Ficbit: Communications: 11/?
Feb. 23rd, 2005 06:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetFic: Communications
Summary: Saguru meets someone new
Instalment Eleven: Partnership
By socchan
Japan still wasn’t quite home to Hakuba Saguru. He’d been there a few months, spoke the language, had finally started school and was meeting people his own age. He’d even found an adversary of sorts in the form of the Kaitou Kid. Still, Saguru couldn’t help feeling a bit out of place. He missed London. Many times he found himself still thinking in English.
That was his excuse at least when, upon nearly running into someone in his haste to catch up with the Kid, he found himself swearing in the tongue more familiar to him. Turning to apologize, Saguru was caught off guard when the stranger spoke first.
“Are you alright?” Saguru blinked at the speaker. He was somewhat taller than Saguru, dark hair spiking out from under a backwards-turned baseball cap. Green eyes sparkled against tanned skin.
Perfect English, Saguru mused. Between that and the boy’s eyes, Saguru began to wonder if he actually wasn’t Japanese. “I’m fine, thank you,” he replied, still in English. “Though my dignity is a bit wounded.”
The teen chuckled, and Saguru began to warm to him. “So what’s all the excitement about?”
Saguru shrugged a shoulder. “Are you, by any chance, familiar with Kid the Phantom Thief?”
Raised eyebrows. “A little. I thought he wasn’t around any more.”
“He seems to have made a come back.” Saguru gazed down the hallway, then sighed. “He made arrangements to steal a gem on display here tonight. I attempted to stop him, but was locked in the basement for my trouble. I’ve only just gotten free and was hoping for another chance to catch him, but the heist is probably over by now.”
“Ah.” His companion nodded in sympathy.
Saguru turned to address him. “Pardon my rudeness; I believe I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Saguru Hakuba, and I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
White teeth flashed in a grin. “Heiji Hattori, likewise.” Heiji held out a hand. Pleased, Saguru shook it. A Japanese name, he thought, though that doesn’t necessarily make him Japanese.
“I must admit,” Heiji continued, “Kid heists look to be a welcome change from the kind of thing I specialize in.”
“Oh?” Saguru inquired. “What sort of thing do you usually do?”
Another grin, fiercer this time. “Murder mysteries.”
Saguru nodded, understanding. “I did that for a while myself before I went up against the Kid. The heists are indeed a nice change.”
Heiji looked about to reply but was interrupted by a shout.
“Hakuba-kun!” A harried looking task force member came running up. He stopped and panted a few seconds upon reaching the two of them. “I see you’re okay,” he said in Japanese.
“Yes,” Saguru replied, switching languages. “The Kid?”
“He escaped.” The officer told him, forlornly. “With the gem.”
Saguru nodded, not really surprised. “I see. A pity, that.” At least Saguru would have another chance to catch the thief.
The officer straightened. “I’d better get back to work. Take care, Hakuba-kun.”
“You as well.” Saguru watched the man jog off for a moment before looking back toward Heiji. Heiji seemed amused.
“Ya didn’t say ya knew Japanese,” he accused mildly, Kansai dialect coloring his speech.
Saguru shrugged. “Neither did you.”
Heiji chuckled. “Ya got me there. ‘Course, a good detective doesn’t reveal everythin’ ‘til he’s ready.”
“Well put.” A clock chimed, and Saguru looked up to see one hanging on the wall beside them. Silently, he counted the tones, wincing when they stopped. Thieves and their late hours…
“Is that really th’ time?” Heiji asked with a frown.
Saguru glanced at his watch to confirm it. “I’m afraid so,”
Heiji cursed colorfully. “I’m late. Kazuha’s gonna kill me.” He hurried toward the door, then paused and looked back over his shoulder. “It was good ta meet ya, Saguru-kun,”
Saguru smiled. “The pleasure was mine, Heiji-kun. Perhaps we’ll meet again some time.”
Heiji grinned. “Ya never know. If the Kid ever drops by Osaka, I’ll keep an eye out fer ya.” With that, Heiji began running in earnest toward the door.
Saguru watched him go before heading off to join Inspector Nakamori and the Kaitou Kid task force. Oddly, even with both the Kid and the gem gone, the night felt like a success.
-----
Kudo cursed fluidly at Kaito. "What the hell was up with that British guy? I had to work at least three times as hard against him as I did against any of the police."
"Better not let Aoko hear you say that," Kaito remarked absently. He turned a large gem over in his hands. Kudo grunted at him in reply. "His name's Hakuba Saguru," Kaito added a moment later. "He's the son of some high ranking police official or other. That's why they let him chase the Kid."
Kudo stared at him, slack-jawed. "Just how do you know that?"
Kaito grinned. "He's in our class. Tried to make a move on Aoko, too."
"...You don't say."
"Yeah. She said she wasn't interested, though."
"Hmm." Kudo nodded, obviously not saying something. Kaito ignored it and squinted to see the moon through the jewel. "This it?" Kudo asked.
Kaito shook his head. "Nope. No red, no glow, no 'tears'. We've got a negative."
"We'll find it sooner or later," Kudo said sympathetically.
"I know," Kaito told him. "I'm just worried about what might happen if it's 'later.’"
—End—
Main point of the first part was to shove Hakuba and Heiji into some sort of working relationship. Now Kid has _twice_ the threat! Okay, mostly I just wanted to see them working as a team. That, and Heiji notices some things that Hakuba wouldn't, and Hakuba notices some things that Heiji wouldn't.
Anyway, it's important for later.
