Me: This was originally a prompt I began filling out on the Persona 4 Kink Meme (Badbadbadhouse if you haven't been there), but since I can no longer update it because of the anonlock, I decided I would start posting it here and edit the chapters as necessary. I need to get back into writing what with Soul's Nocturne needing to be finished and Origin of Good needing a second chapter. Also, I need to work on that AU story and Trauma Center fanfictions… eh.

Anyway, here's the whole prompt:

"So, we've seen the post-apocalyptic "bad ending" scenarios where Souji & gang wind up as the saviors of those remaining as they try to combat the shadows smothering the land.

However, we forget that Inaba is a fickle neighborhood full of gullible idiots who blame their problems on other people in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, I'd like to see a story in which the bad ending took place, and when the I.T. tries to do something about it, the public equates their personas with the shadows terrorizing them, and subsequently blames them for all that's happened. They're suspicious/horrified/whatever about how much the I.T. knows/knew about the situation, and demands retribution for their failures. What this entails is entirely up to the readers (exile? Death? Torture? Whatever, so long as the I.T. is anything, but glorified in the eyes of the Inaba public).

TL;DR Bad ending happens, I.T. tries to save Inaba, Inaba decides to be a load of jackasses and turns on them.

Bonus points if maxed S. Links follow behind the I.T., while others feel utterly betrayed by them.

Extra bonus points of said S. Links aren't the typical school buddies (i.e. Hisano)"

Disclaimer: I don't own Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4. It belongs to Atlus. As for the title, I don't own Infamous. That belongs to Sucker Punch Studios.

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Prologue: The Fog

December 24th, 2011

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What was the end of the year? It was supposed to be December 31st, wasn't it? It would make sense, since it was New Year's Eve and therefore the final day in 2011, but as Souji's gray eyes pierced the deep fog beyond his window that night, something in his gut said it was too late. His grip tightened on the dark blue curtains, but he finally let go, turning away as they swung shut. He scowled at the fog filling his room, frowning as the foreboding feeling didn't disappear. If something really bad happened, he would end up feeling faint like that time he didn't save… he shook his head, glad that Igor had sent him back. Still, all the fog made him uneasy.

His phone decided to trill at that moment and he reached into his pants pocket, drawing it out. He stared at the caller ID, dread filling him when he read "Shirogane" on the LCD and snapped it open. Hitting talk, he raised it to his ear, "This is Seta. Is something-"

"Th-The entire town... It's filled with Shadows… I can't…!"

His mouth went dry as he listened. Her voice was high, strained, and out of breath. She was obviously running, but where was beyond him. His eyes widened as she gasped, "…! A-Aaaaaagh!"

"…! N-Naoto? Naoto! Naoto, say something!" Souji hollered, trying to get her attention. That scream echoed in his head as he desperately waited for an answer, but he only heard roars and gunfire before the line went completely dead. His body was trembling from head to toe as he let his arm drop to his side, fingers falling slack. A clatter announced his cell phone hitting the floor. This couldn't be happening.

Naoto… Naoto was dead.

His phone started chirping an alarm; it wasn't a phone call, but instead, alerting him that there was no signal. He could care less about that; he was wondering why he hadn't passed out yet and appeared in the Velvet Room. His mind was still sharp and… he was hearing screams outside.

Scrambling, he slipped his glasses on and ripped open the curtains again, horrified at what he saw. Shadows crawled through the streets and on houses, attacking anything that moved, including their fellow Shadows. He saw one of the neighborhood cats get ripped apart by a raven-like creature, its red eyes dimming back to yellow as it began to feast. It was joined by more as they ate the body right then and there. Souji turned away, his stomach churning as he thought about Na… god, what if it wasn't only Naoto though? Was Yosuke still alive? Yukiko? Chie? Anyone? Even his Uncle and Nanako; he didn't know their conditions at the hospital.

A scream alerted him again to the warped world outside and his hand balled into a fist. Dammit, what could he do? It was… it was fucking Christmas Eve. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

'Damn you Adachi…!'

