Persona 2 IS - Into Another World

Authour's Note: Hi, I'm starting a new fanfic… I've just finished my final exams for high school, so I have a bit more free time for writing since I'm not studying anymore. I had the idea for it while writing my other one of which I've abandoned. I don't like it and find myself unable to write it anymore, I just didn't like the direction it was going it seemed forced and clunky. Also it's not as fun as planning this one. And this one is going to be big. It's based off the idea of what if a person from our world entered the world of Persona. I own nothing well except for my OC characters, Runa's an original character I've made. This is her story of her life in the Persona world which she enters. I chose to place her in Persona 2 as there aren't many fanfic on that game. Well I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it as much as I did writing it. Hopefully, Runa won't be a Mary Sue-ish as Sora Narukami was. I want Runa to be more developed character although there may be similarities as Sora is kind of a prototype of Runa but they are different characters. Enough notes on with the fanfic may it be full of less grammatical errors!

Disclaimer:I own nothing, all rights go to their respective owners.

Chapter 1 - Meeting Philemon

She opened the door, to face an unexpected visitor, a man dressed in sharp suit, his hair was somewhat long, odd for a businessman these days but somehow he pull it off while still maintaining an air of professionally about him. It was dark red-brown and pulled back in a neat ponytail, the weird part about him was that he wore a mask. It seemed at odds with the rest of his appearance, a mask made up what appeared to be blue butterflies that sparkled and shimmered so much that it almost like it was alive. Runa Yamamoto the young teenager who opened the door to the man was beginning to think she should of agreed to go with Matt Driscoll, her only friend to movies to that Diehard Marathon. She liked the first few movies but the most recent one was kind of boring and she wanted to practice her naginata skills. Yes, she knows how to wield a naginata, she played Persona 3 Portable one too many times. She loved the series, to escape in the whole of video games was quite a distraction from her usual day-to-day life. At times she was a bit of a otaku and was not the best at making friends, even worst at keeping them thanks to her habit of attracting trouble. Her friend Matt however learnt Japanese to get known her better though, it was her first language though she hadn't lived in Japanese in years she still loved their JRPGs, anime and manga. It was interesting to read, watch or play them in both English and Japanese. Matt was hesitant at first but he warmed to the idea. He was a good friend unlike the ones in her previous town, especially Naomi whose betrayal still hurt. Runa shook her head from her thoughts and

spoke to the imposing gentleman before her. "Um, hello?"

"Greeting, Runa Yamamoto," the gentlemen answered. Runa blinked in surprised the voice sounded very familiar to her, it sounded like… But it was just her imagination of course, she had just finished replaying the PSP version of the first Persona game and began finally attempting to finish PSP version of Persona 2: Innocent Sin last week. She didn't get through to the end when she got the Japanese edition a few years but she stopped a little after Yuki's boyfriend died and never picked it up again until recently. Though Persona 2 Eternal Punishment was good and she just brought the new version of it but she told herself that she has to finish Innocent Sin before she could touch it. The gentleman's voice brought Runa out of her thoughts. "You get easily distracted, don't you, Yamamoto-chan?"

"Do I know you? You sound familiar and if I don't know you then how did you know my name?" Runa inquired warily as the last time something like this happen she had to leave town. It wasn't safe anymore and her former friend abandoned her.

"You know of me yes, I am the one known as Philemon," the man in the butterfly mask answered.

"Right… Look here Phil, I… Wait did you Philemon? Like as in Persona…"

"Indeed, exactly. I am a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls. I am here to discuss a contract," spoke the insane man claiming to be Philemon, the clothes and the voice… This guy's clearly very sick.

"Look why don't you stay out while close my door and call the police… You're not of sound mind. I don't know anything about a contract and…"

"You know that is not true," Philemon countered as summoned a glowing scroll out thin air placing Runa into a stunned silence. "This is your name, that you signed here, correct?"

Runa inspected the scroll and much to her growing dread found her name, in her awful handwriting which could not be mistaken for anyone else's. "Maybe… But I don't remember signing that."

"It matters not, the contract is binding. You need to abide it."

"And I do that how?" Runa asked while wondering if she sprinted if she could reach her naginata before crazy Philemon contract wannabe guy does something. He did summon a mysterious document mid-air, so might be really Philemon but she's always considered the guy to kind of a jerk so what ever he wants her to do, she probably doesn't want to do.

"You won't be able to defeat in battle just yet, little girl." He was probably right, she never was that good at fighting, running from danger was more her forte. She was good at that, she had to be no one else in her family cares enough about to save her. Seth Rais made sure of that, the some way he made sure that she suffered for telling on him when she was younger. He trapped in a stone coffin for days when she 6 and when she was finally free she told the police he did it. She thought she was doing the right thing, when people do bad things they should be punished. Rais did not see it that way, he was only seven years old than her but he was incredibly sadistic. He made her watch as he made her parents burn. He went to a special facility and she went to live with relative but he always escape paid her visits… Visits that usually involved a large amount of violence. Not so much to her but to the people around her. This led to her surviving relatives keeping their distance from her ending her to live in another country, Australia even and later led to her former friends to leave her after they found out about Rais obsession with her. Matt though, knew about it and stayed with her anyhow when she recently moved into town. Runa hated how Rais made her feel like a scared little girl, she knew Rais was now locked up but the mere sound of his name made her terrified. But she had escaped from his grasp many times as he had came after her. Another reason why she was an avid naginata and martial art fan, self-taught mostly but she could handle herself.

