Akira Kurusu

{Closed AU RP blog affiliated with Kinged}

[jokerkakkoii]

Hermit || Akira & Futaba

statusbar​:

She blinked as he sat down, a bit curious why but she didn’t voice the question as he continued to speak. Instead, she chose to take another bite of curry as she listened to him. Well, help would probably be appreciated but…she wasn’t sure this was something anyone else could help with. She wasn’t even sure if she could find what she was looking for. Honestly, the only person who’d probably know for sure what was missing was no longer among them. 

Futaba adjusted her glasses before giving a small smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure anyone can help,” she answered. “It was my mom’s research, there’s just something…off about it, I can’t really put my finger on it. It just feels like there’s something missing, something purposefully being left out but..” she shrugged, glancing down at the plate of curry. “There’s always a chance it’s just me imagining things. It’s not like I remember any of her research since I was still pretty young…” 

She wasn’t sure where she could go to look. If someone was going to great lengths to hide key pieces of her mother’s research, there was only so much she could do. Even peering into the site’s code could only do so much. An archival site might help, but if that person was being thorough about it, then…well, that probably wouldn’t do much good either. It was highly likely that any archived page containing the missing information would have already been scrubbed.

“It’s more like, I don’t even know if there’s progress to be made there. If I could find a copy of my mom’s research somewhere that she had hidden, I might be able to tell for sure but all the information I can find is the same. If someone’s purposefully altering and hiding her research, they’re doing a really good job of it. Or I’m just crazy and chasing ghosts that aren’t there.”

A thoughtful silence punctuated the end of Futaba’s explanation as Akira sat contemplative, absorbing the information she’d just laid onto him. The weight of it, of young Futaba’s pursuit after something her mother had apparently been looking into, dug into his heart like a thorn. It seemed like she had a tough task ahead, searching for hints of hints to grab onto. But, he also admired her tenacity, and thought he could kind of understand her resolve behind it.

“I see,” he said to finally break the silence, and lifted a hand to rub the back of his head. “That wasn’t the type of answer I expected, but… Well, I’d just want to find it, too, I think, if I was in your position. Do you have any leads? Possible locations, key witnesses, that kind of thing? Also, do you happen to know what the research was concerning?” Futaba was smart, he knew. And, well, he might not have known the full extent of her knowledge and technological prowess, but he nonetheless considered the possibility that he was just asking questions she’d already considered and exhausted. Regardless, being newly privy to the gargantuan project she’d been working on, he definitely was coming at it from a starting point position. And even if he couldn’t end up being too much help, he felt he at least could do whatever he could do.

[jokerkakkoii]

Catalyst || Akira & Ryuji

ryujiskullkamoto​:

“Then that was just good luck, wasn’t it? Guess it would help more if a cat person came to help.” Ryuji had to say he was probably more of a dog person, even though he and his mother couldn’t afford a pet. Plus, that meant Akira took time out of his day to take care of animals that weren’t even his, and just as Akira was saying, he wouldn’t do that if he was a bad person.

“Hm?” The story about transferring seemed to ring some sort of bell with Ryuji, but he couldn’t figure out exactly how. He’d heard rumors of some transfer student, but he mostly ignored them, knowing that rumors often twist the story into something unrecognizable to those who know the truth. “Oh, so you transferred here with that kinda thing hanging over you?”

Then anger started to flare up as he thought about it a bit more.

“Dude, that’s so effed that just because some politician doesn’t like you, everyone thinks you’re the devil or something! That’s complete bull!” Ryuji didn’t even know the whole story, but it infuriated him regardless. “You seem pretty cool to me. If people knew you better, they’d probably feel the same way.”

A smile tugged the corners of Akira’s mouth upwards, but he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I won’t say that the incident hasn’t caused me its fair share of trouble, but… Well, I guess it’s more about the politician. Rather than get his own reputation muddied, it was easy for him to just push all the blame onto me. And everyone just ate it up because he’s famous. But if he did something like that once, he’ll do it again. And it’s that kinda thing that makes me sick.” As he continued, Akira’s face hardened as the red-hot flame of anger began to boil his blood. “He’ll just keep doing it and doing it and doing it with no repercussions. Hurting innocent people. Getting ahead like that. It’s disgusting, but...”

Trailing off here, Akira’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, and he bit down on his molars. “But that’s just how society is. Immoral and corrupt in the favor of rich and famous people. And if nobody does anything, that’s how it’s going to continue. That’s what that incident made me realize. If he’s trying to tear down my reputation, fine, I can keep my head down long enough to recover from that. But I can’t forgive him for doing something so unforgivable, or the unethical system that forged him. It has to be stopped.”

At some point during this speech, a hard lump had lodged in Akira’s throat, which he felt as he swallowed. The emotions swirling within him formed an outright torrent, unstoppable and flooding his heart, almost choking him up. Because it was simultaneously a very important topic and a very painful topic for him.

But he was determined… not to have his resolution wasted.

“So it’s for that that I’m here. I happened to find a King who understands and supports my pursuits. I didn’t mean to mix you up in it, though.”

[jokerkakkoii]

Stop Right There, Criminal Scum! | Inosuke and Akira

pigheadedboar​:

“Ha! Wise of you to show yourself, knowing you can’t hide from me!” Even though it was technically one of his duties as a clansmen to keep his king safe and nothing more, Inosuke couldn’t hold back his braggart nature, regardless of the circumstances. But the mysterious man’s explanation didn’t satisfy Inosuke. If anything, the suspicion being cast onto him caused him to cross his arms and puff his chest out.

“I’m Inosuke Hashibira! White Clan’s strongest!” Yoki didn’t count, after all. “I can prove it if you want!” Then it dawned on him that this guy was here for someone else, so maybe getting into a fight without asking more questions wasn’t the best idea.

“I don’t care for long stories. Just tell me what you’re doing if you don’t want me to beat it out of you myself!” Inosuke figured he might just beat it out of him anyway, just for fun. But he knew that if he did, it was likely that Reiko or Gura might lecture him about it later, so he would hold himself back for now.

