Player Choices
By psychored1911
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden.
Chapter 8
04/18- After School
Shopping District
Y'know, I don't think we actually learn anything in school. We just sit down on class, it fades to black, and then it goes to after class… Okay, I'm actually might be crazy for thinking that.
Anyways, I should go to the food court, Yosuke, Chie and I need to regroup, come up with a rescue strategy and get Yukiko out- what the hell?
I stop at the blue, transparent door sitting outside the food court… that nobody notices at all…
...This has something to do with that Velvet Room thing, didn't it?
...Ah, to hell with it. I'm coming in.
Velvet Room
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Margaret greets me with an ominous smile "Well then. I shall tell you how I can offer you my assistance."
Is there an option for this or am I gonna let her keep talking?
…
No? Okay then.
"I can gather a number of the personas you possess and provide you the ability to fuse them. I have suggestions for the creation of powerful personas that may be of some use to you."
If you can do that, then why can't you just give me the strongest one upfront?
Before I can say anything back, Margaret continues "Oh, and you remember Marie, right?"
How could I not?
…
Am I gonna talk anytime soon or am I really just gonna let Margaret keep talking?
"She will be working with you on skill cards. And-"
Oh dear god this is boring. I want to scream at her to get to the point but I have the feeling that Margaret can kick my ass into next week for even trying.
I wonder how it's like for Marie to listen to this all the time.
Huh… Marie…
I turn to her as She glares at me with a bored look.
Should I say something?
"What?"
-"Do you want to hang out with me?"
Oh, now it shows up.
"Huh?!" She suddenly blushes "Why would I want to do that?!"
Well it's not like you're doing anything else here.
She suddenly looks down to avert her gaze, still flushed "Fine, whatever, it was getting stuffy in here anyway."
"Ladies first." I say as I open the door for her.
She walks out the door, turning her face away from mine. Not that it can hide her blushing, heh, heh, heh...
Shopping District
"Thanks for pulling me out of there." She says with a sigh "It was so dull in there."
"Well it's not like it's only that room, is it?" I say with a shrug.
"It's only that room." She says bluntly.
I stop and stare at her with wide eyes.
…
What?
"There's nothing else there. It's just that creepy room!" Marie frowns.
…
What?
"What's worse is that they don't even have any of those eclectic outwits!" She complains.
Let her make increasingly less sense
-"...Eclectic outwits?"
Marie rolls her eyes "You know, those things in walls that make TVs work."
Things in- wait a minute, she means electric outlets. Yeah, like there'd be things like that in the back of a creepy limousine.
"What do you need elec-"
She ignores me and turns towards that steak skewer vendor
"Steak skewers?" She looks at it inquisitively before walking towards the vendor "Hey lady, I want one of those skewer things."
"Oh, hello. That will be 320 yen, please," The woman says.
Heh heh, Marie's clueless face looks hilarious.
"Yo, Narukami! Getting your steak on, huh?" Yosuke says
What the- Yosuke? Getting your steak on? Really? That's your opening line?
"Wow, she's cute." he says as he checks Marie out.
"Do you have money, I want one." Marie tells me.
"Who's this?"
"She's an acquaintance."
"She's a friend."
"She's my sister."
-"This is Marie."
...Huh, I can make a sane choice for once. They were mostly sane choices anyways, but still.
"Oh, so her name is Marie? What's your relationship with her?"
How would I know? I barely know her myself.
"SHE'S MY WIFE!"
-"I met her at the train station, saved her from these two guys who were harassing her."
Huh, being honest works. Those preachy kiddie shows were right.
Yosuke, on the other hand, just gives me a skeptic look "Uh-huh. Right."
I frown "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"Well, normally you have something a little more… eccentric to tell me."
I fold my arms with a skeptic look "Eccentric?"
"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but..." Yosuke pauses "You're kinda- weird."
I look at him with wide eyes "I am weird?"
"Well, yeah-"
"I am not WEIRD!" I pout "I am somewhat offended you said that!"
Yosuke blinks "What?"
"How am I weird?"
"You're kidding."
"I wouldn't be asking if I was kidding!"
