[Log] Sajin Komamura, Soi Fon
Title: Mind the Gap
Characters: Sajin Komamura (soleil_de_lune), Soi Fon (tsuyosaoboetai)
Timeline: 17 April, 1950
Rating: PG13 (for language)
Summary: After all paperwork has gone through, Sajin and Soi go out on a mission to find it's a bust. Injuries occur and we see that Soi isn't as wicked as we all thought. She's worse.
Dogs. . .Dirty, foul creatures on four legs. Shaolin sneered at one as it sat outside of the car on his leash, tail wagging behind his lean body. It sat roughly three yards away from where she stood, fingers working open the snaps on her blazer. No matter how far away it was, that beast as still there. She wanted no part in touching it, holding it, talking to it. Nothing. The creature was an ‘it’ as well, for Shaolin had no intention of bonding with any of these canine’s.
But she did have to get closer to speak with Sajin. Surrounded by men on the mission, they talked amongst themselves while discussing the work or the papers in their hands. Shaolin only made a face and shook her head while walking around the outside of the cars. The path avoided the dogs. So she crossed her arms and marched around the vehicles to the other side where the amazingly tall man was. Moments like these, when the dogs began to suddenly bark, made her wish she didn’t have to suffer with bringing that man along.
“Komamura,” she snapped from the hood of the car where she stood as far from the four-legged animals as possible. “Are your mutts ready to sniff yet? I thought they did that naturally.”
---
Mid-sentence, explaining to the lieutenant who had accompanied them why it was imperative that he not pet the dogs who had accompanied them, that infuriating woman had walked up to him and interrupted him. Taking a slow, deep breath, Sajin handed off the papers for the mission and turned to look at her. "Miss Fon," He greeted coolly, taking note of the way she looked away from the dogs. True to her word, she had filed all the necessary paperwork for this case, and now... Now they were working together, to his dismay. To hers as well, it would seem. "We will begin shortly. If you could patiently wait for the briefing to be completed."
With that, he turned away and continued talking to the lieutenant. One of the dogs sat unerringly still at his side, and Sajin reached down to scratch behind the animal's ears. They really were well trained, despite what Shaolin believed. Hmph. She was free to think whatever she liked. It was one case. One. If Sajin Komamura couldn't keep himself together for a single case, he would have never made it so far as he had.
After a moment, he finished flipping through the reports one last time and turned to Shaolin. "Whenever you're ready, Miss Fon, we can begin." The dog rose and looked up at her. It wagged its tail once and took a few steps toward her until it was just next to the smaller woman and sniffing up her leg. Sajin barked a command, and the dog wilted and returned to his side.
"My apologies," He told her with a lowered head, though he felt very little need to apologize at all. "It must be your perfume. Again."
---
The urge to kick the creature rose as it pawed over, but she instead held still and held her breath. The truth was, she feared the dog. While she did find the animal to be dirty and unfitting, she really had a phobia against them. Shaolin could not explain her distaste, only that she avoided them at all costs. So now, as it sniffed at her innocently, she was ridged as a board with her hands fisted at her sides.
“I don’t know if you realize,” she said through clenched teeth and a tight voice. “But standing around outside of the building will not catch us our culprits.”
When he called out his orders at the canine, Shaolin relaxed just a hair. She would be tense all the day long until they were far enough away from her. True, it was one case, but could they really stand each other that long? It didn’t seem probable, not at this rate. All the Chinese woman could do was sneer and look up at the apartment complex that appeared to be well rundown. How tiresome.
“I’m ready, anyway,” she announced. “Lead the way.” As much as she wanted to tell him to follow along, she knew the dogs had to go in first. They would save them a lot of time if they could seek out the drugs they were supposed to be tracking.
---
If he were the type to do it, Sajin might have rolled his eyes at Shaolin. Instead, the tall man took a tight hold on the leash of the lead hound, knelt beside the bitch, and gave her something to smell. After a moment to determine the scent, she took a few hesitant sniffs from the air and started toward the building immediately. It was as they had suspected. Sajin bowed his head, his eyebrows knit tightly together as they hurried toward the decrepit structure rapidly.
Perfect.
"You might want to keep up." They had gone well over a few hundred feet when Sajin looked back for a half moment and called to the short woman. It was his job to find what she wanted. What she did with it was her own business. FBI cases very rarely wanted more than resources and manpower from the NYPD. Once this bust was over--as it very clearly would be soon--Sajin was confident that he could return to a regular schedule that did not include the small, Chinese woman.
When they reached the doors, he pulled back the dog and stopped long enough to draw his gun, silently signal to the group of men with them, and open the door. The bitch shot ahead immediately, pursuing the scent she had been given to follow, and Sajin followed along toward the decaying stairs. He passed off the hound to the lieutenant he had been addressing earlier, and turned to Shaolin. "The stairs do not appear to be safe, Miss Fon. Would you prefer to stay behind for the moment?" He was trying to stay civil with the woman, despite her attitude. For whatever reason, it was far more trying with her than anyone else he had encountered.
---
You might want to keep up, her mind echoed coldly. She wasn't that far behind, really. A few yards, that was all. While they were here to let the dog seek out the specific thing, she had a keen eye that was keeping a look out for anything else. The dark orbs belonging to Shaolin looked through every corner she could see, every spec of dust or grain of sand. A crack in the window was important and documented to her. Yet here was this man, this impossibly ridiculous man, telling her to hurry up.
Her.
Soi Fon. She knew what the word "quick" meant. If able she worked as swiftly and efficiently as possible. And here this man was telling her to go faster.
She could have stabbed him with the heel of her black pumps. Instead, however, the woman sighed and walked after him until she came to stand by Sajin's side. A scornful gaze fell upon the canine at their feet before she shook her head. Common sense said not to walk down those stairs as it was plain to see they were not really worthy of holding much weight. But Soi Fon didn't weigh all that much. Saying 100 pounds was pushing it, honestly.
"I'll be fine," she told the man. "It won't hold you and your bitch any better," she snapped. Putting a hand on the rail, she started up the stairs.
---
Clearly, this woman was going to be the end of Sajin Komamura.
All he'd been trying to do was see to it that she would be fine on the rickety stairs, given that she had insisted on wearing heels and a skirt in the field (it didn't matter that she was a woman--couldn't she have worn something practical?). But no, she had to be as she always was and push past him to go up the stairs herself.
The Siberian man closed his eyes and turned away from the stairs, examining the area around the stairs. The bitch was determined to lead him up said stairs, but Sajin igored her and continued examining the area. The apartment building was abandoned, which made it simultaneously easier and harder on them. Easier, in that no one else but their targets would be involved. Harder, because now any noise they made would tip off their suspects. After a moment, he heard a faint crackling on the stairs and whipped around.
"Miss Fon," He began, and only got a few swift steps to the stairs while continuing. "You should--"
He was cut off as the wood of the old stairs cracked and gave way.
---
The crack was the last sound the woman heard before her world was suddenly on fire. It wasn't necessarily pain, she was pretty much okay, but the whole of her right leg burned. There was a long scrape down the side from where the wood of the step had splintered. Soi was laying on the stairs leading up to the second floor, arms hanging on with all their strength. Her left leg, not plunged through the shattered plank, was bent at an odd angle that caused the muscle to pull and ache.