"I can handle myself, Phil, don't underestimate me," Runa warned him as felt around behind her any sort of weapon. She ended hitting him with an umbrella without much success however.

Philemon calmly took the umbrella off her, disarming her before he reminded her. "As I said, you have not the capabilities to defeat as of yet, little girl."

"I'm fifteen going on sixteen, I'm not a little girl," Runa argued resenting the idea of being seen as that fragile yet poisonous flower she was treated like by her surviving family members.

"I've existed since the first human mind came into being in my world, you are in fact a very little girl, I'm afraid. Come you have task to fulfil, Herald." He offer me his hand.

"Herald…?"

"Yes, Herald means a person or thing viewed as a sign that something is about to happen. You will herald the beginning of many events in the world I come from," Philemon explain.

"I do I get a choice in all this or?"

"You always have a choice, you can abide by your contract or face the consequences of that action. Whatever you decide please tell me swiftly," Philemon replied.

Basically no choice then as I'm guessing the consequences are going to pleasure. No use in saying no I guess, Runa sighed. "I come, where am I going though?"

"You'll find out, in matter of speaking," Philemon told her as Runa reluctantly took his outstretched hand. The world turned to black and her mind wandered in unconsciousness.

Runa Yamamoto awakened suddenly her hand snapped up from the desk she was sitting at. Her eyes met with the steel eyes of a somewhat familiar face, Noriko Katayama. The girl's blue-hair was arranged into two buns either side with a wide blue ribbon warped around her hair as a headband. Runa jumped a little at the sight of the Sumaru City resident. Noriko laughed at Runa before scolding her. "Good afternoon sleepy head. I can't believe you fell asleep during class. You're meant to be one of the best students. What happened? Didn't get any sleep last night? Were up researching some random myths again?"

"Um… Yeah, I was," Runa lied sheepishly.

Noriko seemed to believe her and laughed again. She waved before running off saying some about going to some extra track team training. If their Senpai Anna can't run anymore, it means they both need to go that extra mile. From this brief conversation, it implied Runa was a very good student who still is obsessed with mythology, apparently on the track team and in Noriko's class. She somehow ended up in the world of Persona 2, set in the 1990's, in Japan. And somehow she became a student of Seven Sisters High School in Sumaru City. A far cry from being a boarding school student in a country town in regional Victoria, Australia. Right… This is bad. Really, really bad… Runa rested her throbbing head on the desk she was sitting at. She was glad no one was left in the room except her now but all insanity was doing her head in. That was before the flashes of memory came of a life she never lived. Runa swore and jumped out of her seat before running to the girls bathroom where luckily it was empty and she splash some water on her face as she hyperventilated. The fact that she knew exactly where the girl's bathroom was from these memory flashes did not help her convince herself she was imagining things. "I hate my life… Why me? And why couldn't I got transported to a game I actually finished like… Pokemon, that's a nice game, no shadows, killers or demons just good old safe Pokemon and incompetent criminal organizations! Ugh! Philemon what did you drag me into?"

Runa rested her head against the cool glass of mirror before her as she attempted to sort these weird flashes of a life she never lived. It was then a golden butterfly captured her attention and made her spin around to face it. A few moments later and she was in Philemon's domain. Nice of him to show to explain things but couldn't of he done this before he threw her into a video game!

"Welcome to my domain, Yamamoto-chan," Philemon greeted with a calm steady gaze.

"Thanks, I guess… Actually no! What's going on here? I need answers, now!" Runa yelled.

"You know what's going on, though… It's actually part of the problem. No matter, I certain things will still play out how I expected it to, it'll just be slightly different."

"Ah, hello Phil, that's great and all but it still doesn't explain anything!' Runa complained.

"To you perhaps… Hm… You were not meant to recall your former life in your world. I've watched over for many years and not once have you been able to fully awaken. You are however the same age as when you left you're however so this may play a contributing role. However I'm confident it will all still play out as planned," Philemon mused.

"Your plan was to bring a teenaged girl into another world in which the Persona games occur and place her in the one game in the series she's never completed… That's a great plan, Phil," Runa retorted annoyed and her voice laced heavily with sarcasm.

"I chose you for reasons unknown to you, you are key to my strategy to foil Nylarhotep's intentions for this world and reveal the true potential of humanity. As to your inquires into what is going you know the truth of the matter yet refuse to see it. You were let's say, 'reborn,' as denizen of this world, you retain your appearance and parts of your former self but your very DNA has changed, your soul however remains unchanged. The memories you recalled did in fact occur, it may be difficult to recall all of them as it came to you all at once but over time it will become easier. Now what do your memories tell you about who you are in this world? What is your name?"

"Runa Suta Yamamoto but you know that and I don't see how these memories relate to me. The person they belong to doesn't exist in Persona universe. Tatsuya and Katsuya don't have a sister."

