Persona 4 – Enkindling
"Real gold does not fear the test of fire"
A/N: Yes, I'm aware I've become "That Guy" that posts YuxRise fics all the bloody time. But, to be honest, we need it :P Like, there's not that many. For a pairing as cute as this, it needs more representation :) (Also, this seemed like a really good idea XD) So yeah, enjoy this idea that I came up with while I was supposed to be working XD This thing is long too, it's easily the longest thing i have ever written :D (I'm aware this is average story length, but for me, this is long XD). Like I say, this is supposed to be a one-shot, but if there's demand and I have the ideas nessecary, I might get another chapter out of this :) Probably not though. There's an air of finality to this one :) Before anyone says anything, yes I'm aware that the mug thing was done in Radiant Affection (Which is great, by the way, you should check it out :D Way better than most of the stuff I've produced XD) but it was too cute an idea XD Please don't rip out my throat kthxloveyoux :3 Regardless, Enjoy :)
xxx
"Children of Man. Well Done!"
With that, it was over. The Investigation Team's incredible, year long, battle was over. They'd saved lives, sent two murderers to jail and toppled gods. They were feeling incredibly victorious. The TV World had returned to its "normal" state (Even though the Team had never seen it like this before, so what was "Normal", really?) and the fog in the town had cleared up. However, it was very bittersweet. On the one hand, they had pretty much saved the world from certain destruction, with only a miracle to thank for their success. On the other, their leader, Yu Narukami, was due to go back to the city tomorrow. He would leave the town he had grown to love more than his own home behind.
Inaba held special very special significance to Yu. He'd met his best friends, people that had influenced him greater than anyone else in his life. He'd connected to his 'Little Sister', someone he would cherish for the rest of his days. Finally, he'd found love here.
If someone were to tell him a year ago that his first girlfriend would be superstar idol Rise Kujikawa, Yu probably would have called them insane. However, it had happened. When she moved to Inaba, she seemed almost disinterested in him, but once they became friends (And after saving her life), she developed a crush on him. He could hardly deny her. She was cute, funny, caring, and always tried to be upbeat even in the face of adversity. She acted child-like sometimes, but there was more maturity to her than he realised. Over the year that Yu had spent in Inaba, they went from friends to a couple to being deeply and truly in love with one another. He couldn't imagine being with anyone else.
So the fact that he was leaving was a problem.
Of course, they'd do the long distance thing, but neither of them would get the satisfaction of just seeing each other every day or even being near one another. Yu's home was at least seven hours away on the train, and was really expensive so either of them just making a fly-in visit would be almost impossible. He'd still make the trip, but could only really do so after several weeks of planning, and even then only during the holidays.
However, they had today. They had around six hours before they had to sleep. Six hours to enjoy their relationship before its entire foundation would change.
6 Hours Left
"To us! The saviours of the world!" Yosuke said, raising a can of Melon Soda.
"Dude, don't say it like that" Kanji sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, you sound really dorky…" Chie added. She couldn't help throwing barbs at Yosuke, especially when he was acting this pathetic.
"Well, I feel we should toast to something. At least I'm bringing some pageantry to it all" Yosuke lamented as he sat back down at the Team's usual table in the Junes food court.
"Do we need to have a speech? Can't we just bask in our victory?" Naoto asked, sipping from her drink and not really making eye contact with anyone.
"I think we should!" Yukiko said enthusiastically. She always did like being overdramatic.
"Maybe Senpai should say something…" Rise said. Confusingly, she was the only one who wasn't as upbeat as everyone else (something incredibly uncharacteristic for her). Before Yu could see if she was OK however, the team seemed happy for Yu to make a speech. He opened his mouth to speak…
"Do we need to say anything? What we did speaks for itself. Let's just have fun for the rest of the day" He smiled.
The Team seemed somewhat disappointed, but overall, they agreed with his sentiment. While the group was talking among themselves (mostly slandering Yosuke because of his 'dumb idea') Yu leaned over to his girlfriend.
"Hey" he said as he placed an arm around her.
"Hey" she smiled. His presence cheered her up somewhat.
"You OK? You seem really gloomy"
"I'm OK, yeah" she half-smiled.
