Persona: Sins of the Fool

By Azrael Eternum

10/16/10

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever owned Shin Megami Tensei or the Persona series. They are the property of Atlus.

Chapter 4 – Desperate Escape

~January 1st, 2018~

For the first time in almost a year, Souji wasn't hung over. However, due to his newest companion's untamed exuberance, Souji still felt like his head was cracking open. After the events of the previous evening, he had rushed to his tiny apartment to prepare for his return to Japan. The process should have only taken about two hours or so, as Souji had little to his name and even less to pack.

It takes a bit longer when you have an easily excited young boy/bear creature/shadow, weighing in at somewhere close to 10 tons by Souji's measure, hanging around your neck.

In the twelve hours since his midnight arrival, Teddie had refused to let Souji out of his sight. It took Souji almost half an hour after getting home to convince the blonde that he wasn't going to disappear again, and that Teddie should let go of his sensei's leg and help pack instead. The bear's child-like curiosity also ran rampant, forcing Souji to repack his suitcase multiple times as Teddie continually got a hold of something that should've gone in the suitcase or packed something that wasn't necessary for the trip.

The blonde boy didn't seem to have aged a day since their adventures in Inaba. At some point after Souji left, Teddie had traded his fluffy shirt and slacks for a more casual t-shirt and jeans combo, but otherwise looked exactly as he had six years ago. Souji was grateful for this as they entered their terminal at JFK International Airport. Keeping Teddie under control was stressful enough without him drawing even more attention with his unusual fashion sense.

Souji sighed as he glanced at his watch. It was about a quarter till one, just a little over an hour until their two-o-clock flight to Japan. Getting through airport security had gone a lot quicker than he imagined, and now the pair was stuck in the terminal with nothing to do. He considered calling his uncle to let him know he was on his way before remembering that it was somewhere around two in the morning in Inaba.

"I guess I'll just have to surprise him," Souji murmured with a shrug.

"Sensei, let's get something to eat," Teddie said with his usual bright smile, tugging on Souji's sleeve like an excited child. "I'm starving!"

"Sure, let's eat," Souji said. He couldn't help but smile, warmed by his friend's unwavering acceptance. He was glad that even after everything that had happened, Teddie still treated him the same way he always had. No questions about why he'd left or what he'd done, just the usual overflowing happiness that had always followed in Teddie's wake.

"I think I saw a café back towards the terminal entrance, if you're interested," spoke a calm voice from behind Souji. He quickly glanced back, seeing Izanagi pointing back in the direction they'd come from. Souji nodded in response, not wanting Teddie to see him talking to the voices in his head. Izanagi didn't seem terribly concerned, following them quietly as the pair purchased some overpriced sandwiches and drinks.

"I'm so excited, Sensei! Everyone's going to be so happy to see you! We've all missed you so much," Teddie rambled between bites of his sandwich. "Ooh, that reminds me, we need to call Naoto-chan and Rise-chan. They'll want to come see you, too! I wish I had one of those cell phone things, but Yosuke was afraid I'd call people too much. What's wrong with wanting to talk to my friends?" Teddie pouted for barely a second before taking another huge bite of his sandwich. He smiled happily again. "I know! You should call them, Sensei!"

Souji finish taking a drink of his coffee before replying, "Didn't you ask Yosuke to do that when you called him last night?"

"I know, but Yosuke's lazy, he'll never get it done," Teddie said, crossing his arms in frustration. "Besides, don't you think they'd be even more excited to come if the call came from you?"

Souji quickly took another drink of coffee, trying to come up with an explanation that Teddie would understand. He didn't know how to explain how awkward it felt for him to call one of his former teammates. That was why he'd had Teddie call Yosuke from his office phone instead of calling himself. It had even taken him almost an hour just to get up the courage to send Yukiko a text, and almost as long to man up and send her the second, more personal one.

Thankfully, Mother Nature intervened on his behalf. Teddie's eyes widened as the blonde quickly squeezed his legs together. He scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly, "Umm, Sensei, I need to use the bathroom."

