Transcendence: A Ren Amamiya x Akechi Goro Short Romance (Persona 5)

5: A Warning

"We have two hours. He's been contracted to find and attack my sister."

Makoto was filling us in, speaking to myself, Ann, Ryuji and Morgana over speaker phone. We had found a nearby park just outside the hospital and were talking in private there.

I sat on the edge of the bench beside my friends as Ann held her phone with the speaker up so we could hear. I was doing all I could to clear my head of the aching pain of my shoulder. I'd managed to convince the doctor to send me home on bedrest as long as I stayed home from school for the next few days, and kept my arm as still as possible in the sling he made for me. Calling Sojiro and having him cover for me also helped.

"Two hours!?!?" Ryuji was the first to react. I swallowed and Ann sighed.

"So we just have to get him out of there within the two hour mark without being seen. We can escape into Shido's palace and finish him off." Futaba and Haru had reconvened with Makoto and Yusuke.

"Futaba is right. If we can just get him out of there, we can jump right into Shido's palace and dissapear off their trail."

"Futaba, can you get a map of the Diet Building? Maybe we can plan a route to get Akechi out of there unnoticed." Ann glanced at Ryuji and I nervously as she spoke.

"Already working on it! Mwehehe." She giggled softly over the phone. I could hear the click clacking of her typing on her laptop.

"Ren, how are you feeling?" Haru suddenly chimed in as we waited for Futaba's intel.

"I'm okay. I just have to stay still." Ryuji and Ann glanced over to me, both looking worried as well. I nodded to them to reassure them.

"I-I've got it!! Morgana, we're going to need you're help!"

Morgana hopped into Ryuj's lap.

"Count me in!"

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(Akechi's P.O.V)

How long had I been lying here for?

My sides were already hurting, and my lip was bloody and busted. My right cheek felt sore and still a little swollen. My wrists were chaffed and raw from the handcuffs. I was bruised and battered on my arms and legs.

I was even hungry, but I felt sick. I'd been beaten up since this morning, and I had no idea how many hours had passed. It felt like a lifetime.

Now, I just laid here on my side on the ground, my hands fastened behind my back. I couldn't sleep despite the exhaustion from my injuries. I almost wanted to just taunt the man guarding me to get him to knock me out again. Atleast then I could actually rest for some time; no matter how twisted the idea was.

As per Shido's orders, I was to "sleep" for two hours prior to my next assignment, which I assumed he planned as an all-nighter. I would be forced to attack and kill Sae Niijima, one of my only friends on the force.

This felt just like it always did. Memories of my stepfather forcing me to eat, sleep, and run his odd, uncomfortable and dangerous errands for him out of manipulation. And now that he was aware his tactics wouldn't work anymore, he was using force. That force, was the guard sitting on the chair opposite me, nodding off. His partner had dimmed the lights in this utility room prior to leaving for his break. He would be back at the specified time to take me to Sae.

I sighed and closed my eyes. Maybe if I focused on something else, I would actually get some rest, despite how uncomfortable I was. I searched my mind for something, anything to take away the fact that I'd lost. I had no way out this time.