Wild Cards [AkiraxAkechi P5]

Chapter Two

"Alive?! What do you mean he's alive?!"

Makoto slammed her hands on the table and exclaimed. Yusuke looked up from his sketchbook in shock. Ann and Haru had similar looks of disbelief.

"Yeah, I don't exactly get how it happened either..." Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck.

"Akira just took us all the way out to the suicide forest and found Akechi there in one of the trees! It was weird! IT WAS LIKE SPIDEY SENSES!!" Futaba cried.

"Suicide forest? You mean Aokigahara?!" Haru gasped. "That's terrifying! If that's where people go to die... did Akechi try to—?!" she put her hands over her mouth.

"We don't know if that's the case." Morgana said.

"But if you die in the Metaverse you basically disappear from the real world, right?" Yusuke asked.

"Yes! Well... I guess?"

"How do you not know, Mona, you're the Meteverse expert!" Ann cried.

"I don't know all of this stuff!!" the cat complained.

"I gotta talk to Akira, where is he? Upstairs?" Makoto asked, going to the stairs without a reply. Ryuji stepped in front of her.

"Leave him alone, he's waiting for Akechi to wake up."

"I need to talk to Akira now!"

"He needs space, leave him alone! Why do you always have to butt into everyone's business?! You ice princess!"

"Say that to my FACE!"

"ICE PRINCESS!"

Akira didn't have to go downstairs to know Makoto had Ryuji in a headlock. The commotion was all too normal him. He looked back at Goro, lying motionless in his bed. When they returned last night, Akira cleaned Goro's wounds and bandaged them then dressed him in some of his clothes. Akira spent the rest of that night with his eye on Goro, waiting for him to wake up.

'That's why Arsene led me to the forest...' Akira thought to himself, 'he knew you were there... but how did you even survive in the Metaverse...?'

A loud thud came from downstairs and suddenly there was even more yelling; most likely Ann and Haru trying to break up the fight while Futaba laughed hysterically. Akira moved closer to Goro to stroke his hair.

"You gotta wake up soon, ok? I'm so worried about you... there's so much I want to tell you..." Akira frowned, "we stopped Shido, we changed his heart... we changed the hearts of everyone...! My probation will be over in another month... I don't want to leave though... I'm so happy here..."

Akira held Goro's hand and put his head down.

"I'm so sorry things happened the way they did... I'm not even mad at you for trying to kill me, honest! I-If you hadn't done it... I..."

Akira was crying and he didn't like it. He pushed himself to stand and put his forehead against Goro's, shutting his eyes.

"Wake up soon... please..."

Dejectedly, Akira left the bedside to deal with everyone downstairs. As he expected, Makoto had Ryuji pinned to the ground, Ann and Haru were trying to pull her off, and Futaba laughed at the sight while Yusuke and Morgana looked rather annoyed.

"Alright, alright, cut it out, all of you!" Akira yelled over the noise. Everyone stopped.

"Akira, is it true?" Makoto asked immediately. "Akechi is alive?"

He put his hands in his pockets and nodded.

"Yes... he's been sleeping since we found him but he's alive..."

"How did you know where to find him? Was it just an impulsive thought?" Yusuke stood now.

"I guess...? I'm still figuring it out myself..." Akira admitted.

"Could it have to do with... you both being Wild Cards?" Haru suggested.

"That's the thing where you use more than one persona, right? Oh yeah! Akechi had two of them!" Ann said.

"Robin Hood and Loki." Yusuke nodded.

"Maybe when we erased Mementos... the Meteverse kinda spat Akechi back out? Because he's from the real world...?" Morgana said.

"That doesn't make sense, Mona." Futaba stuck her tongue out.

"You're one to talk!! What even are Spidey Senses?!"

Akira rolled his eyes as Morgana and Futaba started arguing. He loved his friends, but sometimes they were absolutely unbearable. Akira went behind the counter and started getting stuff out to make coffee. Making coffee sort of became a coping mechanism for him; he even learned to make latte art. The smell of the coffee and the satisfaction of making art with the foam always put Akira at ease.

"Are you making coffee?" Ann asked. "Can you make me one with a bird like last time?"

"Sure thing," Akira beamed.

"Surprise me again, and don't forget to let me take a photo when you're done." Yusuke said.

"You got it, goofball."

Everyone seemed to like when Akira made coffee. Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, Akira would bake sweets to go with the coffee. These were times Akira loved dearly—times he was going to miss. He would probably never admit this to his friends, but life for him wasn't very nice back home. When Akira thought about it, his chest hurt. He kept reminding himself that he had a month left, maybe something would change...

"Akira, I'm in a chocolate mood," Futaba got bored of arguing with Morgana, "do we got stuff to make brownies?"

"Oh, that sounds delicious! I'd be happy to get them started for you!" Haru said.

"Ok, there's some brownie mix in the cabinet back there. The mixing bowl is under the sink, I believe." Akira pointed it out for her.

"I'll help you make them."

Makoto dusted herself off and got up to assist Haru. Ryuji remained on the floor, half dazed from Makoto's attack. Akira knew the smell of brownies and coffee would get him back up. He also knew Futaba would try and stump him with a ridiculous latte art request—make the Tokyo Tower or my face!—and he knew Morgana would fuss over how they'd all be up late hyped off sugar and caffeine. Akira knew almost everything about his friends...

He glanced at his arm, seeing red peek from his sleeve. He pushed his sleeve back up and put his focus back on the coffee.

'If only they knew everything about me...'