A/N: Please note that this story contains some minor spoilers for Persona 5. If you haven't played that game yet and wish to do so in blissful ignorance, turn away now. Otherwise, enjoy!
Life had certainly changed for Ann Takamaki since that rainy day in April, a chance encounter with a handsome transfer student with all those scary rumours surrounding him opening the door to a whole new world-- quite literally. As a founding member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, she’d witnessed all manner of wonders and horrors in their exploration of the paranormal Metaverse, helped punish the corrupt and gave courage to the despairing, proved herself in battle with Shadows of all forms and forged unbreakable bonds in the process. She’d even become comfortable wearing her rather provocative latex attire as Panther, a far cry from the embarrassment she’d felt when first Awakening to her Persona. Every time she and her teammates traversed the depths of Mementos or helped bring down another Palace, it was a genuine thrill, made all the sweeter knowing she was righting wrongs in the process.
Which made her current miserable situation all the more frustrating. Clammy hands, cold and uninviting as a fish’s underbelly, stroked her cheek through the form-fitting muzzle of red latex covering the lower half of her face, and she jerked away as far as her bonds would permit, blue eyes staring daggers at her captor from behind the red cat mask of Panther. “You truly are lovely,” crooned the yellow-eyed figure looming over her bound, curvaceous figure. “What say you and I hang out after this?”
Ann let the creak of the ropes answer for her, flexing helplessly against her restraints. In the swirling, ever-changing paranormal reaches of Mementos, all manner of strangeness could be found, generated by the unthinking desires of Tokyo’s collective unconsciousness, and the beautiful Phantom Thief had awoken from the ambush to find herself lying down on a great stone slab, like the ritual altar out of some cheap horror film. Rope secured her wrists and ankles, the excess lengths pulling her lithe body taut and giving her almost no slack to work her way free, hands clad in pink leather gloves unable to reach the knots. In the Metaverse, the black sweater and red tights she wore as Shujin Academy student and part-time model Ann Takamaki automatically transformed into the tight red latex catsuit and thigh-high leather boots of Panther, and she offered an angry growl into the matching gag as her captor drank in every inch of her, his gaze finally settling upon the cutout offering a glimpse of her pale, generous cleavage. “Seriously, you Western girls are always so beautiful.”
“Mmmmpppggh!” Ann cried, shuddering in disgust. Junichi Makomora, or rather his Shadow, was as vile as she expected. Like many of the Phantom Thieves’ targets, they’d learnt of him through the Phan-site: a con artist to manipulated Tokyo’s elderly into signing over their life’s savings to him, all for the sake of petty greed. He was exactly the sort of scum in need of the Phantom Thieves to change his heart, both to bring him to justice and keep his distorted desires from eventually metastasizing into a full-blown Palace. Of course, it hadn’t gone to plan; a sudden ambush by a strong pack of Shadows caught them unawares on their way to him. Ann remembered summoning Carmen to destroy a group threatening Ren, then a sharp blow to the back of her head had sent her into darkness, eventually waking up like this. Are the others all right? the thought struck her like a second such blow, and she craned her neck, glancing frantically about for the other Phantom Thieves and finding no sign of them.
“Oh, are you worried about your friends, my pretty?” the Shadow said mockingly. “They’re still running around this place trying to find you, and wearing themselves down on every other Shadow in the process. I wouldn’t worry. With excellent bait like yourself, they’ll come here eventually, and when they do…” The Shadow cackled, and all around her, Ann saw more Shadows begin to manifest, paranormal entities patterned on myths and stories from every culture emerging until a small army stood between her and the portal to this section of Mementos. “Then you’ll be mine to do with as I please!”
Not gonna happen, creep! Ann protested inwardly, platinum blonde pigtails waving about as she vigorously shook her head. A shuffle of movement ran through the ranks of the Shadows, each turning in unison towards the mouth of the portal, and Ann redoubled her struggles, all of her strength and will bent towards regaining freedom. I won’t let my friends suffer because of me! No matter what!