Persona 4: Golden is owned by Atlus. I do own anything in this, now am I using any of it for personal gain.

Date: ?/?/?

What is the difference between dreams and reality? If the barriers between the two were too…fade, perhaps a utopia would be realized.

NO! If that were to happen, everything could be undone! Nobody deserves a world like you've suggested.

Are you really so sure of humanity that you'll risk it obliterating itself, and the world? Why not simply let nature take its course?

Of course I trust humanity! I only have its best interests at heart! Your idea is inane and self-destructive! If either of the two of them found your plan out, we wouldn't live another minute!

Well, then what do you suggest? I will not let humanity continue searching for something that will hurt them!

I just want them to decide the future for themselves. Humanity can decide its own path!

Good! Then, you won't mind this one bit!

What are yo-NOSTOPPLEASESOMEONEANYONEIZA -!

Date: 4/10/11

*sigh* "Bye Mom. Enjoy your business trip. Tell Dad to take a break."

"Don't worry hunny. Now, remember, you have to take a second train at-"

"I know, I know. I'll see you in a year."

"Well," she thought, as her only son got on the train, "That could have gone worse. Maybe I should have told him about our plans after he gets back. Oh, better call Ryotaro. I bet he already forget he needed to pick my baby up tomorrow!"

4/11/11 Morning

"So here I am, on a train to meet an uncle who I never knew of, in the middle of nowhere, all because my parents need to go out on business…again. Yep, just another year in the life of me!"

As I sat down in the train, I took out a letter I had been sent by my last "friends" while waiting for it to start.

"Nope. Not even a "call me later," or "text me." I guess I really can't make friends. Were they just using me for my brain?"

I finally just gave up on attempting to reason why I never had friends, and just tried to drift to sleep as I watched a blue butterfly drift by my window.

The sound of tires rolling and a woman singing in a high voice at perfect pitch woke me up. "But I'm on a train…" I thought.

As I opened my eyes, I was shocked to find myself in a blue limo. And I mean blue. The floor, the ceiling, the seats, even the…bar drinks. Out the window all I could see was fog going by at a steady pace. "Okay, I know I haven't had anything snuck into my food, and this is waaaaaay too real to be me dreaming."

"Welcome to the Velvet Room!" said an eerie voice.

I was shocked out of my thoughts and realized that across from me were two people. An old man with a HUGE nose and bloodshot eyes, all decked out in a suit and tie, while next to him sat a stunning woman wearing what looked like a velvet blue hotel secretary's outfit lined with gold. What caught my attention were her gleaming gold eyes however. They just drew me in…

The bizarre-looking man continued, "Ah…It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny…" He said with a chuckle. "Okay, bad vibes, this is totally from my lack of sleep."

"My name is Igor…I am delighted to make your acquaintance." "Ok, thank you for the name, creepy man."

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." "Huh? What does that even mean? I'm in Limbo?"

"It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter."

At this point I realized I haven't said a word, and probably had my mouth just hanging open, judging from the disapproving expression on the woman's face.

"Wait," I said. "I'm pretty sure I never entered into any contract, especially if it means I find two people in my dreams I never met before."

Igor just smiled and said, "It may be such a fate awaits you in the near future." I was about to question why I was here NOW then, when he raised his hand saying, "Now then…why don't you introduce yourself…?"

Hoping that this would get me answers, I said, "My name is Yu Narukami."

Surprisingly, Igor furrowed his brow and said, "Hm…I see."

Again, just as I was about to question him, he interrupts and said, "Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?" And with a snap, a deck of cards appeared on the table in front of him. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" He asked.

"Not especially. I always thought it was our decision as individuals to decide our fate, not some silly card game." "Why? Since when have tarot cards been seriously used? Unless he's talking about religion…"

At this, Igor smiled and waved his hands, causing the cards to be laid out. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different..." He chuckled, "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" At that, I had to agree. "Seriously, how did he do that?! He didn't even touch the cards! Wait, I'm dreaming, that's gotta be it."

Igor flipped the center card over and showed it to me, a Tower being struck by lightning and people falling off it. "How promising" I sarcastically thought.

"Hm…The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent." Igor said with what looked like…boredom? "The card indicating the future beyond that is…" He flipped another card and showed it to me, a Moon. "How serene."

"The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents "hesitation" and "mystery"…Very interesting indeed." At this, Igor looked seemed a bit more satisfied. "I should probably look up this tarot card stuff when I get to Inaba. I get a feeling it will help me in more ways then one."

