Akira's head was pounding. More so than usual. Perhaps it was the swirling black and red around him in the labyrinth that was Mementos. Perhaps it was the atmosphere that felt as if the pressure in the air was tenfold compared to their own world. Either way the Phantom Thieves had a job to do, and Akira wasn't about to tap out just yet.

The train tracks beneath their cat-bus rattled as the group sped along, Morgana carrying them at a decent speed to their target. Makoto held the wheel, with Ryuji in the front seat beside her as they navigates the dark tunnels. Akira sat between Ann and Yusuke in the back seat, forbidden from trying to drive by his teammates, though he didn't really argue that point.

Wincing as they hit another rather rough bump on the track, Morgana's voice rang out inside the vehicle, which was a rather surreal thing considering Morgana WAS the vehicle.

"Approaching target! Reo Watanabe! A thirty-three year old man who decided to take his anger at his job out on other people. He hangs around the underground mall in Shibuya at night, waiting for his next victim to come step into the darkness before he attacks them. He's gotta go."

"Damn right!" Ryuji agreed, slamming a fist on the dashboard.

"Everyone ready?" Morgana asked, and with a collective agreement Mona quickly turned back into his Metaverse form, everyone rolling out of the moving vehicle as he did so.

Akira landed rather ungracefully, but was quickly straightened up by Makoto as they entered the battle. Instead of the usual talk before the fight, this enemy had transformed into a particularly nasty looking creature, one that Akira had never seen before.

"Persona!"

Ryuji was the first to enter the fray. Summoning Captain Kid, the electrifying ship-riding pirate persona, he sent a bolt of lightning directly at Reo. He swiftly dodged, sending back a curse attack at the Thief.

"Skull, look out!" Oracle chimed in, floating above the battle in her persona Necronomicon. 

Ryuji heard and dodged the black and red blast just in time as it hit a wall, making the brick and concrete crumble.

"Damn it!" Ryuji yelled, and Ann stepped up beside him.

"Come, Carmen!" 

In a swirl of flame, Carmen appeared, puffing on her cigar as she stared down the enemy. With the raise of her arm, Ann ordered an agidyne, a fiery explosion of power, onto the foe. It collided, sending Reo flying backwards, shattering the wall behind him. Pieces of rubble fell down around them all as Reo stood again, enraged by this turn of events. With a mighty roar he exuded a wave of power, invisible to the eye but the shaking and crumbling of the Thieves' surroundings was enough to know his power.

He then threw a fireball at Yusuke, having seemingly mimicked Carmen's previous attack. As it collided, a pillar of fire, almost like a tornado, surrounded Yusuke, serving a critical hit as Yusuke fell backwards, collapsing to the ground. 

"Fox! Damn you!"

Ryuji charged forward, the pipe weapon in his hand raised. Reo simply flicked him aside into a wall. As voices rang out in concern, Ryuji rose from the rubble, seemingly unharmed, though he kept his distance, the scowl on his face visible beneath his mask.

Akira stepped forward, ready to summon Arsene and join in the fight. He couldn't let his friends get hurt. But as he did, suddenly he was hit with a bout of double vision, and a piercing pain through his head. He groaned as he stumbled backwards, a hand holding his head as he tried to focus on his breathing and keep himself steady. Taking deep breaths, his vision slowly returned, though the headache remained. One eye closed, he looked up, and saw Ann and Makoto both looking back at him in worry, as Haru and Ryuji held the frontline, Mona hiding behind a post communicating with Futaba about strategies. Yusuke was on his knees, leaning on his sword as he tried to stand slowly, clearly injured. 

"Focus!" Akira growled at the girls, and with a flick of his jacket he stood tall, a hand rising to his mask as he called out to his Persona.

"Arsene!" 

Arsene appeared behind him, chuckling as he eyed the enemy. 

"It seems you called me at just the right time. Your friends are not faring well."

"Get him!"

"As you command."

Akira lunged forward, his knife drawn as Arsene prepared his curse attack. Almost having reached the enemy, Akira shouted. Despite his voice being a little raspy, it was still as commanding as always.

"Eigaon!"

The curse blast collided with Reo, sending him crashing into another wall, that again crumbled around him.

"He's weak to curse attacks! Yes! Keep going, Joker!" Futaba declared.

"Yeah! Get 'em!" Ryuji raised a fist, grinning at his friend.

Reo then rose once again, rock and rubble falling from his form as he growled inhumanly at Akira. Akira simply stood his ground before launching again. His knife collided with Reo's claw he had raised to block the attack, but Akira was prepared for that. He raised the knife again, and went to stab from a different angle, a higher one. Again, Reo defended against it.

Perfect, Akira thought to himself, I'm faster than him, he won't be able to defend my next attack, his arm is too far away.

As he did this, moving himself and positioning for the final blow, which he would then finish him off with Arsene, it struck again.

Akira recoiled grunted in pain, his vision blurring again, a mixture of white fogginess and blackness filling his vision. He couldn't let that world take him now, or it would all be over. Fighting with consciousness, Akira could hear his friends calling out behind him.

His name, his codename, and other things he couldn't seem to pick up on. He was losing the battle, fading away, when suddenly he was brought back to reality by a sharp pain in his stomach. It took his breath away, it was so intense. His eyes widened, and hands reflexively went for the area on his right side that was hurting as Arsene disappeared in a puff of smoke behind him. Warmth was all he felt when he touched his side, and something protruding from his abdomen. 

Looking down with the last of his strength, he saw Reo's claw as it was ripped out of his insides, along with a lot of flesh and blood. The pain made him feel sick, and he coughed violently, more blood coming out of his mouth as he did. With a grunt he fell to his knees, and cried out as the pain finally set in to it's full intensity, and the world began turning black.

The last thing he saw was the world of white, and that butterfly. The damn butterfly.

Hi! Thanks for being so patient! So I've made a twitter @/GNWrites because it's easier to communicate and share updates and interact on there than it is here! Please give me a follow and COMMENT your thoughts! Thanks again!