Disclaimer: Don't own Persona 5, nor any of it's characters.
Rating: T
As stated in the disclaimer, this story takes place after Twin Kingdoms, but in the vein of Ryuji and Hifumi becoming more than friends- the start of a seeming-unlikely pairing. Enjoy :P
Kanda
"Gah, talk about rude. The guy ran into me, then didn't even say 'sorry'" Ryuji said under his breath, looking behind him. "Wonder what his damn problem was."
But whatever; he entered the church as usual and made his way up the aisles, going to play shogi with Hifumi again. A little smile appeared at the thought, thinking that after their dates at Inokashira Park and Suidobashi, today was just another average hanging-out, then maybe getting some dinner together - that type of 'casual date' or whatever it's called. Still, the fact that they were dating hadn't fully sunk in yet... he kept waking up in the morning like normal, before realizing all the stuff that he and Hifumi had gone through. This had to be one of the luckiest turns of his life, second only to meeting Akira and the rest of their friends!
His thought process was interrupted when he saw Hifumi, who was sitting in her usual spot.
"Yo, I'm here" he said easily-
-Hifumi looked at him with a jolt, blinking once before the surprise was gone. "Oh. Hello, Ryuji" she breathed.
That made him stop:
"You okay?" he asked in concern, "You sound bothered."
"I suppose because I am. Sorry about that."
He quickly sat down, facing her. "What happened?"
Her mouth twisted somewhat, but the look in her eyes became intent. "Do you recall the first time we played shogi here together? When that desperate man tried to ask me out?"
"The guy who tried five times in a row?" Ryuji asked, frowning. "I don't remember his face, but yeah. ...Wait, don't tell me he did it again!"
Hifumi sighed. "He did try again, repeatedly" she said, not impressed; that shit was clear as hell in her expression. "And not only that, he refused to believe me when I said I was already dating someone. To use your choice of words, he proved himself a major dumbass."
"Damn straight he did" he grunted, completely in agreement. "Where is he now? If he's still hanging around here, I might have to have a word with him!"
Her hand brushed his for a moment- when he jolted slightly, he noticed that she seemed to be feeling better already, least a little. "That isn't necessary, Ryuji" she assured, before taking out her phone, one hand brushing against the dragon charm. "Remember how I said I would report him, if he tried to ask me out again?"
"Yup. So you're gonna?" he asked, intent.
It wasn't bad enough that the dude was harassing Hifumi before they started dating, but now he's harassing his girl; hell if he's gonna allow that! Dude better be glad that he left... then Ryuji tried to kick himself; no, he'd rather not have started an incident or anything major, not if he didn't have to.
"Yes. I remembered his face right away, but not his name" she continued, before showing a picture of a dude. "I carefully asked him what it was, and when he provided it, I snapped this picture to identify him to the police."
Ryuji began to grin. "You set him up" he realized, even as he recognized the guy now (the one who ran him a minute ago). "Damn, I bet his face when he realized you duped him was priceless!"
Hifumi got a little smirk. "Quite priceless" she agreed.
"I wish I could've seen a pic of that, but what's done is done" he continued with a chuckle - still, then he got serious and took her hand for real, which surprised her (his cheeks heated up a bit, but he's fine). "Seriously though, I'm glad you took care of him. If I'd gone after the dude, it could've ended with a fight or worse, since he was that desperate."
Hifumi's cheeks turned slightly pink, but her fingers moved against his hand. "I appreciate that, Ryuji" she answered, giving a little smile. "Still, if that had happened, I believe it would have resulted in rumors about my dating."
"Probably, yeah."
"But also" she continued, slightly more intent. "I believe that rumors of our dating will happen regardless. And I would- I would choose to tell the press myself, rather than let rumors escalate. Frankly, I'm surprised there hasn't been any yet."
Honestly, Ryuji was glad that they weren't- dealing with all that shit just sounded like a pain-in-the-ass. That being said, she's right; it's gonna happen sooner or later, and if Hifumi tells them outright, she'd probably be able to handle things with much less hassle, whereas he might tell them all to screw off if they got too personal.
