A Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By:

A/N: You'll see this in the Persona listing as well, but I'm going to start uploading this into the Megami Tensei Listing as well. All my future works will go there as well.

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The music was still loud and jarring at the food court. Everyone was walking about shopping and carrying on like there was nothing wrong in the world. Which was true, because in the end nothing was wrong in their worlds. Only in the group huddled down in misery at that one table. Now three seats were empty. Souji was in Port Island, Rise was working on a new music video, now Naoto's chair was empty, too.
They had left a message on Rises' voice mail about the situation, hoping maybe she had seen something. Beyond that there wasn't any real activity around the table, even Teddies' normal happy-go-lucky attitude was subdued. "Nao-chan is going to be ok, though right? It's like the idea, only there really are bad guys. They'll just tie her up and we'll go in and rescue her!" He looked about. "Right?"
Yosuke sighed heavily before turning to look at Teddie, he really didn't want to burst the Shadow's bubble of hope. But both Chie and Yukiko were distraught, unable to even look up from their spots. He wanted to turn towards Souji and ask what was next, but he couldn't. By not answering, Teddie gained his answer and he slumped into his seat just as despondent as the rest of the gang.

A ring startled them as Chie quickly reached for her Cell, her eyes anxious and then widening. "Rise?" She asked quickly. Everyone straightened up at the name, their focus turned towards the young cop in training.

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"Chie? What was that voice message? What do you mean Naoto was kidnapped?" Rise sounded outraged, which was understandable, the pain would kick in later.

"I know Rise, I thought Souji called Dojima-san, but he didn't." Her voice began to choke up, "someone actually took Naoto away. It's our fault too! If we hadn't gotten her drunk she wouldn't have been so defenseless."

"But how is that possible? We left her alone in her own apartment, when could they have possible grabbed her?" Rise asked trying to put this together in a way that wouldn't upset her.

"I don't know, Dojima-san thinks they broke in while we were gone and hid." Chie replied her eyes looking at her skirt.

"Wait... Someone kidnapped Naoto-kun by hiding 'in' her apartment while we were out with her partying?!" Rise's voice began to rise up in disbelief and growing horror. "Chie-senpai they didn't rap--"

"NO!" Chie shouted in horror before bitting her lip to control her voice. Around them people turned to look at her in concern before going back to their own lives. The gang looked surprised by her sudden aggressive denial of something. "No! Don't say that Rise! Please! Things are bad enough I don't want to even think that they may have..."

Yukiko looked ill she didn't need Chie to say 'it', the guys were quiet while Chie tried to gather her wits back around her.

"What about Teddie? Did he find anything?" Rise asked, her voice thoughtful.

"No, he couldn't pick her scent up in the TV." Chie replied her voice carrying her worry, as she fiddled with an empty can of melon soda.

"What about in the real world? I mean, I can't summon outside the TV world, but Teddie 'is' a Shadow. Maybe he can pick up her scent?" Rise suggested, behind her there was no other sound, so where ever Rise was, she was alone.

"Teddie... I... We never thought of that! Thanks Rise!" Chie bounded to her feet, the others getting up as well.

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"What about me?" Teddie asked his head tilted to the side, curious.

"Teddie, Rise wants to know if you think you could track Naoto's scent on this side?" Everyone turned their attention onto Teddie who blinked in response before looking introspective at that.

"I.. don't know. I've never tried to follow a scent on this side before." He admitted, he never even thought to try when it came to chasing Namatame. "But I will for Nao-chan! I'll try real hard for Sensei and Nao-chan!"

"Come on then! Let's go!" Yosuke turned to leave leading the group, yet in a way not. How could Souji have done this during the murder cases? How could he so calmly handle the responsibility of knowing that lives were on the line and not fret about every decision? He felt his phone start to vibrate before the ringing began and he pulled out it. "Think of the Devil. Souji!"

The group stopped in their tracks at the name, turning as one to look at Yosuke, then they continued to walk along with Yosuke in the center of them. They all needed to hear and discuss what they were going to do.

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"How is everything going on over there?" Souji asked, the random noise of a population going on around him.

