Lightning

Yu Narukami.

That name had been pestering Naoto for far too long. Almost as soon as she had arrived in Inaba did the silver haired delinquent hound at her. At first, his antics were merely annoying. The Detective Prince was no stranger to the forlorn flirtations, and childish attempts at enticing her were something she had dealt with before, either from lonely schoolgirls who believed Naoto was their prince or even from men who believed she was what they desired.

Yet none of them were able to worm their way into her mind like Narukami had. He barged into her thoughts despite all of her barriers and he proved himself to be far more than just an annoyance. He was an intrusive animal in the calm, controlled sanctum of her mind, and he didn't even need to be physically beside her to affect her.

There had been sleepless nights where she would remember his foolery and idiocy all too well. How his eyes would look over her body with desire and how her cheeks would flare up when she caught his long glances. How he would give her that damned smile whenever they spoke.

He was a liar. She knew that now. Whatever truths he knew, whatever feelings that might have been or could have been, they were culled by that simple truth. He was a liar. He wasn't a kidnapper or a murderer, but he was a liar. He was manipulative and he hid his intentions behind his arrogant smile and gleaming eyes.

There it was again. She caught herself thinking about his eyes this time. She nipped the thought before it could grow, but she couldn't keep having this problem. He was continuing to hinder her, plaguing her mind and thoughts. It needed to stop.

This stupid infatuation was merely the byproduct of hormones, pheromones, and general physical attraction. Easy enough to control for the famed detective, but the sooner this case was closed and she was allowed to leave Inaba, the better. She needed distance between herself and the silver tongued devil.

Naoto finished her drink and gently placed it back on the table. The taste was incredibly sweet, but was still rather pleasant. She wondered what exactly it was as she quietly smacked her lips together. She let out a warm sigh and found her breath now tasted like the drink. Interesting.

She quietly and nonchalantly scanned the room. Tatsumi was on the floor, pinned down by an individual she did not recognize from any of the kidnappings. They were kissing. The mysterious blonde didn't resemble anyone from Yasogami High. She made a mental note to inspect his background when she had the chance.

Amagi-senpai and Kujikawa were seemingly inebriated. Seemingly being the key word in that statement. Naoto had done her research. This establishment did not serve alcohol, nor would any upstanding establishment allow minors to purchase any intoxicating substances. It was likely the two were merely under the Placebo effect. They believed they were drunk, and thus they acted accordingly. A self fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

Hanamura-senpai and Satonaka-senpai were arguing with one another. Unsurprising. Their hostility towards one another was more likely than not a childish attempt to disguise their physical attraction for one another. Naoto fought the urge to roll her eyes at their immaturity. Such juvenile antics were exactly the kind she had always aimed to avoid. Such frivolity was nothing more than melodrama that distracted one from their objective.

Speaking of distracting melodramatics, her steel blue eyes fell upon Yu Narukami. The silver haired man sat away from her, staring at a scarlet pair of chopsticks in his hand. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. She remembered his attempts to converse with her back at Yasogami High. Rather than give him any sort of satisfaction, she kept quiet and ignored him, treating him like any other member of his little group. A stranger. She intended to keep this relationship as such. As far as she was concerned, he was just a lead to be studied, followed, and then closed along with the case when the time came.

"I-I really don't know who or what to pick," Narukami mumbled, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Well, ya gotta make it dirty!" Amagi laughed, her cheeks practically crimson. "Make someone hug you!"

"Oooh! Oooh! Sit... Sit on your lap! Make someone do that," Kujikawa laughed.

"I would really rather not," Narukami sighed. Naoto felt her jaw clench at the statement. He was lying again. No one else saw it, but she saw plainly. She had been studying the subtle movements of his face since day one. She caught the micro-expressions he made when he lied, though she had to admit, he had obvious experience with deception. Nothing compared to her skills as a detective, but passable against a room of high schoolers.

He is the Moriarty to my Holmes. She smiled at the thought for a moment. Like the infamous rivals, she would leave her foe crushed underneath her booted heel. She would watch him fall with great...

