This my first Persona Fanfiction so I'm not expecting any great success. It's just stuff that I thought sounds pretty cool and would go well together using the plot for Persona 4. I'm actually in college too so I might not be able to actively update this even if it's recieved well. I'm gonna make this clear too. I'm know I'm not a great writer so I'm not gonna claim this is the best story ever. Have mercy on my poor, fanboy soul.
Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. Mother Teresa
Huh, what a cheery quote. That's what went through my head as I sat on the train, going through random pages on the internet. Clicking through more pages and typing in addresses, I tried to find something that I had forgotten to do before arriving at the station. Finding nothing else to do, I tucked away my laptop into the blue messenger bag that was on the seat next to me. I glanced around the compartment and marveled at how empty it was. Well, Inaba is supposed to be a rural town, so they might only get tourist attraction rather than people moving there and it might not be tourist season. Still, I think some country air, even it isn't from my home country, will be good for me. Heh, that seems kinda funny to me. Bad sense of humor for the win.
Anyway, I think Japan will be a nice change from America. Grandpa Lou told me about it, saying that my mom loved the place before she moved to America with my dad. He was nice enough to take me in after mom died and the issues with dad were taken care of. So, when there were circumstances that forced me to leave, Grandpa Lou agreed to sending me away for a while. He told me that he would pay for it since he had money to spare in his old age. Not like I could ask the Kirijo Group to pay for it since they already said they'd pay for any schooling as compensation for... things out of their control.
Putting that aside, Grandpa set me up in a place called the Amagi Inn. It's supposed to be a famous inn in the town that draws most of the tourism and Grandpa got me a deluxe room apparently. He owns a somewhat successful business so he can afford stuff like this, but not much else. I told him that I didn't need stuff like that anymore, but he said that he was doing it cause he wanted to express how much I meant to him. I guess he noticed how my behavior changed after all that happened. Still, I kinda appreciate him for sticking by me, unlike a lot of other people.
I smiled at the thought and closed my eyes to nap a bit. I figured since I exhausted all fun on my laptop currently, I might nap a bit and wake up when I get there. Besides, in my dreams, I can see myself putting all the wrong things in my life right. It's a way of coping with it all. Well, and I usually get as many cupcakes as I can eat. I fell asleep right away surprisingly. Though my dream was different from what I usually get.
For one, there were no cupcakes. I can't tell you how much this disappoints me. Second, it looked like I was in a cafe that had a velvet, blue color scheme. Usually, I'm in a lot more morbid places, but this is okay. Third, there's a guy with a very long nose. I think I'll call him Pinocchio till I'm proven wrong. Fourth, I take back my first observation since a pretty blonde wearing a dress matching the color of the room just set a cupcake in front of me. Give you a guess at what color it is.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear Mr. Strauss." said Pinocchio, looking pretty smart in that black tux I gotta admit. Though his grin scares me. It's like it's saying "You better listen to me or I'll headbutt you,". I don't think my skull can take that kind of impact. He also seems to have pointed ears and balding, white hair. I also should be worried that he knows my last name. But, cupcake more important. I'll let him talk before I start spazzing.
I nodded my head in acknowledgment before licking more frosting from the cupcake. Dang, this might be one of the best cupcakes of my life. If this is a dream, I hope it's a recurring ones just for these things.
"I must apologize for summoning you here without warning," he continued, his eyes were bloodshot with what I hope is excitement and not side effects from drugs. "However, I feel that you deserve fair warning of an event to come and to offer you a choice,".
Okay, so he seems nice. I'm putting him in my good books. I get a cupcake and he's gonna warn me of something and give me a choice. That's better than what most people in my dreams offer me. Good man.
I nodded again, finishing up the cupcake and folding my right leg over my left, making myself comfy in the cushioned seat. I set the wrapper from the cupcake on the table in front of me for now and turned my attention to Pinocchio.
"Don't worry about calling me here without warning, I'm not sure how you would've warned me anyway," I said waving a hand. "I'm Alexander Strauss, by the way. Though you probably knew that since you're a dream after all. Thanks for the cupcake too,".
