Reverse Chariot Part I

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Persona 4 Past Will Tell AU (protag swap + Average AU)
second person chie pov
Chapter Summary: Chie's Shadow.
Word Count: 815
Rating: Teen
warning: the Shadow isn't polite about yosuke being trans.

        You’re terrified.
        You try not to show it.  Yosuke’s scared enough for the both of you, even if he’s putting on a brave face.  He’s just like that.  Part of why you’re such good friends, probably.  Though you’re more likely to resort to violence, and he weaponizes his smiles and the charms he doesn’t even realize he has, because he’s too self-conscious to have a clue.
        The thing is, Yosuke needs you to be strong right now.  So you can’t freak out about the fact that you’re in the middle of a nightmare, or have no idea where you’re going, or if there are monsters.  At least you’re wearing what Yosuke’s deemed your ‘Ball-Busting Shoes’, because the idea of steel-tipped shoes appealed to you, and it might just have been solo training, but you’re pretty sure you’ve mastered some pretty lethal kicks.
        Too bad there’s not a dojo out here, in Inaba, and you’re too self-conscious to head out to the city for lessons, even if you could drag Yosuke into it.  You’ve heard over and over that you shouldn’t try to compete with city kids, and even if you’re pretty sure you match any of them in enthusiasm and strength, you’re still reluctant to go.
        Still, there’s a bear-thing blackmailing you both.  There’s a world inside the TV.  There are monsters, probably.  Even if there aren’t, someone had died here, if your guesses were true.
        It’s Yosuke’s yelp that alerts you to the fact you’re lost in thought and missed something, and you whirl around to see—
        You.  Or at least, something that looks exactly like you, but with yellow eyes.  Yosuke dangles from this thing’s grip on the back of his collar, helpless like some hawk’s next meal.  Why, why did you think that?
        “…Y-you!  I don’t know who you are or what you think you’re doing, but let him go!”  You get into a fighting stance, careful not to let your legs tremble, to let this thing see you’re scared.  You’re hoping to scare it off before you even have to get into a fight.
        “It’s a Shadow!” Teddie gasps, exactly as useless as before, because words like that don’t help you have a clue how to deal with this.
        Hmm.  It even sounds exactly like you, what the hell?  No.  I don’t think so.  Yukiko’s already escaping our grasp.  I’m not letting another plaything go.
        “Plaything?” Yosuke questions, voice hurt, and you shake your head quickly, because no, that’s not what you think of either of them!
        Yukiko figured out how we were.  That’s why she’s avoiding us.  She was tired of us calling the shots, it continues, ignoring you, and how dare it think it can say those things with your face?  “That’s not true,” you mutter nervously, glancing at Yosuke, whose eyes are wide and scared.  “She’s just really busy with the inn right now, and Yosuke’s not just a convenient friend!”
        But that’s not the full truth, is it, ‘me’? she asks, smirking at you, punctuating her statement by shaking Yosuke like a ragdoll.  He chokes, writhing, trying to get out of her grip, and she just shakes him harder until he’s coughing, grasping at his throat.  Just stop struggling.  You’re too loud.  You’re better when you just shut up and do as you’re told.  The tears rolling down his cheeks genuinely make you angry.  He’s annoying, isn’t he?  Normally we wouldn’t have given him the time of day.  He just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time, that’s all.  We needed another toy.  He was there.  And he made the mistake of trusting you, giving us the strings we needed to play him like a puppet.
        So we could act like you knew what you were doing, like we understood.  Anxiety, being born a girl, whatever’s going on with him.  We don’t actually give a crap about him or his problems.  He just needs to be broken.  Yosuke whimpers a little, but quickly shuts up at another shake—just like she’s training him.  Like he’s a dog.  This is seriously messed up.  It punctuates her next words. 
        Makes it easier to scare him, to make him feel like you’re the only one who understands him, the only one he can ask for help.  He’ll follow your every whim and bribe you to stay his friend because he’s such a pathetic, desperate loser.  She looks straight into your eyes, smirk on her face as she enunciates her next words.  Just. Like. Yukiko.  You step forward, hands curling into fists, ready to punch this thing that thinks it can hurt your friends acting like it knows you.  ‘Oh, the world is scary, but don’t worry, I’ve got your back!’ it mocks you with your own voice.  Anything to play hero.
        “How dare you say those things?  You don’t know me!” you scream.
        Your memory—stutters—