"So why are you so… off right now?"
"Because… today's your last day"
Yu was trying not to think about that. It was going to suck to leave, obviously, but he was more worried about how it would make his friends feel. They'd probably all be fine eventually, but Rise was the closest to him. He'd spent the last year trying to make everyone happy. He didn't want to think about how sad they'd be once he left…
"Sorry…" Yu said.
Rise giggled softly "It's not your fault, Senpai, you need to keep your promise… I'm just really going to miss you…" Rise's fake smile dropped from her face. Yu simply pulled her even closer to him and rubbed her arm. She rested her head on his shoulder when Yu had an idea.
"Hey, when we get out of here, let's spend the day together" He suggested.
"We only have a few hours… that's barely any time. I'm super tired too…"
"Then come stay at my place" he smiled gently. He knew she'd want to spend time with him, she just needed a push.
"You sure? I mean, Nanako-chan and your uncle won't mind?"
"Are you kidding? You're basically part of the family" he chuckled.
Rise mused for a moment on her boyfriend's suggestion. She didn't need to think for too long, however.
"OK" she smiled, genuinely for the first time in a while. "I'll need to run home to grab a few things first, but I'll swing by as soon as I can, OK?"
"Sure" he said, squeezing her shoulder.
The young couple simply listened in on their friend's debate, basking in the bittersweet atmosphere.
5 Hours Left
Rise was hurriedly running about her bedroom. She was looking for this and that and throwing it into a small holdall bag. Every time she put something in, she forgot about something else. She was just scatter-brained today, it seemed. In her defence, she had a right to be. In a few short hours, the man she loved the most would leave and their relationship would change. She'd put her heart on the line with Yu Narukami. He was easily the coolest guy at school, even cooler than some of the third year guys. He was never rude or stuck up. He just listened. That was part of what drew Rise to him. His quiet maturity and composure were things that she found very attractive. She knew that he would take care of her and see her just as she was, without the artificial crap that her managers tried to shove down the public's throats.
He was the only guy Rise had ever really crushed on as well. Nobody else interested her. She might have commented on how attractive someone is, but on an emotional level, she never really met anyone that she'd want to date. That is, until she met Yu.
He could have had any girl in Yasogami High. In fact, Rise was sure that he was chasing after Yukiko before she came along. She hadn't really talked to him about it, she probably should…
In truth, she was pretty boring. Some had described her as vapid or characterless or one-note and they might have been right. She was pretty enough, she couldn't have been an idol otherwise, but outside of that? She didn't know. Compared to Yukiko, who was much more mature than her, or Chie, who had the whole girl-next-door thing going for her, or Naoto, who was the most adorable person on earth despite her front of aloofness, Rise was pretty boring. And yet, despite her faults, he chose her. And in the last year, they had made so many happy memories together as they fell in love.
Even if they did break up, Rise would never forget the time she spent with her Senpai. She wanted tonight to be a perfect night, to round off his time in Inaba.
Now that she'd finished getting her essentials together, Rise simply had to get changed. Her school uniform was what she usually fought the Shadows in, and she hadn't got changed since her battle with Izanami, where Yu and everyone else almost died…
Rise dismissed that thought with a shake of her head. That was the last thing she wanted to think about. Instead she simply undressed and examined herself in the mirror.
This would be Yu's last night here so there's every chance that they might…
Rise decided to change her underwear from the boring set she was currently wearing into something a little sexier and threw on her usual orange shirt and white leggings over the top. She didn't want to go crazy with the sex appeal, Nanako and Dojima would be there. She grabbed her bag and then made her way down the stairs to the kitchen, where she grabbed a few snacks from the cupboards. Her grandmother was sat at the table taking tea.
"Are you off to see Yu-kun tonight, Rise?" she asked, genuinely interested.
"Yeah… It's his last night here, so I thought I'd head over there and spend the night" said Rise as she stuffed a box of cookies into her bag.
"I see…" Rise's grandmother said "Well, if you do end up… you know… make sure it's safe and everything"
Rise stopped what she was doing and stared at her grandmother, wide-eyed and red faced.
