Persona 4; Twin Destinies
An alternate dimension re-telling.
They stood out amongst the other people waiting at the station, idly passing time as they waited for the train to arrive. As they stood there, an advert played on the large screens behind them. A perky, feminine voice drowned out the idle chatter of the other would-be passengers.
"I'm tired of diets, enough with going to the gym! Good thing there's something even I can handle!"
One of the boys started at the sudden break in the monotony, turning around to stare at the beautiful idol playing in the water and drinking the advertisement's source of revenue, Quelorie Magic, while the other simply sighed, staring at the tracks dully.
Both boys had brilliant silver hair, and possessed striking eyes of a similar silver color. Both were dressed in the same clothes, but managed to make their style uniquely their own. The boy who had turned around to the large screens wore a loose-fitting black jacket, buttoned from the middle down, with a collared white shirt underneath, and black pants and shoes, with a silver watch adorning his right wrist. The other boy was dressed in the same clothes, but instead chose to wear his jacket completely open, standing with his left hand on his hip, the same watch as the other boys adorning his left wrist.
As the advertisement ended, the train rolled to a stop in front of them. As the doors opened, both young boys grabbed their bags and boarded alongside the others around them. Finding a set of open seats, the boys stowed their bags above them, and sat down, glad to be off their feet, and settled down for the long ride ahead of them. They closed their eyes, drifting slowly off to sleep.
A Midnight black limousine drove down a fog-covered street, humming quietly as it disturbed the air around it as it moved. Inside, a young woman with almost pale-blond hair sat in a spacious blue room, holding a book, head bowed and eyes closed. An older man with pointed ears and white hair sat adjacent to her, hands folded over his mouth under a long nose, eyes also closed. The room contained a small bar on the left, filled with glasses and drinks, a small screen in the middle. An open bench seat was on the right, separated from the seat the woman sat on by a small side-table jutting from the room's wall. In the middle of the two occupants sat a small table, covered by a light blue tablecloth.
Suddenly, the woman's eyes opened, as if she had sensed someone entering the room. The man opened his eyes only seconds later, revealing small black irises and bloodshot eyes, a voice as smooth as the fabric covering the room emanating from behind his hands. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."
The old man grinned widely, and continued to speak. "Ah, it seems we have not one, but two guests in this realm. What interesting destinies they have!" Chuckling softly to himself, the man continued to stare at his guests, eyeing them with a glint in his eyes.
"Master, this seems…unorthodox. How can we have two guests who share such a fate within the room?" asked the young woman, golden irises gleaming as she looked towards the elder man.
"I am unsure of that myself, my dear, but tis not our duty to question the hands of fate. Now, how about we introduce ourselves to our guests? Ahem…"
The man coughed, collecting himself, and began again. "My name is Igor…I am delighted to make your acquaintances. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those bound by a 'contract' may enter. It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then, why don't you introduce yourselves?
The two boys looked at each other, perplexed at the situation. Was this a dream? And if so, how were they both having the same dream? And why was it so…particular? They turned back to Igor, who continued to stare at them with a patient smile playing on his face. The boy with his jacket buttoned spoke first. "My name is Yu Narukami." Yu nodded his head towards the elder man, acknowledging that he had completed his introduction. The other boy spoke up next. "My name is Souji Seta." He looked towards Igor, waiting patiently for the man's next actions. Dream or no, the boys were engaged and interested in what would happen next.
Igor smiled wider than before at the boys introductions. "Hmm, I see. Twins, then? Intriguing. Now, let's look into your future, shall we?" Igor waved his hand, and a set of seven cards appeared on the table in front of him. "Do you believe in fortune telling? Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different. Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"
Igor chuckled, and continued on, flipping one of the cards. The image appeared to be a building, with a lightning bolt breaking it in two. "Hmm…The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is…" Igor trailed off, flipping another card over, this one bearing the image of a crescent moon. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery. Very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destinies…if the mystery goes unsolved, your futures may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen." Igor waved his hand again, and the cards disappeared from the table.
"Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself." Igor gestured to the blonde woman next to him, who nodded and began speaking. "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey." Igor nodded, and spoke again. "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell…" Igor trailed off, and the room slowly faded to black around the twins.
The twins woke up, looking at each other, a wordless understanding between them. That happened, didn't it? The P.A buzzed to life overhead, a quiet voice speaking over the system. "We will arrive at the Yasogami terminal in a few minutes. Passengers headed for Inaba city, and Yasoinaba station, please go to the other side of the platform." Souji sighed, standing up and grabbing his and his brother's bags while Yu checked his phone for the message he had received earlier. "Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 4 PM." Souji tossed Yu his bag, and they made their way to another seat to prepare to disembark. As they entered a tunnel, Souji sat down and closed his eyes. Suddenly, images flashed though his vision, two pairs of feet moving quickly, a woman fighting and screaming out, the man and woman from the dream he had just had moments ago. He gasped and quickly opened his eyes, startling his brother, who appeared as if he had just seen a ghost. Yu had seen the same thing. A while later, the train pulled into the station, the train's intercom flaring to life once more. "Yasoinaba. Yasoinaba."