Warning Tags: Chapter 6 (Part I)
Title: Warning Tags: Chapter 6
Characters: Very Kato Shigeaki-centric this time due to the events of previous chapters. But not without some Jun, Sho, Toma, Nino, Ohno, Kuroki Meisa and a few more guest appearances.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,884 words (very draggy because I want to keep teasing - in fact too long for LJ so part 2 of this chapter is here)
Disclaimer: Purely fictional, of course. Glaring lapses of logic abound. Not beta'd. I wanted to emphasise the theme that things are not always as they seem so this is a bit of a major detour from the main plot, allowing one of the minor characters to seize the spotlight.
Summary: The aftermath of events from the end of Chapter 5...
Master Post
Jun leapt to his feet at once as the man staggered in to plant both hands firmly on Jun's desk in need of leverage. “I need help.”
“Of course,” Jun nodded, reaching for his own handkerchief to offer to the man who was currently bleeding over his desk. “Would you like to take a seat while I take down your details?” He studied the man's injuries, deciding that the blow to the man’s head could mean a concussion. He picked up the desk phone, “hello? Could I get a paramedic here please?”
The man fixed him a steely gaze, as if sizing him up. “I want a police officer.”
Jun pointed at his stripes, “I am Sergeant Matsumoto,” he explained slowly, “how may I help you?”
The man hardly looked appeased, adjusting his glasses so that he could glared back at Jun through the single lens that was not cracked. “I want a real one.”
* * *
Jun’s eyes snapped open, barely in time to realise that he’d dozed off and was falling forward. Thankfully, he managed to pull himself back up straight, narrowly missing hitting his head against his desk.
Nerves temporarily on full alert, Jun scanned his unfamiliar surroundings, remembering that he was now in a new city and having nobody waiting for him back home, had chosen to stay behind to analyse the evidence. The clock at the bottom right of his screen helpfully informed him that it was three minutes to one in the morning. Groaning, Jun leant back in his chair, the thin sheen of moisture at the back of his neck informing him that the room temperature had skyrocketed since he’d nodded off.
Fighting lethargy and the stifling heat, Jun forced himself to his feet and walked over to the air conditioner control panel mounted by the wall, attempting rather unsuccessfully to lower the temperature. It was dead. Great. Jun fought off a sense of irritation as he stomped over to the windows to open them up.
The breeze on his skin felt wonderful. Jun closed his eyes to savour the evening air as it cooled him down. Even the headache that was threatening to erupt was ebbing away. He’d had that nightmare. Again. The one where a man in need of medical attention had told him off, declaring that he’d rather wait than allow Jun to assist him.
Simply because he didn't look like a proper member of the police force.
Thankfully, Tanaka Koki, one of the newly-minted officers that Jun happened to be showing the ropes to that morning had satisfied the man's ideal of what a “real cop” was supposed to look like, agreeing to let the rookie take his statement down.
The entire police station had never quite allowed him to live that moment down afterwards, sniggering behind his back. As if that hadn’t been bad enough, he was then arrested while on a stakeout three months later, accused of being a stripper who wore “a really authentic-looking police uniform”.
A year and a fair share of arresting criminals later, Jun had finally realised that his hometown, for all its friendly faces, was simply never going to stop judging him based on his looks. That was when he’d decided to jump at the opportunity to transfer to a bigger city where he was certain that people, exposed to all sorts of craziness and diversity, would be less likely to make assumptions before witnessing his efforts.
Of course, people like the medical examiner then had to go and prove his theory wrong. In fact, Jun was quite certain that the judgemental jackass was to blame for his recurring nightmare featuring again.
“Thought you might still be here.” Jun whirled around in surprise, finding Sho at the entrance, grinning back at him as he produced a paper bag with the logo of a restaurant printed on the side. The smell of food filled the air, reminding Jun that having skipped dinner, he was actually starving. “It's not the supper I had in mind yesterday but the place does offer a decent takeaway service.”
“You didn't need-” Jun's stomach traitorously grumbled at that point.
Thankfully, Sho didn’t seem to have heard, merely walking over to one of the empty desks and taking out the containers and placing them on the table, “yes, I didn't need to,” he admitted, turning back to Jun to offer him a serviette, “but I wanted to. At any rate, this was no trouble for me - I had just finished running an errand.”