00000

Yosuke was at a loss. He couldn't believe it; after all the shit they had been through and they failed? Now, he was barricaded inside of Junes with his parents and several other families. The very acknowledgment made his insides twist as he looked around. Passed all the adults and crying kids, he didn't see anyone he knew. Yukiko was probably holed up in the Inn and Kanji was probably trying to save the Textile Shop. The dude was passionate about his parent's store; had to give him credit even if it was a stupid idea. Naoto was probably fine too, but Rise, Chie, and Souji… those three worried him. Rise was at the Tofu shop and she wasn't able to defend herself or her grandmother. Chie's house wasn't that secure and Souji was alone at his Uncle's place.

"Dammit…"

Yosuke blinked out of his reprieve and raised his head, turning around at his father's voice. He was standing at a television, the screen fuzzy as he flipped through channels. He was probably trying to get the news. Yosuke's eyes rounded to his mother sitting in one of the chairs and Teddie sobbing in her arms. Turning back to the doors, Yosuke pulled his glasses out of his pants' pocket and slipped them on. His eyes widened at the chaos in the food court. Several shadows were fighting with each other over a bloody stump. He had to force himself to look away, but it didn't keep his stomach from lurching sharply.

After emptying what little contents in his stomach he had, Yosuke rinsed and dried his mouth on his sleeve, raising his eyes to start wearily at his reflection in the bathroom. His grip tightened on the porcelain sink and turned away sharply. Was their nothing they could've done to stop this? He pulled out his cell phone and snapped it open only to immediately toss it away. There was no signal. He and Teddie would be left in the dark until either some help care or the Shadows… he shook his head, growling as he walked over to the door, letting it bang against the wall as he ripped it open. Yosuke could only hope some help would come.

00000

Yukiko and her mother did their best to calm the Inn's guests as her father finished blocking the doors, but screams continued to ring in answer to the bangs and furious scratching as Shadows tried to break in. Snarls followed, but soon, they ceased and the panic died down a bit. Since the fog started coming in, Yukiko had started wearing her glasses in the evening. It was the first time she had seen the Shadows on the street and…

"Yukiko…"

She looked up at her father's voice, concerned when she noticed him frowning. Holding herself properly, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

For a moment, he didn't say anything, glancing back at the makeshift barricade. He let out a breath and looked his daughter in the eye, "Did you know those… things were coming? Is that why you warned me?"

At the question, Yukiko literally froze. She didn't know what to say; everyone was staring at her. What did she do? Should she tell the truth or lie? If she told the truth, how would they react? Hadn't Souji… the others… With a frown, she turned her head to the side, modestly covering her mouth with her kimono's pink sleeve as she spoke, "… When I was coming home, I just… it felt like something was really wrong. I'm sorry I went as far as telling you to barricade the entrance. Now that I think about it, it could've just been a guest."

"Yukiko-chan, don't say that. I… I just wanted to know," her father said and her mother nodded, chiming in quickly, "We're very fortunate that you felt something was off. I can't imagine the outcome if you hadn't."

"… I can," Yukiko whispered under her breath, frowning. Were the others alright? They couldn't summon their personas in this world and now… they didn't need this. Souji said they had until the end of the year to stop Adachi. This had to be some realistic nightmare. Still, when she looked at the guests and felt the anxiety intensify in the room, the weight of reality became all the more crushing. Despite her own apprehension, she knew she would have to protect the Inn alone.

00000

Chie always thought the house would just fall apart if an earthquake ever struck Inaba, but now, she was just amazed her parents let the dog inside. Muku was sitting in front of the door, her ears high as she guarded her home. Chie, on the other hand, sighed and turned back to her parents as they sat huddled around the kotatsu. Her father was writing a list while her mother was… she was more or less writing a will and testament.

"Mom, don't do that. We'll get out of this!" Chie insisted, frowning at her mother.

She just shook her head, "Chie, this is exactly like that movie you rented last week, except those are most definitely not zombie ninjas. We can't just hit them in the head and expect them to go down… do they even have heads?"

… Wow, her mother didn't even know about Shadows and she one-upped Chie in the argument. The girl scratched her head, "Well, we don't honestly know that. We haven't tried, so you're just assuming."