Pinocchio just chuckled. "Ah, but Alexander, this is no dream. You are very much in the Velvet Room currently, your mind more specifically. This room exists between mind and matter, dream and reality. While you may be sleeping, this is still very real,". He stopped to indicate the wrapper on the table. "If you would hold on to that, you will awake with it still on your person. Perhaps it shall serve as reinforcement,".
Well, this is the first time my dreams have fought back on me calling them dreams. I kinda like it to be honest.
"Alright, lets assume I believe you then," I said while pocketing the wrapper. "You said you were going to warn me, so warn away please,".
Pinocchio grinned even wider and motioned for the blonde to leave us for a while. She nodded at him and bowed slightly towards me and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor.
"Of course, my boy. I must begin by addressing something very crucial though. You are not the usual kind of person to be sent to confront such trials. Not that any who have such a fate thrust upon them are common. But, because of this, I am allowed to warn you and give you a choice. If you continue to your destination, you will go through a rigorous journey. The success of it is not guaranteed and you may even lose your life,".
...That's pretty...well, it seems like something I might want to avoid.
"You may turn away from it at this moment if you wish as your fate is not set in stone, not yet. However...people will die if you do not go. That is not to say they will not if you go, but you may be able to save them,". He finished.
...and then you pull this out. If I know people are going to suffer, then I'm not going to be able to walk away with a clean conscious. Not anymore. Either he doesn't know me well or he knows me well enough to know that this will guilt trip me.
"But, I can offer you some compensation if you do go. I know of your heartache, Alexander, and more. If you go, you may be able to ease your pain,".
Okay, that perked my ears up. I don't exactly care how he knows, only that he has a solution. Well, maybe he's magic and that's how he knows about that and why he can fix it. The choice to continue seems very appealing now, despite all that bad stuff. Grandpa Lou, I don't know if you would approve of this as my guardian, but you'd approve of this as a business man. Good deal. Besides, it's probably a dream anyway.
"I see you have made your choice, Alexander,". Pinocchio waved his gloved hand and piece of paper with a black pen appeared on the table in between us. "Please, I must ask you to sign so that you may be welcomed here again of your own free will later. I have made the appropriate accommodations for you as well as my services to you will be different than what other guests have received,"
I signed the paper after looking through it. All it said was "I chooseth this fate of my own free will,". Well, that's simple. I'm okay with it since these things usually are long and annoying so I skip to the "agree to the terms and conditions" button.
He waved his hand once more and the contract disappeared along with the pen. His grin was probably at its maximum level as he reached across the table and extended his hand.
"I may now introduce myself, my name is Igor and I am delighted to make your acquaintance,".
I reached out and shook his hand. Despite how old he looks, Igor has a pretty strong grip.
"Until we meet again, Alexander. Farewell," Igor said as we stopped.
"See you later, Igor. Enjoy those amazing cupcakes," I replied.
And then, I woke up. No big flash of light or anything, I just woke up back in the train. First thing I did was check the pocket of my black jeans. Oh holy, smoking bacon strips. I have the wrapper from my dream. This means two things. One: I had the greatest cupcake of my life in a dream. Two: The greatest cupcake of my life came from a dream.
… I just repeated myself. Oh well, the point is that the dream was not a dream and in fact was real. Meaning, I am probably getting myself into some deep shit. And I just defied the laws of physics. Okay, freaking out now. I am very lucky no one else is in this compartment or they would be staring at me. Shit, what do I do? Wait, stop. Don't freak out. You don't even know what's gonna happen.
But, that's okay, cause it might be worth it. I'm going to stop thinking about this now as the kind announcer just announced that I'm in Inaba. Time to run out before they drive away while I'm pondering and having a panic attack.
Picking up my messenger bag, I ran out of the train right before the doors closed on me. Close call, gotta remember to not do that again. Bad distractions are bad.
I walked out of the station without paying attention to the details of it. I wanted to get to get to the inn and get set up. I think it also might have to do with the impossibility of pulling a wrapper from my dream too, but I'll get over that in a bit. Oh wow, the outside looks kinda nice actually. The air's a lot cleaner than in America so that's a plus already. Now, there should be a car to pick me up to take me to the inn. Time to start looking and complete my objective. I am pumped! Wow, this has really made hyper. Adrenaline rush always wins.