"Are you-" Yosuke gives me an exasperated look "have you looked at yourself in the mirror?!"
"If this is about my hair-"
"I wasn't talking about that, but now that you brought it up-"
"OH HELL NO! Bitch you better not be giving me crap about my hair! Not with your cheap-ass hair gel!"
"What do you mean cheap-ass hair gel?!"
"If I can smell it from here, I know it's cheap!"
This conversation went on for several minutes, and the topic jumped so many times I lost count. By the end of it, I really don't recall what I exactly said, now that I think about it, but it somehow ended in:
"-e fact I exist means I act like this. And yes I am real, and I am awesome for it! Now before you burn a bridge with your new best friend and a hot girl you just met, watch the master do his thing! You will not be my first student ever! I taught a kid and I can teach you. Now, OBSERVE!"
We both turn to Marie and I- and she's gone.
She's gone…
...
-"WHERE DID SHE GO?!"
"Aw crap, she's gone…"
Yosuke gives me a smug grin "Uh-huh… So, what were you saying about-"
"Dude we have to find her!" I grab at his shoulders with a panicked expression.
Yosuke reels away from me in sheer surprise "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"
"You don't get it, do you?" I put my face dangerously close to his "she gets lost easily and she's bad with strangers. She's a friggin' ten year old in a hot hipster body!"
"That's kinda harsh-"
-"I'm serious!"
"When I first met her, she was about to get assaulted by these two jerks!"
Yosuke blinks in surprise, before nodding in agreement. "Okay, if someone like you is getting serious, I should probably take this seriously too."
Now you take me seriously?! You know whatever, priorities.
"Okay, here's the game plan!" I point downtown "You go that way while I go back uptown to check up on her. Call if she shows up, I'll teach you about girls later! We good? Good! Break!"
I dash off one way while Yosuke goes the other, rudely pushing the person behind me out of my way. Oh, I so don't wanna explain to Margaret how I lost her Marie!
3 Hours Later- That Hill with a view
WHERE IS SHE?!
How do you lose sight of a hot, hipster girl?! If it were me, I'd never take my eyes off her! Especially not her a-
"Hm… It's really green here… Green and... green. And some brown and… Darker green?"
I stop in my tracks. Was... that her?
"Leaves of green fly away, farewell to you, clouds of the sky. I fly as well, lost as the day, Farewell to you, Moon of the night." She says poetically.
Wow. that was actually pretty good- I mean THERE SHE IS! At the edge of the hills.
"THERE YOU ARE!" I scream.
She jumps as she suddenly turns to me, panicked. "W-Where did you come from?!"
"I was behind you."
"WHERE WERE YOU?!"
-"You're talented."
She blushes "...ShutupIhateyouyoustupidjerk! D-Don't snoop on me!"
I wasn't snooping, you were being loud in a quiet place and I was next to you. Not snooping. And on another note, What is it with you and blushing near me?
"So, why did you come here in particular?" I ask, changing the subject.
Marie, snapping out of her blushing, shrugs "I dunno. I wanted a view and there was one here."
I blink in surprise "You walked all the way here? By youself?"
"Well, you were talking to the guy with the stupid-looking hair. So I just got bored and wandered off here." She shrugs "I kinda like it here. So peaceful."
I take a deep breath; this crisp, fresh air smells so… clean… Huh, y'know I didn't think about it earlier, but this change of pace feels so… relaxing…
Take in another deep breath
-Lie down on the grass
I slowly slump down and put my back against the soft, green grass.
Marie looks at me quizzically "What're you doing?"
"Just enjoying the atmosphere…" I take another deep breath, for I am also enjoying the sight of Marie's striped panties. Oooh yeah…
"Come on. Join me. You got nothing to lose…"
I can see the gears slowly turn in Marie's head before she hesitantly lies down right next to me.
"..."
"..."
"...So, what now?" she asks, turning to me.
"We just lie down and enjoy the breeze."
"...Okay…"
We lie here for a good couple hours until I decide to return her to the Velvet Room
Evening- Home
I walk in and stretch my limbs. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but that's another thing. It's probably just late homework or something.
