Persona Series 1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"I know it was you, Tohru-kun."

Those were the words Adachi had dreaded to hear. Those very words threatened to burn right through his eardrums and set his mind on fire, daring to fling his mind into a spiraling psychotic state.

But.

"What are you talking about, Yu-kun?" the ragged man asked, playing his usual dumb smile. "What did I do?" he walked carefully around the small table between them, the silence causing his footfalls to echo in the investigation room. "You and your friends involving yourselves with the murder cases again?" his tone grew more serious, taking on false concern. "You can't keep on involving yourself. You could get hurt. After all, with what happened to Nanako-chan.."

Adachi expected to see Yu flinch at the mention of Nanako, but all the teen did was stare. Stared at him with those cold, grey eyes. The kid was always hard to read. It made him both nervous and aggravated.

"Tohru-kun.." the teen stated, a bit quieter as he stepped closer to the table, placing the flat of his palm onto it. "I won't tell anybody. I swear. You can trust me.." there was a change in Narukami's voice. An odd.. pleading. It bothered Adachi, as he had heard Narukami take this tone before. It was.. unsettling.

Narukami didn't dare break eye contact with the shorter, goofy-looking detective. The pleading in his eyes grew more desperate as he saw the officer's eyes only harden. But he knew. Adachi knew exactly what Narukami was talking about, there was no denying it. The air was cold and still between them, making the detective nervous- if only slightly.

Carefully, Narukami began to walk around the table, in order to get closer to the detective. But seeing Adachi tense up made the boy pause. He saw the detective was considering something in the back of his mind- but what? If only he could read the man's mind. It was an odd realization that came to Narukami- the fact that he didn't really know who this man was before him. Was everything Adachi shared about himself a lie? Was it all some kind of cover-up? Or was that goofy facade really a part of the officer he had thought he befriended..? The teenager felt there was still hope. There was still.. something there. Some part of Adachi that he could appeal to, even if this man was obviously the murderer.

Yes. Adachi was the killer. Narukami knew. Even now, when the man was playing dumb, the kid could feel it in his gut. So.. Why didn't he tell his friends? Why.. Did he keep this revelation to himself? Why not tell them, and confront Adachi together as a team? They had all been through so much together this year, and yet.. There was something that told the teen to hold his tongue. This was something that bothered him, and yet here he found himself, talking to the very man he desired to protect.. For whatever reason. Perhaps there was a reason that he himself was not yet ready to admit. Suddenly there was a sickness at the pit of his stomach, and it churned nervously, though his face remained ever stoic as he watched the detective before him.

Movement.

Shakily, Adachi pulled out a folded piece of paper from the inside of his suit pocket. Carefully, the man's slender fingers set the paper on the table, and he slid it ever so carefully toward the young man. Grey eyes caught a reaction- a small show of surprise in Narukami's eyes. Good. At least there was something.

"You know, this is the only piece of evidence we have against the killer." His voice remained calm as he talked, not breaking eye contact with the silver-haired boy. "A letter that was personally delivered to you, Yu-kun." Fingers slipped off the white paper, hand going into his pocket, taking a hold of something cylindrical. "It'd be a shame if something.. Were to happen to it, you know..?" He allowed a slight smirk to play across his lips as he retrieved a lighter from his pocket, setting the item on the table beside the letter. The man was going to attempt to get rid of the letter himself, as Dojima-san had been fool enough to give it to him, of all people, but.. This was much more fun.

Narukami's eyes fell to the familiar letter he had received not too long ago, a small sweat breaking out on his forehead. This was it. This was his chance to prove to Adachi that he really was on the man's side. Maybe he could gain the older detective's trust.

Warily, the teenager reached for the letter, unable to keep his hands from shaking, his palms from sweating. Whatever he decided to do in this moment would change the course of everything, he knew. It'd be simple to back away if he did so this very moment, but the teenager's hand kept moving toward the letter, teeth worrying at his lower lip.

The young man gingerly picked up the letter, deciding to stare at this paper for a few moments before snatching the lighter up as well. Glancing toward Adachi, and their eyes locked for what felt like an eternity, though it only lasted a few seconds. _Do it_. He could see the goading in the man's eyes.

