Doki doki

Throwing his books on the desk, Yamato noticed the blinking light on his phone. He glanced at the display screen and frowned. One missed called from Pouty? He had just enough time before his faculty meeting to make a call back, so he quickly pressed two buttons and waited. It was unusual for her to call him at work, did something happen? A feeling of uneasiness rose in his chest, but he tried to dismiss it. When he got up this morning, he didn't notice anything wrong - Akira was deep asleep and didn't even stir when he pressed a light kiss on her hair before quietly leaving for work.

"Hello?" when she picked up after a fourth ring, he exhaled quietly.

"Pouty, it's me."

"Yamato." Akira's voice carried a happy note as she said his name and he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"I saw you called me. What's up?"

"Um, I..." she made a quick pause, obviously hesitating. "I know I shouldn't be bothering you at work but..."

"It's ok, I still have some time before the faculty meeting."

"So you will be home late tonight, won't you?"

"Probably." a playful grin curved his lips. "Why? You miss me already? Don't worry, I will make it up to you later..." he teased suggestively.

Surprisingly enough, instead of her usual flustered response, he only got a muffled 'mhm-mmm' in reply.

"Yamato... Would it be a lot of trouble if I left your dinner in the oven so you can heat it up yourself when you get back?"

"Pouty?"

"It's just... I have a bit of a headache and I wanted to get some sleep... But if you want me to wait for you, I will!" she tried to reassure him and he could almost picture her gripping the phone tight, her eyes shining with determination.

"Pouty, are you not feeling well?" now that he thought about it, her voice did sound a bit off. And her breathing was laboured last night.

"Nnnno... It's not it." she didn't sound convincing. "As I said, it's just a bit of a headache. Maybe a bit of cold. Nothing that a good night's sleep won't fix."

"Pouty, just go to bed, all right?" Yamato's voice was firm, but with gentle undertones. "Get some rest until I get back and don't move a finger. I will be home soon."

"No, Yamato..." Akira protested, but he could already hear how weak her voice sounded. Why didn't he notice before? "Your faculty meeting..." She tried to object, but he simply cut her off.

"Pouty, bed." Yamato commanded. "Just rest and wait for me like the good girl you are, all right? I will see you soon."

  Half an hour later, Akira opened the door to a slightly breathless Yamato carrying a handful of plastic bags.

"You were supposed to be in bed!" he scolded her, kicking off his shoes in the corridor.

"I heard someone fiddling with the door, I came up to check..." she gave a him a small smile, but he could clearly see how unnaturally pale she was, with eyes shining oddly.

Dropping his bags to the floor, Yamato ignored her startled look and pressed his hand to her forehead. Yup, she was burning up.

"Up you go." his other arm quickly snaked around her waist and he lifted her up easily. "Bedtime for you."

She didn't even struggle, letting her head drop against his shoulder with exhaustion.

"Sorry..." she mumbled quietly as he carried her to the bedroom.

"Silly Pouty." Yamato sighed, gently placing her on the bed and pressing a quick kiss on her forehead. "You are really running a high fever." he regarded her with worry, but she smiled back at him. "Yes, I know you will be fine." he rolled his eyes and she managed a small giggle. "Of course you will be. I will look after you." he tucked the blanket around her, making sure she was comfortable.

Giving her a quick pat on the head, he straightened up, about to go to get the bags - he had lots of medicine, some cool patches and plenty of healthy food he was going to prepare for her. But before he managed to step off, he felt Akira's fingers timidly grab his sleeve.

"Yamato."   

"Mhm?"

"Thank you." her voice was barely stronger than a whisper, but she was still smiling at him. "For everything."

His heart thumped loudly in his chest at the sound of her sweet voice. Even not well, she was so damn adorable.

Sighing loudly to herself, Alisha Chase plopped down heavily on her chair. It was already late, the 2nd Unit detectives had gone home - but she didn't mind. She actually needed that - peace and quiet in familiar surroundings, an environment where she felt comfortable and safe. Away from those assholes from the 1st Unit, whom she was stuck for the last week with.

When she learnt she was allowed to participate in a forensics course she felt like winning the lottery ticket.  The opportunity to improve and broaden her skills, to learn something new, to develop a talent that would add to the 2nd Unit's spectrum of abilities, that was almost too good to be true! She was so excited (of course Tennoji couldn't pass on the opportunity of making fun of her and calling her 'a little kid', and even that didn't dampen her spirits) and back then, she couldn't wait to start.

But now... Now she was struggling to keep going. The guys from the 1st Unit were there, too, and they were nothing short of killjoys. They were picking on her smallest mistakes, taking every opportunity to make some seeming offhand yet derisive comments about her teammates. They were generally so annoying that she seriously had to restrain herself from physically hurting them. That, combined with the effort she still had to put into the course, was really draining her. She wasn't sure how long she was going to manage, did she really have enough strength to carry on?

