Called Kanji.

(chapter originally by faith on writing.com)

It was done before she had even realized the decision had been made. The button was pressed, her phone was dialing. Rise held her breath and resisted the urge to tremble. Every ring she had to fight the urge to hang up!

"....Lo?" Kanji said in his usual lazy tone.

Rise opened her mouth. And kept it open, despite not making a sound. She realized she had absolutely no idea what to say in this situation. She needed help desperately, of course. But...but how exactly was she supposed to explain this? Kanji wasn't exactly the sort to drop everything and come alone with a bundle of clothes no questions asked. And the actual story....ohhhhh, this was beyond embarrassing!

"All right, whoever ya are. I can hear ya breathing. If this is some kinda prank call or whatever, your messing with the wrong guy, ya hear me! And if this is some kinda threat, bring it on! Don't think I can't find out where your calling from, either! You call here again and I'll bring a whole world a trouble back to your door! Get bent!"

"Wait!" Rise squeeked.

"....The hell? Who is this? Rise? Is that you?" Kanji asked.

"Don't hang up!" Rise said in a tiny, pleading voice, **** not to be heard.

"Hey, what's going on? The hell you didn't say anything before?" Kanji said, his tone switching from threatening to perplexed exasperation.

"I....I...." Rise mumbled. "I need your help."

"...All right. What's up? This like, investigation team shit? Where are you? I'll get everybody there in-"

"NO!" Rise squeeked loudly, then looked out from her hiding place. No one seemed to have noticed the outburst. "No! Its not about the case! Please don't tell anyone else! I just need your help, okay? I...really need you to keep this a secret! Please!"

"Ooookay." Kanji said, a little leery. "So maybe you should tell me just what the hell is goin on?"

"I just....oh no!" Rise said. A group of police officers was moving through the area, likely responding to the reports of the streaker earlier. "Hold on...."

Her heart beating, Rise, waited until they had their backs turned. Then with a quick sprint, Rise ran from her hiding place. She could feel her bare breasts and butt cheeks bouncing as she moved, her mind dizzy with adrenaline and humiliation. Sprinting as quickly as possible into a large alcove full of train equipment, Rise crept through the shadows, terrified of meeting a worker or vagrant or anyone else. Finally, she found a decent space to hide between a pile of rock and a discarded rusty train wheel.

"Hey! Can you hear me!" Kanji asked.

"Yeah! Stop shouting!" Rise said, cringing at how her own voice echoed. "I had to move. They almost saw me."

"Who? What? Tell me what's happening? Why aren't I getting everyone involved here?" Kanji said, bewildered and increasingly worried.

"I'll tell you. J-just calm down and...and give me a sec. Its...complicated." Rise said softly.

Moments passed.

"You still there?" Kanji asked.

"Y-Yeah! I just....okay. L-look. I'm at the train station. I...I need you...come and pick me up, okay? I...got into a...ummm....bad situation, and I need some help." Rise said.

"....The hell? So what, you need a chaffeur or something? Can't you sucker Yu or Yosuke into that shit if your missing the pop idol life so bad?" Kanji said, now clearly annoyed.

"Stop being an idiot and listen, Moranji!" Rise said, and immediately regretted her volume and insult.

"Oh, is that how it is? Well, why don't you-"

"Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that! Don't hang up!" Rise begged.

"...Jeez, what's with you today? Your not acting all perky and snarky at all? Ya sound more like ya did back when ya first came to town. Cept..I dunno. Less depressed and more...pathetic?" Kanji said.

Rise blushed and fought down the insult she had on her lips. "Look...can you just...please come?"

"....Fine. But you owe me for this. Be there in ten minutes." Kanji said.

"W-wait! When you come....could you...bring....some clothes with you?" Rise asked.

".....WHAT THE HELL?" Kanji screamed into the phone.

"Be quiet! I need some clothes! I'm...." Rise wrestled with the word. "....naked."

The admission came out as such a high pitched, tiny, forlorn sound even Rise herself had to admit that 'pathetic' was a good word for it.

".........." There was a long silence. "The hell is this? What do you mean yur 'naked'? The hell are you doing there NAKED?.....DID SOMEONE DO THIS TO YOU? SOMEONE TRYING TO HURT YOU?" Kanji said, increasingly loud and alarmed and angry...more so than at any other time Rise had ever heard him save for the fateful night Yu had talked them down from killing Namatame.

"No! Nonononono! Its not like that! I'm fine! I'm fine!" Rise said, fearing her friend might actually break his phone in his rage. "Nobody did anything to me! Well...not like that! I'm okay! I'm fine! I just....did some....really stupid things....and had some really, really bad luck! This is...sort of my fault. Okay?"

"........." Another pause, longer this time. Then, to her embarrassment and anger, she heard him start to laugh.

"This isn't funny!" She snapped. "D-don't sit there laughing at me!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Its just...." Kanji stammered. "I mean....its a little funny, right? Your not in any danger? Just...managed to lose your clothes? Seriously, I'm relieved. Just....snerk."

"All right, all right! Its a little funny! Now....can you just PLEASE get down here already? You get it now, right? I can't go home like this!" Rise said.

"Why not? Sounds like a great way to drum up publicity for Rissette's big comeback!" Kanji said snidely.

"H-how about I use the publicity from me strangling you for my comeback instead!" Rise growled and blushed.

"Yeesh. Getting a little defensive, huh? Look, this is just like that time at the beach, remember? Just do what I did. Roll with it! Just take a deep breath, do your walk of shame, and let all that embarrassment flow away when ya get back home. Ya know? Like the tide." Kanji said.

"I...you....Kanji...do you even know what this could do to my reputation? Everyone would be talking about it! The press would....eat me alive! This is way more serious than your stupid Venus stunt!" Rise said. "Now...g-get down here or....I'll....ummm..."

"...." Whatever Kanji said was too incoherent to qualify as words, but it sounded distinctly uncowed and much more like laughter for Rise's liking.

"W-would you...please just....come down here already?" Rise asked, putting on a pout but unable to keep the misery out of her voice. "If someone catches me like this....I'll...die of shame and haunt you forever!"

"Snerk. Yeah, fine. Just lemme....ah shit." Kanji's snarky tone suddenly got a lot more serious. "Uhhh...Rise-chan. Your not gonna believe this..."

"What?" Rise said, feeling a panic coming on.

"Well, see....Ma don't have her own machine, so she takes our dirty stuff over to a laundromat in town. And we just had this big wedding the other day....lots of clients and stuff...." Kanji trailed off.

"Oh, don't tell me...."

"Bone dry. All the cloth was sold off and we're still waiting for a new supply. I don't even think Ma left a bed sheet for ya to wear." Kanji said, mulling things over. "Except..."

"Except? Except what?" Rise asked.

"Maybe...I could salvage a few inches....if I use the bunnies?" Kanji said thoughtfully.

"The...what? Hey, are you talking about those creepy little dolls of yours?" Rise asked.

"Excuse me?" Kanji said. "These little guys are offering up their lives and your giving me lip? Maybe we should just forget the whole damn thing-"

"Waitwaitwait! I'm sorry! Don't do that! Just....hurry, whatever you do. Please!"

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me." Kanji muttered to himself.

The phone went dead.