Bodily Instincts

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of fingers flying over the keyboard echoed in the dimly lit room. Already after hours, the enforcers had been let loose to enjoy their freedom for the night - as free as their status restrictions allowed them to be. Remaining in the main office of Team One, it was inhabited by the inspectors who were busily working on their reports.

Partnered up with Team Three for their latest case, the chief had requested an immediate formal update from all four team leaders upon their return. After all, they had finally tracked down the criminal and dealt with her as instructed by the system. For it to require two separate teams to handle one case... That was major.

Because they had finally closed the case, both teams were given the next morning off. Upon hearing this, Shuusei had cheered enthusiastically since he was part of the group scheduled to work that shift. With permission, which he obtained from Akane, he vacated the premise as quickly as possible. The next to leave was Yayoi who went in search of Shion. While the other two stayed around longer, eventually they also left since there was no remaining work to complete.

It was the first time the inspectors had really been alone together, but neither of them noticed. Their only commonality was the fact that they belonged to the same job category. Otherwise, their interactions were kept to a minimal.

Nobuchika disapproved of her tendency to rely on the enforcers as if they were actually people. Since he had been crystal clear regarding his views, it had quickly thrown up a barrier between the two because neither cared to budge from their own viewpoint. Not that it mattered since he didn't care for idle fraternization, even if they had a cordial relationship.

Slowly leaning back into his seat, a frown marred the handsome features of Nobuchika as he pushed up the frame of his glasses. His mind pondered on the words he had typed up as part of his report. Unsatisfied with how they sounded, it portrayed the message that the case had been solved by Team Three; a fact which caused a great sense of displeasure.

While they had been the ones to crack the case by providing that missing puzzle piece, it was his enforcers who ultimately got the job done. There was no affection in his regard for his subordinates, but he desired that 'they' as a whole received the recognition they deserved. After all, the performance of the team was a reflection of his skills and capabilities as a team lead.

Still struggling to find the perfect balance of words, his reverie was interrupted by the sudden silence. His eyes strayed from the computer screen, glancing sideways towards his colleague. It seemed as if she had a similar problem, stopping her work completely.

Whatever her issue was, it literally had her squirming in her seat. It wasn't an obvious fact, but he could see the way her shoulders twitched from the slight bodily tremors she was experiencing.

The silence was punctured by a minute sigh that escaped her lips; a sound which was perceived to be much louder than it actually was due to the uncomfortable reality that he had been staring at her. Only now did his current situation register in his mind. It was late at night and the two of them were absolutely and utterly alone together.

The fact that this realization bothered him was irksome. Why would he of all people feel uncomfortable around an upstart new inspector? He wasn't given the chance to analyze the possibilities as his eyes once more focused on his oblivious companion. It was rude to stare; a truth he had learned in his early childhood, but he couldn't help it.

What had started out as barely perceptible had gradually escalated into something more. Her shoulders rocked back and forth like she was engaged in a new form of chair dancing. For the life of him, he couldn't understand what she was doing or how this helped her finish her work. Even so, he was not going to show any interest - any more than he was currently showing.

The strange dancing continued as she was doing something with her hands. He couldn't see because her back was towards him. Shimmy and shake, she wiggled around as she started to struggle out of her blazer.

That's a strange way of undressing, he couldn't help thinking to himself.

Now realizing what she was doing, he should have pulled his gaze away and resumed working, but he didn't. In fact, he couldn't. For a task that would normally only take seconds, she was taking her sweet time in doing so. Despite himself, he was curious to know what she was thinking.

Eventually, she managed to peel herself out of the blazer and it dropped haphazardly behind her. Frowning at such lazy housekeeping, he thought she would resume working, but she didn't. Her shoulders were still shaking in her bizarre dance.

Completely unaware of her audience, he watched as her fingers once more reached towards her chest. It was the same action he had seen earlier and the instinctual feeling that she was about to do the same with her blouse had him jumping out of his seat. A silent exclamation escaped his lips, but it was the noisy clatter of his chair which alerted her to his presence.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, when she turned around to glance at him.

