Muri (part I)

[madimpossibledreamer]

It occurred to me that for these second person chapters, you could think of it as either Yu or Souji and be right as long as no one says the name.  So read MC main name as whoever you feel like.  I am going to be tagging as Souji though.

Main Points: Persona 4 Playthrough Mild AU, and possibly AU to my AU (due to the fact that there's a Shadow with a Tier II sort of Fear Ailment which doesn't exist and with Unbreakable Ties I was trying to stick really, really close to canon)
Chapter Summary: New type of Fear, Yosuke freaking out, Rise being helpful, and Souji panicking.
Word Count: 929
Rating: T

 

            You don’t realize Yosuke hasn’t followed until Kanji lets out an exclamation and turns around.  It’s unusual, for you.  Usually, you’re hyper aware of Yosuke; of all of your friends, really, because this isn’t a game and people could die. 

            Maybe you’re getting tired.  Yosuke has been bugging you for days to take a break, and maybe your boyfriend is right.  And maybe you’ve been in the dungeon for long enough.  It’s the point where you’re tired enough to make mistakes but don’t realize you’re that tired that it’s the most dangerous.

            Instantly you turn, sword in your hand and heart in your throat, and on seeing Yosuke, teary face and butler suit and all practically collapsed in a heap on the dungeon floor, you begin running, all thoughts of being a leader out the window.  You’re searching through your pockets, frantic, and eventually find what you’re looking for and throw it in the air—a Goho-M.  You probably dropped a few items on the floor.  Hopefully they’re not what you were looking for to give to people around the town, but at this moment you’re past the point of caring.  Everyone can wait just a little while longer, and even if they were super expensive items you’d rather come back later to earn the money than let the guy you love spend another moment in here when something is very clearly wrong.

            You’re all outside the dungeon, and now Kanji and Naoto are a little disoriented, but none of that matters.

            You’re by Yosuke’s side, only you’re not sure what to do now, how to help.  Your hands are hovering helplessly, and eventually you touch his shoulder.  A hug worked the last time, but you’re not even sure what’s wrong.

            He pushes you away weakly, but he doesn’t even quite see you, his eyes staring, haunted, helpless, silently past you.  “You all heard it, right?”

            “You’re hearing voices?” Naoto asks quietly, a note of nearly imperceptible concern in her voice.

            Suddenly Yosuke is furious, and it’s a change that’s so quick it’s terrifying.  He’s suddenly staring straight at Naoto-kun, but he’s still not quite seeing her.  Status ailment is probably a good bet.  Do you have anything—stupid question, of course you do, be it an item or a Persona, but which one?  You’re flustered, no, more than that.  “Damn you!” he screams, and the stoic detective actually flinches away from the brunet.  “I’m not insane!  I’m fine!  We can go on.”

            Kanji steps protectively in front of the Detective Prince, looming a little.  “Do I have to hit you to knock some sense into you?” he asks, not bothering to lower his voice at all.  He doesn’t know what’s going on, but he’s not about to let Yosuke run rampant.

            “I have enough sense, thanks.”  He sneers, and, yeah, this is reminding you of Yosuke’s Shadow.  Which is a terrifying thought.  Did they trade places somehow?  “I’m not a burden.  Let’s just keep going and get this over with.”

            Those words are a clue.  You think for a moment that it’s so obvious before realizing only you have the other pieces to put the puzzle together.  “The only way you’re a burden is if you keep rushing on and get yourself killed!  So sit your butt down and let me figure out what’s wrong!”  You don’t mean to scream, but it silences everyone, even, thank goodness, Yosuke.

            His eyes suddenly gain clarity, like he’s seeing the world again, and, with a sob, he quietly crumples back into a heap on the ground.  Those are, yes, tears streaming down his cheeks, but this time he’s crying silently.  Judging by last time, he’s a messy, loud crier, and that kind of pain never makes him look anywhere near his best, but that doesn’t quite seem the case this time.

            Rise’s actually silent for once as she comes over and summons her Persona.  You crouch down next to Yosuke and grab his hand, hoping it serves as some kind of comfort, and try to block the others (all but Rise)’s view of Yosuke, to give him some kind of privacy.  It’s probably good that Chie’s not here, or she’d be throwing a fit.

            Eventually, she dismisses Himiko and looks straight at you.  She doesn’t take the moment to poke fun at Yosuke’s usefulness in battle, or suggest this kind of outburst is…well, anything.  She might always have a crush on you, but the seriousness with which she’s taking the situation shows that there’s no real hard feelings, that she’s accepted you and Yosuke, that she’s professional, and that warms your heart more than anything else she could have ever done.  “As you might have guessed, Senpai, it’s a status ailment.  Specifically, it feels like fear, but there’s something wrong.  I suppose you tried to use Patra?”

            You haven’t, actually, and you feel stupid, but there’s no time like the present.  You try one of the items, but it doesn’t work, and before you can summon one of your Personae Rise stops you.

            “There’s something seriously wrong.  This doesn’t feel like a normal Fear at all.  It worked the way it should have, it just…apparently doesn’t work on this.”  She reaches out a hand and grasps your other one in a gesture of comfort, squeezing before stepping back.  “I guess the next thing we could try is talking to him.  Though he’ll probably respond to you best, so…you get to try first, Senpai.”  She winks, and if it weren’t so inappropriate the thought that you could kiss her crosses your mind.