Disclaimer: The novel series of Suzumiya Haruhi that began with 'The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' is the creation of Nagaru Tanigawa. No disrespect is intended by the posting of this fanfiction, as I do not own the characters or settings involved. I'm merely dabbling with another set of paints. TVtropes (the website) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License (and it's possible that this fic technically is, too; seems fair to me). Additional characters are borrowed from Higurashi, which is the creation of Ryukishi07.
Notes: Count the tropes! Save, collect, trade for swell prizes!
"Chapter Three: Field Training"
"Once you've established your basic level of competence, there's nothing to remind you of how far you have to go quite like trying to do something by yourself."
"Training and You: The Eternal Nightmare" -- Tadamichi Kyousuke
For the most part, Kyon's schedule had seemed to fill up. Before, he was so reliably idle (except when he was with Haruhi) that Koizumi could expect to request his time, and get it. Now, he was so busy with his suddenly adopted responsibilities that Koizumi found himself struggling to get some of the other boy's time.
Take the current situation, where Koizumi was uncomfortably certain that he'd only managed to get Kyon's attention for the length of the lunch period because Haruhi seemed to want to round the other girls up to discuss something. What, Koizumi wasn't certain. While he had once prided himself on his ability to predict Haruhi's behavior, at this point Kyon was the expert, and that was that.
No longer being so directly ... connected to Haruhi had gone a long way toward allowing the esper to take a less ... involved viewpoint. He didn't understand what her plans or outlook toward having a relationship were, but it seemed to satisfy her for the moment, and Kyon likewise seemed to have the situation well enough in hand.
But the two of them took seats outside, where other students seldom bothered to show up. Kyon glanced around, shifting his shoulders, then unwrapped the bento that Haruhi had presumably made for him. "So," Koizumi said, unwrapping the lunch he had made himself, "I suppose I'll open the discussion?"
"That's how it usually works," Kyon agreed after swallowing a mouthful of sliced carrots. "But I already know what your first question is. I checked with Nagato last night, and she said that she didn't catch any sign of Haruhi trying to use her powers to change how yours worked at the beach."
Koizumi blinked, turning that over. "So, Suzumiya-san goes beyond Nagato-san's control?" he posed cautiously.
Kyon shook his head in sharp negation. "It happened the last night there was closed space, I think," he ventured. "Nagato thinks you just never tried to use your powers since then."
"W...well," Koizumi managed, shaken. It couldn't have been that he'd been empowered for more than a month and just never tried to use his powers? But then, why would he? "T...to be fair," he followed up, smiling unsteadily, "my powers originally came with the knowledge of how they worked. When modifications occurred, well, I suppose as Suzumiya-san might say, there were no new patch notes!"
"And I guess you don't have much of a community for support," the other boy agreed, smirking. "Next order of business?"
"On the subject of Suzumiya-san and the fact that her powers may still work around whatever limitations that Nagato has imposed," Koizumi began, pulling his chopsticks from their case, "I have some concern that she may still have the ability to influence the greater scale of events."
Kyon pondered that while chewing his next mouthful of food, swallowing before he asked, "Meaning?"
"I think that it's possible that her subconscious mind may actually still be able to manipulate reality. Consider that as soon as you introduced Suzumiya-san to the very things she desired to meet, our dynamic began to change? You presented information to her that in some ways made it seem that an adventure novel, or a science fiction movie were happening, all just barely concealed from her perception."
"That precept doesn't strike me as false," Kyon countered. "In fact, it seems wholly defensible on my part: in reality, some days were science fiction movies, adventure novels, and so on!"
"And more so now," Koizumi noted. "Or, as I'm beginning to suspect, it is because of the expectations that you have set for her that things have turned out this way."
Kyon froze mid-chew, and Koizumi took a moment to have a few bites of his own lunch. He noted that at least Kyon had stopped to seriously consider the implications. As it was, despite no longer being able to read the girl, the esper was still fairly confident that things were going to work out alright.
"Strangely," he continued, setting his chopsticks down and sipping from his canned juice, "I find that I'm not actually greatly concerned about it. I said once that you and Suzumiya-san believed in one-another, that it was a mutual confidence that I was envious of. Ultimately, the fact of that trust is the safety net that makes me so confident about the situation at hand."
After taking a sip from his own drink, Kyon prompted, "How's that?"
Koizumi shrugged again, giving the other boy a relaxed, amused smile. "You believe that Suzumiya-san doesn't actually intend harm, so you're not afraid of what she might do. She believes that as long as you are at her side, she cannot be defeated. As long as you two are together...." He trailed off, deciding that the rest did not need to be said.
Kyon stared into his bento with a thoughtful look. "I actually considered this possibility some time ago," he relented. "It's difficult to determine, really, if this is happening because that's what Haruhi wants, or if this is just a side-effect of opposing the IDSE."
The esper sat back slightly, considering that. "So, are you saying that ... the IDSE has caused you to become involved in the affairs of the Tsuruya family?" And thus caused him to become engaged, along that line of thought. "That's very subtle."
Kyon shook his head. "They are in general, though. Really, it's the sliders who are showy. And maybe the sneering bastard. I wouldn't be surprised if they're behind whatever provoked the Sumiyoshi-rengo, or they're trying to help the mystery operative who's trying to use the Tamaru brothers as bait," he noted. "After all, the original incident was prompted by remnants of data from another interface ... which are now stored securely in this indestructible container." He set his new PDA on the table.
"Quite so," Koizumi agreed, glancing at the shiny black and chrome object. "At any rate, while I don't mind working with you, especially now that I know I'm better able to keep pace with you, as it goes, I would like to discuss a title change."
"Sounds like something Haruhi's going to have to approve," Kyon said with a shrug. "But, what's on your mind, then?"
"'Sidekick' sounds a bit dated, doesn't it? In this day and age, wouldn't 'personal assistant' be more apt?" the esper suggested.
"I guess," Kyon answered doubtfully. "Well, it's not like we're superheroes, going out and fighting crime, or anything like that."
"All the same, I'd like to be more than just a decoy on the battlefield."
"Since you took apart that thing on the beach, I think we've safely established that I was significantly more of a decoy than you," Kyon retorted.
Chuckling, Koizumi ducked his head. "True enough," he admitted. "All the same...."
"Ask Haruhi," the vice-commander reiterated, shaking his head. "Anyway ... what are your thoughts on this invasion?"
"It's frustrating not being able to do anything but wait," the esper said after a thoughtful minute, while Kyon polished off the rest of his bento. "I believe Suzumiya-san is annoyed, too, but not enough to try and push for any change. After all, should we not savor these calm, quiet moments when we have them?"
"I don't like the idea of them being so rare that we must, but you're probably right," Kyon grumbled. "Alright, then, any other business?"
