Hey there! I've delved into the wonderful, soul-consuming world that is Atlus's Persona 4 Golden for the PS Vita and… I'm hooked.

Let the shipping begin.

Disclaimer: I do not own this amazing set of characters and settings. I'm merely arranging them as I see fit.

-Challenge Accepted-

"I wish people were more like Persona."

Chie Satonaka blinked light brown eyes. "Um… What brought that up?"

Yosuke Hanamura grinned and tossed his head, shifting russet locks out of his eyes. "Well, imagine it: you welcome Beautiful Damsel into your heart, right? And, six months later when "Crazy Fucking Girlfriend emerges from the sea of your soul," you could make it so that she "disappears from your mind completely"."

"…"

"What? Why're you looking at me like that?"

"Yosuke-kun, have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"W-why? What does that have to do with anything?!"

"I'll take that as a 'no'." Chie shook her head disapprovingly and pushed her sunglasses up, towards the bridge of her nose. It was particularly hot out… Perhaps being out on the roof wasn't such a good idea. "Geez, you're such a loser. We're almost third year students now and you act like such a kohai."

"Hey, it's harder for guys! I bet you couldn't get a girlfriend either."

When the girl just smirked, the young man swallowed hard. "Hold on, are you saying you've had one?" She made a gesture that indicated he should go up in number and his jaw dropped. "Holy shit, Chie, I never would have expected—okay, no, that's a lie. But still, I'm surprised!"

"So you lose the bet," the young woman snorted, looking back up at the sky. "Man, where's Yu-kun and Yukiko-chan? I'm starving."

"Ah-hah! Now there's a bet worth making."

"Huh?"

Yosuke began patting down his school uniform until finally he pulled out his wallet. He opened it and pulled out several thousand-yen bills, flourishing them before announcing, "I bet you a week's pay that you can't complete the Amagi Challenge and you get rejected just like the rest of us."

It took Chie a moment to register just what the clumsy young man was referring to: Yukiko Amagi was as pure and untouchable as her Arcana, the Priestess; many hopeful teens had approached her with the hopes of becoming her sweetheart and all of them had failed miserably, shot down by a girl who was more focused on creating a successful future for herself than on acquiring a romantic companion.

At least… On the outside, she was. Her Shadow had revealed to them that Yukiko was very much interested in a "prince charming" that would sweep her off her feet—rescue her from the fate that was her inheritance of her family's business.

They had been best friends for what felt like forever, but Chie had never seen that side of her. It bothered her a little; she had thought that they shared everything with one another—every secret, every hidden desire.

"Um… Earth to Chie-chan?"

She snapped out of her troubled reflection to frown at her companion. "Fine. I accept your challenge. And if I lose?"

"Then you have to date me."

She couldn't lose.

Junes Food Court…

It wasn't as though Chie had never considered pursuing Yukiko—far from it. She had just never been able to justify approaching her childhood best friend like that until Yosuke had opened his big mouth.

He had his uses, she supposed.

"Chie-chan, may I sit with you?"

She looked up to see a short young man with spikey blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen smiling hopefully down at her.

"Of course you can, Teddie. How've you been?"

Teddie's eyes positively sparkled. "I think I'm in love."

"Huh?"

He began an animated retelling of his "chance meeting of star-crossed lovers" while working at Junes the day before, but she couldn't quite focus her attention on his gentle voice.

A raven-haired young woman dressed in a bright crimson sweater, a checkered black skirt that reached mid-thigh, and opaque black stockings was crossing the food court towards them, the Yasogami High School insignia displayed proudly on her collar.

She gave a little wave when she saw that Chie's gaze was on her and the brunette suddenly felt as though her own outfit— the same skirt the other girl donned and the usual lime green athletic jacket —was somehow inadequate. Though only 16, Yukiko had an air of maturity and elegance that made others feel clumsy and unkempt—she always had.

Or, at least, it made Chie feel that way.

The girl sat up a little straighter, some part of her wanting to revere the raven-haired beauty as her "senpai" though Yukiko was a mere five months older. "Hey, Yuki-chan. Long time no see!"

She ignored Teddie's indignant complaints in favor of rising and running over to her best friend, sweeping the girl into a bear hug. She was one of the few people who dared to do so and a little thrill went through her when she felt the taller girl hug back.

