Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or JJBA. Also, read the Author's Notes.

Prologue

"Come here, kitty. I'm not gonna hurt you", Akira softly called, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the dimly lit street and making out the form of the small feline in front of him.

The black furry animal stared at him with yellow piercing eyes, readying itself to either fight or flight. From the corner it was standing on, there were few options for an escapade, the most prominent one being jumping the fence behind it and running for its life. Akira stood on one knee, making strange 'psst' sounds with his mouth while keeping his posture as least threatening as possible, trying to convince the cat that he only wanted to pet it . He liked cats, that was a fact, but it was unusual for him to simply go out of his way and try to pet the first stray he found on the street. Usually, the calm and aloof sixteen years old boy would walk casually without looking to his sides or paying any attention to the small details that composed his small hometown. And small it was, the kind of town where everyone knew each other, where your friend's parents were also lifelong friends who went out together for high school reunions, where no gossip would slip unnoticed. One of such gossips would certainly surface on the next morning, given Akira's certainty that one of Aiko's neighbors had peeked through his windows the exact moment that the girl had stopped besides him in front of her house and…

He smiled. 'Let them talk', he thought: it wouldn't make him less happy about the whole thing, given that his joy had been enough to make him stop halfway through the path to his home and grin like an idiot in the middle of the street. If anyone saw him doing it, the person (who probably knew him since he was a little boy, along with his parents and grandparents) would be quite shocked by the display of emotion on the usually serious and quiet boy. In truth, Akira was a very social person, despite his cold demeanor, something that came as a surprise to anyone who met him. He considered most of the student body at his school at least good acquaintances, with a couple of actual friends here and there. His grades were good, his appearance had been described as 'unorthodoxly attractive' (a statement that had both confused and flattered him), and while he wasn't any good in sports, his good attitude about it had earned the respect of the school's baseball team, even if his pitch needed a lot of working. His only 'experience' with the sport was through a really old video-game he used to play as a child.

"Oh, That's a Baseball!", the game's jingle echoed on his head the moment he thought about it. He giggled at the memory.

The cat hissed at the sound, suddenly jumping on the fence and sprinting away, disappearing on the darkness. Akira sighed and lifted himself, straightening his clothes and walking away. 'Maybe i'm not a cat person after all', he mused, a small smile tugging the corner of his lips. He wasn't even sure why he had stopped in the middle of the street to interact with the feline, his only guess being that he felt particularly happy at that moment, enough so that he allowed himself to behave a little silly while no one was looking. Also, Aiko liked cats.

He slowly lifted his finger towards his lips, the warm sensation still lingering on them, even after some good ten minutes. It was his first, after all, and he was probably also one of the first among his friends to do such a feat. Oh, sure, Souji loved to boast around about how much of a sex machine he was, and Takeda swore on his unborn children that he had a date set up with Asumi, the elected 'hottest girl in school', but Akira knew they were full of shit. Hell, Akira himself usually spent his weekends reading manga and listening to music, and was comfortable with that. He felt no need to partake in the bravado.

It had been Aiko who approached him first. While her giggling friends watched from a distance, the pretty dark haired girl, wearing the usual school uniform with her own dark stockings added to the outfit (he really liked that detail), called him while he grabbed his belongings on the locker room, her disarming smile making his heart flutter. Akira had held his posture, smiling back at her while she told the boy that she had something of a crush on him, before suggesting that the two of them should hang out, have some ice-cream or catch a movie. A surprisingly bold move, considering the traditional town they grew up in: every week gossips about love letters and confessions filled the school halls, many preferring the old fashioned ways of love. Aiko was an exception, something that Akira was immensely glad: he thought that the oh-so japanese tradition was rather silly, prefering to talk about such things directly. And so, they had ice-cream, they watched a movie about a psychopath who baked for money, and Akira accompanied Aiko to her doorstep in the dead of night.

He couldn't remember the conversation they had at the front door, but he sure remembered the kiss. It had been warm and wet, a sensation he had long sought after and even so, every aspect of it came as a surprise to him, not even his wildest dreams coming close. He felt embarrassed by his own inexperience compared to the girl (who clearly knew what she was doing), but the smile she gave him afterwards made his worries disappear.

