[kanda ei]
THIEF VS DETECTIVE ~THE STEALING HEAVEN MIX
by room101
The town hall's clock chimed the hour of nine, and at each strike they prepared for the onslaught. By the fifth chime, the searchlights were aimed to the streets, leaving no shadow that would give a daring thief a place to hide; by the seventh, the police around the Shindou mansion were primed for the appearance of kaitou White Hand. Shindou Hikaru was alone on the rooftop, having declared against Police Chief Ogata's practical suggestions that the White Hand will appear by sky.
The Crane Rising from its Nest: one of the many pieces of sculpture that ever came from the hands of the Japanese National Treasure Fujiwara no Sai. When his father finally acquired it after years of searching, they held a small conference to display the artifact, and the moment they had opened the doors the found a notice written on a fan stuck between the Crane's wings.
"The White Hand promises to capture the Crane at the twenty-third hour on date when three crosses seven."
That the White Hand had not stolen the artifact was something the whole city speculated about, but they all agreed it wouldn't have been fun without the police hunt.
His father had worried at the cryptic message, but Shindou swore he would catch the infamous kaitou before the night was out. Obviously, the White Hand planned to steal their sculpture on the twenty first, anyone who knew their math can figure that bit out. As the last strike echoed in the air he heard something - or someone - lightly fall onto the roof tiles behind him, and he spun around.
The thief was dressed in his trademark white tuxedo, his cape fluttering in the wind. He took his top hat off with a flourish, exposing the half-mask hiding his identity from the whole world. How Shindou's hands itched to get that off and to expose the dangerous criminal for what he was, a cowardly, conniving thief.
"We meet again, Detective Shindou Hikaru. Taking the night air alone tonight?"
"This is the night I'll catch you."
"You've said that for the past thirteen times we've faced each other, haven't we?"
"You began stealing Fujiwara no Sai's works last year, and you've taken a total of sixteen so far. Don't you think you've done enough?"
"Has it been a year since I've begun? I've forgotten. I enjoy planning for the next heist rather than reminiscing the past, so if you'd excuse me, I still have a Crane to steal."
"Over my dead body, thief! You'll have to find it first and to make it fair I have to say, I hid it myself, and I alone know where it is tonight."
"Ah, is that why you sound so confident today, Shindou? How about we make a race of it?" And in a puff of smoke and confetti Shindou was alone on the roof. He cursed, spinning around and spotting the telltale rustle from the tall elm to the right. He ran and leapt forward, catching hold of a wide branch and swinging down to his father's balcony. The door was tellingly open, and he knew exactly where the thief would go next.
He ran, stumbling on the carpet and heading to his room. The door had also been left open, and when he got there he breathed a sigh of relief. The broken down refrigerator was still untouched. He opened the door and smiled at the sight of the delicately carved wooden crane in its nest of twigs.
"1-16. You missed this time, White Hand," he murmured, right before he felt a razor sharp fan blade on his neck.
"So that's where you hid that." The kaitou spoke into his ear. "I should've known you'll keep it with your precious things."
"W-what?" Shindou couldn't breathe, afraid the blade will break skin.
"It was a setup, Shindou. If you'd taken the time to notice, all the other rooms had their doors opened and the furniture messed up, but you ran to this one immediately. I knew you couldn't resist to check if it was still safe."
"Damn you."
"I guess it's my chance to add to my score. It's 17-0 now." He slid one hand around Shindou, plucking the statue out of the fridge. With a speed that left the young detective breathless, the White Hand had the fan blade off his neck and was speeding off to the same balcony they've used to enter the building. He caught up just as the thief reached the door. His baton met the hard metal of the fan blade, and Shindou hit again and again, blows the kaitou had no difficulty in parrying, causing sparks to fly. At his last strike he caught White Hand's hand in a harsh grip.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked. The thief's face softened to a smile, his green eyes twinkling.
"Have you ever heard of Fujiwara no Sai's theories on art? He believed that everything that came from Nature and man's creative instinct was a part of a grand whole, like a giant jigsaw puzzle needing to be pieced together. Only a man of discerning taste and awareness will be aware of the patterns that lie in the midst of the unpredictable chaos." He pulled away, and before Shindou could react he stepped off and away from the balcony. As he looked down he saw the kaitou rising into the air, holding on to a rope tied to hot air balloon.
"Till the next time, Shindou Hikaru. I look forward to your attempts to catch me."
