Rocky Roads (Team. Gaoranger AU)
Title: Rocky Roads
Characters: Gaku, Kai, Soutarou, Shirogane
Fandom: Gaoranger AU
Rating: PG
AN: Sequel to Trials of the Animaria Detective Agency
Gaku stared down at the paperwork on his desk, wondering how much longer he could conceivably put off doing it when he actually had nothing else whatsoever to do. The morning was dragging and the last time he'd checked the clock hopefully it had smugly told him that it was only a quarter past eleven in the morning and he still had at least six hours before he could call it a day.
The radio was on in the background, more for background noise than anything else but nothing interesting was catching his attention. He sighed to himself, looked around the office for inspiration and found nothing. Except maybe inspiration to get off his butt and finish the report so he didn't have to watch Samezu perched on the end of Soutarou's desk and fiddling with Soutarou's stuff. He'd got used to having the kid around now and the fact that he was a shapeshifter was no longer a big deal, but Samezu was still an annoying brat and he suspected that was mostly done on purpose, just to irritate him.
With fate not smiling on him enough to provide a distraction Gaku glumly picked up his pen and started going through expenses. He should make Kakeru do this, he thought grimly, except Kakeru was out now anyway, damn him. Something to do with sorting out stuff for Sae and Shirogane, or so he'd said and as the need was apparently pressing, there went Gaku's opportunities to place the administrative duties firmly in Kakeru's hands. Well, he thought ruefully, maybe it was just as well, Kakeru was terrible at balancing the books, for all his skills elsewhere. And besides, if he wanted a job done right then it was best to do it himself, because otherwise it would get screwed up.
"...woman found this morning has been confirmed as Ozu Urara-san" the radio crackled, grabbing Gaku's attention now that he'd decided he was going to have to cave on the admin crap. "Ozu-san has also been confirmed as a psychic, bringing the total of Supernatural deaths to four within the space of ten days. Police are--"
The radio snapped off and Gaku glared at Samezu as he stalked away from it, the radio now lying slightly askew from the force of Samezu's reaction. "I was listening to that!" he protested, but his ire faded on seeing the expression on Samezu's face. He'd actually forgotten, he realised. He'd actually forgotten that Samezu was a Supernatural himself and it couldn't be easy going about your everyday life knowing that someone out there was killing people like you for no reason.
"Tough," Samezu replied shortly. "I'm tired of hearing about it." And with that he sank down into the chair he'd set up at Soutarou's desk, kicking at the leg of Soutarou's desk with an unreadable expression on his face.
Gaku shook his head and tried to return his concentration to the books, but couldn't. It wasn't just the case on the radio but also a more purely internal peeve. Samezu had his own desk. His own desk with his own stuff in it, even, and yet he could usually be found at Soutarou's desk instead at least 95 percent of the time. He didn't know why they'd bothered finding him a desk when he never used it anyway. Brat.
His phone went off and he scooped it up off the table hurriedly, hoping for something - anything - that would get him out of here. "Hello?"
"Gaku," came Kakeru's voice, sounding hurried and breathless. "I need you to send someone over to Sae's place."
"What?" Gaku demanded, not even needing to look up to know Soutarou and Samezu were both watching him. "Why? Why can't Sae just go back?"
"I can't explain right now," Kakeru hissed. "But something came up and someone has to be there. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important, you know that."
Gaku pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. Be careful what you wish for, he thought sourly. He'd wanted something to happen and it had: it just wasn't something he could do himself. The last time he'd been left on babysitting duty it had... gone badly and it was an experience he'd prefer not to repeat. That meant either Samezu or Soutarou was going to have to go over. "Alright," he growled. "I'll send Samezu. Happy now?" Because there was no way he was leaving the office in Samezu's hands or spending the remainder of the day with only a pissed-off, sharp-tongued brat for company.
"That's fine," Kakeru agreed. "Just hurry, okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Gaku agreed, rolling his eyes. Kakeru worried way too much over Shirogane. What was the worst that could happen, after all? Whoever Shirogane was hiding from didn't know where he was. What was the problem? "I want an explanation later, though."
"Yeah, later," Kakeru said hurriedly. "I have to go Gaku, I'll call you later. Bye." He hung up before Gaku even got to reply and he snapped his phone shut with more force than he'd intended.
"Where am I going?" Samezu asked, back on his feet and tugging his jacket off the back of Soutarou's chair. "I don't know where Sae-chan's place is."
"That's alright," Gaku shrugged, grabbing his keys. "I'll take you there."
