GN: ...Oh god, I can't believe I'm posting this. *sweats* Okay, so, after watching a few LPs of the game Ib and reading some fanfictions, I got this idea of fusing it with Persona 3 and – Voila! – this happened. I really haven't planned this story out though so... Yeah, even I don't how it'll proceed. *sigh* I just hope this doesn't end up being one of those stories that I start and never finish... oTL

A Night To Die For

Persona 3 © Atlus
Ib © Kouri (translated by vgperson)

Chapter One

Pretty…

Large silver eyes stared up at the full moon, taking in its wondrous form with childish delight before roaming across the dark sky scattered with only the brightest stars that managed to twinkle through the city lights.

I want to see more…

The owner of those bright eyes thought as he leaned forward and pressed his hands against the ledge, feeling the cool night breeze play with his blue locks.

…so let me grow up soon!

His eyes closed and his vision was overtaken by darkness that slowly but surely brightened with orbs of light that zoomed past him. The bright red and orange and yellow of the Sun glowed in the distance, circulated by Mercury, by Venus, by his home on planet Earth. It was followed by Mars, by Jupiter, by Saturn and Uranus and Neptune until the lonely Pluto followed in the shadows. They drifted around him, tantalizingly out of reach, as he floated in the dreaminess of his imagination until–

"Makoto-chan~!"

–an unexpectedly loud knock made him fall over in surprise.

"Owie…"

Rubbing his bottom, the boy slowly stood up as the knob jingled and the door slid soundlessly open to reveal a rather beautiful woman with luscious dark hair and bright silver eyes.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?" she asked, stepping inside and casting a critical eye over his rumpled form before raising a brow, "Or do you need help?"

His cheeks flushed pink as he hastily straightened up and raised his hands to adjust the large navy ribbon wrapped around the collar of his white dress shirt until it was no longer crooked before he lowered his hands to smooth out the wrinkles of his navy shorts. A quick tap of his toes against the hardwood floor made sure that his black boots were free of any dust.

"I guess not," the lady hummed with no little amusement, "But…"

She crouched down in front of him, mindful of her black elegant dress, and reached out a hand to run her fingers through his hair until his bangs no longer covered his face.

"There!" Her lips quirked into a tiny grin. "Perfect!"

Makoto returned her smile with one of his own before taking her hand and asking, "Are we leaving now, Hahaue?"

"That we are," his mother answered with a wink, "Your father's waiting with your surprise in hand."

"Surprise?" His eyes were wide with excitement. "What did Chichiue get me?"

"Alas, to say so would ruin the fun~," she sang teasingly.

Before the boy could pout his way downstairs, a low chuckle reached his ears and he turned to see a tall man whose pale appearance could rival that of a ghost and was enhanced by his white suit.

"Come now, love," the man spoke with twinkling eyes, "We don't want him crying on his birthday."

"Chichiue~!" Makoto tackled his father in a joyous hug before registering those joking words and pulling back to smack his legs with a scowl. "And I'm not a crybaby! I'm six now!"

He proudly held up the appropriate number of fingers as emphasis.

Another laugh left the man's lips as he ruffled his son's hair. "Yes, yes, you're such a big boy now, aren't you?"

Suddenly, a mischievous glint appeared in those colorless eyes. "Ah, but I suppose big boys don't really need presents anymore…"

The horrified look that painted across his youthful face could almost match that of when he found out that the last slice of strawberry shortcake had been eaten and his parents bursted out into laughter before his father nudged the baby-blue-and-yellow wrapped gift into his smaller hands.

"Just kidding, little one," snickered the man, "So go on and open it!"

Pouting for just a while longer, Makoto pushed back his sniffles in order to scrutinize the box.

A gentle shake indicated that the content was soft.

Anticipation was evident on his face as he carefully picked apart the wrapping paper and opened his present to reveal a stylish but age-appropriate gray overcoat to match his current outfit.

Just like Chichiue's! His lips widened into a grin. I'm one step closer to being a man!

"Like two peas in a pod," his mother giggled after helping her son into the jacket and stepping back to admire the two most important males in her life, "Soon he'll surpass you in height, dearest." Her eyes sparkled. "Not that that would be too difficult to."

"Oh, how you wound me so…"

Makoto giggled at the jab to his father's less than impressive stature as said male bowed over sulkily.

His mother gave a secret wink before patting the albino on the head. "Now, now, dear. I'd love you even if you become a hunchback."

"Who am I to be but Quasimodo," he sighed with exaggeration before smiling and kissing the back of his wife's hand, "But I wouldn't mind if you're my Esmeralda."

