A/N Hello people! It's your favorite authoress starting yet another new story despite having numerous, unfinished stories that desperately need to be updated. Hope you won't hold it against me! ^^ *gets bricked*
Yeah, I expected that…anyways, as you can see, aside from starting a new story, I'm entering a new fandom, the Persona series. Specifically, I'm getting into Persona 4 territory. Never before in my life have I ever been firm on starting this story. I had thoughts about it when I started watching a Let's Play of Persona 4 (NakaTeleeli), but when I got my PS Vita and copy of Persona 4 Golden on 2-2-13, it was official…
I was writing this story. Anyways, let's get that disclaimer out of the way!
DISCLAIMER FOR ENTIRE STORY: I don't own anything related to the Shin Megami Tensei series, which includes the Persona series, and Atlus!
Reason why this fic is rated M (written by kurobook) : Warning, this work only features scenes with sexual content up to the level of soft-core porn, and does not contain acts of sexual intercourse.
So don't expect any smut from me.
Oh, and before I forget, I'm going off of Persona 4 Golden. I'm being specific here because there is a huge difference between Golden and the original. I won't say exactly what, but for those who have played the original…you'll figure it out soon enough.
I'm also including some things from the anime and manga. Oh, and of course, my creativity, which is the reason why this story is AU…now read on!
Beta Reader and Co-writer as of 8-10-16: kurobook (many thanks for helping me edit this monstrosity of a fic, like seriously, THANK YOU)
"This" is talking
"This" is thoughts
This is writing, dreams, flashbacks
"This" is transmissions, TV, radio,
...
...
...
A blue limousine drives through the thick fog on a road that seems to be heading toward nowhere, quiet and serene. Its pacing is slow and there are passengers inside; the Velvet Room as it is referred to as.
An old man with an unusually long nose, huge eyes, and an odd smile is seated by the partition window. To his left is a young woman with golden eyes and unnaturally muted hair. She is dressed in blue, matching the interior of the limousine and a heavy tome resting on her lap.
Their attention is focused on their guest, sitting across from them at the far end of the car. Introductions are made and possible familiarities are formed. The old man is Igor, and the young woman is his assistant, Margaret.
"Do you believe in fortune telling?" Igor asks as he spreads a number of cards on the table in front of him.
There is no response from their guest, so the question is left unanswered.
Igor does not mind and continues to speak. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different…" He pauses to chuckle and then continues with another question. "Life follows the same principles, doesn't it?"
Again, there is no answer, only silence, which is then broken with the sound of a card flipping over. Said card has a picture of a tower stricken by lightning, from which two small figures were falling down.
"Hm… The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is…"
Flip.
Another card flips over and it is, "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'…Very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."
Their guest is perplexed, but still silent.
"In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost…" His eerie smile is still present as ever, yet somehow Igor's tone is serious. "My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen. We shall attend to details another time. Until then, farewell, Yu Narukami…"
…
…
"I'm tired of diets! Enough with going to the gym! Good thing there's something even I can handle!" A giggle follows the peppy girl from the commercial showing on the televisions on all the billboards and walls nearby.
The commercial causes a slim, silver-haired individual to startle from his thoughts. Curiosity causes him to take a glance at the commercial.
"Slim down this summer with the refreshing taste of Quelorie Magic." A different voice had replaced the previous, peppy female voice. It was an advertisement for a beverage…one that this individual had no intent on ever trying out. It was going to take much more than a bikini-clad girl to convince him to try out Quelorie Magic.
"I'll stick to TaP Soda…" It's his soda of choice and he's leaving it at that. The individual adjusts the grip on his duffle bag, barely suppressing a yawn as he does so. He had had a rather strange dream last night involving himself, Narukami Yu. There were two very peculiar people, Igor and Margaret, all three of them were in a limousine, and he had been thinking about it until a certain commercial derailed his train of thought.
"And, we're back…Now for some juicy news, the 'Yamano-Mayumi' Scandal—"
And there goes the news involving the scandal…
"Feh, first he bags a singer, and then he has an affair with a TV announcer on the site?" A man passing by was definitely not amused. "Do chicks really dig Politicians?"
A woman overhears the man and decides to converse with him. "Isn't it just stuff like money and connections?"
Yu narrows his eyes and tries to block out the ongoing conversation. He's getting tired of the news and gossip about the scandal. Times like these, a pair of headphones and some loud music would be really good to block out everything like this. "Maybe I should have bought those headphones when I had the chance last week…"
Luckily for him, the screeching squeal of wheels announces the arrival of a subway car, the one he has been waiting for for the past hour or so. The soft hiss of the brakes followed by a loud beeping signals that the doors had opened. It was time for him to leave.
