── .✦ NAGUMO YOICHI: see you again .ᐟ
(a/n): short story i posted on wattpad i lwk forgot i had this app (ᵕ,—ᴗ—,)
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ IN WHICH, is he truly happy even without her presence?
⊹ angst, fluff (if you squint hard enough ;)), 5.5K words ᝰ nagumo x fem!reader, you’re dead LOL
━━ "NAGUMO, where have you been these past few days? you're supposed to be getting new information on slur, yet you've gotten nothing?" hyo's voice is low, and he raises a brow at the black-haired male who stands in the corner of a room in the jaa building.
"i'm searching, don't worry! but... maybe i have been getting a bit side-tracked," nagumo laughs hesitantly, scratching his jawline and looks away.
hyo frowns, unamused at the great assassin's behavior. "right," he says, glaring at nagumo in the dark corner he's in.
"whatever," hyo excuses himself and leaves the room, walking past nagumo. nagumo lets out a deep breath, his usual smile wearing off for a minute before feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket.
he glances at the caller id and answers, lifting the phone to his ear. "hey, sakamoto," he greets, chuckling. "my, my! this is the first time you've called me first," he teases the retired hitman.
the retired hitman ignores his words and cuts to the chase, "we found some information about slur whereabouts—wait, are you at her grave right now?"
"did you now...? and no, but i was about to head over there just now," he replies, leaving the building and leaping onto a rooftop. he gazes down at the city before sitting down, his legs dangling over the edge.
he hears sakamoto on the other line taking down an assassin for a second before speaking again, "you should go visit her first then come to my store after."
nagumo smiles after hearing this, "alright. see ya sakamoto!"
he gets hung up on but doesn't mind. he shoves his phone into his pocket and glances up at the sky one last time before leaving.
"i'll always be watching you even if i can't see you. and you'll always be watching me."
━━ "AKAO! you're hogging y/n all to yourself! it's not fair!" the black-haired male whined as rion kept holding y/n in her arms.
she stuck her tongue out at him. "you think i care?"
the four—sakamoto, rion, y/n, and nagumo—were at the beach, a hangout they had planned a few days prior for their free day.
nagumo playfully frowned, but sakamoto grabbed him by the shoulder and sat him down on one of the beach chairs they had brought. rion led y/n to the ocean to splash each other and find seashells.
"when are you going to ask her out?" sakamoto asked nagumo, who leaned back in the chair with his arms behind his head.
sakamoto face-palmed. "you clearly like her. just ask her out already.
"i can't," nagumo said, as sakamoto's brows furrowed.
"why? you're not shy about asking girls out. what's the difference with y/n?"
nagumo sighed, sitting up and crossing his legs. "there's a difference between asking someone out for fun and asking someone out because you actually like them, sakamoto," he explained.
sakamoto squatted down, rummaging through his beach bag. he pulled out a coin, holding it up to nagumo. "heads or tails?"
"what's this for?" nagumo asked, but guessed anyway. "heads."
sakamoto flipped the coin; it landed neatly on his palm. it was tails. but he quickly flipped it over before nagumo could see. "it's heads... you lose. you have to ask her out."
"what? nooo way! you're lying. show me it actually landed on heads.
sakamoto revealed the coin to nagumo.
the gray-haired male nodded. "yeah, go ask her out now—"
"ask who out?" y/n interrupted, her sudden appearance startling the two boys. she came back with rion, each holding a bucket filled with seashells.
nagumo quickly changed the subject. "huh? what? no one!—what's in those buckets?"
y/n glanced down at the bucket she was holding. "seashells!"
sakamoto then cleared his throat. "by the way, y/n, nagumo has something to tell you—"
"no, i don't!" nagumo nudged sakamoto to stop talking.
she tilted her head, a bit confused. "oh, really? well, nagumo, i want to show you something." she told him. nagumo stood up, letting her take his hand.
his heart thumped, but he kept up his usual smile. as she and nagumo walked away, rion scratched her temple. "he definitely likes her."
the video of them at the beach plays endlessly, each loop a fresh wave of grief. nagumo, a man of stone, now weeps until his eyes run dry. it was an unprecedented sight; anyone who witnessed it would swear it was an imposter wearing his face.
he yearns for her voice, its melody now a ghost in his memory. every day, he finds himself at her graveside, pouring out his heart in one-sided conversations.
standing before her tombstone, he gazes at the vast sky, picturing her soaring freely in the heavens above.
