Work Text:
Prelude
The Evening’s Eve
Cold rain spattered against the window of the decrepit apartment building, the distinct pattering noise filling the nearly empty living room with a disconcerting rhythm as the droplets of water distorted the distant light of a setting sun engulfed in the storm.
Years ago, this building was meant to be a herald of a new age of prosperity for the isolated farming community of Inaba. Some big developer from Tokyo had bought out a parcel of land just up the riverbank from the shopping district, hoping that an influx of cash and commerce could help drag the town out of its sleepy nonimportance and into the spotlight.
Instead, the local townies had refused to give any ground to some out-of-town venture that took up valuable real estate, and none of the young professionals from the city that the developer had been counting on moving in gave a single thought towards the idea of roughing it out in the middle of nowhere for no discernable reason.
In other words the venture fell flat on its face before it could even get off the ground, and now all that was left of some upstart developers dream was a half-finished apartment building that most people preferred to avoid if they could help it. Only the outcast and desperate ever found a place in these halls, the remains of the once mighty complex doing little more than serving as fuel for the everpresent jumble of myths and urban legends that seemed to sweep through the town like wildfire.
And for the woman sat kneeling in front of an ancient television in the heart of the complex, that fact served her just fine.
She sat with her eyes closed, gray hair cascading over her shoulders as she listened to the intertwining sound of rain pattering against the window and the old analog clock on the wall ticking down toward the promised hour. The two sounds were incongruous, the steady rhythm of the clock serving as a mechanical heartbeat for the chaotic and uncertain sound of the rain beyond. Order and disorder, law and chaos, certainty and doubt. One to each side, one to each truth.
The woman smiled. Yes. This place would serve her just fine.
Carefully, she opened her eyes, blood-red irises scanning the room in front of her. The afternoon was giving way to evening, the ticking clock drawing closer and closer to the promised twilight as the storm outside refused to stop. Perfect. Delicately, almost reverently, the woman leaned forward and placed her palms on the edges of the screen before her, fingers tracing the curve of the glass as twilight and the world entered its preciprocal hour. Before her eyes, the television began to hum, strange patterns and shapes emerging on the screen as her hands pushed through the glass and gave way onto the other side. The woman’s smile turned wider.
Just as planned. The experiment could begin.
Still smiling, she gently pulled her hands away from the screen. The TV continued to pulse with a strange energy, the connection between it and the Other World solidifying as the woman watched in dignified glee. Finally. Finally, she would find the answer to the question she had sought. Soon, she would know the truth of what humanity most earnestly desired.
Soon, she would give it to them.
The woman pushed herself to her feet, taking a deep breath as the television finally calmed to a standstill, leaving the ticking clock and pattering rain to rule over the silence once more. She didn’t need to stay here. Not anymore. The first part of her experiment was done. Now, all she had to do was find subjects with which to make the rest of it happen. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long.
The woman left the room then, a smile on her face.
Soon. Very soon.
Soon, she would have her answer.
---
And yet… the room remained. The clock still ticked on. The window still sat, pounding under the rain. The television still loomed, waiting in the darkness for a witness that was never to come. Something extraordinary was about to happen. Something which would change the very fabric of the game the woman was seeking to play. Something which would have otherwise been impossible.
Something nobody would ever see.
The television flickered on, static and noise filling the screen. For a long moment, nothing happened. Darkness and light, dancing in equal measure for an empty audience. And then… a boy. Peering through the darkness with steel-gray eyes, blue hair covering half his face, he stared into the empty room. Seeking. Searching. Looking for something, anything to define the truth of what was to come.
Then the television flickered off, and he was gone.
And all that remained was the everwinding march of time, and the rain.
Thursday, April 14th 2011..
The Day They Bear Witness
Tony couldn’t remember the last time he’d had visitors.
Or… the first time, really.
Or any time, at that.
Really, he had the distinct impression that he’d never had any visitors at all. Not even once. Not that he minded much, of course. Visitors were a hassle. People to deal with, and everything that entailed. He much preferred being alone with his thoughts, if at all possible.
Well, his thoughts and the Shadows. Because those were always there too. Not that he minded that much either, as long as they left him alone, he didn’t care.
