Chapter 1: Welcome to Inaba

Haiyo Yamamoto stirred awake from his slumber, wondering where he was. As soon as he looked out the window, he remembered; he was on a train, dead set on arriving at the Yasoinaba Station where he would be staying in Inaba for at least the next few months. With his parents away, he had no choice but to head out to a simpler place, with family. While it could be worse, Haiyo was still remembering his last moments at his home in the city, where all his close friends would hopefully be waiting for him when this ordeal was over.

Inaba, huh? He asked himself. Well, at least I'll be able to relax. Growing up in the city, Haiyo was well adjusted to nonstop noises like car honks and sirens. But here? Things would be as silent as silent could be for a town with its own Junes.

"Next stop: Yasoinaba Station," the intercom stated. "All passengers departing for Inaba are to gather their belongings prior to arrival." Haiyo pulled out two items from his pockets: a cell phone and a notepad.

I've got that down, he thought to himself. This was all he had on his person, and he'd have no trouble pulling out his overnight bag from the overhead compartment.

After an additional ten minutes, the train pulled up to the station. And among those who filed out of the train was Haiyo, eager to start this new chapter of his life. Standing on the sidewalk in front of the station, he took in the peaceful atmosphere he was sure applied to the entire town. The spring breeze was soothing, almost enough for Haiyo to try napping.

"Yo, dude!" cried a voice in the distance. Alas, the moment was spoiled, so Haiyo recollected himself and walked towards the source of the voice. After twenty steps, he spotted the first person he's recognized since boarding the train: his cousin, Yosuke Hanamura.

"Over here!" Yosuke shouted as he waved his hands in the air, desperately trying to grab Haiyo's attention. Haiyo finally spotted Yosuke's position, and walked towards him.

"Hey, Yosuke," Haiyo responded as he gave Yosuke a high five. "How's the quiet life treating you?"

"It's fine," he replied. "It's still not as quiet as I would hope. I am the son of Inaba's Junes manager, after all."

"That's true," Haiyo replied. The two just stood in silence for a moment before Yosuke led Haiyo to his dad's car where they would be taken to Yosuke's house. And to Haiyo, the drive to the house was just as boring as the train ride there; however, since he didn't want to sleep like on the train, Haiyo decided to try talking to Yosuke.

"So," Haiyo began, "have you made any friends since moving here?"

"Yeah, actually," Yosuke replied. "I haven't made any girlfriends yet, but there are a few people I would call friends."

"Is that so?" Haiyo asked.

"In fact," Yosuke continued, "one of them is also from the city, so we get along especially well."

"I might just have to meet him if he's THAT kind of person," Haiyo responded. For the rest of the car ride, the two went back and forth, talking about past experiences and plans for the road ahead. All in all, the two had plenty of fun just engaging in idle conversation, even though Haiyo found Yosuke to be a little overenthusiastic near the end of it.

Finally, the short car ride was over, as the three inhabitants of the car were finally able to file out of the car and into the Hanamura residence.

"Well, this is it," Yosuke announced. "It's your home away from home."

"Glad to be here," Haiyo replied as he began to make his way to the front door, overnight bag in hand. "For now, I think I just want to spend some time getting ready for tomorrow."

"Oh, that's right," Yosuke snapped. "You're gonna be going to my school." Yosuke then placed his hand on Haiyo's shoulder. "And that means we're gonna be classmates!"

"Yeah," Haiyo responded, brushing Yosuke's hand off his shoulder. "But to be ready, I need some time to get prepared."

"I get you," Yosuke replied. "Well, go on ahead. I won't interrupt you."

"Alright," Haiyo said. "I'm gonna get to it, then." And just like that, Haiyo walked into the somewhat peaceful house of the Hanamuras, reassuring himself his time here won't be too bad.

P4

After a long night of preparation and slumber, Haiyo was finally walking out the front door, ready to begin his first day of school at Yasogami High. Even though he still felt some anxiety, it was about time he set those feelings aside for at least one day.

"You excited, cousin?" Yosuke asked cheerily.

"I guess," Haiyo replied. "It's still so unreal that I'm even here."

"I hear you," Yosuke added. "I felt the same on my first day here." Yosuke then pulled in front of Haiyo, mounted on a bright yellow bicycle. "But you'll get used to it. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna hurry ahead. I seem to have a bad habit of running late, so I'm not taking any chances."

"W-wait," Haiyo stuttered before Yosuke began peddling away.

"See you there, bud!" Yosuke shouted, and then he was out of Haiyo's sight.

Fantastic, he thought to himself. Guess I'm travelling alone. And just like that, Haiyo began a sluggish trek towards his new school. It would've been nice if Yosuke could've been there for family on the first day, but Yosuke was also overly enthusiastic, so Haiyo was slightly relieved.

"Honestly," Haiyo muttered to himself, "it would be nice if he would listen to reason, but he really hasn't changed. That damn Yosuke just seems to go to his own little world whenever he pleases."

"I know, right?" a voice agreed. Haiyo turned his head to see the source of the voice; it was a girl, dressed in a school uniform and a bright green jacket.

"A-are you talking to me?" Haiyo asked.

"Uh-huh," she replied. "You're talking about Yosuke Hanamura, right?"

Haiyo nodded. "That's right," he replied.

"Yep," she continued, "he can be a pain sometimes. Are you new here?"

"I am," Haiyo replied. "My name is Haiyo Yamamoto, and I happen to be Yosuke's cousin."

"Really?" the girl asked. "You seem a lot more laid back then Yosuke."

"That's funny," Haiyo continued, "because when we were younger, we were indistinguishable. But as time went on, I grew more, well, reserved."

The girl just smiled. "And I'm guessing Yosuke didn't outgrow that mentality?"

"That, I'm afraid, is an understatement. He might actually be a bit worse than back then."

"Ha-ha," the girl laughed. "That would explain a lot, actually."

"Oh, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Chie. Chie Satonaka."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Chie."

"Nice to meet you too, Haiyo. It's nice to meet someone fairly normal around here."

"Is it not usually?"

"You'd think so, but this place seems to be full of weirdoes."

"Well, it can't be any worse than the city."

"Hey, what year are you?"

"I'm a second."

"That's nice. So am I."

"Maybe we could become friends."

"I'd like that." After their brief introductions, Haiyo and Chie spent the rest of their walk pretty much exchanging stories of experiences. But one thing was certain in Haiyo's eyes: today was going to be a good day.


Well, here we are again, loyal reader. Yes, I started another series, but I honestly don't care right now. I had an idea, and I rolled with it, and Persona 4 is just one of those ideas that kind of warrants a flood of original ideas from its fans. And yes, the main character here shares the name of my SAO fan fiction's main character. But no, these two are not the same person, since my SAO MC was actually based on the P4 hero (who will make an appearance in this fanfic, obviously).

But now, I might have a little more on my plate than I wanted to. Except my FNAF and GT fanfics have no fixed schedules, so I'll be fine for now. Speaking of, I've gotta get new SAO and Crash Bandicoot chapters out soon, which are coming. Besides all that, I sincerely hope you like this one as much as my other pieces, and if you're new, give those other ones some love as well. Anyways, I'm out, and read on!

-rjm324