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Technical Notes : This chapter is mine. A little *haha* indulgent, but this whole fic is an indulgence, so that's what you get for chocolates.

The Bold and the Bulletproof
by Mae [Hikou] and Djinn

Chapter Three

The room I was shown was a little rundown, but adequate. The bedspreads were clean, and the furniture was still standing. There were a few holes in the ceiling, but I was pretty sure that they didn't leak.

"Gomen nasai," Akagi bowed politely, "This is the only room available right now. I'll arrange for better accommodations as soon as possible."

"It's not necessary," I assured him hastily, "I think this room is perfectly alright."

It wasn't like I was going to stay for long. Once I got the Shoyo heir, I was out of here.

"I'll leave you to get used to your surroundings. You may also return to your former residence to get your belongings. You're one of the Shohoku Streetsters now. You need no other home."

He bowed again, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" I called urgently, suddenly remembering something that had been nagging at me for some time now. He stopped short of the door.

"What Sakuragi-san said just now...just what happened to the Shoyo heir?"

Akagi's face reddened again, just like before.

"He...er...we..." He struggled with his words for a while, before sighing and looking me straight in the eye, "It happened just two days ago. It was dinnertime. We opened the door of his cell for the dinner tray - but he was gone. At first we thought he'd escaped, but Shoyo hasn't reported his reappearance. We're still not sure what happened...but we can't let anyone know we lost the Shoyo heir!"

His tone had turned desperate. Even in my astonishment - and growing worry, I nodded, saying :

"Don't worry. I won't leak the secret...remember, I'm a Streetster now."

He sighed in relief, flashing a remarkably intelligent-looking smile.

"I know."

I kept up the grin as he left, collapsing on the bed as soon as the door closed behind his massive frame.

The Shoyo heir was missing now! I'd lost the only lead I had!

Worriedly, I fingered my throat. Maybe it would be better for me to stay here for a few more days. The thought of facing Hasegawa with the news seemed potentially life-threatening.

The Shoyo heir...gone... Well, he certainly hadn't gone back to the Shoyo Society. Who knew if he was dead? Maybe the Kainan Kings did him in. Or even the Ryonan Rippers. Maybe someone in the Streetsters hated his guts.

Augh. This was all terribly confusing. And dangerous.

I never even got to see his face.

Kami-sama... I wish I'd never taken on this case.

It seemed like mere minutes when a Streetster knocked on my door to inform me that it was time for dinner - it seemed that dinner was a communal affair, while lunch was your own business - but when I looked at my watch, I found that I'd lost a whole afternoon. At first, I regretted losing the opportunity to get a few of my better clothes here, but Hasegawa's ugly mug kept floating into my mind, and I figured that it was probably better for me to stay behind enemy lines.

Dinner was a pretty dour affair, thin corn soup, a paltry piece of garlic bread, and a miserable minute steak for each. There was rice for those who needed more, but it was coarse and dry - the only people who helped themselves to seconds and thirds were Akagi and that redhead Sakuragi.

The Shohoku Streetsters were really down on their luck. I almost felt sorry for them, and caught myself half-wishing that Shoyo would just pay the ransom and be done with. Then I realised that Shohoku wouldn't be able to return the abductee, anyway.

Of course, I stopped feeling sorry for them and started feeling sorry for me.

If there was one thing to be said for the Shohoku Streetsters, it was that bad times couldn't get their spirits down. Even with the miserly dinner, there was much talking and laughing. A sweet-faced girl, who seemed to be the sister of Akagi, kept whispering words of encouragement to the few depressed, as did the pretty bespectacled kid from before. For the more seriously depressed, Ayako whapped them ruthlessly with a paper tessen.

Needless to say, no one stayed depressed for very long.

Despite the general cheer, I was glad to retire to my own room for the night. My life was on the lone, and nothing was alright. I wasn't sure I could keep my own spirits up, even if the Streetsters could.

Just as I sank down gloomily onto the bed, there came a timid knock on the door. I sighed heavily, and called :

"Come in."

The door swung open, and a scared-looking kid stood in the doorway, shuffling his feet.

"What do you want?" I questioned just a little ungraciously.

The kid ducked his head, staring worriedly at his feet.

"Gomen nasai," He stammered, trying not to meet my stare, "I’m Yasuda Yasuhara. I didn't mean to bother you. It's just that Kogure-sempai thought you should know something..."

"Kogure-sempai?"

"Ahn...the bespectacled one, brown hair and eyes."

"Ah, the flower-arranging one."

"Yes," he looked up at me, surprised and a little pleased, "would you happen to be interested in flower-arrangement? We're kinda short of hands."

"Sorry. I'm not a flower person. What did I need to know, then?"

"Oh, er..." He lowered his eyes again, flushing a little, "Well, this room...is rumoured to be..."

Nervously, he looked around, before whispering, "...haunted."

Oh. Great.

"People have heard strange noises coming from here," he continued quietly, "though it's been empty for years. And sometimes, they see...shadows..."

"Aa. Sou ka. Thanks for telling me then. You can go now."

He bowed quickly, and left.

I rose, locked the door, and threw myself onto the mattress.

Kami-sama! This was just wonderful! Not only was my life in extreme danger, I was sleeping in a haunted room.

