But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?
– Mark Twain
This is honestly my favorite quote. It’s changed how I look at life and religion.
(via the-bitchextraordinaire)
He blanked and went very still. Then he laughed weakly at himself. OH Gods what was he going to say? He fell for Sherlock? At least the food came at the right moment and saved him the YEARS of embarrassment.
He again bow his head and gave thanks for the food. Sending a side glance towards Hakuba he notice that the other was distracted by something under the table. He leaned over and angled so he could try to see what exactly it was.
If Hakuba was an expert at anything, it was hiding his phone while he researched something. What he found had him pause, though, eyes getting wide for a moment as he looked from the phone to the wine bottle again, then to Kaito, then back to his phone, then the bottle again, then his phone as he hurriedly back into his pocket. Oh.
“…so, I didn’t ask you,” he said, voice tense as he straightened up in his seat, reaching for his water glass again, gaze shifting from what he was doing to the rest of the food as it materialized. The servants were quickly gone away again. “This wine that you’ve brought… private collection from home, or something from the Blue Parrot?”
Another sensitive topic, but this he addressed with a small, sweet smile at the end, looking to face him directly. “I used to frequent,” he added quietly for context.
“Adler? ” He was a little disjointed. He looked at Hakuba and heard him speak of Lupin. He chuckled. “To be honest I haven’t read Lupin. We, the current Lupin and I, don’t exactly get along.”
He smiled and the edges were slightly cruel. “As for Adler …. I didn’t fall for her … it was -“
Surprise and curiosity had Hakuba’s attention firmly fixed on Kaito once more, and he nodded as he spoke, taking in every word with several degrees of calculation. Alas, the servants arrived just at that thought, bringing in the start of the main course.
It was painful to tear his thoughts away, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by the flurry of movement and the situational upheaval. "Ah, hold that thought,“ he said to his companion, reluctantly turning his attention to the staff to nod and offer his thanks to them.
So far, so good. Roast. Potatoes. Vegetables. Soon the wine joined the table with appropriate glasses, and Hakuba found himself side-eyeing the label again. So familiar… but where…?
Attempting to be as discrete as possible, the detective slipped his phone out of his pocket and under the table, typing in the name while feigning a smile. "I suppose dinner is served… a little earlier than planned, but…"
The letter came as a pleasant surprise for him. He reread the letter and slipped it back into the envelope. He reached for his coffee and watched the morning start. It had been such along time since he had heard from the other detective. His hand writing had change slightly. The laptop by his side was already open with a blank email opened waiting for him to respond.
He stared at the screen and the blinking icon for a moment before hesitating his hands over the key board.
Hakuba S.J.,
I understand.
Tell me when and where you want to meet. I have admit I am curious to hear about your Moriarty, Congrats on his defeat.
Kudo Shinichi
He paused reread the email then hit send. Now there was nothing to do but wait. He remembered Hakuba Saguru from his days as Conan but that was seven years ago. He stood and walked towards the window. The soft light of the morning sun played with the trees and flowers in the front yard. He, for a moment, felt peace.
To say that Hakuba was surprised to receive a response from Kudou – and so quickly – was an understatement. It was via email, not hand-written, which was a shame but within the allowable protocol as had been specified in his original correspondence. He wondered if it held any further meaning than that, but… no, Kudou Shinichi was practical. Honest. It was speed and convenience that had guided his hand, not some silly veiled meaning. That was for him to do.
The once famous detective reread the email and stifled a yawn. It would be over-eager to respond right away, but then if he did, and caught Kudou still at his console, perhaps they could begin an open dialog and…
A whine interrupted his thoughts, and Hakuba glanced down at the dog curled at his feet, tail sleepily thumping against the ground. He looked at the time and frowned. So late… so late, and if he got started now…
With a heavy sigh, Hakuba very slowly, very carefully picked himself up from his chair, leaning against the desk to close his own laptop before shuffling with a heavy limp and grimace to his bed. He would reply later, when it was closer.
