#Naegiri2019

[naegiriweek]

Naegiri Week 2020 Themes

Day 1: Sweet Day 2: Work Day 3: Sunset Day 4: Rain Day 5: Touch Day 6: Date Day 7: Festival

More info will be released to help with themes as their individual day arrives.

Naegiri Week begins December 7th and runs until the 13th.

(Now on Twitter too!)

[rubixkun]

Naegiri Week Day 1: Ill

Lovesick? Fever? Maybe a bit of both. 

[aru-iribe]

Naegiri Week. Day 2: Puzzle.

[lesbianslovenagito]

I totally forgot that it’s Naegiri week! anyways, have this quick coloured drawing for day 1!

day 1: ill

that moment when you’re insanely sick and it’s viral but you wholesome dumbass of a partner insists on kissing you

bonus:

she told him, didn’t she?

[danganronpa-21]

Naegiri Week Day 7: Investigate

Awwww... it’s the last day of Naegiri Week already. I have to say, I’m going to miss writing about Naegiri every day. Posting work that so many of you have interacted with is ridiculously fun, but... also quite tiring. So here’s my last prompt for Naegiri Week 2019. And look, guys! I finished all seven days this year!

Before I let you read though, I want to give special thanks to everyone who’s been supporting myself and other creators for this week. Seeing other people reblog our content, so many of them filled with that sweet tag commentary, it brightens up everyone’s days! So thank you for that!

And thank you to Eon of @naegiriweek for organizing! I know it was harder to do on your own this year, and I really appreciate all of the work you put into managing everything. Thank you very much for what you’ve done -- you were spectacular! 

Alright. I think that’s all I have to say for now. I hope you enjoy Day 7: Investigate.

______________

Christmas Eve traditionally tended to be a bad time to ask Kyoko for help. 

“It’s a challenging day of the year for me,” She had told him a few days prior, her tone not at all mimicking the nature of her words, “So I prefer not to be bothered much throughout its duration.”

When Makoto had inquired as to why, she pushed past it. Something sharp and snappy was said, but it went ignored. They’d been friends for long enough for him to know when he was supposed to take certain things to heart. So conversation-wise, they left it at that. They left it knowing that Kyoko found Christmas Eve to be a tough day of the year, and that Makoto shouldn’t bother her too much because of it. Pretty simple stuff. 

But even if that was the conclusion that was drawn, that certainly wouldn’t stop Makoto from doing what he could to cheer her up. One could always assume that there were a few certainties in life: One, death. Two, life. Three, Makoto Naegi being physically unable to avoid doing nice things for friends that were feeling down. So naturally, the luckster picked up the slack. He’d been oh so proud of himself at the time; so glad to have found a way to help Kyoko feel better during such a rough time of year.

Really, the only problem was that the slack he’d picked up had gone horribly missing. 

“Where could they be…?” He groaned to himself, shuffling through just about everything in his bedroom. He’d already torn apart his desk and the top of his dresser trying to figure out where he placed it, and so far had come up with nothing. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case for the surface of his bedside table as he turned towards it, expecting more than what it would give. “Of all the times to lose something…!”

With one fell swoop, he pushed all of the books off of his bedside table. Probably not the best idea if he intended to keep his present in tact, but he thought that it could maybe be a good way of revealing the contents of its surface. The issue was that only books and personal hygiene products hit the ground, spilling papers and deodorant all over his bedroom floor. No signs of the little box he’d wrapped Kyoko’s gift in. 

“Of course. Of course it’s not here!” He griped to himself; his arms thrown into the air dramatically. A low grumble escaped his throat as he glared at the table, cursing it for not being the hiding spot of Kyoko’s present. “God… where could it be…?”

Pushing a hand through his hair, Makoto decided to take a couple of steps back. Perhaps if he surveyed the room for a minute or two, the box would make itself seen. He just had to make sure he was keeping an eye out for the right things. A little box covered in pink wrapping paper; tied nicely with a silky white bow. It shouldn’t be so hard to find. It wasn’t like Makoto had a lot of shiny pink things in his bedroom. 

His eyes scanned the room once more. As he looked around the room, he swore he could feel the weight of his worry on his shoulders. Christmas Eve in Japan was… well, it was one of the most romantic nights of the year. And even despite her hardships with the time, Kyoko had agreed to go out with him for this one night. He planned to take her somewhere nice, and give her a gift, so maybe she wouldn’t have to feel so sad. Whether she chose to interpret his actions as a flirtatious gesture was up to her. He would accept things no matter how they came. All he wanted was for her to feel loved. In order to do that, though, they would need to fulfill his other want: finding that box.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Of all times to get there! The knocking on his front door was unmistakable. Of course Kyoko would be there early. Normally she was the kind of person who didn’t really think of other people’s time; it all but showed in her tendency to be late to class. Almost every other time he’d asked her to hang out were another piece of evidence to the case. Of course just this once, when she needed to be tardy, she wasn’t. His hands curled into fists at the frustration of hearing the door open, and the sound of his mother’s voice greeting Kyoko.

“Hi Kirigiri-san!” He heard the older woman’s silvery voice chirp, “It’s good to see you again. Makoto’s just upstairs getting ready. I can go get him for you, if you like.”

Makoto sighed. At least he could be comforted by the fact that his mother had finally learned that Kyoko wasn’t a talker. The first time she’d come to visit the house, she’d bombarded her with all kinds of questions about herself. When Kyoko dodged practically every single one, his mother worried that the girl disliked her. Which, in turn, led to her son explaining to her that Kyoko was shy and reticent. Fortunately, that had been enough to get her to stop pushing the next time the two of them were in the same room.

“Actually, Mrs. Naegi, I wondered if I might speak to Naegi-kun myself. I have something I need to ask him before we leave.” 

He froze when he caught those words. Oh god, what was he going to tell her about his bedroom? He planned for her gift to be a surprise. He’d need to come up with some sort of excuse for the mess of papers and knick-knacks strewn across the hardwood floors. 

“Sure thing! His bedroom’s just up there, first door on your right.” 

Makoto didn’t hear Kyoko say thank you, but he assumed she probably nodded it. Her choosing to be quiet around his mother seemed more likely that him choosing to be impolite. Dread built in his stomach as he listened to her footsteps as they pounded against the staircase hard and strong as she made her way up. Likely on account of her high-heeled boots; she seemed to pair them with every outfit. Even for a winter’s night, he noted. Which was absolutely the wrong thing to note, given that his room was a mess and he had no excuse as to why. He supposed it was at least something  that made her entrance more dramatic, as she swung into the doorway of his bedroom. Her brows were raised in surprise almost immediately. 

The first and only thing he thought to do when she caught sight of him was grin sheepishly, offering a tiny wave. “H-Hey, Kirigiri-san.”

The detective’s face screamed confusion; her head tilting as she rushed to comprehend the information she was taking in. Her brows were furrowed together slightly, and he could see her pursing her lips. 

