Working at MWPSB headquarters was still strange to her sometimes. Akane thought she would have shaken the feeling by now, but it persisted regardless, and really, there was only one place in the entire building that didn't make her feel that way.

She had been visiting him for a while now, usually after the conclusion of a mission or in the evenings. For whatever reason, she felt more at home on his couch than she did in her own apartment...somehow, it had become the place that she defaulted to when there was something on her mind or just unwind from the day. Oftentimes, it was just to talk a little, about missions, about books, about anything, really...though granted, she usually did more of the talking than he did. And then, when he got tired, he'd let her lay her head on his chest or stomach to read while he sprawled out over the sofa to smoke and nap.

The lights appeared to be off at first, but door was open, the scent of tobacco prominent in the air.

"Kougami?"

The room wasn't completely dark, she realized as she stood in the doorway. She could just make out the scattered contents of an unkempt desk against the far wall, illuminating the papers, documents, ash trays, and the coffee rings staining the surface underneath.

Kougami himself had his back to her, his arm wrapped idly around his waist as he contemplated the wall behind his cluttered desk. The smoky haze in the room told Akane that he'd already been through a few cigarettes, which meant there was something troubling him. Not that it was uncommon to find him pouring over the bulletin board, but usually when it was time for her to come and visit him, he'd settled down enough to not be obsessing over it.

Grrwwourrrggrrrlpp.

The sound yanked Akane from her thoughts, startling her, and at first she didn't know where it had come from...a moment later, however, Kougami leaned forward slightly, still holding his stomach with one arm. He expelled a sharp breath, and then straightened again a few moments later, sighing heavily and writing another note on his wall beside one of the newest photos he'd pinned there.

Akane opened her mouth uncertainly, but she heard his stomach again before she could say anything...biting her lip, she moved forward, setting a hand gently against his broad back as he hunched forward.

"Kougami..."

He whirled around with fire in his eyes, but Akane was undeterred by his stormy expression, more concerned by how pale his face was as he glared down at her. A moment later, recognition dawned on his features, another sigh escaping him as his expression cleared slightly.

"...Inspector," he returned, though the title had become more of a nickname at this point, slipping his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the side of his desk. "What brings you here?"

Akane hesitated, her eyes dropping for just a moment to his middle, where his shirt was still crumpled from where he'd been gripping it.

"I just wanted to read a little," she admitted. "I didn't realize you were still working."

He took a heavy drag of his cigarette and exhaled.

"Don't worry about it. You left your book on the coffee table, by the way."

"Thanks," Akane returned. "I'm gonna come back when you're wrapped up here...I don't want to interrupt."

He rubbed the back of his neck and offered a brief nod, finishing off his cigarette and then pressing it into the ash tray on his desk.

"You sure?"

Akane nodded, but then hesitated again nonetheless.

"Kougami...are you sick?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked down at her with a stern expression...she wondered if she'd made him angry. "I'm fine. What makes you say that?"

"Well..." Akane folded her arms and looked off to one side. "You're just a little pale, is all. And you were practically doubled over just now..."

She trailed off, silence falling between them as they stood facing each other...a quiet growl issued from Kougami's stomach, and Akane wondered if she should also point out that he was still slumped against his desk.

"Sit down?" she tried.

"I told you, I'm fine."

Akane moved to his side as he leaned forward even as he spoke...his stomach gave him away by letting out another beastly noise. He sighed in resignation and pushed himself toward the couch, slumping onto it and holding his gut. Akane sat down slowly on the coffee table in front of him, setting her hands on his knees as he groaned.

"Shh." She rubbed her thumb over his knee a little. "Your stomach's not feeling so well, huh?"

Kougami expelled a long breath in discontent and let his head drop back against the couch. "Not so much..."

He closed his eyes and ran his hands down his face, his shirt falling open again at the bottom just above his navel. Akane smiled and reached out toward him, then paused as she saw him visibly tense, always on edge.

Gently, she touched his stomach, keenly aware that he was statue-like as she did so, his eyes watching her unflinchingly. The material of his shirt was thin as she moved one hand up and down the surface of it, hesitating for just a moment as she did so. Her fingertips grasped the edge of his shirt right beside it briefly, lingering, but then released the material, touching his stomach again near the dip in his bellybutton.

She heard Kougami's breath hitch sharply, his eyes opening and the muscles in his sotmach twitching for a moment, but she stroked the length of it again, very lightly, hardly daring to touch him at all.

"...I'm sorry," she murmured absently, her gaze unfaltering on his middle. "As I was saying...um..."

She moved her hand slightly, daring to stroke his navel just once...immediately, she heard his breath hitch again, a large hand covering the area protectively a moment later, but it did little to deter her. Gently, she wrapped her hand around one of his fingers and pulled his hand away, a slight tremor in the other as she rubbed his stomach again, gently, then repetitively, unmindful of the slow rise and fall as he breathed. He made no further attempts to retaliate, and so she released his hand, placing her other palm flat against his belly to keep him from fidgeting as she continued to run her hand up and down the length of his stomach.

"Akane..."

The mention of her name was enough for her to realize how close they were, her breath playing across the vulnerable area of his midsection. He let her lean forward, and she left a chaste kiss against his diaphragm...then another, and another, smiling slightly against his skin as she heard a noise escape him.

"I'm sorry you're sick," she murmured.