Seeing the two beginning to lose themselves in a moment of romance, the boy made a face and quickly pushed them out the door, declaring,

"I don't want a baby brother so soon!"

Laughter left his parents' lips as they acquiesced to his demand to hurry up and the Yuki family left their estate with but a few words of reminder for the servants to lock up properly before they entered the limousine and directed their chauffeur to drive to their destination.

Some time later, the rumbling of the engine quieted and the door opened to reveal an excited Makoto as he bounced out of the large luxurious car before stopping to awe over the aesthetic marble building.

…?

Silver eyes blinked once, twice, thrice before the boy tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"G-Geck…koo…con…?"

"It's Gekkoukan, sweetheart," his mother corrected before sighing happily, "It's been a while since we've last visited this art museum…"

"The last time we were here was back in high school, na?" His father chuckled. "For that group project… It was the first time we'd really interacted."

"I remember that," she laughed, "You were so clumsy, you tripped into that sculpture and set off the alarms!"

He grimaced and groaned pathetically, "Please don't remind me… That was an absolute nightmare to get over!"

As his parents bantered and reminisced over embarrassing but fond memories, Makoto kept close to their sides and whipped his head around, trying to take in everything around him from the symmetrical columns outside to the crystalline chandeliers that hung in the grand lobby, as the overhead speaker played gentle piano pieces by age-old geniuses.

It's like a castle from the stories Hahaue tells to me, he couldn't help but think as he eyed the armored knights and their horses that guarded the entrance into the gallery behind the receptionist desk, I wonder if there's a princess too…?

A weight on his head made him blink and look up curiously.

His father smiled at him. "Why don't you go on ahead? This place has been specially reserved for you after all."

In other words, all of security knew to keep an eye on him just in case he needed help but were told to stay at a distance so that he could immerse himself in this new, seemingly magical world.

With that in mind, Makoto grinned and swiftly thanked his parents, giving each a big hug full of love, before he sprinted past the metal guardians and into the large hall, slowing down to a light trot as he approached a model of a grand tower that seemed to glow a strange green color.

So tall!

He leaned back a bit to see that the top nearly touched the ceiling before looking down to squint at the letters printed on the nameplate.

T-Tar…tar…us… Tartarus!

Confusion flickered across his face.

What's Tartarus? Sounds like tartar sauce…

Swallowing hard at the thought of fried seafood, Makoto quickly shook his head to get back in the game and looked at the smaller words below.

The Tower of De…meesay? Damice? Dimeez?

His lips jutted out in a pout upon being unable to recognize the word.

…Moving on!

Looking left and right, the boy debated on which way to go before closing his eyes and turning around once, twice, thrice, quadruple, quintuple–

Okay! Time to stop!

–until he swayed dizzily and stilled himself, breathing deeply while the room began to stop spinning.

Blinking a few times, Makoto smiled triumphantly upon noticing that he was facing left instead of any other odd way that wouldn't help him decide before he marched off to look at the paintings.

Some were of landscapes, others of people.

Some were realistic and others surreal.

Some were colorful, others monochrome.

So lost in thought, the boy paid little to no attention to his surroundings until–

"Oof!"

–he bumped into a softness that had him stumbling backwards with his arms waving futilely before he was caught by firm but gentle hands.

"Whoa there! You alright?"

It took a moment for him to realize that, yes, his feet were flat against the floor and, yes, he was still upright before he blinked, looking up.

!?

Startled by those crimson orbs, Makoto abruptly jerked away and his sudden movement made him tumble over.

"Owie…" He rubbed his bottom and huffed. "Not again…"

Movement from in front of him made him flinch as he expected to be grabbed and yelled at for his rudeness but the lack of pain and noise peaked his interest and he looked up hesitantly.

His breath was caught.

Instead of a red-eyed monster wanting to tear into him, the person who stood in front of him was a young woman with hair like chocolate and skin like vanilla.

"Are you hurt?" she asked with furrowed brows as she out a hand, "That was a bit of a fall you took there…"

Realizing that he was gawking, Makoto blushed and shut his mouth before taking her hand and stuttering, "I-I'm fine, miss! And, u-um, thank you! S-Sorry about before…"

She smiled and his cheeks darkened even more.

"No worries," she chirped, "I'm actually sturdier than I look!"

As emphasis, she pounded a fist against her chest.

Just then, the crackling of static sounded and Makoto blinked before looking curiously at the holster around her waist as a voice called out,

"Heeeyyy~ Ko-tan, you there? I need help! Over!"

Amusement flickered across her face as the young woman took out the walkie-talkie and responded, "I'm here, Jun-chan. What's the matter? You didn't accidentally lock yourself in the janitor's closet again, did you? Over."