"Nothing in particular," Koizumi assured him, shaking his head. At least that much was certain. "Unless you wish to goad Suzumiya to act first...."
"Let's not throw rocks at that beehive," Kyon suggested, smirking. "Alright, well, let me know if anything changes, then. Thanks, Koizumi."
"Glad to help a friend when I can, Kyon-kun," Koizumi returned, pleased at the honesty of the remark. Kyon's expression didn't betray much, but the esper could tell the other boy had caught that as he nodded farewell.
There were significantly worse people to work for, he thought, wrapping his leftovers up.
Somewhat distracted by the time she had spent visiting with Sakanaka the previous day, Haruhi's steps as she strode toward the club room were slower than usual. The excitable little terrier was just as energetic as the last time Haruhi had seen him, and Sakanaka's mother had seemed more relaxed at Haruhi's presence than before.
Then again, Yuki and Mikuru had basically enacted some strange occult-seeming ritual involving a dog and a cat, with the time traveler dressed up as a shrine maiden. Or maybe she was just leery of letting her daughter alone with a group containing boys.
Either way, she ducked into the room to give the girls a tray of snacks and a pitcher of iced tea, and then seemed too busy with her own project in some distant corner of the massive house to do more than check in occasionally.
Sakanaka had asked a few shy questions about Haruhi's relationship with Kyon -- which she had awkwardly evaded, not enjoying concealing things from someone she wanted to call a friend. It had gone easier once she managed to ask Sakanaka who she was interested in.
The other girl had blushed very deeply and admitted only that she liked someone who she thought was very intelligent, though, lately had seemed to be a bit stressed. Haruhi wanted nothing more than to demand to know who it was Sakanaka liked and then pressure her into confessing to him -- or her, she supposed.
Of course, she restrained herself. Pushing Sakanaka to achieve some more definitive form of relationship than she'd managed to cobble together wasn't fair to either of them.
Still, the realization that she had limited herself -- all of them, really -- from being able to define what they were....
That would not do long-term, even if it did help settle Kyon down. By the time she reached the club room, she roused herself from her thoughts; she'd already had a planning session at lunch with the other girls, anyway. All she really needed to do was get Kyon to agree to her proposed trip to visit his uncle and aunts in Hinamizawa next month.
She turned to look at him before opening the door to the club room, realizing he seemed a bit less energetic than usual. "What's got you down, subordinate?" she chided, finding a smile for him, anyway. "You didn't tell me how your family dinner went last night, either!"
He snorted, shaking his head. "Just generically tired, I guess," he answered, glancing down the hall as Koizumi approached, Yuki a step behind him. "I used to be able to nap during class ... I miss that sleep."
"Give me a week," she replied resolutely. "Then I'll be done figuring out the assignment patterns from all of our teachers, and we can start doing classwork and homework a few days in advance."
He stared at her, eyes widening. "That's how you can sleep through the last part of every term?" he asked. "I knew you could calculate impossible things with your unreasonable genius, but that far?"
"It's not rocket surgery," she chided as she felt her face heat up, scowling as she opened the door to the club room and turned to face Kyon. "It's basic psychology, plus the fact that almost no teacher in all of Japan deviates from an approved lesson plan! Haven't I called every single pop quiz this year, at least two days in advance? I thought you could read people! Come on, it's easy, right Yuki-chan?" In fact, she believed wholeheartedly that even Kyon could do it, if he could just muster the willpower to focus for the duration of his classes! Only his laziness held him back.
Yuki gave a tiny nod of agreement, though her gaze was somewhere past Haruhi's shoulder. So was Kyon's. Koizumi was staring, too, so Haruhi turned around quickly, chagrined to realized that somehow, Mikuru had gotten to the club room before them and was in the middle of changing. She lunged through the door toward the time traveler and slammed it shut behind her. "Sorry!" she called, turning to face the crimson-faced Mikuru. "T...that was an accident!"
"I...it's okay," Mikuru mumbled, taking a mincing half-step backward and then quickly squirming the rest of the way into her outfit. Haruhi was sorely tempted to help her out, but knew that the older girl was still a bit nervous around her. In fact, when she stopped to think about it, the distance between Haruhi and Mikuru seemed the greatest between any of the girls of the SOS Brigade....
Mikuru finished pulling the outfit on and straightening it out, giving Haruhi a worried glance and putting one hand to her hair. "I...is something wrong?" she asked anxiously, her face still red.
"No," Haruhi said quickly, shaking her head. "I just thought that you looked really cute in that outfit." Given Mikuru's recent lessons, the brigade chief personally thought the nurse outfit would have been more appropriate. Still, if she wanted to wear the maid outfit, that was up to her. "Hmm, Mikuru-chan, I think you're falling behind, so why don't you ask Kyon to do something with you tonight?"
"Eh!" Mikuru started, her eyes widening as she blinked in surprise. "R...really?" she asked hopefully. "T...that's okay?"
"Of course!" Haruhi insisted, opening the door again and motioning the others in. "Consider it my apology!"
"What's that?" Kyon asked, stepping in with the rest of the club members, Tsuruya and Kanae having arrived while the door was shut.
"To make up for your trying to peep on Mikuru-chan while she's changing, you're sentenced to manual labor for her," Haruhi explained, going to the computer and turning it on. She could hardly expect to demand time alone with him if she wasn't allowing the same for the other girls. "We'll call it community service."
"Oh, right," Kyon said with a nod. "That makes perfect sense."
"Um ... if it's not too much trouble," Mikuru asked him meekly, managing a shy smile, "c...could you help me with some shopping tonight, Kyon-kun?"
He glanced at his PDA, then nodded. "Of course," he agreed.
"Ah! Thank you, Kyon-kun!" Mikuru began to hum contentedly as she turned her attention to the tea set.
"Say, Haruhi, Koizumi wanted to ask you for a favor, too."
Haruhi blinked and glanced up from the computer's loading screen. "What's that?" she asked the esper, curious.
"Ah," the boy said, ducking his head as Kanae began to spread her homework across the table in front of her, "well, I asked Kyon-kun about this earlier and he seemed agreeable. I was hoping for a title change from 'sidekick' to 'personal assistant', if that's not too much trouble...?"
She blinked, considering that. "Well, you're still technically a sidekick," she warned him. "But, yeah, that's an okay title. I think it'll fit in better for some of Kyon's 'business' with Tsu-chan's family anyway, right?"
The heiress nodded enthusiastically. "You betcha!" she agreed. "Speakings of which, meeting on Wednesday, Kyon-kun. My father wants to discuss somethings."
Haruhi gave a satisfied nod, and turned her attention back to the computer. As annoying as it was, she would try resisting her inevitable need to drag Kyon off to her favorite stairwell ... for a while, at least.
