Author's Note: Here's the second chapter of this story. I did say it would be out early this week.;) I just had to take advantage of all the free time that I had this week. But don't expect regularly fast updates since I don't have this much free time. This was a luxury provided by the long weekend.:D

Anyway, not a lot of exciting things happening in this chapter so I don't know whether you'd like it or not. I like it since it's the longest chapter, oneshot or not, that I published. It was about 8 pages long on MS Word. My other chapters were only about 3- 5 pages before. Should I be proud of myself because I think I'm growing as a writer or was it just a coincidence?

I also added a bit of romance since I'm a total sap and I couldn't resist the temptation of putting pairings in a story. I tried to make this story as neutral to any pairing but I just can't. But the romance would just be like a side-story. It won't focus too much on the romance side.:)

Well anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 3 and Persona 4. Atlus does.


August 13, 2015 5:40PM

Kanji Tatsumi trudged down the road leading towards the hill overlooking the town. He looked around town and found the fog rolling in. It wasn't as bad as it was during the year when the murders occurred. It lowered the visibility just a bit, but not warranting a test whether the glasses Teddie made would work to clear his vision. He guessed not but the fog that rolled in felt quite familiar to him and he would bet his ass that the other members of the Investigation Team felt it too.

He sighed to himself as he shoved his hands into his pants. He heard rumors spreading on the Shopping District of two men chasing after Dojima's car- on foot, at that - and were heading towards the hill itself. He wasn't too worried since for starters, he knows that men on foot cannot- -not even the fastest friggin' man on Earth - can catch up on a car on full throttle. Second, he knew that Dojima could take care of himself. He's got a gun on him for God's sake! There's nothing to be afraid of.

He shook his head free from those thoughts as he continued to walk towards the hill. He had his reasons to go to the gazebo. It was a place for him to relax and clear his head of all the crap that went on with his life. He could also hear his Persona clearer when he went there. Maybe because there wasn't any noise not like in the Shopping District or the Floodplain. He wouldn't want to be around too much people anyway. He'd just get pissed.

People still had the twisted perception of him as a leader of the local biker gangs. He gave up trying to correct them. He was just happy that he has a handful of people who believe that he was not what the majority of the population of Inaba thought he was. They were a bunch of misfits but at least they still had a good time when they get together.

He smiled as he remembered all the times that they got together on the hill that he was going to be in a few minutes. He could remember all the times, both during and after the murder case that he spent with the group of friends that he made during the murder case.

He remembered the times he came there with Souji where they would just talk and the time where he made the plush toys that was the reason he started to put up some of his works on their textile shop. He also remembered the time when they all organized a separate celebration to end all of the craziness they went through the past year on the summer of 2012. Souji had to cook all the food as to not get another helping of Mystery Food X from the girls.

He also remembered the time when he called out Naoto after class during their second year in Yasogami. A lot of rumors started flying and spreading inside the school. Some of them speculated that Kanji had a bone to pick with Naoto for arresting one of his supposed members in his biker gang. Others said that he got fed up from all the Detective Prince's fame and decided to put the said detective in his place.

All Kanji did was confess to her.

Needless to say, nothing came out of it. Kanji was crushed and he wanted nothing more than to thrash the gazebo they were in to vent out his anger, hurt and most of all, his frustration. He blamed himself for thinking that he had a chance with her but he got over it before the school year ended, just for the sake of not making everything awkward when the remaining members of the Investigation Team got together in the Junes Food Court.

He sighed as he ran his hand over his bleached hair. He could already see the gazebo on the top of the hill. He also noticed a white sedan pull-up next to it.

"Tch. So much for clearing my head." He said as he turned to move to somewhere else that there were no people at all. It's been a long time since he talked with Rokuten Maoh. It was then that he heard the sound of a gunshot followed by the immediate sound of shattering glass. His eyes widened and the hairs at the back of his neck started to stand when a familiar wave of energy pass through him. He felt Rokuten Maoh stir inside him as he felt himself tremble in panic.

He rubbed the back of his neck as it popped because of the sudden turning of his neck. He saw the familiar blue light when they summoned a Persona. He also knew someone who used her revolver to shoot through her Persona's card...

Naoto Shirogane.

"Shit!" uttered a panicked Kanji as he darted off at the road leading to the top of the hill. H heard an agonized shriek above him, thankful that it wasn't Naoto's voice but it seemed so familiar that he felt his heart drop to his stomach.

Shadows were here... Shadows that shouldn't even be here in this side are here...

"What the hell's going on?!" he shouted as he started to run again, trying to summon Rokuten Maoh's card to no avail. He could hear his Persona grunt in frustration, as if wanting to come out and help Kanji.

