I don't usually ignore my stories for this long, so I apologize for how long it took to make an update. Life has been... Frustrating, hectic, depressing... (Insert a negative description.) It has been really difficult to feel motivated amidst all the upheaval that has been offered (directly or indirectly). And knowing my current mood, the next update is bound to take equally long to come... But I will finish this one way or another. All the best people are still left! Lol...

Chapter 5 - Clever Like a Fox

Quietly slipping into the room, a smirk teased the corners of Shougo's lips. Their pitiful security system was not enough to keep him out. He thought it would be more of a challenge to infiltrate the CID's headquarters, but it had been disappointingly easy. He didn't know why he didn't do this earlier. In search of information, the quickest way to obtain it was to go straight to its source.

Initially he thought he might get Gu-sung Choe to hack in, but it was both tricky and time consuming. With their reality of psycho-passes and crime coefficients, he figured he might as well go in physically. The ability to control his crime coefficient made him virtually invisible to security which based everything on a dirty hue or high coefficient value - something he would never have. Like this, he could access the exact data he wanted.

It was simple enough to provide the decoy he needed, in an area of town far, far away. The only situation he had to be careful of was their support team that remained on site at all times. Yet along with his numerous skills, he possessed a fair amount of luck, which proved to be in his favour tonight. The lab he entered was empty, making his task that much smoother.

Heading towards the computer terminal, he had a hard time deciding what he wanted to look up first. Prior to this mission, he had Gu-sung give him a crash course on how the system worked. There was just so much information that would be at his disposal with a few taps of his fingertips; he almost felt giddy with excitement. His mind was preoccupied by his thoughts, he almost missed the signs, but the sudden movement at the corner of his eye pulled him back out of his reverie. His initial thought that the lab was empty was incorrect.

Turning his gaze in the direction of subtle movements, his sudden spike of adrenaline came crashing down; his excitement for endless information quickly turning into tremors of curiosity. He found himself in the presence of their young female inspector and yet, she was completely oblivious of his proximity as she was fast asleep. If she was supposed to be playing the role of guard dog, she was doing an extremely poor job of her task.

Since she had joined their team, he had developed an interest in her. He wanted to test her abilities like he would with any opponent; try to understand what made her tick and how her thoughts about their world shaped the decisions she made. Unfortunately, regardless of how he tried, he had yet to figure her out. At times, he wanted to disregard her entirely, her actions hinting at a naive ignorant; and other times, suggesting that she was an insightful veteran. Which one was her true self?

Discovering her presence, the thought of information hunting had been vanquished from his mind. He would have no better opportunity than this to test her directly, free from any distractions. He realized someone could return at any moment, but he was willing to take his chances. He had the utmost confidence in his own abilities. Rather than approaching the computer which had been his original goal, he eyed the unoccupied end of the sofa that she was resting on.

Content to bide his time, he seated himself and pulled out the book that he had kept in his back pocket. Now that he had a new objective in mind, all he needed to do was wait for her to wake; he might as well make the most of his time while he did so. With the calming silence of the room, it didn't take long for him to settle in and become immersed in his secondary task.

Gently waking from her slumber, Akane yawned as she stretched out the kinks from her body. Languidly blinking her eyes, she didn't recognize her surroundings, feeling disoriented. It didn't feel like she was sleeping at home and neither did it look like it. Pushing herself up from the sofa, she glanced around and found herself in the analytical lab at work - a fact which stunned her. Further to her amazement, she wasn't alone and the identity of her silent companion had her flabbergasted.

The dim lighting of the lab glistened off of his long silver-white locks, making the place feel brighter than it truly was. She couldn't see his face since his hair shielded it from sight, but there was only one man who she knew of with hair that light. What was he doing here, calmly reading in the heart of enemy territory? Better yet, how the hell did he get in to a secure building without triggering any alarms?