“The strongest, huh?” If the boar-headed kid - Inosuke - wasn’t just spouting nonsense and was, in fact, strong enough to be called the strongest in his Clan, then Akira supposed it made the most sense to designate him to security detail even with his outlandish appearance. More than that, since he clearly had a vested interest in protecting the White Clan, which included the very idol being targeted in this instance, it might be wise for Akira to implicate him.

Making up his mind as such, the Phantom Thief fished his phone out of his pocket and swiped through his message history. Finally, he found where his contact had tipped him off about the events projected to transpire at this event tonight. He zoomed in to make the text appear a little bigger for readability, then turned his phone around to face Inosuke.

“To keep it short… Basically, there’s someone in the crowd tonight targeting Yuuka. The identity and motive are unknown, but they’ve been on message boards rallying support for this for months in advance. We also don’t know what exactly they are planning, or for that matter how many others might be working with them. But we do know that something is slated to happen tonight if everything they’ve been saying is true.” After supplying his best attempt at a short explanation, Akira slipped his phone back into his pocket, and offered a curt nod towards Inosuke. “So I was trying to watch for any abnormal behavior. So if you’re willing to help me…”

[jokerkakkoii]

ryujiskullkamoto​:

“Hell yeah! Let’s go!” Ryuji had a pretty reasonable understanding of these streets, since it was a part of his usual route when he had gone jogging before school. It’d been some time, but he was confident he could find the address pretty easily, so he took it upon himself to take the lead.

The question Akira asked took Ryuji a bit off guard. “Huh? Well… I mean, yeah, I guess.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “If I had lost my pet, I’d be pretty upset about it, yeah?” Ryuji didn’t really feel the need to put up his delinquent facade around Akira, seeing as he had already seen Ryuji helping the cat just because he wanted to. Most people wouldn’t have even stopped to help Ryuji, so Akira was kind of strange in that regard, too.

“You didn’t need to help me, either, though. Most people just… make assumptions about me and go on their way.” The fact that Ryuji had eventually begun leading into that label certainly didn’t help his approachability. “You didn’t, though. Why?”

“Hmm? I don’t think anyone who’d stop to rescue a lost cat can be that bad. You were misguided, though… In the beginning, trying to coax it out like a dog. It was kind of funny, but cats get scared easily, so I thought you’d never get it out that way. I look after the cats in my neighborhood a lot, so…” Trailing off like this with a small shrug, Akira glanced over Ryuji again. Well, he had a certain delinquent appearance to him, that much was true. But it was just as true that he’d been trying to help someone rather than cause problems, at least on this evening, and that was the first impression Akira was left with.

“Anyways, don’t you think that looks can be deceiving? I transferred out here after an incident with a politician, and… long story short, my reputation precedes me with those familiar with the politician. So even if I try to keep a low profile, I get classmates keeping a wide berth around me and looking away. Even without knowing the whole story, they like to think they do, I guess. It doesn’t bother me that much, I’m just trying to keep my head down here. But how can I know someone’s whole story just by looking at them?”

For his own part, it seemed pointless to judge someone by superficial things like their looks or the front they put on for a public audience. What mattered truly was what lay within - that was, the heart’s desires. If someone was really a rotten delinquent, it was unlikely that they would go out of their way to help a lost soul they had no personal connection with. On the other hand, such an act just betrayed the person’s true nature. It was a selfless act, after all.

[pigheadedboar]

Stop Right There, Criminal Scum! | Inosuke and Akira

@jokerkakkoii​

Since joining the White Clan, Inosuke had to admit that he was having a bit of fun. Most of the time, his king would just… let him fight people? He didn’t really get it, but he enjoyed it, so he wasn’t about to deny an order from his king. Outside of that, he was sort of given a role. Sometimes, when Yuki was dancing around or whatever, Inosuke was in charge of fighting people who “looked weird,” as she put it. Runi had explained that this meant that he was supposed to chase off people who looked like they wanted to do bad things to the people who came to watch his king perform, or even hurt the king herself.

Most of the time, this boiled down to Inosuke (rather violently) shooing away people who liked to get too close and grabby to his king, which happened more than he thought made sense. What was so great that they tried to reach out to her like that? He didn’t get it at all.

This time, however, was different. There was a weird guy in a black-and-white mask and messy hair slinking about. This would’ve escaped the notice of most people, but Inosuke wasn’t exactly most people.

“Hey, you!” he shouted out, pointing to the person he was addressing. “What’re you up to, sneaking around like that?!”

[jokerkakkoii]

An idol concert.

Akira himself wasn’t really involved in the idol fandom, although he could admit that the girl who had taken to the stage on this night was definitely cute enough to earn the admiration of her fans. Still, garbed head-to-toe in his Phantom Thief outfit, he wasn’t exactly here for leisure, and stuck to the shadows as much as possible so as to avoid suspicion. His reason for skulking around here was the information he’d received earlier that day, about someone planning something nefarious at this very concert.

His information was limited. Apparently, the person carrying out the attack was low-profile, and the details of the attack itself were unknown as well. Just that someone had a vendetta against this idol for personal reasons and wanted to do something about it.

So, even though he had little at stake personally, Akira couldn’t just sit idly by while knowing someone was going to do something so corrupt. He had to step in and put a stop to it.

Leading to him rushing through the shadows now, keeping his eyes peeled as he scanned and surveyed the cheering, chanting crowd. So large was the crowd, identifying a single potential threat within would be difficult, but…

Akira knew that they’d have to move eventually. Ideally, he’d like to catch them before anything really awful happened, but he couldn’t bank on being so lucky. Sticking close to the front of the crowd, to the stage where the idol girl sang her song and danced, he planned to do everything he could to mitigate damages.

But then--

A loud, boisterous voice rose above the clamor of the crowd to apprehend him.

Looking towards the source, Akira saw a boy sporting a boar’s head pointing an accusing finger at him.

Basically, someone had seen him, it looked like. As for who this was… he would have thought security, but the boar head did make him wonder. Regardless, he’d been called out, and, with a sigh, he stepped out from where he’d been hiding.