“Did a bomb go off in here?”

Kind of rude, he thought, but pushed the thought away. He forced himself to laugh instead, but he could tell it did little to convince Kyoko that what she said something humorous. “N-No, I just…” He paused, scrambling for a last minute excuse, “I was looking for something.”

Pathetic and also truthful. Jeez, he hadn’t realized that he was such a bad liar. Maybe he needed to get Celestia to coach him sometime.

Kyoko’s expression remained dubious; still scrutinizing the details of his bedroom rather than the details of his face. “... Right.” 

“Actually… Kirigiri-san, do you think you could help me?” He asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet, “I really need to find it before we go out.”

She folded her arms across her chest; he couldn’t help but notice how she puffed it up proudly at being asked. She wasn’t kidding about taking pride in her work, no matter how small the job. “What am I investigating?” 

Blood flowed to Makoto’s face at the question. Well, now that she’d seen the room, he imagined he would have to tell her what she was looking for. Sure, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, but hopefully it was still possible for her to enjoy the gift anyway. 

His inner self-reassurance didn’t stop him from scratching at his cheek, though. “You see, the other day, when you told me that you don’t feel so great on Christmas Eve, I got to thinking… I know this time of year is hard for you, and I don’t really know what for. So I decided I would make you a little Christmas gift. You know, to help you feel better.” 

Kyoko nodded in recognition, but showed no semblance of happiness. Typical. She could be bouncing for joy underneath that iron mask of hers, and he wouldn’t have a clue. 

“I see…” A hand flew to her chin; her usual signal that she was diving into deep thought. “And I imagine you misplaced my gift?”

His shoulders slumped a little at the confession. “Unfortunately.”

“Well, I suppose now I have to help you find it, don’t I?” She sighed, striding into the room with a complete and total disregard for the floor clutter. This would prove to be her downfall, for she nearly got taken out by the stick of deodorant that had been swept to the floor. It was a stroke of good luck that allowed Makoto to catch her elbow and steady her. 

“If you’d still like it. What I thought we might do together tonight wasn’t anything time sensitive. We can afford to spend a few minutes looking around for your present.”

Letting out a small sigh, Kyoko steadied herself. Her gaze failed to meet Makoto’s as she studied the room; the gears in her mind already turning. With the way she acted, one might almost have believed that he hadn’t heard what he said. “What does the gift look like?”

“It’s small, and pink-”

“How small?”

“About… uh…” Makoto straightened out his hands and made the distance; he kept them about a shoebox-length apart. “This big.”

She nodded. “And you said it was pink?”

“Yes. A shiny pink. I tied it up with a white bow.”

For the first time that night, Kyoko laughed. A relatively small one, but still a laugh. She covered her mouth in an attempt to hide it, but he could still see it. He almost thought it to be the first he’d seen her laugh all day. Did his diligence with presents humour her? He hoped she knew that he always took gift-giving seriously. The birthday party they’d thrown for Mukuro and Junko at school earlier that day should have clued her into that. 

“Of course you did,” She sighed, “You are the kind of person to do that.”

He struggled to understand whether or not he should be offended“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She waved it off, choosing to step further into the room. “Just one more thing I can discern simply by examining you for more than three seconds.”

Makoto bristled slightly; unafraid to pout at the comment. Once again she was teasing him for being so open. Sometimes he couldn’t tell if she liked that about him, or if she found it annoying. He could only hope that this time it was meant to be complementary; he did intend to be subtly romantic with her that night, after all. It wouldn’t exactly bode well for him if she thought him to be an overt fool. 

He huffed half-exasperatedly. “Do you need any other clues to search? Like where I saw it last?”

She shrugged, closing one of her eyes as she searched the room. What that did, he couldn’t help but wonder. “Was it here that you last saw it?”

He nodded. Wrapping her gift was the last thing he’d done before bed. He remembered the whole thing so meticulously: placing the gift on the sheet of wrapping paper, measuring out the exact dimensions of the box, placing the tape on each individual corner. He found he could even recall the tying of the bow, and how he redid it a few times to make it perfect. Then, he’d placed it down somewhere for the next day. The same place where he’d put the presents he wrapped for Mukuro and Junko’s birthday. But when he returned home after a long day at their school party, Kyoko’s box was no longer there. And he knew he didn’t take it and give it to one of the twins by accident.

“Who else has been in this bedroom lately?” She inquired, her expression slowly but surely falling flat once again. “Is there anyone who comes in when you’re not here?”

“Not… usually, no. Most of the time it’s just me. Sometimes my mom if she needs a couple extra pieces of clothing for a load of her laundry…” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Other than that, no real regulars…”

“I see.”

A brief silence fell between them, but not for more than a few seconds. Instantly, a memory popped into his mind. One that he’d forgotten amongst all of the Christmas and birthday bustle.

“Oh, wait! Dad was in here last night. He asked if he could hide his gift for Mom in my room. They’re supposed to be going out on a date later tonight, and he didn’t want her to find it before he could give it to her.” 

Kyoko snapped her fingers, but it didn’t register in his ears. On account of it just be leather rubbing together, he predicted. He wondered if she ever missed the click ungloved hands made. “Where did he hide his gift for your mother?”

Makoto gestured towards his closet. “Top shelf. Where that box of old action figures is.” 

She laughed softly once again, strutting over to the closet. She pulled the doors open with ease, starting her search without wasting a lick of time. “Bit of an action figures kid, were you?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah,” He admitted, “I had a really big superhero phase when I was a kid. I collected all kinds of figures. Unfortunately, I can’t bear to part with them quite yet, even though I’m almost eighteen.”

“That’s perfectly normal,” She assured him, “I'll admit that I still have some of the dolls from my youth. Also, a bit of a side note really, but I think I found out the answer to your mystery.”

His ears perked up at the second phrase. Man, was she fast. Her Super High School Level Detective title was no joke. “Really? You did?”

She nodded. “Simple case of misplacement. Your father wrapped his gift in the same wrapping paper as you.” She pulled the gift down from the shelf to prove her point, the shiny paper glittering at both of them, “He probably thought that you’d taken his out for him, and he brought it along with him. You do kind things like that so often; it’s likely he wouldn’t have thought twice.” 

“That makes sense,” He laughed slightly, “Dad’s usually dragging me into his gifts for Mom. He can trust me not to blab like Komaru will.”

Kyoko chuckled softly, holding the present out to him. “Well, if it’s a logical conclusion, then you’d better go exchange the gift before your father goes out on that date. Judging by the weight of this box, I’d say he probably got her something as valuable as a necklace. We would not want him to panic over a switch like that, given how expensive Christmas Eve jewellery tends to be.”

Makoto accepted the package from her gratefully. “He did get her a necklace; he told me so. Green zircon pendant, I think. He said something about it reminding him of her eyes.”

