Partners In Crime
By CheeKy
Genre: Crime Rating: PG-13 for violent languages and actions. Disclaimer: Don't own the darlings (sigh.); they belong to great Inoue. As for the other characters, they are but from my freaky imagination, so erm. don't use them without my permission! Warnings: A rather long-winded first chapter. I'm trying my best to keep to the more popular attributes of the pair, so Sensen's really smart and charming while Ruru's rude and anti-social. Er, all that should change as the story progresses. I promise that Ruru will be more lovable than he already is. ^_~ Note: All names are written in the English format, ie. first name before last name. However, because of 'cultural formalities', the Japanese characters will still be referred to by their last names.
*
Chapter One ~ A Chance Meeting
Rubbing his tired eyes, he gave a soft sigh before leaning back in his chair. Fingering disinterestedly at the few snapshots on his desk, he then gave a loud yawn. Finally he stood up and stretched his aching limbs; he had been sitting unmoving far too long. Walking towards the hat rack, he slipped on his dark brown trench coat and hat before allowing his eyes to wander briefly around his office. Satisfied that all the important documents were safely hidden, he switched off the light. In an instance, soft moonlight streamed from the gaps between the blinds, casting long dark shadows in his cluttered office. With a tired smile on his face, he quietly left the room before locking the door firmly behind him.
Walking down the empty hallway, he started to hum softly under his breath, his eyes taking note of his surroundings. The yellow walls and dark blue carpet reminded him of his room back in Kanagawa. Suddenly struck with a pang of homesickness, he gave a wistful smile as he paused in his reminiscences. In the midst of feeling sorry for himself, his keen ears detected several loud shouts coming inside Joseph Black's office. He debated if he should bother; after all, Joseph and him never quite hit it off since the first day they met.
"You just get your fucking hands off me!"
His eyes widened. Even though the voice sounded distinctively American, he was positive it wasn't Joseph's. With his curiosity now perked, Akira Sendoh made his way towards the source of the shout in long strides.
~ * ~
The door was half-opened, flooding the dark hallway in brightness. As he leaned casually at the side of the doorframe, Sendoh's eyes took in the scene before him. There were three men in the room, two of which he already knew. Both Joseph Black and his partner Chris Evans had grim expression on their faces as they faced the third man. With the third man's back facing towards him, Sendoh had no idea who the man might be. Nevertheless, he was pretty sure that the man wasn't a member of the detective squad.
A long silence followed the outburst, and Sendoh was dimly aware of heavy tension that hung in the room. He was about to speak when Chris roughly grabbed hold of the third man's collar with both hands before bursting out angrily, "You son of a bitch! You better start talking before I."
His threat died halfway as the man breathed a chilly warning, "You have two seconds to take your fucking hands off me before I remove them for you."
Stunned, Chris's eyes widened as the third man sudeenly shoved him backwards. Tripping over his feet, Chris stumbled and fell with a thud. Joseph let loose a string of expletives as he advanced towards the man, "Think you're such a smartass huh? Well, you'd be thinking otherwise when I'm through with you, you little piece of shit."
This time Sendoh couldn't refrain from interrupting. He gave a delicate cough and all three pairs of eyes turned in his direction. Not paying any attention to the third man, Sendoh's hard gaze found Joseph's brown eyes. Staring intently at his surprised colleague, Sendoh folded his arms as he commented grimly, "I don't think the Chief will approve of your rough methods, eh, Joseph?"
Although surprised at the Sendoh's appearance, Joseph nevertheless recovered quickly. He snorted in disgust, "Well, if it isn't our 'Super Ace', how nice of you to drop by for a visit. Why don't you take a seat to rest your aching limbs, after all, I'm sure you're tired from all that standing."
While Chris sniggered loudly by his senior's side, Sendoh gave a dismissal shrug to the obvious tinge of sarcasm that laced his colleague's voice. He was already used to being stubbed by the two men and one more cynical remark made little difference. Still leaning on the doorframe, Sendoh voiced his thoughts, "So tell me, why is the great Joseph Black losing his cool? It isn't often that someone is successful in riling you up."
Knowing that Sendoh would not leave until his curiosity was appeased, Joseph gruffly answered as he jabbed a finger in the direction of the third man, "Hmph! Ice Block here is refusing to answer any of my questions."
"I have a right to remain silent!" the man shot back coolly.
