The Good, the Bad and the Sparkly (a Soba Western) part 3/4
*
Jin is still silent the following morning, but Nakamaru doesn’t pay it much attention, because Jin’s on time for once, and if an upset Jin is going to be a professional Jin until the case is over, Nakamaru thinks their relationship can take it. There’s not much conversation as they return to Tegoshi’s house, just enough to go over the points they should cover with their interrogation.
Kyohei is nowhere to be seen when they arrive, but Tegoshi is already up and about in a dress. He blinks at them with eyes heavily coated in make-up, and Nakamaru shudders.
“Where’s your friend?”
“Kyohei-kun? He left yesterday, sadly. It’s so quiet without him around. How was your secret mission?”
“The thief escaped,” Nakamaru admits begrudgingly. “But he left this behind.” He digs in his pocket for the empty lipstick tube and holds it in his palm. “Jin says it’s the same brand Kyohei and you gave us to use.”
Jin nods, and Nakamaru wonders if he still has his tube for comparison.
Tegoshi leans in to inspect the object and nods thoughtfully. “The brand is the same, but it’s not that difficult to remove the lipstick and change it for another brand in the same tube. Or for two brands to use similar tubes, anyway.”
“It’s the same one,” Jin interrupts, and there’s none of his usual cheerfulness in his voice. “The thief left some smeared on Nakamaru’s cheek. It’s the same one that we found on Sakurai’s sleeve too. Do you sell this stuff to anyone?”
“No, but... My tubes keep disappearing lately. Do you think it could be the same thief?” Tegoshi leans forward. “And what do you mean, left lipstick on the sheriff’s cheek? Was there an altercation?”
“A fight?” Nakamaru says quickly, because he can see the confusion in Jin’s brow at the word choice before he forces it down. Jin’s weird silence is making Nakamaru feel terrible, actually, and maybe he misses Jin’s exuberance and silly questions more than he’d thought he would. “No, nothing like that.”
Normally, Jin would say something horribly embarrassing here, but instead he just frowns. Tegoshi looks between the two of them oddly, before he clears his throat.
“Anyway, my lipstick’s been going missing. Maybe the thief is taking things from my house, too?”
Nakamaru sighs. “So we’re back at square one again.” Jin snorts, and Nakamaru looks over at him, but Jin’s face is still set in that strange, unreadable expression that’s making Nakamaru feel kind of like he’s the worst person on the planet. “Thank you for your time.”
“Not a problem,” Tegoshi says. “Please do come back if you have any more questions.” He leers provocatively at Nakamaru. “Or fetishes you’d like to try out.”
“Yeah,” Nakamaru says with a wince. “I’ll... keep that in mind.”
*
“You’re an idiot,” Tegoshi says, when Kame slides out from behind the curtain, where he’s been listening to the sheriff’s interrogation. “An absolute idiot. I thought you were a professional, Kamenashi.”
Kame has the good sense to flush with embarrassment. He clears his throat as he tries to make time until he comes up with an answer, but the noise of the door at the back of the house breaks his train of thought.
“I remember you saying you weren’t attracted to the sheriff, Kame,” and really, Shirota is the last thing Kame needs right now. “Do you realize how much of a risk this has been? They have a solid clue now.”
“They don’t even know what to do with it!”
“But they have it, Kame.” Tegoshi says, and Kame just wants them to leave him alone. “Jin’s still suspicious about your characters, and even if Nakamaru won’t listen to him yet, he will eventually if you keep making mistakes like this.”
“It was only once, okay? It won’t happen again. There’re only two left anyway. What can you tell me about the next targets?”
Shirota pulls a list from the inner pocket of his vest, now that he’s finally free of his nun habit. “Aiba Masaki, the horse breeder. He lives a few miles outside town, on a ranch. You’re supposed to look for some maps.”
“Horse breeder, maps, okay. Should I expect any security?”
“Probably,” Tegoshi sighs. “Ohno was already warned, and Nakamaru will be annoyed about his failure, so we can only expect the remaining thefts to be the hardest. Be careful, and don’t make any more stupid mistakes. We can’t afford to get caught now.”
“Alright, alright,” Kame sighs. “I’ll get those maps, don’t worry.”
“And remember our other contact is ready, in case you need him,” Shirota adds.
Kame nods distractedly and taps his lips with a finger. Who would be good with animals...
*
Nakamaru is half-considering checking outside of his office just to make sure Jin’s alive, because no matter what rules Nakamaru has tried to set over the years, Jin usually storms into his office at least twice a day. But this morning has been unusually quiet. Nakamaru only knows Jin’s at work because Jin’d arrived on time again, which, in fact, only makes Nakamaru worry more. He is actually pacing between the door and his desk, trying to come up with an excuse to check on his deputy, when the door opens.
“We have a messenger,” Jin says dully and holds the door open to let Juri in. The kid looks like he has been running for a while, cheeks flushed and panting for breath.
“Sheriff Nakamaru,” the junior wheezes, “Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai demand that you meet them in the Mayor’s office with ‘the utmost urgency’, sir. And to bring your deputy along, sir.”
Nakamaru sighs. “Alright. Thank you for delivering the message, Juri. Let’s go, Jin.”
The awkward silence is still there as they approach the Mayor’s office, but Nakamaru is too preoccupied with what the Mayor will say to care much about anything else. Even the Mayor is looking serious for once; he motions them into his office with a vague movement of his hand and doesn’t even try to leer at Jin. President Sakurai stands by the mayor’s chair, as grim and superior as ever.
“We have been informed about the robbery in Satoshi’s cabaret, Sheriff.” Matsumoto’s tone is cold as ice, and from the corner of his eye, Nakamaru sees Jin shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously. He doesn’t feel any better than his deputy. “We thought you were supposed to be guarding his office last night.”
“I was, sir. The thief managed to elude us. He seems to be smarter than we had initially given him credit for. We have interrogated all the girls, and they don’t claim to have seen anyone suspicious, though they did mention a new woman dressed in a kimono had been admitted to the house that very morning. We believe the thief used his... feminine appearance to blend in as one of Ohio’s girls, and gain access to his office.”
Mayor Matsumoto brings his hand up with a delicate gesture and places his fingertips on his forehead, in what Nakamaru believes to be a very self-restrained version of a facepalm. President Sakurai narrows his eyes at Nakamaru for a moment, and then nods once, curtly.
“There’s nothing we can do about that, anymore. However, we have reasons to believe the thief will try to strike at least twice more, and we suspect the next robbery will be at Masaki’s ranch.”
“Masaki Aiba?” Nakamaru frowns. “But he’s just a horse breeder, what could the thief be looking for on a horse breeder’s ranch?”
“As per usual, Sheriff Nakamaru, that’s on a need-to-know basis, and you don’t need to know. Go to the ranch, speak to Masaki, and make sure to catch the thief this time. We can’t have an unknown criminal in drag making fun of this town’s authorities. You can go now. Mayor Matsumoto and I have important matters to discuss.”
Nakamaru wants to protest, but Sakurai’s tone brooks no room for retorts. It’s obvious that this is not a mere nuisance anymore, and that something serious is going on, but they keep trying to leave Nakamaru out of it, and Nakamaru’s getting annoyed and more and more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
“Let’s get our horses and ride out to the ranch.” Jin just grunts his agreement behind him, and Nakamaru sighs. He really needs to solve that problem, too.
*
Kame hears Koki’s loud greeting long before he sees Sheriff Nakamaru and Jin trotting on horseback towards the ranch. He pulls his cowboy hat lower over his face and closes his eyes for a moment, to get into character, before going back to the shoe of the appaloosa horse he has been herring.
“Tanaka?” Nakamaru asks while he dismounts. “What are you doing here?”