After club had ended, Kyon had waited outside for Mikuru to change before the pair of them left the school together. Koizumi had gone with Tsuruya, to discuss some bit of their work -- something the time traveler suspected would reach Kyon shortly. Haruhi had found out about yet another poor test score (history, again) from Kanae and announced an emergency study session at Yuki's, and the slider was reluctantly dragged off.
Not that the time traveler begrudged any of the others, and wouldn't have minded having any of them along, but time where she could be with Kyon by herself.... Of course, technically, she was allowed to 'date' Kyon, according to Haruhi. She hadn't bothered asking any of her superiors; the anonymous, mysterious bosses from the future, or Kyon, who she was subordinate to, technically. After all, if she considered that Kyon's superior was Haruhi, that meant that if she didn't think about it too hard, Mikuru could pretend that the 'date' override had come from Kyon himself.
He didn't need to know that, of course....
So she walked side-by-side with him through the same shopping district where she had gone looking for new clothes with Yuki, and once, just earlier that year, asked Kyon to help her purchase the sewing machine that had allowed the creation of such nice costumes. "I need some blue cloth for Kanae-chan's costume," Mikuru told Kyon, who was scanning the crowd thoughtfully, both of their bags held in one of his hands by the straps.
He broke from his surveillance to give her a smile. "I'm glad for this chance to go shopping for small things like this," he told her. "And I think it's great that you found something to do in the club that you really seem to enjoy."
She felt her face warm up slightly and managed a giggle, heading into her favorite supply store. The clerks looked up as she entered with Kyon in tow, smiling and waving, but holding their distance. She hadn't come very often, but the women who worked at the store seemed very friendly, and having only seen Kyon once before, referred to him as her 'boyfriend'. Probably it was for the best they were keeping their distance today; she hadn't exactly gone out of her way to correct them.
"I've enjoyed things we've done with Suzumiya-san," she finally said, looking back at him with a smile as they reached the cloth she was looking for. "Like ... even though it was very difficult, and I had to learn some new things, working on the literature club's anthology! And I like the company of everyone, especially when we don't have something urgent to take care of! And lately, things seem to be going quite well!"
He gave her an appraising look, and she tried not to blush under his scrutiny, doing her best to deflect it with a happy smile.
"In a lot of ways, that's true," he admitted, while she began collecting the bolts of cloth that she needed. "But I still like spending time with you...." He seemed to hesitate, as though he might have said too much, then shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes.
After buying everything she thought she would need to make Kanae's next costume, and a few extra things she was confident she would find a use for soon, the pair left the shop, Kyon now carrying both of their schoolbags and a load of sewing supplies. "Um, Kyon-kun," she asked, as they headed through the market district, "i...it's a bit late, so would you like to have, um, dinner with me?"
"Would you like me to take you somewhere?" he returned, giving her a small smile.
She felt her face redden and shook her head minutely. "I wanted to cook, actually, if that's alright...."
He had already looked happy, but at that he immediately brightened further. "If it's no trouble," he allowed.
She gave him a hesitant smile, admitting, "I'm still not very used to how the marketplace here works, so ... would it be alright if I were to ask you for help with gathering what I'll need?"
"No problem at all," he assured her.
Her smile widened; she couldn't imagine the day getting much better than it had been so far. Now, all she needed was to gather her ingredients and cook, then she could see about maybe being a tiny bit naughty and trying to kiss Kyon again. Or, maybe, if she did a really good job of preparing for dinner, he would kiss her!
Distracted by those thoughts, she almost collided with someone, restrained only when Kyon's hand circled around her wrist, pulling her back. She squeaked in alarm, flinching back from the cold glare of the time traveler who called himself Fujiwara. Her retreat left her to stumble into Kyon for support, who absently released her wrist and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his gaze fixed on the other boy.
Fujiwara's angry stare went from her to him, and Mikuru thought for the merest second she saw the hint of horrified realization before his scowl deepened. "So," he growled, "you've chosen your alliances, I see. Your predetermination versus my free will, is it?"
"Oh, save it," Kyon retorted in a clipped tone. "I'm not in the mood for all of this posturing. I know you're not actually trying to hurt us, already, or you would have tried using the damn weapon you stole last Saturday!" Mikuru was only able to resist flinching from Kyon's curse by the reassurance she got from leaning against him.
Fujiwara's glower faded, and he looked pensively thoughtful. "I could have motives you cannot fathom," he muttered. "You can make assumptions based on my previously observed behavior, but you can't prove my free will doesn't exist! However, if you're going to be such an arrogant mercenary, I'll tell you this much; you can't hurt me right now."
Kyon's feet shifted slightly, though he didn't move, and his hand was still a reassuring weight on her shoulder. "You say that like I randomly attack people," he countered. "The only reason I would have to hurt you is if you tried something stupid. Like whatever you got Sasaki into!"
"Oh, a weak spot?" Fujiwara retorted, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow. "Too bad! It's predetermined that I run into you last Saturday ... nice to know I'm effectively immortal until then! I think I'll go back to just before then and do something fun -- maybe invite your friend along to the beach!" He grinned, shaking his head. "But then, maybe I'll wait a little while, since every moment between now and then, I'm predetermined to survive. So, tough guy, what do you have to say to that?"
In answer Kyon produced his PDA from his pocket, pointing it at Fujiwara.
The other time traveler looked unimpressed, merely noting, "Unless you want to try and violate the way that predetermination works, you know that you can't do anything to me."
Kyon scanned Fujiwara and stored the image. "My PDA right here now has a perfect image of you in it. I have a pretty good holo-disguise, too. It's not predetermined that you arrive at the beach last Saturday. Realistically, I could go back disguised as you; it'd be indistinguishable to the me from back then, wouldn't it?"
Fujiwara's sneer vanished, and he narrowed his eyes.
"So, self-proclaimed champion of free will," Kyon said dryly, "be free, and accomplish nothing, or jump through my hoop of predetermination like a good dog, and maybe you'll get a tool you can use for a while."
"Alright," Fujiwara growled. "Alright!" This last shout was so loud that Mikuru couldn't help but flinch, and several nearby people turned to look, no longer pretending not to eavesdrop at the very public -- and to them, cryptic -- conversation. "I'll accept the mad precept that you tried to sell me before; you, not Asahina Mikuru are the champion of predetermination and the enemy of free will," he spat sourly. "All of those encounters against her may have been meaningless, but at your request, until we can settle our dividing issue, you are my singular foe!"
Done with that declaration, he turned around, marching away through the quickly parting crowd. Mikuru turned to study Kyon's face; he gave a minuscule shake of his head to someone in the crowd, then turned and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that," he sighed. He grimaced, bowing his head. "I feel like an idiot, though; I just engineered his involvement in last Saturday by opening my mouth and assuming. I should have remembered he's a time traveler too...."
"Y...you aren't worried about making him your enemy?" she asked him in uncertain surprise.
