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Post by Souji Seta on Mar 26, 2009 4:17:54 GMT -5
It had all started in the same innocuous manner most things in the modern world did; with a text.
To: Yosuke Hanamura From: Souji Seta (19:28)
hey man, are you working tonight?
And then another.
To: Yosuke Hanamura From: Souji Seta (19:34)
sorry to text again so soon, but i remembered that you said you had the day off. come over? its an emergency.
And yet another.
To: Yosuke Hanamura From: Souji Seta (19:36)
bring some soup.
---
Snapping his phone shut, Souji awkwardly attempted to pocket it while simultaneously taking the kettle (which had long since started to sing) off the burner. A small little groan from the couch urged him to pick up the pace, which he did -- albeit at the sacrifice of some tea, which had sloshed unceremoniously onto the front of his pants. Resisting the urge to swear, Souji set the kettle down roughly before patting down the scalding spill.
Yosuke better be checking his phone...
Collecting himself, Souji poured the tea into two cups and walked over to the living room awkwardly. Setting his own cup down on the low table, he handed Nanako hers with a gentle smile that skillfully hid how very uncomfortable the rapidly cooling tea stain was making him.
"Don't worry, I put honey in it," he explained, when Nanako eyed the strange tea warily. The little girl's face was pale while her hair hung loose around her shoulders, ribbons long since shed during a particularly energetic fever dream. From the bits and pieces Nanako had told him, something terrible was being spread throughout the elementary school and Nanako had simply shared lunch with the wrong child. Sighing, Souji smoothed the hair from her forehead and pressed his palm there while doing the same to himself with his other hand. Still warm, but better than she had been. The sleep must have been helping.
"Keep drinking, okay? I'll be right back. Oh-" He noticed the remote had slipped to the floor and promptly bent over to pick it up, resting it on the girl's stomach, "Here, you can watch anything you want. I'll be down to watch with you in a second." He smiled at the girl with a nod before retreating towards the stairs. The sooner he was out of these pants, the better.
To say Souji was overwhelmed was an understatement. Only now that Nanako was depending on him so completely did he appreciate just how self-sufficient the girl normally was. Reinforcements were definitely needed. And while he wasn't sure how helpful Yosuke would be when it came to cooking and keeping her fever down, he had to admit that the other boy was gifted with keeping small children entertained. Probably because the same things that amused them amused him as well.
Pulling on his track pants and beige sleep shirt, Souji allowed himself a few moments to stretch and collect himself before heading back down the stairs to his sick cousin.
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Mar 26, 2009 15:21:42 GMT -5
Nanako murmured a soft "thank you" as she sat patiently under her cousin's cool hand. She watched him silently as he measured her temperature against his, a small smile on her face as he did so. It had been some time since she had gotten this sick, but she remembered her mom always doing the same thing. The girl wriggled deeper into her blankets as Souji placed the remote back on her stomach, eyes returning to the TV screen as if she had just remembered it was on.
"Ah, you don't have to watch TV with me," she said, trying to sit up but only ended sinking right back down onto the couch. Her head was too heavy to keep sitting up for very long. "You've been really busy lately..." She looked down at her lap, but closed her eyes as a small headache sent uncomfortable waves through her head. But she managed to take a sip from her tea, just to show that she was fine enough and didn't want to bother him.
Of course, he didn't listen to her--and she realised how happy she was that he was willing to spend time with her even if he was busy. So, Nanako decided she was determined to get better quicker, so she wouldn't be a bother. And so they could spend time together when she's not confined to the couch with a cup of tea in her hands!
She briefly wondered if the school had informed her dad that they were all sent home early. The girl cast a worried glance to the front door. Souji had been texting someone--was it her dad? She didn't want to cause more trouble by making her dad worry. He was going to be coming home late that evening, and it would probably stress him out to hear that she was sick. But instead of asking her cousin when he came back downstairs, she concentrated on the quiz show that was on TV.