I take a seat right next to Nanako, who had got back from class earlier "Hey Nanako, is there something good on...TV…"
TV...
…
Wait a sec...
...Oh... crap.
...Oh crap!
OH CRAP!
We left Yukiko in the TV!
"Is something wrong?" Nanako asks, concerned.
"It's nothing Nanako, i just have to make a call…"
I take out my phone and call the one person whom I can right now.
"Yosuke, we forgot about Yukiko!" I yell into the phone
"I know…" he groans "Chie gave me an earful… and she made me give her your number…"
...Aw shit.
*ring ring*
I cringe as I hung up on Yosuke and answered the phone.
"Hey, Chie… Sorry we forgot-"
"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU FORGET YUKIKO'S STILL IN THE GODDAMNED TV?!" I yank my phone away as she screamed into my ear "TOMORROW WE'RE GOING INTO THE TV AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA FORGET!"
I gulp "Yes Ma'am. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"
"No excuses!" She says as she hangs us.
Okay… dad, you were right. Angry women are friggin' terrifying.
04/19- After School
Junes food court
I went to the food court to meet up with them immediately, this time I won't get distracted, lest I invoke Chie's wrath.
Speak of the devil, Chie is there, and so is Yosuke… and she still looks pissed, and she's been taking it out on Yosuke… Ouch… Critical hit to the nads, indeed...
She comes up to me, angry as she was earlier.
"We're getting Yukiko out today."
"Yes ma'am…"
"You're NOT going to forget."
I gulp "Yes ma'am…"
Castle Floor 2
Two thing learned about my from my friends today, 1) they can handle themselves in a fight, 2) they run off too quickly after they beat the shadow that they don't notice that the shadow drops stuff. I mean it's only pocket change and weird materials but it's still cool.
Anyways, we're back at the 2nd floor where Chie's shadow went rampant.
I open the door slowly. I'm looking through the tiny crack I made. There's a person in there in a pink dress. Rule of thumb about girls in dresses: if it looks nice and compliments her body figure, she's hot. If it looks weird and out of place… she's friggin' nuts.
Pink princess european ballgown with matching armlength gloves. And from the looks from behind her, a matching tiara… Fits the castle theme… Yes… and the same Yukiko was wearing on the midnight Channel... It might be Yukiko… but it's crazy… and crazy in a place like this is probably dangerous. Maybe we can sneak up on crazy-looking Yukiko, or sneak past crazy-looking Yukiko or maybe even find an alternate route and avoid her altogether.
I'm just gonna back away slowly an-
"Yukiko, are you in here?!" Chie says as she slams the door open.
...Or -we can slam the door open and get her instant attention…
"*Chuckle* Heehee… Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Probably shadow Yukiko- Check.
Crazy laugh from the crazy person- Check.
Scared of what's gonna happen next- Double check.
Fake Yukiko turns around "Oh my! Special guests? I wonder how they'll play into this."
I don't even want to know what's she's talking about… But I have the feeling she's gonna explain anyway.
She pulls out a mic out of nowhere and chuckles "Things are really heating up! Okie-dokie!" She winks at us "I'm going back to hunt for my Prince Charming! OOOOh where could he be…?"
I know I normally want to be guy of some girl's dreams… but this is just too weird even for my blood.
"This place is huge! It's sooo exciting, but it makes it so hard to find him! Ooh! Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek in the fog! Ready or not, here I come!"
Maybe he's hiding from you on purpose! I would understand if a guy is running away from a crazy chick in a dress.
"Let's go further in then, shall we?!" The cheap sign from the midnight channel is back! And it looks even more stupid in real life…
"You're not Yukiko. Who are you?!" chie asks.
"What are you talking about? I'm Yukiko… and Yukiko is me."
"You're not- Where's the real Yukiko?" chie says
There are disembodied voices. It's kinda creepy.
"The shadows are getting agitated!" teddie says
"Well, I'm off again! Heehee! You'd better be waiting with the bells on, my dear prince!" she says as she runs off.