"Yes, it feels as though this semester has gone by so slowly without you in my homeroom class."

Somehow, the investigation team had been split up this year with Yu and Yukiko in one class and Chie and Yosuke in another.

Just her luck.

"Geez, Chie-senpai, you're in a good mood," the baby of their group, Kanji Tatsumi, commented, reaching up and scratching his chin as he strode over. He was tall, lanky, and he radiated an aura of dangerousness, but he was quite possibly the kindest person Chie knew. He was also grade below them, though ever since he had been inducted into their little circle, he had stopped his delinquency and buckled down to further his education. "Do we all get hugs?"

"You can ask Teddie for yours."

"N-no way! I save my hugs for the ladies."

"Snrk." They all looked to Yukiko who had taken her seat and was stifling her laughter behind a dainty hand.

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing." Apparently, it wasn't one of her laughing fits because she simply smiled and commented, "Where's Rise-chan? You two have the same homeroom, don't you?"

"Yeah, we do." He looked uncomfortable. "She's, uh, with Senpai."

She should have known better. The idol had taken a shine to their enigmatic leader ever since they had rescued her from her Shadow self.

They were all supposed to be meeting at their "special headquarters" before they journeyed back into the TV world. The mysterious murder case had yet to be solved, and they were closing in fast on the boy who had basically admitted to being the killer.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Yosuke sauntered over, still in uniform. His gaze flicked from Chie to Yukiko and he smirked.

Jerk. Probably thought he had this in the bag.

… Did he?

By the time Yu showed up, Rise in tow, the group was laughing at Yosuke's expense and the light-haired teen was blushing furiously. "Y-Yu, back me up here! Tell them Kanji was the one who landed on me!"

"Psh. As if!"

The taciturn young man shrugged and, instantly, the group became serious.

"Okay, guys," Rise cheered, looping her arm through his. "Let's do this!"

Other World…

Travelling through a TV screen was always a rather unique experience. It was like… Sinking into a pool of fizzing soda, its opacity making it difficult to see as the liquid vibrated around you, and falling in slow motion down, down, down through a series of open, twisting doorways for what felt like forever until, finally, you resurfaced and the world around you was too bright and too real.

Or something like that.

Chie donned the special glasses that Teddie had provided to aid them in their exploration of the alternate world and reached out in front of her, concentrating for a moment so that a glowing blue tarot card appeared before her.

…Thou art I. And I am thou…

The voice came from everywhere… and nowhere. It was the very personification of her inner-self—the parts of her that she kept hidden from the outside world.

This was Tomoe, her Persona: a tall, muscular warrior clad in a skin-tight yellow athletic suit and an armored skirt. Long, raven tresses flowed from underneath a conical white helmet with a glass visor that shielded her features from view and, though there were clawed gloves on her hands, the white knee high combat boots on her feet saw more enemies than anything.

Tomoe was all the good in her: athleticism, confidence, an indomitable spirit. Like her mistress, she was a warrior with a brave heart.

You have not visited in a long time, Chie.

The card faded and her heart panged guiltily. "I know… I'm sorry."

Yosuke appeared next to her at that moment and, before he slipped his ever-present headphones over his ears, he gave her an odd look. "You talkin' to yourself, Chie-chan?"

She had to wonder if she was the only one who could hear her Persona. Sometimes she suspected that Yu could, but he wasn't exactly an open book.

Yukiko was the next to appear on the floor of that odd, multi-coloured studio-like central room of the TV world. She swayed a bit and would have fallen had Chie not thrown out a hand to steady her.

"Thank you." She smiled, though the expression didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Is everything okay?"

"Mm? Yes, I'm fine."

Chie gave the older girl a disbelieving look as the others materialized, but there was no time to argue because they were on the move.

Void Castle…

Mitsuo was very likely an incredibly messed up individual, but Chie had to admit that she loved the world his subconscious had cooked up. It gave her a rather nostalgic feel, the level of detail placed into every 8-bit wall and fixture reminding her of the video games she enjoyed from time to time.