“Aiba hired me to help at the ranch for a few days, since it’s branding season,” Koki flashes the sheriff a wide grin and throws up a peace sign, and then turns toward Jin, who’s tying his white and chestnut pinto next to Nakamaru’s palomino gelding. “Yo, Jin.”
“Hey,” Jin leans in to do a weird gangster handshake with Koki and Nakamaru rolls his eyes, though he’s at least glad to see Jin looking a bit more cheerful. “Who’s your friend?”
Koki’s grin widens a notch and he grabs Kame’s well-worn jacket to yank him closer; Kame’s hat slides back a bit and reveals his face. He can see how Nakamaru’s eyes widen a little and Jin frowns, but neither of them says anything, probably tired already of the constant stream of similarly looking strangers.
“Guys, this is Hiroto Kanzaki! He’s an old friend of mine, and he’s a really cool guy. He’ll be working here for a while, too.”
Kame pushes his hat back to hide his eyes and grumbles a grumpy greeting before going back to the horse. He can feel the sheriff’s eyes boring into him for a few tense moments before Nakamaru finally sighs and turns back to Koki.
“Just stay out of trouble, okay? We need to talk to Aiba. Jin, let’s go.”
Kame’s gone before they come back out of the house, but it’s not a surprise to find Jin at the SuperBad later that night. He slips into the empty stool next to the deputy, who doesn’t even look up from his beer. Kame clears his throat and Akanishi finally looks up, eyes widening a little in recognition when he sees Kame’s face.
“You’re the guy from the ranch, right? What was your name...”
“Hiroto,” he supplies helpfully, and Jin nods.
“Jin Akanishi,” he offers his hand for Hiroto to shake. “Nice to meet you. How do you know Koki?”
“Used to go to school together,” Hiroto shrugs. Hiroto’s an old character, but Kame still likes to bring him out. Hiroto’s strong, hardworking and loyal; he thinks Hiroto’s the kind of guy Akanishi would get along with. “But that was a long time ago.” They stare into their beers silently for a while. Akanishi doesn’t really look all that inclined to make small chat, but Kame tries again. “He mentioned something about a string of thefts in town lately?”
“Yeah, we’re working on it. Or rather, he is, since apparently I’m too stupid to do anything right.” The last part is all but mumbled and Kame has to lean to in to hear it. Jin finishes his beer in one long gulp and motions to Yamashita for another. When the topless bartender leans over the counter to chat with his friend, Kame is smart enough to know Hiroto’s cause is lost.
The air of the night is chilly even in the dessert. Kame pushes the collar of his old jacket up and pulls down on his hat. The light of a match warms his fingers for the brief moment it takes him to light a cigarette. He closes his eyes as he enjoys the first drag, and promptly bumps into someone. Kame’s heart does a small weird little flip in his chest when he hears Nakamaru’s cursing, and he has to remind himself to keep in character.
“Sorry,” Hiroto apologizes with an annoyed tone, because Hiroto doesn’t like to apologize.
“Hiroto? You’re Tanaka’s friend, right?” Nakamaru sounds a bit tentative, so Hiroto nods. His cigarette has fallen to the ground with the crash and he puts it out with the heel of his boot before digging around his pockets for the little leather bag that keeps his tobacco herbs and paper to start rolling two more. He offers the first one to Nakamaru, who accepts it gratefully.
“This is a quiet town, isn’t it?” Hiroto says more like a statement, but Nakamaru nods anyway.
“The main source of vandalism is your friend, Tanaka.” The sheriff grimaces a bit and Kame allows Hiroto a tiny smile. “Why are you here? I don’t think I’ve... seen you before.”
“You don’t think?”
“It’s just... You look kind of like a few of people we’ve had around lately. It’s the strangest thing, really, you all look alike, somehow.”
“That must be confusing,” Hiroto says. “But I just came from the city a couple of days ago. It’s hard to find a job there, right now, so I thought I’d try my luck out on the frontier. The ranch is good, and it offers accommodation and food.”
“Is that so?” Nakamaru looks pensive for a moment. “Be careful, though; we suspect the ranch might be the target of a theft tonight. Speaking of which, I need to go there now. Have you seen my deputy?”
“At the saloon,” Hiroto motions with his head as he puts out the butt of his cigarette. “He was flirting with the bartender.”
“What? No, they’re just...” Nakamaru shakes his head with a sigh. “Why does everyone think there’s something going on between them? They’re just good friends. Anyway, I have to get going. Remember to be careful!”
“Will do,” Hiroto nods. “I hope you catch the thief.”
Kame smirks as Nakamaru disappears into the saloon, because the sheriff and his deputy are in for a long, boring night.
*
If Nakamaru has to spend another night like this he will kill someone, and it might just be himself. Jin was halfway to drunk by the time Nakamaru found him earlier in the night, and he had fallen asleep the moment they were settled in front of what Masaki Aiba considered his office, which was such a chaos of papers and unidentifiable wooden objects, that Nakamaru doubted the thief would find anything in the place even if he tried. With Jin having collapsed into tipsy sleep not ten minutes into their watch, Nakamaru was stuck all night in front of the messy office with his snoring deputy, and not a trace of the thief.
*
“You look tired, Sheriff,” Hiroto drawls around his cigarette, running a palm along the flank of the horse at his side. “Did you have a long night?”
Nakamaru growls, slightly, to Kame’s amusement, but Hiroto, who knows the pain of long hours, feels sympathetic. “Long is an understatement,” Nakamaru says. “And Jin just fell straight to sleep.”
“Aww, poor guy,” Hiroto says. “He seems down about something.”
“He is,” Nakamaru says, and Hiroto leans closer. “Me.”
Hiroto clears his throat. “Be back in a second,” he says, and he disappears inside the main house, leaving Nakamaru outside on the front porch with his shoulders slumped and his hands deep in his pocket.
The ranch house is bigger than it looks from the outside, and though Kame has an excellent memory, it’s only been a few days, and the floor plans is complicated. Once inside, he tries to remember where the kitchen is.
“What are you up to, Kame?” Koki asks, and Kame almost jumps out of his skin.
“Looking for coffee,” Kame says, coughs into his fist as Koki raises a brow.
“One cup or two?” Koki asks, waggling those same brows at Kame as Kame tries not to blush.
“Shut up,” Kame says, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. “I’m just building my cover, okay?”
“Whatever,” Koki says. “But try not to let Shirota catch wind of you playing coffee-boy for our hapless sheriff.”
“Who are you calling hapless?” Kame teases back, finally in his element. “You know, half this town has seen your bare ass, Tanaka. You’re basically the joke of Johnnysville.”
“I’m just playing my part, Kamenashi,” Koki says. “And I don’t have a crush on the one person who has the potential to get in my way.”
“I don’t have a crush,” Kame snaps, and he can feel the blood rush to his cheeks even as he ignores it and flashes Koki a wide smile. “You’ve been talking to Tegoshi.”
“I try not to do that,” Koki admits. “But sometimes it just happens.”
“Where’s the kitchen?” Kame asks. “I’ve got to get some coffee before our sheriff falls asleep.”
“Our sheriff?” Koki says, with a clever grin, even as he points over to Kame’s left down an unfinished hallway. Kame’s relieved-- Hiroto’s boots are dusty, and he’d hate to trail the mess down a clean polished hall. “I think you mean your sheriff.”
“Yes, you have jokes,” Kame dryly replies, and he’s off toward the kitchen, leaving a laughing Koki behind him.
He returns outside with two cups filled to the brim, and Nakamaru’s fallen asleep against the porch railing, full lips in an innocent pout. Kame pauses for a moment, his breath sort of catching in his throat at the line of Nakamaru’s jaw, and the way his eyelashes are dark as coal against the pale skin of his cheeks. Then he shrugs himself back into Hiroto with a rotation of his shoulders and a fresh cigarette.
