The Wall Street Cops

Summary: Detective Inspector Haruka Nanase is, as his assistant Nagisa likes to say, "all fun and no play", but it's hard to be as cheerful when there are crimes to solve and dangerous criminals to chase. When an infamous serial killer resurfaces and the case lands in Haruka's division, he's forced to take on the help of Private Investigator Makoto Tachibana, a handsome young man who Haru may or may not have known from way back when.

If you can't tell already, I really like that damn swimming anime. This is a Detective AU. That's all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Free!. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

The minute Constable Miho Amakata burst into the cramped office on the fifth floor, section 2W, Haru was already pulling his coat over his shoulders and packing up his grilled mackerel breakfast to go with his 'there's-a-big-case-about-to-bust-through-my-door senses' tingling.

"Ama-chan!" Nagisa yelped, leaping up from his chair. "What's the matter?"

"Sasabe-kun just called it in," Amakata gasped, leaning against the door for support. Her eyes were wide and her hair was wild as she added, "It's the Pirate. He's struck again."

The filthy old alleyway behind the subway station on 7th Street was roped off by several winding strips of neon yellow tape, guarded by four officers on duty and had caught the attention of at least half the city within ten minutes. Haru scowled as he parked haphazardly next to a police cruiser, his stomach already mourning the delay of his breakfast.

"Way to be discreet about this whole thing," he muttered as Nagisa practically bounded out of the car, his badge, notebook, thermos and jacket flying everywhere.

"This looks big, Haru-chan!" he cried. "Look at all those reporters hanging around."

"Don't talk to them," Haru warned as he latched onto the back of Nagisa's shirt and yanked his assistant along. The media crews spotted him instantly— it's hard no to, give the fact that Haru's somewhat of a celebrity around this city— but before the reporters could pounce him like rabid dogs they're blocked off by a tall officer with red-framed glasses.

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa beamed, waving to the young officer. "Good morning, Rei-chan!"

"Nagisa-kun," Rei greeted, stumbling over his words just a little bit as he tried to fend off a particularly determined journalist.

"My hero, Rei-chan! Keep those reporters off me!" Nagisa beamed, arranging his arms into some power ranger pose before blowing a kiss in the officer's direction. Haru rolled his eyes as Rei flushed a bright pink and nearly got run over by two photographers.

"Stop flirting at work," he said crossly, and Nagisa pouted.

"Aww, Haru-chan, don't be mean! It's been a while since I've seen Rei-chan! I miss him!"

"Then do everybody a favour and ask him out already," Haru sighed as the two of them descended down the steps to access the back door leading out the alley. "God knows he's too shy to ask you."

"But Rei-chan's always at the station," Nagisa sighed sadly. "And you never give me time off. You're cockblocking us, you know."

"I hired you to help me solve cases, not to hit on the patrol officers," Haru grumbled. The narrow backstreet stank of stale cigarette smoke, moldy plaster and something awfully rotten. Two officers were standing guard by a dark lump on the ground, one of whom Haru recognized.

"Mikoshiba-san," he greeted as he walked up to the red-haired sergeant.

"Nanase-san," Mikoshiba said grimly. "You're just in time. Forensics isn't here just yet, so take your time with the body."

"Right," Haru murmured, as he crouched down, Nagisa immediately whipping out a pen and notebook to take notes.

The victim was a young man in his late teens with a short, bob-like style of hair and a smooth, pale face. He was wearing a heavy coat in the chilly autumn weather, but underneath Haru could spy a pressed but dirty white shirt, dry-cleaned silk tie and a designer waistcoat.

"Have we got any ID?" Nagisa asked.

"We picked up a wallet a couple of feet away," Mikoshiba said, lifting a plastic bag. "He's Aiichiro Nitori."

"That's Kaname Nitori's son," Haru frowned, pulling his pen out of his pocket to poke at the victim's coat. "The owner of the East Asia Banking Group."

"That rich daddy's boy?" Mikoshiba asked, surprised, as Nagisa made a note. "I didn't recognize him."

"The body's been moved," Haru continued as though he hadn't heard; there was a very important case at hand if what Amakata said this morning was true, they were going to have a lot of trouble on their hands. "Nitori's hair and the collar of the coat is damp, but it hasn't rained for the past three days. I'm seeing a bruise on the back of his neck as well, probably sustained from a very heavy blow that would've knocked him unconscious. And—"

"What? What is it?"

"His hand," Haru said softly, lifting the corner of Nitori's coat for a better view. "His hand's missing."

Where Nitori's right hand once would've been, there was nothing but a stump with blood crusted along the wrist. A horrifyingly large fishing hook was stuck into the flesh like Captain Hook's infamous namesake. Mikoshiba made an alarmed noise in the back of his throat as Nagisa gasped and clapped his hands over his mouth.

"Haru-chan— is that— that is— he's back?"

"Who's back?" Mikoshiba demanded.

"The Pirate," Haru said quietly. "The hook's his trademark. Search Nitori's belongings," he added, standing up. "He'll be missing his credit cards, cash, and any accessories of value, like a watch or a gold pen. Trace his bank accounts as soon as possible because I guarantee you the Pirate would've been there to empty out all the money already. Let's go, Nagisa."

"Hai, Haru-chan!" the blond said smartly, falling in step behind the DI as the two of them swept back out of the alleyway. A larger crowd had gathered now and several more officers were assigned to crowd control, causing Nagisa to sulk when Rei was too busy to notice their departure. As Haru dug out his car keys and unlocked the door, he managed to catch snippets of what the reporters live on scene were saying.

"Breaking news from the 7th Street subway station—"

"A body has just been found—"

"—this horrific murder of a young man—"

"—are rumored to be the works of a serial killer!"

"—and it appears that Detective Inspector Haruka Nanase will be leaving retirement and taking on the case! More from 7th Street in a minute, back to you, Nishimura-san!"

"Haru-chan?" Nagisa called from the passenger seat. "Haru-chan, are you okay?"

—the sound of guns, the red hot pain in his lower abdomen—

"Oi! Nanase! Keep your eyes open Nanase! You're going to be okay! Help! Somebody get help!"

—his vision swimming, his breaths uneven—

Haru blinked, and then looked down at his assistant.

"I'm fine," he replied shortly, and then got into the car. "Time to head back to the office for the case review."

"So you're really going to take the case?" Nagisa asked, eyes wide and full of excitement. The blond often said that Haru was "all work and no play", but between them, Nagisa's enthusiasm for his job was more than enough to make up for any lack of expression in the whole workforce.

"Yes, I am," Haru sighed, turning the keys in the ignition. "It's time to go fishing."

*Martin Freeman voice* "This is going to be the first of a series..."

I normally write longer beginnings, but this seems like a good place to pause for now. I hope I've managed to catch at least a bit of your attention!

Thank you for reading, and I promise to update soon.

Ta,

Laurie