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Mar 27, 2009 0:27:56 GMT -5
Yosuke had been practicing a new song on his guitar when he got a rapid succession of texts. All from Souji.
"Bring soup?" he asked himself, confused. Still, Souji usually knew what he was doing, so Yosuke didn't question it too much.
After carefully putting his guitar away and telling his mom he'd be out the rest of the day, Yosuke left the house and got on his bike. If Souji wanted him at the Dojima house, Nanako'd be there and the little girl loved all things Junes. He could manage a few minutes in the store to make her smile.
It didn't take very long to pick out a few different kinds of soup and be back on his way to Souji's. When he got there, Yosuke chained his bike up outside and knocked on the door with the hand unoccupied by the soups.
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Post by Souji Seta on Mar 27, 2009 1:19:41 GMT -5
Souji caught his cousin's abrupt turn, fixing his eyes on what she'd been looking at. The door? Maybe she knows I need help too, he thought glumly before making his way back to the couch and settling near her feet.
"Quiz show, huh?" he smiled, unsurprised, "Getting the answers?" He took a glance over at the screen itself, eying the four choices that were laid out for the audience to choose from. Things seemed to be settling down, somewhat, Souji was relieved to see. And while Nanako was hardly in great shape, she was at least sitting up and drinking her tea. Two hours ago it had been an effort to get her to talk to him, let alone watch TV together.
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Mar 27, 2009 3:14:46 GMT -5
She managed a grin when he sat down by her feet, wriggling under her blankets for a moment. "Mmm!" Nanko said with a quick nod, but the movement made her head spin. Her grin grew tired and she rested her head against the back of the couch. "I think it's 'C'." She stared fixedly at the answers as she sipped from her tea again; the girl glared for a moment at the contents of her cup as the person on the show got the wrong answer. She wasn't a big fan of tea, really, but knew that it was the best thing to drink when sick.
It was a few minutes into the next quiz show when a knock came to the door. Nanako's brow creased in confusion. Then Souji hadn't been texting her dad--he didn't need to knock on the door to his own house. Who else then? Maybe one of his friends? She pouted into the tea and blew steam into her face. Not that she didn't love his friends! But she didn't like being babied--it made her feel really helpless.
When the knock came again, she looked back at her cousin with wide, curious eyes. Who could it be?
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Post by Souji Seta on Mar 27, 2009 5:40:01 GMT -5
[[ Gonna reply again so Yosuke has something to do other than just wait at the door XD ]]
Souji grinned back at her enthusiasm, reaching over to rub her back while they watched. "C?" He regarded the answers carefully, smiling proudly to himself when he confirmed that she was right. Unfortunately for the man actually competing for the million yen prize, he had nothing on the cousins.
The knock had come to a surprise to him as well -- since when did Yosuke knock? Giving Nanako's arm a quick squeeze, he rose up from the couch and made his way down the small corridor that led to their front door. Checking the peep hole, he couldn't help but laugh. Apparently, Yosuke knocked only when his arms were heavily laden with every sort of soup under the sun. That solved one mystery.
Sliding the door open, Souji couldn't suppress his tired but appreciated smile, "I owe you for this, Yosuke. A lot." He took some of the soups from Yosuke, lining them up neatly on the counter. "Hey, Nana-chan, look who stopped by."
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Mar 27, 2009 12:40:04 GMT -5
"It's no problem," Yosuke told his friend with a smile as he stepped inside. Souji dissappeared into the kitchen while Yosuke toed off his shoes and took his jacket off, setting them where they belonged. The first time he'd come to visit Souji had almost kicked his ass for leaving his shoes in the middle of the floor and his coat next to them.
When he walked into the living room, Yosuke realized what Souji had wanted him to come over for. Nanako looked absolutely miserable in her pile of blankets on the couch and it was clear that the poor little girl was sick.
"Hey, Nanako-chan," he said, smiling and hoping to cheer her up a little. According to Souji she'd taken an immediate liking to him.
