: Pull the Trigger :
First Shot, Warning
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is the property of Amano Akira.
Author's Note: Slow, slow progress.
But thanks for reading, dotYui. I'm glad you like it so far. And hehe, you like Michi? His character was fun to come up with and I have a lot planned for him. Hopefully involving a certain Guardian, but I'll leave the who to your imagination for the time being. Don't … want to give too much away before things get really interesting, after all.
As far as updates go, I think every weekend sounds about right (or not). So … possibly every Saturday starting today? Something like that.
Anyway, on with the story~!
Warning Four: Carefully Laid Plans
"Good morning, citizens of Namimori! Today we have a very important announcement to make."
A sleepy blond tuned out the reporter's overly cheerful voice, trying to wake up and put his uniform on before Daichi returned from his early morning jog. His friend had left the TV on for whatever reason and the noise was aggravating him to no end. It served its purpose in waking him up, but that didn't mean he wanted to be awake. Why did his best friend have to go and be such a damn morning person?
"… Phantom Thief … sighted … suspected to be armed … do not approach."
Now that caught his attention. Interest piqued, Hiro sat down on the spare futon in his friend's room and watched the report. He tugged on his socks without looking down, eyes never straying from the television.
"Sources say the suspect is an eighteen year old male of average height and build, going by the name of Kano, and appears to be living in the downtown area. Nothing more is known about him currently, but if anyone has any further information pertaining to the case, do not hesitate to call our hotlines. We advise parents and teachers alike to …"
Pulling on his shoes, Hiroyuki ignored the rest of the broadcast. So they don't know much about him either, huh. It hadn't been of any help, but he did know someone who could give him the information he was looking for, the kind that wasn't allowed to go public. He finished tying his shoes and headed for the bedroom door, glad he had gotten up early after all.
He found his way to the kitchen a few minutes later, a pleasant aroma in the air as breakfast was cooked. "Good morning, Yoshida-san," he greeted the woman by stove, and then hid a yawn, "did mom leave already?" He didn't bother to ask about his father, he already knew the man was gone. His father always left early on Fridays. The why behind that was a mystery, but his father was full of them lately. Pulling out a chair, he had a seat at the table and then glanced at his watch. It'll be another ten minutes before Daichi gets back. There was plenty of time to ask a couple of questions without arousing suspicion then.
"Ah, Hiro-chan, did that spoiled son of mine wake you up again?" Daichi's mother, Yoshida Reiko, looked over her shoulder with a bright smile for her guest. "That's just like him. I'll be sure to yell at him properly tonight."
Hiro chuckled and propped up an elbow on the table. "It's fine, really. But man, how does he do it? I can't stand getting up this early."
She wiped her hands on a small towel and then turned to give Hiro her full attention. "That would be his father's fault. He was the morning type too." The dark haired woman scrunched up her nose. "I couldn't stand it either. When there was a day I could sleep in, I wanted to sleep in." She laughed a little and then walked over to have a seat across from him at the table. "So are you enjoying your stay here despite that no good son of mine?" Her smile broadened as she reached for the mug in front of her, taking a sip from it. "Oh, but where are my manners! Are you thirsty? I could make you some tea."
"No thanks," the blond had to turn down her offer, "you've been too kind as it is. Letting my family stay here and all. Thank you very much. For everything."
Reiko waved a hand and leaned back in her seat. "It's not a problem at all, you know that! Anything for Dai-chan's best friend. It's the least I can do. You've taken such good care of him."
Smiling, Hiro admitted, "But he's not really the type that needs worrying about or anything. I'm lucky to have him as a friend." Going quiet, he tried to figure out the best way to approach the real topic he wanted to discuss. "But, Yoshida-san," he began softly, "I kind of do have something I want to ask of you."
"Hm? What's on your mind, Hiro-chan?" Reiko offered yet another warm smile, showing there was no reason to hesitate.
Hiro straightened up in his chair, idly tapping his fingers against the table's surface. "It's just … Daichi mentioned something about you doing a report on that Phantom Thief?"
The dark haired woman seemed to instantly brighten, brown eyes lighting up with unmistakable challenge. "Ah, yes, the infamous Kano-sama!" Her grin turned into more of a smirk. "I've been on his case for a while now, nearly a month. He's an interesting one, that thief. What is it you want to know about him?" She eyed her son's friend curiously before adding, "And why?"
"For a school project," the young Sawada explained without meeting her eyes. "My class has to do something on current affairs and I wanted to do mine on him." The blond fished around for the smallest detail that could prove he had been doing his research. "His three day game, that's what really got me interested. I mean, does he play it with everyone, or just the important targets? Like art collectors?"
"Your guess is as good as mine on that. But are you sure you want to do your project on him?" She appeared confused, with good reason. "He's certainly no idol for a middle school student. He's more the type you want to lock up and then conveniently lose the key to … maybe even throw him off the side of a cliff while you're at it," Reiko was resolute in wording. The effect was lost not a moment later by stray locks of black hair tumbling out of her haphazard ponytail. It appeared she hadn't gotten a chance to get ready for work yet – well, if her bath robe and tired expression were anything to go by. How she could still manage a real, honest smile, Hiro couldn't for the life of him figure that one out. "I don't think you should be concerning yourself with him, Hiro-chan, it's just not worth it."
