Author's Note: I'm out of hiatus... yay... Me and my partner are here to bring a new fanfic! Warning though... Its completely AU but we hope to bring some joy to everyone! Thanks to Gin Nanashi and sillyfudgemonkeys for helping me out with the ideas. I wanted to write the sequel of Fake Me but I found it really hard. For some reason after finishing Fake Me... I started shipping Yu X Minako and I hope to bring this couple in the spolight for this fic. Now words from my Partner!

Gin Nanashi: Hello, all~! It feels like it's been a while since our last collaboration, ne? But wait no more for here is our latest! :D I'm actually quite excited to work on this one since it'll be happy and fluffy and oozing with sweetness in general. Not to mention that I'll be playing around with my second favorite non-canon pairing for the Persona fandom~ ;P So, without further ado, please enjoy!

Now some of you are wondering... Why are you using that cover? Well... I'll explain later... Bye the way... any of you read Persona 4: The Magician Manga? I suggest looking it up! Why? Its a recommendation I guess...

Please Read, Review and Follow please? :P

Monday, April 09, 2012

It was the perfect spring day: the sky was blue, the clouds were white and the sun was bright as it shined its golden rays down upon the rural town of Inaba and, more importantly, upon a certain quaint but modern Japanese house located on the countryside's eastern edge.

"Good morning~," her cheerful voice chirped in the midst of their quiet home, "It's time to wake up, Big Bro!"

Gray curtains were pulled open, spilling sunlight into the previously dark room, and the young man in question stirred beneath the blue blanket before a mussed head poked out and monochrome eyes blinked blearily.

"Na…? Morn…? Whaaa…?"

Giggling at how scatterbrained he appeared, Nanako Dojima skipped over to her cousin and began tugging him out of bed but the eighteen-year-old simply curled back into the warmth and comfort of his futon, grumbling incoherently.

With an indignant pout, the seven-year-old girl tightened her grip on her self-proclaimed big brother and dug her heels into the blue-and-gray patterned rug.

"Come. On. Get. Up…!"

Each word was emphasized by a pull until–

"Meep!"

–her hold slipped and she fell onto her bottom–

Thud!

–alongside one tangled up Yu Narukami.

Gray eyes blinked once, twice, thrice at the girl in front of him before the young man flopped listlessly onto his stomach and groaned, "Time…?"

She smiled innocently. "It's six-thirty, Big Bro."

There was a pause before he asked, "…Ten more minutes?"

"Nope."

"How about five?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Three…?"

"Sorry~!"

And he whined.

Why did school have to start so early?

Fifteen minutes later…

Shoulders slumped and head bowed, Yu finally made his way downstairs and dropped heavily into his seat, grumbling, "God have mercy on me this morning…"

A chuckle answered him.

"You're finally up," the man of the house hummed with no little amusement as he set down a plate of syrup-covered pancakes in front of the teen, "Well, I'm no god but hopefully this will wake you up."

"…?"

Gray eyes lifted wearily from staring at his breakfast as if it were alien before the young man visibly perked up as the aromatic scent of freshly brewed coffee reached his nose.

"Uncle," Yu said with the utmost of solemnity, "You are god."

And with that said, he eagerly accepted the proffered cup, pressing his lips against the edge and breathing in the strong fragrance before taking a wholehearted sip and sighing happily,

"It's a good morning~…"

Ryotaro Dojima laughed heartily, "And here I thought it was the end of the world with how you were acting earlier."

Embarrassed, Yu rubbed the back of his neck. "You know how I am, Uncle. Mornings just aren't my thing…"

"Except after you drink coffee," Nanako chirped as she hopped off of the last step, "Then you're like me!" She pulled herself up a chair before beaming when her own cup and breakfast were set in front of her. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"You're welcome, Nanako." The man patted her head before sitting down himself and opening up the newspaper out of habit. "So, first day of class today, huh? Excited?"

It took a moment for either one to answer as they chewed their food before the youngest swallowed and nodded cheerfully. "Yeah! I finally get to go to the same school as Big Bro!"

