A Bright Future

Been feeling depressed, and what do I do when I'm depressed? Think up stories for KanNao, of course, because they make me happy. There will be some YuRise in here too though.

(Takes place in my Chase The Truth canon. Though that should go without saying.)

Begin!

~Normal POV

Yu was setting things up for the work day around the office. Naoto would be here soon, and he knew she liked to have her casework ready in a timely manner. Not that she was a strict boss, quite the opposite, but he did it to make things a little easier on her. Especially at a time like this. That was his job as a secretary, wasn't it? He had the news playing on the tv while he worked.

He rarely did this nowadays. He recalled that three years ago there was a huge deal about some group called the Phantom Thieves causing a ruckus in Tokyo, and later a few other places in Japan. He did ask Naoto if she wanted to go check it out, but she declined. She figured that her successor could handle it, since he lived there already. Though Naoto had admitted to personally disliking him, for his egocentric attitude and focus on fame, he was reportedly good at his job. And they were too swamped with casework to take it on at the time anyway. But something about that didn't turn out well as far as they heard. There were no details leaked through the press other than some politician named Shido getting arrested for something big. Man, things must have gotten weird in the city since he moved.

Eh, he didn't miss Tokyo, honestly. Everything he needed was right here in Inaba. Even if Rise had to make frequent trips to the city for work. Having a full-time idol for a wife could be rough sometimes, but they were managing just fine. Yu had a stable job to keep him occupied, and he was close to everyone else. That helped loads.

Chie was a police officer now, usually put on patrol duty. She got to help sometimes on Naoto's cases as a result. Yukiko was still working for her family's inn. Kanji was running the textile shop after his mom decided he should have it now. Nanako was in high school, and was growing into a mature young lady. Teddie was still living with Yosuke, but the two had found more stable jobs than working at Junes and had their own place now. That bear wouldn't be able to live alone, even with his vastly improved grasp on human customs. Yosuke was so used to living with his brother that he probably wouldn't have it any other way. And Marie was still enjoying a comfortable position with the local news station. Things were going well.

"Good morning, senpai."

"Hey, good morning," Yu said, smiling.

Naoto walked in and set down her bag. "Was there anything interesting in the news?"

He turned the tv off and replied, "Nope, nothing important. There's been no sign of those Phantom Thieves anymore. You sure you don't regret not going after them?"

"I'm sure." Naoto said, smiling. "I can't afford to take a big case right now, anyway. I've got enough on my hands." She gestured to her stomach that was getting noticeably bigger.

Naoto and Kanji were having a baby. Or to be more accurate, they recently found out they were having twins. As a result, she'd switched to only taking on cases that were closer to home, for the time being. A wise and understandable decision. She didn't want to be too far from Kanji if something happened while she was like this. It was no surprise that everyone was excited for it. Yu recalled there were more than a few happy tears shed when they announced it at a team dinner party... some of which may have been from him, as well... Could anyone really blame him, though? When two of your best friends tell you they're having a kid, it's bound to bring up some strong emotions.

"Did you decide on names yet?"

She sat down at her desk and pulled out some papers as she answered. "Well, the doctors said they're pretty sure it's going to be a girl and a boy. So for the girl, Kanji picked 'Reina.' And for the boy, I chose 'Takumi.' If it ends up being different, we'll figure something else out."

Yu handed her a work file. "Well, I'm happy to know the names of my godchildren."

"Have you and Rise thought about having any?"

"We've talked about it. I think seeing you be a happy momma-to-be has really gotten to her. She keeps 'hinting' at it constantly. Problem is, we've still gotta wait a bit- with her career in the way and all. But I'm game if she wants it."

"Hinting at it, hm? Yes, we all know how good Rise is at being subtle." The two shared a good laugh over that.

Yu got her a glass of water; since she had temporarily sworn off caffeinated drinks. "Let me know if you need anything else, boss."

"Thank you, senpai."

Despite how everyone had gotten more comfortable over time with dropping honorifics, Yu was still called senpai by Rise, Kanji, and Naoto. Naoto and Kanji did it out of habit. And Rise... he never figured out why she kept it up- probably habit, too. Not that he minded. It just sounded a little funny to other people that Yu was called "senpai" by his boss.

Once Yu had left the room, Naoto sipped her water and stared at the nice picture frame sitting on her desk. It had a picture of her and Kanji on their wedding day, with them in the middle and surrounded on all sides by all their friends and family. She liked having it on her desk. It reminded her of how far she'd come. From an unsure kid, who was afraid of society's judgements, to realizing her dream as a full grown woman detective. And in the process, married a wonderful, loving husband, and was going to have two beautiful children with him soon.

She smiled warmly at the picture before turning her attention down to her most recent case. That string of robberies in Okina wasn't going to solve itself.

~The End!

There, my happy place again. :) Thank you for reading!