RepresentationofP4Ch.22
Atlus owns SMT and Persona.
Warning… Depressing chapter coming up. I really hope the last chapter did not drive you away. There's a lot of little conversations leading up to the story, but I wanted to give you a little to read before you read the sad stuff.
As they made their way out of the TV with the young girl, and that terrible bastard; the mood was very dark. Souji did not even bother cleaning the cut on his back, and the only reason he was not bleeding all over the place was because of Yukiko worrying about him.
Rion and Kanji were all but ready to throw Namatame on the floor of Junes when they got out. But, the floor was currently home to a very worried Yukiko, and a distressed Souji. Souji was holding his little sis in his arms, who was not moving. Rise and Chie were watching from the side and Naoto was making a call for the paramedics to come.
"Nanako-chan… Hang in there…," Yukiko said worriedly.
"….," Nanako struggled to get out words.
"What are we going to do?" Chie asked. She was at a loss. Everyone was, it seemed. All she could do was wrap up the burn on her forearm from the repeated lightning attacks.
Kanji said, "She's so small, and she was stuck in there for so long… And then there was that weird fog… Dammit!"
Rion shook his head, "She must have ingested the highly concentrated fog, and the purple fog that came out of the Shadow self." He gestured at Namatame with his head.
Naoto hung up from her cell phone and told the group, "The police and the paramedics will be here shortly."
"That's good," Souji said lifelessly, as the others nodded in agreement. "Come on Nanako, you can do it," Souji thought, "Why did this happen?" He wanted to cry. Souji did not cry, but this was his family. First, his uncle got hurt, and now his cousin. He's tired of seeing his friends get hurt.
Souji helped the paramedics place Nanako into the ambulance and Rion lock Namatame into the other one with the police. The paramedics about placed Rion back in one after seeing all of the blood dripping down from his shoulder after the gunshot wound that was crudely healed, but the look Rion gave them drove them away. Souji needed emotional support, and everyone was going to stay around him.
The sirens of the ambulance could be heard going away as they made their slow trek towards the hospital. Souji just walked slowly with Yukiko all the way to the bus station. When they got on the bus, Souji allowed Yukiko to put her head on his shoulder, and Souji's head rested against hers.
When they reached the hospital, Nanako was rushed straight to the ICU. Namatame was rushed somewhere else. Sadly, no one could see Nanako because they were not allowing visitors in the ward.
Souji was standing farthest away with Teddie across from him. Yukiko was standing next to him, but was now sitting between a standing Yosuke and Chie. Rise was sitting down, next to a standing Naoto, but standing in front of her was a Rion with his eyes closed. His walking stick was on his shoulder, not on the ground. Kanji was standing near a receptacle, across from those who were sitting.
Rion sighed right before Teddie said, "Nana-chan's small… so her other self didn't appear like everyone else's. And she got caught in all that craziness. I hope she'll be okay." Teddie sounded really down.
Yosuke asked worriedly, "I mean, are the doctors going to be able to help her?"
Souji thought, "How often do you suffer from purple smoke ingestion? I think we all have, but not little sis."
Teddie started crying, "Waaah… I'm worried about Nana-chan."
"We all are, Teddie," Souji consoled him.
Chie said sadly, "But there's nothing more we can do for her." She looked at Yosuke for support. He tried to support her with a smile, but couldn't manage one.
Naoto sighed, "A deliveryman named Namatame… The possibility of Nanako-chan being targeted." She looked depressed, "If only I'd been more thorough in my investigation. Then Nanako-chan wouldn't have had to go through with this." Rion interlaced his fingers with hers. She took them readily.
"That… goes for me too," Yosuke said sadly. He regretted not being able to solve the case faster, "If I hadn't stood there like a lump in front of that bastard, Nanako-chan might've been okay."
Chie was near tears, "I hate myself… Why do I always panic when it matters most?"
"I couldn't do anything either," Yukiko put her head down as she muttered.
Rise said, "I should have noticed sooner that something was wrong with that guy." She put her head down in shame.
"Why did I waste time listening to what Namatame had to say?" Naoto nearly sobbed, "If I hadn't tried to engage him in conversation and we'd rescued Nanako-chan immediately!" She cried out, "This wouldn't have happened!" Rion grasped her hand harder in reassurance.
"It's no one's fault," Souji explained, "There's nothing more we could have done for her." He thought, "We could have beaten him faster, but that was my fault."
"But… I still…," Naoto was still trying to say, "Could have…"
Rion looked at her reassuringly, "If it was your fault, we would have said so." Rion shook his head, "If we are going to play a pointless blame game, we might as well say it's my fault for not catching Namatame before he threw her in the TV. It's not time to worry about such things." He rolled his eyes. Souji looked at him in relief. Rion was trying to unite the group.
It seems someone else had the same idea as Kanji walked up to the others after standing by the wall and sighed, "Alright, enough of this pity party. Is standing around and whining really what we oughtta be doing right now? Feeling pathetic, consoling each other… That gonna solve anything?" He all but about yelled, "We got to believe in her! So, get it together Naoto!"
"Sorry… You're right," Naoto put her head down. She looked even more ashamed.
Rion asked, "When did I say I didn't believe in her?" He shook his head and pushed up his glasses, "I think you made her worse, Kanji."
Kanji shook his head at Rion's statement and said, "This is all that bastard Namatame's fault, and he's behind bars, right? And it ain't like we were too late for Nanako-chan."
Rion shook his head. "Behind bars… Namatame. They're going to consider him crazy," he was thinking, "He's going to talk about TVs."
"Yeah, that's true," Yukiko nodded, agreeing with Kanji.
"I'll come see Nana-chan every day so she'll get better faster," Teddie told the group.
"She'll like that," Souji said.
Rise said, "That's all we can do right now." She smiled at the bruiser, "Gee, Kanji… You almost sounded cool for a second.
At that moment, Adachi walked up to right around where Souji was standing. He looked slightly confused at their presence.
"Huh? You guys still here?" Adachi asked.
Yukiko asked slowly, "Adachi-san, um… did they find out anything?"
Adachi shook his head, "Dojima-san is speaking with the doctor now, but they can't say anything definite until they run some tests on her… Not just Nanako-chan, but the perp too… Who knows when we'll be able to hear his story?" He told the group, "Well, it's getting late, so hurry home. The last thing we need is for you to collapse too."
