Welcome to the debut of a story of my favorite game of all time: Persona 4. I wanted to create a story of Persona 4 that covers the entirety of Yu's journey, and in addition to that, the romance aspect as well. And of course, Yu will get to talk more, instead of just the dialogue options that appear. This will mostly follow the game, though funny moments from the anime can/will be included, such as Yu's "I am the king line." And finally, this is a harem. And this list is finalized. It is 6, and it contains:

Chie

Yukiko

Marie

Rise

Naoto

Margaret

Rise, Yukiko, and Marie I feel are the most obvious, and I also really like their romance arcs. Hell, I like all the girls' romance arcs, which is why I picked them. Margaret for the prospect of 'sinning' with a wild card. That leaves Chie and Naoto. I know people ship Chie with Yosuke, but personally, I see them as more of a sibling type relationship with their constant bickering. But if you ship them, that's okay, as long as it is not fucking Takeshi of all people. Fuck that guy. And finally, Naoto. Kanji is a great character, but man just doesn't do anything about his feelings for Naoto, and I honestly like the chemistry between Yu and Naoto better. And I also don't think Naoto has the same feelings for Kanji. Sucks, but what are you gonna do?

Finally, I think the main plan is for a stronger Izanagi compared to the game. It definitely is gonna be more comparable to Shadow of the Labyrinth and Persona 5, instead of the regular and limiting move set it had for Persona 4. Should be fun. Now without further delay or exposition, we can get into chapter 1 of the story. I don't own Persona 4, Atlus does.

Chapter 1: Start of a Fool's Journey

A young man, around 16-17 years of age, opened his eyes, and looked around to see where he was. He was sitting in what could only be described as a car seat. 'Is this some limo?' He thought to himself. He had never been driven in a limo before, but it seemed like it was, because there was no other car that had an interior like this. The interior of the car and the seats were made out of leather. And it was entirely blue. Opposite of him sat two people. The first was an old man with a very long nose. He was bald on top of his head, but had white hair on the back. He had black eyebrows, and his eyes were completely white with small black pupils. He wore a suit with white gloves, and was sitting in the middle of the car seat in front of a table. 'Who the hell is this old man?' He thought to himself before his gaze fell towards the second passenger

The second passenger was a beautiful woman. She had long blond hair with a hairband on top. She had yellow eyes with small black pupils. She had visible red lipstick. Her face is what one would describe as "angelic" or "elegant". Her breast size was probably around a C-D cup. She wore deep blue clothes that were made out of leather. On her feet, she wore blue high heels, and black leggings. In her lap, she had both of her hands on a book. 'She's very beautiful.' The young man thought to himself. 'But where the hell am I? This has to be a dream right? But for some reason, it doesn't feel like it'

"Ah… it seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny…" The old man spoke, chuckling as he finished his sentence.

"Who are you? What is this place?" The young man asked, still confused as to what was going on.

"My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter, known as the Velvet Room… It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now that I have introduced myself, why don't you give me your name?"

The young man was speechless at what he was hearing 'A place between dream and reality? So this isn't a dream? But it has to be, right? Yet it doesn't feel like it' He then stopped his wild thoughts to introduce himself. "My name is Yu Narukami," he said.

"Hm… I see. Very interesting name" Igor said. He then took out a deck of cards. Yu recognized them right away. They were tarot cards. Though he wasn't quite familiar with all the cards and how they worked. Just the general information. "Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we? Do you believe in fortune telling? Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different…" He then chuckled again. "Life itself follows the same principles, does it not?"

"I've never really thought about it like that before." Yu answered honestly. He wasn't a believer in fortune telling, but what he said about life made a bit of sense to him.

Igor then revealed a card "Hm… The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent." Yu's eyes were wide as he heard this. "The card indicating the future beyond that is…" He then revealed another card. "The moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'... very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen."

Yu's eyes were still wide, not fully comprehending what was being said to him. 'A terrible catastrophe? A great mystery? What the hell does this all mean?' He thought to himself.

"Lastly, there is this card. The Lovers in the upright position represents the connections you will make. You will find close friendships, family connection, and of course, romance on your journey. This is a bit special, because it seems that your romantic life may not be limited to just one partner." Igor finished.

Yu blushed at that last one. He had never had a girlfriend before, so the idea of having one definitely shocked him a bit, let alone potentially more than one. It wasn't like he had problems attracting girls, it was that the girls that he had interacted with didn't have the greatest personality. And even by the time he had started building a relationship with a girl he liked, he would end up changing schools before it went anywhere. Also, the close family part 'Is that part referring to Uncle Dojima? Well, even if I don't put much stock into this crap, at least it bodes well for my stay in Inaba. And having close friends also doesn't hurt.' He had developed some friendships, but he never really had anyone he would call close, or even a "Best friend". He did at least keep in touch with some people from time to time though.

"Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself." Igor stated.

The woman then introduced herself "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey."

"It is nice to meet you Margaret." Yu said politely. "I look forward to getting to know you better." Really, Yu wanted to get to know this woman better because he found her attractive, and having her guide him through this journey was definitely not a bad thing, especially if she could help him in any way face whatever this tragedy was.

"My, you are very polite." Margaret said, smiling.

"Very interesting." Igor said before handing Yu the Moon Tarot card. "Take this card. When you wake up, it will be in your hand, and you will know this was not a dream. We shall attend to the details another time, and when that comes, you will give back that card. Until then, farewell…"

Yu's vision then blurred, and the room suddenly disappeared around him. He then jumped awake, and sat up, breathing heavily. 'Was that a dream?' he thought to himself. His eyes then widened in shock, as in his hand was the Moon Tarot card that Igor gave him. 'Impossible! That's the card Igor gave me. That really wasn't a dream. But what does this all mean?' Yu's thoughts continued to race. He was confused and shocked by what had transpired. If all that was real, then something big was coming. Although, Yu knew he couldn't do much about it right now. He would have to wait for Igor and Margaret to call him back. 'I can't worry about this now. I need to go back to sleep.' After all, he had a long day ahead of him. He was gonna be in Yasoinaba tomorrow.

