AruuYuda-ShoriKyuyu: I rewrote this chapter a little, and I added a second chapter, since two reviewers wanted it. Haha. Thank you, guest reviewer and Destinies Entwined! Though it took me longer to think about the continuation. Heheh.
[At A Bullet Train Station Platform]
Much to Ginoza's displeasure, Akane invited him, all of the Enforcers of Unit One and the blonde lab analyst to a nature-walk adventure when they all finally had their days-off.
Ginoza wondered why Akane was still too friendly with the Enforcers – latent criminals, when he just told her to draw a line between their relationship. (Besides that, he had another reason... She should have only invited him. And him, only.)
He suppressed a cough as he tried to get rid of that idiotic thought. His right eye twitched.
Anyways, on their vacation, Akane planned to take a trip to Mount Takao to experience mountain-hiking. It was a rare kind of vacation those days, since people lived in the world full of technology, making them distant from nature. Akane chose this type of vacation for a change.
"Nee, Akane-chan," Kagari called, putting his hands behind his head, making him look relaxed. "Is it all right for your pocket? I mean, trips are expensive and all... And you don't have much money, right? Er-"
"-I-it's all right," Akane interrupted. "I got my money from my parents as an early birthday 'gift', and I decided to treat you all to a trip different from others..."
"Come to think of it... It's your birthday the day after tomorrow... Happy birthday, Tsunemori-kanshikan," Kougami greeted.
"Happy birthday, Tsunemori," Ginoza greeted, too.
"Ara, ara... Happy birthday, Akane-chan~"
"Thank you, Kougami-san. Ginoza-san. Karanomori-san," Akane said, smiling. (Ginoza had to suppress even the faintest blush.)
"So, money is being used as gifts, too?" Kagari pondered out loud.
"It's because the givers wanted to let the receivers decide on what they want," Yayoi explained, still in her ever-cool demeanor. She closed her eyes.
"Isn't Ojou-chan thoughtful?" Masaoka commented. Akane awkwardly smiled. "Thank you for taking us out for a nature vacation, Ojou-chan." He gave a warm smile.
"It's all right, really..." she said, waving her hand and smiling awkwardly again.
The bullet train heading to their destination finally arrived.
[At The Foot of Mount Takao]
"UWOOOH! This seems mighty difficult!" Kagari exclaimed, eying the peak of the mountain.
"Calm down. It's just five hundred ninety-nine meters," Kougami said in a monotone voice. Kagari made a scared face.
"Kou-chan! You're telling me to calm down when that mountain is that high?!"
Ginoza put his index and middle fingers on his forehead, sighing.
"I want to ride that funicular!" Kagari wailed, pointing at a certain vehicle fifteen meters away that would help them climb up halfway. "Or take a rope-way ride! That's WAY TOO HIGH for me! My knees would surely give up in five minutes!"
"Depends on what Ojou-chan wants us to do."
A chorus of grunts of agreement rang in the air, except for the wailing Enforcer, making the brunette look up at them, sweat-dropping. She adjusted her backpack.
"F-for a challenge... Let's climb all the way up...?" Akane said, uncertainty in her voice. Kagari pouted.
"B-but I wan-"
"Um..." Akane turned to the old Enforcer, paying the orange-haired Enforcer no attention. "Masaoka-san, can you-"
Masaoka chuckled, waving his hand. He knew that she was concerned about his old body, being a kind, considerate girl she was. "Don't worry, Ojou-chan. I'm still strong enough."
Ginoza suppressed an eye-roll by narrowing his dark-green eyes.
Hm, how many times did he have to suppress some acts...? Ah. Three times.
"W-well then... Shall we go now?"
"AKANE-CHAN!" Kagari wailed.
Everyone adjusted their bags excitedly – except for Kagari, who was still pouting like a child – and took their (first) step up the mountain, inhaling the fresh scent of nature (and a few monkey droppings, as well). Trekking poles, gripped tightly on their hands, stabbed the firm earth.
The Inspectors were behind the Enforcers and the lab analyst just to make sure that "no one would do something wrong". It was a must, wasn't it? Shion was beside Yayoi, as always. Masaoka and Kougami were at the front. Kagari was behind Kougami and in-front of Ginoza. Akane was a little behind her fellow Inspector.
