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Shades of Grey: Protective
by Icka! M. Chif

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It had been busy night the night before and Hakuba wasn't surprised to find Kuroba having a kip underneath his favourite tree during the lunch break. The Kid heist hadn't been a very difficult one, the thief relying more on his speed and agility to successfully get in and out of the police's surveillance than disguises this time.

What had surprised him had been the phone call later, when he got home. Kid had actually -called- him to regretfully inquire if it was possible for him to drop by another night, instead of meeting him as was their usual wont. The thief had offered no explanations, a rushed urgency to the voice informing Hakuba that this probably was not a good time for lengthy conversations. Not mention that a phone call was something with a lot less deniability than his meeting the phantom thief in his house.

Phone taps were not terribly difficult. Shadowing the Kid was extremely.

Kuroba had looked slightly knackered throughout the morning, but his childhood friende and seatmate, Aoko, looked practically zomibifed. It was not hard to deduce that something had happened in the Nakamori household that Kuroba had been somehow involved in.

Aoko was currently curled up against Kuroba, her head tucked under his chin, nestled against his shoulder. One of Kuroba's arms wrapped around her back in a loose embrace. They looked comfortable like that, at ease with each other in such a way that made his stomach twist with something that felt suspiciously like jealousy.

There had been no promises of fidelity between himself and the Kaitou Kid. And Kuroba, Kid, had once admitted there was a girl whom he was fond of. It did not take the deductive abilities of a genius to deduct who that might be.

Kuroba's head raised partly as tired violet eyes peered at him through thick lashes. "Hey."

"Hullo yourself." He motioned to the sleeping girl. "Is everything all right?"

The unladen shoulder shifted in an approximation of a shrug. "Nakamori-keibu got on the wrong side of a rather enthusiastic Task Force dog pile last night." Kuroba explained softly. "Got knocked unconscious with a rather nasty bump on his head. We spent part of the night in the hospital and Aoko didn't get much rest when we got back."

"I am sorry." Hakuba apologised. As much as he might have butted heads with the elder Nakamori, he did not wish the cranky inspector any ill will. He was also puzzled; Nakamori-keibu had been his usual hyperactive and loud self when he had departed for home last night.

Kuroba shook his head. "Nobody's fault, just a case of bad timing. Happened at the headquarters too, so I'm sure you'll hear all about it when you go in."

Most likely, in great detail and with a great many false embellishments. Joy.

"May I join you?" He inquired.

Kuroba paused for a moment, then yawned. "Knock yourself out." Was the final pronouncement.

"Thank you."

He sat down next to Kuroba, his back against the tree trunk as well, close enough that their shoulders could almost brush. Kuroba watched Hakuba unpack his lunch before tilting his head back against the tree and closing his eyes once more. Aoko slept through their entire exchange, undisturbed by his presence. Hakuba smiled slightly, a faint feeling of relief uncoiling around his heart. Good.

All pettiness aside about how close the wild-haired girl was to Kuroba, he was genuinely fond of her as well. And she was good for Kuroba, made the other boy smile when he needed it.

He finished his lunch quickly, keeping one eye on the slumbering couple beside him and the other out for people who might disturb them. It felt natural to do so, this comfortable inclination to watch over the people he cared about.

Maybe he should put it on a business card or something. Hakuba Saguru - Guard Dog for Kaitou and their Associates.

A shadow loomed in front of him and he was surprised to see Koizumi leaning over him suddenly. He hadn't seen her coming, hadn't seen her at all in fact. Just *poof!* instant girl.

-Scratch the Guard Dog comment....

"You and Kuroba-kun have gotten quite close as of late." The words were spoken with a familiar purr, but with an unfamiliar dangerous hiss underlying it. Kuroba chose that moment to shift in his sleep, his head resting against Hakuba's shoulder with a soft snore. Thanks Kuroba, he thought darkly. Just -prove- it, won't you?

