I do not own JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or the Persona series.
After everything was said a done, Kanji Tatsumi had to admit that it had been the weirdest day of his life.
Though he supposed weirdest "day" might be a little inaccurate. Kanji didn't actually know how long he'd been… wherever he was right now. Though the time didn't matter at the moment. The only thing that registered for him right now was how tired he felt and the states of the people around him.
Basically Yukiko-senpai, her friend, the Junes guy, two foreigners (One of whom he had met earlier and who nearly discovered his secret), and a talking bear whose fur would probably be cute if it dried out had defeated and were standing in front of the fallen form of his Shadow self. It was apparently the physical manifestation of the parts of himself he was ashamed of and tried to hide.
"Definitely weirdest day... time... thing ever." Kanji looked at the Chie girl, who was hissing while digging her fingers into her left side.
"Gah, this really hurts…" Chie complained as she plucked out what Kanji could only assume was his metal tooth filling. Its normally shiny appearance dulled by the tomboy's blood. All of the other teens and the bear had gotten up just a minute ago, and were now licking their wounds but still had their Personas floating above them.
Kanji felt guilt well up inside him at her words. Even if he himself hadn't been the one giving them a beatdown, he might has well have. That thing that had attacked them came from within him, and to Kanji, it was no different than if he had done the deed himself.
"Look…" Kanji rubbed the side of his mouth, remembering the pain of that metal coming out of his mouth (Though his nose and ear also hurt. He was seriously regretting getting those piercings now). "…I'm really sorry you all got hurt. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Don't worry about it, Kanji-kun." Yukiko replied, but she did not take her eyes off of the Shadow for even a second. "It wasn't your fault that you ended up here."
"Plus at this point we've gotten used to things like this." Yosuke brought up with a shrug, only wincing in pain as his fingers brushed over the small gashes on the side of his head and holding up his glasses. "Teddie, please tell me you can fix these things…"
"Sure I can, Yosuke! Give them to me and I'll fix them up in seconds!" Teddie declared, only for Gyro to shake his head.
"No, not right now. First thing we have to do is finish this thing off."
"Right, the thing isn't dead yet." It was sort of strange to think about. Could the worst part of someone actually die? Kanji was not the best student, but he did remember a lesson saying that energy could not be destroyed, simply manipulated. And even if they could destroy it, if it was gone wouldn't it be like destroying part of himself? In spite of all that had happened, Kanji didn't really like the sound of that. "Have these things… ever been knocked out like this before?"
"Honestly, this is the first time that this has happened." Johnny admitted while his eyes narrowed. "It could be faking it though…"
Right, because this thing was both cruel and devious. Kanji knew, because he had stuck around and watched the entire fight.
It had been both cunning and sadistic throughout the entire thing. And only stopped its air of arrogance when Johnny landed a fatal blow on the thing.
"How's your nails, man?" Kanji asked Johnny, who only held up his right hand to show that all his nails were still missing.
"Still gone. It will probably take forever for these things to grow back…"
"Dude, how are you going to explain that to your uncle?" Yosuke then pointed at his wounds. "These are easy. They will get healed up quick and I can cover whatever doesn't. But your nails…"
"Honestly Yosuke, how often do you look at people's hands let alone their nails?" Johnny asked with a raised eyebrow. "He's not going to look unless I wave them in front of his face. Which I won't."
"And we can just put some gloves on him and Johnny can say they're part of his outfit for the day." Gyro pointed out with a grin.
"Can't believe how much I got hurt today…" Chie then looked at Yukiko. "How're your wounds?"
"They stopped bleeding, but Chie yours are more serious." Yukiko looked at Chie's still-bleeding arm. "You're going to have to get stitches…"
"Maybe both of you will. I'll check out the damage later if you'll let m-" Gyro then ceased talking and narrowed his eyes.
Kanji looked at his Shadow.
Its undamaged eye was now opening.
"Muhnya…Muhnya…" The Shadow's eye then blinked in shock as it saw all over the teens in front of it, with their Personas seeming to glare at the creature. "EEK!"
Kanji supposed that he expected several things.
The Shadow to put up a final stand, refusing to be accepted.
The Shadow trying to run away, performing some kind of final trick in order to ensure its escape.
"Please forgive me!"
Kanji did not expect that.
"…What." Kanji spoke disbelievingly as the Shadow held up its right hand and waved at them, attempting to ward them off.
"I-I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for everything I have done!" The Shadow then began to laugh nervously, sweat beginning to form on its brow. "I-It was a joke! It was a very bad joke! All of it! I-I'll go away, and I'll never bother you again! Huh? Isn't that a good deal!?"
"It really is a coward." Kanji supposed it made sense. This thing was supposed to be the darkest parts of himself, all his fears.
So since Kanji thought that he was a coward, the Shadow was actually one.
"This thing is… surrendering?" Yukiko blinked in confusion. "That hasn't happened before right?"
"No, it definitely hasn't." Yosuke looked at Gyro and asked, "What should we do?"
"Hm…" Gyro put his right hand on his chin in thought.
"Maybe it's telling the truth. I mean, this Grizzly has been a little smarter than the others…" Teddie mentioned while Chie pounded her right fist into her left palm.
"I say screw it! This thing tried to kill us! Let's kick its ass again just to be sure!"
Kanji couldn't help but bite his lip in thought. This kind of thing hadn't happened before? "This thing is a coward, so with it surrounded, that could mean that this is a…"
"Lilim!"
Johnny's shout made Kanji snap out of his thoughts and look at the Shadow, its entire body restrained by Shadows.
He then looked at its left hand.
It was halted, restrained and bound before it could reach the golden gender symbol just a foot away from it.
"You son of a bitch…" Kanji muttered darkly, and while that happened a steel ball was thrown, knocking the weapon away several more feet just as the shadow restraints dissappeared.
"Well, well…" Gyro droned out as the steel ball returned, and the Italian holstered it. "What do we have here…?"
"Izanagi…" Johnny crushed a card, and the Persona appeared gripping its bladed staff hard.
"Eheh…" The Shadow's voice turned into a squeak as it said, "A-Another joke! My hand just happened to wander!" Tomoe and Jiraiya began cracking their knuckles while Izanagi cracked its neck. "C-come on! I'm badly injured! Y-you wouldn't keep on hitting an injured person…" Its teeth clattered as it asked, "W-Would you?"
Chie glared at the Shadow. "You are…" The three Personas drew in closer. "The most pathetic creature…" The Shadow tried to crawl back, shivering in freight. "I have ever seen!"
Kanji watched as Jiraiya brought back its right fist and then punched the Shadow in the face. "YO!" The left fist then landed on the right cheek, pulverizing whatever jaw that side still had. "YO!" Then, both fists began to fly and hit the Shadow repeatedly, the punches sounding like a machine-gun firing. "YOYOYOYOYOYO!" Then, Jiraiya brought back its right fist and landed an uppercut on the bottom of its jaw and launched it into the air with a resounding, "YOSHA!"
Tomoe then jumped up and landed its right foot into the Shadow's abdomen, a crack echoing in the air before it was brought back. The muscles tensed before the leg shot forward again, and again, and again. Blood squirting out of the Shadow's face wounds while craters appeared all over its skin, the right leg soon becoming a blur in the flurry of kicks. Eventually, it stopped. Like a clock, the left leg made contact with the Shadow's right arm and as it snapped like a twig the Shadow went tumbling back to earth.
But it was not over.
And Kanji could swear he was seeing all the Personas grinning with glee, even when they had no mouths.
Izanagi shot forward and stabbed the Shadow Kanji in the chest, Tomoe's kicks tenderizing the flesh enough for the blade to go through like a knife through butter. It was then brought back and shot forward again. The Shadow screamed in pain as Izanagi continued its silent barrage before it brought back its right fist.
And socked the Shadow in the center of its face, launching it forward and crashing through a wall. Lifeless, motionless.
"Woah…" That was all Kanji could say after the show.
"That… was therapeutic." Yosuke let out a sigh of relief.
"Don't get used to it." Johnny mentioned, and Kanji had to remind himself again that these guys were tougher than they seemed.
