He milled around quietly, eyes shifting from one face to another, unsure of whom he was looking for but knowing there was someone he wanted to see. Blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes… There was no sapphire or emerald or amber—each pair of eyes was just another in a sea of faces. He sighed quietly, tempted to pull out his pocket watch for the umpteenth time. Instead he opted to clasp his hands behind himself and lean against the wall.

He had never enjoyed parties like these. It really wasn't a party, just a gathering of rich and influential people under the pretense of a dance. People in dresses and suits spun in stiff circles to the music. There were no smiles (or at least, none like Kuroba's or even any one of his other old classmates. These were thin and false, not the toothy grins that showed true enjoyment) and only polite chatter filled the silence. Glancing down at his own dark brown and white tux, Hakuba supposed he really wasn't any different.

His eyes grew hooded with boredom. It was only because of his parents' pressuring that he was here in the first place. If he had his way, he'd be back at home, reading a good mystery novel over a cup of tea. As a young woman in a black dress and pearls passed by, he forced a smile and nodded in greeting. She returned the gesture before breezing off to find her date. The moment he was alone, a sigh puffed out of the detective's lips. He lifted his gaze to the crowd once more in search of something to occupy his thoughts.

The mob of people seemed to part beneath his gaze. His rich chocolate eyes settled on a woman at the other end of the room, and the entire setting seemed to brighten. He picked out a red dress, strapless and with a skirt cut above the knees so it showed off long legs, made longer by a pair of black pin heels with fastenings that looped around the ankles. Auburn hair framed a narrow but undeniably beautiful face, with curled locks spilling over her shoulders. Hakuba gasped quietly, struck not only by her beauty, but also by how familiar she looked.

Their gazes held—mocha on nutmeg—and Hakuba found himself striding forward. He danced around a passing couple, ducked under an arm that swung out, and opened his mouth to call, "Koizumi-san!"

There I was again tonight

Forcing laughter faking smiles

Same old tired lonely place

Walls of insincerity

Shifting eyes and vacancy,

Vanished when I saw your face

All I can say is it was—enchanting to meet you

She gave a smile that he couldn't tell if it was genuine or not him as he bowed formally. Koizumi had always been strange in the aspect that he could not read her. He couldn't help the disoriented feel he got around the young woman. His usual ability to tell truth from lies was rendered useless with her.

"It's been a while, Hakuba-kun," she said in her usual lofty tones.

Suddenly nervous, he linked his fingers together and took a quick, calming breath. "Two years," he agreed, "though it doesn't feel like much time has passed."

Akako hummed noncommittally. Tension seized him, his heart leaping at the thought that he was boring her. Desperate to fill the silence, he blurted out, "So why are you here?" Immediately, he blushed, the heat on his cheeks feeling odd and uncomfortable. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid. Is that all you can think of?'

He could see the amusement in Akako's eyes. "My family is rather… prestigious. We have lots of money and friends in high places, if you know what I mean. It's always good to know a Koizumi." She gave a sort of smile/smirk. "So, Hakuba-kun. Why are you here?"

Glad that she was at least entertaining his rather dull choice of topic, Saguru relaxed slightly. "I came here in my father's place. He's the superintendent of the police force," he added as an afterthought. With an almost bitter grin, the detective sighed, "It can be rather rewarding to have the law on your side. "

"I'm sure it is," was all Akako said. They fell into an awkward silence once more. Awkward, that is, for Hakuba. Koizumi seemed perfectly content to watch him squirm. Gritting his teeth slightly, the detective offered a hand to the young woman.

"Would you like to dance? For old time's sake, of course."

She seemed shocked for a moment, and Saguru felt a twinge of mixed satisfaction and nerves. Then the full lips were curving up again and she stepped forward. He took her hand in his, placing the other one carefully on her hip. He noted almost proudly that he was taller than her.

Then they danced.

