Ok, before anyone says it, shut up. I'm well aware I have several fics started that I've never finished. And there's a reason for most of them. If it's anything ZaDr related, I've fallen out of the fandom and just can't stand it anymore. If it's Bully related, I've dropped out of that fandom as well, due to no longer being able to play the game since I lack an Xbox 360 in my college dorm room. And A Match Made in Heaven died simply because my original storyline ended up dying when I got into different, less common pairings.
So to be clear, the only stories I will be updating WHEN I HAVE TIME are Lost, Tender Sugar, and this fic, called Mew Shiho.
Now, this fic was born from a simple question: What would happen if I replaced the much hated Berry Sue... I mean, Shirayuki Berry from Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode with Haibara Ai, AKA Miyano Shiho, from Detective Conan? This then evolved into a challenge of sorts, where I had to not only change the Mew Mew, but also blend both universes and fix all of the plot holes and overall badness of Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode.
I will say this now; This is all an experiment, something I'm working on for myself and my friends and our own amusement. Flames will be ignored and helpful criticism and suggestions are welcomed, but not encouraged. The only reason I'm even posting this right now is because I'm bored out of my skull and my curiousity wonders how people would react to this idea.
That being said, this author's note has dragged on long enough. I will just say right now that this fic takes place after episode 345 of Detective Conan, Head-to-Head Match with the Black Organization: A Dual Mystery on a Full Moon Night, and will include actual episodes from the anime as long as they feature Haibara as a character. Also, I do not own anything except for the idea of blending two of my favorite anime together. Mia Ikumi owns Tokyo Mew Mew and Gosho Aoyama owns Detective Conan and Magic Kaito.
All that being said, I hope you all enjoy.
EDIT: After a very indepth review by one Mikue, I have decided to completely demolish my old prologue. This is because I might possibly omit the Saint Rose Crusaders completely. I do love them dearly, but Ikumi never did develop them fully and doing so would take too much effort, as well as possibly take from the story. This is only a maybe at the moment. We will simply have to see where the story takes us first.
Anyway, I give you all the first chapter. There weren't any changes made... well, except for the obvious one of Haibara Ai, not Shirayuki Berry, becoming the Mew Mew. I did however include Berry, for anyone who might possibly like her. Don't rejoice yet, as one of my friends requested that she die and the idea is oh so tempting. And this is half Detective Conan universe...
Special thanks goes to my good friend (and proofreader) CrazyEvilAngel from Deviant Art. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to finish the scene where Haibara Ai is infused with the DNA of the cat and rabbit. She was the one who suggested the two animals chasing each other around her feet and the mental image was adorable.
A Change in Fate: The Dance of the Cat and Rabbit
She had to admit, she'd made progress.
This conclusion was definately different than the one that had followed her last confrontation with the much feared Black Organization. Before she had wanted to run away, leave without a trace and run until she couldn't run anymore
This time... Well, this time she was staying.
And she didn't regret that.
The auburn headed girl sighed, though the emotion behind it was more of relief than agitation. She didn't want to think about that now. Though she acted fine and had promised Kudou-kun that she wouldn't run away, she was still shaken. Vermouth knew her identity as Haibara Ai and had been too close to killing her. Indeed, the older woman was very much alive and still knew who she was.
Kudou-kun had told her that she'd given up though. And since Haibara Ai, true identity Miyano Shiho to those selected few entrusted with her real name, was still alive and breathing right now, there had to be some truth to the shrunken detective's words.
The not-child shook her head and moved closer to her older companion's side, pushing the newest thoughts and memories to the back of her head. Now was not the time for reflecting. Now was the time to enjoy her time with Hakase, known to others as Agasa Hiroshi, before she left to go with Kudou-kun and the others on a trip to a small village.
Usually Ai hated going on such outings, especially without her serogate family member, but she was trying to make progress here. She was tired of living a life of fear and worry. It was probably about time she enjoyed herself a bit.
Which was why she'd accepted Hakase's suggestion to eat out for breakfast before he dropped her off at the Mouri Detective Agency. This of course meant ignoring the strict diet she tried to enforce upon the elder man on a daily basis, but he had stuck to the diet when she was bedridden for over a week with an awful cold. With the man's love for fattening foods, this had surprised Ai greatly.