"Well, now it's agreed." Gyro declared. "When another Shadow tries this kind of thing, we beat the crap out of it anyways."
"Sounds reasonable." Kanji thought to himself with a nod.
"Look!"
Teddie's shout caused Kanji to notice that his Shadow had now burst into a black mist. And in its place…was its humanoid form, completely unharmed. It stared at Kanji, expecting something.
"What does it want?" Kanji asked Johnny, who stared back at him.
"It wants you to accept it. To really mean it. Sort of like a confirmation."
Kanji bit his lip, looking at the thing. It was sort of embarrassing, looking at the personification of everything he fears he is. Part of him still wanted to deny it, despite all the stuff he had said before. "But if I do that…" Kanji looked back at Yukiko and the other teens. "They'll be hurt again because of my crap."
That reasoning sort of made what he said next easier.
"Look… you're everything I hate about me. That I'm a big coward, a bully, and I'm scared that I'm also just like what those girls said I was. Weird. I became the closest thing I could think of to manly to hide all that…but I guess it's just not that easy." Kanji glared at the Shadow and said, "So maybe I knew all along that you were me. That's not a major revelation in hindsight, and I'm a moron for not realizing that. That… you're me, and I'm you, dammit…!"
The Shadow gave a small, hesitant smile, and nodded before it completely burst into blue flame. It grew, and it morphed. In its place much to Kanji's surprise was a giant. An eight-foot tall humanoid which could be best described as a beefy robot, wearing all black body armor with a white skeleton painted in the front of its armor. Only separated at the joints, with all of them on the lower torso and abdomen being black cloth with golden stripes. On its arms by the lows were blue and red wires. Its hands were bone white and massive, with the left holding a giant golden and sharp lightning bolt. The 'eyes' of the skull painted on its head stared down at him, and the head gave a firm nod before it disappeared and a blue card took its place before floating to Kanji and bursting into blue energy.
"Take-Mikazuchi…" Kanji whispered out as his body seemed to absorb the blue energy. "This is my Persona…"
Saying that… made Kanji feel safe. As if it was the truest thing in the world. As if he had healed himself just a bit on the inside.
"SO COOL!" Teddie's declaration might as well have ruined the moment, and Kanji was brought back to reality. "Kanji has a Persona now too!"
"Not that we should have expected anything different." Johnny pointed out while rolling his eyes.
"Still, the thing seemed a bit bulky." Gyro spoke with a raised eyebrow.
"Come on, it wasn't that big…" Kanji muttered out while scratching the back of his neck.
"It was pretty awesome although…"Chie then pointed to her left arm, with the makeshift bandage now being completely drenched in blood. "Gyro, can you please help us out with this?"
"Right, right." Gyro looked at Teddie. "Can you…"
"Way ahead of you!" Teddie then threw Gyro a small first aid kit, which he caught before running over to Chie and Yukiko. In the meantime, Johnny summoned a small fairy Persona and had it go over his wounds. "Hey Kanji!"
Kanji blinked in surprise. "Yeah?"
"Maybe you can help this bear out a bit. I could use an extra pair of hands to help screw in the nuts and bolts back into Yosuke's glasses…"
Kanji looked down. Nobody…really requested his aid in delicate things like that. Only his mom once in a while, to make a new little cute toy for some distant friends or relatives.
If anyone in town knew that he did that kind of shit, Kanji was afraid that they would make fun of him.
Yet here he was, everyone in the room now knowing his secret…and they didn't think any less of him.
"Might as well help them out. Least I could do." "Sure. Give me a sec." Kanji then ran over to Teddie and kneeled down beside the bear, the pair of glasses now on the floor.
It would be a simple job.
After everything they'd done for him, it was the least he could do.
xxXXxx
"I'VE BEEN GONE FOR TWO DAYS!?" Kanji shouted out, fear and desperation dawning on his face as he stood behind the still changing guys.
"No, no that's not what we're saying!" Yosuke groaned out as he began to pull down his horizontally striped orange and white shirt, the bottom orange stripe blending into Yosuke's matching orange slacks. "It's more like…"
"You've been gone since two nights ago. So it's more like a day and a half." Johnny pointed out with a shrug. Johnny was now sporting a tight blue shirt that had a v-neck and showed off half of his abdomen with the sleeves ending at the elbows. Luckily, the two armbands Johnny had on before covered the rest of the arms. His pants were a simple pair of tight white pants and a blue leather belt. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like the American brought any extra sneakers.
"But there's also this afternoon! So I've been gone for two days and…" Kanji groaned and placed his hand on his forehead. "Oh shit, mom must've called the cops looking for me! Ah dammit, she can't have this crap thrown onto her lap!"
"Come on, relax. Worrying isn't going to solve anything." Gyro chided with a grin. The Italian now wore a long-sleeved white shirt with a small cartoon of a bear glaring and giving a cocky smirk at the center of the chest area. His pants were a pair of black leather pants with the same belt and buckle tied around the waste, along with the same pair of shoes on his feet. And of course, the same damn hat rested on his head. "Besides, any undue stress could open your wounds! Bet your fiancé wouldn't want that!"
Like that, Kanji could feel his cheeks begin to heat up. "W-What the hell are you talkin' about!?"
"Well I'm assuming that you got one, since you have a ring."
"What!?"
Gyro then grinned and pointed. "The ring that was on your ear! Get it? Ear-ring!"
At that, Kanji felt his embarrassment disappear and become simply confusion and… disappointment? "…What."
"It's an original gag of mine! Thought you would enjoy a nice change of mood! Did it work?"
"…That has got to have been the stupidest attempt at a joke I've ever heard." But Kanji didn't want to be rude. After all, the guy had helped to save his life. "It's… original. That's for sure."
"Nyoho!" Gyro grinned and gave his own unique laugh, while Teddie raised his paw with a big smile on his face.
"Wow, Junkyouin! You are really on a roll! I mean, I'm a bear who roams around looking for good zingers, but you always knock it out of the park!"
"That bear actually likes that crap!?" Kanji thought in exasperation. The bar must be set low in regards to comedy for the weird little guy.
"I wouldn't call that knocking it out of the park…" Yosuke pointed out with a sigh while Johnny simply shook his head.
"No, can't you see Yosuke? Gyro is a comedic genius. It's hard for normal people like us to comprehend such skill. Can't believe nobody had the brains to come up with such an obvious gag." Johnny intoned without a single emotion.
"For a brave guy, he can kind of be a bit of an asshole." I mean, sarcasm as obvious like that to a person's face? That was just asking for trouble.
"Nope! It's just luck to come up with something as hilarious as this!" Gyro spoke with a chuckle.
"Did he seriously not notice any of that?" Kanji muttered to himself out loud.
"What was that?" Gyro asked, causing Kanji to shake his head.
"Nothing."
The 'recovery' process worked rather smoothly, all things considered. Everyone was all healed up, or at least the closest equivalent to being healed up. Johnny had to use his Persona Pixie to heal up some of the minor wounds, and whatever it couldn't heal Gyro had to intervene. Yosuke now sported bandages on the sides of his head and his side. Chie had to get stitches on her left side and on her arm, and Yukiko's legs now sported numerous bandages on them.
"Man, all of them can take one hell of a beating."
Which sort of made Kanji feel ashamed.
After all, the guys who rescued him faced down the aspect of himself that he denied. That aspect turned that denial into fuel for itself. They bled and struggled against a thing that was ultimately him.
A piece of Kanji Tatsumi that was in the end nothing more than a dirty coward.
"Hey, help me up." Johnny spoke up, turning to Gyro. "Let's see if Chie and Yukiko are ready so that we can get the hell out of here."
"You got it." With that, Gyro reached down and extended his right arm to Johnny. Johnny grabbed onto it and lifted himself up.
Kanji's eyes for whatever reason wandered to Johnny's neck.
And he saw something purple.
"The hell?" On the back of Johnny's neck, on the left side where it met his shoulder, was a small purple star. "Hey, Uh… Johnny."
Johnny glanced back at him and asked, "Yeah?"
