‘A headache is coming on.' Joe thinks to himself, massaging his eyes and opening them to the blurry blobs before him. He gently paws the table for his glasses, cupping them gingerly in his hand before equipping them once more.
“Okay, run this by me again... How do you get stuck on an island in the middle of Tokyo???” Joe yells into the phone, quickly assembling his things as he awaits the reply. First aid kit, rations... maybe bring double... utility knife, rope, an atlas, a compass...
“Well, uh, Kou…?” Taichi questions on the other line, prodding his friend to take the reins.
“Well, Joe-san, we heard stories of a monster on the island... and, thinking that perhaps there was a Digital Gate, we went to investigate... and there was! We defeated the Digimon! However, we spent too much time fighting it, and our Digimon went back to rookies." Koushirou says meekly, shame coating his words as he has to admit their blunder.
“Alright, me and Gomamon will be there as soon as we can. And Koushirou? Please tell me when you do this. I may be busier now, but if I thought you were in danger, I’d be there immediately.” Joe says, confident in his ability to make time for his friends.
“Yeah! We’d be there faster than two shakes of a Tylomon’s tail!” Gomamon cheers as he jumps into Joe’s arms, grinning as the two give their goodbyes and quickly make their way to the coast of Odaiba. Pulling out his Digivice and aiming the screen at his best friend, the bar begins to overflow with the Light of Hope within his heart.
“Okay, Gomamon! Time to Digivolve!”
Quickly, a ball shrouds Gomamon in grayish energy, and he begins to float midair, forming the features of his evolution as it spins midair.
Gomamon! Digivolve to…
IKKAKUMON!
Suddenly the sphere shatters, and Ikkakumon lands in the water, floating proudly as Joe easily makes his way on top of the digital beast. The two begin their journey, Joe giving directions as best he can using the directions Koushirou gave him, his atlas, and his compass. Soon enough, they see a wooded island, a Pepper Breath erupting from the shore like fireworks in the sky. Joe calls out but deems it futile, so Ikkakumon returns fire with a weak Harpoon Torpedo, signaling their arrival.
“Joe! Am I glad to see you!" Taichi is the first to make contact, giving Ikkakumon a big hug as Joe slides down to greet him.
"Well, I couldn’t have just left you two here!” Joe exclaims, mock-offended as he looks around. Noticing the lack of a certain redhead, he turns to Taichi and questions the location of Koushirou.
“Oh, yeah! Come on, we found a campsite!” Taichi grins, grabbing Joe’s arm as Ikkakumon devolves back to Gomamon, quickly catching up on the familiar sandy surface.
Quickly Taichi has led Joe to a rather open expanse; dried log chairs surround a now-burning flame, Agumon tending to the fire with his claws as a smell of burnt sugar fills the air. Discarded aluminum cans partly covered by dirt indicate to Joe this was an older spot, not likely used for a while. Koushirou, arms full of fresh and old tree limbs, sets them down before waving down the two other boys.
“Hey! Glad you could make it, Joe-san! And I see you brought some supplies.”
“Yep! I figured better safe than sorry, right?” Joe puffs his chest out proudly, happy he could help his dear friends.
“Oh yeah? Whatcha got in there?” Taichi questions, creeping up on Joe’s bag like a tiger stalking a poor rabbit. Knowing it’d be opened anyway, he drops the bag down and begins to sort it out, revealing the various items he brought. With a hearty laugh, Taichi can’t help but grin.
“You were more prepared than I thought! This is great! Joe, this may be too sudden, but can you camp tonight? With this campsite, your equipment, and Gomamon’s fishing skills, we can spend the night roughing it together!” Taichi pleads, flashing his best smile and biggest, brightest eyes.
Joe, weighing the options in his mind, eventually sighs in defeat and says, “Fine, but I’ll need to borrow your satellite phone, Koushirou.”
Taichi jumps up into the air in excitement and runs to Agumon, leading his Cretaceous creature into the woods to forage and get more wood. Koushirou, satellite phone in hand, passes it to Joe.
“You didn’t have to; we would have been able to camp ourselves if you’d just left the rations,” Koushirou says matter-of-factly, smiling as Joe begins to dial his home.