…seventy-one hours later.
Kudou Shinichi-
I will be arriving on Thursday at 12:43:00 at Tokyo International. Would you be available this weekend for tea? Any location is agreeable with me, though I must confess my fears that any proposed meeting spot on my end may no longer exist in this world. If you have any suggestions, I would be more than glad to hear them, and as always, my father’s estate is open to you.
Thank you for your quick response.
Sincerely,
Hakuba S. J.
The email from Kudou had been the only silver lining in the sea of dismal despair on which Hakuba found himself lost in for the past… well, as long as he could really remember in recent history. Impressive how such a simple thing could be so significant.
“Actually is wasn’t Adler….” He grumble softly to himself. Remind him of who? He was getting a little lost. The Bosocombe Valley Mystery …. that was the only story he had only read once and for obvious reasons. After Nightmare everything was too hard to read. He fell unnaturally silent. His emotions went dark as his mind ventured to past memories.
The words reached him, but it was his observations that really caught him. Smile twitching at the corner of his mouth, Hakuba sat back in his chair and looked down at the untouched soup in front of him. Right. He’d hoped that bringing up Boscombe would thrill the thief, but…
“That’s a shame. She’s a wonderful character. Quite interesting that she was introduced so early on in the series…” Hakuba let his voice trail off as he picked up his spoon to stir the soup, half wondering if he would end up doing anything more than taste it – which he did then. A fine representation, to be certain, but… “So, ah, you’ve read Holmes. I can honestly say that I’m a little surprised. I thought I might get a lecture about the superior virtues of Arsene Lupin…”
He picked up his water and took a long drink. This was beyond embarrassing.
“The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle is on the list as for my all time favorite … is ..Ascanfelofbohenam” He muttered the last bit too quickly and felt his hands tremble slightly.
There was a brief pause before Hakuba raised a brow, head tilting with the slyest of smirks. “Oh ho ho,” he said, voice almost purring in amusement. “A Scandal in Bohemia, very good choice, Kuroba-kun. Don’t tell me that you’ve fallen for the seductive charm of Irene Adler, too~?"
He clicked his tongue in a teasing tsk tsk tsk, winking in his direction. "My, oh my. You know, she always did remind me of…” It was there that his train of thought derailed and Hakuba hesitated half a beat before continuing as if he hadn’t started the previous sentence.
“It’s The Boscombe Valley Mystery for me. God, it’s such a perfect illustration of the human condition and the ethical shades of grey in detective work…”
Kaito pause completely and looked up at him slowly. He was trying to back track to when exactly he had told Hakuba he had read the series. He remembered the little book locked away in his makeshift library and felt his ears grow hot.
“What …. um, A Study in Scarlet and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” He answered reluctantly. Now he felt his whole face burn in embarrassment.
“The bread and soup is amazing.” He coughed and tried to levitate some of the pressure building in his chest.
Hakuba blinked, completely missing the comment about the food, leaning forward with sudden and total interest. “Ah-HAH!” he exclaimed, only barely able to keep himself from standing at once in his excitement. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is my absolute favorite, yes! Good! God yes! Not that A Study in Scarlet is not brilliant in its own right, but – oh, oh, please, do tell, pray tell, which is your favorite in The Adventures Of?"
Bright, sparkling eyes accompanied the question as the detective waited with baited breath for his guest’s response. Really, nothing else could be so important than that very singular moment – the moment of absolute truth!
When Hakuba looked at the pair of plane tickets in his hands, he felt a certain sense of dread. They were meant to be a gift, a fresh start, and something to get his mind off of the recent verdict of his suspension. But all that they did was drive his failure home. While he’d completed his nine year-long quest, he’d destroyed everything else that he’d built in the process. The fact that his father was extending an offer of help was more than enough evidence of that.
