Post by Cesela on Jan 22, 2017 21:01:29 GMT
Prompt: Hakuba, Kaito, and Shinichi work together to solve a problem. (You can bring in the other two Geniuses or Sera too, if you'd like. And the "problem" can be as serious or inane as you see fit.)
I rushed a little through this, seeing as I've been sick unfortunately.
Unbeated, but special thanks to Zaki for being my motivation and my muse. And for coming up with a suitable title, you war-history nut.
Title: Operation Gunnerside
...
The thick drift of snow obscured the view as he made his trek down the street. His footsteps was visible only for a few minutes after, before the ever-falling snow filled the indentions. Hakuba Saguru lifted up the collar of his jacket to keep the icy wind at bay, but it served no protection from the cold biting his nose.
The winter evening was silent but for the passing of vehicles every few minutes, and Saguru regretted telling Baya to drop him off at the end of the street lest he attracted unwanted attention. He lamented his decision now as the wind and snow howled around him. It threatened to stumble his step as he made his way down the thick layer of slush.
Finally reaching his destination, Saguru made to turn into the in garden surrounding an inconspicuous and ordinary house. Looming over the property stood the two-stored building, looking no larger than to be able to house a family of three. However, the detective knew from previous experiences that the structure housed more than what first met the eye.
A movement in the corner of his eyes made Saguru snap his head to the house to his immediate right, and his shoulders tensed in warning. Nothing was of the ordinary , except for the miniscule ruffling of the curtains on the second floor. It could be nothing, the detective told himself, perhaps a house-pet brushing against the texture or a puff of air from the heather, however he had the distinct feeling someone had been observing him.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he swallowed thickly to keep the dread in check. Butterflies were fluttering in his stomach with nerves – if he was caught sneaking in it could mean disaster. He only let himself settle on the nervous feeling for a few moments, before shaking it away and continue forwards. The longer he loitered, the larger the chance of detection became.
Saguru let himself into the house – the door had not been locked – and he pursed his lips in displeasure. Whether or not he had been expected, the door should have been bolted regardless. He quickly removed his jacket, happy to dislodge himself from the wet appendage, and the warmth immediately chaste away the cold that had settled into his bones from his short trek. His shoes followed a moment later and he stepped into the sandals already prepared and ready for him.
The detective did not have to search the house in order to locate the inhabitants, as he could already hear voices drifting from the kitchen. The house was modestly furnished with expensive décor. The walls were filled with family pictures, but the newest frame was at least 5 years old. Saguru did not let his eyes rest on the interior decoration as he made his way to the kitchen.
“What about the roof? I could enter from the roof,” Kuroba Kaito’s voice met Saguru as he approached the kitchen, and the detective came to a stop in the archway as he gazed into the room to assess the situation with a careful expression.
Kuroba, already clad in a white attire – and it looked as though someone had tried to brush his hair with a wet comb before giving up as indicated by the unruly mop of hair – had his back to Saguru and he stood over a large map filling the kitchen table. Although the half-brit could not spot the engravings on the parchment from his current locale, he did not have to guess to know it depicted the plan buildings and the surrounding area of their target. By the window, keeping an eye towards the snowstorm outside, stood Kudou Shinichi with a cup of still steaming coffee clutched in his hands.
“That wouldn’t work,” Saguru finally voiced his presence as he stepped fully into the room, and he felt a slight pleasure tingling in his chest as the magician tensed a moment in surprise before turning around to face the newcomer with a frown etched between his brows – he had clearly not heard the detective’s arrival. “They would be expecting that point of entry and have an ambush in store.”
Kuroba did not look happy, but he nodded in concede at the wisdom of Saguru’s words. From where he had been facing the window, Kudou turned around to face them with a thoughtful expression.
“That’s precisely why it’s the best course of action. If their attention is drawn to Kuroba, we can make our entry elsewhere without notice,” Kudou stopped talking for a moment, before stepping forwards towards the parchment covering the table and stabbed a finger on the paper. “They would be expecting that course of action also. If we pretend Kuroba is the main-source of distraction, but blunder through invading from the backdoor, they will never expect us to wander in from the front entrance. Their forces will be too thinned out focusing on the distractions.”
Kuroba tilted his head as he followed Kudou’s plans with an intense expression – not once did he blink an eye at being used as bait. “So the plan is to split up? What about casualties if one group end up being surrounded by the enemy?”
