Human

Chapter 2

"The Truth might be right in front of him, and he may never even know it."

Author's Notes

Hey guys, so yeah. I actually didn't expect that start to pique such interest in the story. I wrote it when I was coming out of Writer's Block and would still technically consider myself captured within it's web. But I'm fighting to escape it, and this is my attempt to do so. Regardless, I do hope you enjoy this new story. I've actually kickstarted NG+ on Persona 4 just so I can study locations and characters I missed in my initial playthrough, which was mostly focused on my social stats and party social links. Also I needed a calendar to keep track of and I couldn't find one online so, there's that as well. I will try to keep as close to the Persona 4 timeline as possible, since this is supposed to be a "what-if scenario" to the story.

That being said, I apologize for the timeline discrepancy with the weather. I made it foggy on a day that's supposed to be rainy, and I mainly did that to keep in line with the previous chapter's fog. But then I also learned that it was also rainy on said day in game as well. Please forgive the inconsistency. It won't happen again.

Well, that's all from me. Enjoy the chapter.

His eyes shot open.

And he lurched forward, gasping frantically.

His first instinct kicked in, and he clutched at his bare chest. Yet he felt nothing, nothing but flesh and bone. Unsatisfied, he began patting himself down - his breathing frantic, his eyes bloodshot, and though he felt no wound, no hole within his chest, no blood, no sticky warmth.

Just pale, bare skin.

He still felt a level of fear that remained within him for a time after.

It wasn't until the clock's arrogant ticks that brought him back to the present, and a moment of fear that washed over him had passed, and now all that remained was the memory of what had just transpired.

A long nosed man.

The words of those unfamiliar to him.

The echoes of a shot fired within the fog.

And the pain of death…

And he sighed a breath of relief.

"Just a nightmare…" He murmured, surmising the worst had come to pass as he slowly lowered his arms whilst looking around the room. "Just a nightmare…"

A dim light emanated from the window, blocked off by a thin fabric that hung on its top. A window shade, colored by darkness. Only the thin veil of light revealed its sharp, velvet burgundy color. He then looked down at himself, clean white sheets covering the lower half of his body. He let out a slow exhale, his eyes landing back up on the window as he slowly rose out of bed. Wearing nothing but the suit he came to be in. The blankets and sheets fell lazily to his ankles as he stepped out of bed, and onto the warm wooden floor below.

Then, he moved forward towards the window. Rolling the shade up and revealing the silent township below. At first, he winced, the sunlight blinding him ever so steadily, and he couldn't help but shield his eyes from the sudden assault on his senses. But soon, his eyes adjusted, and he lowered it to his side. Placing a hand on his hip, he looked out to the town beyond.

But saw nothing.

Nothing but a hefty, white fog that lingered within the air. He frowned, having expected the fog to have lifted overnight.

But clearly, it hasn't.

There was a dewey wetness to the fog, as well. One that caused him to shiver by just staring at it. He shook his head, gazing forth in an attempt to gain some sort of bearing through the thick haze, but instead, he felt as if the hazy abyss only gazed back into him. He reached out, and winced as his hand vanished within the thick fog.

He only blinked, and shook his head as realized how fruitless this venture was.

"Oh…" He hummed, stepping away from the window. His clothes were folded neatly at the foot of the bed, and he stepped past them. Intent on taking a shower. "Where am I…?" He asked himself. "Inaba…Inaba…Inaba…" He echoed the words of the receptionist from last night. "Where is that…?"

He stopped himself, noticing a calendar hanging opposite the bathroom door.

Squinting, he approached it, and tapped it with a lone finger, his index trailing across as it landed on the kanji wording atop a panel of cherry blossoms and numbers.

He realized that it was the month of April. With several days scratched out with what seemed to be a pencil.

"The 1st… The 2nd… The 3rd…" He mumbled under his breath. Sliding his finger across the calendar's cycle until he arrived at the 11th. The first day on the calendar to be untouched by human hands. "Hmph." He huffed, crossing his arms.

