Spoilers: Mentioned the Prince who wanted her to go with him back to his own country. (I just can't remember which episode it was.)
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Disclaimer: The characters of "You're Under Arrest" belong to Kosuke Fujishima, Bandai, TBS and other related firms. Keitaro and Aunt Asuza were my creation.
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Note:
" ... " - talking out loud
.... - thoughts
****
Yoriko was stunned from all that happened. Her cheeks were still flushed and her thoughts kept coming back at the way Keitaro looked at her. She was still flustered that looking for gossip had taken a backseat. She even forgot about the time - 8:00 a.m. - other officers were starting to arrive, some back from patrol, others reporting for duty.
That's how Miyuki found Yoriko when she entered the office. It was such an unexpected sight. Yoriko was staring blankly at her computer's monitor, with hands on her flushed cheeks -- plainly ignoring them. This isn't Yoriko at all. I wonder what happened to her, she thought worriedly.
"Ohayou, Yoriko! Daijobou?" Miyuki greeted as she approached her own table. Worry was still etched on her face while waiting for Yoriko's reply.
The greeting snapped her back to reality, finally noticing that she wasn't alone anymore. "O-ohayou, Miyuki! Hai! I'm all right." she hastily replied with a tremulous smile.
Looking around, she saw that Aoi wasn't there. Hurrying to Miyuki's side, she whispered, "Aoi has a surprise for us all. I doubt you would even recognize HIM." She winked at Miyuki. Glad that her morning wasn't much of a waste at all. Aoi did provide her a juicy gossip.
After that was said, the door opened. This time, it was Yoriko who was surprised. The person who stood by the door was none other than Aoi. What shocked Yoriko was not that it was him, but the fact that he was back to his old self, wearing a woman's uniform, complete with a touch of make-up.
Miyuki just glanced back at Yoriko with her eyebrows raised in question. All of a sudden, she chuckled, her shoulders shaking in mirth which bewildered everyone in the room. "Oh-- oh-- Gomen ne. I just remembered something funny that I saw on my way here," she explained trying to stop herself from chuckling. Yoriko's facial expression was just too hilarious to ignore. She looked like somebody just snatched away her favorite toy.
"Ohayou, minna-san!" greeted Aoi to everyone. He entered bearing with him a tray full of tea-filled cups. It was his turn to serve tea that day. Following right behind him was Kachou. Aoi distributed tea to everyone, including Kachou as soon as he took his seat.
The last person he gave the cup of tea to was Yoriko. As he approached her, he could not understand himself. His heartbeat quickened and he could feel his palms getting clammy. It was absolutely ridiculous. She's just my partner! his mind shouted. This has never happened to me before, he noted to himself, trying to ignore the riotous emotions that Yoriko's nearness was stirring up in him.
"Ohayou, Yoriko!" he greeted her in an offhand manner, putting on an indifferent mask to hide how her presence affected him. As he bent to place the cup on her desk, her sweet floral scent just wafted through his nose making him feel a bit faint.
Her perfume froze him in that bent position, puzzling Yoriko even more. She bent close to him and whispered in his ear, "Are you all right, Aoi?"
The brush of breath in his ear was almost too much to bear that he hastily straightened himself up. "I'm fine, perfectly fine," he muttered, taking firm control over his emotions. What is the matter with me? I'm acting like a fool! he admonished himself. He was thankful that he changed his look before everybody came in. At least in this outfit, nobody would think that a woman could affect me so. He assured himself, went to his table, and sat down with a slump. Distancing himself from Yoriko was a relief.
"Ohayou, minna-san! Oh it's such a beautiful day!" Natsumi greeted everyone exuberantly. She arrived 30 minutes after everybody came in. She had a huge smile plastered on her face. Looking up from her work, Yoriko could see that Natsumi just got to Toukarin on time. Natsumi looked like a cat that swallowed a canary.
No doubt they had established themselves as a couple before he left. Probably kissed, too. Yoriko chuckled to herself, but then she couldn't help feeling envious of her and Miyuki. They had men in their lives... men who absolutely adore them. Nakajima was a sure thing and recently, Toukarin had shown his more than friendly concern over Natsumi. With thoughts on this, Keitaro's face sprang to mind. She heaved a sad sigh, I wonder if I would ever see him again -- Yoriko, get a hold of yourself! That's just a wishful thinking on your part. HE IS NOT interested in you! she berated herself. Determined to refrain from self-pity, she resolved to just bury herself in her work.
It was almost lunchtime when Yoriko gave in to her curiosity. "Uhmm, Aoi?" she hesitantly called him.
Refusing to look at her, Aoi busied himself with his paperwork while responding to her call. "What is it, Yoriko? Is there something wrong?" he asked coolly.
"Ano-- where is Keitaro-san? Wasn't he with you when you came in?" she queried.