“Yeah, but even future doctors need breaks now and again, right? Besides, don’t think I didn’t notice the smell earlier; there are pears on this island, right? You could have left any time.” Joe smiles knowingly, causing Koushirou to look away, their little plan to spend time together exposed.
After calling their parents and confirming they have the night to camp, they all begin to scrounge up some fishing rods to catch dinner. Naturally, no one can best Gomamon, but Joe didn’t happen to do too badly. Tentomon, rather than fishing, prepared the fish to be roasted as he learned from Kae. As Agumon again tends to the flame, they all take turns watching the fish in between rounds of stories and laughter.
Soon, with their bellies full and the darkness coating the landscape, they can’t help but begin to reminisce about the Digital World. Living under the stars for so long in a world straight out of a fever dream, spending what felt like months while constantly fighting for survival, was something that you can’t forget. The stars begin to fill the once-shifting expanse—different stars than in the Digital World, but no less special. They exchange stories, revisit memories, laugh together, and spend time with each other. The Digimon are the first to fall asleep, their bellies full and their partners at ease, giving them all the comfort they need. Next is Koushirou, huddled together with his precious partner Tentomon; he can’t help but join him in sleep.
Taichi, however, stays up alongside Joe, quiet for a while, but he can’t quite let this thought go.
“Psst… Joe…! I got a question.”
“Yes, what is it, Taichi?”
“Do you... ever have bad dreams? About the Digital World?” Taichi mumbles part way through, but Joe can get the gist of his words.
A moment passes as Joe begins to formulate a response, Taichi worrying his bottom lip as Agumon instinctively moves in closer to his partner.
“I used to. You don’t go through that without at least some bad dreams... Leomon... becoming a doll... even fighting with Matt at the cafe. I used to dream about all of that and more.”
"And... why did they stop…?”
“My parents found me screaming one night, and I was in therapy the next day. That helped me a lot. Are you…?”
“What? Me? Having nightmares? Psh, no! I’m the Crest of Courage, remember? I don’t need therapy!” Taichi deflects, the tone of his voice obvious to Joe that he’s lying.
“Hmm, I guess you’re right. Still, there must have been some reason you wanted to know.”
“Kou… He’s been having them too, and I wanted to know what could be done…?”
“Well, it can’t replace therapy, but how about you two come over for breakfast tomorrow and I can show you some of the techniques I learned? At least until ‘Koushirou’ can get into therapy.”
“Yeah! That sounds great! Thanks, Joe! You’re the best!”
“Mmmh… and don’t you forget it…!” Gomamon tiredly says, breaking up the back and forth of their conversation and eliciting laughs from the both of them.
“I won’t anytime soon. G’night Joe, don’t let the Bedmons bite!” Tai flashes him one last grin in the dimming light before laying on his back, staring at the stars, and cuddling Agumon to fall asleep.
“Of course Taichi, I’m good Ol’ Reliable Joe, and I won’t forget that. Good night, both of you.” Joe says, returning the warm smile and giving Gomamon a small peck on the head.
It may take some time, but he’s going to help his friends however and whenever he can.
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@taichiyagamiweek Day 3, July 9th 2024: Taichi & Jyou
Taichi needed some time to gain respect for Jyou and Jyou did not like Taichi's brash, irresponsible attitude at first, but they did develop a lot of respect and admiration for each other through the course of the series. It's actually quite a heartfelt theme between them; Jyou, initially the self-proclaimed leader of the group, is the first to vocally acknowledge Taichi's abilities and strengths and rightfully calls him their leader, affirming his trust in him and causing everyone else to follow his example. They couldn't be more different types of people at first glance, and yet, especially as they grow older, it becomes clear that their fears of the future and responsibilities are somewhat similar. It's why Taichi also strongly relates to Jyou and defends him when he temporarily stays away from the group, understanding that there are some truths, duties that aren't "easy to face". There is an underlying theme of mutual adoration and trust between them, as they both also constantly need to overcome their boundaries - but they can also be quite the chaotic goofballs together that should never ever be given microphones at a Karaoke night.
Rating and tags: Explicit, angst, romance, romantic comedy, sexual content, marijuana use, consenting adults in their 30s
Chapter 5 Summary: Yamato just has a lot of emotions about this, okay?