“This late at night?” Jun queried incredulously, accepting the serviette nonetheless.
“Well, it-” Sho frowned as he peered into the first box. “ah, rats, they got the wrong order.” He looked back at Jun apologetically, “I hope you don't mind pasta.”
“Mind?” Jun could hardly believe how the u-turn that his luck had made. “No, I love it!” He responded enthusiastically as Sho handed him his favourite dish.
“Glad to hear that the Sakurai luck manages to hold out every now and then,” Sho remarked, looking amused. “Although with your stomach grumbling like that, I would think that you’d find anything edible your favourite dish right now.” Sho added teasingly.
Jun groaned, “I thought you heard me.”
“You’re talking to a crack member of the police force here,” Sho grinned, puffing his chest in a superhero pose. “There’s just no fooling me.” He nodded towards Jun’s box, “come on, eat up. There’s a test later today and you don’t want to be starving.”
Jun made a face, “another one? I got my fitness chart signed off when I transferred here.”
“This one’s medical - to check if your cholesterol, blood sugar and other standard health stuff are all acceptable,” Sho explained. “The superintendent decided on it after one of our best officers survived getting shot at four times only to be killed by a heart attack,” Sho looked away, giving his own box a brief stare before looking back at Jun with a sad smile, “she was only 26 then.”
“Did you know her well?”
“We’ve worked together,” Sho offered noncommittally before nodding at Jun’s meal. “Eat up. Your meal’s getting cold.”
Jun shovelled a forkful of pasta in his mouth, feeling absolutely content as he swallowed it. Right then, he wasn’t so miserable or alone.
* * *
Masuda Takahisa looked at his watch irritably, for what might have been the twelfth time that morning.
Bastards. He cursed inwardly. The both of them. He decided. Was nobody capable of keeping time anymore these days? Was it rocket science to-
“You look like you want to murder your watch. Did it offend you somehow?” A voice teased.
Massu grumbled at the newcomer, wishing it was one of the two morons who clearly didn’t own a timepiece. “My friends are late. They both seem to have a very poor grasp on the concept of time.”
The woman nodded sympathetically. “I know what you mean. I work with people like your friends all the time. Fortunately, I have ways of making them make up for it.”
“Oh?” Massu queried, interested.
“Bill them,” the woman explained. When Massu looked at him in confusion, she pulled out a business card and offered it to him.
Massu gave it a quick glance. “Horikita Maki. Attorney.”
“Morning, Ma-” Shige paused as he glared at Massu’s new friend. “You.”
Horikita smiled back charmingly at Shige. “Morning, Assistant Prosecutor.” Despite the huge smile plastered on her face, Shige didn't seem too pleased to reciprocate. Massu wondered if it wasn't some botched romance of Shige’s that had gone wrong. They were both lawyers so that was entirely possible...right?
“My client, Ms Kuroki Meisa, is currently a guest of your fine establishment’s hospitality. Wrongfully, of course.” Horikita explained sweetly. The exchange invoked images of a black widow luring her prey in Massu.
Shige looked irritated. “That's your opinion, Advocate Horikita. At any rate, one, your complaint should be brought to the attention of Prosecutor Kimura and two, I’m not in my office right-”
He was cut off by Horikita who had pulled out a folder and shoved it into Shige’s hands. “One, we all know you end up doing all his skivvy work anyway, Kato and two, I want my client out within the next hour.” She leant forward, lowering her voice, “or I sue the entire department for wrongful detainment. Your choice.” She backed away, gave Massu another smile before leaving. “I await your positive response.”
On her way out, she signalled a waitress, “sweetie, the Assistant Prosecutor will have his black coffee to go. He’s going to need to hurry and liberate a woman who's been wrongly imprisoned.”
The waitress nodded, looking in Shige and Massu's direction with admiration in her eyes before hurrying off to process the order. Massu spoke up first. “Wow. She even knows what kind of crap you drink. How come we never knew you actually had a love life, Shige?”
