(Untitled)

[moonlit_mirage]

Characters: Crow (moonlit_mirage ) and Justice (extantlaw )
Date/Time: Sunday, December 7th
Location: Justice's office in the medical building
Rating: PG for mild violence and sarcasm?
Summary: Crow and Justice have arranged sparring sessions, but with evil Crow on the loose, Crow wants to cancel lessons for the time being. Justice is suspicious.

Comments

[extantlaw]

It took a few seconds before the slightly uneven sound that Crow's boots made on the floor registered in his mind, and a few more before he processed it, the realisation overlapping with Crow's words. His pen stilled when his fingers tightened on it, a reflexive response to the spike of adrenaline as his pulse accelerated.

He kept his eyes fixed on the file in front of him for a moment more as he spoke, his tone quiet and deliberate.

"You are limping, Crow-sensei."

A silent but deep intake of breath, and he looked up abruptly, unsure what he was expecting, but determined to face it regardless - a threat, some kind of weapon, something that distinguished this Crow from the one he knew.

But there were only familiar dead eyes behind familiar lenses, and a familiar face framed by a familiar ponytail that swept forward over his shoulder. The only thing that distinguished this Crow from the one he knew was the presence of the bruise - a vivid purple against his pale skin - and the absence of the forehead protector. He remembered the details given in the journal entry and there was a sideways glance to his own journal, just out of reach on the desk.

He looked back at Crow, body tensed and eyes slightly narrowed as the ninja talked, the words as unexpected as his appearance. And it did not escape his attention that when he raised a gloved hand to his face, the other gripped the back of the chair perhaps a fraction too tightly.

"Perhaps you should sit down."

[moonlit_mirage]

Crow noticed the small gesture. He always noticed details. The tightening of the fingers on the pen. The tension gathering in Justice's shoulders. the deep breath.

Well, that made things needlessly complicated, but he'd expected no less.

"Very observant, Justice-san. Your kindness is appreciated, but I would prefer to stand." Crow smiled, his wry, sarcastic smirk as he met Justice's eyes.

"But now I must wonder... Have you been speaking to me on the journals? It seems a few others have. Which is most curious, since I lost my journal in a tussle with a man remarkably identical to myself. What do you make of that?" Crow asked, one eyebrow arching in mock curiousity, as if the whole situation were some odd occurrence like thought bubbles or random song, to be discussed over tea.

[extantlaw]

As he listened to Crow he began to assess his surroundings automatically, cataloguing facts and information. It was ironic, he supposed, that this was part of what Crow had taught him. The location of the exits: a door that was behind Crow and therefore blocked, a window that was too small to be of use. The resources he had nearby: the pen in his hand, the crockery and the cooled tea, the pink-handled knife bought from Sniper that he kept in the top drawer of his desk, the sword cane, leaning on the wall behind him to his right, just out of his field of vision. And finally Crow's defences: nothing obvious, but that did not mean he was unarmed - the long black overcoat could conceal anything, And besides that, Justice thought, coldly and rationally, it was hardly as if Crow needed weapons to deal with him, or anyone else.

He had never seen the ninja fight, but he had watched him train; sitting on the steps of the dojo nursing a glass of water and his bruises while Crow continued to put himself through his paces. And despite the painkillers that Justice quietly supplied him with on a weekly basis, obtained from the clinic for his own headaches but never taken, Crow rarely faltered. Watching him was both a pleasure and a warning, but he had never felt the latter so acutely as now, with Crow standing right there across the desk and no way of knowing his true intentions.

Justice laid down the pen, slowly and carefully, his eyes not leaving Crow's and his hands not leaving the desk. A quirk of the eyebrow met the smirk and he sat back slightly in his chair, creating space between himself and the desk. He could feel his pulse spiralling at the perceived danger but he kept his breathing steady and his face impassive.

"And I would prefer you to sit, as you are no doubt aware."

He hadn't doubted the journal entry when he read it, the tone and handwriting exactly like Crow's, the responses to the people he knew perfectly calm. But now that he had encountered the supposed twin...

"See for yourself."

And he nodded to the journal that lay on the edge of the desk only a foot away from where Crow stood.

"I would say that it puts you in a very difficult position."

[moonlit_mirage]

Crow reached forward with the barest nod and picked up Justice's journal, flipping it open and thumbing through the pages to the recent entries. Once he hit the recent days he slowed, eyes scanning the pages quickly, but thoroughly as he read. He wasn't hurrying, but instead absorbing information he'd missed.

Including his own handwriting from after he'd lost his journal.