Souji chuckled, glad to put off that conversation for a bit longer. "Alright, c'mon," he said, grabbing a to-go lid for his coffee. "Grab your drink, I'll show you where to go."

He quickly led the young man to one of the nearby public restrooms. Surprisingly, it was empty when they arrived, allowing Teddie his choice of stalls. The boy quickly picked one and ran inside, closing the door behind him. Souji laughed to himself at the loud, contented sigh that came from Teddie's stall a moment later. Souji decided he might as well take advantage of the facilities, since he was already here. He was just finishing with washing his hands when Teddie emerged, a satisfied smile on his face.

"That's better," the bear said with a sigh. "Now we can…"

Teddie was cut off by a sudden rumbling from within the building. The ground shook beneath them, knocking both young men to the floor. Souji braced himself against the side of the counter while Teddie hung on to the stall door for dear life.

"What's going on, Sensei?" Teddie yelled, his eyes wide in surprise. Before Souji could reply, the rumbling stopped as abruptly as it had started. They both tentatively climbed to their feet.

"Do you normally get earthquakes here, Sensei?" Teddie asked, brushing himself off. Souji shook his head, a concerned look on his face.

"No, we don't," he replied, glancing back to Izanagi standing in the corner. The Persona had his sword at the ready, which could only mean something bad was happening. "Something's not right," Souji said, gesturing towards the door. "C'mon, let's go see what's up."

The two emerged to a remarkable sight. The airport terminal was completely devoid of life. Not only that, but the architecture had been altered, forming a maze like structure among the empty shops and kiosks that littered the building. An oppressive weight filled the air, and Souji instinctively reached for his sidearm before remembering he'd left it behind rather than deal with the security hassle of flying it to Japan. "What the hell's going on?" he asked the empty halls, chills coursing down his spine.

Teddie stepped up next to him, the card for Kamui gripped tightly in his hand. "It feels like there's something close by, Sensei," the boy growled, squeezing his Persona card. "I don't know what it is, but it's nothing like the Shadows we've fought before." Souji nodded. He attempted to will Izanagi's card into being, but this only served to increase the pain in his skull.

"Great," Souji muttered, "It looks like it's on you to protect us, Teddie. I can't summon my Persona for some reason." He quickly glanced around, trying to get his bearings in the altered building. "There was a security station near the entrance to the terminal. If we can get back there then we should be able to get a better picture of what's happening. At the very least, there should be something we can use to fight."

"Got it, Sensei," Teddie affirmed with a nod. They set out in the general direction of the security checkpoint, slowly navigating the twists and turns of the terminal turned labyrinth. Though the malevolent presence seemed to permeate the entire structure, the pair encountered no resistance as they proceeded. Souji noticed Izanagi was keeping pace with them, watching behind them while Teddie kept his eyes forward.

"Wonderful," Souji thought silently. "My hallucination is watching our back. Maybe he'll at least speak up before something gets the drop on us."

It wasn't long before they rounded a corner and found themselves at the security station. The hallway came to an end here; they would have to backtrack, but at least they'd found something. Souji quickly grasped the handle, pulling the door open quickly and stepping right into a wall.

"Ow, what the hell?" he said rubbing his already throbbing head. Souji stepped back from the door, examining the wall in front of him. "Well, shit," he groaned, "This doesn't bode well."

The door to the security office was completely intact, as was the doorframe. However, it seemed that the room behind the door was missing, replaced by a blank wall identical to the surrounding structure. Souji pressed his hands against the blank surface inside the door and pushed as hard as he could. It didn't budge, even as Souji slammed his fist against it in frustration.

"Well that's just great," Souji grumbled. He struggled to summon Izanagi's card again, but to no avail. "Still no luck with summoning, either. Let's just look for a way out of here, Teddie."

"Umm, Sensei," Teddie stammered behind him. "We've got a bit of a problem here."

Souji spun around quickly as a sickly groan echoed from behind him. Teddie stood in a defensive stance next to Souji, his Persona card at the ready, as a zombie-like creature rounded the corner. Souji's eyes widened as he recognized the monster. It was nearly identical to Ghoul, one of his old Personas.

