A/N: Hey guys, :D
First of all, I really want to apologize for not updating in so long (feel free to throw cyber tomatoes at me, lol, I totally deserve it *preemptively winces*). November and December were incredibly busy for me. In November, I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel, so I could barely fit in sleep as it was (*cough* or homework, :D). After that I needed a bit of a break, lol. Hopefully the massive length of this makes up for it a little. I really hope you guys enjoy it, and I really will try to update more frequently. :D
Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed my previous chapters! :D And, as always, thanks to my awesome beta, WouldBeSenpai. :D
Oh, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone! :D I hope you all enjoyed the holidays!
Thanks for reading! Reviews are very appreciated, :D
Chapter #4: Successful Infiltration
Natsuki hit the 'sleep' button on her alarm before the first beep fully sounded . Her heart raced quickly as she stared up at her ceiling. It was Wednesday morning – the morning that she would make her first attempt to infiltrate Garderobe's Foreign Affairs Office. But though Natsuki had tried to convince herself that it was the assignment that had prevented her from getting more than five hours of sleep, she –undeniably– knew otherwise.
Natsuki closed her eyes slowly, allowing her fists to clench the white bed sheet angrily. "I really shouldn't care," Natsuki told herself firmly for what seemed like the hundredth time. "So she's homophobic. So what? How does that make her any different from a large chunk of the rest of the world's population?" Natsuki bit her lip gently, forcing herself to release her tightening grip on the sheet.
Letting a small sigh escape from her lips, she threw off her warm covers and slowly got out of bed. "I'm just not going to care then," Natsuki decided finally. She confidently strolled over to the small dresser across the room. Wondering what exactly a janitor wore to work, Natsuki finally decided on a pair of beige pants and a white dress shirt. It was formal, but hopefully not too formal that it would be considered overkill. She got changed quickly, and walked over to the bathroom to splash some cool water on her face.
Her stomach tightened nervously as her mind –once again– wandered back to the conversation that she had overheard the previous day. Frustrated, Natsuki glanced up at her reflection – as if daring it to even try to suggest that she cared about what Shizuru said or thought.
"Why am I letting her get to me?" she grumbled. After a moment, Natsuki sighed once more, though her sigh turned into a frustrated growl half-way through. She quickly finished getting ready, and headed out to the Garderobe agency.
Natsuki walked through the front doors wearily. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Shizuru again so soon, not to mention having to work undercover with her.
"Kruger-san," Nao greeted her with a sly smile. She was stretched out on one of the waiting-room chairs. Chie glanced up from the front desk. She shifted the phone she was using from her left ear to her right, and grinned at Natsuki before turning back to her computer.
Natsuki nodded and walked over to Nao with a small smirk on her face. This was one thing she had been looking forward to.
"Is there something wrong, Zhang-san?" Natsuki asked Nao innocently. "I wasn't exactly expecting a greeting party." She studied Nao's mildly annoyed reaction and struggled to conceal a smile.
Nao grinned, but just gave her a small shrug. "Well," she began after a moment. A devious smile formed on her face. "I thought that I'd make sure you'd get in okay."
Natsuki crossed her arms with a gentle smirk. "Alright then, Agent Zhang," she replied confidently. "Would you care to show me how it's done?"
"I knew it was you," Nao stated accusingly. She sat up and pointed a finger at Natsuki, though her exaggerated annoyance was betrayed by the grin on her face. "You disabled my key card."
"Did I?" Natsuki asked, locking her own green eyes with Nao's. She held the gaze for a couple seconds, before a full smirk played out freely on her face. She had, of course, spent half an hour after work yesterday reprogramming part of the system to exclude Nao's card alone. Natsuki studied the look of surprise and amusement on the redhead's face curiously. Had Nao really believed that she wouldn't figure it out? Well, more specifically, had Nao really believed that Natsuki wouldn't overhear her gloating to well over half of the building? " I don't know what you're talking about," Natsuki declared finally – her smirk widening.
A similar smirk formed on Nao's face. "Not bad, Kruger-san," she finally replied. "I'm impressed." She got up from her chair and grinned at Natsuki before ripping the key card right off of Natsuki's jacket.
Natsuki watched her walk over to the door with raised eyebrows. That was it? Okay, that was a little anti-climactic. She followed Nao over to the door, grabbed her card back when Nao had swiped it, and pressed her thumb onto the small pad.
"I'd probably be a little more annoyed," Nao informed Natsuki with a growing smirk, "but after seeing what you're going to have to wear, I really can't help but feel sorry for you." She grinned at the look of unconcealed shock on Natsuki's face, and walked through the door with a satisfied expression.
Natsuki stood frozen for a moment. What was wrong with what she was wearing? She snapped out of her daze just in time to wedge her foot between the door and the frame before it closed. Growling just barely loud enough to be audible, Natsuki followed Nao down the long hallway.
"Agent Masashi is still working on cleaning up the video feed," Nao called over her shoulder as she walked. "Thanks to Hallard-san's persuasive recommendation, the Foreign Affairs Office has just finished upgrading their security system. Naturally, the team sent in to upgrade it for them was a highly-trained team of our second-class agents."
"That should make Masashi-san's job easy," Natsuki replied. Once again, she was impressed by the level of thought that had gone into the operation. By setting up the system itself, the agency insured that it had access to all of the video feeds.
"He has Viola-san to thank for that," Nao scoffed. "I don't see why she has to make his job so easy for him."
Natsuki would have smiled in response, but the mention of Shizuru's name reminded her just how nervous she was. "Her idea?" Natsuki replied, after clearing her throat so her voice sounded stronger.
"Yep," Nao nodded. "And she has a team out right now setting up an external router to boost the signal right to us. With any luck, Masashi-san and I can just stay right where we are."
Natsuki raised her eyebrows at Nao. "Really?" she asked, a little surprised. "We can boost it that far?"
"With strategic 'telephone pole maintenance', I don't see why not," Nao replied with a grin. "Or did you really think camping out in black vans was Viola-san's style?"
Before she could stop herself, she pictured Shizuru wearing a massive set of headphones, squinting at a screen with horrible resolution, and holding a box of donuts on her lap. Natsuki nodded in agreement with a small smile on her face, but once she recalled the conversation that she had overheard Shizuru and Tomoe having, her smile faded instantly.
