Sea of the Unconscious Part 13

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Persona 4 Sea of the Unconscious
Summary: Yosuke was not part of the original investigation team. In fact, he wasn't even part of their world. He was a huge fanboy. And then he fell into Inaba, and his life changed forever...
Really old, so not perfectly written, and it was during my FONTS EXIST phase. Slightly inspired by Chisotahn's Ten Steps fic. The entire concept is a little chuuni/Gary Stu. I don't think it would be bad with some tweaking, but that's tweaking i don't really want to do, so we've got this instead.
Takuma's parents opened a large dance club and got some of the same "ruining small town" complaints Yosuke did in canon.  That's also where their entrance TV is located.  Aeon!Yosuke is my fav, and I like the conversation he had with Souji.  I also like the group dynamics and talk and even though he's being a jerk in this one, too, I don't mind Takuma.  But part of that might be that he's written as a jerk and owns it, as opposed to the writing acting like you're not supposed to notice the other Magicians can be jerks.
Word Count: 2225
Rating: teen

 

DRIVE Level ???
         Souji turned a corner, and surprisingly enough Scientist Yosuke's voice wasn't coming over the intercom telling him where to go next, or making some sort of lame pun about his progress.
         Then a hole opened in the wall.  The official door wasn't moving.  Of course, this could be a trap, but this Shadow had shown very little interest in getting him killed so far, and of course he still had the blue butterfly.
         He stepped through, and the opening closed behind him.
         A tiny corridor barely wide enough for him to fit through went on for a little ways, barely lit by the glow of a bobbing covered lantern that moved away as he approached.  Cautiously, he followed it to an area where the room widened slightly.
         And then Yosuke's voice met him quietly, somewhat ashamed.  "D-dude?  Is it okay for me to come out, or do you seriously not want to see me?"
         Well, another Yosuke.  As if he hadn't seen this one coming.  "...Sure?"  He couldn't think of another answer.
         "Where did you go?"  The announcement voice sounded muffled and far away.  Also a bit panicky.
         The answering laughter from this one was muted and guilty, and Yosuke poked his head out from around the corner.  Just past the room, apparently, was a tight corner that was only really good for a hiding place.  "Bet he's frantic right now.  I'm sorry.  I'm sorry for everything.  None of this could have been easy."  He stepped out, and he looked normal-if you could count the fact that he was in a Yasogami High uniform.  The v-neck t-shirt, headphones, and sneakers were all normal wear, though.  The orange glasses like those the team wore were not, but...perhaps he had trouble seeing in the fog too.
         The silence stretched.  It'd been one terrible dungeon, and according to Lovers Yosuke it wasn't even halfway over.  He was tired and sore.  He'd seen enough pain and suffering and his whole team had undergone enough too.
         But then, he thought about the different masks he wore, of the idea that he didn't know who he was either, because who he was changed with the wind, about all the pain and suffering.  "It couldn't have been easy for you either," he remarked quietly, leaning on his katana.
         Yosuke looked shocked.  Then he laughed.  This was the most normal one so far, despite the slight yellowish tint to the eyes.  "Dude, you shouldn't be worrying about me!  I'm an outsider!  I'm nobody!  What about you and your team, huh?  My subconscious has been beating you guys about the head nonstop for about five hours now.  That's not something you just forgive people for."
         "But I do," Souji answered simply.
         Hanamura looked like he was going to cry and looked away.  "That's because you're you.  You're a hero, the protagonist.  You're special."
         "Sometimes I don't want to be.  But I can't stop being me either.  I can't just walk away.  I don't feel like I have the option not to be me, which is ironic because I don't even know who me is."  Truths he'd long ago admitted to himself were coming out of his mouth, because he wanted to tell someone now, someone who might understand.
         The easy, teasing smile was back on Yosuke's face.  "Remember to ask me about that sometime."  Before he could ask what that meant, Yosuke started to talk again.  "Okay, what you really need is a break.  And I can't let you guys go through the whole of this because that's just inhumane.  So here's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to sneak all of you guys out, and you're going to leave and come back if you feel like it.  Sure, it's cheating, but I figured out the cheat codes.  You of all people should know dungeon runs should not take just one day.  Especially when they're this huge.  Rest up, recharge, get better gear."