It was several minutes before Crow was fully caught up on events, and once he was, the man closed Justice's journal carefully, held it in his left hand, his right raising to rub one temple with gloved fingers. He looked vaguely annoyed.

"Quite a difficult position." Crow agreed after a moment of silent musing. He set the journal back on the desk, and looked at Justice thoughtfully. "Considering he's stronger then I am. And, unfortunately, he does not appear stupid. How regrettable."

The ninja pressed one gloved knuckle against his lips for a thoughtful moment as he considered Justice.

"So which of us do you believe, Justice-san?"

Late Tag is Late Sorry. I Have a Headcold and Cannot Brain

[extantlaw]

He watched silently as Crow picked up the journal. He was not foolhardy enough to imagine for a moment that even with his attention on the journal Crow would be sufficiently distracted not to notice any attempt at movement.

And so Justice remained perfectly still, his attention fixed on Crow's face as he turned the pages, scanning the entries and the responses, the journal held close to his face.

The bruise on the ninja's cheek looked even darker now, with his face turned towards the light, and from this angle he seemed paler than usual; the lines on his face etched a little deeper than the last time Justice had seen him. A physical difference, or something else?

Crow's face remained unreadable as he read, and the minutes ticked by, the silence in the office becoming oppressive. What reason would an imposter have to come here? And what reason to stand here reading when he could be doing something, anything else. It made no sense, and Justice frowned, as he considered it.

He had no doubt that any version of Crow would be possessed of both patience and guile - he had seen enough of both to assure him of that. And he was at a loss to see what most of the doppelgangers had to gain save for destruction and mayhem. But still, Crow was logical. And he could think of no advantage to be gained by an imposter from attempting to prevent him from attending the lesson this evening as usual.

There was only one reason he could imagine for an exact duplicate of Crow to risk discovery by coming to the clinic. And in either case it was unlikely he would waste time in small talk or in reading words he had written himself, when he could easily have obtained what he needed and vanished again. On the other hand, if this were Crow, and he had been in hiding for the past few days...

He was still thinking it over when Crow closed the journal, and Justice wondered if the expression of annoyance on his face was unwitting or calculated. A moment passed, his gaze skirting Crow's, and then he responded with a half smile.

"Were he stupid, he would be a rather poor imitation."

Moving his hand back slowly to the top drawer of the desk, he slid it open. A pause, and his eyes rested briefly on the knife, flickering once back to Crow before he reached in and extracted a small brown bottle, pushing the drawer closed with his knuckles.

He hesitated, the doubt still lingering at the edges of his thoughts. A breath, and then he pushed himself to his feet, his joints stiff from the tension. Stepping around the desk, his movement still deliberately casual, he held out the bottle.

"I generally prefer to believe the evidence of my own eyes."

Don't apologize, especially not to me! XD

[moonlit_mirage]

Crow watched Justice, did not move as the man reached into the drawer and produced that bottle. He did hold out his hand to take the familiar object, but he let his palm stay up, open, for Justice to drop the bottle into. Crow's fingers curled around the bottle when it was relinquished, and he considered the man in front of him thoughtfully.

From what he'd read, his impostor was cunning enough to fool people. And Justice was not easily fooled. Crow hadn't really expected less, but it was still a chilling realization.

Was his impostor attempting to replace him? Crow was reasonably sure that was impossible on a long term scale, and since he thought that, he was certain his impostor must be aware of that as well. So then what was the motivation? To discredit Crow? Personal amusement?

Crow shook his head as if to shake away the thoughts, and met Justice's eyes with a slightly tired, slightly sardonic expression.

"I have always liked your healthy skepticism." Crow commented. "Even when it didn't always work in my favor. I hope, and I trust you will listen to this suggestion, that you stay out of sight and out of reach for a while. You and Truth-san. Whether he is after these." Crow shook the bottle of painkillers. "Or merely out to harm what I care for, or even just insane, you are in quite a bit of potential danger. Don't mistake my concern for hysteria, you know what I am capable of, and having fought him? I was not joking when I said he was stronger then I am."

I Don't Know What Crow Teaches Him But Damn He's Stubborn

[extantlaw]

Justice met Crow's eyes as he placed the bottle into his upturned palm, withdrawing his own hand immediately with a slight shrug. At this distance the lines on Crow's face were more pronounced, the dark smudges under his eyes that matched the bruise suddenly noticeable.

"You look tired."

It was an observation, nothing more, perfectly blunt but implying no conclusion or question. And he listened impassively to Crow, a frown forming that only deepened at the man's words.