Wiggling around as best she could, she managed to get halfway out of the hole she had created before she couldn't get out any farther. Not without hurting herself further. Closing her eyes in irritation, mostly with herself, the Chinese woman took a deep breath before staring up the case blankly.
She didn't want to ask for help. Though she was convinced she didn't need it, she knew she would. Soi knew there was no way out of that step without inflicting more pain than she already had. Sighing softly, she shook her head and then glanced over her shoulder at Sajin.
"Hmph. Don't just stand there!"
---
When Soi Fon was grumbling over her shoulder at him, Sajin was already halfway across the room to pull her out of the floorboards. His mind was already whirring ahead to finding an alternative way up to the second floor. If the stairs here were rickety, there had to be an alternative route that was safer than this.
When he reached the stairs, Sajin carefully maneuvered his way up to where Shaolin was and examined her position carefully. It seemed as though he could easily lift her out without damaging her much, and so he carefully tucked his hands under her small arms and lifted her without much effort. It was only a few stairs down to the level, sturdy ground, and Sajin carried the small woman there before setting her down in a nearby chair and examining her quickly.
Though her clothing was torn, she appeared to be largely unhurt, aside from a few minor scrapes and cuts. Turning to the lieutenant, Sajin quietly instructed them to find an alternative route up the stairs and follow the scent trail until they pinpointed exactly where it was leading them, why, and who was there. As they departed down a nearby hallway, Sajin unbuttoned his uniform coat and handed it over to her to pull over her torn outfit. It wasn't indecent, unless you counted that he was fairly sure that allowing Miss Soi Fon to get hurt was a sin in of itself. At least, as far as she was concerned.
"You can wear that to cover yourself up until you can change." He told her, trying to sound gracious, and only managing to be more cool.
---
True, it wasn't indecent, but somewhere within her blackened heart she was grateful. Taking the jacket from him as he handed it over, she hung it around her shoulders before leaning down to check her leg. This was one huge garment. Shaolin could get lost within any part of his clothing it was so big in comparison to her small self. After struggling to find her way out of the hem, she groaned softly in irritating.
Her nylons were torn all the way up the inside and outside of her leg at one point or another to create massive holes. The black shoes on her feet were scuffed and, by the looks of it, not repairable as the scratches were deep. And then her skirt, oh her poor black skirt, was punctured and had tearing and stretches in the fabric upon most of the right side. Well, at least it wasn't falling off, and it could have been worse.
But she was still pissed.
When she sat back up and the shock settled in, Soi looked upon her hands that were quaking just so. Wringing them together on her lap she watched Sajin before trying to distract herself by fixing her long hair that had once been tied in a bun. The jolt and jostling from the fall had thrown half of it out of the neat knot it had been spun into. Black strands dark as night hung upon her shoulders and down the sides of her face. For a moment she looked like some innocent bystander of a crash, beautiful and sad as the impact of what just happened hit her.
Then she stood up, one hand holding closed the coat, and snapped out, "What're we waiting for? Your men should be able to find a route upstairs faster than this. I don't have all day."
---
"Sit down, Miss Fon." The command came in the same tone that Sajin used on his subordinate officers. The same tone that had for years stopped men in their tracks, no matter how quiet and calm it was. He didn't expect it to make a difference to what Shaolin was doing, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to try.
Almost immediately, a scuffling on the second floor alerted him to the presence of one of his officers. Sajin turned, not uncrossing his arms, and looked up to the overhang where the young sergeant was standing uncomfortably, hands white from gripping the leash of one of the dogs. "Captain!" He called, looking down at the two of them. "They found the room. It's been cleaned out within the last few days. Someone must have let them know we were coming."
Sajin growled in disapproval and lowered his head for a moment, muttering a string of curses to himself. It wouldn't have mattered what they had done. A bust. Taking a long, deep breath, he looked back up to the sergeant. "Take the dogs outside. Get an investigative team in there to pick up evidence."
Looking back at Shaolin, Sajin kept his face calm and professional, despite his obvious displeasure with the situation. He would have to continue working with her until this was settled. "Should I have someone escort you back to the car while we finish this?" He didn't need to tell her that now they had to rethink their entire plan.
---
His voice struck her, hard, but all she did was look at Sajin from where she stood some feet away. Men may have stopped in their tracks, and by definition she was not a man. She was a woman. By that definition, in these times, Soi should have sat her ass back down and listened to what the man in charge around here had to say. Instead, however, she remained quiet and cold. The younger lad upon the stairs with a white hot grip spoke out and she frowned, a darkness upon her face.
Wonderful.
Kisuke would be receiving a long letter about this. No one had knowledge that they cops were coming other than him, because he had given out the information to Shaolin. Therefore, at least in her mind, it was his fault this was a wash out.
Then Sajin spoke to her again. He was so irritating and infuriating that she took slow steps forward. Her hips moved in such a fashion that they looked far more greatly pronounced than ever before. Hands rising, the Chinese FBI agent removed the coat from around her shoulders and held it out at arms length to the man. Because of Shaolin still shaking, just slightly, from shock, it took a lot of effort to stand there and do merely this. But she was not finished.
"Do not ever talk to me like that again," she hissed. Anyone on their floor could have heard the woman speaking back at him. Showing him a bad sort of sass. Shaolin walked a fine line at the moment because she knew it was easily within his power to over come her. She dared him. He'd be fired for that. Good riddance.
"I don't take orders from the Dog Man, you're here on my case because of those damn mongrels." Turning away with her hands in her hair, quickly righting the bun she had attempted to fix briefly before, she started for the exit. Miss Fon's walk was humbled by a small limp because of the aching muscle, but her back was straight and she held as much dignity as possible.
"I'll see myself out."
---
Sajin Komamura had not spent his career working his way up to captain of a unit just to be casually dismissed by some frigid FBI agent. He took his jacket back and hung it over his shoulder, turning away immediately. Just because he didn't like the woman didn't mean he wasn't polite enough to allow her her dignity. Even if it was out of proportion to her size and position. Dog Man.
Dog Man.
Visibly rankling at her attempt at an insult, Sajin called orders to the group of men walking by and felt an unfamiliar surge of pride in his dogs when one of them tried to greet Shaolin with a wag of his tail and a cheerful bark. She didn't have to like them. He didn't care if she didn't. Refraining from commentary concerning being careful of the door on her way out, Sajin pulled aside one of the investigative team and began giving them instructions on how to handle what evidence they would find. It was imperative they be careful with it, as it might give them what they needed to find the group wherever they had gone next. Why had this case needed to be a bust? Any one he wasn't working with that infuriating woman for would have sufficed and caused him less stress than this was.
Damn.
---
It was a good thing that the man had decided not to comment on her steps out the door. Mentally she was already preparing an "I know" reply when she began to realize today was just not her day. So, she'd had that one good day about a week or so ago. That seemed to be the end of the line. Soi felt her hands instinctively fly out to the nearest object, also known as the wall, as she felt her ankle quiver and gravity take hold of her small frame.
She crumbled to one knee.
With her left hand upon the wall, the right splayed for balance on the floor, Shaolin squeezed her dark eyes closed in pain. A surge of heat rushed back up her leg and through her spine causing her to hiss. All of this in a matter of a second, maybe two at the most, before she sighed. Taking a deep breath, her left hand scraped at the wall for something to hold onto as she tried to push herself up to stand once more. Why was this so hard? Gravity had always been math to her, never realistic science, and pain was nothing but an obstacle that needed to be overcome.
