I don't own Persona; I was given this idea by an old friend from high school, so I thought why the hell not. They give me tons of great ideas! This is AU filled and the Au's are quite easy to spot. There will be triggers throughout this fic, here are the warnings! Abuse (emotional), anxiety attacks, harassment, bullying, mentions of body horror, death, SA, mentions of Rape, mentions of SA.I kind of want to show the other characters from the other Persona games. So, 3 & 4 will be the most important ones and mingling the most.
1
11, April, 2011
Narukami Yuri believed herself to be a rather patient and understanding person. So how was it, she started to ask herself, that she ended up in such strange situations? She found herself in the back of a limo, the interior was dark, and everything seemed to come in swaths of deep blues with silvers mixed in. She thought her inclination towards the colour was a bit much, but she couldn't help but find the limo interior ridiculous. That was also adding in the fact that she was ignoring the elephant in the room, though using that phrase seemed a tad bit rude. An old man with a long nose and bulbus eyes stared at her from across a table. A woman, with long hair a shade lighter than her own silver, sat to his side. The woman opened her eyes and Yuri blinked. They were the same shade as her own, the same shade she shared with their paternal grandfather.
How peculiar.
"Welcome to the velvet room," The old man greeted, and she was pulled from her thoughts, "we were expecting you."
"Am I dreaming?" Yuri asked, noting that her quiet voice was easily heard above the sound of an engine and someone singing.
If she strained to listen, she could hear someone playing the piano while singing. How she found herself in such a strange predicament, she'd never know. She hoped that if she had been kidnapped that her brother would find her, but a part of her wondered if it was a kidnapping.
"You have entered the velvet room through your dreams, my dear," The man confirmed and the woman to his side simply fixed Yuri with a curious look.
"Oh…I'm sorry for barging in on you," Yuri said, her cheeks burning at the idea of charging into someone's domain without announcing herself.
The old man gave a gentle chuckle at that, and the woman smiled slightly. A bit of relief filled her; she didn't have to worry about upsetting the two. She paused at that thought, what made her think that she'd see them again? Yet, she got the oddest feeling she would.
"My name is Igor, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance," The man informed her.
"Ah, I'm Narukami Yuri, a pleasure to meet you," She said, giving a slight bow.
Her manners were of the ingrained kind, something she had been taught as a child by those around her. Yuri had a weak immune system, and had been in and out of the hospital. She had met quite a few elderly people who had made sure she had more traditional set of manners. Her mind was wandering, though it seemed Igor didn't mind. He seemed pleased by her manners, and she let out a mental sigh.
"What…What is the Velvet Room?" She asked.
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," Igor explained, "it is a room that only those who are bound by a contract can enter."
"Contact?" Yuri mumbled, a slight frown appearing on her face.
"Those who enter the contract always find an important change in their future," He stated, hearing her words, "now then, why don't we take a look into your future, shall we?"
Yuri nodded slightly and watched as he placed a gloved hand on the top of the table before swiftly gliding it to the side, cards appearing in the trail he left. She was genuinely curious. Her previous school had a card reading table at their school festival, but she'd been so busy at the crepe café for her class that she hadn't been able to try it out. She looked at the six cards in front of her, her anxiety rising. She had to put a hand down on her leg to make sure she wouldn't start bouncing it.
"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the results always differ," Igor stated, his grin growing as he chuckled, "life itself follows those very principles, does it not?"
She nodded her agreement with that. She had seen what he meant, multiple times. It wasn't like she was the only child that ended up making multiple trips to the hospital. She'd seen so many as she grew up. Some she never saw again. Her drifting thoughts came to an end as the first card was revealed.
"The tower, in the upright position represents the immediate future a catastrophe is imminent," Igor informed her, and she stared at the card in thought.
Disaster? She was supposed to be spending her second year of high school out in Inaba with her twin brother, how was there going to be a disaster?! She…she guessed she'd find out soon if it was really the immediate future. She found that she wanted to see what her next card was.
