Hey everyone!
I actually had the idea of creating this particular series after finishing Persona 4 Golden and watching Nico B's Let's Play of Corpse Party, although even I will even admit this is a very strange crossover. Regardless, I do believe this story has a lot of potential, and I do plan on making it a series to work on while developing Book Four: Light. I do not intend to prioritize either project; rather, I will write them at my own pace with full intention of providing the best material that I can.
I wanted a series with a much darker tone and a focus on character development over plot (as I intend to stay rather consistent with the plot of Corpse Party with a few minor changes and, of course, a few Personas and Shadows thrown in) as well as maintain some of the suspense and horror Corpse Party is known and loved for. In other words, there will be battles, but compared to Book 4 Light, these battles will be toned down and will occur less often. I also wanted to emphasize on the mystery surrounding Heavenly Host, the serial murder case, and its connections (in this world) to the world of Persona 4. Also, any Naoto fans will most likely love this series as her detective side will definitely be exploited in this series.
Edit: However, I do want to note that, despite this being a darker fanfic, I initially wrote this to also cast some hope into the bleak, Corpse Party plot, something that Persona 4 has always been good at doing, so my goal in writing this fic is also to right a few wrongs as well while uncovering the full truth.
DISCLAIMERS:
This story follows the events of the PSP ported version of the Corpse Party remake (Corpse Party BloodCovered:...Repeated Fear), not the original 1996 version made for PC-9801, which features a slightly different plot.
Also, the events of this particular story will take place in fall of 2012. I know this will create inconsistencies with the original Corpse Party (since it took place around 2003), but just bare with me.
Also, as always, any music suggestions will be placed in brackets as a recommendation for a particular part of a chapter (Edit: realizing I didn't even put the music in brackets...anyways, I originally wrote the second half of this Chapter listening to "Heaven" from the Persona 4 ost, but I felt that "reasoning" fit much better, especially since I only just found the track for it.
Anyways...
Enjoy!
[Aria of Soul (Velvet Room music) – Persona 4]
Yu Narukami woke up on a cushioned seat, his head dazed from a seemingly interrupted sleep. Inhaling, he postured himself into a sitting position, placing his hands on his knees for support. He realized he was in a setting all too familiar, despite having left Inaba many months ago. A setting he hoped he never had to see again in fear of the worst: that the fog would return.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the pitched, but refined tone of Igor could be heard from the other side of the room. The blue, velvet setting was sinking in and he could make out Margaret and Marie at the other end of the limousine.
"Why am I here?" Yu attempted to keep his composure, but fear and irritation edged his tone.
Marie looked away and Igor turned his gaze towards Margaret.
"If you think you are here because of the fog that once threatened your world, be at ease," she spoke softly, but confidently. Yu relaxed his shoulders.
"Then why call me?" Yu asked.
"It seems that an unnatural phenomenon is occurring, one out of the Velvet Room's reach," Igor folded his hands on the circular table in front of him.
"To put it simply, there's a problem elsewhere that only you can solve," Marie shuffled in her seat.
"It's been a while, Marie," Yu smiled amiably, but she crossed her arms in contempt.
"…You should have visited me more…" Marie complained, turning her head away again. Yu sighed; he couldn't help that he needed to return to the city. He missed everybody dearly, but it's not like he can visit Inaba whenever he wanted. He decided to put that aside and focus on the problem.
"Please continue," Yu urged.
"Of course," Margaret folded her hands, "Do you recall the Hollow Forest?"
"…yes,"
"Much like the Hollow Forest, it seems that another, similar space has been located by the Velvet Room. Whatever this place is, it seems to be born from the mind of a corrupted soul and is tied to the fate of many people, including the bonds you have forged and an old friend long lost to time."
"An old friend?" Yu seemed puzzled.
"In time, you will find this friend and perhaps rediscover an old bond, but it is not the Velvet Room's role to intervene in your journey, merely to assist," Margaret turned to Igor.
"Ah yes," Igor sat up, "It seems that your destiny has reached a crossroads. If you choose to ignore this anomaly and continue your life, you will not be affected by the travesty that is to come. The existence of those involved will be erased from your memory and you will live on without incident. However, if you choose to pursue this anomaly, you will face an uncertain future riddled with pain and misery, a future where I cannot guarantee your success. Regardless of the path you choose, the people you have formed a bond with will most certainly face their demise if you do not intervene or succeed at changing their fate."
"Much like before, if you do not seek the truth and overcome this adversity fully, your fate will succumb to the rules of that nexus and any chance of overcoming fate lost," Margaret intervened, "If you choose not to intervene at all, your friends will most certainly perish and the cycle of pain continued."
Yu remained silent, thinking through the situation at hand. He needed clarification.
"So what must I do in order to prevent this fate?" he asked.
"If you manage to sever the bonds holding that nexus together and endings its purpose for existing, you may be able to collapse that space entirely, much like the Hollow Forest," Margaret explained. Marie shifted in her seat when overhearing the Hollow Forest, but refused to make eye contact with Yu.
