A/N: Written for the 5Ds bingo: the non-flash version, #164 - pairing: justiceshipping (Jack/Kaz).

And this gave me another idea too… Like I don't have enough of those.

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rumour & suspect

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The rumours were ridiculous and the people more so. Just because he was defending a man he knew and understood, the rumours had begun. And, he knew, they wouldn't die until Jack's innocence was proven beyond a shadow of doubt.

And perhaps even then, because that didn't mean that Kaz was defending him only because of their…relationship.

As though either of them looked at each other that way. It was a purely professional relationship. Kaz respected the fiery spirit of the other: the spirit that led him to disobey the rules people made around him for his own believes, small things ranging from disregarding speed laws to going after a gang on his own because he felt justice needed to be done.

It was that incident in particular that had created a professional relationship between them. Before that, Jack was just the ex-king and, arguably, one of the best duellists in Neo Domino City. Even after his defeat. After all, it took something special to hold the title in the first place, and something more to continue duelling, to continue appearing and living, after that was over.

So yes, he did respect and admire the duellist and man that was Jack Atlas. But that didn't mean he had a schoolboy's crush on him. And that did not mean he was blindly believing in his innocence either. He knew Jack and he didn't see someone who was so obsessed with honour acting so…despicably.

Therefore it must be someone attempting to frame him.

And he wasn't the only one who believed that.

Officer Trudge glared at any officer who tried to mutter about the fall of a king, or about Satellite trash. He may have a long standing grudge against Yusei Fudo but, truthfully, he respected and liked the triad: Yusei, Crow and Jack. He knew them better than Officer Kaz and he believed in Jack. If his own conviction wasn't good enough, that assertion from someone definitely an ally and almost a friend was enough.

But there weren't enough people on the lookout for who was really causing mayhem on the streets. But there were enough. Him and Officer Trudge and Mina Simington and Jack's friends – they'd keep their eyes open and hunt for clues on the road.

And, eventually, like all copycats inevitably did, this copycat would slip up.

He was sure they would. He was sure it wasn't Jack. That the fake one would slip up and he'd be caught and that'd be the end of the matter. But a few other things happened first. Like the real Jack getting arrested – and he fought tooth and nail to reverse that but a lowly officer like himself, especially one rumoured to be having an affair with the suspect of all things, wasn't going to have much sway. Officer Trudge did a tad better – until Jack somehow escaped from jail.

And that took the entire possibility of proving his innocence out of the hands of the law. It was guilt or evidence against that handed to them on a silver platter – and he was oh so very thankful when it turned out to be the latter.

Except apparently he'd shown it too plainly on his face because the rumours of the relationship between him and Jack seemed to be stronger as a result.

And he was getting awfully tied of saying that wasn't the case.