The light chiming of a bell sounded as the door to the small convenience store was pushed open. After Danny walked through the doorway, the metal and glass door swung shut behind her. Looking up at the sky, she stopped, and then let out a small sigh.
"Crap... I forgot it was supposed to rain..." she mumbled to herself. "And they're out of umbrellas too." She sighed. And I'm not supposed to get my cast wet either... Fuck.
Right after she thought that, one drop of rain fell, then two, followed by countless others. It wasn't downpouring, which was a relief, but it wasn't raining light enough for her to get by by covering her cast up with her jacket - one that wasn't waterproof in the least.
Just as she was about to give up and call one of her friends, the bell sounded again. Out of both habit and instinct, Danny looked back to see who it was. Immediately, her brows twitched slightly as she recognized the man.
He had short neatly combed dark brown hair that gave him the look of a businessman and sharp, yet tired-looking eyes that were the same shade of her best friend's. The middle-aged man was none other than Kotou Nakajima - Sayu's father.
He recognized Danaju just as quickly as she recognized him. "Oh, you're my daughter's friend, aren't you?" he asked, making it sound more like an observation than a question.
"Yes, I am. It's good to see you again, Mr. Nakajima," Danny greeted with a small bow of her head.
He let out an uninterested hum before taking a collapsable umbrella from his black messenger bag. "Here. I accidentally packed two, so you can use this one," he said as he handed it out to her.
Danny blinked in surprise before gingerly taking it with a small nod. "Thank-"
"In exchange," he continued, cutting off her words of thanks, "I'd like to speak to you for a moment."
Reluctantly, Danny agreed. Upon his request, she followed him to a cafe just a short way down the street they were already on. Both of them didn't speak a word to the other as they ordered or even when their drinks came out.
"I'll get straight to the point," Kotou started after taking a couple of drinks of his coffee. His eyes shifted from his cup and locked with Danny's. "I want you to stay away from Sayumi."
I thought that was what he was gonna say... Danny cocked a brow in response. "With all due respect, Sir, if this is about me being involved with other delinquents, you don't have to worry about her safety."
"Really, now?" he scoffed.
"Yes, really. I've already put myself in harm's way to keep her safe, and I won't ever hesitate to do so. So," she stood, placing money on the table before grabbing her cup of coffee, "if that's all, I need to get home before the rain gets much worse." She gave him a smile. "I hope you have a good rest of your day."
With those words being said, she left. Even after knowing her family for years, she still didn't like the man, nor did she want to give him the time of day. She had already tried that and it didn't work, so she didn't see the use.
"Huh, it stopped raining..."
┉┈◈◉◈┈┉
"So then, we-"
"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?!"
A sudden shout cut Baji short. Both he and Danny raised a brow at each other before quickening their pace a bit. And Danny, having recognized the voice as Naoto's younger self, was almost dragging Baji by the hand.
"I mean, you proposing out of nowhere surprised me too," Chifuyu said.
"What?!"
Everyone, that being Chifuyu, Naoto, Hinata, and Takemichi, quickly turned their heads to look at Danny, who had a face of shock. And next to her, Baji just had a look of confusion.
"In- in the future, Daju!" Takemichi quickly exclaimed, holding his hands up in defense.
"I would hope so! Jeez..." She let out a sigh as she headed for their little group with Baji close behind. "You can't scare me like that Take."
"Well..." Takemichi turned to Naoto with a smile, "sorry for calling you out here all of a sudden, Naoto." Then he held his right hand up for him to shake.
"You're goin' now, huh?" Baji quietly asked, almost to himself.
"Yeah..." Danny gave him a small smile. "Think you can deal with the other me for 12 years?"
The corner of his mouth lifted up slightly. "Yeah. But, first..."
She let out a hum as she turned her head toward him. Her eyes widened at the feeling of something soft and warm against her lips. It took her half a second for her to realize what was happening, and right as she did, she felt that all-too-familiar jolt that came with time-leaping.