'Shit! Why can't I summon mine?!' he thought as he gave up on summoning his Persona. He started to look around the surroundings on anything that he could use as a weapon. He gave up when he couldn't see anything that he could use for a weapon. He used his fists and his feet before in the TV; he could do it again here.

He was stopped from his running when he heard the crashing of wood followed immediately by a familiar shout of pain. The voice didn't belong to Naoto. It was about one year since he heard that voice. He heard it last during the last Summer Festival in Inaba. That was a voice he would recognize anywhere...

He ran faster as he ever did in his life and heard another loud crash from on top of the hill and saw some debris fly down from the hill and onto the road leading up to the top.

He could only wish that he would make it before Souji could drop the ball. He then felt the familiar energy of a powerful Zio spell in the air and the howling of the Shadow before it died down and everything fell deathly silent.

As Kanji finally made it to the top of the hill, he saw Souji lying on his back with his head in Dojima's lap. Dojima has his phone on his shoulder with the side of his head holding it in place and shouting orders at the one on the line. He ran to him and got to see the aftermath of Souji's battle.

The gazebo was nowhere to be found but in its place was a pile of wood on concrete. Pieces of wood also littered the hill with Dojima's car getting the brunt of the damage with large pieces of wood which were supposed to be the poles that held up the roof of the gazebo stuck through the windshield. There was also a black mark on the ground where the electrocuted Shadow must've stood after disappearing into the fog that blanketed the Inaba region again during the past year. The grass that surrounded the black patch on the ground was now charred and with the slight blowing of the wind, they withered away.

"Tatsumi!" Dojima called Kanji's attention as he kept Souji's head steady with his hands. He turned his eyes away from Kanji and shouted at the receiver of his phone. "Shut up, Satonaka! Just send me a goddamn ambulance to my location imme-! No!" he roared as he tried to compose himself. He took a deep breath and turned to Kanji. Kanji kneeled across from Dojima and saw the small cuts and a few tears on Dojima's clothes.

"Look after him for a while." He ordered Kanji as he tried transfer Souji's head onto Kanji's lap. "Watch his head. Hold it firm. We don't want him to have a concussion when he bumps his head into something..." he said as he put Souji's head onto Kanji's lap. Kanji placed his hands on the sides of Souji's face and looked for any kind of injury that might've merited the anguished shout he let out earlier.

He was interrupted when he heard Dojima shout at Chie again. Chie has only been on the force as one of the receptionists for one year but she was taking her exam to be a detective next year which she will hopefully pass.

"Just get me that damn ambulance! NOW!" he roared at the phone as he walked towards the wreckage of his car.

"And call Shirogane for me. Tell her to meet me at the hospital." he ordered before he ended the call. He checked the inside of his car and looked at the compartment at the passenger's side. He took some files and tucked it under his arm as he walked back to Souji and Kanji.

"Hey Dojima-san. What happened to him? I heard a gunshot and then I heard all the noise you've been making..." he said, not really wanting to ask the question he had wanted to ask since he got there.

"What happened?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Dojima looked uneasy as he avoided eye contact with Kanji. Kanji gulped as what he had been dreading was becoming more and more possible. Dojima wouldn't be like this if what happened over here was just a simple incident of gangs having a turf war that escalated to having the gazebo in shambles. But he had to make sure.

"S-Shadows followed him on his way here..." Dojima started as he rubbed his temples. He never thought that he would be saying something so illogical, not to mention impossible, to explain what happened. But then again, none of Souji's friends were something that you would call "normal".

Kanji kneaded his knuckles on his forehead as he tried to remain calm. He wanted nothing more but to call the others and discuss what was going on like during the times they would discuss the case on Junes's food court. They always were more effective when they put their heads together. He was brought out of his brooding when Dojima continued his explanation.

"He texted me a few days ago that he would be coming back here. He also told me not to tell anyone of his return. I guess he knew that he was being followed and didn't want anyone to be involved. Not yet, anyway."

"That would explain the sorry state of his clothes..." muttered Kanji as he surveyed the clothes that his senpai had. "Wait a sec...You mean he just arrived today? Did he run all the way from the city to the countryside?!" he asked incredulously. He shook his head and looked at the sleeping face of Souji. He had to admit, he chose to look up to someone so crazy.

"That would be the most logical conclusion... Crazy, but that would be the only way to explain his appearance and fatigue." Dojima answered as he waited for the ambulance to arrive.

"But... why the hell did he shout? He doesn't look to be hit anywhere..."

"His..." Dojima started but held himself back but shook his head. "His Persona was hit and crashed into the gazebo. Then he started to scream like he too was hit by that Shadow. Like he felt the hit that his Persona took."

