-MORNING-

It was a crisp autumn day, the kind of day that Shirogane Naoto liked the most. If she had her at she would be outside, helping the police with an investigation, or sitting quietly at the park watching people pass by. Instead she found herself sitting in a second year classroom in Yasogami high school listening to a lecture on ancient Egypt. The teacher as very into the lecture but she wasn't, her eyes fixed firmly out the windows at the gorgeous sky.

"Shirogane-kun?" The teacher calling her name woke her from her trance and brought her focus to the front of the class. "What is the name of the Sun God in Egyptian mythology?"

Oh, crap. She hadn't been paying attention and the teacher had called her out on it. Now Naoto had to stand and admit that she wasn't listening by giving the answer. "Ra." She heard a whisper from over her shoulder, from the seat behind her occupied by an old friend Kujikawa Rise. She stood and answered in a tone that betrayed her lack of confidence.

Much to her surprise the teacher nodded her head. "That's right. Forgive me, I thought you weren't paying attention."

You thought right. Naoto didn't respond, she just sat back down quietly but kept her attention on the lecture until the bell rang. When it did she slung her book bag over her shoulder and turned to meet the eyes of Rise who was looking at her expectantly. "Thanks, Kujikawa-san."

"No problem, us heroes have to stick together right?" After resolving the Inaba murders, Yosuke had been determined to coin themselves heroes. Since no one else knew of their involvement it was a self appointed title and one that the others wore with pride. Naoto was beyond pride, however, and simply relished the fact that she was able to do her job.

"Sure." Naoto spoke in her now infamous matter of fact tone that betrayed nothing of her, much less her gender. She still wore a boy's uniform and spoke in that same deep tone that made it hard to tell what gender she was. She still felt uncomfortable being a girl.

"So, do you want to join me for lunch?"

"Sure."

Naoto merely shrugged and Rise pouted. "You could at least try to sound enthusiastic." The girl managed to look adorable even with a pouting face. Naoto merely grinned and walked passed her, leaving Rise to catch up with her. "Hey, wait." Rise used her superior stride and caught up to the shorter Naoto quickly. "You're supposed to wait for me, you know."

"I know." Naoto just liked seeing the girl pout.

"You're so mean."

To spite the girl's words Rise had a smile on her face as they walked together through the hallways to the cafeteria. Rise took Naoto's arm and pulled her further down the hallway. "Let's eat outside."

Since Naoto had wanted to be outside she didn't object and followed the young idol out to a bench in the courtyard. Rise opened up her bag and pulled out two bentos, handing one to Naoto. "Here, I made them myself."

Naoto cringed, she had heard horror stories about the girl's cooking abilities from Yu and Yosuke and was unsure what to make of it. She opened it and took a long whiff, nothing smelled too terrible so she took a piece and put it in her mouth. She chewed it with no expression on her face with Rise watching her intently. "Is it bad?"

Naoto swallowed the bite then shrugged. "It's edible."

She took another bite which seemed to give Rise courage. She opened her own and nearly spat out the first bite. She chewed it with a look of pain on her face until she finally swallowed. "Ugh, how can you eat that?"

Naoto shrugged and swallowed another piece. "I've had worse."

They sat next to each other in silence for long minutes, Naoto eating and Rise watching her. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

Naoto noticed out of the corner of her eye that Rise was fidgeting a little, her hands were clasped in front of her and her eyes glued to the ground. It was a full minute before Naoto responded. "I was going to go buy some new pants in Okina, maybe catch a movie."

Rise seemed to perk up after hearing that. "We should go together."

Naoto was suspicious. While Rise was always friendly to her they never hung out without the others but from her body language Naoto could tell that there was more to this than just wanting to hang out. "Is everything alright, Rise?" Rise gave her a look that said 'I don't know what you're talking about'. "Are you having any trouble at home?" Why do you want to hang out with me?

