A/N: Okay so it is a bit funny how this story came about. I and my good friend TheLovelyDissidiaCharacters started talking about Persona and how we both rejected Yukiko earlier in the game. Well, we both thought her reaction was a bit depressing. I chose Chie over Yukiko and wondered how she would react to the news when she found out, since they are best friends and all. Well long story short we put together an entire story at 5 AM in the morning about how Yukiko's reaction and her descent into darkness. This is the product. A joint fic by the both of us. Please read and review, every one counts. Caution, this story will have strong dialogue and themes.


The Amagi Obsession

Chapter 1: Rejection

"And I'm wishing to become a woman worthy of you..."

The words left Yukiko's lips quietly. Her pale face blushed in an instant shade of red as the cold fall air wisped past. Yukiko Amagi was at the shrine with Yu Narukami, the current leader of the Investigation Team and her current heartthrob. She had never felt this way about a guy before. He was so sweet and caring. Just being around him sent her heart aflutter.

He was so kind; she had never met a guy like him before.

Something about him was so unique. All she ever did was cry about her problems and constant qualms with Inaba, and he put up with her every time. Always listening intently and giving her the best advice, she could ask for. It was no wonder that she had fallen deeply head over heels with him.

"Finally, I wish for everyone to be able to smile together... let's begin our prayer."

She clasped her hands together and prayed for much more than that. Yu alongside her was all she ever wanted, all she ever needed. With him, Inaba wouldn't feel like the prison she had once thought it was.

"I've decided not to leave Inaba" Yukiko murmured looking up. "It's not like I didn't want to be the Inn's manager per se. I just didn't like the fact that it wasn't up to me; I felt that my life was on rails, and that everything was being decided for me. I felt trapped."

"Like a bird trapped in a cage." He murmured, giving her that gentle smile that she adored.

Yukiko looked down blushing. "I thought running away was the only choice, but no longer. I want to protect my family's inn. After all it's near to my heart..." Yukiko's resolve was set.

Yu placed his hand in his pocket, the smile never leaving his lips.

Yukiko steeled her resolve and looked at Yu head on.

This was it, Yukiko! The moment of truth!

"Thank you, it's because of you that I realized this." Yukiko said smiling gently. She brushed the strands of her black bangs from her eyes and coyly looked away to hide her embarrassment. Despite her heart throbbing harder than it ever had before, her determination helped Yukiko feel more mature. A far cry from what she had been feeling a few months ago when she had first encountered Yu.

An awkward silence fell between the two.

"Uhm- Uh I wanted to ask you this before, but uhm. Wh- why are you always with me...?"

Yu's smile weakened a bit, his gaze shifted back towards the shrine. Despite his familiar demeanor, his eyes had hardened. He knew what was coming.

Yukiko's face was getting redder with each passing second.

She had finally said it!

That indication was as close to a confession she could have given him at the moment. Her nerves were going crazy, her hands felt clammy, and her stomach felt like it would burst at any moment. The silence was beginning to make the air awkward between the two. Slowly, Yukiko glanced up at Yu and wondered what exactly he was thinking.

"I- I mean we have been hanging out a lot these past few months and it's nearly the New Year so… I just thought that I'd ask you." She whispered looking down afraid to make eye contact with the boy. "I love spending time with you…"

Yu let out a sigh.

She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Suddenly, Yu took a few steps towards her. Yukiko's heart was really beating very fast right now. She wasn't sure why he was getting so close, but the shuffling of his feet only made her more nervous. Her thoughts began to race.

Yu came to a halt in front of Yukiko; he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave an apologetic smile.

The innkeeper looked at Yu with confusion. There was this pained look on his face that she couldn't quite describe, but her heart began to hurt. Yukiko wasn't stupid. She quickly understood that she was being rejected.

"It's because you're my friend Yukiko." He replied in a comforting voice.

The words stung. Like a knife had been thrust deep into her heart. Her mind kept repeating the words in her head over and over. This was a first for her. Yukiko had been confessed to on numerous occasions and had turned down dozens of boys before, but this... This was the first time Yukiko had ever felt the pain of being rejected firsthand.

