Fic: The Mirror Crack'd - Chapter 2

[ingenious_spark]

Title: The Mirror Crack'd
Fandom: SMT: Persona 4
Rating: T/PG-13
Warnings: Transphobia, referenced child abuse, child neglect, murder, misogyny
Relationships: Persona 4 Protagonist & the Investigation Team, Persona 4 Protagonist & Dojima Ryotaro & Dojima Nanako
Characters: Persona 4 Protagonist, Dojima Ryotaro, Dojima Nanako, the Investigation Team, Tatsumi Kanji, Hanamura Yosuke
Word Count: 12,409
Summary: Through a twist of fate, Ryotaro Dojima asks his sister to send her son to Inaba a week early, so that he and Nanako can adjust to having a stranger in their lives before the school year starts.

Then they discover his sister had no son at all, but a daughter instead.

Orihime Narukami is ready to start over fresh in a town that knows nothing about her struggles or her history. Is Inaba ready for her?

Orihime yawned and stretched, rolling out of her futon to get up for the day. Her boxes ought to be arriving at some point today. She peeked behind the curtain – dawn was just breaking. She opened the green fabric wide, cracking the window. it was kind of stuffy in this room. She doubted her family used it much. She opened up her wardrobe and got dressed quickly, soft gray, close-cut jeans and a fuzzy blue-gray sweater. She plucked nervously at the long hem of the sweater, falling past her hips in a more feminine cut. Maybe she should wear something more masculine? She had some of her more masculine clothes with her- maybe she should wear the black jeans, the gray turtleneck and the black blazer?

She shook her head roughly, sending her silver hair flying. New city, new start, right? Or, well, town, anyway. She pushed her sleeves up and pulled on a pair of socks before going downstairs. Maybe she could cook breakfast as a thank you for her new family. She was pretty good at fixing up traditional breakfasts. She pattered into the kitchen, discovering that the only thing prepped was the coffee maker – probably for Dôjima-san.

It was short work setting up the rice cooker, and then she perused the fridge after checking the timer on the coffee maker. It was set for six, and it was just turned five-thirty- it'd be a squeeze, but she could probably get Dôjima fed too. She quickly began preparing miso soup and rolled eggs. By the time the coffee maker clicked on and began to brew, she had gotten Dôjima’s breakfast plated up and set out on the western-style table as he stumbled out, hair damp from a shower, and beelining to the coffee pot. She watched him prepare it, eyes still half-closed and not really registering what was going on. One spoonful of sugar from the dish beside the pot, and he was taking a deep, blissful sip. He was also looking around, curiosity melting to astonishment.

“Y- Orihime, uh.” Dôjima visibly flailed for an appropriate honorific. “Orihime-chan?” he asked tentatively. He was trying, but it was still new. Still, he was trying , and that made her beam. She was actually okay with either -chan or -kun, and told him as much. “What's all this?” He asked, waving at the breakfast.

“It's thanks, and an apology. You're still taking me in, even though Mother lied, and you're, I-” she stumbled, flushing. “You accept who I am, and I really appreciate it. It's not much – rice, rolled egg, and miso soup with daikon, wakame, and tofu. Mostly just stuff you already had in the fridge. I hope I didn’t overstep.” she said softly. “I'm going to eat when Nanako-chan gets up.” Dôjima nodded, sitting at the place she'd prepared, and she sat across from him with a pot of green tea.

“You didn't have to do this, Orihime-kun.” he started, holding up his hand when she began to protest, “but thank you anyway. It looks delicious, and I would have been going in on a couple pieces of toast and some cold natto otherwise.” He picked up his chopsticks and began eating. “This is great,” he complimented. “So, you like cooking?” Orihime nodded, somehow comforted by the fact that her uncle seemed to be feeling just as awkward as her.

“Yes. I got tired of always buying my meals. That and, well, it's healthier, and I do really enjoy it. Mother didn't care what I did.” She shrugged. Dôjima looked down at his meal, a flash of guilt coming over his face, and she guessed he wasn't a very deft hand at cooking. His wife had died, sort of recently, right? “I wouldn't mind taking over the cooking and the grocery shopping.” She offered.

“Only if you honestly don't mind, okay? Not out of a sense of obligation. Nanako knows how to make breakfast, and she usually gets lunch at school, or makes herself sandwiches. I buy dinner, or leave money for Nanako to get it if I know I'll be working late, there in the envelope on the fridge. There's enough for you two to go out for lunch today, and I'll see if I can leave some for groceries tomorrow.” Dôjima said sternly. Orihime beamed, even as they heard some quiet noises from Nanako’s room upstairs.