“Sheriff?” Hiroto whispers, careful not to jolt the man out of sleep. “I brought coffee.”
Nakamaru shakes awake, large eyes blinking at the cup Hiroto is holding under his nose, tongue peeking out to lick dry lips. “Huh?”
“A really long night, then,” Hiroto says, and, Nakamaru nods.
“And no criminal to be found,” Nakamaru sighs, bringing the coffee to his lips. He wrinkles his nose a bit. “Did you put sugar in this?”
“Just a little,” Hiroto says, and he tilts his head a side a bit to examine Nakamaru’s expression. Then the sheriff smiles at him.
“That’s how I like it,” he replies, and takes a giant gulp, exhaling with contentment. The sound sends an involuntary shiver down Hiroto’s spine.
“Me too,” Hiroto says, and he blinks twice, slowly, as Nakamaru comes alive before his eyes.
Kame wonders what it is about the sheriff that makes him feel... well, different, around Nakamaru than he feels around anyone else, no matter who he’s playing. Nakamaru, by all rights, shouldn’t be that special. He’s just a naive guy that’s got no business investigating serious crimes.
Kame likes that Nakamaru thinks the best of everyone.
“So,” Hiroto says, after a moment of silence, broken only by the whinny of the horse Hiroto has tied up to the porch and the steady slurp of hot coffee. “What’s going on with your deputy?”
“I may have accidentally crossed the line,” Nakamaru says, and Hiroto raises an eyebrow. It’s a slip, because that’s a Kame expression, but Hiroto quickly schools his face straight. “I think I hurt his feelings.”
Kame thinks about the way Nakamaru generally treats his deputy, and wonders how he could have possibly crossed a line. “So now he’s...?”
“Giving me the silent treatment.” Nakamaru sighs. “I wonder if he’s right.”
“Right about what?” Hiroto asks, moving a little closer, because Nakamaru is mumbling.
“He’s suspicious about--” Nakamaru stops, and licks his lips again. Underneath his eyes the skin is bruise-colored, and he looks like a sleep deprived puppy. Nakamaru’s eyes flicker to Hiroto’s face, and Hiroto suddenly realizes he might have moved too close. “Well, about you, for one thing.”
“Me?” Hiroto says, and his voice is in its lower register. “What did I do to arouse suspicion?”
“You’re new,” Nakamaru replies. “Jin’s suspicious of all the new people in town, lately. You all look so alike, even though it’s obvious you aren’t the same person...” Nakamaru pushes a hand through his hair, and then wipes the sweat from his brow with an argyle-printed handkerchief. “He’s maybe got a point.”
Hiroto sees an opportunity, since the sheriff looks so unsure. “Have you thought, at all, about the crimes themselves?” He asks slowly, and Nakamaru looks up at him with wide eyes.
“What?”
“The crimes themselves. Like, what’s being stolen? And from whom?”
“What’s being stolen...” Nakamaru muses. “That’s the thing. I’m not sure what’s being stolen. The people things are being stolen from... are being very secretive, even though they are desperate to recover the lost items.”
“You don’t think there’s a story, there?” Hiroto nudges, and Nakamaru blinks again, still looking sleepy and bewildered. “In what the ‘victims’ aren’t saying?” Hiroto lights a cigarette, and looks down at his boots, admiring the pattern in the leather as he thinks. “I mean, if they were really victims, would they really have so much to hide?”
“I don’t know,” Nakamaru says, and he takes his last swallow of coffee. Hiroto looks up just in time to witness it, admiring the movement of Nakamaru’s Adam’s apple as the liquid goes down.
Kame’s got to focus; he has a job to do, and he can’t get distracted by pretty sheriffs, no matter how soft their eyes or dazzling their smiles. “I’m just a horse guy,” Hiroto says, and palms the top of his cowboy hat, slowly backing up. “But if you ask me, something strange is going on in this town that’s bigger than those thefts.”
“I think you might be right,” Nakamaru says grimly, and Kame’s hard pressed not to reach forward and smooth the furrow on Nakamaru’s brow. Instead, he clenches his hand in the mane of the steed, and says his goodbye.
“Well, see you around, Sheriff,” Hiroto says, climbing astride the horse.
“I sure hope so,” Nakamaru blurts out, and then he blushes, and Kame feels temptation creep up from his belly.
“Me too,” he admits, and then he rides off into the distance.
A part of him knows that Koki was probably watching the whole exchange from a window, and that Tegoshi and Shirota are both going to be on his case about it later, but he honestly, for some strange reason, couldn’t care less.
*
“Maybe we’re wrong about the target,” Jin says grimly, as Aiba ties little braids into his hair. “I mean, maybe he’s going to strike somewhere else, or he has, already, and we just don’t know it.” Weariness is in the set of Jin’s shoulders, and Nakamaru tries to ignore the way Aiba is sitting uncomfortably close to Jin, chest pressed to Jin’s back as Jin tries to scoot forward.
“Maybe,” Nakamaru says, and at his response, Jin presses his mouth into a thin line, as if he’s suddenly remembered that he’s giving Nakamaru the silent treatment. Instead, Jin leans forward and grabs one of the seventeen puppies that trot about the bedroom, pulling it into his lap as Aiba coos like Jin is one of them.
“Jin, your hair is so soft,” Aiba praises, like he’s talking to a doll, and Jin winces.
“Yeah, thanks,” he says, and he’s giving the floor the same desperate look he used to give Nakamaru, and Nakamaru almost, well, misses the way Jin used to clutch his arm and beg for rescue. (“I don’t want to cry alone!” Jin used to yell, and Nakamaru would pat him solemnly on the back and say “We’ll survive,” and hope it was true.)
Nakamaru wishes the thief would just come and steal something. Because Nakamaru’s tired of being trapped here with crazy Masaki Aiba, with Mayor Matsumoto dropping by three or four times a day to molest his deputy and “check on the situation.” It wouldn’t be so bad, he thinks, if Hiroto didn’t spend all of his time outside, with Koki, while Nakamaru and a sullen Jin alternated between babysitting the ranch owner and protecting the office.
If he could spend time with Hiroto, who is... well, it’s just like with Shizuku, or with Kousaku, or Kyohei. There’s a charisma that Nakamaru can’t deny, and it leaves him feeling dizzy and confused, but in a good way. It reminds him of the crush he’d had on Yui Aragaki in high school.
He’s antsy, and anxious, and his conversation with Hiroto a few days ago has made him unbearably curious about what the old money in the town is hiding. Is there far more to this story than meets the eye? He knows there must be.
Nakamaru wants to talk about it with Jin, and hear Jin’s crazy theories, and maybe tell Jin to go set himself on fire, or pull up his pants. He wants Jin to hide behind him to escape Aiba’s hair-styling games.
Instead, he bites his lip, and ponders the mystery of stolen letters and lipstick left behind.
(There’s also the part of Nakamaru that can’t wait to see the thief again, but he pushes that part as far back into his brain as he can, and hopes it won’t come back to haunt him at the worst possible moment.)
*
It’s difficult to move silently around the ranch, where everything is made of creaking wood and rustling straw. The horses and dogs can feel his presence, and the fact Hiroto has been around for days, and they’ve already gotten used to his smell, keeps them from barking when Kame slips past the stable and into the main house. He knows the way to Aiba’s office by heart already, and soon enough he can hear a soft chorus of snores that he’s grown to recognize as well.
Sheriff Nakamaru and his deputy are asleep in front of Aiba’s office, slumped in their chairs with their necks awkwardly craned in postures that make Kame shiver in sympathy when he thinks about the pain they’ll be in come the morning. Akanishi’s drooling on his own shoulder and he mumbles something, from time to time, in what Kame supposes is a cute way, though the one who has Kame’s heart doing a weird little flip in his chest is Nakamaru, whose expression is peaceful and sweet.
