Revenge So Sweet

"Phantom Thief of Hearts? And just what is that supposed to mean to us exactly? Come on man, stop dancing around the question!" Ryuji said as he gritted his teeth. He was really starting to get sick of this guy already.

Joker shrugged his shoulders and sighed with exasperation. 

"It means that I steal peoples hearts. It's exactly what I said. We aren't in your world; we are in the metaverse. The person who you called Kamoshida in the castle back there is merely a shadow of the real version who is in your reality." Joker said as he folded his wings back and retracted them into his body.

"Basically, what I'm saying is that this is a cognitive world. None of this is real, but it's a realm that's been created because of the human heart. And it is my job to steal those hearts." He said while he crouched down and petted the top of Morgana's head.

"Metaverse? Cognition? None of what you're saying is making any sense!" Ryuji said as he groaned and sat down on the ground in defeat. 

Morgana walked up to Ryuji and slapped him on the back of his head. "Of course a muscle head like you wouldn't be able to understand this! I can tell just from looking at you that you're not exactly the brightest." He said judgmentally. 

When Ryuji and Ann finally calmed down enough, the minute that they looked at Morgana, their pulses started to spike.

"What the hell is that thing supposed to be?! Some kind of monster cat?!" They said with their eyes wide open in shock.

Upon hearing this, Morgana's temper rose dramatically and he started hissing in annoyance. "I am NOT a cat! I may look like one, but I assure you that I am a human!" He said as he crossed his paws over his chest.

"I just lost my body, that's all… Or I think that's what happened. But to answer your question that this stubborn guy back there won't..." He said as he gestured towards his partner who looked uninterested in their conversation.

"My name's Morgana, and the emo looking guy over there is named Joker. And what might your names be?" He said with a friendly tone and smile.

Before they could even answer, Joker pulled out both of their student ID cards from his pocket which he had swiped from them earlier without them realizing. "No need for them to answer that. Their name's are Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki. Second year students who attend Shujin Academy. Both in classroom 1-D." 

After realizing that he had pick pocketed them, the two humans frantically searched their pockets, and sure enough, their ID cards really were gone. 

"What the hell?! Just when did you take those from us?!" Ryuji asked demandingly. 

Joker placed a finger underneath his chin and smiled innocently. 

"Around the time I picked you both up and jumped off of the roof. It was easy since you guys really aren't all that alert to your surroundings. Here, you can have them back now." He said as he held them out for them to take.

They watched him with cautious eyes to make sure that he didn't do anything suspicious, and after determining that it was safe, they reached out to grab their belongings from him.

When their fingers touched, Joker's eyes glazed over when he saw a small wound on Ryuji's wrist and he felt the blood in his veins start to run cold and his mind began to fog.

Before Ryuji could pull his hand back, Joker held a tight grip on his forearm and pulled him in closer and brought his wrist up to his nose so that he could take a deep sniff. 

The scent of Ryuji's blood flooded his nostrils and his pale cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he became enamored by the scent. "Fresh human blood… It's been such a long time." He said with his mind wandering.

"Let go! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ryuji blurted out as he tried to pull his arm away, but Joker made it clear that he wasn't going to let him go so easily.

Ryuji gasped when he noticed the black haired teenager's eyes start to glow an ominous shade of red. It was another tell tale sign that this guy really wasn't a human.

Joker looked at him with predatory eyes, and despite Morgana's cries to get him to stop, the cat creature was ignored. He ran his tongue slowly across Ryuji's wrist and allowed the taste of his blood to overtake his senses.

When he did this, Ryuji got a peak of Joker's long fangs that poked out from his upper lip. After seeing that, the student pushed Joker back who stumbled while he licked his lips hungrily.

Ryuji took a step back in fear with Ann lingering over his shoulder to make sure that he was okay. 

"What the hell are you? S-some kind of vampire?! It's the only thing I can think of to describe you! The bat wings, the red eyes… those fangs! Are you really a vampire?!" He said with his voice quivering despite its raised volume.

Joker chuckled and then smirked as he tried to think of a response back to him.

"Hmm, I guess that would be the most accurate way to describe what I am. It's from your human urban legends, right? A beast that takes human form but feasts on the blood of the living to survive. I've never really called myself a vampire, but if it helps you, I don't mind you calling me that." He said as he shrugged.

"Your blood had a very peculiar but familiar taste. Deep within you, I could sense the presence of a rebel soul on the verge of awakening. That Kamoshida man you referred to earlier, do you know him back in your world?" He asked inquisitively.

Ann raised a brow before she spoke. "Yeah. He's a teacher at our school. He's a bad man… He's hurt a lot of people, including myself and Ryuji here." 

