Persona 4 FYL

"It's so dark in there..." whispered Rise, unable to tear her gaze from the wide, vertical Rift.

Souji faintly registered the fact that none of his friends could look away from the massive crack in the TV World, and he was forced to exert considerable effort in diverting his own eyes from it.

"Should we... even be here?" asked Chie to no one in particular.

"What are you talking about?" said Yosuke, looking confused.

"Well, I meant that it makes me feel weird. Just standing right next to it... I don't know how to describe it. It's almost familiar somehow."

"I know what you mean," agreed Yukiko. "It's like I'm tired. Almost drained."

"Let's go."

Everyone turned to look at Souji as though he had only just arrived.

"You kiddin', man?" said Kanji a bit weakly. "We don't even know where this thing'll take us, ya know?"

"Would you rather stay here?" Souji replied calmly, and silence answered his question for him.

"But shouldn't we come up with a plan or something?" said Chie, looking worried.

"If you think you can, then be my guest." Souji folded his arms over his chest, looking thoughtful. "There isn't much else we can do at this point. For all we know, this could be the only way out of the TV World."

"But... there could be another way out."

"Huh?" Souji blinked, surprised to hear Naoto speak so meekly. "What are you talking about?"

"I-I mean..." Naoto looked away as all eyes fell upon her. "W-we could search for another television and leave that way, couldn't we?"

"But that's too risky! You know that!" said Yosuke firmly. "We have no idea where we'd come out! For all we know, we could end up in America, or Siberia! Take your pick!"

Naoto flushed slightly. "C-couldn't Teddie find--"

"I don't know where any of the other TVs come out! Remember?" said the bear in a regretful tone.

"Now that I think about it," muttered Kanji, more to himself than anyone else, "we can't go nowhere now, even if he could."

Souji turned around, shocked to find that the earth around them was crumbling away into the chasm they had crossed only moments ago. If they didn't go through the Rift, they would be forced to plummet into the chasm against their will.

"...The Rift is our only option," declared the silverette with finality.

"Then I'll just stay here," replied Naoto with equal stubbornness.

"No," said Souji firmly.

"I'll be fine." Naoto looked away from Souji, unwilling to face him. "I--"

"You're staying with us."

"But--"

"Enough, Naoto!"

The detective let out a strangled yelp as Souji raised his voice, composing herself by taking a sudden interest in her shoes.

"I've had enough of your dodging," said Souji, walking up to Naoto's side. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong," muttered Naoto without hesitation.

"You're lying."

Naoto winced at his observation. "It doesn't matter."

"You're scared of something. What exactly are you afraid of?"

"I'm not--" Naoto stuttered, shivering to herself. "I-- Ah--"

"You are. I can see it in your eyes."

"You don't know anything, Souji Seta," said Naoto darkly, still not looking at him. "None of you could possibly know."

"Then why don't you tell us?"

The silverette's continued stoicism proved abrasive to the young sleuth, and her temper began to rise. "I said it doesn't matter!"

"You matter to me. I've told you a thousand times..."

Naoto winced again, turning around so that she could stare into the bottomless chasm. "It's nothing. Seriously, I--"

"If it's nothing, then lets go inside," said Souji adamantly.

"I..." The detective shivered, her eyes shutting tightly.

“Naoto-kun,” Rise said softly, her eyes full of concern for her friend, “there's nothing to worry about! We're right here with you! It's not like you're alone or anything, you know?”

“I know, I know!” cried Naoto, her temper flaring. “It's just that... I don't know!” She stomped on the dusty ground, covering her face with her hands. “It's all so confusing!!”

“It's just like the old man said,” whispered Yosuke to Souji, his eyes full of concern.

“What do we do?” said Chie, her whispered voice almost squeaking with worry. “Naoto-kun can't fight like this! And we don't have any idea what might be through the Rift!”

“There are too many unknowns,” agreed Yukiko. “But we don't have any other choices left.”

“Does anyone really know what the future holds, though?” said Souji, loud enough for Naoto to hear him.

“You're talking about fear of the unknown, right Senpai?” said Kanji.

“So it's like a test of courage?” suggested Teddie. “Like the 'Mystery Food X' thing Yosuke kept talking about?”

“Hey! That was five years ago!” yelled Chie, blushing furiously. “Give it a rest, would you?!”

