The Good, the Bad and the Sparkly (a Soba Western) part 4/4
*
“Getting sloppy, Kamenashi,” Shirota says, and Kame looks Shirota up and down.
“I assume there’s a reason you’re still wearing the nun costume?” Kame asks, and Shirota sighs.
“It’s more comfortable than you’d think,” Shirota informs him. “And I seem to have misplaced my luggage.”
Koki snickers, and Shirota turns to him with a suspicious eye, and Koki quickly schools his face into a look of solemnity.
“Right,” Kame drawls. “Anyway, I’ve got enough of the maps to serve as evidence. We’ve almost got everything we need to-”
“Shhh,” Tegoshi says. “Not here.” They’re above the dining area of the inn, in Shirota’s room, Kame still clothed as Hiroto. They would look a strange party, if someone could see them, but no one can, and the people of Johnnysville, over the past month, have gotten used to any number of guests. “We could be overheard. We’ll talk on the train back to Washington, when the job here is done.”
“Of course,” Kame murmurs, chastised, and he wonders if Sheriff Nakamaru’s generally trusting nature is rubbing off on him. “Still, all is according to plan. The job will get done.”
“I don’t know why you insist on making it so theatrical,” Shirota says, adjusting his habit, and Kame looks at him incredulously.
“You’re sitting across from me dressed as a Catholic nun, and you want to lecture me about theatrical,” Kame says, and that voice doesn’t match Hiroto’s personality at all, but really, he’s the best in the country at what he does, and he’s not going to take this kind of abuse.
“Well, at least Shirota’s not trying to get laid,” Koki says, and Tegoshi gleefully rubs his hands together, like it’s suddenly become hunting season.
“I’m not-” and Kame frowns as Shirota laughs, and Kame knows better than to fight a battle he’s already lost. “You know what? Fine. I like him.” Kame’s face reddens as he speaks, and his palms feel strangely sweaty. He wipes them on his trousers, and sighs. “But it’s not going to interfere with my work.”
“Kame, did you just admit it?” Koki asks, and the real Koki, not the Koki that Johnysville thinks they know, but the seasoned agent Koki, has always known just how to tease Kame to get the maximum reaction.
“We’ve only got one target left,” Kame says, switching the subject, as Tegoshi twirls a piece of hair around his finger, the long blond strands glittering with residue from what Kame assumes is a previous night’s costume. “And it seems like it’ll be the hardest one.”
“Ninomiya is smart,” Koki says, scratching at his chin. “Smarter than the others.”
“Not much of a challenge to be that,” Kame says dryly, and Shirota nods. “He’s the one we suspect is the mastermind behind the whole thing, right?”
“Right,” Shirota says, and Tegoshi agrees.
“We previously thought it was Ohno, but it seems he’s just the leader in name. Ninomiya is pulling the strings.”
There’s a knock on the door. They all still. Then another knock. “Oh, it’s just Juri,” Koki says, and gets up to answer the door. “What do you have for us, bro?”
“Apparently the mayor and the bank president are getting upset with Sheriff Nakamaru,” Juri informs them, and unfolded letter in his grip. “He’s becoming ‘too nosy’,” or something.”
“I’ll say,” Koki snorts, and Tegoshi laughs too, and then they both look guiltily at Shirota. “Sorry, man.”
“I happen to like my nose,” Shirota says, and Kame swallows his own laugh. “Continue, baby Tanaka.”
“Right,” Juri says, and then he shifts in place. “So this letter is to Ninomiya, discussing how the sheriff and his deputy are getting to close to the truth.”
“Yes, heaven forbid the people of this town find out what their leaders are getting up to right under their noses,” Shirota says, and Koki grins.
“A guy could get up to a lot under your nose-- My bad, dude,” Koki says, and he doesn’t look the least bit sorry. Kame is just relieved they’re picking on someone else now.
“We have to get the last of the evidence,” Kame says. “Then we can expose the truth about Operation Arashi, and maybe get some real justice returned to this town.”
*
The inn is deserted when Nakamaru steps in, which, in a town like Johnnysville, wouldn’t be all that unusual if not for the constant stream of visitors they’ve had lately. Jin follows him into the dining room and leans over the counter, tapping the call-bell repeatedly until Nakamaru smacks him across the back of his head. The owner appears moments later, with a blinding smile and hair that Nakamaru could almost swear sparkles; the sheriff has always thought Kimutaku looked quite out of place working at the rundown inn. At least the food is good though, something about ‘Bistro SMAP’ cuisine.
“Welcome, Sheriff. How can I help you?”
“Beer,” Jin says, and Nakamaru lets it go because he supposes Jin needs to recover from the shock of being useful at work for once in his life.
“Has anyone new checked in since the boxer with the nun?” The sheriff inquires.
“Oh, yes. A new guy checked in yesterday, a weird one.” Kimutaku leans in over the counter to whisper to the sheriff and Nakamaru raises an eyebrow because he can’t imagine anything weirder than a boxer who travels with a gun-toting male nun. “Kind of creepy too, this new one. And not from anywhere I’ve ever heard of, if I have to judge by his name.”
“Right,” Nakamaru sighs. “Is he in right now? We’d like to talk with him, if you could call him down.”
Kimutaku disappears upstairs, and only a few moments later the new guest appears at the top of the staircase. Nakamaru almost chokes when he sees the man, and Jin’s surprised gasp by his side is all but concealed. Nakamaru jams his elbow into Jin’s ribs and Jin shuts his mouth with an audible clack.
The man before them is dressed in a weird attire composed of high boots, leather pants, a long coat with what Nakamaru can only define as a scarf that would leave even Yamashita (famous for his collection of gay scarves that he finds occasion to wear even shirtless in the hottest part of summer) feeling a little jealous, and a well battered hat. His hair is silver, and if all of that wasn’t enough he is carrying a weird cane with a shape that makes Nakamaru look at it twice and wonder if it wouldn’t be better used in the bedroom instead of out of it.
“How can I help you, Sheriff?”
The man’s deep voice makes shivers run down Nakamaru’s spine, and not of the unpleasant kind. Jin sucks in air to speak and Nakamaru remembers to interrupt him before he can say something offensive.
“You’re new in town?” The sheriff asks before his mind supplies that the answer to that is kind of obvious. “I mean. I’m Yuichi Nakamaru, the sheriff of Johnnysville, and this is my deputy, Jin Akanishi. Could we have your name?”
“Bem,” the man answers as he brings a hand to his hat to hold it while he bows. “Nice to meet you. I hope I can be of help.”
Jin leans over Nakamaru’s shoulder to inspect Bem’s face, until he’s so close that Bem has to take a step back so their noses don’t touch and Nakamaru’s bent down under Jin’s weight; he tries not to think what’s pressing against his ass when he can feel the buckle of Jin’s belt just below it.
“Are plucked eyebrows a new trend in the city or something?” Jin squints a bit and pushes on the rim at the back of his hat to lift it off his eyes. “Or broken noses for that matter.”
Bem blinks in utter confusion. Nakamaru thinks it’s the cutest thing he has ever seen, and, with all the eyeliner around the man’s eyes, maybe also strangely hot. “Excuse me, but I don’t... think I understand...?”
Nakamaru straightens up and Jin yelps as he falls back against the counter. “Please don’t pay much attention to my deputy. He doesn’t have much of what you’d call... tact.”
“Oh,” Bem’s eyes fix on the sheriff and Nakamaru feels weak at the knees. Bem’s the living example of politeness, but his voice and eyes have something that makes Nakamaru’s heart try to beat out of his chest.
“I, um... Due to a recent wave of crime we’re interrogating every newcomer about their reasons for coming to town.”
Bem nods solemnly. “I have business with Dr. Ninomiya. They’re of a private nature, though...”
“That’s okay,” Nakamaru says as he hands Jin the bill that Jin’s trying to steal from his back pocket to pay for the beer. “Enjoy your stay, be careful and come to us for any help you may need.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.” Bem’s tongue peeks out to lick his lips, and his expression remains placid, but Nakamaru suddenly feels like the other man is undressing him with his eyes. Nakamaru’s not sure he would mind being naked with this stranger, but with Jin around, Nakamaru doesn’t want to give his deputy any ammunition to tease him, especially not right now, since he’s trying to restrain from hitting Jin since they’ve only recently patched up their working relationship. But still, Nakamaru can’t deny that the man in front of him is gorgeous- otherworldly, almost, in his beauty.
“You’re... you’re welcome,” Nakamaru says, running a hand anxiously through his hair as he fights off the blush that surges to his cheeks when he hears Bem’s voice again, low and sexy. Then Bem bows, slightly, bending at the waist and sending a few tendrils of silvery hair over his shoulder, and Nakamaru wants to touch it.
Nakamaru returns Bem’s little bow before grabbing Jin by the scruff to lead him out. He can swear Bem’s eyes burn holes into his nape as they leave.
*
Kame waits a few minutes after the sheriff leaves, before he follows them to where he knows they’ll go. Kame wonders how no one in Johnnysville gets tired of slinging back the same drinks at the Superbad, but figures if you grow up in a small town, maybe you get used to that being all there is to do.
Jin seems to particularly enjoy wasting his spare minutes at the Superbad, though Kame supposes that’s mostly due to Yamashita’s presence. Jin’s leaning over the counter, chatting animatedly with the topless bartender and ignoring Nakamaru’s attempts to get his attention. Only when Yamashita moves away does Jin finally turn towards his boss, and Kame takes advantage of Bem’s dark clothes and silent mood to hide in a dark corner of the bar. He’s surprised more people aren’t staring at the silver hair, but well, Kame, in any form, has always been an expert at hiding in plain sight. Nakamaru looks furtively around, but he doesn’t notice Bem.
