocking smile. “Any attack you make against me will just hurt Akira,” he said. Tatsuya froze. Nyarlathotep continued, “Babies are so fragile after all. He's already been hurt so badly, just from being shaken too hard. Imagine how much I could do if I actually tried to hurt him.”
Tatsuya felt something like fear curl through his anger, rooting him to the place. He didn't let Apollo fade away, though. He couldn't give up. “Let him go. You already have me.” He tried to sound firm. But he was shaking. His skin crawled to be so near to the object of his nightmares.
Nyarlathotep laughed, and the sound made Tatsuya flinch. “Singularity, he belongs to me now even more than you do,” he taunted. “He is mine to mold as I see fit, and you cannot change that.”
Tatsuya looked down at Akira and saw his brows drawn together in fear or worry. But his mouth still stretched in a smile. The baby didn't look at the “man” holding him, or the boy who'd come to save him. He just looked off into the distance.
“Isn't there anything I can give you, for you to let him go?” Tatsuya tried, desperation clawing up his throat. “How- how much use can a baby be?”
As Tatsuya spoke, Nyarlathotep looked down at the child he carried. Almost tenderly, he cradled one of Akira’s tiny hands in his own, raising his arm. As Nyarlathotep responded, a black arm, shining like oil or tar, appeared from the shadows. It looked exactly like the brand on Tatsuya’s right arm.
“Even if there was something you could give me,” Nyarlathotep began. The arm slithered over his flesh shoulder, down to where he held Akira's hand, then down to Akira's arm. Akira gasped and jolted, struggling to keep the smile on his face. Nyarlathotep was still talking. “You would merely attack me the moment I didn't hold your precious friend. And that would be dreadfully boring.”
A finger of the shadowy hand sharpened to a deadly claw, then pressed against Akira's arm.
“What are you-” Tatsuya started, before cutting off with a hiss of pain. As the claw drew blood from Akira’s right arm, Tatsuya's right arm burned in the same spot, although it looked the same as always. He grabbed for his arm blindly, unable to look away from the boy in front of him. “Stop it!” he cried.
But the claw continued, slowly carving an odd curved line down Akira's arm. A tear rolled down Akira's cheek. He tried to squirm away, but Nyarlathotep had him held securely. The baby gasped and whimpered as his blood dripped to the ground, but he didn't yell. And he kept trying to keep up that smile, even as tears steadily dripped down his face
Nyarlathotep smiled cruelly at Tatsuya, ignoring Akira's pain and confusion. “I'm punishing you, obviously,” he said. The claw finished its first curve, then trailed back to carve a small circle within the curve. Then another. And a third, forming a little triangle. Tatsuya felt the pain of each on his own arm. Nyarlathotep continued. “Every time you come here or try to save him, I will hurt him. If you come enough times, he'll have scars to match your brand. Or if you just keep standing there with your Persona out long enough.”
Tatsuya finally broke out of his paralysis. Apollo disappeared with a flash. But before the light had even faded, Tatsuya was sprinting for his bike. Feeling like a coward, he threw himself onto the motorcycle and sped away. Nyarlathotep's laugh echoed in his ears as he fled.
(On the shadowy arm, and on Tatsuya's brand, there was a simplistic design. A larger curved line, three small circles arranged into a triangle, and a smaller curve. By the time Tatsuya fled from Nyarlathotep, all but that last curve had been carved into Akira's arm.)
(Miles away from the Kurusu house, Tatsuya pulled over his bike to press his forehead against the nearest wall and shake with rage and fear. As he gasped and fought tears, he felt a line of pain over his brand. A small curve. The design had been completed.)
(A message. “You cannot stop me from hurting the ones you love.”)
When Tatsuya got back, the sun was up and Morgana and Justine were awake and waiting for him. The kitten bounded over the moment the motorcycle came to a stop. “Are you hurt, Tatsuya?” he demanded.
Tatsuya removed his helmet and shook his head. There were dried tear tracks on his cheeks. “I'm not injured. But-”
He looked down at the kitten and the little girl, at their wide, concerned eyes, and hated himself. He bowed his head. “I'm sorry. I went to go save Akira, but I failed, and I got him hurt.”
Morgana jolted at that. “Why would you do that?” he demanded. “The Crawling Chaos could have killed you!”
Justine remained placid as usual. “How was he hurt?” she asked.
Tatsuya looked down at the brand on his arm, then back at the other two. They deserved to know the truth of his sins. Maybe then they would leave him to atone without putting themselves in danger for his sake.
He sat down on the ground and rolled up his sleeve. “I figured he wouldn't kill me, because… because he marked me as his.”
Twin gasps came from the two before him as they looked at the brand. But Tatsuya kept going, kept explaining. He had to get it all out, and keep them from interrupting. He confessed his sins. The way he remembered, after running into Maya-nee by accident. The way he tried to sleep inside his self from This Side, until “he” marked him. Things were already starting to repeat. Rumors were already starting to become reality. And it was his fault. So, to atone for his sins, he would fix it.
He told them what happened that morning at the end. He told them how Nyarlathotep had cut Akira’s arm to prove a point.
“I can't try to rescue Akira,” he finished. “If I try, “he” will just hurt him again. But I swear, I'll find a way to stop “him”. No matter what.”
The pair were quiet before him. He looked up, having dropped his head in shame as he spoke. Justine was hard to read, but Morgana's tail was lashing in anger. Tatsuya braced himself for that anger, but when it came, it wasn't directed at him.
“That Nyarlathotep! How dare he! He can't just decide he owns people!” Morgana cried. His tiny claws extended and retracted as if he wanted to sink them into something. When he met Tatsuya’s eyes, his expression was set in determination.
“I'll help you take him down.”
Tatsuya immediately shook his head. “It will be too dangerous. You deserve to be safe.”
Morgana shook his head. “No way. I'm not standing by while stuff like this is happening. I might be the only Phantom Thief active right now, but I'd be letting down our name if I did anything different!”
Suddenly, the kitten's expression turned shrewd. “Besides, you'll need me. Two fighters can do way more than one, and I've got healing. Apollo can't heal, right? It'd be pretty hard to get the resources to summon anything else by yourself, too.”
Tatsuya scowled, because Morgana was right. If things came to a fight, he'd need healing, and as things stood he'd have to rely on items for that, or randomly finding a healing spring and paying the exorbitant price.
Justine had been quiet for a while, looking down at her book in thought. Finally, she spoke up. “I will assist as well,” she said. “Under normal circumstances, I should not be meddling in events directly like this, but these circumstances are far from normal. My role is to aid my guest, and the is the best way to do so.”
She looked away, shoulders hunching a little. “I am weaker than I should be, without my sister, but I am still plenty strong,” she admitted. Then her eye narrowed at him. “But, if you think you can leave us behind, think again. I can sense where you are, as a guest of the Velvet Room. Morgana and I may not be able to travel as fast as you, but we'll still be able to catch up eventually. It will be easier if you just give in.”
Tatsuya looked between the two and huffed a breath. Something ached in his chest. Was it sorrow? Joy? He didn’t want to examine it too closely, lest it disappear.
“I guess I don't have a choice then,” he sighed.
Morgana laughed. It sounded a little forced, but he was trying. “Nyahaha! You won't regret it! Now, you should get some food. You won't be able to fight if you don't take care of your body!”
He walked up to Tatsuya and braced his front paws on his leg. Tatsuya picked up the tiny ball of fur and, for a moment, almost felt like smiling. He didn't. Things were too grim for that. But, as Morgana crawled onto his shoulder and Justine trailed behind, he felt just a little lighter.