Her hand was poised over her button, two of them already undone. Given the circumstances, he should have already averted his gaze, but he was quickly finding that something about this situation seemed to override all rational behaviours. Despite the fact that she was actually undressing herself in his presence, there was no conscious thought regarding the impropriety of her actions.

"Oh, you're still here," she murmured.
"Yes I am," he stated coldly. "Refrain from such unprofessional behaviour at once."
"But... I'm so itchy!" she complained.
"What?"
"I don't know why, but suddenly I feel itchy all over."

After stating this, she continued to work at her buttons, clearly paying no attention to his earlier words. Except this time, she was facing him as she was doing so. Uttering a curse under his breath, he quickly vacated his seat to physically stop her. Whatever her predicament, people were definitely going to misunderstand.

"Stop that at once!" he repeated, pulling her hands away from her clothes.
"Don't stop me," she pleaded as she struggled against his hold. "It's absolutely unbearable!"
"I fail to see how stripping helps the situation," he replied curtly.
"It chafes against my skin. Let go of me!"

Ignoring her pleas, Nobuchika kept a firm grip on her wrists. Despite the obvious inferiority she had compared to him in physical strength, she continued to fight against him. When that didn't work, she tried a different tactic, her physical suffering removing all capabilities of rational thought. All that registered in her mind was the extreme discomfort she was experiencing on her back.

She suddenly stopped fighting him and Nobuchika felt a sense of wariness overcome him. She was up to something as this was not the Akane he was accustomed to dealing with. Quickly, he found himself the recipient of the sad puppy dog expression that only people like her could actually pull off successfully, causing a pinprick of guilt to penetrate through his mental armour.

Nobuchika's human processor kicked into high gear as it analyzed the data in rapid speed, trying to determine the best solution for both parties present. If he let go of her hands, she was going to resume stripping in the middle of the office, which would be awkward. Yet if he didn't, she was going to continue peering up at him with that pitiful expression on her face. Stuck in a quandary, a jolt of inspiration hit him.

"Why are you so itchy?" he inquired, hoping to distract her yet still determine the cause of her discomfort.
"I don't know..."
"We should go to the medic centre," he declared. "Something is wrong with you, to have this extreme of a reaction."

Feeling much better for coming up with an ingenious solution, he suited actions to words. His hand still held her wrists as he dragged her out of the office. There was nothing Akane could do but trail behind, discreetly trying to break free since his mind was focused elsewhere. Unfortunately, she wasn't successful.

As they walked into the medic centre, one of the overnight nurses came to greet them. When she inquired as to the problem, Nobuchika pulled Akane, still in her disheveled state, in front of him. Her cheeks puffed out in displeasure at his brusque treatment. Just because she was itchy, it didn't mean she couldn't move her own body.

"She has a sudden case of extreme itchiness," Nobuchika announced on her behalf.
"When did it start?
"Just a few minutes ago, but I feel as if I need to scratch my skin off. It's so itchy!" Akane answered.
"Hm... Well come with me and we'll take a look at it."

At this, Nobuchika released her hands, allowing Akane to eagerly follow after the nurse. If she could tell what was wrong and remedy it, she wanted to know. Her back felt like there was a heated, spiky worm crawling everywhere - she couldn't make the burning and itchiness go away.

Safely delivering her into the capable hands of the nurse, this was where Nobuchika was supposed to turn on his heel and head back to the office. Rather than doing so, he found his feet carrying him forward, also following the nurse. He had no idea what had happened to Akane, but with such strange behaviour, he wanted to know the answer.

"You'll have to wait out here," the nurse said to him as they arrived at the patient's examination area.

Noticing for the first time that her fellow inspector was still present, Akane turned to glance at him in surprise. Clearly she expected him to leave the moment the nurse had taken her under her wing. Instead of providing any explanations, Nobuchika only folded his arms across his chest and seated himself on the chair he had been directed to.