"Grandma! We won't be doing that his sister will be in the house!" Rise started explaining, waving her hands about as she did so. If Rise knew that, however, why did she bother putting on her sexy underwear? She found herself asking this question to herself. Only briefly, however, as she heard her grandmother chuckle.
"I'm only teasing, dear. Have a good night"
Rise had to laugh too. Despite the difference in age, Rise's grandmother was a lot like her. They both had the same playful spirit. Whenever Yu came over, she always liked to tease him and say things like 'Don't be getting up to anything naughty, Yu-kun, or I'll have to be a traditional grandmother and chase you out of here with a broom'. Though she didn't say it, Rise knew that her grandmother would miss Yu as well.
"I should get going" Rise said, throwing her bag over her shoulder. She moved over to her grandma and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Bye grandma. See you later"
"Rise-chan" Her grandmother said. "Before you go, just let me give you a piece of advice"
This caught Rise's attention. Her grandmother hadn't had to give anyone a 'piece of advice' for a while. For the most part, she accepted Rise's decisions so she knew this had to be important. Rise even pulled up a chair and sat down to listen to it.
"I know that you're upset that he's leaving. Don't think you can hide it from me, you're terrible at it" She chuckled at her joke before continuing. "But Rise. Promise me, you won't see this as the end of an era. Instead, see it as an opportunity. You aren't losing him when he leaves, instead it's a test of your relationship. If you really love each other, you can make it work. I promise you" She smiled and squeezed her granddaughter's hand. "Real gold does not fear the test of fire. Remember that. Now, off you go. Yu-kun is waiting for you" another smile and another squeeze.
"Grandma…" Rise said, taken aback. She hadn't thought of this separation like that. She would be sad. Immeasurably so, her entire world was about to get thrown out of balance. Maybe a few weeks after he left though, she'd look back on these words of wisdom and take them to heart truly. For now, they were simply something to reflect on. "Thank you" Rise smiled. "I feel a lot better"
"Good" said her grandmother. "But get going! He's not going to wait forever" she said as she laughed.
"OK" Rise said, standing up and heading out the door. "Love you!" she shouted back as she closed the door to the tofu shop.
"I love you too, Rise…" Her grandmother said under her breath. "She's growing up so fast, eh Tatsuya?" she said slightly louder, to somebody who wasn't in the room.
4 Hours Left
*Ding-Dong*
"Can I get it, dad?" Nanako asked timidly.
"Sure, Nanako" Dojima smiled as his young daughter ran towards the door to greet whoever it was.
"You sure you're OK having Rise stay the night?" Yu asked before putting the last of his sushi from his farewell dinner in his mouth.
"I told you, I like having her here. Nanako seems to get along with her and you brighten up a bit when she does" Dojima said with a full-bodied laugh.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yu said, joining Dojima in on his joke.
"I'm just sayin', you could spare to be less gloomy all the time" his uncle said, still chuckling.
"Dad! Rise-chan's here! And she bought some desert!" Nanako said excitedly. Rise followed behind her, with a Junes bag in hand.
"That's great, Nanako. Did you remember to say 'thank you'?" Dojima asked.
"Yep!" Nanako puffed out her chest proudly.
"Hey everyone" Rise smiled. "I thought I should bring something to say thank you for having me over so I figured I'd grab some desert"
"You didn't have to do that" Yu and Dojima said, almost in unison. Rise couldn't help but giggle. They were definitely related.
"I know I didn't have to…" Rise took a seat beside Yu as she explained her actions. "But I thought it'd be nice, you know? Besides, who doesn't like Anpan?" Rise said, producing a box with six or seven anpan rolls.
"I love Anpan!" Nanako smiled. "There's this one show where the hero's head is made of it!"
"Really?" Rise asked, enthusiastically. Yu smiled at that. She was really good with kids.
"Yeah! It's really funny" Nanako said, laughing softly.
The four of them simply sat around and ate the anpan that Rise had brought for them all. Yu was impressed by how well she got on with his family. He always thought that Dojima would be kind of hard-assed about him bringing a girl home, but he didn't seem to mind. Nanako adored Rise. She would often ask 'Big Bro! When is Rise-chan coming over? I want to show her the drawing I did of her at a concert!' or words to that effect. He liked it. After all, if this girl was going to be in his life, it was essential that she get on with his family.
