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Today was the day. After what seemed like an eternity of this ridiculous chase Tsukasa was finally going to catch that pesky thief. He sat at his desk clutching the newest calling card he had received the previous night. The thief was to strike at midnight that night and Tsukasa was going to finally close this case.
That was only if Tsukasa could figure out how exactly to do that. He had spent the morning staring at the card in his office. Eventually there was a small knock at the door.
“You might burn a hole in that card by staring at it that long.” A familiar voice filled Tsukasa’s ears. He turned and smiled at the two who entered his office.
A tall man entered the room along with a shorter girl. Rui and An were their names. Coworkers alongside Tsukasa at the agency. Though, unlike playing the role of detective like An and Tsukasa, Rui focused on technology and tools used in investigation. Despite this, Rui often discussed the phantom thief with Tsukasa. His insight was often quite out of the box so, he was always open to discuss with him.
“Rui! An! Come on in!” Tsukasa turned in his chair to face the two. They pulled up respective chairs and sat down.
“Another calling card I see?” Rui inquired.
“Yeah! Today’s the day too! I’m finally gonna catch this guy!” Tsukasa exclaimed proudly.
“Really? You’ve got a good idea?” An chimed in eagerly.
“Well… not yet. I was hoping it would come to me soon enough.” Tsukasa’s tone shifted down. Rui chuckled, a gloved hand coming to cover his mouth.
“As expected of Tsukasa.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
“Means that I think you need to bounce ideas off of us! Gimme your best shot!” An says.
“I’m not assigned to this case but, I could try to help out.” Rui offered.
Tsukasa’s bright grin found its way onto his face again. “I knew I could count on you guys!” He then frowned a little and brought a hand to his chin. “Every idea I’ve come up with hasn’t worked so far.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“He’s never surprised by anything! Every time I try something new he perfectly avoids it and even has time to add in teasing and witty remarks.”
“Maybe you’ve been too predictable, or just awfully loud, you're good at that Tsukasa.” Rui laughed a little bit to Tsukasa’s dismay. An found herself trying not to giggle, afterall it was true.
“Hey! If you’re not going to be helpful, then you can go back to whatever chemical weapon you're working on!”
“If we're making such a thing, you wouldn’t know about it!” Rui punctuated his sentence with a wink. “I mean if nothing has surprised this guy maybe you’re not thinking outside of the box enough. What’ve you tried so far?”
“Yeah, let’s go through what you’ve tried and figure out a good medium!” An nodded and leaned forward a little.
“Hmm I’ve arrived at the scene hours early before and he somehow slipped past me and got into the building before me. I tried cornering him on the roof once and he just jumped off and vanished. Then, there was that time I tried having backup come in with me, that night he hardly had a thing to say, just made off like a bandit. There’s been multiple times where I’ve tried to get close enough to cuff him but he always seems to turn my plan on its head.” Tsukasa explained, getting more frustrated as he went on.
“So, it’s like he knows your every move…” Rui trailed off.
“Almost like he can read your mind or like he’s listening in on all your plans. Creepy…” An shuddered a little bit.
“Right! I haven’t been able to figure out how he did it either. He even knows my name and where I live. This card appeared at my doorstep.” Tsukasa held up the card for emphasis.
“He’s done his research.” Rui commented. He then seemed like he was about to continue speaking but, before he could, a new voice joined the conversation.
“Rui! I need you right now! Project 4B had a chemical spill and I need more hands!” A pink head of hair popped into the room.
“Guess it can’t be helped, if Mizuki calls, I must go. I’ll try to catch up later, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!” Rui stood up and stretched a little. Mizuki seemed to be having none of it, they grabbed Rui by the arm and pulled him out of the room.
“Should we be worried about that?” An asked.
“It’s not the problem! I’ve only got a few hours to make this plan!” Tsukasa argued.
“Right, right.” An hummed. “You said he always seems to turn your plans upside down. How exactly does he do that?”
“For starters, he moves quickly and can easily change our distance from each other. Then, he tends to say embarrassing stuff.” Tsukasa got a little quiet at the last bit, a little color appearing in his face.
