Prologue (?)
Crossing Paths in A Scarlet Red Train To London
A re-do of A Couple Of Souls Alike. Hopefully, to my dear readers, it is a better version compared to the previous one. The objective may have changed as well.. so yeah. Please read and review to show me your opinions. Anonymous reviews are welcomed all the same :)
Disclaimer : I do not own these characters from Gakuen Alice and Detective Conan. Thank you :)
Shiho Miyano and Shinichi Kudo were sitting in one of the compartments of the train heading to the city of London. Why was she heading to London, a place so far away from home? Well, she was going to attend an extravagant event with another person, say a famous detective, who went by the name, Shinichi Kudo, or in her opinion, Mr. Corpse-Magnet. That name never gets old.
The event was held by someone rich and brilliant. However, both of them could not even remember his name to begin with, but Shinichi believes that he is a German.
Another detective they knew, was also invited. Unfortunately enough, he was not able to attend.
"Sorry Kudo. I have a case here and it is a once in a lifetime chance to solve this mystery. Plus, I don't wanna spend time mingling with old geezers."
Well, yeah, Heiji Hattori had bailed on them in the name of serving justice to the community. Technically, it was a darn good excuse to escape from mingling with old geezers. However, Shinichi was not amused with the lack of male companionship in this trip of his.
So, here comes another question, why not bring Ran? He is indeed allowed to bring his dear childhood friend to this particular event. Here is the answer, Shinichi loved his dear old friend dearly, but he knew that she simply has no aptitude in this sort of thing.
You see, the host of this event had particularly invited only the best and brilliant in their own fields, this includes criminology. Many other brilliant detectives were invited as well. Rumor has it that the host even tried to invite Kaito Kid. However, no one could actually confirm that statement.
Anyway, Shinichi knew Ran would not enjoy herself in this event, so why make her suffer, right? With this good thought, he decidedly went on his own with his Watson, Shiho Miyano.
As for Shiho, she thought that bringing a date was too much of a hassle to begin with. So she did not bother with inviting anyone. As a result of this, many of her admirers were terribly upset. Shinichi snickered at this knowledge.
The train ride was going well for the both of them.
At half past noon, the train made a stop at one of the stations, footsteps of other passengers were heard clearly from inside their compartment. There were also the chatters of the passengers and the clicks of doors. Soon enough, there was an announcement announcing the departure from the station and the next destination of the ride.
Then, knocks were heard on their compartment door.
Shinichi responded with a simple "Come in."
A couple as they may seem, entered. A blond Caucasian guy with striking blue eyes and a raven beauty with amethyst eyes.
The blond guy thanked the strangers while the raven gave a polite nod.
Shiho did not notice as she was focused on reading her novel. Yes, a novel, the first book of the Harry Potter series. She had found it in Bloomsbury among the books in the best-selling section. Why not try? After all, the movies were not that bad. Now do not think that she actually wanted to watch the movies. She was forced by Agasa and the Detective Boys. So yeah, she had no choice in the matter.
Shinichi just smiled at both of the newcomers, as he read the England Times, only focusing on the crime section of course.
The raven-haired lady seated herself next to Shiho, who was sitting the opposite of Shinichi, while the blond caucasian sat next to Shinichi.
It was silent, only the the blond's slow breathing was heard as he had wasted no time, falling asleep. There was a bump, and something fell out of Ruka's backpack. Shinichi eyed the item, it was an invitation, for a Hotaru Imai, and under it, there was a tick in the box that stated 'plus one'. Filling the blank made for the date was a name, Ruka Nogi.
With his excellent skill in deduction, it was not difficult to deduce that the lady was indeed Hotaru Imai, and the sleeping blond was Ruka Nogi.
However, what Shinichi failed to notice was the event that Hotaru was invited to. Hotaru who noticed the invitation on the floor, picked it up and put it in her clutch purse. Shinichi studied Hotaru with interest, as her name was really familiar. He cannot put his finger on it. It was at the tip of his tongue.
He was searching through his mind palace, not able to recall anything at all. Finally, feeling frustrated he texted Shiho with his fancy red smartphone.
Kudo : Who is Hotaru Imai?
A beep was heard and Shiho predictably started texting back and cleverly silence her phone to avoid suspicion.