“Okay, Jin. If we want to find out what’s going on with these thefts we need to think about what we know so far.”
“Aiba had a map with mines,” Jin supplies, and Kame wonders if stating the obvious is Jin’s way to be useful.
“Yes. But why would a horse breeder need a map of coal mines?”
Jin’s lips purse like he’s trying to think. “Well those mines... I think they’re the States’ property. Maybe... Maybe they’re trying to sell them?” Jin’s eyebrows knot with the effort of thinking. “Why would Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai be involved if not? Maybe they’re all selling the land with the mines, and the thief is stealing evidence about selling the land, and that’s why they can’t tell us, because it’s illegal even if Matsumoto is the King.”
Nakamaru looks like he thinks the wildness of the theory is enough to skip correcting Jin’s use of King to refer to Matsumoto. “That’s kind of... farfetched, Jin. Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai hold important positions in town that were given to him because they’re responsible and trustworthy.”
Jin rubs at his nose sheepishly. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”
In his little dark corner of the saloon, Kame resists the urge to slam his palm against his forehead, because the noise would probably attract too much attention. He also tries to resist the thoughts that tell him Nakamaru is looking more attractive every day; Kame wonders if it’s because Bem has a thing for kind-hearted detectives.
*
Mari has never felt quite comfortable in Dr. Ninomiya’s office, what with all the creepy shiny instruments lying neatly on tidy metal trays, as if someone is trying to make them look innocent and not like the dangerous weapons they truly are. The way Jin walks closer to him than usual tells Nakamaru that Jin shares his opinion, though he would rather Jin stopped crushing his arm in a vice like grip that Nakamaru is sure will leave bruises.
The smile Ninomiya gives them wouldn’t look out of place on a hungry, particularly vicious shark. “Welcome, Sheriff Nakamaru, Jin, dear. Take a seat, please.”
They both try to push their chairs as far away as possible from Ninomiya’s desk without being rude. “I um... Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai seem to think you could be the next victim of the thief that’s been causing problems lately...”
“Victim,” Dr. Ninomiya says, his disturbing grin stretching a little wider on his face. “I like the word victim.”
“You would,” Jin mumbles under his breath, eyes repeatedly scanning the room for viable exits. “Anyway, do you have any idea what might get stolen?”
“Not a clue,” Dr. Ninomiya says, and now, Nakamaru notes, he’s casually stroking an errant scalpel and looking at Jin in a way that makes both the sheriff and his deputy feel incredibly uncomfortable. Jin quivers at it. “Why would anyone want to target me? I’m just the friendly town doctor.”
“Friendly,” Nakamaru says, deadpan. “Right.” He looks down at his vest and tries to find strength in his argyle, but not even the familiar pattern has comfort to offer him. “Anyway, Doctor, I have some questions to ask-”
“Jin, you look cold,” Dr Ninomiya says, leering at Jin. “It’s quite hot in here, are you sure you’re not coming down with something?”
“No, Doctor,” Jin says, shrinking down in his seat. “It just feels a little like your eyes are freezing my soul.” Nakamaru elbows Jin in the stomach. Even if Nakamaru doesn’t think Jin is wrong, per say, there are some things tact demands they don’t voice. “I mean... there’s no problem, Doctor. I drink enough beer to kill anything that lives inside me.”
“I don’t know, Jin. I haven’t given you a checkup in a while. I could just... strip you down...”
“Well, we don’t really have time for that,” Nakamaru interrupts hastily, as Jin’s eyes widen into panicked round discs of horror.
“Mmm, right you are,” Dr. Ninomiya says. “I’m expecting an interview with my new patient very soon.”
“New patient?” Nakamaru asks, and Jin gasps.
“Mr. Bem, right?” Jin says, clapping his hands like a seal. “He’s so cool and weird looking and he carries around a giant penis.”
“I have business with... Mr. Bem, yes. During the day both I and my nurse, Yokoyama, are here, but I’ll be happy to let you guard my office at night if you feel it necessary.”
“I’m afraid we do, Doctor, feel it necessary.” Nakamaru straightens his collar and sighs. “Unfortunately.”
“Alright then,” Dr. Ninomiya says. “Well, in that case, I’ll have another opportunity to see to Jin’s health again...” The doctor trails off, and his eyes run disturbingly up and down Jin’s baggy-clothes hidden form, “later.”
Jin’s face goes an ashen grey, and Nakamaru offers him a comforting pat on the arm that he hopes goes unnoticed by the doctor. “Well, we’ll be here tonight, Doctor, and nothing is going to get stolen from this office.”
“Oh, I’m quite sure of that,” Dr. Ninomiya says mysteriously, the light flashing in his eyes. “Quite sure.”
When Nakamaru has excused them both and followed Jin’s fleeing form out onto the street, Jin sighs, and leans forward to rest his hands on his thighs. “Oh my god, he’s so creepy,” Jin says, and scrubs his hands down his arms. “Like, seriously.”
“Yes,” Nakamaru agrees, fervently, in total agreement. “But we’ve got a job to do.”
“He doesn’t seem like he’d need much help protecting his things,” Jin says. “I bet he’s got it all under control.”
“Well, then that just makes our job easier,” Nakamaru says, resting his hands on his hips. He looks down the street, and sees Bem walking toward them. “And there’s the patient.”
“I almost feel sorry for him,” Jin says, as Bem nods at them both and walks inside the doctor’s office. “But not sorry enough to go back in there.”
“Yes,” Nakamaru says, again in agreement, but another part of him, more than anything, wants to follow the silver-haired newcomer anyway, just so he can spend a little more time with him. “But let’s relax before we have to get back here tonight.”
“The Superbad?” Jin queries hopefully, and Nakamaru sighs and nods.
“Yes, the Superbad,” he says begrudgingly. It’s not like there’s much else to do, and maybe they’ll meet someone interesting.
*
Kame hasn’t been in Dr. Ninomiya’s office before, but Bem has and Bem’s eyes are sharp and never miss anything. Bem saw where the nurse, Yokoyama, who’s way too talkative and energetic enough to run a whole town on his own, leaves the spare key to the doctor’s room and how the window doesn’t close quite right. Kame only has to remember what Bem knows, lift the window enough to sneak in and make sure his kimono doesn’t catch on anything.
The key makes a soft click when Kame twists it inside the lock, but the door is silent when he pushes it open. In the semi-darkness Ninomiya’s instruments acquire a completely new level of spookiness that makes Kame shiver slightly. He looks at the perfectly tidy desk while pushing some loose strands of hair behind his ears as he wonders where to start.
The documents are well hidden, and Kame has to give all his attention to looking for them, being careful to leave everything as it was, and not making much noise while picking locks and opening drawers. He’s so focused that he misses the noise of the building’s main door opening, and the soft steps over thick carpets in the waiting room. Kame’s eyes finally land on his prize at the same time the doorknob twists.
Nakamaru and Jin burst into the doctor’s office, with the slam of the door and a yell just a second before Kame lifts the box off the drawer, triggering a pressure mechanism that makes steel bars drop in front of the door and the window with a metallic sound that makes the hairs on their necks stand on end.
They’re trapped.
*
“So we meet at last, thief!” Jin says, pointing at the kimono-clad thief accusingly. “Now we’ve got you!”
“Um,” Nakamaru says, scratching at the back of his neck. “I think someone has got all of us.”
“To-may-to, to-mah-to,” Jin says. “The point is, we’re all in here, and he can’t run away. And... um... there are two of us and only one of him. So we could, like, beat him up or something.”
“Or,” the thief says, raising his perfectly arched eyebrows and smirking with his red-stained lips. “I could just... tell you. What I’m doing. Since, you know, the fact that you’re locked in here is enough proof for anyone that you two aren’t in on it.”
“In on... what?” Jin asks, and Nakamaru frowns.
“I mean,” the thief says. “I knew, of course, that you weren’t in on it. But. I was worried if I told you what I was up to, you’d find some way to get into trouble. Or to sabotage the whole operation by accident.”
Nakamaru bristles. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks, voice pitched a little whinier than he’d like. Nakamaru feels twelve, for some reason, or a bit like a middle school boy with a high school girl crush.
“Oh, I don’t think you’re incompetent,” the thief replies. “I just think you’re out of your element. Which is why the Federal Government had to send in the ‘big guns’ for this shady business.”
“Shady business...” Nakamaru says, and the thief laughs.
“Actually, you scatterbrained deputy had it mostly right,” and Nakamaru tries to pay attention to the words, and not the smooth line of the thief’s neck as it disappears into the folds of his kimono, but it is a battle hard-fought and quickly lost. “Your town leaders... Mayor Matsumoto, President Sakurai... Aiba the horse-breeder, and Ohno, the cabaret owner... all of them work for Dr. Ninomiya, one of the most wanted fraud-criminals in the country.”
“What?” Nakamaru yelps. “Like, seriously?”
“I could immediately tell that Dr. Ninomiya is a criminal,” Jin says, and he shudders at what Nakamaru assumes must be a terrible memory.
“Yes,” the thief says. “Seriously.” He pushes his hair our of his eyes and smiles, and Nakamaru’s heart skips a beat. He’s got flawless teeth, Nakamaru notes, because it’s, um, totally important to the case. “We used to think Satoshi Ohno was the mastermind of the Arashi group, but we were wrong. He’s the leader in name, but not in practice. The real leader is Dr. Ninomiya.”
“But... I don’t... why?” Nakamaru asks, feeling like the world has gone a bit wonky. “But Mayor Matsumoto... he’s the mayor.”
