There was just something about being home that just felt right. Yu leaned back against his old couch as he took a second to appreciate the fact he was truly home. Rise's condo had been home for quite some time, but this place? This 1200 square foot house; was truly home. Compared to the condo it was tiny at almost a third of the size, but it was all his. He had bought it a few months just before he finished college from an older couple that his uncle knew. The price was right and Yu had always been good with money even after college. While he still made payments, if the next few years continued how they were going, he'd have this whole place paid off and would be his very own private piece of Inaba.
It was only two bedrooms. Which was one bedroom as the other one had been converted into an office the second he got it. The kitchen was probably the largest part of the house, it had been renovated from the older style kitchen when he got it. After all, Yu preferred to cook for all his friends so no one was ever going to have to deal with Mystery Food X with him around. Several times he had friends over and he cooked for them all. This house was filled with good memories like that and that's what truly made it home. Speaking of good memories with his friends, he had invited Ren and Futaba over later for dinner. A glance at the clock told him it was 3 o'clock. He still had plenty of time. After dropping Nanako back off at Dojima's place Yu had made a quick stop at Junes to pick up everything he needed for dinner. He had an hour to relax before he would be starting that. His house wasn't too far from the Amagi Inn, so luckily Ren and Futaba wouldn't have a long walk.
Rise appeared from the small hallway that led to the two rooms in the back of the house. The look she wore on her face was one of someone who no longer had any fucks to give, but people still kept asking her for them. She stepped up to the couch Yu was currently occupying where she collapsed upon it taking up the rest of the merger space upon it. Her head resting on his leg. She didn't say a word and honestly, Yu was okay with that, he had heard her a few minutes prior, dealing with her relatives over the old tofu shop. Rise didn't have a bad relationship with her family as far as Yu knew but something about inheritance and money brought out the worst in people. Rise had more than enough to simply pay for them to shut up but she wasn't about to give them a small fortune for nothing. Rise was done playing nice.
Yu reached down and ran his hand through her hair. Rise gave him a content noise as she snuggled against him. As much as this house was his home, it was the same for Rise. She could have bought almost any place in Inaba but honestly, she preferred this place as much as he did. They had lived together here for the past two years. Rise's official residence was that huge condo in Tokyo. Yu had been there when she purchased it and it wasn't cheap, several billion yen not cheap. All of her fan mail and official Risette business was sent there. When she was on tour or just here in Inaba she had an assistant that checked on the condo for her. In total, she probably spent more than half of her year in Tokyo and even less time with him in this tiny little Inaba house, but honestly, that seemed to make this place even more special to her. Distance didn't matter for their relationship. Rise needed to travel a lot but Yu made it clear he'd always be there for her to return home too.
They sat like this in silence for quite sometime before the sound of a familiar car engine announced Naoto's arrival before she even stepped up to the door. Rise knew that sound all too well and slowly got up, offering her boyfriend a small smile. Just those few minutes they had shared were enough to wipe that irate look from her face. Yu gave his girlfriend a quick kiss before he rose to his feet and headed for the door. Rise collapsed back onto the couch and curled up, no doubt safe in the knowledge Yu's partner expected nothing from her.
Yu stepped up to the door and opened it just as Naoto appeared on his doorstep. She might have been surprised by his seemingly psychic knowledge that she had arrived but Naoto was well aware of the distinct noise her car made. That noise was by design. The old 1972 Datsun sat in front of his house. It's light green coloring contrasting against the snow that covered Inaba. That was Naoto's baby. While the outside looked like an old Datsun from almost every angle, under the hood was a far different story. A larger engine, a different exhaust, and various other modifications made the car an utter beast with a mechanical growl one could hear a block away. For a car made almost 50 years ago it didn't look far from being showroom ready. Naoto had put blood, sweat, and tears into that thing to modify and restore it to its full glory. Naoto had long given up most of her masculine ways but being a bit of a petrol head wasn't something that she'd probably ever give up. Naoto liked driving and she loved driving fast.
"Come in." Yu invited his partner in.