“It would match her eyes well, yes.”

He blinked, taken aback by the observation. “I’m surprised you noticed.”

She shrugged. “They’re the same colour as yours.”

Nothing about how noticing things as a detective was in her nature. Just the simple statement that he and his mother shared the same eyes. Such a tiny comment, yet Makoto felt his heart skip a beat. He hoped she couldn’t see him start to blush at her comment. 

“Y-Yeah…” He paused for a minute, staring at the box in his hand.

“Well don’t just stand there. Go give it to him.” She urged, “I’ll be waiting in the foyer when you get back. We mustn’t take any longer getting to this amazing sight you wanted me to see.” 

A soft smile began to curve across his face. God, if he hadn’t liked her before, he really liked her now. 

“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Kirigiri-san.”

She winked. “It’s a detective’s job to investigate.”

___________________

“Wow…”

Deciding which was twinkling more was a challenge — Makoto found himself severely caught between Kyoko’s eyes or the city lights. The sight didn’t allow him to fight off his smile as he leaned into her, his tone full of amusement. “Well, what did I tell you?” 

Her gaze fixed itself forward on the view. She didn’t seem prepared to look at him… but that was fine. He liked looking at her. “It’s… beautiful. Just as much as you said.”

“I knew you would like it.”

“I imagine I would have a harder time not liking it. The city is absolutely radiant from up here.”

So are you, Makoto desired to say, but he kept his lips sealed. Comments like that would be too forward, and he knew they both weren’t ready for that yet. They were still just two friends, having a nice night. Watching each other’s faces among the gleaming city lights. 

He didn’t quite catch what drew her back from the otherworldliness of the view. From one minute to the next, it seemed like she slowly slipped out of its hypnotism, turning to him with a smile on her face. Something he hadn’t expected to see, after how scantly she’d laughed that day.

“So am I allowed to open this gift of yours now?” She shook the package at him excitedly. He could see in her expression how much more relaxed she was now; her smile being a relatively lazy one.

“Of course. Rip into it.”

She wasted no time tearing into the wrapping paper like a small child, but not before she undid the bow and gently placed it aside. Makoto couldn’t help but remark to himself how cute it was that she had so much consideration for the aesthetics and maintenance of the bow. Just another one of her charming quirks, he supposed. 

Kyoko finished off the wrapping paper easily; practically the moment she tore into it. As soon as the wrapping paper had been torn from the box, the detective’s next challenge was sliding her finger underneath an edge to pry it open. Fortunately she was able to do so with little struggle, reaching into it. A small tray sat inside, and when Kyoko pinched it between her fingers and pulled it out… She revealed a gift of chocolates.

“Naegi-kun… did you make these?” Her voice was wrought with disbelief; her eyes wide.

He nodded. “I did. You know, there’s actually a lot of research that suggests that chocolate makes you happier. So I thought, what’s better this time of year than some homemade chocolates? Plus… a-admittedly, Asahina-san sort of told me about your secret fixation on chocolate.”

She shook her head. “Betrayed by my confidant,” She said mockingly, staring off into the distance as if she were in a detective noir, “How harrowing.”

There was no use in him fighting off his laugh; he chose to embrace it. Despite her tendency to be stoic, she always could crack a good joke. “Do you want to try one?”

“Undoubtedly.” She plucked one from the tray and popped it into her mouth. Within an instant, her eyebrows raised. She chewed for a few seconds, only to stop suddenly. He hoped that meant something good. She confirmed his hopes by starting to suck on the chocolate; her intent to make it last longer clear as day.

Nervously, he leaned in closer to her. “Do you… like it?”

“I love it.” She replied, her answer deeply muffled by the chocolate on her tongue. “This is… some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had. It’s… wonderful.”

He felt himself start to blush at her words. He’d never really been quite so sure of his dessert-making skills, so having the reassurance was comforting. “I’m glad.”

Before she had even finished sucking on the first one, he watched her pop another one of the tray and into her mouth. “Naegi-kun, honestly, this is amazing…”

He swatted the comment away, taking on a ‘you flatter me’ gesture. “Oh, it’s no problem.”

“No, it is. You were under no obligation to do any of this for me, but you did it anyway. All because I told you I found Christmas Eve challenging. Taking me here, and giving me this… it’s amazing. Naegi-kun, you’re amazing.”

You’re amazing. 

Makoto felt his heart skip its beat once again. Maybe he wasn’t ready to tell her that she was radiant. But she was ready to tell him that he was amazing. And that was enough.

“So are you, Kirigiri-chan.”

[hopeymchope]

Naegiri Week 2019, Day 4 - Plant

SURPRISE! I actually wrote a one-shot for Naegiri Week. IT’S A FESTIVUS MIRACLE!

Ah, at least if anyone cares.

There are ***SPOILERS for Kirigiri-Sou*** in this story. If you want to read that wild little “sound novel,” though, I strongly recommend you do so via @drmedicsgamesurgery‘s translation over here.

----------------------------------------------------------

In a nearly empty coffee shop on a rainy afternoon, Makoto Naegi and Kyoko KIrigiri sat across from one another in silence. Makoto fiddled with his cell phone occasionally. Kyoko pretended to be interested in the shop’s decor or in the people passing by outside, watching umbrellas bob past her view idly.

With a sad, forced smile, Makoto broke the silence first. He dropped his phone to the table between them and asked, “This is awkward, isn’t it?”

Kyoko finally looked at him, lowering her cup of coffee to give him a small nod. “A bit,” she admitted.

Makoto’s eyes fell to the table, avoiding hers. “It’s like... it’s like we’ve been friends for so long that I don’t know what’s supposed to be different.”

She kept her gaze fixed on him even as his own eyes began wandering. “I understand how you feel,” she agreed. “Perhaps we’re expecting something to change where it doesn’t need to?”

He looked at her sideways. “How do you mean?”

“I’m suggesting that when two people become so close and know one another for so many years... “ Kyoko paused, attempting to find the right words. “...then perhaps a transition to ‘dating’ is only minimally different from the time they already spent together.”

“No,” Makoto responded quickly, turning his head back to look at her directly. ”No way. That’d mean that we were such good friends that we were essentially automatically dating, and I refuse to accept that that’s a thing.” He threw up one hand in a half-shrug. “Like, how many of the days we’ve together are retroactively dates now? What’s the threshold for ‘automatic dating’? How close do you have to be? Is my sister ‘dating’ Fukawa-san now?”

Kyoko smiled tightly. “They already share an apartment and a bed, so... ?”

At that, he had to chuckle. “Okay, okay — bad example!” Makoto said, waving his hands and laughing. “Most friendships aren’t that close, I know. I just mean-”

“I understand,” Kyoko assured him, interrupting. Her voice and her expression both were soft when she continued, “And I didn’t mean to imply that we had already started dating months or even years before now because we achieved some vague friendship-maturation-date. I think you misunderstood me.” Setting down her coffee, she said, “I just meant that once you’ve shared so much of yourself with someone, perhaps it’s understandably hard to find new layers to add.”

