Title: "Persona 4: The Fool"
Author: Icewind Alchemist
Summary: The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I was not involved in the creation of Persona 4. Therefore, I don't own it. Rin and this story are another matter.
Rating: T for some violence, language, and sexual content.
Before I begin… Story should start to pick up here; it's where the murders start, after all.

I decided to go with the western name order rather than eastern since it was getting confusing. Also, Rin will refer to others by their last names for the first half of the story. Just to let you know.

On to the story!

==+O+==

Omen

==+O+==

April 12, 2011

I resist the urge to fidget with my uniform while following one of the teachers to the classroom. A black and yellow sailor type, it made me look like a middle-school student instead of a high school one. Maybe because it's cutesier than the blazer I grew used to wearing at the last school I attended.

Dojima was gone this morning, so it was just Nanako and I at the house this morning. Thankfully Nanako knew how to cook, if only basic foods like toast and eggs, because my head was still throbbing from last night. I'm sure I had a nightmare, but even now I can't recall it.

After breakfast, Nanako and I walked through the rain to school. She pointed me towards the high school I would attend for the next year, Yasogami High, before making her way to her elementary school.

"Alright, shut your traps!" The teacher barks as he walks into classroom 2-2 with me trailing behind. The students inside the class shut up immediately. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! And just because it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. So long as I'm around, you students are going to be as pure as the driven snow."

Morooka waves me up front before continuing. "As much as I'd hate to waste more time, I have to introduce the new transfer student. She's been tossed out of the city like yesterday's garbage and will only be here for a year, so don't get too friendly with her." He turns to me. "Tell them your name, kid, and make it quick!"

My least favorite part about changing schools; introducing yourself to the class. Even though I know it's not his fault, I hate Morooka for making me do this. I gulp and look on at the rest of the class, who's watching me with curious eyes. Oh well, better get it over with.

I bow to the class, keeping my gaze on the ground. "Rin Narukami, nice to meet y—"

"That's enough!" Morooka cuts in. "Now listen up! I don't want any boys here to even think about getting involved with her, got it?" He lets out a disgusted snort. "But what do I know? Everywhere I look you damn kids are on your cell phones or checking your life journals…" He then goes on a rant about the current generation and their dependence on technology, or something like that. My face heats up and I'm sure it's turned red by now. Does he have to do this while I'm still up here? I just want to take a seat so that everyone's attention isn't focused on me.

"Excuse me! Is it alright if the transfer student sits here?" A girl calls out. I pick her out right away; she's wearing a green jacket over her uniform and her light brown hair is cut short. There's an empty desk beside her right in front of a boy slouching in his seat. Please let me sit down, I send the mental message to Morooka. Just let me sit so I can get out of everyone's focus.

"Hmm? Yeah, sure." Morooka turns back to me. "You hear that? Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already!"

I walk as fast as I can to my seat, but it seems to take longer. All around me I can hear other students gossiping.

"Told ya the transfer was a girl! You owe me five hundred yen!"

"Wow! She's a cutie!"

"I guess she's okay, but she doesn't hold a candle to Amagi or Ebihara."

"Why only a year? Is it punishment?"

"Well if that's the case, getting sent all the way to the middle of nowhere and stuck with King Moron as your teacher is really hefty punishment."

As soon as I slip into my seat and Morooka turns his back to write on the board, the girl leans over to me.

"He's the worst, huh?" She whispers. "Rotten luck for you to get stuck with King Moron. Well, we'll just have to hang in there for the year."

"Yeah…" I murmur back while watching Morooka in case he turns around again.

"I'm Chie Satonaka, by the way."

I smile a little. "Thanks for the help, Satonaka-san."

Satonaka's face starts to turn red. "Oh, come on. You don't have to be super-formal with me!" She chides me. "We're all in the same boat, after all."

Morooka turns around and I pretend to pay attention. Just one year and I go home. If this is the misfortune Igor told me about, I don't think I have much to worry about while in Inaba.


"…And that's all for today. Normal lectures start tomorrow." Morooka finishes.

I begin to gather my things and make my way out of the school when an announcement over the intercom stops everyone.

"Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."

"Of all the times…" Morooka grumbles, and then turns to the class. "You heard what they said. Not one student leaves this classroom until they say otherwise!"

As soon as he leaves, everyone chats among themselves until the sound of police sirens cuts through. Some students rush to the window to see what's going on, but it's in vain; a thick fog outside obscures whatever is going on. "It's like every time it rains, we get fog afterwards." I hear one of the male students complain.