"Not really." Rise looked away sheepishly, her eyes returned to the ground. "It's just, with grandma watching the shop it gets really lonely at home. I always see you when the group is together but we never get to hang out alone." Rise's eyes looked up at Naoto's with something like hope. "I guess I just want to get to know you better."

That is a good reason. Naoto tossed the idea around in her head. "Okay."

"Great." Rise perked up at the news, even flashing Naoto a smile that nearly blinded her. No wonder she was an idol, she's adorable. The thought did something to her, awakened a feeling in her she didn't know about and it intrigued her. "How are we getting there? I can get us a ride if we need it?"

"I have a moped."

"Oh, me too. Only mine's not running right now. Maybe we can ride together."

She thought about the two of them riding down the long highway together, Rise gripping tight around her waist, their bodies pressed against each other while the wind blew through their hair, and the strange feeling only increased. "Sure, if that's okay with you."

"Pick me up around five. That should be plenty of time."

"I'll be there."

The bell rang and Naoto handed Rise the empty bento box. She shoved them both back into her bag and waited for Naoto to stand before they walked towards the school building and to their afternoon classes.

-AFTERNOON-

The final bell of the day released Naoto from her classes. She stepped out onto the lawn and took a deep breath of the cool country air, so different from the city she had grown up in. She took her time and enjoyed the cool air, walking to her moped while other students filed around her. She noticed several girls making eyes at her but she ignored them as she always did. Rumors had spread that she was a girl but most were willing to treat them as just rumors. Her cold tone and manly dress were enough to convince most of them.

She mounted her moped and drove home, thinking about her planned evening with Rise and trying to figure out what this feeling was that wouldn't let go. Every time she thought about her she felt a tightening in her chest and a heat building up in her stomach. What does it mean, though?

In her room she sat on her bed thinking about it when her phone rang and she saw that it was Rise. "Hey, Naoto-kun. Are you on you're way?"

Naoto looked at the clock on her bedside table and noticed it was nearly five. She would have to hurry to make it on time. "I just need to get dressed."

"You should wear something cute. See you soon."

She hung up the phone. What does she mean cute? Naoto rifled through her closet and dresser drawers looking for something that Rise might consider cute. She found several pairs of pants, button down shirts, jackets, ties, boots and hats but nothing that an idol like Rise would consider cute. She settled on a pair of slacks and a button down shirt in baby blue with a yellow tie and her favorite blue hat then took off towards Rise's house.

She got there a few minutes passed five and found Rise tapping her foot impatiently near the curb. "You're late," Rise had an annoyed look but it quickly softened when she took her in, "but you look cute so I'll forgive you."

Rise mounted the bike and put her hands on Naoto's hips. Naoto was very conscious of the touch and felt it strongly, her heart beating a little faster as she kicked off and the bike ambled down the road and out onto the highway. The scenery was beautiful, the leaves were changing colors painting the surroundings in a pallete of greens, reds and oranges, the cool wind whipped through her hair as she gunned the engine. She felt arms tighten around her waist and Rise press close against her as the bike tore down the street towards the city. She couldn't describe the feeling but the word amazing came to mind.

Naoto found a parking space away from the shopping center that the group frequented and dismounted. Rise sat on the bike and pouted. "Why did we stop here? The shopping center is further on."

"It's a pretty day, I thought it would be nice to walk."

After giving it some thought Rise dismounted and fell in beside Naoto who as already walking towards Okina station. They walked side-by-side in a comfortable silence until they neared the staton and Rise heard the name that haunted her. "Hey, is that Risette?"

Rise's face changed and she looked at once frightened and annoyed. Naoto immediately spotted the man who had said it, a middle-aged man with a camera around his neck with his two daughters in tow. They started up the street towards them followed by a few onlookers who had heard him comment. Naoto noticed that more and more people were joining them, a crowd of people were now heading right for them. Naoto took Rise's hand. "This way."