It wasn’t his problem after all.
Just like that woman who’d come in before wasn’t his problem. Or his visitor. She hadn’t talked to him, after all. Not that he’d made it easy for her, but she wasn’t any of his business anyways. She’d shown up, she’d done… whatever she’d done, and she’d left. That was all. It didn’t matter to him.
He didn’t care.
As long as the people in the TV didn’t cause him any trouble, they didn’t have to know about him. And as long as they didn’t know about him, they weren’t technically visitors. He didn’t have to care. It would be fine.
All of which was precisely why Tony was getting so annoyed that the people wandering around the TV World right now weren’t leaving.
They were becoming visitors.
And visitors were a hassle.
---
Yaoyorozu Narukami was having a weird day.
Actually, no… scratch that. She was having a weird week.
Weird was relative, sure. She knew that. Her brief time in Inaba had been enough to clue her in to the fact that people had different expectations for what you could call ‘normal’. For her, the bustling trains and busy streets of Tokyo were about the most normal thing in the world. For the people out here, the quiet side streets and decrepit shopping district were entirely run of the mill. Different people understood different things in their own way after all. Everyone’s idea of ‘normal’ was just a little different.
Still, she couldn’t help but doubt that anyone out there, be they from Inaba, Tokyo, or beyond, could ever call what had happened today normal.
Weird dreams, about a foggy plain and a man with a long nose. Murders in the streets, the victims hung up on telephone wires like effigies. A strange evening broadcast echoing from the town’s broken televisions. And now… this.
A whole other pale yellow world, right inside the television.
She really didn’t know what to do with that information. There was no proper thing to do, she figured. Nevermind the fact that there wasn’t an obvious exit anywhere, the fact of the matter was that they were inside a television. That shouldn’t have been possible. Nor should it have been possible for there to be a trashed apartment with that… thing, hanging from the ceiling. And while she’s on the topic, Yaoyorozu figured even if either of the two previous things were possible, there shouldn’t be a place on planet Earth that made her feel so… gross. Heavy. Wrong.
Then again, she couldn’t even be particularly sure they were on planet Earth anyhow. Not anymore.
It was all one big confusing mess. And even though her new friends Chie and Yosuke kept bickering, and the three of them kept walking in circles, and the air seemed to get heavier and heavier, Yaoyorozu came to the frustrating realization that she was still no closer to figuring any of it out than she had been when they started this whole mess.
“Hey, look.” Yaoyorozu was snapped out of her thoughts by Chie’s voice, looking up as commanded. They seemed to be back at the entrance, at the right-wringing bullseye that sat at the center of this mysterious stage. “We’re back where we came in. Aw man, have we been walking in circles?”
“No way, seriously?” Yosuke groaned, his posture deflating as he looked around the stage. “Damnit, there’s gotta be an exit, right?” He glanced between the other two. “Right?”
Yaoyorozu just shrugged. She hoped so.
“Hey…” Chie paused, peering into the stifling yellow fog. “Wh-what’s that?”
Yaoyorozu followed her gaze. It was hard to see through the gloom, so it took her a moment to zero in on what exactly she was looking at. Once she did though, he felt another chill go down her spine. There was a figure standing there, just beyond their field of vision. Watching them. Waiting for them.
“The hell…” Yosuke’s eyes widened, glancing towards Yaoyorozu. “Y-you see that too, right?”
Yaoyorozu nodded. She did. Distinctly. It was this large, bulbous, portly looking figure, standing silent and still in the fog and just… watching them. It honestly wasn’t even the weirdest thing she’d seen so far this week, but something about it just… rubbed her the wrong way. It reminded her of the second dream he’d had, the one with the winding corridors and the other figure in the mist. It wasn’t exactly the same, sure, but it was close enough. And because of that, Yaoyorozu couldn’t help but feel on edge. Uncertain. Out of her depth. She was-
“Why are you still here?”
Once again Yaoyorozu’s concentration snapped, her attention reeling back in towards reality as the figure stepped forward from the fog and glared at them. It was a weird sort of… bear, thing? It looked like it was meant to be a bear, anyways. It was really more of a mascot costume, a big zipped-up suit with huge round eyes, muddled blue fur, little silver ears and a suit sort of thing that looked to be somewhere between a black clown costume and a school uniform. It was bizarre. Unreal. Still, however, definitely not the weirdest thing he’d seen so far.
