Author's note: I've never written (well, never published) a Persona 4 fanfiction before. I picked this because I began writing this not long after the game a second time through. I remembered feeling Naoto was the first character I could relate to. I grew up without many friends, and suffering with socially anxiety disorder. But enough self-pity.

I hope you enjoy, read and review :) it's a bit of a welcome change to my Ace Attorney works!

A/N 2 (Update 26/11/2015): Some major edits happening to the story, just to improve some continuity errors for later in the story. Thanks for your patience. Details listed below:

Minor grammar and name improvements, as well as explaining that Kohyru is a warm blooded creature.

Altered paragraph to factor in for Yakushiji's age chapter 2, in order to improve continuity later in the story.

Some minor issues corrected in chapter 3, chapter 4, 5 and 6 remain unchanged

Formatting issues corrected in chapter 7

Major changes about Naoto's lifestyle and Yakushiji's family in chapter 8

Chapter 9 and 10 unchanged

Minor changes in chapter 11

Minor changes to chapter 12

Overhaul of some of the content of chapter 13, mainly focusing around the family dynamic of Yakushiji and Naoto, formatting has been altered in places too

She did not remember much of the fight. Her shadow, she remembered that child well enough, she then remembered a monsterous pair of beasts, they came from Yu-kun. There could have been more from him, but both were positioned defensively around her, not him.

The first, she was sure was a tiger. Byakko, she thought it responded to that name. The others all had these weird creatures too, but they were positioned above or beside their summoners, Byakko, even when generating almighty bursts of flame never once moved from the position curled instinctively around her. Why? Did it, or her senpai see her as weak? A child. I am no child!

She remembered a stab of pain as she felt something pull at her from deep inside, it was all of a sudden hot around her. Was her shadow doing something? She couldn't tell, her eyes weren't opening very easily anymore. There was an ear splitting roar, breaking the air around her.
"Kohyru!" She heard her senpai, and barely managed to respond to the new sensation around her. It was warm, yet scaley, like a lizard.

Her eyes opened one more time before she remembered waking in front of her child form again, apologizing to the others and realising they now knew everything she hid deep inside. Whilst she strained against the golden backdrop now tightly wound around her, engulfing her in the colour. She felt the brush of whiskers and a low growl, barely able to make out what now faced her as it blew smoke at her, as if checking her consciousness.
"D-dragon?" She felt its head pull away from her, it was obviously being summoned by its master.

-x-x-

"I am ok, Rise-san please!" She kept trying to pull away from the grip of the girls, Rise in particular was clinging to her tight, cutting slightly into her shoulder. "Loosen your grip!" They hadn't noticed him quietly following behind until Naoto had finally broken free of Yukiko and Rise and fallen straight back onto her ass – almost. He had managed to push against her back and suspended her slightly from the floor, balancing precariously on her feet.
"Yu-kun!" She almost tried to pull forward, knowing she did not have the energy to keep her balance that way either.
"What are you doing here senpai?" Rise asked, a gleeful admiration in her eyes.
"Here, I'll help you up." He reached his other hand over Naoto, as she reached out to grab it, he braced himself to let go of her back and hoist her to her feet, she stumbled unsteadily, clinging to the hand that he held just a few inches above her head.

"Thank you." She loosened one arm from his grip, which Yukiko took over her shoulders.
"Senpai, you didn't answer me!" Rise pouted as she reached to take Naoto's still extended arm from Yu.
"N-no!" She pulled back, further into Yu. "You'll cut my shoulder again." Her stumbling had caused her to tilt slightly again, his immediate reaction was to reach in front of her and around her waist. She squirmed uncomfortably. "If you're going to help me then do what Yu is doing." Even as exhausted as she was, she would not be vulnerable.

"To answer your question Rise, I live near the apartment Naoto-kun" He paused a brief moment. "Naoto-san, sorry, lives."
"How did you know that?" She struggled.
"You walk the same direction as me every morning." He remarked cooly.
"Why live in an apartment when your grampa lives in town?" Yukiko asked, noticing Naoto's body was getting limper, the last of her energy draining away. "I-I'm sorry, this is no time for questions."

She was barely conscious by the time they reached the apartment building.
"2-A, keys…in…pocket…" Her head was rolling forward, she was exhausted.
"Senpai, she's falling asleep." He hoped she wouldn't hate him for his next choice, they placed her down on a bench nearby and he reached down and tried to support her in a bridal-style carry hold to let her sleep.
"I don't-!" She tried to object but fell into sleep long before she had a chance to fight him back.
"Can you reach her keys?" He shifted his hand slightly to allow Yukiko access to her pocket.
"I have them."