“How’d you know my theory, anyway?” Jin says. “About the coalmines and stuff.”
“Wait,” Nakamaru says. “ALL OF JIN’S THEORY?”
“Yes,” the thief adds impatiently. “You should listen to him more, there’s a lot of wisdom hiding in the mush inside his head.”
“See?” Jin crows triumphantly. “I’m useful.” Then Jin frowns. “But I’m really wondering how you’ve managed to listen to us... how you would know what we talked about?”
“Oh,” the thief says. “Well, you see, I’ve... been hanging around.” Nakamaru’s brain is struggling to follow the conversation. He wonders if this is how Jin feels every day. Maybe he should be nicer to his deputy.
“I would have remembered if I’d seen you,” Nakamaru blurts, and then blushes, because the obvious interest in his voice is kind of embarrassing.
“And don’t you remember Shizuku?”
Nakamaru’s eyes widen. “What...?”
“Jin thought Kousaku was Shizuku, and Kyohei was Kousaku, and you told Hiroto there had been a string of similarly looking strangers coming into town. I had thought you’d manage to figure it out faster, actually.”
Nakamaru’s brain sputters to a stop, like a train at the end of the tracks. Jin takes a few steps forward to take a better look at the thief’s face under the dim light. “You have Mr. Bem’s eyebrows! And the broken nose too!” He gasps as realization hits him and turns around to yell at Nakamaru. “He’s them!”
“Congratulations, genius.” The thief snorts. “Inspector Kazuya Kamenashi, federal agent. I’d show you my badge, but I left it in my other kimono, I hope you’ll understand.”
“Coalmines... thieves... sexy visitors... stealing... confused,” Nakamaru mumbles, and Jin pats him comfortingly on the back.
“That’s okay, Nakamarad, breathe. Thereeeeee we go.” Jin is forcing air into his lungs with each ‘pat’ and Nakamaru is strangely grateful.
Nakamaru straightens and punches Jin in the side. “What are you allowed to call me?”
“‘Sheriff’ and ‘Boss’,” Jin replies promptly. “Sorry, Boss.”
“But... thanks, deputy,” Nakamaru says, and Jin smiles at him in that way he has that takes over his whole face. Then Nakamaru turns back to the thief, Kamenashi, and shakes his head to clear the cobwebs from his fuzzy brain.
“Sexy?” Kamenashi asks, and Nakamaru wonders if he’s going to be red for the rest of his life. “I’m... flattered.”
“Well, yeah, anyway,” Nakamaru says. “Tell me more about what’s going on here in Jonesville.”
“Yes, Inspector,” says a voice from the doorway. “Tell us all more.”
“Ninomiya,” Kamenashi says, and his voice is low and growly, and Nakamaru can hear the voice that he’d thought belonged to Bem alone. It still has unfortunate effects on his hormones.
“Kamenashi,” Ninomiya says. “A pleasure to meet you at last, Inspector.”
“You know who I am?” Nakamaru watches the slight narrowing of Kamenashi’s eyes. Thoughts flicker in them, and even though it’s completely inappropriate, Nakamaru can’t help but find them entrancing.
“Of course we do,” Mayor Matsumoto says, from the other side of the bars. He’s wearing a fluorescent pink suit with rhinestone lapels, and a sky blue boa looped twice about his neck. Nakamaru thinks tonight is bad enough without having Matsumoto’s fashion inflicted on his eyes. “Evidence that proves our guilt- records, deeds, maps, letters of interest... that sort of stuff starts disappearing, taken by a man in a kimono... You don’t think a team like us, of veterans, know what that means?”
“It means the government is on to us, but they can’t get a warrant,” President Sakurai says. “It also means that the government doesn’t think our law enforcement can handle it.”
“So we decided to use our sheriff against you.” Mayor Matsumoto concludes, crossing his arms and shooting them a triumphant smirk.
“But... you’re the king!” Jin yells indignantly. “What could you possibly need? You’ve got the top position in the town!”
“He’s not the king, Jin-” Nakamaru starts to say, before he shakes his head. They’ve got bigger worries than that, like the gun that Mayor Matsumoto is pulling from his pocket.
“Well, you know,” Mayor Matsumoto says. “Having a stylish wardrobe like mine can be terribly expensive.”
“And the girls,” says Ohno. “Lots more girls.” Nakamaru wonders if the second ‘girls’ is a codeword for illegal drugs.
“I just like counting money,” Sakurai says. “It’s more fun if it’s mine.” He pauses for a moment, tapping his chin with his index finger. “And being smarter than everyone else.”
“Puppies!” Aiba squeals, and Sakurai looks at him fondly.
“There’s a lot of money to be found in selling land that doesn’t belong to you,” Ninomiya finishes. “Money for... experiments.” He cackles, and Nakamaru shivers at the sound.
“He’s fucking creepy,” Jin says, and Nakamaru has never agreed with his deputy more than he does right now.
“It’s really too bad that Bem isn’t real,” Nino adds, cracking his knuckles. His fingers are callused, like he spends a lot of time working with machines. “We would have had a lot of fun.”
“But now,” Matsumoto says, with a gay flourish. “It’s time to wrap this up. Sorry, Sheriff, that you’ve been all caught up in this.”
“What about me?!” Jin yells, and Mayor Matsumoto looks Jin up and down really slow, like he’s saying his last, pornographic goodbyes.
“That’s the real shame,” President Sakurai says, his tone mournful. “Jin, I’m really sorry about this. We’ll all miss your ass.”
“It is pretty great,” Jin says, and Nakamaru still has the sense, despite the craziness, to connect his palm with the back of Jin’s head. “I’m too pretty to dieeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
“So you’re going to kill us?” Kamenashi asks, his kimono sleeves shimmering in the meager light from the gaslight Aiba holds aloft in the air. The fabric looks soft. “Just like that? You don’t think that’s going to tip off the folks back East?”
“Oh, it will,” Ninomiya says, and he’s gripped onto Ohno’s suit to keep him from wandering off. “But we’ll be long gone by then. We hadn’t managed to make as much as we pleased, but we’ll start over with new identities in a new place, with no one the wiser. By the time they find your bodies, the trail will be cold.” His tone is paralyzing. Nakamaru is terrified.
“This isn’t right,” Nakamaru says, and his sense of justice is warring with the reality of the situation. Jin is clinging to his arm, and Kamenashi is looking cold and vibrant in the moonlight. Nakamaru regrets that he might die before he has the chance to see if there’s any chance that Kamenashi might...
“The clever one first,” Ninomiya says firmly.
Matsumoto cocks the gun, and Nakamaru doesn’t know what comes over him, but he’s shrugging Jin off his arm and pushing Kamenashi to the ground, covering him with his body, just like he’d been trained by the old sheriff, Higashiyama. Kame’s breath is warm on his neck, his harsh exhales sending tingles all the way down to Nakamaru’s toes, and his fingers clutch at Nakamaru’s biceps. It makes Nakamaru feel a bit dizzy and confused. The bullet crashes into the wall, right behind where Kamenashi had been standing. Nakamaru thinks Kamenashi might be trembling a bit under him.
Jin’s terrified yell is almost louder than the gun firing, and the deputy falls to the ground with a soft thud when his knees give out on him. Matsumoto clicks his tongue in annoyance, and aims the gun again; he won’t miss a second time. Nakamaru can hear Jin whimpering in terror and crawling to one corner of the room, but all he can do is close his eyes and hold tightly onto Kamenashi; he wonders if the brush of lips against his cheeks is a product of his mind in what probably are his last seconds of life. Nakamaru thinks he likes his mind, if it’s that.
“Okay, you! In the epilepsy-inducing suit, drop the gun.”
Nakamaru only opens his eyes when he hears the loud clack of the gun being dropped against the wooden floor, and he wonders if he has finally gone crazy due to the stress of the situation, because he doesn’t know how else to explain being saved by a male nun, a man in drag, and the town’s resident delinquent, all holding guns and looking, attire taken into account, considerably more menacing than could’ve been expected. Koki looks at them, obviously worried.
“Juri told us he’d overheard President Sakurai talking about a trap, and when we got here, we heard a gun being fired as we were breaking in. Are y’all okay? Where’s Kamenashi?”
“Here,” Kamenashi replies, waving an arm from under Nakamaru, and the sheriff blushes as he scrambles to get up and away from the man. He rushes to check on Jin just to put some distance between them, though he suddenly feels cold despite the heat in his cheeks.
Koki gives them a funny look, but he says nothing. Tegoshi blows a strand of hair from his wig out of his eyes and frowns at the five men in front of them. “I suppose you guys aren’t going to be nice and cooperate, right?”
Later, Nakamaru will have time to replay the scene in his mind and wonder how two men, in a nun habit and a long dress with heels, respectively, can move so swiftly. It probably helps that Sakurai trips over his own feet, Matsumoto is afraid he’ll ruin his sequins if he tries fight back, all Aiba does is scream, Ninomiya can’t believe his evil plan has failed, and Ohno looks like he doesn’t even realize anything is happening, but Shirota, Tegoshi and Koki manage to subdue them all and somehow handcuff Arashi to each other. They look a bit like a circus act standing there, and Nakamaru tries not to think about how comfortable they all seem in each other’s personal space. Jin crawls closer to the steel bars keeping them trapped when he’s sure there’s no risk anymore, and squints at Tegoshi and Koki.
“Wait, you two are federal agents too?”
“No,” Koki deadpans, “we just saw a man in a nun costume running around with a gun and thought it’d be fun to join the party.”
Jin looks like he might be vaguely suspicious that Koki’s mocking him. “Really?”