“There's no more time,” growled Souji, silencing everyone instantly. He extended his hand to Naoto, his eyes focused on her silver-blue irises. “Take my hand, Naoto.”

“No, I'm staying,” insisted Naoto. “It's f--”

“It's NOT fine!” yelled Souji, losing his temper completely. Naoto gasped again, looking the silverette right in the eye. “Look at yourself, Naoto! You braved being kidnapped, faced your true self, and stood up against two gods five years ago! What's so different now?!”

“I... I'm...” Naoto's eyes welled up with tears. “I'm scared, okay?! I'm scared to death!! Are you happy now?! Are you happy I admitted that I'm not perfect?!”

“No.” Souji placed both hands on Naoto's shoulders, and the detective shivered at his closeness to her. “I'm not happy. Now that you've admitted to your fear, you have to conquer it. Everyone else has, and--” The silverette blinked, the realization hitting him hard. “...This is your test.”

“Huh?” Naoto shook her head, disbelieving. “My... test?”

“Yes. Your test to overcome your fear.”

Naoto shivered in Souji's grip, her hat sliding down over her face as tears trailed down her dust-blotched cheeks. “S-stay... stay with me... please...”

Souji smiled. “For as long as you need me.” She still hasn't given me a straight answer... but I have a feeling I already know. I just need one piece of information... something that pulls everything together.

A loud crack sounded nearby, and a large chunk of clay separated next to where Naoto had stomped the ground, tumbling into the ravine of swirling black mist. The sleuth practically leaped into Souji's arms, clinging to him in terror as she watched the boulder fall into the darkness. For a brief instant, she wondered why she had been so frightened of the Rift to begin with.

“I... think it's time to go, Souji-kun!” squeaked Naoto, and Souji's smile widened a little, earning him “the look” from the shivering detective.

“I feel sort of stupid asking this,” sighed Chie, “but how should we go into this thing?”

Souji turned to Yosuke, looking thoughtful. “You have any suggestions, Ideas Man?”

Yosuke pondered the situation for a brief moment, then snapped his fingers in inspiration. “Let's hold hands.”

Chie looked as though she'd like nothing better than to smack the brunette. “This isn't the time for flirting, Yosuke!!”

“Oh!” gasped Yukiko, catching on. “If we hold hands, it means we'll all stick together if something happens! Good idea, Yosuke-kun!”

Rise suddenly removed her sweater, cutting strips from the fabric with one of her chakrams. “If we tie our wrists together, it should give us some extra help, too!”

Naoto watched everyone in silence, her eyes moving to Kanji as he assisted Rise with cutting the fabric, Yukiko removing her own sweater to add to the pool of fabric. She noticed Chie looking disappointed, and deduced that her jacket would have been ideal for such a precaution. Teddie moved swiftly to give Chie a quick hug, and the girl smiled and returned it with equal affection, glad that someone noticed her. For the first time in years, Naoto felt the pain of her loneliness... and leaned closer to Souji, who kissed her cheek, causing her to flush hotly.

“We're all here, Naoto,” said Souji reassuringly. “We won't let anything happen to you.”

“I know, Souji-kun. It's just that I...” Naoto hesitated again, unable to continue with what she wanted to say... what she needed to say.

“You don't have to do everything alone. Okay?”

Naoto only nodded silently as she felt Souji's hands tie her wrist to his, her other wrist taken in Rise's gentle hands. Souji's other hand was quickly fastened to Teddie's wrist, and soon everyone was together in a straight line, Kanji and Yosuke on the ends, the only ones without two hands to hold.

“Okay, everyone,” said Yosuke firmly. “Jump into it on three!”

“Uh...” Teddie said, looking confused. “One-two-three? Or one-two-three-go?”

Yosuke smacked his forehead with his free hand. “On. Three. Stupid bear...”

“Okay, okay!” said Teddie impatiently. “Geez, you don't have to maul me about it!”

“Yosuke mauling a bear?” Yukiko considered, doing her best to hold in a stray giggle.

“One!” called Souji, forcing everyone back into seriousness.

“Two!” yelled Chie, poised to jump into the Rift.

“Three!” finished Yosuke, and the group leaped into the shadowy blackness of the Rift. They felt their hands, firmly clasped together, begin to be pulled roughly apart, but their pre-planning proved effective, the darkness swallowing them whole.



“OW!”