Adachi walked away and Yosuke gestured to the group, "He's right's. We should call it a night. Nanako-chan is going to be fine. Acting all gloomy won't help anything."
"I thought we already said that," Souji said.
"Snrk…," Yukiko smiled for the first time in a while.
Chie asked the others, "When Nanako-chan is out of the hospital, what should we do to celebrate?"
Yosuke responded, "Dude, isn't it a little early for that?" He was smiling regardless.
Yukiko had an idea and said, "Why don't we reserve Junes and have a party there?"
Yosuke looked confused as he said, "A party… at Junes? That makes absolutely no sense."
"For Nanako it does," Souji said.
The group started filtering out after that. Rise smiled at Rion, she understood that Rion taken her advice to heart. She had chosen Naoto instead of her. Teddie was the only one remaining, and he gestured to Souji. Souji asked Yukiko to wait for him. She nodded.
Souji stood beside Teddie as he asked, "Nana-chan… She'll get better, right?"
Souji smiled as best as he could and told him, "Just believe in her, Teddie."
"Yeah, I do believe in her," Teddie nodded.
"Good…," Souji said.
Teddie suggested, "Let's all have fun with Nana-chan when she gets back."
"We're planning on it," Souji responded.
"Thanks… I almost forgot how to keep a happy face," Teddie smiled, "But with that out of the way, I'm feeling all hungry." Teddie giggled and Souji smiled. Teddie noticed everyone was gone, which was pretty obvious and he exclaimed, "H… Hey, where did everybody go!? Don't leave without me!" He ran off to try and catch up to Kanji or Rise.
---
Souji caught up to Yukiko and started walking with her. She was happy that he remembered to catch up to her, and Souji was just as happy that she waited for him. It made the pain just a little more bearable. As they made their way down the Shopping District and towards the bus stop, Souji still felt a little nervous. Even Teddie and the others could not assuage all of his fears. He was not sure how long it would take for Nanako to get better, but he had to be confident for her. He had to believe in his "little sis."
"I'm sorry… it must be tough," Yukiko said to Souji as they interlaced their fingers.
"I think I'll be okay," Souji nodded, "I think that Nanako is stronger than whatever is ailing her."
"You're right," Yukiko smiled.
"We'll just have to wait and see," Souji said as they made their way back to the bus stop.
"She'll get better soon, and we'll have that party," Yukiko said cheerfully.
Souji said, "Of course. Teddie will go crazy though." Yukiko nodded.
"Dojima-san has to join us too," Yukiko said, "You know he'll be all rested up by then."
"Yeah…," Souji agreed.
"We'll put Namatame behind bars in no time at all," Yukiko said.
"I hope so," Souji said. Souji started doubting things as much as Rion did. He did seem a little crazy.
Yukiko contemplated, before she looked at him.
"Your house must be pretty quiet now," Yukiko said slowly, "Especially if Nanako-chan isn't around."
"Yeah, I guess so," Souji said. He was pretty lonely right now.
"You can call me if you need some company, Souji-kun," Yukiko smiled, "I love you, you know?"
"I know that," Souji responded.
Souji smiled as she squeezed her hand. He may have to take her up on that offer. Souji would need someone like her, and he loved her. He walked her up the steps and she kissed his cheek. Souji smiled and as the bus drove off; he started his long walk back with a spring in his step. He'd do alright.
---
Chie and Yosuke were taking the long way back towards Chie's home.
"I hope Nanako-chan will get better soon," Chie said, "She's too strong not to."
"I know…," Yosuke smiled, "Teddie will be so happy."
"I can't wait to see the smile on his face," Chie nodded, "He'll be ecstatic."
"I think we'll all be happy," Yosuke said.
"Definitely," Chie smiled.
"But why does the party have to be at Junes?" Yosuke asked.
"You know why," Chie answered, "She loves, loves, loves Junes!"
----
Rion and Naoto had an interesting walk towards her large home that was also the residence of the Shirogane clan. Needless to say, it made Rion a little more nervous than the first time.
As they walked hand in hand, Rion said softly, "I hope this doesn't make you to uncomfortable."
"I think I'll manage," Naoto responded, "Will you be okay? Meeting Grampa? He doesn't know you are coming."
Rion chuckled softly, "I guess I have to meet him sometime. Do you know that he makes me nervous?"
"Rion Ishinata, nervous?" Naoto chuckled, "Is that possible?"
"Amazing," Rion said, "Isn't it?"
"Rion-san…," Naoto asked slowly, "Why…?"
"I love you…," Rion said. He would never say that Rise tried to influence him, or that she believed that it was her words that influenced him to make that decision. He said slowly, "Does the reason even really matter in this case, Naoto-chan?" as he squeezed her hand.
"No…," Naoto responded. She smiled. They had arrived at the estate. "It's the moment of truth."
"Think he'll accept me?" Rion asked.
"Of course he will," Naoto answered. As she rang a doorbell, Yakushiji answered it, "I have a favor to ask. Can you ask Grampa to come to the door, please?"
"Of course, Naoto-sama," the secretary answered.
A minute or so later, an imposing man with white hair not much longer than Naoto's stepped out. Rion knew this must be Shirogane-san, as he dressed similarly to Naoto. He had an air, a presence that made Rion nervous. He exuded confidence and experience. You could tell this was Naoto's grandfather.
Naoto came up to her grampa and he bent down to whisper in his ear, and after she finished speaking; he had a small look of surprise on his face. Rion knew he was screwed at that moment. Yakushiji had a smirk on his, and Rion wanted to send his Persona at him, right then and there. He had a feeling that he already knew. Never before, was he the one at the disadvantage.
Naoto's grampa had motioned him forward and Rion slowly came forward and bowed slightly and said, "Good evening, Shirogane-san."
As Rion raised his head, Naoto could tell her grandpa was sizing him up, and seeing if he was worthy of her daughter.
"Yakushiji-san told me about you," The grandpa said, "He says you did what no one else could. You made her into a woman and a proper detective. You also managed to steal her heart. I just hope you treat her like a proper woman." It made Naoto relieved that it seemed that her grampa had accepted Rion.
"I will Shirogane-san," Rion bowed again. As the grandpa looked at him, he knew it was time to go, so he said, "I will take my leave and I will wish you farewell." He gave one last look at Naoto before leaving.
