Stretching out my arm, I breathed in the city air as the sun warmed my skin. The air was not the finest, but nonetheless I sighed in satisfaction.
"Finally back outside!" I called out as I cracked my stiff limbs.
The outside was definitely better than the stuffy, and buzzing offices of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I never had thought that taking statements would take more than an hour, and it was not really surprising when my stomach rumbled loudly. It was begging for food. I never had breakfast this morning.
"Someone is hungry here." Dino laughed as he stood next to me, only to grimace as we heard his stomach rumble.
"Says the hungry one." I mused in amusement.
As we shared a light-hearted laugh I felt his arm around my waist, pulling me gently closer to him. "So do you want to eat something before lunch?" The Don asked as he escorted me towards the crowded streets. "We still have time before we meet the professor."
After our… eventful morning, professor Agasa invited us for lunch as a way to apologise. He felt responsible of ruining our weekend trip, just because Conan suggested to detective Takagi on the possible foreign homicide suspects. I said it was fine and that there was no need for him to treat us for lunch. Although I did want to catch up with an old acquaintance, so after clearing it with Dino, we made an appointment at one. Of course not without a back and forth on who was going to pay the bill. In the end I backed down to respect the elder's wishes. I really wonder why it is so unusual to split the bill.
"Well…" I thought out loud as I leaned against his body. "Peanut butter-jelly sandwiches sounds nice."
There was a small silence before he replied, "…You know they don't have that here…"
Hearing him say that I felt the corners of my lips crawling up, "I know, but that doesn't take away that I'm craving for it."
Again silence and I peeked up only to see him eyeing me suspiciously. Seeing him so dubious I started to laugh.
"I'm not joking." I said as I playfully hit his stomach with the back of my hand. "Have you ever eaten a simple peanut butter-jelly sandwich on an empty stomach? It's really satisfying."
"No… I haven't." He replied after shot pause.
"You rich bastard!" I called out as I faked a gasp.
"Hey! What has that to do with being rich?" He countered. "Besides, you're wealthy too."
"No, pops is wealthy. I don't have a dime myself."
"Says the person who's wearing top quality clothing."
At the same time I felt my sides being squeezed and I let out a yelp, "Valentino!?" I called out as I looked up, only to meet his face up close. For a second I froze at the sudden closeness, but smiled amusingly after. "You know, people are watching."
"So?" He replied cheekily.
As I felt his hand move up, my face burnt up. Despite the bold gesture I refused to look or shy away. I continued to gaze in his glittering brown eyes, daring him to continue.
"You're… really a tough one." He chuckled as he took his fedora from my head as he retreated. After putting the black hat on his own blonde locks he just smiled amusingly. "Shall we have some takoyaki?"
While my face didn't show anything, my heart pounded furiously in my rib case. Even with all the whispering onlookers, I only had my eyes on the grinning blonde.
"Well?" He questioned enjoyably as he cocked his head.
"Takoyaki sounds good." I replied with a smug smirk of my own.
"Then let's go."
As he tugged me along through the crowd I honestly never felt any happier. Even the fact that both Ivan and Romario were tailing us from a safe distance did not ruin my mood. Just seeing that goofy grin on my beloved face was more than enough to make my day.
Thus, after sharing a portion of takoyaki we met professor Agasa and the Detective Boys in a small café named Poirot half an hour later.
"Ah… So Sharon-kun and Dino-kun have known each other since you were little?" Agasa said after we told a little about ourselves.
"Pretty much, yes." I laughed. "Even though we lived in different countries we stayed close friends. It was really a coincidence when we met each other in Japan though."
"I still think it's more than a coincidence, though." Dino added, along with a chuckle. "Ever since I met her I just had this feeling that she was different from everyone else. I really felt she was looking after me and supporting me from the shadows."
"Oh shoo you, Dino!" I laughed as I lightly punched his shoulder. "You know how I feel about fate and the likes."
