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Yosuke was jealous. No way, that wasn’t the right word. He wasn’t jealous, he was envious. Envious of all the people in this town that got to hang out with Souji while he didn’t. Envious of Chie and Souji training at the floodplains or Yukiko and Souji just wandering around town together. Sometimes, he even had to hold back his little green eyed monster when he saw Kanji and Souji hanging out.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like the other boy having friends. He just wished Souji had more time to hang out with him. He had even considered asking Souji to start working at Junes so they could hang out more, but he wasn’t sure if that was appropriate. Even now, as he worked on stock near the window, he had to grit his teeth when he saw Souji and Kanji walking around in the food court, Kanji talking excitedly while Souji just nodded along and smiled.
As if sensing his stare, Souji looked up and when their eyes met, Souji waved cheerfully. Kanji, who paused mid word, looked upset, his face falling as Souji’s attention moved away from him. Yosuke knew that feeling all too well, had felt it all too often recently. Kanji happened to glance up and when their eyes locked, Kanji’s eyes dropped quickly, his hands were shoved into his pockets and his whole posture seemed to change, becoming more defensive. Even from where Yosuke was standing, he could see the change in Kanji and felt a twist of something in his gut.
He knew he hadn’t exactly been kind to the younger man since he had joined the team. The camping trip had shown him a side of himself he hadn’t considered before, an ugly side that he really didn’t want to think about, and Souji had given him quite the tongue lashing afterwards about it. As if sensing the mood change, he watched Souji turn back to Kanji and they continued on. As they disappeared from Yosuke’s sight, Yosuke grit his teeth and went back to restocking the shelves.
Later that night, Yosuke stared at the Midnight Channel, but was thankful no one appeared. Rise was still recovering after her dungeon, so they hadn’t had a chance to speak to her about what she remembered. While he was thankful they had saved her before anything could get too revealing, Yosuke did wonder who the next victim would be. People appeared on TV all the time, especially since the murders started. They had gotten lucky so far figuring who might be the next target, but what if they were wrong next time?
His mind flashed to King Moron and he winced. They still had no idea how he fit in with everything and while the man had been an ass, he didn’t deserve to die the way he did. The painful truth was they had been so focused on Rise, they hadn’t realized that someone else could be in danger too.
Yosuke bit his lip, wondering. Saki-senpai had died a painful death, he had found that out from eavesdropping on police officers who stopped by Junes for lunch and other things. He couldn’t imagine how scared she had been, how terrifying her final moments had been. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, getting up from the floor and turning the TV off. Hopefully, it would be a few days before the next victim.
As he started towards his bed, the TV turned back on and Yosuke felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Admittedly, the TV was a faulty display from Junes that his father had given him because they couldn’t sell it. It sometimes flickers on and off, but right now, everything in Yosuke’s body told him there was something different about this. He moved back towards the TV, staring at the screen in growing horror.
Someone was on there, someone was appearing from the static that constantly covered the screen. Yosuke darted for his phone, hands shaking as he dialed Souji’s number. The phone rang and rang and there was a sinking feeling in his chest when Souji didn’t pick up. He could just barely make out who was standing there.
“No, no, no, no.” Yosuke whimpered, redialing the number over and over again.
This couldn’t be! Souji hadn’t been on TV! Yosuke stomach dropped as the phone slipped from his weak fingers. It couldn’t be, but he could see the outline and he knew it anywhere. His phone rang and he dropped to his knees to pick it up.
“Hello?” he said breathlessly.
“It’s not true. Tell me this is a fucking joke, Senpai!” Kanji’s hysterical voice came from the other line as another phone call was coming in.
“H-Hold on. I’m getting another call.” Yosuke said as he clicked over.
“Please tell me you got in contact with Souji!” Chie begged, her voice trembling.
“He won’t answer!” Yosuke replied as another call came in.
He clicked over.
“I can’t get in contact with Souji!” Yukiko’s voice was calm, but terrified.
Yosuke started a conference call and winced as all of them tried to talk over each other.
“ENOUGH!” he snapped.
They all quieted down and there was a small sense of pleasure inside him that he was in charge, in control. He squished it. Now was not the time.