April 11th

Yu was in a train station, waiting for his train to Yasoinaba. Taking a good look at him, he stood at 5'11, with silver hair and gray eyes. He wore a black jacket with a white shirt underneath, with black pants. He carried one bag in his right hand.

In the station, they played the news talking about the story about the affair between the city council secretary Taro Namatame and reporter Mayumi Yamano. There also seemed to be a commercial of a girl around Yu's age selling some drink, but he was not paying attention to any of that. His mind was still focused on what happened last night. 'What was all that?' He asked himself for the millionth time. He had tried to properly digest his encounter with Igor and Margaret, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't make sense of it. Especially the Tarot card, which he kept in his pants pocket at all times, the main evidence of his encounter last night. His train had finally arrived, and Yu got on. He found a seat, and just waited for his train to arrive in Inaba. He got a text, telling him to meet them at Yasoinaba station at 4 pm. As his train continued on its journey, he thought back on how he got here in the first place

He remembered how he was once again transferring schools, as his homeroom teacher announced he was transferring once again. His class had seemed a bit sad at this, and Yu knew why. Relatively, he was very liked at every school he had been to. No one really had a problem with him, and while he would always get incredible grades and was very good at sports, he never came across as arrogant. Did he have his haters? Of course, but that was usually from people who never had got the chance to know him, and were annoyed at how perfect he seemed to be. He was a relatively open guy, and had an abundance of charm to him that just made people gravitate towards him. The only problem with him? He could never make his bonds fully stick, because due to his parent's job, he would be moved back and forth between schools. This year in Inaba would be one of the longest times he would ever stay at a school. Sometimes, he wouldn't even make it through a semester. As one could imagine, this wasn't very good for someone who wanted to maintain friendships. Plus, changing one's environment so quickly can overwhelm a person. The good news is that Yu was used to it, so it didn't affect him too much.

What he was not used to was the environment Inaba would provide. He had always had his schooling in cities. Never in a small town like this. There probably wasn't gonna be too much to do, so he might get bored very quickly. Though, if part of Igor's prediction came true, maybe this would be good for him. After all, he might be able to hang out with friends to entertain himself. Maybe this place could become a second home to him. Though, he would have to wait and see. 'Plus, it's gonna be nice to see Uncle Dojima again. I know he helped take care of me when I was a baby, and mom said he was a great guy.' Yu thought to himself. He had always admired his uncle when he heard he was a detective, and he had usually visited once in a blue moon when he was a kid. Those visits had stopped for some reason, but he was glad for an opportunity like this to see his Uncle again.

He closed his eyes, trying to think back to the Velvet Room, but all of a sudden, his mind flashed to something else. A woman, struggling with someone. Then, all of a sudden, static. And then the faces of Igor and Margaret appeared in his mind. Yu's eyes widened in shock. 'Who was that woman?' Yu thought to himself. What in the hell was going on? His thoughts were interrupted, as the train finally stopped. He was finally in Yasoinaba.

He stepped out of the station, looking for Dojima. He then heard a voice "Hey! Over here!" He walked towards the source of the voice. And then, there he was. Standing at around the same height as Yu, was Ryotaro Dojima. He had short, grayish black hair with gray eyes with a five o'clock shadow. He wore a dark gray dress shirt with a red tie and black pants. He also carried a coat over his shoulder. "Well, you're more handsome in person than in your photo." Dojima said smiling. "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Let's see… I'm your mother's younger brother… and that about sums it up."

"It's been a long time, Ojisan." Yu said smiling.

"I'll say Yu. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers… This here's my daughter. Come on Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin." Dojima said, looking towards the girl in question. She was no taller than 4 ft. She had brown hair tied into short pigtails by Pink Ribbons and brown eyes. She wore a white turtleneck under a sleeveless pink dress with two shades of red, white socks, and pink penny loafers. She was no older than 7.

"...'lo." she said rather shyly, and then hid behind Dojima.

Dojima chuckled in amusement. "What are you so shy for?" he asked her.

Nanako didn't find his laughter very funny. In fact, she looked a little angry. She then punched Dojima on the back.

"Ow, hahaha." Dojima said, wincing a bit from the hit. Yu couldn't help but chuckle to himself in amusement. "Well then…Let's get going. My car's over there." Dojima said, and he and Nanako walked towards the car. Yu started walking over towards the car. What he didn't notice was a paper fly out of the back pouch on his bag from a sudden breeze.

"...Hey." a voice said. Yu turned around, looking towards the origin of the voice. In front of him was a girl. She stood at 5'5'' tall. She had chin length brown hair with gray eyes. She wore a sleeveless white shirt, with a short black necktie with various safety pins on it, and a checkered shirt. On her neck, she wore a red choker necklace with a lock on it. She also wore a unique black belt, as it had a golden buckle that resembled a heart with wings. She wore black and white striped stockings on her feet, along with black lace-up dark gray heeled boots. On her hands, she wore fingerless gloves, and one of those hands was holding a piece of paper. "You dropped this." she said.

"Thank you." Yu said, and walked over to her and grabbed the paper from her. It was the note he had made to himself about Dojima's address.

"Whatever. All I did was pick it up." the girl said. She then looked to the side, seemingly thinking about something, and then walked away.

