This will be interesting. Take one flirty Idol, mix in some Bicurious feelings, swirl in a dash of learned homophobia and galleon of career risk, throw in a very handsome Detective prince, put it all together and slow cook for an hour and what do you get?
One very confused, very conflicted Rise Kujikawa.
This is set after the whole thing, about five years after, and first thing we see is the aftermath of a certain bit of news given by our protagonist, and the bullshit and overworked Navi Persona has to deal with after. Poor Himiko, Sukuna can totally help ease that stress if you let him~~~
FYI I ship the personas/shadows of Naoto and Rise even harder than I ship Naoto and Rise, and my hc is that it's less that the shadows become the persona, and more like the shadows are the persona, just accepted. Hence why their shadow forms show up more often for the sake of interacting with each other.
Shadows are weird.
Disclaimer: I don't own Persona. I don't have a Persona. I fear what my shadow would be like to be honest.
Emotions were like songs.
Fractured, out of tune, sometimes discordant while others….others were sweet and made the most perfect of harmonies.
It was her job partially to read these notes, to discern the meaning from the phrases and chords, to gather them up into a comprehensible whole and to share it with her host, just one more part of what made her, her, the strength of Rise Kujikawa and her ability to face the outer world.
However, sometimes that task was just that much harder when it was her host that was creating such discordant tunes.
It had been almost a week, in human terms, so long has she been unable to speak through the clash of broken harmony that was Rise's sadness. So tiring it was, trying to sooth out the noise in some futile attempt to create something palatable to the ears.
In short, she really really wished Izanagi's host would be slightly more considerate of other's feelings before sharing the news of his current romantic intentions.
"So what has you so mopey, hmm?" Smooth words, carelessly tossed out as a small insect persona flew in. Sukuna Hikona flitting about however he pleased as usual, his duel facets and emotions as easily shifting as ever.
It still was a relief, compared to Rise's current angst.
"It's not me, it's Rise." She tossed out, just as carelessly, still working hard on trying to smooth out the edges, realign the tones. If only Rise would stop and think for a second then maybe…
"Oh, don't you start." He warned, finally finding a spot to land, perching on an amorphous branch crafted from the aether, the odd space between that they resided when not called. "You'll turn yourself into a shadow at that rate. Don't be stupid." He paused a beat. "Not that I wouldn't mind seeing that swimsuit again."
She frowned, ignoring the Fortune's cheek for the moment, trying to keep her own mind on task. "It's Souji." She admitted, just to cease his probing. "He admitted to Rise about him and Yosuke."
"Izanagi's an imbicile." Came the calloused and blunt reply, and she could almost see a sleeve flapping in the wind as the hand gestured dismissively. "And Jiraiya's all the more welcome to it. He's charming, I will say, but when it comes to certain matters of taste." He paused, arching a brow at her. "He lacks luster."
"I spoke of Souji, not Izanagi." She frowned, turning away from that almost smug face, giving a petulant pout of her own at the persona's cold words. "Izanagi's perfectly fine. Noble."
"He's an idiot." Sukuna Hikona flitted over to her, watching as she smoothed out the rough edges of Rise's depression. "So's his host for that matter, but they are the same technically." Always pointing out the facts, it was a constant black and white to him. She refrained from mentioning that they were only aspects of their other selves, not the whole thing.
Though he might have been right about Izanagi and her…maybe a little.
Not that she'd admit it.
"Why are you here?" She asked instead, tilting her head in a curious manner, watching him study the way she worked through her host's emotions with an almost frightening focus. "You must be in my range to appear here…"
"Why is Naoto Shirogane anywhere?" He asked back, turning to give her an almost blank look. She could see his other self beneath his normal aspect, an almost smirk beneath those gleaming yellow eyes.
His contrasts gave her a headache sometimes.
"A case then. Rise will be pleased." Though perhaps not. Ever had there always been an odd dissonance between their hosts, just as there were between them. Though, that wasn't exactly the Detective's fault…
The smaller persona laughed and laid back, flopping right in front of her work, like he was a cat and not a bug. She could feel herself scowling, crossing her arms and huffing down at him, only for him to smile brightly back at her. Ug.
"So will Naoto~" He sang, lifting a sleeve covered hand to gently stroke along her cheek. She tried not to lean into it, even though the touch felt good and she liked that look in his amber eyes. Still.
"You're in my way." She grumbled, pouting again. Never mind that her arms across her chest gave him ample view of her bosom, or that she tilted slightly downward, giving him a better look.
The attention was nice, in a way.
He laughed again and sat up, instead of moving away choosing instead to draw closer to her, that gleaming grin in front of her face. "I could do something else." He offered, cheeky smirk growing. "It might cheer Rise up even."
"Don't be ridiculous." She huffed, turning away and walking several steps from the infuriating persona. Even though she wanted to, but not now. Not so soon after…
"Izanagi is an idiot." He reiterated, and she turned to find him scowling, frown on his face and sleeved hand on his hip. His eyes were narrowed, piercing into her, piecing together the puzzles of her fractured and perpetually shifting being.
She shivered, though the fact that she perpetually wore a two piece bikini had nothing to do with it.
He scowled, turning away. "So are the rest of you, for that matter." He grumbled. "We will see each other again, I'm certain. The case Naoto's on will likely lead her to you." He then turned, his mood shifting to dark as it always did. She took a step forward.
"Sukuna Hikona." She called out.
He paused for a moment, then tilted his cap, saluted, then flittered off into the aether, leaving her alone once more.
She really wished he didn't do that, even if his coming stirred up feelings long since buried, feelings she, nor Rise, had any desire to confront now.
She frowned and glanced down, slowly watching the discordant harmony of her-Rise's-emotions swirl about, an almost painful noise assaulting her eardrums.
It was going to be a long night…
That first chapter was so small I'M SORRY. Sukuna and his moodyness will return later. Possibly with more sexual frustration between persona. Shut up, it's hot.
Meanwhile I'm gonna give you what's happening on RISE'S side of things in the next chapter mmkaaay? Kay.
Review for Aunty Cune~~
Ciao!