Persona 4 Fanfic: Through Shaded Lenses

Ch 2: New Beginnings

"Breakfast is ready," came the voice of his young cousin. Yuu surged up from his sleep and brought both of his hands upwards to cup his face. He skimmed the tips of his fingers over his lips and shivered. His lips were warm to the touch yet they still felt numb as if the cold still lingered. 'A dream...just a dream...' Yu mentally repeated as he slid out from under his covers and got to work getting ready for his first day of school.

He quickly folded his blankets and folded his futon before grabbing his uniform and leaving his room to go to the restroom.

Inside, Yu hastily stripped and leapt into the shower. Fiddling with the knobs was tricky as he was blasted by a spray of cold water and he mentally cursed. Feeling cold was the last thing he wanted right now since his dream had left him shaken up.

The water slowly warmed to an appropriate temperature and Yu quickly scrubbed himself clean before shutting off the water and grabbing a towel.

He stepped out of the shower and was about to reach for his uniform when he noticed someone standing across from him. His heart jumped into his chest and he thickly swallowed. The person mimicked his actions and Yu had to take deep breathes because he realized it was only his reflection.

Yu numbly stared at the person staring back at him and he realized that noe would be a better than ever moment to evaluate himself.

Yu shamelessly let his towel fall and he observed his reflection.

Back in the city, his female aquaintances always praised his figure during gym class. He wasn't tall but he wasn't short. He wasn't muscled but he wasn't a walking stick either. If Yu could label his appearance he'd merely say normal. There was just nothing special about it.

Yu shook his head in disappointmemt of wasting precious time and quickly pulled on his uniform. If fit perfectly just like it should.

Making his way downstairs, Yu noticed the scent of eggs swim in the air and he could feel his stomach twitch in hunger. He ended up skipping dinner last night...

"Goodmorning," Nanako greeted when she caught sight of her cousin. Yu answered with his own goodmorning before taking a seat at the table. "Okay, let's eat," she said with a smile. Yu was curious. "Do you always cook?" He asked. She nodded. "I can toast bread... and cook sunny side-up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook so I buy dinner."

Yu nodded and stored the information for later use. 'Maybe I should offer to cook once in awhile...' he thought.

Yu wasn't no five star chef, but living on your own made no room for burnt dishes. He's been cooking for himself for as long as he could remember.

Yu bit into a slice of toast and the bland flavor and crunchy texture wasn't much, but to Yu it was a masterpiece. Nanako had made it for HIM so it was better than any thing he's ever ate.

He made a show of finishing up his breakfast with a few licks to his fingers, causing Nanako to puff up in pride.

"Thank you Nanako," Yu said with as much warmth as he could muster. Nanako blushed under his sincerity and she hummed his welcome.

"A-Anyways, you're starting school today, right? My school is on the way so let's go together," Nanako said.

Yu swore he was about to cry so he blinked his eyes and looked away. This was all too much. He's gotten more care from his younger cousin in a few minutes than what he got from his parents in eleven years.

If Nanako noticed his current state, she didn't mention anything.

-0-

Yu and Nanako walked side by side, each holding their own umbrella until they reached a parting. "You just keep going straight from here. My school's this way, bye," she said with a smile. Yu could only nod as they parted.