Yu just stared after her, wondering what just happened. 'Well, she didn't seem like the friendliest person, but my bitch detector isn't going off, so that at least somewhat bodes well for my stay here if all the other girls here are like that. Plus, she was kinda attractive.' Yu thought to himself. He had experience when it came to dealing with girls who seemed to have terrible personalities, since all the girls who seemed to be attracted to him had the equivalent of sewer water for a personality. And even though the girl he just met didn't seem the most friendly, she also didn't trigger this 6th sense of his. Plus, she probably just wasn't a fan of interacting with strangers, which Yu could understand.

"What's wrong?" Dojima called from the car.

"Sorry!" Yu said, and then he rushed towards the car.

A little while later, a car pulled up to a gas station in the Inaba Central Shopping District. It pulled into one of the available pumps, and an attendant was there to greet it.

"Hi! Welcome to Moel!" the attendant exclaimed.

"Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" Dojima asked

"Uh huh." Nanako answered.

Dojima then got out of the car. He started chatting with the attendant and then Nanako got out of the car, looking for the bathroom.

"It's in the back, to your left. You know which way's left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in." The attendant said to Nanako

"I know… Geez…" Nanako said annoyed. She then ran towards the bathroom. It was at that moment Yu finally got out of the car.

"Are you taking a trip? The Attendant asked Dojima

"No, we just went to pick him up. He just moved here from the big city." Dojima answered.

"The city, huh?" The attendant said, interested.

"Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine." Dojima said.

"Right away, sir!" The attendant said with enthusiasm.

"Good time as any for a smoke." Dojima said to himself and walked away. It was just Yu and the gas station attendant.

"Are you in High School?" The attendant asked Yu.

"Huh?" Yu was confused for a moment before finally answering the question "Oh, yeah I am."

"Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out there?" The attendant asked. "There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part time help right now. Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student." The attendant then approached Yu and put out her hand to shake.

"You know what, sure. I'll let you know." Yu said, before shaking the attendant's hand. They engaged in a bit more small talk before Nanako came back from the bathroom.

"Oh, I should get back to work." The attendant said, and walked away.

Yu then all of a sudden felt something wrong with him. Little did he know, some energy had seemed to have entered him. 'What's wrong with me right now?' Yu thought to himself, as he put a hand to his forehead.

"...Are you okay Yu?" Nanako asked, a bit worried. "Did you get carsick? You don't look too good…"

'Now that she mentions it, I feel a little dizzy. It's probably nothing too serious, I'm probably just exhausted from the long trip.' Yu thought.

Right on time, Dojima came walking back from his smoke break. "What's wrong? You okay?" he asked Yu, a bit concerned.

"I just felt lightheaded." Yu answered.

"That's understandable. It must have been a long trip for you. Why not take a little walk, get some fresh air? Just let me know when you're ready to go."

"Thank you Ojisan." Yu said, and he started leaving the gas station.

"Make sure you stay on the south side of the district. It's everything from here to the Shiroku store" Dojima ordered him.

"I will." Yu said, and started walking around the shopping district.

As he walked, he saw a familiar girl. It was the girl at the train station. He walked up to her. She looked at him a bit confused.

"Hm…? Have we met before?" she asked him.

"We met at the station. What were you doing there?" Yu asked her.

"The station…? Oh, that one time… Nothing. I just went… I don't have anywhere to go." she said, and then she fell silent with a bit of a frown on her face.

'Hmmm, something is wrong. Though she doesn't seem to want to talk about it. I should just leave her be for now, and see if I can help her later the next time I see her.' Yu thought. "Well, it was good talking to you. Hopefully we can meet again."

The girl looked a little surprised at this, and then just said "...Yeah." With a small smile on her face.

Yu then spent time walking around the rest of the southern part of the district. He saw a bookstore, a tofu shop, and what appeared to be a weapons shop. He then saw the Shiroku store. As he walked towards it to see what it was about, he heard two people talking.

"Hey, do you know where my snack went? I had it in the fridge, but it's gone…" A male student asked.

"Oh, I ate it just now. I thought it was leftovers." A female student, who seemed to be his older sister, answered.

"WHAT!? No, it wasn't leftovers! I was making sure to save it for later!" The male student shouted angrily.

"Oh, really. Sorry 'bout that." the female student said apologetically. "Well, I'm going to work. See ya."

What!?" The male student exclaimed. "I was really looking forward to eating it…"

'They seem to be having a sibling dispute. And I think this is my cue to leave.' Yu thought, and walked away, heading back towards the gas station.

When he arrived back, Dojima was waiting for him. "Yu, how're you feeling? Ready to get back in the car?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Yu answered, wanting to leave due to feeling awkward from hearing that sibling dispute. He had also started feeling better, so he was good to go.

"All right. Let's hit the road then." Dojima said. Yu then went back into the car, and he, along with Dojima and Nanako, left the district.

The car pulled up to a house. In front of the house was a scooter. It wasn't the biggest house, but it wasn't the smallest either. Dojima, Nanako, and Yu walked over to the front door. Dojima opened it up and went inside. Nanako followed. Yu took the time to analyze the house one more time. 'So this is where I will be staying for the next year huh?' He thought to himself. He looked over and saw a yard to the side. 'That patch of land could probably be used for a garden.' He took one last look at the house, and then walked inside.

Evening came, and Yu, Dojima, and Nanako were sitting at the living room table eating dinner. Each of them had an assortment of sushi on their plates. They then all grabbed their drinks, and then Dojima spoke up. "All right, let's have a toast." he said. They all toasted, and took a sip from their drinks. "So… Your mom and dad are as busy as always… They're working overseas, was it? I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of you parents… It's rough being a , it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around. So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."

