Another fanfic about Ankh and Shingo, mostly Shingo though, yay! Shingo, even though you only appeared for 3 episodes, but why you left so deep feeling inside my heart? (geee….it is so chliche…)

I hope Shingo isn't too OOC in this fic, Hina and Gotou too.

Warning: OOC, a bit spoiler

Disclaimer: Okay…can I have Shingo just for me? Probably Ankh will kill me before I can ask that, LOL

Pretending To Be You

It had been almost one year after the battle with the Greeeds.

Everything was back to normal; Eiji was traveling again, Hina was studying again, Gotou was back into the police force again, Date was traveling as doctor again, Chiyoko was running her restaurant as usual, Satonaka and Kougami had been back to their business again.

Including Shingo, he was also back in the police force again.

It was amusing how his superior reacted when they see him. He was gone for almost a whole year and the last time they checked he had terrible accident which almost took his life. So, they also had been thought that he had died.

But then, he was back.

Of course, he explained to them that he was in comatose state and unable to tell them because several circumstance, he didn't really lie about that.

And it was funny how they welcomed him back in the police force so easily; well they said that he needed to work hard to pay his one year of absence, not that he mind about that.

But, even though everything was back to normal again, there was something which did not return to being normal.

All of them had experienced something….amazing and spectacular for almost an entire year.

And someone was gone from their side.

Someone very important to them, someone who couldn't be forgotten easily.

And it left deep scar on their soul.

Especially, to the ones who close to him.

"Do you know Hina, I have heard some weird rumors about your older brother lately."

It stunned Hina for awhile. Gotou had surprised her when he suddenly appeared in the Cous Coussier again. It was unusual for him just to appear without any reason, so she had knew that he must have had something he wanted to tell her when he called to ask to see her. Something important.

"What is it?" Hina asked, a bit worried.

Gotou looked to side, he actually didn't really believed the rumors he heard lately. But somehow it really bothered him, he just couldn't believe it. Sure, he didn't know Hina's older brother that well, but he knew that he was a good detective.

"I heard that…uhm, actually these aren't nasty rumor, it is just…weird. I heard that, lately, people saw your brother always changing into casual clothes after he was done with his work then he would wander around town. There were also times when people saw your borther…uh…eating popsicle on a tree," explained Gotou.

Hina stared at him, stunned at the revelation.

What?

"I know, it was weird, wasn't it? Because of that, I think I needed to tell you about it," added Gotou carefully with serious tone.

Hina thought about what Gotou have said for awhile. His brother eating popsicle on a tree?

Okay, if he was Ankh, it wouldn't be so weird. Ankh loved popsicle and high places. But, his brother? And more to think it of, his brother was a police! A detective! It must be really weird for people and his comrade to see his brother eating popsicle on a tree!

"I never heard of it, Onii-chan never told me about it," Hina said with more worried face.

Gotou felt sorry to see the girl in front of him troubled, he should have checked if the rumor was true or not before revealing everything to Hina.

"I don't know if it is true or not. You should ask your brother," said Gotou with serious tone. He also needed to check who spread the rumors.

"Okay, thanks for telling me Gotou-san," said Hina before smiling to Gotou. Gotou gave her a weak smile, it was natural for him to tell her about that. After Eiji and had gone away, he felt that he needed to protect the Izumi siblings in their place.

"Don't worry about that, just tell me if you needed help."

Shingo sighed heavily as his work was done. It has been tiring day, he needed to solve a hard case but now he had finished investigating the case and write down the report. He cleaned his desk, then grab his bag before heading to the bathroom.

It had been a little habit.

He changed his formal suits into more casual clothes. With a white shirt and black trousers, he went out from bathroom then walked off from the office. Of course, he really noticed some weird stares from some officer, it must be really unusual for a police to change his clothes after his work was done but it didn't broke any rule so why he should care?

Ah… Ankh had influenced him too much.

He just smiled and shrugged it off. He just walked off casually, didn't forget to give some sweet smile to them who give him weird stares then he headed back to his car.

He put his bag on the back seat and opened the door to the driver seat before he driving his car out of parking area.

It had been a little habit.

He parked his car on the nearby park then he walked off, taking a walk on the park at the warm afternoon. He walked on with relaxed expression before he saw the usual ice cream-seler man at this park. His eyes sparkled before approaching him with a happy smile.

It had been another little habit.

"Oh it is you again," the old man said with a warm smile.

Shingo just nodded with a bit flushed cheeks. "Is it weird that I buy popsicle often?" he asked, still smiling.

"No, of course not. I'm happy that you always buy popsicle whenever you can. It just…it isn't usual to see a grown up man like you addicted to popsicle like this," the old man said then he laughed.

Shingo laughed too.

Of course, he knew, it was weird. Even he realized that.