“But the whole town has seen your ass,” Nakamaru sputters. “And you...” He turns toward Tegoshi, dressed for a ball and covered in make-up and holding a gun with his wig slightly askew after the fight. “You are...”
“Really good at my job, considering no one suspected anything.”
“But... I...”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Jin sounds a lot like a kicked puppy would, if puppies could talk. Nakamaru thinks he sees Aiba’s lips quivering at Jin’s hurt voice. “I hope Pi is not in on this too, because if he is I’m not EVER going to talk to him again and...”
“It’s just us, kid.” Shirota says as he rises from behind the nurse’s desk, and the metallic bars blocking the door rise with a loud screech. If looks could kill and Ohno had half a mind to realize the way Ninomiya’s glare was burning holes into his ear, he’d be pushing up daisies already. “Okay, out you go. We should put these guys somewhere safe for the night so we’ll be leading the way to your office, Sheriff.”
“Uh, oh, yes, yes of course.” Nakamaru offers a helping hand for Jin to get up. Jin accepts, and he’s still shaking in his neon cowboy boots. “Should I give them a hand, Sheriff?”
“Yeah,” Nakamaru says, still sort of in shock.
“Yes, Boss!” Jin says, throwing up a salute and stepping on Matsumoto’s shoes triumphantly. “I hate those shoes,” Jin says under his breath, and Nakamaru laughs and then gasps a little when a strong hand presses against the small of his back.
“You saved me,” Kamenashi says, and it’s just the two of them left in the office, steel bars raised and the prisoners freed. Tomorrow morning’s newspaper will be filled with scandal, and Nakamaru’s going to have a lot of explaining to do, so he enjoys this last moment of peace, Kamenashi calm beside him. “You pushed me out of harm’s way without a second thought.”
“Well, yeah,” Nakamaru says, and Kamenashi is looking at him like he’s something special, like Nakamaru has done something awesome. He likes that. “Because it was the right thing to do. And because, well, I didn’t want... anything to happen to you.”
*
Kame looks at the sheriff, who’s turned a dull pink that contrasts with the argyle of his vest, and feels the smile creeping up his face. The wax of his lipstick feels tight on the skin of his lips.
“My hero,” Kame says, and lifts both his hands to put them on Nakamaru’s cheeks. The flesh is warm between his palms, and soft. He leans forward, and enjoys the hitch in Nakamaru’s breath as he presses their chests together.
“Yeah?” Nakamaru says, and his hands nervously move to Kame’s hips. Kame can feel them quiver as they softly rest there, over the heavy weight of his obi, and little tendrils of warmth flow from Nakamaru’s fingers. “Well, even though you lied to me, a lot, I still-”
Kame shuts him up with his mouth, pressing red lips to Nakamaru’s soft pink ones, and he wants to laugh at the other man’s muffled ‘mmph’ of sound as Kame moves in. The sheriff’s hands tighten then, and he’s kissing back, shock and adrenaline fueling them on. Nakamaru gasps, and Kame presses his advantage, tongue slipping between parted lips to taste. The sheriff’s hands close a little tighter over his hips, but then Nakamaru is kissing him back, shy and a little bit clumsy and perfect and sweet.
Nakamaru is flushed all the way down his neck when Kame pulls away, and Kame thinks it’s the most precious thing he has ever seen. Nakamaru blinks and licks his lips quickly, and it’s so adorable Kame can’t help to give him another soft peck that makes the few thoughts Nakamaru had probably managed to assemble scatter again.
“I, um, I think we should get out because they... They might be waiting for us and um, the criminals and...”
Nakamaru is mostly mumbling to himself as he finally turns around to go out, and Kame follows him amusedly. The others are still outside the doctor’s office and have everything under control, except Jin who’s trying to avoid Ohno’s strange flirting. “You looked so pretty in a dress, that one time,” Ohno mumbles. “How can someone who looked so pretty in a dress want to put me in jail?”
“Why would I not want to put you in jail?” Jin says, batting away Ohno’s chin as he attempts to set it on Jin’s shoulder to peer into his eyes. “Harassment is a crime.”
“Where’ve you been, Sheriff?” Koki asks. “We need your keys to lock them up in jail!”
“Right, right,” Nakamaru says, like he’s avoiding the question. He’s cute, Kame thinks. “We were just making sure we didn’t... miss any evidence. Or something.”
“Right,” Tegoshi says. “Nice lipstick, Sheriff.”
“Thanks-- What?!” Nakamaru says, and Kame laughs at the bewildered look on his face.
“Tegoshi, focus,” Kame says, but the giddiness is bubbling inside of him, and it’s hard for him to concentrate.
“Like you’re focused, Kame?” Tegoshi says, and Shirota giggles.
“Are there really no other clothes you can wear?” Kame asks plaintively. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“I’m a very tall man!” Shirota whines, and Kame wonders if he actually just works with children.
“Can I go interrogate the suspects now?” Tegoshi says, examining his manicure. “I’ve got a massage in the morning.”
“Calling them ‘suspects’ is a bit kind, don’t you think?” Koki says, but it seems to be more of a rhetorical question. “I’ll go with you.”
“And now we wait,” Kame says, and he tries not to look over at Nakamaru, because the stupid deputy is snickering into his hands as Nakamaru wipes desperately at his face with a kerchief. “I won’t hear a word,” Kame says threateningly to Shirota, and Shirota just grins.
Tegoshi works fast. He’ll probably have full written confessions in an hour. Kame hopes the screams aren’t as loud as they usually are. But Aiba, he thinks, looks like a screamer.
*
Nakamaru knows he shouldn’t, but he kind of pities Arashi after a night of being interrogated by Tegoshi, whatever Tegoshi’s methods are; Nakamaru prefers not to speculate, because Tegoshi is still wearing make-up and Nakamaru could swear the dress he’s wearing is different from last night’s. Jin keeps saying he was woken up by Matsumoto’s screams, but Nakamaru prefers not to think about that either, as Tegoshi sums up the confessions of the five men.
“No reason for you to feel bad about him, anyway. As it turns out, Mayor Matsumoto hired Jin in order to keep you from looking into cases too deeply-- a distraction, if you will.” Tegoshi is examining his nails as he speaks.
“What?” Jin asks, his mouth falling open like a goldfish. “They gave me the job because they knew I wouldn’t be any good at it? To hurt Nakamarad and not to help him?” Jin’s eyes are welling up with tears, and Tegoshi nods.
“I’m afraid so,” the man still dressed inexplicably as a nun says, clapping Jin on the shoulder and nodding. “Don’t worry kid, I’m sure the right job is out there for you.”
Nakamaru swallows. “What do you mean, ‘the right job’?” Nakamaru tugs on the cuffs of his sleeves, trying to make them longer so they cover his wrists, and looking down at the ground. “He already has a job.”
“But now you can hire anyone you’d like,” Tegoshi says, sounding confused. “You don’t have to keep Jin. You could find someone new.”
Nakamaru chances a look at Jin, and Jin is looking hopelessly at his feet, hat hanging from his back by its string. “Why on Earth would I want a new deputy, when I’ve got the best deputy I could hope for?”
Nakamaru catches Kame’s hidden grin of approval moments before Jin’s tackles him to the ground, yelling things like “I knew we were friends!” into Nakamaru’s ear, and Kame’s soft eyes, when he looks up again, send a thrill through Nakamaru’s whole body.
Even knowing the man’s been lying to him from the beginning, and leading him on a merry goose chase, making him think his hormones had gone haywire and his brain had turned to mush-- Even that isn’t enough to quell Nakamaru’s interest. The memory of Kame kissing him after Nakamaru saved him will not be an easy one to forget.
After they all shake hands, Jin pops back into the saloon to visit his best friend, who is no doubt wearing a terrible gay scarf and no shirt as is his custom, and the others all find ways to excuse themselves, as well.
“It’s been a real pleasure, Sheriff,” Kame says, and he reaches out for Nakamaru’s hand. Nakamaru takes it, and their palms are warm against each other as they shake hands. “And, you know, thanks for the save.”
“Any time, Inspector Kamenashi,” Nakamaru replies, his mouth tumbling over unfamiliar name.
“You could... call me Kame,” Kame replies, and Nakamaru realizes, suddenly, that he and Kame have yet to let go of each other’s hands. “That’s my name.”
“One of them, anyway,” Nakamaru replies, and Kame winces.
“Yes,” Kame agrees. “One of them.” He raises one eyebrow. “You do know that-”
“Yeah,” Nakamaru says. “All part of the job, right?” Nakamaru feels sort of embarrassed now, because Kame was playing with him, and it’s sort of obvious that his crush was on the real side of things.
“Well,” Kame says, dragging the word out. “Certainly not all of it, Sheriff.” And Nakamaru’s eyes rush to find Kame’s, and Kame is smiling at him softly, and Nakamaru thinks he might be blushing a bit, too. “Not all of it.”
“Oh,” Nakamaru says, and he feels a little bit hopeful, even if it might be silly. “Well then I’ll...” he steps back, and their palms slide from each other, and Nakamaru feels the loss. “I’ll just be...”
“Well, that’s my cue, Sheriff,” Kame says, and at that moment, Koki sticks his head out the door of the inn.
“Come on, Kame! We’ve got to write out our report!”
Nakamaru nods, and loops his thumbs through his belt-loops, rocking back on his heels. “See you around, Inspector.”
“See you around,” Kame replies, and there’s something in his voice that makes Nakamaru feel simultaneously hot and cold, and maybe even a little excited.
Nakamaru doesn’t expect ‘around’ to be in his bedroom later that night, but he’s certainly not going to complain.
