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When Naoto wakes up from bed, her skin is met with the warmth of the sun's rays glistening through her bedside window. She lets out a soft yawn before sitting up and turning her head slightly down to look at the sleeping man laid out next to her. The bangs of his raven hair laid sloppily on his forehead, adding a unique charm to him. His left arm is extended out for her to lay her head against. His right hand lay carelessly on his chest as it slowly moves up and down with each breath he takes, accompanied by a light snore here and there.
He is still asleep, her mind says as she quietly chuckles to herself.
She turns her head in the opposite direction to face the window. The sky is blue with white feathery clouds unhurriedly passing by. The faint sounds of the birds chirping from a distance quickly fills her ears.
She brings her knees up to her chest to hug them. With her back haunched, she places her head between her knees and stares intently at the window. She slowly closes her eyes and lets her mind wonder.
The scene gives her a comforting feeling; a sense of peace.
Ah, peace. She thinks to herself.
Peace has not always been in her vocabulary. As a detective prince, her life constantly revolved around the various gut-wrenching and emotionally draining cases that were often brought to her attention. She never had a stationary place to call home due to her needing to travel whenever a case called, which made her lose a sense of comfort and security. Not to mention the added stress of being a woman in a very male-dominated and sexist field. Nevertheless, the devotion she had for her work outweighed more than any of her senseless problems. This also made no time for her to entertain trivial things like romance or making friends.
That is... until the mysterious murder cases in a small rural town known as Inaba were brought to her attention.
The case was bizarre in more ways than one. There were countless dead ends and little to no leads on who the culprit was or the method of their ways. No matter how frustrating and mentally exhausting the case might have been, it turned out to be a life-changer for her.
Who would've known that a team of ragtag teenagers with supernatural powers would be the ones to help solve this case as well as become some of the most important people in her life.
A small smile begins to form on her face.
Despite seeing her at her lowest point, they didn't judge or pry. Instead, they accepted her as one of them. As an inept at making friends, the feeling of being able to talk with people her age and have people to confide in made her feel much lighter; as if the burden of solitude had been lifted. It made her feel at ease.
Even when the case was officially solved and they went on to live their lives, they all continued to be a tight-knit bunch.
She opens her eyes and looks at her left hand. A gold band adorned on her ring finger. She stares at the ring affectionately and a soft chuckle escapes from her lips.
If she thought the idea of her making friends was far fetched, never in a million years would she have thought that she would even consider a romantic relationship, much less be married. But alas, she has come to learn that life had a crazy way of presenting itself.
She turns her head to look back at the sleeping figure next to her.
Kanji Tatsumi, a name that sends butterflies right to her stomach. Their relationship has not always been smooth sailing. When they first met, he was never able to keep eye contact with her or hold a conversation without hiding his face to conceal his flushed cheeks. But no matter how awkward their conversations or interactions might have been, she knew he cared for her deeply, and vise versa.
During their heyday of fighting shadows with their personas, they always made sure to have each other's back, even developing a duel attack together. Whenever one of them was possessed by a spell or struck down by an enemy's attack, they would be the first to make each other snap out of it or pick each other up when they were down.
He proved to be a very reliable ally during their adventure inside the TV world and an even closer friend outside of it.
Out of everyone on the team, she spent the most time with the former delinquent. In the following spring when the leader of their team left to go back home, their other senpais became busy studying for the inevitable placement exam, and their fellow pigtail friend and classmate back on showbiz; they often found themselves in each other's company. They would find each other in class, hang out on the school's rooftop, or even idly walk home together in silence. Though they were close companions during their time exploring the TV World, it was moments like these that made them even more comfortable in each other's presence. This showed in the way they interacted. Their interactions became more than just a wave or stammers of incomplete sentences from the taller boy. The various conversations they began to have ranged from a variety of things, both little and big.
They would converse about the classes they were taking, inquire about their day, reminisce on the past year, reflect on how they've grown, discuss their future goals and aspirations, share the mutual pain of losing someone close to them, and much more.
Naoto was able to learn more about Kanji than she had before. It was common knowledge amongst their group of friends that his punk appearance was a facade to deflect his interests of 'traditionally feminine' hobbies like sewing and loving all things cute. However, through their conversations, she came to realize that he was a gentle soul, who feared rejection and wanted nothing more than to protect those he held dearly. She also realized that the more she learned about Kanji, the more she felt connected to him. Like Kanji, she created a facade to fit in a more 'traditionally male' environment, feared being alone, and wanted nothing more than to help and bring closure to those who may need it. Her connection with him was deeper than any of them could have known. The thought of relating to someone so deeply made her heart go unsteady.