While he was disappointed in the answer, he hadn't given up. "Well, it's just a project," he insisted, smiling the best smile he could, "and with the crime rate increasing drastically like it is, I figured why not choose a thief to demonstrate the incline?" His brain was thoroughly exhausted with this conversation and it wasn't really even school related. The headache from yesterday felt like it was about to hit him full force again. This is important, though. Emiko … and me too … we might be in trouble. Not to mention he couldn't get over the absence of the choker. It just felt weird without it. "This might be a little bold," Hiro admitted sheepishly, "but if you're reporting on him tonight, could I tag along?" Before she could object, he added, "I want to see a live reporter in action, that's all, I swear. It would help out my angle for the project. Maybe give me an idea or two."
At first it looked as if Reiko would refuse, but after a sigh and a jerky nod of her head she finally relented, "Fine, but only because it's Hiro-chan asking."
The blond allowed a more genuine, if smaller, smile to show through. "Thank you. You won't regret it."
"I would think not," she smiled back, regardless of her own thoughts on the matter. "Let's not tell Dai-chan, though. He's a little protective of you."
So even Yoshida-san has noticed? His smile faltered a bit. "Yeah. So where are you reporting from tonight?"
"Mm, downtown." She grimaced. "Not a good place for kids, so we're definitely not telling Dai-chan, but I'll let your parents know. I don't want them to worry. Are you familiar with that old diner that's become popular with the students lately?" Hiro nodded, having heard the tales and rumors of the 'heavenly food' they now served. "Well, that's where we're broadcasting live from tonight. We're running an interview there, with the employees. The manager set it all up. Apparently the diner is in the district where the most frequent Kano sightings have occurred. We're looking into it," she explained with a distracted lilt to her voice.
Hiro didn't ask what was on her mind, careful not to pry too much in case he didn't like the answer. "What time should I be there?" he questioned instead, propping both elbows up on the table this time to support his chin as he relaxed.
The dark haired woman considered that, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Best to get there early if you're going to come. But … don't you have practice today?"
While she knew about his archery, she wasn't familiar with his schedule. He offered a half-hearted smile and shake of his head. "Not today. Daichi and I usually hang out on days like this, but I think he has a date with Yuko-san so ..." Hiro laughed humorlessly. "I have nothing planned. I'll make sure I'm on time, promise."
"Ah." Reiko made a face that didn't quite suit her personality at all, annoyance plain as the eye could see. "That girl again, huh? Don't know what he sees in her." Hiro would have agreed, saying a very heart-felt me either, but the older Yoshida didn't give him a chance to speak. "Well, since it isn't a problem of time …" She paused, thinking it over once more. "How about five thirty? We don't start until six anyway."
"Perfect," Hiro replied easily. He stopped short of saying anything else as a boisterous, "I'm home!" signaled his friend was back. That was the end of that, fishing more information would have to wait.
It didn't take long for Daichi to amble into the kitchen, spiky hair askew and sweat dripping down into his favorite dark blue hoodie. Hiro noted absently his friend was heading towards the refrigerator and stood, sneaking up behind him and giving him a good kick to the rear when he bent over, much to the flat-out amusement of Yoshida Reiko. The taller of the two boys retracted into a rigid stance, glancing warily over his shoulder. "Good morning to you too, grumpy."
The blond offered him a glare. "That was for waking me up so early." Having said his peace, he turned back to the still snickering Reiko and suggested, "If you want to go get ready for work, I would be more than happy to watch breakfast for you, Yoshida-san." He had already taken into account that the food was almost finished. It wouldn't be too hard to handle. Or so he hoped. Moving out of Daichi's way as his friend closed the refrigerator door, Hiro continued with, "Because this idiot might burn it and, well, he needs a shower." He covered his nose, waving a hand for show. "He stinks."
Daichi stuck out his tongue and then took a swig from the water he had just retrieved from the refrigerator. "I'm going, I'm going. Hey, don't forget to wake up Emiko-chan," he reminded as he started out of the kitchen, his mother following behind him with a bit of relief showing through, no doubt thinking maybe I won't be late. "She's a heavy sleeper," Daichi went on as he stretched out stiffening limbs, "didn't expect that. Tried to wake her up, but … that didn't work too well."
"Yeah. That's just how she is." Having lived his entire life under the same roof as his sister, Hiro had come to expect many things when it came to her. He would just have to wait and wake her up when breakfast was ready. If not, there surely would be hell to pay. It made him wonder, not for the first time, why she wanted to be a nurse-in-training so badly. "Go on, I'll worry about Emiko later." Both mother and son gave him a sympathetic smile before leaving, familiar with Emiko's temper through first-hand experience. Hiro wasn't worried about that too much, though. Instead, he eyed the still cooking food with growing trepidation. Why had he thought this was a good idea again?
