The Gay Fish Social Link

Kanji's best friend was Yu Narukami. That wasn't exactly much of a surprise, Yu Narukami was everyone's best friend. He was best friends with adults, kids, teenagers, nice people, rude people, drama kids, athletes, musicians, and even animals. He was friends with just about everyone. So when he had to move back with his parents, everyone felt a bit of heartache, but no one (Cept maybe the Dojimas) felt it worse than the Investigation Team.

They were brought together because of him, led to victory by him, but more than that obvious stuff, he was the reason they grew as people. Kanji could finally open up a little bit about his more feminine hobbies. Now that he was gone, Kanji had to make sure he wasn't just gonna snap back into his old self. Might have helped if he had someone to talk to about it...

Yeah, he had Naoto and Rise, but having only girls as his friends didn't exactly make him more comfortable about his feminine qualities, even if Naoto was arguably manlier than him. He needed guy friends, but the only one's he had were Teddie, who was hanging around the TV World lately to make sure everything was okay (and let's face it, he ain't exactly the best person to talk to about sensitive crap) and Yosuke.

Huh. Yosuke-senpai. He and Kanji hadn't always been close. If they hung out, they hung out with Teddie and Yu-senpai, never just them. They just didn't seem to click. His temper would flare, or Yosuke would say something stupid, or both. It sucked, but it looked like the two just couldn't get along alone.

Pi pi pi pi pi!

"Huh?" Kanji looked at his phone and was shocked at the text he had gotten.

hey, kanji wanna hang out at junes today?

Shit. Couldn't have timed that better.

He found the older boy at their special headquarters, but to his surprise, it was just him. "Hey, Yosuke-Senpai," he greeted.

"Hey, Kanji," he waved back.

An awkward silence as Kanji sat down. He scratched the back of his head as he thought about what to talk about. Might as well start off with the obvious question. "So, where are the others?"

"I didn't invite them. It's just me and you."

"Oh... How come?" The younger boy raised his brow, obviously confused.

Yosuke just leaned back in his seat and looked up to the sky. Kanji followed his gaze to the clear, blue skies. Some birds were flapping over head, miles above them. "Do you think fish are jealous of birds?"

"What?" Kanji looked at his senpai like he had grown a second head. To his credit, the other boy was passing it relatively well. He stared at his soda, shaking it a bit in his hand as if to measure how soon he'd need a new one.

"Fish. Are they jealous of birds?" He repeated the question like it was as simple as asking for the time.

"Why would they be jealous of birds?"

"Cause birds can fly, and fish swim. So they can do stuff that the other can't or won't."

"Some birds swim."

"Huh?" Yosuke looked at Kanji like he had grown a second head.

"Penguins. Penguins are birds and they swim."

"Yeah, but they can't fly," Yosuke argued, staring at the younger boy.

"But they can swim."

"Forget about penguins, Kanji! This isn't about penguins, it's about fish and birds not being able to swim!" The older boy slapped his own forehead and let out an exasperated sigh. His frustration just made Kanji more frustrated, though.

"Why the hell are you getting so pissed off about?! I'm the confused one here! You call me up, start talking about fish, and the sky, and then I try to give some input and you say it ain't right?!" Kanji growled and kicked a nearby chair, knocking it over. He crossed his arm and clenched his hands and jaw. "Don't make any freakin' sense, Senpai..."

"..." Yosuke didn't say anything. He just tapped his head against his empty soda and mumbled to himself.

"Whatever. If you ain't got anything to actually say to me, I'm out of here," the blonde, taller boy grumbled.

"I'm sorry. About this, but also about all the gay stuff I've said in the past."

Okay, that was unexpected. Kanji looked at Yosuke with bewildered eyes. "Uh... Huh?"

"All the gay stuff I said. I mean, you know, any stuff I said that might have hurt your feelings." Yosuke began scratching at his head, obviously struggling with his words. "I never meant for you to feel like I was attacking you, I just, I say stuff sometimes, and sometimes it isn't always the smartest thing, you know what I mean?"

Kanji instantly felt a moment between himself and Yosuke. His confused frown turned into a gentle smile as the boy nodded. "Heh. Yeah, I know plenty about that shit."

"It's just..." Yosuke paused to think, and to aim his throw. He tossed the soda can over a table, and silently cheered as the can fell into a trashcan.

"Nice shot, Senpai."

"Thanks."

An awkward silence threatened to flood back over the two, so the younger boy cleared his throat and spoke. "You were saying?"

