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Post by Yukiko Amagi on May 3, 2009 16:35:14 GMT -5
Yukiko couldn’t remember ever feeling this tired before. Even after sixteen hour shifts at the inn, she didn’t feel as though every muscle in her body had been running its own separate marathon. Even her brain was tired. But that might have been from all of the…everything…that had happened in the television world.
The weather was cloudy, the sort of drearily overcast day that set a cold grey tone to everything, and every time the wind picked up it cut through the kimono Yukiko was wearing. She found herself huddling against Chie, who was half-supporting her as they made their way slowly down the road that led from Junes to the market and bus stop. It had not been so cloudy and chilly when she had been taken.
Despite her body being slow, her mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do about what had happened. Everything that had been said. She knew that what had been said, it was true in a sense, but…that didn’t make it any easier to deal with. Or to not be horribly embarrassed about.
She found she suddenly somehow even worse, her half-closed eyes hunting around the street nearby until they fell upon a temporary bit of safety.
“Hey, Chie, can we stop for a minute, please?” She paused, pulling the other girl short as they passed a simple park bench on the edge of the street. She didn’t so much move away from the other as she sank into the chair than tug her down with her, unwilling or unable to give up a ready source of heat in the chill air.
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Post by Chie Satonaka on May 3, 2009 21:52:42 GMT -5
If Chie had been dying of worry when Yukiko had been stuck in the TV, surrounded by shadows, the threat of two previous dead victims still in the air... well, it hadn't been stopped much once Yukiko was finally out of there. Yeah, she wasn't in danger of being attacked by shadows come the next fog, anymore, but it had all taken much more out of Yukiko than Chie thought should could handle. Yukiko was strong, she really was, but now wasn't the time that Chie wanted to put that to the test.
Besides, right now she was still so buzzed from the adrenaline rush of being inside the TV that she could barely stand still long enough to let the rescue sink in. It took Yukiko dragging her down to sit on the bench with her for Chie to finally stop, and even then her leg bounced up and down in an erratic beat.
"Of course, Yukiko! Take as long as you need!" She scooted a little closer to her best friend, well aware that the light sweater Yukiko was wearing would be pretty much useless in the mid-spring mist. "The bus doesn't come for another half hour, anyways, but it's not like we can't take the next one."
Except that she'd really rather not have to do that. Chie wanted to get Yukiko home right now, get her tucked into bed, maybe with some tea. She could boil tea and not ruin it. It was one of the few things she could do, when it came to the kitchen, although one of the inn maids would probably get to it first. Either way, so long as Yukiko could get some sleep and they could put that whole nightmare in the TV behind them.
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Post by Yukiko Amagi on May 3, 2009 22:26:06 GMT -5
Yukiko smiled gratefully when the shorter girl did not object to their stopping, her arm curling tightly around the one of Chie's she was holding as the other moved a bit closer. After a moment of trying to keep herself upright, Yukiko just gave in and settled herself against Chie's side, her head resting tiredly against the others green-jacket-covered shoulder.
"I do not think I need half an hour, Chie," Yukiko said with a little smile, resisting the laugh she felt brewing at the others obvious excitement. "I really don't want to spend an extra hour in this wind anyway." She shifted one hand to pull her Kimono tighter, for all the good it was doing against the chill.
And then she fell silent for a long pair of moments, her eyes closed, her breathing fairly even despite the fact that she could feel the vibrations for Chie's leg bouncing. Finally though, they opened again, and she leaned up a little, mostly still near the girl, still holding onto her arm. "Uhm. Thank you, by the way." She said, turning to half-look at her oldest friend. "For...for coming after me, I mean. For rescuing me. It was...very brave."
In a sense, the idea of Chie (and the others) being princes who came to save her was quite true. Though for some reason in the back of her mind she found the title only really applied to Chie. Maybe she just hadn't gotten to know Souji or Yusuke well enough yet.
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Post by Chie Satonaka on May 13, 2009 23:10:53 GMT -5
Yukiko's impromptu snuggling closer and slowed breathing was enough to make Chie pause. It might have even have just been the fact that Yukiko was there at all that was what she needed to make herself calm down. Stop her racing heart and just focus on the fact that they were safe now, really were, and there was no more reason to drive herself crazy every day if it looked the least bit misty outside.
"Oh, you get what I mean." She gave a tired little smile, almost her usual grin; she hadn't felt this sore in so long, but she didn't care anymore. She was happy enough just to have Yukiko seem to wake up a little from when they first piled out into Junes, although it was still nowhere near as healthy as Yukiko usually was, it was still improvement.