Once they had finished Rise's little offering, the matter of cleaning up came up. Yu immediately started gathering dishes but Dojima stopped him.
"Not tonight" he said.
"But it's my turn, isn't it?" Yu responded confused.
"Not tonight it isn't. You take it easy, alright? It's the least I can do" he laughed.
Yu simply shrugged and made his way to the couch while Dojima got on with the washing up… With Nanako's strict supervision, of course. Rise soon joined Yu on the sofa and leant against him in the way they'd become so accustomed over the course of their relationship.
"Hey" Rise said, cutely.
"Hey" Yu shot back.
"Are you sure it's OK I stay over? I mean Dojima definitely doesn't mind, does he?"
"No, he likes it when you stay over" Yu laughed.
"Really?" Rise asked, shocked. "Why?"
"You make Nanako happy, I guess"
"Awwh~!" Rise cooed.
"Apparently, you make me 'Less Gloomy' too" Yu laughed.
"What?! You aren't gloomy! You're just like… composed and… cool"
"See?!" Yu shouted over to his uncle, who was handing a plate to Nanako to put in the cupboard. "She doesn't think I'm gloomy" Yu added.
"Yeah? She doesn't live with you" Dojima laughed.
"Give it time, Dojima-san" Rise chimed in with a giggle.
The Dojima Household was sure to be full of laughter that night.
3 Hours Left
"Does anyone want anything to drink?" Dojima asked, standing up now that the gameshow that they were all watching had concluded.
"It's a little late for coffee..." Yu lamented.
"Ooh! I know! How about we have some cocoa?" Nanako suggested, bright eyed.
"Yeah, I used to have it all the time back home during the winter" Rise added, looking up at Yu from her position against his shoulder.
"Cocoa, huh? I think we have some in the cupboards…" Dojima said moving to the kitchen. As he went, he cast an eye over the young couple and smiled. Perhaps this sight of his nephew sitting with a girl pressed up against him reminded him of his own, long-lost, love life. Or perhaps he had something else in mind…
Yu thought Dojima's statement was an odd one. He knew there was some cocoa powder in the cupboards, he bought some to have with Nanako a few days ago. Unless Nanako or Dojima had been eating it neat from the pot they should have plenty left for four cups. Dojima stood in front of an open cupboard and looked around for a second before concluding:
"I guess we don't have any left…" Before Yu could say anything to the contrary, Dojima slipped his hand into the cupboard for just a second before closing it quickly and turning to Nanako.
"Nanako, you want to come to Junes with me to pick up some more?"
"Really?!" Nanako asked excitedly.
"Yep" Dojima laughed
"Yay! I love Junes!" Nanko enthused. Whenever Junes was brought up, she always went through this little routine. "Big Bro? Rise-chan? Are you guys coming?"
Again, before Yu or Rise could say a word, Dojima cut them off. "No, Nanako, they should stay here and hold down the fort"
Yu shot a glance to his uncle. Despite being a detective, Yu knew that he was a terrible liar. However, his face wasn't cracking at all. He was committing to this for some reason. But why?
Nanako ran off to put her shoes and coat on while Dojima came over to the young couple and stood in front of them.
"I'll see you guys in exactly half an hour. Alright?"
"OK…" The confused lovers said hesitantly. Why was he being so specific?
Perhaps even more oddly, he extended his hand towards Yu. Why did Dojima want to shake his hand? They were just going for groceries. Nonetheless, it was awkward. Yu had to stand up because his position meant that he couldn't firmly grasp his uncle's outstretched palm. However once he made the contact, everything suddenly made sense.
As he pressed his palm into his uncle's he felt something foreign and unexpected in there. It was clearly some sort of thin metal, like foil, with sharp edges in the shape of a square. It took Yu a second to realise what his uncle was offering him. Once he did however, the rest of his strange behaviour suddenly became clear in its motivations. Before Dojima let go, he repeated himself one more time.
"Exactly half an hour"
"Got it" Yu said, grinning inanely.
