Now my head's exploding and time is standing still

[dj_jiraiya]

Who: Yosuke Hanamura and OPEN
When: 4/13
Where: The Shared Dream(s)
What: Catch All for "Dream a Little Dream" event
Warnings: Violence, mostly. Mentions of murder.

[ Each dream will have it's own top level, please no more than two people per dream! If there's a particular dream you want that I haven't included below, just hit me up and I'll work something out! mossflowered]

Comments

Even I think I'm a pain in the ass...

[dj_jiraiya]

He was always such a pain in the ass!

--

But you're terrified of being alone!

[ This one is just way too long to type up, please use these videos as reference. ]

Get ready for your true story

[dj_jiraiya]

You glared at a... big bear costume? You grip the guitar, stomach fluttering and hands feeling clammy but the glare stares on your face.

"Now listen up. We're sticking to how we practiced, okay?!" You manage to grit out to the stupid bear. You remember all the improv he has done before and hope he doesn't try it again. Your partner is next to you, holding a bass guitar and looking as cool as a cucumber. Ugh, how does he do that?! Okay, okay.

They got this. Right? Right. Teddie, the boy boy in the bear costume, only looks away whistling innocently. You struggle not to try and strangle him. Urrghhh--

"All right!" The girl in green, Chie, starts with Rise grinning as well. Of course the idol is used to this and honestly, it wasn't like Yosuke hadn't ever wished to do this before. Being on stage, rocking out? He just hoped they didn't screw up, there was actually a lot at stake here. "Let's do this!"

"Here goes!" Rise shouts and the rest of them agree with a hearty, "Yeah!"

They get on stage and the concert begins.

[stopfen]

[Oh she'd seen these before. She knows what this. In the festivals, it had been called a concert. And like during the spring festival, the fae's foot begins to tap against the ground. Not in rhythm. She was trying to hold it in too much for that. But that doesn't managed to fully contain the small movements, or the tremors that go through her antenna.

Once she notices him, the non-memory him. He gets a head tilt, and an up/down stare for a moment.]

Oh. You're one of those idols too...[Another few seconds of staring.] You don't look like the others.

[Aka, you look plain. But she was comparing him to Momo and Mettaton. Two very high bars.]

[dj_jiraiya]

[ He was probably biased for liking this song, having helped perform it. Yosuke rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish laugh. ]

That's because I'm not. Rise is. [ He nodded to the girl with the pigtails. ] And I asked her and the others to perform a concert because my dad needed something to go along with a huge sale that was happening at the store. The previous performers couldn't make it... so we did it ourselves.

[stopfen]

Oh. That's why you look normal...And aren't doing the hand thing. [But she follows his motion. Looking at the girl who...To be honest. The girl didn't look as flashy as the idols she had seen here. Though that hair was a lot, very fluffy.

But then he mentions the store sale part and she just turns back and squints.]

Isn't the point of a sale to attract customers? [Why the event to?]

[dj_jiraiya]

The event was for the police station, so Junes was trying to piggyback off that. But then it got canceled and by then, everything had already been kind of set up.

[ It was due to Naoto's kidnapping, to be honest, but he wasn't going to mention that. It wasn't her fault. ]

I wanted to help my dad.

[stopfen]

So they'd already promised it for a larger event and couldn't back out?

[Okay, that made sense. To her at least, kinda? She didn't handle that stuff.]

That's nice of you. I'm surprised you had a choice though...

Calm the hell down!

[dj_jiraiya]

There's the sound of wind howling, a window is open in the hospital room along with the sounds of pitiful crying from the full grown man before him. Surround him were Yosuke and his friends, all in various states of anger and anguish for the little seven year old that died because of him. Because of this man.

"What are you doing?" Your partner asks quietly.

Namatame flinched a little. "I... I was scared s-so I... I..."

"You have your life," The raw emotion in his voice surprised even himself, but Yosuke continued on. "And now you want your freedom too?!"

Chie behind him reacted right away. "It's your fault Nanako-chan's..." She broke off with a near sob, gritting her teeth.

But the man, Namatame, shook his head. His eyes were wide and frightened, but Yosuke didn't care. "I-I didn't! I-I..."

They are all interrupted by the TV in the room turning on on its own. It shows... the same man on the screen, dressed in a couriers uniform. Rise is the one who spoke next. "Is it 12 o'clock? Is it the midnight channel?"

Was it? He hadn't been looking at the time. But they all recognized who was on the screen but... but how?

"I failed to save her. It's because you got in my way!" His voice was distorted, eyes a sickening yellow.

"Another Namatame?!" Yosuke couldn't believe it. "But the real one is right here and we already beat his Shadow!"

"No," Naoto spoke up. "Come to think of it, Namatame never faced his other self. And we didn't witness his Shadow returning to his body as a Persona, either... perhaps that's why we're seeing this now."

