The Idol and the Prince
Part XI
09/18
The room was silent, save for the quiet and steady breathing of a girl whose head rested on the side of a bed, her red pigtails splayed out on the sheets. She was hunched over, leaned forward in the armchair against the large queen mattress.
Inquisitive blue eyes watched as the girl slept, riveted so diligently at her post. The warm glow from the bedside lamp cast shadows along the dark room, joining the moonlight from the window as light illuminated the girl's sleeping face.
Naoto smiled, reveling in the peacefulness of the moment. Despite the ordeal she went through, Naoto was relieved. Rise's gesture, the fact that Rise was still here watching over her was enough to calm her nerves. It was a sign that maybe…what they had was salvageable.
It was a fear that Naoto had all this time, worried about the consequences of hiding her true identity from Rise, especially after they became…more intimately involved. The detective had never expected anything to have come from her relationships in Inaba, but the town was stranger than she could ever have imagined.
Naoto shifted under the covers, stretching her aching limbs. How long had she been asleep? Glancing at a clock on the wall, Naoto squinted through the semi-darkness to see that it was past midnight.
Sitting up, Naoto looked towards Rise again, closing the distance between them as she leaned forward. The blue haired girl studied her, the innocence in the idol's sleeping face, her lips slightly parted, her long lashes fluttering as she slept.
It was a struggle for Naoto to refrain from reaching out, finding herself with her fingers intertwined in Rise's locks before the detective could stop herself. Her breath caught in her throat, almost shuddering at the feeling of the redhead's locks in her hands. It was tempting then, for Naoto to just reach a bit lower to touch those pink and supple lips that led her astray in the first place.
Naoto's hand wandered down to Rise's lips, but shot back almost as she were burned as she felt the girl stir from her slumber.
"Ngh…" Rise arched herself up, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand, groaning at the stiffness from posture she had kept for the past few hours.
"Rise, are you alright?"
Rise yawned, peering over at Naoto through semi-lidded eyes. "Anhhn…Neck's just…a bit stiff…I-"
As the idol started to come to her senses, she became more rigid, more stoic, remembering what had transpired earlier that day. She was supposed to be angry. "I…I'm glad to see that you're awake. I...have to get going now." Without another word, Rise stood, the armchair behind her scraping against the floor. She reached down to grab her bag, but before she could stand up again, she found Naoto's hand gripped around her wrist, pulling her down ever so slightly.
There was another awkward moment as the two just stared at each other. Rise, half standing, ready to shoulder her bag, and Naoto, leaning up from the bed in an almost kneeling position.
"It's late."
Naoto could only manage these words as she tightened her grip around Rise's wrist, feeling desperation seep through her.
"I-I have to go. I didn't tell my grandma that I'd be out so late…" Rise had a guilty look on her face, feeling torn about her decision.
"It's already past midnight. I'll send you back early tomorrow morning." Naoto locked eyes with Rise, her blue eyes darkening, flickering in the dim light.
Rise hesitated for a moment before she sighed, sitting down again. This time, she set herself on the edge of the bed, closer to Naoto. She bent over to put her bag down gingerly, her deliberately slow movements buying her time to think about the inevitable conversation they were going to have.
"I'm sorry."
Before Rise could even register what was said, Naoto took the floor. The detective's hand was still latched around Rise's wrist, the idol feeling slick sweat coat her skin from Naoto's palm.
"What I did was inexcusable. It was disgusting and selfish and I'm sorry, Rise. I'm a poor excuse for a human being, a poor excuse for a…friend." Naoto trembled, wondering how Rise really felt about the situation.
Without a word, Rise abruptly shook off Naoto's grasp, taking a step away from the bed as she avoided the detective's gaze. The idol clenched her fists at her side, seemingly trying to figure what she wanted to say and what she wanted to keep to herself.
Springing out of bed, Naoto stumbled over to the other girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Rise…Please- I'm sorry. I just want you to know that I didn't mean to hurt you."
There was silence before Rise turned, staring the detective down with smouldering gold eyes. The redhead was hesitant, wanting to feel Naoto's warmth, but altogether conflicted about the feeling. She just wanted to bury her face in Naoto's chest and forget all the drama that had happened today. It was a shock to say the least, to find out that the boy she had fallen head over heels for was actually a girl. There was doubt and uncertainty along with the revelation, leading Rise to question if what she felt for the past few months was remotely real. She felt like Naoto was the only one she felt comfortable with, the only person she dared bare her soul to.
Rise studied Naoto's face, her supple lips, her long lashes, that flawless skin, and those blue eyes. It was Naoto's eyes that were a window to her soul. Rise saw regret, sadness, and a mix of other emotions in the other girl's azure blue eyes.
"I should have known…"
The voice was quiet, Rise talking more to herself than to Naoto.
"I'm sorry, Rise…" Naoto just kept repeating that phrase, hoping that her sincerity would get through. "I didn't mean to hurt you…" Without warning, the slightly shorter girl enveloped Rise in an embrace, clutching to the redhead for dear life.
Rise tensed in Naoto's arms as she heard the pain in the other girl's voice. It was aggravating how the idol wanted to stay angry, but at the same time, she wanted to just forgive the detective and get on with their lives. "If you didn't mean to hurt me…what did you mean to do all this time?"
"Rise…I…" Naoto's hands clenched fistfuls of Rise's uniform, mustering up the courage to try and convince Rise of her intentions. "I never meant to be your friend…I never meant for us to get so close, but it happened. What happened was real. It wasn't an act."
Rise pulled away slightly, scoffing. "And I'm supposed to believe you? It was only when all our lives were in danger that your secret was exposed. It wasn't even your choice to tell us."
