Title: Ubiquitous Question
Author/Artist: sapphirestars
Pairing: Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako
Fandom: Detective Conan
Theme: #13 excessive chain
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

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Without fail, through rain or shine, Detective Satou Miwako found herself at her annual family reunion.

And without fail, Satou would find herself clutching her steering wheel in murderous irritation on the drive back to her Tokyo home. And why, after such a nice event, would the detective feel like offing her entire family?

Well, first there was the issue of her outfit. Satou only wore skirts to work and those were knee-length. Otherwise, she was a jeans and t-shirts kind of gal. Currently, she was all dolled up in a dress, heels and makeup. She would have worn pants but her mother had insisted on the dress.

But Satou would have let her attire slide if it hadn't gone downhill from there.

Without fail, Satou had once again been asked the famous question by her relatives:

Why aren't you married yet?

Satou snarled as she drove considerably faster than the speed limit. It was the constant query; Satou had been assaulted by some form of that question since her adolescence.

When she was thirteen subtle comments were made about Satou's status 'on the market.'

When she was sixteen, Aunt Yoko had asked her "Miwako-chan, why don't you have a boyfriend yet?" Satou had nearly popped a vein and told her dear aunt that she was far too busy with her studies to concern herself with a hormonally driven idiot. Well, scratch that, she had simply said boy.

When she was eighteen, she had signed up for the police academy, intent to follow in her father's footsteps. At that year's family reunion, Uncle Hideko had wondered why on earth she wanted to be a police officer. She ought to be going about getting herself a man. Uncle Hideko had very nearly gotten a right hook to the jaw.

When she had turned twenty-three and was promoted to the criminal 1st investigation unit, Satou had announced the news at that reunion. She had received applause, cheers and the inevitable "That's lovely, dear! Maybe there you'll find a nice young man to marry!"

Her promotion at twenty-five to assistant inspector had earned her sighs and an "I know a nice young doctor!" from her grandmother.

But Satou was now twenty-eight and, after having refused the match-up with Shiratori-kun her mother had forced upon her, Satou's relatives were getting restless. There had been a number of strange young men at this year's celebration. All of whom were recruited especially for Satou. There were all kinds of possibilities: tall men, short men, brunettes, blondes, young, old, funny, stupid, arrogant and humble…all at Satou's feet, and kissing the ground she walked on. Needless to say, Satou had taken one look at the situation, cast her mother a dirty look and proclaimed loudly "You are all insane! Certifiably insane!" She had then slammed the door behind her.

Satou would have brought her mother (seeing as they lived together) but she was staying with the family for a week.

She loved her family; she really did. She knew they meant well. But how could a young woman be expected to endure hours of "Why aren't you dating?" without pulling out some sort of weapon?

Besides Satou didn't have time to date. Police officers were on call 24/7. She was there to work very hard for the sake of peace in the city.

Satou made a sharp right as she entered the vicinity of her apartment building. Turning off the ignition and slamming the door shut, she trudged up the stairs to her floor. Kicking off her heels and heading to her closet, Satou pulled out a pair of sweats before changing.

Five minutes later, Satou headed to the couch with a cup of ramen in her hand and a blanket. Switching the TV on, she found a late-night drama and settled in…the many suitors long forgotten.

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It was Monday morning when Satou reported in for work. Juggling some paperwork, Satou proceeded to head to her desk. "Miwako-chan!"

Satou looked up. "Yes?" she asked, holding in a laugh over at Yumi's giddiness. "What is it?"

Yumi took a seat next to her friend. "So, how was the reunion? Did you have fun?" Satou frowned and stood. "I think we should get to work, don't you? After all, crime never sleeps!" Yumi narrowed her eyes. "Miwako…" she replied warningly. Heaving a sigh, Satou sat back down. "It was terrible. My crazy family brought in all these guys for me!"

"Why exactly are you complaining?"

"Yumi! I don't need a man! And that's all I heard for the fifteen minutes I was there! 'Miwa-chan, why aren't you married yet?' 'Miwako, dear, look at this nice young man…he's a doctor!'… I decided to just leave."

"Was the doctor cute at the very least?" Yumi leaned in eagerly.

"Yumi, focus. His cuteness or lack thereof, is not the point. They're crazy! The whole lot of them. And, hey, don't spread this around ok? It's so embarrassing!" Satou blushed and shuffled her papers. God knows what Takagi-kun would think!

"Of course not!" Yumi beamed. "My lips are sealed!" She replied, crossing her fingers behind her back. "Well, time to go out for traffic duty, see ya Miwako-chan!" Satou shook her head as she watched the younger girl very nearly skip out. Turning on her computer, she began to input data from her latest report.

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On the other side of the room, Takagi Wataru was watching a certain raven-haired, blue-eyed female detective. She also happened to be his superior and two years older. But even though Takagi was fairly mild-mannered, he was never one to back down from a challenge…even if his hands were prone to nervous shaking.

"Takagi-kun!" He turned and came face to face with Yumi. "Yumi-san? What is it?"

