TW: Abuse and Suicide, if these affect you or these types of subjects are uncomfortable for you then please click away and check out some of my other stuff, if not then please enjoy
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It was hard being alone after everything that had happened; after getting let out of juvie, Lee Kurusu was told that he were being set free and sent back out to the country now that his probation was over. While he was glad that he didn't have to worry about incarceration anymore, the fact that he was back home was worse than the trumped up charges that got him kicked out in the first place. It didn't start off all at once but all the bad points piled on in increments very quickly.
First his parents who were more than willing to send him far away for being a "troublemaker" began to keep his cell phone under lock and key which meant that all the bonds he made in the past; his friends in The Phantom Thieves and anyone surrounding them were now cut off from him: "This is to keep an eye on you for your own good.".
The next part was no better; since he was now going into his Third Year of high school with a criminal record meant that things like part time jobs or a social life was not just dead but buried…no one was willing to talk to him, hire him or even look him in the eyes as they thought that his delinquency would rub off on them.
He could deal with everything if it was left at that, but unfortunately he lacked someone who could help him through these times: Morgana, where Sojiro thought taking care of Morgana would be good for keeping him focused while on probation, Lee's parents were almost outright disgusted by the fact that their son brought a "Filthy stray" home from Tokyo and tossed him out, the cat tried every time to come back but each time rewarded Lee with another punishment from his family…until one day; Morgana didn't show up at all.
"If I had known that this is what I was going to get after we beat Yaldabaoth then I would've taken the offer…No…even IF it would've made me feel better then this, it was still wrong…" Lee tried to justify to himself but as he pulled the covers over himself and curled into a ball; He realised it wasn't working and decided to go to the bathroom seeing as he couldn't sleep.
As Lee splashed some water on his face, he came to a sudden realisation; he had everything going for him back in Tokyo even outside of the Phantom Thieves; A good group of friends who stuck with him through thick and thin, steady jobs that kept his time busy and his wallet full, even though Shujin was not Japan's top school…He was still one of the top students around next to Makoto, but here and now there was nothing left for him around, no phone…no friends…no Mona…he lamented not spending more time with the people he met but he never got the chance…and now he never will, which lead to one final thought in his mind; "Then what's the point?"
The News Reports that night stated that a teenager was found slumped in a bathtub with a straight razor dropped on the tiled floor; most ordinary people would've been horrified that something like this had happened…but it seemed that even outside of the city, apathy followed Lee all the way back home until he was a broken mess.
However something unexpected happened, the gentle tinkling of a piano was heard followed by the clanking of a cell door being opened. Once Lee came to, he though he was dreaming; he was wearing that same monochromatic uniform that he became familiar with though this time there were no cuffs on him and standing at the empty desk was someone he remembered from his journey; the Attendant Lavenza seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he was awake however Lee could see the pain and hurt in her eyes…almost like she had watched a loved one perish.
"Trickster…it is so good to see you here once more." Lavenza said with that soft and polite tone reserved for him in their final moments as she set her clipboard on the vacant desk; "Although a part of me wished that…things could be different…to not have you confined to this deplorable fate."
"Different? Fate? What are you talking about?" Lee would ask her as he walked through the door of his cell and out into the light; "And why exactly are you still here? I thought that the Metaverse disappeared when w-" He started his questions but his mind flashed with images of a sneering long nosed man, a giant goblet and standing in the clouds amidst the dawning sky.
"Yes, Trickster…There….There is no easy way for me to say this but you have not come here by coincidence, your life was made forfeit by one last cheat." Lavenza solemnly explained to him as Lee was trying to understand how he got back here and more importantly, what happens now?
"Forfeit…you mean the Holy Grail did this?" Lee surmised as he could still feel the sting in his wrists, he looked down but saw that there was nothing there; "But I thought we destroyed it…we took back the treasure from Mementos and stopped everyone from being imprisoned…didn't we?" He asked, granted that the memory was hazy but he definitely remembered that Treasure given life.
"I think it would be best for me to explain things, Lavenza…and I believe you may have missed a step in your duties." a third voice broke the tense air around them as a long nosed man would appear at the desk; though unlike the visage in his dreams, Lee could see no malice or condescending glee in his eyes; "Welcome to the Velvet Room! It does not bode well that we meet here once more, but nonetheless you still remain our welcome guest here."
"Igor…" Lee said as the memories were starting to come back the more he stayed here; "You know why I'm here? Because I thought that I had fallen asleep."
"I see, well it does make sense after we pulled you back…" Igor would mention as he tapped his finger on the desk.