"I'll catch you, I swear I will!"
+ = + = + = +
Shindou frowned at the front page article on the failed capture in the morning papers. He threw it on his school desk, sighing. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't even protect art in his own house. He slumped forward, pressing his cheek down on the newsprint.
"I'm so dead," he murmured as Akari flapped her copy of the newspaper helpfully to give him air.
"Well, he is a dashing, cunning thief that lurks in the night. And you're still studying, so you can't really try to get the skills you need to catch him," Akari tried to console him, but he snapped up and crumbled the paper into a ball.
"And think about what the journalism club will say about this again. 'Famous school detective missed his chance again!'" Shindou can't even bear the humiliation he was going to face for days until the next notice and his promise to catch the thief.
"You failed again, Shindou. How many times does that make it?"
Shindou spun around and threw the crumpled ball to the newcomer. The boy grinned and gracefully avoided the poor shot. "You always get a scoop when it comes to the White Hand, Mitani."
"What can I say? I can't help it if you're bad at catching thieves."
"And you're good at capturing them on film. Why don't you help us since you act like you can read his mind?"
"Me? I'm just a humble journalism club member. What do I know about catching kaitou who lurk in the night?" Mitani smiled wickedly, raising his camera up. "Smile! Famous teenage detective requests for assistance to catch the White Hand, since the police can't do it! Now that's a scoop if there ever was one. No doubt Police Chief Ogata would like to hear that."
"MITANI YUUKI! DON'T EVEN DARE!"
"Catch me if you can, Shindou!"
Something about the words and Mitani's tone teased Shindou's memory, something that seemed significant, but his classmate was already getting away. He scrambled up and ran.
"AND I'LL CATCH YOU, I SWEAR I WILL!"
As he ran after Mitani he bumped against someone, knocking down the books in the other boy's hands. He barely apologized, registering that it was the bookworm Touya Akira from the class across his. Mitani's mocking laughter made him run even faster after the other boy, and he left Akira gathering the books and papers.
"You always say that," Touya murmured, before stepping into the classroom Shindou had recently left. He spoke to Akari for a few moments about the latest assignments for the fair, where Fujiwara's Point of Tengen will be displayed, and while no one was looking slipped his next notice between Shindou's student handbook.
by room101
The town hall's clock chimed the hour of nine, and at each strike they prepared for the onslaught. By the fifth chime, the searchlights were aimed to the streets, leaving no shadow that would give a daring thief a place to hide; by the seventh, the police around the Shindou mansion were primed for the appearance of kaitou White Hand. Shindou Hikaru was alone on the rooftop, having declared against Police Chief Ogata's practical suggestions that the White Hand will appear by sky.
The Crane Rising from its Nest: one of the many pieces of sculpture that ever came from the hands of the Japanese National Treasure Fujiwara no Sai. When his father finally acquired it after years of searching, they held a small conference to display the artifact, and the moment they had opened the doors the found a notice written on a fan stuck between the Crane's wings.
"The White Hand promises to capture the Crane at the twenty-third hour on date when three crosses seven."
That the White Hand had not stolen the artifact was something the whole city speculated about, but they all agreed it wouldn't have been fun without the police hunt.
His father had worried at the cryptic message, but Shindou swore he would catch the infamous kaitou before the night was out. Obviously, the White Hand planned to steal their sculpture on the twenty first, anyone who knew their math can figure that bit out. As the last strike echoed in the air he heard something - or someone - lightly fall onto the roof tiles behind him, and he spun around.
The thief was dressed in his trademark white tuxedo, his cape fluttering in the wind. He took his top hat off with a flourish, exposing the half-mask hiding his identity from the whole world. How Shindou's hands itched to get that off and to expose the dangerous criminal for what he was, a cowardly, conniving thief.
"We meet again, Detective Shindou Hikaru. Taking the night air alone tonight?"
"This is the night I'll catch you."
"You've said that for the past thirteen times we've faced each other, haven't we?"
"You began stealing Fujiwara no Sai's works last year, and you've taken a total of sixteen so far. Don't you think you've done enough?"
"Has it been a year since I've begun? I've forgotten. I enjoy planning for the next heist rather than reminiscing the past, so if you'd excuse me, I still have a Crane to steal."
"Over my dead body, thief! You'll have to find it first and to make it fair I have to say, I hid it myself, and I alone know where it is tonight."
