Title: "Last Days"

Author: Agony-Howl

Summary: When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

Pairings: Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. Stop reading if you don't like it.

Disclaimer: My name is not Atlus-so I don't own Persona 4. And I'm not part of Nickelback either!

Rating: T-oddly tame

WARNING!!! There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

Before I begin…Nothing much happens in this chapter-just more interaction between characters and preparation for midterms. There is also hints at NaotoXKanji-the only straight pairing I support in Persona 4 that I know of right now.

Also, Souji's point of view is going to be used a lot in this chapter.

That's about it.

&

…Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live it like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life…

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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Order"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daytime: October 16, 2011

"It's getting to be a custom to meet up like this." Yosuke commented. He and the rest of the Investigation team-with the exception of Kanji and Teddie-were at Junes; this time to study for the rest of the midterms. Turning to Chie he said. "But that aside, could I borrow your notes?"

"Borrowing notes is getting to be a custom too…" Chie noted. "Alright, let's get started…But first, I want a melon soda."

"Is that your way of saying you'll lend me your notes if I buy you a melon soda…?" Yosuke asked, a suspicious tone in his voice.

"Could be." The short haired girl teased.

Naoto chuckled. "Hmhm, Yosuke-san and Chie-san seem to get along well." She pointed out.

"Why don't you two date?" Rise asked, smiling playfully.

"Never!" Chie exclaimed without hesitation, grinning.

"That was quick…!" Yosuke protested. Souji looked away uncomfortably, frowning. The thought of Yosuke and Chie together was…he couldn't think of the right word for it. Although he could definitely say he felt relief when Chie turned him down right away. He also noticed Yukiko looked relieved as well. The silver haired teen was starting to guess what was going on between the two of them, so it served as more confirmation as to what was going on between them.

Rise turned to Naoto. "You too, Naoto! You could go out with Kanji!" she teased.

It was Naoto's turn to be flustered. "Please, stop it!" she pleaded, a faint blush forming on her face.

"Aww, how cute." Rise laughed. She turned to Souji, who had recovered from her initial question and now wore his normal expression. "Hey Senpai…Wouldn't Kanji and Naoto make a good couple?"

"Yeah…" Souji answered truthfully. "I could picture them together." From the way he saw them act around each other, it was obvious to him that they had feelings for each other.

"Come now, Souji-senpai…" Naoto tried to reason with him without success.

"That's enough, guys…" Yosuke attempted to change the subject. "Let's get back to studying!"

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like that was going to happen.

"Souji-senpai, have you thought about dating?" Rise asked, ignoring what Yosuke said.

"…Dating?" Souji asked.

"Yes dating! Any girls you have an interest in?" The idol winked flirtatiously-though Souji had learned by now that she did so in a playful matter. He was starting to wish that they had gone ahead with studying instead of venturing into these dangerous grounds. If he said he wasn't interested in girls, well that would lead to one conclusion right away.

So instead he went for the only safe option. "That's for me to know and you to find out-if I want to tell you." Souji replied with a smirk.

Rise pouted, but thankfully she dropped the subject and everyone returned to studying while Souji got lost in his own thoughts.

For awhile now, he could remember never being attracted to girls. While he could say whether one was cute or had a nice smile, he didn't have an interest in being any closer than as friends. Instead, he found himself drawn more to other guys-he accepted long ago that he was gay.

Unfortunately, none of the girls knew this and were attracted by the same aura that drew people to him. And whenever he tried to get close to a male he had an interest in, one of three things would happen; the guy would figure out his feelings and didn't feel the same way, either he or the other male would be forced to leave the school or town they were living in, or-the most common one-when they got close enough he would discover that his attraction to the other male had faded away.

However, ever since he discovered his crush on Yosuke, Souji found that his feelings for the brunette intensified as they grew closer. He firmly believed that fate was decided by actions rather than a higher power, so he didn't think it was because he had found his soul mate. And it definitely wasn't because they had so much in common; they were closer to being opposites.