Naoto smiled at him before turning towards the door to enter. Her grampa asked her, "You really care for him, don't you?"
"I do grampa. I really do," She said.
---
Souji spent a fitful night where he could not sleep. With what happened yesterday, who could blame him. It was so quiet in that house, and everyone was in the hospital. "Thank goodness I'm picking up Yukiko in the morning."
---
"Good morning," Yukiko said.
"Hello," Souji said. He covered his mouth as he yawned. "Sorry, I'm just tired."
"Couldn't sleep?" Yukiko looked sympathetic, "I understand. I had a little trouble sleeping last night too."
"I'll be okay," Souji responded, "It's going to be alright."
Souji ended up being asked you discovered the cure for TB, when he was given the answer only about ten seconds beforehand. Kashiwagi was as dumb as usual. "It's Koch," he answered. Kashiwagi thought he was a genius while Souji just shook his head.
Souji started walking back with Yukiko after school too. He was going to take her to the bus. He was just too tired, and too drained to do much else today.
"Do you want me to stay there for a while?" Yukiko asked out of the blue.
Souji sighed. He was rather tired, and was planning on saying no, when she said, "I just want to hold you for a while. You look like you need somebody to be there, Souji-kun."
Souji looked into his heart. He needed something like this. Someone there for him, always there for him, and Yukiko was there for him.
"I'd like that… Yukiko," Souji said softly.
"Okay…," Yukiko responded.
They changed directions and headed over to Dojima's residence and headed not to his room, but to where Dojima usually feel asleep after a long day's work. Souji soon fell asleep on Yukiko's lap as she stroked his hair. She treasured this moment, and would not have it any other way. She shed a tear for what would come in the spring.
When Souji woke, Yukiko was gone, but he felt refreshed and happier than he had been all day.
---
In the morning, Chie and Yosuke were talking on the way to school.
"Why'd you give Teddie my number!?" Chie asked, "He keeps harassing me."
"That's not my fault," Yosuke responded, "He's just being silly."
"Yosuke…," Chie sighed, "Can't you just tell him not to call me?"
"Right… I'll put him on a double shift," Yosuke told the girl.
"Thank you," Chie finally said.
---
Rion got a call this morning.
"Yes?" he asked, "Can I help you Naoto-chan?"
Naoto sounded nervous, "Umm… Will you walk me to school?"
"Of course I will…," Rion responded.
She still sounded nervous when she said, "Oh, okay… D… Do you want me to wear the…"
"It doesn't matter… You can wear what you normally wear," Rion chuckled.
"Oh," Naoto sounded relieved, "Good."
---
It was an interesting sight when all three of the couples ended of walking together to school. It definitely made some noise between the students.
The catcalls when Souji walked up with Yukiko were amusing to Souji, and made Yukiko blush. It was great for Souji that was sure. The fact that only Souji and the other boys in the group made it annoying because the other guys in the school kept trying to asking her out. There were a lot of disappointed faces on a lot of guys, and surprisingly a lot of girls too.
A lot of whispering was going on when Chie and Yosuke came to school on how they were made for each. It increased when they got into an argument that they were perfect for each other when Chie hit him over the head.
The biggest disaster for the girl was when Naoto walked alongside Rion. She was beet red the entire time and probably regretting her decision to ask Rion to walk with her the whole way. Plus, the whistling and the girls who decided it was beyond cute made it unbearable and halfway through the gate, Naoto tried to bolt. Rion let her go, and the collective people in the school made her blush harder.
The day was more amusing than usual and Souji did not fall asleep in class today. He hit Rion over the head so he would not either. He had to make sure he would not do that anymore. He had an obligation. Instead of playing basketball, he walked up to the roof and watched the sky with Kou and Daisuke. Kou was contemplating if he should leave or not. He still was not sure, considering he was adopted.
The next day, Sunday, Souji hung out with Rion, Yukiko, and Naoto at well… where do you go when you want to go for a double date? They ended up wandering around until they decided to just stop at the Amagi Inn and mooch off of the wait staff. Free food was great.
Souji brought Yukiko home after school again on Monday. He made dinner for her before she had to go home. Key words… He made dinner, and it was edible.
Tuesday, he met with Kou and Daisuke again, and Kou had had a revelation over the past few days.
"I've decided not to move," Kou said, "I've decided to help raise my little sister."
"I'm glad," Souji said.
"It wouldn't be the same without you," Daisuke responded.
"Well… I'm just going to have to graduate high school with you guys," Kou said.
For some reason, he handed his adoption letter that was not really written by his real parents and they threw Souji into the river. He yelled at them, because the river was so damn cold in November. But, they had ramen afterwards, so he forgave them.
The next few days were routine for Souji. He would go to school and then Yukiko would come over to his home. She would just stay in the living room, and Souji would lie against her shoulder. Souji did help Yosuke with one answer, "What is the meaning of the word, wedding?" "He told Yosuke, a gamble." Yosuke thanked him.
Chie told Souji that she was afraid to go to Yosuke's house too often, because Teddie likes to come into his room and take pictures of them. "He goes around and shares them with everyone in Junes," she complained
Not even Souji knew what Naoto did when she visited Rion. Rion joked to him that Naoto liked to sit on his lap, and it made Souji laugh. He wondered how red it would make her if she knew Rion had told him. He didn't think he'd want to know.
He had gone home and slept away his worries for Friday. It had started raining. The Midnight Channel would come on in a few days. It worried Souji, even if everyone was safe. There were still things that bothered him.
School went on as usual, until the Sunday he got off. He studied which was unusual for him. In the evening, the news came on, just as expected.
"The week ended on a wet note, so expect for fog to last until tomorrow afternoon," the weathergirl said for the millionth or so time since Souji had arrived here.
Souji went upstairs and prepared to watch the Midnight Channel. He waited for the yellow screen. As expected, no one was there. "I'm not going to bother watching it anymore," Souji said to himself.
It was cloudy and still foggy as the next day approached. The weathergirl was wrong. "What is going on?" Souji asked.
Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko were waiting for him as he met him by the pole Yosuke had hit at least six times during the year. Chie greeted him as he arrived, "Oh, there he is!"
"Hi…," Souji responded.
"Take a look at this. Namatame's is in today's paper," Yosuke responded.