Notes: This final chapter!!!! This one adds a lot of rom and com to the mix. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking this Jyouchi journey with me. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story <3
{D I G I M O N} Adventure x Tri
~ Japanese Version
+ Tri Parts #2 [“Ketsui”] x #5 [“Kyousei”]
+ Adventure Ep. 25 + during Vamdemon Arc
Featuring {Rare?}/Friend-ship/Side-ship:
Jou Kido [Jou (“Joe”) Kido in US] x
Taichi Yagami [Taichi (“Tai”) Kamiya in US]
~ Character Development{s}
~ {+Important} Dialogues
~ {+Framing}/{Animation}/{Storyline} Parallels
+ Supporting each other
“Taichi,...”
“What?” “I’ll let you handle this.”
“W-What’s this all of a sudden?...”
“I’m not saying I don’t
want the responsibility {of being the ‘Leader’}, ...
... it’s because I {B E L I E V E} in you.” - Jou
“You sound like the old Jou-san now.” - Takeru
“I believe I grew up somewhat.”
(cue Taichi grinning, then gentle teasing with the rest)
+ a clearly fond look on face
(after Jou supported Taichi in earlier scenes)
Cap’d by @izzyizumi / @koushirouizumi / @hikari-m
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The Adventure of the Newly Appointed Attorney - A Great Ace Attorney Digimon AU
Summary: Jou Kido is just a simple medical student when his life is thrown for a loop after being accused of murder of one of his professors. Even worse than that, what was meant to be time abroad to learn alongside the closest person to him in the world leads to the untimely death of Taichi Yagami, and Jou has to deal with the fallout of that happening.
A Great Ace Attorney 1 AU featuring spoilers up to Episode 2.
I'm back on my bullshit with another Digimon AU because one day I had a shower thought of the trio of Ryuunosuke, Kazuma, and Susato but as Jou, Taichi, and Mimi. I just wanted to make a little something for the first bit of the game so I could write some good angst (and hint at a ship for Jou that wasn't Jyoumi lmao), as well as see how I could recontextualize the game a bit with the characters and situations being changed up a bit. So uh, I hope you enjoy! I got stuck on this a fair bit, especially at the end, so I hope y'all like it!
You can also find it on AO3 here!
---
Oh, how was this happening? How could this possibly be happening? He just wanted to say hello to one of his professors, and now he was in Japan’s Supreme Court.
Accused of murder.
Of said professor.
Jou paced around the defendant’s antechamber anxiously, head in his hands, and mumbling under his breath.
Now he was going to get arrested. He was going to be put away for life and he’d never be able to finish school. And what would his family think? What would—
“You know, if you keep doing this, they might charge you for wearing out the rug.”
Jou blinked and craned his neck around before his sight finally focused on another professor of his: Doctor Keisuke Tachikawa. He exhaled and walked over to him, bowing his head.
“Professor Tachikawa! What’re you doing here?” he asked, then blinked, “Err… not that it’s not good to see you, of course…”
The professor had a wide smile on his face and let out a hearty chuckle as he adjusted his spectacles.
“I know it’s easier said than done for you, but try to calm down a bit, if possible.”
“Right, right,” Jou mumbled to himself.
“Professor Wilson is an old friend of mine, and, well… given the grave matter of this case, I thought it would be prudent that I be here.”
Jou swallowed hard. Right. An English national killed at a Japanese university where he had been staying while he taught.
“There’s also a word of advice I have for you,” Tachikawa said, slowly stepping over to Jou. He looked at the young man, who was nearly at eye level with him, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“Wh-what is it?” Jou asked slowly.
“You know your attorney is going to be Yagami, yes?”
How could Jou forget? When his best friend had found out about the legal trouble he had fallen into, he wasted no time in offering his services to defend him.
“Yes, sir,” Jou answered.
“And you understand that soon he’ll be departing on that trip abroad to study law in England, yes?”
“Of course. It’s going to be one of the biggest opportunities for Japan,” Jou said.
“Well, what you need to know is that, due to the… precarious nature of situation,” Professor Tachikawa punctuated his words with a pause as he took off his glasses and took a moment to clean them, then put them back on, “If Yagami is unable to prove your innocence, then the trip will be called off.”
