If there was one good thing about having to live in the same small place her entire life, Ann thought, it would be that at least the islands were warm. She'd heard stories of other worlds with things like snow and ice, and had known immediately that she never wanted to live in a place like that.

Not that she she didn't want to explore as much as Ryuji and Ren, but there had to be other warm worlds out there! And really, she would brave the chill if it meant going somewhere interesting. But, y'know, briefly.

The point was she was glad it was warm, because if she had to wait for Ryuji and Ren in the cold then she would be even more pissed than she already was.

"Hey, they'll be here soon! Ren probably got distracted by something interesting, you know how he is." Shiho nudged her shoulder with a smile. Ann had known Shiho longer than anyone else on the islands. They had met as babies and had apparently clicked even then. She'd been super upset when Shiho had said that she didn't want to go with them on the raft. Still, she understood. Unlike her, Shiho had never really felt the need to leave their home. So when they came back, Ann would have lots of souvenirs and stories to tell her!

"I guess you're right," She told her friend. "Although that description fits Yusuke more than Ren."

Shiho grinned. "Of course, I'm always right! And Yusuke isn't the only one easily distracted, he's just the weirdest about it." Yusuke was an aspiring painter, who all the other kids knew as….eccentric. Which he was in spades.

They stopped their chatter as the boys approached. "Sorry 'bout that," Ryuji laughed awkwardly. "Ren fell asleep on the beach, and I had to go wake him up. We came as fast as we could."

"Seriously?" Ann looked at Ren, who had the decency to look at least somewhat ashamed. "You know we're planning on setting sail tomorrow, right? This isn't the time for dozing off! We still need to prepare a lot of things!"

"Sorry," he said. "An old man stole me away in my dreams to discuss my destiny." Shiho and Ryuji laughed.

Ren had always been an oddball. He didn't talk much, and usually had a deadpan expression. Some of the things he said could probably be considered a joke, but it was always hard to tell. For everyone but Ryuji at least, who seemed to read him like an open book. No wonder the two had always gotten along. Judging by the blond boy's snickers, that just now was probably a joke.

"Well then." She jumped to her feet. "Let's get building! Double time, people! Ryuji, you'll get the wood and building materials 'cause you're the heavy lifter. Ren, you're on food duty. Also, please get some of Boss' curry for the trip. We need that stuff. Shiho and I will go get cloth and rope."

"Sounds like a plan! I'll get started!" With that Ryuji dashed off down the sand. Ren, Shiho, and Ann shared a smile, before the dark haired boy jogged after their friend.

Ann turned to Shiho. "Thanks for helping, Shiho. I really appreciate it."

"No problem! I'm always here to help." Shiho paused, face falling for a moment. Before Ann could ask what was wrong, Shiho grabbed her hands and held them tightly out in front of her.

"Promise you'll come back, okay?" She said. Ann's eyes widened at her friend's unusually intense face. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I know you need this, so I think you should do it, but please, please be safe!"

Ann felt like her heart was breaking. She knew it would hurt Shiho, her leaving, but not this much. A part of her wanted to back out of going away, tell her friend not to worry, that she would stay and be safe.

But she knew if she never tried, she would never be satisfied. She would smile for Shiho, and could probably find some happiness, but a part of her would always wonder what could have been, and she'd never truly be satisfied. If she wanted to be a good friend to Shiho, she had to do this.

Ann gripped Shiho in a tight hug, which was quickly returned. "Of course I'll come back. Don't worry, I can take care of myself. And I've got Ren and Ryuji backing me up! We'll all take care of each other. I'll stay safe, and see you again real soon. I promise."

Shiho stepped back and wiped a few tears from her eyes. "I really don't want you to go," She admitted. "But I know you. This'll be good for you." She grabbed Ann's hand and lead the way towards the clubhouse. Ann shoved down the painful nagging feeling in her chest. She had to do this. She did.

