Persona 4- Conversations with the Kingpin
A/N: Ok, so I promised myself that after Enkindling it'd be the last YuxRise fic I do for a while. Apparently, I lie to myself way more often than I thought XD So here's this :) It started out as a way to get past writer's block, but I thought I'd share it with you :) As such, I know this is hardly amazing or anything, but hell as a writing exercise it helped immensely :D Also, I haven't updated in a while and this seemed like a pretty good idea :D Anyway, in terms of what you guys want to see next, let me know :D I'm breaking on The Progeny a little bit due to time constraints so that's become a "When I have Time" sort of fic. Will have the next one done by at least end of this week though :) So in terms of shorter, one-shotty things, what would you guys like? :) I had a MinatoxYukari thing for Valentine's Day planned, but it just came out wrong no matter how I wrote it :/ However, if there's demand for it, I'll finish it :D I did have an idea for a weird RisexYosuke thing as well, which I might write out of morbid curiosity XD Or do you want something completely different? :) Seriously, let me know :) I'm flailing creatively over here XD Regardless, enjoy :)
xxx
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
"Where is he?"
Rise Kujikawa wondered this thought aloud several times as she drummed her index and middle fingers on her desk, staring at the pale screen of a computer monitor.
It was 7:44 on a Friday night. There were a million other things Rise should be doing right now. Practicing the new song that her manager gave her, helping make up the next batch of tofu for tomorrow, her English homework… She cared about none of it. Friday nights were always important to Rise.
Rise was engaged in a long distance relationship with Yu Narukami, a man who she'd been with for over a year. A man she loved very much. The long distance part of the relationship only started when he moved back away after staying in Rise's hometown of Inaba for a year. They had arranged, before he left, that every Friday night at 7:30, they would both get onto an instant messaging service so they could talk to one another. It was kind of like a date night. They'd talk to one another at other points in the week, but this was her special time with her boyfriend. She wouldn't miss this for anything.
So the fact he was late was bothering her a little. Why set a time if he wasn't going to keep to it? Granted, he was a busy guy, but that didn't make Rise any less upset. She'd have to tease him about it later. It wasn't like he wasn't going to show at all. They loved each other, he'd show eventually.
Finally, a sound emanated from Rise's speakers and a green box appeared in the bottom right corner of her monitor. Within was the message that she had been longing to see for the last fifteen minutes.
"SteelKingpin is Online"
Rise always chortled a bit at the choice of his online handle. She was under the impression that he hated the moniker he'd gained during the P-1 Grand Prix. Whether he was using it ironically or legitimately, it did fit his image rather well (Especially now he omitted the "Sister Complex" part)
Before the message announcing Yu's arrival had even disappeared from Rise's screen, she was already busy typing a greeting.
"PushRisette: SENPAI! xx
SteelKingpin: Hey, Rise :)
PushRisette: Where were you? You're late!
SteelKingpin: Sorry, I was having dinner with my parents and it sort of ran over :/
PushRisette: You left me all alone :( I was reeealy sad :'(
SteelKingpin: I'm really sorry :/
PushRisette: You'll have to make it up to me somehow ;)
PushRisette: So what were you doing with your parents that went on for so long, anyway?
SteelKingpin: Actually… We were talking about you."
Rise gasped a little at this admission. Yu's parents knew about her? That was a worrying thought. What if they only saw her public persona rather than the "real" Rise? They'd probably think she was incredibly loose and easy. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. Rise only had eyes for one man, and that was Yu Narukami. Just because she acts like a flirty ditz doesn't mean that she actually is one. It was just years of idol conditioning worming its way into the deepest facets of her personality.
"PushRisette: What kind of things were they saying?
SteelKingpin: They really want to meet you, actually :)
PushRisette: For real? :D
SteelKingpin: Yeah. Mom says that if you're "Half as wonderful as I make out to be" then you're welcome in our house :)
PushRisette: Wait. What kind of things are you saying to your parents?
SteelKingpin: Don't make me say it :P"
Rise knew he would. He just needed a push.
"PushRisette: This is how you can make up for being late ;)
SteelKingpin: You really are impossible…
PushRisette: That's why you love me! xxxxx"
Rise blushed a little at her own comment. She wasn't sure if that many kisses was appropriate. Still, Yu didn't seem to mind.
"SteelKingpin: It is x"
The blush had gone from being a tinge of red to a full explosion of crimson from Rise's cheeks. Her boyfriend very rarely talked like that online, so it was very gratifying to see it. It was amazing what just two words from him could do to her.
"SteelKingpin: Just that you were really nice and stuff. That you make me really happy and other stuff like that"
She could tell that Yu was flailing around trying to articulate what he was trying to say. He was a man of few words, so trying to gush about how fabulous Rise was always tripped him up. Thankfully for him, Rise let him off easy.
"PushRisette: Aww :3 That's so sweet of you :3 x How about I come over during the summer for like a week or two?
SteelKingpin: I'm sure they'd like that :) I know I would x"
As she read her boyfriend's words on the screen, Rise had a somewhat naughty idea… It was something they'd done a couple of times in the past, so it wasn't completely out of the question and the mood was right, what with the sun setting over the hills of Inaba…
"PushRisette: You might not get any sleep though. We'd probably be up alllll night ;) Your parents would probably yell at us for being too loud :)
SteelKingpin: I dunno… We could be quiet if we tried to. Although, it wouldn't be pillow talk as much as pillow yelling ;)
PushRisette: Try pillow squealing :) x So what are you doing right now? Xx"
There was silence from Yu's end for around forty seconds before he shot back with an image attachment with the caption:
"Just getting changed ;)"
Rise opened the photo eagerly, almost hitting the "Dismiss Message" button in her excitement. When she did get it open, she was pleasantly surprised and very satisfied.