“I know what it looks like, but… I actually came out here to catch someone.” Offering this simple explanation, Akira looked the boy up and down. It was doubtful that someone as loud and outlandish as him was the culprit he was after, though of course he couldn’t entirely disregard the possibility either. “It’s kind of a long story. But… who exactly are you?”

[jokerkakkoii]

Hermit || Akira & Futaba

“Y-yeah,” Futaba answered, gingerly rubbing the injured area. “It happens a lot..” Not that she really moved too much when she was at home, but it was still very easy to bang her knees and shins on the desk whenever she did get up–or even just spinning around mindlessly. It wasn’t the first time, and certainly wouldn’t be the last, she was sure of it. Though she had whacked it pretty hard so it was likely going to be a nasty bruise later. 

“Oh you don’t have to…” But he was already going. Once she had the makeshift icepack, she rested it on her knee, wincing slightly at the cold temperature. The chill was quickly chased away by a bite of curry. She couldn’t help the happy hum that left her lips. The curry here really was the best. 

His question made her pause though and she blinked. Could she tell the truth? Well, there really wasn’t any reason to lie about it. “I was just looking into some research stuff,” she answered. “I didn’t find what I was looking for though so I was going to watch some vines or something.” It still unsettled her that it seemed like her mother’s research had been mangled to hell and back, even if she couldn’t remember just what the original papers had looked like. She did at least remember her mother had a habit of leaving frenzied notes all over the place..something Futaba herself had picked up as well.

“It’s nothing super important,” she added. Probably. At least, it didn’t seem like a big deal right now. Not like the other glaring problem rearing its head, but that wasn’t something she could talk about as freely. 

Although Akira couldn’t see the screen very well from where he stood, the page open on Futaba’s laptop did seem to be the homepage of a popular video-hosting website. Since no video was actually open yet, it displayed many suggestions based on her own view history as well as what was popular. He could also see that at least one other tab was open, although the name of the tab was too scrunched for him to read. Still, if anything, the layout of her screen just served to corroborate her own account.

After staring at her screen for what felt like forever - although in reality it was just a few seconds - Akira finally averted his gaze to grant her her privacy. Considering her age, it wasn’t unusual for her to be doing research for school or something, so there was a good chance that whatever it was was boring.

“I see,” he said simply, taking a seat opposite Futaba. It wasn’t like there wasn’t work left to do - he still had dishes to clean, trash to take out - but he could afford a small break. He had already finished most of his own homework as well, so-- “Did you need any help with it? The research, I mean.” She seemed to be at a dead end, and, being a student himself, he knew his way around researching a little. “You were so focused on it for so long, did you really make no progress at all?”

[jokerkakkoii]

“Nice to meet ya, Akira!” Ryuji beamed at his new friend. There was still a lot Ryuji didn’t know about him, but they could get to that later. Eating together was a good bonding experience, so he would just ask the most pressing questions he had whenever they finished returning the cat to its owner and had ordered some udon.

Speaking of the cat, he just realized that he didn’t see it anymore. In the swirl of the unfamiliar concepts Ryuji found himself caught up in thanks to Akira saving him, he’d completely forgotten the reason he was in this area in the first place. He turned towards the dumpster as Akira was already sprinkling some treats on the ground, the cat inching its way out to eat them. Just as easily as he had lured the cat out, he scooped it up into his arms with little fight.

“Oh! Uh, not really… I just saw the flyers for it around town. I don’t know its owner personally or nothin’.” Ryuji reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the flyers he had kept since he intended to look for the cat today and needed it to verify the feline if he happened to find it. He unfolded it and showed it to Akira.

“This looks like the cat to me. They got the address on here, too, so we can probably swing by there and then get food after. Sound good?”

Stepping closer and peering at the flyer in Ryuji’s hand, Akira certainly saw the resemblance there as well. Cats could look very similar, so just to be sure, he held the cat in his arms out next to the flyer and compared the two side-by-side. Identical. Satisfied with this, he drew the feline close to his chest once more and nodded.

“That’s certainly convenient. Okay, so let’s take the cat back to its home.” Going by the address on the flyer, it shouldn’t be too far. Most likely, the cat had squeezed out, gotten startled by something, and then scrambled into hiding. It definitely happened to plenty of indoor cats.

Although, all of this did just lead to a question springing up in Akira’s head. “So you… don’t even know the owner? So then, you were just helping this cat because you saw the flyer?” He had just met Ryuji and knew nothing of him, except that apparently he was the type of kind-hearted person to fetch people’s lost cats for them, but still it seemed odd. Well, more like a combination of the circumstances had led it to feel so odd. Regardless, if he really went out of his way for someone he didn’t even know like that… That was definitely commendable, and there was no way Ryuji could be a bad person.

[jokerkakkoii]

Light in Starless Sky || Tenka & Akira

“Please do not worry yourself so much. I have no doubts that the two of you will be victorious.” Theodore seemed more than confident in their abilities, despite this being the first time he was meeting the two. He seemed pleased that the young man had taken some sort of initiative, and could only hope the young woman would be able to move her shaking legs with his encouragement. 

“You can always rely on me.”

He was a complete stranger, and the line honestly felt like it was ripped from a cheesy video game or something of the sort, but something about his voice felt reassuring. This man with dark hair and strange attire (though not stranger than the man in the blue attendant uniform) looked like some kind of action hero was a manga or blockbuster movie. So, even so she really didn’t want to go, she offered a meek nod and followed him up the staircase and through the large clock that lied at the top.

She hadn’t been ready.  Upon arriving inside, she found that the same eerie, green glow that illuminated the lobby they had awoken in was even more intense here. Even with the strange light from outside, it was still rather dark. The path ahead was uncertain, but it was a tower, and so the stairs had to be somewhere. They just had to move…up. “T-Tenka will do her best t-to find the stairs…” Her words often offered little comfort, but saying it out loud gave her a tiny bit of courage. 

It seemed oddly quiet as they stood in the tower, despite the fact that there were supposed to be monsters around, she didn’t see or hear anything at all. Even though she had wished to explore and leave quickly, she found herself captivated by something outside the window. “The moon…” It was a full moon, and yet it was unlike anything she had ever seen due to the sickly, green hue. And yet, she found herself captivated by it. 