Kougami didn't respond, remaining quietly where he sat with his arms across the back of the old sofa and staying still for her. Akane held both sides of his stomach gently beneath his shirt to soothe him, hearing a quiet groan escape him every so often but continuing regardless. Then, without warning, another sound suddenly forced its way from his belly..with her hands against him, Akane realized how badly his entire middle spasmed each time the noise escaped him.

"Shit..." He let his head drop back and closed his eyes again, resting his hand over them.

"Kougami, are you okay?"

"My stomach's killing me..."

Akane reached out from the coffee table to hold his stomach with both hands, stroking the broad surface softly with her thumb until the spasm subsided. She'd never seen him sick, really...injured, yes, but not sick. She rubbed his diaphragm a little as another stomach rumble wracked his body, tracing her fingertips down the side. Her fingernails dug into him a little as she did so, wishing she could make it stop.

He didn't open his eyes, however, nor did he try to stop her...abruptly, however both their pagers went off, and Akane's heart sank as she checked hers. "No...not now..."

"Looks like Gino needs us." Grimacing, Kougami slowly began to sit up, leaning into Akane's hands as she placed them hastily on his shoulders to push him back.

"You can't," she said immediately. "Just stay here, I'll cover for you."

"Nope." He leaned forward over his midsection, placing his hands on his knees as though to push himself up. "You know the drill for Enforcers."

"But..." Akane snatched up one of his large hands before he could protest and pressed it to his belly, flushing slightly at the way it sank in a little as she did so. A moment later, they both felt the area seize up again.

"Mnh."

"You're in no condition to be going anywhere," Akane continued as he closed his eyes in discomfort. "Besides, your, um...your belly's been really loud lately. It's even worse now...they'll know."

"Nhhh...loud, huh? Says who?" Kougami murmured absently, rubbing his stomach.

"I've...I've just...noticed. Nothing as bad as tonight, though."

Hesitantly, she reached out as she recalled such incidents, placing her hand next to Kougami's and dropping her gaze. He watched her for a few moments, then covered her hand with his own and shifting it over a little to the side of his stomach. Almost immediately, she felt a faint tremor run through the area, reminiscent of the soft gurgles and groans she had often heard issuing from his midsection as of late. Her face colored slightly.

"Y...yeah. Like that." She peered up at him. "...So then...you've had an upset tummy for a while, huh?"

"It's not so bad. Just a little finicky lately."

Their pagers went off again, and Kougami's expression strained for a moment as he placed his hands on his knees, pushing himself to his feet and wavering slightly.

"Kougami!"

"I told you, I'll be okay," he returned, slipping his hands into his pockets as Akane stood up to face him as well, letting her grip the front of his crumpled shirt over his stomach for a moment. "Let's just get through Gino's speech, okay?"

Akane looked troubled, but gave an unwilling nod, avoiding his gaze and keeping her eyes on his torso instead.

"...Okay," she relented finally, running her hand briefly down the front of his shirt, moving to fasten it at the bottom. "I guess you're right."

He set a hand briefly on her shoulder before finally pulling away, leading the way out into the rest of the PSB headquarters and toward the briefing room.

Ginoza looked up in mild annoyance as both his fellow Inspector and Kougami entered the briefing room together...they were only a minute or so late, but by Ginoza's standards, late was late, and he did not approve.

"Now that we can finally get started," he sniped as Kougami sank down into a seat beside Masaoka and Akane alongside him. "We believe we've narrowed down Makishima's location this time, but as always, he's a step ahead. A covert operation is likely impossible, as he's surrounded himself with protection from the guerilla group he's been providing that new technology to..."

He continued his briefing, much to the discontent of most of the people in the room, reviewing each aspect of the mission they were expected to embark upon the next day. It wasn't an overly complicated one, but they did need to be thorough, and as always, Ginoza was not one to leave any stones unturned.

Grrgrgrrgrghh...gllrrrrrrrrrrrgh...

Masaoka glanced over, then leaned slowly toward Kougami, talking from behind his hand so Ginoza wouldn't hear him.

"Hey...Ko!" He hissed at the younger Enforcer. "Was that your stomach?"

"No."

Akane glanced up at Kougami worriedly, but he was staring stubbornly at Ginoza, his hands set firmly on the armrests of his chair and his expression stoic. As Masaoka turned away again, she reached over carefully under the table as though to straighten the bottom of Kougami's tie, but her knuckles grazed his stomach briefly as she did so in way of asking him how he was doing.

"A new training program has been formalized, so I expect it to be utilized by each agent before the beginning of our next mission..." Ginoza continued, going over the mission some more as he handed out files for them all to look at.

Kougami kept his stomach ache to himself throughout the rest of the meeting, though Akane could tell by the way he sat a little too rigidly in his chair without moving that he was trying very hard not to show any emotion. When at last they were dismissed, a collective sigh of relief went around the room and everyone began to get to their feet.

"Akane, Kougami." Ginoza's stern gaze was upon them as he approached and the others began to file out of the room. "Mission begins first thing tomorrow, so you'll need to run through the training program today. Masaoka and Kagari have already completed it, so they'll be your sparring partners."

Akane opened her mouth uncertainly, partially out of skepticism for her own ability to complete a rigorous training program and partially out of concern for Kougami, whom she didn't think needed to be doing much in the way of physical activity at the moment.

"Sir-,"

"No excuses," Ginoza interrupted. "Off you go. Don't waste company time."