Jou’s eyes went wide and the air was pushed from his lungs.
“What? No— wait— why— why would he agree to that!?”
“Probably because he sees your innocence and believes he can prove it.”
Jou’s shoulders slumped, “But if he can’t…” he trailed off weakly.
“Yes, he won’t be able to go.”
Jou’s mind went blank as everything went still. He didn’t know what to think. How could Taichi risk the biggest possible opportunity just like that?
“…I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t tell me. If he did I would’ve never agreed to this,” Jou grumbled.
“That’s probably exactly why. From what I’ve heard from both of you, you two are incredibly close. And knowing Yagami, I doubted he wanted you to worry over him like that.”
It made sense. It was perfectly Taichi— to make sure Jou didn’t worry too much, to show that he could handle everything just fine. And Taichi could handle everything just fine. His reputation in their university’s law program was legendary, and everyone’s aspirations for him were as big as his own.
The way Professor Tachikawa’s gaze seemed to bore into Jou left him nervous. He stepped closer and set a firm hand on his shoulder.
“When you’re in the courtroom, at the start of the proceedings the judge will ask a specific question to the defense. You need to answer it before Yagami does. You must. Do you understand?”
Jou’s chest went tight, and he nodded slowly, “Of course. Yes. Anything I can do to help make sure Taichi can go study in England!”
Professor Tachikawa smiled and folded his hands behind his back.
“Very good. You’re a good, upstanding young man, Kido. I’ve no doubt you didn’t do it… so now it just needs to be made clear to the court.”
“Trust me, Professor, there won’t even be a need for a recess in this case,” a confident voice spoke up. Jou looked to see that Taichi was approaching them with a wide grin on his face. He stopped in front of them and placed his hands on his hips.
“I’ll prove your innocence in no time, Jou,” Taichi said. Jou’s eyes started to well up with tears, and he quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“Thank you for believing in me, Taichi,” Jou breathed out, and Taichi barked out a laugh.
“What kind of partner could I call myself if I didn’t believe in you? Believe me, I’d do anything for you.”
Jou looked out of the corner of his eye to see Professor Tachikawa give him a knowing look and nod.
“…It just means a lot that you believe in me.”
“Well that’ll never be in question,” Taichi told him seriously. He gripped Jou’s hand to shake and then pulled him into a hug.
“And then you and me will be tearing up Her Majesty’s capital in no time, right?” he whispered, and though Jou couldn’t see the wicked grin on his face, he just knew it was there.
“I-I still don’t know about that, Taichi…”
“Well, I still have a few more days to convince you,” he said before he released his friend. Jou rubbed his arm to help soothe the sudden shooting pain brought on by Taichi’s tight grip.
“Good luck with that, we still have to make sure I’m innocent.”
“Defendant, court is about to be in session. Enter the courtroom at once,” the bailiff’s voice boomed. Jou nearly jumped in place. Professor Tachikawa looked at them both.
“Good luck, Kido, and to you, too, Yagami.”
“Thank you sir,” Jou said with a deep bow.
“I won’t need luck,” Taichi said with a thumbs up. “Let’s get going. After all, you don’t want to be declared guilty for showing up late,” he laughed. At that, Jou’s eyes went wide and he sped into the courtroom ahead of his best friend, Professor Tachikawa’s words still ringing in his ears.
If he was found guilty… then Taichi’s chances of ever being able to learn about English law would go up in smoke in an instant. He couldn’t allow that.
The second he stepped foot inside the courtroom, he could feel all eyes on him. There were many, many men in military uniforms who were glaring daggers at him, and both the judge and prosecutor were focused solely on him. Jou adjusted his glasses as he walked as fast as he could over to the defendant’s bench without breaking into an outright run.
“It looks like they all want to eat me alive…” Jou thought, already feeling beads of sweat begin to form at the crown of his head.
“Try and look as cool, calm, and confident as you can, Jou. They will eat you alive if they smell blood in the water,” Taichi mumbled to him. Jou’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“How did you…”
“Know what you were thinking? It’s written all over your face,” Taichi smiled as they walked behind the bench. He clapped Jou on the shoulder, “You’ll be fine, trust me.”
