"I never knew you liked candy canes, Chidori."
That old, familiar voice rang in between the amnesiac girl's head, making her sigh and rub her forehead. Like many things these days, Yoshino Chidori often heard the strange voice in the back of her mind whenever she saw the seasonal candies coming out. She had just passed by a street vendor on the streets of Kyoto selling candy canes and other such Western treats. Chidori had stopped for a moment, looking at the candy canes with longing for a moment before shaking her head and walking on. She needed to keep her money to pay her rent; even if she was an up and coming name in the fashion field, she still had to live somewhere.
None of the people she worked with knew that Chidori was inflicted with amnesia, had been since shortly before her seventeenth birthday. What exactly had caused it, and what she had been doing before then to cause it, she still didn't know. All that she knew was that there was a young man involved in it all – someone who she trusted with everything, if the way she felt her heart rate picked up whenever she tried to remember him signified anything.
Now, at nearly twenty-three and a successful Lolita model and designer, Chidori was still trying to remember him. She was fairly certain whoever he was, he'd been important to her. 'It's so frustrating, not knowing who someone that important is …' Sighing, Chidori brushed some of her long, blood red hair behind her ear as she continued walking down the road in the snow.
And yet, everywhere she went, she kept seeing more and more sweets vendors around her, and the smell of peppermint, apple cider and hot cooca was tainting the air, making her stomach rumble. Sighing, Chidori stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, fiddling in her purse. A small cup of cocoa, and a candy cane, just for the walk back to her apartment. Even with her paycheck, she didn't need to spend that much money on sweets.
She had forgotten that her coat was white, and that it was nearing twilight even with Kyoto's street lights going. While normally at this time of day not too many people were walking about, but with the holiday season rushing towards everyone at a fast rate there were people running up and down the snow covered sidewalk, parcels and packages in hand as they tried to get home before the gentle snowfall got worse. Most people swerved around Chidori, or didn't even walk close to her, so she didn't think too much about it until someone crashed into her from behind, sending them both sprawling.
"Holy shit, I'm sorry miss!" It was a young man who'd crashed into her, if the voice was telling Chidori anything. "I didn't mean to do that, I promise. Slipped on ice back there, and couldn't regain my balance in time …" Chidori pushed herself onto her knees, gripping at her purse as she tried to brush snow off of her at the same time. The stranger grabbed at her wallet – which had flown from her purse – and handed it back to her as they both straightened. "Here you go; wouldn't be good if someone took that." He stated with a weak chuckle, one that made Chidori smile in spite of her irritation.
"It's December; ice is understandable." She reassured the stranger, taking her wallet back and sticking it into her purse once more as she looked him over. He was around her age, if slightly older, and rather tall. His black hair was cropped short, and a small goatee on his chin made his otherwise bland face fill out nicely. Dark eyes – if they were black or a very dark grey, Chidori couldn't tell in the dim outdoor light – danced in carefree amusement, and the embarrassed smile on his face still remained from accidentally knocking Chidori over, and she found herself smiling back at him. "I'm just glad you were nice enough to apologize for it; most people here don't even blink if they run someone over while racing off to do some shopping."
"That's holiday fever for ya." The stranger shrugged his shoulders, still smiling. "Even the nicest people turn into cats with dogs chasing them, going everywhere at high speeds and clawing anyone who gets in their way." Reaching forward, he brushed some snow off of Chidori's coat. "Didn't want to wreck your coat; it looks pricy." The silly chuckle of his came again, and Chidori found herself smiling.
"It's not THAT expensive." She told him, ignoring the tag tickling the back of her neck with the prestigious brand logo on it. It hadn't been expensive, at least, not for her. Who knew how much this stranger made, no matter how kindly he was. Looking him over, Chidori found herself amused to see that he dressed every bit as plainly as his speech; it suited him, even if he wore the hood of his sweatshirt down and the snow was falling in her hair.
Chidori was so amused by this, she didn't see the way the stranger's eyes widened after a moment, as if finally registering who she was. When she looked, the expression had cleared from his face, but he still seemed sad about something. Deciding to ignore it, Chidori shifted to look through her wallet again; cocoa still sounded good. "Well, I hate to run, but … it's getting late, and I wanted to stop for some hot chocolate." She apologized, smiling as she stuck her wallet back into her purse.
At this, the man smiled at her. "Why don't I go with you? I don't have anywhere to go myself, apart from home." Shrugging, he gave her a silly grin. "Plus, I still feel bad for running into you like that. I'll treat you." Chidori's eyes went wide at this, and she stared for a good long moment; was this some sort of lame pick-up line?
