Friday, October 13
Case One
Beginnings
Could this day get any worse? A slim brunette was making her way through Shibuya, weaving in between passersby who were also on their way to work. What was the difference between them and her? She was late. And the rain didn't help. It was the kind of rain that beat down from the sky hard enough to feel like a thousand pin pricks through your clothing and soak you to the skin within moments of setting foot outside. What a day to forget my coat and umbrella, she grumbled mentally. It looked so nice outside when I left.
When she finally reached her destination, she was half an hour late. Traffic, both on the streets and on the road had made sure of that. She stopped in front of the tall building and sighed. Another busy day at the Shibuya Police Department, just like always. She pushed her damp hair back from her shoulders, where it fell just far enough to be held back and not fall forward again, and walked in the door.
"Mai, you're late." The phrase was one she knew well. She glared over at the desk officer who teased her so every day, whether she was late or not. "Yasuhara, someday you're going to go home to find something wet and very unpleasant in your bed." This made him grin even more, the light reflecting off his glasses to make them opaque. "Surely I don't turn you on that much, baby." Her eye twitched at that. How dare he even suggest that. She was in the middle of walking over to give him a piece of her mind (and quite possibly punch his lights out), when a cold voice stopped her in her tracks.
"You're late and we have a case." Oh shit… The voice belonged to her boss, the dreaded chief of police down here. Kazuya Shibuya, possibly the biggest jerk and the most annoying narcissist the world has ever known. And to make it worse, he was also the most gorgeous male specimen on this side of town, something that almost all of the female officers were very happy about. At 24 years old, he was only two years older then her. She was also his favorite verbal punching bag. Any chance that she might have been attracted to him was killed instantly by that fact.
She turned around reluctantly and grinned sheepishly. His expression didn't change, of course. It never did unless he was smirking at someone's stupidity. Jerk. She cleared her throat and stood up straighter. "Did you say that we have a case, sir?" He nodded and motioned her to step into his office. She followed him though the door nervously, looking around the room that was commonly known to almost everyone (except him) as the Bat Cave. Most everyone who came in here left with a memory of the nerve-wracking experience of him focusing solely on them, which was extremely terrifying. She shuddered at the thought.
She sat in the surprisingly comfortable chair in front of his desk while he moved to stand behind it, making her even more nervous. The only light came from in between the slats of the closed blinds, which made her wonder how he moved around without bumping into anything. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she could feel his hands grasp the back of her chair. The silence was deafening to her, so when he finally spoke, it nearly made her jump out of her skin. "I've been watching you, Taniyama. Reading your reports on the various cases you've been assigned. And I've come to realize something." Oh god here it comes, he's gonna fire me! She thought, conveniently forgetting that he brought her in to talk about a case. "You're one of the best officers I've got." She blinked, startled. That was not what she was expecting. "You make detailed reports and always make your best effort to solve the case. And that's why I want you to lead this investigation." She was so shocked that she couldn't make a single sound pass her throat. Did he just compliment her and promote her? Sheesh, I thought that Friday the 13th was supposed to be unlucky. When she finally managed to speak, it was accented with her stuttering. "Y-you want me t-to do what?" She knew that she looked like she had seen a seen ghost or something, but nothing she could do at the time would take the expression off of her face.
He moved around to the back of his desk and sat down in his chair. I could see him smirking in the half light. "You'll be working with a partner of course, but he's not on the force, which is why I want you in charge. I know that above all, you can function without an officer as a partner and keep the whole thing together." He leant forward, resting his elbows on the desk and lacing his fingers together while she sat there dumbstruck. "You'll be working with a friend of mine," he continued. "He's a computer analyst, and he has experience in most things, as well as knowledge on almost every subject. Pair that with your intuition and street smarts, and I think you'll be unstoppable. If the two of you can't figure out what's going on with this, then I don't think that anyone can. You'll find the case details on your desk." She recognized the dismissal and got up quickly before he could change his mind. "Oh, and one more thing Taniyama." That stopped her in her tracks. "Don't prove me wrong. I hate being wrong." The look her gave sent shivers running down her spine.
She was out of his office quicker than a bullet from a gun. She didn't even notice the people huddled around the doorway trying to listen in as she ran down a hallway. When she was a relatively safe distance away, she slowed to a stop and leaned against the wall. What the hell was that? He never compliments someone, never. Faintly she heard a door slam open and someone yell to 'get away from their door'. She grinned. Sounds like the boss is back to normal at least.