A/N: Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites! And I hope you guys are as stoked for P5 Royal as THIS GUY IS! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, or anything related to it. 'Cept the games. And they're awesome.

Chapter 2: Valentine's Day

Akira traded a look with Morgana, the blue eyes staring back into his own onyx. Finally he gave a small nod and the duo entered the room, Akira tilting his head towards her with a small smile.

"Good to see you again, Lavenza."

"You as well, Trickster," came the reply with a soft smile that reached her golden orbs.

Entering the door, Akira was immediately met with a completely different room as previously. There were no bars or even cells. This was a library, though a modest one—some of the shelves were empty. The shelves that weren't empty were a vibrant azure, the ones empty a dull faded gray—unused. There were no visible windows, though azure drapes hung from rungs periodically throughout the area. Sitting in the center at a cherry wood desk was Igor, the true one he surmised. His hands were tented, that grin upon his face as he surveyed Akira. His legs were crossed and Akira noted the same blue carpet beneath the desk.

"Hello, Trickster. It has been some time, but I am glad you are well. Before we begin, I must ask, how has life been treating you since you won the game?"

Akira tucked his chin, peering over his glasses at the man. "Long time no see, Igor. Life has been good...but something gives me the feeling you're about to tell me something that changes that."

Morgana approached, and Akira finally noted that the cat had turned to his Metaverse form. Talk about a blast from the past. The large eyes turned to Akira then to Igor. "Then...I didn't remain because of their cognition of me...it's because you knew there would be a need for me."

Igor nodded. "As I expected, insightful as always Morgana. That is correct. Though, this is no game and there is no rehabilitation—this is a re-writing of history using the very same cognitive world you disbanded."

"But if we disbanded it how is it being used?" Morgana folded his arms.

"A good question—one that I assure you, you will find the answer to but not one I can provide. What I can say is you weren't the only ones who knew about it, correct?"

Morgana tilted his large head. "True. There were plenty who knew about it, but that doesn't mean that could just create it...any ideas Jo—Akira?"

Akira gave his friend a small grin. "Hey, I almost missed hearing that." He paused as he shifted his weight, rubbing a strand of his hair between his fingers. "I'm not sure. I was well versed, but not exactly an expert like Futaba. Makoto even had a better grasp."

Morgana beamed. "Gathering everyone together will be nice!"

Akira frowned slightly. "We'll be going back to the Metaverse. It's going to be dangerous...I'm not sure if I can ask that of everyone again."

Morgana blinked. "You wouldn't have to, though."

"That's what I'm afraid of. We had a lot of close calls last time...I mean, I almost lost my best friend. I almost died—we faked that, remember? It's just..."

Morgana furrowed his brow, a sadness hitting his eyes. "No..I understand." He put his paws on his hips. "Then I guess we'll just have to look into it ourselves! Besides, with me and you, we'll be fine."

Akira looked to Igor who nodded before speaking.

"Then shall we make a deal? I will provide you with aid similar to what we have provided before. You will be able to call upon the same powers you had and in return, you will stop the one who seeks to re-write the world."

"But what do you get?" Akira tilted his head. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but, considering what happened before...I'm wary."

"I assure you this is still the same master who saved you," Lavenza said sternly.

"It's not that, it's just that deals can't be one sided. It's not a deal then."

Igor let out a chuckle. "You are correct, Trickster. What I get out of it is admittedly very little—as you see. But you will just have to trust when I say that re-writing of history would meddle in affairs far beyond just you or I's deal. Affairs that I am in charge of protecting."

Akira was silent for a long moment before he grinned, almost in a feral manner. "Then you have a deal."

Igor let out a low chuckle. "Good. I am glad the past year has not dulled your resolve, Trickster. For now, you may return to your world and begin your mission. We, will be in touch."

Aiden sat with his head resting on his hand. His dirty blonde hair, cut short, was scruffed in his hand as his cerulean blue eyes stared at the paper. He bit down on the toothpick in his mouth as he ran the hand down from his head. Sitting back he rubbed the light stubble on his face before sighing. He wanted a smoke. The office had long since passed working hours, the sun had set, and now it was reaching the darkest parts of the night. He returned his blue eyes to the paper, rotating the toothpick once and twice. "Phantom Thieves..." Certainly the 'phenomenon' had been little more than an online fad. There had been plenty of them, and thanks to social media, it wasn't just certain countries or cultures. Hell, once it got big enough online, people in America were saying that the Phantom Thieves had helped them—despite all 'evidence' of their 'work' being confined strictly to Japan. He hadn't moved here for that, of course, but once here, well...curious minds, right? What he hadn't expected was to find a very specific name linked to the case. As if on cue, a knock at his office—which he thought was a re-purposed broom closet—door brought his attention. Sae Nijima, his 'partner', stood in the door way. He wasn't dumb—no matter how much she may have thought: she was a babysitter, and he knew it.

"'Eyyyyy, Sae-san….can I go home now? Or ya gonna keep me here against my will?" He carefully organized his papers, as if clearing his desk for the evening, promptly placing his most interesting ones on bottom.

