- 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.
"Persona!"
Naoto bolted upright, panting hard in her bed. Her vast experiences in the TV world lingered in her sub conscience that within the next week, they'd found a way to reach her even in dreams. She closed her eyes, falling back against the mattress.
Naoto had finally awakened her Persona and in turn, saved Rise from their mock training. It was only a week ago when Naoto refused to believe such a thing existed. Who would've known that Rise's incessant excuses weren't ridiculous alibis at all.
"This is crazy." Naoto mumbled in bed. "All of it is." She turned to her side and observed the clock which read 6:45 A.M. There was a note on her calender hung up on the wall.
- school festival -
That's right, they were working on a whole bunch art projects to prepare for the event. Some classes worked on plays, others on themed cafes. Even Naoto's class did a little something around those concepts.
She pushed off the bedsheets, rolling out of bed and landing flat on her feet. It would be just another day in school.
Rise Kujikawa arrived at school earlier than usual, eager to start a very eventful day. Back at the city, she rarely had any time to herself, much less enough to spend it with any of her friends. School life was great in its own average, slowed paced way. She was always surrounded by people her age, not the busy, corporate greedy managers she worked with in Tokyo.
As she settled into class greeting a few of her classmates, she found Naoto already seated, looking out at the glass window. The Detective Prince seemed to be in deep thought, which was becoming more frequent since activating the strength of her Persona. She walked briskly, making her way down the column of students.
"Good morning Naoto-kun." Rise waved with a cheery smile.
"Good morning Rise-san." Naoto straightened herself out, eyes slightly downcast as though something was troubling her.
"Why are you always so proper when addressing me? We're already friends you know."
Naoto softened her eyes at the preppy starlet. "My apologies, it's a habit."
Rise bent down to hang her bag by the hook. "Well you should learn to break it." Her lips curved into a small grin before she took her seat and the teacher walked in.
First period was spent setting up for the afternoon's festival and all students aided each other with whatever needed to be done. From above, Naoto reached up to hang some decorative patterns, stapling them in place.
"We're short one butler." One of the girls called out to their homeroom president.
"Then we'll just have to improvise." Their homeroom president announced. She fixed her glasses, looking around for who would be the most suitable replacement. When she caught sight of Naoto, who descended the ladder, she approached her quickly.
"Naoto-kun, I need you to fill in for one of our classmates. It seems he's out sick today and couldn't make it."
"What did you need me to do?"
"You'll have to dress up in this." She handed out what would've been the boy's butler uniform. Naoto gave her a weird look. After her kidnapping, rumor spread quickly, identifying to the others that she was undeniably female.
"But I'm-"
"I know, but there's no one else I can turn to Naoto." There were dozens of boys to choose from, but using the Detective Prince's fame was sure to boost their class sales for the day.
Two other girls swarmed beside the homeroom president and soon, Naoto felt cornered. She didn't have any other choice but to agree. Besides, she would much rather dress in something more comfortable than the alternative maid outfit. "Very well." One of the girls released a light giggle just as Naoto turned to walk away.
Much to Naoto's surprise, the outfit matched her perfectly. It wasn't too big, or too small. The size was just right. She fixed the black bow tie, straightening it in place underneath her dress shirt's collar. A few of her peers remained silent, watching from afar with dreamy looks in their eyes.
"Wow, you look good." Naoto finished off the last button on her black vest as Rise stood across from her.
"Thank you." The Detective Prince blinked several times, slightly confused when Rise wore a maid outfit. If she recalled correctly, the starlet wasn't on duty during the festival.
"Oh yeah, about this. The girls had an extra pair of clothes so I thought I'd join in on the fun and help out." Rise spun in a circle, flashing off her charming attire. Naoto studied the black and white fabric which hugged every curve of the idol's body. The skirt was much shorter compared to the other girls, but Naoto deduced that it might have been the style tailored specifically for Rise. It was pretty convenient for their homeroom president to hold an extra set. "So, what do you think?"
As Rise batted her eyelashes playfully at Naoto, she turned away hoping that maybe her boiling temperature would not surface to her cheeks. "Y-You look good too."
When the school bell rung, students rushed out of their classes, skipping through the halls, searching through what the other classes had to offer. Some stopped by at Rise and Naoto's homeroom, intrigued when they found the famed starlet amongst the group of maids. Within the next hour, boys and girls lined up for a seat at their themed cafe.