Upon hearing this, it took most of his control to wipe off the scowl before it would show on his face. "Yes, he was with me but he had to leave 10 minutes after I introduced you to each other. He had to meet with Asuza-san. She wanted him to help her set-up a party." He intentionally withheld the fact that Asuza was their Aunt. He hoped that Yoriko would think that she was Keitaro's girlfriend. Although for the life of him, he couldn't understand why he did that.
Noon. They all headed to the canteen, trying to get there first before Natsumi. Usually, Aoi would be having his lunch with Yoriko, Nakajima, Miyuki and Natsumi. But today, he ate with a different group. Nobody really found this strange. But as the day ended, Yoriko could no longer ignore the fact that somehow Aoi was avoiding her. During their patrol, he hardly talked to her, he would just grunt every time she would ask him something. He would not even look at her. When they came back to the station, he just parked the car and left without even a backward glance at her, almost denying her existence. She found his actions quite baffling.
Truth to tell, Aoi had been praying for the day to end soon. Earlier that day, after they had lunch, Yoriko and Aoi went out for patrol. He opened the car and settled in the driver's seat, but when Yoriko took the seat next to him, he started noticing things about her. Things that he had never taken a second glance at before. The flash of slender creamy white thighs, the trimness of her waist, the way she brushed off the errant hair that kept falling down her face, the thrust of her chest as she arched her back to stretch in the cramped car, and how small and fragile she looked in her seat. Annoyed at himself and her, he refused to look at Yoriko during the whole stretch of their patrol. He even hurriedly left her at the carpark as soon as he closed the door. He had to get away from her. He needed to assess the feelings that her presence seemed to evoke in him. They were all so new, titillating yet so frightening.
------
The next day, again, Yoriko came in early. But when she entered the station, Keitaro was already sitting in the lobby waiting for Aoi to arrive. As soon as he set eyes on her, he stood up and approached her. Since she had convinced herself yesterday that he couldn't possibly be interested in her, she completely dismissed it, and so was her same bubbly self again.
"Ohayou, Futaba-san! You're quite early today. I don't think Aoi has arrived yet." She greeted him animatedly.
"Ohayou, Yoriko-san! It really is quite a treat to see you again. I know Aoi isn't here yet, that's why I'm in early. I've noticed that you were the first one here yesterday so I thought to be here when you come." He told her seriously as he looked down at her, took both of her hands and held them in his. "I had been thinking of you since I left here. I just know that I had to see you again," Keitaro whispered to her gently.
"Ehe-he-he... Keitaro-san, you are jesting! I am hardly a woman that would make a strong impression in a man." She protested while trying to take back her hands. She moved on, heading to the office. She avoided looking back at him... she didn't want him to see her blushing. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he just gave her a flirty compliment. The only other person who expressed interest in her was the Prince of Arabia (not quite sure if this is the right country, though :(.) But he didn't count for he was a few years younger than she was and besides, his interest in her wasn't really of a romantic nature.
Following Yoriko down the hall towards the office, he couldn't help but admire the way her skirt molded itself on her hips and the beautiful length of her chestnut hair. His fingers were itching to run them through her hair, would love to smell her sweet perfume. He shook his head and chuckled at himself. It had been quite some time since a woman had made me think such thoughts.
Yoriko sat down infront of her computer and was about to start on her work (digging for some gossip ^_^). She was startled when Keitaro leaned his body on her table and lifted her chin up. "Keitaro-san, what do you think you are do ----?" she exclaimed. However, the rest of her sentence was cut off when she felt his lips on hers. Her eyes widened in total shock. It was a lingering kiss, one that she had never experienced before.
That was the scene that Aoi saw when he entered the office. His cousin bending towards Yoriko with his lips on hers -- and then Aoi saw red. A growl came out of his mouth and rushed towards them. He pulled Keitaro off of her and punched him in the nose. "How dare you!!" Aoi yelled. "I never thought you could stoop this low!" he growled out, whole body shaking in fury. "You don't do that to my ----" but he stopped himself, amazed at what he was about to blurt out.
"Your what, Aoi-kun?" Keitaro interrupted his thoughts, holding on to his bleeding nose. "Your girlfriend?" he inquired seriously.
"NO! My partner!" Aoi denied vehemently, although at the back of his mind that was exactly the word that he was about to say. He abruptly wheeled around, ignored his cousin, and focused his attention on Yoriko. "And as for YOU!" he snapped at her. "I thought you were just a gossip-monger, I didn't know that you are also a goddamn flirt," he accused her, his voice heavy with scorn.
"Aoi! You take that back! I am not a flirt!" she angrily stamped over and pulled on his sleeve. However, Aoi just yanked back his sleeve and refused to listen to her. He glowered at her - he was indeed furious -- then turned around and left, slamming shut the door behind him.
