Rose Gold
AU, TezuFuji Fuji is a mysterious phantom thief with a penchant for beautiful things...too bad Detective Tezuka doesn't know that yet.
Disclaimer: Mine! Mine! Mine! Not.
A/N: Plot bunnies strike again! No, but seriously, this was actually one of the ideas off of my bunny list from like eons ago. Rose Gold is sort of my apology for writing so much Pillar Pair in Putting Out Fires, not that I'm bashing Pillar Pair, but it's just not my thing. xD
Rose Gold is set in a Victorian-ish world in a Parisian-ish city, but not really? All the precious jewels and trinkets that were stole/will be stolen in the story aren't really, they're just fancy shmancy names made up by me. Lovre is also made up, it's a big museum or something. So if you have a fancy shmancy name for something you want Fuji to steal, feel free to tell me. I thought the idea of a Phantom Thief!Fuji would be fun, and I haven't seen a fic like this yet, so I'm going to run with it. Hope you enjoy!
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Chapter I
Courtship
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It was something like a twisted courtship. Except when two people were courting, you knew who you were courting. Well, that was not the case with Tezuka Kunimitsu (no pun intended.) The young detective had no idea who he was supposedly 'courting.' Or perhaps, it wasn't courting at all. Whatever it was, it was bothersome and he didn't like it.
But his rather persistent suitor didn't seem to think that way. It was a rainy day when a small box of dark silk chocolates and a quaint bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers showed up on his doorstep, along with a vanilla-colored envelope. His name was written on it, a delicate thread of scarlet ink.
To Tezuka Kunimitsu
The rain pounded relentlessly and cold pricked his skin. After another moment of thought, Tezuka bent to scoop up the basket and the flowers. He searched around for any sign that his suitor might have left behind, but because rain was both cleansing and muddling, of course he found nothing at all. That, and his suitor probably wasn't someone to be reckoned with.
When he was back inside, he set the flowers into a vase he had just emptied from the last wilted batch. His suitor definitely had a thing for flowers. He put the box of chocolates right next to the vase, and walked a few careful paces to make himself comfortable in an overstuffed armchair. The chair had belonged to his grandfather, not all that long again, and the thick cushions stank permanently of cigar smoke.
Slitting the envelope neatly between his fingers, Tezuka drew out a folded piece of stationary, it smelled faintly of cinnamon.
In the same elegant silk script, Tezuka read:
My darling Detective,
It suddenly occurred to me just how long it has been since our last correspondence, I hope you didn't miss me too much, and I hope also that this letter finds you in good health. The chocolates are, of course, an apology of sorts and even though I know that you don't have much of a sweet tooth, it is my most sincere wish that you enjoy them at your discretion. Furthermore, I figured that the lilacs I sent you must have long since wilted, so I thought daisies would be a fitting replacement—after all, it is almost spring and they are in season.
However, both you and I know very well why I write to you, before I go on, I must insist that you open the box of chocolates before you read any further. You'll find a nice little something. A gift from me to you.
Tezuka put down the letter and glanced with no small amount of apprehension towards the box of chocolates. Finally, curiosity killed the cat and reached for the box with tentative fingers. Unlacing the ribbon, he stopped; and then, with a deep breath, lifted the cover of the box.
There were three rows of satin dark chocolates, and for a moment, as Tezuka stared at them, he wondered if they were poisoned.
He looked to the letter, which warned:
Don't eat the chocolate in the third row in the right corner, though, whatever you do.
Tezuka's eyes immediately found the chocolate in question. In all honesty, it looked normal enough, but then, perhaps it was just like his suitor to poison one random chocolate and warn him not to eat it. Slowly, he picked up the chocolate and rolled it thoughtfully between his fingers, some half melted cream stained his fingers and instead of a hazelnut center, Tezuka found himself face to face with--
If letters could laugh, Tezuka was quite sure this particular letter would have; however, it settled with a simple taunt.
It's a beautiful diamond, isn't it, Detective? It reminds me of you.
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"It couldn't have just walked off on its own!" Shishido Ryou, head of securities of the prestigious Lovre, the biggest museum that housed all kinds of expensive odds and ends in the city, whined for the umpteenth time in the hour. "There are no holes in our security, there is no way that the Diamond of Queen Alexandria could have been stolen! Prior to the arrival of this artifact, I even had our systems upgraded!"
"Oh. Well then." Chief Commissioner Atobe Keigo looked at him, and smirked as only Atobe knew how, "...I suppose the diamond grew wings and pushed its way out of its glass display case and--"
"Oh, shut up, Atobe."
