Emptiness

"Senpai, look out!" Kanji warned as he dashed into the way of an attack. The floating bomb exploded in full force in front of him as he summoned his Persona to take some of the blast. The air was knocked out of him as he fell to his knees when the smoke cleared.

Behind him, Yu Narukami watched as the younger boy fell to the ground, blacking out from fatigue and his previous injuries. If he even cared that his ally had fallen, he didn't show it. He ran forward, leaping over Kanji's fallen body. He held his sword in one hand, while a blue card formed in the other as he made his attack.

"Izanagi!" He declared crushing the card in his hand as he soared towards Shadow Mitsuo. "CLEAVE!" He declared, swinging the sword to cut down Shadow Mitsuo. His Persona formed beside him, mimicking the motion with his own mighty blade. The two blades were swung, cutting through the Shadow and ending the case once and for all.

The celebration afterwards was a fun one, even if Yu didn't like the Investigation Team hanging around his house; the food he made was good and Nanako was decent company. Better than Kanji.

He and Yosuke had fulfilled their promise, having caught the killer and tossing him to the cops. Now? Now they celebrated with delicious food and drinks. As the others mingled and talked, Yu thought about what to do now that the murders were over. He looked at a certain idol and hid his predatory grin behind a mask.

The sliverette sat beside Rise, smiling at her as the red-haired beauty spoke to Nanako about her time in the limelight. "Enjoying yourself, Rise-chan?"

Just a friendly grin was enough to get the girl to blush. She averted her eyes as she nodded her head. "Heh. Y-yeah. It's a lot of fun, and the others are really nice."

"They are a great group, aren't they?" Yu lied, not that she needed to know that. Now that the case was over, the young man saw little reason to have to hide the real him any longer. What did he care if Yosuke and Teddie fell out of his social circle? Kanji was dumb, with a need to have someone accept him, making him an easy and practical 'buddy' to keep around.

As for the girls? Well, now that Yu didn't need to play the stoic hero anymore, he could think of plenty of good lies to tell them.

"Rise, I was wondering if you would do me the honor of going out with me?" He smiled.

He saw her cheeks turn even pinker, and he had to admit, he always knew he was a good liar, but making an idol swoon for him? It made him realize he was even more amazing than he previously thought. "W-what? Date? You wanna go on a date with me, Senpai?"

Yu's plastic smile shifted, lifting the veil he wore to show his teeth, so to speak. He made his desire for her clear. She would know his perverted intentions, but she wouldn't say no. She couldn't. He was too perfect to say deny. Besides, he wasn't blind. He knew she wanted him. "There's going to be a festival in a couple of weeks. I wanted to know if you would go with me as... Ahem. More than friends?" A fake smile and a practiced blush was all he needed to win over the girl.

"Y-yeah! I'd love to!"

He was making out with Rise Kujikawa. Rise. Kujikawa. Risette! They had gone to the festival together and it didn't take her long to pull him behind some trees and press her lips against his.

She had her arms wrapped around his head, her lips pressed against his and her tongue begging to be let in. She desired him, she craved him, and he loved it. Yu played the fool for a moment, hesitating and just holding her against him. She pulled away all too soon, her face was scarlet as she covered her mouth.

"S-Senpai! I'm so sorry! I just... I thought... I-"

He silenced her by placing his finger on those soft lips of hers. He gazed into her eyes with a smile, and her cheeks burned even hotter, her eyes looking to the floor."Rise-chan. Don't apologize. I liked it, I just... I've never had a girlfriend before," he lied.

"R-really?"

"Yeah, and now here you are, Rise Kujikawa, the most beautiful girl in the world, and I... I... It's all just going by really fast, you know?" He faked a nervous chuckle, before making himself blush. "I'm sorry, you probably want a boy more famous, or cooler than some nobody like me."

"No! Senpai, I want to be with you! I don't want anyone, but you!" She argued.

Gotcha. "And I want to be with you, Rise. I'm just... This is all moving so fast, isn't it?" He pretended to be scared, plastering worry on his face. She hugged his arm and he hid his enjoyment. The feeling. Someone holding him, needing him, and an idol at that! It was amazing. Like a rush of energy pumped into his veins. He had her, now all he had to do was make sure she stayed his.