His thumb brushed against the jagged edge of the lighter as he held it up to the corner of the paper. Though he had been hesitating at first, the teen was now at a resolve. Thumb struck down and the lighter clicked, the flame shot up and easily caught onto the corner of the letter.

Narukami watched as the flame slowly ate the piece of paper. He thought of the friends he had made at Yasomagi High. Everything they had gone through, from rescuing people and exploring the world inside the television to the school trips and hanging out at Dojima's place. Those friends who he had formed such strong bonds with, meeting up at the court at Junes and forming the Investigation Team.. How he had helped each one face themselves and become stronger. More confident. All of his friends, all of his bonds.. Nanako.. Dojima..

And then there was Yosuke. Yosuke's affection had not gone by unnoticed by Narukami, as he himself felt there was something there for his friend. For his partner. Something more than just being friends, no matter how constantly Yosuke would deny it.

But.

His bonds, his friendships.. They all burned away as the flame devoured the only piece of evidence against the man they had worked so hard to find all year. A sudden shock ran throughout the teenager as he took in Adachi's crazed smile, the murderer's reaction. A pain in his stomach ran up and shot through his heart as he tried to ignore what he had truly just done. How he had betrayed everyone.

His decision was monstrous.

But there was no turning back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It was Sunday and Yosuke found himself heading over to Yu's house. His friend hadn't seemed all right over the last few days at school. Hadn't wanted to meet up at Junes and talk about who the murderer could possibly be.. Didn't want to talk about the fog that was enveloping the city. Yosuke really found it weird, as did everyone else. Sure, his partner was usually quiet, but this was something else entirely.

It didn't take long to get to his friend's house, seeing as Inaba was so small, and he knocked quickly on the door. "Hey! Partner open up! You didn't answer my text about coming over, so.." he frowned, hoping his friend would open the door and let him in. Maybe he could count on Nanako to-

He stopped himself right there. Nanako wouldn't be answering the door. There was a pain in his chest for a slight moment, but Yosuke took a deep breath, willing it to go away. Didn't need something else to get worked up about right now.

Starting to get a bit irritated, Yosuke knocked again, but louder. "Come on, Yu! Let me in, I-" he tried the door handle, and to his surprise, it was unlocked. Well, that was good, he guessed. For the moment, anyway..

Opening the door, Yosuke let himself in, and he looked around, growing quiet. The house was clean, as it usually was. But.. Nothing really felt right. Closing the door behind him, the teenager ventured further into the house, and he couldn't stop an overwhelming sense of grief come over him. Man, who knew it'd be this hard to come here and not see Nanako. Though, what he felt was probably nothing compared to what Dojima had to deal with.

Sucking it up for the moment, the magician finally went for Yu's room, opening the door without bothering to knock. The sight of Yu's bedroom was not what Yosuke had been expecting. Everything was.. clean. And Yu was just on his laptop, typing away. Yosuke had been expecting everything to be a complete mess, including his partner.. But what really bothered him was that Yu was..

Ignoring him.

"Yu! Man, what are you doing? We all thought you were depressed or something.." he commented, stepping further into his friend's room. "I mean, you're acting so different at school and-"

"Why are you here?" the silver-haired boy snipped, not even bothering to turn around to look at his visitor. "I figured you would put together the fact I didn't answer your text meant for you not to come over."

Yosuke winced. That was harsh.

"What the hell?" the teenager grunted, nervously fiddling with his red headphones. "I wanted to check up on you! You're acting really weird at school. We.. I.." he grew quiet, suddenly regretting his choice to come. "I wanted to check up on you.." he was quiet for a few moments, feeling nervous. Feeling stupid.

"Please leave, Yosuke."

Once again, the teen winced at his friend's tone. But the awkwardness he felt was soon replaced by an abrupt anger.

"What the _hell_?!" he yelled, his hand gripping Yu's shoulder and forcing him to turn around. "What's your problem? Why don't you come to the food court anymore? Why are you so uninterested in finding out who the murderer is?! We're so close, and suddenly you just.. Don't want to have anything to do with it anymore! You're the leader! We've _got_ to solve this case and stop this stupid fog from killing everybody!" his voice cracked, brown eyes staring into cold grey. "Don't you care anymore? Nanako died because of all this, and you're just sitting on your ass at home-"

Suddenly, Yosuke felt himself being lifted off the ground, and a sharp pain shot through his neck before he realized what had even happened. Yu had stood up and caught him in the throat- All Yosuke could manage were a few coughs and to stumble backward, tripping onto Yu's small table.