Makoto couldn't help but giggle at that as she winked playfully at him before waving goodbye with a word of care and walking off, bantering with the mysterious male who whined about how cruel she was to bring up such an unfortunate event.

Calming down but still smiling, the boy continued on his adventure as he happily made his way up the great staircase and into the second floor of the gallery.

As with the first floor, it was a splendid hall but, instead of one magnificent model in the middle, there were several areas cordoned off that held sculptures which were, quite frankly, strange in his opinion.

One area contained three pairs of mannequins positioned as if they were about to waltz: each had their heads replaced with a heart and held a rapier in their clasped hands.

Reading the plaque, Makoto furrowed his brows.

Death of the In…dee..vee…juu…all…?

He stared at the long word for a moment before shrugging it off and looking back at the artwork.

…Well, they did get their heads cut off.

A shiver ran up his spine and the boy stiffly turned before quickly walking away, making a mental note to stay away from the morbid statues.

Moving on to the next section, Makoto raised a brow at the gold-plated metalwork that vaguely resembled a pegasus but whose head and wings reminded him more of a fly. It was perched on a large roulette wheel that was unequally divided so that red dominated blue.

Flee…ting… For…tune…?

Confused by the unknown words, he blanked out in thought.

Flee means run, tune is music so… The music runs away? …Huh? What does that have to do with a horsey?!

His head hurt a bit from trying to figure it out and, briefly, he wished that he'd just stuck with his parents since he could've pestered them with his never-ending questions before Makoto roughly shook his head and pumped his tiny fists in determination.

"A real man doesn't give up!"

That said, the boy decided to leave the odd sculptures behind and, upon noticing two staircases spiraling up to the third floor in either back corners, carried on past the various pillars supporting busts of people unfamiliar.

Curious as to what the upper floor held, he took two steps at a time and peeked around the corner before blinking in surprise at the lack of guards in comparison to the lower zones.

Is there nothing important here…?

He doubted that as an eagerness for strange mysteries arose within his chest and, with a grin, he stepped into the corridor.

His boots tapped against the floor as his eyes took in the various framed canvases that were otherwise blank.

Baffled by the peculiarity of showing such so-called artworks, Makoto almost bumped into the largest feature of the room but stopped just in time.

Silver eyes gaze up at the abstract painting that looked more like his own crayon-based drawings than any masterpiece by a famous artist and narrowed in bemusement.

What is this?

It was a mess of colors found in rainbows with shapes that vaguely resembled some of the artworks that he'd passed before but the black paint closest to the edges had a disturbing feel to it that made it appear as if darkness was encroaching on some dying light.

Although the painting sent unease traveling throughout his body, Makoto took a step closer to look at the nameplate just below the golden frame.

His fingers brushed against the print as he puzzled over the words.

The Fa…bree…cay…ted… World…?

And the lights flickered.

!?

Jumping away from the artwork, the boy looked around with eyes round from fright.

W-What was that?!

The soft classical music that played in the background had faded away, leaving an ominous silence that sent goosebumps prickling at his skin.

Ba-bump!

Swallowing thickly, Makoto cautiously made his way back downstairs and called out hesitantly,

"H-Hahaue…? Chichiue…?"

No one answered.

His heart skipped a beat and began to pound furiously as he trembled and whimpered pitifully.

"Hahaue…?! Chichiue…?!"

His high-pitched voice held obvious fear and deep distress as he whipped his head around for signs of anyone.

"Ha–"

BAM! BAM! BAM! (BAM!)

A shriek of terror left his lips as he tripped backwards and clambered away from the wall–

WELCOME, MAKOTO YUKI!

–as it dripped with a redness that resembled blood.

LET'S PLAY TOGETHER FOREVER…

His heart nearly stopped.

…AND EVER MORE…

And panic seized his mind as the boy scrambled to his feet with but one thing in mind:

Run.

Sprinting across the hall, he stumbled downstairs in a frenzied state when his body jerked forward and suddenly–

He gasped…

–he found himself falling–

…wanting to scream…

–falling into the sole model displayed on the first floor–

…but silenced instead…

–into Tartarus–

…as darkness consumed him.

–into the Tower of Demise.

…BECAUSE THE NIGHT NEVER ENDS.

GN: So what's your first impression? Interesting? Boring? Too different for coherent words? Do tell me because I personally think I'm crazy for starting this without a concrete plan! (Although child!Makoto is pretty darn adorable to write.) Well, hopefully, I'll be able to continue this. If not, then... I be dum-dum. *kicked*