X and Y by ColdAndrogyny
Summary: You have to choose between one of them, before you get yourself hurt.
Genre: Romance/Friendship, some Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort
Rated: T
A/N: This is set 5 years after the incident in 2011 concerning the Inaba murders. It's 2016 presently. Enjoy the story!
Chapter 1: Dolls and Tea
17th September 2016
It was a normal day in the shop Tatsumi Textiles and by normal day: the sky is grey filled with cloud banks that hid the sun, and a slight drizzle of rain. Customers come and go, picking up their orders of new fabric from the finest silk and cotton, hand picked, hand woven, fair trade, authenticity and all. Business was grand with the increase of doll commissions, customers ordered ridiculous customs; "I wanna bunny in a totoru suit wearing a top hat and dinosaur slippers!" pleaded a kid once, tugging on her mother's skirt repeatedly. "Yo, mister! Mind makin' me and mah babe matchin keychain dolls holdin puzzle piece that fit together! Oh yeah... Urrrr... Might as well make the dolls two bears. We love em bears!" said a dazed, Ill-mannered kid that was roughly 13 years old. And the last commission made the day of the crafter - "Yeah...Can you please make a doll that looks like my crush..." Said a teenage boy reluctantly as he passed the crafter a Polaroid picture of a cute looking, sweet girl: short, dark hair, light brown eyes, coral tinted cheeks and lips, subtle make up that emphasized her beauty and a small petite body, wrapped by fashionable clothing of interesting patterns - 'plaid, argyle and stripe. Pattern whore much?' Thought the crafter, but he dismissed the thought and agreed to the timid boy's request. "Thanks again mister!"
"Just call me, Kanji."
"Alright, Kanji-senpai." A smile formed at the kid's face, but soon turned to a frown that concerned the tall man towering over him. The boy looked down, and added. "I'm sorry if this seems like a big request, but..." He paused, and finally looked up to Kanji, his eyes somewhat teary. "... is it alright if you finish it by tomorrow afternoon? I..."
"- Lemme guess, girl you like is leaving and you wanna give it tah her before she leaves?" Kanji cut the boy off, easily predicting the reason that caused the boy to sheepishly nod, and looked down again wiping another set of tears with the sleeve of his hand.
"Jeez kid, don't cry. Girls don't like sissies so get a grip! I'll finish it by tomorrow! Heck, by tonight even!" He proudly said, encouraging the boy who was profoundly looking at him with a sense of relief. The next part was hard to admit, but he needed to cheer the kid up..."'sides, this ain't the first time I've made a doll. I've got so much practice knitting one ['one' hahahaha, lies] for a girl I like, I could do it blind."
The teenage boy laughed, his face glowing. Kanji smiled at him and the boy introduced himself as Motomiya Koutaro, a 1st year in Yasogami High. Koutaro bowed and gratified his thanks at Kanji before he left and gave a surprisingly fair amount of money left in a pink pastel envelope.
That day, Kanji Tatsumi went straight to start Koutaro's commission; looking back and forth to his collection of craft supplies and the girl in the picture, figuring out which supplies he needed to make sure that the girl in the picture, Koutaro's crush, would appreciate it, and hopefully form a relationship between the two. 'Would he like it as a plush? Or a knitted doll?' Kanji thought, questioning himself before grabbing a set of knitting needles after laying out a surprisingly amount of colored felt and patterned fabrics. He decided to go with the knitted doll as he was more experienced at it, and he knew that anything with knitting included,he would guarantee a major success.
The front door of the shop opened, the bell hanging from the door rung indicating another customer. After setting his supplies for Koutaro's doll on his desk, Kanji rushed to the shop, stopping dead in his tracks when he recognized a familiar face.
