A Parting Gift to Remember

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, or any of the characters in the series.

Author Note: Normally, I wouldn't consider writing outside of the Rei/Usa Sailor Moon fandom, but I haven't written or updated a fanfic in about two years. I wrote this fanfic in order help get those creative writing juices flowing and help diminish some of the writer's block that I have. As such, this was just something I whipped up within the last couple of days without giving it too much thought as a means to get re-started back into fanfiction writing. I'm not going to lie; this fic is so cheesy you could make a sandwich out of it, so be warned!

"Tonight, you're going to listen to my needs, and I'm not going to let you be lazy about it."

With those words, Ms. Kawakami grabbed Akira's right hand, and led him upstairs into the attic of Café Leblanc. It was Valentine's day, and the frizzy-haired teacher had been eager to spend some alone time with her love. Once she made it to the top, even the sight of Akira's room proved to be a cathartic experience for her. Dust sprinkled the room while he was sent to juvie, and it was apparent that he made no effort to clean up after he came back.

"This room is a mess! My first need is that you clean up this place!"

"You're not my mom," Akira sarcastically mentioned while grinning. "And besides, that's your job."

"Ugh, you're such a problem child. How did I even fall in love with you?"

Had it been anyone else that said those words to her, Ms. Kawakami would have been angry, but it was Akira. She had no idea why, but his sassiness was one of the reasons she fell for him, in addition to him being a great listener.

"I suppose it can't be helped given your circumstances," Ms. Kawakami sighed. "I'll let it slide this time," she then said in a more cheerful and slightly seductive tone. "Master?"

"Hmm?" Akira asked curiously.

"As for my second need….I-I need to be with you."

Akira raised his eyebrows in shock. "You w-what?"

Ms. Kawakami slit her eyes for a moment. "Don't get the wrong idea." She fixed her gaze upon the posted flag she gave her boyfriend when they were on top of the Ferris wheel. In that moment, a wave of sadness flooded her, knowing that she wouldn't be able to see her love for much longer. Tears began to stream down her cheeks at that very thought, and choked her words.

"However, you've been gone for so long, a-and you're leaving soon. I won't be able to see your face in class, or visit you as "Becky" here. It's unfair that you've made such an impact on my life, only for you to leave."

The teacher attempted to regain her composure, but the now-waterfall of tears proved to be a difficult battle for her.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to lose control like this," she stammered.

Akira's personality refused to let him watch on as Ms. Kawakami spilt her tears. Whether it was protecting that woman from Shido, saving Ryujii from death, or stopping Futaba's uncle from laying a finger on her, he was not the type to sit idly by if he could help it. Even if the situation was not violent like the others, Ms. Kawakami's feelings were real and strong, and certainly deserved a response.

"Akira?!" Ms. Kawakami spouted as she felt a pair of strong arms tightly wrap around her. His grip was so undeniably tight that it caused the teacher some minor discomfort. Aside from the massages and letting him sleep on her lap, this was the most intimate she had ever been with Akira. She buried her face into his chest, and felt a strange warmth envelope her entire body. Ms. Kawakami wasn't sure if the tears were playing tricks on her cloudy eyes, but she could have sworn she saw a faint blue glow radiating from her student.

On Akira's end, a single tear drop could be seen rolling against his face. This was the best way he knew how to comfort Ms. Kawakami. While pondering what could be done, his sight became unnaturally dim, and before he knew it, the only thing he could see was complete darkness, follow by the mysterious butterfly that flew across him when he first awakened to his powers; Lavenza.

"I know how it feels to be split apart. She is hurting. What are you going to do about it, Trickster?"

Before he could think of an answer, Lavenza continued.

"If she is the one you have chosen to walk the path of life with, then are you ready to take that responsibility?"

"She is the one I want to walk my path with, and yes, I am," he said within himself.

"Hehe, then as your persona Arsene would say: 'Very well…I have heeded your resolve.' Take this, Trickster. I believe you will find it useful. Until next time…."

A gentle heartbeat thudded at the side of his ears, and then Akira's vision returned to how it was originally. With Ms. Kawakami still in his arms, everything seems normal….except:

"Akira…your clothes….is this you do your 'Phantom Thief' business in?" she chuckled. To any other person, the initial shock would have lasted longer, but to her, it was only momentarily. Ms. Kawakami knew that he was no ordinary student, or human for that matter, and took his "change" for what it was. If anything, she was surprised with how he looked more mature and older in his outfit.

