Welcome to Gaia! ::

Golden rays from the sun shone through a particular window onto the face of a teenage boy. Yousuke was hanging half off his bed doggedly ignoring the incoming light. In his dreams he was chasing after a retreating figure only to have the floor drop out from under him. He woke so suddenly that he lost his precarious balance and came crashing to the floor. "Owwwww..." he complained. He was now sprawled out with his back on the floor and a foot on the bed only by virtue of getting caught in the covers.

"Graceful as always, Me."

The voice made Yousuke groan. Just what he needed, a fragment of his psyche laughing at him. He wasn't sure if it was the stress of juggling school with his part time jobs of Junes employee and paranormal murder investigator, but he kept seeing his shadow self. Early on it was just random thoughts that popped up out of seemingly nowhere. Now he saw a full blown image of the side of himself that he thought had turned into his Persona Jiraiya. No one else heard or saw the shadow, and inside the TV world the other him was quiet and nowhere to be seen. What it all meant, he had no idea.

"Shut it, you..." he grumbled. He untangled himself from the covers and stood up, pressing a small button on his MP3 player. Music blared out of the tiny speaker and Yousuke immediately began singing along.

It’s been a really really messed up week
Seven days of torture, seven days of bitter
And my girlfriend went and cheated on me
She’s a California dime but it’s time for me to quit her

He hummed along as he pulled on the clothes he was going to wear that day. It was Sunday, so he dressed casual. It's not like he had a date.... well unless you counted hanging out with Narukami-kun. The music faded away and he scooped up the device and turned it off so he could put it in his pocket. As he did he caught sight of the time.

"Aw, crap! I'm gonna be late!" he yelled and careened out of his door, hopping on his bike and speeding away towards Inaba's central shopping district. In his head he heard, "Like I said.... Graceful..."

Yousuke weaved his bike in and out of the pedestrian traffic of the shopping district, glancing at his watch for the fifteenth time. The numbers 12:10 were boldly emblazoned on the digital screen. He was late....again! He didn't understand how he could be on time to any other event, such as school or work, but the second it involves meeting Narukami somewhere, he was always playing catch up.

He shook those thoughts from his mind. Aiya was coming up fast, and if he wasn't careful it would be a repeat of the day he first met Narukami. He slowed the bike and coasted to a stop next to the gray haired youth. "Yo! Sorry I'm late." he smiled and walked the bike over to a small bike rack and locked up the bike. Even though Inaba's crime rate was nearly non existent (recent events non-withstanding) Yousuke had grown up in a big city for 14 years, and old habits were hard to break. "You must be starved." he called back over his shoulder.

Yousuke led the way into the restaurant and found them a table. Business was slower on a sunny day like this, so they got to have their choice of places to sit. They were just sitting down and getting ready to order when he heard his shadow speak from the seat next to him. "So... When are you gonna tell Yu you love him?"

The question came from so far in left field that he didn't think, he just reacted. He turned in the direction of the empty chair his shadow had chosen to perch in and exclaimed, "Where the hell did that come from?!" He luckily managed to keep from yelling but one of the patrons looked at him strangely before returning to his meal. Yousuke froze. He was in trouble now! He turned back to Narukami with a wide eyed look and waited to see if the other teen would dismiss it or if he should just start running.


They said they tried everything
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxBut it was no use...
Yeah, they tried everything and everyone
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxBut YOU

Yousuke met the questioning gaze of Yu and realized that he couldn't lie or make excuses. Yu was the only other human to see his shadow in action (because who knew what exactly Teddy was...). He sighed and looked down at the abandoned menu. How did he put the situation into words? Yu was surprisingly blunt about most things... so maybe a strait forward approach? He looked back up and opened his mouth to talk when a female voice broke in.

"Are you two ready to order?" the waitress asked. Yousuke turned to her with a smile on his face, suddenly in "customer mode". "I'll have today's special." he caught a glimpse of his shadow self out of the corner of his eye. The look alike was now sitting on the table with his feet in the chair gripping the edge of the table with his hands. "Do you even know what the special is?" he heard in a condescending tone. Yousuke firmly ignored the voice and waited for the girl to finish taking Yu's order and leave.

The smile fell from his face as the waitress left and his thought turned to the issue at hand. "I... You're going to think I'm crazy... " Yousuke smacked himself on the forehead, "Hell, I think I'm crazy....You see... I'm.... kinda still seeing my Shadow..." he put a little emphasis on the shadow so Yu would know which one he meant. Once he got started, words just kinda kept coming and Yousuke ended up telling Yu everything.