"Okay, which one do you want to buy today?" asked the old man.

Shingo stared to the pile of popsicle in front of his eyes. If possible he would want to have everyting, but of curse he could not. He scolded himself in his mind. Man…since when I had been this addicted to popsicle like this?

He should thank Ankh for this.

"I guess today…I want this, and this…oh and this too, then this…how about this? Okay, this one is good," Shingo babbled while picked some different flavor popsicle by himself.

"Okay, five of them, and one free for you," said the old man, he picked another popsicle, startling Shingo.

"Free?" asked Shingo.

"Yeah, because it has already been almost half of year you kept buying popsicle to me," the old man said then he laughed again.

Oh, had it been that long? Shingo was flustered, thinking about this.

"Okay, here for you," the old man handed a plastic bag filled with popsicle to Shingo. Then Shingo gave some money to him before he thanked him before walking off.

It was just another little habit.

Maybe…it wasn't so little anymore.

He picked one popsicle then ate it with a smile plastered around his lip.

He always loved this taste.

Thanks to Ankh, he had been awfully addicted to this ice cream stick. It took all of his effort to not start eating one while he was working. It must be more than weird to see a detective working with popsicle stuck on his mouth. Yeah, he knew that, because he had tried it before.

He didn't need to explain how his superior scolded him because he acted so childish.

At that time he wanted to protest, why a police couldn't eating popsicle while work, but tea and coffee will be fine?

Because it was childish.

He was stunned by the answer.

Because of that he always changed to his casual clothes before he buy some popsicle.

What would he answer if some child asked him "why Mr. Police is eating popsicle?"

So, he never bought any popsicle while he was in his formal suit.

"Huh…I really want to know how Ankh reaction if he can't eat popsicle while I work as a policeman," mumbled Shingo to himself.

Probably Ankh would be very mad.

It would be very interesting to see.

Shingo sighed. But, it was…just a dream. Ankh wasn't here anymore.

He finished eating one popsicle then he took another one. On days like this, he could eat five to eight popsicles. Actually, when Ankh had possessed his body... he kept eating so much popsicles until his tongue frozen, Shingo had thought that he had enough popsicle for to last him for life.

But, a few months after Ankh died, Shingo found himself longing for the taste of popsicle. So, he tried to eat one, then another one and another one until he realized how many popsicles he had eaten when he noticed the pack of the popsicles he had bought had empty.

So, since that day Shingo always had popsicles everyday without missing a day.

He finished another one and took another popsicle again while his foot leading him to a tree in the quiet corner of the park. While biting his popsicle and a plastic bag filled with popsicle on his other hand, Shingo climbed the tree easily.

Ah he forgot another little habit.

It was training, he had been training hard too. Not too hard just like some insane person, but he had trained hard enough that no one of his comrade could beat him in their spare time.

His body was more shaped up, still a bit skinny but he was satisfied.

He rested on one of the branch and finished his popsicle.

Ah… on times like this, he really liked it.

Usually, after the work done, he just went back home and spent some time with Hina.

But now, Hina had started to work again in Cous Coussier and he didn't want to disturb her.

So, spending time alone like this, in high place, while eating popsicle, had become routine habit for Izumi Shingo.

He smiled to himself.

He knew that if he told Hina about this, Hina would be worried so it was his own little secret.

But, it wasn't his secret anymore…some people had seen him and he could hear every rumor behind his back.

What should I do, ne... Ankh?

"What are you talking about? It isn't like you commit some heavy crime? Just kick their butts and mind their own business, it has nothing to do with us!"

He probably would say something like that, Shingo smiled to himself.

But, isn't it kind of embarrassing?

"Huh, human is such a weird creature. You don't hurt anyone, so why do you need to be embarrassed just by eating popsicle on a tree?"

Yeah, he probably answered like that too.

Thanks.

"Ha? Don't thank me!"

Shingo laughed to himself. Then he sighed.

Maybe…he needed to see a doctor.

It made him a bit worried too…

Was he sick? Why he became like this? Why… why he couldn't stop thinking about Ankh and acting like him?

No, he was sure that he wasn't pretending. He was Izumi Shingo, Hina's older brother, a detective. He wasn't Ankh. But… why…

When he had thought to dye his hair become blonde, Shingo had noticed that he wasn't okay at all. But, he didn't want to make Hina worry or make scared some of his superior out by it so he couldn't do that. He also had bought several pieces of clothes that would suit Ankh perfectly but not for him. Of course, he never had any gut to wear them, it didn't suit him, so why had he bought it? It made him confused.

Sometimes he smiled to his reflection on the mirror then tried to act like Ankh.

And he almost always felt Ankh talking on his head. He also always talked to himself, pretending it was actually Ankh answering his entire questions.

Okay, maybe he was sick.

