A/N: Exposition, exposition, I'm churning it out as I go~
I just wanted to write this so badly! But it's amazing how inspired and uninspired I was so this came out. Have at it. Good god, long chapter ahead. You've been warned.
"Saito, this is Makimachi Misao, granddaughter of the famous Okina, charge of the young, gifted Shinomori Aoshi."
His expression never changed, but Tokio saw it all; the subtle change of micro expressions, the twitching of his mouth upwards, the memory returning…he knew who this child was. Or at least, whom she was connected with.
"Misao-chan, this is Saito Hajime; we are guests in his house."
"Humph!"
What a delightfully unruly child. Tokio tried not smile. "Misao-chan…" she prompted.
"…I mean hi." She reluctantly greeted and Saito did his best to remain serious. Seeing the amusement in his eyes, Tokio went back to her pot on the stove and checked the contents.
"Hello; I'm glad to see you're finally awake. You've been sleeping for too long."
Food was ready.
"You'd sleep like that, too if you were running away for three days without rest!"
"Well, you'll be safe here. I promise you that much."
They could tell she was relieved by his words yet she wanted to "save face" and not give in immediately so she pouted and turned away. "Whatever."
"Misao-chan, you should thank Saito-san; and after you do, come eat your lunch. In fact, we should all eat;" she turned to the tall man "go wash up and change; we'll wait. Won't we Misao-chan?"
"I guess I can wait for ten more minutes…"
Tokio's smile was almost blinding to the young girl; and when she rubbed her back encouragingly, Misao blushed. "What a good girl." Now she was about to blow! "What else do we say?"
Saito was watching the whole exchange with a detached curiosity, untying his tie with deft fingers; when Misao turned and looked at him though, he put the tie on the couch and looked at her properly. She was looking away, looking at her feet, everywhere but him…but still stood with her back straight in front of him. She cleared her throat and braced herself for what she had to say. Saito now took off his jacket but also stood otherwise unmoving in front of her.
Tokio pretended to busy herself with preparations for the – much delayed – lunch and no matter she actually took out plates and the like, her eyes and ears were glued on them.
"Th…" Tokio held her breath; Misao stumbled on her own words but pressed on. "Thank you for letting me stay here," she finally admitted, more heat rising to her face since Saito wouldn't let her out of his sight for a second. "A…nd I'm s-"
His hand landed on her head. She flinched when she felt the contact but when nothing else happened, but his palm resting atop of her head, she dared to look up at him through her eyelashes.
He nodded and she knew he accepted her thanks and concealed apology. Huh; he might have been nicer than she had originally thought; maybe he was like Aoshi-sama, all silent and broody and she misjudged him. A grin graced her lips.
"Now go wash your hands," he ordered, and they watched her bounce to the bathroom.
Tokio shook her head. "She's so simple."
"And you're a kid whisperer." His smirk was teasing. "She looks very free-spirited and easy going but you make her do whatever you want. Impressive."
"My child-rearing skills are nothing like you're implying," her cheeks dusted with red "but I managed to connect with her."
"Aha, and you felt offended I wanted you to help."
"Oh hush! I never said I wouldn't help you…anyway, I have loads to tell you!"
"Right, but before that, thanks for waiting for me to come; you can go now."
Her face lit up as she waved him off. "That's one of the things I wanted to tell you: given recent events and all the implications, I decided to take a week off work!"
He looked at her stricken, creating a huge contrast with her expectant smile. "…you didn't have to do that," was all he managed to string together.
"It's okay!" she exclaimed, slapping his arm "you took such an early shift, you must have been very serious. And I haven't had a vacation for…wow, even before I moved here! Hell, I deserve a paid leave of absence after a year and a half, don't you think?"
"Yeah…but you must understand, you can't take her to your place. I know it'd be easier—,"
"Ah don't worry about it, I won't; I'll stay here…if you don't mind. I'll keep an eye on her, I'll cook. I'll even clean up, it's no big deal."
Speechless, he remained there, looking at her as if she was something extraordinary. But his silence was misinterpreted by the woman whose lips tugged downwards and her brows creased. "What? You don't like…the idea?"
"No it's just…thank you. That really helps."
Doubts dispersed, she waved him off again, smiling as brightly as before. "Don't mention it! Now go change."
"Ah right." He moved to go but stopped short, a little too close for comfort. He leaned in and for a moment her head came up with some ridiculous reason as to why. But then he opened his mouth to speak and she mentally kicked herself for what she had thought. "Don't tell the girl what I do for a living. I'll explain later."
He made to move again but stopped a second time. He took a whiff. "What d'you cook?" his face was unreadable.
"Pork tonkatsu with rice, some steamed vegetables for sides and soy sauce."
"…it smells very good."
The way he said it didn't sound like a compliment but she could tell he was paying her one; and somehow that made her entire day even better.
