5/11 2010
Weather: Cloudy
Time: After School
After school, everyone had decided to just go home to the Dojima household. Tomorrow would also be the last day of school before the long break before testing. Dojima had been gone for a long time, and it seemed everyone was beginning to forget they had people waiting at home for them. Nevertheless, they had made themselves at home, the guys (and sometimes Chie) leaving messes all over the place and having the girls clean up after them in case Dojima made a surprise return home.
Naoto, Kanji, Rise, Yukiko, and Teddie were all sitting around the TV watching the news, Chie was talking with Nanako in her room, and Yosuke was sitting at the breakfast table, waiting anxiously for Souji to give him a call to signal him to take everyone to the station.
On the TV, the announcers were now discussing a murder in the area. The same boring anchorman said, continuing the topic," And so, last night in the Inaba region, a young woman by the name of Joan Fushima was brutally murdered at her front door. The crime scene is being preserved right now, so let's go to our live reporter for coverage of the crime scene."
The scene then switched to live footage of a male reporter in a suburb, with a house littered with yellow tape in the distance," Thanks, Tom. It seems as if Ms. Fushima, age 25, was scheduled for a romantic outing with her American boyfriend, Maxwell Smiths, the night of her murder, May 10th. She was found by a neighbor and was described to have 'four bloody bumps on her head', which the crime scene investigators deduce comes from a blunt object, possibly a hammer. Of course, this broadcast will also detail Joan's wonderful life, including her deep love for pataphysical science…"
As the coverage of the murder dragged on, Kanji groaned," Can we change the channel? We've already had enough of this murder crap to last a few lifetimes."
Rise said," Gee, a murder so close to home? That's so scary."
Naoto said reassuringly," Don't worry, Rise. The surrounding area in that shot of the house indicates it can be as far away as past Senpai's hometown. This is just a simple deduction, however, so I'm not 100% sure."
Teddie saw that Rise now looked more scared than before. Being the ham he was, he said to Rise," Don't worry, Rise-chan, I'll protect you!"
Rise gave Teddie a warm grin," Aw, you're so sweet, Teddie!"
They huddled together on the couch, and Naoto groaned," It's so sweet, it makes me sick."
Suddenly, Rise let go and punched Teddie across the cheek," Watch your hands, perv!"
Teddie rolled off the couch with a loud thud," S-so sorry, Rise-chan," he collapsed," Ugh."
" And the natural balance of the universe has been restored," added Naoto humorously.
Yukiko snickered, and soon went into an all out laughing spree.
Up in Nanako's room, Chie was sitting with Nanako, confused," Nanako-chan, why'd you call me up here?"
Nanako said," Well, I've talked with everyone else here, but you're always with Yosuke-kun, so I wanted some time alone!"
Chie blushed," Hey, what do you mean that I'm always with Yosuke!? Did Rise put you up to this, cause if she did-"
Chie stopped as she realized Nanako looked frightened," I-it's just that you and Yosuke-kun are good friends, and I just wanted time to talk. Are you mad?"
Chie became guilty for snapping at the small girl, and apologized," I'm sorry, Nanako-chan, but it's just, everyone's been talking like that about me and Yosuke, and I just want it to stop!"
Nanako smiled at her happily," Wanna talk about it?"
Chie smiled back," Sure."
Yosuke waited more and more for the call to come. He flipped open his phone and looked at the time. 5:32 PM. He should've called two minutes ago! Wait, was he getting too obsessive, like Yoko!?
Don't you talk about my Yoko-bunny like that around me!
Yosuke acknowledged the presence of John in his mind once more," Sorry. John, am I being too nervous over this?"
A friend you haven't seen in a long time is visiting?
"Yeah, how'd you know?" asked Yosuke.
I acted like this once when George made plans one time after the Beatles breakup. We were supposed to go out for McDonald's breakfast on the 29th of June, 1971. Bastard said he was going to New York to do something. Told me to watch the news, but I was so upset, I didn't watch TV for a week to piss him off. I still don't know how that made any sense, but I survived that brutal week without I Love Lucy.
Yosuke began to think if he could handle a week without TV in case Souji canceled. He shook himself out of his thoughts when he heard his ringtone, set to "Obladi-Oblada". He ran upstairs to answer privately in the bathroom.