"I'm not sure that I do know what you're capable of. But I can make an educated guess."

He turned away, then, towards the door. His overcoat and scarf were hanging on the hook that usually accommodated his jacket, the sudden cold snap having made it necessary to don warmer clothes even for the relatively short walks to and from the elevator.

Reaching for the coat, he glanced sideways briefly, a slight and humourless smirk curving his lips.

"Logic dictates that I give you the benefit of the doubt, Crow-sensei. But I said that I preferred to believe the evidence of my own eyes. I doubt you expect any less.

"I am the only person who believes you may be the real Crow. And in any case, nowhere in the Sphere is out of reach. You have told me that often enough."

I blame that on Justice!

[moonlit_mirage]

Crow watched Justice thoughtfully, arms folding as he leaned his hip casually against the back of the chair. Taking weight off the foot? Most likely, but the significance of Crow's casual leaning would probably have been lost on anyone but Justice.

"Justice-san, where exactly are you going?" Crow's voice was mild and calm, but there was a certain tension in it. He had never lost his temper with Justice. He was not always gentle with the man, but his patience had never snapped.

However Crow was tired, and not nearly as patient as he often appeared. The image of endless patience he tended to project was entirely false; the fact of the matter was he had a small reserve of calm before his patience wore thin.

And his reserve was almost entirely spent from the events of the past few days.

"I would be most unhappy if you indicated you were planning to do something stupid, Justice-san." There was just an edge in Crow's voice, not a twitch of his expression to betray how close to losing it he really was.

WELL. I BLAME... no. you're right, the prosecution rests XD

[extantlaw]

Justice slipped the overcoat on over his jacket and looped the scarf around his neck, checking in the pockets for his pouch of money and frowning as he considered what else he might need.

A quick glance towards Crow as Justice faced away from the door, and a quirk of the eyebrow as he looked first at the chair and back to the ninja's face. But he said nothing, just set about buttoning the coat, his expression hardening slightly at Crow's tone.

"I do not generally make a habit of stupidity, Crow."

His voice was quiet, and entirely level. He met the ninja's eyes as he fastened the last button, a slight sigh before he spoke again.

"You are tired. You are injured. And most of the Sphere believes you to be an imposter. I am almost certain that is not the case, but I would prefer to be sure. I would also prefer to be sure that you are not waylaid by a hysterical lynch-mob."

He turned away again, reaching for the journal that rested on the edge of the desk, a thoughtful glance across it toward the sword cane that leaned against the far wall.

<3

[moonlit_mirage]

"I would hate to see you start a habit of it now, Justice-san." Crow replied, more then a bit annoyed and letting it show. "I am perfectly capable of looking out for myself, though I appreciate the concern."

Crow paused, eyes narrowing dangerously when Justice turned away. He was tired, and injured, and rather grumpy. And he was through with patience.

The glance at the cane and what it might imply was just enough to snap Crow's usual reserves. He was behind Justice instantly, one arm looping around the man's waist in what could have been a gesture of intimacy, like a hug. Could have been, if not for the fact that the other hand was raised and brought down to the back of Justice's skull with extremely decisive force.

Not enough to kill, more then enough to hurt like a bitch for the half second it would take Justice to pass out from the blow.

Crow wrapped his other arm around Justice's shoulders as he felt the man go limp in his arms, the first arm had merely been there to keep Justice from falling and breaking his neck at the blow.

Carefully, and more gently then he would have if Justice had been awake, Crow lifted the other man and stepped over to the couch. He set Justice down with care, unbuttoning the front of the coat and unwinding the scarf so the unconscious man would have absolutely no trouble breathing before he woke.

"Idiot. Never turn your back to a potential enemy." Crow commented as he straightened and looked down at his friend. A moment's contemplation and Crow turned to the desk, flipping the journal open and pondering for a moment before writing a brief note.

The ink hadn't even finished drying on the first letter, before the door to Justice's office was closing gently, without even a click.

OH SURE. <3 AT HIM AS YOU BRAIN HIM WITH JUTSU, CROW :|.

[extantlaw]

Justice registered Crow's movement out of the corner of his eye, his mind screaming a warning that amplified the moment he felt an arm slide around him. For a fraction of a second he panicked, his instincts recoiling at the touch - but there was no time to respond, just a searing explosion of pain and a vivid brightness that was almost blinding. Darkness followed, rushing in and filling his vision, his legs giving way under him before he could react or make a sound.

The last thing he remembered was an instant of intense terror; some half-recalled memory of falling, of a man who was not his father, and Crow's arm tightening around his shoulders as his consciousness faded.