"And wipe that smirk off your face" Dojima laughed, awkwardly. "Come on, Nanako"
"OK Dad!"
With that, Dojima walked off. Yu stood there until he heard the door shut and lock before turning to Rise
"What was all that about?" Rise asked, still confused.
Yu simply waved the little sheet of foil between his thumb and forefinger. As he did so, a sudden wave of realisation hit Rise.
"OH! He wanted to-"
"Give us some time alone, yeah…" Yu said.
"He said he'd be half an hour, right?" Rise said, standing up. Now that they knew what was on the cards, suddenly romance was in the air. She lazily draped her arms around her Senpai's neck.
"You think that's enough time?" Yu asked, huskily, as he moved his hands to his girlfriend's waist, pulling her in closer.
"Are you kidding? That's enough time to go twice!" Rise giggled. "I knew I made the right call changing my underwear today…" She said as her tone changed from cute to sultry in an instant, her voice dripping with promises of what was to come.
"Really?" Yu confidently asked. "Which ones?"
"The black ones that I picked out for your birthday" Rise moved her face closer to Yu until their foreheads were touching. "You like those, right?"
"Don't tease me" Yu said, before crashing their lips together. For a solid minute, they stood in the living room exploring one another's mouths with their tongues. Yu eventually started to pay some attention to Rise's neck, nibbling it softly as she spoke.
"I thought you liked it when I teased you…" she laughed.
"Just get upstairs" Yu ordered. She whimpered a little at that. She loved it when he took charge, especially in the bedroom.
"Aye-aye, Leader" Rise said, continuing to taunt him. The couple made their way upstairs, their hands running all over one another as they did so. The second they got into Yu's room, they fell back onto his couch. Damn the futon, it'd take too long to set up. They needed each other, and they needed it now. Rise lay down while Yu towered over her and began to kiss her neck passionately. Rise loved being touched there, whenever he made contact with her skin, she would whimper slightly. She started fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. She loved her boyfriend's fashion sense, but at times like this it was awkward. Her head was clouded with teenage lust and desire so her dexterity was hindered. Even trying to remove his shirt (That apparently had one million buttons) was a challenge, but eventually, she did and cast it aside. Where it landed, neither of them cared. She ran her hands over his toned stomach. Yu adored having that done to him, her small, slender fingers on his skin felt amazing and whenever she touched another muscle, it felt like an electric shock straight to his brain.
Rise pulled away from her boyfriend for a second to get her shirt off, exposing her torso for him to see. True to her words, there was the black underwear that Rise had brought as a 'Birthday Surprise' for Yu. It was ever so slightly see-through.
"Yeah, you're right" Yu said, running his hands over her curves. "I do like these"
Rise giggled as he started trailing kisses down her body…
As they made love, they forgot about tomorrow. The two of them had no care that Yu was leaving in the morning. All that mattered was the here and now. As it turned out, the here and now felt damn good.
2 Hours Left
The young couple lay on Yu's couch hanging off each other in the afterglow. Rise gently caressed her boyfriend's face as he rubbed her arm. Neither of them had to say a word to one another, really. They were more than content to just lie here and be with the other person, wordlessly. It was Rise who broke the silence.
"That was great…" She said weakly, still breathing heavily.
"Yeah…" Yu concluded.
"That's all you have to say?" Rise laughed. She absentmindedly started drawing little patterns on his chest with her finger.
"What, do you want me to thank you or something?" Yu chuckled as he ran his hands through Rise's (now fairly dishevelled) hair.
"Maybe" she giggled "Still… I'm glad we got to do that again before you go"
"Yeah" Yu sighed as Rise nuzzled up to him. His watch beeped from across the room, wherever it landed. He vaguely remembered setting an alarm before everything started to blend together as a stream of pure bliss. "We need to get up, Dojima'll be back soon"
"Do we have to?" Rise whined, nuzzling even closer to Yu. "Can't we just enjoy this for a little bit longer?"
"Do you want Dojima to see you naked?"
"No… Obviously" Rise said while making her 'I'm so done with you' face.