Y'know, I remember when I was a kid and I wanted to be the prince who sweeps the princess off her feet… I'm over it… 100% over it… partially because it's kinda sexist by this day and age, but still. I really hope she was talking about someone else… I mean the wedding bells thing this early would make any dude run with their tail between their legs.
"That clearly wasn't the real Yukiko, it must be…"
"I think it was. It must have been the other part of herself."
"So it's just like what happened to us…"
"But I don't think she was excited for nothing. The real Yukiko wants to show us something. I can feel it. It's hard to explain… It seems like she has a strong connection to this castle… This is a lot more dangerous than I thought!"
Great, just what we need, a cryptic explanation…
"Yukiko…" Chie runs off
"Hey… Not again!" Yosuke curses under his breath "Dammit, we told her not to run off on her own!
"Then after her!" I yell as I give chase.
Later
Castle floor 3
Where are you you copycat?!
We're gonna find you! Believe it!
Later
Castle floor 4
I'm getting a little tired. But *huff* I can still keep going…
How many floors are in this stupid castle?
Later
Castle floor 5
*huff* Who is the freakin' architect?! *huff* This place is huge! *huff* And *huff* poorly *huff* built! I don't think *huff* these floors are even *huff* the same shape! The stairs *huff* on each floor *huff* are nowhere close *huff* to each other! How is this thing *huff* even stable?! And 5 floors *huff* with no furniture *huff* or *huff* bathroom! Worst *huff* Castle *huff* ever!
Later
Castle- The stairs between floor 5 and 6
I *huff* HATE *huff* STAIRS!
Why did this place's architect not make an elevator?!
Later STILL
Castle floor 6
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
LATER AGAIN
Castle floor 7
I'm *huff* gonna throw *huff* the architect *huff* of this shitty *huff* castle down each *huff* and every *huff* single *huff* last *huff* staircase *huff* in *huff* this *huff* castle!
Oh god, why are there so many stairs?!
LATER. YET. AGAIN.
Castle floor 8
This *huff* better *huff* be *huff* the *huff* last *huff* floor…
Oh God *huff*, I'm so ti-
*THUD*
I collapse on the floor with Yosuke and Teddie not that far behind. They must have been tired too.
But…
"What happened to you guys?" Chie asks in concern, somehow standing straight and breathing normally.
No, seriously. She doesn't even seem that tired. HOW IS SHE OKAY?!
"We're *huff* just *huff* tired."
-"How *huff* are *huff* you *huff* not *huff* tired?!"
Chie shrugs "I just exercise a lot. This is nothing. But you were fine the other day."
"That was because *huff* it was only 2 floors and very *huff* few *huff* shadows. Not eight floors *huff*, sixteen flights of stairs *huff* and shadows! shit *huff*t ons of shadows!" Not to mention the giant knight in shining armor with a horse and a ginormous lance of all things! Dick Move, Fake Yukiko. Dick move.
Good god, I'm only fit because I eat right, not because I hit the gym every week. Maybe I should get some exercise...
-"Can I work out with you sometime?"
"Give us a minute to catch our breaths..."
"Huh?!" Chie flushes red "Where did that come from?!"
"Dude," Yosuke wheezes "I don't think *huff* now is the time to ask a girl on a date."
First off *huff*, there is never a wrong time… and second *huff* I just need some exercise.
"Would it break your heart if we did something together?"
Hey, her face is red… *huff* Which is weird because I'm not even *huff* trying to flirt. I'm genuinely trying to ask her to work out with me.
"I-I'll think about it… L-let's just keep going…" she says as she walks away.
"Sensei *huff* you really *huff* are amazing!"
"Dude *huff* you gotta tell me your secret to girls one of these days."
All in due time Yosuke. All in due time.
We get up from the floor and slowly stagger to the door. I open the door a crack.
There's 2 of them! The one in the kimono is probably her. Okay, calm down, think of it like a heist. You're good with heists…
Two of them, the one closer to you is the one you have to stea- i mean rescue, not steal, rescue- and the one further away is probably the copycat that is dangerous when aggravated but is just unpleasant to be around when it's human. We could just grab Yukiko and go, or whack the fake before it turns into a giant monster or-
Chie crashes through the door. "Yukiko!"