A second look at the man's face showed that it wasn't like that; he honestly wanted to do something nice to her for knocking her over. "It … it's alright," Chidori gave a tiny shake of her head, wondering where this stutter of hers had come from. "Y ... you don't have to apologize for that sort of accident …"
"But I want to." The stranger gave a small shrug again, smiling at her. "Like I said, I don't have anywhere special to go to, and I know a good place to get some cocoa and coffee at; a couple of old classmates of mine own and work at the place, actually." Chidori paused at this, and gave the stranger an exasperated sigh. She wasn't about to admit that she barely knew her way around Kyoto yet – she'd only moved here recently, after all – but this stranger was oddly polite …
"Alright, fine." She said at long last, although she didn't sound particularly venomous about it. "I hope it's a decent place though, not one of those silly American chains that popped up recently." At this, her new friend shook his head, obviously grinning about something only he knew, making her relax a fraction. "Very well, then … oh!" Pulling her purse up over her arm, Chidori extended one hand to him. "I'm Yoshino Chidori, by the way." The stranger seemed taken aback for a second (was he not expecting her to tell him her name right off the bat, Chidori wondered), but he grinned all the same and shook her hand in return.
"Iori Junpei." He replied, dark eyes amused and somehow bittersweet at the same time.
Junpei.
For some reason, the name stirred something in the back of Chidori's mind, but she pushed the matter aside as she and Junpei walked down the sidewalk, making small talk the entire time. She was amused to find out that he trained therapy animals for a living, ranging from seeing-eye dogs to miniature horses for the paralyzed to ride in therapy sessions. He seemed like the kind of person who would love animals, and judging by the way he talked about the ones he had trained and gotten jobs and homes for, they meant as much to him as siblings or children.
He was also single, or at least not married; Chidori hadn't seen or felt a ring on his finger when they'd first crashed into one another. For some reason, she was happy about that, although she didn't mention it to Junpei as they reached a small, inconspicuous café nestled at an intersection, the tiny neon sign showing a bright pink, heart shaped lyre with the words 'The Lilly Lyre' written above it in gold. Looking at the sign – and the café's name – made Chidori chuckle for some reason, hit by nostalgia as she looked at it, before following Junpei inside.
The inside of 'The Lilly Lyre' was every bit as small and cozy as it appeared from the outside, and Chidori could see at once why Junpei liked it here. The walls were a cheery, bright amber color, and the lights were covered by frosted glass, all autumn colored. The air smelled like a bakery and a coffee shop rolled into one, and yet the smell wasn't overpowering. Looking at the tiled floor as Junpei led her up to the counter, Chidori saw that it was a light cream color, and the overall feel of the place was very homey.
"Welcome to 'The Lilly Lyre', how can I – Junpei, I should've known you'd be here this time of day!" Chidori's attention was returned to the counter as a young woman with auburn haired turned to greet them, smiling at the sight of Junpei. Junpei laughed at that and smiled at her, shaking his head in what seemed to be amusement.
"You're still running the counter, Hamu-tan?" He asked the young woman, cocking an eyebrow. "And you're how many days away from your due date? Two weeks at the most?" The woman laughed, a hand going to rest over the rather prominent swell of her belly. Looking at her, Chidori saw that she wore a wedding band, making her relax, which alone startled her. When and why did she tense up?
"I'm only working now because Rin-chan called in sick." The young woman scolded Junpei, wagging a finger at him. "Don't think Shinji hasn't tried to get me to stop running around either." In response, a man's voiced called out from the kitchen, saying something that Chidori vaguely understood as 'She doesn't listen.' The auburn laughed at that, shaking her head. "The usual for you today, Junpei?" She asked, making Junpei grin in spite of his chuckles.
"Yeah, same as always, Hamu-tan." He nodded, and then looked at the counter. "Oh hey, you got your cinnamon cookies out too! A half dozen of those with my regular, alright?" 'Hamu-tan' (Chidori figured that was a nickname) laughed and nodded, reaching to grab the cookies as Junpei turned back to Chidori. "You figure out what you want yet?" He asked, still smiling.
Startled, Chidori shook her head. "OH, n – no, not yet." She apologized with a light blush, going to read the list of drinks that were there to select from. Junpei just laughed and assured her that there was no rush before going to talk with 'Hamu-tan' once again. Chidori didn't pay attention to them talking, or she would have noticed the way Hamu-tan nodded at her and mouthed Junpei a question. As it was, when she had decided on what she wanted and was ready to order, the two were discussing baby names and what all they'd been up to in the past few days; Junpei was apparently a regular here.