She grinned conspiratorially. "I've got something to tell you!" Takagi raised an eyebrow at the woman's antics. "Do you?"

"Uh-huh. I've already told a few of Satou's other suitors but I figured you should know that this past weekend, Satou's family set up a huge match-up for her!"

"WHAT!" Takagi shouted.

"SHH! Keep it down! I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."

Takagi's eyes narrowed. "It's good to know that you have such discretion."

Yumi scowled and turned to walk away. "I guess I should share my information with Shiratori-kun. He might appreciate it more than you."

Takagi reached for her arm. "Wait! I'm sorry! Tell me, tell me!" Yumi acquiesced and continued. "Well, turns out her family brought in a whole bunch of 'eligible young men' for her to consider. The fifteen minutes that she spent at the reunion were filled with questions about her marital status."

"Wow, poor Satou-san." Takagi imagined her shock at having been accosted by several men. He then couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of her storming out. Well, at least she's not interested in them.

"Takagi-kun, are you listening?"

Takagi's head shot up. "Huh? Yes, yes I am."

Yumi regarded him suspiciously before nodding her head. "Good. Now you better act fast because I bet word's gotten around. I'm sure Shiratori-kun would love to be her sympathetic ear." She grinned and sauntered off.

Takagi stared after and shook his head. "She takes pleasure in all of this, doesn't she?"

When he turned to watch Satou again, he noticed she was absent from her seat. Setting out to look for her, he ignored the dozens of officers who were doing the same.

Walking through the police department, Takagi could vaguely hear other officers calling out to each other.

"Nope, she's not here!"

"Ask Megure-keibu! Maybe he sent her out on a case!"

"Without Takagi? No way. Maybe Shiratori-kun's talking to her?"

The last comment in particular intensified Takagi's search. But forty minutes and a few errands later, Takagi had yet to come across his favorite detective.

Slouching into the break room, he headed to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. Sitting at the table, he cupped his chin in his hand and wondered just where Satou had disappeared to.

"Takagi-kun! There you are! Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" Satou Miwako stood at the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Satou-san! I was looking for you too!" Takagi stood up quickly and nearly knocked over his coffee. "Oh…damn."

Satou rolled her eyes and headed towards him. "Careful. Megure-keibu has an assignment for us. We have to head out and investigate some new lead on that bank robbery from last week. So let's go." She turned to head out.

"Uh…Satou-san? Are you all right? You seem a little upset." Takagi's brow furrowed and he took a step towards her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yumi told you."

"Uhhhh—"

"Just as I expected. I'm fine." Satou sighed and sat down. "But after a long weekend, I now have to deal with several people approaching me about what I'm looking for in a guy or even worse the common 'Really, Satou-san? You aren't seeing anyone?'"

"Oh, well-well I didn't mean to…" Takagi stammered.

"No, I know you won't do that but its still a pain, which is why I was looking for you." Just then she looked straight at him and smiled. "I figured we could head out and work on that case together without anyone to bother us." Satou's face lit up as she patted his shoulder.

It took Takagi a few moments to get his pounding heart under control. Who knew his stomach could turn cartwheels like that?

"Really? So you, uh, wanted to work with me?" He very nearly squeaked. Satou gave him a puzzled smile. "Well, of course! You're my partner! Besides, I know you won't ask me why I'm not married yet. Can you imagine my leaving the force?"

"NO!" Takagi burst out. "That-that would be bad."

Satou nodded in the affirmative. "Exactly what I say!" She stood up then and Takagi pushed her chair in for her. "Oh, thanks." She blushed slightly.

Flashing a smile, Takagi shook his head. "No problem. You want some coffee before we go? We got those new travel cups."

"Y-yeah, that'd be great." Satou stuttered. What is wrong with you? He just asked if you wanted coffee!

"Here you go!" Takagi handed her the cup, their fingers brushed and both turned a lovely shade of crimson. "Ahhhh—"

"Heh. Yes, um…thank you." She took a sip and smiled. They both headed towards the door at the same time causing Satou to stumble backward and into Takagi. "Satou-san, are you all right?" He asked concerned as he grasped at her waist, firmly steadying her.

Satou was sure her face was as red as a tomato. She didn't need a mirror. "Fine, just fine!" She smiled weakly, trying to ignore just where his hands were.

But Takagi didn't seem to notice as he held the door open for her and then walked in step beside her.

Miwako-chan, why aren't you married yet?

"I just needed to find the right one!" She spoke out loud and Takagi looked at her questioningly. "The right what?"

She laughed nervously. "I needed to find the right coffee you know…right taste, the right buzz." Satou began walking at a faster pace but she glanced back at Takagi, who lengthened his stride to catch up with her. She smiled to herself and took a sip of her coffee.

Yeah, the right one.

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The End

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A/N: Hey there! This is my first foray into Takagi and Satou. Yes, I have also jumped on the LJ challenge bandwagon but I think I'm doing it a bit differently. These two don't get the love they deserve and they're so adorable. Especially Takagi :hugs:

This goes out to candyland who's been just awesome and has provided me with plenty of inspiration for this couple.

Please Review!