"I know it's unfair of me to ask this of you, but can we keep our relationship a secret? Just between us? I don't know how everyone will react to me dating an idol. Maybe we should probably wait until you fall out of the public eye?" And then I'll move back home and, well, I'm sure you'll get over me.

"Oh..." Yu saw the look of hesitation in her eye, and for a moment, he feared she would reject him. In the end, Rise proved to be just as gullible as he had hoped. "Okay, Senpai! We'll keep our love a secret for now."

"Thank you, Rise. I really appreciate it."

"But, y'know..." The idol played with her hair as she looked around the festival. "No one can really see us while we're here. Why don't we...?" She was silenced by a kiss. She gasped, but soon melted against him. Rise wasn't the first person Yu had kissed, and like hell she'd be the last. Regardless, all those years kissing people had taught him how to kiss like a master, and soon Rise's hot body was pressed against his, rubbing and moaning under his charms.

"Your 'game' will soon come to an end."

He pulled away from Rise, his eyes open and alert. He scanned the area around them, seeing the usual festivities around him and nothing more. Nothing out of the ordinary. No-

"Senpai? Is something wrong?"

"No," he answered, a little too quickly. "Nothing. It was nothing." They continued to kiss the night away, but Yu couldn't rid himself of some kind of feeling in the pit of his gut.

"I've always kind of liked you, Ayane."

"You're smart, brave, and beautiful as can be. You're perfect, Ai."

"But I've never dated anyone before, Chie, so I'm sorry-"

"-if I'm a bit shy, Yumi."

"Do you mind if we keep this a secret? Just between us, Yukiko?"

It wasn't long before Yu had a small legion of girlfriends, and even a couple of boyfriends (Kou was more open-minded than you'd think) under his belt, all sworn to secrecy. He had manipulated them, won them over through cheap smiles and generic words of kindness, and they had all fallen for him, thinking he was theirs and theirs alone.

Suckers.

But no matter how many hearts he won, no matter how easily he was able to manipulate some poor soul into being his, he kept hearing his voice.

"You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourselves in the matter?"

A relationship built on lies. Yu Narukami knew all too well about those. He had lost count of how many bonds he had forged out of deceptions, but that never bothered him before. Yet now, when he had more lovers than he even knew what to do with, it all felt so empty.

It's his fault. It has to be, he thought. Maybe it was because Naoto was his first choice and he had rejected him? Everyone was just a silver medal after the Detective Prince. Or maybe it was just because no other prey was like him? Or maybe Naoto had just been such a difficult heart to win, everything else just seemed too easy? Naoto was a challenge, a mountain to climb, but rather than play fair and let Yu walk over him, the mountain caused an avalanche and left Narukami's body to rot and die under piles of snow and wood.

He wasn't there. Yu remembered and a true scowl formed on his face. The day after their break up he had gone to their table, waiting for him. He waited and waited, but no one joined him. It was just him alone.

Naoto Shirogane.

Just thinking about him pissed him off. Yu was the great, big hero. Wasn't he entitled to a little romance? Wasn't he entitled to a reward for his good deed? Shouldn't the universe show some gratitude to him for leading a bunch of ragtag idiots into saving some shitty town?

He rolled a bit, now laying on his other side as he looked at his bedfellow, Rise Kujikawa. The idol was naked, his blanket kept snug around her body, hiding the features he had been enjoying earlier. She had a small, content smile on her face, no doubt pleased by his actions barely an hour ago.

And yet it all felt so hollow and meaningless.

"Shirogane?"

"Yeah. I remember seeing him around town a few times before he just vanished. I was wondering if you knew what happened to him?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He's a detective that's younger than me. You can't blame me for being a little curious about someone like that."

"Hm, suppose that's fair. Shirogane is pretty is unique, but when the case was closed he just up and left. Detectives-

"Rarely handle arrests. I know. Well, thanks anyways, uncle."

Did he leave? Yu wondered to himself as he walked down a crowded sidewalk. It would make sense. What's the point of staying after the case has been solved? Still, would a goodbye have been too much for his favorite silverette?

