Monthly Archives: August 2013

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askkudoushinichi:

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He smiled casually, knowing very well that he had caught an inconsistency in Hakuba’s story and as hard as he tried to play it off, it was obvious that the blond detective was just covering his tracks. He knew that Shinichi was suspicious of him and rightly so. Then again, Shinichi was suspicious of almost everyone nowadays.

“I greatly enjoy the Boscombe Valley Mystery. Watson was already married by that time as well,” he rambled on a little. “I particularly enjoy the ending. It was an interesting addition to Sherlock’s profile.”

“So you do know it’s actually The Sign of Four,” he remarked afterward, opening the door for him and fixing him with a hard smile, knowing very well he had caught him. “I’m glad you remember.”

The foreign detective, sufficiently mortified, nodded his thanks and concession as he moved into the cafe with a walk of shame. He knew better than to have tried to trick Kudou Shinichi, his senpai and idol. Once inside and out of the way, he looked back to the other detective and winced, forcing a smile that was nothing if not apologetic.

“Ah, you’re far too clever for me, Kudou-san, as to be expected. I’ll confess that I’m terribly nervous, finally getting to meet you face to face, and desperate for this to go well. Ridiculous, isn’t it?” Hakuba tilted his head at the admission, hopeful. 

“Please pardon my faux pas; I’ll attempt to be more forthright. Ah, you’ve… been to London, right?" 

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For the Love of a Painting || kaitouxjeanne

kaitouxjeanne:

So he had noticed. If the momentary lapse of her attentions bothered him, he hid it well behind his smirk. It seemed someone else besides her was more than well-versed in these games. 

Without a doubt, the detective was far more interesting than the rich boy over there. He was also much more dangerous to her well-being. Any plans laid by him would not be so easy to get around if he was as calculating on the job as he was in social situations. In fact, as she was studying him, Jeanne was sure he was observing her just as closely. 

Just great.

An eyebrow was arched on the blonde’s face in response to Hakuba’s. Turning her head to once again look at the man in question, she sipped her champagne idly and said nonchalantly, “I should think that question would be better suited to him. And I thank you for your kindness, but I already have made his acquaintance.”

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Fingers squeezed the detective’s arm slightly. Their owner had a rather impressive smirk of her own, along with a playful question in her violet eyes that gazed into the detective’s own.

Drawing closer so their bodies brushed just slightly, she asked him with a light laugh in her voice, “Why do you ask? Do you feel not interesting enough for my attentions or do I tire you already?”

Sip on that scotch, detective.

“Oh, no, not at all… I find you quite fascinating and would be pleased to share your company for the rest of the night, were it to work in my favor.” Yes, night, not evening. “But, it is my desire to also be a gentleman, and thus curry to my lady’s favor. If he were more to your taste, who would I be to stand in your way?”

Yes, as if the detective didn’t suspect Jeanne to be on the top of the list of suspects. 

“Though, I would have to warn that I hear that he’s not the most agreeable lover." 

Hakuba smiled oh-so-smugly, pulling the woman closer against him in kind. No, it was far too interesting to keep her close to him, that fact was certain. He just had to find a way to disarm her enough to get her motivations out into the open. 

"Now that we’re on the subject, though, I must ask; what do you look for in your, ah, dancing partners?” 

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Snow (Fanfic)

A few people asked for this, so… here is a little ficlit I wrote for the CK’s Kaito – last year?, which takes place long after our EPIC CONAN FANFIC (aka the Call of the Raven). It involves Hakuba shopping for a Christmas present for Kaito, who he’s been dating for some time now. Also involved is Mitzi, an OC who I created to be Hakuba’s platonic female friend while he’s going to college in England. I love her to death, but honestly Emi is so much better in every way (oops sorry Mitzi). 

It’s ROMANTIC~ 

Snow

The cobblestone streets were littered with people and snow, caking boots and the hems of trousers with mud and mush. Each alleyway seemed pack to the brim, each person on a mission and able to move only through the polite bumps and nods of those around them. Flashes of bright paper stood out among the heavy coats of earth tones, packages wrapped by professional clerks at the various shops of town. The wrapping was far too good to have been done by most of their carriers, but it didn’t seem to matter as each successful purchase enabled buyers to cross off one more thing from their extensive Christmas to-do lists. 