"Has one of the Phantom Thieves come to steal me away?" she joked.

Akira, now Joker ironically, noticed a small bulge in his pocket that was not there before. Without needing to investigate, he knew exactly what it was.

"They have," he replied confidently. "Sadayo…."

The teacher jumped a little at his voice, which seemed slightly deeper. Not only that, but he rarely called her by her first name.

"Y-yes?"

"How do you feel about me?"

"What kind of question is that?!" Ms. Kawakami asked, giving him a complex look. You know I love you! Why would I be crying if I didn't? Whenever you're in my class, I imagine my future with you, and my heart skips a beat. I never felt this way with any other man, and yes, you may be a problem child, but you are a man in my book. I don't want to let you go. I love you, Akira. Why are you asking this? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about your students calling you "Mrs.". Kawakami…with an 'r' right now. "

"Huh?!"

Joker dug his hand in his pocket and retrieved the mysterious object, which appeared to be a tiny box. To Ms. Kawakami, she had seen these types of boxes before in romance movies. She gasped at what came next.

Joker raised the box open, and to Ms. Kawakami's surprise, there was a diamond ring inside. What especially caught her attention was the blue felt in the box that stated "Welcome to the Velvet Room". Even Joker was caught off guard by that backdrop, but that did not distract him for too long.

"Will you wait for me, then, Sadayo? Will you marry me in two years: the day of my graduation? We should be able to by then."

"WHAT?! You're asking ME that? Are you serious?!"

"I am very serious, Sado. On the day of my graduation, I'll move back here and have an apartment ready for us, or I can move in with you, whichever you prefer. I want to spend my life with you…..that is if you want to."

Another flood of emotions rushed through her; only this time they consisted of happiness, joy, excitement, and some embarrassment.

"Of course I do. I'll wait as long as you need me to. I'd rather be alone than to consider someone other than you, master."

"I already have a good bit of money saved up from my "Phantom Thief adventures", but I'll keep saving in the meantime. That way, I can give you a good wed-"

"We don't need an extravagant wedding," Sadayo cut him off. "A quick courthouse wedding would be just fine for me. I'd rather save our money for our honeymoon….in Hawaii," she added. She couldn't believe that she was actually saying these words to a student. "Besides, the faster I get to be wed to you, the better."

Joker's smiled. "I feel the same way."

"Master?"

"Yes, my love?"

"C-can I call you my husband now?"

Joker could feel his heart nearly exploding outside of his chest. "S-Sadayo?"

"I mean, I know I'm not going to give myself to anyone else but you, so it only seemed natural to give my master his proper title."

"Sadayo…." Joker whispered in a gentler tone, his heart pounding even harder at the suggestion. He paused for a moment, and took this time to gaze at the beautiful woman before him; his teacher; his maid; his wife….his wife. Joker cupped his gloved hands around his wife's cheeks, and found himself inching closer to Ms. Kawakami until they could feel each other's deep breathing. The notorious Phantom Thief felt his heartbeat attempting to escape his throat. There were a thousand possibilities of what could happen at this point, and he had no idea what was the best move was. After a moment of pondering, he finally just let the desire within his soul run its course. Tilting his head, Joker closed his eyes and locked his lips with his bride. He could smell a hint of the fragrance he purchased for her on her shirt. Her scent, along with the moist, silky texture of her lips mesmerized Joker, and became gasoline for his already-fiery desire. He made it his mission to explore the depths of what her mouth had to offer with his tongue. Sadayo stayed on the submissive end, obediently letting her husband take charge. It didn't take her long to realize that this was his first time ever kissing someone, due to her prior experience, but she felt this was a necessary step for him, and his manhood. Despite this, she couldn't deny that he was such a good kisser for it to be his first time! The intensity of his pureness radiated from the depths of his soul, causing her body to quiver until Joker was ready to pull apart.

After a couple of minutes, the Phantom Thief finally gave his teacher some room to breathe, while he reached for the ring box he placed on the table. He was filled with so much passion that he honestly didn't remember putting it down in the first place. Joker took the ring out of the box and lifted Sadayo's hand.

"Wait," she protested. "There's an engraving on the inside. I want to see what it says."

Sadayo took the ring from her love and held it close to her eyes, and what the words said blew her mind.

"MASTER FISHER?! What in the world?! Did you write this, Akira?!"