The judge banged his gavel, causing all attention to turn his way. Jou squeaked out a sound of surprise, then turned a deep, deep shade of red out of embarrassment.
“The court will now hear the trial of Jou Kido,” the judge boomed out.
“The prosecution is ready, Your Excellency,” the middle-aged, balding prosecutor said.
“As is the defense,” Taichi said confidently. He placed one hand on his hip while the other rested on his katana.
This was… this was all too startlingly real. He was really in Japan’s highest court. On trial. For murder. Even with Taichi standing there next to him, he could still hear his heart pounding in his ears.
“Now, before we begin, there is one point of order I want to confirm: yesterday evening, the defense made a request for a last minute change of advocate,” the judge said.
“I made the request myself, yes,” Taichi nodded.
“Normally, the procedure is for the defendant’s advocacy to be decided two days prior to trial. Given the circumstances behind this trial, however, I must ask for a final confirmation: who is the advocate for the defendant in this trial?”
That was it. That was the question he needed to answer before Taichi could. It was the only way his trip to England could be guaranteed.
Jou’s arm shot up in the air in an instant.
“I am!” he shouted. The judge blinked, and then his jaw dropped in shock.
“What?”
“What’re you doing, Jou!?” Taichi hissed.
“Professor Tachikawa told me that if I’m found guilty, you won’t be able to study abroad,” Jou whispered. Taichi grit his teeth.
“I can’t believe he did that… and I can’t believe you listened to him!” Taichi shot back.
Jou’s expression fell, “Taichi, you’re my best friend, but if by chance I am found guilty, it means everything you’ve been working towards is dashed in an instant.”
“It’s why I didn’t want you to find out,” Taichi sighed. He folded his arms and shook his head.
“Then you understand where I’m coming from, too,” Jou said. Taichi nodded.
“I do.”
“Then you know that I have to do this for you no matter what. I’m sorry,” Jou said as he pushed his glasses up.
Taichi stood there, silently stewing as he stared down his best friend, looking in his eyes.
Yet Jou didn’t back down, and that caused Taichi’s lips to turn upwards a touch into a smirk.
“I can’t say I’m exactly happy about the way Professor Tachikawa told you about this, or about how you’re choosing to defend yourself over letting me handle it, but… I’ll be here to help you,” Taichi told him.
He clapped Jou on the back, and the young man fell forward, his glasses nearly slipping off his face. Jou yelped and managed to catch his glasses in time. Both the judge and the prosecutor gave him pointed glances, and Jou immediately straightened up.
“Like I said,” Jou started once he recovered, adjusting his glasses slightly, “It isn’t about not trusting or believing in you. This is just so you will be able to go and achieve your dreams in Britain no matter what.”
Plus it was his professor who was killed. A part of him wanted to try and figure out what truly happened for that just as much as for his own sake.
“So, you’ll be defending yourself then?” the judge asked. Jou nodded.
“Yes, your Excellency.”
“Well, maybe I won’t be your attorney, but I can serve as your judicial assistant,” Taichi told him.
…That was a big relief, though. Maybe he’d have some sort of chance at not being immediately declared guilty. Even just as a judicial assistant, Jou was relieved (and incredibly lucky) to have Taichi’s assistance.
“As you are aware, you are in the Supreme Court of Judicature of Japan. I hold everyone in this courtroom to the highest standards of conduct. Everyone. Do I make myself clear, Defendant Kido?”
“Yes, your Excellency,” Jou nodded again. Taichi leaned in close to whisper.
“Try to calm down a little, you’re sweating,” he said, at which Jou’s eyes went wide and he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “You’ll be fine. You just need to believe in yourself more.”
“Just believe in myself, more,” Jou thought as he swallowed hard, “Easier said than done, Taichi… We aren’t all you, after all…”
Not everyone could be as brave as Taichi Yagami. Frankly, Jou didn’t think anyone could be on the man’s level.
But now, it was time for him to save himself and secure Taichi’s future.
***
Somehow, he had done it. He had managed to point out the true killer of Professor Wilson with the help of Taichi’s keen eye and his own medical knowledge, and was able to secure his innocence.
