V.E.: Once again, I must have gone temporarily crazy for starting up another new story with a lot of thought on it, but other stories on the rise that feel that they require my attention more. I never wanted to be those authors that have a bunch of stories going that they never update. It's like neglecting my own children. I really wanted to finish my stuff, but I need a change and the stuff I'm working on right now has no end in sight.

And I have been thinking about writing this story for a while now. The idea of the protagonist of Persona 3 interacting with the cast of Persona 4 is just too tempting of an idea. Including with a certain individual that shares a rather uncanny resemblance to him….(Rubbing hands while giving off an evil cackle). Let's just say I am planning for quite the meeting later on.

I'm going to try and blend some parts of the anime with the game. Hope I don't get too much flame for that.

Quote: "Trains, like time and tide, stop for no one."- Jules Verne (Considering that both games start off on a train along with this fic, I think it's an appropriate quote to begin this journey.)

NOTE: There is a pole on my profile that relates to this story. Please go check it out!

Darkness.

Blank utter darkness.

That was all he could truly feel, all he could really sense, other than the searing earth shattering pain that was pulling at his chest right now. There was also the pain like barbed wire that wrapped around his wrists and kept him from moving. Pain that he would have screamed at until his voice gave out, except it didn't seem he was capable of screaming. In fact, he wasn't even sure he had a mouth to scream with.

They were constants to him, both the darkness and the pain. There was never one without the other. Whether he was dreaming or awake, this was his reality and he knew that it was his duty to bear it, even if the exact reason was a bit muddled in his memory.

Then suddenly, without warning, the pain stopped. His chest lightened and the chains disappeared, sending him into a downward freefall. His senses braced to fall into the ground, to have what little left of himself to be destroyed completely upon reaching the bottom.

However, he was surprised again as his falling slowed and strong arms caught him as he drifted slowly down. He instinctively nudged towards the being the arms belonged to, the comforting warmth relaxing him.

Finally, a voice spoke, one that was strangely familiar to him yet he could not place where he heard it exactly. "There, you're free of the Seal."

It was silent for a bit, as if the person who spoke was allowing him to catch his wits. Even so, he didn't quite understand what the man was talking about.

An amused chuckled was heard and the being who held him spoke again. "That's alright. That is how it should be. In time, you will understand everything. Now, it's time to wake up."

His thoughts were still confused as the familiar voice went on. "You have stayed here long enough, it is time to embark on a new journey. And perhaps at the end, you will not need to return to this place. Now, wake up."

As the words were being spoken, his body felt a tug as if being called elsewhere. He conscious fade as he heard the voice speak one last time. "Wake up, Redeemer of Man."

His eyes blinked open before shutting quickly, the light hurting his eyes. Yet even as his eyes stayed closed he felt the faint movement of his body forward, the warmth of the sun aimed at him, and strangely familiar music playing in his ears.

Silver gray eyes opened again, slowly this time and once they adjusted to the light he got a look at his surroundings.

He was on a train, sunlight streaming in from his window seat, music in his headphones playing as the trip continued on. He turned his head towards the sunlight, looking out the window at the rather picturesque countryside of wherever he was traveling in with one thought running through his head.

Along with getting a look at his surroundings, he also got a look at himself through the pale reflection off the window. The reflection was that of a teenage boy with soft blue hair that looked like he just rolled out of bed and silver gray eyes. He was wearing a light gray double-breasted jacket with something hanging down from a strap and dark pants along with earphones covering said part of the body like he never took them off. Where am I? Matter of fact, who am I and what am I doing on a train?

About a second after he thought that, a song seemed to start playing through his ears as he touched the earphones over them. "I will burn my dread…"

Without thinking, his right hand went to strange device (he was pretty sure it was mph3 player) and clicked a button that turned off the music. He pulled his headphones down to hang around his neck as he took a better look at the train.

It seemed to be like any ordinary train with standard space above for carry-ons and plastered with colorful advertisements, at least from what his brain seemed to think since he couldn't remember any prior experiences traveling this way. He was just about to go back to staring out the window before he noticed someone sitting directly across the aisle from him.

A teen just about his age with pale skin, short bowl-shaped gray hair, and was hunched over with his eyes closed. He was pretty sure if the teen sat up straight he would be rather tall, at the very least taller than him. The unknown boy was wearing a black jacket and gray turtleneck shirt along with black pants. On the overhead above him, was a carry-on bag along with a small shopping bag next

The amnesiac teen titled his head in interest. Wonder what he's doing on this train by himself? And what are the chances he's in the same position as me? Somehow, I feel that's very unlikely.

He shifted himself to get a better sense of comfort when he heard something drop from the other side of his seat. Turning towards the sound, he finally noticed a bag next to him that looked perfect to be slung over his shoulder.

Then he turned his attention to the ground where a thick manila folder was somehow still altogether. The blue haired teen leaned over to pick it up, opening the folder as he went back to sitting regularly.

The first thing he saw was a picture of himself staring back at him paper clipped to a huge pile of forms. Flipping the picture off to the side, he scanned the first paper and zeroed in on the name printed there.

Makoto Yuki.

It was a nice name, yet for some reason it didn't quite sound right. He went on to skim the rest of documents, flipping through them with speed as he leaned back into his chair for a comfortable reading position. Transfer forms along with my transcripts form a bunch of different schools …Medical history, spent a year in the hospital being treated for some problem they don't specify….Apparently I'm entering a school called Yasogami High for my third and final year of high school in countryside Yasoinaba…

Yet even as he read the answers he had been asking for, something felt incredibly off about having it all in one file. Not to mention none of it really clicked with his nonexistent memory.

