AN: And without delay, here's the second chapter! I had great fun writing parts of this chapter, so I hope everyone enjoys it just as much! Anyways, thanks for reading, and until next time! Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!
Devils Bleed Black
Chapter Two
Unusual Guests
"White?"
The skeptical note on the young girl's voice was clear as day, words carefully punctuated by the clink of her teacup as she placed it down on her saucer. "You're saying that you met a white winged, white horned devil."
"See, when you say it with that tone of voice, it makes me sound like I imagined the whole thing, Haibara." For all that he appeared twice the age of the young girl who sat across from him, her cold stare nevertheless still managed to make him falter somewhat- however certain he was about what he had seen, and what he had encountered.
"I'm saying that I've never heard of such a thing in all of my years, Kudo-kun." Haibara Ai cooly observed, locking eyes with the young man who sat across from her. In spite of appearances, she was older than him, but at least a good hundred years- certain circumstances in her life had resulted in her taking on the appearance of a twelve year old girl. "White is not a devil's color."
"Now, don't say that, Haibara. I think you look quite cute in white, for a kid." Shinichi told her, flashing her a playful grin- one that the girl quickly gave a venomous glare in return, causing him to flinch. "It was just a joke, a joke."
"It had better be." Letting a deep sigh escape from her lips, Ai carefully placed her teacup back down on the table in front of her. She had wondered why Shinichi had called her out to his detective agency that morning, but she never would have expected to hear such a story from his lips. Even if she was living proof herself that not all devils were of the malicious sort, much as the world wanted everyone to believe otherwise. And yet, the detective seemed convinced of what he had seen- and frankly, Ai was willing to believe him.
"And? You just let him fly away after that?" Ai asked, casting a skeptical eye towards the young man who had, against all odds, decided to ally himself with her. She wouldn't have expected as much from an exorcist, and indeed, at first, he had nothing but doubts in regards to her- it had been her tears, in the end, that had moved him. Tears of remorse for the human woman that she had foolishly developed feelings for, having come to view her as a real sister, as if she were truly family to her.
A devil's tears, much like their blood, came out black.
"There wasn't much I could do at the time, not with my hands full with the gremlin." There was a hint of protest in Shinichi's voice- of course, he'd tried to track down the devil afterwards, but it was as if he'd disappeared into thin air. Which, in and of itself, was not all that strange, that was not a trick that was all that uncommon for devils to pull off. When he'd gone looking, he eventually located the middle school girl who had been possessed by the devil in question, sleeping soundly on a bench in the park. She looked no worse for wear, just as the devil had promised, for which he was glad.
"And he claimed that he was on your side?" Ai asked, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Well, it's true that such a thing isn't impossible. I know that much myself. But you're certainly right. The devil you met does sound like a strange one."
"So it would seem." Letting a slight sigh escape his lips, Shinichi folded his hands together in thought. Though he'd tried to question the middle school girls who had been possessed by the gremlins, they claimed not to remember anything- and he believed them. So once more, he'd found himself without any leads- other than the knowledge that whatever this Wish Fulfillment Foundation was, it was acting both in Tokyo and Osaka, at the very least.
That devil too, appeared to be chasing the very same lead.
"So? What's this about this so called Wish Fulfillment Foundation?" Ai asked. "It sounds incredibly shady."
"I don't know yet." Shinichi told her, shaking his head. "But I've got a feeling that there's something going on behind the scenes here, just outside of my reach. I contacted the guild, of course, but they didn't have any information on it either. It might very well be that another group of devils is starting to band together, just as they did in the past."
"Hopefully they won't be as troublesome." Ai noted, taking another sip of her tea. She herself had been involved in said Organization- it was her very own curse that had forced Kudo Shinichi to take up the alias of Edogawa Conan in the first place, and it was the very same curse that now more or less bound her to a human form- and though she'd chafed at it for a time, she'd become used to it now. She'd already lived for over a hundred years, spending another hundred or so living as a normal human girl didn't sound so bad.
She'd been trying to kill herself, actually. She'd been quite surprised with the curse meant to trigger her death had instead turned her into a small human child. She'd certainly heard of humans transforming into devils, but never really the reverse. But then again, she'd also never heard of any devils with white horns, and she was quite certain that Shinichi knew what he saw.
"Well, my magical powers are limited now that I've become somewhat human, but you can call on me if you need information, Kudo-kun. I owe you that much." Ai told him, casting a small smile his way. "Especially in regards to this strange devil you met. Well, chances are, if you're both investigating the same matter, the two of you might very well run into each other again before long. Although I doubt he'd come knocking on the door of your detective agency, even if he did seem to be able to realize who you were. His magic must either be very strong, or alternatively, he might simply have none of his own."