Out and about this late morning was one Saguru Hakuba and one Mitzi Kenwick, who pressed their way through the crowds and into blissfully warmer shops, searching. 
“Oh, oh, look at this one!”
Mitzi’s never-ending excitement never failed to confuse Hakuba, who dragged his gaze away from the newspaper at the register with all reluctance, and followed after. “Which one, what?”
“This one, James! This one.” Mitzi pointed at the glass case at her mitten-covered fingertips and looked back at him with a broad smile. “Look, there’s a clover and everything. You said he liked clubs most, right?”
“Well… sure, I suppose.” He glanced down at the various trinkets behind the thick pane and frowned. 
“What?” Mitzi tilted her head at Hakuba’s disapproving glance. “Oh, come off it. What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s just not quite what I was looking for.”
The girl hefted a sigh – frustrated, but not to the point of giving up. Yet. “Okay, Mr Fancy Pants. We’ve been to thirteen shops today alone and you haven’t even begun to tell me what it is you’re looking for. It’s freezing out!”
“You should have worn a scarf." 
Mitzi rolled her eyes which got a chuckle from the detective, but she didn’t stop to appreciate it, instead rolling away against the counter and onto the next section. "But you’re pretty sure that it’s going to be in a place like this? I can’t tell if you’re looking for jewelry or an heirloom or what.”
Hakuba followed after, gaze shifting over each item of interest as he walked. His hands moved to loose the scarf from around his neck, letting it fall over either shoulder and down the front of his overcoat. It was a Burberry, which was warm and comfortable and one of the few clothing items that his mother had forced upon him since moving back home that he truly loved. He considered giving one to Mitzi for Christmas as she seemed to be lacking in everything scarf, but spending that much money on a lady friend that truly was just a friend seemed a little superfluous. She would likely call him arrogant and wear it as if it were one from any old department store, anyway. 
Life had been so much more simple before Hakuba had to worry about Christmas gifts. Oh, sure he’d always found something to give to his parents and Baaya, but now having friends to shop for, and a lover, especially… It meant a great deal more work for him. Still, it’s not as if he would trade it for anything. The life he had now was wonderful. Absolutely magnificent. And soon, he knew, it would get even better.
He just had to find the right gift. 
The pair of Cambridge students skirted about the shop, but found nothing to Hakuba’s particular taste. To Mitzi’s dismay, this meant going back out into the cold. And cold it was. The breeze picked up, pulling at her skirts and nipping at her ears and the tip of her nose. She stayed close to Hakuba, who walked impassively from the shop and onto the next, hands in his pockets, smile faint on his face behind rosy cheeks and pink ears. 
After the next three shops, the two took a break to get lunch and a spot of tea, and then they were off again. 
“Are you really going to drag me all over London?" 
"If that’s what it takes.”
And so it was to half a dozen other shoppes; jewelry shops, precious stones, antique stores, pawn shops. Hakuba’s own legs were stiff from the cold and exertion when he finally found what he was looking for. He smiled a broad, pleased smile, looking it over once the shop keeper pulled it from its case and gently laid it in the detective’s hands.
“Mitzi, come look at this.” Hakuba turned the object over in his palm, fingertips caressing the gold leafing. He paused when there was no response and looked back to find the girl seated near the entrance, asleep. It struck him as a sort of Norman Rockwell illustration, with the pigeon-toed girl still only while she’s sleeping. He turned back to the shop keeper. “And how much is this piece?”
The shop keeper pulled up his registration notes in a large, fat, binder and located the item in question, sliding the ledger to Hakuba with a gentle smile. “Is it for the lady?” he asked, voice hushed.
“Hm?” Hakuba blinked, then glanced over his shoulder at Mitzi again before laughing at himself. “Oh, no… no, she’s just a dear friend. This is for my boyfriend overseas.”
He looked back at the ledger to reconfirm the price, then paused. The old man stared at him. Anxious, Hakuba set his jaw tight, wondering if perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything.
