Wild Cards [AkiraxAkechi P5]

Chapter Twenty-Three

   "Hey, are you ok?"

   Akira jumped when Goro touched his shoulder. He expected to see the brunet in that princely white suit with the red mask. Instead it was the skin tight, kinda sexy, black and blue stripe suit.

   "Uhh... yeah... yeah, I'm fine," Akira stood up, not even realizing he had been sitting.

"So this is Usagi's Palace..."

"Uh-huh..."

"It's... oh god... is that really how she sees her patients? Broken toys she'll just break even more?" Goro frowned, unconsciously grabbing Akira's hand, "I can't imagine what your brother's last moments must have been like... I'm so sorry,"

For a minute, Akira could hear his brothers' voice. How cute he sounded when he sang out loud to himself, the softness to his regular coughing, the way he hyperventilated when he cried, the intense way he screamed when—

"Shit..."

Akira buried his face in his hands again. He felt like a jackhammer was going down on his head.

   "Are you sure you're alright? You're really pale..." Goro said with concern.

   "I'll be ok... I'll be ok..." he said more to himself than to Goro.

"Hey, Joker!"

Goro tensed up. The other Phantom Thieves were coming toward them. He knew this had to happen at some point, but either way he was still so so nervous.

'They won't do something bad to me, will they...? Akira won't let them right...?'

Goro watched quietly as Akira's friends surrounded him. The color was coming back to his face and he was smiling. They all looked so perfect together.

"Yo, Crow!" Futaba jumped up in front of him, "You've been digging on Osoroshi Usagi, right? Tell me what you figured out! We can combine our cases!"

Goro was startled. He had forgotten that was his code name.

"It's nice to see you again," Makoto was here now, "I can't wait to work with you again! Oh—sorry I hit you that one time, haha..."

They were talking like friends, as if the events in his father's Palace had never even happened. When Goro caught the eye of the others, they'd send him a small smile. It was enough to make his heart race.

   "Oracle," Akira spoke to her, "did you figure out where the Treasure might be located yet?"

   "I did! I think it might be in that high tower part of the dollhouse—but besides that, I was deep diving on Usagi's personal life and I found out she has—"

    The ground started shaking, knocking them all off their feet. The shrill screech of a child's voice filled the air as heavy footsteps came from nowhere.

   "Something's coming! It's freaking huge!" Futaba cried.

   "Can we fight it?" Yusuke asked.

   His question was answered when Futaba went running to hide behind an overturned baby doll crib. The knob on the giant door began to shake, now two children could be heard screaming.