Partners In Crime
By CheeKy
Disclaimer: The following Slam Dunk characters belong to Takehiko Inoue. Any unfamiliar names, places or otherwise will naturally be my properties.
Notes: So sorry for the late update, *sheepish grin* the only excuse I have is that I was focusing most of my writing time for 'Music', that's why this fic has been a *little* neglected. ^_~
* * *
Chapter Four ~ The Plan
Pulling up a chair opposite a dejected Sendoh, Joseph asked his colleague rather teasingly, "So where did our pretty boy go?"
Acknowledging Joseph's peace offering, Sendoh made an attempt to smile good- humouredly, "As we speak, he's cleaning up in the gents'. But I imagined that he'd be here shortly, I just hope he remembers the directions I gave him."
Giving his colleague a sympathetic smile, Joseph spoke hesitatively, "I know it's really none of my business, but I'm going to say it anyway. You really shouldn't be wearing your heart on your sleeve, it's going to affect your work, and who knows, it might even jeopardise your friendship with him."
Sendoh laughed humourlessly, "Am I as transparent as that?"
Joseph couldn't help but comment wryly, "Hey, you're not the only detective here." Then, the smile faded as he added rather solemnly, "But whatever you do, just remember that your job comes first. So don't let your heart rule over your head, okay?"
Sendoh gave his friend a curious look, "Speaking of which, what convinced you to believe Rukawa's story anyway?"
Joseph grinned in response, "Come on, surely you didn't think we'd honestly suspect him of murdering Nagashima? That's not how we run the show. But, hauling his ass to the station as our number one suspect was the best excuse we could think of to get him to talk. If you hadn't noticed, at our last interrogation he was kinda reluctant to disclose any information."
Sendoh rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it." Then he added as an after thought, "So you're telling me you actually lied to him?"
Joseph threw him a wink, "I won't say we actually lied; we merely twisted the truth a little. Besides, you can't really blame us for being suspicious, not only was he 'on the spot', but he's also a new face in town."
Sendoh sighed as he answered, "I'm sorry, I guess I so glad to see him that it never occurred to me to look at him in that light."
"Well, don't think about that anymore. Right now the only thing you have to worry about is the next mode of action."
Sendoh nodded and was about to offer a reply when Rukawa intersected behind him, "Am I interrupting anything?"
Joseph quickly offered a negative response as he stood up. He then gestured for Rukawa to take his place before reminding them that they would regroup in forty-five minutes. With that, he exited the cafeteria.
"Sendoh, what happened back there, well, I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."
The detective smiled as he pushed a plate of omelettes in Rukawa's direction, "Forget it. I'm not mad at you. You had your reasons for silence and I respect your decision."
Picking up his fork, Rukawa smiled back, "Thanks."
Taking a sip of his coffee, Sendoh asked as he observed his friend over the rim of the cup, "So, this girl, Mia, what's she like?"
Rukawa considered for a moment before answering, "Well, she's uhm, nice and friendly."
Sendoh rolled his eyes, "Is that the best description you can come up with?"
The young man grinned slightly, "Okay. She reminds me somewhat of Ayako, you know, bossy, loud but decidedly kind and warm. She was the first person to approach me when I arrived at the campus, so we naturally struck up a close friendship over time."
Sendoh knew he had no cause to ask but he couldn't refrain his curiosity, "So did you uhm, well, start a relationship with her?"
Rukawa dropped his eyes as he played with his food, "You know, I'm not really that hungry after all. I suppose it's hard to have an appetite when you've got a friend who's gone missing."
Realising how insensitive his question was, Sendoh started to apologise when he was silenced mid-way as Rukawa reached for his hand. Glancing in surprise at the gesture, Sendoh could only stare in confusion as he waited for Rukawa to explain his actions.
Rukawa threw one of his rare smiles as he answered while holding Sendoh's gaze, "Listen, you don't have to apologise for anything. Really. I'm okay with the question, I'm just not quite sure how to answer, that's all. We did tried, and I honestly thought I could actually love her, but."
The young man trailed off as Sendoh prompted with an encouraging look, "But?"
"I was already in love with someone else, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't forget him."
"Him?" echoed Sendoh in surprise. His heart started pounding furiously against his chest; dare he give himself hope?