By the time that they reached their usual room, Natsuki's stomach felt like it was about to implode. Nao walked though the door with no hesitation, and Natsuki attempted to do the same.
Shizuru looked up at the door with masked concern. She inhaled slowly as Nao walked into the room. Natsuki followed, though the navy-haired woman kept her eyes firmly planted on the floor.
There was a short pause, before Shizuru trusted herself to speak. "Good morning," she said softly. When Natsuki looked at Takeda instead of her, Shizuru decided to be a little more specific. "Did you sleep well, Kruger-san?" she asked. Shizuru waited with baited breath as Natsuki finally turned to face her.
"Why wouldn't I?" Natsuki snapped quickly in response, before she could stop herself. Takeda and Nao turned to look at Natsuki in mild surprise.
Shizuru was unable to ignore the accusing glare that Natsuki seemed to be directing at her. She locked eyes with Natsuki as her heart raced uncontrollably. Did this have something to do with why Natsuki wouldn't allow her to use her first name? "It... it seems I have done something to offend her," Shizuru decided as a sinking feeling settled—uncomfortably—in the pit of her stomach. "I believe that yesterday I may have been far too insistent." Truthfully, Shizuru couldn't remember the last time that she had pursued a woman so actively. She had probably startled Natsuki quite a bit.
Natsuki's eyes widened temporarily, when she realized that the other three agents were staring at her. "Subtle, Natsuki," Natsuki mentally hissed. "I mean," Natsuki rolled her eyes as she thought quickly, "I'd seriously be better off sleeping on the floor than on the hotel bed I have to use."
"It's that bad?" Takeda laughed – buying her excuse easily. Natsuki nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. Nao and Shizuru, however, weren't quite so easily convinced.
"Oh, Viola-san, I found that file you asked for." Takeda slid a thin folder across the table to Shizuru. Shizuru nodded her thanks, and flipped it open.
Nao stepped in front of Natsuki, blocking Natsuki from Shizuru's view. The tense atmosphere in the room had forced a smirk onto her face. "Maybe if you asked nicely," Nao whispered just loudly enough for Natsuki to hear, "Viola-san would offer you hers."
It was probably a good thing that Nao was obstructing the other agent's views. Natsuki's mouth fell open slightly, and she could feel her face begin to burn uncontrollably. She stared at Nao in complete and utter shock. Had Nao really just said what she thought she had? Did that mean... "Nao knows that I'm gay?" Natsuki asked herself frantically. If Nao knew, then so did most of the office by now.
"I'm a profiler, remember?" Nao replied quietly with a grin. "It kind of takes gaydar to a whole new extreme."
Shizuru glanced up from her file – her gaze quickly rested on the two standing agents. What were they doing? Why is she standing so close to Natsuki? More importantly, why wasn't Natsuki backing away?
Natsuki's face quickly transitioned from one extreme to the other; her furious blush faded to paleness, in a few seconds flat.
"Relax, Kruger-san," Nao smirked as she studied the raw emotion the younger agent was unable to hide. She was clearly terrified that it would get out. "I'm not going to go blurting it around the office. Actually – to be honest – I don't really care," she shrugged. "I'd just thought that I'd let you know out of kindness," Nao grinned. "Not to mention for the chance to see that look on your face."
Shizuru tried to look back down at the file, but once again her eyes fell on the two women. What were they discussing? For a moment, Shizuru couldn't help but feel a flare of jealousy. She couldn't imagine Natsuki letting her stand that closely.
Natsuki opened her mouth to reply angrily, though she was almost giddy with relief.
"Well," Nao cut her off loudly, "I'll go get the costumes."
"Ara... costumes, Zhang-san?" Shizuru asked in an amused tone. Nao turned around to face Shizuru and gave a small sigh.
"Fine, outfits," Nao made air quotes with her hands as she corrected herself. She began to walk towards the door, then stopped. "Well," she clarified, as she pointed to Shizuru, "yours is an outfit. Hers is a definitely a costume." She smirked at the scowl Natsuki gave her and walked out the door.
Shizuru was unable to conceal a small smile. It widened uncontrollably, when she studied the defiant frown that had appeared on Natsuki's face. A moment of awkward silence filled the room, and Natsuki was careful not to look in Shizuru's direction.
"So you and Agent Zhang are all set then?" Natsuki asked Takeda in an attempt to break the silence.
"Of course," Takeda replied with an arrogant grin. "I finished setting up a couple of minutes ago." He stretched his arms out in front of him and sat up a little straighter.
"Good," Natsuki nodded. She gave Takeda a small smile, though it took quite a bit to conceal her annoyance with the black-haired man. Yeah, cause you had so much to do.
Shizuru felt herself tense up slightly when she saw Natsuki smile. "Surely you haven't done everything already," she challenged Takeda, though her calm smile never left her face.
Takeda looked up at her with a shocked look on his face. "What more do you want me to do, Fujino-san?" he asked. Natsuki stole a glance in Shizuru's direction, inhaling sharply when her eyes fell on the older woman.
"I believe you said the resolution was quite poor," Shizuru replied. She couldn't help but feel victorious, when Takeda nodded sheepishly.
"It's not the best resolution," he admitted. "I could probably clear it up a bit, if you give me an hour."
Shizuru smiled slightly and glanced down at the elegant watch on her wrist. She looked back up at Takeda and nodded. "I'll be generous and give you two, Masashi-san," she replied.
Natsuki studied the clock at the back at the room. It was around five o'clock, meaning that they had two hours left before they had to be at the office. Takeda nodded, then looked over at Natsuki like he was about to say something. After a moment however, he got up and walked to the door.
"Ookini, Agent Masashi," Shizuru called out softly. She felt a little bad for embarrassing him. Had it been her that Natsuki was smiling at instead, she knew she never would have mentioned it. "Ara, how petty of me," Shizuru scolded herself as Takeda walked out. She liked to think she had more control over herself than that. Still, something about Natsuki seemed to turn self-control into a theoretical concept.
Natsuki winced as soon as the door clicked shut. This was exactly the sort of situation she wanted desperately to avoid.
"Would you like to sit down?" Shizuru asked her quickly. Natsuki turned, watching Shizuru gesture to the chair nearest to her own. "I thought we could go over the employee profiles while we wait."