"I'll be faster by myself," Samezu pointed out but Gaku didn't care. He was feeling constricted by the office and he fully intended to take advantage of the chance to get out.
"You don't know where you're going," he countered, "and I need some fresh air anyway."
"Um," Soutarou interjected, "could you pick up some more tea on your way back? We're almost out."
Gaku glared at Samezu who at least had the decency to blush. He'd been supposed to pick up that tea the day before. "Sure," he said evenly. "I'll do that."
"It was totally not my fault," Samezu told him as they emerged onto the street. "I was right by the combini when you called me yesterday and wouldn't take no for an answer."
"So it's my fault we're almost out of tea?"
"I would have picked it up otherwise!"
"Shut up and get in the car," Gaku retorted. "And make sure you remember the way because you'll probably end up on babysitting duty more often now."
"Babysitting duty?"
Gaku turned the key in the ignition and pulled out into the traffic. "Pretty much. Shirogane's... kind of a mess, actually, and while he can do stuff for himself and everything he can't really be left alone for too long. Things start going wrong when that happens."
"Wrong how, exactly?"
Gaku shrugged and turned left. "Different every time. He just freaks out if he's left alone too long. That's why Kakeru and Sae alternate keeping an eye on him."
"And there's no-one else who can do it?"
"Not really," Gaku admitted. "They're the only ones he trusts. Even taking you is a risk."
"Why aren't you doing it?" The question wasn't accusatory, as it could easily have been: Samezu sounded more curious than anything else.
"Let's just say Shirogane and I don't get on and leave it at that, yeah?"
The was silence for a few minutes as Gaku navigated the streets of Tokyo. They weren't far from Sae's place now, thankfully.
"It's an unusual name," Samezu said thoughtfully, breaking the silence. "Shirogane, I mean. You don't hear it much."
"No," Gaku agreed. "You don't."
"We had a Prince Shirogane once," Samezu continued. "Shapeshifters, I mean. He's dead now, though. Died a couple of years back."
Gaku raised an eyebrow, risking taking his eyes off the road for a moment. "What happened?"
Samezu shrugged. "No-one seems to know, really, just that he died." He sighed and closed his eyes. "He could have been the best of us, if he'd had the time."
Gaku had no idea how to reply to that and clearly it was a loss that was still deeply felt, even now. "We're coming up on Sae's place now," he said a few minutes later, taking his last turn into the street. "Time to find out how you guys will get on."
"Great," Samezu muttered. "Is this payback for not getting the tea yesterday?"
"Actually, no," Gaku replied promptly, clambering out of the car. "But you can think that if it'll make you feel better. Now come on, stop dragging your feet."
Samezu's eyes narrowed and slammed his car door shut with more force than was called for. Gaku considered it a great restraint on his part that he didn't call the brat out for it. Maybe because Samezu was about to spend the rest of his day either run ragged or bored out of his mind, depending on Shirogane's mood today.
Fortunately Sae's apartment wasn't up too many floors and it didn't take long until they reached her door. Gaku hesitated, then knocked sharply. "Shirogane-san," he called. "Open the door. Kakeru and Sae got caught up in something and won't be back for a while."
It seemed quiet enough, which was tentatively a good sign, and not for the first time Gaku was glad Sae's landlady didn't ask too many questions, because some of the stuff the Animaria detectives found themselves in didn't have easy answers, a point the person slowly opening the door made perfectly clear. Shirogane was somewhere around Gaku's own age, or appeared to be, but there was darkness in those eyes that screamed of things no-one should ever have to face.
"What happened?" Shirogane asked quietly, stepping back stiffly to let them in. Gaku supposed it was another good sign that Shirogane hadn't yet tried to rip his throat out; a distinct improvement from the last time he'd been here. And Kakeru wondered why he didn't like shapeshifters.
"Don't know," he shrugged. "Kakeru didn't say. He was in kind of a rush at the time."
"And... you're..."
"Oh, not me," Gaku said hastily. "I'm not staying; I think we both know that would be a bad idea. No, Samezu will be staying with you." He looked around when the only reply to the statement was a blank silence. "Samezu?" He turned; the kid had been right behind him, he knew it. And yep, there he was, still behind him. And staring at Shirogane as if he'd just seen a ghost. "Samezu?" he tried again, only for Samezu to swallow hard and shake his head.
"Impossible," Samezu breathed, never taking his eyes of Shirogane. "It's just not possible."
Shirogane, for his part, had tensed but couldn't meet Samezu's eyes and Gaku had the sinking feeling he didn't like where this was going. "Don't tell me," he sighed. "He's supposed to be dead."
