It was a fading summer evening in Beika Park. After being up for nearly 36 hours wrapping up an especially difficult murder case, the two young detectives felt completely drained. They had spent hours filling out some extremely tedious paperwork and after the adrenaline from chasing down the culprit had worn off, they could barely keep their eyes open.
That had taken the better part of the afternoon, but they had finally finished and finally got to spend some time together, away from the prying eyes of their fellow detectives. They felt that there was no place they wanted to be than right here with one another.
Their fingers found each other's, curling together in an easy-going grasp. The soft evening air was alive with the sound of chirping crickets and dozy fireflies drifting around their heads. In the gold-red twilight Takagi and Sato strolled down the dirt path that gently divided the park. The quiet was a refreshing change. Between the chaos of the station and the number of cases they've been saddled with in the past few weeks, their minds were overloaded with way too much noise. This date was a long time coming.
They talked over the details of the case they just solved and relished in the satisfaction of finally putting that elusive murderer behind bars. Some couples may not find it very romantic to talk about work on a date, especially when your work includes something as unsavory as murder, but for Takagi and Sato, it couldn't be helped. Detective work was their passion and a core part of who they were. No matter how they tried, the subject always seem to pop up during their conversations.
Case and point, seemingly out of nowhere Takagi asked,"Do you remember the first case we worked on together?"
Sato stopped for a moment, looking slightly puzzled as to what brought this peculiar question up. Then she smiled fondly as the memory crossed at her mind.
"Do I?! You nearly passed out when we discovered poor Mr. Yamada lying in the creek bed during our investigation," she teased.
"Hey, you would've too if you thought you just uncovered a dead body!" Takagi said defensively.
She laughed, "Ok, ok, it was your first case so I guess you're off the hook," she said with a playful smile, curling a few strands of dark hair behind her ear. The two detectives slowed to a stop as they crossed a small wooden bridge and stared out at the creek that stretched throughout the park. Twilight was upon them and the first fireflies of the evening had come out to dance across the water. Takagi just smiled at her from the corner of his eye, noticing just how her face lit up as a firefly glimmered past. He was struck with another memory of that glow... And the way she laughed… Hearing that, an old memory had coming flooding back to him.
Beika Park may have been the first case they worked on together, but it certainly wasn't the first time they met. Takagi didn't think he could ever forget.
That day was also warm, a picture perfect September afternoon. The heat of summer was still raging throughout the city, but the air was breezy and the sky was a flawless blue. Six year old Wataru Takagi was happily walking down the street, licking a double scoop of chocolate and red bean ice cream he had just gotten from a nearby convenience store. He smiled to himself between bites and thought about the new Masked Yaiba episode that would be airing tonight after dinner. It was a one hour special where the identity of one of his greatest enemies- The Hooded Phantom- would be revealed! Plus, his mom would be making chicken curry for dinner tonight- one of his favorite meals!
Tonight is going to be awesome! He thought cheerfully, picking up his pace around the corner.
As he turned around a kind looking elderly man with a leather briefcase, he heard a high screeching sound like something furiously fighting back against an attacker. It was coming from an alleyway up ahead and so he ran to check it out.
He was horrified by what he saw.
Three middle school boys were tormenting a young, orange and white cat. The oldest, a tall boy with stringy hair and a long nose, had tied string to its front paws and pulled on them like the cat was a marionette. One of the others, a short, pudgy boy with a shaved head was poking at it with pencils and another with glasses and bowl cut hairdo. The teens brayed cruel, malicious laughs, as they watched the cat squirm and cry out, revealing in every moment of its misery. Takagi felt the ice cream drop from his fingers, frozen with shock and horror.
How could anyone be so…downright…mean?
The cat tried to twist out of the strings and ended up flopping harshly against a trashcan in the alley. It let off another gut-wrenching screech of pain as its legs were tangled even more and the sharp point of a pencil dug into its tail. That snapped him out of his bewilderment, and it was replaced by white hot anger. Before he knew what he was doing, the boy sprinted into the alley and rammed his shoulder blade into the leader's back, knocking them both forward onto the ground.
The boy sprawled out with a loud 'oof.' He thrashed upwards and elbowed Takagi hard in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him. Takagi fell to the ground hard, crying out in pain and scraping his palms when he landed.
"What the hell do you thinking you're doing, you little punk?!" the leader demanded, grabbing Takagi roughly by the shirt collar and pinning him against the wall.
Takagi was still slightly disoriented from his hard fall, but the anger in his chest was still burning hot. "You…you can't treat an animal like that! It's wrong! It never did anything to you!" Tears welled up in his eyes, but he stared his attacker down steadily.
The older boy was taken aback by this for a moment. He couldn't believe this pipsqueak had the nerve to tackle him to give an animal rights lecture. They were just trying to have a little fun. It's not like anyone cared about the dang thing. It was just a stray.
So he smirked and slowly lowered the brat down on the ground. "You're right," he crooned. "I think we've found a much better target."
He spun Takagi around pinning his arms behind his back and holding them tight as the other two closed in. Suddenly, they saw a flash of brown and red and the next thing they knew the leader's face was covered in a gob of melted chocolate and red bean ice cream.
"Bull's-eye!" a young voice shouted triumphantly. The four of them turned to see a young girl with short brown hair standing in the opening of the alleyway.
"Augh! Why you little-" the leader started, relaxing his grip on Takagi to wipe the ice cream out of his eyes. Tiny feet thumping into the alleyway cut him off. Sato took advantage of his blindness and the incredulous shock of his two lackeys to rush in and land a sharp kick to his gut. Though she was small, there was a surprising surge of power behind that kick! Yelping out in pain, he released Takagi and holding his aching abdomen.
The other two boys, snapped out of their stupor when their fearless leader started to struggle with a little girl, ran in to try and help. They didn't count on Takagi flying at them in a furious rage, tackling the shorter one to the ground. Sato had shaken off the leader, leaving him sprawled out behind her, but as she turned again the final boy tried to chase her down before she could properly get ready. As the bespectacled boy approached she grabbed one of the garbage can lids from the trash cans in the alley and threw it at him like a Frisbee, soundly cleaning his clock.
"One down, two to go!" Sato cheered as if it were all some kind of game.
Who is this girl? Takagi thought with a mixture of confusion and admiration, trying with some difficulty to pin the thug down.
"Damn it, you brat, get the hell off me!" He puffed angrily, violently tossing the boy off his back. Stumbling over to his friends, he glared sullenly back over his shoulder at the two kids that had disrupted their fun. Takagi had scooped up the cat and was trying to pick off the string still tied around its paws. Sato, however, was carefully watching he group of three, waiting to see if they had truly had enough or if they were going to come back for more.
The leader picked himself back up, looking down at his fallen partners. Then, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "I'm gonna kill you!" The charge was violent, but Sato seemed to expect it, bracing herself in front of Takagi and throwing her arm out as if to shield them both from this brute of a boy.
Takagi froze under the furious look the larger boy was shooting at them, scared for the girl and the poor cat shivering in his arms. He didn't want his strange new friend's courage to get them both seriously hurt. He started to step around her, wanting to protect her, to push her out of the way, to do…something!
"Wait, I-" he shouted, but Sato was already moving, sprinting right AT the hostile teen.
"Take…." Her small leg coiled back like a viper, holding it at the ready. The lumbering boy reached out, his fingers only inches from her. Young Sato only smirked, and then… " this!" Her foot, power loaded way beyond anything expected of one so young, came whipping back out in a graceful martial arts arc and caught the big lug right in the sternum. The boy went down with a hard gasp, clutching his chest. He fell hard on his side, passing out almost immediately. Takagi stared in raw shock, clutching the poor cat in his arms.
The girl turned, and her eyes met his…
"Are you ok?"
He felt a heat rise on his cheeks, and managed a shaky grin. "Yeah," He breathed. "And you?"
"Never better!" the girl said with a smug smile, tossing him a thumbs-up.
"That. Was. Awesome!" She cheered, pumping her fists in the air.
This girl is crazy. Takagi thought to himself, smiling beside himself. But…. She was also the coolest fighter he'd ever seen. Maybe even better than Masked Yaiba! He shook his head and approached her slowly.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"My dad's a police officer," The girl proclaimed proudly. "He's put me in self-defense classes since I was little."
"Wooow!" Takagi whispered in amazement. He had never seen a girl fight the way she did and didn't know any girls at his school who took martial arts classes. They were all into ballet and piano lessons. None of them did anything this cool!
"Sorry about your ice cream," Sato said sadly, nudging the soggy cone with her shoe.
"Oh, uh, that's all right," Takagi said reassuringly. The blush reddened deeper and he busied himself with picking the strings off the cat's paws. He couldn't believe she was apologizing for it. That hunk of melted ice cream saved both him and his little furry friend.
The two were quiet for a moment. Takagi gently stroked the kitty, musing about what to name him.
A loud gasp interrupted his thoughts. He looked up at Sato who was beaming from ear to ear, like she had just discovered Christmas had come early, "Follow me!" She cheered, grabbing him by the hand and leading him down the street.
"Wha? Erk! Where are we going?" Takagi asked holding the kitty as firmly and gently as he could.
"You'll see," Sato said with a playful smile, not letting up on her grip for a second.
She dragged him down the street at a break neck pace for four blocks then stopped suddenly at a small, pink and yellow booth with pictures of strange giant ice cream cones on it.
"Ta-da! Best ice cream spot in Beika Town!" Sato declared proudly, as if she were showing off her blue ribbon science fair project. A warmly smiling man with a yellow paper hat was flipping what looked like super thin flapjacks on a huge griddle and then scooping ice cream and all kinds of yummy toppings into them.
"Ummmm…?" Takagi stared up at the counter in a mix of awe and confusion. "Are you sure? These don't look like any ice cream cones I've ever seen." Truth be told they looked better. The smell of frying dough and warm strawberries made his mouth water. The kitty tucked into his arms was pawing up at a plastic spoon sitting on the edge of the cart that was dripping creamy vanilla ice cream to the ground in sweet goopy globs.
Sato merely winked and waved her finger at him, "That's cuz they're not your typical ice cream cones." She turned and waved her arm out in front of the small menu panel while the man drizzled warm chocolate sauce onto a crepe with bananas and chopped nuts.
"Now which do you like best- chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate banana?"
A paw snagged the end of the spoon as soon as she said chocolate and managed to knock it off it the counter. A decent size blob landed in its whiskers. Takagi chuckled fondly at the poor thing's crestfallen expression and gently wiped his little buddy's face with a soft napkin.
"Oh, uh…chocolate I guess," he muttered, slowly stroking his fingertips behind two velvety soft ears. "Could I also get a little vanilla for…Kyo?"
"Kyo…that's a perfect name!" Sato beamed between them and then gently patted the kitty's soft orange head.
Sato gave the man working the booth their order and a minute later came back with two humongous crepes rolled into a cone shape and stuffed to the gills with ice cream and toppings. She handed him the one filled with soft serve chocolate and chocolate chips and kept a strawberry one for herself. Kyo sat at their feet and lapped at a small dish of his own treat with some of the happiest purring Takagi had ever heard.
He bent down and gently stroked along his friend's furry spine. How anyone could mistreat a poor innocent creature like that was beyond his comprehension. Popping a bite into his mouth, the boy paused and stared down at his crepe with silent awe. It. Was. Delicious! The soft ice cream complimented the slightly crunchy yet delicately light batter of the crepe perfectly. It was one of the best things he'd ever eaten!
"You like it?' Sato asked with a strawberry grin over the top of her own.
"Mmm hmm!" Takagi said smiling and Kyo meowed in agreement.
The two munched on their crepes in happy companionable silence. Takagi remembered one of his parents' friends always saying that good food is always complimented by silence and smiles. They chit-chatted once and a while between yummy bites of crepes, swapped treats for a sec to try one another's, and all the while Kyo's little orange tail bobbed between their ankles and seemed to pull them together.
"So your dad's a policeman?" Takagi asked right as he took the last bite.
"Yup!" She winked and held her spoon out like a wand, waving it around in a flurry of excitement. "He's the best there is! Never lets any of the bad guys get away, you should see it!" She exclaimed proudly, claiming her last strawberry and scooping one spoonful of pink ice cream in Kyo's bowl. He mewed joyfully and hunkered back down to take care of that but good.
Sato chuckled and stroked his ear one more time. Takagi couldn't help but admire the way her dark hair curled around her ears and the light from the sun reflected off the fountain nearby and cast pretty glittering lights over her face. That burning was back in his cheeks….
"I see…well you're pretty good at getting the bad guys too, I'd say."
Sato turned and looked ready to say something else when she noticed a bank marquee with a clock over his shoulder. Suddenly she jumped up, almost toppling Kyo's dish, much to the kitty's disdain.
"Oh no! It's almost 5:00! I was supposed to be home a half hour ago!" She grabbed her coin purse off the bench and waved at him hastily. "I'm going out to dinner with my mom and dad tonight! I gotta go! Sorry!" She waved good-bye and raced off in the direction they had came.
"Wait!" Takagi shouted as she sped down the sidewalk. "What's your name?"
"It's Miwako!" she shouted, looking back with a grin. "Miwako Sato!" She gave him one last wave good-bye then disappeared into the crowd.
Miwako Sato…. Takagi echoed, slowly lowering his hand that had shot up instantly to catch that wave…like he was afraid of missing it. She was the strangest girl Takagi had ever met.
But… he couldn't help but smile as he pictured the way her face lit up when she talked to him or them way she selflessly defended him and Kyo from those cruel older boys. Speaking of, he scooped the kitten out of his ice cream dish and rubbed his full tummy, slowly turning to head back home. The smile didn't fade even when he found out the Masked Yaiba episode had been cancelled….
He just hoped that they would meet again someday...
A gentle nudge in his ribs interrupted Takagi's daydream. Glancing up from the rail he was leaned over, he raised an eyebrow at his partner and smiled gently.
"What are you smiling for?" Sato asked jokingly, one eyebrow raised in question.
Takagi just shook his head, grin widening a touch. "Just…that was quite an eventfulday, wasn't it?" he said, knowing she wouldn't catch what he was referring to.
Sato looked puzzled for moment then seemed to realize something. A playful pat on his shoulder and she was starting to walk down the bridge, heading deeper into the last leg of the park.
"Yeah, not bad for your first day on the job, rookie."
Takagi laughed then, jogging a few steps to catch up with her. Back then, his hands had been full protecting their very first victim. Now, he casually curled his fingers around her own and guided her through Beika Park, enjoying the way the fireflies seemed to be purposely lighting their way. It was the most romantic thing the two had ever done. Sato certainly didn't seem to mind, even going so far as to squeeze his fingers back.
"I'm not looking forward to finishing off that mountain of paperwork tomorrow." She said suddenly, almost sounding as burned out as Takagi felt. A short laugh, and he clutched her fingers gently in reassurance.
"It's all part of the gig, my friend. Someone has to do it, ya know?"
Sato rolled her eyes fondly and waved her other hand, dismissing the pep talk before it began.
"Yeah yeah, I know that." She winked at him as they made it to the back exit of the park.
"Emi in the file room owes me coffee for a month for how much time I spend organizing everything BEFORE I send it out to her, after all."
They both burst out laughing, the whole notion of the jittery woman sharing her caffeine addiction with anyone just too much to handle. Takagi loved the way her voice seemed to hang musically when she laughed. He could listen to that music all day…
Sato turned slightly and then gasped, her face lighting up at something down the road a bit.
"Oh wow! I haven't had one of those since I was a kid!"
Takagi had to tear his eyes away from her excited face and pay attention to whatever wonderful thing she had seen. Nostalgia hit him like a ton of bricks…the same pink and yellow decals, the same overload on toppings…it was a crepe van.
"Come on! Let's hurry before they leave!"
"B-but..." He hesitated, afraid he would lose it to this memory in the heat of the moment. "But we just ate dinner!" He rubbed his full belly to prove it.
Sato was not convinced, dragging him along anyway. All he needed was Kyo's little orange body bouncing against his chest to make the picture complete.
"But that was over an hour ago. Now it's time for dessert!" she exclaimed in a sing-song voice. "Don't you want one?"
"I think I'll pass this time," Takagi said sheepishly, pretending his blush had everything to do with chickening out from eating too much and not because his mouth had suddenly gone dry and the confounded burning sensation was back in his cheeks full throttle just watching her fuss at him. "If I-I eat much more I'm going to explode."
Sato shrugged, reaching into her pocket. "Suit yourself," she said, pulling out her wallet.
The order…a strawberry crepe with fresh slices on top…and then Takagi gently pushed her hand down and gave the vendor a 500 yen coin.
Though Kyo had passed a few months before they had been reunited, it was still because of one thing that they were back here again, fighting for justice side by side. The one thing that had brought them together was a need to defend the weak and protect the innocent from harm. He had seen it right away when she rushed to the rescue all those years ago...and continued to see it every day that he worked on the force with her. Sato was the picture of a good cop and a better friend, and now…just perhaps…something more. He owed a lot to these crepes, and even more to her…
"This one's on me."
A/N: Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! If you liked it, please leave a review! :) Special thanks to my best friend Paige (MissTev on FanFiction) for helping me with my story and inspiring me to get back into writing.
FYI The name Kyo means "apricot" in Japanese so that's how Takagi's orange little kitty got his name. ^_^