“Hey! Get off!”

“Yosuke! That's my leg!”

Souji winced as he rose to his feet, the ground beneath him quite stable. Unfastening the ties upon his wrists, the silverette looked around their new location. There was no evidence of how they had arrived within the room they currently occupied, but he could tell that the house was quite old. The wooden walls were lined with paintings and assorted antiques, and shelves of books filled the rest of the gaps. A desk sat in the corner, dusty and untouched.

“Where are we?” asked Kanji in curiosity as he stood, his eyes wide. “It looks like a museum or somethin'.”

“A study,” deduced Souji out loud as everyone else stood up, checking themselves for injuries.

“It's so dark,” Chie remarked, scratching her head. “Even outside, too.”

“I found a light switch,” called Yosuke near the door to the room. “Huh? Damn, the power's out... or this isn't a place that gets electricity.”

“This place is so creepy...” said Yukiko nervously. “Maybe we should find a way out of here.”

“...It's this way.”

Souji turned to Naoto, worry creeping into his heart. Her voice sounded dead, almost numb. “What's wrong?”

“Wow, Nao-chan!” Teddie said, smiling brightly. “It's like you know this pl--”

“Shut up! Just SHUT UP!” Naoto screamed abruptly, causing the bear to step back in shock and alarm. “Don't call me that! Don't you EVER call me that again!! Do you hear me?!”

Teddie whimpered, his blue eyes shining with tears. “...Huh? Wha... what did I say?”

“Naoto-kun! How could you?!” berated Rise, giving Teddie a firm hug of comfort.

Naoto's face was stony as she opened the door, walking slowly into the hallway. “...This way.”

“Hey!” Rise cried, offended. “Don't ignore me like that!”

“It's okay, Rise-chan,” said Teddie softly, looking at Naoto as she moved behind the wall. “She... changed when she saw this place. It's connected to her somehow.”

“Yeah, let it go,” agreed Souji, moving to follow Naoto out. “She didn't mean anything by it, but keep an eye on her all the same.”

“This really bothers me,” said Yukiko, truly worried. “How does Naoto-kun know the way?”

“I have a hunch,” murmured Souji as he exited the room. His suspicions were becoming more solid by the minute.

Everyone hurried down the hallway and out the large front door, and the group blinked in confusion as they noticed that the outside was just as dark as the inside. No moon, no street lamps, no vehicle lights, no interior house lights glowed anywhere. Souji became increasingly uneasy as he realized that they had arrived in a small town... a very familiar small town.

There was only one last thing Souji needed to confirm their present location. He moved wordlessly to the mailbox near the gateway in the fence.

“Naoto, I need your pen-light.”

“H-huh?” Naoto blinked dully, but complied, fumbling for the tool with numb fingertips.

Souji grasped it and pushed the top, turning the lamp on and shining the bright light against the side of the mailbox, reading the Japanese characters etched upon it.

“...Shirogane Estate,” Souji read aloud, frowning as he turned off the pen-light and slipped it into his pocket. “I knew it.”

“Dude, no way!” yelled Yosuke, running over to confirm the information. “This has gotta be a joke, right?!”

“Yeah!” agreed Chie, shaking her head in denial. “Why would the Rift lead to Naoto-kun's house?!” She gasped as an idea struck her. “Oh! Maybe we're still in the TV World?”

“I dunno,” said Kanji doubtfully. “This place feels different.”

“What do you mean, Kanji-kun?” asked Yukiko, genuinely interested.

“It's too familiar to me,” explained Kanji. “Like... too real, you know what I'm sayin'?”

“But I can still summon Himiko!” cried Rise, looking as confused as everyone else. “Our Personas still work, so this has to be the TV World, right?”

Souji leaped in surprise as he heard a familiar beep go off in his pants pocket. Reaching inside, he withdrew his cellphone, feeling his stomach churn as his eyes fells on counts of thirty-eight missed calls and twenty-two new voicemails. Discreetly returning the device to his pocket, Souji turned to Teddie, who was sniffing the air, the bear's usual response to the need of finding one's way when lost.

“This isn't your home, is it, Teddie?” said Souji, already knowing the answer.

“Not at all, Sensei,” replied Teddie, looking grim. “But it doesn't smell like your world, either. Something's not ri--”

“Hey! Where the hell have you all been?!”