Before he could do anything, Yu finds himself being pushed forward as people begin to board. Once he settles in, he holds onto one of the poles by the seats, unable to reach the hanging handles (he's tried), and having been unable to obtain a seat. Most of them were already occupied to begin with, so it doesn't matter to him.
Yu stares dully out the window in front of him as the car begins to move. He sighs. "Another year, another school…" A glance down at the clothing he's wearing. "And another uniform to break in…"
He's starting to lose count of the amount of school uniforms he's accumulated. In the past years, he had to move around often because of his parents' work. Though, that was all being left behind, as his parents decided to go overseas without him, and instead leave him with an uncle he barely even knew.
"Now that I think of it…" Yu flips out his cell phone and checks the email he had been sent not too long ago.
Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 4PM.
"We will arrival at the Yasogami terminal in a few minutes," a voice announces over the train's intercom. "Passengers headed for Inaba City and Yasoinaba Station, please move to the other side of the platform."
Well, speak of the devil… "I guess that's me."
Following the rest of the passengers, Yu slips off the train with ease and makes his way across the cement boarding station. He boards the next train and notes that very few people follow him aboard. There weren't many passengers, so it was a plus for him, as he was able to find an empty seat this time around.
After tossing his duffel bag on the seat next to him, Yu sits down and decides to take the time to relax. He ends up dozing off, waking up abruptly in sweat when the light flares up at the end of a tunnel. A lake passes by through the windows, surrounded by hills on every side.
"Velvet Room…" It was that dream again—the one with Igor and Margaret. It's almost as if they're reminding him...
Lost in thoughts, time melds away, and when the train slows to a halt, he sighs and stands up to grab his duffle bag. It was time to get off the train.
…
…
"Yasoinaba. Yasoinaba." A man announced over the PA as Yu steps off the train. He looks around slowly, taking note of his surroundings.
The station was well kept and clean, but rather empty. Its older look implies that not many people come or go, which doesn't surprise Yu at all. Shouldering his duffle bag, he takes in a deep breath before exhaling slowly.
"Now's the time to start over from scratch…" Nobody knew anything who he was, aside from the fact that he came from the city… and that's about it. He might as well take advantage of it…
"Hey!" a man's voice calls out. "Over here!"
Yu blinks and walks down the steps, making his way towards the man waving at him. The man appears to be in his early forties, and is dressed in a gray shirt with a dark red tie and dark brown slacks. He's accompanied by a brown-haired, pigtailed girl who clings tightly onto his shirt as she stands behind him. She's wearing a white turtleneck underneath her pink dress, with pink ribbons tied in her hair.
The man smiles at Yu and holds out his hand. Yu takes his hand and shakes it, noting that the man's grip is firm.
"Well, you're more handsome in person than in your photo," the man remarks as he releases his grip on Yu's hand. "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Dojima Ryotaro. I'll be looking after you. Let's see…I'm your mother's younger brother…and that about sums it up."
"So that makes you my uncle…" Yu thinks, as he looks over Dojima. He doesn't really find Dojima familiar… in fact, he isn't even sure if he's ever met Dojima before. As far as he knows, this is the first time he's met the guy, which means… "It's nice to meet you."
Dojima chuckles as he rubs the back of his head. "You probably don't remember, but we've met. I've changed your diapers before, you know."
…
…
…
"Okay, awkward…" Yu feels the blood drain from his face. "Well, at least this explains why I don't remember him…"
Still, the man just practically confessed to seeing Yu naked, and that doesn't bode well for him. It almost made him feel self-conscious, but Yu shrugs it off. He really shouldn't let things like that get to him…
Dojima turns his attention to the pigtailed girl by his side and gently pushes her forward. "This here's my daughter."
Dojima's daughter took one look at Yu before diverting her eyes on the ground. She was rather shy…
"Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin," Dojima says encouragingly.
Nanako hesitates at first, but she manages to at least say, "… 'lo."
Yu blinks as a small blush tinges his cheeks. "… Cute…"
Nanako's face turns bright red almost immediately, and she quickly darts back behind her father to hide her red face. Dojima chuckles again, finding this rather amusing.
"What're you so shy for—ow!" he yelps as a small hand struck him hard on the backside. "Hahaha…"
Nanako diverts her gaze. "Hmm…"
"Ahem, well then…let's get going," Dojima says, trying to change the subject. "My car's over there."