Finally, he picked up," Hello?"
Souji spoke on the other end," Hello, Yosuke?"
Yosuke replied," Man, why haven't you called, I was worried sick!"
" Sorry, but…"
"Hm?" Yosuke felt something bad was going to happen," What?"
" I can't come."
Yosuke felt his legs go numb and almost went down to his knees. He quickly grabbed the sink counter and lifted himself up," Why not!?"
" My parents. They watched the news and saw coverage of some hammer murder in Inaba. They think it's too dangerous."
Yosuke argued," Dude, they left you here for a YEAR while three more deaths and a life-threatening fog occurred in Inaba!"
" They never knew that, they were in America! Look, I can't come, I'm sorry, I'll visit some other time."
"Wait, Souji-" It was too late. Souji had hung up. Yosuke dialed Souji five more times, only to go straight to voicemail," Crap!"
He heard a knock on the bathroom door," Yosuke, is something wrong?"
It was Chie. He opened the door and saw her standing there.
John: So how could I dance with another (ooh)
When I saw her standing' there-
"Shut it!" Yosuke yelled at John.
Sorry.
Chie said to Yosuke," What's wrong, and if you did something in there, please don't say anything."
Yosuke sighed sadly," It's nothing important to you."
As he walked back downstairs, Chie called," Everything concerning you is important to me!"
John (singsong): Yosuke's got a girlfriend!
As Yosuke looked back at her, Chie suddenly realized what her words meant, and tried to correct herself," I-I mean, just tell me what's wrong. We're friends, ya know?"
Yosuke looked in her eyes and saw them filled with a genuine concern for him. He also saw something else in them, but couldn't quite grasp the name of it. With great regret, he told Chie of his plans with Souji to visit for the holiday.
Chie looked surprised," And you ever told us about this?"
Yosuke sighed," It was supposed to be a surprise!"
Chie then showed anger, and yelled, gritting her teeth," That…bastard!"
I told you, the first word anyone would use was "bastard".
Hearing Chie curse, everyone crowded into the small hallway. Rise appeared at the front of the crowd," Chie-senpai what's wrong?"
Chie pointed at Yosuke," YOU tell them, Mr. Secret Plan Maker!"
Yosuke said back," Do I have to tell everyone the bad news from now on?"
Chie sighed," Fine, I'll say it. This IDIOT and Souji-kun made plans to visit Inaba during break, and now he can't come, and I'm pissed!"
Yosuke tried to defend himself, arguing," It was supposed to be a surprise!"
Chie yelled back," We haven't seen him in a year, we deserve to know if he's coming! I can't believe you didn't tell us!"
"Well, he canceled, so it doesn't matter anymore," Yosuke practically yelled back," OK?"
He looked around him and saw everyone's depressed faces. Naoto grimaced coldly and stared at the floor. Kanji stomped down the stairs back to the living room. Teddie looked as if he would cry, and ran down the stairs with kanji. Rise bit her lip and walked back to the living room. Nanako had listened to the whole thing through the door and stayed silent. Yukiko stood silently in the hallway with Chie and Yosuke for a moment, then slowly walked, head down, to the spare room, locking the door behind her.
Chie looked at Yosuke, frowning," Now what do we do?"
Yosuke stayed quiet, so Chie walked past him and knocked on the door of the spare room, trying to console Yukiko. Yosuke walked down the stairs and went back to the table. What had he done wrong? All he wanted to do was have a nice surprise ready for his friends, and this is what he gets?
You can't always get what you want, Hanamoola.
"What do you know?" said Yosuke irritably," That's not even your quote."
It doesn't have to be mine to be true.
Yosuke crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, the rock star turned silent, along with the rest of the Dojima household. After a few more moments of silence, Yosuke heard John yell out:
Got it!
"What?" asked Yosuke.
Jump in the TV, I have a plan.
Yosuke looked at the TV in the living room," No way, dude. What're you planning anyways?"
Suddenly, Yosuke felt his legs go numb. Not like before, but suddenly, he felt them move on their own," What the hell?"
We're talking to your friend!
Kanji looked up at Yosuke as he stepped in front of the screen," Senpai, we're watching here!"