Once the orders were placed, Hamu-tan nodded and walked back to the kitchen area, saying that it would be a few minutes. Thanking her, Junpei led Chidori over to a small booth that looked out over the street. Sitting down, Chidori smiled and glanced around again. "This place is nice; I'll have to remember to come by here again." She commented, taking her coat off and putting it on the seat next to her. Junpei grinned.
"I take it you haven't been in Kyoto long then; even if it's only a couple years old, this place is pretty popular." He laughed, smiling as he leaned back in the seat. "The woman who took the order for us? That was Hamuko, an old friend of mine from high school." At this, Junpei laughed again, "Well, back then she was Arisato Hamuko, and now she's Aragaki Hamuko." Giving Chidori a lopsided grin, he added, "She and her husband started this place up after they got married, and both of them work in the kitchens despite all the money they made from the place."
Chidori smiled at this, leaning forward on the table. For some reason, the way Junpei was smiling and talking felt very familiar, although she swore that she hadn't met him before he crashed into her about fifteen minutes ago now. Admittedly, he was very nice to listen to when he talked, even more so than the quiet old lady who lived in the apartment next to Chidori's. "You seem awfully close to her; I take it you two got along real well?" She asked, curious.
Junpei laughed. "Lived with her, her brother, her –at the time future – husband, and a bunch of other friends in a co-ed dorm, junior year of high school." He replied, leaning forward as well, propping his chin on a hand. "Her brother was kinda distant from people, but man oh man, Hamu-tan was always rainbows and butterflies, even when she was pulling pranks left right and center." They both shared a laugh at that, and from there, the conversation ranged all over the place. The more they talked, the more Chidori found herself relaxing, smiling as she hadn't done in what felt like years. For someone who she'd just run into on the street not even an hour ago, she felt as if she had known Junpei for a long time.
Perhaps, a small part of her mind realized, perhaps she had known Junpei for quite a while.
It wouldn't be too far-fetched of an idea, after all; she was an amnesiac. But the chances of that happening, especially in a place as large and spacious as Kyoto, were incredibly slim. Still … something about him, the way he acted, his carefree grin, that contagious laugh … All of it felt vaguely familiar, as if out of a dream, and it was starting to get irritating that she didn't remember where she could know him from!
"Alright, here's one vanilla-chocolate swirl cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon," Chidori jumped as Hamuko walked up to them, carrying two mugs and a small plate of cookies on a tray; she had been so wrapped up in the conversation that she hadn't noticed the pregnant woman's arrival. Hamuko seemed to notice, because she gave Chidori an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that; I've been wearing slippers ever since I hit thirty-six weeks, so it's not unusual for me to startle people unless they see me." She explained, handing Chidori the steaming mug. Chidori gave an understanding nod and sipped from her drink as Hamuko turned to Junpei. "And your usual, Junpei; a heart attack in a coffee mug, with cinnamon cookies on the side."
"It is NOT a heart attack in a coffee mug …" Junpei muttered playfully as he took a sip, shaking his head as Hamuko put the plate of cookies down and walked back to the counter. Smiling, Junpei put his mug down to grab a cookie from the plate – from the smell of the drink, it was coffee with at least two different kinds of chocolate, cream and sugar with whipped cream on top of it.
'No wonder Hamuko called it a heart attack in a coffee mug.' Chidori mused to herself, sipping from her cocoa with a dreamy smile on her face. "Mmm … this is some of the best cocoa I've had in a while …" She murmured, staring down into the warm liquid in contentment. "I'll definitely have to come back here when I want coffee, that's for certain." Junpei laughed at that, taking a sip of his own drink again.
"Told you this place was good." He grinned at her, offering her one of the cinnamon cookies. "Here, try one; Hamu-tan's a damn good baker." Chidori blinked, but took the offered cookie with a smile, nibbling on it as Junpei continued talking. "And on top of that, Shinjiro – that's Hamu-tan's husband – is a king in the kitchen. He made dinner for us once in school, and man, that was the best food I ever had …" Grinning more, Junpei looked around the café again. "With those two together, I suppose it should've been obvious they opened up some sort of restaurant or bakery; they're making a damn good living with this place."