They sat at the table eight minutes later exactly; Misao timed him. Tokio had three glasses full of water on the table now, next to each person's plate, bottle full. She had ran across the hall to her house for a moment and brought some juice for Misao, in case she asked for some. She even put a couple of pillows on her chair to make her taller and eat with ease. She was eight but very dexterous with the chopsticks so she refrained from bringing spoons and forks, too.
Her behaviour, to both adults, was deemed more than satisfactory; her manners, albeit childish, were very proper.
"You cook very well nee-san; thanks for the food. Can I go lie down now?"
"Of course; but go wash your mouth and hands first, okay?"
Misao smiled, teeth and all. "Okay!" without another word, she jumped down and trotted to the bathroom; they waited a moment till she re-emerged and headed to the bedroom. When enough time for an eight-year-old to have fallen asleep passed, only then did they resume their talk.
"So what else did she tell you about her family?"
"Why don't you tell me what you remembered?"
He gave her a look like he had no idea what she was talking about; she returned it with one that communicated she wasn't as naïve as he'd want her to be or he thinks she is. The silent argument was over when Saito couldn't help but smile at her persistence. "I think you'd rather not hear it; wouldn't want to mess with your opinion of her family now that you two look to get on so well."
Another look and he chuckled. "Why don't you tell me what she divulged and I'll tell you all I remember."
"…alright. Well, she pretty much told me everything that happened to her this past week, month even. That Aoshi-sama of hers was named head of the family and there was to be a party…that's when they kidnapped her. After the party had ended, they came and took her. Her grandfather Okina undoubtedly is searching for her, she said, but until she can see people who look like her family, she won't go anywhere. Ah yes, she decided to stay here with me because apparently I have a trustworthy face."
"You do, indeed."
She took the last bite from her food, asked "you done?" and after he nodded she started piling up their dishes. When she was done, she left them in the sink, removing any excess sauce with the water. Then she took the sponge, poured the soap and started scrubbing.
He watched her amazed; it was so natural to her. She moved around his house as if she was living in it: cooking, cleaning dishes, claiming she'd just clean like it was normal. It wasn't. In fact, it was so strange and rare for her to stay at his apartment for so long, he was staring. Cheek in hand, elbow supporting the head on the table, he kept staring.
Hard.
How her hands moved, how she whistled a tune, how she used her shoulders to take some stray tuffs of hair out of her face because her hands had soap on them…her movements left no action go wasted, while everything was done as if she were dancing. Now her lips moved and she must have been singing but somehow he heard no sound. He simply stared at her face and her form go back and forth…
And then her face was twisted into an angry expression and he blinked. What did he miss?
"You promised you'd tell me everything but still won't answer any of my questions!"
Oh; she wasn't singing. She was talking to him. Still, she turned around to glare but was taken aback by how serene he looked. "Saito, are you alright?"
"A little sleepy." Lies; well, not exactly. He watched her for so long, he was mesmerised by the movement and finally his exhaustion came out. So technically, half-lies.
"Of course you are," she seemed to be blaming herself "you only slept, what, an hour and a half? Good god, I'm so sorry; you go rest and then you'll tell me about her family in detail…and I'll tell Misao to describe the kidnappers to you…but only if you speak first."
They shared a knowing look; he conceded. "Oh, do you want to sleep in your bed? I could tell Misao to crush on the couch, it's very comfortable."
"No, I'll get the couch; I already changed anyway." He seemed to have come up with something then. "I'll wait for a while, you go bring more stuff over."
She laughed. "I can do it in the afternoon; a couple of hours won't kill me." His eyes narrowed. "Your power naps never last more than that."
"How would you know that?"
"…we are neighbours!"
As if that explained everything, she shook her head and finished the conversation. "Now, if you want to wait, wait for me to fetch you a blanket."
Just as he was about to say "no need" in that dismissive tone of his, she glared so readily and intensely he took an actual step back, raising his hands in defence! "I'll wait."
Evidently appeased, she set out to do what she declared. But she'd only spent a night in his room, how could she know where was what? Okay, she was smart, she'd figure it out but still! The last thing he wanted was a repeat of yesterday when all he could think about when trying to sleep was her in his room, in his bed…he pinched the bridge of his nose.
An hour and a half she said? He hadn't slept at all! Only copious amounts of caffeine had kept his eyes open. And then hunger. And now…waiting for her; thinking about her; her in general. Ugh, he had it bad; and she was being so domestic, it wasn't fair. Couldn't she be a bad cook, at least? Or not be so ready to help, it was difficult to keep all these feelings in order and down.
But he'd have to…ah, he was so tired…but his house now smelt like fresh vegetables and hot rice…and her…but sleep…
"Okay, here's a bla-…"
She came to an abrupt halt, looking at the man on the couch; he was so tried he slept sitting up! Head tilted backwards in an awkward manner, no doubt which would hurt him when he woke up. Regarding him, she gave a warm smile. He really bent-over-backwards for others. She assessed the situation; a moment passed. Slowly, she put the blanket she fished out of the closet down on the armchair – she'd brought a bedsheet, too but there was no time for that now – and moved to angle him so he'd put his feet on the couch and his head on the soft material.