Philemon interrupted her. "They do now… Those memories are your memories, they belong to the you that was reborned as does the body you inhabit. The only difference between the who you are now and then is that you remembered your former life. You awakened but this awakening has confused you and your focusing too much on your former life. But in this your current incarnation you were born here in their world as their younger sister, your mother died giving birth to you and now please do try to remember your other name."

"What? No way! Those totally aren't my memories… I, oh hell…"

"Yes. Your name please."

"Fine… My name is Runa Yuzu Suou in this life, happy?" Runa grumbled unhappy with suddenly being entirely different person. Her 'new,' self had the same personality as her old self except she lived a different life in the world where a video game has come to life. Totally normal, not. This was going to take awhile to get her head around.

"Now it's best if you take your leave, it was interesting for you to summon me here but time marches on in your new world. You are the Herald, it's time for you to fulfil your role here."

"My role is what exactly?"

"To live and interact with the events that are soon to come. They begin today of all days, perhaps another reason for your early awakening," Philemon replied.

"Wait are you saying the actual start of the game is about to begin, today!" Runa surprise made her stagger as if it she had been deliver a sharp blow.

Philemon nods and Runa finds the domain fade away from her. She closes her eyes briefly on impulse and when she opens them she discovers she has returned to the bathroom. She watches as Philemon's golden butterfly dematerialises itself before her brown eyes. She turns back to the mirror but pauses and frowns. Finding that in this world her brown eyes are red. At least I'll fit in with the likes of anime characters without even putting contacts in, Runa mused as she fixed the green ribbon of her uniform.

Okay, Runa think… Good news, at least you keep your first name and the Digimon anime is still in it's glory days before the days of Digimon Xros Wars. Bad news, you are now the younger sister of the main character of a video game you never finish but know enough about to guess the rest thanks to Eternal Punishment which don't really remember that well because you played it years ago. Also the world you're stuck in is set in the 1990's so your got to careful with the pop culture references and there avoid spoiler alerts as technically you know what's going to happen in the future. I wonder if Kei Nanjo and Mitsuru Kirijo ever met? Runa thought as noticed her hair colour was the same as Tatsuya Suou's… It had always been maroon red-brown but not this much. She laughed as she realised unconsciously her new self had been styling her hair the same as Yuzu Tanikawa from Devil Survivor. Then someone came into the bathroom giving Runa an odd look and saying, "Hello, Suou-chan."

"Hi…" Runa searched her memory for the identity of this fellow first year. "Mikako-chan!"

She smiled brightly afterwards going for the Genki girl approach, it worked as the girl, Mikako smiled. "Friendly as ever aren't you Suou?"

"You can call me Runa-chan, you know Mikako-chan," Runa reminds her, the girl she was talking was always so excessively formal.

"I know but I prefer using your last name," Mikako said before going into one of the stalls.

"Alright bye!" Runa said before hastily leaving the bathroom to find her locker. She knew it close by not exactly where it was. As she searched the area she stumbled across her locker by chance and hope she used the same combination as she did in her previous world. She did… Runa frowns and checks her new memories if all her computer passwords were the same as in her previous life. They were… She really used more than one password for everything, it's completely unsafe, especially since Matt was always hacking into her wifi. Although not that she expected to go back to her world anytime soon given the way these stuck-in-a-video-game situations play out. She probably have to win it. Runa opened her locker's door and grabbed a hairpin and pair of sneakers and stuffed them into her bag. Altogether that was 3 defence points if she remembered correctly. The she placed a medicine, energy drink and antidote in her bag. She didn't know why she had these things in her locker but apparently her unawakened self had feeling they might come in handy. She was wearing her Sevens uniform, a sailor suit type which gave her an added 2 defence. Her unawakened self was not completely unaware of the benefits of stat boosting items. Thank goodness. Just then she spied out of the corner of her eye two boys talking to each saying something about going to bother Tatsuya Suou about his motorcycle. They apparently stole a piece of it and were going to taunt him about.

The first scene the game is about that, Runa realises as she closed her locker and placed a bag over her head and on her shoulder. She avoided them as she walked past them and wandered over to the bicycle area of Seven Sister High school. She contemplated sneaking back past them and avoid even meeting Tatsuya Suou but she knows she sucks at that so she walked straight past the two boys to Tatsuya before sheepishly saying, "Hello."

"Hm? Oh, it's you, Runa. I'm sorry but if you're looking for a lift home, I can't help you," Tatsuya replied as he works on his motorcycle. He was speaking to her with great familiarity, still aloof as ever but warmer that she expected. To her he was a stranger until now, a character in a game but Runa reminded herself that in this version of the world she was his sister. It made sense technically and her unawakened self was used to him but it was odd to hear him talking so much in this game from her awakened self's perspective. He was a silent protagonist usually but it appears he'll be talking a bit more than usual.

"Why not?" Runa queried despite knowing the answer.

"My motorcycle's acting up… It's going to take awhile," Tatsuya informed her.

Yep, going home is going to take awhile just not in way you Tatsuya… Runa's first day in another world will be interesting to say the least.

Thanks for reading and I hope to do frequent if not random updates!