*Chapter 6: A Long Trip*
The kids all sat in the school office back in Inaba, everyone there except Teddie. After getting caught in the hotel lobby, a couple teachers dragged them back onto the train and headed back to Inaba. Teddie was expelled straight on the spot and the seven were all awaiting their punishments and for their parents to come and pick them up.
"I contacted all your guardians," the principal said, "I've talked it over with all the teachers, and after careful consideration your punishment is as follows: One, you are each required to help pay for part of the hotel expenses Second, you are required to write a formal letter of apology to the staff here, the staff at the university, and the staff of The Tokyo Grand Hotel, and lastly, you will are all suspended for the next week." The principal explained. He walked away after the students all had gotten writing supplies to write formal letters of apology.
"Shit," Yosuke muttered, "Dad's going to dissapointed."
"You're dad is going to be disappointed?" Yukiko looked at Yosuke, "My dad is going to have an emotional breakdown. I've never done been in trouble before."
"It's not that bad," Kanji tried to cheer everyone up, "They're usually pretty lenient your first time around."
"Not really helping Kanji," Naoto said. The group finished up their letters, handing them in and quietly waiting for their parents to storm in at any moment.
The door slid open, Dojima walked in carrying his coat, giving a stern look at Yu. "Come," he simply said as he motioned for Yu to get up. The two walked silently towards his car, entering as Yu awaited the Dojima's wrath.
Dojima sighed, lighting up another cigarette as rolling the window down. He smoked it in record time, clearly venting his anger or at least trying to. "First the dine-and-dash and now a mixture of credit fraud and hooky!" Dojima punched his steering wheel, "What has gotten into you kids? You know how humiliating it is to get a phone call from your school saying how you and your friends were caught 'fornicating at an off-site location'?"
"We didn't get caught in the act," he tried to explain; "Teddie planned the whole thing out for all of us to have a couple romantic nights with our girlfriends, we had nothing to do with it."
"That doesn't excuse all of you going along with it," Dojima said, "I cannot keep bailing you out of these situations, you're on my last straw Yu, and I mean that, okay? One more incident like this and I'm going to have to send you back to the city. I'm serious!" Dojima looked behind him as he backed out; two men appeared just under the hill to the school, fighting each other while two women tried to pry them apart.
"Oh god, that's Yosuke's and Yukiko's parents," Dojima said as he drove right by, "I should do something, but I'm not dealing with this anymore…did Yukiko and Yosuke…" Dojima looked at Yu.
"Yeah," Yu bluntly stated.
"Yukiko's parents are pretty old fashioned," Dojima groaned as they drove home, "That's not a fight I'd want to get involved in."
*The next day*
Chie, Yu, and Yosuke all sat in the grass by the riverbed, listening to the sounds of the passing water. They had been at the school getting homework and course material needed for the week, but spending some time together before they would most likely be bed ridden until the week was done. "How did your dad react?" Yu asked Chie.
"He's pissed at you…again," Chie said, "He's not going to beat you up again, but he doesn't know what to do. I'm probably going to be grounded for the rest of the year. Worst of all, my dad…he…"
"What did he do?" Yu as Chie's eyes began to well up.
"He took my Trial of The Dragon DVD and snapped it in half!" Chie cried out as Yosuke rolled his eyes.
"Big deal, my dad got the shit beaten out of him," Yosuke said, "Yukiko's dad was so pissed, he yelled at me that if I ever touched his daughter again, it'd be the last thing I ever did and he threatened also to cut my dick off. My dad also kicked Teddie out, now I have no clue where he's going to stay, he might have to go back inside the television." Just as he said that, Yukiko came down the hill, dressed in her work kimono and carrying some school supplies. She sat next Yosuke, looking extremely sad.
"Yosuke…I'm sorry about your dad," Yukiko said, "My dad told me I had to break up with you or else."
"So, does this mean?" Yosuke said, "We aren't boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"No," Yukiko said as she started to cry, Yosuke comforting her, "I'm sick of being bossed around by my parents; they are so ungrateful for everything we've done."
"We can't really tell our parents what we've done," Yu said, "They'd institutionalize us if we went up to them and said 'you should appreciate us more, after all, we defeated a god and saved the world form being destroyed after stopping a serial killer!'"
"Everything I've done has always been for them," Yukiko said, "I chose to stay in Inaba and inherit the inn, I help them when they're understaffed, I work my butt off in school and all I don't get any thanks!"