Naoto felt panic well up like nausea, shaking her head, feeling that it was getting harder and harder to find the right words. "I was just afraid…I didn't want you to hate me, Rise… You mean so much to me. I've never been able to be myself with anyone. I came the closest with you."
Rise furrowed her eyebrows, edging Naoto backwards against the bed. What the detective said resonated with the idol. All her life, Kujikawa Rise felt like she had been dwarfed by Risette. Risette was the existence she embodied, the fake persona that she embraced to reach her celebrity status. As the blue haired girl felt the back of her knees against the mattress, she paled, wondering if this was the direction she wanted the conversation to go. At this moment, Rise felt closer than even with Naoto, whereas just seconds ago, she felt like they were strangers.
With a hard swallow, Naoto locked eyes with Rise, trying to read her emotions.
"Ah-"
The redhead pushed Naoto roughly, the detective landing backwards on the bed with a muffled thud.
Looking down at Naoto, Rise crossed her arms, feeling awfully confused, angry, and curious at the same time. There was nothing different about Naoto that she could see, but with the new revelation, she paid more attention to the curves hidden under baggy clothes, the unmistakably feminine features in her face, the slight rounded chest. Aside from the feeling of betrayal from the whole secret keeping, Rise was unsure if she was more attracted to Naoto now that she knew that she was a girl. There was a raw sense of familiarity in being exposed, in having a secret out of the way.
"Rise, what are you…" Naoto moved to ease herself up on an elbow, but Rise shot out an arm to stop the blunette from getting up.
"I just want to know…I want to know what you've been hiding from me all this time."
"W-What do you mean, Rise? I…I've been pretending to be a man all this time. I lied about my gender and I started dating you under false pretenses… I couldn't even think about how I would tell you the truth." Naoto avoided Rise's gaze with all her strength, feeling more and more ashamed of herself as she listed her transgressions.
Rise bit her lip, feeling a twinge of guilt in her chest as Naoto brought up all those points, but the idol was more concerned with the inner turmoil that was starting to overwhelm her. The idol planned to keep her stoic and domineering tone, but a blush edged onto her cheeks as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to say next.
"I want to see…I want to see what you've been hiding from me…I want to see what makes you different from the Naoto-kun I fell in love with." Rise bit her lip, feeling embarrassed.
"I-I…don't understand, Rise. What do you want me to do?" Naoto swallowed hard, feeling her heartbeat thud in her ears. The blood coursed strongly through her body, making her face flush a bright red. It wasn't that Naoto didn't understand what Rise was asking her to do, but rather Naoto didn't understand why she was asking her to do so.
"Do I really need to be clearer, Naoto…?" Through lidded eyes, Rise peered over at Naoto, biting her lip to calm her nerves. The redhead closed in on the other girl, raising her knee as she climbed onto the bed, spreading her legs to straddle the detective.
Naoto blinked excessively, taking deep breaths as she tried to understand that this was reality. The position they were in was so familiar, but the detective couldn't help but feel relieved that she could actually enjoy it this time.
Rise continued to inch her way up, reaching a hand to Naoto's neckline as she started unbuttoning the other girl's shirt. The idol made quick work of Naoto's trademark blue dress shirt, expertly unlooping the yellow tie over the girl's head. Rise exposed the swath of white bandages that Naoto had around her chest, the redhead's fingers dancing lightly across the expanse, tingling with curiosity. She was changing by the second, coming to a realization about her own feelings.
"Can you undo this, Naoto?" Rise was feeling bolder, her anger dissipating as she was filled with something that couldn't be described as anything other than arousal.
"Yes." Naoto eased herself up to a sitting position, Rise's weight resting on her shins. The detective peered into Rise's eyes and saw that the slightly taller girl was certain about her intentions. Naoto carefully shrugged off her dress shirt, watching as Rise's eyes widened at the sight of her smooth and slender shoulders. The article of clothing pooled around Naoto's waist on the bed, fully exposing the singular barrier that separated Rise from the truth that she had discovered today.
"Naoto…I won't do anything that you're not comfortable with. I just want to see the real you." Rise reached out again, letting her fingers run down Naoto's arm, shuddering slightly at the sensation of the girl's smooth skin.
"You aren't disgusted with me, Rise…?" Naoto shied away as she began undoing the bindings around her chest.
"I could never be disgusted with you, Naoto. You are smart, brave, and one of the most selfless people I know." Rise had thought about her response, wondering if it was too rehearsed or too insincere, but as she said it, it was only the truth.
The blue haired girl felt a giant relief well up within her, almost brought to tears by how liberated she felt to be accepted by Rise. Naoto smiled, pausing slightly as she held the bundle of bandages to her chest. The bindings were undone, hanging loosely around her chest, draping down her back. At this point, the detective was feeling especially shy, but strangely comfortable with Rise around her.
There was a silence as Rise drank in the sight of the Japanese beauty, Naoto's cobalt blue hair starkly contrasted against alabaster skin. Wordlessly, Rise reached out, gently prying Naoto's hands away, allowing the bandages to fall onto the bed covers.
Naoto averted Rise's roaming eyes, blushing hard, but the detective did nothing to hide herself from the other girl.
Rise just studied the detective, casting away any denial she had. She brought up a hand to caress Naoto's skin, her intentions pure, her lust dormant, stifled by the feeling of relief as she realized that the revelation of Naoto's true identity changed very little about the detective herself.
"You're beautiful, Naoto."
A/N: Not that many chapters left! I hope I can keep on churning these out. I've been on a bit of a roll, so I want to ride the momentum to the end :)
Thanks for reading! Shoot me a review if you're still there :)