My sincerest apologies for the delay. It's been nearly a month since I've updated and I've got school to blame for most of it. As always thanks for your support and reviews, it definitely helps me a lot to continue writing this story.
- 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.
"Mitsuo Kubo..." Naoto spoke to himself as he stood outside by the Samegawa Flood Plain, eyes trained on the clear, blue water below. "Is he really the true culprit behind these murders?" He removed his hat, feeling his blue hair grow sweaty with every passing second as the summer sun scorched down on him.
It was a Monday and he decided to take a stroll around the area to clear his mind. The first being the case, which was recently removed from his hands and apparently solved. And the second, was no other than Rise Kujikawa.
After the event from two days ago, he couldn't help but think about what they had shared on that single night. It was unexpected, different, and he knew it meant nothing, a simple spur of the moment that he couldn't avoid. "It was ridiculous and I should've never allowed it to happen." He balled his hands into a fist and continued walking down the road.
'Naoto-kun...'
Rise Kujikawa stood at the register at Marukyu Tofu, pondering the boy's name and his welfare. It was obvious he was avoiding her and she knew the reason why. "Was I too bold with that kiss?"
She ending up zoning out during the morning shift, unable to find the focus needed for the day.
"So, how was your little date with Naoto Shirogane?" Yukiko asked as the three girls sat lingered on the steps of Marukyu Tofu as the clouds hovered above the baby blue sky.
"It was...fun." Rise admitted with a genuine smile.
"Oh really?" Chie smiled. "And I thought Naoto was hard to get along with. He always seemed like a boy who always kept his distance."
"Chie has a point." Yukiko watched the citizens of Inaba walk along the paved road. "How did you break his shell Rise?"
"Well it wasn't easy, I'll say that much." The younger girl was on her lunch break and the girls came to visit her. "You can say I used my own unique...charm." She winked and grinned at her senpais.
Chie coughed and Yukiko had to rub her back. "What-What kind of charm?"
"It's a secret Chie-senpai. If I told you, where would be the fun in that?" Rise leaned forward to find Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji walking to their direction.
"So anyways, before the boys reach us, did anything interesting happen between you and Naoto?" Yukiko asked boldly, scooting closer as Chie did the same.
"Well, we watched a movie together and we talked a lot."
"Talked about?" Chie motioned her hand for Rise to continue. The boys were meters awy from reaching them.
"How he never had a crush on anyone."
"What? No way!" Chie gasped. "You're kidding me right? Not ever?"
Rise shook her head, clarifying her statement. "Never."
"That seems plausible, since there have been rumors where Naoto has already shot down several love letters." Yukiko placed a hand on her chin as she thought carefully. "It's sad to know that he's never had a crush on anyone before."
"I know." Rise suddenly lost her appetite. "So anyways, he walked me back to my house and then I...kissed him."
"You what?" Chie stepped closer to Rise, unsure f she had heard the girl right. "You kissed him?"
"Kissed who?" Yosuke asked from behind Chie, suddenly intrigued by what the girls were talking about.
"It's nothing." Rise covered it up as she frantically waved her hands to drop the topic.
Yosuke raised an eyebrow, but decided to forget the whole ordeal. "So anyways, you guys know what's happening this week right?"
Yu, Kanji, and the others stared blankly at him, enthusiasm lacking as the brunette held out his hands.
"The Summer Festival!" He exclaimed happily. "Oh come on! Don't tell me you guys forgot already."
"Oh, you're absolutely right." Yukiko leaned to her side. "Well, it slipped my mind since we had to capture Mitsuo from the other world."
"Yeah, it's really great to know that we've finally caught the murderer." Kanji spoke up as he balled his hand into a single fist for reassurance.
"Yeah, at least now we can enjoy the rest of our break in peace." Yosuke crossed his arms. "It's definitely taken off the weight on our shoulders."
Rise held her tongue as Yu blinked in her direction. For some reason, she was distraught, unable to share the same charisma the group had. Was it because of Naoto? The older boy walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked in concern.
"I'm fine, really Yu-senpai." She plastered a fake smile, which Yu saw right through it. He was about to speak when Rise moved away and caught the boy that been on his mind for days.
Naoto caught sight of the group along with Rise and decided to walk past them at a faster pace.
"Naoto-kun!" Rise waved her hand and pushed Yu away. "Naoto-kun, wait!"
Yosuke and the others watched the girl chase after the boy who eventually broke into a sprint. "What exactly happened between them?" He asked generally as Yukiko and Chie exchanged grins.