         Souji blinked.  The thought that any Yosuke would try to rescue them from the dungeon hadn't even occurred to him.  "Why are you doing this?"
         "Duh."  Yosuke reached out and clapped him on the back.  "Because real or not, I hate to see all of you guys suffer like this.  You're better people than I'll ever be and I just...this is overwhelming, huh?  You need this.  And I'm willing to do anything to give you guys the break.  To save you people.  Sheesh, I'd be a horrible person if I didn't at least try, right?"
         Why couldn't the others meet this one?  Because he was right, it was overwhelming.  They were starting to wonder why they were bothering, starting to question if it was even worth it, if there was anything good in this guy.
         "We're taking a shortcut.  Watch your footing."  Yosuke started running, possibly prompted by the even louder announcements and the sounds of robotic things bouncing off the walls.  Then there was a gap with a huge pit that looked like it went down forever, and Yosuke was already bounding across it.
         "Don't worry.  I'll catch you.  Just jump!"  The grey-haired teenager did, and jumped.
         As promised, Yosuke caught him, pulling him in protectively, and letting him go in a few seconds when he was sure Souji had his footing.  Oddly enough, he caught the scent of sweet cinnamon, but it quickly disappeared as the brunette began to run again.
         They went down a couple stairs, and then they were suddenly in a warehouse, running down the last few steps.  "I'll go get the others," Yosuke yelled cheerfully and started running back the way he came.
         The others came, blinking as they arrived, as if they hadn't known where they were or how they'd gotten there before this moment.  And then the robot scientist showed back up.
         Angry, with glowing red eyes, and certainly not welcoming.  "YOU'RE RUINING THE NAME OF SCIENCE!" it boomed.  Hurt, like a little child, unaware of why it was apparently being picked on.
         "Go," the Yosuke who had saved them muttered under his breath, tense and withdrawing two wrenches from his Yasogami High jacket.
         "We're not..." Chie began, angry at the implication that they'd even think about running from a fight.
         "If you don't, he'll just draw you into his games again.  And all of you really need a night's rest at the very least before you can even think about coming back in here again.  It's a madhouse, I'm telling you.  Go on, I'll keep him busy."  He stepped forward, apparently unconcerned, fearless, but the leader caught the telltale traces of trembling in his hands.  "Hey, you big scrap-heap of metal, stop picking on my friends!" he yelled, the grin one of amusement, anticipation, and a touch of fear.
         They left to the sight of Yosuke facing down the much larger robot scientist with a daredevil grin and the knowledge that he most likely would not survive the encounter.

         The rest of the floors posed little problem.  The other Yosukes had cleared out, apparently.  At the very least, they were nowhere to be seen.  The Junes Yosuke didn't come on with any suggestions about return customers.  The few Shadow Yosukes who wanted to be helpful didn't say anything, looking as exhausted as everyone else.  Suit Yosuke waved them off with a slight grin.  They barely had the energy to stumble home, and when they did, they quickly fell into bed and sleep shortly thereafter.
         When they returned to the dance club employee lounge the next day, they all seemed just as exhausted.
         "Remember, Yosuke is more than just his Shadow," Teddie piped in helpfully between slurps of Topsicle.
         "Yeah.  He was pretty brave, huh?" Kanji agreed with a mouth full.  "The guy's cool.  Dealing with all that stuff and not letting it get him down.  Now that's impressive."
         "Yeah, but...is he worth saving?" Takuma asked between bites.  Upon all the glares, he rolled his eyes.  "Seriously, guys, I'm just thinking about all the Shadows we've seen.  That is one guy with some serious problems.  An army of them.  I'm just wondering if he's beyond our help.  Think about it this way.  I'm an asshole and I know it."
         "Embraced it, more like," Chie muttered, getting a glare.