- XI -
"And you scolded me about burning breakfast?" teased Daichi at lunchtime. He passed over the bento he had bought for his friend. It was payment for the past two lunches he had stolen. It worked out that way a lot. Daichi taking two, paying for one, and then repeating the process over and over again until it had by now become more of a tradition than anything else. Being what it was, Hiro accepted the food wordlessly and went straight to eating after a mumbled out, "Itadakimasu." "Oi, what's with the silent treatment? No harm, no foul, Hiro. It wasn't too bad, you know? Mom even complimented how thoughtful you were about it! Even if you could use some work in the kitchen, that's still an accomplishment, right?"
Easing up on the teasing, Daichi turned his attention to his own lunch, albeit preoccupied by something. It wasn't until Daichi swallowed and spoke again that Hiro realized he could have done without knowing what that something had been. "You had better start learning to cook with Emiko-chan, though," the dark haired boy advised cheerfully. "After all," the blond stiffened, chanting in his mind must not kill best friend, must not kill best friend, "don't you have to impress Nakamura?"
While Daichi rolled with laughter, Hiro fought back a blush and glared at the bento in his lap like it had been the one to embarrass him. "Knock it off, Daichi! That's still not funny." The blond shook his head and decided he never, ever - even under penalty of death - wanted to know how his friend's mind worked. "You know that I like Katsumi-chan! She's the only one I like," he declared stubbornly, aiming a glower at his friend and daring him to challenge that.
"Haha, but your face was priceless when I said it. Come on, you didn't expect me not to get even with you after you literally kicked me in the ass this morning, did you?"
Hiro would admit his friend had him there. "Whatever, just keep your perverted comments to yourself." That didn't mean he had to like the method of revenge. He kind of missed the syrup mishap after that one. "Oh hey, almost forgot," the blond purposely diverted the conversation, "since you're walking Yuko-san home, does that mean no dropping by that new arcade tonight?"
"Whaaat?" Daichi tilted his head to the side, chopsticks poised over his bento box. "Who said anything about bailing on the plan? We'll meet there later, of course!"
As pleased as Hiro was to hear that, he also knew his own plans for the night would be ruined if he didn't think fast. "Well, the arcade closes at seven, idiot. I figured you would treat Yuko-san to dinner, so …" he trailed off, letting his friend fill in the blanks.
"Ah. That, well …" Daichi scratched his cheek, slipping into the typical 'I'm thinking, this could take a while' frame of mind. The blond watched, holding back a laugh, and waited for what his friend would come up with this time. "I could always treat her to dinner some other night, I guess. Since we already have plans and all."
Hiro mentioned off-handedly, "Yeah, maybe, but she'll be expecting your attention on her tonight. Don't worry about it. I'm not going to get mad if we change the game plan, Dai, I'm not your girlfriend after all," he joked with the smallest of grins. "It's not like we can't go tomorrow or something. It's a half-day too, so you know what that means." The grin broadened. "I get off early from practice! So let's go then. If you don't mind hanging around and waiting for me." The blond stopped, remembering something that could mess that idea up. "But I heard the judo club was going out soon to celebrate their advancement to the Prefectural. That's not tomorrow, is it?"
The way Daichi was frowning, it was obvious it was tomorrow. "It won't work, Hiro, it's no good. Not unless you want to hang out with the judo club all afternoon."
Not seeing a problem with that, Hiro jumped at the chance. "Sure! I'll get to meet your friends from club properly for once." Well, he did see a few problems with that, most of them concerning certain rumors, but he had other things to worry about, more important things. Like figuring out what a thief, a letter, and a missing choker all had in common. There had to be something he was missing. "So let's just do that. You guys can come see the archery club as well then, maybe even cheer us on for next week's tournament." It was only the District Competition, but it wouldn't hurt to get some inter-school support. Not to mention, quite a few guys had a crush on their lead star, Honda Yumiko, and it wasn't as if they wouldn't be willing to come watch her shoot some targets.
His friend made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat and went back to eating. At first Hiro assumed he had won and that was the end of that. An easy win, too, which was unlike Daichi. It wasn't until his friend spoke up again that he realized he was wrong to even think that. "Let's not and say we did, okay?"
"Huh?" Glancing uneasily at his friend, Hiro set his chopsticks down and placed the bento aside, scooting closer to Daichi. His friend didn't look sick, but Hiro pressed a firm hand against the other's forehead anyway to check his temperature. "Guess you're not sick, so what's wrong?"
"Nah, it's nothing."
Come to think of it, Hiro couldn't remember a time where his friend had stopped by the archery field just to watch. There had been occasions where Daichi came to talk to him during club, but he never stayed for too long. Even if judo usually let out earlier than archery, he was always gone before anyone could notice. But why? "I'll believe it's nothing when you stop acting like an idiot."
Daichi opened his mouth, ready to retort, but his response was drowned out by a loud, "Oi, Yoshida!" from the doorway. Both boys turned to see who was calling out. While Daichi frowned, Hiro just cocked his head to the side with curiosity. It wasn't someone he knew, which seemed to be happening a lot lately, but there was a sense familiarity that even he couldn't shake. "Who are you?"
"Sasagawa Minori," Daichi ground out before their guest could. The two classmates swapped equally annoyed looks before begrudgingly smiling at one another. "What is it?" The dark haired boy began to stand in case he was needed somewhere. "Is it important? I'm kind of in the middle of lunch. So if it can wait …"
"It's nothing like that, no need to worry," the girl told him in an upbeat sort of way. "I just wanted to know why you didn't invite me to lunch today, Yoshida. After I told you -"
"It's because you told me that I didn't invite you!"
"Well, then you should have been more clear and told me properly," she responded stiffly, using the same tone he dared to use with her.
"I did, you just ignored me!"
"I did no such thing!"
Hiro couldn't keep up with the argument. He didn't even understand it. Tuning the two of them out, he took the time to study the girl instead, still trying to figure out where he knew her from. Despite her masculine way of speaking and her short hair, she was definitely a girl, as proven by her uniform and bust-line, but there was something about her that reminded him more of a guy. Maybe it was the way she styled her hair, the white locks spiked up in all directions like that. She didn't look like Daichi, though. Wherein his hair was always disorderly and hastily done, her style was quite the opposite, as in each spike was individually fixed to perfection. His friend sorely lacked the patience for that.
"Right, Hiro?!" The blond was thrown by the fact it was said by not one, but two voices.
He replied with a clever, "Do what now?"
"She says you know her!"
"He says you don't know me!"
"Explain it to this - this idiot that I'm right!" they shouted together, forming a loud harmony as their two voices blended into one. They continued to increase the volume as the argument heated up, causing Hiro to finally decide enough was enough. Doing what he was best at, he interrupted them before any unwanted attention could be drawn.
"This is a problem between the two of you," he tried to reason over the noise. "Shouldn't you try to find a solution that doesn't involve others?"
"No, that's not it, Hiro! You've got it wrong," Daichi protested with flailing arms, "this has everything to do with you!"
"Oi, shut up! I should be the one explaining," Minori injected as she stepped closer. "He is my adorable cousin, so back off already!"
Cousin? Hiro thought to himself in shock. He should have questioned that, but he was distracted by Daichi stepping defensively in front of him, blocking his view of the girl. "… What are you doing, Daichi?"
"This girl is certifiably insane! Should I … you know, get rid of her?"
Hiro wasn't sure what bothered him more, his friend asking him that in a heavily empathic manner or the strange girl who claimed to be his cousin. Then again, if she was his cousin that explained a lot. Sasagawa, he recalled the name vaguely, isn't that mom's maiden name? Thinking of his mother led to him realizing with a start, "Ryohei-occhan. That's who you remind me of." The white-blond spikes, the mischievous glint in those pale gray eyes, it was all so overwhelmingly familiar and now he knew why.
The young girl stepped around Daichi's protective stance with a cheery, "Yup, that's my dad all right." She crouched down to meet Hiro eye for eye. "Do you know where he is?"
"Uh …" That was a weird question to ask. "Don't you know that already?"
Minori was forced to back up as Daichi stepped in between them again. "That's what I've been trying to say," the dark haired boy persisted, "she's obviously lying! Since when do you have a cousin like her?"
Hiro nearly lost his cool. Since when was it okay to talk to someone's cousin like that? The protectiveness had to end somewhere. He made to stand and start up an argument of his own this time, but Minori beat him to it by grabbing the taller boy's collar and forcing him unnervingly close to her body.
"Since now," she growled. "Look, you dimwit, this might be hard for you to understand, but Hiro is my cousin. My cousin," she said slowly, as if speaking to a very small child, "and it's important that I talk to him and I will talk to him. Whether you're here or not!" Hiro didn't like the way she said that, mainly because her eyes darted from the rooftop ledge and back, an underlying threat there. "To make it easier for you to understand," she continued on, surprisingly controlling herself and reigning in her temper, "I'll try to put it like this: I've been living with my mother, not my father, since I was four. I grew up in Hokkaido and I moved here," she let one hand go and waved it carelessly around to indicate the here, "to Namimori so I could see my dad again."
"That makes sense," Hiro spoke up before Daichi could. He had given up on staying still and had finally stood, pushing his friend to the side to face the girl head on. "Ryohei-occhan and Hana-obasan separated when I was really little, I don't remember much from that time." He glanced at Daichi and explained for his benefit, "This all happened before we met in that park, idiot." Though he probably could have said it without adding the insult.
Regardless, his friend let up on the issue and concentrated on prying off the girl's surprisingly strong grip. "Okay. Let's just say she is your cousin," the disbelieving boy muttered, "how come you two don't even know each other?"
"Hana-obasan didn't leave on … very good terms with Ryohei-occhan," Hiro rationalized uncomfortably, beginning to rub at the back of his neck. This wasn't a topic he really wanted to discuss with anyone. "That's what mom told us, anyway. They were divorced before I even set foot in elementary school."
