[closed]

[scratchitti]

Who: Neku Sakuraba, Nagi Naoe, various confused pokemon
Where: Somewhere outside Cerulean City
When: Backdated to Psych Up
Summary: Neku is feeling a little weird...
Rating: PG
Log:

[Traveling had fallen into a familiar routine, but today things were already off. For one thing, Neku was up at the break of dawn.

Cooking eggs. At like, 5 am. And humming]

Comments

[unkinder]

[As he usually tended to do, Nagi stayed up pretty late into the night. Mostly to rehash his battle strategies since he would be taking on Sabrina soon. And if he was even remotely going to attempt to live up to Neku's challenge concerning that particular battle, then he'd need all of the prep time he could get. So when he finally does go to sleep, he's not planning on getting up for a while.

Well, emphasis on 'planning'.

The humming wakes him up without much trouble, given how close the tents had been set up to the rest of their makeshift campsite on the edge of one of the routes. At first, he wonders if it's just some Pokemon making noise, but it sounds too...familiar for that.

Nagi grimaces, reaching a hand over blindly into his bag near his head, reaching until he pulls out a minimized pokeball. He releases the catch and halfheartedly tosses it to the corner of the tent, and the moment his Raichu appears he's moving to sit up. Just in case it really is a Pokemon, better to be safe than sorry.

Isogu and Nagi stick their heads out into the chilly morning air at about the same time, and quite honestly Nagi can't believe what he's looking at. It takes until Isogu crawls out of the tent and sniffs at the air while lumbering over to Neku's side for him to speak up in a low, tired, and equally irritated voice.]

...what are you doing.

[scratchitti]

[his Delphox, who is helping tend the fire, gives a helpless shrug. NEKU otoh is grinning]

Breakfast, obviosly!

[unkinder]

[Isogu smiles up at Candle before inching closer to Neku to get a better sniff of what Neku's cooking there.]

...the sun hasn't come up yet.

[oh my goD GO TO BED]

[scratchitti]

Well we have a lot of ground to cover, right? Might as well start it right.

[unkinder]

I suppose...?

[Except that Neku hasn't been doing this, so the sudden change this morning is...weird.]

I'm surprised you aren't cold out here.

[scratchitti]

It wasn't too bad once we got the fire going.

[He gives Nagi a wide eyed look, seeming to almost sparkle]

Are you worried about me, Nagi?

[unkinder]

Worried?

[Nagi blurts, a little taken off guard by that odd look Neku's suddenly giving him.]

I'm concerned that you suddenly feel the need to wake up at 5 am when it's nearly freezing out to cook by a fire, but I'm not exactly going to tell you how to live your life.

[scratchitti]

Well, you know some of these eggs are for you too.

[unkinder]

[...would it be offensive to just go straight back to sleep

because he might]

I don't usually eat this early in the morning, so I'll pass. Maybe later.

[scratchitti]

[But Nagi look at those wobbly eyes. But they don't last long]

Oh well, more for me.

[Candle looks a little worried. That's... a lot of eggs]

[unkinder]

[...]

How long have you been awake?

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Hmm... I wanna say, two hours?

[unkinder]

You've been awake since three?

[Neku why]

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[He nods happily]

I just woke up suddenly with the urge to make breakfast for my friend.

[unkinder]

...that's not really all, is it?

[This...feels like some sort of trick. Maybe he's trying to fool him. But this is a lot of trouble to go through just for a joke. A bad one.]

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Why shouldn't it be? I just wanted to do something nice for my best friend. There's nothing weird about that.

[... he does look genuinely confused]

[unkinder]

[At that, Nagi stops. He stops and moves back a little, still half in, half out of the entrance to his tent. His own confusion mirror's Neku's, and for a moment he just...stares at him, waiting for something to change.

And when it doesn't-]

Your...what?

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Best friend? I mean, it's true...

[unkinder]

Why are you telling me this now?

[He ends up blurting, not sure what else to even say.]

You're...acting like something's gotten into you.

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You asked.

[No he didn't, not directly anyways. But hey man you asked his 'reasons']

And nothing's gotten into me... yet.

[So, Nomnom eggs]

[unkinder]

[He'd wanted to just go back to bed and forget any of this happened, but not only is he wide awake, but Neku actually seems...serious, as oddly as he's acting right now. While Neku's eating, Isogu is still nosing around at the food to see if there's anything he might be able to get away with stealing.

Nagi just watches Neku for a moment, leaning back a bit more heavily on his heels.]

...I'm serious.

[scratchitti]

So am I?

You SURE you don't want some? Otherwise I'll give your half to Isogu.

[unkinder]

[For another long moment that probably felt more awkward to Nagi than it does Neku, he doesn't respond. He just stares at Neku like he's grown a second head.

Then, without a word, he moves the rest of the way out of the tent to sit down by the fire. Not quite across from Neku, but not right next to him either. At least if he's eating, he won't have to talk.