His mouth tightened as he considered this. “So then... the act of saying that ‘we’re dating’ is the new layer?”

She tilted her head ever so slightly, looked bemused. “Well... I’d argue that declaring that you’re in a romantic relationship with someone should bring a natural increase in emotional intimacy.” She paused, reaching out to place one gloved hand on top of his own. “And physical intimacy, of course,” she half-whispered.

Makoto grinned at her touch in spite of the fact that her skin wasn’t even in contact with his. The act of casually touching one another still felt so fresh, so new that he still blushed intensely. He rolled his hand over to hold hers and said, “Just the emotional and physical stuff, huh? So I, uh, guess this means you already know most everything else about me... ?”

She shook her head once. “Not that it would matter if I did, but no. There’s no chance of that.”

He was skeptical. “I’m pretty much an open book,” he noted.

“In a lot of ways,” she agreed. “Yet you continue to surprise me with stories of your life experiences and in how you react to what your unusual luck throws your way.” She rubbed one of his fingers between her forefinger and thumb gently. “I’m positive that I still have many stories you haven’t heard, either.”

“All right,” Makoto said with a mischievous smile. Hopping out of his seat, he pulled his hand free of hers and stood up. As he kicked his chair aside, he pointed at her dramatically and announced, “I challenge you to tell me something I don’t know about you!” 

Kyoko covered her mouth to stifle her quiet laugh. “I suppose that’s one way to guarantee that something new and different happens today.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Can it be anything at all, or are you looking for a certain type of thing?”

Dropping his hand to his side, he shrugged awkwardly. “I-I didn’t really have any specific ideas. Something personal? Maybe about your family? Or just something from one of your cases?”

“Hm,” was all Kyoko said at first. Her eyes once again traveled the room as she sought inspiration. Once she landed on a potted fern near the door, she said, “I can think of something that fits all of those criteria.”

(THE REST IS UNDER THE CUT)

“Great!” Makoto said, grinning. “So that means it’s something about your family that is also related to a case... ?”

Closing her eyes, Kyoko’s smile faded as she said, “Just remember that you asked for this.”

That was enough to make Makoto’s grin melt in an instant. “Uhhh, wha-wha-what do you mean?!”

“Only that this may be stranger than you’d imagine,” Kyoko replied. She folded her hands together. Utterly straight-faced, she opened her eyes and told him, “Once — for a very short time — I had a sister.”

At this, Makoto looked relieved. “You’re talking about Samidare-san,” he said, relaxing.

“I am afraid not,” Kyoko said. “I’m talking about a genetic sister.” She smirked slightly. “I had a twin who was... well, she was a plant.”

Makoto cocked his head at that, his eyes narrowing. “Now, when you say ‘plant’, you meeeaaan... what, exactly?”

She took care to speak clearly: “I mean that I had a twin sister who was, in truth, an organism that used chlorophyll and photosynthesis to generate nutrients within her body.”

A laugh emerged from Makoto reflexively, but both it and his smile faded in the face of Kyoko’s steely expression. A long moment of silence passed while he stood there and regarded her, his expression quizzical. Then, finally, he reached out and pulled the wooden chair closer to him, watching her the entire time.

“Okay... “ he said slowly. “Help me out here: Is this like a metaphor?” He lowered himself back to his seat. “Do you mean that your grandfather had a plant that he loved as much as he loved you? Or, y’know, maybe you had hedge at your family home that someone trimmed into the shape of you, so it was your ‘twin’, or—”

“Sadly, ‘no’ to both.” Kyoko said firmly. “Kyouka was her name, and she was a walking, talking, independent person who looked exactly like me as I did at the time.” Her eyes grew distant as she thought back. “To look at her, you’d never have known that she was made of plant matter. She grew as rapidly as someone might grow a weed.” 

Though he was growing pale, Makoto still tried to laugh it off. “Yo-you’re dead set on tricking me, aren’t you?” he ventured. “This is... it’s a practical joke.”

With a slow shake of her head, she said, “Bizarre though it may sound, I promise that I am telling you the truth.”

There was a soft thonk-slap as Naegi’s arms and hands fell limply onto the table between them. He expression was one of confusion and shock, and his complexion looked sickly. “I... “ he said softly. Swallowing hard, he finished, “I wasn’t prepared for this.”

“If you think it sounds outlandish now, you can imagine my reaction to seeing it,” Kyouko said. “Someone had sampled my DNA and used it in a biological experiment to create a plant-based clone of me. Furthermore, she was one of a series of intended clones of Hope’s Peak students.”

Still stunned, Makoto asked, “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this before now?”

“A Kirigiri never makes an accusation without proof,” she said. “Even though I know what I saw and experienced, I have no evidence to support what I’m telling you. I only knew ‘Kyouka’ for a day before she was reduced to a shriveled-up network of roots and leaves. And without evidence, this is all nothing more than an outlandish story.”

Still stunned, Makoto shook his head and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Kyoko responded. “I made the decision to keep this to myself just as I eventually made the decision to stop searching for lingering proof.”

“N-no, I mean that I’m sorry you had to carry this alone,” Makoto said. He looked at her with sympathy as he reached out and put his hand over hers, returning her earlier gesture. “Seeing someone that looks like you — someone made from you, even, who you only know for such a short time before you seem them quickly wither and die right in front of you... it couldn’t have been easy.”

She smiled warmly at him. “Then you believe me?”

“Of course,” Makoto said without hesitation.

“I knew that you would,” she said back. “And I’m grateful.”

Makoto smiled back at her, and the two sat there for a while, staring into each other’s eyes. Kyoko rolled her hand over and took his in hers, giving him a slight squeeze as she did so. Makoto slowly exhaled a happy sigh.

.......................

“WAIT!” Makoto said, snapping back to reality.

“What?”

““I just realized you glossed right past a super-important detail,” he observed intensely.

Kyoko leaned forward. “Which is-?”

“Was she, like, evil?”

[ronin-warriors-fanatic]

Naegiri Week: Day 1, ILL

A nice quiet Sunday, at least it would be if Kyoko Kirigiri wasn't hacking up her own lung, great. She had an inportant case to deal with, and she can't even get out of bed, she has a child too, she can't get sick, not right now!

"Kyoko? Are you okay?" Her best friend, and husband, Makoto Naegi asked, concerned.

Lying would be a very bad idea right now, she can't hide it from Makoto, he's too sharp for that.

"Not really." Kyoko said, on the onslaught of a coughing fit.

At the moment of hearing that coughing, makoto brought his palm to her her forhead, she was burning up, big time. Feeling that, he got out of bed, and headed to the kitchen. Kyoko could hear the sound of running water, then the sound of the stove turning on. Kyoko felt another coughing fit come up, and coukd not hold it back.