"Which means we can meet up to eat lunch," Yu added with a grin, "Not to mention ditching–"

Plop!

"…"

A twitch left the teen as a piece of egg fell off of his face.

"Whoops." Ryotaro set down his fork. "My hand slipped."

And the young man sulked. "You can at least try to sound apologetic…"

His uncle merely shrugged before winking playfully at Nanako as she giggled behind her hands.

Yu huffed even as a smile tugged at his lips.

It was times like these that he missed so much ever since the two had moved away from his home city and into the countryside. But now that his parents had gone abroad for business, Yu could return to those days of warmth and confidence – for the school year at the very least. Not to mention his uncle was practically giddy upon getting an extra hour of sleep now that he didn't need to drive Nanako to school anymore.

Yu sighed.

Lucky guy.

A half hour to eight…

"Alright then," Ryotaro sighed as he passed the backpack to his daughter, "You two ready to go?"

"Uh-huh!" She bounced a bit, clearly eager to get going. "I can't wait to show Big Bro around! Arcana Academy is HUUUGE!"

Her arms were spread out in an attempt to show just how grand it was and both males laughed softly.

"I'll be counting on you then," Yu chuckled, dropping a hand on his self-proclaimed little sister's head, before he nodded to his uncle, "I think we're good here. You're needed at the station now, right?"

"Right," the man sighed with a hint of irritation, "I swear, they don't teach the rookies anything these days…"

Just then, the intercom clicked to life and a man announced that the train to Ayanagi City was due to arrive in one short moment.

"Well, that's your ride," Ryotaro said, patting his nephew on the shoulder before kissing his daughter on the forehead, "Remember to stick together and give me a call if you're going anywhere after school, okay? Take care of each other and be careful!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

They saluted with cheesy smiles before waving goodbye as the man entered his car and drove off from Yasoinaba Station to work.

Just then, a whistle sounded and Nanako cheered,

"The train's here!"

Yu smiled fondly as he allowed himself to be dragged by his enthusiastic cousin and the two boarded the surprisingly crowded train.

Luckily, there was a seat open and the teen acted swiftly, picking Nanako up and placing her gently on the vacant spot beside the door.

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink color as she looked up at him with wide eyes and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to sit instead?"

"I'm fine with standing," Yu answered, holding onto the pole, before he winked, "Besides, I don't want to accidentally fall asleep again."

She giggled at his explanation before smiling brightly. "Thank you, Big Bro!"

His gaze softened. "You're welcome–"

"WAAAAAAIIIIIIT!"

Head snapping up, Yu turned to see a mahogany-haired male running towards the train with a panicked look on his face.

"HOLD THE DOOR!"

A beep was heard and the gray-haired male quickly slammed a hand in between the closing doors before the latecomer dived through, stumbling a bit and nearly crashing into a pole but swerving instead to land on his bottom.

"Oof!"

Static sounded overhead as the intercom switched on and a woman spoke briskly,

"Please avoid running on the platform and keep all hands, legs and body away from the closing doors. Thank you."

A click signaled the end of the announcement and silence reigned for a moment before the brunet laughed and stood up.

"Thanks, man! I owe you one!" He grinned and held out a hand. "The name's Yosuke Hanamura, third year high schooler at Arc. You are…?"

"Yu Narukami, same," he introduced himself as he shook the other's hand in greeting, "I just transferred to Arcana Academy."

"I can tell," Yosuke said cheerfully as he tapped at his breast pocket, upon which was emblazoned the school emblem and III-3 just underneath, "I didn't recognize your face but we have the same uniform on…"

It was then that the gray-haired male took notice of their matching outfits: a pair of black slacks, a blue button-down shirt and a black jacket worn over that. The only differences between the two were that Yu left his jacket unzipped and wore black loafers while Yosuke had bulky orange headphones around his neck and wore white sneakers.

"Speaking of which," the brunet continued on, "We might even be in the same class!"

"Maybe," Yu answered ambiguously before looking down when he felt a tug from behind.