-- to be continued.
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Disclaimer: The characters of "You're Under Arrest" belong to Kosuke Fujishima, Bandai, TBS and other related firms. Keitaro and Aunt Asuza were my creation.
------------------------
Note:
" ... " - talking out loud
.... - thoughts
****
Yoriko was stunned from all that happened. Her cheeks were still flushed and her thoughts kept coming back at the way Keitaro looked at her. She was still flustered that looking for gossip had taken a backseat. She even forgot about the time - 8:00 a.m. - other officers were starting to arrive, some back from patrol, others reporting for duty.
That's how Miyuki found Yoriko when she entered the office. It was such an unexpected sight. Yoriko was staring blankly at her computer's monitor, with hands on her flushed cheeks -- plainly ignoring them. This isn't Yoriko at all. I wonder what happened to her, she thought worriedly.
"Ohayou, Yoriko! Daijobou?" Miyuki greeted as she approached her own table. Worry was still etched on her face while waiting for Yoriko's reply.
The greeting snapped her back to reality, finally noticing that she wasn't alone anymore. "O-ohayou, Miyuki! Hai! I'm all right." she hastily replied with a tremulous smile.
Looking around, she saw that Aoi wasn't there. Hurrying to Miyuki's side, she whispered, "Aoi has a surprise for us all. I doubt you would even recognize HIM." She winked at Miyuki. Glad that her morning wasn't much of a waste at all. Aoi did provide her a juicy gossip.
After that was said, the door opened. This time, it was Yoriko who was surprised. The person who stood by the door was none other than Aoi. What shocked Yoriko was not that it was him, but the fact that he was back to his old self, wearing a woman's uniform, complete with a touch of make-up.
Miyuki just glanced back at Yoriko with her eyebrows raised in question. All of a sudden, she chuckled, her shoulders shaking in mirth which bewildered everyone in the room. "Oh-- oh-- Gomen ne. I just remembered something funny that I saw on my way here," she explained trying to stop herself from chuckling. Yoriko's facial expression was just too hilarious to ignore. She looked like somebody just snatched away her favorite toy.
"Ohayou, minna-san!" greeted Aoi to everyone. He entered bearing with him a tray full of tea-filled cups. It was his turn to serve tea that day. Following right behind him was Kachou. Aoi distributed tea to everyone, including Kachou as soon as he took his seat.
The last person he gave the cup of tea to was Yoriko. As he approached her, he could not understand himself. His heartbeat quickened and he could feel his palms getting clammy. It was absolutely ridiculous. She's just my partner! his mind shouted. This has never happened to me before, he noted to himself, trying to ignore the riotous emotions that Yoriko's nearness was stirring up in him.
"Ohayou, Yoriko!" he greeted her in an offhand manner, putting on an indifferent mask to hide how her presence affected him. As he bent to place the cup on her desk, her sweet floral scent just wafted through his nose making him feel a bit faint.
Her perfume froze him in that bent position, puzzling Yoriko even more. She bent close to him and whispered in his ear, "Are you all right, Aoi?"
The brush of breath in his ear was almost too much to bear that he hastily straightened himself up. "I'm fine, perfectly fine," he muttered, taking firm control over his emotions. What is the matter with me? I'm acting like a fool! he admonished himself. He was thankful that he changed his look before everybody came in. At least in this outfit, nobody would think that a woman could affect me so. He assured himself, went to his table, and sat down with a slump. Distancing himself from Yoriko was a relief.
"Ohayou, minna-san! Oh it's such a beautiful day!" Natsumi greeted everyone exuberantly. She arrived 30 minutes after everybody came in. She had a huge smile plastered on her face. Looking up from her work, Yoriko could see that Natsumi just got to Toukarin on time. Natsumi looked like a cat that swallowed a canary.
No doubt they had established themselves as a couple before he left. Probably kissed, too. Yoriko chuckled to herself, but then she couldn't help feeling envious of her and Miyuki. They had men in their lives... men who absolutely adore them. Nakajima was a sure thing and recently, Toukarin had shown his more than friendly concern over Natsumi. With thoughts on this, Keitaro's face sprang to mind. She heaved a sad sigh, I wonder if I would ever see him again -- Yoriko, get a hold of yourself! That's just a wishful thinking on your part. HE IS NOT interested in you! she berated herself. Determined to refrain from self-pity, she resolved to just bury herself in her work.
It was almost lunchtime when Yoriko gave in to her curiosity. "Uhmm, Aoi?" she hesitantly called him.
Refusing to look at her, Aoi busied himself with his paperwork while responding to her call. "What is it, Yoriko? Is there something wrong?" he asked coolly.
"Ano-- where is Keitaro-san? Wasn't he with you when you came in?" she queried.
