Hey there! Glad to see everybody again. I'm sorry about the delay on both here and at DA. Ohta-chan just graduated from college this month and I'll graduate from Medical Scholl in early November. Needless to say our lives have been quite hectic over the past weeks. However, rest assured that we'll keep working on Chaos Butterfly as much as we can. Wish us luck!
Time to answer some questions:
MysticKnight001: We have plans to add Labrys to the plot in the later chapters. She'll play a rather special role. About the P1-Grand Prix, there'll be something along those lines, but that's all I can say for now.
Guest: Due some issues at college and some inspiration block, Chapter 18 had to be delayed, but we're working on it. Promise.
A few warnings: (Yes, I put those before every chapter to avoid issues)
-There will be spoilers for all games! You've been warned.
-The Main characters from each game in this fanfic are called Minato Arisato (P3:FES), Minako Arisato (P3P) and Souji Seta (P4)
-There'll be some cursing. (Anyone that played any persona games knows that some characters on it curse quite a bit.) as well as some heavy subjects.
-Main Pairings in this fanfic: MinatoxYukari, ShinjiroxMinako, SoujixYukiko, KanjixNaoto, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie.
-Hinted Pairings(in later chapters): JunpeixChidori. (Hinted because Chidori doesn't appear much on this story) KenxNanako (Ya know those little girl's crushes on older boys? It'll be along those lines) FuukaxKeisuke (Other than Minato and Junpei, Fuuka only displayed some sort of close relationship with Keisuke the club president. I found it kinda cute.) TeddiexRise (Just for giggles. They are after all the two hyperactive cuties of the team X3)
Have fun ya guys. On with the show!
Chapter 11: Festival Fun
After the splashing incident during the fishing trip, the boys went back to change into dry clothes. Souji invited Ken and Minato with him to Junes that evening to look for the new Phoenix Ranger Featherman R model. Of course, Nanako will be coming too. They had run out of groceries and Dojima was working late. Shinjiro decided to tag along because he still felt guilty and wanted to make it up to the kids and the dog. Koromaru wagged his tail happily before trotting beside them. The girls wanted some time for themselves, the other guys needed rest and Junpei wanted to keep Chidori company, so they passed. Minako wanted some pastries though, and asked her twin to get some for her.
Minato, Shinjiro, Ken and Koromaru left for the Dojima residence after they informed the rest where they were going. Souji and Nanako were already waiting when the four of them arrived. Koromaru would be guarding the house while they were away.
They headed to the toy department first, under the models section. Souji browsed through the new stock that Yosuke mentioned earlier along with Ken. The pre-teen was babbling on excitedly about the awesome adventures of the Featherman Team in the latest episodes. "And then Red Hawk infiltrated the secret base on his own, even though Black Condor had warned him about the booby traps the enemy had set up before hand. He was half-way of rescuing the hostages when Blue Swan suddenly…" Souji listened with a smile. He was hit with a wave of nostalgia as he remembered watching the series with the twins when they were toddlers, and later mimicking the moves they have seen when they played at the park in the evenings.
Minato accompanied Nanako to look at the other toys on display, and trailing behind them was Shinjiro. The blue-haired teen chuckled at how his senior was trying hard to keep his expression neutral as not to scare the other kids away. He knew Shinjiro was impatiently waiting for them to finish and head to the grocery department.
Back to Ken and Souji, their eyes settled on one particular Mecha that had already been completed, standing proud and tall, surrounded by smaller gashapon characters from the Featherman series in a display case. The two of them pressed their noses against the Perspex, as if they expected to ghost through and touch the object of their desire.
"C-can we get that one, Souji-san?" Ken asked in a shaky voice. It had to be one of the coolest things he had ever seen.
"Of course we can, Ken. Hell, I can't wait to get started!"
Both boys frantically looked for the model on the shelves. They high-fived each other when Souji grabbed the last one. When they called the others to inform that were about to buy it, Ken made a hand gesture to Minato and Shinjiro, demanding them to pay up.
'Wow, Ken must want this so badly,' Minato thought, sweatdropping as he pulled some money from his wallet. 'I've never seen him look so serious, yet happy at the same time.'
Shinjiro groaned a little before taking out his own wallet. He silently vowed to never go fishing with the guys again.
Ken's eyes were shining after they made the purchase. "Souji-san, you're going to teach me how to put this together right?" He gazed at the box lovingly. The rather expensive item was made affordable thanks to three guys pooling their money in. Nanako could only giggle at his antics.
"Of course, Ken. We'll get started once we get back to my house," Souji answered. "I still have the tools you need for it."
With that part finally done, they headed to the grocery department. Shinjiro sauntered off on his own when they got there.
"Don't mind him," Minato said. "He's just used to doing his own thing. We'll see him later."
"Let's see…" Souji took out a shopping list from his pocket and scanned the contents. "We need eggs, rice, milk, bread, some chicken, vegetables…and Uncle just ran out of his favorite pickled radish. Anything to add, Nanako?" he asked his little cousin.
"Can we get some chocolate too?"
"Sure, why not?" Souji playfully ruffled Nanako's hair. "If we hurry, I can make everyone a quick snack for everyone before Aniki and the others have to head back to the inn."
Minato helped Souji choose the vegetables while Ken accompanied Nanako to get the bread, milk and eggs.
"Hey, don't you think those two look cute together?" Minato nudged his pseudo brother and jutted his chin at the young pair. "I'm starting to think that Nanako-chan is developing a crush on our little Ken."
Souji rolled his eyes. "What are you, a girl?" he scoffed. But then he stopped to think about it. He looked over to his little cousin and for the first time, noticed the blush that stained her cheeks. The expression on her face was the same one she made whenever she shows affection to either him or her father. Despite trying to lean away from embarrassment, her toes were constantly pointing towards the pre-teen. Souji already knew what Ken felt about his cousin after his confession to the guys at Samegawa, he just didn't expect Nanako to develop certain feelings for the kid. "Oh hell no…"
"A little jealous are we?" Minato smirked. "I understand though. When Minako started paying more attention to Shinjiro-senpai, I was livid. Face it, he's not the kind of guy I would want hanging around my sister, and I was afraid she'd choose him over me. The feeling passed as I got to know Senpai a little better."
"B-b-but…what about their age difference?!" Souji asked, slightly panicking. "I mean, is that even normal?"
"Relax Banchou-kun. Little girls develop crushes on older guys all the time. It's all part of growing up. And if I remember correctly, you told me that she wanted to marry you when she got older."
The younger of the two blushed. "Sh-shut up! I'm not jealous!" he retorted defensively.
"It's only a phase," Minato said. "I'm pretty sure it'll pass soon enough." He gave Souji a reassuring pat on the back before continuing with their shopping. They stopped by a cake store to get Minako's pastries.
Shinjiro was already waiting for them in front of the cashier counter with a scowl on his face. In his arms was a grocery bag filled with his own stuff, and another bag filled with canned dog food. They headed back after that.
Dojima still wasn't home when they got back. After Souji and Nanako put away the groceries, Shinjiro approached the silverette. "Hey, can I borrow your kitchen for a while?"
"What for?" Souji inquired.
"Remember what I said about making it up to Ken, Koro and Nanako-chan?" Shinjiro said. Souji nodded. "I was thinking of cooking them dinner. That is, if you'll let me."
"Of course, Shinjiro-san," Souji answered. "I was wondering what you were up to back at Junes. Earlier I was thinking about making some sandwiches for you guys, but since you're offering dinner who am I to refuse."
Shinjiro plopped his grocery bag on the kitchen counter. He took out a few meat cutlets, herbs and spices, and some root vegetables.
Souji looked at the ingredients and concluded that the senior was either going to make some sort of hotpot or a stew dish. "There's some broth in the fridge if you're interested," he offered. "And red cooking wine in the cabinets. I'll be upstairs if you need any help." He gestured for Ken to follow him to his room along with their newly acquired robot model.
Minato sat with Nanako and Koromaru in front of the television, watching a quiz show with them.
In Souji's room, he sat with Ken at his working table. They gave the instructions and model plan a once over before taking out the parts. "Wow, there are so many pieces in here," Ken said. "At this point it's difficult to see how all of this will become like the picture on the box."
"Like I said before, it takes patience and a lot of diligence. It took me about five days to get the Brahmin Armor together, and more than that with the Agni. But most importantly, you have to follow the instructions very carefully, since you are kind of new at this." Souji began tutoring Ken on how to use the tools to cut the pieces out of their frames, and the correct techniques on gluing them together.
Ken was a very patient and attentive student. They started small, with the Mecha's left leg. Even for that part alone, there were more than five pieces to be put together.