Natsuki nodded wordlessly. She walked over to the table numbly, though she sat down in a chair across from Shizuru instead of next to her. Quickly, Natsuki grabbed one of the files off of the desk and opened it.
"I'm sorry that you didn't sleep well," Shizuru spoke after a moment. She waited breathlessly for Natsuki to respond; the younger woman was going to great lengths to ignore her.
"It's not your fault," Natsuki replied quickly. She hoped that Shizuru wouldn't be able to tell that she was lying. Keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the folder in front of her, Natsuki turned the page, as if to prove she was reading.
"I must admit that I had trouble sleeping as well," Shizuru laughed softly. Natsuki looked up, just for a moment. Shizuru leaned in closer to her, as if she was telling a secret. "I'd never admit it to agents Zhang and Masashi, but I always find it hard to sleep the night before an assignment."
"Then why are you telling me?" Natsuki asked Shizuru bluntly as she flipped another page.
"I..." Shizuru struggled to reply. Natsuki's outright hostility had caught her a little off guard. "...I suppose I'm not sure," she laughed, though she – in no way – felt like laughing.
Natsuki didn't reply. "Just don't look up," she instructed herself. She forced her eyes back down to the folder, though she could feel Shizuru watching her from across the table.
"Na..." Shizuru started, then stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened in surprise, when she realized how close she had come to calling Natsuki by her first name. Natsuki looked up from the folder in equal surprise – her eyes narrowing slightly at the use of her name. "Kruger-san," Shizuru quickly corrected. She hesitated for a moment, before she allowed herself to continue. "Have I done something to offend you?" she asked quietly. Though Shizuru hated to admit it, the words seemed to betray how vulnerable she felt.
Natsuki looked up at her in shock. She studied Shizuru's face, as her heart pounded furiously. There was something about the way that Shizuru had spoke – about the way that Shizuru refused to meet her gaze – that suggested that she was actually quite concerned.
"No," Natsuki replied after quickly recovering. "What would make you think that?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Natsuki winced slightly. Her voice had cracked just enough to reveal that she was lying.
Shizuru forced herself to meet Natsuki's gaze. Though the younger agent was trying to deny it, she clearly had upset Natsuki somehow. Shizuru's stomach tightened nervously as she opened her mouth to speak. "Kanin na," she whispered. "It was not my intention."
Natsuki didn't know how to respond. The sincerity in Shizuru's voice bombarded Natsuki with guilt she knew she shouldn't have. "...It's not your fault," Natsuki finally replied. She bit back what she really wanted to say. She almost wanted to tell Shizuru the truth – that she was gay. But even though the look on Shizuru's face was almost enough to convince Natsuki that she could tell Shizuru anything, common sense told Natsuki otherwise.
"I'm just a little nervous," Natsuki added a moment later. She studied Shizuru's face once more; she could tell that Shizuru knew that her words were forced. Still, Shizuru knew better than to press the matter.
"I understand," Shizuru replied, though they both knew it was a lie. She forced a small smile – one that turned quite genuine when Natsuki smiled slightly back. Shizuru felt more than a little relieved; the tension between them seemed to have dissipated somewhat. Ara... that's certainly preferable.
The door opened loudly and Nao walked back in. Her hands were quite full, so Natsuki got up to help her put stuff down. Nao gave a small sigh once everything was laid out on the table. Natsuki's trained eyes scanned the various pieces of equipment, stopping abruptly on an article of blue clothing.
"That would be your costume," Nao smirked. She leaned over the table, grabbed the blue fabric, and held it up against Natsuki experimentally.
Natsuki's eyes widened dramatically in horror. There was a moment of stunned silence, as Natsuki regarded the blue jump suit in front of her.
"Ara," Shizuru softly exhaled. She concealed a smile carefully and waited attentively to see Natsuki's reaction.
Natsuki's eyes drifted from Nao to the jump suit, then back once more. She raised her eyebrows at the red head – her annoyance clearly plastered on her face. This is because I'm new, isn't it? Still, she wordlessly took the jumpsuit from Nao. Nao smirked for a moment, before turning to Shizuru.
"And this is yours," Nao tossed Shizuru an article of red clothing.
"Ookini," Shizuru replied calmly. She glanced down at the bunched up fabric only for a moment, before turning back to Nao.
"I'll leave you two to get dressed, then," Nao called out as she walked out of the room.
Natsuki glanced down at the suit in front of her, then slowly looked over at Shizuru. Shizuru looked back at her with an amused smile. She stood up slowly from her chair and walked around to the other side of the table.
"I believe these go on underneath," Shizuru said after a moment. She walked over to Natsuki and held out a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt.
"A...arigato," Natsuki swallowed painfully. Hesitantly, she took them from Shizuru. "Are we really both going to get changed in here?" Natsuki frantically asked herself. She felt her face preemptively flush as struggled not to imagine Shizuru getting dressed. Her efforts were quite valiant, but extremely unsuccessful.
"Is there a problem, Kruger-san?" Shizuru asked after a moment. The navy-haired woman stood frozen before her.
"N...no," Natsuki stuttered. "Of course not," she added with a nervous laugh. "I um..." she paused for a moment, her eyes locking with Shizuru's. Natsuki froze, temporarily forgetting what she was going to say. "...I'll just change in the bathroom," she finally blurted out.
"...I see," Shizuru replied slowly. She studied Natsuki's face, searching for a sign that something was wrong.
"Okay then," Natsuki gulped. She quickly walked out the door, before she could embarrass herself further. "Baka!" Natsuki yelled to herself in frustration. "That wasn't awkward in the least."
Shizuru watched the door close with a small frown. Natsuki obviously felt uncomfortable getting dressed in front of her. Shizuru felt her heart sink for a moment. "Ara," Shizuru murmured to herself. "I think this time I may be in too far over my head."
After a moment, she unfolded the red, satin dress carefully, holding it up so she could get a good look at it for the first time. Shizuru's eyes widened slightly as she examined it – though admittedly there wasn't that much to examine. "Ara..." Shizuru repeated to herself. "It's..." she trailed off, searching for a correct word, though the only ones that came to mind were far more likely to be uttered by male teenagers than her. "...elegant," Shizuru finally decided.
