In this chapter, Yukiko and Chie will join the fight.
I'll do my best to give each character equal screentime. Though Tao is the main protagonist. I chose her because she's the msor incorruptible person around.
I'm sure you're a fan of at least one character in Persona 4. You have a justification for reading it, right?
Well, if you're here for Shin Megami Tensei V material, I understand too.
Chapter 6: Honorary Sisters
"Where are Yosuke and Sahori?" asked Yukiko.
They too were nowhere to be found.
"It seems like more and more people are going missing." explained Chie. What was with Inaba these days?
They were at Junes. The theme song was catchy. But it didn't cheer them up when people were theoretically being abducted by aliens. Had any crop circles been noticed by farmers.
As usual, they were sitting at a table.
It was most distressing, knowing that people couldn't locate their loved ones.
The police were undoubtedly investigating the disappearances.
But when she went to read the newspaper, she discovered they hadn't found anybody.
It must be perplexing for them.
"You don't suppose we're going to be next, are you?" questioned the brunette. It was a scary thought, even for her.
"I certainly hope not." answered Chie. Unfortunately, there did not appear to be a pattern in the disappearances, other than the victims all being high school students.
It was anyone's guess as to where this mysterious kidnapper would strike next.
Suddenly, Yukiko discovered they had a text on her phone.
"We're going on a journey to the Netherworld to get back the missing high school students. The machine could only transport two peope at a time…so we let you know in advance. If you wish to join the fray, head to Bethel Headquarters." read the brunette.
"I find it truly admirable that he wishes to be the hero." spoke Yukiko.
"And he talked someone else into it. I find that admirable." noted Chie.
"I bet you're happy that he told you where he was going." said the fiery girl. She was hoping that he would tell her that herself. No point in allowing her to think that he had vanished into thin air.
"If he didn't, I would have to kick him in the shin." answered the ice manipulator. Not telling people where he was going would be a terrible idea.
"I'm glad that he found a girl who's supportive of him. I feel like Sahori could use a friend other than Tao now that she's gone missing to help her get through this. Something tells me she feels lonely." remarked the brunette.
"She probably is. But I don't think she feels that way anymore. She has us, does he not?" asked the tomboy.
"True. But she's still getting to know us. She's known Yosuke for a bit longer, I would imagine." agreed Yukiko.
"You have a point." nodded Chie.
"It makes me feel happy knowing Yosuke found a girl that likes him. I know that things wouldn't have worked out between him and Saki, even if she were still alive. But I think he might have a bright future ahead of him." noted the brunette.
"Something tells me they have a lot in common." explained the karate lover.
Meanwhile…
"Hey, big bro! I heard that there has been reports regarding people disappearing." noted Nanako.
Unfortunately, these reports were not exaggerated. People were indeed going missing.
"That's what worries me." said Yu.
"You'll keep me safe, right?" asked Nanako.
"Of course." nodded the boy. That was what older siblings were for.
Well, technically he wasn't her older brother. But close enough.
"You're the best big bro ever!" exclaimed the girl.
Yu nodded.
He got the feeling that Yosuke had gone off to look for the missing people. It would be best if they did get to the bottom of the disappearances, before they started to happen again.
It was making them feel restless. They wondered if they could be next.
And they were consider closing down
But he could still hang out with his other friends.
He wondered which one he should choose.
He decided to pick Rise.
She was one of the most popular girls around, after all.
So he went to visit her.
Shortly afterward, Nanako heard shuffling in the fridge.
"Huh?" asked the girl.
She opened the fridge, and discovered the Jack Frost Yuzuru had met earlier.
"Are you a snowman? It's not winter." said Nanako.
"Hee-hello!" exclaimed Jack Frost, waving at her.
"May I ask you what you're doing in my house? Dad said he doesn't want strangers over. He says that there have been too many disappearances lately." noted the girl. And he certainly didn't want her to be next. She was the most innocent girl around.
Well, at least until Tao showed up. But she had disappeared shortly after she arrived at her neighborhood.
"It's scary, ho." nodded Jack.
"I know." spoke Nanako.
"What should I do, ho?" asked Frost.
She directed Frost to go outside.
"There we go." said Nanako.
"This hee-human world is very interesting." spoke Jack.
"I'm glad you like it. Wait, you're not from my world?" asked Nanako.
There did seem to be something otherworldly about this individual. Though she suspected that he too was very young.
