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Akira hadn't thought seeing him in person would affect him as much as it does. After all, he's had two months to mentally prepare himself for this moment.

And yet, the sight of Goro Akechi, alive and in the flesh, perfectly put-together and looking like he was made to sit under the studio lighting, makes him feel... some kind of way. Unsettled, for sure, knowing what he knows now. Then again, there's a part of him that hasn't stopped feeling unsettled since he first (well, perhaps first isn't accurate) jolted awake to find himself on the train to Yongen-Jaya again. In one piece. Not bleeding out on the ground with a megalomaniacal pseudo-god bearing down on him. And, most importantly, as the only one with any recollection of all they'd been through.

It doesn't take Akira long to come to the most logical conclusion: That somewhere along the line, he screwed up. Somehow, it hadn't been enough, and now he has an opportunity to fix it—which would be a lot easier if he were to have some notion of what, specifically, he needs to fix, or even if this is a one-time deal.

At first, he tries copying his previous motions as closely as possible. People always talk about their regrets like they would change them in a heartbeat, given the chance, but the thought of altering the timeline as he knows it is overwhelming. The more Akira steps away from his previous path, the less accurate his existing knowledge may become, the bigger the chance that he may miss something important from the first time around.

That reasoning goes out the window pretty quickly. Akira finds that he can't watch Shiho Suzui jump off that building again, can't go through hearing that agony in Ann's voice a second time when he can so easily prevent it. So he stops her. It's what the Phantom Thieves would do. And things change... but not in a way that affects the flow of events in any profound way. Ann still stumbles after them into the Metaverse and finds the conviction to awaken her persona, somehow. He's not sure how it works out, but it does. What Akira does know is that fate is what you make of it. If he believes in his teammates, they'll end up where they need to be.

But for all of that, he still wavers as they're leaving the recording area. Up until now, the decisions to change things have been easy. Akechi, on the other hand... where to start? Is it even salvageable? Akira's not certain, but when he thinks of their last meeting in Shido's palace, Akechi's remark about the possibility of them meeting a few years earlier, the sounds of gunshots echoing from the other side of the bulkhead—he can't not try. It's not years, but maybe this handful of months will be enough.

Akira lets Ann go ahead with a nod, sliding his hands into his pockets as he tries to maintain his usual casual demeanor. Any moment now...

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Ah. That's right, isn't it? Akechi drops his gaze, feeling frustrated and, annoyingly enough, guilty. It's clear that Akira is upset about how that situation played out, and Akechi is keenly aware of the role he played in it.

Worse, he can hear Akira's resolve in his tone. This isn't someone who can just be talked out of his decisions. Not after so long, and not just because someone like Akechi asked. Talking him down is out of the question, but maybe he can work with a different angle.

"Then why trust me?" He looks back up again, unable to keep the wary skepticism out of his expression. "What makes you think I won't expose you immediately?"

"I just do," he replies without hesitation, voice softer. It's a strange concept, trusting someone he knows is lying to him even now. Akira wouldn't be doing this if he didn't have some amount of confidence in the bond they've formed. "You care about justice, don't you?"

That much, he knows isn't quite accurate. But that's still the angle Akechi is playing, and honestly? Akira likes to think that if he hadn't gone so far down the wrong path, Akechi actually would care about doing what's right, would stand for the same ideals that the Phantom Thieves do. It could just be wishful thinking on his part, but...

"You know how bad it is." Akechi admitted as much just a moment ago. "We can do something about it." They might be the only ones who can do something about it.

Edited 2019-03-13 13:28 (UTC)

The guilt that had merely been simmering until now suddenly boils instead. He doesn't care about justice. Even if his plan for vengeance against Shido can be called that, 'justice' has never been his motivation. He's never cared about lying about it before but, like with so many other things, Akira complicates the situation.