"And for very good reason!" Chidori agreed, eyes wide as she stared down at the cookie in her hand. "This … I normally don't eat a lot of sweets, but this is wonderful …" Smiling, Chidori took another bite, imaging how much her manager would be freaking out if she caught Chidori eating junk food. "Mm … I might have to order a baker's dozen to take with me." Junpei let out another chuckle at that, looking out the window for a moment more as Chidori finished one cookie and reached for another one. "Although Kimirii-san would about have a panic attack if she saw me eating sweets like this." She laughed in spite of herself, taking another small bite out of the cinnamon treat. "Then again, she acts like eating a full stew bowl of beef stew is bad for a model on occasion."
"You model?" Junpei asked, seemingly shocked. When Chidori smiled and nodded at him, he gave a light laugh. "I never would've guessed, but I guess it does explain why you look so pretty … I – if you don't mind me saying so, that is." Realizing what he was implying, Junpei blushed and took another sip of his drink, making Chidori laugh again.
"No no, it's alright. I get that a lot." She reassured Junpei, although she left out the fact that it felt so genuine coming from him, or the fact that her cheeks had turned a faint shade of pink from the compliment. And even when they went to small talk once again, finishing both of their drinks – and the cookies – and were still talking, Chidori couldn't help but feel that all too familiar nagging at the back of her head, like something was trying to reach her, to tell her something …
And while she normally didn't mind the fact that she had amnesia – as her life had taken a turn for the better once she turned eighteen and got noticed for a potential model – right now, Chidori wanted to scream in frustration and beat her head against a wall until it went away. Something about Junpei was just … just making her want to remember, and she didn't know what it was. Was it his silly personality? That carefree way he just grinned at everyone, with the grin showing in his dark eyes? Or was it just the way he didn't seem to mind talking with her about anything, no matter how silly. It wasn't until halfway through the conversation that Chidori had realized with a start neither of them used honorifics with one another, and it was even more shocking when she realized that she truly didn't mind it.
The two lost track of time, and Chidori didn't realize it was getting late until a tall man walked out from the kitchen area and leaned against the side of the booth, giving Junpei a mildly exasperated look. "Alright Iori, I know you and your friend like talking, but I've got to close shop now." He commented with a deep chuckle, making both Junpei and Chidori jump a bit. Chuckling, the newcomer gestured towards the rest of the café, which was now completely empty. "I managed to chase Hamuko upstairs only a few minutes ago, and if she hadn't mentioned that you were in here, I wouldn't have realized you two were back here until I had to mop."
"Holy shi …" Junpei spotted the clock on the wall, standing up and pulling out the money needed for the drinks and cookies. "Damn, I didn't realize it was that late. Sorry about that, Shinjiro-san." As Chidori stood up and pulled on her coat as well, Junpei walked over to the counter again to pay, the brunet man – Shinjiro, apparently – followed him. Remembering that she wanted some more of the cookies, Chidori followed them both, trying to hand Junpei the money needed for her drink. He noticed this and shook his head. "I said I was treating you for knocking you over like I did, you don't have to pay me." He reminded her, ignoring the look Shinjiro gave him as he paid the brunet male.
Deciding that arguing with Junpei would get her absolutely nowhere – his stubbornness was familiar too, now that she thought about it – Chidori instead sighed and asked if it was still too late to get some of the cinnamon cookies. Shinjiro rolled his eyes and shook his head in what appeared to be amusement, but he handed her the small box with the cookies in it. After the payment was done, Chidori smiled. "Thanks. I'll have to stop by here sometime soon." She gave a little nod, to which Shinjiro gave a small shrug.
"Heh, okay, whatever." He chuckled, somehow managing to sound polite despite his rough choice of language. "I hate to chase you out, but I really have to close up; if the sign doesn't go out fifteen minutes after Hamuko heads upstairs, she'll come back down thinking something's wrong." Walking with Junpei and Chidori towards the door, Shinjiro let a playful grimace cross his face. "Nine months along and still stubborn as hell; she rarely listens to me when I tell her to lie down and take a break."
Junpei laughed at that. "She's always been like that, and you know it." He joked, grinning. "Tell Hamu-tan I'll be by later in the week, okay?" Shinjiro nodded, shaking his head as Junpei waved, him and Chidori already turning the corner. Once the two were out of sight, Shinjiro turned off the sign with a flick of the switch, still amused.
"Do you think she'll remember?" Hamuko's voice came from the back of the store, making Shinjiro roll his eyes as he walked in that direction, going to grab the mop.
"You should be lying down." He reminded her, giving Hamuko a scolding look. Hamuko just rolled her eyes at him, making Shinjiro sigh and shake his head. "I wouldn't worry about Iori and Yoshino though, at least not as much as you're doing." He added, filling up the bucket with hot water and soap. "If they're that comfortable with one another already, after five years apart and with Yoshino being an amnesiac, they'll be fine. Even if they have to start their romance all over again, they'll be fine."