"Yeah, screw them," Yosuke said, "I work overtime at Junes so much and dad doesn't he say 'Hey, thanks Yosuke! You're a good kid! I love you!'… We should just…we should just leave, go somewhere far away for a long time, teach them a lesson!"
"Serves them right, breaking my DVDs," Chie said, "The way they are overreacting about all of this, we're basically adults! Let's do it! Let's take a trip!"
"You guys don't mean that," Yu said as the three looked with each other in resolve.
"Come on, how much money do you have? A lot I bet," Yosuke asked Yu.
"I have enough," he said, "What do you want to do, drive somewhere far away on our scooters until we run out of gas?"
"No, we need to go really far… leave the country, let's go to California!" Yosuke said, "I saw a program about a ton of stuff to do over there! We can sleep on the beach with a big fire around us! You can't say you've never wanted to go abroad."
"I don't know… do you really want to go that far? I was thinking running to Okina City and getting a gotel room for the week or something," Yukiko asked.
"Think about it, we've got nothing else to do for a week, we're suspended, let's just go over there, have fun for a couple of days and head home, our parents will be so worried about us, they'll learn their lesson."
"Yeah!" Chie gave a slight kick to Yu, "Let's have some fun!"
"Okay…" Yukiko said with a hesitant smile, "Let's do it."
"This is a stupid plan," Yu said as the four walked away, "We're just going to anger them ever more."
"What's the worst they're going to do, we've already hit rock bottom in terms of punishment. Let's go live life!" Yosuke said, "We're young, we gotta see the world! Just pack a bag with a couple changes of clothes, your passports and IDs, and get as much money in cash as you can, we're gonna blow this joint."
Yu sighed, "What the hell, I've always wanted to go to America." The four walked off talking about their ideas.
*The next day, near evening*
The four had snuck off and met up at the train station, each with a small suitcase in hand.
"You got your cash?" Yosuke asked them as he came up with four tickets for them, "Got these off my computer, don't lose them, they are round trip so in a couple of days we can come back."
"I…I don't know about this now," Chie said as they walked towards the train, "Our parents are going to kill us if they find us."
"They won't, I made sure there's no proof we left the town, let alone the country," he said as they boarded the train headed to the airport, "Trust me Chie, they'll think we are just avoiding them and ran off for a couple days."
"I'm excited!" Yukiko giggled, "I've always wanted to go abroad."
"See, Yukiko has the right spirit," Yosuke said as the train doors closed and quickly sped away from Inaba.
*A few hours later*
They were on the plane, somewhere over the ocean. They hadn't brought their cell phones; all they had on them were a couple changes of clothes and the money they had on them, which they had exchanged into American money at the airport. Yu felt sad, he knew how much his parents and uncle and Nanako would hurt, but he didn't want to disappoint his friends, he truly loved them, he recalled the fun the four of them had over the past year, and he wouldn't trade that back for anything.
"Whatcha thinking about," asked Chie as she looked over at him.
"Nothing, just about home," Yu said leaning back and closing his eyes, "Let's get some rest, we're gonna need it."
"Hey Yu," Yosuke whispered up to him.
"What?" Yu asked.
"What do you think Los Angeles is like," Yosuke asked.
"Like Tokyo, but just more…western," he .
"You think they got hot chicks there?" Yosuke asked.
"Yukiko not enough for you?" Yu said.
"Well, maybe I want a taste of the foreign cuisine!" Yosuke defended as Yu pushed him back into his seat. Yukiko sleeping in the chair next to Yosuke, snoring loudly as Yosuke put his headphones on.
*Los Angeles, California*
"Hello, America!" Yosuke said as they exited the plane. The airport was bustling with traffic. The four of them made their way through the large crowds, finding the place to pick up their luggage. After picking it up, Yosuke made his way towards the outside, the scorching heat hurting their skin.
"It's so hot!" Chie said, "What's the plan?"
"There isn't one, we're free, let's go exploring!" Yosuke said as he pulled a big map up from his pocket, unfolding it.
The four spent the entire day wandering around Los Angeles the entire day, taking in the sights and sounds of a new culture. They visited every museum they could find, strolled through the parks, and took a ton of pictures of their adventures. Eventually the sun set and the four found their way towards the long abandoned beach. The group made a fire using some supplies they had purchased and a lighter. He pulled out a blanket and pillow for him and Yukiko and another for Chie and Yu. The four laid there in pairs, looking up at the beautiful night sky.
"It's beautiful," Yu said, "I never realized how beautiful the night sky was."
