(A/N: I am sorry this is so late! It has taken be a little while to get back into the story after a mini-hiatus (real life got in the way). My lovely boyfriend and I have recently watched the Persona 4 animation, and it rekindled some enthusiasm I had for writing this. As always, much thanks to Grae for being a wonderful beta reader.)

Chapter 10

12th September 2011

Kanji sat opposite his mother, eating dinner. Their tiny, ancient TV was switched on in the background, the volume turned down low as they ate. Ma was telling him about her day; they had a delivery that morning, new autumnal coloured bolts of silk ready for the change in seasons. She had a new commission for a kimono too. It was far more interesting that anything Kanji had to tell. School was boring; he wasn't going to use any of the stuff he learned there.

"Amagi-san has been very specific about what she wants," Ma said, sipping her tea as Kanji filled his bowl for another helping, "the new pale-saffron silk we have, with burnt-gold, cream and lilac embroidery. You can help me with that, can't you Kanji-kun? It will be good practice for you. Embroidery is what makes a kimono." Kanji nodded in agreement.

"What sorta-?" He started, with his mouth full. His mother frowned at him and cleared her throat. He swallowed, before continuing. "What sorta pattern does she want?"

"Nanahana no sekku - the flowers of autumn. She wants the obi to be leaf-green, with the same embroidered pattern. I can show you the swatches when we go into the shop tomorrow. All this gold thread! I wonder if the kimono is for Yukiko-chan for when she becomes the inn's manager?" She took a sip of tea, and smiled. "It is good that you are friends with her again, Kanji-kun. She will provide a lot of business for you, so being friends-" Out of the corner of his eye Kanji saw Naoto on TV, standing next to a young, excitable looking announcer. He had his arms folded in front of him, his face tilted downwards, not looking directly at the camera. Why…?

"Huh…? Ma, turn that up." His mother stopped talking, confused, and looked over to the TV.

"Oh? Does he go to your school, Kanji-kun?"

"Yeah. Turn it up, please?" Kanji said, straining to hear what was being said, his features set into a usual frown.

"... Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane, whose handsome looks are sweeping the nation. Thanks for being on the show."

"Kanji-kun; isn't he the boy who was asking after you all those months ago?" Kanji grunted in response, transfixed. It didn't make sense - why was Naoto on TV? The announcer was still introducing Naoto - it was some sort of special program on the 'Detective Prince.'

His Ma reached for the remote, and turned the volume up.

"No, no, the pleasure's all mine." Naoto said, his voice uncharacteristically coy. He seemed different from the last time Kanji saw him. He was smiling, for a start, and looked calm and collected.

"First, congratulations to you and the police for your recent arrest of the culprit! It was well-known that there were a lot of mysteries surrounding this case, and you did a great job clearing them up." The announcer was beaming, flashing his too-white teeth. Naoto laughed along with him for a moment, before speaking in his usual overly polite, well modulated voice.

"I'd hesitate to say that the matter is "cleared up," as such." Naoto said, looking directly at the camera. "It's true that our suspect was behind Mr. Morooka's unfortunate death. But when I cast my eye over the case as a whole, I detect a few things that seem out of place." Kanji felt a shiver go down his spine at Naoto's tone. Yosuke was right; Naoto was dissatisfied with the case.

"Oh… like what?" The announcer's smile faded, his interview taking an unexpected turn.

"Unfortunately I cannot divulge details at this time," Naoto said, still smiling. "But this matter claimed the lives of three people. Hence, I believe that even the smallest inconsistency must be investigated." Kanji frowned. The police would be pissed off at him if he was sayin' that they missed something, especially live on TV. The hell was he doing?

"I… I see. I have to say, this is a surprise in light of the police's official statement…" The announcer paused for a second, holding his hand to his ear, listening. He perked up. "N-now for our next segment! The Detective Prince's True Identity! Where Naoto-kun tells us a little bit about himself!"

"Oh, I would hate to brag about my achievements, especially in light of the current matter being as of yet unresolved," Naoto said smoothly. "My grandfather always taught me to strive for perfection in my investigatory work, and it is that attitude which had led to my career being as successful as it is."

