The End? Or A New Beginning? (Yuna & Vandesdelca's 1x1)

The past several years had been peaceful but slow for a lack of better. It was, in that sense, a double edged sword. Everyone who knew of the incidents including the "Midnight Channel" were no doubt glad it was all over. This did, admittedly, include the now eighteen year old Naoto Shirogane. However, in the midst of everything coming to a halt, this included her own line of work. It was slightly awkward, but she had remained in the police force with Ryotaro Dojima. Then again, maybe it had been for the best given she just recently finished her high school education and was thus now graduated and looking for a more permanent job.

Regardless, there had been several thing which stayed altered.

Yu, Dojima's nephew, was still gone. Tohru Adachi had been behind bars for his linkings with all the crimes. Everything was as it should. And yet, Naoto still couldn't help but almost feel like something was missing, even after just graduating from high school. Not from within Inaba, mind you. Oh no. Rather, she felt like something from her own self was missing.

Many people tried to encourage her to relax and take it easy rather than be so on edge lately. And the young detective had tried to heed the words. Truly, she had. But the task was so much easier said than done. It came with her workaholic nature and the fact that she had finished school was currently wasn't at all helping her feel any less restless.

"Still, they are right." She mused softly to herself, glancing up towards the ceiling of her residence. "May as well the free time while you can."

Break? What's that?

An inward scoff echoed throughout the young woman's head. But she knew her mind had a good point. Words like 'break' and 'vacation' didn't easily exist in Naoto's mindset. The revelation alone made her sigh and simultaneously groan.

Standing and getting to her feet, she began to head into her kitchen. A slight frown crossed her face. "Well ... that's one thing I guess." She decided, giving herself an affirmative nod as she closed the refrigerator door. Now that she had a new mission in mind, Naoto had somewhat of an idea on how to spend at least this day. Even if the task was simple in concept, it was still essential nonetheless.

According to her findings - or lack thereof - she needed to go shopping. Heading back into her room, she grabbed her wallet. Yes, wallet. Purses were too easy to lose or get stolen. A wallet, Naoto had found, was far more organized and easier to handle. Then again, she was much more like a tomboy as opposed to the stereotypical female.

Slipping the wallet into one of the front pockets of her blue jeans, she began to head out, stopping as her eyes caught her cell phone. It seemed redundant. While she did still remember all the others from the Investigation Team; Yu, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Teddie, and Yosuke, poor Naoto had never been good with social interactions. It was another thing many had encouraged her to work on but was also a much easier said than done task.

Still, her head wound up shaking in a no direction. It may be a mistake but she shouldn't be that long, not enough to actually need it. Her eyes then trailed up to her keys instead and pocketed those away. And with that, she opened her front door, closing and locking it after finding herself out in the streets and in view of the public.

As the sun hit her face, a hand raised to shield her dark orbs. While summer was her favorite season, she did wish that sometimes the sun wouldn't try to seem as if it were attempting to blind her. After her sight adjusted, she began to walk towards the Central Shopping District. Not that Junes wasn't fun to visit every now and again but she had to make funds last. Not like money grew on trees, after all.

All the while, Naoto pondered on her own future. It was so tempting to try for a more permanent Criminal Justice job. But should she go for it? Or was there another line of work she could be equally good at?

Isn't this what college is for? To help you figure all of this out?

But the mere thought of how much that would cost made Naoto cringe, groan, then sigh softly.

"... We'll get to that bridge when it arrives," she finally decided, continuing her trek towards the Central Shopping District.

With the conclusion of the Midnight Channel murder case had come a sort of clarity for Kanji Tatsumi. There came a time after the dust had settled -- with that bastard Adachi rotting behind bars, with Yu-senpai back home in the city, with all of his friends drifting back into their ordinary routines or breaking out on their own paths -- when Kanji realized a few things. He wasn't sure why he had never made these realizations before, but it had all come together at once.

1. He had friends who had seen him at his best and at his worse, more than he could even say for his mother. Friends for life, the sort that came from sharing blood and sweat and tears.

2. He was Kanji goddamn Tatsumi and everything that happened to imply.

3. Anyone who didn't like either of the first two facts were free to get bent.

Those thoughts kept him buoyed for a couple of years, but Chie, Yousuke, and Yukiko all graduated before him and Rise and Naoto had their own jobs to deal with that kept them busy -- Rise across the country and Naoto in her own little crime-solving bubble. With Yousuke working his way up the track to manager, Yukiko officially taking over the inn, and Chie busting her butt to become a police officer, Kanji'd been left sort of out in the cold.

Halfway through his senior year, he'd decided to do something about that. His mom was in decent health and didn't need any help running the textile shop -- even with the demand of the little dolls he made in his spare time. So he got another job -- it had taken some convincing, but Daidara had finally taken an apprentice.

He'd had to smooth over the whole "beating up a shit ton of would be gangsters with a shield" thing and prove to the old man that he believed in the artistry blacksmithing -- something the old Kanji never could have done. He made little delicate works of metal art as well as big, bulky decorative shields and the like, though he still had a ways to go, but during the summer after graduation he had time to indulge that particular time sink.

Besides, having Kanji around had some unexpected benefits for old Daidara.

As Naoto traipsed through the Central Shopping District, there was a clamor coming from Daidara Metalworks.

"Yo! Get the hell back here! Drop it and I won't kick your ass!" Kanji could be heard yelling. He thought it was rather diplomatic of him, really. The way it looked was a... little different.

A second year was sprinting down the street with a poorly concealed knife under his shirt, his expression scared shitless as Kanji chased him down. He had... well, clearly the past couple of years had been good for him, in prime physical condition that was only shown off by his shirt -- what had once been a long-sleeved shirt with an elaborate skull motif had had its sleeves ripped off at the shoulders, leaving bare, glistening arms free... one of which just happened to be wrapped around the waist of another second year, carried like a football and looking rather sick from the whole experience.