“I'd really like to!” She said, getting up to start the rolled egg for herself and her little cousin. “Like I said, I really like it. I mean, I probably won't make it every day, if you don't mind still buying dinner sometimes, especially if it's been a long day at school. Speaking of which, do I need to order or pick up my school uniforms?” Dôjima sighed heavily.

“Your mother already ordered and paid for them. They're the male uniform, I'm afraid. I can try to get the order changed if you want.” He offered.

“No, thank you. I think I'd rather ease into being open about it? I don't want to get harassed, and I'm already going to be the new second year, you know? It's enough that you two know.” She said shyly. Dôjima hummed thoughtfully.

“I was going to pick up your uniforms tomorrow probably, along with Nanako’s. She outgrew hers, and I have to go to Okina for some training anyway.” He told her.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Dôjima-jisan.” Orihime replied, plating the rolled egg. She turned to set the servings at the table and caught an odd expression on the man’s face. Thoughtful, she considered. She ladled up some soup for herself and Nanako, and paused, considering the teapot. “Does Nanako-chan like green tea, or is it too bitter for her?” She asked.

“She's fine with it. I gotta go, though. Nanako, be good! I'll see you tonight.” Dôjima called, taking his dishes to the sink, rinsing them, and putting them in the dishwasher. Nanako yawned, emerging from her bedroom and waved. She was already dressed, but her hair was still messy and she was rubbing the sleep from her eyes adorably.

“‘Bye, dad…” she murmured sleepily. “Be safe.” Dôjima kissed the top of her head and left, collecting his coat. Nanako woke up a little more, and stared at the table with wide eyes. “What's this?” She asked, climbing into the chair Dôjima had vacated.

“Breakfast, Nanako-chan. I hope you like it.” Orihime replied, pouring her some green tea. “Careful, it's hot. Do you want some juice?” She asked, peering in the fridge. There was a half-full bottle of carrot-apple blend, and when Nanako murmured her assent, she poured them each a small glass.

“Thank you for the food, Orihime-san.” Nanako mumbled shyly, and they ate.

“What do you usually make for breakfast, Nanako-chan? Your father said you can make breakfast for yourself.” Orihime asked presently, lingering over her soup. Nanako blinked and looked up at her with wide brown eyes.

“Oh, I, um, usually make myself sunny-side up eggs and toast. It's… it's all I can really make. Did you really make all of this?” Nanako asked, and Orihime jumped for the opportunity to get closer to her cousin. She'd be living here for at least a year, after all, she'd like to get along with her family.

“Yes. I really like mornings, and my mother, well, she doesn't cook. I taught myself, mostly so I didn't have to spend too much money on school lunches or go without breakfast. If you want, I can teach you a few new recipes. I already told your dad I'd be glad to help out with the groceries and the cooking, is that okay?” Orihime didn't want to displace little Nanako, but a seven-year-old shouldn't have to cook for herself. Thankfully Nanako favored her with an adorable, shy smile.

“That would be really nice. Thank you, Orihime-san.” Nanako said with impeccable manners. She made a little face. “Shopping by myself can be really hard sometimes.” Orihime bit her lip. She knew Dôjima’s job was hard, but how much of daily life was he leaving up to his daughter? That was worrying.

“You can call me Orihime-kun, Nanako-chan – I'd like that, actually.” She told her cousin, and Nanako looked up at her with wide eyes.

“Is it really okay?” She asked, biting her lip. Orihime assured her that it was. They finished their meal, put away the leftovers, and did the dishes, Orihime trying to engage her little cousin in conversation. Nanako was still very shy, but slowly opening up to her.

“Could you show me around town a little, Nanako-chan?” Orihime asked when they were done. “Dôjima-jisan left some money for us to get lunch.” Nanako nodded, and ran off to brush her hair. Orihime took a moment to do the same, making sure her hair was neat and brushing her teeth. Then they were pulling on their shoes, Dôjima’s money sitting strangely heavy in her wallet. She absent-mindedly caught Nanako’s hand in hers, and her cousin paused.

“Oh – I'm – I can not, if you want,” she stammered awkwardly, moving to drop her hand, but Nanako’s fingers curled more decisively around hers and she smiled, sweet and shy.

“It's okay, Orihime-kun.” She said a little more confidently. “Umm. I guess we can go to the shopping district, Junes is kind of a long ways.” She looked disappointed – did she really like the superstore that much? Orihime wasn't really surprised there was a Junes here. Junes was everywhere , or at least it seemed like it.

“That sounds like fun. Maybe we can go to Junes tomorrow. Your dad said he'd leave grocery money, maybe we can ask for bus fare, too. Is there a bus that goes to Junes?” She asked, and Nanako instantly brightened, skipping a bit.

“Yeah! I know all the times and everything!” She chirped, and Orihime smiled. A bit of a weird favorite place to have, but a harmless one.