Standing should not have been difficult. It should not have been anything more than propping oneself back up on both of their feet and marching off.
Soi could only stare at the floor, her knee and the skirt hanging over it a blur in her closer line of vision. A glassy look came over her brown eyes as she just stared, waiting for energy to return, waiting for the moment she could get up again. This was humiliating, but she was not going to ask for help this time. Not from that man, those dogs, or any of the men who had come on the mission. Even those that worked for Soi Fon were not wanted. They knew this well and pretended to go about their work though Shaolin knew they were watching.
Everyone was always watching; waiting for her to make that mistake.
---
Finishing his instructions for the investigators, Sajin had turned in time to see Shaolin's stumbling fall as he was about to leave himself. There was no reason for either him or his dogs to be present at a scene that they were not investigating. That stupid woman was trying to be brave when she knew damn well she clearly couldn't walk on her leg. It was admirable that she had made it as far as she had, but if she got injured on Sajin's watch, it would go against everything he knew about himself. Sighing slowly in an attempt to file away his displeasure, he strode across the room, pulled the coat back off his shoulder and dropped it around her for a second time. It wasn't supposed to be a condescending thing. She was hurt, and clearly not of mind sound enough to know that hurting oneself the way she had merited rest and relaxation in order to prevent further injury.
"Miss Fon," He began stiffly, and--making sure the coat was wrapped tightly around her--gave her no choice as he picked her up and carried her easily toward the door. It was actually nearly no effort at all to do as much, as long as she didn't make it difficult. As she was likely to do, he knew. "It's alright to be stubborn about your injuries on your own time. Indeed, feel free to do so when it is not my responsibility to ensure your safety," He tried not to sound more irritated than he was, but pushed the door open and started across the lot toward the cars. "But as it is my duty at the moment, you will have to tolerate this until someone can look at the..." Consequences of your foolhardiness. "...injuries you have sustained."
The sooner, the better; for more than just the sake of her leg.
---
The whole way to the car, Soi Fon held her tongue. What possessed her? No idea. But she gave the man the silent treatment over shouting at him. Words clearly did no damage to this buffoon. The coat he had dropped over her shoulders had been weighted with all of his scorn and she could feel it as it came down. This time she let it stay--more for the reason that she had no time to shirk it off than because she wanted it. His arms came down and scooped her up with such ease she was almost terrified.
Soi knew she was small.
Soi knew she was light.
But she did not realize just how easily someone could sweep her off her feet.
In Sajin's arms she crossed her own, eyes staring straight ahead at whatever was before her as it passed. The voyage to the vehicle felt like an eternity as her eyes grew harder with each second. Just put me down, she thought with irritation. I don't need your help.
---
Soi's sullen displeasure rolled off her in waves, and Sajin was acutely aware of her precise feelings about the situation. Not that he cared in the slightest. If the young woman was going to be foolish enough to do this to herself and not think of the repercussions of refusing to take care of her own well being, then someone else would have to intervene, if only for a moment. Sajin wasn't particularly inclined to be that person, but if no one else was going to do it, he couldn't very well sit back and just let it happen.
Stoic though he may have been, he considered himself a bit more polite than that.
When he reached the car, he pulled open the door and set her inside the passenger side, then looked down at her. Sighing, he looked down at her and felt his expression soften. Only a little. He had no idea why she was so damn stubborn and cold, and he wasn't about to take it lying down, but he knew there had to be a reason for it.
"I will see to it that someone drives you home, Miss Fon." He told her, and then, after a brief moment of deliberation, continued. "You should rest your leg and treat it, in case of serious injuries." He may have been a police captain, but he had spent years working with young, over-eager young men and dogs that both could be--and had been--injured on duty. Tending to them had been something he had taken upon himself when there were no other options, and he recognized when such things had happened.
"You won't be able to return to work if your injuries become permanent."
---
Once on the seat, mind stirring angrily, Shaolin sighed. Her fingers scraped at the door as he put her in and shut it behind him. "No!" she hissed while trying to sit appropriately. Through the door he wouldn't be able to hear her, but she had no desire to actually go about getting up again. She knew she couldn't, and she knew he was right. But she just didn't want to let it go.
"Komamura!" she shouted and slapped a hand on the door before throwing it open. "I am not going home! There are things at the office I have to do pertaining to this case. I'll be sitting there the same as I would be at home! We're going back to the office." Why in the world was she arguing with this man? He wasn't going to listen to her and she had no say any longer in what he was happening. Her injuries more or less gave up all position she had.
That didn't mean she was through here. Not in the slightest. Sajin would not be hearing the end of this soon.
Crossing her arms in the backseat over her small breasts, the petite Chinese woman stared out the window while waiting for whomever was driving to take her somewhere. Suddenly, like a little child pitching a fit, it didn't matter where she went so long as it was away from here.
---
He had closed the door to speak with a nearby officer no more than a few seconds when Sajin heard the door flew open and Shaolin's angry voice echo across the area. The woman really never gave up, did she? Instead of turning to her tirade, he addressed the officer, carefully instructing him to return Miss Fon to her--
"Captain Komamura..." The man began, shooting the car a sketchy look. "I think if I did, I wouldn't survive the encounter..."
Privately, Sajin had to agree with the man, and he found he could hardly fault him for his hesitation of dealing with Shaolin. Instead of giving any further instructions regarding it, he gave short, curt instructions regarding the care of the dogs, and turned on his heel to stride back to the car. As he passed it, he slammed the door shut with one hand and walked around to the driver's side front door and climbed in.
"If it makes you feel any better, I will see that some paperwork is delivered to you as you take your leave from regular duty." Better to placate the angry woman by giving her something to do than let her continue to rage at him the entire way. "Where do you live?" He rumbled, carefully adjusting the car's mirrors and getting settled in the unfamiliar seat until he was ready to begin driving.
---
Seeing that Sajin was about to shut the door, Shaolin pulled her skirt in swiftly as it had spilled off of the seat. The slam was of no shock to her and she only sat back, hands on her lap. Patience, Soi Fon, patience. This is what she told herself. This is what she planned to stick to. Slender fingers rubbed at her temples where a headache was beginning to rear it's ugly face. Nay. Don't you dare.
Yet it was slowly starting and Sajin's deep voice was--
Shaolin whipped her head around to look at him as he climbed into the car. He was driving her home? Oh, God save himself. The woman crossed her arms over her chest once more and raised a brow somewhat challengingly. Leave from regular duty? What was he on, she wondered, shaking her head.
"I'm not taking leave," said the woman, dark hair falling down the sides of her face. "So that won't be necessary. I'll be back into work tomorrow." Speaking with a matter-of-fact tone, her eyes looked ahead and pointed at the street.
"Take a left on Clemence."
---
"As you prefer, Miss Fon," Sajin told her, ignoring the urge to rise to her bait and banter with her. "I need only remind you that in ignoring your personal health, you may be forced to take even more time off work." Which would be more of a hindrance on their investigation than her simply taking a day or so off work to let a few strained muscles and joints rest and heal. Hopefully Shaolin was aware of that.
Hopefully she wasn't too stubborn to accept it.
He made the turn carefully, and shifted uncomfortably. Sajin rarely drove, unless absolutely necessary. Frankly, he much preferred to walk, as he did for most occasions. He lived close enough to police headquarters that he could easily walk. Even visiting his family in the city, he only ever walked or took the subway. A car was an impractical luxury he had no use for, and though he had the skill to drive one, he didn't necessarily like it.