Since he didn't say anything, Akane obediently entered the examination room; it couldn't really be called a room since it was only sectioned off with a wrap-around curtain. Though he couldn't see what was happening, he could still hear their conversation.

He did not miss the sigh of pleasure from Akane as the nurse asked her to remove her blouse. That was exactly what she had been attempting to do, until he had stopped her. While she was doing so, he heard the nurse put on a pair of nitrile gloves, preparing herself for the exam.

A small grunt sounded at something that the nurse did, creating greater discomfort for Akane, on top of what she was already experiencing. Questions were asked, which Akane did her best to answer. It all sounded very routine. Unexpectedly, he had to strain his ears to listen in when their voices suddenly dropped to a hushed whisper.

"W-What... Of course not!" Akane exclaimed in shock.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," the nurse replied with a chuckle. "Put your shirt back on and I'll grab the lotion that you need."

After saying so, the nurse slipped out of the room. Spotting Nobuchika who had immediately stood upon her appearance, she smiled. She repeated what she had last said to Akane before she walked away, disappearing into the pharmaceutics area. Frowning at the lack of explanation, he could only await her reappearance. The nurse returned before Akane emerged from behind the heavy curtains. Only when she joined them did the nurse explain the diagnosis.

"She must have eaten something that didn't sit well with her because she had an allergic reaction. If you'll apply the lotion on the affected areas, it will suppress the itchiness."
"That's it?" Nobuchika asked in disbelief.
"She's lucky that it's not worse. Some people have other, more serious complications. If you'll come with me, I'll show you to a room you can use."
"... There's no medication she can take?"
"Unfortunately, not in her case because we don't know the exact cause. If we did further testing, we would be able to prescribe something, but she doesn't feel that it is necessary."
"I've never had anything like this before. The lotion will suffice," commented Akane.

Not in a position to force her into a medical exam, Nobuchika could only frown in response. Given the fact that she didn't know the cause... All the more reason to test it out, in his opinion anyways. Since the big mystery was no longer a mystery, the only thing he could do was follow along.

He had no idea that the nurse had misunderstood their relationship; the very topic that had elicited Akane's earlier shocked response. Before he even knew what was happening, Nobuchika found himself thrust into a tiny room - actually a room - six-by-ten feet in size. Akane entered after him and he was given no chance to inquire as to the purpose. When it looked like he was about to protest, the nurse just smiled at him enigmatically and gave him a wink.

"The lotion," she reminded them. "It's just the thing she needs to take away the irritation."

Then with a wave of her fingers as a parting farewell, she silently closed the door. Trapped in such confined quarters, Nobuchika had the feeling that it was the resting room for on-shift nurses – though why they had been brought here, he couldn't fathom. It was sparsely furnished with only a twin-sized cot, a plastic chair and a sink.

He stood immobilized in the middle of the room, making it difficult for Akane to move. Eventually she had to squeeze past him so she could gain access to the cot, sitting down on it. The lotion she had received from the nurse was placed beside her. While Nobuchika was busily contemplating about the changes to their situation, she made quick work of her blouse, once more removing it.

Inexplicably, Nobuchika felt the tension in the room crackling against his skin; involuntarily turning around to re-engage his colleague and reassess what had just occurred. For his efforts, he found his body stiffened as his eyes were drawn to the motions of her hand. When he wasn't watching, she had removed her blouse and was currently in the process of applying the lotion that had been provided.

Akane was calmly sitting in front of him, exposing herself, completely unembarrassed. Granted that they didn't normally get along, she could still have a sense of awareness regarding the fact that they were man and woman. Though he didn't let the impulses control him, he was a virile, young man. Not to mention, he found that his ability to coexist peacefully with someone had zero correlation to attraction - case in point with her.

He wasn't one to freely share the inner workings of his mind, but he had discovered that he had a love-hate relationship with the female inspector. Whenever she argued against him with her sentimental viewpoints, he felt the desire to shake her out of her rose-tinted world. At the same time, he had witnessed her evolution, as had all the enforcers, and found himself envious of her natural resiliency and unprecedented aptitude to grasp the entire picture. Her very existence was capable of drawing out the intensity of emotions that he was typically able to suppress.