But to think a classmate of his had killed their professor… and with poison, no less. It was chilling— no, terrifying— to think about, which was why that night he had done his best not to think about it. At all.
A knock on the door helped Jou distract himself from the way his thoughts were getting increasingly closer to thinking about the young British woman and the way she had coldly and callously poisoned their professor without an ounce of regret, and he smiled when he opened the door and saw who it was.
“Taichi, what’re you doing here? It’s late,” Jou said.
“You didn’t think you were going to call it a day without a celebration, did you?” Taichi asked with a wicked grin before he forced himself into Jou’s room, revealing a small bottle of sake and some glasses that he brought along with him.
“I hope you didn’t put yourself out getting that…” Jou mumbled, but Taichi shook his head.
“You worry too much, Jou. You really don’t want a drink after a long day having people assume you were a murderer?” he asked. Jou blanched.
“With how much my stomach is roiling? Not particularly…” he grumbled. However, Taichi wasn’t deterred, and started to pour for them both.
“Come on, you deserve it. You defended yourself in Japan’s Supreme Court! Not many get to say that.”
Taichi held up a glass to Jou, who fixed it with a withering gaze, before he eventually sighed and took it.
“Fine, but neither of us are getting drunk,” he said, then took a sip. “Feel free to sit wherever you want,” Jou said as he settled onto a nearby chair. Taichi pulled a chair from Jou’s desk and brought it over before he plopped himself down.
The look in his eyes… Jou already knew what he was going to say.
“No,” Jou said as soon as Taichi opened his mouth.
“I didn’t even say anything yet!” Taichi shot back.
“You were going to bring up me joining you on your study trip abroad, weren’t you?” Jou asked. There was no guilty look on his best friend’s face, but instead a wide, satisfied grin.
“Of course I was,” he said, “Think about it! You and me tearing up London town! It’ll be great!” Tai said before he took a long drink.
“It’s almost like he was the one on trial when he drinks like that…” Jou thought before he took another sip.
“I’ll be a stowaway!” Jou hissed, “Imagine how much trouble we’ll get in when I’m discovered! How much trouble you’ll be in!”
“But just think about the adventure of it!” Taichi said, quite literally waving off the medical student’s concerns.
“An adventure that includes nearly two months at sea during which I could easily be discovered?” Jou asked. Taichi leaned forward and quirked a brow.
“Weren’t you the one talking about how much he wanted to learn about English medicine?” Taichi asked smoothly. Jou flushed slightly as he glanced to the side. He gently scratched his cheek.
“Ah, well…”
“Imagine the difference we could make here! We go to England, learn about English law and English medicine, and then we can come back home to put everything we’ve learned to use!”
Jou had to admit, it was incredibly tempting. They weren’t even doing autopsies here.
But there was something holding him back. His usual nature, if he had to guess: incredibly hesitant to go outside of his comfort zone, and even more hesitant to step outside of what his family had planned for him. They expected him to graduate university and subsequently start working at his father’s office, with no chance to forge his own path ahead.
Jou drummed his fingers on the table, his leg bouncing nervously.
“I just… I don’t know, Taichi…” he sighed. Taichi frowned and gently placed a hand on Jou’s shoulder.
“Whatever you choose, I’ll support you. I mean, admittedly… I want you to go with me for some selfish reasons, but I think we could do a lot of good together once the trip is done,” he said, his lips slowly turning upwards into a smile.
“There’s a few more days until I leave, so… just think about it, ok?”
Jou stared down at his sake as he listened to his friend, then finished the rest and let the cup hit the table with a clang. He looked up at his friend, unable to help but smile, too. Taichi’s support had always meant the world, and… damnit if he wasn’t a good speaker. It wasn’t surprising just why he was chosen for this study trip given the skills he showed despite being so young.
“I’ll honestly, genuinely consider it, I promise,” Jou said. Tai’s smile broke into a grin.
“That’s all I’m asking for,” he said before he finished his own drink. His eyes moved towards the bottle, “So, round two?”
Jou removed his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and sighed.
“No, Taichi, I am not letting you convince me to have a second round this time. And you don’t need one given the fact that you have class tomorrow!” Jou chided. He put his glasses on to see his friend’s teasing smile.