But, he just didn't want to admit that. After all, beside all of that weird habit, he was perfectly fine.

He really had to hide this from Hina.

"Onii-chan…?"

…

What?

"Uwaaa!" Shingo fell from the branch because he was so surprised but he managed to grip with one of his hand to the branch before he ended on the ground beneath him. He sighed in relief before looking at the person who was calling him.

He was shocked to see his younger sister, Hina, stared at him with wide eyes.

Then, he took a deep breath before jumping and landed beside Hina. Wow, he was really used with that. Ankh always jumped around from high place by his body after all.

But, it wasn't important right now.

He turned to see Hina who was still shocked but also worried.

Good, how should he explain all of this to her?

"Onii-chan, are you okay?" Hina asked.

Shingo was speechless for awhile. Hearing this from Hina's mouth, he really do felt like he was a sick person who did something terrible and out of his mind.

Well… what he did was a bit uncommon though… but it wasn't really that abnormal… right?

Hina was worried, really worried. She didn't know what his older brother had done lately. He always looked okay and fine in home, he always smiled and being nice to her.

So, she never thought that… his brother started to imitate Ankh.

If it just eating one popsicle once awhile, she wouldn't be worried. Now, it had answered her question why she always found pile of popsicles on the refrigerator even though she never bought it.

It was her brother's.

"I don't really know how to explain it, to be honest I'm confused too why I become like this…"

Hina turned to see his brother who sat beside him. He was smiling but…kind of sad.

Why he had been hiding it from her?

"Why did you do that?" Hina asked carefully.

Shingo turned to her, looking troubled and confused; it made her even more worried. Then, he sighed and looked to the sky.

"I guess… I really missed him," said Shingo.

"Eh?" Hina startled.

"You see, by doing this, by thinking about him, I feel like he is here with me," Shingo explained, he knew that Hina knew who he was talking about.

"And to be the truth, maybe because I was also scared," added Shingo.

"Scared…?" Hina asked, not understand it.

Shingo smiled to him before he putting another popsicle to his mouth. "Ankh didn't leave any proof that he had existed aside from his broken core medal that was with Eiji now. He... feels unreal now. As time passed, I'm afraid that all of it, all of times when he possessed my body, started to feel like it was just a dream," Shingo said with glint of sadness on his eyes.

And because I still couldn't get rid of his regret for being useless observer for the entire time. Shingo thought quietly in his mind, he couldn't tell Hina about that part.

Hina couldn't say anything, she just remained silent and watched his brother carefully. He looked…sad and regretful, he always hid this side of himself from her. Now, she had to hear and look this side of his brother carefully.

"Because of that, somehow I began liking Ankh's habit. Popsicle, high place, thinking ignorantly. He….influenced me too much," Shingo added, a bit embarrassed.

Hina nodded. "I understand, Onii-chan."

Shingo turned to face Hina. Hina smiled to him. "I understand that by doing this, you want to proof that Ankh have existed before and it also calmed you a little," she said.

"Ankh probably happy right now, seeing how you care to him so deeply like this," Hina said that.

"Tch, why I should be happy just seeing this man copying what I always do like this? It is pathetic!"

Hina stunned, seeing how his brother answered and suddenly acted differently... just like Ankh. Even though his hair was black and he used casual attire, but he really looked like Ankh did!

"I guess he would say that," Shingo said, back to his normal self.

Hina blinked, it felt like his brother suddenly developing a multiple personality disorder. Now, it made her a bit scared, was he really okay?

Yeah, he was okay, he must be okay, Hina thought deeply.

"Yeah…," Hina just managed to say that.

Shingo smiled to him, looked more cheerful than before.

"I always think, it will be fun if he becomes our family," he said, startling Hina.

"Eh?" Hina asked, shocked.

"You see, even though he was like that, acting all irritated and ignorant but he actually cared about you. It makes me think it will be great if he become part of our family. He would be your another older brother and my brother, it would be fun," said Shingo, smile never fading from his lips.

Hina nodded then smiled.

"It is just a wish though…but I'm sure it would be fun," added Shingo, with more clouded eyes. Hina frowned seeing his brother lost his spirit again, but she nodded anyway.

"I believe… someday, he will be back," said Hina, looking to the sky.

Shingo glanced to her then smiled to the sky. "Yeah, I hope too, if he really does, let's make him become our family, whether he wants it or not. He doesn't have any choice on that either," added Shingo before laughing.

Hina nodded then smiled with his brother on her side.

"But, you need to eat popsicle in more quiet place and please watch your health, Onii-chan."

"... I guess you are right... I will be more careful next time."

Then they laughed together.

Fin

It becomes Shingo-centric…it is fun to write this though, ehehe… because I fed up with Eiji centric and fanart, Shingo should have more too! (okay, please don't let me turn into Shingo fan girl, god!)