“Embarrassing?” An questioned, tilting her head.
“Almost like he’s flirting or something! It’s definitely some kind of ploy to distract me, but it gets in my head.”
“I see…” An thought for a moment. “Why don’t you try doing the same to him?”
“What does that mean!?”
“Hear me out, if he’s been pulling this for this whole time then, he’s confident that it’ll throw you off right?”
“I suppose.”
“Then, turn it on his head! Use his tactics against him! Since he expects you to get flustered and screw up, it’ll throw him off if you don’t react or even say something similar back.”
“Hmmm I’ve never considered that.”
“You’re a very reactive person. So, try letting your confidence and detective skills drive you tonight! Even just testing to see if it’ll catch him off guard would be enough! Plus I’ve got the perfect thing to keep up your sleeve if things go correctly.”
“That’s brilliant! Tell me everything! Even if he falters a little it might just be enough to get some kind of information about him!”
“Exactly! You’ve just gotta get him in the right spot. First, let me help you with your reactions!”
“That’d be perfect, An! That thief won’t know what hit him!”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tsukasa lifted the card in his hand once again, he had arrived at the museum minutes before the time presented. He stood in the dark, moonlight poured in through the windows placed high near the ceiling of the section he was waiting in. This time was different. He was prepared. His heart was practically beating out of his chest with anticipation. He felt himself jump when suddenly someone spoke up.
“Right on time today my dear detective! Seems like you’re feeling extra confident today, no?” A small chuckle followed the statement. A tall figure had moved into the moonlight from behind a curtain that divided a few sections. White suit and top hat practically glowed, a checkered cape hung off his shoulder. Finally, his face, though half of it was concealed with a mask he could still see that stupid smirk.
“Guess you could say that.” Tsukasa stated, he was trying to think carefully before he spoke. He knew if he reacted too much then the thief would have his victory.
“As expected of Tsukasa!” The thief moved to gently place a gloved hand on the edge of a platform holding an expensive gem. Tsukasa had asked the staff to remove the case for the night earlier that day, it was the only way his plan would work. Now, he’s just gotta get Rui where he needs him to be. So, the hard part. “Though, I think we both know the ending for today’s story. I escape and you send curses to my name once more.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
“I’ve got an ace up my sleeve today.” Quite literally. His hand tightened around the cold metal in it.
“How exciting! I’d love to see what you’ve got.” The thief laughed again, tilting his head a little. Taking a few steps in front of the stand. Bingo.
“Well, you’ve done your research on me, I’ve actually done the same for you too.”
“Oh, how sweet for my detective to take such interest in me. Though, that’s been obvious considering my case is the only one you’ve given your time to! Our relationship must mean a lot!”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Tsukasa felt his face heat up. Damnit, he fell for it.
“How cruel of Tsukasa! He still considers me a mere case to close! How can one so heartless call themself a detective of such high standing!” The thief changed to a mock sadness.
“It’s not heartless!” Tsukasa exclaimed, though he quickly tried to regain his composure. He realized that he started to get too worked up. He cleared his throat. “Besides, after today I’d consider myself one of the best!”
“Alright then! Show me what you’ve got! It’ll be cute to entertain for a while, not to mention I am quite curious about what you know!”
Here it goes. “Starting with the obvious, you're a tall and smart male. You memorize building plans so easily and you know how to get out of tough situations. A fast thinker.”
Tsukasa could tell that Rui was going to say something snarky, so he kept talking. “You’re annoying to talk to as well. You’re charismatic but, in the worst way possible.” He took a few steps forward, keeping his distance for the moment. The thief looked like he took some offense, judging by the way his smirk shifted slightly. So, he kept going. “You’re clearly well put together and extensively educated so, there’s really no financial point to these robberies. It’s obviously not for the money.”
“You really think so?” The thief asked, a hand coming to his own chin.
“I know so.” Tsukasa stated. “From the way you speak to me, it’s clear that you have your own interest in me exclusively. You take pride in the fact that I’ve focused on your case, and yours alone.” He continued to approach the thief. Though when he started to get close, he noticed the other started to step back. Perfect.