Even as she shifted, not trying to hide her movements, he didn't look up. His focus was fixated on the open book that rested across his lap. Her initial response should have been to call for backup and capture him as they have been trying to do this entire time. Instead, she found herself filled with undeniable curiosity - that he found his book so interesting, he didn't even care that he would be in a precarious situation when he was discovered.

"... What are you reading?" she ventured to ask.

He didn't respond immediately and Akane figured he didn't hear her. Slowly, she got on her hands and knees, thinking she could get closer without scaring him off. After all, she was the least intimidating of their team. Realistically speaking, she doubted she could instill fear in anyone, least of all a man like Makishima. If anything, she should be feeling threatened by his mere proximity, but she didn't. His current task didn't exude any dangerous intents.

"Hamlet," came his delayed response.

Startled by his unexpected answer, Akane gradually settled back down onto the sofa, ready to close that short distance between them seconds ago. His face was still blocked from her view, so she couldn't read the expression he was wearing. Even so, she figured he would elaborate now that he responded to her question, but he didn't. As the seconds began to tick by into minutes, she started to grow antsy again since the title alone didn't provide her with much information. It wasn't a title that she was familiar with.

No explanation forthcoming, she resumed her earlier position and inched her way across the sofa. He had glanced at her fleetingly, once, during her short journey, but didn't say anything. He continued to read like she wasn't even there, essentially ignoring her when he had previously acknowledged her presence. Even when she sat right next to him, facing him, he didn't speak. Since he wouldn't answer her question to her liking, she decided to find out for herself.

With no qualms about invading his personal space, she lightly brushed aside his hair. Then she leaned into that opened gap to read the text for herself. It had to be interesting if he could lose himself in the book, regardless of where he was. The fact that he would carry it around with him in the first place already spoke volumes. Before she could get into it, his voice teased her ears as he spoke in a gentle whisper.

"It's about the prince of Denmark, who the play is named after - written by the famous playwright Shakespeare."

Her hand still holding his hair away from his face, her other one was resting close to his thigh as she braced her own weigh. Kneeling by his side, Akane gradually raised her head to look up at him as was required of conversational politeness. As she did, she found herself staring into his amber eyes. A hint of amusement lurked in their depths as he returned her gaze with neither of them breaking the contact.

"I have always wondered what madness would feel like if I were to experience it," he murmured.

Not understanding his reference to Shakespeare's tragic play, her head tilted slightly to the side, illustrating her confusion better than words. His answer came in the form of a smile, which only confused her more. Despite the unspoken conversation going on, it was cut short when he closed that tiny distance between them. His lips pressed against hers and Akane's eyes widened in response. It was her first experience of endangerment in his presence this evening, but she wasn't given the chance to pull away as his hand had come up behind her head to hold her there.

His fingers were buried in the softness of her hair, lightly stroking her head in a massaging fashion as he pulled away to gaze into her eyes. She stared back, more startled by his advances than frightened. The feel of his gentle fingertips along her scalp was soothing, like he was sapping away her weariness and replacing it with relaxation.

As she sighed softly, her eyes fluttered closed. The tension in her hand loosened and her arm dropped to rest on his shoulder; allowing his hair that had been in her grasp to fall back into place, brushing lightly against his face. Losing strength, her body leaned in closer towards his, seeking the comfort of his unexpectedly tender touch.

Despite the response of her body, her face remained upturned towards him, presenting to him the temptation of her rosebud lips. He couldn't resist as she seemed to invade his senses on all fronts; the huskiness of her voice still laced with sleepiness; the faint scent of orchids remaining in her hair; the silky touch of her fingertips brushing aside his hair; the sight of her warm chocolate eyes searching his; and the honeyed taste of strawberry from her kiss. Cupping his free hand around her cheek, he brushed the pad of his thumb across the fullness of her lips.

Her eyes gradually opened as he drew her face towards his, needing another taste of her sweetness. As he pressed his lips against hers, she didn't flinch and shove him away. Instead, she seemed to be mesmerized by the same spell, calmly basking in the attention of his golden gaze. The first taste of her had been the final trigger to what he felt was madness; this inexplicable obsession towards her which he couldn't recall experiencing prior to this encounter.

