Persona BLEACHED 3: Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Thunderstruck
January 16, 2020
Ikebukuro. Tokyo's main entertainment center, home to a host of shopping areas. Typically where people would come to have fun.
In one high-rise apartment, it was anything but.
Seven-year old Kibō Ishimaru could feel something was wrong as soon as he walked in. An aunt had picked him up early from school, but wouldn't explain why. Now that he was home, his parents were nowhere to be seen. "Mom...? Dad...?"
At this point, he could hear the sounds of an argument coming from his father's office, the door tightly shut. He could make out his parents' voices, and recognized another voice as that of his father's brother. He sounded angriest of all. The boy put his ear against the door, and listened.
"Are you listening to me, Kabu?! Do you even understand the gravity of this?!" his uncle yelled.
"How can we not understand it?! It's our kid that's been locked up!" Kyoko yelled back.
"You shut your mouth! I didn't ask for your two cents!"
"For God's sake, Keita, could you not blame her for two seconds?!" Kabu griped.
"Extortion! Theft! Conspiracy to commit murder! You let this boorish thug raise your children and this is the result! Do you even understand what an embarrassment this is? Every one of our homes are plastered with reporters asking if we're some den of corruption! We warned you about letting this brute of a woman into the family, and now look what's happened!"
"You shut your mouth, you tub of shit! I love my kids! If Kyo picked this up from anybody, it was from you snobby pricks!" Kyoko yelled.
"You really did it now, Kabu. I'm considering having Kibō removed if nothing else for his future prospects. Clearly this is a poisonous swamp where nothing good comes. Maybe if he's lucky, he could share a cell with his brother--"
The next sound Kibō heard was of his uncle being punched and falling over.
"FUCK YOU!" Kyoko yelled.
Kibō could hear his mother storming towards the door, and moved out of the way before it burst open. A red-faced Kyoko slammed the door behind her. She glanced over to see Kibō standing there, frightened. Instantly, her fury gave way to tears. "Baby...come here, baby..." She knelt down and embraced Kibō.
"What happened, Mom? Why was Uncle mad at you?"
"Keebie...something really bad happened. Kyo did something...really bad. He...*sniff* he's gonna be going away for a long time...and your Dad's stupid family thinks it's my fault..." She rubbed his head. "I'm not a bad Mama, am I? I don't make you want to do bad things, do I?"
"No, Mom."
"Thank you, baby...you're such a good boy...you're gonna grow up and do so many good things...then those suit-wearing snobs can shut up and stop saying I'm a bad mom...oh...such a good boy...I won't let them ruin you or take you away from me...Mommy loves you so much, Keebie..."
"I'll do anything...to keep you safe..."
---
August 7, 2029
"....."
Kibō stared at the framed picture his mother had left in his room. "...I didn't want to do this. I believe, 100%, in my heart, that my mom wants what's best for me, and wants me to be successful in life. But...I also believe that it's gotten to be so all-consuming that it's become unhealthy. And I couldn't convince her that it was. So..."
Surrounding him in his dorm were the rest of the class.
"...here we are."
"I knew your Ma was super-attached to you, man, but breaking into your room...that's the definition of overboard." Max said.
"What is it you think is causing this escalation in her behavior?" Carrie asked.
"It all goes back to when my brother was arrested. My father's family always blamed her for his spiraling out of control. She always blamed them. She had a major blow-up with them where they threatened to seize custody of me. She responded the exact way you'd imagine. She punched my uncle square in the face. Dad dropped out of politics after that. Cut us out of the family entirely and moved us out of Ikebukuro. Mom was destroyed by what happened to Kyohei. I think she's afraid..."
"Afraid of what?" Natalia asked.
"Afraid that it might be her fault after all. And so she doubled down on doting on me. It's in her nature to be aggressive. Anyone she faced in the ring can attest to that. But when it comes to me, that extreme anger turns to equal amounts of affection. But it never got as bad as it is now until a few months ago."
"After your brother escaped from prison." Sakuya surmised.
"Thanks a ton, Kirby-chan." Kat mumbled.
"Guess it really brought out those bad thoughts again. On top of not knowing where your brother is right now." Barbara added.