"if i could, i would continue to help you find seashells at the beach."
━━ "IT'S SO PRETTY..." she admired the sky in awe, but his focus was solely on her.
"what is?" nagumo asked, his hands tucked in his jacket pockets as her hands were clasped together.
"sunrises!" y/n answered, smiling softly at the orange and pink hues that began to paint the clouds. she closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin.
nagumo hummed. "well i prefer sunsets because that's when they remind me it's almost time for dinner!" he laughed, and she followed suit.
"that too... but sunrises tell you that a new day has begun." she slowly opened her eyes, turned toward him, and held out her hand for him to take.
he grasped her hand. "yeah, yeah, whatever. well, sunsets are still better."
she tugged him up, and together they headed toward school. "maybe we can ask taro and rion if they want to come with us tomorrow?" she suggested, but nagumo immediately shook his head, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"nah, maybe just the two of us again."
"hm," she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "okay, but i'm gonna tell them both you said that!" she laughed as he rolled his eyes playfully, his smile widening ever so slightly.
"yeah, right—" just as he said that, he felt her slip out of his arm and begin to walk even faster toward the school.
"wait, no, y/n! i was just joking! we can definitely bring them next time!" he exclaimed, catching up with her as she stopped and turned around to face him.
"i'm just kidding! i like it when it's just us," she said, bringing her hands up to his face, cupping his cheeks to bring him closer before their lips met for a brief second.
"we can watch the sunset as well," she whispered, giving him a kiss on the cheek before grabbing his hand and running inside.
"i miss everything... i miss it... i miss us..."
━━ HE REMEMBERED the day he asked y/n to be his girlfriend as clearly as if it were happening all over again.
it was valentines day, and as jcc's most popular and hottest assassin-in-the-making at school, he was receiving about ten chocolates a minute from his fan club.
all these chocolates, yet not a single one from her. he was pretty bummed out since he had been looking forward to getting a chocolate from y/n.
but he couldn't find her anywhere. he tapped on rion's shoulder when he managed to find one of his friends. she turned around, a chocolate bar in her hand that she was in the middle of eating. "what?"
"where's y/n?" he asked his friend after she swallowed the last of her chocolate bar.
but she shrugged. "i honestly don't know. but i'm pretty sure she's getting gifts from her own fan club."
nagumo pouted, and when he lingered nearby, rion frowned. "what are you doing just standing here? go get your girl! go now!" she shoved him, sending him crashing into the opposite wall, which cracked slightly upon impact.
he rubbed his back, feigning pain. "ow..." since he didn't actually feel anything, the act was over in a flash. "have you been practicing your physical strength?"
rion nodded, a small smirk playing on her lips. "i gotta advance, y'know?"
nagumo left her on heard and immediately began roaming the building in search of y/n. he ran, avoiding nearby fights and dodging students who were chasing him to give him gifts.
suddenly, he caught a glimpse of y/n. he stopped in his tracks and moved toward her, noticing she was talking to...
no, just y/n. that dork uzuki kei had no personality. he cleared his throat loudly and stood behind her, waiting for her to acknowledge him. when she finally turned around, his heart almost skipped a beat.
"oh, hey there, nagumo!" y/n smiled at him, pausing her conversation with uzuki. little did she know, uzuki had quietly slipped away as soon as nagumo appeared.
nagumo leaned against the wall, his elbow propped against it, and looked down at her. "so..." he began, trying to steer the conversation somewhere meaningful.
she giggled and pulled a box of chocolates from her backpack. "here," she said, handing it to him. "i made it just for you."
february fourteenth, valentine's day—the day he had asked her out.
he gladly took it from her. "thank..." his cheeks flushed. "...you."
he felt a pang of guilt, realizing he had been so preoccupied with whether y/n would give him chocolate that he hadn't thought to give her anything in return.
she brushed off his gratitude with a pat on his shoulder and started to leave, but he took her hand, stopping her.
y/n turned around, and nagumo smiled gently at her.