I groaned, shrugging half-heartedly out of that appalling tweed jacket and the vest, tossing them into a corner. Sighing, I flung out an arm, neatly hitting the light switch and plunging the room into darkness.

Hasegawa or ghosts. I couldn't make up my mind which was a worse death.

As I fell swiftly into a troubled sleep, the last thing on my mind was dire...

...As much as I hated to admit...as impossible as it was...perhaps...I...was a failure...after...all...

It was around 2am that I was awakened from a terrible nightmare about ghostly Hasegawas by a muffled thump. I opened my eyes warily, to be confronted only by darkness, and a faint moon-glow filtering in from the window. Just as my night-vision slowly kicked in and I sat up, there came another thump, and another. I was about to get majorly worried, when from one of the more substantial holes in the ceiling, a vision in black appeared, dropped to the ground, stood and stretched.

Kami-sama!

If this was a ghost, I'm all for being haunted.

The body itself was a miracle - he must have been as tall as Akagi, yet not a spare ounce of flesh hung on that slender frame of lean muscle, all at once powerful and elegant - and incredibly flexible, as his feline exploits had shown me.

But it was his face that really did me in. Flawless porcelain in the moonlight, with a slightly pouting lower lip, exquisitely high cheekbones, and silky, impeccable, black hair framing it all. And those eyes...ah, kami-sama, I could have drowned in that stern and yet soft sea of charcoal.

Absolutely beautiful, this austere, elegant figure of a man. I absolutely had to possess it.

...Did I mention I was bisexual?

He must not have expected me - as I rose from my rest, revealing my presence, he recoiled with startled doe eyes, back against the wall.

Lovely.

"Who are you?" He asked in a quiet voice both authoritative and gentle. Ah, it was like music to my ears.

"I might ask you the same question."

He nodded, eyes downcast.

"Fair enough."

It was hard to resist. I took a careful step forward, flashing a winning smile.

"But I might tell you who I am, if..."

"I cannot tell you who I am." He quickly interjected.

"That's not what I'm after. Not right now. Now, I'll settle for...a kiss."

The astonished expression on his face was priceless, if worrisome. But I could see it mellow in a moment, and the shy way his eyes kept flickering to mine and away told me what I had just known.

He found me attractive. Oh yeah. With luck, he might even be gay.

Emboldened by the pleasing prospect, I took another step closer.

"So...do we have a deal?"

"...If you give me the information first. Then I will acquiesce."

"How do I know you won't play me false?"

I'm a man of my word." The hidden pride in his voice took me aback. He was no ordinary thief, that, in the very least, was for sure.

"Alright." I studied his fine face for a while, considering my options. At length, I questioned :

"You're not a Streetster...are you?"

He smiled briefly.

Heaven.

"No."

I nodded.

"Very well. My name is Fujima Kenji." I was pleased to see a flicker of recognition in his eyes. "I'm a private eye, the best in Kanagawa, and some say, Japan. I was hired by the Shoyo Society to rescue their heir, kidnapped by the Shohoku Streetsters. But now, the Streetsters have lost him as well. If the heir is dead, his blood is on my head, and the Shoyo Society will have it." I finished gravely.

He took a moment to consider this, then finally nodded.

"I can see that you're telling the truth. I will keep my part of the bargain."

Grinning, I closed the distance between us. Trying to ignore the fact that he was a good 20cm or so taller than I, I gently pulled his head down for a slow, passionate kiss.

Mmmm...delicious.

I must be a good kisser, for when I finally released him, his eyes were glazed over, and he was adorably short of breath.

Just as I was hoping that this would develop into something more, vague whispers traveled through the still night air.

"I thought I heard something..."

"Maybe we should check on Hikoshichi-san..."

Footsteps sounded down the corridor. They were approaching my room.

Damn!

He bit his lip in anxiety - cute! - and leapt for the window.

"Wait!" I cried, reaching out.

He looked back, smiled a gentle smile.

"Do not worry for me, Fujima-san, and we will surely meet again. I'll just tell you one thing now - the Shoyo heir is not yet dead. The plot lies thicker yet."

Not yet dead? That's wonderful! There was hope for my mortality after all! But what did he mean by 'the plot lies thicker yet'...

"I must go!" He whispered, alarmed as the footsteps came closer.

"One last thing! What can I call you?"

He paused, considering, then tossed back a hurried, "Hana. Just call me Hana for now. If fate allows, I'll explain someday."

Hana...

I savoured the feel on the word on my tongue even as he slipped out of sight.

The fools outside my door rapped loudly.

"Hikoshichi-san?"

I walked over to unlock the door, stepping back quickly as they tumbled in.

"Hikoshichi-san, we heard noises...what happened?"

"Ah..." I couldn't help but smile, "I was conversing with a flower."

The puzzled looks on their faces were deeply amusing, and I was pretty sure, as I pushed them out of the room, that they thought I was crazy.

No matter.

I fell asleep dreaming of lilies, and a beautiful ghost.

to be continued...

Coming up next : Chapter Four
Fujima continues his investigation with new cheer...but it isn't as easy as he hoped.

The description of...ah...Hana is technically accurate, if a little lovingly detailed. I would probably never do this in a serious fic, but I just couldn't resist. And it's from Fujima's admittedly prejudiced point of view, anyway. ^.^;;