Unbeknownst to her, a small black, blob-like creature with a pink mask on was scrambling towards her.

Stepping past the large clock face and into the labyrinthine structure that made up Tartarus proper, any expectations Akira might have had were swept away in a flood of that eerie glowing green light. Contrasted against the darkness shrouding the winding hallways, the fluorescent hue dimly illuminating their surroundings only seemed to glow brighter. Coupled with the oppressive atmosphere bearing down all around them, Akira’s skin had prickled with a certain anxiety ever since stepping foot on the tile, and he kept a keen eye carefully examining the path lying ahead. With only that green-tinted hue for light, it took his eyes a while to adjust to the dark surroundings. But, clenching his fists at his sides, he did not let the strange circumstances sway his heart too much. After all, they were here for only one reason, and he intended to see through both himself and his shaken companion to the end safely.

Hearing the quivering, yet determined, voice of said companion, Akira nodded his head. “I wonder if we shouldn’t split up and look…”

Though this thought occurred to him, he did have reservations about it. Primarily, there was no telling what lurked around the corners of these halls, but the whole place had an intimidating aura that left little doubt in Akira’s mind that there would be enemies. It was the same kind of feeling that he’d gotten walking unattended on back streets at night. The only question was, were they going to be dealing with similar thugs, or something different?

He didn’t have to wonder for long.

Because, as the girl - Tenka - was gazing distractedly out of the window, a formless blob emerged as if from the shadows, only distinguishable from the shadows in its surroundings by the pink masquerade mask adoring its… face? Truthfully, it didn’t have much of a face, it was just a blob. Regardless, a soft gurgling emanated from it as it moved, straight for Tenka’s exposed back. It didn’t appear to wield any weapons, yet its intent to attack was nonetheless evident by the way it lashed out a shadowy protrusion, aiming for the girl--

But intercepted by Akira, who had stepped in the way and taken the attack on his knife instead.

“Hk--” The impact was surprisingly strong, and he stubbornly dug his heels into the floor to stop from being pushed back.

The shadow fell back after the failed assault, though it seemed clearly intent on standing its ground and fighting either way.

In which case, so be it.

“...”

The only question remaining to Akira as he examined the strange creature, was whether he should unleash Arsène’s potential here and now and end things quickly, or save that for a later time. Ultimately, it would depend on how many things they were going to fight, as using Arsène did have the drawback of depleting his energy faster. The way Theodore had talked, it certainly seemed like they should expect many more encounters like this one. However, he didn’t remember hearing anything about how many floors they would have to conquer. Regardless, for now--

“Tenka-chan! We’re not alone here.”

For now, it would be better to not get too trigger-happy.

[jokerkakkoii]

Hermit || Akira & Futaba

The good thing about having a laptop was being able to carry it wherever she needed it. It was also a good thing that LeBlanc was slow today, otherwise she might not have stayed as long as she had. Though the cafe always felt safe, even when there were other people, and she could always retreat up to the attic if absolutely necessary. At least, she was locked on the screen, rather than whatever lingering customers still filled the room. 

Something about the page she was on looked off though, as though there was something missing. Of course, it wasn’t like she had the original source on hand to check. She was pretty sure those guys had taken every bit of her mom’s research they could get their hands on… She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes tight. This was just going to give her a headache right now, so it was best to just leave it alone for now.

Her other problem was Medjed…or rather, the group of people claiming to be Medjed. She’d have to deal with that sooner or later too, she supposed, before it really became a problem. She clicked away to another tab, ready to just watch some silly cat videos to decompress, or maybe find some amvs or vines when suddenly a voice spoke out, earning a startled screech from the girl as she jumped, her knee banging into the table.

Of course, she’d forgotten he was there, the part-timer Sojiro had brought in to help deal with the flood of university students. She cradled her knee, blinking away the tears that threatened to form as she took in the sight of the plate of curry. “U-um…s-sure…” she managed. “S-sorry about…er…screaming.” 

She still had to work on that…though at least she supposed this time it was a person of average height, even if the tall woman had been incredibly nice and helpful. “I was pretty focused on what I was doing…” Oh, it’d already been an hour. Jeez.

Shock rippled through Akira at the ear-piercing screech unleashed by the girl and the subsequent rattling of the table as it shook, causing him to jump and stumble a few steps backward, though he managed to keep the plate in his hands balanced enough to not spill its contents onto the floor. Sojiro had instructed him that Futaba could be shy and was easily startled, but still, this kind of reaction… he had just not expected it.

Releasing his own anxieties following that in the form of a sigh, Akira quickly regained his composure and stepped forward once more. “Are you okay?” Setting the plate on the table in front of the girl, he turned his concerned gaze towards her. The way she held her knee, and the way she had jumped, he could guess that she’d smacked it into the table in her surprise. While he was fairly confident that it wouldn’t amount to much more than a bruise, it still looked painful.

“Here, I’ll get some ice.” Saying that, Akira quickly retreated back into the cafe’s kitchen, where he grabbed some ice cubes from the freezer. He wrapped these in a spare cloth, and then brought this back and offered it to Futaba.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. What exactly were you doing?” Although it wasn’t particularly his business, Akira couldn’t stop his welling curiosity from pulling his eyes towards her computer screen.

[jokerkakkoii]

Hermit || Akira & Futaba

@statusbar

For being as small as it was, Café Leblanc’s convenient and cozy location within Shizume City nevertheless made it a hotspot favored among students from the nearby university in particular. Incidentally, its close proximity to the university also happened to be how Akira came to be aware of its presence. Being in a tight spot after having just moved here from another city, then, it was only natural that he took up the position posted for help, effectively surrendering many of his evenings to the flimsy whims of customers in exchange for the much-needed yen.