Given the situation, her naivety only served to heighten his sense of stimulation. Her hand glided across her skin in deliberate movements, reaching beneath the cup of her bra to spread lotion on her breast. Nobuchika felt his blood rush to his groin and he clenched his fingers into a fist; a futile attempt to curb the flash of desire that heated his veins.

With sheer strength of will, he managed to drag his gaze away from the hypnotic motions of her hands. Yet even then, he couldn't pull it away from her completely. His eyes took in the sight of her luminous skin, now splotched with angry welts of red and small white bumps; the rise of her perky breasts; the trim outline of her petite figure.

There was no recognition of time's passage and he had no idea how long they had been trapped in this surreal encounter of entertainer and captivated audience. The hazy cloud of intense focus was finally broken when she sighed. It sounded lusty to his ears and he swallowed forcibly when she raised her head to glance up at him. Her expression was relaxed, oblivious to the raging mess of testosterone he had been reduced to.

"Help me out, would you?" she asked as she offered the tube of lotion.
"... What?" he questioned, struggling to keep the sexual frustration from his voice.
"My back is still itchy and I can't reach."

Stupefied by how unaffected she was, he could only stare. He didn't trust his voice - not that he could think of anything to say which would extricate him from this situation. When he didn't act immediately upon her request, she let out an annoyed puff of air and pouted at him. As she started to writhe around in clear discomfort, he was once again reminded that she was not herself. The nurse never mentioned anything about the mental effects it could have, but he was seriously starting to question that possibility.

"Please," she pleaded. "It's so itchy!"

Her eyes implored him to heed her instructions. While his brain cried out for him to reassess his options, his body moved of its own accord. Apparently she had weaved a spell over him, such that all aspects of his rational self were pushed from the forefront of his mind.

Stepping forward, he obediently took the lotion from her and a ghost of a smile graced her lips. Wordlessly, she shifted down more so he could seat himself next to her. At the same time, she turned her back towards him and slipped the straps of her bra off of her shoulders, allowing him easier access.

It felt like an out-of-body experience to him as Nobuchika settled himself next to her. Her back was facing him and he promptly squeezed some of the lotion onto his upturned palm. Smearing it between both hands, he felt his breathing quicken as he reached out to touch her.

She jerked away when he first placed his palm to her skin, murmuring that it was cold. Yet immediately, she relaxed once more, allowing him to do as she requested. As he glided his hand along her skin, he thought he wasn't doing too terribly, given the situation. Even so, he had to will himself to ignore the extraneous thoughts that flooded his mind due to their close proximity.

Eventually, he found a natural rhythm in his application. He would alternate hands since both were covered in lotion as it were. Back and forth, his palms would rub left to right, top to bottom.

Prematurely, he congratulated himself on a job well done for holding his baser instincts at bay. He was unprepared for the hearty sigh of pleasure she released when he was nearly finished, his hand still resting at the small of her back. The sound was the catalyst for opening the floodgates used to keep his desire in check. Already, she had put him through so much - he couldn't take it anymore.

Both hands were placed on her back, his fingertips caressing upwards along her skin, still soft and supple despite the irritations. She stiffened, sensing his change in behaviour. His hands lightly gripped her shoulders before he was suddenly leaning in towards her. The knot of his tie pressed against her back as he placed his face close to hers.

"How does that feel?" he asked in a low, husky whisper.

Though she should reply to his question, Akane was frozen in place, incapable of doing so. She was suddenly extremely self-conscious of the intimate position they were in; a thought that had never entered her mind prior, even as he was applying lotion on her bare back. Little did she know, she didn't need to reply since he asked it as a rhetorical question.

His lips had brushed across her ear as he spoke, and she could feel his warm breath teasing her hair. She had never been this close to him before and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. At this point, he was the one in control and all she could do was squeeze her eyes closed while wishing her heart would stop pounding painfully against her chest.