"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you." "WHAT?! Well, the misfortune could be me actually being out in the country, while the mystery could be-wait. I don't believe in destiny. Why am I thinking this?" At that thought, I heard a laugh, but neither Igor nor his lovely attendant's lips moved.

Igor caught my attention again saying, "In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here." "Maybe next time I'll get a dri-" "And no, the alcohol isn't here for you." "Damn it." "The coming year is a turning point in your destiny…If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost." "That sounds ominous. Then again, should I listen to voices in my head?" "My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen." "How? Your in my head!"

With a wave of his hand, Igor's tarot cards disappeared. Then turning towards his lovely lady he said, "Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself." "Interesting. Another thing to look up: Old, creepy men and young, hot women in head and giving advice."

Finally speaking, the woman said, "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey." I was surprised at how cold her voice sounded. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes seemed to pierce my soul, "Almost as if she was questioning me."

Igor spoke up, "We shall attended to the details another time. Until then, farewell…" he finished with a wave of his hand. Then the room got dark.

"Wait! I still have questions!" I tried to get a word in, but the last thing I thought I saw was something deep blue fluttering in front of me.

"Do you think he will understand what's in store for him at his destination, master?"

"Master Philemon has chosen this one and made all the necessary actions for it to occur. His will is ours, so our job is to observe and provide services…."

"…Master?"

"Interesting. I sense a new resident of the Velvet Room coming in. I think our newest addition will have…the other set of cards. Can you start on the pricing Margaret?"

"O-oh course Master. (Who on earth…)"

Waking up, I realized I was at my first train switch site. Getting my stuff, I got out and waited outside with the hundreds of other people waiting for the train to Okina city.

"Okay, so what was with that dream? I'm sure I didn't get slipped anything, since I brought my own drink so what was with that…Velvet Room? And Igor and Margaret? Why do I feel like that reminds me of something?

I was awakened from my thoughts by an especially loud advertisement playing on a nearby building. Some slim teen girl in a bikini came on…with water falling down on her. "Wow! She looks good. But…she's looks just a year younger then me! What could drive her to getting into advertisements like that! She's gotta know why they have her doing it." After the Quelorie Magic commercial ended, the news came on.

"And we are back! Now onto some juicy news!" "Great, a tabloid! Just what I wanted to hear." I thought, with a sigh. "The Mayumi Ayano scandal." "Huh? Why haven't I heard of th-oh right. Running around at 3 in to morning for no good reason."

As I tried to listen to the journalist, the couple right next to me started talking. The man told his…wife? "First he bags a singer, then he has an affair with a TV-announcer?" "Scratch that, make it girlfriend." "Are politicians THAT popular?" The girlfriend replied, "Isn't it just stuff like money and connections? When you get down to it, financial and political clout is what matters." She finished that with a glance at the boyfriend. "That seems pretty on mark. I wouldn't be surprised if people are that shallow." "What do you mean by that?" The man replied. "Probably that you should get into politics if you wanna keep her, or that she is going to become a TV-announcer. Probably both."

At that, the train came, and I ignored the couple as I got on. To try to pass the time, I thought about the last moments at my last school. There was my fat teacher Mr…something or other, telling the class that I wouldn't be returning for next year. I just stood there, in my suit and tie ignoring all the sighs and looks of pity that I was getting. I'm sure the jocks didn't mind me leaving. Now the girls would stop comparing them to me. Not that I see what they're comparing them to. Its not like I was all that. Grades aren't hard to keep at the top, and while I'm athletic, I didn't try out for any sports. That didn't stop some girls from practically throwing themselves at me, but whatever. No one bothered to even say goodbye except in passing. With a sigh I thought, "Maybe this year will be different."

4/11/11 Daytime

After a couple of stops, I finally got a window seat, and checked my phone for texts. Nothing from "friends," but one from who I guess was my uncle, saying, "Meet outside the Yasoinaba station at 4 P.M." The conductor spoke on the speakers, saying that those headed for Inaba and Yasoinaba station should head to the other side of the terminal. I realized we had come into the next station, so I got off to wait.

To pass the time, I thought again back to my odd dream. "Why does it remind me of philosophy class? Something about jars?" Shaking my head, I realized the train was rolling in. This time, I managed to get a seat immediately, and went out like a light b-...