The creature's red eyes locked onto Souji just before the creature charged. It let out a hissing scream, saliva dripping from its jagged teeth.

"Kamui!" Teddie yelled, smashing the card between his hands. The machine-like Persona appeared above Teddie, clapping its claws together as a block of ice surrounded the Ghoul, stopping the creature in its tracks. The summoned bear creature swiped at the Ghoul with its sharp claws, shattering its frozen tomb and sending the Ghoul's damaged body to the ground. Unlike the Shadows, which dissolved into nothingness upon defeat, the Ghoul's body boiled away until nothing was left but a bloody smear on the floor.

"Woohoo!" Teddie cheered, pumping his fists in the air. "We've still got it, buddy!" Kamui faded from view as the Persona card reappeared in Teddie's hand. Souji started to congratulate Teddie on his quick victory when Izanagi spoke up.

"That wasn't the only one," the Persona growled. As he said this, three more Ghouls rounded the corner, immediately charging the pair with a haunting roar.

Kamui managed to freeze two of the charging creatures, but the third dodged the Bufudyne spell and leapt at Teddie, its claws extended menacingly. The boy dodged as best he could, but one of the creature's claws tore into his arm and knocked him off balance. The Ghoul quickly spun on its heels, pouncing on the blonde boy as he fell to the ground. Teddie caught the creature's arms, barely stopping its razor sharp claws from ripping into his face. But his right arm was quickly giving way as the wound on his arm oozed a thick black substance, betraying Teddie's true nature as a Shadow.

Souji dove for the two, knocking the Ghoul to the side just as its claws neared Teddie's throat. He rolled on top of the Ghoul, driving his fist into the creature's face while it was still dazed. The nerves in Souji's hand cried out in protest as his knuckles impacted the creature's skull, but Souji just continued to pummel the beast. Teddie quickly summoned Kamui again, finishing off the two frozen Ghouls with a swipe of the Persona's claws. Before he could come to Souji's aid, however, more Ghouls appeared from around the corner.

"Sensei!" Teddie called out, "They're still coming! Lots of them!" He summoned Kamui to send a blast of ice towards the group of Ghouls. A few fell to the powerful Mabufudyne spell, but the majority of the horde continued to charge.

The Ghoul beneath Souji had also shaken off its confusion. It struggled against Souji's grip, waving its claws dangerously close to his face. He managed to push both of the creature's arms to the floor, only to be rewarded with a crushing blow as the Ghoul drove its skull into his face. Souji felt the bone in his nose shatter, causing him to lose his grip on the Ghoul. It caught him in the chest with its feet, throwing Souji off and righting itself in one fluid movement. It was on him before he could recover. Souji barely managed to keep the creature's claws from immediately tearing out his throat.

Teddie kept pounding the mob of Ghouls with ice spells, but unless he quickly dispatched them with direct attacks the Ghouls would quickly recover and resume their onslaught. He desperately wanted to help Souji, but could barely afford time to breathe as he struggled to hold back the growing horde.

"Damn it," Souji grunted as he narrowly avoided another slash to the face from the Ghoul. He could feel his grip on the creature's wrists wavering, the fatigue from his lack of sleep catching up to him. "Nagi!" he yelled desperately, "It would sure as hell be nice if you could help me out here!"

As if on cue, Izanagi leapt forward, his blade slashing through the Ghoul pinning Souji. It let out a sharp hiss as its body was cleaved in two, collapsing lifelessly on top of the young man. Souji scrambled to his feet as the creature's body began to boil away, and soon there was nothing left of the monster but a bloody smear.

"Glad you could make it," Souji said with a sarcastic bite.

"I never left," the Persona said matter-of-factly. "You merely had not requested the use of my skills."

Izanagi's voice struck Souji, and he quickly glanced around for the hallucination of his Persona that always followed him around. However, the only Izanagi he could find was the one in front of him, standing silently awaiting orders. Questions raced through the young man's mind, but he quickly dismissed them. Any questions would have to wait until these creatures were dealt with.