"Um, are you into tattoos or something?" When Johnny raised an eyebrow, Kanji decided to elaborate. "Because, I sort of saw the one on your neck and… well… is it like a permanent one or fake? I mean, I use fake ones that last like a month but yours looks kinda… real."
"Hey yeah, I've been meaning to ask that." Yosuke walked over to Johnny and poked the small star. "What's up with this man? Does it, like, symbolize something?"
"No, it's nothing like that." Johnny shook his head and swatted away Yosuke's hand. "It's just a weird birthmark that runs in my family. I wouldn't put crap like tattoos on my skin."
"There are birthmarks that look like stars?" Well, it wasn't exactly the weirdest thing that Kanji had heard of. In fact, it was kinda cool.
"Don't know. You kinda have that punk air around you Johnny. Wouldn't surprise me if you had some ink on you!" Gyro pointed out while Teddie simply smiled.
"I think it just adds more to Sensei's personality!"
"Oh screw off, both of you." Johnny growled with an embarrassed flush on his face, and the others simply began to laugh.
Surprisingly, Kanji joined in with a few chuckles.
"Man, you guys sure know how to change the mood." Kanji said with a small grin settling on his face, and Johnny simply clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, whatever." Turning to the door the American shouted, "Okay! We're done!"
"Great! So are we!" While the guys had stayed in the room to change, Chie and Yukiko had gone out into the hallway to do so. It wasn't that big of a deal, but knowing that girls were changing just behind a door he was near did make him kind of uncomfortable.
"Relax Tatsumi, there's nothing to be worried about. It's just chicks changing their clothes. It's not a big deal." Despite thinking that, Kanji's cheeks flushed again just as the door opened.
Chie was wearing a pair of baggy lime-green sweatpants with a green shirt and yellow hoodie combo. Over the right breast area, barely hidden by the unzipped jacket, was the letter '84' on it in green letters. The outfit did very well in hiding Chie's wounds, all things considered. Not very fashionable, but Kanji didn't think she was the type to be fashion-conscious.
Yukiko on the other hand wore a black skirt that reached past her knees and a short-sleeved red shirt tucked inside the skirt, a black teardrop falling in the center of her chest, creating an almost art-like combination which seemed to compliment both parks of the outfit. "Man, what is up with me today?"
Maybe it was because he wasn't fighting against these kinds of thoughts like before.
"Hey, um Kanji… you mind it if you stop staring at us?" Chie asked, and Kanji flushed while looking away.
"I-I wasn't staring! You were just seein' things!" Shaking his head Kanji muttered out, "Y-You all sure you should be dressed like that? I mean, those monsters could attack again."
"Nope! Because their alpha has fallen the other grizzlies in its pack go away out of fear!" Teddie spoke up while raising his paw. "But Kanji, why aren't you wearing your shirt like the others? I thought clothes were a thing all humans want to wear…"
"B-Because it's still hot!" Still, the way the bear spoke… "Wait, how do you guys know that? Have you done this before?"
"Yeah, we have. Plenty of times." Suddenly, Yosuke's formerly mirthful look disappeared and was replaced with a dead-serious expression. "We have to, otherwise the killer will have more victims."
"Killer… are you guys talkin' about the guy doing those murders?"
"Yeah, that's right." Gyro confirmed with a nod. "We come over here and save people from getting killed over here and showing up in Inaba. You're actually the first guy I've saved since joining up with them." He motioned to the other teens.
Kanji wasn't exactly the smartest guy in school… hell his grades were in danger of becoming below average.
But he could make simple connections if he was given enough clues.
So figuring out what they were hinting at was practically a no-brainer.
"Wait this sicko… he's killing people by throwing people in here!?" Did that mean that the reporter and that Saki girl died by going through what he went through? "Shit, that means I could've…!"
"Died, yeah. Pretty much." Kanji had to be impressed by the balls Johnny had for being so blunt about it.
"Which is why we need your help, Kanji-kun." Yukiko spoke up, causing the teen to look at her. "Tell us, do you remember anything at all? How you ended up here?"
Kanji closed his eyes. He tried to scrounge up a memory, but it was all fuzzy. "Like a bad TV reception." "No, not…" Kanji then bit his lip as a memory floated to his head. "Wait, I think… after I chased you and your friend off… I tried to take a nap… but then the doorbell rung… I-I think I answered it…"
"You remember the guy in green?" Gyro questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh?" Now that the Italian mentioned it, he did remember the color green. "Yeah. A guy was definitely wearing the color… but… that's it." Kanji ground his teeth and said, "I can't remember anything other than that. Next thing I knew I was here and wanderin' around trying to find the way out."
"So we can probably assume that the killer is a male and is probably wearing an green outfit… but…" Yosuke groaned in frustration. "The hell is this guy's pattern? I mean, what the hell do you, Gyro, Yukiko, S-Saki-Senpai, and Yamano have in common?"
Everyone looked down in thought. "That Gyro guy and Yukiko-senpai were also thrown into this crazy place?" Well, he supposed it made sense. They also had a Persona, so it wasn't hard to assume that everything he had gone through they did first. But what did all of them have in common with the two murdered victims?
"Well…" Johnny gave a low sigh before turning to Yosuke. "We can think about it tomorrow. I want to get the hell out of this place."
"I hear you, Sensei!" Teddie began patting himself all over his body. "My fur has been ruined! It's going to take a beary long time to get my luscious coat back to tip-top shape!"
"Come on, it isn't that bad!" Chie patted the bear on the head. "I'm sure a blower could bring it back in an hour!"
"Right! It'll be nice and fluffy in no time!" The way Yukiko and the others were making it sound like, Kanji bet he would really want to touch Teddie's fur when it was back to normal.
"Grah, you're so nice Chie-chan!"
"Tell ya what, I'll throw one into the TV when I get this guy a new set of shoes!" Gyro then pointed at Johnny. "He needs one if he doesn't want to tip off his uncle that something went down!"
"I don't need your help picking out shoes, Gyro!" Johnny protested, but the Italian simply grinned.
"Well I'm the only one who knows where you can get the ones at a special discount rate!"
"Thanks, Junkyouin!" Teddie cheered with a wide grin.
"Still wish we could focus more on solving the case while we're here…" Yosuke groaned out, while Kanji simply smirked.
"Dude… I think you guys are awesome!" Everyone turned to him, and Kanji continued. "I mean, you guys knew I got captured and came down here to save my ass! By saving me you stuck one up to that asshole! In my opinion, that's a win! So just relax a bit. We handle the small stuff later."
Kanji wasn't exactly sure if that came out good, but with the small smirks forming on the other teens and one bear's faces it definitely did its job.
"Yeah, I guess you are right about that." Yosuke gave a small nod. "Thanks Kanji."
"So… um…" Kanji rubbed the back of his neck. How could he put this…? "Are you guys part of the police investigation or something?"
"Yes, because we are obviously wearing badges and going through proper procedures." Johnny rolled his eyes. "No, we're not part of the police. We're doing this on our own."
"Think of us like vigilantes or something." Gyro then looked to the others. "Pretty much that right?"
"But we're not wearing any masks or have codenames…" Yosuke pointed out while Chie pumped her fist.
"Who cares! The way Gyro says it makes this even cooler!"
Kanji looked at all the teens with a frown. All these guys were in a group trying to solve things on their own? "Definitely braver than me." Kanji wasn't even sure if he had the courage to go out on his own to catch the killer. Let the cops handle it had been his general opinion until now. "So do you guys have a leader?"
At that, everyone froze in place. Kanji began to worry if he asked the wrong question. "Hey, if you don't that's…"
"Actually, I was thinking we resolve that right here, right now." Yosuke sighed before looking at everyone. "Look, winging it has been working out pretty well so far but it is causing some problems. Without someone giving a clear plan on what to do, we sort of step on each other's toes."
"But we still get the job done." Johnny pointed out.
"Yeah, but how long until two of us attack at the same time, screw up each other's individual plans, and then die? No, we need a leader. At least someone who gives the final word as to what we do." Yosuke looked at Gyro and hummed in thought before asking, "You mind doing that?"
Gyro blinked once, twice. "Huh?"