So just this once, she would allow his sweet tooth to lead them where to go. A reward of sorts for sticking to the diet she suggested.
"You sure you're ok, Ai-kun?"
Ai shook herself free of her thoughts, looking up at the speaker and taking in his appearence. Balding head with grey hairs, small black eyes behind small thick rimmed glasses, an overall roundness in his overweight physche...
It was no wonder he was often mistaken for an old man despite being in his early 50s.
"I'm fine," Ai reassured, looking at the path ahead of them. The sun was just choosing to rise, painting the sky pink and orange. Usually Ai wasn't a morning person, but she'd forced herself to wake up for his sake. It wasn't very often Ai went anywhere without her Hakase. Since the day he'd brought her in, after she'd collapsed in exhaustion in front of Kudou-kun's house, he'd become a sort of security blanket, a source of safety for the paranoid teen turned child. Going anywhere without him for an extended period of time chilled her to the core.
She was making progress, she reminded herself. It would only be a few days. Then she would return to his... their house.
She needed to change the subject. Something not related to how she was doing emotionally. "So where are we going again?"
"A small cafe in a nearby park. You may have heard of Cafe Mew?"
Ai nodded. The girls in her elementary class were quite the fans of the place. If she remembered correctly, it was a small place that was quickly gaining popularity due to its amazing sweets.
Ai hated to admit she had tried one before, when Yoshida Ayumi had brought a bag of tarts her mother had bought to school in her lunch. She'd loved everything about it and the health conscious part of her had scolded her to no end for even tasting it.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
They continued their walk in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. Soon Ai could see their destination approaching, a two story castle esque building colored in shades of pink and red. The best word to describe the small building was cute, though Ai would not voice that aloud.
There was a girl outside the cafe.
Ai couldn't help but hide behind Hakase slightly. She wasn't scared or anything. After all, it was just a girl most likely in her preteens.
She just wasn't much of a people person.
The girl, a blonde with deep brown eyes wearing a private school uniform, turned as Hakase approached. "Um... It's closed."
"Closed?" Hakase scowled. "Are you sure?"
The blonde nodded. Hakase glanced at his watch, then at a sign posted outside the cafe's doors. "That's strange. It's ten minutes past opening time..." He shrugged before smiling at the blonde. "I guess they're just running behind."
"I hope that isn't the case! I need to hurry and thank the owner for the free sample of sweets he gave me before school starts!"
"Then why don't you come after school?" Ai suggested, glancing at the older girl.
The blonde either didn't hear her or chose to ignore the question. Inhaling deeply, the older girl grabbed hold of the doors and pushed them open, hurrying into the building.
"H-Hey! You can't do that!" Hakase exclaimed a second too late as the doors closed in his face. The man sighed before shaking his head. "She's going to get in trouble for trespassing."
"Should we follow her?"
Hakase blinked before looking down at Ai. "Why do you say that?"
Ai shrugged. "Maybe something happened. The owner was murdered or they're trapped in their basement. You never know." Then again, perhaps Kudou-kun was wearing off on her. The boy did seem to be a disastor magnet...
"You do have a point, Ai-kun." Hakase inhaled, his hands resting briefly on the door. "Ok, we'll go in and ask if everything is ok. If nothing is wrong, we apologize for intruding and take our leave."
The not-child nodded. It was a good plan. Simple, but logical. Reassured, Hakase pushed open the doors and stepped inside the cafe.
The lights were off, the chairs and tables stacked against a wall. Ai blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, looking around at the heart lined walls. She was willing to bet, if the room had been brighter, that the color scheme for the inside was the same as it was for the outside; pink and red. More observations revealed decorations that resembled rainbows and clouds.
Ai was half disappointed the girly cafe didn't have any unicorn decorations.
There was a light ahead, most likely from the kitchen. Walking towards it confirmed this suspicion, as the room beyond hosted a few stoves and ovens, as well as sweets set out on the counters.
The girl from earlier stood right in front of a counter, staring in aw. "Chocolate brownies, eclaires, strawberry tarts and cheesecakes... They all look delicious!"
Ai had to agree, the blonde was right. The sweets did look delicious and she could feel her mouth watering just looking at them. Regardless, she stayed firmly next to Hakase, refusing to even entertain the idea of stealing a taste or two. After all, she was a young adult despite her childish appearence. And she would never stoop to acting below her age if she could help it.
