I shouldn't even be writing right now, but this chapter has been sitting in my doc manager simply begging me to be released. Had it not been for your plentiful reviews and feedback, I'm sure this story would be pretty much dead weight. Thanks for your support!

- 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.

It was uncomfortably hot as Naoto Shirogane sat on a chair, his back leaning against the firm, polished wood as he tapped his pencil onto his notebook. He thought it best to finish his assigned summer homework as soon as possible. It would give him enough time to do other things, like mull over the whole mystery happening within Inaba. Was Mitsuo Kubo truly the culprit behind all the bizarre murders? He couldn't help but think that there was more to the story than just that. Sure, he confessed to the murders, but was that it? Some things didn't add up and Naoto's suspicions on Rise's group of friends weren't helping at all.

He flipped through several pages, each noted with several events that took place while he followed them before Mitsuo's capture. There was an inconsistency in his notes, with the band of teens heading for Junes usually after school. They walked into the electronics area and disappeared within a matter of minutes. It was strange, to lose sight of five teenagers so quickly.

Naoto released the pencil and propped his elbows on the dining table. The Shirogane mansion was eerily quiet as he basked in silence, racking his brain for any plausible answers. He couldn't connect the dots with the evidence he had so far, but one thing was for sure, there was certainly more to this mystery.

The hot, summer breeze blew in from the open window as Naoto rummaged his blue hair with one hand. With this weather, it was difficult for him to don his blue cap. He frowned as his phone buzzed and he picked it up to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Naoto-kun! It's me Touko, how have you been? You haven't called me in days."

"Ah, I'm sorry Touko-san. It's just, I've been busy lately." It felt nice to hear her voice on the other end.

"Busy, huh?" Touko rolled her eyes and flipped through some papers. "So the Detective Prince is so busy at YasoInaba that he doesn't have time to call his childhood friend anymore?"

"It's not like that at all Touko..." Naoto pressed the phone closely to his ear.

"Who knows, maybe you're too busy with you're new girlfriend." Touko broke into laughter as she imagined Naoto blushing on the other end.

"What? What do you mean, girlfriend?!"

"Aww, relax Naoto-kun. I'm just teasing you. No need to get all defensive." She twirled a strand of her brown hair around her index finger. "Unless you actually...have one."

Naoto remained silent, recalling all the intimate physical contact he shared with Rise Kujikawa recently. They exchanged kisses, but it didn't mean they were in a relationship.

"Wait, was I right?" Touko leaned on her cubicle's desktop.

"...No"

"No? But you paused, which means I had to be right." Touko raised her voice attracting several icy glares from her coworkers. She receded in her seat and sighed.

"No, you're wrong Touko. I don't have a girlfriend and I never will." Naoto clenched one hand into a fist and closed his eyes.

"Well, if you say so. You know, I'm a detective too. You're hiding something from me and it'll only be a matter of time before I find out about your secret lover."

Naoto groaned into the phone. He was aware that Touko was just as intelligent at him. There was no doubt in his mind that she could possibly find out about Rise. "I don't have a secret lover."

"Right. Well anyways, I have to get back to work. My boss is giving me this look like he'll eat me up if I don't finish my paperwork." Touko took a deep breath before continuing. "And please call me every once in a while Naoto-kun. I feel worried when you don't answer my calls."

Naoto grinned and looked down at his notebook. "There's nothing to be worried about, I'll be fine."

"I know, but still..."

A loud voice shot out from the other end and Naoto had to pull his ear away before becoming deaf.

"Well anyways, I have to go now. I'll talk to you later Naoto-kun." And with that, Touko hung up her phone leaving the blue haired boy with the beeping from his mobile device.

He withdrew the phone and set it on the table. Out of all his conversations with Touko, that was the most awkward one he had by far. It also got him thinking about an important topic - Rise Kujikawa. What was she to him? Was it wise for them to be growing closer? Questions began to flood his mind and soon, he felt his head growing hot.

"Mr. Shirogane, you have a guest in the living room." Naoto turned to find his butler relay the message and disappear.

"A guest? Now who could that be?" He shook his head, brushed of the minor headache and walked over to the living room.

Rise Kujikawa sat patiently in her seat, taking the Shirogane manor in all its elegance. Its architecture was completely different from other homes, which gave it a unique, rustic feel. The walls were painted a dark shade and several columns lined the interior. The flight of stairs that connected to the second floor were of polished wood, maintained nicely over the years.