"Thank you for your kindness." Yu said. 'I honestly didn't mind being sent out here in the first place, since I have never experienced living in a small town like this. I sort of already like it here because of how different it is. Plus, if what Igor said is true, this year might be a bit more chaotic than expected anyways.' He thought to himself.

"C'mon, there's no need to be so formal. Look, you're making Nanako all tense." Dojima said smiling. They both turned to Nanako, who looked a bit embarrassed and looked down at the table. Their attention then went to the food on their plates. "Well, anyway… Let's eat." Dojima said, and was about to eat his sushi when the phone rang. "Ugh… Who's calling at this hour?" Dojima groaned. He then answered the phone. "...Dojima speaking. Mmhm…" He then got up from his seat at the table. "Yeah? I see… So where is it? Uh huh. All right, I'm on my way. Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze…" He then hung up the phone. He turned to Yu. "Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me." Dojima said. As Nanako stood up, Dojima said to her "I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?"

"...Okay." Nanako said, a little sad. Dojima then walked out the door and opened it. It was raining outside.

"Nanako, it's raining out. What did you do with the laundry!?" He called out.

"I already brought it in!" Nanako called back in response.

"... All right. Well, I'm off." Dojima said, and closed the door behind him. Nanako then turned on the TV. The news was on, and it was talking about the weather. It was going to rain tomorrow.

"Let's eat." Nanako said, and she started eating her sushi.

'I might as well try to start a conversation with her. I'll ask her what her dad does even though I already know and see if I can get the ball rolling.' Yu thought to himself. "Hey, Nanako, what does your dad do?" Yu asked.

"He… investigates stuff. Like crime scenes. My dad's a detective." Nanako answered. All of a sudden, the news switched to something else. It was talking about the affair between Taro Namatame and Mayumi Yamano again. It revealed that his wife, Misuzu Hiiragi, would likely be pursuing damages due to the affair, and that Yamano had all of her TV appearances canceled, and would remain out of the public eye for some time.

As they showed the picture of Yamano, Yu wondered to himself 'Why does she look so familiar? Besides the fact that she's the subject of a massive scandal of course.'

"...This is boring." Nanako said. She then changed the channel. There was a commercial talking about a department store called Junes. It ended with their signature jingle. Nanako repeated it, singing joyfully, "Every day's great at your Junes!"

'She must really like that song.' Yu thought to himself, a visible smile on his face.

"...Aren't you going to eat Yu?" Nanako asked.

"Of course, sorry." Yu said, and started eating his sushi.

After Yu had finished eating, he looked at the time, and thought it was time for bed. It was gonna be his first day at his new school, after all. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight Nanako."

"Goodnight." she said, and Yu went upstairs to his room. As he opened the door, he took it all in. This was gonna be the room he was gonna be sleeping in from now on for the next year. All his boxes he had yet to unpack, a desk he could use to study and do his homework, a coach he could sit in to watch some TV, a futon, a dresser where he could put his clothes, a work table, and of course, a TV.

"This is gonna be my life for a while. Although, it might not be such a bad thing." Yu said to himself. It wasn't the greatest room in the world, and it was a bit smaller than the one he had back home, but it had a certain charm to it. He then approached his futon, and got in it. As he started to doze off, he thought to himself 'I hope I can make a good impression. I hope I can find some worthwhile friends here. And I hope… I can overcome whatever this great mystery or terrible catastrophe is." Yu thought to himself, before finally closing his eyes, and falling asleep.

He opened his eyes and was somewhere that one would think belonged in a science fiction novel. He was standing on a red square floor, all having a black outline, and the area he was in was covered in fog. Yu realized he was on one knee and got up. "What is this place?" Yu said to no one. He looked around and could see he could only go in one direction: forward. So he did just that, walking forward where there was a clear path. As he walked, he noticed the path was pretty straightforward. 'Am I being led somewhere?' He thought to himself. As he continued, he eventually heard an voice

"Do you seek the truth…?"

Yu jumped. "Who's there!?" he called out, but no one answered him. 'Well, this somewhat confirms my theory that I am being led somewhere. But where?' Yu thought. He also noted that this voice sounded very indistinguishable. He couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or a woman. He continued walking. As he kept going along the path, the voice spoke again.

"If it's the truth you desire, come and find me…"

'The truth?' Yu thought confused. 'Is this voice going to tell me about this terrible catastrophe or great mystery Igor told me about? Well, there is only one way to find out.' Yu continued walking forward. Eventually, he came across some door… if you could call it that. It appeared to be just some red and black square. However… 'I sense someone ahead.' Yu thought. Then, all of a sudden, the door opened, and Yu walked in. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light. The next thing he knew, Yu was holding a katana. 'Why am I holding a katana right now? And why does this grip feel natural.' Yu thought before looking around. The area he was in was incredibly foggy. His eyes then turned to the front. Standing in front of him was a lone figure. Although he was covered in fog, Yu could still make out a figure.

"So… You are the one pursuing me… Hmhmhm… Try all you like…"

'Try all you like? Wait, do I have to fight this person? Maybe this is one of those tests you see in anime "I will tell you what you want to know if you can defeat me." type of thing. I guess I don't have a choice then.' Yu thought. "Take this then!" Yu went up to the figure and hit it with the katana/ It was a direct hit. He even heard the figure grunt a bit in pain. 'Holy shit, I landed a hit! I've never used a katana before, but all that just felt so natural. But why? God, speaking of anime, my life is starting to feel like one right now.' Yu's thoughts kept racing, and then he heard the voice again.

