TheCharredDragon
Tis the Hour to Reload
Summary: Goro Shido had hired her to steal from the highborn and spread discontent among the people, so that his ascension to the throne would go that much smoother. He had not anticipated for it to exceed his expectations...or for her to steal his heart. (Or: The Persona 5 medieval Europe-esque AU with Akechi/Fem!Akira no one asked for) Background pairings: Human!Morgana/Haru; Mitsuru/Kei Nanjo.
Rated PG-13/T for mature themes, violence, occasional strong language (mostly the word hell but one instance of shit), past physical abuse and references to past implied rape.
Appropriate warnings will be put on appropriate chapters, such as this one.
Warning(s): References to implied sexual assault, implied sexual harassment, implied abuse (both sexual and physical) and adultery, all off-screen.
FF.net version here.
Chapter 1: The Spirit (Thou hast acquired a new vow)
It was grand, as one would expect a ball held for a prince's birthday to be. At the edges of the room were tables covered in beautifully embroidered cloths and dishes of all kinds on top of them with only the most expensive silverware. From the ceiling hung chandeliers with many, many candles and even more diamonds dangling from their arms. At the back, behind him, were the musicians playing ambience that was low and lulling. And all around there were people—nobles, generals and merchants alike—dressed in only the finest and most eye-popping clothes their seamstresses could make for them, all of them cheering for him as they gave a toast to wish him well and for a long life.
All Goro could do to not outright scream was grit his teeth under his smiling lips and crush his hands against each other behind his back.
He gave a slight bow—not too low but not too shallow, his etiquette tutor's words ringing in his head—and said,
"I thank you all for your kind words." When he returned standing, he swept both his arms out and continued. "Now, let us begin the dance."
And oh did the dance begin. So many of the young ladies his age within ten years asked for a waltz. He had to take many deep breaths for each and every one, since his usual option of tensing parts of himself behind people's view wasn't best. Then after the dance were the leaders of various political importance giving their "presents" to him. Of course, they were just more precious clothes, more pompous jewels and more useless weapons, most of which were kinds he wasn't even trained to use, even if some weren't made of bad material like gold or silver.
So when the ball was over, after bidding farewell to the numerous amount of guests, he went straight for his room, dismissing any servant he passed by. It was only when he was within it did he tear the cape off his back and threw it down before flopping down on his bed and shouting in his pillow. He didn't know how long he did that. Only that when he was done, his throat was sore and that his eyes were heavier than any of the stupid capes he's ever worn.
But, as the moon was nearing the peak, his night wasn't over. With his frustrations let out, he made his way to his desk and took out some paper, writing every participant he could remember. After that, he pulled out his previous notes and compared last year's list with this year.
As he suspected, little had changed. The only significant one was who was reassigned as the General of the Army, a Suguru Kamoshida. If he remembered correctly, he was the one who, ironically enough, had given him the most practical gift out of everyone: a finely made broadsword, one made of the almost mystical metal, steel. He will have to start looking into him and ingratiate himself with him.
Goro frowned at the thought though, now remembering the man had flirted with quite a number of women in the ball, a good portion of them already married. And how he had, several times, "accidentally" bumped into a woman just so that he could touch their bottoms. He would've thrown up at the recollection if he weren't too tired to clean up any mess he might've made.
And the last thing he wanted was for someone else to clean his mess.
It was only after mentally making a few preliminary plans, and then writing them in code, did he finally wrest himself out of clothes, locked his door, triple checked his entire room and allowed himself to go to slumber, his hand under his pillow and holding his dagger tight.
<><>
Once again, Goro had to force himself to grit his teeth and do his best to not upturn his nose as soon as the general finally came up to greet him, the smell of perfume pungent and obvious.
"Well, this is quite the surprise, Prince," he said before taking his hand and shaking it.
