A/N :

Thanks for all of the feedback, as usual! It keeps me motivated to write, despite how busy I am!

roughstar333: Shit gets even more real in this chapter!

Metal Vile: Thanks for pointing out the inconsistencies! I've fixed Chapter 2! And as for your guesses, you nailed two of them on the head. I'm not telling you which two, though! Thanks so much for the guesses. I always have fun reading them!

Dash master 48: You do see some of Souji in this chapter. Don't worry, his family life will be touched on in later chapters.

N-Lorin: Thanks for pointing that out! I'll probably comb through earlier chapters and fix all of those errors.

enersy: Glad you liked the chapter! I wholeheartedly believed that Saki had a lot of potential that was unexplored. So I opted to feature a bit of her in this chapter.

Patch7-8-9: Love pairings, so they'll definitely be included!

BlueAtom09974: Hopefully you're not too irked about this update being a bit late. (More than a bit late.) Naoto/Rise is not yet confirmed, as my favorite Persona pairing is Naoto/Yosuke. A lot of pairings are undecided right now, but I'm going to see where the writing takes them. Souji's last name is Kujikawa, and Rise's last name is Seta. I messed that up in earlier chapters. As for the arcana, I can definitely say that Souji is not the Lovers.

RandomRobot: Two of your guesses are absolutely right! I really want to say which one, but I'm holding back. Rise and Souji do have their last names swapped. Originally, I was going to change Souji's last name to a Persona 3 character's.

Bam!

She landed on the ground, on her side. The pig-tailed girl gasped at the sudden pain, and she lay there for a brief moment, feeling the cool, tiled ground underneath her. Only when she heard one of the others get to their feet, did she sit up, wincing at the pain in her side. She would definitely feel that tomorrow morning... But that was the least of her concerns, now. The three of them seemed to be on a stage of some sort, but fog majorly obscured what she could see. Her breathing slowed and calmed as the pain somewhat eased. The towering stage lights above were definitely clear. Was something being filmed here? And where was 'here'?

"Damn... Where the hell are we?" Yosuke seemed breathless as he gazed around. Rise struggled to her feet, Teddie helping her up, heaving her off of the ground with surprising strength.

"Right as rain!" Teddie chirped, undisturbed by the scenery. "But, I'm not sure where we even are. Is this someplace in Inaba?" Unlikely. Rise doubted that there was anywhere as strange as this around. There were cartoonish, black-and-white outlines on the floor that resembled human figures. She could see cameras and spotlights up above if she squinted.

"I don't think so. It kinda looks like a stage or something." She looked all around, anxiously searching for an exit. There was an exit, right? She didn't want to think about there not being one. "Should we look around for a way out?"

"Definitely. This place is giving me the creeps." Yosuke agreed, expression cautious as he looked around. "I can barely see it, but I think there are stairs over there." Without saying anything else, the tawny-haired boy began to walk away, leaving Rise and Teddie to hurry behind. As she followed him, she could see the metal stairs up ahead. However, they seemed to only lead to a second floor. "Stay behind me." Yosuke asserted, and Rise was momentarily touched as he took the lead. There was more than lewd jokes and arrogance to him.

The trio clambered up the steel stairs, reaching a second floor. Oddly enough, it seemed to be a balcony overlooking the stage that they had landed on. The fog was much too thick to see what was up ahead. There were several doors on the other side of the balcony. Teddie huffed impatiently and tried to open one.

"The doorknob won't even budge..." The blond said in a bewildered tone. "What kinda place is this!? The last time I was somewhere so shady, it was a love hotel!"

"While I'd love to hear about your sorry escapades, we need to save weird backstory for later." Yosuke huffed, continuing forward. Rise scrambled to follow him, biting her lip fretfully. There had to be a way out of here. As they journeyed forth, Rise stayed on her toes. There was no telling what could be hiding in the fog. Soon enough, an open door appeared at the end of the corridor. "Looks like there isn't a choice." Yosuke stated with a hassled sigh. "Stay near me, Rise-chan. I'll protect you."

"What about me?" Teddie inquired, before Rise had the chance to scold Yosuke. The tawny-haired boy rolled his eyes.

"You too. You probably couldn't box your way out of a paper bag." At that, Rise suppressed a giggle, reminding herself about the situation they were in. They moved forward, through the entrance, only to find a small room. There was a bed in one corner, with a TV on the wall. But what drew the most attention was the chair int he middle of the room, with a red noose tied to the ceiling, in front of it.