"I've never said anything about fate. I only said that I think it's more than a coincidence."
Seeing his smug expression I retreated. I knew the pattern. Any further and it would become a silly back and forth that only the two of us understood. Seeing Ayumi whispering gleefully to Haibara I decided to change the subject.
"So, how have the Detective Boys been?" I asked after taking a sip of my iced coffee. "I hope you haven't been in any dangerous situations like in Paris."
As the children looked at each other while grinning brightly, I could more or less guess the answer already.
"The Detective Boys live for dangerous situations!" Genta said proudly.
"Yes! We have helped the police with a lot of cases!" Ayumi added.
"We have also solved many cases on our own!" Mitsuhiko added proudly. "Even though it's mostly Conan-kun who solves it…"
"That's because Conan's my apprentice!" Genta exclaimed loudly.
Smiling at their enthusiasm I glanced at the boy with glasses who was laughing wryly. It was not really a surprise that Conan was the one who solved most of the cases considering that he said that he was good in them. Moreover, he called himself a detective before and it did not feel like he lied about it.
"Hm… So Genta-kun is a really good detective then?" I asked with interest, going with their flow. "I'm just wondering, but did all of you perhaps learn under special agent Jodie? You guys seem to know her."
"Special agent?" The three children asked in choir, visibly confused by the way how I addressed the FBI agent. However, they giggled soon after.
"Jodie-sensei is an English teacher!" Ayumi giggled merrily.
"Yes! She likes roleplaying though." Genta followed. "Right, Mitsuhiko?"
"Yes." Mitsuhiko confirmed. "She mentioned that before."
"Un! Just like Genta-kun!" Ayumi added. "He likes to role play Kamen Yaiba!"
As the three children laughed among each other I glanced over to Dino and he just smiled. Glancing over to the professor he smiled apologetically, more or less saying that they don't know the truth.
"Although it was sure a surprise that her boyfriend Andre Camel-san is with the FBI!" Mitsuhiko resumed. "I thought for sure he was the culprit!"
As the children chatted among each other about the case I redirected myself to the professor, "Quite a handful, aren't they?" I laughed.
"Hahaha, just a little." He replied. "But they are good kids."
"Yes, they are. However, I do hope they'll be careful. Being involved with criminal investigations is quite dangerous."
"Ah! Talking about dangerous." Mitsuhiko suddenly called out, entering the conversation. "I heard there is a snapping turtle in Central Park's pond!"
"Ah! I heard that too! They're going to catch it this afternoon, right?" Ayumi followed.
Hearing the sudden news, I glanced over to the blonde next to me and I saw him fumble in his black jacket.
"Don't tell me you…" I whispered as I leaned towards him.
"No, no. I left Enzo with Romario. I didn't bring him with me." Dino whispered back. "Besides… Enzo would have absorbed all the water and be as large as a mountain by now."
"Well… that's true."
"Hey, hey! What are you guys whispering?" Genta's voice rang out, making us look back at the bigger boy. "You aren't talking bad about us, are you?"
"No, we aren't talking bad about you guys, Genta." Dino laughed friendly. "We were talking about my pet snapping turtle Enzo."
"Hm~ I heard only lonely people keep a snapping turtle as a pet." Haibara hummed. "But Dino-san doesn't seem so lonely, so I may be wrong."
As I slowly looked the other side I bit the inside of my cheeks in order not to snort at the little girl's remark. I found it quite ironic that she chose the word lonely considering that Dino is practically surrounded by his men most of the time, making him hardly lonely.
"I-I received it as a gift from my tutor." I heard him defending himself. At the same time I felt a little nudge on my side, making it even harder for me not to laugh out loud.
"Then would you come with us to the park?" I heard Ayumi ask with enthusiasm. "It would be really nice to hear more about turtles!"
"Ayumi-kun, Sharon-kun and Dino-kun are here on vacation. They could have planned something already." I heard Agasa say.