Goro did his best to keep his grip in the handshake firm, but it was hard when the man was a lot more energetic about it. And the perfume was killing him. But if his behavior at the ball was any indication, and the slight wrinkles in his clothes, he could guess why such a masculine man was wearing so much of it outside a formal occasion.
Still, he said, smiling, "My apologies, General. But my companions and I were on a hunting trip and I thought I would stop by on my way back to the palace. I haven't had much of a chance to speak to you. I heard a bit about your achievements from them." And more, but he left that unsaid.
The general's eyes lit up at his words, just as he had hoped. "Well then, if you have the time, I can tell you a few of them while I give you a tour of my home."
Not the whole thing though, Goro thought, easily imagining there was at least one room the general didn't want other people to see beyond his most trusted confidants. Now all he needed to do was find a way to get evidence about said rooms so that a large part of the population would turn against the newly appointed general.
"I would very much like some wine," one of Goro's "companions" said.
"Ah yes, if you would please, some refreshments would be appreciated as well, if it's not too much trouble."
"None at all! I'll be glad to," Kamoshida said. "Now--"
Before the general could say more however, there seemed to be a commotion as several guards started running around, shouting at the top of their lungs.
"What is going on?" yet another noble "companion" of Goro's said.
The general turned livid, heading straight for the guard that had the misfortune of being slow, grabbing him and said,
"You! What's going on?! Don't you see we have guests!"
"I-I'm sorry, sir! B-But a thief broke into your vault!" the guard said, trying, and failing, to conceal his trembling.
The nobles he had been hunting with expressed their disbelief and outrage at this.
But none more than the general, who shoved the soldier into the ground. "Useless! Of course I have to do everything myself..." he said and began to make way inside his estate. But it seemed he remembered who was here and turned, his expression now sheepish. "Ah, my apologies, my prince, but I must attend to this."
That much was obvious. But a thief raiding in broad daylight? Goro couldn't help but be intrigued. So he said, "Then allow me to assist. I'm sure you could use all the help you can get to capture the thief before he gets too far."
For good measure, he drew his sword, the same one Kamoshida had gifted him in his birthday ball, and turned to the nobles he had travelled with.
"And all of you that are able shall assist me, yes?"
As he had hoped, it worked as the nobles agreed and the general smiled like a snarling dog at the sight. "Very well. Come then and join our hunt," he said.
But after getting inside, Goro gradually slowed his steps until Kamoshida, the guards with him and his own travelling companions were far ahead of him. With that, he went off on his own, memorizing the halls as he deduced what would be the ideal way out of here. Assuming the mansion had the same layout as many others owned by nobles, the vault was likely in the basement, but considering the halls were filled with people and that it was morning, it meant the thief would go through the least likely place the people would look.
"Milady, you shouldn't be out roaming, there is a thief on the loose."
Goro looked to see a young woman, close to his age if he fancied a guess, in an elegant but subdued red dress and a black scarf covering the lower half of her face. And she wore no perfume. That fact tempted him to smirk.
"Oh? Is that what the commotion is all about?" she said. "My apologies then. I shall be on my way."
"Allow me to escort you, milady."
"Oh that's..."
So Goro took the opportunity and said,
"Then perhaps you will allow me?"
Both turned to him with surprise, with the guard saying,
"Prince Goro!"
And that made the young woman tense. It was only with practice that he kept his smile neutral and not smug as he then faced her.
"If milady would allow it? I'm sure you would like to get to safety," he said, hoping she would catch his words and that his hunch, indeed, was correct.
There was a slight widening of her grey eyes that he managed to notice and he held a sigh of relief as she curtsied before she held out her hand and said,
"If you would be so kind, my prince. It would be an honor."
He couldn't stop his smile turning more genuine for the first time in a long time as he grasped her hand, giving it a slight squeeze to convey his pleasure and, to his surprise, she did the same in return, as if giving thanks.
"Now, don't you have duties to attend to?"
"Y-Yes, my prince!"