Naoto busily served a variety of teas, cakes and juices on a silver platter while Rise made some small talk with the guests. Most of the students liked the idea that Naoto was cross-dressing since it complimented her mysterious personality. She'd pulled it off before and much to her chagrin, groups of girls stood in queue just to sneak a peak of the Detective Prince.
Rise shared an equal amount of the popularity. She posed with a few students, most of who were her fans.
When the first wave of customers slowed down considerably, Naoto took the liberty of cleaning the tables with a wet towel. She swept up any debris and trash, throwing them into the disposable bin. Rise skipped over to the Detective Prince, holding a polaroid camera in one hand. "Naoto-kun let's take a picture!"
"I'm a little busy." She took a handful of trash, dumping it away.
"Aww, please. We look so cute together all dressed up! Besides, we're on break right now." Rise followed Naoto wherever she went much like a loyal puppy would. She was insistent that they take a picture to remember the day's festivities. "Naoto-kun!"
As Rise complained repeatedly, a few of their peers began looking their way. "Why do I always find myself indulging you and your silly desires?" Naoto dropped the towel and washed her hands clean. She turned around with Rise, her face set in a small scowl.
Rise wrapped her hand around Naoto's waist, holding the camera upwards. She smiled happily, leaning cheek to cheek with the Detective Prince's face. "Say cheese!" She clicked the button as a blinding flash burst out at both of them.
The picture popped out a second later and Rise slipped it into Naoto's pocket. "Let's wait for it to develop before we explore the rest of the festival."
'Explore together?' Naoto never even considered spending her break with Rise. After all, she was always planning things out without her consent. It had only been a few weeks since they rebuilt their friendship, but Naoto convinced herself that it would only be for one purpose - to find and apprehend the culprit behind the bizarre murders in Inaba.
After a few days of training, she learned to use her Persona, honing in her strength from within. It was the only time she spent with Rise, especially since she avoided all forms of emotional attachment to her. She'd grown close to Rise in the beginning, but after her unexpected and untimely revelation which ended up hurting her, she vowed never to re-do those very mistakes.
In the silence, Rise was thinking through the same things. However, unlike Naoto, she wanted to move past whatever happened. She was a little embarrassed that her fling with the Detective Prince was a big fluke, but she wasn't about to let something like that bring her down. It meant that she'd have to start from scratch, but the struggle was something she overcame once before. The only inevitable fact would be that peeling away Naoto's natural defense would take a while.
After five minutes, Naoto took out the photo, examining it closely. She wore a slightly worried expression as Rise smiled brightly in the picture. "Awww, hahaha!" Rise laughed in content, holding a hand over her stomach. "This turned out great." Naoto took back the towel, returning to her duties.
"Wait, where are you going?" Rise held the photo in her hand, trailing Naoto once again.
"We still have much to do." The Detective Prince replied curtly.
"We're on break. We should be exploring the rest of the festival."
"I've no interest in what this festival has to offer." Rise felt Naoto reverting back to her previous cold demeanor. She followed the Detective Prince to the back of the room where few of the students lingered.
"I know you've been avoiding me." Rise looked downcast. "I can tell that much, even when we train in the other world."
Naoto closed her eyes, feeling the heavy weight that her heart carried. She still held some feelings toward Rise no matter how much she denied it.
"I'm trying really hard to be here for you Naoto. I want to be your friend, your ally." The mood dropped quickly, leaving the two in another uncomfortable silence. "But you're making it difficult with the way you're acting."
"I apologize for making you feel that way, but if I recall correctly, I didn't exactly sign up to be your friend Rise."
"I know. I know you're just getting by to help us catch the perpetrator, but don't you think you're missing the point?"
Naoto tilted her head to the side as Rise stepped closer.
"We need to trust each other. When we're in battle, we have no one else but each other to rely on. I know your Persona is strong at the moment, but there will be times when you can't take everyone on your own." Rise reached out to Naoto's hand. "You have me and the others and we'll be here for you no matter what. Naoto, I've already forgiven you. You have to forgive yourself and move on."
Naoto withdrew her hand slowly. For the usual naive starlet that she knew, Rise actually sounded wise. "You speak as though you know me, but you don't."
"You're right. I don't know anything about you Naoto." Rise rubbed her own shoulder gently. "But I want to start. I want to know the real you." From a distance, Kanji gave Rise a stern look. He was concerned if things were going well between them. "You're not the only one who is going through this. To be honest, I don't even know who I really am - if I'm Rise Kujikawa the rising idol, or just plain old me."