"Yup, sounds about right. Mom's not a big dad fan," Minori agreed, lifting one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. Then, realizing she was still holding onto Daichi, she let go of his uniform entirely. "She says dad's useless, pathetic, good for nothing, a waste of space -"
Hiro was fairly sure she would have continued down a long, long list, but he chose that moment to cut in with, "Yeah, we get the picture." With views like that swaying her opinion, Hiro was a bit puzzled as to why she was even looking for her father. According to his mom, Kurokawa Hana had a high-paying job within the government and her lifestyle was worth envying. Why would Minori leave all that behind to come here, to the remote town of Namimori? "I can't tell you where he is," the disappointed look on her face was enough to have him apologizing, "I'm sorry, I just don't know. Ryohei-occhan's always busy and away on business." Come to think of it, I don't know what he does either. Is everyone I know not who I think they are? Her entire expression had become crestfallen, forcing even Daichi to feel bad for her. The blond tried to recall anything that could possibly help, and a split second later blurted out, "But I do know someone who could help you find him."
The white-haired girl perked up immediately, eyes bright and energy bursting out of her in waves. She rocked back and forth on her heels to expend some of her excitability and teetered dangerously close to the still uneasy Daichi. "Who? Who? Lucky!" There was no calming her down now, but Hiro had a good idea what might.
"You'll have to go to Take-Sushi. Ask for Yamamoto Takeshi. He knows a lot about Ryohei-occhan, trust me."
Brimming with anticipation, it looked like Minori might bolt any second. "Thank you so much, Hiro! I'll definitely pay you back for this! Nya, lucky!" It wasn't until she was gone that he realized he hadn't objected to her calling him Hiro, not once. Maybe it was that weird intuition thing again trying to tell him in its own way that she was someone to be trusted. He couldn't say for sure, but that felt right somehow.
"… I still don't like her."
Biting back a smile, Hiro responded to his friend with a light-hearted, "Sure you don't."
- XI -
"And then you know what he did?"
Hiro didn't, nor did he want to, but Emiko was going to tell him whether he liked it or not, so he figured why fight it. "I don't. What did he do?" He kept his tone neutral and politely interested, but his mind was elsewhere as they made their home – to their temporary home, at least.
"He invited that weirdo over, you know the one! With those freaky eyes. That … that Vanilla-kun or whatever."
His sister had never been good names, but at the mention of 'weirdo' he was certain he knew who she was talking about and now he was interested. "You mean, Nico-kun?" From someone he couldn't remember too well, he had heard the boy called 'Vancillo' and that left him confident it was that person. "Did he do something to you?" He stopped walking and opted to stare worriedly at his sister. "If he did anything to you, I'll report it," he promised, dead serious, "that boy isn't right in the head and I don't trust him any farther than I can throw him."
Emiko kept walking until she was a few steps ahead and then stopped as well. "Nothing like that." She threw him a glance over her shoulder, studying his expression. For what, he didn't know, but apparently she found what she was looking for because next he knew she was scoffing and shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. He was just … really …" The word she was searching for didn't seem to do it justice. "Friendly?"
It was an innocent way to put something he suspected had happened, but he didn't call her on it. "You should have eaten lunch with me," Hiro scolded, "Daichi scared him off the other day. Why didn't you come up to the roof?"
"You know why. I'm still washing that damn syrup out of my hair, Hiro. It was nice to have lunch with Hitomi, anyway," she defended, crossing her arms and no doubt pouting. "It was nice to have a girls' only lunch for a change. … Until those stupid boys showed up!" They started walking again, at a more subdued pace, and Emiko was more than willing to continue on with her tangent about boys and how they ruined everything.
He listened with half an ear again, nodding and 'mhm'ing when it seemed appropriate. They were only a block away from their destination when Emiko got fed up with talking to a bobble-head version of her brother and drawled out a purposeful, "Are you even listening, nii-san?"
"Hm?" Suitably distracted, he gave his attention back to Emiko. "That's a funny question, of course I'm listening."
It was Emiko's turn to 'mhm' before passing over a wrapped package taken from her satchel. "Here, this is what I was talking about. Mitsu-kun gave me chocolates, but you know I can't have them."
True enough, Hiro thought. His sister drew the line at ice cream when it came to sweets. Most girls tended to avoid them to lose weight, but not Emiko, her reason was different than that. She wasn't like normal kids her age. She had to watch her blood sugar levels with a regularity that defied reason. It had always been that way, ever since she had been diagnosed with type-one diabetes at the age of four. A lot of things had changed after that. Sure, it was easy to control through day to day insulin injects, but she had to do her part through diet and exercise as well. Despite knowing every thing there was to know about what plagued his little sister, it still didn't make it any less scary to Hiroyuki. The severity of the disease was not something he wanted to ignore.
"Nii-san. You're not listenin' again! Do you want the chocolates or not?"
