[Hanamura] Distance Won't Matter [Narukami]

Subject: [Hanamura] Distance Won't Matter [Narukami] Sat Nov 08, 2014 2:52 am

Hanamura Yosuke spun his kunai around his fingers, a grin on his face. Damn, it was about that time again, wasn’t it? Stare down the Shadows before him, he charged forward on his turn, and they were defeated. “We did it, partner!”

“We did,” Narukami nodded, gripping her katana carefully. She didn’t want to hurt anyone but accidently hitting them with it. She gave a small smile to Yosuke first, then to the rest of her team,“Good work, everyone.”

“Thank you, leader,” said Naoto.

“Senpai, amazing!” smiled Rise.

“Yosuke’s bear-y rude, taking all of the credit for Sensei’s work. It’s paws-itively awful!” Teddie followed, looking between Yosuke and Narukami.

“Cut it out, Teddie! I said we, didn’t I?”

Yosuke frowned as he rested his headphones around his neck, glaring at the ever ‘lovable’ bear. Like always. But, Narukami knew he said ‘we’ and he meant ‘we.’

Laughter erupted and even Yosuke couldn’t fight it after time. They were close,friends, that was the Investigation Team. And they would keep fighting, training, working toward the answer. Really, it was something to do. Something to break the humdrum life, even if it was terrible to think of a murder as a boost to something new. No one deserved to die, but through this, they became friends. He met Narukami and became closer to her.

“After we do a bit more training, we’ll be done,” Narukami said as she proceeded to order everyone’s equipment to change. Yosuke felt maracas be placed in his hands and he simply stared at her as she handed out odd looking weapons. But, with that reassuring smile of hers and careful nod, he gave in.

“Better reward me later~” he said.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Typical Yosuke.

Post-training for the day, it was time to go home. It was a notably sunny afternoon, though the sun was fading, ready to sleep. The air was warm, almost as it was enveloping every person in a hug. A welcome feeling to a tension-filled Inaba, the town that would be greeted with rain and fog in a few days time.

Narukami returned home, ready to read and rest for the evening when her phone rang, and she answered it figuring who it was.

“Yosuke.”

“Hey, partner~,” Yosuke said. Narukami listened patiently, “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“Great! And don’t worry about the money or anything, I’ve got it covered. I’ll drop by tomorrow morning.”

And he hung up. Money… covered.

Junes, then, probably. Or Souzai Daigaku.

Either way, it would be quality time.

Right on time, Yosuke really didn’t want to mess anything up, did he?

It’s not like coming with his hair a mess and shoes on the wrong feet was completely perfect, but he probably was in a rush to get out before Teddie could follow him out. He really did try hard. And even if his gestures while they were walking were to put his arm around her, it wasn’t bothersome. She simply grabbed his hand and kept walking. She, confident in her choices, always seemed to know how Yosuke worked.

He wasn’t bored now, and he felt as if she was the pinpoint of his envy for the longest time - she was adaptable, cool, and never let boredom capture her in its wave.

She picked him to be with. She could’ve had anyone, and she walked past all of their planes to grab his hand.

She was special to him, and he was special to her, so there was no need to be envious. He had no will to be it, because envy wouldn’t solve anything.

He figured that he had added up that she may have been soft on him before she said anything, but it was just minor clues and the pure exhilaration of hope, because he had taken a sort of interest in at least becoming her friend from moment one. Or maybe it was more like moment ten, when he had actually started talking to her, alongside Chie. Either way, she was the only person that knew the real him, and respected him still, even after seeing it.

“Here,” she said, reaching over and offering him her half-eaten food, “Try this one.”

“You wanna try some of mine, even if I bit off it?” He asked, but happily accepted the trade off.

The day passed naturally, as he let her listen to his music as they walked, and he could hear just barely the sounds of his favorite Western music playing as the Inaba air around them was fair and quiet. She occasionally poked fun at him for his music choices, but it was all filled with light-hearted giggles.

This was genuinely a good day, and Yosuke was going to think about his dear partner going back to the city anytime soon.

~~~

Rain pattered down against the hard, Inaba ground. There seemed to be a thick wind flowing, but the only indication Yosuke actually had of that was a few customers loudly complaining about how it nearly took their umbrella.

Marie must’ve felt like rain today.

This day… this was another boring day. Another hum-drum, run-of-the-mill work day with little excitement, but even that was fixable. After all, there had to be something interesting in hearing Teddie cause havoc on this working visit of his - crash!

…Scratch that, it was as bothersome as ever.

He knew he wouldn’t hear the end of both ends in a few hours, too; but, nevermind it for the moment. He saw her, her with her hair flowing as she gently held the hand of a young girl - Dojima Nanako - in her own. After spending so much time with her, Yosuke couldn’t help but feel… feel just so..! It was indescribable, but in attempts to put words around it, he’d try to put it down as undyingly trusting and comfortable. Sure, it may not have been that way at first, but she was precious to him now.

He nearly dropped what he was stocking onto the ground, steadying himself just before it happened, because oh was he bad at properly dealing with these thoughts.

It felt like just yesterday that she had suddenly blurted out her love for him - for him during that day where he told her to punch him all she wanted to make him feel like they were again, equal, then they both fell back onto the ground of the river bank, exhausted because man were her punches powerful. Her hand had rested onto his and there was nothing but the sound of the river flowing for just that brief moment.

“The power to protect what’s dear to me, huh… Heheh, just what I wanted,”Yosuke had said, feeling a change inside as the moments passed. Yes, this was it.

Saki-senpai, is this something you expected? I’m going to live these days you couldn’t, live them happy…

It was distant by months, distant by that series of events that followed and Yosuke didn’t care because every day past that was perfect. Maybe he was a bit lonely when she had to go back to the city, but he still couldn’t cast that worry upon the others that had once made up the Investigation Team.

It was time to approach and he’d be a fool to let Teddie zoom over first. Then he’d never get some nice, alone talking with her.

“Hello, Misses, anything I can help you find?”
Narukami looked up from the label of the box she held in her hand to see Yosuke. He looked confident in his air, happy to see her. Nanako noticed him too, and Narukami figured that Nanako was likely thinking, That’s right! He works here!

It was a staredown of genuine care, surreal to see her there, but that was right! Soon, she would be leaving again. Narukami knew it was inevitable, but she always remembered Yosuke’s words: “Distance doesn’t matter to us! Even if we’re separated, we’re still friends!”

Friends, friends of the separate from the ‘typically viewed as friends’ path, but he was her best friend, in that retrospect.

“Big sis, I’m gonna go over there and get some of those for dinner,” Nanako said, slipping away, her long, brown hair brushing against Narukami’s side as she turned away.
Narukami moved, giving Yosuke an awkward hug - just like her - as Yosuke laughed it off with a smile, feeling a kiss on his cheek.

“Well, Miss, again, I ask: Is there anything I can help you find? May I interest you in this great value?” Yosuke said, laughing as she did.

“Help would be nice, Yosuke.”

He bowed slightly to her, and listened to her requests, slipping in casual talking as he appeared to be working still. He’d miss her being right beside him but, just as he believed in, distance really didn’t matter, especially regarding her.

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