“What…” Chie blinked, gazing at the figure. “What is this thing? A monkey? A bear?”
“No. I’m Tony.” The bear sighed, tilting its huge head to the side. “So why are you still here?”
“The hell…” Yosuke’s jaw dropped. Well, dropped further that is. “I-is it- is that thing talking?”
Yaoyorozu just nodded.
“What are you? H-how did you get here?” Chie tensed up, adjusting her stance defensively. “Are you here to fight? Huh?!”
“Fight?” The bear only blinked at that. “No. I just want to know why you haven’t left.”
“I- we don’t know?!” Chie’s eyes widened. “That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out how to do!”
“You don’t know?” Tony paused, a frown crossing his expression. The gesture was… weird. The costume literally seemed to shift right before their eyes just to accommodate the change. “Why not?”
“How the hell should we?!” Yosuke stomped his foot, his nerves clearly getting the better of him. “If you know, why don’t you tell us?!”
“Fine” Tony sighed, tapping his foot twice against the floor. In an instant, a large stack of televisions appeared from nowhere. “There, now-“
“WHAT THE HELL?” Yosuke jumped back in surprise, staring wide-eyed at the sudden apparition. “Ho-how did you do that?”
“Dunno. Just did.” Tony shrugged as best he evidently could in the costume. “All you gotta do to get back is just go in there.”
“What, like-“ Chie stepped forwards, placing her hand against the screen. To Yaoyorozu’s quickly diminishing shock, it went right through. “Whoah! It’s just like the other one!”
“That means this is our way out, right?” Yosuke glanced back at Tony, shivering. “Thank God, We need to get the hell out of here!”
And then, he vanished right into the TV.
“H-hey, wait for me!” Chie gasped, ducking in after him. In just a moment, it was only Yaoyorozu and Tony left on the stage.
“You’re not planning on coming back, are you?” Tony stared at Yaoyorozu, looking unimpressed. “I’d prefer if you didn’t.”
Yaoyorozu just stared back, not saying a word. On one hand, it was probably wise to not come back to the freaky TV dimension that seemed to exist here, where mascot costumes talked and televisions appeared out of the ground.
On the other hand, a part of her, an important part of her, knew that she couldn’t just leave this to rest.
So instead she said nothing, and vanished back to the real world beyond.
---
“Shit.“ Tony sighed, deflating a little in place. “They’re going to come back.”
Somewhere else in the TV World, a different visitor was trapped out of sight.
And Tony was too preoccupied worrying about the people who had already left to even notice them die.
Friday, April 15th 2011..
The Day it Begins
They came back the next day.
Or, at least, what Tony figured must be the next day.
He was waiting for them by the entrance. It was just the same as anywhere else in this world after all, and if they were going to come in, he knew he should be there to make sure they knew that they shouldn’t be here.
He’d been unimpressed as he watched the two humans drop from the sky and land in a tumble. He’d been unimpressed when he’d seen the way they’d dusted themselves off and gotten their bearings, one with a rope tied around his waist and the other with a golf club. And he was unimpressed when they had immediately walked right toward him as if he’d wanted visitors at all.
“Hey, Tony.” The gray-haired girl nodded at her, her expression flat and serious. “It’s good to see you.”
“Not you.” Tony matched her gaze, sighing. “I told you I’d prefer it if you didn’t come back here.”
“Yeah yeah…” The brown-haired boy stomped his foot, looking cross. Something was wrong with him. His eyes wouldn’t sit still, darting around the stage as if searching for someone. “Where the hell did Saki end up?”
“Saki?” Tony blinked. “Who’s Saki?”
“Come on, you live here! You should know, right?” The brown-haired boy tapped his foot, nervous energy coursing through him as he continued to look around. “Saki Konishi! The girl who… look, she was on the Evening Broadcast? That means she was in here, right?”
“The Evening Broadcast?” Tony tilted his head. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but it seemed serious. Annoyingly serious. “I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s not important.” The gray-haired girl frowned. “Has anyone been in here since we were?”
