Persona Series 1. Chapter 1

A week. That was all the time that had passed since Naoto Shirogane's world had shattered, the future she had been promised ruthlessly torn away by fate. She sat on the futon that used to belong to her husband-to-be, Yu Narukami, with a piece of paper in her hands.

_We were to share this room together,_

_But now I've been left behind._

_Though I'm no longer the person I was,_

_My love for you will never die._

_The rain that falls echoes my tears,_

_That will never stop falling for you._

_My love, my life, my only hope,_

_Wait for me, I'll be there soon._

_She placed the poem she had written on the floor, along with several others she had done prior to that one. Ignoring the pain she felt, Naoto closed her eyes and sat back, waiting as she had for the last week._

_Yosuke stood at the Dojimas' front door, his face serious as Nanako opened it. "Yo, Nanako-chan. What's up?"_

_The girl looked up at him pleadingly, the cheer her face had once expressed now nothing more than a memory. "Can you talk to Naoto-chan? She went up to Big Bro's room the night he died, and she hasn't come back down since. I'm afraid something bad's going to happen to her too… And then Dad and me will be all alone again…"_

_Yosuke nodded and was ushered inside by Nanako, after which he climbed the stairs to Yu's old room and knocked on the door. "Naoto, it's me. I hope you're dressed, because I'm coming in." Opening the door, he entered to see the paraplegic detective sitting on the futon with her eyes closed, wearing the Yasogami High girls' uniform. Yosuke was shocked to see what had become of her - she was thin and weak-looking, and her bones were clearly visible. "God, Naoto, what happened to you?"_

"_Yosuke-kun…" Naoto said, still not opening her eyes. "Please leave. I'm not in the mood for visitors." Her voice was dull and lifeless, matching her almost cadaverous appearance._

"_Hell no!" The older boy snapped. "Naoto, what have you been doing this whole time?! You look like you haven't eaten in a week!" The words he'd just spoken sank in as they left his mouth, and he quickly followed with, "You're not going to tell me…"_

_The small, thin girl shook her head, her eyes still firmly shut. "I'm not going to talk about it. Go away, Yosuke."_

_Walking over to her, Yosuke placed a hand on her forehead and flinched at what he felt. "Naoto, your skin's like ice… Don't tell me you're planning what I think you're planning!" A fear crept into his heart as he gazed at Naoto, the girl his best friend had left behind._

_Naoto's lips moved as she whispered something Yosuke couldn't quite detect. Seeing that she was ignoring him, he listened closer to hear her breathe, "I'll be by your side again soon… Yu…" Hearing her words, he lifted her bodily and began taking her downstairs, ignoring her frail body's struggles._

_Dojima had just come home when he saw Yosuke carrying Naoto out the door and asked, "Hanamura, what the hell are you doing?!"_

"_Dojima-san, we've got to get her to the hospital fast! Naoto's planning to kill herself!" Was the young man's only answer._

"_Wait, what?!" Dojima blurted. "Get her into the car now, I'll take her there. You call your friends - maybe having you all there will snap her out of it." Yosuke bundled Naoto into Dojima's car, getting his cell phone out as the detective drove the girl away._

_It was only a half-hour until the group was gathered at the hospital once more, minus Rise. Kanji looked furious as he asked Yosuke, "You're kidding me, right Yosuke-senpai? Naoto's really planning to kill herself?!"_

"_Dude, don't snap at me!" Yosuke replied. "We'll wait and see what Dojima-san says. He's in there talking with the doctors now."_

_As if on cue, Dojima emerged from the room and sighed. Yukiko quickly asked, "Dojima-san, what's going on?"_

"_Naoto's in bad shape." The man said bluntly. "I'd been having Nanako bring meals up to her, but apparently she never ate any of it. It's pretty clear now that she was planning to starve herself to death. The docs have her hooked up to a machine now to feed her, but they had to restrain her while they were at it; every time they put the tube in, she'd pull it out again. Looks like she really wants to die." He sighed once more, shaking his head._

