Okay... I'm back with more... It seems that like most people, I can't resist the 'new story' link either... *sigh* Another one of my theme prompt stories where the theme is "Pen and Paper". Some inspiration for this came from the Misaki-July scene in the anime where he was sent to find her for whatever reason. (I forgot by now.) As always, I use July wherever I can because he is just too cute! :)
A Paper Trail
Misaki Kirihara was sitting at her office desk when there was a soft knock on the door. Glancing at the others on her team, none of them seemed to hear it. Sighing softly, she got up from the desk and went to get the door. It was odd that the person didn't enter after knocking; that was the usual custom around here.
"Can I help you?" she asked sternly after opening the door.
The young man on the other side of it shuffled his feet as he quivered in fear from her gaze. Tempted to roll her eyes, Misaki softened her voice and asked her question once more. She didn't recognize him. He must be new to the office since she knew most people around here. She was tempted to laugh when he took his time answering; he must have heard horror stories regarding her section to have this dramatic of a response.
"Um... Are you Kirihara-san?" he finally asked while gazing at the floor.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"Uh... Kind of... I need you to come with me."
"Alright. I hope this won't take long," she answered. "I have work I need to finish still."
He twitched in response, but didn't say anything else. Instead, he led the way to the elevator and pressed the down button. As for Misaki, she really had no idea what was going on. Whatever the case, it was best to find out what was going on as soon as possible and deal with the situation.
The two of them made their way to the main floor and Misaki followed along as he made his way to the front desk. Feeling confused, her confusion was soon replaced by surprise. Standing next to the reception desk stood a young blond-haired boy in a button-up shirt with a bow tie, paired with brown suspendered shorts. To finish off his outfit, it was accessorized with a brown cap.
July, she thought to herself.
"What's going on?" she asked the young man.
"This young boy was standing at the front entrance by himself. When we asked him what he wanted, he held up a slip of paper that had your name on it..."
"I see. I'll handle the situation."
The young man nodded his head and quickly scampered off. Ignoring his exaggerated reaction, Misaki turned her attention to the boy in front of her. What was he doing here, by himself no less? Usually he was with November, or his other partner, April. It wasn't like them to leave him unattended.
"July, what's wrong?" she asked as she knelt in front of him.
He gazed up at her and held out a slip of paper. Taking it from him, Misaki opened it and scanned the contents. Confusion etched its mark across her features as the slip only said 'Shinjuku Station. JR Saikyo Line entrance. DOCOMO ad.' What was it supposed to mean? Was it a clue for a case?
"What's this for July?"
His blue eyes stared blankly into hers for a moment before he poked at the paper she was holding. Sighing softly, she didn't understand at all. Not only that, she didn't have time for this. Even so, it wasn't like she could ignore the boy when he had purposely come to seek her out, for reasons unknown. It was her duty as an officer to see him safety back to his guardians. When she didn't say anything, July poked at the paper again.
"Shinjuku Station... You mean I'm supposed to take you there?" Misaki inquired.
July nodded his head. Closing her eyes momentarily and hoping this didn't take long at all, Misaki finally stood up and slipped the paper into her blazer pocket. She would have to gather her things before she left. Instinct told her that this would take a lot longer than she would have hoped. Surprisingly, July tugged on her hand when she started walking away.
"What is it?" she asked.
His fingers tightened around hers ever so slightly and he followed her. It wasn't difficult to understand that he wanted to go with her, especially since this place was foreign to him. Apparently, the other thing foreign was the idea of the stern Section 4 Chief being seen with a child. As she passed others on her way to the elevator, each of them had surprised expressions on their face.
"Is everything okay? Why were you here by yourself?" Misaki asked when the two of them were alone together in the elevator.
Tilting his head to the side to look at her, he didn't say anything and finally turned his attention to the front. Inwardly sighing, Misaki wished he would speak more. She was the worst when it came to interpreting non-verbal communication. Considering that he was a doll, it made things decidedly difficult. Somehow, the two of them would muster through this situation together.
"Everyone, you're on your own for the rest of the day," Misaki stated after entering the office. "I have an emergency I need to take care of. I don't know how long it will take me."
The others stood in surprise as they watched her walk to her desk, a blond-haired child in tow. The boy glanced at each of them, but didn't say anything. His disinterest was evident in his face. Misaki knew it was because he was a doll. The others might misunderstand, but she didn't have time to explain. She had to find November or April - immediately.
