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✧ Simple Ideals || Sawamura Daichi

NEW TIME OF UPLOAD: February 5 2020, 02.04AM
EDITING TIME: February 4, 2020 (09.03PM) — Febraury 5, 2020 (1.43AM)

  ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ❀ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Isn't the night sky just absolutely fascinating?"

Daichi was able to recall the moment so vividly. It was the night of his first ever solo patrol since he had joined the police force. He had been 21, soon to be 22, and had spent months in training for the corps' approval to be promoted to a junior officer – to someone who was deemed qualified to protect the prefecture he had grown up in. It was the night he had met one of its citizens out on the street. It was the night he remembered why he fought so hard to protect its people.

The first half of his patrol had been calm and undisturbed. The first block past the police station was as quiet as it had ever been; the shopping street had nothing but its occasional noisy teens; the new-built residential area was as silent as it could be and the local park had shaken off all its visitors. He had been surrounded by serenity, one so rewarding it made him excited to press on. There were only three stops left before he could begin his round anew.

He was able to get passed the first two stops without a hitch, but when he came to the cemetery, his eyes fell upon something – or someone, rather – he hadn't ever seen in the area before during his daytime patrols. He approached the figure quietly, yet loud enough for them to hear him coming so he wouldn't startle them. Once he got close enough, he was able to identify the person as a young female.

The girl simply sat next to the cemetery's entrance gate, knees tucked against her chest as her head tilted heavenwards. She eyed the stars, counted them, lost track, then tried again. After sitting there for about an hour, she had felt defeated and alone. She lowered her head to rest on her knees, then hugged her legs a little tighter.

Daichi came to a stop in front of her and crouched down, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "Miss?" he asked her, "Miss, it's well past midnight. It is advised not to stay around this area around this time of night." There was a certain concern bubbling up in his stomach when he noticed how she hadn't tensed under his touch.

The girl let go of her legs, slowly raising her head from its slump. When her gaze flickered past his, she showed him a sad, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for troubling you," she whispered, "I didn't mean to get in the way of your duties." She rose to her feet, staggering ever so slightly. "I'll be on my way now."

With his gaze lingering on hers, with an occasional dwindle to her hands and shoulders, Daichi noticed how the sadness of her smile began to spread to her eyes. Her shoulder slumped and followed suit, and it hadn't taken long for her hands to tremble with something he could only label as uncertainty. Even so, she had appeared quite calm. So calm, in fact, Daichi began to think she felt safe out here by herself.

She stepped past him to start her travel to her apartment, but before she got out of sight, Daichi cursed at himself. His ideals had always been simple – he wanted to protect Miyagi. He caught a glimpse of her retreating figure before picking up his pace, falling in step beside her. She was part of Miyagi too. Maybe, neglecting part of his patrol route on his first solo patrol was a grave mistake and maybe, it would cost him his job. But it wasn't like him to tell her the area was unsafe, to then proceed and watch her as she faced the area alone.

Once she acknowledged him beside her, he struck up a conversation. "Miss, I would not feel comfortable knowing you are out here on your own. Please, allow me to walk you home. Do you live far from here?" He glanced at her expression once he had offered to accompany her, a – luckily – inaudible smile leaving his lips. Ah, there it was. That same saddened smile he earned off her before.

The girl shook her head. "I live close by," Her voice, again, wasn't more than a whisper. "Though out here feels more like 'home' to me."

Curious as to why she considered the dark alleyways surrounding them more comfortable than her own home, he took a moment to glance over her attire. It was a mystery to him why such a young lady, who he presumed to be off middle class, could seem so upset about returning to her home. "Do you mind me asking why?" When she hadn't answered him, he began apologizing. "I've overstepped my boundaries. I'm sorry."

The girl tilted her head back to look at the stars, unfazed by his question. "Isn't the night sky just absolutely fascinating?" For the first time, he was able to sense a real, heartfelt smile slipping on her lips. "You have to step out to really appreciate it." She slipped her hands into her pockets and sighed, "My mom and I used to go out for a walk on nights like these. To look at the stars. To escape the busy city life. To pay our respects to the people who, sadly, had to depart this world. To thank them for keeping us safe." Her gaze dropped to the floor. "But nowadays, I'm the only one who can keep up that tradition."

Suddenly, Daichi seemed to understand why he had found her crouched down by the cemetery. It suddenly made sense to him why she felt more comfortable outside of her home than she felt in it. It suddenly made sense why she seemed so pained to have to leave.

She balled her fists and bit her lip ever so slightly. It had been a while since she was able to open up about her mother. Ever since the funeral, she hadn't said a word. "She really loved this town. She really loved Miyagi. She wanted to protect it with everything she had. She wanted to protect it because it was his city,"

Daichi didn't do anything other than listen. He could tell by the way her voice cracked every so often and the way her lip trembled that she was having a very hard time talking about it. It was clear to him just how important this was to her.

"Nothing mattered to her more than him. That's why..." she took a deep breath, "that's why I'm glad she is now able to meet him once again. And that's why I'll keep praying for the people that had to leave us way too soon. That's why I feel more comfortable out here than in my apartment. Because this was their city. This was the city they loved."

Before he even realized it, he had pressed her tight against his torso, hands in a strong yet gentle grip around her waist and shoulders. He was in no position to touch her like this, and he would understand if she had hated him for it and filed a complaint, but he couldn't bring himself not to. It was so obvious to him that she was hurting; that she needed comfort – a real sense of comfort. His ideals had always been simple – he wanted to protect Miyagi. His grip around her tightened. She was part of Miyagi too.

The hug took her by surprise, and she had been hesitant on reciprocating it at first, but after gingerly wrapping her own arms around his torso, a weight seemed to lift itself off her shoulders. Her hands and knees trembled worse than they had previously, and the stars she had previously admired began to blur together. After clenching her jaw for what felt like an eternity, she found it impossible to hold back her sobs. Every stone in the wall she had built came crumbling down on her all at once.

He didn't even know how long he held her like that. When he noticed her sobs had quieted down, he let go of her and searched his pockets for his package of tissues. He took one out and handed it to her, a small smile appearing on his lips after seeing how gratefully she took it. "I haven't even introduced myself yet and I already made you cry," he laughed, "I'm not really a good cop, am I?"

The girl found herself laughing in response. "I didn't introduce myself either, so both of us are at fault. It's nice to meet you," she extended a hand, "my name is {L/N} {F/N}."

He took her hand in his as he used his other hand to take his hat off his head, then pressed it against his chest. "Sawamura Daichi. It's a pleasure knowing that this place means so much to you, {L/N}-san."

The two of them chattered about everything and nothing as they took the final turn towards {F/N}'s apartment. The girl pointed at the complex and walked up the stairs to reach the entrance, before turning to the man who had lent a listening ear to her when she needed it the most. "Hey, Sawamura?" She smiled at him – a smile brighter and wider than he had ever seen, and one that overflowed with so much sincerity it was tugging at his heartstrings. "Thank you for keeping their city safe."

His ideals had always been simple – he wanted to protect Miyagi. She was part of Miyagi too.

  ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ❀ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

This one is inspired by Weathering With You & Yiruma's "Kiss the Rain"