route_1065 | (no subject)

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Who: Ken and Youji
Where: Route 29--between New Bark and Cherrytown
When: Couple days after this post.
Summary: Old friends, reunited. Or something.
Rating: PG-13 at most, for Ken's foul mouth.

Log: Ken, in the couple days he'd been walking back toward New Bark Town in the terrible weather Johto seemed to be so fond of right now, had been thinking. Wondering how, exactly, he'd react to seeing Youji Kudou in the flesh again, after so long...it seemed a lot shorter once he thought about it. But both of them had changed so goddamn much over the last six years. Youji had a new life, a new name, a wife, and no place for any of them in his life anymore, so much the better.

Ken had missed him, sure. But he'd also been happy that his friend had gotten, finally, the life that he deserved. It only took something uncomfortably close to death for it to happen. Youji Kudou didn't exist anymore, to Ken's recollection. But now here he was. And there was a lot he didn't know.

Six years had never seemed so much like a lifetime.

Ran and Omi didn't appreciate the cold--they were tucked away in their Pokeballs, where it was presumably a hell of a lot warmer than it was out here. Ken shivered, his coat was warm and the sun was out, but he still hated the cold, it made old wounds complain and damn thinking that made him feel old. At least Ratty was doing his best impression of a furry space heater, having burrowed under Ken's coat and perched across his shoulders, making him look he had a hunchback.

Youji better bloody well appreciate this.

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Youji hadn't been making good time; whenever his arm started to cramp from cradling a tiny, pink-skinned midget, he'd set the Smoochum on the ground and tell her to walk. She seemed to understand 'walk' to mean 'jump in every snowbank in sight and attempt to kiss what you find underneath it.' The good news was that by the time each little episode was done, Youji's arm was rested enough to carry her a while longer.

The bad news was how slowly they progressed as a result.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked, while she scrambled up to sit on his shoulders like a toddler at a parade.

On the other hand, Youji rarely objected to slow progress. Effort was a hassle and time to think could be a blessing.

"Let's try not to delay any--dammit, quit that, I'm afraid you're a bit younger than my usual. Never mind the species gap."

And sometimes, a distraction, a break, from his thoughts was the greatest blessing Youji could ask for.

Six years. With a phone between them and a stupid situation to deal with, Youji was capable of shelving that fact in the back of his mind, something to contemplate at his leisure. Well, aside from chasing his Pokemon and shaking the icicles out of his hair, leisure was about all he had at the moment, and what he was thinking wasn't exactly comforting.

Ken six years older was Ken grown-up, Ken not a selectively naive, mussy-haired boy nineteen. He'd be dealing with a Ken who was a mussy-haired boy of twenty-five or twenty-six. Youji couldn't imagine himself as a twenty-five-year-old, let alone Ken. He'd seemed much the same as ever during their call, and seemed pleased to see Youji, but referring to such facts of life as the godforsaken trailer in the past tense seemed ominous.

For once, Ken knew more than Youji did, and that was unnerving.

It was getting close to nightfall, Ken thought--close enough that stopping to set up camp might be something of a good idea, whether Youji was close by or not. He'd managed to buy a tent with the pay he'd gotten from working at the Pokemart, and a few other supplies to make this roughing it thing a bit easier to deal with. But setting up everything in darkness, no matter if he continued on a little to find Youji or not, wasn't an idea Ken particularly relished.

Instead, he sighed, and moved toward the cover of an evergreen tree.

"Need some help, Ran, Omi!" The little Ralts popped out of his Pokeball with a huff and a glare that made Ken grin fondly. "Clear some of this snow a bit so I can set up the tent. Ratty, Omi, you two go find some firewood."

The little purple rat squeaked and jumped out of Ken's coat, skittering off to find some wood that wasn't too wet. It didn't take too long to put up the tent, snug up against the edge of the semicircle of snow Ran had cleared with his Confusion. Once Ratty and Omi returned with some wood, Ken started a fire and started to melt some snow for tea.