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Mar 27, 2009 17:30:02 GMT -5
Nanako followed her cousin with her eyes as he crossed the room and disappeared into the front hall. She heard the door slide open and a muttered exchange of words, but her muddled brain wouldn't let her figure out who the mysterious visitor was. And then Souji reappeared in her line of vision carrying a Junes bag filled with cans of soup. The girl perked up immediately at the sight of the bag, her eyes zipping back to the front door just in time to see Yosuke making his way into the living room.
"Oh!! Hello!" Nanako chimed--a little too enthusiastically. She broke off into a fit of weak coughs and groaned in annoyance, taking a long sip from her tea once her breathing had returned to normal. Yosuke certainly wasn't the friend she was expecting to walk in through the front door, but his cheerful smile made her grin as well.
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Post by Souji Seta on Mar 28, 2009 2:58:37 GMT -5
"Yosuke's just going to hang out for a while, if that's alright Nana-cha-." Souji's head jerked up from his work upon hearing Nanako's coughs, frowning nervously despite her smile. She may have been more awake than before, but the rasp in her voice was as worrisome as ever. Brow furrowed, he resumed putting the cans away (save one, of course) while craning his neck to watch the pair over his shoulder.
"Do you need some more tea, kiddo?" He knew all about Nanako's aversion to tea (except for Junes brand iced tea, of course) and felt a little guilty forcing her to drink so much of the stuff, but what else could he do?
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Mar 28, 2009 3:17:06 GMT -5
Yosuke waved his friend's worry off and went back to the entrance to get something from his coat pocket.
When he found what he was looking for, Yosuke returned to the living room and smiled at Nanako. "Here," he said, placing a bag of fruit lozenges in her small hand. "You can keep those, they'll make your throat feel better and they taste better than tea."
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Mar 29, 2009 0:19:49 GMT -5
Nanako gave a childish frown and looked down at her mug. The tea was more of a tepid temperature, and the honey had settled on the bottom. "I-I guess..." she said. Her daddy had always said tea was good for you when you were sick, but she didn't know how much more she could bring herself to drink of it. Maybe she could take a break from tea and have something else instead.
But then Yosuke brought her over a bag of throat lozenges. Nanako cheered up immediately. "Are they like candy?" she asked excitedly, fumbling with the bag for a moment before managing to get it open and pulled out one of the wrapped lozenges. "Oh but--Big Bro, are you making something?" The little girl looked over her shoulder at where Souji was in the kitchen. "Then I'll have more tea until after I eat!" She looked back at Yosuke and grinned. "Thank you for these!!"
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Post by Souji Seta on Mar 29, 2009 1:59:46 GMT -5
Souji watched Yosuke, brow furrowed. Was he bailing on him already? He'd barely been there five seconds! Sometimes he didn't know why he put up with him...
Thou doth know well why-
Hush, Izanagi.
Mm.
His suspicions assuaged slightly upon the lanky boy's return, Souji watched the two having their small exchange. Cough drops, huh? He couldn't suppress the small ghost of a smile that slipped past his worried expression -- he should've known Yosuke was carrying some. Strawberry flavored, if he knew his best friend well enough. He was so lost in thought, absently opening the can of soup, that it took him a moment to realize that Nanako had addressed him.
"Yeah, some soup," he smiled, brushing his bangs from his eyes, "And that sounds fine -- just so long as you drink it this time." The scolding was minor and rang with playfulness as he poured the soup into a saucepan, "You want anything, man? I could throw something together if you're not in the mood for broth..."
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Mar 29, 2009 2:11:53 GMT -5
Yosuke smiled back at Nanako and patted her head, careful not to mess up her hair. It as a little strange to see her with out the ever-present pigtails, but she was still adorable. "You're welcome, Nanako-chan. I'll bring you some more tomorrow, okay?"
While Souji and Nanako talked, he took the little girl's cup and brought it into the kitchen so he could help out. "I'm all right. I'll wait until Nanako-chan's got her soup and tea." He smiled at Souji and put the kettle back on the stove to heat up again.