As soon as she stepped in Yu closed the door and headed back to the living room. Naoto lingered in the doorway just long enough to take off her shoes before joining him and Rise in the living room. Rise opened one eye to acknowledge their guest but otherwise didn't move. Naoto gave a nod to Rise before her attention turned to him. Reaching into her pocket she tossed something his way, Yu caught the object out of midair. Looking at the leather billfold Yu had a feeling he knew what the object was before he opened it up. The golden badge and ID tag that greeted him told him everything he needed to know before he glanced at Naoto.
"Yu Narukami congratulations. You are part of the Security Department, Shadow Response Unit. Also known as the Shadow Operatives." Naoto didn't put any enthusiasm in her words leaving them dull and almost lifeless.
"You say that almost as if it's a bad thing." Yu snapped the billfold shut and slipped it into his pocket.
"More like we didn't have a choice. Mitsuru decided it for us. Her words were given to me through that maid of hers. 'You are already paid by me, so now you are official.' Also, the fact we were reserve members probably influenced that decision." Naoto drawled.
"You talked to Saikawa-san?" Yu asked raising an eyebrow.
"She appeared at my estate shortly after I arrived," Naoto explained. "Scared Goro-Kun because she just suddenly landed on the lawn of my estate in a helicopter. Goro-Kun thought it was someone working for Shido and almost shot her. Saikawa explained that Mitsuru is already on a Shadow Operative mission and that's why she sent us in the first place. Aigis and Ken-Kun are here to back us up instead of taking the mission from us. Considering they both blend in well with the other teenagers it was a tactful move."
"Isn't Aigis like number five, wouldn't we be working under her instead?" Yu asked.
"Did you pay attention to the badge? Mitsuru gave you number three." Naoto pulled his badge from his pocket and pointed to the number.
Yu blinked as he was in fact number three. That was a bit of a shock considering everyone Mitsuru knew that had a Persona. Surely, one of her people from S.E.E.S. would have been given a number that low. Like Akihiko or possibly Yukari. Maybe even Junpei. Still despite all that, there was a clear three next to his number designation.
"Three." Yu took the badge from Naoto, his voice reflecting his disbelief in the number.
"I'm 13. You are three because of both your wildcard ability and your apt leadership ability." Naoto flicked open her badge showing the 13 on it. "Also Rise, Mitsuru has requested you join as well. Your navigation powers are in demand."
Rise slowly got up from the couch looking between the two. "Sure, I'll just add secret agent next to my singer, songwriter, and tofu shop owner jobs. I prefer to remain a reserve."
"Being an idol is a good cover for traveling the world." Naoto insisted.
"Being an idol doesn't make me very 'secret' in the secret agent part of the job." Rise stretched. "But good for the both of you, I'll always have your backs if you need me."
"That's fair." Naoto let an easy smile spread across her face.
"Naoto, you and your family have dinner plans?" Yu asked as he slipped his new badge back into his pocket.
"My family?" Naoto pointedly inquired knowing exactly who Yu was talking about. "No, but it'll just be me and Goro-Kun. Haven't had enough of me yet, partner?"
"Never." Yu shook his head.
"Does your girlfriend know that?" Naoto countered.
"Knows it and is fine with it. Honestly, Kanji and I sometimes wonder if we weren't around if you two would get together." Rise answered with a sigh as she got up from the couch. "Both Ren-Kun and Futaba-chan are coming over so having you guys over will make the evening all the more lively."
Yu shrugged. "There is only one member of the investigation team that'd I'd go for Rise if you weren't around and it isn't Naoto."
"Oh?" Both Naoto and Rise pinned Yu with a set of curious looks.
"That would be Yosuke naturally." Yu dryly stated as if it just simply a matter of fact.
The two women in the room burst out laughing. The room filled with laughter as even Yu couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face. It took Rise and Naoto several long moments before they regained their composure. Naoto reached up wiping a tear from her eye before she shook her head.
"Does Yosuke know that?" Naoto asked, an eyebrow slightly arched.
"I thought it was implied?" Yu countered. "Wasn't it?"
Another round of snickers from the two girls. The mirth didn't last forever before Yu watched Naoto's suddenly start to drain. Because of their relationship, Yu knew how to read Naoto and she knew how to read him. They'd never admit it out loud but they could read each other better than even Kanji or Rise ever could. It all boiled down to the fact that they put themselves in dangerous situations and they needed to work as one unit sometimes. Naoto's eyes flickered to him, that calculating look swirling around deep inside of them. Something was bothering his partner.