"If some jerk wants to cause you trouble, then I would gladly be a wall to block that person's progress," Kyon told her, shrugging.
"T...thank you, Kyon-kun," she breathed, feeling guilty. "Um, but, for what you said ... I don't think you can blame yourself too much; I have special training, and I make mistakes, too! And, really, wasn't it predetermined that Saturday went the way it did? You just made sure it happened as it was supposed to."
"You're right," he realized, brightening, gesturing her forward toward the store they had been headed toward. "But if I had kept a cooler head and not snapped at him, then last Saturday...." He trailed off, considering something. "Well, I had to make this mistake," he finally decided. "But it's also a good lesson to me to pay more attention next time."
She wasn't certain what to make of his ideas of challenging predetermination.... But something about what he had said -- using the disguise to fill Fujiwara's role without him.... Since predetermination was set by observation, was it possible to manipulate history, and therefore, reality, by changing events outside of the observational scope?
Of course, history, and her agency's records, left little question as to what happened in most cases. How to make a change without causing trouble?
That thought kept her from speaking much, outside of small talk with Kyon, until after they'd reached her tiny apartment and he was seated at the kotatsu. While she cooked, he did his homework, giving her some time to consider the implications. He looked up from his papers, gladly pushing them all away to make room for the dinner she'd prepared once it had finished.
"This is amazing," he swore after a handful of bites.
"I...it's the best I could make, here," she told him, blushing happily. "Um ... but, I did add some things from outside of the normal recipe...."
The realization hit her so abruptly she nearly tipped over in her seat. "T...that's it!" she exclaimed suddenly, her eyes wide as she stared at Kyon in amazement. All she needed to do was add some ingredients to history from outside of the recipe ... it would avoid violating causality, even if the end result was more seasoned to her tastes!
"Asahina-san?" Kyon asked her worriedly.
How brilliant was he, to not have had proper training, and yet understand innately that there really was a loophole to allow a time traveler to change history!? The implications were staggering! This would change time travel as her people understood it! No wonder her superiors had said she was subject to his orders; if she hadn't given him the freedom to discover that for them....
Mikuru swallowed and shook her head, giving him her brightest smile. "Y...you don't need to call me that when we're alone, Kyon-kun," she reminded him.
"Um ... Mikuru-chan? Are you oka-- Woah!"
Some small part of her mind told her that aggressively launching herself at Kyon might have been a bad idea, but he'd caught her and let her momentum bear them to the floor, so she dismissed it and kissed him excitedly before he could remark on the same. She didn't care that they were missing dinner; it would be there for them once she and Kyon stopped kissing, and she could always heat it up again if she had to.
Since the meeting had been arranged by her father, Tsuruya had asked Kyon and Koizumi to meet with her at the school entrance once club activities had let out. The entire day had been more fun than usual; Tsuruya couldn't get over the fact that Kyon could change his outfit at will. Not that he tended to.
Luckily, Haruhi couldn't get over it either; they'd spent most of the meeting trying different anime character costumes on him. He'd accepted random costume changes without complaint, much to Kanae and Mikuru's barely concealed delight. On the other hand, he was still dominating everyone at Scrabble by a ludicrous margin, finally drawing even Haruhi into a game.
Kanae obligingly did her job as the referee, slowly reading out the English definitions for words she didn't know the meanings of. While it wasn't as one-sided as the previous matches, Kyon was still the clear winner. Haruhi seemed incredulous, and managed to narrow the gap, but still not beat Kyon, even when she finally insisted on a match between just the two of them. When the time for the meeting came around, Haruhi had immediately swept Kanae into her arms and rounded on Yuki, insisting that she needed to study and giving Kyon a warning glare.
The two boys rounded the shoe lockers, Koizumi looking more relaxed than usual, and Kyon as implacable as he almost always appeared. Tsuruya smiled and waved at both, before they stepped out of the vestibule and started walking toward the waiting limousine. She really didn't mind that the esper was going to be there, but she had to admit that she also really enjoyed stealing private moments where she could cuddle up to Kyon and maybe kiss....
Koizumi wasn't going to help that mood -- though, to be honest, her father's presence was a bigger concern. And that probably meant that she should really focus on the task at hand.
Kasai, already standing outside the vehicle, inclined his head and opened a door. The three climbed into the back seat of the car together, Tsuruya sitting between Kyon and Koizumi. The bodyguard and driver closed the door and walked around the car, climbing into the front as the engine started up.
Opposite Tsuruya was her father, sitting facing her and Kyon, but brooding over what his assistant Aida was showing him on his almost eternally present PDA. Tsuruya glanced at Kyon, not really surprised at the way he glanced at the device, as though comparing it to his own, but smirked at him anyway. He caught her glance and looked the slightest bit guilty before shrugging.
Next to Aida, sharing the long bench-like seat, was Mori dressed sharply in her usual business wear, though Tsuruya was glad to see that she too now sported the family pin. The vehicle smoothly pulled into motion and Tsuruya's father grunted, Aida stowing his PDA and bowing his head apologetically.
Still in a distracted funk, the Tsuruya family patriarch pulled a cigar from within his coat, absently clipping one end before fumbling for his lighter. Even then, he was completely absorbed in his heating ritual, turning the tip of the cigar over above the flame until it heated evenly, concluding by taking a long draw. It was only then that he seemed to realize he wasn't alone in the car. Tsuruya shoved down a tiny surge of worry; her father didn't usually get distracted like this unless something had gone very wrong.
He thumbed a button from the cubby at his side, rolling the window nearest to him down a short distance and expelling a long plume of smoke toward it. Vents steered the vast majority of the smoke away, through the gap, and he settled his eyes on Kyon, nodding. He gestured with the smoking brand toward the woman past Aida. "Mori-chan?" he rumbled.
"Yes, well," she said, nodding as she turned her attention to the youths in the back of the vehicle. "Tsuruya-sama has been monitoring our reports on Sumiyoshi-rengo activity in town lately. Over the course of the last two days, we've tracked about a dozen of their known men moving into the city, and now we know why." She paused, turning her dark eyes across the three.
"I'm not up to date on the latest of the Tsuruya-gumi's actions, but I do have a suspicion, here," Koizumi remarked, crossing his arms over his chest thoughtfully. "Considering that we suspect some NPA hand of moving chess pieces from behind the scenes, so to speak.... Well, as we've heard from the Tamaru brothers, they unintentionally allowed one suspect to coerce a lead on the case involving Kyon's shooting."
"That's right," Mori agreed. She produced a folded newspaper from a cubby at her side and unfolded it enough to reveal the headline. "'Hundreds of firearms seized in secret NPA raid'," she quoted. "This was released to the presses this morning, but it seems the actual raid happened some time yesterday."
"Aah," Tsuruya realized, grimacing and shaking her head. "Sos, now the entire Sumiyoshi-rengo is hurtings, not just the Fujiya-tachi. And they're itchings for revenge against whoever they blames?"
