Disclaimer: I do not own this Anime/Manga, Gosho Aoyama does. This is a fan-derived work of fiction.

Spoiler Warning: Contains information and characters seen much later in the Manga series than the 26 volumes released in the US. If you haven't read/or watched online versions of the Japanese releases (as they are on Manga 62 or so) you might get confused in this fic. If you don't mind spoilers or you know what happens in the later Manga, feel free to read to your heart's content.

Title: Murder Broods:

Chapter One: Fortune Smiles Darkly

Crows circled the sky above the alley, the blue black space among the scattered stars peeking from between two adjacent buildings. Cigarette smoke swirled from the lit end as two cold eyes followed the grey billows before averting sharply to an approaching figure.

"This too was a dead end." Gin glared down the alley's palpable shadows, then at Vodka; his eyes narrowed, the ashes of his cigarette flared then faded in the darkness. The blond-brown hair folded over Gin's eyes, shadowing them as he crushed his cigarette; the crows caw echoed in the stillness and Gin's cigarette sizzled out.

"Aniki…."

"This fox is sneaky….a different approach is required…." Gin glared through his hair at Vodka and sneered, the glint in his eyes dangerous. He turned into the shadow, Vodka following, and sunk into the dark of the alley.

Above them a solitary crow flew across the violet tapestry of sky and vanished, its caw blending into the busy city noise.

0

Conan stood on one leg, kicking a soccer ball as he listened to Agasa tinkering in the next room; for three weeks only cases of adultery and lost pets filtered into the Mouri detective agency—none turned into anything bigger. He sighed, caught the soccer ball and sat on the couch, staring absently at the steaming cup of tea resting on the table.

The billows of steam disappeared as each floated up, he reached for the handle, his fingers an inch away when the clank of his cell-phone hitting the floor echoed and the soccer ball rolled off the couch.

Conan picked up the cell and flipped it open; he stared at the number-pad, Nanatsu no Ko echoing within his muffled thoughts—if he used the email to contact the syndicate's boss….

"Don't Kudo, it's Pandora's Box." Haibara stared at the phone, then at Conan as the detective flipped it close. She held papers under her arm, halfway to the basement stairs. "Don't be reckless."

"I know." Conan sighed and brought the cell to his right pocket, his eyes closed and shadowed by his bangs. Midway to his pocket it rang. One glance at the number display and he knew who it was. "Moshi-moshi."

"Hello Cool Kid, You doing well, ne?" Jodie greeted him.

"You're calling about some new information, right? About Bourbon….?"

"No, there's nothing new on that regard. But something's happening with the syndicate…our contact couldn't say much….but it seems the syndicate's mainframe was hacked."

"Hacked?" Conan's eyes widened then narrowed, his heart thumping in his chest. "Isn't that impossible?"

"Yes, I thought so too. Even the best FBI hackers couldn't penetrate beyond the primary defenses. I'd say it was a hoax, if not for the fact that three known hackers have disappeared since four days ago."

"This…this…." Conan gritted his teeth, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. "Whoever this hacker is, he's in danger…."

"The FBI is already on top of it, only we must do it discreetly…a new agent has been sent to ensure the syndicate doesn't suspect our involvement. Revelation of an information leak will endanger the contact."

Conan heard Jodie pause, and the slight ruffle of paper.

"We need you on the look out; the syndicate might trip up since the breach has put them on edge. Finding the hacker seems their first priority, which means that…."

"….they're worried the hacker got vital information, and since the hacker wasn't found yet, they weren't able to trace him…."

"This hacker could be what we need; someone with the skill to hack their mainframe, while avoiding detection and evading capture would make an essential key to taking down the syndicate."

"Are there any clues to the hacker's identity?"

"Yes, I'll send it once I hang up. Good luck Cool Kid."

The call ended, and moments later a text came in.

0

--Hacker ID: +r09-mrdrwng

Deliberately left trail after 50 minute breach—

Narrowed eyes behind midnight hair traced each letter of the text; the thin lips twisted to a frown as two strands of hair fell over the eyes. An impatient left hand pushed the strands behind the ear, hair sleeked with gel and the eerie shine of the flickering overhead streetlight.

The moon hid behind a cloud as black gloved fingers closed out the message; the cell snapped shut and placed in the right hand pocket; the wind stilled, silence awakening the hundred unnoticed sounds of night. The streetlight flickered out and in the shadow only the unevenly cropped midnight hair of the figure stood out in its silhouette.

Crows cawed noisily as a breeze blew the clouds and the moon glimmered with silver light over the buildings. The crows fluttered into the sky when the silence broke with a sharp click. The figure barely moved even under the sudden touch of cold steel pointed against its left temple.

"As cautious as ever," The figure shifted narrowed eyes toward the gun-wielder, coal black eyes that glistened surrounded by pallid skin. "….ne, Gin?"

Gin withdrew the Beretta, his expression unchanging as the silhouetted figure stepped into the clear moonlight, revealing her youthful face.

"It's time to start preparations for your assignment."

"In spite of the new development? It's first priority, ne, Gin?"

"Your mission's the same as planned. This recent development doesn't concern you."

"In other words, Sempai will fix everything while the little Kohai attends class." The unknown female chuckled and pushed an arrant strand of hair back behind her ear. "Perfect metaphor, ne? Fits with my assignment."

Gin's expression remained impassive until the female looked away, her lips pursed and eyes darkened by shadow.

"Don't mess this up. We need someone to keep an eye on that detective, see what he knows, what he's up to." Gin turned toward the shadow after a brief glance down and across the street.

Two blocks down the lights clicked off at the Mouri detective agency.

End Chapter: My first Detective Conan fanfic, I hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think.