Alright...I've been able to find a total of three Steam Detectives fanfics on this site. God knows I can't find any anywhere else. e.e Anyway, so here's a nice little fic for you all. It will be ongoing and I'll warn you now: if you haven't seen the end of the anime, this fic WILL contain SPOILERS. Just so you know. The title of the story "Kage to Hikari wo Otte" is translated to "Chasing Light and Shadow" and is one of the background vocal pieces of Steam Detectives, sung by Madoka. If you are interested in receiving the "Steam Detectives: White" album, contact me via email.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Accusations on said matter will lead to the penalty of Goriki eating your favorite pair of pants. o.o
Narutaki sighed, showing his hands into the pocket of his coat as he strolled through the park. Sometimes he liked to just wander through, with no real specific destination. It helped to clear his head and relax him...almost like a good cup of tea. He grinned to himself, thinking of the lovely cup of tea that was sure to be awaiting him at home when he returned. Ling-Ling made a killer cup of tea.
"Hmm...should I head back then?" he mumbled to himself.
He'd been out for over an hour and it take a good fifteen minutes to get back, so perhaps it was time to call it a day and go back. It was late afternoon after all. Just as he was about to turn around, he saw a figure standing on the hill a few feet away from him. He cocked his head lightly to the side. It was a young woman, her chestnut colored hair pulled back into a low ponytail with a black ribbon. She stood at an angle so that he could just make out her facial features. She had pale skin and blue eyes that were shielded by oval-rimmed glasses. She wore a black trench-coat over a white button-up shirt with the first button undone and the black tie loose. She wore a black belt, black pants and black boots. There was something very...odd about her. The way she stared out across the park seemed so detached from reality. Wondering if there was something wrong with her, he wandered over.
"Excuse me, uh...miss?" Narutaki called as he neared.
She mustn't have heard him, as she continued to look out over the park. Concerned now, he reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly, looking as though he'd snapped her out of a day dream. She turned her head to see the intruder and smiled pleasantly at him. Now that he was closer, he could see her blue eyes had a touch of silver to them as well as a certain depth that he'd rarely seen before. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a certain air of sadness about her.
"Forgive me, I was caught up in the sunset." she apologized. "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Narutaki?"
"No, I was just...y-you know who I am?" he stuttered.
"But of course. I doubt there is a single person in Steam City who doesn't. You're our best detective." she told him.
"Oh, eh, well thank you. Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, shifting from foot to foot.
"I'm quite alright, but thank you for your concern." she said politely. "Oh, how rude of me! My name is Artemis Abendroth. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Oh, the pleasure's all mine." Narutaki said, shaking the hand she'd extended. "I'm due back home for tea, would you perhaps like to join me? There's something sort of familiar about you..."
"I would love to. And...it's funny, I feel the same way about you." Artemis replied, following him as they left the park
They chatted lightly as they walked back to the Narutaki Detective Agency. It turned out that Artemis was in town with a friend of hers. She'd been born and raised in Steam City but had traveled away in more recent years, only returning now. She loved to read and play challenging games like chess. She especially loved to solve and create riddles, a hobby that was quickly whittling away at the young Detective's patience as they met Kawakubo at the door. Ling-Ling came in and served tea an the four of them sat down to talk.
"Ah, what a marvelous cup of tea you make, Miss Ling-Ling." Artemis sighed in contentment as she took a sip of the steaming liquid.
"Oh, it's nothing special." Ling-Ling admitted, taking a sip of hers as well.
"But it is! I love tea, but I can never get mine to come out quite right...thankfully my friends are good sports about it." she said with a light chuckle.
"So then, what is it that you do, Miss Abendroth?" Kawakubo asked.
"Me? Hmm...well, I suppose you could say I'm a Jack of all trades and Master of none." Artemis said with an embarrassed flush. "I do whatever needs to be done. I can be a librarian, secretary, mechanic...quite a few things. Of course, I'm only a temporary worker. My type of work is filling in when someone is overworked and understaffed. So, I suppose that's what I do."
"Must be odd sometimes, bouncing around between different jobs." Narutaki noted.
"Sometimes. Like the one time I accidentally put motor oil in the Head Librarian's tea..." Artemis laughed.
"That must have been so embarrassing." Ling-Ling said with a small laugh.
"A bit. But you get used to such things...oh, and this must be Goriki?" Artemis noted, pointing at the megamaton who now stood in the doorway.