Next time: another character introduction chapter.
Summary: Saguru meets someone new
Instalment Eleven: Partnership
By socchan
Japan still wasn’t quite home to Hakuba Saguru. He’d been there a few months, spoke the language, had finally started school and was meeting people his own age. He’d even found an adversary of sorts in the form of the Kaitou Kid. Still, Saguru couldn’t help feeling a bit out of place. He missed London. Many times he found himself still thinking in English.
That was his excuse at least when, upon nearly running into someone in his haste to catch up with the Kid, he found himself swearing in the tongue more familiar to him. Turning to apologize, Saguru was caught off guard when the stranger spoke first.
“Are you alright?” Saguru blinked at the speaker. He was somewhat taller than Saguru, dark hair spiking out from under a backwards-turned baseball cap. Green eyes sparkled against tanned skin.
Perfect English, Saguru mused. Between that and the boy’s eyes, Saguru began to wonder if he actually wasn’t Japanese. “I’m fine, thank you,” he replied, still in English. “Though my dignity is a bit wounded.”
The teen chuckled, and Saguru began to warm to him. “So what’s all the excitement about?”
Saguru shrugged a shoulder. “Are you, by any chance, familiar with Kid the Phantom Thief?”
Raised eyebrows. “A little. I thought he wasn’t around any more.”
“He seems to have made a come back.” Saguru gazed down the hallway, then sighed. “He made arrangements to steal a gem on display here tonight. I attempted to stop him, but was locked in the basement for my trouble. I’ve only just gotten free and was hoping for another chance to catch him, but the heist is probably over by now.”
“Ah.” His companion nodded in sympathy.
Saguru turned to address him. “Pardon my rudeness; I believe I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Saguru Hakuba, and I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
White teeth flashed in a grin. “Heiji Hattori, likewise.” Heiji held out a hand. Pleased, Saguru shook it. A Japanese name, he thought, though that doesn’t necessarily make him Japanese.
“I must admit,” Heiji continued, “Kid heists look to be a welcome change from the kind of thing I specialize in.”
“Oh?” Saguru inquired. “What sort of thing do you usually do?”
Another grin, fiercer this time. “Murder mysteries.”
Saguru nodded, understanding. “I did that for a while myself before I went up against the Kid. The heists are indeed a nice change.”
Heiji looked about to reply but was interrupted by a shout.
“Hakuba-kun!” A harried looking task force member came running up. He stopped and panted a few seconds upon reaching the two of them. “I see you’re okay,” he said in Japanese.
“Yes,” Saguru replied, switching languages. “The Kid?”
“He escaped.” The officer told him, forlornly. “With the gem.”
Saguru nodded, not really surprised. “I see. A pity, that.” At least Saguru would have another chance to catch the thief.
The officer straightened. “I’d better get back to work. Take care, Hakuba-kun.”
“You as well.” Saguru watched the man jog off for a moment before looking back toward Heiji. Heiji seemed amused.
“Ya didn’t say ya knew Japanese,” he accused mildly, Kansai dialect coloring his speech.
Saguru shrugged. “Neither did you.”
Heiji chuckled. “Ya got me there. ‘Course, a good detective doesn’t reveal everythin’ ‘til he’s ready.”
“Well put.” A clock chimed, and Saguru looked up to see one hanging on the wall beside them. Silently, he counted the tones, wincing when they stopped. Thieves and their late hours…
“Is that really th’ time?” Heiji asked with a frown.
Saguru glanced at his watch to confirm it. “I’m afraid so,”
Heiji cursed colorfully. “I’m late. Kazuha’s gonna kill me.” He hurried toward the door, then paused and looked back over his shoulder. “It was good ta meet ya, Saguru-kun,”
Saguru smiled. “The pleasure was mine, Heiji-kun. Perhaps we’ll meet again some time.”
Heiji grinned. “Ya never know. If the Kid ever drops by Osaka, I’ll keep an eye out fer ya.” With that, Heiji began running in earnest toward the door.
Saguru watched him go before heading off to join Inspector Nakamori and the Kaitou Kid task force. Oddly, even with both the Kid and the gem gone, the night felt like a success.
-----
Kudo cursed fluidly at Kaito. "What the hell was up with that British guy? I had to work at least three times as hard against him as I did against any of the police."
"Better not let Aoko hear you say that," Kaito remarked absently. He turned a large gem over in his hands. Kudo grunted at him in reply. "His name's Hakuba Saguru," Kaito added a moment later. "He's the son of some high ranking police official or other. That's why they let him chase the Kid."
Kudo stared at him, slack-jawed. "Just how do you know that?"
Kaito grinned. "He's in our class. Tried to make a move on Aoko, too."
"...You don't say."
"Yeah. She said she wasn't interested, though."
"Hmm." Kudo nodded, obviously not saying something. Kaito ignored it and squinted to see the moon through the jewel. "This it?" Kudo asked.
Kaito shook his head. "Nope. No red, no glow, no 'tears'. We've got a negative."
"We'll find it sooner or later," Kudo said sympathetically.
"I know," Kaito told him. "I'm just worried about what might happen if it's 'later.’"
—End—
Main point of the first part was to shove Hakuba and Heiji into some sort of working relationship. Now Kid has _twice_ the threat! Okay, mostly I just wanted to see them working as a team. That, and Heiji notices some things that Hakuba wouldn't, and Hakuba notices some things that Heiji wouldn't.
Anyway, it's important for later.
Next time: another character introduction chapter.
