Of Phantoms and Thieves

Whatever You Desire

Ren panted as he ran down the streets of Tokyo like a madman, grunting from the effort as he shoved through the crowds. Those who saw him coming their way would move as quickly as possible. He ran right into traffic, nearly getting hit by cars as he dashed in the direction of Cafe Leblanc.

"I have to save them...!" he shouted, ignoring the strange looks he was given. "I have to get back and help...!"

"Hey, kid!"

Ren didn't stop.

"Hey! Slow down! You're going to get hurt!"

"I have to get to them, they're in danger...!"

Nearly tripping, Ren was whipped around as a hand grabbed his wrist. He found a police officer confronting him, a look of concern on his face.

"Let go of me!!!"

"Calm down! Look, I can see that you're in a rush and something is troubling you but running around in traffic like that isn't going to help you!"

Ren pulled, attempting to escape the man's grasp.

"You need to calm down," the officer stated. "Please, come with me...!"

Ren glanced around, realizing they were standing in the middle of a busy road.

"Wh-What...?"

"Are you alright? Why don't you come with me to the police station? I'm sure I can help you in some wa-"

Ren pulled away and grabbed his head, his vision swimming.

"Makoto's hurt... I must help her..."

"Please, kid, you don't look well..."

Ren ignored the officer and began running again.

"Stop! I'm serious, you're going to get hurt!!!"

Ren gasped for air, having not entirely recovered from his previous sprint. No sooner was it that he lost the officer in his wake as he continued to push through crowds and halt traffic. Roads became busier and more pedestrians filed up on the sidewalks. By now, Ren was grunting from the effort. His chest hurt and his side ached. It felt as though his lungs would burst.

"I'm almost there..." he huffed. "Just... a bit further..."

Ren tripped into traffic, a car stopping an arm's length from his face. The car honked as Ren pulled himself to his feet, and he ran on in the direction of the cafe. There were many voices shouting at him, and by now people were pointing. Ren had hardly noticed the stunts he'd been pulling off and didn't stop to wonder how he hadn't been hit by a car yet. Traffic began to lessen, and he sped up as he passed through the back alleys, nearly tripping and bumping into customers shopping at the local stores.

At last, to Sojiro's surprise, Ren burst into Cafe Leblanc and collapsed on the floor.

"R-Ren?!?" Sojiro exclaimed, rushing over to the teen.

"Boss...!" Ren cried out, struggling to his knees.

"Where have you been, young man?!?" Sojiro exclaimed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! I'm getting too old for this, stop it with your pranks!"

"Where are they?!" Ren shouted, grabbing Sojiro's shirt as tears ran down his cheeks. "Sakura, where are they?!?"