Within the span of a half hour, Makoto brought back a wet washcloth, and placed it on her forhead, it was cold, but it felt nice. there was also some medicine, and there's also a bowl of..chicken soup? Why chicken soup?

"In the west, they bring sick people chicken soup, I though you wouod like it too." Makoto answered.

Kyoko did her best to nod. Another thought came to her head, but before she could answer

"Don't worry about Kazuki, I'll make sure he doesn't come in here until you get better." Makoto promised. Kyoko nodded, but that just left one more thing.

"I have an important case to go over, i should get to work-" Kyoko started to say

Her mistake was looking in Makoto's eyes, full of disaprovment and worry of what she said, he's right it's better to stay in bed when you're sick, but the trail's gonna get cold.

"Can you ask for someone else to take over?" Makoto asked.

"In that case, why not you?" Kyoko asked.

Makoto sputtered, "wh-what!? I'm not a detective!" Makoto protested.

"No, but you are sharp, and you can easily get to the truth when you put your mind to it, and your empathy will help you connect to witnesses, allowing them to help you get to the truth that much faster."

Even when she's sick, Kyoko's smirk is still beautiful and cute.

"O..okay, just don't get out of bed too much, and take your medicine." Makoto said.

After getting out of his pajamas, and fully dressed, he took Kyoko's briefcase. Both of them had a feeling it wouod be a long day today.

(A/N: Kazuki is @capnii 's fankid, all credit belongs to them)

[rightpastnowhere]

Naegiri Week Day Two: Puzzle

Sorry, I’m super behind guys. Day three’s prompt will probably be out tonight, and I’ll try and double post 4&5 on day five.

Title: puzzle pieces

Rating: General

Spoilers: Danganronpa: Kirigiri (speculation)

Summary: A regular night at the Kirigiri household.

•••

“This one goes… HERE!”

A small hand slammed into the ground, causing the loose puzzle pieces around it to jump into the air. The hand’s owner triumphantly grinned, unaware of the chaos they had caused, focused solely on the successful alignment of the jigsaw bits underneath her palm.

Makoto couldn’t help but smile at his daughter’s enthusiasm. “Good find, Yui! Although, make sure you don’t break apart the whole thing, ‘kay?”

•••

continue reading on AO3

[budewfan]

Naegiri Week 2019 Time!

I’ve uploaded the first chapter of my Naegiri Week collection. Today’s prompt was “Ill,” and I’d like to think I did a good job.

Read it on fanfiction.net

Read it on AO3

[comic-book-fan-us]

Naegiri Week Day 2: Puzzle

[ao3feed-danganronpa]

Naegiri Week 2019

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2M1wf0q

by makot0naegi

Naegiri Week 2019 Prompts:

1) Ill: The world outside has proven itself to be more unkind than the survivors of the School Life of Mutual Killing anticipated. In a world that threatens to crush them at every turn, the worst has come for Makoto... and Kyoko's the only person strong enough to save him.

2) Puzzle: TBD

3) Stars: TBD

4) Plant: TBD

5) Fidget: TBD

6) Flutter: TBD

7) Investigate: TBD

Words: 8565, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M

Characters: Kirigiri Kyouko, Naegi Makoto, Asahina Aoi, Hagakure Yasuhiro, Togami Byakuya, Maizono Sayaka

Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto

Additional Tags: Naegiri2019, ill, puzzle, Stars, plant - Freeform, fidget - Freeform, flutter - Freeform, investigate, Oranges, Death, Past Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Blood and Gore, Post-Apocalypse, Future Foundation (Dangan Ronpa), Hope's Peak Academy, The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, Body Image, Confused Naegi Makoto, Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Animal Death, First Dates, Sex Talk, Aftermath of Violence, Nervousness, Grieving Sam Winchester, Pregnancy, Babies, Kimi the Noble Cat, Self-Esteem Issues, Awkwardness, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Sexual Situations, No Smut, Fluff and Angst

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2M1wf0q

[naegiriweek]

Naegiri Week 2019 Themes

Here you are!

Day 1: Ill Day 2: Puzzle Day 3: Stars Day 4: Plant Day 5: Fidget Day 6: Flutter Day 7: Investigate

More info will be released to help with themes as their individual day arrives.

Naegiri week begins December 16th and runs until the 22nd.

-Eon

[rubixkun]

Naegiri Week Day 7: Investigation

Best detective duo is on the case

[aru-iribe]

Naegiri Week 2019. Day 1: Ill

[yoshistack]

Naegiri 2019 Week Day 3: Stars

“Hopefully I’ll get them all done before 2020″ I said.

What a liar I am. Oh well. Let’s just blame it on Pokemon and my hand feeling like death for awhile there.

And look at it this way: more Naegiri content for longer. (And this one is kind of fitting to release today, given certain news of a rerelease)

All that being said though, this one requires a bit of context. I’m a mod on the @kokichi-and-co-imagine-blog, and one day we got a request for a Naegiri Mystery Dungeon AU. PMD is my favorite Pokemon series, so of course I jumped on it, and created a gen 7 (Gen 8 hadn’t been announced yet) Mystery Dungeon featuring the THH cast as the main characters, with Junko serving as the main antagonist who wants to use the Ultra Beasts for... Idk, reasons of despair (It’s constantly a work in progress)

This is a rough estimate of a scene that takes place after Junko reveals her true colors, and disappears along with Mukuro, and the SDR2 characters, and serves as the moment that occurs in PMD games where the main character and their partner are forced to leave the main hub area behind for the sake of plot (IT’s different in each game. You know what I’m talking about if you play PMD)

Makoto is a Rockruff, Kyouko is an Espeon

It was dark out. The room was covered in the thick blanket of darkness that night brought with it, only interrupted by a few small streams of light from the full moon and stars hanging in the sky above.

Makoto cracked an eye open to take a look around in their darkened room. Kyouko was still curled up in her bed next to his, though he hadn’t needed to look to know that. He could still feel the edge of her fur against his. He bit back the urge to smile at her sleeping form (He rarely ever saw her actually relax in the short time he’d known her) and instead pulled his gaze around to scan the room. It was empty besides to two of them.

He let his eyes fall toward toward the doorway that led into the hall. No one was there from what he could see. But… better safe than sorry, he thought. He closed his eyes and lifted his ears, straining to hear anything going in the building.

Some snores. The occasional rustling of hay that made up the beds. A few cries of some Pokemon flying overhead, most likely the Noctowl he’d seen around before. Nothing to indicate anyone was still up.

Well. This was as good as it was going to get.

Slowly, Makoto pulled himself up to his feet. He carefully pulled his front two paws off and stepped off the bed as quietly as he could. So far so good… Just a few more steps and—

Crunch

Immediately he felt himself stiffen as he placed a foot in the wrong spot. A soft crunching sound resonated. It wasn’t loud at all, but he knew well that it could still be loud enough. His eyes darted over to his partner.

