Something that came to mind when watching the anime again/hearing a friend talking about his P4 Golden playthrough.  

Yukiko mentions that her and Kanji use to be friends.

Still a Kanji and Naoto story (with a whisper of Chie and Yukiko), but sometimes those two need a push.  But this time, that push comes from an unlikely source.

***

“Somethin’ wrong?”

Yukiko looks up in surprise when she hears that voice.  Rough around the edges and too harsh for it’s age, it’s been a long time since they’ve spoken.

“Kanji-kun.  What are you doing here?”

Kanji shrugs and sits next to her on the bench outside, “Just passin’ by I guess.  Saw you did that interview on T.V. about the inn.”

“Oh… we’ve been getting a lot of press lately, because of… you know…”

“Yeah.”

The two sit in silence, feeling the awkward energy between them.  It’s been years since they’ve spoken to one another and neither really knows what to say.  Back then, they had been children, and words always came easy.  Now they’re older and there are reputations at stake – the Amagi Inn princess and the pierced thug who terrorizes the streets.  

Though neither reputation is something either one cares for.

“Why did you ask if there was something wrong?”  Yukiko asks, finally breaking the silence between them.

“Huh?  Oh… just… I dunno, you look like you got stuff on your mind.”

“Just… the inn is really busy right now, and the press doesn’t help.”

“Sounds like you’re gettin’ sick of that place.”

“W-what?  Why would you say that?”

Kanji shrugs, “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that, you know.  You work all the time, ain’t nothin’ wrong with bein’ tired of it.”

Yukiko stands up, glaring at the young man in front of her, “Y-you have no right to say that!”

Kanji raises his hands in defense, “Shit, calm down!  You love the inn then, jeez…”

“R-right,” she whispers, brushing her hands against her perfect, pink kimono, “I do.  I-I do love it,” she says, her voice even softer, “… I should get going.  It… it was good talking to you again.”

“Yeah… you too,” he says, watching her walk off.

***

When they figure out that the next target is Kanji Tatsumi, Yukiko feels her heart pound with worry.  She remembers her trials through the television and feels a sense of guilt.  Kanji had said those same words to her and she had snapped at him, now the two haven’t spoken to each other ever since – not that they were really talking to begin with.

Still, the least she can do is protect him, somehow, so he doesn’t have to go through that too.

“It was really weird,” Chie says as they walk together, “He was talking to that kid and was getting really flustered.”

“Flustered?”

“Yeah… then he spotted us and, you know, that’s when he started chasing us.  I… kind of blurted out something really stupid.”

“What did you say to him?”

“That… well… that it was o.k. if he was, you know, gay…”

Yukiko stops walking, “You… think he’s gay?”

“I-I dunno!  He was really, really flustered around that boy…”

Yukiko frowns a little.  She remembers hearing comments like that about Kanji back when they were younger.  She remembers him being made fun of for the cute things he liked – the fluffy bunny clipped to his backpack, or the ducky band-aid he wore on his knee when he scrapped it.  She remembers the girls giving him a hard time and how she had tried to tell him to ignore them.

“Girls are mean,” he had said to her, eyes wet and too stubborn to let the tears fall.

“Not all of them,” she responded, “I’m not mean, right?”

“… well… no…”

Then she smiled at him, “See?  So not all girls are mean.”

But when they step into the T.V. after his disappearance, watching his flamboyant shadow glare hateful, yellow eyes at them, she feels like that hatred is directed at her.  Not all girls are mean, she had said, but they certainly weren’t friends anymore, now were they?  She can’t, for the life of her, remember why they had stopped talking in the first place.

And that’s what makes it worse.

***

“I’m sorry.”

“Wha-?  For what?”

Yukiko stands at the front entrance of Tatsumi Textiles.  It’s been a couple of days after his rescue and he still looks a bit pale, still worn out from the battle.  She remembers what that feels like, the exhaustion of facing yourself – both literally and figuratively.  

“I’m sorry, because I had stopped talking to you.”

“You…” he sighs, rubbing the back of his head, “Don’t worry about shit like that.  You got Chie and-”

“But we were friends, Kanji-kun.”

Kanji shrugs, “Whatever.  Don’t worry about it.  Things change, you know?”

“Yes but… maybe it shouldn’t have changed with us.  I-I don’t even remember why it changed.”

“I figured it would eventually.  All those girls kept teasin’ me, and-”

“And I’m sorry.  I should’ve been a better friend.”

Kanji smiles a bit, “Well… I… guess we can start now, yeah?  Wanna come in?”

Yukiko smiles, “I’d love to.”

***

“W-w-why would you even suggest that?!”  Kanji asks.

“Hm?  Was I not supposed to?”

The group is walking together towards the school on their class trip, Yukiko and Kanji behind the others.  They’re all too busy looking around to notice, taking in the wonders of Tatsumi Port Island and how it’s nothing like Inaba.

“Suggestin’ that that kid hangs out with us?  Are you fuckin’ crazy?!”  Kanji hisses to her.

“Come on, he’s here all by himself, he could probably use some friends.”

“Well… y-yeah, sure, but… come on!  You know I-”

“Like him?”

“T-t-that ain’t it!”

Yukiko smiles, “You don’t have to deny it, you know, it’s o.k. if you like him.”

“Right… add that to my shadow and-”

“And?  Who cares.  We’re your friends, Kanji, none of us are going to care.”

“… right,” he mutters.