I rest my head on my desk while waiting for the announcement for everyone to leave. Even though there are conversations going on around me, I don't jump in. For one, Mom would always tell me it's rude, and for another there's no point in befriending anyone if I'm staying here for only a year. As long as I keep my head down and not look for trouble, I'll survive. Just as I always have.

Finally, the voice over the intercom makes another announcement.

"Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, then quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…"

The chatter increases, ignoring the repetition of the message. I ignore it, taking my cell phone out so I can text Dojima to let him know what happened before getting out of my seat. Since he's a detective, it's likely he's at whatever the incident is and may not get my text until later. Still, better to let him know and avoid a confrontation, seeing as he's supposed to take care of me. I don't want my parents to think I'm irresponsible.

As I head towards the door leading out of the classroom, Satonaka approaches me alongside another girl with long black hair and wearing a red sweater over her uniform. Her companion is the opposite of her; where Satonaka is boyish and cheerful, the other girl looks like a princess with pale skin contrasting her dark hair and a more refined expression.

"Are you going home alone?" Satonaka asks. "Why don't you come with us?"

I think about it. It's just a walk; I'm not doing it to make friends. Just for company. Even if I don't stay for a year, I don't want to come off as rude. "Sure, why not?" I answer.

"Great!" Satonaka smiles before turning to the girl next to her. "Before we go, I should introduce my friend. This is Yukiko Amagi."

"Nice to meet you." Amagi greets me, wearing a shy smile. "I'm sorry this is so sudden."

Satonaka grins sheepishly. "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing." She scolds. "I just wanted to ask some stuff, that's all."

Before we can leave, a boy with untidy brown hair and red headphones around his neck approaches us, biting his lip and not looking at us. Even without knowing what he was doing, I knew he must've done something wrong.

"Umm… Satonaka…san…" He stammers while reaching into his bag. Satonaka watches him with curious eyes. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to watch…" He pulls out a DVD case from his bag, bows, and thrusts it at Satonaka before speaking fast. "And I'm really sorry, it was an accident! Please have mercy until my next paycheck!" As soon as the bewildered Satonaka has the DVD he stands up straight and makes his way to the door with quick steps. "See ya!"

"Hey, wait! Stop right there!" Satonaka runs towards the boy. "What did you do to my DVD?!" With a leap, she cuts him off and lands her foot between his legs. He lets out a yelp and crumples, hands covering the spot he was hit.

Satonaka then opens the case and lets out a cry. "What the! I can't believe this! It's completely cracked! My 'Trial of the Dragon!'" I take a peek over her shoulder and sure enough, the DVD is broken in three places.

"I think mine's cracked, too." The boy chokes out while getting up, hands still holding his crotch like it would fall off if he let go. "C-Critical hit to the nads…"

Amagi goes over to him with a concerned look in her eyes. "A-Are you alright?"

The boy looks up and manages a pained smile. "Oh… Yukiko-san. Are you worried about me?"

"He's fine, Yukiko." Satonaka tugs Amagi away and shoots a dirty look at him. "Let's ditch him and go home. Narukami-chan, you're still coming with, right?" They walk out the door without another look back. I hesitate for a moment, and then decide it may not be best to get involved.

"That's the last time I ever lend him anything!" Satonaka is still venting while we walk down the hallway. "How did he break it, anyways? Did he shove it into the DVD player or something? I bet he was riding that bike of his way too fast and he crashed into something. Well, whatever he did, he owes me big time! I saved up for weeks…"

I want to point out that Satonaka may have overreacted to the broken DVD – that boy did say he would pay her back as soon as he could – but decide not to. It's best not to bring up such things while someone is angry. Just let her get it all off her chest.

Amagi seems to have the same idea as me, as she also remains quiet. Or maybe she's just shy; I haven't heard her talk since we left the classroom.

Once she's calmed down, which is when we're outside the school, Satonaka asks me about my life in the city while we walk out of the school. It's mainly the two of us talking while Amagi just listens without saying a word. I'm a bit uncomfortable being the focus of Satonaka's attention, but it's just one person so I'm fine. Once she learns all she wants about me, I won't have to deal with her again. That's how it's always been whenever I change schools.

"So that's why you came out here?" Satonaka asks when I tell her about my parents' job. "I thought it was something serious."

"Like a bad deal with the Yakuza?" I offer.

Satonaka laughs nervously. "Nothing like that. Just…well, I don't know. Sheesh, you got a strange imagination, Narukami-chan."