Shige glared back at Massu, “Our so-called relationship was hardly loving - she’s a classmate back at university and was on the opposing counsel at my moot court examination.” Shige scowled over the memory. “She pretended not to have prepared anything and begged to see my notes so she wouldn't fail completely. Like an idiot, I felt sorry for her and lent her my notes. All this time, she had not only prepared, but she used my notes to crush every single one of my arguments in the court. I came across as the total idiot in front of our examiners.” He gave his watch a glance, swearing softly, “damn it.”
Massu frowned, “what is it now?”
“Nothing,” Shige muttered absent-mindedly as he pulled his sleeve over his watch, but not before Massu caught sight of the broken face of Shige’s watch, a graduation present from his parents. Massu looked back up at Shige, just in time to catch him glancing at the clock on the wall, “I need to go.”
“What about Yuya?”
A hint of annoyance flickered in Shige’s eyes, disappearing just as quickly. “What about him?” Shige sounded almost defensive, “he's late. That’s not unusual. This is Tegoshi that we’re talking about after all. He might be sleeping in at some late night conquest's place.”
Massu had to admit that Shige’s theory was highly probable. He could count the number of times that their friend arrived at an arranged meeting on time with one hand. Yuya was simply notorious for being a diva that did things at his own pace. It was an odd personality to have for someone who was supposed to be a psychologist. Sometimes, Massu had to wonder just how successful Yuya was at his job.
“What you choose to do on your one day off is your own choice, Massu - but I wouldn't bother wasting it by waiting for him.” Shige paid for the black coffee the waitress bought by, leaving Massu to wonder whether to stay or go.
* * *
Someone was at his desk, going through his stuff.
Groaning, Jun forced his eyes to open and sat up to find Ikuta Toma standing at his desk, his hand-scribbled notes in Toma’s hands. Failing miserably at stifling a yawn, Jun rubbed his eyes and stretched. “Morning.”
As if he had just been caught doing something illegal, Toma almost dropped Jun’s sheaf of notes. “Mo-morning.”
Jun indicated to his notes, “see anything you could offer insight to?”
“Insight?” Toma echoed, hurriedly shuffling the pages into a neater pile again before placing it back on Jun’s desk. “No, I’m sorry. Nothing. But…are you ready for the test today?”
Another yawn. Jun nodded, “yes, Sho told me that our group was up today.”
Toma checked his watch. “Well, we’re scheduled for our tests at 08h30. That’s in ten minutes. Nino and Ohno have already gone on ahead. We better get going if we don’t want to be late.” Obediently, Jun got up to follow Toma when he stopped him. “Considering that we’re going to see a doctor concerning our health, I would think it best that you at least prove you practise personal hygiene, Mr Morning Breath.”
“Uh-”
Toma sighed, studying him. “Nino wasn’t kidding when he said you were going to be a wet-behind-the-ears. Always have overnight supplies in your locker. I have a spare toothbrush in my locker. Combination is 1007. Top shelf. Freshen up and meet us in Room 357 in Wing D.”
Jun thanked Toma, bolting off in the direction of the lockers. Roughing it, it still took Jun a good seven minutes (he lost 15 seconds due to a near-collision with a detective who complained about a counsellor who wasn’t so good at keeping appointments) before he found himself in Wing D where Nino and Ohno’s backs were facing him, the pair seemingly in deep conversation. Jun decided to sneak up on them to give Nino a scare.
“Can’t believe it’s that time of the year again,” Ohno commented softly. “An initiative for something that never happened in the first place.”
Nino nodded, his response equally soft. “It’s the price we all have to pay. We agreed that it was for the best.”
“Is it?” Ohno queried, “I doubt Sho would-” Ohno cut himself off as he noticed Jun standing there, mid-step. “Jun.”
Nino cleared his throat, “you managed to make it in time.” He scanned the area behind Jun, “where’s Toma? Idiot is going to be late.”
Jun frowned, “I could have sworn that he was in front-”
“Made it!” Toma declared proudly. When he realised that all three of them were looking at him, he smiled sheepishly. “I got accosted by the Yoshitaka sisters.” He offered as a way of explanation. Nino groaned. Seeing that Jun was confused, Toma elaborated, “they’re the pair of officers from Traffic who insist that Nino and their model sister should hook up.”
“So what’s wrong with that?” Jun asked, looking between Nino and Toma.
