Processing The Pain

I Guess I'm Not a Traitor

Since that day, I've been spending more and more time with the ace detective. My mood started feeling better, as well. Everything was going great. That is until we reached the end of the battle with Sae Nijima's shadow.

I was running from the new threats, but I was still caught in the end. The words, "You were sold out," were rampaging through my head the entire trip through the interrogation room.

"What do you mean you were sold out?" questioned Sae Nijima, the exact person who was my interrogator.

I shook my hurting head, "I don't know, I'm just as confused as you are..." I kept thinking and thinking, then I realized something that chilled my spine. Akechi started spending less time with me once we got further in the palace, and when in the casino, he was acting weird.

The thought of the only person who I could trust to keep my secrets betraying me made my stomach queasy. Goro and I were so close, yet he was the only person who fit the bill at the moment.

"Goro..." I whispered under my breath once I figured it out. I started crying, even though it hurt to breathe.

"Y-you're saying Akechi betrayed you?" Sae looked just as shocked as I felt. "I know how close you two were... I'm sorry, but my time here is up." She stood up and left me alone in my weeping, broken state.

Not even five minutes later, I heard the door open. It was Goro and a guard. After the door closed, Goro stole the gun from the guard and shot him. He stared down at the pool of blood and slowly pointed the gun at my head, refusing to make eye contact with me.

"I never wanted it to end like this," His voice was shaky, and I could barely hear him above my sobs. He glanced up at me, and he was crying as well.

Goro set the gun down on the table, "I don't want to do this, but you need to be dead."

I managed to get myself to calm down enough to get up and grab the gun. I walked over to Goro and wrapped my arms around him.

"We could always die together," I whispered as I pushed the gun back into Goro's hand and guided his hand to my temple, "After you shoot me, you shoot yourself..."

"No, I can't..." He moved to set the gun back on the table, "I'm tired of people telling me how to live my life. If I choose to kill myself, I'd want it to be of my own accord." He grabbed my hands in his and pulled them to his lips, "And I want to live for you."

"We can fake my suicide, then I can tell the others you tried to get me, but I managed to escape." I compromised.

"Then the others would see me as more of a threat than they already do..." Akechi whispered.

"In the next palace we go into, you intercept us under the guise of wanting to kill us, but I'll manage to help you back onto the Phantom Thieves side. Everyone will be more willing to let you back then."

"Are you sure it will work?"

"I'm sure of it."