"Where next?" He asked calmly, willing that she might tell him more in advance. Sajin didn't like not knowing where he was going.
---
There was a soft harrumph from Shaolin as she sat in her seat tiredly, leaning back. Her head touched the rest behind it, eyes watching the road. While Sajin knew how to drive, though chose not to, she neither drove nor desired it. Well, she could drive but without a license, which happened to be against the law. Shaolin was not going to break the last she worked so hard to uphold.
Yet she said nothing about her little problem and let him drive.
Then, not a minute after he asked where to next, the Chinese woman lifted a small, delicate hand and pointed ahead. "Take the right onto Holland. There's an immediate left about two or three buildings in. Take that. My apartment building is the sixth on the left."
---
At least she lived relatively close by. Sajin followed her directions to the building, parked on the street, and stepped out of the car. After closing the door, he walked around to her side and opened the passenger door.
"On which floor do you live?" He asked, not allowing his dubious discomfort in escorting her to her apartment personally get to him. This was far more personal than he would have liked, but Miss Shaolin Fon seemed rather incapable of fully looking after herself, and someone had to make sure she didn't collapse somewhere.
As he extended a roughened hand, the faintest part of Sajin's brain wondered if Shaolin even had someone do as much. She certainly couldn't be this abrasive with everyone, could she?
---
Just as she had gone to push herself out of the car when Sajin got the door and hauled it open. Looking up from the hand in front of her person toward his face, she ignored his help. Her petite hands braced against the door's frame and up she stood, most of the weight resting upon her still relatively good leg. When she found her balance she smoothed out her ruined skirt, leaving behind the jacket she had been loaned, and took a few steps passed Sajin.
"Second," said Shaolin with a look back and up to the man. "But I can get their on my own. There's an elevator." If she could just hobble her way into that shaft and ride it up, she'd be golden. Her door was the first on the right, so she didn't have that far to go once inside the building. The place wasn't all that grand either. Very small and quaint, homey if you cared for that sort of thing.
She did, secretly. Miss Fon liked where she lived. It was a place to eat, sleep, dress, keep her things. But in the end it was merely a place she returned to when she wasn't at work. There was no one there waiting for her, no where else for her to go. Well, there was one person. Her cat who was named Shun Po. He was black like the midnight sky with big yellow eyes and a tail that stood straight up with a little bend at the end from being slammed in a door. Shaolin didn't know how the tail got bent because she saved him from the streets about a year ago, but she loved him like a family member.
---
There she went again, off doing foolish things for the sake of being strong and untouchable.
Well, that was all fine, well and good when she wasn't harming herself further in doing so.
"Miss Fon, allow me to..." Anything he said would seem condescending. And that which wouldn't would be turned to sound as much. Still, he only allowed himself an instant's pause before continuing on. "To see you to your apartment." Taking hold of her arm, he looked down at her with the faintest frown on his face. She really found it absolutely necessary to push herself this hard?
Steering her toward the apartment building with careful attention to allowing her to both maintain her independence and prevent her from further harming herself, Sajin regarded the structure. It was nice. Not much different from his own, and certainly nice. He waited for her to pull out her key so he could finally see her to the door and just leave her to her damn stubborn ways. Spending time around her cold attitude was taking much more out of him than it was worth.
---
Bastard.
Shaolin wanted to rip her arm out of his hold, but allowed herself to be helped along. She did not want his aid, she didn't need it so far as she was concerned. What didn't kill you made you stronger and this, this pitiful little wound was not going to stop her. For a few hours, perhaps, but she would be back on her feet in no time.
Pulling out a key from her purse, she stuck it in the knob and turned it. "I'm fine," she said again when she was inside the door. "You don't have to help me." Her eyes looked up at Sajin before turning away to open second, unlocked door meant to keep out the chill. Once inside, she pressed on down the hall with her hand lightly upon the wall until her finger pushed the UP arrow. Did he have to follow so damn closely? She didn't care if he tagged along, that was tolerable, but he was in her space.
She was not weak. What about that did men not understand? Had her leg not have been on the fritz, she could have kicked him in the chest, nailed him with her heel. Soi Fon was not part of the FBI because she was fragile.
---
No, perhaps Sajin didn't have to help Shaolin, but the fact remained that she could barely walk properly on her own, and she was clearly not going to take care of herself. He wasn't standing quite that close to her, anyway. Just close enough to be there to spot her if she fell again.
"I'll trust you to your own devices once I've seen you safely to your door, Miss Fon." He had no doubts of her abilities under normal circumstances--nor any desire to be doing this save but for the present ones--but these were hardly normal circumstances. If she could only accept that, and that he was only doing the proper thing by her, then things would be so much easier.
In the meantime, however, Sajin crossed his arms over his chest and stood firmly in the middle of the elevator until it reached Shaolin's floor. When the door gave a cheerful chime (the elevator was one thing that set her apartment building apart from his--Sajin's apartment building having only stairs), he gestured for her to lead the way and followed her silently. He had no need to say much. Once this errand was done and she was assured to be staying in her apartment, he would be glad to leave her there and go back to work. There was still so much left to be done in terms of paperwork and wrapping up with the failed raid.
---
This man was going to make her scratch her own nails into the chalk board. Then, if that didn't allow her to go deaf, she'd go listen to ungodly rock 'n roll music. That would surely drive a person deaf, or insane, or suicidal. It really depended on the person and the song in which they were listening. Shaolin probably would have blacked out from shock after hearing some of those lyrics. She was not a deeply religious woman, but she believed in something and had enough faith to know that these lyrics were blasphemy.
Trust you to your own devices. . .What the hell did that mean? She did nothing wrong! She was being herself, for one. For another, she was brave. This was not something false. That, and Shaolin could easily make her own way to her apartment by now. More or less. Her leg wiggled and wobbled, shaky under her (light) weight. The hand upon the wall had to press harder and harder with each step until she finally reached the door. Thank goodness it was close.
Sticking the key in the slot, she turned it and opened the bolt before turning the knob. There was only one lock upon her door, the dead bolt. The knob held no lock. Whether that was safer or not was of little concern to Shaolin. She could fight her way out of a burglary any time. Except for maybe today.
When she pushed the door open, finally, Shaolin gave a soft sigh. This was something she allowed herself because usually she did not. Usually she really had a stick shoved so far up her--
Turning back to look up at Sajin, the door swung wide to reveal a dark apartment filled with just enough decor to make it homey. Shaolin didn't spend much time here anyway.
"My secretary will be seeing you if I should happen not to make it in. I except my work."
---
"Indeed," Sajin confirmed, waited for her to enter her apartment, then nodded once in finality. "I will see to it that the necessary paperwork is ready for you..." He looked over her once, but didn't look into the darkness of her apartment. This was her sanctuary, regardless of how much time she spent there or how much importance she placed on it. He wouldn't dare intrude on the place anyone retreated into. She was cut of the same cloth as he was, after all. Just considerably more bitter and impulsive. She would learn, one way or another, he decided. She was still young. He had needed to learn it himself over the years.
"...whatever it is that happens in regard to your injury." He finished after a very brief pause. "Good day, Miss Fon." He turned and strode back down the hallway, looking for the stairs. She would be fine now, he was sure.