"Well rumors or no rumors, I say go for it, Hifumi" he breathed, giving a sincere smile. "Sooner's better than never, as the saying goes."
A slight giggle. "That's not exactly how it goes, but I understand" Hifumi assured, before her expression became nervous. "Still, before I do so... I- I would wish for my parents, and yours, to find out about us first. If that is alright with you, Ryuji."
Mkay, now he's suddenly nervous again... him meeting her parents, and her meeting his mom!? They've only been on two dates total, three if you count today's 'casual date'; they're still 'recent' recent and everythin', even though they've been hanging out for months before that! Then as if that weren't enough, his nervous reaction was mixed with a kinda-dread as he realized something: Hifumi's parents would likely grill him about their relationship, his situation, and a bunch of things to make sure he's not some jerk. He got that, for real, but it also meant that Hifumi would hear the details of things that were just plain shitty... such as the fact that he don't have parents, plural, plus the specifics of the Kamoshida incident.
Still hate that guy.
...though, as he realized earlier, Hifumi would eventually find out anyway if they kept dating. And he did trust her to keep his secrets, as well as help him feel better over things; 'course he did.
"I'm not gonna like this, at all. But it's gotta be done... if I tell her these things in front of her parents, they'll all hear it at the same time, and that'll get it over with" Ryuji thought, weary. "Only have to get it off my chest once, not multiple times. Yeah. That's still gonna suck balls though..."
He didn't notice at the time, but Hifumi noted his reaction, and seemed concerned about it. She seemed to get the hesitation, but the way his mouth frowned - with a matching brow - spoke of other things, and she wasn't sure how to respond.
Considerably later
"Are you certain you wish to do this today?"
Ryuji gave off a sigh, idly kicking at nothing with his foot, but his expression was set; they were just in front of her house, if in an area that the windows couldn't see.
"Yeah, I'm sure, Hifumi" he said, intent. "I'm not prepared or nothin', but I'll meet this head-on and do the best I can. If I had time to think, I'd just get more and more nervous, and then I'd probably say stupid shit... well, more stupid anyway. I hope that I don't screw it all up anyway."
"Please don't say that, Ryuji" Hifumi insisted, hands in front of her. "You are earnest, and driven when it comes to facing most any situation, this one included. I believe that once they get past any initial impressions, my parents will see that you are a good man, someone who cares about people and hates seeing anyone mistreated."
Ryuji began to rub the back of his head. "You're gonna make me blush" he said with a grin, teasing-
-she shifted at that, but managed a smile, thinking it's just a cover for his (pleased) embarrassment. "It- it is the truth" she continued, "And I plan to prove it to my parents. We could even play a quick game of shogi in front of them, as part of the effort to show this."
He tilted his head, brow furrowing. "But... won't that show them I don't play the game well, and can't think ahead much?"
Hifumi shook her head. "It's true that they'll see your relative inexperience at shogi, and your instinctive approach to the game, but those are hardly the only things they'll consider" she said, more gentle. "And more than that, it will reveal the most important thing of all: that we enjoy playing together, as well as each other's company."
His expression cleared then. "And they'll see that we're happy, which is particularly big on you since you're their daughter. Oohhh, that's clever!" Ryuji realized, chuckling- he easily play-nudged her shoulder with a grin, which she didn't mind. "Look at you, playing the field, Hifumi! I still don't think it'll be easy or nothin', but that definitely should work!"
She very-nearly blushed hard, simply because he'd said 'playing the field'-
-later, she'll have to tell him that it means something entirely different, than the shogi-released metaphor he seems to think it does.
Mmh, but still, the thought almost made her giggle after-the-fact; Ryuji made things interesting, to say the least.
...
"Mother, I'm home."
"You're just in time, Hifumi. When I got your call, I was already making dinner - I'm curious to know who this guest is."
Hifumi could indeed smell dinner being cooked, and she noted the distinct aroma of katsu curry being cooked, one of her favorites. Still, her heart remained jittery as she looked at Ryuji, who observed the interior of her house with interest (while having heard her mother's words).