They were both experienced dancers, unsurprising to either side. They started off slow, spinning just as the other couples did, stepping roughly in time with the beat. As the next song began to play, the tempo picked up and so did their movements. Hakuba led, taking her around the floor quickly but smoothly. Their arms lifted in sync and she twirled, the skirt fanning out and spinning with her. Then he pulled her back in and they were moving once more, spinning, stepping, never faltering in their dance. Even as a small sheen of perspiration appeared on both their faces, they were grinning into each other's eyes. She challenged him with the crook of her lips, and he accepted boldly.

It was an unexpected fluke when one couple stepped into their path. As they tried to move away, Akako's foot slipped and she fell back. Immediately Saguru bent down to catch her, holding her arm high above his head while his free hand rested in the small of her back, shaping her body into a graceful arc as her hair brushed against the floor. His face was incredibly close to hers, mere inches away. Her eyes were impossibly wide, pools of amber and he was drowning in them. All he'd have to do was lean forward a bit more, bring her face a bit closer…

The detective pulled back abruptly, helping his partner to her feet. It was impossible to tell if the flush on his cheeks was from exertion or embarrassment. Once again, gazes were locked. Her eyes were fever bright, seeming to gleam at him with a light he had never seen there before. Unknown to him, his mouth was pulled up in a lopsided grin.

Suddenly Akako stepped back. The spell was broken, and the lights seemed to dim once more. Saguru found himself missing the brightness. "Thank you for the dance," she murmured. "It was… nice."

Hakuba swallowed, throat dry. "I should-" he broke off, voice too raspy. Clearing his throat, he started once more, "I should be the one thanking you. This will certainly be one of the highlights of my night." He excused himself quickly to the bathroom and hurried away.

A stream of water jetted out of the faucet as he turned the tap all the way. Cupping his hands to gather the cold water, he splashed it vigorously against his face. He spat out a bit of water as he stared at himself in the mirror. The water had made his eyes go a bit red, but the flush on his face had faded, leaving no trace of his previous discomfiture. In its place, though, was a bitterness he had never felt before. Or rather, he had, but not for a long time, and not nearly as strong.

The first time was two years ago, at the end of his final school year. He had caught Kuroba and Aoko kissing in an empty classroom, locked in an embrace and unaware to the outside world. When they broke apart, realizing they had an intruder, he had been sworn to secrecy and quickly ushered away in good nature. Yet despite the awkward grin on the magician's face, there had been a hard glint in his eyes that said, 'Mine now. I won—you can't have her.'

The first person he had liked, as in really liked, had been stolen away from him by his rival. He had lost to the thief he was endlessly chasing.

Again.

Now, as he gripped the edges of the porcelain basin, the same unpleasant bitterness was rising up deep inside him. Rejection was cruel. That sad thing was, he hadn't even known he'd liked Koizumi in that way, not until now. That he had been shot down before even trying left him with a sense of melancholy deep in his chest, constricting his lungs and squeezing his heart.

Saguru took a steadying breath before drying his face on a towel. Reluctant to rejoin the party, he pulled out his pocket watch. For the first time ever, he had the strong desire to fling the object against a wall. Three more hours were left before he could head home and pretend this never happened.

He turned at the sound of his name, a mere whisper in the wind that shouldn't have been audible but somehow was. He immediately met a pair of nutmeg brown eyes, so wide, gleaming brighter than stars. Lips that were full and red were parted as laughter spilled from them—not the usual loud cries, but peals of genuine laughter. They were dancing, though there was no music to be heard. His heart was pounding as he brought her close against his chest, the rhythm of their feet ceasing but not the one of their hearts. Then he pulled away just a bit before leaning in again to capture those red lips—

There was a sharp rap at the door.

Hakuba jerked violently, nearly sending the open book on his lap flying to the floor. He blinked at it before realizing where he was and sticking a bookmark between the pages (he always kept one handy). Moments later, he was walking quickly down the hall, fixing his hair and straightening his clothes that had been rumpled from sleep.

When the door swung open, he was alarmed to see Koizumi hovering on his porch. "May I come in?" The woman asked with a slight strain to her voice. She had her fingers twined tightly in front of herself, face flushed slightly. She had to be freezing; the cold air was already nipping at his nose.