"I… I see, yes, so Naoto-kun, the audience is keen to hear about your previous achievements-"

"I am afraid that I am not at liberty to discuss the detail of those cases, as the topics are highly confidential and of a sensitive nature, as I am sure you can appreciate, but needless to say, they are all considered to be successes, in no small part due to the tenacious and vigilant attitudes of the investigation team…"

Naoto was running circles around the announcer, even Kanji could see that. The poor guy was getting more and more flustered as Naoto didn't answer anything directly, brought everything back round to the current case not being solved, and spoke in that infuriatingly cool, measured tone. Kanji scowled, deep in thought. Why was he doing this?

"He's solved twenty-four cases, Kanji-kun!" Ma said, smiling over her tea as she listened to the interview. "What a smart young man. He must be very serious about his future." She paused for a second, taking a sip. "Is he a friend of yours?"

"Uh, no, not really."

"No?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. Kanji thought back to Port Island, to their conversation by the river, to the club.

"Well... kinda. We've hung out and stuff. I don't think he'd call us his friends though." He admitted, trying to hide the disappointment from his voice. He shrugged, turning his attention back to Naoto on TV. There was a poignant silence. Kanji cast a sideways look at his Ma, and saw her smiling. "What?"

"I think he is good for you." Kanji blinked, his eyes widening. He slowly turned to face her.

"Wh-what?"

"You seem a lot happier now, Kanji-kun. Ever since you met that boy you have been going to school, studying. You have made good friends too."

"Y-yeah….?"

"And you know I don't care what the gossips in this town say,"

"Ma…" he felt an uncomfortable blush start on his cheeks.

"You are my son and I love you,"

"Ma, shut it-" He looked down awkwardly, staring at his unfinished dinner.

"But I do hear things. And I think the company you are keeping now is good for you."

"Ma!" Kanji shouted, banging his fist on the table. The vibration made his chopsticks fall from the edge of his bowl where they had been balancing, clattering across the table. His mother didn't flinch, but smiled, taking a long drink of her tea. Kanji could feel her eyes on him. His face was still red, he could feel it. There was an uncomfortable silence between them.

He let out a frustrated sigh, trying to turn his attention back to the TV, but he couldn't concentrate. Did Ma know about him? She sounded like she knew. Did she really though?

"I grew up in Tokyo, but that is largely irrelevant considering I have moved around a lot, especially since becoming a private investigator…" Naoto said, his voice sounding tinny and artificial through the TV set.

"Ah, he is not from Inaba. I wonder what he thinks of the town?" Ma said, breaking the silence. Kanji grunted in response.

"I learned the basics of detective work from my parents, and subsequently my grandfather took charge of my tuition…"

"Oh! His entire family are detectives-"

"I'm going out." Kanji said, standing up, his uneaten dinner left on the table. His mother looked surprised.

"What, right now?" She glanced at the clock. "It's getting late-"

"I won't be long." He picked up his school uniform jacket from where he had discarded it earlier, and slung it around his shoulders, deliberately not making eye contact.

"Kanji-kun…?"

He turned away from his mother, striding purposefully towards the door. He could still hear her protesting as he headed out of the shop. He ignored her; he was trying to think.

The September evening air was cool, made cooler by the thick cloud covering the sky. It was only early September, and yet there was a definite bite to the air. It was probably going to rain soon. He was going to have to take his winter coat out of storage soon. He walked down the road, further into the shopping district.

He had come to terms with who he was, right? He had accepted his Shadow, and his crush on Naoto, a long time ago. So what if Ma knew? She knew him better than anyone. He should probably talk to her. Hell, she said that she liked Naoto, that he was good for him. But, it was different from him being friends with someone like that and-

No. He shouldn't get his hopes up.

Why the hell was Naoto on TV anyway? It was making Kanji think of the last conversation they had, in Port Island. The last time they spoke Naoto was practically pleading with him, but now he seemed confident, knowing. It was a hell of a change. What was he up to?

Marukyu Tofu was closed, the shutters drawn and the lights downstairs switched off. He leant against a low wall, pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tapped in Rise's number.

"...Hello?" Rise answered. She sounded tired. Had she been asleep…?

"Uh hey, it's Kanji."

"Hey. What's up?" Rise sounded confused. Kanji cleared his throat.

"Uh- are you watching TV right now?"

"Oh, no? Why? What time is it? It's not raining...?"

"No, not the midnight channel. Normal TV. Naoto's on-"

"Oh yeah, right, the news special. Grandma told me it was on, but..." Rise sounded unimpressed. "It's only some special program about him being "the Detective Prince" or whatever. Sounds pretty stupid. I mean, we were the ones who did all the hard work!... Kanji-kun? Is something wrong...?"

"What? Nothin's wrong... Just, I dunno. It's weird. Something ain't right."

"What do you mean? Are you ok? You sound... distracted." Her mild annoyance switched to concern.

"I'm fine. Don't you think it's weird that he is on TV?"

"Uh no, not really. He is taking all the credit for catching a serial killer. It makes sense that the media will be all over that, especially as it's a kid."

"Yeah, but he said that the police missed something. That'll just piss them off! He's such a dumbass."

"Huh, grandma didn't mention that bit. You think that he knows something about the killer?"

"I dunno. Something just 'aint right." Kanji paused. He wanted to get something off his chest. He sighed and closed his eyes before speaking. "Rise… Ma asked me about Naoto this evening." There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"...What do you mean?'"

"She was just asking about him and stuff, askin' if he was our friend, and said some things. I dunno, man. Just shook me up." Another pause.

"Oh! Oh, does she know that you're-"

"It ain't like that!" Kanji snapped. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry. I dunno Rise. Part of me just wants to tell her, but, she's my Ma, you know?" He heard Rise take a breath, but realised that he really didn't want to hear what she had to say. "Ah forget it. Forget I ever said anything. G'night."

"...Kanji..."

Kanji closed his phone, staring blankly into the middle distance.

This was stupid. He was getting worked up over nothin'.

He sighed and pushed himself off the wall, his hands in his pockets as he meandered slowly back towards the shop.

15th September 2011

The entire school was abuzz with the name Naoto Shirogane. Everyone was talking about him, about the murders, about his previous cases; eagerly regurgitating what they had seen on the news special. Even the teachers were in on it, Ms Sofue even going as far to teach history based on famous cases solved by detectives, instead of her usual ancient egyptian stuff.

Oddly, Naoto hadn't been at school; Kanji had passed classroom 1-1 a few times, looking to talk to him, but didn't see him once.

Between classes Kanji heard Ando loudly sneering about how it all had to be fake, that there was no way someone like Naoto managed to do all the things TV said he had done. It was with no small amount of satisfaction that Kanji heard him being shot down by his fellow students, the condescending bastard. He wasn't the only one obviously jealous of Naoto either; one of the third years was complaining to his girlfriend, and to anyone passing by who would listen, that he was going to university in order to study to become a detective, and jerks like Naoto had it all handed to him on a plate.

The girls were swooning in admiration, loudly proclaiming how wonderful Naoto was, and how handsome he looked on TV. Kanji recognised two of them being the girls that Naoto had publicly shot down a few weeks ago. Even popular students like Ebihara had a passing comment about how cute he was.

Everyone had something to say about the damn 'Detective Prince.'

Finally, classes were over. Kanji headed out of his classroom, and saw Rise head towards classroom 2-2, bouncing happily in the direction of Yu. He hadn't had much time to talk to her today; they didn't even have their lunch together, as had become the norm over the past few weeks. When he asked her after lunch where she had been, she said that she'd had to take a phone call from her old agent, and, as far as Kanji could tell, had looked quite upset about it. He hadn't pushed for any more info; Rise could be quite secretive when she wanted to be. Whatever - she's probably tell him later anyway.

Yu, Chie, Yosuke and Yukiko were engaged in conversation when he arrived in classroom 2-2. He tried to follow the topic, but after a moment or two Kanji felt himself tuning out their conversation. What his Ma said last night was troubling him, much more than he'd let on to Rise, and not seeing Naoto at school wasn't helping.

"You saw TV the other night?" Yosuke asked, changing the subject. Kanji awoke from his reverie.