The couple had to help each other find their clothes. The only thing that they had immediately to hand were Rise's socks that had stayed on her feet throughout the whole thing (She really didn't give a damn about taking them off). Everything was mostly on the floor. Yu's watch had rolled underneath the desk and Rise's shirt had landed on his shelf, somehow. In the end, it took about five minutes for the couple to get fully dressed again. Turns out, the timing worked out perfectly since the moment they got back downstairs and reassumed the position on the couch, the door unlocked and Nanako and Dojima returned.
"Big Bro! Rise-chan! We're back! We found some cocoa, it's the really fancy kind too" Nanako said in an upbeat tone as she sat at the table.
"I'll get it ready now" Dojima said as he cast a knowing glance at his nephew, who simple mouthed the words 'Thank you' back to him. Dojima nodded before turning to Nanako.
"Nanako, didn't you want to give something to Rise-chan?" he said as he began pouring heaps of the brown powder into three, handmade, mugs.
"Oh yeah!" Nanako exclaimed before getting up yet again and bolting up the stairs, almost falling over as she did so. Rise leant in close to her boyfriend to ask him something.
"What's she giving me?"
"I have literally no idea" Yu said, just as confused as his Kōhai. Within seconds, Nanako was back and holding something behind her back. She rocked back and forth on her heels as she tried to figure out what to say. She eventually settled on "Here you go, Rise-chan!"
In Nanako's petite hands was a pink ceramic mug. It looked different to any mug Rise had ever seen before though. For one thing, her name was on it. For another, it was adorned with little musical notes. Not too many to look tacky, but enough to show that this was a personal thing. Once Yu saw it, he laughed out loud.
"Oh, I know what this is" he chuckled. "You're about to start crying, I can guarantee it"
"Hey, give me some credit!" Rise said, picking up a nearby pillow and smacking Yu with it before turning back to Nanako. "What is this, Nanako-chan?"
"Well… We gave Big Bro a mug just like this when he became part of this family…" Nanako stopped to turn to her dad for clarification. She never really did understand that particular wording. He nodded and smiled to tell Nanako to continue. "Um, and since you love Big Bro and we love you that means you're part of the family now too!" Nanako enthused as she thrust the cup towards Rise.
"Nanako-chan…" Rise-said with a happy sigh.
"We like having you around here, Rise" Dojima strode over and decided to give his two cents. "You get on with Nanako, you're never rude or unhelpful and, most importantly, you make him happy. That's about all I could ask for" He punctuated his words with a toothy grin.
"You guys…" Rise said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Come on, this isn't fair" she laughed, and they laughed with her. "You're really sure about this?" Rise asked one more time. Yu, Nanako and Dojima nodded in unison. What else could Rise do? It was a somewhat token gesture, but it filled her heart with warmth to know she was so accepted. "OK" Rise said, on the verge of tears of joy.
"Yay!" Nanako yelled, almost dropping Rise's mug in her celebration.
"Come on, let's put this to use" Dojima laughed.
"You want me to help, Dojima-san?" Rise asked. She was up for the busywork to try and keep herself from breaking down.
"No, no. I have one job in this house, and that's to make the coffee" he said.
Nanako sat back down at the table, waiting for her beverage while Rise buried her head into Yu's shirt. He leant inwards to say:
"I told you that you'd cry"
"You can shut up!" she mock-protested, still using his shirt as a comforter.
After Dojima came over with the drinks, the four of them sat around and talked for another ten minutes while they finished them. Once Dojima was done with his, he looked at his watch.
"Woah, Nanako, its way past your bedtime!" Dojima exclaimed. He must have lost track of time.
"Dad… Please? Just a little bit longer?" Nanako forlornly cast her gaze to her brother. "I don't want to yet…"
Dojima looked at Nanako with pity. He didn't want to be the one to have to tear her away from her brother, especially since he was leaving tomorrow. In the end, it was Rise who saved Dojima.
"Hey, Nanako-chan, it'll be alright. You can see him tomorrow, yeah? I promise" Rise smiled warmly in an attempt to calm Nanako down. "Besides, we're going to go to bed now too. Even grown-ups get tired. Just look at your dad, he can barely stay upright!" she giggled as she commented on Dojima. It was true, he was having trouble retaining his alertness.