"SteelKingpin: What about you?
PushRisette: admiring this picture"
In truth, Rise was saving it to her Images folder. She would definitely save this for later when she was feeling especially lonely.
"SteelKingpin: You better not be saving that :P"
How the hell did he know? Rise guessed it was the lack of emojis in her last message. She had to get less predictable. She made at least a token attempt to throw him off the scent.
"PushRisette: Senpai! That would be very unladylike of me :P"
As she typed this, Rise was navigating through the subfolders in the Images folder, looking for the one she had marked as "Homework" (Just in case her grandmother used her PC at any point and accidentally stumbled across it). She saved the image alongside all of the other ones she had stowed away for those long nights alone in a town with nothing to do… Not all of them were of Yu either.
She went up a level into the folder marked "Senpai and Me". Something compelled her to scroll through this one. She saw hundreds of images, all of them a memory of Yu's time in Inaba and with his girlfriend. The photos were arranged chronologically so they provided a sort of rollercoaster ride of his year with Rise in Inaba.
They started out in summer, when they met. In these early photos it was obvious that the two were just friends, even if she did show an obvious attraction to him. There were a handful of pictures taken at Junes for instance, where the two sat next to one another holding cool beverages and laughing. There were also plenty of selfies that Rise had taken with Yu in them. By the time the photos reached August, they had become somewhat romantic. More selfies, however the poses were different. Rise was often kissing him on the cheek as she too the photo, or leaning on his shoulder while nuzzling. Some were taken by others and simply featured Yu and Rise holding hands or with an arm around one another. By December, the pictures had got a lot more intimate. There were almost no snaps of them apart around this month (And honestly, with Nanako in the hospital around that time, Rise was around Yu a lot). More photos as the months went on featured somewhat innocuous things, such as the couple baking or sitting on Yu's couch or playing with Nanako (Who featured in several of January's photos). February had a couple of risqué photos in there, such as the couple at a hot spring together. There was even one that Yu had taken as a joke after fooling around on his birthday. Rise swore she'd delete it but couldn't bring herself to after seeing how handsome he looked when he was all exhausted and sweaty. The final image in the folder was a picture that Rise had taken the day before he left. It featured Rise and her lover in Junes, sitting together like it was the most natural thing in the world. Their fingers were linked on the table and they were gazing deeply into one another's eyes. Apparently, Yukiko had taken it for them and the Idol was so glad she did.
Rise smiled wistfully as she looked back on these memories. Every photo reminded her of the emotions she felt when it was taken, as if the raw feelings she had were burned into the image. Tears even started to form in her eyes as she knew that their relationship probably wouldn't be that close again for a really long time…
A pinging noise snapped Rise out of her reverie. It was Yu, messaging her.
"SteelKingpin: Hey, you still there?
PushRisette: Yeah… I'm just feeling a little nostalgic is all :')
SteelKingpin: Why's that?
PushRisette: I'm just looking through some photos x
SteelKingpin: So you were saving that picture? :P
PushRisette: I said it would be unladylike, not that I wasn't doing it ;)
PushRisette: I'm just looking back on the year you spent here… It was one of the best years of my life. After all, I met my soulmate…
SteelKingpin: Me too..."
Yu and Rise let the conversation sit for a little while. If he were in the room, it would be akin to the contented silence they would often share when everything was perfect… It was Yu who broke it.
"SteelKingpin: Hey? Send me those pictures in an email?
PushRisette: Why?
SteelKingpin: It's a surprise ;)
PushRisette: A surprise from you? Count me in :)"
Rise always loved Yu's surprises. They were often very romantic.
"PushRisette: Done :) x
SteelKingpin: Awesome x I'll have it ready for your birthday xx
PushRisette: That's right, it's coming up! I'll be 17 years old 0_0 Can you believe that?
SteelKingpin: You're growing up really fast x
PushRisette: Don't say that! It sounds like you're my dad or something DX
SteelKingpin: Sorry XD"
From there, Yu and Rise talked long into the night, talking about everything that had happened that week, played a few online games together and started making plans for Rise to visit Yu in June. Before either of them knew it, it was getting on for midnight.
"PushRisette: I should be getting to bed…
SteelKingpin: Me too, I have a tough day tomorrow
PushRisette: Same :( I don't know how I'll get through it D:
SteelKingpin: You'll be fine, Kōhai x
PushRisette: I know, stupid, I was just grumbling :P Anyway, same time next week? X
SteelKingpin: You know it :) I love you x
PushRisette: I love you more! Xx G'night!
SteelKingpin: Sweet dreams xxx
*SteelKingpin has gone offline*"
And that was the end to their weekly conversation. With that, Rise simply undressed and went straight to bed. She always looked forward to Fridays for two reasons. One was getting to talk to Yu. The other was that she always slept really well after their "date". As she lay in her bed, thinking of the man she loved, her eyes flickered closed.
They may be hundreds of miles apart, but Rise and Yu were always together in her sweetest of dreams.