I do not own Persona or the song used in this chapter.

Saturday, 8/20/11

Fields. Nothing, but fields of crops and blue sky. He stretched as he woke up on the mostly empty train. His suitcase was at his feet while his violin case was set on the seat next to him. He sighed as the announcer on the train called out, "We will soon be arriving in Yasogami Terminal. All passengers bound for Inaba City or Yasoinaba Station, please go to the other side of the platform." He sighed again. This was his cue to get ready to leave.

It was early in the morning, so he was unsurprised when the platform was nearly deserted. He pulled his suitcase behind him and tucked his violin under his arm. He reached into his pocket and got out the printout map leading to his place of residence for the next week; It was about half an hour to the Amagi Inn, where he would be residing.

When he arrived in front of the building, he looked over it. It was old, clearly a traditional landmark in this sleepy little town, and was supposed to have fabulous hot springs. He walked in after looking over the building.

The inside was also rather elaborate and had years of history. However, it didn't interest him enough to ask. He simply made his way to the front desk. "Excuse me. I have a reservation."

The woman at the front desk looked up. "And your name sir?

He kept his poker face. "Suzaku Todoh."

She nodded. "Of course! Here's your room key!"

He nodded and took the room key, declining the offer for help with his bags. On his way upstairs, he caught the smell of something burning from the kitchen. Clearly, they were training a new chef, but at least the poor cook was trying. As he went upstairs, he took a look to see what exactly was happening in the kitchen. He saw a black-haired girl in red scraping something not resembling food out of a pan into the trash. He caught her eye and saw her smile towards him while he headed to drop off his bags. Later today was the Summer Festival, since he had seen a few advertisements, and today was the date of the Summer Festival in many other cities.

Suzaku had pulled on a fresh dress shirt and clean pants. After all, he had to look presentable to go out. After combing his blonde hair, he headed out to see the festival. Once he got there, he sighed. It was rather empty, furthering his belief that Inaba was a dull and sleepy town. His hopes of seeing anything interesting evaporated, since the local serial murderer had been caught almost a month ago. He watched as a firework went off, illuminating the sky for a brief moment before vanishing.

Deciding to look at the various stalls, one person called him over. "Hey young man! Over here!"

Suzaku looked around. Seeing no one else, he asked "Yes?"

The man smiled, "Why not play my game. Everyone's a winner at my booth!"

Suzaku seriously doubted this, but paid the man and drew a ball from the bag. Showing the man the ball, he smiled. "Congratulations! Lady luck must be on your side today!" He grabbed a small plush doll of a grinning snowman with a blue cap. He smiled and took the doll

He looked at the plush doll. It was cute, but he really had no use for it. A souvenir, perhaps? He tucked it under his shoulder as he walked around, looking for something to do. While not paying attention, he bumped into someone else, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

He looked and saw a brunette in a blue yukata, and quickly stood up, dusting himself off. "Oh, I'm sorry Miss. Are you alright?" He extended a hand to her.

The girl took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "N-no it was my fault! I'm sorry!" She seemed to be staring at him. "Wow… Your eyes. They're beautiful."

This startled him. This girl, while about his age, was a total stranger. He focused on not breaking his composure. "Thank you, Miss…?" He left the pause to hang as a prompt for her name, hoping she got it.

She seemed to, as she dusted herself off. "Sorry!" What she was apologizing for was a mystery; there was truly no need in his eyes to apologize. "My name's Erin Suzuki. And you are…?" She asked him.

He could've sworn he saw a tinge of pink on her face. "Suzaku Todoh." He took a look around. It was getting dark, and all the lamps added a charm to the area. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it Suzuki-san?"

She cringed at that. Was she hurt? But she smiled again, though it seemed forced. "Oh, you don't have to be so formal. Just Rin-chan's fine!" She said happily. "And yes, it is."

He turned to give her a quizzical look. "I'm a total stranger, and yet you treat me like a close friend?" He seemed to be lost in thought about her outlook on life. "You're certainly strange, Suzuki-san."

Her smile evaporated now. "Sorry, I just don't like when people address me by my last name…" Either she was foreign, or she had some family issues. "It was nice meeting you, Suzaku-kun."

Before she could leave, he called her back. "Suz- ...Erin-san, wait a moment!" She turned around to see what was up. "I won this earlier, and I want you to have it." He said. He could finally discard this plush paperweight and make her happy at the same time. It was a win for both.