"Hmmm… It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog…"

'Whoever this person is, they seem okay. Well then, let's strike again.' Yu thought. Suddenly, he felt an energy course through him. "What?!" Yu exclaimed, shocked, and then over the top of his head, was a figure. He looked up and got a good look at it. It wore black and red clothing, almost looking like some zip-up hoodie, except it wasn't. It carried a sword with a long handle and a short blade. Its feet looked like it had skates attached to them. Its eyes were yellow behind what looked like a mask. 'What in the hell is this? No, I know what this is. It's called Izanagi. And I also know this thing has attacks I can use through it. Like…' "Izanagi! Zio!" Yu shouted. The creature known as Izanagi then roared, and a light lightning attack was fired down at the figure. It was a direct hit. 'Holy shit, what is going on?!' The voice then spoke again.

"I see… Indeed… That is very interesting information…"

One would think by the tone of the figure's voice, he was grinning. 'Damn it! I don't think my attacks have done much to this person. More importantly, how did I know that thing's name? It's almost like it was… no, it is a part of me. I don't know how I know that, but I do. But when did I unlock this? I never had this power before. Did Igor or Margaret unlock this for me?' Yu then shook his head. 'Questions for later, I need to focus. Let's try out some of these other attacks.' "Izanagi! Yu exclaimed, and summoned the creature again. "Cleave!" Izanagi this time slashed his sword at the figure. Another direct hit. 'Holy shit, this is awesome.' Yu thought excited. The voice then spoke again.

"Very interesting… But… You will not catch me so easily… If what you seek is 'truth,' then your search will be even harder… Bewildering Fog!"

The fog then got thicker. The figure seemed to have disappeared entirely. 'Damn it, I can't see this person anymore. Am I seriously gonna have to pick a random spot and hope I can hit him?' Yu thought to himself. Realizing it was his only option, Yu tried to land a hit. He first attacked with his Katana. All it hit was air. He used Cleave. Nothing. He then tried Zio. Miss.

"Everyone sees what they want to… And the fog only deepens…"

'Damn it, I can't hit him. I guess the only choice I have is to guard and hope he reveals himself when he attacks. He hasn't tried to fight all battle, but it is the only shot I've got.' Yu put up his Katana to try to guard the attack.

"Interesting strategy… But I think it is time to put this battle to an end…"

'Shit, here he comes!' Yu thought, a bit terrified.

"Will we meet again…? At a place other than here… Hmhm… I look forward to it…"

"What do you…?" Yu asked, but then all of a sudden, he felt lightheaded. He dropped the Katana, his eyes started to close, and then he fell on the floor, losing consciousness.

4/12

He heard someone's voice. 'Shit, it's time to wake up.' He thought to himself. He sat up in his futon, and then remembered what happened last night. 'That was a nightmare. What could it have been about?' Yu thought to himself. He then shook his head. 'I'll think about that later, I have to go to school.' Yu then got ready, and was in his school uniform in no time flat. It was the same clothes he wore yesterday, just a different set, clean of course. Yu had to admit, he found the uniform to be very cool. He walked right into the living room, and saw breakfast was already prepared for him on the kitchen table. Nanako was walking away from the stove, holding a plate of food.

"Good Morning." Nanako said, as she set her plate down at the table.

"Good Morning Nanako." Yu said, smiling at her. Both of them then took seats at the table.

"Okay. Let's eat." Nanako said.

"Did you cook this?" Yu asked her

"Mmhm. I can toast bread… and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning." Nanako answered, smiling a little. "Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner."

'Holy shit, that's insane' Yu thought, stunned. Nanako was very reliable for her age. All he was doing when he was her age was playing with toys and going to school. He didn't learn how to cook until just before he hit puberty.

"You're starting school today, right?" Nanako asked.

"Mmhm." Yu nodded affirmatively

"My school's on the way, so…. Let's go together." Nanako said, giving him a genuine smile.

"Sure." Yu said smiling back. He had noticed she seemed a bit restless, but even if she wasn't, he would have accepted her offer, since he wasn't really familiar with the area. It was raining, so they grabbed their umbrellas and walked together.

A little while later, both had arrived at the Samegawa Flood plain. It was a school zone, and the paved road connected to Yu's new school.

"You keep going straight from here." Nanako said, pointing in the direction of the school. "My school's this way. Bye." She then walked in the opposite direction, and then Yu started walking on the road to his school.

After walking for a bit, he had reached an intersection near his school. As he kept walking, he noticed a boy, in the same uniform as his, riding a bike and was struggling to control it. Yu stopped and waited to see what happened. "Whoaaaa…!" was the last word the boy shouted before crashing his bike into the curve and the handlebar of his bike hit him in his… "Oooooof." Yu winced a bit, and instinctively put a hand over his balls to protect them. That had to hurt. He walked over to the boy, who seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Ngh… Urrrrghhh…" was all he could say.

'I should probably leave him alone.' Yu thought, and continued walking to school. Eventually, after a bit more walking, he finally arrived at the gates of his new school: Yasogami High. He took one last look at it. It was a pretty large building. 'This is it. My new school. I wonder what type of life I'll lead here? I wonder what the teachers and students here are like?' He wondered to himself. 'Well, only one way to find out.' He then walked inside the school, beginning his new student life.

In a classroom, there were people talking amongst themselves, getting ready for the new school year. Students were talking about the fact they had Morooka, or King Moron, as their homeroom teacher, who seemed to like to rant a lot and was very, very strict. The topic changed to something different, about a new transfer student from the city, which was overheard by a short haired girl.

"A transfer student from the city… just like you, huh, Hanamura?", the short haired girl asked the boy a seat behind her. "...Huh? You look dead today."

"Yeah, um… I don't wanna talk about it…" The student identified as Hanamura said, clearly in pain.

"What's wrong with him?" The short girl asked her friend, who was a girl with black hair.

