Of all the... stupid, idiotic, utterly MORONIC ways to break one's leg, Nakamori reflected, slipping on the sidewalk on the way to get into his car to head for work most utterly embarrassingly way for it to happen.
He couldn't even say that he had gotten it in the line of duty.
The only good highlight, if you could call it that, was the fact that the Kid had left one of his notes not 4 hours after his small slip.
The Kid was coming. Tonight. For him.
The message had been clear about that, not even much of a riddle, simply stating that he'd be by around 11 to drop something off for his favourite police inspector.
Which was after visiting hours, of course. As if the Kid could possibly show up like a reasonable person at the regularly scheduled times.
The radio in his hand buzzed. "All teams ready?" He asked gruffly, his nerves already tingling in anticipation. His men were waiting and ready, positioned on the roof, the lobby, outside, the elevators and the staircases, every place they could figure the thief to sneak in from.
The radio clicked as the teams checked in. It was almost time... almost....
The moment stretched as he felt his senses sharpen, becoming more alert. He licked his lips, feeling much like a hunting dog straining at its leash. He wanted to run, he wanted to chase, and he wanted to do it NOW.
He may not have been able to physically chase the thief, but fortunately, the thief was accommodating enough to come to -him-.
"I spotted him!" A voice crackled from the radio, the pistol sharp sound marking the beginning of the race.
"Where is he?!" He demanded.
"Uh... In the stairwell, sir."
"Then catch him!"
"We can't keep up, sir."
"Why the bloody hell not?!"
"He's on a pogo stick, sir."
".... a pogo stick?"
"Yes, sir. A motorised one, sir."
"You're telling me that he's bouncing on a motorised pogo stick up the hospital staircases?!"
"Yes, sir. And laughing. Hippity hop, just like some sort of mad deranged kangaroo from hell. He's covering half a flight in one jump, sir."
Nakamori closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together. The Kid really was going to be the death of him with these crazy stunts and shenanigans of his.
"Are all the staircase doors locked?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good."
"Uh... pardon my asking sir, but won't he be able to pick the locks?"
"Yes..." He growled, a low dangerous hiss. Curse these newbies. "But it will slow him down long enough for you go grab him, won't it?"
"Oh. Yes sir."
"Good. Now get up there and get him."
"Yes sir."
The radio clicked off and he found himself holding his breath. The Kid had to be on this floor by now, as he had said, locks weren't much of a deterrent.
Sweat trickled down the back of his neck as the radio buzzed again. "He's in the hallway sir!"
"Dammit man!" A jolt of fear sent a sliver of cold down his back. The Kid had always endeavoured to play fair, not letting anyone get hurt. The thief wasn't likely to change now, but the realisation that if the Kid did attempt anything, he wouldn't be able to get away was still a chilling one. "Get him!"
"He's out side your door, sir!"
"WHAT?!"
The door slowly creaked open, a pale shadow reaching in and flipping the light switch off and casting the room into darkness, like a scene from a bad horror movie.
"And here he is."
The calm voice echoed out from both the pale dressed figure at the door and the radio in his hand.
"Evening Inspector!" The Kid's normal voice chirped happily, the thief's features hidden by the back light, a radio glinting in his hand.
"What?! You?!" Nakamori just -knew- the Kid was smirking, and threw the worthless radio at the thief. The door shut, and he couldn't see if it connected now that the sole source of illumination had been cut off.
"Temper, temper, Nakamori-kun." The voice floated from all around him, impossible to pin were it was coming from. "You'll never heal if you keep your blood pressure up like that."
He snarled in response, straining his ears in a vain attempt to find the Kid's location..
"You don't seem happy to see me." The Kid teased, and he could just -feel- the smirk, even if he couldn't see it.
He squinted, attempting to get his eyes to see when a soft 'click' by his head startled him, lighting his bed with a pale glow.
"There." He was aware of the white shadow next to his bed, just out of reach now, the thief's hand coming off the light switch by his bed. A fresh bouquet of flowers that hadn't been there before rested in a vase next to his head. "That's better."
It also meant that he couldn't see anything beyond the ring of light, the darkness still effectively cloaking the Kid. "You just couldn't come during regular visiting hours, could you?" He grumbled.
A grin flashed from the shadows. There were times with the Kid, when it was just the 2 of them, that it felt more like they weren't exactly adversaries, but more like 2 people in on a joke that they only knew.
Only he was never quite sure what the joke was.
"They wouldn't let me in, actually." The thief's wryly amused voice informed him. "The head nurse said something about it being hospital policy not to let masked men in."
He snorted. "Good for them." Of course, most of the doctors and surgeons wore paper masks when wandering around part of the time, but he wasn't about to point that out to the thief.
He might take it as an invitation to come back, disguised as a doctor.
The thief chuckled. "Yes, it does my heart good to know that you'll be in safe hands here." The words were meant sardonically, but he could sense the ring of truth in them.
"Feh." He waved a finger at the thief and threw a murderous glare at the phantom thief, dark enough to peel paint. Of course, it had no effect on his intended victim. "Just wait, I'll catch you yet."
"Not this time." The Kid grinned, tossing him a small rectangular piece of paper.
He caught it. It was a calling card, a riddle that made no sense and a silly caricature of the Kid on the bottom.
"I usually don't give those out this far in advance but-" The Kid shrugged, an eloquent roll of his shoulders. "Eh. At least the place is wheelchair accessible. Just something to keep my favourite inspector busy until he's back on his feet again."
Nakamori snorted. "Thanks." The word was wry, almost sarcastic.
The Kid beamed back. "Welcome!"
Footsteps echoed in the hallway, his task force arriving on the late side. "And there's my cue to go." The Kid waved farewell, a white butterfly's movement in the shadows. "Get better soon, Nakamori-kun! Until next time!"
With that, the thief was gone, disappeared out the window like a ghost.
Just in time for his men to burst into the room, turning the lights and blinding him again.
"Gyah!" He covered his eyes with one hand and motioned towards the open window with the other. "The window, he went out the window!"
Of course, they wouldn't find anything, but sometimes it was the effort that counted.
"Hey, Inspector?" One of the younger officers paused at the foot of the bed, pointing to the cast. "Was this here before?"
He frowned, then leaned forward to see what the officer was talking about. There was a dark smudge down by his ankle that he didn't remember seeing before. He peered at it, then to the surprise and amazement of his officers, burst out into gruff laugher.
On his cast, underneath a little Kid caricature the thief had scribbled the words 'Kid was here'.
-fin-
He couldn't even say that he had gotten it in the line of duty.
The only good highlight, if you could call it that, was the fact that the Kid had left one of his notes not 4 hours after his small slip.
The Kid was coming. Tonight. For him.
The message had been clear about that, not even much of a riddle, simply stating that he'd be by around 11 to drop something off for his favourite police inspector.
Which was after visiting hours, of course. As if the Kid could possibly show up like a reasonable person at the regularly scheduled times.
The radio in his hand buzzed. "All teams ready?" He asked gruffly, his nerves already tingling in anticipation. His men were waiting and ready, positioned on the roof, the lobby, outside, the elevators and the staircases, every place they could figure the thief to sneak in from.
The radio clicked as the teams checked in. It was almost time... almost....
The moment stretched as he felt his senses sharpen, becoming more alert. He licked his lips, feeling much like a hunting dog straining at its leash. He wanted to run, he wanted to chase, and he wanted to do it NOW.
He may not have been able to physically chase the thief, but fortunately, the thief was accommodating enough to come to -him-.
"I spotted him!" A voice crackled from the radio, the pistol sharp sound marking the beginning of the race.
"Where is he?!" He demanded.
"Uh... In the stairwell, sir."
"Then catch him!"
"We can't keep up, sir."
"Why the bloody hell not?!"
"He's on a pogo stick, sir."
".... a pogo stick?"
"Yes, sir. A motorised one, sir."
"You're telling me that he's bouncing on a motorised pogo stick up the hospital staircases?!"
"Yes, sir. And laughing. Hippity hop, just like some sort of mad deranged kangaroo from hell. He's covering half a flight in one jump, sir."
Nakamori closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together. The Kid really was going to be the death of him with these crazy stunts and shenanigans of his.
"Are all the staircase doors locked?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good."
"Uh... pardon my asking sir, but won't he be able to pick the locks?"
"Yes..." He growled, a low dangerous hiss. Curse these newbies. "But it will slow him down long enough for you go grab him, won't it?"
"Oh. Yes sir."
"Good. Now get up there and get him."