4/11/11 Mid-Day

"-Taro Namatame, from the Inaba region, who she married just last year is under suspicion for having an affair. What's more, his rumored associate-"

"Oh, should we go soon?" asked Nanako, noticing me looking at the clock.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess so." I responded. Looking back at the TV, I saw an image of the supposed adulteress, and shut it off. "I hate tabloid news. Gets in the way of my work. Well, time to pick up my sister's kid. Hopefully he isn't as absent minded and ignorant as she is."

A woman screaming while being pushed up against a wall. Images of Igor and Margaret flash by. Shouting, and being choked when her head dips back towards the TV and-

I wake up, and realize I'm in a cold sweat, just as the train exits the tunnel. Looking out, it seems I'm here. Yasoinaba station. "What on earth was with that? Maybe Its sleep deprivation?" As I get out of the train, I glance around. "Nothing really to see."

"Hey! Over here!"

I turn to the voice, to find a man in a gray suit and red tie, carrying his coat over his left shoulder. Glancing down, I see a little girl in a pink to red dress covering a white top hiding behind him.

"Well, you're certainly more handsome in person than in your photo." The man said.

"Pictures never can match up to the real thing." I said with a smile. "I guess this is my uncle. Then who is the girl…"

"Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you." He said with a smile. "Let's see…I'm your mother's younger brother…and that about sums it up."

"Its nice to meet you," I answered. "I actually only found out I had an uncle yesterday."

"Really?" Dojima-san asked, "Well, you probably don't remember, but we have met before. I've changed your diapers!" He finished that with a little chuckle. "And all my dignity is down the drain…"

He then inched the little girl forward, saying, "This here's my daughter."

She looked so adorable, I had to smile. "Hello! I'm your cousin, Yu Narukami. What's your name?" "She looks about 6."

She was still looking at her feet, so Dojima-san said, "Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin." "Okay, Nanako. Cute name."

She finally looked up, and I was surprised by the understanding I saw in her eyes. "...'lo." She finally said, running back behind her dad. "I guess she didn't know she had a cousin."

Dojima laughed at her hiding and said, "What're you so shy for?" That resulted in a smack from her to his leg. I chuckled a little at that, and she turned toward me with curiosity. "Ow," chuckled Dojima, patting her head. Nanako seemed put off with being treated like a child. "I wonder where her mother is…" "Well then…let's get going." Dojima said, motioning towards his car. "My car's over there." Nodding, I motioned to follow, when some goth chic passing by said, "Hey."

Turning around, she picked something off the ground. "You dropped this." Checking my pocket, I realized it was a note that I had written with Dojima's address.. "Thank you," I said taking the paper. She seemed slightly surprised by that, but dismissed it, saying "Whatever. All I did was pick it up." She looked down and then walked away. "Umm, by the way what's your name?" I asked as I looked up from the paper. Then I realized she had disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Dojima called out. "Nothing, nothing," I responded, and got in the car.

On the ride into town, stared out the window, watching the country roll by. "Farm land, farm land, telephone pole, farmland." I thought with a sigh. "I really hope that the school is at least normal."

"I gotta go…" Nanako said from the back seat. "Okay, okay," Dojima responded, "I need gas for the car anyway."

Then we drove into a small shopping district's gas station. We all got out, as the attendant said, "Hi! Welcome to Moel!"

Dojima asked Nanako if she could go herself, which she responded to with an "Uh-huh." "Its almost like she's afraid of her dad sometimes. Why?"

As Dojima was telling the attendant how much gas to get, she…or he(?) Noticed Nanako wondering where the bathroom was. "It's in the back, to your left. You know which way's left?" At that, Nanako's eyes rolled. "More points for you kid." I thought. "The side you don't hold your chopsticks in." Nanako responded in a huff, "I know…Geez…" and ran off.

"Are you taking a trip?" the attendant asked, noticing me get out. "No, no." I answered. "They just picked me up. I'm from the city." That seemed to catch her attention. "The city, huh…"

Dojima, seemingly ignoring her interest, said "Fill up my car with regular, okay?" Then mumbled to himself, "Guess I've got time for a smoke…" and wandered off.

The attendant, apparently ignoring her job asked, "Are you in high school?" Surprised that she asked, I nodded. "Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here?" "No, not really," I answered. "I kinda expected it." She laughed and continued saying, "There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your fiends or doing part-time jobs." "Isn't that what most teens do anyway…?" I thought.

"Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now." "Thanks, but I want to get adjusted to life here first." "That seemed a bit rushed. I'm literally the new kid on the block. Why ask me?" The attendant shrugged and said, "Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student." She then stuck her hand out, and so I didn't appear rude, I shook it.

Nanako came back at this point, causing the attendant to jump. "Oh, I should get back to work." Saying goodbye, I looked to Nanako, who was just staring at my face. Then everything flashed and I felt a huge pain in my head. Nanako noticed me cringing and asked if I was okay. "Did you get carsick?" Was her followup question. "You don't look to good. To calm her down I said, "Don't worry, I'm just tired after a long trip." "Still, I am feeling dizzy."

Dojima walked over and seemed to know I was a little off and asked me if I was okay. "I just feel a little lightheaded. Must be the air." I tried to laugh it off, but it came out a bit strangled. Dojima mad a face at that, but nodded and said, "Why not take a little walk, and get used to it then? Just tell me when you want to go. Besides," he continued, "our house isn't too far from here, so you should know where all the stores are."

Thanking him, I started to wander around. Near the bus stop across the street, some teen was yelling about how the bus schedule screwed him over, and how he wants a motorbike. "Note to self: Don't miss bus ever."

Continuing down the street, I saw a book store selling promoting some new books was getting. "Yomenaido Bookstore, huh? Kinda empty. Though…they will be selling something on fishing soon, maybe I should pick it up."

Next to that was a store called Daidara Metalworks. Inside was some sketchy guy smashing something in the back of the store. "Yeeeaaaahhh. No." I noticed an old lady in front of the store and walked up to her. "Excuse me, but do you know where I can pick up some medication? I have a headache and-" At that, the lady answered, "Oh you need something? Headaches? Well, I think Shiroku's has something. It's just down the street. Don't be worried by the run down appearance, its been like that ever since Junes came in." At that, she sighed and mumbled, "If only it hadn't…even if it is convenient."

As I passed a quaint little tofu shop (Marukyu Tofu) I thought about that. "Hmm, big chain department store comes into town, and local business suffers. Not surprising. I bet the community has already organized to get rid of them. People never realize that what seems to be evil might just be the only thing keeping them alive…" In front of what I guessed was Shiroku's were a couple of student arguing over something eaten. "Siblings, from the looks of it. I wonder how my life would have changed with a brother or sister."

As I'm about to walk into the little store, I realize what time it is, and that I left my wallet in the car. "Ah well. What's a little headache gonna do? Kill me?" A man getting a drink out of the vending machine noticed my apprehension at going in and said, "Don't be afraid of it. It's a pretty nice shop. Though it manages to barely balance between convenient and inconvenient." Glancing at my face, he suddenly seemed to recognize something. "City kid?" He asked curiosly. "Yeah. One whole year out here in the country." I answered. "Same here! I got sent here on business for the year. Its not so bad once you get used to it." I just smiled and thanked him before walking away.

I started to jog back to the car, when something blue sparkled out of the corner of my eye. Turning to walk over, I saw a blue butterfly on…the girl who picked up my paper! Looking at her now, she's wearing black biker heels, with striped knee high socks, a red and black skirt, and a tie over a short sleeve button down shirt. And red and black…some-things on her arm. Noticing me looking, she shooed the butterfly away and looked at me in a somewhat threatening way. "Uh, have we met before?" she asked. "Yeah, but she just saw me…" "Um, yeah, at the station. You picked up my paper." "Oh, yeah that one time…" she started to turn away at that, so using my natural charm and genius I asked, "So what were you doing at the station? Waiting for someone?" "Wow, not stalker-ish at all" Amazingly, instead of berating me for asking, she just mumbled, "Nothing…I just went…I have nowhere to go." And then went silent. At this point I felt a little awkward, so I said, "Okay, well good luck with finding a place to stay! Bye!" and started to walk away." "I wonder why she would say it like that. Was she kicked out of her house?" And damn it! I didn't ask her name again!"

I walked back to Dojima, and soon we were headed to his house. When we got there, I wasn't very surprised with what I saw. A two story house, with barely any room to play outside. "Just like everywhere else in Japan. Welp, this is my new home for the year, so I better get used to it."

4/11/11 Evening

We all gathered at the table and as we were about to start eating, Dojima decided to have a toast. As we ate, Dojima started to ask me about my situation.