Nanako was gazing curiously at the newcomer, one hand clenched around her cousin's jacket while the other was fiddling with her own sailor-styled uniform, which consisted of a black skirt and a black-collared red top that had a white ribbon tied in front. As with her elders, the school emblem was stitched over her heart but, just underneath it, was I-2 instead of III-3. She also wore white knee-high socks and black loafers.

Smiling, the monochrome teen dropped a hand on her head and turned to the brunet. "This is Nanako, by the way, my little sister."

She perked up upon hearing that and stepped away from her hiding spot, bowing politely. "I'm Nanako Dojima, a second year elementary student. It's nice to meet you, Hanamura-senpai."

His raised brows bespoke of his curiosity towards their differing last names but he said nothing of it as he instead took her hand and shook it with a wink. "Likewise, little lady. You're really mature for your age, you know that?"

Nanako visibly brightened at the compliment before blushing and ducking behind her cousin again, causing the brunet to laugh good-naturedly.

He then turned back to Yu. "So… Since you're transferring in, that means you took the entrance exams, right?"

The gray-haired male nodded with curiosity flickering in his eyes as Yosuke whistled. "You must be pretty smart then! Those tests are no joke since, you know, preference is given to those who live within the Local Zone."

The Local Zone, Yu remembered, referred to the area surrounding Arcana Academy and encompassing both Inaba and Ayanagi City.

"Not to mention," the mahogany-haired male continued, "Arc's a ladder school so we don't get a lot of outsiders. Most of us know each other from way back when…" He paused before grimacing. "Speaking of which, you'll be the center of attention for a while."

Yu raised a brow. "Will that be a problem?"

Scratching his cheek, Yosuke thought for a moment before answering, "Well, I guess not but…" He looked around for a moment, sweating a bit when he saw Nanako's wondering expression, and leaned closer in order to whisper conspiratorially into his ears. "Some of the girls are pretty out there and, well, you're pretty much fresh meat for them so…"

"…I see."

Yu sweated as the brunet nodded all-knowingly, still rambling, before monochrome eyes landed on the quiet girl beside him.

Nanako blinked curiously before smiling brightly and he returned her grin.

It can't be that bad, right?

Thirty-five minutes later…

The train screeched and jerked a bit as it pulled into the station just as the intercom went off and announced,

"This is Arcana Academy. I repeat, we have arrived at Arcana Academy. Please remember to take all belongings and…"

Swinging his bag over his shoulder, Yu grabbed Nanako's hand to make sure that she didn't get swept away by the rushing crowd before the newly formed trio exited at a fast pace and sighed in relief when they finally reached the outdoors.

"Ugh… I forgot how hectic the station could be," Yosuke groaned as he rubbed at his ribs, "Who knew elbows could be so sharp…?"

"Um…" Nanako shifted a bit from her position slightly behind Yu. "You're not hurt, are you, senpai?"

Brown eyes blinked in surprise at the worried look directed at him before the brunet rubbed the tip of his nose in embarrassment. "Nah~ I'm good. Just got caught off guard, 's all. Thanks for asking, Nanako-chan."

She perked up and smiled happily, seemingly emitting flowers and sparkles and all things lovely. "So long as you're okay then!"

So cute! An imaginary arrow struck his heart as Yosuke almost swooned but caught himself in time as he clasped a hand over Yu's shoulder and said, "Man, you're so lucky! You've got such a sweet and adorable little sister. All I have is one big baby brother…"

The brunet seemed to wilt at the thought as he abruptly stopped walking and instead crouched to the floor, drawing random circles with a stick that appeared out of nowhere.

Yu and Nanako traded curious looks before the girl asked, "Your 'big baby brother'…?"

Yosuke sighed. "Yeah… His name's Teddie. And he can be quite a handful. Always asking me to buy him food…"

Although he was complaining, there was a certain warmth evident in the his voice that made the cousins smile before–

"Oh!"

–Nanako gasped and skipped on ahead, spinning once and holding out her arms excitedly.

"This is it, Big Bro," she cheered, "Welcome to Arcana Academy!"

And Yu was floored.