With another heavy sigh, she threw an arm over her eyes and leaned her head back. It wasn't like her, to give up halfway through. She needed to push herself just a bit more, to keep up for one more week...

The door clicked and she froze, not expecting anyone to still be around here at this time of night. She quickly pushed up and swivelled her chair around, coming face to face with Lieutenant Kirisawa.

Of course. If anyone was staying this late, it would be him.

"Hey, Detective Chase." he smiled softly and handed her a cup of steaming hot coffee. "I noticed you haven't clocked out yet. So I figured you'd be up here." he glanced at the pile of reference documents on her desk. "Still revising the course info, huh?" he turned to study her face, his eyes slightly narrowed when he regarded her with gentle affection. "Just like you..."

"Ah, I..." she was a bit flustered by his proximity, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. "You're working late, too..."

"Well, you know me." he chuckled, propping himself on her desk. "I'm a bit of a night owl, anyway."

"No, you're not." she frowned at his words. "You're going to wear yourself out like this." Worry started rising in her chest, he did look tired. "You should go home, Kirisawa, get some sleep..."

To her surprise, his only answer was another light chuckle.

"What?" she huffed irritably.

"Isn't this one of those 'pot calling kettle black' situations?" he raised one brow at her. When she did nothing but keep glaring at him, he couldn't hold back his amusement.

"You are adorable, you know that?" he leaned closer, grinning, and the sudden comment set her face aflame. "Here you are, working yourself to the bone, and you still manage to worry about me." he reached out to cup her face, gently stroking his thumb over her cheek. "I will take your advice, but under one condition." his eyes were holding hers captive. "You have to promise myself something, too."

"Wha..." her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "What is it?"

"Once you're done with your course, you will let me cook for you, all right?" his grin widened, when he noticed the surprise flickering in her eyes. "You're working hard, you stay here after hours, not to mention you have to suffer the 1st Unit guys, too." he sighed. "Oh yes, I heard. They're way out of line and the guy leading the course is fed up with them too. They're just one stupid comment away from disciplinary action. So." Kirisawa looked at Alisha with sudden intensity. "Don't let them get to you. Just hang in there, for a bit longer."

A warm feeling spread through Alisha's chest, her words getting stuck in her throat.

"Do you understand me, Detective Chase?" Kirisawa's fingers moved from her cheek to her chin, gently tilting her head up.

"Mhm."   Under his intense gaze, all she could do was to hum in reply.

"Good." Leaning forward, Kirisawa pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "In this case, I'll let you go back to work." somewhat reluctantly, he pulled away from her.

"Oh, and Alisha?" he paused, already halfway through to the exit.

"Yes?"

"I'm really proud of you. You're doing a great job." flashing her one last smile, Kirisawa saluted playfully.  

With her heart beating wildly in her chest, Alisha finally managed to smile back.

"Just you wait." she pulled herself up in the chair, cracking her knuckles. "I'm just warming up." renewed energy flowed through her veins, feeling her with a pleasant buzz.

He stared absently at his hands, trying to figure out what was missing. He just couldn't focus, desperately trying to hang on to that fleeting feeling of something... important, something so key that the lack of it was making him restless. He stood up, pushing back his leather chair with irritation. Like a caged tiger, he paced across his office, throwing occasional glances at the city spreading below the tower building. Hong Kong never slept, the city was full of lights, bustling with energy and never ending traffic.

This was the place he used to call home, the place where he once belonged, but now... Frustrated with his own unexplainable agitation, Soryu ran his hand through his hair and stepped closer to the window. He let his head slowly drop forward, resting his forehead against the cool glass. What was wrong with him? Was he ill? It... it couldn't be a cold, could it?

His mood was turning more sour with every passing minute and Soryu groaned, equally annoyed with himself and the strange predicament he found himself in.  If only Nojiko was here with him, she'd surely help him to figure it out...

The very thought of the girl's name brought another wave of unsettlement. With a deepening frown, he raised his hand and placed it flatly on his chest. What was this... constricting feeling? And why did it get worse when he thought of Nojiko? Again, with just the recollection of the girl's name, he felt the tightness in his chest intensify to almost unbearable level.

He just... he really wanted to see her right now. Hear her voice, feel the gentle touch of her fingers on his hand, his cheek. A sudden realization caused him to inhale sharply. That was it. Nojiko. It was all about her, from the beginning. He hated being apart from her, he was irritated because she wasn't at his side. He missed her, he missed her so much he couldn't even focus on anything else.

As soon as the understanding fully dawned on him, he walked - well, he almost ran - back to his desk and slammed the button on the phone.

"Inui."

"S...Sir?" the young man seemed startled with the intensity his boss said his name.

"We're going back to Tokyo."

"Sir? Wha..."

"Have the plane ready in the next hour."

"But sir, we still haven't..."

"Inui." Soryu's voice was sharp, almost threatening.

"Yes, sir! An hour, roger that!"the man knew better than to argue with his boss. "Leave it to me!"