- Disclaimer: Persona 4 Golden characters do not belong to me.
- Notice: May contain spoilers. Original characters may be added. Storyline may deviate from original video game/anime.
- Warning: May contain alcohol reference, blood, language, partial nudity, sexual themes, and violence.
"We interrupt our daily broadcast to share with you this breaking news. As of last night, Inaba's famed Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane, has been reported missing." Wide eyed with shock, Rise Kujikawa dropped the TV remote in her hand.
"It can't be. I thought it was over." She slumped down to the ground, her limbs tingling with an unfamiliar electrical surge. "I thought we already caught the culprit." There was a mix of anxiety and anger that stirred from within. She believed that the case was closed and Inaba would return to its peaceful days.
The cellphone in her pocket rang and she picked it up immediately. "Did you hear the news? Naoto's gone missing!" It was her senpai, Yosuke.
"Yeah, I heard." Rise's tone was void of her usual, optimistic and cheery vibe. It was only natural since the two of them were much closer than what the others would've imagined.
"You think he's trapped in the TV, just like the others?"
"I think he is." Rise held the phone in her hand tightly. It was a school day, but after hearing the news, she felt compelled to find Naoto. "Yosuke senpai, I have a favor to ask. Can you gather the others and skip school for today? I want us to find Naoto as soon as we can."
Darkness enveloped the Detective Prince as he was knocked out, unconscious prior to his capture. He dropped with a thud against the cemented floor, rousing him from his stupor. Drowsily, with half lidded eyes, he stretched out and steadied himself on his knees. There was the absence of any restraints or rope to his extremities which was strangely convenient.
He looked around his surroundings, not sure where he was. With a single palm, he stood up then nearly fell close to the ground. The drug that he inhaled from his captor must've been more potent than he assumed.
Naoto found no one in sight, not even the man who kidnapped him last night. What was even stranger was that a mysterious fog settled around him.
His clothes were now dry, and his tousled hair sprung in different directions. Naoto ran a hand through his head, sighing when he realized that his cap was gone. It must've fallen off back at Samegawa Flood Plain.
"Hello, is anyone there?" He called out, straining his voice. If he was in a town, than perhaps he could get some help and identify his current location. There was no response to his question, but a single silhouette from a distance surfaced. The fog was too dense to make out the person's figure, but knowing that he wasn't alone relieved him.
"Excuse me, but I seem to be lost. If you could just tell me where I am, that alone would suffice." Naoto stepped towards the silhouette.
Once he got too close, the figure stepped back and completely disappeared. "Wait!" Naoto broke into a sprint and waved the fog away. There were no buildings around save for a single warehouse which resembled that of a security base.
He knit his eyebrows together and opened the door, determined that he would find the answer he was searching for.
Rise knocked on the door of the Shirogane manor with her friends behind, hoping to find a clue that would lead to the hidden location of Naoto. She waited impatiently, tapping her foot on the ground with a steady rhythm. Rise was about to knock again until the door opened for her to find someone familiar standing to greet her.
"Rise Kujikawa?" Touko asked first.
"Yeah. Touko right? Is Naoto's grandfather home?" Rise didn't sound too friendly and her question was handled in a professional manner.
"He's not here. He went down to the YasoInaba Police Station earlier to aid in the investigation of Naoto's kidnapping." Touko noticed the group behind Rise, wondering why they weren't at school.
"Oh." She had seen this coming and decided to change her plans. "Then can my friends and I check some of Naoto's things?"
There was a pause of suspicion as Touko remained standing, eying Rise and the others. "Sure" She stepped aside the doorway, ushering the others into Shirogane manor.
"Let's split up and see what we can find." Yu addressed the others in a quiet whisper before they dispersed into separate rooms. Rise stayed behind to confront Touko.
"If I didn't know any better, it looks like you're trying to lead your own investigation." Touko locked the door and walked over to the famed idol.
"Yeah, you can call it that." Rise was looking at a few family pictures, most which held Naoto in various ages. She needed to find a strong lead that would connect her to Naoto in the TV world.
