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Fukuzawa stood in front of a convenience store he never saw.
He was so sure that he was in an alley, in the middle of the street. He was on his way home, when he saw a shadow lurking in that alley, so he meant to check the situation quickly, and he was ready to take action if there was a crime happening in the back of that alley.
But he found no one there, and there was this sudden bright light that he had to cover his eyes with his arms. Then, when the light subdued, he was faced with a bright convenience store at night.
"I have been transferred to a different place," Fukuzawa concluded. He needed to stay calm so he could think straight and find a quick solution.
The automatic door of the convenience store opened and Fukuzawa saw someone he knew well, from the bottom of his heart.
A teenage boy he could recognize everywhere, with his black outfit and black hat. Still scrawny, so small he wanted to wrap the kid like a burrito.
"Ran-" Fukuzawa stopped himself. He surely went into a different place, and time. He traveled back into the past.
He was dumbfounded for a moment, trying to process things. Perhaps, he was attacked by an ability user, but for what purpose? Why the enemy sent him to the past where he met this version of Ranpo?
Right. This version of the 14-year-old of his boy who had not met him, who was probably living on the street, struggling to find some food and shelter. Had not been his boy yet.
"Ah. It's raining," the boy said, trotting to a nearby shelter, carrying a plastic bag with something he just bought.
True, Fukuzawa felt raindrops falling on him. So he followed the kid under the shelter.
They stood in silence, watching the rain fall. Ranpo opened his package, it was a rice ball. He ate it and spoke.
"Just say what you want to say, Ojisan."
"Huh?" Fukuzawa was surprised. Evidently, at this age, Ranpo had already his sharp observational skills.
"You keep staring at me. I don't know you, perhaps you know me," Ranpo talked with his mouth full. Fukuzawa almost warned the kid not to talk while chewing, that he could choke if he kept doing that. But the words stopped on the tip of his tongue. Because at this time, he was just a stranger to this kid.
"Kid, where do you live?" Fukuzawa tried some small talk.
"In the police academy’s dormitory," Ranpo answered, already eating half of his rice ball.
"It's a pretty late night for snacking," Fukuzawa said with a fond tone, feeling a bit relieved. So, this Ranpo still had a place to sleep.
Fukuzawa thought, with an ache in his heart, about what Ranpo had to endure in several weeks, or several days. About how he would be robbed of his place to stay, how all the stupid adults pushed him away. About how much suffering this kid had to face before the kid met him.
Fukuzawa never felt this much regret that he should have met Ranpo much sooner.
"It's my dinner," Ranpo said, now already finishing his meal, "I woke up late after my nap today, and I just realized I missed dinner. The dormitory supervisor wouldn't let me have another extra dinner, said that it was a lesson of discipline."
Another piercing ache across his chest. But Fukuzawa didn't say anything. He just tightened his jaw.
There was this swell of feelings that pushed Fukuzawa to hug this kid and tell him that he could go home with him, that he didn't need to go back to the dorm, because his home was not there. He wanted to say that Ranpo could eat whatever food he liked because Fukuzawa would always cook his meals. He wanted to say that Ranpo could forget the useless police academy and a lame excuse of a failure which was his father’s friend and all of those boring monsters in his world. He wanted to grab those smaller, frail hands, and never let go.
But he couldn’t, because he technically hadn’t met this kid and this was in the past and he didn’t want to disturb the time flow.
He just hoped that Ranpo could find him sooner. Fukuzawa clenched his fists tightly. Oh, how he wanted to wrap this kid in his arms and protect him from this cruel world.
"I guess the rain wouldn't stop sooner," Ranpo said, snapping Fukuzawa out of his internal conflict, "I'll just run through it so I won't be locked out of the dorm."
Right. A dormitory should have a night curfew.
"Wait, kid," Fukuzawa stopped Ranpo and took his haori off, "I will accompany you. Use this to cover your head so you won't get soaked."
