- 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.
Naoto sat on a chair, her hands set on the piano's keys as she played a slow, soothing melody. She was skilled in playing the instrument since childhood, finding solice in the slightest tunes it brought. Her fingers slid through black and white, having memorized the piece by heart, she closed her eyes, loosing herself to every note.
Upon reaching the apex of the song, her hands roamed over the expansive set of keys until she paused abruptly, leaving the room in sudden silence.
"Aww, and it was getting to the best part." Touko called from above the staircase. Naoto sat in her seat, dropping her hands from the board. Für Elise was a classical song that she loved to play, but somehow she'd lost the will to continue the masterpiece.
Touko took a seat on the same chair as Naoto dropped her head in defeat. She was still recovering from her capture so she stayed in the manor for the time being. "Hey, are you okay?"
The Detective Prince was physically well, but her mentality was changed since her experience in the TV world. She had so many questions directed towards herself and she didn't know where to begin.
"You know you can talk to me, right. After all, that's what friends are for." Touko set her hand on Naoto's shoulder.
After a moment of silence, the Detective Prince spoke. "Do you think what I did was right?"
"What to you mean? If I recall correctly, you did a lot." Touko teased her friend playfully.
"That I chose to push Rise away." She focused on the set of black and white keys in front of her.
"Hmm," Touko crossed her arms and gave it some thought. "Well, you were a bit harsh. It wasn't the nicest approach if that's what you're asking." The brunette looked down at the piano keys. "I hope you realize that while you disappeared, she did her best to investigate on her own. Rise was determined to find you no matter what." Naoto shifted in her seat, her steel grey eyes dull, as though she'd lost the strength to do much of anything.
"I know that, and I'm grateful for her effort." Naoto palmed her face with a hand. "But what else was I supposed to do? Pretend as though my feelings never existed and just start over?" Naoto covered the keys and propped her elbows on the glossed wood. "I can't hurt her again, the way I did with my lies, I won't."
"I broke our friendship for a reason, so that she could move on and continue living her life in happiness." Naoto buried her face into her hands. "And so I can move forward as well."
Touko sat in silence as she dwelled on her friend's words, wondering if the Detective Prince really did make the right decision.
Days passed since Naoto's rescue and as expected, she failed to show up to school for the whole week. Rise didn't know if it was a good or bad sign because frankly, even she couldn't help but worry about her welfare.
Sure, as Naoto claimed, they were no longer friends, but the statement did very little to sway her care towards the Detective Prince. She was about to take her seat in class when she caught sight of Kanji at the back of the room.
The blonde haired boy slid into his chair, arriving earlier than he usually did. When Rise walked up to his desk, he was taken by surprise when she greeted him 'hello'. "Uh, what's up?"
"Naoto hasn't been in school the whole week. You haven't seen her around town, have you?" Rise's voice strained with concern.
"N-No, not that I've seen. Why, what's the matter?" Kanji raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing, I just wanted to know how she was doing."
"If you wanted to know how she was wouldn't it be easier to go ask her yourself?" Kanji formed a frown at Rise.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Then what are you asking me for?" Kanji didn't know why the idol was pressing questions at him.
"I visited her once after we rescued her but things didn't turn out for the best." Rise took the seat in front of Kanji which was conveniently vacant for the time being. She turned around to face the blonde delinquent. "She said we couldn't be friends anymore so I stopped visiting."
Kanji could tell that Rise was uncomfortably distraught by Naoto's ultimatum and he felt obliged to help her out. "And just why would she do that?"
The class was half full, but even so, Rise couldn't explain all the details in front of her peers. She kept her voice low and whispered into his ear, just enough for Kanji to hear.
"O-Oh," the taller boy moved back, an indignant blush rising from the depths of his cheeks. How could he forget such a trivial thing, especially after witnessing their interactions first hand in Tatsumi Port Island? "I-I guess that makes sense."