-or we can do THAT again…
"I knew it… there's two of her!" Yosuke points accusingly at the Fake Yukiko.
Dude, where were you when I was peeking through the crack in the door.
"Oh? Oooooooooh, what's this? Three princes are here to see me!? My my!" Fake Yukiko gasps in a sultry voice.
I am really hoping she's not talking about me.
"Are you the surprise guests who came in late?"
You just- you saw
"Awwwwwww… I wish I'd gotten a better look at you! My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…? A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my prince, you'd take me there, won't you? C'mon… pretty please?"
Normally I would be all over this but this is just too much for me.
"Oooh. Is this 'scoring a hot stud'?!" Teddie asks excitedly.
No, Teddie, no it is not…
"Three princes…?" Chie looks at me and Yosuke before pointing at herself "Wait, does that include me too?"
"Duh! The third one's gotta be me!" Teddie declares.
Yosuke rolls his eyes "I seriously doubt that…"
Me too. She's either talking about Chie or I count as two princes. Yeah, I'm that awesome.
"Chie… *chuckle* Yes, she's my prince…"
Yeeeeeah she is- No bad dirty mind!
"She always leads the way… Chie's a strong prince… Or at least, she WAS. When it comes down to it, Chie's just not good enough! She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!"
"Yukiko…"
"No…" Yukiko says in shock as she slowly gets up.
"Historic inn? Manager training?! I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here!" Fake Yukiko rages "Everything's decided for me! From how I live, to where I die! I'm so sick of it! To hell with it all! I just want to go somewhere far away… Anywhere but here… Someone, please take me away… I can't leave here on my own… I'm completely useless…"
"Stop… Please stop…" Yukiko pleads to no avail.
"I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave… So I sit on my ass hoping that someday my prince will come! I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn! Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a bunch of bullshit!"
"How dare you…?"
"That's how I really feel. Isn't that right… me?!"
"No! No!" Yukiko clutches her head as she screams in denial "You're not me!"
Y'know, I think I'm seeing a pattern here...
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Aaaaaaah!" Fake Yukiko screams in some sort of demented bliss "This feels wonderful! It's building… More and more… If this keeps up… I'll... I'll…!"
Shut up, dirty mind! DO NOT SAY ANYTHING NOW! Just shut up!
"*chuckle* Ahahahahaha! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A dark fog surrounds Fake Yukiko and turns her into… What in the heck did this thing turn into?! A giant red bird with a face and a birdcage chandelier… I... can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I think the gaudy pink dress looked better in comparison to… the Harpy Lady Ripoff…
"We have to stop it! That girl's in danger!" Teddie's voice snaps me out of my inner monologue as my gaze falls upon Yukiko… who has fallen and didn't get up. I swear, why do they all fall in front of the shadow that can kill them?
"I am a shadow… The true self…" Harpy Lady Ripoff cackles as it 'dances' in place "Now, my prince… Why don't we dance and make merry together?"
In what princess story does the prince and princess fight each other!? That would make an amazing children's book, but- Actually, yeah! That actually sounds like an interesting twist to the 'prince saves the princess' stories. Okay, note to self after we beat this Shadow, I'm writing that children's bestseller!
"Hang in there, Yukiko… I'm right here for you!" Chie puts her dukes up.
"Oh really…? Then I'll make sure to give you plenty to deal with!" Harpy Lady Ripoff snarls.
Oh great…
"Show me this strength of yours. Come, my prince… Heeheehee…"
A spotlight appears out of nowhere as a… giant medieval prince doll with an iron mask welded onto its face… Ugh, must've been ugly as fuck if the mask's an improvement.
Attack the Harpy Lady Rippoff
Attack the Ugly Prince Doll.
Think up better names. Seriously, Harpy Lady Ripoff and Ugly Prince Doll? Come on, you can do better than that.
-"Izanagi! Batter up!"
I crush the tarot card, and Izanagi comes swinging, knocking a home run into the Harpy Lady Ripoff's Cage, throwing it into the Ugly Prince Doll.