"Rise?" Naoto walked in to meet her clad in a grey t shirt and a pair of navy blue shorts.

"Naoto-kun, your house is so pretty!" She ran up to him sporting the orange tank-top she wore commonly.

"Thanks" He smiled wryly. "So Rise, what brings you here so early? It's only..." He checked the time on the grandfather clock behind her. "10 A.M."

"Well I wanted to invite you to a little beach trip my friends and I are having."

"A beach trip? When?"

"We're just going to a local beach. I passed my scooter license recently, actually we all did so we'll be getting there with our new rides." Rise paused and bit her bottom lip. "We're heading out in a few hours."

"Well it's such short notice-"

"I know, but I was hoping you'd come." The pigtailed girl shifted her voice to desperation. She really wanted Naoto to tag along. "You can ride the scooter with me."

"Isn't that...not safe?" Naoto started to look humored by Rise's words.

"Not entirely, you can always hug me from behind." Rise smiled at the thought.

"I'm not quite sure your friends would want me there anyways." Naoto had already given this some thought. He didn't come across as the friendliest person, especially towards Rise and her 'suspicious' group of friends.

"What are you talking about? Is it because of our previous argument, when you said that this mystery was a game to us?"

Naoto looked pained as he turned his head away from Rise. He didn't mean to sound so harsh to them.

"It is, isn't it Naoto-kun." When he remained silent, she placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "They're not mad at you for saying that. Yu senpai and the others are really nice, they would want you there."

He forced himself to stare into her chocolate colored eyes. Despite her being completely naive, Rise was extremely kind and understanding. For a moment, he didn't think she would be the one behind the series of murders.

"Please Naoto-kun, for me?" Rise closed the gap between their bodies, tip toed to brush her lips against his ear.

The Detective Prince could hear her faintly breathing as he kept an eye out for his Grandfather and butlers. What would they think if they saw the two of them this way?

"You'll see me in my swimsuit." Rise trailed one hand from his shoulder, allowing it to slip down his chest in a sensual pace. "And I can guarantee it looks a lot better in person than on TV."

Naoto held her wrist carefully, clearly threatened if she were to continue. Any boy would jump at the chance to see Risette in a swimsuit, it was only natural. However, Naoto was a bit different. Unlike any other hormonal boy, he could reign in a portion of his desires. Rise did have a strong sex appeal and it took all of the young detective's will to stop himself from taking her at his own house.

"So is that a yes?" She whispered into his ear.

Reasonably speaking, it would be the perfect opportunity to gather additional information that he may need to solve the case.

"Naoto-kun?"

"Yes" He replied with the best poker face he could manage.

"Really?" She didn't want for them to have another miscommunication.

"Yes, really." His face began to grow terribly hot. Rise probably thought it was because she was baiting him with her body. Well, okay. Maybe he was intrigued to watch her in a two piece.

"Great! Then we should probably head out now, I've already got a spare helmet for you."

"Actually, that won't be necessary." Naoto walked over to a locked drawer and opened it to retrieve a key. "I've had my license for a while now."

Rise's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You've already had your license and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal." He shrugged it off and realized that he wasn't dressed for the beach. "Give me a minute, I need to change first." Rise watched Naoto ascend the flight of stairs, leaving her alone in the living room.

"Maybe I can just hop on Naoto-kun's scooter..."

After much debate over who would be driving, Naoto concluded that it would be best for them to ride their own vehicles. As predicted, Rise was quite stubborn, insisting that she could hop on his scooter's back. It was times like these when the Detective Prince laughed at her naivety, thoroughly amused at how silly her recommendation was.

They eventually reached the beach and rendezvoused with the others, parking their blue and pink moped from a distance. As both of them released their helmets, Yosuke waved his hand in their direction. "Yo, over here!"

Naoto frowned. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Would they accept him so easily? He stood still, trapped in a daze before Rise tugged his shirt.

"Come on, let's join the others."

Twirling the key in his hand and slipping it into his pocket, Naoto followed after Rise as they walked along the sandy beach.

"I can't believe we're actually going to see Rise in her swimsuit. Am I using my lifetime supply of luck for this one day?" Yosuke spoke happily as Yu and Teddie stood by his side, each wearing their respective swimwear.