Sundays actually tended to be fairly slow a lot of the time, and today was no exception. The only reason he’d been called in was to cover for the owner, who apparently had something he couldn’t bail out on. So today it was really just Akira manning the shop. Well, Akira and the orange-haired girl, whose name he recalled as Futaba Sakura. He didn’t know very much about her, just that she was the owner’s daughter and as such would happen into here sometimes. That’s what the owner had more or less said of her. She tended to keep to herself, but of course, Akira couldn’t help the burgeoning curiosity, and given that the day had been slow and only getting slower as time dragged on--

“Sakura-chan?” Calling out to her like this, Akira stepped out from behind the bar and closer to her. In his hands, he held a fresh, hot bowl of curry, which he’d originally begun preparing for himself as dinner, but it occurred to him that he hadn’t seen the girl eat anything. “...Are you hungry?”

[jokerkakkoii]

Justice || Akira & Taiyou

Taiyou nodded easily as Akira declined his invitation as he’d mostly expected that reply. He let Akira continue on only to give a small tilt of his head as he stopped abruptly mid sentence. Confusion was soon replaced with slight concern, his mind running through the worst possible scenario’s. His blue eyes gave the dark haired male standing before him a quick, noticeable scan but he seemed mostly intact so the matter certainly wasn’t a physical concern in nature.. Or so he hoped. Far be it from Taiyou to assume someone’s health at a glance given his past issues concerning his own illness.

“Ah.” What they’d talked about last time.. Akira gave him a brief recap of that and the concern vanished from his expression. He did remember that conversation given, in his personal opinion, the oddity of it. Taiyou had more or less agreed with his views but it seemed as though Akira had made up his mind regarding that. 

Taiyou crossed his arms over his chest as he looked serious and thoughtful. “Phantom Thieves, huh..” The name did sound pretty cool. “It sounds like something out of an anime.” He joked lightly, his usual smile coming back to him, but seeing as though his words could potentially be misconstrued as making light of the situation his smile disappeared and he uttered a small apology. 

“If that’s what you want to do.. I’m not opposed to it.” He uncrossed one of his arms so he could bring a finger to his chin in contemplation. “You’re strong and capable so I think you’ll be fine. So far.. Well, in regards to the rabbits..” The rabbits as he referred to his predecessors clansman, who had largely taken over the duties of the late Gold King had also operated in a similar fashion, almost a separate entity of Taiyou’s new clan. It already felt like they were split into different cliques despite all of them sharing the same power. Although Akira was much different compared to them. 

“What I mean to say is they do their own thing. I don’t think I can help you with it..” Taiyou lowered his head in much deeper thought this time. Generally he was a person who easily spoke his mind and didn’t think carefully before he said anything but something told him this was a serious topic that weighed heavily on his clansman’s mind. “It’s not that I don’t want to.. I’m pretty busy with school and all that. But like the rabbits I don’t mind if you do your own thing. I can support you from the sidelines and if something ever gets dicey you can contact me immediately.”

He once more allowed his friendly smile of his to return. “But how do you plan on going about it? This Phantom Thieves business. Do you have people in mind?””

Just what kind of answer had Akira been expecting to receive? For some reason, this answer that Taiyou gave to him did not match his expectations, even though he didn’t have a clear idea of what that meant. Still, the fact that his King so earnestly placed so much trust in him, enough to not only accept his proposal of forming such a clandestine unit, but to entrust it entirely to him as well… his heart and hopes soared at the prospect, even if Taiyou himself could not participate.

But, really, he didn’t have to anyways. Even if the Phantom Thieves started as just a solo unit of Akira operating by himself, he still intended to go through with it. Besides--

“I might have an idea for someone. I haven’t decided for sure yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know.” His mouth pulled up into an easy grin and his eyes darted down to his phone as he spoke. “As for the Phantom Thief business… it’s still a work in progress, but I more or less want to focus on… saving people.” The pause he injected at the end was heavy as confused, but strong feelings swelled up within him, choking out his voice for a moment as he finished piecing his thoughts together. Ultimately, for this singular goal, he held nothing but utmost conviction. That conviction now presented itself in the fierce gleam in his grey eyes, weaved into his voice.

“So… I think what I have to do is focus on the kinds of scummy people who hurt others. People who abuse others, damage others, for whatever their own gain is… and change them. The best way to alter society is… to alter people’s perceptions of it.”

Voicing his thoughts aloud like this, Akira felt like a burden had been lifted from his back, and at the end he released a sigh. Then he outstretched his hand, gave Taiyou’s shoulder a single but firm pat.

“...Thank you, Taiyou-kun. Having your support for this means a lot. I really feel like I can go through with it. And you can certainly count on me. For managing this, but also don’t hesitate to call upon me if you need help with anything either.”

[jokerkakkoii]

Borger || Akira & Minato

The blue haired student, no, the newly appointed Captain (as indicated by the captain’s badge he won moments earlier) shifted his focus off of his fries and onto the dark haired stranger. This was the same kid he had watched scramble towards the bathrooms after failing his challenge. A disappointment for sure. He seemed to care about this conversation even less than usual, judging by his lifeless expression as he gave simple answers to the disappointing boy who couldn’t finish his challenge burger. “Yeah.” That was the only word he got in response was asked if he actually completed the challenge on his own. The other patrons didn’t even think to approach him…this one was strange.

As he finished off his fries, Minato pushed his tray aside and began to wipe his hands with some of the napkins piled on his table, trying to rid himself of as much grease as he possibly could. Upon hearing his next question, Minato looked at him more curiously than before, tilting his head slightly like a child, or maybe a small dog. “…Where? In my stomach,” he stated as if it was obvious that all of that food was resting within him. He didn’t seem to be particularly bloated even after his meal, and he showed no signs of feeling unwell. In fact, he showed no signs of anything really, aside from a weariness that seemed to cling to him.

In retrospect, perhaps the question Akira had asked of the boy had been frivolous. Certainly, the answer that was returned to him was indisputable, and honestly he wasn’t even sure what kind of answer he’d been expecting. Regardless, the fact that someone so small in stature, so slim that even Akira easily outweighed him, could scarf down that much food in so short a time…

Wasn’t there just something weird about that?