Everyone whirled around toward the fence, and Chie shrieked in panic as she recognized the voice, and face, of Detective Ryotaro Dojima, the stern man standing at the front gate and throwing it open in his anger.

“What's the big idea, Satonaka?!” yelled Dojima, glaring at her fiercely. “No word at all from any of you for two whole days! Do you know how worried your parents have been?! How worried Nanako and I have been?!”

“What?! Two days?!” Yukiko cried in shock. “But we weren't even away that long! It had to have been five or six hours at the most!”

“I'm so sorry, Dojima-san!” said Chie, bowing low. “Something came up, and we had to--”

“It doesn't matter now,” growled Dojima, looking down the road. “We have more important things to worry about at the moment, and we need every able person we can get.”

Souji followed his uncle's gaze, and his eyes widened in panic as he noticed a familiar tear in the sky that crackled with purple energy that split apart a very familiar-looking hill.

“Dammit!” Kanji cursed loudly, his fist hitting the stone fence. “I thought we left that freakin' Rift behind us!”

“That's where Yasogami High School should be!” interjected Yosuke, staring at the new Rift with a stupefied expression. “What the hell's going on here?!”

“That's what I'd like to know!” hollered Dojima, forcing the others into an uncomfortable silence. “You all know something, and one of you had better start talking, or so help me, I'll--”

“Oh, NO!! Sensei, they're coming! A lot of them! There's too many for us to--”

“Calm down, Teddie!” yelled Souji, running up to the bear and holding onto his shoulders. “What's-- ….No! You're kidding!”

“Shadows, Sensei! Shadows!!”

They were on top of them before they knew what happened. Winged raven-like Shadows carrying flaming lanterns flew over the roof of the Shirogane Estate and dive-bombed the group, forcing them to fall prone onto the ground. Dojima leaped to the side, shock and horror on his face at the appearance of the strange creatures.

“Dammit!” cursed Yosuke, looking up at the flock of Shadows in frustration. “There's a lot more than twenty! We can't beat them all, and if we used our Personas, we'd be the perfect targets!”

“D-daddy?! Big bro?!”

Souji felt time stop as he recognized the voice that rang in his ears. Looking out across the street over the fence, he saw Nanako staring at him in pained horror.

But the Shadows heard her too.

The flock switched their focus to the defenseless twelve-year-old girl, moving in a large mass toward her.

“No! Nanako, run!” yelled Souji, forgetting everything else. Fear consumed him, and he knew he'd never summon Izanagi in time to save her. “Get out of here! Run away now!!”

Nanako didn't move. Her face remained slightly surprised by the huge oncoming group of Shadows flying right at her.

Souji heard the muffled yells of the others, even his uncle screaming Nanako's name.

It was too late.

Then Nanako smiled, her hair falling down over her eyes.

“Per... so...”

Souji felt his heart skip a beat. It can't be---!!

“...na...”

The girl's grin widened into an almost demented leer, her hand extended to grasp a glowing blue card that had materialized out of thin air. The piece of paper burst into bright blue flames, illuminating the cityscape around them, and a shining woman emerged from nothingness behind Nanako. She was dressed in a flowing kimono of pinks and crimsons, and carried a regal quality about her. A long golden staff rested in her hands, and her solid blue eyes flashed with the energy of the Justice Arcana.

Lifting the staff, an explosive energy radiated from it, and the deep, womanly voice of the Persona carried so that all present could hear it.

“I am thou... and thou art I. I am Tatsuhime, the ancestral Guardian Spirit of Inaba.”

Just like the Shrine, thought Souji to himself as the thick gathering of Shadows disintegrated by a tremendous blast of Almighty energy, a shimmering cloud of blue sparks the only trace left of them. The royal Persona gave a respectful bow to all present, and vanished as quickly as she had appeared.

“...Nanako?” Dojima said, his eyes wide in complete shock. “What... what did you do..?

Nanako rushed over to her father, dropping next to him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. “Daddy, I'm sorry! I... I followed you because I was worried, and... when I saw those things going after you, I...” She sniffled, trying to hold back tears. “I wanted to protect you, Daddy! I didn't know what to do, but... then it called to me. My Persona called to me, so I... I answered.”

“Persona?” Dojima blinked, confused, but visibly relieved. “It... Hell, what am I saying?” He held Nanako tightly, returning her embrace. “Thank you, Nanako. You really saved my life just now. I.. don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't been here.”