Naoto pulled Rise into a nearby alleyway, setting a quick pace that Rise was struggling to keep up with. They took a few turns down more winding alleyways. Naoto could feel the anxiety coming from Rise so she gripped her hand tighter as if to say 'Don't worry, I'll protect you'. Rise took strength from that and followed closely until they found their way to the street in sight of the Okina station.

"Here." Naoto put her hat on Rise's head, leaving hers uncomfortably exposed. "It would be annoying if that kept happening. Maybe you won't stand out so much with a hat on."

Rise pulled the brim down and smiled. "Good idea. So, how do I look?"

Naoto was suddenly at a loss for words looking at the girl wearing her hat over her lustrous brown hair. "Y-you look great."

"You're such a gentleman." A slight blush crept up Rise's face. "You look cute without a hat."

Naoto could feel the warmth creeping up her face. "S-shall we go."

Rise took her arm and held it, the warmth clung to Naoto's face and reminded her that it wasn't going anywhere. They walked the two blocks to Okina station with Rise still on Naoto's arm and she was starting to feel comfortable with it when Rise let her go. She felt cold afterwards. "So, where to first?"

"Well I really need to buy some new clothes."

Rise seemed excited about the prospect. "Croco fur it is."

Naoto wanted to object, she did most of her clothes shopping at a much cheaper store a few doors down, but Rise nearly drug her to the frilly store and through the doors. A bell chimed when they entered and a young woman looked up from the counter to them. "Hello, welcome to Croco Fur. Oh, Rise-chan." The two must have known each other because Rise bounded to the counter. "It's been a while since you've been here."

"I know." Naoto stood just inside the door, awkwardly looking around. "That's Naoto. Naoto," Rise called out to her, "the boy's stuff is on the right."

"Um...thanks."

Naoto went in that direction and could barely hear the conversation the two were having at the counter. "He's cute, is he your boyfriend?"

She stood behind a rack and listened intently. "No."

"So he hasn't asked you out yet?"

Naoto couldn't make out the rest of the conversation but it was about that time that she spotted a pair of pants she liked and her focus returned to the task at hand. She searched through a rack of pants balking at the outrageous prices. These are over twice what I normally pay for pants. She didn't notice Rise approach her. "Find something you like?"

"Yeah, but everything is so expensive here."

Rise leaned in close. Naoto could feel her breath on her ear sending chills down her spine. "I get a discount here so get whatever you like."

"N-no, I can buy it myself."

"It's not a big deal. Just get something you like. Ooh, like this." Rise pulled a pair of jeans off the rack and held them up to her. "I'll bet you look great in these. Go try them on."

Rise all but shoved Naoto to the back and into one of the changing rooms and Naoto faced herself in the full length mirror. She tried on the pants that Rise had handed her and she had to admit the girl knew clothes. She heard knocking on the stall door. "Is everything okay in there? Come out, I want to see."

"It's fine, you don't need to see."

Naoto could hear the pout in her voice. "Come on, I just want to see how they look on you." Naoto let out a sigh, she couldn't resist the former idol's pouty face, and opened the door. She stepped out cautiously, making sure no one else was looking before revealing herself fully. The way Rise's eyes studied her made her heart pound. "See, I told you they'd look good on you. Can I pick 'em or what?"

Naoto walked around a small circle to test out the fabric. They weren't too tight but the cloth felt significant like she preferred. She didn't like light or breezy clothing preferring them to have weight. "They are nice. I like them."

"Then get them." Rise turned around to walk back out to the sales floor. "While we're here we should get you some new shirts too. Ooh and some new shoes, this'll be great."

Naoto couldn't resist Rise's energy and by the time she had changed out the pants she now intended to buy Rise had brought up several more pants, shirts and even a pair of shoes for her to try on. She brought enough that Naoto worried for her budget. After spending nearly half an hour trying on everything arise had brought and finally settling on one outfit, including a new shirt, a new pair of pants and a new hat, she approached the counter with Rise in tow. The woman at the counter, Rei by her name tag, smiled at her and started ringing her up.