“Well,” Toma turned to Nino, “based on the sample size that has already evaluated-”
“Two of the Yoshitaka TRIPLETS,” Nino supplied.
Toma continued, “Nino reckons that model sister Yuriko is probably much too large for his delicate girly frame to handle.”
“Isn’t it bad for a detective to make assumptions like this?” Jun queried, searching his memory of the so-called Yoshitaka sisters. Now that Toma and Nino had mentioned it, he did recall running across a pair of butch-looking ladies marching a suspect into the station on his first day.
“It’s not an assumption if you use your detective’s gut instinct,” Nino explained. “Besides, from a purely statistical standpoint, I’m probably dead on right.”
Toma rolled his eyes. “I will never understand what the female population sees in you. At least you’re not getting away with conning the doctor with your charm-” Toma’s voice trailed off as the door to the private room opened, revealing a young woman wearing a doctor’s coat.
Ohno looked confused. “Good morning…I thought Dr Yamada was-”
The woman looked a little bored. “He couldn’t make it. I’m Dr Nakashima.” She studied the four of them, “so who wants to go first?”
Nino shoved Ohno forward, “show us how it’s done, oh fearless leader.” He leant forward over Ohno’s shoulder, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “The Inspector is a little shy,” he explained, giving Dr Nakashima a wink.
Dr Nakashima’s face lit up in response. “Hoo boy,” Toma muttered under his breath.
“Ohno.” They all turned to the direction of the voice, Jun catching sight of a harassed-looking man in a suit stomp through the corridor. Jun had never seen the man before and he was too well-dressed to be a police officer. Perhaps that made him -
“Kato Shigeaki,” Toma offered, leaning over to provide an introduction. “He’s an assistant prosecutor. Lousy hair most of the time but pretty damn good at his job.”
Ohno looked puzzled to see him. “Kato,” he acknowledged, “what brings you here?”
Kato shoved a document into Ohno’s chest. “What do you think?” He hissed. “Needless to say, Kimura is pissed off.”
“Gentlemen,” Dr Nakashima cleared her throat, speaking up. “As much as I enjoy watching you sling faeces at each other as a sign of male dominance, I do have fourteen evaluations to go through before lunch. Would you therefore be so kind as to decide on who is going first?”
“I’d be more than-”
“Toma take the next slot.” Ohno growled out suddenly, cutting Nino off. He’d just finished scanning the document Kato had given him and he looked just as peeved (if not more). Toma nodded, getting up slowly to follow Dr Nakashima without another word. Ohno waited until the door had closed before turning to Nino and Jun. “Now gentlemen - do either of you have an idea as to why Assistant Prosecutor Kato is here with an order to release Kuroki Meisa from custody?”
Admittedly, Jun hadn’t been at the station long but even he had to admit that this serious, angry-looking side to Inspector Ohno Satoshi was something terrifying to behold.
* * *
Kuroki Meisa looked bored when Jun, Nino, Ohno and Kato came into view of her cell. “Well,” she began, swinging her legs off the bunk to get to her feet. “About time you came, I was getting bored.”
“I’m-”
Kato cut Ohno off, “no apologies, Inspector.” Ohno nodded, understanding what an apology meant - an admittance of wrong-doing and an invitation to a potential lawsuit. Even so, he looked back at his ex-wife remorsefully. Kato produced a form, handing it to Kuroki. “We will release you once you have signed this charge sheet.”
Kuroki scanned the document, looking back up to stare at Kato. “Obstruction of justice? Seriously? You’re really going this route? I want my law-”
Kato produced an evidence bag containing a number of torn pages from a mini notepad, cutting Kuroki off. “That’s me looking the other way. Perhaps you want to tack on “theft” as an additional charge, seeing where I found Detective Matsumoto’s notes?” Without another word, Kuroki snatched the pen in Kato’s other hand and scrawled her signature on the line, throwing both pen and paper back at the assistant prosecutor. Kato examined the document, nodding when he was satisfied. “Thank you, we will have an officer escort you out momentarily.” He turned to the other three, “gentlemen? I'd prefer we don't have a repeat of this." Although his words were directed at Nino, Jun couldn't help but feel that Kato was looking at him instead, as if to size him up.