Youji was blowing on his hands when Darling tugged on his pants leg. Wasn't sure how it happened, but one moment he'd leaned over, hair over his eyes, and when he'd looked up, twilight had faded into night proper.

"Fucking fantastic," he muttered. Another insistent tug, and he looked down at the little Smoochum. "What, not a fan of my language? I suppose get used to it, I have strong feelings about this predicament. None of them have to do with you, though."

In spite of himself, he was fond.

"This is definitely a case of it being me, not you. I suppose you didn't ask to get stuck with me, either, right? Makes me wonder if there isn't someone else out there who's missing you...?"

Youji felt better when he could listen to the sound of his own voice, and better still when it wasn't directed at bad memories or tufts of air.

"Well, either way, I suppose I'm the knight errant and you're my charge until this is end--yes darling?"

Another insistent tug, an unimpressed "Smoochum," and she pointing at a campfire. A relatively close one. Once he shut up, Youji could hear the sound of the sparks crackling. Well, damn. He cleared his throat, shoved his hands into his pocket as if he hadn't been talking to a Pokemon, and called over, "Ke-en? Don't tell me that's your campfire. Lie to me and say there's actually a convention of bored secretaries sitting there with you."

Ken rolled his eyes at the voice.

"About bloody time! I was about ready to give you up for lost and head back to a nice, warm, actual bed. And just so you know, I haven't gotten any better at lying."

...well, that was a lie in and of itself. He'd gotten quite a bit better at it, in fact.

"Might not be any secretaries over here, but there's heat, and I've even got a tent unless you want to sleep out under the stars."

"My timing is always impeccable," Youji insisted, "ask anyone who'd be in a position to know." He smirked, coming into the firelight's circle, Darling leading the way, just to make sure he didn't lose his way. Endearing.

"I keep having to stop because my little ice princess hasn't made a snow angel in the last fifteen minutes," he excused, holding his hands over the fire. He'd tipped his sunglasses down while Darling approached Ratty, Omi and Ran. Clearly she'd never seen anything like them, and might have been leaning in to kiss them in curiosity--up until Youji snatched her up and smiled.

"I suppose heat will suffice, although if you had any real regard for me, you'd have managed at least one secretary." He was looking at Ken sideways, measuring. "But you can't have much regard for me, anyway, if you never bothered learning to lie. I've given you plenty of examples to copy. Still," he continued, "you look all right. How does it feel to be able to say you're older than me?"

"Ha. Ha ha. And also ha." Ken rolled his eyes, slipping back into the familiar back-and-forth nearly as easily as breathing--even if it felt a little strained, like an old coat that didn't quite fit right anymore. Still, all the better to pretend that no, there really wasn't anything going on that Youji need know about, honest. No real difference here, aside from the obvious age gap.

Ratty, ever the bold one, sat up on his haunches and reached out one little paw curiously before Darling was whisked out of reach.

"You'll just have to manage the secretaries yourself. As for that, it feels bloody weird. I'm used to you still being the old fart in the neighborhood."

"You're going to have to navigate me through this wood if you ever want me to have another secretary again," he pointed out, just wanting to keep the dialogue going. His sense for things out of place seemed tickled, but he ignored it. That was obvious; they'd misplaced six years between them.

"Mm, you wear it well, though. Any gray hairs yet? Don't tell me if I have any. I'll probably dye my hair once it gets to that point. Maybe leave a little around the temples; it'll make me look distinguished and well-educated."

Never quite realized how amazing it was to be able to feel his hands until he'd completely lost the ability. And this from someone who tended to need them.

"Am I asking too much in wondering if you have any plans? I see you've gotten a good start on team building. I have some catching up to do."

"We're not too far from the next town," Ken returned, poking at the fire cautiously with a stick. He felt wary around it, but it was better than freezing their asses off. Just another awkward feeling--it could hang out with the sad nostalgia and homesickness that he also wasn't letting on about.

"No, and you bleached it. And hacked it off. Either don't do that or go with a different style, you looked like you went a couple rounds with a weed whacker and lost."