"I hope you don't mind, but I've brought along a date." Rise walked up to the boys quicker than she had imagined. Naoto kept his distance, he didn't feel welcome, especially with the suspicious looks he received from Yosuke and Teddie when Rise mentioned 'date'.

"You brought along the Detective Prince." Yosuke tried to sound excited, but it was obvious in his tone that he wasn't.

"It's Naoto Shirogane." The blue haired boy corrected his senpai. "And Rise, I'm not your...date."

"Of course you are."

"I'm not." Now completely blushing and embarrassed, Naoto stepped forward to argue his point.

Unamused with their futile quarrel, Rise pushed him back, her attention changing to something else. "So anyways, where are Chie and Yukiko senpai?"

"They're still changing. It's taking them forever." Teddie replied.

"I need to change too. Naoto-kun, you can stay here for a while. I just need to switch out into my beach attire." Before leaving, Rise winked at the blue haired boy and sprinted for the stalls. He didn't have to turn around to feel the tension that hung in the air.

"Today's going to be a long day." He mumbled to himself.

The boys sat in silence, waiting for what seemed to be forever. Why did girls always take so long anyways? Naoto tried to seem preoccupied, casually flipping through his phone as if he were making notes based on his interactions with Yu and the others. The silence was uncomfortable, but he did his best to shrug it off, hoping that Rise would walk out any minute from now.

"Uh, hey. It's Naoto right?"

The blue haired boy turned to find the notorious blonde delinquent he had questioned early into the year. He nearly dropped his mouth when he realized that unlike his peers, he boldly wore a jet black speedo. "Uh..." Naoto stumbled on his words before recollecting himself. "I mean, yes."

"Hey" Kanji offered a gentle wave.

Naoto did his best to keep his eyes trained on Kanji's face, but it was difficult to do since he had already seen his attire.

"Uh, so anyways I see you came with Rise."

"Yes, I did."

"I-If you don't mind me asking, are you and her...dating?" There was an indignant blush that began to surface on his cheeks.

Naoto's eyes widened. He never expected Kanji to be so forward. "I...we. No, we're not."

"Oh, I see." His shoulders relaxed as he sighed in relief. "That's great to hear." He mumbled quietly.

"Beg your pardon?" Naoto didn't quite hear the last of his words.

"Oh, it's nothing." Kanji waved frantically, desperate to change the topic.

Yosuke looked up to find the girls walking in their direction. "About time." He crossed his arms and dropped his jaw. "Woah"

Naoto walked up to his senpais to catch sight of what they were gaping at. His grey eyes focused on the silhouette of the three girls who donned their swimsuits. He felt his breath hitch as his line of sight was magnetically drawn to Rise. Her orange two piece was certainly better in person, he admitted that much. She seemed to be walking in slow motion as her brown pigtails flew around when the breeze picked up and her body languidly made its way to the group of boys. He swallowed hard to keep his composure.

"H-Hey! Why are you guys out here? You should be in the water!" Chie burst out, her tone wasn't angry at all, she was simply embarrassed to say the least.

"Oh, were you waiting for us?" Rise walked up the group with her hands behind her back. Slowly and carefully, she examined their expressions one by one. As usual, Yu senpai donned his poker face while Yosuke and Teddie widened their eyes, blinking several times to check if this was just a dream. Eventually, she made her way to Naoto who now found the sand beneath his feet suddenly interesting. "So Naoto-kun, how do I look?"

He balled his hands into fists to sum up the courage and look her in the eye. Her eyes softened at him in a way that made his heart skip a beat. He took his time to study her figure and surely enough, she was highly desirable, more so in her orange swimsuit. She stood confidently before him, poised in a way that accentuated her curves in all the right places.

"Naoto-kun?" Rise was starting to look slightly troubled. Did she not look good in it?

"Huh? Oh, you look beautiful." He realized he was staring at her for too long. Great, now he would be labeled as a pervert.

"Hey, were you checking me out, Naoto-kun?" She batted her eyes directly at him and smiled mischievously.

"What?" Naoto's expression changed completely. "No!"

Chie and Yukiko exchanged amused looks. This was certainly interesting to watch.

"Um, can we get going into the water...?" Yukiko offered hastily.

"Chie-chan, Rise-chan, Yuki-chan all win the Ladies of Summer competition!" Teddie burst out with excitement, breaking the tension among the group. "I'm surrounded by such beautiful mermaids. I feel like this could be my summer romance..." He added dreamily.