Naoto contemplated deeply on Rise's words. Would it be so bad to let her in a second time? She drummed her fingers lightly against the wooden shelf. "Perhaps, I may have to reconsider my choice of action." She released a breath. Even back at HQ, her higher-ups told her that trust was the essential key in teamwork.
Rise nodded in agreement. "So let's go because I'm starving." Without another word, she took Naoto by the hand, whisking her out of the class and into the crowded hallway.
Meanwhile, Yu and his group of friends were busily tending to their class's group date cafe. Decorative ornaments were hung along the walls and door's entrance as Yukiko and Yu stood outside to greet customers.
"C-Come inside for a first-hand experience with group dating..." A few students passed by and simpy laughed at Yukiko. "Ohh, this is so embarrassing." She sighed in defeat.
It had been this way for some time now and the class had only a handful of customers. There didn't seem to be many people passing by in the first place.
"I think we need some shills to draw up interest." Their class representative spoke to Yosuke and Chie.
"Shills? Uh, who?" The last customers up and left without another word, leaving the class volunteers back to square one. "There's no one else left. Isn't that kinda sad?"
"Well who else is here besides us. We need customers to get the ball rolling. If there aren't many people passing by, then we'll need the attention of anyone who does by any means necessary." The class's president adjusted his glasses wisely.
"But there's only five of us here." Yosuke pointed out to the table for six. The group gave it some thought before Kanji walked in.
"Yo, how's it going?" Kanji waved at his senpais with a very subtle smile. "I came to check up on you...guys?" He studied the vacancy of the room, finding it unusual since every class was bustling with crowds of students.
"Perfect timing!" Chie took Kanji by the arm.
"But now we've got four guys and two girls." Yosuke's remark had the whole group thinking once more.
"Eh, you guys are cross dressing tomorrow anyways. One of you can sit on the girls' side." The class rep waved off the matter as though it wasn't a big deal.
"What!? I'm not gonna-" Yosuke was prepares to throw a barrage of complaints until Yu boldly took one of the vacant seats for the girls. "You never run out of surprises, man."
"Well then, let's get started." The class rep waited eagerly for one his peers to speak up, but none of them did. Yosuke crossed his arms and dropped his head while Chie and Yukiko looked away. The tensions between their group was building quickly, proving how awkward it was given their current situation. "Any time now..." Kanji sank in his seat, rethinking that maybe this was a bad idea. "...Will someone please start?"
After a moment of heavy silence, Yu straightened himself in his seat. "Who here do you like the most?" All eyes turned to Yu.
"Hey, I can't talk about something like that here!" Yosuke cringed in his chair.
"Actually, what the hell is this?" Kanji was without a doubt confused as he turned to Yosuke.
"A mock group date."
"I guess the chill thing was a bad idea. So anyways, out of the three of us here...Wh-Who would you date?" Their class rep broke into a nervous grin.
"Hey...I object to this line of questioning!" Yosuke nearly through a fit as he voiced out his concern.
"Oh, don't worry. Let's start with you Chie-san."
"Huh!? Wait um...A-Ahaha...Uhh, well..." Chie began fidgeting with her fingers as Yosuke and Kanji leaned forward with anticipation. The blush on her cheeks deepened into a darker shade of pink and red until she looked over to Yu for some help.
"Yukiko, who would you choose?" Yu pinned the question in reply.
"M-Me!? U-Um, who would I choose to date?" Yu nodded silently in his seat. "Well, that's private!"
"Isn't it?" Chie leaned back and returned her thanks with a brief wink at Yu.
"Okay, your turn." Yukiko readjusted herself to face Yu. Redirecting the question to her was most certainly unfair. "Who would you want to date?"
Yu shifted from Yosuke to Kanji, contemplating on who to choose. "Yosuke."
"Okay, we get it!" Yosuke drew back with an unappreciative stare. "You're good at role playing! Now quit it! You're creeping me out!"
"There are many forms of love. Didn't you tell me something like that?" Kanji scolded Yosuke beside him.
"No, not at all!" Yosuke feigned innocence, remembering that he may have said that before. "Well, I admit, I'm pretty dependable and decent lookin' right?" Yu's reply had struck a chord with Yosuke and soon, the idea had completely gone to his head. He grinned proudly while Yukiko and Chie shook their heads.
The silence was heavy and Chie sighed with a downcast look. This was officially the worst idea ever.
The first floor halls were crowded with people as Rise and Naoto made their way into several classes that sold food. They both bought some yakisoba and takoyaki for lunch and briefly left the area to find another place to eat.