“Worth a try, right?” he laughed. Jou shook his head, but couldn’t contain the mirth he was feeling.
“Yeah, worth a try,” he chuckled, before his expression turned somber.
“…If I decide not to go, I hope you know I’ll miss you,” Jou said quietly.
“I’ll miss you, too. But don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of stories to tell each other once I’m back,” Tai assured him, before he started to snicker, “Even if mine will be more exciting.”
Jou smiled and laughed, “I can’t wait to hear all about them.”
***
Even if they had solved the mystery of Taichi’s untimely death, Jou couldn’t help but still feel… hollow.
They, of course, being himself, Mimi Tachikawa, the young woman who was to accompany Taichi on this trip as his judicial assistant, and a famous British detective who had been the one to ultimately confirm that it was all just an accident and a misunderstanding.
A young Russian ballerina had been terrified Taichi would reveal to the captain that she was smuggled onto the ship and would lead to her being sent back to her home country. She hadn’t meant to kill him, but it still hurt.
Maybe it hurt more knowing it was just an accident.
Although it was declared that both he and Mimi would have to go back to Japan once the ship reached port in Hong Kong, due to the study trip no longer having a lawyer present, the famous British detective (who Mimi-san seemed to know about? Apparently she read some stories of his in a British magazine?) that helped make sure Jou escaped being convicted for Taichi’s death had given the suggestion that led him to where he was now.
“If the study trip calls for one lawyer and one judicial assistant, and you already have one judicial assistant, then all you need is one lawyer, correct?”
He was going to be the lawyer. The Japanese inspector who had come along on the trip to see Taichi and Mimi safely to England had, with a resigned sigh, told them that he would send a telegram to the Department of Justice about the situation, and now he had his goal: gain enough knowledge to be a lawyer in just over a month. It was the only way to keep Taichi’s dream going.
He had no idea how it would possibly work out, but it was the least Jou could do for his best friend.
It was late into the evening, and Jou and Mimi were sitting at the small table in Taichi’s room, which Jou was now taking proper residence in. There were multiple books laid out across the table, and Jou was furiously taking notes by candlelight. Jou thought that after all of this time he might finally be all cried out, but that didn’t stop the occasional tear from leaking out or the need to sniffle from arising. He was incredibly determined to be able to serve as the lawyer on this study trip abroad to carry on Taichi’s legacy, and that meant he couldn’t take a break. Even though Mimi had insisted that he get some sleep sooner than later, Jou had just about begged her for an extra hour to work.
His mind was a mess, and staying up studying wasn’t helping him one bit, but the tea Professor Tachikawa’s daughter had made— as well as her assistance in going over the material— had done a lot to help keep him going.
Studying was something he was all too used to, but studying law was a different beast entirely. He was completely out of his element, and though he had a lucky break in Japan’s Supreme Court, he wasn’t a lawyer, not anywhere close. But he had to try.
He was good at putting his head down to study and work, and he needed all the time he could muster until they reached England’s foggy shores.
The young man flipped through a page of one of the books Mimi brought out for studying, and wiped away a light sheen of sweat that started to form at his forehead.
“Kido-san, I know you want to keep working, but you’ll lose more chances to learn if you’re in need of bed rest from falling ill due to exhaustion…” she pleaded quietly. Jou finished scribbling out another few lines of notes before he looked up at her, blinking a few times as he took a moment to adjust to a view that wasn’t books and parchment.
Like him, Mimi seemed all cried out. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and she gripped a handkerchief tight in her hand. As much as he didn’t want to stop due to the risk of not having a chance to fully absorb everything he had looked at tonight, she was right. If he got sick and couldn’t so much as look at a book, there would be no doubt he’d have to go back home…
Jou closed his eyes and nodded, then set his quill down and pushed the book forward.
“You’re right. My apologies, Mimi-san, I just… I can’t let Taichi down,” he sighed, eyes looking down at his notes— which had become increasingly messier during the hours he spent writing.
“I understand,” she nodded curtly, her voice quiet, “This… still isn’t easy to accept.”