Shiho : An 18-year-old millionaire, the owner of Imai Corps., one of the best inventors in our generation. She also has quite a scary reputation as an employer.
Kudo : Scary reputation?
Shiho : Yeah, there was a rumour that they offer high wages, but only a few can really work with her. You have to have strong will to work with the, the high wages. She is quite infamous but very respected.
Kudo : Owh, just so you know you're sitting next to the infamous Hotaru Imai.
Her eyes widen for s short moment, and her face went back to her usual blank expression. She put away her phone, and glanced at her seat partner. The lady was beautiful, no doubt. Fair, raven-haired, pink lips, elegant neck, slim with a willowy figure. Her eyes was a rare color but it held intelligence and a glint of her cunning nature was evident.
After analysing Hotaru who was scrolling through her smartphone, she gazed back at the window as her amusement for the lady left her mind.
Of course, it was no surprise that the lady was invited to such an event, this also means that they will be seeing her soon enough yet again, but of course, Shinichi and Shiho do not know of this fact.
Hotaru Imai, a famous entrepreneur, an inventor and also one of the youngest millionaire (billionaire soon) there is. An ice queen to a fault, famed for her gift of getting what ever she wants by sheer will, a reputation she shared with Natsume Hyuuga, nicknamed the Firecaster by his friends, for his fiery temper and his fire alice (of course).
Our Shiho and Shinichi did not do bad either after returning back to their old selves.
Shiho Miyano, famed for her icy demeanor and her expertise in her field of chemistry. She created APTX 4869, a shrinking pill and also a cure for it. She had told the press, she never wanted to be a kid ever again, and they thought she was actually joking. With that, she was said to have some sort of dry humor. A statement she found amusing and Shinichi as well as Agasa-Hakase found it hilarious. They wasted no time laughing at her blank face.
Anyway, one of the youngest prodigy to ever have completed her doctorate by the age of 18, right after she turned back to her adult self. Although, she had said she never would ever want to turn into a child ever again, Shinichi knew she missed it often and he usually shares it with her.
Shinichi, as anyone could guess is a famous detective in Japan and also the US and London due to his involvement in the operation of taking down the Black Organization. Not surprisingly, the organization was simply everywhere, but like any smart mastermind, they took it down from its nests which were located in Japan, US and London.
It took them a long time, to get everything in place, but by the time they were ready, the organization had no chance against a full fledge army of firepower at their doorsteps. In addition to that, a few spies managed to sneak into their ranks, making it slightly easier to disrupt the company into chaos.
In the end, sending most of the members to jail was done with ease as all of them have done at least a few crimes in their past. The certain few, the higher ups of the organization were a bit harder to get rid off. They all had great lawyers backing them up. To say the least, it was a brawl to the end in the courts, but thankfully, all of them received sentences they truly deserved.
From there, Shiho and Shinichi moved with their lives with constant but subtle reminders of their second childhood. As you can all guess, Shiho was thankful for the experience as she had never had a proper childhood and Shinichi was grateful to gain new friends, no matter how young.
For all the Gakuen Alice fans, how did Hotaru manage to get out of her very sticky situation, getting stuck in time was no easy matter. It required great effort and determination. Kokoro Yome, Mikan, Natsume, Ruka, Yuu and Sumire all pitched in the way they always did in finding her and her elder brother.
Like it was mentioned and implied, it was hard, but they managed actual procedure to actually get her out of the twisted shit was too complicated to even comprehend. It was a miracle for them to succeed in such a task that was known to be undoable.
Hotaru and Subaru came back and both were welcomed warmly by family and friends.
It was a day that Hotaru really teared up as she hugged the now 18-year-old Mikan. Fortunately, Hotaru was also in the form of an 18-year-old, it would have been a bit more troublesome if she was still stuck in her 12-year-old body.
They celebrated happily the next night, in Koko's pub where all the drinks were on his tab. Of course, with no doubt, there was a lot of questions for Hotaru. The young inventor mercifully answered all of them, knowing their curiosity was at the brink.
By midnight, all of them were tired as hell, all their energy used up in getting their precious friend back into their arms.
Natsume and Mikan left first, together, to their cozy apartment, a combined effort of both contrasting carriers. Mikan is now a journalist and Natsume, an entrepreneur. Both became successful in the coming years. What a powerful couple indeed.
