Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan.
(A/N) – Here is my second chapter. Also, I want to mention that I am not taking into consideration non-canon such as AO, OVAs, movies etc
Enjoy the chapter and please review.
Chapter 2
"Where were you, yesterday?" the man with light-brown hair asked, looking with his brown eyes at Atsushi sitting opposite him, who just putted his glasses back on.
"I had meeting with the scientists to discuss my book, Dejima," Atsushi answered. He hoped, that he sounded reliably. He put his eyes straight on Dejima; he did not want to show any signs of his lies, though he hated it.
Souhei Dejima and Miyano Atsushi were best childhood friends and they never had any secrets between them, but Atsushi felt that this time he needed to keep this away from Dejima. He reminded himself about the boss warning of punishment of those, who did not follow their rules, but then how they would punish him for telling his best friend about his new job. His thoughts were interrupted by Dejima.
"Look, Atsushi, I'm glad that your book became successful but I think you are taking these theories of yours too serious. You don't honestly believe in those sorts of things, do you?" he asked, without waiting for the respond, he continued, "Trust me you will just waste your valuable time on doing research that may not even give any results," Dejima said with the skeptical voice.
"So, if you think that my book is such a failure. Why did you make design for my book in the first place?" Atsushi asked trying to hold back his annoyance.
"I didn't say that your book is a failure and I did the design, because you are my friend and I still think that this book was well written despite that I don't believe in most of what was in there." Dejima said as he took sip of his tea from the white cup.
He treated Atsushi as his own brother but Atsushi knew that he sometimes could pain in the ass, especially when he was turning the 'Mad Scientist' mode on as Dejima used to call him. However, Atsushi always behaved like that, even in high school, he didn't lose any chance to talk with his teachers about such possibilities like developing a cure for diseases such as cancer or opportunity to clone animal or even a human.
"Thank you. I appreciate that," Atsushi said as he smiled, but then his corners of his lips turned down and he looked downcast.
"What's wrong," Dejima asked with the concern.
"Well, I have actually found the place where I can pursue my research," Atsushi told while he anxiously played with his hands.
"Hmm, so, where is this place? Well, wherever it is, I just hope I will still have a chance to see my friend," Dejima said.
Atsushi could hear doubt in his friend's voice which made him to feel guilty. They always stick together and now Atsushi would break this bond between them. He could feel it in his body that he might never see his best friend again and it was breaking his heart.
"Well, it is actually kind of far away, so unfortunately, I would have to move away from this house, tomorrow,"
The silence appeared between them. Only big old clock's ticking could be heard. Dejima looked with disbelief at Atsushi. His face's muscles hardened and he burst out.
"What do you mean, you moving out?!" he asked as he stood out of his chair. He tightened his grip. His eyes narrowed as he looked straight into Atsushi's eyes.
Atsushi didn't know what to say. They were friends for life and suddenly, he had to break it, no, his leaving didn't mean that they would stop being friends, they can still be and they would be and thanks to the research that Atsushi undertook, they even would be…
"You cannot just move out day-to-day," though his voice sounded calmer, his eyes still looked sharp but he still kept his hands in tight grip.
"I know that and trust me, if I could I would stay but I can't." Dejima sat down back into his chair as he listened to Atsushi.
"It may be one life opportunity for me and I may not meet those people a-," he stopped immediately there as he realized that he almost blundered about the workers, he would work with.
"What people?" Dejima asked. His eyes were still narrowed.
"You know, the scientists with the same beliefs as me," Atsushi nervously laugh, hoping that his friend would believe him.
"Great, you prefer to spend time with some weird scientists than your own friend."
"Don't sulk. You know you will always be mine best friend and we still will be in touch by letters or by phones," though he wasn't sure if he would be allow to use the phone or sent letters but he didn't want his friend to stay mad at him.
"Don't look at me with this watery expression of yours. I am not going to sulk at you forever; well anyway you need to give me the address of the place, you are moving in." Atsushi anxiously moved and he quickly started to think of any excuse that would come to his head.
"Well, I actually don't know the address," he said slowly, waiting for Dejima to burst out again but it didn't happen.
"I knew it you can be clumsy sometimes but to this point that you don't know where you will be working," Dejima shook his head and slightly grinned.
"Well, you know me," Atsushi responded laughing as he felt relieved inside.
"Just make sure you will send me the letter with the address on the back of an envelope."
"I will," he tried to keep his smile on his lips but it disappeared and he looked away this time. Luckily, Dejima did not notice anything.
The woman in her mid twenties glanced on the big bold headline in the today's newspaper with worrying eyes. It said: 'Employee of the Bank in Matsue, Ogura K committed the suicide after doing illegal transactions'. The woman sighed and she started to read the article of it. Few tears appeared in her blue full of compassion eyes
"You know, you shouldn't read this kind of stuff in your state, Haruki-chan." The man nearly thirty came to her from the back and kissed her neck.
"Welcome home Masato-chan, did you buy the peanut butter for me and don't worry, we will be fine," she said it as she touched her pregnant belly. Her face changed from the sad to happy instantly. In few weeks, she and her husband will welcome the new family member.
"Well, it's not good for woman in pregnant to read about suicides. It can badly affect our son and yes I bought the peanut butter for you," Masato said as he saw his wife big grin. "Seriously, why are you getting yourself crying over some random bank employee?" he asked her as he took out the peanut butter and gave it to his wife.
