#endofgame

Title: The Perfect Prison Author: Snow Tigra (Jessica Walsh) Fandom: Persona 5 Summary: A look into the mind of the mind of Masayoshi Shido toward the end of the game.  Spoilers for the final palace.

“It’s safe here.”

“We don’t need to know the details to survive.”

“This place is perfect.”

The air around him filled with the endless voices of the other inmates, the ball and chain around his ankle a heavy and comforting weight. A few moments ago he’d been in the hospital, but closing his eyes he was able to drown out the beeping machines and the sick heady feeling the drug they’d injected him with provided. He’d been so angry, knowing they’d spin everything he said. So upset that they’d made everyone forget his change of heart and covered it all up. But now, in this dark and cold place, none of that mattered anymore.

Masayoshi Shido. The great politician, now nothing more than a drugged and forgetting coma patient in the back of a far hospital wing. The country had successfully elected him after all his efforts and he’d had the perfect plan, only to have it crumble due to a handful of teenagers in masks and another handful of underlings who refused to know when to give up. To think he’d be so happy to forget all of that and just sit here now, in the darkness, listening to the comforting sound of people with no free will.

In fact, he could hear his own voice joining them. Had he been talking with them and agreeing this whole time? Probably. It really didn’t matter. This place was perfect.

“You’re pathetic.” This voice was different. Hauty and sharp, it cut through the comfort around him like a knife, slicing it’s own little path to just the right place. At first Shido refused to open his eyes, knowing who the voice belonged to, knowing it wasn’t worth answering.

“Pathetic and weak. To think you’d enjoy a place like this. Wallowing in your own shit as if it’s a palace. You don’t deserve to be happy, even if it’s all bullshit!” The voice grew louder, cracking in anger. “Get up you bastard! Look at me! I’m right here, you piece of shit! Look. At. Me. for once in your damn life!”

Shido opened his eyes, seeing no point in disagreeing. Standing in front of him, practically frothing at the mouth with anger, was Akechi. Ahh yes, his little bitter soldier, so eager to jump into other people’s minds and rip out their hearts. Of course he would be in this place, just like everyone else. Everyone eventually ended up here. But why was he so angry?

And why were the chains around his wrists and ankles attached to Shido’s, instead of their own thick lead ball. Did that mean something? Did it really matter?

“What the hell is wrong with you!?”

“There’s no reason to yell, you’re only going to wear yourself out. Just listen to them, all the voices. They’re truly happy here. If you stopped yelling, you’d hear it.”

Akechi yanked on the chain, enough to pull Shido a bit forward and out of his comfortable sitting position, the anger clear on his face as he laughed. “Happy? Don’t make me laugh! You’re delusional, they all are! This place, this prison? You want to stay in a place like this? It’s a cell, you’re not supposed to be happy here! You’re locked up! There’s no doors!”

Shido closed his eyes, concentrating on the other voices. “That doesn’t matter.” Doors and sky, windows and air, steering and commanding, none of that was important anymore or needed. Instead he was in a small cell where he could hold out his arms and touch either wall. Yes, this was the perfect space. This was the perfect sized kingdom, he just hadn’t seen it before-

Shido coughed as he was jerked out of his thoughts, the chain between them wrapped tightly around his wrist, making the skin redden and break. Before him, Akechi held the chain with a sick glint in his eyes and a devilish smirk on his face.

“Oh no, you don’t deserve this. Stop dozing off, you shit.” Akechi pulled at the chain again, twisting it tighter around his skin until Shido was hissing in annoyance and pain. “See? You don’t get to be happy here. Not now, not ever.” Akechi stepped forward and turned, kicking Shido hard enough in the side to send him sprawled across the floor in a jumble of limbs and chains, then stepped over and onto his hand, twisting his heel into already inflamed skin.

“You think this cell will be safe? Look around you bastard, it’s just us in here. No doors means no change, you’re stuck with me. And the best part? You’re too pathetic now to even consider fighting back!” Akechi twisted his foot more, little mad giggles passing his lips.

Normally Shido would have fought back. The old Shido would have grabbed this insolent child by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall for even looking at him in such a way. He would have commanded fear with his voice and the threat of further action, turning this child into a snivelling little mouse, just like everyone else. But here it didn’t matter. It didn’t even hurt. It was just another cold and comforting action, drowned out by the voices around him and the need to stay here, alone. With everyone else.

“Say something damn you! Answer me!” Akechi’s hands were shaking, enough to move the chains as he kicked at Shido. “No! Don’t you dare get comfortable! You aren’t allowed to get comfortable here! You don’t deserve it!” Akechi pulled at the chains again, but this time it wasn’t to hurt Shido, no, it was a feeble attempt to break their bonds apart. The thick metal held, not even phased as he screamed and pulled.

Shido, for his part, smiled. The boy would learn, or he’d be miserable until the end of time. It really didn’t matter anymore did it? Questions of who died where and why he was the only person with a cellmate attached to his own chains didn’t matter. The faint images of a grand yacht, another more obedient Akechi, a gun and those same teenagers really made no difference. Everything that had once existed and been such an important part of his world was just background noise, left to be forgotten in the darkness. Even the concrete felt chilly and comforting as he lay there, adding his voice to the others.

“None of it matters anymore. It’s safe here. This place is perfect.”

Endless voices, all drowning out his own thoughts and Akechi’s agonizing screams.