"Who knows?" she answered her. All of a sudden, the door opened and everyone's attention went towards two people walking up to the front of the class. The first was who appeared to be their teacher. He was middle aged, had straight black hair in a bob cut, hazel eyes, and buck teeth. He wore a dark navy suit with pinstripes, a white collared long-sleeve shirt with a yellow and light orange checkered tie. The other was Yu Narakami.

"Awright, shut your traps!" The teacher yelled to his class, and the class became silent right away. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be as pure as the driven snow!"

'Ugh, I already hate this guy.' Yu thought to himself, groaning. He only ever had one other teacher who was like this. And this guy might be just as bad as that guy was.

"Now, I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!"

Yu's eye twitched as the man took some jabs at him. 'Yeah, I DEFINITELY already hate this guy. I can also tell this class doesn't like him either. I tried being nice to my last teacher who was like this, and he still was insufferable as hell towards me even though I had great test scores and didn't try to start shit with him. And all I did was just take it. Not this time.' Yu at that moment had made a decision.

"Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick." Mooroka said, turning his head towards him, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"...You calling me a loser?" Yu asked rhetorically, snark laced in the question. It wasn't a great idea to start shit with your teacher on your first day. 'However, I'm not really acting in defiance. I'm just asking a question. ' Yu thought to himself, smirking.

The entire class looked at Yu in astonishment. 'Holy shit! That transfer student's got some guts' The short haired girl thought to herself. The black haired girl's jaw was wide. Even Hanamura, the one who was more focused on his pain, had to do a double take.

"Hrnh… That's it, you're on my shit list effective immediately." The teacher said, angry. "Now, I'll give you a chance to try again. Properly introduce yourself, now!" he ordered.

Yu had guts, but he wasn't stupid. That shot was the only one he would be able to land without getting expelled immediately. However, it was worth it. "Yu Narakami, nice to meet you all." Yu said to the class, bowing.

Morooka, still pissed from that slight act of defiance earlier, decided to lecture him. "Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know… it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life journals and your my-places…"

'Kill me.' Yu thought to himself as Morooka went on and on.

"Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" The short haired girl asked, raising her hand. Yu's attention went from Morooka to the girl in question. She had light brown hair in a bowl shape and brown eyes. She wore what appeared to be a modified Yasogami High uniform with a light green, high collared jacket that had several decorative pins on it.

'She's cute.' Yu thought to himself.

"Huh? Yeah, sure." Morooka answered her, before turning back to Yu. "Ya hear that? Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already!"

'Holy shit, she's a lifesaver.' Yu thought to himself, internally thanking the girl, before taking the seat next to her. The girl then put a hand in front of her face and whispered to Yu.

"He's the worst, huh?" she asked rhetorically before continuing. "Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… Well, we just have to hang in there for a year. You must have some guts to say that to him on your first day here though, huh?" She said that last part smiling.

Yu just nodded in response, smiling back, and turned his attention back to the front of the class, though he couldn't help but hear the rest of the class talking about him. They were all talking about how it sucked for him to be stuck in King Morooka's class. However, they also raved about his guts for his slight act of defiance against Morooka. All Yu could do was grin. 'I don't know if I will fully fit in here, but I'm glad I've made a good first impression on my classmates.' Yu's thoughts were then interrupted.

"Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!" He bellowed to the class, before he started taking roll.

The day seemed to go by quickly, as it was now later in the afternoon, and after a long day of nothing but going over syllabuses…

"That's all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow." Morooka said to his class, and started walking towards the class door, while some students started getting out of their seats. Then the school intercom came on.

"Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All Students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."

"Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." Morooka ordered.

'What's going on?' Yu wondered to himself. He knew that some emergency had to have happened for something like this to be imposed on them.

All of a sudden, sirens rang out from outside. Some students looked outside, wondering what had happened. Yu then heard them talk about Mayumi Amano again, before one of the students exclaimed "Are you serious!?" That student then walked over to the black haired girl who had been talking with the short haired girl earlier. "H-hey, Amagi-san. Mind if I ask you something…? Is it true that announcer's staying at your family's inn?"

"I can't discuss such things." The girl, now identified as Amagi, answered, a bit uncomfortable.

"Y-Yeah, I guess not." The student then walked back to the window with his friends.

'So, that announcer is staying at that girl's family inn? Interesting, but I probably shouldn't press her about it, since she seemed uncomfortable talking about it. I don't blame her though.' Yu thought, a bit sympathetic towards the girl's plight. Then, he noticed his deskmate walk up to the Amagi girl, and then sigh.

"Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?" the short haired girl asked her friend.

"There's no telling." The Amagi girl answered.

"I shoulda left before the announcement came on…" the short haired girl said, annoyed. "By the way, didja try what I told you the other day?" The Amagi girl looked at her confused. "You know… That thing about rainy nights…" The short haired girl reminded her.

"Oh… No, not yet. Sorry." The Amagi girl answered.

"Ahh, that's okay. It's just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like, 'My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!'"

'What are they talking about?' Yu thought curiously. All of a sudden, the school intercom came on again.

"There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."

A bunch of students became curious as to what this incident was, and left to try and see if they could take a peek at it. As Yu got ready to leave, he was approached by his deskmate and the Amagi girl.

"Hey, are you going home by yourself?" The short haired girl asked him. "Why don't you come with us? Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"

'So her name is Chie." Yu thought to himself, before answering "Of course. It's good to meet you Satonaka-san. My name is Yu Narukami. Thanks for saving me from that lecture from Mr. Morooka."

"Nice to meet you!" Chie said smiling. "And don't mention it, I could tell you were dying of boredom up there. I'm still impressed that you had the guts to defy him like that. By the way, this is my friend, Yukiko Amagi."