He grunted, but didn't wake up.
But damn, he was tough to move; it was the height, really—it was deceptive. She struggled but no result. She could do it if she was rougher, but didn't wanna wake him…so she was in a stalemate. She took the blanket in her arms; if she couldn't make him comfortable at least she'd keep him warm.
She spread it over him, making an effort to cover him entirely – again with that height of his – but just when she was about to leave she stumbled like an idiot and fell on his stomach! No, she didn't wanna wake him up! Breathless, she looked at him…only to see he was still fast asleep. Oh thank god. She made to stand, but…now he had already grabbed her waist, finally curling in a correct position for his body.
She blushed as she wriggled to get free. He really had a death grip…but didn't feel all that bad he wouldn't let go. She blushed harder when she realised maybe she didn't want him to let go of her. She had an internal fight then, what was the right thing to do? Wait…was there a right thing? What's so bad about this anyway? She cared for this person, she considered him a friend at the very least and if she could help him rest, there was no real problem. So…she stayed there. She brought her legs up, made herself comfortable and inwardly promised to wait till he woke up.
.
.
A sharp sound; artificial light…and a voice. Someone was calling his name. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. The fact that the first face he saw was a small girl's was so novel, he nearly flinched. But there Misao was, smiling at him brightly! Oh, so there wasn't trouble. His heart rate significantly slowed from a second ago and tried to focus on the image before him. But something was blocking half his view.
"Saito-san, you have something on your shoulder."
It took him a second to process her words; once he did, he instinctively looked at his shoulder…only to have his nose bump into something. Something soft. Soft but hard at the same time. He was perplexed; maybe it had to do with the fact that his vision still swam. But when it came into focus again, he discerned a person's back and the soft material of their blouse…
Was that…Tokio? Was she sleeping next to him on the couch!? What happened?
He heard the girl giggle as he sat up, even more perplexed than before; how did she come to sleep at his side? And that was his hand around her waist! When did all of these happen, what in earth? No wonder the eight year old was giggling. He tried to sit up with the least impact possible, but how could that be when his hand was around her yet somehow the rest of him remained inside the blanket and she was lying on it? it came as no surprise when she too stirred and started waking up.
He stood from the couch before she fully came to, too self-conscious and embarrassed by his wandering, betraying arm. Last thing he remembered, he was waiting for her to bring him a blanket; and now this. Serious lapses in memory or simply too tired to remember it?
"What" a yawn "time is it?"
He looked at his watch. "…seven thirty! When did it get so late?"
She stretched, still on the couch and Misao came and jumped next to her. "Well, you were pretty tired. It was too late you went to sleep and too soon you rose for work. Isn't that right Misao-chan?"
"Yes it is!"
"And I must have been tired because last few days I'd been working 16 hours-shifts at the hospital and yesterday was the only normal day."
She stopped talking, obviously still sleepy but making the effort to stand. Now that she stopped talking though, the air was filled with silence. He didn't like it this particular moment. "…want something to drink?"
"Some…" another yawn "tea would be nice." She blinked repeatedly, trying to find her bearings. "I haven't had this much rest in…years! This is so peculiar. What do I do with the rest of my day?"
He chuckled. "Read a book maybe? Go to your apartment and take whatever you need, too."
"Ah, books; I remember a time when I used to read them for recreational purposes…so long ago…"
"What kind of tea do you want?"
"If you're making tea for yourself, too just use the same blend."
"Alright." He was going to do just that; green tea for both then. "And what do you want kid?"
"To go outside!"
He snorted. "Only if you cut your hair and let Tokio dye them blond and find you some more clothes."
"Oh god, yes! Clothes—we need to buy her clothes. She's too thin though so I don't think we'll have a problem with size. We can order them online."
"Or one of us, preferably you, can go and buy them. And I need to report her missing or kidnapped-!"
"NO!"
The staunch refusal of the eight year old drew both parties' attention, even if for admittedly very different reasons. She blushed by the sudden attention but didn't stop there. "Gramps repeatedly warned me against going to the police should I ever be in trouble and said he didn't want them involved. I bet they are looking for me on their own but, if you report me, the people who kidnapped me will know; gramps said they have people on the force that's on their payroll."
And if Tokio had but an inkling as to what her family and the other family could really be, now she was certain: they were mobsters. Both her family and the ones who took her, they were rivalling yakuza. Great.
"…I'll try to keep it quiet then," was what Saito said but in fact, he was already trying to think who could be on the take; children like her never lied, so her accusations were both honest and he would bet his left hand – his good hand – also truthful. Okina no doubt wanted to keep her safe and she was right that no doubt they were already looking for her. One of the reasons he didn't want her going outside; her kidnappers and her yakuza family might catch a glimpse of her.
But he needed both to stay away if he were to solve the case of six years ago and this one, too. And if he did, considering the rate at which he's been solving cases, it wouldn't be a stretch to think they might finally let him transfer from the CIS to Tokyo's PSB in a year from now, despite the young of his age. And that would be ideal for the path he wanted to follow. Of course, he needed to tell his Chief Inspector, aka Hijikata, the name of the girl and to keep an eye out for any information if he couldn't or missed anything. He knew he would; he already agreed to help him with her.