"Being our leader. Would you mind taking the job?" Yosuke scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, I can sort of think up ideas but I'm not much of a leader. Me, Chie, and Teddie tried to talk Johnny into taking that role, but…"
"I'm not cut out for it." Johnny grunted out while turning his head. "Let's just leave it at that."
"And Yukiko…" Chie looked at her friend before asking, "Do you want the job?"
"Goodness no!" Kanji was sort of impressed with how quickly the Amagi shot down the possibility. "I mean, no thank you." She then looked at Kanji.
He decided to shake his head and say, "Don't look at me. I'm still new to all of this."
Gyro bit his lip and looked down, but Teddie let out a cheer. "Come on, Junkyouin! You can do it! You're one of the two smartest and coolest people I know!"
"Hey! What about me bear!?" Yosuke shouted in anger, while Teddie simply shrugged.
"Yosuke, you're just too much… Yosuke."
"What kind of explanation is that!?"
"One that makes so much sense it's kinda sad." Chie replied with a pitying look.
"Come on! Not you too!"
"Trust me, it is too big of a responsibility for you to bear…" Johnny's deadpan tone suddenly shifted into a panicked one as he shouted, "BARE! I said bare!"
"Actually, I think it's the former dude…"
"Sensei! Are you trying to get a piece of my comedy scene?" Teddie gave a cute little growl as he said, "Because I'm afraid that's where I must draw the line!"
"Whatever! You can have it!" Turning to Gyro with a glare Johnny asked, "Well!?"
Gyro gave a low sigh before saying, "You know what…?" He then flashed a wide grin showing off his grills for all to see. "Why not? What the hell, I'll take the job!"
"Awesome!" Chie cried out in glee before wincing in pain. "Ow, I think these stitches are starting to get sore…"
"I know it's a big deal, but try not to strain yourself too much Chie." Yukiko chided, but gave a small smile to Gyro. "Still, congratulations Zeppeli-san."
"Yeah, thanks a lot. You're really helping us out here." Yosuke then chuckled a bit. "Man, this must be one hell of a promotion huh?"
"Yeah, turning from just one of the group to team leader in the span of a trip is something." Johnny raised an eyebrow at Gyro and asked, "Sure you won't be regretting this?"
"What's there to regret? It's like I'm still watching out for you, but now I'm watching out for them too." Gyro then looked at Kanji and asked, "What do you think?"
Kanji glanced to the side. Was it really his place to decide? "Well, you did do a good job back there with my Shadow… so maybe it's for the best."
Honestly he didn't know enough about everyone to give a solid opinion.
"Yes! The team has leveled up! What a great development!" Teddie was hopping from foot to foot. Everyone seemed to nod in agreement. It did seem like a great thing had just happened. Perhaps something spiritual took part in their joy…
"Yes, it's all great but can we please get out of here already!?" Johnny interjected with a frown. "I don't want to sweat all over my new outfit!"
xxXXxx
"Wait, so I gotta make up a cover story?" Kanji asked with a raised eyebrow as he followed his fellow teens up a flight of stairs, to the place where they entered and exited through this crazy world. Now that they were out of the bathhouse, Kanji had put back on his shirt and jacket. Although the damp clothes still clung onto his body.
"Well, yeah." Yosuke stated matter of factly. "I mean, what do you expect will happen when you get back to your mom's place? She'll tell the cops you're with her now, they'll ask questions…"
"Yeah, yeah. I get the picture. But would they seriously not believe any of this?" Kanji looked to the side. This place sure was foggy. If he were not right behind the others, he would have probably gotten lost again.
Johnny cleared his throat before saying, "Hello officer! We're a group of teens who have figured out how this guy is killing people! He's shoving them into a parallel world where monsters will instantly gang up and kill them, and the world spits out their corpses for you to find! The reason why there haven't been any more murders is because we've been stopping them! Now why don't you just follow us to…"
"I think he's got the picture Johnny." Chie chimed in with a frown. "And ease up. Kanji's just learning this stuff."
Kanji couldn't help but have his cheeks flush in embarrassment. Partly because Chie, a girl, stood up for him and partly because the reason was fairly obvious in hindsight."Can't believe I didn't think of it like that…"
"It's no big deal. Really." Kanji proclaimed with a sheepish smile. "I think I have something in mind."
He really didn't. Kanji was just saying that so everyone wouldn't be nervous over him.
"Oh really? What is it?" Yukiko asked, and Kanji looked to the side.
"I-It's a secret."
There was no secret because Kanji hadn't come up with anything yet.
"Come on man, tell us!" Yosuke cried out. Kanji seriously doubted he was going to get out of this unless he came clean.
"I… only have part of an idea."
"How much of an idea?" Gyro raised an eyebrow. Kanji simply looked away.
"Like… twelve percent?"
"…That's not an idea. It's barely a concept." Johnny bluntly informed him, and Kanji felt his anger rise.
"H-Hey! Screw you! I'm thinkin' here! I'll come up with something in a sec! Just give me some…!"
"We're here!" Teddie cried out in glee as he hopped up the last step. Kanji once again had to thank whatever deity was looking out for him for this small favor.
But he did have to pause and stare at the small stack of TVs that were in the center of the platform.
"So… where's this exit you guys were talking about?" Kanji asked and could not help but notice everyone save Teddie look away.
"That… is the exit." Yosuke admitted with a sheepish grin.
"Wait, you're kidding me! Those things!?" Kanji pointed at the TVs with a frown. "I can barely fit into one! How the hell am I supposed to follow you guys!?"
"Don't worry Kanji! The exits grow and change their shape in order to suit the size of whoever wishes to go through!" Teddie declared, grinning while waving his paw. "So Sensei and the others can go back to their world without a problem!"
Kanji frowned, but gave a small nod. "Makes as much sense as all the other crap here does."
"You know, I've been meaning to ask but…" Gyro pointed at the TVs. "What's to stop the Shadows from coming over to our world?"
It was a fairly reasonable question in Kanji's opinion. From what he understood, this 'exit' was out the entire time that the group was out trying to rescue him. What was to stop one of the Shadows from going over to the real world and wrecking shit up?
Teddie frowned. "You're world isn't suited for the Grizzlies, Junkyouin."
"You mind explaining that or…?" Johnny pressed on, to which Teddie cleared his throat.
"Shadows cannot go into your world because of the atmosphere. Your world is full of things besides oxygen, like nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The air here has several other gasses which don't harm you guys beary much besides make you sick." Teddie pointed out into the fog. "The Shadows can't survive without those gasses, and would choke on air. Not to mention your sun, which would overload their cells until they burn up!"
"…Wow Teddie, you sure are full of info." Chie commented, and Yukiko gave a small clap in support. Teddie rubbed his right foot against the floor.
"Aw shucks… thanks Chie-chan! Yuki-chan!"
"This place is too weird. It's like another world with an entire ecosystem full of carnivores. A kingdom of predators." Gyro frowned before looking at the TVs. "And this is the only path between them…"
"Yeah, we're lucky to have our atmosphere. Otherwise we'd be screwed." Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't want to even think about facing any Shadows in the real world…"
"But what's the plan?" Johnny asked, and Gyro simply grinned.
"You and me are getting shoes, and I'll bring ya home to your uncle."
Johnny gave a small glare at Gyro. "I can go home by myself."
"Yeah, but you need an excuse if your uncle notices how exhausted and crappy you look. And since we agreed on our lessons…" Gyro patted Johnny on the back. "Relax Johnny, it's not going to be that big of a deal if I go home with ya once."
"I know I would feel weird." Kanji thought to himself as he noticed Johnny's sneering face, but hesitant nod of approval to the idea. Well, he would feel weird in the sense of bringing someone home. But… a part of Kanji knew that he would feel as weird as when he was walking with that kid a few days ago. And that was awkward as hell.
Mostly due to his confused inner feelings from being kinda-sorta-maybe asked out by another dude.
"Though I seriously don't think it was like that…" Kanji looked down at the floor. "Or maybe it was? Ah damn, I don't know shit about this kind of thing."
Great, here he was getting worried about something like this again. Right after making a big speech about all his inner problems.