Jou wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to truly accept that the person closest to him was gone forever…
“Mimi-san, how did you and Taichi come to know each other? I-I understand if it’s too painful to talk about right now, but I can’t help but be a bit curious.”
Mimi’s eyes widened for a moment, surprised by the question, then her shoulders slumped.
“He’s my adoptive brother.”
During the time he had come to know Taichi, and how they became best friends at university, he learned about the unfortunate passing of his parents, but he certainly never knew this…
“O-oh,” he choked out weakly.
“His father and mine were close friends, and were off in England on a study trip shortly after I was born. However, he passed away there, and not long after… Taichi’s mother passed away, too.”
Jou’s throat felt tight, and the tears started to well up in his eyes again.
“My father took him and his younger sister in, feeling it was the least he could do to honor his parents. Although him and I weren’t that young, we still grew up together, and when he decided to pursue law like his father, I wanted to do all I could to help him,” she explained.
Through Jou’s blurry vision, he could see that Mimi was on the verge of breaking down again, too.
He felt his heart break again, not just from the loss of his best friend, but from Mimi losing her brother, too. And Taichi’s younger sister, who had to say goodbye as he left for a foreign land, only to never return and greet her again. Taichi had been through so much and wanted to do what he could to learn about law like his father, had so many big things he wished to accomplish over in England, but now…
The image of Taichi’s limp body flashed through his mind, and he clenched his eyes shut, unable to hold back from sobbing again. He quickly pulled his glasses off and buried his face in his sleeve to try and hide it, however fruitless it was. Over the noise of his own crying he could barely hear Mimi’s own sobbing.
For a while, the only noise that filled the room was the two of them crying.
When they finally managed to gather themselves, Jou slowly closed the book, his hand resting on the cover. This was Taichi’s book. Taichi’s book that was, at least for now, his.
Mimi gathered her things and walked to the door, and even Jou was able to tell that her steps were tired and heavy.
“I’m sorry. I-I was just curious. I didn’t realize just how painful that was for you to talk about,” Jou said as he stood up. He offered her a deep bow at the waist. Despite how sad she was, Mimi shook her head and managed to keep up a smile.
“Please don’t worry, Kido-san. Thinking about Taichi-sama just reminded me how seriously we have to take the rest of this trip,” she said. There was a hint of fight in her voice, and she curled up her hands into fists, her handkerchief crumpled inside with bits of cloth poking out from between her fingers. Somehow Mimi-san’s determination managed to be the slightest bit contagious.
“You’re right. Whatever Taichi wanted to accomplish in England is our responsibility now. And I promise, for his sake, we will see it through.”
“We will,” she added, “And we will begin by studying bright and early tomorrow! So make sure you get your sleep, Kido-san.”
“Good night, Mimi-san,” Jou said, watching as the young woman wordlessly left the room. Jou closed the door and fell back against it, feeling all of the adrenaline from the day’s events finally drain away. He looked at the bed, unable to help but feel relieved at the mere thought of sleep.
But then his eyes glanced towards the small pile of books and his notes. More than that, his eyes focused on Taichi’s sheathed katana, which leaned against the wall.
Jou bit his lip, then quickly strode towards the table and just about collapsed into his chair. He gathered his papers and hunched over his work once again.
Mimi-san was right, there was the risk of him working himself to exhaustion, but there was too much at stake here.
Taichi was determined to take what he learned in England to change how law was practiced in Japan, and even if Jou had been training to be a doctor, he was more than ready to shake that all up for his best friend.
Until he set foot back in Japan, however long that may be, he was going to do his best to be a lawyer his best friend would be proud of. As well as that, he would be the friend that would accomplish whatever goals and dreams that Taichi wanted to come true out there.
Taichi was the most important person in his life, without a doubt. He was his best friend— he was his—
Jou’s grip loosened and the quill fell from his fingers as his eyes started to flutter closed. His head slowly rocked back and forth.
“Need to… need to…” he muttered sleepily, before he fell forward, his cheek smudging his most recent notes about Japanese court procedure.
After being up since the early hours of the morning, dead set on discovering the truth of what happened while he slept, sleep finally claimed him once again.
Now, it was just a matter of continuing on in the morning to make sure Taichi’s hopes and dreams come true.
