Disclaimer: I do not own Atlus, but I own a copy of Persona 4! Unfortunately, the data became corrupted, so I'm not going to play the game anymore.
I REQUIRE REVIEWS TO TELL ME HOW I'M DOING AND HOW I CAN IMPROVE, AS WELL AS REVIEWS KEEP ME INFLUENCED TO ACTUALLY CONTINUE WRITING, BECAUSE THERE'S NO POINT IN WRITING IF NO ONE'S GOING TO COMMENT ON IT!
NAOTO AND RISE ARE JUST SO FRIGGIN' ADORABLE TOGETHER!!!...Great, there goes the last remaining shred of my manliness...I mean, I actually just like Naoto alot, even Naoto X Kanji is alright with me, but I'm not too into pairing up the MC with anyone...I don't know why...
Please check out my P4 tribute slideshow videos on Youtube as well!! My name there is 'Hikasu3445'.
I plan on writing some more general stuff for P4 later on, like something about Kanji and Adachi and Nametame and Mitsuo and whatnot, and also some Chie X Yukiko, too...
Naoto Shirogane felt increasingly nervous as she neared the home of Rise Kujikawa's grandmother, where Rise herself was currently living. She took out a small sheet of paper she had folded in her chest pocket and read it over, just to make sure she had the right address.
'Yup...this is the place...'
Although she had just come to pick up Rise for their date at Junes that night, apparently her grandmother would be home, and there was most likely no way in avoiding having to meet her and introduce herself. Of course, since Rise hadn't exactly come out to anyone in her family yet, Naoto was going to have to act like a man for the time being.
Coughing into her fist, Naoto practiced speaking in a deeper voice once again, which was something she hadn't done for a long while. Once she had gotten it down pat, she made sure she had everything else required of her.
'I got my hat...my wallet...my tissues...my underwear...I didn't bring any condoms...normally, my scientific brilliance would warn me that I am not fully equipped to be sent into this dangerous mission, but, I'm just gonna say that I'm all set and roll with it!! ...Damn, Rise-chan has really been rubbing off on me lately...both figuratively and literally...'
Making sure she looked presentable, Naoto made her way up to the front door. Taking in a deep breath, she pressed her finger against the doorbell, and waited for someone to answer. However, for every second longer she waited, the more nervous she slowly became.
'What if she don't like me...what if she thinks I'm weird...what if she finds out that I'm a woman?!! So many things could go wrong...'
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and an old woman stepped out onto the patio. She had wrinkles covering her wizened old face, and she was hunched over with her hands behind her back. Her eyes were almost like slits, a pair of glasses covering them just barely.
"...May I help you, young man?" the old woman asked, her words slightly garbled.
'I guess it's no surprise she'd think that I'm a man...which is a good thing, I suppose...' Naoto thought, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"...Is there a problem?" the woman asked again when Naoto didn't respond to her earlier question.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Naoto exclaimed, snapping out of her deep thoughts, "I'm...uh, I'm here to...pick up your granddaughter, Rise Kujikawa..."
"You're here to...pick her up? Are you, perhaps, that 'byofriend' that Rise has been telling me about?"
Naoto nodded, although she desperately wished to correct her that she wasn't actually a boy at all. "Yes. I am her...boyfriend. My name is Naoto Shirogane,"
The old man smiled widely, showing a mouth full of crooked teeth, and shook Naoto's hands with a surprising amount of strength. "OH, IT'S SO WONDERFUL TO FINALLY MEET YOU!! PLEASE...COME IN!! I'LL MAKE YOU SOME TEA, IF YOU'D LIKE!! RISE IS UPSTAIRS IN HER ROOM RIGHT NOW, BUT SHE'LL BE DOWN SOON!!"
"You...you don't have to make me tea..." Naoto spoke up, a bit overwhelmed by the old woman's sudden burst of energy.
"I'm sure you're not in a rush, dear! It's no problem at all!!"
'She's just like Rise...is everyone in her family this hyper?' Naoto wondered. Sighing, Naoto had no choice but to head inside. The interior of the house reeked off a scent that Naoto recognized rather quickly.
'Is that...tofu? Oh, yeah...Rise's grandmother DOES run a tofu shop, but do they really eat it at home all the time too?'
The living room consisted of only two arm chairs, a couch, and a small TV set that was pressed up against the wall. The stairway leading up to the second floor were nearby, and for a moment Naoto pondered what Rise might be doing up there at this very moment, but the ideas that formed in her mind caused blood to trickle out of her nose, so she stopped.