Before she could change her mind, he snatched them up. "Thanks." He would save them for lunch tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, share them with Daichi - if the idiot didn't find them before then. He made a mental note to pick a good hiding spot. His friend had a sweet tooth a mile long and radar with even wider range when it came to candy. "Any plans for tonight?" he asked conversationally, stowing the gift away. "I'm going downtown to meet Yoshida-san for a report she's doing, do you want to come?" His sister could defend herself and she wouldn't go blabbing to Daichi, so he didn't see what the harm was in asking. Plus, he wanted someone he could talk to about what he found. Why not his sister, who was in the same boat as him? The threat behind that letter wasn't going to go away by itself; it was up to them to do something about it.
"Why are you doing that?" Emiko looked at him strangely, like he had suddenly grown another head, or three. "You're not still thinking about that Kankun guy, are you?"
Let it never be said his sister wasn't astute enough to work her way out of a paper bag. She could do that and so much more. "It's Kano, not Kankun, and yeah. Aren't you?" They fell silent as their walk home came to an end. No one made a sound. Only the wind as it sang its autumn lullaby for the dancing leaves was allowed to break that peace. Or at least that was until, "Anyway, I should get changed before I head out. You coming or not?"
A dark expression shadowed her face, but Emiko looked away before he could call her on it. "Fine, whatever. Let's go see how a real reporter reports on reportable stuff …"
He laughed and held the door open for her. "Ladies first."
"… You're such a suck-up."
A slight grin, one that said 'thank you', was the only answer to that. "I'm not allowed to be nice?"
"Che," she shook her head, "you being nice is normal. But when you try to be polite, you're so fake."
"I resent that!"
"And I resent being related to you, so we're even." They bickered up until the point where they had to separate to change out of their uniforms, spare clothes in opposite directions. After agreeing they'd meet outside when they were ready, they parted ways and tugged on more fitting clothing for their excursion, each preparing in their own way. Hiro made sure to bring a notebook, of course, while Emiko made sure to grab something sharp and pointy. Then, after doubling checking everything, they were ready to go.
- XI -
"Oh, Emiko-chan too, what a surprise!" Reiko sounded delighted at the extra company. "They need us to run a sound check before we go live, so I'll be with you kids in a second, okay?" She offered the Sawada siblings a warm smile and walked over to cameraman who had been desperately trying to get her attention. They heard a bit of yelling and "are you an idiot?", but Reiko seemed to take it in stride, still smiling.
"She's really pretty," Emiko commented off-handedly, admiring the elegant bun done up for the occasion. She vaguely considered having Reiko teach her how to do that, but cast that thought aside. Elegant wasn't her style. "I wonder why lover boy Yoshida looks more like the wrong end of an emu than that."
"Are you trying to insult an emu? Just what part of him looks like that?"
"The wrong end."
Snickering, Hiro was happy to point out, "You must stare an awful lot at his 'wrong end' to notice that, huh?" And he said it with air quotes and everything.
"You took that the wrong way and you know it!" she roared. He dodged the leaping-flying-tackle thing she liked to use in instances like this and kept dodging until the manager finally came over, apparently at wit's end, telling them to keep it down. The two teenagers sat down at one the diner's open tables in an effort to do just that. It was either behave or risk getting kicked out. Since they were here for a reason, they were good little children and sat down and played nice. Emiko, however, did not know the meaning behind the words 'play nice' and figured it was a good opportunity to glare at the manager's turned back, plotting the demise of yet another innocent soul. "Who does he think he is?"
"The boss," Hiro answered, exasperated. "Now keep it down and think. Why would Yoshida-san be interviewing the people here? Do you think they're on to something? Maybe one of the workers is …"
"Publicity," supplied Emiko. "It's all about publicity." But it wasn't only Hiro that studied the employees now, willing to see them in a new light - one that could hold the answers they sought. "Let's divide and conquer," she decided when things became too quiet for her liking. "I'll take half, you take half, and we figure out what they really know about the Phantom Thief."
The blond scoffed, wondering, "If they don't tell an adult, what makes you think they'll tell us?"
"Watch and learn, nii-san. Watch. And. Learn." Emiko stood back up and began to fix her mini-skirt over the black leggings she was wearing, readjusting her skinny tie as well before sauntering over to one of the employees.
Her brother slid down low in his seat, shaking his head. He had a good idea what his sister was up to and he did not want to learn how to do that. Unfortunately, he was curious about whether it would work or not and followed after her, careful to keep his distance lest he scare off the employee turned victim.
"Ah, excuse me! I was wondering if you could help me," she was saying to a boy around their own age. Hiro would have guessed he was a patron if it wasn't for the white kitchen uniform and the lop-sided chef's hat atop his head. The kid looked harassed already, but her hounding of him seemed to make it somehow ten times worse. "You see, I don't know what to order. You work here, don't you? Could you tell me what's the best dish on the menu?" She coyly twisted a long lock of hair around a finger, smiling in such a way as to put the boy at ease. It didn't seem to work because her smile could be dead scary when it lacked sincerity.
