AN: nnghhh this is so rushed and choppy but oh well. i wanted to get this out before tomorrow as a little 'happy birthday to me'. but yeah. tada i guess.
disclaimer: how much would it cost to buy kagepro bc i need more of it in my life
Tsubomi Kido does not like crowds. She never has, because crowds mean talking, and talking is not fun. She has gotten better at expressing her thoughts through her tongue and her teeth and her lips over the past seven years. Speech lessons crowd her adolescence, the lesson of how to project one's voice engraved unto her very being. But, Kido is not perfect, and therefore her talking is not perfect, so she prefers to stay unnoticed whenever she can.
Unnoticed, after all, means silence.
But this crowd is anything but silence. Shopping bags are sprinkled throughout and mothers excitedly titter to their children and friends. Kido questions once again why she chose Belk's as a place to buy new sneakers; she is fairly center that there is a Famous Footwear just two blocks away.
Nevertheless, she continues on through the cosmetics section, eyes focused on the shoe area in the distance. But her name reaching her ears stops her halfway.
"Kido?" she hears, in a voice that is masculine, but still young. It lights a spark within her that refuses to go out because she knows that voice. "Tsubomi Kido?"
Before she knows it, Kido is turning, her hood falling to her shoulders, and her eyes are widening, because right there in front of her is someone she thought she wouldn't see ever again.
Shuuya Kano has not changed much physically. He is still blond, and still skinny as hell, and still possessing abnormally long fingers. But he has changed, she can see it in his eyes. They are older somehow, and Kido hates that she notices this after all this time. She hates that out of all her old friends from Yuukei, it just has to be him.
Kano, who never outright told anyone why he was placed in the Red Cabin. Kano, who is working at a cosmetics counter at Belk's instead of going to school. Kano, who has grown, but not that much, and is now several inches shorter than Kido. Kano, who is always sporting some kind of grin, no matter the circumstance.
Kano, who thinks Kido should talk more.
"Y-yeah," Kido says, and she takes pride in the way his eyebrows arch towards his hairline. Looks like all those speech classes finally paid off. Before she can say anything else, though, something slams into her from behind and sends her stumbling forward and right into a certain cosmetics worker.
Kano catches her, arms strong and sure, a small squeak escaping his mouth, and Kido notices with a shock that he is still wearing his hoodie. It is hidden by the long white jacket that is uniform for the employees in this section, but it is there. She sees the telltale dots and can even pick out the areas where he added extra fabric to make it bigger.
It surprises her that Kano can be so sentimental.
(It also surprises her that he squeaked when he caught her, but she's so nice, she won't even bring it up.)
He helps steady her, and Kido takes pride in the blush of his cheeks and the thin line that his lips make as they press together, and pointedly neglects to thank him for catching her.
After assuring herself that Kano is still an idiot when it comes to girls and all other things, Kido rounds on whatever pushed her in the first place, a glare subconsciously settling into her eyes.
And for the second time that day, Kido is caught off guard by the appearance of an old acquaintance form Yuukei Summer Camp. The universe really has it out for her today.
The boy (or man she supposes; he doesn't look it, though) in front of her is lanky and awkward, with a sweaty brow and a look that can only be compared to a deer in the headlights. It is obvious he hasn't changed much.
Then it becomes obvious that he hasn't changed at all when he bows, hands fisted at his side. Kido's eyebrows rise, shocked by the fierce mutters of, "Sorry, sorry! It won't happen again my apologies it's my fault sorry!"
"Oh, relax Shintaro!" Kano's voice grinds on Kido's eardrums and she clenches her jaw. "It's just Kido, our scaaary former cabinmate!"
Kido watches as Shintaro's back stiffens and he slowly straightens. There is a sleek black phone in his right hand that has earbuds plugged into it; one goes straight into his ear and the other hangs from his neck. His mouth forms a small 'O', eyes widening considerably.
"K-Kido...I haven't seen you in a while." It is a Shintaro thing to say, because he has always been one to state the obvious.
Kido nods, shoving her hands into her hoodie pocket, and replies with a soft "Hey."
"Well guys, I hate to interrupt this exciting reunion, but I'm supposed to be over at my counter in exactly negative three minutes, so maybe we could all move over there so I can hear the juicy secrets you two are about to swap?" Kido and Shintaro roll their eyes at Kano's stupid comments, but they follow him back to the Joe Blasco area nonetheless. (Kido can already feel it; she is conforming to the pattern she grew used to while at Yuukei, remembering the movements and the phrases. The familiarity is overwhelming.)