"Nagi," Souji began, his voice full of the commanding presence he'd not felt since the Investigation Team days. "Let's get those monsters. We've got to help Teddie." The Persona nodded silently, then quickly turned and rushed into the fray. Souji ran to stand by Teddie, who was obviously beginning to tire.

"You alright, Teddie?" Souji asked, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders to keep him on his feet. Teddie nodded, leaning his weight against Souji. With Izanagi keeping the Ghouls busy, Teddie was free to order a Mediarahan from Kamui. The bear's Persona then joined Izanagi in fighting off the horde of Ghouls, freezing large groups of the monsters for the swordsman to quickly cut down.

"Better now that you're here, Sensei," Teddie said with relief, easing his weight off of Souji as the Mediarahan took effect. Without weapons, they could do little but rely on their Personas to defeat the flood of Ghouls. But the monsters only seemed to increase in number and slowly began to surround the two summoners.

"Teddie!" Souji called out as he slammed his fist into a Ghoul that had made it through their Personas' defensive screen. "Do you think you can get us out of here with a spell?"

Teddie ducked under another charging Ghoul, kicking his leg out at the same time to knock the creature off balance. "I can try, Sensei, but I need to focus pretty hard for Kamui to cast Traesto," Teddie yelled with a tremor of fear in his voice. "I don't think it'll work with this many enemies!"

"Shit," Souji cursed. "We're not getting anywhere fighting in this corner. We've got to try and push through these guys. Izanagi, burn us a path!"

The swordsman Persona lifted his sword to the sky and swung it down in a wide arc. Fire spilled from the tip of the blade, torching a large group of Ghouls and leaving an opening in the crowd of monsters.

"I don't think I've got enough in me for another one of those," Souji muttered, feeling the energy quickly drain from him. "C'mon, we've got to move now!"

He and Teddie sprinted into the gap, their Personas fighting along the edges to keep the monsters from closing in again. They advanced out of the dead end of the security checkpoint and made it around the corner, but found no end to the monstrous mob. The path blazed by Izanagi's focused Maragidyne was running out, and the Ghouls were quick to fill in the gap behind the two. Teddie had Kamui freeze another large group of Ghouls into solid blocks, leaping with Souji to momentary safety atop the frozen creatures.

Their path to freedom was gone, and try as he might Souji couldn't summon the energy for another wave of flames. Izanagi cut down any Ghoul that scrambled on top of the ice blocks while Kamui focused on freezing more Ghouls so the pair could keep advancing. But Teddie was beginning to tire, his energy reserves also running dangerously low. Kamui froze one final Ghoul before fading into nothingness. The Persona's card returned to Teddie's hand, but the blonde had no energy left to summon it.

"I'm tapped out, Sensei," the bear cried in desperation. "I'm sorry, I can't do anything else. I'll try to distract them so you can escape." The bear stood, preparing to jump into the mob in an attempt to draw them off.

Souji shook his head, grabbing the boy by the shoulders. "Teddie, don't be stupid," he chastised. "Just help me think. There's got to be a way out of this." They looked around frantically for an escape route, for anything they could use to escape this situation, but they were trapped. To make matters worse, the Bufudyne spell keeping the Ghouls below them on ice was starting to fade. Despite his words of encouragement, Souji was beginning to think that they might not make it out of the airport alive, much less ever make it to Japan.

Suddenly, there was a crash in the distance. Souji and Teddie turned to see a wave of Ghouls fly into the air and liquefy against the walls and ceiling. A voice could be heard in the distance as another group of the monsters was suddenly obliterated.

"C'mon, do it again Susano-O! Bonecrusher!" More Ghouls were turned into paste as a skull-faced Persona with wild red hair and spikes around its shoulders and wrists drove into the crowd of Ghouls with incredible force. A middle aged man followed behind the Persona, dressed in a white dress shirt and grey slacks. The yellow stocking cap on his head made him easy for the pair to spot from their position on top of the quickly thawing Ghouls.

"Hey!" Souji yelled out to the man "Help us out over here, please!"