"I didn't think he would be one of the victims." Touko paced around the room. "I had a feeling this case was different from the others. It was so dangerous and yet Naoto decided to take it."
Rise looked up at the grandfather clock, knowing full well that time was of the essence to save Naoto. "I don't think he cared how dangerous it was. He wanted to resolve it with his own abilities."
"True, but he should've refused. If I had known that it would've come to this, then I should've been by his side to work with him on the case." Touko balled her hand into a fist, unable to contain the guilt that swelled in her heart.
"It's not your fault." Rise turned to Touko with empathy. "You didn't know this would happen."
"But it is." Touko had to fight back tears, but she remained strong and swallowed hard. "That night, when Naoto went missing, I was with him."
Rise didn't know how to respond as she bit back from asking her own questions.
"I wanted to talk to him, settle things once and for all, but I was a coward and ran away. He tried to chase me, but I was too quick. I'm the reason he was kidnapped!" Out of frustration, Touko projected her voice louder than she intended and it echoed loudly across the room.
Silenced by the sudden outburst, Rise studied the floor intently. Even if Touko wasn't right, she was partly to blame for Naoto's disappearance.
"So it is my fault. Don't tell me otherwise." Touko pushed past Rise towards a single drawer.
"No, it's not. If Naoto were here, you know he wouldn't want you to dwell on the past! It's not your fault and you need to accept that!" Rise marched up to Touko, standing with all the might she had. "Instead of moping around you can help us find him!"
She didn't comprehend what Rise was saying, but nonetheless, she sighed and pulled out the drawer's contents. By the time the investigation group returned to the two girls, Touko handed the blue cap to Rise. "It isn't much, but this was the last thing we found before Naoto disappeared."
The cap was sullied with mud stains and water, but it was still the same recognizable accessory that he wore. Rise ran her hands above the fabric and suddenly sensed a strong connection that could potentially be the lead she was looking for.
"You're right, Rise Kujikawa. If Naoto was around he'd say exactly what you said." Touko found herself looking at one of the portraits of her best friend. "I can't help but feel as though you know him better than I do now."
Yu and the others headed for the doorway as Rise and Touko finished their conversation. "Thank you" She formed a smile before stepping back to join her group.
As Rise walked down the hill, Touko couldn't help but notice the resilient qualities that the rising idol possessed. Perhaps that was what intrigued Naoto so much.
"What is this?" Naoto mumbled to himself as he approached the first door to the secret base. The walls were lined with worn out metal and various buttons decorated the panels. It was something that would've matched the numerous spy and detective fictional stories he read as a child. Cautiously, he pressed one of the buttons that opened the next door.
It was difficult to say if there were any enemies, but he assumed the worst. Without his hand pistol, he was open to attacks, unarmed and good as dead. He ran his hands through some drawers, desperate to find a weapon.
By a stroke of luck, he found a hand gun and grinned coyly. It was similar to his, yet different in its own manner. It was as heavy as the one he had, but this felt more natural, as though it kept him perfectly balanced. Naoto checked the barrel and found the gun completely loaded. Could his luck get any better?
He readied the gun and placed it behind his back pocket, making sure it was within arms reach if he were to encounter any hostile forces. There were a few things that were strange; The first being the eerie location, the second was the convenience of the hand gun, and the third was the vacancy of the base.
Was the person who found him a friend or a foe? If he was an enemy, then maybe he was giving him a chance to fight on equal grounds. Naoto crossed his arms and found himself drifting into deep thought. He was commonly underestimated due to his unimpressive height and age, but that was what usually worked in Naoto's favor.
He glanced up to hear footsteps just ahead and the Detective Prince walked down the hallway that led to a descending staircase. Not wanting to take any chances, Naoto poised for battle, cocking the fire arm in his hand allowing him to shoot if need be.
Beyond the darkened staircase came a screeching noise, a few wails and blood curdling scream. To the Detective Prince, they didn't sound human at all. He stepped back, afraid of what would pop out from the abyss.
Aiming to fire, Naoto held his gun steady while the first enemy sluggishly made its way from the staircase noticing his presence. It was undeniably monstrous, with its masked face and black figure as it crawled on the ground slowly.