"Come on. Let's go, July," she said, giving him a small smile.
Nodding his head, the two of them left the office, leaving a number of befuddled people behind. They stared at the closed door in shock, wondering why the chief had returned with a child. Not only that, but she had run off saying she had an emergency... It didn't make sense to any of them and they finally sat down in stunned silence.
Parking her car by the station, Misaki pulled the slip of paper from her pocket and stared at it again. She hoped either of them was waiting for them down by the entrance they had mentioned. July turned his head to glance at her, still strapped in by the seatbelt. His eyes seemed to watch her reactions, but she couldn't tell what he understood - if anything at all.
"Well, we're here," she said lightly. "Let's get you back to November and April."
Misaki pressed the button to release his seatbelt before doing the same for herself. She couldn't help herself from wondering how the others did it - watching July all the time. Then again, they were different since April and November were Contractors and July was a doll. He didn't move as she opened her own door.
"You need to get out of the car, July," she instructed.
Closing her door and locking it, she walked around to the other side. He had just managed to clambor out of his seat when she joined him on the sidewalk. Immediately, he slipped his hand into hers and Misaki wondered if it was a conditioned response from spending so much time with April. Even so, she couldn't help smiling as she closed the door. He was relatively easy to understand. Besides, he was an obedient child which made things so much easier.
"Help me look for November and April," Misaki said to him. "They should be here somewhere."
The boy nodded and gazed around as they made their way to the Saikyo Line entrance. The slip had mentioned a DOCOMO ad specifically. As she looked around for the map to follow, Misaki wondered if July knew how to read. They used dolls at the Astronomical Observatory, but there still wasn't much known about them.
Making sure she kept a tight grip on the boy's hand, Misaki was relieved that the station wasn't too busy. It wouldn't do to lose sight of July here. Then again, he probably wouldn't be too difficult to find as she couldn't imagine him running off on his own. Despite that fact, she didn't want to take her chances.
The two of them peeked left and right, trying to find the right advertisement poster that was mentioned. Considering the size of that company, Misaki figured there would have been more of their advertisements present. Luckily, there were only a handful, but they were still making their way towards the designated entrance.
When they arrived at it, it was to find no one. Neither November nor April was in sight. Misaki glanced around before taking a quick glance at her watch. Given how much time had passed, they should be here already. Sighing softly, she stopped by the DOCOMO poster. She had a feeling it would come to something like this.
To her surprise, July tugged on her hand. She turned to see what it was that he wanted, only to find him pointing at something. Her line of vision followed his finger to see him pointing at the ad. A wrinkle of confusion formed between her brows as she didn't understand. It wasn't like he had never seen an ad before.
"What is it?"
Still pointing at it, July's gaze went up along one edge to the top of the poster, across it, down it and back to the original corner he had been looking at. Since she couldn't understand what he was trying to tell her, the next best thing was to follow his actions. Doing as he did, she didn't see what it was that he was trying to point out. When she didn't say anything, July made the same motions, but slower this time.
Misaki tuned out the other noises as she could hear people snickering, wondering if the two of them were crazy. They wouldn't understand; she didn't understand. Even so, she couldn't keep the boy with her. Following his actions a second time, she moved her eyes slowly along the edge of the advertisement frame. Finally, she caught sight of something wedged underneath it. Luckily, it wasn't too high for her to pull it out.
"Is this what you wanted?" Misaki asked July.
He made opening motions while he nodded his head. Following his instructions, Misaki opened the second slip of paper she had received. This time, it read 'Tokyo Tower. First floor of Main Observatory. Look down window.' Sighing softly, she had an inkling of who was behind this farce... What she didn't know was why he was going to such great lengths, as if she didn't have things to do.
"Did November bring you to the office and tell you to do this?"
He nodded once as he slipped his hand back into hers. With his confirmation of her hunch, Misaki could only roll her eyes as they made their way out of the station and back to her car. Seriously... November had too much time on his hands sometimes. Not only that, but she had the feeling that he enjoyed tormenting her. After all, the two of them were opposites - one playful and laid-back while the other was stern and serious.
"Let me guess. I'm supposed to follow the clues until I find the last one which will tell me where he is," Misaki said to July as she paid for their entrance into the Tokyo Tower.