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm sorry this is so sudden…" Yukiko said, a bit shyly. Yu got a good look at her. She had dark brown eyes and long straight jet black hair with a red hairband at the top of her head. She wore a modified Yasogami High uniform like Chie, but this time it was a red cardigan sweater. She also wore black leggings.

'She's pretty.' Yu thought to himself.

"C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing." Chie said to her, before turning back to Yu. "I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all."

'Right. I probably have a lot of people curious about me due to being from the city and wanna ask me questions. Well, not everyday I have the opportunity to make friends on the first day. Especially when both of them are attractive ladies.' "Sure." Yu said smiling.

"Great, let's go!" Chie said smiling back, and the trio started walking when the boy Yu saw this morning approached them.

"Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka…?" The Hanamura boy said nervously, holding a DVD case. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see…"

'Uh oh, he did something.' Yu thought to himself.

The boy then held out the DVD case in both hands and bowed. "And… I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!" Chie then took the DVD case from him. "See ya! Thanks!" The boy then started walking away quickly.

"Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD!?" Chie said angrily running towards him. In the blink of an eye…

Wham!

In his haste to run away as Chie started running towards him, the boy had accidentally ran into the the edge of the desk. It once again struck the same area he had been injured earlier this morning. 'Ouch.' Yu thought wincing, before he and Yukiko ran towards Chie and the Hanamura boy.

Chie then opened the case. "What the!? I can't believe this! It's completely cracked…" She exclaimed. "My 'Trial of the Dragon'...!" She wailed.

"I think mine's cracked too… C-Critical hit to the nads…" The boy said weakly.

"A-Are you all right?" Yukiko asked

"Oh, Amagi-san… Are you worried about me…?" The boy asked, still weak from two critical hits to his jewels on the same day.

"He's fine, Yukiko." Chie said, still pissed that her DVD was destroyed. "Let's ditch him and go home." She then put the DVD case in her backpack and then she and Yukiko walked out of the room.

'I should probably leave him alone. Again.' Yu thought to himself, and walked out of the room. After all, what could he say to a man who had his balls thrashed twice in one day.

The trio walked out of the school, and towards the gate, when all of a sudden, a guy appeared from behind the gate and approached Yukiko.

"You're Yuki, right? Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?" The boy asked nervously.

'This guy seems a bit…weird.' Yu thought. 'Although that might be underselling it.'

"What…? Wh-Who are you?" Yukiko asked, shocked and a bit uncomfortable.

A bunch of students then gathered around behind the group and talked about something called 'The Amagi Challenge.' 'The Amagi Challenge?' Yu thought to himself confused.

"Um, s-so… Are you coming or not?" The boy asked, waiting for an answer.

"I-I'm not going…" Yukiko answered

"...Fine!" The boy exclaimed angrily and ran off.

"Wh-What did he want from me…?" Yukiko asked, surprised by the boy's reaction.

"What did he want…? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date." Chie answered.

"Huh? Really…?" Yukiko said, stunned.

'Oh, now I get it. She's clueless when it comes to advances like that. That guy got off lucky, because he might have gotten more than a rejection based on the vibes he was giving off if she was aware of that type of stuff. I'd feel bad for him, but something was off about him. I wonder though, why is she unaware of advances like that?" Yu thought to himself.

"You really had no clue? Sheesh… But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden." Chie said.

"Yo, Amagi-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh?" The Hanamura boy asked rhetorically. "Man, you're cruel… You got me the same way last year."

'So she does this a lot, huh?' Yu thought with a sweatdrop.

"I don't recall doing that." Yukiko said.

"Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?!" The Hanamura boy asked, a bit hopeful.

"... I'd rather not." Yukiko said, declining the offer.

'Damn that was brutal.' Yu thought. 'He did better than the last guy did. Which isn't saying much, but I kinda feel bad for him.'

"That'll teach me to get my hopes up…" The Hanamura boy said a bit depressed. "Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much." And then he rode off on his bike.

"We're just curious, is all!" Chie defended while he was within earshot.

"U-Um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this…" Yukiko said apologetically

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind." Yu said, waving off her concern.

"C'mon, let's go. Everyone's staring." Chie said, as a crowd started forming behind the trio.

"Yeah, let's go." Yu said, and the three of them walked away from the school.

"Ah… so you came here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was more serious." Chie said after listening to Yu explain how he came to transfer to Inaba.

"No, nothing like that." Yu said, smiling a bit. He enjoyed talking with Chie and Yukiko as he walked home with them. Well, mostly Chie, because Yukiko didn't seem to be the talkative type. They were on a road near farmland that also contained a small neighborhood as well. This was also part of the School Zone of Yasogami High School, and was connected to the Samegawa Flood Zone.

"There really is nothing here, huh?" Chie asked rhetorically. "That's what makes it nice, but there is nothing much we can show to people from outside. Though, there is something from Mt. Yasogami… I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous." Chie then started to think a bit, before an imaginary light bulb appeared over her head. "Oh wait, and there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"

"Huh? It's… just an old inn." Yukiko refuted.

"No way, it's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure. It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going." Chie bragged.

"... I don't think that's entirely true." Yukiko said, continuing to try to downplay the inn's importance.

Chie then turned her gaze to Yu, "So, tell me. You think Yukiko's cute, huh?"

'HUH?!' Yu thought stunned. 'Is she trying to set me up with her? Is she trying to mess with me? Well, I can't really say no, since that would be rude and I do find her attractive, so I might as well be honest.' "I think so, yeah." Yu said honestly.

"I knew it!" Chie exclaimed.

Come on… Don't start this again…" Yukiko begged.

"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?" Chie said, ignoring her friend's plea.

"C-Come on, stop it." Yukiko said, a slight blush on her face from embarrassment. "Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend! Wait, n-no! What I meant to say was, I don't need a boyfriend! Geez… Chie!"