She was too stubborn to allow it to be any other way.
Characters: Sajin Komamura (soleil_de_lune), Soi Fon (tsuyosaoboetai)
Timeline: 17 April, 1950
Rating: PG13 (for language)
Summary: After all paperwork has gone through, Sajin and Soi go out on a mission to find it's a bust. Injuries occur and we see that Soi isn't as wicked as we all thought. She's worse.
Dogs. . .Dirty, foul creatures on four legs. Shaolin sneered at one as it sat outside of the car on his leash, tail wagging behind his lean body. It sat roughly three yards away from where she stood, fingers working open the snaps on her blazer. No matter how far away it was, that beast as still there. She wanted no part in touching it, holding it, talking to it. Nothing. The creature was an ‘it’ as well, for Shaolin had no intention of bonding with any of these canine’s.
But she did have to get closer to speak with Sajin. Surrounded by men on the mission, they talked amongst themselves while discussing the work or the papers in their hands. Shaolin only made a face and shook her head while walking around the outside of the cars. The path avoided the dogs. So she crossed her arms and marched around the vehicles to the other side where the amazingly tall man was. Moments like these, when the dogs began to suddenly bark, made her wish she didn’t have to suffer with bringing that man along.
“Komamura,” she snapped from the hood of the car where she stood as far from the four-legged animals as possible. “Are your mutts ready to sniff yet? I thought they did that naturally.”
---
Mid-sentence, explaining to the lieutenant who had accompanied them why it was imperative that he not pet the dogs who had accompanied them, that infuriating woman had walked up to him and interrupted him. Taking a slow, deep breath, Sajin handed off the papers for the mission and turned to look at her. "Miss Fon," He greeted coolly, taking note of the way she looked away from the dogs. True to her word, she had filed all the necessary paperwork for this case, and now... Now they were working together, to his dismay. To hers as well, it would seem. "We will begin shortly. If you could patiently wait for the briefing to be completed."
With that, he turned away and continued talking to the lieutenant. One of the dogs sat unerringly still at his side, and Sajin reached down to scratch behind the animal's ears. They really were well trained, despite what Shaolin believed. Hmph. She was free to think whatever she liked. It was one case. One. If Sajin Komamura couldn't keep himself together for a single case, he would have never made it so far as he had.
After a moment, he finished flipping through the reports one last time and turned to Shaolin. "Whenever you're ready, Miss Fon, we can begin." The dog rose and looked up at her. It wagged its tail once and took a few steps toward her until it was just next to the smaller woman and sniffing up her leg. Sajin barked a command, and the dog wilted and returned to his side.
"My apologies," He told her with a lowered head, though he felt very little need to apologize at all. "It must be your perfume. Again."
---
The urge to kick the creature rose as it pawed over, but she instead held still and held her breath. The truth was, she feared the dog. While she did find the animal to be dirty and unfitting, she really had a phobia against them. Shaolin could not explain her distaste, only that she avoided them at all costs. So now, as it sniffed at her innocently, she was ridged as a board with her hands fisted at her sides.
“I don’t know if you realize,” she said through clenched teeth and a tight voice. “But standing around outside of the building will not catch us our culprits.”
When he called out his orders at the canine, Shaolin relaxed just a hair. She would be tense all the day long until they were far enough away from her. True, it was one case, but could they really stand each other that long? It didn’t seem probable, not at this rate. All the Chinese woman could do was sneer and look up at the apartment complex that appeared to be well rundown. How tiresome.
“I’m ready, anyway,” she announced. “Lead the way.” As much as she wanted to tell him to follow along, she knew the dogs had to go in first. They would save them a lot of time if they could seek out the drugs they were supposed to be tracking.
---
If he were the type to do it, Sajin might have rolled his eyes at Shaolin. Instead, the tall man took a tight hold on the leash of the lead hound, knelt beside the bitch, and gave her something to smell. After a moment to determine the scent, she took a few hesitant sniffs from the air and started toward the building immediately. It was as they had suspected. Sajin bowed his head, his eyebrows knit tightly together as they hurried toward the decrepit structure rapidly.
Perfect.
"You might want to keep up." They had gone well over a few hundred feet when Sajin looked back for a half moment and called to the short woman. It was his job to find what she wanted. What she did with it was her own business. FBI cases very rarely wanted more than resources and manpower from the NYPD. Once this bust was over--as it very clearly would be soon--Sajin was confident that he could return to a regular schedule that did not include the small, Chinese woman.
When they reached the doors, he pulled back the dog and stopped long enough to draw his gun, silently signal to the group of men with them, and open the door. The bitch shot ahead immediately, pursuing the scent she had been given to follow, and Sajin followed along toward the decaying stairs. He passed off the hound to the lieutenant he had been addressing earlier, and turned to Shaolin. "The stairs do not appear to be safe, Miss Fon. Would you prefer to stay behind for the moment?" He was trying to stay civil with the woman, despite her attitude. For whatever reason, it was far more trying with her than anyone else he had encountered.
---
You might want to keep up, her mind echoed coldly. She wasn't that far behind, really. A few yards, that was all. While they were here to let the dog seek out the specific thing, she had a keen eye that was keeping a look out for anything else. The dark orbs belonging to Shaolin looked through every corner she could see, every spec of dust or grain of sand. A crack in the window was important and documented to her. Yet here was this man, this impossibly ridiculous man, telling her to hurry up.
Her.
Soi Fon. She knew what the word "quick" meant. If able she worked as swiftly and efficiently as possible. And here this man was telling her to go faster.
She could have stabbed him with the heel of her black pumps. Instead, however, the woman sighed and walked after him until she came to stand by Sajin's side. A scornful gaze fell upon the canine at their feet before she shook her head. Common sense said not to walk down those stairs as it was plain to see they were not really worthy of holding much weight. But Soi Fon didn't weigh all that much. Saying 100 pounds was pushing it, honestly.
"I'll be fine," she told the man. "It won't hold you and your bitch any better," she snapped. Putting a hand on the rail, she started up the stairs.
---
Clearly, this woman was going to be the end of Sajin Komamura.
All he'd been trying to do was see to it that she would be fine on the rickety stairs, given that she had insisted on wearing heels and a skirt in the field (it didn't matter that she was a woman--couldn't she have worn something practical?). But no, she had to be as she always was and push past him to go up the stairs herself.
The Siberian man closed his eyes and turned away from the stairs, examining the area around the stairs. The bitch was determined to lead him up said stairs, but Sajin igored her and continued examining the area. The apartment building was abandoned, which made it simultaneously easier and harder on them. Easier, in that no one else but their targets would be involved. Harder, because now any noise they made would tip off their suspects. After a moment, he heard a faint crackling on the stairs and whipped around.
"Miss Fon," He began, and only got a few swift steps to the stairs while continuing. "You should--"
He was cut off as the wood of the old stairs cracked and gave way.
---
The crack was the last sound the woman heard before her world was suddenly on fire. It wasn't necessarily pain, she was pretty much okay, but the whole of her right leg burned. There was a long scrape down the side from where the wood of the step had splintered. Soi was laying on the stairs leading up to the second floor, arms hanging on with all their strength. Her left leg, not plunged through the shattered plank, was bent at an odd angle that caused the muscle to pull and ache.
Wiggling around as best she could, she managed to get halfway out of the hole she had created before she couldn't get out any farther. Not without hurting herself further. Closing her eyes in irritation, mostly with herself, the Chinese woman took a deep breath before staring up the case blankly.
