A/N:This is a new plot bunny that struck me last night while I tried to figure out what to write next. Some Bleach characters will appear in this (like Rukia,Mizuiro, Kon etc.), but mostly it will be DC charas. I do not own either show or their characters. They belong to Gosho Aoyama and Tite Kubo!

Chapter 1 The Girl with the sword

"That case was an exceptionally tough one." A voice panted. A figure walked down a road, while the sun was already starting to set. He still had a ways to go until he reached his house. "Sheesh..." The figure, who was a teenage boy, said in exasperation. He rubbed the back of his neck and emitted a loud and mournful sigh.

"Sometimes...I wish that the dead people would solve their own crimes-that way they wouldn't need me to solve it for them!" He snapped in irritation. It's particularly annoying when you're followed by them. He thought, and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, a few ghosts were following him, like always. "Do you mind leaving me alone?" Shinichi snapped.

"But you're the only one around here who can see and help us!" The ghost exclaimed. The others nodded in assent.

"Shut up! I'm not listening to this racket tonight!" The boy complained, running his fingers through his messy dark brown hair, before continuing to trudge up the street. This boy was seventeen year old Kudou Shinichi. He did quite well in school, was good at soccer, and attracted more than a few lovesick girls. He tended to ignore them, however.

The one thing he excelled at more than anything else was detective work. He had become pretty well-known around his town for solving cases. However, most people would never guess that there was another side to Kudou Shinichi. Another side of him that was so troubling that he often went to desperate measures in order to hide it from other people.

Inspector Megure, a police inspector who worked with him on many cases, had noted that Kudou Shinichi had a tendency to encounter bodies everywhere he went. No matter where he went-an amusement park, a hotel, restaurant, etc-someone would end up being murdered. Megure joked that Shinichi was a shinigami who secretly went around killing people.

A/N: Has anyone else noticed that? Sometimes I wonder if he has Kira following him, or a real Shinigami.

Needless to say, Shinichi was not amused at this statement. For the most part, he despised killing, so it wasn't like he intended to run across dead bodies everywhere he went. Nevertheless, he did enjoy a good mystery. However, there was one downside to all this. Besides the fact that he was a detective-and the fact that he tended to find more corpses than the average person, he also happened to have a penchant for attracting...not just girls, but ghosts.

They had a tendency to flock around him for some reason. Whether it was because he was a detective, (or because he was a murder magnet,) he didn't know. They just tended to pop up and follow him when they were least expected-or wanted. This drove him crazy. The spirits would constantly follow him-like they were now. One in particular had become an irritating thorn in his side, which was an elderly ghost. The man had already been senile when he had died, and now he had taken to stalking Shinichi.

The old man floated behind Shinichi...for the fifth time this week. Shinichi raised an eyebrow in surprise before continuing to walk on, trying desperately to ignore the annoying ghost.

Shinichi stopped walking. Immediately, the old man stopped and continued to float in midair. Shinichi started walking again, and sure enough the old man followed him... again. He stopped in his tracks, and the ghost hovered in front of him.

"Help me! You're the only one who can help me! I want to see my daughter!" He moaned.

A vein pulsed on Shinichi's forehead. "Shut up. Just because I'm a detective doesn't mean I should deal with ghosts, too!" He snapped. I feel like I could use the ghostbusters. Even when he was a child, he had seen ghosts. He had told no one about it, but word seemed to spread, regardless of how much he tried to hide it. It seemed that his family: (his father, younger brother Conan, and his twin brother; Kaito), had caught on first.

Kaito tended to make fun of him for it, since he couldn't see them. He told Shinichi that he must be crazy. Shinichi supposed he might be crazy. He usually tried to dismiss them as illogical or his imagination. For the most part, he managed to do so, but he couldn't do it when they were following him around. Sighing once again, he headed toward his house, which was a huge mansion. Shinichi's parents had been extremely wealthy.

Someone was waiting for him, though. She was waiting. Shinichi's heart leapt in his chest. "Oh, hey, Ran!" He panted, and stopped to catch his breath. His childhood friend put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"Where have you been? Out solving cases again?" From the looks of it, Shinichi knew she was not happy. That was never a good thing. "Do you remember our date for tomorrow night?" She said, then blushed. "Forget I said date. How are things?"

"Oh, they're good. Everyone's doing well as always, but as you know, I have constant encounters with dead people." Shinichi blurted.

"What do you mean?"

"A-A-Ah, n-n-nothing!" Shinichi said, waving his hands in front of his face. The last thing he wanted was for Ran to find out! Then, another ghost appeared in front of him.

"Yo, detective!" A female spirit shouted. "Do you wanna go on a date with your little girlfriend!"

"SHUT UP!" Shinichi shrieked. The ghost laughed derisively and skittered away.

"Who are you talking to, Shinichi?" Ran asked.