Ken poked his stick through the handle of the camping kettle he'd stuck on the fire to heat, pouring hot water into two cups he produced from the depths of his bag. "Hot chocolate or tea?"

As for plans...Ken shook his head. "Kinda playing it by ear. Not every day you wake up and find yourself in some crazy video game-type world. My only plan so far is 'sit and wait.' Not too hot on the idea of camping out in the middle of nowhere on the way to the bigger cities, I've heard it takes weeks to get anywhere."

If Ken looked over in time, he'd see Youji running a hand through his hair almost compulsively. Just to be sure.

"Tea, thanks." He crouched at the edge of the fire, letting Darling drop from his arm. She immediately rushed back over to inspect Ken's Pokemon, Youji be damned.

"Remind me to pick up some coffee when next we see civilization, though," he said. "If you let me have the tent, I'll even pay you back for half of it."

He smiled into his hands. Roundabout way to show gratitude, but hell.

"I could almost call it bearable were it not for all of this snow. I still can't believe they don't have paved roads, let alone a basic necessity like cars. It does sound like a bad video game, when you put it like that."

"The tent's big enough for both of us." Ken rolled his eyes, he'd purposely gotten it bigger. "It might be a bit closer quarters than you prefer, but I'm not sleeping out here. I'm all old, my bones can't take it."

Two teabags were dumped in the cups, and one passed over. "I'm going to go back to work once we're back in Cherrygrove. I'm not planning on moving on until this crap melts and it's decently warm again. You could get a job too." Hint, hint.

"Especially with the bloody music. I still haven't figured out where the hell it comes from."

"Damn you to hell, Ken. I'd nearly managed to tune it out once you reminded me of it."

He took the cup with a tortured look, trying to achieve his former state of I'm not hearing this, I'm not hearing this.

"If I start humming along, be a friend and put me out of my misery. And take care of my Darling, if it comes to that. You still like kids, don't you?" He reached over and, late-twenties be damned, mussed Ken's bangs. "Or are you too old for that now, too?"

"If hell's not already piped-in chiptunes, I'd hate to see what it's really like." Except they both pretty much have, and Ken knew it.

He swiped lazily at Youji's hand, though his hair didn't look discernably different in the end anyway. "Yes, I still like kids, and I'm not killing anyone, thanks. I will happily punch you, though."

"No. If you punch me, I'll have to feel it later," Youji demurred. Not that Ken didn't owe him a good sock to the face, after what had happened with Neu. If not a good hit, he probably deserved a chance to say 'I told you so.' Youji couldn't help wondering if he'd ever taken the opportunity sometime in the future.

"If it's any warmer there than it is here, I might be able to deal with it, though," he said, mock-thoughtfully. He stretched his neck out. "Might as well get a head start on that eternal damnation. How difficult is it to get a job around here? This influx of new bodies seems to be a common occurrence, but logically would be a stress on any resources..." He took a sip of the tea. "Think I should stop trying to think about this?"

"Yeah, but it might make me feel better." Really, he thought he might owe Youji one or two for the stupid acts he'd pulled, past and future, not that Youji himself would know about the latter.

"It's winter, genius. It's gonna be cold and wet. Hold onto your dreams of fire and brimstone until all this starts to melt off, then see how you feel about it." Ken snorted, leaning back on his heels. "As for the job thing, I've not really noticed a critical lack of hours or too many people trying to work the same thing. Second off, once we decide to move on, I hear you can fight other trainers for cash. I've been doing good enough just stocking at the store." Ken glanced down at his cup, swirling the tea about slightly before offering it to Ran to have a drink of. The little creature had developed a fondness for tea.

"I don't know, you tell me. We're camping out here with strange animals that come from balls, with six years between us that by all rights shouldn't really be there...that's just gonna get weirder the more I think on it...anyway, I'm pretty sure logic tipped its hat and skipped town by now."

"Right, right. Apparently my sanity is just more resilient than yours." He smirked slightly, rolling his shoulders back. "It's a terrible burden to shoulder, but I manage it."