The man stopped advancing, and for a moment Souji was worried he was going to leave. Then the man threw one fist in the air and crying out, "Susano-O! Eternal Black!"

The skull-faced Persona threw its arms out wide before bringing them together with a thunderous crash. Black clouds appeared all around the Ghouls and began sinking into the skin of the creatures. The monsters all began screaming, tearing at their own flesh as it seemed to burn from the inside out. Within seconds, their numbers had been reduced to barely a third, giving Souji and Teddie the opening they needed to sprint to safety.

They caught up with their savior as he and his Persona worked to clean up a few of the stragglers. As soon as they reached him, he called out, "C'mon, I know the way out of here. Follow me!" With that, he turned and sprinted down the hall, with Souji and Teddie right behind him. The remainder of the mob of Ghouls screeched in anger behind them and pursued.

"Thanks for the rescue," Souji yelled to the man over the screaming of the monsters behind them. "But just who are you? How can you summon a Persona?"

The man grinned at Souji, the mischievous look in his eyes making him seem much younger than he really was. "The name's Masao Inaba. I'm a professional graffiti artist. As for the Persona thing, well, that's a long story, but I've been able to summon ol' Susano-O since I was seventeen."

"How old are you now?" Teddie asked between breaths.

"I'm thirty-eight," he said with another grin, "And I'd love to tell you the whole story, but right now we need to beat feet. Those demons aren't exactly going away now," He quickly turned one corner and then another as Souji and Teddie did their best to keep pace. "C'mon, we're almost there."

They rounded one final corner before coming to another door. Souji feared that it would only lead to another blank wall, but when Masao threw the door open the three were engulfed in a bright flash.

When his eyes adjusted, Souji noticed they were in a dimly lit, Victorian style room. The room was lit with a dark light that seemed to emanate from the shadows in the corners of the room. It gave everything in the room a subtle purple hue. There were three high-backed, cushioned chairs sitting around one side of a small, round table. On the other side of the table was a single high-backed loveseat. On the table was a worn book that Souji recognized as the Compendium he'd seen the night before. Sitting on the loveseat, her legs crossed and her hands clasped in her lap, was Elizabeth. She smiled at Souji, a bright, pleasant look that stood in stark contrast to the darkness of the room.

"Greetings, Souji Seta, I'm glad you could make it," she said. She then turned to Masao, saying, "And a great thanks to you, Masao Inaba, for bringing him here safely. I am in your debt."

Masao scratched the back of his head, smiling. "Ah, it was nothing, miss. Especially with the power boost you gave me. I've never seen my Persona with so much power. I wouldn't have stood a chance without that." He took a seat in one of the three chairs. Souji and Teddie sat down as well, many questions flying around in their heads.

Souji spoke up first. "So could someone explain to me what's going on, exactly? One second we're in the international terminal at JFK and then suddenly we're stuck in a messed up maze flooded with Ghoul monsters. What was that? And what were those monsters? They were nothing like the Shadows we fought before."

Elizabeth nodded. "You are correct, Souji Seta, those creatures were not Shadows. It would be more accurate to say that they are demons, summoned in this world by our enemy. It appears he is on to my little scheme and is trying to eliminate my champion before he recovers his potential." Souji pointed at himself, a questioning look on his face. Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, Souji Seta," she continued, "When I say 'my champion,' I am referring to you. You agreed to champion my cause, did you not? I feel the title is appropriate."

"And as for the maze, I think I can explain that," said Masao, turning his chair to face Souji and Teddie. "Back in 1996, me and a group of my friends got caught up in a battle against a dark force that was threatening our home. We were all granted the power of Persona, and we traveled around our city, and a parallel version of our city that existed in my friend's subconscious, fighting demons and doing our part to eliminate this evil force that was destroying our town."

"Whatever it was," Masao continued, "this force had the ability to alter the world in various ways, such as summoning demons or transforming a normal building into a twisting labyrinth. When we saved my friend from the darkness in her subconscious, everything went back to normal, but we never came across the source of the darkness. In fact, one of my good friends has secretly devoted his life to finding the answer to that very question."