Yosuke gave up. He had no idea what John meant by 'talk to his friend', but he was desperate enough to try. He didn't want his friends to act like this towards him. Without thinking, he jumped in the TV. He heard Naoto, Kanji, Rise, and Teddie yell, then felt four pairs of hands grasping on his feet, trying to pull him back out, but soon the suction of the screen sucked them all into the TV World.
"WOOOOOOAAAHH!!!!!!"
THUD!
CRASH!
All five of them landed on the grassy plain of the TV World. Yosuke emerged from under the group and stood up," Why the hell are you guys here?"
Kanji stood up from the pile, yelling back," Why the hell did you jump in the TV!?"
Yosuke replied," John has a plan!"
Everyone got off the floor and just looked at him confused," John?"
Yosuke explained to the four in detail the mysterious voice from the scratched CD, John's presence as a persona, and his music having magical effects. It took him ten minutes to explain everything and was out of breath by the time he was done.
"So you're saying…you're nuts?" asked Kanji," Seriously, dude, who'd believe that?"
Naoto said," With all of the things we've experienced over our journeys together, I'm not that surprised."
Rise's eyes were wide open and her jaw dropped open," So that's what Paul was babbling about! Man, if I can do that with the Beatles, I wonder what I can do with Michael Jackson!"
Yosuke explained," So John here has a plan to find Souji and try to talk with him. I think it'd be better if I brought him out so he can tell you in person, though."
The four watched as Yosuke took out a blue tarot card and shattered it, calling the dead Beatle's name. Before them, materialized a 30 or so man with rounded glasses, long brown hair, a beard, and a brown jacket with a collared shirt. Before them stood a god of music.
"Cheerio," John said simply, stretching," It feels so good outside of Hanamoola's head! Imagine how cramped I'd feel if I had to share that space with a brain."
Yosuke looked insulted," Hey, quit joking and tell us what your plan is!"
The rock star said," Plan? Oh yeah, the plan to find your Sojee friend!"
John pulled out a paper with writing on it from his pocket," Your little teddy bear can locate things in this world, right? So, he sniffs out your friend, and we convince him to come!"
They all just stood there. It was the single most stupid and simplistic idea they had ever heard.
" Great plan, mister!" Teddie cried," I'll sniff with all my might if I have to!"
Everyone watched as Teddie walked to a clearing and inhaled deeply. They waited for a few moments, but Teddie just stood there, then watched as he frowned.
"It's no use," he whined," I can't get anything about Senpai!"
John laughed," I thought of that part, too. Hanamoola-"
Yosuke interrupted," HanaMURA! For the last f-ing time I'm Yosuke Hana-friggin-MURA!""
John said back nonchalantly," Yeah, think what you want, Hanamoola. Anyway, he said your bear needs some clue of someone's personality to find them. So, what was your friend Sojee like?"
Rise said quickly," He was nice, talented, a good chef, sometimes bad, fisherman, janitor, tutor, daycare assistant, translator, envelope maker, cross dresser, sane, cool, suave, had backbone, looked REALLY good in a swimsuit, quiet, never spoke much, AND… can talk to animals!"
They all looked at Rise in confusion.
Rise added," Don't any of you remember Fox? No offense, Mr. Lennon, sir, but me and Teddie's powers are limited to people and places already in this world."
John replied," So all you need is a little extra boost."
The others watched as John summoned a stage with wheels, with three grayscale copies of the Beatles standing on it with instruments. It was being pulled by a Volkswagen bus with a suspicious smoke coming out of the crack of a window.
Yosuke looked on at the stage and van," What the hell is this, John?"
John climbed onto the stage," OK, I'll play a song that matches your friend's personality, and Ted will lead the way."
John waved them onto the stage, but they all just stood there. Yosuke had to admit, this WAS a bit of a stretch. However, he had seen what John's music could do in the TV World and in the real world. He convinced his friends they might as well give it a shot. The five went onto the stage, each standing near their own band member: Yosuke was next to John, Rise was getting comfy near Paul, Naoto surveyed the strange stage while standing near George, and Kanji leaned against Ringo's bass drum. Teddie stood at the front edge, ready to locate Souji.
Just before John started playing, he told the others," So, I want you all to focus your attention on all of the memories you have had with Souji- good and bad, every little bit counts, 'kay?"