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This entry was originally posted at http://scifisentai.dreamwidth.org/247816.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Characters: Gaku, Kai, Soutarou, Shirogane
Fandom: Gaoranger AU
Rating: PG
AN: Sequel to Trials of the Animaria Detective Agency
Gaku stared down at the paperwork on his desk, wondering how much longer he could conceivably put off doing it when he actually had nothing else whatsoever to do. The morning was dragging and the last time he'd checked the clock hopefully it had smugly told him that it was only a quarter past eleven in the morning and he still had at least six hours before he could call it a day.
The radio was on in the background, more for background noise than anything else but nothing interesting was catching his attention. He sighed to himself, looked around the office for inspiration and found nothing. Except maybe inspiration to get off his butt and finish the report so he didn't have to watch Samezu perched on the end of Soutarou's desk and fiddling with Soutarou's stuff. He'd got used to having the kid around now and the fact that he was a shapeshifter was no longer a big deal, but Samezu was still an annoying brat and he suspected that was mostly done on purpose, just to irritate him.
With fate not smiling on him enough to provide a distraction Gaku glumly picked up his pen and started going through expenses. He should make Kakeru do this, he thought grimly, except Kakeru was out now anyway, damn him. Something to do with sorting out stuff for Sae and Shirogane, or so he'd said and as the need was apparently pressing, there went Gaku's opportunities to place the administrative duties firmly in Kakeru's hands. Well, he thought ruefully, maybe it was just as well, Kakeru was terrible at balancing the books, for all his skills elsewhere. And besides, if he wanted a job done right then it was best to do it himself, because otherwise it would get screwed up.
"...woman found this morning has been confirmed as Ozu Urara-san" the radio crackled, grabbing Gaku's attention now that he'd decided he was going to have to cave on the admin crap. "Ozu-san has also been confirmed as a psychic, bringing the total of Supernatural deaths to four within the space of ten days. Police are--"
The radio snapped off and Gaku glared at Samezu as he stalked away from it, the radio now lying slightly askew from the force of Samezu's reaction. "I was listening to that!" he protested, but his ire faded on seeing the expression on Samezu's face. He'd actually forgotten, he realised. He'd actually forgotten that Samezu was a Supernatural himself and it couldn't be easy going about your everyday life knowing that someone out there was killing people like you for no reason.
"Tough," Samezu replied shortly. "I'm tired of hearing about it." And with that he sank down into the chair he'd set up at Soutarou's desk, kicking at the leg of Soutarou's desk with an unreadable expression on his face.
Gaku shook his head and tried to return his concentration to the books, but couldn't. It wasn't just the case on the radio but also a more purely internal peeve. Samezu had his own desk. His own desk with his own stuff in it, even, and yet he could usually be found at Soutarou's desk instead at least 95 percent of the time. He didn't know why they'd bothered finding him a desk when he never used it anyway. Brat.
His phone went off and he scooped it up off the table hurriedly, hoping for something - anything - that would get him out of here. "Hello?"
"Gaku," came Kakeru's voice, sounding hurried and breathless. "I need you to send someone over to Sae's place."
"What?" Gaku demanded, not even needing to look up to know Soutarou and Samezu were both watching him. "Why? Why can't Sae just go back?"
"I can't explain right now," Kakeru hissed. "But something came up and someone has to be there. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important, you know that."
Gaku pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. Be careful what you wish for, he thought sourly. He'd wanted something to happen and it had: it just wasn't something he could do himself. The last time he'd been left on babysitting duty it had... gone badly and it was an experience he'd prefer not to repeat. That meant either Samezu or Soutarou was going to have to go over. "Alright," he growled. "I'll send Samezu. Happy now?" Because there was no way he was leaving the office in Samezu's hands or spending the remainder of the day with only a pissed-off, sharp-tongued brat for company.
"That's fine," Kakeru agreed. "Just hurry, okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Gaku agreed, rolling his eyes. Kakeru worried way too much over Shirogane. What was the worst that could happen, after all? Whoever Shirogane was hiding from didn't know where he was. What was the problem? "I want an explanation later, though."
"Yeah, later," Kakeru said hurriedly. "I have to go Gaku, I'll call you later. Bye." He hung up before Gaku even got to reply and he snapped his phone shut with more force than he'd intended.
"Where am I going?" Samezu asked, back on his feet and tugging his jacket off the back of Soutarou's chair. "I don't know where Sae-chan's place is."
"That's alright," Gaku shrugged, grabbing his keys. "I'll take you there."
"I'll be faster by myself," Samezu pointed out but Gaku didn't care. He was feeling constricted by the office and he fully intended to take advantage of the chance to get out.