Her vision, which was once blocked by Baji's face and black hair was replaced with a hall full of people in suits and dresses. The walls were decorated with ornate wallpaper and pristine white trim boards.
She blinked once, then twice, all the while feeling her ears heat up from what just happened. To try and distract herself from those thoughts, she looked down, first seeing the familiar sight of her dyed-blonde hair and then a not-too-familiar sight of a dark green suit dress. For how nice it looked, the material felt surprisingly nice.
"I'm back. Ready ta go?"
Danny's gaze quickly flitted to her left at the sound of the familiar voice. At the sight of Baji's face, she could feel her face heat up a bit more.
He looked almost exactly the same as the last time she had seen him in the future timeline. His demeanor and everything though was different. He seemed a lot more relaxed, a lot more happy even. He didn't have that hardened air around him like he did that time.
As if it was as natural as breathing, he slipped his right hand into her left and gave her one of his signature smiles that revealed a bit of his canines.
Feeling a little more heat rise to her face from the actions, she turned her head and lightly kicked the side of his leg. "Asshole..." she grumbled as she tried to hide her blush.
His brows furrowed a moment, then a light chuckle left his lips when he realized what was going on. "Good ta have you back, Daju. Come on," he began pulling her along, "we're runnin' late."
"Who's getting married anyway?" Danny asked as she quickly matched pace with him.
"Pah-chin. Don't ask me how, but that idiot's the first to get hitched outta everyone."
Danny chuckled lightly at that. Then, they entered the wedding hall just as the other guests were getting seated.
"Daju! Baji!" Quietly calling out and waving the two over was certainly a sight for sore eyes.
She's alive, Danny thought as she headed over. As she walked, her eyes scanned over the rest of the room. Almost everyone's here. A small smile spread on her face. Deciding to just enjoy the moment for now and play catchup later, she took the seat next to Sayu with Baji taking the seat to her right, leaving two empty seats to his right.
"Took you guys long enough," Kazutora said with a bit of a grin. Like the last timeline, his hair was grown out with those two signature blonde streaks, but he had it pulled back. And unlike the serious air he once had, he seemed a lot more laid back.
Despite that smile though, Danny could tell something was weighing on his mind.
"Betcha Baji was taking a dump," Chifuyu joked with a small laugh. And this time, Chifuyu was alive.
"Did you see Takemitchy in there?" Draken asked before Baji even had a chance to defend himself. Out of everyone she had seen in the other timelines, he definitely looked the most different. He didn't look so broken, so done with life. Now he was smiling and going about like the Draken she knew he was. And he wasn't bald.
Baji's eye twitched in a bit of annoyance. "I was grabbing her damned keys," he said as he jabbed his thumb toward Danny. "Not taking a damned dump."
With a small smile on her face, Danny looked around the room. Everyone looked like they were doing well for themselves. Not a single one of them seemed like they were part of some bigger darker than black group. They all seemed happy.
Mikey isn't here though... Sanzu or Mucho either.
┉┈◈◉◈┈┉
"By the way..." Takemichi scanned over the faces in the crowd once more before locking his eyes with Draken's, "where's Mikey?"
Danny looked between the two, silently wondering the same thing.
Without any hesitation, Draken smiled, saying, "Mikey is managing a restaurant overseas right now."
"His restaurant's a huge success!" Chifuyu added with a toothy grin. "He really wanted to come today, but his busy workload held him back."
"I see... that's so cool!" Takemichi replied.
Danny looked at Baji through the corner of her eye and, seeing him give her a reassuring smile, she copied the action before looking back in the other's direction. They're lying. She didn't have anything to go on, but her gut told her otherwise. Mikey wasn't off running some restaurant in another country, that much she was sure of. She didn't let her thoughts show though, instead deciding to embrace the joyful atmosphere. After everything they had been through, they deserved at least a little break.
Eventually, the wedding came to an end and everyone began heading their separate ways.
"So, do we live together?" Danny asked as she and Baji got their bikes ready.