"HUH?" Joker snatched the ring back from Sadayo to investigate the matter for himself, and sure enough, she was not lying. "Master Fisher" was engraved on the inside. "WHAT?!"

"Lavenza!" he mumbled to himself. "What is she, some secret Trickster or something? I bet the "Caroline" side of her was responsible for that!"

Sadayo snapped him back into reality. "Hey! Explain yourself, mister!"

There was no way out of this. Joker took a few steps back and raised his hands.

"Um uhhhh I-I….don't have an explanation for how that got on there, but it uh….goes good with your eyes?"

Ms. Kawakami narrowed her eyes towards the student at his ridiculous answer and sighed. She couldn't help but to think how cute he looked being vulnerable in his Phantom Thieves' outfit, though.

"You're such a problem child, but you're MY problem child, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If you're going to go fishing, you might as well learn from the "master", right?" Sadayo giggled. "I'll give you some secret tips free of charge."

Joker took a deep breath. He was glad that she was somewhat understanding. Deep down, he figured she knew there were some things that were just out of his control.

"Hey, Valentine's day isn't over yet. Go sit down, and I'll serve my master some of the best chocolate he's ever had," Ms. Kawakami ordered. Joker did exactly as he was told while his love retrieved the chocolates. The two spent the next block of their time seductively teasing and feeding each other, as well as making small talk. Once they were finished, Sadayo motioned him to her lap.

"Come, now. I know you've been waiting for this."

Joker had no reservations about her demand. He immediately crawled in the place that was another home for him. Sadayo wasted no time stroking her fingers through his hair, twirling it around. Her rhythmic touch served somewhat as a truth serum, and a tranquilizer for Joker, as he was quickly losing unconsciousness.

"Sadayo, whenever I'm in your lap, I feel safe. Please, never let me go."

Sadayo became playfully flustered. "Ugh, how many ways do I have to say it, you problem child? I'm all yours, and I'm never letting you go."

"Heh, well it's not like you have a choice in the matter, anyways. If anyone even looks at you with desire, I'll change that distorted heart of theirs. You're mine," Joker declared with a deep rumble in his voice that sent pleasurable chills down his teacher's spine.

"Trust me, you have nothing to worry about, my handsome Phantom Thief."

"I can't wait until the day I get to marry you, Sado."

"Neither can I."

"Sado, are you okay now?" Joker twitched. "This form- I-I can't hold it for too much longer."

Sadayo didn't understand every single detail, but from what she gathered, it must have taken quite a bit of of strength to muster up his "Phantom Thief" persona on "this" side, especially since the world was now saved. The fact that he would bring forth his "other self" just to give her comfort touched her deeply.

"I'm okay, Akira! You can go back. Please don't overexert yourself," she begged.

Sadayo then felt that similar warmth envelope her again, and saw that faint blue glow she once thought was her imagination radiate from him. Within moments the Phantom Thief was back to his normal self, in a deep sleep. Sadayo continued to stroke his head.

"Thank you, Akira. I know you're going to make a great husband one day. I think I'm going to take a personal day off tomorrow, and you are, too. Hehe, and I'm not going to let you have a choice in the matter, either. I'll make sure it goes off the record. Goodnight, my beloved husband."

"Akira, you forgot to close Leblanc, and you didn't lock up. Are you crazy?!" Sojiro yelled storming through the front door. He knew that boy had to be upstairs. He had nowhere to run.

"Akira! You've some nerve to-"

Sojiro immediately fell silent at the sight before him: the boy he took in, asleep in his teacher's lap, with the teacher just as asleep in the upright position with her hand on his head, and both apparently unable to hear his yells.

Sojiro could only smile and went in the opposite direction.

"Hoo boy…"

Author Note:

Did you make a sandwich out of this fanfic after reading it, yet? XD I warned you! Originally, I didn't want this fanfic to be over 1,000 words long, but it looks like I had a bit more in me than I thought. In fact, I actually had to cut out a few discussions and scenes that I wanted to put in in order to not make this too long. I figured they would make for better for additional "chapters", if anyone was interested in more cheese sandwiches. :p I'm not going to lie, it was really rewarding and satisfying to write an Akira x Kawakami fanfic, as she is my favorite person to pair him up with, and it makes me want to write more fluff with them! :D Well, whether you loved it, or hated it, let me know what you think in the reviews!