savetheearth | (no subject)

Who: Fuyuka, Natalie
What: Taking stock
Where: Natalie's apartment
When: May 4th

Fuyuka sighed, as she walked into her friend, Natalie Tamura's, apartment. In her hand, she rolled a small, golden-colored triangular device... an action she'd taken to in the many weeks since accquiring it. It was something that had become strangely natural in that period of time.

But that wasn't what was on Fuyuka's mind. Certain things had come to mind since she'd come to stay in Locke with her friend. Things that she had, out of a belief that she would be burdening her friend who was already giving her so much by allowing her to stay with her, kept to herself. Things that concerned a certain set of numbers, and a vast group of people who knew them.

But now... now someone was dead. Another person was dead. Fuyuka had been playing the role of the silent watcher up till now, but the revelation that one of the numbers had been killed was working to change that.

She couldn't endanger Natalie like this. As a private detective, she knew information and secrets were precious. You only shared it when the person who you were giving it too needed to know it.

And Natalie needed to know this. Fuyuka had many secrets, but this was one that endangered her childhood friend simply by association.

"Natalie?" she called out. "Are you back from work? There's something we need to discuss."

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"What?!"

That was Fuyuka's first reply when she heard Natalie speak. That... that was something she hadn't expected at all. And then... then Natalie continued to blindside her.

... which was followed by the sudden impact of a memory entering her mind, as she saw the object in Natalie's hands. She knew its name, and its significance.

"... Raising Heart. Yours... yours is named Raising Heart."

...and in turn, another memory hits Natalie at that object's name. Raising Heart. She had received it from... from...

...from a ferret?

She puts a hand to her head, quickly seeking out a seat as she's beginning to feel a little dizzy. "All of that... Fuyuka, I..." She frowns and looks down, gripping her hands together.

She doesn't want this. What was she supposed to do with this? The sorts of people who fought those monsters... She isn't them, she couldn't possibly be something like that.

She's scared, she's been scared since this first happened. She's just been much better at hiding it until now. Eventually, she bites her bottom lip and looks up.

"...I don't know what to do."

Fuyuka's mind was reeling. Natalie knew this object's name... and she knew the name of Natalie's. That could mean only one thing: somehow, their two pasts were connected.

That... that raised a plethora of questions.

But she couldn't be allowed to be overcome by her confusion. She stood over, and walked over to Natalie, placing her hand upon her shoulder.

"Natalie," she said, "I realize the impact of all this. But we need to focus. I'm here for you, alright...?"

Natalie blinks a bit as she feels the hand on her shoulder, and then gives a breath. She reaches up and places her own hand over it, and looks up. She smiles, albeit weakly.

"Of course I do. I just- I don't know what to do with this. Any of this. What am I supposed to do with... something like this?"

"... We will simply have to do our best to cope," she said, squeezing Natalie's shoulder. "Learn as much as we can. Whether we like it or not, this is happening..."

She frowned.

"I was prepared to tell you all this without knowing you'd experienced these... well, apparently they call them 'pulses'. But..."

Fuyuka grit her teeth now.

"Natalie, people experiencing this are being killed. I swear... I won't let that happen to you. I can't lose another person to violence like this... I refuse to..."

She feels rather grateful for her friend's presence, and it is reassuring. Fuyuka knows what she's doing, she knows how to protect herself and Natalie. She understands this. So she closes her eyes, smiling a bit more sincerely. She feels a bit more certain in the ability to do that, now.

"I know you won't, Fuyuka. I'm... really glad you're here, all things considered..."

She sighs.

"At the very least, it is just... one person," she murmurs. Not that it makes it any better, but... it wasn't a rash of super people suddenly dying, was it? "Just... promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

Natalie doesn't know the day to day details of Fuyuka's work. It's really not any of her business, and there's a part of her that doesn't want to know about it. She understands it could possibly get dangerous from time to time. It's selfish, but she sleeps better not knowing.

Not thinking about it.

Edited 2014-05-17 05:14 (UTC)

"... You don't need to tell me that," she said, feeling a pang of guilt. "But... I will do my best, for both our sakes, Natalie."

And she forced out a reassuring smile.

"There is something we need to talk about, though. If we triggered memories like this, Natalie... you do know what that means, right? In some ways, our pasts were connected."

It feels surreal to be talking about past lives so candidly, especially for someone who considered herself so grounded in reality as Fuyuka. But she couldn't deny what was staring her in the face.

A smile creeps back up on her face at that, actually. "...it'd seem so, huh?" She glances down at the jewel hanging around her neck. "I'm actually... kind of glad about that, if that's the case. This would be really scary to be dealing with on my own, and... I'm glad I have you to help me."

Fuyuka blinked. She hadn't expected that kind of reaction. In a way, she'd almost expected Natalie to feel... like it was a burden.

"... You're sure?" she said. "I mean... you don't feel like it casts a certain shadow on our friendship? That something someone else did brought us together?"

Natalie gives her a look, just for the briefest of moments, that says she thinks Fuyuka is out of her mind. It's brief! But there. She then smiles as sweetly as she can manage, and pats her hand.

"Of course not, silly. We met each other a long time before this. A very, very long time ago, now... We were friends when this sort of thing was just fantasy and cartoons on TV. I don't think this changes anything, and if I had to be connected to anyone somehow in all this... I'm glad it's someone I can trust."

"... I see."

Fuyuka sighs... and it looks as though a massive weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. She smiles, and closes her eyes.

"I... I suppose I feel the same way, Natalie. I apologize... it's just... you're one of the only ties I have here... I was worried something would come along and cast a shadow over our friendship."

She looked down now. "It must sound rather pathetic, but... I'm not sure what I would do without you, at this point in time."

"It's scary, and a lot to think about, really," she murmurs, and then shakes her head. "But... I'm sure we'll manage. We'll find a way to. I don't... really know what to do with all of this. If there's anything I can do..."

Her eyes shift a bit. "If anything, I want to just keep worrying about my students, my friends, and my family... I guess that's a bit selfish, isn't it?"

"... Natalie... you're the only one who could consider worrying about others to be selfish."

Despite that, Fuyuka smiled.

"But... that's one of the best things about you. And why I'm sure we'll be able to endure this."

There's a long, long breath that Natalie lets out, almost as if she's been holding it in for awhile. She doesn't want to endure anything, she doesn't want to be someone who goes out and fights monsters or deals with aliens or... any of that! But... now, she's in a position where she has to consider all of it, whether she wants to or not.

At least she has someone to rely on.

Suddenly though, her eyes go wide. She bolts up out of her seat, and runs into the kitchen.

"I almost forgot about the pasta!"

Edited 2014-06-02 21:52 (UTC)

"Eh...? Oh no...!"

Fuyuka stood up, letting out a heavy sigh. She ran to see if she could help in any way, but honestly, this was more Natalie's area of expertise than her's.