"It helps when you're with the people you love," Yukiko said, snuggling closer to Yosuke, "You guys remember when I was in that castle? I was so scared, facing myself, but now I feel like I could face anything with the three of you. All the worries of the world fade away."
"Do you think our parents are thinking about us right now?" Chie asked, "They must be so worried."
"Yeah," Yu said, "I'm not sure about mine, I doubt they even know I'm here, they've always been so busy with their careers, I… I can't help but hate them sometimes. They always are shipping me off to other schools every year; I had to beg to come back here for another year."
"I'm sure they care," Chie said, "Everything they do is for you, kinda like how everything we do is for them."
"I guess, but it's hard to understand," Yu said, "I never faced myself like you guys, I thought I was really just an open book…but I have my demons too."
"Like what?" Yosuke asked.
"I'm afraid of being alone…" Yu admitted, "My entire life, I've felt alone, moving from school to school and never really having real friends or forming bonds, I lose contact with most people a year or two after I leave. I don't wanna lose you guys."
"You won't lose us," Chie said, "We all love you, you're like family to us, and we'll always be together."
"Anything else?" Yosuke asked, "Since we are all being honest."
"Let me guess," Chie said, "You… are attracted to Yosuke."
"No!" Yu cried out as Chie and Yukiko began giggling as Yosuke and Yu both blushed.
"Just, get on with it," Yosuke said trying to change the words.
Yu sighed, trying to find the right words, "Do you guys think…I'm like Adachi in anyways?" Yu asked.
"No," Yukiko said.
"I never felt more alive than when we were fighting shadows in the television," Yu said, "It was a true adventure, and I'm afraid of how much I loved it… I miss it, and I want it back. I'm terrified that I'll snap one day and start throwing people in the television for fun, like Adachi."
"Hey man," Yosuke said, "I think we all miss the adventure, but you're not a killer or sociopath or misogynist or anything like that; you're a good person."
"We'll make new adventures," Chie smiled, "Like this one." She leaned over and gave him a brief kiss.
"Thanks," Yu smiled, "I couldn't ask for better friends than you. It's kind of hard to believe it's only the afternoon right now back in Inaba. School probably just got off, the world is so big." They closed their eyes, drifting off to a wonderful sleep.
The four woke up to the sounds of the sea as the sun was just rising just over the buildings.
"Wow, look at that sun," Chie said, "It's beautiful."
"I really hate to ask this, but America doesn't have public bath houses or hot springs…do they?" Yosuke said.
"Nope, bath houses are a Japanese thing," Yukiko said, "But it's still pretty early and we have our swimsuits and an ocean, so I guess that is kinda a bath."
"I bought some soap," Chie said as she pulled out a couple of bars of soap and tossed them to Yu. They got changed and messed around in the ocean for a little while, taking a "bath" before getting dried off and dressed again. The four goofed around, walking down the street to find someplace cheap to eat. This entered a small convenience store, grabbing a couple of small snacks and some coffee.
"Say what you will, but you can get a lot of coffee in America for dirt cheap," Yosuke said as they approached the counter.
"Well, there's a definite decline in quality," Chie said taking a sip, "Ugh." They rang up their purchases and paid, eating and drinking it as they looked around the store. They walked out of the store, laughing to themselves as they continued to explore America; they passed by a small electronics shop, a bunch of cool gadgets on display.
"Woah!" Chie said as she pulled the four of them inside, "Look at the size of this television!"
"Why would anyone need something that big!?" Yukiko exclaimed, "It's almost twice the size of the one back at Junes we used to go inside."
"Yu, check this thing out," Yosuke said as he went up to a small device Yosuke was messing around with. Yukiko went up to another smaller television, messing around with a nearby remote and checking what was on. She made her way to the foreign channels, finding some similar programming to back home, and then something caught her eye as she was flipping through the channels, quickly going back and seeing something truly terrifying.
"Guys, it's us," Yukiko said as she pointed at the television. The television had a picture of the four of them in a picture they had taken a few months back. All of them turned towards the television, turning the volume up slightly to hear what was being said.
"Its day two since four teenagers mysteriously disappeared from the small town of Inaba in Japan," the news lady said, "The region was plagued with serial killer Tohru Adachi who claimed the lives of two victims along with several other attempts. Adachi is currently behind bars and is being question as to the recent disappearance of the kids, but so far no progress has been made. The four students, Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, and Yukiko Amagi were all seniors at the local high school. A spokesperson for the police department told us that there are currently no leads, but there is no proof that the students have been harmed or are in any danger. If you have any leads, please contact your local authorities with any information you may have."