Perhaps, he figured, it was because early in their friendship he had a fierce desire to protect the other male that soon turned into affection. Whenever they were fighting Shadows, he would try his best to keep one eye on Yosuke while fighting. If they had lived in a perfect world, he would've had the music loving teen stay outside the dungeons while everyone else fought. But in a perfect world, there would be no murders in the first place. And since this wasn't a perfect world, he knew that the best way for his partner to be safe was to be able to protect himself.

After this revelation, Souji went back to his book and participated with the rest of the group with studying. At the moment, it was all he could do until he decided what to do regarding these feelings.

&

As the sky grew dark, the group said their good-byes and went their own ways. Souji, however, had a different plan-there was something he wanted to know.

He ran up to Naoto. "Naoto, there's something I want to ask you."

The younger female looked slightly surprised. "Yes, what is it Senpai?"

"About what you said regarding Chie and Yosuke…What did you mean by that?"

Naoto smiled wryly. "I think I understand your concern now…After Rise-san brought up the subject of dating, you thought that was what I meant. But it wasn't; Chie-san and Yosuke-san interact more like quarrelling siblings than a couple. I can't see them as more than a brother and sister."

"Oh…Alright." Souji sighed. "That's all you meant-I can see what you mean."

"Senpai…" the blue-haired girl began hesitantly. "Do you…have intimate feelings towards Yosuke-san?"

Grey eyes widened. "How…How did you figure that out?"

"It doesn't take much to see you act differently towards him than you do anyone else." Naoto had a knowing look in her eyes. "Rest assured, I won't tell anyone else about this. If and when you feel ready for everyone to know is up to you-not me."

Souji smiled. "Thank you, Naoto."

&

Meanwhile…

"Yosuke-senpai, wait up!"

Said-teen turned to face the girl calling his name. Rise ran up to him and began walking beside him. "Don't you think it's dangerous to walk home alone? The killer won't attack if you're with someone else."

"Hey, aren't guys supposed to say that to girls and not the other way around?" Yosuke protested.

The wavy haired girl giggled. "Oh, you boys have to get so defensive about your masculinity! You're letting your embarrassment cloud your common sense!" As soon as her laughter subsided, Rise became serious. "You don't have to act tough about everything going on, you know. I bet if everyone had to choose between catching the killer and making sure you were alright, they'd put you first."

"Rise-chan…That was…" Yosuke trailed off. "…I don't know what to say…"

"Well, I'm serious about this." The younger girl assured him. "Chie-senpai, Kanji, and Naoto may not act like it, but I'm sure they'd want to know you're not in any danger. Yukiko-senpai, Teddie, and me too. And Souji-senpai…" she stopped. "…I think he cares the most."

The older boy frowned. "He cares about everyone-since he's the leader he probably thinks everyone's safety is his responsibility." He pointed out.

Rise shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about. I watch everyone fight while I'm on the sidelines, so I know how he acts around different members of the team. And while he does make sure everyone's alright, I noticed that Souji-senpai keeps a close eye on you."

Yosuke stopped walking. "He's…Been keeping a watch over me this whole time?" he asked, then sighed and shook his head. "That dumbass…I can defend myself fine. He doesn't have to worry about me."

"He must have a good reason for worrying." Rise pointed out. "Maybe he-"

She was cut off by a curse from Yosuke. "Crap! I forgot my stuff back at Junes!" he started to run back. "See you later, Rise-chan!"

"Yosuke-senpai, wait!" Rise chased after him while muttering. "Did you already forget why I was with you in the first place?"

&

"It should be somewhere around here…" Yosuke muttered while he looked for the table he and his friends had been sitting at before. Since it was only about ten minutes before closing, he was able to get in; though the food court was empty. Inwardly, he was praying that no one had taken his things and put them in lost and found or-if there was something wrong with their brains-they took his stuff home with them. Before the next midterms was NOT the best time to lose notes and references.

The brunette spotted his things at the table everyone had gathered at earlier. Relieved, he went to the table and hurriedly gathered everything so he could get home and rest. He was about to head home when the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Knowing better than to ignore the warnings his body was giving off, he proceeded with caution.