"Got ya!" Kanji shouted as he darted forward, snagging the second year by the collar, the youth's legs flying out from underneath him as his collar met the immovable object that was Kanji Tatsumi's grip, landing on his butt as the pilfered knife landed on the ground.

"Tch. Buncha stupid wannabe bikers -- don't need to be messing around with knives. 'Specially stolen ones; they're a hell of a lot sharper than those pocket knives," Kanji berated (with the slightest note of pride over the quality of the pilfered knife), sounding almost... responsible as he berated the two kids in the middle of the street. They weren't even that much younger than he was -- he'd clearly had a chance to mature and the fact that he was a half foot taller than either of them certainly didn't hurt matters.

As Naoto walked by some of the restaurants, her stomach growled, seeming to protest the thought of walking by them. "Shut up," she replied, not bothering to hide her annoyed tone. "Almost -- "

The sound of a very familiar voice, however, caught her attention as she stopped and turned. Sure enough, it'd been who she had thought; Kanji Tatsumi. Was he ... had he just left the blacksmithing place? That was certainly an interesting sight. She'd thought he would stick to his forte; not to say this was a bad thing to see. Unexpected at worst but then again, the same could easily apply to herself and actually being out and about. She didn't usually let herself be seen in public, though why was beyond her. She'd though it may be connected to an odd fear of not wishing to be judged. But ... was that really all?

To this day, she still hadn't been able to figure it out.

Actually ... you do know she reminded herself, feeling her face darken slightly. Not much but if one paid attention, it was definitely obvious to see.

The last times she had ran into any of the investigation team, they noted two things easily; her new vertical height and her new chest size.

It had been ... decent during the past two years. But now, she couldn't really hide it, not even with the use of bandages or other such similar techniques. They weren't ... too big, a respectable C-cup. But that, for a lot of Japanese teenagers, was pretty damn ... well, big.

Suddenly, she felt her courage to call out to Kanji falter and vanish.

Honestly, maybe it's for the best? You did pester him even before you met the rest of the investigation team. It'd be a miracle if he doesn't hate you for that alone.

Nodding to herself, Naoto's gaze lowered as she looked down to the ground. While his attention remained on the two 'wannabes' as he called them, she tried to take advantage and sneak away. She wasn't exactly expecting him to recognize her.

Or, if he did, she didn't intend for him to call out and greet her, especially since he did seem like he was on duty with his new work. It'd probably be for the best, to not pester him in any form or fashion.

In the time it took for Naoto's courage to falter, Kanji seemed to be wrapping up his rant at the two second years. "And what d'you got to say for yourselves, huh!? Old Daidara and me bust our asses over this stuff!" Kanji yelled at the two punks, still immobilized as they were by the giant blacksmith's apprentice.

"... tch. Fuck you. You wouldn't get it, anyway," the one on the ground muttered.

"What. Did you. SAY TO ME!?" Kanji demanded, only barely restraining himself from smacking the kid upside the head. A condition of Daidara's tutorship was that Kanji didn't get into any more needless fights. Scaring the hell out of people was about as far as he could go.

The little punk looked up at Kanji defiantly -- there was a look in his eye that the Investigation Team had seen before. The look Chie had when Yukiko had been kidnapped, the look Kanji himself had had when Naoto had thrown herself into the Midnight Channel, and the look they'd ALL had when Nanako-chan had been kidnapped... and finally Kanji dropped both of them.

"... just stay the hell out of Daidara's. Or next time I'm gettin' the chair," Kanji said, returning a glimmer of fear to the punks' eyes before they leaped up and scrambled away.

Naoto... he hadn't thought about her in a while. Hadn't had much time to think about any of his friends, really, busy as they all were. He wondered why he started now--

He got his answer when he happened to glance up, seeing the retreating back of a very familiar figure. She was tiny and her hat was a dead giveaway.

His breath caught in his throat, and he faltered for a moment. Naoto... it had been a while, and all those old feelings came rushing back, flooding his cheeks and making him stumble over his words. But no! He was the new Kanji Tatsumi. He handled his business like a man!

He plucked up the discarded knife from off the ground, shoving it down in his pocket before striding after Naoto, long legs allowing him to catch up with her in rather short order. He opened his mouth, and --

It'd be difficult to describe the sound he made short of "Naogkhr," which in more able hands might have been "Naoto-kun, how are you?" He cleared his throat, announcing more loudly and clearly a moment later: "Hey, Naoto-kun!"

A mixture of one of the teenagers actually talking back plus Kanji's - fairly angry, she had to admit - reply made Naoto's head turn once again. She blinked, almost wondering if for a moment her eyes were deceiving her. But ... if she was seeing fine, she had to get a closer view. The young woman took quiet but quick steps, steadily closing the gap. By the time she got in range, the two guys had began to run, albeit not before she saw that same look. It was more than familiar enough. Gods knew she'd definitely had it when Nanako-chan had been dragged into the Midnight Channel. Everyone had.

Her head shook slowly in disbelief.

Impossible. It's been two years!

But ... that look was not her imagination. Was there something she didn't know about? She would definitely do some research when she finished her shopping.

Before that, however, Kanji's voice reached her ears as - amazingly - he did indeed address her. Admittedly, though, it wasn't completely comprehensible at first. Even though she was eighteen now, Naoto couldn't help but chuckle. She had been way too naive before and never really noticed Kanji's reaction to her, especially when he blushed. Not only had his cheeks gone crimson, but he got temporarily tongue-tied from the sight of her. It was .. an interesting observation of sorts for Naoto.

"Hey, Kanji."

Mustering up the courage, Naoto finished walking across the street, soon ending up beside Kanji. "You .. you got a new job I see. You look well. It's good to see you."