"Yep, this is Goriki. Goriki, say hello to Artemis!" Narutaki said.
Goriki waved at her and she laughed slightly, saying hello to him as well. They continued chatting well until dark. Glancing up at the clock and seeing how ate it had become, she excused herself from imposing on them and they saw her to the door.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Artemis began visiting frequently, sometimes popping in to play a game of chess with Narutaki, or perhaps to have some fun with Goriki. In any event, she quickly became a good friend of those at the Narutaki Detective Agency. One particularly rainy afternoon, she stood on the doorstep with a parcel under her arms. Kawakubo quickly let her in out of the rain.
"Ooh, sorry Kawakubo. I'm dripping all over your floor." she apologized, hopping from foot to foot in an attempt to case the drops of water dripping off her.
"That's quite alright, we can get this cleaned up fairly quickly. Master Narutaki is in his study if you'd like to see him." he informed her.
"Ah, thanks. I'll try not to get anything wet." she said, dashing down the hall and flinging open the door to Narutaki's study. "Narutaki-kun!"
"Gah!"
The young Detective fell backwards from his chair, surprised by her sudden intrusion. He picked himself tenderly off the floor and blinked, staring at her for a moment.
"A-Artemis, you surprised me..." he sighed.
"Sorry, it's just that I brought something for you." she explained, handing him the brown paper-wrapped parcel.
"Something for me...?" he said questioningly as he began to open it. "A new model! Wow, this is a good one, too. It doesn't look like it's from around here either...thanks, Artemis!"
"Well, I saw it in a catalogue and I knew how much you liked models...so I thought it would make an interesting little gift. Come on, let's play a game of chess." she said eagerly.
The two engaged in their game, barely taking a pause as Ling-Ling joined them with tea. All the while they were playing, the storm worsened outside. Narutaki groaned as she moved one of her pieces, slamming his head on the table.
"Not another loss..." he moaned.
"Looks like it. Sorry, Narutaki." she said with a grin.
"Narutaki, maybe its not that we're good chess players...so much as you're a bad one." Ling-Ling said with a giggle.
"Gee thanks, Ling-Ling." Narutaki huffed.
"Now, now...everyone;s good at something. Like making models! I can't ever seem to put them together precisely right...in the end mine always come out crooked. So, you have a one up on me in that field, right?" Artemis asked.
"I suppose so." he replied with a shrug.
The three looked up as a sudden crack of thunder rocked the ground beneath them. Ling-Ling frowned at the torrential downpour that seemed to be pounding the windows. She looked to Artemis, who gazed out the window as well. Shifting her tea cup, she spoke to the other girl.
"You know, it looks so horrid out...why don't you stay the night? I don't think it would be wise for you to travel in this weather." Ling-Ling offered.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose--"
"You're not imposing! It'll be like a sleep over!" Narutaki said with glee.
Artemis sighed, raising her hands in defeat. "Alright, you win. But only if you let me make breakfast for all of you. I make a pretty mean omelette."
"It's a deal." Ling-Ling said with a smile.
"Ling-Ling! Let's make hot chocolate with marshmallows!" Narutaki said suddenly.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? But we just had tea!" Ling-Ling exclaimed.
"Yeah, but the weather's perfect for it!" Narutaki countered.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to have that much sugar before you go to bed." Ling-Ling said.
"Says who?"
"Says me, that's who!"
"Awwww, c'mon Ling-Ling, please?" Narutaki pleaded.
Artemis smiled faintly, watching the two banter back and forth over the hot chocolate and marshmallows. Things like that always reminded her of her friends back home. The three of them got along like a house on fire...Shaking her head lightly, she joined Narutaki in pleading about hot chocolate. In the end, the three of them sat on the couch with mugs between their hands, looking at a book about different kinds of dogs...which Narutaki and Ling-Ling had also started an argument about.
------------------------------------------------------------
Narutaki rolled over onto his side, the faint moonlight casting a pale glow throughout the room. The weather had improved considerably, though it still rained outside, but for some reason he couldn't sleep...
Maybe Ling-Ling was right. Maybe that WAS too much sugar before bed.
Just as he was about to close his eyes again, the phone next to him rang. He jumped in slight surprise as he reached for it and picked it up.
"Detective Onigawara...? Yes. Yes. I see...alright, I'll be there in five."