"So you three are really going to do it? Go on a raft and sail away, I mean." Haru handed Shiho the cloth they asked for, as well as some vegetables. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks Haru." Ann smiled. Haru was fifteen, a year older than her and her friends. She was beautiful, with short curly red hair, wearing a light pink sweater with a flowey pink skirt and dark leggings. She had washed ashore one day with no specific memories of her life before, except that she had come from another world. The mayor of Yongen, Toranosuke Yoshida, had taken her in, and she had quickly become the island's resident sweetheart, charming everyone over with her sweet personality. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? Maybe we'll find the world you came from!"

Haru shook her head. "Thank you, but that's alright. I'm very happy here. And I wouldn't want to hurt my dad by leaving." Ann refused to let her eyes stray to Shiho and shoved down the irritation. It wasn't as though Haru was trying to make her feel bad, but it felt like everyone was telling her she was making the wrong decision. She wasn't!

"Be safe out there, okay?" Makoto had walked over, carrying a few ropes. "Make sure to tell Ryuji that he'd better not do anything reckless, or he's in big trouble when you all come home."

"Will do," Ann said as she took the ropes. Makoto was kinda stuffy, but she had a good heart. Her sister was a total party pooper, so her attitude did made sense. Even so, she did show her rebellious side on occasion. She had been the one to lend Ann her first leather jacket, after all. Ann held one of the ropes like a whip and flicked it, hearing a satisfying crack. "I'll keep him in line, don't worry."

Makoto chuckled. "I'm sure you will."

Haru gave a small wave. "Good luck!"

"Oh yeah Ryuji, you're the heavy lifter! You go get some logs! Meanwhile Shiho and I get the easy stuff and Ren gets the fun stuff!" Ryuji picked his way across the beach, muttering under his breath. He struggled underneath the weight of his job. Damn logs. Damn girls.

"Hey, do you need any help?" He turned to the sound of the noise to find Yuki Mishima jogging along the beach to catch up with him. "I can carry some of those, it you want!"

Ryuji nodded in relief. "Thanks man." After a bit of a struggle, the two continued along the sand, logs in hand. When they got to the designated dumping ground, Ryuji threw his logs into a pile and flopped to the ground in relief. Yuki was right behind him, panting hard. The two laid down on the sand and watched small white clouds go by above them.

"I wish I could come with you guys," Yuki said quietly.

Ryuji frowned. "No one's stopping you. We'd be happy to have you aboard." Yuki shook his head.

"I'm stopping me." He didn't take his eyes off the sky. "I'm not like you. I'm not cut out for that kind of stuff. Adventuring, I mean. It sounds super awesome when it's just talk, sure, but the thought of actually leaving Yongen and going into the unknown terrifies me."

"That's fair, I guess." Ryuji shrugged. "Still though, you never know until you're actually out there. Maybe I end up being really scared and you'd do great!" Not that he'd really be scared or anything, but his point still stood, and Yuki didn't need to hear that.

Yuki gave him a weak smile. "Maybe next time."

"-So I'd really appreciate it if you could give us some food," Ren finished awkwardly. Sojiro was a standoffish person, and didn't seem to like him very much. They all knew he had a daughter named Futaba who was a bit younger than Ren, although he personally hadn't met her. But Sojiro Sakura, a.k.a boss, seemed to have him pegged as a troublemaker from day one. Honestly, the incident that had happened right before they had met had been an accident! No one seemed to believe him when he said the world was out to get him, but it was definitely true.

Sojiro narrowed his eyes. 'You do know you're not going to get anywhere, right? Not on some dingy handmade raft. If there are other worlds out there, it would most likely take specialized equipment to get to those places. What do you really want?"

Ren frowned slightly. "We want to try." Hearing Sojiro say that hurt, but he didn't want to give up. And it wasn't like Sojiro himself had ever tried, so how would he know?