"What the matter," Yu stated not bothering to skirt about the subject.
"Yu, has Kanji said anything to you recently?" Naoto questioned.
Yu paused and Naoto instantly sensed his hesitation. She locked onto him with a piercing stare. Naoto knew something was up. Damn, she was sometimes too sharp for her own good. Kanji must have done something to arouse her suspicion about the proposals tomorrow. It could have been any number of things that had set his partner off. Now that Naoto watched him, she knew he knew something which just made things so much worse. Yu needed an escape or a solid lie. The problem was he hated to lie to those he cared about.
"Maybe… Why?" Yu decided to buy himself some time with a simple question.
"He's been avoiding me since yesterday," Naoto answered.
"Really? How so?" Rise's concerned voice was accompanied by her stepping up closer to Naoto.
"He didn't come to bed yesterday after he came home with you Yu, then on the train, he sat across from me. He always sits next to me. Then today he left to go see his mom as soon as he arrived in Inaba and called me before I got here saying he'd be spending the night at his mom's place. From a conversation I overheard him having with his mom the other day the shop was doing well and she was trying to encourage him to enjoy himself in Tokyo. Something just isn't adding up." Naoto reasoned as she folded her arms across her chest.
Yu could see where Kanji was coming from by this move. He knew better than anyone that Naoto had a sharp mind and a knack for reading people. He was trying to avoid her so he wouldn't inadvertently give up the game. However, he did it so obviously that Naoto picked up on it for entirely different reasons. Yu had to give Kanji some credit for trying but clearly, Naoto was too sharp to ever be fooled by such tactics. Yu needed to cover for Kanji fast but no real excuse seemed to come to mind as to why Kanji would be avoiding Naoto so a half-truth was the only option he had.
"Kanji has a lot on his mind." Yu started trying to ease into a proper logical explanation.
"He does?" Naoto looked vaguely surprised.
"What do you know Yu?" Rise quickly pressed.
Great, he not only had to lie to Naoto but he also had to lie to Rise. Damn it Kanji.
Yu sighed more in frustration than anything else. "Let me talk to him tomorrow. I'll get him to confess with his own mouth what is bothering him."
Naoto gave Yu a harsh look. "Are you going to steal his heart?"
No, he's gonna try and steal yours; was the comment Yu wanted to make but that's not what he said. "Look, do you trust me?"
"Sometimes against my better judgment." Naoto sighed.
"You wound me, Shirogane." Yu dramatically announced as he turned and stepped into the kitchen which was only a step and a half from his former location.
"You're a grown man, Narukami. You'll be fine." Naoto stated as a matter of fact.
Rise put her hand on Naoto's shoulder. "Relax Naoto, you're worrying over nothing. Kanji is stupid at times but he probably has a good reason for doing what he is doing. Right, Yu?"
"Yep!" Yu didn't want to look at the two women as he started pulling food from his fridge.
Naoto sighed that defeated kind of sigh. "You're probably right Rise."
Yu caught Rise hugging Naoto out of the corner of his eye. Yu empathized with his partner but he knew this secret was better kept. Everything would be worth it tomorrow. He had talked to Yosuke after he had gotten Ren and Futaba settled in and by his best friend's prediction, everything was on track for tomorrow. There was a specific part of the party before the Persona users would break off to head to the T.V. world that was perfect. If all went well, they'd both be surprised. There was no question in Yu's mind that their answers would both be yes. Possibly a double wedding, possibly elope. Rise could worry about those details once the time came, he was fine with whatever she wanted to do.
"Well, I suppose I should go pick up Goro-Kun if we are going to have dinner. He located my study and all the books inside. It's going to be hard to pull him out of that." Naoto reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. "He found one of my grandfather's diaries on the case he did in London with Scotland Yard."
"Scotland Yard? Your family is quite well-traveled, didn't your grandpa tell us a story about a case he did in the U.S. in the 60s and one he did in Egypt in the 70s?" Rise put a finger to her chin.
"Yes, the U.S. was a California case cracking an opium ring that was using Japanese shipping containers to move drugs out of China. The Egypt one was about stolen artifacts smuggled into Japan for rich collectors. I doubt I'll have such fantastic stories to hand down to the next generation of Shirogane." Naoto sighed.