Looking up at Yu, Yosuke couldn't find any words to say. This was different than what Yosuke was used to, and it scared him, though he wouldn't admit it.

"You think I don't care that Nanako died..?" Yu asked, hand going to cover his face in attempt to hide any emotion. "Don't _ever _say that again.." though his hand hid his eyes, Yosuke saw his friend's lips quiver. Narukami was always a hard guy to read, but now..

Dropping his hand, Yu gazed down at his friend, trying to remain emotionless. He had thought that distancing himself from his friends until he had to leave would've made things easier, but.. It didn't. He couldn't.. Live with himself. Not after what he had done. Not if his friends knew. If his friends found out he had aided Adachi.. Yu couldn't bear to even imagine their reactions. He had sacrificed his friendships in order to gain Adachi's, and the officer had laughed in his face.

_Why did you betray everyone?_ The man's question burned in Yu's ears. The teenager knew exactly why he had done it. But he wasn't able to bring himself to tell Adachi. He felt the older man would laugh at him for it. And as the days passed by, the more Narukami thought about his decision and the more agonized he became about it. Because it hadn't been worth it. Adachi showed no more affection for him than he did before. In fact, the murderer was keeping an even closer eye on him than before. The fact that Yosuke was here was dangerous, and he didn't want his friend getting into any danger. But even when he was acting so cold toward his friend, all the guy wanted to do was stay.

Tears threatened to fall down Yu's cheeks, but he attempted to will them away. Just what had he gotten himself into..? It was stupid, that he had been so desperate for the officer's affections that he threw everything.. everyone.. away.

And he felt powerless to do anything about it.

Though Yu was unusually good at hiding his emotions, there was such turmoil going on within him that he couldn't help but stifle a small sob, so many emotions rushing forth that he was unable to do anything to stop it. He collapsed on the floor in front of Yosuke, face buried in his hands as tears burst forth, as his shoulders shook. Short fingernails dug into his face as if he were trying to hurt himself in order to make that sick feeling in his stomach go away.

"Y-yosuke.." the teen stuttered, pain clear. "I'm.. I'm s-sorry.. I.." he continued to sob as the magician gazed at him, dumbfounded.

"Yu.. I.." seeing his friend in such a state really worried Yosuke, and he didn't.. Didn't know what to do. Usually Yu was the one comforting people. He was the one helping everyone out. But here he was now, sobbing right in front of him. There was a lump in the teenager's throat as he continued to stare at his crying friend, not sure of what he should do or say.

"Partner.." he said quietly, brows furrowing. "I.. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.. Of course you cared about Nanako, I.." biting his lower lip, he squatted beside his friend, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nah, man.. Don't be sorry.. It didn't hurt too bad.." figured Yu was apologizing for hitting him in the throat. But man, now he felt bad for making him cry. This entire situation was awkward, his hand tense on his partner's shoulder as his friend cried hysterically.

Yosuke's hand on his shoulder was hardly a comfort. It was more of a reminder of what a failure he had been. Narukami kept thinking back to that single moment that had changed everything.. When he burned that letter. If Yosuke knew about that... These thoughts only made Yu cry harder, though he tried to stop, it was in vain. It didn't help that Yosuke thought this was only about Nanako- if only his friend knew the true depths of his troubles.

In a single moment, Yosuke found himself wrapped in Narukami's arms, his friend deciding to hug him in some sort of comfort. It made the magician's heart beat a bit faster, and he grew even more nervous. But that was stupid. Why should he be so nervous around his partner? Hugging was normal, right? Hugging someone when they were grieving..

Unable to stop himself from tearing up, Yosuke returned the hug, resulting in Narukami squeezing him even tighter, his friend crying into his shoulder.