"Yeah" Nanako giggled softly. "OK… G'night, Big Bro…" her face looked crestfallen as she stood up to head upstairs to her bedroom. Before she could make it up even the first step however, Yu strode over to his little sister and wrapped her into a tight hug.
"Goodnight, Nanako" he said, squeezing her tightly. "I love you"
"I love you too, Big Bro…" Nanako's voice was hitching in her throat, as if she were about to cry. Surprisingly, when Yu let her go, she was smiling. There were still tears in her eyes, but needless to say, she was happy about something.
Mere minutes after Nanako had retreated to her room, Yu and Rise felt pretty tired. Perhaps it was the hot drinks making them groggy, perhaps it was the battle with Izanami or perhaps it was the other… activity that they'd done not one hour ago, but they needed to get to bed. After saying goodnight to Dojima (Who looked about ready to fall asleep there and then) they went up to Yu's room. They unpacked his futon together, got changed into their pyjamas together and lay down next to each other, snuggled up close.
"When I next see you…" Rise lamented
"I'll be right here" Yu interrupted her. "Just because I'm going home doesn't mean we don't have tomorrow morning" he laughed softly.
"Yeah… We should get some sleep"
"Probably, yeah"
"I don't want to though…" Rise blushed.
"Why's that?" Yu asked, playing with her hair like he did earlier. He would miss this, simple little things that the distance would prevent them from doing.
"I'd miss you too much"
"That's adoreable" he said, pecking her on the cheek.
"But I suppose we should get some rest… You have a long journey tomorrow"
"Yeah…"
Rise quickly hopped off the futon to snap off the light, leaving Yu in total darkness. He heard her sprinting back towards him as she dived back under the covers.
"I love you…" she said, her voice cutting through the darkness like a torch.
"I love you too…" he repeated. He then drew her in for a slow, long, kiss on her lips. A light chapping was all that could be heard from amidst the gloom. A goodnight kiss wasn't unusual for them, far from it. Whenever either of them stayed over, they always made a point to do it, but tonight's was different. Normally, it was just a quick peck on the lips but tonight's was agonizingly slow. There was a reason for this, and they were both aware of it. It would be the last one for months. They wanted to enjoy every second, commit every movement to memory, and burn the imprint of the other into their hearts. This wasn't just a goodnight kiss.
It was a goodbye kiss.
Yu shut his eyes once they separated. He hoped that if he just did that, eventually sleep would overcome him and he wouldn't have to face the fact that tomorrow, his whole world would change.
1 Hour Left
"Senpai?"
"Yeah?"
"You still awake?"
"Yeah"
"Good"
"Why?"
"I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice one more time before I go to sleep"
"That's cute"
"Shut up… Hey?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you, Senpai"
"I love you too, Kōhai"
"I just wanted you to know that before you leave tomorrow"
"You were gonna tell me anyway"
"Shut up, you idiot, I know that… I love you. So, so much"
"Me too"
"Night, Senpai"
"Good night, Rise"
The Last Day
Yu awoke on his last day in Inaba around 7AM. Enough time to eat breakfast, get dressed, get his things and get to the train station. He had to deal with his girlfriend first though. He had to be careful. He knew from experience how antsy Rise could be in the mornings.
"Hey? Rise?" he asked, while rolling over. To his surprise, Rise's eyes were fully open.
"Yeah?" She asked, her arms around his waist.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Like half an hour, maybe longer?"
"What were you doing?"
"Just watching you sleep" she giggled softly. "You make this cute little noise when you sleep. It's like snoring but not… It's great"
"Whatever you say" he smiled, moving one of her bangs out of her face. "Come on, we should get ready to head out" Yu said.
As soon as he said it, he felt Rise's head collide with his chest.
"-nt to" was all he heard.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I said, I don't want to…"
"Rise…" Yu sighed. "Why not?"
"Because the second I let go of you, you have to leave… I don't…" To Yu's surprise, Rise's eyes started welling up with tears. "I don't want you to go..."
"So your plan is to lie with me on this futon forever?" Yu joked.