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Mar 30, 2009 0:43:04 GMT -5
"Soup...? What kind?" She twisted around and leaned against the back of the couch. It was still too hard to sit up straight, but she wanted to watch her cousin and his friend instead of the TV. "A-and I did drink my tea! Sort of... Most of it... I-It just started getting too cold and..." She looked down at the arm of the couch, but was giving a small smile.
Nanako continued to sheepishly watch the two young men in the kitchen. Her soft eyes followed them carefully, and she smiled to herself--glad to know that the two of them were looking after her. Even though she was sad her dad couldn't come home, it made her happy that Souji would bother with taking care of her. Even Yosuke-nii came over and brought her soup and candy-things!
The theme song to the next quiz show started and Nanako gave a startled cry, only to start coughing again as she turned back towards the TV. "Oh!" she managed, snuggling back into the blankets and pillows. This one in particular was one of her favorites. Her attention was quickly diverted from Souji and Yosuke and focused solely on the television.
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Post by Souji Seta on Mar 30, 2009 12:06:23 GMT -5
Souji smiled in return and nodded briefly while he watched Yosuke move off towards the stove, the soup momentarily forgotten. Yosuke's clumsy yet relaxed movements captivated him against Souji's better judgement and it was lucky he caught himself before his best friend caught him staring. Although, lucky seemed like a relative term in this case. Why he'd been staring? That was about as lucky as being run over by a tractor trailer. Stupid pointless crushes...and goddamnit, you're staring again!
Retaining his air of unflappability, despite the internal brawl between his impulsive and rational sides, Souji moved to Yosuke's side and put the saucepan on the stove, turning the heat on low so that it would simmer. Their arms brushed in doing so, making his cheeks burn for a moment. Yosuke didn't appear to notice, really. Figured.
"Miso," he called back, voice a little fainter than usual while his stomach flip-flopped irritatingly. Hopefully this would get easier with time; the whole I'm Attracted To My Best Friend But Can't Do A Goddamn Thing About It thing. The crush was still new, after all. And while part of Souji still hoped that he was being misinterpreting normal, friendly emotions that existed between bros, his logical side -- often manifesting as Izanagi -- would only sigh with resignation.
Still, another voice made itself known through the tangle of his thoughts. This one noticably less understanding.
Man up.
Ares could be so understanding. He was right though. Taking a breath, he let the confusing thoughts fade away before turning back towards his cousin, letting the soup simmer on its own for the time being. "This one, huh?" he laughed, leaning against the small kitchen island while he watched the infectious opening play out on the screen, "Wanna see if you can beat your record? 14 out of 25 is your best, I think."
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Mar 31, 2009 20:52:47 GMT -5
Yosuke leaned the small of his back against the counter while he waited for the kettle to whistle, smiling softly. "Really? I get, like, ten, maybe twelve on a good day. You're really smart, Nanako-chan!" He felt like an idiot for getting fewer answers than a seven-year-old, but was proud that Nanako knew so many.
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Apr 2, 2009 13:19:54 GMT -5
When her cousin replied with the soup he was making, Nanako turned around for a moment in concern. Why was he muttering? Was he not feeling good? For a moment, she panicked and thought that maybe he caught what she had because he was spending so much time with her. However, her concern was pushed aside when he changed the subject to the game show. She blushed at first, but gave both Souji and Yosuke a broad grin and giggled. "Mm! I think I can beat it this time!"
She glanced back at the television for a moment, listening to the announcer introduce the contestants and that day's prizes. Suddenly, she gasped and turned back around to look at the two young men with a look of excitement on her face. "Yosuke-nii! Do you want to be on a team with me? We can challenge Big Bro!" Nanako started to giggle again, but they turned back into coughs. Her face turned red at the combined giggling and coughing, and she had to pause a moment to get her breath back. "Big Bro's been getting better because he watches the quiz shows with me!"
The girl gave her cousin a warm smile. "And whoever answers more questions correctly by the end are the winners!"
