Never More, a Persona 4 fanfic

Title: Never More
Summary: Yosuke's last battle.
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Snuff, graphic gore.
Disclaimer: P4 is not mine.

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It's been a long day. All you want to do is get to the top floor of this damned place, confront this sick bastard behind the recent Inaba murders, head home and collapse on your futon. But at this point, your focus outweighs your fatigue. You're even beginning to block out that horrible, quasi-electronic tune. This game-like setting is not doing it for you at all.

Behind you, your trusted allies. There's Kanji, whose enthusiasm in battle so far betrays the scowl he currently wears on his face. Then Teddie, the adorable plush bear, squeaking with every step. And of course, Yosuke, who is arguably your closest friend. His cheer is almost infectious, and you admire his will to fight as he hurls himself at every group of Shadows you encounter. “C'mon, we need to get stronger, right?” He'd say, and emerge from almost every battle totally unscathed, sweat shining on his brow.

You round the corner and a Shadow's there, its solitary eye staring the four of you down. Quick as a flash, you raise your long sword, smacking it down the middle, splitting it open. It melts away, another Shadow taking its place. It's a trio of those Dancer enemies. You don't recall having seen this particular one before, but it doesn't really bother you. This battle should be a piece of cake.

You can tell Rise's done scanning as he chirps, “It's an Ardent Dancer. Use Agi skills, senpai!” But you don't have any with that particular elemental attack, so it seems you'll have to take it out with physical attacks. You nod at Yosuke, who grins widely and lunges towards one of the Shadow, his kunai glinting in the artificial light of the 8-bit torch.

But something else flashes first. Yosuke stops dead in his tracks. What's up, you wonder, nothing happened. But you hear an odd spraying sound accompanied by a thump. And a second later, Yosuke looks down to see where those sounds came from and why his sleeve suddenly feels so wet.

All four of you realise what has happened at the same time, but Yosuke reacts first, screaming and collapsing to his knees, scrambling to retrieve his disembodied hand. It's still gripping the kunai. It's still twitching.

You hear footsteps, and somehow manage to tear your gaze away from your best friend to see Kanji running up towards the Ardent Dancer, raising his steel plate to bludgeon the Shadow into oblivion. Another pair, joined at the hip, merely raise their arms in sync, casting a Garula spell that sends him flying back.

The first Ardent Dancer is turning facelessly towards Yosuke, who's struggling to stand up. It's as if the Shadows know how much he's suffering and want to cause more of it to him. It slashes at him, this time almost severing his leg below his knee. You didn't know blood could spray like that. Teddie, standing closest, trying to claw at the third Shadow is hit with a geyser of it. It stains his prized fur a dark, meaty crimson.

Yosuke screams again, louder than before. This one isn't even a clean cut; the lower half of his leg is flopping wildly as he's thrashing around, the exposed bone brilliantly white. Somewhere, you can hear Rise cry, “Oh my god, Yosuke-senpai!” The Shadow looks down at it for a moment, then at Yosuke's blood-splattered face, still swaying soundlessly from side to side. You can only hope that it ends his torture.

It stops swaying. You breathe a sigh of relief, only to realise that the male figure in the pair of Dancers is lifting a whimpering Yosuke up by the throat, oblivious to his feeble attempts at pushing him away with his remaining but equally bloody hand. The female seems to make a giggling sound as she bends over, taking Yosuke's dangling right leg in her hands. “Please, no.” He gasps a gasp tinged with pain. But the Shadow's fingers sink into his leg, gripping it hard and she begins to pull. “No, STOP!” His hysterical shriek melts flawlessly into another tortured scream as the muscle, sinew and skin rips away, and the female Dancer is sent tumbling backwards, clutching his leg. The skin is ragged, stringy bits of flesh clinging to what is left of his pants. The male Dancer tosses the writhing Yosuke to the ground as he walks over to his companion, helping her up as a gentleman would do before waltzing back over to your friend.

Yosuke's eyes are wide with fear as they loom closer and he squeals “Help me!” while trying to wriggle away from the Shadow as fast as he can, his single foot squeaking and sliding in his own blood. You know there's only you. Teddie and Kanji have their hands full fighting the other Shadows. But you can't move. The whole scene is painful for you to watch and to bear, but you can't move your own two legs to stop the monsters from prolonging Yosuke's suffering, or to get him away from them yourself. It's as though something in your mind has snapped.

“Souji! HELP ME!” The Ardent Dancer is above him now, and both the man and the woman seem to mock him despite their lack of heads. Both their hands grip the sword they hold tightly, lowering it level with Yosuke's stomach. His face, a mask of red filth with two stark white orbs bulging out of it, is filled with utter terror. “I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! Oh god I don't wanna d-”

His desperate pleas stop short as the sword plunges into his soft, fleshy side. With their combined strength, the Dancers pull the sword back towards them, splitting Yosuke's belly open, another fountain of blood gushing out, along with some dark lumps and what looks like a long, rope. He's trying to scream again, trying to do anything to lessen the pain you can only imagine he's feeling. But he receives no such relief, no matter how small. Instead of a scream, a gurgling sound comes forth, along with another waterfall of blood and bile.

The Shadow kicks Yosuke in his side, causing him to cough up a fresh mouthful of liquid. It's amazing he's still alive. But the Shadow seems to have gotten bored of him, tired of seeing that particular face contorted with suffering. Or maybe it's doing a merciful thing. Both the man and the woman raise their legs and ready the sword again, bringing them all down in perfect harmony, crushing all of Yosuke's ribs and impaling his throat. There is a wet crunch and a slicing sound and the light in your friend's eyes fade, his brutalised body going limp.

Rise's screaming and crying and begging for Yosuke to get up.

Of all the times to be able to move again. The blood from every single one of his wounds is pooling around your shoes, splashing as you rush towards the Dancers, unspeakable rage filling you. You swing your longsword into it, destroying it instantly, and you fall beside Yosuke's corpse. You'd never thought this would happen. And yet, you know that if you hadn't faltered, Yosuke would still be alive.

Teddie and Kanji are finished too, standing silently, shocked, on either side of you. There's no way any of you can go on. You remove your jacket, bundle up his remains in it, and fish a Goho-M out of your pocket.

END Notes: No, I don't hate Yosuke. I love Yosuke. He's a bro. He just seems... vulnerable. Inspired by some fanart I saw. The title is the name of the song that plays during P4's credits.