[A/N: I decided to write this after being inspired by the chilling ending you get in P4 when the last murder occurs. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should watch a video on you tube. Just search for "p4 murdered final hour" and hit the first link. You should probably watch that before reading this.
This is my first attempt at a one-shot, and I know I'm not a spectacular writer, nor a good one so please be gentle. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated.]
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The Final Hour
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24/12/2011
Souji Seta's skin felt as if it were alive that night. He had tried sleeping earlier, but his nerves wouldn't allow him. As he paced around his room, a single line of thought repeated itself over and over again. Is it too late? Did I wait too long? I can't believe I let it go so late, what the hell was I thinking!
In his room, a faint fog swirled through the air, the same fog that poisoned the world inside the TV. Outside, it was far worse. Souji moved over to the window in his room, and looked outside. He couldn't even see the ground below his window, it was that bad.
This sight only made it worse for Souji. He could feel it in his mind, the doubt over his actions, the time he had wasted. Back then, it hadn't felt wasted. Souji and his friends were training after all, defeating shadow after shadow so that their Personae may grow in strength. In all honestly, he felt that it was the right thing to do, to get as strong as possible for what should be the last battle.
But now...Why does it all feel so wrong?
Nearly three weeks had passed since they found the identity of the real killer. Ever since, Adachi had waited for them in the TV World, beyond the room they had confronted him in. Souji had led the way into Adachi's bizarre world a few times, but the place was a maze, and the powerful shadows there only made it worse for his team. Maybe that is the reason?
No...The reason is I am a fool.
Souji felt helpless. The only thing that he could do now is pray. Pray that when the clock strikes twelve, that nothing will change, that by some stroke of incredible luck the powers that be will grant him another day to fix everything.
Turning his eyes away from the window, Souji glanced towards the clock beside his TV. It was only seconds away from hitting midnight. In that moment, Souji felt as if a torrent of ice water has fallen over him.
Please...Please! Give me one more day! All I need is one more day! Please!
Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
TOCK
The clock struck midnight. The noise of the hands moving should have been barely noticeable, but to Souji, whose senses were on the highest alert possible, it was as if a gun had been fired.
Instantly, he rushed to the window. The view outside was just like before, only centimeters of visibility. It offered him nothing.
"Tch!" Souji clicked his tongue in frustration. It wasn't nearly enough to confirm whether or not something had changed.
Hang on...something dawned on Souji. The midnight channel...it didn't come on. A quick turn of the head back to his TV back confirmed his thoughts, but also alerted him to something else. The fog...it's thicker...
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
"Gah!" Souji jumped so high, he almost fell when he came down. With a shaky hand, he reached inside of his pocket, and pulled out his cell phone. On the call screen, it had Naoto's name.
Please be calling to tell me we have another day. Please be calling to tell me we have another day!
His hand shook even more violently as he put the phone to his ear. He tried to stop it by tightening the muscles in his hand but it didn't do anything to help. "Nao-"
Souji had never heard Naoto in such a panic before."Th-The entire town...it's filled with Shadows...I can't...!"
There was a break in her speech. "Naoto!" cried out Souji.
"...! A-AAAAAAGH!"
Naoto's terrified scream was so loud Souji had to take the phone away from his ear, but with his hands shaking as they were, he dropped the phone. As quickly as he could, he grabbed it from the floor and jammed it against his ear.
"Naoto!" There was no response on the other end. "NAOTO!"
A familiar, but horrifying roar was the last thing Souji heard before the phone cut off.
The phone slipped from Souji grasp as he fell his knees give way. No...this can't-this can't be happening!
The others! I have to- Souji again grabbed his phone, and put in the first name on his list: Yukiko Amagi.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING...
No one answered.
No! No! No! No! No! No! NOOOO!
Souji tried each number after the other, but none got through.
Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up pick up pick up pick up pick up.
He then tried the hospital, but to no avail.
!
CRACK!
In his panic, Souji had gripped his phone too hard. The device shattered, and it fell to the ground in pieces. For Souji, it felt as if his sanity would follow suit.
"Dammit!" Without pausing to change, or even put shoes on, Souji tore out of his house. The only thing he grabbed were his glasses.
Outside, the fog was awful. Without his glasses, Souji couldn't see anything in front of him. It was thick too, almost as if breathing in poisoned water. Even with all his time spent in the TV, he had little resistance.
At first, he ran blindly. Then he put on his glasses.