Outside, in the snow, Chidori looked up at the sky; the clouds had rolled away, revealing white stars against an inky black sky. "It's going to be cold tonight …" She muttered, shivering and clutching the cookies closer to her person as she and Junpei walked into town. Junpei gave a nod of agreement, thinking about something as they neared the apartment building where Chidori lived; not wanting to use her whole paycheck on rent, Chidori had settled down in a regular downtown apartment complex. "Oh, here's my place …" She tapered off, finding herself rather upset that she'd gotten home so fast. Junpei looked up at the complex, arching an eyebrow as he did so.
"Kinda plain for a model, don't you think?" He teased, chuckling when Chidori gave him a playful smack on the arm. Still grinning, he nodded, "Well, if this is it, I'll head home now; I'm almost on the other side of town." He nodded towards the left, making Chidori stare at him with wide eyes.
"W – what? Really?" Chidori stared at him with wide eyes, mouth gaping open. "Bu – but if that's the case, you didn't have to walk me home!" She began to wring her free hand, clearly upset. The two of them had only just run into one another – by pure accident, none the less – and yet Junpei had been nothing less than an utter gentleman. "I'm sorry, I'll get you some money for the bus …" Opening her purse, Chidori went to grab for her wallet when Junpei placed a hand on hers, stopping her.
"It's alright, I promise." He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "It's not that long of a walk to the bus stop, and I have my own pass." Nodding at her, Junpei added, "Besides, it's not safe for women to be walking around after dark, at least not alone. If something happened to you because I went home instead of seeing that you got home safe …" At this, Junpei's eyes saddened more, making Chidori worry even as the actions and words touched her. Here was this total stranger – at least she was mostly certain he was a complete stranger – who was making certain she was fine not because he wanted to sleep with her, but because he was a decent human being.
Falling silent for a few moments, Chidori smiled and shook her head, deciding to lighten the mood. "I enjoyed talking with you." She smiled at Junpei, who blinked before smiling back at her. "We'll have to do it again sometime." At this, Junpei gave her a happy smile, something in his dark eyes dancing in glee.
"Heh, yeah, we should." Grinning, he shrugged. "Same place, whenever we've got time to kill?" He offered, to which Chidori nodded; she liked the small café, and it was close by. Taking that for a confirmation, Junpei grinned again. "Alright, that's a plan. I'll call you when I … actually get your number so I can let you know I have free time …" He finished with a weak chuckle, clearly not comfortable with asking for her number. The sudden meekness made Chidori laugh even as she pulled out her phone.
After the numbers were exchanged and the two said goodbye for the night, Chidori stood on the steps of her apartment complex for a long moment, smiling happily for some silly reason as she watched Junpei walk off. It wasn't until she entered her apartment and set the cookies down on the counter that Chidori realized what all had made her and Junpei run into one another in the first place, and she laughed in spite of herself when she saw the miniature candy cane sticking out of the box, a little decoration she hadn't noticed until now.
"Wow, Chidori, I never knew you liked candy canes that much. I guess I'll just have to bring you one next time."
The happy laugh rang in her head again, making Chidori sigh as she got ready for bed. She hadn't told Junpei that she was an amnesiac at all the entire evening, if only because it hadn't been given an easy way to get into the conversation. And yet … Chidori couldn't help but feel like Junpei knew something was off with her, because there had been times during their talk when he'd just stare at her, smiling in a nostalgic way that made her head and her heart ache.
Deciding that she needed sleep, Chidori slipped under the blankets and watched the snow begin to fall outside with a smile. Even if her amnesia acted up again, she doubted that she'd forget today in a hurry, if at all.
I felt like writing some Junpei/Chidori fluff, and this is the result of said spawn. *laughs* Don't think this is the end either, folks; there'll be a few more chapters after this one, I promise. :3 The main reason that this'll be a multi-chapter ficlet is because that, quite honestly, I don't think one chance meeting like this would be enough to cure the sort of amnesia Chidori got hit with.
Now, I know somebody's going to question why Hamuko and Shinji are both there, alive and well, five years post-game. My answer? Minato and Hamuko were siblings, but only Minato was needed to create the Great Seal. Yet since Hamuko was there, she was able to save Shinji's life, and the pair continued to live life after the events of Persona 3 and 3/31.
Well, enough rambling for now. review please!