She quickly got changed, though there was no mirror for her to examine the result. With an amused smile, she struggled to pull the shoulders of her dress back a bit. It was a little more revealing than she was used to. When she was satisfied, she walked over to the table and picked up the pair of red high heels that matched her dress.
Placing her leg on the chair so she wouldn't have to crouch down, Shizuru slid on the first shoe. She stopped when there was a knock at the door.
"Yes?" Shizuru called out. She paused, waiting for an answer.
"Are you finished?" Natsuki called out nervously from the other side. She shuffled around in her jumpsuit, her face blushing preemptively; the jumpsuit didn't look nearly as bad as she had expected, but it wasn't exactly something that she would call flattering.
Shizuru gave a small smile and glanced up at the door. "Come in, Kruger-san," she replied.
Natsuki cautiously opened the door. She inhaled slowly as she walked in; her eyes immediately fell on the older agent.
Shizuru finished sliding her remaining shoe on, and slowly lowered her leg from the chair. "Ara," Shizuru gently smiled. She examined the navy-haired woman slowly – using the change of outfit as an excuse to let her eyes thoroughly trace her form. Who would have known a jumpsuit could look so attractive? "Welcome back."
Natsuki gulped painfully, as she tried to stop herself from following Shizuru's lead. "Don't look," Natsuki recited over and over. Despite her best efforts, her eyes quickly traced over Shizuru's figure. The dress was very form-fitting, and Shizuru had – by far – the best form that Natsuki had ever seen.
Shizuru slid her hands up the halter strap, pulling it back gently. "How do I look?" she asked playfully.
Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She could feel her face rapidly trying to match colors with the dress. Natsuki cleared her throat quickly, and crossed her arms in an effort to look unimpressed. "Where, exactly, are you going to put you gun?" she finally managed to get out. She gave a victorious smile and stood up a little straighter.
Shizuru glanced down at her right upper leg – she had already strapped her holster to her inner thigh. The gun itself was so small that it didn't really pose any problems. Admittedly, she had to place it up a little higher than usual for the knee-length dress, but it was good to know that the dress wasn't so short that her gun was clearly visible. She glanced back up at Natsuki and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "If you really wish, I suppose I could show you."
Natsuki locked eyes with Shizuru, completely missing the meaning of her words for a few seconds. She blinked when she saw Shizuru's smile grow playfully, then glanced down at the area that Shizuru had referred to. She stared for a few seconds, her heart racing uncontrollably as she struggled for something to say. Shizuru let out a small laugh, though her eyes widened quickly after a moment.
"Ugh," Natsuki grunted as the door slammed into her back. She stumbled forward with the impact, though she was – admittedly – grateful for the distraction. "B...baka!" Natsuki hissed, as Nao strolled in.
"Who stands directly in front of a door?" Nao asked her in a very unimpressed tone. She walked over to the table, and gave Shizuru a small smirk before sitting down.
"You have a very charming way of apologizing," Shizuru informed Nao in amusement. "Kruger-san and I were just discussing weapons."
"I just signed hers out," Nao nodded. She tossed a gun filled holster to Natsuki.
"Where the hell am I going to put this?" Natsuki asked her. She gestured to her long pants. She could strap it to her leg, but she'd never get it out. It wasn't like she could conceal it in the small of her back either, considering she was, after all, wearing a jump suit.
"The first-class agent who got these was so ahead of you, Kruger-san," Nao replied. She walked over and pointed to the bottom of Natsuki's right leg. Natsuki turned her leg a little and examined the pant half of her jump suit.
Nao sighed, then crouched down on the ground and pulled on a long zipper sewn into the bottom of the right leg. Shizuru watched intently as Natsuki looked down at her now partially-exposed leg.
"Your gun goes here," Nao explained impatiently. She then reached up to Natsuki's left thigh, and unzipped the zipper lining her left upper leg.
Natsuki glared at her and took a step back. She examined her bare thigh, then looked from Nao to Shizuru, slightly embarrassed. Quickly, she zipped the gap back up.
"And your knife goes there," Nao finished lazily. "Any questions?" She quickly returned to a standing position.
"I guess it's a good thing that this is so baggy," Natsuki grumbled. The last thing that she needed was a large bulge extruding from her leg. "But it's still not exactly the most easily accessible."
"It's better than hers," Nao grinned. She gestured to Shizuru, who nodded solemnly. Natsuki glanced down at her knee-length dress and had to nod in agreement as well. "She'll have to stick her hands up her dress to get her gun out," Nao continued.
Shizuru raised her eyebrows with an amused smile. Nao certainly made a habit of expressing brutal honesty. Natsuki, imaging the scenario, quickly averted her eyes when she felt her face very rapidly heat up.
"Even Viola-san's going to have trouble making that look elegant," Nao snickered. She turned to Shizuru – her smirk growing dangerously. "Of course, I'm sure Shizuru has quite a bit of experience doing that sort of..."
"Ookini, Zhang-san," Shizuru cut in warningly, though she didn't bother to conceal the small smile on her face. Natsuki blushed even more and quickly walked over to the table. She unzipped the upper pocket, and slid the thin knife holster around her bare leg, just beneath her shorts.
Nao checked the clock at the back once more. "An hour and twenty minutes left," she announced.
Shizuru nodded and continued to get ready.
"So," Nao went through one last time. "The microphones will remain concealed at all times, and – hopefully – will allow us to hear what's going on."
Shizuru nodded and watched as Natsuki pulled her shirt out from her chest – making sure the microphone underneath was firmly secured to the inside of her bra.
Natsuki looked up quickly, smoothing out her jumpsuit at the same time. She glanced over at Shizuru, only to find that the brunette was already regarding her curiously. Natsuki quickly lowered her hands, and turned to Takeda. She could feel her face flushing, ever so slightly.
"How do the earpieces sound?!" Nao screamed into her microphone with a small smirk. Both Shizuru and Natsuki jumped.
"Baka!" Natsuki yelled. She held up a hand protectively to her ear – though she was careful not to touch the nearly invisible earpiece – as she glared. Shizuru couldn't help but laugh quietly, but she did shoot Nao an unimpressed look shortly afterwards.