Souji watched Ken work, trying to pry the pieces out, correcting him once in a while. He snickered a bit when Ken stuck out his tongue as he focused on his task. After about an hour, a soft knock on the door could be heard.
"Ken-kun, Big Bro…" Nanako stuck her head in, her cheeks pink. "Shinjiro-san said dinner is ready."
"Thanks Nanako-chan!" Ken said, looking away from the plastic pieces. He gave her a grateful smile. "We'll be down in a bit."
Nanako gave a soft squeak of embarrassment and left. Souji frowned. 'Wait, why did she greet Ken first instead of me?' was his first thought, and it bothered him. He mentally slapped himself. 'Idiot, don't get jealous over such a small matter. Aniki said that this little crush of hers is natural. It's not like Ken is going to be my future brother-in-law…right?' Somehow, he wasn't convinced.
Souji had guessed right earlier; Shinjiro did make stew. In addition to that, he grilled some steaks for Koromaru: the only way to make it up to a dog was to feed them prime cuts of meat. Nanako and Minato helped set up the table. Shinjiro sliced the steak into smaller pieces, mixing them with the dog food and placed them in a bowl on the floor beside the table. Koromaru sniffed the air before barking excitedly, wolfing down the beefy goodness without pause.
Ken and Nanako stared at the food on the table, mouths slightly watering. There was the beef stew, along with some rice and cucumber salad.
"I already saved some for your dad, Nanako," Souji said. "What are we waiting for? Let's eat!"
As Nanako was reaching for a fork, her fingers brushed against Ken's, who was also reaching for it. The little girl's entire face became red, and Ken's cheeks were a pink tinge but only for a moment.
The three guys saw this. Two of them smirked knowingly. Souji sighed; he wasn't about to reprimand Ken and upset his little cousin so he remained quiet.
As they ate, Souji mulled through his thoughts. 'It's not like I don't like Ken. In fact, I like him very much. He's mature and responsible, and very much a gentleman. I can trust him to protect Nanako. Ugh! I wouldn't be having this conversation with myself if Nanako was a little older.'
"Souji-san," Ken said, breaking Souji's train of thought. "Do you mind if I come here again tomorrow? I want to learn more about putting that model together if that's okay with you."
Souji smiled at the kid. 'Maybe Aniki was right. I should get to know Ken better before I give in to these negative feelings. We are a team after all,' he thought.
"Sure. Why don't you come over after the fitting session for our yukatas at Kanji's place? We'll have plenty of time after that," he said. "Oh, that reminds me. I did promise I'd lend you some of my books. I'll give them to you before you head back."
"Thanks a lot, Souji-san!"
After dinner, Souji and Ken helped clean up while the others watched TV. Nanako played with Koromaru.
Dojima should be back any minute now, so they had to leave. Nanako surprised Shinjiro by giving him a hug before he went. "Thanks for the delicious meal, Shinjiro-san," she said, blushing a bit. "You may look scary, but you're really nice!"
The beanie-wearing teen was taken aback by her honesty. "Uhh…thanks."
"Why do you think Aneki likes him so much?" Souji grinned, ruffling Nanako's hair. "Come on, you gotta help me fold the laundry before your dad gets back."
"Thanks for the books, Souji-san!" Ken said, clutching a few of the Timid Teacher volumes to his chest. "I can't wait to start reading them."
Minato and Shinjiro waved them goodbye after Koromaru finished licking Nanako's face, and left.
The next morning, Minako, Aigis, Metis and the guys gathered at Tatsumi Textiles. Kanji greeted them with the normal "What's up?" as his mother served them tea. It was a rarity to see a huge group coming to her shop and she was happy that her son had made such great friends.
"My, my, it's good to see you again. Kanji told me that you boys will be wearing yukatas to the festival," she said, smiling at them. "Oh dear, this brings back good memories I had with my late husband. There will be fireworks again this year. It makes the event much livelier."
Minako's eyes were shining. "Really? I love fireworks. I haven't seen one in quite a while!"
The boys continued their small talk with Mrs. Tatsumi as Kanji took the twins to the back room, where they will be working until lunch time to adjust the yukatas. The guys were fitted one by one, with Kanji and Minato taking the measurements while Minako wrote them down. There wasn't a lot that needed to be done since Aigis and Rise had a good eye for detail when choosing out their sizes.
"This is my first time wearing such a beautiful garment," Metis said as she modeled her yukata. "And I'm excited to see this 'fireworks' display that you were talking about earlier."
"It's really beautiful," Minako said, sticking in a few pins for the adjustments. "There's something about fireworks that lets out your inner child. It's a wonderful feeling!"
After the fitting session was done, those who weren't involved with the yukatas left the shop. As soon as they were far enough, Yosuke swiveled around to face his friends. "Guys, I need to ask you for a really huge favor!"
"Uh-oh, I know that tone…" Souji grimaced. "You need our help at Junes, don't you?" There were only two things Yosuke would beg him for: a last-minute cram session before exams and a favor at Junes.
Yosuke's eyes shined with tears of happiness. "Souji, buddy, I knew you'd understand! That place is seriously understaffed because most of the part-timers are away on vacation. I'd really appreciate it if you guys can lend a hand." He gave them one of the cutest puppy-dog faces Souji had ever seen him make. "I'll even pay you guys more than what the normal part-timers earn. What do you say?"
"Sorry, buddy. I can't help you today. I kind of promised Ken that I'd help him with the Featherman robot model. Maybe some other time." Souji hoped that his best friend won't be too disappointed. There was no way he could refuse Yosuke when he's this desperate. "Knowing you, you already roped in Chie for this. What do you need help for anyway?"
"Just restocking the shelves, and then I'll be free for the entire day tomorrow." Yosuke sighed and rubbed the back if his head. "Dad can be such a slave-driver sometimes," he grumbled.
"Why not?" Shinjiro shrugged. "I don't have anything to do anyway, and I could really use the money."
"That doesn't sound so hard," Junpei said. "Count me in, dude!"
Metis didn't want to pass up an opportunity to experience 'the joys of earning a living', and volunteered herself. Aigis also agreed to help.
"The more the merrier, right?" Akihiko added. "I wonder if the other girls are willing to help."
After a few phone calls, only Aigis and Chie were available that day. Fuuka and Yukari wanted to focus on their college assignments, Mitsuru had a teleconference to attend, Yukiko and Rise were helping with their families' business and Naoto was checking some minor cases over at the Shirogane Estate.
Yosuke thanked the heavens and his friends. "Thank you so much, guys! I really appreciate this!"
"Teddie can't wait for tomorrow!" the blonde Shadow cheered. "We're gonna have so much fun!"
Tatsumi Textiles…
The sounds of sewing machines and the snipping of cloth could be heard in the textile shop. Kanji and the Arisato twins were kept busy. There was still a long way to go before they could take a break.
They were interrupted when a middle-aged man in a black suit entered their working room. He was holding an expensive-looking paper bag.
"Hey, I know you," Kanji said. "You're Yakushiji-san, the secretary for the Shirogane Estate. What are you doing here?"
The man bowed politely. "I have come to deliver something which Naoto-sama might need. Her grandfather received this from one of his business associates as a gift to her, but sadly it doesn't fit," Yakushiji explained. "I heard that you are adjusting yukatas for your friends to wear tomorrow, so I was hoping you can add this one into the pile as well."
"We still have time for one more," Minato said. "But we can't do it without knowing her measurements."
"Do not fear. I took liberty of having those as well." Yakushiji took out a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and handed it to Kanji. "I am sure you are able to adjust her new yukata with this information." He bowed to them once more and left.
Kanji's hands were shaking as he held the piece of paper. 'Holy crap, I'm holding the measurements of Naoto Shirogane in my hands…' He began to sweat as his imagination started to run wild. Soon, he felt something leak from his nose and snapped out of it. "Minako-senpai, c-can you do the adjusting on N-Naoto's yukata? I d-don't think I can…" Kanji trailed off, handing the paper to Minako. He looked away as the twins were eyeing him curiously.
"I don't mind," Minako said, grabbing the unopened piece of paper. She took out the yukata from the bag and gasped. "Oh my, this is so lovely. The cloth itself must have cost a fortune. Naoto-chan is so lucky to be wearing this!" The fabric was a dark shade of azure, decorated with intricate patterns of yellow and pink flowers.
"Kanji, do you have a problem with women's clothing?" Minato asked. It was strange to see him behaving this way.
The bleached blonde didn't say anything and went back to work. The sooner he focused on something else, the better. Minato shrugged and continued sewing.
Dojima Residence, Souji's room…
It was anything but quiet in the silverette's room. "Ken, wait! That part was meant to go on the head, not the torso!"
