His stoic heart skipped a beat when Takagi embraced him. (I’ll be damned…) It did feel natural, surprisingly so. Testing this theory, he mirrored her, taking what she wordlessly offered and bringing her close. Ignoring a snide voice in the back of his mind (that sounded vaguely like his older sister) that he was being moronically sentimental; he savored the sensation of holding someone and being held. Three years was a long time to be without such comfort, even if you were a mal-tempered, chain smoking asshole.
He listed as she spoke of strange feelings, of experiencing fleeting images that he knew she was reluctant to call memories. He could tell that she was still struggling to make sense of a surreal situation, of a bond and a connection with him that defied conventional logic. He didn’t blame her. He was also struggling with long buried emotions. Her self-doubt and propensity to apologize for putting her hands on him would have to stop however.
Do you think this, whatever it is that is happening to me, could be related to what you said about us?
Saitoh pulled away just a little, so he could look carefully into her eyes. Men and women had wilted under his penetrating gaze, but she to her credit held steady. He could see confusion, hope, fear and desire in her gaze, but no hint of prevarication. He had always been wary of lawyers, mindful that a smart attorney could weave believable stories out of falsehoods and leave gaping wounds that he’d be hard pressed to duplicate with an automatic firearm. He saw no trace of that in this woman, no sign of her being anything but absolutely honest with him.
This was critical. Her life and eventually his, if she chose to walk beside him, would depend on such candor.
“You already know the answer to your question, Takagi-san,” he said, his deep voice echoing slightly in the nearly empty shooting range, “but have not yet reconciled yourself to that knowledge.” Never one to mince words he continued, “You’re an intelligent woman and based on your case history, a formidable attorney.”
His expression darkened with predatory satisfaction as he recalled the ruthless gleam in her steely eyes as she’d vowed to bring the woman who’d compromised the safety of so many DOJ employees. She had a vicious streak in her, one that mirrored his own, and allowed her to face down powerful, dangerous criminals without batting her pretty eyelashes, “Cross examine yourself in this matter, the way you would a witness on the stand. Question this connection we share, examine what evidence is available to you. I am confident that you will find it…that you will find us….able to withstand the scrutiny.”
While his words were professional and detached, the way his arms tightened around her slender waist and pulled her tight against him were anything but clinical. He could feel her heart beating like a drum beneath her body armor and was sure she could sense that his heartbeat had synched itself with hers.
“In my office I shared a theory. Test it. Test me. Look for and expose any weakness of thinking, any flaw that you can find. There is too much on the line for both of us not to be thorough.” He didn’t want her to be frightened and filled with doubt. Not where he was concerned. It was imperative that she understood his motives, that he was as honest with her as she had been with him. “Once you have come to an awareness of the truth, pursue it relentlessly, leaving no room for regret and doubt.”
For a moment, he allowed his expression to become completely unguarded, for her to clearly see the ferocious regard and desire he held for her person, and perhaps if she was perceptive, catch a glimpse of the hope and relief he felt at having finally found her. “I will give you the time you need and the safety you require to come to an understanding. So relax, and quit apologizing for being too forward.”
He gave her a crooked, sly grin, his eyes glinting with banked amusement at the notion he’d ever complain if she put her hands on him, “I’m not easily offended and I don’t bite…much.”
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Date: 2012-05-18 05:29 am (UTC)He listed as she spoke of strange feelings, of experiencing fleeting images that he knew she was reluctant to call memories. He could tell that she was still struggling to make sense of a surreal situation, of a bond and a connection with him that defied conventional logic. He didn’t blame her. He was also struggling with long buried emotions. Her self-doubt and propensity to apologize for putting her hands on him would have to stop however.
Do you think this, whatever it is that is happening to me, could be related to what you said about us?
Saitoh pulled away just a little, so he could look carefully into her eyes. Men and women had wilted under his penetrating gaze, but she to her credit held steady. He could see confusion, hope, fear and desire in her gaze, but no hint of prevarication. He had always been wary of lawyers, mindful that a smart attorney could weave believable stories out of falsehoods and leave gaping wounds that he’d be hard pressed to duplicate with an automatic firearm. He saw no trace of that in this woman, no sign of her being anything but absolutely honest with him.
This was critical. Her life and eventually his, if she chose to walk beside him, would depend on such candor.
“You already know the answer to your question, Takagi-san,” he said, his deep voice echoing slightly in the nearly empty shooting range, “but have not yet reconciled yourself to that knowledge.” Never one to mince words he continued, “You’re an intelligent woman and based on your case history, a formidable attorney.”
His expression darkened with predatory satisfaction as he recalled the ruthless gleam in her steely eyes as she’d vowed to bring the woman who’d compromised the safety of so many DOJ employees. She had a vicious streak in her, one that mirrored his own, and allowed her to face down powerful, dangerous criminals without batting her pretty eyelashes, “Cross examine yourself in this matter, the way you would a witness on the stand. Question this connection we share, examine what evidence is available to you. I am confident that you will find it…that you will find us….able to withstand the scrutiny.”
While his words were professional and detached, the way his arms tightened around her slender waist and pulled her tight against him were anything but clinical. He could feel her heart beating like a drum beneath her body armor and was sure she could sense that his heartbeat had synched itself with hers.
“In my office I shared a theory. Test it. Test me. Look for and expose any weakness of thinking, any flaw that you can find. There is too much on the line for both of us not to be thorough.” He didn’t want her to be frightened and filled with doubt. Not where he was concerned. It was imperative that she understood his motives, that he was as honest with her as she had been with him. “Once you have come to an awareness of the truth, pursue it relentlessly, leaving no room for regret and doubt.”
For a moment, he allowed his expression to become completely unguarded, for her to clearly see the ferocious regard and desire he held for her person, and perhaps if she was perceptive, catch a glimpse of the hope and relief he felt at having finally found her. “I will give you the time you need and the safety you require to come to an understanding. So relax, and quit apologizing for being too forward.”
He gave her a crooked, sly grin, his eyes glinting with banked amusement at the notion he’d ever complain if she put her hands on him, “I’m not easily offended and I don’t bite…much.”