"See you tomorrow, Akira-kun", she had whispered with a smooth and warm tone, smiling. As simple as the date and those words had been, Akira found himself unable to control his own hormones for a few seconds, prompting him to bring to the forefront of him mind the most disgusting thing he could think of. Curiously, he remembered a panel from Pink Dark Boy where a character had the skin of his face peeled off as if it were a book, the illustration leaving no room for imagination. The panel had creeped Akira immensely, sementing in his mind that the author truly was the genius everyone though he was. He really needed to buy the next volume.

As his body settled down, the boy resumed his pace, his mind wandering once again towards Aiko. Even with the events of the day, he still had a few questions stirring on his mind: were they dating? Should the two of them enter the class together and announce their relationship? Should he be a little bolder and suggest that they should-

'Christ, calm down, you pervert', he chided himself mentally, clicking his tongue against his teeth.

They had gone on a date, and they had kissed, that was all. He couldn't jump to conclusions just because they had known each other for years, being good acquaintances that talked from time to time, even if she did admit that she had a crush on him. This was completely new territory for him, one he should tread lightly: he didn't want her to think he was some idiot virgin who got too excited. Yes, he was the cool headed one, the one who kept his posture aways. He had to be mature about it.

Yeah, right. As if he wasn't almost jumping with joy. He wondered if it was like this for everyone. God, he hoped so.

He reached for the pack of coffee flavored gums inside his pocket, chewing one as a way to keep his nerves calm. While he wasn't exactly a coffee fanboy, that particular brand had always been a favorite of his, the one with a small black and white dog as the mascot, grinning smugly at the consumer. He walked at a slow pace, as he had no need to hurry: his parents, even when they were home, didn't care much about his comings and goings, as long as his grades were good enough and he kept himself out of trouble. Long ago he had come to accept his parent's dismissive attitude, even if sometimes if felt strange having the two people who were supposed to be the most important on a children's life being so distant. Like their work was more important than their child. He couldn't complain, of course: their money kept him fed and with a roof above his head, so he simply kept those feelings buried inside him. No need to stir those matters.

He felt something vibrating inside his pocket, and quickly checked his phone for any messages. The screen displayed the name 'TAKEDA' in bold letters, making Akira sigh and open the text.

T: 'so, you scored or nah?'

Very blunt, as always. He quickly replied the text.

A: 'i'll tell you tomorrow'

T: 'come ooon, i want the details'

T: 'i mean, i could do a lot better, but she's kinda hot, so good for you'

Akira frowned for a second. While Takeda was his friend, he could be something of a jerk sometimes.

A: 'oh yeah? so tell me: how did it went with Asumi?'

Takeda went silent for a minute, before replying.

T: 'fricking awesome, obviously. that girl knows how to please a man, if ya catch my drift'

Akira let out a sigh at the obvious lie: Takeda seemed to like threading some dangerous ground. If word got around that he was making such claims, then his social life was basically over, but even so the guy still kept at it. One day his bullshit would caught up with him, like Akira had warned him every time, and everytime Takeda went on the defensive, saying Akira was 'jealous' of him or something like that, while Souji simply laughed. It had begun to become a problem, with Takeda making up stories whenever he saw an opportunity to gain something, be it popularity or the attention of some girls.

Many months later, while retelling his story, Akira would still vividly remember the exact moment he was about to text Takeda back, to tell him once again to stop lying before things went out of control. That instead of lying he should, if he even had the guts, ask Asumi on an actual date. That if she turned him down, maybe he could learn some humility.

Because the moment his finger touched the phone, he heard a scream.

Akira lifted his head, the sudden sound almost making him drop his phone. He froze in place, looking around in search of the one responsible for the yell. It had been a bit muffled, but its echoes told him that the person in trouble was at the end of the street.

Akira paused again, considering his options: maybe there was a robbery occurring, or some pervert was harassing some woman (considering the scream had sounded female in origin), or perhaps both. While Akira wasn't particularly strong or skilled in an martial art, his tall figure and serious expression had more than once spared him of conflict with troublemakers, something he had an ounce of pride in. He didn't even knew if he could do something to help, considering a quick call to the police.

"Help!", he heard the voice again, this time making him grit his teeth. It was a small town, with a small police corp, and it would take more than a few minutes for the to arrive at the scene. And judging by the desperation on the woman's voice, he had no time to lose.