Upon hearing this, it took most of his control to wipe off the scowl before it would show on his face. "Yes, he was with me but he had to leave 10 minutes after I introduced you to each other. He had to meet with Asuza-san. She wanted him to help her set-up a party." He intentionally withheld the fact that Asuza was their Aunt. He hoped that Yoriko would think that she was Keitaro's girlfriend. Although for the life of him, he couldn't understand why he did that.
Noon. They all headed to the canteen, trying to get there first before Natsumi. Usually, Aoi would be having his lunch with Yoriko, Nakajima, Miyuki and Natsumi. But today, he ate with a different group. Nobody really found this strange. But as the day ended, Yoriko could no longer ignore the fact that somehow Aoi was avoiding her. During their patrol, he hardly talked to her, he would just grunt every time she would ask him something. He would not even look at her. When they came back to the station, he just parked the car and left without even a backward glance at her, almost denying her existence. She found his actions quite baffling.
Truth to tell, Aoi had been praying for the day to end soon. Earlier that day, after they had lunch, Yoriko and Aoi went out for patrol. He opened the car and settled in the driver's seat, but when Yoriko took the seat next to him, he started noticing things about her. Things that he had never taken a second glance at before. The flash of slender creamy white thighs, the trimness of her waist, the way she brushed off the errant hair that kept falling down her face, the thrust of her chest as she arched her back to stretch in the cramped car, and how small and fragile she looked in her seat. Annoyed at himself and her, he refused to look at Yoriko during the whole stretch of their patrol. He even hurriedly left her at the carpark as soon as he closed the door. He had to get away from her. He needed to assess the feelings that her presence seemed to evoke in him. They were all so new, titillating yet so frightening.
------
The next day, again, Yoriko came in early. But when she entered the station, Keitaro was already sitting in the lobby waiting for Aoi to arrive. As soon as he set eyes on her, he stood up and approached her. Since she had convinced herself yesterday that he couldn't possibly be interested in her, she completely dismissed it, and so was her same bubbly self again.
"Ohayou, Futaba-san! You're quite early today. I don't think Aoi has arrived yet." She greeted him animatedly.
"Ohayou, Yoriko-san! It really is quite a treat to see you again. I know Aoi isn't here yet, that's why I'm in early. I've noticed that you were the first one here yesterday so I thought to be here when you come." He told her seriously as he looked down at her, took both of her hands and held them in his. "I had been thinking of you since I left here. I just know that I had to see you again," Keitaro whispered to her gently.
"Ehe-he-he... Keitaro-san, you are jesting! I am hardly a woman that would make a strong impression in a man." She protested while trying to take back her hands. She moved on, heading to the office. She avoided looking back at him... she didn't want him to see her blushing. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he just gave her a flirty compliment. The only other person who expressed interest in her was the Prince of Arabia (not quite sure if this is the right country, though :(.) But he didn't count for he was a few years younger than she was and besides, his interest in her wasn't really of a romantic nature.
Following Yoriko down the hall towards the office, he couldn't help but admire the way her skirt molded itself on her hips and the beautiful length of her chestnut hair. His fingers were itching to run them through her hair, would love to smell her sweet perfume. He shook his head and chuckled at himself. It had been quite some time since a woman had made me think such thoughts.
Yoriko sat down infront of her computer and was about to start on her work (digging for some gossip ^_^). She was startled when Keitaro leaned his body on her table and lifted her chin up. "Keitaro-san, what do you think you are do ----?" she exclaimed. However, the rest of her sentence was cut off when she felt his lips on hers. Her eyes widened in total shock. It was a lingering kiss, one that she had never experienced before.
That was the scene that Aoi saw when he entered the office. His cousin bending towards Yoriko with his lips on hers -- and then Aoi saw red. A growl came out of his mouth and rushed towards them. He pulled Keitaro off of her and punched him in the nose. "How dare you!!" Aoi yelled. "I never thought you could stoop this low!" he growled out, whole body shaking in fury. "You don't do that to my ----" but he stopped himself, amazed at what he was about to blurt out.
"Your what, Aoi-kun?" Keitaro interrupted his thoughts, holding on to his bleeding nose. "Your girlfriend?" he inquired seriously.
"NO! My partner!" Aoi denied vehemently, although at the back of his mind that was exactly the word that he was about to say. He abruptly wheeled around, ignored his cousin, and focused his attention on Yoriko. "And as for YOU!" he snapped at her. "I thought you were just a gossip-monger, I didn't know that you are also a goddamn flirt," he accused her, his voice heavy with scorn.
"Aoi! You take that back! I am not a flirt!" she angrily stamped over and pulled on his sleeve. However, Aoi just yanked back his sleeve and refused to listen to her. He glowered at her - he was indeed furious -- then turned around and left, slamming shut the door behind him.
-- to be continued.