"Even though he's a convicted felon, that's still her baby. I can't imagine anyone sleeping well not knowing where their baby is. Her brain must be buzzing like a bunch of hornets." Sahir said.
"Exactly why I have two favors to ask." Kibō began. "We can trek into Mom's cognition all we want, but as long as Kyohei's still out there, her mind will never be at ease. So..."
"Say no more, big man. Mission on two fronts it is. While a few of us'll go into your Ma's thoughts, everyone else'll be out there looking for your bro. That's it, right?" Kat asked.
"I know it'll be difficult. I have no clue where he could be right now. The app can't track someone down unless they're like us. But unless we find him, we'll be going through this again after a while. I have no words for my brother. But it's different for Mom. If finding him can break her out of this for good, then I've got no choice. So please. Help me help my mom." Kibō dictated.
"You know what the answer's gonna be, Keebie. We'll help your Mama out, and get your bro back in his cozy old jail cell. That'll be easy-peasy with the Queen of Navigation on the case, right?" Kat asked.
"Flattery, flattery." Carrie responded.
"Suppose all that leaves is dividing up the workload. Can't just have someone lying about like on a group project." Kenneth added.
"I dunno why you're staring me down like that." Sahir replied.
"Thanks, guys. This really would mean a lot. I know it's only the first week and we're right back into the thick of things, but..." Kibō said.
"Hey, as long as we don't spot any hand freaks in your Mama's world, I'm not complaining. We'll get this done after school tomorrow. Hopefully our wonderful gym instructor won't tire us all out before then. We'll get Madame Thunderbolt back home before you know it. Wouldn't want to mess with anyone's weekend plans or anything..." Kat cheekily looked over at Sakuya and Sahir, who both averted their eyes.
"We'll get Ms. Kyoko back to her old self, Keeb. Don't worry." Barbara assured, grabbing his arm. 
Kat put her arm on his shoulder. "We've been to Hell and back, my dude. You know we've got this. Don't lose your ahoge over this."
Kenneth raised an eyebrow as he observed.
"I...don't know if it can just disappear like that, but thanks. Let's all get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be hectic." Kibō responded.
Soon after, everyone had returned to their quarters. "You have nothing to fear, Kibō. We have solved far worse than this. Although, given the circumstances, it's understandable." Kenneth said.
"I know. I've never thought much about it, because she's the strongest person I know. But the kind of demons that she's holding...that's what I'm afraid of. All I want to do is help her..." Kibō gave the picture another look.
---
August 8, 2029
"Home sweet home." Kibō uttered.
The high-rise apartment building loomed over him. Kenneth, Max and Natalia accompanied him.
"You sure this is where he'd be hiding? How could he even get in?" Max asked.
"My parents still own the place. If he remembers the security code, he could get in no problem. I can't imagine my brother living on the street. If he's not here, then I'm all out of ideas."
"I just have one question..." Kenneth began.
"It's on the tenth floor. But there's an elevator. So no worrying about stairs." Kibō interrupted.
"Why even start asking? What modern building DOESN'T have an elevator?" Natalia asked.
"I'm covering my bases. There are a menagerie of sadists out there." Kenneth answered.
"Ugh. Well if we're having question time, I've got one, too. Why aren't you going with Kat and the others? I would've thought you'd want to keep trying to get through to your mom." Natalia asked.
"Some things are better off unseen. I've said and done everything that I could to get her to stop. And if Kyohei is up there, I'm letting him know just what his 'mistakes' have done. Mark my words." Kibō replied, and walked into the building.
Max shuddered. "Jeez. He's scary when he's serious."
"When isn't he serious?" Kenneth asked.
A few minutes later, the students were in front of the apartment. "Alright. Now if I can just..." Kibō pressed the keypad, but the door wouldn't unlock. "Strange...Dad said the code should still work."
"If your brother's here, maybe he changed the code?" Natalia suggested.
"This looks like a job for Captain Thunder." Electrical sparks began to come from Max's hands.
"Cool it. You short-circuit that keypad, my dad's gonna be the one paying for it. Let's leave it to the expert." Kibō stopped him, then pushed a communicator in his ear. "Amethyst, you get all that?"