"But even if she lied to me and broke my trust, I didn't expect her to cut off all relations so quickly." Rise looked Kanji in the eye. "Despite everything she's done, I still want to be her friend."
The blonde boy sighed in his seat and when Rise dropped their gaze, he continued. "Anyways, with the culprit still on the loose we'll need her help and her Persona. We're all going to need to work together to find this guy, so I think we should patch up whatever happened between the two of you." He'd never really interacted with girls for very long but he thought it best to hold Rise's hand for comfort. "So after school, let's visit Naoto together."
The sounds of varied grunts echoed in the gym as Naoto kicked the punching bag with all she had. Upon landing the finishing blow, she backed away, her head covered with a mask of sweat as she crouched to catch her breath.
"You're over doing it." Touko leaned on the wall, her brows worried and concerned.
"No, I'm not." Naoto dropped to the floor as all the energy she had faded in an instant. Touko rushed to her side for support, convinced that her friend should take a break and rest in bed.
"You can't do this to yourself. You need to rest."
"That's all I've been doing this entire week!" When Naoto felt well enough, she pushed off Touko and set her palm against the brick wall. "I can't afford to sit back idly while the perpetrator is still at large."
She exhaled and closed her eyes, the sweat slipping from her forehead to her nose. "The people aren't safe, they can be kidnapped or worst - killed. Those casualties will result from my laziness."
"But you're not in this alone, the YasoInaba PD are already working on it-"
"And it isn't enough!" Naoto slapped the wall, the frustration building up within her as she felt utterly useless.
"Calm down, Naoto-" Touko reached out to the Detective Prince, who held her by the hand with a firm grasp.
"Calm down?!" Naoto pushed the brunette back against the wall, her voice strained with all the anger she buried for the entire week. "How could you tell me that when I've been calm the entire time." Her steel grey eyes glowed with a sinister hue, one that caused Touko to tremble slightly. "That's all I've been since I got here, went to school, attempted to solve the case. Even during my kidnapping!"
Unknowingly, Naoto's grip tightened further causing Touko to wince in pain. She never saw this side of the Detective Prince before so seeing her this way was a surprising shock.
"I've tried to keep myself level-headed for as long as I can, especially after walking away from Rise and the friendship I established." Naoto finally broke into tears and released Touko's hand. When the Detective Prince rested her head against the brunette's shoulder, she felt a steady vibration surge through her body. "I only did it because it was the right thing to do, but now, I feel so alone - much more than I did before."
Touko wrapped her arms around Naoto as she felt the girl pressing closer to herself. "It's okay Naoto. It's okay to feel this way. You don't have to keep it bottled up inside." With a single hand, she stroked the young detective's blue hair, her heart racing unusually fast. Even after confessing her feelings, she still loved Naoto. "I'm here for you, you're not alone." She cradled the blue haired girl in her arms as they sank to the ground, leaving nothing but Naoto's soft sobs to echo around the room.
"Umm..." Rise found the whole gang behind Kanji. She wasn't expecting everyone to come with her to visit Naoto. "I thought it was only going to be the two of us."
"Y-Yeah, but I gave it more thought. I know you're going to patch up your thing with Naoto, but there's something else." Kanji stepped back as Yu came into view.
"I'm sure she has a lot of questions about Persona and the mysteries of the TV world. Now that she's awakened the power of her true-self, it's vital that we all work together to catch the perpetrator." Yu reasoned out to Rise.
"Okay." The idol agreed to Yu's idea of assimilating Naoto into the group as soon as possible. It was inevitable that they all work together to close the case and protect Inaba's citizens.
"Don't worry," Chie began pushing Rise from behind as they walked down the school's entrance.
"We'll give you the space you need to talk to Naoto when we get there." Yukiko added as they linked arms.
Naoto crossed her arms as she looked out through her bedroom window. After blowing up at Touko earlier in the day, she felt a little relieved. She'd been hiding her frustration for so long that release was necessary.