Sumire stayed above the pub, a home she shared with the owner of the pub. Finally a couple, and a sweet one at that. Bickering from time to time about anything and everything. Sweet right? I mean, what is a relationship without the colorful arguments?
Yuu stayed a bit longer, checking on Hotaru being the caring and responsible class representative he really was. After he was thoroughly satisfied, he left. But before the spectacled-boy left..
"Yuu.. You are not our class representative anymore you know? We are all out and free, you don't have to be responsible for us anymore," said Hotaru looking at one her old friends, knowing the answer all the same.
"Hotaru-chan, you know very well, I can't stop, nor will I ever want to. This is one job I will never stop doing no matter how far apart our class would be in the coming years."
Hotaru smirked and nodded understandably.
Then, there was only Ruka left, with a glass of red wine, Sherry. he always loved the taste of Sherry, strong yet somehow elegant? He did not know how to really describe wine, but he knew he loved it.
Hotaur beside the blond lad, ordering a glass of Scotch, claiming it would be her last drink. Ruka raised his eyebrow at that. He stared at the fine raven-haired lady at his side.
"How was it."
"How was.. Oh.. I have told you what happened, I don't feel like repeating it again Nogi."
"Still as cold as ever, I see," stated Ruka with a chuckle.
Hotaru did not reply as she continued to sip her Scotch. Comfotable silence engulfed them as soft music played in the background, courtesy of Koko, their dearest bartender.
Ruka could not help but think, that it was such a cliché scene and smirked at the raven.
Anyway, Hotaru was not the only one who got back from a stick situation.
Shiho and Shinichi came back, of course, they never left in the first place.
It took a meticulous plan to make sure no one would be suspicious in the transfer of Conan and Ai to the United States. The plan was that both children would be sent off at the same time. No doubt, there was tears in everyone's eyes. Ran could not help but kiss Conan's cheeks a few times with tears rolling on her porcelain face. Ayumi completely break down in Ai's blouse, soaking it with salty tears. It was a sad occasion for them indeed.
Genta and Mitsuhiko tried to keep their cool, but failed, as a few tears escaped their eyes. They hurriedly rubbed their eyes with their sleeves, refusing to show any weakness.
In the end of it all, surprisingly, Ai gave hugs to everyone. Even Ran herself, despite her cold demeanor towards the older girl. Conan being the much warmer one, have already done so. He smiled as he watched his partner showing a bit of her emotions, knowing it was hard for her. In a way, they are still leaving this people behind. They would not be able to communicate the same as they did before. And some how, that was way worse than not being able to see any of them again.
They were sent off by the Kudo couple.
After reaching the states, they immediately changed back to their old selves and stayed their for a few months. Their stay was not for naught, as they have located the nest of the black organization as well as created names for themselves.
In a few months, they were known prodigies.
Shinichi continued getting mixed up in cases. In some, he was even suspected as a serial murderer, due to his presence in ever homicide crime scene that seems to happen around him. Of course, Shiho did not let this go, the name Mr. Corpse Magnet lives on.
As it was mentioned, they became successful.
And a few months later, everything was set up.
All the plans being commenced all it once. It was almost dream-like on how everything crumbled to pieces.
All those years, in hiding, finally able to come out as a free men.
Shiho and Shinichi never felt so relieved and happy.
They rejoiced together with other member of the operation. Happily drinking away the night.
In the midst of drinks and rounds being served. Shiho cannot help but think of her late sister, Akemi.
Her eyes became glassy as she whispered to herself.
"We have finally brought them to their knees, nee-chan.. Finally.."
A tipsy Shinichi heard her whisper, his cheeks flushed. Thoughtlessly, he hugged her from behind, giving the cold girl the warmest hug she have experienced.
That night, was a great night. No one could disagree with that statement.
All the painful memories temporarily washed away by rounds of alcoholic drinks.
No one even bothered mentioning the fact the two teens were underaged.
The train ride finally reached their stop, King's Cross Station, where all the magic simply began.
The companions left the train without a hassle. No words were exchanged, but only a simple nods were given out of formality.
They left the station and made way to their respective hotels.
That's all for this chapter.
Hope you have enjoyed my story.
Reviews would be appreciated!
Btw, I have not proofread this.