Not only had the words been sincere, but for once, she hadn't struggled to say them.

Why now?

It was ... another odd thing. But at the same time, Naoto wouldn't complain. Maybe, just maybe, she'd finally found someone who could help her get past her social awkwardness.

Who'd have thought it would have been the punk of the investigation team? Certainly not her. The thought made her smile widen.

Perhaps Kanji had read into the look -- or perhaps it had merely been a catalyst for thinking about Naoto for the first time in what seemed like forever. He was a more self-assured man these days, but... well, Naoto had never been too far from his mind. He had crushed on her rather hard two years before, and it seemed like those same old feelings were rearing their ugly head here again in front of her.

"Hey, Naoto," Kanji said, looking momentarily chagrined afterward. You already said that! Quick, say something else. Kanji managed to master his tongue before it came out as nonsense once more, pausing thoughtfully to think about what next to say. Luckily, she gave him an out in asking about his new job.

"Ah, yeah!" Kanji said, glancing down at himself as if noticing it for the first time himself. Lost in the blur of him chasing down the punks, it was obvious now that he wore a little tag on his shirt claiming that he was a representative of Daidara Metalworks. A toolbelt hung around his hips, a hammer on one side, pliers on the other, and thick gloves were draped over the side as well. "Convinced old Daidara to take me on. Hardass finally gave in," Kanji said with a small grin.

It was almost like no time had passed at all -- but he was quite cognizant of the time that DID pass. The time that had developed Naoto from a blossoming girl into a fully fledged woman with an ample chest. It was amazing that he kept his eyes from gluing themselves to such, using raw discipline to keep his nose from bleeding like a faucet.

"You look, ah, real good too. Healthy," he said with a firm nod. Healthy? Who SAYS that? "Ah, what's up? I haven't seen you 'round Inaba in a while," he said. She always DID like to keep herself busy, and he recalled her as being rather asocial. Not that he had been much better, all things considered. Loneliness was a trait they'd shared.

Despite the slightly rocky talks Naoto had with Kanji in the past, he still did - now that she pondered on it - have his habit of blushing often around her. So .. had he always felt this way but never been able to explain himself? It seemed as much.

... And you never noticed this ... how?

It was perhaps the most embarrassing for two reasons. She should have been smart, if not observant enough, to have seen this. Two, she was a damn detective! Failure to see all of these reactions from Kanji was about as bad as missing one of the most important clues of a damn case!

As Kanji talked - tried to, anyway - to her again, Naoto couldn't help but chuckle softly. Had he really always been this flustered around her? And she'd missed it? What an idiot she felt like. Ah well. Better late than never as the old saying went. Her head nodded as Kanji hinted it had taken a lot of convincing to be accepted for the job. "That's good news; really. I'm happy for you."

Her smile couldn't help but widen as he used a rather unique word to describe her. "Well ... I suppose that is true enough. I was kind of underweight two years ago. Still am ... but not as bad." she quickly added, feeling her own cheeks darken.

The hell was that? Wait, is he rubbing off on you so fast?

Usually, she never thought about - or actually did - curse. And yet it had very clearly entered her thought. She swallowed softly before looking back into Kanji's eyes.

"I suppose ... I've been trying to make sure what I want to do with my life though. I'm technically still with Dojima-san and the force but ... it's kind of ... well, rocky. Not from Dojima but most of the others. They're still unsure about me being one of the detectives. I .. I don't really have those same thoughts like I did in the Channel; but I ... " Naoto paused, trying to figure out a good way to explain herself.

"I guess I wish .. I don't know. It kind of doesn't matter because I can't tell them what to feel or think. But .. am I making any sense at all? I ... I guess I wish I didn't feel like I was going through this cycle of deja vu. I wish they'd just grow up and stop being adamant on wanting me to leave. It's frustrating for a lack of wording."

It almost seemed like the poor bastard was making up for lost time, floundering around in an unexpected flood of emotions. He was getting better at navigating the way he felt and keeping his head above water, but even skilled swimmers could eventually get pulled by the undertow.

Her own flustering wasn't helping him out much in that regard. She was... cute. Hell, she'd always been, but it really came out at times like these.

He finally found his bearings -- a proverbial life preserver -- when she revealed the troubles she'd been having recently. "Ah, that's a pile of shit," Kanji said with all the airs of a man who knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. "You're the best detective in Inaba --no, Japan, and even better than Dojima-san! Wouldn't have had a chance in hell of catching Adachi if it weren't for you," Kanji said.

His next words came out with a practiced ease, as if it were a mantra he'd said to himself a million times: "You're Naoto goddamn Shirogane. You know who you are and so do your friends. Ain't anything else to it," Kanji said, rolling his right shoulder as he grabbed at his bicep with his left hand, a familiar sign of getting pumped up. Some habits died hard, and self-affirmation could be a beautiful thing. He grinned wide, as if proud of himself for that little speech.

As the silence hovered between the two, Naoto took the opportunities to glance behind Kanji. Even though his boss hadn't bitched for him to get back inside and continue his shift, the detective couldn't help but worry for Kanji. Simultaneously, she didn't want to seem rude or like she was merely shoving him away. So, her mind began to quickly think while still paying attention to Kanji's words. The first half had definitely been expected. It was Kanji, after all. Of course he'd call people like those she had to deal with on the force a piece of shit. It was after that she never would have expected.

"I ... I don't know about being quite that good. Really but .. thank you ... "

She hadn't thought it an easy task but sure enough, her cheeks were no doubt getting even more red. She didn't need a mirror to see herself; poor Naoto could feel the heat radiating off her skin.

"When .. when, um, do you get done? I can ... if you want ... we can go eat somewhere when you're finished with your shift?"