Souji went over to the paper Yukiko was reading and said, "I guess you're right. He's regained consciousness."
After Souji had read the article in its entirety, Yosuke said, "So it's finally over."
"Yeah… Seriously," Chie agreed, "I wish we could have done it sooner, though."
The group looked around at all the fog and Chie said, "Isn't the fog kind of thick this morning? And it's so chilly! Brr…."
"I agree…," Souji said. He felt cold. He kind of wanted Rion's sweatshirt right about now.
Yukiko told them, "It rarely gets this cold in November." She had put down the newspaper.
Adachi had walked up to the four of them. "Oh, it's you guys," he said, "Perfect timing. I just got a call from the hospital. They said that starting today, it's okay to visit Nanako-chan."
Chie looked happy, "So, she's getting a little better… Thank goodness."
"That's great," Souji said, and Yukiko smiled at him.
Adachi looked at Yukiko, who was holding the paper, "Oh, is that today's paper? So you already know about him."
"Is it finally over, Adachi-san?" Souji asked.
"Well, the perp's been caught, so yeah," Adachi responded, "He's still mentally unstable, but we're slowly piecing together his story. This is still a secret, but I guess its okay to tell you guys. You know that diary we found? There were entries about Ms. Yamano and Ms. Konishi in it. Looks like Namatame had been making advances on Ms. Konishi."
"That son of a bitch…," Yosuke muttered.
"Yosuke…," Chie patted his shoulder.
Adachi looked nervous, "Uhh… Well, I'm gonna head to the hospital now. Dojima-san is recovering too, so I need to go over a few things about the case with him." Adachi walked off at that.
Yosuke had his head down, so Souji asked, "Are you okay Yosuke?"
Yosuke put his head up and smiled, "I'm alright. Namatame's been caught. He can't hurt anyone now."
"You're right, Yosuke," Yukiko said.
"Forget him," Yosuke said, "Let's all go visit Nanako-chan after school."
"Of course!" Chie answered.
"Let's tell the others when we get there," Yukiko told them.
The group walked off to tell the Persona-users the good news.
They all went to the hospital after school. Souji was standing closest to Nanako's bed on one side, and Dojima on the other side. Teddie was the farther away than anyone else. Naoto, Kanji, Yosuke, and Rion were standing in front of the bed, while Chie, Yukiko, and Rise were standing near Souji.
Dojima was the first to speak, "Nanako? Everyone's here to see you."
Nanako's head raised slightly as she struggled to talk, "Mm…" Souji smiled slightly at seeing her little sis a little better. His smile would brighten even more when she would say, "Big… bro…" It would bring a smile to everyone's faces. Even if Nanako was in pain, she smiled slightly.
Just then, a nurse came in and chided the father, "Dojima-san!" Dojima looked nervous, as the nurse sighed, "How many times does this make it today? I understand that you're worried about your daughter, but you need your rest too."
Dojima grumbled, "S… Sorry."
Yukiko looked at Souji's uncle and asked, "Are your injures that bad?"
Doijma said slowly, "Well, my wounds have just closed up, and it seems I have a couple of fractures as well."
Souji whispered to Rion, "That was nothing compared to you."
"He wasn't healed by Personas," Rion responded.
Adachi told the nurse, "I'm sorry… I'll wheel him back to his room."
Dojima grumbled at Adachi, "What are you apologizing for?"
The nurse told the older Dojima, "It's almost time for your checkup, so make sure you're back in your room before then."
Before Dojima left, however, Nanako spoke again, "Big… bro…" She struggled to say anything else, "…."
"I'm here…," Souji responded, and grasped her "little sis'" hand.
"Yeah, I'm so glad," Nanako responded.
Nanako fell back asleep.
As the group left the room, the doctor that talked to the group about Rion's condition gave them an idea about what was going on with Nanako.
He explained, "Her condition is stable for now, but… I never thought I'd say that as a doctor, but… We still can't figure out the cause of Nanako-chan's symptoms. That's why we can only administer temporary treatments to alleviate her pain."
"They don't know what's wrong with her?" Souji thought as the others looked worriedly at each other.
Dojima asked with trepidation, "But, she's not in danger anymore, right?"
The doctor said, "She's regained consciousness, but we can't let our guard down yet. All we can do for now is to monitor her condition closely."
Dojima shook his head and asked his gofer, "Adachi. How's it going with Namatame?"
He answered, "Well, he's awake now, but he's in condition to tell us anything useful. We only get a little time each day to interrogate him, so we're stuck until his strength recovers."
"I see… I should get back to work as soon as possible," Dojima put his head down. Souji looked worried for his health as well. Dojima kept going, "Hopefully by then, Nanako will be out of the hospital."
Adachi looked, how do you say it, tense, "I think Nanako-chan can get more peace and quiet is she stays here. It's so foggy out, and there's some weird rumors going around. Seems like no one knows why there's so much fog in town."
Souji shook his head. He didn't know either.
The doctor looked down, "It's true. The number of patients complaining about fog-related health problems has increased. Which is quite unusual." You could hear Rion "tch" in the background.
"Is it actually bad for you?" Souji asked. He wanted to laugh at Rion's outburst.
The doctor responded, "I can't say for sure if it has any effect on the human body. It certainly could be a psychological effect. People's anxiety over the fog could cause problems." The doctor shook his head, "But as far as the fog's chemical makeup… Well, that's not my field, so I can only speculate." The doctor sighed, "What concerns me is that the transportation of our medical supplies has been delayed because of this fog."
Dojima shook his head for the millionth time in the past five minutes, "Fog-related health problems. Now that's just ridiculous. Anyone who's says that is just blowing smoke."
Souji helped Adachi take Dojima back to his room and wished him good luck on his recovery. The doctor chided Rion before he left to take care of other patients because Rion had gone out recklessly to help catch Namatame before he was released. It made Souji chuckle. He walked out hand-in-hand with Yukiko and smiled as he left the hospital. At least Nanako was a little better.
"I'm glad she's awake," Yukiko said to him.
"Me too," Souji smiled.
---
Meanwhile, in the Shopping District
Two ladies were talking.
The first one said, "Isn't the weather strange? How could it be lasting so long?"
The other one said, "I've never seen anything like it."
The first one told the other, "I wonder what's causing it. It's so creepy." She kept on, "I heard that a friend of mine's son got sick from the fog and collapsed. You know how sensitive children are to that sort of thing."