"I see..." Kanji muttered to himself as he tried to move his legs a bit to restore some feeling back into his legs.

A few minutes later, they could already hear the sirens of the ambulance, blaring loudly in the distance. Kanji was silently thanking the gods that watched over him as the sirens grew louder and louder. His legs were cramping up with the lack of blood circulating in it and the weight of Souji's head.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the ambulance pulled up in front of them and the paramedics came down from the vehicle and brought out a stretcher from inside. They quickly but carefully transferred Souji to the stretcher while the others checked up on Dojima's condition. Some also approached Kanji but he waved them off, saying that he was okay.

"Tatsumi." Kanji turned his head towards Dojima. Dojima motioned for him to come inside the ambulance. "Come with us to the hospital. Call Hanamura too. He might need to hear what Souji has to say."

Dojima didn't know why but he had the feeling the Hanamura kid was one of the leaders of their little group.


August 13, 2015 6:03PM

Yosuke didn't have anything to do after he finished checking their stocks inside the stockroom and the shelves inside the different departments of the megastore. He finished early today and sat down behind his table at the executive part of the store.

He was promoted last year to assistant stock manager much to his shock. He guessed it was because his father was the manager of the branch of Junes here but no one complained about his promotion. He did take the work he was given even though he grumbled a lot when he was stocking the shelves of the department store, but he did it anyway.

He couldn't complain about it anyway. He was able to buy his motorcycle and pay for all the expenses when he and Chie went on dates every now and then. He was happy because of all the things that happened to him and the friends he made during the stressful year of the murder incidents. They were all going down their own paths but it didn't matter. They were still friends and they get together whenever they can.

Until this past year.

This past year, they haven't heard from Souji, The last time the saw, let alone hear from him, was during the Summer Festival in Inaba last year. He couldn't help but be anxious of his best friend's silence. He wanted to go to the city just to see if he's okay, but he couldn't leave because of his job's responsibility.

He sighed to himself and spun his chair around, as if hoping to remove all the thoughts he had into the air.

"It is days like these that I wish I went to college." He said to no one in particular as he put his hands behind his head. He almost wished that the murder case from all those years ago would happen again. He felt like during those days, he was doing something for Inaba. It made him feel like a hero.

Keep thinking like that and it might happen. You could lose someone important again. Say, Chie?

His back straightened as he recognized Susano-O's voice. He should get used to it. Hell, it's been more or less 3 years since he faced himself inside the TV. But he couldn't complain. His Persona was always there for him when he was about to enter things half-cocked. All the insults and sarcasm from his Persona made him think twice when deciding on something.

'Yeah, yeah. I just wish that something would happen, you know. To liven things up.' he answered back. He learned how to answer back to his Persona without talking out loud. When he answered his Persona out loud during the first few weeks he got his Persona, his parents looked at him with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

Don't worry. You might not have felt it but I did. Something big is gonna happen.

Yosuke could almost imagine his Persona smirk, which was impossible because Susano-O didn't have a mouth.

He was about to answer back when he heard the Junes jingle emitting from his phone. He picked it up, jumping from his feet. His face fell when he saw the name on the caller ID. He expected to see Chie's name, expecting her to be released early from the police station since she just traffics the calls that the police station gets.

And in a town as rustic and peaceful as Inaba, there weren't a lot of calls coming in.

He sighed as he answered the call, not knowing what to expect from his junior. He shook his head as he decided to pick on Kanji.

"Kanji, I can't go on a date with you. You know I have a girlfriend and she'd kick me in the nads when she finds out I went out with you." he said as he leaned back on his chair. He heard Kanji sputter on the other end of the line as he tried to form a coherent response to his remark.

"Son of a bitch! When I get my hands on you..." he started but he stopped and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Listen, you gotta get your ass in the hospital before I go to your house and drag your sorry ass from there to here!"

"But I'm not on my house... I'm still at work..." Yosuke muttered but was caught by Kanji nonetheless.

"You know what I mean, dammit! Just get here before I beat the shit outta you!" and with that Kanji ended the call.

Yosuke could only stare at his phone before he shrugged and got up from his seat. He loosened his tie and removed it, pocketing it in one of the pockets of his pants and opened the first few buttons of his polo. He stretched and grabbed the keys for his motorcycle and left the building.


August 13, 2015 6:28PM

Yosuke entered the hospital and was immediately called over by Kanji.

"Over here, Yosuke-senpai!" he shouted as he waved his arms.

He looked like he was pissed at something but was trying to hold it in. He was expecting a punch to his gut when he walked over to him but instead, he was pulled by the arm by a running Kanji. He followed Kanji's lead and ran so that he wouldn't be dragged like a rag doll.