Yu nods and follows after Dojima and Nanako. However, he's only taken a few steps when suddenly…
"… Hey."
Yu stops and turns around. He sees a black-haired girl bend down to pick up a piece of paper off the ground. She stands up and holds out the paper to Yu. "You dropped this."
Yu nods to her. "Thank you."
"Whatever," the girl replied. "All I did was pick it up."
Yu walks over to the girl to take the paper, and gets a better look at her. She has chilled gray eyes, wears a sleeveless white blouse with a short black necktie, a choker with a lock on it, a checkered skirt with a fancy golden buckle that resembles a heart with wings on a black belt, and striped stockings with gray boots. He was a bit confused as to why someone would wear a choker along with a necktie, but didn't say anything.
She seems around his age and looks rather unfriendly, but he's not one to judge people by their appearance. She probably wasn't used to talking to people, or rather, people she didn't know… like Yu.
"I am new to Inaba…" Yu thinks to himself as he looks over the paper. He blinks as he realizes it was the note he made himself with Dojima's address. The girl was underestimating herself. She just managed to save him the trouble of having to obtain Dojima's address again. Before he can say anything, the girl turns around and walks away.
Yu wants to go after her, but decides not to. Dojima was probably waiting for him.
"Besides, Inaba is a small town," Yu thinks to himself. "I'll probably run into her again."
"What's wrong?" Dojima asks as he helps Nanako get into the car.
Yu looks at Dojima and shakes his head. "Nothing."
After dropping his duffel bag into the trunk, Yu hops into the car and sits in the backseat, and Nanako jumps into the passenger seat next to her father. The ride into town is quiet…until Nanako starts squirming around in her seat.
"What's wrong?" Dojima asks.
Nanako looks down at her lap as a small blush tinges her cheeks. "…"
Dojima blinks and smiles. "Oh, you need to use the restroom—ouch!"
Nanako has just finished punching her father in the arm. She looks away afterward, trying her best to hide her red face. Yu can't help but smile at this scene.
…
…
Dojima pulls into a gas station in the Central Shopping District. An attendant with long, wavy gray hair ran out to greet and assist them.
"Hi! Welcome to Moel!" The attendant had a vague, boyish-feminine voice.
Dojima turns to Nanako. "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?"
"Uh-huh," Nanako answers, getting out of the car. She looks around, trying to locate the restroom.
"It's in the back to your left," the attendant pipes up helpfully, still grinning. "Do you know which way is left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in."
"I know!" Nanako pouts, looking slightly annoyed. "Geez…"
Nanako looks back at her father once more before running off towards the station. Moments after, Yu opens the door, steps out of the car, and stretches out his arms and legs. It felt good to get some blood in his limbs, he noted.
"Are you taking a trip?" the attendant asks Dojima.
Dojima looks over his shoulder at Yu. "No, we just went to pick him up. He just moved here from the big city."
The attendant looks curiously at Yu. "The city, huh…?"
"Fill up my car while you're at it," Dojima says, as he looks at his car. "Regular's fine."
"Right away, sir!" the attendant says cheerfully.
Dojima glances off into the distance. "Good a time as any for a smoke…"
"So he likes to smoke…" Yu thinks, as he watches Dojima walk away to the edge of the sidewalk.
"Are you in high school?"
Yu turns to the gas station attendant and nods silently in response.
"Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here?" The attendant looks curiously at Yu. "There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs."
Yu isn't actually paying attention to what the attendant's saying. He's too focused something else. He had no idea if the attendant was male or female, due to appearance and voice… it was difficult for Yu to not feel awkward.
"Hey, are you listening?"
That snaps Yu out of his thoughts. "Huh?"
"I was just saying that we're looking for part-time help right now, here at Moel," the attendant explains. "Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student."
This time, Yu is paying attention, and decides to take up the attendant's offer. "Sure, I'll give it some thought."
The attendant smiles and holds out a hand to Yu. Yu extended his own hand slowly, taking the offered handshake. The two exchanged a few more words of conversation before Nanako returns from the restroom.
"Oh, I should get back to work," the attendant says, walking away at once.
Yu notices that Nanako is looking at him. He opens his mouth to speak, but stops when a sudden wave of vertigo slams into him at full force. His hand immediately goes to his forehead. It feels as though his skull is being split open…
"Are you okay?" Nanako frowns. "Did you get carsick? You don't look too good…"
Yu swallows hard as he feels nausea bubbling within his stomach. "Ngh…"
"What's wrong?" Dojima has returned. He takes one look at Yu and frowns. "You okay?"