The second one gossiped, "I heard something too. They say an old man was driving through the fog and got into an accident."
"What? Did he lose control?"
"Well, he'd never been in an accident before or even gotten a ticket before, so something seems off… Isn't that scary?"
The first one said, "I've even heard there are expert saying it's poisonous. I wonder if it's true."
The second one responded and asked, "Do you think if it's because of that, global warming thing? This town's changed a lot over the years. I wish the government would step in and do something about it."
"Oh, I agree completely. If we pay our taxes, I expect the authorities to do their jobs."
At that moment, a man dressed in a suit walked by, and another crazy man in a gas mask ran past him and yelled, "The fog is poison! It's filled with viruses! Don't inhale the fog, or you'll die!" The man in the gas mask ran away. The group in general looked at each other like the guy was insane.
The first lady said, "He's not the first one like that I've seen lately."
"Poisonous gas though?" the second one asked.
"Oh, I'm sure it's not true," the first one answered.
The second lady suddenly stopped for a second.
"Hm… Is something wrong?"
"Oh my… I… I think I'm coming down with something," the second lady said.
The man in the suit and the first lady suddenly looked nervous as the lady said, "You can't be serious." She said quickly, "Oh… that's right. I needed to do some grocery shopping." All three of them quickly walked away in different directions.
Shortly there after, Rise's grandmother walked out. She said, "Business has been so slow lately."
The next day at school, on his way to school, students were complaining about the fog. Souji just shook his head. "This is bullshit…," he thought.
Souji got a question today in his Social Studies class. He refused to get any more help from Rion. He was proud of that. "Where are the Patagonia Ice fields?" He answered correctly exactly within South America and felt special.
When Souji got out of school and was about to walk home, he was confronted by Naoto and Rion. They asked him if he wanted to visit Nanako, and if so, we'll go with you. Souji felt happy that he'd have company if he decided to go. Naoto and Rion were going to go study together, but now they had something better to do.
Souji smiled when he got to the hospital with the diminutive detective and the stoic swordsman in tow. Nanako had woken up when he had arrived, and she had smiled when Souji arrived.
"I'm here to say hi, little sis," Souji said softly.
"Big… bro…," Nanako said.
They carried on a very short conversation before Nanako fell back asleep.
As they turned and left the hospital, Souji asked Rion, "Are you still going to go "study?""
"We will be studying, really studying," Rion assured him, "I'm helping Naoto-chan get ready for the finals."
"How about after the studying?" Souji winked at him.
Rion shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Her grandfather expects her home by an exact moment."
"That's no fun," Souji responded, "But I'm sure just being around her…"
"That's good enough for me…," Rion nodded.
Souji smiled. He knew how Rion was feeling.
He felt pretty good as he went to sleep. The next day after school, Chie asked him if he wanted to visit Nanako with her and Yosuke.
"It's much better than studying, and its Nanako," Souji thought.
The three visited Nanako and made sure she was at least doing alright. She was the same as before, but she was happy to see Souji. Yosuke and Chie seemed happy to see Nanako-chan as well.
The next day, Rise and Teddie went with Souji to see Nanako. Teddie monopolized the time with Nanako. Souji just shook his head at the pedobear.
On Friday, after answering a question in school, he visited Nanako with Kanji. Souji felt good just seeing her again. He had heard a study that said constant contact with people while in the hospital made people get better faster. This was why Souji kept visiting, even at the expense at doing badly on his tests.
On Saturday, after school, Yukiko finally was off from working at the Inn. They had a big group hiding from the fog and they just left. After answering the wrong way to spell "Christmas," he decided what to do. So, Yukiko had asked Souji if he wanted to see Nanako, and Souji could not say no.
"Thanks…," Yukiko said, as they walked out of Nanako's room, "I think she's getting better.
"I think so too," Souji said. In actuality, he had not seen a difference, but he wasn't going to say that to Yukiko.
They walked back to the bus stop together, while holding hands.
Souji could have studied on Sunday, as it was the day before the exams. But, instead, they all visited Nanako together. Nanako woke up with Souji and all of his friends there. Even his uncle was there, before one of the nurses rebuked him and made him leave. She smiled at Souji until he said she could go back to sleep. She said, "I love you, big bro."
Souji felt so happy, but he was lost for words at his sick cousin.
So, as he returned in the evening, he buckled down and began studying. He wasn't sure where to start, so he began with some problems where Rion had helped him with before he was put out of commission for a while. He stopped when he was too tired to think.
As he walked to his end of the world, finals, he met up with Yosuke.
"Hey…," Souji said.
"Yo… Look at this weather, man," Yosuke said.
"It sucks…," Souji responded.
Yosuke said, "It sucks… Have you ever heard of something like this? Finals start today too, but that's not what matters."
Souji nodded, "Yeah… I know." There were more important things, like Nanako getting better and this weird fog.
"What's going to happen with this stuff?" Yosuke asked.
"I really don't know," Souji answered.
Yosuke shook his head as he said, "I thought the rumors about the fog being harmful was a rumor, but people are really getting sick, yeah? There are other rumors being spread too."
"It's got to be in their head," Souji said. "Weird rumors though," Souji thought.
"What's going on?" Yosuke wondered, "I don't know how to feel."
So, the finals began. Many of the questions were the ones he had studied, or the ones he had answered over the past few days. Souji was having an easy time with the finals, but more and more people were complaining about the fog each day. It was messing with his concentration. Finals would end on the 3rd, and Souji had never felt more confident about an exam. This was really odd for Souji, considering he spent his whole time visiting Nanako instead of studying.
It was the 3rd of December and Yosuke and Souji were walking towards school down the Shopping District. The fog was rather thick today.
"Man, this fog just won't quit," Yosuke said to him as both he and Souji came to a halt near the model shop, "The weather report said it might start snowing soon, but what's going to happen if it starts snowing with all this fog?"
"I don't know, Yosuke," Souji answered. Souji really didn't know.
They were surprised to see every single of their confidents suddenly arrive behind them, and they were surprised to see them as well… well almost all of them.
"Whoa… where'd did you come from!?" Chie asked as she stumbled upon the pair.
"Wow… that's quite a crowd you got there," Yosuke responded.