He sighed as he hung up the phone, stealing a glance at his bedside clock. It read 2:30 am...not a great time to be called out on a case. With a deep breath, he got out of bed and dressed quickly, stepping out into the hall. Everyone else was up as well, Kawakubo had even dispatched Goriki, saying he might end up delayed because of the weather. Artemis was fully dressed as she followed Narutaki down the hall.
"What are you doing? Go back to sleep, I'll be back soon." he told her.
"No, I'm going with you. Can't let you go out alone in this weather, right?" she offered.
Smiling slightly, he listened as her footsteps followed his. Hopping on his scooter, they made god time in getting to the scene. They were both pretty damp by that point as they approached Detective Onigawara and Chief Inspector Yagami.
"What's the situation?" Narutaki asked.
"Well, looks like someone found a bomb strapped to one of the main power sources in Steam City." Onigawara explained. "We've diffused it, but there are two more somewhere in the city...we just don't know where."
"Any idea who did it?" Narutaki asked, having a pretty good idea already.
"He left a note for you." Onigawara said, catching on.
Narutaki took the note from Onigawara and read it over. Apparently, this was some sort of game. If Narutaki couldn't find and diffuse all the bombs within the next three hours, someone important to the city was going to be kidnapped. The note didn't mention who...and he didn't want to have to find out. He frowned.
"Le Bled..." he murmured.
"What's up, eh Narutaki?" Artemis asked, leaning over his shoulder.
"Who's this?" Onigawara asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh, this is my friend Artemis Abendroth. She'll be assisting me tonight..." Narutaki murmured, looking at the clue he'd been left to the next bomb's location.
"Assisting, eh? You any good at riddles, Miss Abendroth?" Onigawara asked.
"They're my specialty." she said with a smirk.
"Here, it says: in the morning I walk on four legs, in the afternoon I walk on two legs, and in the evening I walk on three legs. What am I?" Narutaki recited.
The three of them pondered a moment before Artemis pounded her fist into her open palm, looking triumphant.
"I've got it...it's a man. See, in the morning is the beginning of his life and he's a baby crawling on all fours. The afternoon is the man as an adult, walking on two legs. And the evening is when he's an old man walking with a cane...three legs. But...what does that have to do with a location?" Artemis said.
"That's...hmmm." Narutaki pondered. "Ah, The Age of Man memorial in the park! That has to be it!"
"Good work! We'll send the team out there immediately to investigate it. Now...what about the second clue?" Onigawara asked.
"It says...Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I know of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to end twice, ice is also great and would suffice." Narutaki proclaimed.
Artemis' answer was instantaneous. "The poem 'Fire and Ice' by Robert Frost. Where is there a location is Steam City where Fire and Ice come into close contact?"
"There's the welding shop and ice packing plant that are right across from each other down at the warehouses." Narutaki explained. "My guess is there. We'll go on ahead, meet us there after you take care of hat other bomb."
"Right. Good luck you two! We'll be over in a bit!" Onigawara called after them.
"Thanks Detective!" Narutaki called as the two hopped aboard the scooter once more.
Artemis coughed lightly as she held onto him from the back.
"Blasted rain..." she mumbled.
"You alright back there?" he inquired.
"I'm fine. Its just this weather..." she replied.
Nodding he sped onward towards the warehouses. Screeching to a stop, they both got off and began searching around the welding company and ice packing plant. At last, Narutaki spotted an almost familiar looking device with blue and red wires. He decided to disable it first and call for Artemis later. He frowned as he inspected it. There were eight wires total; four red and four blue. Each of the four red wires was labeled with a number from one to four, as were the blue.
But which will disable it?
There was no way to disassemble it and examine where the wires led to...the thing was welded to the side of the building. He'd have to guess which wires needed to be pulled. But what of the poem?
Some say the world will end in fire, others say in ice. From what I've tasted of Desire, I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to end twice, ice is also great and would suffice. But how does that help me here...?
He bit his lip slightly. He ran the poem over his mind at least three dozen times, each time feeling no close to the answer than he had with the first. And then the idea came to him.
"If it had to end, he held with those who'd favor fire...in total, the poem talks about the world ending twice. The first time would be through fire, so..."
Taking a deep breath, he yanked the red wire that was labeled with a '1' and heaved a sigh of relief as there was no explosion. He now focused on the blue wires.