“Listen, we all know that people aren’t sucked into the TV until after they appear the first time. Tomorrow, we’ll wait for him at school. He’s fine, I know he is.” Yosuke declared.
He just wished his brain would stop spinning with all the horrible possibilities.
The next day, all of them waited by the front gate. Kanji was pacing nervously, growling at anyone who looked at them twice. Chie was doing her usual jumping around, trying to burn her nervous energy. Yukiko stood perfectly still, which Yosuke thought was weirder than anything else while his own foot tapped to the beat of some unheard song.
When Souji finally appeared out of the fog that seemed to cover the road, the group let out a cry of joy and hugged him. He looked at them, confused as he pat a crying Kanji on the head.
“What’s going on?” Souji asked.
“Dude!” Yosuke punched him in the arm.
“You totally gave us a heart attack, man! Why didn’t you answer your phone!” Yosuke snapped.
“My phone? Oh, sorry. It uhhh fell off my nightstand last night and broke.” Souji said rubbing the back of his neck.
Yosuke sighed in relief, thankful it wasn’t something worse. Souji still seemed confused though.
“We saw you. Last night on the Midnight Channel!” Kanji said when he asked.
Souji’s eyes got wide and he frowned.
“Me? Are you sure? I haven’t been on TV though.” Souji stated.
Yosuke nodded his head. He couldn’t imagine why Souji could be targeted, unless the murderer realized he was in charge of the group trying to stop him. Yosuke was about to reply when the bell went off.
“Oh shit, we’re gonna be lie! Kashiwagi is gonna string us up!” Yosuke yelped as they rushed inside.
After being grilled by Kashiwagi for being tardy, Yosuke sat next to Souji and had to keep himself from talking. They had to figure this out before Souji was kidnapped. What would they do without him? At lunch, they all crowded around Souji’s desk.
“So you saw me on the Midnight Channel last night?” Souji asked.
“Yeah, you weren’t watching?” Yosuke asked, slightly annoyed.
“I did, but when I didn’t see anyone, I went to bed.” Souji rubbed his eyes.
Yosuke frowned. Now that he looked at Souji, he looked tired, like he hadn’t been sleeping. Yosuke wondered how he had missed that.
“So what do we do? You already have a persona, well a lot of personas actually. So what is this about?” Chie asked.
“That’s true, but maybe it’s something deeper?” Yukiko asked.
Everyone looked at Souji, who just shrugged helplessly. He had no idea what this could be about. Yosuke started to tap his foot, anxious. Souji was their leader, a guy who was straight and to the point about everything. He didn’t beat around the bush. Yosuke couldn’t imagine what he could be hiding. They would just have to see and find out.
That night, Yosuke tried to convince his parents to let him stay over Souji’s house, but they refused. His grades were slipping, they pointed out. He grit his teeth as he tried to argue with them, but later, he spoke to Souji and learned Dojima said no anyways.
“He doesn’t feel comfortable with it, so he said no.” Souji sounded annoyed and Yosuke felt a ping of something in his chest.
He always thought Dojima at least liked him. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe he had just been polite all this time? Yosuke was so used to people going out of their way to let him know how they felt about him that he wasn’t sure what to do with someone like that.
“My parents said no too. Something about my grades.” he muttered.
Honestly, what his parents expected out of him, he’d never be sure. He wasn’t a genius by any stretch of the imagination. So why they thought he would get better grades, he never understand. They spoke for a while longer, Yosuke just dragging out the conversation for fear it would be their last before finally Souji said he had to go. As Souji’s line went dead, Yosuke just looked at the phone in his hand before he sighed.
He turned on the Midnight Channel, frowning deeply when he realized the picture was getting clearer. It was definitely Souji, but he was wearing a black hoodie with a backpack on his back. Yosuke rubbed his neck, trying to think of what kind of show it could be.
“Travelling show?” he muttered before shaking his head.
The picture disappeared and Yosuke sighed. Getting up from the floor, he crawled into bed, but he couldn’t sleep.
The next morning, Yosuke yawned loudly as he walked to school. It was raining like always and he wished he had a better umbrella. As he walked, he saw Souji and smiled, running ahead.
