Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 4, Persona 4 Arena, or Persona 4 Golden, or any of the characters.
The Fallout Chapter 2
The final bell rings and most students can't get out of the classroom fast enough. Kanji however just sighs and lets his head flop down on the desk. Maybe if I wait long enough I can leave without more people staring and laughing. He thinks.
Kanji lifts his head just as Naoto approaches his desk. "Kanji –kun," Naoto says. "Would you like some help with today's homework assignments?"
"I uh…. Well I suppose…. Yeah I guess."
Naoto nods. "I will be in the school library. Join me when you're ready."
Kanji watches Naoto leave the classroom, a dopey look upon his face. Once she has turned the corner a small smile creeps onto Kanji's face. He was going to be spending time with Naoto. Of course he'd actually have to do his homework, but it wouldn't be so bad with her help. Maybe after they were done they could go out for ice cream or something; just the two of them.
Kanji gathers up his things and heads to the door, a smile stuck on his face. As he reaches the door his smile evaporates as a thought crosses his mind. Where the Hell is the damn school library?
Chie tries not to let her bad mood show as she is putting on her shoes to leave. As far as she is concerned she can't leave school fast enough. She storms over to the other side of the lockers to see if Yukiko is ready to go, but stops as she sees a boy talking to her friend.
"I'm sorry, but I really don't want to go out with you." Her friend is telling the boy.
"But you don't really even know me. Maybe after you got to know me a little…."
"She said no, so beat it!" Chie says from behind him.
The boy backs away from the girls, looking between the two of them. "I'll talk to you later, Yuki-chan." He says before speed walking away.
"Thanks, Chie. That is like the sixth boy to ask me out today. What has gotten into them?"
Chie shrugs and heads out with Yukiko right beside her. "I don't know. People are running away from me, yet you are more popular with the boys than ever."
As the reach the school gate they hear someone calling them. "Chie-chan! Yuki-chan! Wait up will ya?! " Yosuke yells, as he runs to catch up with the girls. " I swear you two are the only ones in our class that are still willing to talk to me. This is almost as bad as when I first moved here."
Chie sighs. "I know what you mean. Everyone keeps getting spooked when I talk to them, like I'm going to bite them or something."
"Oh wait guys," Yuki says, turning around and runs toward the school. "I forgot my notebook!" She yells over her shoulder as she re-enters the school.
Chie rolls her eyes, and leans back against the school gate to wait for her friend. "How can I get people to believe that I'm not scary?" She thinks aloud.
"You could quit yelling and threatening people," Yosuke remarks.
"I don't threaten!"
"Maybe not, but you look threatening when you yell and glare at people with your fists on your hips….. like you're doing right now…."
Chie crosses her arms, then un-crosses them, then just gives up and puts her fist back on her hips. "It's just a comfortable way to stand."
Yosuke shrugs, "If you say so. I just want to know how to get people to like me again. I mean I never had that many real friends to begin with. Now those people that were just my casual friends are ignoring me, or brushing me off."
Chie shrugs and leans back against the gate. "Who do we know that had the most friends?"
"Yu-kun."
"Besides him…. He was like crazy good at making friends… Everyone loves Teddie, and he is now the face of the local Junes."
Yosuke laughs, "Teddie could charm honey from bees without much trouble at all."
"Maybe you should try to be more like Teddie, turn up the charm." Chie suggests.
Just then Yukiko comes up. "Sorry I took so long, another boy asked me out while I was getting my notebook."
"That's what I don't get!" Chie yells, as they all start walking again. "People are avoiding Yosuke and I like the plague, but you have more guys ask you out in one day than all of the last month."
Yukiko shrugs and Yosuke speaks up. "Well she was tagged as 'the unconquerable princess snow black.' Guys like a challenge and I think most guys took it like you wanted guys to compete for your hand."
"That's a whole load of bull crap." Chie yells.
Yosuke shrugs. "Well that's how a lot of guys think."
"Well I wish I could give some of those guys to you, Chie. " Yukiko remarks.