"...and the second time it ends in ice. So it should be...this one." he said as he yanked the blue wire labeled '2'. The time stopped and the bomb was disabled.
"Bravo, Narutaki!"
Whipping around, he looked to find the source of the voice standing atop the roof of the welding company. He glared, drawing his gun as he spoke. Eyeing the winged megamaton, he only hoped Goriki would arrive soon.
"What are you playing at, Le Bled?" he shouted.
"Oh nothing at all. Just thought it would be fun to have a little game with you." Le Bled offered.
"If it's a game, it wasn't a very good one!" Narutaki said.
"Really? I thought the riddles were quite interesting, didn't you?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, the moonlight and rain giving him an eerie look.
"Interesting, but I'm afraid you've been thwarted. They were far too easy for a friend of mine." Narutaki said confidently.
Le Bled chose not to speak merely laughed lightly at the comment. Narutaki barely suppressed a growl, growing frustrated with the head games the Phantom Thief always liked to play. At least he was stalling until Goriki arrived.
"And what's so funny?" he spat.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." he chuckled.
The winged megamaton dove off the building, swooping after Narutaki. With a surprised gasp, he dove to the side, narrowly avoiding being caught by the large mecha. Aiming his gun at Le Bled, he fired...but was surprised when a black blur deflected his drill shaped bulled. He squinted to get a good look at the figure, but could barely see anything because of the dark. He stood dumbfounded for a moment until a cloud shifted and bathed the figure in moonlight.
"Artemis...!" he gasped.
"Hello, Narutaki. You found that last bomb alright, I see." she said with a smile.
"Why did you..." he let his sentence trail off.
"...protect him? Because, like you, he's also my friend. Remember how, when we first met, I said I was in town with a friend of mine?" Artemis asked.
"He's...he's your friend?" Narutaki asked.
"Correct." Le Bled stated.
"I...I trusted you Artemis. I thought you were my friend." Narutaki said. "How could you do this?"
"I am your friend. Just because I was Le Bled's friend first doesn't mean I have to stop being friends with you." she said.
"He's a criminal!"
"Maybe to you."
"You know, we really should be going now. Best not to hang around to long." Le Bled intervened. "Their...'reinforcements', shall we say, will be arriving soon Artemis. Besides...I believe we're done here."
The winged megamaton reached the rooftop once more and they climbed aboard. Artemis called down to Narutaki as they took off.
"Narutaki! The bombs were fakes, this really was just a little game...see you soon!" she hollered.
Narutaki let his arms hang loosely as he stared after them, his hand going limp and his gun falling from it. He just didn't understand. She was his friend. Someone he could talk to when he couldn't go to Kawakubo or even Ling-Ling, she kept all his secrets. She was the one who would provide a distraction for Ling-Ling so he could sneak a cookie before dinner. She was the one who would give him advice on particularly difficult cases. A month...it had only been a little over a month since he'd met her that day in the park and yet, since then, he felt as though he'd known her all along.
And now...he came to find she was in league with his enemy. His rival. How could she lie to him like that? It just didn't make sense. And what further confused him was the fact that she was a nice person. Any half-witted criminal could put on the ruse of being a model citizen, a perfect angel. But that had been no ruse. That was just who she was. So how could someone like her, be in league with someone like Le Bled?
"Narutaki? You alright?"
He whipped around so quickly, he saw spots. Lost in thought, he hadn't even noticed Onigawara and Yagami arrive with their forces. They were spreading all over the area, inspecting it. One group was inspecting the disarmed bomb attached to the side of the warehouse. He smiled sadly at the other detective.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm...going home." he said.
"Sure thing. Hey, where's that little lady friend of yours?" Onigawara asked, looking around.
"She...left. With another friend of hers. I don't think she'll be coming back..."
"Well now, that's a shame. Could have used someone like her around...you two worked really well together." Onigawara said with a grin as Narutaki got aboard his scooter. "We'll wrap things up here."
"Thanks. Goodnight, Detective Onigawara." Narutaki said as he drove off.
The rain had dulled to a light mist now, but the pain in his heart was as sharp as the lightning that had cracked overhead not more than five hours ago...
Good? Bad? Needs sugar? In any case, I'd appreciate reviews, flames or otherwise. However, if you must flame, please know that any and all flames received from any of my fics are donated to local boy scouts to make smores with. See you next chapter!