Author note: Not really sure where I'm taking this. I really wanted to write something, so I just went right ahead and did so. If anybody actually reads this, drop me a line on whether you want to see any more from me or not. Anything in particular? Say whatever you want. That aside; on with the story. Oh and yes; this is very obviously before the actual events of the game. And also; I keep to canon for the most part, but hey...the actual canon has several "branches" due to multiple media sources, so I might match suit accordingly.

April 4, 2011

Amagi Inn, Yukiko's Room

Morning rays of sunlight shown through an open window with no screen, lighting the clean paneled floor of the room. A young lady gently brushed her long, loose black hair over her shoulders, slipping a red headband into place. She stared at her mirror's reflection for a moment, but the image didn't help to change her solemn expression.

Exhaling gently, she chided herself for being so weak-willed in her endeavor. She'd been meaning to bring a certain topic up with her best friend for weeks now, but the opportunity had just never seemed to present itself. There's always tomorrow. She had kept telling herself.

Stepping over to the window, she slid it to the side, shutting it gently. Kneeling to the floor, she slid back a pink drawer of her bookshelf, pulling out a black bag with a small white label that read: Yukiko Amagi. School had yet to begin, but she and Chie had made plans to meet at a local store, Junes, in preparation. She zipped it shut.

As she rose to her feet, the bedroom door slid to the side. "Yukiko, dear, don't forget we have a large dinner party tonight…we could really use the help this evening. If you could keep your trip with Chie short, that would be a great help. Could you do that for us?" A woman with black, just-above-shoulder length hair stood in the doorway.

She hadn't forgotten. Feigning a smile toward her mother, she clutched her bag in front of her with both hands, her black eyes meeting her mother's eyes of blue. "Yes. I'll be sure to come right back." She stated simply.

"Thank you, we really appreciate it." Her mother admiringly answered, turning back to the hallway. "Have a good day with your friend."

As soon as her mother was out of sight, her smile faded, her dark eyes dimming. This happened every so often, but as she was getting older it seemed to occur more frequently, and she was only sixteen now. Her eyes drifted to the paneled flooring, steeling herself for this Monday. I have to stop putting this off and just ask Chie…today.

Junes, main entrance

"I still don't know how you get so interested in classes." Chie, a spunky young girl with cropped brown hair, wondered aloud as she and Yukiko headed for Junes' elevator. "Most all of our school's teachers are the worst!"

"It's not that bad." She calmly replied as they entered the elevator. She enjoyed their classes, though she never stopped to consider why.

"You only say that because you score number one in our class." She retorted plainly, propping her hands off her hips.

Well; it was true she scored number one in their class. Yukiko turned toward the elevator door quietly. "Sorry... I'll try to do better tutoring you this year."

"What? I wasn't saying-" *Ding* The elevator door opened to the food court. "A-Anyway. I've gotta find Yosuke, he wanted to borrow my Trial of the Dragon DVD. Catch up with you in a minute?"

"Hm?" Without meaning to Yukiko had found herself distracted, thinking over how to achieve her promise to tutor Chie better this year. "Oh, sure."

Now that shopping was out of the way, she bided her time eating a rice cake, patiently waiting for Chie to come back. So, Chie…any plans for the future? Leaving town? College? Career? …what if, do you think I could come too? She lost herself in thought, wondering how to word the question without raising any suspicion. She couldn't help but be annoyed with herself as even in her own thoughts this wasn't working so well.

She had been so distracted by this she failed to notice the chair beside her slide back, until a male suddenly seated himself next to her. "Hey Yukiko-san, nice meeting you here." She stared at him dumbfoundedly, though unaware she was doing so. She had no idea who this young man was, or if she'd ever seen him before, although he did look familiar. "Oh sorry you must not remember me, we haven't spoken that much. We were in different classes last year."

"Can I help you?" She instinctively reacted, questioning him as politely as was her nature.

"Not long left until school starts." He said calmly, leaning slightly toward her over his chair's armrest. "I was just thinking; let's make the most of this week! Right? How about it?"

"How about what?" She questioned flatly, not quite following what he had in mind. Still she racked her brain wondering what his name was. Outwardly, however, she appeared to be perfectly calm; both her hands resting one atop the other over her black and white checker-patterned skirt. But she wasn't.

"Ggh…" The young man hung his head slightly. "Sorry, coming on too strong? How about this; let's enjoy what's left of the day at the Samegawa Flood Plain. We can pick up some dinner from Sozai Daigaku later and eat it at the picnic table there."

"I'm sorry, I can't." No time was wasted in her response, though it wasn't harsh in the least. "I'm busy." Her mind immediately reeled, spinning back to her duties for the evening. She'd spend it all stuck indoors at her family's Inn, helping to fill her role.

The man ran his fingers back through his short brown hair, leaning back in his chair with a nervous laugh. "Yeah no problem…I understand. Tomorrow better?"