Yu was always the strong one. The guy everyone looked up to. Heck, the guy helped him face his own shadow, helped him.. become okay with some parts of himself. No.. it was more than that. Yu was a good friend to him. The only good friend he'd ever had. The only person he felt he could really trust. Trust with his life. He hugged his friend tighter, burying his face in Yu's shoulder as his friend continued to cry.

It was the least he could do.

"You know, if.. If you ever need to talk, I'll listen.." Yosuke offered quietly. "You're always there for.. me. So.. you know..." saying this brought a bit of color to the teenager's cheeks, and he could feel it. Why did he have to feel this way around Narukami? He wasn't into guys.. That was Kanji's department. But he wasn't. A sigh left him as his partner just continued to cry, though it was less sobbing and more sniffling at this point. He'd never seen Yu break down like this, and it really.. It actually really hurt him to see his friend like this.

After what felt like an eternity of being wrapped in Narukami's arms, the silver-haired boy finally released his hold. Yosuke sighed inwardly, figuring that his friend was opting out of talking about what was bothering him. It.. irked Yosuke, if only because he wanted to know what was going on in order to help, but.. This was difficult to talk about, he knew. After all, with what happened to Saki-senpai that while ago, the brown-haired teen knew what it was like.. Save for the fact that Nanako was someone who was much closer.

Just as Yosuke opened his mouth to speak, his friend interrupted him.

"Yosuke.." he said quietly, wiping his eyes dry, voice cracking. "Yosuke, I.. I didn't mean to.. To shut everyone out.." slowly, grey eyes rose to meet brown, filled to the brim with sorrow. "But I have to. I can't talk to you guys anymore." Yu's voice grew quiet, and the boy talked at an oddly quick pace. "I can't have anything to do with this case anymore, Yosuke. I can't be involved. You'd all.. You.." tears welled up in his eyes once again, but he desperately fought against them as he tried talking to the closest friend he'd ever had. "I c-can't handle b-being around everyone.. not when.. When I.." _betrayed you all._ He wanted to desperately say, but found he couldn't. No.. No. Not even Yosuke should know what he had done. Already unable to live with himself, Narukami couldn't imagine how it could feel any worse, and he didn't want to find out.

It took a few moments for Yosuke to process what his friend was saying. Everything he said sounded so.. Weird. But maybe Nanako's death had affected him so much, causing him to shut everyone out? To completely shut down? Making him want to forget about the case altogether?

Hand balling into a fist, Yosuke felt a sudden fire in his gut.

There was no way he was going to let his friend quit like this. Not when they were so close to finding out who the true killer was.

"I know this is tough, but listen up!" he began, causing Narukami to perk up. "You can't just quit! You're our _leader_! All of us would've never gotten this far without you! You're what holds us all together!" he flashed a smile, a reassuring hand going to Yu's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "You can't let this case go unsolved. Not when we're so close to finding out who the real killer is! We've got to put the real killer to justice! That creep doesn't deserve to get away with this! Not after Saki!" his gaze hardened as he continued, feeling quit spirited at the moment. "Not after Nanako-chan. We can't let her die in vain. I know it's hard to hear, but.." he sighed, starting to calm down a bit as he looked solemnly at his friend. "We can't do this without you, partner."

One would expect Yosuke's speech to be uplifting, but all it accomplished was making Yu truly feel like shit. Everything Yosuke said was true- they really did need him to solve this murder case. Sad thing was that the case was already solved.. But Yu wasn't exactly willing to share this information with his friend, if only for the fact that he had helped Adachi in getting away with it. Though, as he let his friend's words toss around in his mind, it did manage to light a small flame- a sort of renewed feeling of hope. Maybe if he told his friends what he had done.. They might still be able to take Adachi down after all..? There was such a high risk though. What if his friends didn't forgive him? Besides that, what kind of lengths would Adachi go through to make sure he and his friends would never be heard from again? Then again, Yu had something Adachi didn't- the power of his friends. But would that be strong enough for them to forgive his betrayal..? Perhaps this was a risk worth taking- after all, weren't his friends doomed already..?

Hopeful resolve in mind, the boy's small flame of hope grew a bit bigger, a determined look in his eyes. "Yosuke." He said suddenly, tone serious, surprising his friend. "You're right. We've got to put an end to all this. But there's.. There's something I have to tell you first.." his determination faltered, if only slightly, but he had to do this.. Right..? "Yosuke, I-"

A ringing sound emitted throughout the room, and Yu hastily withdrew the phone from his pocket, answering without a second thought. "Hello?"