His arm wrapped around her, trying to pull her in closer. With their awkward position, Akane was forced to shift her support. Her hand brushed across his leg to rest on his thigh, knocking his book to the floor, but neither of them noticed. Rather, their lips were locked in this magnetic attraction that they suddenly discovered. His kiss was both gentle and insistent like his earlier touch had been.

Finally, Shougo groaned softly, briefly and reluctantly pulling away. With her kneeling at his side, he couldn't close the distance between them. Despite knowing they would only stop momentarily, his lips lingered against hers, the most delectable feast he had tasted. This moment was a euphoric high that nothing else could come close to. Even as he helped her to sit with her legs draped across his lap, he found himself stealing kisses like an uncontrollable addict; his body drawn to hers.

As he pulled her against him, once more seeking out her lips, she responded in kind by wrapping her arms around his neck. Her fingers buried in his hair, intoxicated by the silky feel of it caressing across her skin. Their bodies were pressed so closely together, it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. He deepened the kiss; with the tangling of their tongues, she could taste the lingering hint of coffee on his breath. She didn't feel frightened, but rather melted beneath his attention, giving into it whole-heartedly.

They clung to each other, locked in their passionate embrace. They were completely oblivious to everything around them, until a sudden cackle of static came across the PA system. Startled out of their trance, they remained frozen with their lips still touching. Reality returned to them, but they continued to stare at each other. Eventually Shougo pulled away reluctantly, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. Even as he realized he had overstayed his visit, he wondered what his next step should be.

With her arms still wrapped around his neck, Akane seemed as shaken by the encounter as he was. This clandestine meeting of theirs had sparked an earth-shattering truth that seemed to trump all else they had faced. With a low groan, he buried his face against her neck, instinctively nuzzling against her. He was tempted to snatch her and take her with him, but ultimately realized he couldn't. As he breathed in the scent of her, his initial thoughts of madness were replaced by thoughts of a different Shakespearean tragedy; one of star-crossed lovers.

"I need to go..." he finally murmured.

"... Mm."

Despite putting their feelings into words, their emotions conveyed by the lifelessness of their conversation, they both released their hold on the other. Shougo helped her stand and she bent down to retrieve his fallen book, giving them both the time needed to stabilize their shaky nerves. As he stood next to her, she wordlessly passed it to him. She didn't ask for any clarification of their situation or any promises. Neither did he offer any as they were still on opposite sides of the fence; it was something neither could change.

"See you around," he said lightly, as it was the inevitable truth.

"Mm... See you."

With that, he headed towards the door, making his escape. He knew she was watching him, but she didn't try to stop him; no pleas to take her with him nor attempts to capture him as she should have. At the same time, he didn't turn around to glance at her. The moment he left the room, they would be back at square one, regardless of what just transpired between them. There was only one way for them to be together, and that was if he succeeded in his ultimate goal to overthrow the system.

When he had attempted this mission, he had carefully planned out each phase. He thought he had their team pegged accordingly to what he had established as their strengths and weaknesses; had them each ranked from strongest to weakest. Little could he imagine that the one who he had considered the weakest would turn his ideas of strength completely on its head. While all the others might have been able to hurt him physically, he never imagined that she alone would be capable of affecting him in a manner much more effectively; shaking him down to his very soul.

Even as she lightly pressed her fingers against her lips, Akane silently watched him leave. Despite the awakening of attraction, there was nothing they could do and they both understood that. No tears formed in her eyes, even as she felt a clutching of pain in her chest. It just wasn't meant to be. They were still enemies and she had a feeling they always would be. It was a truth that was bigger than what they might have experienced in that precious moment. As the door slid closed once more, she slowly sighed and sat down. Closing her eyes, she needed a few more minutes to calm herself before she started what she should have done when she first walked into the building - work.