His shadow smirked at him as Yousuke's speech wound down. "There now. That wasn't so hard was it?" Yousuke sighed again and placed his head down on his arms on the table. "I just don't get how I can have a Persona and still have a Shadow..." He was still confused and a little dejected about the whole thing but it felt better now that someone else knew.

He found he didn't really mind the fact that Yu knew so much about him that most people didn't. He realized that he had grown used to having Yu be his emotional support. He hoped one day that he'd be able to make it up to Yu for all the stuff he'd put the other guy through.

It came out like a river once I let it out
xxxxxWhen I thought that I wouldn't know how
Held onto it forever just pushing it down
xxxxxFelt so good to let go of it now

Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

Leave it to Yu to make something he had thought to be the end of the world not look so scary. Yousuke looked up at Yu and seriously thought about what he had said. He supposed it made sense, but no one had ever said anything about it. He was sure at the very least Kanji would have said something. It also explained why he never saw or heard anything when they were in the TV.

"It makes sense when you put it that way." he said and matched Yu's small smile. It was nice to see Yu smile. The gray haired youth was usually their Rock of Gibraltar so to speak. Nothing really fazed him too much which calmed them all down. .... Or maybe that was just the way he made Yousuke feel. As a friend, it was normal that Yousuke wanted Yu to be happy and all, but it was more complicated than that. He wanted Yu to rely on him instead of the other way around for one...

Yousuke sensed the weight of eyes on him and looked towards the image of his Persona. Jiraiya looked back at him and laughed. "As usual, the Fool is the first to know. What? You didn't expect me to just give you all the answers, did you?" Yousuke grumbled. Stupid cheeky Persona. But this whole conversation brought up an interesting point.

"So.... Do your Persona's talk to you? 'Cause, dude, that's gotta get noisy. I've seen you pull three of those things in one battle..." He tried to contemplate what it would be like to have three Jiraiya's running around. He'd be certifiable in the blink of an eye. And if so, it would explain why Yousuke had caught Yu staring at the corner of the class room every once and a while. "How many of those things do you have in your head anyway?"


Do you think I'm special?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDo you think I'm nice?
Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces?
xxxxxxxxBetween the noise you hear, and the sounds you like
Are we just sinking in the ocean of faces?

Yousuke listened carefully and nodded when Yu said he didn't know how many Personas he had. None of them knew why their Leader had the powers he did. Yousuke, for one, was glad that they had a guy like Yu on their side. He didn't think their little investigation team would have gotten as far as they have without Yu.

When Yu brought them back to the subject at hand (mainly Jiraiya) the Persona just had to put in his two cents. "See! At least somebody appreciates my wisdom!" About to make a retort of his own, Yousuke was distracted by the sound of a voice calling his name.

"Hey, Hanamura!"

Yousuke turned in his chair to see two of his coworkers entering Aiya. He sighed and turned back around as they approached the table, and took up posts where he couldn't ignore them. "Damn.... Not them again. It was just getting good." For once, Yousuke had to agree completely. "What is it today?" he asked as politely as he could. They were, after all, his senpai. Haruka, who had called his name, brushed some of her light brown hair back up into the bun she had it in, and glared at him. "How come Kazumi can take the day off and we can't?"

Yousuke just tilted his head at the girls. He remembered them complaining about needing time off earlier this month, but he thought he had taken care of that. The other girl, Mayu, placed her hands on her hips in a huff making her short, dark brown hair move. "We told you before! We can’t work weekends! So when we refused, they said they were going to fire us! I don’t get this!"

Jiraiya scoffed at her. "They barely show up even when they are scheduled..." Meanwhile, Yousuke held up his hands in self defense. "Hey, I talked to the manager." Though, now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen them at work lately. "Have you been taking absences without leave lately?" The girls suddenly looked nervous. Haruka was quick to retort. "I-I just forgot to come…"

"Sure you did..." Jiraiya retorted. While Yousuke agreed he wasn't sure if the constant comments were helping his composure. Haruka glanced at Mayu before waving away her excuses. "Besides, that’s not the point! What’re you going to do about this!? I have a date that day!" Sensing an opening, Mayu joined in. "How come you’re favoring Kazumi, huh!? You were like that with Saki, too!"