And so, Akira decided to sprint towards the screaming woman, determination on his eyes as he quickly made his way through the narrow streets. He could hardly explain why he acted in such a manner: maybe his sense of guilt? He never liked letting people step on others, but at that time of the evening, in some dark corner of the suburbs, he could find something way more serious than some 7° grade bully or any of the assholes he had encountered in his school years. It was a small town with a practically null rate of murder, so whatever was happening, it sounded pretty different from the usual crimes that happened around those parts. Some theft, some bribery, maybe domestic violence, but that was it. He wasn't in Tokyo or New York, or any big city where murder and sexual assault were unfortunately common.

His curiosity was sated as he approached the source of the ruckus: from his point of view, he saw a man trying to drag a woman inside a black car, forcibly grabbing her arm as the woman squealed and screeched. He hesitated, asserting the situation: he had never seen that man around those parts, but the woman seemed familiar somehow. Maybe a neighbor of his, getting involved with the wrong crowd and paying the price for it, suggested the cowardly part of himself. The gritted his teeth again, considering if he should help the woman or walk away: if he did help her, things could go sour for him, but if he simply walked away, no one would know.

When he considered the safe approach, he was startled by a thumping noise: his heartbeat as loud as a bell inside his chest. It taunted him momentarily, as if asking him with a booming voice:

'Are you gonna do something, or are you going to just stand there?'

A drop of sweat rolled on the side of his face. Was he a coward? Would that option really benefit him? Could he live with the notion that he had simply abandoned that woman to her fate in the hands of some creep?

His heart thumped again, making the decision for him. His knuckled closed shut, and he walked forward.

As he approached the duo, he could make out their features more clearly: the man was a tall and muscular, wearing a dark suit sporting yellow shades below a completely bald head, all in all looking like some businessman or politician. On his chin, a small goatee that made his snarling expression even more evident: he was stumbling to get a grasp of the woman's arm, obviously drunk or under the effect of some drug, judging by his slurred demands.

"You fucking bitch", he dragged his tongue, the effort of pulling her towards him taking its toll. As for the woman, Akira knew he recognized from somewhere: she was the daughter of one of his neighbors, a young and beautiful woman who Akira had stolen a few discreet glances whenever he saw her on his way to school. The brunette wore a blue dress that hugged her body, the standard 'club style', if there were any clubs on that town, and seemed to be desperate to free herself from the man's clutches. Her efforts were mostly in vain, as the man's physical superiority made itself clear, with him forcefully hugging her and groping the woman, earning a yelp and another screech from her.

Akira approached the duo, something stirring inside of him as the words mindlessly came out of his mouth.

"Let go of her!", he demanded, making the man lift his head in confusion, his brief moment of distraction allowing the woman to escape his grasp as run towards Akira, seeking protection behind the tall boy.

"P-please, he's drunk!", she stammered, looking at Akira with pleading eyes. "We gotta call the police!"

The man came out of his stupor, laughing ruefully at the woman's words.

"The police, you dumb skank?", he snorted, trying to support himself on the roof of his car. "Who do you think I am, huh? You think the police is gonna help you?"

He took a step forward, making Akira tense and the woman to clutch herself on his back, tears coming out of her fear struck eyes. The man turned his attention towards the boy, pointing a finger in his direction.

"And you, you nosy brat!", he slurred again, his expression even more aggressive. "You should've stayed in bed like a good kid, instead of messing with my business!"

Akira's eyes narrowed, his mouth closed in an expression of disgust. The man, drunk as a skunk, was trying to intimidate him with slurred words and threats, something that gave him pause until he saw a door in a neighbor house open.

"What's going on out there?", a man's voice echoed on the street. "Stop making noise! I'm calling the police!"

Suddenly, the whole neighborhood seemed to awake in unison, many families walking out their doors to see what all the fuss was about. The bald man clicked his tongue against his teeth as the sound of a police car came from the end of the street.

"You…", he turned to look at Akira, lifting his hands and snarling menacingly at the boy, making him step back, the woman still clutching him. "You fuckingg-"

The man suddenly stepped on his own foot, his drunkenness betraying him as he fell face first to the ground, his nose making a wet cracking noise. Akira felt the woman flinch, as he stared with wide eyes at the scene.

