boxofsleep | (no subject)

(no subject)

Who: Kanji and Yukiko
What: A special moment.
Where: Tatsumi residence, Inaba
When: November

Honestly, they all needed something good in their lives around now. When the fog was refusing to clear, despite finding the killer and fighting back the Shadows that had taken him over - what was even going on, any more?

But life goes on, even with that. And a dinner with his - Kanji still can't quite believe girlfriend sometimes - was certainly a nice break from everything else that was happening. Not something at Aiya with the rest of their group - something at home, comfortable and a little special. It's still hard to beat ma's cooking, sometimes.

... In retrospect, he really should have expected that she'd break out the embarrassing stories, but still. He can deal.

Afterwards, though, when his mother'd moved on, leaving them alone, with a smile... Yukiko'd had something to say.

"Huh? What is it?" he asked, curious.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Over the course of her life, Yukiko had learned a few things about how to cope with adversity. How to be serene amidst chaos, bow to keep a steady smile and steady hands when it felt like her heart was shaking itself to pieces, how to do grueling physical labor in a fine kimono without ruining it, how to have grace under fire--often literally, now that she had experienced the dangers of the TV world..... Even how to face the most terrible darkness, inside and out, while standing her ground.

Even having courage in the face of despair, and holding tightly to her bonds as life tried to tear them asunder, in spite of the most impossible odds.

She'd learned more recently that sometimes, it was okay to relax--you didn't have to be strong all the time. Sometimes, a moment of softness could help you stand firm when the time came. So Yukiko only protested a little when the staff discovered that she'd been invited to dinner with the Tatsumis, and (predictably) proceeded to fuss over the occasion, and over her, until she was as red as the obi on the yukata they'd talked her into. It was only next door, but she'd still been sent on her way with a wrapped plate of dainty little cakes for dessert, far more than three people could ever need for one meal.....

.....And a gift wrapped in soft purple tissue paper for Kanji tucked snugly into the bag along with it, one she hadn't told even them about.

She couldn't help but feel like a child again, with just the three of them together like this; it was intimate and nostalgic in a way she'd nearly forgotten, before this whole crazy year had started. (Tatsumi-san always told the best stories, too! She had laughed her way through half the meal, without a doubt.) And yet, once Tatsumi-san had left them on their own to talk, and she looked at Kanji alone..... She could feel herself starting to blush, as the self-consciousness crept back in. Her smile turned distinctly shy, as she ducked her head and reached for the nearly abandoned bag she'd brought with her. Steady hands and steady smiles were easy, compared to how hard she found herself trying to keep her voice from shaking as she offered him the bundle of paper. "Um..... I..... I-I want you to have this."

Unwrapping it, Kanji would find a stuffed rabbit just the right size to hug, with soft black fur and gleaming black button glass eyes; it was even dressed in a little miko uniform, and held a shrine charm stitched in place and nestled between its paws. The presentation left something to be desired, with awkward stitching far too large and obvious to be hidden, and uneven edges that betrayed a clear struggle with the patterns that had been used--but as messy and amateurish as it was, it had still been clearly handmade with painstaking care, and the construction was sturdy, with quality material used all around. Someone must have visited Tatsumi Textiles, while Kanji was out elsewhere in town.....

Edited 2016-02-15 20:17 (UTC)

Seeing her dressed up like that had been unexpected, that's for sure. He'd have been happy with anything, but going to that much trouble to make the occasion special? Damn, it kind of had him feeling a bit underdressed...

Well, no matter. Next time, he'd make up for it.

"Huh? Oh. Thanks," he started as he took the tissue paper parcel, tone warm and happy. A present? Man, she really didn't have to - it was soft. Very soft. A few hesitant squishes with an increasing look of excitement and optimism on his face, and he ripped on into the paper...

And as he started to realise just what was in there, how much effort she'd gone to for him, his jaw dropped.

"You - you did this for me? It's ...damn, it's adorable!" A smile creased his face from ear to ear as he looked it over. Wonky stitches? Given how long she'd been learning, was he going to say anything about that? "Thank you," he said, tearing his attention away from the rabbit and looking at Yukiko herself, still smiling. "Seriously. I love it."

He won't be able to keep his eyes off you, Kasai had promised, once they'd gotten her dressed and made up. You're beautiful. Yukiko hadn't been quite so sure, then. But now, hands clasped before her and face almost glowing with embarrassment as Kanji tore open his gift..... Somehow, it seemed Kasai was right. Even with his jaw dropping in amazement and his whole face lighting up with happiness as he looked the doll over, it wasn't long before his attention returned to her, and the smile had yet to fade.

It felt like it had been far too long since she'd seen him smiling like that, delighted and optimistic and full of wonder. It made him look like who she now knew he really was--a man finally coming into his own, strong and warm and handsome. So much had been happening, and there was so much to worry about, lately..... But she could make him happy. She could. That smile was just for her. Her heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of her chest and flutter away, but Yukiko could feel her own smile grow in return with the rush of pleased relief.

Only the discipline she'd cultivated all her life (real ladies don't squirm; they always have perfect posture and poise) kept Yukiko from fidgeting or looking away as she confessed. "The charm is from the shrine..... I-I prayed over it for you..... to stay happy and healthy and safe. So she can protect and take care of you, w-whenever I'm not there to." She'd prayed over it for him, too---just for him, in hopes that they could keep smiling together forever..... But somehow, that felt a little too selfish to say aloud, especially in so many words.

What was important was that it was for whenever she couldn't be there for him, not as long as she wouldn't be there for him. She knew in her heart, now, that it was the right choice--Inaba was their home. Both of them were staying right here, exactly where they belonged. Yukiko would protect Kanji with every last breath in her body--and if her own meagre human strength wasn't enough, then she would entrust the task to the hands of the gods, as well.

The immediate smile of delight at the sight of the rabbit softened into something longer, warmer, more filled with a tight knot of emotions - he looked at the rabbit one more time, at the charm in there, and pulled it into a tight hug. If he couldn't do something like that around her, in his own home, who could he?

"I'll keep it with me." Well, maybe not the rabbit. Not all the time, anyway. But the charm; that he could. "No matter what. No-one's done somethin' like this for me before." Then again, who would have thought to, even not so long ago? When he'd almost had no-one who cared before the start of this year, and the start of their mission...

Things had changed - he'd changed. As hard as it might be to accept, he knew that much. The person he'd been before all this would never have even dreamt he'd be here now with someone like her...

All it would take was a simple snip, to cut the stitch holding the charm on. The rabbit may have been big enough to cradle comfortably in his arms, but the charm? That was small enough to take with him everywhere, no matter what. A simple priestess or miko may not be able to keep an eye on someone all the time..... But the gods were everywhere, weren't they? And so was their power, invested in the world around them and carried with them in their hearts. If her heart and intentions had been pure enough, if they deemed the two of them worthy, then Kanji would be safe.

She hoped so, at least, but she wasn't very happy sitting back and letting things happen anymore, just wishing and hoping for the best..... No, she wanted to seize fate with her own two hands, just like Kanji had shown her. If you had the strength and courage to act, you could turn your dreams into reality. Yukiko giggled, shy in spite of herself. "Maybe they just never knew they should..... but I'm glad that I could do it for you first. I..... I wanted to show you how much I've learned from you, Kanji-kun."

"Heh..." He felt a slight warmth rising into his face, and released his grasp on the rabbit enough to look between it and her. How could he even start to explain what something like that meant to him?
"Never thought anyone could learn anything from me before, either," he said, chuckling lightly. "Never thought anyone'd want to."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only