"Three steps ahead of you, o noble knight. Appreciate you remembering the code name." Carrie answered. After a few seconds, the keypad read 'OPEN'. 
"Thanks for that." Kibō said.
"Next time, try to find me a suitable challenge."
"Sorry. Next time I'll have you break into the Diet Building. I'll keep you posted." Kibō hung up. "Let's move."
The four entered the apartment. Despite the family having moved out nine years prior, there were clear signs of life. The lights were on in the kitchen. On top of the living room table was a pizza box, the contents half-eaten. "Welp, unless they're making pizza now that never expires...someone's been living here. My guess is, they're here right now." Max said.
"Looks like you were right, Keeb. Someone's been here for a while. It's gotta be your brother." Natalia added.
"Or a crazed axe murderer who figured out the code. Either way we should be cautious." Kenneth said.
Suddenly, a noise from nearby. "Someone's stirring. Everyone hide!" Kibō ordered. The four ducked behind the furniture and kitchen counter.
The door next to Kabu's old office opened. Out stepped a young man with slicked-back brown hair, a scar on his left cheek, glasses, and a wrinkled white button-down shirt. "Nnh...did I hear the door just now? Probably just paranoid..." he grogged, clearly having been asleep until just now. He went over to the door, checking to make sure it was locked. "Hm. Just my imagination. Suppose I should put that pizza away..."
He turned around, and came face-to-face with Max. "'Scuse me sir, but do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, Guy Fieri?"
"GAH! How did you get in here?! That lock should've been foolproof--" The young man reached for the door, but the handle was stopped by an unseen force.
"Stay a while, won't you? It's rude to leave your guests alone." Kenneth said. Natalia's eyes glowed yellow as she held her hand out.
"Who are you people?! Wait...those abilities..." The young man's eyes widened. "Do you all have something to do with...Ringo Kubo?"
"Nothing except being her students." Max affirmed.
"Her...students..." The young man suddenly reeled in horror. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"
"Uh..." The students looked puzzled.
The man tried prying open the door, to no avail. "That woman and her ilk are my curse! I'm only where I am now because of her and her annoying friends! I curse the day I ever laid eyes on her or her sociopath brother! And now you do-gooders found me AGAIN?! What must I do to be rid of you?!"
"Calm down, skippy, she didn't send us!" Max said.
"Don't feed me that! Why else would you brats be here?!"
Kibō rose up from behind the counter, an intense look in his eyes. Those eyes stared daggers through the quivering man.
"You...Kibō?"
"Hello, Kyohei."
Kyohei quickly looked around the room. He put up a nervous half-smile. "Ahe...hehehehe..." He started to inch away from the door. Then, he bolted for the room he had just come from. Kibō quickly leapt over the counter, and tackled Kyohei to the ground.
"Where are you running, Kyohei? Where are you running?" Kibō repeated. Kyohei struggled to break free. Tiring quickly of this, Kibō gave his brother a single headbutt, and Kyohei blacked out.
A short while later, he awoke, sitting upright on the couch. An unseen force held him in place.
"Pineapple on your pizza...of course you're one of those people." Max walked around eating from the box.
"Hey...I was saving that for later!" Kyohei struggled to break free.
"Don't bother." Natalia ordered.
Kibō sat directly in front of Kyohei, continuing to stare him down.
"Well...you got Mother's intensity, at least. And her suplex." Kyohei uttered.
"I'm in no mood for catching up, brother. You're going to sit there, politely, and listen to what I'm going to tell you." Kibō rebutted.
"Can't we just skip to throwing me in jail again?"
Kibō's eyes glowed white, and an ephemeral figure manifested itself behind him, having the appearance of an armored man with red hair and beard, a cross-adorned shield in one hand and sword in the other, the latter of which was pointed at Kyohei's throat.
"I'd listen to him." Kenneth suggested.
The spirit disappeared. Kyohei was petrified.
"You ready to listen?" Kibō asked. 
Kyohei rapidly nodded his head.
"Good boy." Natalia joked.
Kibō maintained his intensity. "...you're not very happy with me right now, are you?" Kyohei asked.
"You make me sick." Kibō replied. "But it's not about me. This is about Mom."