"hey, wanna be my girlfriend?"
ch. 5: for the first time ᝰ.ᐟ
━━ NAGUMO WAS handed a list of names on a sheet of paper. "here," the voice says, "this is a list of people you have to kill by tonight."
these were his targets, his victims for the evening. he simply nods, accepting the grim task before leaving the jaa building, his mind already mapping out the locations of these assassins working under slur.
however, instead of heading straight for his targets, he decides to take a detour through the city.
the weight of the impending spree hung heavy, and he felt the need to delay it, if only for a little while.
his first stop was a familiar street food vendor. he picks up his usual stash of pocky and some nutritious food.
"remember to eat your greens, yoichi!" her voice echoes in his head as he leaves the area, a bag filled with his favorite snacks and healthy sustenance.
he carries the bag around the city, finding solace in the mundane. he takes small naps on park benches, his presence scaring some civilians who weren't used to seeing such a menacing figure in such a vulnerable state.
after each nap, he would eat, replenishing his energy for the task ahead.
as the day drew to a close and the sun began its descent, nagumo hurries to find the assassins before heading to the mountain.
the same mountain where he would watch the sun set or rise with her.
he runs through the city, his mind focusing on the task at hand. suddenly, he stops dead in his tracks, his eyes fixated on a woman.
a woman who looks exactly like his lover. without thinking, he rushes towards her and grabbs her by the shoulders.
"y/n...?" he blurts out, his voice filled with a desperate hope. the lady turns around, her expression a mix of confusion and shock.
"whoops! i'm sorry!" he quickly apologizes, bowing deeply before leaving the area, slightly embarrassed by his impulsive actions.
"i must be hallucinating..."
ch. 6: save your tears ᝰ.ᐟ
━━ HE JUST MISSED his lover, the ache a constant companion in his heart.
nagumo clutches the plastic bag in his hand as he makes his way to the graveyard, a place where he could be found every day of the week. it was a pilgrimage he couldn't bear to miss.
he has never missed a day of coming to this place ever since she passed away. because if he does, even if he was forced to, he would never forgive himself. the guilt of not being able to protect her on that tragic day weighs heavily on his soul.
consider it a longtime streak. at least, he hopes he could make it up to her by not being able to protect her on that tragic day of her death. a silent promise to honor her memory, to keep her alive in his heart.
he kneels down, his joints protesting with a soft creak. he says a little prayer, before placing the plastic bag on the tombstone. he brushes off the dirt and places his briefcase beside the tombstone.
"hey, y/n." the words were a mere whisper, softer than any sound he'd ever allow himself to make. "y'know, today marks our tenth anniversary?"
he fought the tears that clawed at his throat, threatening to spill over. "happy... ten years," he chokes out, each syllable a shard of glass.
his hand trembles as he reached for the plastic bag, the crinkling of the plastic loud in the otherwise silent cemetery. inside, a small bouquet lay nestled, a splash of color against the drab landscape.
"your favorites," he mutters, his voice thick with unshed tears. he carefully lifts the wilted flowers from the vase on her grave, replacing them with the fresh ones, a futile offering to the woman who lays beneath the cold earth.
a long, shaky breath escapes his lips, as if trying to expel the grief that had taken root in his soul. "i'm pretty sure," he whispers, his gaze fixed on the headstone, "if you were alive still, i'd have quit this assassin life. and we'd have had that family we always talked about."
nagumo continues to talk, "sakamoto and i miss you, though we don't show it much... we found out uzuki is slur and—"
he wipes his tears away with his sleeve, the rough fabric doing little to soothe the raw ache in his heart. "and... how's akao? you both told me we would all die together because that's what friends were, right?"
yet his smile didn't waver, a fragile mask against the pain. he continues to smile, a desperate attempt to honor her memory. "you must be happy to see me still alive and healthy. i'm very happy to be your boyfriend, y/n."
his smile only widens, but his chest tightened with each passing moment. "you told me to be happy, always. you said my smile was the best thing you've ever saw and—"
a hiccup escapes his lips, betraying his composure. he needs water, something to calm the storm raging inside him.