*SMACK!*
The Ugly Prince Doll slams into the throne, motionless as the Giant Heavy Metal Bird Cage swings… back…
Towards…
Me…
…
"SHI-"
*THWACK!*
The cage sends me flying through the win- HOLY SHIIIII-"
"Narukami!"
"Narukami!"
"Sensei!"
-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"
Die screaming like a baby
Grab the ledge
-Stab the ledge and hope cartoon physics are in effect
I plunge my sword into the wall, the sudden stop nearly tearing my arm off.
"Narukami!" Yosuke peeks his head out the window "You alright?!"
"Does it look like I'm alright?!" I bark "I'm dangling out a building with a crazy dude's sword as my only lifeline!"
"Just- do you think you can get back up?" He asks awkwardly.
I turn my head "I-I think there's a couple footholds and a window nearby… Give me a minute..."
I pull out my sword from the wall, latch on to ledges and crash through the window. Okay, good news, I didn't plummet to my death. The bad news, I think I'm in some backroom. Gimme a sec, lemme just walk through this hallway and- Wait a sec, if I fell down and ended up in the window right below…
Oh. No.
I'm back on the seventh floor.
…
…
Fuck.
Castle floor 7
SCREW *huff* YOU, *huff* YOU *huff* GOD *huff* FORSAKEN *huff* STAIRS!
Castle floor 8
*huff* Oh God, *huff* I'm alive… It took me *huff* a good *huff* twenty *huff* minutes, but I'm *huff* alive...
Okay, *huff* how did *huff* they do? Lessee *huff* here… Okay, the *huff* Ugly Prince *huff* Doll is *huff* gone… that's a plus… *huff* And… t*huff* he Harpy Lady *huff* Ripoff's cage is badly dented… *huff* good job… *huff* guys.
"Sensei!" Teddie runs over to me "Are you okay?"
"Just peachy…" I pant, catching my breath "What about Chie and Yosuke?"
"Jiraiya!"
"Tomoe!"
I am answered by their Personas charging the Rubber Chicken from both sides, crushing the cage and exposing the Harpy Lady Ripoff inside. The two quickly turn to me and nod in acknowledgement.
Alrighty… good work guys… Okay… I can work with this… I can take over from here… This is for making me walk up another flight of stairs, you red robin bitch.
[All-Out Attack!]
-[Persona Change]
Izanagi
-Jack Frost-
Pixie
"You're wide open!" I crush the tarot card and out comes the snowman with an awesome blue hat. He was made of snow but the children know that he came to life one day. Hehe- I mean focus!
"Jack Frost! Freeze her to the core! Bufula!"
Ice engulfs the Harpy Lady Ripoff before imploding upon it, turning the icy coating into razor-sharp shrapnel that perforated the shadow until it finally collapsed, motionless.
"Yukiko! Are you okay!?" Chie says, making a beeline to her collapsed friend.
"I'm… okay…" Yukiko groans as she struggles to stand stumbling awkwardly as Chie catches her.
I turn around as the Harpy Lady Ripoff devolves into the ugly prom dress fake Yukiko.
Upon turning to it, Yukiko flinched, reeling away from the fake her "No- I'm not…"
Nonononono! I am not gonna fight that and get thrown out a window again! That was a stroke of luck at best and I still had to go back up another flight of stairs!
Fortunately before she could say it again, she hesitates before shaking her head "No… that's not it…"
She slowly walks towards her shadow. "I wanted to run away, I wanted someone to save me from my fate…" "Those feelings are part of me…" She sighs, shaking her head in revelation "I understand now; despite everything… you're me."
The shadow nods, smiles even, before dissolving into mist. In it's wake appears a… flowery Ballerina/Cheerleader hybrid… fuck it… it's leagues better than a demented bird furry.
I walk over to the two girls, tucking my sword under my belt.
"C'mon, let's leave. We can talk once we're out of this terrible place."
Chie nods "Yeah, you're right."
I crouch down as she hoists Yukiko onto my back. Now… all we have have to do is… go back down… all eight floors. With Yukiko on my back.
…
…
Note to self: bring a rope or something next time.