"Not half-bad" he said with a smile, sincere. "A real nice place, and certainly bigger than the apartment me and my mom live in."
"Well, I suppose that may be due to my family's money" she admitted, though she noted the use of 'me and my mom' as curious. "Before my father became ill, we had a fair bit from my mother's line of work, and my father's shogi fame. Nowadays our budget is stricter, but it is still reasonable."
Before Ryuji could answer, her mother's voice sounded again, much closer.
"Is that a boy I heard? Now I understand why you insisted upon having some meat added for dinner-"
Just then, Mother came around the corner, still wearing her oven gloves and apron- Hifumi turned at that same moment, feeling her heart-rate spike.
"-as I know they eat the stuff right up" she continued, lifting her head after a moment. "I'll bet you- ...oh."
Hifumi didn't need to look at Ryuji to know that he's shifting-in-place, awkward and rubbing his head- it seem a likely reaction for him. That aside, she fought to remind herself of her own advice: the hardest part is the initial reaction, but once past that, things should begin easing up.
"Uh... hi there, Mrs. Togo" Ryuji breathed, somewhat stilted, but he gave a partial bow. "Thank you for having me over. I'm Ryuji Sakamoto."
Mother seemed perturbed, glancing up for a moment. "Why does that name sound familiar...?" she started, before looking at her. "Wait, is he the other shogi player you've told me about? The one who is 'candid, open, and honest'?"
Hifumi slowly nodded. "Yes, Mother. He is."
"I see. Well, I must say, I never expected you to look like a... well-"
"A delinquent?" Ryuji said then, sounding painfully un-surprised. "I get that a lot, ma'am."
"Do you now" mother breathed, her 'tone' still unchanged. "That doesn't exactly inspire my-"
Before she could finish, a door opened: "What's this I hear about delinquents, Mitsuyo?"
"Father" Hifumi breathed, relieved- today he looked particularly rested. While it's true that his condition has aged him beyond his actual years - requiring him to heavily lean on his cane, and his steps were slow - he was still strong in mind and personality, and his voice reflected that; a bit more raspy than from her childhood, but otherwise firm-yet-gentle.
"Itsumu" Mother reacted, moving over toward his side. "It appears that our daughter's guest is... this young man."
"Indeed?" he questioned, looking over. "Hmm, now I see your meaning. But does the personality within match the outside?"
After glancing at Ryuji - who wasn't sure how he should answer, though there did seem to be some lingering 'irritation' with mom's unfinished comment - Hifumi cleared her throat. "Father, this is Ryuji Sakamoto" she said, gesturing toward him. "He is the second shogi player of whom I have spoken, the one who is candid, open, and honest."
Compared to the semi-wary demeanor of her mother, Father just calmly looked at Ryuji for a moment, considering everything. "And are you, young man?" he asked, eyebrow raised.
Ryuji rubbed at his head, apparently without thinking, but he did consciously straighten himself. "Yeah, I am, sir" he said, glancing at her for a moment. "I mean, I won't claim that I'm perfect, because I sure ain't. I just feel strongly 'bout a lot of shit, and I normally don't hold back what I'm thinking at all. Sometimes it gets me in trouble, because I don't know when I should hold back, or I needed to keep quiet but I didn't... but I'm trying to become a better person by overcoming those, f'real."
"So I can see."
"He's quite vulgar too" Mother said, looking at her with a perplexed expression. "How are you okay with that?"
Hifumi set her mouth a bit tighter. "Mother, please don't be rude to him" she said, hands held together. "But, to answer your question, I have discovered that it doesn't particularly bother me. It is simply an aspect of Ryuji's personality, and I have accepted that - in fact, I even find it refreshing that he is so open in general."
"Yeah" Ryuji said, more easily now and giving a small chuckle. "That surprised me, as I thought maybe Hifumi wouldn't like it. But she don't care much."
"That aside, Hifumi, I wonder why you have insisted on bringing Ryuji home for dinner" Father said, a touch mild; he gave a little smile. "You didn't feel the need to do so with with that other shogi partner you mentioned. I believe his name was Akira."