For a moment, Kudou’s lips quirked downwards in displeasure, it was clear the thought had crossed his mind but he had inevitable decided it was the best course of action. “Then we’ll lose soldiers. It’s the end result that matters. We can’t afford to lose this battle,” the resolve in the detective’s voice though hard as steel, was also soft with sorrow at the thought of the possibility of losing a comrade.
Saguru had no objections: it was a sound plan.
Kuroba gave court nod, the bangs shaking slightly as he did. “Then there’s only one issue left.”
“What issue?” Saguru asked and stepped forward to let his eyes wander over the plans. Had the magician noticed something in the plans that he had not? Considering Kuroba was a thief and used to thinking in different angles when infiltrate a building, it was a large possibility that he had seen something the detectives had overlooked.
“I have to take a leak,” he continued with a serious expression, however Saguru had observed the magician enough times to know he was seconds away from sprouting into a taunting grin.
Saguru wasn’t amused, and parted his lips to chid Kuroba for not taking the situation serious, when Kudou spoke. He did not look up as he did, his eyes glued to the parchment in front of him.
“Thank you for pointing out the problem, Kuroba. I expect you to handle the security issue before the mission.”
Rather than looking disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm or outraged proclaim from Saguru – for the detective was sure Kuroba had said it only in order to rile him up – instead, he looked amused and just a tiny bit pleased as he leaned over Kudou’s shoulder.
“What if I stumble over a problem and need back-up?”
Once again, Kudou did not bat an eye as the response came immediately. “We already agreed we could afford to lose people.”
…
The snow had still not let up and the wind howled around Saguru as he made his trek through the dark. The only light came from the second floor’s window, and from a lamp from the street that barely glinted through the large oak trees shielding the property from curious glances from the road.
In the end, Saguru had volunteered to be the second decoy entering from the backdoor once Kuroba made a fuzz on the roof. He had found a hiding spot that gave a good viewpoint to the yard while he waited for the signal. Although the snowstorm obscured most of his vision and made it difficult to scout the area, it also decreased the possibility of being detected – all he required was to stay hidden until stage 2 was ready to be implemented.
He wrapped his scarf around his shoulder tightly. Hopefully it would not be too long till – or he could risk frostbite.
It happened too quickly for him to register the movement – there had been no sound over the wind, before he could inhale a puff of cold air, something hard exploded into his back. The force of the blow sent him spiralling into the snow head first. He gulped down a pocket of snow as he gasped for air, the icy crystals biting into every inch of unprotected skin. Pain tingled through him, and his back ached – he would definitely feel that tomorrow.
Saguru twisted in the snow, and as his lungs contracted he barely managed to call out: “I’m hit,” lest he was shot again. He got no reply, and he used the seconds of silence to rise to a seated position. He unwrapped the scarf and started to shake the snow from the fabric. With a grimace, he could already feel the melting snow slink in under his clothing.
“We figured –“ spoke a voice, and Saguru looked up to see a shadow quickly approaching – his heart jumped slightly at the sight. “That you would use Kuroba-kun as a distraction. It would be such an obvious ruse, that you’d have to utilize two distractions – I assume you sent Shinichi-kun through the front entrance.”
The shadows parted to reveal the familiar figurine of Sera Masumi. She was clad in a light-grey attire for better concealment in the storm, a large scarf was wrapped around her shoulders – however Saguru could tell she was grinning from the way her olive-coloured eyes shone with victory and gleefulness even from this distance.
“You have left your Headquarters wide-open opting on a full-front attack. That’s why you are going to lose –“ Sera’s confident speech was cut of short when she suddenly stumbled. It was only for a second, but a soft swear word in English escaped her lips before she lifted her hands up. “Hit.”
Once again, Saguru’s heart jumped in surprise at the sudden turn around and he rose to his feet on shaking limbs just as he heard Kudou’s voice call from the dark: “Everything alright, Hakuba?”
“I’m down,” he replied, “continue on the mission as planned.” There came no answer from his fellow teammate, and he did not expect one either.