And he was off the corridor, with Goro and the lady walking in the opposite direction. With the guard gone, she was the one to let a sigh of relief and, surprising him again, she said,
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," he was quick to say. "We're not out of the woods yet."
"I would say that, but it's not every day a prince helps a thief," she said, Goro easily imagining her smiling from her tone. "Would you be willing to tell the reason?"
He didn't stop his scoff. "Only if you tell me yours," he said, not expecting her to answer.
But, for the third time, she unexpectedly did. "I wanted to expose Kamoshida for a friend."
Goro raised a brow. "Oh? And how is stealing in broad daylight supposed to do that?"
She laughed. "Partly for fun," she said. "But mostly for..."
She trailed off and Goro had assumed she had changed her mind...until there was a scream, feminine and high, echoing the halls somehow. It made him raise a brow and quicken his steps, which the lady thief easily kept pace with as she laughed.
"Related to that scream, I presume?" he said once she calmed.
Again, she laughed, but much shorter. Then she said, "Yes, it is. What better way to reveal General Kamoshida's deeds than to show proof of it, lying on his bed, in front of her husband?"
"I could think of a few," he said.
"I'm sure you can," she said, startling him with her bitter tone.
And then he wondered if, perhaps, her friend had been someone who had been a victim of Kamoshida's lust. With that, he felt a pang of sympathy and guilt, knowing she likely, if only slightly, blamed him for not taking action if he knew.
So he said, "Yes. But it is true they would've taken much longer to dethrone the general. So I should thank you for that."
Goro allowed himself a surge of pride at seeing her staring at him in surprise, happy that the tables have turned in that. She did that for a few moments before looking away.
Then she said, "It was my pleasure, my prince."
Seeing that the exit to the front garden was in sight, he took the chance and said, "Then perhaps we should meet again?"
For the second time, she repeated her action as they arrived outside and he made sure to go somewhere discrete. But as it took a few more moments to respond, Goro worried about her response. Thankfully, it was for naught as she said,
"When and where?"
Goro did a few quick calculations and reviewed his schedule before he said, "A week from now at midnight. Head for my quarters in the third floor and say the word..." What would be appropriate yet ambiguous for her? "...'joker' at my door."
Her eyebrow rose. "Joker, hmm? I might just take that for myself, my prince," she said, humor in her voice as she let go of him.
Once again, Goro smiled much more freely than he usually did. "Of course, you would."
The lady tilted her head, her eyes shining with mischief. "I am a thief, my prince."
"Then be one and go. I shall handle the aftermath and make sure that Kamoshida's deeds are not swept under the rug."
"Good. Or I shall perhaps expose you as well, my prince," she said. "Perhaps even in more ways than one..."
A blush spread on his face and he made to protest but the lady, despite her dress, jumped to the wall and climbed over it, disappearing as suddenly as she came. It made him wonder if she was actually fae before he shook that thought out. Of course she wasn't. If she was truly one, she could have easily used magic to get out. But that still begged the question...
Who was she?
<><>
It took everything Goro had to not bite his lip, if only because he didn't want to deal with bleeding. It had been a week since Kamoshida had been convicted for numerous sexual crimes including assault and abuse, six days since his trial, and four days since he had been imprisoned for his crimes. And, as he glanced at his clock, four minutes until midnight.
He shook his head, trying to rid of his thoughts and anxieties, as he returned to his notes. But the words might as well have been blurred for as soon as he finished reading a sentence, he realized he understood none of it and groaned over the fact he would have to read it again.
Deciding on changing tactics, he was about to start penning in code once more when there was a soft knock and a feminine voice saying,
"Joker."
He moved like a lightning strike from his desk to him unlocking his door, still keeping the same speed in locking it afterwards as his guest walked inside, dressed as a maid, as he thought she would. So Goro took a deep breath and put on his best smile as he said,
"On time, I see."