"Protect me, Tomoe!" the brown-haired teen yelled, whirling to perform a powerful roundhouse and striking the glowing card that floated before her with her heel. The giant warrior appeared, swirling her double-sided naginata, and took the brunt of the fiery blast that was aimed in her mistress's direction, but Chie still released a pained cry as she experienced the sensation of intense heat searing her own flesh and she went flying backwards, landing on the rough stone floor. 'Ugh…!'

Before the Scarlet Turretcould take advantage of her weakness and cast another Agidyne to finish her off, the wonderful sound of Yukiko calling to her Persona rang out and a halo of warm purple energy encircled her, healing the damage that had just been done. She smiled gratefully as the raven-haired beauty jogged across the battlefield, moving swiftly despite the long hem of her tsukesage, and offered a hand to help her to her feet. "Can you stand?"

For a moment, Chie couldn't respond, a lump in her throat as the profile of the young woman's Persona, Konohana Sakuya, glowed behind its mistress.

'Geez, even her inner self is breathtakingly beautiful.'

The Persona's brilliant yellow eyes focused on her for a moment and the exquisite crimson being tilted her head, the long, elegant petals that decorated her arms and served as her hair rustling musically. She clutched the hem of the thigh-length white skirt it wore and curtsied before fading from view and Chie's gasped.

Since when did the Persona do that?

Yukiko glanced over her shoulder, then back at the short-haired girl when she didn't see anything. "Chie-chan?"

The kung-fu enthusiast quickly snapped back to reality and reached out to clutch the proffered appendage, a nervous smile curving her lips as a spark travelled from the point of contact and made her heart take off at a sprint. "Yeah. Th-thanks."

"Of course." She gave Chie's hand a squeeze before turning back to the battle, twirling daintily and striking her own glowing Arcana card with her fan; Konohana Sakuya burst forth again in a cloud of glowing embers and launched Maragion, sending pillars of flame lancing through each of the enemies.

As the remaining Ardent Dancers fell to their exploited weak points, the team charged in as one, a dust cloud rising as they struck out at whatever bit of non-ally body they could.

When the chaos calmed, one enemy remained.

'Ba-bump.'

"C'mon, Yukiko!"

Her best friend grinned at her. "Okay!"

They pirouetted past one another in perfect harmony, brushing up against each other as they came to a halt, side-by-side.

As it should be.

'Ba-bump.'

The world narrowed down to just the two teenagers as the energy that they shared zipped back and forth between them, warming the air as they executed their typical Persona summon; the two beings appeared before their mistresses, also standing side-by-side, the combined aura they exuded almost awe-inspiring, and the shadowy golden form of a dragon began to descend from the heavens, encircling the enemy within the shining coils of its body. Just as the coils constricted, a beautiful pink lotus bloomed at their center, destroying the last remaining foe in a fantastic display of the power their bond allowed the girls.

Dark brown eyes locked with hazel and Yukiko smiled—not the cool smile she wore when she was playing hostess at the Amagi Inn, but an actual, heartfelt smile.

'Ba-bump.'

"You're always there for me, Chie-chan," she murmured, tucking her fan into her obi. "Thank you."

There was so much appreciation—so much affection—behind that simple statement that it made the young warrior's heart ache. "Yukiko…"

Rise cheered and, just like that, the fleeting moment they shared shattered into a milling shining fragments and the girls hastily broke eye contact.

Bummer.

The group continued their exploration until the sun set over Inaba, at which point they emerged from the flat screen TV in the Junes electronics department and said their farewells before parting ways.

Chie and Yukiko walked together along the darkening street towards their homes, chattering idly about nothing in particular. The latter stumbled and nearly fell, only to be caught by her friend a second time. "Oh… Thank you."

"You sure you're okay? You seem tired."

The raven-haired teen chuckled ruefully. "I suppose I am. I've been working at the Inn nonstop recently. Normally I stay home from school and rest, but there's so much going on this year…"

Boy, did she understand that sentiment.

"Well, it's the weekend. How about you sleep over? We'll relax and watch movies and eat snacks!"

"Kung-fu movies?"

Normally, the answer would have been "yes," but she knew her best friend didn't quite share her love of action and adventure. "We could watch some horror movies."

That bright smile was well worth the sacrifice. "Deal."

Chie cringed away from the blood and guts that were splattering all over the walls on the television screen, her nose wrinkling distastefully. It wasn't that she was scared… She just didn't like this sort of senseless violence.