"Oh... well-"
She paused slightly, as Ryuji put his hand on her shoulder - his smile/expression said 'You got this' (despite his own nervousness), which comforted her.
"I have brought him over because there- there is something you should know" Hifumi said, nervous but intent. "Recently, Ryuji and I have... started dating."
Overall, Father didn't seem surprised, though perhaps he hid his reaction well- his expertise at shogi made that a distinct possibility. Mother was less successful in hiding her reaction, looking at a more-nervous Ryuji with... mixed reactions, the perplexment among them.
Well, at least it isn't entirely bad- plus, they have yet to show their enjoyment of each other's presence.
/
Honestly, far as he could tell, Hifumi's dad was giving him a fair shot - far better than he thought he'd get even. Her mom though had... what's the word- oh yeah, 'reservations' 'bout him, though she weren't hostile.
Not surprising, but least it weren't flat-out bad.
During dinner, Ryuji did his best not to eat like he normally did, showing that he did have some manners and shit. Still, he felt awkward during the whole thing, simply because they're the center of attention - Hifumi seemed slightly tense as well, as if prepared for tough questions, but he couldn't blame her. At first the questions had been on things like "how long is recently?", "how did you two meet?", what they'd done on the two dates he mentioned early, and otherwise how they behaved around each other. Heck, after he mentioned the dragon charm he'd given her on the first date, Hifumi's mom had even asked him if he was constantly trying to give Hifumi gifts or 'affection'
Of course he answered "No"; he's not that kind of guy, plus Hifumi would've been uncomfortable with it too.
Hifumi herself had agreed with that last part; she would've found it similar to certain male fans trying to bribe her into going on dates. Which not only made him more determined not to go overboard on gifts, but led him to tell the truth: thus far, they'd only kissed a few times, held hands a bit more than that, and nothing else.
Still, he had a suspicion that her parents (or at least her mom) weren't asking the 'real questions' they wanted to ask... yet.
A bit afterward:
"Mmm, now that was some good eats" Ryuji said, feeling satisfied before he remembered. "Oh, uh- thank you for the food. It was delicious."
A slight giggle surprised him; Hifumi gave a smile, even as she took care of her plate. "I find it unusual that you're trying to be formal, Ryuji" she said, almost mild, even as she helped take away her father's plate for him. "It's quite unlike you."
"Well, the situation calls for it" he defended, if with a smile. "I don't wanna be rude."
"Thus far, you haven't" her father assured, still seated at the table. "While your familiarity with casual, even vulgar language takes some getting used to, you clearly don't aim to be insulting, Ryuji."
"Thank you, sir."
Deep down, he was glad that Itsumu was actually cool; he's actually giving a guy like him a chance, even after hearing that he's dating his daughter.
Pretty cool in his book!
"Ryuji-"
He turned, seeing Hifumi's mom looking at him- she seemed to hesitate once, then went on ahead.
"-now that dinner is over, I feel like I must ask: what is your story? Why do you look like a delinquent?"
*sigh*
So there it is...
"Mother!" Hifumi protested, with a worried tone. "That's a very personal thing to ask him."
"It's cool, Hifumi. I knew it was coming" Ryuji said, a bit more weary. "I mean, you guys are her parents, then she suddenly showed up with a dude like me and said we were dating. If I were in your place, I'd probably wanna make sure I'm not dangerous or anything... in fact, I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner."
Itsumu glanced at Mitsuyo, but his expression was careful. "While I'm not keen on the timing, I'm glad you understand, Ryuji" he said, fingers interlocked. "Had my wife not broached the subject, eventually I would have asked as well. After all, there is a chance that you could be deceiving us."
"An actual jerk would be deceiving ya, f'real" Ryuji said, but like normal; he quickly sat back down at the table, wondering that Itsumu's experience in shogi is why he's 'being careful'. "But I don't want to hide my story."