“What's there to see in the shopping district?” She asked, and Nanako started talking softly- a tofu shop, a liquor store, some kind of general store… many of the usual suspects. The street itself was pretty empty- it seemed the locals respected some sort of unspoken rule about not driving down the road, due to the high level of foot traffic, she suspected.

“Oh, a bookstore! Can we stop in, Nanako-chan?” She asked. Yomenaido Bookstore looked rather promising. Nanako agreed, making a beeline for the young readers’ section when they stepped in. Orihime browsed a bit. She couldn't spend that much money- she'd always been as frugal as possible, a habit picked up when trying to eat healthy on the food budget her mother had begrudgingly allotted her, in addition to her allowance. She'd been cut off of both when she'd come out to her mother. She was glad for that frugality now, considering she would be shouldering the cost of her transition herself. If she wanted to transition at all – she wasn't sure yet. To change her gender marker, she had to physically transition, and that was a decision she was still mulling over.

Here and now, away from anyone who used to know her, seemed like a good place to see how incremental transitioning would work. Yes, there was the fear of not fitting in, of being called any number of derogatory, misogynistic names. But there was also Nanako, sweet and whole-heartedly accepting, and Dôjima, awkward but trying his best. Orihime sighed, shaking her head, and looked around for Nanako. She was engrossed in some sort of young readers’ adventure story, with a cute dog on the cover.

“Do you want to get that, Nanako-chan? I have a bit of money, I could get it for you.” She offered. Kids’ books usually weren't too expensive.

“Eh?” Nanako startled. “N-no, it's okay!” She insisted, fumbling to put it back on the shelf.

“It's okay, Nanako-chan, look, see? It's not expensive at all,” she reassured her cousin, showing her the price tag. Nanako bit her lip uncertainly.

“A-are you sure?” She asked hesitantly, and Orihime felt her heart melt a bit.

“Yes, Nanako-chan. So, do you want it?” She encouraged. Nanako nodded shyly. Orihime smiled and took the book to the counter. The shopkeeper greeted her genially, and seemed quite happy for her custom.

“Are you babysitting for young Dôjima?” The tiny old woman asked, giving Nanako a melon candy from the bowl behind the counter. Orihime supposed that to the bookstore owner, her uncle was on the younger side.

“Ah, no, I'm Nanako-chan’s cousin. I'll be living here for a year, my parents are – busy, with work.” She used the excuse her mother had given. The woman pressed a melon candy on her as well, smiling somewhat short-sightedly.

“It'll be so good for Nanako-chan to have another girl around the house. What's your name, dearie?” Orihime hesitated. What was the harm in it? She was a little old lady with bad eyesight. Surely it wouldn't be horrible if she told her her real name?

“…Narukami Orihime. Please treat me kindly,” she murmured the rote greeting and bowed politely.

“Welcome, Narukami-chan. Have a lovely day!” She handed Orihime her bag, and they left. Orihime reeled a bit. She might have had bad eyesight, but she'd accepted her!

“Are you okay, Orihime-kun?” Nanako peered up at her.

“Yes. I'm feeling great, actually. Thanks, Nanako.” She looked around a bit, frowning. Several shops seemed out of business, which was a shame. “How come so many stores are closed?” She asked curiously. Nanako nibbled on her lip.

“Everyone says it's because of Junes?” Nanako said a little hesitantly. “There used to be a toy model shop up the hill there.” She pointed in the vague direction. Orihime nodded. That made sense, especially if the town had just gotten the superstore recently. Junes had a habit of keeping prices low to drive competition out, and then slowly hiking them back up, at least as far as she'd heard.

"Where can we go to eat in a little while?" Orihime asked lightly, and Nanako seemed relieved for the change in subject.

"Well, the two restaurants here are Aiya, and Sôzai Daigaku. Aiya has really big portions." Nanako frowned a little. Orihime smiled. She probably had trouble finishing big portions, she was a pretty small kid.

"Let's go to Sôzai Daigaku, then." She says lightly, though 'world of side dishes' was a really odd name for a restaurant. "Tell me when you get hungry!" Nanako smiled up at her.

"I will," she replied.

They meandered their way up the hill, Orihime lingering outside the torii of a rundown little shrine. Nanako told her they didn't have anyone really taking care of the place, which seemed disappointing, somehow. Still, it seemed like a nice place to relax- maybe do some homework or read. Orihime was always on the lookout for places she wouldn't get disturbed. That and she’d always wanted to get dolled up in a kimono, and if there was a festival, that could have been an excuse. Unfortunately, that seemed unlikely, if there wasn’t a caretaker. The next shop up the way was a textile store of some kind. Orihime paused, glancing down at Nanako, who blinked back up at her.

"Would you mind if we went in?" She asked. Nanako shrugged.

