- Disclaimer: Persona 4 Golden characters do not belong to me.

- Notice: May contain spoilers. Original characters may be added. Storyline may deviate from original video game/anime.

- Warning: May contain alcohol reference, blood, language, partial nudity, sexual themes, and violence.

Straightening his yellow tie with both hands, Naoto watched his reflection in the mirror. His hair was in its usual manner, which had grown a bit shaggy as he combed it neatly into place. He realized that he looked more fatigued than usual, having searched the area for clues with no results. An unfortunate sigh escaped his lips when he finished his attire donning the dark blue cap.

It was the weekend and he had hoped to find at least one solid lead to the mysterious case. Walking out of his room, he marched down the set of stairs, hands in his pockets when his cellphone suddenly rang. He stopped midway at the flight of wooden stairs to pick it up.

"Naoto-kun!"

He frowned and pulled it away from his ear, Rise's voice was quite loud in the morning. "Yes Kujikawa-san?"

"Good morning! And don't call me Kujikawa-san, it's Rise remember?"

Naoto smiled wryly on the other end. "Good morning to you too...Rise."

"Now that's better." She spoke cheerily. "So anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today. You know, since I've finished my homework and all..."

"..." This caused Naoto to drop his smile. He had hoped to focus on solving the mystery as soon as possible. It was quite clear that hanging out with Rise wouldn't help him at all.

"Umm Naoto-kun?" She shifted on what he deduced would've been her bed from the sounds of moving linen. "Are you still there?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

"Great!" She yelled out, causing the boy to retract the phone from his ear once more. "I'll meet you at my house at eight then?"

"Huh? What?" Naoto stood confused, he was sure that wasn't his answer.

"Okay, see you in a few!" She giggled happily.

"Wait, Rise-" He knit his eyebrows together, frustrated when she had already hung up. The blaring noise of beeps were the only thing Naoto was left with. He checked the time on his wristwatch which read 7:30 a.m. Running a hand on his face, he set the phone into his pocket. "Guess there's been a change in plans."

It was a sunny day, with the white clouds decorating the sea blue sky. Rays of light shone over Inaba in all direction, masking the town in a pleasant mood. Yu Narukami had decided to go on an early morning jog. It was a way to get his mind off of things, especially with the whole case going on and Persona ordeal. He stopped by the south shopping district and hoped to meet up with a few of his friends for the day.

He stopped in his tracks when he stood still, eyes fixed on the blue haired boy he had seen before. It was Naoto Shirogane, 1st year student at Yasogami High and the well known Detective Prince. They had encountered each other several times, but all were very brief. The boy was distant, and a handful when it came to being a smart ass. He wondered what Naoto was doing in front of Marukyu Tofu. Was he waiting for someone?

"Hey there!" Yosuke slapped Yu's back with a loud whack. "Watcha' staring at?"

Yu merely pointed at Naoto's direction. It only take a second for Yosuke to run his mouth again.

"But what's he doing there? At Rise's place?"

"Beats me." Yu shrugged as both boys watched from afar. Naoto didn't seem to notice their intense gaze.

It was almost eight and Naoto made sure to arrive before the time Rise set. He was always very punctual when it came to important matters, although this may have been deemed less important than others. The summer heat was unbearable as Naoto stood outside patiently, loosening his collar while the early morning sun scorched down on him.

There was the sound of a door opening and footsteps breaking into a run as Rise stepped out. She turned to her side, brown, chocolate eyes settled on the blue haired boy who had his eyes closed. "Sorry Naoto-kun, did I make you wait long?"

"Hm?" He studied Rise who was wearing an orange tank top and white pants. "No, not really. Listen, about today-"

"That's good. So I was thinking, maybe we can go to Okina today. I want to check out some stuff there." She stepped forward. "It's been a while since I went to the City."

Naoto frowned. Why were these conversations so one sided? He couldn't even get his point out if he wanted to. He lowered his cap to hide his irritated look.

"Umm Naoto-kun, what's wrong?" Rise bent down to check up on the boy. When she realized he was frowning, she backed away.

"Yo!" Yosuke took this as the opportunity to approach the two as Yu followed beside him.

