A/N: A little fic derived after watching the JDrama 'Kagi No Kakatta Heya'. Because the Enomoto character was just too cute!
Who Knows?
Enomoto x Aoto
The first postcard arrived two weeks after.
Aoto Junko would have missed it, buried as it was under tax returns and fast-food delivery flyers but as fate would have it, she didn't. It was a Saturday and she had the day off and as such was not so much in a hurry as she normally was. The postcard was from Italy, and on it was simply written; "I was here on the 15th of July."
… And a phone number.
She made a leap for her cellphone almost immediately. The ringing tone was almost unbearable until...
"Hello."
She frowned slightly but that didn't stop her ear-to-ear grin. The voice may be speaking in a foreign language but it was unmistakeably… "Enomoto-san," She greeted him in a breathless whisper. "It's you, isn't it?"
"Yes. Hello, Aoto-san."
So matter-of-factly, as if they had never been apart. She remembered that one time she had called him while he was in Nagoya and he had sounded just a little annoyed... but she's not at fault here is she? He should be expecting her call. She sighed and flopped down on her bed with a smile, studying the postcard. "Italy, huh?" She finally asked.
"Yes. It is an interesting country."
"You mean it has interesting locks," She corrected him and could picture him almost – almost – smile. Funny how his world revolved around locks. "Indeed. The traditional Italian locks have a mechanism that is – "
"Sounds like you're having fun," She interrupted him before he could go off on a tangent, as he was prone to be when talking about his beloved locks. As happy as she was to hear from him, she didn't want to suffer a migraine. "Must be so much fun, travelling."
"You would like to travel, Aoto-san."
"You know I do," She laughed. "You were in my room. You saw all the magazines."
For a moment he was silent. For a terrible heartbeat Aoko was afraid he had hung up. And then…
"I had wished to take you along."
"Really?" She giggled and sighed. "But it's the 'Illusion' Sake all over again, isn't it? By the way, Serizawa-san is still super mad at you for lying about being a thief."
"I never lied." He sounded... petulant. "You never asked."
"Yes, yes," She rolled over to her side and stared at her tiny studio apartment. If she thought hard enough, she could imagine him walking the length of it in that odd stiff gait that he adopted when investigating. "When will you be back?" She finally whispered. Through the faint background noise she felt he had drawn a breath, but she couldn't be sure.
"Who knows."
Who knows.
In her mind's eye she saw him lift his hand and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, deep in thought. "Until later, Enomoto-san," She whispered and hung up.
The next postcard was a digital one, sent from Disneyland L.A. She almost burst out laughing at the idea of Enomoto taking pictures with Mickey Mouse – but Serizawa-san was in a meeting next door and she doubt he would share her humor. So she scrolled down the brightly colored postcard and read the message at the bottom:
"Disneyland is fun."
Her eyes widened and she giggled, mimicking his tone; "Disneyland is fun."
"Of course it is," Serizawa's perplexed tone jolted her and she saw her boss in the doorway, looking curiously at her. "What's this about Disneyland?"
"Oh…" She mused and then smiled at him. "A friend is there and sent me a picture."
Serizawa mulled this over and then shrugged, but the light of suspicion lingered in his eyes. "A friend who likes locks, perhaps?"
Her grin was all the answer he needed. With a grunt about 'travelling on stolen money' Serizawa shut the door behind him, leaving Aoto to laugh in peace.
After that she didn't hear from him for a three months. Serizawa's exposure to the media had garnered a lot of publicity and work kept rolling in, leaving her almost no time for herself. Often she slept at her office, coming home only to shower and change. Sometimes he would cross her mind, most of the time she didn't even think about him. Thus it was with great surprise that when she arrived at work that morning, there was a gift on her table.
His glasses.
She approached it cautiously, eyes darting around. The innocent item was folded nearly right on her weekly planner as if taunting her, daring her to say the words.
And she did.
"You broke into my office?" She hissed to nobody in particular. Almost immediately she heard a shout from Serizawa's office and she came running. "Serizawa-san?"
"I knew it!" He thundered, the man stomping around in rage. "I knew it was him!" He thrust a box into Aoto's hands. Inside were several expensive designer watches, the same models Aoto recognized as being stolen from Serizawa's apartment. "I swear when I get my hands on him I'll – "
"Serizawa-san, these are brand new," She picked one up and examined it. "These are not the ones stolen from you."
He spluttered for a minute before snapping; "So he felt guilty and replaced them! That must be it!"
She sighed, stared sternly at him and thrust the box back. "Don't be so pessimistic. I'm sure it's nothing like that."
"Then what do you call this?" He sneered and she shrugged before grinning; "A souvenir?"
She returned to her office and picked up the glasses with a smile. So he's back, and he even paid them a visit. Would they be able to see him soon?
Her smile became a grin and she unfolded the glasses before gingerly slipping them on. As expected, they had fake lenses in. Striking a pose in front of the mirror, she looked knowingly at her reflection.
"Who knows?"
