Chapter 9 – もう一人の陽介

(The Other Yosuke)

This new feeling.. This new sensation... It's scaring me.

I learned this creature's name: ...Izanagi. These Shadows were panicking more than ever now, and I was the cause of it. I held my Golf Club as I began to fend them off from the Konishi Liquor store, Yosuke-san, and Teddie. However, Teddie came from behind and stood a good distance away. What was he doing?

"Shadows have weaknesses," He was sniffing the air apparently, "I can tell this one has a weakness, too. However, you'd need to pinpoint it before I can analyze anything else."

"G-Got it.." I swear, I sounded like a small schoolgirl right now. Indeed, Izanagi was beside me as we began to fight off the Shadows circling me. However, something stopped me from wanting to attack...

Yosuke was too close.

"Yosuke!" I pointed to the Shadow that was ready to attack him. "...Izanagi, Zio!"

Izanagi had obeyed my commands, as his blade shot out a zap of lightning. I realize what happened back when I had that dream... Izanagi was faintly lending his powers up to me!

I couldn't face Yosuke right then. Not because the Shadow was down and I had to strike it, that I was easily doing. However, would he think I'm a freak..? Would he leave me behind? I felt my energy being drained little by little as I used Izanagi's power, and physically attacked them the best to my ability. When it was all over, I realized that Izanagi was floating right before me... Was he holding something besides the blade? It looked kind of like an egg, but...

"I need to face myself..." I whispered as I looked up to Izanagi. "Please... Lend me your strength."

With this, Izanagi dropped the egg-like thing in my hands, and changed into a Tarot Card as he disappeared and returned to my soul. I could feel my eyes widen... What did I just-

I looked back at my hands, looking at the yellow thing that was in between my arms. I wanted to cry; I was in thought so much, I don't even know what happened to me anymore.

"Whoa..." Yosuke came up to me. "W-What was that?"

I looked down, clutching the object as much as I could.

"Did I hear you say Persona?" Yosuke was asking so many questions. "What was- I mean, what did you do? Do you think I can do it, too?"

"U-Uh, well I-" I didn't know how to explain it. I didn't really want to tell him about Igor or Margaret, as I'm afraid he'd want me to take him to them or something.

"That's enough, Yosuke. You're troubling Sensei." Teddie walked back up to us.

"Sensei?" Yosuke seemed confused.

"Well, golly!" Teddie was beaming with happiness for some reason. "I'm one impressed bear... It's no wonder that the Shadows were afraid of you." That's when he gasped. "Are you the one who's able to bring people here?"

"I-I guess..." I was stuttering. Great... I was stuttering!

"That's what I thought!" Teddie smiled, "This is really something, don't you think Yosuke?"

Yosuke walked up to Teddie and pushed him down. "Dude, you call her 'Sensei,' but don't show me any respect?"

"Sorry..."

"Well, I gotta admit." He gave a thumbs up to Teddie after that. "Your support wasn't bad, so I have to give you some credit."

"Really..?" Teddie blushed a bit. "Aheh.."

"Alright, then." Yosuke looked back at me. "You two keep it up, and we'll be fine from here on out. Shall we get back to the investigation."

"Yeah, but.." I looked back at the egg in my hands. "What's with this thing..?" I handed it to Teddie.

"Hum, I'm not sure..." Teddie easily took it without hesitation. "However, I'll take care of it for you for now."

"Thanks." I was going to give it to him, but that's when I heard tons of voices around us. "W-What's going on?"

"I wish Junes would go under..."

"Just because of that stupid store!"

"What's with all these voices?" I looked around. "They're all badmouthing Junes, and yet..."

"I heard that Konishi's daughter is working there. Ugh."

"How could she with her family's business like it is?" Another voice spoke. "I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes!" Why are they blaming it all like if it's Yosuke's fault..? It wasn't Saki's either, but...

"S-Stop it.." Yosuke muttered, as loud as I could hear. "Teddie!"

"Hm?" He looked back at Yosuke.

"You said that this place is reality for those who enter, right?" Yosuke questioned the bear. "So, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she got here?"

"I... only know about this world..." He looked down.

"Then, let's find out Yosuke!" I grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the red vortex-like door...

…

When we walked into the vortex, we were warped into a room that seemed like the department place for Konishi Liqours. What I mean is, it looked like this is where you store everything that isn't needed at the time. Once we both ran in, we heard the voices again.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?" It was a man.. and he sounded like he was pretty old, too.

"Is this supposed to be... Senpai's dad?" Yosuke spoke out.

"You know what the neighbors say about you, right?" He continued to shout as if she was some hopeless child. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's ran this place for generations! Is it the money? Did you meet a guy? Just tell me why you had to work at Junes of all places!"

"Y-Yosuke..." I looked back at him. He was biting his lip, and looking down at the ground like if something didn't feel right...

"I thought she was having fun at work," Yosuke told me, "She never mentioned any of this.."
"Is this how she really saw things?" I asked myself. "Was this how she really thought of things..?" Yosuke spotted something on a nearby table and ran closer to it. He picked up something that seemed like a piece of paper, and I had to go up to him to check on what it was.

The paper seemed to be a photo of Saki Konishi, but what seemed like Yosuke was cut off from the actual picture.

"Why's it cut up like this..?" He asked himself.

"...I.. never had the chance to say it.." That sounded like Saki! I turned around to look for the voice that was playing in this world.