"Strauss-sama,"
What? Oh wait, that's me. Derp.
I turned around to see a man in probably his early 30's with black hair and a matching black suit. I like Igor's suit more though, his suit was a much richer black than this guy's whose suit is kinda a grayish black. He had a sincere face though, good for talking with many people on daily basis probably. Okay, time to shift into Japanese mode.
"I have come to drive you to the inn, Strauss-sama. Your Grandfather was kind enough to send a picture so we would be able to recognize you. The rest of your luggage is already at your room, to be unpacked at your leisure," He said.
Well, aren't you just well mannered and courteous. I'm not really comfortable with this kind of talk so I hope he doesn't mind if I'm informal. And breathing pretty hard.
"Thanks, sorry for the trouble and all that," I said with a wave of my hand. He nodded and motioned for me follow him. My shoes clicked away at the pavement since I wear awesome boots, be jealous. He guided me to a silver car and opened the door for me. I thanked him and sat down as he got in the drivers seat and we headed out immediately. I was content with just watching the passing neighborhood homes so I didn't talk during the trip. It didn't take long anyway, we reached the inn in roughly twenty-five minutes. But, that twenty-five minutes was enough to compose myself. It's not like this is the first mental breakdown I've had.
I thanked the driver and gave him a tip, though I wasn't really sure if they did that here. He didn't complain though and wished me a good day.
Now, the Amagi Inn. I have to admit, it looks pretty nice. It's traditional and has that modern touch to take care of all the bothers that would've been there if it were ancient times. Walking towards the main counter, I looked around the room. People were lounging here and there in the seats, talking about their stay and such. I guess most of these people were tourists. Looking back towards the counter, I was a little shocked to see that a girl roughly my age was at the counter. She was dressed in a pink kimono and had straight, black hair. She was pretty cute actually.
"I'm here to check in," I said in my business voice. God, I hate my business voice, it sounds silly. "It should be under Alexander Strauss,".
"One moment please," she replied as she checked the computer in front of her. A minute later, she looked back to me. "Please follow me, Strauss-sama,". She said with a slight bow.
Okay, I draw the line there. I can tolerate it from people who are old enough to actually fit their job, but I'm not gonna take formal talk from someone my age. Japan is weird. "You can drop the 'sama' and all the formalities. You look around my age anyway,".
She shook her head. "You are a guest here right now. It wouldn't be right to treat a guest so informally while he's here,". JAPAN IS WEIRD.
I sighed. Well, I'll have to live with this until I can convince her otherwise. … I gotta convince her soon considering I'm gonna live here for who knows how long. Damn it.
I followed her up a few flights of stairs and then down a hallway filled with relatively few doors. The hallway itself was decorated with traditional pictures and pottery, some probably made in this town. The color scheme was overall a light red and orange, kinda like a setting sun. I liked it, made me feel all warm and fuzzy. We stopped at a screen door near the end of the hallway that she opened for me.
"I hope you enjoy at our inn, Strauss-sama. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call through the phone in the room," She said with another bow. I swear this is so wrong in my head, I'm the same age here. "Have a good day,". She walked away with a business smile and went down the stairs while I stood there for a good few minutes trying to fight down my annoyance.
"It's okay, Japan is just weird. It's just a weird place where teenagers bow to other teenagers...," I said to myself in English. I then decided I probably look crazy standing out here talking to myself, so I decided to go in my room and start talking to myself.
Okay, back to talking to myself. Japan is ju-HOLY MUFFIN CLOUDS THIS PLACE LOOKS NICE.
My room didn't seem to follow the color scheme of the hallway, instead opting for a light blue with a touch of white. There were patterns of white butterflies on the blue walls with traditional art here and there. This was apparently the sitting room and even for that it was pretty big. There was a table in the middle with cushions at each side, a big tv on the right wall. There was a screen door on the other two walls too, all in the same style of the room. I peeked through the one and found a large bedroom, again in the same style, with large bed, closet, desk, and a sofa. There was another door here, just wooden though, that led to complete bathroom. Closing that door, I walked out back to the living room and found that the last door led to a patio to overlook the surrounding area complete with furniture.