"Well, Rise just called and she thinks maybe Teddie can hopefully scent out our kidnapper." Yosuke replied trying to sound like a confident leader. Better that then a teenager who was scared and confused about what to do next. Every person had their place in life, no matter how much they may want another role, sometimes they just had to stick with what they knew.

"If he needs clues I can give them. I found the officer Chie was talking about, he let me listen to the phone conversation." Souji explained, his voice more controlled, calm.

"He... you heard that conversation?" That couldn't have been good, from what Dojima-san had said there had been blood spilled during the kidnapping. The others stopped around him looking at him in concern even as they crammed themselves into the elevator. "Are you ok?"

"About as fine as anyone else would be in this type of situation. I'm dealing. But Naoto managed to give out some pieces of descriptions that might help."

"She what?" Yosuke couldn't believe his ears, the girl was in the middle of a hangover, being beaten by a punk and she 'still' managed to get a description in?

"She said he was about 170cm or 175cm's, green eyes, big build so he would be physical thick as well." Souji recited from his end of the phone, and Yosuke could only give a low whistle.

"I said it before and I'll say it again, for a girl she has balls." Yosuke had to admire the kind of strength that took. After all, the last time she got kidnapped she admitted she had been scared, but that had just been Namatame trying to 'save her'.

"Still, he thinks that Naoto is a boy, Naoto had been using male terms and speaking in her male voice again. So now I need to find out who took her, or why they would." Souji explained as the group turned down the street.

"Well, isn't it to get back at her?" Yosuke asked confused, after all wasn't that the usual reason for kidnapping?

"If it's to get back at her, they won't bother to try and take care of her. So there's only a small window of time she'll be ok, before whatever they deprive her of becomes important. If they're holding her for ransom or for some set of conditions then they'll treat her better." Souji explained patiently, while Yosuke tried to process the notion of torture. He thought that the TV world was bad enough, but a Persona couldn't help against a kidnapper in the real world.

"So how long do we have?" Yosuke asked while while waiting for a light to change.

"It's not like before, we'd have only a few days." Souji replied his voice growing softer with his concern.

"I'll let the gang know, so what are you going to be doing?" he asked, did Souji have any other leads?

"I'm going to the Shirogane Estate to see if I can get Naoto's grandfather to let me look at the old cases." He answered.

"Why?" It was a good question in Yosuke's mind.

"Because it was mentioned that one of the criminals that Naoto put in jail broke out. It's possible that he's the one that's kidnapped her." Souji explained.

"I see..." The conversation seemed to be winding down by then. "Souji? Hang in there, we're going to find her." Yosuke finally spoke the group's thought on the matter, there wasn't much more to say beyond that.

"I know we will. I can still feel her."

"We'll call you if we find anything." Yosuke promised as they said their good byes.

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"Well?! What did he say?" Chie asked anxiously as she stopped walking, the others following suit. The sun was nearly setting, after they reached Naoto's place they were going to have to go home for the night. Which meant one more day gone from finding their friend was marked by vivid reds, golds and violet.

Yosuke relayed the information for the group, watching as they grew quiet and thoughtful. "Naoto hasn't grown much since she came here, she's finished up I think in height. She's rather petite so a man that size against her..." Yukiko began before she grew quiet, her thoughts working.

"Yeah, but Naoto knows some basic hand to hand stuff. If we hadn't gotten her drunk I don't think that guy would have gotten to kidnap her." Chie replied her voice becoming angry again when Yosuke rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Come on guys, we need to stop playing the blame game. Before we seriously screw up and miss something important." Kanji growled as he pushed his way ahead and moved along towards her apartment, Chie following suit.

Kanji hadn't spoken much, the group knew how he felt about Naoto. Yosuke had teased him relentlessly about it, until they found out Naoto was a girl. But despite losing the Detective Prince to their Leader, the feelings hadn't left. But what could he do really? So long as she was happy with Souji, Kanji would have to be happy with that. But that didn't stop him from trying to look after Naoto while Souji was away. Only now he had let the two people who meant the most to him down. What kind of man did that?

They were trying to recall if they saw anyone fitting that description before the graduation party. Since the guy needed time to find Naoto's place before he actually took the girl. But they had all been busy with their plans for the fake kidnapping or work. The group passed through the sliding doors of the apartment building before going to the elevator. Kanji and Yosuke had helped carry Naoto to her apartment, as the girl was staggering and blearily lost. Chie had gone to help Yukiko back to her place while the guys had been in charge of looking after Naoto.