"So…your mom and dad are as busy as always, huh? Working overseas, was it?" "Yeah, but that isn't new. I mean, I've had to move around since I was 6!"

Nanako made a little gasp at that. Dojima glanced at her and continued saying, "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck out here because of your parents is rough. But it's be nice to have someone else here to be with...us."

"That was odd. He looked like he was about to say Nanako."

"So long as you're here, your part of the family, so make yourself at home." Hoping to bring a smile to the depressed face of Nanako, I answered, "Sir, yes, Sir!" "There we go!" I thought, as Nanako started to giggle a little. Though that might have been at Dojima's perplexed face. "Uh…right. Are you into military stuff?" "Nope, but I had a…a friend at my last school who was interested in it, so he always was saying things like that." I hoped that Dojima didn't catch the fumble I made when saying that, but he just nodded and continued eating.

After a little bit, his cell rang, which resulted in him sighing. "Who's calling at this hour?" he said, exasperated. Picking up the phone, he said, "Dojima speaking," and got up. I tried not to listen in too much as I ate, but still heard the slightly surprised, "Yeah? Where is it?" followed by a another sigh and "Alright, I'm on my way." As he put the phone away, he mumbled, "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze…"

"Why on earth…" glancing at Nanako, I thought, "I really hope he doesn't get drunk too often." Dojima started to head out, saying, "Sorry, but I have some business to take care of. Go ahead and finish without me." Nanako got up to close the door, and he told her, "I don't know late I'll be, so help Yu out, okay?" "Help me? What can she do?"

That question was answered by his next question that he yelled from outside. "Nanako, it's raining outside! What did you do with the laundry?" I was surprised by her answer. "I already brought it in." I looked up at her, surprised. "She does the laundry….at age 6. There is something seriously wrong with this. And I still haven't met a mother yet…"

Nanako sat down again and turned on the TV. It as the news, showing the weather for tomorrow. "Rain, huh?" Good thing I brought an umbrella."

Nanako looked back at me and motioned for me to eat. I felt kinda awkward, which was odd. "I'm usually used to being quiet around others, so why not now?"

So I asked, "What does your dad do? He seems really busy."

She looked up and answered me, "He…investigates stuff. Like crime scenes. He's a detective!" She tried to sound happy, but her eyes gave her away. "He really isn't at home often, is he?" At that, she looked away mumbled, "Yeah…"

The news came back on, saving us from more awkwardness. "City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter." "Oh, this story again. Namatame, huh? Isn't Inaba his hometown?" "His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages." "Damages? What is this, America?""In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances." "Well, there goes another person's carrier. Why would you do something like that, knowing what the results could be?" "Until allegations are resolved she-" at that, Nanako changes the channel. "This is boring." She said. "I agree." I said, nodding.

What she changed the channel to, I don't know. It was showing a commercial. "At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" Then the obligatory jingle came on. "Every day's great at your Junes!" "That's cute. Feel sorry if the people working there have to listen to it all the time." Unsurprisingly, Nanako started singing it herself. She sounded pretty good! She stopped, and looked back at me. "Aren't you going to finish?" "Huh?" I realized I had stopped eating."Oh, yeah!"

After we cleaned up, I looked around. There was some fried rice left in the fridge, but I was stuffed. The kitchen seemed almost unused though. I guess Nanako can't cook for everyone yet. "Not that she should." I briefly considered asking Nanako where her mother was, but when I came over she looked a little lost. I just told her good night, and went up to my room.

All my boxes were still laid out, untouched. I was too exhausted to unpack all but by clothes for tomorrow. As I was about to go to bed, I saw was a trophy on the table. "Midnight Trivia Miracle Quiz?" I read out. I don't remember winning this. Maybe it's Nanako or Dojima's.

As I lay down in my futon, all I could think was. "Well, prayers to a good new year."

And there you have it folks! My very first chapter of my very first story! Please forgive any errors in it, and please provide feedback to me on how I'm doing.

This is meant to be a retelling of Persona 4: The Golden, with my own added twists, slightly altered character growth, and maybe a new event or two. I will be throwing in all the new stuff from Golden, including costumes. (Mwhahaha!)

While this chapter was done almost entirely in Yu's (Yes Yu, I played P4A and watched the anima, not the manga) point of view, I will be switching it up between other characters and to a general point of view.

Updates will be sporadic at best, since real life is important. I will hopefully have at least one more chapter up this coming weekend, but no promises.

Have a nice day!