No.

Something is wrong. Her mind raced as her brow furrowed. She grabbed a nearby cup and placed it under her nose.

"Hey! That's mine," Hanamura whined.

Just as she thought. These drinks actually were alcoholic. But how?! She had done her research! The establishment no longer sold alcoholic beverages, nor would they sell them to minors! Would they?

"Lap! Lap! Lap!" Her train of thought was ruined as Kujikawa and Amagi chanted, stomping their feet against the ground.

"Alright, alright!" Narukami let out a sigh and waved the red chopsticks around as he recited the first number to come to mind. "Number five, sit on my lap."

There was silence. Naoto felt her stomach churn as dread filled her intoxicated mind. She slowly tilted her head down to look at the chopsticks she had. She was number five. "I-I... What?!" She mentally kicked herself as soon as she heard her own voice. She had been so shocked, Naoto had forgotten to control it. Damn it! She had sounded like a teenage girl before the group!

Thankfully, none of them seemed to have caught it. Amagi giggled and pointed at the blue haired detective. "Teehee! He's so shocked his voice cracked!"

"Aww come on, Naoto-kun! Don't be such a prude! Don't get bent out of shape!" Kujikawa added, before snorting and laughing at her own joke.

"Bent! Heehee! I get it! Like- like Naoto will go all gay from sitting on Yu's lap! Good one, Rise-chan!" The two laughed, standing up to give each other a high five. They missed, but instead chose to rub each other's noses with the palms of their hands. This seemed to work just as well for them.

Narukami's already tinted face flared as he looked at the detective. "Whoa! Um... I-I am so sorry, Naoto-kun! Y-you don't have to if you don't want to! Really, it's okay! I'll just pick something else or-"

"Booo!" Rise groaned.

"Yeah! Boo!"

"Do it!"

"Sit on his lap!"

"Do it!"

"Yeah, do it, you nerds!" Yukiko demanded.

"Yeesh. Never knew you two were such mean drunks," Chie grumbled.

"Girls, please! If Naoto doesn't want to, he doesn't have to! There's nothing wrong with it! Naoto, don't worry about them. It's fine." Narukami looked at the Detective Prince and she watched as he donned a comforting smile. She saw the almost plastic-like grin on his face as he lied to her.

Liar. "No. No, it is perfectly fine. I will sit on Narukami's lap."

Everyone reacted similarly to the declaration."... What?"

"I will sit on Narukami's lap," she repeated. Naoto walked forward without another word and quickly planted herself on him. The room became so silent a falling needle would have been deafening. Even the music outside seemed dampened, almost as if the pure tension in the air frightened it.

Naoto could hear Narukami's gasp, and to her surprise it actually sounded authentic, or as close to authentic as the liar would show. Hearing him so surprised felt... good. No doubt he expected her to blush and falter against the perverted dare, but instead she rose to the occasion and shocked him into submission. She rather liked the feeling of silencing Narukami with so easy an action.

"Shall we continue the game?" She teased, a smile forming on her flushed face.

The game continued, and as luck would have it, the next few dares were passe compared to the first two. Satonaka demanded Hanamura to remove his shirt. He did so with great embarrassment and to the small athlete's drunken applause. Tatsumi was forced to stand on the table and do a dance by Amagi. She took great enjoyment at his humiliation. Finally, Kujikawa was commanded to admit an embarrassing secret. As it turned out, Risette fancied fries dipped in ice cream.

As for Naoto? She was rather proud of herself. She sat on Narukami's lap, even leaning back onto his chest when he had began to accept their positions. She kept him uncomfortable and she was glad of it. The way he reacted, the honest feelings of embarrassment and fear she felt off of him when she moved against him... It felt good. It felt like revenge for his constant teasing and his insipid come-ons.

It felt like Naoto now held power over the silverette and it actually felt exhilarating. She almost smiled, but she quickly hid it behind a mask of her own. The fact that she didn't look affected by her placement on Narukami's lap just made his own embarrassment all the more enjoyable.