"That's the speculation," her father agreed, nodding.
Kyon leaned forward a short distance, frowning. "I'm not sure I get everything," he began apologetically, "but do I understand that someone is trying to pick a fight between us? I mean, with the Sumiyoshi-rengo and the Tsuruya-tachi?"
Tsuruya couldn't help but grin at how comfortably Kyon included himself in the group. Her father seemed to take it in stride, just nodding in answer.
"Well, chess master," Koizumi prompted, turning to look at Kyon, "what strategy do you suggest?"
"Information is power," Kyon answered without hesitation. "In go, chess, shogi -- it doesn't really matter -- in all of those games, you can see the entire board. Here, this is maybe in places like chess, and in other places more like poker -- we can't see the other guy's hand, so we don't know what cards they bring, or what strategy they're pursuing. If I were like Nagato I might be able to figure it out, but I'm not."
"No plan, then?" Koizumi asked, his smile fading.
"I didn't say that," Kyon countered. "I'd like to collect more information without revealing too much of our own hand to the enemy. Any move I made right now would be to play dumb; don't betray anything by acting rashly." He frowned and shook his head. "But the rules of this game.... Hell, right now, we don't even know who one of the players is."
Tsuruya nodded in sympathy; her father was only peripherally aware of the other things Kyon was weighing. Koizumi's jokes aside, the board was a lot bigger than he could probably handle alone. Luckily, it was a team game; she knew she wasn't ready to grasp a lot of the details of the current situation herself. But she could handle quite a bit.
In fact, that had been her eventual responsibility. While she was going to be the next family head, her father had good decades of life left, at least. She didn't intend to sit by idly and wait to inherit, and she could advise Kyon on how to handle the ninkyo dantai aspects in the meantime. "Oh, politics," she sighed, smiling. "Usually, to avoid bloodshed in this situations, we would sends someone to meet with the Sumiyoshi-rengo and discuss what happened. With luck, we could explains things peacefully."
Her father nodded and puffed on his cigar again. "The Sumiyoshi-rengo have lost thirty eight men from their forces, including the oyabun of three separate groups in that NPA raid," he intoned gravely.
Tsuruya swallowed uncomfortably at that. Aida glanced at the man in mild surprise before shrugging, adding, "In terms of holdings, they lost a major smuggling operation -- and nearly forty billion yen in seized vehicles, property, and contraband."
Mori contributed, "On the organizational front, it was a perfect storm of NPA activity. The information got to the NPA in the nick of time for them to stage a last-moment raid. Moreover, for the Sumiyoshi-rengo, an additional high-profile group was involved in this particular smuggling operation. Despite not having their customary time to train for the encounter, the SAT team -- under NPA supervision -- suffered no fatalities in the raid."
"A stinging loss, a major insult, and significant financial damage," Tsuruya's father concluded. "So. I'm leery of sending a messenger over."
Kyon frowned. "Okay, so they're angry; what can we do to keep ourselves safe?" he asked. "Until we know what's going on, at least."
"If it's not out of place for me to make this observation," Mori began hesitantly, shifting her gaze to the Tsuruya family head, one fingertip rising to trace across the pin on her coat, "I felt that Fujiya Masao was honest when he wished for peace."
"I thought so too, though," Kyon noted, shrugging glumly.
Tsuruya's father raised his eyebrows, nodding before he took a long draw from his brand, expelling it slowly. "What we really need," he said, chewing absently on his cigar, "is a way to speak to Masao. It's entirely possible at this point that he's not connected with the Sumiyoshi-rengo. So, as angry as the newcomers in town may be, it's possible it's not with us, as much as them. Either way, for the cost to pride, I wouldn't be surprised if we made more viable targets than the NPA, and they need a show of strength for morale."
"What, you mean recruiting him?" Tsuruya asked, startled.
"Not likely," her father countered, shaking his head with a mild smirk. "But an alliance; it would be best if they could somehow survive, and continue to be the convenient distraction they were."
"First things first," Kyon put in. "If we want to talk to Masao, I can do that."
Her father's eyebrows rose as he studied Kyon. "You think so?" he mused.
"I got in before; I talked to Jun -- one of the guys who shot me," he confirmed, nodding.
Tsuruya took a deep breath, shaking her head in admiration. Well, she wasn't going to be left behind, anyway. "Good thinking," she encouraged him. In the meantime ... she would have to talk to Haruhi about setting up a meeting with the Sumiyoshi-rengo anyway. If they needed more information, she wasn't about to neglect a source. And she was positive that with some help from Yuki, they could even do it safely.
"Alright," her father allowed, studying Kyon curiously. "Tomorrow, then, if you still want to do that, Kyon-kun.... But be careful."
"Yes," Tsuruya agreed, turning to face her fiance and realizing there wasn't enough traffic to give her the time she really wanted before they would part ways. "Haru-nyan and Nagato-chi will be furious with me if you get dinged up!"
"I'll be careful," he agreed, quirking his lips in a smile. "Besides," he added, jerking a thumb at Koizumi, "if things get really bad, my personal assistant can bail me out." After looking mildly surprised for a moment, Koizumi smiled and nodded, spreading his hands in a 'what can you do?' gesture.
"Goods, goods," her father sighed, stubbing out his cigar, his smile widening. "I'm glad that my daughters attracts competent people to her!"
Tsuruya giggled into her sleeve, thinking he didn't know the half of it.
After meeting up with Miyoko for most of the walk home, Nonoko was delighted to see her brother waiting at the gates. "Kyon-kun!" she chirped, launching into a tackling hug, which he caught her in effortlessly.
"Kyon-nii-san!" Miyoko called out, waving with her free hand before stooping to collect Nonoko's dropped bag. "You're out of your club early today?"
"Yeah, I have a mission today," he agreed. "So I had to come home early." He took Nonoko's bag from Miyoko, admonishing, "Imouto, you didn't thank Miyoko-chan properly for picking up your bag. You should carry it yourself."
Nonoko pouted at her brother. "Okay," she grumbled, accepting her bag before she brightened. "What's your mission?"
"You won't be in any danger, will you?" Miyoko asked worriedly.
"You know, I can honestly say it's nothing I've never done before?" he remarked, grinning. "I have to go speak to someone who's very difficult to get to."
She could imagine it easily; he was probably breaking into a military base -- or a high security prison. Somewhere that some unsuspecting mortals had managed to restrain a dark general, or just kept one who had decided to stop following their evil ways. In any case, her brother would have to watch out. "If you've done it before in the same place, then you should watch out for government secret agents," she warned him in a hushed voice, covering her hand with her mouth, just in case there were any spies around. "They mean well, but they don't understand your job!"
He nodded thoughtfully at that. "It's amazing, but I have almost no fear for your ability to survive in the world, Imouto. Somehow, you're starting to act so much like Haruhi did when I first met her, I'm confident you'll be invincible."
