Time to Make History {Van + Mellow}

[MellowYellow]

It was strange, perhaps even ironic, that this 'sleepy countryside town' had proven itself to be far more hectic and interesting than any day back in Kyoto had been. It was something not lost on Yu Narukami, but also something he hadn't said to his other friends. No doubt the others felt the same way- going from ordinary schooldays to entering a parallel world inside the TV to stop some mysterious serial killer.

Yu, having been nominated as 'leader' of their little group, still found the time to ponder this interesting quirk in between heading up their rescue operations and making time for his friends. Both aspects were going well as Yu was managing to juggle and strengthen a good deal of his friendships and had worked with the others to rescue Kanji Tatsumi from his own prison inside the TV world.

Though he would likely be forever haunted by the abundance of homoeroticism in that place...

Things were going well for Yu, and yet... and yet... well there was this niggling worry in the back of his mind, this discomfort that he couldn't shake. Once the bell tolled at the end of the schoolday, the silver haired young man had felt that same strange anxiety come sinking back into his mind. He always feared something bigger was on the horizon, that their next foray into the TV world could well be their last. And then there was the worry on their nebulous and enigmatic adversary, a person who had to hold the same power the rest of them had. If not just the ability to enter the TV world, then there was the likelihood that he could summon a Persona of his own. That prospect alone worried him deeply.

He was he leader, the rock that the others used for support and the lightning rod that helped keep them all grounded. Who was he to talk with about his issues? He couldn't let the rest of the team think he was troubled too- at least that was what Yu told himself, for part of him feared that they wouldn't find him as reliable in that event and as a result wouldn't trust him as wholly. A foolish thought perhaps, but even bright men had foolish thoughts.

'I have stuff to do, can't keep dwelling on this,' the upper class young man thought to himself. Yu rose from his desk, stretched his arms above his head, and then made his way from the classroom to the staircase at the center of the second floor.

These past few days, Yu had been spending his afternoons honing his social links- helping Yosuke and Yukiko, attending basketball practice and getting to know Kanji better now that he was a member of the team. And when he'd get home he'd get closer to his cousin Nanako or his uncle Ryotaro if they were available. Lately though most of his interest seemed to home in on Chie.

There was just something about that upbeat tomboy that drew him in. Maybe it was just how fun she was, or how she was unlike anyone he had ever known in Kyoto. Whatever the reason he found himself getting closer to the cute brunette, helping her train by the floodplane and then going for beef bowls with her at Aiya.

Yu opened up the heavy metal door that gave access to the roof and took just a moment to breathe in some of the cool, crisp air. A light breeze ruffled his silvery locks, but the odd young man kept his expression nice and static. He cast his gaze to his left and found Chie at her usual haunt, sitting on one of the metal length leading from the air conditioner. After closing the door Yu started heading her way.

"Good afternoon Satonaka-san. Working hard or hardly working?"

 

[Vandesdelca]

Chie Satonaka​

"Hi-yaaaa~! Ya!" Perhaps Yu had heard her coming up the stairs to the roof, firm footfalls landing there a moment later as Chie juked, one long leg scything through the air before she turned, striking out with an open palm, her tight bottom landing on the air conditioning a moment later just as Yu was coming through the door. She was leaned back across the metal plating, her chest rising and falling slowly as she waved at their leader's arrival.

Chie was worried -- but she did not show it the way a lot of people tended to. Oh, there were times when she was... vulnerable, and needed to just sit there for a while worrying and everything, but Chie was a girl of action, something she had demonstrated clearly throughout their "adventures" on the other side of the television. She had been practicing her butt off, usually down at the flood plain, but she had found herself doing it more and more whenever she had a few minutes to spare.

She wasn't even practicing forms at this point -- she was just keeping herself active, funneling the energy that seemed to boil through every inch of her being into something productive.

"Hey, Yu-kun!" Chie called out to him as he appeared at the door, her lips tweaking upward into a smile as she settled her trademark green jacket more firmly around her shoulders. It was almost time for summer vacation, buuut... well, it was an unusually cool day today, and she carried it around her waist even when it was really hot out. She left it unzipped, though, revealing the very faint sheen of sweat that persisted across the upper part of her chest.