"So, you're Rise's friend?"

"Yes." was Naoto's curt response.

Rise threw her arm around Naoto. "He's my special friend, right Naoto-kun?"

"S-sure." Naoto was finding it hard to breath, her mind was cloudy with the idol's proximity. She noticed that Rise was wearing perfume and she found it pleasant, the smell reminded her of a meadow of flowers. "How much?"

Rei quoted her a price that was a good amount less than the listed price for what she was buying, enough lower that she considered buying another outfit but didn't want to abuse Rise's hospitality. She took out her wallet and handed Rei the necessary money. "Thank you."

"Anything for a friend of Rise-chan's."

Rei bagged up her new clothes and handed it to Naoto who took them with a bow and headed for the door. "Bye, Rei-chan. Thanks."

"Bye, Rise-chan."

Naoto left Croco Fur with Rise right behind her. The sun was starting to go down and Naoto had to shield her eyes from it. Rise walked up to her and put an arm around her waist. "So, where to now?" She looked over to the movie theater. "Want to see a movie?"

Naoto checked the time and saw it was just after six, plenty of time to watch a movie then head home. "Sure, we've got time."

"Yay." Rise took her by the arm and they walked together to the theater. She noticed that others were looking at them, most approvingly. Rise must have noticed it too because she leaned in closer and whispered, "We must look like a cute couple."

Naoto turned red as they walked up to the movie theater and decided on what they were going to watch. Naoto wanted to watch an action movie but Rise wanted to watch a romantic comedy. In the end, no matter how much or well Naoto argued, Rise won and the next thing she knew she was looking for two seats in the theater. Unfortunately the movie was quite popular and they couldn't find two seats next to each other. Naoto went t sit down but Rise grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting down."

"And where am I going to sit?" Rise glared at Naoto, her lip pushed out in a way that Naoto found cute. "Unless..." A smirk crossed her face, "you want me to sit in you're lap, Naoto-kun."

"W-w..." Naoto was at a loss for words. "What?"

"I'm kidding, but we need to find two seats next to each other." Rise took her hand. "I'm not sitting next to anyone else."

Naoto looked around until she spotted them, two empty seats together in the front row of the theater. She pulled Rise quickly to them then sat down, checking the time again before the lights went out and the movie started.

-EVENING-

After the movie Naoto and Rise were standing on the sidewalk. Rise was gushing about how much she loved the movie and Naoto was listening, standing with her hands in her pockets. "What did you think, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto had liked the movie, though cliche it was enjoyable. "It was good. Ready to go home?"

Rise yawned in response. "Mhmm."

"Let's go."

Rise took Naoto's arm in a gesture that both had become comfortable with and walked the three blocks to where Naoto had parked. The ride back to Inaba seemed much shorter than the ride there had seemed. At one point Rise laid her head on Naoto's shoulder and she was sure the idol had fallen asleep. When Naoto pulled up in front of Rise's house she had to wake her. "Rise, you're home."

Rise woke up and drowsily dismounted the bike. "Already?" She stood awkwardly by the bike. "A gentleman would walk me to my door." Naoto sighed and dismounted, leaving the bike on. She and Rise walked up the sidewalk and to her front door where she surprised Naoto by leaning in and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I had fun today. We should do this again."

"Y-yes." Naoto was still reeling from the unexpected kiss, her cheek warm and flushed.

Rise pulled her into a hug. "See you tomorrow, Naoto-kun."

"Goodnight, Kujikawa-san."

Rise walked inside and Naoto turned back to the bike, still reeling from the kiss and the unusual day. She couldn't say it was bad, she had in fact enjoyed herself, but it was definitely unexpected. When she lay down to sleep that night it was with thoughts of Rise, and when she fell asleep it was to dreams of Rise.