All the same, she should soon return to her primary objective. She wasn't about to waste this prime opportunity to learn more about Narukami's involvement with the case on a simple power trip and well deserved justice. Perhaps after Amagi's turn she would have her chance to ask-

"Naoto! I want you to give Yu a kissy kiss on the L-I-P-S LIPS!"

What?!

As soon as the words slipped out of Yukiko's lips, she laughed. Cackled was probably more accurate, as she was no doubt finding the situation absolutely hilarious. She didn't seem to be the only one.

"Whoo! Boy love!" Kujikawa cheered.

"Whoa! No way! Are they seriously gonna-" Hanamura was silenced by Satonaka's hand covered his lips. The blushing girl motioned for him to be silent, before returning her attention to their leader and the young 'boy' sitting on his lap.

"Hey, don't you gotta say a numb-"

"Shut up, Kanji!"

Naoto's face turned a blazing crimson, all self control momentarily obliterated, as she looked at Narukami. To his credit, the fool was pretending to be as embarrassed as she was, a look of utter shock on his face. The detective had no doubt that inside he was beaming at the command.

He stuttered to speak at first, leaning as far back into his seat as he could to avoid the blue haired girl's stare."Naoto-kun, I am so sorry about Yukiko's behavior! Please, ignore her. You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he apologized.

"I'm already sitting on your lap, Narukami. I did not want to do that," she mumbled, averting her eyes. She scolded herself for acting like some embarrassed doe, but how could she not? Her discipline had been eroded by the alcohol and now her enjoyment of sitting on Narukami's lap paled in comparison to the enjoyment he was probably feeling now.

She forced herself to look at him and read what he thinking. He offered a sympathetic smile and his eyes appeared gentle. They didn't yell at her, they didn't force her, they simply offered quiet support to her. It was nice. It wasn't what Narukami really wanted, but it was nice. He was playing the gentlemen. He was giving her a chance to just deny the challenge. She was very tempted to accept the offer.

And maybe, just maybe, this night was going to end without any more embarrassment...

But then Narukami ruined it. It was his fault it happened. That was what Naoto would tell herself tomorrow, and in the weeks to come. If he had done nothing and the two simply parted ways, that could have been the end of this horrid night. But he didn't, and Naoto cursed him for it. His gentle smile turned into a wryly grin. A smirk she had become so accustomed to, the same one she saw in her dreams, the same one that plagued so many of her thoughts since she had met him. He looked smug, as if he was saying something without even moving his lips.

I guess you're not as brave as a real detective.

I knew you didn't have it in you.

It's just a kiss, Beautiful.

His lips didn't say anything, but they didn't have to. His eyes and that damn grin did it all for them. The words bounced around in her head, each ricochet causing their echo to grow louder and louder until all she could think about was Narukami and that damn smirk and his lips and kissing them and beating him at his own game!

He was challenging her. He was daring her to try and kiss him, and if she didn't, she knew he would consider it a personal victory. He was mocking her with that damn smile and he knew she wouldn't do anything in retaliation against him. He looked so proud, so damn high and mighty over her...

"Fine." One word was all it took to silence the world again. It was as if the air itself halted, as if the light drumming of music and dance outside went dead. She turned around, planting her knees at his side. Her hands grabbed his collar, crushing the cloth between her fingers. She etched the look of shock into her mind, embracing the sense of victory. She claimed it, and Narukami's lips, as she pulled him towards her.

They were kissing. She was kissing Narukami. Yu Narukami. She was kissing him.

There was nothing gentle about the kiss. It was hard, mostly due to inexperience. It was as crushing as it was harsh. More like two trains slamming into one another. It wasn't like it was in the books she read. It wasn't raining, and she wasn't kissing some young woman who was being hunted by thieves and murderers. She was in a club, before a group of suspects and strangers, kissing her hated enemy.

She wasn't going to stay like this for long. Naoto had planned on pulling back after just a moment, but she found herself unable to pull away. First, it was because she felt a dangerous spark when their lips touched. Like a spark that started a forest fire and left everything ruined because of it. It consumed her. The feeling of their lips pressed together. His desire and hers intertwined as their lip moved against one another's.