“Yo.” he said with a smile.
Souji smiled back, but it seemed weak, like it didn’t quite meet his eyes. He looked tired too, the dark bags standing out against his skin. In fact, his uniform looked a little wrinkled too, like it hadn’t been hung up properly. Yosuke found himself staring and wondering if there had been signs he had been missing that something was wrong.
“Are you...ok?” Yosuke asked finally.
Souji just shrugged and Yosuke scowled.
“Dude, you know you can talk to me. I won’t tell a soul.” Yosuke said.
Souji just smiled.
“I’m fine.” he replied.
They made it to school to find Chie standing there. She looked nervous.
“Oh, there you are.” she said with relief.
So she had been worried too. Yosuke followed Souji into the school, where Kanji and Yukiko were waiting.
“We were worried.” Yukiko said.
“I’m fine.” Souji shrugged.
“Senpai, maybe you can stay at my place tonight?” Kanji asked and did he seem kind of hopeful?
Yosuke squished that vicious piece of him that hissed at Kanji’s hope.
“I can’t. Nanako...she’s sick. Dojima is busy and I need to watch over her.” Souji said calmly.
“Has she been sick for a while?” Yosuke asked, suddenly suspicious.
Souji nodded slowly.
“They said she caught the flu. I’ve been watching over her for the last week and a half.” Souji admitted.
Yosuke felt like an absolute ass. No wonder Souji had looked tired. Everyone knew how much Nanako meant to him.
“Maybe she can stay over too?” Kanji asked.
“I would hate for you or your ma to get sick.” Souji said calmly.
Always worried about others, never himself. Yosuke both loved and hated that part of him.
“Loved?” Yosuke’s eyes got wide.
No, that wasn’t right. He didn’t love Souji! I mean, well he did, but only as a friend! Yes, yes, this was like a friendship kind of love. Yosuke looked away when Souji glanced his way.
“We should get going.” Yosuke said quickly as he raced off.
The group watched him go before Kanji spoke.
“He’s right. I should get to class on time for once.” Kanji rolled his eyes before walking away.
The others just sighed and followed Yosuke to the second floor. In class, Yosuke couldn’t concretate. His mind kept going around and around in circles.
“Hanamura!” Kashiwagi snapped.
“U-ugh, yes?” Yosuke stuttered.
The teacher sneered.
“Since you are so clearly paying attention, then you can answer my next question. What is the difference between Eros and Philia?” she demanded.
Yosuke’s mind went blank. He had no idea what she was talking about.
“Eros is sexual love. Philia is a love based on friendship.” Souji whispered.
Yosuke repeated the answer and Kashiwagi smirked.
“Thank you, Seta, for answering the question, but I asked Hanamura.” she mocked.
Yosuke shot Souji a smile and he nodded back before returning to the lecture. At lunch, Souji got up to use the restroom as Chie and Yukiko crowded around Yosuke’s desk.
“So, what’s the plan?” Chie demanded.
“Huh? Plan?” Yosuke asked.
“Yeah, dummy! You can’t tell me you are just going to just leave Souji alone! He could be taken at any time!” Chie said with a huff.
He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck as Kanji came in.
“Where’s Senpai?” he asked.
“Bathroom. Though he is taking a while.” Yosuke muttered.
They looked at each other, a sudden sinking feeling in their chests. They shot out the door, Kanji and Yosuke darting into the first men’s room they saw, but he wasn’t there.
“He’s not here!” Kanji said panicked.
“Just stay calm. Let’s check the other ones.” Yosuke said darting into the hallway.
“Chie, you check the practice building. Yukiko, you check around the classrooms. I’m gonna try the roof and the fields. Kanji, you take the bathrooms.” Yosuke ordered before they split up.
Yosuke raced across the school, praying Souji had just gotten distracted or been asked to help someone, but as lunch drew to a close, they met back up in the hallway. No one had seen him, no teachers or students. Yosuke grabbed his hair and pulled.
“He was gone for five minutes!” Yosuke hissed.
Yukiko gently pulled his fingers from his hair, her eyes alight with determination.