Grandpa Lou really knows my tastes cause this is perfect for me. I love you, Grandpa. I really do.
I found my things in a corner of my bedroom after I finished admiring the awesome of my room. Okay, mission unpack set. I looked at the clock. It was 5:00, so I could probably finish in an hour or so and then get something to eat. Mission go!
And I was right. One hour later and everything was set. Laptop all up and ready on my desk, all my clothes unpacked, and my random stuff too. I actually found a surprise too. Grandpa Lou had a midnight-blue male kimono with black feather patterns packed for me. For the spirit of things, I put it on. I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Blue eyes behind black rimmed glasses looked back at me and I was satisfied that I looked pretty good. Time for some vanity.
Actually, no time for vanity. I just heard a phone ring and found it at the bedside table. I picked it up and it was a woman's voice.
"Strauss-sama, dinner has just been finished. Would you like a meal sent up to you?" she asked. Oh, that's helpful. Though I really only eat in 24 hour intervals. It's not healthy, but it's how my body works. I'm weird. Not as weird as Japan though. I am not going to let that go, am I?
"That would be fine. Thanks," I replied.
And so, within 15 minutes, the same girl from earlier arrived with a tray. She knocked on the side of the screen door and opened it.
I swear if she bows again... Damn it. I didn't finish my swear.
"Enjoy your meal," she said as she left with yet another smile. How business-y. Well, she probably has a lot more work to do. Oh well, time to eat and probably get some rest for tomorrow. New school and all. Hope I don't have rumors flowing around about how I boned the most popular girl or something. That would be just down right confusing and annoying. Oh, miso soup. Love this stuff.
Okay. Sexy uniform, check. Sexy, black hair, check. Sexy, blue eyes, check. All in all, I think I'm set. I fell asleep right after eating dinner last night so I actually feel pretty well rested. Time to head out I guess. Hopefully I won't get lost on my way to the school. Yasogami wasn't it? I could probably ask for directions if I do get lost anyway. I adjusted the navy, blue dress shirt I was wearing under my black jacket and grabbed my messenger bag. I'm ready!
I left my room and headed down to the main lounge again. Well, it certainly is just as busy. I can understand why though now. Good food and good rooms. I can't blame them for staying here. Oh, that girl from yesterday isn't at the counter. Maybe she has something else to do. Well, not much of my business anyway cause it's adventure time!
… I am a derp.
I actually went the wrong way and the first person I asked for directions pointed me the other way. So now I'm running like Forest Gump, hoping I make it in time. Oh, what's that flash of yellow on my right. Is it a bird? is it a Porsche? Neither, it's a guy in the same uniform as me riding a yellow bike. Mmm, he's going awfully fast towards that pole. I wonder if he knows that he can steer.
CRASH
… Evidently not. That looks very painful though. He may not have kids... ever. Well, he deserves a pat on the back for taking it like a... well, kinda like a man. He's only squirming a bit.
As I walked by, I lightly hit his shoulder. Putting on my best deadpan face and tone, I said "I hope they didn't crack,". I continued walking, satisfied I honored his sacrifice. Kinda.
I heard a grunt of what I think was appreciation. I'm a such a nice guy. Back to adventuring! If I run, I can still make it kinda early. Charge!
Oh wow, my enthusiasm, it has died. Turns out I was only like two minutes away... The downside of small towns.
Anyway, the building looks pretty nice. It's not as big as the last school I went to, but that place just screamed preppy. This is nice though, I think I'll like this better. Plus, school costs covered by the Kirijo Group. Oh, aren't they situated in Japan? I should write a email saying thank you. Or something.
I think I made a decent start. A lot of this will seem familiar to the game since this is the beginning. I hope to start more deviation from the lines used in the game after some more deviation from the plot is made. I'll actually be posting the second chapter right after this one since I'm on thanksgiving break and thus had the time to write.
And some small things have been mentioned. Alex has some issues in the closet like every Persona User and we'll see what they are later. I will say this though, it deals with the events of Persona 3 which is kinda why the Kirijo Group has been in contact with him.
And I promise that he won't be using the traditional Wild Card. He'll have something similar to it that'll be explored too.