Disgusted and horrified, Naoto felt his courage dwindling away, realizing that he had never seen anything this bizarre. He thought this might've been a sick prank, but discarded his theory when it threw itself in his direction.
Naoto rolled away just in time to avoid he attack as it collided against the wall. Its hands on either end elongated supernaturally, its nails growin dangerously sharper. "Are you the figure from earlier?" He asked whimsically.
As expected, there was no response as it recollected itself and faced in his direction. Naoto drew his gun and aimed for its head. "I mean no harm, but if you think I won't fire if you attack again, you're gravely mistaken."
The monster launched itself at Naoto while he steadied his ground and shot his first round of bullets.
Back in the TV, Rise and the others gathered around their usual rendezvous site where they would meet Teddie. Yu had just come back from the Velvet Room to equip his desired personas as the others began practicing with their weapons.
Rise summoned her persona, Himeko, to find where Naoto was, but it proved difficult even with his cap. She clutched the article in her hand tighter, focusing with all the concentration she had. "Naoto-kun, where are you?" Rise begged as the scanner failed to pick up any trace that led to the Detective Prince. "Tell me where you are so I can help you."
When Teddie finally arrived, the others notified Rise and she stopped her search all at once. "No luck?" Chie approached the idol who shook her head quietly.
"I don't get it. I thought this would work - I was so sure of it." Defeated, Rise trudged back, unable to face her group of friends.
"Are we missing something? Is it too much to rely solely on Naoto's cap?" Yukiko questioned their approach while Yu contemplated in deep thought.
"Let me try." Teddie held out his paw to Rise as if to ask for the boy's cap. Back before they met Rise, Teddie was the one who found the victim's dungeons. "Hmm..."
"What is it Teddie? Did you catch something, like a scent perhaps?" Yosuke bent down as the multicolored bear closed his eyes.
"Well?" Rise shifted from her side as the entire group focused on Teddie's verdict.
"It smells kinda nice, like Rise-chan!" Everyone slapped a hand to their faces.
"Well, I was holding it for some time now." Rise looked down at Teddie. Did her scent really catch on that quick? Or maybe it must've been since they were spending a lot of time together.
"Give me that." Yosuke took the beaten down cap from the bear's paw. He sniffed it experimentally and immediately pulled away, holding it an arms distance. "It smells nothing like her! All I can smell is the mud and rainwater."
"Are you alright Teddie? Maybe you're sick and you're tracking senses are off." Yosuke gave their little friend a light pat on his head.
"I'm fine." Teddie spun around to show that he was in fact, in good health. "I know Rise's scent is attached strongly to this hat, but there's something else..."
"What is it?" Chie asked.
"It's hard to describe. I'm not sure what it is." Frustrated, Teddie put his paws over his head, shaking slowly as if to stimulate his cranium.
"I'll try again." Rise took back the cap and summoned Himeko once again. She searched around, scanning as far as she could to find the same result. It occured to her that maybe the problem was that she was overdoing it. "Naoto-kun," she closed her eyes and thought back to better days, when they first talked over the sunny gold fields, then to their previous squabbles.
The last thing that she clearly remembered was their first kiss, remembering how sweet and memorable that moment was. Almost instantly, Himeko's scanner found a trace, outlining a route to a new unknown location. Thrilled and relieved, Rise zoomed in on the warehouse, a grin growing in place as she memorized its coordinates. "Just wait a little longer Naoto-kun, I'm on my way."
Out of breath and panting hard, Naoto steeled himself as more monsters popped up from a distance. He didn't expect there to be so many, and with every floor, tougher enemies chased him from all directions.
"I'm starting to think this is a dream." He sat down, taking refuge in a vacant room as he searched for any ammo. There about enough to last him a few rounds, but probably not enough to defeat a swarm of monsters.
His initial move was to run around until he'd find the staircase, hoping that he would eventually find the person who first approached him outside. With his unparalled stealth, Naoto managed to make it down to the 7th floor in one piece, albeit he was with a few scratches and cuts from fighting various enemies.