Then again, Kanji doubted shit like this went away instantly.
"I'll walk Kanji-kun home." Yukiko spoke up while raising her hand. Kanji blinked in surprise. Yukiko wanted to walk with him? He could not help but be confused whether his heart skipped a beat out of fear or nervousness. "It won't look suspicious to others because of our family's past business, and I can keep us out of sight from the police."
"Oh, that's why."
"Chie, are you going to be okay…" Yosuke began asking, only for Chie to scoff.
"Yosuke, don't worry. I'll be fine. Trust me, this isn't as bad as getting burned."
"She actually got burnt?" Probably had to do with another trip in this crazy world.
"Just don't do any strenuous activity, otherwise you can open up your stitches again." Gyro then looked over to Johnny. "By the way, when we meet up tomorrow I want an explanation about that thing."
"Thing?" Kanji was starting to think he was missing something here.
"Okay, okay fine. If it'll get you off my case…" Johnny sighed before looking at the TVs.
But Kanji was now lost in his own thoughts.
This group had come here, time and time again, to catch this murderer.
Because they had the power to do so, and the drive to back that up.
They were cut up, beaten, burned, and nearly killed almost on a regular basis just to make sure there were no other victims.
"And while they did that, I tried to ignore all of it." Kanji had decided that all the murders were horrible, but not his concern. They were done to people Kanji never knew, only his mom dealt with that reporter lady and maybe he saw that Saki girl at the shop once or twice. Otherwise, they were complete strangers.
Kanji sure as hell didn't shed any tears.
The police could handle it, he had thought to himself. Let them deal with this shit. It'll be over soon enough.
And then, he was targeted. Kidnapped. Nearly killed, another victim in the killer's score card.
But instead, he was rescued. Rescued because he was not brave enough to accept himself. "I really am like that damn Shadow. I'm a frickin' coward."
Kanji now had a Persona, a power to help combat these monsters. An opportunity to catch the killer as well.
But he could not say he was thrilled going into this crazy world and nearly getting killed for justice's sake.
Rather, he was motivated by something else.
Something he needed to vocalize.
"Hey." Everyone stopped and turned to Kanji. All eyes were now on him. He flushed a bit, but steeled his voice. It was now or never. "Look… I wanna join you guys."
"…Really?" Johnny asked curiously, his eyes narrowing. Like he was studying Kanji.
No matter. Kanji started this, and a Tatsumi always finished what they started.
"…You guys came here. You risked your lives to save my ass. That's… that's something that means a lot to me. I mean, I wouldn't even be here right now if it weren't for you guys." Kanji tightened his fists. "So… Let me join! I've got a Persona, and I know how to fight! I want to fight alongside you guys, because I owe you all my life! It's a debt that I'm going to repay by helping to bring this bastard in!"
"Kanji-kun, you don't owe us…" Kanji shook his head at Yukiko's protest.
"Look Senpais, this isn't me trying to be macho or shit like that. I mean it. I can't just sit back and do nothing when I owe you all big time. It would eat me up if I didn't do this." Kanji glared at Gyro. "So let me join you all!" He then bowed down. "PLEASE!"
Fears began to enter Kanji's mind. "Shit, what if they refuse? What if they laugh at me and tell me just to go home? Oh crap, did I put on that stupid show for nothing? I…"
"…Kanji, cut that out. You're embarrassing us." Gyro's voice commanded, and Kanji looked up to see the Italian grinning at him. "If you want to join us, you can."
"You didn't have to make a passionate speech about it." Johnny pointed out with a frown. "Just hope you know that nine out of ten you're either going to get your ass kicked or die along the way."
Kanji frowned. "I owe you guys my life, so if I die along the way of repaying you… well, shit happens you know?"
Not to say Kanji wasn't afraid of dying. But in all honesty there was hardly anything you can do about it besides trying your best not to let it happen.
And Kanji sure as hell was going to do everything to make sure he didn't die anytime soon.
"Man, you sure know how to make a speech Kanji! Maybe we should let the student council know…" Yosuke teased and Chie grinned.
"Yeah, have to admit you were pretty cool back there."
"I-It wasn't cool. I was just talking off of the top of my head."
"But still… thank you for joining us Kanji-kun." Yukiko spoke, giving a serene smile and causing Kanji to blush even harder.
"Damn it… what is up with me?"
Unknown to Kanji or all the others save for Johnny, the Arcana of the Fool beamed in light and strengthened just a bit more…
"Hooray! Another member!" Teddie cheered out and began unzipping his head. "I was actually expecting more members, so I made a few extra pairs of glasses just in case!"
"Glasses?" Kanji questioned before looking at the teens. That's right, they were wearing glasses this entire time…
"Oh yeah, we gotta wear these to see through the fog and not get sick." Yosuke informed Kanji, who grinned in delight.
"Alright! I need me some of those!" Kanji then noticed Teddie's paw beginning to extract a frame from within his body. "Awesome! Let me try these on!" Kanji then stepped forward and snatched the glasses away before putting them on.
"Wait Kanji! Those are…!"
Kanji then blinked in surprise as he felt something over his nose. "The hell?" Kanji reached up with his hand and touched it. It was like a big nose.. and when he felt underneath the plastic nose, there were small fibers. And now Kanji noticed the big circular frame over his eyes…
"Oh you gotta be kidding me." Kanji growled out while glaring behind the pair of gag glasses he now wore.
The reactions were very interesting, to say the least.
"…What the hell are you wearing?" Johnny questioned with a deadpan expression.
Gyro simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Man, am I glad I got mine when I did."
"…That's so lame that it hurts." Yosuke groaned out, and giggles began to come from Yukiko.
"K-Kanji… you look.. Pfft…!" Yukiko threw back her head and let out a joyous laugh. "PFTHAHAHA! Chie! Chie! Doesn't he look…!? Doesn't he look so funny!? Hahahaha!"
"Geez Yukiko, it isn't that funny." Chie said with a sigh, and Kanji looked back at Teddie.
"…Just what the hell is this?"
"That's… a pair I messed up on. Sorry." Teddie let out with a shrug.
"It must take a lot of effort to screw up and make it look like this!" Kanji ripped off the pair of glasses and threw them off the platform.
"Aw…" Yukiko sounded disappointed, but Kanji ignored her.
"Tell me you have a different pair." Kanji begged the bear, who frowned and went back into himself.
"Sheesh! Kanji, you need to learn to be a bit more patient!" He then withdrew his paw, and revealed a pair of black-framed tinted glasses with vertical stripes of yellow, green, red, and blue on each side. "Here you go! See what happens when you're patient!? Patience is a bear necessity!"
"Alright, alright…" Kanji muttered out before taking his glasses. He put them on, and gasped at the near disappearance of the fog. And the sick feeling in his gut nearly disappear. "Holy crap! These things work!"
"Yeah, they do." Johnny then pointed to the TVs. "Alright, let's go."
The group began to move forward, but halted when Teddie squeaked out, "C-can I come with you guys?"
"Come?" Yosuke turned around and said, "Dude, didn't you just say that nobody on this side can go over?"
"I said that was just for the grizzlies!" Teddie complained while stamping his foot.
"Do you even know if you can come over to our side?" Johnny questioned, and that made Teddie look to the ground.
"I-I don't know. But I get so lonely over here…"
"I can see that. Nobody to talk to besides yourself and Shadows that want to kill you." But if Teddie was from this world, wouldn't there be others of his kind? Then again, Kanji wasn't exactly sure if that was a hundred percent possibility. The world was insane after all.
"Aw, don't be lonely… We'll come to visit you real soon." Yukiko assured the bear. She then looked at Chie. "Right Chie?"
"Yeah! Don't you worry!" Chie added with a smile, and Teddie looked up at them.
"…Does this mean I can score with you guys?"
Kanji's jaw nearly dropped. "Did he… did he just seriously ask that?"
"…Huh?" Chie questioned while taking a step back, and Yukiko raised an eyebrow.
"Moving a little fast, aren't you?" Gyro questioned, and Johnny clicked his tongue.
"This is so stupid…"
"Dude, where did you even hear something like that?" Yosuke asked with a grimace, while Teddie just shrugged.