"No one!" Shinichi cried.

"Are you feeling OK?" Ran asked, and felt his forehead. Shinichi's face reddened a little upon seeing his crush feeling his forehead.

"I swear I'm fine, Ran!" He reassured.

"Really?" She said seriously, her blue eyes studying his.

"I'm fine, Ran." He repeated, just so he got the point across to her.

She nodded. "Well, I also came over to see your family."

"Yeah, about that...I don't think you wanna come over tonight..." Shinichi trailed off.

"Why not?" She asked quizzically.

"You'll see." He said, and rang the doorbell. As soon as he entered, a pile of confetti fluttered down from the ceiling. "Yo, meitantei-san!" A smooth voice rang out.

Shinichi smacked his forehead. "Here comes the demon from hell..." He muttered.

"Aa, Kaito-kun!" Ran chirped; upon seeing a mirror image of Shinichi appear before them. He scampered beside his twin, and flashed a mischievous smile his way.

"So, meitantei-san, how is it going with the ghosts? There's one right here...BOO!" He mocked, pointing right at Shinichi.

Shinichi scowled. "Oh, Kaito...stuff it." He retorted.

"You can see ghosts, Shinichi?" Ran said curiously.

"Nope. He's just a nutcase. Though, it's probably a side effect from being around all those corpses at the murder cases he solves!" Kaito taunted.

"Stop making fun of me, you dumb magician!" Shinichi snapped.

"Oh, yeah! At least I don't have hordes of alive and dead fangirls!" Kaito countered.

"Oh, yeah?" The two of them glowered at each other.

"All right, cut it out, you two. Besides, do you want to set a good example for your younger brother or not?" Ran said.

Sure enough, in came Conan Kudo, Shinichi and Kaito's younger brother. "Hi, Shinichi-niichan. Hi, Kaito-niichan. Hi, Ranneechan. How was school today, Shinichi-niichan?" He asked.

"Oh, it was good, Conan-kun." He said, patting Conan's forehead. The latter smiled. "Ayumi-chan and her friends invited me to come play with them today!" He said excitedly.

"That's good that you're making new friends." Shinichi praised.

"Your younger brother is cute, Shinichi. He looks just like you." Ran said, emitting a squeal under her breath. "I'm sure you'll be a great detective one day, right, Conan-kun?" She asked.

"Un! Though, I wanna see ghosts like Shinichi-niichan!" He exclaimed happily. Shinichi sighed again. Did they always have to bring up the subject? They knew he hated talking about it. Though, Kaito loved to humiliate him in any way possible, so he enjoyed bringing it up just to hurt his twin brother.

"Are you serious?" Ran asked.

Shinichi nodded. "Yes. I just didn't want to tell you."

"That's cool!" Ran exclaimed, her blue eyes gleaming. "What's it like? Do you talk to them? Do they talk to you?"

"It's not something I like having." He replied bitterly.

"You're lucky." Ran said enviously. "Obviously you've opened a door to another world by seeing them." She said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen!" Shinichi said skeptically. Little did he know how right she was.

"Well, I guess I'll see you all later!" Ran said, getting up from the table.

"Why are you going so early, Ran?"

"Yes, do tell, Ojousan! Please stay longer!" Kaito interjected, and blew a kiss her way.

Shinichi bopped him on the head. "Tousan, do we have any salmon?" He called.

"I believe we do, Shinichi. Why don't we have it for dinner tonight?" His father joked.

Instantly, Kaito's face turned sea-green, and he placed his hands over his mouth in disgust. "Don't mention that hideous thing!" He yelped.

"You mean fish." Shinichi uttered.

"Oniichan's afraid of fish, Oniichan's afraid of fish~!" Conan taunted.

"Shut up!" Kaito uttered. "You'll pay for this, Shinichi! I swear you will!" He exclaimed, rushing to his room.

Ran only laughed at the family scene. "See you later, Mr. Psychic." She added, winking at him.

Shinichi blushed and waved goodbye, then sat down to eat dinner. "I don't think I'm hungry." He said glumly.

"What's wrong? Ghosts again?" His father asked. "Your mother would've wanted you to eat, Shinichi-kun."

Shinichi's eyes became pained. "I wish you wouldn't bring up Kaasan." He said. His mother had died several years ago. It was probably the first time he had encountered ghosts.

"I wish I could've met her." Conan said.

"You were only a baby at the time." Shinichi said.

"She looked nice in the pictures." Conan added.

"Yeah, she was..." Shinichi said nostalgically. His mind drifted back into painful memories of his loving mother.

What Shinichi didn't notice was how a figure was standing across from his house. The figure was a girl wearing a black kimono. Her hair was long and black. Purple eyes scoured the horizon.

"This is strange. I sense a strong spiritual energy somewhere around here." She said. "Well, then." Violet eyes flashed. "I suspect there will be more hollows attacking in this district. I'll probably need to get to work." Just like that, the girl vanished.