He wished he hadn't. Even with his glasses, he could only see a hundred meters ahead, but it was enough to stop him dead in his tracks.
Though the immediate area in front seemed quite clear, beyond that were more Shadows then Souji had ever seen during his time in the TV. As if his ears had been cleared by the effect of the glasses, he could hear pleading screams from all over town, of the young and old, of men, women and children. They were all crying out, begging for their lives to be spared to a foe that neither understood nor cared.
A few dozen meters ahead, Souji saw a woman fleeing with a child. The woman's arm had been torn open, and the child at her side was squealing in terror as they ran.
I-I have to help them! Souji started forward immediately.
But it was too late.
Red hot fire shot out from the side of Souji's vision, and impacted with the wounded woman before Souji could even take a third step. The woman collapsed, burning to a crisp before she could even scream.
Suddenly, a large Red Sigil Shadow came into view. It ignored the burning pile that was once a human woman, and headed straight towards the fleeing child.
Souji ran as fast as he could, his arm outstretched. "Stop! STOP! It's just a child!" The card of his Persona had already formed in his hand.
He shattered it, summoning forth Izanagi. Without Souji saying anything, Izanagi sped forth towards the Shadow.
With a single slash, the Sigil Shadow was cleaved in half by Izanagi.
But the card barriers of the Sigil were already in motion.
Across her waist, the young girl was split in two by the card before it vanished, along with the Shadow.
"...!" Souji fell to the ground, a fowl taste in his mouth. I couldn't...save...
There was no time to regret over their deaths. The eerie roars of Shadows erupted all around Souji, and many began to creep forward towards him. Souji kept Izanagi active, the dark figure with it's black cloak billowing, slew any Shadow that got too close. However, Souji knew this couldn't last forever
The others...just because they didn't answer their phones, doesn't mean they are gone yet!
Souji knew that his only hope was to find the others, any of them. Going to their houses one by one would be too much. With the Shadows appearing in the dozens, he couldn't spend too much time wandering around. Even he would get tired with Izanagi out too long.
Souji racked his mind for ideas. The food court? HQ? It was his best bet. The distance was great, but it was his best chance at finding the others. All but Naoto...
Though his eyes began to water, Souji Seta clenched his teeth as hard as he could. There was nothing that could be done about that now. He set off alongside Izanagi.
On the way, Souji had to weave between the clusters of Shadows. In his panic, he had forgotten his katana, so his own means of defense was Izanagi. The dark Persona weaved along Souji's path, clearing any Shadows that drew too close.
Souji felt sick in his stomach. Around him, many cried for help, some of whom he could see, but in most cases, a Shadow followed only metres behind. Others were to injured to move quickly, and were quickly ended. I can't help them...I can't help them now...
He knew it in his heart. This is my fault...
He had been to lax. He had left it too late. All because of such stupid actions, everyone was suffering. Naoto was probably dead, and so were many others. Only his group had the protection of Persona against the Shadows, but if Naoto were anything to go by...
"Shut up!" Souji told himself. "Even in this situation, I can't abandon all hope!"
The journey was getting tougher and tougher by the second. More and more Shadows began to appear. Beyond the limit of Souji's vision, their must be hundreds, if not thousands of them.
That he couldn't see them, that it was only speculation now, was probably the only thing that kept him going.
It was a long and exhausting run, but Souji finally made it to Junes. The second he stepped inside, however, the atmosphere seemed to change. No longer could he hear the screams of the population outside. Before him, there were no longer any Shadows. Looking behind, within that 100 meters view, they had all vanished.
In response, Souji allowed Izanagi to vanish.
"What the..." Souji allowed little time to ponder what was going on. Ignoring the elevators, he took the stairs to the Food Court.
When he arrived, he could only gasp. The Food Court, the HQ for Souji and his friends, was a ruin. Tables and chairs had been strewn everywhere, and very few of them were still intact. The ground bore the marks of battle, with the flooring broken, even caved in. Despite the wreckage, there wasn't a Shadow to be seen.
There was, however, a body.
"YOUSUKE!" Souji recognized him instantly.
The first friend he had made in Inaba was laid before him in a slowly spreading pool of blood. He was still breathing, but there was little movement. His favorite Kunai lay by either side. As Souji rushed to his side, he saw that Yousuke's eyes were struggling to stay open.
Souji didn't know what to do. "Yousuke..."
Yousuke's stomach had been shredded, but somehow, he managed the faintest of smiles.
"H-Heh, don't you look terrible...what's got you so down?"