It was now that he took a good look around his room. It was a rather decorative room, with shelving lining the walls and a bed made for two sitting in the very center against the wall, above it sat an impressive piece of artwork depicting that of a quiet, lush green field. What seemed to be a farmer, or perhaps a herder, was standing at the forefront. A tool in hand, whilst in the background, a forest of cherry blossom trees stood ever vigantly above their biome of peace and tranquility.

Across from the bed sat a rather large fatbacked TV, sitting atop a wooden oak dresser. Below that was a dark burgundy rug that encompassed most of the room. Decorated with a diamond motif on the very center that was half blue, half bright red, and small Japanese trees embroidered in the corners. It was a warm, fuzzy carpet. One that felt as if just by laying on it, one could beat the cold in its ever encroaching war with the heat this inn offered.

And by the bed sat a pair of oak nightstands. One on each side of the bed. One with a lamp, the other an alarm clock. One that Wallace chose not to use in his exhaustion last night.

He huffed, uncrossing his arms as he realized in totality just how lucky he got off by finding this place.

But then his mind turned to the muddled state he remembered himself in last night.

And so, his first thought was to get a survey of the town.

A survey of the town, and its people.

As he turned to face the bathroom, he slid the door open, reminding himself of the time limit the receptionist imposed on him.

"I have a month…" He murmured to himself, stepping into the bathroom. "I'd better make good use of it…"

He closed the door to the inn without saying a word, the receptionist watching him warily all the while. It was a different person than who he saw last night. A much older lady, with graying hair. He ignored her greeting, stepping into the foggy world beyond the doors of the inn.

Upon reaching the outside world. he looked around himself, and realized that the fog had lifted to some degree. And he was only greeted with silence. The kind of silence only a small, sleepy town could offer. This came to a relief to Wallace, who simply sighed and flipped his hoodie over his head.

The fog seemed like last night's dream, and his weightlessness within the fog only confirmed his fears. For a moment he stood there. Looking around, as if expecting the same scenario to play again as it did last night. But when the seconds dragged on, and only the sounds of birds chirping and the calling of a distant barking dog greeted him, he shook his head. Realizing just how outlandish the whole scene was.

"It was just a nightmare…" He told himself. "Nothing more…" He looked back to the lonely street before him, and crossed his arms. "But that doesn't explain anything… Inaba… Just where is that…?" He asked himself, scratching his head as he found no answers by simply just looking around. "Hmph…"

Placing his hands in his pockets, he retrieved his wallet. Opening it, he found himself holding another rather large wad of yen.

And a card that bore a picture of himself. Clad within clothing he did not recognize, and a face that did not bear a smile. But instead, rather, a neutral expression one could find on a mugshot of a criminal advertised in the local newspaper.

Underneath that picture, it was written: "Yasogami High School Student, 2nd Year"

And a name, the only thing that sounded familiar to this young man, was written next to his photo.

"Muranaka Wallace."

Above that was a string of numbers and letters, right next to the word: Student ID Number.

He clicked his tongue, flipping the card over, and finding no other information on it. Just a blank white canvas for what could've been his salvation. He held it silently for a moment, before glancing up and rapidly tapping the card on his palm, a disappointed look plastered on his face.

"Well…" He fidgeted, placing the card back in his wallet. Looking around, he saw no new faces. Only the fog that was slowly beginning to subside. He sighed, rubbing his temple with his free hand as the annoyance began to set in. That was, until, a slow rumbling noise made its approach.

Looking off into the fog, towards the unknown sound, his gaze landed on a set of lights that were approaching slowly. Followed by a low mechanical hum at play. A silent but steady growl that spoke of a machine that had seen better days.