We're walking past the flood plain towards the shopping district. It's surprisingly quiet out here despite the mysterious incident. "There really is nothing here, huh?" Satonaka comments. "That's what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside." Her face brightens. "Wait! There's the Amagi Inn. Yukiko's family runs it, and it attracts visitors to the town. It pretty much keeps the town going." Despite not having anything to do with the Inn, Satonaka grins with pride.

Amagi's eyes widen and she looks down, her face red. "It's just an old inn." She says. Having been suddenly made the center of attention, she looks uncomfortable, something I can relate to.

"No way, it's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure." Satonaka argues and gestures to Amagi. "The Inn's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over some day. Cool, huh?"

"I don't think that's entirely true…" Amagi mutters. "Could we change the subject?"

"Sorry, it's just that this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city and you've barely said a word!" Satonaka says. "But if you want I guess we can tell Narukami-chan about that rumor I—huh? What's that?"

Satonaka points ahead to where a group of people have gathered. Once we're close enough, I see caution tape and a police car. A crime scene? Was this the incident the announcement at school mentioned?

"…who can imagine that hanging from an antenna?" One of the women nearby talks to another.

"Aww, I wanted to see it, too."

"You got here too late. The police and the fire department already took it down a moment ago."

"Well, it's terrifying! A dead body showing up here, of all places."

Satonaka's eyes widened. "Wait! What did she just say? A dead body?"

"I heard it, too." I confirm. "So this must've been the incident they were talking about at scho—"

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I look and find Dojima standing in front of us, eyes glaring at us.

"We were just passing by." I tell him. "Our homes are this way and the announcement at school told us to head home as soon as possible." C'mon Rin, diffuse the situation. Can't let yourself get into trouble so soon. Or drag Satonaka and Amagi into it. "And then we saw something going on here and... well..." I stop, unable to think of what to say next.

Dojima huffs. "Should've figured that would happen." He mutters as he rubs his forehead. "That damn principle. We told him not to let the students through here…"

"Umm… do you two know each other?" Satonaka asks, eyebrow raised.

"I'm her guardian while she's here." Dojima scratches the back of his head while thinking of what to say next. "How do I say this…? I hope you get along with her. This is the first time she's been to Inaba, so besides me and her cousin there aren't many people she knows. Especially those around her age."

I'll be fine, Dojima. I've gotten this far in my life without any real friends. I'm sure I can survive a year without them. Though these words go through my head, I don't say them out loud in case I offend Satonaka or Amagi. I can survive without friends, but I don't want to make any enemies either.

Behind Dojima, a dark-haired man who looked no older than his mid-twenties rushes by, hand over his mouth. He reaches the bushes and the lovely sounds of someone vomiting reach my ears.

"Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie?" Dojima snaps at him. "You want to be sent to the central office?"

"I-I'm sorry…" The pale detective apologizes weakly, rubbing his mouth.

Dojima lets out a sigh. "Go wash your face before we go around gathering information." He instructs the younger male before turning back to me, Satonaka, and Amagi. "As for the three of you, head straight home. Rin, let Nanako know I won't be back until later. The two of you will probably be asleep by the time I get back. Got it?"

"Got it." We reply. Satisfied with our answer, Dojima returns to the crime scene while the other detective hurries to catch up with him.

The three of us remain silent for awhile before Satonaka speaks up. "We'd better take off. Yukiko and I live in the opposite direction" She tells me while doing her best to smile. "Let's do our best starting tomorrow, neighbor!"

I just nod and weave my way through the crowd and continue on my way.

A murder here in Inaba… this was something I didn't expect to happen. Then again, who does?

Igor's words from before return. "It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination…" Could this be what he was talking about?

No, Rin, I say to myself, you're thinking too hard about this. The murder has nothing to do with you. And even if it did, how could it result in "a great mystery" being forced upon you? That's the police's problem, not yours. That prediction's just a figment of your imagination. Just get home and get rest and you'll be fine in the morning.

Rest doesn't come as easily as I hope, however. That night on the news it's announced that Mayumi Yamano, who was involved in the scandal everyone's been talking about, was found dead, her corpse hung on an antenna. And when I sleep, I see her face; eyes wide and vacant and mouth open in a silent scream.

==+O+==

For anyone who read this chapter before the update, you may notice it's shorter than before. Well, I think I tried to put too much into one chapter and it suffered as a result. So the events of April 13 will be covered in chapter 3, which I'll post once I'm done editing it. Unfortunately, this may mean I won't have time to upload the next installment this week.

But hopefully this chapter is a lot better than before.

…God, I'm horrible at these ending notes.