-FIN-
“Getting sloppy, Kamenashi,” Shirota says, and Kame looks Shirota up and down.
“I assume there’s a reason you’re still wearing the nun costume?” Kame asks, and Shirota sighs.
“It’s more comfortable than you’d think,” Shirota informs him. “And I seem to have misplaced my luggage.”
Koki snickers, and Shirota turns to him with a suspicious eye, and Koki quickly schools his face into a look of solemnity.
“Right,” Kame drawls. “Anyway, I’ve got enough of the maps to serve as evidence. We’ve almost got everything we need to-”
“Shhh,” Tegoshi says. “Not here.” They’re above the dining area of the inn, in Shirota’s room, Kame still clothed as Hiroto. They would look a strange party, if someone could see them, but no one can, and the people of Johnnysville, over the past month, have gotten used to any number of guests. “We could be overheard. We’ll talk on the train back to Washington, when the job here is done.”
“Of course,” Kame murmurs, chastised, and he wonders if Sheriff Nakamaru’s generally trusting nature is rubbing off on him. “Still, all is according to plan. The job will get done.”
“I don’t know why you insist on making it so theatrical,” Shirota says, adjusting his habit, and Kame looks at him incredulously.
“You’re sitting across from me dressed as a Catholic nun, and you want to lecture me about theatrical,” Kame says, and that voice doesn’t match Hiroto’s personality at all, but really, he’s the best in the country at what he does, and he’s not going to take this kind of abuse.
“Well, at least Shirota’s not trying to get laid,” Koki says, and Tegoshi gleefully rubs his hands together, like it’s suddenly become hunting season.
“I’m not-” and Kame frowns as Shirota laughs, and Kame knows better than to fight a battle he’s already lost. “You know what? Fine. I like him.” Kame’s face reddens as he speaks, and his palms feel strangely sweaty. He wipes them on his trousers, and sighs. “But it’s not going to interfere with my work.”
“Kame, did you just admit it?” Koki asks, and the real Koki, not the Koki that Johnysville thinks they know, but the seasoned agent Koki, has always known just how to tease Kame to get the maximum reaction.
“We’ve only got one target left,” Kame says, switching the subject, as Tegoshi twirls a piece of hair around his finger, the long blond strands glittering with residue from what Kame assumes is a previous night’s costume. “And it seems like it’ll be the hardest one.”
“Ninomiya is smart,” Koki says, scratching at his chin. “Smarter than the others.”
“Not much of a challenge to be that,” Kame says dryly, and Shirota nods. “He’s the one we suspect is the mastermind behind the whole thing, right?”
“Right,” Shirota says, and Tegoshi agrees.
“We previously thought it was Ohno, but it seems he’s just the leader in name. Ninomiya is pulling the strings.”
There’s a knock on the door. They all still. Then another knock. “Oh, it’s just Juri,” Koki says, and gets up to answer the door. “What do you have for us, bro?”
“Apparently the mayor and the bank president are getting upset with Sheriff Nakamaru,” Juri informs them, and unfolded letter in his grip. “He’s becoming ‘too nosy’,” or something.”
“I’ll say,” Koki snorts, and Tegoshi laughs too, and then they both look guiltily at Shirota. “Sorry, man.”
“I happen to like my nose,” Shirota says, and Kame swallows his own laugh. “Continue, baby Tanaka.”
“Right,” Juri says, and then he shifts in place. “So this letter is to Ninomiya, discussing how the sheriff and his deputy are getting to close to the truth.”
“Yes, heaven forbid the people of this town find out what their leaders are getting up to right under their noses,” Shirota says, and Koki grins.
“A guy could get up to a lot under your nose-- My bad, dude,” Koki says, and he doesn’t look the least bit sorry. Kame is just relieved they’re picking on someone else now.
“We have to get the last of the evidence,” Kame says. “Then we can expose the truth about Operation Arashi, and maybe get some real justice returned to this town.”
*
The inn is deserted when Nakamaru steps in, which, in a town like Johnnysville, wouldn’t be all that unusual if not for the constant stream of visitors they’ve had lately. Jin follows him into the dining room and leans over the counter, tapping the call-bell repeatedly until Nakamaru smacks him across the back of his head. The owner appears moments later, with a blinding smile and hair that Nakamaru could almost swear sparkles; the sheriff has always thought Kimutaku looked quite out of place working at the rundown inn. At least the food is good though, something about ‘Bistro SMAP’ cuisine.
“Welcome, Sheriff. How can I help you?”
“Beer,” Jin says, and Nakamaru lets it go because he supposes Jin needs to recover from the shock of being useful at work for once in his life.
“Has anyone new checked in since the boxer with the nun?” The sheriff inquires.
“Oh, yes. A new guy checked in yesterday, a weird one.” Kimutaku leans in over the counter to whisper to the sheriff and Nakamaru raises an eyebrow because he can’t imagine anything weirder than a boxer who travels with a gun-toting male nun. “Kind of creepy too, this new one. And not from anywhere I’ve ever heard of, if I have to judge by his name.”
“Right,” Nakamaru sighs. “Is he in right now? We’d like to talk with him, if you could call him down.”
Kimutaku disappears upstairs, and only a few moments later the new guest appears at the top of the staircase. Nakamaru almost chokes when he sees the man, and Jin’s surprised gasp by his side is all but concealed. Nakamaru jams his elbow into Jin’s ribs and Jin shuts his mouth with an audible clack.
The man before them is dressed in a weird attire composed of high boots, leather pants, a long coat with what Nakamaru can only define as a scarf that would leave even Yamashita (famous for his collection of gay scarves that he finds occasion to wear even shirtless in the hottest part of summer) feeling a little jealous, and a well battered hat. His hair is silver, and if all of that wasn’t enough he is carrying a weird cane with a shape that makes Nakamaru look at it twice and wonder if it wouldn’t be better used in the bedroom instead of out of it.
“How can I help you, Sheriff?”
The man’s deep voice makes shivers run down Nakamaru’s spine, and not of the unpleasant kind. Jin sucks in air to speak and Nakamaru remembers to interrupt him before he can say something offensive.
“You’re new in town?” The sheriff asks before his mind supplies that the answer to that is kind of obvious. “I mean. I’m Yuichi Nakamaru, the sheriff of Johnnysville, and this is my deputy, Jin Akanishi. Could we have your name?”
“Bem,” the man answers as he brings a hand to his hat to hold it while he bows. “Nice to meet you. I hope I can be of help.”
Jin leans over Nakamaru’s shoulder to inspect Bem’s face, until he’s so close that Bem has to take a step back so their noses don’t touch and Nakamaru’s bent down under Jin’s weight; he tries not to think what’s pressing against his ass when he can feel the buckle of Jin’s belt just below it.
“Are plucked eyebrows a new trend in the city or something?” Jin squints a bit and pushes on the rim at the back of his hat to lift it off his eyes. “Or broken noses for that matter.”
Bem blinks in utter confusion. Nakamaru thinks it’s the cutest thing he has ever seen, and, with all the eyeliner around the man’s eyes, maybe also strangely hot. “Excuse me, but I don’t... think I understand...?”
Nakamaru straightens up and Jin yelps as he falls back against the counter. “Please don’t pay much attention to my deputy. He doesn’t have much of what you’d call... tact.”
“Oh,” Bem’s eyes fix on the sheriff and Nakamaru feels weak at the knees. Bem’s the living example of politeness, but his voice and eyes have something that makes Nakamaru’s heart try to beat out of his chest.
“I, um... Due to a recent wave of crime we’re interrogating every newcomer about their reasons for coming to town.”
Bem nods solemnly. “I have business with Dr. Ninomiya. They’re of a private nature, though...”
“That’s okay,” Nakamaru says as he hands Jin the bill that Jin’s trying to steal from his back pocket to pay for the beer. “Enjoy your stay, be careful and come to us for any help you may need.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.” Bem’s tongue peeks out to lick his lips, and his expression remains placid, but Nakamaru suddenly feels like the other man is undressing him with his eyes. Nakamaru’s not sure he would mind being naked with this stranger, but with Jin around, Nakamaru doesn’t want to give his deputy any ammunition to tease him, especially not right now, since he’s trying to restrain from hitting Jin since they’ve only recently patched up their working relationship. But still, Nakamaru can’t deny that the man in front of him is gorgeous- otherworldly, almost, in his beauty.
“You’re... you’re welcome,” Nakamaru says, running a hand anxiously through his hair as he fights off the blush that surges to his cheeks when he hears Bem’s voice again, low and sexy. Then Bem bows, slightly, bending at the waist and sending a few tendrils of silvery hair over his shoulder, and Nakamaru wants to touch it.
Nakamaru returns Bem’s little bow before grabbing Jin by the scruff to lead him out. He can swear Bem’s eyes burn holes into his nape as they leave.
*
Kame waits a few minutes after the sheriff leaves, before he follows them to where he knows they’ll go. Kame wonders how no one in Johnnysville gets tired of slinging back the same drinks at the Superbad, but figures if you grow up in a small town, maybe you get used to that being all there is to do.
Jin seems to particularly enjoy wasting his spare minutes at the Superbad, though Kame supposes that’s mostly due to Yamashita’s presence. Jin’s leaning over the counter, chatting animatedly with the topless bartender and ignoring Nakamaru’s attempts to get his attention. Only when Yamashita moves away does Jin finally turn towards his boss, and Kame takes advantage of Bem’s dark clothes and silent mood to hide in a dark corner of the bar. He’s surprised more people aren’t staring at the silver hair, but well, Kame, in any form, has always been an expert at hiding in plain sight. Nakamaru looks furtively around, but he doesn’t notice Bem.
