CARNATION
Author: Yumari

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.

Chapter 2

He had never felt so humiliated in his entire life.

The car chase took roughly an hour and a half before it finally came to a halt. It wove through the highways, streets, as well as alleys of the Keishichou district, until it finally reached the entrance to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters, where the driver of the yellow car - a Nissan Fairlady Z - finally succumbed to the authorities. It was also there, at that point in time, that the reality of the whole affair finally sunk into him.

It turned out that the chase was but a part of the Headquarter's monthly training simulation. And apparently, Keishichou district made for their ideal simulation grounds.

So on that rather unfortunate night, when he was supposed to be home already, he stood slack-jawed in the middle of the scene, amidst dancing patrol lights and random voices giving out instructions, praises, and saying some other things he didn't really care about in the first place.

It also did not help that the driver of the black sedan he tailed after was none other than her. Admittedly, he had fantasized about having late-night escapades with her, but never did something like this happening ever cross his mind.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not hear when a certain Chief Superintendent Arizuka had gone up to him. The old man asked what Kachou was doing, standing there in the middle of the scene. Of course, Kachou was not able to hear the question given his current condition, but when the senior officer cleared his throat, Kachou immediately snapped to attention.

"Keishte," he regarded the old man with a crisp salute. Arizuka returned the gesture with a slightly amused grin, much to Kachou's chagrin. "Really, I didn't think you'd get tangled up in this, too."

Kachou gave the senior officer a quizzical look. "Too?"

With a gruff chuckle, Arizuka gave Kachou a pat on the left shoulder. "There were some bikers from stations outside Headquarters who were accidentally in the area when the chase took place. One was from your department."

"Eh?"

"Oh look, here he comes now." Arizuka jutted his chin to where an officer was walking towards them. Kachou followed the older man's line of sight and saw a guy sporting a pair of dark glasses. "Nakajima?" Kachou felt even more embarassed of what happened.

"Kachou!"

Kachou's head sunk further into his chest.

"Ah, Nakajima-junsa!" Arizuka greeted the officer in place of Kachou, who was trying his best to hide his face. "Arizuka-keishte," Nakajima said with a salute. The officer then turned to his superior, who was obviously trying to avoid him. Puzzled, Nakajima looked at Arizuka and asked what's with the chief. Arizuka just shook his head and told him to just let the guy be.

"So, how are you, Nakajima-junsa?"

"Ah... I'm fine, sir."

"I trust that the circumstances have been explained to you already."

Nakajima nodded. "Yes sir, It was Kinoshita-keibuho who told me."

Kachou's ears instantly perked up at the mention of the steely assistant inspector's name, his head snapping up to reveal a frown. Beside him, Nakajima almost jumped at his sudden movements. "Glad to have you back with us," Arizuka said with a smirk, noticing the sudden but subtle change in Kachou's countenance.

"That woman," Kachou started. "She owes me an explanation." And with that, he excused himself from the two to look for Kinoshita.

Nakajima looked in with curiosity at the chief's retreating form. He turned to Arizuka, but the only thing he got was a chuckle and a "Oh, don't mind him".

"Eh? Okay..."

----------

It didn't take him too long to find her. She was busy talking on her mobile phone while looking on as smoke rose from her car. A couple of younger male officers were with her, and from what Kachou can see, they seem to be at a loss for what to do with their superior officer's black sedan.

"What happened here?" Kachou asked as he neared the trio, and they all turned to look at him. Kinoshita, who had just bid her "goodbye" and "take care" to whoever it was on the phone, explained that her car overheated and now wouldn't start.

For some unknown reason, Kachou, instead of saying something like "That's terrible!", decided pick on her. "I think that's called karma, keibuho." Honestly, when he heard Nakajima say her name, he suddenly remembered the annoyance that he was nursing against her before the White Hawk of Bokuto and the Evil Checkman came to talk to him. When he left to "ask her for her explanation", he had meant it, but now, standing beside her, watching as she watched the engine's steam dissipate into the air, the negative feeling he felt a while ago was replaced with sympathy - because he knew how much she loved her car (not as much as Miyuki does her own, however) - and surprisingly, delight at the opportunity to poke at her.

The two officers visibly stiffened at Kachou's words. Kachou noticed this and shrugged. What?

But Kinoshita, who was known to always have biting remarks at her disposal, simply gave him an amused look. "Perhaps."

"It must definitely be karma." Kachou insisted.

Kinoshita, who got the underlying message, apologized instead. "I'm really sorry for not saying anything, Kachou. I was instructed not to." When Kachou didn't respond, she sighed and turned to the youngsters.

"It's late, I'll just see what I can do with this tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm leaving this idle until it cools down. Please look for someone to tow it into one of the empty garages when it does."

"Yes, ma'am!" The two said in unison, before running off to find someone who'll help them with the sedan.

When they were finally alone, Kinoshita looked up to Kachou to say something, but Kachou held up his hand before she could even open her mouth. "It's okay, keibuho. No harm done. It was just that if I knew what was happening, I would've driven to an opposite direction and went home."