Her nerves frayed a little, attempting to decide a second polite way to decline him. He continued before she could come up with anything. "Look fine, just one day alright? Doesn't have to even mean anything; just you and me head out somewhere. All women love to shop…so I'm even up for that! Come on…"

Her stomach twisted, no longer able to hide the discomfort she was feeling. "YOU again?!" Chie's voice roared across the food court, attracting attention from nearby guests. The young man sighed; muttering under his breath as the green-clothed beast-on-a-mission came storming over. "What do you think you're doing!?" She shouted, aiming her fore-finger directly in his face.

"Look I was just trying to have a conversation with Yukiko-san okay? No need for this…" Yukiko felt utterly humiliated as everyone nearby watched their table with interest. No longer able to keep her composure, her eyes drifted idly to the table's white surface in front of her, staring absent-mindedly as her friend resolved the situation.

"Right; just like you and your friend over there-" she declared while pointing toward the elevator, "had tried last school year. You got your answer then, you have it now. Get lost already, and get out of my seat!" She declared with a solid stomp to the ground.

He threw his hands up defensively, jumping to his feet. "Alright alright calm down, don't bite my head off or anything jeez." Chie said nothing, simply holding a cold glare on him as he glanced aside to Yukiko, who was still somberly focused on the table. He shook his head and turned away, heading to join his friend by the elevator.

"Grrr, they tick me off so bad." Chie grumbled as she claimed the now-empty seat beside her friend. Yukiko finally looked up, just in time to catch the two friends meet each other and, oddly, the man handed his friend a small amount of yen bills to which she distinctly heard the words 'failed' and 'Amagi Challenge' from his friend.

Chie heard too. "THAT'S what this was about?" She yelled with renewed vigor, leaping from her chair.

"Chie, please!" Yukiko pleaded, reaching out quickly to seize her friend's wrist, although very weakly. "It's alright…"

"Later Chie." The man waved back-handedly over his shoulder as he walked off with his friend.

Everyone left in the food court turned to Chie and her friend, Yukiko Amagi. Chie grunted in disgust and sat back down as Yukiko turned her head downward, a heavy blush across her cheeks to rival her red cardigan overtop her school uniform.

The 'Amagi Challenge.' She wasn't sure how it had started, or even why, but it had been a long-standing game that most all the boys at school seemed to play. They would seemingly take turns trying to win a date with her, for what reason she couldn't figure out…it felt more like the entire school was just laughing at her for being different. For awhile, she had suspected it was a joke to get back at her for holding the top performance record for their school's tests, but in the end that made no sense to her either.

She sipped on a glass of lemonade as her friend finished her meal. Thankfully the onlookers had grown bored awhile ago, leaving her and Chie their privacy. "Thank you again Chie…" She finally brought that up again. "I really appreciate all your help."

"Don't even think about it! You know I'm there for you whenever you need me!" She said after quickly swallowing a mouthful of her kabob. She waved the point of her stick into the air. "Those guys just don't know when to quit. What was he saying to you this time?"

"Oh. Um…something about shopping." For a moment, she looked overly perplexed by that statement, as if trying to recollect his words. "Yes I think he wanted to go shopping."

"Pfft…haha!" Chie slapped the table, clutching her stomach with her other hand. "Oh that's rich. You know; maybe one of these days you should take one of them up on their offers…and just go buy everything you ever wanted with his money."

"I don't think I'd like that…" She responded dryly.

"Hey; it's not like they don't deserve it." Chie retorted as she bit into her next kabob.

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Not because of the topic, but rather how to steer the conversation back to her whole reason for being here. "Yes…but just think about what might happen years from now when you need a job. He could be your boss. I mean…have you even thought of what you will do when you graduate?"

"Huh…" Chie lowered her kabob, arching an eyebrow as her brown eyes gazed the open blue skies overhead. "Guess I never thought about that. It's two more years though, right? That's plenty of time!"

"You aren't concerned at all?" Yukiko questioned in surprise; half incredulously, half disappointed.

"Nope." She shrugged in response. "I'll figure that stuff out later. But don't worry; whatever I do we'll still be friends!" She lowered her gaze, settling their eyes on each other she beamed a smile back at Yukiko. "I'm not going to just up and take off. Besides, if I do end up leaving Inaba I can always come back and stay at your Inn."

With a complete lack of self-awareness, her eyes widened, stricken by her friend's words. You're leaving me… She couldn't offer any response, too taken by a sudden pain of regret – a regret of actually knowing this life was expected of her even by her own friend.

Chie seemed to take Yukiko's sudden lack of composure a different way. "You'll own and run that Inn one day, so I'll always know where to find you." Reaching out, she laid each of her hands on Yukiko's shoulders, a warm smile plastered across her face. "So stop worrying about the future already; it's okay! Nothing's going to tear us apart."

"R-right." She quickly responded, shoving away her visible fears to replace them with a warm smile. "Thank you Chie…"

Chie stood, changing the topic just as quickly. "So you got time to come see Muku? He really misses you y'know."

"I can't…" She meekly responded, lifting from her chair to clutch her hands behind her back.

"Oh gotta work at the Inn? Too bad. Well, there's always later. How about tomorrow?"

"Um…yes, that's fine." She conceded, at this point so lost in herself she wasn't sure what she had just agreed to.

"Awesome! Well, laters!" She waved excitedly as she headed off.