Not a second later though, Hifumi was at his side. "Are you sure, Ryuji?" she asked, still worried even as she moved to sit beside him. "Truly?"
He put a hand on her shoulder, after a half-start toward her hand. "I don't 'xactly like it, but it's gotta be done" he said, trying to be assuring. "It'll be okay."
"...alright, if you're certain."
After that, Ryuji looked back at her dad, though he noted her mom starting to wash dishes. He gave Itsumu a glance 'bout that, but the older man nodded, so he figured she's probably multi-tasking - doing the chore, but still listening.
(adjust the early section to actually have them ask the questions, and Ryuji/Hifumi give proper answers)
*Add bit where Ryuji shows a photo of him/all his friends in a group shot, taken by someone else to give the proper space
(?)
"Right. My situation" he breathed, before sighing as his eyes closed. "It starts with my dad. I don't know if he used to be good before, or was always rotten, but... the times I remember weren't good. He drank a lot, and sometimes got 'physical' with both of us, and then one day he left. Ever since then, it's just been me and my mom."
He couldn't see their reactions, but he didn't hear nothin' either... at least, other than a pause in the dish-washing.
"It was hard for her, but she kept going anyway, trying to take care of me alone" Ryuji continued, still weary. "I really wanted to make it easier for her, so I did whatever I could to help out. Heck, I ran for the track team to get a scholarship, thinking maybe I could get by in school that way. Maybe it would've happened too... if not for that goddamn Kamoshida."
"The same Kamoshida the Phantom Thieves targeted?"
"That's right, sir" Ryuji breathed, focusing hard right then- he can't let his words slip on this, not now. "Kamoshida hated our team taking the spotlight from his volleyball team, and so he tried to sabotage us, including talking shit to my face because of rumors he'd heard. He wouldn't stop, and finally I couldn't take it, so I- I just punched the dude in the face. I shouldn't have done that, but I was just so pissed and wasn't thinking straight... then he broke my leg, and called it self-defense. Because he was famous and in power, no one stood up to him, and so I got blamed for everything when it was his damn fault - the track team was disbanded, no one took me seriously after that, and I got labelled a delinquent for life."
There he paused, mostly to let out a sigh... much to his surprise, his hand was suddenly taken in both of Hifumi's, real tightly too. He looked at her, and found her expression was nothing but worry, her mouth set in a line; she didn't say anything, but refused to let go.
Her parents' expressions were similar too, particularly her mom- she had a look that he couldn't place, like at all.
"Well... you can imagine how I felt, or how bad it was for my mom, 'cause she got blamed for what I did too" Ryuji managed to continue, still remembering the look on her face. "And because no one but my mom took me seriously, I decided to embrace the delinquent image to spite them. Or I thought it was spite at the time..."
"Maybe it was-"
Surprisingly, that comment came from Mitsuyo.
"-but you also did it to be recognized" she spoke, fairly sad and half-focused. "Even if you had to be a troublemaker, you wanted to be acknowledged. Given attention, of any kind."
Part of him wondered if she's talking from experience, since Shadow or no Shadow, she remembered how she'd acted before... 'fixing' her daughter's own fame. He started to feel angry on Hifumi's behalf, but the rest of him fought to keep a grip; now's not the time, and more than that, it's in the past.
And it'd just be playing the blame game again too...
"Maybe ma'am" Ryuji admitted, quieter. "Either way, I'd resigned myself to being labelled, instead of actually doing shit to change it. And things stayed that way till I met Akira - uh, Hifumi's other shogi player - who had a similar case of being unfairly labelled."
Itsumu leaned forward, a bit more intent. "And judging by your change-in-tone, things started going the other way, Ryuji" he said. "But before that, how far did you take this delinquent behavior?"
"How far? Well, I never smoked, drank, nor anything serious like that, but I was never gonna be treated as an ordinary dude again, so I just kinda started actin' like a delinquent" he admitted, rubbing his head. "I mean, I didn't bully people or start fights for no good reason, but I just made sure to sound disrespectful and stuff... *sigh* which seemed to just make everyone believe I did worse stuff. As for the 'other way' thing, yeah, they have sir. I made new friends, I started to stop caring 'bout needing other peoples' approval to get by, and try not get into fights that I don't gotta - but I still wanna do my best. Not just for me, but for others too so that they don't suffer like I did- that includes my mom, my friends, the old track team, a-and now Hifumi."