“Okay, Jin. If we want to find out what’s going on with these thefts we need to think about what we know so far.”
“Aiba had a map with mines,” Jin supplies, and Kame wonders if stating the obvious is Jin’s way to be useful.
“Yes. But why would a horse breeder need a map of coal mines?”
Jin’s lips purse like he’s trying to think. “Well those mines... I think they’re the States’ property. Maybe... Maybe they’re trying to sell them?” Jin’s eyebrows knot with the effort of thinking. “Why would Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai be involved if not? Maybe they’re all selling the land with the mines, and the thief is stealing evidence about selling the land, and that’s why they can’t tell us, because it’s illegal even if Matsumoto is the King.”
Nakamaru looks like he thinks the wildness of the theory is enough to skip correcting Jin’s use of King to refer to Matsumoto. “That’s kind of... farfetched, Jin. Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai hold important positions in town that were given to him because they’re responsible and trustworthy.”
Jin rubs at his nose sheepishly. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”
In his little dark corner of the saloon, Kame resists the urge to slam his palm against his forehead, because the noise would probably attract too much attention. He also tries to resist the thoughts that tell him Nakamaru is looking more attractive every day; Kame wonders if it’s because Bem has a thing for kind-hearted detectives.
*
Mari has never felt quite comfortable in Dr. Ninomiya’s office, what with all the creepy shiny instruments lying neatly on tidy metal trays, as if someone is trying to make them look innocent and not like the dangerous weapons they truly are. The way Jin walks closer to him than usual tells Nakamaru that Jin shares his opinion, though he would rather Jin stopped crushing his arm in a vice like grip that Nakamaru is sure will leave bruises.
The smile Ninomiya gives them wouldn’t look out of place on a hungry, particularly vicious shark. “Welcome, Sheriff Nakamaru, Jin, dear. Take a seat, please.”
They both try to push their chairs as far away as possible from Ninomiya’s desk without being rude. “I um... Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai seem to think you could be the next victim of the thief that’s been causing problems lately...”
“Victim,” Dr. Ninomiya says, his disturbing grin stretching a little wider on his face. “I like the word victim.”
“You would,” Jin mumbles under his breath, eyes repeatedly scanning the room for viable exits. “Anyway, do you have any idea what might get stolen?”
“Not a clue,” Dr. Ninomiya says, and now, Nakamaru notes, he’s casually stroking an errant scalpel and looking at Jin in a way that makes both the sheriff and his deputy feel incredibly uncomfortable. Jin quivers at it. “Why would anyone want to target me? I’m just the friendly town doctor.”
“Friendly,” Nakamaru says, deadpan. “Right.” He looks down at his vest and tries to find strength in his argyle, but not even the familiar pattern has comfort to offer him. “Anyway, Doctor, I have some questions to ask-”
“Jin, you look cold,” Dr Ninomiya says, leering at Jin. “It’s quite hot in here, are you sure you’re not coming down with something?”
“No, Doctor,” Jin says, shrinking down in his seat. “It just feels a little like your eyes are freezing my soul.” Nakamaru elbows Jin in the stomach. Even if Nakamaru doesn’t think Jin is wrong, per say, there are some things tact demands they don’t voice. “I mean... there’s no problem, Doctor. I drink enough beer to kill anything that lives inside me.”
“I don’t know, Jin. I haven’t given you a checkup in a while. I could just... strip you down...”
“Well, we don’t really have time for that,” Nakamaru interrupts hastily, as Jin’s eyes widen into panicked round discs of horror.
“Mmm, right you are,” Dr. Ninomiya says. “I’m expecting an interview with my new patient very soon.”
“New patient?” Nakamaru asks, and Jin gasps.
“Mr. Bem, right?” Jin says, clapping his hands like a seal. “He’s so cool and weird looking and he carries around a giant penis.”
“I have business with... Mr. Bem, yes. During the day both I and my nurse, Yokoyama, are here, but I’ll be happy to let you guard my office at night if you feel it necessary.”
“I’m afraid we do, Doctor, feel it necessary.” Nakamaru straightens his collar and sighs. “Unfortunately.”
“Alright then,” Dr. Ninomiya says. “Well, in that case, I’ll have another opportunity to see to Jin’s health again...” The doctor trails off, and his eyes run disturbingly up and down Jin’s baggy-clothes hidden form, “later.”
Jin’s face goes an ashen grey, and Nakamaru offers him a comforting pat on the arm that he hopes goes unnoticed by the doctor. “Well, we’ll be here tonight, Doctor, and nothing is going to get stolen from this office.”
“Oh, I’m quite sure of that,” Dr. Ninomiya says mysteriously, the light flashing in his eyes. “Quite sure.”
When Nakamaru has excused them both and followed Jin’s fleeing form out onto the street, Jin sighs, and leans forward to rest his hands on his thighs. “Oh my god, he’s so creepy,” Jin says, and scrubs his hands down his arms. “Like, seriously.”
“Yes,” Nakamaru agrees, fervently, in total agreement. “But we’ve got a job to do.”
“He doesn’t seem like he’d need much help protecting his things,” Jin says. “I bet he’s got it all under control.”
“Well, then that just makes our job easier,” Nakamaru says, resting his hands on his hips. He looks down the street, and sees Bem walking toward them. “And there’s the patient.”
“I almost feel sorry for him,” Jin says, as Bem nods at them both and walks inside the doctor’s office. “But not sorry enough to go back in there.”
“Yes,” Nakamaru says, again in agreement, but another part of him, more than anything, wants to follow the silver-haired newcomer anyway, just so he can spend a little more time with him. “But let’s relax before we have to get back here tonight.”
“The Superbad?” Jin queries hopefully, and Nakamaru sighs and nods.
“Yes, the Superbad,” he says begrudgingly. It’s not like there’s much else to do, and maybe they’ll meet someone interesting.
*
Kame hasn’t been in Dr. Ninomiya’s office before, but Bem has and Bem’s eyes are sharp and never miss anything. Bem saw where the nurse, Yokoyama, who’s way too talkative and energetic enough to run a whole town on his own, leaves the spare key to the doctor’s room and how the window doesn’t close quite right. Kame only has to remember what Bem knows, lift the window enough to sneak in and make sure his kimono doesn’t catch on anything.
The key makes a soft click when Kame twists it inside the lock, but the door is silent when he pushes it open. In the semi-darkness Ninomiya’s instruments acquire a completely new level of spookiness that makes Kame shiver slightly. He looks at the perfectly tidy desk while pushing some loose strands of hair behind his ears as he wonders where to start.
The documents are well hidden, and Kame has to give all his attention to looking for them, being careful to leave everything as it was, and not making much noise while picking locks and opening drawers. He’s so focused that he misses the noise of the building’s main door opening, and the soft steps over thick carpets in the waiting room. Kame’s eyes finally land on his prize at the same time the doorknob twists.
Nakamaru and Jin burst into the doctor’s office, with the slam of the door and a yell just a second before Kame lifts the box off the drawer, triggering a pressure mechanism that makes steel bars drop in front of the door and the window with a metallic sound that makes the hairs on their necks stand on end.
They’re trapped.
*
“So we meet at last, thief!” Jin says, pointing at the kimono-clad thief accusingly. “Now we’ve got you!”
“Um,” Nakamaru says, scratching at the back of his neck. “I think someone has got all of us.”
“To-may-to, to-mah-to,” Jin says. “The point is, we’re all in here, and he can’t run away. And... um... there are two of us and only one of him. So we could, like, beat him up or something.”
“Or,” the thief says, raising his perfectly arched eyebrows and smirking with his red-stained lips. “I could just... tell you. What I’m doing. Since, you know, the fact that you’re locked in here is enough proof for anyone that you two aren’t in on it.”
“In on... what?” Jin asks, and Nakamaru frowns.
“I mean,” the thief says. “I knew, of course, that you weren’t in on it. But. I was worried if I told you what I was up to, you’d find some way to get into trouble. Or to sabotage the whole operation by accident.”
Nakamaru bristles. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks, voice pitched a little whinier than he’d like. Nakamaru feels twelve, for some reason, or a bit like a middle school boy with a high school girl crush.
“Oh, I don’t think you’re incompetent,” the thief replies. “I just think you’re out of your element. Which is why the Federal Government had to send in the ‘big guns’ for this shady business.”
“Shady business...” Nakamaru says, and the thief laughs.
“Actually, you scatterbrained deputy had it mostly right,” and Nakamaru tries to pay attention to the words, and not the smooth line of the thief’s neck as it disappears into the folds of his kimono, but it is a battle hard-fought and quickly lost. “Your town leaders... Mayor Matsumoto, President Sakurai... Aiba the horse-breeder, and Ohno, the cabaret owner... all of them work for Dr. Ninomiya, one of the most wanted fraud-criminals in the country.”
“What?” Nakamaru yelps. “Like, seriously?”
“I could immediately tell that Dr. Ninomiya is a criminal,” Jin says, and he shudders at what Nakamaru assumes must be a terrible memory.
“Yes,” the thief says. “Seriously.” He pushes his hair our of his eyes and smiles, and Nakamaru’s heart skips a beat. He’s got flawless teeth, Nakamaru notes, because it’s, um, totally important to the case. “We used to think Satoshi Ohno was the mastermind of the Arashi group, but we were wrong. He’s the leader in name, but not in practice. The real leader is Dr. Ninomiya.”
“But... I don’t... why?” Nakamaru asks, feeling like the world has gone a bit wonky. “But Mayor Matsumoto... he’s the mayor.”
