My Key Item (Joker X Futaba) Persona 5 Royal

Chapter Nineteen - Trigger

It's the beginning of June, and Akira has fully healed from his wounds. We all went into the Metaverse to talk to Akechi, and there have been zero instances of Akira's rage form since.

It's Sunday, and Akira is back in Hometown visiting his Mother and Ryuji with Ann. I sit down at a table in Leblanc, a cup of coffee and a plate of curry right in front of me, as well as my math homework. What a pain in the ass.

I look up as the door jingles, and in walks Aya and all my other non-Phantom Thief friends. They still haven't warmed up to Akira, and I can't figure out why. He's polite, he's generous, and he even offered to help with their homework.

Aya sits down in front of me, my other friends surrounding the table. "Hey guys, what's up?" They look around, seeing no one. Sojiro had to go get more Curry ingredients. Aya is the first one to speak.

"Listen, we know that your boyfriend isn't around today, so we wanted to talk to you, without him around." I frown. Why would they want to talk to me about him? "We... don't think you should be hanging around with him, much less going out with him. He's assaulted people before, so why do you think he's someone you can trust?" I sigh. I should have known.

"Listen, he's not a delinquent, and he's never assaulted anyone. He was exonerated! He was found not guilty."

"Pssh, yeah right. I heard his family is pretty rich. They probably just paid off the jury. He wouldn't have been found guilty if he really was innocent. We're only looking out for our friend." I clench my fist, my rage bubbling to the surface.

"If you really cared about me, you would trust my judgment! I LOVE-" SMACK! I gasp, my cheek burning.

"HE'S USING YOU!! HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT!? IT'S EITHER HIM OR US!" I slowly push my way through the crowd of girls, backing up towards Akira's room.

"I can't believe I didn't see how rotten you all were. You don't care about truth, or justice. You only care about gossip, and what you can force people to do. You all are controlling, manipulative, BITCHES! I'M NOT SPEAKING TO YOU AGAIN UNTIL YOU ALL APOLOGIZE!"

They all look amongst themselves, and I think for a moment that they might just leave, until they start to advance. I start backing up, starting to feel the fear one only feels when she knows she's about to get beat up. I turn around and start to run up the stairs, sprinting toward the bed, and grab the knife Akira keeps hidden underneath his pillow. The girls start to pile into the room.

"I swear to god, I'll hurt you! Don't come closer!" Then Aya pulls out a taser.

Excruciating pain filled my body, every muscle in my body locking up, as everything starts going dark.

*******

I carry some of Sojiro's groceries from the train on our way to Leblanc, and we're laughing about how he had somehow run out of Curry ingredients. I reach for the handle, when I hear a scream. Sojiro grabs the groceries from my hands as I burst through the door, hearing the screams coming from upstairs. My room. I run up the staircase, only to find half a dozen girls standing around something. I shove past them, and look down on Futaba's lifeless body.

... pain.

*******

I lock the door behind Akira as he bolts upstairs. A few seconds later, I hear a roar. Not the scream of a girl, but the roar of a vengeful beast. I quickly unlock the door. Whoever is up there will need to escape. A young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen runs down the stairs, fear in her eyes. I quickly open the door, and she sprints out. The building shudders, and suddenly Akira is there, slamming his fists across her face.

"AKIRA, STOP IT!! REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!!" He turns to me, his eyes blank and white. He vanishes, and the screams resume. A few minutes later, he comes sprinting back down again, his body covered in blood, carrying Futaba.

*******

I wake up in a pool of blood, the bodies of five girls around me, bludgeoned, Futaba in the middle of them, unharmed. I carefully pick her up, blood dripping from my face and clothes. I stagger downstairs, and hand Futaba to Sojiro. My head... It still hurts...

Kill her.

My eyes widen and I back away, not hearing whatever Sojiro is saying

Kill her. Kill her kill her kill her.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" I scream, the voice in my head going quiet.

"KID!! CAN YOU HEAR ME!!?"

"AKIRA!! IT'S OKAY!! I'M HERE!!" Futaba...

"It's you." She gripping my bloodsoaked clothes, trying to get me to come back.

"Of course it's me, I'm here-"

"When I see you hurt. That's what it is. That's what triggers... THIS!! What if I hurt you... Oh god..." I pull away from her, running off down the street, blood drips marking my path until I find a safe place to toss my shirt and jeans, running down the street in my underwear, Igor's hand appearing before me, opening the door to the Metaverse. Before he can say a word, I'm off, running and running and running.