"y/n..." he chokes out, covering his mouth to stifle any more hiccups, the sound a pathetic echo in the vast silence.
a voice called from behind, cutting through the heavy silence. nagumo was in an unbearable state to look at, his grief raw and exposed. no one had ever seen him like this, not even sakamoto taro.
sakamoto places a hand on nagumo's shoulder, a gesture of comfort and support. "listen, i'm sure she's happy with what you're doing. but i don't think she wants to see you cry uncontrollably at her grave on your tenth anniversary."
nagumo's eyes widens slightly, a flicker of understanding in their depths. he doesn't question why sakamoto is here. he straightens himself up, the ever-present mask of cheerfulness slowly returning.
he stands up, dusting the dirt off his pants and picking his briefcase back up. "right!"
and just like that, he was back to his usual cheery self, the transformation almost jarring. "thank you, sakamoto! you're my best bud!"
sakamoto deadpans, his expression unchanged by nagumo's sudden shift. he sighs, a mix of relief and resignation, and then left the graveyard with the assassin.
"it's not like you to cry, yoichi," she said softly, her voice filled with warmth and affection. she gently held his face, wiping his tears away with her thumbs, her touch tender and reassuring.
"your smile is the best thing i've ever seen. keep smiling. for me, okay?" she told him, her own smile radiant and filled with love.
nagumo stared at her, memorizing every detail of her face, until his tears were no more.
that day, he vowed to keep smiling, no matter what. as long as it made her happy, he would carry her memory with a smile on his face.
"you told me to continue to smile. but i want to see you smile again."
━━ HE WOKE UP, his memory a hazy fog. was it all just a long, cruel dream?
"yoichi!" y/n's voice rang out, clear and bright. no, no, it most definitely wasn't a dream. but how is this possible? he stared around his bedroom, taking in every familiar detail, trying to ground himself in reality.
he was back home. y/n barged into his room, her energy infectious. "yoichi! you slept in late. c'mon! we're gonna be late!"
he blinked a few times, his mind struggling to catch up. y/n... was talking to him? but isn't this what he wanted? for her to be alive and well, vibrant and full of life?
and then he felt something escape his eye, tracing a warm path down his cheek. it was wet. a tear. a tear had slipped out, unbidden, after hearing her voice, after seeing her standing there, impossibly real.
he remained frozen in bed, sitting as stiff as a rock, overwhelmed by the impossible reality unfolding before him.
it wasn't until she finally noticed his expression that her brow furrowed with concern. "you're... crying? what's wrong?" her voice was filled with worry, yet tinged with urgency, as she clearly didn't want to be late.
"nothing...!" he instantly wiped his tears away, a nervous energy filling him as he scrambled off his bed. "let's just go to school..."
and just like that, everything was normal again. he was back again as a teenager at jcc, preparing to become an assassin.
he was sitting with sakamoto, rion, and his girlfriend at the lunch tables, the familiar banter and camaraderie a comforting balm to his bewildered soul.
he was fighting alongside his lover, their movements synchronized and seamless.
he was sitting beside her in class, stealing glances and sharing secret smiles. the mundane normalcy of it all felt like a miracle.
he was back with her, the familiar thrill of combat mixing with the warmth of her presence.
"let's go on a date, y/n!" he blurted out in the middle of attacking her, the words tumbling out in a rush. the two had been paired up for a match to practice their combat, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
y/n almost paused, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second before she recovered, punching nagumo softly in the stomach. "you're extra clingy today. are you trying to distract me so you can beat me?" she teased.
nagumo smiled, the familiar sting of her punch a welcome sensation. "nope!" he chirped, bouncing back up, his energy renewed.
until he wakes up, again. the abrupt transition jolted him awake, the lingering warmth of her presence fading like a phantom limb.
he stares at the ceiling, the familiar disorientation washing over him, until a figure hovers over him, breaking through the haze of his thoughts. "mr. sakamoto! nagumo's awake!"
was he knocked out or what? he immediately sits up, his head swimming with a dull ache. "hey sakamoto! what happened?" he asks, a chuckle escaping his lips despite the confusion.