But that smile disappeared and his breath halted as the girl turned with a knowing smirk and said,
"But of course, my prince. I didn't want you doubt me."
How did she know? was his thought before he took the reins back on his thoughts and put his smiling mask back on.
"Good to hear then," he said, moving near his desk to offer her a seat. "Then shall I give my preposition?"
Goro pointedly ignored her widened smirk as she nodded and sat down. Once she was, he took his and spoke again.
"You had said that you wished to see Kamoshida's misdeeds come to light, yes?" he said. "And that is why you caused that commotion last week."
The disguised thief nodded and said, "Yes."
"Well then...I wish for you to do so again, but on a target of my own choosing, for the foreseeable future."
Goro allowed himself a small smile of triumph at causing her surprised expression.
He would give her credit for keeping her voice steady as she said, "You wish to hire me?"
"Yes," he said. "I have been meaning to upturn the echelons of society for some time now, but my plans until now were slow coming."
An eyebrow rose over her grey eyes. "Oh? How so? Surely you could have hired more...professional assistance for such things."
Goro let himself smile at the girl's wit and words. "I would...except the king has spy masters in his fold from all across the land. They would know of any attempts of assassination if I went through the usual channels of, say, assassin or mercenary guilds."
"Oh? Then what about here? Surely they would keep an eye on the prince?"
Goro was forced to cover his mouth lest his unbidden and mirthless laugh echoed across the palace. When he finished, he said, just as unintended, "Because they have no reason to, for they see nothing but the perfect prince in every way...except for who was my mother."
Once again, the lady thief caught him off guard as she reached out to grasp his hand and squeeze it, saying, "I'm sorry."
It took a moment for Goro to realize his breath had halted. When he did, he glanced away, and said, "You have nothing to apologize for..."
"I'm still sorry to hear anyway."
He was tempted to shake his head, not quite sure why would she feel that way, but refrained and instead said, "So? What of my proposal?"
The lady hummed for a while, her brow furrowed in consideration.
Then she said, "I will accept...on one condition."
Of course one condition. There was always one condition. Why did he expect anything—
"We decide on the targets. Together."
Goro, admittedly, had to blink a few times before her words sunk, all the while her smirk returning and growing as each second passed.
"That is all?" he said.
He would chastise himself for his rather remarkable choice of words later.
What mattered then was the thief and her mischief.
"Indeed. Now...can we get started tonight? Or would you prefer another time?"
He found his voice, after somehow losing it, and told her of the first target he had in mind, only realizing after she left that she had held his hand the entire time.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be a one-shot. This could still be a one-shot. But the more I wrote it, the more I felt it was going to be much longer than I intended and I was right. It ended up about 20,000+ words. So here, have the first chapter to my unplanned chaptered fic. It's finished but I will be putting these up bi-weekly while I'm working on my main projects. I hope you enjoy this as much as I wrote this.
This was born from listening to Pentatonix's cover of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" too much. So basically, I made a fairy tale of Akechi and Akira's story...and unintentionally adapted Persona 5's story. That hadn't been my intention either but hey, sometimes that happens when you write.
The title comes from the Persona 5 track that mainly plays whenever you make a new Confidant, or get a rank up with an existing Confidant, as well as a line said specifically when you make a Confidant.
The scene breaks were originally just placeholders, and while I was thinking if I could make a more creative scene break, I realized they looked like diamonds, as in the playing card suite, so I researched into the Tarot card equivalent and found it was cups and...it was perfect. Specifically the Two of Cups, representing a relationship between two people, built on trust, respect and compromise. So I decided to pick two diamonds as a reference to both that, and the fact that there's two "wild cards", Akechi and Akira.
And you can bet your bottoms that I'm going to use that scene break for every fic I have that involves shipping.
Rated PG-13/T for mature themes, violence, occasional strong language (mostly the word hell but one instance of shit), past physical abuse and references to past implied rape.
Appropriate warnings will be put on appropriate chapters, such as this one.