They stop when Kano stops, and a pristine white counter that houses numerous types of makeup sits in front of them. Kano doesn't even bother to go around to the entrance, just sits on the glass and pulls his legs over, landing on the other side gracefully. Kido notices that his boots have slight heels, and she hides her laugh behind a single hand.
"Alright, so," Kano says, arms stretching leisurely over his head. "I have to work now, but it's not usually that busy this time a day, so you can just talk amongst yourselves when I have a customer, okay?"
Shintaro and Kido glance at each other, and then shrug because it can't be that bad to talk to one another.
"Alrighty then! Shintaro, why don't you go first? Tell Kido what you've been up to these past few years." Appearing highly interested, Kano rests his arms on the counter and leans forward. As odd as it sounds, Kido is relieved he is here, no matter how annoying he may be. Even though Kano's faults are unending, he is good at initiating conversation.
Shintaro scratches his neck, eyes bouncing from different things in the distance. "I mostly just stay home now. I design music an-and stuff. Do a little programming in my free time."
"Cool," is the only thing Kido says in reply, because she doesn't care all that much if she is being honest. Then, she quickly asks the one thing that has been on her mind since first realizing who had bumped into her. "So, how's Ayano doing?"
Kido hears a small choking sound behind her, but when she turns, Kano is standing with his elbow on the cosmetics counter and his chin on his hand. His grin still reminds her of the Chesire Cat's, and that scar above his eyebrow is skillfully hidden by makeup.
Slowly, she turns back to Shintaro, a small crinkle forming between her eyebrows. He looks nervous, scared even, and his hands twist and turn around the phone in his hands. His eyes dart everywhere but to her.
"Shintaro," Kido starts, and she feels as if she's approaching a wild animal. "Is...is Ayano okay? Did something happen?" She grows desperate, breaths escaping in harsh gasps. The room blurs. Something bad happened; she knows it, she just knows it. "Where is she, Shintaro?! Where is she?!"
"Kido." Kano is the last person she wants to talk to right now, but she turns to him anyway. He has shifted positions, hands clasped and pressed to his lips, hair hanging in front of his face. His eyes focus on some foundation that shows through the glass counter. His voice is soft. "Ayano's mom died a little over two and a half years ago. A few months later, Ayano committed suicide. She's been dead for over two years."
Somehow, Kido knows that he planned every single word. He listed the motive, the technique, the time, and he even made sure to drive it home by saying 'dead', but it's not enough for Kido.
"What."
Shintaro still hasn't looked at her, but at least he's not fidgeting with that stupid phone anymore. Kano has tilted his head so that his hands rest in between his eyes, thumb just brushing that single scar. He still smiles, just a little bit, and Kido wants to hit him.
"You heard me, Kido."
"I - I don't believe you." Her voice is edged with denial and desperation, a sharpened knife in the form of words.
"Well, believe what you want," Kano says, and he spreads his arms out into the air, a helpless little grin on his face. "It's the truth."
Truth. The one thing that Kido has never associated with Kano. Yet here she is, faced with an impossible decision that centers around truth. Kido looks at his eyes, because that is the thing that always gives him away. She remembers now, how she had noticed that they looked older, and clenches her fists in desperation.
Ayano is...Ayano. She is full life and compassion, and would never commit suicide. She just wouldn't. But Kido's stomach still flips and her eyes still sting. Eventually, she just shoves it from her mind and nods, promising herself to think it over later when she is alone. She doesn't want to show weakness, not in front of Shintaro and definitely not in front of Kano.
The three of them stand there for a while, eyes downcast and mood somber, but Shintaro breaks that image by suddenly clasping a hand to his ear and hurriedly removing his earbud.
A loud and shrill sound emits from it, rising in volume as the seconds pass, and it is only then does Kido take a closer look at Shintaro's phone.
A girl, from the shoulders up, is pictured there, eyebrows drawn down and mouth moving extremely fast; her voice can still be heard from the earbuds. Blue hair is pulled into two pigtails, and her eyes match the color. She wears a pair of gray clunky headphones over her ears, with a single blue band-aid spreads across the side of her jaw. Kido thinks for a minute that she looks familiar, but she shakes it off. She doesn't know anyone with blue hair.
"Oi," says Shintaro, his tone of voice still awkward sounding, but more at ease. "Calm down, I can't understand you!" The Blue Girl, as Kido has come to know her in her head, snaps her mouth shut and glowers, shoulders inching towards her ears in anger.
Probably due to the fact that she is no longer yelling, Shintaro gently places a single bud back into his ear and gives his phone a meaningful look. "Slower this time."