A/N: That took me so long to dooooooo! Thank you for your support. But out of all seriousness, how do they not get tired from walking back and forth through the dungeons? Sure, the return trip gets easier after using Trafuri but still! Anyways, I'm gonna keep this one brief because I'm gonna do another Author's note at the bottom. I'm putting my traditional story about my brother at the end because I put a little gift for you guys in the chapter. Simply put, I wanted to make a fic for Persona 5; it already came out in Japan, it didn't come out in english but I did a small preview based on the first 20-ish minutes of the game and loose translations on what happened, and subtle hints I hope you guys caught in this story. I changed up what happened slightly. So fair warning. THIS IS THE OFFICIAL END OF THE CHAPTER. Also- *SPOILER ALERT FOR PERSONA 5* Please skip all the way to the end (And probably cover the top end of your screen depending on what kind of device you're using) for the real Author's note, It has some things I want to get off my chest about this story, I would like for you guys to read it Once again:. *********THIS IS THE END OF THE CHAPTER. THE STORY PREVIEW HAS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 5. PLEASE SKIP TO THE BOTTOM (AND PROBABLY COVER UP THE TOP END OF YOU SCREEN DEPENDING ON THE DEVICE) TO AVOID SPOILERS***************
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
Enjoy!
Also that was not as brief as I thought it would be.
Thief Tactics and Player Lessons
?/?
A dark room?
What... What happened? Argh… God, my head is spinning… it hurts so much…
Ugh…
*shikikik*
...Huh? I can't move my arms…
Am I… handcuffed? That can't be… good…
Okay… don't panic… don't panic…
Remember... what he taught you...
Lesson 72: Calm Down
I take a deep breath… and perfect…
Alright… what… happened…?
Can't move… much…
Come on… focus...
Lesson 49: Observe Anything and Everything
Argh… I move my cheeks… it… feels swollen… it- I was punched… repeatedly… This is good, I got something...
Okay next up… I can't move… uncomfortable chair… handcuffs… I turn my head to the side… is that a… mirror?
Mirror…
A one way mirror?
Am I… in an interrogation room?
What am I doing- Argh!
I cringe as a pain shoots up in my arm…
Wait, my arm?
I got... a flu shot?
-I was... drugged.
Wait… I got drugged… but… why would… I get drugged?
-Try to remember
Focus on trying to escape
?/?
Casino?
"What? Someone's up there!"
"Target's in sight! We'll get him immediately!"
Come and get me!
…
"Get out of there! Run!"
...
"I scanned him, it's no problem. Kick its ass, quick!"
?/?
Interrogation Room?
…The hell was that?
*Click*
I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to rid myself of the pain and drug-induced delirium.
They're coming closer. I think I can hear… 3 people?
"The drugs really did a number on him. Wake him up."
*Splash*
Geez! What the heck was that for!? Did tapping my shoulder get outdated or something!?
A dude in a suit stares at me, judgingly.
"Wakey wakey… guess what?" The suited bastard snarls "You're not going anywhere!" He kicks me in the gut, throwing me onto the floor.
Owwww… jeez… was that really necessary? That hurt like a bit- OWWWW! The bastard's stepping on my face!
"Now stay in your place and maybe I won't give you another injection!"
So I was drugged, you bastard.
"Obstruction, intimidation, collecting weapons… you probably murdered people too, didn't you? A career criminal, aren't ya?"
What the fuck is he talking about?
"You were enjoying yourself weren't you?"
The foot on my head, the kick, getting handcuffed, drugged and water in my face? I've had better days.
"You've gone too far kid!'
One of the other guys uncuffs me and pulls me on my ass as the bastard who kicked me kneels down to my level and hands me a clipboard and a pen. "Now, brat. Sign here to confess to your crimes."
"Okay."
"..."
-Something else
Lesson 32: Mess with those who really have it coming!... and then some!
I glare at him and snarl "I confess... to taking your fucking ex-wife on all fours!"
He freezes in shock. Yeah I saw the tan line on your finger where the ring used to be you son of a-
*THWAAAAK*
Bastard… kicked me in the gut… worth it!