"Oh. Right." The brunette nodded his head as he pondered to himself. "I've never met a gay person before."

Kanji's face briefly turned anger. He slapped the table with his hand as he leaned closer to Yosuke, and he growled out "For the last time-"

"Let me finish. I've never met a gay person before, and I'm not saying you are gay, I'm just saying, I've never met anyone like that. So I didn't really get it, or I don't get it? I don't know," he groaned. "I've never met anyone gay, ever. Period. So I don't know how to talk about it, or to someone who may or may not be it. Does that make sense?!"

"..."

The silence wasn't a confirmation of acceptance, but it wasn't an outright rejection. So Yosuke just kept talking from his heart. "When I was young, and I heard that there were guys in the world who liked kissing other guys, I thought it was gross. I mean, who would ever wanna kiss a guy when you could be kissing girls? Girls were pretty, and they smelled nice. Wasn't that good enough? I mean, why would you kiss anyone else? That's what I used to think, at least."

"Yosuke-senpai, where are you going with this?"

The Hanamura boy let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm trying to apologize! If I ever made you feel bad for being gay! O-or if you were gay! I don't hate you, Kanji, I just don't know... anything! I mean, it weirded me out at first! But when I asked you stuff, I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings! I was just so weirded out! And I know it's dumb, I just... Its confusing."

Kanji stared at the frustrated teenager for a long moment. He swallowed spit up and simply nodded his head. He then reached over and gently gripped Yosuke's shoulder. "It's-uh... It's cool, man. I mean, I don't really get it either."

Yosuke gave a small nod as he looked at him. "You still ain't sure if you're...?"

"I mean, I thought when Naoto turned out to be a girl, that I really was straight, but now? I don't know. I mean, I still think she's cute, but-" Kanji pulled his hand away from Yosuke's shoulder and he went dead silent. "It wouldn't work out between us."

"What are you talking about, dude? I mean, have you ever just asked her out? What reason would she have to say no to you? I mean, you're brave, tough, and sma..." Yosuke kicked his brain hard for hesitating. Okay, so he's not smart, say something else, stupid! "Nice. You're super nice!"

"She's dating Senpai. They got together over Christmas."

Yosuke was the speechless one now. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He stared at the blonde boy with a look of utter confusion.

"Yu-Senpai asked me for permission before he told her he liked her, believe it or not." Part of Kanji wondered why he was even telling Yosuke this. Maybe, just so he could have someone else to know what the last few months had been like? Maybe, just to have someone hear him say the thoughts he'd been having? Maybe, because they were friends and that's what friends do?

"He went over to my house and just asked if we could talk. Couldn't have imagined what it was he wanted to talk about. We sat down Aiya's and just ate for a while. Senpai seemed off, but y'know, I just thought he had the case on his mind or something. Then he told me..."

"Kanji, I think I love Naoto."

The younger boy looked up from his food and felt the breath in his chest spiral. His gut dropped and he lost his appetite. His chopsticks didn't move, before they simply fell into the bowl he had been eating. "Y-you... What?"

"I think I love her, no, I know that I harbor feelings for her. I find her attractive both physically, mentally, and emotionally."

"S-so why you telling me, Senpai?" He couldn't look at his food anymore. He felt sick all of a sudden, and the sight of the noodles just made him want to puke.

"Kanji, you know exactly why I'm telling you this. I'm asking you, what will you do now that you know this?"

But all Kanji could think about was, how could he compare to Yu Narukami? Yu 'Top-Grades' Narukami. Their leader. The Number One. The Hero. "Nothing. It ain't none of my business," he muttered.

"That's not true, Kanji, and you know it. I want the truth."

"The truth?" The truth is his best friend was stabbing him in the back. The truth was the man he looked up to, like a brother, was stealing his first love. The truth was that Kanji was an idiot to think he ever had a chance to win Naoto's heart when Yu Narukami was around. Stupid Moronji. Stupid, stupid, stupid. "Do whatever the hell you want. I don't care." It came out angrier than he wanted it to.

"If you tell me not to go after her, I won't."

Yu had placed his hand on the table. He tried holding it out to his friend. What is this? Somekind of 'I'm-sorry-for-stealing-Naoto-from-you Handshake?' Kanji wasn't sure, and he didn't really care. "Yeah, right."

"I mean it, Kanji. Just say it, and I won't do anything. Just say it."