"When I realized the situation, I knew immediately that I had to act," Elizabeth said, catching Souji's attention again. "However, thanks to the alterations made to the terminal, I could not enter personally to assist you. I was, however, able to create a link from my personal domain to the terminal. I tried to contact you, but our enemy was hiding you from my power. And as fate would have it, there was another Persona user trapped within the terminal, Masao Inaba. He was close by when I created the link to this space, so I was able to contact him with a little effort. I gifted him with a small portion of my power and sent him to your aid."

"Whoa, that was just a little bit of your power?" Teddie asked in awe. "You must be super strong, Elizabeth-chan."

Elizabeth smiled sweetly at the boy. "Why thank you, Teddie." Her face then grew serious again, "However, understand that even with all my power, I am nothing compared to the enemy we face."

"And just when are we going to find out who this enemy is?" Souji asked, getting slightly frustrated. "We barely got out of there alive, and now you're saying that whatever is after me is more powerful than even you can handle. What exactly are we up against?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Go to your friends, Souji Seta. I do not wish to burden you with the full gravity of this quest until you've had your reunion. Only then shall I give you the information you seek, as well as the chance to reconsider." She smiled at him once more, and then turned to Masao. "And as for you, Masao Inaba, what can I do to repay your assistance?"

The man kicked his feet up on the table in the center of the room, hands behind his head, and leaned back into his chair. "Well, I was trying to catch a flight to Tokyo, probably the same one that these guys were after. Considering that plan's not likely to get off the ground, do you think you could give us a lift?"

Elizabeth chuckled, her light laughter causing the lights in the room to brighten momentarily. "Of course," she said, snapping her fingers. There was a gust of air as the door behind them opened, and through it Souji saw what looked like a hotel lobby. "The exit will take you to a high caliber hotel in the heart of Tokyo." She handed Masao a slip of paper with a small keycard. "You will find your reservation already paid in full, and that key card will take you to the Imperial Suite. I hope you enjoy the accommodations."

Masao laughed out loud. "Wow, that's some amazing stuff. Thanks, Liz." He turned to Souji as he stepped towards the door. "Stay safe, man," he said with a grin, "I have a feeling we might be bumping into each other again soon." With that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him. Souji turned once again to face Elizabeth.

"So what now? How do we get to Inaba from here?" he asked.

Elizabeth nodded towards the door, and it swung open once again to reveal a familiar sight.

~January 2nd, 2018~

Yukiko Amagi sighed as she flipped the pages of her magazine absently. She was starting to regret agreeing to cover the overnight front desk shift for one of her employees. The poor girl was sick, though, so Yukiko didn't think twice about sending her home to rest. She was just frustrated that she had nothing to do, as the lobby was usually empty during this particular shift.

She'd brewed a pot of coffee and set about cleaning the whole lobby area once the shift started at midnight. An hour later, she'd run out of things to clean, straighten and otherwise busy herself with. Now it was three in the morning, and she was pretty sure that she'd flipped through this magazine at least ten times now. The caffeine infusion kept her awake, but with nothing else to do time slowed to an agonizing crawl.

A sudden bang at the door startled her from her funk, and she quickly stood to greet any late arrivals that might have shown up. She didn't expect for the front door to slide open and expel a blonde ball of energy at ninety miles per hour.

"Yukiko-chan! Yukiko-chan! It's so good to see you!" said the blonde boy currently embracing her, and a surprised Yukiko immediately identified him as Teddie's human form. The innkeeper smiled and hugged him back.

"Teddie! What a surprise, I didn't think you'd be back so soon. We just got…" her voice trailed off as she looked once again towards the door. A silver haired man stood there, sliding the door closed behind him. He turned towards her, a tired smile adorning the face that she'd dreamed about for the last three years.

"Hi Yukiko-san," Souji said quietly, "I'm home."