Reeling still from first his overwhelming defeat at the hands of the challenge, and now from the preposterousness of this situation, Akira found himself at a loss for words. His mouth opened to try and rephrase the question in a way that the challenge winner would understand his confusion, but quickly had to close it again as he failed to formulate his thoughts into a cohesive sentence.

Instead, while bearing the mien of confusion upon his features, he took to examining first the blue-haired male, then the now-emptied tray, and back again, rubbing the back of his neck.

Then, finally: “So, you really don’t think there’s anything strange about eating that much food? I was certain the burger alone would be twice the size of the stomach of someone your size…”

[jokerkakkoii]

missing kitties || akira & akari

Akari’s eyes widened slightly, noting the cat had definitely dug its claws into the boy’s arm. It had to have hurt, but the boy didn’t even seem to flinch at the pain. She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or worried, though she was definitely feeling the latter more than anything. She adjusted Momo carefully in her arms, the little girl looking curiously at the cat. “Fuku?” she questioned in her tiny voice, her head tilting to the side as she stared at the cat. 

That drew the brunette’s attention back to the subject at hand–finding the cat. Upon first glance, the cat certainly looked similar, but as she looked closer, the face seemed a bit off, and like it was missing many of the little spots Fukurou had. Not to mention the smallest glimpse of a collar around the cat’s neck through it’s impressive fluff. 

“No,” Akari murmured softly, “it looks similar though. Fukurou has more black spots and no collar. He has a habit of wandering the neighborhood but..he’s never been gone this long.” But the boy at least seemed to have a way with cats, so perhaps he’d be able to provide some pointers or at least spots she could check that the owlish cat might be. “Do you know any other places we might be able to check?”

But the cat’s claws still worried her. She couldn’t help it, really. It was that big sister instinct kicking in. Well, some might have called it maternal instinct, and in some ways Akari was like a mother to her siblings, but that was only because she had to push everything else aside to raise them. “Are you okay though..? That looked like it hurt..If you need band-aids, I always carry some with me.” She kind of had to, when it came to a rambunctious toddler like Momo.

“Fuku?” Akira repeated the toddler’s inquiry, and slid his hand underneath the cat’s belly, up to rest between its two forelegs, so that he could push the cat’s torso up closer to his own face. The cat twisted its head around to face him, brushing a curiously sniffing nose against the skin of his cheek. Then, as the girl voiced her denial, Akira sighed and loosened his grip until the cat was able to slip out of his arms to land gracefully on the ground below. Paws firmly grounded once more, the cat quickly shook itself off, the bell on its collar releasing a soft, ringing chime, before taking off to flee out of sight.

“Hmmm… black spots and no collar…” Lifting a hand to his chin as he fell into a contemplative silence, Akira drew upon his knowledge of the neighborhood cats, searching his memories for the distinct features the girl had relayed to him. Over his time here in Shizume, he had already accumulated a fair amount of knowledge regarding the feline population of this neighborhood, both the vagrant ferals and the curious wandering pets. There were, of course, many cats, and while he had no doubts that he’d seen the cat she was searching for - Fukurou - before, it was hard to determine with any certainty the last spot he’d seen the cat. All he could really say right now was that the cat did not seem to be here right now.

However, using his general knowledge, he might be able to glean an idea. Ultimately, it definitely depended on the cat, but--

“There are a few alleys I’ve seen cats frequenting. One’s not that far from here if you wanna try looking.” Actually, the alley right by his apartment had been just one such alleyway, and was how he had come to befriend the neighborhood’s cats so easily in the first place.

Then, as the girl voiced her concern over the scratch he’d sustained, Akira’s gaze drifted to the red, weeping lines running jagged over his arm. Truth be told, the stinging had already subsided, and though blood still oozed from the cuts to trickle down his arm, the flow was already slowing. “Yeah, this is fine. I guess a band-aid wouldn’t be a bad idea, though, since you have some.”

[jokerkakkoii]

ryujiskullkamoto​:

“Powers, huh?” So at least the guy–Akira–was okay, then. So what was all that blood? And where did it go? Did it burn up in the fire? Is that really how he has to use his powers? Curse powers? So did this king have other sorts of powers he could give out? Or did Akira just happen to be bestowed with curse? Questions upon questions upon questions continued to race through Ryuji’s mind, but honestly, all of the thinking was giving him an headache.

“Ughhh, this is just weird. Seriously.” Ryuji scratched at his head and frowned, but he decided to ditch all of the thinking for now. “Well, no matter what happened, ya still saved me. I owe ya one, man. Really. Guys like that who pick on people and hurt them just because they can really piss me off.” Ryuji kicked at the ground a little. “Oh shit, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ryuji Sakamoto! Just call me Ryuji. Since you’re here, let’s go find the owner of this cat.” Ryuji smiled wide, another idea striking him. 

“I’ll even treat ya afterwards for the help! I know a really bomb udon place I can show you!” He held his hand out to Akira. “How ‘bout it?”

Akira remained silently observant as Ryuji’s face contorted and changed in seemingly deep thought as he took in the deluge of information Akira had dumped onto him. Admittedly, it really was a lot to take in all at once, nevermind the fact that they were still essentially strangers to one another, and Akira could hardly blame him for the uncertainty.

So when the cloud of confusion lifted from Ryuji’s eyes, and he turned words of gratitude instead of fear onto him, Akira felt the tension in his body melt away as relief poured in. “They weren’t going to leave us alone otherwise, so they didn’t really give me a choice.” Issuing this weak rebuttal at Ryuji’s mention of a debt, Akira brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck, though he knew he could hardly refuse such an earnest offer. Besides, the cutting vitriol in his statement regarding the type of people they’d just dealt with resonated with Akira’s own deep-seated, analogous feelings.

Something, perhaps in Ryuji’s words, or his voice, or the ardent resolve burning in his eyes… Regardless of what it was, something plucked on his heartstrings, pulling the corners of his mouth up into a grin that flashed his teeth as he extended his hand to grasp onto Ryuji’s outstretched one.