"I suppose." He answered the red-haired girl neutrally. He certainly was spending more time with Kuroba then he had been before, and it was all Aoko's doing. He still wasn't quite sure why Aoko seemed to take a vicarious glee in finding various excuses to toss the two of them together, but he was not going to argue with her either. Especially since it was where his own interest lay anyway.

Koizumi smiled at him, like she was hiding a butcher knife behind her back that she didn't want him to know about. "If you're merely playing with him to hurt him, I -will- make sure you -live- to regret it."

Hakuba blinked. Had she just-?

Her grin turned a little bit sharper. Upside down piranha would have friendlier smiles.

She had. Koizumi had just threatened him over Kuroba.

"Do we have an understanding?" She questioned, leaning a little further down, far enough so that if he were so inclined, he could look down her shirt. He carefully kept his eyes on her face. It was safer for many reasons.

"Perfectly." He agreed.

"Good." She straightened, eyes remaining pinned on him, even as a bit of embarrssement slipped into her expression, as if uncertain about her display of concern.

Hakuba paused, realised that he was frowning as pieces tumbled and clicked in the back of his mind. Koizumi gave him the creeps for no particular reason he could disconcern. Nothing massive, just one of those 'hairs raise on the back of your neck in the presence of a predator' type thing. Which was rather odd, considering it was usually the other boys in the class that were chasing -her-.

Except for Kuroba.

Who smiled at her cheerfully, but kept his distance.

And she did the same. But she -watched- him from afar, with eyes too old for their age.

"You are rather protective of him." He commented, trying to make it not sound like an accusation and not certain if he succeeded. She frowned in response, the icy facade returning once more. He watched her patiently and she eventually sighed, looking very tired.

"I made a mistake." She admitted softly. "Several, actually. And I hurt Kuroba-kun. But he still helped me when I needed it. So I won't allow anyone else to hurt him again."

"Then we are in accord." He nodded solemnly. She stared at him, crimson eyes boring into his, and he remembered stories from his travels in Europe of people being able to cast spells by glancing at you. Malocchio, Boser Blick, Mauvais Veil or simply known as 'The Evil Eye'.

He resisted against making a warding gesture. He wasn't superstitious after all.

Koizumi finally nodded, evidently pleased by what she found. He found himself releasing a small breath he hadn't known he was holding.

Kuroba snuffled in his sleep. Hakuba took that as a hint.

"Would you care to join us?" He inquired, offering her a hand in invitation.

Koizumi did have a surplus of suitors; she must have pulled an amazing disappearing act to find the time to confront him by herself. She paused for a minute, suspicion clear in her eyes, before gracefully accepting his hand and allowing him to assist her as she sank into the grass beside him. "A break sounds lovely." She said loftily.

He smiled in return. Sure, Koizumi, sure. She shifted around in the grass before resting her head against the tree trunk and closing her eyes. Her breathing dropped down and steadied shortly afterwards, her head dipping slighting in his direction as she relaxed.

Things fell back into the peaceful lull it had been before Koizumi's arrival. He got several pages in his book read and several students scared away by the might of his glare. For which he was quietly smug about.

He didn't break the comfortable stillness until a few minutes before the bell according to his internal clock. "You heard everything, did you not?" He said under his breath, casually flipping a page.

The tousled head leaning on his shoulder slid downwards slightly, as if hiding a grin. "Yup."

"I do hate you." Blasted git had probably managed to set this whole thing up.

"Mutual." Kuroba agreed, shifting his head back up, cheekbones nuzzling him slightly, like a lazy cat.

"Just so long as we are clear."

"Crystal."

"Excellent."

Kuroba let out a satisfied purr, breath evening out again.

Hakuba sighed and returned his attention back to his book.

They still had a few more minutes of closeness before they had to move after all.

-fin-

German: Boser Blick
Italian: malocchio
French: mauvais veil
Also known as Matiasma, malocchio, mal de ojo in Greek, Italian and Spanish, respectively.

Some interesting information about the Evil Eye here.


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