* * *
Onto Part II
Characters: Very Kato Shigeaki-centric this time due to the events of previous chapters. But not without some Jun, Sho, Toma, Nino, Ohno, Kuroki Meisa and a few more guest appearances.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,884 words (very draggy because I want to keep teasing - in fact too long for LJ so part 2 of this chapter is here)
Disclaimer: Purely fictional, of course. Glaring lapses of logic abound. Not beta'd. I wanted to emphasise the theme that things are not always as they seem so this is a bit of a major detour from the main plot, allowing one of the minor characters to seize the spotlight.
Summary: The aftermath of events from the end of Chapter 5...
Master Post
Jun leapt to his feet at once as the man staggered in to plant both hands firmly on Jun's desk in need of leverage. “I need help.”
“Of course,” Jun nodded, reaching for his own handkerchief to offer to the man who was currently bleeding over his desk. “Would you like to take a seat while I take down your details?” He studied the man's injuries, deciding that the blow to the man’s head could mean a concussion. He picked up the desk phone, “hello? Could I get a paramedic here please?”
The man fixed him a steely gaze, as if sizing him up. “I want a police officer.”
Jun pointed at his stripes, “I am Sergeant Matsumoto,” he explained slowly, “how may I help you?”
The man hardly looked appeased, adjusting his glasses so that he could glared back at Jun through the single lens that was not cracked. “I want a real one.”
* * *
Jun’s eyes snapped open, barely in time to realise that he’d dozed off and was falling forward. Thankfully, he managed to pull himself back up straight, narrowly missing hitting his head against his desk.
Nerves temporarily on full alert, Jun scanned his unfamiliar surroundings, remembering that he was now in a new city and having nobody waiting for him back home, had chosen to stay behind to analyse the evidence. The clock at the bottom right of his screen helpfully informed him that it was three minutes to one in the morning. Groaning, Jun leant back in his chair, the thin sheen of moisture at the back of his neck informing him that the room temperature had skyrocketed since he’d nodded off.
Fighting lethargy and the stifling heat, Jun forced himself to his feet and walked over to the air conditioner control panel mounted by the wall, attempting rather unsuccessfully to lower the temperature. It was dead. Great. Jun fought off a sense of irritation as he stomped over to the windows to open them up.
The breeze on his skin felt wonderful. Jun closed his eyes to savour the evening air as it cooled him down. Even the headache that was threatening to erupt was ebbing away. He’d had that nightmare. Again. The one where a man in need of medical attention had told him off, declaring that he’d rather wait than allow Jun to assist him.
Simply because he didn't look like a proper member of the police force.
Thankfully, Tanaka Koki, one of the newly-minted officers that Jun happened to be showing the ropes to that morning had satisfied the man's ideal of what a “real cop” was supposed to look like, agreeing to let the rookie take his statement down.
The entire police station had never quite allowed him to live that moment down afterwards, sniggering behind his back. As if that hadn’t been bad enough, he was then arrested while on a stakeout three months later, accused of being a stripper who wore “a really authentic-looking police uniform”.
A year and a fair share of arresting criminals later, Jun had finally realised that his hometown, for all its friendly faces, was simply never going to stop judging him based on his looks. That was when he’d decided to jump at the opportunity to transfer to a bigger city where he was certain that people, exposed to all sorts of craziness and diversity, would be less likely to make assumptions before witnessing his efforts.
Of course, people like the medical examiner then had to go and prove his theory wrong. In fact, Jun was quite certain that the judgemental jackass was to blame for his recurring nightmare featuring again.
“Thought you might still be here.” Jun whirled around in surprise, finding Sho at the entrance, grinning back at him as he produced a paper bag with the logo of a restaurant printed on the side. The smell of food filled the air, reminding Jun that having skipped dinner, he was actually starving. “It's not the supper I had in mind yesterday but the place does offer a decent takeaway service.”
“You didn't need-” Jun's stomach traitorously grumbled at that point.
Thankfully, Sho didn’t seem to have heard, merely walking over to one of the empty desks and taking out the containers and placing them on the table, “yes, I didn't need to,” he admitted, turning back to Jun to offer him a serviette, “but I wanted to. At any rate, this was no trouble for me - I had just finished running an errand.”