"Are you kidding me? You're a Persona user and now a secret agent! You have solved cases that are impossible for anyone other than a Persona user to solve. Don't sell yourself short Naoto!" Rise proclaimed.
"Perhaps you are right. I'll see you guys soon." With that Naoto exited and the sound of the Datsun's engine roar was heard a few moments later.
Yu listened to the sound of the Datsun fade into the distance as he turned his attention fully to the food before him. Rise disappeared into the backrooms as Yu worked on dinner. This allowed Yu to fully focus on cooking but after some time Rise reappeared back in the kitchen wearing her winter coat. She had her phone out and after a second or two she glanced towards him. He was in the middle of frying up the fish and only was able to give her a fraction of his attention.
"I'm going to go pick up the teens." Rise told him before disappearing towards the door. Yu heard the sound of the door opening before he heard Rise again. "It's you! Well, come in… He's in the kitchen."
"Yip!" Came a familiar sound that made Yu smile to himself.
Yu glanced way from his food as a fox strolled into his house. The animal stepped up to him giving a few happy yips pleased he was back in Inaba. The fox had been as close to a pet as Yu had ever gotten, even if he treated the animal more like an old friend than an animal. It had become somewhat of a symbol of luck at the Tatsuhime Shrine, as seeing it when ema was placed in the shrine and the fox was around it the wish normally came true. People started leaving offerings for the fox and with the Legend of the Fox, the shrine received more than its fair share of donations. Yu and various members of the investigation team still occasionally helped the fox with granting wishes making the legend all the more real for the people of Inaba. The fox still also traveled with them when they went to the TV realm and just sometimes enjoyed being around Yu. At some point Yu had developed an open door policy with the fox, feeding it and generally taking care of it. It never made the kind of mess you'd expect from a wild animal and Yu always just let it out when it wanted to return to the wild.
"Glad to see you. Would you like to have dinner with us?" Yu asked.
"Yip!" The fox swept its bushy tail behind it.
"Well then make yourself at home and warm up. It's pretty cold out there." Yu instructed.
The fox walked over to the living room and pulled down an old blanket. It made itself a small little nest on the couch before the fox curled up on top of it and watched him work in the kitchen. Under the watchful eye of the fox, Yu continued to cook getting close to finishing up the meal. Everything was almost ready as the sound of the Datsun was heard outside. The sound of the door opening was quickly lost as the sound of conversation echoed from the front door. It would seem Rise had arrived at the same time as Naoto with all their respective teenagers in tow. Yu quickly washed off his hands before moving towards the door as everyone filed in.
"Make yourselves at home." Rise finished as everyone funneled into the small house.
"Also don't mind the fox, she is one of our guests," Yu instructed.
"Fox?" Morgana flicked his tail jumping out of Futaba's arms and to the ground.
"Ah, she must have realized you had returned from Tokyo," Naoto remarked already well aware of her partner's affiliation with the said fox.
"There is a fox." Futaba looked wide-eyed at Yu's other guest.
"She is an old friend of mine. She doesn't bite and is rather nice. She lives in the shrine in town and always comes to visit or join us in the otherworld." Yu explained before he stepped back into the kitchen.
"One of your confidants?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, same arcana as your navigator." Yu offhandedly replied as he started to move dishes to the small counter-top that separated the living room and the kitchen and laid out enough food for everyone.
"A fox." Morgana leaped up onto the couch next to the other animal. "You aren't an ordinary fox."
"Yip yip." The fox replied.
Morgana tilted his head. "Huh?"
"Yip yip!" The fox shifted as it moved to face Morgana, cocking its head slightly. "Yip."
"I'll have you know I'm no cat!" Morgana's ears pinned back.
"Yip." The fox seemed to shake her head.
"Wait, you can understand the fox? And the fox can understand you?" Naoto asked.
"Intriguing." Goro looked between the two animals.
"I'm just like this temporarily until I get my human body back!" Morgana ignored the others in favor of arguing with the fox.
"Yip yip yip." The fox brushed its tail behind it.
"I… don't remember…" Morgana looked away.
Futaba stepped in at that moment and picked Morgana up sitting down next to the fox. "Earth to Mona! What's the fox saying? Hey Fox."