Amagi Inn, Dining Hall

Yukiko crossed the paneled flooring, dressed in a full-body length pink yukata with a pattern of daisy flowers on its shoulder. This night was especially depressing for her, not because of the some dozen-odd people she was helping tend to, but because she knew – and finally accepted – this was her cage for the rest of her life.

*Thud* She jumped back a step in surprise, deftly keeping from dropping a stack of trays and a crate of empty alcohol bottles, as a man fell flat on his back in front of her feet. Her heart settled a moment later; staring at the man in mild wonder. Well…at least you're happy. She smiled down to him, though he seemed too far gone to even notice.

"You!" A drunken slur called across the table as she slipped around the wasted man.

"Hm?!" She glanced up at a brown-bearded man in surprise. "M-me?" He had a stubby finger jutted straight toward her.

"Y…y-yeah! You, dance on the table! Your King commands it!" He managed to say after stuttering at first.

"My…king?" She blinked in astonishment, turning to face him and standing as elegantly as was possible while holding what she was. "I-I'm sorry…but I don't think I can."

"Bullocks! …I say! Dance on the table, lady!" He re-iterated just as loudly, the some dozen or more dinner party turning to look at Yukiko, staring in wide-eyed wonder.

"My sincerest apologies sir." Her mother stepped in from the hallway, sliding open the thin door. "The Amagi Inn staff are not allowed to participate in your games…"

For some odd reason, Yukiko felt both relief and regret at her mother's statement. "You're doin' it wrong anyway!" Another man shouted back at the first. "It's the King's Game…you," he paused mid-sentence, before loosing a loud hiccup and continuing, "you gotta call a number and a command…that's more outrageous than, than the last one…you can't, can't just tell someone to do something!"

Her look of astonishment faded, a soft smile replacing it as she watched these friends play together. The 'King' groaned, tossing his stick with a red mark on it to the table. "What's the point of this red…chopstick, if I can't call the shots…" He hesitated a moment before submitting. "Seven…gives me a…uh…foot massage!"

"EWW! No, no…no!" The woman beside him threw her stick to the table.

"Come on dear…" Her mother whispered to Yukiko, lightly grabbing her arm to refocus her attention away from the group. O-oh…I didn't mean to, oops. She turned back for the hall as the dinner party began to chant "The King's word is Law!" until the woman finally obliged when Yukiko was in the hallway. The entire Inn filled with a chorus of laughter.

Alone in a backroom, kneeling beside a large crate, Yukiko methodically dropped empty glass booze bottles into separate slots in preparation for recycling them later. It was a small, dimly lit room, neatly packed with crates and other material for removal, at the back of one of the Inn's long hallways. A set of stairs was beside it, though out of sight. For proper etiquette, which was ingrained into her as a child, she had kept the door shut so guests would not see such waste.

"I'm never gonna forget this place…" She heard a male's voice from down the halls. She paused, allowing silence to fill the room as she listened to the group. "Yeah…this was the best day I've had in years." A lady responded, before another man finished. "A resort in the middle of nowhere…almost like it's frozen in time. Ah well…back to the city tomorrow."

"Hmm…" Her gaze lowered to the crates in front of her, frowning dejectedly as she resumed her task.

Just as she finished, climbing back to her feet, the only door slid open as her mother's shadow darkened the doorway. "Oh there you are! Look; I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly but…there will be an announcer, Mayumi Yamano, arriving tomorrow and we've received a reputable tip that she might be receiving intense media attention. I hope you didn't have plans tomorrow…if it were a school day I'd have felt so terrible pulling you from it."

Yukiko hesitated, somehow suddenly remembering she had promised to go to Chie's house the next day. "It's no trouble to you is it dear?" Her mother interjected at the moment of silence.

She forced another expectant smile, readily shaking her head in answer. "No, no trouble…I won't let everyone down…"

"That's wonderful news! Sleep well, she arrives at dawn."

Amagi Inn, Yukiko's Room

A window was open, the sound of crickets and the gentle flashes of fireflies filled the cool night air. Beams of glowing moonlight danced off the long, raven black hair of a young lady in a silken, deep crimson nightgown, kneeling beside the windowsill.

*Click* She flipped her cellular closed, laying it gently on her pink dresser beside her. 'I'm sorry.' She had repeated to her friend yet again, two words that were all too frequent. Even so, she wasn't particularly sad to not go to Chie's house the next day…

Her already dark eyes dimmed further, realizing this for herself. 'Chie isn't going to help me…' She knew it was wrong, but she felt a sudden distance between the two of them. Staring downward through her open window, her eyes scanned the barely swaying forest green sea of grass outdoors, contemplating the day's events. 'You'll own and run that Inn one day, so I'll always know where to find you.' 'Like it's frozen in time…'

Slowly, Yukiko lowered her body, bending forward. Her arms crossed, bracing atop the small windowsill as her chin came to rest atop them. "Where else can I turn…?" She whispered through her broken heart. "Please, somebody…"

Her eyes continued to focus on the swaying shadows outside. "…save me." Her words quietly passed in the night, closing her eyes mournfully, knowing: nobody would.