She didn't want to ask for help. Though she was convinced she didn't need it, she knew she would. Soi knew there was no way out of that step without inflicting more pain than she already had. Sighing softly, she shook her head and then glanced over her shoulder at Sajin.
"Hmph. Don't just stand there!"
---
When Soi Fon was grumbling over her shoulder at him, Sajin was already halfway across the room to pull her out of the floorboards. His mind was already whirring ahead to finding an alternative way up to the second floor. If the stairs here were rickety, there had to be an alternative route that was safer than this.
When he reached the stairs, Sajin carefully maneuvered his way up to where Shaolin was and examined her position carefully. It seemed as though he could easily lift her out without damaging her much, and so he carefully tucked his hands under her small arms and lifted her without much effort. It was only a few stairs down to the level, sturdy ground, and Sajin carried the small woman there before setting her down in a nearby chair and examining her quickly.
Though her clothing was torn, she appeared to be largely unhurt, aside from a few minor scrapes and cuts. Turning to the lieutenant, Sajin quietly instructed them to find an alternative route up the stairs and follow the scent trail until they pinpointed exactly where it was leading them, why, and who was there. As they departed down a nearby hallway, Sajin unbuttoned his uniform coat and handed it over to her to pull over her torn outfit. It wasn't indecent, unless you counted that he was fairly sure that allowing Miss Soi Fon to get hurt was a sin in of itself. At least, as far as she was concerned.
"You can wear that to cover yourself up until you can change." He told her, trying to sound gracious, and only managing to be more cool.
---
True, it wasn't indecent, but somewhere within her blackened heart she was grateful. Taking the jacket from him as he handed it over, she hung it around her shoulders before leaning down to check her leg. This was one huge garment. Shaolin could get lost within any part of his clothing it was so big in comparison to her small self. After struggling to find her way out of the hem, she groaned softly in irritating.
Her nylons were torn all the way up the inside and outside of her leg at one point or another to create massive holes. The black shoes on her feet were scuffed and, by the looks of it, not repairable as the scratches were deep. And then her skirt, oh her poor black skirt, was punctured and had tearing and stretches in the fabric upon most of the right side. Well, at least it wasn't falling off, and it could have been worse.
But she was still pissed.
When she sat back up and the shock settled in, Soi looked upon her hands that were quaking just so. Wringing them together on her lap she watched Sajin before trying to distract herself by fixing her long hair that had once been tied in a bun. The jolt and jostling from the fall had thrown half of it out of the neat knot it had been spun into. Black strands dark as night hung upon her shoulders and down the sides of her face. For a moment she looked like some innocent bystander of a crash, beautiful and sad as the impact of what just happened hit her.
Then she stood up, one hand holding closed the coat, and snapped out, "What're we waiting for? Your men should be able to find a route upstairs faster than this. I don't have all day."
---
"Sit down, Miss Fon." The command came in the same tone that Sajin used on his subordinate officers. The same tone that had for years stopped men in their tracks, no matter how quiet and calm it was. He didn't expect it to make a difference to what Shaolin was doing, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to try.
Almost immediately, a scuffling on the second floor alerted him to the presence of one of his officers. Sajin turned, not uncrossing his arms, and looked up to the overhang where the young sergeant was standing uncomfortably, hands white from gripping the leash of one of the dogs. "Captain!" He called, looking down at the two of them. "They found the room. It's been cleaned out within the last few days. Someone must have let them know we were coming."
Sajin growled in disapproval and lowered his head for a moment, muttering a string of curses to himself. It wouldn't have mattered what they had done. A bust. Taking a long, deep breath, he looked back up to the sergeant. "Take the dogs outside. Get an investigative team in there to pick up evidence."
Looking back at Shaolin, Sajin kept his face calm and professional, despite his obvious displeasure with the situation. He would have to continue working with her until this was settled. "Should I have someone escort you back to the car while we finish this?" He didn't need to tell her that now they had to rethink their entire plan.
---
His voice struck her, hard, but all she did was look at Sajin from where she stood some feet away. Men may have stopped in their tracks, and by definition she was not a man. She was a woman. By that definition, in these times, Soi should have sat her ass back down and listened to what the man in charge around here had to say. Instead, however, she remained quiet and cold. The younger lad upon the stairs with a white hot grip spoke out and she frowned, a darkness upon her face.
Wonderful.
Kisuke would be receiving a long letter about this. No one had knowledge that they cops were coming other than him, because he had given out the information to Shaolin. Therefore, at least in her mind, it was his fault this was a wash out.
Then Sajin spoke to her again. He was so irritating and infuriating that she took slow steps forward. Her hips moved in such a fashion that they looked far more greatly pronounced than ever before. Hands rising, the Chinese FBI agent removed the coat from around her shoulders and held it out at arms length to the man. Because of Shaolin still shaking, just slightly, from shock, it took a lot of effort to stand there and do merely this. But she was not finished.
"Do not ever talk to me like that again," she hissed. Anyone on their floor could have heard the woman speaking back at him. Showing him a bad sort of sass. Shaolin walked a fine line at the moment because she knew it was easily within his power to over come her. She dared him. He'd be fired for that. Good riddance.
"I don't take orders from the Dog Man, you're here on my case because of those damn mongrels." Turning away with her hands in her hair, quickly righting the bun she had attempted to fix briefly before, she started for the exit. Miss Fon's walk was humbled by a small limp because of the aching muscle, but her back was straight and she held as much dignity as possible.
"I'll see myself out."
---
Sajin Komamura had not spent his career working his way up to captain of a unit just to be casually dismissed by some frigid FBI agent. He took his jacket back and hung it over his shoulder, turning away immediately. Just because he didn't like the woman didn't mean he wasn't polite enough to allow her her dignity. Even if it was out of proportion to her size and position. Dog Man.
Dog Man.
Visibly rankling at her attempt at an insult, Sajin called orders to the group of men walking by and felt an unfamiliar surge of pride in his dogs when one of them tried to greet Shaolin with a wag of his tail and a cheerful bark. She didn't have to like them. He didn't care if she didn't. Refraining from commentary concerning being careful of the door on her way out, Sajin pulled aside one of the investigative team and began giving them instructions on how to handle what evidence they would find. It was imperative they be careful with it, as it might give them what they needed to find the group wherever they had gone next. Why had this case needed to be a bust? Any one he wasn't working with that infuriating woman for would have sufficed and caused him less stress than this was.
Damn.
---
It was a good thing that the man had decided not to comment on her steps out the door. Mentally she was already preparing an "I know" reply when she began to realize today was just not her day. So, she'd had that one good day about a week or so ago. That seemed to be the end of the line. Soi felt her hands instinctively fly out to the nearest object, also known as the wall, as she felt her ankle quiver and gravity take hold of her small frame.
She crumbled to one knee.
With her left hand upon the wall, the right splayed for balance on the floor, Shaolin squeezed her dark eyes closed in pain. A surge of heat rushed back up her leg and through her spine causing her to hiss. All of this in a matter of a second, maybe two at the most, before she sighed. Taking a deep breath, her left hand scraped at the wall for something to hold onto as she tried to push herself up to stand once more. Why was this so hard? Gravity had always been math to her, never realistic science, and pain was nothing but an obstacle that needed to be overcome.