"you were in front of my store unconscious for some reason," sakamoto replies, his voice filled with concern.
"he's so stupid," shin spits out, the familiar chuckle nagumo let out grating on his nerves. shin irks, "oh shut up, nagumo!”
"haha y/n, i still can't let you go."
━━ IT WAS another one of those hard fighting days at jcc, the air thick with anticipation and the scent of sweat. nagumo was assigned to fight sakamoto taro, his best friend at the time and arguably the strongest one in the entire jcc.
but nagumo was no slouch; he was a formidable fighter in his own right. he and sakamoto would almost be neck and neck in every fight. however, sakamoto, with his uncanny reflexes and strategic mind, would always find a way to gain the upper hand, beating nagumo by a hair's breadth.
so, as everyone took turns fighting on the field, y/n and rion stayed beside each other, their eyes glued to the intense battle unfolding before them.
they watched their two friends fight with a seriousness that bordered on unsettling, their movements precise and powerful. it was as if they were going to kill each other.
the tension in the air reached a fever pitch when nagumo, in a moment of desperation or perhaps calculated strategy, pulled a metal pipe out of nowhere.
he raised it high above his head, ready to slam it down on sakamoto's head with bone-crushing force.
but sakamoto was vigilant, he dodged the blow with lightning speed, seizing the opportunity to retaliate. with a swift, decisive move, he whacked nagumo down to the ground, the metal pipe clattering uselessly beside him.
nagumo chuckled, a hint of resignation in his voice. "i'm still no match for you, sakamoto," he admitted, laying on the ground, his head bleeding from the impact.
no one seemed to care much about his bleeding head, chalking it up to his reputation as a tough guy who could handle anything.
no one, that is, except for her.
y/n, her brow furrowed with concern, dragged nagumo off the field, clearing the way for the next pair of classmates to fight. she leaned him against the wall, providing him with some semblance of support.
he sat with one arm resting above his knee and the other on the floor, trying to appear nonchalant despite the blood trickling down his forehead.
y/n retrieved her trusty med kit, a constant companion that she always carried with her, and opened it with practiced ease.
nagumo tried to wipe the blood off and hide it underneath his bangs, but y/n wouldn't have it. she hissed at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of exasperation and concern, and gently but firmly forced his bangs up.
"don't try to hide your wounds from me," she scolded, her voice soft but firm.
nagumo's face betrayed a hint of discomfort as she tended to his wound. he didn't like it when she saw him bleeding, because he felt weak and vulnerable in those moments.
"sorry..." he mumbled, allowing her to wipe the blood away and bandage the area that had been injured.
"there you go..." she said softly, putting away her med kit and settling down beside him. "you're too... reckless," she chided gently, her voice laced with concern.
"i went against sakamoto, what do you expect?" he replied with a chuckle, his eyes fixed on his classmates as they fought. y/n couldn't help but smile slightly at his attitude.
"it's okay, i'll always be here to take care of you," she announced, leaning her head on nagumo's shoulder, a gesture of affection and reassurance.
"no one fixes me up like you do anymore."
━━ HE KEPT her phone close, a constant presence in his life, like a phantom limb. he would spend hours scrolling through her photos, each one a bittersweet echo of moments they'd shared.
it was more than a habit; it was a ritual, a way to keep her memory alive. this phone was one of the last tangible pieces he had left of her, and he clung to it as if it held the very essence of her being.
after a long, solitary bath, nagumo sits on his bed, the lingering warmth unable to penetrate the coldness in his heart. he was shirtless, clad only in pants, a towel loosely draped around his neck.
he reaches for her phone, placing it tenderly beside his own. with a shaky breath, he dials her number, listening to the familiar ringing that led only to her voicemail.
"hey, this is y/n! i'm currently busy right now, so if you have a message, leave a message!" her voice, once a vibrant melody, now a haunting refrain.
he dials again, and again, and again, each time seeking solace in the sound of her voice, a desperate attempt to bridge the gap between the present and the past.