"We're not opening that door to try," her father said, scowling. He pushed his paper forward, "Anyway, these are all the supplies we have. We have to figure something out because they probably won't last us past two weeks"

Silently, her mother returned to her will and Chie let out a frustrated groan, slamming her head against the table. Geez! All they needed to do was arm themselves and bust out! Maybe run to Junes and…

She raised her head a bit, her hands balling into fists. Chie didn't know how the others were. She had tried calling Yukiko, but she didn't have any service. If she could, she would go check; Yukiko didn't live far and Yosuke lived just a little bit farther. Was Souji okay? What about Rise? Naoto? Kanji? Did Teddie get mixed up with the Shadows? The kung-fu girl blinked as a paper was before her face abruptly and her eyes rose to meet her mother's. She was holding a pen to Chie, smiling, "You can write your will too."

"MOM!" Chie exclaimed, shooting to her feet. Geez, either her mother was delirious already or was this just her pessimism coming through in record time. She stormed over to Muku, sitting down next to the dog, "We're gonna fight the horde, Muku!"

The large dog barked.

00000

When he slipped his glasses on, it was the first moment Kanji saw the true chaos that had befallen Inaba. It was minimal in the Shopping District, but as he continued to explore, the extent was becoming clear. Abandoned scraps of clothing, black ash remains of Shadows, the occasional dried stains of blood, and claw marks covered the streets the further he ran in search of any survivors. Really, he wanted to find his mother. She had left the shop for one reason or another several hours ago and had failed to return. As much as he tried to convince himself that his mother would be fine, he knew it was a lie. He really hoped that she was at Junes.

Kanji stopped running as he neared the Samegawa River, panting heavily. The folded chair he brought as his makeshift weapon clicked as its feet met the pavement. There were various growls of Shadows not far from his current location. Maybe they had found… prey? He swallowed.

"… Hey! Anyone alive! Say sumthin'!"

He waited five minutes, ten, and then, lowered his head. Maybe everyone had gotten to safety and he was the only one outside. That or everyone else was… He shook his head and picked up his chair, continuing his march forward. He only made it passed the stairs when the bizarre, curved cracks in the asphalt caught his attention. They were accompanied by more blood and continued into the grass, down the hill towards the riverba-

"N-Naoto!"

That discarded hat was unmistakable next to the small form. Almost stumbling over his feet, he hurried down the hill and knelt down besides the unresponsive form. Her uniform was coated in blood, the jacket shredded in the back. That was probably the attack that knocked her down here. Her waist clawed open, her gun holster beyond repair and her leather strap split into pieces. Naoto's head was turned in his direction and Kanji could see her half-opened eyes. They were vacant, further filling him with dread. It didn't help since it seemed like she wasn't breathing…

A roar echoed nearby and he snapped his head in its direction. Even if Naoto was dead, he couldn't leave her to be eaten by the Shadows. She deserved way better than that. He picked up her body, fighting the stringing at his eyes. Senpai would say this was the right thing to do, right? He abandoned his chair, bolting up the stairs and down the road, hurrying back to the Textile Shop. He'd have to tell the others somehow if he managed to reach them.

"H-Hnnngh!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sharp inhale and glanced down quickly. His eyes widened when he noticed Naoto was breathing at a rapid pace. Her gaze was still unfocused and she didn't seem to notice him carrying her. His search would have to wait.

"I ain't gonna let ya die, Naoto! Jus' hold on!"

00000

So many…

Kanzeon was almost screaming in her ear, echoing the voices of those unfortunately trapped outside when the fog rolled into their world. Rise's nails dug into her arm and tucked her body in closer, her head now resting on her knees. A strange power emanating from the shrine kept most of the shopping district safe, but for how long? She cried quietly, slapping her hands over her ears as she heard that same horrible laughter again.

It was Adachi mocking them from some unknown location as they scrambled around, trying to survive. Souji's anger was palpable and Yosuke's loss was a sharp tone resonating in the distance. Yukiko and Chie were both concerned about the others and escaping. Kanji was preoccupied, panicking about his mother and Naoto was currently near death in his home.

"B-Bastard…" Rise whimpered, lowering her hands. Thank god her grandma was sleeping through the worse right now, but what about tomorrow? What would happen? She shook her head, "We still had time…! W-We still have time…!"

"Merry Christmas you brats… hehehe…. AHAHAHA!"

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Me: Sorry about the page breaks. Fanfiction seems to eat all the others except zeros and my o's. I'll try updating again very soon! Until then readers, your feedback is very much appreciated.