Her arm defensively shrugged off Yu's grasp on her shoulder.

Tears finally began to well in her eyes, but she held her head down so Yu wouldn't see. Her pride wouldn't let her show that weakness. "I have to go. It's getting late and I'm sure my mother could use my help at the inn." Yukiko said her voice cracking slightly. She tried her best to keep her composure, but she was feeling so many things at the moment it was hard not to break down in front of the boy.

Yu obviously sensed her distress and reached out to her once more. "Yukiko wait-"

"Forgive me." Yukiko took a few steps back. She couldn't let him see her cry. Pity was the last thing that she wanted. With that, Yukiko turned around and ran, leaving Yu behind without a goodbye.

Yu stood there dazed at what had just occurred, but he knew well in his mind what had happened. Yukiko had feelings for him, and had pretty much confessed. He tried to stop her before she got to that point, but it was in vain. His heart ached at the sight of seeing his friend like that; he knew he had led her on. It may have been unintentional, but the damage was done. He felt responsible for her feelings that were left in tatters.

Thoughts of what had just occurred were suddenly put to the side as he felt the inside of his pocket rumble. His phone was vibrating in his jacket pocket, and he was quick to grab it. He flipped open the mobile device to see he had gotten a text from his girlfriend, Chie Satonaka.

Yu had turned down Yukiko because he had been dating her best friend Chie for the last 7 months.

"Has Chie not told Yukiko yet?" Yu pondered. He decided to call Chie; she had to let her best friend know they were dating. If not, it might create some further complications for their friendship.

Yukiko ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

With each stride, her feet ached in her boots. Numbness ran up her toes to her ankles, but the pain wasn't close to how much her heart ached at the moment. It didn't take long to get back to the Amagi inn.

Yukiko came to a stop at the front door. She took out a handkerchief that had been hiding in her jacket pocket and proceeded to clean her wet cheeks. She didn't want her mother or any of the workers to see what a mess she was.

It was nearly dinner time and could already hear the usual bustle of the night setting in. Only craziness filled the inn during its evening hours and its heir wasn't in the mood to deal with any of it. It was nearly a full house, but Yukiko just wanted to slink away and hide for as long as possible before her mother inevitably sent for her.

If she had wanted to skip work before, it was never more evident than in this one instance. Yukiko sighed; taking off her boots, she stepped onto the wooden steps of the inn's porch and put on some slippers.

"I'm home!" She called out in a begrudged voice, not wanting to attract the attention of either the tenants or employees. This, however, didn't stop the influx of people flooding the hallways at the sound of the dinner bell ringing. She quickly weaved her way through the flood of visitors with an annoyed expression.

"Oh Yukiko!" Called a woman, she appeared with a very divine looking floral patterned yukata. She bore a very striking resemblance to Yukiko and had a distressed expression. Her mother was one of the few occupants of the hall at the moment. "You're home, thank goodness! I was just about to call you. We could really use your help preparing plates in the kitchen."

Yukiko's ears were becoming numb as well. She hadn't heard her mother as she finally made it through the crowded hall and ascended the staircase. Her mother stood with a stunned look. Yukiko hardly ever ignored her before. She bit her lip and prepared to pursue her daughter.

"Amagi-san we could really use your help in the kitchen!" One of the employees called out interrupting her.

"I'll be right there!" She replied, before casting a worried glance at the stairs her daughter had ascended. With a hefty sigh she turned her back and made her way back towards the busy kitchen.

Inside Yukiko's room, she lay in her bed trying to process what had just taken place. She couldn't bring herself to understand.

Yukiko loved Yu Narukami and that was a fact!

She had been sure he had felt the same way about her. They had spent so much time together. Yukiko would always say the silliest things and he would laugh. Yu was also such an attentive guy; he would quietly listen to all of her problems and never criticize her feelings. Whenever she was in trouble he'd always come flying to the rescue.

Yukiko knew she could be dense, but she swore that sometimes he was borderline flirting with her.