"I'm from a world full of demons, ho." explained the snowman.
"Wait, you're from a world full of demons? That sounds scary." remarked the girl.
"It's not so-ho bad. But it sometimes can be-hee." noted Jack. His father had warned him to stay away from angels, as angels enslaved others and forced them to do their dirty work.
"Is there where the people on the news have been going?" asked Nanako.
Jack nodded.
"I sure hope they'll be alright. I hate the thought of anything bad happening to them." remarked the girl. According to the news, three high school students had been reported missing.
"They should be fine, if they work together, ho." explained Jack Frost.
"That sounds nice." remarked Nanako.
Jack Frost nodded.
"It's nice to make a friend…though I wasn't expecting to befriend a snowman. My name is Nanako." said Nanako.
"Pleased to meet you, ho! I'm Jack Frost!" exclaimed Jack.
He shook Nanako's hand.
Suddenly, a blue smoke swirled around them.
When the smoke cleared, Nanako was dressed in a red Santa outfit.
And Jack Frost was nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd he go?" asked Nanako.
"I'm right here, ho!" exclaimed Jack Frost.
"Wait, are you inhabiting my body? It feels nice, but…"
"Whoops! I'll take my exit!" shouted the boy demon.
He left Nanako's body.
"How did you do that?" asked the girl.
"I think I might have accidentally made myself a Nahobino-ho!" exclaimed Jack Frost.
"What's that?" questioned Nanako.
"My father told me-hee it's when a demon merges with a human." explained Jack.
"Is that a bad thing?" asked the girl. It seemed like a scary thought, but she didn't know much about demons outside of them punishing bad people for their misdeeds.
"Well, the angels seem to think so, ho. But my dad said it wasn't." spoke the frosty demon.
"OK." nodded Nanako. She felt stronger when Jack Frost inhabited her body, but her father had told her she was very independent for her young age. So maybe having Jack Frost's power wasn't necessary.
"I suppose we don't need to do that again, ho!" exclaimed Jack Frost.
"Is your dad looking for you? He's made it clear how much he loves me." explained Nanako. By that logic, his father loved him.
"I never thought of that, ho." spoke Jack.
Perhaps it would be best if he stayed in one spot.
It would be easier to find him that way.
Meanwhile…
"More people looking to join Bethel? There sure seems to be a lot of volunteers these days. But I suppose I won't look a gift horse in the mouth considering everything that is going on." remarked the guard at the entrance.
Chie nodded.
Fortunately, they had weapons for defending themselves.
Yukiko decided to tell their friends where they were going, as Yosuke himself did.
Using the device, they found themselves in the Netherworld.
Not long afterwards, a giant approached them.
A giant with red skin.
His name was Goko.
"More humans in the Netherworld? I don't know what is happening these days." said the man.
If the barrier between the two worlds was disappearing, it wasn't going to be a pretty sight when it evaporated completely. He knew from experience that there were demons that were friendly to humans, but it wasn't worth the risk.
"Well, we're here to find them and bring them home." explained Chie.
They had spent their time saving people when they were part of the Inaba Investigation Team.
And their goal was similar to before. Only this time, instead of saving people from the Midnight Channel, they would be saving people from the Netherworld instead.
"Very understandable. But understand that it's not safe here for humans. Demons can be dangerous. And angels too." warned Goko.
They should keep this in mind if they wished to stay in Da'at for an extended period of time.
"Angels can be dangerous?" asked Yukiko.
"I will admit this isn't always the case. There are angels out there that indeed care about humans. But there are also angels who are afraid of them becoming Nahobino." spoke Goko.
"Nahobino?" questioned Chie.
"There are demons out there that wish to combine with humans. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Demons and humans are entirely capable of forming a symbiotic relationship. But if the demon in question is evil, they end up corrupting the humans themselves." explained Goko.
"That does sound bad." noted Yukiko.
"It is. And if an evil god finds their other half and unites with them, it will often result in a mass slaughter. This is why angels consider Nahobino to be taboo. But considering the stories I've been hearing about one such Nahobino, I'm not sure if it should be forbidden." explained Goko.
"What are those stories like?" asked Chie.
"They say she's encouraging angels, humans, and demons to put aside their differences. I can't help but wonder if she'll eventually bring peace to both the Netherworld and the human world." spoke the giant.
"Really? She sounds like an angel." remarked Yukiko.
"Just as she looks like one." explained Goko.