         "It was hard enough for me to accept that.  How much worse is it gonna be for him to accept all of that?  Can we even survive something like this?  We haven't even had to fight each of the Shadows on the way up.  And it's not like there's smaller Shadows along the way either.  They probably get tougher the further we go.  How are we gonna be able to get to the right level of strength in time for the big boss at the top?"  Well...if nothing else, Takuma was practical.
         "I hate what you're saying, but you could be right.  Sheesh.  Why is this happening now?" Chie asked.
         "We haven't had any indication of the murders starting again, so...could this be completely unrelated?" Yukiko added quietly.
         "It seems as if Hanamura-san knows more about our group than I like," Naoto contributed.  "He's acting as if he's known us longer than we've known him, and he understands exactly how to manipulate us to achieve the desired results."
         "More like he knows how to manipulate himself," Souji pointed out freely, earning a startled glance from them all.  "Moving around as much as I do wasn't fun.  I had to learn to adapt myself to any situation, to accept that I might not have true friends, that whatever I did didn't matter all that much as long as I stayed relatively unnoticed.  Continually wanting to be helpful so someone would actually acknowledge my existence for more than a passing time."  By now, the Investigation Team was staring at him, open-mouthed.  "Inaba and all of you were some of the best things that have ever happened to me.  I started to figure out who I was, and with the Shadows I realized I didn't have to wear masks anymore.  I didn't have to try so hard.  So I was...whoever I felt like.  It was nice."
         "You never mentioned anything about that!" Rise exclaimed, looking a little like she wanted to cry.
         "I told you that I felt like I was acting all the time.  I wasn't lying."  Everyone was still staring at him looking shocked and slightly depressed, and he laughed, amused and feeling a lot better than he had in a while.  "I didn't say it because it didn't need to be said.  I'd accepted it.  I'd never anticipated that it could change, but it did.  All of you changed my life for the better.  I don't know if I ever said thank you."
         "You don't have to, Sempai," Kanji replied quietly, sniffing a little.
         "We're all beary glad to have been of such service to Sensei!" Teddie yelled, jumping up and hugging their leader enthusiastically.
         "I never thought about the fact that moving around could be as restricting as staying in one place," Yukiko spoke softly, earning a smile and a nod from Souji.
         "If you ever need any additional assistance, feel free to ask," Naoto suggested.
         "Just call me if you want to talk.  I also won't complain if you just show up at Marukyu anytime."  Rise was trying to get him to come to her house again.  She never gave up, did she?
         Chie looked guilty.  "We were so wrapped up in our own problems we didn't even recognize that you had yours.  But then, I guess we helped you without even knowing it?"  She earned a nod at that, which made her cheer up a little.
         "Speak up next time," Takuma added gruffly, hitting the fellow teen in the shoulder.  Souji laughed, then quieted.  Another person's life hung in the balance, and it was up to them to do what they did best.  Saving people.
         "Back to the point."  The team sobered up, and the bear eventually returned to his seat.  "I agree that Yosuke-kun seems to know a lot more about us than we've told him.  He personally asked for me to save him.  It could have to do with his crush, but I don't think so.  I think he wanted us to come and save him from his Shadow, but that would mean that he knows quite a bit more about our activities last year than anyone could.  He knew I'd be watching the Midnight Channel, but I don't even have a guess as to why.  He understands more about Shadows and the TV World."
         "He even called it that," Kanji interrupted.  The thought hadn't occurred to him before, apparently.  "Lovers Yosuke, or whatever we're calling him.  And he called the Junes a dungeon, and knew if we didn't save the real him in time bad things would happen."
         "There was the Arcana and Social Links thing, which he refused to explain because he said we'd hate him," Souji continued slowly.
         Takuma sighed.  "As much as I'm going to hate myself for saying this...I don't hate him as much as Mitsuo.  Even though they're kind of both treating this like a game."
         "Partly, it could be because he's using it to protect himself, rather than because he's bored," Naoto suggested.
         "Let's go save him," Yukiko stated with quiet determination, and this time there were no objections.