"He was not random. Didn't you know Katsumi-san?" she asked with the surprise in her voice. "Also, can you bring me the spoon and something to drink, please?"
"Yes, of course." His voice sounded odd as his thoughts wandered off somewhere else. Haruki wanted to ask what was wrong but he was gone already out of the room.
It passed longer than Haruki thought when Masato came back. She observed her husband carefully. He really seemed off. He looked downcast and he barely smiled as he gave her the spoon and the orange juice.
"Well, I guess, you are also touched by Katsumi-San's death, after all, we saw him in the bank all the time and you once talked to him few months ago thought you seemed pretty angry after this conversation." Haruki asked once Masato what they argued about but he denied and he quickly changed the topic. Haruki realized that it was better not to ask anymore but her husband started to behave strange as his mind existed in the other world which made Haruki worried about her husband.
However, not long after that, Masato got the promotion and thus the raise which they both needed considering that Haruki got pregnant and they would need more money.
"I wasn't angry and well it's sad when people dying, especially when-"he stopped and he again looked down. Haruki could definitely feel that Masato seemed sad and her woman's intuition told her that he might even hide something from her but then again she could not think of any secrets that her husband could keep from her.
I am oversensitive, she thought.
"Yes it's sad well let's not talk about it. Ichirou will be born soon and we wanted him to hear only our happy conversations,"
"That's right," Masato agreed with his wife as he genuinely smiled.
"Shit, I will be late!" Atsushi shouted as he tried to found his tie. He woke up later than he should and now he went mental, making the mess everywhere around him.
"Why are you shouting?" Dejima asked yawning as he entered Atsushi's room. He still wore his flannel pajamas.
"Well, I should be on my way to the station and I'm not even dress yet," Atsushi responded as he picked up his tie from the floor.
"If you would not go to sleep late last night, you would not have this problem right now."
"As always you right," he murmured under his breath.
Atsushi spent all night thinking about his new job and what benefits it can bring. He putted his last piece of clothing into his luggage and he closed it.
"I'm ready to go," Atsushi said with the enthusiasm.
"Good luck, my friend," Dejima hugged Atsushi and patted his back. "I will not say goodbye, since we will see each other again."
Atsushi felt really guilty as he knew that there might possibility that they would never see each other again or meet after many years. However, the research that Atsushi would undertake would definitely bring happiness to everyone.
Sometimes you need to make sacrifices to achieve something, Atsushi thought as he smiled at Dejima.
"Thank you and I forgot to mention but my luggage will be pick up by people who I will work with. They should come today."
"No problem," Dejima said without realizing that it might actually be the last time when he would see his best friend again.
After long hours of traveling, Atsushi finally arrived at his new place of work. Like last time, he was picked up by the same men and that journey made Atsushi tiring as well. The men showed Atsushi his new room. It looked smaller than the room that Atsushi had in his previous house. However, Atsushi would spend most of his time in the lab underground anyway, so it didn't make any problem for him.
"Come with me, I will bring you to the lab, where you will be working," one of those men said with the tedious voice. Atsushi started to wonder if he really liked his job.
They went to the underground the same way as last time. Atsushi was curious if he would be able to go to the underground by himself, considering that the fingerprints were needed for that. They went down only one level this time. I did not really differ from the third. It also shined from cleanliness. They both came to one of the rooms, where the man with dark hair and eyes was there already.
"He's Miyano Atsushi, a new scientist for this research," the man said with his dull voice. He left the room without waiting for any response.
"I am Endoso Masato, please to meet you," Masato gave his hand to Atsushi to shake.
"It is really pleased to meet you too Endoso-sama," Atsushi responded as he shook his hand. Atsushi's eyes glowed from excitement though Masato seemed less excited as if he wanted to run away from this place and never come back.
"I will tell you everything about this project but to let you know, I only found out about its real purpose, where I was promoted few months ago and I have been working here for over five years already" he said. Atsushi tried to hide his surprise that Masato didn't know about the organization's real goal from the beginning, but then again, maybe only workers, who were closest to the boss, knew about it.
"I'm actually surprised that you know about the organization's true purpose. Some people have been working here for ages and they still don't know what we have been doing," he sounded as if he mocked those people for being too stupid to realize it or maybe he just mocked himself.
"Well, it's because of the book that I wrote and I'm also a true believer so it probably that's the reason," Atsushi said proudly.
"Hmm, believer," Masato did not showed any enthusiasm.
"Aren't you?" Atsushi asked. He began to doubt if Endoso-sama was the right man for this position, if he did not believe in what he was doing.
"I have no choice, do I?" he asked with the smile. Atsushi did not response. He just smiled back.
"I will now explain you everything," Masato said as Atsushi's curiosity grew.
"I'm telling you, you should kill him, sir!" the man with the black hair in his early forty shouted at the person sitting behind the black wooden desk.
"Do not shout at me Pisco. I am your boss," his voice sounded calm yet Pisco felt shiver down his spine.
"I-I am sorry, sir but please consider that. He got suspicious about this bank's employee months ago, where, with all due respect, sir, you should kill him then and it seems that he will not ignore it, especially now when that employee is dead" Pisco said in one breath, he took out the handkerchief from his pocket of his back suit as he felt sweat on his face.
"Do not worry. He and his suspicions will vanish soon. For now, I diverted his attention from it," the boss' voice sounded seriously and ruthless.