The young woman disentangled herself from Teddie's grip and, throwing all manners out the window, vaulted over the counter as gracefully as her kimono allowed before running up and wrapping her arms around the young man in her doorway. He had grown, now standing a full head taller than her. She felt the tears starting to flow down her cheeks as she buried her head in his shoulder and squeezed him tightly. She smiled through her sobs when she felt his strong arms encircle her shoulders, pulling her into him. She squeezed him even tighter, afraid that if she let up even a little bit that he'd run away from her again.

"Souji," she cried, wiping her tears on his shirt. "I'm so glad. I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you so much. After you left, I didn't…I couldn't…I…I…"

The silver haired man shushed her gently, tilting her chin up so he could gaze into her beautiful gray eyes. "I've missed you too, Yukiko-san," he said, smiling brightly despite the fatigue of the last two days quickly overcoming him.

"Please, Souji, don't be so formal," the young woman chastised him. Then she noticed his weary features and gasped. "My God, you look exhausted," she said, slowly easing her grip on him. She then let go of him and took his hand in hers. "Come on. Let's get you a room so you can rest. We'll have plenty of time to catch up in the morning."

"What about Teddie?" Souji asked, looking around for the boy. Then they saw him stretched out on the lobby couch, snoring quietly.

"I'll get to him after we get you settled, now let's go," she ordered. She pulled on his arm, leading him quickly down a hallway towards one of the vacant rooms. She stopped near the end of the hall, sliding open one of the doors quietly before leading him in and turning on the light. She dumped him in a nearby chair and set to preparing one of the futons for her surprise guest.

"I'm sorry, Yukiko," Souji started, struggling to keep his eyes open. Sitting down had given his fatigue the chance it needed to almost completely overwhelm him.

"Nonsense," she said, waving his comment off. "You're obviously exhausted, so getting you rested up is my first priority." She looked back to him as she finished preparing his futon. "Besides," she said with a smile, "this is what I do for a living, remember?" She grabbed his hand again, pulling him off the chair and towards the futon. "Now try to get some sleep, we'll have plenty of time to catch up in the morning."

Souji smiled at her, and he could almost feel the warmth radiating from her smile. "Thanks, Yuki-chan," he said, accidentally using his old pet name for her thanks to his exhausted state. It was a name he'd not used since the accident. She turned towards the door, trying to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks as she stepped back into the hallway.

"Don't mention it, Souji," she said, turning off the light as he lay down. She turned around, still standing in the doorway. "Just promise me you'll still be here when I wake up."

Souji smiled from his futon in the dark room. "Don't worry. I'm not going to leave you again, Yukiko. I promise."

Yukiko smiled. "Get some sleep, Souji. I'll see you in the morning." She slid the door shut quietly, and Souji listened as her footsteps padded quietly down the hall, towards the sleeping boy in the lobby. He rolled over on his side, closing his eyes, and fell into the blissful darkness of sleep almost instantly.

Author's Note:

Sorry about the late chapter. I had family in town last weekend and had no time to write. Combine that with too much time spent playing Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and you have me falling behind my self imposed update schedule.

Lots of stuff going on in this chapter, and the first appearance of a Persona 1 cast member. I'm using a timeline based around P2 taking place in 1999, which places P1 six years earlier in 1996. So even though the 'Who's Who' program in P3 says Masao is only 20, he's 38 in my timeline. Besides, 'Who's Who' was always more of a fun reference to past games than a truly canon source of information.

Yes, I know exactly who our Big Bad is, I'm just not telling Souji yet for exactly the reason Elizabeth gave in this chapter. Since her ultimate goal is to reunite Minato with his friends, she only thinks its fair for Souji to have the same opportunity before he begins his quest in earnest. I think that's pretty clear in the story, but I just want to cover all my bases.

Shout out to Xoraan, RandowReview, KeRose, Gryphon117 and XoreandoX for your reviews for Chapter 3. Thanks to all of you! You guys keep me going!

As always, any comments/criticisms are welcome, so please review or send me a PM with anything you have to say about my work. Thanks for reading!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I spent all day downloading Borderlands on Steam, and now I'm going to go play it until I fall asleep. Look for chapter 5 next weekend, as I get back to a regular schedule of updates.

-Azrael Eternum