"Yes. It's just as I said father, mother" Hifumi said, quite intent herself- she squeezed his hands even tighter without looking, a little too much in fact (he fought not to wince). "Perhaps Ryuji is a bit rough, but he isn't a terrible person in the slightest. He cares if I'm in trouble, and I enjoy playing shogi with him as much as I do his friends."
Ryuji nodded, then had an idea - and as a bonus, it'd help him move the subject away from all that sad stuff.
"Oh, I can show you guys a picture of my friends" he said, pulling out his phone - Hifumi had to let him go then. "You know, in case anyone's got questions 'bout them."
Her dad chuckled once, seeming intrigued. "That seems likely."
Soon enough, he had his phone open and the photo taken: at center was Akira, with his calm, cool smirk as usual with Morgana perched on his shoulder, while Futaba stood in front of him doing some kind-of pose he didn't get. Then on the left stood himself with a big grin, followed by Ann with a cheerful 'Peace!' sign, and Makoto with her cool, collected smile - on Akira's right was Yusuke, almost 'posing' even in a normal stance, Haru with a cheerful smile, and Sumire with a more sheepish, if sincere smile.
Hifumi glanced at his photo, smiling. "Having met all of them, they're definitely a unique bunch, but all are good friends with each other" she assured.
Heh, that's an understatement- he'll have to be careful though, 'cause he can't say it was because of Phantom Thief stuff.
But he can say that they helped each other through various troubles and stuff like that, for sure!
...
A bit later
Hifumi set up the shogi board as per habit, this game having been requested by her father so he and mother could watch, but her mind was still half on what she'd learned from Ryuji. His image being that of a delinquent had suggested his situation wasn't normal, but she hadn't given it much thought beyond this, uncertain if she should ask. Now though, she'd been horrified... not just by what she learned, but the weary-acceptance in Ryuji's voice, which had been so at odds with his personality that it almost seemed like a different person was sitting there. Still, in hindsight it did serve to explain why he seemed to have low self-esteem- at least when he didn't feel driven to do something/express himself, which she believed was a result of his experiences. The abuse he's suffered, particularly to the degree of having his leg broken, would make anyone mad- and now she knew exactly why he walked with a limp.
It's all the more remarkable that, with a little help from Akira/their friends, Ryuji wanted to make sure people didn't suffer like he had.
The thought made Hifumi smile a bit, which helped her feel better; he didn't feel that the world 'owed' him in any way. Many others would've given in (as he nearly did), but even now Ryuji's moving forward, including his trying to run every day and help out his mother... those otherwise-innocuous comments now had so much more weight behind them.
And more of her respect/admiration.
"Alright" Ryuji said opposite her, moving the chair so that he was sitting-backward in it; it was low-key amusing to her, if affectionally. "Time for our kingdoms to take names and kick ass."
That phrase almost caused her to giggle, and even then, she had a pretty big smile for a time.
"That's not quite how it goes, but otherwise I agree" Hifumi agreed, finishing up the placement of the pieces. "As always, we shall play with my being handicapped; no captured pieces can be used by me. Still, you get the first move."
"Why, Hifumi?" he asked, curious.
"No particular reason."
After a moment, he nodded and grin. "Well, even if I'm still no good at this game, just wait till I do get there" Ryuji cheered, pointing at her- a bit surprising, but she quickly determined he was playing things up. "Even if it takes years, I'll become a worthy rival to you."
A small smirk. "Is that a challenge? Let us hope you can back it up" Hifumi answered, beginning to enjoy herself already - that aside, she wouldn't mind Ryuji's skills improving to that level.
"Here goes then!"