“I’d even go as far to say that your feelings lie beyond a game of cat and mouse, that maybe…” Tsukasa trailed off, picking up the pace. He finally got close enough to the thief, he reached up to grab his shirt and pulled him forward, down and close to eye level. Tsukasa felt his own face burning, as he resumed. “Just maybe you’re in love with me.”
Suddenly, the thief pushed Tsukasa. Not enough to knock him over but enough for him to let go. Though, as Rui did, he stumbled back himself, right into the pillar that helped the gem. He knocked it over, falling over with it himself. His hat tumbling off. Tsukasa was shocked at how the thief reacted to his boldness, though he snapped back into reality and sprung forward. He grabbed the thief’s hand and *click*. A handcuff wrapped around his wrist.
“Just one won’t do!” The thief said and went to move away from the detective, but he found that his arm was stopped. He looked back to realize that he was connected to Tsukasa.
“Told you that I had something up my sleeve.” Tsukasa started, looking up at the other. However, something was new about the detective’s appearance. There were two blue sections of hair within his purple. There was no way.
“Rui?”
The thief froze, mouth open. Before he could say anything more, Tsukasa pulled on the tie on the back of the mask. He removed it from the other's face, revealing the yellow eyes underneath.
“Surprise?” Was all he could say.
Tsukasa was baffled to say the least. He couldn’t process why in the world his coworker, let alone Rui, would be the thief. “What? Why is it you?” Tsukasa asked.
Rui sat up a little more. “I wanted to catch your attention with a case of a lifetime.”
“Why go this far? It’s still a crime to steal!”
“Relax! I never really stole anything.”
“You didn’t?”
“Everything I took was returned. I know someone in the family who owns all these museums. Ever wonder why I only struck at the Otori owned locations?”
“I guess now that makes sense but, the grand scheme of it doesn’t!”
Rui smiled at Tsukasa’s reaction. Though, it wasn’t his usual smirk. This was much softer. Tsukasa found himself quiet at the sight. “It started out as trying to figure out data for a new invention I wanted to make for you.” He explained. “But then I began to look forward to each heist. It was fascinating to see how you worked and how you’d react. I just couldn’t get myself to stop what I started.”
“I suppose that’s how you knew all my plans then; you listened in on my meetings and even suggested your own ideas. Wait, so you started to mean everything you said to me? Every nickname? Every embarrassing thing? Also why didn’t you get around this? We talked earlier.”
“Mizuki removed me from the conversation, remember? By the time we were done cleaning you and An had finished up and I had to prepare myself.” Rui explained, he then seemed to grow even slightly embarrassed. “And I guess you could put it like that. To put it simply, I fell for that dear detective that I only meant to tease and gather data from.”
Rui paused to look at Tsukasa, but he wasn't looking back. He was thinking hard, his face was red but even Rui couldn’t read it well. Now was a bad time to be stuck to him.
“I suppose I can’t charge you for crimes you technically didn’t commit.” He mumbled, getting the key out of his pocket. He held it up then he glanced at Rui. He then unlocked both of their cuffs and tucked them away. Rui went to stand up but, before he could, Tsukasa caught him by the wrist. “Just, one more thing.” He muttered before pulling Rui forward once more, though this time he kissed him.
It only lasted a moment but it left Rui more shocked than ever. “The whole story is ridiculous but, I guess I started feeling the same over time. I just didn’t want it to be true, now that I know it’s you I can admit it to myself.”
Rui began to say something, but Tsukasa stopped him upon hearing footsteps of An and Toya approaching them. “You should go, we can figure this out with them later. After we have a talk.”
Rui stood up and stretched a little. That fall wasn’t a fun one. “Sure, I’ll get a head start! See you at your place later!” Rui grinned that mischievous grin again. Tsukasa started to spout some kind of argument but, in a sudden puff of smoke Rui was gone. Leaving nothing but a hat on the ground and a mask in his hand.
“Tsukasa! What happened?” An asked between breaths as they entered the section.
“It’s a long story that I'll have a headache from after hearing the full version.” Though, he couldn’t mind that too much. Afterall, this was a much happier ending for the case than he expected.