“Dunno. I’d have to check.” Tony paused, turning his head and sniffing at the air. He was sure she would have seen it if someone came in through this entrance, so anybody else would have- “Oh.”
“Did you find her?” The brown-haired boy’s eyes widened as he took a step forward. “Do you know where Saki ended up?”
“I’m not sure. She’s not here now.” Tony paused, sniffing the air for a long moment. There was something new there, something he hadn’t detected last she’d checked. Which was… how long ago exactly? He wasn’t sure. He also wasn’t sure he cared. “There’s something new though. Maybe your friend ended up over there.”
“Over where?”
“There.” Tony pointed vaguely in the direction he had detected the scent. “If you’re looking for someone, she’s probably over there.”
The gray-haired girl digested that for a long moment. She glanced as his companion, who continued to bristle in place with a nervous, mournful energy. Finally, she nodded at Tony. “Can you take us there?”
“Why should I?” Tony blinked, unimpressed. “I don’t care about your problems.”
“She’s- Saki is-“ The brown-haired boy clenched his fists, marching toward Tony with anger in his heart. “Why you little-“
“Yosuke.” The gray-haired girl put a hand on Yosuke’s shoulder and shook her head. “That won’t help. Look, Tony, if you want us to leave then helping us will get us out of here faster.”
“Hm.” Tony narrowed his eyes at the pair for a moment, considering. It… seemed true, unfortunately. Which was unbearable, but true. “Fine. Then like I said, she’s over that way.”
“Over what way?” The brown-haired boy peered into the fog, wincing. “I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Really?” Tony blinked. “Fine. Here then.”
Carefully, he pulled out two pairs of glasses. He didn’t even remember where he’d gotten them from, just that he had them. And that his two visitors would need them.
“Glasses?” The silver-haired girl pulled on his pair, eyes widening as she realized their purpose. “So wait, these-“
“Let you see through the fog.” Tony sighed. “So there.”
“Perfect. Finally.” The brown-haired boy exhaled, turning to face that direction. “Alright, so we go check it out, see if someone really did… throw Saki in here, and then we…” He glanced back, only now seemingly realizing that the rope he had tied around his waist had been cut short. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring the TV’s back later.” Tony sighed, setting out into the space between places. “Stay close. There’ll be Shadows.”
“Shadows… what the hell does he mean by that?” The brown-haired boy glanced at his companion, who simply shrugged in response. “Crap… well, come on, we need to see if we can find out what the hell happened here.”
The girl with the silver hair just nodded, and followed Tony out into the depths of the unknown.
Only truly awaiting to see just what exactly came next.
---
This was going…
Awful.
Tony hated this. Hated having visitors, hated that they needed him for something, hated that he now had to manage them not falling into any Shadows or pitfalls as they made their way to the new space that had formed. It sucked. He didn’t want to have to care, but now he had to care, and it was their fault. He was glad when they finally made it to the edge of the next space, since that Yosuke guy seemed to struggle with actually following his directions and had to be constantly corrected by that Yaoyorozu girl. Ugh.
“Is this it?” Yaoyorozu paused at the edge of the worn asphalt that marked the boundary between this new place and the rest of the TV World. Tony didn’t recognize it of course, but he could see the way the two humans’ eyes seemed to widen in recognition as they gazed around the empty street.
“Is this… the shopping district?” Yosuke blinked, rubbing his eyes as he looked around. “How did it get here? What the heck is going on?”
“Dunno” Tony shrugged, just looking around. “Places like this just sorta show up.”
“Weird.” Yosuke stepped towards one of the buildings, looking it up and down. “But why this part of town, of all places?”
“Dunno.” Tony shrugged again. “It just happened.”
“Right… does any of that make any sense to you?” Yosuke glanced at Yaoyorozu, who shook her head back. “Me either. But… if this is our shopping district, then that means we’re not far from Saki’s place! It should be just up the road!”
Yaoyorozu glanced in the direction that Yosuke was looking. Tony really didn’t know what they were looking for, but it was probably there based on their expressions. The girl nodded, resuming their pace and making their way deeper into the mysterious apparition. “Let’s check it out.”