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Post by Souji Seta on Apr 3, 2009 15:50:11 GMT -5
Souji raised an eyebrow, the sudden turn of events giving him pause before a small smile grew on his lips. That smile turned to a grin as he looked back at Yosuke over his shoulder briefly, then back to his cousin, "Ganging up on me, huh? That hardly seems fair." His smile disappeared briefly when her coughs returned, but her glee mixed with the reassuring whistling of the tea kettle coaxed it back. Turning around back to where Yosuke was turning down the stove, Souji did the same with the soup -- which had started to bubble pleasantly.
"Oh? And what do the winners get?" Souji laughed, pouring the contents of the saucepan into a small lacquered bowl before grabbing a pair of chopsticks. Walking slowly, so as not to spill, he silently made his way towards Nanako on socked feet. Setting the soup down carefully, he shot her a smile that said 'go easy on me, kiddo' quite effectively without words.
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Apr 4, 2009 2:29:08 GMT -5
Yosuke made Nanako's tea with extra honey, hoping to get her to drink it this time. "I bet we could beat your Big Bro together," he said as he set the tea down in front of her. "Two heads are better than one, even against Souji."
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Apr 4, 2009 10:25:43 GMT -5
She gave her cousin a bright grin as she bounced excitedly in place. "I dunno! Hmmm.... what kind of prize..." All the extra sleep she had gotten that day was catching up with her, and the presence of Souji and his friend made her very happy on top of energetic. And while Nanako knew that if she kept it up for too long, her fever would get worse, she was glad to have the two of them watching over her. "I dunno!" She looked over at Yosuke as he brought her tea to her. "What do you think?" It was her own way of saying 'Since we'll be winning anyways, what should Big Bro do for us?'
But even with this, the little girl let out a soft giggle and leaned over to her cousin. She gave him a small hug before reaching out for her tea. "We have to decide! They're going to start soon!" she chimed earnestly. Game shows were a serious thing to Nanako!
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Post by Souji Seta on Apr 5, 2009 15:28:43 GMT -5
Souji rolled his eyes over Nanako's shoulder as the little girl hugged him, though his grin remained in place. The sleep had helped, he noted with a soft contented noise as he subtly pressed a hand to her forehead before drawing away. It's breaking, he nodded, glancing over to Yosuke with a renewed sense of calm.
"Yes, Yosuke," his smile twisted into a slight smirk, "What do you think I should do? Not that it matters, of course -- I've been practicing."
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Apr 10, 2009 15:36:34 GMT -5
Yosuke sat on the floor, making sure to stay out of Nanako's way, and thought about it. "If we win, you have to treat us to whatever dessert Nanako-chan wants. If you win, I'll make your dinner and clean the kitchen."
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Apr 11, 2009 2:49:39 GMT -5
Nanako clapped her hands together once and grinned. And while getting the dessert that she wanted normally wasn't all that difficult (Souji had started spoiling her lately, especially when Doujima didn't come home when he said he would) but the novelty of now earning it because she won a contest made it even better. She thought it was a little unfair that Yosuke would have to make dinner and clean up, but she knew that if she said anything both of them would scold her and tell her to rest. She would have to make it up to Yosuke later, she decided, and owe Big Bro her own share of the prize (if he won...).
"Ohhh! The commercials are over!" Nanako chimed excitedly, setting down her tea and reaching for the miso soup. "Okay! Let's start!" She kept grinning, forcing herself to pay attention to the host as he announced the topics for the first round.
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Post by Souji Seta on Apr 14, 2009 10:48:34 GMT -5
Souji settled down beside Yosuke, leaning back against the couch to keep an eye on his cousin (And so thou can keep watch over thine bawcock without his notice...I don't even know what that means) before giving each of them a small nod. Yosuke cooking for him seemed a fair punishment for being so distracting.
"Sounds good to me. But you'd better make me something edible, man," he punctuated the point with a nudge to Yosuke's side with his knee, grinning to himself. As the commercials ended, Souji focused his eyes on the screen, not taking them off even as he reached over to tickle Nanako with one hand. Distraction was all part of strategy, after all. All's fair in love and war...even if she was seven.