There was a knock on the door and the Detective Prince turned back to eye its wooden frame. "Naoto-kun?" She realized the familiarity of Rise's voice quickly. "Naoto-kun, it's me, Rise."
She walked over to the door and opened it to find the charismatic brunette standing alone by herself. "Rise-san, what are you doing here?" Naoto sounded neutral, she wasn't particularly mad or happy regarding the idol's presence.
"I just wanted to talk to you." Naoto stepped back cautiously. She gave it some thought and moved away to give Rise enough room to come in.
Deep in her heart, Naoto was happy to see Rise again despite her ultimatum. She remained silent and closed the door. A minute passed before either of them spoke.
"I'm probably the last person you want to see right now." Rise assumed. When Naoto looked away, the brunette began pacing around her room. "What you said before, after we rescued you from the Midnight Channel, I didn't really agree with it."
Naoto exhaled a heavy sigh. "Why does it matter? Why would you want to be friends with someone like me?" She closed her eyes and faced away from Rise. "I lied to you. I hurt you."
"I know that." Rise crossed her arms. "But I understand why you did it Naoto. You told me that much in the other world." Rise thought back to their more intimate interactions and met eyes with Naoto. "You dropped our friendship like it didn't matter-as if it didn't mean anything to you."
"I did it to protect you." Naoto clarified.
"Naoto, I don't need you to protect me." Rise voiced out, she reached out to the Detective Prince who was keeping her distance. "I admit it hurt when I knew you lied to me." She took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I thought I was finally in love."
Naoto could feel the guilt settling in and she remained silent as Rise paced before her.
"But I'm willing to move on and reconcile what wrongs you've committed." Naoto returned Rise's words with a questioning look. "The person behind these bizarre murders is still on the loose. As you now know, there's a whole different world besides this one. My friends and I have been using it to rescue those who were kidnapped. That's how I was saved, along with you as well."
Rise turned to the TV in Naoto's room. "We need you Naoto. We need your help to find the serial killer and put an end to him once and for all." The Detective Prince ran a hand around the back of her neck. "We have to work together, it's the only way."
"And you're suggesting?"
"-That we be friends again." Rise's resolve was clear in her eyes. "I want us to be friends Naoto."
The Detective Prince eyed Rise curiously. "I understand your proposition and there is no arguing that you are indeed, correct. The culprit behind these bizarre murders is still at large and I cannot afford to stay idle if he roams the streets of Inaba freely." This was much bigger than the two of them. "If this Persona you speak of may be of use to you and your friends, than I will do whatever it takes to aid your cause."
Rise's eyes lit up happily. At least Naoto wasn't completely stubborn today. "Good, that's all I wanted to hear. Then we should start over, introductions and all." She extended her hand out to the prodigal sleuth. "Hi, I'm Rise Kujikawa."
It took a moment for Naoto to shake Rise's hand. She didn't understand why the idol was so persistent on reintroducing herself. "Naoto Shirogane."
Rise shook hands with the Detective Prince with a subtle, content grin. Perhaps now she would be able to discover the real Naoto Shirogane.
"Oh, why did we have to practice in here?" Rise whined as the group walked up the flight of stairs. Music vibrated throughout the walls, sending a pulse across the pink colored hallway.
"It's best if we start training Naoto with lower leveled shadows. The ones lurking in the secret base are a lot stronger compared to the those here." Yu surveyed the area which was luckily vacant. "We can't afford to injure Naoto right after she's just recovered."
After weeks of rest, Naoto managed to fully recover and the investigation team thought it best to train her using her own Persona. She observed the unusual setting, noting how it matched Rise's risque personality. The atmosphere was murky and the music's bass pounded so loud, she could feel every beat coursing through her chest. "This Persona ability, how is it triggered?"
"You just have to unleash the beast within." Yosuke did a quick spin and summoned his Persona which loomed over his smaller figure.
"I don't think I comprehend." Naoto frowned at her senpai. She was hoping for a better explanation than that.