"Ah… That's right! I forgot. I'm sorry."
Hearing her dejected voice, my laugh faded and I took a deep breath before I looked in front of me. There I saw the downhearted girl. Facing the blonde next to me he only smiled as he softly nodded towards the girl's direction.
"We would love to accompany you." I smiled as I faced the little dark brunette. "We don't have plans for today anyway. Right, Dino?"
"That's right."
"Really?" She asked unsure.
"Really."
As her face beamed I felt my own smile growing broader. Her smile was contagious and I felt that she was going to grow up into a beautiful woman.
Thus after lunch, Dino and I went with the Detective Boys to Central Park. Professor Agasa could sadly not go with us because he had an appointment with a client who had a problem with his cake-maker-invention. As we walked towards our destination, Dino told the children about his pet and snapping turtles in general, of course leaving out Enzo's special absorbing ability, and they were quite intrigued by him. Conan and Haibara listened with interest, but as always they kept their cool. On our way we met detective Takagi, again. He was already on his next case, or assisting his colleague, because there was a theft of three million yen at a residence last night. He and his colleague were gathering information from possible witnesses, however, they didn't have much on the culprit considering that he was wearing gloves and a mask. The victim described the robber as a tall, thin male. With only so little to go on, it is most likely going to be tough to catch the robber.
After wishing them good luck, we resumed our journey and a good ten minutes later we arrived at the pond in Central Park. Aside of the massive crowd, I took in the beauty of the large pond. When they told us about a pond in a park I didn't think it would stretch out from one side to another. It had the shape of an enormous koi fish pond and it even has a walkway between the two closest creeks. I also saw a small temple like building on the glimmering water at the other side of the walkway.
When the crowd made some commotion I was pulled back to the present. Seeing the children near the fence, and Dino behind them, I saw them and many others pointing to the water. Even though I knew what it was, I was still curious to see it and I got closer to get a better look of the water. However, I was not able to see anything because the people were moving around and thus I decided to stand on my toes to see over their heads.
"I could lift you up if you want…" I suddenly heard Dino hum.
Not expecting a comment like that I looked at him like he was out of his mind, but my perplexed look was soon replaced by an amused smirk. "Do that and you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."
After faking a pout Dino chuckled, "I knew you would say that. Come here, you'll get a better look if you stand behind them."
As he nodded at the children he held out his hand and I placed mine in his to let him lead me to the designated spot. I knew he was just making up an excuse to hold hands because we both knew I could just walk over, but I did not mind. I liked the feeling of holding hands.
When I stood behind of the kids and in front of Dino I felt him hugging me from behind and I suddenly felt self-conscious. Was it because the Detective Boys were with us? Was it because I knew them and it was embarrassing to be all touchy in the presence of acquaintances? I was not sure of my own feelings.
"Uwah! Was that a snapping turtle, Dino-onii-san?" Ayumi called out as she pointed to the water, releasing me from my inner insecurity.
"Yups, that was definitely a snapping turtle." I heard him answer.
As Ayumi laughed and spoke to her friends I saw several men in blue uniform standing in the pond with nets, trying to catch the turtle. Their uniforms reminded me of the forensic investigators' of this morning. It made me wonder why they were doing this instead of Animal Control Service, unless Animal Control is something typical for the US only.
As I leaned against Dino's chest I heard the children talking about the possibility of the turtle being abandoned and how irresponsible it was. When I heard Haibara say something how non-native animals could disrupt Japan's ecosystem, I raised an eyebrow. When I was their age I didn't even know the meaning of ecosystem. But then again, they are the Detective Boys. To be able to help the police they must know a few things more than the usual child.
"What's wrong with having more animals around?" Genta asked in reaction.
"That's not it." Haibara sighed in exasperation.
"Or maybe not…" I laughed to myself.
"But still, we can't just leave that snapping turtle here! Let's find the person who left their frightened turtle here!" Genta called out as he pointed to the water.