"That's idiotic." Which is a harsh thing to say, maybe, but it's true: trusting Akechi with this situation is tantamount to suicide. Or rather, it should be. If he'd been told this even as recently as a month ago Akechi is certain he still could have proceeded with his loosely laid plan to eliminate the Phantom Thieves. But now... "And if I say I'm going to turn you in anyway - then what? You can't do anything from jail."

His tone is clipped, brittle, and harsh, though he's not even sure how he can begin explaining why he's angry.

"Probably not," Akira agrees, probably much easier and calmer than he should be when being threatened with prison. Although, prison would be the least of his worries. He has no doubt that things would take a similar turn as before. "If I'd even make it there."

It was always a possibility that Akechi would just use this confession to further his own agenda. Still, Akira can't help the tight squeeze of sadness in his chest now that it's being brought up. He wanted to believe that something had changed, that maybe Akechi has seen something that he hadn't until too late last time.

But maybe something is different, if Akechi is trying to talk him out of it and getting angry at him when he can't.

"Sorry, I put you in a tough position," he speaks up again, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair. Akira does genuinely feel bad. There's no way he can decipher what's going on in Akechi's head, but he can at least see that there's some kind of turmoil there. "You would've found out eventually. I... didn't want it to not be from me."

The prospect of how he may have reacted if he'd discovered it on his own makes Akechi feel cold. Worse is the thought of what might have happened if he hadn't realized the truth until after he killed Okumura. And what is he even supposed to do about that, anyway? How can he advance his own goals and keep the Phantom Thieves (or even just Akira) out of the crossfire?

Isn't the only way to let the Phantom Thieves win this next conflict? Win in a way that isn't his fault, but his superiors'? Okumura's survival would be another setback for the conspiracy, but not enough to derail their plans. It's likely already too late to put an end to Shido's aspirations, so maybe... That thoughtful expression of his creeps back in, but it passes quicker than usual. He doesn't have time to weigh every single option carefully.

"Three weeks." Akechi stands so suddenly that even he seems a bit startled. "For three weeks, I won't get in your way." Not as Akechi, and not as an assassin. He shoots Akira a quick look, then leans down to pick up his briefcase. "I don't know who you're planning to target next, but you should do it quickly and quietly. Three weeks from now--" He falls silent, uncertain. He wants to say he'll go right back to chasing after them, the same as always, but... "... Three weeks from now, I don't know what I'll do."

Akira's head snaps towards Akechi, surprise written into his features. On the surface, it sounds like a promise not to turn him in. But Akira knows better, knows that there are other ways Akechi could get in their way.

That's... a lot more than he was expecting a moment ago, faced with the sharp edge of Akechi's voice. He could ask for more, for Akechi to admit his own secrets and join up with them, but Akira knows that's unrealistic. This, he can at least work with.

"Thanks, Goro." Where he'd debated over the name last time, it slips out naturally now. "Really," he adds, and although a smile doesn't quite reach his face, there's warmth to the words.

They're just taking turns catching each other off guard today, aren't they? Akechi blinks, unused to being addressed by his first name. He doesn't fight it, though. It feels kind of nice. So even though he sighs, he doesn't look unhappy.

"You shouldn't thank someone who declared himself your enemy." Idiot, but that's also exactly the sort of behavior that makes sense for Akira. No wonder he has so many strange friends. Akechi starts to turn, ready to leave, but then he freezes.

Something about him bothers me. Akira had said that about Shido just over a week ago, when discussing potential targets for the Phantom Thieves. And now Akechi can't help but wonder if maybe he's totally off base, if they're not going to bother with Okumura at all. He looks back to Akira, unable to keep the serious expression off his face.

"When you said that 'something' bothered you about Shido, is that because you've already decided to change his heart?"

The warning only merits a shrug. It's hard to truly consider him as an enemy now, regardless of how Akechi himself views their standing. If that's a dangerous line of thinking—with Akechi keeping his cards so close to his chest, there's no reason other than gut feeling to trust that he'll really stay on the sidelines—then so be it.