Once again ignoring the outburst, Joseph continued as he sat down heavily on his chair, "We picked him up after Nagashima reported him for stalking and verbal abuse."
This time it was Sendoh's turn to look surprise, "Nagashima? As in Tamotsu Nagashima, the shipping tycoon?"
Joseph gave a brief nod as Sendoh questioned further, his voice perplexed, "But, why? What purpose could he have for calling attention to himself?"
A shrugged was the only reply. When it became apparent that he was being deliberately ignored, the man snorted in annoyance, "Listen, I'm not going to wait around all day for you men to ponder the meanings of life. That bastard hasn't got anything worthwhile to press charges against me. So if you don't mind, I would really like to get the hell out of here."
"Is that true?"
Looking back at Sendoh, Joseph could only give a resigned nod. Taking it as a sign of dismissal, the man was about to turn when Chris blocked his path. Still smarting from the push, the detective hissed threatening in the man's face, "We'll be watching you, so don't think you're off the hook."
A loud snort, before the man spoke clearly and deliberately, "Do'aho."
Chris's face turned a slight purple as Sendoh's mind snapped to attention. That derogatory term, he hadn't heard it for several years now, what's with him being surrounded by Americans most of the time. He wondered.
Sendoh waited patiently for the man to turn in his direction as he took a closer look at the back of the man's head. It did look oddly familiar. Grabbing the jacket that had been lying limply on the chair, the man turned and a soft gasp escaped the detective's lips. He would never forget the face; every day for the past seven, eight years, those delicate features haunted his dreams and evaded his thoughts. But before Sendoh could call out, the man had unceremoniously wormed his way around the detective and left the room.
"Hey Sendoh." began Joseph.
Waving dismissively at his colleague, Sendoh hastily muttered as he turned to leave the room, "Um, later Joseph, there's something I have to do."
Pulling the door shut behind him, Sendoh's eyes moved down the hallway for the man. Locating his object of interest, Sendoh quickly ran towards the man's direction, calling out loudly at the same time.
"Hey, wait up!"
The man paused as he turned back in surprise, allowing Sendoh to close the gap between them in seconds. Grinning widely, Sendoh announced triumphantly, "Kaede Rukawa, it really is you! My god, never in a million years would I have imagined us meeting here. So, how have you been?"
A blank look greeted Sendoh's eyes. Trying to peer at the face under the hat, Rukawa could only remarked suspiciously, "Do I know you?"
Snorting slightly, Sendoh replied in mock annoyance, "Forgotten me already? Why Rukawa-kun, surely I'm not as insignificant as that."
"Uh."
This time the voice was strained, "Rukawa, it's me, Akira Sendoh."
The eyes widened as Rukawa spluttered in disbelief, "S-endoh?"
Without asking for permission, Rukawa removed the hat as Sendoh looked down in surprise. Still unsatisfied with what he saw, Rukawa pushed back some of the hair from Sendoh's forehead, before staring intently into the blue eyes that mirrored his own, causing the detective to redden in embarrassment.
"Hey, it's me okay?" stated Sendoh as he self-consciously took a step back from Rukawa's touch.
A twitch started to form at the edge of Rukawa's lips as he brusquely shoved the hat back on Sendoh's head, "Hn, it is you. Baka, what are you doing here?"
Taken aback by Rukawa's callousness, Sendoh could only remark indignantly, "Huh, I should be asking you the same question."
"None of your damn business," snapped Rukawa before turning to walk away.
Sendoh's hand shot out to grab Rukawa's arm before the man could move away. As he turned back with a death glare, Sendoh pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, "Come on Rukawa, we only just met. Can't we at least have a decent conversation without you being so cold and distant?"
The eyes softened considerably as a loud sigh escape Rukawa's lips. Nodding ever so slightly, he acquiesced to Sendoh's request, "Oh, alright. For old times' sake."
Still holding on the arm, Sendoh flashed his million-dollar smile, "That's great! Say, have you had dinner yet? Perhaps we could grab a bite downtown or something."
"Uh, I guess so. But I have to leave at midnight."
A wide grin as Sendoh teasingly agreed, "Sure, sure, Cinderella, anything you say."
"Baka, shut up before I change my mind."
Sendoh's smile only widened as he dragged a rather unwilling Rukawa along, "Come on, we'll go in my car. I know a café a few blocks from here that serves great food and even greater coffee."