"Creepy." Rise commented, sucking in a deep breath. "What kind of place is this?"

"Definitely not a love hotel. Or at least, not my kind of love hotel." Yosuke replied, silver tongue not faltering. She looked to Yosuke, ready to scold him. However, his uneasiness was evident, made clear by the paleness of his complexion.

"G-Guys...?" Teddie questioned, voice uncharacteristically quiet. "You might wanna turn around." At the blond's words, Rise turned to stare at the other wall, only to find herself growing pale and more nauseous. Posters. Posters littered te walls. They depicted a familiar-looking figure, but the faces were all cut out, or covered by bright, crimson splatters. Whoever had been here, must have really hated the woman on the posters. The atmosphere within the room seemed heavy and oppressive. She had never been extremely interested in the paranormal, but the energy here was clearly negative. Something about this place wasn't quite right. Seeing as there was no visible exit, Rise immediately turned to her companions.

"We should get out of here." She advised immediately, and Yosuke nodded. He was clearly as eager as she was to leave. Without another word, the three of them scrambled from the room, desperate to leave. "Let's head back down the stairs." She suggested.

"There are probably other paths down there." Yosuke seconded her sentiment. Their footsteps were heavy against the metal floor. As time passed, Rise felt herself becoming more and more sluggish. The fog was everywhere, and it seeped in her lings, weighing her entire body and spirit down. "We really need to get out of here. This place is making my head weird." Yosuke muttered. They clambered down the stairs and back onto the stage where they had all landed, finally pausing and taking a break.

"This place is a real shit hole." Yosuke remarked sourly. Rise nodded in agreement. Never had she been somewhere like this before. The energy of this place seemed to be incredibly toxic. Teddie, who was uncharacteristically silent, seemed to be frozen in fear, staring at something behind them. "What's with that look, Ted?" The tawny-haired boy remarked, turning around to get a good look at what the blond was staring at. Rise followed suit, and found herself once again bewildered as a rounded figure approached them, features masked by the thick fog.

"What's that?" Rise questioned nervously. As the figure finally reached them, it seemed to be an... odd-looking bear? It was black-and-white, reminiscent of a panda, with black markings under the eyes. There was a black star in the middle of its chest.

"What the hell're you lookin' at?" It spoke in a deep, masculine voice, causing the trio to jump.

"It-It spoke!" Teddie exclaimed, clearly close to hysterics. Unfortunately, this only seemed to irk the mysterious figure even more. A scowl became clear on its features. With that, Rise noticed that it had a scar near one of its thick, black eyebrows?

"Of course I speak! What'dya take me for, some idiot?" The bear snarked, before shaking its head. "You must be the idiots, getting stuck down here." It remarked, clearly in a bad mood now. "It's your lucky day. I'll let you all out of here, but don't come back. If the shadows get pissed while you're here, you'll all be toast."

"Shadows?" Rise echoed questioningly, but the bear either ignored her, or didn't hear her. It snapped its... fingers? Suddenly, there was a large puff of smoke, and several large TVs appeared.

"What the hell?" Yosuke eyed the bear suspiciously. "What is this place? Who are you?" The bear only rolled his eyes at Yosuke's demanding tone, and snapped harshly at the trio.

"Go on, get outta here!" Teddie didn't seem to need any more incentive. The shaken young man rushed forward, throwing himself into one of the large TVs that had appeared.

"H-Hey!" Yosuke exclaimed, following his blond companion. "Don't leave us behind!" With that, the tawny-haired boy leaped through. Rise watched hesitantly, only hoping that this bear was genuine. What if the TVs lead them somewhere else? She looked back, casting one last look at the odd figure, before jumping through after her friends. There was a blinding light, and the sensation of falling.

And then, the noise of light music filled her ears. Junes. They were back from where they came from. Relief flooded her mind, and she opened her eyes, squinting against the bright, florescent lights. Luckily, Teddie and Yosuke made it through as well. The two were stood up, oddly silent. At the sight of her, they scrambled to help her, hauling her back to her feet.

"Let's... never do that again." Rise stated, and Teddie could only nod in agreement.