By now, Kodo has come out of the tent due to the sheer levels of confusion that she's getting off her trainer right now. She looks over at Neku, somehow managing to look quizzical for a rock with no face.]

[scratchitti]

[He grins at Nagi relenting, but when Kodo looks at him he shrugs- he has no idea why Nagi is so stressed either!

Neku, on the other hand, certainly has SOMETHING going on with his mental aura (and if Sota was loose he'd be having a fit). No outside influence exactly, but his endorphins are up and out of his usual range: he's just very abnormally happy and excitable.]

[unkinder]

[There is definitely something strange happening here, but the Lunatone can't put her finger(???) on what. He doesn't seem to be in pain or sick...just unusually upbeat. Which, for some reason, has her trainer feeling...confused.

She gives a soft chime before moving back into the tent. Whatever it is, she figures they can solve it on their own. ...Probably. Nagi seemed to be getting better at that, at least...

Nagi takes a plate without a word, a bit relieved when his Raichu sits down right between him and Neku. Probably to steal bits off both their plates, no doubt, but it doesn't matter.]

You've probably only gotten two or three hours of sleep. It's no wonder you're acting strange.

[scratchitti]

I AM still a little tired. But I can't get back to sleep. Trust me, I tried. Might as well be productive!

[unkinder]

...by cooking eggs.

[So many eggs.]

[scratchitti]

Well, I couldn't start walking without you.

[unkinder]

[Nagi raises a brow at that.]

Well, you could have.

[scratchitti]

Well, I wouldn't.

[There's a teasing tone to his voice- but it falls a little at the end]

I mean, unless you want?

[unkinder]

[....hnngh.]

I'm not going to tell you what to do. You came because you wanted to see me battle Sabrina, and I haven't gotten to her yet. Whether you stay after that is up to you.

[scratchitti]

[He looks upwards at the still slightly visible stars]

I dunno... I'm having fun, traveling like this. But I don't wanna keep going if you're not having fun.

[unkinder]

[Nagi watches Neku out of the corner of his eye over Isogu's head, who is content with cleaning Nagi's plate while he's not paying attention.]

...I didn't say that.

[scratchitti]

[Neku looks down, staring at Nagi.

And slowly his eyes shine, and he starts grinning, before leaning over to bump shoulders with Nagi, half squishing Isogu but probably not bothering the Raichu, considering it puts Neku's plate in range and snickering]

Ha! I knew it!

[unkinder]

[The noise that Nagi makes when Neku bumps shoulders with him is completely involuntary, and right away Isogu is scooting forward to scoop more eggs off of Neku's plate, putting them both closer at the same time.]

What? K...knew what?

[scratchitti]

That you were having fun.

[unkinder]

Mmh...

[Nagi looks away again, down at his mostly empty plate, even though he barely ate any of it himself.]

It's more interesting having someone else watching your battles, anyway. That's all.

[scratchitti]

You know, it's okay to admit to that kinda thing. I mean, who'd gonna say anything? Isogu? Koda?

[He knows you're still 'listening' in there Missy]

[unkinder]

[Shhh she isn't heeere.

At that, Nagi turns away just a bit further, his brows furrowing.]

It's just...strange. I guess.

[scratchitti]

...I know.

[And even the unnatrual happiness can't undo past sadness, and it's clear in his voice]

[unkinder]

[There's another pause as the fire crackles softly in front of them. When Nagi speaks up again, it's a bit quieter.]

...am I really your best friend?

[scratchitti]

...yeah. I mean, I have my Partners back home, and I... miss them a lot. We went through something together I don't think anyone not there could understand.

But, we've been through a lot too. I really like being around you- and trust me, for a long time just being AROUND people hurt more then anything else. So I guess that says something.

[unkinder]

[Nagi wants so badly to stop Neku there and tell him that being his friend will do nothing but hurt him in the end, but he ends up stopping himself. He's different now than he was when he first arrived so long ago. That much is a fact, whether he wants to admit it to himself or not.

Instead, Nagi just continues to look into the fire, trying to think of something else to say.]

I guess the strange part...is not knowing what a best friend is really like.

[scratchitti]

Well, does it matter? I mean, what it's *supposed* to be like?

[unkinder]

[Instead of answering, Nagi answers Neku's question with one of his own.]

What do you think they're supposed to be like?

[scratchitti]

...I honestly don't know? I've really only had the one before...

[Even with the effect alerting his behaviors his face twists slightly with grief]

[unkinder]

[Why is he expecting Neku to give him a clear answer about this? It's not like there is one, even for people who believe in things like that.

He didn't use to, but now...]

That's more than I've had. I suppose you have...more authority on what makes a friend than I do.

[Meaning...maybe he should just stop questioning why Neku wants to be his friend at all, and just accept the fact that he is.]