MA/N: Using the skills I have obtained since last year, this will be the first quick one-shot I have done. There should be more people exploring the Rise X Teddie ship. I mean it could happen, and it would bring some very interesting concept since Teddie is technically not human. So without further ado, here comes my first Rise and Teddie one shot.
Summary: Teddie has mysterious disappeared just when the investigation team finally found their main suspect to the mysterious murder. Rise is worried and is desperate to find him. She also has to solve a nagging and conflicting feeling deep within her heart…. And it is important to tell him about it.
~What do I exist for? ~
*Huff, Huff*
"Teddie! Where are you?"
Damn it, I can't see through all the thick fog! Why did he leave us in the first place?
*Thump… Thump… Thump…*
My heart aches every time it beats when I am thinking about him... Why?
*Thump… Thump… Thump*
It is also just when about everyone knows who the killer is, Why do you have to disappear just when we need you?
"Teddie!" Where are you?"
I am all alone now… I ran off to find you without the others, without Senpai.
But… I can't just let him off by leaving us like that.
*Thump… Thump… Thump*
My vision starts to blur… and it is not because of the fog… it was because of the tears in my eyes. I felt my cheek getting moister and moister for each second that passed by.
"*Sniff* TEDDIE! *Sniff*"
Why…? Why did you disappear? Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?
Am I… not important enough to you?
…
…
That voice… Why does it seem so familiar?
*Whoosh….*
The cold wind blows against me… my whole body feel cold.
The warmth I used to feel was gone when I found out I was nothing but a shadow.
…The cruel and unacceptable truth that I had seeking to find since the moment I woke up.
"TEDDIE!"
It is that voice again… Is it Rise?
Why is she here? I should left alone… No one wants me in that world. I don't belong there…
My world is the reason that I cause them to suffer. It was due to my own selfness that I wanted to change to live with them. I am the reason why so many people lose their lives for nothing.
I involved them and drag them senselessly into danger… So, Why?
Why you are here, Rise?
…
…
I finally saw him in the middle of nowhere, far from my reach. The fog was so thick that I could make out his bear costume's shape.
It's him… the one person everyone is looking for. I need to bring him back.
I started to run after him as my heart beats with excitement and relief.
"Teddie! There you are, you dumb bear!" I called out to him.
I ran and ran through the thick fog, towards the person that I had been looking for all this time. I watched the dark familiar figure of stood far in the distance, waiting for someone or something.
But no matter how fast my feet carries me, the distance between him and I never closes.
It was as if he is running away… from everything… from everyone… from me.
"Teddie, come here! Everyone is worried for you!" I shouted.
…
…
Stay back! Stay away from me! You are not supposed to be here!
…
…
The deep hollow emotionless voice made me stop me in my tracks.
Is that… Teddie's voice?
No… It can't be. It should be more cheerful and lively than that.
…
…
I saw my body beginning to grow darker and darker. My once chubby hands now grew long and sharp claws that could rip through anything. An irresistible urge to kill anything develops deep within me.
This is bad… Rise has to get out here! Before I… before I turn back into a shadow.
"Get out of here!" I shut my eyes tight as I fought every will of my strength to hold the urge to destroy. I was horrified to change in pitch of my voice.
"STAY BACK IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"
…
…
…
I saw the dark aura surrounding him… something bad is happening to him. There is no one here except me. I am the only one that can help him. But then I heard him calling me to stay away. Although the voice seemed emotionless, to me it sounded like he was full of pain and guilt.
I can't leave him like this! All those times he cheered me up when I am down, the attempted jokes to keep the mood of the group up, and that time he save me with Senpai and the others…
I need to help him!
"Teddie, I am here to come bring you back. I am not leaving until I agree to come back to us!"
…
…
…
…No, Stay back. I don't deserve anything! I don't deserve Yosuke's and Kanji's care for me, I don't deserve Sensei's trust, I don't deserve the all the girl's concern and I don't deserve the world's love for me.
I should disappear… I should have stayed empty… I should have never existed.
All this while, what do I exist for? It is… nothing. Just like what is deep inside me.