Sera turned to face Saguru again with a puzzled expression. “You anticipated us seeing through your plans?” She did not let him confirm nor deny the accusation, before she flopped down next to him in the snow with a mirthful laughter. “This entire thing is crazy. I guess it’s up to Aoko-chan and Kudou-kun to finish the game then – unless Ran-chan managed to beat Kuroba-kun on the roof already.”
Saguru looked down at her with a frown, not understanding why she sat down in the snow voluntarily, however he decided against commenting at the peaceful expression on the female detective’s features as she grinned up at him. “Sending Aoko-kun into Kuroba’s house is a sound strategy, she is after all more familiar with the layout of the building.”
With a shake of her hair, Sera scooped up a handful of snow. “I must admit, I have never played a game like this before. I’ve never had such good friends before coming here,” her features turned softer as she spoke, and she glanced up at the British detective through her eyelashes and a flush adorning her cheeks.
Saguru’s heart fluttered in his chest at the sight, and he lowered his eyes. He forgot often that Sera and he were outsiders – both being raised in different countries. He agreed with her full-heartedly, although he had originally come to Japan to catch the infamous phantom thief Kaitou KID, he had instead found friends who accepted him for who he was and could keep up to him intellectually.
He had joined many an activity he would never have thought about doing in his life – help take down not one, but two crime syndicates, deciding not to pursue a thief, and now, playing a catch the flag and snowball fight game. The rules were simple, if hit by a snowball you were out of the game, and the goal was to infiltrate the other teams’ headquarters and find the flag hidden within. Whoever found it first, won.
“Neither have I,” Saguru responded after a few moments of silence, and they shared a soft expression. Something which was ruined a moment later as a shuffle of snow suddenly rained down on them from above. Looking up with a frown, he saw Kuroba standing on the roof of the house with a grin as he howled down.
“We got the flag, get inside you turtledoves,” he then disappeared from the edge.
Standing up, Sera shook herself like a dog to get rid of the excess snow, and Saguru could not help finding the imagery slightly charming as his chest warmed up. “Congrats with winning this round,” she said with a soft smile, before reaching up and ruffling the snow from his hair. Before he could react, she was already gone.
Saguru could not keep down a blush at the still phantom warmth of her fingertips on his scalp. He would no doubt be teased by Kuroba for being shot, however he did not find himself to mind as he went back into the warmth and company of a group of people he was honoured to call friends. The dice had been cast for the evening: today it was the women’s turn to pay for the pizza.
I rushed a little through this, seeing as I've been sick unfortunately.
Unbeated, but special thanks to Zaki for being my motivation and my muse. And for coming up with a suitable title, you war-history nut.
Title: Operation Gunnerside
...
The thick drift of snow obscured the view as he made his trek down the street. His footsteps was visible only for a few minutes after, before the ever-falling snow filled the indentions. Hakuba Saguru lifted up the collar of his jacket to keep the icy wind at bay, but it served no protection from the cold biting his nose.
The winter evening was silent but for the passing of vehicles every few minutes, and Saguru regretted telling Baya to drop him off at the end of the street lest he attracted unwanted attention. He lamented his decision now as the wind and snow howled around him. It threatened to stumble his step as he made his way down the thick layer of slush.
Finally reaching his destination, Saguru made to turn into the in garden surrounding an inconspicuous and ordinary house. Looming over the property stood the two-stored building, looking no larger than to be able to house a family of three. However, the detective knew from previous experiences that the structure housed more than what first met the eye.
A movement in the corner of his eyes made Saguru snap his head to the house to his immediate right, and his shoulders tensed in warning. Nothing was of the ordinary , except for the miniscule ruffling of the curtains on the second floor. It could be nothing, the detective told himself, perhaps a house-pet brushing against the texture or a puff of air from the heather, however he had the distinct feeling someone had been observing him.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he swallowed thickly to keep the dread in check. Butterflies were fluttering in his stomach with nerves – if he was caught sneaking in it could mean disaster. He only let himself settle on the nervous feeling for a few moments, before shaking it away and continue forwards. The longer he loitered, the larger the chance of detection became.
Saguru let himself into the house – the door had not been locked – and he pursed his lips in displeasure. Whether or not he had been expected, the door should have been bolted regardless. He quickly removed his jacket, happy to dislodge himself from the wet appendage, and the warmth immediately chaste away the cold that had settled into his bones from his short trek. His shoes followed a moment later and he stepped into the sandals already prepared and ready for him.