Yu shook his head, ending his own train of thought. He had gone to Chie's for the chance to enjoy the little tomboy, he liked to think of it as his victory lap after wooing her, but despite all the kisses and moans he couldn't rid himself of this sense of desire. He ended up leaving Chie all by herself as his mind continued to play games with him. Like an itch he couldn't scratch, or even be distracted from, this feeling plagued his mind and left his skin crawling as he walked down the Inaba sidewalk.

"Sorry," he mumbled as someone bumped into him. When the hell did these streets get so crowded?

"Narukami."

Wait. What?

He saw him. He saw him! He had just-

"Naoto!?"

This hollowness inside his head came when Naoto left, and Yu knew why. It was because Naoto was the one who got away. Well, not this time. This time, he wouldn't stop until he made Naoto fall for him like all the other girls and boys of Inaba. Whatever lie it took, whatever deception he had to pull, he would claim the Detective Prince as his own.

He followed him deeper into the crowd that had formed on the street, but no matter how many people he pushed aside and no matter how loud he yelled, the blue haired boy soon vanished from his sight. "Naoto!?" Frustration and anger tore apart his mind as Yu pushed a young woman out of his way. He looked for a trace of the detective, before he had realized what exactly he had done, and more importantly, who he had done it to.

"Well, no matter. I have no reason to say anything further."

"R-Rise? Rise, I'm so sorry," he apologized, bending down to hold out his hand to the fallen idol. She looked up at the sky, staring just past his head, before standing up on her own. "Huh? Rise? Are... you okay?" The redhaired idol walked past him, the click of her heels louder than he expected as she began to walk away. They were so loud, because suddenly the street had gone quiet.

The sea of people that had crowded around Yu were still moving, but now their footsteps were muffled. Now he was trapped on a small island of isolation, the ocean of people moving around him like a river flowed around a rock. "What?" He walked closer to the people around him, and they stepped away in perfect sync. They walked by, not even glancing at him.

He could see familiar faces walk by, glassy-eyed with dull expressions. "Ai? Naoki? Kou?! Where are you all going?!" Daisuke, Dojima, Adachi, even the dead face of Saki walked by him. None of them acknowledged his existence. "Where are you going?!" He screamed, half begging for an answer, half demanding one.

"You are nothing, therefore they treat you like nothing."

Yu turned his head to see the smiling, blue haired detective. He could hear the sound of thunder as clouds formed above, blotting out the sun's rays. He was shaking. He didn't know why. He told himself that it was the cold as he approached Naoto. Never had he been so happy to see someone stand still. "Naoto? What's happening? What's going on?!"

"You are nothing, therefore I treat you like nothing." He smiled at him, and it sickened him to his core.

"Stop it! Stop playing games with me! What the hell is going on?!" His voice was becoming raspy as he continued to roar and scream. Naoto just laughed as he stood there, panting, beads of cool sweat dripping down his crawling skin. "Naoto! Please, tell me what's going on?!"

"Does it hurt? The emptiness inside?" the detective questioned, that tiny smile still on his face. "I don't see why. It's always been there, hasn't it?"

"Eating away at you, festering within you," Yosuke suddenly spoke. He stood at the outskirts of Yu's isolation, smiling smugly. "Kind of makes you wonder how you could ignore it before?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chie giggled as she walked out of the crowd. "He just fills himself with lies to try and hide the pain."

"Like a glutton, he gobbles them up and thinks they'll fill the void in his body." Yukiko snorted and covered her face. "I can't take him seriously!"

"Lying? Psh. You ain't a man. Just a perverted, snotnosed brat looking for an asskicking!" Kanji declared, slamming his fist into his open palm.

Each statement stabbed Yu, but he hid his mask. He appeared calm, stoic, and true, the leader that commanded respect. "Everyone, something is obviously wrong. You're being controlled against your will. Fight it! We can beat it if we work together!"