"I just need my magical girl powerup!" Nonoko exclaimed cheerfully. "I know it will come some day!"
"With Shamisen as your magical spirit guide?" Miyoko asked, giggling.
She considered that; it was a good question. "No," she decided after a moment. "I think I want a pixie, or a fairy. And, anyway, Shami is a boy cat!"
Kyon and Miyoko laughed together at that. "Well, if you ever need help fighting dark generals of your own, let me know," Kyon told her. "I'll help you out."
"Silly," she chided her brother. "Boys are super-easy to mind-control! I don't want to have to fight you, too."
"Darn, I guess I'd better stick to my own genres," he sighed, shaking his head. "Speaking of which," he added, as they reached the corner where Miyoko would split away, "Tsuruya-kun got tickets for both of you; will you be able to come to see the movie tomorrow, Miyoko-chan? I'm not sure Imouto remembered to tell you that you were invited."
She felt her face redden as Miyoko's eyes widened. "O...oh, okay!" she said cheerfully. "Right! I'm sure it will be fine with my parents -- will Haru-nee and Mikuru-nee be there?" She swallowed, looking bashfully away for some reason. "O...or ... Koizumi-san?"
He shook his head slightly in negation as they stopped, quirking one eyebrow higher. "Um ... no, Tsuruya-kun and Kanae-chan. I have a feeling I'm going to end up taking everyone else to see it later, though."
Miyoko's excitement diminished slightly, but she nodded. "Okay, well, it would be nice to see a movie with you that went, um, well.... So, yes, okay! We'll meet tomorrow?"
"Sure, just walk home with Imouto. Tsuruya-kun said she would come by to pick us up after gathering Kanae-chan," he agreed.
The other girl nodded excitedly, then waved goodbye and skipped away, humming. "I think," Nonoko said slowly, frowning, "that Miyoko-chan has a crush on Koizumi-kun!"
"That may be," her brother allowed, resuming the walk home.
"But he's so boring," she mused. "I wonder why she likes him?"
Kyon blinked, then looked at her sidelong. "I'm not sure I want to touch this one," he answered, after a long, thoughtful pause. "This is starting to be the line of discussion I'd rather inflict on Mom."
"What's that mean?"
"Mom's the expert in this stuff," he clarified. "You should ask her."
"Okay!" she decided, as he opened the door. Their mother was inside in the kitchen, calling out a greeting after they announced themselves in practiced tandem. "Mom! Oh, guess what they announced at school today?" She hopped out of her outdoor shoes and landed in her slippers, bouncing again up the short step into the house proper, out of the entryway. In the hall, she skipped from one foot to the other excitedly, rifling through her bag before pulling out the permission slip she had been given earlier. She slid to a halt before she lost her balance, halfway down the hall.
"What, do you need a signature to attend a certain class?" their mother asked, mildly intrigued as she walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a small hand-towel.
"Better!" she crowed, as her brother more sedately slipped off his shoes and put on his slippers, incidentally picking her own shoes up before her mother noted. She belatedly realized that she was getting too excited ... no reason to jeopardize this, after all. Settling down, she held the paper out to her mother like an offering. "Field trip!"
"They're doing field trips in elementary school now?" Kyon asked, intrigued. "Is it to a library or hospital? Something like that?"
"No~ope~!" she cheered, grinning and shaking her head. "We're going to Gokoko.... Uh, it's Gukuku...." She stifled a gasp of despair. Her magical-girl trip depended on this! How could she not remember how to pronounce where she was going?"
"Gokoku-ji," her mother said, reading from the paper. "Hmm, that sounds familiar...."
"It's the name of a temple," her brother said authoritatively. She remembered the same thing being mentioned by the friendly, unfamiliar teacher that had joined the roster, sharing the opening minutes of class with her usual home-room teacher. "It's located in--"
Her mother abruptly snapped the paper down, looking sharply up at Kyon. "You had tests back today, didn't you?"
"I got a ninety eight in math, and a perfect score for grammar," he answered, reaching into his coat and pulling out two folded sheets of paper. "Oh, I also promised that I was going to go out and do errands for Tsuruya-kun. I might not be back until late."
Nonoko shifted from foot to foot in agitation as her mother was distracted from the all-important field-trip form to glance at Kyon in surprise. "Is that so?" she asked, impressed. "Well, then, by all means!"
"Mo~om!" Nonoko whined. "My permission slip!" It was all well and good that Kyon's career was working out, but she deserved to go on this field-trip. Kyon had gotten to go on an amazing island adventure, after all, and she'd been left out, despite her best efforts. This was her chance to go somewhere remote and special, where she would have her once-in-a-life-time encounter that would give her the much-needed magical-girl powerup!
"I'm not sure about this," her mother said doubtfully, while her brother took advantage of the opportunity to slip away upstairs. "Really, three days ... and that fee...."
Nonoko bit her lip, thinking of something else the pretty young teacher had mentioned. "The trip coordinator mentioned that they're looking for additional parent chaperones," she volunteered. "They would get to join the trip at the same rate!"
Time outside of the hallway should have stopped by all rights due to the gravity of the situation, but surprisingly quickly, her brother trotted back down the stairs, dressed in a very sharp dark blue suit, adjusting his cuffs as he reached the hallway. A pair of dress shoes dangled from his fingertips as he stepped around her, disrupting the quiet moment.
"Where will you be going?" her mother pressed Kyon, looking away from the paperwork again.
"Well," he began, before the house's doorbell rang. He shrugged sheepishly and went to the entryway, opening the door. Tsuruya stood outside in a formal kimono, waving one hand and grinning as cheerfully as ever. "Hello, Tsuruya-kun," he greeted her, stepping out of his slippers and tugging on his shoes. "My mom was just asking what we'd be doing tonight."
"Oh, well, Kyon-kun here is working for my father part-times, just like I am," Tsuruya explained with a giggle. Her eyes drifted from Nonoko's mother to the small girl, and she blinked, her smile fading slightly. "Imouto-kun? What's wrong?"
Nonoko could have sniffled, if she weren't braver; trust Tsuruya, reliable as always, to notice her distress. She launched herself at the taller girl, glomping onto her in a hug. "I want to go on a field trip!" she cried. "But I don't think we can!"
Tsuruya caught her easily, giggling and twirling. "Silly Imouto-kun!" she chirped. "It's not decided yets, is it?"
"No," she admitted ... though, realistically, her mother seldom changed her mind once she seemed even slightly opposed to something.
"This is about that field trip?" Kyon asked, running one hand through his hair. "Imouto...."
"I didn't rule it out absolutely," her mother said, suddenly contrite, putting her hands on her her hips. "Nonoko, you should be better behaved! Especially around your brother's fiancee!"
