Author's Note:
I'm writing this as something lighter from my other stories and something to keep me sane from NaNoWriMo. It's some character insight to Taiga, who I haven't really used much, so it's meant for me to get a better feel for my own OC, ha ha.
Also, if your OC is in Persona 4: Redux and you don't mind them showing up here, I'm all for throwing them in. I just need something fun to write to relieve stress while I'm freaking out over everything else.
Paper Airplanes
a Persona 4 (© ATLUS) fanfiction
Chapter One
Flightless Bird
Opening Song: "C'est la Mort" - The Civil Wars
Go get lost where no one can be found
Drink so long and deep until you drown
Say your goodbyes, but darlin' if you please,
don't go without me
Inaba is a small, rural town in Japan. It began as a coal mining town, which led to an influx of miners and their families, and this is why it has developed into the kind of town it is today. It isn't very big or diverse; most of the people who live here have lived here their entire lives, and the majority of families have history here that dates back generations. It's mostly mom-and-pop businesses and small houses built closely together. Honestly, if you were on a road trip and you had to pass through Inaba, and you blinked just once, you'd probably miss it.
Inaba is all I've ever known. Mom and Daddy were born in and grew up here, and so did their parents before them. I have two older brothers and a younger sister, but right now it's just me, Mom, and Yuuka. Daddy's in the Air Force, and so is Kiba and Sano, so they're all away a lot. It does get lonely every now and then, but I'm proud of them and I love them so much. It's also really great to hear all the stories they have to tell about all the places they've been to and seen. I hope I'll be able to travel the world some day as well. I do love Inaba, honestly, but I feel like there's so much out there to see. I'm worried about leaving Mom and Yuuka alone, though. I think they'd both be really sad if I left, especially Mom.
My name is Taiga Baisotei. I'm a second year student at Yasogami High School. That means that I'll be graduating soon. A lot of kids in Inaba choose to stay here and find work, or they're already working at their parents' business. My mom runs a small bookstore, but I don't think I want to take over. Not soon, anyway. What I really want to do is go to a university in a big city, like Tokyo or Yokohama. Maybe even study internationally at a school in Europe or America! That's what I'd like to do, but I don't think I'll be able to. My family can't afford it financially, but even if I did get scholarships, I don't know if I'd be able to leave.
I don't like thinking about the future too much. I really just want to enjoy what's left of high school, and I'm hoping this year will be great! It's already off to a bit of a rocky start, though, and I'm admittedly a little scared. Inaba's never dealt with things like this before — murder. Just thinking about it makes my hands sweat.
As soon as he heard about what happened (first with the poor announcer woman, and then Saki Konishi), my dad called. He's in Okinawa right now. "I want you guys to be careful, wherever you go, alright? Don't go anywhere alone. Always go in groups with friends, and try not to stay out at night, and definitely not late. Try to walk Yuuka to school if you can, and go with your mom when she needs to go shopping." He's never said it outright, but Daddy depends on me a lot. It's not that he doesn't trust Mom or Yuuka, but Yuuka's only twelve and Mom's so busy with the store. It makes me happy to know that he trusts me with responsibility.
I don't tell him that I'm scared, even though I am. I have to be strong and confident, especially since he can't be here with us now and I know he feels bad about it. Kiba and Sano called too, but I don't think they're as worried as Daddy is. They're sure it'll all blow over soon, even if it's suspicious and weird. I agree with them, just because I don't want to imagine what could happen if it doesn't.
Yukiko-san isn't in class today, and I can tell that Chie-san is anxious. They've been best friends since we were children, so I can understand her fear; I would be very afraid, too, if my best friend didn't come to class, especially after the murders. I don't know Yukiko-san very well because this is one of the first years where we've been in the same class, but I know she is kind and has many responsibilities to uphold for her inn. Chie-san and I are close, though — well, I think we're close. She used to share her lunch with me often when I would forget mine at home, when I was younger. She's very spirited, which is what makes it so difficult to see her so crestfallen.
"Are you alright, Chie-san?" I ask during one of our breaks.
"Of course!" she says, grinning. "I'm fine! I guess I'm just a bit tired is all, ha ha…" Chie-san has never been very good at hiding her emotions.
After school, she, Yosuke-san, and Narukami-san leave quickly. Narukami-san transferred at the beginning of this year, which is strange for the simple fact that he's a transfer student. We don't get very many of those at all, as I've gone to school with the same people since I started. Come to think of it, Yosuke-san transferred last year. He and Narukami-san are the only ones from our grade, I believe. Everyone else was born and raised in Inaba, just like myself. In any case, Narukami-san seems like a kind gentleman, though I don't know him very well at all. He has been spending time with Yosuke-san and Chie-san, though, so he must be a good guy. I wonder if they're all going out to hang out somewhere.
I have work, so I leave quickly as well. Well… It's not necessarily work. My mother is good friends with the Tatsumi family. The father died a number of years ago, so it's just the mother and her son, who's a grade below me. She runs a textile shop in the same shopping district as my mother's bookstore, and she needed some help with small things, like running the cash register and taking inventory. I offered to help because Tatsumi-san has always given aid to us; she visits us a lot and brings us dinners. We don't talk about it much, but she knows that we miss Daddy and Kiba and Sano because she knows what it's like to miss someone. She refused help at first, saying something like, "I'll get my delinquent of a son to work, don't worry!" I told her I didn't mind and that I'd love to help.