He slid a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, and wondered if it was too dangerous to try and light one on the campfire. Or if Ken would try to stop him. There was something, back in there somewhere, that made the thought occur, but Youji was too tired and cold to figure out what.

Sighed, and just looked at the pack. Slow killer. Six years wasn't enough for it to work, but plenty of other things...

"I know it's traditional in sci-fi for the hero not to tell anyone what the future holds. Are you thinking you'll keep to that rule, or will you be my personal Oracle of Delphi?"

Youji wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be, but best to lay it out on the ground now. His eyes had yet to leave the pack of cigarettes, even as his thoughts slipped backwards in time. To Neu, Asuka, always Asuka, and the scent of her hair, the last sounds of her voice--his hand tightened around the pack unconsciously, thumb pressing against the brand logo nearly hard enough to damage someone's hyoid. He didn't notice that, either; only thinking that no matter what Ken had seen Youji get up to, it couldn't have been worse than that moment.

Ken rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to say something along the lines of 'if only you knew.' Neither of them were particularly mentally sound, after all. "We're all mad here."

Ken gave a black look to the cigarettes in Youji's hand--common as they were back home, Ken hated the smell, the taste it left in the back of his mouth even when he wasn't the one smoking the damn things. Not to mention how bad they were for you.

"Neither of us are anywhere near drunk enough for that conversation." And even if they were, Ken wasn't sure it was the best idea. Because it had gotten worse than that moment. In his mind, he could see Youji standing there, a look of crazed desperation on his face, wire wrapped around Aya's neck--ready to kill someone he'd stood by for years, for the chance to forget. Ready to kill all of them. "I'm not sure there's enough booze in this entire place for that."

"I'll drink to that," Youji laughed. An answer answerless; clearly the best option for the circumstance. Youji took it as a no. Had Ken wanted to be honest with him, he would have been. Simple as that.

He slipped the cigarettes back in his pocket, deciding not to risk second degree burns so soon. Even if this next town lacked cars, it had to have lighters, what with all the camping they seemed to expect. Matches, if Ken had started this fire. Ken might look the part with his mussed-up hair, but Youji doubted he was enough of a boy scout to have any idea what to do with two sticks to rub together, amusing though the mental image was.

He couldn't resist a final stab, a quick cast of the dice just to see where they'd land. "I bet you'd tell Omi his future. You clearly like him better than me." He smiled slightly at the Sentret.

"Though I suppose it's possible you predicted that I'm the only one of our compatriots with the right kind of dumb luck to get stuck here, and so wanted to keep down confusion, but I think it's understandable why I balk at crediting you with so much foresight."

Pause.

"Although I will give you the large tent."

"Knowing our luck, he'd be even earlier on. You tell me, would you like to be the one to clue Omi in about his family, if he asked you?" Point and match, Ken thought. He didn't think Youji'd press after that.

"If we were switched, I don't think I'd want to know either." Of course, he was saying that from his current vantage point--where he knew full well what had happened over the intervening time. Sometimes he wished he didn't, but...well, wishing never accomplished anything.

"I guess we'll see how much use we get out of it." If the London crew started showing up, they'd probably need another tent. ...mostly because Ken didn't think he could share the tight quarters with Chloe.

"Don't get my hopes up. Now I'm going to spend the rest of this adventure hoping our wunderkind is waiting at the finish line with a plan." Ken was right; Youji was well and ready to drop it, suspicions confirmed. Curiosity piqued, but suspicions confirmed.

Interesting comment, that Ken wouldn't want to know if they were switched. Youji supposed the only way now would be if Aya found himself waking up in that stranger's bed, and from further along in time. He doubted Aya would be kind enough to pull his verbal punches.

Youji looked into his teacup. Hoping never accomplished anything, either. Nor wondering.

And not teasing assassins who could throw him across most rooms, either, but he'd never give that up.

"Mm, I'm sorry I'll be taking up space you could have used for other types of acquaintences."

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