He chuckled a bit before replying with a "Yep. That same house ya told me about a few times."
She let out a small sigh of relief as she mounted her bike. "That's good. I really like that house, you know?"
"We had to practically rebuild that thing though," he replied with a sweatdrop as he mirrored her actions.
"That makes it all the better, no?" She grinned. "Sure, it was a pain in the ass, but I think the self-gratification's worth it."
As she looked away, he smiled a bit, looking at her with something akin to adoration. It had been 12 years since he had seen this version of her. She wasn't very different from the girl he had spent almost half his life with, and he was happy about that, but this Danaju had a few different quirks. All the same, he loved her.
It didn't long for the two to return to their house. After parking their bikes in the small garage that was a new edition since the last time Danny had been to the present, they headed inside.
"Holy shit, it's clean..." Danny muttered when they walked into the living room.
"No thanks to you," Baji joked as he playfully poked her shoulder.
"Hey, you signed up for all this." She gestured to herself with a grin painted across her face. She went to walk past him, but stopped once her gaze landed on a certain part of the floor between the coffee table and TV. Wonder how long it's been since then...
"Hm? What's wrong?" Baji asked once he noticed that she was staring off into space. Or, more specifically, staring blankly at the floor.
"Just thinking about the time I shot Kisaki..." she muttered.
"Ah." He nodded as she started making her way to the stairs. "Wait... You actually shot him?!"
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she blinked at him a couple of times. "Oh... Did I not tell you that? Anyway, yeah, in one it the timelines, he pissed me off, so I shot 'im in the leg. And foot."
"You sure that's it?"
She stayed quiet a moment, debating on whether to tell him or not. "And I might've had the barrel pushed against his forehead with my finger squeezing the trigger... Possibly."
"Daju..."
"I was not having a good day," she added with a light chuckle.
He let out a sigh as he massaged his temples. "I know I can do some crazy shit, but, fuck..."
"Well, hey, I didn't kill him," she said with a shrug. "And, technically, it never happened. It was all just a dream." She chuckled as she wiggled her fingers at him. "If it worked against a cop, it'll work against you."
Without waiting for another response, she retreated upstairs, leaving him to drag himself up behind her.
When he reached their shared room, he spotted her sifting through her dresser. He made his way over and, stopping behind her, he snaked his arms around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
Immediately, despite being somewhat used to the almost constant physical contact, she could feel her face heat up and her stomach do a little flip. "What are you doing...?"
Baji's arms tightened slightly, pulling her more into his chest. "'S it wrong ta wanna hug my girl?" he asked into her neck.
Her lower lip jutted out into a little pout as she turned her head away from his. "I'm still mad at you for that little stunt."
"What? That kiss?" He moved his face away from her neck slightly, deciding to rest his cheek on her shoulder so he could look at the side of her flustered face.
Her pout deepened some as she turned her head further away from him.
"It's not like it was your first kiss, or anything, right?"
Her brows furrowed a bit as she turned her head slightly to look at him from the corner of her eye. "How many guys do ya think I've been with?"
"I dunno." He shrugged. "Two or three, at least."
"Too high..." she grumbled, averting her gaze.
It took him a second to figure it out, but once he did, his brows raised and his mouth went slightly agape in surprise. "Just me?"
She didn't say anything, opting to just nod her head. She never wanted to admit it, but she had always slightly idolized her brother for getting a partner before her. Even around the time he and Hinata started dating, she felt slightly inferior to him in that aspect. All he had to do was be himself to get someone he liked to ask him out while the only people to ever ask her out were people she didn't know nor was interested in. Though some fault may lie with my pickiness... and trust issues...
He moved his head from her shoulder and turned her around, making her look at him. "Wanna do that kiss over then?" A coy smile played on his lips. He knew exactly what to do to get her flustered.