One of her ears twitched.

He held his breath. Memories of a past encountered swirled in his head as he silently willed her not to stir. 

“I’m a light sleeper; a side effect of all my training, I imagine,” she’d said to him weeks ago, in the aftermath of him running outside in a fit because of one of his many nightmares that week. Then, though he’d tried to hide them, he’d counted that fact about her as a blessing and had been relieved she wanted him to confide in her. Now though, he was cursing that quirk.

An eternity passed. Then another. Kyouko’s breathing remained the same, deep and even. She didn’t move again.

He almost let out a sigh of relief but caught himself. He kept his jaw clenched shut and instead padded toward the door with the lightest footsteps he could make. He didn’t dare let himself walk normally again until he was well out the doorway of their room and around the corner at the end of the hall.

He looked around the entrance hall before trotting in, wanting to be certain no one saw him. As his ears had led him to believe, no one else was up and moving. He made his way toward the cubbies where bags were stored, stopping in front of the two assigned to ‘Team Hope’. He pulled his bag out and opened it.

Some apples, plenty of berries, a few wands and orbs, a map… All just as he left it. Thank god no one decided to tamper with his bag again. He nodded at it. It should be enough for this, he figured. And he could always find more along the way. He seemed to have a knack for finding these things in the dungeons themselves. He pulled the bag on and started to turn to the exit. He caught a glance at Kyouko’s bag sitting in the slot next to his.

He hesitated.

Was this even a good idea, doing this without her? 

He glanced back at the hallway he’d come out of. There was still time. He could rework this plan. He could go back in there, wake her up and-

No, no. He shook his head and pulled his eyes from the hall. “She’s already done so much for me, definitely way more than she had to. I can’t ask her to do this too,”He’d go forward as he planned. She probably wasn’t going to be happy about it in the morning, but he had to do this.

Sorry, Kyouko.

He took off for the door before anything else could distract him.

Hope’s Peak at night was still a bit of a strange sight to him. Without anyone moving around, talking and chatting or moving around the town, it looked a little empty. Hope’s Peak wasn’t a bustling hub of activity during the day of course, being a remote mountain town didn’t lend itself to that kind of thing, but the lack of anyone gave it a very unsettling aura to it.

Of course, the lack of some of the usual inhabitants was something he could give Junko and Mukuro credit for…

Still, he mused as he walked down the steps of the Detective Society, there was a kind of beauty to the town at this time. He looked overhead at the stars above him and gave a small smile at them. Undoubtedly, Hiro would try and tell him some kind of nonsense about their positions and his destiny for a ridiculous amount of money if he were awake right now.

Thankfully though, he wasn’t. He was asleep, just as every other vendor in town was right now. Even the lights at Celeste’s cafe, a place usually packed with visitors, were out, and the building was dark and empty. 

He slowed down as he reached the bottom of the steps and passed by each building slowly, taking the sight of each of them in. So many people here had helped him so much, more than any of them probably knew. Celeste, Hifumi, Hiro, Leon, Sayaka….

And that wasn’t even mentioning those within the Detective Society. He knew he was never going to be able to begin to properly repay everyone there for all they’d done (Byakuya was sure to remind him of that fact in one way or another every day).Especially Kyouko; his debt to her was the biggest of them all.

All the more reason he had to do this, he decided after a moment. Everyone here had done so much for him. It was time to do something for them instead. He swallowed back the pang of guilt and ran forward towards the gates of Hope’s Peak. From here he’d have to go down the mountain trail, and then make his way to-

He heard a rustling sound behind him and froze in his tracks. He tensed, first out of instinctive fear of being attacked, and then for another reason that made his blood run cold.

Had someone heard him? Had Kyouko heard him?

He gulped. He really hoped not.

Slowly, he turned around only to find… nothing. No one was there. His muscles relaxed and he tilted his head in confusion. Had it just been the wind? Then he heard it again along with… snoring? He turned to look in the direction it came from.

It was Hiro, lying on the ground fast asleep, mumbling something and snoring very loudly. Makoto let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding.

It was just Hiro. He almost laughed; of course Hiro would do something like that to freak him out. His own little send off gift without even being aware of it.

Of course.

He shook his head. Enough distractions. He had a job to do, and he couldn’t do it sticking around here. He turned back around to the gate, only for his blood to run even colder. For the path out the gate wasn’t empty like it had been before.

He was now returning the gaze of a very irritated looking Espeon.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

Makoto shrank back with a cringe. “I… er, uh… well…” he stammered out. 

Her intense, piercing glare never wavered as she stepped forward closer to him. “Because it looks to me like you decided—against all common sense or any degree of reason—to run off suddenly in the middle of the night, without telling anyone.” The emphasis she put on those words was accentuated with another few steps towards him, until she was just a couple feet in front of him. He winced. “Or, am I wrong?”

He awkwardly shuffled and looked down toward his feet. “W-well, no… not really…” he admitted.

Her eyes narrowed at his confession. “And why,” she started, “would you decide to try and do such a thing, against any of the better judgement that I know for a fact that you have?”

A beat of silence passed between them.

What was he supposed to say that wouldn't make her even more mad at him? Was there anything that he could say that wouldn’t? 

No time to dwell on that now though.

He swallowed thickly and looked back up at her, finally looking her in the eye. “Because someone has to,” he said. 

Her expression didn’t change.

He decided to take it as a sign to continue. “Junko is out there somewhere, doing terrible things and making even worse plans that could hurt so many innocent Pokemon out there, and we have no idea where that is. Someone has to go out and look for her,” he said. The longer he spoke, the more confident he became in his words. “And I know they said the Detective Society would look into it but… after everything that happened, with her and Mukuro and the 77th Branch disappearing with them… You and I both know they don’t have enough manpower to spare to look into it too much. And so… this.” He finished, motioning with his head to his bag.

Kyouko was quiet, giving him a once over. Her eyes closed with a thoughtful look on her face. He could feel the anxiety at her silence start to creep up her spine, but swallowed it back and held strong.

“I’m glad to see that you haven’t lost all common sense in that head of yours.” She finally said, and for a split second he swore he saw her mouth twitch upward. He couldn’t hide his surprise at it.  “I agree with you that something needs to be done about her, regardless if the Society agrees to help or not. But, be that as it may,” she continued, “Why does it have to be you that finds her?”

“Eh!?” He squeaked.

“What makes you think that you’re the only one that can stop her?” she continued.

“W-wait hold on a sec! I never said that!” He protested.  There were so many others that were so much stronger than him, Kyouko included. He knew that well. How in the world would she come to the conclusion that he thought otherwise?!

“You didn’t have to. Your actions said it for you,” she explained. “Deciding to go after her is one thing, but you chose to do it in such a secretive way. Running off at night without a word to anyone or even a note left makes it seem to me like you don’t trust anyone else to do this.”