Rion looked at them. He was not surprised at all to see them. He pushed up his glasses.
Chie explained, "We ran into each other back there, so we came together. The fog's so thick that you can't see your nose in front of your face, so everyone is forming groups."
Souji said, "It's been so weird. It's cold too."
"The visibility is terrible," Rise complained. She stuck by Naoto and Rion. Naoto gave her a look.
"It's hard to see anything though. It's just like the other side," Rise said as she looked at Rion.
Kanji suddenly looked shocked, as Rion said, "Why do you think I'm wearing my glasses? It's not just because my eyesight is terrible." Rion pushed his glasses up.
Kanji put his on and said to them, "Guys… put on your glasses like Rion is!"
Everybody put on their glasses and the fog all but disappeared for Souji and the others as well.
"Whoa… It's all clear," Yukiko said.
"Wh… What the hell is going on!?" Yosuke asked.
Naoto made a deduction, "These glasses are meant to help us see through the fog in the other world. But putting that aside, no glasses would improve one's visibility in a fog, under normal circumstances."
"I doubt you could call these normal circumstances," Souji muttered.
Chie wondered out loud, "Then, umm… Could the fog from over there be leaking into our world?" As everyone nodded, Chie looked astounded and she said, "Huh? You guys think that's it!? I kinda expecting you to ignore it as Chie being random again. It's just a thought."
"That could explain some of the sickness," Rion said, "Remember the headaches we had when he first went into the TV world? They only were alleviated when he put on the glasses." Souji nodded at Rion's explanation.
"I remember that," Souji said, "We didn't feel well at all then."
Yosuke finally said after some silence, "Anyways, today's the last day of exams, right? Let's get them over with so we can meet up at the special headquarters after school."
Yukiko said to Yosuke, "Wow… we haven't used that name in a while."
The group walked to the school, actually being able to see. Souji took his final day of exams and breezed through the exam, writing his answers at a record pace. He even had time to check them afterwards. The group, including Teddie met up at their table in Junes after school. It felt like déjà vu for Souji. They had not met up here since capturing Namatame.
Souji was sitting next to Teddie as Chie was reading a paper as she said, "Hey, here's a story about the fog. Umm… "Some specialists are raising concerns that this fog may contain harmful substances. More and more citizens are calling for an investigation into the cause of the fog and the facts about it. Though the government has begun its preliminary investigation, many feel that the cause of the fog may be hard to pinpoint."" Chie shook her head, "Huh? Is the fog really that dangerous?"
Kanji gestured, "You hardly see people walkin' around town anymore… Or here, either."
Rise added, "Everyone is too scared of the fog now to go outdoors much."
Teddie said, "It does seem a lot like the fog on the other side. But beyond that, I'm clueless."
"Who knows…," Souji said.
Naoto looked at the paper and said, "There's another item of note here. A summary of Namatame's career, with details about the case." She read from the paper, "The suspect was having an affair with the first victim. It seems she was kiled due to relationship troubles. Also in April, Ms. Saki Konishi's body was discovered. The police are looking into a motive for the murder. In July, a boy performed a copycat murder. They boy was initially thought to be the culprit behind the killings, but later suspicion was thrown upon Namatame. Last month, the suspect attempted to kidnap a seven-year-old girl of Inaba, resulting in his arrest." Naoto took a deep breath and said, "It seems Namatame is still confined to his hospital bed, and further interrogation has yet to commence."
Yosuke put his head back and said, "So it's finally over. A lot of stuff's happened. But all that's left is for the police is to build a case against Namatame."
Souji looked skeptical and it looked like Rion shared his sentiment so Souji asked, "Can they really prove anything?"
"I'm sure your uncle can," Yosuke answered.
Rise backed Souji up by saying, "But the stuff he was saying was obviously nuts. If he says anything about the TV world he'll be considered mentally unstable."
Souji sighed, "What Dojima-san is doing is not so easy. He has to deal with someone who is going to talk about being a savior by kidnapping them and throwing them into TVs to save them."
Yukiko nodded, "I heard before that if the police don't have enough hard evidence, It's difficult for them to build a case."
Naoto sighed and said, "Yes, there are many such cases. It is the eternal conundrum for crime investigators."
Kanji was pissed, "So even if they're caught, the law can't do shit!?"
Souji shared the sentiment with Kanji.
"It's a possibility," Naoto put her head down.
"Hell's up with that!?" Kanji exclaimed, "We all know he did it. You can't just think a maniac who thinks he's saving people by killing them run free."
All the while, Rion had his eyes closed and thinking about something. Whatever it was, Souji had to think it was important.
Yosuke said quietly, "They better not dismiss something this serious because of mental issues. Everyone who died is his fault!"
"I know…," Souji said.
Yosuke continued, "If it weren't for what he did, no one would have tried a copycat killing. It's his fault that Nanako-chan is in the hospital right now."
"There's nothing we can about that now…," Souji said. He thought about what Nanako and Souji promised to do before she was kidnapped. He guessed he'd have to do alone now, but at least he could do it with his friends.
"What's the matter?" Chie asked, noticing that Souji wanted to ask something.
"Guys, do you want to pick out a kotatsu for Nanako?" Souji asked, "We were going to get one together, but…"
"You want to buy a kotatsu… for Nanako?" Rion asked, "Well… why did you not ask sooner?" Rion pushed up his glasses. Rion actually seemed enthusiastic for once outside of something regarding teenage girls with either blue or red hair. Then again, that made him only slightly apathetic.
"Why don't we check them out right now?" Chie asked. She seemed excited too, "I know Nanako-chan would be psyched if she came home and found a new kotatsu waiting for her."
"You should have told me sooner!" Yosuke said as well, "With the winter season, we have tons in stock." Yosuke ordered, "Alright! Off to the housewares section for Nanako-chan!"
"Okay…," Souji said. He was happy that he'd have something waiting for his little sis. He wanted her to be happy too.
The group made it to the housewares section, and were browsing the various kotatsu in stock. There were all kinds of them, and Souji did not know what kind Nanako would want.
Chie said while looking at one with Rise and Yukiko, "If we're getting a kotatsu, we'd better get some oranges to complete the set."
"It's a cliché because it's true, dammit!" Kanji exclaimed.
Naoto gestured and said, "The best compliment to a kotatsu would be a heated rug."