"Ah, Souji-san, what should I do?!"
"Take them apart before the glue dries!"
Ken pried the wrongly connected parts away, his fingers a sticky mess from the adhesive. The small room reeked of chemicals and it was making his head spin, hence the mistakes he was unintentionally making.
"Let's take a break," Souji said finally. He went to open the windows wider so that the smell doesn't suffocate them both. Ken went to the bathroom to wash his hands.
"How do you find the time to do all this?" Ken asked when he returned, sitting down beside Souji. "The models, part-time jobs, studying, fighting Shadows, making friends…just like Minato-san and Minako-san back at the dorm."
Souji contemplated Ken's question. "Hmm…good time management, I guess. Sometimes it isn't good to just focus on one aspect of your life. You have to mix it up and create variety, even if it rather hectic," he answered. "It keeps things interesting amidst the responsibilities that come with being a team leader, and having friends always makes it easier to bear with."
"That sounds rather complicated," Ken said. "Even back at Iwatodai, I don't have many friends my age. After what happened with Shinjiro-san, it got me thinking…that I don't ever want to be alone again."
"Hey, don't sweat it," Souji said, ruffling the boy's head. "Making friends isn't hard, just be you. You're unique, Ken. No one can replace you."
"Th-thanks a lot, Souji-san." Ken smiled bashfully. "No wonder Nanako-chan looks up to you. I wish I had an amazing older brother."
Souji's chest swelled with pride, feeling a connection with the boy. A faint voice echoed at the back of his mind.
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
It brings thee closer to the truth…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Justice Arcana…
'Another Justice social link,' Souji thought. 'I guess that makes sense. Nanako and Ken do have a lot in common.'
A knock on the door was heard before Nanako poked her head in. "Big Bro, Ken-kun, its lunch time!" She entered the room when Souji nodded his head. "I made sandwiches for you!" She wanted to place the platter of sandwiches on the working table, but it was too cluttered, so she put it on his study desk instead.
"Thanks a lot, Nanako-chan!" Ken beamed at her, making the little girl blush.
"I…I should b-be g-g-going now," Nanako stuttered, facing away from Ken so he couldn't see her red face. "Koro-chan will get lonely again." She darted out of the room before both boys could blink.
Ken took the platter and passed it to Souji, not before taking a sandwich for himself. "That was nice of her," he said, sinking his teeth into it. "Oh, tuna. My favorite!"
Souji bit into his sandwich, when a sudden thought occurred to him. 'Hold it…Nanako and Ken are both of the Justice Arcana. Does that mean they're compatible in some way?' He refrained from slamming his head on the table when he remembered that Ken will be accompanying his cousin to the festival. It stung more when he also remembered it was his idea in the first place. 'Shit…'
Junes' Food Court…
After helping Yosuke and Teddie, the guys, Chie, Aigis and Metis gathered at the Food Court to rest and have lunch.
"Gah… I'm beat…" Junpei groaned, his head resting on the table. "I didn't know restocking could be so tiring…"
"C'mon, Junpei, it wasn't that bad." Akihiko said. "Though I'm surprised at how much weightlifting you guys ended up doing while working here."
"It's even worse on a sales day…" Yosuke sighed before taking a gulp of his TaP Soda. "Again guys, I can't thank you all enough for all the help. You have no idea how much you saved my butt today!"
"How about you start thanking us by buying lunch?" Chie smirked. "I'm hungry!"
Usually Yosuke would nag Chie for only caring about food, but he simply kissed her forehead. "Fine." He smiled at her. "Do you want a grilled steak? Or something else?"
Chie looked away, blushing madly. That's been happening a lot whenever Yosuke treated her like a girl. The others chuckled.
"Love is in the air~!" Teddie sang. "And it's not even Festival Day yet!"
"Which reminds me…" Yosuke turned to glare at Teddie, pointing to his face. "You better behave yourself this year or I'm knocking the stuffing out of you!"
"How mean of you, Yosuke!" the bear whined, sticking his tongue out at him. "I'm always good! That's why the ladies love me!"
The guys looked at the bickering pair, curious. "What happened last year anyway?" Shinjiro asked Chie.
"Teddie tricked Yosuke and the guys into letting him go out with me, Yukiko and Rise-chan at the Festival, which sucked by the way." Chie rolled her eyes. "How they fell for that is beyond me."
"Hey, it was Kanji who fell for it!" Yosuke growled. "This stupid bear ran off with you three before Souji and I could do anything about it!" He was ignored by his girlfriend.
The SEES guys exchanged glances before glaring at Teddie. They definitely didn't want him trying to have his way with their girls.
"W-What?! I promised Sensei I'd be a good bear, didn't I? It's not my fault everybody has a date, but not…poor…Teddie…" Tears started pouring from his eyes, flowing faster at every word. "I don't wanna spend the Festival all alone!"
Feeling bad for him, Metis and Aigis patted his furry head. "Don't be sad, Teddie-san," Metis said softly. "We'll go to the Festival with you. Right, Sister?"
At Aigis' nod, Teddie's face brightened up like a Christmas tree. The tears dried up instantly "Oh, Ai-chan, Metis-chan… Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he squealed. "We'll have the bestest Festival ever!"
"Of course, Teddie-san." Aigis smiled. "You can help me teach Metis how to enjoy the festival."
"Sure! Teddie is an expert about festivals!" he stated proudly. "There are lots of yummy treats and so many fun games! We'll have a blast!"
As Teddie talked with the two sisters, the others smiled, feeling relieved. "With Ai-chan and Metis keeping him busy, I think we'll enjoy ourselves tomorrow," Junpei chuckled.
"Rise-chan will probably keep an eye on him too, but ya can never be too careful with Teddie," Chie said. Her stomach began to growl loudly, drawing all eyes towards her. She blushed at that, feeling embarrassed. "Hehehe…"
"Wow, you really are hungry, huh Chie?" Yosuke blinked before laughing. "C'mon guys, let's have some lunch. We can talk about the festival later."
"Right. I wonder if they got any beef bowls here…" Akihiko said. Shinjiro could only roll his eyes at that.
Back at Tatsumi Textiles…
It was almost time for lunch. Kanji and the twins were nearly done. All that was left were the finishing touches to Naoto's yukata and they could finally go eat.
As Minato was helping his sister with the yukata, a loud voice interrupted them. "Kanji! Kanjiiiii….where are youuuuu~?" It was Rise. She nonchalantly barged into their working area.
Kanji came out of the storage room, holding a pile of scrap cloth. "Rise, what the hell? How many times do I have to tell ya to wait for me at the front if you want something?!" He gave her a look of utmost annoyance.
"But it's more fun this way," Rise pouted cutely. "Grandma sent me off early to do some errands for her. I came by to check up on you."
"Why would I need checking up on?" he sighed. It was tiring to keep up with her sometimes.
"Oh Kanji, you're so silly. Why don't you just admit that you're lonely without me?" Rise teased, sticking her tongue out playfully.
"Like hell I am!"
The twins have stopped working to watch the two high school juniors interact with each other. It was rather funny seeing them bicker over the most trivial things, much like Junpei and Yukari's arguments back at the dorm.
"Besides, I have something to show you!" Rise chirped, taking out her cell phone.
Kanji exhaled loudly. "Fine, but ya gotta leave after this alright? We're kinda busy here if ya can't tell…" As soon as he laid eyes on the phone screen, his nose started bleeding. He made a mad dash to the bathroom, causing the twins to look at Rise questionably.
"Umm…Rise-chan? What exactly did you show him?" Minako asked.
The teen idol giggled. "Kanji is so much fun to tease. It's a picture of Naoto-kun when we were out clothes shopping yesterday. See?" Indeed, it was Naoto on the screen, wearing the feminine version of her detective outfit. She looked absolutely adorable without her hat, and the blush on her cheeks made her look even cuter. No wonder Kanji couldn't resist.
The twins sweatdropped. 'So this is what Kanji-kun has to endure every day?' Minako thought sympathetically.
'It certainly doesn't help that Rise-chan's shop is only a few blocks from here,' Minato thought. "Poor Kanji…no wonder he didn't want to adjust Naoto's yukata just now. I bet he would pass out just from knowing her measurements alone," he said, looking thoughtful.
What Minato didn't expect next was his sister wearing the same devious smirk as Rise. "That was priceless!" she squealed. "I can't wait to see how he'll react when he sees Naoto-chan in an actual yukata. Rise-chan, bring a video camera tomorrow. We can't miss this!" Both of them laughed evilly.
'Girls…' Minato rolled his eyes. "If you're done hatching plans about tormenting Kanji, I'm off to have lunch," he said, walking away from the girls. "Man, I'm starving."