He was running low on ammo and his stamina wasn't any better. It was strange because even with the battles he went against, it shouldn't have affected him the way it did right now. Was it the fog? The lower levels had more abundant amounts of it than the first ones.
Naoto pushed past the last door, revealing no exit but a lab of sorts. The room was barely lit and the Detective Prince walked towards the center, eyes curiously examining the bizarre environment. Hung decoratively above an operating bed were a variety of drills and menacing machines, most which would've fit perfectly in a horror genre movie.
"What is this place?" Naoto held one of the scalpels from a tray, unsure if this was the right destination.
"Finally, you've arrived." The Detective Prince turned back to find the door closed by a short boy in a lab coat. It was too dark to make out his face. "It's favorable that you got here in one piece. I guess those bullets I placed on every level did well to increase your chances of survival."
"Who are you?" Naoto squinted at the mysterious boy's direction.
"I believe that would be my line." The lights flickered on, blinding Naoto as he held a hand over his eyes. Upon recognition of the boy's identity, he stared idly, confused by the sudden turn of events. Standing across from Naoto was an exact copy of himself. "Who are you, Naoto Shirogane?"
Rise ran through the secret base a little too fast as the other trailed behind. She was attacked more than once, nearly hurt with every single case had it not been for her comrade's help.
"You need to slow down!" Kanji summoned his persona to dispel a shadow in front of Rise. "We can't keep this up."
They were only on the 2nd flight of stairs when the idol came to a stop. She was out of breath and tired, but it didn't seem to affect her that much when she was so close to homing in on Naoto.
"Look, I know you mean well. Naoto is...is real important to you, but you can't just run off wherever you wanna go!" Kanji set his chair by the wall and scolded Rise in front of the entire group. "You know you can actually die here, so don't be reckless!"
Silently, Rise absorbed his words knowing full well that he was right. "I'm sorry." She apologized to Kanji and turned to address the others. They gave her a sympathetic smile in return.
"Don't worry, we'll get to him soon." Their leader, Yu Narukami, comforted Rise with a hand on her shoulder. It was a small gesture that left her feeling more assured than before.
"Thank you," The swell in her heart was too much for her to conceal and with a sincere smile, Rise faced the group with new-found courage. "-All of you for being here with me, to save Naoto. I know I couldn't have done this on my own."
"That's what friends are for!" Chie pulled Rise in with an arm, Yukiko quick to mimic her friend as she linked her arm with the idol.
"Now let's go save Naoto!" Chie rallied enthusiastically with her friends in tow.
"Preposterous," The Detective Prince stood still, his voice strained as he had difficulty accepting this ridiculous prank. "There cannot be two of me."
"In ordinary cases that may be so, but you see, I truly am you." His replica gestured to his entirety and cupped Naoto's cheek out of the blue, the boy stepping away as fast as he could.
It was too strange to accept, but there was no doubt that his copy was indeed, real. Astounded by this incredulous situation, Naoto remained silent, the gears in his mind spinning with many questions.
"You see, I know everything about you. Who you really are." His golden eyes bore into Naoto's soul, confident that he knew there was a glimpse of truth beneath all his words. "No, no! Don't leave me!" The boy mocked Naoto openly, breaking his facade as he began to make a scene.
"You wear the same face as me, it's as if you're implying we're one of the same." The fog was growing heavier and Naoto could feel his body feeling unusually sick. He massaged the bridge of his nose, unamused as the boy in front of him continued to cry and sob. "But the difference between me and you is-"
"Why delude yourself? I am you." The boy wiped his tears away and marched up to Naoto. "These childish gestures are no mere affectation...They are the truth. The fools all say it. You're just a child. Stay of our business kid! No matter how many cases you spend cogitating over, no matter how many crimes you solve, you're a child in their eyes. It's your brain their interested in, the grey matter locked up in your skull!"
Almost instantly, Naoto gripped the boy's lab coat, fists full of white fabric as he growled in anger. His words hit a sour spot, pushing him near the edge as Naoto restrained himself from punching his copy.