The three of them made their way towards the… what was it, a liquor store? That’s what Tony thought it was called anyways. Honestly, he wasn’t sure, and he didn’t care to be. They paused just outside the threshold, gazing into the confusing clash of red and black colors that made up the doorway.
“What the hell…” Yosuke’s eyes widened, unbelieving of what he was seeing. “This is definitely Saki’s parents’ place. But, if it’s here… does that mean that this is where she disappeared to?”
“It’s possible.” Yaoyorozu nodded, cocking her head. “We should check it out.”
“Wait.” Tony shook his head, staring at the door. His nose had picked up a new smell. Something that seemed like- “There are Shadows here.”
“Shadows?” Yosuke blinked. “What do you mean- wait, what the hell?!”
Yosuke stumbled back and away from the doorway as a creeping blue mask began to emerge from within, staring at the trio with empty, hollow eyes. It was rapidly joined by another, a twin face of darkness and deceit that loomed before them as they peeled themselves away from the doorway in a herald of inky black darkness. The visitors barely had time to react before the Shadows began to take form, twisting and contorting into the circular shape of Slipping Hableries right before their eyes.
“No way… what the hell?” Yosuke took multiple steps back, gazing at the impossible pink and black creatures. “What are these things?”
“I told you. Shadows!” Tony stepped between them and the two humans, a frown on his face. “I guess I’ll have to-“
He was cut off as one of the creatures darted forwards, slamming into him with its body and sending him flying. “OW!”
“Tony!” Yosuke stared after him as he smacked into the wall and landed flat on his back. It didn’t particularly hurt, obviously, but still.
“So, I can’t get up.” He struggled to stand for a moment, flailing his limbs as he failed to find purchase on the asphalt floor. “Looks like you’ll have to fight the Shadows.”
“What?!” Yosuke looked towards Yaoyorozu, fear clear beneath his glasses. “How the hell do we do that?!”
Yaoyorozu, for his part, didn’t seem to hear him.
Yaoyorozu, for her part, was hearing something else entirely.
---
I am thou, thou art I. The time has come. The door to Yomi lies open. Shall you uncover the truth of why? Open thy eyes and call forth what is within!
---
Tony didn’t get a good look at what happened next. It took all the effort he had to push himself back to his feet, rolling back to a standing position as the world seemed to fill with blue light. By the time he caught sight of the two humans once more, Yosuke was staring at his companion in shock, and Yaoyorozu was…
Well, Yaoyorozu was on fire.
And she wasn’t alone.
“Izanagi!”
“What… the…” Yosuke’s mouth was agape, watching as the floating swordsman materialized behind Yaoyorozu. “…fu-“
“Huh. Persona.” Tony ambled back to the pair, looking up at Izanagi with a measure of interest. “You have a Persona.”
“A what?” Yosuke stared at Tony in shock. Yaoyorozu for her part, simply smiled.
“Here, use it against them.” Tony pointed towards the Shadows, who seemed remarkably disinterested in the sudden appearance of Yaoyorozu’s Persona. “Those Shadows are weak to Zio.”
Yaoyorozu nodded, clenching her fist and furrowing her brow. Behind her, Izanagi held its blade upright, calling forth the power of the heavens to smite the Shadows where they stood. In just a moment, the once-threatening Hableries were reduced to nothing but ash, and the street fell once more to silence.
“I…” Yosuke simply stared, jaw still thoroughly dropped. “What even was that?”
“A Persona” Tony shrugged. “I told you that.”
“No way…” Yosuke’s shocked expression slowly shifted, from outright awe to shocking excitement. “Wait, but, can I do it too? Summon that Izanagi guy?”
“Sure.” Tony shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Hell yeah.” Yosuke nodded enthusiastically. His previous unease seemed to have dissipated under the sudden strength of Yaoyorozu’s will. “With something like that, I’m sure we’ll be able to figure this whole case out, no problem!”
“Agreed.” Yaoyorozu nodded. For someone who had just Awakened a Persona, she seemed remarkably calm to Tony. Not that he had much of a frame of reference, mind you. “Let’s get back to it.”