'Crap, I knew this was a bad idea!' Naoto turned to his right and left the Shopping District as he looked back to find Rise fast on his heels.
"Wait, Naoto-kun!" She reached out and sprinted as fast as she could before tackling him down with all her might. Rise managed to grab him, but he lost his footing and they rolled down the grassy hill, away from the road.
Naoto rubbed his head, wincing as he landed on the ground roughly. He tried to get up when Rise sat on his abdomen.
"Can we...please...just talk?" She said in between breaths, pinning his arms down in case he tried to escape. "I just...want to talk to you Naoto-kun."
The Detective Prince knew he couldn't run away from this, if he had to face the music, now was a good time. But the way they were positioned wasn't ideally how he imagined their confrontation would be.
"I know you've been avoiding me." Rise sounded hurt as the words slipped from her mouth. "And I know it's because we...kissed."
Naoto felt his ears grow hot, remembering the event so clearly. "That kiss...was a mistake." He turned away, cheeks slightly pink.
"Was it really?" Rise hoped there was more to it than just intimate physical contact.
"If you think I have feelings for you Rise, then you are mistaken."
Naoto assumed that saying so would loosen her grip on him, but she tightened her hold on his wrists instead. "Why Naoto-kun? Why do you always push me away? Why do you try so hard to be alone?"
"Because..." He could tell Rise looked so frustrated. "I...I already told you why, back when we first became...friends."
"I don't get it Naoto-kun..."
"You and I, we can't do this." Naoto managed to lean up for a brief second. "We can't be friends Rise!" His grey eyes looked pained as he uttered those words, knowing full well that he would end up breaking Rise's heart.
"See, you push me away whenever I get too close to you!" Rise released his hands and rested her fingers on Naoto's cheeks. "You do that to everyone who wants to be around you."
"Then why do you keep pushing on, trying to be my friend? You know that I...I don't want to hurt you."
"Because I want to help you Naoto-kun. Because you're my friend. Because...I think I like you..."
Naoto took a moment to recognize those words. He held his breath, heart racing when Rise rested her head on his chest.
"I'm not lying and I'm not playing around with you. I like you Naoto."
"But...why?" Naoto adjusted his hands to his sides, unsure if holding Rise would be the right thing to do.
"There are many reasons why. You're smart, kind, and underneath your cold demeanor, I know you're a genuine good person." Rise giggled very lightly onto his chest. "Do I have to list down everything for you?"
"...No" Naoto gripped her shoulders and slowly pulled her up so they could meet face to face.
"I like you Naoto Shirogane."
Why was Rise so persistent? Naoto turned pink when she confessed to him so openly.
"Do you like me too Naoto-kun?" Rise asked, eyes settled on the boy who kept a straight face at her.
"I-" Rise didn't wait for a response and leaned down for a kiss, lips meeting the boy's as she closed her eyes savoring the sweet sensation she shared with Naoto.
He did very little to push her off, arms feeling numb and weak as his hands slipped along the dip of her waist. His eyes were clenched tight, muscles tense while his heartbeat pounded within his ears. The sound of passing cars by the roadside were silenced as he concentrated on the warmth of Rise's gentle lips. They were soft, tasteless, as she parted his own, breath seeping into his mouth as she bobbed her head to deepen the kiss.
It took all of her willpower to refrain from inserting her tongue, knowing that she already had his answer. "You...didn't push me away." Rise pulled back, voice breathy but confident as she placed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Naoto remained silent, unable to form words when he fell exactly for her trap. "I couldn't..."
"Because you like me too?" Rise began to smile, amused by how cute the boy looked when he was cornered.
"It...may seem so." His face felt very hot and it wasn't because of the summer weather.
Rise couldn't contain her happiness and bent down to embrace the boy. "I knew it!" She exclaimed in triumph.
Naoto sighed and produced a very small smile. He watched the clouds above them, floating aimlessly in the sky. 'Out of all the girls in Inaba, why did I have to fall for you Rise Kujikawa?' He closed his eyes and wrapped his hands around her slender frame.
"Man, what's taking them so long?" Yosuke stood outside by the Shrine's entrance with Yu, Teddie, and Kanji.
"Well, they do need to get ready." Teddie paced before their group, eying the citizens that entered and visited the booths.
"They're probably putting on their makeup or choosing their outfits." Kanji added confidently. In turn, he received a few stares, primarily from Yosuke.