"What the..." Namatame couldn't believe it himself, staring in horror at the TV. The Shadow continued on. "I failed. But it wasn't my fault. And the law can't touch me anyway..."

"What?!" The real Namatame shouted, but Chie didn't give him time to respond more. "Is this what he's really thinking?! Then... he wasn't deranged or anything, he knew what he was doing!"

Yosuke was seeing red. "To hell with the law... I won't ever forgive for what you did...!"

"This-! Please! Stop...!" Namatame begged, holding his head as he struggled to comprehend just what was happening, what was on the TV, and the kids surrounding him. Kanji spoke up, not letting Namatame come to terms. "Huh? Stop what? We ain't even done anything yet. Or do you want us to do something? Something fitting for a bastard like you!"

"Do whatever you want," The Shadow grinned horribly. Yosuke felt his blood boiling. "You hate me because the child died, don't you? I don't care either way. Living or dying makes no difference to me. But you... You're different." He stopped to chuckle. "You can't do such a thing. You wouldn't dare, right?" He continued to laugh. "I'll continue "saving" people. It's my mission...!"

The TV shit off, only the cold sound of the November winter wind was heard now. "M-Mission..." Yukiko's quiet voice broke the silence. Naoto muttering a "my god" as the weight of that fell on them. He was going to get away with murder, and continue murdering-!

"Please... s-stop..." Namatame begged.

"He wants us to stop," Yosuke's voice was hard and unwavering, staring down at the begging adult. "What should we do?"

Chie gave a confused "What do you mean?" behind him, but he didn't care. He knew the others would know. Kanji was the one who answered. "We can't let this bastard do as he pleases."

"No way am I going to walk out of here doing nothing."

The girls still seemed confused, but Naoto wasn't. She walked over to the TV and pointed out how this must be a luxury suite. Most hospital rooms didn't have such large TVs in them. With something like this, Namatame could escape at any time. Although... "Once he enters, he may never find a way out."

The weight of that sentence hit half the group like a hammer. "Wait... are you serious?!" Rise said. But Kanji interrupted. "You just gonna turn your back and walk away?"

Chie argued that they couldn't do something like that, it was clear Yukiko and Rise were also in agreement. Yosuke was having none of it. He turned around. "Everyone, listen to me! If we're gonna do this, now's our only shot. We won't get a second chance. At this rate, the guy's gonna get off the hook and go around 'saving' people again..."

Just like he "saved" Saki-senpai, who ended up upside down hanging off an antennae. Tch!

"You just heard what this bastard's really thinking! If that happens, it'll be just like Nanako-chan and senpai! Who knows how many innocent people will die this time? I can't let something like that go!" His voice, still angry, was also beginning to crack. "Someone close to me died... her killer can't be convicted...And now I'm gonna let the same thing happen again?! There's no way I can do that! It's just wrong, isn't it?!"

"B-But Yosuke..."

"All we have to do is push him inside the TV... that's it. We do that one thing and this is all over." He knew exactly what he was implying. "If any of you want no part of this, then leave the room. I'm not gonna force you to stay. As for me, nothing can make me forgive this bastard... but..." He looked to his partner. His best friend. "But before we do this, I want to hear what you think."

He had been silent this whole time and it was his cousin that died! Surely, he could agree, right? "Wait a second here..."

Yosuke was not expecting that at all "We don't have time to wait! If we don't do this now the cops'll come back! What're you trying to say?!"

"We're missing something," Yu tried again.

"Something we don't know? What don't we know?!"

"Namatame's true feelings!" That made no sense, Yosuke was getting angrier now and it was being directed at his own best friend as he felt his blood boil higher. "But we just heard this guy's true feelings on the TV!" His voice was rising even higher as well, all but shouting. "What didn't you understand?!"

"Something's bothering me a-" But Yosuke didn't let him finish this time, this was nonsense. "Well, what is it?! I already told you there's no time to waste. Are you even getting at something here?! Or are you just stalling?!"

Yu looked frustrated, struggling to keep his cool as he tried again. "We're missing something here."

"Missing?" That made him pause, only just a little because more importantly, "Dammit, I've heard enough of this bullshit! Give me a straight answer! Are we doing this or not? That's all I give a damn about right now!"

"CALM THE HELL DOWN!" While it was said to Yosuke, who immediately looked completely flabbergasted at hear Yu actually shout like this, the way it was shouted meant it was directed at everyone. But Yosuke knew right then, it was mostly at him. It was an awful feeling that overcame him as Namatame continued to whimper on the floor. "Tch... I'm perfectly calm."

No, he wasn't.

Did I do the right thing?