And before she had the opportunity to take it back, Naoto realized that - intentionally or otherwise - she'd just asked Kanji out.

".... Sorry if that was too much. Um .. "

She tried to find more words to add. But nothing was coming to her mind. All she could do now was wait and see if he'd finally thought she had lost her mind or not.

"'Course you are. They didn't call you the Detective Prince for nothing!" Kanji said. She'd been famous, though there had been a minor scandal when it had been revealed that Naoto was the "Detective Princeess". A fact Kanji only remembered when the words had already left his mouth, wild and free. It was just as well -- her next words just about floored him. It wasn't that he thought that SHE might be interested in him, and more that they'd be going and grabbing lunch in general. Things had always been... awkward before.

Partially because it had taken a while to find out that Naoto was a girl, and he'd been attracted to her even before then. A couple of years gave him perspective enough to realize that there was just something about her. She could've worn Teddie's retarded bear costume and he still probably would have found something to like. It was fortunate, perhaps, that he didn't remember that Teddie went commando under the suit.

"Oh, uh. Shit, what time is it," Kanji muttered to himself, digging out his cell and reading the time on the front. 2:27 blinked back at him in digital form. Or, well, 14:27 did, but same diff.

"Uh, I'm off time in three minutes. Gotta run these," Kanji said, brandishing the knives he'd shaken down the wannabes for, "back to Daidara and clean up. You wanna meet at Aiya n' grab a table? Shouldn't be more than about ten minutes," Kanji said. He was too hungry to be flustered right now -- his animal cracker stash was low and they didn't have much in the kitchen back home. It was time for a grocery run, but he could handle that after lunch.

"Well ... okay. Point taken." Usually, Naoto would be far more stubborn and adamant on disputing things. But this time, Kanji truly had won. It was a rare blessing, one that hopefully he'd embrace. There were few times this may ever happen again, after all. "You win this one, for now." The combination of Kanji's facial expression plus the new pause made poor Naoto almost certain he didn't think she was crazy; nah, she probably seemed insane! She was very close to apologizing but before she could open her mouth, Kanji ... accepted?

That took her aback about as much as her offering for this outing had Kanji.

"Yeah ... sure. Sounds good. I'll be there!"

Giving Kanji a quick wave, Naoto pivoted and hurried back into her home. There weren't many but Naoto did want to take advantage of the time alone to make a few changes. They'd all been ones some female co-workers, friends, or both had all suggested; mainly Chie and Yukiko.

"This ... feels weird..... " she murmured, slowly reaching up and removing her hat. It was almost akin to stripping yet not. Still, it wasn't the absolute worst feeling either. Setting it down, Naoto hurried into her room, tossing her uniform top off half-way inside. It wouldn't be like anyone would see her, after all. She did live alone and that was by far one of the best perks.

Mainly as gifts from various friends and relatives, Naoto did have some other tops in the forms of tank tops and even blouses that were more casual than school attire. Her hands reached down and picked a navy blouse with a slight v-neck shape. It didn't show too much off but it did at the same time hint if the first few buttons ever came undone, there would be quite a show.

".... Still not as bad as a bikini .... " she decided, figuring it could have been more .. revealing. Taking a long, deep breath, Naoto pulled the blouse over her head and looked at herself in the nearby mirror.

Honestly? She kinda liked it. This wasn't half bad of a look.

"...Fine. I owe them both ... " she murmured, somewhat annoyed and yet happy with the results of this experiment.

Her hands did a quick pat down of her self, feeling both her wallet and keys still in the pocket of her denims. Satisfied to feel this, the detective finally turned, locked her door, and began to head to Aiya. Hopefully, if Kanji had already gotten there, he hadn't been waiting too long.

"Damn right," Kanji grinned broadly, savoring his victory over the taciturn detective. People didn't get very many of those, and it had been on even ground, too. Rather than her thinking they were all a bunch of morons because of the King's Game incident. Not... not that her summation of the entire event had been inaccurate or anything...

"Alright. See ya in a bit."

The next few minutes was a whirl of motion for Kanji -- he just about sprinted back to Daidara's, and he managed to clear out of the place in record time. Knives were returned to their places, tool belt was stowed in a small locker underneath his smithing bench, his name tag was likewise stowed, and he made quick work of his cleaning duties. He scrubbed down his anvil, polished his tools, and made sure everything was put away before he left Aiya at speed. He was lucky that he lived just down the street from Aiya...

He didn't change into something nice and presentable -- that wasn't him but he did wipe down, getting his hands clean of black soot and making sure he didn't smell like the smoky forge or old Daidara who seemed to always have a peculiar scent of sweet onions about him. Kanji was starting to suspect the old man bathed only in his sweat, which was all the grosser for the fact that it COULD have been true.

With that done, Kanji switched form one shirt to another, out of his ratty work shirt and into a tight gray shirt that had bore the black visage of a revolver-wielding Reaper -- which had the secondary effect of outlining his sterling physique, before he headed out. He had a shorter distance to walk than Naoto did, so he was back to Aiya before she was.

He was surprised at that, though he quickly picked out a table for the two of them, a table nearly in the center of the diner and just across from the central counter top. He waited patiently for her arrival, ordering his tea and beef bowl in the meantime... though he only had a minute or so to wait, as soon Naoto came through the door looking... well, less Naoto-esque than usual. He managed to grab a napkin in time before the blood started, cutting off the trickling nosebleed when it came.

"Hey, Naoto," he said, a touch muffled due to the napkin. "I already ordered -- feel free to get whatever on me," Kanji said. He was feeling generous, and besides... between his dolls selling quite well at the shop and his (admittedly paltry) money from the smithy, they were doing quite well these days. It was a success that Junes couldn't take away from them.