But what an irony; the girl didn't want the police to get involved and he ran into a cop. Thinking about it, he'd better hide his ceremonial uniform and keep his badge on his person at all times. You never knew when a kid might go exploring.
"So what do you want to drink?"
"The juice from lunch please!"
"No," Tokio interjected "you drunk that once today already. Pick something else."
"Will you give her a break? She's been kidnapped."
"Exactly!" she exclaimed and went to the side of her unexpected supporter.
"Children need boundaries."
"She's not your child; and she's been kidnapped. She can drink whatever she likes till she gets home."
"Hajime, you do as I say; and don't do this."
"Do what?"
"Challenge my authority in front of her!" she fervently whispered.
"…fine. But saying she isn't yours doesn't challenge that." he stood a little further, motioning to the girl to wait as Tokio followed him. "It's great you wanna teach this kid rules and all but give her a break. She's eight, she was kidnapped and she wants juice; let her have some juice. Also, this is my house; if you brought the damn thing over for her, let her have some."
She pursed her lips, crossing her hands; "besides, if this was your kid, I bet you'd practically wait on her."
Half-glaring half-thinking she looked away and kept glaring at nothing. "Fine." She went to leave but he stopped her.
"Well, go tell her she can have some; she'll think I'm overriding you."
She gave him a surprised look; that was thoughtful! She went and told her just that, kissed her on the top of her head and left for her apartment.
When she came back, she was pale and very well-dressed; he supposed she was late because she was gathering her things and even though that too was true, she was also wearing a form-fitting skirt, coupled with a modern shirt and a short jacket. Her face had make up, lipstick, the whole thing.
She looked…beautiful. This must have been the first time he ever saw her so formal. It suited her; but somehow it looked foreign on her! Maybe it had to do with the fact he always saw her with baggy clothing or her work attire, strictly trousers and all.
"You look so pretty nee-san!" Misao exclaimed and ran to hug her.
She spared the girl a warm smile. "Thank you, Misao-chan!" but then turned to Saito apologetic. "I'm so, so sorry; I have to talk to a symposium today and I completely forgot about it! It starts in an hour—it takes twenty minutes to get there so I still have time to cook something or-!"
He raised his hands to show her she needn't fret. "…whom are you going with?"
She blanched. "Ah, damn; I hadn't thought of that. Um…I don't have a date. Fu-uuuudge. I'm the main speaker, too! Oh fudge; they even said I should bring one."
She bit the inside of her cheek and chewed, only because she didn't want to bite her lip and ruin her lipstick. "I could call my brother-in-law if he's not busy; or there's this co-worker who—!"
"Tokio, Tokio, relax;" he grabbed her shoulders "I'll go with you. I'll just have to call in that favour earlier than I thought."
"Favour? And what about Misao-chan?"
"Oooh, I wanna come!"
"You can't honey; I'm sorry."
"But-!"
"The favour is about her; I asked Hijikata if he could come at a moment's notice to take care of her in case both of us couldn't; he said yes." He was texting while explaining, heading to his bedroom. Misao followed after him, protesting her heart out.
But Tokio's eyes sparkled. "You'd do that? Thank you so much! Oh god, really thank you, you're a life saver!"
Well, he had his own ulterior motives. He smirked. "Can't have you looking actually nice for once and be unescorted." He put his hand on Misao's head, as the woman blushed and splattered. "And you can't come. But don't worry; Hijikata will keep you company. Said he'd be here in ten," he told Tokio in the end and closed the door behind him.
The most amazing thing happened when Hijikata came in the apartment and Misao lay her eyes on him: she stood perfectly still for the first time since they met her and simply stared at him, slightly agape. At first, Tokio thought it was because of his highly above average good looks and his age – at least thirty – but then she spoke the most unexpected thing ever:
"You look just like Aoshi-sama…but older."
He chuckled without ever smiling though, "I assure you, I never fathered a child." She didn't seem to buy it though so he considered. "How old is Aoshi?"
"Eighteen."
"Ah, then it would be impossible for me to be his father."
Tokio scolded the older man for his lack of propriety – even if Misao didn't seem to understand his joke, something he used as his defence – but then immediately thanked him for coming on such a short notice. But pleaded him not to make too many jokes like that if possible, please.
He conceded easily and bid them goodbye, wishing them a fun evening.
The moment they stepped out of the apartment building, a taxi pulled up in front of them. "Wh-?"
He opened the door for her; oh how nice of him. "I texted them to come pick us up. But you have to give them the address."
.
Her speech was the opening of the symposium; it had to do with modern ways pathologist could determine the cause of a disease that consisted not only by technological advancements but successful and unbiased communication between the pathologists of all subdivisions, and, of course, other fields of medicine. Common databases for the entire hospital and later on the entire city and so on so forth were mentioned briefly but it seemed she purposefully put it last on the list before she recapped because she wanted it to make an impression.