The girl was average height, roughly 5'6. Her light ginger hair [dyed, you can tell from the roots] was medium length, tied up so her short low pony-tail sat a top her right shoulder, and her fringe was in all directions over her forehead. Her eyes were bright hazel green, long eyelashes from a probable abuse of brown mascara, and her skin was pale, cool toned and pink. Her face was heart shaped, and her body shape was thin, petite with a slight curvature on the waist to the hips, an hourglass figure, obvious as her tight, long-sleeved sweater hugged her body, and a pair of denim skinny jeans paired with matching boots that were knee high. To another guy, she would have been stunning, a beauty, cute and sexy, a combination something Yosuke or Teddie would appreciate. Yet Teddie will find any girl appealing, save for Ohtani-san.
But to Kanji, The girl was no other than Yukihiro Haruhi; A girl that Kanji knew as a child during his elementary school days. Kanji reminisced the day Haruhi would tease him for sewing her torn bag together, and this caused a chain of reaction that had made Kanji Tatsumi the laughing stock of the whole town, and was, and never will be again, the town delinquent. Yet, the Haruhi standing there in front of looked matured, and apologetic: Her eyebrows were twisted, in a slight frown, and her mouth had a slight smile. This was the face of the girl who's about to say 'It's been a while'.
Body language, facial expression, must keep an eye on those to understand someone.
"It's been a while" said Haruhi. Kanji was to begin screaming 'I knew it', his abilities to read people had improved. Yet, he had some self-restraint and gave a slight smirk at Haruhi, his arms crossed against his tightening chest.
"Yeah...sure has." Kanji replied, his voice cool and calm.
Haruhi stepped closer to Kanji, making him slightly flinch. Yet the man thought to himself that he was taller, heck bigger, he was dominant now, not like when they were kids and she had the whole boys in their class gang up on him with homophobic slurs. However, Kanji was taken aback when Haruhi bowed in front of him, deep and held for long.
"I'm sorry!"
Kanji was astounded that his mouth was in mid gasp, eyes wide, his hand reaching for the back of his head in attempt to scratch his hair.
Before Kanji could say a word, Haruhi kept going, her upper body still bent down, while her hands placed together on her knees.
"I know it's been a while since we have seen each other Kanji-kun, but what I did before was completely immature and I solemnly, apologize for my mistakes!"
Kanji tried to make a sound -
"- I know you won't be able to forgive me, but please know that I came back here in hopes to redeem myself from what I have done -"
Kanji finally made a sound.
"- Wait! Holddup! Breathe, Dammit!" Kanji swore, and at the back of his head thanked that his mother was out shopping not able to hear him swear in her shop.
Haruhi finally bent up and straightened herself again. Her cheeks were puffy, 'she was definitely out of breathe' thought Kanji, her mouth was trembling and she inhaled and exhaled loudly.
"Lemme close the shop first. It's time to close anyways. Then we will talk."
Kanji made his way to his kitchen preparing two cup full of green tea for him and his mother. He set the tray of tea on the kotatsu and took his mug, sipping the tea while he eyed Haruhi, sitting opposite him on the kotatsu.
Haruhi made a cough, indicating her want to continue the conversation. But Kanji finished his mug of tea without noticing, and slammed it on the tray and made his line.
"You...you..." Kanji didn't prepare how to start his line. "...you changed."
"I certainly hoped I did. I pretty much wanted to come back to Inaba a changed woman."
"Yeah, but...what the hell! You come here saying you're sorry and and..."
"But I am, Kanji-kun. Terribly. Ever since I left to go abroad and heard about you over there and how you became, I felt responsible."
Kanji paused and agreed to the line. 'She was responsible, heck, she was the one who started it. Making a big fuss just cause I sewed her damn bag together! Her books may have fallen out!' Yet, Kanji was simply quite grateful that she came back and apologized. In fact, she was the only one of his school bullies that ever did. Probably due to the fact none of his previous school bullies wanted to face the former delinquent, but something about Haruhi impressed Kanji - she wasn't scared.
Haruhi gave out a sigh, and leaned her cheek to her palm. "I came back feeling bad about it. I didn't understand then, but now I do. You were just helping me out, but I was too idiotic to figure that out"
"So you came back to Inaba just to apologise to me?"
Impressed?
"Yes."