_"If you involve your little friend in our business, I can't imagine things will end well for him."_

Yu felt his skin crawl, the small flame of hope that had begun to flicker inside him had been snuffed out in just a mere second. The voice on his phone made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, made his feel nervous, nauseous.

It was Adachi.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"How's Hanamura been? You haven't talked to him in ages, after all."

Yu had found himself in Adachi's small apartment for the fourth time that week. The two had been hanging out more than usual, due to the.. advancement in their relationship. The apartment was empty, for the most part, and it always felt.. Cold to him. Adachi didn't really do much with the place, never really bothered to make it seem more like a home rather than just some place to kick his feet up after the work day was done. It was funny, as this little detail had never bothered Yu until recently.

Rather than answer Adachi, Yu chose to stare at the carpeted floor, back uncomfortably straight as he sat on the man's couch. Fingers dug into his worn jeans, a small drop of sweat sliding down the bridge of his nose. He couldn't give the man satisfaction of an answer, for fear he'd lose composure. Always so calm and collected, always expected to be so. But recently, Narukami wasn't able to keep that act up. He had been so caught up in helping others that he threw his own needs out the window. He had wanted to help Adachi, even though he knew the man was the murderer. But why- No, he knew why. But he didn't want to admit it to himself. It was stupid, as he had recently come to realize.

"Ah, not much for talking today, are we Yu-kun..?" Adachi mused, letting out a small chuckle, pacing slowly around the back of the couch. Sighing, the man dropped down a bit, arms resting on the back edge of the couch, his elbow just barely making contact with Narukami's shoulder. "If you didn't want to talk to me, why did you come over, huh?" he laughed, making the teenager cringe.

It had been a bit of a chore getting away from Yosuke, as Adachi had essentially summoned him to his apartment. It wasn't like he had the choice of refusing- he wanted to be sure Yosuke and everyone else would be safe. He was unsure of whether or not Adachi would really _do_ anything to his friends, but that wasn't what Yu was concerned about. The fact that he had helped the man burn the only piece of evidence against him would be made obvious, he was sure of that. It wasn't like he'd be able to lie and say he wasn't responsible for such an act.

"Seems like a lot has been on your mind lately." The man whispered as he took on a note of feigned concern. "I don't blame you. So much has happened this past week, you know? Rather, this entire year.. And I know how things have become even more difficult, with you at home by yourself.." he leaned forward into the couch, trying to make some sort of eye contact with the clammed up boy, but Narukami merely turned his head the other way. Smiling, the man leaned closer to the boy, lips close to his ear. "This is all your own fault, you know. You trusted me. Tried to take care of me. Wanted to hang out! I still don't get it."

Those words finally got Adachi a reaction, but not one he was expecting. Narukami had finally turned to look at the detective, eyes looking worn and sad. It caught Adachi off-guard- he had been expecting anger. Not whatever the hell this was about.

And the teenager was quick to deliver a flood of words in hopes of ridding himself of all the horrible, awful feelings he had buried in his gut.

"I know. I know! You keep saying this is my fault. You keep saying I shouldn't have trusted you.. And you're right, you don't understand it, Tohru-kun. I.." he couldn't stop the water that suddenly flooded into his eyes, spilling onto his cheeks, and he lowered his voice to a whisper, sounding ashamed. "Even after I knew that you were the one behind it all, I wanted to believe in you. I wanted.. to believe I could change you. That I could make you come to realize that.. That what you did was wrong! And I.. I didn't want you to get in trouble for it. That's why I burned the letter, I..." furiously, he wiped the tears away. "I thought I could make you better and make you regret what you had done. That you'd feel bad.. I wanted you to have another chance, I-" he was interrupted by the sound of laughter, and he found Tohru's thin fingers grasping onto his face, effectively covering his mouth.