She then gave a last word and stepped away from the podium, where the middle aged man that called her to speak, called for a break so people could discuss her ideas. She received a round of applause, too and then headed to him.
"It was a good thing I remembered to write my speech days ago, or else it'd be a very embarrassing moment!" She aired herself. "How was it? Not too boring, right?"
"You were very good. Even I grasped most of the terms you used and that's impressive for a speaker about science." His first line of thought was "I'm proud of you" but decided against it; he figured it would sound presumptuous. But he was so very proud of her. She was amazing. This was the first time he watched her speak about medicine, about her field; she was so passionate and sincere, it was captivating.
She smiled. "Thank you!"
He made the right choice to escort her tonight. It was well worth the inconvenience not just to spend more time with her, but see her like this. A professional giving a speech about their field in an attempt to teach and help.
And he was just about to say some of these things but…
"You have guests," he half-whispered when he saw a bunch of too well-dressed men head towards them. They all wore almost identical tuxedos and had slicked back hair, watches and rings that cost half as much as his car. Half of them were as old as his father would have been, the others were mid-twenties to mid-thirties, all peacocks ready to impress.
He would have scoffed if he could.
"What a wonderful speech Dr Takagi; who would have thought you'd make such a great opening."
"Indeed; opening and closing speeches are the most difficult and important. But they trusted you, despite your young age; and you didn't disappoint. How amazing!"
More compliments and the like were heard from the entirety of their little party, each adding their own compliment, always tied to some insult or another—either that despite her young age and their obvious expectancy to disappoint she pulled through, or how she was too good for a young woman of her field and how she could have picked a better field but still how amazing she was…
He was itching to make a nice remark of his own to them but the problem was…they never took the time to ask his name. She tried to get a word in edgewise, but they wouldn't let her so introducing him was a futile effort. Hell, they wouldn't even let her reply to their comments, as if just talking to her in a good way was all she would ever need and her gratitude was granted. He would have liked to give them a piece of his mind.
But Saito was not used to being ignored. He easily was the tallest man in this room – he was measured to 187 centimetres the day he entered the academy – and one could not call his presence insignificant. He wasn't even badly dressed—in fact, he had picked one of his father's suits, the really nice one, the one he always hated because it was too proper and formal and he could never wear it anywhere. So the fact they disregarded him to that extent was a mystery to him.
"And who might you be, sir?" one of the oldest of the group finally asked him.
"Saito Hajime." It was clear they expected more, like his field of medicine or at least some title, but he didn't bother to satisfy their curiosity. She did though.
"He's my date for the evening," she explained, pink flushing a deeper scarlet.
"Oh so you're together! And here I thought you came alone; I'm very pleased you took our advice and managed to bring someone with you."
"And what is it that you do, sir?" another asked.
"I'm a police officer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."
"I see; do you write many tickets, sir?" one of them joked and the rest laughed.
He felt his eye twitch. Okay, now he was starting to get really annoyed. "Oh no, not at all; I'm in CIS."
"And what does that mean again?"
But the youngest one snapped his fingers, to answer his friend's question. "Oh! You're a detective."
One of the older ones looked at him in a new light. "Indeed? That would explain…you." As if that held some deeper meaning for the men, they all nodded. "Have you ever fired a weapon?"
"A weapon? I am not allowed to carry a weapon; we have our standard issued handguns though."
The oldest one waved him off, as if it was a bother to be corrected on such a trifle matter. "That; have you?"
"…no," was all he said, stealing a glance with Tokio who tried not to smile. But his answer seemed to dissatisfy his audience for they pursed their lips, like they tasted something sour.
"Any ongoing cases?"
"None that I can discuss for obvious reasons…but I get my fair share of murders." The six men tried their hardest not to look too shocked he'd just said that. "You know, rich people dropping dead, doctors getting killed by grieving family members; gangbangers, too I guess."
They had to pretend not to be scared then and laughed it off, bidding their goodbyes at the same time. If you asked him, it was still a minute too late; God they were insufferable! Then, once they were out of earshot, he heard her giggle and his sole worry – she might be upset he talked to her colleagues like that – was immediately dispelled. "But of course, all murders in Tokyo are of rich doctors being killed by grieving family."
"I couldn't help myself."
"Didn't have to; that was hilarious. I've never seem that man turn white before. I quite enjoyed it."
They shared a quiet moment of appreciation. "So, fess up; what the hell is up with Misao-chan's family?"
"As you must have already figured out, they are mobsters." She nodded yes. "There are three type of mobsters, as we say: those we have to get rid of, those we stir in the direction of the other to let them do the dirty work for us and those we don't really mind so we don't touch. Her family, the Oni, were the third category; their allies, the Karasu, the second; and their rivalling family, the Akainu, the first.