"I'm interested in meeting this girl." said Chie.
"Maybe you shall. I hope that if anyone recreates the world one day, it'll be her." spoke the red giant. There were other takers, but they didn't seem as benevolent as her.
"Recreating the world? Sounds interesting. But why would someone want to do that?" asked Yukiko.
"There are a lot of reasons. But if she's as compassionate as I think she is, you will have nothing to worry about." said the giant.
"Sounds good!" exclaimed Chie.
For some strange reason, Goko felt a connection to Chie.
He wasn't sure what it was however.
"I understand your concern for your friends, but would you mind if I give you a test of strength? If you succeed, I'll allow you to stay in the Netherworld so you can locate them. But if you fail, I shall have to send you back for your own safety." explained the red man.
"I suppose that seems fair. And we didn't come to Da'at unarmed." noted Yukiko.
"As you should." said Goko.
"Are you going to fight us, big man?" questioned Chie.
"No no no. I am far too strong. You shall instead be fighting a colleague of mine." explained the giant.
He summoned Gozoki.
"He is not a powerful demon, but he should be able to test your strength." noted Goko.
"Are you ready?" asked the goat demon.
Yukiko nodded.
"By the way, my name is Goko. If you are strong enough to survive out in the Netherworld, I shall help you find the missing humans." greeted the red giant. Might as well get formalities out of the way.
"My name is Chie. I have to admit, I really admire your strong muscles." noted the martial artist.
Again, Goko wondered if he and Chie had some sort of special connection.
Meanwhile…
"I can't help but shake the feeling that my friend has entered the Netherworld to find me." noted Tao.
Was it Sahori?
It seemed possible.
The two of them were close, despite personality differences. Tao was well-behaved while Sahori was mischievous.
And yes, it mirrored the relationship between Chie and Yukiko themselves.
Chie and Yukiko had never been bullied, however. Though Chie sometimes wondered if she herself was a bully. And Yukiko did feel like she wasn't living a good life sometimes. But they had both changed themselves for the better.
"I wouldn't be too surprised." nodded Yuzuru.
He knew that if Miyazu had somehow ended up in the Netherworld, he would be the first person to volunteer to save her.
After all, he was a member of Bethel.
"Do you think anyone else is looking for us?" asked Ichiro.
"It could be my sister, but I don't think she would risk going into the netherworld by herself." explained Yuzuru.
"Yeah. She's a smart girl, isn't she?" questioned Tao.
"That's part of the reason why we get along so well." noted the bespectacled boy.
"I imagine you do." nodded the girl with the long hair.
"I wish I could get along so well with you." spoke Ichiro.
"Try to understand things from the other's perspective. Demons are not always bad, but angels are not always good." explained Tao.
The blonde nodded.
That was starting to make sense.
Meanwhile…
As Yosuke and Sahori continued searching for their friends, they encountered something strange.
They were witnessing shadows.
"Shadows? I thought they only existed in the Midnight Channel." said Yosuke.
There was something different about these shadows, however.
"Midnight Channel?" asked Sahori.
"This hasn't been the first time disappearances occurred in my town. There were two different murders, both of which were committed by the same person." spoke the teenage boy.
"I honestly hope that Tao doesn't meet the same fate." said the redhead.
"Yeah. I felt heartbroken when a girl I knew fell victim to a serial killer." remarked Yosuke.
"I'm so sorry." sympathized Sahori.
"It got worse when I found out that she didn't like me. But at least she had her reasons." noted the boy.
"I know I like you. I feel like we're kindred spirits." admitted the redhead. Maybe because they were both unfortunate?
"I'm very happy to hear that." answered Yosuke.
You can tell why I think Yukiko and Chie are honorary sisters. You can tell they're not lesbians though, as they wouldn't go on a date with the P4 protagonist otherwise. You're welcome to portray them as being bisexual, however. That doesn't go against canon.
In the next chapter, Rise and Teddie will enter the mix.
And yes, I decided to include Nanako in this fanfic.
I imagine her as being a younger Tao.
On the subject of Tao, I figured she would be the perfect person to pick the world. Of course, in canon, you probably alresdy know who the worst choice would be. That would be Lahmu. I don't want to think about what would happen if he won.
And yes, Gozomi is also from Buddhist mythology.
But he's from Chinese mythology as well.
And yeah, Sahori is going to have a happy ending in this fanfic.
She's basically been reincarnated. So I might as well.