Warning(s): References to implied sexual assault, implied sexual harassment, implied abuse (both sexual and physical) and adultery, all off-screen.
Chapter 1: The Spirit (Thou hast acquired a new vow)
Chapter 2: My Homie (Do you want to spend time with her?)
Chapter 3: Wicked Plan (I thought I heard something about...)
Chapter 4: Sunset Bridge (I feel a strong bond...)
Chapter 5: Blood of Villain (Don't give me that cliché bullshit!)
Chapter 6: Swear to My Bones (You won't say no...will you?)
Chapter 7: Our Beginning (Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath)
Chapter 2: My Homie (Do you want to spend time with her?)
Chapter 3: Wicked Plan (I thought I heard something about...)
Chapter 4: Sunset Bridge (I feel a strong bond...)
Chapter 5: Blood of Villain (Don't give me that cliché bullshit!)
Chapter 6: Swear to My Bones (You won't say no...will you?)
Chapter 7: Our Beginning (Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath)
Chapter 1: The Spirit (Thou hast acquired a new vow)
It was grand, as one would expect a ball held for a prince's birthday to be. At the edges of the room were tables covered in beautifully embroidered cloths and dishes of all kinds on top of them with only the most expensive silverware. From the ceiling hung chandeliers with many, many candles and even more diamonds dangling from their arms. At the back, behind him, were the musicians playing ambience that was low and lulling. And all around there were people—nobles, generals and merchants alike—dressed in only the finest and most eye-popping clothes their seamstresses could make for them, all of them cheering for him as they gave a toast to wish him well and for a long life.
All Goro could do to not outright scream was grit his teeth under his smiling lips and crush his hands against each other behind his back.
He gave a slight bow—not too low but not too shallow, his etiquette tutor's words ringing in his head—and said,
"I thank you all for your kind words." When he returned standing, he swept both his arms out and continued. "Now, let us begin the dance."
And oh did the dance begin. So many of the young ladies his age within ten years asked for a waltz. He had to take many deep breaths for each and every one, since his usual option of tensing parts of himself behind people's view wasn't best. Then after the dance were the leaders of various political importance giving their "presents" to him. Of course, they were just more precious clothes, more pompous jewels and more useless weapons, most of which were kinds he wasn't even trained to use, even if some weren't made of bad material like gold or silver.
So when the ball was over, after bidding farewell to the numerous amount of guests, he went straight for his room, dismissing any servant he passed by. It was only when he was within it did he tear the cape off his back and threw it down before flopping down on his bed and shouting in his pillow. He didn't know how long he did that. Only that when he was done, his throat was sore and that his eyes were heavier than any of the stupid capes he's ever worn.
But, as the moon was nearing the peak, his night wasn't over. With his frustrations let out, he made his way to his desk and took out some paper, writing every participant he could remember. After that, he pulled out his previous notes and compared last year's list with this year.
As he suspected, little had changed. The only significant one was who was reassigned as the General of the Army, a Suguru Kamoshida. If he remembered correctly, he was the one who, ironically enough, had given him the most practical gift out of everyone: a finely made broadsword, one made of the almost mystical metal, steel. He will have to start looking into him and ingratiate himself with him.
Goro frowned at the thought though, now remembering the man had flirted with quite a number of women in the ball, a good portion of them already married. And how he had, several times, "accidentally" bumped into a woman just so that he could touch their bottoms. He would've thrown up at the recollection if he weren't too tired to clean up any mess he might've made.
And the last thing he wanted was for someone else to clean his mess.
It was only after mentally making a few preliminary plans, and then writing them in code, did he finally wrest himself out of clothes, locked his door, triple checked his entire room and allowed himself to go to slumber, his hand under his pillow and holding his dagger tight.
<><>
Once again, Goro had to force himself to grit his teeth and do his best to not upturn his nose as soon as the general finally came up to greet him, the smell of perfume pungent and obvious.