“Okay… Ryuji-kun. You can just call me Akira then, as well.” Just like that, he accepted the offer, and then turned to look around their surroundings. Honestly, with all the commotion, doubtless the cat they had turned their sights on had been spooked, and he wondered if it was even still around. “So the cat…” Mumbling this, he stepped closer to the dumpster the cat had hidden itself behind previously and peered into the gap between the dumpster and the wall. Sure enough, he could just make out the small, huddled form of a cat there. The same cat.

Akira poured some of the treats from his pouch into his hand, scattered them out in front of the cat’s nose. Then, while the cat was distracted with eating this food, he lifted it up by the scruff of its neck, before adjusting its position in his arms to a more comfortable one for the cat as he drew it near his chest. Stroking the soft head with two fingers, he turned back to Ryuji.

“Do you know anything about who it might belong to?”

[lovethatremains]

missing kitties || akira & akari

@jokerkakkoii​

It was honestly a miracle the three cats they owned were so lazy when it came to everything but food. They never left the yard, let alone the house, so she never had to worry about where they were and if they were safe. The neighbors on the other hand, had a wandering cat. Frequently, the cat would show up in the Kawamoto’s yard, even the house at times. Usually the owners didn’t worry too much, since he always came home.

He was never gone for more than a day, so she was surprised when she got a visit from said neighbor, asking if they’d seen the cat. Bewildered, she’d answered no, then asked what was going on. Apparently the cat had been spooked by a family member who’d brought their dog on a visit and took off. It had been a few days now, and the cat hadn’t returned, even though the family member left the next day. 

So that was how she and her sisters had ended up wandering the neighborhood, calling out for the cat. There hadn’t been any luck so far, and most people they’d asked hadn’t seen the cat. She sighed and readjusted Momo in her arms, the poor girl already getting tired. It’d be time for her to take a nap soon, which meant they’d have to postpone their search, unless Hina took her home and took care of it. 

Finally, however, she spotted a person they hadn’t spoken to yet. “Oh! Excuse me!” she called, raising her arm in an effort to try and get his attention. “I don’t mean to bother you, but have you by chance seen a big white cat around here anywhere? He’s..a bit strange looking for a cat. People mistake him for a big snowy owl at first glance, so his owners called him Fukurou..He hasn’t been home in a few days and we’re trying to help find him.”

[jokerkakkoii]

Surrounded by contented, purring cats, many of which showed their affection by rubbing up against his legs, Akira stood outside, not far from the cheap apartment he’d rented in the city. In his hands was a small bag, still bulging full with its contents, from which occasionally pulled a handful of cat treats to toss onto the ground at his feet. He restocked it as often as necessary, as feeding the cats in the area had become some kind of therapeutic hobby for him. He gave them food, and in return they offered their cute, furry companionship. He didn’t discriminate, so it was always a mix of both strays and people’s wandering pets that came over. He fed them all, broke up the occasional fight between them, and when possible even took a brush to their matted fur.

This had just become his usual routine, feeding the neighborhood cats like this, but he was shaken out of his complacency when a stranger called out to him suddenly. Looking up, he saw a brown-haired girl, carrying a child in her arms, fixing him with her earnest gaze with one arm raised. Of course, given that he spent his time like this with the neighborhood cats, it did make sense to approach him about someone’s missing pet.

“Hmmm.” Glancing down once more at the cats sprawling around him, he pocketed his treat bag for the time being before bending down and scooping a white cat that he thought matched that description into his arms. The cat meowed in response and hooked claws into his arm for some kind of foothold. Pain registered in his arm, but he remained nonplussed as he held the cat out for the girl. “Is this your cat?”

[jokerkakkoii]

ryujiskullkamoto​:

When Ryuji initially decided to try and do a good thing by reuniting someone with their pet, he hadn’t anticipated it being such an ordeal. Thugs, he could handle. Well, mentally, at least. He could understand the punches against his body. That was easy enough. Everything he had just witnessed? Absolutely nothing he’d ever experienced before could help him comprehend what had unfolded before his very eyes.

What was that big winged thing? There was blood all over this guy’s face, and then fire, and then the thug was coughing…. Ryuji’s head was too busy trying to wrap around this dark-haired guy’s deal to pay attention to the conversation between the thug and the student.

Whatever had transpired, it seemed… resolved now? The big thing with the wings and horns had vanished along with that weird golden glow and the man who was threatening them was alone and on the ground and scared. Ryuji couldn’t blame him, though, that thing was huge! And… kind of cool, honestly.

The guy who came to his aid turned to look at Ryuji, and he couldn’t really hold himself back. “Dude… what the hell was that?! How did you do that?! What did you even do?! Are you alright, man, there was blood everywhere, but now there’s not, but uh…” He slowed down in his rambling. He had one question at the front of his mind at the moment.

“Who are you?”

Relief washed over Akira as his gaze fixed on the blonde male. Thankfully, he looked to be unharmed, although it was clear from his wide-eyed gaze that the events which had unfolded before him had sparked due incredulity. It was to be expected, and truthfully, it wasn’t like Akira had been exactly itching to release his power like this. Regardless, it had turned out like this, but he’d not had much of a choice in the matter, and now he had a barrage of questions being flung at him.

This wasn’t very good for the quiet, unassuming front he’d been working so hard to keep as his primary image.

On the other hand, the awe he saw shimmering in those brown eyes as they gazed at him sent a thrill racing through his body.

Being backed into yet another corner like this, Akira could only give a nod of his head in acknowledgement of the other guy’s confusion before addressing his concerns.

“That was… the manifestation of the powers I received from my King. Its name is Arsène, and it fights with me wielding curse powers. As for me, my name is Akira Kurusu. I… don’t usually try to make things like this a habit. It was more like they didn’t leave much choice. Though it’d be nice if that guy follows through on his change.” He heaved a tired sigh as he said this and rubbed the back of his neck, before bringing his grey eyes to examine the blonde. “Are you okay?”