“How’d you know my theory, anyway?” Jin says. “About the coalmines and stuff.”
“Wait,” Nakamaru says. “ALL OF JIN’S THEORY?”
“Yes,” the thief adds impatiently. “You should listen to him more, there’s a lot of wisdom hiding in the mush inside his head.”
“See?” Jin crows triumphantly. “I’m useful.” Then Jin frowns. “But I’m really wondering how you’ve managed to listen to us... how you would know what we talked about?”
“Oh,” the thief says. “Well, you see, I’ve... been hanging around.” Nakamaru’s brain is struggling to follow the conversation. He wonders if this is how Jin feels every day. Maybe he should be nicer to his deputy.
“I would have remembered if I’d seen you,” Nakamaru blurts, and then blushes, because the obvious interest in his voice is kind of embarrassing.
“And don’t you remember Shizuku?”
Nakamaru’s eyes widen. “What...?”
“Jin thought Kousaku was Shizuku, and Kyohei was Kousaku, and you told Hiroto there had been a string of similarly looking strangers coming into town. I had thought you’d manage to figure it out faster, actually.”
Nakamaru’s brain sputters to a stop, like a train at the end of the tracks. Jin takes a few steps forward to take a better look at the thief’s face under the dim light. “You have Mr. Bem’s eyebrows! And the broken nose too!” He gasps as realization hits him and turns around to yell at Nakamaru. “He’s them!”
“Congratulations, genius.” The thief snorts. “Inspector Kazuya Kamenashi, federal agent. I’d show you my badge, but I left it in my other kimono, I hope you’ll understand.”
“Coalmines... thieves... sexy visitors... stealing... confused,” Nakamaru mumbles, and Jin pats him comfortingly on the back.
“That’s okay, Nakamarad, breathe. Thereeeeee we go.” Jin is forcing air into his lungs with each ‘pat’ and Nakamaru is strangely grateful.
Nakamaru straightens and punches Jin in the side. “What are you allowed to call me?”
“‘Sheriff’ and ‘Boss’,” Jin replies promptly. “Sorry, Boss.”
“But... thanks, deputy,” Nakamaru says, and Jin smiles at him in that way he has that takes over his whole face. Then Nakamaru turns back to the thief, Kamenashi, and shakes his head to clear the cobwebs from his fuzzy brain.
“Sexy?” Kamenashi asks, and Nakamaru wonders if he’s going to be red for the rest of his life. “I’m... flattered.”
“Well, yeah, anyway,” Nakamaru says. “Tell me more about what’s going on here in Jonesville.”
“Yes, Inspector,” says a voice from the doorway. “Tell us all more.”
“Ninomiya,” Kamenashi says, and his voice is low and growly, and Nakamaru can hear the voice that he’d thought belonged to Bem alone. It still has unfortunate effects on his hormones.
“Kamenashi,” Ninomiya says. “A pleasure to meet you at last, Inspector.”
“You know who I am?” Nakamaru watches the slight narrowing of Kamenashi’s eyes. Thoughts flicker in them, and even though it’s completely inappropriate, Nakamaru can’t help but find them entrancing.
“Of course we do,” Mayor Matsumoto says, from the other side of the bars. He’s wearing a fluorescent pink suit with rhinestone lapels, and a sky blue boa looped twice about his neck. Nakamaru thinks tonight is bad enough without having Matsumoto’s fashion inflicted on his eyes. “Evidence that proves our guilt- records, deeds, maps, letters of interest... that sort of stuff starts disappearing, taken by a man in a kimono... You don’t think a team like us, of veterans, know what that means?”
“It means the government is on to us, but they can’t get a warrant,” President Sakurai says. “It also means that the government doesn’t think our law enforcement can handle it.”
“So we decided to use our sheriff against you.” Mayor Matsumoto concludes, crossing his arms and shooting them a triumphant smirk.
“But... you’re the king!” Jin yells indignantly. “What could you possibly need? You’ve got the top position in the town!”
“He’s not the king, Jin-” Nakamaru starts to say, before he shakes his head. They’ve got bigger worries than that, like the gun that Mayor Matsumoto is pulling from his pocket.
“Well, you know,” Mayor Matsumoto says. “Having a stylish wardrobe like mine can be terribly expensive.”
“And the girls,” says Ohno. “Lots more girls.” Nakamaru wonders if the second ‘girls’ is a codeword for illegal drugs.
“I just like counting money,” Sakurai says. “It’s more fun if it’s mine.” He pauses for a moment, tapping his chin with his index finger. “And being smarter than everyone else.”
“Puppies!” Aiba squeals, and Sakurai looks at him fondly.
“There’s a lot of money to be found in selling land that doesn’t belong to you,” Ninomiya finishes. “Money for... experiments.” He cackles, and Nakamaru shivers at the sound.
“He’s fucking creepy,” Jin says, and Nakamaru has never agreed with his deputy more than he does right now.
“It’s really too bad that Bem isn’t real,” Nino adds, cracking his knuckles. His fingers are callused, like he spends a lot of time working with machines. “We would have had a lot of fun.”
“But now,” Matsumoto says, with a gay flourish. “It’s time to wrap this up. Sorry, Sheriff, that you’ve been all caught up in this.”
“What about me?!” Jin yells, and Mayor Matsumoto looks Jin up and down really slow, like he’s saying his last, pornographic goodbyes.
“That’s the real shame,” President Sakurai says, his tone mournful. “Jin, I’m really sorry about this. We’ll all miss your ass.”
“It is pretty great,” Jin says, and Nakamaru still has the sense, despite the craziness, to connect his palm with the back of Jin’s head. “I’m too pretty to dieeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
“So you’re going to kill us?” Kamenashi asks, his kimono sleeves shimmering in the meager light from the gaslight Aiba holds aloft in the air. The fabric looks soft. “Just like that? You don’t think that’s going to tip off the folks back East?”
“Oh, it will,” Ninomiya says, and he’s gripped onto Ohno’s suit to keep him from wandering off. “But we’ll be long gone by then. We hadn’t managed to make as much as we pleased, but we’ll start over with new identities in a new place, with no one the wiser. By the time they find your bodies, the trail will be cold.” His tone is paralyzing. Nakamaru is terrified.
“This isn’t right,” Nakamaru says, and his sense of justice is warring with the reality of the situation. Jin is clinging to his arm, and Kamenashi is looking cold and vibrant in the moonlight. Nakamaru regrets that he might die before he has the chance to see if there’s any chance that Kamenashi might...
“The clever one first,” Ninomiya says firmly.
Matsumoto cocks the gun, and Nakamaru doesn’t know what comes over him, but he’s shrugging Jin off his arm and pushing Kamenashi to the ground, covering him with his body, just like he’d been trained by the old sheriff, Higashiyama. Kame’s breath is warm on his neck, his harsh exhales sending tingles all the way down to Nakamaru’s toes, and his fingers clutch at Nakamaru’s biceps. It makes Nakamaru feel a bit dizzy and confused. The bullet crashes into the wall, right behind where Kamenashi had been standing. Nakamaru thinks Kamenashi might be trembling a bit under him.
Jin’s terrified yell is almost louder than the gun firing, and the deputy falls to the ground with a soft thud when his knees give out on him. Matsumoto clicks his tongue in annoyance, and aims the gun again; he won’t miss a second time. Nakamaru can hear Jin whimpering in terror and crawling to one corner of the room, but all he can do is close his eyes and hold tightly onto Kamenashi; he wonders if the brush of lips against his cheeks is a product of his mind in what probably are his last seconds of life. Nakamaru thinks he likes his mind, if it’s that.
“Okay, you! In the epilepsy-inducing suit, drop the gun.”
Nakamaru only opens his eyes when he hears the loud clack of the gun being dropped against the wooden floor, and he wonders if he has finally gone crazy due to the stress of the situation, because he doesn’t know how else to explain being saved by a male nun, a man in drag, and the town’s resident delinquent, all holding guns and looking, attire taken into account, considerably more menacing than could’ve been expected. Koki looks at them, obviously worried.
“Juri told us he’d overheard President Sakurai talking about a trap, and when we got here, we heard a gun being fired as we were breaking in. Are y’all okay? Where’s Kamenashi?”
“Here,” Kamenashi replies, waving an arm from under Nakamaru, and the sheriff blushes as he scrambles to get up and away from the man. He rushes to check on Jin just to put some distance between them, though he suddenly feels cold despite the heat in his cheeks.
Koki gives them a funny look, but he says nothing. Tegoshi blows a strand of hair from his wig out of his eyes and frowns at the five men in front of them. “I suppose you guys aren’t going to be nice and cooperate, right?”
Later, Nakamaru will have time to replay the scene in his mind and wonder how two men, in a nun habit and a long dress with heels, respectively, can move so swiftly. It probably helps that Sakurai trips over his own feet, Matsumoto is afraid he’ll ruin his sequins if he tries fight back, all Aiba does is scream, Ninomiya can’t believe his evil plan has failed, and Ohno looks like he doesn’t even realize anything is happening, but Shirota, Tegoshi and Koki manage to subdue them all and somehow handcuff Arashi to each other. They look a bit like a circus act standing there, and Nakamaru tries not to think about how comfortable they all seem in each other’s personal space. Jin crawls closer to the steel bars keeping them trapped when he’s sure there’s no risk anymore, and squints at Tegoshi and Koki.
“Wait, you two are federal agents too?”
“No,” Koki deadpans, “we just saw a man in a nun costume running around with a gun and thought it’d be fun to join the party.”
Jin looks like he might be vaguely suspicious that Koki’s mocking him. “Really?”