Even as the game began, her parents were off to one side, somewhat bemused that they'd been 'forgotten' so quickly:
"Hifumi seems to be right about Ryuji's skill level" Itsumu observed, if with a lip curve - he idly wiped at his forehead, trying to recover where he sat, even as he kept his voice low. "His moves are instinctive thus far. There's some thought, but not the planning-ahead sort - that tells me he isn't a manipulative type, to any degree."
Beside him, Mitsuyo seemed to thinking hand, one hand near her mouth. "So it seems..."
"What is it?"
"The moment he showed up, I assumed a lot of things" she said, mouth more twisted. "After that, I tried to be reasonable about it, and think maybe he just had a stereotypical 'bad boy' image... but I didn't expect this."
Itsumu nodded gravely, knowing the latter feeling, but kept his tone sincere. "You were prepared for if he tried to generate sympathy from us with his story, or was putting on an act" he said, knowing her - from him, she had learned how to read peoples' expressions/body language, even if it wasn't a habit of hers to look all the time. "But Ryuji is an open book; he could not hide his true colors if he were such a character."
"Yes. I still find it... unusual that he's so crude and vulgar, yet Hifumi doesn't seem to care."
He reached over and touched her hand. "Hifumi is still young, Mitsuyo, still exploring her reactions to the world and it's people" he assured, more gentle. "This is her first romantic relationship, with someone who obviously likes her for her. Who knows what will happen?"
She didn't reply right away, not looking away from the match going on-
"In trying to take my silver general, you have left a hole in your defenses. Now you shall pay for that mistake; Icy Infiltration Ambush!"
"Gah, damn! Well uh, mmh... hah, the Skull Kingdom saw that coming and lured you here! Now you lost your invader, and then we'll bring down the sky dragon on your asses!"
"You better pray that your words are true, for the Togo Kingdom has many more surprises in store for your poor soldiers."
-"She's getting fired up about it, as usual" Mitsuyo said, slightly more fond. "Just like you did in your youth. But look at her: she's so happy that someone else enjoys her 'embarrassing habit', and shares in it."
Itsumu gave a smile as he watched, seeing that despite Ryuji's banter, Hifumi was dominating the game easily. "So she is, and Hifumi seems to enjoy his company quite a bit. Let us not hamper this, dear."
"Mmh. That'll be difficult."
After that, they were silent and simply watched the game, seeing how their daughter and this young man behaved.
Back to said participants:
"Your west wall has fallen, and my subjects give a mighty battle cry at the scent of blood, sensing the despair of their foes" Hifumi said, really in the zone. "The Skull Kingdom has indeed fought to it's last man, but in vain, for the dragon that governs the blue sky appears to be leaning into my hands. What will you do now?"
Across from her, Ryuji was rubbing at his hair, apparently trying to figure out how to respond and/or get out of her trap. "Uhh..." he breathed at first, glancing up before inspiration appeared to come, for he spoke very fast: "The battle ain't over yet, and the dragon still ain't decided who to support! We'll sneak our way up and take you by surprise andandandandand- gah!"
This drew her out of it, staring at him in surprised confusion.
"Hot damn, I don't even know where I was going with that!" he said, half-to himself and incredulous. "I just started saying shit and then my mouth couldn't make words! I mean really-"
"Hehehaha."
"Huh?" Ryuji breathed, looking at her with this stunned expression-
-Hifumi tried to contain her giggles, but it became increasingly difficult.
"Wha- hey, come on! It's not funny!" he tried to protest... 'tried', because his mouth kept twitching towards a grin. "People lose track of what they're saying all the time, just like- I mean- come on it's... ah screw it!"
Just before that last bit, she lost all attempts at composure and simply laughed- it wasn't long before Ryuji joined in, both of them 'holding themselves' as this happened. For her part, Hifumi was heavily reminded of his very-loud 'Hell yeah' from a week ago, and how much she had enjoyed it despite the surprise, something she hadn't expected before-the-fact.
Outside
Fairly later
Ryuji closed the front door, standing outside after having said his goodbyes to her parents- whew, it seems to be over. He'd thought Hifumi's mom would be the biggest problem, but turns out she didn't hate him - not sure she exactly 'liked' him yet, but she's kinda giving him a chance, so there's time to work on it - while her father was pretty cool.