"Death, in its upright position means transformation the death of an idea or conviction," Igor continued as he looked at the middle card in thought, "it seems you, or someone you will come to know, will have a transformation in your beliefs."
"I see…" She muttered in thought.
"In your future," Igor said, he was excited to a point where even Yuri could tell, "the moon, in this potion is a sign of a mystery."
A mystery? Yuri would be the first to admit that she was excited for something like that. She looked at the remaining cards and frowned. What else remained in her future that there would still be cards left over? A chill went down her spine and she tried to ignore it. It most likely had something to do with the mystery. Still, it didn't hurt to ask.
"What of the other cards?" She questioned.
"I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you," Igor said, and Yuri looked over towards the woman properly distracted.
"My name is Margaret, I will accompany you and your brother through your journey," Margaret informed her.
"Eh? Yu is also going through this?" Yuri asked, her brows raising in surprise.
"He has already appeared in the velvet room," Margaret confirmed.
"Right, he had fallen asleep a while ago after we changed trains," Yuri muttered before shaking her head and giving Margaret a soft smile, "I'm in your capable hands."
"We shall have to cut this meeting short," Igor commented and both women turned to look at him, "until then, farewell."
Yuri felt exhausted out of nowhere and found her head tilting forward as her eyes slid shut. She suddenly jolted awake and looked around as her chest heaved slightly, her heart hammering. Her brother was in a similar situation, they shared a confused look.
"Did…did you also have a strange dream about an old man with a long nose?" Yuri asked, and her brother nodded, "Maybe it was just a twin dream?"
"Yuri…" Her brother started.
"I know Yu…I know," She sighed before lightly perking up, "we'll be arriving in ten minutes, let's get our bags ready."
Yuri stood up and smoothed the skirt of her dress before moving to get their overhead bags. It was the least she could do after her brother spent a few minutes getting them up there. She could do a simple task such as taking them down, just not putting them up. She gave her brother a smile as she handed him a silver bag before returning to the overhead to reach for a maroon one.
Narukami Yu watched his sister as she easily grasped the navy strap and pulled her bag towards her. The slightly heeled boots she wore helped to give her an extra few centimeters so she could reach it. He turned his attention towards the greenery outside and frowned slightly. Inaba, huh? Their parents had sent them to the rural town because of work. Usually, they would leave Yuri behind due to her health. He felt guilty even thinking about it.
His ex-classmates used to whisper about him and his sister. How they had to be dim because they were a year behind those their own age. When that was the farthest from the truth. Yuri had gotten sick the year they were supposed to start school and had to start a year late, he had joined her because he didn't want to leave his twin behind. She sat back down, and he was brought out of his thoughts.
"Are you excited to meet our cousin and Uncle?" Yuri asked him and he smiled slightly at her soft voice.
"A little, I'm surprised you never met them before," He commented, and she let out a soft laugh.
"I suppose nurses and elderly patients make decent babysitters," She said, her words held a slight hint of resentment and bitterness.
"At least they taught you how to sew," He said, trying to be the optimist between them.
"Right," She muttered, not cheering up in the slightest as she picked at her skirt, "it's not too much is it?"
He was confused for a few seconds before realizing she meant her clothing. She liked to make her own, and he usually ended up with a few shirts of his own. The train came to a stop, and they headed off. He slung his bag over his shoulder and looked around the station. It was empty, save for a few pieces of trash. They shared another look before walking out of the station itself finding themselves surrounded by a light fog where a figure stood. The squinted slightly at the figure and they came into focus a bit. A man with hair like their mother's stood next to a van, a suit jacket thrown over his shoulder. A little girl in a pink dress was hidden behind one of his legs. The man lifted a hand and waved at them before tugging at his red tie.
"Your mother wasn't wrong when she said you two looked nearly identical," The man commented as they walked up to him, "I'm Dojima Ryotaro, I'll be looking after the both of you for the whole year, I'm your mothers' younger brother."
"It's nice to meet you," Yu said as his sister slowly hid behind him as her shyness finally crept up on her.