“But the whole town has seen your ass,” Nakamaru sputters. “And you...” He turns toward Tegoshi, dressed for a ball and covered in make-up and holding a gun with his wig slightly askew after the fight. “You are...”
“Really good at my job, considering no one suspected anything.”
“But... I...”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Jin sounds a lot like a kicked puppy would, if puppies could talk. Nakamaru thinks he sees Aiba’s lips quivering at Jin’s hurt voice. “I hope Pi is not in on this too, because if he is I’m not EVER going to talk to him again and...”
“It’s just us, kid.” Shirota says as he rises from behind the nurse’s desk, and the metallic bars blocking the door rise with a loud screech. If looks could kill and Ohno had half a mind to realize the way Ninomiya’s glare was burning holes into his ear, he’d be pushing up daisies already. “Okay, out you go. We should put these guys somewhere safe for the night so we’ll be leading the way to your office, Sheriff.”
“Uh, oh, yes, yes of course.” Nakamaru offers a helping hand for Jin to get up. Jin accepts, and he’s still shaking in his neon cowboy boots. “Should I give them a hand, Sheriff?”
“Yeah,” Nakamaru says, still sort of in shock.
“Yes, Boss!” Jin says, throwing up a salute and stepping on Matsumoto’s shoes triumphantly. “I hate those shoes,” Jin says under his breath, and Nakamaru laughs and then gasps a little when a strong hand presses against the small of his back.
“You saved me,” Kamenashi says, and it’s just the two of them left in the office, steel bars raised and the prisoners freed. Tomorrow morning’s newspaper will be filled with scandal, and Nakamaru’s going to have a lot of explaining to do, so he enjoys this last moment of peace, Kamenashi calm beside him. “You pushed me out of harm’s way without a second thought.”
“Well, yeah,” Nakamaru says, and Kamenashi is looking at him like he’s something special, like Nakamaru has done something awesome. He likes that. “Because it was the right thing to do. And because, well, I didn’t want... anything to happen to you.”
*
Kame looks at the sheriff, who’s turned a dull pink that contrasts with the argyle of his vest, and feels the smile creeping up his face. The wax of his lipstick feels tight on the skin of his lips.
“My hero,” Kame says, and lifts both his hands to put them on Nakamaru’s cheeks. The flesh is warm between his palms, and soft. He leans forward, and enjoys the hitch in Nakamaru’s breath as he presses their chests together.
“Yeah?” Nakamaru says, and his hands nervously move to Kame’s hips. Kame can feel them quiver as they softly rest there, over the heavy weight of his obi, and little tendrils of warmth flow from Nakamaru’s fingers. “Well, even though you lied to me, a lot, I still-”
Kame shuts him up with his mouth, pressing red lips to Nakamaru’s soft pink ones, and he wants to laugh at the other man’s muffled ‘mmph’ of sound as Kame moves in. The sheriff’s hands tighten then, and he’s kissing back, shock and adrenaline fueling them on. Nakamaru gasps, and Kame presses his advantage, tongue slipping between parted lips to taste. The sheriff’s hands close a little tighter over his hips, but then Nakamaru is kissing him back, shy and a little bit clumsy and perfect and sweet.
Nakamaru is flushed all the way down his neck when Kame pulls away, and Kame thinks it’s the most precious thing he has ever seen. Nakamaru blinks and licks his lips quickly, and it’s so adorable Kame can’t help to give him another soft peck that makes the few thoughts Nakamaru had probably managed to assemble scatter again.
“I, um, I think we should get out because they... They might be waiting for us and um, the criminals and...”
Nakamaru is mostly mumbling to himself as he finally turns around to go out, and Kame follows him amusedly. The others are still outside the doctor’s office and have everything under control, except Jin who’s trying to avoid Ohno’s strange flirting. “You looked so pretty in a dress, that one time,” Ohno mumbles. “How can someone who looked so pretty in a dress want to put me in jail?”
“Why would I not want to put you in jail?” Jin says, batting away Ohno’s chin as he attempts to set it on Jin’s shoulder to peer into his eyes. “Harassment is a crime.”
“Where’ve you been, Sheriff?” Koki asks. “We need your keys to lock them up in jail!”
“Right, right,” Nakamaru says, like he’s avoiding the question. He’s cute, Kame thinks. “We were just making sure we didn’t... miss any evidence. Or something.”
“Right,” Tegoshi says. “Nice lipstick, Sheriff.”
“Thanks-- What?!” Nakamaru says, and Kame laughs at the bewildered look on his face.
“Tegoshi, focus,” Kame says, but the giddiness is bubbling inside of him, and it’s hard for him to concentrate.
“Like you’re focused, Kame?” Tegoshi says, and Shirota giggles.
“Are there really no other clothes you can wear?” Kame asks plaintively. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“I’m a very tall man!” Shirota whines, and Kame wonders if he actually just works with children.
“Can I go interrogate the suspects now?” Tegoshi says, examining his manicure. “I’ve got a massage in the morning.”
“Calling them ‘suspects’ is a bit kind, don’t you think?” Koki says, but it seems to be more of a rhetorical question. “I’ll go with you.”
“And now we wait,” Kame says, and he tries not to look over at Nakamaru, because the stupid deputy is snickering into his hands as Nakamaru wipes desperately at his face with a kerchief. “I won’t hear a word,” Kame says threateningly to Shirota, and Shirota just grins.
Tegoshi works fast. He’ll probably have full written confessions in an hour. Kame hopes the screams aren’t as loud as they usually are. But Aiba, he thinks, looks like a screamer.
*
Nakamaru knows he shouldn’t, but he kind of pities Arashi after a night of being interrogated by Tegoshi, whatever Tegoshi’s methods are; Nakamaru prefers not to speculate, because Tegoshi is still wearing make-up and Nakamaru could swear the dress he’s wearing is different from last night’s. Jin keeps saying he was woken up by Matsumoto’s screams, but Nakamaru prefers not to think about that either, as Tegoshi sums up the confessions of the five men.
“No reason for you to feel bad about him, anyway. As it turns out, Mayor Matsumoto hired Jin in order to keep you from looking into cases too deeply-- a distraction, if you will.” Tegoshi is examining his nails as he speaks.
“What?” Jin asks, his mouth falling open like a goldfish. “They gave me the job because they knew I wouldn’t be any good at it? To hurt Nakamarad and not to help him?” Jin’s eyes are welling up with tears, and Tegoshi nods.
“I’m afraid so,” the man still dressed inexplicably as a nun says, clapping Jin on the shoulder and nodding. “Don’t worry kid, I’m sure the right job is out there for you.”
Nakamaru swallows. “What do you mean, ‘the right job’?” Nakamaru tugs on the cuffs of his sleeves, trying to make them longer so they cover his wrists, and looking down at the ground. “He already has a job.”
“But now you can hire anyone you’d like,” Tegoshi says, sounding confused. “You don’t have to keep Jin. You could find someone new.”
Nakamaru chances a look at Jin, and Jin is looking hopelessly at his feet, hat hanging from his back by its string. “Why on Earth would I want a new deputy, when I’ve got the best deputy I could hope for?”
Nakamaru catches Kame’s hidden grin of approval moments before Jin’s tackles him to the ground, yelling things like “I knew we were friends!” into Nakamaru’s ear, and Kame’s soft eyes, when he looks up again, send a thrill through Nakamaru’s whole body.
Even knowing the man’s been lying to him from the beginning, and leading him on a merry goose chase, making him think his hormones had gone haywire and his brain had turned to mush-- Even that isn’t enough to quell Nakamaru’s interest. The memory of Kame kissing him after Nakamaru saved him will not be an easy one to forget.
After they all shake hands, Jin pops back into the saloon to visit his best friend, who is no doubt wearing a terrible gay scarf and no shirt as is his custom, and the others all find ways to excuse themselves, as well.
“It’s been a real pleasure, Sheriff,” Kame says, and he reaches out for Nakamaru’s hand. Nakamaru takes it, and their palms are warm against each other as they shake hands. “And, you know, thanks for the save.”
“Any time, Inspector Kamenashi,” Nakamaru replies, his mouth tumbling over unfamiliar name.
“You could... call me Kame,” Kame replies, and Nakamaru realizes, suddenly, that he and Kame have yet to let go of each other’s hands. “That’s my name.”
“One of them, anyway,” Nakamaru replies, and Kame winces.
“Yes,” Kame agrees. “One of them.” He raises one eyebrow. “You do know that-”
“Yeah,” Nakamaru says. “All part of the job, right?” Nakamaru feels sort of embarrassed now, because Kame was playing with him, and it’s sort of obvious that his crush was on the real side of things.
“Well,” Kame says, dragging the word out. “Certainly not all of it, Sheriff.” And Nakamaru’s eyes rush to find Kame’s, and Kame is smiling at him softly, and Nakamaru thinks he might be blushing a bit, too. “Not all of it.”
“Oh,” Nakamaru says, and he feels a little bit hopeful, even if it might be silly. “Well then I’ll...” he steps back, and their palms slide from each other, and Nakamaru feels the loss. “I’ll just be...”
“Well, that’s my cue, Sheriff,” Kame says, and at that moment, Koki sticks his head out the door of the inn.
“Come on, Kame! We’ve got to write out our report!”
Nakamaru nods, and loops his thumbs through his belt-loops, rocking back on his heels. “See you around, Inspector.”
“See you around,” Kame replies, and there’s something in his voice that makes Nakamaru feel simultaneously hot and cold, and maybe even a little excited.
Nakamaru doesn’t expect ‘around’ to be in his bedroom later that night, but he’s certainly not going to complain.
-FIN-