Chie stops in her tracks. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Yosuke asks.
"That's the answer….. all I have to do is get a boyfriend and people will see I haven't discarded my womanhood and that I'm not scary."
"Oh that's all you have to do…. Well good luck with that." Yosuke laughs, and starts walking again.
Chie catches up with him and steps in his way. "But I don't really need a boyfriend; I just need some guy to pretend to be my boyfriend."
"Oh no." Yosuke says, backing up. "I am not going to pretend to be your anything."
"Come on," Chie pleads. "I think it could really help both of our situations. You dating a local girl may just be what you need to show that you're not 'Captain Resentment.'"
"Hey I can fix my social life without you!"
"Come on, Yosuke! It's not like you have any better ideas. Besides it won't be too bad. We hang out already, so we will just do it more often in publish and maybe hold hands once in a while. No biggie. It's not like I'm asking you to marry me."
"Oh no, I'm not getting roped into one of your crazy plans. Besides I can't see how this will really help get my social life back."
"Oh come on!" Chie says. "It's worth a try. I think it would work."
Yosuke stops and looks at Chie with a thoughtful look on his face. "I may consider doing this, but we have to set some ground rules."
"Ok," Chie says. "Fine by me. What did you have in mind?"
"First off, you have to stop kicking me. As long as this 'arrangement' is going on you can't kick, hit or punch me. Got it!"
"What! I don't hit you." Chie says, raising her fist.
Yosuke steps away and points to her raised fist. "You've kicked me so many times in the family jewels I don't think I'll ever be able to father children."
"Fine! I won't hit you."
"Or kick me."
"Or Kick you…."
"Or punch me."
"Fine fine fine. I won't do any of that. You happy?"
"Second, I don't want to have to pay for everything. We switch off who is paying every time we go out together. "
"I suppose that's ok."
"Third, I want a kiss."
"WHAT!? No way."
"Just one kiss, after our third date. On the lips."
"That's crazy! No way!"
"Ok then, find someone else to pretend to be your boyfriend." Yosuke says, walking off.
Chie growls to herself and looks over at Yukiko, who has been trailing behind listening to Yosuke and Chie's conversation. "Can you believe him?"
"It's just one kiss." Yukiko points out.
Chie glares across at her friend.
"Is there anyone else you could ask?" Yukiko suggests.
"Maybe Ted, but I think he'd ask for more than a kiss. I'm good friends with Kou and Daisuke, but I don't think either of them would agree. They may even get the wrong idea and want to make it serious. " Chie sighs and runs to catch up with Yosuke.
"So change your mind?" Yosuke asks a grin across his face.
"Alright, one kiss. But it can't last longer than three seconds, and no tongue."
"Five seconds, and I get to put my arm around you."
Chie looks back at Yukiko who is following them. "Ok, but you have to promise to keep your hands to yourself."
Yosuke looks at Chie in shock. "What do you mean by that?!"
"Your….. you…. Your hands can't touch any part of me….that….. that's covered by clothes."
Yosuke rolls his eyes. "Fine. Do we have a deal then?"
Chie sighs and sticks out her hand. "Alright, deal?"
Yosuke grabs her hand and shakes. "Deal."
They both look over at Yukiko. "You're our witness," Chie says. "If he breaks any of the rules then you help decide what he has to do to make up."
"Hey! Then the same goes for you. You have to follow all the rules too."
Chie rolls her eyes, "Yeah yeah, but once I get my social life back in order we are 'breaking up' got it."
"Fine by me, I don't want to pretend to be your boyfriend for any longer than I have to. Now I have to get to Junes. My shift is starting soon." Yosuke says, as he heads off.
Chie turns to Yukiko. "I hope my idea works."
Yukiko shrugs. "I don't know. It may take a while for things to get back to normal around here. You may end up pretending for longer than you think."
"I don't care as long as it works."
After wondering around the school for ten minutes, Kanji spots a boy with thick glasses lugging a large stack of books through the hall. Smiling at his good luck Kanji approaches the kid. "Hey kid!"