She flushed a little at Yukiko's thank you, and leaned a bit closer to her. If it wasn't for her arm being snagged tight, Chie probably would have thrown a friendly arm around the other girls' shoulder in a quick hug. Relief, gratitude, just plain caring, who knew?
"What else could I do? I couldn't just leave you in there once I knew about the TV and all! I- I--" Oh no, no, she would NOT tear up. Nevermind it was her instant reaction whenever she got too worked up, but not today. Yukiko needed her, the Chie who rescued her, not the Chie who had been scared shitless even as she pummeled shadow after shadow. She tugged her smile a little wider, and lowered her head closer to Yukiko's, like when they would whisper together when they were elementary-school kids. "I'm just happy you're safe now, everyone was so worried."
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Post by Yukiko Amagi on May 14, 2009 22:14:50 GMT -5
Despite the fact that Yukiko wasn't actually looking at Chie's face as she rested there against the shorter girl, she looked up at just the right moment to see Chie's almost-normal smile. The fact that it wasn't normal worried her, but really, she was too tired to dwell on it. She was alive, Chie and the others had rescued her...that was all that mattered right now.
She settled back against Chie's shoulder, listening to the other breathing, letting herself relax. She wanted to go to sleep, though she knew that was a terrible idea. But once she got home, her parents would be fussing over her, the police would probably show up, they'd probably make Chie leave...
None of that appealed to her.
Yukiko wanted to say something as Chie spoke, but she didn't know how to find the words. She didn't think she would have been brave enough to go in, even if it was Chie. She wanted to believe she was...but...she just wasn't sure. Chie was the strong one, the brave one. The Prince, to Yukiko's princess.
Still, she felt that Chie was about to tear up, and she squeezed the others arm tightly, without opening her eyes. "Well, it was very brave anyway, even if you think you had to do it." She said, her voice soft. And then she giggled, a tired sort of giggle, but genuinely happy too. "And I'm glad I'm okay too. If I could remember more of it, I'd probably have been worried also."
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Post by Chie Satonaka on May 16, 2009 15:20:12 GMT -5
As much as Yukiko liked to claim that Chie was a prince, that Chie was the strong one or anything like that, it was little moments like this - where Yukiko could still laugh after all the things she'd been through - that made it possible. You could only keep it up for so long if you didn't get moments like this, times where you could tell she truly appreciated it. Chie knew just from watching from the sidelines for so long: when your family ran one of the most famous attractions in the town, every little real smile you gave someone was priceless.
Yukiko's hug to her arm made her blink in surprise at first, more because she thought her friend was too tired to cling so tightly, and Chie's mind raced for the right words to say: that there was no way that she couldn't think it was something that she had to do, not just because of some idea that she was Yukiko's sole protector. Yosuke and Souji had proven that they were more than willing to step up to the plate, and deserved far more credit than she did simply because they had been the ones to figure the whole TV deal out first, they had been the ones to rescue her when she had rushed in, and they had been the ones to help her back up and heal her whenever the flames from Yukiko's shadow got to be too much (and they totally deserved a much more enthusiastic apology than even she was certain she could give them, for putting up with the trouble she caused all that time. Maybe she could even let Yosuke get away with not paying her back for Trial Of The Dragon and not kick him in the crotch for a week. Maybe.).
Her eyes still stung a little despite her refusal to let herself start crying, but Chie found herself laughing along with Yukiko's giggle. "...Thanks, Yukiko. Really. I just-- I'm happy you're here now, you know? And don't worry about any of that!" She paused and her tone softened a little, as she leaned in against her friend and put her free hand on the arms encircling her own. "Just let yourself get some rest. Once you're all rested up and things at home die down a little, we can all put our heads together and try to figure things out. The guys are much better at that sort of thing than I am." Sadly enough.
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Post by Yukiko Amagi on May 17, 2009 19:00:17 GMT -5
"Mmm," Yukiko made sort of a vague, non-committal sound at Chie's reassurances that they would all get together once Yukiko was better and try to investigate the television stuff more. It wasn't that she didn't believe Chie, she did! She mostly just didn't plan to wait until she was 'all better' to try and find out what had happened.
Of course, intentions hardly mattered, and between her parents and her overprotective best friend, Yukiko doubted she'd actually have much say in the matter. Not that she really minded being, well, taken care of from time to time. She was so used to being relied on that it was nice. But not when she didn't want it!
She shifted her grip on Chie's arm so that one of her hands could settle ontop of the one Chie had just moved near her, and then fell silent, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and even despite the chill. This was nice. She wasn't sure why just sitting here curled up against Chie was nice, maybe it was just because she was so tired...
It certainly can't have anything to do with you totally calling her your prince in the tv world, could it?