A resigned sigh was the only reply.
t.b.c. ^_~
By CheeKy
Genre: Crime Rating: PG-13 for violent languages and actions. Disclaimer: Don't own the darlings (sigh.); they belong to great Inoue. As for the other characters, they are but from my freaky imagination, so erm. don't use them without my permission! Warnings: A rather long-winded first chapter. I'm trying my best to keep to the more popular attributes of the pair, so Sensen's really smart and charming while Ruru's rude and anti-social. Er, all that should change as the story progresses. I promise that Ruru will be more lovable than he already is. ^_~ Note: All names are written in the English format, ie. first name before last name. However, because of 'cultural formalities', the Japanese characters will still be referred to by their last names.
*
Chapter One ~ A Chance Meeting
Rubbing his tired eyes, he gave a soft sigh before leaning back in his chair. Fingering disinterestedly at the few snapshots on his desk, he then gave a loud yawn. Finally he stood up and stretched his aching limbs; he had been sitting unmoving far too long. Walking towards the hat rack, he slipped on his dark brown trench coat and hat before allowing his eyes to wander briefly around his office. Satisfied that all the important documents were safely hidden, he switched off the light. In an instance, soft moonlight streamed from the gaps between the blinds, casting long dark shadows in his cluttered office. With a tired smile on his face, he quietly left the room before locking the door firmly behind him.
Walking down the empty hallway, he started to hum softly under his breath, his eyes taking note of his surroundings. The yellow walls and dark blue carpet reminded him of his room back in Kanagawa. Suddenly struck with a pang of homesickness, he gave a wistful smile as he paused in his reminiscences. In the midst of feeling sorry for himself, his keen ears detected several loud shouts coming inside Joseph Black's office. He debated if he should bother; after all, Joseph and him never quite hit it off since the first day they met.
"You just get your fucking hands off me!"
His eyes widened. Even though the voice sounded distinctively American, he was positive it wasn't Joseph's. With his curiosity now perked, Akira Sendoh made his way towards the source of the shout in long strides.
~ * ~
The door was half-opened, flooding the dark hallway in brightness. As he leaned casually at the side of the doorframe, Sendoh's eyes took in the scene before him. There were three men in the room, two of which he already knew. Both Joseph Black and his partner Chris Evans had grim expression on their faces as they faced the third man. With the third man's back facing towards him, Sendoh had no idea who the man might be. Nevertheless, he was pretty sure that the man wasn't a member of the detective squad.
A long silence followed the outburst, and Sendoh was dimly aware of heavy tension that hung in the room. He was about to speak when Chris roughly grabbed hold of the third man's collar with both hands before bursting out angrily, "You son of a bitch! You better start talking before I."
His threat died halfway as the man breathed a chilly warning, "You have two seconds to take your fucking hands off me before I remove them for you."
Stunned, Chris's eyes widened as the third man sudeenly shoved him backwards. Tripping over his feet, Chris stumbled and fell with a thud. Joseph let loose a string of expletives as he advanced towards the man, "Think you're such a smartass huh? Well, you'd be thinking otherwise when I'm through with you, you little piece of shit."
This time Sendoh couldn't refrain from interrupting. He gave a delicate cough and all three pairs of eyes turned in his direction. Not paying any attention to the third man, Sendoh's hard gaze found Joseph's brown eyes. Staring intently at his surprised colleague, Sendoh folded his arms as he commented grimly, "I don't think the Chief will approve of your rough methods, eh, Joseph?"
Although surprised at the Sendoh's appearance, Joseph nevertheless recovered quickly. He snorted in disgust, "Well, if it isn't our 'Super Ace', how nice of you to drop by for a visit. Why don't you take a seat to rest your aching limbs, after all, I'm sure you're tired from all that standing."
While Chris sniggered loudly by his senior's side, Sendoh gave a dismissal shrug to the obvious tinge of sarcasm that laced his colleague's voice. He was already used to being stubbed by the two men and one more cynical remark made little difference. Still leaning on the doorframe, Sendoh voiced his thoughts, "So tell me, why is the great Joseph Black losing his cool? It isn't often that someone is successful in riling you up."
Knowing that Sendoh would not leave until his curiosity was appeased, Joseph gruffly answered as he jabbed a finger in the direction of the third man, "Hmph! Ice Block here is refusing to answer any of my questions."
"I have a right to remain silent!" the man shot back coolly.