The boy simply laughed in content. "As long as they need it, you're an ace detective. But once you're done, it's back to the playpen with you."
"Naoto-kun!" Rise yelled out and both boys turned to find the idol at the last door.
"You haven't the means to deal with society's two-faced nature." In the moment when everyone gathered around the lab, Naoto's grasp loosened and his copy withdrew quickly, dusting off the wrinkles on his coat. "You're just a lonely child."
This was in fact, the bitter truth and Naoto has no comeback to his replica's words.
"I wanna be a grown-up..." The boy began yet another scene, crying like a helpless child. "I wanna be a big boy right now...Then they'll see who I am...I-I want a reason for me to stay." He softened his voice as if to ask for pity and empathy, but Naoto pushed him away.
"That's enough. I can find my own reason for living." The Detective Prince cried out in his defense.
"I'm telling you that's impossible. You are but a child. How can you change the essential truth?" He grinned rakishly and looked straight at Rise, standing at the center of their group.
It only took a second for Naoto to realize what would come next. "S-Stop it!"
"At your core, you admire the sort of strong and cool men who populate detective fiction. But in trying to emulate them, you must know that in truth, you're nothing of the sort-you're a child. There's no avoiding principles. Admit that you're a child, and admit that there's nothing you can do about it!"
For a moment, Naoto felt the words sink in, cracking the mask he tried so hard to create. How did this person know so much about himself?
"Now then! Our analysis is complete. Let us begin the body alteration procedure." Naoto's replica manifested a single remote in his hand, pressing the button that initiated the use of gears and gadgets from above the operating bed.
"Stop it!" Frantic, Naoto tackled the boy down to the ground, desperation in his eyes as he attempted to stop his actions altogether.
"Naoto-" Rise tried to rush up to her friend, but Yu held ou his hand as if to stop her. There was a mutual understanding between them and reluctantly, the idol stayed put.
"Naoto, such a cool, manly name! But a name doesn't change the truth. It doesn't let you cross the barrier between the sexes!" There was a maddening glow in the boy's eyes as he yelled at Naoto. "How could you ever become an ideal man when you were never male to begin with?!" He extended his arms on either side as Naoto fisted his shirt once more.
"Wait, what? Did he...Did I hear that right!?" Yosuke asked Yu who nodded approvingly.
"He's not a guy?" Kanji was confused as everyone gasped in shock.
However, the one who took it the hardest was no other than Rise Kujikawa. She covered her mouth with a hand, all eyes turned to her, then to Naoto.
So finally, the truth came out and there was nothing Naoto could say. He turned his head to the side to check on Rise who couldn't even keep eye contact for a minute. "I won't throw a tantrum." Naoto released her replica and stood up. "That accomplishes nothing."
Naoto's copy sat upright, chuckling in her seat. "How often I've heard those words from the adults. Yet here you are, mimicking those same men. What exactly are you trying to justify?"
"What?" Naoto intended to drop the matter, but her other self had other plans.
"It's alright, you needn't suffer anymore. That's why you're undergoing this body alteration procedure to begin with." Her copy hoisted herself off the floor and took a stand ontop the operating bed. "I know what you're feeling. After all, I am you." Her words were directly solely at Naoto and for a split second, she felt a strangely soothing connection between them.
"That's-That's not true!" Naoto fought back her petty feelings as she refused to accept her other self.
"Don't say it!" Chie called out to the Detective Prince.
"It's okay. Let the kid spill the whole thing." Kanji stepped forward with one hand in his pocket. "If not Naoto's just gonna keep hurting. We'll just have to kick this shadow's ass as usual."
"You think you can take me on? Go ahead and try, you lizard-brained imbecile!" Naoto stumbled back, falling before her copy as it wrapped itself in a violet hue. She landed close to Rise, who bent down and helped her up. There were more pressing matters as they watched Naoto's copy transform into a toy-like cyborg packed with the unique ability to fly in the air.
Naoto found Rise and an avatar appear by her side. She held the Detective Prince close and adjusted her glasses. It took some time for Naoto to realize that they were all wearing lenses. "Watch out, it's going to attack!"