Joker nodded his head as he listened and a grin was now plastered on his face. "So he did you both an injustice you would say? Tell me, do either of you want revenge?" He asked again with a curious tone.

"Well yeah of course we want to get back at him. Since it's obvious you were listening in on us when we were in the dungeon, you should know that that bastard got my leg broken. I retaliated, and that ultimately got my whole track team suspended." Ryuji said with a glare as he recalled the painful memories.

Ann's face became solemn as she recollected her own painful events with the PE teacher. "As for me, he started blackmailing me. At first, it was just small favors here and there. But then he brought my best friend into it. Said he would take her off the team and keep her from going to nationals if I didn't do what he wanted!" She said as she balled her fists up tightly.

That was the truth that Ryuji had been waiting to hear from her for so long now. He looked at her with sympathetic eyes and started to feel guilty. This whole time, he had her wrong. He thought she was just Kamoshida's booty call. But now, he realized that he was no different than the people who gossiped about him as well.

"I think I'm starting to understand the full picture here. You both are rebels, but the grip that society has on you is keeping you from unleashing your inner rage." Joker said with a serious look for once.

"I can help you; you know. To get your payback. And in exchange for me helping you, you can assist me on my mission." 

But just how the hell were they supposed to help him? They still didn't understand him fully when he said he was a Phantom Thief of Hearts. And they were just regular humans compared to him. They had no power at all.

"I can give you powers like mine." He said nonchalantly. But the minute those words left his mouth, a disgusted look crossed both of the humans faces.

"Powers like yours? No thanks, but I think we'll pass. We rather like being humans thank you very much!" Ann said as she shook her head violently.

Joker sighed and then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That's not what I meant… I can't make you like me, a vampire. There will never be someone else like me. What I was referring too was helping you unleash your inner rebel. Everyone has a rebellious soul, but sometimes it just takes a little nudge to make them come out." He said as he started to remove his mask.

"ARSENE!" He shouted, and once again that spiral of blue fire spouted from behind him. And from the fire came out his persona. 

"This is Arsene. He is the rebel that slumbers deep inside of me. He represents my truth, my rage, and my identity. And just like me, you both have a persona somewhere inside you too. With a power like this, you can make Kamoshida repent for his terrible ways." 

Ryuji's eyes were glistening with admiration when he saw the hulking monster. So he too had something that strong inside of him? For a while now, he always thought that he was too powerless to make a difference for anyone. But if he could obtain that power too, he could accomplish so much good with it like the hero he always wanted to be.

"I'm not going to lie… You drive a hard bargain mister Phantom Thief. But just how are you going to help us get our personas?" He asked curiously.

Joker smirked again and his eyes started glowing once more. 

"Now this is the part that I don't think either one of you will like. I have a special ability you see. When I drink the blood of others, I can take out the worst parts of themselves. Ideally, my preferences are peoples desires. But that's not the only thing I can suck out of them."

" I can take away any negative emotion. I can take away your fear, or your resentment and shame. Anything that makes you shackle down and reform to the normality's of life. Those shackles are the things that lock away a person's rebellious soul." He said as he licked his lips.

Ryuji gulped before he placed a hand over his neck. 

"So what your saying is, if we want that power, we need to let you suck our blood?!" He said with his face turning pale. He was never too big on needles, let alone a vampire's teeth!

"That's exactly what I'm saying. It's the fastest method other than just letting you overcome your own doubts, and who knows how long that will take." He said as he looked back at the castle.

"You don't need to give me an answer right now. I know that this is a lot to think about, but if you agree, then we both have something to benefit from this deal. You two get your revenge, and I get some extra help stealing that bastard's treasure." He said with his eyebrows furrowed.

Ann and Ryuji exchanged glances between each other. Was this really the best course of action? And could they really trust anything this guy said? But despite their doubts, neither one of them could deny that they wanted a taste of that sweet, sweet revenge.

"Just give us some time to think about it. Is there any way we can keep in contact with you once we make our decision?" Ryuji said as he stood up and walked over to Joker with a focused gaze.

"Don't worry about how to contact me. I'll be keeping a close eye on the both of you, trust me." He said with a playful grin that made them have an unsettling feeling. 

"Now then! To send you both back home!" Joker said as he took out a knife and cut into the air, making a portal for them to step through and enter back into reality.

"DUDE! WHAT?! YOU COULD HAVE PORTALED US HOME AT ANY TIME?!" Ryuji shouted while he stomped his foot.

Joker couldn't help but laugh and had to wipe a tear from his eye. "Sorry, sorry! I just couldn't help myself! It's true that I could have let you go home whenever, but the looks on your faces were just too priceless. You guys running in fear and being clueless… It brought me much needed entertainment."

