Away

Makoto Kirigiri sighed sadly as he picked at his instant-noodle dinner. Usually, he would've taken the time to cook a bigger, tastier, meal, but since his wife was currently away on business, he didn't feel it was worth the effort to cook up a proper meal. Even though it had only been a day since she'd left, he was already sorely aware of her absence.

He understood how important her work was, both to her and to the world at large. Makoto knew full well that Kyoko would always be a detective at heart, so when she needed to take some time off of work to pursue a case, he just encouraged and supported her. He hadn't asked her to work with him at the school, she volunteered, and he understood that when she felt the need to return to her old job, he had no right to stop her, not that he wanted to anyway. However, most of her cases were relatively small local crimes that she could figure out from the comfort and safety of their own home, which meant that he could still spend time with her while she worked on cases, and even help her out from time-to-time. Unfortunately, her latest job took her all the way to France which made that a non-option.

He really had no right to complain, he'd been the one who urged her to take the job in the first place. When the Future Foundation asked her for a favor, Kyoko had been reluctant to go along with it at first, both due to her personal dislike of the Foundation and because she was worried that he wouldn't be able to run the school on his own. He'd reassured her that he would be fine, and that solving a case which could affect the fate of the world was more important than past grudges, and eventually, she'd come around to agreeing. He told her that he would keep the school running just fine while she went off to do her work, and he'd be waiting to welcome her back when she finished. He helped her pack her bags, drove her to the airport, and kissed her goodbye, reassuring her every step of the way that he could survive without her for a few days, and that the school wouldn't stop functioning just because she took some time off.

And of course, he hadn't been lying. Sure, the increased workload was a bit frustrating, but nothing he couldn't handle, and he'd already gotten volunteers from the staff to help take some of the load off. He could definitely handle working without her for a while.

Unfortunately, the real problem was the fact that she was currently over six-thousand miles away, and he hadn't spoken to her since she arrived at the airport in France. He couldn't help but worry about her, his mind conjuring up images about every single thing that could possibly go wrong without him, and he'd spent way too much time looking at the statistics for the frequency and survival rates of plane crashes. Most importantly, his home felt empty, his bed felt cold, and everything just seemed a little bit dimmer without her around.

In short, Makoto Kirigiri really missed his wife.

With another sigh, Makoto decided that he wasn't hungry anymore and threw what was left of his dinner in the garbage.

Normally he would have taken the chance to get some work done, or relaxed by watching a TV show or playing video games, but he didn't really have the energy to do any of that, so he just changed into his pajamas and threw himself onto his bed. Pulling out his phone, he stared at the clock on it and tried to will time to go by faster. As much as he would've liked to just go to sleep then and there, he still had something that he needed to do.

Eventually, the clock hit midnight, and right on time, his phone began to ring with an incoming video call. Jumping up, Makoto answered the call with a bright smile.

"Kyoko! How are you?"

On his phone, his wife smiled at him from across the globe. "I'm fine, Makoto. How's work going?"

"It's fine. I've already gotten a bunch of volunteers to help me out, you'll see, once you get back the school will be running just fine."

She giggled. "Well, I'm glad to see I was worried for nothing then."

Makoto cringed on the inside, but didn't let it show. "So, how's France?"

Kyoko placed her hand on her chin. "It's going well so far. The authorities here are being helpful, and the Future Foundation hasn't been getting in my way too much, which I suppose is all I can ask for. The case itself seems pretty simple, so I doubt I'll be spending much time here." She smirked. "I'll be sure to bring back a souvenir once I get home."

"That's great!" he said, a bit more cheerfully than he'd intended. "I'm glad things are going well with the case. But… I meant, how's France? Are you enjoying it there?"

Kyoko blinked in surprise, before smiling again. "Yes. Even though parts of it are still being rebuilt, this place is just as beautiful as I remember. I haven't been here since I was a child, so it was nice to see it again, it brings back memories. Even if it's not the same as I remember, it's a reminder of how far the world has come." She blushed lightly. "We should come here together some time, for pleasure, not business. I'd love to share this place with you."

Makoto blushed too, warmth spreading through his chest. "That sounds great. I'd love that," he whispered.

"Well, I know it's late over there, so I'll let you get to sleep now."

Makoto nodded. "Alright, good luck with your work, Kyoko."

"Makoto," she called out before he could hang up. "Everything will be fine. You don't need to worry about me."

He stiffened. "Was I that obvious?"

Kyoko smirked. "No, but I know you. So I wanted to reassure you that everything will be fine, I'll be back soon."

Makoto smiled sadly. "Thanks, Kyoko. It's… kinda lonely over here. Even with all our friends still here to support me, I just really miss you."

She sighed, and then smiled gently at him. "Makoto, I'm still with you, remember?" she reminded him, as she held up her arm to show her wedding bracelet.

Makoto smiled, and held up his arm too. "I know. Thanks, Kyoko. I love you."

"I love you too, Makoto. Good night, and sweet dreams. I'll see you soon."

With that, Makoto ended the call and rested his head on his pillow, smiling softly as he drifted off to sleep. Even if his wife was six-thousand miles away, she was still right there beside him. That thought kept him warm all throughout the night.