Yosuke explained, "Dude, that much juice would kill the breaker as soon as you try to microwave something."
"Rion has one…," Naoto retorted.
"That's Rion…," Yosuke said. He looked at Teddie, who looked down and said, "Oh yeah, you've never used a kotatsu before, huh Ted? It's nice and toasty." Yosuke looked at Teddie.
Teddie raised his head and said to Yosuke and the others, "Can I still stay here?" They all turned to him as he said, "You all kept your promise to me, so I should going back… But, I don't wanna go until Nana-chan gets better."
Rion shook his head as he thought, "Why does he think he should go back?"
Yosuke responded to the bear-human, "Of course you can stay. How many times do we have to say this before it gets through to you?"
"How do you think Nanako-chan would feel if you weren't there when she wakes up?" Souji asked.
Teddie responded glumly, "But… I couldn't save Nana-chan."
Rise smiled and said, "Don't be silly. We saved Nana-chan together."
Kanji told him, "We caught the killer, man. We couldn'ta done that without ya."
Yukiko said comfortingly, "Teddie, you shouldn't act this way when Nanako-chan is still fighting."
"You guys…," Teddie said sadly.
"You can stay here…," Souji told him.
Teddie smiled, "Sensei… I'm so touched!" Souji thought it might give Chie and Yosuke a little peace and quiet for a day, "I'll stay by your side until Nanako-chan comes home!"
Yosuke said, "Oh, that's right… I almost forgot that there's no one but you at your place." Souji and Yukiko smiled at each other.
Chie looked at everyone, "Hey, why don't we pick out a Christmas present for Nanako-chan while we're at it?"
Yukiko smiled, "Oh, that's a great idea! I'm sure she'll be out of the hospital by then."
Yosuke grumbled as he said, "Alright, but none of this "charge it to Yosuke" this time, got it Chie!" Chie smirked at him. He continued, "Are we clear on this?"
"Why would we do that?" Chie winked at him.
Yosuke exclaimed, "Dude, the clothes you got for this guy? I almost pissed my pants when I saw the receipt! How many days do you think I had to work to pay that off?"
"Well, don't blame me if Junes overcharges for things, right?" Chie replied, "And I thought we cleared this up." She winked at him, and he grumbled. Rion rolled his eyes, and Souji joined him.
"Well… that's the first and last time Chie-san is going to help a guy shop," Yosuke said.
"What did you say!?" Chie exclaimed. This had to be a new side to the argument. Everyone started backing away.
Teddie said in his seductive voice, "C'mon baby. Don't fight over me."
Both of them yelled, "Stay out of this!"
Rion came over to Teddie and whispered in his ear, "One word of advice. Stay out of a lover's quarrel."
Of course, it was made worse by, "Snrk… Hehehehehehe…."
Rise shook her head and said, "Let's leave them be and think of a present for Nanako-chan on our own."
"But what would a girl her age want?" Kanji asked himself.
Naoto asked Souji, "What do you think Nanako-chan would appreciate most?"
Souji started thinking, "Hmm…" He decided to say, "How about a Jack Frost doll."
Kanji smiled and said, "Yeah, that white, round shape is the best. A plush doll is the way to go."
"Kanji knows from experience," Rion smirked.
"Shut up, Rion…," Kanji exclaimed.
Yosuke told Souji, "Alright, as soon as Nanako-chan is out of the hospital, we'll have a party at your place."
Souji heard some terrifying words from Chie, "Yes! And we'll bake the cake!"
Rise agreed, "Of course!" Souji started screaming in his head.
Yukiko added, "Let's make it a cake to remember."
Souji was thinking, "Yukiko-chan, I love you, but I don't want to die."
Yosuke exclaimed, "Oh no you're not! Are you trying to send Nanako-chan back to the hospital!?"
Naoto looked slightly confused but Rion gave him a look of confirmation that it would be a bad idea. Rion knew about Naoto's cooking skills as well.
Souji's phone went off at this time, and he picked it up. Yosuke looked at it curiously as Souji answered it. It was Adachi.
"Hello?" Souji asked.
"Hello? This is Adachi. Um, I want you to stay calm and listen to me, okay?"
Souji started to think of something that could have gone wrong, but he decided to stay calm, and said, "O… okay."
"Nanako-chan's condition suddenly got worse," Adachi explained. This shocked Souji, and scared him to death, "The doctor wants you to come to the hospital immediately. We'll be waiting."
Adachi hung up.
"Guys…," Souji could barely get it out, "Nanako has gotten worse… We need to go to the hospital."
Yosuke was the first to speak, "C'mon. Let's go!"
They all but ran to the hospital to see Souji's little sis. Words could not describe the fear in Souji's eyes as he ran to the hospital. If there was a chance… no he had to believe in her. He rushed into the front door with Rion, Yosuke, and Kanji right behind him. They headed to the ICU, nearly knocking over a nurse.
They were all standing over the extremely sick Nanako Dojima, fear clouding everyone's eyes. The doctor was trying to explain her condition to the older Dojima.
A voice erupted into the hall, it was a woman's voice, "Doctor, this fog is poisonous, isn't it!? It's filled with viruses. They said so on TV. Isn't there a vaccine or something for it?"
A nurse responded, "Calm down, please. That's just a rumor."
A man yelled, "Don't tell me to calm down! You're lying! We know you have medicine for this! Are you just going to stand there and watch us die!?"
The nurse said, "Why would we do something like that?"
Chie shook her head, "What a commotion." "This is crazy," she thought, "It's getting out of control."
Dojima was losing it too, as he snapped at the doctor, "What the hell is that supposed to mean!? Can't you see how much pain she's in!?"
The doctor responded, "All we can do right now is monitor her condition closely. Dojima-san, you need to return to your…"
Dojima exclaimed, "I don't give a damn about myself! Do something about Nanako…" He cried out in pain.
Yosuke took him by the shoulder, "Dojima-san!"
Dojima said with conviction, but softly, "Just save her… For god's sake, please save Nanako."
The doctor put his head down and said, "We'll do our best." He looked at the group and said, "I must ask you to step out for time being."
The Persona-users nodded and walked out in agreement with the doctor.
Dojima was the last to leave, "Nanako…"
The nurse took Dojima off of Yosuke's hands and back to his room while the rest of the group waited outside. They were in the exact same positions they were at when they took Nanako to the hospital the first time. But, this time, they were even gloomier.