"You keep mentioning about me coming back and my fate being forfeit…but what exactly does it mean? I know I tried…to end it but if I can still appear here then maybe that means I'm still…" Lee questioned as he was more confused than anything.
"I'm afraid it is not that simple, you DID die." Igor explained gently; though it was still a very large bombshell to drop on Lee, "With my Master's help; we were able to pull your soul back from the afterlife for the briefest of moments so that we may talk…and to offer you another chance."
"Another…chance? But if I'm dead then what's left for me to do?" Lee was starting to feel sad once more as he realised "This was it"; But then that sadness turned to frustration as he suspected that this was another "Game" for him to play; "Haven't I suffered enough already?! I went through that glorified sippy cup's games and dealt with everyone hating me…but no! Even after all of that living hell that I was put through, no one could let me return home and start fresh?!" Lee was starting to break down as he realized he was trapped once more and now…there was no escape.
Igor remained quiet so Lee could vent himself but Lavenza was visibly wracked with guilt and sympathy for him; even now she felt like she failed.
Igor was not phased by Lee's outburst and decided to explain what he came here for. "It is a truly horrendous affair, Trickster but it is not without hope…As I have said; I brought you here to offer you a second chance and more specifically for you to obtain your TRUE freedom, as you deserve." Igor offered as he saw Lee calm down a little to hear him out, "I'm not quite sure how this was able to happen…when the Grail was destroyed, that should have been the end of the "game" but it wasn't." Igor explained.
"A second chance…you mean it's like I can just come back from the dead?" Lee would ask; the sudden thought of a Zombie Lee wandering Tokyo sent a shiver up his back.
"Not quite…you see; my master Philemon has a wide variety of powers at his disposal and he does hold sympathy for you once myself AND Lavenza pleaded your case for this to be allowed." Igor said with Lavenza going a bright pink at the attention brought to her; "While bringing you back to the world of the living may be difficult, one power that I can use and have done for previous Chosen was the ability to rewind mistakes…to undo what was once done." Igor explained.
"To rewind mistakes…" Lee was able to put two and two together; "So I can go back in time…and make things right?" he asked with a growing excitement.
"Indeed, though I must preface that this is not a flawless process, it is something you must be willing to do with no reservations…if you go back then you will be alive and well." Igor warned ominously; "But you will have to accept the toll that goes with it; you need to rekindle your former bonds, strengthen yourself along with your Persona and persevere through to the end so you can break the curse that was your undoing once and for all."
"So I have to repeat everything from the past year?" Lee summarised as he watched Igor's head nod; "I guess it's not a perfect fix but if I learned anything from what I've been through…then I know I can do it a second time!" Lee would say and made his traditional Joker pose, to Igor's befuddlement and Lavenza's soft giggling. "Wait…if I go back then does that mean that I'll forget everything I've done and learned?" He asked with a sudden realisation.
"That is something I cannot say, this kind of power has always been…unprecedented primarily due to the fact that it has been used in emergency situations…but it is as you say, "If you can do it once, then you can do it again.", am I correct?" Igor would ask as he then snapped his fingers as the top of his desk glowed briefly and suddenly a small key appeared on the desk in front of where Lee was standing;
"Your key from your previous journey…it has always been a tradition to give it to you at the beginning of your journey but I suppose this does qualify…One final warning: Myself and Lavenza will assist you as much as we can for this incursion but you must remember that you will be putting yourself back into HIS hands once more…Remember that Time is a river and not a road; even though this may be a rewound journey, it may not always lead down the same paths…do your best, stay vigilant and be on your guard."
"I promise to do this by the book, to make things right…and to be ready when the time comes." Lee would promise as he picked up the key, Igor smiled as it started to glow and a large ornate wooden door behind him began to glimmer.
"Trickster; Though you tread through the mud of evil once more, you will shine more brightly then any beacon…win this game, earn your freedom and be safe on your journey." Lavenza called out to him as he stuck his key into the locked door and twisted it; bathing him in a blinding light as he stepped through into the unknown.
It felt like he was being sucked through the universe's biggest vacuum cleaner as he fell through the world. Watching reels of his memories both happy and sad unfurl, the moment he first met Ryuji and Ann, Makoto confronting them on the roof…Akechi's betrayal in the interrogation room…it was hard for him to focus as the sound around him boomed like crashing waves and it felt like his head would split apart.
And then he woke up, sat on a seat in the subway with the bored sounding tannoy ringing through the station;
"AOYAMA ICHOME! THIS IS AOYAMA ICHOME!"
"It worked….I made it back…but how far back?" Lee would ask as he picked up his bag and stepped off of the train to re-enter a path he walked once before.