"Well, I was looking into your world and noticed guys your side talking about how they wanted to 'score' with some girls. And since Yuki-chan's Shadow talked about hunting a st-"
"WELL TEDDIE!" Yukiko screamed out, cutting the bear off. She gave a nervous laugh and said in a much smaller voice, "Teddie, let's just… let's just drop the whole scoring thing okay? I-It's not something normal humans just ask upfront."
"Aww… But it sounds so fun!"
As Yukiko and Chie tried to make the bear forget about 'scoring' while the other male teens just watched in amazement, Kanji could only think one thing.
"This is definitely going to take some time to get used too…"
xxXXxx
"Ah damn, my mouth is still sore…" Kanji groaned out as he walked side by side with Yukiko, holding onto his jaw. They were walking to the shopping district, heading towards the Tatsumi family's store. The place almost seemed abandoned at this late hour. "This is almost as bad as that time I got my tooth chipped."
"Why would that happen?" Yukiko asked with a raised eyebrow. "Do you grind your teeth at night? I'm sure if you asked your dentist he can give you something like a night guard."
"What? Oh, no. It's nothin' like that." Kanji then coughed a bit in embarrassment as he said, "I… kinda got into a fight once and this guy clocked me good…"
"Oh." That was right. Kanji got into fights. Numerous fights.
A desire born out of just wanting to be seen as manly.
Yukiko didn't know if she understood that desire completely, but she supposed that she was in a similar situation. Everyone just wanted to see the perfect manager's daughter. The ideal girl who would eventually run the inn, damn whatever she actually thought.
And Yukiko acted just like that for a long time, clamming up her own thoughts to not cause a scene.
"In a way, Kanji is doing exactly what I had done."
"I mean, don't get me wrong. I still beat the crap out of that guy and…" Kanji then blinked and groaned, "Bet you don't wanna hear any more about my little 'victories' huh?"
"What? Oh no, I wasn't…!" Yukiko then looked away. Kanji probably didn't want to be lied to, not after everything he had gone through. "Well… I don't exactly like violence. So you going on about things like that… it sort of makes me uncomfortable."
"Gotcha, gotcha. Sorry." Kanji's face flushed a bit and he looked to the ground. "Damn, I really can't talk to girls can I?"
There it was, Kanji's problem. The fear of women instilled on him by constant bullying. The fear that caused him to doubt talking to anyone of the opposite sex save for his mother. "No, you can. It's just… kind of a bad conversation Kanji-kun."
"It's kinda surprising how you're uncomfortable with violence. I mean back there you kicked a lot of ass and took damage that would make grown men cry." Kanji bit his lip and stopped in place. "And it's still my fault that you guys got hurt in the first place."
"Kanji-kun, it was your Shadow. It's not your…"
"No, it is my fault. It's my fault because for all the crap I put into being manly, I was a coward for denying what I liked and who I really was. I was scared of being something that I wasn't even a hundred percent sure on, and focused on the crap other people thought about me." Kanji kicked the ground a bit and said, "Maybe if I wasn't all of that, I would've never been targeted and been such a pain in the ass for you guys."
"Maybe he is right about that." After all, the Shadows were built upon people's faults. Her Shadow was an amalgamation of all her self-doubts, fears, and hidden desires."Without any of that, a Shadow would never appear."
Still, she couldn't just let Kanji keep on feeling bad.
"It's normal to have thoughts like that. Everyone has their own faults Kanji-kun." Yukiko replied while looking at the younger teen. "That's what makes us human after all. Nobody is perfect. My Shadow… it was just as bad as yours was. It said some things that I never wanted to admit." She couldn't tell him the details, at least not yet. It just didn't seem appropriate.
Maybe some other time.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kanji grimaced a bit. "Still, can't believe that I let shit other people said get to me so much…"
"…" Yukiko was silent for a moment. When Kanji brings that up… it brings to mind some things that she did as a kid. Things involving Kanji.
Things that made her feel sort of responsible for his state of mind.
It was nothing horrible, however…
"He has a right to know. Now that we're going to be together and all that."
Taking a deep breath she spoke a simple phrase.
"I'm sorry, Kanji-kun."
"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "What are you talkin' about Yukiko-senpai?"
"Well…" She fidgeted a bit. This was uncomfortable to admit, but then again compared to accepting her Shadow it was nothing. "I… sort of heard all those rumors about you when we were kids. About how you were weird, and how I shouldn't hang around with you. I never got any specifics, but I guess… I sort of believed them. And when I heard about all your violent outbursts… I thought I made the right choice."
Yukiko never really considered herself a 'friend' to Kanji Tatsumi. Simply an acquaintance because their families had done business together a time or two. But the reason why they hadn't seen each other for a long time wasn't because the inn stopped purchasing a lot from Tatsumi Textiles.
Rather, Yukiko just decided to stop going on the off chance of meeting Kanji.
It sort of made her ashamed, knowing that. Even more now that she was telling this to Kanji.
What would he think of her now?
"He'll probably be disappointed and angry with me…"
Kanji simply stared at her before sighing. "Yeah, figures…"
"I'm sorry if you're angry at me…"
"What? No, no I'm not. I mean, it kinda sucks. But honestly…" A small smile spread across Kanji's face as he said, "…You're better than any of the people who talked crap behind my back. Because at least you are willing to admit to thinking that stuff. And even then, you were still willing to help me out before. And… well…" Kanji then began to blush and scratch the back of his neck. "It's… kinda cool."
Yukiko let out a sigh of relief. Kanji… was not mad. Not mad or disappointed like she thought that he would be. Rather… he seemed to accept it. "Maybe he doesn't have that big of a temper…"
"I just didn't want to lie to you about how I felt, now that we'll be seeing more of each other." Yukiko replied while looking forward. "I know now how wrong I was thinking of those things. I just wish it wasn't through those set of circumstances."
"Eh, don't bother. What's done is done and all that." Kanji looked at his family store and mumbled out, "Crap, mom's going to throw a fit when she sees me."
"Do you want me to come?"
"Nah, it'll just raise one too many questions. And don't worry, I got my cover story down." Kanji nodded his head at Yukiko and said, "I'll see you and the others tomorrow, Yukiko-senpai." With that, he began to go forward, rubbing his jaw a bit.
"I'll just leave him be." With that thought, Yukiko began turning around to walk home. But as she walked, she heard voices.
"Hey mom…"
"Kanji-kun! Where have you been!? Did you know how much I've worried!?"
"Yeah, sorry… There was sort of a thing I got dragged into…"
Yukiko smiled a bit at that.
It felt… kind of nice to bring a family together again.
She then blinked as she heard a rustle of leaves, and saw something blue duck behind the church.
"Just what was that?"
xxXXxx
"Dad, when's big bro coming home?"
Dojima frowned as Nanako asked the seemingly innocent little question, stopping her preparations for dinner (A small spinach salad with broiled ribs and rice). Her eyes stared inquisitively at him, expecting an answer.
"I'm sure he is. He's just being held up by something." Dojima looked back at the TV and said, "Maybe hanging out with his friends right now."
"In entertainment news, Magical Detective Loveline the Movie 4: The Silence of the Dragons, has surpassed recent expectations in the box office. Easily beating The Dark Tower Saga: The Gunslinger as the fourth most successful movie in Japan with no signs of stopping. In world news, United States Vice-President Preston Rickards stood in for President Funny Valentine and gave a speech alongside Senator Navarro of the state of Puerto Rico in regards to the administration's push for renewable energy covering the country's energy consumption by 36% within the next eight years."
The TV continued to drone on about a good number of things, ranging from protests against the recent tax reform in Japan and reports of the Speedwagon Corporation beginning to develop the world's first AI titled ATOM, but Dojima was thinking too much on recent events to pay attention.
Things had taken a turn for the strange ever since the murders started, and the disappearances of Yukiko Amagi and Kanji Tatsumi. Both had gone missing, their parents and anyone close to them having no idea where they were.
Then in the span of a few days, they were back. Kanji's mother recently called the force to tell them that her son had returned, and the cause for his disappearance were due to those bikers jumping him and dumping him on the highway.