"Oh, the news shot on "the detective prince," Rise said, rolling her eyes. "Everyone is talking about it."

"Does Naoto really think that the killer hasn't been caught?" Chie said, her hands on her hips. "We saw it first hand! We saw his Shadow and everything!"

"Naoto did seem a little off the other day-" Yukiko said. Kanji interrupted her.

"So? 's got nothing to do with us. The killer's behind bars, man. You guys are shit Naoto said didn't make any sense either, so there's no use getting all worked up about it." Everyone was staring at him. He scowled back. What did he say wrong? This was stupid.

"Huh…? Naoto-kun said what?" Yukiko said. "Where did that come from?"

"Uh, no, well… How do I put it…?" Kanji said. Wasn't this what they were talking about?

"What, were you out of it 'cause you were still thinking about what Naoto said?" Yosuke laughed. "So you're still hung up on all that stuff!"

"That's-! I ain't hung up on it!" Kanji raised his voice. The other students loitering in the classroom turned around to stare; he could feel them all watching. Yosuke was unfazed, laughing, as he playfully put a hand on Kanji's shoulder.

"It's okay, we all understand. Just don't go overboard, man." Yosuke said, winking and grinning.

"You little… I said that's not it!" He shrugged Yosuke's hand off his shoulder, glaring, and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. I got stuff to do. I'm outta here." Kanji pushed past Yu and stormed out, forcibly slamming the classroom door behind him.

"Yosuke! What the hell did you say that for? You know he doesn't find it funny-" Kanji heard Chie say, but he stopped listening as he stalked down the corridor towards the lockers.

It was still raining outside, and the weather didn't look like it was going to improve any time soon. Naoto's shoe locker looked unchecked, stuffed to the brim with perfume-scented letters and gifts. Kanji couldn't help feel a pang of jealousy. He roughly forced his feet into his outdoor shoes without untying the laces, and put his jacket on properly, turning his collar up against the weather. He collected his umbrella from the stand, and headed out into the rain.

Stupid Naoto. Stupid Yosuke. The entire Detective Prince thing was freakin' stupid.

Kanji's mood hadn't improved by the evening. The rain especially was compounding his bad mood; he had wanted to go out, maybe go to Aiya, or to the onsen near the Amagi Inn, but the rain had kept him indoors. He had tried to knit a new doll for the shop, but he had constantly made careless mistakes, and eventually thrown the beginnings of a pink bunny doll across the room in frustration. Was it too much to freakin' ask? To be able to go somewhere where he could collect his thoughts and be by himself for a bit? Where he could chill out without reminders of what Naoto said, or Ma constantly asking him what was wrong.

By midnight it was still raining. Kanji sat heavily on the sofa in their little living room, scowling at nothing in particular. He glanced at the clock; 11:58pm. Perhaps he should check the midnight channel, just in case. He didn't have a TV in his bedroom; with just him and Ma it seemed a bit excessive to have more than one, and they got by just fine with the ancient set they had in their living room. They had caught the killer. He knew that. He had personally handed the fucker to the police. But something was niggling at the back of his mind, and Naoto being absent from school hadn't helped.

Ma had long since gone to bed. The house was silent, the only noise coming from the rain pattering on the windows.

Kanji started at the blank screen, resting his head on his hands as he slumped forward. Nothing, aside from his dim reflection in the glass. This was stupid. He was worrying over nothing. Everyone was overthinking-

The TV crackled through the static and burst into life. The image was clear and sharp. Front and centre, standing in front of the bright studio lights was Naoto, wearing an oversized lab coat and energetically gesturing to the camera.

Kanji started, sitting up straight, his breath catching in his throat as he inhaled.

"Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane. Welcome to "Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project." I will be experimenter and experimentee both in a forbidden yet wonderful bodily alteration process!" The image of Naoto gestured to himself as he widely smiled for the cameras. "You shall witness my departure into a new realm… The moment of a new birth! From the chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life…! And I will share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you!"

Naoto began to smile, baring his teeth in a sinister grin. His voice changed, dropping in tone, sounding malevolent, cruel: "Do stay tuned."