"Let's start with an easy one," the overenthusiastic MC gushed into the microphone, "What..." A dramatic pause. "...Is the largest star in our galaxy?"
Souji smirked. An easy trick question. Nanako would probably get this one without any problem, although Souji wasn't too sure about Yosuke. From what he'd seen, his best friend's knowledge was limited to flirting poorly with girls, bike repair, and (conveniently) bike wrecking. Who knew, though? Perhaps there were some hidden pools of vast intellect there after all...though Souji somehow doubted it.
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Apr 16, 2009 23:07:18 GMT -5
Yosuke rolled his eyes when Souji tickled Nanako, knowing exactly what he was doing. Cheating bastard. And he would've said so if Nanako wasn't around. Instead, he sat close enough to the little girl to talk to her about their answers, but far enough away so Souji wouldn't hear them.
"It's the sun, right Nana-chan?" he whispered, not sure of his answer.
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Apr 17, 2009 14:00:30 GMT -5
As Nanako settled down to pay attention to the TV, the unexpected hand at her side had her bursting out into giggles. "N-Not fair!" she gasped, trying to wriggle out of the way of Souji's tickle attack, but he was sitting too close. "Ah, the question~!" The little girl rolled to the other side of the couch, and then hopped up onto the cushions. She dropped back into her previous spot, and then wriggled down into place on the floor in between Souji and Yosuke.
She grinned up at the red-head next to her and shook her head at his whispered question. "I think it's Can--ummm... Canis Majoris!" she whispered back, placing her hands on either side of her mouth as if to keep the sound from leaking.
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Post by Souji Seta on Apr 17, 2009 17:00:26 GMT -5
Souji smirked, withdrawing his hand with a quick waggling of eyebrows. He'd have more tricks up his sleeve for later. As of now, it was nice just to hear the coughing fits replaced by ones of laughter. Averting his eyes and crossing his legs demurely, Souji simply inspected his nails and waited for the two beside him to stop their caucus.
"Time's up~" the host announced exuberantly with a wave of his hand, "What is your answer~??"
Souji gave Nanako a brief nod, pulling a small notebook and pencil from his pocket, writing down his own answer. "So?" he smiled, once he'd finished writing, "Got it?"
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Post by Yosuke Hanamura on Apr 17, 2009 17:30:08 GMT -5
"O-oh?" Yosuke turned a little pink, embarassed that Nanako knew more at seven than he did at sixteen. Still, he was proud that she was smart. She must watch a lot of quiz shows to know so much.
"Go on, Nana-chan. Tell him your answer. I think your's is right."
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Post by Nanako Doujima on Apr 17, 2009 20:51:10 GMT -5
Nanako was sitting comfortably between the two young men when the host suddenly said "Time's up~!", causing her to jump in surprise and look at the TV, then up to her cousin as he pulled out a paper and pencil. "Oh! We should write down our answers, too! And our answer is Canis Majoris!" Nanako managed to get to her feet, wriggling out of her blankets that she had been wrapped up in and slipping out from between the two to disappear into the kitchen, humming to herself as she searched for a pad of paper and a pencil. She was feeling considerably better, but had to keep reminding herself not to get too excited or she would get worse again.
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Post by Souji Seta on Apr 26, 2009 20:14:35 GMT -5
Souji took note of her answer, about to comment when Nanako surprised him by scrambling to her feet. Keen, worried eyes trained on her, he was about to get up and offer to get whatever it was she wanted for her when a soft, nagging voice in the back of his head told him he was being a silly idiot. She was clearly better than before. He just needed to let that sink past the barrier of Brotherly Concern that colored almost everything he and Nanako did together.
Turning to Yosuke, a brilliant distraction if ever there was one, he smirked playfully and whispered under his breath while Nanako was still out of earshot, "She totally saved your ass on that one, didn't she?"
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