"And he got beaten up, so that pretty much aids that explanation." And it definitely wasn't a hoax. Both Kanji and Yukiko's parents were worried sick, and they weren't lying about their fear for their children.
But something didn't add up.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that Yukiko and Kanji conveniently couldn't remember the finer details of their captures. But that could be equated to shock, and the fact that they were still just kids.
And yet Dojima's detective intuition just couldn't shake off this suspicion.
"If Adachi were here to hear this, he would've poked fun at my suspicion." Dojima then couldn't help but smirk as he thought, "And then as payback I would've had him finish up the paperwork for the Tatsumi case."
But then again, the thing with Tatsumi and Amagi wasn't the strangest thing to happen recently.
No, that privilege went to that kid the higher-ups sent to aid in the investigation. "Seriously, what the hell are they thinki-?"
A knock on the door broke Dojima's thoughts, and near automatically he shouted out, "Who is it?"
"It's me." Came Johnny's muffled voice. "Open up."
"Big bro!" Nanako declared as she got up and ran to the door. Dojima sighed as he got up as well. It was rather late, and Johnny should know better than to do that. After all, there was the murderer and the unspoken curfew in Inaba to think about.
"Though maybe he's one of those teens that stay out late at night anyway. Adachi did mention he saw Satonaka, Amagi, and others hanging out at the shopping district…"
Dojima walked over to the entrance, and saw something the he didn't expect or ever wanted to see for that matter.
There was Johnny, sitting in his wheelchair like always. With that same look of mild annoyance and an air of youthful rebellion. Of course, dressed in another one of his stylish outfits rather than his school uniform.
Nothing out of the ordinary there, save for the utterly exhausted look in his eyes.
"Man, this is your house Johnny?" The problem happened to be one Gyro Zeppeli, grinning as he looked around the house with curious eyes. "Have to admit, it's nice and quaint!"
"What were you expecting? That I lived in a mansion like you?" Johnny asked, and Dojima had to raise an eyebrow. Technically, Johnny did live in a mansion in the United States. Did he not acknowledge that place at all?
Gyro raised an eyebrow and started, "In all honesty, think of my place as a hand-me-down by a friend of the family. Sort of like a pair of jeans that used to belong to your uncle because your parents want to be cheap."
"Oh yes, because I would know exactly how that feels." Johnny gave a simple roll of his eyes during the reply.
"At least he doesn't seem that different."
"Welcome back, big bro!" Nanako greeted with a smile. "We were just getting dinner ready!"
"Sorry I'm late. I had a thing…" Johnny's cheeks seemed to flush a bit. Maybe he was embarrassed about nearly skipping dinner again? Well, that was progress from how he would miss a meal without a problem.
"See? I told you we would make it in time." Gyro Zeppeli grinned at Johnny, his grills shining in the house's light. "And you went all about how we would never make it in time…"
"Oh, shut up!" Johnny gave a huff as he pushed his wheelchair into the house and pushed himself to the kitchen table. Dojima didn't say anything, and simply continued to stare at Gyro Zeppeli.
"What is he doing here, and with Johnny of all people?"
"Hey! I know you!" Nanako declared as she pointed at Gyro. "You're… um… Zeppeli-san! From the TV!"
Gyro snickered a bit as he took off his hat and placed it on his chest. "Gyro Zeppeli at your service!" He gave a small bow, and Nanako seemed to giggle a bit at the action. "And who might you be?"
"I'm Nanako. Nanako Dojima." Nanako introduced herself before smiling. "I'm big bro's cousin!"
"My, my. I never knew Johnny had such a cute little girl for a cousin! Gotta admit, I'm kinda jealous!"
"Gush anymore about how cute she is and you can just show yourself out." Johnny grumbled out as he lifted himself from his chair and sat next to the table.
"Come on, Johnny! I'm only teasing!" Gyro then stared at Nanako with a dead-serious expression and said, "Besides… she seems like the type who's good at games."
Dojima raised an eyebrow at that. "Where is he going with this?"
"Um…" Nanako fidgeted in place for a second as Gyro pointed at her.
"Especially with Namco games." Gyro then broke out another grin and said, "Get it? It's an original gag of mine!"
"Uh…" Both Dojima and Nanako gave their own hums of confusion as Gyro snickered.
"Nanako… Namco… they rhyme! That's why I said you were good at games! Pretty clever right? Right?"
"Oh…" Nanako's eyes then lit up in realization. "Oh!" Nanako gave a beaming smile as she giggled out, "Yeah! That's really funny! I never thought about it like that before!"
"I know right? I'm glad I'm the first to pick it up!" Gyro's grin grew even wider as he laughed out, "Nyoho!"
"That wasn't funny in the slightest." Dojima gave a low sigh rather than broadcast those thoughts however, it was only polite.
"Wow Gyro, you're an inspiration." Johnny however didn't seem to bother with those manners. "You're… like… totally guiding the children of a generation to such an enlightened form of comedy. I'm totally jealous."
"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually, Joestar!"
"He didn't even get the message." But rather than let the rather humorous scene dispel his worries, Dojima held onto them.
Gyro Zeppeli was hanging out with his nephew, after the whole incident which got Johnny injured in the first place.
He needed to know why.
"Nanako, why don't you go eat dinner without me." Dojima then stared at Gyro and said, "I need to discuss some things with Zeppeli-san."
Nanako frowned at that. "Are you two going to fight?" At that moment, Dojima could feel the glare from Johnny boring into the back of his head.
Dojima simply sighed, his cheeks reddening just a bit. "N-No. Not at all. I just want to talk to him, outside."
"Whatever it is, I plead the fifth." Gyro jokingly said, but his eyes were dead serious. Dojima was sort of impressed that the teen could balance both totally different emotions so evenly.
"This isn't a joking matter." Dojima grumbled out as he went down the step and put his shoes on. The two of them quickly exited through the house entrance, and Dojima shut the door behind him before turning to Gyro. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was just going with Johnny to this place because he might have gotten bored being all alone." Gyro replied with a shrug. "I mean this town is nice and quiet, but being alone does suck."
Dojima pinched the bridge of his nose. The kid sure was a smartass. "I mean, what are you doing here with Johnny."
"I told you that…"
"I don't believe that you just walked here straight from school, especially this late." Dojima pointed out with a frown. "I'm thinking that you spent the entire day together, especially considering how beat up he looks."
"…So what if we did? It's not against the law." Gyro replied back, causing Dojima to sigh.
"…No, it's not. But it is cause of concern, since my nephew went out of his way to break into your property and almost get himself killed." It sort of felt like Dojima was stating the obvious, but Gyro needed to know what his problem was. "And now, here you are together again. Why?"
Some possibilities went through Dojima's mind, ranging from Gyro feeling guilty and hanging out with Johnny out of pity, to Johnny sticking to Gyro and the Italian just rolling with it… to something else.
Something involved with the case.
Dojima knew that he shouldn't suspect his own nephew. After all, he was just a teenager. A really standoffish one, but still a teen.
But the way Johnny seemed to wander into scenes involving the case, and how he was now hanging out with Amagi…
"I've been teaching him how to ride again." Gyro placed his hands on his hips. "That's why he's seems tired and a bit beaten. This sport doesn't exactly have protective gear you know."
Dojima blinked in surprise. "You're… teaching him how to ride again?" Then, they narrowed, filled with anger as he said, "Why? How? After what had happened before, I would have expected that you would…!"
"Johnny showed talent despite not riding for years and despite his condition. His little stunt showed that he had drive."
"Drive doesn't mean anything if it nearly gets you killed!" Dojima argued as he motioned to the house. "My nephew got hospitalized because he tried to go back to something he just can't do anymore! And here you are encouraging him? Drive or no drive…"
"There is a way for him to ride despite his condition." Gyro replied without hesitation. "I know it, and I'm teaching it to him."
"Why should I…?"