Tezuka watched the exchange. It was almost becoming almost too familiar to him, which was altogether a bad thing. He nodded to Atobe's giant of a guard, Kabaji, and said, "I'm going back in there."
'There' was the scene of the crime. Kabaji looked at his boss for approval, but in the midst of his heated banter, all was forgotten. At length, Kabaji gave up and nodded yes.
Tezuka stole around Atobe and slipped through the door. The scene of the crime really didn't look like a crime scene at all. Or perhaps it was just that, it was too perfect, exactly how he planned it to be.
In fact, except for the empty glass case, there was nothing else. Tezuka's eyes roamed the room, and spotted a scrap of paper that all of the other officers had oh, so conveniently missed. It was folded into a neat square—as if it was placed there on purpose.
Without looking at it, Tezuka knew what it was. He picked it up with leaden fingers. The folds in the paper were still fresh. An hour or so ago, he had stood there in this very room. Perhaps he had laughed.
I got You.
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Tezuka's head felt numb, and his thoughts were jumbled into a surprisingly indecipherable mess. The disaster at Lovre had occurred over a week ago, and every major paper in the city was still having a field day.
And now, here Tezuka Kunimitsu was, an officer of the law, holding the Diamond of Queen Alexandria in the palm of his hands, albeit the jewelery was properly smeared in chocolate cream.
He looked to the letter again.
It's a beautiful diamond, isn't it, Detective? It reminds me of you. It's brilliant and beautiful just like you. Maybe, it is also just as unattainable.
If you ever feel the need to return it, I'm at Lovre tonight, if it's not too much trouble, do come alone. You might arrest me if you get lucky. Although I'm definitely of the opinion that you should keep the diamond, but I have a feeling that you won't get my joke...and even if you do get it, you won't find it funny.
Ever your devoted servant I am
Your Beloved Phantom
Tezuka stared dumbly from the letter to the diamond in his hand. His first instinct was to run far away from it, or bury and hide it some place so that it'd never be found. At least, in his life time. But because Detective Tezuka Kunimitsu was a person eternally plagued by logic, he put down the diamond, wiped his fingers on a napkin and put the letter back into its rightful place inside the envelope.
And then he got up from the armchair and went to the kitchen to fix himself a good, stiff drink. Liquor always helped his judgment...and his stomach.
Elsewhere, the Phantom was laughing.
I got You.
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He would never admit it, but sometimes, Tezuka wondered about the Phantom. He wondered who the Phantom was, and if the Phantom ever thought to age. To Tezuka, the phantom was an ageless persona. He had dedicated most of his career chasing an oblivious shadow, and he felt old and gray for it. And of course, because the Phantom was an odd piece of work, he was chasing Tezuka right back in his own strange way, and courted him through letters, chocolates, flowers, and now...
A diamond.
And not just any diamond. The Phantom had somehow managed to slip Tezuka a stolen diamond worth twenty fortunes. As much as he loathed to think it, it was just like the Phantom to do something so...whimsical.
Ever since he had started working as a private detective of sorts, the letters had never stopped. The flowers had only stopped once or twice, but the Phantom had apologized in his letter.
I couldn't find any flowers beautiful enough. So I sent you extra chocolates, they'll have to do for now. I'll send nice roses as soon as I find some.
Tezuka took a long gulp of his gin and the liquor burned all the way down, it felt good. It kept him from thinking about the Phantom, and the diamond glaring at him from the table beside the daisies. Unlike the diamond, though he had never seen the Phantom in the five long years that their courtship persisted, Tezuka thought the Phantom would smile a lot.
Because you'd couldn't very well hide little notes where you knew your 'lover' was going to find them, that said:
I got You.
And not smile about it.
Tezuka drank more gin.
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Tezuka wondered if he could call Atobe about the diamond and the Phantom's letter. Not that he really answered to Atobe, but every practicing detective in the city, they more or less answered to Atobe. But he had evaded Atobe for five years, he saw no reason to stop now.
Besides, if he let the Chief Commissioner of the entire city know that he had the Alexandria Diamond in his possession, he'd never hear the end of it. But then again, if he somehow didn't come away with arresting the Phantom, he was also going to be in heaps of trouble.
So only one obvious choice remained. There had never been much of a choice to begin with, admittedly, but the gin gave him an excuse, a very good one too. He could very well delude himself into thinking that it was the liquor that made him curious enough to want to meet this Phantom, that it was the liquor that convinced him that he could actually arrest the Phantom on his own.