"Of course," the detective waved her inside and shut the door behind him. The tension immediately left Akako's frame as she sank gratefully into the warmth of the mansion. Saguru hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "If you don't mind my asking… why are you here?"

"My car broke down," she sniffed.

Saguru could not help but raise an eyebrow. "Don't you have a flying broomstick or something like that?"

Akako scowled, seeming offended by his question. Once again, the usual fluster rose up inside him. "I don't take my broom everywhere. Besides, it's not proper form to use one when in a dress." Hakuba's cheeks grew warm at the thought. "My own residence is beyond where taxis could take me, so I was forced to come to yours. You don't mind, do you?" She put on a shy smile and fluttered her lashes.

He knew it was an act. He knew it, for Akako Koizumi would never act so shy, especially not around him… "Of course not. I have plenty of spare rooms if you need to spend the night."

Her face brightened and Saguru had to fight back a goofy grin. "Thank you, Hakuba-kun!" Her tone was too sweet to be genuine. Just as he was about to wrestle his mind back into gear, she rose up to place a small kiss on his cheek before walking off down the hall. Mind shutting down. Attempting reboot. Error, Error.

When his brain picked itself out of the mush it had turned into and dusted itself off several minutes later, he went about informing the workers of the visitor. The staff wasn't a large one—a few maids and butlers here and there, and of course Baaya—as most stayed with his currently out-of-country parents. Akako certainly made herself at home. She seemed to have no trouble with making 'requests' (read: polite orders) to the staff and settling herself in.

Hakuba really wasn't sure if that was annoying or endearing. Both, he supposed, as he laid in his bed late into the night. Or perhaps early into the morning, it was an hour past midnight already.

Morning brought with it not the usual smell of cooking breakfast, but rather Baaya setting out a pair of nice clothes for him.

"…Baaya?"

"Yes, Botchama?"

"What are you doing?"

The elderly lady gave him a shrewd smile. "Well, I figured it would only be polite to invite the young mistress out to breakfast." She held up a dress shirt before nodding to herself and laying it out along with some pants.

"What do you-"

"Oh, please, Botchama. I saw the looks you were giving her last night. If you are half the gentleman you claim to be, invite her out to breakfast!" Was that a glint of mischief in the caretaker's eyes?

He groaned quietly but relented. "Very well, but only if you let me pick out my own clothes."

"You might want to buy some flowers-"

"Thank you, Baaya."

"Good morning, Hakuba-kun."

"Good morning, Koizumi-san."

...

"Do you have something to say?"

"Ah-! Yes, sorry. Um… would you like to go out for breakfast?"

"I'd love to."

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever, wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you, too

Owl City, Enchanted

-totters in- Sooo… still alive? Survived the apocalypse? Congrats, so did I! Unless we're in some sort of parallel dimension time paradox thingy… Eh, who cares? Um, first thing's first. I don't think I'll be able to write a Christmas fic. See, school's kept me busy in the beginning of the month, I have no computer most of the time, yesterday was my birthday party, tomorrow is my birthday, and the next is Christmas. And laziness. Let's not forget the laziness. So, there's my list of excuses. Gomen.

Also, great news! The Eleventh Striker has come out in English subbed! HECK YES! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOREVER! So, thank you to everyone who put their time into providing the next amazing edition to the DC series. We love you. :3

Next... Well, this was obviously based off of Owl City's Enchanted. Dear God, I love that band! And it's not even a band! Also, I have another reason to love the song Fireflies. See, my friends were sleeping over and well... they wouldn't shut up. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but it was 1 AM and I was tired and a bit sick. So in the end I got everyone to be quiet and played Fireflies. Everyone fell asleep after that. So thank you, Adam Young!

Okay, almost done. This is my first Saguru/Akako story. Yay for me!

And finally, happy holidays! Happy Kwanza, Hanukkah (I know it's late) and Merry Christmas from DetectiveLion!