It only takes a moment for Kame to slide back into his professional mood, though, and he carefully moves closer to the door. It’s obvious that after the several event-less nights, both Aiba and the sheriff have let their guard down, because even from a distance can see that the door to the office is ajar, open and unlocked. It’s only a matter of skill at being silent to slip between the two sleeping guards and into the office, and that skill is not something Kame’s short on.
The room is still a chaos of papers that cover every possible surface. Kame has to be careful not to make much noise as he goes through them to locate the maps he’s supposed to steal. He’s lucky enough to find them fast, buried under a pile or documents on the desk. Kame pulls them out one by one and rolls them carefully to carry them in his hands, since for once they’re too big to fit in between the folds of his kimono. With the mess that the office is, it’ll be days before anyone realizes they’re gone.
The corridor is dark when Kame exists the office, and he doesn’t expect Akanishi to have moved in his sleep. He trips over the man’s leg, stretched out in front of the door. He’s caught unaware and can’t help a yelp that startles the sleeping deputy. Before Kame can recover there are sleepy eyes blinking at him, and Kame can practically pinpoint the exact moment in which Akanishi realizes something is wrong with the scene.
“Hey, you...”
Kame smiles and slips a lipstick tube in the pocket of Jin’s loose jeans. “Don’t think too hard, darling. No one wants you to hurt yourself.”
Kame doesn’t expect the anger that flares up in Akanishi’s eyes, or for him to react that fast. Just as Kame is slipping away the deputy jumps to his feet and takes a hold of the maps Kame’s carrying to pull him back. Kame gasps in surprise and tries to free the papers from the man’s grip, but they start to rip.
“Nakamaru! Wake up!”
The sheriff stirs and Kame’s eyes dart quickly between the two of them. He’s pressed for time and he won’t be able to take both men at once.
“Nakamaru! Quick!”
Akanishi pulls a little harder on the maps and Kame makes his decision. He pulls toward himself and the map the deputy is holding rips in two. Kame’s prepared for it, but Akanishi stumbles backward clumsily when he suddenly finds no resistance and crashes loudly into Nakamaru, who wakes up with a loud yelp and a lot of flailing. By the time they manage to disentangle themselves and stop shouting at each other, Kame’s long since gone, and Jin’s probably left tightly clutching half of a map.
Kame curses to himself as he disappears into the night. Shirota’s going to kill him for this.
*
The silence in the room is tense and uncomfortable as four men lean in to get a better look at the crumpled paper on the sheriff’s desk. Nakamaru had done his best at straightening it out, but there was only so much that could be done about it and the paper is still covered in creases and small tears. Mayor Matsumoto looks at it with disgust.
“And you say Jin took this from the thief’s hands?” He smiles sweetly at Jin, who squirms uncomfortably under the combined weight of the mayor and President Sakurai’s stares. “Good job, Jin.”
“I... um, thank you, sir.”
Nakamaru clears his throat loudly and frowns at the two powerful men. “Now that there’s no point in hiding what the thief was trying to get, I think it’d be helpful if you could explain why he would have an interest in a horse breeder’s maps.”
President Sakurai gives Nakamaru a smile that would make the hairs of anyone less used to the sorts of bizarre and wild-eyed crazies Nakamaru’s had to work with before stand on end. “I assure you, Sheriff, that would not help your investigation in the slightest.”
“But...”
“Our decision is final, Nakamaru,” Mayor Matsumoto adds as he straightens up. “What these maps are about is not your business to know and...”
There’s a gasp as Jin opens his mouth to say something and quickly closes it again when everyone turns to look at him. Jin blushes a bit and stuffs his hands in his pocket with a huff.
“What’s it, Jin?” Nakamaru prompts.
“Nothing. It was a stupid thought and I’m probably wrong anyway.”
Mayor Matsumoto nods solemnly. “He probably is.”
Nakamaru frowns as he looks between Jin and the map a couple of times. He finally sighs and prays he won’t regret this later. “I’d still like to hear it, Jin.”
For a moment he fears Jin’s stubbornness will keep him silent, because Jin’s looking at him like he thinks this is all a trap to laugh at him. He finally shuffles closer to the desk though, and Nakamaru does his best to look at the finger his deputy brings to the map rather than at his deputy’s bright green underwear, clearly visible, as his jeans are so low Nakamaru’s not even sure why Jin bothers to wear them anymore.
“I... I could be wrong but I think... I’m pretty sure these little dots mark mines. This one... The closest to the road, and this one past the river, I think they’re coal mines.”
Jin sniffles and rubs at his nose when he is done, growing increasingly anxious in the silence that follows and pulling his hat so low that Nakamaru doubts he can see anything anymore. It takes a moment for Mayor Matsumoto to react.
“Now, Jin,” he says in a patronizing voice. “We all know you have many skills, but, how can I put this... Using your brain isn’t exactly one of them.”
“Remember last time you tried to prove yourself at Geography, Jin?” Sakurai smiles. “Mayor Matsumoto and I will take that map, so you can help Nakamaru prevent another theft...”
Jin’s cheeks turn a dark shade of red and he looks down in shame; Nakamaru can swear his deputy turns smaller under the mocking of the two men. Nakamaru glares at them. No one insults his deputy but him.
“I think Jin is right.”
“What?” Three voices answer.
Jin blushes again as he realizes what he has just said, and shifts a bit where he’s standing. “I, um, I mean... Thank you, Boss.”
“You’ve already proved yourself useful in this case, and until something can prove you’re wrong I’ll believe you.” Nakamaru really hopes Jin’s not making fools of them both this time round. He grabs the torn map and turns toward Sakurai. “And I’m sorry, sir, but this map is an important clue for the case and you can’t take it until I deem it solved. You’re hiding something, and it’s hindering the case.”
Both President Sakurai and Mayor Matsumoto’s eyes turn to him with glares that would make him shiver if he wasn’t so set on defending Jin, even if he doesn’t know why on Earth he’s suddenly inspired with faith in his deputy’s intellect.
“Fine,” Matsumoto finally gives in with a voice that could poison water, throwing his boa over his shoulder with a sniff. “But if this case is not solved before another theft occurs, Sheriff, your job will be at stake. We can’t allow a simple thief to play with our authority.”
“You’ve been warned, Sheriff Nakamaru,” Sakurai adds, pushing his glasses up on his nose, before they both leave the office. They slam the door after themselves, and the loud bang seems to set the threat in the air.
“Boss?” Jin whispers after a few moments. Nakamaru turns to look at him and almost falls off his chair when he sees Jin’s starry eyes shining with a few tears. “You defended me, Boss!”
Nakamaru coughs awkwardly. “I, well, um, yes, I did, of course. I couldn’t have them insulting you like that, it wasn’t right and...”
Before Nakamaru can finish his sentence all the air is squeezed out of him by a bear hug that literally lifts him off his chair. Nakamaru tries to sneak one arm out of Jin’s vice-like hold to awkwardly pat his deputy on the shoulder.
“Jin,” he wheezes. “The rules. About not touching me. Remember the rules.”
“Just this once,” Jin mumbles into his shoulder, and Nakamaru can’t bring himself to say no.
When Jin finally puts him down and pulls on the rim of his hat to hide his red-rimmed eyes, Nakamaru straightens his shirt and adopts his best-determined frown. “I’m tired of these people thinking they can play around with us, like we’re just pawns in a chess game. We’re getting to the bottom of this!”
“Yes, Boss!” Jin yells, and Nakamaru watches in astonishment as his deputy marches out of the office to God knows where.