"Oh no," Yosuke said, "This is bad; I didn't think they would call the cops."
"My parents probably think we're dead!" Yukiko cried into Chie's arm who was also crying.
"We need to find a phone," Yu said as the four ran out of the store. They wandered around for a little while until they found a payphone near the street corner.
"Wait, Yu," Yosuke said, "If we call the police, we're going to be in even more trouble for just up and leaving the country, it's a serious crime to just run away!"
"Shit," Yu said, "Who should I call?"
"Call Kanji… no, call Naoto," Yosuke said, "Tell her that we're fine and to tell the police we will be home tomorrow, that we just ran off to Tokyo or something."
He put some coins in the phone and dialed. He tried Naoto's cell, but got no response. He then tried The Inaba Police Department; the phone rang for a little bit until a voice picked up.
"Inaba Police Department, how can I direct your call?" the lady asked over the phone.
"I want to speak to Detective Naoto Shirogane," Yu said calmly into the phone, somewhat trying to disguise his voice.
"Transferring you now," she said, followed by some soft waiting music.
"This is Detective Shirogane," he heard Naoto say into the phone.
"Hey," Yu whispered in a soft voice, "It's us." He held the phone out for the three to say something to Naoto.
"Hi," the three muttered into the phone as Yu returned it to his ear.
"Where in the hell are the four of you?" she softly spoke into the phone, trying not to arouse suspicion from the nearby officers, "The entire police department is searching high and low for you! What the hell happened?"
"Listen, tell them that we'll be home soon," Yu said, "Just stop the investigation."
"Stop the investigation?" Naoto said, "You have no clue how big this is? Since Adachi, people take disappearances around here very seriously!"
"Naoto, just please…" Yu said, "We are all fine, just give us a day and we'll be back in Inaba, okay? Can you please just tell them we called in and are hanging out in Tokyo or at the beach or something."
"Where are you, tell me you guys are okay," Naoto said.
"We are completely fine!" Yu said, "Just tell Dojima that we're fine!"
Naoto sighed over the phone, "Okay, I'll try," she said as she looked at the clock nearby.
"Thank you," Yu said as he hung the phone up, "Naoto is going to explain everything to the police, its fine."
Chie sighed, "I hope that's the end of it, maybe we should head home."
"The tickets aren't good until tomorrow, we can have one more day here in America," Yosuke said, "There's a baseball game, in a huge stadium! Don't you guys wanna go?"
"That sounds fun," Yu said as the four walked off, still slightly worried over their actions.
*Back in Inaba*
"I got them" Naoto said as she burst into the meeting room of the police department. Inside, several detective's including Dojima were pouring over files and files of evidence and records trying to find out where these kids went "I just got a call from Yu and the group, they said there fine and coming home soon, but I think there's more to it, it's not like them to just leave."
"Where are they?" asked Dojima.
"The call came from America, specifically California," Naoto said.
"America!" Dojima said, "Are you sure, what the hell are they doing there?"
"They were more than likely using a payphone from what I can tell, so I can't place their exact location, but they sounded like they are in the city," Naoto said, "I'm worried, this is odd, I'm afraid they've been kidnapped or something."
"Check the nearby airports; ask them if they've seen those kids anywhere in there," Dojima gave out the orders, "I want to know what plane they got on and where it landed, I want every airport on the west coast on high alert for these kids."
A few hours past, Dojima pouring through various flight records given to him from the airport; desperately trying to find all the flights that left for California over the past few days. "Sir!" A man came into the room, "We found them, on the cameras!" Dojima quickly got up running off to the video room.
"Boom!" one of the detectives said as he pointed at a clear image of the four boarding a plane," Got em, flight JA181! Straight trip to LAX!"
"I'm going," Dojima yelled as he ran out the door, "Contact LAX and tell them to be on the lookout in case they come in early!" Dojima quickly ran out of the police station, jumping in his car and driving recklessly towards the airport.
*Back in America*
"What an amazing game!" Chie said coming out with a huge bag of cotton candy, Yosuke and Yukiko sharing a bag of popcorn.
"I could get so fat here," Yukiko said, "There's so much food and it's all so cheap."
The four returned to the beach where they slept last night after another full day, moving slightly up to avoid getting wet from the water. They started another fire, enjoying the night again as they watched the waves go back and forth.
"Head's up!" they heard a voice cry out as a ball landed near them in the sand, a man in a yellow sleeveless t-shirt and shorts walking over to them and grabbing the ball. He had long brownish hair and appeared to be in his late twenties or possibly early thirties.