"Well then, looks like we have a go," Takeda laughed. Natsuki glanced over at him with raised eyebrows. His smile quickly faded, and he briefly cleared his throat.
"We have around forty-five minutes to get to the Foreign Affairs Office," Shizuru cut in. "The rental cars are waiting for us, Kruger-san."
Natsuki nodded briefly and took a deep breath. Why was she so nervous this time? "It's probably just because I'm new," Natsuki decided. She couldn't help but glance over at Shizuru once more. She definitely wanted to make a good impression.
Shizuru turned – as if sensing her gaze – and locked eyes with the navy-haired woman. After a moment, Shizuru gave her a small smile and nodded reassuringly at the younger agent. Before grabbing her keys off the table, Natsuki gave the slightest nod back.
The drive itself took only about twenty minutes. Natsuki circled the block surrounding the office so that she and Shizuru wouldn't suspiciously arrive at the exact same time.
"Okay, just one more block," Nao instructed her through the ear piece. Natsuki could practically hear her smirking. Just how many times did Nao think that she could make her drive around in circles?
Natsuki rolled her eyes and attempted to ignore her.
"Hello?" Nao pushed. "Agent Kruger?"
Natsuki groaned, grabbed her cellphone out of her pocket, and flipped it open. She held it up to her ear so that she could speak without the man in the car beside her coming to the conclusion that she was insane. "I'm not going around again," she said firmly. "Four times is more than enough."
Nao's muffled laughter could be heard on the other end.
"How's Shi..." Natsuki stopped abruptly when she realized she had just been about to use Shizuru's first name. Natsuki gave a quick cough in an attempt to cover it up. "...How's she doing?" she continued, shifting the cellphone around.
As she took the keys out of the ignition, her eyes quickly scanned the parking lot in front of her. It was only about a third of the way full. Then again, there were still almost twenty minutes until she technically had to be there. Without visible hesitation, Natsuki quickly got out and began to walk towards the building. She almost stopped for a moment, when her gaze rested on the ground about ten feet away.
A large skid mark streaked the ground before her – the black residue contrasting sharply against the gray pavement.
"Someone was in a hurry," Natsuki mumbled quietly as she walked past. The skid mark stretched right through two of the parking spots, directed towards the exit and originating from another spot. Even this place wasn't likely to make someone flee the parking lot that quickly. Unless, of course, the person fleeing had just shot a man seconds before.
"The skid marks?" Takeda's voice came through loud and clear. "A little too loud," Natsuki couldn't help but think, as she muttered confirmation.
"Agent Viola was all over it," Nao cut in. Natsuki opened the door to the office and stepped inside. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed – it seemed that Shizuru was always one step ahead of her.
Natsuki scanned the reception area briefly. There were a few offices branching off from the main room. She quickly turned to her right, regarding the long hallway she already knew was there. She'd had full access to the office's schematics.
It really did just look like a typical office. There was even a water-cooler in the corner. If she hadn't known any better, Natsuki would have never guessed that a murder had occurred there less than a week before.
"Ara, how handsome."
Natsuki's attention was quickly drawn to the front desk. It took all of her effort not to growl at the scene displayed in front of her. Shizuru was already seated at the main desk, though – much to Natsuki's immediate annoyance – she wasn't alone. It was none other than Hayato Ikeda – a handsome man in his mid-thirties, the new Foreign Affairs Aide, and their current primary suspect – that was leaning against the desk as he spoke with her.
"Arigato," the man laughed. For a second, Natsuki thought that Shizuru was referring to him. Instead, Shizuru briefly traced her fingers over the man's expensive looking watch, though she glanced up briefly at the man – as though to suggest that the watch had not been the subject after all. "It was a birthday present," he smiled.
Natsuki took one look at the man's body language and couldn't help but feel anger piling up rapidly. He was leaning in towards her in a possessive manner, feet pointing towards her fully, and trying to look relaxed. He really might as well have been drooling. "Calm down," Natsuki ordered herself, when her grip on her keys tightened. Shizuru smiled at him softly, and Natsuki's grip tightened further.
"Well don't just stand there," Nao scoffed through the ear piece. Natsuki refrained from giving the camera in the corner an annoyed look, and began to walk towards the front desk.
Turning to Shizuru with a polite smile, Natsuki cut in. "Excuse me," she began, "I'm new here. Kuga, Natsuki," Natsuki offered her fake last name. If things went well, no one would ever doubt that she worked for a temp agency, but the last name changes were necessary precautions. "I'm from Garderobe Temp Agency."
Shizuru's eyes seemed to light up when Natsuki spoke. "Really?" she asked her. "So am I."
Natsuki allowed a slightly confused frown to play across her face. "I'm just filling in for the receptionist for awhile," Shizuru explained.
"Oh," Natsuki nodded, "I see."
"Are you new to the Agency?" Shizuru asked her. "I don't believe that I've seen you before."
"Yeah," Natsuki nodded. "This is actually my first temp job."
Ikeda exhaled slowly, and both Natsuki and Shizuru could tell that he was annoyed. Clearly, he didn't appreciate Natsuki coming between him and the new receptionist.
Shizuru couldn't help but smile when the younger girl gave her a victorious look. It was almost as if she was glad that she had interrupted Shizuru's previous conversation.
"Fujino, Shizuru," Shizuru volunteered with a smile.
"It's nice to meet you," the man finally said to Natsuki. "I'm Hayato Ikeda, acting Foreign Affairs Minister."
"Because I had no idea," Natsuki mentally smirked. She smiled at him and quickly gave a small bow. "It's an honor to meet you," she forced herself to say. Sure, Ikeda was currently single. But that still didn't make it appropriate for him to openly flirt with women he worked with. "Especially with her," Natsuki thought shortly after. She blinked for a moment, mechanically shaking his hand, as she realized what she had just caught herself thinking. "B...because she's new," Natsuki quickly added, as if making an excuse would invalidate her thoughts entirely.
"I heard about Arai-san on the news," Natsuki added. She wasn't going to waste an opportunity like this to get new information. "I'm very sorry, sir. You must have known him quite well."
Both Natsuki and Shizuru studied the man carefully for a reaction. Ikeda shifted around uncomfortably, and nodded after a moment. "It was quite a shock," he said finally. "I talked to him just hours before it happened."
