Behold, karma at its finest.

I do not own Persona 4.

Sincerely,

-Funny.

P.S.- Don't smoke. It's bad for you.

It was never a good thing, whenever those three got together, and this day was no exception. All three of them, Takumi, Rokuro, and Ryuu, the three teenagers who had given the shopping district a bad reputation. They didn't even live in Inaba, technically. All of their families lived on the outskirts of town, and were often at work. They lived lives of lounging and laziness, until their parents suggested they got jobs. Their parents were proud when they had apparently cashed in their paychecks, and brought home real money.

But it wasn't from a job, no. None of the boys even had a job. The boys claimed to work in Inaba, but that was just a lie- unless you count "intimidation and extortion" as a day job. The boys had taken to cornering random people in the neighborhood, and holding them up for every cent.

That is, until they tried to rob the wrong person. A little girl by the name of Nanako Dojima...

Takumi sighed as he watched the shadows start to grow long against the jet-black pavement, signaling that the day was marching towards its end, and not a single yen to show for it.

Ryuu heard the drawn-out exhale, and looked to his partner-in-crime.

"What now?" he asked. No need to ask why Takumi was sighing. His pockets were just as empty as his.

"I dunno…" he mumbled, rummaging around in his hoodie's pocket for the familiar feel of the stashed cigarette carton. He felt his fingers close around a cigarette, and he withdrew one from his coat.

"Anybody got a light?" he asked, looking expectantly at Rokuro, who shared his nasty- and quite illegal, for them- habit. Rukuro grunted (he wasn't one for talking), and pulled a silver flip-top lighter from his jacket pocket. He tossed it at Takumi, who quickly lit the cigarette and put it to his lips.

Ryuu wrinkled his nose at the smell.

"You gotta do that crap around me?" he grumbled. "It takes a spin through the washer to get out this smell."

"Stuff it." Takumi grumbled, taking another drag off the cigarette. "What do you care, anyway?"

"I'd like to be able to breathe when I get older. You two can enjoy coughing up tar for all I care, just don't drag me with you." Ryuu grumbled, shifting his coat up to his nose like a dust mask.

Takumi ignored Ryuu, and kept smoking 'till he wore the cigarette down to the filter. He plucked it from his lips, and smashed it under his sneaker, grinding the cigarette butt into the ground.

"So, like I said, what now?" Ryuu repeated, pulling his shirt back to its original position. He looked at Takumi, who was, unfortunately, the "brains" of the group.

"What else? We keep waiting for someone to waltz home with some dough in their pockets." He said, readjusting his position on the brick wall he was leaning against.

"And how long will that take?" Ryuu asked gruffly, his eyebrows meeting in the center of his brow, his lips curling into a frown.

"Beats me." he mumbled.

Ryuu wasn't happy with that reply, and was about to speak when Rokuro grunted. The group went dead silent, and stared at the quiet man. He was the group's bloodhound, as he could practically smell money. He was the most observant of the group by far, and could easily figure out why a person was there, and about how much money they had with them. He covertly pointed at a person across the street, a little elementary school girl, with short brown hair in pigtails and a pink sweater.

Ryuu shook his head in disgust. "She's just a damn kid, Rokuro. Leave her-"

"Grocery shopping." Rokuro grunted, stopping the group's train of thought. Collectively, they had the brains of your average anteater, but they all had quite the head for their figures, especially when it came to money.

Takumi's brain did the math, and a twisted smile crossed his face. Grocery shopping.

"For how many?"

"Three."

Takumi's smile grew as his tiny mind worked the math. Three to a house meant a lot of groceries. 15,000 yen, easy.

Ryuu groaned. "You aren't actually considering this, are you?"

Takumi glared at him. "Would you like to explain why you're coming home empty-handed on a 'pay day' to your Mom?"

Ryuu paled. Delinquent though he was, even he didn't dare cross his Mom. He shook his head, and rolled his neck around.

"Let's just do it quickly." he grumbled, thoroughly disgusted with himself.

"Whatever." Takumi chuckled, pushing himself off the brick wall, and walking towards her, cronies in tow.

They were barely four meters from her when they heard a voice:

"HEY, YOU JERKS! KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"

Takumi groaned at the familiar female voice.

"Again? She doesn't know when to quit, does she…"

He turned around, and saw a girl running towards him, with short brown hair and a blinding green jacket.

But that wasn't what caught his attention.

No, what caught his attention was the black and silver bullet who had easily outstripped her, and was heading straight towards him, who closed the gap between them before he could even figure out who he was.

"What the-"

Takumi's exclamation was cut short when the bullet seized his shirt, and threw him against the wall, knocking him unconscious immediately.

His two companions looked in horror at the man, who had straightened up. He wore the Yasogami High winter uniform, and his silver hair was a rat's nest from running at that inhuman speed. His cold, grey eyes were filled to the brim with hatred.

And worst of all, he was moving right towards them.

Ryuu tried to pull a knife from his pocket, but he wasn't quick enough. The man's hand shot out like arrow, and grabbed his wrist. Without any sign of hesitation or pity, he twisted it around, and Ryuu sunk to the ground in pain as he heard the bones in his wrist give and snap. He didn't have long to feel it though, as the man had slammed his heel into his jaw, sending Ryuu on a collision course with the ground, and on a date with unconsciousness.

He turned to Rokuro, who had decided to rush him. The strongest of the group by far, he knew one punch would floor him. He sent his knuckles toward his face, and the man did nothing to stop him.

Fist met face…

And oddly, face won.

Rokuro drew his hand back like he had touched a hot iron. He stared at the man, who, apart from looking even angrier, was perfectly fine.

"Wha… How…" Rokuro mumbled, trembling.

"Thank you, Thor." The man said with a grin.

Before he could think about what those bizarre words meant, the man rushed him.

As if he knew Rokuro was the one who targeted the girl, Rokuro got the worst beating of all. He tried to block, but the man slammed a fist into his gut, which drove the air from his lungs, and the thought from his mind. The man grabbed the back of his head, and bought it crashing into his knee. Before he could even comprehend that he was seeing stars, he felt another crushing punch strike his ribs with tremendous force. He hit the ground hard, his vision swimming.

He was lifted off of the ground, and Rokuro saw those hate-filled eyes again.

"M-mercy?" He managed to say breathlessly.

Without a change in his voice or expression, the man replied.

"No."

The last thing Rokuro saw was a set of knuckles flying towards his face.

He fell, and Yu Narukami was surrounded by unconscious assailants.

He looked at the girl, and the hatred in his face was replaced with concern.

"Nanako?" he said, rushing over to his cousin. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and held her at arm's length. "Did they hurt you?"

"No…" Nanako mumbled, before hugging her cousin.

"Thank goodness…" Yu breathed, thankful that he saved her in time.

Meanwhile, Chie Satonaka stood off to the side, her jaw on the sidewalk.

Note to self: never make Yu mad… she shuddered as she thought this.

In summary, Nanako completed her shopping with Yu and Chie in tow.

The three boys were sent to the hospital to be treated for crashing their bikes (which had mysteriously vanished) into a wall five times in a row. The nurses and doctors were confused by this, but then again, why would the anonymous ambulance caller lie?

Their parents were called, who quickly put two and two together, and after expressing relief about them being okay, gave them the worst punishments of their lives.

The three boys would not comment on their bizarre accident.

The boys were grounded for a full year, and never went to the shopping district, or hurt anyone, ever again.

Nanako was treated to ice cream for a week after the incident.

And so, karma won the day yet again.

Do not make Yu mad.

Seriously, don't do it.

Read and Review, please.

Sincerely,

-Funny.