"What does--"
"Did I say you could talk? Do you have any idea what you've done to us? To her? Why do you think we're not living here anymore? Why we have next to nothing to do with the rest of the family? Because of you. You made such an embarrassment for everyone that the family had to pick someone to blame. And they blamed Mom. She got so angry about it that she punched out Uncle Keita. Because he said it was her fault that you wound up in prison. And everyone else echoed it. Mom and Dad lost everything after that. And you know how clingy she would get with me? Amplify that times a hundred. She's so focused on proving that she's not a bad mother that she's broken into my dormroom to leave me things. She's in such a horrible place mentally now, all because of your bull."
"I...had no idea."
"How could you? You're locked up. Or at least you were. You run off, nowhere to be seen, because you just can't accept responsibility. And now Mom can barely sleep because she has no idea whether you're alive or not. Because despite everything you've put us through, she still loves you. And I can see it in her eyes, how much it's killing her, the thought that this is her fault. All you've done is cause her pain. You've done something I thought was impossible. You've broken the Invincible Thunderbolt. And all you had to do was not give a damn."
"....."
"Here's what's gonna happen, Kyohei. I'm waiting for the go-ahead from my friends that Mom is alright. After that, I'm dragging you over to her and you're gonna apologize to her for putting us all through Hell. And when I'm satisfied, we're throwing you back in your jail cell. Until then, we're just going to sit here and wait. Give you some time to think about your apology. So get comfortable. You won't be seeing this apartment ever again."
"...Ringo Kubo teaching my younger brother. The universe really does have a sense of humor." Kyohei shook his head.
---
"...I'm not going anywhere, Kabu. Just give me the week to make sure he's alright." Kyoko said over the phone.
"He's a strong boy, Kyoko. He's strong because you're strong. You don't have to worry so much. And you don't need to be in his room when he's not there. This isn't healthy." Kabu replied.
"He needs to remember how much his mama loves him...if he knows that, then there's no way he'll end up like--"
"Kyoko. Please stop doing that to yourself. No matter what my family says, what happened to Kyohei wasn't your fault. Kibō isn't the kind of boy that would do something terrible like that. This is so unlike you. If you keep this up, then Kibō's really going to--"
"He's really gonna resent me, is that it? So I'm just fucked one way or the other, huh?! You sound just like the rest of the snobby pricks!"
"Kyoko, that's not what I--"
"*click*"
Kabu scratched his head. "Damn it all."
Inside her hotel room, Kyoko slammed her phone onto the bed, and let out a huff. "So annoying...I need some tunes before I lose my mind!" She picked her phone back up, picked a song--"Calm Like a Bomb - Rage Against the Machine"--and let it blare as she laid face-down on the pillow in frustration.
Outside the hotel, Kat, along with Barbara, Sahir and Sakuya, hid from sight. "Righto, good to hear. We'll get Mama Bear patched up nice and quick. See ya in a bit." Kat hung up.
"That sounded encouraging." Sakuya said.
"They got him. He was holed up in their old apartment. Eating a pineapple pizza. Yeah." Kat answered.
"Um, ew." Barbara uttered.
"My old man had a saying, 'You want to put pineapple on your pizza, you gotta sing to it first'." Sahir added. 
"Sing to...the pizza? Or the pine--" Sakuya began, before Kat put a hand on her shoulder, gesturing to not say anything else.
"Let's get back to business. We've gotta get this taken care of pronto, before it starts getting late. Otherwise our pals are gonna be having a sleepover with a convicted felon." Kat dictated. "Didn't think helping out your future mother-in-law was how you'd be spending Week 1, huh Barbie?"
"H-hey, I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves there. Let's just focus on helping Ms. Kyoko out, and not...other things." Barbara skirted away the thought.
"If you insist. I think these two would agree on staying away from...other things." Sakuya and Sahir looked away. "Off to the Shadow Realm, then." Kat brought up an app on her phone, input a name and coordinates, and pressed. A circular portal opened. The youths stepped into it.
---
The Metaverse. An alternate reality within humanity's cognition, birthed from peoples' deepest, most hidden thoughts. This is the dwelling place of Shadows--beings that take on the appearance and attributes of a person's repressed thoughts and desires. Certain individuals who are able to subdue their Shadows, such as Rin's inner circle and her class, can manifest them as personal, supernatural abilities known as Personas.