"Ha! Don't you think its a bit late for that cheap trick?" Rise laughed. She covered her mouth with delicate fingers to try and hide her cute laugh. "Come on, Senpai. We know you're not nearly as cool as you pretend to be. You're just pretending cause you know you're a loser without some kind of mask, right?" She sang, swaying in place. "Its so sad. You pretend to know what you're doing, but you're just faking it most of the time. And what were the words you used to call us in your head?"

"I think he called us," Yosuke mockingly took a moment to think about it. "Oh, I know. Leeches."

"Weaklings," Chie hissed.

"Parasites," Yukiko laughed.

"He's right though. Together, we can beat it. We can beat him," Kanji smirked. "Ya hear that, Narukami?! We don't need you anymore!"

"Stop it!" Yu screamed, covering his ears to try and block out their voices. He squeezed his head, not caring about the pain as long as he could drown out the sounds. The wind was howling and rain was battering the street, and yet he could hear their voices echo through his skull so clearly. The raging wind was nothing compared to the truths being brought before him. The harsh storm was nothing compared to the horrors the truth gave him.

"Sensei?"

"Teddie?" He raised his head up and found himself face to face with the colorful bear. Yes! Teddie! He thought. The bear wasn't like the others. He didn't look angry or sadistically cheerful. He seemed heartbroken, like a puppy that had been tossed away by his owner.

"Sensei, d-do you really not care about us?" He whimpered.

Yu stood up on trembling legs as he put on another mask. He hid his fear with a fatherly smile and he buried the quiver of his voice with faux compassion. He opened his arms as he spoke to Teddie with that same kind voice he had always faked. "Teddie, please. Don't believe it. I know you can beat whatever has control over you. I-" Teddie's clawed hands nearly slashed at his throat. He was saved only by his reflexes, moving just in time so only a few stray, silver hairs fell. Terror had shattered his mask. "T-Teddie?"

"Stop pretending to care about me! You're nothing! Yosuke called me empty, but really, you're the empty one here!"

"You have nothing."

Another voice echoed through his skull.

The rain poured, the wind blew, and he realized he felt none of it. He looked to the sky in confusion. It was raining harder now, thunder clapping as the sky flooded the small town of Inaba. Yet he felt nothing. The wind passed through him. The raindrops fell through him. Nothing. The world couldn't touch him and he couldn't touch it.

"The links you created are hollow, because you are hollow. You felt nothing for those you bonded with, and thus your bonds are nothing."

"Get away from me!" Yu pleaded, standing up as the seven surrounded him. They had him trapped on all sides, their faces molded to fit psychotic grins and smiles. They surrounded him as he looked for an exit. He was a caged animal, screaming for mercy, shaking in terror as a hand touched his.

"Narukami?"

Compared to the others, Naoto had no madness to his smile. He smiled like he had on their date in the park. Genuinely. Honestly. It was the smile Yu had always wanted to see again...

"N-Naoto." He let out a nervous, wheezy laugh as he grabbed the small boy's shoulders. "You have to help me. Please. P-please! I know I'm not a great guy, but I don't deserve this!" He cried. He was crying. He was a child again, alone and shaking in the dark of an empty house. "Please, my, my dear Prince. Help me. My, my uh... My Navy Sweet! My Cerulean Beauty! My-"

"You're all alone, as you always have been."

A gunshot silenced him. He fell to the ground, bellowing in agony as his shoulder bled. Naoto giggled like a child would as he played with the gun. "Narukami," he cooed, walking closer to the fallen body. "Put that mask away and show me the real you."

"P-please... I-I don't wanna die," he sobbed. "Please, Naoto. I'm sorry. I'm begging you! I'm sorry!"

"Yeesh, what a crybaby," Rise sighed. "And to think I thought he was cool."

"Come on, dude!" Yosuke laughed. He gently poked Yu's head with his foot as the rain fell through his bleeding body. "Make a joke. Crack a smile. Be your 'true' self. Your boyfriend's watching!"

Yu could only sob in response, his vision now gone from the tears in his eyes.

"Sigh. Figures. Even his 'true' self is just another lie," Chie sighed. "And he thought I was weak?"

A crash of lightning. Yu's uncontrolled sobbing. His executioners stared down at him until all he could see were their insane, wryly smiles, save for Naoto who still wore a copy of that beautiful grin from their date. He had so wanted to see him smile like that again, but this? This was just insult to injury.