Naoto took her seat in one of the chairs and waited patiently, staring at all of the framed photos hanging on the wall in front of her.
After about 3 minutes (apparently she was already making tea when Naoto arrived), Rise's grandmother shuffled into the living room, carrying a tray with two steaming hot cups of tea. Placing the tray on the wooden table, both women took their respective cups and began to talk.
"...How long have you and Rise been dating?" the old woman asked inquisitively.
'When the hell is Rise going to come down, so we can finally leave?!' Naoto thought as she replied, "Uh...not that long. About, uh...a month, I suppose. She's a very wonderful woman...I love her very much...I don't think I could ever love anyone as much as I love her..."
That statement were mosty likely the only true words Naoto had told Rise's grandmother since they began talking.
Rise's grandmother nodded in response, and a soft smile formed on her wrinkled, dry lips.
"...Have you been treating her well?" the old woman asked next, and Naoto had figured that this question would come up.
"Yes, of course. She means the world to me. I would never do anything to hurt her, believe me. I have a side-job as a junior detective, and I would only make myself a criminal if I ever brought harm to another human being. You can trust me with taking care of her..."
The female detective suddenly realized that this sugary sweet attitude the grandmother was putting on was actually an attempt to try and throw her off-guard, to get her to admit to possibly harming or taking advantage of Rise in some way. However, Naoto wasn't going to let herself fall for it! A strong tension filled the air between the two of them.
'Bring on the next question, granny...I'll pass with flying colors, and then you'll understand that your granddaughter and I are meant to be together!!...Jeez, and I used to be such a serious person, too...I've really gotten laid-back nowadays...once again, most likely Rise's personality rubbing off on me...'
"How did you two happen to meet?"
Since she obviously couldn't speak of the TV world or fighting Shadows, Naoto knew just how to answer this question: lie. "We met in school. We're both first years, and we're in the same class. I know this sounds a bit corny, especially in this day and age, but...it was love at first sight for me. It was the same way for her, too. We knew we were made for each other right from the start. That's how we met..."
The woman didn't seem to be buying it; Naoto mentally cursed herself for not having come up with a better story.
"...You're not blackmailing my granddaughter into dating you, are you?"
Naoto stood up this time, and tried to act infuriated but also careful not to spill the tea as she shouted, "LISTEN, I ALREADY SAID I'M NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HER-"
"Umm...Naoto-kun?"
Both Naoto and the old woman turned their attention to the stairway, and saw Rise Kujikawa herself standing before them, her hands on her hips. She had changed out of her school uniform, and was now wearing a simple long-sleeve shirt and khaki pants. The moment she laid her eyes on her, Naoto felt her cheeks grow hot.
"Oh, there you are, Rise!" the old woman exclaimed, "What took you so long, sweetie? Your little boyfriend here was getting impatient..."
Naoto was beginning to dislike Rise's grandmother more and more.
"Grandma, you don't need to talk about Naoto-kun like HE'S a child, okay?! That's just rude..." Rise nagged, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I just want to make sure you're happy and safe, dear," the old woman replied, smiling softly like usual.
Rise couldn't help but smile as well. "Yeah...I know, grandma. Thanks..."
"You be careful out there, although I'm sure Naoto-kun will be able to protect you...he seems like a nice young man. You two make a cute couple!"
Rise's face flushed and exclaimed, "GRANDMA, STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT!! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME!!!"
Naoto let out a sigh of relief. 'I wonder if her grandmother really means that...I sure hope so...'
After giving her grandmother a quick good-bye kiss on the cheek, Rise grabbed Naoto by the hand and they rushed out the door, slamming it behind them. Their arms wrapped tightly around one another, Rise stared deeply into Naoto's eyes for a moment.
"...So...what do you think of my grandma?" Rise asked, smirking.
Naoto shook her head. "She's almost as crazy as you are," Her voice now reverted back to its original feminine tone.
Rise giggled and kissed her lover passionately on the lips. "She never found out that you're a girl, either, right?"
Naoto shook her head once again. This time, she smirked as well. "...You should be glad that I'm so skilled at hiding my true gender..."
Rise patted Naoto on the cheek and remarked, "Yeah, you're really good at that, huh?"
Naoto chuckled, and the two young women walked off together, holding their hands tightly as if for dear life...