"Ah, Aniki, wait for me! I want fried rice with chicken…and steak skewers!" Minako cried, running off after her brother.
Rise skipped off to do her errands, satisfied that she got her wanted reaction from Kanji moments ago. She wouldn't be surprised if he was shouting curses at her right now.
After lunch, the Arisato twins went back to the Tatsumi's shop to check on Kanji. They found the bleached blonde working on another yukata, but it was small – too small to fit even in a kid.
"Hey, Kanji-kun, wat'cha doing?" Minako asked curiously.
"Huh? Oh, this? Well… Remember I promised to make it up to Koro-chan, Ken and Nanako-chan for the fishing trip fiasco?" At the twins' nod, Kanji grinned. "I made this for Koro-chan!"
"A yukata for a dog? That's brilliant!" Minato said, impressed as he looked at the yukata. The colors were similar to Cerberus, Koromaru's Persona. "Now Koro will be able to fully join us in the festivities."
"Great thinking, Kanji-kun!" Minako praised him.
"Aw, hell… it was nothing…" Kanji rubbed the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. "I also finished Ken and Nanako-chan's gifts." He pointed to two dolls on a nearby table. One resembled Red Hawk from Phoenix Ranger Featherman R and the other was a doll of Nanako's heroine, Magical Detective Loveline. Both were…very elaborate.
"Wow, how did you make them so fast?"
"I worked on them after I got home from the fishing trip," Kanji said. "Koro-chan's yukata wasn't hard to put together as there's a lot of leftover material in the shop."
"They look so awesome! The kids are gonna love it!" Minako giggled picking the Loveline doll. "This is so cute!"
Minato chuckled. "Yeah, you even got Loveline's outfit details right including magnifying glass and puppy. Wonder if there's any manga or DVD of it…" At his twin and Kanji's amused looks, he shrugged. "Don't mind me. Just some random rambling."
"Whatever you say, Aniki," Minako giggled again before looking at her watch. "Wow, time flies when you're having fun. It's already time to go pick Ken-kun and Koro-chan at Souji-kun's place."
"Already? Well okay then, let's go." Minato turned to Kanji. "Wanna come with us?"
"Sure! I can't wait to give these to Ken, Koro-chan and Nanako-chan!" Kanji said. "I sure hope they like it."
"I'm positive they will, Kanji-kun," Minako reassured him. "C'mon, let's go."
In no time the three made their way to the Dojima Residence. Nanako was tending to the front yard's garden while Ken was at the doorstep playing with Koromaru and Souji was feeding a stray cat. The twins smiled. Souji always had a way with animals, even though his parents wouldn't allow him to own a pet, it didn't stop him from playing with and feeding them.
Nanako spotted them first. "Aneki! Aniki!" She squealed running up to them and wrapping them in a big hug.
"Hey, Nanako-chan." Minato smiled ruffling her hair. "Having fun with Ken and Koro-chan?"
"Uh-huh!" Nanako smiled. She seemed happier to see them than ever.
Minako and Minato glanced at the garden. They didn't notice before, but it really looked pretty. "Wow, Nanako-chan, that's a really beautiful garden!" Minako was amazed. "You tend to it yourself?"
"No. Big bro helped me!" Nanako beamed. "The flowers looked so pretty at spring! And a lot of really cute bugs come visit the garden!"
"You like bugs, Nanako-chan?" Minato asked amused.
"Yeah! They're so cute! I like grasshoppers, beetles, ladybugs, butterflies…" Nanako smiled. "Big bro once helped me catch a few bugs at the shrine for school's 'show and tell'!"
"We like bugs too!" Minako grinned while his brother nodded. "If ya want we can go bug catching with you whenever ya want, Nanako-chan!"
"Yeah! And we can help with the garden with Souji-kun too." Minato added with a gentle smile. "I bet it'll make a great home for lots of cute bugs."
"Really?!" Nanako smiled radiantly. "Yay! Thanks Aniki! Thanks Aneki!"
The twins smiled at that when a card flashed in their minds and a voice echoed.
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Justice Arcana…
"A new Justice Social Link? Well, makes sense seeing how Ken and Nanako-chan have a lot in common." Minato smiled before chuckling. "Maybe they are meant to each other… Banchou-kun won't be pleased."
Minato turned to his twin who was giggling as she tickled Nanako. She was thinking the same thing.
Souji calmly walked up to them followed by Ken and Koromaru. "Hi guys," he greeted with a smile. "You already done with the yukatas?"
"Yep. It was pretty easy when working together," Minako said. "Kanji-kun even got to work on a little something for these three."
"Something?" Ken asked curiously. "What is it?"
"Y-Yeah…" Kanji pulled out the dolls from his bag and handed them to Ken and Nanako. "I-I hope it makes up for… y'know…yesterday."
Silence fell over the two kids as they stared in awe at their gifts. Never had they seen such beautiful and detailed dolls.
"Wow, she looks perfect! Loveline is so cute!" Nanako squealed, squeezing her doll tightly to her chest before hugging Kanji. "Thank you, Kanji-nii! I love it!"
Ken's eyes were sparkling as he checked out his doll. "Yeah! This is so awesome! This Red Hawk is way better than the figurines from Junes!" He hugged Kanji was well. "Kanji-san, I…! Thank you so much!"
Kanji was surprised at their reaction, but felt relieved and glad that they had liked his gifts. "You're welcome, guys." He smiled and patted both kids on their heads as the three Wild Cards looked on, nodding in approval.
Koromaru panted, happy to see both kids so excited. Kanji then turned the Shiba Inu as both kids let go of him. He walked up to the dog, dropping on one knee to make eye contact. "I've got something for you too, Koro-chan." He pulled the yukata out from the bag. "You can use this to come to the Festival with us."
The pooch sniffed the yukata a few times before running around Kanji, barking his little head off. "I think Koro-chan really likes it, Kanji-kun," Minako giggled.
"Really?" Kanji asked. He was answered with a good lick on the face from Koromaru. "Heh… You're welcome, Koro-chan..." he grinned, rubbing Koromaru's fur.
"Wow, gotta hand it to you, Kanji. Those dolls and the yukata must be your best works yet," Souji praised, patting his underclassman on the back. "You must've worked really hard on them."
"Aw, shucks! Thanks, Senpai," Kanji said with a goofy grin on his lips. "I just felt awful about yesterday so I really wanted to make up to them."
"And you accomplished that with flying colors, Kanji." Minato smiled, watching the entire scene; the kids were showing each other their gifts while Koromaru pranced around them. "Just look at them. They're ecstatic."
Minako grinned "At this pace, the Festival will be even better!"
Souji smiled. Seeing Nanako so happy made his worries about her and Ken melt away for the time being. His surrogate sister was right. The festival was going to be great.
The next day, early afternoon…
Kanji walked down the street, nervous as hell. He sort of expected Naoto's secretary to pick up her yukata, but he never showed up. Now it was up to him to deliver the outfit to her before she headed to the Amagi Inn to meet up with the rest of the girls in order to get ready for the festival. And he still had to meet up with the guys at Souji's place in order to get ready himself.
'Oh man… what am I gonna do?' he thought. 'What if she asks me about it? What if she thinks I know her measurements? She's gonna think I'm a perv like Yosuke-senpai!'
Not too far from there, Naoto was also walking down the same street. She was wondering how she would explain to the girls about her missing yukata. She had told them that she had one, a gift from one of her grandfather's clients, but now she couldn't find it. She dreaded to imagine what sort of lecture she would be getting from Rise if she went to the festival without one.
'How ironic… One year ago, I would not care about such trivial things as a festival… But now, I rather look forward for it…' Naoto thought with a wry smile. 'Perhaps that's what Souji-senpai was talking about back then…'
…Flashback…
Souji and Naoto were at the bookstore, looking for new books to read. Things had been quiet after Adachi was caught and put behind bars, so now they could focus on other things.
Naoto let out a frustrated sigh, catching the silverette's attention. "Something bothering you?"
"Yes… The new detective novel I'm waiting for hasn't arrived yet," Naoto replied, sounding disappointed. "Without it and no cases to work on, I'm pretty much left with nothing to do."
Souji crossed his arms. "You could always hang out with me and the others," he said, giving her a 'isn't-that-obvious?' look.
Naoto thought about it. "I don't want to bother the others… They are probably busy with their own activities and you…" She trailed off for a bit. "You'll be leaving soon."
Souji frowned a bit. He didn't like bringing up the subject of his departure.
Having realized what she just said, Naoto looked away. "I apologize for b-bringing that t-topic up, Senpai," she stuttered. "I… I should go."