“We’ll say he had to go home, a family emergency, if anyone asks. Then after school, we’ll go see Teddie.” she stated calmly.
That was a good plan. A solid plan in fact and Yosuke nodded along. Of course, Kashiwagi was not pleased that Souji had left. She ranted and raved about all sorts of non-sense that Yosuke didn’t care to listen to. As soon as classes ended, the group booked it to Junes and, much to their annoyance, the electronics isle was full of people.
“What is going on?” Chie hissed.
“An inventory sale. Fuck, I forgot that was happening today! Dad needs to get rid of all the old inventory to make way for new! It’s for today only!” Yosuke cursed.
“When will it end?” Kanji asked.
“Not any time soon.” Yosuke muttered.
He eyed a few of their regulars. He knew they would stand here all day, trying to haggle down the prices to get the best deals. They left the electronics department, heading towards the food court. There, they sat at a table, not sure what to do.
“And none of us have a TV big enough to go through?” Kanji asked.
“Mine’s too small.” Yosuke muttered angrily.
“Mine’s barely big enough to watch.” Chie sighed.
“Our’s broke.” Yukiko said sadly.
“And Ma doesn’t care for TV, so we don’t have one. I usually use the one in the shop.” Kanji said running a hand through his hair.
“Even still, we should go in without a plan. Let’s watch the Midnight Channel tonight and see what his program looks like. That way we know what we are getting into.” Yosuke said finally.
After some less than enthusiastic agreements, they split up. As Yosuke walked past the electronics department, he scowled angrily at the people in there. How he hated them. Souji could be hurt or dead and they couldn’t get to him because of them. He turned away from the department and marched home.
Hours passed and finally it was time. As Yosuke turned on the Midnight Channel, he felt his gut sink. The music started very soft and slow before showing Souji. He was dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans, a backpack over his shoulder.
“Good evening, everyone.” his voice was soft, if not sad.
“Souji.” Yosuke muttered.
“Tonight, I hope you all join me as I look for my place in this world. As I find what I have always been looking for.” the lights behind Souji faded in and Yosuke could see what seemed to be a long row of houses on either side of him.
“Welcome to Souji’s Search For a Home.” Souji said with a sad smile, the title appearing above his head in lights.
With that, the program ended and Yosuke was left in stunned silence. His phone rang and it took him a second to remember how to use it. It was Chie.
“What...was that? That program?” she asked.
He could hear the tears in her voice and he swallowed his own.
“I don’t know. Look tomorrow is Sunday. Let’s go to Junes first thing, ok?” Yosuke stated.
Chie agreed and Yosuke hung up, but didn’t move. He had never seen Souji so sad, so upset. He could see the crystal tears in his eyes as he stood on stage. Was that really how Souji felt? Like he didn’t have a home? A place to belong? Yosuke went to bed with more questions than answers that night.
The next morning, Yosuke found he was the last one to Junes, despite how early it was. Chie looked anxious, she was pacing the table. Yukiko was playing with her hair and Kanji was tapping his foot.
“I already checked the electronics department. It’s empty. Let’s go.” Yosuke said.
They climbed into the TV and found Teddie waiting on the other side. He waved at them, bright and cheerful, but when Souji didn’t come through, he frowned.
“Where’s Sensei?” he asked.
“Souji’s...been taken. He’s the newest victim, Teddie.” Yukiko said calmly.
Teddie fell to his knees, looking scared.
“T-Then we have to find him!” he declared.
“Can you track his scent?” Chie asked hopefully.
“I-I can try. He’s been all over this place, so it could take a while.” he said nervously.
They started following Teddie around, going from dungeon to dungeon as he tried to track the scent. Finally, they made it to the same long row of houses that Yosuke saw before.
“We made it.” Kanji muttered, wiping his brow.
“Let’s go.” Yosuke declared.
“We have to be careful!” Teddie said.
They started on the first floor, which was a maze of twists and turns. They managed to get to the second floor after some time.
“Man, this is insane. Thank god the shadows are still kind of weak.” Kanji muttered.
“Yeah, but we need to be careful. Souji usually covers our asses with his personas, but all we have are our’s.” Chie stated.
“They are just going to have to be enough.” Yukiko stated.