"But it's not like I waited just to torment you guys. Wherever I make a portal in this world, one shows up in the same location as yours. If I had portaled you in the middle of the castle which I'm assuming is your school, then don't you think it would have looked weird to the other students passing by?" He said as he tried to hold back his laughter.

Joker did have a point. There would be way too many questions if he and Ann just appeared out of thin air. And they would have had no way to explain what happened without attracting any attention.

"Okay then, I guess we'll be seeing you. I don't know how you're going to keep an eye on us, but we won't be letting you wait too long for our answer. And thank you for saving us by the way." Ann said as she bowed out of respect to him.

Underneath Joker's mask, they were unable to see his face, but it started to turn red because of her sudden show of appreciation. He had never been thanked by anyone before, especially by a girl as pretty as she was.

"Don't mention it… I'm a pursuer of justice after all. I couldn't just let two innocent bystanders die because I refused to intervene." He said with a smug expression as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Ryuji rolled his eyes before stepping one foot through the portal. He could tell when a guy was crushing on Ann. He didn't even have to see his face to know that the guy was blushing.

"I hope we meet again soon…" Ryuji said before stepping through, and then helped Ann exit next before Joker closed the portal completely.

It has been about a week since that incident occurred, and neither one of them had tried talking about it to the other. They didn't know if what they had experienced was real or just a dream, but it felt real enough that they had been thinking about it nonstop.

Joker hadn't made an appearance since then even though he stated that he would be keeping a close eye on them. If he was watching them, then he must have been an expert thief like he claimed to be because they couldn't detect his presence at all. That's if he actually existed to begin with.

It was June 6th now and both Ryuji and Ann were on their commute to school. They had made it to the entrance to the school's main corridor at the same time, and even though they were standing next to each other, neither one of them could look the other in the eye.

They walked side by side as they approached their classroom and took their respective seats, which unluckily were right next to each other.

Ryuji groaned as he laid his head on his desk. 

He knew why he was having such a hard time talking to her. They used to be incredibly close back in middle school, but once they entered high school and those rumors about Ann started circulating, he became just like everyone else and ate it up like a meal on a silver platter.

He didn't question a single thing or even once tried to stand up and defend her. After what they went through, they should have grown closer since they had something to bond over, but he just couldn't get over his lingering feeling of guilt. And he couldn't even muster up the courage to apologize to her properly.

The first bell tolled, signaling the start of their homeroom lecture. Ryuji sat up and pretended to act like he was listening, but just like the misfit student he was, he started daydreaming instead.

Miss Kawakami, their homeroom teacher, entered the classroom and walked up to the podium.

"Good morning class. Before we start with today's lessons, I'd like to introduce a new student who will be joining us today." She said before she looked towards the door. "Come on in whenever you're ready."

The double sliding door opened up, and a familiar figure that Ann and Ryuji should be able to recognize walked in with stride.

He wore their school's signature uniform and had glasses that hid his eyes because of the reflection of the light on his lenses. He stepped up to the front of the classroom and bowed politely.

"Go on an introduce yourself to the rest of the class." Kawakami said as she stepped away to give him some more space.

He stood back up after bowing and smiled kindly. "My name is Ren Amamiya. I hope you all take good care of me, and I will make sure to do the same." 

After hearing that familiar voice, Ann looked up from scribbling in her notebook and finally caught a glimpse of his face. She gasped after immediately recognizing him, albeit he looked slightly different.

He wasn't wearing his tacky leather outfit, and the glasses were a new addition too. Not to mention his red eyes which she couldn't get out of her head were now a dark grey color. But there was no mistaking that he was the guy that they had met in the metaverse.

"Pssst! Ryuji…" She tried to say to him quietly to get his attention, but his head was still up in the clouds. 

"AHEM! RYUJI!" She said again before stomping on his foot, causing him to jolt in pain. "OW!" He exclaimed loudly.

After gaining his attention, Ann scowled at him before nodding her head towards the front of the classroom. He was confused as to what was so important that it made her stomp on his foot like that, but he still looked to where she was gesturing to.

He didn't catch on at first, but when the rusty gears in his brain started to turn, his reaction was immediate.

Ryuji abruptly stood up and slammed his hands down on his desk, causing everyone in the classroom to look at him. "NO WAY! IT'S YOU!" He blurted out in astonishment.

Ann sighed as she shook her head in disappointment. She should have known better then to expect that he could be subtle about this. 

Kawakami tilted her head to the side.

"You know him Sakamoto-kun? Well then I guess this will make his transition a lot easier. Since he's your friend, I think I'll go ahead and sit him near you. Amamiya-kun, why don't you go ahead and take the empty seat behind Takamaki-san by the window?" She told him with authority.

He obliged her and did what he was told and walked to his new assigned seat, and when he sat down, both Ann and Ryuji were giving him nervous glances.