Standing should not have been difficult. It should not have been anything more than propping oneself back up on both of their feet and marching off.
Soi could only stare at the floor, her knee and the skirt hanging over it a blur in her closer line of vision. A glassy look came over her brown eyes as she just stared, waiting for energy to return, waiting for the moment she could get up again. This was humiliating, but she was not going to ask for help this time. Not from that man, those dogs, or any of the men who had come on the mission. Even those that worked for Soi Fon were not wanted. They knew this well and pretended to go about their work though Shaolin knew they were watching.
Everyone was always watching; waiting for her to make that mistake.
---
Finishing his instructions for the investigators, Sajin had turned in time to see Shaolin's stumbling fall as he was about to leave himself. There was no reason for either him or his dogs to be present at a scene that they were not investigating. That stupid woman was trying to be brave when she knew damn well she clearly couldn't walk on her leg. It was admirable that she had made it as far as she had, but if she got injured on Sajin's watch, it would go against everything he knew about himself. Sighing slowly in an attempt to file away his displeasure, he strode across the room, pulled the coat back off his shoulder and dropped it around her for a second time. It wasn't supposed to be a condescending thing. She was hurt, and clearly not of mind sound enough to know that hurting oneself the way she had merited rest and relaxation in order to prevent further injury.
"Miss Fon," He began stiffly, and--making sure the coat was wrapped tightly around her--gave her no choice as he picked her up and carried her easily toward the door. It was actually nearly no effort at all to do as much, as long as she didn't make it difficult. As she was likely to do, he knew. "It's alright to be stubborn about your injuries on your own time. Indeed, feel free to do so when it is not my responsibility to ensure your safety," He tried not to sound more irritated than he was, but pushed the door open and started across the lot toward the cars. "But as it is my duty at the moment, you will have to tolerate this until someone can look at the..." Consequences of your foolhardiness. "...injuries you have sustained."
The sooner, the better; for more than just the sake of her leg.
---
The whole way to the car, Soi Fon held her tongue. What possessed her? No idea. But she gave the man the silent treatment over shouting at him. Words clearly did no damage to this buffoon. The coat he had dropped over her shoulders had been weighted with all of his scorn and she could feel it as it came down. This time she let it stay--more for the reason that she had no time to shirk it off than because she wanted it. His arms came down and scooped her up with such ease she was almost terrified.
Soi knew she was small.
Soi knew she was light.
But she did not realize just how easily someone could sweep her off her feet.
In Sajin's arms she crossed her own, eyes staring straight ahead at whatever was before her as it passed. The voyage to the vehicle felt like an eternity as her eyes grew harder with each second. Just put me down, she thought with irritation. I don't need your help.
---
Soi's sullen displeasure rolled off her in waves, and Sajin was acutely aware of her precise feelings about the situation. Not that he cared in the slightest. If the young woman was going to be foolish enough to do this to herself and not think of the repercussions of refusing to take care of her own well being, then someone else would have to intervene, if only for a moment. Sajin wasn't particularly inclined to be that person, but if no one else was going to do it, he couldn't very well sit back and just let it happen.
Stoic though he may have been, he considered himself a bit more polite than that.
When he reached the car, he pulled open the door and set her inside the passenger side, then looked down at her. Sighing, he looked down at her and felt his expression soften. Only a little. He had no idea why she was so damn stubborn and cold, and he wasn't about to take it lying down, but he knew there had to be a reason for it.
"I will see to it that someone drives you home, Miss Fon." He told her, and then, after a brief moment of deliberation, continued. "You should rest your leg and treat it, in case of serious injuries." He may have been a police captain, but he had spent years working with young, over-eager young men and dogs that both could be--and had been--injured on duty. Tending to them had been something he had taken upon himself when there were no other options, and he recognized when such things had happened.
"You won't be able to return to work if your injuries become permanent."
---
Once on the seat, mind stirring angrily, Shaolin sighed. Her fingers scraped at the door as he put her in and shut it behind him. "No!" she hissed while trying to sit appropriately. Through the door he wouldn't be able to hear her, but she had no desire to actually go about getting up again. She knew she couldn't, and she knew he was right. But she just didn't want to let it go.
"Komamura!" she shouted and slapped a hand on the door before throwing it open. "I am not going home! There are things at the office I have to do pertaining to this case. I'll be sitting there the same as I would be at home! We're going back to the office." Why in the world was she arguing with this man? He wasn't going to listen to her and she had no say any longer in what he was happening. Her injuries more or less gave up all position she had.
That didn't mean she was through here. Not in the slightest. Sajin would not be hearing the end of this soon.
Crossing her arms in the backseat over her small breasts, the petite Chinese woman stared out the window while waiting for whomever was driving to take her somewhere. Suddenly, like a little child pitching a fit, it didn't matter where she went so long as it was away from here.
---
He had closed the door to speak with a nearby officer no more than a few seconds when Sajin heard the door flew open and Shaolin's angry voice echo across the area. The woman really never gave up, did she? Instead of turning to her tirade, he addressed the officer, carefully instructing him to return Miss Fon to her--
"Captain Komamura..." The man began, shooting the car a sketchy look. "I think if I did, I wouldn't survive the encounter..."
Privately, Sajin had to agree with the man, and he found he could hardly fault him for his hesitation of dealing with Shaolin. Instead of giving any further instructions regarding it, he gave short, curt instructions regarding the care of the dogs, and turned on his heel to stride back to the car. As he passed it, he slammed the door shut with one hand and walked around to the driver's side front door and climbed in.
"If it makes you feel any better, I will see that some paperwork is delivered to you as you take your leave from regular duty." Better to placate the angry woman by giving her something to do than let her continue to rage at him the entire way. "Where do you live?" He rumbled, carefully adjusting the car's mirrors and getting settled in the unfamiliar seat until he was ready to begin driving.
---
Seeing that Sajin was about to shut the door, Shaolin pulled her skirt in swiftly as it had spilled off of the seat. The slam was of no shock to her and she only sat back, hands on her lap. Patience, Soi Fon, patience. This is what she told herself. This is what she planned to stick to. Slender fingers rubbed at her temples where a headache was beginning to rear it's ugly face. Nay. Don't you dare.
Yet it was slowly starting and Sajin's deep voice was--
Shaolin whipped her head around to look at him as he climbed into the car. He was driving her home? Oh, God save himself. The woman crossed her arms over her chest once more and raised a brow somewhat challengingly. Leave from regular duty? What was he on, she wondered, shaking her head.
"I'm not taking leave," said the woman, dark hair falling down the sides of her face. "So that won't be necessary. I'll be back into work tomorrow." Speaking with a matter-of-fact tone, her eyes looked ahead and pointed at the street.
"Take a left on Clemence."
---
"As you prefer, Miss Fon," Sajin told her, ignoring the urge to rise to her bait and banter with her. "I need only remind you that in ignoring your personal health, you may be forced to take even more time off work." Which would be more of a hindrance on their investigation than her simply taking a day or so off work to let a few strained muscles and joints rest and heal. Hopefully Shaolin was aware of that.
Hopefully she wasn't too stubborn to accept it.
He made the turn carefully, and shifted uncomfortably. Sajin rarely drove, unless absolutely necessary. Frankly, he much preferred to walk, as he did for most occasions. He lived close enough to police headquarters that he could easily walk. Even visiting his family in the city, he only ever walked or took the subway. A car was an impractical luxury he had no use for, and though he had the skill to drive one, he didn't necessarily like it.