The two engaged in a sort of stand-off, before the older man relented. "Fine, knock yourself out kid. Don't come crying to me when you come back soaking wet in a few hours."

"Right." Ren watched Sojiro prepare the curry in silence. His mind drifted back to his earlier dream. It was so strange. He never would have thought his subconscious could come up with something like that. Even thinking about it now made him feel odd, like he was dreaming at the moment. Maybe this was a dream, and that circle was reality? No, that didn't make sense. What was he thinking?

"Kid? You okay?" He blinked. Sojiro was staring at him with something bordering concern. When Sojiro looked concerned for him, he knew he was in trouble. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Ren nodded. "Geez. You come all this way to ask something from me then don't even answer my questions. Whatever." Ren paid for the curry and left, glad to be out of there.

Sunsets on Yongen were always pretty, Ren thought. The pinks, yellows, oranges, and purples stained the entire sky and sea, surrounding everyone in color. He shifted his weight on the palm tree, grabbing onto Ann for support, who sat between him and Ryuji. Everyone else had gone back to the main island for the day, including Shiho. Not that Ren really minded. Sure, he liked all the other kids, but Ann and Ryuji meant more to him than anything else in the world.

Maybe that was why he was so excited to go with them. To travel the worlds with his best friends.

Ryuji was the first to break the silence, as usual. So, everyone ready for tomorrow? We just gotta assemble everything, then we're all set to go! Man, this is gonna be awesome!"

"Oh yeah?" Ann teased. "Once we reach another world, what are you planning on doing exactly?"

"Oh, um…." He rubbed his neck and looked away. "I dunno. I guess I'll find out when I get there. A-and what about you? What to you want to do?"

Ann brightened. "I'm going to learn everything I can, and get some awesome souvenirs to bring back Shiho so I can tell her everything about our adventures! And she'll have a little piece of our travels, like she was there with us."

"You're pretty lovestruck," Ren said. Ann flushed and looked away.

"H-hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're leaving on what could be an amazing journey and all you think about is Shiho," he pointed out. Honestly, he was surprised no one else had told her this yet. "It's also pretty obvious from the way you look at her and talk about her all the time."

Ryuji punched his shoulder. "Dude, she's red as a tomato now. Lay off, she'll come clean when she's ready." Ren shrugged. He didn't see why they hadn't told each other their feelings yet. The feelings were clearly mutual. "So anyways, Renren, what's your big plans for when we get to another world?"

"Don't call me that. But….I'm not sure. I guess I find out when I get there." Ren hesitated, and fiddled with his hair. "Do you really think a raft will get us to where we want to go?" As much as he hated to admit it, Sojiro's words had struck a chord in him.

"Of course!" Ann said confidently. "We have to try anyways!"

"Right." And if Ann and Ryuji were going, Ren was going. That was how it was, no matter what.

Sometimes he felt like an extra in other people's stories. Maybe the main focus was Ann and Shiho's romance, or Ryuji's comically bad decision making skills, or Yusuke's budding painting career, or Haru's mysterious past, or even Goro's part time detective job. He was just the background support character. And he was fine with that, really, as long as he got to be with his amazing friends.

Your dream says differently. You are much more than a supporting character. A voice whispered in his head. He pushed it away. Dreams didn't make someone interesting in real life.

He wondered if he'd really miss this place while they were gone. Sure, some of the other teens were nice, and he liked to spar with Makoto (wooden dagger verses boxing gloves), play games with Shinya, and work part time at Lala's bar. But at the same time, he yearned to get away. From his aunt who blamed him for all her misfortune, from the whispers that followed him at school, from this small island where everyone knew each other and nothing ever changed.

The three got up to leave. As they were walking along the wooden bridge, Ryuji suddenly turned and ran back.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ann called out.

"Be back in a minute!" He sprinted away. She looked questioningly to Ren, who shrugged. After a moment, she laughed.