"I'm gonna head home, now." Even Yosuke seemed to be struggling. "Let's not talk about what happened until... later. Or never again." He added on, suddenly looking sickly. "I'll see you all tomorrow." With that, he walked off, leaving Rise and Teddie alone.

"He's probably right." Teddie nodded slowly. The light was returning to his bright, blue eyes. He was becoming less and less dazed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rise-chan!" He darted down the isle, clearly enthusiastic to leave the department store. However, Rise stood there for a brief moment, her mind stalled. What had just occurred in the span of that hour? Maybe she didn't even want to know. Without looking back at the TV, she turned to leave the store.

"Why would you work with the enemy!? Is it some boy!? Please, just tell me!"

Her father's words still echoed through her head.

Saki Konishi stood on the roof of Inaba high, weary gaze fixed on the grey skies above. So close to graduation, so close to freedom. The arrival of Junes had perhaps ruined her life, and all of her hopes for her life in Inaba. Was she a traitor for working at Junes? For getting paid more than she would have been at her family's liquor store? For treating Hana-chan so nicely because he's the manager's son? A bitter smile curled at her chapped lips. She didn't even know who she was anymore.

Saki Konishi walked away from the roof and back into the school, where she had attended class for the past three years. She had wedged her family apart. She had been the cause of so much suffering. She had found Mayumi Yamano's body dangling from some television antennas, which only added to her own down spiral.

Down the stairs, through the halls, calling out greetings to friends and acquaintances, smiling. Happy. So happy.

She had been called down to the police station to be interviewed about her discovery. The thought made her want to vomit. But if it'd help them find out who murdered the poor woman, why not go? With her bag slung over her arm, Saki Konishi left Yasogami High, traveling through the gates, inhaling the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms.

More than anything, Saki Konishi wants to be free.

But it's a chance she'll never get.

Souji shouldn't be out so late at night. It was raining again, the heavy raindrops tumbling against his black umbrella. Fog swirled around him as he exited the restaurant, lifting his gaze towards the dark, dark skies. Tomorrow would be another day to drag himself through. Maybe something good would happen. Deep within him, he knew he would get there early again, just so he'd have the chance to talk to the unique trio he had interacted with yesterday. But he'd never admit it out loud.

He would light a cigarette, but his hand was busy holding his umbrella. Slowly, he turned to look down the street as the thundering of motorbikes became audible. It would be wise to go the other way and cut through the residential district. The grey-haired young man turned away from the commotion, heading back down the street. He closed his tired eyes for a brief moment, footsteps slowing just a little bit, until his shoulder bumped into another figure. His eyes flew open, immediately drawn to the young... man he had bumped into.

"My apologies." A blue-haired youth. Naoto Shirogane. Souji recalled seeing him sitting next to Rise Seta. Perhaps it'd be wise to introduce himself?

The thought of introducing himself was laughable. Souji hadn't made any new friends in years... Had he been so starved of interaction that even the thought of introducing himself made him feel weak and made his hands clammy?

"No problem." He spoke, voice raspy from not using it for so long. He cleared his throat. "My name's... Souji Kujikawa. I'm in class with you." The blue-haired boy blinked up at him, a look of recognition touching his features. Naoto gave a small smile, nodding up at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Kujikawa-san." Souji's ears turned just a bit pink, unused to the honorifics. "Naoto Shirogane, it's a pleasure." Naoto reached his hand out, and Souji gladly shook it, hoping the latter didn't mind how cold his hands were... "I would love to talk more, but I've just finished my shift at the hospital. I'll need to get home. I hope to see you in class tomorrow, Kujikawa-san."

Souji could only muster a shaky nod, giving a weak smile as Naoto passed by him. He watched as Naoto walked by, rounding a corner, disappearing from his line of sight completely.

He continued down the street, into the residential district. It was peaceful at night. With the recent murder, everyone seemed to be staying indoors after sundown. For some reason, Souji felt at home in the darkness, in the silence. Even with a murderer around. Why would anyone bother to end his insignificant life? Was he even worth the risk of getting caught? Worth the effort of hiding his body?

There was a brief moment where the clouds parted, and a sliver of moonlight touched the earth. For a reason unknown to him, Souji turned his gaze upwards, towards several television antennas above.

Then he sees her, dangling from the television antennas.

His pupils contracted. He couldn't breathe. He can't cry, he can't scream.

Death will follow him wherever he goes.