Before he could say anything, Naoto was already walking away. "Oh boy…" he sighed, following her.
The hill overlooking town…
Naoto was sitting at one of her favorite places in all of Inaba, lost in thought. "What Senpai said just now...it sounds a bit like what Grampa told me before he transferred me to Yasogami High." She sighed and continued to stare at the scenery from on top of the tree, scowling. "Hanging out...making friends...those things are irrelevant in the life of a hard-boiled detective."
"I wouldn't say that if I were you," said a voice from below.
Naoto was pulled out of her reverie, and looked down to find her silver-haired upperclassman waving at her. She jumped from her perch and landed with both feet on the ground. "Senpai, why did you follow me here?" she questioned, not pleased at being stalked.
Souji chuckled at her insinuation. She seemed to have forgotten that it was her who taught him how to be inconspicuous when following a suspect. "You looked upset when you left the book store. Maybe you want to talk about it?"
"There is nothing to talk about," Naoto answered curtly.
"Is that how you truly feel?" Souji didn't waste time getting straight to the point. "About friends being irrelevant in the life of a detective?" He then grinned. "Naoto, you really have to loosen up a little. You'll end up more socially awkward than you already are. Now that would be a real inconvenience in the work of a detective."
The young detective blushed and covered her mouth. "Did I just say that out loud?"
Souji's features softened as he looked at her. "Naoto, I mean it. I think your grandfather sent you here for a reason; to make friends and live like a normal teenager. No one can truly live in solitude." He paused for a while to let the words sink in. "Your Shadow said that she hated being lonely, and want to be accepted. How can you be accepted if you don't have people who want to accept you in the first place? You just have to give them a chance."
"That wasn't me talking!" Naoto protested. Whenever she had these kinds of conversations with Souji, she knew she could never win.
"Deny it all you want Naoto," Souji said, his voice hardening. "A Shadow may be the dark side of a person, but one thing they cannot do is lie."
Naoto stayed silent, but deep inside she was shocked. The truth hit her like a sledgehammer in full momentum, and realized that of all the things her Shadow had said, the part about her being lonely, stung the most. She could no longer refute what her Senpai had pointed out. "...Then what should I do…?" she asked, looking down and defeated.
"Why don't you get to know Kanji a bit better? Spend more time with him," the silverette suggested.
"Why him?" Now Naoto was curious. Of their entire team, why did he pick Kanji?
"He's just as socially awkward as you are. He may not seem so to you, but I've seen his Shadow," Souji said. "You two should work it out together. It won't hurt to try, and both of you have nothing to lose by doing so."
Naoto crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought. Rise and Teddie were too rambunctious to her liking and hard to keep up with when not supervised; Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko were easier to talk to but they didn't have that much in common yet. Plus they were her upperclassman so that made it a bit awkward in itself; that left Kanji as the most logical choice to start getting close to the others.
"Very well...I suppose it could be a good start." She looked at Souji. "Thank you for your advice, Senpai."
Souji smiled. "Hey, that's what friends are for, Naoto."
"What friends are for...?" Naoto whispered with a small smile. A warm feeling inside her started growing. 'I think it'll be a good experience for me.'
…End flashback…
Following Souji's advice, Naoto tried to hang out with Kanji more – helping him study, hanging out at his mother's shop, letting him walk her home after school. It started out rather awkward, due to Kanji's and her own shyness, but over the time she came to enjoy his company.
At the same time, she also felt more comfortable with hanging out with the others, even though Souji was no longer with them. She also noticed that Kanji was becoming more comfortable around her presence, talking with her and didn't blush as much as he used to when she was close to him.
Naoto was so busy with her own thoughts, she failed to notice that she was in a collision course with someone until she crashed into them. "Ow...! My apologies! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and..."
"S'no big deal...I was distracted too and...Naoto?"
The young detective's eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the voice, and looked at the owner. "Kanji-kun? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to meet the other guys at Souji-senpai's residence."
Kanji started blushing. He wasn't expecting to bump into Naoto of all people on his way to her place. "W-well...I was...b-b-but...I had to d-deliver this f-first." He held out a paper bag and handed it to Naoto. "H-Here..."
Naoto blinked confused as she opened it. She gasped in surprise when she found it was her missing yukata. "H-How did you...?"
"Y-Your Grampa asked Y-Yakushiji-san to take it to Ma's shop for adjustments..." Kanji stuttered, his face redder than tomato paste.
"Adjustments? Oh, that's right...I never really wore it before..." She froze when she recalled something. "W-wait a minute...you c-couldn't have d-done that without knowing m-m-my..."
"Yakushiji-san gave me a paper with them, but I didn't read them! I swear!" he blurted out. "I-I know you don't like guys knowing that sort of stuff 'bout you so I asked Minako-senpai to do the adjustments for me! I swear! You can ask her or Minato-senpai if you don't believe me!"
"Kanji-kun, calm down!" He would have continued rambling if Naoto didn't stop him. "I believe you."
"W-Wha…? Y-ya do?"
"Of course. You have no reason to lie to me," Naoto said. 'He's such a gentleman for not looking at my measurements...' She blushed, but at the same time smiling. "It was really thoughtful of you to do that, Kanji-kun. Thank you."
Kanji smiled, relieved that Naoto wasn't mad at him. "Y-you're welcome."
"Well, I must get going. I don't want to keep the girls waiting. I'll see you at the festival." Naoto placed the yukata into her bag before turning around to walk away.
"Naoto! Wait!" Kanji grabbed her wrist, fully aware that his nose could burst at any moment. 'It's now or never!'
Startled, she looked up at Kanji. "What is it, Kanji-kun?"
"T-there's something…I wanna t-tell you." Kanji tried his best to avoid eye contact. "I-It's really important..."
"Something important?" Now Naoto was curious. "So, what is it?"
Kanji instantly started to sweat bullets as his heart was beating very fast. He had to give the detective an answer and he could not mess it up, but still nothing came out of his mouth. 'Aw, come on, Kanji, you idiot! Say something!' he internally scolded himself. The tall teen then gave a very deep sigh. Now was the time to be a man!
"Naoto...you know our Shadows came from part of us that we want to deny, right?"
She raised her eyebrow in confusion. "What about that?"
His went pale at the memories of his kidnapping, the sauna and his Shadow, but kept his ground. "You see, m-my Shadow was created because of my f-fear of rejection."
"Fear of rejection?"
"Yeah, I was always afraid of being rejected because of my hobbies."
"Your hobbies?" she repeated.
Kanji sighed. "Yes, Naoto. You know that I like to sew and bake and other things girls are supposed to like," he said. "The girls always made fun of me because of it. But the guys...they were a little bit more tolerant, but didn't fully accept me either..."
"Really? Usually, it is the other way around."
"I know. Anyway, I met someone... and for some reason... I feel attracted to that person," Kanji explained. "I suddenly started to question myself as a person. I think that's what created my whacked up Shadow."
"I see."
"And do you know who that person is?"
"Who?" Naoto quizzed.
Kanji took a deep breath. He couldn't go back and he knew it. His lips started shaking before he nervously spoke out his statement. "It was you..."
Naoto's eyes bugged out to the fullest.
"That's right, Naoto." Kanji then made a bold move and held her free hand. "Whether I thought you were a man or a woman, it didn't change the fact that I had feelings for you. Feelings I never felt for anyone else."
The young girl looked stunned at this. Kanji didn't think he ever saw anyone go so pale. He let out a deep sigh. "Listen, Naoto. This is a very hard thing for me to do so I am going to say this once. I. Love. You!" He then quickly shut his eyes as if expecting to get hit or something. Much to his surprise, he felt better…much better. Better than he had ever felt in his life, as if a giant boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. That didn't stop his face from going red though.
Naoto, on the other hand, couldn't believe it. She had a lot of female admirers confess their love to her but never a man, and from Kanji Tatsumi of all people. Then again, that would explain why he acted shyly around her, and why he didn't judge her for her interest in robots and action series, or her talent for crafting detective gizmos.
Suddenly all the puzzle pieces fell in place; they did have much more in common than she thought, and Souji knew it. That was the reason he encouraged her to start hanging out with Kanji first.
"Is... Is that true, Kanji-kun?" Naoto asked in a surprisingly high-pitched voice. "Do you...?"
"Yes, Naoto... I do..." The muscles in his face began to relax as he breathed out a relieved sigh.
The awkward silence between the two was almost unbearable. None of them seemed to notice the sky going dark.
He felt something gripping his hand. He slowly opened his eyes halfway only for them to widen when he saw that it was Naoto, her face was a deep shade of pink.