Yosuke's head snapped up in concern as he noticed Chie taking off running. There was a guy leaving Naoto's apartment? What the hell? The girl didn't even give a warning she went straight into one of her flying kicks and knocked the guy straight off his feet.

"Chie!" Yukiko was stunned into shock that her best friend would just attack a person straight out. He didn't fit the description of the kidnapper after all!

"You don't have permission to be here! Who do you think you are to be in her apartment?!" Chie growled at the guy who was picking himself up off the ground.

"You know you could get in trouble for assault?" The guy asked in return, eying Chie angrily. He didn't fit it at all save perhaps height.

"You can still walk and talk, Dojima-san said anyone disturbing a Crime Scene can be a target." She countered back as the group caught up.

"Hey... isn't... Isn't that Nao-chan's guns?!" Teddie wormed his way from between Yosuke and Yukiko to grab the pair of guns that had fallen when the guy got kicked.

"What?! The hell you doing with her stuff you punk!" Kanji demanded as the others fell in behind him.

"Those are good quality guns, there's no reason for them to be here." he replied reaching to take them back from Teddie who backed up with them.

"Except that they belong to Naoto-kun!" Yukiko retorted angrily moving aside so Teddie could get behind her.

"She can't handle guns of those calibers, they belong in stronger hands." The guy replied trying to get beyond Yukiko without hurting her. He was about Yosuke's height, and dressed neatly as a collage student himself. But Chie's automatic response to attack him, coupled by his arrogance to take Naoto's weapons earned him their animosity quickly.

"This coming from a guy who can't even out shoot her!" Chie retorted in hot tempered disgust while Yosuke used the moment to quietly tug Teddie over to the door to Naoto's apartment.

For a moment Teddie was confused why he was being pulled closer to the guy who wanted to take Naoto's guns away. But then it hit him and he turned to look inside her apartment, it wasn't entirely neat, a contrast to how Naoto looked and carried herself. It was just another aspect of Naoto and another thing that could be used to track her. Like in the TV world! His smaller stature allowed him to slip into the open door and walk around. Taking deep sniffs of the air while hoping that the bad guy's scent was still there.

He passed the small kitchenette area, the table had what looked like some type of cleaning kit resting on it. He picked up easily on Chie's anguish and fear from when she came into the apartment the first time. Then as he moved closer to a room in the back he began to pick up different scents. Anger, rage, a determination of a twisted heart that tainted the air into something that brought to mind how the Shadows back in the Other World could be like. Then there was her scent, defiant, strong, yet scared at the same time.

"Scared... Nao-chan was scared." Teddie's shoulders' sagged in sadness, he didn't like the scent of fear from his friends. He walked around a bit until the other scent grew stronger, curious he approached the slightly opened door to a closet. But a closet carried the scent of the person who wore the clothes. This scent was the same as the other who had taken Naoto, so then... this must have been where he hid before he grabbed her!

Stunned by this another thought rolled into his mind, he knew this scent! He knew he smelled it from somewhere! But from where? He met so many people in Junes that all the scents he never bothered to think on ran together into one mess. We just have to find the suspicious person then right? If we find him, then I'll be able to check his scent. We can find him if I do that right? I can do this! I can!

He rushed to the door, listening to see if there was any more fighting going on before he poked his head out. "Is it safe?"

"Yeah, come on out." Kanji replied while the gang turned to face him. "Any luck in there?"

"I found the scent, but..." He couldn't admit that he didn't recall where he had caught that scent before.

"But now we have to find the person with the matching scent." Chie nodded looking at Teddie before turning to look over at the setting sun view of Inaba.

"Hey Chie, what did that guy do exactly to make you so mad? I can't imagine that you would just outright attack someone like that." Yukiko asked quietly, unsure of what inspired her best friend's anger.

"Remember what I said about that guy who was pestering Naoto-kun and me at the shooting range?" Chie asked in turn looking at her friend. Only to get one 'yes' and a chorus of 'no'. She looked about before sighing before looking back at them.