Title: Young Love
Author: vendettadays
Fandom: Barakamon
Characters: Seishū Handa, Naru Kotoishi, Hina Kuboto
Rating: K+
Length: 1517
Summary: Future fic – 'Sensei, how d'ya know you like someone?' asked Naru. Seishū sighed and got up to make tea. It was another question on the long list of odd questions that Naru had started asking since she had turned sixteen.

A/N: I finished watching Barakamon and this happened and there are no regrets. It's a sweet anime that leaves you feeling happy after each episode, so I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to watch it. Hope you enjoy this fic!

'Sensei?'

'What is it, Naru?' asked Seishū, without looking up from his work. He heard shoes being kicked off and the gentle creak of the old, wooden porch as it bore Naru's weight. Her socked feet whispered against the tatami mats as she shuffled into his home and she settled somewhere behind him.

The summer had flown by like an ocean breeze and with its end came the new school term, which meant that Seishū could concentrate on his work without being bothered by the kids everyday. He held onto his brush tightly and tried not to let the quiet, punctured by the chirping of the last few cicadas of the summer, bother him. The start of school had signalled the beginning of Naru's strange behaviour, although, he had realised on one sleepless night that it had started much earlier than that. He put down his brush down, careful not to drop ink onto the table and turned around to face Naru. They sat in a silent standoff. He waited patiently, elbow on the table so that he could rest his head on his hand.

Naru sat with her legs tucked underneath her, tight fists resting on top of her knees, and her eyes focused intently on the floor. She still looked every bit like that seven year-old child that he had found hiding under the kitchen sink, even with her high school uniform on and a deep set frown between her brows.

'Come on, what is it?' Seishū tapped his fingers on the table. Island life had made him into a much more patient man than Tokyo ever could have, even if it was by a marginal amount.

'Sensei,' started Naru with slumped shoulders, but she brought her head up to look at him. 'How d'ya know you like someone?'

Seishū stood up slowly and went into his kitchen. This was a conversation that needed tea. He considered the question as he sprinkled dried tea leaves into a pot. It was another one on the long list of odd questions that Naru had started asking since she turned sixteen and had started her first year at senior high. Before then, Naru would have followed him into the kitchen and pestered him for taking so long to answer.

'Well, I guess you like someone when you want to spend time with them?' said Seishū, as he placed the pot of tea and two cups on the table. He sat down and scratched the back of his head.

It was not like he was the best role model in the world when it came to friends. He was a thirty-two year-old who spent most of his time with kids sixteen years his junior. Other than Kawafuji, he had not made any friends in school and the people he had met in university were, at best, acquaintances.

'No, I meant when you "like" like them,' mumbled Naru.

Seishū laughed into his hand, passing it off as a cough when Naru glared at him. He turned around to hide the growing smile on his face and poured a cup of tea for Naru. So that was the reason for her weird behaviour, but he winced when he realised the short list of potential candidates.

Please don't let it be that punk, thought Seishū as he passed a cup of tea to Naru.

'It's not Kenta, is it?'

'No! Why would you think it's Kenta?' yelled Naru, shaking the tea and spilling it on her uniform.

Seishū threw his hands up in surrender, but Naru stared dejectedly at the wet patch on her skirt instead of arguing with him. The whole island knew that Kenta had liked Naru since they were kids. It was a fact that had bypassed Naru and he was sure that even to this day that she had no idea. He lowered his hands and handed her a tissue with the least amount of black ink on.

'Who is it?'

Naru shook her head and shrugged; her cheeks were tinged with a blush that he had never seen before. He was going to let the topic drop when Naru took a steadying breath and spoke in a small voice.

'They're quiet and get upset easily. When that happens I do everything to make them smile and when they do, it feels like my heart is gonna beat right outta my chest. We've been friends since forever and I don' wanna ruin that, because I don' know what I'll do if they hate me for… liking them like that.'

It unnerved him to see Naru so downtrodden over this. There was no doubt that he knew exactly who it was that had Naru wringing her hands and biting her bottom lip over. But he was sure that no matter what he said, Naru was not going to act on her feelings. There might have been nothing in his experience that came close to what Naru was going through, not when his younger years were filled with calligraphy practise after calligraphy lessons and no time for play, but he knew about missed opportunities and regret.

'Naru, do you really like this person as much as you say?' She nodded and clutched her cup like it was the only thing that grounded her. 'Then isn't that enough reason?'

'Grandpa says I can like whoever I like, but that don' mean that I can just say, "I like you!"'

Seishū sighed at Naru's reluctance. He was about to suggest something else when an idea hit him and he got up suddenly, startling Naru.

'I need to make a call.'

He left the room and went to the bathroom. It was the furthest room away from where Naru was. He took out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he needed to call. He spoke as quietly as he could for fear of Naru overhearing and when he hung up, he could not stop the grin that crept onto his face at the genius of his own nefarious plan.

'Who was that, Sensei?' asked Naru when he got back into the living room.

'Oh, I had to call someone about an emergency.'

Naru did not ask further and he was grateful that her current mood had put a temporary stop to her inquisitive ways. They lapsed into silence and he went back to work, but he was thrumming with anticipation to concentrate fully on his newest competition piece. It was not long before he heard the slapping of footsteps against the ground and the shout of his name from outside.

'Sensei! Is Naru alright?'

Hina appeared in the doorway, breathless and pink from running all the way from her house to his. Her long, black hair was dishevelled and her clothes clung to her in the waning summer heat. Naru's face paled at the sight of Hina, who leaned against the doorframe heavily as she tried to catch her breath.

Hina took off her shoes when she recovered enough and scrambled over to where Naru was sat. She placed her hands on both sides of Naru's face gently; her eyes were watery with worry, but there were no tears on her cheeks. 'Are you feeling well? Sensei said it was an emergency.'

'I'm fine,' said Naru as she allowed Hina to inspect her face. 'Sensei's messing about, that's all.'

Naru glared at him, but he shrugged and said that he was going out for a walk to admire the sunset. He slipped on his sandals by the door and turned around to look pointedly at Naru.

'I think a setting sun is the perfect time to air out the things that need to be said,' said Seishū cryptically as he gazed up at the blending blues and purples of the sky. 'I'll be back in an hour.'

It was dark by the time Seishū got back home. His neck ached and there was a rash on the back of his hand from an insect bite when Grandma Yasu had asked him to pick the last of the season's apples from her garden. At least he got a small share of the apples he had picked, even if he had not managed admire the sunset like he had intended.

He turned the corner to his house and stopped when he saw Naru and Hina sitting side by side on the porch. Naru was holding onto Hina's hand tightly and Hina was staring at the wilting sunflowers. They were awkward and uncertain, but it all ebbed away the moment Hina laughed out loud at Naru's joke. Naru grinned widely and Hina leaned in and rested her head on Naru's shoulder. He released the breath that he had been holding and coughed to get their attention. They sprang apart from each other and he raised an eyebrow knowingly at them just to make them squirm.

'Thanks, Sensei,' said Naru as he passed her on his way in.

Seishū smiled at her and left them alone to find the nearest brush before his urge to write disappeared.