savetheearth | (no subject)

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(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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Natalie Tamura, long brown hair tied in a ponytail, pops out - her expression bright and cheerful - from the kitchen of her apartment. A school teacher, she hadn't actually been home long, but had regardless already set about making dinner for the night - as the apron she was wearing showed.

It had been a couple months since she'd started letting her childhood friend stay, but she's still been more than happy to keep her there. Insist she stay there even, for as long as she was in town - it had been so long since they'd really, honestly seen one another, after all! And Fuyuka had led such an interesting life in comparison to Natalie, they had a lot to catch up on.

She was happy with that arrangement, and it had been good to have company. Not only did living by yourself sometimes get a bit lonely, after the monsters... Well, Natalie felt more than a little bit safer with Fuyuka's presence. She could handle herself, after all.

And of course, the numbers... The jewel that had come to her...

She had looked at the "Network" briefly, but... she couldn't bring herself to do it for very long. The things they were talking about on there were dangerous, and... well, what was she supposed to do? She would just be out of her depth, and she knew it. Even if something kept tugging at her to look some more, to see if there was anything she could do...

But, no.

She had responsibilities, and children to take care of in her class. That had to take priority.

So, she smiles brightly.

"Hi, Fuyuka! I've been home for a little while. Pasta's okay for the night, right?"

For a moment, Fuyuka paused. She saw the expression on Natalie's face, and her heart sank a little. She looked so secure and happy about everything, and now... now she was going to shatter that illusion by telling her about murder and past lives and memories and stuff that was so far beyond normal.

What right did she have?

...

But what right did she have to force herself into herself back friend's life to begin with? And now she was potentially in danger just by association.

This was for Natalie's own good.

"That sounds wonderful," she said, as she slipped the pendant back into her pocket. "But I was hoping we could discuss something first."

Natalie blinked a little bit. Oh, right - Fuyuka had said that when she came in. She gives a small laugh and nods. "Sure, sure! Just... have a seat at the dinner table, you can talk to me from there - I'm almost done!"

Thus, she strolls back into the kitchen, humming as she goes. From the aforementioned table, one could clearly see the kitchen anyway, so that works just as well. There is a slight pang of worry with the way her friend is putting that, but then... Fuyuka is a very serious individual, normally. Natalie's used to it.

Fuyuka nodded. "Very well."

Between walking to the chair and sitting down, Fuyuka ran the scenario over in her mind several times and then again once more after she sat. As she did, she couldn't help but watch Natalie working away.

She had to fight to resist frowning at the sound of her friend humming, not out of displeasure with it, but because she was about to absolutely destroy the happy mood Natalie was in right now.

But it had to be done. So she took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"Natalie... this is a stupid question, but you know the monster that appeared in the city in March? Something... has happened in regards to it."

Edited 2014-05-10 01:44 (UTC)

There's a clattering sound from the kitchen as Natalie drops a spoon at the mention of that. She quickly recovers, and goes back to preparing the meal.

"Oh, right, that... monster," she murmurs, a bit quieter. "Well, I do watch the news, I saw how... one of them died." She closes her eyes, then sighs. "One of the ones who fought those things..."

She looks back over, her smile dropping from her face. "Is it... about that?"

Fuyuka's hands clenched into fists. It had been all over the news. Why wouldn't Natalie know? Use your head, Terasawa.

"It is, to an extent," Fuyuka said, closing her eyes. And she reached into the pocket she'd placed her pendant inside. She then took it out...

... and placed the object on the table.

"Natalie, I received this as a result of the attack."

There goes the spoon again, and this time Natalie doesn't pick it right back up. That hollowed out feeling she's felt twice now already hits her, and she suddenly remembers upon sight of the object what it is - an Intelligent Device. Bardiche. It belongs to someone who is very important.

To her? Well, yes, that's now the case - but moreover, to whomever she's obtaining things from.

She just stands and stares for a long moment, before rounding her way out into dining area.

"Bardiche," she murmurs. "That's... what it's called, right?"

Before anything else, she reaches around her neck, and pulls out something from beneath her shirt - a necklace with a small, red jewel at the end of it. "Fuyuka, I... when those monsters came and I saw the big one, this... this appeared to me, too."

"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.

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