How long had it been? Fourteen years? Fifteen? She couldn't remember. She almost didn't believe that the place even existed, never once hearing about it her whole life from what she could recall. But that didn't stop her parents from sending her to that town for the next year.

"We have to go to America for work," they justified, the words replaying in her head, "and we don't want to make you adjust to a foreign country again. You get so homesick when we leave Japan."

She shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable in the train-car, her bag containing her personal belongings sitting in her lap. Her nerves were getting the best of her, she wasn't going to lie about that. She barely knew her uncle, not able to ever summon any memory he was in. So she could only pray that the trip would go well, and that she would make a good impression on her distant relative.

"I hope I won't screw anything up..." she thought to herself, still shuffling in her seat. Her jacket, a black cardigan, fitted her tightly and constricted her arms. She left it open as any attempt to close it would choke her. Her white button-up shirt was neatly ironed, not a single wrinkle to be spotted. Her black dress pants creaked as she moved, threatening to shred apart after so much as a shimmy. She cursed the dry cleaners that let her clothing shrink, and herself for not raising a fuss about it.

"They still charged me full price too..."

The thought brought a bitter taste to her tongue. She needed to get a spine! This was not the first time that someone had walked all over her, and it wasn't making her feel any better!

"Just remember! Be strong. Be assertive!"

But that was easier said than done. Hindsight always reminded her of those words, but only God would know where they went when she really needed them. She was such a pushover... she hated it!

"But what can I do?"

Maybe the trip would help with her meek nature. Her parents told her that her uncle was a detective, so maybe he would give her some tips on being aggressive. That would certainly help with her...

"Oh god... I forgot..."

With her new move meant one thing: a new school. How that detail got overlooked, she would never know. All that came to her mind at the moment was the panic and fear.

"Oh god! What am I going to do! There's going to be all those people, and teachers, and lockers, and bathrooms! I'll probably end up going into the wrong homeroom and make a fool out of myself, which is going to make everyone hate me and think I'm a weirdo! Maybe I can play sick? No! Not for a whole year! Unless I say it's terminal! I'll say I have cancer or something!"

The girl's mental barrage of worry and eccentric planning lasted for a full two hours until she somehow willed herself to sleep, the train still barreling down the tracks.


"Welcome to the Velvet Room!"

"How may we assist you?"

"Your future is going to be an exciting one!"

"NARUKAMI!"


The loud groan of the slowing train awoke the girl from her dream, every detail flowing from her mind like water. The most she could recall was the strange voices, none recognizable or familiar. She could remember blue, but that was it. Not even how it was used, just that it was there somewhere. That, and a strange, bird-like man.

"Maybe I read too much fantasy lately..."

Her clothes groaned as she rose from her seat, a few pops making her face go red as she fretted over where they occurred and if she would have to change in the middle of the train; and if such an action would even be legal. Her shoes were the only article of clothing that fit her perfectly, though they were also quite embarrassing. Her black dress shoes were quite small, compared to her large figure that is. She cursed genetics, and how she was plagued with what others have called a 'super-model body'. She was quite tall, around six feet, and had assets that had earned her the scorn of many a jealous classmate. That included not only her figure, but her face, which has been compared to royalty by more than one love-struck boy.

A gust of fresh air nearly caused her to collapse as she stepped out of the train, her balance hampered by her tight clothing. She thanked whatever deity would listen that she was alone in the station, apparently the only one to be visiting Inaba. Her long, silver hair flowed in the wind as she carried her small, gray suitcase with her towards the exit.

She spotted her uncle outside, waiting by his car. With him was a small, brown-haired girl wearing a pink dress, who was scolding him for smoking a cigarette. The girl brought a case of doubt to her mind. Her mother had given her a picture of her uncle, but she didn't mention anything about a daughter. Could it be the wrong guy?

"Hey there!" the man called out, noticing the girl standing at the door.

"Oh thank god, it's him!" she sighed in relief. If he hadn't shown up by then... she didn't even want to think about it.

The man approached the girl, scanning her with a glare that made her shrivel in fear. The icy-cold gaze made every inch of her turn into water, tearing apart any chance of standing up with pride or dignity whatsoever.

"You look like your choking in that," the man joked, taking a puff from his cigarette. "Is that what city kids are wearing now?"

"N-No!" she nearly shrieked out, somehow finding her voice. "Cl-Clothes... d-dry cleaners! Sh-Shrunk..." Any chance of coherency fell apart as she struggled to look him in the eye. Though they were equal height, maybe even taller than him by a few inches, she felt the middle-aged man tower over her with an authority she could not even fathom. It was like being a child when you first angered your parents, that same icy cold fear flooded her veins and made her go pale.

"You don't have to be so nervous," the man smirked, holding the cigarette in his lips. "You may not remember me, but we've met before. Hell, I changed your diapers as a kid."

"THAT IS NOT HELPING!" she calmly thought to herself.

"But, I guess we should introduce ourselves anyway," the man said, extending a hand. "I'm Ryotaro Dojima. Let's see, I'm your mother's younger brother, and that about sums it up."

The girl responded to his outstretched hand with a shaking one, timidly giving him a handshake. A small whimper caught her attention, the small girl Dojima was with was hiding behind his legs. Her face was red with embarrassment, and her gaze always stuck to the ground.

"Oh, right," Dojima said in realization, "this here is my daughter, Nanako." He gave her a small push to her back, tearing her from her hiding spot. "Come on, Nanako! Introduce yourself to your cousin," he said teasingly, getting a surprisingly hard smack to the thigh as an answer.

"H'llo..." was all Nanako said, once again hiding behind her father's legs.

"H-Hi..." the girl said, matching Nanako's meek tone.

"What're you two so shy for?" Dojima asked with a chuckle. "Aren't you even going to ask her her name?" he asked his daughter.

"Wh-What's your name?" Nanako inquired unwillingly, wanting to simply end the discussion as quickly as possible.

"Nar-Narukami..." the girl responded unsurely, noticing Dojima's disapproving sigh.

"You don't need to be so formal," he said with a groan.

"SHIT! Fix it! Fix it!" she screamed to herself.

"Jo-JoJo!" she suddenly said, catching the two by surprise. "M-My friends c-call me JoJo..."

"JoJo?" Dojima asked in deadpan. "People still call you that?"

"W-Well my p-parents do," JoJo explained, looking as though she was about to have a heart attack, "a-and then a few pe-people from school found out and it just ki-kind of... stuck."

"Right," Dojima said, dropping his cigarette to the ground and crushing it with his shoe. "Well, let's get going," he turned to the car, "no doubt you want to get into some more... comfortable clothes."

JoJo looked to her younger cousin, hearing the little girl repeat her nickname with a small smile on her face. She always hated it herself, but others seemed to like it. She was always too afraid to ask them not to use it, so she grit her teeth and went with it. Even with her own parents. Her clothes still creaked as she walked to the car, hoping that the next year would be peaceful and completely normal.


"We'll stop here for a bit," Dojima announced, parking the small vehicle at a small gas station in the middle of the shopping district. The Moel sign glowed brightly, even in the sunlight. The three exited the vehicle, taking the opportunity to stretch their muscles, or, in Nanako's case, use the restroom. "You sure you can go by yourself?" Dojima asked in slight worry.

"Uh-huh," was all Nanako said in response.

"Hey there!" a cheery gas attendant called out as he approached the three. His uniform made him look more at home as part of a pit crew for a race track, stains of oil splattered across his shirt an pants. His pale skin glowed with sweat as he fiddled with his cap, his gray hair barely held back by the head-wear. He stank of gasoline, making JoJo feel light-headed as he got closer. The attendant noticed Nanako walking off towards the store, and the uncomfortable look on her face. "The bathrooms are towards the left!" he shouted to Nanako, making sure he could be heard. "Left is the side you don't hold your chopsticks in!"

"I know... geez..." JoJo could hear Nanako's annoyance, the silence around them amplifying any sound. She could only wonder why the attendant was shouting, until she saw headphone wires hidden by the lengths of gray hair that shook as wildly as his nods.

"So you guys taking a trip?" he asked Dojima, who fiddled with the packet of cigarettes in his front pocket.

"No," Dojima answered as he pulled one out, placing it in his mouth, "we just had to pick her up from the station." He gestured to JoJo, who nearly jumped in surprise. "She's visiting."

"Cool!" the attendant said in apparent glee. "A city ch-!"

"Fill up my car," Dojima interrupted sharply, cutting off the employee's train of thought. "Regular's fine."

"Y-Yes sir!" he said, looking into the gaze of the hardened man, and regretting every second of it.

"Good a time as any for a smoke," Dojima said, walking off as he pulled out his lighter. He stationed himself at the sidewalk just outside of the gas station's property, smoking as he shot daggers into the attendant who stood next to his niece.

"God that guy is freaky!" the attendant said in relief, as though he could no longer see the man just a few feet away. "But you're a city kid huh? That's pretty cool!"

Something about the attendant's voice made JoJo question him. She could not even tell what it was or what she was doubting, but it was there. The way he acted just seemed strange, the way he moved, the way he talked, even the way he smiled just creeped her out. Maybe it was the small town hospitality thing, and that she wasn't used to sudden social interaction. Still, she was hoping he would go away soon.

"Guess it must surprise city folk like yourself at how little there is to do here," the attendant said, showing no signs of leaving. "You'll mainly hang out with friends or do part-time jobs," he said with a shrug. JoJo noticed the way he scanned her over, making her go red-faced as she remembered the dilemma her shrunken clothes caused. "You seem pretty young, did you just graduate?" he asked JoJo, who responded by meekly shaking her head.

"I-I'm still a s-second year..." she said, feeling oddly ashamed. The way he looked at her made her self-conscious of pretty much everything about herself. That always happened around other people, even with her own family. Thoughts like 'I'm way too young!' or 'Stand up straight, you idiot!' flooded her mind during even the most casual of conversations.

"That's cool," he said, extending a hand. "We'll hire even if you're a student. In fact, I think we're looking for seasonal help anyway. Summer's coming, so a lot of tourists'll be passing through, you know?"

"Th-That's okay!" JoJo politely rejected, though still shaking the man's hand. She couldn't tell whether the sweat was from her or the attendant, but she felt sick at either thought. In fact, she was filling sick all of a sudden...

"I think someone hit me in the head with a truck or something..."

A sudden bout of nausea threatened to reveal what she had for breakfast that morning. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and it was getting progressively worse by the moment. The attendant had walked away, nowhere to be seen, which was getting harder to do as her vision became fuzzy.

"Hey..." she could hear Nanako's small voice, fear and worry clearly building up. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine...!" JoJo tried to reassure her cousin, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"You don't look so good..." Nanako took her cousin's hand as JoJo slid to the ground, unable to stand properly.

"I'm... alright..." JoJo lost any chance of underwhelming her condition as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness, her head feeling like an abused war drum. The most she could hear before passing out were the sudden footsteps of Dojima as he rushed towards them.


Fog. That was all she could see. Nothing but fog for what seemed like miles around. The ground was the only thing she could see clearly, it being a strange tiled path that stretched deep into the thick haze. Her breaths were getting shorter as the fog seemed to fill her lungs. The pounding in her head returned with a vengeance, it tearing her down to her knees. She clutched her aching skull, trying to will the pain away.

"So you wish to find the truth?" a powerful voice called out to her.

"Wh-Where am I!? What the hell is thi-!?"

"Then go and catch it!" the voice interrupted, ripping the words from her throat. The powerful boom sent shivers down her back.

"Catch what!? What the f-f-FUCK is going on!?" JoJo threw her hands over her mouth. She promised to never swear, but she was sure that it would be okay is this circumstance!

"Awaken, child of man," a different voice called, this one calming. Thought it was just as powerful, something about it made her feel calm. She felt safe with that voice, much more so than the other.

"You must awaken."


JoJo's eyes slowly slid open, her surroundings blurry and incomprehensible. Her head felt like Thor smashed his hammer against her skull, and it was only made worse by the sudden light. The sound of the ceiling fan was like a machine gun that threatened to deafen her. She scanned the room at a turtle's pace, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. It was a simple guest room. A television stand was next to the futon she laid on. She also took note of the couch and table parallel to the television, and of the work-desk in the corner. JoJo found it hard to take in any details, her eyes feeling heavy and empty. She simply lacked any energy to even focus her vision. The click of the door exploded in her head, causing her to wince in pain. The heavy footsteps didn't make it any better.

"Oh good," Dojima said, approaching the resting teen, "you're awake." His tone showed that he tried to keep his worry down, masking it with an aura of cool objectiveness. "You really freaked out Nanako when you passed out. She thought you died or something," Dojima said with a chuckle.

"I-I'm..." JoJo tried to say, finding her words sticking in her throat. Her mouth felt like sandpaper, and every time she tried to swallow her saliva she felt like she was about to vomit.

"I just got off the phone with your parents," Dojima cut in, his gaze showing that he was not going to be fooled. He gave a sigh as he rubbed his head. "They chewed me out when I told them what happened."

"S-Sorry..." JoJo managed to say, her voice weak and brittle. She wanted to tell him about the dream, it still weighed on her mind, but she once again lost her voice. Her body was getting heavier by the second, as if a block of lead was laid atop her.

"I'll let you get some sleep," Dojima said as he turned towards the door. "You've got school tomorrow."

His steps still thundered in her head as the man left the girl alone, allowing her to be consumed by the silence. Even the clicking of the cheap wall-clock was unable to pierce her eardrums, simply leaving her in an aura of nothing.

"School..."

She could not deny that she was afraid. How could she? New people. New teachers. New classes. All of that just made her stomach go cold. She still remembered her old school, despite trying not to. Once again she let herself sink into the corner, never talking to anyone. That didn't stop a few wanna be idols from trying to talk to her. She was never rude to them, but that would be hard to do considering that she never spoke a single word to them. Entire school years would pass where she wouldn't say a single sentence. She would say "Here!" for attendance, or give a terse answer to a question, but that would be about it.

"Hopefully I can change that this year."

She promised herself that much, at least.


The steps creaked and groaned as JoJo made her way down them, making her feel self-conscious regarding her weight. Finding her way around the house was easy then she expected, having just woken up in it the previous night. Though getting to the bathroom was less easy, much to her frustration. Her new uniform, a black sailor suit and skirt with yellow bow, fit her like a glove, adding some respite from the bathroom hassle. Her black uniform shoes clacked against the tile flooring as she entered the main floor of the small home. The kitchen was small, only taking a corner that the rest of the living room overshadowed. The simple furnishings gave off the impression that the residents were only truly interested in keeping the house clean in regards to aesthetics. Dust on various tables and shelves made JoJo sneeze upon sight, only succeeding in spreading more in the air.

"Oh," a small voice caught her attention, "good morning."

JoJo turned to see Nanako sit at the dinner table that intersected between the living room and the kitchen, a banquet of toast and eggs displayed before her. The smell made JoJo's stomach grumble, reminding her that she needed to eat breakfast. Her plan was to simply rush to school as fast as possible, but the aroma taunted her mercilessly. Before she could even think anything else, she was sitting at the table, a fork and knife digging into a sunny-side-up egg.

"Did you make these?" JoJo asked, hunger outweighing her timid nature. She didn't catch so much as a glimpse of Dojima whatsoever when she woke up, and the food looked freshly made.

"Uh-huh," Nanako answered, a proud smile on her face. "I only know how to make eggs and toast, but I've gotten really good at them!" JoJo's continued feast confirmed the little girl's boast. "Hey, you're starting school today, right?"

"O-Oh... y-yeah," JoJo said, her breakfast seemingly interrupted. All of the confidence she once had vanished, retreating back into her shell.

"We should walk together!" Nanako offered cheerfully, not noticing her cousin's discomfort. "My school's on the same route as you, so I can show you how to get to yours!"

"S-Sure...?" JoJo said, unsure of how to respond. The way Nanako said it seemed to imply that she was going to lead her no matter if JoJo declined the offer or not.

"Okay!" Nanako said excitedly, humming a strange tune to herself. To JoJo, it sounded like one you would hear from a cheesy commercial. Despite that, Nanako repeated to hum the tune over and over again.

"That tune is kind of catchy."

That thought was quickly extinguished by the time the two had left the house and made it to the floodplains. By that point, JoJo was just about ready to shove skewers into her ears to never be able to hear that damned song ever again! Of course, she never so much as made a peep to Nanako, who was still humming away in pure innocence.

"Okay," Nanako began, stopping suddenly in the street as other high school passed them by. The rain pelted their umbrellas mercilessly, the sounds nearly drowning out the river flowing next to them. "Your school is that way," she said while pointing ahead of her, in the direction the other teenaged students were going. She turned around in a complete one-eighty, pointing in that direction instead. "My school's back over this way. Goodbye!" Nanako walked off, unknowingly leaving JoJo standing in the rain.

"Crap! I have to get moving!"

JoJo wasted no time in picking up her pace, practically sprinting in the direction that Nanako indicated earlier. The other high schoolers watched curiously as the unfamiliar girl rushed towards the place they knew and despised.


"I can't be late!"

That thought replayed over and over in her head. Despite it not even being the first day, she was already worried about running behind schedule. Her feet were moving a mile a minute, splashing rain with every step. She wasn't far from where Nanako and her separated, and she was already gasping for air. JoJo snapped at herself for not exercising more, but decided to push the thought away until later.

Mainly because she crashed into someone.

It all happened within a few seconds, but time seemed to slow to a crawl. The droplets of rain looked like clear, beautiful pearls that she could reach out and grab. The puddle exploded as she fell in, drenching her back with water. Though it felt like ice water, she could not keep her face from going hot with embarrassment. It wasn't even the first day, and she already made an idiot of herself. With her luck, she probably crashed into some kind of Yakuza member that will decapitate her the minute she makes eye contact.

"Hey, missy! Watch where you're going!" a loud and arrogant voice screeched at her.

What she got was much worse.

"Don't you know who I am!?" The voice demanded, JoJo looked up to see a girl wearing far too much make up and carrying an extravagant umbrella. Her dark, blonde hair looked nearly orange, which emphasized the bright pink lipstick and blush that made her look less like the student her uniform implied and more like a prostitute.

"I-I'm sor-!" JoJo tried to apologize, getting to her feet only to have the aggressive girl stick her face centimeters from her own.

"The name is Ai Ebihara! And you better learn it quick if you want me to shake off this little stunt you pulled!" Ai threatened, pulling out a small, jeweled pocket mirror and inspecting her makeup. "What if I fell in a puddle, huh? My makeup would be ruined! And you could say the same for your school year if I felt merciful!" The death glare Ai gave JoJo shook all hope of escape away without a single shred of hope to get it back.

"I-I'm really sorry!" JoJo blurted out in a panic, unable to keep herself from begging. "I-I'm new, and I was afraid that I'd be late, so I started running, and I didn't see you, and then-!"

"Guh, you're all the same!" Ai declared in disgust. One of her well-manicured hands shot to JoJo's well-endowed chest, making her victim go bright red. "You get a good pair of tits and think acting cute and shy will make the world bend over backwards for you." Ai released JoJo's chest, though the girl was still petrified by the experience. "Get out of my sight before you make me any more annoy-" Ai would have continued her threat had JoJo not left the minute she was ordered to.


"That woman was crazy!" JoJo screamed to herself, once again running down the street to her new school. She prayed she would never have to associate with Ebihara again. Of course, it was probably inevitable. It seemed like a small town, so she would probably see Ai on the street or in class, though it would not be due to a lack of trying.

"WATCH OUT!" another voice called out before crashing into a set of nearby trashcans. His headphones blasted out some pop song that JoJo could recognize from the new idol Risette, but that thought flew out the window as she watched the brown-haired boy pick himself up off the ground. The detail that now caught her attention was how his hands swung to his genitals, him yelping in pain like a horse on helium. "Oh god! Why there!? Why is it always the same spot!?"

"Ha!" a snarky student said as he walked with his friends. "Looks like Hanamura busted his balls again!"

"WHAT IS WITH THIS TOWN AND GENITALS!?"


A/N

This is Mastodon with a new story after being dead for so long. Sorry fans of my other stuff...

Anyway, like I said, I was dead for a bit. :I

So I apologize if I am rusty with this first chapter.

Reasons for that include doing a production of Grease for my local theater with a buddy of mine, looking for a job, and planning a trip to Japan next summer! So yeah, pretty fucking busy for me.

Anyways, you notice the whole story line is essentially a retelling with a female protag. Those always interest me as I like the idea of the butterfly effect, where one small change causes a massive chain reaction. So that's what I went with. You also notice that I already seem to enjoy torturing poor little Narukami, that is because I live by the philosophy of fucking hating your protagonists. That is also the reason why a lot of these retellings disappoint me, as they make Yu/Souji/Professor Dickweed basically be their personal megaphone where they announce to the audience how much of a saint the author is; or how much a douche this character is; or what the author would do in that situation (one I read being calmly explain to Kanji how they were not implying he was gay and having it work). That takes the fun out of it for me. So expect JoJo (I'll explain her name...) to get the shit kicked out of her for your and my amusement.

Now as to why I named her JoJo.

1. No. It is not an unlisted JoJo's Bizarre Adventure crossover. That is simply her nickname.

2. Yes. I got the idea from watching JoJo's BA, but that is it. No Stands. No Dio (;-;). No Pillar Men. No Broken Engrish.

Now, will this interfere with other stories?:

Probably. (Sorry fans of that FE: Awakening retelling I'm doing.)

Why make JoJo a bombshell?:

1. I'm a horrible pervert.

2. Because I wanted to differentiate her from other Femtags that retellings make. A lot of those just make her really slender or petite. Facade I forgave because well... it would fuck with the story. (PS: Check it out, it's pretty damn interesting.)

3. I'm a terrible pervert.

Why the shy personality?:

I wanted to do something different than the other MC's I've been writing for.

WYINGBTI (super long acronym): Yu is just Yu in a crazier AU.

Only The Young: Robin is a child, which has been more fun to write than I thought it would be.

TSIMTTC (another long acronym): Guts is Guts if he was born and raised in the Persona-verse, with slight tendencies to go back to his old ways.

FWTR: Robin is Robin, but just really really stupid.

Be Kind! Rewind!: Yu is a germaphobe with essentially the Terror Mask from Splatterhouse as his Persona. (Magatsu-Izanagi)

So I wanted to try something different from... well... all of those.

But I'm gonna wrap this up for now. Here's hoping I get to write more of this, because I'm having fun with it!