"You don't know where you're going," he countered, "and I need some fresh air anyway."
"Um," Soutarou interjected, "could you pick up some more tea on your way back? We're almost out."
Gaku glared at Samezu who at least had the decency to blush. He'd been supposed to pick up that tea the day before. "Sure," he said evenly. "I'll do that."
"It was totally not my fault," Samezu told him as they emerged onto the street. "I was right by the combini when you called me yesterday and wouldn't take no for an answer."
"So it's my fault we're almost out of tea?"
"I would have picked it up otherwise!"
"Shut up and get in the car," Gaku retorted. "And make sure you remember the way because you'll probably end up on babysitting duty more often now."
"Babysitting duty?"
Gaku turned the key in the ignition and pulled out into the traffic. "Pretty much. Shirogane's... kind of a mess, actually, and while he can do stuff for himself and everything he can't really be left alone for too long. Things start going wrong when that happens."
"Wrong how, exactly?"
Gaku shrugged and turned left. "Different every time. He just freaks out if he's left alone too long. That's why Kakeru and Sae alternate keeping an eye on him."
"And there's no-one else who can do it?"
"Not really," Gaku admitted. "They're the only ones he trusts. Even taking you is a risk."
"Why aren't you doing it?" The question wasn't accusatory, as it could easily have been: Samezu sounded more curious than anything else.
"Let's just say Shirogane and I don't get on and leave it at that, yeah?"
The was silence for a few minutes as Gaku navigated the streets of Tokyo. They weren't far from Sae's place now, thankfully.
"It's an unusual name," Samezu said thoughtfully, breaking the silence. "Shirogane, I mean. You don't hear it much."
"No," Gaku agreed. "You don't."
"We had a Prince Shirogane once," Samezu continued. "Shapeshifters, I mean. He's dead now, though. Died a couple of years back."
Gaku raised an eyebrow, risking taking his eyes off the road for a moment. "What happened?"
Samezu shrugged. "No-one seems to know, really, just that he died." He sighed and closed his eyes. "He could have been the best of us, if he'd had the time."
Gaku had no idea how to reply to that and clearly it was a loss that was still deeply felt, even now. "We're coming up on Sae's place now," he said a few minutes later, taking his last turn into the street. "Time to find out how you guys will get on."
"Great," Samezu muttered. "Is this payback for not getting the tea yesterday?"
"Actually, no," Gaku replied promptly, clambering out of the car. "But you can think that if it'll make you feel better. Now come on, stop dragging your feet."
Samezu's eyes narrowed and slammed his car door shut with more force than was called for. Gaku considered it a great restraint on his part that he didn't call the brat out for it. Maybe because Samezu was about to spend the rest of his day either run ragged or bored out of his mind, depending on Shirogane's mood today.
Fortunately Sae's apartment wasn't up too many floors and it didn't take long until they reached her door. Gaku hesitated, then knocked sharply. "Shirogane-san," he called. "Open the door. Kakeru and Sae got caught up in something and won't be back for a while."
It seemed quiet enough, which was tentatively a good sign, and not for the first time Gaku was glad Sae's landlady didn't ask too many questions, because some of the stuff the Animaria detectives found themselves in didn't have easy answers, a point the person slowly opening the door made perfectly clear. Shirogane was somewhere around Gaku's own age, or appeared to be, but there was darkness in those eyes that screamed of things no-one should ever have to face.
"What happened?" Shirogane asked quietly, stepping back stiffly to let them in. Gaku supposed it was another good sign that Shirogane hadn't yet tried to rip his throat out; a distinct improvement from the last time he'd been here. And Kakeru wondered why he didn't like shapeshifters.
"Don't know," he shrugged. "Kakeru didn't say. He was in kind of a rush at the time."
"And... you're..."
"Oh, not me," Gaku said hastily. "I'm not staying; I think we both know that would be a bad idea. No, Samezu will be staying with you." He looked around when the only reply to the statement was a blank silence. "Samezu?" He turned; the kid had been right behind him, he knew it. And yep, there he was, still behind him. And staring at Shirogane as if he'd just seen a ghost. "Samezu?" he tried again, only for Samezu to swallow hard and shake his head.
"Impossible," Samezu breathed, never taking his eyes of Shirogane. "It's just not possible."
Shirogane, for his part, had tensed but couldn't meet Samezu's eyes and Gaku had the sinking feeling he didn't like where this was going. "Don't tell me," he sighed. "He's supposed to be dead."
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This entry was originally posted at http://scifisentai.dreamwidth.org/247816.html. Please comment there using OpenID.