"There is no way out," sneered a tall man with long blond hair who was donning sheer black from his top hat to his polished shoes. As odd as his apparel might seem, the most attention-seeking thing about him was the gleaming pistol in his left hand. It was aimed at a dark-haired azure-eyed panting boy.
"Farewell, Edogawa Conan, ah no, Kudo Shinichi," mocked Gin with a smirk, his left forefinger bearing ominously down on the gun trigger.
Pong!
The bullet found its mark on Conan's heaving chest. Blood surged out where his heart was located. He clasped the gash and collapsed in pain. "Shinjutsu wa itsumo hitotsu! You'll never elude retribution!" gasped Conan with his final breath. Then his eyes shut for the last time.
Gin made his getaway, but not before leering at the lifeless body before him. "I don't believe in karma."
--
Kaito Kuroba landed in a warehouse disguised in his Kaitou Kid masquerade. He heard that Conan had gone there to ultimately end the battle between him and the Black Organisation because the syndicate had at long last exposed his cover. Subsequently, he was apprehensive of the outcome. He shouldn't have gone there alone, he knew it was too risky! He just wanted to end everything so the people around him would not be harmed! That baro mystery otaku. Always thinking for others, never for himself!
In trepidation, he skimmed around the large warehouse. His vision was limited by the reams of crates stacked there. Anxiously, he darted among the heaps. As he turned around a corner, consternation imbued his every sense. There before his eyes laid Conan's corpse, his clothes drenched in blood. Conan's once endearing countenance was now a pasty pallor devoid of blood.
Kaito shook his head in disbelief. No, this could not be happening. He stumbled to Conan's side and shook Conan aggressively, hoping against hope that Conan would open those lively blues and say: SURPRISE! But no, there was no reaction from Conan whatsoever. Conan's dead, gone! Now it's me alone against the Black Organisation, the people who murdered my father! I swear to God I'm going to get them for this!
Hugging Conan tightly, he pondered upon what to do. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. That might work!
Losing no time, he fastened Conan securely to himself and prepared his hand glider. Then, he soared off into the gloomy sky towards his classmate Akako Koisumi's mansion. Like himself, Akako was no normal teenager. She was in fact, the last remaining bona fide witch left on earth. And he was counting on her to save Conan's life.
--
"Gomen, I can't do it. It's against the rules, the laws of nature. There is nothing I can do," Akako explained.
"Then why do I get the impression that there's something you're not telling me?" Kaito demanded coaxingly.
"You're not getting your way with me this time, Kaito Kuroba. I won't yield no more," Akako obstinately declared.
Kaito seized Akako's slim waist and twirled her. Then he materialised a single red rose out of nowhere and presented it to her. Staring deeply into her exquisite eyes, he said, "You look much more beautiful when you're agreeable. Can you do it, just for me?" He could virtually see Akako's defense breaking down. Kaitou Kid knew that if there was one thing he possessed, it was charm, and he exploited it fully to his own advantage at times.
"Oh alright. I warn you, I can't bring him back to life," Akako held up a hand as Kaito attempted to interrupt, "I can only turn back the time until before he took the poison which shrunk him. However, everything has a price. In this case, it must be exchanged for..."
--
Shinichi Kudo was tossing and turning in his bed as snatches of remembrance intermingled with his dream. "Shinichi, come back soon!" "Watashi wa suki da yo, Shincihi!" "Why? Why are you doing this for me?" "Because I love you more than anyone in this world!" "Shinjutsu wa itsumo hitotsu!" "I can't understand the reasons for murder, and I don't want to." "Murder, you need a motive, but for saving a person, you don't need any rationale." "How did you know I was lying about the mini air tanks?" "When Shinichi and I were in elementary school, I was caught in a torrential downpour. Shinichi came up to me and offered me an umbrella. I asked him what he was going to do without an umbrella. He pat his bag and said, 'Shinpai shinaide. I'm a detective, I already know this is going to happen. I have a spare here.' The next day, he was absent from school because of high fever. He lied about the umbrella. His expression, at that time, was exactly like yours, Conan-kun." "What is your true identity?" "My true identity is... is... My true identity is Kamen Yaiba!" "Hanninwa, anata!" "If we let a murderer commit suicide because we uncovered his crime, we are but ourselves a murderer!" "I'll wait for you, Shinichi..."
The last image that swam in his mind was the luscious face of a certain young woman. Then he gradually opened his eyes. He would have jolted up in astonishment if it wasn't for the acute throbbing in his head. He was looking straight into brilliant sapphire eyes practically identical to his. For a moment, he thought he was facing a mirror, except he could feel a nose touching his own. The owner of the eyes and nose moved away and yelled, "Okasan, he's awake!"
He surveyed his surroundings. Apparently, he was in a bright sunny room with yellow wallpaper and sunlight pouring in through a wooden window. The ambience of the room was extremely cheery. He felt his head. It was bandaged. Why am I here? He racked his brain to find a solution but came up with nothing. Absolutely nothing. A total abyss.
"Who am I?" he murmured in perplexity. He could recall completely nothing.
"The boy who had shouted turned to him and said, "You really can't remember anything?" He shook his head in frustration. The boy punched him gently on the back and said, "You're my twin brother, Tenichi Kuroba of course!"