For a split second, she could see the shadow-her standing there in front of the bench in that awful low-cut frilly dress, staring at her and Chie with that awful, almost lewd look she had. It startled Yukiko so badly she gave a little start, clinging harder to that arm for a second, and then blushing. "S-sorry Chie, I must have dozed off." She muttered, sitting up a bit, leaving one arm curled around Chie's even as she tried to smooth her Kimono a bit with the other.
"We should probably get to the bus-stop..." She added, reluctantly rising away from the bench, tugging Chie lightly along with her. Since it seemed she had no intention of letting go.
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Post by Chie Satonaka on May 17, 2009 20:27:30 GMT -5
It was a relief to see Yukiko relax like that, and even if she was far more touchy-feeling than normal (which was totally because she was out of that horrible castle dungeon and now it was cold and damp. Really.) it didn't bother Chie at all. They hadn't really curled up like this since they were in middle school, or even younger.
But that little bit of comfort faded away with Yukiko's jolt to attention, and the way she squeezed Chie's arm a little too strongly. It certainly made Chie wake up a bit, drag her back from the absent minded daydreaming she had fallen into while Yukiko had dozed off. Still, hard to get even the least bit annoyed at Yukiko when she gave her that look, and the other girl just ended up smiling at her.
"Oh! We aren't running late, so it's not that big a deal." Chie rose quickly with Yukiko, walking closely with her, shoulder-to-shoulder to keep her out of the worst of the wind as they continued their way to the bus stop. Yukiko's hands still felt chilly from the early spring air no matter how tightly they were wrapped around her arm, the sooner they got her out of the cold the better. "Just don't push yourself too hard, you know? You won't get better as quickly if you strain your body a lot, trust me, I know."
She said the last part with a smile, because how could Yukiko NOT know Chie had personal experience with pushing her body too far? No normal person could be that determined to "train" at the riverbed day in and day out.
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Post by Yukiko Amagi on May 17, 2009 22:19:39 GMT -5
Yukiko didn't know why she was being clingier than usual....it was probably just because, for a few minutes there, she thought she'd never see Chie again. She didn't have many friends, Chie was her closest really, and it had been a rather frightening thought.
"We are not running late, Chie...but we are running a bit cold, I think." She said, and then giggled as they walked, still pressed in against Chie. As the evening wind decided to cut through her kimono again, she made a mental note to never run errands in this thing again, even if she was supposed to be 'too busy to change.'
She managed to refrain from saying anything about the fact that Chie was certainly the expert on overexerting herself. "I will be careful, Chie. I promise. I doubt my mother will let me out of bed for a week, anyway." God, that was a frightening thought.
It didn't take long to reach the bus stop, they probably hadn't needed to stop before, but Yukiko didn't much regret it. Chie was right...they weren't really in a rush. And after everything that had happened, going slow didn't seem like a bad thing.
When they finally reached the bus stop, there were people on the bench there, and Yukiko just sighed and leaned lightly against Chie. "I am going to keep using you as a crutch, if that's alright." She said with a tired smile. "I don't think the bus will be long..."
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Post by Chie Satonaka on May 18, 2009 0:33:44 GMT -5
"That's not much better," she laughed into the wind, giving her friend a smile as they neared the bus stop. Almost there! At that, she picked up her pace a little, walking in step with her friend.
So long as Yukiko had it in her to laugh at her own jokes, she'd be fine. It might take a bit of time, but that giggle was always a little ray of hope to Chie; it was real, genuine... nothing like the little cackles that the shadow had given. And thank goodness for that. As much as she loved her friend, and knew that the shadow was as much a part of her as all the gigglefits and quirky little puns, seeing it all in such an unabashed way was more than a little unnerving, just like if you saw any other side of her in such a concentrated form.
"You can always tell her you have school work to catch up on? That'd work for me." Her parents would be so shocked, they couldn't keep her form leaving the house, more like. Whenever you got a reason to stay home from school, you took it.
The bus stop was surprisingly full of people today, with no room for Yukiko to sit down again, and so Chie didn't even mention it when Yukiko leaned against her. ..And either she had leaned a bit more heavily than she meant, or the earlier charge through the shadows was starting to get to Chie too, she couldn't tell. "I don't mind at all. I mean, it has to come soon," she peered a bit down the street for it while looking as casual as possible. Empty. Of course, But just give it five more minutes.. Crazy bus driver, speeding at the worst possible moments.
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Post by Yukiko Amagi on May 24, 2009 12:35:53 GMT -5
"My mother won't care about school work, Chie. Not right now." It wasn't very hard for Yukiko to predict her mother's reaction in this situation. She'd been missing for at least a few days, she wasn't even sure how many. The woman was going to be a basket case, and she was going to treat Yukiko like she was made of fragile crystal. Yukiko would be lucky if she left the house in a Month.