Kanji pushed Yosuke aside. "Look, all you gotta do is-"
"Look out!" Rise called out to her group. From up above, a horde of shadows dropped down on their circle of friends, cornering each with their own enemy.
Naoto covered her eyes and stood her ground, unwavering as smoke poured through the hallway. When she surveyed the room as the smoke dissipitated, all that was left was her and Rise.
"Yu-senpai, it seems that the shadow has successfully managed to split us up." Rise was already using her Persona to relay the message.
"Then we'll have to take a different approach. Rise, tell the others that we'll rendezvous at the entrance." Yu voiced out to the starlet. "Keep Naoto safe and if possible, avoid combat."
"Got it." Rise nodded and her Persona disappeared leaving her and Naoto alone in the hallway. "Come on, this way." She held the Detective Prince's hand and rushed down the hall.
Together, they managed to avoid any battles with the shadows and it was only a matter of time before they would reach the Marukyu Striptease's exit. But everything was going great, too great. As Rise turned left, a horde of shadows were sitting in wait and immediately noticed her presence. She ran back with Naoto in tow only to find the same result.
"We're cornered." Naoto looked every way, realizing that there was nowhere left to run.
"Stand behind me." Rise commanded the Detective Prince.
"Your Persona, she doesn't have any offensive abilities." Naoto deduced as much.
Rise replied with a nod. "Himiko is only used as support for the team. Her attack isn't as strong as the others, but she can hold a shield for a short while." Rise summoned her Persona who towered over her and set her headpiece upon the startlet. "I'll ask for help, they shouldn't be too far."
'But how long will it hold?' Naoto stood back, unable to do anything. If she was able to summon her Persona then things would be different, they wouldn't be sitting ducks.
Soon, the shadows jumped at Rise and she repelled them effectively using Himiko, but with a few more attacks Naoto could sense the shield's strength crumbling. It would only hold for another minute or two if they were lucky enough.
As Rise struggled to keep hold of the barrier, the shadows ceased all attacks suddenly. She took it as a good sign, but was mistaken when they gave way to an even bigger opponent.
The shadow was twice as huge compared to Rise's Persona. It resembled that of a mechanical robot, colored in red, blue and yellow. Slowly, it made its way to Rise and Naoto, sending each step with a frightening rumble. It closed its hands into fists, positioning it above Himiko.
Naoto and Rise sheltered their heads moments before the titanic shadow broke the shield with one swift blow. Activating the barrier took most of Rise's energy and so, she could not create another one in time.
If the shadow would hit them once more, Naoto and Rise would be dead for sure. The Detective Prince closed her eyes, thinking through any possible ways to get out. She then concluded that the only viable option was to release her Persona.
I am thou and thou art I.
The voice echoed clearly through Naoto's mind. She'd heard it before, right when she conquered her true self.
Open your eyes within!
Naoto fell back as a loud ringing noise amplified through her head. She winced and kneeled, keeling over as a hand supported her forehead. When she opened her eyes and looked down at her hand, a blank card was in place. It held no image, which was eerily unusual.
Rise staggered back, falling close to Naoto who was concentrating on the blank card. It took a moment for her to realize what was in Naoto's hand. "That's-"
Naoto swallowed hard and reclaimed her stand, not really knowing what she was doing. She eyed the monstrous behemoth from afar, all the while afraid with what would happen next. As if on cue, the card began to grow brightly and Naoto would've dropped it in an instant had she not known what significance it meant. Beyond the blinding light, she could make out a small figure, one that she'd seen before.
I am thou and thou art I.
The light began to glow brighter and soon, it captured Naoto's undivided attention as it drifted forward. The Detective Prince felt something she'd never truly felt before, pure, intense power. She drew her hand pistol and aimed it directly at the card knowing what she'd have to say next.
"Persona"
... To be continued So if you enjoyed this chapter, remember to fave, follow and/or review.
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