The boy fiddled with his chef's hat, straightening it back up, and then breathed out a nervous, "I should be getting back to the kitchen."
That didn't dissuade Emiko's advances, already slinging an arm around the agitated boy's shoulders. "Don't worry. The place is closing up early, isn't it? I'll be your last customer of the day, so help me out here," her voice had gone low and sultry and Hiro was positive she was practicing some obscure form of torture because the boy in her grasp was now squirming uncomfortably.
"I really should get back to the kitchen," the boy repeated like a broken record.
Switching tactics, Emiko ground out, "Listen, punk, I got half a mind to tell the school board on you. You're what? My age? Well, only if you don't answer my questions." She tightened her constrictive hold on his shoulders when he squirmed again, trying to escape. To prove she wasn't letting up, she added, "Or I could always get you fired. Which do you prefer?"
"E-Eek, anything but my job!" The boy covered his face, shaking. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, please! Just follow me to the back."
Emiko tossed a wink to where her brother was hiding behind a booth and jerked a thumb to the back, mouthing 'this shouldn't take long'. Masking a wince, Hiro hoped for the kid's sake that an ambulance wouldn't be necessary.
- XI -
The broadcast was set to begin any minute now and the customers were ushered out by a group of employees who looked about ready to keel over from a bad case of stage-fright. And still there was no Emiko. Her brother fidgeted and stared at the kitchen door, then fidgeted some more. This process repeated itself again and again until finally a heavy hand fell onto his shoulder and he started, turning his head to see who was invading his personal space.
"You look troubled, kiddo. Something wrong?"
Hiro pulled away and offered a shaky smile. "Uh, no. I was just waiting around for my little sister." There was something about that playful smirk on the man's face that set him on edge. Maybe that was why he took an instinctive step back. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Yeah, we kind of need everyone not any employee to leave," the man said dispassionately. There was slightest hint of exhaustion in his voice, clearly tired after a long day at work, but he still found the motivation to run a hand through his floppy, out of place rainbow colored hair in effort to keep his body busy and his mind awake. Hiro was under no uncertain impression that he looking at a rebel, one barely out of school, but that could have been him stereotyping because of the tattoos that ran up and down the man's arms, without any intention of being hidden.
The word thug came to mind too, but Hiro pushed it aside. "Um, well, I-I'm with Yoshida Reiko-san. My sister is too, if you see her. Brown hair, looks kind of like me. We're here to see Yoshida-san in action."
"Yoshida-san, eh?" The guy ruffled his hair again until it was an assortment of messy colors and then folded his arms across his chest, bluish green eyes lighting up and his earlier smirk spreading into a full-blown taunt. "Well, in that case, let me treat our special guests to a fun game! What do you say, up for it?"
At the moment, no, Hiro was not 'up for it'. "But my sister …"
"Then just the two of us. See, I get real bored just sitting around … and this interview thing is going to take a while."
This guy was looking for someone to entertain him? Hiro wasn't about to oblige. "I'm here to watch Yoshida-san, not play games." The blond raised the forgotten notebook in his hand, tapping it with his pen. "I'm busy."
"Oh, what a studious kid you are," jeered the man, reaching out and snatching the notebook away. He flipped through the pages, looking interested, and then tossed it aside, suddenly not. "As great a note-taker as you seem to be," the man said sarcastically, "I'm sure you'd rather play a fun game, kiddo. I'll even make it worth your while." A pack of cards was pulled out from inside a white-styled uniform, similar to the one the kitchen boy had been wearing. "It's simple. Call this a special brand of Ikeda magic."
Hiro kept his wary gaze on the cards as they were shuffled, wondering what kind of game this was going to be. A card game, that seemed obvious, but what kind? He didn't know many, and the ones he did he failed spectacularly at. "I don't want to play. What part of that don't you understand?"
"Are you running away, kiddo?" the guy openly ridiculed. The shuffling stopped and the cards were fanned out, the suit side facing Hiro. "Pick a card, any card."
He … wasn't kidding about the magic? The blond frowned and leaned forward, studying the cards with a critical eye to see if they were marked in such a way as to help the 'magician'. "Okay, fine, I'll play your game." Picking the two of hearts, he slid it out from the deck with still bandaged fingers and hid a small smile behind it. "I win and you leave me alone, deal?"
"All right," the guy, Ikeda something, winked. "And if I win, we keep playing."
"Your move," challenged Hiroyuki. "How do we play?"
Ikeda began to shuffle the cards again, going, "I'm glad you asked. See, I'm not going to just guess your card. That would be too easy, don't you think? Want to know what would be fun, though? If I did this." He had slowed in his shuffling and then suddenly all movement ceased, a card slipping in-between nimble fingers. The gangster looking guy held up a mimicking two of hearts and Hiro was forced to do a double-take at the one in his hands, only to come up short for a response when he noticed it was now a five of clubs.
"Wh – what?! But that's impossible!"