When they finally stopped, he saw Naoto sitting on the benches near the door of a hospital room. He could hear Dojima's voice from inside the room and an unfamiliar voice that must belong to the doctor. His felt his stomach twist into tight knots inside of him. He looked at the nameplate by the door but there was still no name in there.

"H-Hey... w-what happened?" he asked as he saw Naoto hiccup a bit. She also had faint trails of tears on her cheeks and the tears on her eyes, clumping together her long eyelashes. Kanji pressed his lips together in a tight frown and walked over to the window.

When no one answered he sat next to Naoto and waited for anyone to tell him anything. He wringed his hands together as he thought of all the possibilities. Did someone try to kidnap Nanako-chan again? Did she get hurt when Dojima-san tried to rescue her? Did she-?

All of his morbid thoughts were put to a stop when the door to the room opened and Dojima and the doctor stepped out.

"How is she? Is she gonna be alright?!" he asked as he lunged for the doctor. He clutched the sleeves of the doctor's uniform tightly as he tried not to shake the answer out of the poor doctor. The doctor raised an eyebrow at him and cleared his throat.

Yosuke let go of him and took a step back. The doctor tried to straighten his sleeves and looked at the three younger people in front of him.

"Mr. Seta would be okay. He's just fatigued and need to stay in bed for a few days. He also needs to be fed at the right times by the right food. It seems he hasn't eaten a lot in the past few days. Now then, if you'll excuse me." he said as he gave a small bow and walked down the opposite direction.

Yosuke found himself staring after the doctor with his mouth hanging open. He turned to Kanji and then Naoto. He could also hear Susano-O laugh out loud, to his chagrin.

"Why didn't you guys tell me he was the one in there?!" he asked them heatedly as he pointed at Souji's hospital room.

Kanji only looked away with a scowl and Naoto acted as if she didn't even hear him. He turned to Dojima who just looked at him with a stern expression.

An awkward and tense atmosphere followed the silence of the group.

"We'll talk later after he wakes up. He just fell asleep again thanks to the medicine the doctor gave him. I have to get home and check on Nanako." Dojima said as he turned to walk. "And Hanamura." He added as he turned his head to look at Yosuke. "Not a word to anyone in your group, okay?"

Yosuke could only nod as Dojima started to walk towards Naoto. He put a hand on her shoulder, muttering something before looking at Yosuke then at Kanji before leaving.

"I'm gonna head back too." announced Kanji after a few minutes as he too left Yosuke and Naoto, not even bothering to look at them when he left.

"What's up his butt? he asked Naoto. Naoto hesitated before answering.

"He found out... about me and Senpai..." she said as she pulled her cap down to hide her eyes.

"Damn... now I know why he was so sulky."

Yosuke wasn't surprised about Souji and Naoto's relationship because Souji told him when he tried to set Souji up with a part-timer at Junes. Yosuke could still remember Souji's beet red face when he told him. Oh, how Yosuke had a laugh at that. Seeing their fearless leader turn an interesting shade of red was amusing to see.

"Well... no use sulking about it now." he said as he stood and walked over to the door of Souji's hospital room. He opened it and gestured to Naoto to enter. "Better to look after him inside of his room where you can see him, right?" he added with a small smirk. Naoto just looked at him and let out a small smile before she entered the room. Yosuke entered after her and closed the door.

He looked over at the bed and saw the former leader of their Investigation Team, sleeping soundly with some sweat in his forehead. Naoto walked over to him and pulled out a navy blue handkerchief to wipe away the sweat off her boyfriend's face. She sat down at the chair beside the bed and continued to look at his face while stroking Souji's silver locks.

Yosuke sat at the chair on the opposite side of the room, near the door. He might as well stay, just to make sure that Naoto would get her own share of food and rest. Souji would never forgive him if he left Naoto with no support whatsoever during these kinds of situations.

He sighed and pulled out his phone to check if Chie left a message for him.

There were none.


A/N: There you have it! Expect the next update to be a bit late because I'm entering hell week in college. Wish me luck!

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Leave a review so I know what I should work on and your suggestions are always welcome.

Review Responses:

Judge Shiki: Thanks for saying that this story has potential. I'll try my best to have this story reach its true potential.:)

CometRacer007: Thanks for reading the first chapter! I really liked the first chapter of this story since it's my first time to write something of this genre. I hope you liked this chapter too.:)

Epic Piano Solo: There are some stories here in this site that have the same concept as my story. Hopefully I can get this story to be unique in its own way. And YES he's hiding something big. HAHAHA! But you'll just have to see what happens as the story moves on. Thanks for the review!:)