[dj_jiraiya]

Yosuke didn't make it very far, arms crossed against the cold. The chilly air, the somber atmosphere once they stepped out of Namatame's room... well, he was calm now, that's for sure. He didn't want to think about what he almost did. He didn't want to think about how he couldn't find Teddie. How he couldn't--

He couldn't just leave his partner alone. He said he would be fine, but that was complete bullshit.

Yosuke walked back to the hospital, not at all surprised at what he found. Yu standing in the snow, eyes red and tears sliding down his cheeks. Yosuke wasn't sure what to do right then, hands in his pockets and standing mere feet in front of him.

"Please tell me," Yu begged. "When I put a stop to things in Namatame's room...did I make the right call?"

Yosuke couldn't answer that. The tears fell faster. "Nanako...I'm so sorry!"

Yosuke still didn't have an answer. So he did the only thing he knew. He stood by his partner's side and Yu didn't hesitate, he leaned down and pressed his head against Yosuke's shoulder. Yosuke reached up to hold him. It was awkward, hugging really wasn't his thing, but it wasn't like he could stand to hear Yu cry either. It was heartbreaking. He wasn't sure what was worse. That his partner's six year old cousin, who was like a little sister to them all, was now dead... or that his partner was breaking right in front of him.

He still had no words, so he just held on.

nice to see you again

[piromare]

( the cold air feels even colder when he watches yosuke and yu, the latter feeling some kind of remorse over making the decision to apparently not do something. that alone is surprising, and while lio wishes he had a better idea as to why the one youth was crying, the other is... doing his best. he looks like he's just as uncertain as lio is. even knowing that he's trespassing on these memories, the former burnish can't help but feel remorseful for the both of them.

after all, pain and sorrow is very much a universal feeling. )

Who is Nanako...?

( obviously someone important, and he taps his chin in thought. )

[dj_jiraiya]

[ His hands were stuffed in his pockets as he watched the heartbreaking memory. He wasn't sure why this was being brought up in his mind. He still didn't quite understand what was going on here, why others were able to just... walk in on all this. ]

His cousin. And uh... she'd died. And he put a stop to us making a huge mistake in wanting revenge on the wrong guy for it.

[ He still felt really ashamed of that too. Now that they knew who was really behind the murders. ]

[piromare]

He sounds strong.

( which makes his outburst even more striking: to have the clarity to not accuse the incorrect person, to stay rational despite being emotional--- all while losing someone so close? he hates hearing about that pain, something that he can easily empathize with. )

Tell me that you found the one who truly did it.

[dj_jiraiya]

Yeah, he is.

[ He's very strong. ]

We did. We found him and stopped him from hurting anyone else. [ He offered a small smile then. ] She woke up too.

[ It was a straight up miracle that none of them dared question either. ]

[piromare]

um. what.

She died, and then she came back to life once you stopped him?

( because 'stopped' certain can mean more than one thing, and if for some reason their lives were connected in some way? )

It sounds like he deserved it. I'm glad...

( and then lio pauses, looking down. )

I'm sorry you've had to deal with something like that.

But I ain't even human...

[dj_jiraiya]

Yosuke really couldn't stay to hear Labrys crying. Her story was incredibly sad but... it was also relatable. Something that he had a feeling the others in the room couldn't. Well, he wasn't sure about Aigis, he didn't know her very well. He pulled down his headphones and bit his lip.

"Um hey... Labrys?" He walked up to the kneeling android. "A while back, a girl I liked was killed. It was painful and sad. And it was frustrating. I thought there was no way anyone else could understand what I was going through."

Labrys turned and looked over her shoulder, meeting Yosuke's eyes who smiled a little.

"But y'know, I'd only convinced myself of that," He reached out a hand. "And maybe you have been alone up until now but if you've got friends. You can overcome anything!"

He knew Aigis and Rise were still at his side, watching. Labrys looked at them too and then back at Yosuke. She shook her head. "B-But we can't a-and I'm a weapon... and I ain't even human..."

She was trying so hard but Yosuke wasn't going to have any of it. Aigis smiled behind him, as if she knew what he would say.

Yosuke could also give her an exasperated smile, eyes softening. "Are you saying... we can't be friends?"

It's what she needed to hear. Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she took his hand,a big watery smile on her face.

"Of course we can."

[ This is from the Arena manga, found here and was already agreed upon with izanyagi that this was the canon route! ]

obviously i gotta do this one

[plasticasshole]

[Connor isn't sure what he's seeing, really. Only that someone is crying, claiming they aren't even human. Some kind of android? He watches, silently, as Yosuke holds a hand out to her. And it makes him smile too, seeing that kindness.

He never had anyone reach out to him quite that way, himself. But Hank did in his own way, in the end. Perhaps when he most needed him, even. Maybe you'll be the ones to make the world a better place.

Connor looks for the dream's owner, curious to meet him. Maybe he can ask what is happening here.]