The waitress hovered nearby shooting disapproving looks in the girls direction. She finally just walked in front of them to set the bowls down on the table. It did little to break the tension though as Yousuke felt his heart jolt at the mention of Saki-senpai. This conversation was going downhill at high speeds with no seat belt. "What?!" Haruka pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't try to hide it! We all know! You liked Saki and treated her special!"

He gave the girls his best warning glare. "...I don't think Saki-senpai has anything to do with this subject." They ignored his glare and forged right on ahead. "Yeah, it does!!" Haruka snapped. "You told the other workers to take it easy on Saki too, didn’t you? You think you can do anything just because you’re the manager’s son!?" The words were like knives, and Mayu must not have thought they were stabbing deep enough. So she started twisting them. "So it’s Kazumi now that Saki’s dead!? Don’t even bother, she has a boyfriend. Didn’t you get it!? Saki didn’t like you! We heard so from her! She may have acted that way, but…"

Yousuke had stopped listening. He felt his body getting stiffer as he tried desperately to contain the amount of anger he was feeling. He couldn't believe he had to be polite to these... these... "Selfish, underhanded, manipulative, pieces of trash, no good excuses for human beings...." ... or they would quit. Junes was short staffed as it was. He had even had to beg Yu to help out once! All he could do was wait for the next blow to come. He gripped the chair, on the verge of casting Magarula no matter how impossible it was on this side of the TV.


I see your dirty face, high behind your collar

Now the son's disgraced, he, who knew his father

What is done in vain, truth is hard to swallow

When he cursed his name, turned, and chased the dollar

So you pray to God to justify the way you live a lie

But it broke his heart, so he stuck his middle finger to the world

I wish I could be as cruel as you
And I wish I could say the things you do
But I can't and I won't live a lie
No, not this time.

The sound of a glass being slammed down was a jolt to Yousuke's system. What was more surprising, though, was the sound of Yu's voice raised in anger. Silence reigned for a beat or two as Haruka and Mayu blinked at the previously silent youth. The image of Yu glaring at the two thorns in his side, as if daring them to say anything else, warmed his heart. It reminded him that Yu had his back, even from the very beginning.

Yousuke felt more then saw Jiraiya smile, but the voice he heard loud and clear. "You tell 'em, Yu..." The moment didn't last long as Mayu was the first to get over her shock. Her mouth worked for a few seconds before words came stuttering out, increasing in pitch and volume as she went along. "Wha--- Who are you!? You shut up!"

It was the proverbial last straw for Yousuke. How dare they take out their frustration on Yu! He was on his feet and speaking before he had time to think better of it. "You’re the ones who should shut up!! What do you know about Saki-senpai!? She didn’t do things half-assed like you! She looked lazy, but she worked hard! She talked bad, but she was good inside!" Yousuke's chest was heaving with gigantic breaths of air as he just kept going while Haruka and Mayu looked at him with more than a little surprise. "So she hated me? I knew that! She’s not here anymore! I’m left behind!" He felt the speech winding down. He met the startled gazes and uttered one final plea. "…Just leave me alone..."

"Wh-What the heck...?" Haruka looked from Yousuke to Yu and then back again trying to figure out when the manager's brat had grown a back bone, while the other people in Aiya were shooting glares at these two who had interrupted their peaceful lunch. Mayu tugged on the other girls arm nervously. "... Let's go." Together the two scurried away like insects who's hiding place had been discovered.

When the door closed behind the girls, Yousuke let out a long breath and collapsed back down in his chair. Taking care not to land in his lunch bowl, he flopped forward and laid his head on the table. "Damnit..." he cursed. "...I just blurted out a buncha crap, huh..." With his head turned that direction, he watched Jiraiya sit back down in the empty chair with an air of satisfaction. "Yeah, Me, you did. But they deserved it."

Yousuke sighed and shifted again so he was leaning his head on his hand. Thinking back on what he said, he realized what that must have looked like even as his heart felt lighter remembering how Yu had stood up for him. He gave the other teen a weak attempt at a smile and spoke, "Another pathetic display from Yousuke huh? ....Thanks, though. Hearing you say that stuff to them... it made me happy." In response to the words, Yousuke's smile got a little stronger with a dash of sheepishness added in for getting so...fluffy.