Outside by the gym were two seats left unoccupied. Rise sat down followed by Naoto who made sure to keep her distance. She'd been avoiding Rise for over two weeks and the only time they ever made contact was either at school or drilling through shadows in the other world.
"What's wrong, not hungry?" Rise noticed Naoto's untouched bowl of Yakisoba.
"I'm afraid so." The Detective Prince loosened her bow tie uneasily. Why did she still harbor feelings towards Rise? Her heart ached in an unsettling way and it nearly drove her mad why petty emotions were getting the best of her. It was impossible for Naoto to stay close to Rise, especially when her heart was beating incredibly fast.
"Are you not feeling well?" Concern washed over Rise's face as she disregarded her takoyaki and moved closer to Naoto. "Are you getting sick?" She pressed her hand atop Naoto's forehead, her fingertips brushing past her blue bangs.
Rise's hand was mildly comforting, but Naoto withdrew immediately, standing abruptly as though her touch were poisonous. "Y-Yeah..." She lied casually and looked away, unable to meet Rise's eyes with her indignant blush.
"Then we should get you to the nurse's office." Rise's hand slipped into Naoto's without warning.
The Detective Prince stepped back, her heart hammering louder than before. "I-It's alright Rise-san, I can manage on my own." She spun on her heel and broke into a sprint, leaving the starlet far behind.
Rise stood beside herself, confused by the Detective Prince's sudden strange behavior. She watched Naoto enter the main building and disappear into the sea of students. "It's Rise, not Rise-san." She mumbled to herself and walked back to her deserted takoyaki.
Water splashed all over Naoto's face as she tried to recollect herself in the washroom. "What is wrong with me?" Her hand clutched onto her chest as the beating of her erratic heartbeat failed to waver. She took one of the paper towels to dry off any remnants of water from her face, her eyes focused on the figure in front of the mirror.
The reflection was as clear as water, but she couldn't help but feel as though she didn't know who she was looking at. Who exactly was Naoto Shirogane?
The washroom was eerily silent since she'd rushed up to the third year's lavatory. She gripped her hands on both ends of the sink, her head dropping slightly as a headache surfaced. Perhaps all the training she'd spent in the other world was pushing her to an extent. Before the fatigue could settle in completely, Naoto walked out of the restroom and headed straight for the infirmary.
"It doesn't seem like you have a fever." The school nurse retrieved the thermometer from underneath Naoto's tongue, double-checking the result. "Although you do look slightly fatigued Shirogane-san. If you would like, you can rest up on of the beds over there." She gestured to the beds which each held their own draped white curtains for privacy.
It would be so much easier if she avoided Rise for the remainder of the day, but what of her role in class? She did accept to help out during the festivities. "If it's really nothing, then I should get going." She stood quickly and nearly dropped to her knees had it not been for the nurses' aid.
"On second thought, I think it best you stay here for a while." She escorted the Detective Prince into a vacant bed. "No one should have to overwork them-self even if it is a school festival."
Naoto reluctantly obeyed, knowing that this may have been the effects of her rigorous training in the other world. She closed her eyes and dropped onto the bed, finding its surface relatively more rigid than that of her own. Sleep settled in quicker than usual, and soon then nurse checked in to find Naoto finally at peace.
Rise walked up the flight of stairs to check how her senpais were doing since Naoto decided to rush to the infirmary without her company. She would check up on the Detective Prince's condition afterwards.
As Rise walked through the nearly deserted hallway, she wondered how Yu's class was faring. Upon her arrival, she wore her best smile, stepping into the class happily. "Senpai how are you doi-" to her surprise, the classroom was eerily desolate and the atmosphere was heavy with uncomfortable tension.
She laughed nervously as Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Kanji and Yukiko sat in silence, their hands at their laps, their heads turned away from each other. "Well...see you!" She took her retreat hastily, rushing out before being pulled in by her senpais.
"Mark it. The group date cafe is officially a failure." Yosuke sunk in his seat with a disheartened look.
"Phew, that was close!" Rise wiped her forehead. "I'll be sure to ask Yu-senpai what that was all about later." She descended the stairs, focused on returning to Naoto's side. As she pushed through the crowd of visitors and students alike, she faintly made out the frame of what seemed to be a reporter. However, as she stared intently at the suited man, she knew the familiarity of his glasses, neatly trimmed hair and unfashionable tie. "Inoue-san?" She whispered to herself, briefly meeting eyes with her former manager.
"Kujikawa-san?" He stepped forward, slowly making his way to the young starlet.