She didn't force him away and Nobuchika took this as a sign that she accepted his advances. One arm wrapped around her shoulders while the other slid around her waist. He pulled her towards him until she was cocooned within his embrace. Burying his nose in her hair, he breathed in deeply; his nostrils teased by the smell of orchids and camphor. The mingling of her shampoo with the faint scent of the medicated lotion was intoxicating, fuelling his desire to know her more intimately still.

Once again, his lips searched out her ear and Akane thought he would say something, but he didn't. Instead, the tip of his tongue touched her ear, drawing the fleshy lobe between his lips. Shivers tingled down her spine at the unfamiliar sensation of Nobuchika nibbling on her ear. Her vision temporarily blinded with the closing of her eyes, it seemed to enhance every nuance of what she was experiencing.

His lips preoccupied with their task, his hand grew restless and it began to caress her abdomen. The more he touched her, the more obsessed he became with its silky smoothness. As his hand began to creep upwards, Akane's pulse quickened. This was not the Nobuchika she knew and worked with on a daily basis; she didn't know who this was and she should push him away, but she couldn't.

When his lips grew bored with her ear, it began a downward path along her neck; feathering light kisses along its way, seemingly in search of something. These sensations he was creating within her were unlike anything she had ever felt before. The only thing she could do was clutch at his roving arm, in desperate need to cling onto something.

His touch was like smouldering coal, etching its mark deeply beneath her skin; an uncontrolled burning with each caress that was similar to the earlier discomfort she felt, yet so different - this was only pleasurable. It was the last thing she would expect from Nobuchika who was typically nothing but stern lectures and frowns. Alone together in this situation, the blistering passion he held for her was conveyed loud and clear, and ignited something reciprocal deep within her. She didn't want him to stop.

Pushing it aside, his hand slipped beneath her bra to cup her breast and Akane could feel herself melting into him, wanting more and more. At the same time, grazing along the tender line of her neck, he found a sensitive spot. She shuddered violently as his teeth sank into her flesh to gently bite her. His lips sucked on her as he simultaneously fondled her chest, extracting a throaty moan from her that echoed within the tiny quarters they occupied.

The sounds she unwittingly made were what opened the floodgates, and were also what slammed them shut once more. Freezing in the position they were in, the senior inspector came back to his senses. He had just done something that crossed the line; taking advantage of her situation. If she hasn't stopped him, he would have ravished her right here, right now - in a thin-walled room where he was certain the nurses would hear everything.

"Ginoza-san...?" she inquired breathlessly, the first to breach the heavy atmosphere which had fallen upon them.

He remained silent, his mind working furiously to determine how to extricate himself from this compromising scenario. The desire he felt for her still coursed rampantly through his system, but this was neither the time nor place to fulfill his bodily urges. Despite the fact that he stopped abruptly, she made no move that enticed him to continue, for which he was relieved. His immunity towards her was clearly non-existent as this situation proved. On the other hand, she made no move of her own to escape his embrace, content to remain where she was.

Though he realized the impropriety of it, he allowed his lips to linger against her skin, reluctant to pull away even as it was the moral thing to do. Slowly pulling his hand away from her breast, he sat back, still unable to think of the proper thing to say. With the miraculous moment they just shared, truncated as it were, he didn't want to convey the wrong message as he was prone to do in her presence. How could he tell her that he was horny as hell, but only around her, and not get slapped in the face?

Since he didn't speak, she shifted so they were sitting side-by-side, understanding his unspoken message. Pulling her bra back into place, she reached behind him for the shirt she had thrown off earlier. When she was fully dressed, she turned her attention towards him, still waiting for his guidance on where this left them. The lotion had done wonders as the nurse had promised it would, but the unforeseen use of Nobuchika for its application had left a different sort of itch - one that only he could cure.

"We still have work to finish," he finally stated, recalling the task they had been working on prior to this interlude.
"... And then?" she inquired when he didn't say anything else.
"And?"
"After we're finished?" she supplied.