Part 4
Jin is still silent the following morning, but Nakamaru doesn’t pay it much attention, because Jin’s on time for once, and if an upset Jin is going to be a professional Jin until the case is over, Nakamaru thinks their relationship can take it. There’s not much conversation as they return to Tegoshi’s house, just enough to go over the points they should cover with their interrogation.
Kyohei is nowhere to be seen when they arrive, but Tegoshi is already up and about in a dress. He blinks at them with eyes heavily coated in make-up, and Nakamaru shudders.
“Where’s your friend?”
“Kyohei-kun? He left yesterday, sadly. It’s so quiet without him around. How was your secret mission?”
“The thief escaped,” Nakamaru admits begrudgingly. “But he left this behind.” He digs in his pocket for the empty lipstick tube and holds it in his palm. “Jin says it’s the same brand Kyohei and you gave us to use.”
Jin nods, and Nakamaru wonders if he still has his tube for comparison.
Tegoshi leans in to inspect the object and nods thoughtfully. “The brand is the same, but it’s not that difficult to remove the lipstick and change it for another brand in the same tube. Or for two brands to use similar tubes, anyway.”
“It’s the same one,” Jin interrupts, and there’s none of his usual cheerfulness in his voice. “The thief left some smeared on Nakamaru’s cheek. It’s the same one that we found on Sakurai’s sleeve too. Do you sell this stuff to anyone?”
“No, but... My tubes keep disappearing lately. Do you think it could be the same thief?” Tegoshi leans forward. “And what do you mean, left lipstick on the sheriff’s cheek? Was there an altercation?”
“A fight?” Nakamaru says quickly, because he can see the confusion in Jin’s brow at the word choice before he forces it down. Jin’s weird silence is making Nakamaru feel terrible, actually, and maybe he misses Jin’s exuberance and silly questions more than he’d thought he would. “No, nothing like that.”
Normally, Jin would say something horribly embarrassing here, but instead he just frowns. Tegoshi looks between the two of them oddly, before he clears his throat.
“Anyway, my lipstick’s been going missing. Maybe the thief is taking things from my house, too?”
Nakamaru sighs. “So we’re back at square one again.” Jin snorts, and Nakamaru looks over at him, but Jin’s face is still set in that strange, unreadable expression that’s making Nakamaru feel kind of like he’s the worst person on the planet. “Thank you for your time.”
“Not a problem,” Tegoshi says. “Please do come back if you have any more questions.” He leers provocatively at Nakamaru. “Or fetishes you’d like to try out.”
“Yeah,” Nakamaru says with a wince. “I’ll... keep that in mind.”
*
“You’re an idiot,” Tegoshi says, when Kame slides out from behind the curtain, where he’s been listening to the sheriff’s interrogation. “An absolute idiot. I thought you were a professional, Kamenashi.”
Kame has the good sense to flush with embarrassment. He clears his throat as he tries to make time until he comes up with an answer, but the noise of the door at the back of the house breaks his train of thought.
“I remember you saying you weren’t attracted to the sheriff, Kame,” and really, Shirota is the last thing Kame needs right now. “Do you realize how much of a risk this has been? They have a solid clue now.”
“They don’t even know what to do with it!”
“But they have it, Kame.” Tegoshi says, and Kame just wants them to leave him alone. “Jin’s still suspicious about your characters, and even if Nakamaru won’t listen to him yet, he will eventually if you keep making mistakes like this.”
“It was only once, okay? It won’t happen again. There’re only two left anyway. What can you tell me about the next targets?”
Shirota pulls a list from the inner pocket of his vest, now that he’s finally free of his nun habit. “Aiba Masaki, the horse breeder. He lives a few miles outside town, on a ranch. You’re supposed to look for some maps.”
“Horse breeder, maps, okay. Should I expect any security?”
“Probably,” Tegoshi sighs. “Ohno was already warned, and Nakamaru will be annoyed about his failure, so we can only expect the remaining thefts to be the hardest. Be careful, and don’t make any more stupid mistakes. We can’t afford to get caught now.”
“Alright, alright,” Kame sighs. “I’ll get those maps, don’t worry.”
“And remember our other contact is ready, in case you need him,” Shirota adds.
Kame nods distractedly and taps his lips with a finger. Who would be good with animals...
*
Nakamaru is half-considering checking outside of his office just to make sure Jin’s alive, because no matter what rules Nakamaru has tried to set over the years, Jin usually storms into his office at least twice a day. But this morning has been unusually quiet. Nakamaru only knows Jin’s at work because Jin’d arrived on time again, which, in fact, only makes Nakamaru worry more. He is actually pacing between the door and his desk, trying to come up with an excuse to check on his deputy, when the door opens.
“We have a messenger,” Jin says dully and holds the door open to let Juri in. The kid looks like he has been running for a while, cheeks flushed and panting for breath.
“Sheriff Nakamaru,” the junior wheezes, “Mayor Matsumoto and President Sakurai demand that you meet them in the Mayor’s office with ‘the utmost urgency’, sir. And to bring your deputy along, sir.”
Nakamaru sighs. “Alright. Thank you for delivering the message, Juri. Let’s go, Jin.”
The awkward silence is still there as they approach the Mayor’s office, but Nakamaru is too preoccupied with what the Mayor will say to care much about anything else. Even the Mayor is looking serious for once; he motions them into his office with a vague movement of his hand and doesn’t even try to leer at Jin. President Sakurai stands by the mayor’s chair, as grim and superior as ever.
“We have been informed about the robbery in Satoshi’s cabaret, Sheriff.” Matsumoto’s tone is cold as ice, and from the corner of his eye, Nakamaru sees Jin shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously. He doesn’t feel any better than his deputy. “We thought you were supposed to be guarding his office last night.”
“I was, sir. The thief managed to elude us. He seems to be smarter than we had initially given him credit for. We have interrogated all the girls, and they don’t claim to have seen anyone suspicious, though they did mention a new woman dressed in a kimono had been admitted to the house that very morning. We believe the thief used his... feminine appearance to blend in as one of Ohio’s girls, and gain access to his office.”
Mayor Matsumoto brings his hand up with a delicate gesture and places his fingertips on his forehead, in what Nakamaru believes to be a very self-restrained version of a facepalm. President Sakurai narrows his eyes at Nakamaru for a moment, and then nods once, curtly.
“There’s nothing we can do about that, anymore. However, we have reasons to believe the thief will try to strike at least twice more, and we suspect the next robbery will be at Masaki’s ranch.”
“Masaki Aiba?” Nakamaru frowns. “But he’s just a horse breeder, what could the thief be looking for on a horse breeder’s ranch?”
“As per usual, Sheriff Nakamaru, that’s on a need-to-know basis, and you don’t need to know. Go to the ranch, speak to Masaki, and make sure to catch the thief this time. We can’t have an unknown criminal in drag making fun of this town’s authorities. You can go now. Mayor Matsumoto and I have important matters to discuss.”
Nakamaru wants to protest, but Sakurai’s tone brooks no room for retorts. It’s obvious that this is not a mere nuisance anymore, and that something serious is going on, but they keep trying to leave Nakamaru out of it, and Nakamaru’s getting annoyed and more and more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
“Let’s get our horses and ride out to the ranch.” Jin just grunts his agreement behind him, and Nakamaru sighs. He really needs to solve that problem, too.
*
Kame hears Koki’s loud greeting long before he sees Sheriff Nakamaru and Jin trotting on horseback towards the ranch. He pulls his cowboy hat lower over his face and closes his eyes for a moment, to get into character, before going back to the shoe of the appaloosa horse he has been herring.
“Tanaka?” Nakamaru asks while he dismounts. “What are you doing here?”