"I don't feel good…" Yu murmurs.
Dojima sighs. "Let's hurry home, then…"
Dojima and Nanako helps Yu get into the car. He falls asleep on the way to the Dojima residence. Once there, Nanako gently shakes her cousin awake.
"We're here," she says.
Yu looks blearily at Nanako. He rubs his eyes and yawns, noting that his dizziness and nausea are gone. He definitely feels better now…
"You're okay, right?" Nanako asks.
Yu smiles and nods. "Yeah…"
…
The two-story house is traditionally styled, and a deep, cozy brown in color. It seems simple, but Yu doesn't really mind. This is the place that will be his home for the next year. It felt…strange.
"You'd think I'd be used to this…" Yu thinks, as he enters the house. Apparently, he isn't, as he finds the inside of the house rather shocking. It isn't that Dojima's house is a complete mess, but how it seems like people are actually living in the house.
Nanako seats herself down by the table in the living room and turns on the television, and Dojima takes Yu's duffel bag from him, telling him to sit down too. Yu almost hesitates, as he wanted to unpack first, but his head suddenly throbs, and makes him think twice. Yu decided he can do that later, and he sits down on the sofa. He leans back into the cushion, shutting his eyes as he felt another sharp throb through his skull.
"What…the hell is going on?" Yu sighs, opening his eyes. He was growing annoyed with his throbbing head. The pain just wouldn't go away…
"You okay with take-out tonight?" Dojima asks, once he returns from the second floor.
"I don't really mind," Yu replies.
"Can we go to Junes, Dad?" Nanako suddenly springing to life. She's quick to run to her father's side, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Dojima chuckles and reaches down to ruffle her hair.
"Oh, alright then." Dojima turns to Yu. "You have my number, right?"
Yu pulls out his cell phone and checks his contact list, which is nearly empty, save for the one contact that actually mattered at the moment. "I have it right here."
"All right, we'll be back. Make yourself at home in the meantime." With that said, Dojima and Nanako leave the house.
…
Yu looks up at the ceiling and sighs. He closes his eyes for a moment and tries to relax.
"He did say I can make myself at home…" Yu thinks, before he dozes off.
…
…
The sound of rain fills the house and wakes Yu from his sleep. He rubs his eyes and yawns as he holds up his cell phone to check the time. An hour has passed, and Nanako and Dojima have yet to return from Junes. Yu sighs and puts his cell phone back in his pocket.
"How far is Junes anyways?" There are a lot of things that Yu doesn't know about Inaba. He makes a mental note to tour around Inaba when he had the chance. He needs to get used to his surroundings if he wants to get through the year.
A few more minutes pass before Nanako and Dojima finally return from Junes. Dinner consists of sushi and TaP soda. After a quick toast, the three start eating.
"So…your mom and dad are busy as always…" Dojima says, as he looks at Yu. "They're working overseas, was it?"
Yu is drinking from his can of TaP soda when Dojima asks the question. He turns to his uncle and nods in response.
Dojima continues, "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents…It's rough being a kid."
Yu doesn't really mind anymore. He's rather used to this. However, it's nice to know that someone cares.
"Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around," Dojima says with a smile. "So as long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."
"Thank you for your kindness." Yu smiles warmly.
Dojima chuckles. "C'mon, there's no need to be so formal. Look, you're making Nanako all tense."
Nanako blinks, having heard her name. Her face turns red when she realizes the attention is all on her, and looks down, trying her best to hide her red face.
"Well, anyway…let's eat." They're just about to do that when someone's phone starts ringing.
PI PI PI PI PI PI PI!
"Ugh…who's calling at this hour?" Dojima pulls out his cell phone and answers, "Dojima speaking…" He stands up and walks away from the table. "Yeah? I see…So where is it?"
…
"All right, I'm on my way." Dojima sighs. "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze…"
Yu turns to Nanako and notices she looks depressed. Something tells him that this isn't the first time this has happened.
"Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business," Dojima says, with an apologetic look. "Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?"
Nanako nods, her shoulders slumping slightly as her father walks toward the door. The sound of rain fills the house as the door was opened.
"Nanako, what did you do with the laundry?" It was a question Dojima had forgotten to ask Nanako earlier.
"I brought it in this morning," she replies.
"…All right. Well, I'm off."
The door closes and after a few moments, the two hear a car drive away. Nanako sighs and turns on the television.
"—for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."
Nanako looks back at her plate. "Let's eat."