"Well, this is quite the surprise, Prince," he said before taking his hand and shaking it.
Goro did his best to keep his grip in the handshake firm, but it was hard when the man was a lot more energetic about it. And the perfume was killing him. But if his behavior at the ball was any indication, and the slight wrinkles in his clothes, he could guess why such a masculine man was wearing so much of it outside a formal occasion.
Still, he said, smiling, "My apologies, General. But my companions and I were on a hunting trip and I thought I would stop by on my way back to the palace. I haven't had much of a chance to speak to you. I heard a bit about your achievements from them." And more, but he left that unsaid.
The general's eyes lit up at his words, just as he had hoped. "Well then, if you have the time, I can tell you a few of them while I give you a tour of my home."
Not the whole thing though, Goro thought, easily imagining there was at least one room the general didn't want other people to see beyond his most trusted confidants. Now all he needed to do was find a way to get evidence about said rooms so that a large part of the population would turn against the newly appointed general.
"I would very much like some wine," one of Goro's "companions" said.
"Ah yes, if you would please, some refreshments would be appreciated as well, if it's not too much trouble."
"None at all! I'll be glad to," Kamoshida said. "Now--"
Before the general could say more however, there seemed to be a commotion as several guards started running around, shouting at the top of their lungs.
"What is going on?" yet another noble "companion" of Goro's said.
The general turned livid, heading straight for the guard that had the misfortune of being slow, grabbing him and said,
"You! What's going on?! Don't you see we have guests!"
"I-I'm sorry, sir! B-But a thief broke into your vault!" the guard said, trying, and failing, to conceal his trembling.
The nobles he had been hunting with expressed their disbelief and outrage at this.
But none more than the general, who shoved the soldier into the ground. "Useless! Of course I have to do everything myself..." he said and began to make way inside his estate. But it seemed he remembered who was here and turned, his expression now sheepish. "Ah, my apologies, my prince, but I must attend to this."
That much was obvious. But a thief raiding in broad daylight? Goro couldn't help but be intrigued. So he said, "Then allow me to assist. I'm sure you could use all the help you can get to capture the thief before he gets too far."
For good measure, he drew his sword, the same one Kamoshida had gifted him in his birthday ball, and turned to the nobles he had travelled with.
"And all of you that are able shall assist me, yes?"
As he had hoped, it worked as the nobles agreed and the general smiled like a snarling dog at the sight. "Very well. Come then and join our hunt," he said.
But after getting inside, Goro gradually slowed his steps until Kamoshida, the guards with him and his own travelling companions were far ahead of him. With that, he went off on his own, memorizing the halls as he deduced what would be the ideal way out of here. Assuming the mansion had the same layout as many others owned by nobles, the vault was likely in the basement, but considering the halls were filled with people and that it was morning, it meant the thief would go through the least likely place the people would look.
"Milady, you shouldn't be out roaming, there is a thief on the loose."
Goro looked to see a young woman, close to his age if he fancied a guess, in an elegant but subdued red dress and a black scarf covering the lower half of her face. And she wore no perfume. That fact tempted him to smirk.
"Oh? Is that what the commotion is all about?" she said. "My apologies then. I shall be on my way."
"Allow me to escort you, milady."
"Oh that's..."
So Goro took the opportunity and said,
"Then perhaps you will allow me?"
Both turned to him with surprise, with the guard saying,
"Prince Goro!"
And that made the young woman tense. It was only with practice that he kept his smile neutral and not smug as he then faced her.
"If milady would allow it? I'm sure you would like to get to safety," he said, hoping she would catch his words and that his hunch, indeed, was correct.
There was a slight widening of her grey eyes that he managed to notice and he held a sigh of relief as she curtsied before she held out her hand and said,
"If you would be so kind, my prince. It would be an honor."
He couldn't stop his smile turning more genuine for the first time in a long time as he grasped her hand, giving it a slight squeeze to convey his pleasure and, to his surprise, she did the same in return, as if giving thanks.