"I ain't saying shit to you." Angry. He was angry, and to the utter disgust, he was angry at his closest friend. Were they even friends anymore?

"Kanji, please! I'm... I'm so sorry."

He didn't yell, but he was still loud enough to get the attention of several other customers. Most importantly, Yu caught Kanji's attention. He finally looked up, and he was shocked by what he saw. Yu Narukami, the stoic, level-headed leader of their band of misfits, looked like hell. His face was so contorted, struggling to contain the emotions inside of him, to remain that stoic leader, but he couldn't.

The shimmering, silver eyes that held a wealth of knowledge and wisdom were dead, broken and dulled into grey fields of nothingness. He couldn't see the calm, collected, and perfect hero anymore. All he saw was his terrified, heartbroken brother on the verge of tears.

Yu-Senpai hated himself. Kanji could see it in his eyes. It was the look Kanji gave himself before Senpai helped him accept him accept the man that he was. Senpai told him it was okay to be honest with himself, and now, here Yu was. Hating himself for what his heart desired. Hating himself for who he was.

The man who gave himself to others, who worked tirelessly to fund and lead the Investigation Team, was on the verge of a breakdown. Kanji remembered offering some cash for new weapons, but his Senpai rejected the idea. He told him to keep it for himself and get something that would make him happy.

Yu Narukami was proud to be Kanji's friend, but that was the problem. The silverette's heart broke when he realized he had fallen for Naoto. So now he begged for Kanjii's help, for the first time, maybe even the last time.

"Please. Tell me what to do. I'm scared," he heard his Senpai cry. Or try to say. In reality, all Yu could muster were some choked up sobs and a few quick gasps for air. His walls were breaking. He couldn't stop the tears. Yu's hand gently knocked on the table, and the younger boy looked at it.

It was the strap the artist made for him. It sat in his hand, stretched out to its creator. Why? Because Yu felt he didn't deserve it anymore. Because Yu wasn't acting like the best friend, the brother, Kanji thought he was. The silver haired youth didn't think he deserved it anymore.

"Heh." Kanji chuckled. He didn't know why, maybe cause it was all he could have done in the face of all this drama. Here they were, trying to solver a murder mystery, and the biggest problem on their minds was a girl? There was some comedy there. "She's all yours, Senpai." His hands touched Yu's and gently pushed it back to the leader. "Go. Be happy. You deserve it."

"No, I don't," He argued. "I betrayed you. Kanji, I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen, I just... I just..."

"Hey. S'cool. I mean it."

"Shit." Yosuke quietly ate his fries as Kanji ate his steak. The two had ordered food and more drinks, stuffing their faces as the younger boy recited his story. "Did you mean it? That it was... cool?"

"Still ain't sure... Senpai sure didn't think it was true. He came over the next day, and the day after that. He kept apologizing, kept saying he was sorry for betraying me. Third time he came over, I told him 'Come on! This ain't the Senpai I look up to! The Senpai I know is a man! He wouldn't be crying over something that ain't true! You didn't betray me! You didn't backstab me! Now get off your ass and go tell her how you feel!'"

"And that worked?"

Kanji just smirked in response, before finishing another soda.

"Man. I can't believe it. I mean, shit, dude."

"Yeah. I know."

"Can't believe Narukami stole Naoto from you..."

"Hey! Don't you start too! Senpai didn't freakin' steal anybody from me! The heart wants what it freakin' wants, and like hell I'm gonna give him shit for something he can't control!"

"Whoa! Alright, alright. I'm sorry!"

"Damn right, you are. I had to deal with that pity party with Senpai, I ain't dealing it with you too, Hanamura," Kanji grumbled, chomping down on his meal. The two were silent for a while, quietly finishing their meals together. Once their trays and sodas were emptied, and their bellies were full, they just sat beside each other, throwing garbage into a nearby trashcan.

"Missed again," Kanji chuckled.

"I know when I miss, Kanji, you don't gotta tell me," Yosuke grumbled, walking over to pick up his trash. He returned back to Kanji's side and sat beside him at the table, watching the blonde boy score a point. "You know, its not the same, but I kinda know what its like. To get your heart broken, and be betrayed."

"Oh yeah?" Shit, we really going back to this topic? Kanji thought. "How so?"

"Saki-Senpai."

Kanji missed his next shot. He walked over to fetch it, but his mind wasn't focused on making the point anymore. "That was..." The second victim...?

