Goro Akechi 「 ᴊᴜsᴛɪᴄᴇ 」 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fabrications) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
jida2018-03-29 11:06 pm
fabrications) wrote in jida2018-03-29 11:06 pm
ʙᴜᴛ ʙᴀʙʏ ɪ·ᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʟᴇғᴛ ʏᴏᴜ
A year ago, Akechi had died.
He hadn't actually died, of course, but he bets he's the only one who realizes that, even though he can barely remember the incident himself. He'd been shot, and then he'd shot the door controls, and then there'd been a rush of water, a lot of cold, a lot of dark, a lot of noise--
And then there he is, soaking wet, exhausted, and bleeding on the lawn of the Diet Building.
He's not sure how he manages to get himself to the hospital. He's not sure how he keeps enough of his wits about him to give a fake name, and definitely doesn't stop think about why Akira Kurusu is what he blurts out. He stays in the hospital for a while, intending to lay low for a while, and then he witnesses Shido's change of heart on the news. Something changes and all he can think about is leaving.
So he does. He asks a nurse for a sweater, claiming to be cold, and then he pulls it on over his bloodied uniform and walks right out the door. He rushes home without looking back, packs the few things that he needs and cares about without looking back, withdraws every last bit of cash from his bank account without looking back, and boards the first Shinkansen for Hokkaido without looking back. In the end he leaves with just his bike, some clothes, and a few hundred thousand years. When he finally makes his way to Sapporo he feels empty, yet strangely relieved.
He's Goro Akechi in official papers only, and even that's only until he can legally change his name. He starts to go by Ren Kurusu instead, continuing to ignore the questions of 'why that name?' He enrolls in the local university, rents a simple apartment, works various odd jobs even when he lands a more stable job at a secondhand store. He still solves crimes, still uses the Metaverse to investigate them, but he doesn't take the credit this time. People undergo changes of heart and confess their crimes, and the lingering impact of the Phantom Thieves gets the credit. Any other tips his has to offer to the police are made anonymously.
And just like that a whole year passes without any drama or interruption, until a suddenly a big one walks into that little secondhand store.
Not that Akechi notices at first. He hears the owner talking about something but doesn't really worry about it. He's too focused on backing through the storeroom door, two boxes stacked in his arms and obstructing his vision. The owner calls out a simple order to him - Oh, Kurusu-kun, just set those on the counter. - and he chirps back an affirmative, turning around and glimpsing the curly black hair and glasses without really seeing either of them before the boxes are blocking his view. The boxes are set down and steadied, and then 'Kurusu-kun' finally looks up.
"--Joker?"
He hadn't actually died, of course, but he bets he's the only one who realizes that, even though he can barely remember the incident himself. He'd been shot, and then he'd shot the door controls, and then there'd been a rush of water, a lot of cold, a lot of dark, a lot of noise--
And then there he is, soaking wet, exhausted, and bleeding on the lawn of the Diet Building.
He's not sure how he manages to get himself to the hospital. He's not sure how he keeps enough of his wits about him to give a fake name, and definitely doesn't stop think about why Akira Kurusu is what he blurts out. He stays in the hospital for a while, intending to lay low for a while, and then he witnesses Shido's change of heart on the news. Something changes and all he can think about is leaving.
So he does. He asks a nurse for a sweater, claiming to be cold, and then he pulls it on over his bloodied uniform and walks right out the door. He rushes home without looking back, packs the few things that he needs and cares about without looking back, withdraws every last bit of cash from his bank account without looking back, and boards the first Shinkansen for Hokkaido without looking back. In the end he leaves with just his bike, some clothes, and a few hundred thousand years. When he finally makes his way to Sapporo he feels empty, yet strangely relieved.
He's Goro Akechi in official papers only, and even that's only until he can legally change his name. He starts to go by Ren Kurusu instead, continuing to ignore the questions of 'why that name?' He enrolls in the local university, rents a simple apartment, works various odd jobs even when he lands a more stable job at a secondhand store. He still solves crimes, still uses the Metaverse to investigate them, but he doesn't take the credit this time. People undergo changes of heart and confess their crimes, and the lingering impact of the Phantom Thieves gets the credit. Any other tips his has to offer to the police are made anonymously.
And just like that a whole year passes without any drama or interruption, until a suddenly a big one walks into that little secondhand store.
Not that Akechi notices at first. He hears the owner talking about something but doesn't really worry about it. He's too focused on backing through the storeroom door, two boxes stacked in his arms and obstructing his vision. The owner calls out a simple order to him - Oh, Kurusu-kun, just set those on the counter. - and he chirps back an affirmative, turning around and glimpsing the curly black hair and glasses without really seeing either of them before the boxes are blocking his view. The boxes are set down and steadied, and then 'Kurusu-kun' finally looks up.
"--Joker?"