Naoto wasn't too amazed that Kanji had arrived first. She wasn't as close as he was to this place. Granted, Naoto wasn't as far away as she could have been either; but ah well. Even though she was used to being good with everything, maybe she should accept a select few things she could embrace as weaknesses of sorts. In this case, it was not always being the first to arrive and having to understand that distance could - and would at times - affect how fast or slow it took for someone to arrive.

"Hey. You haven't been here too long, have you?" she asked, doing a quick scan mainly of Kanji himself. The first thing that got her attention was his shirt. She couldn't explain to herself how but it suited him really well. The next made her smile widen again as she noticed his nose bleeding.

"Oh? Thank you. That's ... sweet of you." She knew he would very likely have chosen a different word but ah well. It was describing the situation, not quite him. So she felt a bit better. He'd likely feel more awkward if 'sweet' had directly been used to describe Kanji as opposed to his acts.

"So um ... what made you want to work at Daidara's place as opposed to anywhere else?"

Before she could hear his answer, the waitress appeared beside their table. "Green tea, a chicken bowl, and white rice, please ma'am."

Am I doing decently with this conversing thing?

That last inner thought was one that she knew should have been asked aloud. But her uncertainties and select doubts were keeping her silent. Besides, she had asked him a question before the waitress arrived. It seemed right to let him speak, not interrupt him.

Kanji shook his head, careful to keep the tightened wad of napkin pressed to his nose to stymie the bleeding. "Nah. I was only here for a few minutes. I pretty much just live across the street," he said. Well, and a bit down it as well, but that was splitting hairs. The blood flow seemed to be ceasing, so he slowly withdrew the napkin after wiping himself down, balling it up off to the side to throw away later.

A couple of years ago, Kanji might have taken issue with being called 'sweet'. Maybe he still would have if, say, Yousuke or Teddie had said it to him. But coming from Naoto just then, quite clearly female and... tantalizingly so, well... he shrugged it off with a sheepish look. He seemed awkward, but... happy. "Don't mention it."

"Oh, uh," Kanji said, straightening up when she asked again after his line of work. "... well, I like making things. Been able to learn how to make really delicate stuff for my dolls, yanno?" he asked. He hesitated for a moment, looking quickly from left to right as if to make sure no one was listening. "... plus, it means I can make my own weapons n' armor. I hang out with Teddie sometimes. In the TV. Kickin' the asses of any shadows we find on the other side. It's a good workout," Kanji said.

Nobody had talked about the Midnight Channel in a while -- just about a couple of years, honestly. A rumor floated around here and there, but as far as Kanji was concerned, that whole business was over and done with.

"What about you? What's this about you not knowing what to do with your life?" Kanji asked. As long as he'd known her, she'd loved being a detective and solving crimes -- he'd always thought that confidence was pretty cool, to follow after what you wanted despite what stood in one's way. Kanji could respect that, look up to it. And as a matter of fact, he did.

"Ah, okay. Good to hear." She'd been ready to elaborate and answer the other inquiries before the waitress returned with her tea and meal. "Thank you." Taking the opportunity, Naoto reached down and took a sip of the green tea, feeling the soothing drink help her better relax and think. The nice flavor was always a good bonus and it was one of the healthier drinks to buy in Inaba, let alone Japan.

"I suppose that's an interesting way to look at it." she mused, nodding after pondering the idea for a bit before giving Kanji a soft smile. "That's a good way to stick to your fortes while trying something new out at the same time. I like that."

A very serious expression quickly crossed her face, however, as Kanji confessed he went into the Channel. "Hold on. You still go there? And .. there are still shadows? Kanji ... doesn't that worry you? At all? When we did everything we did two years ago, weren't all the shadows supposed to have vanished? For good? I didn't want to mention it .. but now that you bring this up, you saw the look on those kids earlier, didn't you? Kanji ... do you think there's something going on again?"

Naoto made no attempt to hide the frown that crossed her face. Just the mere thought genuinely annoyed and even angered her. Everyone on the investigation team had sacrificed so much to make sure the crimes connected with that damn Channel ended then and there. To hear that they may be possibly repeating, be it from Adachi or someone else, did anything but make the young detective happy.

Even though her mind and heart were racing, she figured she could at least give Kanji an answer to the last question. "I .. well, I suppose I wanted to make sure this was the path for me. But if what you're saying is true plus the guess ... then I don't think it is anymore. I know it is."

A new sense of resolve - something she hadn't felt since accepting her Persona two years ago - surged through her. Even if there wasn't anything amiss happening, she at least knew for the first time in a long while exactly what she wanted to do. It was definitely a step in the very right direction.

Kanji's food didn't take much longer than hers did, the waitress bringing his beef bowl -- it had to cook a little while longer than the chicken did, after all, due to being thicker. He grinned wide at it -- it had been joked that it was a 'portal to the meat dimension', a dimension that only a scarce few had been able to brave. Namely Yu, Chie, and himself. Out came the chopsticks, and he began to dig in as Naoto spoke.

"Don't worry about it," Kanji said as he swallowed down a particularly large bit of beef. "Teddie's a shadow and he's still around, right? Y'gotta figure that not all of 'em died. They haven't been growing restless in the fog like they used to, either. They just sort of hang around and occasionally try to snack on me or Ted while we're wanderin' around," Kanji said. He grinned suddenly, "'Course, we kick their asses."

It was a bizarre world they lived in when Teddie had slowly subsumed the position of Kanji's Best Friend.

"If you wanna come with sometime, we could check it out. Looks a lot like it did after we beat the shit outta Adachi," Kanji said. Their "dungeons" had all faded away, leaving only the vanilla TV World and all of its bizarre rooms. They'd had quite a bit of time to explore the place, after all, even if no map they'd ever made made any sense whatsoever.

"Glad to hear it. You're a damn good detective. And if there is anything up, you'd be the one to find it," Kanji said.