"Yeah. I don't think I ever told you everything about it." Kanji was quiet, and Yosuke took it as a sign to go on. "I liked her. We worked at Junes together, and I always did my best to play it cool around her."

"I'm sorry, Senpai," Kanji muttered, looking at the ball of trash in his hand.

"When she died, that's what pushed me into going into the TV World with Yu. I told her, it was because I wanted to avenge the girl I loved. We found the place where she died, and I heard her voice." Yosuke had a melancholic smile on his face. It was a look Kanji had never seen on him before. "She told me she always thought I was a pain in the ass. That she never liked me..."

"Yosuke, I-I'm sorry, man."

The brunette shrugged in response. "Hey. Don't worry about it. I've made peace with it. I know its not exactly like what you, Naoto, and Yu went through. Honestly, I'm not sure which is worse, but if you ever wanted to talk about it, or anything... I'm here for you, Kanji."

The two looked at one another, and they felt something change. They could sense the kinship between the two, the heartbreak the two had experienced. They felt the scars of betrayal, even if the ones that made them were so very different. They smiled at one another, as friends do, and they felt their bond grow stronger because of it.

"Hey, Kanji?"

"Yeah?"

"If you're not busy tomorrow, you wanna hang out here again? Just eat and shoot the shit, that kind of stuff?"

"Yeah." Kanji nodded with a look of joy on his face. He had a content smile on his face, the first one since Yu had left. "I'm in."

"Cool. That's cool..."

A silence as the two sat there, but this time, neither raced to fill it. They just sat their and took it all in, silently thankful of the other's presence. Eventually though, Kanji was the first to speak. "Hey, Senpai, can I ask you a question?"

"Huh? Sure, Kanji. What's up?"

"What the hell was with that...bird and fish thing earlier?"

"O-oh..." Yosuke was blushing as he threw his ball of trash. It made it, but neither mentioned it. "It was, I was trying to be metaphorical."

"Meta... huh?"

"You know, fish are gay cause they live in the ocean only, and birds are straight cause they can fly? And they don't really understand each other, but that's okay. They can be friends still!"

"Don't birds eat fish?"

"N-not all of them!"

"And besides, not all birds fly. What about emus? Or ostriches?"

"Okay, so I'm not really good at metaphors! Cut me some slack, I'm new at this! Yu would have made it sound smart," Yosuke sighed, leaning back in his seat. Kanji gawked at the other boy, before gently punching his shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"

"If I wanted to talk to Narukami-Senpai, I would have talked to him. I didn't come here to talk to him though, did I? I came here to hang out with Yosuke Hanamura! Remember that next time, damn it."

Yosuke stared at his younger peer with a baffled look on his face, before he grinned. "Right. Next time."

CRASH! Ooooh! Whoosh! RANK UP!

Man, this really snowballed out of control... Originally, it was just gonna be a story about Yosuke apologizing to being a dick to Kanji. Now, its... Well, I think I know what I was aiming for. I wanted to hit two points.

1. Make it feel like its two friends just hanging out and shooting the shit with each other. In real life, you sit down, you talk to a buddy, and you just talk about whatever's going on.

2. Emulate a social link scene with the two talking and how it ends on them wanting to hang out more.

I know some characters accuse Yosuke of being homophobic and mean towards Kanji. I don't think he is, or at least, I don't think he means to be. To me, Yosuke comes off as someone who just hasn't ever met someone who was gay, and his parents never really talked to him about it. I'll admit, I might think that because that's who I used to be. Yosuke's statements about how he didn't know how to talk to a gay person mirror my own when I was a lot younger. Of course, now I know you talk to them like you do anyone else, and that's part of what Yosuke learns here today.

Then I made Kanji mention how Yu and Naoto got together, and that made me want to dig into THAT more. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, I added more and more to this short story, tripling it in length. I wanted to show that Yu wasn't trying to be a bad friend by falling for Naoto. In truth, he hated himself for it, but the heart wants what it wants and he needed to make a decision. So he gave the choice to Kanji. If Kanji had asked, Yu would have stopped being around Naoto and would have fought to kill his feelings for her.

But he didn't, because Kanji wouldn't want him to suffer like that. After all, Yu was the one who helped him accept himself. He felt like he owed him one.

THEN that made me want to add in the brief scene at the end about Saki, and I realized, that was something the two could have bonded over. They both got their hearts broken.

Anyways, this is becoming the longest Author's Note I've left behind. I'm just gonna shut up and hope you enjoyed reading the story.

Have a nice day.