"She's fine, she's fine!" Tsuruya insisted, setting her down back inside the doorway of her house. "I like to see Imouto-kun's smiles!"
"Then, I can go on the trip?" she asked, looking at her mother hopefully.
She sighed, looking pained. "Nonoko...."
"Is there anythings I can do to help?" Tsuruya asked earnestly.
"Ah, n...no," her mother relented, "it's in hand ... fine, alright, we'll go, Nonoko, but I expect you to keep your grades where they're at! If you slip, it's off!"
"Yes!" she exalted, cheering. "I will, I promise!"
"Alrighty, then," Tsuruya said brightly, waving, "we'll be back later; gots to make up for lost time!" She linked her arm through Kyon's and dashed to the waiting limousine.
"Thank you, Mom!" Nonoko cheered, scrambling up the stairs to her room to finish her homework before her mother could change her mind.
After reviewing a map of the compound, pointing out the route that he and Yuki had taken to the cells, Kyon had gotten dropped off at a train station a few miles away. Slipping into a restroom stall, he changed his outfit to match a salary-man he had scanned earlier with his PDA. He thumbed through a few options and improved the illusion so that his face and body would appear to match the same man, then stepped out and ambled through the throng of people in the station to the waiting traffic circle.
Fifteen minutes later, he had gotten himself on a taxi headed toward the station -- and a sizable traffic jam. Three blocks from his target, he told his driver he'd just get out and walk, tipping the unsurprised man what he hoped was a standard sum.
Near the station, he checked the PDA's power monitor, which tracked the reserves of all his tools. Conveniently, they shared their energy, so the greatcoat had no trouble maintaining the image. The power usage didn't change noticeably when he ducked into an alley and became completely invisible. Alone and unseen, he paused, taking stock of himself and considering what he was doing.
This wasn't much crazier than anything else he had done before, save that he'd decided to try and avoid bothering Yuki, for a change. And, he admitted to himself, this had become a much more personal issue than some of the other things he'd dealt with. Deciding he'd wasted enough time already, he double-timed it out of the alley and down the street, slowing to a quick walk as he slipped through behind a pair of policemen returning to the station.
The wide doorways slid shut behind the officers, and he consulted his mental map, turning to a long hallway and marching down its empty, quiet length. Attached rooms betrayed undecipherable buzzes of conversation, or occasionally nothing at all. As he approached the end of the hallway, where a pair of double-doors stood, he froze, flinching as another nearby side-door abruptly clicked open.
A woman in a dark brown skirt and coat backed out of the door, carrying a clipboard with a small sheaf of papers attached, and then tugged it shut behind her. She glanced both ways down the deserted hall, then strode purposefully directly toward Kyon.
He hopped away, muffling a belated curse as he realized she wasn't charging him, merely heading swiftly toward the double-doors. He stepped behind her, following her closely enough to slip through when she paused and fished a card from her coat pocket, passing it over a reader and causing the door to unlock with a loud click and a resounding buzz.
The room beyond was the same one Yuki had brought him to, once before. He saw the door they had used, then, and watched the woman he had followed as she approached a desk and rapped her knuckles on it. The white-haired man behind the desk glanced up from a bank of security monitors and smiled politely. "Akasaka-dono," he greeted the woman, inclining his head to her. "Is there something I can help you with?"
She nodded back, handing over the clipboard. "I need these forms to be signed," she explained, "concerning interviews with our current captives -- based on the recent arrests in Osaka."
While Kyon didn't particularly care for their small-talk, he was stuck in the room until someone else opened a door -- a serious oversight. He mentally berated himself; Yuki wouldn't have made a careless mistake like that. And, he pondered, he had no way to deal with a locked door, either. Pulling his PDA from his pocket, he made a reminder for what he needed to learn that night.
In the meantime, his mission hadn't been a total failure yet. The doors to the cell-block opened, an unfamiliar pair of detectives and a uniformed officer striding together. "We'll get back to the interview in about an hour," one of the detectives said, rolling his head, one hand on the back of his neck. "But, man, talk about tight-lipped."
Kyon slipped through the doorway again as the detectives began to discuss where to get their mid-shift meal. While his PDA was in his hand, he also added a timer for when he could expect the detectives to be back to open the door again. Pocketing the device, he slipped down the hallway into the cell-block and then stopped before yet another locked door.
He turned around just in time to watch the entrance door slam shut. Okay, he thought to himself. First solo mission progress ... less than optimal.
Since he had nothing better to do, he studied the corridor he was in. A pair of empty holding cells were on either side, their bars forming walls, with another secured steel door, locked, but with a keyhole. Glancing around revealed a video camera, so forcing the door was out of the question ... but probably picking the lock would have been, too.
The air duct was heavily barred, but very tiny. There were just four of them in a row atop the overhanging concrete wall. Kyon gauged that he probably wouldn't fit through the vents, even if he did remove the grate. It did look like they might be out of view of the camera, at least.
Muffling a sigh, he sat down on the floor and pulled out his PDA. Still plenty of power, so.... He realized in a worse case scenario, he could just follow the detectives. Unless they happened to be planning on talking with Masao, at least. According to the clock, he had only to wait forty more minutes.
He flipped to his notebook and had the PDA turn his training note into a wish-list, adding 'spy skills', and filling in a list of things he'd probably need to know. Some way to get around cameras with regards to doors, at the very least. Probably something to hack computers ... retrospectively, he'd gotten lucky on that count the first time he'd helped Tsuruya fight off the Sumiyoshi-rengo.
After compiling enough items to become bored, he flipped through the menus and played chess, beating the AI soundly twice. He was debating a third game when the application quit, spontaneously loading minesweeper instead. He eyed the field of potential digital explosions, leaning slightly away from his own PDA.
Taking a hint, he pocketed the device and checked the time on his watch. The second hand slowly ticked away. Another two minutes passed before the doors to the lobby abruptly slammed open, and he hopped to his feet. The two uniformed officers came down the hall, evidently in the middle of an animated discussion.
"Every time, though," the first officer grumbled, holding the door open, one hand adjusting his hat over his short gray hair. "It's been at least three times now, right?"
"I'm not saying you don't get sick every time we go there," the younger officer with him commented, his own hat tucked in the crook of his arm. He stepped through the doorway into the corridor with Kyon, looking back over his shoulder and asking, "But why do you always order the same thing? None of us get the--"
"Officers," the woman that Kyon had followed earlier snapped, visible in the lobby that Kyon had last seen her in. "If I can just ask you to focus on the task at hand? You are escorting dangerous men from solitary back to their holding cells, aren't you?"
"Hey," the younger officer began, scowling as he turned, ready to march back into the lobby, before he was suddenly cut off. The older officer placed a palm on the other man's chest, shoving him backward and out of the woman's line of sight.