The detective did not have to search the house in order to locate the inhabitants, as he could already hear voices drifting from the kitchen. The house was modestly furnished with expensive décor. The walls were filled with family pictures, but the newest frame was at least 5 years old. Saguru did not let his eyes rest on the interior decoration as he made his way to the kitchen.
“What about the roof? I could enter from the roof,” Kuroba Kaito’s voice met Saguru as he approached the kitchen, and the detective came to a stop in the archway as he gazed into the room to assess the situation with a careful expression.
Kuroba, already clad in a white attire – and it looked as though someone had tried to brush his hair with a wet comb before giving up as indicated by the unruly mop of hair – had his back to Saguru and he stood over a large map filling the kitchen table. Although the half-brit could not spot the engravings on the parchment from his current locale, he did not have to guess to know it depicted the plan buildings and the surrounding area of their target. By the window, keeping an eye towards the snowstorm outside, stood Kudou Shinichi with a cup of still steaming coffee clutched in his hands.
“That wouldn’t work,” Saguru finally voiced his presence as he stepped fully into the room, and he felt a slight pleasure tingling in his chest as the magician tensed a moment in surprise before turning around to face the newcomer with a frown etched between his brows – he had clearly not heard the detective’s arrival. “They would be expecting that point of entry and have an ambush in store.”
Kuroba did not look happy, but he nodded in concede at the wisdom of Saguru’s words. From where he had been facing the window, Kudou turned around to face them with a thoughtful expression.
“That’s precisely why it’s the best course of action. If their attention is drawn to Kuroba, we can make our entry elsewhere without notice,” Kudou stopped talking for a moment, before stepping forwards towards the parchment covering the table and stabbed a finger on the paper. “They would be expecting that course of action also. If we pretend Kuroba is the main-source of distraction, but blunder through invading from the backdoor, they will never expect us to wander in from the front entrance. Their forces will be too thinned out focusing on the distractions.”
Kuroba tilted his head as he followed Kudou’s plans with an intense expression – not once did he blink an eye at being used as bait. “So the plan is to split up? What about casualties if one group end up being surrounded by the enemy?”
For a moment, Kudou’s lips quirked downwards in displeasure, it was clear the thought had crossed his mind but he had inevitable decided it was the best course of action. “Then we’ll lose soldiers. It’s the end result that matters. We can’t afford to lose this battle,” the resolve in the detective’s voice though hard as steel, was also soft with sorrow at the thought of the possibility of losing a comrade.
Saguru had no objections: it was a sound plan.
Kuroba gave court nod, the bangs shaking slightly as he did. “Then there’s only one issue left.”
“What issue?” Saguru asked and stepped forward to let his eyes wander over the plans. Had the magician noticed something in the plans that he had not? Considering Kuroba was a thief and used to thinking in different angles when infiltrate a building, it was a large possibility that he had seen something the detectives had overlooked.
“I have to take a leak,” he continued with a serious expression, however Saguru had observed the magician enough times to know he was seconds away from sprouting into a taunting grin.
Saguru wasn’t amused, and parted his lips to chid Kuroba for not taking the situation serious, when Kudou spoke. He did not look up as he did, his eyes glued to the parchment in front of him.
“Thank you for pointing out the problem, Kuroba. I expect you to handle the security issue before the mission.”
Rather than looking disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm or outraged proclaim from Saguru – for the detective was sure Kuroba had said it only in order to rile him up – instead, he looked amused and just a tiny bit pleased as he leaned over Kudou’s shoulder.
“What if I stumble over a problem and need back-up?”
Once again, Kudou did not bat an eye as the response came immediately. “We already agreed we could afford to lose people.”
…
The snow had still not let up and the wind howled around Saguru as he made his trek through the dark. The only light came from the second floor’s window, and from a lamp from the street that barely glinted through the large oak trees shielding the property from curious glances from the road.
In the end, Saguru had volunteered to be the second decoy entering from the backdoor once Kuroba made a fuzz on the roof. He had found a hiding spot that gave a good viewpoint to the yard while he waited for the signal. Although the snowstorm obscured most of his vision and made it difficult to scout the area, it also decreased the possibility of being detected – all he required was to stay hidden until stage 2 was ready to be implemented.
He wrapped his scarf around his shoulder tightly. Hopefully it would not be too long till – or he could risk frostbite.