As she fell silent, Yukiko just rested against Chie, keeping her face turned slightly inwards towards the other, assuming Chie could watch for the bus. She did need to lean against the girl, but that wasn't her reasoning...she was well known in town as the 'daughter of the Amagi inn', and people must have known she was missing. She didn't want to be recognized and swarmed by people asking where she had gone, what had happened, all of that.
Luckily, it really was only a few minutes before the bus arrived, and she found a bit of reserve strength to move towards where the door would be with Chie before the rest of the crowd could get there, moving towards the back of the bus and sinking down into a chair next to her friend, keeping her head down still. She was almost hiding against Chie, honestly.
"I hope no one recognizes me," she muttered, her voice slightly muffled. "I do not want to have to try and explain all of this to some random stranger who recognizes me from the inn..."
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Post by Chie Satonaka on May 28, 2009 22:04:47 GMT -5
Oh, right. Yukiko's mother, as nice as she could be, wasn't going to be willing to just let Yukiko go anywhere on her own again for a good amount of time. "Y-yeah, I guess so..." She murmured, letting Yukiko rest against her.
When the bus came, she gave a slight nod to Yukiko and walked her friend towards the doors, and when they were finally on it and in the very back, she was the one who acted as if everything was normal, so as not to draw attention to them. A few housewives glanced back at them and one elementary-school boy let his eyes follow them as they made their way to the back before his older sister elbowed him in the ribs, but no one actually said anything. This was turning out better than she thought it would, which wasn't really saying much. She'd kinda forgot about this part; in her mind, they had gone right from Junes to tucking Yukiko safely into bed, the entire mile between the shopping district and the road to the Amagi inn sort of fuzzing away in her memory.
Stupid, stupid Chie. You've only taken this same route at least a couple times a week, for years. Only you would be so worried to completely forget the bus you needed to take to get her home...
"They won't," she comforted, the threat that she would make them shut up one way or another hanging in the air. "You know how it is around here-- they won't bother you right away." Nope. They'd let her reach home in relative quiet (the housewives dropped their whispers even lower, the second Chie looked at them) and then the rumors would start flying around.
The hardest part would come tomorrow, if they were lucky. For now, the bus ride was unnerving and full of a sort of walking-on-eggshells quiet. The inn couldn't come into view soon enough.
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Post by Yukiko Amagi on Jun 6, 2009 11:14:38 GMT -5
As Yukiko sat there between Chie and the window, still holding onto Chie's arm as though it were the only thing keeping her from flying off the planet, she let her eyes wander around the bus, looking at the other people that had boarded with them, and the people that had already been on the bus.
She recognized a number of them, some of them were businesses that worked with the inn, or parents of other school students, or just people you saw around town all the time. That was the problem with small towns...everyone knew everyone else, whether they wanted to or not.
"You know," Yukiko said suddenly, so softly her voice probably didn't carry much further than Chie's ears. "I do not like many of the people around here." She finished, a faint frown settling on her tired face. "I like you, and my parents, and a couple other people but honestly..." She trailed off and shrugged, twisting faintly to let her head rest on Chie's shoulder even as she looked out the window.
It was probably just the fact that she did not wish to be gossiped about, and she knew it was coming...but she just wouldn't have minded if everyone on the bus except Chie just wasn't on the bus at all anymore.
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Post by Chie Satonaka on Jun 21, 2009 22:03:44 GMT -5
Chie made a small "Uh-huh" in the back of her throat at Yukiko's voiced dislike of their fellow townsfolk. Really, they could be gossips, but they weren't all bad. ...Usually. Provided you weren't the one they were talking about (and even if they had been talking about Chie, it wasn't likely she'd notice it at all, as wrapped up as she was in urban legends and martial arts and Yukiko -- and now the murders). But she leaned back a little against her friend, comfortingly so, anyways.
"I know. It wouldn't be too bad if... well, if you got some privacy." Which really wasn't going to happen in this town, at all, ever. They both knew it; it'd be proven to them tomorrow. And as the weak and dingy sunlight filtered through the budding trees, the houses becoming a little further apart as they got closer to that familiar bend in the road that marked the stop for the Amagi Inn, Chie reached down and gave her friend what she hoped was a comforting pat on the back of the hand, letting her own rest on top of Yukiko's.
"Let's try not to worry about the gossip until tomorrow. We're almost to the inn, so you can get some real rest."
Maybe Souji and Yosuke wouldn't mind helping her nip some of the gossip around school right in the bud; she'd hate to ask even more of them after crawling their way through a TV dungeon to save Yukiko, but it couldn't hurt, right?
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