"I'm so sorry about this, Taiga-chan," she says when I have to find the step ladder to reach the scarves. "I told Kanji he had to come in today, but he's probably just running around… Oh that boy." She holds a hand to her head and sighs. "Bless his heart."
I laugh. "Don't worry about it, Tatsumi-san. I don't mind, truly." I finally find the step ladder buried underneath a pile of fabric. I use it so that I can access the top shelf; even with the help of the ladder, I have to stand on my tip toes.
She thanks me again when I hand her the box. "This would be so much easier if he were here… How tall are you, dear? Five feet? Five feet, two inches at most? Goodness, leaving all this work to short women…" She continues to grumble as she wanders around the store, and I try to stifle a laugh. Tatsumi-san complains about her son quite a bit, but I know she loves him a lot. Kanji-san has a bit of a, uh, reputation around here. People call him a juvenile delinquent and a punk, and things got particularly rough when he dyed his hair and changed his clothing, but he's just misunderstood is all. That sounds silly and cliché, but it's true! We're not really friends, but I've known him for a long time. He's just not very good at expressing himself, so he goes about it in a roundabout way.
I work for a couple hours before Tatsumi-san tells me I can leave. "Are you sure?" I ask her, noticing that there's still quite a bit to be done. "I can stay later if it'll help you."
She smiles. "Nonsense. You've got other things to worry about than this old store. Thank you, Taiga-chan." I put away the apron and pull my yellow sweater over my black turtleneck so I can go home. Before I leave, though, there's a quiet ding from the front door. "Kanji, there you are!" I poke my head out from behind the corner to wave at Kanji-san, who's hanging his head in what I can only suppose is shame. "You were supposed to help today," I hear her whisper.
"Sorry, Ma," he grumbles, rubbing the back of his neck.
I lightly tap Tatsumi-san on the shoulder. "I'm going home now. Good night, Tatsumi-san."
"Oh, goodnight, de—" She suddenly grabs the arm of my shoulder and turns to face Kanji-san. "Kanji, walk her home." I open my mouth to protest, but she adamantly shakes her head at me. "It's dangerous these days, especially for a small girl like yourself. Besides, you've been helping me out so much, so offering my only son as a bodyguard is the least I can do." She reels on Kanji-san, who literally jumps back in fear. "Walk her home."
"Alright, alright!" he says. "I was gonna, anyway… C'mon, Senpai."
I bow deeply to Tatsumi-san and thank her again before leaving the store with Kanji-san. "I'm sorry," I apologize as we walk down the sidewalk, towards my neighborhood. He lives just one block down from me. "You really don't have to walk me home if you have other things you need to do."
"Nah, it's fine. 'Sides, what kinda asshole would I be if I left ya to just walk around at night on your own? Especially with those murders an' stuff…"
"Well, thank you very much."
I think his cheeks turn pink, but it might just be the lighting from the street lamps. "Y-yeah, whatever…" He glances at me out of the corner of his eye and I smile, but he diverts his gaze immediately. The walk home only takes five minutes, but it feels much longer because of the silence. I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief when I finally see my porch. "Well," he says, "here ya go."
"Thank you, Kanji-san," I say with a grin.
He looks absolutely flustered. "C-c'mon… You're my senpai, you can't call me that… Doesn't feel right."
"Er, I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable…"
"What? No, stop apologizing!"
"S-sorry…"
"Taiga?" I spin around, to see Yuuka standing behind the screen of our door. "I thought that was you…" She leans to the side and squints at Kanji, as though trying to determine if she can trust him or not. (Which is silly, because she's known him her entire life.) "Good evening, Kanji-san."
He scratches his head and tilts it in embarrassment. I don't think he's used to being addressed so formally, but that's really just the way my siblings and I were raised. "Hey, Yuuka. H-how ya doin'?"
"Good," she chirps. "Taiga, Mom just made dinner, so you should come and eat so it doesn't get cold."
"Alright." I wait until she leaves before I say goodbye to Kanji-san. "Goodnight. Walk home safe, please." When I try to bow to him, he grumbles and tries to get me to stop. "Sorry," I say again, though I can't completely hide my laugh behind my hand. "But really, goodnight, Kanji-san." He looks like he wants to say something to me, like there's something weighing heavily on his mind. "Is something wrong?"
He shakes his head no and backs away from the veranda. "N-no. It's nothing. Uh… G'night, Taiga-senpai." Then he runs off at full blast.
I'd think his behavior was odd, but Kanji-san has always been far from conventional. I think it's very endearing. "Goodnight!" I shout, even if he can't hear me. I peer into the darkness a little longer before going inside.
Closing Song: "Shake it Out" - Florence + the Machine
I always imagined Taiga to be very formal, in speech and in how she addresses others. She doesn't talk casually like most teenagers, ha ha.
So this is more of a companion piece to P4:R than anything, and to help Elisabeth along with some insight to Taiga. But again, I'm all up for using your OCs; just let me know if you have anything against it! :)
arrivederci, amore mio,
der kapitan