And when it did, Rise's band of friends smiled, each holding a weapon or item as they flashed it before a shimmering card, slashing it across and summoning their own avatars.
Everyone fought valiantly as Naoto and Rise stayed on the sidelines, the idol relaying some useful information every now and then. She had a scanner over her head trying to analyze and pinpoint the shadow's weaknesses, all the while holding Naoto in her arms who knocked out after witnessing the beginning of their battle. She couldn't blame her. It must've taken a toll on her body, being kidnapped and spending time in the TV world. Rise knew the feeling all to well, having experienced it first hand.
To her surprise, Naoto came to, opening her eyes drowsily when Yu landed the finishing blow to the shadow. "Ngh," the Detective Prince rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly.
"Oh, you're awake." Rise found her standing in no time, as if she didn't feel the aftershock of fatigue and stress.
"Where am I?" Although she was standing, there was uneasy sense of balance that had her falling back, luckily Rise held Naoto for support. "I remember you all arriving and then..." She watched the shadow transform back into herself, remembering what had transpired before she lost consciousness. "That's right, you saw everything."
"I've told you in the past, that my parents died when I was little. I was still very young when my grandfather took me in." Naoto would tell Rise the truth, the whole story, not just pieces and fragments which she deemed fit. "I was inept at making friends so I spent most of my time reading detective novels in my grandfather's study."
Yu and the others gathered around the two, intrigued by their conversation.
"When I grow up, I'm gonna be an awesome hard-boiled detective!" Rise and Naoto found her copy smiling at them.
The Detecive Prince sighed and continued. "My parents were proud of their job. I had no qualms in following after their footsteps. An inherited occupation can feel stifling to many, but I welcomed it. I yearned for the day I could be a detective myself." Despite the unfavorable turn of events, Naoto found herself smiling. "Perhaps I inherited the desire from them as well."
"I was always alone. Seeing that, my grandfather must have believed it was his duty to help me realize my dream." Naoto noticed her cap in Rise's hand. "I secretly aided my grandfather with his clients. Before I knew it, people started calling me Junior Detective. At first I was delighted, but not everything went so smoothly."
"What was that you said about, you're only a child?" Yukiko asked curiously.
"Not everyone welcomes my collaboration when it comes to solving cases. My status as a child was sufficient enough to offend those whom I worked with. Were that the only reason, than it would've resolved itself in time." She looked at herself, yellow eyes flickering with understanding. "But though I will one day change from a child to an adult, I will never change from a woman to a man."
"Do you not like...being a girl? Is that why you always dress like a boy?" Rise asked immediately and Naoto responded with a solemn nod.
"My sex doesn't fit my ideal image of a detective. The police department is a male-oriented society." Her eyes dropped and she blinked slower than usual. "If they had the slightest concrete evidence to look down on me, no one would need me anymore."
"You-You don't know that!" Kanji cried out on Naoto's behalf.
"Hey, you must know already that what you yearn for isn't to be an adult or a boy." Yukiko gestured to herself and the Detective Prince ran a hand through her blue, shaggy hair.
"You're absolutely right." Naoto faced herself, standing closer than she would've earlier. "I'm sorry I kept ignoring you, pretending you didn't exist. You are me, and I am you. You've always been inside me. What I yearn for-" Naoto stopped and rephrased herself. "No, what I should strive for isn't to become a man. It's to accept myself for who I really am." She embraced her copy, the strength of her heart manifesting as it vanished, shifting into an avatar of her own , a persona - Sukuna Hikona.
Upon obtaining the facade used to overcome life's hardships, Naoto collapsed on the ground, stunned by how even more fatigued she was. Everyone circled around, asking if she was alright. "In any event, you're a devious bunch. I can't believe you had something like this hidden for so long. " She laughed to herself lightly, struggling to keep her eyes open. "It's apparent now that this case is far from over." Naoto spoke in between breaths and finally collapsed on the ground.
... To be continued So if you enjoyed this chapter, remember to fave, follow and/or review. Thanks for reading