What was he doing here? Confronting him was the last thing on her mind, especially during something as memorable as a culture festival. She blended in with her peers, keeping her head low to escape her manager. 'To the infirmary.' Rise thought as she snaked her way through the crowd of students.
Naoto blinked drowsily, her forehead screened with a faint sheet of sweat. The migraine she'd felt prior to sleeping had dispersed and now, she felt better than before.
"Is Naoto here?" The familiarity of Rise's voice sent Naoto turning to her side, pretending to return to sleep.
"First bed to your left."
Rise opened the white drapes, closing them shut behind. She took a seat at the foot of the bed, watching Naoto breath in her sleep. Other than nurse outside, no one else was in the infirmary besides them. "You always say I'm a handful, but I can say the same about you." Naoto remained silent, her eyes clenched shut in Rise's presence.
The starlet adjusted herself on the bed, scooting over to Naoto. "I guess we're not as different as you think we are." She grinned in her seat, her lips slipping into a solemn smile.
Rise didn't realize that the Detective Prince was awake, nor did she think that she could hear every word. "I don't understand why you have to be so stubborn. We're on the same boat Naoto-kun." She turned back, the Detective Prince still curled up to her side. "It doesn't make it any easier since you've been acting weird...around me."
It wasn't by choice. Naoto didn't choose to feel this way. Simply being around Rise was impossible - her heart raced incredibly fast, her breath hitching in her throat every minute they were together.
Rise dropped on the bed, laying back to back against Naoto. She could feel her heart swelling up in her chest. She could only try so many times to break the Detective Prince's impenetrable shell. "Why can't you just tell me what's wrong? Is it that difficult for you to trust me?" Rise asked, clutching a hand to her chest.
"It's not that I don't trust you." Naoto calmly spoke from her side.
"Then what is it? Why are you acting this way?" Rise closed her eyes, Naoto's response was much too vague.
"I...don't know." What a lame excuse, Naoto thought to herself. Rise turned to Naoto, who was still lying on her side. "I find it hard to believe how you could possibly forgive me after what I did to you. How could you trust someone who lied about their own identity?"
"I don't know Naoto, but I just do. I'm not the type of person who judges another solely based on their mistakes. I want to believe the best in everyone, especially my friends." Rise pressed her head against Naoto's back. "I've made mistakes too. To be honest, I'm not even sure if the decisions I've made have been right."
"I quit being an idol because I felt like my fans weren't seeing the real me. Everyday was the same routine, waking up and putting on a different facade to my audience just to capture their attention." Her starlet days now seemed to be in her distant past. "It was confusing. The more I complied with my managers, the more I felt like I was losing myself. Then, pretty soon, I didn't know who I truly was."
This was the first time Rise had ever opened up to Naoto completely. She didn't know how much the starlet had gone through before coming to Inaba. It must've been extremely difficult since the media followed her everywhere too.
"Even now, I still don't know who Rise Kujikawa is supposed to be." Naoto finally turned around, facing the brunette who was at the verge of tears. She tightened her jaw, summing up the courage to console Rise with her hand which rested on her shoulder.
"I don't know if I'm supposed to be the rising teen pop star that everyone loves, or the mediocre village girl from Inaba that nobody knows." Rise was conflicted, just as lost as Naoto. She buried her head into the Detective Prince's chest, finding her warmth welcoming and comforting.
Naoto hesitantly wrapped her arm around Rise, since it was the most appropriate thing to do. "I had no idea..." She breathed out, her grip tightening slightly.
"I just don't want to keep secrets anymore and I wish you'd do the same, Naoto-kun." She was right, and Naoto nodded in agreement. They stayed this way for a minute, simply breathing in each others scent. It was Naoto who sat up first, adjusting herself on the bed as she looked out the window. The day wasn't completely over, if they got up right now they could still accomplish a lot of things before the day would end.
"I feel as though all I've been doing is apologizing to you Rise-san." The guilt in Naoto's heart had subsided and she felt as though a weight had been lifted. Perhaps, by now she had truly forgiven herself for her former actions. "You were right, we aren't so different after all." A small smile surfaced from her lips. Who knew that even the Detective Prince had a bratty side to her.
Naoto recollected herself, tidying up the wrinkled on her dress shirt. "You said you wanted to see the rest of the festival right?" She offered out her hand to Rise while standing across from the young starlet.
Rise jumped up from the bed, taking hold of Naoto's hand with a genuine smile. Things were finally moving forward.
... To be continued So if you enjoyed this chapter, remember to fave, follow and/or review.
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