The hand was removed as Rukawa laughed a little self-consciously, a soft blush on his face, "Yeah. Crazy huh? Pining for someone who will never reciprocate my feelings. And a heterosexual guy no less."
Sendoh's thought his heard his heart break, but he nevertheless continued to smile as he offered his support, "Hey, you're young, intelligent and attractive, I'm sure you'd find someone else who'd love you just as much." Someone like me, his silently added.
Rukawa gave him a grateful smile, "Thanks Sendoh, you're a great friend."
Sendoh didn't trust himself to reply, the break in his voice would most likely give him away. So he merely smiled as he finished his coffee. Inwardly he asked himself, "Is that all I've ever be? Just a friend?"
His eyes travelled over the young man; gods, why is he still so thin? There was a faraway look on the young man's face as he glanced about his surroundings, and Sendoh was struck with the sudden impulse to comfort the young man. Gods, what the hell was the matter with him? The love of his life was unhappy, and he was doing a fine job in cheering the young man. Joseph was right; he was letting his heart rule his head. What Rukawa needed now was a friend, someone he could depend on and help solve his problems.
The detective spoke aloud, "I promise you I'd be the best friend you've ever had."
"You already are," smiled Rukawa in response. He then stood up and Sendoh followed suit. As they made their way back to the conference room, Sendoh glanced over tenderly in the young man's direction. A soft smile lit his features as he allowed himself several moments to daydream the impossible.
~ * ~
"So uhm, what's the plan?" asked Chris once everyone had taken a seat.
Tapping the table thoughtfully, Sendoh posed another question of his own; it was about time he started using his head, "What I really want to know is who gains from Nagashima's death. I mean, who inherits his vast number of ships and takes over his large business?"
The Chief spoke up, "If I'm not mistaken, Nagashima's right-hand man, Eshun Hamaguchi, will be seizing control of the company."
Sendoh inquired further, "So this Hamaguchi, what can you tell us about him?"
"Nothing useful, I'm afraid," confessed the Chief rather gravely. "All we know is that Hamaguchi has in the past done all the dirty work for Nagashima. He is also reportedly extremely loyal to his boss, so I suppose he would be the last man to want to murder Nagashima."
"But he gains the most from Nagashima's death, doesn't he?" countered Joseph.
"Well, yes," nodded the Chief in agreement.
"So as far as the law is concerned, he's got the biggest motive to do away with Nagashima," finished Chris rather triumphantly.
Shaking his head, the Chief voiced his opinion, "I would have to disagree with you there, Chris. As far as our investigations have shown, both men have been working closely together for more than four years and it's no secret that Hamaguchi would inherit the shipping empire sooner or later. So why choose to murder Nagashima and get his hands all bloodied when it is so much easier to wait? And let's not forget, how are all of these tied up with the disappearance of Okita? That is, if we are to believe there are links between both these two cases."
Yawning, Rukawa stretched his arms as he offered his view, "Personally, I don't think you detectives are going to get anywhere just by talking and speculating."
Turning a keen eye in the young man's direction, the Chief encouraged, "You have a suggestion as to how to approach this dilemma?"
Scratching his head, Rukawa expressed his idea awkwardly under the unblinking gaze of the Chief, "What we really need is to talk to the man himself to find out what he's thinking. Maybe pose as a potential client or something. I could do that."
"No, it's too dangerous if you go about it alone."
"Sendoh, I'm not a child."
Joseph disagreed, "Sendoh's right. You're going to need a professional to protect you, just in case Hamaguchi decides to turn violent."
"But there isn't any reason to suspect my intentions, after all, I've never the met the man," reasoned Rukawa.
"I still don't think you ought to do it alone," Sendoh repeated in a decided manner.
The Chief suggested, "How about if Sendoh goes with you instead?"
"Don't you think he would be recognised?" the young man asked worriedly.
Chris grinned suddenly, "I seriously doubt it. His reputation may be well known, but his face isn't. Sendoh's hardly ever in the papers, and when he is, his face is usually obscured by that wide-brimmed hat."
"If you yourself couldn't recognised me, how much better would a stranger fare?" pointed out Sendoh.
Rukawa relented rather unwillingly, "Oh alright. Since you're bent on coming along, then there's really nothing else I can say to stop you."
