Chapter Text
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go! Ryuji growled at Shadow Kamoshida, trying to break free of the hold the suits of armor Shadows had on him. The speedo clad Shadow was supposed to threaten to kill him, not Akira!
His best friend of countless time loops was doubled over in pain from when the bastard coach punched him. With a smug smirk Kamoshida sent his way, he ordered his guards to kill Akira.
Ryuji yelled out for him to stop when he felt a familiar pain wrack through his head. It was Captain Kidd, eager to burst free. “All the times before you made me wait quite a while. But if you wait any longer, it’ll be the end of your cherished friend.”
Ryuji ducked his head down, hiding a sharp smile. He mentally answered back, “Then I need your power. Let’s form a pact and wreck havok!”
He heard the captain laugh at the echo of their usual contract. “ Excellent! I am thou, thou art I! These are new waters we’ll be treading but hoist your flag proudly! The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!”
Ryuji felt the weight of a mask settle on his face. The guards were closing in on Akira, who was fearfully looking at the very real, very sharp swords they held. “That’s enough, you bastard!” Ryuji yelled.
Thankfully the guards stopped and everyone turned to him. He gripped his mask and ripped it off, summoning Captain Kidd in a flurry of blue flames and chains. The force of his summoning knocked over the guards holding him down. Akira stared in awe with his mouth hanging open at the sight of Ryuji and his Persona.
Kamoshida will have to wait, first he gotta save Akira. He grinned at the familiar rush of power and pointed at the guards near Akira. “Blast ‘em away Captain Kidd!”
“No!” Shadow Kamoshida grimaced as his guards disintegrated after being struck by lightning. While the Shadow was distracted Ryuji shoved him and knocked him down.
He ran to Akira, extending a hand to him and helped him up. “Hey, you ok, man? Let’s get outta here.” Akira nodded at him with a grateful smile and they rushed out of the cell. Akira spotted the keys Kamoshida dropped and picked them up and helped Ryuji lock the door to the cell.
They were panting in an empty hallway after getting as far from Shadow Kamoshida as they could. “I think we’re safe here, for now.” Ryuji said with a huff, still catching his breath. He forgot how tiring awakening your persona for the first time was.
“Thanks for saving me. I-- your clothes!” Akira tilted his head looking at him with interest.
“Hmm? Oh-- Huh!?” He looked down expecting his usual phantom thief outfit but it was much different than what he expected. He had a long, black pirate coat that kinda felt like a mix of Kidd’s coat and Akira’s phantom thief tailcoat. On the back seemed like wave patterns but was actually a long sea dragon weaving to and fro. Thankfully, some things were the same, like his yellow gloves and red ascot.
Ryuji sweated when he noticed his mask felt different. He took it off and flipped it over in his hands to take a better look at it. It wasn’t his classic skull mask but it seemed like a dragon’s skull instead, at least the theming was kinda the same.
Akira opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a scream. “What- what was that? Is someone else here? Let’s help them.” He said, rushing in the direction of the scream but stopped and looked pleadingly at Ryuji.
Akira... bless his bleeding heart. Ryuji was sure it was a cognition of one of the volleyball team being horrendously tortured in Kamoshida’s palace (he didn’t like to hear them suffering but the torture will stop when they steal the treasure) but… he could never say no to Akira. “Yeah! Let’s go!”
The student cognition was face down in a cell and groaning. “Hey, are you alright?” Akira called out to him.
The cognition groaned. “No please, just go away.”
“But…”
Ryuji and Akira flinched as they heard the guards running close by. Ryuji tensed, ready to fend off the incoming Shadows. But his phantom outfit disappeared and his exhaustion rushed back. “S-- Shit.”
“Hey!” Akira looked conflicted, glancing between him and the cognition. He shook his head, narrowing his eyes with determination. “Let’s get away from here. We can’t save him if we’re dead. We can come back for him when you’re not exhausted, right?” Akira held his arm and squeezed softly, he didn’t want Ryuji getting hurt trying to protect them while he was very tired.
Akira… Ryuji nodded with a soft smile. “Of course, man.”
They stopped in another hallway that seemed free of Shadows. Ryuji’s phantom outfit returned as he caught his breath. He could maybe hold out for one more fight. Which was perfect, cause he just remembered what was gonna happen next.
“Hey! Frizzy hair! Blondie!” A boyish voice called out. Morgana! “You’re looking for the exit right? I can lead you there! Just get me outta here!”
“A cat!?” Akira said in surprise.
“I am not a cat! I’m human, the name’s Morgana! Hurry, the guards will be here soon!”
Akira turned to Ryuji who nodded and opened the cell door.
Morgana stretched and said with a purr. “Ahh, sweet freedom~. Thank you.”
A guard appeared before them causing Akira to step back. “More of them?”
“Heh, small fry compared to us.” Morgana jumped onto and over Akira to land in front of him. He turned to Ryuji. “Hey, you could fight too, right? Let’s go!”
“Come, Zorro!” He summoned his Persona, who slashed the air with speed and flare in a ‘Z’ pattern.
Akira gasped at the new Persona. “He has one too?”
They made short work of the Shadows. Morgana chuckled with a cat-like grin. “Heh, you’re pretty good--” Just then Ryuji’s phantom attire disappeared again. “But I guess you’re still an amateur. Your powers are still unstable. Oh yeah, you wanted to find the exit, right? Follow me.”
He led them to a vent they could escape with. They parted ways with Morgana and headed back to the real world.
They heard a bell and glancing at their phones, the boys found that several class periods had already passed.
“Shit! We’re late. Come on, let’s go. Let’s think of something to tell the teachers. ...You think they would buy it if we told them I was showing you around but lost track of time?” Ryuji grabbed Akira’s arm and started to drag him in the direction of the school and was muttering his suggestions.
Akira was surprised but then his expression settled into something fond and joined in the brainstorming.
They survived the lectures and hopefully Akira wasn’t in too much trouble. The teachers probably blamed him more than the new transfer student. Just one of the ‘perks’ of being the resident delinquent but if it helped Akira in any way, then he was glad.
He saw Akira heading to the train station after school and happily invited him for ramen, Ryuji’s treat. They formally introduced themselves and Ryuji even got Akira to tell him what brought him to Tokyo even though to Akira, he was a stranger he met today.
His story never failed to get Ryuji riled up. It was just so unfair, Akira did the right thing but was heavily punished for it. Of course, he let Akira know just how he felt. Akira’s eyes widened like he never thought anyone would believe him and be on his side, which definitely made Ryuji want to punch something because of that shitty politician and society hurting Akira so badly.
“Thank you.” Akira said softly with a grateful smile.
Akira was so beautiful when he was happy.
Ryuji blushed at the thought and ducked his head in an attempt to hide it. “O-Of course…”
They parted ways when Ryuji got off on his stop and he headed to his apartment.
Ryuji flopped on his bed, thinking about how differently this time loop started and how different his new phantom outfit was. It was kinda scary for something new to happen but exciting all the same, maybe this was the change he was looking for and freedom from these loops was in sight.
He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. His dreams filled with a velvet blue.