"Senpai?" Yosuke called out as he looked up as well.

"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan..."

"Me..?"

"That he was a real pain in the ass!"

When Yosuke heard those words, the photo slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground as his jaw dropped open. His brown eyes were widened, and he was just being subjected to every word she said.

"I was nice to him just because he was the son of the store manager," Saki's voice continued, "But he just takes it completely wrong, and becomes super happy.. What an idiot!"

I put my hand on Yosuke's shoulder, but he immediately slapped it away as he began to repeat the words "pain in the ass" to himself.

"Because of Junes: our business is down the drain, my parents hate me, the neighbors spread gossip about me! I wish everything would just disappear..."

"It's a lie.." Yosuke was telling himself. "This can't be true!" He clenched his fist as he shouted out in the room. "Senpai's not like that!"

"It's.. so sad. I feel so sorry for myself.." I heard a sarcastic sniffle coming from behind us, "Boo Hoo!"

Yosuke and I turned around to find someone who basically looked exactly like him! He had a dark aura around him, and his eyes were yellow.. Was this another Yosuke..?

"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a 'pain in the ass!' Haha.."

Teddie ran in behind us, as he was also surprised at what he saw. "Two Yosukes?" The real Yosuke and I ran up to the 'fake' Yosuke, and Yosuke began to confront him.

"Who are you?" He asked. "I wouldn't think that!"

"Haha, yeah right.. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself?" The Other Yosuke asked him. "Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You hate everything, especially living out in this country!"

"What're you saying?" Yosuke was stuttering, as if he was hiding something. "That isn't true, I-"

"You put on a good act. Trying to be all happy and shit because you're afraid of being alone!" The Other Yosuke wouldn't keep quiet. It's like if he was spitting out all of Yosuke's inner thoughts. "It's like you feel good when you're surrounded because you don't have to worry about that!"

"..." Yosuke kept his mouth shut...

"And what's this about doing this all for 'Saki-senpai's sake? I know the real reason you came snooping!" Man, what an ass!

"Stop it!" Yosuke was shaking his head in denial.

"Ahahahaha!" The Other Yosuke let out a maniacal laughter from his mouth. "Why so panicked? I thought I was just spitting bullshit. Or maybe... I do know what you're thinking?"

"Why's that? Because.. I am you... your Shadow.." H-Huh..? What did he mean by that? "You just came because you thought it sounded fun! What else is there to do in this shithole?"

"Stop it!" Yosuke cried out from the top of his lungs. "It's not true!"

"You're just trying to act like a big shot. 'Wow, Yosuke's a hero~!'"The Darker Yosuke was mocking him. "That's what you probably thought if it all went well.."

"Shut up!" Yosuke cried out, "Who are you... You can't be... No!"

"You can't be me you son of a bitch!"

It was then that I started to feel the floor rumble under my feet. The demonic Yosuke began laughing that same laugh that gave chills up my spine. "That's right! Say it again!"

"Y-You're not me.." Yosuke gave into the command. "You're nothing like me!"

I could tell deep down that Yosuke had fear somewhere in his heart. Fear that he was going to die.. and nothing was going to be done about it. In fact, this kind of scared me too...

"Heh, yeah that's right..." The Other Yosuke was changing into something else now, and the floor's vibrations began to grow larger and I was able to pinpoint where it was all coming from! "I'm me now.. I'm not you anymore, see?"

The dark aura began to wrap around the other Yosuke, as a gleaming light was shining from beneath it. "W-What's happening?" I cried out.

No answer. Yosuke was slowly losing consciousness, and I could tell. His eyes shut as I ran over to him all the while watching a new creature form from all that power. Black hands.. the base of a frog.. It had yellow hands and a blackened base of a body. When I saw Yosuke fall to the floor, I had to help him get onto my back so we could escape as soon as possible. Teddie helped me get him onto my back, and I began to attempt a piggyback ride as we were running away from the building. However, as soon as I started to sprint away from the scene, I was pushed onto the ground as the Shadow's footsteps made the whole ground feel like it was being taken in by an earthquake.

"I am a Shadow, the true self..." It spoke out to me, "I'll crush everything that bores me.. Starting with you!"

"Ah!" I yelped, dropping Yosuke on top of me as I looked back to find the Shadow not even five feet away from me. The building that we were in was already breaking apart as the Shadow kept moving and moving. I had to get up, all the while grabbing Yosuke and dragging him out of there. However, the Shadow had jumped into the air as we ran farther away from the store, and created a blast of wind to attack me with. The egg that I was holding in my arms as well slipped out and fell onto the floor without any damage done to it. The 'Shadow Yosuke' was charging up his next attack, and the real Yosuke had to be unconscious at a time like this! I felt myself on my knees, wanting to get up and try to fight back..

"How long can you survive this?" He asked me, looking me straight in the eyes.

"T-Teddie..!" I cried out, getting back up to my feet. "Get... Whatever that egg thing is out of here! I'll protect Yosuke-san!"

"Okay, but be careful!" Teddie hollered to me, "This one's much stronger than the last one!"

I grabbed the golf club, and glared at the Shadow that supposedly came out of Yosuke's inner thoughts...

This was going to be one hell of a ride!

Remilia Konagi gets sucked into a battle against Yosuke's Shadow (hey, near-rhymed XD). Will she be able to use her new Persona-wielding abilities to save him?

Persona 4 (C) ATLUS

Remilia Konagi (C) Me~