But he just continued to smile innocently at them as he rested his chin on his hands. "I told you I would be keeping a close eye on you." And for a moment, his eyes flashed that ominous shade of red that sent a shiver up their spines.

Their school day proceeded as normally and soon it was lunchtime, which meant that they had about an hour of free time to themselves.

Ren sat at his desk as he neatly piled up all of his paperwork, and when he looked up from what he was doing, Ann and Ryuji were circling around him like vultures. 

"We need to have a talk, the three of us. Somewhere where we can be alone." Ryuji said with his arms crossed over his chest and a serious expression on his face.

The three of them exited the classroom and headed straight for the school's rooftop. It was the only place where they could find some solitude since no students were allowed to be up there, but it never stopped Ryuji from trespassing. It was the best place he could think of if he needed to have a one on one talk with someone.

"So, you're from our world after all? I thought you said your name was Joker. What else did you lie to us about?" He said accusingly with his trust stretching thin.

Ren pushed his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose before he opened up the piece of bread from its parchment that he had gotten for lunch and started eating it.

"I didn't lie. My name is Joker, but my alias is Ren Amamiya. I'm not from this world, but I can travel freely between yours and mine." He said as he took a large bite out of his bread.

"I have a base of operations here. During the day, I'm Ren most of the time unless I'm doing a heist in the metaverse. I knew how to find you when I obtained your information from the ID I took from you that last time we met." He said as he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in.

Ann sat in a chair beside him and leaned forward with her fingers laced together. "So this is what you meant by keeping a close eye on us? I wish you would have told us so that it wouldn't have been that much of a shock when we saw you."

Ren smirked before he took his glasses off of his face and allowed the true colors of his eyes to shine through, and when he smirked, the tip of his fang poked out from his lip.

He finally revealed to them his true colors instead of this façade that he was keeping up for appearances with the rest of the school body. 

"If I had told you, then I wouldn't have gotten to see those expressions of insightfulness again. I love your reactions when I give you a surprise!" He said with a chuckle.

"Man, fuck your surprises! I swear, if I wasn't so weary of you I would have kicked your ass by now!" Ryuji said as he ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

Ryuji took notice that he was eating bread and a question popped into his brain.

"Bread and not blood? I thought that was the only thing vampires could eat." He said curiously.

Ren finished off the rest of his meal before carelessly tossing his trash on the ground without a care in the world. Talk about being inconsiderate.

"Like I said before, I have never once called myself a vampire. Those stories you humans made up just so happened to be similar to my situation. That's like asking me why I'm not afraid of sunlight or holy crosses. You should learn how to not be so ignorant." He said as he rolled his eyes.

"But it's true that your human food doesn't exactly meet my criteria. It's not fueling for me at all and doesn't help with my energy levels. But it's still tasty and fun to eat!" He said with a toothy grin which showed off his long canines.

When seeing his inhuman features, Ann couldn't help but shutter and think about his previous offer. If they agreed to go along with his deal, then does that mean those teeth of his were going to puncture their bodies? The thought alone was terrifying.

Ren's aloof expression turned serious as he stood up and placed his hands in his pockets. "So about our deal, have either one of you thought about it? I've given you a week to think and that's as long as I'm willing to put this issue to the side. I desperately need to steal that treasure."

Ryuji stepped up and the two were practically bumping chests.

He never took anything serious, and even though he wasn't sure if what he went through was real or not, he actually did think about it. And he came to a conclusion.

"I don't know about her, but I'm game. I can't just sit by and let Kamoshida pick on the weak anymore! I can't let him continue to make victims of anyone else! So I've decided what I want to do… Bite me Joker and drink my blood. Just give me the power to put an end to his tyranny." Ryuji said all determined like.

Ren smiled from ear to ear as his eyes started to glow that deep shade of blood red. "You made the right choice, I'm happy to hear that!" He then glanced over at Ann who jumped when his eyes met hers.

"And what about you? Surely you're not going to let this opportunity pass you by either?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ann gulped and shut her eyes tightly. She was scared, and who wouldn't be? This was a situation no one would ever expect to find themselves in, making a deal with a vampire. But despite how fearful she was, all she could think about was how scared Shiho must have been every day with Kamoshida in a place where she can't protect her. 

"M-me too! I want your help too! I have someone very important to me, and even though I thought I was helping her, I really wasn't doing anything. All I did was make myself a victim too. So bite me Joker! And help me awaken the power of my persona!" She said with a light blush on her face.

Joker could feel his stomach start to growl at the prospect of him enjoying a meal from not just one, but two willing humans. "I'll make sure to be gentle with you both…" He said with drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

He quickly wiped it away before they noticed and smiled at them one more time. "From this point onward, we are a team! I hope we can all learn how to work together and get along!"