"Where next?" He asked calmly, willing that she might tell him more in advance. Sajin didn't like not knowing where he was going.
---
There was a soft harrumph from Shaolin as she sat in her seat tiredly, leaning back. Her head touched the rest behind it, eyes watching the road. While Sajin knew how to drive, though chose not to, she neither drove nor desired it. Well, she could drive but without a license, which happened to be against the law. Shaolin was not going to break the last she worked so hard to uphold.
Yet she said nothing about her little problem and let him drive.
Then, not a minute after he asked where to next, the Chinese woman lifted a small, delicate hand and pointed ahead. "Take the right onto Holland. There's an immediate left about two or three buildings in. Take that. My apartment building is the sixth on the left."
---
At least she lived relatively close by. Sajin followed her directions to the building, parked on the street, and stepped out of the car. After closing the door, he walked around to her side and opened the passenger door.
"On which floor do you live?" He asked, not allowing his dubious discomfort in escorting her to her apartment personally get to him. This was far more personal than he would have liked, but Miss Shaolin Fon seemed rather incapable of fully looking after herself, and someone had to make sure she didn't collapse somewhere.
As he extended a roughened hand, the faintest part of Sajin's brain wondered if Shaolin even had someone do as much. She certainly couldn't be this abrasive with everyone, could she?
---
Just as she had gone to push herself out of the car when Sajin got the door and hauled it open. Looking up from the hand in front of her person toward his face, she ignored his help. Her petite hands braced against the door's frame and up she stood, most of the weight resting upon her still relatively good leg. When she found her balance she smoothed out her ruined skirt, leaving behind the jacket she had been loaned, and took a few steps passed Sajin.
"Second," said Shaolin with a look back and up to the man. "But I can get their on my own. There's an elevator." If she could just hobble her way into that shaft and ride it up, she'd be golden. Her door was the first on the right, so she didn't have that far to go once inside the building. The place wasn't all that grand either. Very small and quaint, homey if you cared for that sort of thing.
She did, secretly. Miss Fon liked where she lived. It was a place to eat, sleep, dress, keep her things. But in the end it was merely a place she returned to when she wasn't at work. There was no one there waiting for her, no where else for her to go. Well, there was one person. Her cat who was named Shun Po. He was black like the midnight sky with big yellow eyes and a tail that stood straight up with a little bend at the end from being slammed in a door. Shaolin didn't know how the tail got bent because she saved him from the streets about a year ago, but she loved him like a family member.
---
There she went again, off doing foolish things for the sake of being strong and untouchable.
Well, that was all fine, well and good when she wasn't harming herself further in doing so.
"Miss Fon, allow me to..." Anything he said would seem condescending. And that which wouldn't would be turned to sound as much. Still, he only allowed himself an instant's pause before continuing on. "To see you to your apartment." Taking hold of her arm, he looked down at her with the faintest frown on his face. She really found it absolutely necessary to push herself this hard?
Steering her toward the apartment building with careful attention to allowing her to both maintain her independence and prevent her from further harming herself, Sajin regarded the structure. It was nice. Not much different from his own, and certainly nice. He waited for her to pull out her key so he could finally see her to the door and just leave her to her damn stubborn ways. Spending time around her cold attitude was taking much more out of him than it was worth.
---
Bastard.
Shaolin wanted to rip her arm out of his hold, but allowed herself to be helped along. She did not want his aid, she didn't need it so far as she was concerned. What didn't kill you made you stronger and this, this pitiful little wound was not going to stop her. For a few hours, perhaps, but she would be back on her feet in no time.
Pulling out a key from her purse, she stuck it in the knob and turned it. "I'm fine," she said again when she was inside the door. "You don't have to help me." Her eyes looked up at Sajin before turning away to open second, unlocked door meant to keep out the chill. Once inside, she pressed on down the hall with her hand lightly upon the wall until her finger pushed the UP arrow. Did he have to follow so damn closely? She didn't care if he tagged along, that was tolerable, but he was in her space.
She was not weak. What about that did men not understand? Had her leg not have been on the fritz, she could have kicked him in the chest, nailed him with her heel. Soi Fon was not part of the FBI because she was fragile.
---
No, perhaps Sajin didn't have to help Shaolin, but the fact remained that she could barely walk properly on her own, and she was clearly not going to take care of herself. He wasn't standing quite that close to her, anyway. Just close enough to be there to spot her if she fell again.
"I'll trust you to your own devices once I've seen you safely to your door, Miss Fon." He had no doubts of her abilities under normal circumstances--nor any desire to be doing this save but for the present ones--but these were hardly normal circumstances. If she could only accept that, and that he was only doing the proper thing by her, then things would be so much easier.
In the meantime, however, Sajin crossed his arms over his chest and stood firmly in the middle of the elevator until it reached Shaolin's floor. When the door gave a cheerful chime (the elevator was one thing that set her apartment building apart from his--Sajin's apartment building having only stairs), he gestured for her to lead the way and followed her silently. He had no need to say much. Once this errand was done and she was assured to be staying in her apartment, he would be glad to leave her there and go back to work. There was still so much left to be done in terms of paperwork and wrapping up with the failed raid.
---
This man was going to make her scratch her own nails into the chalk board. Then, if that didn't allow her to go deaf, she'd go listen to ungodly rock 'n roll music. That would surely drive a person deaf, or insane, or suicidal. It really depended on the person and the song in which they were listening. Shaolin probably would have blacked out from shock after hearing some of those lyrics. She was not a deeply religious woman, but she believed in something and had enough faith to know that these lyrics were blasphemy.
Trust you to your own devices. . .What the hell did that mean? She did nothing wrong! She was being herself, for one. For another, she was brave. This was not something false. That, and Shaolin could easily make her own way to her apartment by now. More or less. Her leg wiggled and wobbled, shaky under her (light) weight. The hand upon the wall had to press harder and harder with each step until she finally reached the door. Thank goodness it was close.
Sticking the key in the slot, she turned it and opened the bolt before turning the knob. There was only one lock upon her door, the dead bolt. The knob held no lock. Whether that was safer or not was of little concern to Shaolin. She could fight her way out of a burglary any time. Except for maybe today.
When she pushed the door open, finally, Shaolin gave a soft sigh. This was something she allowed herself because usually she did not. Usually she really had a stick shoved so far up her--
Turning back to look up at Sajin, the door swung wide to reveal a dark apartment filled with just enough decor to make it homey. Shaolin didn't spend much time here anyway.
"My secretary will be seeing you if I should happen not to make it in. I except my work."
---
"Indeed," Sajin confirmed, waited for her to enter her apartment, then nodded once in finality. "I will see to it that the necessary paperwork is ready for you..." He looked over her once, but didn't look into the darkness of her apartment. This was her sanctuary, regardless of how much time she spent there or how much importance she placed on it. He wouldn't dare intrude on the place anyone retreated into. She was cut of the same cloth as he was, after all. Just considerably more bitter and impulsive. She would learn, one way or another, he decided. She was still young. He had needed to learn it himself over the years.
"...whatever it is that happens in regard to your injury." He finished after a very brief pause. "Good day, Miss Fon." He turned and strode back down the hallway, looking for the stairs. She would be fine now, he was sure.
She was too stubborn to allow it to be any other way.