The image vanished, and Kanji was left with his reflection.

….fuck!

Kanji let out the breath he was inadvertently holding. He was stricken, his eyes wide. He sat stunned, staring at the black screen of the TV.

So… That meant… what? Naoto had been kidnapped. He was on the other side. He was in danger. Naoto was in danger.

With shaking hands Kanji slowly took his phone from his pocket and dialed Rise's number. He listened to the dial tone for a few agonising seconds before it went through to her voicemail. Shit.

Right. OK.

Kanji took a deep, shaky breath. Yu should know what to do, right? He tapped in his number, fumbling on the keys a few times before finally getting it. The phone rang once before it was answered.

"Hey! Is that you, senpai? N-Naoto was just… H-he.." Kanji could barely speak.

"Calm down," Yu said, his voice firm. Kanji balled his free hand into a fist. He could feel his nails digging into his palms.

"So's this mean he was kidnapped? You said people only show up clearly on TV once they're thrown into that other world, right!? The hell's going on!? I thought we caught the damn killer!"

"Kanji. Calm down."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry! Being a detective, solving cases… It ain't worth shit if he gets himself kidnapped. "Damn, that idiot pisses me off!"

"Let's discuss it tomorrow." Yu said, talking over him. Kanji let out a long breath, trying to control the stutter and shake in his voice.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry I called out of the blue. Anyways, let's get the gang together and meet first thing after school..." Kanji trailed off, before hanging up. He stared at the TV once again, staring at his reflection. His heart was racing; he felt a familiar surge of adrenaline course through him. He last felt like this when his father died… no, when Ma had been rushed into hospital and he wasn't there...

He couldn't stay here. He unclenched his fist, ignoring the angry red semi-circle indentations from his nails digging into his palm.

He grabbed his coat and umbrella from where they hung near the door, and headed out into the dark and rain. He had no idea where to go. He felt powerless.

Rise wouldn't be awake, would she? She didn't pick up her phone. Fuck, and he couldn't keep on running to her whenever anything went wrong. What if he went to Junes…? No, that was fucking stupid. He couldn't go into the TV without Yu.

Kanji shivered, and zipped his jacket closed. It was uncharacteristically cold outside, the rain pouring almost sideways in the high winds. His umbrella threatened to blow inside out. He neatly folded it up and left it by the front door, before heading into the driving rain.

He was almost instantly soaked through; the rain plastered his hair to his head, the water from his hair running down his neck and into his coat. He didn't care. It didn't matter. He felt his blood pound in his ears, blocking out rational thought.

The shopping district was deserted. The rain was falling so fast that every indentation on the concrete was already filled with water, deep puddles everywhere, soaking his shoes and socks.

Goddamn Naoto; why the fuck was he kidnapped? Why did this happen? The entire Detective Prince thing was bullshit, and now Naoto was captured! He should have known something was up when Naoto didn't come to school today-

In the shadows, Kanji nearly tripped over a metal notice board advertising a sale at Mrs Shiroku's store. The chain connecting it to the lamppost caught on his foot and he stumbled forwards through a puddle. He turned around, snarling, and kicked the metal board in anger. It made a resonant clanging sound as it clattered to the pavement. He kicked it again, and again, letting out guttural sounds as he unleashed his tension and anger, growling into the night. The board dented under his feet, becoming misshapen and deformed. It was his fault. If he had just fucking told Naoto the truth in Port Island, this never would have happened!

"Hey! You!" A male voice shouted from behind him; Kanji spun round, his eyes wild. "The hell you think you're doing!?"

"The fuck do you want?" Kanji snarled, striking a nearby wall, far harder than he meant to. He felt his skin tear as he struck the stone, his knuckles stinging. He ignored it. Kanji couldn't see the figure in the dark; he was silhouetted against a street lamp.

"...just… stop doing that… or I'll call the police!" Kanji sneered and kicked the board once more for good measure, before stalking into the night. He felt the other guy watching him, but he didn't give a fuck.

Dissatisfied, angry; Kanji headed towards the Tatsuhime Shrine. Kanji wasn't particularly religious; the last time he visited a shrine was when his father died, but he didn't know where else to go that wasn't home. He couldn't let his mother see him like this.

