Chapter Text
He was supposed to have it under control. He should’ve had it under control. Why was this situation any different? Why was it so much of a problem that he just quit? Four years since he had first been in the Metaverse, since he had first awakened to Robin Hood and Loki. All for it to end just because he couldn’t pull the fucking trigger.
The gun was still loaded with only one bullet, the bullet that was supposed to be used to kill her, to have her daughter end up like him-
Whatever. It didn’t matter now, he already failed. Having hidden out in a safe spot in Mementos for what he had assumed was three days. Though, how would he know? It was always impossible to tell time in Mementos with everything being mind-numbingly the same; having to wake up and see the same thing each time-
Right, right, speaking of that. He stared down at his phone as the rain continued its downpour, “If we’re going to continue with our little escape, Knight, we should get rid of this” He heard Loki say. Goro nodded in response before opening up his messages, seeing the spammed messages that had come from Shido and some of his associates. He opened up Sae’s contacts.
Akechi Goro: I apologize, Sae-san.
Then right after, he dropped the phone into a puddle, hearing a quiet crackling sound, before continuing his run. He managed to make it onto a train to Kichijoji, where he’d become lost in the crowd, harder to find.
“What now, dear Prince? Where do we go from here?” Robin asked, making Goro pause. He didn’t come up with any plans other than taking down Shido, yet he ran away from Shido, Isshiki-san isn’t dead yet .
He ducked down into a nearby alleyway, hidden away between two apartment complexes. Crouching down and burying his face into his hands, he let out a loud sigh. Do you think you still deserve to live while the rest of them are dead?
Why should he get to live? Twenty-four people are dead because of him. Almost twenty-five. He almost made another person end up like him. Blamed for the death of their mother and tossed around like they were worthless.
He opened up his briefcase, seeing the weapon that stayed in there, before letting out a shaky sigh and taking out the gun. What gave him the right to live that the others hadn’t? That his mother didn’t? He just proved to be burdensome on anybody who got too close.
Robin and Loki stayed silent. It almost made Goro laugh, usually Loki was so talkative but this time there was nothing. Just dead silence. He walked further into the alleyway, hidden from eyesight. With his hand around the grip, and a finger on the trigger, he raised the gun to his forehead.
He shut his eyes tight, Right, finally. Retribution. I suppose I should’ve seen this coming.
“Hey there.”
A voice from behind said, Goro froze. Don’t listen to him. It’s just one of Shido’s associates, don’t turn around, just hurry up and-
“The name’s Muhen. What’s yours?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to listen to him, dear prince.”
“... It’s Akechi.”
“Well then, Akechi-kun. Would you like to head over to this place I own? It’s not far from here.”
How moronic . Goro thought, meeting some guy in an alleyway with a gun, and then just inviting them somewhere? He let out a barely audible sigh. “It’s not like we have much else to do, Knight.”
“Fine then.”
***
After a couple of minutes of entering the club did the questions begin. Muhen had given him a glass of water before taking a seat in front of him.
“So, are you a runaway?”
Why should I have to answer him? His personas stayed silent. “Not exactly.” Is what Goro settled on saying.
“Do you have any place to stay?”
“I hardly see how that’s any of your business-” he heard Robin’s disapproving sigh and a chuckle from Loki coming from the back of his head.
“So no then?”
“… Correct. At the moment I don’t have a place to stay.”
He heard a sigh coming from Muhen, “And how old are you?”
Goro frowned, though he still answered, “I’m sixteen.”
“That young, huh? Where are your parents?”
Goro sharply inhaled. “Answer with the truth.” Robin said. “There’s no point in lying now.” Loki added.
“They’re dead.” Close enough.
He could tell that Muhen’s eyes had widened under the glasses, muttering a curse under his breath. “You don’t have anyone to look after you?”
“No.” He was getting quite bored of this interrogation.
“Well then, I’ve got an open room back at my apartment. It’s meant to be a guest room but nobody ever visits, so if you wanted to you could come and stay.”
How moronic. “Why though? You don’t know me and I’m armed.”
“Yet the only person you were going to use it on was yourself.”
“We don’t have anywhere to go, Prince. Dying won’t solve anything and would only be running away from your own problems.” Robin said, trying to reason with Goro.
You really believe I have the right to live when I was the cause of my own mother’s death? When I purposefully killed twenty-four other people? Almost killed-
“Listen to him, Knight. We’ve hit a dead end, and deep down you know you don’t want to die.”
And what makes you think that?
“I am thou, thou art I.” Loki’s and Robin’s voices responded in unison. How bothersome they could be when for once they finally agreed with each other.
“Fine then, Muhen-san.”
***
“Ah, Niijima-san, I’ve been looking for you.” A voice from behind said, yet it was full of grief. Sae turned around to face the speaker, it was the SIU Director.
“Is this about Akechi-kun?” She asked, it’s been a week since his disappearance, with only a message apologizing to her and none of Sae’s messages being able to be sent to him.
“I’m afraid so. I regret to inform you that Akechi-kun was found to be dead.”