"Believe me? Because I'm an expert in the sport, and I know what I'm talking about." Dojima flinched. The teen got him there. Gyro sighed while scratching the back of his head. "Look… I know you're worried about Johnny, but he's not helpless. He came to me hoping that I would teach him, and I'm willing to now. I didn't expect much when I first saw him, but what he did proved me wrong. I want to show him the correct way in going about this so that he doesn't get himself killed again. Without me…"
"Without me, Johnny would get himself killed trying to prove himself or learn by himself." It didn't take a genius to figure out what Gyro was hinting at. Dojima knew how stubborn his nephew was, and while stubbornness was something that could be admired it was also a trait that could be suicidal. Johnny had drive no doubt, and pride. Both of which wouldn't stop Johnny once he set his mind to something. The incident with the horse proved that if nothing else.
And Gyro obviously picked up on that too.
"But… this doesn't feel right." Allowing his nephew to get beaten up on a regular basis… what uncle could condone that? It did not sit right at all, but at the same time Dojima did know that nothing he said to Johnny would convince him to stop.
So the best compromise… was to leave him in Gyro's care?
"I don't like this. Not one bit." Dojima gave a low sigh as he said to Gyro, "I don't like this, and I doubt my sister would like it if she found out." Gyro gave a small shrug as Dojima continued. "Will you do your best to make sure Johnny doesn't get seriously hurt?"
"You can count on me."
"I'm trusting you on this." Dojima didn't give that out easily, if he said so himself. "If something goes wrong…"
"Worrying too much is bad for your health." Gyro said with a grin before pointing to the door. "You mind if I say goodbye?"
"Sure, but we are going to have dinner soon. And I'm afraid Nanako didn't make enough for four." Dojima then opened the door for Gyro, who entered the building once more…
…And Dojima was greeted by a frowning Nanako and a glaring Johnny.
"…What's with those looks?" Dojima asked, only for Nanako to turn around and continue eating her food.
"You said you weren't fighting…" Nanako grumbled out, and Dojima's cheeks flushed.
"C-Come on, we weren't fighting…"
"Then what was with you two talking alone outside? If that isn't a fight… or an interrogation, I don't know what is." Johnny pitched in, causing Dojima to sigh.
"Johnny, we were just…"
"We were just discussing some things regarding our little club." Gyro then patted Dojima on the shoulder. "And you won't believe who said yes!"
Dojima could not help but notice the brief look of panic that crossed Johnny's face, before it morphed into confusion and then realization. "You mean he…?"
"Look, I don't like the idea of you getting yourself hurt riding horses again…" Dojima began, taking off his shoes and going up the step. "But so long as he's coaching you… and if you won't just drop it if I asked you to… then I can't stop you. Just… just try not to get hurt. Your mom would kill me."
Nanako then let out a little gasp. "Big bro is going to ride horses again?"
Before Dojima could reply Gyro said, "You bet! He's going to get coaching from me personally, so you've got nothing to worry about!"
"Yay!" Nanako clapped a bit as a smile beamed on her face. "Can I come and watch you sometime?"
"Anytime!"
"Come on, it's not that big of a deal…" Johnny spoke up, his cheeks flushing and scratching his cheek a bit, obviously embarrassed.
"Alright, alright. That's enough excitement." Then, something popped up in Dojima's head. He probably should have told Johnny and Gyro this as soon as they came but… "By the way, you both know Kanji Tatsumi?"
At that moment, the happiness disappeared from Gyro's face and his grin became a small smile. It almost seemed fake. "Yeah, the delinquent kid?"
Well, that's one way to describe him.
"Yeah, well he had gone missing for a few days and we've been searching for him when his mom reported it. You're going to hear this sooner or later, but he came back just recently. Said the biker gang that he beat up apparently jumped him, beat him up a bit, and dumped him on the highway. But he's safe now."
Dojima didn't really know why he said that last part. It wasn't supposed to be told to civilians. The whole case was meant to be kept quiet for as long as possible to prevent any panic or a media circus.
But here he was, telling it to Gyro and Johnny.
And keeping an eye on Johnny and Gyro's expressions.
Johnny had that same apathetic look on his face, but Dojima could swear he saw Johnny's jaw tighten just a bit. Meanwhile, Gyro's fingers seemed to be tapping on his thigh.
Was it just them being annoyed of him rambling?
Or were they nervous about this info?
"Man, biker gangs. You would think a bunch of guys who are going through a mid-life crisis would have something better to do that act out a fad that died out years ago." Gyro glanced at Johnny and asked, "What do you think, Joestar?"
"I think that these so-called badasses must be pretty weak if they got beaten up by a first year and then had to sneak up on him to actually do anything." Johnny replied while putting in another piece of meat into his mouth. "Honestly, it's not cool. It's kind of pathetic. Bet they all ride on Harley's too."
"Hah! Yeah, I bet they do!" Gyro then opened the door, but turned back his head and grinned before giving a small wave. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Joestar! Later Nanako and detective!"
"Goodbye!" Nanako cried out before Gyro exited the building, and Gyro closed the door behind him.
Dojima simply hummed as he continued to stare at the door. Gyro and Johnny's responses… they were normal. Normally apathetic at least. It was not uncommon for people to badmouth criminals after hearing news concerning them, and then continue on their way. In fact, Dojima found it sickeningly normal.
But the way they said it… it seemed that the two foreigners were trying as hard as they could to appear apathetic.
"Am I just overthinking things or…?"
"Dad! Your food is getting cold!"
Dojima shook his head. He was getting hungry after all. "Alright! I'm coming." With that, Dojima turned around and headed for the table.
But as he sat down, he could not help but give one more suspicious glance at his nephew.
He wanted to believe Johnny was just attending school and making new friends like any other relatively normal high school boy, but why was his detective intuition telling him otherwise?
After all, how much trouble could a wheelchair bound teen get into after school…?
[To Be Continued |\|]
Note: Got this chapter off the ground before the semester started. Credit goes to Kiiam for helping me to Beta
Hope you liked the bits and pieces of trivia I sprinkled throughout the chapter. I sort of wanted to make it clear that the Shadow World and Shadows get their own weird pseudo-scientific JoJo explanation. Also wanted to make it clear that this IS an alternate world. Bits of pop-culture have changed, and even political situations. For instance, in this universe Obama was never elected president and Puerto Rico, Guam, and Washington D.C are all states.
But with that out of the way, here's some info you guys might like.
Name: Pyro Jack
User: Jonathan 'Johnny' Joestar
Destructive Power: B
Speed: C
Range: D
Durability: D
Precision: A
Development Potential: D
Powers:
Pyro Jack is able to create pillars of fire around a select target in a circle one to three meters wide, and does not need to rely on the humidity or oxygen of the room. However, Pyro Jack can only attack one target at a time and remains in place for around five seconds while attacking, leaving both it and its user vulnerable.
Character INFO:
Name: Yosuke Hanamura
Age: 16
Birthday: June 22, 1994
Zodiac: Cancer
Gender: Male
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 58 kg
Blood Type: A
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Movie: Mad Max 2- The Road Warrior
Favorite Musician: Anthony Kiedis
Favorite Athlete: Mauricio Rua
Occupation: Yasogami High 2nd Year Student, Part-Time Junes Employee
Arcana: The Magician
Persona: Jiraiya
Name: Chie Satonaka
Age: 16
Birthday: July 30, 1994
Zodiac: Leo
Gender: Female
Height: 158 cm
Weight: 49 kg
Blood Type: B
Hair Color: Light brown
Eye Color: Brown
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Movie: Fists of Fury
Favorite Musician: Diggy-MO
Favorite Athlete: Bruce Lee
Occupation: Yasogami High 2nd Year Student
Arcana: The Chariot
Persona: Tomoe
Name: Yukiko Amagi
Age: 16
Birthday: December 8, 1994
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Gender: Female
Height: 164 cm
Weight: 53 kg
Blood Type: O
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Hazel
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Movie: The Fly (1986)
Favorite Musician: Hikaru Utada
Favorite Athlete: Yuzuru Hanyu
Occupation: Yasogami High 2nd Year Student
Arcana: The Priestess
Persona: Konohana Sakuya
Anyway, please check out the TV Tropes page and add whatever you find appropriate. Also check out the Spacebattles page for this story for a more in-depth discussion.
Please leave constructive criticism.