Natsuki glanced down at the way he rested his hand on the table. His palm was open, facing up – implying from Natsuki's knowledge of body language that he was telling the truth.
"It must be hard for you," Shizuru continued, "to have all his responsibilities forced upon you suddenly." The brown-haired agent watched as he subconsciously closed his fist.
"It will definitely take some getting used to," he replied with a nod.
"You must have been close with him," Natsuki added quietly – her eyes searching for any sign of remorse on Ikeda's face. The dark-haired man just nodded briefly. Natsuki and Shizuru exchanged quick glances. There was no way that this man was upset about Arai's death.
"Well," he said finally, "if you'll excuse me Fujino-san, I have some business to attend to."
Shizuru responded to her fake last name quickly. She nodded, giving him a smile that made Natsuki's anger flare up once more.
"It was nice to meet you, Kuga-san," Ikeda called over his shoulder.
Natsuki glanced around the large room once more. None of the employees were within earshot. "Don't you think it's a little soon for that?" she asked Shizuru. Shizuru couldn't help but notice the incriminating tone in her voice.
"I was not the one who initiated conversation," Shizuru replied hesitantly. She studied the frown on the younger woman's face. "Is there something wrong?"
Natsuki snapped out of it quickly. "N...no," she quickly replied. "Why would there be?" She looked Shizuru squarely in the eyes, as if daring her to suggest that Natsuki had alternative motives.
There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence. An employee that both girls recognized to be the Public Relations manager walked past them, making both women look quickly away.
"Well then," Shizuru said finally, "If you'll just have a seat, Kuga-san, I'll try to find someone who can inform you of your duties."
Natsuki swallowed hard. She could feel her face burn lightly. There was no way that she should have allowed Shizuru to see how upset she was. Baka.
"Arigato," Natsuki replied with a forced smile. She walked over to the nearest chair and sat down. Her eyes began to glance around the room at anything but Shizuru.
"Are you okay, Agent Kruger?" Takeda's voice suddenly asked her. It was so sudden that Natsuki almost caught herself wincing.
Natsuki glanced up at the camera with visible annoyance. Did he really want her to answer out loud?
"Give me that," Nao hissed angrily. Natsuki crossed her legs in a relaxed pose, as shuffling sounds came through her earpiece. "Ignore him, Kruger-san," Nao instructed. "Just focus on the case."
The main doors to the office burst open suddenly. Natsuki glanced up, eyebrows raised, as a tall, muscular man stormed in. "Who took my parking spot?" he demanded loudly. He glanced around the office, before his eyes fell on Shizuru. "Who are you?" he asked roughly.
Shizuru raised an eyebrow slightly. Ara, what an entrance. "Fujino Shizuru," she replied. "And you would be?" Along with Natsuki, she had already identified him as Baiko Sasaki. "It appears he is particularly prone to rash behavior," she decided.
"Baiko Sasaki," the man replied quickly. He paused – his eyes tracing Shizuru's form visibly. Even Shizuru was a little surprised that he was doing it so openly. Natsuki bit her lip angrily and shifted in her chair.
"What seems to be the problem?" Shizuru asked him calmly.
"Someone is in my spot," Sasaki replied. His annoyance was sharply displayed in his voice. "Who here owns a white Toyota?" He called out. He began tapping his foot impatiently on the ground.
Natsuki looked up in mild surprise, when he listed off her rental car. She uncrossed her legs slowly and walked over to the man. "It's mine," she replied without a trace of worry in her voice. The small smirk on her face worried Shizuru instantly. Natsuki wasn't exactly submissive, and a large argument was exactly what they were trying to avoid.
Shizuru took a slow breath, as Sasaki turned to face Natsuki. Various employees were already glancing over to see what the excitement was about.
"Are there assigned spots, Sasaki-san?" Shizuru asked as an idea came to her suddenly.
"Not officially," Sasaki answered, "but it's generally understood."
Natsuki raised her eyebrows when the man turned back to glare at her accusingly. If she weren't on a case, she would definitely teach this guy a lesson. "I'm new," Natsuki offered. There was so way that she was going to apologize. There were just some things that she wasn't willing to do.
"Don't park there tomorrow," he told her firmly. His dark eyes locked with Natsuki's dangerously. Natsuki was torn between glaring and bursting out into laughter. Was this guy for real? It was a parking spot.
"Well then, it seems this has all been a misunderstanding," Shizuru intervened quickly. Sasaki turned to face her, and she forced a smile. "Have a nice day, Sasaki-san."
Without replying, he turned and walked into his office. Natsuki turned to Shizuru with a smirk.
A brief static noise sounded into Natsuki's ear. "He really is as intense as his file claims," Nao cut in. Natsuki almost rolled her eyes at the impressed tone in Nao's voice. "Keep your eye on him too, Kruger-san."
Natsuki watched as his office door closed, then turned back to Shizuru with a small smile. "Did you hear what he said?" she asked, "about the parking spots?"
Shizuru nodded – a similar smile forming on her face. "That was certainly a pleasant surprise," she replied. It appeared that she and Natsuki had both come to the same conclusion. "If employees always tend to park in the same spot, it should be easy to find out which car the skid mark came from."
"I'm on it," Natsuki smiled.
"Hi," a petite, brown-haired woman hurried over to Natsuki. Natsuki recognized her immediately from the employee profiles. She appeared to be a little out of breath, and she quickly checked her watch, as if she was running late. "You must be the replacement custodian," she smiled.
"Hi," Natsuki replied. She got up from her chair and shook hands with the woman.
"My name's Kanae," the woman added quickly. "Norito-san, the custodian whose taking some time off, asked me if I could brief you quickly."
Natsuki nodded, grateful that she could finally get to work.
"He said you're responsible for the offices, bathrooms, the main entrance and the surrounding premises. But he also said that it's impossible to keep this place clean, so don't worry too much if things aren't perfect."
"I'll try not to," Natsuki smiled.
"All the equipment is in the supply room closet," Kanae added. "It's just down the hallway and to the right," she added, pointing in the general direction. "Good luck," she called out as she briskly walked towards her office.
Natsuki didn't waste time grabbing her equipment. She walked over to the supply room, opened the closet door, and wheeled out the large cart inside.
"Any suggestions?" Natsuki asked out loud. The supply room was empty, so she wasn't concerned with talking freely.