Then a familiar whisper broke through the storm.

"I am thou...thou art I."

"W-what?" Yu whimpered. The mad jury looked to the sky as a being descended down upon them. A ray of light shined down on Yu's bleeding body, illuminating the cloudy city street. Izanagi floated over the group, silently staring down at his master.

"I-Izanagi!" Yu cried. He had never been so happy to see his Persona. He struggled to peel himself off of the sidewalk, arms raised to the leather-clad warrior. "I-Izanagi! Please... S-save me. Kill them! H-help me!" He begged.

"Kill us? Wow, Yu, did you ever care for us?" Yosuke laughed.

"Not much better than the murderer, is he?" Yukiko snorted.

"Izanagi!"

The masked warrior spun his staff in his metal fingers. He held the weapon up as he made his move. His spear shot forward, skewering Yu Narukami through his stomach. He couldn't even scream as he felt the blade puncture his insides. The others, his torturers, laughed at him as Naoto continued to smile and stare.

"I am thou, thou art I," Izanagi repeated as he slowly lifted the bloody blade up from the ground, dragging the impaled victim with it. The Persona brought the dying boy face to mask with himself, staring down at him. The human's silver eyes met the Persona's golden ones. "I am nothing, thou art nothing." Izanagi's clawed fingertips gently dashed away the tears on Yu's face, before reaching to the back of his own mask. Izanagi took his mask off, letting it fall to the earth, clanging against the concrete as Yu saw the reflection of his soul.

He saw the face of Izanagi, and there was nothing. Merely two golden orbs in a sea of darkness. Izanagi was him, and he was empty, thus... Yu Narukami was the same.

"You are empty, like me."

"Empty," Yu repeated, mindlessly. "I'm... I'm empty. I am-"

"Yu! Yu!"

"Senpai!"

"Empty..."

"Senpai! Grab my hand!"

"Yu! Over here!"

"I am-"

He felt something grab him. He felt like he was being tugged, pulled off of Izanagi's blade like a chunk of meat off a knife. The last thing he saw were the golden eyes of his Persona staring back at him...

"Gotcha, Partner!"

He was being held by Kanji and Yosuke as they fell through the air. They protected him along the way, carrying him away from a bright light as the world spiraled around him.

"Sensei!"

"Senpai, are you okay?"

"Yu-kun!"

They stopped falling. They were on the ground and he was laid down on the solid dirt floor as he saw Yukiko, Chie, Teddie, and Rise running towards him. He flinched away from them, but was too tired to do much else as his breathing became shallow. Suddenly a warm light washed over him and he felt his breathing slow down, stabilizing. Yukiko aimed a finger at him as her Persona spun around above her. As his body was re-energized his mind returned to him.

They had seen the true murderer, Mitsuo Kubo, on the Midnight Channel. They pursued him into some shitty videogame themed dungeon. They fought him, and... and...

Kanji hadn't pushed him out of the way of the attack. He remembered it, so clearly in his mind. Kanji failed to take the attack for him and because of that, Yu was too injured to dodge Shadow Mitsuo's next attack. He had summoned dozens of cubes around the silverette, trapping him in a prison made of them. That's where he...

"Senpai? Senpai?! Why isn't he saying anything?!" Kanji's voice was shaky, horrified as their leader stared off into the distance. "Come on, Senpai! I-I'm sorry! You gotta be okay, you-"

Yu stood up. He walked past his friends as his silver gaze fell upon the whining Shadow hiding atop a small castle of colorful blocks. It stared back at him with its golden eyes as a wryly smirk formed on his face. "Nothing...That's what you called me." He mumbled, his voice as hoarse and gravelly as it had been in that nightmare. His tired voice let out a brief laugh as a blue card descended down towards him. "Persona."

The card was shattered in his hand as the real Izanagi appeared before him. A single look exchanged all that needed to be said.

"I was worried about you."

"Kill him."

Izanagi shot forward like a rocket, leading the charge as the others raced to call their Persona to join the counterattack.