Yu was the one that gave her the resolve she needed to want to stay in Inaba and run the family inn.

And yet he had strung her along the whole time.

"I finally built up the courage to confess and he rejected me." She whimpered. Yukiko's eyes were puffy from crying on the way home. Rolling off of her bed she went to her bathroom mirror and cleaned off what makeup she still had on. The runny mascara was beginning to irritate her eyes. "Why?"

Her question didn't get answered when her phone suddenly began to ring its melancholic tune from her favorite horror flick.

A bit of hope glimmered in her heart.

What if Yu was calling her? Had he changed his mind?

Yukiko scurried over to her phone quickly and flipped it open. However, only disappointment came when she saw it was only Chie's name. Her heart sank once more. Why had she gotten her hopes up? Obviously, there was some reason that he had rejected her. Yukiko needed to know. If anyone could possibly give her a reasonable answer it would be Chie.

Chie Satonaka was popular and cool; she was friends with plenty of boys at school. More boys than Yukiko for that matter. Chie always had the gift of being able to start a conversation with ease. She was her go to person for advice, someone she could always rely on. They had been best friends for years after all.

Yukiko answered the phone. "Hello, Chie?"

"Hey, Yukiko…" Chie didn't sound like herself. There was a bit of anxiety in her voice. Yukiko wondered what could be troubling her friend, but it was quickly pushed to the back of her mind when the thought of Yu entered her head once more. "If you're not busy, would you like to hang out at Junes in a bit?"

Perfect. Yukiko felt a little glimmer of hope.

"Yeah, I don't mind. I'm free right now. And actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

Chie's voice fell silent. Yukiko couldn't even hear her breathing against the phone. She had almost thought the phone had hung up. "Hello, Chie?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm here." Her voice sounded even more anxious. "Just meet me at the usual table in 30 minutes."

At the Junes food court, Chie waited at the Investigation Team's usual table. She had arrived ten minutes early to try and gather her thoughts. Her heart pounded uncontrollably and there was a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her conversation with Yu had really caught her off guard. Never could she have expected that Yukiko was in love with her boyfriend.

What's even worse is that Chie felt like a dunce for not realizing it.

She was also unaware that Yu had hung out with Yukiko on several occasions. That part really dug under her skin. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it just made her a bit upset. Even she could get a little jealous at times.

The sandy haired blond sighed. Both she and Yu had the same friend group so there was no need to be upset, but Chie felt like she had dug her own grave already. Yukiko had probably been fawning over Yu for months without her even knowing. She should have told her they were dating earlier and perhaps this would have never happened.

But that was in the past now! She had to suck it up and break it to Yukiko that she and Yu were an item. Not even a recent item, they had been dating for the past seven months! Knowing that Yukiko had been harboring these feelings for the longest time and had been trying to win Yu's affections crushed Chie inside.

Granted she was happy she was able to win Yu's heart early on and that he stayed faithful to her, but at what cost?

Yukiko's happiness that's what. After rescuing her friend from the TV world Chie had learned the real emotional struggles that Yukiko faced. In the past, she would always cling to Chie for support. Chie just hoped that Yukiko hadn't done the same for Yu.

Even if she had, surely that wouldn't be enough to break her?

"Hey Chie!" Yukiko shouted, waving from the entrance. She made her way to the table and sat down, making herself comfortable. Chie could tell Yukiko got ready in a rush because her face was free from her usual mascara. Usually, she never left home without it. "Sorry, I'm late. My mother needed help with a few things before I left."

Chie shrugged. She had really lost track of time, so she hadn't noticed. One thing she did notice though was Yukiko's appearance, Chie could already see the damage. The first place she looked were Yukiko's eyes. Besides missing the mascara, they were red. She could tell Yukiko had been crying. "Oh, it's fine. Come on, let's grab a bite to eat."

She led the way over to a stand that was selling hotdogs. On a day like this Chie wouldn't mind stopping by Teddies' booth to grab some hot steak, but she had more pressing matters on her mind.

How was she going to break it to Yukiko? Could she even do it?