It grew closer, and Wallace could soon make out the image of a black sedan, slowly approaching the young boy at a snail's pace. The driver's face? Obscured by the fog and a thin pane of glass. Wallace stepped out of the way, and the car suddenly came to a sputtering stop upon the driver noticing him.

The door opened, and Wallace stepped back, unsure of what was going on.

The driver, unbuckling his seat belt and shutting the car off. Waving towards the young man, Wallace didn't reciprocate. And instead simply watched as the driver got out of his car. Nearly tripping and falling as he misjudged how far away the asphalt was from his seat.

"W-w-woah!" He shouted.

Wallace shook his head, placing his wallet back in his pocket as the driver checked himself. Satisfied that he was alright, he approached slowly, hands out in front of him as if he were having trouble seeing through this thinning fog.

"Woah. Nearly slipped and fell there, hahah…" The man said as his figure became visible.

Wallace stared at him, unmoving. Not saying a word as the man looked at Wallace. This man seemed to be a rather unassuming fellow, with unkempt black hair that just fell down to his ears, and a dark black suit over a white shirt coupled with brown boots and a sharp red tie. He seemed like a businessman, on his way to a rather important meeting, but with the unbuttoned suit and a sickly looking yellow stain on the untucked tail of the undershirt, that facade was quickly dispelled.

Wallace looked at him, unamused with what he saw.

Noting Wallace's silence, the man chuckled.

"Heheh, my apologies." The man said, rubbing the back of his head rather awkwardly. "I hate to bother you, but do you know where you should be right now?" He asked.

Wallace looked at the man, then his gaze drifted swiftly towards the car in the background. Raising a brow, he crossed his arms and looked at the man with a frown.

"Do you know you're not supposed to park your car in the road?" Wallace turned the question on him.

The man's smile dimmed, and he turned to glance at the vehicle. It's headlights still on, piercing just enough through the thin fog for the way forward to be clear. The man sighed, shaking his head as he realized that Wallace got him there. "Yeah, I guess I walked into that one…" He giggled ever so slightly before looking back at Wallace, his smile drooping subtly as he undertook a rather serious tone. "But, that doesn't change the fact you're playing hooky, kid."

Wallace paused a moment, tilting his head as the word hung in the air, much like this fog that surrounded the two.

"...Hooky..?" Wallace echoed, uncrossing his arms as his eyes widened, the word very unfamiliar to him.

"Yeah, hooky." The man responded, matter-of-factly. "You're skipping school. That's a no-go around here, pal."

"Mmhmm…" Wallace hummed, unsure where this was going. The man took a step closer, smiling in a rather friendly manner. Wallace responded by taking a step back, putting distance between himself and this unknown person.

"Now, I know what you're probably thinking." The man waved off Wallace's indifference, his smile growing into a knowing grin. "It's just one day, what's the harm in it?"

Wallace just looked at him, raising a brow silently as the man continued to speak.

"But trust me, you don't want to do this to yourself." He added, before shifting his gaze down to the ground ever so slightly, scratching the back of his head as his voice grew distant. As if he knew what exactly he was about to ask, and knew how true the words were... "You don't want to stay in the sticks forever…"

Wallace's gaze lingered for a moment. And the man chuckled after said moment had come and passed. It was clear the man didn't find any discomfort in Wallace's cold stare, and his smile returned as he placed a hand behind his head, grinning gleefully. "Not a big talker, are ya?"

"No." Wallace steadily answered, betraying no emotion to the stranger.

The man nodded, his smile unfading as he quickly responded. "Well, no worries. I can respect that." He responded before stammering "Oh, I-Uh-Uh…" He stumbled over his words before, seemingly, finding them. "Can I see your identification card?" The man asked, placing an idle hand on his hip as he spoke. "I just need to know what school you go to, and I'll take you there."

Wallace simply deadpanned. "I don't need charity." Wallace responded, crossing his arms.