Souji couldn't return the smile. "I'm sorry...this is my..."
"Maybe...but what is, is...sucks that is has to be this way though..."
"Yousuke...?"
His friend's smile faded. "Teddie...he's gone already...Kanji too-ugh!...We met up not too far back, but..."
Souji was at a loss for words. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. Teddie and Kanji? It can't...
Yousuke's smile came back. "I-If...If it makes you feel any better...I'm positive...that I got a hundred of them-ah...! Maybe...99? Last one came from nowhere...heh...you should have seen me..."
"It's OK, Yousuke. It's OK. Just...stop talking. Don't strain yourself." As the leader, Souji should be able to do something. He should be able to help Yousuke somehow...but I don't know...I don't know what to do!
Souji couldn't keep his thought bottled up. "I don't know what to do!"
A quiet, but nonetheless painful chuckle rose from Yousuke. "Hey...are you sure...you're our leader? I don't remember...Souji Seta being...being such a crybaby..."
"Wha-?"
"So what if a some of us are gone...you're our leader...it's your job to carry on...for us." Each moment that Yousuke spent talking, his expression faltered. "Just...do what we've...always done..."
"What...we have always done...?"
"Let's face it...we are pretty much screwed...I know I'm done for...and don't hit me...with that 'no you're not' bullshit...look at me...my stomach is missing...but..."
Despite all the emotion coursing through Souji, he did his best to grin. "I shouldn't give up?"
"That grin...looks awful...ha-ha...ha...UGH! Don't make me...laugh! Idiot! Just...if..we are going to go out..."
"Go out swinging?"
"Yeah...that's right...ha...who knows...a guy like you...you might get them all...I only wish...I... could stick around...to...see..."
Souji could feel his bottom lip quiver, but with as much strength as he could muster, he held his grin as best as he could as Yousuke's eye's began to close.
"It's...been...real..."
Souji didn't need to feel his friend's pulse. He could already see the last of Yousuke's life drift away.
"Yeah...it's been fun..."
In that instant, Souji's grin fell, as did all the tears he had held in for his friends sake. "Don't worry Yousuke...I'll make that even 100 for you...then I'll get 1000 more."
"Maybe then, I'll be worthy of seeing you and everyone else again."
The tears continued to flow, but Souji rose. In each hand, he clutched Yousuke's kunai's, still dripping with his blood. He couldn't stop the liquid emotion from staining his cheeks, but that wasn't going to stop him from doing what he had to do, the only thing that he could do.
Before leaving the Food Court, Souji bowed as deep as he could, and held it for a few seconds in honor of his fallen friend. Then, he turned, and departed, knowing it would be the last time he ever laid eyes on Yousuke.
Moving outside of Junes, he entered a silent realm. He could hear nothing, not the cries of the townsfolk, nor the roars of the Shadows. The vast area around the Junes entrance was vacant, the only exception being him, and the tiny flakes of snow that had begun to fall.
Souji stood there as the face of everyone he knew and loved flashed across his mind. Yousuke...Chie...Yukiko...Kanji...Rise...Naoto...Teddie...Everyone. In his heart, he knew that it was over for them and could only pray that they hadn't suffered.
"I'm a pretty shitty leader..." said Souji. The emptiness around him seemed to make his voice echo. "I let this happen. It's my fault. I don't expect it, but I hope everyone can forgive me."
Suddenly, the fog blanketing Souji's view beyond a hundred meters vanished, as if an enormous wind had kicked in.
It was a horrifying sight. The entire town was completely flooded with Shadows. Even the houses and shops that once made Inaba were gone from sight. Only the darkness of the countless Shadows could be seen.
As if cued, the Shadows all began to move as one towards the lone boy standing outside of Junes.
Strangely, Souji wasn't scared any more. He was calm, and his breathing was even. There was no fear in his heart, only determination.
No use getting scared now. Everyone might be watching...
"If that's the case..." Souji summoned his Persona card into his hand. "...then I'll give them the best damn show they'll ever see!"
As he crushed his card, summoning Izanagi, the immense tide of darkness headed straight for him.
Finally able to smile without forcing it, Souji rushed towards them, with Izanagi by his side.
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END
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[A/N: If I were able to make this apart of the game, this would then transition into a battle. You'd basically keep fighting endless Shadows until you die, with "Heartful Cry" from P3 as the music. That was what inspired me to this ending.
Hope you have managed to find some form of enjoyment in this. Again, criticism/review is welcomed. Thanks for reading.]