Then Narukami had his hands on her arms. He squeezed them, holding the lithe limbs. He pressed his lips back against hers. She could hear him, feel him taking in her scent as he took a deep breath. Then he kissed her with full force, wrapping his arms around her. One arm stroked the small, soft area of her back, moving up and down in a gentle, massaging manner. The other hand gently reached her head and played with her blue locks. He pulled her closer as his lips moved against hers, gently nibbling on her lower lip.

It was like nothing she had ever felt before.

Naoto felt her body stiffen as she gave a muffled gasp. Her toes curled in her shoes. Her heart raced a mile a minute, the loud beat echoing through her ribs. Her hands went limp, slowly falling from his collar and going down his muscular chest. She wanted to scold herself for feeling his sturdy frame, his firm stomach, every curve and every dip, and every meeting of soft skin and hard muscle. Her hands struggled to find something to hold onto as the earth moved under her. Her hands merely rested against his robust chest as she felt his tongue stroke her lips.

She gasped again, and he took this moment to gain passage. His tongue invaded her mouth. His tongue was touching her own tongue. His tongue licked at her teeth and against her gums. His. Tongue. She tried batting it away with her own. That was a mistake. The electricity she felt before came back, stronger. Now there was a storm. Lightning set the forest of her soul and mind ablaze in moments.

When the two wet tongues fought each other, when they touched, they made her already warm body turn blazing hot. Their tongues coiled and smacked against one another as her arms felt new life. They wrapped themselves around his neck and pulled him closer. She challenged him. She was not going to lay in his arms and melt like some Hollywood starlet. She would meet him on the playing field and she would fight back.

She challenged him to kiss her more.

He met the challenge with gusto.

There was so much in the kiss. A physical attraction, yes, maybe even the remains of a more genuine attraction for each other, but certain aspects felt especially prevalent in the wet lip lock. They both felt it, in their hearts and in their minds. The drive to win. The urge to be victorious. The desire to see the other melt against the victor, seeing them turn into some lovestruck doe! To have power over them, to own them.

Naoto wanted to beat Narukami. She wanted to see him bend to her whim.

No.

She just wanted hi-

"H-hey! You guys can stop now," Yukiko declared, all resemblance of intoxication sucked out of her voice. She was just as flabbergasted as the others, watching with wide eyes. "It's been a few minutes."

Naoto's eyes widened. She slammed her fist into Narukami's chest, pushing herself away from him. She fell back, her tongue slipping out of his mouth. A glimmering trail of saliva connected them momentarily before it fell apart. She fell to the carpeted floor with her face hot and her mouth tasting of...

Her trembling body laid on the ground. Her hat had fallen to the ground beside her, but she gave it no thought. Her attention was focused on the silverette. Narukami stared back at her with utter bewilderment. His face was red. She didn't have the strength in her to analyze it this time. She just stared at him as the full weight of her actions fell upon her.

Some childish part of her actually lamented the loss of her first kiss.

She stomped it down and picked up her hat. The detective stood up and, without another word, stormed out of the room.

Yu was left on his seat, heart racing, face red, and with the taste of the Detective Prince still fresh on his lips. Without saying anything, he stood up and chased after the detective, leaving his friends astonished and confused.

Damn it! What was I thinking?! I have made a complete fool of myself! Damn it!

Naoto was fuming as she made for the exit. She was outraged, fuming with anger at Narukami, of course, but she was more more enraged at herself. She should have seen this coming. Narukami was a degenerate and a perverse cretin, there was no doubt in her mind to that. She shouldn't have, she couldn't expect anything less than his worst with every interaction. She had first hand experience with him and his silver tongue, and yet she had fallen for his trap, right here and now!

She viciously ground her arm against her lips, trying in vain to burn the taste of his lips and saliva off of them. She shuddered at the fresh memory. His tongue against hers, his lips rubbing against her own. She was stupid! How could she have let her defenses down like that?! How could she had played right into his hands?!