"What are you little dudes doing out here?" the man asked.
"Sleeping," Yosuke replied.
"You guys foreigners?" he asked, "Where are you from?"
"Japan," Chie said.
"Far out," he smiled, "Me and my friends are all about that Zen and tranquility you got out there, I'm Joshua."
"Nice to meet you," Yu said, "This is Chie, Yosuke, Yukiko, and I'm Yu."
"Your fire is looking pretty weak," Joshua said, "Why don't you come over with us, we got a big one going and we're making s'mores."
"What are s'mores?" Yukiko asked.
"You don't have s'mores over there in Japan?" Joshua laughed, "Now you gotta come over here." The four agreed and packed up, moving over to the small colony of about ten other people who were hanging out around the fire at the beach.
"Everyone, these are my new friends Chie, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Yu," he introduced them to the group, "These little guys came all the way from Japan."
A lady with braided hair and glasses in a red sundress spoke up, "What brought you children all the way from Japan, and none the less on the beach."
"We kinda decided to take a little trip," Yosuke said, "You know, go see the world on our own."
"How old are you man?" one dude with a lip ring asked.
"I'm 17 for a couple more weeks… we all are 17 to be honest," Chie said.
"17, you guys aren't even all grown up yet, why did you wanna leave home, are you orphans?" the man asked.
"No, we have family, we just…uh… wanted a break," Yukiko said.
"I can respect that," Joshua smiled, "I ran away when I was 13, never looked back. If you want you're welcome to stay here with us, we're always looking for more people for our community."
"Community?" Yukiko asked, "What exactly do you do?"
"We roam the country, going wherever the road takes us," Joshua said as he sat down next to the fire and pulled out some supplies to make s'mores, "We take whatever we can get our hands on from strangers or from the trash or from the earth."
"That's… different," Yosuke tried to be polite. The four sat down around the fire as Joshua showed them how to make s'mores, roasting the marshmallows and assembling the chocolate and graham cracker together.
"Yu, this is amazing, how have I not heard about this before?" Chie smiled.
"Are you two lovers?" one the ladies asked to the two, "I can sense the love in your aura's, along with those two."
"Uh…. I guess," Chie blushed along with Yukiko.
"Right on man, I can feel it too, you've got strong bonds with one another," Joshua said as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it using a lighter. He took a huge smoke before holding it out to Yu.
"I don't smoke," Yu declined, "My uncle does, but I've never been one for it."
"Your uncle sounds like a chill dude," he laughed, "I'd love to smoke with him sometime… you like edibles?"
"Edibles?" Chie asked.
"Like brownies," the lady said as she pulled out a big plastic baggie of brownies.
"Oh my god, I love brownies," Yukiko laughed, "They're my favorite."
"Could I have one?" Yosuke asked. The lady complied passing the bag along to the four as they each took out a brownie, Yukiko taking two, "Thanks man."
"Woah, two!" one guy said, "Quite the eater there."
"Trust me, I'm nothing compared to Chie," Yukiko giggled, "Chie could eat this entire bag if she wanted." The four laughed as they continued to eat their treats, the implication completely lost of them as they ate them as if normal.
"I'm going for another one!" Chie declared as she shoved the remainder in her mouth and grabbed another one out of the bag.
*About 45 minutes later*
"Oh my god," Chie laughed, "I am soooooooo hungry!" The four were lying on the sand, staring into the night sky.
"Dude…" Yosuke said.
"Dude…" Yu said back to him.
"Chie!" Yukiko was laughing fiercely, "Please stop talking, you're voice is funny!"
"It is!" Chie laughed, causing Yukiko to laugh even harder.
"Do you got any more brownies?" Chie asked the group, "I'm soooooooooo hungry."
"You want more?" Joshua laughed as he was strumming on a guitar, "You must have really strong stuff back home if you want more."
"Man, I just want some more chocolate right now," Chie licked her lips, "Just a big steak, covered in onions and mushrooms with a side of chocolate sauce… and a big cup of TaP soda! Like a bucket."
"That sounds AMAZING," Yu giggled, "Steak is such a funny word, steak. Steeeeeaaaaaaaak." Chie, Yu, and Yosuke all giggling as Yukiko continued her uncontrollable laugher.
"Guys there are so many stars in the sky!" Yosuke said, "Do you think people are watching us?"
"Watching us?" Yukiko stopped laughing, "Like right now?"
"Remember the midnight channel, what if right now there are people watching our every move!" Yosuke shot up, looking around for people.