"You're so _stupid_!" Adachi laughed, grip tight on Narukami's mug. "You actually thought you'd be able to _fix me_?!" the man was no longer laughing, a harsh anger in his words, a steely look in his eyes. "What gives you the right to even fucking try! You have no idea what's happened in my life. You're just a fucking kid- did you think our your _bond_ with me would 'cure' me? Because you were my friend? Because you were so fucking nice to me?!" another humorless laugh left the man, grip tightening as he stared into grey eyes. "How stupid do you have to be to believe in that sort of shit? Friends make everything better, huh? How self-righteous are you to go believing that my sole friendship with you would fix me." The man frowned, and he finally let go, stepping away from the couch, feet plodding into the carpet. "I can't believe you think... that we're friends." Adachi turned to look at the boy, smirking. "Do you still think you can save me?"

That was a question Narukami had been asking himself for the past week, and it seemed as if the answer was finally before him. His stomach contorted, making him feel extremely sick. It felt as if the image he had had of Adachi was falling apart, piece by piece, finally revealing what was really underneath the man's silly act. But was.. all of it really an act? Had there been no truth to it all when they had spent time together..? Narukami felt that he understood the detective more now than ever- of course he would, considering the man was no longer hiding behind a mask- but Yu felt there had definitely been some genuine moments in time spent alone.

"Was everything a lie?" Yu asked quietly, looking oddly determined.

"What.. What the hell are you talking about?" Adachi growled, throwing a hand up in the air. "Do you need to have your hearing checked? Did everything I just say fly right over your head?"

Yu glanced to the side. "I mean.. About what you told me about yourself. About how you hate this place. How you act like you don't really care if no one notices you, Tohru-kun. When we.." he fumbled with his words as well as with his hands. "You always sound lonely. But that's your own fault, you know."

Adachi blinked, as it took him a minute to process what Narukami was talking about. Why was the brat so obsessed with the time they had spent together?

"Why does it matter? I'm the killer. Shouldn't that be enough to sicken you, Narukami?" his fist clenched.

"..." Narukami looked up at the man, deciding to finally get up off the couch. "I.. I don't know.." he admitted, once again letting shame creep into his voice. The fact that Adachi didn't deny that some of their time had been genuine had actually sent a small flutter shooting up through his chest. This was all so wrong for him to want there to have been some kind of authentic knowledge of this man he had been so curious to get to know. The sad fact remained that he had an affection for the older detective, an affection he had been trying to push away, even moreso when he found out Adachi was the murderer. But his heart and mind didn't really agree on what was important right now. The image of an Adachi he had become obsessed with wouldn't quit dissolve, even though the older man was saying such hurtful things. In the far back of his mind the teenager wished he didn't feel this way, that this was all an incredibly awful, terrible thing to feel toward a man who had killed others. But it wasn't something he could stop.

And it made him feel sick.

As he came back to reality, Narukami found he had made his way over to the detective, standing toe to toe with him. Essentially the teenager had managed to back the man into a corner, though Adachi didn't look like he was about to back down.

"What is it, Yu-kun? Finally deciding to take some action against me?" there was a challenge in his eyes, as the man didn't quite grasp what was going on in the teenager's mind. "Finally realize that you were so incredibly stupid as to have-"

Adachi blacked out for a few seconds, and he found himself falling back, though the wall managed to stop him from falling on his ass, head smacking into the hard wall. His hand immediately went to the back of his head, applying pressure to the sharp pain. It took him a minute to comprehend what the fuck had just happened. He had been talking to Yu, fully expecting the kid to punch him, but- his eyes widened as he realized-

Narukami had fucking kissed him.

Fucking.

Kissed.

_ Him._

All at once the detective felt he wanted to throw up, aggressively wiping his mouth as if the boy had some kind of disease. Alarm rang in his ears, and he finally managed to focus on the teenager, who appeared to be calm, save for that... Scared look on his face. Fear of how Adachi would react to being kissed. Fuck everything, the detective felt he should've seen this coming- he had gotten weird vibes from Narukami before concerning this shit, but he had hoped he was wrong.

This was fucking disgusting.

There was such an internal rage that threatened to make itself heard, but Adachi still couldn't seem to manage to form any sort of coherent string words. Though the man's face progressively grew a few shades of red in anger- was this brat really so STUPID to think that would change anything?

"Why did you do that?!" he finally yelled, managing to stand up straight, wishing he was taller so he could stare the kid down. "What the HELL was that?!"