_Yukiko murmured, "First Yu, now Naoto. Doesn't she realize he would want her to live?"_

_Inside Naoto's room, the almost skeletally thin girl was unconscious, restrainted by straps attached to the bed. Though she looked serene as she slept, her mind was anything but._

_She stood in a darkened street, the one where the Dojima Residence stood. The moon shone overhead as she walked up the road from the house, gazing at the swirling shadows beyond. Suddenly a voice called from behind her, making her freeze in place. "It is not your time, Naoto-chan."_

_Turning around, Naoto saw a figure in white standing where no one had been a moment before. A long spear rested on its back as its yellow eye looked at her from behind its mask, and its voice seemed oddly familiar to her. "Who… are you?" Naoto asked, her voice soft and sorrowful._

"_I am not surprised you do not remember me." The figure said as it walked up to her and took her hand. "I am the ruler of this land, the dreamscape Yu Narukami's soul created. I am Izanagi-no-Okami."_


	2. Magician and High Priestess

**Author's Note: **I deeply apologize for the long wait; writer's block has utterly crippled my ability to work on it, and it was only now that I got the burst of inspiration I needed. That said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Naoto was stunned by the figure's revelation. "Izanagi-no-Okami… The Persona Yu used to finish Izanami…" She gazed into the god-Persona's eyes and asked, "What do you mean, it's 'not my time?' I just want to see him again… I can't live without him." Her eyes were downcast as she spoke, her sorrow evident from her voice.

"You war with yourself over your fate. That is why I have brought you here, to Yu Narukami's inner world. Here you will see the facets of Yu that he never showed you, and you will learn his true nature." Izanagi was at once firm and gentle in his words, glancing over his shoulder as he finished. "Go to Junes. The first one you are to meet is there."

Naoto pulled her hand away from Izanagi's, asking, "Why should I do that? I already know what I want - I want to die and be by Yu's side again!" Her voice was harsh as she glanced away, tears filling her eyes.

"You will choose your fate at the end of your journey here. But now is not that time; go to Junes and seek out the one named Mada. He will give you insight into the man you love." Izanagi's voice was at once gentle and authoritative, a kind father who would brook no argument. Shaken by his words, Naoto did as she was told and left the shifting shadows behind.

When she reached Junes, a monstrous figure stood amidst the food court's tables. A four-armed behemoth with no distinguishable eyes, possessed of a massive frame illuminated by fire and an arch that circled over its head, it turned to Naoto as she approached and rumbled, "I'm Mada, the Magician. Izanagi told me you'd be coming, Naoto."

Startled, the detective blurted, "How do you know my name? Where have I seen you before?"

A booming laugh escaped the bizarre creature as he - as it was most certainly male - answered her. "I am Yu, and Yu is me. Yu's bond with Yosuke took form as me, the ultimate form of the Magician. It's my job to relay to you the hidden things they shared but never informed you of."

Before Naoto could respond, voices played out around her. Though they were obviously not present, she recognized the voices as Yu and Yosuke, who spoke to one another as if Naoto wasn't there.

"Yosuke, I have to talk to you about something important." Yu's voice sounded serious, to a degree that Naoto had only heard a few times - including before the duel with Arimitsu's imposter that had cost him his life. "I want you to be my best man."

Yosuke's reply held great surprise; it was no trouble to picture the Junes heir's face as it must have been. "Wait, what?! What are you talking about, Yu?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to marry Naoto, and I want you to be the best man. Don't tell me you're too dense to have realized this would happen."

"I thought it might happen, but dude, she hasn't even graduated high school yet! Aren't you taking this a little fast?" Yosuke's voice sounded almost panicked, as it had just before trying the Christmas cake Chie, Yukiko and Rise had made after Adachi's defeat.

"I learned something yesterday, that once an opportunity goes by, it's gone forever. That never sank into me until Naoto got hurt - and now that it has, I'm not wasting a single moment in being with her forever."