“This late at night?” Jun queried incredulously, accepting the serviette nonetheless.
“Well, it-” Sho frowned as he peered into the first box. “ah, rats, they got the wrong order.” He looked back at Jun apologetically, “I hope you don't mind pasta.”
“Mind?” Jun could hardly believe how the u-turn that his luck had made. “No, I love it!” He responded enthusiastically as Sho handed him his favourite dish.
“Glad to hear that the Sakurai luck manages to hold out every now and then,” Sho remarked, looking amused. “Although with your stomach grumbling like that, I would think that you’d find anything edible your favourite dish right now.” Sho added teasingly.
Jun groaned, “I thought you heard me.”
“You’re talking to a crack member of the police force here,” Sho grinned, puffing his chest in a superhero pose. “There’s just no fooling me.” He nodded towards Jun’s box, “come on, eat up. There’s a test later today and you don’t want to be starving.”
Jun made a face, “another one? I got my fitness chart signed off when I transferred here.”
“This one’s medical - to check if your cholesterol, blood sugar and other standard health stuff are all acceptable,” Sho explained. “The superintendent decided on it after one of our best officers survived getting shot at four times only to be killed by a heart attack,” Sho looked away, giving his own box a brief stare before looking back at Jun with a sad smile, “she was only 26 then.”
“Did you know her well?”
“We’ve worked together,” Sho offered noncommittally before nodding at Jun’s meal. “Eat up. Your meal’s getting cold.”
Jun shovelled a forkful of pasta in his mouth, feeling absolutely content as he swallowed it. Right then, he wasn’t so miserable or alone.
* * *
Masuda Takahisa looked at his watch irritably, for what might have been the twelfth time that morning.
Bastards. He cursed inwardly. The both of them. He decided. Was nobody capable of keeping time anymore these days? Was it rocket science to-
“You look like you want to murder your watch. Did it offend you somehow?” A voice teased.
Massu grumbled at the newcomer, wishing it was one of the two morons who clearly didn’t own a timepiece. “My friends are late. They both seem to have a very poor grasp on the concept of time.”
The woman nodded sympathetically. “I know what you mean. I work with people like your friends all the time. Fortunately, I have ways of making them make up for it.”
“Oh?” Massu queried, interested.
“Bill them,” the woman explained. When Massu looked at him in confusion, she pulled out a business card and offered it to him.
Massu gave it a quick glance. “Horikita Maki. Attorney.”
“Morning, Ma-” Shige paused as he glared at Massu’s new friend. “You.”
Horikita smiled back charmingly at Shige. “Morning, Assistant Prosecutor.” Despite the huge smile plastered on her face, Shige didn't seem too pleased to reciprocate. Massu wondered if it wasn't some botched romance of Shige’s that had gone wrong. They were both lawyers so that was entirely possible...right?
“My client, Ms Kuroki Meisa, is currently a guest of your fine establishment’s hospitality. Wrongfully, of course.” Horikita explained sweetly. The exchange invoked images of a black widow luring her prey in Massu.
Shige looked irritated. “That's your opinion, Advocate Horikita. At any rate, one, your complaint should be brought to the attention of Prosecutor Kimura and two, I’m not in my office right-”
He was cut off by Horikita who had pulled out a folder and shoved it into Shige’s hands. “One, we all know you end up doing all his skivvy work anyway, Kato and two, I want my client out within the next hour.” She leant forward, lowering her voice, “or I sue the entire department for wrongful detainment. Your choice.” She backed away, gave Massu another smile before leaving. “I await your positive response.”
On her way out, she signalled a waitress, “sweetie, the Assistant Prosecutor will have his black coffee to go. He’s going to need to hurry and liberate a woman who's been wrongly imprisoned.”
The waitress nodded, looking in Shige and Massu's direction with admiration in her eyes before hurrying off to process the order. Massu spoke up first. “Wow. She even knows what kind of crap you drink. How come we never knew you actually had a love life, Shige?”