"Yip!" The fox acknowledged Futaba before looking once again at Morgana. "Yip Yip."
"…" Morgana's ears flickered along with his tail. "No."
"Might as well let the two talk. Dinner served, come and get some everyone." Yu announced.
With that everyone moved to grab food. There was a comfortable kind of feeling that enveloped the whole group as everyone enjoyed each other's company and the good food. These kinds of times were what Yu loved the most. Everyone around him, a gentle conversation lingering in the air, good food. Was there honestly more to life than moments like this?
The conversation shifted to the plan for the next few days. Tomorrow was the party for Yukiko. While both teens had been introduced to Yukiko when they had arrived at the Amagi Inn that afternoon, a proper introduction would happen at the party. The party was from 12-1 before those who could go into the TV realm would split off and head there. That happened to be most of those already invited to the party.
Barring the time of the P-1 tournament, the other side here in Inaba was a mostly peaceful place. Occasionally a shadow would appear but regular patrols meant nothing on that side ever festered for long. It was so peaceful that even non-Persona users frequently joined them on the other side; like Nanako. In all honestly, the other world had become kind of an open secret to anyone connected to the investigation team. Even Dojima was vaguely aware of it but always feigned ignorance if it was mentioned.
Just as dinner was wrapping up Ren received a phone call from Makoto. He left the room to talk with his girlfriend as Rise explained all the places she wanted to bring Futaba around town on the 11th. Futaba seemed interested in the places despite being a bit hesitant. Goro had been invited too, much to his surprise. The kid always seemed so surprised to be included like one of the gang, which was both heart-warming but at the same time heart-breaking. Yu quickly started to pick up the dishes with Rise's help as the conversation turned towards just general conversation. Once all the dishes were washed off and put into the dishwasher, Yu noticed Ren had not returned and moved to find the wayward teen as everyone else conversed in the living room.
It took Yu a moment or two to find that Ren had moved outside. He wore his winter jacket and was standing out by the door. The goofy smile on the teenager's face told Yu all he needed to know, it was the look of a young lovesick teenager. Yu might have not recognized it if it wasn't for the fact he had walked in Ren's very shoes nearly five years ago. He was in love and, knowing the fellow wildcard, it'd probably be a bond that lasted a lifetime. Ren's smile waned slightly as he realized he was being watched. Yu stepped up next to him.
"How did it go?" Yu asked.
"They got down pretty far in Mementos, all the way to a door they couldn't pass. Also, Aigis found out the subway trains that all the cognition takes are accessible to us. So we can use them to travel faster from one end of Mementos to the other," Ren explained as he slipped his hands into his pockets.
"So I take it everything went fine with Ken and Aigis?" Yu asked as he stared into the night sky.
"There was also a dog." Ren started.
"Ah, Koromaru." Yu nodded knowing about the albino Shiba Inu.
"You know everyone in their group?" Ren inquired.
"Most of them. I first met them during Golden Week here in Inaba about four years ago, which was during the P-1 tournament I've mentioned before. That was chaos. Soon after that whole mess, it was the love meets bond thing." Yu shook his head. "At least things cooled down after that."
"I wonder if I'll have any adventures after this year." Ren glanced up at the sky as well.
"If you want to. Just because the disturbance in Tokyo may die down doesn't mean there won't be other adventures elsewhere. If you have a heart for it you could always join me and Naoto as a Shadow Operative." The sky was filled with all sorts of stars that the lights of Tokyo never let one see.
"Shadow Operative?" Ren glanced at Yu from the corner of his eyes.
"A secret group that deals almost exclusively with shadows and things pertaining to that other world. Naoto and I were just given membership today. Aigis and Ken are in Tokyo under that umbrella. They are both Shadow Operatives as well and will be working under me." Yu explained.
"Maybe. Good to know there will always be an adventure out there." Ren let an easy smile come to his face.
"Hey, everything doesn't have to be Persona this and shadows that. Sometimes it's okay to just have normal adventures with those you care about." Yu looked towards Ren. "Like now."
Ren smirked at him. "It's that simple?"
Yu laughed. "It's that simple."
Hopefully, you liked this chapter. The next one will hopefully be up in a few days. Royal is drawing closer and my goal is to have this whole thing finished by then.