It wasn't that Naoto doubted Kanji; just the earlier incident being a coincidence. That was where she began to really question everything. However, since he was bringing up the option of joining him ... why not? She did need to get out more and it'd be another way to keep working on her social skills. "Well ... alright, then. I suppose it wouldn't be bad to check it out again. Sorry if I seem like I almost over-reacted for a second there. I just ... I suppose I'm making sure nothing's trying to repeat. There are some moments I could do without a second time."

This especially held true now that Yu was gone. He'd been a damn good leader. Naoto had no idea if she could take up that role or if Kanji would be able to. Everyone else, to her knowledge, was typically too busy. She was lucky enough as it was to run into any of the others. The girls tended to drop by with no real warning and give her tips and advice. It was a nice gesture but, at first, she hadn't asked for ways to work on her more feminine side. Now, however, she had began to recently realize it was okay to look and dress more like a woman than a tomboy.

Not to say she'd start always wearing dresses or whatnot; but she considered things like letting her hair grow out so it wasn't at the short length it'd been at.

The thoughts were dismissed as Kanji complimented her detective skills. "Thanks. I .. know I kinda made myself part of the team. But I'm glad it worked out in the end."

While Naoto tried to think of something else to discuss, she resumed eating her meal.

Damnit, not now! Don't freeze up now! Come on!

Despite her maintaining a calm expression on the outside, deep down, Naoto was beginning to have a panic attack. They didn't often come up, only when she felt incredibly scared or desperate. Thus, social situations like this tended to create some of the worst triggers for her.

"Nah, I understand. That's what all this started out as, you know? I don't like the idea of any asshole using the Midnight Channel for hurting people either. Last thing we need is another Adachi, Namatame, or even that creepy asshole with the fish eyes," Kanji said. Perhaps it was the ultimate insult to Mitsuo Kubo that Kanji couldn't even remember his name.

"So about once every month -- at least -- me and Ted'll jump in and see if there's anything we should deal with. Never ran into anything whose ass we couldn't kick," Kanji said with a note of pride. Perhaps more than any other member of the team, Kanji'd kept himself in fighting trim, and it showed.

Kanji wolfed down the rest of the bowl, eating like a human vacuum and washing it all down with his cup of tea. He pushed away the bowl, smiling with satisfaction to himself.

"'Course. We would have had a hell of a time trying to nab Adachi without you. We probably woulda rubbed out Namatame and called it a night," Kanji said. And that murderer would still be free to do whatever the hell he wanted. Kanji was glad he'd never to have to see that psycho's face again -- and they had Yu and Naoto to thank for that.

He went quiet for a moment, reveling in the end of his meal, before glancing back at Naoto. He liked how she looked, liked the woman she seemed to be growing into, but... "... yanno, y'don't look right without your hat. I mean," he said hurriedly, "not to say you don't look nice without it, you look really good actually, it's just that I'm used to seeing you like... Naoto. I mean, you look good either way, just..." He trailed off -- he was only digging himself deeper, a thought that occurred to him while his cheeks enflamed yet again.

Thankfully, Kanji found several things to mention. An inward sigh of relief echoed through her head as finished her own bowl in a matter. She had nearly gone grocery shopping on an empty stomach so, for once, she was actually hungry.

"Once a month, hm? Did you already take your trip this one? Or not yet? We .. I wouldn't mind scheduling for the next time you go." With Teddie, herself, and Kanji, she actually felt better about the idea of going back into the television. After a brief pause, Naoto added, "So ... does Teddie fight alongside you? Or is he the guide more or less since Rise doesn't join you?"

Even behind the cup, Kanji would see her smile widen slightly as he went on and praised her about the capturing of Adachi. That was definitely a bonus about still being in the police force; if there was something going wrong in the Channel again, she knew it couldn't be Adachi for one good reason. She'd seen him a few times still in his cell. So unless he had replaced himself with a clone or someone who looked exactly like him, he was still where he should be. Her head shook as she began to wonder about the possibility of someone else trying to make history repeat but quickly dismissed the thought.

Wait until the bridge arrives ...

Naoto began to sip her tea .. only to cough slightly as Kanji finally mentioned her hat. For a while, she stayed quiet, repeating his thoughts in her mind before finally chuckling softly as she set her cup down.

"I won't lie. It felt .... really odd to take it off. For a bit, it almost felt like I had stripped completely actually. But the girls - Rise especially - have all been trying to give me a few suggestions. Growing my hair out, wearing different things, looking a bit more ... feminine. It's not the worst things I've been told but it was - still is a bit - new. But ... honestly? I kinda like the change. It really is good at times. It's ... it's fine. Really. Thank you for the input. I understand well enough what you're saying."

Allowing a brief pause to linger over the two once again, Naoto pondered on whether to even go shopping like she'd originally thought. In the end, the answer was yes if for no other reason knowing she would need something for dinner and the next several weeks. When Naoto bought things, be it food or clothes, she went with the purpose to make them all last as long as possible.

Before that, however ....

"This .. this was really fun, Kanji. Whether it's to go to the Channel together or something else ... I'd like to do this outing again. If you would also, that is."

"Nawh, we were planning on taking a trip in this weekend. During the case, I kinda became obsessed with checking the weather -- it's supposed to rain this weekend, and screwy shit always seemed to happen when it was raining." Kanji snorted. "Not like there's much else to do around here when it's raining, right?" Kanji asked. Inaba was, after all, still a sleepy little rural town... and honestly, he liked it that way. The place was a real pain to live in when madmen and murderers were on the loose and you could be snapped up and fed to shadows at just about any time. No one knew that better than the kidnap victims back then...