Once again ignoring the outburst, Joseph continued as he sat down heavily on his chair, "We picked him up after Nagashima reported him for stalking and verbal abuse."
This time it was Sendoh's turn to look surprise, "Nagashima? As in Tamotsu Nagashima, the shipping tycoon?"
Joseph gave a brief nod as Sendoh questioned further, his voice perplexed, "But, why? What purpose could he have for calling attention to himself?"
A shrugged was the only reply. When it became apparent that he was being deliberately ignored, the man snorted in annoyance, "Listen, I'm not going to wait around all day for you men to ponder the meanings of life. That bastard hasn't got anything worthwhile to press charges against me. So if you don't mind, I would really like to get the hell out of here."
"Is that true?"
Looking back at Sendoh, Joseph could only give a resigned nod. Taking it as a sign of dismissal, the man was about to turn when Chris blocked his path. Still smarting from the push, the detective hissed threatening in the man's face, "We'll be watching you, so don't think you're off the hook."
A loud snort, before the man spoke clearly and deliberately, "Do'aho."
Chris's face turned a slight purple as Sendoh's mind snapped to attention. That derogatory term, he hadn't heard it for several years now, what's with him being surrounded by Americans most of the time. He wondered.
Sendoh waited patiently for the man to turn in his direction as he took a closer look at the back of the man's head. It did look oddly familiar. Grabbing the jacket that had been lying limply on the chair, the man turned and a soft gasp escaped the detective's lips. He would never forget the face; every day for the past seven, eight years, those delicate features haunted his dreams and evaded his thoughts. But before Sendoh could call out, the man had unceremoniously wormed his way around the detective and left the room.
"Hey Sendoh." began Joseph.
Waving dismissively at his colleague, Sendoh hastily muttered as he turned to leave the room, "Um, later Joseph, there's something I have to do."
Pulling the door shut behind him, Sendoh's eyes moved down the hallway for the man. Locating his object of interest, Sendoh quickly ran towards the man's direction, calling out loudly at the same time.
"Hey, wait up!"
The man paused as he turned back in surprise, allowing Sendoh to close the gap between them in seconds. Grinning widely, Sendoh announced triumphantly, "Kaede Rukawa, it really is you! My god, never in a million years would I have imagined us meeting here. So, how have you been?"
A blank look greeted Sendoh's eyes. Trying to peer at the face under the hat, Rukawa could only remarked suspiciously, "Do I know you?"
Snorting slightly, Sendoh replied in mock annoyance, "Forgotten me already? Why Rukawa-kun, surely I'm not as insignificant as that."
"Uh."
This time the voice was strained, "Rukawa, it's me, Akira Sendoh."
The eyes widened as Rukawa spluttered in disbelief, "S-endoh?"
Without asking for permission, Rukawa removed the hat as Sendoh looked down in surprise. Still unsatisfied with what he saw, Rukawa pushed back some of the hair from Sendoh's forehead, before staring intently into the blue eyes that mirrored his own, causing the detective to redden in embarrassment.
"Hey, it's me okay?" stated Sendoh as he self-consciously took a step back from Rukawa's touch.
A twitch started to form at the edge of Rukawa's lips as he brusquely shoved the hat back on Sendoh's head, "Hn, it is you. Baka, what are you doing here?"
Taken aback by Rukawa's callousness, Sendoh could only remark indignantly, "Huh, I should be asking you the same question."
"None of your damn business," snapped Rukawa before turning to walk away.
Sendoh's hand shot out to grab Rukawa's arm before the man could move away. As he turned back with a death glare, Sendoh pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, "Come on Rukawa, we only just met. Can't we at least have a decent conversation without you being so cold and distant?"
The eyes softened considerably as a loud sigh escape Rukawa's lips. Nodding ever so slightly, he acquiesced to Sendoh's request, "Oh, alright. For old times' sake."
Still holding on the arm, Sendoh flashed his million-dollar smile, "That's great! Say, have you had dinner yet? Perhaps we could grab a bite downtown or something."
"Uh, I guess so. But I have to leave at midnight."
A wide grin as Sendoh teasingly agreed, "Sure, sure, Cinderella, anything you say."
"Baka, shut up before I change my mind."
Sendoh's smile only widened as he dragged a rather unwilling Rukawa along, "Come on, we'll go in my car. I know a café a few blocks from here that serves great food and even greater coffee."
A resigned sigh was the only reply.
t.b.c. ^_~