"Kanji-kun... Thank you... You must be the first boy to ever confess their love to me," she said, having lost all masculinity in her voice.
Kanji was touched by her words. "Naoto..."
"Kanji-kun…" she whispered. He did not know if he leaned down or if she leaned up or both, but the space between their faces was decreasing to the point their lips were almost touching.
Sudden hissing sounds snapped both teens back to reality. To their horror, they were inside the Dark Hour and about fifteen rouge Shadows were launching towards them! Most of them were DNA strands, forming a humanoid shape, but leading them was a giant humanoid robot armed with a broadsword.
'Aw, shit!' Kanji was pissed. 'I was so close!'
Naoto narrowed her eyes. "We're outnumbered!" She drew her revolver. One could see anger burning brightly in those dark blue orbs.
"Damn Shadows! I'm taking them down!" Kanji roared, but something didn't feel right. "Shit! I don't have a weapon!"
"You use blunt objects for weapons, right? Try using that!" Naoto pointed to a trash can's lid before she shot at one of the Gene Shadows who was trying to sneak up on them.
"Great idea!" Kanji made a run for it, punching two Shadows out of his way before grabbing the lid and smacking a third one away from him. "Now you're gonna get it!" He whacked that Shadow again, causing heavy damage. The lid was bent in half, rendering it useless. Kanji picked up another one.
Naoto shot her last bullet, but refilling would take some time. Then she recalled a vital piece of information. "Kanji-kun, if I'm not mistaken, these Gene Shadows have a particular weakness to wind or thunder. Try hitting those ones over there!" she shouted, pointing to a group consisting of five wobbling DNAs.
Kanji obliged. He summoned his tarot card, hoping that he won't miss his targets. He whacked it with the trashcan lid. "Rokuten Maoh, Maziodyne!"
Luckily for them, the Shadows fell on their butts and writhed on the ground after getting electrocuted.
"Tch, there are too many of them. If we keep this up then the surrounding area will be damaged," Naoto said.
"The flood plains ain't that far. Let's go!" Kanji grabbed Naoto's wrist and they made a run for it to a more unpopulated area. The Shadows quickly followed behind.
"They're gaining on us!" Naoto yelled, looking back. Despite their wobbly bodies, the gene Shadows were quite agile.
"Keep running!" Kanji shouted. "We're almost there!"
One of the Shadows stretched out its arm at the two, hitting Naoto on the ankle. She tripped and fell flat on her face. "Ooof!" she grunted.
"Naoto?!" Kanji gasped, running back to help her up.
"I'm okay!" Naoto said as she got to her feet. The Shadows were getting too close!
"Crap, those guys are stubborn!" Kanji growled as he and Naoto resumed running. Thanks to long muscular legs, he was faster at running so he ended up hoisting Naoto up and tucked her under his arm, without awareness of the actions he was performing.
"K-Kanji-kun, put me down! I can run on my own!" she protested, blushing madly at their situation.
Kanji grinned like a madman when they finally reached their destination. However, when he realized what he was doing, he quickly put Naoto down. "S-Sorry…" he whispered. Naoto nodded as she readied her gun, the Shadows hot on their trail. After finding out about their foes' weakness, he wasn't about to waste this chance; he casted Maziodyne multiple times to incapacitate the Shadows, and Naoto took them out with Vorpal Blade.
Naoto wasn't paying attention when a stray Gene attempted to hit her from behind. Fortunately, Kanji noticed. "Naoto, duck!" he hollered. Instinctively, the young detective dodged and curled into a ball. Kanji threw the trashcan lid like a Frisbee with all of his strength, effectively slicing the Shadow into two.
Just when they thought they were in the clear, a loud hissing noise could be heard. The robot was slowly making its way to them, the clunking of its gears could be heard miles away.
"Damn it, we don't have enough energy to fight that thing as it is…" Kanji said, panting heavily.
"I have a few health restoring items with me, but I doubt it will last us long enough," Naoto said. "From past experience, we're going to have an extremely difficult time with that thing without Souji-senpai's help."
Kanji cursed under his breath. If only there was a way…the thought of Souji gave him an idea. "Hey Naoto, remember that combo attack Senpai did with the twins? If we can combine our two strongest attacks then…"
"Are you sure, Kanji-kun? Even with my charged up Megidolaon there's no guarantee that it will take out that thing in one hit, plus it will obliterate everything around here. We can't risk it."
"We'll just have to try," Kanji said. "All we have to do is be in sync, just like those three."
"In sync…harmony…" Naoto whispered, mostly to herself. Then she smiled at him. "Alright, I think I got it. Let's do this, Kanji-kun!"
As they both summoned their Personas, Kanji concentrated his energy for a Primal Force while Naoto casted Mind Charge on herself. Kanji then stood closely behind Naoto, and grasped her hands that were on her revolver. Both were blushing furiously, but the situation at hand prevented them from delving into the warm feeling.
"Just concentrate your Megidolaon into my attack," Kanji whispered, as both of them merged their energies. Naoto aimed her revolver at the giant robot, who by now had finished charging and gearing up for a strike attack. "On three…"
They didn't bother to start from one. "THREE!"
Rokuten Maoh pointed his weapon at the enemy as Yamato Takeru hovered above his head, gloved hands glowing with purple light. When they released their attack at the same time, a huge beam of purple energy shot out from the tip of Rokuten Maoh's staff. It blew a clean hole straight through the giant robot, and in a matter of seconds it disintegrated into ashes.
Shocked and relieved, both of them fell on their knees, panting hard. Now they understood why Minato, Souji and Minako were completely worn out after a Fusion Raid.
Naoto smiled. "Thanks to your pierce attack, I was able to focus my Megidolaon for one enemy instead of having it explode all over the place," she theorized, feeling rather proud of her explanation. "And it also overrides any physical or elemental advantage the enemy had. A perfect combination."
"Looks like we make a good team after all," Kanji said. Then he started to blush, because he was still holding Naoto in an intimate manner. "Uh…"
Naoto smiled at him, blushing as well. "We really do, Kanji-kun," she said before wrapping her arms around his torso.
Kanji's eyes were wider than saucers, but he then smiled and returned the hug. It looked rather awkward, because Naoto was pint-sized compared to himself, but…it felt right, and that was all that mattered.
Naoto smiled back at him. As the Dark Hour faded, their eyes met and their faces came closer. This time nothingwas going to interrupt them…
"Kanji! Naoto!" Souji shouted as he and the others ran towards the flood plains. Needless to say he was worried about his two friends when the Dark Hour appeared and it only got worse when Rise and Fuuka informed them that a huge group of Shadows was in the same area as them. "Damn it… where are they?"
"Easy, Banchou-kun, I'm sure they're safe," Minako tried to reassure him. "Naoto-chan is a smart girl and Kanji-kun's pretty tough. As long as they're together, they'll be okay."
The group was surprised when suddenly, a huge purple beam of energy shot across the dark sky. "Whoa, what was that?!" Junpei shouted in awe.
"I don't know, but it sure looked powerful!" Teddie said impressed.
"Fuuka, are we getting any closer?" Minato asked.
"Yes, but this is strange…" Fuuka said. "The Shadows… just vanished. I'm not sensing any of them anymore."
"Not even the big one is around," Rise said. "How can that be? Those are especially difficult to get rid of."
Now they were confused. Souji sighed and kept running. He could only hope that Kanji and Naoto had beaten the Shadows and were unharmed. The others followed him close behind.
"There they are!" Chie shouted, pointing out two figures before them.
As the gang got closer, the Dark Hour vanished and they could clearly make out the figures of both Kanji and Naoto. Souji was about to call them again when he realized…the delinquent and the detective were hugging and, more astonishingly, KISSING!
Both members from SEES and from the Investigation Team stared in surprise and amusement; Minato, Souji and Shinjiro smirked seemingly proud; Minako and Rise were both struggling not to squeal in delight; the others girls were giggling while the boys were staring blankly.
Finally, Kanji and Naoto broke up the kiss and stared at each other, smiling. They were snapped out of their trance when they heard a clicking sound.
"Got it!" Rise squealed holding out her cellphone triumphantly, to everybody's surprise. "You two looked so cute kissing like that!" She began to sing. "Kanji and Naoto, sitting in a tree ~ K-I-S-S-I-N-G ~ "
"RISE!" Both Kanji and Naoto shouted, chasing after the teen idol, who was giggling like crazy and waving her cellphone around. The others watched over the amusing scene, not bothered to stop them.
Souji rolled his eyes, but deep inside he was truly happy that both Kanji and Naoto were safe and had finally understood their feelings for each other. "Okay, that's enough now," he said as Rise hid behind him to protect herself from the newly formed couple. "And Rise, stop teasing them."
