Disclaimer: Not mine
Notes: Spoilers for the end of the series, and spoilers for 'Children of Tomorrow' as well. This takes place immediately after Chapter Five.
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"Do I know you?"Tatsuya took in the young woman standing before him. She had Yuuri's height and build, the shape of her face... but no. There was something not quite right with the eyes... and Yuuri had never smiled at him that way before (wide, brimming with patience and hope).
"No. This is the first time we've met."
She gave him a hard, long stare, long enough for Tatsuya to wonder... but then she smiled again. "Yeah, I'd remember someone as handsome as you-- hey, wait, don't go! Just 'cause I don't know you doesn't mean I don't need you!"
Yuuri would have never had that hint of a plea in her voice... but he stopped mid-step anyways. After his conversation with Honami, he decided it was at least worth a few more minutes of his time. "What do you mean--"
"Oh, right. I'm Momozono Yuka, and it's actually my date that needs to speak to you..." She trailed off, looking in every direction. "Now where's my date again?" Tatsuya watched on silently as she finally found the man who looked too much like Domon for Tatsuya's comfort. After a hastily whispered conversation between the two of them (in which Tatsuya was fairly sure he heard Yuka say, "Why are you so shy all of a sudden?!"), they approached him again.
Yuka was still smiling, but there was a bit of an edge in it now. It reminded him faintly of her. "Okay, let's try this again. I'd like you to meet Kijima Daichi. He's been looking for you all day."
Daichi's face was bright red as he managed a bow (and convinced Tatsuya that he was as far away from Domon in personality as humanly possible). "Nice to meet you. We've met before, I think-- sort of." He looked up at him, face serious. "I know this is blunt and I know I sound crazy... but does this feel familiar to you? Any of this?" There was a desperation in his eyes that he had never seen in Domon's before-- or anyone else's.
"... Why do you ask?"
The man with Domon's face tried to laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "A friend of mine-- his name's Shin-- wanted me to try and track you down. It's a really long story; I'm not sure if even I understand it all--"
"Wait." Tatsuya held a hand up, a detail from Honami's phone call coming back to him. "Midorikawa Shin?"
Daichi blinked. "Yeah. How did you know that?"
There was no way to break this gently. "I'm a... close friend with a woman he spoke to this evening. She just told me that something happened to him."
Tatsuya felt a pang of sympathy as Daichi paled. "What do you mean?"
"She wasn't entirely sure herself, so I'm going to see if I can--"
"Then I'm going with you!" Daichi took a step back after realizing he'd grabbed Tatsuya by the shirt. "I-I'm sorry, it's just--"
"Trust me, I understand." Despite everything, Tatsuya felt himself grin. "Do you know the daycare nearby?" Daichi nodded. "That's where my friend's waiting for us. We better get going then, huh?"
Tatsuya was about to follow Daichi (who'd bolted off as soon as he mentioned where Honami was) when he noticed that Yuka was standing still... and giving him that hard look from earlier.
"If you don't want to go--"
"No, it's not that." She smirked at him. "I know who you are now."
"Yu... Yuka, I--"
She bounded up to him, taking his hand as she led him in Daichi's direction. "You're Asami Tatsuya, former rebellious son of the Asami Company." She glanced over at him over her shoulder, smiling. "You're in newspapers all the time."