"I don't think I want to know how you even know that." Yosuke looked away and crossed his arms.
"There they are." Yu nudged Yosuke's shoulder as Chie, Yukiko, and Rise made their way to the group, walking up the slope to reach the Shrine.
"Hey!" Yosuke waved in their direction. "Over here!"
The four girls walked up to the boys, each dressed in decorative clothing for the festival.
"Sorry we took so long." Chie marched up with a smile, sporting her white colored yukata.
"It took us a while to get dressed." Yukiko added.
"It's kind of hard to walk in." Nanako fidgeted with her robe as Teddie bent down.
"Nana-chan, you look so cute! I'm head over heels for you!" The blonde, blue eyed boy smiled happily.
Nanako giggled lightly. "Thank you."
"So, what do you think senpai? Does it make your heart skip a beat?" Rise asked boldly, waiting patiently for Yu's answer.
"It looks great on all of you." He replied calmly.
"A-Anyways, we should check out the festival now right Yukiko?" Chie tried to cover up her blush with a reasonable ally as Dojima came up to take Nanako and play some games. "We'll see you guys later!" She waved her hand an whisked the raven-haired girl away.
"Actually, I have to go meet someone too." Rise stepped back, recalling that she had agreed to find Naoto as soon as she arrived.
"Wait-" Yosuke held out his hand but was unsuccessful as Rise walked away rather quickly. Left alone at the summer festival, Kanji, Yu, Yosuke and Teddie stood by the booths. "This was not how I imagined it to be."
Rise stood by the shrine dressed in her pink colored yukata, brown colored hair whipping around slowly as the evening breeze blew gently. She checked the time on her phone which read exactly 8 o' clock. "Where are you Naoto-kun?" She asked herself. Would he even show up even after she had invited him to go?
"Rise?" Someone called from behind, a familiar voice that caused the brunette to turn around as qyick as she could.
"Naoto-kun, you came!" She rushed up to him, embracing him rather tightly.
He remained silent, responding deep within his mind. 'Of course I did...'
"I thought you weren't going to show up."
In all honesty, he contemplated on the thought. It would've been so easy to avoid Rise.
"I'm just glad you're here with me." She pulled away and held his hands. "So, what do you think? How do I look?" Rise spun around, keeping the boy's attention for a good minute before he turned away with a light colored blush.
"You look...beautiful." It took all of his courage to say that without his voice cracking. Rise was truly beautiful and the yukata did much to bring out her potential. He studied the white linings of butterflies on the pink fabric. It matched her perfectly.
"Oh really?" She giggled happily. "That came out so naturally Naoto-kun!"
He whined to himself, having regretted the compliment because now, Rise would tease him about it.
"Oh, you look so cute right now!" She grinned at his wild, grey eyes.
"W-What are you talking about?" He lowered his blue cap, growing uneasy wih every passing second.
"Do you know why I wore this in the first place?" She whispered into his ear.
"So I could compliment you in it?" Naoto rolled his eyes, answering her question effectively.
"Well, yes. There's that...and something else." Rise's breath lingered on the boy's skin. "So we can make memories that we'll remember fondly."
'Memories...' Naoto's eyes dropped.
"I want to remember this day that I spent with you." Rise rested her head on Naoto's shoulder.
He allowed her to stay this way until they received a number of stares and Naoto grew uncomfortable. "Maybe we should check out the booths now."
Rise looked up at Naoto and linked her arm into his as they walked down the aisles of mobile booths.
After consuming a fair amount of cotton candy and ikayaki, Naoto and Rise came to the last booth filled with fishes for a game. "Naoto-kun, let's play this game!"
He followed after her and paid the man his money as he watched the brunette bend down to observe the small goldfishes swim around.
"I'm not really good with fish. I had a few guppies when I was younger, but we can just catch and release." She inhaled deeply and took the small, thin papered net and dipped it into the water.
Naoto crossed his arms, patiently watching Rise's attempt.
She pursed her lips and hurriedly scooped up a fish, only to find the net break, allowing her prey to escape. Naoto did his best to stifle a laugh.
Clearly disappointed and a bit angered, Rise stood up and frowned at the Detective Prince. "Don't laugh at me Naoto-kun! It's harder than it looks!"
"Right." He laughed once more.
"You know what, I'm pretty sure you can't do it either."
"Is that a challenge, Kukjikawa-san?" Genuinely intrigued, Naoto raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, it is. I bet you can't catch one."