"Working hard! I know Kanji's a big scary guy, but I can't let him be the only heavy hitter we got, huh?" Chie asked with a summery smile. She'd been growing closer to Yu in the recent weeks... something that she was pretty happy about, all things considered. He was a smart guy, which was a little intimidating, but he had more spine than the rest of the group put together, and she found that kind of strength -- of body and spirit -- incredibly appealing. Not that... not that she thought he would go for someone like her with knockouts like Yukiko around. Chie smiled through it all, though -- she just liked being around one of her best friends.

"What about you, Yu-kun? What brings you up here?" she asked.

 

[MellowYellow]

The sight of her sitting there, coated lightly with sweat with her jacket unzipped... it made the normally stoic young man's heart thump in his chest with a little more intensity. Yukiko was attractive sure, and a smart young woman to boot... but she seemed a little offputting in a sense. He could imagine her as a friend certainly, but between the laughing fits and general weirdness he didn't think he'd want anything more than that.

"Well as you said, we can't have Kanji as our only heavy hitter when we go exploring..." Yu began. Lately he had alternated between utilizing Chie or Kanji for the physical aspects of their battle, seeing that having two physical heavy fighters at a time would be a little excessive and leave their team less diverse. That said he was still quite fair and tried to give both of them a fair amount of use so one wouldn't be considered his 'favourite.'

"So to that end I was considering the two of us joining up for another training session. I'm no martial artist like you, but um... well we're both in good shape and I'm one of the only people who can keep up with you when you exercise." He couldn't even imagine Yukiko and Yosuke trying to keep up with this brunette firecracker when she got down to business.

He shrugged "Weather should be good enough down at Samegawa if you wanna train there. I'll even pay for Aiya afterwards, my treat." Well that probably wasn't the best idea, letting Chie buy to her hearts content. Yosuke wasn't far off when he called her a velociraptor after all... still, he liked to be kind. So Yu smiled and nodded "I promise, my treat." He wasn't exactly short on money anyway...

 

[Vandesdelca]

"Yeah!" she said with a brief nod and a grin, her hands settling against the air conditioner as she reared back, kicking otu her legs to jump to her feet. Kanji was a tough guy, but Chie wasn't going to let herself get left behind. She wasn't going to lose out to anyone -- not Yosuke, not Kanji. This whole investigation had lit quite the fire under her behind, and it didn't look to be put out any time soon. Chie had people to protect, and someone to bring to justice, two things that mattered quite a bit to a strong soul such as hers.

"Hey, you're doing just fine. It's about training the mind, too. And it takes a lot of that to use that sword the way you do, right?" Chie asked with a big grin, reaching out to gently punch him on the arm. He was right, though -- no one else could really keep up like her like Yu could. Kanji lacked the focus, Yukiko lacked the strength, and Yosuke lacked both.

"Sounds good! I really appreciate it, Yu-kun," she said, her smile a touch warmer as she thought about what she'd get at Aiya -- she didn't want to eat him out of all of his money, but Aiya always had the best food in town. Chie could have probably put a whole cow away if the mood struck her as such. Besides, working out with Yu worked up a sweat, and putting away one of Aiya's beef bowls was a good way to keep her mind off of how his shirt clung to his frame whenever that happened.

"Wanna just head over right after school, then?"

 

[MellowYellow]

"Well, I was doing kendo for a few years before I came out here... it was a big thing at my old school..." he said. Granted one wasn't supposed to use a golf club curing kendo, but the principal was still the same. He watched as she tapped his arm, a small laugh escaping him. He'd seen Chie do the same gesture to Ted once, very nearly knocked the bear clean off the little entry platform of the TV world. It was either a testament to her strength... or a testament to Teddie's weakness.

The silver-haired young man nodded in return "Think nothing of it. Besides getting something there saves me having to fish something out of the fridge later on." Nanako's shopping schedule was rather erratic, so there was no telling if there would be anything remotely edible in the Dojima household on any given night.

Perhaps he was developing too much of an affinity for the local cuisine... steak croquettes and beef bowls were a bit more rustic than what would be served up in the Narukami estate, but much like his strange infatuation with Chie it seemed Yu held quite a fancy for the stuff they served out this way. Maybe it was because it was unlike everything he was used to back home, either way he wasn't really sure. It didn't weigh on his mind a whole lot anyway.

Yu nodded and led the eager tomboy from the roof, making small-talk with her as they went down the metal staircase leading to the third floor. "I'll lead. Seems I'm a natural at this kind of thing." For a moment he pondered inviting the others along... then again he felt more interested in just a little one on one time with Miss Satonaka.