"Un!" Ayumi agreed.
"Right. This is a job for the Detective Boys!" Mitsuhiko also agreed energetically. "But, where do we start?"
"Detective Boys: Defenders of Justice." went through my mind as I smiled amusingly at their liveliness.
"Then, how about this?" Conan suddenly shouted, like he wanted to let other people hear his voice. "Let's find the pet shop that the turtle's owner would usually go to. Snapping turtles eat a lot, so they must have gone out a lot to buy small fish and prawns to make turtle food, right Dino-nii-chan?"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
"I see! Let's get moving, then!" Mitsuhiko called out.
At that moment Conan bolted away with a serious expression and I had the feeling he was not going to the pet shop.
"Eh? Conan-kun!? What's wrong?" Mitsuhiko called out after him and he went after him.
"Ah! W-Wait for us!" Genta called out and he and Ayumi followed suit.
Haibara sighed and looked at us, "I apologise for their behaviour." She said and after nodding she ran after them.
"Shall we go after them?" Dino asked as we watched the children turn a corner.
"They'll return sooner or later. Something tells me Conan found the owner." I replied laconically.
"Hyper intuition?"
"Mhm."
As we enjoyed each other's company we watched the men in uniforms trying to catch the turtle. However, that peaceful moment was soon ruined by whispers of the onlookers.
"Hey, have you seen that couple? They look good, are they models?"
"The guy's so hot!"
"The girl is so lucky~! I want to be her!"
"But you know, the girl is pretty too! The more I look at her the more I feel… attractive to her. And I'm a girl myself!"
"I know right! It's like she has this… air around her, right?"
"Yes, yes!"
Feeling uncomfortable at the sudden attention I sighed softly. It was not the first time that I heard gossip about the 'air' I supposedly give off. People would eventually flock around me because of it and I blamed my genes for it. There was not much I could do about it anyway considering that people have flocked around me since kindergarten.
"Want to go somewhere else?" I heard Dino whisper in concern. "We can go to a department store and buy disguises for ourselves. Like… those glasses with nose and moustache included?"
Already imaging Dino with thick, black frames, big nose and a big bushy moustache I put my hand in front of my mouth to muffle my laughter, "Pffft. If we do that then I won't be able to look at you seriously anymore. The image will haunt me forever."
"Heh. Well, at least we will both look like idiots."
At once we heard gasps of all around us and I chuckled in amusement, "Seems you've gained some extra fans."
Seeing something spiky floating on the surface of the lake, my back straightened to get a better look at the creature in the water. "Hm… It's a lot bigger than Enzo." I hummed as I saw the turtle swim back under water. At the same time one of the catchers tried to catch it, but failed.
"There's no mistake! That's the turtle I raised." A young man's voice called out.
Turning our heads to the source, I saw a tall young man with brown hair in a blue vest and khaki coloured trousers standing at the fence not far from us.
"You're the owner of that snapping turtle?" One of the catchers asked when he waded closer to the owner in question.
"Ah, excuse me. My name is Nihonmatsu. I live in an apartment in the third district. Yesterday I turned away for a second and it ran off. I never thought it would come all the way over here." He said apologetically as he scratched the back of his neck. "I beg you to hurry and return the turtle to me."
Something was off about the guy. He was lying about being the owner and for some reason he sounded a little bit edgy. Was he afraid to be discovered that he lied? It could be.
At that moment I spotted Conan near the proclaimed owner, "Say, onii-san. Is that turtle really yours?" I heard the child say in his cutely manner.
"There is no mistaking it." The guy named Nihonmatsu laughed. "Turtles like these are rarely seen."
Seeing that the boy said something else while pointing away from the lake, Nihonmatsu expression changed into shock. Laughing wryly to myself I guessed that he just wanted a rare pet.
Watching the young man follow the boy I felt Dino squeezing my sides again, making me jump a little.