Yu finds himself alone with Nanako, who is looking rather lonely, and decides to strike up a conversation. "What does your dad do?"
"He…investigates stuff." Nanako sounds nervous. "Like crime scenes. My dad's a detective."
"And now for the local news. City council secretary Namatame Taro is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Hiiragi Misuzu, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Yamano Mayumi's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye."
Nanako makes a face. "…This is boring."
"Please change the channel…" Yu has heard enough of this back at the city.
Nanako does just that.
"At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!"
Nanako perks up and smiles. "Every day's great at your Junes!"
Yu stares at Nanako, somewhat stunned with her sudden change of character. She's certainly happier than before.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Nanako stops smiling.
Yu looks down at his plate and starts eating. He wasn't aware how hungry he was until now.
…
…
After dinner, Yu spends the rest of his evening in the room Dojima is lending him. By now he is out of his uniform, and is now wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and loose black pants.
Originally, he had planned on unpacking the boxes in the room, but the most he did was move the boxes out of his way.
"I'll do that tomorrow…" he thinks, as he sits on the black sofa. He closes his eyes for awhile, and blinks curiously when he opens them and spots something on the table in front of the sofa.
There's a small package with his name on it. Interest piqued, Yu reaches over and picks up the package. It turns out to be a journal, a gift from Dojima, as noted by the letter that came along with it.
I thought you might like to write about your time in Inaba. You know, have something to look back on when you leave.
Dojima
Yu looks at the journal when he finishes reading the letter. A part of him wants nothing more than to drop the journal and go to sleep. But the more he thinks about it, the more Yu feels that there wouldn't be any harm in writing something. He has so much on his mind that maybe this could help clear it…
…
It takes Yu a few minutes to find a pencil before he sits back down on the sofa and opens the journal. It takes him a few more minutes to figure out what exactly he wants to write in his newly obtained journal.
When he's done, Yu closes the journal and leaves it on the table. He makes his way over to the blue futon on the floor, ready to call it a night. He's had a long day, and right now, he wants nothing more than to go to sleep… and he did.
…
…
Monday, April 11th, 2011
It's only the first day and already, I'm looking forward to spending the year with Dojima and Nanako. Inaba doesn't seem that bad of a place. School starts tomorrow, so I guess that something I can look forward to…maybe. I don't know. My opinion might change once I get there.
Still, I'm going to try and make friends this time around. I can't distance myself anymore and this is the only chance I get to start over from scratch. Nobody knows who I am or the reputation I made for myself. That's enough motivation for me.
Maybe I'll see that girl from the station at school tomorrow. I never got her name…
…
I still have no clue if the Moel Gas Station Attendant is male or female. Maybe neither? Who knows?
Speaking of which…
…
…
They still haven't noticed.
Not Dojima, Nanako…not even my own parents.
…
Of course, I have already come to accept this from my parents. Nowadays, it seems they barely even notice I exist.
I just wanted their attention and this is what I get.
I get left behind while they go overseas. Not only that, but I also have to deal with the mistake they made. I doubt they'll be able to figure it out on their own while they're overseas without me.
I've had enough of this crap.
I give up…
My own parents can't even remember my gender. The male Yasogami High uniform I received was enough to prove that.
Until somebody figures it out, I'm Narukami Yu, a male student from the big city attending Yasogami High for the next year. I already left whatever clothing I owned back at home and spent most of my allowance on new clothes suitable for my…"apparent gender".
I couldn't care less about what I'm getting myself into. I've stopped giving a damn about that the moment I received the male Yasogami High uniform.
I'm just so tired of this…
…
…
…
A/N 8-10-16 Hello everyone! Guess who's going through all 50 chapters of this story to edit them?
ME… and I have a friend helping me out, so give MANY thanks to kurobook, because this is gonna take a while. New writing style is to be expected, and I'm hoping to flesh out certain scenes aside from just editing this story.
It's taken awhile, but like, Persona 5 hype finally dragged me back to this fic. So don't worry! I haven't given up on this fic. Although, I won't be updating until we get through ALL 50 of these chapters, so I do ask for your patience.
Seriously though, many thanks to kurobook for suffering through hell with me. (No problem.)
Thank you so much for the support throughout all these years.
Again, it's been a while so I'm glad to be back and as a heads up to new readers, from this point on, I'll be referring to Yu with she/her pronouns. This is a fem!Yu fic, despite the usage of masculine pronouns in this first chapter.
Welp, that's about all I have to say! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! (Of course they enjoyed it.) Until next time, KD out! XD