"Oh, Yosuke-senpai." Rise began to cling next to Naoto.

"Hey Rise, Naoto." The brunette greeted back. "So got any plans for today?"

"Yes, actually-"

"Actually I was on my way home." Naoto felt weird having Rise cling onto him. He also didn't understand why he was out with her when he had the mystery to solve.

Yu raised an eyebrow. But wasn't the one who went to Rise's house in the first place?

"Huh, Naoto-kun?" Now Rise was confused. Why was he trying to wiggle his way out of their date?

"Really? But it looked like you were waiting for Rise in the first place..." Yosuke dropped his gaze on Rise's hand which was locked with Naoto's.

"Ah, yes...About that, I'm sorry Rise, but the reply I gave you on the phone was a miscommunication." Naoto stood still, eyes fixed on Rise's face.

She felt her heart sink. Rise was looking forward to spending time with Naoto today and she was so excited about it all. "But Naoto-kun..." She started to pout.

"Dude, that's harsh." Yosuke replied.

Now Naoto was starting to feel guilty. Was this what she was trying to do? He swallowed hard and noticed that Rise's hand was in his.

"Naoto-kun..." She whined.

Yosuke shook his head. If he were Naoto, he would've jumped at the opportunity. Besides, she wasn't just anybody, she was Risette.

"Please Naoto-kun...just for today?" Rise begged.

"..." He closed his eyes and released her hold. "F-Fine..."

"Hey can we come along?" Yosuke asked. After all, they hadn't hung out in a group before.

"Yeah, I guess..." Rise was a little disappointed. She wanted to hang out with Naoto alone, without anyone else's company.

"Great." Yosuke smiled as Yu replied with a faint grin.

'Yeah, just great...' Naoto told himself as the group headed for the train station.

Most of the time was spent shopping around stores as Rise and Naoto trailed ahead of Yu and Yosuke. It was pretty clear that the former idol had hoped to lose them in the process, but they seemed to be just as stubborn as her former body guards. The atmosphere around Okina City was lighthearted, the perfect place for them to get away from all the murders at Inaba.

They had attracted several stares from the civilians asking if the girl linked with Naoto's arm was Risette. Without much thought, Rise denied the fact that she was indeed the former rising idol, brushing away any fans that she might've once had. He studied her expression closely when she looked down at her feet after those encounters.

Naoto watched Rise's arm in his. Why were they even this close? It was giving the other guys behind him the wrong impression. He had thought about protesting, but Yosuke would be sure to scold him for that too. "Why am I always the bad guy?"

"Huh?" Rise stopped and turned to Naoto. "Did you say something?"

"Oh, it's nothing." He didn't realize he had spoken aloud. 'How clumsy of me...'

"Naoto-kun it's alright, you can tell me."

"Umm..." He looked past her and noticed two girls who went to the same exact school as well. One was wearing a red sweater and the other in green. They spotted them immediately and walked over to meet up.

"Hey!" The green-sweatered girl waved to Yu and Yosuke,then eventually stopped by to greet them at a closer distance.

"Oh, Chie-senpai, Yukiko-senpai." Rise loosened her grip on Naoto's arm.

"I didn't know you guys were out at Okina City today too." Chie said with a smile.

Yukiko examined Rise's hold on a boy's arm. "Are you on a date Rise?"

'What?' Naoto swallowed hard and successfully pried off Rise. "It's not what it looks like!"

"Actually..." She started off.

"Don't tell me these two are three-wheeling you guys..." Chie slumped forward and eyed Yu and Yosuke.

"Ah, you're Naoto, the Detective Prince." Yukiko blinked and recalled the the boy who had just begun attending school at Yasogami High.

"Hey look, we're NOT three-wheeling these two." Yosuke crossed his arms in defense.

Naoto straightened his tie and opened his mouth to speak. "Actually he-"

"Oh, you two totally ARE!" Chie marched up to Yu and Yosuke. "More like four-wheeling to be exact."

Naoto sighed as Yukiko approached him. "This is going to take a while so you two should take this opportunity to escape."

"But-" he started out.