Her companion nodded and Misaki couldn't help wondering how many of these clues November had set up for her. It was just like him to send her on a wild goose chase, knowing that she would never leave July behind or ignore him. Already, she was being sent to the third distinct city ward... This could take all day! Thankfully, she had trusted her instinct and told the others that she would be preoccupied.
The two of them made their way up to the first floor of the tower's main observatory. 'Look down window' sounded ominous, but Misaki was pleased to learn that there were only two of them located on this floor. That would make things somewhat easier. At least July was kind enough to help her and point things out if he spotted anything.
Misaki knelt down to look along the edges of the look down window, releasing July's hand in the process. Searching for a bit, she finally glanced up to keep an eye on him. He was right where she left him, but she was amused to see him staring down the window at the street below him. One thing she wouldn't have from him was hysterics. She wasn't sure, but she thought he rather enjoyed the view.
"July, stay close to me," she stated. "I don't want you to get lost."
He glanced up at her and wandered towards her. Misaki continued to search while he continued to stare at the ground, looking up every so often to make sure he wasn't more than a few feet away from her. It took her a good ten minutes to find it wedged into a crack on one of the sides. Of course, November would never make this easy for her... When she sat down on the floor, July came to join her, waiting for the next clue.
"It says, 'Ueno Park. Lotus pond perimeter.' You know, your guardian is such a prankster," Misaki told him.
She couldn't help giggling when July nodded in reply to her comment. Even he thought so and he was partners with the man. Smiling, she brushed off her pants as she stood up before reaching down to help July up. One hand took hold of hers and the other copied her action by brushing at the seat of his pants.
Misaki giggled again as he was adorable. Feeling slightly better as she had good company on this paper hunt, Misaki still had words for November. It was one thing if he had something he wanted to tell her, but it was different if he was just doing this for the fun of it. She didn't have time to get trapped by his antics.
"Have you been to Ueno Park before?" she inquired.
"I guess not since the three of you are here for business," she answered after July shook her head. "Well, we'll have to do our best to find this lotus pond because I haven't been there either."
Sighing as the two of them settled on a park bench, it must have taken them an hour or more to find the slip as it was half hidden under a rock. The name 'Lotus pond' was deceiving as the size of it was nothing like the pond Misaki had imagined in her mind. When they had found the map for the park, Misaki had paled after seeing that the pond was actually the largest of three that made up the area called 'Shinobazu Pond'.
They had slowly looked for it, enjoying the sunshine while they were at it. As for July, he seemed fascinated by the rental boats found on the 'Boat Pond'. They had lucked out as they didn't actually have to walk the entire perimeter of the pond before they found it.
July sat next to her with his feet dangling in the air. When she turned to glance at him, he turned to glance at her before turning his attention to a young family where the father was playing catch with his son. Wondering if July would actually like something like that, Misaki opened their next clue.
"Hachiko Statue. Seriously?" she complained. "He is making me run around all over the place..."
Sighing a second time, Misaki got up from the bench and held her hand out for July. He hopped off before he took hold of it. Even though she complained, she didn't rush off to their next destination. Knowing November's character, despite toying with her, she knew he had some ulterior motive. He was that kind of person; he just never told anyone what his purpose was until after the fact.
As they wandered their way back to the car, Misaki was amazed that July was paying attention to the things around him. He watched as people cycled by, stared at various plants and statues, and even followed its flight whenever he spotted a bird taking off. Perhaps November knew more about dolls than they did at the Observatory after working closely with one for so long?
"Do you know what the Hachiko Statue is?" Misaki asked, striking up a conversation with the doll.
When he shook his head, she smiled, figuring he wouldn't. Since she was stuck in November's game, the one thing she had to be glad for was the fact that he used recognizable landmarks. If he wanted to, he could have given her obscure clues in remote locations which would make this near impossible to complete.
Misaki told July about the famous story of Hachiko, a loyal Akita dog, who continued to wait for his owner at the Shibuya station even after his owner passed on to the next life. It had been a regular routine of theirs where Hachiko would await his owner's return and the two of them would return home together. In his honour, they had commissioned a bronze statue to be made in his likeness where it was erected outside of the station he was always seen to frequent.
"You can come closer," Misaki said with a giggle, as July continued to stand a few feet away from the statue. "It's not going to bite you."
The boy had refused to go near it when they finally arrived, leaving her to search for their next clue by herself. It hadn't been a difficult task as November had left it underneath the main body of the dog statue. Misaki had pulled it from its location, only to turn and find July staring at it with unblinking eyes.
It seemed subconsciously, however that worked, he was frightened by it. His body was stiff and his gaze unwavering. Smiling, Misaki went to join her companion, taking his hand in hers. She tugged him gently towards the statue to see if he would comply. His legs moved with her motions, but she had the distinct feeling that he wasn't pleased with this.
Giggling once more, Misaki released him and went to prove to him that it was safe. She lightly stroked her hand across the back of the bronze statue, motioning for him to come. His gaze went from the statue, to her and back to the statue. It took him a moment, but he slowly put one foot in front of the other.
"See, that wasn't so hard," she said as he was finally standing next to her. "It's only a statue. Besides, I'm sure Hachiko would have liked playing with you if he were actually here."
July stared up at her, as if he were trying to determine the merit of her words. Eventually, he turned back to the statue and closed the distance. It seemed like he trusted her - and why shouldn't he? She had spent the entire day with him as they travelled around the city, looking for November's paper clues.
She grinned as he slowly touched the front paw of the statue. It definitely wouldn't hurt anyone. Its material had a cool smoothness to it that was refreshing against the warmth of her own skin. She let July have his fun as he seemed to enjoy rhythmically running his fingers across the surface in his signature slowness of movement.
"Shall we see what this next clue says?" Misaki asked when he was finally finished.
Carefully opening it after he nodded, their next clue only said 'Palace Hotel Tokyo'. Given the scarcity of information and the location of the hotel mentioned, Misaki had the feeling that this was their last one. It was exactly something November would make her do: start in Chiyoda, run to Shinjuku, Minato, Taito, Shibuya and end up back in Chiyoda.
"I think your guardian is finally finished playing around with us," she told July with a small smile.
Parking the car at the hotel, the two of them made their way to the front entrance of the building. July didn't seem interested in anything here as he stared ahead at the doors in front of them. On the other hand, Misaki glanced around, hoping to catch sight of November. She was really going to give it to him... She had spent the better part of her day following his trail and she still didn't know why.
She had fun with July as he seemed to be a curious boy, despite being a doll. Something about his demeanor hinted at a hidden depth that wasn't typical of dolls. Even so, she would never admit that to November. If she showed any signs of weakness, he would continue toying with her and that was something she didn't want.
She didn't see him anywhere, turning at the steps to see if he would pop out from behind her. She wouldn't put it passed him to try and frighten her. He was rather odd for a Contractor, and not necessarily in a good way. It was the fact that he knew his looseness got under her skin; not to say that he wasn't professional - most of the time...
"Hey!"
Startled by the sound of a voice behind her, Misaki whirled her head around and flinched when she got poked in the forehead. Narrowing her eyes, the very man she had been looking for stood in front of her with a pen in hand. Swatting away the pen, Misaki glared at him. Not the slightest bit intimidated, November only grinned at her.
"How was it?"
"What was all this for?" Misaki asked, ignoring his question.
"It was a treasure hunt, just to find me. I feel so loved."
"You're a Contractor. You don't feel anything."
"Oh... Ouch," he replied, placing a hand over his heart.
"You better have a good reason for putting me through this," Misaki stated, refusing to be drawn into his taunt. "You purposely left July at Foreign Affairs, knowing that I would bring him back to you."
"Don't be upset. I'm sure he enjoyed spending time with you. Isn't that right, July?"
The boy nodded his head as he gave her hand a light squeeze. Turning to gaze at him, Misaki's features soften momentarily before she turned angry eyes back at November. It still wasn't right for him to toy around with her time like this.
"We needed someone to look after July," November said seriously, his expression changing. "The two of us had to check on something and we couldn't bring him with us."
"So you turned me into a babysitter for the day when I have my own work to complete?"
"Now, now... Don't get upset. You're the only one we trust here. At least you'll get some information out of it. Don't think we'd make you do all this work to return back empty-handed."
"You have new information...?" Misaki asked cautiously.
"Perhaps. So will you come with me?"
Misaki glanced at July to find him still looking up at her. She turned her attention back to November to see that he had dispensed with the playful antics, replacing it with his usual formalness left for work-related issues. Finally glancing up at the hotel and back at the two of them, she sighed softly.
"Fine. You better tell me everything..." she replied.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
A/N: I'm not too familiar with the location of where Foreign Affairs is in the anime, if it's different from where it is in real life. All the references were made based on where the actual FA is located.