"Now, don't you have duties to attend to?"
"Y-Yes, my prince!"
And he was off the corridor, with Goro and the lady walking in the opposite direction. With the guard gone, she was the one to let a sigh of relief and, surprising him again, she said,
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," he was quick to say. "We're not out of the woods yet."
"I would say that, but it's not every day a prince helps a thief," she said, Goro easily imagining her smiling from her tone. "Would you be willing to tell the reason?"
He didn't stop his scoff. "Only if you tell me yours," he said, not expecting her to answer.
But, for the third time, she unexpectedly did. "I wanted to expose Kamoshida for a friend."
Goro raised a brow. "Oh? And how is stealing in broad daylight supposed to do that?"
She laughed. "Partly for fun," she said. "But mostly for..."
She trailed off and Goro had assumed she had changed her mind...until there was a scream, feminine and high, echoing the halls somehow. It made him raise a brow and quicken his steps, which the lady thief easily kept pace with as she laughed.
"Related to that scream, I presume?" he said once she calmed.
Again, she laughed, but much shorter. Then she said, "Yes, it is. What better way to reveal General Kamoshida's deeds than to show proof of it, lying on his bed, in front of her husband?"
"I could think of a few," he said.
"I'm sure you can," she said, startling him with her bitter tone.
And then he wondered if, perhaps, her friend had been someone who had been a victim of Kamoshida's lust. With that, he felt a pang of sympathy and guilt, knowing she likely, if only slightly, blamed him for not taking action if he knew.
So he said, "Yes. But it is true they would've taken much longer to dethrone the general. So I should thank you for that."
Goro allowed himself a surge of pride at seeing her staring at him in surprise, happy that the tables have turned in that. She did that for a few moments before looking away.
Then she said, "It was my pleasure, my prince."
Seeing that the exit to the front garden was in sight, he took the chance and said, "Then perhaps we should meet again?"
For the second time, she repeated her action as they arrived outside and he made sure to go somewhere discrete. But as it took a few more moments to respond, Goro worried about her response. Thankfully, it was for naught as she said,
"When and where?"
Goro did a few quick calculations and reviewed his schedule before he said, "A week from now at midnight. Head for my quarters in the third floor and say the word..." What would be appropriate yet ambiguous for her? "...'joker' at my door."
Her eyebrow rose. "Joker, hmm? I might just take that for myself, my prince," she said, humor in her voice as she let go of him.
Once again, Goro smiled much more freely than he usually did. "Of course, you would."
The lady tilted her head, her eyes shining with mischief. "I am a thief, my prince."
"Then be one and go. I shall handle the aftermath and make sure that Kamoshida's deeds are not swept under the rug."
"Good. Or I shall perhaps expose you as well, my prince," she said. "Perhaps even in more ways than one..."
A blush spread on his face and he made to protest but the lady, despite her dress, jumped to the wall and climbed over it, disappearing as suddenly as she came. It made him wonder if she was actually fae before he shook that thought out. Of course she wasn't. If she was truly one, she could have easily used magic to get out. But that still begged the question...
Who was she?
<><>
It took everything Goro had to not bite his lip, if only because he didn't want to deal with bleeding. It had been a week since Kamoshida had been convicted for numerous sexual crimes including assault and abuse, six days since his trial, and four days since he had been imprisoned for his crimes. And, as he glanced at his clock, four minutes until midnight.
He shook his head, trying to rid of his thoughts and anxieties, as he returned to his notes. But the words might as well have been blurred for as soon as he finished reading a sentence, he realized he understood none of it and groaned over the fact he would have to read it again.
Deciding on changing tactics, he was about to start penning in code once more when there was a soft knock and a feminine voice saying,
"Joker."