Naoto kisses her fingertips and then caresses Kanji’s cheeks with her fingertips, moving ever so slightly so she doesn't wake him up. The small smile remains on her face as she watches him; her heart so full of love and adoration for the man next to her.
She stays in this position for a moment, before stopping her movements and slowly shifting her attention back at her gold ring.
She vividly remembers the day their relationship became something more.
It was in her last year of high school and the day was nice, just like the one she was having in the present. The sky was clear with the sunbeams peeking through the clouds, and a gentle breeze lightly brushing past her skin. She grew a love and appreciation for the beautiful weather after dealing with the hazardous fog that plagued their town many months ago. So once she had been dismissed from school, she took the opportunity to go straight outside to the school gates and admire the weather in all its glory. She stood in that location for a moment, taking in the environment, before hearing footsteps approach her accompanied by a familiar voice that was calling out her name.
"Yo, Naoto!"
She turned around to face the direction of the sound. It was Kanji, his appearance was vastly different now to when they were both first years. He grew out his hair fully black, clipping off the last of the blond pieces that lingered at the ends of his hair. His spring attire had changed from his black skull printed tank top to their school's white button-down shirt; always making sure to leave the top two buttons unfastened, revealing a yellow shirt underneath. To top off his newfound look, he wore black glasses, which Naoto found to be quite adorable and on-brand with his amiable personality.
She tilted her blue cap to greet her friend.
"Hello, Kanji-kun, how has your day been?" A simple question, which they always started their conversations with.
"Eh... nothin' much. Having math last period sucks though. Shits got my head all over the place." He groaned, rubbing the back of his head.
"Kanji-kun, if you need any assistance with mathematical equations, I am always here." Naoto looked up at her friend and smiled, "Just as I have always been these past two years."
A faint shade of pink appeared on the boy's face as he lowered his head to look at the ground.
"Yeah, I know." Even after two years, Kanji still had his moments of slight embarrassment and awe for the young detective in front of him.
"Anway, what's got you starin' into space? Saw your cap a mile away and thought maybe we should walk home together... y'know with the nice weather n' all. Then I get here and you're all spacin' out n' stuff."
He placed his hands in his pockets and looked back at Naoto. "Took a couple of tries for ya to notice me calling. You okay?"
The concern in his voice when he asked that question made her heart feel tight. She exhaled and turned her head to the open road in front of the school gates.
"It's nice outside. After our... 'dealings' with the case a few years ago," she closed her eyes and placed her hands behind her back, "I find myself more appreciative of this type of weather. So I make it an effort to take in as much of it as I can."
"I hear ya. We were dealing with a lot of shit back then. And then that damn fog came…" He took a few steps forward to stand next to her. "So I get it."
Kanji took Naoto's satchel from her shoulder and placed it over his shoulder, holding it by its straps. He continued to take a few steps forward before stopping and glancing back at her. Before Naoto could protest that she was fully capable of carrying her bag, he shot her a smile. "So how bout we enjoy this weather together, yeah?"
She could feel her heart skip a beat. She stood motionless for a quick second before tilting her hat again to hide the pink blush that was beginning to form on her cheeks. "Very well." she murmured, taking a few steps forward to catch up with her friend.
They did not often strike up conversations during their walks, and this day was no exception. They loved walking together in silence, just enjoying the other's company and stealing glances at each other when the other was not looking. As they reached the Samegawa flood plain, Naoto couldn't help but look at the river to the side of her. She stopped in her tracks and turned towards the direction of the body of water to face it. The lake was crystal blue, with patches of white light reflected from the sun, glistening amongst the water.
Another positive factor from weather like this, she noted.
It didn't take long before her companion realized she had stopped walking and was lost in thought again. But this time, however, he didn't want to snap her out of her thoughts. The sight of her memorized by the wonders of nature was something that brought a certain joy to his heart.
"Kanji-kun" she spoke softly after a long moment of silence from admiring the lake in front of them. "We've been through these plains countless times before, however this is the first time I have taken notice of the water. I never knew it was so…."
"Nice?" He asked, hoping that was the word she was looking for to finish her sentence.
"Precisely." She giggled quietly, "It's the few attributes of this town that makes me satisfied with my decision in staying here…" the look on her face then changed from one of awe to a more pensive look before continuing, "It's also these attributes that I will deeply miss when I'm away for a case."
"Do you not like working on cases?" Kanji asked thoughtfully. He knew it wasn't the best question to ask because he already knew the answer. He knew above all else, she loved being a detective and solving cases. However, he also knew that something was bothering her from the tone of her last statement.