"Impossible?" Ikeda reeled back in shock and then laughed, leaning forward and winking once more. "So you say, but magic is a most wondrous thing." Hiro flinched as a hand came to rest behind his ear and pulled out something that definitely shouldn't have been in his hair in the first place. "With a little bit of magic, anything is possible." Seeming to enjoy himself, the man gave a bow and then held out a single red rose untangled moments ago from Hiroyuki's hair. "Here you go. For your lovely sister. Now let's go ahead and continue with our game, Hiroyuki-kun."
Hiro stood there with wide eyes and asked in a hesitant voice, "How did you know my name?"
"I hate to bother you boys when you look like you're having so much fun," Reiko chose that moment to interrupt. Hiro couldn't decide if he should be grateful or not. How did that guy …? "But I need to borrow Ikeda-kun here, Hiro-chan. I'll return him when I'm done," she promised, placing a gentle hand on the strange employee's shoulder and urging him onwards.
Before she could get too far away, Hiro told her with a bit of unease, "I think I'm going to leave. I don't feel so good." Disappointment mingled with her smile, but she waved him on, telling him to go get some rest. He wished he could have stayed, but his sister's disappearance was worrying him. Leaving the diner after saying goodbye, he looped around back and searched for another way in to the kitchen, banking on the fact they must have had a backdoor somewhere. He just needed to find his sister and then they could get out of here. That uneasy feeling was beginning to grow.
In the dim light of the street lamps, he located the door he was looking for and threw his shoulder against it in a vain attempt to get it to open. When that proved to be a huge failure of a solution, he pulled out his wallet and fiddled with his unused library card. He had seen Hayato use this trick once on a door similar to the one in front of him now, and it seemed the perfect time to put it into practice.
Shoving the slim end of the card into the crack between the door and its frame, he began to work it down and over the locked hatch, readying to open the door when it gave even an inch. He bit back a cry of surprise when it did just that, but not because he had done it. No, someone was opening the door from the inside. He stepped back from the door as fast as he could, but that didn't prevent the inevitable mess that followed. First came a shout of, "Hurry up, Karou-kun, throw that food out," and then silence as the boy tripped, fell, and landed on Hiro. As it usually did, gravity caught up with the two of them none-too-gently and they landed on the unforgiving blacktop with an umf and an ow. Hiroyuki could have handled the whole back aching and eventual bruising, but it was the fact that he was now covered in day old food and soured milk that made him groan.
The other boy who had been saved by a particularly blond cushion scurried backwards with an, "Eep."
Hiro sat up once the weight on his chest was gone, breathing easier, and let his gaze sweep over the other with a disinterested eye. He froze when he noticed it was the same boy who had disappeared some time ago with his sister. "Hey, you. Wh -"
"Please don't hurt me!" The kitchen boy was shaking once again, hiding behind his arms, and Hiro let out a sigh that could have been taken in a lot of ways. "I swear it was an accident!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Hiro dismissed, standing up with a wince and beginning to brush off the grim accumulating on his clothes, "but that's not what I want to talk to you about. Kid, do you -"
"It won't happen again, I'll be more careful. Please don't hurt me." The shaking had at least stopped, but Hiro would have preferred it over what had taken its place. The wobbly, tear-filled eyes were chipping away at his resolve and that made it twice as hard to demand information. He would have to handle the situation delicately.
"I … don't know what your problem is, but it's … er, going to be okay," Hiro said awkwardly as he reached over and patted the boy on the head. He noticed the lack of chef's hat and figured that would need to be found soon, before the kid went back into the kitchen at least. "Want me to help you out here, so you don't have to get yelled at too much?"
The boy looked star-struck at the offer and could hardly manage out a complacent, "O-Okay." Two pairs of hands made faster worker and together they were able to scrape off the majority of the food that had flown onto them and the ground, putting it where it belonged in the dumpster. They had even located Karou's missing hat and Hiro being the one to find it had sat it victoriously atop the other's light blue hair. A soft "thank you" later and they were sitting in companionable silence outside the kitchen.
Taking a chance, Hiro went back to probing the boy for his sister's whereabouts, not forgetting what he had come back here to find out. "You … wouldn't happen to know where that brown-haired girl from earlier went, would you?"
Karou abruptly stood. "I-I don't know who you're talking about."
"Sure you do," Hiro carried on in a reassuring tone, "you were talking to her not too long ago. I saw you."
"I don't remember any girl, I have to go."
The blond made to pursue the other boy, but he ended up with a door slammed in his face for his trouble. A new sign had been put up outside the door, written in a familiar, showy style. Employees Only, huh? Kano, you can run, but you can't hide. Hiro balled his hands into fists, nails biting into skin hard enough to draw blood if he let them. You took my sister, didn't you? It was no longer 'just a joke' and he had fallen right into a trap. Why? He thought to himself in frustration. Why are we being targeted?
His troubled mind was reflected back to him through the sky, a deep, foreboding gray as clouds rolled in for an impending storm. Hiroyuki was left to walk home alone, heart burning with an anger he hadn't known he could possess. That man will pay.
