#doesthatsexy

             She mused quietly as they stood in the subway station;

☠

Was that her way of kicking up the group morale? On one hand while most would come to believe that, time and experience were on their side these recent days. From their rocky start up to the straits that border life and death, it was either get well adjusted or meet with an end horrendous enough that could throw them and their loved ones to a point of no return. They were a pair of souls too stubborn to allow such a fate to come to past. Shaken nerves had to be turned to steel and that any anxious bundles attempting to fester within their souls  must be shaken into thunder clouds.

Taking their perch upon the glorified palace that envisioned a certain director’s lust for global conquest, it already kicked up a sickened enough feeling in his gut. Seeing how surreal and bright it all was, from the blood tempered gold to the religious flare of it all made it seemed like this guy aimed to be new messiah coming into the world.

The very idea caused the blonde’s lips to twist in distaste. “And we’re going to need ever bit of that too. Y’see what this bastard here cooked up in his heart?” Skull motions, jutting thumb towards the tower like skyscraper being fed a steady supply of ‘worshippers’ by the second. One too many bodies that signaled a hell of a party was awaiting these thieves. If the prosecutor were to take closer noticed, surprisingly, settled on the thief’s face was a look of ease as he faces her.

He believed in those words of her’s wholeheartedly. Sae here was one of the few adults that tore from the depths and gave him something genuine to believe in, on the force of the no less!

Couple it with the fact this is a sister of a good friend of his and all the reasons are tucked into place for him to be protective of her.

”The finish line is right here. C’mon, let’s go and get you freed up from this asshole once n’ for all to close out this chapter!” While the greater good could come into play here for his motivations. For one such as this blonde? Things were much more simple from his perception of everything.

She couldn’t exactly say she was ready for this. Even at 100%, as Ryuji had suggested. She wasn’t even truly there. She was just collected enough to be able to fake it. As long as she didn’t let herself fall apart again. She wore gloves over her hands this time. Both an attempt to cover up bruises and cuts and to keep herself from curling her fingers too tightly.

She forced her breathing to stay even. She couldn’t back out of this. She just didn’t really know what to expect from Sae anymore. Regardless, she was anxious. Makoto stepped into the kitchen to find her sister there, waiting.

And to Lenore’s eternal shame, it took two full days for her to realize that the person she cared about the most had vanished without a trace. She had wanted something or someone to blame: the alcohol, her stream’s viewers who had way too much interest in drinking games, and even the five-year old for disappearing. It was that final attempt to blame someone other than herself that sobered her up. 

She truly failed her duty to the child who called her mom big sister.  

But beating herself up right now wasn’t going to get Lev home. 

Luckily, unlike her irresponsible self, the matron of the orphanage called the police on day one, but the police, as expected, had no new information to offer them. 

Typical useless police. As always, the only one she could rely upon was herself.

----

Her own investigation led her to the outskirts of Shibuya, a small abandoned warehouse slated for demolition. Triangulating Lev’s cellphone to this place involved calling in several favors from the circle of hackers she knew because there was no way she could crack the security on her own with the limited time she had. 

Greeting Lenore as she ducked under the holding gate was the noxious scent of human waste, making her gag and choke from behind her mask. Eyes blurry from tears, she saw several couches, a battered refrigerator, and other appliances haphazardly scattered through the main holding room. Only silence filled the air, occasionally broken by the random car passing through.

Pointing her flashlight onto the floor, she could see footprints large and small illuminated by the beam. The copper spots and lines on the ground made her blood run cold. 

Had Lev been here? Did they harm her? Was she even still alive?

Blood filled her mouth as she bit her knuckle, trying to calm her racing heart and erratic breathing. It wouldn’t do to pass out now. Lev needed her. As long as there’s no body - she wiped her eyes - there’s still hope. 

Taking several more minutes to take in the rest of the room, Lenore closed her eyes and muttered “Observe.” A translucent blue screen - an extension of her hallucinations - appeared when she opened her eyes.

The main holding room of a condemned warehouse. This warehouse was recently used to house people both young and old. Evidence of physical violence is present, and several bullet casings have been left on the floor. Corresponding holes can be seen in the ceiling of the building. 

Eight children were held captive in the corner room, and three men armed with at least two pistols were holding guard. An imprint made by a .38 Colt Detective Special can be seen on the table. A faint etching onto the side of the wooden table reads “Ichirou. Deal in 14 days to overseas. Moving to Yongen-jaya Lev” 

An eighteen-wheeler was used to transport the children; one body was being dragged, likely alive from the small amount of blood present. Multiple miscellaneous hairs are present on the floor.

A fingerprint from the user has been left on the underside of the gate near the handle. Two stray hairs from the user’s head have fallen onto the ground near the corner room.

---

Tracking the cell phones was useless; all the calls from the warehouse came from disposable phones. And with the easy answer gone, she could no longer afford to work alone. She needed help.

This was Lev. This was her baby sister who was going to be sold off somewhere with a whole bunch of kids in two weeks or less.  

And what’s worse was that she couldn’t trust the police. That .38 Colt Detective Special was a weapon solely used by police officers in the area, and if she alerted the wrong person, she could very well lose the only lead she had - the only lead Lev left behind.

Further increasing her suspicion that the police could not be trusted, there was news of a raid on a child slavery ring with several arrests made but there was no children found; that raid was probably why the kids were moved from the warehouse in Shibuya.

She needed more information without alerting the potential spy in the police’s midst. She was not dumb enough to believe she could save Lev from a bunch of armed men by herself. She needed someone who could be trusted and was connected to the case. And after a bit of questionable information gathering, she discovered that person - a Sae Niijima. 

Ring.

Ring.

Click. 

No time for pleasantries. 

“I have information about the child slavery ring that was on the news four days ago and a potential leak in your investigation team.”

Makoto walked home slowly. Her heart beat slowly in her seemingly empty chest as she traveled alone down the Shibuya streets. “So...it’s really happening, huh?” She spoke quietly to herself before her voice faded into thought. He’s really leaving.

Akira...The rebel, the leader, the best friend she’d ever had...the boy who stole her heart. He was going back to his hometown, and she had no idea when she’d see him again. Things had finally settled down in Tokyo though, and the world had the Phantom Thieves to thank for that. She should be proud of what they’d done, not swimming in sorrow. She wiped a tear from her eye. What would he say if he saw you like this after all we did? It’s not like she was going to be alone. She still had all the other Thieves, and Eiko, and...

Sae. We haven’t talked, I mean really talked, in so long... They had changed her heart, sort of, but could the two of them really get on like they used to? A chill went through her as she remembered her sister’s anger and cynicism in the Palace. She’s...different now though, right? She helped us in the end. 

Suddenly determined, Makoto sped up her pace. She wasn’t sure if she could repair her relationship with Sae, but the worst thing she could do was not try. After all, if everything went as planned, she’d soon be in law enforcement as well. Might even work pretty closely with her sister on some cases...Pushing the ifs and whens from her mind, she finally arrived at home. She unlocked the door, walked in, and called out: