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Chapter 2: If I Am Lucky

The loud rumble of his stomach woke Kobayashi from his dreamless sleep. He hated the annoying sound as it would echo within the small confines of the Ferris wheel cart. There was little he could do to silence the protests of his stomach. It was no surprise that his stomach would growl at him after being chased by the idiot in an orange jumpsuit with nothing more than the cider in his stomach.

"That idiot." He grumbled at the thought of the stranger.

If it wasn't for the chase yesterday he could've avoided the task of searching for food today. Looking at the tally marks he had carved into the wall of the Ferris wheel it was about several days since the last time he had eaten anything solid. Starvation had set in a while ago, which had made it hard to even move at times. With nausea and headaches that came and went he wondered how his body could still run away. The growling of his stomach convinced him to finally give up on the idea of starvation. Reluctantly he removed himself from the comfort of the Ferris wheel cart.

Slipping out of the hole in the fence that surrounded his abandoned home he moved along the alleyways in search of food. Digging through the trash wasn't something he enjoyed at all. Even if he didn't have to worry about getting cut or poisoned by the contents of the bag the stench still assaulted his nose. Without money, he had no other option. Taking a deep breath he opened up a nearby bag. Kobayashi made sure not to make too much of a mess as he searched just incase the owners of this trash decided to lock it up. Luck seemed to be on his side as he found some stale bread still wrapped up. For anyone else, this would be disgusting, but Kobayashi's stomach pleaded for the food. Digging a little more he found a half filled bottle of water. He wondered why so many people tossed out half filled water bottles, still, it was one of the few things he could count on to fill his stomach.

"Should I keep looking for food?" He asked himself as he re-tie the bag.

If he wanted to find more food he would have to go elsewhere, which wasn't the most appealing idea. Slipping the water and the bread into the inside pocket of his jacket he decided that he would search a little more before going to the old abandoned building he loved. If he was lucky he would be able to find enough food to last him the week.

/

Hanasaki woke with more energy than ever. The idea of possibly seeing the invincible stranger made his heart beat excitedly. His mind had been so focused on their meeting all night. After he had said goodbye to the stranger he ran off to the vet to check up on the injured dog. According to the vet, he dog would be good to take back this afternoon. Even if the lost dog mission was called off he still wanted to return the dog to its rightful owners.

With excitement of wanting to tell the other members of the Boy Detectives Club about yesterday's events he made his way to their base. Unfortunately when he got to the base there was little time to talk about things as he was sent on another mission. Being a thrill junkie he quickly accepted the mission of trailing a man. It was a better suited mission for him than finding lost animals.

"If I'm lucky I'll get to see him again." He smiled to himself as he went off on his mission.

/

Today was really a lucky day for Kobayashi as he managed to get more food besides the bread and water he had found earlier in the day. The slight weight that the food had in his jacket was comforting as he entered the abandoned building. Passing the small puddle of dried blood surrounded by flowers he made his way to the top of the stairs. The ring of flowers reminded him of yesterday's events. He was so relieved that the dog had survived the attack. Unloading the food from his pocket his mouth began to water. Stale bread, water, two half eaten apples, and a some sort of canned food was now available to his empty stomach. He decided to eat the fruit and bread since they wouldn't last much longer. Reaching in the hole in the floor boards besides the headless angel statue he pulled out a warped knife. He had once tried to stab himself with the knife, resulting in its current warped state. Even though the knife was useless on him it could still cut into the decaying fruit he had dug from the trash. The last thing he wanted was any spoiled food to violently force its way back up. Carefully cutting off the portions of bitten fruit he slowly ate the remaining untouched pieces. His whole body told him to shovel the food into his mouth, but he needed to space out the small portions. If he ate it all right away his stomach would only ask for more in a matter of minutes. It took some effort to break the piece of bread in half. The bread felt as hard as a rock. Reaching back into the floorboards he pulled out a small bowl that had a crack along its side. Doing his best to avoid the crack he poured water into the bowl. Setting the piece of bread into the bowl he waited for the rocklike substance to absorb the water. Once the bread turned soggy he was able to scoop up piece by piece with his fingers.

" What are you eating?"

Somehow Kobayashi managed to stop himself from dropping the bowl.

"This idiot has a bad habit of sneaking up on me." He thought as his tongue clicked in a loud Tch sound.

He didn't want to abandon the food he had spent so long to find nor did he want to stay in the presence of the idiot.

"I can find more food later." He told himself as he grabbed the bottle of water and ran up to the next floor. With food in his stomach he could feel that his legs could run faster than yesterday, still he didn't want to chance losing any energy by jumping out the window. He knew this place like the back of his hand so for now he would hide until the unwelcomed guest went away.

"Wait. Come back." He heard the stranger say as he ran.

" What does he want with me?"

Hoping that the food he just ate would stay down he ran into one of the rooms on the fourth floor. In the decaying room was a small dresser, a worn bed, and a large wardrobe. Without much thought he curled himself into the small dresser. As footsteps echoed along the wooden floor he did his best to remain calm. Covering his mouth to quiet his breathing he listened for any hints as to where the other might be.

"Please just go away." He thought.

/

The tailing mission had gotten boring after a while. More than likely it was a cheating spouse than an actual bad guy so with the amount of information he had already collected he decided to take a break. Without delay he found himself right out side of the abandoned building. As if it was a repeat of the day before on the top of the stairs stood the person that occupied his thoughts. By the looks of it he was eating something. Curiosity had gotten the better of him resulting in yet again the stranger taking off. He was surprised however that the stranger didn't leap out of the window as he had done yesterday.

"Wait." He called out over and over as he ascended the stairs after the other.

When the footsteps no longer thudded across the floor he wondered if the stranger had changed his mind about jumping out a window. Luckily the old abandoned building provided him with enough dust that small foot prints could be seen along the crumbling floor. The fading foot steps lead him to a room on the fourth the door he found the room devoid of the person he was chasing.

"Maybe he's hiding." He thought.

Before he could search the room as his pendant started to beep alerting him that he was receiving a call.

"Where are you?" The voice from the pendant called out.

"Hi Inoue."

"Have you completed your mission?"

" I am finishing up." He lied.

"We don't have time for you to be playing around. If you're done hurry back with your report."

"Fine."

With a sigh he ended the call. Sometimes he hated how strict Inoue could be. In any case there was no point in chasing after the silver haired boy right now. Giving up on the task for now would save him a scolding from Inoue.

/

Kobayashi waited for what seemed like hours as he listened for the disappearance of his chaser. Cautiously he emerged from his hiding spot. Curiosity prodded him at the thought of the stranger talking to someone else. In the confines of his hiding space he was able to make out each word but that didn't mean he understood what was being said.

"What was his mission?" He wondered as he made his way down the stairs.

Tiptoeing as he got closer to the headless angel statue he made sure that he was alone.

"Tch" he tongue clicked at the sight of his interrupted meal. The bowl's contents were gone as well as the leftover fruit. The one thing he hated about this place was the rats that stole whatever food he could get his hands on. The leftover bread was no longer good at tiny ants crawled all over it. Angrily he tossed the empty bowl at the infested bread sending the ants to scatter.

"I'm sorry... You didn't deserve that...This is all that idiot's fault." He said to the ants.

He didn't like the idea of hurting any living creature. Watching the ants scattering he wondered what he should do now. There still was the canned food he found, even so he had planned to save it for later this week. With a grumble he laid on his back staring at the decaying ceiling. The dim light that reflected off the peeling paint told him that there was still time to search for food. He hated the idea of searching for food without any cover of the early mornings or the shadows of night.

"I'm not hungry anyway."

/

Hanasaki made his way to the base of the Boy Detectives Club's base as quick as he could. Although he wasn't in any rush to give Inoue a progress report on his mission he still used every short cut he could. The sooner he got done with this boring task the sooner he could return to the chase of the silvered haired boy.

"There's the thrill seeker!" The owl voiced as he entered the main room.

To anyone else they would think they had gone crazy hearing a girl's voice from an owl. Of course it wasn't really the owl who spoke, rather it was one of the clubs members speaking through the device attached to the owl.

"What's up Noro?"

"Where have you been?"

"Out on a mission obviously. " He said as he flung himself onto the nearby couch.

" I hope that carefree attitude of yours means that the mission was successful." Another voice spoke.

Leaning back his head he noticed Inoue entering the room with a stern face. When it came to detective work Inoue always had a stern face on, it was one of the things that he often made fun about.

"Of course I finished my mission. It was a simple case of a cheating spouse."

Hanasaki hoped that Inoue wouldn't pick up on his lies. He was about 80% sure that his lie held some truth to the case, despite that Inoue tened to point out the flaws in his investigations.

"I expect a written report by the end of the day."

"Will do." He smiled. " Luck is definitely on my side today." He thought as Inoue made his way to the desk. "So where's Akechi?"

"He's out on another matter. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"What are you up to?" Inoue asked with a raised brow.

"Who me? When have I ever been up to anything?"

"I suggest you write that report instead of causing trouble."

"I'll go do that."

Hanasaki knew better than to press his luck. It seemed pointless for him to return to base for such a short interaction, still it didn't take long to get there. Looking at the time he noticed that it would be soon that he had to get the injured dog from the vet. There was something he had to do before he did that. Taking his wallet in hand he went to the nearest vending machine. As he picked out a dish he thought back to the food he'd seen the invincible boy eating. The food had looked so awful especially whatever the contents of the bowl was. Even if the food looked unappetizing he felt bad for interrupting the boy's meal.

"I should make it up to him."

/

Kobayashi was getting annoyed by how often he was seeing the person in the orange jumpsuit. He didn't want to find another place to hide out aside from his Ferris wheel because of the constant trespasser. He didn't own this building but he had made a home of sorts in it so he didn't appreciate the uninvited guest.

"Isn't it bad enough that he ruined my food earlier?" He thought as he peered out from the headless angel statue.

"Hello?"

"As if I'd respond to you." He thought.

"I didn't mean to ruin your meal earlier. I wanted to apologize." The boy said lifting up a small bag. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Kobayashi watched intently as the other slowly removed items from the bag. The first was a bottle of clear liquid he guessed was the cider he had the day before. The next was what looked like bread buns. The last item was unrecognizable as it was wrapped up, nevertheless the scent it was giving up reawoke the hunger within him. A loud grumble erupted from within him.

"Ah. So you are here." The stranger smiled.

Kobayashi cursed his stomach for giving away his position. Now that he was found out it made little sense to keep hiding, however he couldn't bring himself to remove himself from the statues' side.

"Do you want me to just leave this here?"

Out of the corner of his eye Kobayashi could see a rat waiting for the moment to strike. He refused to let the foul rodent take his food again. Shooting a glare at the creature he moved towards the food. Ever so cautiously he kept his eyes on the rat as well as the individual who brought the food. He needed to make sure that neither one made a move to take his food. Quickly he snatched his prize wrapping his arms around it just in case the stranger changed his mind about feeding him.

"Relax. I'm not going to take it back. I promise."

Kobayashi didn't take his eyes off the boy as he unwrapped the bread and took a bite. He was shocked at how soft the bread felt. There was no need to soak it in the leftover water he had. Closing his eyes for a moment he enjoyed the sensation of not forcefully having to bite down on the bread or scooping it up in a soggy mess. Opening his eyes he noticed two cerulean blue eyes staring at him. As unnerving as it was to be watched eating he turned his attention to the dish that he didn't recognize. Lifting up the packaging a savory scent filled his nose. Inside was some sort of meat and rice covered in a sauce. Kobayashi didn't waste time with utensils as he scooped up the contents into his hand. They were still warm to the touch as he shoveled it into his mouth. He hadn't tasted anything so delicious before it almost made him weep.

"I'm glad you like it." The stranger chuckled.

He ignored those words as well as the heat in his cheeks. If this person was going to continuously interrupt his isolated life he might as well enjoy the food he was given. This couldn't become a habit though.

"Hey would you mind coming with me somewhere?"

"Why?" He asked before taking another mouthful.

"I wanted to show you something."

Kobayashi wasn't sure what the motives were behind this. There was no reason for him to follow this person anywhere.

"I can get you more food like this if you join me."

Food was the largest temptation for Kobayashi. Even if he was currently filling his belly, the thought of having food like this instead of rotting fruit and stale bread the next day was too good to pass up. He was a hesitant if not a paranoid person so he didn't automatically jump at the tempting offer. There wasn't much he knew about this person so how could he trust him? Given food and drinks weren't enough to convince him that this stranger was trustworthy.

"I promise it'll be worth while if you come with me...You can have anything you want to eat."

"Anything?"

"It's an agreement then."

/

Hanasaki was overjoyed when he managed to convince Kobayashi to join him. He wasn't sure if he would be trusted or if the food he had bought would be eaten. It was an uplifting feeling to see the way that hard face soften into a smile as he ate the food he brought him. That short lived smile would forever be stored in his mind. Whistling a happy tune he led them to the vet. Keeping a space between them he constantly turned around and smiled at his companion.

"Stop that."

" Stop what?"

"That dumb look on your face." The boy said turning away from his gaze.

"Sorry I'm just so excited to bring you here."

"Here?"

The stopped right outside of the vet. Hanasaki could tell from the boy's face that he wasn't too thrilled about going into the building.

"Give me a few minutes. I'll be right back so please don't leave."

A small nod settled his nerves for a moment before he entered the building.

"Welcome back. Your dog is doing well." Said the veterinarian with a smile.

"Thank you very much."

"You need to be careful with him." The veterinarian said as she carefully placed the animal in his arms.

"I'm very lucky that he's alright. Thank you again."

Cautiously he exited the building. He wished that he could have a pet,especially a cute dog like this one. Cradling the animal in his arm he made his way back to his companion.

"Look who I have." He said showing the happy dog within his arms to the other.

The dog happily barked at the silver haired boy, but the look on the boys face appeared more fearful than joyful. Hanasaki wondered if he was still feeling guilty about injuring the dog or if the boy was actually fearful of animals. To err on caution he pressed the animal closer to his own body.

"You don't have to be afraid. He likes you."

"That's ridiculous. ...Why would that dog like me? ...I hurt him."

If he could Hanasaki would've placed a hand on the other's shoulder. Guilt was something he knew very well could eat at a person. The last thing he wanted was for the guilt of the incident to effect this person anymore.

"He knows that you didn't mean to... Pain is a part of life. I'm sure this little guy is just happy to be alive."

"Happy to be alive?"

Hanasaki wasn't sure what to say. Once a gain he had placed his foot in his mouth around this person. There was no hostility in the dog's eyes towards the boy. The happy tail wags was enough for him to relieve some of his own guilt about yesterday's incident. If it wasn't for him chasing after the small animal perhaps none of this would've happened. Of course he was also grateful that yesterday's events had taken place if not only to meet the person currently standing in front of him.

" You don't have to feel guilty about what happened."

"Yeah right."

"I'm to blame as well. You didn't intend to hurt this dog."

"That doesn't matter...You probably think I'm a monster."

The last words were spoken so softly that if Hanasaki wasn't paying so much attention that he would've missed it. Nothing about this person besides him was monstrous. Whoever this person was had a kind heart hidden behind that hard face.

"Come with me."

"Huh?"

"We need to return this guy to his owners. I'm sure they will be very happy to have him back."

"He's not yours."

"I wish."

/

Kobayashi couldn't look at either the dog or the person he was following. The barking from the dog sounded happy, which he still couldn't understand. How was this animal so happy to be around him after what he had done? If the tables had been turned he would have been fearful for the rest of his life. Keeping an even larger distance between himself and the other than before he silently followed.

They approached a small house with a fence surrounded by flowers in the yard. A kid could be seen playing happily with a ball. The sight made him feel something in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't quite name.

"Hello."

Kobayashi watched as the little child's attention turned to them and broke out into a huge smile.

"Doggy!" The child said running towards them. "Mommy Daddy they found him!"

Two people emerged from the house happily joining their child. Once again he could feel that unnamed feeling sit at the pit of stomach. Instinctually he moved back in case his mysterious barrier decided to lash out.

"How did you find him?" The child asked.

"He is a fast little guy. If it wasn't for this guy we wouldn't have caught him." The boy in the orange jumpsuit said pointing towards him.

Kobayashi couldn't fathom the reason behind the lie. He hadn't done a thing to safely return the dog to its' rightful owners.

"What do we say?" Asked the woman to the child.

"Thank you very much!"

He wanted to deny any of his so called help. Those joy filled eyes that stared at him kept his mouth shut. Besides it wasn't as if he wanted to tell the child that he had been responsible for the animal's injuries.

"Thank you very much...what were your names again?" The mother asked.

"I'm Hanasaki, Kensuke from the Boys Detectives Club." The orange jumpsuit wearer spoke showing off a pendant of some kind. "And this is..."

"Kobayashi...Yoshio..."

"Thank you both very much for what you've done for our family."

"Any time."

Kobayashi didn't know what to do as they watched the happy family. A part of him was horrified that he had given out his name to a bunch of strangers, especially to one who seemed to pop up unexpectedly in his life. He now knew the name of his chaser, Hanasaki.

" Look at how happy they are. You helped them become reunited Kobayashi. "

He hated how the stranger used his name so easily.

"You're not a monster at all. You are very kind individual." Hanasaki smiled.

Kobayashi didn't want to hear any more lies from Hanasaki. With the dog returned to its rightful owners he was sure there would be no more reason for them to interact. These past days would become nothing but a blur once he returned to his isolation. There was no reason to question why his heart had skipped for a moment, or to remember the name of an idiot in an orange jumpsuit. Names and feelings had no place in the meaningless life that he was desperate to return to. Going along with Hanasaki was only to get food at the end. Food was the only thing that motivated him to take any part in this. Kobayashi wouldn't fool himself into thinking that this was some lucky encounter that would be the start of some friendship. Friendships didn't exist in his world. No matter what anyone said there was no reason for anyone to like him.

"I won't believe your lies." He mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"You owe me food." He said walking off.

#######

Author Notes:

Thank you everyone for reading. I swear I will finish up my other story (Nothing Without You) soon. At the moment this story is coming to mind quicker than the other.