"Yes…" Rise's eyes had started leaking now. "If that's what it takes to get you to stay… then yes"
"Rise…"
"Don't 'Rise' me!" Rise's voice had become louder yet more unstable like she was going to start weeping at any moment. "I never asked to fall in love with you. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy that it happened… you're the best thing that's ever happened to me but it…" Rise's had started making blubbing noises at this point, her breath catching as she tried to speak. "Just. Isn't. Fair." She buried her head into her boyfriend's chest again as she carried on with her speech. "You come here, steal my heart, make me love you more than anything else in the world and then expect me not to cry when you leave? I want you to stay here forever and ever…" Rise had properly started to cry now. Yu could feel her tears running down his body, and her breath became even more erratic. "I would give everything I have just to spend one more day with you… Just one day is all I want… O-One day where we go on a date… and you call me Kōhai… and tell me you love me… I-I…"
Rise had lost control now. The emotional dam inside her had broken and was flooding from her eyes. It was all Yu could do to hold her shaking body close, stroke her hair, and say:
"Rise. If there were a way I could spend the rest of my life on this bed with you next to me, I would. I wouldn't even care about the rest of my life because I'm with you. I don't want to leave you or Nanako or anyone behind. But I have to. I have to keep my promise. If I'd known I'd meet the love of my life here, I wouldn't have made that promise but its set in stone now. I have to go back."
Rise's sobbing became even worse
"But. Just because I'm leaving you alone, doesn't mean you're lonely. We'll always be thinking of one another, and we can always talk. If you're ever feeling upset or angry or truly lonely, I swear on my life that I will move heaven and earth just to make you feel better. Because I love you, Rise Kujikawa. No amount of distance could ever diminish that. If anything, it'll make us stronger"
When Rise heard him say that last sentence, she stopped crying for a moment and remembered what it was her grandmother said. She repeated it to herself one more time.
"Real gold does not fear the test of fire"
"What's that?" Yu said, apparently mishearing her.
"N-Nothing… Thanks, Senpai… I think I'll be OK… I'll really miss you though" Her tears petering out as she said the words.
"I'll miss you too, Rise"
The two spent another moment simply embracing. Rise wanted to remember this moment. Everything about it. She could hear his heartbeat, smell his scent and feel his fingers on her back. She had to commit this to memory. It would be a while before they saw each other again.
*Knock-Knock-Knock*
"Big Bro. Rise-chan. Dad says it's time to go…" Nanako said from the other side of Yu's door. She sounded really upset. Today was a dark day that affected more than Rise and her boyfriend, it seemed.
"You ready to let me go now?" Yu whispered in her ear.
"No..." Rise said honestly. "But, I think I have to be"
Finally they parted, with nought but a kiss on the lips to end the embrace.
Yu and Rise got dressed at the same time, seeing each other naked was the least of either of their worries at this point, had a quick breakfast and climbed into the back of Dojima's 4x4.
As they sat there, going along the bumpy country road to the train station, their hands rested in the middle seat. Never once parting.
Nanako turned around from the front to look at Rise. The young girl's eyes were red but she was trying her damndest not to cry. "Rise-chan? Have you been crying too?" she asked.
"Yeah, Nanako… But I'm gonna be OK. Because your Big Bro loves me. Knowing that makes me happy, so even when he's not around, I can smile" Rise said, demonstrating her point by putting on a genuine smile.
"I think… I can smile too, Rise-chan" Nanako-chan said, mimicking Rise's expression.
Soon, they were at the train station. Yu had said his final goodbyes to all of his friends. Rise still cried a little more, regardless of what she said in the car. The only person Yu hadn't properly said goodbye to was his girlfriend.
"See you soon, Kōhai" he said, pulling her in one more time for a loving embrace.
"Yeah… See you soon, Senpai…"
As they separated, Rise darted forward and stole one, final, kiss from Yu's lips. It only lasted for a second, but everything they could have wanted to say to each other in that moment was said, wordlessly, in that kiss.
"Yummy…" Rise said, under her breath.
With that, Yu turned around to board the train. Once it began to move, his friend's started running alongside it and telling him various things about how they were all connected. Rise was running too, tears streaming down her face yet again. She simply said four words. Four little words she said hundreds of times before. Now though, they meant so much more.
"I love you, Senpai!"