“Aiba hired me to help at the ranch for a few days, since it’s branding season,” Koki flashes the sheriff a wide grin and throws up a peace sign, and then turns toward Jin, who’s tying his white and chestnut pinto next to Nakamaru’s palomino gelding. “Yo, Jin.”
“Hey,” Jin leans in to do a weird gangster handshake with Koki and Nakamaru rolls his eyes, though he’s at least glad to see Jin looking a bit more cheerful. “Who’s your friend?”
Koki’s grin widens a notch and he grabs Kame’s well-worn jacket to yank him closer; Kame’s hat slides back a bit and reveals his face. He can see how Nakamaru’s eyes widen a little and Jin frowns, but neither of them says anything, probably tired already of the constant stream of similarly looking strangers.
“Guys, this is Hiroto Kanzaki! He’s an old friend of mine, and he’s a really cool guy. He’ll be working here for a while, too.”
Kame pushes his hat back to hide his eyes and grumbles a grumpy greeting before going back to the horse. He can feel the sheriff’s eyes boring into him for a few tense moments before Nakamaru finally sighs and turns back to Koki.
“Just stay out of trouble, okay? We need to talk to Aiba. Jin, let’s go.”
Kame’s gone before they come back out of the house, but it’s not a surprise to find Jin at the SuperBad later that night. He slips into the empty stool next to the deputy, who doesn’t even look up from his beer. Kame clears his throat and Akanishi finally looks up, eyes widening a little in recognition when he sees Kame’s face.
“You’re the guy from the ranch, right? What was your name...”
“Hiroto,” he supplies helpfully, and Jin nods.
“Jin Akanishi,” he offers his hand for Hiroto to shake. “Nice to meet you. How do you know Koki?”
“Used to go to school together,” Hiroto shrugs. Hiroto’s an old character, but Kame still likes to bring him out. Hiroto’s strong, hardworking and loyal; he thinks Hiroto’s the kind of guy Akanishi would get along with. “But that was a long time ago.” They stare into their beers silently for a while. Akanishi doesn’t really look all that inclined to make small chat, but Kame tries again. “He mentioned something about a string of thefts in town lately?”
“Yeah, we’re working on it. Or rather, he is, since apparently I’m too stupid to do anything right.” The last part is all but mumbled and Kame has to lean to in to hear it. Jin finishes his beer in one long gulp and motions to Yamashita for another. When the topless bartender leans over the counter to chat with his friend, Kame is smart enough to know Hiroto’s cause is lost.
The air of the night is chilly even in the dessert. Kame pushes the collar of his old jacket up and pulls down on his hat. The light of a match warms his fingers for the brief moment it takes him to light a cigarette. He closes his eyes as he enjoys the first drag, and promptly bumps into someone. Kame’s heart does a small weird little flip in his chest when he hears Nakamaru’s cursing, and he has to remind himself to keep in character.
“Sorry,” Hiroto apologizes with an annoyed tone, because Hiroto doesn’t like to apologize.
“Hiroto? You’re Tanaka’s friend, right?” Nakamaru sounds a bit tentative, so Hiroto nods. His cigarette has fallen to the ground with the crash and he puts it out with the heel of his boot before digging around his pockets for the little leather bag that keeps his tobacco herbs and paper to start rolling two more. He offers the first one to Nakamaru, who accepts it gratefully.
“This is a quiet town, isn’t it?” Hiroto says more like a statement, but Nakamaru nods anyway.
“The main source of vandalism is your friend, Tanaka.” The sheriff grimaces a bit and Kame allows Hiroto a tiny smile. “Why are you here? I don’t think I’ve... seen you before.”
“You don’t think?”
“It’s just... You look kind of like a few of people we’ve had around lately. It’s the strangest thing, really, you all look alike, somehow.”
“That must be confusing,” Hiroto says. “But I just came from the city a couple of days ago. It’s hard to find a job there, right now, so I thought I’d try my luck out on the frontier. The ranch is good, and it offers accommodation and food.”
“Is that so?” Nakamaru looks pensive for a moment. “Be careful, though; we suspect the ranch might be the target of a theft tonight. Speaking of which, I need to go there now. Have you seen my deputy?”
“At the saloon,” Hiroto motions with his head as he puts out the butt of his cigarette. “He was flirting with the bartender.”
“What? No, they’re just...” Nakamaru shakes his head with a sigh. “Why does everyone think there’s something going on between them? They’re just good friends. Anyway, I have to get going. Remember to be careful!”
“Will do,” Hiroto nods. “I hope you catch the thief.”
Kame smirks as Nakamaru disappears into the saloon, because the sheriff and his deputy are in for a long, boring night.
*
If Nakamaru has to spend another night like this he will kill someone, and it might just be himself. Jin was halfway to drunk by the time Nakamaru found him earlier in the night, and he had fallen asleep the moment they were settled in front of what Masaki Aiba considered his office, which was such a chaos of papers and unidentifiable wooden objects, that Nakamaru doubted the thief would find anything in the place even if he tried. With Jin having collapsed into tipsy sleep not ten minutes into their watch, Nakamaru was stuck all night in front of the messy office with his snoring deputy, and not a trace of the thief.
*
“You look tired, Sheriff,” Hiroto drawls around his cigarette, running a palm along the flank of the horse at his side. “Did you have a long night?”
Nakamaru growls, slightly, to Kame’s amusement, but Hiroto, who knows the pain of long hours, feels sympathetic. “Long is an understatement,” Nakamaru says. “And Jin just fell straight to sleep.”
“Aww, poor guy,” Hiroto says. “He seems down about something.”
“He is,” Nakamaru says, and Hiroto leans closer. “Me.”
Hiroto clears his throat. “Be back in a second,” he says, and he disappears inside the main house, leaving Nakamaru outside on the front porch with his shoulders slumped and his hands deep in his pocket.
The ranch house is bigger than it looks from the outside, and though Kame has an excellent memory, it’s only been a few days, and the floor plans is complicated. Once inside, he tries to remember where the kitchen is.
“What are you up to, Kame?” Koki asks, and Kame almost jumps out of his skin.
“Looking for coffee,” Kame says, coughs into his fist as Koki raises a brow.
“One cup or two?” Koki asks, waggling those same brows at Kame as Kame tries not to blush.
“Shut up,” Kame says, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. “I’m just building my cover, okay?”
“Whatever,” Koki says. “But try not to let Shirota catch wind of you playing coffee-boy for our hapless sheriff.”
“Who are you calling hapless?” Kame teases back, finally in his element. “You know, half this town has seen your bare ass, Tanaka. You’re basically the joke of Johnnysville.”
“I’m just playing my part, Kamenashi,” Koki says. “And I don’t have a crush on the one person who has the potential to get in my way.”
“I don’t have a crush,” Kame snaps, and he can feel the blood rush to his cheeks even as he ignores it and flashes Koki a wide smile. “You’ve been talking to Tegoshi.”
“I try not to do that,” Koki admits. “But sometimes it just happens.”
“Where’s the kitchen?” Kame asks. “I’ve got to get some coffee before our sheriff falls asleep.”
“Our sheriff?” Koki says, with a clever grin, even as he points over to Kame’s left down an unfinished hallway. Kame’s relieved-- Hiroto’s boots are dusty, and he’d hate to trail the mess down a clean polished hall. “I think you mean your sheriff.”
“Yes, you have jokes,” Kame dryly replies, and he’s off toward the kitchen, leaving a laughing Koki behind him.
He returns outside with two cups filled to the brim, and Nakamaru’s fallen asleep against the porch railing, full lips in an innocent pout. Kame pauses for a moment, his breath sort of catching in his throat at the line of Nakamaru’s jaw, and the way his eyelashes are dark as coal against the pale skin of his cheeks. Then he shrugs himself back into Hiroto with a rotation of his shoulders and a fresh cigarette.