Yousuke was deep in thought, but at the same time unwilling to waste a good meal. Especially when his stomach made gurgling noises at him. So Yousuke dug in to the bowl of noodles and tried to think about what he should do about the whole situation with Haruka and Mayu. He felt bad for sort of ignoring Yu, but it was like just when he thought he had a grip on Saki-senpai's death, stuff like today happened. Firmly pushing those thoughts to the side, he focused once again on the more practical.

There was really only one solution to his problem, unfortunately. Sighing, he finished up the delicious meal not really feeling any better. "I don’t want to… I really don’t want to, but I’ll go talk with Dad. At this rate those two are gonna quit. I should tell him and apologize…" Yousuke paused and ran a hand though his hair, "I don’t know… What do I want to do? I don’t get it… even though it’s my own future."

Yousuke bowed his head in apology. "...Sorry, but I'll see you later, Narukami." Pulling a few bills out of his pocket, he paid for the meal and even left the waitress a generous tip for all the trouble. With another wave in Yu's direction, he soon found himself out on the sunny sidewalk. He stared at the locked up bike and debated the merits of walking to Junes. It would give him more time to figure out what to say to his Dad.... but his family didn't live all that far from Junes so he'd have to go out of his way to bring the bike back. As he stared at the bike, his shadow materialized, leaning on the bike and rolling his eyes. "Well, whatever your going to do... just do it! Standing there staring is gonna get you arrested."

In the end, he walked the bike to Junes. The conversation with his Dad was long and in general a gigantic pain. He left out what the girls had said about Saki-senpai, though. Like he had said earlier, Yousuke didn't think that should have anything to do with the subject. Finally arriving back at home he felt drained and strung out like a cold spaghetti noodle. But as usual, fate decided to kick him when he was down.

As he was picking up the disheveled covers of his bed he spied a small piece of paper. He turned it over to find Saki-senpai smiling and making interesting poses for the camera. It was the Print Club photo booth pictures he'd thought he lost. It had been here the entire time. Lost in thought and memories of the past, Yousuke stared at the pictures of a happy Saki Konishi until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.


I know I'm a mess and I wanna be someone
Someone that I like better
Can you help me forget
Don't wanna feel like this forever, forever

What if I just pulled myself together
Would it matter at all
What if I just try not to remember
Would it matter at all
All the chances that have passed me by
Would it matter if I gave it one more try
Would it matter at all

Yousuke ran at full tilt through the fog searching the roofs and power lines. He knew what he was looking for but he really, really didn't want to find it. It wasn't possible. He couldn't be-- "Nonono! Not like Saki-sempai!"

Hey! Wake up!

He rounded a corner shoving the strange voice to the back of his mind. But it was too late. There, hanging from the very same pole where Saki-sempai had been found, was Yu. "No..." Yousuke collapsed to his knees. He'd lost another important person without even a fight. Why did he ever think he was special or cool enough to wield the power of Persona. Rough hands grabbed his shoulders and shook him. He suddenly found himself staring at his own face but with bright golden eyes.

Snap out of it, damnit!

Yousuke vaulted into wakefulness and for the second time in as many days, ended up crashing to the floor. But this time he scrambled to a sitting position and started frantically searching for his phone. He had to call and make sure Yu was okay, he--

Jiraiya was suddenly there holding onto his shoulders just like in the dream. "Calm down, Me! It's okay, it was just a damn dream!" Yousuke's harsh breathing filled the room as he stared into the eyes that were so much like his own. Just when the tension was about to clear, the harsh beeping of his alarm sounded. Jiraiya smirked and released his hold. "Heh. Well at least I don't have to drag your a** out of bed today..."

School passed in a metaphorical fog for Yousuke. He blanked his way through classes deep in thought. Before he'd known Yu, when he felt introspective, he just cranked up his headphones and tried to sort himself out. AKA Bury every feeling that wasn't "important". But now he found that irresistible urge to be near the guy who always seemed to know when he needed to talk.

Fate was not on his side, however. Yousuke tried to flag Yu down during lunch but was startled to find no less than four different people trying to get the attention of the gray haired student. Sighing, he just continued down the hall. Maybe tomorrow....

He left school as soon as the bell rang, and since had the day off from work he took a meandering path toward the Flood Plain.

Oh my, I don’t mind being the other guy
Nice try, for these games I do not have the time
If you want me, call me, come and take a risk
Kiss me somewhere deep below the surface

I just need a little of your time
A little of your time to say the words I never said
Just need a little of your time
A little of your time to show you that I am not dead