It happened too quickly for him to register the movement – there had been no sound over the wind, before he could inhale a puff of cold air, something hard exploded into his back. The force of the blow sent him spiralling into the snow head first. He gulped down a pocket of snow as he gasped for air, the icy crystals biting into every inch of unprotected skin. Pain tingled through him, and his back ached – he would definitely feel that tomorrow.
Saguru twisted in the snow, and as his lungs contracted he barely managed to call out: “I’m hit,” lest he was shot again. He got no reply, and he used the seconds of silence to rise to a seated position. He unwrapped the scarf and started to shake the snow from the fabric. With a grimace, he could already feel the melting snow slink in under his clothing.
“We figured –“ spoke a voice, and Saguru looked up to see a shadow quickly approaching – his heart jumped slightly at the sight. “That you would use Kuroba-kun as a distraction. It would be such an obvious ruse, that you’d have to utilize two distractions – I assume you sent Shinichi-kun through the front entrance.”
The shadows parted to reveal the familiar figurine of Sera Masumi. She was clad in a light-grey attire for better concealment in the storm, a large scarf was wrapped around her shoulders – however Saguru could tell she was grinning from the way her olive-coloured eyes shone with victory and gleefulness even from this distance.
“You have left your Headquarters wide-open opting on a full-front attack. That’s why you are going to lose –“ Sera’s confident speech was cut of short when she suddenly stumbled. It was only for a second, but a soft swear word in English escaped her lips before she lifted her hands up. “Hit.”
Once again, Saguru’s heart jumped in surprise at the sudden turn around and he rose to his feet on shaking limbs just as he heard Kudou’s voice call from the dark: “Everything alright, Hakuba?”
“I’m down,” he replied, “continue on the mission as planned.” There came no answer from his fellow teammate, and he did not expect one either.
Sera turned to face Saguru again with a puzzled expression. “You anticipated us seeing through your plans?” She did not let him confirm nor deny the accusation, before she flopped down next to him in the snow with a mirthful laughter. “This entire thing is crazy. I guess it’s up to Aoko-chan and Kudou-kun to finish the game then – unless Ran-chan managed to beat Kuroba-kun on the roof already.”
Saguru looked down at her with a frown, not understanding why she sat down in the snow voluntarily, however he decided against commenting at the peaceful expression on the female detective’s features as she grinned up at him. “Sending Aoko-kun into Kuroba’s house is a sound strategy, she is after all more familiar with the layout of the building.”
With a shake of her hair, Sera scooped up a handful of snow. “I must admit, I have never played a game like this before. I’ve never had such good friends before coming here,” her features turned softer as she spoke, and she glanced up at the British detective through her eyelashes and a flush adorning her cheeks.
Saguru’s heart fluttered in his chest at the sight, and he lowered his eyes. He forgot often that Sera and he were outsiders – both being raised in different countries. He agreed with her full-heartedly, although he had originally come to Japan to catch the infamous phantom thief Kaitou KID, he had instead found friends who accepted him for who he was and could keep up to him intellectually.
He had joined many an activity he would never have thought about doing in his life – help take down not one, but two crime syndicates, deciding not to pursue a thief, and now, playing a catch the flag and snowball fight game. The rules were simple, if hit by a snowball you were out of the game, and the goal was to infiltrate the other teams’ headquarters and find the flag hidden within. Whoever found it first, won.
“Neither have I,” Saguru responded after a few moments of silence, and they shared a soft expression. Something which was ruined a moment later as a shuffle of snow suddenly rained down on them from above. Looking up with a frown, he saw Kuroba standing on the roof of the house with a grin as he howled down.
“We got the flag, get inside you turtledoves,” he then disappeared from the edge.
Standing up, Sera shook herself like a dog to get rid of the excess snow, and Saguru could not help finding the imagery slightly charming as his chest warmed up. “Congrats with winning this round,” she said with a soft smile, before reaching up and ruffling the snow from his hair. Before he could react, she was already gone.
Saguru could not keep down a blush at the still phantom warmth of her fingertips on his scalp. He would no doubt be teased by Kuroba for being shot, however he did not find himself to mind as he went back into the warmth and company of a group of people he was honoured to call friends. The dice had been cast for the evening: today it was the women’s turn to pay for the pizza.