Chie couldn't bear the thought of hurting her more. She had always tried to protect Yukiko.

After getting their food, the pair entered Junes's main department store. Chie and Yukiko both took small nibbles off of their hotdogs as they walked. There was a lump caught in both girls' throats. Yukiko had been so adamant to tell Chie what happened and ask for advice, but her mind began to wander again. Yu rejected her for a reason.

They went through the frozen food section, to the toy section, and soon found themselves in the electronics department. Chie sighed. This silence was killing her. "Yukiko there is something I need to tell you." She began, but was cut off by Yukiko.

"I asked Narukami out today. Well, I basically confessed to him." Yukiko's voice was shaky. She came to an instant stop in the TV aisle. "I was so scared to do it, but part of me wanted to. We spent a lot of time together in the TV world and even more outside of school."

Chie listened intently. Hearing Yukiko's voice crack made her heart ache. It broke more with every word knowing she would have to crush her even more. In the back of her mind Chie was upset because it appeared as if Yu had been leading Yukiko on. Boys could be so dense sometimes and it really infuriated her.

"I wanted to leave this place more than anything." Yukiko whimpered, a few tears streaming down her cheeks. "To be honest, I hated Inaba. I didn't want to inherit the inn and be stuck here for the rest of my life. Then he came along. He was so kind, funny, and understanding. I fell in love with him and found the resolve to take over the inn."

Chie understood clearly now. "Then you found the resolve to confess." She whispered staring at Yukiko.

Her best friend nodded wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Yukiko…"

"Why would he lead me on like that!?" She suddenly shouted. "For months we saw movies, hung out, and he even helped around the inn! And yet he told me I was just a friend!"

That sounded like Yu to Chie. He was always such a busy body; it took her back to the summer when he mysteriously vanished after taking several jobs helping out others. Maybe he saw Yukiko as no different? She mistook his kindness for affection.

Yukiko grit her teeth. "I spilt my heart to him."

"I'm sorry Yukiko." Chie whispered. The anger had been evident in Yukiko's voice; Chie was starting to get more reluctant in telling her. It wasn't often she saw her friend so upset. Yukiko could get scary when she was angry.

Yukiko's expression darkened. She looked at Chie with cold eyes. "Do you think there was another girl?"

Chie's heart skipped a beat. Of course, there was another girl. "Ehehe, who knows?" She responded meekly.

At that moment Chie's cellphone began to ring. The obnoxious theme from the movie 'Trial of the Dragon' filled the aisle. Chie quickly took the phone from her pocket and cringed when she saw who was calling.

Printed squarely on the screen was Yu Narukami with a heart surrounding his name.

WORST. POSSIBLE. TIMING. EVER.

"Who's that calling?" Yukiko asked leaning over her shoulder.

Chie snapped her phone back into her pocket and stumbled back towards a row of TVs. "It- its nobody okay!" she stammered.

Yukiko didn't expect a reaction like that. Chie nearly fell in the television before Yukiko grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Be careful!"

Chie's nerves were on edge. She flinched when Yukiko pulled her back. "Th- thanks." That had been too close for comfort. Chie took a couple of steps forward and sighed. "I wouldn't want to take a dive in there without the others. Oh, and it was my mom calling. She probably wants me home." Chie lied, making an excuse on the fly. Her parents never cared about her curfew.

"Oh, you're right." Yukiko mused checking the time. It was nearly eight. With the murders having taken place in the past year, her parents didn't want her out late.

"Sorry about that, I have to run. I will call you later!" With that, Chie said her farewell to Yukiko and left in a hurry.

Still left standing in the electronics aisle Yukiko didn't know how to feel at that exact moment. She felt her heart breaking a bit more. It hadn't been Chie's mother who had called; she had seen the Caller ID clearly.

She was shaken.

It was Yu Narukami who had called Chie, the only question was, why would Chie try and hide it from her?


A/N: 7/2/2023. I've cleaned up the original chapter and have added additional dialogue and cleaner sentence structure for a more enjoyable reading experience.