“Right.” Yosuke nodded. The three of them turned once more, facing the liquor store. “Man, I wonder what could have happened to Saki here. This place is just like-“
“Ugh, I wish Junes would go under.”
“It’s all because of that damn store.”
“I heard Konishi’s daughter is working there. How shameful! It’s their fault the business is failing after all.”
“Those voices…” Yosuke blinked, looking around. “Who’s saying that?”
“Cognition.” Tony nodded. It made sense to him, anyways. “Your friend left an impression on this place.”
“Which means what we’re hearing now is…” Yosuke’s voice suddenly became dangerously quiet. “This is what Saki heard when she came in here?”
“Yeah” Tony shrugged. The voices weren’t really nice. It was probably bad for this Saki girl to hear something like that, but that was life. “Guess so.”
“I don’t like it.” Yaoyorozu nodded, turning towards the door of the liquor store. “It’s coming from in there.”
“Right.” Yosuke nodded, shaking his head and regaining his concentration. “We should check it out.”
“Sure.” Tony nodded, before promptly taking a seat next to the door and staring out at the street. “You two do that, I’ll keep watch.”
“Perfect. Seems we got someone watching our back, partner.” Yosuke nodded at Yaoyorozu, turning once more to the store. “Now let’s get in there, and figure this out.”
Yaoyorozu simply grunted, stepping into the store, quickly followed by Yosuke.
And Tony was alone once again.
Thank God for that.
---
By the time the two humans returned, Tony was still sitting guard. Still watchful. He wasn’t sure why. He probably could have just left those guys here and waited for the Shadows to get them. It wouldn’t take long, and then he’d be alone again.
Only… something about that felt wrong. Different. Just because he didn’t care didn’t mean he didn’t care. He’d just be an asshole if he’d left now, and despite everything… he didn’t like that.
And seeing the way Yosuke’s eyes seemed to glimmer with a new light after he came back out of the store… he figured he’d made the right decision.
They didn’t talk much on the way back. Yosuke was too exhausted, and Yaoyorozu seemed lost in thought. Tony was fine with that, of course. It was a preview of what would come next now that they were leaving.
“So… say someone gets thrown in here.” Yosuke paused before entering the television, glancing back at Tony. “They’d end up in a place like that, right? And get attacked by Shadows?”
“Yeah.” Tony nodded. “Especially on foggy days outside. The fog in here gets all clear, and the Shadows get mad.”
“And then they kill people.” Yaoyorozu’s eyes narrowed.
“Guess so.” Tony frowned. He hadn’t considered that. The woman from before, and this girl, this friend of theirs. If they hadn’t taken the normal exit, then… yeah. They were probably killed by Shadows. “Sounds bad.”
“Really bad.” Yosuke nodded, turning towards Yaoyorozu. “If someone’s throwing people in here, then…”
“They’re killing them.” Yaoyorozu pushed up her glasses, frowning deeply. “Yeah.”
“…shit.” Yosuke leaned against the stack of TV’s for a long moment, just staring off into the distant fog. “And there’s nothing we can do about it?”
“About the throwing thing? It’s your world not mine.” Tony sighed, shaking his head. “But if they end up in here… I guess you could probably rescue them before the Shadows get them.”
“Wait.” Yosuke stood upright, staring at Tony with wide eyes. “Seriously?”
“Yeah” Tony swayed in place. “As long as you’re quick. And don’t take too much of my time.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Yaoyorozu nodded, crossing her arms. “Tony. Could you let us know if anyone else is thrown in here?”
“…fine” Tony sighed. “As long as you come through that same TV, I’ll keep an eye out.”
“Well, it’s not like we can back off now.” Yosuke nodded. “Alright, it’s a deal then. Right partner?”
“Right.” Yaoyorozu nodded, turning towards the TV’s. “We’ll be back soon. Promise.”
And then they both vanished into the screen.
And once more, as ever, Tony was alone.
But once more, as before, now he had a job to do. And as much as he might lament it, he was gonna do it right.
“I guess we’re going to save you, random human people.” Tony sat next to the stack of TV’s and stared off into space. “That’s a promise!”
And this time, he was going to keep it.