Individuals whose cognition is especially distorted can manifest a pocket dimension within the Metaverse called a Palace, where their view of the world is contained. It was within one of these realms that the students appeared. All four were garbed in black hoodies, skirts for the girls and pants for Sahir. The lining of each was colored differently, and possessed personalized images on the back, and Roman numerals on the arms: pink for Kat, with her cat logo on the back, and the numeral XVIII; Barbara's was light blue, a lake on the back, and the numeral XVII; Sahir's was green, a flaming association football on the back, and the numeral XIX; and Sakuya's was dark pink, a magnolia on the back, and the numeral XIV.
"Still intact. Hoodsie really does the best work." Kat commented. "Hm? Hang on..." She looked down, and the four were standing ankle-deep in swampy water. "ANOTHER swamp?! Aw, man. I'm still washing the scent from the last one out of my boots."
"Lucky for us, the main joint isn't like this." Sahir pointed out the large structure. It had the same overall format as the hotel, but was constructed using pitch-black colored wood. The hotel's sign was replaced with the words "Ogre's Den", carved crudely into a piece of wood.
"Ogre? Is that how Ms. Kyoko sees herself, deep down?" Barbara questioned.
"If she harbors guilt over her son's crimes, perhaps she also questions her own aggression. Ishimaru-san also said his uncle once called their home a 'poisonous swamp where nothing good comes'." Sakuya replied.
"Guess that meeting really did stick with her. And if this is what the entrance looks like, then she's probably not gonna be too thrilled to see us." Sahir added.
"That's what the ghost powers are for, Kicks. Only one thing a wrestler's gonna answer to, anyway. Let's not keep her waiting." Kat said. The four entered the imposing building.
The inside of the hotel was lit by wall torches. And in the main lobby, was a giant, gold statue. The four recognized it instantly.
"A big ol' golden Keebie. Wonder if it's got realistic abs." Kat commented. "To answer what you're thinking, Barbie, no, I don't think it'll fit in our dormroom."
"Nyeeeeh..." Barbara muttered.
"What kinda noise is 'nyeeeeh'? And I didn't hear any denial in there." Sahir said. "You didn't hear any denial, did you, Sakuya?"
"..."
"Hello? Earth to Sakuya?"
"...why don't you have golden abs, Sahir-san?"
"Wait, what?! Maybe because I'm not a statue? And my abs aren't exactly bad, y'know!"
"All we're hearing is excuses, Kicks." Kat replied.
"Okay, I'm feeling kind of singled out right now, so can we please get back to the serious business? Like finding the one person in this big old hotel?"
"Already on it." Kat gave her headset a poke. "Calling all queens!"
A purple circle of light appeared on the ground, and from it, appeared a purple, crystalline figure. "Your ever-present navigator, at your service." Carrie said.
"Woah, is that you, Care? So this is your new trick, I'm guessing?" Barbara asked.
"That it is, my good diva. A functioning astral projection that allows me to serve everyone inside the Metaverse and out."
"It's fancy talk for her Steven Universe Crystal Gem cosplay." Kat said.
"I'm going to nod and pretend to know what any of that is." Carrie uttered.
"So can you tell us where Keeb's Ma is hiding?" Sahir asked.
"Quite easily. One moment, please." Carrie's eyes began to glow. A vision began passing through her mind. A floor number, and then a room number. Then, the sounds of weeping. Her eyes ceased glowing. 
"Well?" Sakuya asked.
"She's on the fourth floor. Room 421. I heard what sounded like weeping, so she might not be aggressive. Proceed with caution, regardless."
"That ought to shorten the search time a ton. We might even get out of here without a fight." Barbara said.
"There's an elevator at the end of that hallway, if you're like Kenneth and can't stand the idea of stairs." Carrie added.
"Can I marry you? Like, real talk." Kat asked.
"Oh, dearest Kitten, at least buy me flowers first." Carrie giggled. "My favorites are lilacs, by the way. For future reference."