He's expecting Akechi to head out, so when he instead strikes up a new vein of conversation, Akira first regards him with a bemused silence. It shifts into something more neutral once he registers the question. Of course that would come back to bite him.

How much should he admit? Will Akechi try to step in if he does say that they're going to change Shido's heart? Akira doesn't have much time to debate, so he ends up walking a path somewhere between truth and lie of omission, as he so often does with Akechi.

"At some point." There's a lull before he continues, "Shido's the reason why I'm here in Tokyo. He had me falsely convicted for assault." Hell, Akechi might know about his probation already if he's bothered to look into Akira at all.

Akira says they'll target Shido and Akechi thinks that he'll have to go back on his promise, because there's no chance he can let them threaten his plans.

Then Akira explains why and Akechi's barely formed plans are immediately derailed. He's aware of Akira's probation - he hadn't hesitated to dig up as much information about him as possible when his suspicions first took shape - but he still hadn't thought that someone else whose life was ruined by Shido was so close by. Like so many things with Akira it's an unexpected complication, and one close enough to home that Akechi can't keep his startled expression in check.

"I see." It feels silly that 'I see' is all he can come up with, but if he tries for something else he's not sure what he'll end up saying. Even now, he can't help but add: "Be careful. It's not just the general populace he's popular with."

There, now he should leave - and then another 'one last thing' occurs to him. At least this one is less dire, though.

"Oh - and I would like to borrow those books, if you don't mind." If he leaves empty-handed Soujiro might wonder why he really showed up.

That seems to be enough for Akechi. There's no attempt to dissuade him from targeting Shido, but Akira isn't stupid enough to take that as a guarantee that he'll just allow it. He knows how intensely personal his grudge with Shido is.

"You too," he returns the warning. They may be up against a formidable opponent, but Akechi himself is in no less dangerous a position, right in the middle of all of it. Failure to assassinate Okumura seems like it would be a huge transgression, but Akira can only assume that Akechi has a plan in place to protect himself.

When the subject of books comes up, Akira blinks. Right. Probably a good idea to complete the illusion.

"Ah..." He rises from the chair and looks around, his gaze soon settling on a few stacked on the corner of his desk: a book on chess strategy he finished reading on the train the other week, an English phrasebook he'd been perusing before the class trip, a slim cookbook of curry recipes, and a weekly manga anthology that Ryuji probably left behind. He scoops them up and brings them over to Akechi. "Here."

That's an... odd assortment of books, to be sure, but that fact alone is enough to improve Akechi's mood somewhat. At least it'll make for interesting reading. He tucks the books under his arm, thanks Akira for letting him borrow them, and promises to return them as soon as he's finished.

That last part ends up being a bit of a lie, however. It's not quite accurate to say he starts avoiding Akira, but he does make a point of being scarce while the Phantom Thieves are handling the situation with Okumura. He's both busy and 'busy' during the weeks leading up to the televised confession, and most of his encounters with Akira in the meantime are when they happen to bump into each other at the train station.

When Okumura's confession finally comes out it sends Akechi's co-conspirators into a panic, even as it allows Akechi to finally relax. He's not sure how, but the Phantom Thieves manage to keep the news of Okumura's calling card from leaking to the police, and subsequently keep Shido's group from realizing it's time to put an end to him. But missing their opportunity to blame the Phantom Thieves for murder doesn't take them out of the game. Several of Okumura's employees have psychotic breakdowns, several other people admit to their own misdeeds, and several new pieces of evidence are found. Within 48 hours a different narrative has emerged: Okumura's claims are provably false and his confession was coerced.

Akechi is surprised by how much he dislikes watching public opinion turn against the Phantom Thieves, and by how little it satisfies him to watch his own popularity creep back up in response. It doesn't take him long to decide that it's fine, however. It makes it easier to him to enact his own plans to remove the Phantom Thieves from the picture without resorting to killing them.