Old man in the back of a limo, in a place called the Velvet room? Sign her up, meeting an uncle she didn't really know? She couldn't help but feel shy. Yuri never did well with meeting new people. Dojima laughed at the sight of the two of them. His niece was using her brother as a meat shield and didn't even realize it.
"No need to be so formal, I used to change your diapers," Dojima informed them, getting a slight smile of amusement out of Yuri.
"Sorry, but we don't really remember that," Yu said with a slight grin.
"Hopefully, you have more stories," Yuri stated and Dojima was taken aback by how quiet she was.
"Of course, there will be plenty of time," He confirmed before looking back at the girl clinging to his leg, "this is my daughter, Nanako, say hi to your cousins."
The little girl seemed to bury her face into his leg and Yu looked back towards his sister who sent him a look. He could see that they'd get along great. She lightly jabbed him in the ribs with her thumb before slowly stepping forward and crouching in front of Nanako. A slight smile appeared on her face as the girl became shyer.
"Nice to meet you, Nanako-chan," Yuri said and Nanako slowly moved her head to face her.
"Hi," Nanako greeted before looking towards Yu and nodding at him.
"What are you so shy for?" Dojima laughed, "Do they really scare you that much?"
Nanako turned red in embarrassment before bringing a hand back and smacking her father's leg with enough force to make it audible. Dojima let out a laugh the same time his niece did. He reached down and ruffled his daughter's hair as Yuri stood up straight. He looked at the two young adults, he had to remind himself that they had recently turned eighteen, and noted how tired they were.
"Let's get going, you two look tired," He said.
"Thank you, Uncle Dojima," Yuri said, and he wondered where she had learned such manners.
It certainly wasn't his sister. Their mother had tried to instill them in her, but it never stuck. He shook his head and gave his niece a small smile before they headed into the van. Yu had paused for a few seconds as a girl with short dark hair and green eyes returned a slip of paper he had in his pocket. It wouldn't do to lose such a thing; it had their uncles address on it. Yu quietly thanked her before hurrying to catch up with his sister as she put her bag in the back of the van. Dojima watched as the two finally got into the car, taking spots that had to be normal for them. Yuri was on the left while Yu was on the right. Both looked outside the windows to watch the scenery.
"It's a bit of a drive to the house, but nothing too bad," He informed them and watched as they both gave him their attention, "I moved all your boxes into the room this morning, sorry that you have to share one."
"It's not a big deal, Yu and I used to share one before mother bought the new house," Yuri said sharing a look with her brother before sending her uncle a smile, "we'll manage again."
"Hopefully, you don't stay up too late," Yu stated, and she rolled her eyes.
"If I do, I made sure to pack my small light, so you don't get woken up," She huffed, a slight pout on her face.
"Nanako and I will take care of dinner," Dojima stated, making sure they didn't start arguing, "you start school tomorrow and Nanako already agreed to walk with you halfway."
"Thank you, Nanako-chan," Yu and Yuri said as Dojima gave his embarrassed daughter's hair another fond ruffle.
"You two will be fine," Dojima informed them as he stopped at a sign.
Nanako tensed up slightly and whispered to her dad. He blinked before nodding. Yu and Yuri shared a confused look before shrugging. They didn't know what had been said, and they didn't really want to. They sort of figure fit out the second they stopped at a gas station. They stretched outside the car as an attendant rushed forward to fill the car with gas. Yuri paused in her stretching and looked at the worker, something was off about him. She couldn't explain what it was. She shook her head before smiling slightly as Nanako passed by. She was tired, that had to be it.
"You okay?" Dojima asked her as the attendant greeted her brother.
"Yeah, I just had the oddest feeling about the attendant," She admitted, "I think I'm just tired."
"Your mom warned me that you might have tired spells," He muttered, and he watched a bitter expression appear on her face.
"Of course, she did," She muttered, "how much of my medical history did she unload on you?"
"She explained why you and Yu aren't third-years," He answered looking towards the bathroom with a worried expression, "Nanako gets sick as well, but she was lucky to avoid hospital visits."