"Damn, that one is completely wasted", some neighborhood woman commented, crossing her arms and snickering from the porch of her home.

"Never seen that one around these parts", another man remarked, before huffing. "Damn drunkards, loitering around our town."

As the man lifted himself up, holding his hand in front of his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding coming from it, the police approached the scene.

"Everyone back to your homes! The situation is under control!", a tall officer yelled, but few people actually obliged. As he looked at the trio, his face went cold with realization. "S-sir? I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were around these parts!"

Akira raised an eyebrow, confuse at the respect the officer directed towards the drunk man. Was the man his superior?

"Argh, shut up, you incompetent swine!", the man roared, making the officer flinch, and pointed a finger in Akira's direction. "Arrest that kid! He punched me, that's aggression!"

"Yeah, if you count your drunk ass falling on the ground as aggression", laughed some spectator. A few laughs were heard among the crowd, making the bald man go red with rage.

"Y-you fell on your own!", the brunette behind Akira chimed in, her brows twisted in disgust at the man. "He tried to force me inside his car! He's the one who's assaulting!"

The bald man gritted his teeth, his piercing eyes boring holes on the woman, who again hid herself behind the silent Akira, who simply listened to the conversation.

"Officer", he spoke slowly, as if teaching a petulant child. "I'll give you five seconds to arrest this man. You don't want to see the consequences of defying my orders."

"S-sir, I don't think we can do that", the officer meekly said, his voice now a whisper. "There's too many witnesses. If you could, perhaps, come to the police station with me, we could-"

It happened in an instant, a fleeting moment that made Akira's eyes widen in surprise. The officer wasn't able to finish the sentence, as something invisible grabbed his throat, lifting him a few centimeters in the air. Akira's mouth went agape, believing his mind was playing tricks with him as he stared at the absurdity of the situation. The officer's face went red as he gasped for air, his hands clutching at the nothingness that surrounded his throat.

But not to Akira: in the fleeting moment between the officer's words and his suffocation, he saw something impossible.

And arm made of gold, fast as a bullet.

The bald man slowly chuckled, raising his head high as the crowd around them started to gasp in terror at the policeman's struggle.

"Well, it's no surprise to see that you worms need a bit of discipline", he sneered, and at the same moment the policeman fell to the ground, gasping for air. The bald man's face took an sinister expression, a smile tugging his lips. "You don't seem to understand the position you are in, how ignorant and foolish you all are compared to someone of my caliber."

He turned to the crowd, laughing at the sight of the gasps and indignation coming from them.

"What? It is merely the truth: a strong hand is needed to steer this country towards the golden path, the path of glory", he proclaimed, before turning to look at Akira, who flinched a the man's cold gaze.

"But it seems some people take pleasure in messing with things beyond their lever. Such foolishness, to interfere with my business", he spoke in a cold tone, very different from the tone he had adopted before. His eyes bore holes in Akira's, and the boy swallowed as his eyes turned yellow for a fleeting moment. Was he hallucinating? "It seems i'll need to punish you for your meddling, you worthless brat."

The woman's behind Akira was shaking in fear, also having no clue of what the man was talking about. "W-what are you…?"

The man cleaned his bloody nose, before slowly approaching Akira, making the boy step backwards in fear. The man, who before looked like some slouched drunk, now stood tall as a tower, glaring at him with wickedness and malice. Akira's heart thumped, trying to make him act, to make him do anything, but he remained frozen as something even more unbelievable happened next.

From the man's back, he saw a blur. A form too dim and malformed that seemed to stand beside him, the shadow of red eyes appearing where its head should be. Akira couldn't move a muscle as the form leered alongside the bald man, staring at Akira with what seemed like a killing intent.

It was golden as the sun, and the vision made Akira want to scream. But no sound came from his throat.

"I'm the one who will steer the country towards its proper path", the man continued, raising his hand as the form behind him mimicked his movement. "I'll be the one to make the sun rise again in this country of fools and delusional brats!"

He lifted his finger upwards and pulled it down in the form of a hook, as if tugging something. The figure did the same, making the man smile with glee while his golden eyes filled with contempt glared at Akira.