Before him was a grand marble walkway that split symmetrically multiple times across acres of lush green grass with aesthetically cut and placed trees. Three noticeably larger paths were split from the one in front of him and were paved towards three recognizable school buildings, each marked with a different primary color: blue to the left, red in the middle and yellow to the right. Beyond and around the manmade structures appeared to be a forest and the entire school zone seemed to be enclosed by black fences atop short marble walls with two stones pillars on either side of the open gates. A crystalline butterfly statue was perched atop of both posts.

(Nanako hadn't been kidding when she said, "Arcana Academy is HUUUGE!")

But Yu quickly recomposed himself before smiling down at his cousin. "I guess I'll be in your care then, Nanako."

Her cheeks flushed but she never lost her smile. "Yeah! I'll definitely show you where everything is." Then, as if just remembering, her grin turned sheepish. "Well, except for inside the middle and high school buildings. I'm not allowed there…"

"Ah, no worries," Yosuke cut in, resting his arm against Yu's shoulder, "I've got his back so you can count on me–EEK!"

He was abruptly cut off as something, or perhaps someone, crashed into him and, in a whirlwind of yellow, the brunet was dragged off, screaming and flailing, as a trail of dust was left in their wake.

"…Well," Yu sighed after a moment of silence, "There goes my possible wingman."

Nanako giggled innocently. "Don't worry, Big Bro. Even though it looks really different from the outside, the inside should be similar to other public schools. Plus, I'll be there for you!"

He grinned down at her and rubbed the top of her head. "I know you will, Nanako, so thank you."

She beamed up at him before a bell rang out, chiming once…

…twice…

…three times.

"Oh! That's the warning bell! It means we have five minutes to get to class," she told him upon seeing his confused look, "The late bell has a different sound but also rings three times."

Yu hummed in understanding. "We should get going then."

"Uh-huh!" Nanako nodded before pointing at the water fountain in the direct center of the courtyard. "I'll wait for you there at lunchtime, okay, Big Bro?"

"Understood." He gave her a short salute and she grinned before jogging off with a wave. "See you later, Big Bro!"

He smiled and waved back. "Have fun, Nanako."

Once he made sure that she'd entered the red-marked building for elementary students, Yu turned left and began walking down one of the many paths, gazing at the beautiful scenery in wonder, before a movement out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention.

Curious, the gray-haired male decided to take a closer look and walked over to one of the scattered cherry blossom trees.

Peeking around the thick trunk, Yu suddenly stilled as his eyes widened and his cheeks warmed just a tad.

There, amidst pink petals that danced with the gentle spring breeze, knelt a pretty young woman clad in a properly buttoned black jacket worn over a blue dress shirt that was tucked neatly into a short black skirt. Black socks adorned her legs and stopped halfway up her thighs, teasingly revealing a strip of bare skin, as her feet were covered with black loafers. Tied in front of her chest was a white ribbon and to the left of it was the school emblem, under which was a familiar III-3 stitching.

"Mou…" Her soft voice held a hint of distress. "Where is it…?"

Realizing that she must have lost something, Yu took a look around him before his eyes caught sight of a glimmer amongst the building pile of falling cherry blossoms.

With a silent step forward, he reached down and brushed away the faded pink petals before picking up a butterfly hair clip that was azure in color and seemingly fragile to the touch.

"Are you looking for this?"

She jumped, clearly surprised, and whirled around as her auburn locks swished around her face, spilling over her shoulders, and Yu had to fight to keep from blushing visibly.

"Here." He held out his find and nodded his head to the side. "I found it over there."

For a moment, she simply gaze upon him with those bright crimson orbs of hers before she smiled shyly. "Thank you…"

The gratitude in her voice was clear as she gingerly placed her hand over his and his skin tingled pleasantly from the warmth that emanated from her.

"You're welcome." Yu smiled warmly.

Her cheeks flushed a tantalizing red as she ducked her head in embarrassment and mumbled her thanks again before bowing once and quickly running away.

Yup. A chuckle left his lips. Not bad at all.

And it was definitely a good morning.