"You cocky brat!" He snarls "Don't you think for a second that you're getting out of this without paying for your crimes! Let's go, boys. He can sign the document when I'm not in the mood to snap his neck."
He leaves and the other two guys follow his lead and lock the door behind them. As they leave, I pick the chair back up and plop myself back on it, thinking one thing and one thing only:
What did I do?
Later
A gray haired lady enters the room. She is dressed professionally in a black female suit. She looks vaguely familiar… I can't put my finger on it...
"So it was you…"
...What
"Those jerks…"
She looks down and my eyes follow her gaze… is that a used syringe on the floor?
"Can you even think straight?" She asks, concerned.
"Sort of…"
-"Not really…"
"Do you know who I am?"
I'm currently drawing a blank… Who are you?
"I have a pretty good idea on who you are…"
…You... do?
"You must be either really bold or really stupid to propose to my sister on more than one occasion..."
Wait... what!?
I didn't…
Okay my heads still foggy...
Wait a minute… Oh god!
?/?
A busy street?
"... I have been in love since the day we first met as children and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry me and I will make you the most happiest woman alive!" I get to one knee as a crowd surrounds us, staring at me and my friend with anticipatory looks.
My aforementioned friend, a beautiful, red-eyed brunette, just stares back at me, somehow managing to look mortified, embarrassed, elated and pissed at the same time. Under different circumstances, I'd take a picture…
"Okay, there are so many problems on what you just did:" She slowly said, her fists clenched and trembling "First off, we met two months ago! Second, we are not, nor have we ever been, dating! And third, that's not a real ring, that's a friggin piece of candy! So for the love of god, please stand up!"
?/?
Interrogation Room?
I have the feeling there is more to that story than I can remember.
"...then there was an instance you professed your love to her in public, in… an unfortunate place…"
Aw come on! Am I arrested for liking your sister?!
"And another instance of where she thought you were cheating on her with her friends when you two weren't even dating…"
Seriously!?
"But we'll get to that when we get there."
Yes, yes we will!
"Now for the real reason I'm here," She pauses, boring her eyes into me "please answer me this time. You're in a lot of trouble, I'm not sure that I can help you and I don't have much time. Why would you do something like this? Why be a criminal? They were too big to be pranks and I couldn't figure out your methods"
"Would it even do anything if did?"
"No one would understand…"
-"Why do you care?"
"I'm trying to figure out the truth while those guys want the truth, but they're more likely to beat the answers out of you and then give you the death penalty afterwards." she states in the most serious tone possible "I'll do what I can to prevent that. But before I can do anything, you need to cooperate with me. So answer my questions: Where and when did you get information about 'that world'? How do you steal people's heart? Tell me everything."
I sigh "Well, I'll try. But let me start from the beginning..."
[Spoilers end]
A/N: Thank you guys for your support! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and/or the preview. Now for my usual story about my brother: As you know, he is the biggest flirt ever. It ended up with the weirdest thing that has ever happened to him and what he considers the most hilarious: He had followers. One was a "fanclub" (hard to explain but it's not the group I want to talk about). One group in particular were stalkers, at least that's what he called them. This group wasn't particularly malicious, creepy or freaky in any sense of the word, they were girls (individuals not in a group) who admired him and then, for no particular reason, he noticed that they were everywhere he went. You can argue that it was just a coincidence but even I noticed it. He went to the mall, there they were. He went to class, there they were outside his class. He left the bathroom, there they were waiting outside. He took a nap in the library (Yeah, he did that) and when he woke up, they were there, staring at him. He didn't mind at all. In fact he liked flirting with them and openly called them stalkers. What really blew me away, and everyone else away, was that these girls who stalked him were really hot. No one knows how he did it. He won't tell me. Anyway, about this story, it took me a really long time to get to this point. Sorry, college classes kind of get in the way of my writing. In all honesty, I have a bunch of these ideas for these stories. I got most of my ideas for Kanji, Rise and Naoto already planned out and some of it already written but I really don't want to take these stories day by day to get there. So what do you guys think? Should I dread by doing this story day by day with the game or skip to the major events of the game in order with the social links and other stuff as side stories? And of course, as always, please review!