Makoto couldn’t help but gape at her. “N-no! No, that’s not it at all!” He shook his head so hard it almost felt like he was going to give himself whiplash. “I don’t think that at all! I’d love to get as much help as I can get normally, you know that! But this… going out and finding her is going to be dangerous. And… I can’t justify asking anyone else to put themselves in danger for my idea, not after they’ve done so much for me.” He looked away from her again. “You included.”

Another moment of silence. Maybe, she would finally get what he was going for. Surely she had to see what his reasoning was now. The thought he’d put into this decision and how he could come up with this solution. 

And then, interrupting his musings, he heard her let out a low chuckle. He snapped his head up to see her shaking her head at him.

“Of course you would answer in such a sentimental way,” she muttered in such a quiet tone he almost didn’t hear her. “But if that’s your plan to try and get rid of me, I’m afraid you’re going to have to try much harder than that.” She turned around and started walking down the path. “Are you coming or not?”

...What?!

He couldn’t even vocalize his confusion to her, instead just standing there, head tilted with a look of utter bewilderment at her words. “What are you..?! That’s not… I never… I wasn’t trying to-” A flick of Kyouko’s ear and and sharp look back at him shut him up.

“You said it yourself: this search for her won’t be easy. While I admire your forethought to others, it’s foolish of you to think you could do this on your own; no matter how well you’ve adapted, you’re still new at investigations in general, as well as this world. You’re going to need help.” Her expression softened a bit. “And as you’ve made clear to me many times: you and I are a team now, for better or worse. We do this together, right?”

‘You and I are a team now’... the very words he’d said to her so many times to try and get her to open up. He always assumed she’d brushed them off and forgotten them, just like so many of his attempts to get to know her more. BUt evidently, that wasn’t the case.

He smiled. Of course they were a team. How could he ever let himself forget that. 

“You’re right,” he said with a nod. “We do this together.” He hurried to join her, and they continued down the mountainous path. 

“So, explain to me what your plan is exactly,” she said.

“Uh, see about that…” he let out a sheepish laugh.

She sighed. “Proving my point exactly…” And then she started laying out a plan, where they would go, the towns they would visit and investigate, all of it.

As he listened to her talk, Makoto glanced up toward the night sky. The stars still shone brightly over head. And as he watched them gleam above, he couldn’t help but smile. 

It wasn’t part of the plan, but truly, he was happy Kyouko had intervened. He’d been anxious about how this would go before, knowing it had to be done, but not being sure if he could do it. But with her by his side, he was confident that they could do this. 

Because together, they could do anything.

[danganronpa-21]

Naegiri Week Day 6: Flutter

Here’s Flutter, a soft-sweet one-shot with no warnings to issue. Just pure fluff! Yaaaaaay! I’m hoping that tomorrow’s prompt should be alike it in fluff, too. So if the heavy stuff’s not for you, you’re in luck.

I hope you enjoy it!

_________________

This was it. This was the moment. 

Kyoko sitting across from him; her face untouched by the purplish hues of poison. His own just as clear of the blues of bruising, and the white bandages across his fractured-for-the-second-time nose. Their bodies both exhausted from the work it takes to fix a recovering world, and their eyes soft as they stared at each other. It was so rare that they got a minute to relax and breathe, yet Makoto couldn’t bring himself to settle. While Kyoko had already taken to stretching out on the couch and slipping her work jacket off her shoulders; his heart pounded so raucously that he could hear it in his ears. 

To be fair, she could settle a little more, given that she didn’t know that he was about to confess that he was in love with her. 

He could only hope that she didn’t already know. She was a detective, after all. Knowing everything about everyone practically her job. Everyone struggled to keep secrets from her; himself included. At this point, he half-worried it was only a matter of time until she said something to him.

Or maybe she already had, and he just hadn’t noticed. She had kissed him, after all. In private. With no one else around. During a tender moment between the two of them; where she cared for his wounds. But how much could that really mean? 

Thinking about that struck fear in his heart. While he didn’t necessarily want Kyoko to know already that he was deeply in love with her; he also didn’t want everything to be meaningless to her. He’d greatly enjoyed their time together, and that sweet secret kiss they’d shared… If he confessed and she rejected him, he felt certain that he would die on the spot. 

“Wow… I did not think I would be this exhausted tonight…” Kyoko remarked, letting out a cute grunt as she stretched her arm towards the ceiling. He couldn’t help but notice how one of her eyes squeezed shut as she did so. Cute, he thought to himself.

He couldn’t help but shrug his shoulders in response. “Well, you are the Branch Leader. I imagine your job’s pretty tough right about now. I’m not surprised that you’re tired.”

It became the detective’s turn to shrug; her hands moving to play with her hair. He couldn’t help but notice how casual she was being, playing with her hair in front of him like that. She’d even swung her legs up onto the couch, so they were stretched across his lap. “These days, I’m mostly just stuck in meetings and doing paperwork. You have the important job, being a figurehead for public relations. I admit, I struggle to comprehend how you can possibly be so comfortable talking in front of people like that. It’s a gift of some kind.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a gift, per se…” But he appreciated her saying it. So much so that he felt his face start to flush, and not just because he was a couple minutes away from pouring his heart into her lap. “I guess I just… like giving people the reassurance that everything will be okay. Especially with everything we’ve been doing lately… The progress has been exceptional.”

She nodded in agreement; a grin threatening to overtake her expression. “It really has been superlative. I’m highly impressed with the job everyone has done. You, most of all.”

The smaller boy blinked, his voice squeaking as he attempted to answer.  “M-Me?”

She raised a brow, a smirk protruding through her iron mask. “Does that come as a surprise?” 

“Well… a little, I guess.” He laughed awkwardly. If he had to be honest, he wasn’t sure whether the praise from her made him feel more or less sure of himself. Was she saying that stuff because she loved him and wanted to indirectly know? Or did she just think he was a great employee? Employee-zoned. If she didn’t want to date him, he imagined he could respect it, but the thought of being just an employee to her made him nervous. He wanted to be her friend at least. “You know I don’t tend to think of myself or my work as anything special.”

Kyoko sighed, shaking her head. “I know… and I rather wish you would. You always do such an extraordinary job. I meant it when I called you the Ultimate Hope.” She leaned forward to nudge his shoulder affectionately. It was done with the awkward tenderness of someone who had never done it before. “I’m not so sure that there are many people who could work as diligently as you after going through what you did. It both impressed and worried me that you were so eager to jump back into the workforce after the Future Foundation killing game.”

Though he knew she didn’t mean anything by it, he detested how calmly the words rolled off her tongue. Despite the time that passed by, the incident still felt so fresh in his mind. Nightmares of the incident still haunted his sleeping hours, forcing him awake in a blur of horrifying memories. Kyoko’s passing was always his worst of all. Every time it crossed his unconscious mind, he woke up with a tear-stained pillowcase.