"You two okay?" Minato asked.
"Yes… Just some minor injuries and a bit of fatigue…" Naoto panted, trying to regain her composure. Her face was completely red.
"Yeah…yeah… Just a scratch here and there…" Kanji huffed, still embarrassed.
"Thank goodness you're safe," Yukiko said with a warm smile.
"By the way, good job clearing out all those Shadows," Akihiko said.
"Yeah. When Rise-chan and Fuuka-chan told us about them, we got worried and left Chidori and Nanako-chan with the Fox at the Inn before rushing here as fast as we could." Minako said. "How did you do it, anyway?"
"It was piece of cake, really." Kanji grinned. "Just a little a bit of teamwork."
"A little?" Yosuke nudged his stomach, teasing grin in place, "You mean you finally manned up and asked her out to the festival, right?"
Naoto scowled in annoyance and embarrassment. Kanji, on the other hand, slowly turned to face his comrade, who still held that damned smile on his face, "Hey Senpai, do you know what my shoe size is?"
Yosuke was taken aback, grin falling from his face, "Uh… no. What is it?"
"Thirty-five centimeters," Kanji informed proudly.
Yosuke's confusion was even more elevated. "Why did you ask?"
"So that you know just how much of my foot is about to get relocated up your ass if you don't get the hell outta my face!"
Yosuke's face twitched into a half-grin of terror before he scuttled away fast as he could. "Okay guys…" he called, his voice about four octaves higher than usual, "Let's go back. I think I need a bath before the festival…" He turned and mumbled, just loud enough that Kanji could hear him, "And some fresh underwear…"
The others laughed at that. Kanji gave a smirk of satisfaction and turned to Naoto, silently asking her about the festival. The detective prince just smiled and nodded. Minako and Shinjiro stared at them before looking at each other, nostalgic smiles on their faces.
The shrine was lit up by hundreds of stringed lanterns in all shapes and sizes. Children were running everywhere, either holding balloons, cotton candy, or paper lanterns of various cartoon characters hanging from a stick. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and laughter. For the SEES and Investigation Team, it was a nice change of pace from all the Shadow fighting. Although the sun hasn't set yet, the temperature was cooling down, the bright sky tinged with orange and pink giving it a romantic feel.
Everyone agreed to meet up in front of the offertory box. The guys arrived there first, and the ladies about twenty minutes later.
The guys couldn't help but stare at the sight before them. Although the girls were wearing the same yukata they had worn during previous festivals, save for Chidori and Metis, it seems that they sported different accessories and hair styles to look different this year.
Instead of her usual XXII hairpins, Minako had a sunflower pin in its place, her hair let down instead of a ponytail. Yukari opted for a pair of dangling pink earrings, while Fuuka's hair was held in place by a comb with white calla lilies painted on it. For Mitsuru, she tied her hair in a low ponytail instead of the usual up do, making her look more down-to-earth instead of like a rich heiress. Aigis and Metis had ribbons in their hair, courtesy of Nanako. Chie had placed the fake flower she bought at Okina above her right ear, and Yukiko wore her usual red hair band with a pink gerbera pinned on it. Rise tied her two pigtails with colorful beads, and Nanako wore the Featherman hairpin Minako got for her. Chidori had her hair made in a stylish bun.
Kanji however, couldn't stop staring at his new girlfriend. Her yukata matched her eyes and holy crap, what did she do with her hair? Instead of the detective cap, there was a headband with a blue bow on the side. Kanji's face turned redder than a strawberry, his nose was close to bursting from all the cuteness that is Naoto Shirogane.
Koromaru was wildly wagging his tail from happiness. He pranced around in his new outfit; rather pleased at the attention he was getting from the children and adults alike. A little boy threw some takoyaki at him, and he barked his thanks, eating the delicious treat.
Rise didn't miss the opportunity to record all of the guys' reaction on her video camera. She was especially enjoying Kanji's, and not surprised at Teddie's drooling.
The girls couldn't help but stare at the guys too. There was something roguishly handsome about a man in a traditional Japanese outfit. However, there was one item on somebody's head that caught Minako's attention. "Shinji-kun, can't you take off that beanie for one night?" she asked, pouting a bit. "It doesn't suit the yukata." She stood on her tip-toes to remove the offending item. Oddly enough, Shinjiro didn't protest. He was however, a bit surprised when his girlfriend sneaked in a kiss as she did so, causing him to blush different shades of crimson.
"Wow, this brings back a lot of memories…" Minato said, surveying the surroundings. "It has a different feel to it than the one at Naganaki, but I'm excited!"
"I have to admit that last year's was a drag, but now I can't wait to get started," Souji said.
"Aniki, we should take a group picture before we start," Minako suggested. "Then we can go and have some fun!"
Mitsuru took the opportunity to snap a picture of Shinjiro in his yukata, and another one with Shinjiro and Minako together. He didn't like all the attention he was getting, but he softened a bit when Minako smiled sweetly at him. 'Damn it, Iori was right. I really am turning into a sap,' he thought, the warmth in his chest refusing to go away. 'But I guess it's times like these that make a moment worth it.'
Souji was rather ticked off when Teddie coaxed Nanako and Ken to pose for a picture together, but he didn't show it, not if it means ruining his cousin's happiness. Yukiko noticed this and giggled to herself. Minato, being the avid photographer that he is, also took the chance to capture the moment.
After that, they took off into the crowd. The sights, the smells, the sounds; the gang took it all in as they tried to decide what game or food they should try first. The separated into smaller groups, agreeing to meet at the takoyaki stand in another hour and a half.
Minako dragged her brothers to scoop for goldfish. "The last time we did this was when we were kids. I remembered throwing a huge tantrum when I couldn't scoop a single one," she said.
"Don't remind me…" her twin groaned. "Dad had to get you five boxes of takoyaki and two cotton candies to calm you down. Then he got scolded by Mom for spoiling you too much."
The youngest of the three sweatdropped. Yes, he remembered that particular event and it wasn't pleasant. He hid behind his mother the whole time until Minako had quieted down. Hopefully, the two of them wouldn't be at the receiving end of her wrath if she decided that the goldfish were outsmarting her again.
"Hey, check it out. It's Souji!"
The silverette turned around when he heard his name being called. It was Kou and Daisuke, in normal street attire.
"Whoa, look at you dude! All dressed fancy for the party," Daisuke praised, "and Minato-san too. Now I wished I wore a yukata."
"Ai-san wanted you to wear one, remember? And you had to go do something stupid and now she and Yumi ditched us. Nice going," Kou said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Then he saw Minako. "Oh, hey there…I haven't seen you around here before."
"Kou, Daisuke, this is Aniki's twin sister Minako." Souji introduced both parties. "Aneki, this is Kou Ichijou from basketball. And this guy is Daisuke Nagase from soccer."
Minako bowed slightly. "Hi, nice to meet you guys."
"Nice to meet you too," Kou said, returning the gesture. He then turned to Souji. "Dude, there's a game booth not far from here where we can win prizes by shooting hoops. Let's show these suckers how it's done, eh? Since the murders are put to rest, they decided to add more games to attract more people to come."
"That does sound pretty awesome," Souji said, "but I promised to go and scoop goldfish with them first. Why don't we go after that?"
"Sure, we'll wait for you there," Kou said. "Meanwhile, I gotta help this lug find something to make it up to Ai-san. I have no doubt that even he'll screw that up." He turned around quickly and sped off before his friend could catch up.
"Hey!" came Daisuke's indignant yell.
As the two left, Minako giggled. "Wow, those two are quite the tag team. They even argue like Kenji-kun and Kazushi-kun." She then preceded to the scooping booth, her brothers not far behind her.
They never made it there though, because Souji kept bumping into many of his friends who were also enjoying the festival; Naoki and Ayane, Hisano who was accompanied by her grandchildren, and Ai and Yumi (the former kept complaining about her boyfriend). The twins had fun getting to know their little brother's friends, whom he had created strong bonds with. They did manage to meet Kou and Daisuke at the mini basketball booth, where all five participated. Souji and Kou won the grand prize; a pendant each with weird markings on them, and the other three got to choose between a phone strap and two keychains.
On the other side of the shrine, Mitsuru and Yukari were browsing at the stalls which sold specialty items and foods. Ken and Nanako looked at the masks and sculptures on display with Koromaru and Yosuke. Dojima couldn't come, unfortunately, due work, so the little girl was determinated to get a souvenir for her dad with Ken's help.