Shige glared back at Massu, “Our so-called relationship was hardly loving - she’s a classmate back at university and was on the opposing counsel at my moot court examination.” Shige scowled over the memory. “She pretended not to have prepared anything and begged to see my notes so she wouldn't fail completely. Like an idiot, I felt sorry for her and lent her my notes. All this time, she had not only prepared, but she used my notes to crush every single one of my arguments in the court. I came across as the total idiot in front of our examiners.” He gave his watch a glance, swearing softly, “damn it.”
Massu frowned, “what is it now?”
“Nothing,” Shige muttered absent-mindedly as he pulled his sleeve over his watch, but not before Massu caught sight of the broken face of Shige’s watch, a graduation present from his parents. Massu looked back up at Shige, just in time to catch him glancing at the clock on the wall, “I need to go.”
“What about Yuya?”
A hint of annoyance flickered in Shige’s eyes, disappearing just as quickly. “What about him?” Shige sounded almost defensive, “he's late. That’s not unusual. This is Tegoshi that we’re talking about after all. He might be sleeping in at some late night conquest's place.”
Massu had to admit that Shige’s theory was highly probable. He could count the number of times that their friend arrived at an arranged meeting on time with one hand. Yuya was simply notorious for being a diva that did things at his own pace. It was an odd personality to have for someone who was supposed to be a psychologist. Sometimes, Massu had to wonder just how successful Yuya was at his job.
“What you choose to do on your one day off is your own choice, Massu - but I wouldn't bother wasting it by waiting for him.” Shige paid for the black coffee the waitress bought by, leaving Massu to wonder whether to stay or go.
* * *
Someone was at his desk, going through his stuff.
Groaning, Jun forced his eyes to open and sat up to find Ikuta Toma standing at his desk, his hand-scribbled notes in Toma’s hands. Failing miserably at stifling a yawn, Jun rubbed his eyes and stretched. “Morning.”
As if he had just been caught doing something illegal, Toma almost dropped Jun’s sheaf of notes. “Mo-morning.”
Jun indicated to his notes, “see anything you could offer insight to?”
“Insight?” Toma echoed, hurriedly shuffling the pages into a neater pile again before placing it back on Jun’s desk. “No, I’m sorry. Nothing. But…are you ready for the test today?”
Another yawn. Jun nodded, “yes, Sho told me that our group was up today.”
Toma checked his watch. “Well, we’re scheduled for our tests at 08h30. That’s in ten minutes. Nino and Ohno have already gone on ahead. We better get going if we don’t want to be late.” Obediently, Jun got up to follow Toma when he stopped him. “Considering that we’re going to see a doctor concerning our health, I would think it best that you at least prove you practise personal hygiene, Mr Morning Breath.”
“Uh-”
Toma sighed, studying him. “Nino wasn’t kidding when he said you were going to be a wet-behind-the-ears. Always have overnight supplies in your locker. I have a spare toothbrush in my locker. Combination is 1007. Top shelf. Freshen up and meet us in Room 357 in Wing D.”
Jun thanked Toma, bolting off in the direction of the lockers. Roughing it, it still took Jun a good seven minutes (he lost 15 seconds due to a near-collision with a detective who complained about a counsellor who wasn’t so good at keeping appointments) before he found himself in Wing D where Nino and Ohno’s backs were facing him, the pair seemingly in deep conversation. Jun decided to sneak up on them to give Nino a scare.
“Can’t believe it’s that time of the year again,” Ohno commented softly. “An initiative for something that never happened in the first place.”
Nino nodded, his response equally soft. “It’s the price we all have to pay. We agreed that it was for the best.”
“Is it?” Ohno queried, “I doubt Sho would-” Ohno cut himself off as he noticed Jun standing there, mid-step. “Jun.”
Nino cleared his throat, “you managed to make it in time.” He scanned the area behind Jun, “where’s Toma? Idiot is going to be late.”
Jun frowned, “I could have sworn that he was in front-”
“Made it!” Toma declared proudly. When he realised that all three of them were looking at him, he smiled sheepishly. “I got accosted by the Yoshitaka sisters.” He offered as a way of explanation. Nino groaned. Seeing that Jun was confused, Toma elaborated, “they’re the pair of officers from Traffic who insist that Nino and their model sister should hook up.”
“So what’s wrong with that?” Jun asked, looking between Nino and Toma.