Yosuke had never felt so weak and helpless. His wind attacks did very little damage, meaning he was forced to stay on the defensive most of the time. The others weren’t fairing much better. They got to the next floor and Teddie chimed in.
“Wait! I can sense him! He’s on the floor above you!” Teddie declared.
They rose to one last floor and pushed open the door, staring at Souji’s back.
“Souji!” they called.
He turned his head to look at them, his golden eyes looked wrong on his face.
“Welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining me on this once in a lifetime journey.” Souji said calmly.
“Souji, why are you doing this? What’s wrong?” Yosuke demanded.
“What does it mean to be Souji Seta?” he replied.
“Huh?” the group chorused back.
“I asked, what does it mean to be Souji? Who is Souji? That is what I must find out.” Souji stated.
“What are you talking about!” Yosuke snapped.
Souji flinched back, as if his words struck him. Yosuke felt bad immediately.
“What I am talking about is; who is Souji? And why does he not have a place in this world? Always leaving, never staying. Bags always packed, ready to be moved again. Dropped at another relative's house, but never there for long. I will find my place.” Souji declared before turning and disappearing into the fog.
Teddie whimpered.
“The shadows are aggravated! We need to go!” Teddie said.
“We can’t keep going. We have to go back.” Chie said.
“What! You just want to leave him?!” Yosuke demanded.
“Yosuke, think about this! It took all our power to get this far! We need to pull back and regroup!” Chie snapped.
Yosuke hated to do it, but he had no choice. As they raced out of the dungeon, it was like he could feel Souji’s eyes on his back. They landed in Junes and thankfully no one was around. As they walked to the food court, Teddie wandering off to do some work, Yosuke looked up to see Dojima coming their way and he looked pissed.
“Where is he?” Dojima asked.
“W-Who?” Yosuke squeaked.
“Cut the bs, Hanamura. Where is Seta?” Dojima demanded.
“We don’t know. Honest.” Kanji replied, but he wouldn’t look at the detective.
Dojima blew out a heavy breath.
“Look. I get that he is upset, ok? But he needs to come home. Him staying out all night isn’t good. Nanako is worried to death and I don’t need him hiding on me right now.” Dojima stated.
The four looked at each other.
“Upset?” Chie asked.
Dojima frowned and looked between them.
“He...didn’t tell you guys?” Dojima asked.
“Tell us what?” Yosuke questioned.
Dojima looked away, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
“I...might have gotten into an argument recently with his mother. She wants to bring him back to the city, but I said Nanako liked having him here. Things have been a little stressful, I know, but he is still a minor and whatever his parents decide is what he has to do. He can’t just leave the house every night and do what he wants.” Dojima stated.
Yosuke looked down at the floor. Oh god, no wonder he hadn’t been sleeping or acting right.
“But Nanako is sick, isn’t she?” Chie asked.
Dojima looked at them funny.
“Nanako’s fine. If anyone’s sick, it’s Souji. I know it’s probably nerves, but please, tell him to come home.” Dojima walked away then and they were all left standing there.
“So that must be it then. Right?” Kanji asked.
“No place to go.” Chie muttered.
“But, that’s not right. We all offered to take him in.” Kanji said.
“But what about our parents? Mine said no.” Yosuke replied annoyed.
Chie and Yukiko both made a face. He could only imagine what their parents would have said. Kanji just rubbed the back of his neck. They all sighed.
“Tomorrow, after school, we’ll go back in.” Yosuke declared.
With one final nod, they separated, but Yosuke didn’t head right home. Instead, he wandered the town, wondering where Souji had been staying if he hadn’t been staying at home. As he passed the floodplains, he stopped, staring at a familiar looking bag hidden among some bushes. He pulled the bag from its place, recognizing it as the same one Shadow Souji had been wearing.
Looking around, he noted that the little gazebo nearby would provide cover for a night sleeping outside. The more Yosuke looked around, the more he was sure this is where Souji had been sleeping. The vile emotion of guilt was building in his chest. He could only imagine Souji coming here at night, sleeping on the bench with only the blanket he found in the backpack and his arm as a pillow, meanwhile Yosuke had slept safe and sound at his house, not a care in the world.
