Hello hello!! This is my first Persona 4 fanfic, so hopefully you'll enjoy it!! I noticed that there weren't that many Rise fanfics so I had to make one for her since she's my favorite Persona 4 character! Also, this is my first *romance* fanfic (in my opinion that is. I've classified others under *romance* ... but this one stands out to me more than the others.). Anywho, hopefully she's not too OOC. I wanted to make it longer, but oh well, short oneshots seem to be more of my style. XD
Disclaimer: I doth not owneth Persona 4, Rise, nor any of thine other characters, Atlus.
Lost without You
Her hand came across the white-haired young man's left cheek with a forceful slap. Eyes wide, he stared at the building to his right, shocked. He looked at the ground, the only comfort to him at the time, as she began yelling loudly. The passersby stood around them, watching to see what would happen. The girl pumped her arms up and down in anger, to stop herself from slapping him again.
Tears welling up in her eyes, she clamped them shut, forcing the tears to stay behind her eyelids. "Senpai, I can't believe you'd do something like that! That was so stupid of you!! I hate you, and I'll never forgive you for doing that!" She wiped her nose quickly before running off. Her reddish-brown pigtails bobbed as she sprinted toward the Samegawa River plain.
The young man raised a bandaged hand to his throbbing cheek, his head still in the same position as it was from the slap. His eyes slowly scanned the people surrounding him. He stepped away from them and crept across the street. The rain began to drizzle as he slumped down on the bench outside Aiya's restaurant.
He had just been released from the hospital. His left arm was bandaged completely, while two of his ribs were cracked. He couldn't think of anything that he did that would upset her enough to slap him. Was it something that he said to her? The last time that they had a long conversation, just the two of them, was when she told him about her going back to showbiz, but that was months ago.
Leaning forward as the rain began to pour, he winced and rested his head on his folded hands. He knew it was bad for his back posture, but he didn't care about something so simple as posture at that point. He racked his brain over what had made her so upset, but nothing came to mind. He looked up and realized that the street was as empty as a ghost town. The rain must have driven everyone back into their houses.
However, a little old lady under a white umbrella scooted over the sidewalk toward him. The town was misty because of the rain, so he was unable to make out who the lady was. As the lady approached him, he recognized her. The elderly woman was the owner of the nearby tofu store and the grandmother of the girl whom he was madly in love with. Her bones quietly creaked when she sat down.
The two sat in silence, the only noise coming from the rain's pitter-patter on the umbrella. He ran a hand through his wet, messy hair, blinking his eyes to keep the rain out. The old woman shifted in her seat, a sign that she wanted the young man to speak.
Accepting her kind prodding, he spoke up. "She's upset at me, and I don't know why," he whispered, pain of the emotional and physical kind oozed into his words. "I've . . . tried to figure out what I did to make her mad, but I can't think of anything." His breathing shook heavily, as the strong teenager began to silently weep.
"There, there," the grandmother cooed. "The only thing that's got her so upset is the fact that she's been worried to death about you. She was worried that your injuries would be too tough for you to handle. I guess she let her temper show instead of her genuine concern. Sometimes she can be a brash young girl, but she cares for you greatly to say the least." A smile spread across her face, as her wrinkles shifted to accommodate the movement. The young man's eyes were wide from her words.
"I should have known," he mumbled to himself, mentally slapping himself for being so stupid. He stood up abruptly and faced the little old lady. "Thank you very much. I have to go to her now though." After bowing reverently, he broke into a run toward the river plain. Head held down, feet slapping the puddles, and legs painfully stretching forward, he forced himself onward, despite the pain in his ribs. With each step, the pain intensified, but he struggled through it nonetheless, promising himself that he'd hold her tightly when he found her and never let go.
When he arrived at the Samegawa River, he bent over for a few seconds to catch his breath. Looking up, he saw her sitting on the "fishing" rock with her legs pressed to her chest. Her face was nuzzled in her knees, which he assumed was to stop the tears and the rain. He sluggishly dragged himself down the steps to the river, as he had lost all energy by now.
His right shoe filled up with water as he stepped in a deep puddle, but he dismissed the icy chill without a second thought. His eyes were fixed on her, and nothing in the world could break it. The rain and wind let up, and as it did, she heard his footsteps.
She knew it was him without even having to turn around. "I don't want to talk to you right now, Senpai," she sadly said. She pulled her knees closer to herself and focused her attention on the river lapping at her feet. A few small waves crashed into the rock she was sitting on and licked her cheeks.
"You don't have to talk," he spoke softly, "but I want you to hear me out for a moment." He took a breath and released it before speaking again. "I'm extremely and infinitely sorry that I made you worry about me. I just wanted to keep you safe; I didn't want you to get hurt, that's why I saved you. Because, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself if I acknowledged the fact that I might not always be able to protect you when you're in danger. So, I promised myself that I'd do everything in my power to do so while I can." His knees clapped the mud, as he wrapped his arms around her, gently placing his hands over hers that were clasped in front of her legs. He leaned in near her, a blush fanning out across her face. "I'll always protect you," he whispered in her ear. Goose bumps covered her skin, from the conflicting temperatures around her, the cold rain and his warmth.
"Senpai?" she asked. "Let's go home, m'kay?" He squeezed her hands softly before standing up. He offered her his hand in getting up, but she refused, knowing that it would be painful for him. After she stood up, she turned around to face him. As she did though, his arms encircled her once again. She accepted the embrace and grabbed his damp shirt firmly in her hands. Nuzzling closer to him, she felt him lightly flinching underneath her grasp. "It's painful for you, isn't it?" she mumbled into his shirt.
"It's a pain that I'm willing to handle," he whispered, placing his cheek on her moist hair. "A few months ago, you told me that you loved me." He paused. "I didn't reply back, because I was unsure of how to say it, . . . but now I know how to." His hands moved to her waist, slightly pulling her away from him. He stared into her eyes, knowing that she had been wanting to hear the words he was about to speak for some time now. "You are the brightest star, and will always be the brightest star in my world, and I'd be lost without you, because . . . I'm in love with who you are." The rain continued to pour down on two while they embraced once again, sealing their love with a kiss.
Well, the inspiration for this oneshot came from a song called White Lines & Red Lights, which I find to be sooooo sweet!! His *love* confession is pretty much based on the chorus. =) It was just too sweet to resist. And I think that Souji secretly has a soft, romantic heart. ;)
Anywho, please review!! I like opinions, whether they're critical or complementary! Feel free to request any pairings too!! Even wackie ones! I love a challenge!! =)
Lastly, I'd like to explain why Souji has injuries. It's from the *second* to the last battle in the *true* ending; he was protecting Rise from an attack from the bad guy since she can't fight. I probably should have included that in the story, but I'm too lazy. . Forgive me. Also, I'd like to thank Mayumi-H for mentioning the fact that it would be important to know how he got the injuries! I was gonna put it in there but I forgot! Sorry!! XDD