Hell Hath No Fury

A Fresh Surprise

"Honesty is a fresh surprise,"
-said someone once

ヽ(*'∀')ﾉ┌┛

"And if you look under your plate," Hikaru prompted with a snap of his fingers. Ran lifted her plate and broke into a grin, picking up the ace of hearts. "You'll find that your card has once more found its way back to you."

Ran flipped over the card to find her signature on the back of the card. "That's my card, all right. How did you do that?"

He clucked his tongue. "Magicians do not reveal their secrets, Ran." Hikaru flicked a new card into existence. "It's a simple matter of distraction," he continued, motioning for Ran to hold out her hands. As she did, he placed her card in her left hand and the other card, the two of diamonds, in her right. "With practice, a bit of sleight of hand here, and a touch of showmanship there, anyone can be a magician." He waved his hands over hers twice, placed his hands over the cards, and snapped the fingers of his left hand. When he took his hands away, the two cards had switched places, and he was beaming like a little boy on Christmas morning.

Ran handed him the cards. Propping her elbows on the table, she rested her chin in her hands. "By that logic, all it takes to be a black belt is a bit of determination, some self-control, and discipline."

"And it's our persistence in each of our professions that puts us on a level above the rest." Hikaru snapped his fingers, and the cards vanished into nothingness. "Did you practice--"

Ran's phone rang, and she looked down at her pocket. "Excuse me for a moment." As she took out her phone, the caller ID stared back at her intently as though it possessed his piercing gaze.

Shinichi.

She lifted her thumb to answer, but she faltered. It wouldn't be polite to cut into this lunch date with Hikaru, and she could talk to Shinichi any time she wanted.

No, you can't.

Besides, Shinichi wasn't here, and Hikaru was treating her to this meal as an apology for how their celebration dinner a few days ago had turned out. Hikaru had been true to his promises, and Shinichi still hadn't fulfilled his.

Ran moaned at herself, shaking her head. What is wrong with me? Answer him! This is Shinichi.

Hikaru caught her hesitation. "What's wrong? Who is it?" He nodded to the phone. "Do you recognize the number?"

"It's Shinichi," she admitted, feeling an odd twinge of guilt. Why do I feel guilty? This is Shinichi. I should be happy to hear from him. Hikaru has someone else, and we're only friends. There's no reason to feel guilty. "Sorry, I need to take this."

"It's no problem," he assured her with a smile. From his coat pocket, he drew out a small, neatly wrapped box on the table. "A little something for the road," he said with a wink. A poof of smoke, and the box vanished from the table. She felt a gentle weight in her bag.

"I'm going to go home," she said to Hikaru. "My talks with Shinichi always go long, and I don't want to impose on you." Answering the phone before it could go to voicemail, she brought the phone to her ear. "I'll see you Friday."

He nodded. "It's been a pleasure, Hana-chan." After he waved goodbye, he tucked into a half-eaten salad.

Shinichi spoke before she could say a thing. "I'm sorry."

"Good. It's been over a week." She left the cafe and began walking down the street. It was only a few blocks from the park, and she really needed the peace and quiet.