"Hahaha! Sorry, I'm sorry. But this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city, and you barely said a word!" Chie said with a grin on her face.

Yu just watched this interaction in amusement. 'Yeah, I think I'm gonna like it here.'

"Hey, what's that?" Chie asked, interrupting Yu's thoughts. Yu looked over, and saw a crowd of people in front of a police officer. It seemed he was protecting a crime scene.

"Let's check it out." Yu said, and the trio raced down the street to see what was going on. As they neared the crime scene, they heard two housewives talking.

"So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street…" Housewife 1 said.

"Wow. Who could imagine that hanging from an antenna?" Housewife 2 said.

"I wanted to see it too." Housewife 1 said

"Uh, you got here too late… The police and fire department took it down just a moment ago." Housewife 2 said, a little weirded out by Housewife 1's behavior.

"Well, I think it's terrifying. I can't believe a dead body showed up around here…" Housewife 1 said, slightly defending herself. This shocked the trio.

'Dead body?!' Yu thought astonished.

"Wait… What did she just say? A dead body!?" Chie said a bit terrified.

Dojima then walked away from part of the crime scene area, and then saw Yu and walked over to him. Yu just noticed him as he was a few feet away from him. 'Huh, who would have thought I'd run into Dojima-Ojisan in these circumstances?'

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Dojima asked.

"We're just passing by." Yu immediately answered.

"Huh… I should have figured that'd happen. That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here…" Dojima said, clearly annoyed.

'To be fair, I don't think that's easy to enforce.' Yu thought as he sweat dropped.

"...You know this guy?" Chie asked Yu.

"I'm Detective Dojima, his guardian. Uhh… Well, how should I say this…I hope you get along with him. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home." Dojima said. All of a sudden, a man ran out from the crime scene and started throwing up. He looked young. He had short unkempt black hair and gray eyes. He wore a black suit with a long sleeved white dress shirt, a dark red tie, and brown boots. He seemed to be a detective like Dojima.

"Adachi!" Dojima shouted angrily. "How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?"

"I-I'm sorry…Nngh…" The man known as Adachi said still a bit sick.

Dojima sighed. "Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information!" Dojima then walked away back to the crime scene. Adachi then came running, trying to catch up to him.

"Was this what that announcement was about…?" Chie asked a bit nervously.

"What do they mean… it was hanging from the antenna…?" Yukiko asked, though she didn't seem to want that question to be answered.

'The body was probably hanging up from the antenna…Holy shit.' Yu deduced in horror, almost wanting to throw up.

"Hey, Yukiko…?" Why don't we go to Junes some other time?" Chie asked, clearly wanting to go home.

"Good idea…" Yukiko agreed, clearly having similar thoughts.

"Alright then, we're taking off" Chie said, speaking to Yu. "Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best."

'Good that she can maintain some enthusiasm despite the circumstances. Then again, she also could be trying to distract her from them. I wouldn't blame her if that was the case.' "Will do neighbor. See you both tomorrow." Yu said with a smile, waved goodbye to the two girls, and headed home.

It was evening, and Yu and Nanako were watching TV.

"I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight…" Nanako said sadly.

'I can sort of relate to her pain.' Yu thought to himself sadly.

Suddenly, the news came on with a special report, talking about a woman who was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba.

'Wait! They're talking about the incident from this afternoon!' Yu thought shocked and got a bit closer to the TV to listen.

"The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27 year old announcer at the local television station.'

'WHAT?!' Yu was stunned at this development. His thoughts raced. The woman who had been the subject of scandal due to her affair with Namatame was now dead. The only question was… 'Who could have killed her, especially with the way her body was…' Yu didn't dare finish that thought, otherwise he probably would have thrown up.

"The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed…"

"Ah!" Nanako exclaimed. "The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!" Nanako's face then grew very worried.

"It'll be alright." Yu said gently, trying to ease her worry.

"...I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens." Nanako said, worry still visible on her face despite her own words.

"The body was hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plan to fully canvas the area are delayed until tomorrow."

'The likelihood of this being an accident is way too small. Bodies don't just start appearing from antennas like that, unless someone put it up there. God, what an absolute desecration of human life.' Yu thought angrily, clenching his fists.

"They found her on the roof? That's scary…" Nanako said, a bit scared. The TV then changed to the Junes commercial. "Oh, it's Junes!" Nanako said excitedly. The commercial played the same Junes song. Nanako sang it happily "Every day's great at your Junes!" She then looked at Yu expectantly.

Yu smiled and sang "Every day's great at your Junes!"

Nanako was shocked at first, then smiled at Yu "You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!" And then she sang the song over and over again. 'She seems to have forgotten about that story.' Yu thought with a smile. Yu would spend a bit more time with Nanako, before it was time for him to go to bed. He entered his room. He unpacked a couple of the boxes that contained some magazines and manga he had been reading, along with some of his clothes, and got into the futon. As his eyes started to close, only one thought was on his mind 'Yeah, I'm definitely gonna like it here.'

4/13

To be continued

I hope you all enjoyed chapter 1 of this fanfic. A decent portion of this fanfic was to kinda lay the groundwork of game Yu as a character. Not anime or manga Yu, to be clear. I also had to make sure to change certain things when needed based on certain dialogue sequences, and I found it necessary to add some reactions or dialogue based on the situation. Such as Yu standing his ground against Morooka. I found it weird that people in that part didn't have impressed reactions when you picked that option. Though free courage is nice. Let me know what you thought of the first chapter, and let me know if you have any questions you want me to answer. Some of you may be wondering about Yu's character stats. I'm not gonna give them away here yet, but he's at least a 4 in 3 stats, and at least a 3 in 2. See you for chapter 2. That is all.

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