"A devil without magic? Is such a thing possible?" Shinichi couldn't help but keep a note of skepticism out of his voice. He'd never heard of such a thing before- maybe he should give his mother a call about this matter. "Well, it's true that he's probably not going to come knocking. Present company excluded, as well as those two, I've made sure to properly ward my office long ago to prevent such intrusions."
"Besides, it would have to be a seriously reckless devil to willingly walk into the office of someone that he knew was an exorcist."
"You can't be serious."
"I'm completely serious."
Heaving a long sigh, her arms folded in front of her chest, Kazuha could only wonder if Heiji even understood the concept of self-preservation- even a little bit. She'd been furious with him after she'd learned that not only had he let the gremlin he'd wanted to pry information from get away from him- but that he'd managed to encounter an exorcist while he was doing so. And instead of trying to run away on sight, he'd stopped to have something of a pleasant chat with said exorcist.
"He's goin' ta recognize yer voice." Kazuha told him, narrowing her eyes. "Even if the mask does work to prevent him from recalling yer features all that well, this is a detective we're talkin' about here- and not just any detective, Heiji, but Kudo Shinichi. And yer tellin' me after all of that, ya really wanna go knock on the door of his office an' ask him ta lend ya a helpin' hand? There's no way he's not gonna find out!"
"He's not gonna find out." Heiji was quick to reassure her, flashing her a wide grin. "That's why yer here with me, Kazuha! Nobody's gonna suspect that a devil and a priestess are childhood friends."
"Yer the one who just said the other day that it was too risky to involve an exorcist in this." Kazuha pointed out, giving her childhood friend a rather stern look. She had half a mind to drag him back home and have his mother properly lecture him about doing something so ridiculous. So what if the exorcist in question had asked him if he'd like to work together, that didn't mean that wasn't some kind of trap!
"Aw c'mon, it'll be fine." Waving a dismissive hand, Heiji didn't seem to feel the same tension that his friend had at all. She could still see the afterglow that he had from meeting the person that he admired- even if he'd never admit as much out loud, and even if the circumstances under which they had met had not been as fellow detectives, but as exorcist and devil, far less than ideal. "Ya worry too much Kazuha. 'Sides I'm half-human too, remember? Nobody's gonna think that the son of Osaka's chief of police has anythin' ta do with devils."
"But, Heiji," Kazuha began again, having her protests silenced by a finger placed against her lip, and that damnable smile of his, the one that she couldn't fight against. She wasn't certain really, if it was just because she was in love with him, or if it was because he had a devil's natural charisma, but that damn smile of his managed to win most arguments.
Not all of them, mind you, but a good number of them.
"It'll be fine, really, Kazuha. 'Sides from the way he talked ta me, I don't think he's such a bad guy, this Kudo Shinichi." Heiji told her. "Considerin' most exorcists are the shoot first, ask questions almost never type, the fact that he was willing to chat with me like a normal person at all is a pretty good sign. I've got a good feelin' about him, Kazuha."
"Are ya sure that's not just yer crush talkin'?" Kazuha asked, finally relenting- but not without getting in a final teasing shot in at him.
"Idiot, I already told ya, I don't have a crush on him!" Heiji sputtered, feeling his cheeks turn hot. It was for the best that he had dark skin, he thought, as it managed to mask the fact that the color that tinted his cheeks wasn't exactly a bright red. "He's not my type, anyways."
"Then, what is yer type?" Kazuha asked, leaning in a little closer to him, that playful smile still on her lips. Perhaps some of Heiji's own mischievous streak had rubbed off on her over the years.
"I-it doesn't really matter!" Heiji stammered, averting his gaze from her, looking out the window of the train. "This is a stupid conversation anyways!"
Faintly hearing Kazuha click her tongue, Heiji fought the urge to heave a sigh of relief. After all, there was no way that he could tell her that his type was stubborn yet kind-hearted girls who wore their hair in a ponytail, and whose eyes sparkled like emeralds whenever she was excited.
Besides, he was pretty certain that she never looked at him that way at all.
There was no way that a devil would stroll up to the door of his detective agency, and ring his doorbell.
Or at least, that was what Shinichi had thought.
And yet when he'd opened up his door to see who the client was that had arrived at his agency's doorstep, he couldn't help but find himself doing a double take. Standing before him was a dark skinned young man, a baseball cap turned forward and worn low over his brow, a wide grin on his face as he all but invited himself inside, without so much as waiting for an invitation.
It took Shinichi a few seconds to realize that this young man was in fact, human, and not a devil at all- and what's more, that he appeared to be accompanied by none other than a priestess, albeit one in training, judging from her informal robes, a purple blossom pattern sewn into the white of her skirt, one that echoed on the charm that she wore hung around her neck.