Naoto was aware that Kanji had picked up that something was troubling her. She simply shook her head. "No… it's more of the loneliness I feel when I go back to work. Now having first-hand experience of what it feels like to have people care about you and value you as a person rather than the work you do…" She clenched her hands into fists; her eyes filled with sorrow and her breathing began to grow heavy, "I don't want to go back to feeling alone."
Naoto was lost in thought, remembering the feeling of how lonely she felt before she joined the investigation team. Her thoughts were cut short when she felt her left hand being lifted by a pair of larger hands. She turned her head to look at Kanji, who was facing her with both his hands wrapped around her small fist.
Naoto stood there, stunned by the taller boy's sudden actions.
He exhaled, "Hey, you ain't alone. You got the whole team behind ya…" With one hand, he grabbed Naoto's other fist and raised it next to the one his other hand held on to. His thumbs gently caressed each of her palms, helping her unclench her fists. The feeling was soothing and it helped her calm down.
He continued not to make eye contact with the girl in front of him. Instead, he focused his attention on his thumbs, moving them left and right ever so slightly. He wanted to make sure that all the nerves and frustrations that were being pent up had left her body.
"And y'know I'll always be there. As long as I'm here, ya never gonna have to feel alone. Even when we're all old n' wrinkly, I'll do my damn best to make sure you don't ever experience that again."
Naoto could feel her heart skip several beats and her cheeks became warmer. She wanted to hide her face behind her cap or even run away, but she couldn’t bring her muscles to move. The only thing she could think about was the boy before her and the words that came out of his mouth. She stood there, keeping her gaze on him.
“Kanji- kun” she uttered his name softly.
After a brief moment of focusing his attention on their hands, he looked up and was met with Naoto’s steel-blue eyes, staring at him, astounded. Her cheeks were covered by a crimson red blush. Her mouth was slightly agape; as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. Her eyes were wide and filled with astonishment.
Perplexed by her facial expression, Kanji took a minute to figure out what might have caused the girl to look so shocked. Then, he recalled what he had said to her seconds prior.
His cheeks began to also turn into a deep crimson shade of red.
“I-It’s not like I mean anythin’ weird about it! I...I... um… y’know” he started to stammer on his words, trying to keep his eyes on anything and everything but the girl before him. Before he could move his hands away from hers, she held them tighter. The sudden pressure of his hands caused him to look back at her.
She giggled from watching the boy becoming so flustered. “I do know what you mean.” She took his hands and interlocked her fingers with his.
He tensed up for a bit but soon became relaxed. “Yeah...just know that I’m always here.”
She closed her eyes, a pleasing feeling started to sink in her chest. “I know.” she said quietly, "It's funny... I always find myself trying to avoid or hide from situations like this. However, I cannot find myself running away from this one in particular."
Naoto looked up to meet his grey eyes; her smile became bigger. “So before we can become ‘all old and wrinkly’ together, I propose we go through the natural steps first of any such relationship.”
“So you’re sayin’...”
She gave his hands a light squeeze. “Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.”
She chuckles to herself from the memory. It’s one of the many fond moments she has with her now spouse. Recollections of those moments start to fill her head. She remembers the time they revealed their newfound relationship to their friends, the several dates they’ve been on in Okina City, when he officially proposed to her in front of his family’s textile shop, and the day they officially tied the knot.
The beautiful memories occupying her mind makes her smile. She takes her right hand and gently strokes the golden band with her fingertips as her mind becomes absent from the world around her.
"Hey, Naoto, you okay?" a hoarse voice asked, snapping her out of her reverie.
She turned her head to face the man who has now gotten up from his slumber. "Good morning,” she said softly with a small smile. “It seems I was lost in my thoughts again. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
"Nah, you’re all good. So, watcha thinkin’ about?”
She closed her eyes and giggled before pressing a delicate kiss on his temple and whispering in his ears, “Just how fortunate I am to have met you.”
With that, he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her onto the bed and closer to him. He kisses her cheeks and chuckles, “I should be the one sayin’ that about you. Not every day you nab a beautiful n’ smart detective.”
“And not every day you can marry a thoughtful and handsome tailor.” She rolls over on the bed to face him. She places a hand gently on the side of his face and moves closer to plant a tender kiss on his lips. They take a moment to stare into each other eyes, both grinning wide toothy smiles.
“I love you” he murmurs, pulling her closer to him.
“I love you too.” she says as she buries her head on his chest.
All the times she has felt stressed, frustrated, or lonesome has disappeared from her memory. At this moment, all she feels is peace, joy, security, and satisfaction. These new feelings that she has developed over the course of ten years were still a new concept to her, but it was a concept she will have no trouble coming to terms with.
I can certainly get used to this, she thinks to herself.
She is content.