Martial arts were different, of course.

She flinched when she felt something brush against her bare shoulder—she was wearing a tank top and boxers for bed—but it was just Yukiko.

Her smile was gentle, amused. "You're not scared, are you?"

"No!" The protest was a bit too quick.

"Uh-huh… Move over." The girl did as she was told without question and was pleasantly surprised when a yawning brunette leaned up against her. "I'm sleepy."

"I can see that." After a moment's hesitation, Chie reached out and touched silky strands of black, gently petting her best friend with a tender expression of adoration on her face.

"Mm… That feels nice." Yukiko snuggled closer and the younger girl found herself blushing furiously.

Geez, what was up with her heart all of a sudden? It was racing.

"How are you feeling?"

"Relaxed." She could tell the other girl was smiling. "But I usually feel like that when I'm with you."

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm."

They sat in a companionable silence after that, the only sound being the screams and gunfire from the movie. After about half an hour, Chie commented on a particularly violent scene only to find that Yukiko had dozed off, her lovely face a peaceful mask.

'Beautiful…'

Chie couldn't help but lean in and place a gentle kiss on the older girl's brow, flinching when the brunette shifted, her eyelids fluttering open.

"Hey…"

"Mm… Hey."

Was it just her, or was the air between them… tense?

She cleared her throat. "The, um, movie's almost over."

"Is it?" Yukiko sat up slowly, stretching her arms over her head. The motion caused her nightgown to ride up, exposing the pale, perfect flesh of her slim thighs. "Darn. I apologize for falling asleep on you."

"I didn't mind." Chie cleared her throat again. "We should head to bed."

"No… I'm not sleepy any more. Can we stay like this a little longer? Please?" She latched onto the younger girl's arm, chocolate-coloured eyes pleading.

Who in their right mind would—could—turn her down?

As the night progressed, the closeness of the raven-haired teen increased until, eventually, Yukiko's head rested in Chie's lap, her fingers drumming anxiously on the other girl's toned thigh.

"Y-you don't think that ghosts really exist, do you?"

"Well… Yu's told me about some weird things he's seen—ow!" She glared down at the girl in her lap. "What'd ya pinch me for?" When she didn't receive a response, she smirked. "'You're not scared, are you'?"

Still no response. Was she sleeping again?

Finally, Yukiko murmured, "Chie-chan, may I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Do you remember… When we faced our Shadows?"

How could she forget? That day had been full of a complex range of emotions that she couldn't possibly classify under any one title. The deep, dark secrets that had spilled forth that day—

/ "Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning…"/

Her heart skipped a beat, just as it had in that moment.

"I do."

"We were one of the few to receive our Persona in the same place. I feel as though that means something..."

But what did it mean exactly?

"It's as though we're connected so deeply that the reflection of my unconscious self could easily breathe life into yours."

'If only you knew.' Chie chuckled ruefully, remembering her own Shadow's horrifying admission. "What does that mean for Teddie and Rise, though?"

They both laughed at that, envisioning the hyperactive blonde boy's reaction to hearing such a romantic idea.

Then, "You said you couldn't do anything without me."

Chie tensed. "How did you—"

"Yu told me about it after you guys came to my rescue."

She was going to kill that boy.

"I'm sorry… I must sound silly to you."

The short-haired girl shook her head. "Did he tell you everything?"

"Just what he thought I needed to hear."

'Oh, goo—'

"Did you mean it when you said I was… Good looking?"

Craaaaaap.

Normally, she would have steered the conversation in a totally different direction and stubbornly refused to even breach the subject, but those somber orbs were focused on her again and, suddenly, she was as weak as a kitten.

Double crap.

"Of course I did. It was my true self speaking, after all. She couldn't lie even if she wanted to."

That brilliant smile lit the darkness better than any light could. "Thank you."

This was… The perfect moment. The glare of the TV had dimmed and there wasn't much space between the two. All Chie would have to do was—

Yukiko beat her to it, leaning up and pressing a small, chaste kiss to the astonished fighter's lips that lingered for exactly not long enough.

It could have been an accident—a total missfire on the sometimes rather dense brunette's part—but the older girl just blushed adorably and bit her lower lip. "I've wanted to do that for a long time, I think."

"You… What?"

-End Chapter-