They all nodded, and John began to sang in a heartbreaking tone:
Mr. Moonlight
As the band began to play, Teddie told John," I caught a whiff of Senpai! OK, go…this way!"
The Volkswagen started to move in the direction Teddie indicated, and moved at a blazing speed of… 30 kilometers an hour? Eh, it was better than walking.
You came to me one summer night
And from your beam you made my dream
And from the world you sent my girl
And from above you sent us love
And now she is mine
I think you're fine
Cos we love you, Mr. Moonlight
Yosuke focused on every good memory he had had with Souji to keep the bus moving. He remembered the campout fiasco, where while he rejected the girls' cooking, he bravely ate it, gaining their affection, then bravely spat it out and was knocked unconscious. Then, while himself was the one who tried so hard to convince Kanji not to visit the girls' tent, Souji just told him to 'Go get 'em'. Come to think of it, they had been thinking on opposite ends on a lot of occasions. Mr. Moonlight, come again please
Here I am on my knees
Begging if you please
Yosuke had now burned through about half of his good memories with Souji, and took a small break. He decided to looked around at the group. They all had their eyes closed, thinking deeply. He saw as they all looked peaceful, Rise in particular, who had a big smile on her face. Or maybe it was because she had an excuse to try to snuggle with Paul. Kanji, however, was being thrown off track by the beat of Ringo's bass practically breaking Kanji's spine in pieces with every fourth beat. For some reason, it made Yosuke smile.
And the night you don't come my way
I'll pray and pray more each day
Cos we love you, Mr. Moonlight
He looked at the landscape around him, and saw that it had changed slightly. Trees had grown more abundantly in this region, carving out a path the bus had to follow, and in the distance, he saw a great big full moon. It seemed to grow bigger…and bigger… Suddenly, the bus slowed to a stop. He turned to John, who wagged a finger at him for not concentrating.
And the night you don't come my way
Oh, I'll pray and pray more each day
Cos we love you, Mr. Moonlight
Mr. Moonlight
Now, Yosuke had to focus on bad memories to keep the bus going at maximum speed (which wasn't very maximum). He thought of all the times Souji had failed to save him from some Hama or Mudo spell. Oh, sure, he pushed him away from fatal attacks, but he never returned the favor? Some Leader. Yosuke then tried to think of another bad one, but no more came to his mind. That was it? THAT was the whole collection of bad memories he had of Souji? Wow, he must've been a really nice guy! Mr. Moonlight, come again please
Here I am on my knees
Begging if you please
And the night you don't come my way
I'll pray and pray more each day
Cos we love you, Mr. Moonlight
Mr. Moonlight
Mr. Moonlight
Mr. Moonlight
As the song ended, the bus finally came to a stop at where the forest ended, and a swirled desert began. In the distance, the full moon was now high up in the sky, shining down rays of light, which seemed to have a sort of healing sensation. Teddie jumped off the stage and stood in the wasteland a few meters away from the stage and van. The others got off the stage, which disappeared in a cloud of smoke along with the van.
"Well, Ted?" asked John," Got anything?"
Teddie stood on his tiptoes and pointed his nose up," Senpai's up there!"
"Huh?" Yosuke looked up and saw the moon. Could it be..?
Without warning, the massive moon dropped from the night sky like an anvil, almost crushing Teddie as it landed only feet away from the bear. Teddie was sent flying a few feet back.
Rise ran over to Teddie," Teddie, are you hurt?"
Teddie looked up at Rise," I'm fine now, Rise-chan!"
As Teddie went for a full-on hug, Rise forced his arms to his sides," They go behind your back until you learn to behave."
"Fine," Teddie grumbled. He got up and sniffed toward the moon, immense in diameter," Senpai's in here?"
"Something like that," mumbled John, walking past Teddie," The way to your friend is inside this here moon."
Kanji stuttered," S-so we crack the moon open?"
As soon as Kanji said that, the moon split in half and the two halves collapsed to different sides of the massive desert. Inside the crater was a vortex, elliptic in shape and moon beams shining out. John slid down the side of the crater to the bottom, walking towards the vortex," Ladies first, so Hanamoola, get your butt down here!"