Liquor was convenient, for a moment, he almost understood the army of drunkards that liked to flood the city. Or maybe Tezuka was hallucinating and that wasn't it at all.
It was all because the Phantom knew just how to tempt fate and decided to remind him, over and over again, through chocolates, roses, daisies, lilacs, and now, a diamond.
I got you.
Tezuka never had a choice.
But then again, perhaps he'd never wanted one.
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The Lovre was lit, because everyone seemed to have learned their lessons after the diamond and was determined to be ever so vigilant. Even the little ones who had no business with night were determined to stay. Ohtori Chotarou was one of those. Because Tezuka was a detective, he knew everything, and he also knew the not so secret affair that the night janitor boy was carrying on with the head of securities was not the healthiest activity that a person with no future could be partaking in.
"Ohtori, I need to get into the Alexandria room."
Ohtori didn't know any better, "Commissioner Atobe says I'm not allowed to let anyone in there."
Tezuka kept one hand over the pocket of his jacket, where the guilty bump was. "I talked to Atobe already." He said, in a tone that left no room for argument, even though he was lying through his teeth and if Atobe ever found out, his license would have been suspended until kingdom come.
But Ohtori shrugged, "All right then, if he said so."
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The Alexandria room was empty. It hadn't always been the Alexandria room, just a few months ago, the room had housed the architectural work miniatures of some genius. Tezuka wandered around the room once, walking carefully in a circle.
A voice said, "Detective?"
Tezuka froze in his tracks.
The voice was laughing. Tezuka knew without turning around that yes, it was the Phantom. His laugh reminded Tezuka of bells. Still, he didn't move.
"...Phantom?"
"Yes, that's me."
There was a long, long pause, Tezuka finally ventured (rather stupidly, he thought) "I have the diamond."
"Oh?" Phantom was amused. "So you aren't you going to keep it, after all?"
"I don't think I will."
"Shame." Phantom said nothing for a moment, then, "Well, come here and give it to me. If you don't want it, I'll take it back."
Tezuka stared straight ahead, he saw a wall. "Does that mean I can turn around?"
"Of course, if you'd like."
Tezuka never thought much about what Phantom would look like, all his logic told he was that Phantom would smile. The dark figure leaned against the ivory table tracing the case with one finger. A gold-topped cane lay not too far away, one of the most useless accessories in fashion, or so Tezuka thought. Phantom did smile--
"Detective."
Tezuka shook himself. "...Yes?"
"I wonder if you'd do me a favor?"
"Like what?" Tezuka was wary.
"From where you're standing, to where I'm standing." Phantom said, "Will you count out loud every step you take until you reach me?"
Tezuka considered, "Why?"
It was Phantom's turn to considered, but he distracted Tezuka quite nicely by twirling a strand of his bangs around his finger, "I don't know." He conceded at last, "I guess I'm curious. Will you, please, for me?"
No, not for you.
But for your eyes. Phantom's eyes were a deep cerulean blue. Tezuka knew if he looked too long, he would most certainly drown in them.
Tezuka sighed, he stepped, "One."
Again, "Two."
Phantom watched him.
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"Sixty-six."
"Wait, stop." Phantom held up a hand.
"What?"
"How far are you from me?"
Tezuka couldn't help but think that maybe something was a little wrong with Phantom. Just a little. Even if Phantom had got to be one of the more genius thieves in the century. He looked at Phantom, "I'm...well, about halfway, more or less."
"I see." Phantom smiled, "...Keep counting."
He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding in. Tezuka took a tentative step, "Sixty-seven."
"Detective."
"Sixty-eight—what?"
Phantom tilted his head thoughtfully, "Why did you come here today?"
"Sixty-nine." Tezuka paused in midstep, "What kind of reason would you like?"
"There's more than one?"
"Yes."
"Well, give them to me in order." Phantom decided after mulling it over, "In the order that you think that I'd want to hear them."
Tezuka stared at him, "Well...I suppose...because I'm curious about you. Also, because I didn't want the diamond on my conscience. And..." He sighed, "I suppose, since I am an upstanding officer of the law, perhaps you'd be a gentleman and keep your promise."
"What promise would that be?" Phantom's smile slipped away into the faintest of smirks.
"Your letter said I would get to arrest you." Tezuka said lamely as he ventured another step, "Seventy."
"No, I didn't." Phantom shook his head, "I said, 'you might arrest me if you were lucky.' And excuse me for saying, but I think today is really not your day, Detective."
Tezuka felt uneasy, "...Why?"
"Because," Phantom was laughing, "I got you."