"Teddie usually joins in with me. He still guides me and everything, but it's not like we can rely on Yu like we used to." There was no denying that that guy had been something else. The way he effortlessly switched Personas, calling out a veritable army of monsters from out of his head when the rest of them could only call on one -- even if they did grow stronger. "None of the shadows are as strong as what we used to face. Little bastards'll sucker punch you if you're not paying attention, though," he said. It... sounded like he had a bit of experience in that regard.

Kanji still looked flustered as they kept briefly to the subject of her hat -- "That's good. Y'should only do what you feel right with, yeah? I'd rather hang out with you rather than some bullshit Rise tries to stuff you in." It was almost peculiar that he seemed to be the only one immune to Rise's charms -- he'd shown more attraction to Yukiko and Chie than he ever had to Rise, and even that had been minimal. "But ah, this," he said, gesturing to her and the shirt that just hinted at her femininity rather than being blatant about it, "looks good," he said at last, still looking a bit flushed.

It was amazing that she could turn him into a gibbering idiot even after a couple of years of barely seeing one another.

"Huh?" he asked when she offered to do this again, looking momentarily surprised before he broke out in a big grin. "Hell yeah!" he said, toning it back when he realized that might come on a little strongly. "I mean yeah, sure. You still got my number, right? It hasn't changed or anything," he said. He still seemed to be toting around the same kinda beat up flip phone from a few years before.

"Just lemme know when. I'm usually pretty free after our old school hours. Usually work or do shopping before then. Which I guess I gotta do after I leave here," he said with a long-suffering note. He hated doing shopping, but he'd rather do it than force his mom to do it.

"Weekend sounds good. I'm almost always available ... unless Dojima-san or any of the higher-ups in the force abruptly call me in. But that's .. not too often." It was ironic. Prior to today, that very fact used to annoy and make her feel just a bit .. useless. But now, she had all but forgotten about it. In fact, if she wound up seeing Kanji as often as her mind was trying to calculate, it may be for the best that they don't pester her too much. The reminder about the weather made her a bit intrigued, simply because it was odd that even during bad weather, Kanji could still find shadows to battle against.

"Hm, interesting. I wouldn't have expected that to still continue but ... it makes for an easy scheduler of sorts I guess."

Her head nodded in agreement as Kanji admitted the same - and perhaps only concern - that she had about joining him once more in the Channel. Yu wouldn't be there. He had, no doubt, been born a leader. He had the charisma, he never once - to her recollection - panicked even when things got horrible, and he was very capable of using multiple Personas. Each one had various elements and techniques, deeming Yu the 'jack-of-all-trades' of the group.

"I'll keep it in mind. I may not have been back to the Channel since a few years ago. But I have a pretty good memory so ... it should be, as they say, like riding a bike."

If worst came to worst, she had been given confirmation that both Teddie and Kanji himself would help back her up. And with the latter having been going to the Channel rather often - well both technically - she could be given opportunities to get back in the hang of re-summoning and using her Persona while they gave her time and chances.

Her head nodded as she grabbed her cup and finished the last few sips of her tea before setting the now empty glass down. "I will, don't worry. You keep being yourself, regardless of what others try to say." There hadn't been many who attempted such tactics on Kanji but she had recalled seeing people try to make him change a few times. It was mainly in regards to his sewing and hobbies. But honestly? It helped his family business. That being said, it wasn't Naoto's place to judge him. True, not many men picked up such activities but .. hey. The same definitely applied to the amount of women who went into the detective field of work.

"Thank you for the input though. I .. I really do appreciate it."

Another odd thought entered her head. Even when she'd first met the team, especially Kanji, she never found herself stammering. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still, it made Naoto wonder if she'd had feelings for Kanji since then and they were slowly beginning to emerge?

Don't be foolish ... no, not foolish. Hasty? Damn. I can't even find a word ... ugh. Let things happen naturally all the same ..

Kanji would likely need about as much time as herself to - mentally more than physically - adjust to the mindset of being more than comrades and friends with another person.

Her smile widened as Kanji agreed for a future date. "Don't worry about your choice of words. It doesn't offend me to hear. I just .. don't know I can use them for myself. But it doesn't bother me to hear them. Yeah though, I still have your number." Technically, she had everyone's. Using said cell phone, however, used to be a different story. Now that she had a purpose, however, she'd clearly be using it more often in the near future.

"I'll call you soonish then."

... Soonish? Really, Naoto?

"Oh? You have to do shopping too? Well ... maybe we can walk together for a bit? I was going to myself before we found each other." she offered.

"Far as we can figure, the Midnight Channel pretty much works like it used to. 'Cept the fog coming in doesn't really do a whole hell of a lot on the other side. Couldn't really say why that is," Kanji said, his expression speculative for a long moment. He'd... never actually thought about it. Teddie had mentioned something about the place smelling... cleaner or something, and that was the most he'd really thought about the whole thing. Naoto was better at figuring that sort of stuff out anyway -- Kanji beat the shit out of things, and that was a status quo he was pretty comfortable with, all things considered.

Besides, and this was something he kept to himself... even if she was a little rusty at the whole thing, he'd be there to protect her.

When she suddenly changed track and told him to be himself, he looked surprised, eyes widening incrementally and his lips parting. He visibly relaxed and grinned in the next moment. "Damn right. I can kick ass and make dolls. That's my way," he said. He took a sort of pride in it, it seemed. His dolls were adorable, and he wasn't ashamed about that in the least. He was a different Kanji, far more self-assured...

... except when it came to dealing with Naoto, it seemed. However, that acceptance she had just implied toward him (at least in his mind) was very welcome. He'd always been worried about appearing manly in front of girls... in front of Naoto. He was a man, and nothing about that would change no matter what others thought of him... but it made him feel better to know she wasn't going to reject him for all of that.

"No prob. Always here to give a pep talk," he said with a little smile, as if aware that he was the LAST person one would expect a pep talk from. As Naoto immersed herself in her thoughts, Kanji called over the waitress, paying for their meal and getting ready to leave -- they both still had full days after this, he imagined. He certainly didn't expect an invitation or anything.