The girl's mouth starts moving again, but Kido is unable to hear what is being said. Though by Shintaro's expression, it's not anything good.
"Why would she want to talk to you," he deadpans after a while. Blue Girl opens her mouth as if to scream again, but Shintaro beats her to it. "Okay, okay! Just don't shout!" His free hand is poised in the universal 'stop' position and the look on his face is priceless.
He slowly unplugs his earbuds and extends the phone away from his body. The screen is facing away from him, and right at Kido.
"Kido!" the girl squeals, and her shirt sleeves almost hit her face as she waves her arms in excitement.
Eyes widening, face going slack, and mouth dropping open just a little bit, Kido has to wonder how she is capable of getting caught up in such impossible situations.
"...Takane," she says slowly, and it is more of an observation than anything. Suddenly, she is able to see it. Dye the blue hair a dark brown and cut the bangs in a diagonal line, then it would be obvious that this girl and Takane Enomoto are one and the same. "Hi."
"Jeez, Kido," drawls Takane, and rolls her eyes, which have changed from a light hazel to a bright blue with age. "You haven't seen me for seven years and all you can say is 'hi'? Not even a 'how're you doing'?" She pouts, her arms crossing.
"Uh," mumbles Kido. A blush creeps up her neck. "How...are you doing?" A squeak manages to squeeze its way into her sentence and Kido winces.
Takane can be seen reclining back in her chair, a contemplative manner surrounding her. "Wellll, other than the fact that I'm currently forbidden to leave the house, and I go by Ene now, just a heads up, I'm doing great! Thank god for FaceTime!" She perks up at the last minute, a large smile overtaking her pixelated face.
"Oi, can you hurry up, my arm is starting to hurt."
"Master, you wouldn't have problems if you actually bothered to leave the house every now and then."
Kido casts a glance at Kano, only to see him assisting a young girl with picking out eyeliner; he won't be any help explaining anything. (Not that its possible for him to be helpful in the first place.)
"It's not like you leave your house, either!"
"I don't have a choice!"
Kido just stares, dumbfounded. At camp, these two only interacted when absolutely necessary, but here they are, arguing like they've known each other for years. Kido has to wonder if she's the only one that didn't keep in contact with the others; if everyone else formed an even tighter bond, one that Kido isn't included in.
"I don't have chicken legs!"
The odd sentence piques Kido's interest and she turns her head back to them, raising a single eyebrow along the way. Now that she thinks about it, Shintaro was kind of skinny...
"Master wouldn't sound so defensive if it weren't true..."
Takane's voice fades out and Kido catches a glimpse of her shaking her head sadly. Then, she steels her nerves and opens her mouth, letting her question flow forth. "Why do you call him 'Master'?
Shintaro and Takane turn to look at her, as if remembering that she is still there to witness their argument. In unison, they reply, "Lost a bet." They wear opposite expressions.
Nodding, even though she is still slightly confused, Kido mumbles, "Ahhh."
"So, so, what have you been up to lately, Kido? Married yet?" The question comes from Kano, who has suddenly appeared beside her. Kido's elbow digs into his gut without hesitation.
"No," says Kido, watching with distaste as Kano holds onto the counter with one hand and holds his stomach with the other. She feels no regret, though; the little brat had it coming.
"Ahh, that's surprising, seeing as how you're so cute and open and adora-" Kano makes a sudden choking sound, sinking to the ground, and Kido withdraws her fist.
"Did you really have to hit him that hard," Shintaro asks, but he doesn't sound too concerned. Kido shrugs.
"So, my dear cabinmates," says a voice from the floor. Kido looks down to see Kano sitting cross-legged, head tilted up so that he can beam up at them. She feels disappointment that he is no longer in pain. "My shift ends soon, so maybe we can grab something to eat? Catch up on everything? There's this great Japanese restaurant in the food joint. It has the best sushi..." He trails off, eyes closed, and expression blissful. Of course he still hasn't grown out of his Japanese phase.
"Sure," Shintaro starts to say, Kido echoing him with very little enthusiasm, but they are interrupted before they finish.
Because that is when the first explosions go off.
AN: and that's that. sorry if it seemed kinda rushed, i really just wanted to give kido, shintaro, takane, and kano as little time as possible together before the terrorists strike. (and yes, i'm using the story line. mainly bc it's convenient and it actually happened in the series.) as for where kano works, i basically just looked through some cruelty-free cosmetic companies because i figured he wouldn't want to work for anything that hurt animals. (plus seto would kill him if he did.) hopefully, i'll be able to cover the backstories of all of the dan in the future, but don't hold your breath.
thanks for reading!