Yukiko and Chie were throwing miniature hula-hoops, hoping one would land around the many sake bottles of different colors. Chie wailed when all of her hoops were used; she was hoping it would land around a red bottle because those would have won her a pair of new boots. Yukiko had better luck when one of her hoops landed around a green bottle and won herself a blue paper fan.
Junpei was trying to win Chidori a giant teddy bear at a game of darts, but he wasn't doing so well. Fortunately the booth owner was kind enough to give him a consolation prize for trying; a beautifully painted wooden bangle. Chidori even thanked the owner by offering one of her sketches from her drawing pad.
Not far, Akihiko and Shinjiro were joined by Naoto and Kanji at a shooting range. It seems that Akihiko openly challenged Naoto to a shooting competition, and she was wiping the floor with him. So far, she managed to shoot down fifteen ducks while he only shot seven. Shinjiro was enjoying himself, watching his best friend lose to a girl as Kanji munched on ikayaki, cheering his girlfriend on. Naoto won the ultimate prize; an expensive-looking ring with decorative blue stones while Akihiko got a white Persian cat doll, which he planned to give to Mitsuru later.
Teddie and Rise were showing Aigis, Metis and Fuuka around the festival. The bear even managed to charm the ladies who were manning the snack booths with his sparkles to give him discounts or free food. Rise only rolled her eyes at his behavior, scrunching her face in displeasure as Teddie almost spilled mustard on her yukata. She wasn't a sucker after all. Fuuka and Metis giggled while Aigis disapproved; he reminded her too much of another flirt who used his charms to get his way.
After trying out different games and winning a few more prizes, the gang met at the takoyaki stand as promised. They sat down together in a huge group and ordered takoyaki, shaved ice and okonomiyaki with various toppings. Rise kept herself busy filming the entire scene while the others ate and talked.
Souji recognized the people who sat at the table beside them. "Eri-san, Yuuta, fancy meeting you guys here."
Eri Minami's eyebrows shot up at the familiar voice, and smiled. "Souji-kun, what a surprise. I heard rumors you were back in town. It's nice to see you again."
"Souji-san!" Yuuta got up from his seat to give him a hug. "Look what I won! A rare action figure of Black Condor! Mom even got me an awesome t-shirt. I can't wait to wear it to school!" The excited little boy had to be calmed down by Souji, who then introduced them to his friends.
"Guys, this is Yuuta Minami and his mother, Eri-san. I worked part-time at the daycare where he was sent to last year," he said. "Yuuta, Eri-san, these are my friends from Tatsumi Port Island. And this is my cousin, Nanako."
Nanako smiled at Yuuta. "Oh, I already know him Big Bro. Yuuta-kun is in my class this year. I didn't know that you knew him though."
Souji was about to say something when yet another familiar voice interrupted him. "Sensei, what a surprise. You're here too?" He turned around to see Shu Nakajima, in his normal attire of a blue checkered shirt and brown pants. He smiled at the boy and introduced him. "Guys, this is Shu. I used to tutor him, and he's one of my best students."
Shu grinned playfully. "Please, I was your only student." He then exchanged friendly conversations with the rest of the group. Souji invited all three of them to join in.
"Wow, Souji sure is popular huh?" Junpei whispered to Yosuke.
"You don't know half of it," Yosuke said. "He got to know a lot of people here. I swear the whole town is in love with him or something. Don't get me started about school…"
"That pretty much sums up the twins too," Junpei said. "Mina-tan is especially popular because of her cheerful personality. I doubt Shinjiro-senpai is gonna enjoy that piece of info though."
By the time they finished eating, they separated again but in couples this time. Eri volunteered to take Shu, Yuuta, Ken, Nanako and Koromaru to go play games and watch the fireworks, which Souji was thankful for.
Rise stuck with Teddie to prevent him from flirting with random women. Fuuka and the two androids decided to help her keep him out of trouble. The other couples roamed around the festival, enjoying the view. It was almost time for the fireworks to start and everyone went to find a good spot to view it.
Minato and Yukari strolled near the edge of the shrine, on top of a small hill and away from the stalls. Not a lot of people were there, and there was a nice, shady tree where they sat down under. Crickets and cicadas sang in the night air; the perfect romantic setting.
They looked up to the sky, where the fireworks exploded in a multitude of colors. The festival this year coincided with a full moon, so the sky looked more beautiful tonight. The two lovers held hands and closed the gaps between them. Yukari rested her head on Minato's shoulder. "I have to say, this is much more beautiful than the one at home." She sighed contently. "I feel…peaceful and happy. Not just for us, but for everyone."
"I feel the same way," Minato said, looking down at his girlfriend's face. "It's ironic…looking at the full moon used to bring me much sorrow; losing my parents and Minako, Shadows, The Fall. Never in a million years would I have thought that I get to reunite with my family and friends again after I died…or thought I did." He paused for a while before smiling. "Now the full moon reminds me of what I gained after that, and what I must protect. I never want to lose any of you guys ever again."
The young brunette smiled, looking into Minato's grey-blue eyes. "And we'll stay by your side all the way through. I don't want to lose you either." She tilted her face up and pressed her lips against Minato's, the same moment when a particularly bright firework shot up into the sky, showering the night with bright pink sparkles. The gasps of surprise and awe among the spectators were ignored as the blue-haired teen returned the kiss.
After a while, they broke apart.
"I love you, Yukari."
"I love you too, Minato-kun."
Both of them continued to watch the fireworks, staying close as ever. Sometimes, they would spot their friends among the people below. Fuuka's group was chasing after Teddie, who seemed to have offended a group of older women – probably he did something perverted and they wanted revenge. Ken was accompanying Nanako by himself. They must have separated from Eri, Yuuta and Shu. The little girl was smiling broadly, hugging a ginger cat plushie while Ken was carrying a Daruma's mask they had picked for Dojima. From the looks of it, Ken had won both items for her. Minato chuckled, 'Banchou-kun isn't gonna like that…' he thought. Not far from where they were sitting, Koromaru was watching the fireworks with the fox cubs. The other couples were enjoying themselves, eating snacks and holding hands.
Yukari spotted Minako and Shinjiro. She was holding her boyfriend's hand, dragging him around everywhere, and the other held a rather large pink cotton candy. Shinjiro grimaced when Minako began consuming the fluffy sweet. The two watched on with amusement; Shinjiro was giving one of his lectures about how that crap wasn't good for her, and fell on deaf ears when Minako shoved it into his face, effectively shutting him up. Her laughter rang through the air when his face was covered with a pink beard, and laughed some more when he shot her a death glare. Yukari smiled – Shinjiro should know that glaring wouldn't work on Minako, especially when it came from him. And he could never stay mad at her for long anyway. She continued to observe in amusement when Minako took out a handkerchief and cleaned Shinjiro's face for him, and he let her. Minako then gave him a kiss, and Shinjiro blushed after that.
"That guy still isn't used to romance, huh?" Yukari giggled.
"Give him time," Minato said. "Minako enjoys teasing him like that, and you have to admit it doesn't get old." He grinned and pointed to another couple walking in the distance. "Look over there…it's Souji-kun."
Souji was walking with Yukiko at the other side of the shrine where there weren't a lot of people. They were keeping a slow pace, hand-in-hand and talking. Occasionally she would giggle at something he said. They passed a small stall selling flowers, and Souji bought a small bouquet of red peonies for Yukiko. She blushed the same shade.
Minato smiled. "It looks like Yukiko-san understood what he wanted to tell her."
"Eh? He only bought her flowers…" Yukari tapered off, looking confused.
"According to the language of flowers, red peonies symbolize devotion. And the color red suits Yukiko-san the best, the color of passion and love." Personally, Minato agreed with his sister that Yukiko was the perfect girl for their little brother; he was quiet and serious, kind and observant. She was passionate and determined, but also loving and patient. A match made in heaven.
"Do you have to know everything?" Yukari asked, rolling her eyes playfully.
"What's the problem? You can brag to the rest that you have a super-smart and super-strong boyfriend," Minato answered. "I already made it clear that my girlfriend is the most awesome thing to ever happen in my life."
It seems that Yukari was satisfied with his answer and snuggled closer. They stayed that way until it was time to go back.
Everyone was already waiting at the entrance of the shrine to head back together, their expressions happy but tired, carrying loads of prizes. Teddie sported a few bruises but nothing too major. There was still room for some light teasing before they separated, heading to their own homes.
It could be said that this was the most memorable Summer Festival they ever had, and Minato had a camera full of photos along with Rise's video camera to prove it.
Hope ya guys enjoy all the fluff in this chapter as much as Ohta-chan and I enjoyed writing it. Oh and be prepared: next chapter will be a little on WTH?! side. How? You'll find out soon enough. 3
Have fun and don't forget to Read and Review!