The man blinked, as if surprised by Wallace's hostility. Standing there, looking at Wallace, his smile faded. Shocked, with a frown slowly forming alongside a rather widely opened pair of eyes. But he wasn't ready to give in just yet. "Yeah, but I'm a cop," He explained, opening his suit jacket up and revealing, to Wallace's surprise, a shiny golden Police badge. Wallace blinked as he eyed it, shocked that his buffoon was a member of law enforcement. The smiling cop added, "...and I just caught a kid playing hooky." The man continued, smiling wryly as if he suddenly gained the upper hand. "Listen, I get it. I do, really…"

Wallace didn't make any movements, and simply stared at the badge, until the officer put it away. Shoving it back out of sight as he smiled brightly.

"Don't make this any harder, err, please… Let me see your student identification card."

Wallace just stood there, silent as the grave with a serious look in his eyes.

"Who is this guy?" He thought, squinting as if challenging the man to pursue the matter further.

But the officer didn't even flinch. He simply stood there, expectantly. He placed a hand casually in pants pocket, watching Wallace closely. But as the seconds dragged on, and Wallace did not produce any identification, the cop's patience began to wither.

"Well?" He asked, a brow risen.

Wallace simply huffed, uncrossing his arms as he shook his head, deciding it best to not antagonize an officer of the law.

"I should comply. I've no need to be in trouble with the authorities of Inaba." He told himself. He reached into his pocket, and withdrew his wallet.

Handing the ID to the officer, the officer looked it over, and whistled upon noticing Wallace's name. "Wallace… Wallace… Wallace… Wahhh-Leeehhsss…" He sounded out, as if he had trouble even pronouncing it correctly. "Wallace Muranaka….Yasogami High School… 2nd year…" He murmured, looking over the card. As if inspecting it for fraud whilst humming in thought.

But, when satisfied that Wallace's card is real, he handed it back to Wallace, and nodded. "Come on, get in the car." He jolted his head to the vehicle. "I'll take you there, Muranaka."

At first, Wallace was apprehensive. He didn't know who this guy was, or where "Inaba" was, or even what the date truly was. The only thing he had to go off of was that the calendar markings ended before the 11th, and the Inaba township was where he had found himself.

Then, after further thought, he realized this may play into his favor.

"Schools…" He thought. "I go to a school apparently… I should go, for now. I might be able to figure something out there…"

And so Wallace complied, stepping past the man slowly. He did not take his eyes off of the cop, and when he opened the passenger door, he took his seat. The cop followed, taking his seat next to Wallace with the door playing host to odd, creaking noises as he swung it open. Grinning all the while.

"Buckle up." He said. "I'll get you as far as I can."

Wallace huffed.

"This had better be worth my trouble…"

The car ride had been a silent and awkward one.

With Wallace spearheading the uncomfortable silence between the two.

At first, the cop tried to make conversation with Wallace. Asking Wallace if Inaba was where he was from initially, or if he's always been in Inaba. Wallace wouldn't respond. After seconds of silence between the two, the cop would chuckle dryly and attempt a change of topic.

"So… How long have you been going to Yasogami High?" He then asked.

No response. Just dead air hanging between the two of them.

The cop whistled as they turned onto a larger road. Passing what seemed to be pedestrians idling near a shop. What the shop was, Wallace couldn't tell. Not with the fog still making its masking presence known to any and all.

"What do your parents do?" The cop then spoke up once more, this time with a slight edge to his words as the uncomfortable reality began to set in for him.

Wallace just wasn't interested in talking.

"Well." He said, after a minute of pure, unadulterated silence had passed. "I said I can respect your silence. "He added, nodding as he turned another corner. "And I meant it."

"Hmph." Wallace huffed.

For the remainder of the ride, the two were silent. With the cop simply glancing at Wallace every so often, and Wallace just staring straight ahead. Through the windshield and into the fog. A thousand things were running through his mind, but none no less pressing than this:

"What am I doing here?"

He didn't know where he was.

He didn't know what the date was.