Well, Kagari was trudging, noisily stepping on twigs, making them crack. Later on, he decided to take his pouting face off to avoid ruining the jolly mood of their adventure.
[Halfway Up The Mountain]
Ginoza held on to tree trunks, avoiding some of the mountain's dark pits which depths were unknown. He just hoped that his rubber shoes would withstand the friction between the ground and it, and the force his feet gave on it. Sweat trickled down his forehead and neck.
Kougami seemed to be enjoying the trek, seemingly jumping over those pits and not holding on to anything. Kagari had to think that maybe he was a man living in the mountains in his past life (if it were ever real). He imagined his fellow Enforcer yelling like Tarzan – a man he just read about earlier while traveling as he researched things about the mountains. He didn't seem to sweat at all.
Akane was like Ginoza. Kagari was sweat-dropping. Yayoi and Shion were working as a team. Masaoka was a little like Kougami, but he was a little slower due to his old age. But still, Akane could see that he still had the strength.
They avoided pits, protruding roots, boulders and other obstacles. It was quite the exercise. Surprisingly, Kagari was still keeping up.
And, unfortunately, Ginoza fell down as he avoided a pit. His foot slipped on its edge. He mentally cursed his shoes, as well as how he poorly kept his balance.
"Gaaah!" (That was the his scream inside his head. In reality, he just grunted and felt a small heart-attack.)
And since Akane was just behind him, his bag hit her shoulder, making her lose balance, too, and fall down with him. Down the pit.
"Aaaaaack!"
Bump. Bump. Dump.
[Inside The Pit]
"GINO!"
"AKANE-CHAN!"
"OJOU-CHAN! NOBUCHIKA!"
"KANSHIKAN!"
"TSUNEMORI-KANSHIKAN!"
Those were some of the shouts of the Enforcers and the lab analyst.
Akane winced in pain and clutched the back of her head. "O-ouch..."
Ginoza gritted his teeth, clutching his forehead. "Ouch..."
As he clutched his forehead, he realized that his glasses fell off. And he couldn't find it in the semi-dark pit. There was no light that could make it glint. He looked around, only to lightly see, or rather feel Akane already sitting up. She was taking off her backpack, probably to get her flashlight.
They shouldn't have put the flashlight in their bags just in case...
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Ginoza-san... I'll just get my flashlight..."
The male Inspector looked up. He estimated that the pit was four or five meters deep.
A silhouette of Kougami's head was above them, looking down them, clicking his tongue in dismay.
Ginoza sighed. He raised his left hand, checking his watch – his communication device. There was no signal, unfortunately. That was what he hated about going away from civilized society.
At last, Akane got her flashlight. She turned it on and pointed it slightly near Ginoza's face.
"Oh. Your glasses slipped off. Please wait..."
She moved her hand, trying to search for his glasses. She found it close to a protruding tree root, one-and-a-half feet away from the male Inspector. She also found both of their trekking poles lying close to it at a cross-formation.
"Thank you, Tsunemori."
He reached out and retrieved the glasses. He saw that it was already soiled, a little bit bent and scratched, making him sigh. He still cleaned it, anyway, with the hem of his shirt.
"You know what, Ginoza-san?" Akane suddenly said. He turned his head towards her, raising his eyebrow.
"What?"
"Uh, nothing!" she said, waving her hands a little hysterically.
Ginoza narrowed his eyes.
"Hm... You can ditch your glasses. You look quite...handsome...without them..." she muttered. A little loudly.
The male Inspector gaped. He definitely heard it. He felt blood rushing through the veins of his cheeks. Unusual of him. Very unusual of him.
"P-pardon...?"
Akane blinked repeatedly. "I-I sa-said n-nothing, g-Ginoza-san..."
Until brief realization came upon her.
'D-did he hear what I s-said? Did I say it too loud?'
They looked down, their fringes covering their eyes. They both felt their own Hues clouding up a little and their Crime Coefficients probably rising up. As well as their faces' temperatures.
AruuYuda-ShoriKyuyu: Ahaha. This sucks. *sulks* There was way less humor than I intended... And, little romance... Fuu. Reviews, please? :3