Yosuke walked up to Teddie and said, "Hey! Can't you do something!? This all has to do with the world you came from. Can't you figure something out!?" They were all frustrated and Yosuke was taking it out on Teddie.
"I'm thinking and thinking, but…," Teddie said.
"Dammit! Why does this have to happen like a girl to her!?" Kanji exclaimed.
"We all feel the same way," Souji said. "It's not fair…," Souji thought.
"It's Namatame's fault!" Kanji yelled.
Chie said worriedly, "Nanako-chan's gonna be okay, right?" Yosuke walked up to her and grasped her hand momentarily.
Adachi had walked up at that moment and asked, "You guys still here?"
The group looked up and Naoto asked, "How is Dojima-san doing?"
Adachi responded, "His wounds opened up again. They're treating it over in his room right now."
"Any luck with your investigation with Namatame?" Yosuke asked.
Adachi looked nervous, "About that… I won't mince words here. We're going to have a hard time making these charges stick." Everyone except Rion and Naoto looked surprised. They just shook their head.
"What's that mean!?" Yosuke exclaimed loudly.
Adachi explained, "I talked with the guys at the station, and it'll be next to impossible to find him guilty in court. Especially given the reason why we took him off the list of suspects for the first case."
Chie said slowly, "Oh yeah, something about him having an alibi."
"Yeah, that. And the whole angle about him putting people into TVs. There's no way that'll stand up in court. No one would believe that. What the public wants is when, where, and how Namatame killed these people. And Dojima-san knows it."
Kanji walked right up to Adachi and said, "Well, ain't you calm about this."
Adachi said nervously, "I… I'm just telling you the truth."
"And you call yourself a cop!? Huh!?" Kanji yelled. Kanji picked up Adachi by his shirt collar and said, "If you wanna to see that stuff so bad, we'll show you! Hurry up and bring a TV here, dammit!"
Rise was yelling at Kanji, "Hey, stop…" when a nurse ran out of Nanako's room.
"What the…?" Kanji wondered as he dropped Adachi.
The nurse asked, "Is Nanako-chan's family here?"
Souji said, "I'm her family."
The nurse said, "Hurry inside! Please talk to her!"
Souji ran inside as fast as he could, the dread rising from the pit of his stomach. He was scared to death. The group crowded around Nanako's door.
"What the hell!? What's going on!?" Yosuke exclaimed loudly.
"No… Nanako-chan…," Yukiko said sadly and softly.
Rion just removed his glasses and grasped Naoto's hand, while Chie grasped Yosuke's.
The doctor, nurse, and Souji were all standing around Nanako's bed.
"Daddy…," Nanako said painfully.
"He'll be here soon," Souji said as calmly as he could. Souji had never been so scared. He had faced death straight in the eyes, and spit in it. He had watched his friends nearly bleed to the death and carried them back, but never was he this scared.
Nanako was struggling to breathe. Her heart rate monitor began flat lining, and Souji's worst fears were coming true. He could not lose his little sis. How he wished he could use his Persona right now.
The doctor tried to talk to her, "Nanako-chan… Nanako-chan. Can you hear us? Do you understand what we're saying? Your big brother is here with you. Please hang in there."
The nurse adjusted her breathing tube and Nanako struggled to breathe again as she managed a little noise, "Ngh…"
The doctor exclaimed, "Where's Dojima-san!?"
The nurse responded, "We're calling for him right now!"
As the group waited outside, scared and in despair, they saw Dojima walking slowly with a nurse supporting him towards Nanako's room.
"How's Nanako!?" he exclaimed.
Rion just shook his head and he hurried as fast as he could towards the room.
"Doctor…," the nurse said despairingly.
"….," the doctor didn't know what to say.
Nanako managed to turn her head and say very painfully, "Big… bro…"
"I'm here Nanako…," Souji said very softly. Those words bit at him as she smiled at him. It hurt so much. Souji grasped Nanako's hand and looked into her eyes.
"I'm scared…," she managed to say to her big bro.
"Don't worry… we're all here for you."
"Big… bro… Dad…dy…," she struggled to say. It must have hurt tremendously. Her head turned to the side… her eyes closed…. and the heart monitor suddenly stopped. Souji's heart felt like it stopped as well. He put his head down while still grasping Nanako's hand. He had lost his little sis.
Dojima had just entered while the heart monitor went down. It killed Dojima. He yelled, "Nanako!" He walked to the front of Nanako's bed and just stared at her still form. He finally managed to say with tears in his eyes, "Nanako…?"
Chie, Yosuke, Teddie, Yukiko, and Rion all rushed into the room at this point. Rion stopped at the doorway, while the others were standing right by the nurse.
Rion had removed his glasses and had sighed multiple times. He was trying to hold back all of his sad emotions. His deep breathes were the only thing keeping him from shedding tears.
"I'm sorry, Sir," the doctor said to Dojima.
"No!" Chie exclaimed. She started bawling.
Yukiko started bawling as well as she went over to Souji.
Dojima collapsed to his knees in front of Nanako. He had lost the most important thing in the world to him.
"Dammit…," Yosuke muttered softly. He yelled, "Dammit!" as he enclosed his arms around Chie.
"Nana-chan…," Teddie said softly.
Rion had walked out the door to Naoto and Rise. The doctor and Dojima followed shortly thereafter.
Rion was now placed in between the pair of detective and idol on the bench as the doctor said, "We did everything we could, but we still couldn't figure out what caused this."
Dojima started walking off away from Nanako's room, solemnly and sadly.
"AAAAGGH!" Kanji yelled in pain and frustration.
Rise was in tears as well as Naoto saying softly, tears welling up in her eyes, "Nanako-chan." She placed herself under Rion's arm. She let Rion place his other arm around Rise. At this point, with the death of Nanako, it didn't really matter right now.
Souji just crumpled to his knees like Dojima. He wanted to take back nasty thought he ever had about Nanako. Every bad comment he made about Junes commercials, or the time he ate the pudding. He wanted to take back the time he wanted to use her as a slave to make his food because he was poisoned by Yukiko's cooking. Souji… had a little sister. His little sister was gone.
The defective would walk up only moments later.
I made a few liberties, especially at the end on where people were. But, that was mainly for relationship reasons. Hope it's okay.