"…I'm glad one of us was."
It was an honest statement. Dojima knew he had a good sense about people, and he could tell that his niece was a gentle person, as was his nephew. They were good kids. He rubbed the back of his head when both twins flinched in pain and pressed a hand against their foreheads. It was brushed off as exhaustion from their trip and soon they were home. Dojima ended up following Nanako's directions as she cooked what she knew. He heard a few thumps from upstairs and shook his head, he needed to get used to hearing the two teenagers moving about in their room.
"You brought your fabric with you?" Yu asked as his sister placed her box of fabrics on the bottom shelf of their shared bookshelf.
"Of course, I did, I'm still working on a dress and some shirts," Yuri answered as she opened another box to find their uniforms for the year, "I don't mind the skirt…but the top."
"It's a bit ridiculous," Yu agreed, looking at the sailor fuku blazer combo.
"At least I won't have to wear the high collar," She shrugged as she stood up from her kneeling position and hung the uniforms up on a small hook attached to then back of the door, "are we missing anything?"
"No, looks like everything's here," He answered, placing the last box away.
They both sat down on the small couch in the room and looked around. The room was small, but they could easily make do. They'd have to move the small table at night so there was enough space for the futons, but it was clean and had a nice view of the backyard. Yu was brought out of his thoughts by his sister giving a slight cough. He was alarmed for a few seconds before being sent a look.
"I'm not that fragile," She huffed, and he smiled.
"Didn't you get sick last year because you decided to lie facedown in the snow?" He countered.
She was quiet after that, and he turned to see that her face had turned a bright red in embarrassment. He grinned, and she threw a stuffed animal at him. She had a small smile on her face as he started to chuckle, it was always nice to get her brother to laugh. He reached over towards the desk and grabbed one of their shared books as Yuri looked around for something. She found it and was soon crocheting. Yu didn't even know what she was making, he only knew it was large and a deep blue with silver stripes. He noted that the pattern was made up of leafs in the shape of hearts, he watched as she quickly finished one before moving onto the next. She was making a blanket. Most likely for the couch they were sitting on.
"What do you thinks for dinner?" Yuri asked him.
"I don't know, do you think they can cook?" He asked.
"I hope so, but at the same time Nanako-Chan can't be older than six," She muttered before frowning slightly, "she shouldn't have to cook at her age."
Yu stopped himself from pointing out that they had cooked that young because their mother tended to stay at work for long periods of time. There was resentment from both teens at that thought. He loved his parents, but he wasn't blind to their faults and was the same way with his sister. Said sister let out a yawn and slowly started to nod off as her movements stopped. He gently shook her shoulder, and she made a sound of discontent. A knock on the door stopped her from saying anything.
"Dinners ready!" Nanako called.
"Thank you," Yu called as Yuri put away her yarn, a small lunch basket is what she used to transport and store it.
They started to head outside when Yuri paused. She heard the soft sounds of rain pattering against the window. She turned to look and tilted her head to the side. There had been a slight chance of rain, but she hadn't expected it to actually happen. She did wonder about the fog that was slowly rolling in. Just what was causing such a strange occurrence?
"I wonder if the rain is going to stop soon," Yuri quietly said to Yu.
"No clue, but that's a lot of fog," He answered looking out the window as well, "that can't be normal."
"It might be, we aren't too far from a body of water," She stated putting a finger on her chin in thought, "there's the river remember?"
He nodded at that, and they finally headed out of the room and down the stairs. It didn't take long for everyone to be sat at the small tea table. It was a simple dinner of rice and egg. Yu smiled kindly at his cousin as his sister opened a can of tea.
"I wonder what goes through people's minds," Dojima muttered under his breath as he picked up his soda and cracked it open, he shook his head before looking at the two teens, "let's have a toast."
The drinks were all raised in unison and tapped together. Nanako had a bright smile on her face before drinking her juice. Yuri smiled softly at the sight before turning her attention towards the food. She was hungrier than she originally thought. It was quiet for a few seconds, the tv continuing to prattle on this time playing a commercial.
