Author's Notes: I'm back! In a not-so-good-way. *ducks from arrows and missiles, and narrowly avoids being impaled by a flying knife* I know, I've got other stories to complete... but... *bullet strikes wall behind* okay, I'll shut up now.
Disclaimer: Me no own Detective Conan, cuz me not want to be indirectly responsible for about a million murders. Really.
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Shadowed Eyes
Disappearance, Chapter One.
It's never good news when the telephone rings at three in the morning.
Edogawa Conan woke up on the first ring. He couldn't say that it was very hard to, hearing the loud ring pierce through the quiet and stillness of the night. He wasn't having a good night's sleep anyway. Currently, he could recall about eight different nightmares he'd had that night. Of course, he wasn't going to admit it.
Hearing footsteps – probably Ran's – walking quickly to answer the phone, and wondering how come she was able to get up so easily, so early, he sighed, and made himself get up too. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.
He could hear a quiet muffled conversation... "Yes." ... "Really??" ... "Oh no!" ... "How?" ... "Yes, straight away." ... "Okay, got that." ... "Yes, see you." Click.
Kogoro was already in the living room – not a usual occurrence. Something must really be...
"What's wrong?" Conan asked.
"So you're finally up," Kogoro said. "We were going to leave without you, but Ran insisted that you come. Something about you picking up clues that we don't notice…"
"So what's wrong?" Conan asked, for the second time.
"Oh, Conan, a girl, your age, has gone missing, in the middle of the night," Ran said, evidently upset. "Everyone's worried. It might be that serial killer that's been going around these few weeks... it's really terrifying now that he might have started to prey on kids. We don't know what happened to her, or anything about her, but they're organising a search party now to look for her... do you want to come help?"
*
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*
The silver moon was hiding behind the grey clouds, amongst the dark sky, mysterious patterns forming, grey and swirly. Meanwhile, down to earth, the streets were shadowed with the silhouettes of tree branches, from brilliant light from the streetlamps, looking almost ghostly. All was quiet, except for the continuous muttering of voices, the footsteps, whispers, occasional alarmed shouts.
Groups of people, walking quietly, shining torches, some huddling together, a bit scared, some walking boldly, looking, grimly, with conviction. There were men, women, adults, children (who had been dragged out of bed and forced to help search with them by worried parents). The search parties slowly amassed… everyone was worried about the poor little girl, missing, she must be so terrified… The entire neighbourhood had been alerted. Nothing like this had happened before. A little girl, disappearing, as if into thin air… how did it happen?
Rays of light flew around, bouncing on high building walls, the road, reflecting from windows, as people moved their torches, even though the girl wouldn't be likely to be hiding on a dark corner on the streets.
Amongst these search parties, was Edogawa Conan. Staring awkwardly around him, and vaguely wondering why so many people were actually there, looking for the little girl, and especially why Ran took the effort to drag him out of the house and help look (something he was not very amused at). The girl was probably annoyed at her parents or something, or was in a big sulk, and just hiding somewhere, probably a secret place that she found. It wouldn't be that uncommon, as far as his experience of little kids would go. Sighing, and looking at his watch, he wondered how long this night would last.
*
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*
The first rays of the sun, shining for the new day, were already appearing. Deep red, like blood. Golden red, like the shine of a bronze medal. Orange beams, so much like the torches from the night before.
And the girl still hadn't been found.
Ran's eyes were creased over with worry. "Conan-kun, I guess we should go home now... I don't think you could go to school today, if you don't want to. After all, you've had a big night, searching for the girl with everyone and all that," she sighed.
"Why, though?" Conan asked her. "Why did you get me to help you? No other kids were there."
"You still don't know?" Ran looked surprised. "I thought I told you before. Or maybe I thought you would have figured it out. Oh, well, either way, I thought you'd be able to understand her, know where she would go. And maybe help us in finding her."
Conan didn't like the sound of her voice. Or what she was saying...
"So who was missing, anyway?" Conan broke the silence.
"Oh, Conan-kun, you still don't know? Oh, Conan-kun, Ai-chan's missing. Don't stare at me like that, please. It's Haibara Ai. She's missing."
Missing.
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A/N: Sorry for the short chapter... and, before you lynch me, Necropolis and If She Lived WILL be updated and completed... ('If She Lived' will go over a change of title, though) (and lol copied Gracie-nee and Miya-nee's asterisk thing... '*' XD)
Summary is based on event in story that will happen during later chapters. And I'm happy, cuz my big sis has finally got onto this site!!! ^.^ (sorry, random...)