I should have known… I should have found out and explain to everyone much earlier. But, maybe now it's not too late to do that.
"I am nothing… I am nothing but a shadow. I am the one that cause all you trouble and pain. My existence is an eye sore to all of you. You should leave m-"
"No, You are not that! You are far from that!"
…Huh?
"Y-You… *sniff* you are much more than that…"
I opened my eyes to see Rise crying in the far distance. She seems desperate… but for what?
"You are Teddie! The one who never fails to put smile on our face during the times we were together. The one who help us defeat great obstacles in our life. The one who never gives up trying to impress me and the others and the girls you barely met."
"…"
"You are not a shadow! You can't be! You are one of us! Your home is with us!"
Why…? Why try to escape the inevitable truth Rise? The fact that I am a shadow can't be changed…
"I have fully accepted my origins… The one that kills and destroys anyone that refused to accept them. That world rejected me long before I decided to try to change. I exist for nothing…"
Cold… I feel so cold. Is this what it feels to be like a shadow?
"Then what with the memories we have made together?"
…
…
…
~Solitude – Steins Gate~
The 'Teddie' in front of me look up and opened its eyes in shock. This is not him… I need the real one to come back! I… need to tell him. I need to tell that everyone want him back. It is not the same without him.
Steams of tears flowed down endlessly my cheeks as I continued to reason with him.
I need him to be here my side.
"The shadows don't share memories like we do; they don't have the ones that we had made together! They won't have the fun and happy memories that we promise to make more in the future. They won't understand the suffering and sadness we had been through together. You are different from them!"
*Thump, Thump*
"Why can't you see that? Why can't see that you are important to us?"
*Thump, Thump*
"No one can replace you! Why can't see that everyone wants you to be here with us?"
*Thump, Thump*
"Why can't you understand that we need you?"
*Thump, Thump*
"W-Why… *sniff* c-can't you see… *sniff* that I need you? I… I-Love…you… *sniff* Am I not a good enough reason not to leave us?"
*Thump, Thump*
I kneeled onto the ground as my legs could not support me anymore. I weep pitifully as I thought of him leaving without a trace, never to come back again.
My love once belonged to Senpai… but now my love belongs to him.
Out of the sudden, I felt soft, fluffy arms wrapped around me. It was gentle and warm… just like Teddie.
…
…
…
All this time, I was a stupid, blind bear that wants to find a reason to exist. I wanted to be like the humans that always had the fun and happy memories with them.
Although I knew it myself I was a shadow… an unknown figure in the middle of an unknown place, I tried to change anyways… tried to achieve what is not known to me.
The reason that I exist is not for nothing, it is to make things 'not unknown'. The unknown feelings that I never thought I had are now 'not unknown'.
The strange yet wonderful things in the human world that were unknown to me are now 'not known'.
The method to gain memories like the humans did were once unknown to me, but now they are now 'not known'.
"…You are not a shadow, Teddie." I heard Rise say to me softly.
"…You are just like us. You are one of us."
The dark aura around me is gone. The claws in my hands have disappeared. The cold and empty feeling are now replaced with warmth.
The fog around us seemed to become less thick too.
The reason I exist is to discover and continue to make things 'not unknown' and for the memories that I, Rise and the others have made.
I am not empty anymore... Rise and others help me realize that i am far from that.
…
…
…
We were hugged for what seemed to be ages. Teddie has come back… I am sure he is going to stay for now. If not, I swear I would bring him back again.
"…Rise?" The familiar soft voice asked. "Can I score with you?"
Tears flow down from my eyes again… but this is time it was tears of joy.
"Yes… Hehe… Of course you can Teddie." I replied as I wrapped my arms tightly around his fluffy soft fur
"Let's go back… Everyone is waiting, you stupid bear."
A/N: Welp, hope you will enjoy it! There is not much Rise X Teddie fanfic out there. Most people like Rise X Yu (Kind of okay to me) so maybe that's why…
Persona 4 fanfic writers really should explore this pairing… it makes some interesting stories. I may not write another like this but… we'll see.
Any errors do tell me and I will try to fix it.