“Partner.” he muttered.
This wasn’t right. This wasn’t fair. Souji had just as much right to be here as anyone else. Yosuke packed up the bag and took it with him, returning home with a heavy heart. He ate dinner and went to bed, wishing he knew what else he could do.
“You found a bag?” Chie asked confused.
“Yeah, at the floodplains. It’s the same one Shadow Souji was wearing.” Yosuke explained.
“That’s fucked.” Kanji said with a growl.
“We will worry about that later. For now, let’s focus on the issue at hand.” Yukiko stated.
“They finally declared him missing last night. I saw it on TV.” Chie said softly.
Yosuke winced. He could only imagine how hard that must have been for Dojima and Nanako.
“We need to save him.” Yosuke said with a nod.
They returned to Junes, where they met up with Teddie, and were able to slip into the TV world.
“You think Sensei will be ok?” Teddie asked.
“He will, we promise.” Yukiko said with a smile.
Teddie just smiled back as they returned to Souji’s dungeon. They hit the next level and were startled to hear voices.
“No, I don’t mind moving again. I just thought...I was going to live with you this year, Mom.” Souji’s voice said sadly.
He sounded so young, maybe a few years younger than he was now.
“Oh, honey, I know. But the apartment my company rented is too small for a growing boy like you. I promise, you’ll like living with you aunt!” a female voice replied.
“Was that...Sensei’s mom?” Teddie asked when the voices faded away.
“Sounded like it.” Yosuke muttered.
They kept going, the next floor held even more clues.
“Look, I’m sorry ok, but we just don’t have enough room for you here, Souji. You understand right?” a man’s voice asked.
“You don’t have any room? Then why did you agree to take me in?” Souji replied calmly.
“The situation changed. Look, I’m sorry ok?” the man’s voice didn’t sound sorry, he sounded exasperated if anything.
“It’s fine.” Souji replied.
“It’s not fine.” Souji’s Shadow growled.
“Man, what an ass.” Kanji muttered.
They hit another floor and they could hear two women talking now.
“He’s just so creepy. So emotionless.” one whispered.
“He’s been passed around to every family member we have. I can’t imagine why people keep sending him away, but there must be something wrong with him.” the other replied.
“There is nothing wrong with me.” Souji hissed angrily.
“Let’s just keep going.” Yosuke wiped the sweat from his brow.
They hit the mini boss room and paused, eyeing the lamia that curled around Souji’s ankles.
“Souji, please. We can help you.” Chie begged.
“I want to find where I belong. I need to find where I belong. I refuse to let anyone get in my way.” Souji replied before disappearing.
The lamia was nasty, going out of her way to poison them and make them sick. They took her down, but Kanji ended up on the floor, weak and unable to move.
“I can’t go on anymore.” Kanji whined.
Yosuke was feeling sore himself. This dungeon was a nightmare and his arms felt heavy.
“Just one more level.” Yosuke begged.
They limped their way to the next level and Teddie spoke.
“Whoa, the shadows here are ridiculously strong! You guys need to get out.” Teddie yelped.
Yosuke grit his teeth before nodding his head. After escaping the dungeon, they returned to the real world and separated. As Yosuke fell into bed, he thought about what they had heard. Souji had basically been thrown from place to place without a care, from relative to relative with no warning. No wonder he felt so out of place.
The next day, they went in quickly. They couldn’t afford to wait anymore. They hit the dungeon hard, quickly moving up the levels before they hit the top floor. The entire time, they heard more whispers. Souji was angry, enraged even that he kept getting passed around. It seemed like every time he found a place, he was taken away again. As they hit the final floor, they were startled to hear Dojima’s voice.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset your mom, but her and I just don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things.” Dojima said sadly.
“So you’re kicking me out?” Souji’s voice was angry and Yosuke was startled to realize this was the first time he had heard such a tone in Souji’s voice.
“It’s not like that. I’ll try to keep you around until the winter holidays, how does that sound?” Dojima sounded hopeful.
“How does that sound? How does that sound?! It sounds like I am being abandoned again!” Souji snapped angrily.
“Now, wait just a minute.” Dojima started.