Six years ago, the Makimachi couple, head of the Oni family, was found murdered in their home. Despite being mobsters, they were very peaceful, managed to sort things out with money and reason thus hated by those who used force. And yet, the first person to be considered was their rescue, then twelve-year-old Shinomori Aoshi, who was charged immediately. They said Okina brainwashed the young orphan into doing it, so he could get the first seat. But later, seeing both people's grief over these two's passing as well as the lack of physical evidence, the charges were dropped.
At the time, the lead detective, whose name I cannot reveal, was pretty determined the murders were committed by a certain man of the Akainu family, in order to make Okina succeed them and turn the entire family to a bloodier path. But I was always of the opinion their allies were the ones who did them in. They tried to weaken them by bringing Okina to the table, since they thought the old man had long passed his glory days…turned out the old man was as cunning and merciless as always and instead of stepping out of the Oni's shadows, the Karasu became more like a branch family, their survival depending solely on the Oni."
"This Okina person…was he famous before he took the reins of the Oni after Misao-chan's parents' murder?"
"He used to be the right hand man of the previous head, Kananomori Shotou, dubbed the Oni between the Oni; well, Shotou was stern but Okina was the true demon—cruel and unforgiving as he was, he never accepted betrayal and made an example out of those who dared to hurt the family's family. It's thanks to him the Oni are what they are today, at least they owe him a big part of it."
"He sounds…horrifying."
He snorted. "He is; I've read some of the crimes he committed and we never could pin on him – of course – and it's enough to curdle anyone's blood." She shivered. "But he's getting on in days and wanted to retire, probably to focus on raising the girl; evidence of that is he gave his position to Aoshi very easily and the moment he turned eighteen. Of course that could only point to the boy's skill, too. I doubt he'd let the family he worked so hard to bring to such a high standard decline because he was tired."
He shrugged. "No matter what, I believe if we find the one who kidnapped Misao we'll easily find the killer of her parents, too. I asked a friend to do some digging and if what he brings back is what I think, I can go on with my plan."
She was still coming to terms with everything, mulling over his words. "I see…that all sounds so dangerous…! So what about Misao-chan?"
"What about her?"
"Will we just let her-?"
"No; don't go down that path. She's being well-taken care of by that old man. If we bring in the social services this whole thing will blow up in our face. She's not been mistreated and she clearly admires them. Plus, Okina seems retired. If we try to intervene, we'll wake the sleeping dragon—he'll fight tooth and nail to keep her. Misao will never accept it, too."
But…they were criminals. He must have read her mind then because he sighed. "We need to pick our battles wisely. Okina is a man who has only been arrested once and served about a year; and Aoshi has just stepped into his position. He must definitely have a soft spot the girl that according to her, he took care of for six years. They are a quiet bunch; no need to give them reason to go wild. We have far more dangerous families to take care of."
And if they ever let him move on to the PSB he'd have nation-wide threats to deal with, not these small scale scuffles.
But for some reason he watched her widen her eyes in shock and stare dumbfounded. She stayed that way for a while that he couldn't ignore it anymore. "What?"
"PSB? You mean…you are aiming for the counter-terrorism unit!?"
Oh shit, he'd said it out loud. "…yes."
His tone was guarded; she fixed her face into something more neutral and swallowed the first words that came to her lips. She took a deep breath. "That's…extremely dangerous, isn't it?"
"…yes."
He was less defensive now, good. "Dealing with terrorists and the borders and disaster response…"
"Tokio, I know the Bureau I want to join, why are you asking me the obvious?"
"I'm just trying to make sure that I know what it is…and that you plan on joining the most life-risking agency in Japan, obviously!"
"Well yes then, it's all that."
She gawked; then, looking around to see if anyone was listening, she moved closer. "Why?"
"Why not?"
"Because…it's dangerous!"
"Everything is dangerous."
"This is too dangerous."
He chuckled. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon; I worked my ass off to renovate that apartment to my liking."
This must have been the first time she ever heard him make this sort of talk; intrigued, she did all in her power not to let the subject drop. "It wasn't yours to begin with?"
"We lived there with my parents; I went off to police academy, they were killed some time later. Their deaths was the first major case I solved."
"Oh. I'm so sorry. What happened to them?"
"Robbery gone wrong. Never mind that, let's not go to sad topics. Music's playing, wanna dance?"
"You'd rather dance than share some of your life with me; interesting."
He tried not to smirk. "Well, I did come here as your date and all I've done is stand next to you. Feels wrong."
"Fine, let's." she took his hand and they moved to the circular empty space that was surrounded by the tables and the podium. It was a slow, relaxed song and they had no trouble falling into step. She did have trouble with how casually he put his hand on her back and how natural it felt, though. "But how typical of my choice in company, especially in men, at least lately." He gave her a quizzical look. "When I say lately, I mean the last three years—my definition of lately is…broad."
He chuckled. "Good, because I was just about to say, I haven't seen a man coming or going from your apartment. Ever." Which was a good thing and why he harboured some hope for something happening between them; if she was unattached, it was easier.
"Are you calling me a spinster!?" the audacity; the offense! "It's not like I ever saw a woman over at your place, too mister."