"Thanks so much Yukiko-senpai!" Rise pulled Naoto forward and broke into a quick sprint, waving goodbye as the dark haired girl turned to watch over Chie and Yosuke bickering.

"Wait, Rise-" He watched his hand in hers. Why was it always like this?

Rise released his hand when they had gotten far away from the others. She leaned back against the concrete wall, panting to catch her breath. Naoto bent down and exhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he looked back at the distance they ran. It was quite far, about a block away from the former group.

"Phew" Rise wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "I thought we'd never lose them." She smiled at Naoto who only replied with a stern look.

"Look, Rise-" Naoto stood up and recollected himself.

She silenced him with a single index finger pressed against his lips. "Can we just hang out together, just this once? I know it's not what you want, but..." Rise examined his cheeks growing bright pink within a few seconds. She smiled brighter and narrowed her eyes on him. "Just this once, please Naoto-kun?"

He swallowed hard when he realized they were attracting several stares from pedestrians. Naoto lowered Rise's finger quickly. "But it's not a date."

It was so cute how Naoto turned away, a clear sign that he was embarrassed if she said it was. But she didn't quite understand it. Why would he be so embarrassed to date her, Risette, a former teen idol? "It's...what you want it to be." She happily accepted his terms with a grin.

"What I want it to be?" Naoto felt his throat grow dry, she was obviously insinuating something. Or maybe it was just him over thinking the situation.

"Yes" She closed the gap between them, causing Naoto's heart rate to quicken. "So, what'll it be my Detective Prince?"

"Umm..." He nervously shifted on his feet, looked up and took note of the bright lights from atop.

It only took a moment for Rise to catch his eyesight. They happened to be by the movie theater and she had been wanting to watch one for a while now. "So a movie, oh! I know exactly what we should watch!" Without another notice, Rise dragged in Naoto to purchase their tickets.

As expected, it was a romantic movie, complete with the clichéd classical scenarios. Naoto sighed in his seat and turned to watch Rise who sat by his right side, completely entranced with the moving pictures. He had to admit, it wasn't too bad. It could've been worse if Rise started to grow romantically involved with him. They were just friends, and as pleasant as it was, it needed to stay that way.

Rise did her best to sneak a peak at the boy beside her who was unamused by the movie choice she had in mind. Surprisingly, he was less stubborn today and only bickered once before purchasing the ticket. If only it were this easy with him everyday. She scooted closer to his seat and lifted back the armrest to rest her head onto his shoulder. Rise didn't know why, but she felt comfortable being around him. Sometimes she asked herself if she wanted more from Naoto, the boy she had just met a few days ago. Could it be possible that she was developing feelings for him?

'Rise?' Naoto felt her hair fall to the side as she nestled at the crook of his neck. All this friendship stuff was a bit confusing. Were girls really supposed to be this clingy? He looked around to find several people doing the same thing, but found others with bolder intentions and turned away. Finding the answer to his question, he closed his eyes and tried not to think about it.

Rise could feel the warmth from his body and smiled. Was he even enjoying her company? Any other boy would die to be in his place, sitting next to Rise, but he was different and she knew that since their first encounter. "Hey Naoto-kun?"

"Y-Yes?" He steadied the rhythm of his heart and took a deep breath.

"What if..." She thought about her words carefully. "What would you do if someone had a crush on you?" Rise did her best to keep her voice down and continued watching the movie.

"Well," that was certainly an odd question. "I wouldn't do anything about it." Naoto spoke generally, answering the question honestly and bluntly. "I don't have time to be romantically involved with anyone." He tilted his head to the side, away from Rise.

"Oh..." She sounded disappointed but pressed on. "But what if you had a crush on someone? What would you do?"

Naoto smirked and did his best not to laugh. "That's impossible. I've never had a crush on anyone, and I doubt I ever will."

"You don't know that!" Rise accidentally raised her voice, attracting a few stares from the men and women around them. "I mean, there's no way you would know for sure."

"You might be right." Naoto realized Rise had released her head from his shoulder. "But I can assure you, I've never experienced having a 'crush' on anyone."

"No way." Rise started to look optimistic, suddenly intrigued that Naoto had never fallen for anyone before.

