Marionette(My Strings Are Titanium, You Cannot Cut Them)

It was all going according to plan. Goro was back in Shido's favor. Before the time limit had run out, the Phantom Thieves tackled the problem with Medjed and won. He wasn't surprised. His faith in Akira...in Kurusu wasn't unfounded.

Goro sighed. He knew he'd made the right choice, cutting off contact with the man and deliberately going well out of his way to avoid him. He only hoped the Thief had forgotten him by now. There was no reason why he shouldn't have, Kurusu probably only thought of Goro when seeing interviews, a bit disappointed maybe but little else. It had been near a month, after all.

Much to his dismay, Goro couldn't say the same of himself. It didn't help that his jobs were both dealing with the Phantom Thieves. Even if they weren't, he doubted he'd have stopped spending near every moment thinking about Kurusu.

His nightmares only sealed his resolve. He'd gone running back to Kurusu once, and it wouldn't happen again. Goro was no stranger to disturbed sleep, visions of his past haunting him relentlessly. Recently, however, the focus had shifted to the future. To Kurusu's corpse only meters away from the barrel of his gun.

Worse things, too, Kurusu dying not by his hand but for him. In ways all too realistic to what Goro knew about him. He would suffer if it meant making what little was left of Kurusu's life a bit happier.

Shido had told him the basis for the rest of the plan to take out the Thieves. They would be convinced to target the CEO of Okumura Foods, a large benefactor who'd gotten too greedy. Goro had carried out many requests from that man in the past and held no sympathy for what would come after. He'd been ordered to kill him, and make it appear the Phantom Thieves' doing instead.

Afterward, Goro was to blackmail them into letting him join. He was expected to ascertain at least one of their identities beforehand, though he already had. The palace he was to force them to go through was that of Sae Niijima. He'd already known she had one, of course, but it was a struggle to maintain composure upon learning her descent was intentional. It made him sick, though every order he was given did.

Finally, at the end of it all, the leader would be captured and killed by Goro's hand. Meaning Akira Kurusu had only a few months left to live. Even if Goro disobeyed now, Shido would make sure both of them were killed. It didn't matter anymore what he did or what he wanted. Kurusu was a dead man walking.

Goro didn't have anything planned that day, so after cram school, he spent time reviewing case files. No doubt more interviews would pop up soon. It was exhausting, but what choice did he have?

His phone buzzed and Goro sighed. He missed the brief time of excitement whenever that happened, knowing it was most likely Kurusu.

Goro's stomach dropped when he saw the message. The chat ID read Alibaba, and he was well aware he hadn't given his number to anyone of the sort. Still, he'd had people he didn't know text him before. That wasn't what overtook him with terror.

"Hello, Goro Aoki."

No one should know that name. He hadn't used it since he was little, before it was changed to match that of his first foster family. He'd gone to great lengths to make sure no one could trace him back to his mother.

"Sorry if using that name scared you. I just needed your attention."

The next message read. This person didn't come off as overly hostile, but he didn't let that put him at ease. His suspicion only grew not knowing their intentions.

"What is it you want?"

Goro responded. He hoped that his chat log wouldn't be checked. If Shido found out his birth name, it could very well ruin everything.