She accepted it, but asked, "But why give me this?"

He gave her a simple explanation. "I had won it, but figured it would look better in the hands of a lovely young woman like yourself." A partial lie; he just didn't really want it. Though she was pretty…

This time, her cheeks turned red for sure. "Well, aren't you smooth?" She said, her smile returning. "Anyway, um... Thanks. Are you alone?"

He nodded. "I am. The main reason I'm here is for a two-day music contest in Okina."

"So, I'm guessing this is your last night in Inaba?"

He replied in the negative. "My parents booked me a room in the Amagi Inn for nine days. After that, I'll be returning home." They said a week in the country would do him good, and he wouldn't have any stress living out here for a short time. "From what they told me, it was nicer than any of the other hotels nearby."

"Parents… Right." Her eyes glazed over, so she was either from overseas, and reminiscing, or she had family issues. Whatever the case, she shrugged it off rather quickly. "Anyway, do you… want to walk around with me? I'd like to get to know you more, if you don't mind."

"Sure, I don't mind." He said, and they walked around in the twilight, playing a few games, and he bought her some candy floss. After a while, the festival was winding down, so he told her, "If you would like to talk more, I should be at the inn, but I may be at the local shrine."

She had returned to the cheery demeanor she had all night, "I'd like that." She looked distracted, and some voices, a group of other people their age, were calling her.

"Are those your friends? I really shouldn't keep you." He said, walking away. She moved to stop him, but stopped herself.

"R-Right. I'll see you again?"

He nodded to her. "If you see me, feel free to say hello, Erin-san." As he walked away, he had to pass Erin's group of friends. In passing, he heard snippets of their conversation. One girl was squealing over how 'cute' Erin's new friend was, leading to him becoming the center of their discussion for the moment. As he was almost out of earshot, he heard one voice say, "Oh, him? He checked into the inn today. I hear his father's some big general." At the mention of his father, he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. And this night had almost made him forget about him.

Thursday, 8/25/11

Suzaku sat with his violin as one of the finalists of the musical contest. He had scored in the top three on the first day, and was waiting tensely. He had been playing violin since he was young, but these other competitors were better than he had expected. Eventually he was called up for his performance, where he began to play.

His selected piece was Melodia, composed by Béla Bartók, an Hungarian composer. Suzaku had loved this piece since he was little, but he could never explain why. He poured his entire soul into the music, and while he played, he felt lighter. It was as if the music lifted him out of this world, and there was nothing else. However, after four minutes, the song ended, and he was brought back to earth.

Once the judges finished their discussions, Suzaku was announced the winner, by a narrow margin, but he had the most passion in his music. Once the ceremony was over, the local news crew was present. Fine. Suzaku didn't mind answering a few questions.

"Mr Todoh-"

"Please. Call me Suzaku."

"Alright, Suzaku," The interviewer restarted, "How does winning this contest feel"

"Well, I was a bit worried about winning, considering I only placed third yesterday. However, today I decided to play my favorite song that I know."

There were a few other questions, like how he felt about Inaba, and then the interview winded down. Soon enough, the interviewer asked, "Just one last question: What does your father think about this?"

Suzaku froze, and his voice picked up an icy tone. "How is that related?"

"Could you please answer the-"

He glared at the reporter. "My father, regardless of his position, is not me. I play music and go to contests because I want to. Interview over."

And with that, he walked off into the train back to Inaba.

Sunday, 8/28/11

Suzaku was ready to leave, his bags freshly packed. He really had a much more enjoyable time then he planned. He had spoken to Erin more, along with a few of her friends, especially Yukiko, who turned out to be the heiress to the inn, and had been the girl burning the food when he arrived. He had spent time at the shrine with the fox who lived there. He liked animals, so the small fox was nice surprise. The hot springs at the Inn were clearly under-valued by what he read online, since he had never felt better.

He heard the rain outside, and hoped it would let up by tomorrow so it would be sunny on his last day. Sitting in the lounge, he heard the door open and one of the employees talking to someone at the door. She then came and spoke to him. "Mr Todoh, a package arrived for you."

Surprising, but not unheard of. He nodded. "Alright. I'll sign for it." He walked to the door, and stepped outside, since there was an awning that shielded him from the rain. He signed his name to receive the package, but then felt a blow to his head, and the world went black.

Written by SuperNova23

For those who want to listen to the song: www . you tube watch?v = nJNwdGqjQuw (Without the spaces)