They heard something hit a wall and Dojima cursed.
“Listen to me, throwing your phone at me isn’t going to make this situation better! Wait, where are you going?” Dojima yelled.
“That must have been the fight.” Yukiko muttered.
They hit the final room and opened the door. They were tired, but ready. Souji eyed them from where he was kneeling, Shadow Souji before him.
“Souji!” they cried.
“I’m fine!” Souji replied.
His Shadow scuffed loudly.
“Yes, fine. We’re always fine, aren’t we? Even when we’re beaten down, lost and alone, we’re always fine because we can’t be anything else.” Shadow stated.
“Shut up.” Souji snapped coldly.
“If we are angry, they tell us to calm down. If we are calm, they think we’re unstable. We can never win.” Shadow stated.
“I said shut up.” Souji demanded.
“We just want a place in this world! Why are we not allowed to have that!” Shadow roared.
“I have a place!” Souji yelled back.
Shadow Souji sneered.
“Do you? I am you and you are me. If I don’t have a place, neither do you!” Shadow Souji began to jerk and change.
Souji was thrown off his feet, hitting his head on the way down.
“Partner!” Yosuke yelled.
Whatever Shadow Souji changed into, it looked horrible. It looked like it had a million head, but no eyes or mouths. It was difficult to fight, changed affinity on a whim and Yosuke was sick of getting thrown around. For a moment, all was lost. They were all exhausted, too weak to keep fighting when Souji stepped before them. His eyes were dark and he called forth his personas with all the command of a general leading his army.
“Partner.” Yosuke said in awe as he struck the Shadow down.
As Shadow Souji reappeared, Souji looked away.
“You’re right. I’m not fine. I haven’t been in a long time. But this is my life and I am not going to let other people live it for me. I don’t need to look for a place because I already have one. It’s here, with my friends, with Dojima and Nanako and even if they send me away, I will always consider this place my home.” Souji stepped forward.
Shadow Souji looked up and smiled. Souji held out a hand and Shadow Souji took it. As he faded away, there was a bright glow to his skin and then it was gone. Souji sagged a bit and Yosuke caught him.
“Let’s go home, Partner.” Yosuke said and Souji just smiled.
They landed in Junes and limped their way to the food court. There Souji sat down and rubbed his face, tired.
“So...you guys know.” he muttered.
“I found your bag ….at the floodplains.” Yosuke admitted.
Souji winced and looked away. His shoulders were slumped.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you guys involved.” he muttered.
“But why not? We’re your friends, aren’t we?” Chie asked.
Souji looked at them and then looked down.
“I’m just so used to relying on myself, no one else. I didn’t know what to say.” Souji said.
Yukiko placed a hand on his.
“Dojima-san was looking for you. He was worried.” Yukiko stated.
He looked at her and swallowed. He blinked a few times, trying to hold back the tears.
“I don’t want to go.” he whispered.
He hiccuped and pressed his face into her shoulder.
“I don’t want to go.” he cried harshly and she wrapped her arms around him.
Chie and Kanji pat him on the back while Yosuke reached out and held his hand. Souji cried, cried harshly until his voice was gone and then he pulled back.
“This is the first place I actually feel like I belong. I don’t want to lose that.” he said.
“Then let’s go. We’ll all talk to Dojima-san.” Kanji said with a nod.
They got up and walked to the Dojima house. There, Nanako answered.
“Big bro!” she cried, throwing herself at him.
She sobbed into his chest as he rubbed her back. Dojima came to the door then and Souji looked up at him, red eyes and all.
“So you came back huh?” Dojima asked.
Nanako turned to him and glared.
“Don’t say that! He’ll leave again!” she demanded.
Dojima winced and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Sorry…” he muttered.
Souji glanced at Yosuke and Yosuke smiled.
“You can do it, Partner.” he said.
Souji sighed and looked at Dojima.
“I don’t want to leave. I’m happy here. For the first time in a long time, I’m happy. I don’t want to go.” Souji said slowly.
Dojima frowned, but nodded.
“Then we’ll talk about it. As a family.” Dojima said.
Souji nodded and his team let him go. As Souji closed the door, he smiled at them.