"Always marches to the beat of his own drum, doesn't he?" She smiled at him. "Reminds me of someone else." Was she talking about him? She was looking at him, so, probably. It wasn't like he meant to be weird or anything. Ren just was who he was.

But when it came to Ryuji…. "That's part of why he's so special," He said quietly. Ann laughed again.

"Yeah yeah. You said I'm "obvious" or whatever, but you're the one who's obvious, you know." He looked at her with genuine confusion, which only made her laugh harder. Footsteps on wood signaled the blond haired boy's return.

"I got it!" He called out, waving a star-shaped fruit in front of him. "The paopu fruit! They say whoever eats it together is bound together forever or something."

Ann nodded. "Yeah, I've heard that. So what?"

"Sooo, I was thinking the three of us could share! Y'know, to make our trip official and everything." He looked at them expectantly. Honestly, Ren wouldn't mind having his fate intertwined with his friends, but he looked to Ann, who seemed nervous.

"I don't know, Ryu. I mean, isn't that supposed to be with the people you really really care about? Not three fourteen year olds going on a trip together?" She asked tentatively.

Ryuji smirked. "Oh, I get it. You want to save your paopu fruit for Shiho, right?" Ann flushed red once again and stuttered protests. Ryuji laughed and chucked the fruit aside, walking past her. Heart full of warmth and hope, Ren followed them.

"Our raft still needs a name, you know," Ann pointed out. They were busy adding the finishing touches, piecing it together with rope and the hammer and nails Ann brought from her house. "How about something cool, like….the Diamond!"

"What? No way!" Ryuji protested. "That sounds super lame. We need an awesome name. Like….the Phantom!"

Ann scoffed. "That just sounds weird, and not cool at all." Ryuji crossed his arms with a huff.

"It's way better than the Diamond, anyways! So I say we go with my idea."

"No way!"

"Race for it," Ren suggested. "The usual course. Whoever wins gets to name it. If it's a tie, I get to pick the name."

"Sounds good to me!" Ryuji noticed Goro sitting with a book a little ways away. "Hey Goro! Be our ref!"

He looked up, mildly annoyed. "What now?"

"We're racing for the right to name our raft!" Ann told him. "We need an impartial referee to help us determine who the victor is."

"And you keep to yourself, so we don't even know you that well," Ryuji finished. Ren saw Goro's eye twitch and winced. "So you're perfect." Ryu was a very empathetic person, but it was often cancelled out by his tendency to put his foot in his mouth.

"You know what? I'll do it. It is a very good book I'm reading, but I'm sure I can put it aside for something as massively important as this." Goro stood up and walked over. Ren frowned, because sarcasm much? But the other two didn't seem to mind as they ran to the starting point and took their positions.

"Usual rules apply," Goro said. "Take any route you want, first one to tag the tree with the star on it and get back wins. Alright, on your mark, get set, go!" The two took off. Ren and Goro watched them go.

Goro turned to him. "Did they even think of what they would do if they tied? They don't seem the type, no offence." Ren wanted to point out that that last bit was unnecessary, but held his tongue. Really, the whole jab was unnecessary, but he didn't know Goro that well; as Ryuji had said, the boy had always kept to himself. Maybe he didn't mean it as rudely as it had sounded? Ren knew he himself could come across as rude without meaning to, so he could give Goro the benefit of the doubt.

"If they tie the choice goes to me. I suggested the whole thing." If Goro did want to insult them, he should know it was Ren who had this idea in the first place, not his friends.

Unexpectedly, Goro smiled at him. "Of course, you'd have the common sense to do that. I always wondered how you and Ryuji got along so well when you're so different." Ren started at him; what was that supposed to mean? Who was he insulting, him or Ryuji? Honestly, he hoped it was him, Ryuji didn't deserve the insults of someone who didn't know him.

But the two were coming back, so he and Goro focused on the race. It was really close. The two raced over the final stretch, Climbing up a small sand mound, and Ren was confident that he saw Ryuji finish first. So Phantom was to be their name then.