"Don't do that!" I pouted as I removed his hands from my sides. "I can't stand that."
"But you were looking." I heard him pout as he gently squeezed my fingers. "I don't want you to look at other men."
"A little jealous, aren't we?" I mused amusingly as I turned around. "Don't worry, I have eyes for you only."
Seeing him smile with affection I smiled with him and when he moved closer I put a finger on his lips, "Not with all these spectators." I whispered playfully. "Especially not when Uncle is keeping an eye on us."
At this Dino's expression changed, "Ivan's here!?"
"Along with Romario and a few of your men I believe."
The blonde grimaced at this and glanced around, "S-Since when…?"
"Pretty much since this morning. Why else do you think Uncle called me this morning? He's obviously keeping tabs on us."
"Now you mention it… he usually calls when we… you know, getting in the mood."
Seeing him shy away I laughed softly as I walked us away from the crowd. "I really have to do something about him. I won't be his little princess forever."
"Well… Technically, you will. You have the title as Vongola Princess whether you like it or not."
Looking over my shoulder I gave him a look, "You know what I mean."
After we walked past a few trees he suddenly pulled my hand, making me turn around. Before I could say anything he gently pressed me against his body as he kissed on top of my head.
"D-Dino?" I stammered as the heat rushed to my cheeks at the sudden gesture.
"Ivan aside, you still need to be punished for looking at another man." He whispered alluringly, making me look up.
Like he anticipated my actions he gently pressed his lips on mine and not much later his lips moved to my bottom lip. Feeling him suck it gently, I felt my body temperature raise as my heart thumped violently. Slowly I wrapped my arms around his neck, accepting the so-called punishment. When I was about to lick his upper lip I felt disturbed by several watching eyes.
"Valentino, they're watching." I whispered as I broke off the single-lip kiss.
"Who are?" He whispered back as I felt his lips trace my jawline, going down to my neck.
Despite the shivers of pleasure going down my spine I removed my arms from his neck and made him look at me. Sensuality was visible in his moist cognac eyes and it took me everything not to lean in.
"The children." I said as steady as possible.
Glancing over his shoulder I saw the four children looking in our direction. The boys with beet red faces and Ayumi smiling in excitement. Even the guy named Nihonmatsu looked at us with a flushed face. It occurred to me that Haibara was not there.
"E-E-Excuse us." The guy stammered as he quickly looked away, but Ayumi jumped gleefully as she ran towards us.
"Uwah! Are Sharon-onee-san and Dino-onii-san going to be married?" She called out as her chocolate eyes twinkled in excitement. "Mama says that if a couple kiss in public, they're going to be married!"
Not exactly how to answer that I laughed wryly as I glanced over to the now, flushed blonde.
"Who knows." I decided to say, making the little girl jump even more in excitement.
The thought of marriage was a little odd, since I haven't thought so far yet. Of course there was still that arranged marriage contract that was created by Vongola Nono and Cavallone Nono, but neither Dino nor I have accepted it or rejected it. We decided to let it be and see how it will turn out. For the time being, seeing each other like this was more than satisfying.
As we heard the crowd make a commotion again, we looked back in the direction of the pond.
"Could it be–!?" Genta and Mitsuhiko called out in excitement, already forgotten what they just have seen.
As the two boys ran towards the lake, Conan and Nihonmatsu followed them. Ayumi took my hand and Dino's in each of her smaller hands and dragged us back to the rest of the spectators.
"Did you catch it?" I heard Mitsuhiko call out in excitement.
"Err… No, that's not it. Look."
When we arrived Ayumi let go of our hands and slipped through the crowd to her friends. Standing on my toes I tried to look what happened and before I knew it I was lifted up in the sky as my purse dropped on the grass.
"V-V-Valentino!?" I called out in fluster as I looked down at the grinning blonde. "P-Put me down!"
"If I can see your vulnerable side just like this, then I will gladly sleep on the couch tonight." He grinned as I felt myself burn up even more. "It's rare to see you like this."