"Yes sir."
The radio clicked off and he found himself holding his breath. The Kid had to be on this floor by now, as he had said, locks weren't much of a deterrent.
Sweat trickled down the back of his neck as the radio buzzed again. "He's in the hallway sir!"
"Dammit man!" A jolt of fear sent a sliver of cold down his back. The Kid had always endeavoured to play fair, not letting anyone get hurt. The thief wasn't likely to change now, but the realisation that if the Kid did attempt anything, he wouldn't be able to get away was still a chilling one. "Get him!"
"He's out side your door, sir!"
"WHAT?!"
The door slowly creaked open, a pale shadow reaching in and flipping the light switch off and casting the room into darkness, like a scene from a bad horror movie.
"And here he is."
The calm voice echoed out from both the pale dressed figure at the door and the radio in his hand.
"Evening Inspector!" The Kid's normal voice chirped happily, the thief's features hidden by the back light, a radio glinting in his hand.
"What?! You?!" Nakamori just -knew- the Kid was smirking, and threw the worthless radio at the thief. The door shut, and he couldn't see if it connected now that the sole source of illumination had been cut off.
"Temper, temper, Nakamori-kun." The voice floated from all around him, impossible to pin were it was coming from. "You'll never heal if you keep your blood pressure up like that."
He snarled in response, straining his ears in a vain attempt to find the Kid's location..
"You don't seem happy to see me." The Kid teased, and he could just -feel- the smirk, even if he couldn't see it.
He squinted, attempting to get his eyes to see when a soft 'click' by his head startled him, lighting his bed with a pale glow.
"There." He was aware of the white shadow next to his bed, just out of reach now, the thief's hand coming off the light switch by his bed. A fresh bouquet of flowers that hadn't been there before rested in a vase next to his head. "That's better."
It also meant that he couldn't see anything beyond the ring of light, the darkness still effectively cloaking the Kid. "You just couldn't come during regular visiting hours, could you?" He grumbled.
A grin flashed from the shadows. There were times with the Kid, when it was just the 2 of them, that it felt more like they weren't exactly adversaries, but more like 2 people in on a joke that they only knew.
Only he was never quite sure what the joke was.
"They wouldn't let me in, actually." The thief's wryly amused voice informed him. "The head nurse said something about it being hospital policy not to let masked men in."
He snorted. "Good for them." Of course, most of the doctors and surgeons wore paper masks when wandering around part of the time, but he wasn't about to point that out to the thief.
He might take it as an invitation to come back, disguised as a doctor.
The thief chuckled. "Yes, it does my heart good to know that you'll be in safe hands here." The words were meant sardonically, but he could sense the ring of truth in them.
"Feh." He waved a finger at the thief and threw a murderous glare at the phantom thief, dark enough to peel paint. Of course, it had no effect on his intended victim. "Just wait, I'll catch you yet."
"Not this time." The Kid grinned, tossing him a small rectangular piece of paper.
He caught it. It was a calling card, a riddle that made no sense and a silly caricature of the Kid on the bottom.
"I usually don't give those out this far in advance but-" The Kid shrugged, an eloquent roll of his shoulders. "Eh. At least the place is wheelchair accessible. Just something to keep my favourite inspector busy until he's back on his feet again."
Nakamori snorted. "Thanks." The word was wry, almost sarcastic.
The Kid beamed back. "Welcome!"
Footsteps echoed in the hallway, his task force arriving on the late side. "And there's my cue to go." The Kid waved farewell, a white butterfly's movement in the shadows. "Get better soon, Nakamori-kun! Until next time!"
With that, the thief was gone, disappeared out the window like a ghost.
Just in time for his men to burst into the room, turning the lights and blinding him again.
"Gyah!" He covered his eyes with one hand and motioned towards the open window with the other. "The window, he went out the window!"
Of course, they wouldn't find anything, but sometimes it was the effort that counted.
"Hey, Inspector?" One of the younger officers paused at the foot of the bed, pointing to the cast. "Was this here before?"
He frowned, then leaned forward to see what the officer was talking about. There was a dark smudge down by his ankle that he didn't remember seeing before. He peered at it, then to the surprise and amazement of his officers, burst out into gruff laugher.
On his cast, underneath a little Kid caricature the thief had scribbled the words 'Kid was here'.
-fin-