Yu fell to his knees was the battle was over. He was panting again, his chest heaving, bullets of sweat going down his head as the Shadow faded away. Kanji, Yosuke, and Chie were talking to the now conscious Mitsuo Kubo as the others stood back. He thought he heard voices again, but this time they weren't just in his head. He thought they were trying to ask him if he was okay, but all he could think about was the nightmare.

Empty...? Nothing? Just a husk, or a void. Is that what you think I am?

He almost heard the words repeat themselves in his head, spoken by familiar voices, but he now realized that it hadn't been them. It couldn't have been, and Naoto... He hadn't really been there. Shadow Mitsuo had trapped him in a nightmare, a world where everything was fake, a place of lies! There was no void in his soul, he wasn't a husk, he wasn't empty! He was Yu Narukami! He wasn't empty!

It was his fault! Mitsuo threw him into that damn nightmare world! Now Yu was gonna make him pay.

Yu stood up and dropped his sword. They stared in confusion before he began to walk forward, then he ran. Before anyone could stop him, he tackled the Mitsuo to the ground and he raised his fist. He brought it down, feeling his knuckles dig into the murderer's cheek. He raised his fist and repeated the action. This time, he felt a soft crunch as his fist hit the murderer's nose. The bastard let out a wail. Maybe it was a laugh? Maybe he was trying to plead for mercy?

It didn't matter. He brought his fist down again.

I'm nothing like you! I'm not you! I'll never be you! I'm stronger than you! I have everything you'll never have! I'm not nothing! I'm not empty!

"I'm not empty. I'm not. I'm not!" He muttered, holding the bastard with one arm so the other could keep hitting him. His knuckles were in pain, but he kept hitting Mitsuo. He didn't stop. He wouldn't stop.

"Yu! Stop!" Someone grabbed his arm, tried to hold it back.

"Senpai! Cool it, man! He's done!" Another arm.

They pulled him up, but he struggled every inch of the way. They held back his arms, so he kicked Mitsuo's body, kicking dirt onto him and stomping on him.

"Senpai, stop!"

"Sensei!"

"Yu, stop it!"

"Narukami!"

Chie and Kanji pulled Yu away from Mitsuo, holding the silverette as he trembled in their arms. He wasn't fighting them anymore, but he couldn't stop shaking. Yosuke moved forward, placing his hands on his partner's shoulders as he tried to reach him.

"It's okay, dude. Its okay. It's over," Yosuke whispered. Yu could barely hear him.

I'm not you! I'm nothing like you! His mind screamed, but his mouth was quiet. He ground his teeth against one another as he took in deep, harsh breaths. His knuckles hurt. There was blood on them. His and Mitsuo's. Kanji and Chie slowly released the young man as he struggled to breathe.

"Narukami? Are... are you okay?" Chie asked.

No. That bastard's still breathing... "I-I'm okay," he panted. He held his head, wiping away sweat as he exhaled. "I'm okay."

"Senpai. I-I've never seen you go off like that," Kanji muttered. "What happened in that cube thing?"

"He..." Yu's face returned to the leader facade they all knew so well. He steeled himself, then hid behind another mask. He buried his fear and anger until his face was stoic once more. "He showed me all of you, injured and beaten. You were dying. Seeing you all hurt was awful, I couldn't stand the idea of it. When you and Yosuke saved me from that nightmare, I was so scared he was going to make good on that vision, I just... snapped."

"Senpai," Rise whispered.

"Yu..." Youske squeezed the silverette's shoulders with a look of pity on his face.

"I'm okay, guys... Really."

I'm not lying. I'm not. We won. The case is over. Yu looked at Mitsuo's groaning body. "Yukiko, can you heal him?"

"I think so," she replied, hesitantly.

"Please, do so. We need to bring him to the proper authorities.

That was it. The case was over. They saved the day. Cue the fanfare and parade, he thought.

Everyone had begun to move, but Yu noticed that Kanji wasn't budging. He was staring at the ground, looking melancholic. "Is something wrong, Kanji-kun?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, Senpai." The young man's fingers into the palms of his hands as he shook. "If I had been faster, or stronger, I could have saved you and you never would have been trapped in that thing! I'm sorry, Senpai. This is all my fault."