Impressed.
"Took you long enough." He mused, looking out the window at the rain that began progressing strongly, from a faint pitter-patter on the roof.
"Tickets to Japan are expensive. Especially if you're from the other side of the world." She informed.
"Why now?" Kanji questioned, looking back at Haruhi who began looking cold, her pale face ever so slightly getting paler. If possible.
She laughed lightly under her sigh, and looked down, fiddling with the oranges that were on a bowl on the center of the kotatsu.
"Umm...international scholarship to Kyoto Sekai University. I'm studying a manga course. " Haruhi responded, with the addition of information. Kanji became fascinated and learned that Haruhi wants to take a manga course in Kyoto, but stopped in her hometown Inaba first for 3 weeks due to the fact her semester does not begin until early September. Her parents are still back in England with her family, so Haruhi had no relative to stay with during her stay so she currently residents at the Amagi Inn. Kanji couldn't help but ask,
"Hey, Haruhi, umm... Jusso y'know, well I wanna know if why you left?" And then he added "Wassit cause of me?"
The girl before him stiffened slightly, and looked down, her cheeks flushed with a tint of red. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel guilty, so she resided and told him straight.
"No. You were not the cause of my leave. My parents found a new job in that country and decided to take me along with them."
"Ahhh... Well-"
"Please, Kanji-kun. Listen to me. Last thing I need for you is to believe you pushed me away. Never did you-"
"But I did..."
She frowned.
"No. What that girl was back then was a stupid, ignorant, stubborn, idiot! I know it was me then, but I regret what I had done and I wish for you to never believe it was your fault. It was not-"
"Alright! Jeeez. I forgive yah. Calm down and breathe again!" Kanji ordered, his voice echoing across the room and hopefully not the neighbors.
Haruhi began breathing in and out again, her breathe wheezy, as if she was in an asthma attack. But at the end of her breathing compilation, she gave Kanji a smile and if you look closely, a small tear at the inner corner of her left eye.
"Thank you, Kanji-kun."
"Whatever."
She laughed at his attitude and tear began falling out of her eyes. Tears of joy?
"Hey...y'know. It's raining out? So ummm.. Wanna get some Aiya beef bowl?" Kanji offered, his gaze focused on a particular box that contained his sewing kit. 'Sorry, Koutaro's crush doll, gotta make you later' he apologized mentally and smiled to himself.
"Wait! Aiya is still open?" She said in an interested and surprised tone that startled Kanji, flinching and taken aback.
"Hell yeah!" He responded, his fist pumping out of excitement that was caught from Haruhi's contagious enthusiasm.
She laughed once again and stood up from the kotatsu, stretching her arms and legs. Kanji did the same too, and he watched Haruhi move to the clothing rack to grab her jacket. Kanji noticed the almost cold cup of tea left for his mother, yet he knew, even before he made it, she was going to be late.
"Want the tea?" He asked Haruhi, and she grinned at him, her face in a dewy, content glow.
"I thought you'd never ask."
A/N: Bear with me, this is my first fan fiction. I wanted this chapter to focus more on Kanji meeting a girl from his childhood days and how he reacts to it. He's a pretty forgiving dude, but he's not one to forget. I apologise for any grammatical and spelling errors. Please feel free to tell if I have done so, so I shall fix it.
Disclaimer: Characters in this story are from the games Persona 4 by Atlus.
- Haruhi Yukihiro is an OC, but based on a canon unnamed character, so she is pretty much still owned by Atlus.
Next Chapter:
Rise and Naoto are out to watch a movie and they form an espionage duo as Rise finds Kanji shopping with a girl in Okina City.
Little script sneak peek:
Rise: "Naoto-kun! Whom arth thy GURL with thou arth Kanjeh in thy craft store?!
Naoto: Why are you speaking, or more so attempting to speak like a Shakespearean character?
Rise: Cause thy beautiful, noble, Detective Prince speaks in such fancey language, and I shall fit in and adapt to thy act.
Naoto: You're an imbecile.