"Okay, okay, I get it. But why me, man? I mean, I bet Kanji or Daisuke or Kou would want to do it too!"

"You've got to be kidding me. You're my best friend; I wouldn't ask anyone else to do this. Come on, Yosuke, please."

A sigh of resignation sounded from the disembodied voice of Yosuke. "Okay, I'll do it. To be honest, I was hoping you'd invite me. Oh, but that means I've gotta get a suit and stuff… I'll be there, Yu. Definitely."

As the voices faded, Naoto looked shocked at what she'd heard. "He was so confident that things would work out that he started talking about the wedding immediately… He thought it was important enough to invite Yosuke-senpai. He really gave our future that much of a priority…"

"There are others you must talk with." Mada said in a gentler voice than before. "The Amagi Inn is your next destination. Talk with Scathach there - she'll give you another point of view."

Nodding, Naoto replied, "I'll do that. It seems there are things Yu never told me…" Turning and walking away, the girl headed for her friend's inn, wondering who Scathach was and what she would show her.

The Amagi Inn was deserted as Naoto stepped in the front door - or at least it seemed to be, until the figure of a black-clad woman floating on her knees glided into the room. "Ah, Naoto! I've been expecting you!" The woman adjusted her large, pointed hat and smiled benignly. "I am Scathach, the High Priestess."

"Are you like Mada?" Naoto asked. "You seem much more… human than he did."

Scathach nodded and answered, "Yes, I am the manifestation of the bond between Yu and Yukiko, and I've been instructed by Izanagi to share with you the things they kept from you."

Once again, the voices sounded before Naoto could say so much as a word. Yu's voice was gentle and almost pleading, while Yukiko's seemed uncertain.

"I know it's a big favor, Yukiko, but could I possibly reserve one of the dining rooms at the inn? It's important, trust me, and I'll pay for it."

"What could you need an entire dining room for? There's something about this you're not telling me, Yu."

Yu's disembodied sigh swept through the air as resignation filled his voice. "It's… my wedding. My and Naoto's wedding. I know you wouldn't want to hear about it, so I tried to keep it discreet."

"You're getting married?" Yukiko answered in a surprised tone. "I'm more disappointed by the fact that you weren't just going to come out and invite me. You and Naoto-kun have been so close, I gave up on trying to steal you a long time ago; the two of you are just meant to be."

"Thanks, Yukiko, and I'm sorry. If you want to attend, you're free to; I'm hoping to get the entire group there, plus some other guests, so I'd need a pretty big room."

"Mmhmm, not a problem. I'll make sure it's open for you when you need it - just give me a couple weeks' notice."

"Thanks again. I know I broke your heart, but I'm glad you're not angry about my and Naoto's being together."

"You can be so weird, Yu. How could I be angry with you being happy together? I want the best for my friends, and you're much better suited to be with Naoto than me." Yukiko's voice was warm and friendly, just as Naoto had always remembered it.

As the voices faded away, the detective shook her head. "Yu turned down Yukiko-senpai for me? But she's always been the epitome of the perfect woman… Why would he choose me over her? It doesn't make sense…"

"Sometimes things are hidden for a reason." Scathach answered sagely. "But you need to hurry on; Futsunushi is waiting at the Samegawa riverbank to talk to you." The High Priestess smiled again, watching Naoto turn and leave for the river.

**Addendum****:** Please give me any feedback you have on the replayed conversations. Those are difficult, since motions and such can't be used and voices can only be described in so many different ways.


	3. Tress's Notes Sad News

Sorry for the delay, and I'm deeply sorry for this news - due to the death of my computer, I lost all of my progress on Linked By Fate, and it makes it rather difficult to continue. That particular fanfic will be on an indefinite hiatus until I can get back up to speed, but to keep you all entertained until then, I will be working on another. Once again, I apologize for this unfortunate incident - and know that it bothers me as much as it does all of you. I hope you'll all understand and continue to read the new work that will be coming out.

Sincerely, Tressimir.


End file.

Persona Series, Hurt-Comfort, Romance