"Good. Now that it's settled, let's just run through a couple of details before you proceed with the plan," the Chief remarked with a satisfied smile.
t.b.c. ^_~
By CheeKy
Disclaimer: The following Slam Dunk characters belong to Takehiko Inoue. Any unfamiliar names, places or otherwise will naturally be my properties.
Notes: So sorry for the late update, *sheepish grin* the only excuse I have is that I was focusing most of my writing time for 'Music', that's why this fic has been a *little* neglected. ^_~
* * *
Chapter Four ~ The Plan
Pulling up a chair opposite a dejected Sendoh, Joseph asked his colleague rather teasingly, "So where did our pretty boy go?"
Acknowledging Joseph's peace offering, Sendoh made an attempt to smile good- humouredly, "As we speak, he's cleaning up in the gents'. But I imagined that he'd be here shortly, I just hope he remembers the directions I gave him."
Giving his colleague a sympathetic smile, Joseph spoke hesitatively, "I know it's really none of my business, but I'm going to say it anyway. You really shouldn't be wearing your heart on your sleeve, it's going to affect your work, and who knows, it might even jeopardise your friendship with him."
Sendoh laughed humourlessly, "Am I as transparent as that?"
Joseph couldn't help but comment wryly, "Hey, you're not the only detective here." Then, the smile faded as he added rather solemnly, "But whatever you do, just remember that your job comes first. So don't let your heart rule over your head, okay?"
Sendoh gave his friend a curious look, "Speaking of which, what convinced you to believe Rukawa's story anyway?"
Joseph grinned in response, "Come on, surely you didn't think we'd honestly suspect him of murdering Nagashima? That's not how we run the show. But, hauling his ass to the station as our number one suspect was the best excuse we could think of to get him to talk. If you hadn't noticed, at our last interrogation he was kinda reluctant to disclose any information."
Sendoh rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it." Then he added as an after thought, "So you're telling me you actually lied to him?"
Joseph threw him a wink, "I won't say we actually lied; we merely twisted the truth a little. Besides, you can't really blame us for being suspicious, not only was he 'on the spot', but he's also a new face in town."
Sendoh sighed as he answered, "I'm sorry, I guess I so glad to see him that it never occurred to me to look at him in that light."
"Well, don't think about that anymore. Right now the only thing you have to worry about is the next mode of action."
Sendoh nodded and was about to offer a reply when Rukawa intersected behind him, "Am I interrupting anything?"
Joseph quickly offered a negative response as he stood up. He then gestured for Rukawa to take his place before reminding them that they would regroup in forty-five minutes. With that, he exited the cafeteria.
"Sendoh, what happened back there, well, I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."
The detective smiled as he pushed a plate of omelettes in Rukawa's direction, "Forget it. I'm not mad at you. You had your reasons for silence and I respect your decision."
Picking up his fork, Rukawa smiled back, "Thanks."
Taking a sip of his coffee, Sendoh asked as he observed his friend over the rim of the cup, "So, this girl, Mia, what's she like?"
Rukawa considered for a moment before answering, "Well, she's uhm, nice and friendly."
Sendoh rolled his eyes, "Is that the best description you can come up with?"
The young man grinned slightly, "Okay. She reminds me somewhat of Ayako, you know, bossy, loud but decidedly kind and warm. She was the first person to approach me when I arrived at the campus, so we naturally struck up a close friendship over time."
Sendoh knew he had no cause to ask but he couldn't refrain his curiosity, "So did you uhm, well, start a relationship with her?"
Rukawa dropped his eyes as he played with his food, "You know, I'm not really that hungry after all. I suppose it's hard to have an appetite when you've got a friend who's gone missing."
Realising how insensitive his question was, Sendoh started to apologise when he was silenced mid-way as Rukawa reached for his hand. Glancing in surprise at the gesture, Sendoh could only stare in confusion as he waited for Rukawa to explain his actions.
Rukawa threw one of his rare smiles as he answered while holding Sendoh's gaze, "Listen, you don't have to apologise for anything. Really. I'm okay with the question, I'm just not quite sure how to answer, that's all. We did tried, and I honestly thought I could actually love her, but."
The young man trailed off as Sendoh prompted with an encouraging look, "But?"
"I was already in love with someone else, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't forget him."
"Him?" echoed Sendoh in surprise. His heart started pounding furiously against his chest; dare he give himself hope?