"Like that'd ever happen." Chie knit her eyebrows together and began to raise her fist. Yukiko had to restrain her by the arm.

"Kanji?" Rise peered beyond Naoto, taking in the blonde's boy's swimsuit. She placed a hand over her mouth and steadied herself beside the Detective Prince.

Soon, all eyes turned to their delinquent who sported his speedo proudly. Yukiko had to look away. It was too much skin for one day.

"Dude...What is that!?" Yosuke closed his eyes.

"What's what?" Kanji replied.

"Your swimsuit!" Yosuke flailed his hands in the air. "What else would I mean?"

"It's your basic black." It was only a swimsuit, Kanji thought.

"I'm not talking about the color! I mean...I mean... The whole thing!" Yosuke reasoned out. "I'm seeing things I never needed to see."

"You're the only one sayin' stuff like that!" Kanji raise his voice in protest.

"Wait, Kanji why are you not getting a nosebleed over me?" Rise tilted her head to the side.

"Huh? Why would that happen?" Kanji shifted to his side.

"What!?" Rise looked genuinely hurt.

Yosuke and Kanji were now locked in a heated argument and Rise was still sinking into the delinquent's words.

"I'm surprised they can get so worked up over swimsuits." Chie rolled her eyes and noticed how uninterested Naoto was beginning to look.

"I'm going into the water now!" Teddie announced and sprinted for the shore.

"Oh, he's gonna be the first one to get there!" Chie stomped her foot. "Come on you two!" Without another word, she ran after Teddie, leaving Yukiko and Naoto in her dust.

"Shall we?" Yukiko gestured to her best friend's trail.

Naoto looked at his senpai with an appreciative smile. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea.

With the sun beating down harshly by noon, Naoto was grateful for the parasol that he rented from the nearby shack. It was growing so hot that he felt as though he would melt into the sand. He watched Rise and her friends dash around the water, some swimming in the cold, sea blue ocean. Oh, how he wished he could join them. He could only imagine the nice, cool feeling that the sea water would do for his burning body. Frustrated, he fell back on the towel and allowed his blue hair to scatter over the thin sheet below him.

Rise danced around the shore, jumping every so often when a wave of rippling cool water came at her from a distance. She turned back to find the Detective Prince laying down in his parasol. He hadn't stepped foot into the water since their arrival, which she found was slightly odd. She stopped moving and pulled back her wet, slick hair. Rise was going to have her fun with Naoto today, one way or another.

Naoto crossed his hands behind his head, propping himself to a comfortable position as he plainly watched the decorative pattern in his parasol. Amongst their group, he was sure to be harboring the biggest secret of them all. 'If only things were different.' He closed his eyes and began to take a light nap when suddenly a voice brought him bakc to reality.

"Hey you!" Rise hovered from above his head, eyes narrowing at him with a hint of disappointment. Her hair was still wet and some droplets found their way to Naoto's cheeks.

"Did you need something Rise?" He blinked and tried to look disinterested but at the angle, Rise's chest was unavoidably bare. Naoto closed his eyes in an attempt to fend off temptation.

"Yes, I need you. Why aren't you out there with all of us, swimming in the ocean?"

"I'm...a little tired." Naoto lied through his teeth and shifted to his right side. The drops of sea water were beginning to soak his face.

"Tired? But we're at the beach. You shouldn't be sleeping!" Rise was close to throwing a tantrum. Naoto was acting stubborn again.

He remained silent and closed his eyes, hoping that Rise would take her leave soon.

"Oh, come on, please? The water's really cold and we're all having such a good time."

'I wish I could, but I can't.' Naoto mentally replied to himself.

"Naoto-kun, Naoto-kun are you listening?" Rise bent down and began shaking his shoulder. When he kept quiet, she began shaking violently and the boy's eyebrow began to twitch from irritation.

He sprang up and startled Rise. "I can't."

"Can you swim?" She left her hand on his shoulder.

In truth, he could, and he was exceptionally good at it, but under different circumstances he couldn't, not now. "Yes"

"Then, are you afraid of the water?" Rise continued with her questions.

"No, I'm not."

"Then why can't you swim with me?"

"Because..." Naoto looked down at his navy blue board shorts and white t-shirt. "...Nevermind." He didn't want to tell Rise the truth. What would she think of him after that? He crouched and began to stand, prepared to leave and take a much needed stroll.