“Sheriff?” Hiroto whispers, careful not to jolt the man out of sleep. “I brought coffee.”
Nakamaru shakes awake, large eyes blinking at the cup Hiroto is holding under his nose, tongue peeking out to lick dry lips. “Huh?”
“A really long night, then,” Hiroto says, and, Nakamaru nods.
“And no criminal to be found,” Nakamaru sighs, bringing the coffee to his lips. He wrinkles his nose a bit. “Did you put sugar in this?”
“Just a little,” Hiroto says, and he tilts his head a side a bit to examine Nakamaru’s expression. Then the sheriff smiles at him.
“That’s how I like it,” he replies, and takes a giant gulp, exhaling with contentment. The sound sends an involuntary shiver down Hiroto’s spine.
“Me too,” Hiroto says, and he blinks twice, slowly, as Nakamaru comes alive before his eyes.
Kame wonders what it is about the sheriff that makes him feel... well, different, around Nakamaru than he feels around anyone else, no matter who he’s playing. Nakamaru, by all rights, shouldn’t be that special. He’s just a naive guy that’s got no business investigating serious crimes.
Kame likes that Nakamaru thinks the best of everyone.
“So,” Hiroto says, after a moment of silence, broken only by the whinny of the horse Hiroto has tied up to the porch and the steady slurp of hot coffee. “What’s going on with your deputy?”
“I may have accidentally crossed the line,” Nakamaru says, and Hiroto raises an eyebrow. It’s a slip, because that’s a Kame expression, but Hiroto quickly schools his face straight. “I think I hurt his feelings.”
Kame thinks about the way Nakamaru generally treats his deputy, and wonders how he could have possibly crossed a line. “So now he’s...?”
“Giving me the silent treatment.” Nakamaru sighs. “I wonder if he’s right.”
“Right about what?” Hiroto asks, moving a little closer, because Nakamaru is mumbling.
“He’s suspicious about--” Nakamaru stops, and licks his lips again. Underneath his eyes the skin is bruise-colored, and he looks like a sleep deprived puppy. Nakamaru’s eyes flicker to Hiroto’s face, and Hiroto suddenly realizes he might have moved too close. “Well, about you, for one thing.”
“Me?” Hiroto says, and his voice is in its lower register. “What did I do to arouse suspicion?”
“You’re new,” Nakamaru replies. “Jin’s suspicious of all the new people in town, lately. You all look so alike, even though it’s obvious you aren’t the same person...” Nakamaru pushes a hand through his hair, and then wipes the sweat from his brow with an argyle-printed handkerchief. “He’s maybe got a point.”
Hiroto sees an opportunity, since the sheriff looks so unsure. “Have you thought, at all, about the crimes themselves?” He asks slowly, and Nakamaru looks up at him with wide eyes.
“What?”
“The crimes themselves. Like, what’s being stolen? And from whom?”
“What’s being stolen...” Nakamaru muses. “That’s the thing. I’m not sure what’s being stolen. The people things are being stolen from... are being very secretive, even though they are desperate to recover the lost items.”
“You don’t think there’s a story, there?” Hiroto nudges, and Nakamaru blinks again, still looking sleepy and bewildered. “In what the ‘victims’ aren’t saying?” Hiroto lights a cigarette, and looks down at his boots, admiring the pattern in the leather as he thinks. “I mean, if they were really victims, would they really have so much to hide?”
“I don’t know,” Nakamaru says, and he takes his last swallow of coffee. Hiroto looks up just in time to witness it, admiring the movement of Nakamaru’s Adam’s apple as the liquid goes down.
Kame’s got to focus; he has a job to do, and he can’t get distracted by pretty sheriffs, no matter how soft their eyes or dazzling their smiles. “I’m just a horse guy,” Hiroto says, and palms the top of his cowboy hat, slowly backing up. “But if you ask me, something strange is going on in this town that’s bigger than those thefts.”
“I think you might be right,” Nakamaru says grimly, and Kame’s hard pressed not to reach forward and smooth the furrow on Nakamaru’s brow. Instead, he clenches his hand in the mane of the steed, and says his goodbye.
“Well, see you around, Sheriff,” Hiroto says, climbing astride the horse.
“I sure hope so,” Nakamaru blurts out, and then he blushes, and Kame feels temptation creep up from his belly.
“Me too,” he admits, and then he rides off into the distance.
A part of him knows that Koki was probably watching the whole exchange from a window, and that Tegoshi and Shirota are both going to be on his case about it later, but he honestly, for some strange reason, couldn’t care less.
*
“Maybe we’re wrong about the target,” Jin says grimly, as Aiba ties little braids into his hair. “I mean, maybe he’s going to strike somewhere else, or he has, already, and we just don’t know it.” Weariness is in the set of Jin’s shoulders, and Nakamaru tries to ignore the way Aiba is sitting uncomfortably close to Jin, chest pressed to Jin’s back as Jin tries to scoot forward.
“Maybe,” Nakamaru says, and at his response, Jin presses his mouth into a thin line, as if he’s suddenly remembered that he’s giving Nakamaru the silent treatment. Instead, Jin leans forward and grabs one of the seventeen puppies that trot about the bedroom, pulling it into his lap as Aiba coos like Jin is one of them.
“Jin, your hair is so soft,” Aiba praises, like he’s talking to a doll, and Jin winces.
“Yeah, thanks,” he says, and he’s giving the floor the same desperate look he used to give Nakamaru, and Nakamaru almost, well, misses the way Jin used to clutch his arm and beg for rescue. (“I don’t want to cry alone!” Jin used to yell, and Nakamaru would pat him solemnly on the back and say “We’ll survive,” and hope it was true.)
Nakamaru wishes the thief would just come and steal something. Because Nakamaru’s tired of being trapped here with crazy Masaki Aiba, with Mayor Matsumoto dropping by three or four times a day to molest his deputy and “check on the situation.” It wouldn’t be so bad, he thinks, if Hiroto didn’t spend all of his time outside, with Koki, while Nakamaru and a sullen Jin alternated between babysitting the ranch owner and protecting the office.
If he could spend time with Hiroto, who is... well, it’s just like with Shizuku, or with Kousaku, or Kyohei. There’s a charisma that Nakamaru can’t deny, and it leaves him feeling dizzy and confused, but in a good way. It reminds him of the crush he’d had on Yui Aragaki in high school.
He’s antsy, and anxious, and his conversation with Hiroto a few days ago has made him unbearably curious about what the old money in the town is hiding. Is there far more to this story than meets the eye? He knows there must be.
Nakamaru wants to talk about it with Jin, and hear Jin’s crazy theories, and maybe tell Jin to go set himself on fire, or pull up his pants. He wants Jin to hide behind him to escape Aiba’s hair-styling games.
Instead, he bites his lip, and ponders the mystery of stolen letters and lipstick left behind.
(There’s also the part of Nakamaru that can’t wait to see the thief again, but he pushes that part as far back into his brain as he can, and hopes it won’t come back to haunt him at the worst possible moment.)
*
It’s difficult to move silently around the ranch, where everything is made of creaking wood and rustling straw. The horses and dogs can feel his presence, and the fact Hiroto has been around for days, and they’ve already gotten used to his smell, keeps them from barking when Kame slips past the stable and into the main house. He knows the way to Aiba’s office by heart already, and soon enough he can hear a soft chorus of snores that he’s grown to recognize as well.
Sheriff Nakamaru and his deputy are asleep in front of Aiba’s office, slumped in their chairs with their necks awkwardly craned in postures that make Kame shiver in sympathy when he thinks about the pain they’ll be in come the morning. Akanishi’s drooling on his own shoulder and he mumbles something, from time to time, in what Kame supposes is a cute way, though the one who has Kame’s heart doing a weird little flip in his chest is Nakamaru, whose expression is peaceful and sweet.