Narukami shrunk back into his shoulders, feet digging into the carpet as he tried to look away from the detective, but found he couldn't. "I..." his cheeks reddened, and he didn't say much else.

The fact that he had gone and kissed Adachi did not really sit well with him, and he was already starting to regret it. Not only because the detective looked furious, but Narukami was also angry with himself. Was he really so desperate for the older man's attention? The answer to that question was obvious now, and it made Yu feel ill. It was like he wasn't willing to accept the fact that Adachi was.. IS a terrible human being who wasn't looking to change. Why Adachi, anyway? The man was treating him like trash, and yet here he was, still feeling fondly toward the older detective. It wasn't like Narukami didn't have any other friends, so really.. Why.. Why Adachi..?

Seeing as how Narukami wasn't going to talk yet again, Adachi rubbed at his forehead in frustration. He kept trying to push the brat away and make him feel like shit, yet he fucking kissed him. Ha, and he thought he was sick in the head.

Wiping at his mouth yet again, the older man looked to the teenager, an even deeper disgust in his gut. He had already disliked the kid, but now..

An idea abruptly clicked in his head, and Adachi perked up a bit. The man smirked, hand dropping to his side and casually slipping into his pocket.

"So this has been what it's all about, has it?" Adachi asked, taking a step closer to the teenager. "Wow, if your uncle knew about this.." he made a face, muttering a 'yeesh' under his breath, causing fear to creep into the younger man's eyes. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me, Yu-kun.." he smiled, though it was about as friendly a smile as one would expect from a criminal. It looked more sympathetic than anything.

"I.. I never got to say sorry.." The man glanced over at Yu, cogs spinning in his head as he formulated a plan. "About Nanako-chan, I mean. I didn't mean for her to get mixed up in this. It really was.. _your_ fault, you know.." he had to stop himself from smirking as Narukami's brows furrowed. "I even kept telling you guys to stop getting involved, but you.. You put her in danger. _You_ did this. Not me." The man played with the lint in his pocket, getting a sick kind of rush from seeing what was left of the teenager's calm, collected confidence fall apart.

Adachi shrugged. "Though I guess the real culprit would have to be Namatame, right? He took her into the television and made her sick." Yu stared at the detective, and Adachi was glad to see the pain in the young man's eyes. " You know.. Namatame is still in the hospital.. Maybe you should go pay him a visit."

The detective's change in demeanor made the hairs on the back of Yu's neck bristle, warning him that something was very, very wrong. But he didn't want to listen. Didn't want to listen as the older man drew closer, this time cornering him against the wall. Didn't listen as Adachi's arm rest beside him, as the detective made himself relax. Yu couldn't focus, he could barely breathe as his heart pounded in his ears- the man was so close, closer than Yu had ever been to him before, and it was disgustingly exciting to him.

"I.. You're right.." he breathed, staring into the detective's cold eyes. The teenager felt uncomfortable but he also found he did indeed like being so close to the man. The fact that Adachi's smell and face and body were so near to him was making it difficult for him to concentrate, difficult for him to make any correct judgement. Failed to make him realize that Adachi was planting a truly dreadful idea into his brain.

Yu yearned to believe that Adachi wanted to change, to become a good person. He believed that there was good in everyone, that sometimes people just needed a little help. A push in the right direction. The fact that Adachi was so close made him want to believe it even more strongly, as he hoped the man would change, _just for him_. It was entirely selfish, Narukami knew, but.. But he had never really felt this way about anyone before. Yes, he felt similar feelings toward Yosuke, but.. Adachi was different. Exciting. The teenager felt he knew that this was a very bad situation, but he couldn't help himself. Not with Adachi so close.

"Well, Yu-kun, I believe you have some unfinished business to attend to, do you not?" Adachi's smirk widened, and he got as close to the boy's face as he could manage without gagging.

Closing his eyes, Narukami willed his heart to stop beating so fast.

Adachi was right.

There was some unfinished business to attend to.

Foolishly, the boy fiercely held onto the hope that Adachi would change, not realizing that the older man was certainly working to change Narukami himself.

If only being good were as easy as being bad.


End file.

Persona Series, Angst, Romance