"But be warned. This space is unlike anything you have encountered thus far and is much more dangerous," Igor leaned further on his folded hands, his hunched back shifting his weight to his head, "I cannot guarantee a portal out of this space nor can I offer my assistance once you have entered this space."
"It doesn't matter," Yu decided, "if I can prevent meaningless deaths, I will, especially for those who mean a lot to me. It's that simple, no more, no less."
"You better be sure about making it back then," Marie suddenly spoke, "I won't accept anything less."
"I'll make it out," Yu feigned confidence.
"So be it," Igor nodded his head, "this will be most interesting, indeed. The path to this space will unfold to you if you return to the spot where you were first granted power on a rainy day. Be aware of the contract you will inevitably make as well; even the smallest of words contain the greatest of meanings."
Yu nodded, "I will keep that in mind."
"I will bestow upon you these final gifts. You will understand what you must do with it when the time comes," Igor handed Yu a roll of tape, a piece of paper, and a pack of blue chalk. The tape dispenser was patted with blue velvet tiles, the tape itself completely transparent. The pack of blue chalk was nothing special, but matched the color of the blue velvet walls. The piece of paper contained a note, showing a blue pentagram and the words "for your protection" underneath it. There was also a phrase scribbled at the bottom.
When united, there is always one more
"What are these?" Yu asked.
"We are not entirely sure," Margaret answered, "but we do know that these three items are tied to your fate. Keep them safe and do not lose them."
"I understand," Yu responded, still confused. He folded the paper and stuffed the paper, tape and chalk snuggly into his pocket.
"May fortune be on your side. I hope you will join us again," Igor delivered his parting words and Yu fell into a daze, back into sleep.
[Reasoning – Persona 4]
Naoto rested her head on her hand, staring at a computer monitor. Fall had already descended upon Inaba and the cultural festival was just around the corner, but the young detective was hardly concerned with festivities. She had a case and she was going to crack it, regardless of the consequences.
"Several cases of missing children reports on record simply dropped as if they never existed…and now this," she sighed. She was looking at a picture of Yuuya Kizami, labeled a delinquent – and even suspected as being dangerous – based on several reports from school records as well as several testimonies from teachers and classmates. Apparently, he and several other high school students suddenly disappeared a few days ago and the police have finally wised up to consider a connection between the missing child reports.
As to how these reports connected, however, is what Naoto couldn't figure out. The only connection between the incidents is that all the victims have been students throughout Japan and that usually more than one student disappears at a time, but their ages were not consistent and the chosen victims seemed to be random. It seemed logical to assume that a stronger, more solid connection could be found, but she felt as if she lacked critical information to final a solid lead.
What disturbed Naoto, if anything, was a rumor associated with the disappearances. The Sachiko charm, performing a ritual with a proxy doll by chanting 'Sachiko, we beg of you' and pulling apart the limbs of the doll, was believed to be a charm that strengthened the bonds between precious friends, but unverified sources call it witchcraft, causing the participants to suddenly disappear. Now Naoto did not believe in supernatural phenomenon in the traditional sense; scientific evidence merely did not support the existence of ghosts…but to Naoto, this felt all too familiar to the rumor surrounding the Midnight Channel and Naoto knew not to trust in logic to explain 'that world'. She hadn't been able to test the charm, since the charm required multiple people and she wasn't familiar with how to perform it step by step, but if there is a link between the charm and the disappearances, there might be incentive to explore the possibility that it has a connection to the TV world, Shadows, or Persona.
If these students are being taken somewhere, why can't they be found? If they are in the TV world, then why do they not appear on the Midnight channel and why do they break the pattern of the original case? And just how long have these disappearances been going on for?
Chie, who has been training to join the police force herself, has also been assisting her in this case and had pointed out an interesting theory of her own: what if where they students were being taken to a place inside the TV like the Hollow Forest? While this theory seemed unlikely, this would answer the previous questions Naoto had been pondering, but there were too many elements of uncertainty.
The only way to know for sure was to either perform the Sachiko charm herself or to contact him in hopes that he can find that woman, Margaret, and have her lead a search party once more. Unfortunately, he wasn't coming to Inaba anytime soon and Naoto had no idea of how to contact that mysterious woman on her own…
What concerned Naoto more was that the Sachiko charm was just beginning to become popular in Inaba, and while there have been no missing people reports yet, Yukiko, Yosuke, and the others have been talking about doing it for fun after the cultural festival in honor of the original Investigation team. Naoto didn't want to be paranoid about the charm – it was unbecoming of her to be the superstitious type, after all – but she wanted to gather more information before jumping to any conclusions. Simultaneously, she didn't want to repeat the same mistake of when the group dismissed Adachi's letter threatening Nanako's abduction.
She sighed.
"I hope I'm doing the right thing…"
Tired, she decided to retire for the night.
I hope you enjoyed! Make sure to review if you have any constructive feedback for me; I'd appreciate it. ^_^