He didn't know why he was here.

But he intended to find out.

He searched his memories thoroughly and couldn't remember much.

All he remembered was waking up in a lonely, deserted street, finding the inn, and renting a room with money he had no idea how he acquired.

The only real revelation so far was that he attended the school local to town. Wallace had hoped knowing this would play into his favor, as schools were a source of education. That much he knew, as basic as the basics were.

As it stands, however, he is a bumbling babe in the woods.

A sharp bump in the road jolted him back to the present as he jumped in his seat, and that's when he realized the cop had begun talking once more.

"...and so that's why I'm out here right now." The cop was explaining, as if Wallace had been listening this entire time. "We don't know what the consensus is, just yet, but whatever it is: It's not good." He said.

Wallace just turned and looked at him, deadpanning. As if annoyed by the talkative nature of the peacekeeper. The cop, as if feeling this spiteful gaze, turned and looked at him as well. It lingered a moment, before he gave a quiet, dry chuckle before turning his eyes back onto the road. "Well. I thought it was interesting…" He noted before coming to a slow, rolling stop. Smiling silently as turned back to look at Wallace. "As it stands, this is as far as I can take you."

Wallace nodded, maintaining his gaze on the officer. "Where do I go?" He asked, to which the officer raised a brow, turning to look at the young man.

"You… don't know the way to your school?" He asked, his voice betraying a quizzical note.

Wallace shook his head, looking out his window to the road ahead. It looked as if they had stopped

"I'm new here." He simply stated.

"Ah." The cop smacked his lips, nodding as he added, "That explains a lot then." He pointed forward, "This is the School Zone…" He said as he leaned forward onto the steering wheel. From there, he gave very distinct directions to Wallace on how to reach Yasogami High from here. Wallace listened, nodding every once in a while to what the cop had to say. Eventually, the cop capped it off with, "The fog should clear to a good degree by the time you get there. Sorry I couldn't take you straight to it, but my duties require me here. Like I said earlier, I-"

"It's fine." Wallace stopped him, opening the car door as he spoke. "Thank you for the assistance, officer." He added, looking the cop in the eye as he spoke.

The cop smiled. "Please." He said. "Call me Adachi."

"OK." Wallace responded as he shut the car door rather abruptly. He stepped back, eyeing Adachi through the window. Adachi was idle for a minute, as if processing what just happened before swiftly shrugging and putting the car into reverse.

And Wallace turned away, placing his hands in his pockets as he began to put one foot in front of the other.

It was time to go to school.

Pushing against the doors of the school, they swung open with a loud clang, the door sounded rickety to a degree. As if it hadn't been maintained in months. Was it because of inefficiency? Or because the school was poorly funded? Wallace couldn't say, and the sound it made, it echoed within the open entrance, and bounced off the walls leading down the hallways that opened up not far from where he stood. Sending waves of sound further into the school.

As he stepped inside, he was greeted with an empty entrance, devoid of life and what even seemed to be color. Dull and vibrant with silence, and rows of lockers, benches, and cubby holes lining the walls, and a set of stairs opposite of him alongside a bulletin board that held various notices and extracurricular advertisements. Wallace crossed his arms, looking around casually and silently as he took it all in.

The door closed behind him, with the same rickety clanging sounding away and breaking the silence the school held for him.

He saw not a soul. Not a single student, teacher, or any member of the faculty for that matter. It's as if the school was abandoned, with the ever present tranquility it offered being the only wake up call. And when he took another step forward, he realized the lockers were dingy and beaten up, as if they, too, hadn't been maintained properly.

The cubby holes were filled with shoes and other personal effects of those within, further implying that class was, indeed, in session. And by the benches sat tennis shoes, slippers, backpacks, and binders. All filled to the brim with notes and papers of some sort, none of which piqued Wallace's interest any.

Simply put, he was unsatisfied with what he saw.

"Hmph." He huffed. "Not impressed."