"Dude, I AM freaking out now!" Yu began to panic and breathing heavily.
"Just chill lover," Chie said as she pulled him back down, rubbing his hair like a dog. The four laid there in the sand until they passed out.
*The next morning*
"Yu!" Yu heard a voice faintly cry out as he began to open his eyes, "Yu!"
"He was laying down in the sand, his shirt unbuttoned and Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke standing around him.
"Hey…" Yu groaned as he got up, "Where's everybody?"
"They left a little while ago," Yosuke said, "They wanted us to go with them up north, but we told them we had to go home."
"Last night was weird," Yu said, "Fun, but weird."
"I know dude, I can't place my finger on it," Yosuke said too.
"Uh, guys," Chie coughed, "Well… promise me you guys aren't going to freak out when I say this… okay?"
"What?" Yukiko looked at her as Chie whipped a few beads of sweat of her forehead.
"There may be the slightest of possibilities that those brownies they gave us had… drugs… IN them," Chie said as everyone's eyes widened.
"What? They drugged us!" Yosuke panicked, "Holy crap dude, we got high last night against our will! Isn't that illegal?"
"Are we still high?" Yukiko was looking at her hands, "Do you think people know we were high? Chie! Do I look any different?"
"No," Chie said, "I think we got it out of our system."
"Well the first thing we gotta do is drink as much water as possible and flush our systems out," Yosuke formulated a plan, "And we tell this to NO ONE!"
"You can trust me, the last thing my uncle needs to know is we got high off of drugged deserts," Yu walked away with the group. The four packed their things up, making their way back to the airport.
"Looks like Naoto really came through for us," Yosuke said with an air of relief.
"Thank god," Chie said, "I was half expecting to get swarmed by the police in our sleep or something."
They walked into the airport, hoping to simply stroll through undetected and head back home, but life was not simple. Almost immediately they were spotted by the police who swarmed to their location, yelling at them to put their hands on their heads and drop their bags.
"Looks like you spoke to soon," Yukiko groaned as the four were taken aside and sat down in a nearby back.
"Tell Detective Dojima we found them, all of them," the officer radioed over to the other police. He saw Dojima running full speed in the distance towards them. Yu fully expected a huge punch in the face and scream fest from his uncle, but he grabbed Yu and gave him a huge hug and started to cry.
"Oh thank god," he said crying, "I was so worried."
"Dojima…I'm sorry," he said as Dojima patted him on the back, "We shouldn't have left."
Dojima wiped his eyes, "What the hell were you guys thinking? Your parents and friends have been worried sick! Nanako has been crying non-stop and your entire class thinks you're dead."
"We just got sick of all of it," Yosuke said, "These past few months all we've done is been yelled at for all the shit we've done wrong, we wanted to be free, to explore the world. Our parents don't appreciate us, Chie's dad punched Yu right in the face for god's sake. Yukiko's dad beat the shit of my dad! You think they care about us or our feelings?"
"Your parents haven't slept in over two days, they've been worried sick about you four, and they've been sitting in the police station waiting for any update about you we had! I had to basically hold them back at the station after they found out you were here. They've been calling everyone they know trying to see if they know where you were. How could you even say something like that?"
"Does that include my mom and dad?" Yu said, "Let me guess, no."
"Your mom and dad have called me every five minutes trying to find out what's going on!" Dojima cried, "Why do you think these people don't care about you, because we've had to yell at you for being stupid teenagers? That's what parents are supposed to do and kids are supposed to be stupid."
Yukiko started sobbing, "I miss my mom!" she cried, "I wanna go home." The four all began to cry softly as Dojima stepped aside to let them all vent and to make some calls.
"We shouldn't have done this," Yu said in tears, "I can't imagine the guilt we've put our friends through."
"I feel like the biggest asshole in the universe," Yosuke said wiping the tears away from his face.
Dojima came back over, "It's your parents Yu." He grabbed the phone.
"Hello," Yu said over the phone, hearing the sobs of his mom.
"Yu…" she could barely speak, "I thought you were dead!" Yu was moved by the love of his mother and father, breaking down himself. The four each called their parents using phones given to them, each having emotionally filled conversations. The four had completely wiped themselves out from crying, getting onto a plane headed back to Japan, they were going home and they couldn't be happier. The four eventually got off, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Chie all greeted by their parents, Yu's unable to make it, but he understood. Yu stood off to the side as he stared out the window, the sun was setting along with this horrible adventure, but Yu was happy to finally realize how much the people outside his life cared about him.