"Figures it'd be something purple. I'll keep that in a safe spot in my noggin. Thanks a ton, Your Highness." Kat replied.
"Always happy to be of service." Carrie's projection dissipated.
Kat glanced over at the others. "You heard the lady. Fourth floor. Hopefully everything keeps going--"
A burst of shadow energy appeared in front of the hallway. The lone figure of Kyohei Ishimaru appeared from the smoke.
"--smooth. Of course." Kat grumbled.
"Enjoying your stay, lemmings?" asked 'Kyohei'.
"Isn't that Keeb's bro? How'd he get here?" Sahir asked.
"That isn't the real Kyohei Ishimaru. It's a cognitive entity formed by Ms. Kyoko's mind." Sakuya corrected.
"So what do you want? Are you the one making life difficult for Ms. Kyoko?" Barbara asked.
"Mother brought her torment on herself. Rage and aggression breed rage and aggression. It was natural that I would take the path I did. Though I'm not so prone to her crude proclivities. Such behavior is unbecoming of a future ruler of the free world. Really, it's no wonder the rest of the clan despised her." the shade dictated.
"That's your ma you're talking about, creep." Sahir chastised.
"The ogre birthed and reared me, true. But one must outgrow their nest sometime. Especially when it reeks of sweat."
"You're disgusting." Sakuya stated.
"I have to remind myself that you're not the real thing. I can't imagine someone being so disrespectful of their own mother in that way." Barbara added.
"So say the daughters of drunkards." the shade sneered.
"Like you have any room to talk. And how do you even--" Barbara began.
Sakuya's eyes glowed a dark pink, and behind her, the spirit of a woman wearing crimson armor and wielding a wodao sword appeared. "Care to repeat that statement?" she said, a tinge of anger in her voice.
"Think you have an advantage over me?" the shade cackled. "I govern this place! I have all the strength here! You could even say that I'm drunk with power--"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a beam of pink energy quickly shot through his head, between the eyes. The malicious shade dissipated soon after.
Kitty stood with her index finger outstretched. Behind her was a pitch-black spiritual woman wearing a two-piece hanbok tied with a pink belt, which bore the words "BRIGHT MOON" in black lettering. She wore a dark pair of headphones with a cat-ear design, similar to Kitty's own. She also had her hand outstretched, though it had morphed into a form resembling a gun. Kitty blew imaginary smoke from her fingertip. "Sorry, was I the only one tired of him mouthing off? My bad if I took your mark, Maggie. Myeongwol just came out by instinct."
Sakuya sighed. "No, it's...it's fine. It makes no difference."
"How did he even know what button to push?" Sahir asked.
"I told everyone about my mother's struggles. Ishimaru-san must have told his mother about it, and this world is working off of her perception. I assume likewise in regards to your father, Senpai."
"This was the last place I expected to hear about the old man. I'd prefer keeping it at that." Barbara said plainly.
"Ugh, this cognitive stuff is so far over my head...I'm getting a headache just thinking about it..." Sahir uttered.
"Before another headache shows up, let's go find Mama Keebie. And then we'll come back to the front desk, cuz their welcoming committee sucks." Kat stated.
After taking a ride on the elevator, the four arrived on the fourth floor. As they walked to the designated room, Barbara took notice of what appeared to be the sheath of a dagger strapped to Kat's right leg. The handle of the dagger was dark green, and shaped like the head and body of a snake. "So you're still keeping that knife around..."
"Hm? Oh, so you finally noticed. Yeah, I know it clashes with the everything else. But I didn't get it just for it to sit around collecting dust. Lin would be annoyed if she found out." Kat replied.
"And where is Big Sis Snake Queen, anyway? Haven't seen her since our...'field trip'." Sahir asked.
"Doing whatever she feels like, probably. Lin's gonna do what Lin wants to do. Not so much thieving anymore now that karma's finally come knocking."
"How are you going about explaining her changes? What happened to her isn't easily explained away." Sakuya questioned.
"Dark shades, 'cosmetic surgery', and never showing her backside. So basically what a thief does best. Lying." 
The group reached room 421, Kat using the moment to end the uncomfortable conversation. Just as Carrie had heard in her vision, the sounds of weeping emanated from behind the door. "And that, kids, would be where we need to be. Time for some therapy." Kat said.