"Ah, is that why you sound so confident today, Shindou? How about we make a race of it?" And in a puff of smoke and confetti Shindou was alone on the roof. He cursed, spinning around and spotting the telltale rustle from the tall elm to the right. He ran and leapt forward, catching hold of a wide branch and swinging down to his father's balcony. The door was tellingly open, and he knew exactly where the thief would go next.
He ran, stumbling on the carpet and heading to his room. The door had also been left open, and when he got there he breathed a sigh of relief. The broken down refrigerator was still untouched. He opened the door and smiled at the sight of the delicately carved wooden crane in its nest of twigs.
"1-16. You missed this time, White Hand," he murmured, right before he felt a razor sharp fan blade on his neck.
"So that's where you hid that." The kaitou spoke into his ear. "I should've known you'll keep it with your precious things."
"W-what?" Shindou couldn't breathe, afraid the blade will break skin.
"It was a setup, Shindou. If you'd taken the time to notice, all the other rooms had their doors opened and the furniture messed up, but you ran to this one immediately. I knew you couldn't resist to check if it was still safe."
"Damn you."
"I guess it's my chance to add to my score. It's 17-0 now." He slid one hand around Shindou, plucking the statue out of the fridge. With a speed that left the young detective breathless, the White Hand had the fan blade off his neck and was speeding off to the same balcony they've used to enter the building. He caught up just as the thief reached the door. His baton met the hard metal of the fan blade, and Shindou hit again and again, blows the kaitou had no difficulty in parrying, causing sparks to fly. At his last strike he caught White Hand's hand in a harsh grip.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked. The thief's face softened to a smile, his green eyes twinkling.
"Have you ever heard of Fujiwara no Sai's theories on art? He believed that everything that came from Nature and man's creative instinct was a part of a grand whole, like a giant jigsaw puzzle needing to be pieced together. Only a man of discerning taste and awareness will be aware of the patterns that lie in the midst of the unpredictable chaos." He pulled away, and before Shindou could react he stepped off and away from the balcony. As he looked down he saw the kaitou rising into the air, holding on to a rope tied to hot air balloon.
"Till the next time, Shindou Hikaru. I look forward to your attempts to catch me."
"I'll catch you, I swear I will!"
+ = + = + = +
Shindou frowned at the front page article on the failed capture in the morning papers. He threw it on his school desk, sighing. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't even protect art in his own house. He slumped forward, pressing his cheek down on the newsprint.
"I'm so dead," he murmured as Akari flapped her copy of the newspaper helpfully to give him air.
"Well, he is a dashing, cunning thief that lurks in the night. And you're still studying, so you can't really try to get the skills you need to catch him," Akari tried to console him, but he snapped up and crumbled the paper into a ball.
"And think about what the journalism club will say about this again. 'Famous school detective missed his chance again!'" Shindou can't even bear the humiliation he was going to face for days until the next notice and his promise to catch the thief.
"You failed again, Shindou. How many times does that make it?"
Shindou spun around and threw the crumpled ball to the newcomer. The boy grinned and gracefully avoided the poor shot. "You always get a scoop when it comes to the White Hand, Mitani."
"What can I say? I can't help it if you're bad at catching thieves."
"And you're good at capturing them on film. Why don't you help us since you act like you can read his mind?"
"Me? I'm just a humble journalism club member. What do I know about catching kaitou who lurk in the night?" Mitani smiled wickedly, raising his camera up. "Smile! Famous teenage detective requests for assistance to catch the White Hand, since the police can't do it! Now that's a scoop if there ever was one. No doubt Police Chief Ogata would like to hear that."
"MITANI YUUKI! DON'T EVEN DARE!"
"Catch me if you can, Shindou!"
Something about the words and Mitani's tone teased Shindou's memory, something that seemed significant, but his classmate was already getting away. He scrambled up and ran.
"AND I'LL CATCH YOU, I SWEAR I WILL!"
As he ran after Mitani he bumped against someone, knocking down the books in the other boy's hands. He barely apologized, registering that it was the bookworm Touya Akira from the class across his. Mitani's mocking laughter made him run even faster after the other boy, and he left Akira gathering the books and papers.
"You always say that," Touya murmured, before stepping into the classroom Shindou had recently left. He spoke to Akari for a few moments about the latest assignments for the fair, where Fujiwara's Point of Tengen will be displayed, and while no one was looking slipped his next notice between Shindou's student handbook.