Time: Evening
Souji approached his futon as he readied himself for bed. Wearing his same light gray thermals, he lay down on the floor bed, facing his TV on the other end of the small room. He still thought of the argument he'd had with his mom over going to Inaba. He brought her good grades, had stayed out of trouble, even saved the world from a massive fog, and he can't visit his friends and cousins for a week?
They worry about you, Souji-san.
"I know that, Izanagi," sighed Souji sadly," But what're the chances I'd be murdered over there? I mean, there's a better chance of my friends flying into my room through the TV set!"
As soon as the words left his (mental) lips, the screen of his TV glowed with a white and black swirl. Suddenly, he saw a hand pop out of the television screen. A human silhouette then formed as half of a male body left the TV and entered his room. Souji tried to remain calm, and instead told himself the Ring girl would never come after him.
The shape then flew across the room and hit the wall a few feet away from him with a crash. Four more shapes entered and crashed into his room in a similar manner. Souji grabbed the golf club by his futon's side and readied his grip. One grueling year of fighting Shadows had sharpened his instincts to beat the living crap out of anything that came in silhouette form to death. He lifted the titanium club over his head and was about to swing downward when he heard Yosuke's voice," Dude, it's us!"
Souji looked at the five silhouettes and saw they had taken form of his friends Yosuke, Teddie, Kanji, Naoto, and Rise.
Well, you DID say there was a better chance of this happening than a murder, right?
Souji felt as if his brain had been replaced with a piece of string. There were so many questions, so many fears. Why were they here? HOW were they here? And worse, did his parents hear them enter? Yosuke stood up," Man, that hurts!" Yosuke then turned towards him," Sup, dude?"
Cautiously, Souji asked," Why're you all here?"
Souji was then overwhelmed by an overwhelming hug from Rise that brought him to the floor," Senpai!"
CRASH!
As the gray haired boy tried to get up, Rise then slapped him across the cheek," Ow! What'd I do?"
"Tell us the next time you're visiting, mister!" cried Rise loudly," We were worried- mmph, mrph mmph!"
Kanji had grabbed Rise from behind and covered her mouth and whispered," Shut up, idiot! Do you WANT us to get caught!?"
A knock was heard at Souji's bedroom door," Honey, what was that? Did you leave the TV on?"
It was his mom. Calmly, Souji replied," It's OK, Mom, I turned it off. Good night."
"Good night," His mom replied sleepily.
The six waited silently for Souji's mom's footsteps to subside and listened for her bedroom door to close. Souji continued," Anyways, why're you here?"
Rise removed Kanji's hand from her mouth and continued to tell Souji," We have been waiting for a whole YEAR for you to come visit! I mean, sure, you send us letters and junk, but we have feelings, too, you know, and when's the last time you-" Kanji had covered Rise's mouth again and pushed her aside.
Yosuke now walked over to Souji," I've broken my vow of secrecy and I no longer deserve to be in your presence, commander," he said.
"Eh?" said Souji, confused with Yosuke's strange words.
"I spilled the beans to Chie," Yosuke repeated, flashing a sheepish grin," So, is it true you can't visit us?"
Souji let out a sigh of sadness and sat on the couch on the east wall of the room," My parents worry about me too much. They say I might get hurt over there, with the hammer murder and everything from last year. There's no talking to them."
The other five now had turned silent.
"Oh," Yosuke said sadly," So, there's nothing we can do?"
Souji shook his head," They say I can go visit right after the suspect's been caught. They'll even sign me out of school for a few days."
Yosuke perked up, raising his head," Oh, really?"
That's not good.
Souji looked up and Yosuke seemed to be thinking of something. Sensing the boy's thoughts, Souji pleaded," Yosuke, don't."
Yosuke walked around the room, saying to the others," OK, people, Leader can't visit our little town unless the hammer murder is solved. So, anyone up for another case to solve?"
The four looked unenthusiastic about solving another case, so Yosuke added," We won't have to use our personas for this one, and with Naoto helping us, I'm sure it'll be a cinch! Come on, whaddya say?"
Souji stood up and said to Yosuke," Yosuke, don't get anyone involved. I don' want you guys to get hurt."
Yosuke protested," It's the least we can do! So, who's with me?"