He could comprehend what her words implied, yet he couldn't believe it either. Before this, he could have sworn she hated him - he had given her every reason to with his unnecessarily harsh condemnations. Only now as they sat discussing this did he realize the intensity of his own emotions; his unwillingness to speak due to fear that what they just shared was going to be the first and last time when she rejected him. Yet when he finally took the chance to glance at her, she was not levelling a gaze of despised disgust his way.

Her expression was composed as she spoke earnestly, making a quick judgment call as was her habit. While his approach had been unconventional, skipping steps in the process, he had managed to clumsily convey his sincerity. A slow grin spread across her features as once again, she seemed to read his mind though he said nothing. It was an uncanny ability of hers and Nobuchika was grateful that he didn't need to verbalize his thoughts and feelings just yet. Everything was still so new to him, just as it was to her.

"Work?" she suggested.

Nodding his head in response, he stood up, feeling a sense of euphoria overcome him. He wasn't smiling, but Akane could tell that his features were relaxed in a way she had never seen before. It was enough to bring a small smile to her lips. Since he made no move to open the door, she went to do so - only to find herself hindered by Nobuchika's hand around her wrist. Before she could turn to glance at him, he has spun her around and dragged her up against him. Tentatively, her hands rested on his chest, suddenly shy regarding this new discovery.

"I can at least do one thing right," he stated cryptically.

She wasn't given the chance to ask what he meant and she didn't have to. His arms wrapped around her protectively as he lowered his face towards hers. Stepping onto her tiptoes, he was going to kiss her and she aided the process, wanting it since he was offering. Unlike the animalistic reaction he had shown earlier, his kiss was uncharacteristically gentle. It affected her more profoundly than everything he did previously and she felt her knees grow weak when he pulled away. His own reluctance to part was obvious in the way he held her tight, just embracing her, even when they had a deadline looming over their heads.

"We'll never finish at this rate," she finally said with a chuckle.
"Right."

He released her and she went to open the door while he went to retrieve the tube of lotion still sitting opened on the cot. Allowing her to exit first, he quietly closed the door behind him. As the two of them snuck out of the medic centre, he was thankful that the nurses were nowhere in sight. While it seemed as if the one nurse noticed something that neither of them did, any other one would question why they were here.

They walked back to the office in companionable silence, their thoughts focusing on the reports they needed to turn in. Nobuchika wanted to finish as quickly as possible so he had more time to spend with Akane. He was reviewing the words he had written when she suddenly let out a small exclamation. Turning his head to glance at her, she stopped walking and he thought she might have forgotten something in their haste to resume their work.

"What is it?" he asked.
"I just remembered," she said with a hint of blush tinting her cheeks, "that we all have the morning off..."
"Oh? ... Oh!"

A gleam entered his eyes as he remembered the exact conversation he had with the chief regarding that subject. At the time, he thought she was being surprisingly lenient with them, thinking that there was still other work to be done. Now he was grateful and excited because there was something more important that he needed to do. What were they doing, idly wasting their time here when they could maximize their time back at his place? A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he immediately grasped her hand and rushed them back to the office.

AN

Dedicated to my awesome friend, Destinies Entwined. For always finding ways to inspire me along my writing journey, whether it's directly or indirectly, and for sharing my love for this amazing series!

It was supposed to be my attempt at reclaiming my former title, but it didn't quite turn out that way. I couldn't find a way to end it on that note, and frankly, I prefer happy endings! ;)

But geez Louise, this entire story was typed up on my iPod before I mailed it to myself... I cannot believe it takes that long! For a story this length, it took me a week to write it out when really, it should have taken two days. I wish I could say "I will never do that again!" but somehow, I think I still will on some occasion... Lol!

That said, I got lazy about the editing after I transferred it into a word document, so if you spot any mistakes, let me know! And I apologize for the weirdly formatted chunks of dialogue. Other than that, hope you enjoyed it!