Step one is to become a Phantom Thief himself, and the sequence of events that make up that step are bound to be familiar to Akira. Akechi is invited to Shujin as their guest speaker, has his encounter with the unreasonably spicy takoyaki, and nearly outs the Phantom Thieves on stage before be blackmails them into compliance in private. He even feeds them the same lie about how his Persona awakened, and doesn't point out that Akira has already admitted to being a Phantom Thief in person.

The sequence of events following step one are familiar, too, but probably more upsetting. Morgana still catches Akechi in his lie; Futaba still puts the bug on Akechi's phone; and Akechi is still overheard talking with Shido about their plan to kill Akira and destroy the Phantom Thieves for good.

But Akechi doesn't realize that, and for him the single week he's spent with the Phantom Thieves so far might be the best week of his life. He's sincere about enjoying their company and finds it fascinating to watch them work. He integrates with the group better than he anticipated, and he's totally unaware that they've already caught on to his plans to betray them and are only playing along.

While Akechi is content to go with the flow of the Phantom Thieves' day-to-day methods of operating, he's never been one to let himself take too much of a backseat for too long. So after one of their regular strategy meetings has been adjourned Akechi changes things up and lingers long enough to make a simple request.

"Would it be alright if I stayed for a cup of coffee? It's been a while since I've been able to stop by." And he'd like a chance to finally return those books.

True to his word, the rest of the Okumura mission goes off without a single hitch, Akechi nowhere to be seen. Akira even lingers as the Palace threatens to self-destruct, hesitating over the fallen for of Okumura's Shadow, right up until he can't possibly wait any longer without risking his own survival.

After the outcome with Kobayakawa, he's not so naive to think that things will still work out perfectly, even with the precautions they've taken to ensure that Okumura's confession is a surprise. His concerns are justified: In a flurry of news stories, the Phantom Thieves are still painted as the villains and become reviled by the public. And that doesn't bother him as much as last time because at least Haru doesn't have to watch her father die on national television, and no matter how they paint it, he's still a changed man.

What does bother him is that nothing else really seems to change. Akechi still manipulates them into taking on Sae's Palace, and, worse of all, still plans to kill him. Futaba calls him over to listen to the recording in private, and the sympathy in her eyes is new as he once again has to listen to Akechi's familiar voice coldly detailing the process of his murder. In the end, he just shakes his head, tells her that she did good, and neatly packs away the bevy on unpleasant emotions clattering around inside of him.

Akira has clearly misinterpreted where he stands with Akechi. Maybe a few months wasn't long enough to change his supremely fucked up priorities. It's not like this is the end—the upside of everything following the same course of events is they'll still be able to dodge Akechi's plans with ease. So there's always a chance that he can keep Akechi from meeting the same end in Shido's Palace.

It still chafes, though, to have to pretend that nothing is wrong as they work together. Akira at least can mask it under a sense of professionalism, and he takes his role as leader more seriously than ever, focusing entirely on the mission and barring his thoughts or gaze from straying to Akechi any more than necessary.

Until Akechi doesn't give him a choice.

The meeting ends, and they disperse as usual, each citing other obligations. Even Morgana lets himself be scooped into Haru's arms at the promise of lunch. Akira makes a mental note to have a serious conversation with her about how her spoiling him is affecting his standards at home.

Akechi, on the other hand, doesn't head down the stairs with the rest of them. Akira busies himself gathering snack wrappers, hoping that he's just taking his time, but then Akechi opens his mouth and—

Of course, he's not going to be that lucky. There's a particularly bitter part of him that wants to say that no, it's not alright, but at the other end, there's a dumb, traitorous desire to sit with Akechi at the counter and pretend that none of this is happening and that they're still friends.

"Sure," he ends up saying after a pause, tossing the trash away and finally turning to Akechi. "Come on." And he breezes past towards the stairs, heading down to the café to get started on Akechi's coffee.