His good humour seemed to diminish as a sombre look replaced his amused one. He seemed to be battling with himself on whether to reveal the information to her or not. On the other hand, she kept looking at him, very open about whatever it was he wanted to say, assuring there would be no judgement. He spun her once and caught her again perfectly.
"…I…" he sighed as he took a step closer, maybe closer than what was acceptable. She didn't mind. "There was this woman, Yaso. She was very…charismatic. She could talk with all sorts of people, fit in in any kind of environment; beautiful but accessible. Smart, too. She used to come by the academy for a while, no one knew why, no one cared." He wasn't looking at her, purposefully avoiding her eyes. "And I used to watch her; I remember telling myself she was way too deliberate to be this naturally attractive but…regardless, somehow it worked on me."
She couldn't help the small knowing smile that graced her lips; if he could see it, he'd translate it to a tired "men" exclamation. "I was fresh out of the academy, when she started flirting with me; I'd just lost my parents so I was…"
"Vulnerable." She supplied the word he seemed to be searching for.
He gave a self-depreciating smile. "Yes. I think she was trying to make me ask her out but I wouldn't get it-or didn't want to get it. So after about two months she gave up and asked me herself." She chuckled. "We started dating…it was nice. She was flashy but had this very honest quality about her, very true. And she was interesting. Anyway, time passed, things happened with work, and I was sure she'd be aggravated, or at least annoyed. But no, she was always…perfect. At least, what teenage boys think of a perfect woman: never said no, never argued or made a big deal…so much so, that I started thinking does she even care?"
He shrugged. "But she did; or at least it seemed that way. She was very convincing about it when I voiced my concerns. She did all I asked her, did me favours, asked me about work and the like, but I still had this idea it was too perfect. We didn't live together at any point of our relationship though, so we didn't have as much time as I wanted to spend together. And that also allowed for many things I'd have normally noticed in a week—a month tops, if I were too absent."
Oh no; there it was. The big one was coming. "We were together for two years till I finally realised: Yaso had a habit."
That's when he looked at her; and he was right to do so, because apparently Tokio expected to hear what sort of habit could be such a deal br—…ooh, she had "a drug habit." He nodded affirmatively, very slowly. Her face reflected the emotions her heart pumped out, empathy and sorrow.
"I grew suspicious when I saw her talking to a man I'd never seen before, whom she was slightly scared of – so that took cheating on me off the table –, and he had the bearing of a criminal. I was out on patrol that day. I asked the officer with me if he knew the guy and he casually said he was a well-known small time drug dealer."
She bit her lip painfully. "I checked, too and he was right. So once the shift is over, I go over to her place and lo and behold, Yaso locks herself up in her bathroom. After screaming for the first time and telling me I was not supposed to be there and we hadn't arranged anything, she started crying, claiming she was too ill and she didn't want me to catch it and whatnot. I was…not having it. I let her hide in her bathroom but never left; and the next day, miraculously, she was fine. But she was also greedy; she left to grab breakfast to make it up to me and the first thing I did was search her bath. Sure enough, I found cocaine."
"Oh no."
"Fourteen grams; not enough to charge for distribution but surely too much for a casual user. She was either hoarding or a regular user and took the dose of the week. My mind went to the second option immediately." He sighed. "I had never been angrier my entire life. I made her tell me everything…and what I heard was pretty much what I was expecting. She zeroed in on me because I was a police officer, I was young and appeared gullible, what with losing my parents and all and hoped I'd get too attached to her to arrest her if I ever found out. Besides, who would suspect a police officer's girlfriend right?"
"Oh god…I'm so sorry."
"No, no, that's not all." His lip tugged upward. "I didn't arrest her of course, I loved her; but I had her sign into rehab immediately, the very same day. Anyway, next thing I did was go back to my house and check for any leftover drugs and of course there were; I concentrated everything and I could kick myself for being such an idiot. Because why would she leave drugs hidden in my house? That's too suspicious. And an hour later somehow, police officers storm my house, looking for drugs.
Because someone tipped them off I was dealing." She gawked for the second time. "Oh, you caught on; yes, her being taken away was the signal to call, a worst case scenario. Anyway, I put two and two together and told my fellow officers what was going on and I was willing to cooperate with them to find the one behind everything. They arrested me and took me to jail; I asked her to visit me. She did. She told me everything, crying, saying she regretted everything. She blurted out a couple of names; I gave them to the officers while I did my own reckon in prison. After a couple of weeks we caught the guys, she admitted everything to court and I was made undercover."
"…I'm so, so sorry."
His shrug said it's okay "I took out a small crime syndicate and advanced in my career…"
"Did you…ever hear from her again?"
"For a while. I helped her get clean, introduced her to a great sponsor and successfully put her on a better path. But after that, no; I exhausted all the reserves of my patience with her. It's been two years since then. She did try to contact me again, but I made sure to let her know I was not to be messed with."