"Sasaki's office is empty," Nao answered, referring to the man from the parking spot incident. "I don't know how long you'll have, but it seems like a pretty good place to start."
Natsuki nodded and started wheeling the cart out of the room.
"His office is four doors to your..." Nao began.
"I know," Natsuki cut her off with a smirk. Confidently, she wheeled the cart over to his office and opened the door. She shut the door behind her, and took a couple seconds to take in the room. Natsuki grabbed the large garbage bag from her cart and quickly tossed it down beside Sasaki's garbage can. Without hesitation, she ripped open his desk drawers. After a few seconds, she decided that nothing seemed to be too out of the ordinary. She lifted up some of the papers on Sasaki's desk, pausing after a moment.
"Anything?" Nao asked her.
"Money issues," Natsuki replied as she eyed a couple of bank statements. "Not too surprising."
"That could explain the stress," Nao agreed. If he brought the statements to work, he was obviously more than a little concerned. "I don't suppose there's evidence of a large sum of money being deposited or removed around the time Arai was murdered."
"Nope," Natsuki smirked.
"Anything else the police might have missed?" Nao asked her. "We need to wrap this up quickly."
"Maybe," Natsuki answered – eyes falling on the filing cabinet in the corner. The top drawer was protected by a lock. The navy-haired agent ran over and pulled on the handle. When the drawer refused to open, Natsuki instantly grabbed the lock picks from her pocket, quickly inserted the thin pieces of metal, and bent over so that her ear was next to the lock. Heart racing, she started nudging the lock's pins out of the way.
"He's coming," Nao cut in quickly. "Get out of there."
"I just need a second," Natsuki argued as she maneuvered the picks with increased speed.
"Back off, Kruger-san," Nao demanded. "Now."
There was a small click as the office door's handle turned. Natsuki ripped the lock picks out, and grabbed the garbage bag off of the floor. Baiko strolled into the office with a cup of coffee in his hand. When he froze in his tracks, Natsuki glanced up at him with a polite smile.
"Just getting the garbage," she said quickly. Without waiting for his reaction, she finished dumping the contents of his garbage can into her bag. When she was finished she walked calmly around the desk.
Baiko glared at her silently, though he didn't say a word. Instead, he stood by the doorway and waited for her to leave. Natsuki hesitated, then changed her course slightly. Resting her arm on the filing cabinet casually, she turned to face the large man. "I'm sorry, sir," Natsuki began. "I didn't catch your name before."
"Sasaki," he replied suspiciously. Natsuki stretched her arm, absent mindfully resting her hand on the handle as she nodded. Baiko's gaze shifted nervously from Natsuki to her hand. It was – almost – an unnoticeably subconscious gesture. Natsuki hid a smile as she removed her arm.
Satisfied that she had learned everything that she could for now, Natsuki wheeled her cart out of the office. There was clearly something in that cabinet that Baiko didn't want anyone knowing about, and Natsuki was more determined than ever to find out what it was.
Natsuki walked back down the hallway, giving Shizuru a meaningful glance as she shoved her cart to the side. Natsuki walked into the women's washroom and waited. One of the stalls was occupied, so she walked over to the sink and started washing her hands.
Less than a minute later, Shizuru walked in. She smiled at Natsuki warmly, then followed Natsuki's gaze over to the occupied stall. Calmly, Shizuru walked into the stall beside it and closed the door.
There was a flushing sound from the stall beside her, and a thin, blond-haired woman walked out. It took a moment for Natsuki to identify her as Hinako Omori, Arai's personal secretary. A thin layer of perspiration coated her skin, and the woman walked in a way that suggested she was nauseated. Realizing that the woman had just thrown up, Natsuki quickly turned to face her.
"A...are you alright, ma'am?" she asked, concern playing across her face.
Omori looked up at her and forced a smile. "I'm fine, arigato." She splashed some water on her face quickly. Her fake smile widened when she realized that Natsuki was still staring at her. "Really," she laughed, "it's just nerves." There was a small pause as the woman glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. Just for a moment, her smile faded. "I...I think everyone is having a little trouble being here after... after what happened," she struggled to finish. Before Natsuki could say anything more, she quickly walked out the door.
Shizuru stepped out of the second stall and wordlessly met Natsuki's gaze.
"Do you believe her?" Natsuki asked the brown-haired agent. "It takes a lot of anxiety to make someone throw up."
"Do you?" Shizuru countered, her red eyes sparkling. Shizuru walked over and leaned on the counter beside her.
Natsuki gave her a small smile, before crossing her arms. "I make it a point not to believe possible suspects."
"As do I," Shizuru replied smoothly. "Have you found something, Kruger-san?"
"Sasaki's at the top of my list," Natsuki answered. "I searched his office and found out that the guy has major financial issues."
Shizuru opened her mouth to respond.
"Guys?" Nao cut in over both agent's earpieces. "I hate to shatter your moment here, but the bathroom isn't really the most secure location to talk. Two people have walked past already, and they're making me nervous."
"Fine," Natsuki nodded. She thought about it for a moment. "The supply room?" she offered.
"It's deserted for now," Nao replied. "You've been the only one in it all day."
"Let's go," Natsuki grinned. Shizuru smiled back and waited for Natsuki to leave the bathroom. She gave the younger woman a minute head-start to avoid being seen together, and then followed.
When she got there, Natsuki was leaning against a small desk in the corner. The navy-haired woman got up as soon as Shizuru came in, and walked over to meet her.
"As I was saying," Natsuki continued with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "Sasaki is in way over his head."
"Yeah, but that's really not too surprising," Nao answered. "His tendency towards impulsive behavior would make him the perfect gambler or alcoholic."
"What makes you believe that his financial status is linked to the case?" Shizuru asked curiously.
"There's a chance that he could stand to gain something financially by removing Arai from office," Natsuki replied confidently. Shizuru raised her eyebrows and waited for an explanation. "We found out first hand that Sasaki isn't the most sociable." Natsuki rolled her eyes and Shizuru laughed. "But whose the one man that Sasaki always got along with?" Natsuki asked the other agent.
"Ikeda?" Shizuru mused, remembering the files she had read. Sasaki had always gotten along well with the Foreign Affairs Aide. "Excellent connection, Kruger-san," she smiled.
Natsuki blushed faintly, but dismissed her flattery with a small nod. "If Sasaki took out Arai, Ikeda gets an instant promotion. And with Ikeda pulling all the strings, a pay boost for Sasaki could be easily arranged."
"Interesting theory," Shizuru replied with a small smile. Natsuki smiled back with a hint of pride that Shizuru found absolutely adorable.
"Okay, so Sasaki doesn't play well with others," Nao admitted. "And he does strike me as someone who could be pushed to commit murder. But I think we should hold off on the handcuffs a little longer."
"Of course, Agent Zhang," Shizuru replied. "I'm sure Kruger-san will find a way to back up her claim." Her eyes met Natsuki's playfully, though Natsuki couldn't help but notice that her statement sounded more like a challenge.
"Did you find anything?" Natsuki replied competitively. She crossed her arms with a defiant smirk.
Shizuru gave her an amused smile.
"Someone's coming," Nao jumped in. "And might I add that having secret meetings in the supply room isn't in the least bit suspicious?" she continued, voice dripping with both sarcasm and urgency.
Natsuki glanced around the room frantically. Nao did have a point, much as she hated to admit it. "Here," Natsuki exclaimed in an exasperated tone. Without thinking, she grabbed Shizuru's arm and pulled her quickly over to the closet where her cart had been stored.
Shizuru hesitated; confining themselves to a very small area probably wasn't the best idea. But when the handle suddenly began to turn, she followed Natsuki into the closet and closed the door gently behind her.
Shizuru turned around to face Natsuki, though she froze when she realized the younger woman was no more than a foot away from her. Natsuki exhaled softly in the stunned silence.
The small closet was illuminated only by the light coming in through the crack in the top and bottom of the door. Nevertheless, Shizuru could make out Natsuki's face perfectly. A...ara.
Natsuki gulped instantly. "On second thought, this is really not a good idea," she decided. Trying not to hyperventilate, Natsuki flattened herself as far against the wall – and as far away from Shizuru – as she could. Quickly, Natsuki turned to face the door so that Shizuru wouldn't see her face. Even in the dark light, she didn't doubt that Shizuru could see how red her face had suddenly gotten.
Shizuru took in Natsuki's posture and frowned slightly. After half a minute, the younger woman finally turned to face her, but Shizuru couldn't ignore the shaky way that Natsuki inhaled. "She is so beautiful," Shizuru found herself thinking.
The sound of papers shuffling in the supply room made Natsuki tense up even more. Almost as if she had been caught doing something wrong, she turned back to face the door instantly. Frowning once more, Shizuru reached out and gently placed her hand on Natsuki's.
Natsuki stiffened even more, and briefly considered ripping her hand away. Instead, Shizuru began gently tracing her thumb over the back of Natsuki's hand, and Natsuki found herself unable to move.
Unable to stop herself, Shizuru closed the small gap between them. Slowly, she leaned over so that her face was beside Natsuki's. Natsuki stifled a gasp, and pressed herself even more forcefully against the wall. "Just don't react," she ordered herself, though it was a struggle to think at all. "She has no clue what she's doing to you, and it's going to stay that way."
"Are you alright, Kruger-san?" Shizuru whispered into Natsuki's ear. Her lips were so dangerously close to touching the navy-haired woman, it made Natsuki tremble.
Swallowing hard, Natsuki nodded. There was no way that she trusted herself enough to speak.
"You're shaking," Shizuru continued. She pulled back slightly, so that she could get a clear look at Natsuki's face. Just for a moment, her gaze drifted down to Natsuki's lips.
"I..." Natsuki quickly attempted to moisten her mouth. "I can't handle... small spaces," she lied. "Baka," she screamed to herself. Why couldn't she stop shaking?
"I... I see," Shizuru replied. Though she tried desperately, she was unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She quickly backed up to give Natsuki more space. Foolishly, she had almost let herself believe that it was her that had been making Natsuki nervous. "Would you rather have Natsuki be scared of you?" Shizuru asked herself in annoyance. The answer that came to mind was rather startling. "Yes," she admitted, though it made her feel queasy. If Natsuki was nervous around her, there was a chance that it would mean that she was attracted to her. Shizuru gently bit her lip, and turned to face the door as well.
"Oh God," Nao exclaimed through the ear pieces. Natsuki and Shizuru quickly turned to look at each other, adrenalin hitting their systems in synchronization. "He's going for the closet!" Nao yelled.
Natsuki and Shizuru froze, eyes wide.
"You need an excuse to be in there," Nao blurted quickly. Both agents furiously ran through ideas, but nothing came up. How long did they have?! "Quick!" Nao yelled. "Kruger-san, kiss her!"
Natsuki froze in terror. Her eyes met Shizuru's in a moment of stunned silence. "W...what!?" Natsuki's mind screamed. She opened her mouth to object, but she couldn't force any words out. Even if she could, she had no idea what to say.
Instead of speaking, Natsuki's gaze instantly fell down to Shizuru's lips.
"Kidding," Nao called out a moment later. Her snickering came through the earpieces loudly. "God, I wish there was a camera in that closet."
Natsuki gaped at Shizuru for a very long moment. Her face was already burning painfully. Shizuru had gotten a little flushed herself.
"The coast is clear," Nao laughed. "Oh, and Agent Masashi is finally back with my coffee."
"W...well then," Shizuru cleared her throat. Instead of addressing what had just happened, she definitely preferred to ignore it entirely. The look of horror on Natsuki's face was etched painfully into her mind. Numbly, Shizuru opened the door and stepped into the supply room.
Natsuki waited a few seconds before following. W...what just happened? Shizuru turned to face the younger woman. The look on her face was perfectly neutral. Natsuki met her eyes slowly, though her heart began to race even more when she realized that Shizuru's eyes lacked their usual sparkle.
"I...I wasn't going t..." Natsuki began quickly.
"It's fine," Shizuru cut her off with a forced smile. It was as if the very idea was disgusting to the younger agent. Her stomach clenched painfully as she glanced towards the door. "I've been away from my desk for too long," she said quietly. "We can reconvene at a later time."
Without waiting for Natsuki to respond, Shizuru walked numbly back to her desk.
Thanks for reading! :D