Ranpo looked at the haori, then at Fukuzawa, "but, Ojisan, what about you?"
"Don't worry about me, I'm the adult, I don't easily get sick," I will protect you, the words that were left unspoken. Fukuzawa gave his haori to Ranpo, which he accepted.
"Silly adult. Well whatever," Ranpo said with a sliver of gratitude in his tone.
"Ah," Fukuzawa fished out his handkerchief and wiped the food stain on the corner of the kid's mouth, "here."
"Ah, thanks, Ojisan," Ranpo blushed a little, out of embarrassment that a stranger fussed over him. Fukuzawa put his handkerchief back into his pocket.
"Are you ready?" Fukuzawa set the haori on Ranpo so it covered the kid's head and body. Ranpo secured it by grabbing the haori close to his chest. He felt something enlarged in his chest that he once lost: warmth...and safety.
"Kid, are you fine?" Fukuzawa asked worriedly, making Ranpo jerk a little, returning himself from memorizing the feelings of his past.
"Yep! This way, Old man!" Then they ran through the rain.
No way Ranpo would ask this old man to grab his hand (so that the old man wouldn’t get lost, he said internally). He's just another adult that he would never understand in this strange world full of monsters. However, Ranpo almost uttered 'can I stay with you instead?'.
--------------------------------------------
They arrived in front of the police academy's dorm. Ranpo got in time. He took off the wet haori then turned around to return it. But something odd happened right before his eyes.
That old man's form started to disappear.
"Old man! What's happening to you?!" Ranpo jumped.
"Ranpo, listen," Fukuzawa said, his eyes meeting the kid's eyes sternly yet softly, full of warmth and...sorrow, “If you find me later, please keep reminding me to never let you go!”
And Fukuzawa disappeared without a trace.
"W-what..." Ranpo stunned. The haori in his hands disappeared too. But what shocked him the most was that this burst of longing feeling for the stranger he just met and gave him a piece of kindness.
Ranpo went into the dorm with the blurring memory of the old man, and the moment he stepped into his room, that memory was completely lost. He thought that he managed to come into the dorm in time, but weirdly, he's not soaked. The rain fell hard outside, and he just came from the store with barely wet hair.
'Hm, weird' he thought.
But something crossed in his mind for a moment, no matter how absurd it was. Maybe, just maybe, his guardian angel took him home.
----------Back to the present---------------
Fukuzawa appeared in the dark alley again, with his soaked haori in front of him. He froze, seeing now his surroundings changed suddenly. Back to his right time and place, he guessed.
He walked out of the alley with something heavy in his chest, and his wet haori in his hands.
"Fukuzawa-san!" A cheerful voice greeted him. Fukuzawa felt like he hadn't heard that melodious voice in forever. Oh, how he missed that sound.
"Ranpo" Fukuzawa smiled.
"What are you doing here? Why you have water stains on your clothes?" Ranpo asked, tilting his head.
Fukuzawa closed the distance and suddenly embraced his boy. He didn't answer, though, because he was basking himself in Ranpo's presence. He wanted to pay the kid back with the embrace he couldn’t give. Oh, how he missed holding this kid in his arms.
Ranpo was confused but he just enjoyed his president being suddenly affectionate. He wrapped his arms around the older man, and Fukuzawa tightened his embrace. Well, Ranpo could ask about Fukuzawa’s dampened form later.
"I'm glad I found you, kid," Fukuzawa hummed.
"I'm glad I found you too, Fukuzawa-san," Ranpo murmured.
They held each other for a moment. Then, Fukuzawa released first.
"Let's go home," Fukuzawa offered his hand, smiling and feeling so grateful that he could let this kid into his life. He really hoped that the other version of Ranpo in the past he just met also found the other version of him in that time.
"Yeah," Ranpo took the offering hand.
The sun was setting and the light radiated serenely, reflecting the silhouettes of two lonely souls that found each other, being connected by the hands that refuse to let go.