At the end of all the documents, a single yellow post it note was stuck inside the file. The boy peeled it off to get a better look at it.

Amagi Inn.

That was it; no phone number, no address. The teen refrained from groaning. Whoever put this all together is not making things easy for me…

It was at that time teen across from him woke up from the dream he was having out of breath, drawing the blue haired teen's attention to him. Dark gray eyes settled after a few minutes as he glanced out his own window. Then he turned to the side where the other teen was and with reaction the other couldn't have guessed.

The gray haired boy's eyes went wide again, staring at him and glancing at the rest of the car as if making sure he wasn't seeing things.

Makoto (he needed something to call himself, besides maybe after he got used to it some memories would come back) merely raised an eyebrow at the reaction. What's with him? You'd think he'd seen a ghost or something. I mean, I'm pale but not that much…

After one more look around the compartment, the gray haired boy opened his mouth to speak before being cut off by the train announcer.

"Thank you for riding with us, in a few moments we will reach our final stop Yasoinaba Station. Please prepare to exit."

Whatever the boy was going to say, he seemed to have changed his mind as he got up to get the bags above him.

Likewise, the other teen also got up and checked above him just in case he had something else left to him. Finding nothing, he simply swung the bag over his left shoulder as he held closed folder in his right hand with the post it note under his thumb. Now it was merely waiting for the train to stop as he followed where the boy was walking to the doors of the train car.

There is absolutely nothing here.

Those were Makoto's first thoughts as he looked outside the train station and got his first impression of Inaba. It looked like a typical small town in the country with nothing that impressive about it.

He was pretty sure the gray haired boy that was right behind him thought the same thing before he was called over by man's voice. "Hey over here!"

Makoto saw the unnamed boy walking over to an older man with dark hair in a red tie, holding his jacket in one hand over his shoulder as he waved him over. Next to him was a little brown haired girl in ponytails and a pink and brown dress.

The blue haired teen glanced around, but it didn't seem like there was anyone there for him. Stretching his arms, he looked down at the post it note before looking up again. Well, might as well walk around and stretch my legs. Then maybe I'll ask if anyone could tell where this place is.

Walking down the steps, he head off to the left direction and passed the small group and a girl that was just walking up but he didn't pay that much attention to. He did vaguely see the man and the little girl walk in the same direction before the man turned his head to yell something at the gray haired boy, but by then Makoto was out of immediate hearing range.

Walking around at a slow pace was quiet, even when he had walked far enough to reach what looked to be the downtown shopping district. Affirming the quiet country notion, there were very few cars driving around with a noisy engines, in fact he was pretty sure he caught a bicycle or two going by. Overall, looks to be a sleepy quiet town. Still, the question remains, why am I here?

He stopped at the gas station, noticing the same man and girl from the station nearby a car that he was pretty sure passed him earlier on the road. Might be the best time to start asking questions.

Walking over to the man, he spoke for the first time in what felt like awhile. "Umm, excuse me?"

The man looked at Makoto with a scrutinizing stare, but still pulled off a pleasant tone as he answered. "Yes, is there anything I can help with?"

Makoto held out the post it note to the man. "I've never been here before and I'm looking for the Amagi Inn. Do you have any idea of where it is?"

The man's face relaxed at the question as he pointed down the road. "Hard for anyone from around here not to know where it is. Go down the street until you reach the bus stop, get on and it should be just across the street at the third stop."

Makoto nodded his head towards the man. "Thank you."

The man smiled in return, calling out someone in the street. "No problem. How're you feeling? Ready to get back in the car?"

The gray haired teen walked up from the streets, looking a little pale but otherwise okay. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"All right, let's hit the road then."

The boy then noticed Makoto, who's eyes widened as Makoto backed away. "Don't mind me, thanks again for the directions."

Turning to go in the exact directions he was told, he walked on but before he reached the bus stop a feminine sounding voice called to him. "Hey, you!"

Makoto turned around to see a girl he was pretty sure he walked past. She had short black hair, green eyes and was wearing a sleeveless white shirt, a short black necktie and a checkered skirt along with a black belt, and a fancy, golden buckle that resembled a heart with wings along with red black striped protective sleeves. She looked rather unfriendly as she held out her hand. "This dropped out of your pocket."

He looked at her hand to see a cellphone with a pink strap attached with a cute little toy figurine hanging by a pink wire. It looked a bit girly with the strap, but he was pretty sure that it must have been his phone. Either way, it must have held some clue that he was looking for.

The blue haired teen took the phone out of the girl's hands. "Thanks."

The girl just shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever, all I did was just pick it up. Seems to be a habit of mine."

He looked at her questioningly, but all she did was walk away from him. Shrugging at her actions, he stuffed the phone with the strap into his pocket. Just before he turned to go back to walking, a flutter of movement caught his attention.

Not too far of where he was standing, there was a blue butterfly fluttering in the wind. It seemed like a rather odd thing to focus on, but strangely Makoto was pretty sure that he had seen it somewhere before. Now if only I could remember where…

HONK!

Quickly turning his head towards the sound, he saw the bus pull right up to the bus stop and open its doors to let several people off. He turned back to find the blue butterfly gone. That's…very strange. Just when I think I got something, it's gone.

Then his body jolted with realization at what that sound was and sprinted towards the bus stop as it looked like the doors were about to close. "Hey, don't' go yet!"

His body sprinted as fast it could, the sight of the blue insect forgotten as he focused on the bus and the destination he was heading towards.

V.E.: (looks over it) Well, I guess that's pretty okay for a starting chapter, I think.

Please please review! I just hope there will be people actually reading this.

See you next time, hopefully.