Truthfully, Akechi is kind of glad that even Morgana heads elsewhere for the afternoon. Much as he's used to Akira and his 'oet cat' being a package deal, the idea of having had an eavesdropper to so many of their conversations thus far is a little uncomfortable. This is a nice change of pace even if, thinking back, he realizes there are plenty of times when Morgana wasn't present, too. Interesting.

He takes his usual seat at the counter, waiting for his coffee with his typical calm air. When Akira turns around there's a slight change to the scenery, however. The books he'd lent Akchi several months ago are stacked nearly in front of him, in the same condition they'd been in when Akechi first borrowed them.

"Sorry it took me so long to return them." He'd finished them all weeks ago. "But I enjoyed them. The chess book in particular gave me some interesting things to consider when we continue our match." Maybe they can actually do that today.

Working behind the counter is relaxing in its familiarity. Slowly pouring the water over the grinds, Akechi's presence in his perphieral, he almost can pretend that this is taking place a couple of months ago. Akira indulges in the quiet, letting the silence hang until he's finally presenting Akechi with his coffee and then sitting down to nurse the cup he made for himself.

He'd forgotten about the books until they're sitting on the counter. Continuing their match does sound like an idea, but first...

"Even the manga?" Akira doesn't bother trying to hide his skepticism. It's just hard to reconcile the Akechi in front of him, always so carefully poised to appear like an adult, with the image of him with his nose in Weekly Jump.

Ah, busted - but not really. Akechi grins.

"It's not usually my taste." He can easily admit to that much. "But it was interesting to see the sort of things you read in your spare time - even though I think you must have originally gotten the suggestion from Sakamoto-kun." He's only really known them for a week now, but things like that are easy for him to pick up on.

Regardless, he's not really here to talk about manga. Now that the idea has occurred to him...

"It's been some time, but if you don't have other plans I think we could finally finish our game."

The fact that Akechi actually did read it makes him smile a little, despite himself. "I think he just left it here..." Not that Akira doesn't like manga himself, but that one definitely isn't his.

At the suggestion of picking up their long-paused match, Akira nods. "I've got time." And if Akechi is going to hang around, it's probably better to pass that time focused on something rather than grasping for small talk subjects when he's doubting every other word out of Akechi's mouth.

When he retrieves the chess board, it's just as they left it, albeit with a thin coat of dust. Akira's been keeping it tidy on-and-off, giving it a quick dusting whenever he notices it while cleaning, excepting earlier in the week, when he didn't quite want to dwell on the memories it stirred up any longer than necessary. "... Do you remember whose turn it was?"

They really are the only ones that have touched the board, aren't they? Akechi doesn't even have to check his phone to know it's just how they left it. The question of whose turn it is is actually one Akechi doesn't have the answer to. He frowns for a moment, then leans forward and starts counting the piece. After a moment:

"It was mine." And he even remembers what he was attempting to do, though once Akira gives the go ahead to continue he switches tactics for the moment and start trying to control the left side of the board as well. As for the previous subject... "I thought that the curry cookbook seemed most relevant to your interests, anyway"

Akira observes as he makes his move, taking a moment to return himself to the mindset of the game. It's not as hard as one would expect after the considerable break they've taken—probably due to the fact that he'd been reading up on it until recently. Forearm resting against the countertop, he regards the board with a thoughtful look, eventually moving a piece to encroach upon the territory Akechi is attempting to stake out for himself. He's starting to learn that playing defensively with Akechi is asking for trouble.

"Mm, I've been doing some research." Curry is a versatile dish. Sojiro's original recipe will always reign supreme in his heart, but finding new ways to put a spin on it is a fun project, and even more enjoyable is discovering what different properties the changes translate into in the Metaverse.

Its exciting to see Akira off the defensive, especially after seeing how he operates in the Metaverse. He has a better idea of how dangerous an opponent he can be, even if the danger in this case is only to plastic chess pieces. Akechi continues to vie for the left side of the board, though he knows that pushing too hard will mean threatening his chances of controlling the center.