“Just… try talking to him.”

Of course that piece of advice doesn’t work, not at all.  Kanji trying to talk to Naoto is about as likely as Chie giving up steak.  He always stands there, incredibly tall and insecure, face red as he fidgets and shies away.  

The confidence comes, however, when Naoto gets thrown into the T.V.  

Usually, Yukiko worries when they try and rescue someone, not sure if they’ll be successful.  There’s a chance they won’t be, a chance that the shadow is much too strong, but when they go in to save Naoto she’s absolutely certain that they will be successful.

And she’s right.

The problem isn’t so much dealing with his shadow, it’s dealing with what she reveals to all of them.   

***

“It don’t make no sense!”

Yukiko sighs, watching as Kanji paces back and forth in his room.  He’s been frustrated since they left the television, the feeling clogging the air around him.

“What doesn’t make sense, Kanji?”

“Naoto!  Just… I mean… she’s a girl?!”

“Apparently,” Yukiko says, trying her best to enjoy her tofu but it’s hard when Kanji keeps pacing and yelling.

“I-I thought…”

“We all did.”

“But… but what does that mean?!  Does that mean I’m not… y-you know!”

“Why does that even matter?”

“Because!  Because I… I fuckin’ worked through this shit and then she completely changes everything!”

“Are you mad that she’s not a boy?”

“Yes!  N-no!  I don’t know!”

“Kanji.  Sit down, please?”

He sighs and finally sits next to her, fingers tapping against his knees, in constant need to do something, anything, “This is a mess,” he mutters.

“It doesn’t have to be.  You’re making things way too complicated.”

“Me?!  She’s the one who-”

“Yes, you!”  Yukiko snaps back.  She swears, he’s the only person she raises her voice at, “Look.  You liked Naoto before, right?”

“Yeah…”

“And now?”

“Well… I mean, yeah but-”

“So that’s all that matters,” she says, smiling, “It’s like your shadow said. Boys, girls, it doesn’t matter.”

“I-I didn’t mean that meant in a sexual preference sense…”

“I know, but it works here.  It doesn’t matter, Kanji.  You like her.  It doesn’t matter.”

Kanji smirks, “So when are you going to take your own advice?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know?  With Chie-senpai?”

Yukiko’s eyes widen, “H-how dare you!  Y-you don’t say those sorts of things to me, Kanji!  Don’t forget, I’m still your senpai!”

“Yep, I know.  But I’m also your friend.  And, as your friend, I think you should-”

“I’m going to tell Naoto-kun that you like her!”  Yukiko stands up, “I’m going over to her place right now!”

“What the hell?!  H-hey!  You better not!”  He quickly stands up when Yukiko runs for the door, “Hey!  That ain’t fair, get back here!”  Then he takes off after her, Yukiko laughing the entire time.

***

When Kanji sees Chie holding Yukiko’s hand in the hospital as they wait to hear about Nanako he’s got the biggest I told ya so smirk on his face.  Yukiko responds by nodding in Naoto’s direction, the young detective’s back to all of them as she tries to keep her emotions under control.  It’s not working at all, her small body shaking, and when she speaks her voice is tight with tears.

The confidence Yukiko saw in the T.V. World with Kanji helping to save Naoto before makes a comeback.  She watches as her friend places a hand on the girl’s shoulder, actually managing to get her to smile back at him.  

“It’s a good first step,” Yukiko says, the two of them standing at the hospital entrance together.  They’ve all decided to go home for the evening now that Nanako seems to be comfortable, at least, as comfortable as she can be.

“S-shut up,” he mutters, “I just… I didn’t like seein’ her like that.”

Yukiko giggles and it’s a nice sound to hear after the night they’ve had.  Behind them the others approach the door, everyone saying their goodbyes before heading home.  Yukiko starts to walk off with Chie but she stops, watching as Naoto walks up to Kanji.

“I… thank you, for what you said in there,” she says.

“H-huh?  Oh… no problem,” he says, “Um… s-so… you headin’ home?”

Naoto nods, “I think some rest is needed.”

“I can walk with you.”

Naoto looks up at Kanji, staring at him.  Yukiko stares at him too from where she’s standing and she can hear Chie speaking to her, “Did he actually do something besides stammer and blush just now?”

“Shhh,” Yukiko whispers as Naoto speaks again.

“That… might be nice, actually.”

The smile on Kanji’s face is contagious and Yukiko smiles too, watching as the two walk off together.  

“Those two might actually make some progress,” Chie says.

“Yeah,” Yukiko whispers, “I certainly hope so.”

“He’s lucky, you know.”

“Hm?  Oh, because of Naoto?”

“No,” Chie says, smiling as she takes Yukiko’s hand, “To have you for a friend.”

***

Notes:  All right, so in the fandom it’s usually Rise who pushes Kanji and Naoto together.  That’s fine, of course.  In fact, I like that take on it (and also don’t mind the OT3 aspect), but… I always wondered why Kanji and Yukiko’s friendship is never explored – not even in the game.  It’s kinda a bummer, since I think there’s great potential there, and there’s these small hints in the game and anime you can see (from the silly moments like Yukiko telling Kanji they’ll make him look pretty for the pageant to the part in the anime where he scares Mitsuo away from her).  

Like I know Chie and Yukiko are bffs, but as soon as Yukiko mentioned being friends with Kanji before I thought, “Awww how cute!”  So I guess this is my take on it?