It’d been almost seven years since he’d left Japan for what he’d hoped would be a permanent change. Once he’d graduated from Ekoda High School, it was straight to Oxford with only one or two minor distractions by way of kidnapping and torture, graduated with a four year degree in criminal science with a minor in english (emphasis in journalism), applied for and granted full British citizenship, and been welcomed into Scotland Yard with open, greedy arms. Nearly everything had gone according to plan, just as had been designated oh so many years ago… with a few niggling changes in the details.
…something about a the famous international Hakuba Saguru being forced into early retirement at twenty-four years old, hospitalized for nearly a year due to a broken back. The papers failed to mention the circumstances of the incident, of course, but it was just as well given that his heroism came with the sordid details of deliberate disobedience, drug addiction, and (court ruled ‘justifiable’) homicide.
Still, the fact of the matter was that Hakuba was in desperate need for a change in scene, and as much as he would have loved to run to Paris or Rio, neither could offer the familial support that he needed. Not that his father, the still-presiding Superintendent General, really could, but the wealth of onsens and homeopathic remedies available seemed promising.
Depressing, but promising.
But… there was one small glimmer of hope. And that was in the form of his once idol and colleague, Kudou Shinichi. They’d never had the chance to really connect while he was in Japan before, mostly due to the other’s sudden disappearance, but if he were returning, perhaps…
Well, it was worth a shot, anyway. It wasn’t as if Hakuba expected this letter to result in anything different. Previous correspondence had been ignored, and despite his best efforts to investigate Kudou’s whereabouts, he had never found any sort of useful resolution. No closure.
He drafted the letter in four attempts and posted it via Royal Mail, international, overnight. Just in case. Enclosed was nothing but a single sheet of paper with scribbled blue characters– the shaky handwriting of a once steady hand.
DearestMy fiGreetinKudou Shinichi,
I hope that this letter finds you well. I know that it has been quite some time since we last spoke, but
Ihope that thiI do hope that this will reach you. It seems that I will be returning to Japan to visit forsix monthsanindepindetermundeterminedunspecified period of time, but if agreeable, would very much appreciate the chance to meet with you.There are many things that I would like to discuss with you, not the least of which being the
deathdefeat of my so-called Moriarty and youropinethical opinion of such.Please respond
if willing– Ivia post, email, or phone at the information listed below.Sincerely yours,
Hakuba S. J.
It would have to do.
Japan, for Hakuba, teemed with loose ends. It was possible, however, that there was no better time than the present to fix that.
The question about college made him pause and remember that Hakuba was still going to return to England at some point. He swallow a soaked piece of bread and glanced away briefly angered and hurt. He turned back to him.
“I haven’t no. Its kind of hard to think about a college when you may not have a future. No?”
“Ah. Yes. Quite.”
Perfect. Offend your guest during the first course; always the mark of a successful dinner party. Hakuba leaned back in his seat, whatever small amount of appetite that he’d had suddenly gone completely. Nevertheless, he continued to tear the piece apart into even smaller pieces, letting it gradually disintegrate in his hands over the soup bowl.
He needed another topic. Something light and pleasant. “Do you have a favorite Sherlock Holmes story, Kuroba-kun?"
Perfect.
Kaito glance up at the staff then to the food and before he could say thank you they were back through the door. He bowed his head, gave thanks for the meal and barely restrained himself from tearing into the bread to quickly. Gods he was hungry.
Although Hakuba was glad to see the healthy appetite and, he hoped, subsequent appreciation of the provided food, he was taken aback by the brief pause the other had taken, first. Kuroba wasn’t actually praying, was he? The detective tilted his head, almost forgetting his own silent prayer in the process, and mumbled a quiet ’itadakimasu’ before taking a piece of bread for himself.
“Have…” he began to speak, tearing off a tiny portion of the bread in his hands, stomach tightening with anxiety as he considered his question. “…ah, have you decided which university or college that you’re to attend, yet?”