Chapter 1: The White Ghost
As soon as I've proved myself, I'll come and see you
Author's Note:
The games Persona 3 and 4 have got to be one of the best PS2 JRPGs that I've played. They pretty much got me into the Shin Megami Tensei franchise and I absolutely love it. I felt that Persona 4 could still have some continuation though and after knowing that there would be no Persona 4: FES or some sort of epilogue to the story, I felt that I could take it into my own hands to create a continuation from my point of view. There will obviously be lots of spoilers and if you haven't played all the Persona games on the PS2 (P3, FES, and 4) then you'll definitely be lost so I recommend you get those games before reading this. Otherwise…enjoy!
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Persona series or the characters in it. Atlus does. The only things I own in here are the original characters and the story.
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The sound of the alarm woke her. Naoto bolted up and got ready for yet another day. It was Sunday, April 1st, 2012 but even though this was a day off from school both because it was Sunday and the school year didn't start until well into April, it just didn't feel right for her to stay in and sleep despite all the other students in high school doing just that. Unlike her usual busy schedule that she would have had if she was always moving around from city to city, her decision to stay at Inaba and protect the village where her most precious memories were held left her without work most of the time.
Naoto made her way down the stairs of the Shirogane Estate mansion and got herself ready.
"Mr. Yakushiji, I'm going out for a while! Just call me on my cellphone if a client comes."
Mr. Yakushiji, the secretary and servant of the Shirogane didn't make his appearance known this early in the morning, but he was definitely up and about doing all sorts of things to help out whether it be in one of the hallways, the kitchen, or on the phone. "Very well Ms. Naoto. Oh, but have you had breakfast yet? Your grandfather has been particularly worried about your constant tendency to skip it. He says it's not healthy." he said out of concern.
"Don't worry about me, I can eat as much as I want later"
With that, Naoto made her way out and walked towards Inaba. Her home was not really that far away from the main part of the town but still secluded enough so that despite her reputation as The Detective "Prince" (a title which may or may not change depending on how widespread the news about her true sex becomes), she can still enjoy enough comfort and privacy. Staying at the countryside was a nice change anyway. She had all that she needed right there without the crowded streets that were suffocating with people and the huge amount of small-time crimes that were always on the news that didn't really need her attention as the police could easily handle it. It seemed like a quiet place where nothing really happens, but after what she's gone through there, Naoto could say that it's one of the most important places in the world, both to her and all the people living outside of it. This is the same place where she met him...it's the place where she met the most important person of her life, Souji Seta.
Naoto was starting to get all depressed now thinking about him, but that always happens. "How ridiculous. All I need to do is wait until the summer vacation in August comes! He cancelled his plans to come here in May but...I guess it can't be helped" she thought to herself. Finding it pointless to continue these negative thoughts, she finally got herself to the Shopping District. On lazy days like these where there wasn't anything to do, she would usually just patrol the streets. At least, that's what it seemed like she was doing and that's what she always told herself. In reality, Naoto was pretty much just taking a walk and enjoying the place. She would continue doing this until later at noon at which point she would make her way back home and do other things with her free time (which was practically non-existant before she made her decision to stay at Inaba) like play video games, take up clients' requests for investigations, or go on the computer and look up information in the web. The life of a normal teenager was more enjoyable than she imagined.
She entered the bookstore to see if they had a new stock of detective novels available. It didn't look like it but there was something bothering her. There was a woman that was about a few inches taller than Naoto who came in a short while ago and was standing near the entrance of the store. This woman was frantically searching the brochure section as if she was in a panic.
"Excuse me, do you need help with something?" Naoto asked.
The mystery woman turned her head and looked at Naoto with a firm gaze. Naoto was able to identify her more clearly now. Her skin was white and quite pale and she barely moved. Her clothing contrasted with her skin perfectly as she was wrapped around a thin black coat and some solid blue jeans. Her hair was messy and blonde and she had blue eyes. Was she a foreigner? Something about her was a bit off and she wasn't speaking. Perhaps she didn't hear what Naoto said so Naoto prepared to repeat herself.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You were talking to me correct?" the pale woman asked. "In fact, there is something that you can help me with. You see, I was visiting this place on what you might call a pilgrimage...it's not something religious but just something I feel like I need to do. I'm in the right place but I can't seem to find a place to stay. Are there any hotels around here?"
"Yes, of course there are. Here..."
Naoto picked up an Inaba tourism brochure from the lower area of the shelves that the woman was looking at prior to their conversation. There wasn't much to see around Inaba so it pretty much just listed the location of the restaurants and talked about the pride and joy of the town, the Amagi Inn.
"This brochure has directions to lead you to the Amagi Inn. It's a bit far so you might want to take the bus but it's still early so it's not too dangerous to walk there. I've done so several times already" Naoto explained, trying to be as kind as she could be.
"I see. Thank you. I guess I'll make my way there right now" and the woman made her way out of the bookstore.
"Wait. What's your name?"
The woman hesitated but eventually muttered out "Guinevere. It's spelled G-U-I-N-E-V-E-R-E"
"I'm Naoto Shirogane. I'm quite well-known around here so if you're ever in trouble, just ask around for me and I'll help out in any way I can. This is a small town but everyone's welcome"
The woman looked confused for some reason but nodded to show that she understood and finally got out of the bookstore. She walked away while looking at the brochure and she was on her way to the Amagi Inn.
"Well, that's 'n odd lady right there. 'Wonder where she's from..." the bookstore owner asked.
"Well, if she's never been here then we should just try our best to make her feel welcome" Naoto replied.
"That's true. Still...something about her seemed strange. You think she might be a ghost?"
"A ghost!?"
Naoto suddenly started getting goosebumps. It was kind of sad that the master of logic and reasoning actually believed in them but there wasn't exactly any solid evidence to disprove their existence. The owner of the bookstore chuckled.
"Hehehe, afraid of ghosts? Well, there's nothing wrong with that since you're still young. Just don't let it bother you too much"
Embarassed, Naoto made her way out. She decided to make her way back home early since she was officially creeped out. Thankfully, she was greeted by Rise Kujikawa, a good friend of hers at the tofu shop which was on the way. They had a short conversation which thankfully calmed her down enough to let her get back home without freaking out but it still bugged her. That Guinevere woman...her skin was paler than anyone she had met. Her eyes were quite lifeless as well. Still, Guinevere wouldn't be able get to Naoto at this point. She hadn't divulged any information about the Shirogane Estate so the possibility of Guinevere coming to the mansion was quite slim. Naoto went on with her day as usual except she spent more of it at home. Before she knew it, the time had become 6:00 p.m. and it was almost time for dinner. Today had certainly been more eventful than usual but Naoto couldn't help but feel that something was just missing that made each day seem a bit too repetitive. If only HE were here...
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Additional Notes:
This is mainly an introduction chapter which shows what sort of point of view I'll be using. Not much has happened and this chapter didn't have much action but I assure you, the future chapters will definitely be more eventful (longer too) and you'll definitely see the Personas and the rest of the crew again.