“Oh.” The old finally said,cracking a wry smile. “That’s lucky, then! I’m certain that it’ll look better on him than her, that’s for sure. I was worried that I was going to have to educate you on lady’s jewelry… but this is a good choice for your needs. Is the price agreeable?”
Relieved, Hakuba nodded with a rare feeling of outward enthusiasm. “Yes, I think that will do just fine. Can you have it boxed for me?”
“I’ll do you one better.”  The man called his assistant over, who hurried to the back room. While waiting for her to get back, he turned the gleaming piece of gold over in his age-worn hands. “We have the original box for this one. I knew the previous owner quite well.”
The detective had known that he was getting a previously owned antique, but he hadn’t expected there to be personal attachment to it. He took the opportunity interim to dig through is pockets and find his wallet. “They must have loved it, with the condition that it’s in. Will cash do?”
“Yes, that’s preferred,” the old man answered the question first, then turned to take the little leather box from the assistant that had returned. He showed it to Hakuba, then placed it on the glass counter top while he prepared the item in question. “Indeed, he did love it. Gift from his wife, you know? Treasured it long after she passed away, never took it off. Dedication, that. If you’re hoping for an engagement…”
“Shh,” Hakuba held up a hand. “None of our friends know quite yet.”
“Oh, are you hoping for Christmas, then?”
Hakuba couldn’t help the faint blush on his cheeks that stirred, coloring his pale English face. “That’s… the current plan, yes.”
The man chuckled. “Make sure that you’re certain. If you give a gift like this, the rule is that they get to keep it even if you break it off.”
“Not to worry,” Hakuba said, shaking his head. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”
“I’m pleased to hear it.” The old man carefully pulled the band from the cloth he’d used to wipe it down, then slipped it into the fitted box. He closed it with a snap and then handed it to his assistant for wrapping, turning back to the detective to manage the transaction. 
Hakuba paid the man, idly watching as the box was wrapped in thick, brown paper first, then a layer of modern charcoal wrappings; slick and shiny. A ribbon was added, and then placed inside of a bag bearing the shop’s name. The old man retrieved certifications and statements from the ledger, added them to the bag, and passed it over the counter.
“Happy Christmas and a preemptive congratulations, young man.”
Blushing further still, Hakuba caught himself mid-bow and offered a nod in gratitude. “Happy Christmas,” he said in return, then retreated to Mitzi’s side. He crouched down and shook her shoulder gently, then a little harder until she responded, looking up at him with a groggy, only half-there expression, glasses hanging crookedly from her nose.
“Huhwha? Oh I’m stiiiiiff… James, what are we doing? Can we give up for the day?”
“I think so." 
"Wait, did you actually- Whaaat?! And I missed it?! What is it?!”
“I’m not telling.”
“That’s not fair.” Mitzi got to her feet and leaned on Hakuba for support, who likewise straightened up and got his coat rebuttoned in preparation for heading back outside.  
“If I tell you, then you’ll ask more questions and I won’t be able to keep it to myself.”
Mitzi raised a coy brow at this, elbowing Hakuba roughly in the side. “Oh, come off it! If you’re going to hint like that I’m just going to figure it out!”
Hakuba rolled his eyes and held the door to the cold outside for her, glancing at the shop keeper and his assistant, who grinned in amusement back at him. To Mitzi, he replied, “It’s fine if you figure it out, just don’t talk about it to anyone… especially me.”
Mitzi waited until the door had closed and Hakuba was at her side again before she gave an exaggerated sigh. “Fine, fine… When is Kaito getting here again, anyway?”
“Two days from now.”
“And he’ll be staying for all of Christmas?”
“Mm-hmm.”
She giggled. “Will you have an announcement to make by the ball, then?”
“I suppose we shall have to see.”
Grabbing his arm, Mitzi pulled Hakuba away from the shop and back onto the busy sidewalk, which glowed under the neon lights of the various business signs and the lanterns from the street. “All right, all right. Shall we stop by a pub before home, then?”
Hakuba looked down at her, raising a brow before he let himself smile. “I think that sounds like a brilliant idea. Stonebridge?”
“Stonebridge!" 
He tucked Kaito’s present deep into the safest pocket of his overcoat, nestling it against his side so that he could feel it as they walked. Each step reminded him that, soon, life would change again. 
And for once, he was not only ready, but excited.