"Wait Naoto-kun, don't go!" Rise looked down and contemplated on her actions. If she continued pestering him he would just leave and she didn't want that to happen. "I'm sorry, if you can't or don't want to...I understand."

Naoto felt guilty that it had to be this way and he regretted always giving Rise the short end of the stick. "I'm really sorry Rise."

"It's okay." The sea water on her hair was beginning to sink in causing it to feel coarse and unruly. "Well, actually you can make that up to me right now."

"Hm?"

"Yes," She began to size him up slowly, eyes trailing his blank expression, down his neck, collarbone, then chest. "Take off your shirt."

"Huh?"

"You heard me, take off your shirt." She crossed her arms and expectantly waited for him to comply. "I can't be the only one around showing some skin."

"But I-"

"Yu and Yosuke senpai aren't wearing their shirts. I figured you should at least take it off if you can't swim with me."

Naoto shifted nervously on his feet. This request was much more challenging than the other.

"Don't tell me you can't do that either." Rise was starting to grow worried. Naoto was hiding something and she could tell it was troubling the boy greatly.

What excuse would he use now? He felt cornered, trapped. Would he be exposed now in front of Rise and her friends?

"Here, I'll help." Rise wasted no time closing the gap between their bodies and held the hem of his white shirt. She began to pull it upwards until it reached the top of his navel.

"Wait, Rise" He pushed her back and the shirt fell down. If she were to continue, she'd find out.

"It's just your shirt Naoto-kun, I'm not asking you to take off all your clothes." There was hurt in her voice and it was clear that she wasn't too happy with the way Naoto was acting. It was strange and she began to feel uneasy.

"I know but..."

"But what? You're acting really weird Naoto-kun." She stepped back cautiously, loosing interest on what she hoped would be simple and fun.

"Are you guys alright?" Kanji walked up to the two of them, sensing the tension in the air.

"Yes, everything's just perfect." Rise commented sarcastically and looked at Naoto. She turned on her heel and ran far away without giving much thought as to where her feet would take her.

He brushed his hand downwards on his face and apologized to Kanji. "Rise!"

What was he hiding? Why was he always so secretive? They were friends and they were growing so much closer, but with every step, Rise always took two steps back. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, it wasn't what she imagined at all. She stopped running until she reached a cove, isolated and quiet, the perfect place for her to think things over.

The waves continued crashing by the shore and she slowly came to a stop to catch her breath. With one hand, she steadied herself on bent knees. She was running more frequently than before, ever since she met Naoto.

"There you are."

Rise didn't have to turn back to realize who it was. She picked herself up and continued walking away, doing exactly what Naoto would usually do.

"Look, I'm really sorry Rise." He stalked her from behind, making sure to keep some distance between them. "I really am."

"Naoto-kun, I don't want you to say sorry." She bit her bottom lip before pressing on. "I want you to tell me what you're hiding." Rise spun around so that they made eye contact.

"I-I'm not hiding anything." He was a pretty good liar, but for some reason, Rise saw right through it.

"I know you are. I just don't know what it is. Naoto-kun, what's so important that you can't even tell me? We're friends now and I...I really like you. What's so important that you can't even tell me?" Her eyes were pleading for an answer and the conviction in her words were crystal clear.

"It's just that I..." His phone began to buzz in his pocket. Who could possibly be calling now? Assuming that it was important, he turned and read the message that appeared in his mobile device.

Rise leaned over and checked what could possibly be so important. They were conversing seriously and Naoto was busily answering the phone as if it were extremely important. He was so focused on the message that she just had to take it away and read it for herself. "What's this?"

"It's not what you think!" Naoto reached out for his cell phone, but Rise skipped back at a safe distance. She re-read the message making sure that it was right as she had seen it.

"What do you mean, it's not what I think?" Her heart began to break painfully. So that's what he was hiding. "It's pretty clear to me."

"Give me a chance to explain-"

Rise dropped the phone on the ground and ran back to the group. She couldn't face Naoto right now, not after that. The Detective Prince watched her leave, unable to find the reason to chase her down. He bent down and retrieved his mobile device, checking the message one last time.

I finally got a day off from work! I'll visit you before Summer vacation ends. Wait for me then okay?

Love,

Touko

... To be continued

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