"Uhm, excuse me sir?" A startled voice called out to him, grabbing his attention as the sole sound within the room. He turned his head to meet the source. A middle-aged woman, sitting in a window built into the wall at the far end of the room. Her hair black as a crow's feather and falling just short of her shoulders. Lazily sitting in her seat behind a countertop, her interest piqued by the sudden arrival of Wallace. She seemed to be wearing a blue turtleneck with buttons all over the collar. Smiley faces, anime memoires, and animals.

And her sleeves seemed to have been too big for her arms, as she sat there, her arms splayed out across the counter rather casually, her hands were hidden. Covered underneath a thick, warm veil.

She was eyeing Wallace suspiciously, and Wallace met her cerulean eyes with a casual glance. After lingering at the door for a moment, he approached her. Much to her dismay as, when he stood over her, he said nothing. He just watched her with an indifferent expression on his rather weary face.

A telltale sign of a rugged night.

"Can…I help you?" She asked, lifting her hand up as if to say "Well?". Her hand slid out lazily from within her sweater sleeve, and Wallace didn't say a word. He simply stood there, staring. Eventually, he managed to eke out a response, to which she simply nodded slowly. Finding a level of discomfort with the young man that she hasn't felt with any other student.

"I'm here to attend class." Is all he said. Monotone and to the point.

The faculty staff member, who wore a badge upon her chest that indicated her name was "Haniko Ogawa", right alongside a pin that said "Sorry, no autographs", blinked. And she looked at Wallace up and down before simply nodding. "OK…." She said. "Well. Can I get your name please? And your identification card?"

Wallace nodded, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. "It's Wallace." He said as he pulled out the card, handing it to her in his further silence. "Wallace Muranaka."

"Mmmhm." She hummed, looking his card over. It only took a second, as she seemed satisfied with what she saw. Looking up at Wallace, her tone changed rather drastically. "Well, you're very late. School is just about to let out in a couple hours." She noted, looking up at him with an expectant gaze.

Wallace nodded. "I apologize. I…" He said, before clicking his tongue in thought. As if attempting to come up with an excuse. But he couldn't find one. Not one satisfactory enough, at any rate. So he decided to tell the a half-truth.

Half, because he hadn't planned on coming at all.

"...Overslept…"

Haniko didn't seem amused, and simply looked him from head to toe once more before sighing in disbelief and exasperation. "I swear, you kids today…" She quietly murmured under her breath before handing the card back to Wallace. "Although, I suppose you coming in after all this wasted time has to count for something." She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms as she spoke. Wallace just stood there silently as she added, "I haven't seen you at this school before, though…"

"I'm new here…" Wallace hummed quietly. To which Haniko simply huffed in response, an incredulous look on her middle-aged face.

"A transfer, huh?" She asked, to which Wallace didn't respond further. In truth, not even he knew - yet he didn't want to betray that. "Well. You wouldn't be the first." She quickly added, leaning forward to her computer. "Alright, well, enough lollygagging. Let's find out what class you're in."

Placing her fingers on the keyboard, she began to type away on it, faster than Wallace could even keep up. Her fingers danced fluidly between the keys, and she barely even looked down at what she was doing as she moved. Almost as if she had been doing this for a good chunk of her life, and to Wallace, her agility was just short of impressive.

"Such speed…" He noted.

The silence of the hallway faded with the clicking of her keyboard, and after a few seconds of idle typing, her eyes grew wide. After the moment of what seemed to be surprise had faded from view, she leaned back in her seat, chuckling under her breath.

All the while Wallace just looked at her, tilting his head slightly at the suddenness of it.

And the bad tidings the tone brought.

"Heh. Bad luck, kid."

Wallace looked at her, and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Haniko looked back at him, clasping her hands in her lap. Smiling devilishly all the while. She spoke with a rather pitiful tone.

"You're in Mr. Morooka's class."