Opening Author's Notes
I have to say the Persona series is one of the craziest (in a good way) game series I've ever played, so it was only a matter of time before I took a shot at a Persona fanfic. I have to confess I'm a Rise fan and don't think we write enough music into stories involving her, so I'm taking a shot at tackling that and making each chapter a songfic. I've also posted this on the Persona Series category, but I figured I'd put it over here too so that it was easier to find. Hope you guys enjoy!

Warning
Spoilers for some game events

Disclaimer
I only own the scenario. The Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series belong to Atlus.

On a brilliant Sunday in late April in the Japanese countryside town of Yasoinaba, also known as Inaba, 17-year-old Yosuke Hanamura had just finished up his shift at the local Junes and was heading out for some time alone. Life could hardly be any better for him—he had a loyal girlfriend and a good batch of close friends, his grades were improving, and he had just gotten a very good raise.
As he walked through the Central Shopping District, he saw a poster showing a teenage girl with a fair figure, brown eyes, a pretty face and slightly wavy copper-red hair done in a pair of pigtails that hung past her shoulders. It read,

Don't miss Rise Kujikawa and company at the Shiba Park Jam on May 4th!
Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo—1500 Yen at the park entrance

That's our girl, Yosuke thought with a smile as he continued walking.
Rise Kujikawa, the 16-year-old from Inaba with the voice and looks of an angel, had returned from a year-long sojourn back home and had been making what so far had been the most successful comeback in Japanese music history—even bigger, many said, than Mariah Carey's comeback with The Emancipation Of Mimi in 2005. She had been doing acting, modeling, commercials—including one for Junes, which meant Yosuke had been very busy on the job lately—and most importantly, new music. She had just put out a verse on iTunes over the hit Homecoming that she said dealt with something that happened during her hiatus, and Yosuke had eagerly been awaiting the end of his shift both as a fan and a good friend of hers so that he could listen to it and figure out what she was talking about.
As he slipped his ever-present headphones on, looked up the song on his iPod and hit the play button, he heard the music start up and a man's voice sing,

Do you think about me now and then?
Do you think about me now and then?
'Cause I'm comin' home again
Man, home again

Rise's voice then started to sing. Her voice seemed especially emotionally laden, and it didn't take long for Yosuke to find out why.

I knew a boy strong as could be
But always had time for me
So, baby, let me take time for you
'Cause heaven knows I need it too

As he took in that quartet, Yosuke suddenly stopped dead on the sidewalk.
Oh, my God…it's a dedication to him! He thought, stunned. He put his hands over his headphones, holding them closer to his ears slightly and listening closely.

When I thought I lost it all, I learned I had you
Now they say I've got it back, but it's not all true
Boy, don't you know I still love you so?
When we cuddled, I never wanted to let go

Yosuke smiled wistfully as he heard the sincere emotion in Rise's voice, remembering a conversation he'd had with the boy Rise was talking about.
"Hey, I thought I saw you heading towards your house with Rise yesterday after school. Did you guys go to your room?" Yosuke had asked with a roguish grin.
"Yes, she was over in my room yesterday." He had said with a small smile, nodding before adding, "I understand my head might be in the gutter if it had been you instead of me, but it wasn't like that."
"Really?" Yosuke said. "Man…you really are the type of guy she needs! Just about every other guy I know would jump her, force her onto the futon and try and get in her pants, and all you did was—"
"Cuddle." He said. "Her word, not mine—though it is pretty accurate." He was wearing a sheepish grin by then and was also slightly red, but he managed to add, "It was actually her idea, not mine, for us to go to my room."
"Wow…she really does trust her heart with you, doesn't she?" Yosuke asked, awestruck.
"Yeah." He had answered fervently. "And I don't want to let her down if I can help it."

And I also know you never wanted to
But you had to come home—that I knew
So I hope you're happy, living rich and free
And that you've found a girl better than me
But anytime you feel ruled by fear
Just know I'll always be here
Please remember my home's your home
Anytime you think you're alone

The man's voice from earlier then came back in and finished,

Do you think about me now and then?
Do you think about me now and then?
'Cause I'm comin' home again
Man, home again
Do you think about me now and then?
Do you think about me now and then?
Oh, now I'm comin' home again
Maybe we can start again

As the song finished, Yosuke not only felt shaken but also guilty as if he had something that didn't belong to him.
Wow…I'll always be thankful I have Chie, but he and Rise definitely deserved better…He thought fervently.

A few paces away, he heard a pair of girls talking about the song.
"Did you hear Rise's new song using that Kanye West track?" One asked eagerly.
"Yeah. She's really come back like she's got something to prove! The way she did Homecoming was so sad…but so beautiful!" The other girl said, before asking in return, "You don't think that actually happened, do you?"
"I tell you, judging from the way she sounded, I wouldn't be surprised at all if that was real." The first girl replied earnestly. "Poor girl…to think it might have actually happened right here in Inaba!"
Yeah, poor girl…and for that matter, poor guy! They don't know the half of it… He thought. How could I or anyone else forget what the two of them had been like? Among a whole bunch of incredible bonds that were forged that year, theirs was the strongest…
He suddenly thought about how the aforementioned boyfriend—who was also his best friend—was reacting to it, and it was the work of three seconds to pull out his cell phone, dial his friend's cell number and hit the call button.
250 miles away, in Minato in central Tokyo, a cell phone rang.

Closing Author's Notes
Rise's Homecoming verse is indeed original. I tried to write it from her point of view—I hope I didn't disappoint! One thing you guys ought to know—the MC here is not Souji. That said, who do you think it is and what do you guys think the response in the next chapter is going to be? Please read and review, but don't flame me because you're not a Rise fan. Homecoming is the one Kanye song that's in here—the OutKast part comes later.