There's something about Akira's behavior that's starting to bother him, though. He stops short of saying anything, however.

"It almost sounds like you're training to take over when Sojiro-san retires."

The observation draws out an amused quirk to Akira's lips. "I can't imagine him ever retiring." His expression turns a bit softer as he considers the scenario Akechi's laid out, though. Leblanc is the first place he's come across in his life where he feels like he really, truly belongs. "But that wouldn't be so bad. My parents might not think so, though," he adds wryly, no doubt in his mind that they'd surely have some choice words about his aspirations. Not that being a disappointment to them is new to Akira.

He pauses then, belatedly realizing that maybe he shouldn't be revealing more details of his personal life to Akechi. Akira doesn't think that he'll use them against him, but—he can't help but chide himself for unconsciously slipping back into the old sense of comfort that Akechi's presence used to bring. He needs to stay on his toes.

Masking the twist of his mouth with a sip of coffee, Akira considers his next play, and once he sets the cup down, his hands reaches out to move another piece towards the same side.

Akechi can't speak on the subject of disappointing one's parents, and even trying to is weird enough to make him more than just uncomfortable. He skips right past that particular aspect of the conversation.

"Maybe you'll have to start your own cafe, instead." He keeps his attention on the board, shifting his attention to try to drive a wedge between Akira's pieces on the left and those in the center. "Though choosing which one to visit would be a challenge."

He's grateful that there's no attempt to probe into the statement, though that in itself is strange for Akechi, who is usually a font of questions. Akira starts to read into it, but ultimately he tucks the thought away for later when the conversation carries on otherwise.

"Something about that idea feels wrong," Akira admits. There's a little furrow in his brow as he takes in the precarious position he's in on the board, though it's less at that and more at the thought of taking everything Sojiro's taught him and doing his own thing. "Not sure I could compete with Leblanc, anyway."

His next move is to try to bolster his defense where Akechi is attempting to move in, but it may already be too late to save both from getting stuck in a bad spot.

That idea seems to be falling a bit flat, doesn't it? Not that Akechi is really surprised. Loyalty is, without a doubt, Akira's most consistent and noteworthy trait. Akechi's still of the opinion that such loyalty isn't very smart, but at the same time he can't help but admire it.

"Competing seems like a tall task," he agrees. "But I think Leblanc suits you perfectly well, anyway." In contrast to the serene tone of his voice, Akechi's maneuvers on the board take a sharp turn towards pushy and aggressive. He moves another piece forward to try to further break up Akira's formations, even though doing so leaves one of his own knights vulnerable.

It's discontenting, this sharp edge to his mind that wants to pick apart everything Akechi says, to analyze if it's genuine or just put out there because he thinks it's what Akira wants to hear. He's certain there's something here. Not all of it could have been acting, nor a product of his imagination, and that just makes it all the worse. That Akechi could feel some amount of friendly affection towards him and still move ahead with this plan is... incomprehensible to Akira. It's Shido's fault, he knows that, knows Akechi has been through a lot all on his own and that can do things to a person, but damn if it doesn't sting on a personal level.

"Thanks," is what comes out, Akira's gaze fixed on the chessboard as he goes for the unguarded knight, making a snap decision to sacrifice one of his own to do so. Internal struggles aside, it's nice to hear that others think he belongs here as much as he feels he does.

Before Akechi had been suspicious, but now he's absolutely certain. There's something off about Akira's reactions. He doesn't offer an immediate response to Akira's thanks, keeping his attention focused on the board for another turn. The aggressive tactics come naturally to him, which makes him wonder if Akira might not just be focused on the game. But he'd been more talkative last time, and he didn't have as broad a knowledge base back then.

"Did I pick a bad time?" He finally glances up at Akira again, expression halfway between puzzled and concerned. "I don't mind coming back later, if you'd prefer." He was looking forward to finishing but he thinks it's pretty obvious that Akira's attention isn't entirely here.

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