Nanako giggled, looking quite pleased with herself.

“I definitely didn't see that coming,” grinned Yosuke as he rose to his feet, proceeding to help Chie to hers.

“I don't think any of us did, Yosuke-kun,” said Rise seriously. “But now what do we do? If we stay here, more Shadows will come after us.”

“And where'd they all come from, anyway?” asked Kanji, rubbing his shoulder. He had hit the stone fence awkwardly when he had dived. “I don't think they all just popped up outta thin air.”

“Dojima-san,” said Chie, moving next to her superior and helping him up along with Nanako, “maybe you and Nanako-chan should go back home. We can take care of things here, and Nanako-chan can protect you from the Shadows if they come after you.”

“Daddy, didn't everyone evacuate to Junes?” said Nanako. “I want to go guard the entrance and protect them!”

“That's... a very good idea, Nanako,” said Dojima, gazing proudly down at his daughter. “We can go gather up any stragglers while we're at it.”

“Leave it to me, Chie-chan!” said Nanako reassuringly. “You all be careful, too. Especially you, Big Bro. Naoto-kun would never forgive you if--” She blinked, looking around in worry. “Hey, where is Naoto-kun?”

“...I'm here,” said the sleuth, leaning against one of the trees, her eyes averted. “I'm... fine. Just fine.”

Souji kept his gaze on Naoto as he turned, and he saw her blank face turn pained and stricken. Turning back to Nanako as though he had noticed nothing, he moved forward and gave her a strong hug. “I'll be fine. I promise.”

Nanako grinned, and Dojima patted Souji firmly on the back.

“Hey... in case something happens to us, I want you to know I've always been proud of you.” He turned to the rest of the group, his eyes lingering on Naoto for a few second. “All of you. Heh, even you, Satonaka.”

“I'll take that as a complement!” grinned Chie, and Dojima smiled back.

“Oh, one last thing...” Dojima reached into his pocket and handed Souji a folded newspaper page. “My detective's intuition went wild before I left the house, and I... took this with me. Something tells me you need to see this...” The detective's gaze moved back to Naoto, and pity flooded his eyes. “And from the looks of things, it seems I was right.”

“Thanks, uncle. See you two soon.”

Souji watched his uncle and cousin move quickly down the hill toward Junes for a few moments, and then looked down at the folded article, his curiosity growing by the second. Uncle's instincts are usually spot-on. I wonder what he...

The silverette retrieved the penlight from his pocket and turned it on, shining the light upon the newspaper scrap. Almost instantly, he felt a numbness spread through his entire body as he read short portions of the article, the sentences barely registering in his brain.

'...a kind and virtuous man, skilled in his craft...'

“Okay, I think we need to regroup here. I--... Partner?” Souji heard Yosuke speaking, yet didn't. “What's up, Souji?”

'...admired by all, a true genius of the profession. Money did not matter as long as he was able to help those in need with his prowess...'

“Hey, Senpai!” Souji thought he felt Kanji move closer to him. “Whatcha lookin' at? Is it somethin' impor--”

'...killed during his last case. The Inaba community will miss him dearly, and our deepest condolences are extended to his next of kin, his granddaughter Naoto.'

“Oh, God!” Souji thought he heard Rise shout. “No! NO!!”

“You mean... he's...” Yukiko may have choked on her words, unable to speak.

“This... this isn't right!” Souji could have heard pain in Chie's voice, but just barely. “It's.. not true, is it?!”

Souji couldn't feel the tears falling down his cheeks, his eyes misting enough that all he could see with any clarity was the title of the article and the colored picture of a kind, gentle old man wearing spectacles. Even his eyes were clear through the haze, looking back at the silverette with a very familiar shade of silver-blue.

Why...? Why didn't you...

'Misanori Shirogane: Born March 16th, 1934. Died October 6th, 2014'

'All That Shall Remain is Love.'

Everything clicked into place.

“Naoto...” Souji turned, staring at the detective with silver eyes filled with tears he could not feel. “Why didn't you tell me...?”

Naoto Shirogane stared at Souji and her friends, all of whom were looking at her in shock and horror, as though she were a cornered animal. Her back pressed against the tree she had been leaning on mere moments ago, and her mouth moved silently, trying desperately to provide an explanation that could not, and would not, come.