"Wow, Shirogane-san must come from a rich family!" Rise marvelled at the (thankfully) empty lobby. "Aw I wish I lived somewhere like this." She sulked.
"She lives with her grampa on the Shirogane Estate normally, right?" Yukiko mused. "If it's where I think it is, her grandfather is certainly wealthy."
"My arms are getting tired, can we just get her to her room?" She was surprisingly light, but he too was tired from the TV World, she felt far heavier to fatigued muscles.

He placed her down on her bed at Yukiko's instruction, he didn't feel welcome in this room, it was her room, her bedroom.
"We should leave her to sleep." He remarked, grimacing at the invasion of her privacy.
"Shouldn't we at least change her into pyjamas first?" Rise asked.
"No. Let her sleep."
"But senpai-!" She went to protest until Yukiko waved her off.
"She's fine, look, she's already settling down."

"We should leave a note with her when she wakes up. Just to let her know."
"Senpai, she has a notebook on the counter here. It looks like she uses it to note down telephone chats. Write it on here." Rise handed him a pen and paper.

I took a set of spare keys, yours are in the bowl by the door. Let your grampa know you're ok when you wake in a few hours. Get plenty of rest. Call if you need anything.

He signed the bottom of the note and added his phone number.
"What did you write Senpai!" Rise called too loud, causing a stir in the sleeping Naoto.
"Quiet Rise-san!" Yukiko scolded. "We'll be off." With a tug, Rise was out of the apartment. He placed the notebook on the empty bedside table next to her phone.

He switched her keys for another in the bowl, took a glance out the door to check nobody was coming, then switched out the lights and locked the door behind himself.

-x-x-

"W-where?" Her head swirled, she could see a small light glowing at her wrist. "Why do I feel so…sick?" She took the effort to heave herself into a position to read her watch. It was 9pm. She reached for her lamp. Moaning with the effort it took to stretch her muscles even that far.

All she managed was a message to her grampa's secretary notifying him of her safe return home. He needn't worry and would be better to continue assisting her grandfather in his work. The level headed man would know to contact the police station and scold them for informing her grandfather she was missing.

She held back the sickness feeling. Letting sleep overtake her once more.

-x-x-

"Naoto-san, how do you feel?" Wherever she was, it was white. Her eyes shot open. Leaning over her was that stupid shadow of hers again.
"Don't you dare come near me!"
"Naoto-san? I won't hurt you. I promise." The slightly younger looking Naoto leaned back, slamming herself onto her backside with a hard thud. "You are sleeping, I thought you wanted some company."
"Company? I just want to rest!" Naoto growled.
"Oh well Mr. Dragon here said he wanted to see you." The little girl remarked.
"Dragon?" Naoto turned to face her. "What drago-?"

Behind the white clad Naoto was a large golden dragon, she noticed the long whiskers and the growl. This was the first time she had managed to piece together the brief glimpses she got of this beast to form what looked like a coherent creature. It blew plumes of smoke from its nostrils, which enveloped the shadow Naoto, she would cough but then giggle.
"He's really cool Naoto-san. He's stopped me being lonely." She giggled, pulling gently at one whisker which had draped over her shoulder as the dragon tilted its head.
"You are most impressive." Naoto remarked. The dragon simply growled.

"I do seem to remember you having a name." Despite being able to clearly identify this was a dream, she could feel a pang of pain in her skull as she tried to recall.
"Kohyru." It responded, a low rumble shaking through her chest as it did. "Kohyru is my name, young one."
"I didn't know you had a voice." She responded coolly.
"I simply have one you feel suitable, but in reality, I do have a voice most like this when communicating with my master. Perhaps some of our residual presence rubbed off on you." It responded.

"What?" She rubbed her eyes, then her temples.
"I am saying, child, that the communications between my master and I may have been…tapped into by yourself mistakenly."
"I don't-"
"I can communicate without words, as can my master. With my contact to you before you lost conscious perhaps you may have felt some of our communication?" It sounded more like a conclusion she could come to, but she did not press this with the creature.

"I trust she has not irritated you." She nodded her head towards her shadow self.
"I have barely noticed." It rumbled.
"Why can't I wake?"
"Exhaustion, not like anything you will have felt before. Master feels it too, as do the others." It responded matter of factly.
"I will be ok?"
"Of course. But now you must rest, I suppose I shall stay as long as I can." It began to release smoke far faster than before, making her want to cough. "Do not worry about this little one, she will not anger me."

Darkness surrounded her once more.

Author's note: It's a bit short, and I already have quite a lot more of this story written. I hope it was ok...this wasn't beta read, since I don't have a beta reader after so long being away.