(Note: Riho will be replaced with my own character, Hiromi Takabe, because
I don't really like Riho's totally innocent maiden attitude. Hiro is a
little bit more real. Also I often switch character prospective from Hiromi
to Shido: three stars indicate this)
Disclaimer: Short one this time. Sorry it took me so long. I'm just kind of having a tough time at home. Um.. I gave Yayoi some road rage (modeled after my mom)! You guys like? Take pity on me and don't sue!
Hiromi rubbed at her sore wrists and sunk deeper into the backseat of Yayoi's car, wishing she could just disappear. What she needed right now was a mug of hot coffee, and a long bath...
"So what's the story with Officer Shimazaki?" Shido asked from the front seat, his voice carrying in the small space.
Yayoi sighted and stopped at a red light, rubbing the back of her neck, "He's a dirty cop. Everyone at the precinct knows it, but there's never been enough evidence to revoke his license and put him behind bars."
"What did he do?" Guni asked from the cup holder.
The light changed and Yayoi put the car in gear, turning into rush hour traffic, "A couple months ago, we brought in a couple prostitutes for questioning. They were never really the targets though. You see they were of course very under aged. What we really wanted was the name of their pimp. We took the older into a private room to talk to first..."
The woman paused a minute, trying to maneuver into the turning lane, "You gonna let me over fella?" she asked the van ahead. It sped up after a minute, giving the little red car room. "Thanks; real big of you."
"Anyway turns out, I happened to be the interrogator that night. I left the first girl alone with another cop, and went to the holding cell where the younger girl was being kept. When I got into the hallway, I could hear crying. Well Shido, you at least know that crying from the holding cells is common enough."
The vampire nodded, and Yayoi continued, "I didn't think much of it, but when I got to the girl's cell, she was huddled on the floor, her to half off, crying her heart out. All I could understand was 'cop' and 'hurt me.' When she calmed down a bit, she said that a cop with thin hair had assaulted her. Well, she described Shimazaki almost to a "T." he of course, denied it, and was ordered to appear in court for sexual abuse of a minor. But the court date was canceled; the girl died of a drug overdose."
"What about the monitoring tapes of the cells?" Shido asked.
"Of course we reviewed them. The thing is, those worthless cameras are installed in only one corner of the cell. They see the majority of the cell, but nothing under it or near the bars. All the tapes recorded were the girl standing and walking the blind spot. There were shadows on the ground, clearly showing the assault, but nothing to pin Shimazaki with. The girl's testimony was all we had."
"Convenient the girl OD'd isn't it?" Guni said.
"You think so too?" Yayoi asked, slowing down. "There you go Shido. I'll come back after I drop Hiromi off."
Hiromi jerked and sat up, " I'm not working here tonight?"
Shido started to turn, but Guni cut him off, "What worked? Nothing's been happening, remember?"
"It's been a long day, Hiromi," Shido said, "Just go home tonight and sleep. We'll see you tomorrow."
Hiromi frowned at the vampire as he got out of the car, Guni flaying up to sit on his shoulder. He was treating her like a five year old.
"You want to come sit up here?" Yayoi asked.
Hiromi nodded and opened her door. After sliding into the front seat, she yanked on her seatbelt, pulling at it a little harder than she meant. Looking over to the NOS officer, Hiromi say Yayoi grinning at her.
"What?" Hiromi asked, looking down; nope, no third arm growing out of her chest. "What?"
"Shido never wears seatbelts," Yayoi explained, putting the car into gear. "Probably because being a vampire, going through the windshield isn't that big a deal to him."
"One of the perks of being immortal, I guess," Hiromi said, staring at the lights passing her window.
"Almost immortal," the woman corrected. "He can die if his head's blown off, or his spine's severed. Being a vampire doesn't mean eternity. It just means you're harder to kill."
"How old are you, Yayoi?"
Yayoi scowled at Hiromi, "twenty six, why?"
Hiromi shook her head, and you've known Shido since you were what, nineteen?" "Yes."
Seven years...2555 days...
"Yayoi may I ask you a personal question?"
"I'm not telling you my weight."
Hiromi smiled a little, "its something a little deeper than that."
The NOS officer gave Hiromi a sidelong glance and turned the wheel, "My shoe size?" ^_^
"Are you and Shido lovers?"
A car swerved in front of Yayoi's trying to cut into their lane. Yayoi smacked her fist against the horn and made a very unladylike gesture at the car, "Watch it, dick-wad!"
Yayoi slowed and stopped at a red light, mumbling to herself and staring at the offending car before tuning to face Hiromi fully.
"No, Shido and I have never been lovers. What gave you that idea?"
Hiromi fidgeted and felt herself blush a little, suddenly feeling two feet small, "You two just act like it, I guess."
Yayoi laughed, a full throated bell-like sound that made her whole face light up, "And here I was thinking he acts like an over protective hen."
"I thought he only acted like that towards me."
"You should have seen him seven years ago," Yayoi muttered turning, "Guni met him a few days before I did, and we could hardly sneeze without him worrying whether we had pneumonia. It took me years to get him to loosen up."
Hiromi tried to imagine a Shido that protective. An image of him wearing a pink apron, his hair done up in rollers, and shaking a feather duster at a subdued Yayoi, Guni, and herself came to mind... A subdued Yayoi and Guni? Hiromi smiled. Yeah right...