Wish he had one like that... seriously.
Or he meant, a real one- heh, he definitely remembered Boss had unwittingly become like a dad to their whole group, and despite the guy's grumbles, he hadn't rejected the status.
"Ryuji?"
Brought out of it, he turned and saw Hifumi standing 'bout ten feet away, having been waiting for him. "Hey" Ryuji breathed, making a sound. "Sorry that the private talk took so long."
She shook her head, hands in front of her. "No, it's fine. I suppose that there are some things they would only say in private. I'm certain I won't be any different" Hifumi admitted, if looking at him curiously. "Can you tell me?"
"Huh? Oh uh, sure" he said, looking around (and glancing back at the house); he had to work to lower his voice then. "Well uh, they mostly gave some warning stuff, though your dad said it's 'cause of their job as parents" he continued, before chuckling. "In fact, even I could tell he didn't believe some of the stuff he said - he didn't believe I'd try anything, but he said it anyway so that I'd 'know my place', as he said. Heh, he's a seriously cool dude."
That comment got a really fond smile out of her. "He certainly is a great man. Thank you, Ryuji."
Ryuji nearly felt his cheeks heat up, distracted by her smile- gah, he had to pull himself together! "Y-You're welcome" he quickly breathed, rubbing his head as he glanced away, "I gotta admit, he's the kind of dad I wish I had."
He didn't see her expression change, but next thing he knew, Hifumi was hugging him tightly.
"Huh- what?" he breathed, mostly in surprise.
"S-Sorry... it's just, I wanted- I wanted to give you some comfort. Is that t-too forward of me?"
Comfort? For w- oh yeah, because she'd heard his whole situation earlier.
After a moment, he swallowed his nervousness and made sure to hold her back - while Hifumi moved at this, she didn't tense or nothin', much to his relief.
"No, it's alright, Hifumi" Ryuji said, feeling warm- she really is more than someone like him deserves, even if he's not gonna stop things just 'cause of that. "F'real."
"It's just, I can't imagine how alone you must have felt" she breathed against him, her hands moving a bit on his back. "I felt that way too in hindsight, before meeting Akira, yourself, and all your friends."
"Well... I won't deny it. But while I 'preciate this, I'm not one to focus on the past much, 'specially where bad stuff's concerned" Ryuji answered, trying to be a bit more gentle. "I'm all 'bout moving forward."
"I'm aware of that, Ryuji. But even still, I-I wanted to do this for you."
"Heh, you really are awesome, you know that?"
Hifumi pulled back from him, cheeks sorta-pink as she gave him a smile. "I- I wouldn't go that far" she admitted, lightly fingering the red strand in her hair. "But, thank you."
In that moment, Ryuji just gave a smile, thinking he can see what traits she got from her parents, physically or otherwise... hmm, her eyes/hair color were from her mom, but the way she 'posed' and acted seemed much like her dad. Then before he could lose his nerve, he leaned forward a bit, slow enough at first that Hifumi could notice what he's doing - the moment she did, there was a jolt, but after that her eyes began to close.
Heh, well it's still early and everything.
After the kiss, her cheeks were redder, but she only tucked a bit of hair behind her ear with a little smile.
He rubbed behind his head, giving a sound. "I wish I could stay longer, but I gotta head back" he said, already half doing that. "So even though it ain't actually night yet, goodnight Hifumi."
"Mmh. Goodnight, Ryuji."
For anyone wondering about the name Itsumu, I based that off her family's apparent theme naming. Hifumi being 'one two three' in Kanji symbols, Mitsuyo being 'three four' in mixed symbols (including Kanji), and then Itsumu being 'five six' in Kanji symbols. I do my research hehe ;)
Still, it was interesting writing both of Hifumi's parents - her father seemed easy enough from comments and Hifumi's obvious looking-up-to-him angle, while a post-change-of-heart Mitsuyo had to be done carefully. With luck, I hope both were done to satisfaction