"So, your mom and dad are busy as always," Dojima said to the two teens, noticing a bitter expression crossing Yuri's while Yu became slightly uncomfortable, "they were working overseas this time, right? I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents…it's tough being a kid."
He let that sink in before sparing Nanako a glance. The bitterness he saw from Yuri just had to come from her bout of childhood illness. The fact that the teen remained easily sick meant that it was a lifelong problem. He would have to have a word with his sister before sending the two back. It just didn't sit right with him.
"It's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having you two around," He continued, and he got a small smile out of both teens, "so long as you are here, you are part of the family, so make yourself at home."
"Thank you for your kindness," Yuri said.
"Yes, sir," Yu stated nodding his head in understanding.
"C'mon there no need to be so formal," Dojima laughed at the two, "look you're making Nanako all tense. Well, anyway…let's eat."
The second he finished his first bite of rice his phone began to go off. Nanako looked at him with disappointment that was quickly hidden behind concern. Yuri connected a bit more with the girl, but at the same time she could see that her father truly cared about her. She picked up some rice with her chopsticks and took a small bite. It didn't do her any good to get bitter about something she couldn't change, life was too short for that.
"Ugh… Who's calling at this hour? …Dojima speaking." Dojima answered his phone, "Yeah? I see… So where is it? All right, I'm on my way."
Yu and Yuri shared a look as Nanako gained a slightly upset expression. Dojima was standing up and the two teens watched as he put his phone into his pocket and reached for his soda. He gave the can a wry smile.
"Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze…" Dojima muttered before turning to the others, "Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help them out, okay?"
"…Okay…" Nanako acquiesced, poking her juice with her pinky.
Dojima gave her a small apologetic smile before heading towards the front door, grabbing his suit jacket along the way. Yuri looked towards the sliding glass doors and noted the rain hitting it. It was such awful weather, and it seemed to have grown worse since they came down. She could barely see through the fog.
"Nanako, it's raining out, what did you do with the laundry?!" Dojima questioned from the front door.
"I already brought it in!" Nanako answered.
"All right, well, I'm off," Dojima informed them, and the sound of the door closing was nearly deafening.
"Let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather," The female weather announcer said and the remaining three turned their attention towards the Tv, ignoring the tension surrounding them, "with storm clouds moving in from the West, expect rain throughout all day tomorrow in most areas."
"…Let's eat," Nanako said, picking up her chopsticks.
"We should probably pack our umbrellas for tomorrow," Yuri quietly said to Yu, and he gave a stiff nod in agreement, "dinner's delicious, Nanako-Chan."
"Thank you," Nanako said, an embarrassed smile growing on her face as her cheeks turned a light pink.
"What does your dad do?" Yu asked.
"He investigates crime scenes," Nanako answered, "my dad's a detective."
"And now for the local news," a male news anchor announced, and they all looked back towards the Tv, "city council secretary Namatame Taro is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation, Hiiragi Misuzu, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Yamano Mayumi's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame resolved she'll remain of the air and out of the public eye."
Yuri felt bad for Hiiragi, no one deserved to have someone go behind their back and do such things. She supposed that she's rather someone be upfront about relationship issues than go behind her back. She knew she wasn't the only that thought that way, she couldn't be. She put down her chopsticks and sipped at her tea. She made a mental note to pick up some loose leaf tea, she was sure that she had her infuser packed in her sewing kit.
"This is boring," Nanako huffed before changing the channel.
"At Junes, everyday is customer appreciation day, come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products," A happy woman stated, grinning at them from inside a large department store, "every day's great at your Junes!"
"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang along, beaming.
The twins shared a look before smiling. Their cousin was adorable, and they doubted she knew it. Nanako turned to them and sent them a confused look. They had stopped eating for a few seconds.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Nanako asked, growing comfortable with them.
"Right, sorry," Yu apologised.