"Really, Kachou," she murmured with a small laugh.

"Anou, keibuho..." Kachou started, giving her car a pitiful look. "If you don't mind, I could give you a ride." He then turned to her, and almost jumped when he saw her looking at him with an obviously surprised look on her face.

"That's so kind of you, Kachou," Kinoshita replied with a grateful, yet apologetic smile. "But someone will be picking me up tonight."

Her words rang in his ears. Someone will be picking her up tonight? Dejected but trying his best not to show it, all he managed was an "Oh?".

"Uh-huh." Kinoshita nodded.

"Alright. You take care then."

"Thank you for your concern."

Then silence ensued for what seemed like three minutes or so, the two being at a sudden loss for what to say. Kinoshita was about to break the silence, however, when the two officers she asked to help her with her car arrived at the scene aboard a tow truck. "Kinoshita-keibuho! Everything's all set," they announced. Kinoshita nodded, and the two proceeded to move the car out of the way.

When the two had gone for the second time, Kinoshita turned to Kachou to continue what she had wanted to say earlier. "He wouldn't be here until later, though. Would you like to join me for coffee, then?"

He? Since when did the keibuho have a "he"?

But Kachou decided that that was not the time to fuss over that, especially not when she just asked him out for coffee. Asked me out, he snorted mentally. Right. And in the wee hours of the night, too. "Uh..."

"It's my treat," she added, as if worried that he might turn her down. Or at least that's what Kachou thought, until she explained that she owed him for what happened tonight, and it's the closest thing she could offer to appease him at the moment.

"But I said it's fine," Kachou said with a laugh. "Really."

"Please, I insist." Kinoshita smiled back at him. It was a sweet, serene smile... Kachou blinked. Kinoshita smiling they way she just did almost never happens, so when he saw it, he knew he just couldn't say no.

"I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?" Kachou grinned.

----------

The coffee shop was just right across the street from the Headquarters. It was one of the few shops in the area that stayed open 24/7, and has served as a third home (station's the second) to officers pulling all-nighters.

Like Kinoshita. The moment she entered, they were welcomed with a barrage of "Good evening, Kinoshita-keibuho!". Kachou found it quite amusing that Kinoshita isn't just popular in the workplace, but also outside.

"Good evening," she greeted them - the security guard, a smiling old lady behind the counter, a petite girl holding a round tray, and a tanned boy busy wiping tables - with her usual quiet smile. Behind her, Kachou followed as she walked over to a spot where they could have a view of the outside. "You're pretty well-known here," Kachou said, voicing out his earlier observations, when he had positioned himself on the couch.

The small cafe had a very cozy feel to it. The yellow lights were warm and inviting, and the lone red rose bud on their table was a lovely sight. But even lovelier is the woman in front of me, Kachou thought, sighing inwardly as he went over the menu on their table. Kinoshita was busy choosing what to have, as well.

"I'm not the only one," she replied with a shake of her head, as she skimmed through the menu. "Arizuka-keishte is royalty here, you know."

"Why am I not surprised?" Kachou smirked.

Kinoshita stifled a laugh as she raised her hand, motioning the twenty-something waitress over. "Ready to order, Kinoshita-san?"

"Yes, I'd like a cup of cinammon latte and a slice of blueberry cheesecake."

"That'd be all, ma'am?"

Kinoshita nodded and looked at Kachou. "How about you?"

Kachou gave one long look at the list of coffee and pastries, then "Just your house blend and coffee cake."

"Alrighty!" The waitress chirped as she jotted all their orders on her notepad. "Anything else?"

Kachou shook his head. "No, that'd be all. Thank you."

When she was finished making sure she got what they wanted, the young waitress nodded and left the table, leaving Kachou to comment on Kinoshita's choice for a midnight snack. "You should go easy on the sugar," he said, because honestly, he was concerned about her lovely figure, and the cheesecake might affect it. Kinoshita laughed softly in response. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly, as if she knew just exactly what he was thinking. "I'll be burning the calories first thing in the morning."

Kachou could only grin back at her. "Good for you, I think I'm the one who is in need of serious workout."

Kinoshita's eyebrows slightly arched upwards, while her lips formed a small 'o'. "Really? But you're looking good to me," she said after giving him a cursory look. She didn't know it, but Kachou was beaming inside. "You think?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But then, even if I say that I think you look ok, if you're not feeling healthy, then maybe you aren't."

Kachou shrugged. "Feh. If you think so, then it must stand true."

Kinoshita gave him a weird look. "Okay."

The waitress, whose name Kachou later found out to be Akiko, chose that time to arrive with their orders. She carefully set them on the table, all the while asking how Kinoshita has been and if they had a new operation. Kinoshita casually conversed with the girl, saying that she's fine and that they've just finished a training simulation, making Kachou choke on his coffee. The two women stared at him in surprise, and Kachou, suddenly embarassed, just waved at them and said that he didn't expect the coffee to be so hot. The waitress smiled, saying that they make sure the coffee's really hot when served. She watched as Kachou took another sip, and realized something.