“I… needed something to take my mind off it I guess.” He murmured gracelessly; his eyes falling down to stare at his lap… and the legs that lay upon them. Her legs. He hadn’t realized how close she was to him until that moment. “There was a lot I learned during that killing game that I thought I could use to help people.”

“Such as…?”

The prodding didn’t mean much. It was just a simple means of conversation, but he knew he could get it to work in his favour. He swallowed, feeling the lump in his throat. If he worked this properly, it would be possible to segway it into the targeted conversation… although he hated to think of how easy it was to jump from death to love in such a short period of time.

“I feel like I learned so much more about loss and the value of life, and the differing ways that people cope with their despair… and what we can do to save them. I think what put the nail in that coffin for me was actually experiencing that low myself… where everything is dark, and cold, and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel… When it seems like there’s nowhere to go but down.”

He shivered at the memory; the calling of Kyoko’s voice in his ear. Even weeks after the ordeal, her tone was still so sharp in his mind. Or had the voice belonged to Sayaka…? The hallucination had blended together in his mind; his whole head aching when he thought of it. At this point, it was as if both girls had whispered the same atrocities.

You should have died instead of us. 

Kyoko tucked her feet up close to her body suddenly. At first, he expected it to be out of fear for his behaviour. But as her expression softened, and she shuffled closer to him, he realized that couldn’t possibly be the case. Kyoko wasn’t the kind of person to abandon a friend in need. 

“Don’t think about it if you don’t have to.” 

“I always have to… It’s always there.” He protested, closing his eyes tightly. “And I can’t make it go away. I won’t, but… It still taught me so much of what I need to know. Not just for helping people, but for going through life as well. It made me realize that you can’t always wait for the right moment for things to happen. That you don’t always have forever with someone.”

Kyoko’s brows lowered even further, and she placed a concerned hand on his thigh. “Makoto-kun… what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that… that when you died, I felt like my whole world fell apart. Like I lost apart of myself.”

“Naegi-kun…” He couldn’t decipher the tone she spoke in, or the emotion it held. He knew only that she said his name.

“I mean it. When I thought I lost you, it was like I’d lost almost everything. If it weren’t for what you did for me, I wouldn’t have known where to go or what to do. Your life and your sacrifice meaning something… it’s one of the only things that kept me going, and doing things that were tough. I didn’t have it in me to let your sacrifice be in vain. I just… I couldn’t bear to have lost you, so it’s all I could rely on. I couldn’t bear it, because… Well, there’s a lot of reasons because…”

The lavender-haired woman leaned in closer; her voice near a whisper. “Reasons like what?”

Makoto stopped himself for a moment, and inhaled deeply. This would be it. This would be the moment.

“Reasons like… my being in love with you.”

Kyoko jerked herself back suddenly, blinking at him like he had randomly sprouted a second head. Shock wrote itself all over her expression; her mouth hanging open at his confession. Her eyes were wide and round as she watched him; a meek blush skirting across her cheeks and nose. 

“You were… in love with me?”

Makoto shook his head. “I am in love with you. Present tense.”

“I… I’m afraid I don’t understand.” She fumbled with the studs on her gloves, unexpectedly unwilling to look him in the face.

Makoto could feel them now. The butterflies beating about in his belly. At the start of the conversation, he might have described their feeling as a light flutter… but now they were a thundering roar. They urged him to speak his truth, no matter the eccentricities of her reaction

“Kyoko, I’m… I’m madly in love with you. I think I have been for a long time now… even before the whole Tragedy thing. I know it’s a lot for you to hear, and you’re probably not ready, but I… I just… I love you, Kyoko. And I couldn’t live with you not knowing anymore. Not after what happened. I need to take this moment to tell you while I still have the chance.”

The air between them fell still. He found himself clutching tightly onto his work pants in some pathetic attempt to ground himself, for he felt rather certain that this wasn’t going to go as he’d hoped. Kyoko was kind, and beautiful, and intelligent. He knew thinking that someone like her would want to be with him was daydreaming a little too hard.

The look on her face wasn’t doing him many favours either. She began to run her fingers through the strands of hair that hung loose from her ponytail, her eyes focused on literally anything but his face. Despite the bowing of her head, however, he could see how rapidly she blinked. It almost seemed as if she wasn’t processing what he said at all. 

When the silence broke, it wasn’t with an answer. Quite the opposite, actually. It was a small set of words, uttered in an even smaller voice. Like Kyoko’s own had been stolen away from her in a matter of seconds, and replaced with a mockery of it.

“Are you sure?”

He gulped quietly. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“But… why?”

“What do you mean… why?”

“I mean: why? Why me?” Her head lifted up scantly. As much as he craved it, he couldn’t read her expression. Some sort of mix between worried and auspicious, he guessed. It was all he could judge from the curve of her eyebrows and the glimmer in the pools of violet that were her eyes.

“You’re… amazing, Kyoko. You’re brilliant, and kind, and talented… not to mention incredibly beautiful. Being with you is like being on an adventure every day. We always have so much fun together, and you never let me short change myself over anything. You care about me and all of our other friends so deeply, even if you may not show it obviously. You’re like the coolest girl I’ve ever met. I might even say that my falling in love with you was inevitable.” 

The detective’s face turned bright pink. For a moment, it seemed as if she were unable to respond. Then, just as suddenly, she leaned towards him again. 

“Makoto. Could you say that again?”

“Say what again?”

She closed her eyes. “That you’re in love with me.”

He paused, biting his lip. Where was she going with this? 

“Kyoko, I’m in love with you.”

“Again.”

“Kyoko, I’m in love with you.”

“Again.”

“Kyoko, I’m in love with- mmf!”

Oh god. She was doing it again. Kyoko was kissing him again. In the form of the most ferocious affection he’d ever felt, he might add. Not that that made it unenjoyable — quite the opposite, if he were being honest. Feeling the softness of her lips against his own for a second time was just as extraordinary as the first; perhaps even more so this time around. His eyes fluttered shut without thinking, and he found himself wrapping his arms around her. She reciprocated just as well, choosing to drape her arms around his neck. 

It had been so little time, and yet he wondered how he could have forgotten the taste of her lips. This time around the flavour was caught somewhere between the sugary sweetness of the balm she wore, and the dark smooth taste of coffee. If he were being honest, he wasn’t sure which he loved more. Or maybe there wasn’t one. Maybe he just loved that he was kissing her the most. 

He wasn’t exactly sure when they broke apart. He only knew that for him, it was too soon. He assumed it must have been after awhile: both of them were panting and short of breath by the end. When they finally did manage to separate, though, he found himself staring at her. Kyoko’s gaze fixed itself so intently on him, and for a moment, it seemed like time had stopped. The only things that were allowed to move were the beating butterflies in his stomach, and her lips as she whispered the words:

“I think I’m in love with you too.”