He moved like a lightning strike from his desk to him unlocking his door, still keeping the same speed in locking it afterwards as his guest walked inside, dressed as a maid, as he thought she would. So Goro took a deep breath and put on his best smile as he said,
"On time, I see."
But that smile disappeared and his breath halted as the girl turned with a knowing smirk and said,
"But of course, my prince. I didn't want you doubt me."
How did she know? was his thought before he took the reins back on his thoughts and put his smiling mask back on.
"Good to hear then," he said, moving near his desk to offer her a seat. "Then shall I give my preposition?"
Goro pointedly ignored her widened smirk as she nodded and sat down. Once she was, he took his and spoke again.
"You had said that you wished to see Kamoshida's misdeeds come to light, yes?" he said. "And that is why you caused that commotion last week."
The disguised thief nodded and said, "Yes."
"Well then...I wish for you to do so again, but on a target of my own choosing, for the foreseeable future."
Goro allowed himself a small smile of triumph at causing her surprised expression.
He would give her credit for keeping her voice steady as she said, "You wish to hire me?"
"Yes," he said. "I have been meaning to upturn the echelons of society for some time now, but my plans until now were slow coming."
An eyebrow rose over her grey eyes. "Oh? How so? Surely you could have hired more...professional assistance for such things."
Goro let himself smile at the girl's wit and words. "I would...except the king has spy masters in his fold from all across the land. They would know of any attempts of assassination if I went through the usual channels of, say, assassin or mercenary guilds."
"Oh? Then what about here? Surely they would keep an eye on the prince?"
Goro was forced to cover his mouth lest his unbidden and mirthless laugh echoed across the palace. When he finished, he said, just as unintended, "Because they have no reason to, for they see nothing but the perfect prince in every way...except for who was my mother."
Once again, the lady thief caught him off guard as she reached out to grasp his hand and squeeze it, saying, "I'm sorry."
It took a moment for Goro to realize his breath had halted. When he did, he glanced away, and said, "You have nothing to apologize for..."
"I'm still sorry to hear anyway."
He was tempted to shake his head, not quite sure why would she feel that way, but refrained and instead said, "So? What of my proposal?"
The lady hummed for a while, her brow furrowed in consideration.
Then she said, "I will accept...on one condition."
Of course one condition. There was always one condition. Why did he expect anything—
"We decide on the targets. Together."
Goro, admittedly, had to blink a few times before her words sunk, all the while her smirk returning and growing as each second passed.
"That is all?" he said.
He would chastise himself for his rather remarkable choice of words later.
What mattered then was the thief and her mischief.
"Indeed. Now...can we get started tonight? Or would you prefer another time?"
He found his voice, after somehow losing it, and told her of the first target he had in mind, only realizing after she left that she had held his hand the entire time.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be a one-shot. This could still be a one-shot. But the more I wrote it, the more I felt it was going to be much longer than I intended and I was right. It ended up about 20,000+ words. So here, have the first chapter to my unplanned chaptered fic. It's finished but I will be putting these up bi-weekly while I'm working on my main projects. I hope you enjoy this as much as I wrote this.
This was born from listening to Pentatonix's cover of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" too much. So basically, I made a fairy tale of Akechi and Akira's story...and unintentionally adapted Persona 5's story. That hadn't been my intention either but hey, sometimes that happens when you write.
The title comes from the Persona 5 track that mainly plays whenever you make a new Confidant, or get a rank up with an existing Confidant, as well as a line said specifically when you make a Confidant.
The scene breaks were originally just placeholders, and while I was thinking if I could make a more creative scene break, I realized they looked like diamonds, as in the playing card suite, so I researched into the Tarot card equivalent and found it was cups and...it was perfect. Specifically the Two of Cups, representing a relationship between two people, built on trust, respect and compromise. So I decided to pick two diamonds as a reference to both that, and the fact that there's two "wild cards", Akechi and Akira.
And you can bet your bottoms that I'm going to use that scene break for every fic I have that involves shipping.
Last edited: