Do You Wish to Know the Truth?

A/N

First things first! Yes, this is a repost! But, this version has been heavily edited and rewritten, so don't expect to the same chapter that you saw before!

Secondly, to all the new viewers, welcome to my novelization of Persona 4! I hope I do the original material justice with this fanfiction.

Third, make sure you Read and Review! It really helps to see your comments when I'm stuck in writer's block.

And lastly, the paragraph below won't make sense until later on in the story. So, until then just enjoy it for what it is…

When you think of the word "hero", what do you think of? Some tall and handsome lad, clad in a spandex outfit? Or, do you think of a policeman, firefighter, or a doctor? For me, as a child, I thought of heroes as being Mr. Perfect. No flaws, no weakness. But, after spending a year with real heroes, I've come to realize that every hero has their flaws and the greatest heroes are the ones who face them. Sad thing about this realization is, that it took a Fool to make me realize this. But, alas, you didn't come here to read a feeble epiphany from an ex-hero. In fact, you came here to read about the true story of the hero who went out of his way to find the truth and save a whole town from being swallowed up by fog, right? Well, without further ado…

- The Moon

In a realm unfamiliar with ours…

The hero of this tale sleeps in the middle of a limo's backseats, oblivious to the passengers that accompany him on his ride. From the front of the limo, an elegant woman rises from her seat and shuffles toward the resting young man. She gives him a tap on his knee causing him to jolt awake. He sleepily gazes around his surroundings until his eyes are met with the woman's. He wiped the rest of the sleep from his eyes to refocus on the woman as she walked back to her seat. The lady sat down as a mysterious old man in the seat in front of him began speaking.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room…" The old mysterious man with a long nose introduced the room with a waving hand, giving the hero a moment to observe his environment. The limousine was outfitted with dark blue velvet upholstery that was bordered with smooth, dark brown wood. He looked to the left and saw that limo had a mini-bar that was lit up with a light blue neon glow. He looked upward to the abstract yet, geometrically shaped chandelier that had the same neon glow as the mini-bar.

The hero then gazed over toward the woman who awakened him. The woman took a polite sip from her wine glass and sat on the stand next to her as the hero began to notice her features. She had wavy platinum blonde hair that accompanied her golden eyes. Her pale skin contrasted her dark blue dress and high heel shoes. But, before the hero can notice anything else about the politely dressed woman, the hunched-over old man began to speak.

"My, it seems you have an unusual destiny lying before you…" The old man closed his eyes as he pondered on his previous statement. Then, his bloodshot eyes shot open as he hunched over his table. "Now, for introductions... I am Igor…" The old man grinned as he introduced himself.

"And I am Margaret..." The elegant blonde spoke up. "I am Igor's assistant in the Velvet Room… It's a pleasure to meet you Mister…" The assistant trailed off, waiting for hero to respond.

"K-Kisuke. Kisuke Narukami." Our hero stammered as he began to look outside the window at the fog. He snapped back to the assistant and old man. "Where am I?" He questioned. The old man closed his eyes and flashed a large toothy grin while his assistant took another sip from her glass.

"You aren't in your realm anymore." Igor pulled a deck of cards from out of thin air and rested him on his table. Then, a few of the cards began sorting themselves out on the table in a circular pattern. "This realm exists between mind and matter…" The cards on the table flew upward with a blue glow and began slowly rotating in a circle. "This realm separates dreams from reality…" The card's glow slowly fainted as the cards levitated back down to the table. With a crisp snap of his white gloves, the cards vanished into Igor's suit jacket. His eyes opened and his grin grew wider as he continued his sentence. "And, only those who have forged a contract are allowed to enter this realm…" Igor finished.

"But, I haven't forged anything at all…" Kisuke said with total confusion.

"We know…" Igor rested his hands in front of his mouth and continued speaking. "But, in the future, such a fate will be waiting you. Until then, continue along your path toward the truth, Mr. Narukami." Igor advised.

"Your journey will be interesting at the least." Margaret added as Kisuke's eyelids began to feel heavier. "Until next time…" Kisuke's head dipped downward and before he knew it, he was fast asleep again in the limo.

4/11 – 5:48 p.m. – Train heading toward Yasoinaba Station

"We are about five or six minutes away from Yasoinaba Station. I repeat, five or six minutes away from Yasoinaba Station. Please be careful when grabbing your luggage from the overhead compartment."

I was jolted awake due to the conductor's loud announcement. My eyes darted around the train's cabin, looking for the two mysterious individuals that I had just met. But, alas, I was only met with empty chairs and uninteresting businessmen, who were eager to get off the rickety, run-down train. I turned my head back to my seat and began gathering my things to get ready to leave as well.

But just then, a flash of sunlight burst into the inside of the train causing me to shield my eyes from the powerful rays. After, adjusting to the change of brightness in the cabin, I looked out the window of the train only to see the greenery of the countryside town. The light blue sky clashed against the town's rolling hills and flood plains. Narrow beaten paths of tan dirt tracked down some of the hills only to lead to larger paths of even more dirt.

This place was the complete opposite of any city that I've been to. Where most cities were only about hustling and hurrying, this town felt like it was about being dead and dull. It would be the perfect place for me to spend another year of my life doing nothing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at Yasoinaba Station. Thank you for riding the Okina Express Lines and have a pleasant day."

After noticing the passage of time, I stood up and grabbed my suitcase from the overhead and walked out of the rustic metal deathtrap of a train, ready to start another uneventful year of high school in the rural town of Inaba.

4/11 – 6:06 p.m. – Yasoinaba Station

The streets outside of the train station were way too empty for my liking. It was like I had walked into an ambush. The colors of the buildings around me were dim and lifeless compared to the city's bright lights and neon advertisements. I pulled out my train schedule time sheet, hoping that I was in the right spot for my uncle to pick me up. But, before I could read it, a large gust of wind whips the paper out of my hands.

"Well…shit." I curse to myself as I tried to yank the paper out of the breeze. It evades my grasp and dances around my second attempt, as if it were taunting me. After admitting defeat on my eighth try, the paper performs a victory lap around me and floats off. The sheet of paper's windy adventure didn't go far, due to it flying to low and being crushed by the heel of a girl's boot.

I rush over to my paper's captor, only to be met with a teen around my age with emerald eyes and pale skin. The girl wore a sleeveless white shirt that was accompanied by a short black necktie and a red checkered skirt. Additionally, she has black-striped red protective sleeves and black-striped white stockings. She removed her black heeled boot and picked up the paper.

"You dropped something…" She mentioned the obvious as she handed the paper back to me. She shifted her dark brown hair away from her face and began to walk away.

"U-um…thanks…" I said before she walked out of earshot.

"Whatever, it was just stupid piece of paper…" She replied coldly and walked off into the distance. What the hell was her problem?

"Kisuke! Over here!" I turned around to see an adult in a dark gray shirt with a crimson red tie hollering at me. I pick up my luggage and walk over to the adult.

"Damn kid, you look a lot bigger since the last time I saw you! And a lot handsomer too." The ashen haired adult grinned.

"You must be Ryotaro Dojima right?" I sat my luggage on the ground and shook the stubbly man's hand. "It's good to finally meet you, sir."

"Calm down, kid!" He chuckled at my formality while he patted me on my shoulder. "You can call me Dojima." I nodded in agreement and picked up my suitcases. "Oh!" Dojima exclaimed and then shot his head behind him and looked down at the little girl hiding behind his leg. "This is my daughter, Nanako." He said as he pushed the shy girl in front of his leg.

"Hello…" She murmured and then scurried behind Dojima's leg again causing Dojima to laugh.

"Why is he making you blush?" Dojima chuckled as he noted the little girl's flushed cheeks. She threw a playful punch to the back of Dojima's thigh causing him to yelp out in surprise. They shared a laugh that faded into awkward silence. Dojima snapped out of the uncomfortable glare and turned back to me. "Hey, I'm parked over here…" He mentioned as he took a suitcase out of my hand and marched over to a parking lot nearby.

4/11 – 6:12 p.m. – Dojima's Sedan

It's sad when you have a staring contest with your own reflection and its winning. I look past my reflection and out toward the rural small town. Small discount stores and shops litter the long road ahead of us.

"Must suck having to move because of your parents…" Dojima's gravelly voice shook me out of my trance of boredom.

"Yeah…" I murmur and rested my head against my window.

"Hey, how is Daisuke and Michiko doing?" Dojima asked, as he scratched his stubbly beard.

"Mom is doing fine and Dad is excited about the new business venture across seas." I answer and moved my eyes back to my window, hoping to find a more interesting topic in my reflection.

"That's good…" Dojima scratched his graying stubble. "How are you liking Inaba so far?"

"It looks…" I racked my brain for an appropriate word. "Dull, I guess…at least compared to the city…"

"Y'know…Inaba isn't that bad of a place…" He reassured. "I mean, Inaba isn't attractive like the city but, if you give it a chance, it might surprise you…" I rolled my eyes at his advice and continued my staring contest with my transparent shadow.

"Daddy…" Nanako whined from the backseat. "I gotta go to the potty…"

4/11 – 6:16 p.m. – Moel Gas Station

Nanako leapt out of the car and rushed toward the gas station's convenience store. "You gonna be okay by yourself?" Dojima shouted after his pigtailed daughter. She responded by turning around and flashing a huge thumbs-up to her father.

"Hello there, sirs!" A peppy, female gas attendant chimed as Dojima and I began to get out of the sedan. "What'll it be today?"

"Just fill'er up." Dojima answered while sticking a cigarette in his mouth. The gas attendant shuffled off to grab the nozzle from the station. "I'm gonna go smoke. You cool with hanging with the sedan?" He asked. I nodded and then he walked off to inhale his tobacco.

The gas attendant came back with the nozzle from the station. "Hey…" The attendant shoved the nozzle into the car and began to looking me up and down. "Are you from the city?" She asked while continuing to look me over. I nodded as she checked the nozzle in the sedan. "I knew it!" The female attendant exclaimed. "I knew you look too nice for the sticks!" She complimented.

"Thank you, ma'am." I said and faked a smile at her compliment.

"Man that must sucks…" The crimson-eyed woman took off her red work hat, wiped the sweat off her brow and placed the hat upon her light grey hair. "Moving away from those tall buildings to boring mom n' pop stores…" She sympathized.

"Yeah…it does…" I answered honestly.

"Hey, if you ever need a job to keep yourself occupied, you can always come to Moel! We got a few positions open here, if you want one…" The attendant offered and stuck her hand out for a shake.

"Sure, I'll check it out…" I said with false-gratitude and shook the lady's hand only to be met with a grip meant for a linebacker. The middle of her palm radiated an odd feeling of warmth and her long, cold, slender fingers constricted the top of my hand. She unclasped my hand from the shake and went back to the nozzle in the car.

"We filled up over here?" Dojima had just came back from smoking.

"Yessir!" The attendant nodded. Dojima handed the attendant a small wad of cash and she began to walk away, but before she walked away, she turned around and gave me an odd glare. "Hope to see you again…" She shouted as she walked off to another customer.

DO YOU WISH TO KNOW THE TRUTH?

A large pain shot into my head causing me to fall backward slightly into the sedan car door. I gripped my forehead, attempting to stop my head from exploding due to the intense pain. My head felt like it was reeling. My eyes felt like there were going pop out of my head. A small white noise began to grow into a loud ringing scream in my head.

THEN COME FIND ME…

"Are you okay?" I jolted off the sedan and whipped my head at the little voice. "You look a little sick…" Nanako mentioned.

"It's fine…it passed…" I lied. The intense noise in my head died down to a murmur and the headache was replaced with light-headedness.

"He's probably just exhausted from the long train ride." Dojima chimed in. "Come on, the house is just down the road from here."

4/11 – 7:20 p.m. – Dojima Residence

"So…try to do your best to feel at home here, okay…" I tuned back into the discussion at the dinner table. I shot my head up from the plate of food in front of me and at Dojima.

"U-um...yes sir…" I said while picking up a piece of tofu and plopping it into my mouth.

"Jeez kid, do you ever—" Dojima was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone vibrating on the table. "Do you ever—" The phone vibrated again, almost jiggling of the table. Dojima excused himself from the table and stormed into his room answering the call, leaving me and Nanako with the store bought tofu dinner.

"So…do you have any relatives?" Nanako asked while staring down at her plate of tofu.

"U-um…no…just me…" I answered. An awkward silence ensued as we both stared and picked at our food. Dojima stormed back into the room, his eyes squinted in anger.

"Look, kids…" Dojima sighed as he started to gather his things off the breakfast table. "I gotta head to the station. Something big came up and I'm needed." He patted down his pockets to make sure he had everything he needed. "Nanako, you bring in the clothes, right?" His daughter nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you guys…" He didn't finish because he didn't know when he would be back. Dojima opened up the front door of his quaint home, only to be met with a horde of raindrops. He ducked back into the house and grabbed his coat. While he still had time to spare, he hobbled over to Nanako quickly gave her hug and gave me a firm pat on the shoulder. Dojima swung his coat around his shoulders and scurried out of the home.

Nanako let out a huge saddened sigh and continue to eat the rest of her food. I had only known Nanako for an hour or two and I already understand what she's going through. My parents are practically the same as her only parent. They see you for a little bit and then duck off to their own job, deeming work as bigger responsibility…

"So, your father is a cop, right?" I asked, trying to break the uncomfortable tension in the room.

"Yeah…" the pigtailed girl sighed. "Daddy usually leaves to go to the station at night…" Nanako turned around and grabbed the television remote behind her. "He sometimes comes back early enough in the morning to walk me to school…sometimes…" She trailed off while flicking through the channels.

"At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!"

"Everyday's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang along with television's jingle. And almost instantaneously, Nanako was cheered up. It's amazing how fast little kids rebound from a sad thought.

4/11 – 8:14 p.m. – Dojima Residence's Spare Bedroom

I fucking hate unpacking.

As a child, I used to be okay with it. I used to make it into a game with my mom, to see who could unpack the fastest. But, now as sixteen year old adolescent, I think it's useless. Why unpack when you know that you're going to be gone soon. I throw my emptied suitcases into my newly appointed closet, in my newly appointed room, in my newly appointed home for the year. I plop down on my new couch and roll my head into the headrest.

"Stuck here for a whole year, huh…" I murmur to the ceiling light and close my eyes.

DO YOU WISH TO KNOW THE TRUTH?

I jolted up as my migraine reared its ugly head again. I grabbed my ears to shut out the sound of the white noise increasing to its deafening volume. My forehead was throbbing with a red hot heat. I jumped off the couch and began pacing around the room as the noise became too unbearable. And just as the noise reached its peak volume…

THEN COME FIND ME…

I collapsed onto my bed due to the release of the pain. I whipped my head around the room in a panic. "What the fuck…" I scurried off the bed too quickly, causing me to collide face first into the floor with a large crash.

"Is everything okay in there?" Nanako sleepily asked through the door.

"Y-Yeah…I'm okay…" I lied as I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Damn, that hurt like hell. I listened closely as Nanako's feet scampered away down the hall and into her room. I clambered back onto my bed and stared around my room, hoping to find the source of the mysterious voice. But, there was nothing...

Just silence…absolute silence…

A/N

Damn, this was a difficult chapter to write. It's hard trying to re-introduce a reader to a world they're already familiar with in an interesting way. So, I hope I did that right…

Well, that's it for me! Make sure to Review, Follow, and Favorite to keep in touch with the story.

The Grubermeister