"hey y/n, it's me, yoichi..." he stops, the words catching in his throat. he turns off both phones, the silence amplifying the ache in his chest.
putting on a shirt, he walks over to his balcony and leans against the railing, the sprawling city a distant backdrop to his grief.
he stares at the sky, watching the sun bleed into the horizon, a poignant reminder of endings and fading light.
"we could be watching the sun set right now."
━━ "HEY, WANNA know something?" y/n asked. he nodded, his mouth full, crumbs clinging to the corners of his lips as he devoured the cookies. "you're a pretty boy, yoichi," she declared, amusement in her voice.
he swallowed, a hint of pink dusting his cheeks. "really? you? think so?" he mumbled, suddenly self-conscious.
y/n nodded, gently cupping his cheek, her gaze softening as she watched him. "i think you're very pretty, yoichi," she repeated, a genuine smile gracing her lips.
his eyes widened slightly, a bit of surprise crossing his face. he scratched the back of his head, a smirk slowly spreading across his lips.
turning to his friends, he announced, "hey, sakamoto! akao! did you hear that? y/n thinks i'm pretty!" he flexed, prompting sakamoto and rion to roll their eyes in unison.
they didn't even acknowledge him—they barely did. they were too engrossed in their own conversation as if he hadn't said a word.
he whined, clearly seeking their attention, but they remained unfazed. y/n, however, reached out and gently ruffled his hair, her fingers massaging his scalp.
"it's okay, yoichi," she reassured him, her voice soft.
he immediately stopped pouting, leaning into her touch. "you're right," he declared, a grin spreading across his face. "only you matter to me!"
y/n gave him a deadpan look, taking a sip of her water. "hm..." she hummed, tapping her fingers against the table, the rhythmic clicks filling the silence. "i—“
"let's get married!" nagumo blurted out, interrupting her. every head in the vicinity swiveled in his direction, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"what is wrong with you?" rion exclaimed, playfully glaring at him, while sakamoto simply stared with a blank expression.
nagumo pouted again, then turned back to y/n, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "we should get married! our kids would be super cute, don't you think?"
"what?!" y/n exclaimed, completely taken aback. she glanced around, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks since sakamoto and rion were listening intently.
"because you're so pretty! you're my pretty girl!" nagumo gushed, beaming at her. y/n slowly nodded, a bemused expression on her face.
"right..." she then crossed her arms, trying to regain her composure. "sure," she mumbled.
nagumo's ears perked up, his eyes widening. "what was that?" he asked, barely daring to believe what he'd heard.
she sighed, resigned. "i said sure, as in, i'll marry you," she clarified.
a wide smile spread across nagumo's face, lighting up his features. "yay!" he cheered, clapping his hands together. "sakamoto, you're my best man, and rion is y/n's maid of honor!"
"it's too early to be talking about marriage..."
was it though? was it too soon?
nagumo's mind raced, replaying the moment over and over. the truth was, his biggest regret was never marrying y/n.
but how could he have known she would be taken so suddenly? he didn't even have a ring at that time.
a wave of self-hatred washed over him, a constant reminder of his failure to protect her. each day began with a heavy burden, the crushing weight of losing the one he loved.
once again, he finds himself kneeling before her tombstone once more. with a sigh, he places a ring gently on top of the cold stone.
"i never got to ask you this, and i know it might seem silly now, but... will you marry me?" the silence that follows was deafening, broken only by the whisper of the wind.
yet, he can't hold back the words, the question that had haunted him since the day she was gone. his heart ached with a longing that never faded.
he had always envisioned a future where she was his wife, a dream now shattered. every reminder of her, no matter how small, brought a fresh wave of grief.
a familiar face in a crowd, a voice that echoed hers—each was a painful reminder of what he had lost.
the realization that their time together was over, that he might never see her again, brought him to tears.
but he fights back the sobs, remembering her aversion to his sadness. he knew she wouldn't want him to dwell in sorrow.
he leans closer to the tombstone, his hand gripping the cold stone. "i..." he stammers, his voice thick with emotion, "just want to see you again."
"wait for me y/n, i'll be there soon. and then, we can have our family and create a new life."
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