Danaju felt a quick wave of heat rush to her face. She knew she was as much of a degenerate as the next anime fan, but actually dealing with flirting was a whole other story compared to what you read or imagine. "U-um, I, uh-" She tried stuttering out a response, but when she felt some pressure against her forehead, she cut herself off. Hesitantly, her blue eyes drifted upward to be met with Baji's bronze ones.
"Whenever you're ready, 'kay?" He moved his forehead from hers before placing a chaste kiss in the same spot. With that, he let go of her and went to his dresser to grab his own change of clothes.
Quickly, and still with a flustered blush coating her cheeks and ears, she grabbed a pair of shorts before hurrying to the bathroom. After closing the door behind her, she let her head rest against it for a moment. "That man is gonna be the death of me..." she quietly said to herself. After a second, she lifted her left hand and lightly brushed her fingers against the spot he kissed. Shaking her head, she recomposed herself and got back to the task at hand.
Right when she looked into the mirror, she could feel herself deflate slightly.
"This is gonna be a pain in the ass..."
After longer than she would like to admit, Danaju finally exited the bathroom wearing a black tank top and matching shorts. The suit dress was more complicated than she initially thought and, with the thought that Mitsuya was probably the one that made it, she made sure to take extra precautions with taking it off. She didn't want to ruin something he had made like last time.
With a sigh, she reached the bottom of the stairs and immediately her senses were overtaken by the heavenly smell of food. Curious, she made her way to the kitchen.
The room looked more or less the same as she remembered it. The only differences were the island in the middle of the room and an extra section of cupboards on the wall. Aside from that, all the appliances and everything else looked identical to what she was used to. If she had to name one other thing, it would have to be the taller male who had his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, bobbing his head lightly to the music playing from his phone.
"What'cha cookin'?" Danaju asked as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Hm? Jus' some ramen. I know you haven't eaten much today, so I figured it was a good time for supper," Baji replied as he looked over his shoulder to see her lean against the island.
"Can't blame me this time," she said with a chuckle.
┉┈◈◉◈┈┉
"Sooo?" Danaju grinned as she tilted her head back to get a look of Baji's face.
"It was actually good. For a yaoi," he replied with a rather impressed look.
"Still can't believe I never showed you it. I mean, the story and character designs are just perfect."
"Uh-huh, you just like guys with pretty faces, long hair, and a nice ass." Baji smirked.
"Wha- I-" She let out a huff and looked away from him. "Fine, you got me there, but personality counts too."
Baji raised a brow. "Uh-huh. Half the anime guys you like are assholes."
Her cheeks flushed a light pink.
"Or murderers. Sometimes both."
"That's just one! One character!" she exclaimed in defense as she whipped her head back to look at him, making him chuckle.
"Yeah? That so?"
"Yes."
"'Cause I can think of two from one show alone."
At that, Danaju could feel her defense practically shatter.
"Dio and Hoshi-whatever Kira."
"It's Yoshikage Kira, 33 years old, lives-"
"We're not doing this again," Baji said, quickly cutting her off.
"Aww," she smirked, "why not? I have his whole speech memorized."
"I know..."
She lightly chuckled before grabbing the remote and scrolling through the selection of movies. After a few minutes of disagreeing with what the other wanted, they settled on The Conjuring.
Trying to get in a more comfortable position, Danaju brought her legs up and tried laying back, but that didn't feel right, so she tried sitting a couple of other ways. Then, with a small smile and a sigh, Baji gently grabbed her shoulder before laying her head on his lap. To her surprise, it felt perfect, even more so when he started to idly run his fingers through her hair.
It didn't take long for her to relax into his touch and, once she did, she could feel her eyelids growing heavier with each passing second.
~I almost didn't get this one done in time... I'll be frank, I got an idea for another book right after I started writing the Bonten stuff and... I had to make notes. And, honestly, so far, I'm digging it. If I do end up publishing it, it won't be until I have a good lineup of chapters. But, compared to this, the quality has absolutely skyrocketed. I'll be adding some of that polished writing to this, but it's not gonna be a dramatic shift like what I done before. Ok, that's all for now:)~