A Feeling From Deep Within (Ryuji Sakamoto x Reader)

XXV. Have You Any Fears?

[The next day...]

"Awwww, come on, guys. Why do you always have to ruin my fun?" Stan whined as he held a lit flashlight under his face in his now dark ticket stand.

You and the other Phantom Thieves stood in front of the ticket stand, waiting impatiently for Stan to give you the next ticket into the last chamber.

Akira had called everyone to the hideout earlier that afternoon to continue through your father's Palace. Like the other Phantom Thieves, you were excited and motivated to finally go through the last chamber so you could finally secure your route to the treasure. You couldn't wait to finish this so your father would finally leave you alone.

However, the only thing standing in your way was little 'ol quirky Stan and the ticket he needed to give you to continue on.

"Can you just finish whatever the hell you're doin' and give us the next ticket, man?" Ryuji impatiently stated.

Stan huffed. "I'm trying to set the mood here!"

"Really? With a flashlight and a dark ticket stand?"

"Your next chamber is horror themed, so I'm trying to make it seem scary!"

Futaba put her finger up in the air. "That was totally not scary."

Yusuke put his hand on his hip. "What is our task for the next chamber?"

"Excellent question, my foxy friend! All you have to do is... survive."

The Phantom Thieves exchanged looks with each other.

"What do you mean by 'survive?' Will we be up against a shadow?" Haru asked.

Stan snickered. "No. What you're up against is far scarier."

"What's scarier than a shadow?" Ann asked.

"Fear."

Akechi put a hand up to his chin. "Hm, so is this essentially the idea that there is nothing to fear but fear itself?"

"Bingo!"

"This seems to fit with the character of your father, Aries. He seems to like control over those he deems weak and he is rather manipulative," Makoto noted.

You nodded. "I agree. It does fit." You then sighed. "Looks like our next chamber is psychological horror. We should mentally prepare ourselves, guys. This won't be easy..."

Stan grinned evilly. "Good luck," he finally said before sliding you a ticket and disappearing with a puff of smoke. You then heard a giggle and a soft voice. "Was that scary?"

You rolled your eyes and ran up the steps to your last chamber.

Upon reaching the door, you noticed it was barely decorated. It was merely a black door with a cartoon image of your father smirking.

"Not a very detailed door, huh? ...Especially considering the ones before this one," Morgana noted.

"You're right. The other doors had images associated with the genre of the chamber," Makoto added.

You shook your head. "That's because he believes there's nothing scarier than him."

"Tch, he's confident now but wait 'til we're through with him," Ryuji threatened.