[shyalstroemeria]

Light in Starless Sky || Tenka & Akira

@jokerkakkoii

Afternoon naps were far from an uncommon occurrence for Tenka, so when her eyelids drooped and became heavy, she made no effort to combat her own sleepiness. She awoke with a small yawn, sitting up and rubbing her eyes in a carefree manner, still groggy from what had felt like an incredibly long nap. She was sure her long hair was just a bit out of place, but since she was home, it didn’t matter much, did it? As it had been the middle of the day, she was still in the oversized hoodie of the devil character she enjoyed so much, the pair of athletic shorts she was wearing peeking out from underneath the hoodie. 

Blinking a couple of times, she eventually came to the conclusion that she was not where she had believed she was. For one, her comfy bed was gone, replaced with a cold, hard ground. However, she still wasn’t in her room, or in any place that she recognized. The hall was spacious, but a few things stood out to her. For one, the entrance hall she was in was bathed in an eerie green hue, coming in from the windows. Was the sky that color as well? There was also a large staircase that seemed to lead up to…a giant clock? Despite the fact that it looked to be fairly dark outside (ignoring the fact that the sky was green), this area was very well lit. Perhaps the most interesting thing of all was the man wearing blue who shared the space with her. With his white hair and yellow eyes he certainly stood out, but even more so because of the outfit he wore. It was some kind of deep blue uniform that looked to be for an attendant of some kind, although she couldn’t tell what kind. Even so, the most odd thing about this stranger was…his movements.

The man in blue was moving in a strange manner. Although he mostly stayed in place, he made stiff and precise movements, swinging his arms around and clapping to an invisible rhythm. Was he…dancing? “Uu…w-where is- ah!”

Upon hearing her speak, the man clad in blue stopped his weird dance and offered a smile as he greeted her with a small bow. “Ah, I see that you two have awoken. It seems the ritual worked.” Although his voice was pleasant to listen to, Tenka couldn’t help but feel uneasy as her eyes darted beside her, only to see that there was someone else not far from where she was. So…it wasn’t just her? But it was some guy…she didn’t know if this made things better or worse. 

“U-um…you were dancing?” She asked timidly, only to flinch a bit as his own face lit up.

“So you noticed. My older sister told me that if I release my inner pathos in the form of dance, then I’d be able to convince guests such as yourselves to assist me.” He seemed rather proud of what he had called dancing, but Tenka couldn’t help but feel that this sister of his had lied to him. She once again flinched as he took a step towards the two, his hand placed over his chest. “Ah..I’ve failed to introduced myself. My name is Theodore, but please feel free to call me Theo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“U-um..” Before she could ask any more questions (or curl up into a ball and reject the situation all together), and man spoke again.

“This place that you have been summoned to is called Tartarus. I’ve summoned the two of you here to assist me in a specific task…that is, I’d like you to travel up the tower and defeat the beast that dwells at the very top. The tower is infested with monsters, but even so I believe that people such as yourselves will be able to best it.” As he spoke he moved again, this time taking steps towards the large staircase that she had seen before. 

The man gestured towards the clock at the top before continuing. “You’ll find the entrance up there. Each floor has a set of stairs…as well as an access point, such as this one.” He stepped away from the stairs, and then gestured to a strange device that seemed to glow green, more vividly than the green sky outside. “Please use the stairs to ascend, and the access point to return here. If you find yourselves injured, I will do my best to assist you so long as you meet me in this area.” Theodore seemed confident in his own ability, but something about the whole thing worried Tenka even more. So…he couldn’t help unless they found an access point? What if they got knocked out and ended up stranded somehow?

“There is…something I should warn you of. One of the monsters that roams in the tower is not like the others…I shall simply refer to it as ‘death’. If you hear the sound of chains rattling, I implore you to run to either the access point or the next floor.” After his spiel, Theodore looked at the two with hope in his eyes, firmly believing that he had summoned the right people to deal with this kind of threat. “If anything at all is concerning you, please let me know so I may ease your fears.”

Tenka in fact had many concerns about this task they had been given, but none of her worries about why she was chosen or why he wasn’t offering to send her home right now were able to leave her lips, because she immediately found herself unable to speak as hot tears streamed down her cheeks against her will. “B-but Tenka can’t do anything…” Her usual habit of putting herself down was about to come out in full force, whether she wanted to embarrass herself like this or not.

[jokerkakkoii]

The first thing Akira noticed in this room was the large staircase in the center, building up to the face of what looked to be a giant clock. Immediately, that strange and unfamiliar sight, combined with the eerie green light filtering in from the windows, sent the chill of fear crawling through his spine. Although it might be easy to write the whole thing off as a bad dream he was having, something in the room’s stagnant air and the very sturdy floor he found himself on imparted the certain disquieting sensation that, at least for the present, this was his reality.

As Akira drew himself to his feet, the next things to draw his attention were the other people present in the room with him. One was a girl whose full height came to around his chest, wearing some cute character hoodie and looking even more distressed than he felt. The other figure in the room was a man with short white hair and clad in a blue attendant uniform. After an awkward pause during which Akira and the girl both seemed to just stare at the man in blue, it was none other than the girl who shattered the silence by starting to voice the question that was on his mind as well.

…

He stayed quiet as the man, Theodore, went on to describe the tower of Tartarus and their role in being here. Basically, it seemed like the two of them had been specifically selected for the role of ascending the tower to slay some foul beast. That all seemed a little outlandish, honestly, but honestly, he didn’t doubt that his own abilities could live up to expectations. It seemed to be then, too, that the girl accompanying him must have had some extraordinary power as well… at least if Theodore’s words were to be believed. Although the self-defeating words spilling from her own mouth at the end, the tears leaking from those eyes brimming full of fear, and the trembling of her small body all lent to a different impression.

Regardless…

“Don’t worry.” Speaking these words softly, Akira placed a gloved hand on the girl’s shoulder. “We’ll be okay. One way or another, we’ll climb this tower and escape. You can always rely on me.”

Ultimately, there was no other option if they wanted to get out. Whether this was some crazy dream or reality, in the end, their goal right now was the simple goal of just reaching the top of the tower.

Besides, his thrill-seeking heart soared at such a perfect opportunity to draw out the full potential of his power.

His mouth pulled up and, with raw determination surging through his veins, he started towards that staircase.