The hand was removed as Rukawa laughed a little self-consciously, a soft blush on his face, "Yeah. Crazy huh? Pining for someone who will never reciprocate my feelings. And a heterosexual guy no less."
Sendoh's thought his heard his heart break, but he nevertheless continued to smile as he offered his support, "Hey, you're young, intelligent and attractive, I'm sure you'd find someone else who'd love you just as much." Someone like me, his silently added.
Rukawa gave him a grateful smile, "Thanks Sendoh, you're a great friend."
Sendoh didn't trust himself to reply, the break in his voice would most likely give him away. So he merely smiled as he finished his coffee. Inwardly he asked himself, "Is that all I've ever be? Just a friend?"
His eyes travelled over the young man; gods, why is he still so thin? There was a faraway look on the young man's face as he glanced about his surroundings, and Sendoh was struck with the sudden impulse to comfort the young man. Gods, what the hell was the matter with him? The love of his life was unhappy, and he was doing a fine job in cheering the young man. Joseph was right; he was letting his heart rule his head. What Rukawa needed now was a friend, someone he could depend on and help solve his problems.
The detective spoke aloud, "I promise you I'd be the best friend you've ever had."
"You already are," smiled Rukawa in response. He then stood up and Sendoh followed suit. As they made their way back to the conference room, Sendoh glanced over tenderly in the young man's direction. A soft smile lit his features as he allowed himself several moments to daydream the impossible.
~ * ~
"So uhm, what's the plan?" asked Chris once everyone had taken a seat.
Tapping the table thoughtfully, Sendoh posed another question of his own; it was about time he started using his head, "What I really want to know is who gains from Nagashima's death. I mean, who inherits his vast number of ships and takes over his large business?"
The Chief spoke up, "If I'm not mistaken, Nagashima's right-hand man, Eshun Hamaguchi, will be seizing control of the company."
Sendoh inquired further, "So this Hamaguchi, what can you tell us about him?"
"Nothing useful, I'm afraid," confessed the Chief rather gravely. "All we know is that Hamaguchi has in the past done all the dirty work for Nagashima. He is also reportedly extremely loyal to his boss, so I suppose he would be the last man to want to murder Nagashima."
"But he gains the most from Nagashima's death, doesn't he?" countered Joseph.
"Well, yes," nodded the Chief in agreement.
"So as far as the law is concerned, he's got the biggest motive to do away with Nagashima," finished Chris rather triumphantly.
Shaking his head, the Chief voiced his opinion, "I would have to disagree with you there, Chris. As far as our investigations have shown, both men have been working closely together for more than four years and it's no secret that Hamaguchi would inherit the shipping empire sooner or later. So why choose to murder Nagashima and get his hands all bloodied when it is so much easier to wait? And let's not forget, how are all of these tied up with the disappearance of Okita? That is, if we are to believe there are links between both these two cases."
Yawning, Rukawa stretched his arms as he offered his view, "Personally, I don't think you detectives are going to get anywhere just by talking and speculating."
Turning a keen eye in the young man's direction, the Chief encouraged, "You have a suggestion as to how to approach this dilemma?"
Scratching his head, Rukawa expressed his idea awkwardly under the unblinking gaze of the Chief, "What we really need is to talk to the man himself to find out what he's thinking. Maybe pose as a potential client or something. I could do that."
"No, it's too dangerous if you go about it alone."
"Sendoh, I'm not a child."
Joseph disagreed, "Sendoh's right. You're going to need a professional to protect you, just in case Hamaguchi decides to turn violent."
"But there isn't any reason to suspect my intentions, after all, I've never the met the man," reasoned Rukawa.
"I still don't think you ought to do it alone," Sendoh repeated in a decided manner.
The Chief suggested, "How about if Sendoh goes with you instead?"
"Don't you think he would be recognised?" the young man asked worriedly.
Chris grinned suddenly, "I seriously doubt it. His reputation may be well known, but his face isn't. Sendoh's hardly ever in the papers, and when he is, his face is usually obscured by that wide-brimmed hat."
"If you yourself couldn't recognised me, how much better would a stranger fare?" pointed out Sendoh.
Rukawa relented rather unwillingly, "Oh alright. Since you're bent on coming along, then there's really nothing else I can say to stop you."
"Good. Now that it's settled, let's just run through a couple of details before you proceed with the plan," the Chief remarked with a satisfied smile.
t.b.c. ^_~