The next morning, Shinichi awoke feeling refreshed. For some reason, the ghosts were not haunting him today, except for the same one. Shinichi was glad. For once, he could have peace. He trudged down the stairs as always, and noticed his twin sitting at the table.

"Ohayo, son." His dad said cheerfully.

"Ohayo." He said to both his dad and his brothers.

Shinichi smiled in return at Conan, and sat down beside his twin, who only grunted in response. "Why are you ignoring me?"

"You know why." The latter replied grouchily. He turned away from his brother.

"Oi, oi, are you still upset about last night?"

"Look at the news!" Conan cut in.

"Coming up now:: In Beika, there have been mysterious explosions. No one has been killed or injured, but so far the cause is unknown. The police suspect terrorists." The TV blared.

"That's close by, right?" Shinichi said, as he put a piece of toast in his mouth.

"It is!" Conan chirped. "Isn't that near the park where I play?"

"Yep, kid. You're pretty smart." Shinichi exclaimed.

"You're so cool, Oniichan. When I grow up, I wanna be just like you!" He said.

Oi, oi. It's not easy being a detective.

The second he walked out the door, his twin followed. He walked behind him without saying a word to Shinichi. They continued until they were just about to cross the street. Then, a huge crash sounded.

"I wonder what that was." Shinichi mused.

"Who knows? Maybe someone had an accident." Kaito said quietly.

"I wonder..." Shinichi's blue eyes shone in curiosity.

"Did you hear that?" A nearby woman asked her neighbor, who shrugged. "I don't know what you're talkin' about. Maybe your hearing aid's loose again."

Shinichi thought he heard a roar. What the hell is that? "Hey, Kaito. Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? Is your sixth sense kicking in again, meitantei-san?" Kaito teased.

Then, another loud explosion followed his remark and people started to run. Shinichi's eyes widened upon seeing a strange creature appear. It had a round mask on its head, long reptilian claws, and ugly yellow teeth. The only way to describe it would be inhuman.

"What the hell is that, Kaito?" Shinichi asked again.

"I don't know what you mean. Must be delusional again. I'm outta here! See you at school! Oh, and don't let the ghosts spirit you away, brother!" He added over his shoulder.

I wonder what that is. He started to walk toward it, but then he felt someone push him out of the way. He stood up to see a teenage girl dressed in a strange outfit. Her hair was black, but her gaze was directed towards the monster, so he couldn't see her face. What he did notice was the katana she wielded. What is this, some kind of movie shooting? "Hey, who are you?" He called, but the girl ignored him, and raised her sword in the air. She cut the beast in half, much to Shinichi's surprise.

The beast dissolved until nothing was left of it. The girl then slid her sword back in its sheath, and looked at Shinichi. Without saying a word, she strode off.

"Hey, wait!" But then she was gone. Who was that?

People around him were starting to come to. For some reason, they had been knocked out while he hadn't. That was bizarre.

No new ghosts assaulted him on his way home, aside from the usual crowd. He opened his door to find his family waiting for him.

"Hello." His dad said.

He started to sit down, but upon seeing his brother cast an evil smirk at him, he decided against it. "I think I'll skip dinner." He said.

Shinichi sat on his bed. He tried to figure out just who that gil was that he met today. Then, a black butterfly flew into his room. How did it get in? There isn't even an open window.

His eyes widened as he saw the same girl from earlier in his room. She looked around and was muttering things under her breath. "Strange. I could've sworn I felt a strange energy around here." She whispered.

Is she crazy? How did she get in anyway? Oh, god...she's one of those ghosts. Either that, or I'm insane! "How the heck did you get in my house? What do you want?" He asked.

The girl ignored him again.

At this, Shinichi became even more irritated. He didn't like being ignored. His eyes darted over to a soccer ball that was in the corner. "Why don't you quit muttering to yourself and answer me, dammit!" He yelled, and kicked the soccer ball as hard as he could. It hit the girl right in the back.

"OW!" She yelped.

"Strange, huh? I'll say you're the definition of strange, coming in here without using the door! And what's with the sword?" He demanded.

The girl stood up, and her eyes widened as she took in Shinichi. "How is it that you can see me? You kicked me, too. That's impossible. You look like an ordinary person to me." She said, putting her hand on his chin, and inspecting him from head to toe. "Strange. You have no abnormalities."

"Abnormalities? Don't insult me. I usually see you ghosts, anyway." He explained.

"You see ghosts, huh?" The girl said. "You are...unusual."

"Either that, or you're a thief."

His brother came in at that moment.

"Kaito, there's a thief in here!"

Kaito stared blankly at him. "Huh?"

"It's no use. Ordinary people cannot see me. I'm a shinigami." The girl said cryptically.

"Shinigami?"

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