The idea of punching Kanji briefly crossed Yu's mind. But beating the crap out of Mitsuo didn't make him feel better, so he doubted kicking Kanji's ass would have. So instead, he plastered a smile on his face and held the younger boy's shoulder with a comforting hand. "Its okay, Kanji. You did your best. Don't beat yourself up for things that aren't your fault. Don't hate yourself for what you couldn't do, be proud of what you have done. Need I remind you that you and Yosuke saved me from that prison, and you helped stopped a murderer from ever hurting anyone else again?

"Senpai..." The blonde teen stared at the senior boy for a moment with wide eyes, before he smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks, Senpai. You're right. We kicked some serious ass, huh?!"

"Your mother would be proud of the man you are, Kanji. As would your father." Yu knew what to say to comfort others. It was a talent he had that went along well with winning over hearts. He felt little towards the words he said, he wasn't even sure if they were earnest, but he knew they would make Kanji happy, and he was right. The younger boy's face lit with joy as he nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks again, Senpai."

"Anytime, Kanji."

The two walked after the others. The smile never left Kanji's face as he slowly pulled ahead of the team's leader. Yu walked behind him, deep in thought. He should have been smiling, should have been grinning, drunk off of his victory. Not only that, but he had survived that awful prison of lies. He knew he wasn't really empty, nor did he really miss Naoto. They were just lies that the Shadow had made him believe.

But he didn't feel good. He didn't feel triumphant. He felt humiliated and empty inside.

His mind remembered seeing Naoto for the first time since their breakup. He walked out of Rise's home and he looked at Yu with disdain. Yu's mask held, but he couldn't deny the yearning he felt seeing Naoto like that. The pain. The sense of loss. Like a hole had formed in his gut.

Then when he came to their 'special headquarters,' he looked right at Yu. Their eyes gazed into one another, but Yu didn't see any remorse or regret. Just contempt. His voice was calm, but his stare was sharp.

"And we never harbor any special emotions regarding a case, either."

No special emotions, huh? Huh... Yu walked after the others, but his mind couldn't have been further away from them. He denied everything the Shadow had accused him of. He rejected the nightmare he lived through. He denied everything and he'd deny them all tomorrow too, and forever after he would deny them. He didn't feel empty, he didn't miss Naoto, and he wasn't trying to fill his life with lies to try and make himself feel better.

He couldn't be.

END

I genuinely thought this chapter was going to be shorter. Was seriously considering cutting this chapter in two, but I couldn't find a good place. Maybe I should make 4000 plus words the norm rather than the exception, huh, kids?

I'll try not to take your time for any longer than I already have. I just want to say three things.

1. First goal of the story? Show Yu Narukami at his worst. He isn't a murderer, but I wouldn't call him a good guy either. If the murders never happened, he'd be a playboy, dating different people, cheating on them, and then leaving them broken hearted by the end of the year. He isn't a great guy. He finds life hollow, when really he is the hollow one. He tries to fill up his emptiness with pleasure, jokes, lies, and sometimes even rage. It used to work, but it won't be any longer.

2. He can change. Part of what turned 'Just a Delinquent" into the romantic epic it has become is his growth as a character. He starts this story as a bad guy. He'll end it as someone who does genuinely care for others, and who is tired of lies. I understand some of you might find his behavior unappealing and might want to leave the story because of his personality. I understand, but I hope you can stick around because he will change. He'll become a better person thanks to his friends and Naoto.

3. Leave a review, favorite, and/or follow if you enjoy the story. They're great motivators and I love seeing them. I dream of this story standing tall on the Fanfiction archives. I want to join the likes of 'Fortuna Favet Fatuis' by FortunesRevolver and 'Fate or Fortune' by Tempest Kiro as one of the most reviewed and liked NaotoXYu stories, or hell, even Persona fanfiction in general. A pipe dream? Yeah, I agree, but it is a goal that I hope to strive for. I'll need to work hard and give it my best, so that's just gonna have to be what I do.

Thank you for the support so far. Please leave a review if you can, and have a wonderful day.