The boy turns and drops all his books so that he can protect his face. "I don't have any money! Please don't hurt me…."
Kanji sighs and rolls his eyes before stooping down to pick up the dropped books. "Calm down. I don't do that shit. I was just wanting to know where the Library is."
"The library…."
"Yeah! Aren't ya headed there?"
"Uh….um… yes."
Kanji shoves half of the stack of books at the confused kid and picks up the rest. "Well lead the way!"
The kid turns around, his eyes wide and his back strait and walks toward the Library as if he was on a military death march. Once there Kanji sets the books he was carrying on the first table he sees before mumbling thanks to the terrified kid, who promptly faints next to the table.
Kanji doesn't notice the kid, he only has eyes for Naoto across the room. She is sitting at one of the school computers, her eyes locked with the screen. Kanji can't help but smile as she bites her lower lip in thought. He always thought she looked really cute when she did that.
"Hey Naoto-kun," He says, as she steps up next to the computer.
"Hello, Kanji-kun. I was starting to wonder if you had decided not to come." Naoto says, without looking from the computer screen.
"Well, I had to uh…. You know… take care of some things. "Kanji mumbles.
"I just finished sending Yu-sempai a copy of the data that I gave everyone at lunch, with my theories and editorials. Hopefully he will be able to come up with some ideas."
"Yeah," Kanji says, rubbing the back of his head. "Sempai has always been good with that kinda stuff."
Naoto sighs, and turns from her computer. "Since now I can think of nothing else to do at the moment, short of hacking into the Kirijo database, we might as well get working on our school work."
"Yeah good idea!"
Naoto steps away from her computer and looks over toward the library entrance where a small crowd has gathered. "I wonder what's going on over there."
Kanji glances over and sees the nerd that he followed here laying on the floor with several people around him, and he blushes slightly. "I dunno. How about we get started on our homework?"
Naoto nods and sits down at a table and pulls out her math book. Kanji sits next to her, a smile across his face. Despite being distracted by Naoto's presence they managed to finish the homework without too much difficulty. Naoto just had to explain every step of each new type of problem.
"I don't know why, but when you explain it I understand it. But when the teacher does, I just don't get it." Kanji says running his fingers through his hair.
Naoto shrugs, "No problem. You can ask for help anytime."
"Thanks."
Naoto stands and looks around. "It seems that most of the other students have left."
Kanji looks around as well. He hadn't noticed that the library was nearly empty. All of his attention had been on Naoto or their homework. "Yeah, I guess it's kinda late."
They both walk in silence until they leave the school grounds. Kanji keeps looking down at Naoto, then away with a blush on his face. "Well I uh… I'll uh… walk ya to the bus stop."
"That really won't be necessary."
Kanji just shrugs, but continues to walk next to Naoto. "It's ok. Not like….. Not like I have nothin' better to do."
"While we are presently walking together I have some questions." Naoto says, looking straight ahead.
Kanji glances around and rubs the back of his head. "I uh…. Well… watcha wanna know."
"During our recent excursion into the television when we were matched to fight—"
"I told ya to forget about that!"
"I am still puzzled by your actions. Why did you just surrender and refuse to fight me?"
"I uh…. I dunno."
Naoto stops, and pulls on Kanji's arm to stop him as well. "I don't believe you're being completely honest with me?" She says, looking up into Kanji's blushed face.
"I uh…. Will um…." Kanji looks back and forth, anywhere but at Naoto. "IthinkI'mlatefordinner. Gottogo!" Kanji says in a rush then dashes down the floodplain.
Naoto watches her friend run away, her eyebrow furrowed in thought. Kanji's actions are quite perplexing. She thinks. What could he be hiding?
Author's notes: If any of you are confused about what Naoto is talking about, I am referring to my fic The Hardest Battle, where Kanji and Naoto fight in P4 Arena. If you haven't read it I think you should. I hope you all have laughed and enjoyed this chapter. Review are always welcome and make me smile.