It only takes a moment for Kame to slide back into his professional mood, though, and he carefully moves closer to the door. It’s obvious that after the several event-less nights, both Aiba and the sheriff have let their guard down, because even from a distance can see that the door to the office is ajar, open and unlocked. It’s only a matter of skill at being silent to slip between the two sleeping guards and into the office, and that skill is not something Kame’s short on.
The room is still a chaos of papers that cover every possible surface. Kame has to be careful not to make much noise as he goes through them to locate the maps he’s supposed to steal. He’s lucky enough to find them fast, buried under a pile or documents on the desk. Kame pulls them out one by one and rolls them carefully to carry them in his hands, since for once they’re too big to fit in between the folds of his kimono. With the mess that the office is, it’ll be days before anyone realizes they’re gone.
The corridor is dark when Kame exists the office, and he doesn’t expect Akanishi to have moved in his sleep. He trips over the man’s leg, stretched out in front of the door. He’s caught unaware and can’t help a yelp that startles the sleeping deputy. Before Kame can recover there are sleepy eyes blinking at him, and Kame can practically pinpoint the exact moment in which Akanishi realizes something is wrong with the scene.
“Hey, you...”
Kame smiles and slips a lipstick tube in the pocket of Jin’s loose jeans. “Don’t think too hard, darling. No one wants you to hurt yourself.”
Kame doesn’t expect the anger that flares up in Akanishi’s eyes, or for him to react that fast. Just as Kame is slipping away the deputy jumps to his feet and takes a hold of the maps Kame’s carrying to pull him back. Kame gasps in surprise and tries to free the papers from the man’s grip, but they start to rip.
“Nakamaru! Wake up!”
The sheriff stirs and Kame’s eyes dart quickly between the two of them. He’s pressed for time and he won’t be able to take both men at once.
“Nakamaru! Quick!”
Akanishi pulls a little harder on the maps and Kame makes his decision. He pulls toward himself and the map the deputy is holding rips in two. Kame’s prepared for it, but Akanishi stumbles backward clumsily when he suddenly finds no resistance and crashes loudly into Nakamaru, who wakes up with a loud yelp and a lot of flailing. By the time they manage to disentangle themselves and stop shouting at each other, Kame’s long since gone, and Jin’s probably left tightly clutching half of a map.
Kame curses to himself as he disappears into the night. Shirota’s going to kill him for this.
*
The silence in the room is tense and uncomfortable as four men lean in to get a better look at the crumpled paper on the sheriff’s desk. Nakamaru had done his best at straightening it out, but there was only so much that could be done about it and the paper is still covered in creases and small tears. Mayor Matsumoto looks at it with disgust.
“And you say Jin took this from the thief’s hands?” He smiles sweetly at Jin, who squirms uncomfortably under the combined weight of the mayor and President Sakurai’s stares. “Good job, Jin.”
“I... um, thank you, sir.”
Nakamaru clears his throat loudly and frowns at the two powerful men. “Now that there’s no point in hiding what the thief was trying to get, I think it’d be helpful if you could explain why he would have an interest in a horse breeder’s maps.”
President Sakurai gives Nakamaru a smile that would make the hairs of anyone less used to the sorts of bizarre and wild-eyed crazies Nakamaru’s had to work with before stand on end. “I assure you, Sheriff, that would not help your investigation in the slightest.”
“But...”
“Our decision is final, Nakamaru,” Mayor Matsumoto adds as he straightens up. “What these maps are about is not your business to know and...”
There’s a gasp as Jin opens his mouth to say something and quickly closes it again when everyone turns to look at him. Jin blushes a bit and stuffs his hands in his pocket with a huff.
“What’s it, Jin?” Nakamaru prompts.
“Nothing. It was a stupid thought and I’m probably wrong anyway.”
Mayor Matsumoto nods solemnly. “He probably is.”
Nakamaru frowns as he looks between Jin and the map a couple of times. He finally sighs and prays he won’t regret this later. “I’d still like to hear it, Jin.”
For a moment he fears Jin’s stubbornness will keep him silent, because Jin’s looking at him like he thinks this is all a trap to laugh at him. He finally shuffles closer to the desk though, and Nakamaru does his best to look at the finger his deputy brings to the map rather than at his deputy’s bright green underwear, clearly visible, as his jeans are so low Nakamaru’s not even sure why Jin bothers to wear them anymore.
“I... I could be wrong but I think... I’m pretty sure these little dots mark mines. This one... The closest to the road, and this one past the river, I think they’re coal mines.”
Jin sniffles and rubs at his nose when he is done, growing increasingly anxious in the silence that follows and pulling his hat so low that Nakamaru doubts he can see anything anymore. It takes a moment for Mayor Matsumoto to react.
“Now, Jin,” he says in a patronizing voice. “We all know you have many skills, but, how can I put this... Using your brain isn’t exactly one of them.”
“Remember last time you tried to prove yourself at Geography, Jin?” Sakurai smiles. “Mayor Matsumoto and I will take that map, so you can help Nakamaru prevent another theft...”
Jin’s cheeks turn a dark shade of red and he looks down in shame; Nakamaru can swear his deputy turns smaller under the mocking of the two men. Nakamaru glares at them. No one insults his deputy but him.
“I think Jin is right.”
“What?” Three voices answer.
Jin blushes again as he realizes what he has just said, and shifts a bit where he’s standing. “I, um, I mean... Thank you, Boss.”
“You’ve already proved yourself useful in this case, and until something can prove you’re wrong I’ll believe you.” Nakamaru really hopes Jin’s not making fools of them both this time round. He grabs the torn map and turns toward Sakurai. “And I’m sorry, sir, but this map is an important clue for the case and you can’t take it until I deem it solved. You’re hiding something, and it’s hindering the case.”
Both President Sakurai and Mayor Matsumoto’s eyes turn to him with glares that would make him shiver if he wasn’t so set on defending Jin, even if he doesn’t know why on Earth he’s suddenly inspired with faith in his deputy’s intellect.
“Fine,” Matsumoto finally gives in with a voice that could poison water, throwing his boa over his shoulder with a sniff. “But if this case is not solved before another theft occurs, Sheriff, your job will be at stake. We can’t allow a simple thief to play with our authority.”
“You’ve been warned, Sheriff Nakamaru,” Sakurai adds, pushing his glasses up on his nose, before they both leave the office. They slam the door after themselves, and the loud bang seems to set the threat in the air.
“Boss?” Jin whispers after a few moments. Nakamaru turns to look at him and almost falls off his chair when he sees Jin’s starry eyes shining with a few tears. “You defended me, Boss!”
Nakamaru coughs awkwardly. “I, well, um, yes, I did, of course. I couldn’t have them insulting you like that, it wasn’t right and...”
Before Nakamaru can finish his sentence all the air is squeezed out of him by a bear hug that literally lifts him off his chair. Nakamaru tries to sneak one arm out of Jin’s vice-like hold to awkwardly pat his deputy on the shoulder.
“Jin,” he wheezes. “The rules. About not touching me. Remember the rules.”
“Just this once,” Jin mumbles into his shoulder, and Nakamaru can’t bring himself to say no.
When Jin finally puts him down and pulls on the rim of his hat to hide his red-rimmed eyes, Nakamaru straightens his shirt and adopts his best-determined frown. “I’m tired of these people thinking they can play around with us, like we’re just pawns in a chess game. We’re getting to the bottom of this!”
“Yes, Boss!” Jin yells, and Nakamaru watches in astonishment as his deputy marches out of the office to God knows where.
Part 4