The humiliated detective scolded herself for acting in such a way, and for being kissed like innocent maiden. The way he held her, the way he touched her, and the way he kissed her was like how other girls would want to be kissed. The same girls that left letters in Naoto's locker or who pined for the attention of the delinquents and troublemakers. She should have been better! She shouldn't have acted like them, she wasn't them and she never would be them!

She wasn't some love struck teen who swooned at a simple kiss! She was above the damsels who threw themselves at grinning, powerful men. But the silver tongued devil had lured her in and he got what he had wanted from her and she hated herself for it!

Naoto spat on the ground and dug her fingernails into her scalp, scratching at it as she let out a furious groan. Her parents would be ashamed of their only daughter, the inheritor of their once great legacy! They would have looked at her with disappointment! Utterly ashamed of how easily their daughter had fallen for some womanizer's ploy!

How could she, the last holder of the Shirogane name, be so easily caught by such amateur deception?!

She had been so stupid! She only held herself responsible for the mistake this night had become.

"Naoto! Wait!"

Herself and him...

Her jaw clenched as she tore her hands from her head. There were actual tears in her eyes, glistening in the light. She wouldn't let him see them. Her vision was blurred, but she didn't care. She ran down the empty sidewalk. The cold night air bit at her uncovered arms and face, but she didn't let it slow her down. She ran, and he followed.

Damn him... She was tearing herself apart inside, she didn't need a reminder of her stupidity and foolishness to follow her. They ran and ran, but no matter how far or how hard she ran, he followed. Eventually, her body couldn't keep it up anymore and she came to a stop, panting, lungs crushing as she wiped at her eyes. Stupid. I've been so stupid! A child! A stupid, little girl!

"N-Naoto... Come on, let's talk about-"

She spoke, but her voice was trembling, barely controlled. Her rage was fueled by regret, humiliation, and self loathing. It fought to escape, it demanded a target and it craved an outlet. "Don't bother. This was a mistake." She felt ready to explode as the silverette approached her. She placed her hand on some closed shop's walls as he took each step closer. Simple footsteps had never sounded so loud...

"Which part? The coming here? The meeting me? Or that make out session we just had?"

She felt herself shaking, and it wasn't just because of the cold. She turned to face him with rage filled eyes. Her voice was hoarse, but showed her feelings well enough. "Stay away from me, Narukami!" She turned back away, facing the ground and continued panting from the run. He didn't stay away. She looked at him again, and all she could see was that damn smile plastered onto his face.

That damn smile...

END

I've always been a fan of stories where kisses were like BOOM. MIND BLOWING. So whenever characters kiss in my stories, I aim to try and make it a big moment, if it can be. Example? Right here. I just spent several paragraphs describing a kiss. Actually pretty proud of that.

This actually might be my favorite chapter so far. I had written it months ago and had it planned since chapter one. So... yeah. Big inspiration came from Cavalyn's 'Suspicious Seduction' story in the Megami Tensei section. Give it a read. It's a deadfic, but what is there is a lot of fun. Good read.

So yeah. Hopefully this scene was believable. Neither Naoto and Yu are completely sober during this scene. Naoto's pretty drunk from just one drink (she's small!) and Yu... well, more on him next chapter. I just hope Naoto's actions and thought process were at least somewhat understandable. Hopefully you liked it and felt it wasn't too out of character.

In the Delinquent-verse, I imagine the drinks actually were alcoholic instead of the weird Placebo effect the game pulls. Also more on that next chapter.

Speaking of the next chapter, the storm isn't over yet, folks! Storms are more than just lightning. What else do storms have? Wind and water, but that's not what the next chapter is called.

Get hyped for Thunder, the chapter where Naoto and Yu's barriers are shattered and they face each other about what happened. Broken masks, harsh truths, and a decision that will alter their lives forever (I mean, if you played the game you probably know the decision, but shut up. I'm having fun. Let me have this).

Chapter 10! Thunder! On Valentine's Day, 2016!

Hopefully.

Oh, and happy birthday to anonymous reviewer, Smu! Have a good one, pal.

Have a good day, everyone. Stay safe.