Disclaimer: I do not own PMK or RK.

Day 3. What awaits Tetsu-kun and his Shinsengumi colleagues? Read on.

Case 006: Dispatch Duty

Third day of career week. The Ichimura brothers were in the dispatch room. "Dispatch duty?!" Tetsu screeched. Tatsu nodded. "But Okita-san…"

"Okita-san has taken the day off," Tatsu replied dryly. The gift-store incident yesterday was still fresh in their mind. Saitou and Okita had to bring them back to the station for investigation.

The tea-set cost four months of Tatsu-nii's pay. Poor Tatsu-nii split the cost with Master Yoshida. Tetsu considered himself lucky compared to Suzu. Master Yoshida had dragged the white-haired boy out by his ear to kami knows what punishment awaited him at home.

The redhead stared at the monitors, wires and switchboard with suspicion as Tatsu explained. "You will answer the phone and refer all calls to me or the other dispatchers. Understood?" Tetsu nodded dumbly. Even Tetsu-baka can't mess this up. Line 13 is used to request backup, something the Shinsengumi men never did… still, if a call came through, Tetsu will transfer it to me or Ayu-nee…

"Toshi!" A bleary-eyed Hijitaka opened his door to a smiling Okita. "Don't you have to baby-sit a kid?" The young man shook his head. "Today I'm gonna accompany you!" he chirped. "You haven't been drinking again, have you?" Souji… Hijitaka relented.

"I think it's safer for Tetsu if he simply stick to dispatch work," Okita skipped merrily alongside Hijitaka as they strolled down to the park. Just like an overgrown kid… Saizou the pig trotted beside his young master. They'll go feed the swans at the pond, then… Okita chuckled. Hijitaka recognized the worn book he was reading.

"SOUUJIII!!!!" His long hair flying, Okita sprinted off with Hijitaka's haiku book. An angry Hijitaka gave chase to the curious stares of bystanders. Saizou grunted and ran after both men.

Meanwhile Tetsu wondered how he'd write his career week report.

Day 1

Subdued sword-wielding maniac. Got punched by crazy woman. Fought with Teacher's pet Kitamura in patrol car. Found partner in tub with creepy vice-chief…er…

Day 2

Acted as Red Riding-Hood in preschool Crime Prevention Talk…got spanked. Fought with Kitamura again, got arrested.

Day 3

(Yawn) Dispatch duty. Line quiet.

He stopped and looked at what he had written. Scratch out the part about the madwoman and seeing Okita-san in that tub. Also omit the Red Riding-Hood and getting arrested part… He started erasing.

The line rang. Line 13 rang. Tetsu looked about. Everyone else in the room seemed busy… He answered. "Kyoto Shinsengumi HQ…"

Captain Takeda dodged as a bullet shattered his car window. A fierce gunfight was underway. Two of his men had been hit. The Yakuza gangsters holed up in the abandoned Hiken warehouse were riddling both men and vehicles alike with machine-gun fire. The situation was dire enough to warrant backup for the first time in his ten years of service.

"Car 0512 here. Officers down! Need backup! Hiken Warehouse! Repeat!" Takeda hollered into the radio to be heard over the gunfire. He was surprised to hear a very young voice reply. "Roger that!" Was it that career week kid? I'm toast, Takeda ducked as more bullets tore into the upholstery.I'm hit! The man clutched at his bleeding stomach.

Tetsu stole a glance at his fellow dispatchers. Tatsu was busy chatting with an old lady who's simply bored. Ayu-nee's sending a car over to investigate a burglary report. He could send backup too…

"Are you sure it's Hiko's place? He's the last person to shelter Yakuza…" They drew up to the abode of eccentric master potter Hiko Seijirou. Shinpachi found the place too peaceful. Smoke swirled from the kiln chimney. He rubbed the side of his nose nervously. "That's what the Puppy says," Harada shrugged.

"Where're the others?" Shinpachi searched the surroundings for any sign of disturbance. The other cars should be coming soon. Harada got out with his car with his gun drawn. A burly man with unkempt hair and a strange white cape stepped out of the very rundown hut. He had a suspicious bulge under his cape. "FREEZE!"

CRASH!

"Puppy-kun…" The very angry pair of Shinpachi and Sano glared daggers at the tiny redhead. "Sorry..." Tetsu yelped as Tatsu whacked him over the head with a folio. "I told you to transfer all calls to me!"

They had drawn their guns on Master Hiko and surprised him into dropping his latest artwork. Then six patrol cars surrounded Hiko's quiet abode. The men trampled through his veggie garden and kicked in his doors, smashing several of his pots in the process. They found neither hair nor hide of the Yakuza. The cranky old hermit lodged a complaint.

At Hiken Warehouse, Captain Takeda suffered massive casualties before Saitou's patrol car chanced on them and got reinforcements from the Aizu station. Aizu station was the nearest to the scene. Takeda swore to personally throttle the lousy dispatcher once he is discharged from the hospital. At least he'd be in there for a fortnight at least.

Day 3

Dispatch duty. Got Hiken and Hiko mixed up. Wound up sending men to raid Kyoto potter Master Hiko's place. The hermit came to lodge a complaint. Got him to autograph a mug. Try to sell it for money to repay Tatsu-nii. Broke it coming down the stairs. At least I did not fight with Kitamura today.

Back home, Tetsu read his report and started erasing. Tatsu-nii was at night-school and Tetsu had microwaved an instant dinner for himself. Tetsu idly wondered what Kitamura wrote in his report. Perhaps it went…

Kitamura Suzu's report:

Day 1: Got arrested for suspected drug-possession while buying art supplies, got hit by Yoshida.

Day 2: Yoshida used me as a human punching bag for gym class demo.

Day 3: Got beat up by Yoshida again… (bastard!)

Tetsu chuckled at the thought. Tomorrow, he'll go on patrol with Okita-san if the young man's back. Was today the 15th? He checked his calendar. It was. He threw on his shoes and scampered down the stairs two at a time. The 15th was when the neighborhood comic shop brought in their goods.

The Ichimuras lived in a rented apartment above one of the busiest shopping hubs in Kyoto. Once down, Tetsu couldn't resist the bright lights and found himself doing more than just buying the monthly JUMP issue. The boy strolled along admiring the wealth of sights and sounds without Tatsu-nii's suffocating supervision.

Author's notes:

More OkiHij fluff. The haiku book again.

Dispatch duty involves a lot of crank calls. But with Tetsu, crank calls are the least of their worries. JUMP monthly? There's a comic magazaine known as the Shonen JUMP in Japan. Tetsu's a typical middle schooler. Buying comics, writing reports for school...

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