"They don't really sell clothes, mostly just fabric." Her cousin warned her. That was fine though. She'd been thinking about trying to teach herself how to sew, to get some nice, feminine clothes that actually fit her.

"Do they offer sewing lessons?" Orihime asked, and Nanako shrugged.

"I don't know," she said, beginning to look interested now. Orihime ducked into the empty shop, looking around before she saw a small bell and rang it once, with a light tap.

"Ah, welcome," an older woman with greying hair in a traditional kimono shuffled in. "How can we help you?"

"I was wondering if you offered sewing lessons?" Orihime asked, suddenly feeling nervous again. The older woman blinked.

"No, I'm afraid we don't. Not much call for it out here," she said kindly, and Orihime drooped. The older woman looked as though she was considering something, and Nanako left Orihime’s side. Orihime looked to her cousin, who had gone over to a low table, touching a finely made silk scarfin a masculine design. Orihime smiled, wondering if her cousin was thinking of her father. It didn’t really look like Dôjima’s style to her, but little kids had other opinions.

“Do you make clothes, too?” She asked lightly, kneeling down next to Nanako. The scarf was very stylish.

“Ah, no, I just sell them occasionally. That was part of a set someone ordered, but they ended up just taking the women’s scarf instead of the pair.” The older woman said. “Are you babysitting for Detective Dôjima? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” She inquired lightly, and Orihime supposed she was gonna get this a lot, wasn’t she? At least until the town gossip mill caught up.

“No, he’s my uncle. He’ll be taking care of me this school year, because my parents are going to be out on business a lot this year.” She told the proprietor. She nodded, looking thoughtful.

“Give me a moment to go upstairs and talk to someone? I might be able to get you some lessons.” She said, and Orihime perked up hopefully. The older woman smiled and bustled out, leaving them alone in the shop. Wow. That was rather trusting of her. No one would ever have done that back in the city. Orihime stood, and decided to browse the fabric prices. Once again, the prices were fair, if maybe a little high. She’d need to get a couple of jobs if she could get lessons in the first place. Though… she also didn’t own a sewing machine. Were there rentable sewing machines? Maybe Aunt Chisato had had one and it was just up in the attic? There was a clattering behind her and suddenly Nanako was clinging to her sleeve. She turned, and saw the proprietor again, accompanied by a teenage boy with pale, bleached hair and a decidedly punk style of clothes.

“Here he is,” The older woman said, gently pushing the boy forward. He looked like he was about to expire on the spot, and Orihime felt bad for him.

“Hello, I’m Narukami Orihime, Dôjima Ryôtarô’s n-nephew.” She hid a wince at having to misgender herself again so soon.

“He’s going to be in town all year, and he wants to learn to sew,” the proprietor said helpfully, as though she was trying to encourage the boy, who had to be her son.

“Uh, I’m Tatsumi Kanji. Nice to meetcha.” The boy mumbled. Orihime thought she knew where this was going. He must be embarrassed about being outed knowing how to sew.

“I’ll be starting at Yasogami High in the second year in about a week.” She said helpfully. Maybe some idle chitchat would help the boy relax. “Do you go there too? It would be nice to know someone already, take the sting out of being the new kid, you know?”

“Oh – uh. I’ll be a first year.” Tatsumi muttered. Nanako peered out from behind Orihime.

“That’s cool,” she said peacefully. “Have you met my cousin, Dôjima Nanako?” She introduced, only slightly belatedly. Tatsumi waved awkwardly.

“Nice to meetcha,” he said again and Nanako nodded, but didn’t respond, hiding her face against Orihime’s back.

“Nanako-chan is shy,” she explained, hoping to take the sting out of Nanako’s reaction. Tatsumi nodded. Nanako puffed her cheeks in irritation, but didn’t contradict her. Orihime cast about for something else to say. “We were going to get some lunch at Sôzai Daigaku, would you like to tag along, Tatsumi-kun?”

“It’s just Kanji,” he grumbled, and looked over to his mother. She nodded, looking… hopeful? Orihime took another look at Kanji’s punk appearance, his prickly, defensive attitude. He probably didn’t have that many friends, did he? Not in a town this small. “Okay, I’ll come. If, uh, Nanako-chan’s okay with it.” He said warily. Orihime looked down at Nanako, hopeful. Nanako peeked out again, looking between them both, and bit her lip a little.

“’Mkay,” she nodded, still looking a little nervous. Orihime smiled down at her, proud of this little display of bravery. She gently stroked the back of the little girl’s head.

“Come on, then, Kanji-kun. You and Nanako-chan can tell me what’s good at Sôzai Daigaku.” She encouraged, turning to leave. Nanako took her hand again, and Kanji slouched along on her other side.

[~previous chapter] [next chapter~]