It was eerily dark, the old building set back away from the yellow light of a streetlamp. He walked up to the shrine and clasped his hands together, trying to concentrate, to get away from the impotent feelings of helplessness. His hand was bleeding freely, from where he struck the wall; his knuckles were torn, and there was a persistent throb of pain with every beat of his pulse. He tried to ignore it, idly wiping the blood on his trouser leg.

Why was there nothing he could do? Naoto could die in there. This was his fault.

16th September 2011

By the time school finished the rain had finally let up, turning into a sunny and warm afternoon. Kanji had almost run out of school when the bell went, dragging an unusually sombre Rise with him, striding stern faced in haste to get to Junes.

Everyone turned up quickly, looking as worried and concerned as he felt.

Naoto had definitely been kidnapped and thrown into the TV. Teddie could sense him in there. Kanji had balled his hands into a tight fist at the news, his sore, wounded knuckles turning white.

"It is just like before," Yosuke said, looking forlorn and downcast. "Nothing we did made any difference."

"Like before… well, that does explain why Naoto appeared on TV so suddenly" Yukiko said. "He said something didn't seem right, and he knew that people who are kidnapped appeared on TV first."

"Wait, you're saying he used himself as bait?" Yosuke asked, his mouth agape. "D'you think he was trying to prove his theory by using himself…?"

"You mean he got kidnapped on purpose!? That's crazy…! He could be killed!" Chie said. Kanji felt his heartbeat quicken as Chie confirmed his worst fear.

"He said, "This is not a game for me either…" Rise mumbled, not meeting Kanji's eye. "It's all my fault… I'm the one that said that to him…" She started to cry, her breathing turning into small sobs. Kanji frowned at her, uncomfortable. He hated seeing Rise cry.

"That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us!?" Kanji said, the words getting caught in his throat. He put a hand on Rise's shoulder, and shook her, in a weak effort to soothe her.

"He knew we'd stop him if he did. Instead, he left us clues so we could figure it out and-" Yosuke started to say. Kanji interrupted him, raising his voice to mask his worry.

"I know! That son of a…" He looked away from the group, tuning out as they began to talk about Mistuo, about Mr Morooka. He took his hand from Rise's shoulder and folded his arms across his chest, frowning in thought. He shoulda talked to Naoto. He shoulda just told him everything from the start. He had the chance to. This was his fault.

"Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun… That's the real killer!? Rise said. Kanji's felt a shiver go down his spine at that. Killer.

"B-But wait a sec… Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take the blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird? And they said on the news that the culprit confessed to the other murders, too…There's also something else that's been bothering me, but… Um…" Chie trailed off. Kanji stood up, slowly, with purpose.

"To hell with someone who's behind bars!" Kanji said firmly, raising his voice.. "If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there. We gotta go find him!"

"Easy big guy, we'll get him" Yosuke said. He looked miserable. Kanji shook his head.

"We need to go right now!" Kanji said forcefully.

"I… I won't be able to find him right now Kanji-kun" Rise said in a small voice, not meeting his eye. "I… I need something to help me…"

"What?" Kanji snapped, staring at her. Rise's eyes filled with tears, bringing her hand to her mouth. She winced at Kanji's tone, her face going red as she fought back sobs.

"L-like with Mitsuo… I had to know th-things about him to find him and-" Rise tried to explain, her voice catching in her throat as she trailed off. She looked tiny, lost. Kanji wracked his brains, trying to think of something he could tell her, something that he knew about Naoto that they didn't already know. Something that he could use to find him. He was drawing a blank.

"Dammit! There is so much we don't know about that.. that idiot - if we don't do something, he's gonna…"

"Hey, snap out of it! This is just like all the other times. Let's not panic, keep an eye on the weather, and do this like always. We'll save him, no problem!" Chie put her hand on his shoulder, Kanji looked away. ""First, we need to look for something that'll help us locate him."

"I-I know… I-I wasn't panicking. We know he's over there… So all we gotta do is get him out." Kanji said. He picked up his jacket, and headed out of Junes, leaving the rest of the group behind.