"…that's impressive, Saito. I wouldn't have showed that much kindness, no matter the outcome. I mean, she did all that—how did she even look at you after that? And did she ever tell you why she did it? Sounded like someone had it out for you and used her."
"I've had glowing reviews at the academy and one of my teachers there introduced me to certain people high up the rank. Some people thought that was bad for them and tried to take me down when they could."
"Is that why she was coming to the academy? To learn these things?"
He smiled at her. "You really are sharp." He chuckled at her pride face. "Yes it was; they made her, apparently, used her habit against her. Said they were threatening to cut her off or worse if she didn't do as they asked…and I was just too dumb to see it."
"No; you were in love." She smiled. "That's nothing to be ashamed of; you still found everything out, did your job and helped another person…" She tilted her head to the side. "But I don't worry; a man like you won't end badly."
A man like him? She thought highly of him; he liked that. "Why thank you."
"They are grooming you, aren't they?" she asked after a beat. "Introducing you to people, making you an undercover cop, giving you difficult cases right of the bat…they want to make something out of you. Your aspirations for PSB aren't unfounded." He smirked. "Definitely misplaced aspirations if you ask me, completely dangerous and unneeded—you could always become a Commissioner or a Senior Commissioner…but founded in reason."
"A commissioner? That's boring."
"Boring? Well sorry for thinking one person aiming for one of the highest positions in the police force is boring."
"Opposed to counter-terrorism it is…"
"What is it with you and the adrenaline rush? You've been like this since I've met you."
The conversation was much more interesting than the dancing so they simultaneously made the decision to step to the side and keep their lips rather than their feet working.
"You keep referring to the day you met me but it wasn't like you were any less reckless."
"Need I remind you-?"
"No, you don't; I get it. So now that my sad story is covered, what's your excuse?"
"Ah, damn; you didn't forget to ask." She exhaled. "Well, I was about to finish university and this guy, a little older than me, maybe five years, came into the picture. He too was studying only he'd just started. Not medicine though, but applied science. He'd taken a lot of time off for personal, familial reasons he'd said at first and then explained how he was taking care of his mom. And he was very charming, attractive, and eloquent…I fell like a ripe fruit. We started dating and it was great. We had a normal relationship, in general. He was kind and nice but sometimes a little distant; others he was too close. He just had this thing he didn't want me going to his classes, at all. But all in all, nothing out of the ordinary."
She swallowed. "Until…I saw him with this woman at applied science. I had already graduated so why would I be there right? But I was close by so I dropped in unexpected…and I saw him kissing a woman a couple of years older than me. And to add salt to injury…she was pregnant!"
He looked the picture perfect definition of stunned. "Oh yes; I was dating a married man whose wife was also pregnant for almost two years!"
"Ouch."
"Oh but I was as smart as I was hurt; I waited till he was gone from her side to get his car and went to talk to her, pretended I was interested in her field. So she started talking to me about it, so excited and gushed about how much she loved it. But isn't it difficult, I asked? Oh yes, but my husband is such great support that I can't ask for more; drives me here, waits and picks me up every day of class. He is so amazing. And I asked then: how long have you been married? Four years, she'd said; high school sweet hearts. And I died inside."
She knew he was understanding her pain; his was actually dangerous, too. "I couldn't tell her the truth though, despite my heart being broken. I did give her hints though, later. And then I found out not only was I the other woman and didn't know it…I wasn't even the only other woman. There were many."
"Delightful."
"Yes; so I found them all, invited them to the hospital to talk about it…and we decided to threaten him. If he cheated on his wife again, we'd all send all of our photographs to her and her lawyer so she could sue him for all he's worth, plus child custody—he was loaded by the way. But he never really said it, too; I sort of guessed." She shrugged, too imitating him from before. "So that's my excuse. And it happened just as I was moving, too. Good thing; gave me the chance to focus on my work."
"Huh."
There was a moment of silence; she looked at him amused. "I guess we both pretty much suck in relationships." He silently agreed. "But hey, at least I wasn't imprisoned for it."
He couldn't believe she was being competitive about this; he shook his head, a smile threatening to appear. "…at least I never had to threaten anyone."
"Touché."
He decided to change the topic. "When does this symposium end?"
"Hmmm, takes some time; and it's going on for a couple of days, but I don't have to come tomorrow and in fact I won't."
"How come?"
"I was supposed to be knee-deep in work but now I'm supposed to be with Misao-chan; can't up and leave all the time, can I? I made a commitment."
"…yeah. Thanks." Silence. "But when do we leave?"
A/N
CIS: Criminal Investigation Section
PSB: Public Security Bureau
Only police officers in CIS can handle murders and the like; and PBS is basically what Tokio said. And the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department(TMPD) is the only one that has a PSB, as it normally connects with the Japanese National Police Agency(JNPA). But due to the fact the JNPA and TMPD operate in the same place and has been working with them for the longest of times, TMPD has the right to have a PSB unit.
And that's that! Oh my god I have a scene in mind I love it, can't wait to write it. Hope you liked it; please leave a review on your way out.