Hee!

[dj_jiraiya]

[ ooc: probably should have included a picture haha, this is what Labrys looks like. Her android status isn’t well hidden. :3 ]

[ Yosuke was standing off to the side. He wasn’t wearing his Yasogami High Uniform and his hair was a touch shorter, he also lacked the headphones around his neck. He was leaning against a console in the PA room, arms crossed as he watched with a small smile on his face. Labrys was a great girl and friend. It didn’t matter to him that she was an android. He could probably admit, to himself, that he had a little crush on her. But her friendship was most important to him, second really only to Yu’s.

He realized that he wasn’t quite alone in watching. He wasn’t even sure why this was happening, walking into a mirror in a dream and watching a rather nice memory from only a few months ago. But what he didn’t realize was that others could see it, like this guy here. His cheeks turned a little pink and he lifted a hand to rub the back of his head. ]

Aw, jeez... you saw that? Super sappy, right?

[ He laughed in embarrassment. The moment had been right for the time but as an outsider looking in, it probably looked super sappy and embarrassing. He was never used to showing his emotions like that, let alone anyone watching. ]

[plasticasshole]

[Connor shakes his head, glancing off to the scene again.]

A little, but... it was nice. Who is she?

[He approaches Yosuke, who may notice the blue LED on his temple now that he's closer.]

[dj_jiraiya]

Ah... her name is Labrys. She’s an android like Aigis, uh the blonde one. It’s kinda complicated but she was... trying to come to terms with what she was after spending most of her life being made to kill her friends, other androids.

[ She and Aigis were more than androids, they were Anti-Shadow weapons, right? But there was just a lot about that he didn’t know. So he didn’t elaborate. He pointed to the double of her that was laying on the ground, silent and with eyes closed. ]

That’s her Shadow. Something we all have, emotions we try to suppress and don’t want to accept. That’s why she was having trouble accepting what she was, this place isn’t real. It was made to look like my school and she tried to act like a student in it. But it was just something she made up to cope when she was thrown into the TV.

[ He paused and grimaced. ]

That’s kind of a whole other story. But yeah, that’s kind of the gist of what’s going on here. Labrys is doing much better now, I guess I must have been missing her to have a dream about how we met, huh?

[ That’s when he noticed the LED light on his temple. He tilted his head. ]

What’s that?

[plasticasshole]

[The LED goes yellow as he tries to process the information. He feels sorry for her. He knows what it's like to be created to hunt your own kind.]

I'm glad she's doing better.

[He means it, genuinely.]

This is my LED. Back home, androids have these in order to tell us apart from humans.

[Easily removed, but Connor hasn't bothered.]

It's kind of funny that I'd see this memory of yours, considering.

[izanyagi]

It had been frustrating to have been locked in those walls. Even if Yu knew the overall story of what had happened, seeing it was something else entirely. There was a brief connection due to their bond, and Yosuke would feel a large amount of pride radiating from Yu.

"So that's how it all went down. Good job, partner."

[dj_jiraiya]

He couldn't help but press his hand over his chest, where he felt the warmth the most. His cheeks reddened in response and he laughed, looking away slightly in embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah, well... not like you wouldn't've done the same," He said softly.

He was surprised to realize that Rise hadn't been broadcasting the whole time. But now he was kind of glad. Even if Yu was now witnessing the touching moment, it was something he wasn't sure he wanted all the others to see. It was bad enough they all heard what his Shadow said.

[izanyagi]

"Hmmm," is his reply, a small shrug before he grins and then shakes his head. "No...my message would have come out differently. I think you told Labrys exactly what she needed to hear at that moment. If it came from the leader of the Investigation team, the message would have been different."

You can't argue with that logic Yosuke. Just try.

[dj_jiraiya]

"How so?" Yosuke wasn't trying to argue it, but he was confused. It always felt like Yu knew what to say in any given situation. Yosuke hardly ever did. He had no idea how he even lucked out with this one, but it wasn't like he was going to take back what he said to Labrys. It had been a genuine question. And he gained a new friend for it. "What would you have said?"

[izanyagi]

Yosuke's confusion was cute, even if Yu didn't say that part out loud. There were, however, heavier explanations that he wasn't sure he wanted to go into. After all, even if Yu did have a loss at one point - Nanako - she didn't die. Yosuke had that pain between them that would make him understand Labrys a lot more than he felt he did.

Explaining that to him might reopen old wounds, so he hummed briefly to think of what he could say without prying them too open.

"I'm not sure what I would have said," he finally admits, stroking his chin in thought. "But think about it...she knew I was the leader...in a way they always expect the leader to have the right words." A weight he's felt happen more than once, honestly. "But since it came from you..."

It felt more unique. More personal. Not just a leader being a leader.