"Yes, Akasaka-san," the older man agreed, bowing as he hurriedly backed into the corridor. "We're all business through these doors."
The bareheaded officer scowled, tugging his hat on properly. "Takahara, I don't see why I can't just tell that NPA bi--"
"Enough, Toji!" the older officer barked at his young colleague. "Don't piss her off, and don't badmouth her -- that's what we call a career limiting move. You want a promotion? Behave yourself!"
Stung, Toji recoiled from the other officer. Kyon shifted his shoulders uncomfortably at being made an unintentional eavesdropper, and waited for Takahara to fish a large keyring from his belt and unlock the inner door. "So," the young man said in a subdued voice, "we're moving Fujiya, first?"
"That's right," Takahara agreed. He opened the door and slipped through, Kyon following immediately, and Toji a moment later. He followed the pair through a number of security doors before they finally opened what had looked to Kyon like an armored closet door. He realized it was Fujiya's solitary confinement cell as the still-proud Yakuza tottered out, standing stiffly and presenting his wrists to be handcuffed, staring challengingly at Toji.
For his relative youth, the officer was unfazed, cuffing him swiftly and then leading him down the hall as his partner closed the cell, then moved ahead to the cell block. "Watanabe gets out too?" the man rasped, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"Yeah, your good friend is being transferred as soon as he gets out of medical."
"Where?"
Toji snorted in response, rolling his eyes. Kyon followed the group in silence until they reached a cell-block, almost every cell filled with the somewhat familiar members of Fujiya's gang. After the small-time gang leader was locked in his cell and unbound, the older man said, "Now, enjoy yourself, but not as much as last time, alright?"
"I want to talk to my lawyer," Fujiya grated in response, tottering to his cell's small sink, filling his cup and drinking thirstily.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll put out the word," the officer said dryly. "But don't hold your breath for a miracle at this hour -- I doubt your defender is as devoted as Odoroki Hosuke."
Fujiya merely filled his cup and drank again, ignoring the officers as they walked away. Kyon pursed his lips thoughtfully and glanced around, realizing that at least half a dozen other men could see where he was standing from their cells. He nervously checked his PDA, but the power was still fine. Now, he hadn't thought this part through, either. How to talk to the man without causing a huge ruckus?
He went to the cell door, looking around. The men in the adjacent cells were quietly complacent, while the man directly across softly played a harmonica -- or tried to. Leaning close to the bars, Kyon cupped a hand to his mouth and whispered, "Hey!"
Fujiya grunted in response after his third cup of water, turning around and glancing at his surroundings blearily. Seeing nothing, he filled his cup a fourth time.
"Hey!" Kyon whispered again, slightly more loudly. "Fujiya-san!"
The man jerked slightly, but finished drinking his cup before turning around, hesitantly ambling toward the cell door. "Where are you?" he mumbled, casting about.
"Outside your cell," Kyon answered very quietly.
The man nodded slightly, and the harmonica player abruptly cut off. "Sorry, Boss," he said, apologetically. "Didn't mean to bother you."
"No," Fujiya answered, shaking his head and leaning against his door. "Play it. Louder, even."
"Y...you like 'Never Did No Wanderin'?" the player asked in surprise, naming the song in English.
"Yeah, sure."
"Do you prefer the Folksmen version, or the way the New--"
"Just play it," Fujiya growled.
"Uh ... okay, right." The warbling harmonica began again, louder this time, and Fujiya mumbled, "Kowa-Keigo Kyon, eh? So you really do have mystic powers."
"Something like that," Kyon allowed, just as quietly. "I'm here as a representative of the Tsuruya branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi."
"Damn, your branch is something else, sending a messenger in here," Fujiya mumbled dubiously. "Well, what's the deal, then? I'm guessing that more Sumiyoshi-rengo are showing up throughout town?"
"That's right," Kyon agreed, quickly outlining the facts of the raid and what they knew of recent Sumiyoshi-rengo losses. Fujiya looked at first unsettled, then disgusted, until he finished.
"This is still all actually Watanabe's fault," Fujiya sighed. "Not that it matters; none of the Sumiyoshi-rengo have spoken to us, except through the lawyers they've sent over."
"However that works out," Kyon replied, shrugging. "There's a strong suspicion that the folks in town these days may not be your friends...."
"Well, you can call that suspicion a fact," Fujiya confirmed, shaking his head and leaning it against the bars of his cell. "Now, what else did you come here for?"
After a breath to settle himself, Kyon said, "While we can't go through the formality here, I've been asked to extend what may be a mutually beneficial offer."
"You're recruiting us to join the Tsuruya-tachi?" Fujiya asked sourly.
"No," Kyon replied quickly, shaking his head before he realized the man couldn't see it. The harmonica player hit a high note and coughed, apologizing before he restarted the song again. "We're recruiting you to join the Yamaguchi-gumi."
Fujiya's lips curled in a smile and he nodded slowly, understanding. "Well, then," he mumbled, smirking, "you want an alliance? I'm about to need a new lawyer."
Kyon remembered not to nod. "I'll see what I can do," he agreed.
"If you can, take this," Fujiya murmured, glancing around anxiously and producing a flattened piece of origami through the bars of his cell. Kyon took it, though he could tell by the way the other man's eyes stopped tracking it that it vanished inside his greatcoat. "We're being played. Keep your eyes open, youngster."
Kyon blinked in surprise at that as the officers returned to the corridor. "No dice, Fujiya, your lawyer says you fired him," Toji called, shrugging. "You can start looking for a new one in the morning."
Shaking his head to himself, Kyon followed the officers out of the cell block.
The woman from earlier was still there, speaking of something to the older officer behind the desk. Remembering that the officers had mentioned she worked for the NPA, he absently took his PDA from his pocket, raising it to snap a picture of her with a digitized shutter click.
She abruptly looked up, scanning through the space he occupied, and he realized that for whatever reason, the sound had been audible. No one else seemed to have heard; the woman -- Akasaka, the man had called her -- studied the two officers Kyon had followed briefly, frowning, then shook her head and turned back to the desk.
Deciding he'd pushed his luck more than far enough, Kyon swiftly followed the two officers back to the building's public lobby, slipping through the door as the detectives he'd seen earlier returned, and his PDA chimed a soft reminder.
He scowled, fumbling for the device and shutting off the alarm, but no one else noted. It wasn't until he was outside, his heart hammering wildly that he remembered that all cell phones and cameras were required by law to make a sound, ostensibly to make things harder for voyeurs. Not that this had slowed Jun and his gang down much -- had Yuki just been making a device that adhered to the laws, or was that another of her ideas of a joke?
Shaking his head, he pocketed the PDA again, grateful for the chance to bound out of the building and move around more freely. Alone in the cool dark air, he found a series of warehouse roofs and when they ran out, he engaged in a gleeful bout of roof-hopping, all the way back to Tsuruya's place.