"I am the 『Heart of the Sunrise』. It will be as I command."

Akira blinked, and everything changed.

It rained, heavy droplets falling on his face as he suddenly found himself surrounded by police officers holding his arms, making him squirm in place.

"W-what the… what is going on?", he managed to yell, earning a smack from one of his handlers.

"You're getting arrested, you little thug!", the strong officer sneered. "Don't know where you're from, but aggression is still a crime around these parts!"

Akira gasped, looking around the scene trying to understand what was happening: in one moment, there were crowds of people watching as the drunk man made a fool of himself, the single officer was on the ground, handled by some strange aura that had surrounded the man.

But now there was no one on the streets, only Akira, a dozen police officers and the bald man, who looked at him with utter contempt.

"The youth nowadays is doomed, I tell you", he sneered, accepting a tissue from an officer and cleaning his bloody nose. "I should do something about it. After all, the young ones should be our future."

Akira stammered, not understanding the situation that he was on. What the hell happened? Had he been knocked down at some point? It didn't make any sense.

"This is ridiculous! You saw him fall on his own! I'm innocent!", he yelled, trying to reason the the policeman, but they all laughed at his expense.

"What a load of bullshit, kid", another officer chuckled. "Did your mother not teach not to lie? We got a witness here: she saw everything."

Akira glanced towards his side, spotting a lone woman hugging her chest and shaking. Yes, that's right! She knew! She knew he had fallen on his own, and that he was innocent!

"H-hey! You know me, i'm your neighbor! You know i'm innocent! He was drunk, you saw him fall!", he called her, making his handlers grip his arms more violently, a flinch running through his body. The woman lifted her head to look at him, her eyes wet with tears and rain.

"Please, tell them the truth!", Akira pleaded upon the woman's silence. "I'm innocent!"

The woman stared straight into his eyes, her own struck with fear. Akira had seen her cowering behind him, clutching his shirt for protection and accusing the bald man of his crimes. He stared back at her, his eyes imploring her to tell them the truth, tell them what really happened.

Her eyes were full of fear, but Akira suddenly realized that she wasn't afraid of the man, of his aggression or his word. As she stared at him with those eyes and pointed her finger at him, Akira came to a hollow realization.

She was afraid of him.

"H-he… was the one who punched that gentleman. I saw everything", she accused him, stammering upon his words.

Akira's world came to a still. His eyes widened, and not a single word came out of his mouth as the policeman dragged him toward the car. His clothes and hair were wet with the rain, making them clutch to his skin as they tossed him inside.

Instead of the bench, Akira found himself thrown in a large body of reddish water, sinking deeper and deeper as he struggled to breathe. His arms squirmed as he called for someone, for anyone to help, as his body sank to the depths of despair.

'Takeda! Aiko! Mom, dad! Someone, PLEASE!"

The only answer he got was the cackling laughter of a golden giant looming above him, as the car started to make its way towards the police station.

And then, Akira Kurusu's fate was sealed.

"Master, it's cold out here", the servant holding the umbrella spoke to a small man beside him, offering his blue and yellow scarf.

The small man only giggled with interest, looking at the police car in the distance.

"Worry not, Ignatios", he replied, his tone akin to a gentle old man. The suit he wore was, surprisingly, completely dry, considering the heavy rain falling from the sky. "We will not be here for long. It seems that I have found what we came for."

Ignatios, a taller man wearing a patterned coconut hat, a blue suit and a blue and yellow scarf around his neck, glanced at his master with his yellow eyes, curiosity hidden behind his expressionless face.

"It is truly him, then?", he questioned, placing a hand on his chin. He resisted the urge to chew his nails, an habit that seemed to have accompanied him all his life, even if its origin was a mystery.

"Why, yes", the smaller man with an enormous disproportionate nose nodded, maintaining his ever present smile. "We have found the one who shall tip the balance of this game, Ignatios."

The master made a gesture in the air, the sound of cogs and gears filling the air around them as they disappeared from this world.

"We have found a trickster."

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: A while back, I started a Persona 5/JJBA crossover story called 'Crimsom Crusaders', which ran for 5 or 6 chapters. Due to reasons beyond my control, that story no longer exists. This is a reboot of that story, so don't be confused by the description.