"Want anything, Hiromi?"
The girl glanced around and grinned at the green and white sign at the Starbucks drive through.
Disclaimer: Short one this time. Sorry it took me so long. I'm just kind of having a tough time at home. Um.. I gave Yayoi some road rage (modeled after my mom)! You guys like? Take pity on me and don't sue!
Hiromi rubbed at her sore wrists and sunk deeper into the backseat of Yayoi's car, wishing she could just disappear. What she needed right now was a mug of hot coffee, and a long bath...
"So what's the story with Officer Shimazaki?" Shido asked from the front seat, his voice carrying in the small space.
Yayoi sighted and stopped at a red light, rubbing the back of her neck, "He's a dirty cop. Everyone at the precinct knows it, but there's never been enough evidence to revoke his license and put him behind bars."
"What did he do?" Guni asked from the cup holder.
The light changed and Yayoi put the car in gear, turning into rush hour traffic, "A couple months ago, we brought in a couple prostitutes for questioning. They were never really the targets though. You see they were of course very under aged. What we really wanted was the name of their pimp. We took the older into a private room to talk to first..."
The woman paused a minute, trying to maneuver into the turning lane, "You gonna let me over fella?" she asked the van ahead. It sped up after a minute, giving the little red car room. "Thanks; real big of you."
"Anyway turns out, I happened to be the interrogator that night. I left the first girl alone with another cop, and went to the holding cell where the younger girl was being kept. When I got into the hallway, I could hear crying. Well Shido, you at least know that crying from the holding cells is common enough."
The vampire nodded, and Yayoi continued, "I didn't think much of it, but when I got to the girl's cell, she was huddled on the floor, her to half off, crying her heart out. All I could understand was 'cop' and 'hurt me.' When she calmed down a bit, she said that a cop with thin hair had assaulted her. Well, she described Shimazaki almost to a "T." he of course, denied it, and was ordered to appear in court for sexual abuse of a minor. But the court date was canceled; the girl died of a drug overdose."
"What about the monitoring tapes of the cells?" Shido asked.
"Of course we reviewed them. The thing is, those worthless cameras are installed in only one corner of the cell. They see the majority of the cell, but nothing under it or near the bars. All the tapes recorded were the girl standing and walking the blind spot. There were shadows on the ground, clearly showing the assault, but nothing to pin Shimazaki with. The girl's testimony was all we had."
"Convenient the girl OD'd isn't it?" Guni said.
"You think so too?" Yayoi asked, slowing down. "There you go Shido. I'll come back after I drop Hiromi off."
Hiromi jerked and sat up, " I'm not working here tonight?"
Shido started to turn, but Guni cut him off, "What worked? Nothing's been happening, remember?"
"It's been a long day, Hiromi," Shido said, "Just go home tonight and sleep. We'll see you tomorrow."
Hiromi frowned at the vampire as he got out of the car, Guni flaying up to sit on his shoulder. He was treating her like a five year old.
"You want to come sit up here?" Yayoi asked.
Hiromi nodded and opened her door. After sliding into the front seat, she yanked on her seatbelt, pulling at it a little harder than she meant. Looking over to the NOS officer, Hiromi say Yayoi grinning at her.
"What?" Hiromi asked, looking down; nope, no third arm growing out of her chest. "What?"
"Shido never wears seatbelts," Yayoi explained, putting the car into gear. "Probably because being a vampire, going through the windshield isn't that big a deal to him."
"One of the perks of being immortal, I guess," Hiromi said, staring at the lights passing her window.
"Almost immortal," the woman corrected. "He can die if his head's blown off, or his spine's severed. Being a vampire doesn't mean eternity. It just means you're harder to kill."
"How old are you, Yayoi?"
Yayoi scowled at Hiromi, "twenty six, why?"
Hiromi shook her head, and you've known Shido since you were what, nineteen?" "Yes."
Seven years...2555 days...
"Yayoi may I ask you a personal question?"
"I'm not telling you my weight."
Hiromi smiled a little, "its something a little deeper than that."
The NOS officer gave Hiromi a sidelong glance and turned the wheel, "My shoe size?" ^_^
"Are you and Shido lovers?"
A car swerved in front of Yayoi's trying to cut into their lane. Yayoi smacked her fist against the horn and made a very unladylike gesture at the car, "Watch it, dick-wad!"
Yayoi slowed and stopped at a red light, mumbling to herself and staring at the offending car before tuning to face Hiromi fully.
"No, Shido and I have never been lovers. What gave you that idea?"
Hiromi fidgeted and felt herself blush a little, suddenly feeling two feet small, "You two just act like it, I guess."
Yayoi laughed, a full throated bell-like sound that made her whole face light up, "And here I was thinking he acts like an over protective hen."
"I thought he only acted like that towards me."
"You should have seen him seven years ago," Yayoi muttered turning, "Guni met him a few days before I did, and we could hardly sneeze without him worrying whether we had pneumonia. It took me years to get him to loosen up."
Hiromi tried to imagine a Shido that protective. An image of him wearing a pink apron, his hair done up in rollers, and shaking a feather duster at a subdued Yayoi, Guni, and herself came to mind... A subdued Yayoi and Guni? Hiromi smiled. Yeah right...
"Want anything, Hiromi?"
The girl glanced around and grinned at the green and white sign at the Starbucks drive through.