“Well,” Toma turned to Nino, “based on the sample size that has already evaluated-”
“Two of the Yoshitaka TRIPLETS,” Nino supplied.
Toma continued, “Nino reckons that model sister Yuriko is probably much too large for his delicate girly frame to handle.”
“Isn’t it bad for a detective to make assumptions like this?” Jun queried, searching his memory of the so-called Yoshitaka sisters. Now that Toma and Nino had mentioned it, he did recall running across a pair of butch-looking ladies marching a suspect into the station on his first day.
“It’s not an assumption if you use your detective’s gut instinct,” Nino explained. “Besides, from a purely statistical standpoint, I’m probably dead on right.”
Toma rolled his eyes. “I will never understand what the female population sees in you. At least you’re not getting away with conning the doctor with your charm-” Toma’s voice trailed off as the door to the private room opened, revealing a young woman wearing a doctor’s coat.
Ohno looked confused. “Good morning…I thought Dr Yamada was-”
The woman looked a little bored. “He couldn’t make it. I’m Dr Nakashima.” She studied the four of them, “so who wants to go first?”
Nino shoved Ohno forward, “show us how it’s done, oh fearless leader.” He leant forward over Ohno’s shoulder, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “The Inspector is a little shy,” he explained, giving Dr Nakashima a wink.
Dr Nakashima’s face lit up in response. “Hoo boy,” Toma muttered under his breath.
“Ohno.” They all turned to the direction of the voice, Jun catching sight of a harassed-looking man in a suit stomp through the corridor. Jun had never seen the man before and he was too well-dressed to be a police officer. Perhaps that made him -
“Kato Shigeaki,” Toma offered, leaning over to provide an introduction. “He’s an assistant prosecutor. Lousy hair most of the time but pretty damn good at his job.”
Ohno looked puzzled to see him. “Kato,” he acknowledged, “what brings you here?”
Kato shoved a document into Ohno’s chest. “What do you think?” He hissed. “Needless to say, Kimura is pissed off.”
“Gentlemen,” Dr Nakashima cleared her throat, speaking up. “As much as I enjoy watching you sling faeces at each other as a sign of male dominance, I do have fourteen evaluations to go through before lunch. Would you therefore be so kind as to decide on who is going first?”
“I’d be more than-”
“Toma take the next slot.” Ohno growled out suddenly, cutting Nino off. He’d just finished scanning the document Kato had given him and he looked just as peeved (if not more). Toma nodded, getting up slowly to follow Dr Nakashima without another word. Ohno waited until the door had closed before turning to Nino and Jun. “Now gentlemen - do either of you have an idea as to why Assistant Prosecutor Kato is here with an order to release Kuroki Meisa from custody?”
Admittedly, Jun hadn’t been at the station long but even he had to admit that this serious, angry-looking side to Inspector Ohno Satoshi was something terrifying to behold.
* * *
Kuroki Meisa looked bored when Jun, Nino, Ohno and Kato came into view of her cell. “Well,” she began, swinging her legs off the bunk to get to her feet. “About time you came, I was getting bored.”
“I’m-”
Kato cut Ohno off, “no apologies, Inspector.” Ohno nodded, understanding what an apology meant - an admittance of wrong-doing and an invitation to a potential lawsuit. Even so, he looked back at his ex-wife remorsefully. Kato produced a form, handing it to Kuroki. “We will release you once you have signed this charge sheet.”
Kuroki scanned the document, looking back up to stare at Kato. “Obstruction of justice? Seriously? You’re really going this route? I want my law-”
Kato produced an evidence bag containing a number of torn pages from a mini notepad, cutting Kuroki off. “That’s me looking the other way. Perhaps you want to tack on “theft” as an additional charge, seeing where I found Detective Matsumoto’s notes?” Without another word, Kuroki snatched the pen in Kato’s other hand and scrawled her signature on the line, throwing both pen and paper back at the assistant prosecutor. Kato examined the document, nodding when he was satisfied. “Thank you, we will have an officer escort you out momentarily.” He turned to the other three, “gentlemen? I'd prefer we don't have a repeat of this." Although his words were directed at Nino, Jun couldn't help but feel that Kato was looking at him instead, as if to size him up.
* * *
Onto Part II