They quickly ate their dinner and Nanako was surprised when Yuri did the dishes. She wished the two a good night after the teen finished. Yuri yawned as she got her futon ready, she had changed into her pyjamas ahead of Yu. He was opening the door as she finished setting everything up, another yawn coming out. Yu sat down on his futon and watched as his sister put her hair into a light braid.
"So, think we'll be okay here?" He asked.
"Yeah, I think we'll be okay," She answered, finishing the braid, and tying it with a black hair tie, "what do you think that dream about Igor was?"
"A mass hallucination?" He jokingly answered.
Yuri gave a light laugh at that before getting under the covers of the bed. She said a quiet goodnight to him, and he turned the light off. They could still hear the tv in the living room, even though Nanako had it turned to a low volume. It made falling asleep difficult, more then it would've been even with them being in a completely unknown area. Eventually they both fell asleep.
"Y'know having the same dream once is a strange coincidence, but actually appearing in my dreams is weird Yu," Yuri informed her brother as she looked around in her dream, barely able to see anything due to the fog surrounding them.
"This wasn't my idea," Yu muttered as more fog filled the area, "this fog is ridiculous."
"I don't see any way out of it either, I guess we can only go forward," Yuri said, kicking a foot against the red tiled floor under them.
"Why are we wearing our school uniforms?" Yu questioned as they began to walk down the pathway.
"I don't know, maybe they might be important," Yuri suggested with a shrug.
"Do you seek the truth?" A voice echoed around them, cutting off their conversation, "If it is the truth you desire, come and find me."
"That's coming from ahead of us," Yu commented, and he felt something grab onto his sleeve, "scared?"
"It's giving me bad vibes," Yuri grumbled, keeping her hold on his sleeve as they continued to move forward.
They came across a large door. It had the strangest pattern on it, black and red stripes that ended in a square. There wasn't anywhere else for them to go, so they had to go forward. They raised their hands and touched the door, trying to find a way to open it. The stripes swirled around before vanishing the door opening that way. It was confusing to the two, it was impossible to tell what was really going on.
"So…you two are the ones pursuing me," A voice said as they headed into a room that was completely saturated in fog.
Yuri looked around the fog and noticed that a figure stood amongst it. It was impossible to make out any discerning features. Yu flinched and she gave him a confused look before blinking in confusion. Since when did he get a katana? She wasn't holding any weapon, something she was thankful for. She brought her hands together in concern as he tested the weight of the blade.
"Try all you like," The voice continued.
"It seems we have no other choice than to attack," Yu stated as he hoisted the blade up and ran towards the figure, slashing down with it, "I made contact!"
"Hmm…it seems that you can see a little, despite the fog," The voice commented, and Yuri frowned.
She felt a strange force in the back of her head and brought up a hand. A strange figure appeared behind her before lightning came crashing down on the one covered by the fog. It left a static discharge in the air. Yu looked towards his sister with wide eyes, and she gave him a concerned look in response. Neither knew what was going on, and they both disliked it.
"This is very interesting information," The voice grabbed their attention again.
The twins shared a look before nodding. This time they combined their attacks to try and finish the figure off. They were working on RPG rules, hoping that it would work. The figure was still for a few seconds and a part of them wondered if it had worked. The increase of the fog let them know that it hadn't. Yuri raised a hand and batted at the fog, trying to clear her vision a bit. It seemed to make it worse.
"You will not catch me so easily, if what you seek is "truth", then your search will be even harder," The voice said as the fog increased even further, "everyone sees what they want to, and the fog only deepens…will we meet again? At a place other than here…I look forward to it."
Yu dropped to his knees as he felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. Yuri quickly followed and soon the world around them became dark. Yuri jolted awake and sat up quickly in her futon. She looked towards the window and noticed the fog permeating the air. She couldn't help but wonder if it was connected to the dream she had shared with her brother. The oddity of that occurrence was not lost on her.
"Breakfast is ready!" Nanako's voice floated into the room from downstairs.
"Just…what happened?" Yu asked as they shared a look.
"I don't know," Yuri answered, a worried frown appearing on her face.