"By the way, I haven't seen him here before, Kinoshita-san."

Kinoshita, who had just taken a bite of the cheesecake looked up at the girl and held up a hand and asked her to wait for her to finish. When she did, she explained that Kachou's the section chief of Bokuto Station's Traffic Control Department, and had just taken part in the training simulation.

Kachou coughed at that. "Taken part? That isn't quite true, you know," he told Akiko, giving Kinoshita a mock-glare, which the assistant inspector returned with an apologetic look.

"Eh?" Akiko was on the verge of asking what happened when the old lady from the counter, Satou-san, called the girl's attention and told her to stop bothering the customers. The girl hurriedly apologized then excused herself from the table. When Akiko was out of hearing range, Kachou chuckled. "That girl, she's quite a bundle of energy, even at this hour."

Kinoshita nodded. "Oh, yes she is. I've often wondered how she does it."

That was the kind of conversation they had for the next couple of minutes. Idle chatter. A little while later, Kinoshita excused herself and headed towards the restrooms.

Just a few beats after she had left the table, a young man entered the cafe. Kachou looked up from his (still) steaming coffee and watched in curiosity as the guy looked around the shop. He was quite young, looked like a college student. The boy had short, dark spiky hair, and was wearing a black jacket stitched with various patches Kachou couldn't discern from where he was seated. The boy must have noticed Kachou looking at him that he turned and stared curiously at the older guy. Kachou blinked, shook his head and returned his attention to his coffee. However, Kachou was still intrigued, and he glanced at the boy once more from the corner of his eyes. The boy had settled on a chair by the window, a seemingly worried frown making way to his face. Probably waiting for his girlfriend, Kachou thought with a shrug.

Suddenly bored out of his wits, he started poking his coffee cake.

Thankfully, Kinoshita already emerged from the restroom and had made her way back to their table. At that same moment, Kachou noticed the boy perk up at the sight of the assistant inspector. Kachou raised a curious eyebrow. He was having an odd suspicion that this newcomer was -

"I'm sorry. Did I make you wait too long?" Kinoshita asked as she sat down. Kachou shook his head. "Not at all."

"Oh, good." Kinoshita brought her cup of cinammon latte to her lips and took a long, languid sip. Kachou couldn't help but think of how sexy she could make a simple action such as sipping coffee. But that's really the magic behind Kaoruko Kinoshita. She doesn't know it, but everything she does just seems to turn him on. Even if it proved to be quite annoying like not coordinating with him during the whole chase with the yellow car. All the while he had been chasing at them, calling for them to pull over. Kachou inwardly groaned.

"By the way," Kachou started, suddenly remembering something. "Won't he be arriving yet?" he asked, referring to the person Kinoshita said would pick her up. Kinoshita glanced down at her watch and shook her head. "A few more minutes."

Kachou nodded, and they both went back to their respective coffee cups. Kachou then noticed the boy stand up and make his way towards their table. The boy saw that Kachou was looking and raised a finger to his lips in a silent request for him to keep quiet. Kachou looked at him quizzically, but remained quiet just the same. Surely, this boy isn't the person Kinoshita was talking about?

Kachou almost choked at the thought. Since when did Kinoshita show interest in men younger than her?

The boy continued to creep behind Kinoshita, who seemed too absorbed in her thoughts to sense his presence. Kachou was about to say something, but the boy raised his finger again, this time with a frown. When the boy was finally right behind the assistant inspector, he stretched his jacket-clad arms and suddenly gave her a hug. Kinoshita visibly stiffened at the sudden contact, her head snapping up to see who her "assailant" was. When she saw the boy looking down at her with a big, goofy smile, she relaxed and reached out a hand to ruffle his already ruffled hair. "Kouki!" she exclaimed, and the boy reached down to plant a loving kiss on her forehead.

Kachou watched on as the whole scene unfolded before him, obviously dumbfounded. Did he just see what he just did? Kinoshita ruffling the boy's hair? And the boy - Kouki - kissing her? His mind was a mess. WHAT THE HELL!

The next thing he heard from the boy, however, surprised him even more, and also made him feel guilty of thinking that the assistant inspector was possibly having a relationship with a younger guy.

"ANE-CHAN!" Kouki beamed.

"A-ne-chan?" Kachou echoed dumbly.

Hearing his voice, Kinoshita suddenly remembered that they were having coffee together, and apologized for her "poor" manners. "Ah, yes... Kouki," she said, holding the boy's arm, "meet the section chief of Bokuto Station's Traffic Control Department." And turning to Kachou she said, "Kachou, meet my younger brother, Kouki."

"NANI!"

- Tsuzuku -

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Revised - AGAIN! XD Sorry! But I felt like there were some things in this chapter that could use a little tweaking, and tweak it I did... Ehehehe...