At first, everyone looked reluctant, until Kanji said with a smile," Count me in."
Rise chirped in," Me, too!"
Teddie raised his hand in the air, waving wildly," Teddie wants to help Sensei, too!"
Naoto simply said," I'll help."
Yosuke turned to Souji with a sly look on his face," What about you? You up for this?"
Souji looked at Yosuke. By the look of things, he wasn't going to give up that easily. Giving up, Souji sighed," Fine. But, be careful, OK, guys?"
Rise went over to hug Souji," Aw, isn't that sweet? Senpai 's worried about me- I mean, us!"
The other four pried Rise off of Souji and leaped through the TV, saying their goodbyes. Rise left last, but quickly snapped a picture of Souji with her camera phone before leaping through. The gray haired boy, his vision blurred, felt his way back to his futon and went to sleep.
Time: Evening
It was quiet in the Dojima household. Nanako had fallen asleep in her room, Dojima was still away, and Chie had finally convinced Yukiko to come out of the room, only to come downstairs to see everyone was missing.
Chie wandered around in the empty living room," Hello? Guys?"
Nothing. Yukiko came down the stairs, and was just as surprised as Chie," Where is everyone?"
Chie shrugged, and sat on the couch," Maybe they went somewhere."
She turned on the TV, but the image of the news anchorman onscreen was blurred by a white and black tunnel. From the tunnel, a large shape crashed into her. Then, almost immediately, four more shapes crashed into the living room.
Chie sat up from the wreckage and rubbed her throbbing head. She took a look at what hit her and saw a brown head of hair at her knees," Yosuke!"
The boy looked up at Chie and gave a sheepish look," Probably wondering why I was in the TV with the others, right?"
Chie nodded slowly and the boy stood up, cleared his throat, and explained the whole situation to Chie, falling over from lack of air afterwards.
Chie looked puzzled after Yosuke's explanation," What do you mean, we have to solve another case?"
Yosuke explained," Souji's parents told him he can visit when the hammer murder suspect is caught and turned in, so, guess what we're gonna do."
"Pretend none of this ever happened?" asked Chie hopefully," because if otherwise, guess where my foot's gonna be."
Rise stepped into the conversation," Come on, Chie-senpai, it'll be a piece of cake! I mean, we have the Prince Detective here, and plus, no Persona this time around, either."
Tomoe: Aaaw.
Chie was concerned with this, and showed it on her face. What wasn't there to be concerned about? They had no clues, no suspect, and no leads. Besides, why not leave it to the police to find out?
Just as she was about to protest, Yukiko said," So, he can really come home?"
Home? She was saying it like Inaba was more fitting for him than his own parents' house.
"Just as soon as we catch the killer!" answered Rise cheerfully, then added depressingly," Again."
Yukiko's mouth rolled into a smile, and her eyes glimmered with a shine that almost seemed to vanish after the many months of Souji's absence. Chie could sense Yukiko's pure joy just from hearing there was a possibility Souji would return to them. It made her feel bad about not wanting to solve another case. Still, it seemed dangerous.
Rise turned to Chie, sensing her reluctance," Don't worry, Chie-senpai, Yosuke-senpai will be protecting you 100% of the way!"
Yosuke got up from his spot on the couch in surprise," Me!? No way, Kanji's buffer! Besides, this killer guy's probably some nut job with a common hammer. Leave it all to Kanji!"
Kanji, who had seemed to been sleeping a few minutes ago, had heard the others talking about him," Eh? O-oh, yeah! That killer stands no chance against Kanji Tatsumi!"
The whole household seemed to burst with life from the news of another case. Chie, once hesitant about solving it, was now pumped up to catch him, for the sake of Souji's return, and Yukiko's happiness.
Suddenly, Rise cried out, "Oh, yeah, almost forgot!" she took out her camera phone and flipped it open," I snapped a picture of Senpai before I left. Wanna see?"
"No way!" Chie crowded around the phone with Yukiko and Rise," Why does he look so scared?"
"Oh, I took it by surprise."
"Oh, he's gotten taller."
"He looks cute."
"…Kanji, why'd you say that?"
"I-it wasn't me dammit!"
So, what Beatles song is the news report and hammer murder case based on? If you know this, you are my friend. (:
