“You can return something to me on White Day. It’s more appropriate for me, no?” He grinned and stood on the ledge so the wind could catch his cape and billow the white sail cloth around him.
AHAH! Perfect. “White day! Yes. I’ll make certain to do so, Kaitou-san. I trust you know where- … wait, but it’s not Valentine’s Day, so I can’t give something to you on White Day… unless… this is for Valentine’s Day, but you just said…"
Hakuba sighed.
"I’ll just give something to you on both days, then.”
While being armed was not uncommon for the detective these days, it was incredibly unlikely for him to actually pull the gun out at any time. Just as his parents, Hakuba was a pacifist to a fault, but everyone, he supposed, had their limits.
His happened to be assassins with which he had a personal grudge against.
Even then, the weapon was meant to be more of an intimidating tactic than anything. Hakuba wanted Spider to know that he was serious, and that he was more than capable of transcending the apparent typical high school detective convention where necessary. And, now that it was after a heist, and he’d tracked Spider to a place he imagined the assassin thought was safe, it was time to show that he meant business, coming up behind him to press the barrel of the gun against Spider’s back.
“I can be cruel if I have to,” he whispered, smirk tugging at his lips.
He would be Spider’s Sherlock yet.
“I demand that you stop these wild accusations at once! My agent will have a melt down if he finds out that people have been calling me, Hakuba Saguru, a nerd!”
“Initially, I was interested in giving you the information, Hakuba. The problem is that I haven’t fed enough, so a human being nearby is like a starving dog spotting a steak.” He walked over and grabbed a cloth, licking the blood off of his free hand.
“As for the mythos, I’m unsure.” He dug around in a cupboard and grabbed a small bottle of iodine and some bandages. After setting them down in front of Hakuba, he sat down across from him. “I don’t remember much of what happened when I was turned. Guy drained me until I was unconscious. But, given how there hasn’t been a rash of mysterious deaths involving victims with puncture marks in the area, I’m presuming not. Perhaps I’m wrong.”
Hakuba set the teacup aside and reached over for the bottle of iodine. Grimacing, he began to clean the wound with a hiss through his teeth. “God, that stings! Was there bruising for you? Could I get some ice? My clients are likely to ask questions… God, how inconvenient…"
He sighed, wincing as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Woah, right, blood loss. The detective closed his eyes in an attempt to force some amount of concentration, fingers working the bandage with practiced movements.
”…Forgive me for asking again; I must admit that I’m a little muddled, but… do you believe that I’ll be turning, too? And do you have venom? Are you able to transform into a bat? If so, what species? I’ll be highly disappointed if it’s Desmodus rotundus; that would be so terribly common.“
The chuckle that followed his excellent joke ended with a short exhale, pressure from applying the bandage bringing a new spike in pain.
Wait, what? “…I thought you were aware of Kudou’s diminutive condition. Regardless, I do know Kudou, though I only first met him after he ended up going by the pseudonym ‘Conan.’ And I’ve met Yukiko. She comes over on occasion and stays here because she wishes to see old friends.” He filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove.
“Anyway, I keep up the property and watch over the area, as the Kudous are aware of the ‘crows’ and their threat. And the crows do have an official name. The Black Organization.
"The Black Organization is an organized crime ring that is much more dangerous and far reaching than what the phrase ‘organized crime ring’ entails. The higher ranking members are each named after alcoholic drinks.” He smirked slightly. “My codename was Rye. There are several people who infiltrated their ranks. I was one, along with another that I know of.
"You must understand this, as I have a rifle, a pistol, ammunition, and grenades that I keep here. As this identity, under my current pseudonym, I cannot pass a background check. My cover was blown not too long ago. Afterward, to maintain the other person’s cover, I had to feign my death at their hands.” Subaru took the kettle off the stove and poured a mug of water from it. He added tea leaves and stirred it about. “Anything in your tea?”
“Two sugars, please. Milk, too, if it’s Earl Grey… just sugar if not."
The answer was automatic, and fortunately so, as Hakuba needed to buy himself some time to deal with the new information that was just given to him. Subaru Okiya had been a double agent in the Black Organization, which was the same criminal ring that Kaito had mentioned? The crows are the Black Organization. Dangerous. Alcoholic code names. Hm.
The detective tucked this information away as he worked through Okiya’s words again, and then a fourth time. Living under cover, presumed dead, weapons in the household. So much to take in, to profile and organize. Where to start? Hakuba pursed his lips, considering.
"Convenient to make the Kudou home your watch post, then… ah, it’s…really impressive, isn’t it?”
“That is still not wise, to tell that person this sort of information…”
“Are you saying that I should become an international man of mystery and never reveal any of my sexy, sexy secrets to anyone?”
“Because, really, everyone should see this car of mine.”
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Yes, I see that he’s wearing a tie, but when I see Amuro-san, the first thing I think of is tennis shorts! I’m so sorry, Amuro-san. I love playing with you on the weekends. And not just because of your very, very fine legs.
…..
Nobody asked for your sass, Gurururururu.
“Hey, now, only one person gets to call me ‘Guru’ and you are not them. Even though I would… probably allow you to, if you asked nicely and pressured me into it."
”…Anyway, I’m not going to ‘tap’ anything until I know what’s going on. As it turns out, each Kaitou Kid is very different from each other – yet also remarkably similar. They all have the same basic goals and personalities fresh out of the box, perhaps… but they’ve all had their own individualized character development, as well… not to mention mutliverse headcanons, variations in source material and interpretation, mun preferences…“
"Which all boils down to it being my responsibility as (one of) the only Hakubas to chase down and befriend each one of them! Utilizing my superior detective and people skills, I’m determined to get to know all of the Kaitous that come my way so that I can fulfill their every Hakuba need. Some aren’t interested in relationships at all – friend or otherwise. Others just like the chase. It’s possible that some will want something casual, or to use me as so many others have in the past. Perhaps, eventually, one of them will genuinely fall for me. It’s a mixed bag; you never know what will happen! But that doesn’t stop me from trying. Each one is an individual and must be treated with respect and care, to get to know their own, unique interests and preferences over time…”
“I just hope that they all (eventually) believe that I am there for them in whatever capacity that they need. I’ve come to understand Kaitou Kid much better in my months of near-stalker levels of observations, database entries, researching, analyzing… and I want to protect and help them, to… let them know that I get it. The loneliness, the sleepless nights, all of the work that they put into heists when they should really be living their lives… If something matters to them that much, enough that they’re willing to risk their lives (mortality, physically, emotionally, socially) for it… who am I to stand in their way?”
“After all, it’s not as though life is really black and white. Contrary to what most people think of me, I am a dedicated student in the philosophy of Humanism. It is much more important to me to discover the reasons why a person does such and such a thing… motivations and intent must certainly play a factor in any sort of judgment. It’s why I’m always sure to talk to the culprit throughout the investigation – so that I can understand what would drive a person to commit such a crime. Often, they were only attempting to fulfill a need that they did not think they otherwise could without resorting to desperation. Unfortunate, that, as much heartache would be spared if only a little more understanding were given before such desperation were reached…"
"But I’ll be going into that more in-depth when I finally answer your question about the great Sherlock Holmes, Emi-kun.”
“In the end, it all boils down to a very large responsibility. Managing a harem of Kaitou Kids is hard work, but it’s a job that I’m very well-suited for. After all, I’m one hell of a detective.”
“Only Hattori-san has tried to fluster me… I wonder if this is a sign…?”
Please refer to this entry for the usual methods…
When those fail, I like to:
Settle down with a good book
Go for a long drive
Prowl around charity/benefit functions for… company
Strictly for polite conversation, of course.
Polite, relaxing conversation, indeed.