"Y-You're embarrassing me…" I sulked as I looked away. To be honest, the feeling of being carried like this was quite enjoyable. The feeling of the soft breeze through my hair and the view of a higher perspective. However, with all the people looking in our direction it was more awkward than enjoyable. When I saw people taking pictures with their smartphones, a dreadful sensation crept in my stomach and the discomfort turned into unease. I was not liking the feeling I had, at all.
"T-They're making pictures." I whispered as I put my hands on his shoulders, trying to make myself smaller. "Could you put me down, please?"
"Hm? What's wrong with pictures of the two of us?"
"I mean it, Dino. Put me down."
The Don looked surprised and with some reluctance he lowered me. When both my feet reached the solid ground, I grabbed my purse with one hand and Dino's hand with the other. In a hurry I walked away from the pond and onlookers.
"Sharon! Slow down for a moment! I'm sorry if I hurt you." I heard Dino call out after a few minutes. "I was only teasing."
Slowing down I let go of his hand and leaned against a nearby tree. We were already near the exit of the park. "It wasn't that I didn't like it…" I muttered as I looked at the grass underneath my feet. "It's just… It disturbs me that strangers make pictures of us like we're celebrities or something while we're… you know, part of something more sinister."
It was a lame excuse, but I didn't want him to worry about an old disturbing feeling in the bottom of my stomach.
"You don't have to worry, Sharon." Dino reassured me as he gently pulled me in an embrace. "They're just making a picture of a very well matched couple and nothing more. Even if it gets out that we're… more sinister than we look like, I will protect you. No, I will protect both of us. Even from hitmen like snipers."
Wincing at the last part I wrapped my arms around his torso as I took in his comfortable warmth. Even though I did not say anything about that, he somehow understood it. Ever since the assassination attempt I feel slightly uneasy on showing my face in public places, especially since the whole mafia community know my face by now. It disturbs me that other people know me, while I do not know them. Even more, because I know that there are people around who despise the Vongola Famiglia, making me a possible target to them. The same for the Cavallone Famiglia, just the thought that Dino might get hurt or even worse terrified me.
Feeling Dino pat my head I looked up again, "Come on, let's go to the department store and buy those disguises. That way no one will recognise either of us." He smiled gently. As the image of Dino with those funny glasses reappeared in my mind I laughed. "That's much better. A smile like that suits you better."
Feeling once more embarrassed I release the embrace and hit his chest with the back of my hand as I laughed shyly, "Stop being so cheesy."
Just when he was about to touch my lips, Mitsuhiko and Conan rushed past us, running towards the exit of the park.
"Ah, Sharon-san, Dino-san!" The freckled boy called out as he suddenly stopped, making Conan almost bump into him. "There you are, we thought you left already!"
"We're sorry for disappearing without notice." Dino said as he walked over to the boys. "Is there something going on? You look like you're in a hurry."
"Ah, yes. It seems Nihonmatsu-san is a liar and we, the Detective Boys, are going to figure out why he wants the four snapping turtles."Mitsuhiko replied without a hint of dishonesty.
"Four?" I questioned out loud as I quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes, apparently there are four snapping turtles and we think there is an underlying reason for Nihonmatsu-san to want all four of them. Do you want to join us in our investigation, Sharon-san, Dino-san?"
Not expecting to be invited to their small investigation, I eyed at the blonde and I saw him with a thinking expression. He was actually considering it and it made me smile a little. I could understand that it was an alluring invitation because the chances that we get to investigate something without having a darker motive is as good as zero. So it was not much of a surprise when Dino turned to me with an innocent smile, "Sounds interesting, don't you think, Sharon?"
Chuckling at his ecstatic look, I returned the smile. "Yeah, it is."
"Alright! Detective Boys, dispatched!"
Disclaimer: Case is derived from Detective Conan episode 468.
