madimpossibledreamer

CALENDAR. CALENDAR WHY.
Seasonal "I don't want to go back to school" syndrome kicking in.
Also I have no idea why this particular storyline is so hard, though I might end up posting Sea of the Unconsciousness so far as an 'alternative path' and then rewrite, eventually. The main issue I have with that one so far is that while playing with a low self-esteem Yosuke is...well, I say fun and that sounds wrong. Vague point still intended. Having him that insecure isn't.
I keep tweaking how Souji's Shadow is acting, I guess is the main point.
You will see parts in the future, however.

Main Points: Persona 4 Playthrough Mild AU, ABANDONED START
Chapter Summary: Souji's Shadow catches Yosuke's attention.
Word Count: 503
Rating: T

“Damn it. Why am I stuck down here with you, Ted?” Yosuke’s kunai make a satisfying clunk against the ground, but he never realized how useless it feels to be sitting down here, unable to know what’s going on.

“Sensei should be shown more respect, Yosuke! If you knew that, then…”

As excitable as the bear is, it’s unlike him to stop during the middle of a sentence. He glances over. “Then what, Mr. Know It All—huh?”

“Yosuke, watch out! There’s something beary bad headed—”

Something runs in on quick feet and slams Teddie out of the way one-handed. The fuzzball crashes over the railing and tumbles out of sight.

“No!” As annoying as the bear was, Yosuke never wished anything bad to happen to him. He looks up to see a face he didn’t expect.

It’s Souji. Souji with yellow eyes. His Partner has a Shadow? “You wanted answers, right?”

It doesn’t attack him. He’s confused by that for all of two seconds before he realizes that Shadow Souji had still hurt Teddie.

He answers quietly, doesn’t make any threatening moves. If he can learn something about this Shadow, they’ll have more of a fighting chance. “Given that you’re here, yeah, I’d kind of like that. What the hell did you do to Teddie, anyway?” He makes sure his kunai are ready. He’d hoped to have that pass unnoticed by the Shadow, but by the amused smile he gets, that’s not going to happen.

“I wanted you alone,” it answers matter-of-factly, like it doesn’t even matter that the bear might be dead.

“Well, you got me, partner. Now what?” Yosuke asks. Where’s my Partner? He’s thinking desperately, because he knows that if the Shadow’s out, Souji’s probably in danger. What happens to someone with a Persona who gets a Shadow after the fact, anyways?

For the second time, he gets the feeling that he’s having a different conversation than the Shadow is. It looks sad. “No, I don’t have you,” it responds at last. “I’m surrounded by people, but I’m so alone.”

My best friend was suffering, and I didn’t even notice. Now I know how Chie felt. “If you needed something, anything, all you had to do was ask.”

For the first time, this brings a snarl to the Shadow’s lips. “Is that true?” it asks coldly. “The guy all of you needed me to be—wanted me to be. You think I could actually ask for help?” It shakes its head disdainfully. “You’re such a liar. But then, it takes one to know one, doesn’t it?” The way it calms itself in but an instant, though…that’s pure Souji. “Well, you know how it goes. You wanna see my other self alive, you have to find the answers. And if you want them, you can follow me now.”

It could be a trap, but Yosuke’s instincts are screaming at him to actually go along for once. He jumps to his feet and gestures for the Shadow to lead on.