"We'll see about that." He took a net and bent down as Rise hovered over him, watching his every move.
He sat still for two minutes, carefully observing the fishes swimming around.
"Any day now..." She whined and crossed her arms.
Naoto remained silent for another minute, memorizing the pattern a certain fish swam in. He lowered his net and ran it through the crowd of fishes, capturing one into the net while Rise's eyes widened in surprise.
"How did you? No fair!" Rise stomped her foot as Naoto grinned and released the goldfish into the pool of water.
"It wasn't difficult at all." He boasted proudly. "I can teach you the technique if you want."
"I can do it on my own, thank you very much." Rise paid an additional fee as she attempted to catch several more, only to find the same result every single time.
"Need some help?" Naoto bent down at her level. They had been there for about 10 minutes now and Rise was quite persistent.
She looked at him and thought about his offer. "Fine"
Naoto grinned and bent down beside Rise, who was now holding her 6th net. "Well, for starters, you need to observe the fishes."
"I did..."
"Look a little harder. Study the way they move, look for any possible patterns." Naoto specified as he noticed a few kids gathering around them.
"Like this one?" She pointed at one particular fish that was swimming around in a figure eight.
"Yes, like that one."
"The trick is not rushing into it." Naoto held her wrist as carefully as he could, instructing her to wade the net into the water. "And once you've studied just about enough..." Their eyes met for a brief second before he silently nodded for approval. Once the fish was in view, Rise lifted the net, catching it within the blink of an eye. To her surprise, the netting didn't break.
"Congratulations!" The old man smiled at the two of them.
"Wow! You were right Naoto-kun!" Rise dropped the net and beamed at the boy who grinned slyly.
"It was nothing." He replied modestly and helped her up. The crowd of kids began to pour in, shooting questioning looks at Naoto and Rise.
"Hey, that's Risette isn't it?" One of the girls asked.
"Hmm. Young lady aren't you that girl on TV?" The old man asked quickly.
"I get that a lot. Sorry it's not me." She lied easily and took Naoto's hand. "Besides, a real idol couldn't walk around in public with a boy like this. Naoto turned beet red as Rise squeezed his hand. He was about to interject her statement when she suddenly pulled him away. "C'mon Naoto-kun, we should go visit the shrine."
They ran all the way to the flight of stairs until they reached the peak. Rise was still holding Naoto's hand as she caught her breath.
He looked back to find that the area was darker, having very few lamps to light the path. It was quite isolated as well while the other festivities were far behind them. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Naoto-kun." She released his hand and crossed her arms protectively along her chest. Both of them walked up to the shrine. "While we're here we should probably make our wishes together."
"What are you going to wish for?"
"I have something in mind."
"Are you going to tell me?"
"I think it's pretty obvious." Rise brushed her shoulder against Naoto's, her face barely visible as she grinned to herself.
"Umm..."
"I'm sure you already know what it is. After all, you are the prodigal Detective Prince."
"That may be true, but you give me too much credit."
"Am I hearing you right? All that ikayaki must have gone to your head." There was no helping it as Rise broke it laughter.
"What?" Naoto didn't understand why Rise was so happy, but it did warm his heart in an unusual way.
"So there are things that even the great Naoto Shirogane cannot solve?"
"I do my best to solve every mystery to the best of my abilities." Naoto tipped his cap and turned to meet Rise's eyes within the faint rays of the moonlight. "But unfortunately not every case can be solved."
It wasn't entirely cold, but Rise felt a chill run down her back, causing her to shiver and lean closer to Naoto. He was invitingly warm and she felt safe around him as darkness enveloped over their two figures. "I wish to be closer to you Naoto-kun."
He sighed and closed his eyes. They were pressed together and it was difficult to concentrate on anything else than her slender figure against his own.
"I wish..." Her heart began to race, adrenaline and euphoria mixing within her body, willing her to do what she had been thinking about all night.
"Rise?" Naoto slowly opened his eyes to find her hands snaking around his neck, her face leaning terribly close to him.
"I wish we were..." Her breath lingered on his lips. "So much closer."
"Closer?" Being next to Rise had a strange effect on him. He felt as though his mind was melting, unable to comprehend the current situation with reasonable actions. Slowly, he closed his eyes and allowed for their lips to connect. The moment they did, sparks flew above the sky as fireworks shot along the starry atmosphere.
Rise smiled into the kiss, content that her wish would be fulfilled soon enough.
... To be continued
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