"I'd keep a hand on that dagger just in case..." Sahir uttered.
They opened the door. Inside, rather than a hotel room, it was more akin to a dungeon, with the bed placed behind a set of bars. Sitting on the bed, hands covering her face, was Kyoko, though her appearance was vastly different, now possessing gray skin, torn clothing, and a pair of horn stubs.
"Excuse me, Ms. Kyoko?" Barbara asked.
Kyoko put her hands down, revealing yellow-colored eyes. "What do you runts want? Can't I have a little bit of peace?" She spoke with a distorted voice. "Huh? Wait...aren't you Keebie's friends? And you...you're Barbie."
"That's right, Ms. Kyoko. We came here to help you."
"You need to get out of here, angel. Nothing good comes from being near me. Good kids like you all don't need to be around a monster like me."
"C'mon, Mrs. I, you're being too hard on yourself. So there was one rotten egg in the nest. I'd say Keeb more than makes up for it." Sahir replied.
"My Keebie...it's only a matter of time before he ends up like Kyo...angry and losing everything because I was never fit to be a mom..."
"Keebie was the one that told us to come here. He's worried about you and doesn't want you blaming yourself anymore. He knows how much you love him. Hell, anyone who's around you for two seconds can see how much you love him. And he wouldn't be so happy to wear your merchandise around town if he wasn't proud to have a major badass for a mom. All he wants is for your mind to be in order. At least to where you're not breaking into his place." Kat explained.
"Oh, my baby...even after everything...after I failed Kyo...he's probably lying in a gutter somewhere..."
"Kibō-san has him, Ms. Kyoko." Sakuya interjected.
"What...?" 
"Keebie and the rest of our mates found him hiding out in your old apartment, eating some highly-questionable pizza. They're waiting for you to snap out of your funk. I know how easy it is to blame yourself when everything around you starts to get out of control, but that's just it. You can do everything right and something that's got nothing to do with you can just mess it all up. Keebie is a tough guy because of you, not in spite of you. So do you wanna keep moping around in some dusty hotel room, or do you want to go see your boys?" Kat questioned.
"I...what the hell am I doing?! I'm the Invincible Thunderbolt, dammit! I'm not gonna let a bunch of old snobs get in my head and tell me I'm a bad mom! They're the ones that ruined everything, not me!" the Shadow exclaimed. "Runts! Get me out of this joint! I'm done with the emo act! Take me to my boys!" The Shadow shortly after disappeared.
"Woah. Didn't even need to lift a finger. As to be expected from such an insightful beauty~." Sahir uttered. Sakuya promptly elbowed him. "Ow!"
The hotel began to shake. "There's our cue to leave. Kat?" Barbara said.
"One sec." Kat brought up the app, pressed a button, and a portal appeared. The four youths exited as the pocket realm collapsed.
---
"Look man, I'm just saying. A bit of bacon, okay. Anchovies? Not my thing but I don't judge too much. Pineapple with tomato sauce, though?" Max asked.
"Can you please talk about something other than my preferred pizza topping? I haven't even eaten pizza in close to a decade!" Kyohei griped, then glanced over at Kibō, who was still staring intently at him. "Are you counting the hairs on my head? Don't you need to go to the bathroom at all?"
"I kinda do." Natalia piped up.
"You go on. I'll hold him." Kenneth said.
A knock at the door. "Candy gram." Kat joked.
Kibō gestured for Kenneth to open the door. The rest of the group, along with Kyoko, were there. "Ta-daaaaaa." Kat chimed.
Kibō forcefully hoisted Kyohei to his feet. He presented his older brother to an increasingly emotional Kyoko. "Go on." Kibō ordered.
"H...hello, Mother." Kyohei muttered.
Kyoko wordlessly grasped Kyohei, punching him in the back out of frustration. "You unbelievable dummy...I've been driving myself crazy over you!"
"You got any response to that, Kyohei? Any at all?" Kibō questioned.