He heard footsteps behind him.

They didn't sound hurried-most likely whoever was following him was hoping to sneak up on him. 'Don't look behind you, don't run, don't panic…' Yosuke repeated in his head. If he did any of that, the stalker would simply forgo the stealth and just catch him. And the teen didn't want to try his luck and outrun them. So he kept calm.

Until he felt a hand grab his arm and begin to yank back.

Yosuke pulled one arm forward and sharply elbowed his captor in the side, making them loosen their grip on his arm enough for him to slip out. There was no point in pretending he wasn't being followed now-he broke into a run. The sound of his pounding heart and the feet behind him filled his ears. He was sure they were drawing closer to him, and when they were right behind them they'd-

He yelped as someone grabbed him by his arms.

"Yosuke?! What happened?!"

At the sound of his name, the teen looked into gray eyes with his own wide brown. "S-Souji?!" he cried out. "W-What are you-" Remembering his stalker, the teen turned his head back. An unidentifiable figure was running off, but there was no doubt in his mind who they were.

The killer.

Snapping out of his shock for a moment, Yosuke turned back to Souji. "That was-"

"Probably." Souji agreed.

"Then what are you waiting for?! We got to go after him!" Yosuke shouted.

"Not in the condition you're in." The silver haired teen said calmly.

"I'm not hurt!" the brunette protested. "Come on! He's getting away!"

"You're in shock, Yosuke." His normally level voice was shaky, like he was trying hard to keep calm. "I can't leave you alone."

"But how are we going to get him again?!" he argued. "If he gets away, who knows what he'll do next!"

Souji let go of his friend's arms. "Then go." His voice was icy cold. "If you think you can catch him, then go get him."

Yosuke tried to run forward, but found that his legs wouldn't support him. He would've fallen to the ground if it weren't for a pair of arms holding him up. Souji said nothing as he maneuvered the shorter male to one of the plastic chairs nearby and sat him down.

The brunette refused to look his partner in the eye. 'Damn it…I was so close…' he thought. 'The bastard who killed Saki-senpai was so close…and I couldn't catch him!' Shame welled up inside him. 'Just like that nightmare, I couldn't do anything!' He clenched his fists tightly, ignoring the stinging pain as his nerves protested.

There was a squeaky sound announcing another person approaching. "Sensei? What happened?" Teddie's voice was soft as he approached the two boys. "Did something happen to Yosuke?"

"He almost got caught by someone." Souji explained. "It might have been the killer."

"Then why…?" Yosuke flinched at how shaky and quiet his voice was. "Why didn't you chase after him…?" He kept his gaze focused on the ground-not wanting to face the other two males.

"And what if that wasn't the killer?" Souji asked coolly. "What if that was someone else and the real killer was waiting near by? I doubt you would stand a chance against him in the state your in."

Yosuke said nothing. He felt something wet trickle down from his palms.

"Yosuke! You're bleeding!" Teddie exclaimed.

Brown eyes moved over to his hands. Sure enough, there was blood dripping from between his clenched fingers. He relaxed his grip, revealing four crescent marks on each palm. "Sorry…" he muttered. "I just…"

Souji took one of his hands and pulled him to his feet. "I know-we all want to catch him. But that won't mean anything if someone is thrown aside carelessly while everyone else goes after him." Once he was sure Yosuke could walk on his own, he and Teddie walked home with the brunette in tow.

"By the way, Souji..." Yosuke began. "How did you know I was in here?"

"Naoto and I were talking and when we saw you run by we knew we had to go after you." Souji explained. "We met up with Rise along the way and followed you here."

"So where are Naoto and Rise?"

"They're waiting outside."

Neither of them said anything once the conversation ended. There would be time to talk another time.

&

Fooled you!

Oops-ruined the moment.

Anyways, I wanted to have another scene with Chie and Yukiko, but alas it wasn't meant to be. It will take place in the next chapter instead.

Sayonara!