"Uh, yeah. Sure! Gotta hit up the Junes. Pick up some groceries and things for Mom. You heading there, too?" Kanji asked as he motioned toward the door, as if to invite her to walk and talk with him.

Although it was .. nerve-wracking a bit to hear that the Midnight Channel seemed to work the same way, even with the weather, she merely noted it all for now. Why was it still acting like that? Shouldn't the weather not matter by now? Things like this only seemed to convince one of two things was going on; someone was already in the Channel and tampering with it, or these were all signs of foreshadowing and someone would be repeating history soon. Very soon from what Naoto could gather.

"It might be easier to figure it out when I get in there. Could be mere coincidence but ... I doubt it. Sounds like there should be an actual reason as to why it's still going through all of those patterns." she mused, stretching out slightly.

"It's a unique - but very good - way to go. Really, it is. No talents are restricted to certain genders only, nor should they ever be. If you ever doubt that again, look at Chie's love for martial arts or mine with the detective stuff. Both those are supposed to be mainly appropriate for men but ... " she gave a light shrug. "We don't care enough." Her own smile widened as she slowly sat up, nodding and finally realizing - after actually studying Kanji, that even after the two years had gone by, she was still short.

Not as much as she used to be which had likely been a foot difference. But ... there were still about eight to ten inches of difference between herself and Kanji. Were this anyone else, they would have no doubt likely been a tad intimidated.

Naoto, on the other hand, was merely slightly annoyed. Not at Kanji, just .. at typically having to resort to stepping on her tip-toes or doing any and everything necessary to reach the most annoying places. There weren't many in her house, luckily. The store, however, was sometimes a different story.

"Yeah. I need to restock up for myself. I can get enough for several weeks if not a month. This last trip, however, seemed .. to go by faster than usual." Another intriguing thought. How and why had that happened? Ah well. It was all about to get remedied.

Her head bowed politely as she walked outside of the door and found herself back on the streets once again.

By now, Naoto would usually have been eager and willing to head home. But honestly? She was content - for once - to be outside of her home. She was with good company, possibly more in the future, and having a damn good conversation with said individual at that rate. She definitely never believed she would have such luck with anyone ... ever.

But hell, she wouldn't complain. If anything, Naoto was rather prepared to embrace and accept everything she had so far, especially in regards to Kanji.

"If you say so," Kanji said -- there wasn't the usual mocking or indifference that phrase implied. If she was worried, then he supposed they had a right to be worried. She'd always been pretty careful about stuff (besides the time she boneheadedly got herself captured) but she'd always had a good reason. He guessed she'd even had a reason to get captured, as much danger as she had put herself in trying to do so.

"Heh, never thought about it like that," Kanji said when she pointed out that she and Chie had less-than-ladylike pursuits. Chie the sporty martial artist and would-be cop, and Naoto the science fiction-loving detective; Kanji the doll-making badass was in good company.

The hell do I have to complain about?

Kanji considered Naoto for a long moment -- they were more similar than he had realized before. He'd gotten an inkling of that when they had rescued her from her Shadow, having beaten the shit out of that floaty cyborg himself, but... it put it into perspective when he heard it from her.

Kanji headed out into the sunlight of mid-afternoon Inaba, hands digging down in his pockets as he took a deep breath. It was nice out, warm and summery, with the smell of blooming flowers and fruit heavy on the wind. Even in the busiest part of Inaba, one could still smell nearby nature. Kanji felt outright stifled in the larger cities.

"You live alone these days, Naoto?" he asked, glancing over to her as he led the way to the Junes. It wasn't too far from where they stood after all. And even if it was... well, he was having fun. No matter how much he occasionally lost his tongue around her, he was enjoying her company.

Naoto merely smiled, glad that her reminding Kanji it was okay to be slightly unorthodox at times could be a good thing. It definitely beat adjectives like 'corrupt', 'insane', or just outright 'evil'. And the investigation group wasn't quite that. Eccentric at her own worst .. but that wasn't too bad. It was sometimes their flaws as opposed to their strengths which actually made all of the team really strong. Funny how that worked.

She hadn't really thought about the past several years, let alone her placing herself in danger to help get a lead on the case by allowing herself to get kidnapped. Now with the possibility of history repeating, she had to ask herself if she'd do it again or not. Maybe; but definitely in a much smarter fashion. It was something that, as far as Naoto knew, she had time to ponder on at least.

Her eyes temporarily broke away from Kanji and took note that they were going towards Junes. Her heart sank a bit; she hadn't expected to head this way. She'd always tried to avoid Junes just because they were usually higher in price. While it was true that there weren't really many other options, there were enough for Naoto to find another place to go shop at. Ah well. It wasn't like she did this often and she did save most of her paychecks rather than splurge recklessly like most teenagers did.

Her eyes softened as they looked back to Kanji when he asked on her living alone. It was no surprise that he - nor anyone else - on the team knew what she was about to reveal. Her smile barely widened as she replied without any hesitation, "My parents have been dead. I've been an orphan for years. Yeah, I've lived alone since they got into a car wreck years ago. Inheritances plus the government helped me for a while. The latter, however, has slowed down now that I'm able to work. But .. um .. yeah. I'm always alone."

She'd relayed this story to most of the police. Yet why was it only now that she wanted to cry? Maybe because, prior to now, those last three words never sounded half as painful as they had been just now? Because she confessed it to someone she may be falling for? Something else she was missing?

"Don't worry about it," she quickly added, keeping her voice stable enough as her head tilted up. "You didn't know. No one did really. I guess I didn't want to sound like I was trying to pull some 'poor pitiful me' act so I've kept it hidden away unless I have to mention it."