"...I'm...sorry, Mother. For putting you all through so much trouble. My current predicament has nothing to do with you. I spent all those years behind bars trying to determine whose fault it was. The Reaper, that damnable Tohru Kubo, my own hubris. But never once did I blame you or Father. My ambitions didn't fall apart because of one of your back-breaking hugs. Please don't concern yourself with me any longer. My fate is sealed." Kyohei said.
"I can't stop loving you, you idiot! Criminal or not, you're still my baby. That's why I've been going crazy worrying about you! Even if it meant you were in a jail cell, I'd take that over you being dead in an alley somewhere! Just...just turn yourself in, Kyo. Stop finding new ways to break your Mama's heart. Even I have my limits. Please." Kyoko pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I'm ready to go back now. Especially if it means Kibō won't be staring through me anymore."
"Hmph." Kibō grunted. 
"We're way ahead of you, genius. While we've been prepping this meeting, our ravishing navigator was busy letting the cops know you were here. Well, one cop in particular. Our old pal Officer Oda." Kat said.
Another knock at the door. "Housekeeping." said a voice with a Southern drawl.
"Oh, good. Him." Kyohei groaned.
Kat opened the door. Standing there was a man in an officer's uniform, messy brown hair and beard stubble, and a cowboy hat with the word "strength" engraved on it. This was Officer Shijugo Oda, nicknamed Jugo, the last member of Rin's inner circle from the Academy days. A year older than the rest of that group, he was known for his steadfast, infallible demeanor. "Evenin', kiddos. And oh, would ya look at what the cat dragged in."
"Oda. Of course. It could be worse. You could be that vulgar Kitsunezaru woman." Kyohei groaned.
"Partner, if it was Tenko wrangling you up, you wouldn't even make it to the jailhouse. You know how it works by now. Hands behind your back."
"Could you not do it in front of my mother, at least?"
"What's that? You givin' a damn about someone else? Shoot, next you'll be tellin' me you're gonna be goin' to Whoville to hand the folks their Christmas presents. But fine. Far be it from me to kick a man in front of his mama. Let's get you to the car."
Jugo took Kyohei by the arm. "I love you, Kyo. That's never gonna change, you hear me?!" Kyoko called out.
"I hear you, Mother. Give Father my regards. And Kibō? You look after them for me." Kyohei said.
"Tch. Like I need your permission." Kibō scoffed.
Jugo led Kyohei out of the building. Kyoko tearfully embraced Kibō. "Sorry for driving you crazy, Keebie. I didn't mean to--"
"It's fine, Mom. I'm glad everything's fine now. Are you okay to go home now?"
"Yeah, yeah. Tell your old man I'll be back by the A.M. I'll just need the extra night to get my head sorted. I'm okay now, for real. No more break-ins. Promise."
"I'll hold you to that. Thanks again, everyone. I seriously owe you all big-time."
"Not in the least, big man. Buuuuut, if it's a massage you're offering, I won't say no..." Kat replied.
The others groaned and shook their heads. "Can we go home now? I'd like to get just a little bit of sleep." Max said.
"Right there with you. Care lucked out in getting to work from her room. If only we could all see the future..." Barbara replied.
Everyone started to head for home. Taking the subway back, most took the opportunity to take a quick nap. "You did excellent today, Kat-san." Sakuya whispered.
"Eh, it was nothing. We've dealt with way, way worse." Kat replied, glancing through her phone.
"But you had a good handle on when to use your power and when to use your words. A good leadership quality if there ever was one. The Professor would be pleased to see it."
"Probs. But she'll have to settle for word-of-mouth."
The train's com system came on. "Now approaching, Naruki Station."
"That's our cue, everyone. Rise and shine. Our beds await." Kat said, as everyone else stirred awake. 
"What are you even glancing at, anyway?" Sakuya asked.
"Silly monkey videos. See?" Kat showed a video of a baby chimp picking through a woman's hair.
"Never change, Kat-san. Never change."
The group departed the train. A while later, everyone had returned to their quarters at the academy. "First dibs on the shower." Barbara said.
"Go ahead. Gotta catch up on my monkey vids." Kat replied as Barbara ducked into the bathroom.
Kat made sure she was safe to do so, and exited out of the video. The screen turned to the website for the Kubo clan's flower shop. In the cart was a single order: a bouquet of lilacs. She gave a slight giggle.