"It's a tie!" Goro smiled at him. "So it looks like you're naming your raft. Congrats."

"Aww man!" Ryuji pouted. "I was sure I had that one in the bag! You've gotten better Ann!"

Ann beamed. "Thanks! I've been training with Shiho, you know how much she loves sports. Makoto gives us lessons on self defense sometimes too."

Ren had been sure he saw Ryuji win, but the whole point of getting Goro to judge was to have someone impartial. Maybe he had just seen it wrong? Benefit of the doubt. He thought about what he name he would chose.

"How does Highwind sound?" He asked the others.

Ryuji grinned. "Sounds good to me!" Ann nodded.

"I still like Diamond, but that sounds good as well!"

Goro went to go retrieve his book. "Glad I could help you three. Have fun with your little raft thing." That….felt really condescending. They watched him go.

Ryuji scowled after him. "I don't like that guy. He definitely rubs me the wrong way. There's something off about him."

"We don't really know him," Ann protested. "That could have just been a bad first impression or something. Maybe he's going through something bad so he's acting weird. We wouldn't know."

Ren said nothing. Ryuji was right, something about Goro Akechi was off. But he didn't want to say it outright in case he was wrong. Not that it really mattered, they'd bee setting sail latter anyways.

Ren kneeled down in the cave, picking mushrooms. While he had gotten food the day before, Makoto had stopped by and pointed out that it wasn't nearly enough for a long journey. So now they were scrambling to find more food and fresh drinking water wherever they could.

The cave itself was decorated in chalk drawings and engravings from the various kids of Yongen. Ren could see his, Anns, and Ryuji's work, as well as some that were definitely Shiho's. There were intricate drawings that had to be Yusuke's; The flowers were probably Haru. and there were some illustrations of storybook characters that might have been Yuki's, but they didn't look like his style of drawing. All and and all, it was a mess of art and childhood.

There was a door, too. One wooden door that never opened, and didn't seem to go to anyplace.

He was looking at the door when he felt it, a strange presence. He spun around. "Who's there?"

"I've come to see this place. One last time."

Ren's eyes landed on a hooded figure, shrouded in black. "What do you mean by that?" He asked cautiously.

The figure shook its head. "This world is connected to that darkness. Fated to be eclipsed into nothingness. To Fall. I came to see it, before that happens."

Ren felt a cold shiver down his spine, extending through his body, rooting him to the spot. Darkness? Fall? What did it mean? Nothing good, he could assume. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. One step at a time. Find out what this person knows first. He opened his eyes, ready to ask more questions, but the figure was gone.

Well, if that wasn't ominous.

"Aww man!" Ryuji sighed. "We got so worked up finding more food that we didn't finish the raft today! Bummer."

"We'll go tomorrow then," Ann promised. "No more delays."

"Tomorrow," Ren agreed. The three watched the sunset together once again. It was nice, being with the two of them. Comfortable where being around other people just wasn't.

After another moment of comfortable silence, Ann spoke up. "I know I said no to this yesterday but…." She brought out a hand from where she was hiding it. In her hand laid a paopu fruit.

Ren frowned. "You sure?"

"Yes," Ann said firmly. "There's no one else I'd rather travel with."

"Alright then!" Ryuji took the fruit and broke it into thirds. The three bit in. It was as delicious as he'd hoped it would be.

Tomorrow, they'd set sail on a new adventure, a special adventure. Ren couldn't wait.

Of course, they weren't the last ones to leave the island that night. Someone else lay waiting, deep inside a cave with a door, ready to unleash darkness upon the world.

So this chapter is now up! An introduction to more of the P5 cast and some nice moments before things really kick into gear next chapter. Characters who go by their last names in Persona like Mishima and Akechi are Yuki and Goro, seeing as everyone uses first names in Kingdom Hearts (from what I remember at least). Hope you enjoyed!