"Nijima-san works fine, and I'm not forcing you to stay." Her retort was clipped, short. The usual. Aiden sighed and stood from his desk. He was dressed in a dark gray slacks and a dress shirt. The sleeves were unbuttoned and rolled to just beneath his elbows, tie loosened and top button undone. Grabbing the matching jacket from the back of the chair, he tossed it on—dead of February, after all. He wasn't from a cold climate, being from the southern part of America, so anything below mid seventies and he was freezing.

"Yeah...just stuffed in here like I'm waiting on a letter from Hogwarts."

"...what?"

"Nothing."

"Then let's go. I'm leaving for the night and locking up."

"Ya know...it's been months. Could just give me a key." His comment was met with a crimson stare and he gave a defeated shrug and a sigh. "Alright, fine. Keep your secrets."

The duo left the office in relative silence, Aiden finally breaking that once they reached street level. "Oh, yeah...finished helping Kobayashi-san with those depositions you were asking about."

"I'll look them over tomorrow."

"Check them for mistakes, you mean."

"If it needs to be said..."

Aiden let out a snort before he fell silent for a long moment as they walked towards the train station. He stopped short, causing Sae to raise a brow. "You don't live around here, what are you doing?" She stopped and turned, seeing him with a smirk on his face, though the emotion behind it wasn't mischievous or malicious...it was...boyish? He thumbed over his shoulder to a small, hole in the wall bar.

"I don't, but there's a nice hole in the wall bar here and you've been busting my ass these past two weeks. I'm getting a drink. Join me?"

Sae stared at him, her face a mute mask before: "...you're serious?" Her tone indicated the incredulous manner that her face belied.

"Aw come on. All you do is work, work, work. If I wasn't firmly grounded in reality, I'd wonder if you were some android that plugged into the wall to sleep."

"An android? You sound like an idiot..."

Aiden shrugged, looking away with his brows knit and that smirk still present. "Yeah, you've said that before. Look: I ain't hitting on ya. I'm just asking, for the sake of camaraderie, to join me for a drink. I would like to think I have more class than trying to get a woman drunk—Valentines Day or not."

Sae rolled her eyes. Class? The word must have a different translation in America.

"Seriously: harmless drink. We chat. We leave and go our separate ways after."

Honestly, it was like dealing with a man-sized child. He wouldn't relent if she said no, she knew that—she would have to just walk away. But, knowing him, he would just shout down the street at her and draw attention.

Embarrassing.

"Fine. I suppose a drink couldn't hurt, after all of our hard work."

"And for camaraderie." Aiden wagged his finger with a sagely nod and Sae had to fight the impulse to smack him with her bag.

"Let's just go before I regret this..."

Makoto sat on her bed, a package before her. It wasn't large, small enough to fit in the mail box for their apartment—but it was addressed to her, and it was from Akira. Her longer hair was pinned up behind her head as she turned the box over. She had been home for a few hours now, and had delayed opening it until he called: he would, she knew. And he should be getting off work any moment now. Her heart fluttered with excitement and emotion for the gift. Her phone went off, though it wasn't the sound of a phone call—it was a text. Picking it up, she was surprised to see it as from her sister.

Sae: Hey. I'm going to be home late. Out with a co-worker for drinks.

Makoto raised a brow, a grin creeping on her face: payback!

Makoto: Oh really, sis?

Sae: Don't you start. It's not a date.

Makoto: I didn't say that, sis. I believe you just did, though.

There was silence and Makoto could practically hear Sae rolling her eyes. She let out a small giggle: Akira had rubbed off on her. Setting her phone down, pleased with getting the better of her elder sister in the exchange, she looked back to the box. Curiosity was getting to her. She picked it up and gingerly shook it.

No. She shouldn't do that. It has to be a surprise. She promptly placed it back down and looked back to her phone. Akira should be off by now...should she call him? Surely he would call her...was something wrong? A few moments of over-analyzing later, her phone rang.

Akira exited the door and found himself standing in the same alley as before, Morgana at his side. Adjusting his glasses he looked down as Morgana spoke.

"It's late..." The cat peeked around the corner, towards a digital clock on the side of a building, "Already almost midnight..."

"Crap!" Akira reached into his pockets, fumbling quickly before producing his phone.

"Calling pops?"

"No..." Akira said before raising the phone to his ear.

"Oh right! That's today! I'll head back home since we're only a few blocks away, see if I can find anything out on the way. Give Queen my regards!"

"You bet," Akira replied with a grin, causing Morgana to do the same. Well. The best he could.

"Phantom Thieves are back in action!" The cat raced off.

Akira wasn't sure what information Morgana could gather walking the streets, but, stranger things HAD happened. The phone rang a few times before he heard a soothing sound on the other side.

"Happy Valentine's Day..." Makoto said softly.

"That's my line" Akira replied, "get your gift?"

"I did, though I haven't opened it yet."

"Why not?" Akira found himself cocking his head.

"I wanted to wait for you to call, so it would kind of be like you were here to give it to me."

Akira stopped walking and turned his eyes towards his phone. He...it was moments like this, things that she did that took both of them into consideration, that made him love her. Even more so than he already did. But it also hurt: he was going to willingly lie to her. To hide the return of the Metaverse from her—from all of them. To protect them.

It was selfish, he knew. It was the simple acts of kindness that often made one realize what truly mattered. And highlighted your own short comings even more.

"Thanks...I'm glad you did."

Her response a small 'hn', followed by a soft, "Me too."

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed and had / are having an awesome day! :D