All the more ironic when she pestered Kudou-kun to act how he looked rather than how old he really was. Somedays Ai wondered if being a hypocrite was part of her nature.
There was the sound of footsteps and Ai froze, her paranoia seeping into her bones and making her back away into the shadows. Soon a young male ran over to their direction, panic flashing in his cerulean eyes as he stopped in the kitchen doorway. "Who's there!"
The blonde girl screamed in surprise, her voice soon joined by the sound of several things falling. Ai backed further into the darkness of the hallway, tugging Hakase's shirt sleeve in an attempt to get him to follow her. The older man however didn't budge.
"You're... You're the one from earlier!" the male voice continued. There was a brief moment of silence before a female, most likely the blonde, wailed and ran out of the kitchen, trying to flee the scene. Unfortunately, Ai found herself in the girl's path and had no time to move before the blonde, covered in sweets, collided with her and sent her flying backwards...
The lights flashed on, though they were red instead of a flourecent white. Ai blinked in confusion and looked at her surroundings before looking up and over her shoulder.
There was some sort of pillar behind her, with a winged cat statue perched at the top. As she watched the cat's eyes seemed to flash.
"What-" the male's voice began, but soon it was cut off as Ai's surroundings seemed to vanish in another flash of bright light.
She was in a sea of dull green, surrounded on all sides by bright stars. A quick scan in all directions told her the void was endless, stretching all around and above and below her.
She was in her true body, the strange coolness of the void hugging and carressing her naked form.
"Where... Where am I?" Her voice was small, echoing slightly. Around her the stars shimmered softly.
There were two lights in front of her, brighter than the surrounding stars. As she watched, they seemed to twist and dance, morphing into shapes as they moved closer.
A cat. And a rabbit.
She watched as the two creatures of light seemed to chase each other, leaping and running until they were at her feet. Still the cat and rabbit played, dancing circles around her.
She slowly bent down, picking them up and holding them close. They were warm to the touch and solid, soft against her bare chest.
Had she seen these creatures before? She searched her mind for an answer, remembering a time her onee-chan had taken her to a yearly zoo exibit. Back when the two had been happy and carefree.
"You're an Amami black rabbit, right?" she murmered, staring at the rabbit before looking at the cat. "And you're an Andes mountain cat?"
The cat meowed, resting its paws on her chest. She couldn't help but smile gently.
Suddenly the cat seemed to sink into her chest, the rabbit following its friend soon after. A warmth seemed to spread through her limbs, filling her entire body with a pleasent sensation. What was this feeling? Regardless of what it was, it felt so nice she didn't want it to end...
Someone called her name.
Ai groaned slightly, her eyelids parting as her mind tried to recognize the caller. Someone was holding her, a familiar smell of electricity and warm metal.
"Hakase...?" Her mouth felt strange, like she was trying to talk through cotton. The arms surrounding her tightened.
"Ai-kun, you're ok!"
Ai blinked, finally taking in her surroundings. They were in the cafe still, though the lights had now been turned on. Two males stood on either side of Hakase, one blonde with cerulean eyes, the other in his mid twenties with long brown hair and brown eyes.
She looked back at Hakase. "What... What happened?"
"That girl from earlier slipped in the kitchen and got cake all over herself," a young male, the blonde with cerulean eyes, informed. "She fled from the kitchen and ran into you, causing you to fall down and hit your head."
Hit her head? But her head didn't hurt at all. She was fairly certain she'd simply fallen onto her ass. And that didn't explain the strange light...
"I'm really sorry for intruding," Hakase replid, standing and bowing as best as he could while holding Ai. "We were worried when we noticed the cafe was closed past opening-"
"It's ok," a newer voice, the brown haired man, interrupted. "We should have put out our closed sign. We're the ones at fault. Anyway, would a take out sample of sweet suffice for an apology?"
"Oh, well if it's not too much trouble. We really must be going soon, since I promised to drop Ai-kun off at her friend's a few minutes ago."
"Not at all! We have plenty of sweets made aready that just need to be packaged."
Ai closed her eyes, fatigue slowly washing over her. She really wasn't a morning person. It was no wonder she was feeling so tired.
As she dozed off, she found herself dreaming of cats and rabbits.