Play a Different Game

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Persona 4 AU
Summary: There's a kitsune Yosuke who happens to run into Souji and Nanako in trouble and get him and his friends tangled up in the world of the Kami (and vice versa).
I have no idea what I was doing with tenses.  Which is a tell that it's old.  Occasionally I have tense issues for absolutely no good reason in more recent works, but I tend to actually catch it.  I have no idea who Death-kun is.  Contains a pretty strong absolute lack of any sort of research.
I'm not sure if it's cringe or kind of fun.  Both, probably.  I have more Kitsune Yosuke stuff, including the one with Angel I have to get back to (I have things written out of order as usual but I'm telling that one chronologically so can't just post it) and one that I have to type up (which I'll get back to because I have no time for that right now).
This is part summary, part story.
Word Count: 1094
Rating: Teen

What it says on the cover.  Souji turns up in Inaba per normal, but he’s in a different game.
Souji and Nanako manage to step outside of the rules when walking around the edge of Inaba, making the local Kami mad.  They’re making to eat Nanako.
         “You guys, seriously.  What is wrong with you?”  Souji’s in complete shock as a guy with spiky orange hair, orange glasses, and casual headphones walks in with absolutely no reaction to the looming monsters and crouches above Nanako.  “Are they freaking you out?”
         Nanako giggled, which immediately made Souji defensive.  Something was wrong with this guy, and his cousin’s acting like everything’s normal?  He doesn’t think so.  “I’m okay, thank you.  I’m not a little kid anymore.”
         “Hey, even I get scared sometimes.”  He straightened up, a warning glare in his eyes.  “I’m not kidding.  Knock it off.”
         “Are you insane?” one of the monsters asked in shock.  Which gave Souji a reason not to trust him.  This guy was obviously one of them, even though he didn’t look it.
         “Get away from my cousin,” he spat out warningly, pulling her (protesting a little) behind him.
         The guy winked.  “You’re kind of protective, aren’t ya?”

***

         Souji blinked, as that same guy introduced himself in the front of the room.  “Hanamura Yosuke.  Nice ta meetcha.”
         …they had a kami going to school with them now?

***

Yosuke helps Chie and Yukiko a little.  They consequently love him.  Souji’s not as happy, and his cool behavior drives the kami away after ~ a day.  Souji goes looking for Yosuke and finds him near the same place, then begins to try to explain (gruffly) why he’s there.
         “Chie and Yukiko would not stop bothering me,” Souji says at last, after realizing that Yosuke probably wasn’t going to leave him alone until he got an answer.  The look of uh huh, sure, tell me another one on his face also told Souji that he wasn’t going to give up until he got the right one.  “I…Okay, I admit it, I felt guilty.  Sure, I don’t like you very much, but that shouldn’t mean that I have the right to drive you away from school.  Even kami have a right to get a public education, I guess.”
         Yosuke looked away, surprisingly still serious.
         “What is it?”
         The smile returned, but Souji could see beneath.  It wasn’t all just happiness, but he couldn’t decide what the underlying emotion was either.  “I totally underestimated you.  It’s a kind of nice feeling, actually.”

***
        
         “Everybody, shut up and do as I say.”  For once, Yosuke wasn’t joking around.  He was deadly in earnest, and it was exactly then that Souji discovered how serious this really was.  “I’ve dealt with this guy before.  He’s not really higher ranking than I am, but he’s more powerful here.  Jurisdiction, I guess.  He’s a bully, and I’ve spent a couple decades once ignoring him, and he will try to provoke us into doing something stupid that lets him slaughter the lot of us.  I’m really not happy his territory borders on mine.”
         “What?” Chie asked, and was instantly shushed with a warning look.
         “Oh, and because I might not get another chance…”  They could hear the sounds of some sort of creature coming their way, but Yosuke acted like he didn’t care in the least, darting forward and planting a daring kiss on Souji’s lips.  “Sorry,” he whispered, then slipped off again.
They’re stuck in an elevator.  The doors open.
         “KUUUUUUMMMAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!~”  they hear, and then Yosuke’s toppling, a strange bear-like mascot thing on top.
         He laughs.  “Teddie, you crazy old bear, in the name of the Celestial Courts what are you doing here?”
         “I was going to ask you the same question, kuma!~”
         Teddie notices them all and instantly hides behind Yosuke.  “Humans, kuma!  Do you think they will eat Teddie, kuma?”
         Yosuke rolls his eyes.  “Teddie, they’re with me.  Do you really think…”
         “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kuma.~”
         They’re met with a booming voice as soon as they enter the hall.  Knives are held to their throats, and they are dragged in front of the flickering fireplace and the man made of ash, with black horns and hooves and a bull’s tail.  “So you come at last, Lord of Dreams, Walker of Nightmare, Thieftaker.”
         Yosuke looks genuinely confused.  “Um, I’m confused.  Did I really merit this sort of welcome?”
A source of his power has been taken.  Yosuke again looks alarmed.  And surprised enough that most there realize he wasn’t involved.
         “We will take these humans’ lives as forfeit…” (they mean slavery)
         “I invoke Maiden’s Court,” he states quickly.
         “NOOO KUUUUMAAA!~” the bear yells, but the main floor has already disappeared.
         “What’s Maiden’s Court?” Yukiko asks.
         “The Three Sisters judge all kami on matters of the Ryuu’s laws, kuma.  If a dispute between two kami happens, then they have the right to invoke it, kuma.  But it’s dangerous, kuma.  They judge you on everything, but once you have paid your price only new actions merit judgment, kuma.  I’m not sure of the rules on fraternization with humans, kuma~.”  (It’s actually much better than most kami think).
Yosuke is found guilty of having fallen in love with a human (Souji).  He tells them straight off rather than waiting for them to find it-it goes worse if you do.  He offers his essence in exchange that the humans be marked (you are not to touch them) and sent back to the human world. 
The Sisters contemplate this.  They say that no, they and their descendants will be marked, but Yosuke is (temporarily) stripped of his title (luckily his second in command is capable and somewhat sane) and has to retrieve the balance of power with the humans even though he wasn’t involved in the taking.  Surprisingly despite his unorthodox ruling style he hasn’t had any other outstanding trespasses (at least that the Sisters say).  Should he try to get them home before it is done or they try to leave without him, they will be Hunted instead.  If they do not wish to help, he can leave them in his realm under the watchful eyes of his people to protect them.  They all want to help.  Yosuke is re-named a Wandering Lord (same level of power, different jurisdiction) and they set off.  Souji’s still trying to come to terms with the fact that a Kami Lord has fallen in love with him.
The Kami Lords are not all the same type of Kami.  They all have typical ‘minions’ (Shinigami have darkness ones, etc) and rule over an area of land that they are somewhat bound to (their jurisdiction).  They’ve all been given power by the Dragon Emperor, and while squabbling is allowed outright war is not.  (Killing others is an infraction but not more than that.)
Yosuke is probably something like Death-kun or something.  He’s somewhere between a Shinigami and a Kami of Dreams (hence the Nightmare title).  He’s really laid back (most of the time) and doesn’t like to throw his power around, but he does if he has to (such as if he feels that his people have stepped out of line or if there’s bullying going on.