He stared back at the expansive screen to find a scene where the man and woman kiss. Naoto turned away shyly. To think that he was watching this with Rise was awkward.

"Naoto-kun..." She leaned closer to him, breath lingering at the entrance of his ear. "What if..."

The blue haired boy felt his hairs rise. Why did his always happen when he was around Rise?

"What if I-"

Naoto's phone buzzed in his pants and he slid his hand into his pocket to retrieve the device. Turns out that the call was from headquarters and was urgent. "I'm sorry Rise, but I need to take this call." He looked at her apologetically and stood from his seat, crouching along the aisle as the movie continued to play.

Left alone in her seat, Rise watched Naoto disappear to answer his very important call. "What if I have a crush on you Naoto-kun..." She finished in silence.

The Detective Prince leaned against the wall outside the theater booth. With the phone pressed into his ear, he heard about information regarding the case he had been tending too.

"It looks like the suspect we've brought in is the culprit we've been looking for."

Naoto pursed his lips. "So he confessed to the series of murders?"

"Yes, we've clarified the murders and he willingly came out to say that he killed them all."

The boy sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "So that's that..."

"Yes, it seems we won't be needing your services any longer Naoto Shirogane."

"Of course."

"Thank you for your services." And without another word, the man hung up the phone.

He was expecting this within a few weeks or so, but it came so suddenly. To think that it was so easy to find the culprit. It was unsettling and Naoto couldn't shake off the strange feeling. He allowed the noises from the device to settle in before flipping it away. A few minutes later and the crowd of people from the theater booth exited, shuffling away as Naoto stayed by the wall. He assumed Rise would step out too and stood his ground to wait for the girl.

They managed to stay out until it was dark out and after the phone call from earlier, Naoto's mind was encased with the mystery more than ever. Together, Rise and him stopped by Marukyu Tofu to drop her off home safely.

She nudged his shoulder to shake him from his trance. "Are you okay Naoto-kun? You were quiet the whole trip back home."

"It's nothing, just a little tired." He lied through his teeth.

"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty exhausted with today too." Rise yawned and stretched out her arms, orange tank top rising as she reached out.

Naoto pretended not to look, but he only needed a second to view her taut abdomen. He decided to change the topic, recalling that Rise was about to tell her something important earlier at the theaters. "So about earlier, back at Okina City..."

"Oh, that." Rise laughed nervously.

"You were saying something, but the phone call I had cut you off."

"I..." Now she didn't feel like continuing. It wasn't the right time, but she felt like she had to.

"You?" Naoto stepped forward, eager to find out what Rise was planning to say earlier.

"I..." This wasn't like her, why did she have to feel so cowardly about it now? 'Say it!'

Naoto raise an eyebrow, not really sure where this conversation was going. He decided to take another step, genuinely concerned why Rise was acting so strange.

It was all or nothing. If she couldn't say it now, then she would never have the guts it say it at all. Summing up all her courage, Rise eyed Naoto and tip-toed until their lips connected. Actions always did speak louder than words, more so when she couldn't say them at all. Concentrating on the kiss, Rise steadied herself onto his shoulders, broad, firm, and reliable.

Naoto stood still, eyes wide as he held his breath. Rise's lip were undeniably soft and warm, causing a sharp jolt of electricity to surge along his spine. It was different, indescribable as he tried to pry her off, but was unsuccessful. Was he enjoying this? No matter how hard he looked at it, his body didn't seem to fuel him with the energy he desperately needed. He felt his eyes grow unusually heavy before closing them completely. Just this once, he would allow him self to savor this one, bittersweet moment.

... To be continued

So if you enjoyed this chapter, remember to fave, follow and/or review.

- Replies:

Guest: will do!

Unknown Reader: Thanks so much for your reviews. I honestly thought about canceling the story seeing as to how this pair had died down over the years. Although, I will do my best to see this through the end. Thanks for your support!

YTomNinjaY: ah, yes. This had been on my mind for a while and so, I decided to give it a go for fun. Thanks!

Miwokigirl101: Unfortunately, I don't think I'll add Sousei in this, seeing as to how he may be irrelevant to the main story. Thanks for the support.

Thanks for reading