"Wait a second, Heiji, at least wait until he offers to let us inside first before barrelin' in!" The priestess girl spoke up, lecturing her companion, her words spoken in an unmistakable Osakan accent. Heaving a long sigh, she gave Shinichi an apologetic look, giving him a quick bow in greeting. "I'm sorry about him. I'm Toyama Kazuha, an' that over there," she said, shooting the dark skinned young man a glower, "...is my childhood friend, Hattori Heiji."
"Ah, no, it's alright. Please, come in, Toyama-san." Shinichi blinked, finally seeming to regain a bit of composure. Well, from the way that the guy had barged in here, there was no way he was a devil, Shinichi thought to himself, looking over towards the young man who had already seated himself on the couch, scooting over slightly for Kazuha to join him. He looked no older than seventeen, Shinichi thought to himself as he closed the door behind him.
Vaguely, he felt as if he should know the name Hattori Heiji from somewhere.
"So yer Kudo Shinichi, right?" Finally speaking up, Shinichi found himself blinking once more at the sound of his voice. It was unmistakably similar to that strange devil he'd encountered just the other day- it hadn't been that long, so he'd had no cause to forget his voice. "Like Kazuha over here said, I'm Hattori Heiji. I'm a high school detective from Osaka."
High school detective? Ah. That was why his name had sounded familiar to him- he hadn't remembered it at the time, but now that he'd heard it again, he was certain that his was the name that Inspector Megure had brought up once before. The only son of the head of Osaka's police, Hattori Heizo, who was said to be a budding high school detective that was supposed to rival himself in his youth.
And if Shinichi didn't miss his guess, the same high school detective who that girl from the other day had given the business card to.
But even with that mystery solved, he couldn't help but dwell on just how much the young man before him resembled that odd devil. Granted, his features had been concealed by the mask, but he was almost certain that their voices, body types, and heights were almost exactly the same.
In fact, he'd almost be willing to say that they were the same person- were it not for the fact that Heiji had breezed through the barrier meant to keep devils from entering without so much as a second thought. Shinichi hadn't even felt the faintest of crackle of resistance from his spell. There was also the even more pressing fact that he didn't give off the aura of a devil at all- even a devil that had disguised itself as a human still had something of one clinging to him, and he couldn't detect any such thing from this young man. Even Ai still gave off traces of said aura, though she barely even qualified as a devil anymore. The priestess by his side was another argument in favor of his humanity- he'd seen a lot of things in his life, but he'd definitely never heard of anything like a devil and priestess being childhood friends.
With those facts quickly complied, Shinichi was able to draw one conclusion- the devil that he had met last night was likely some kind of doppelganger. Why he'd chosen to mimic the form of the high school detective before him, he wasn't entirely certain, but it simply added another level to his mystery. Briefly, he couldn't help but wonder if Heiji was aware that he had a doppelganger of himself running around, but decided that it was best not to bring it up.
As famous a detective as he was, most weren't aware that he was also an exorcist- and frankly, he'd like to keep it that way. The fact that the devil from the other day had already known who he was was more than a little worrisome.
"Hattori Heiji, is it?" Shinichi finally found his voice again, giving the young man a smile as he took a seat across from the pair. "I've heard about you before, as it were. I never imagined you'd turn up in my agency one day, I'll admit."
"Oh, so ya've heard of me?" Heiji asked, unable to help but flash a grin. He'd seen some doubt flashing through Shinichi's eyes earlier, but whatever doubts he had in regards to him seemed to have been resolved. He resisted the urge to shoot a gloating look over towards Kazuha- he told her there was nothing to worry about. "I'm flattered, Kudo-han. That makes things easier, really. I need yer help."
"Oh?" Leaning forward somewhat, Shinichi couldn't help but be a little bit curious. If his instincts were right, then it was very likely that Heiji was approaching him in regards to none other than the very same case he was looking into- he'd also been given one of their cards, after all. "And what is it that you need my help with, Hattori-kun?"
"What I need yer help with is this." Heiji told him, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out the business card that Shinichi had come to recognize, sliding it across the table towards him. "Ya ever heard of the Wish Fulfillment Foundation?"
"As a matter of fact, I have." Shinichi told him with a slight nod of his head. "It came up the other day during a murder investigation I was working on. Beyond the card though, I have no other leads."
"Listen, I'll cut ta the chase here, Kudo-han." Heiji said, folding his arms in front of his chest, raising his head slightly so that he could lock eyes with the older man. Blue eyes, Shinichi found himself noting dimly- not golden. "I'm not so much approachin' ya here because yer a detective, I'm approachin' ya because yer an exorcist."
Now that did take Shinichi slightly aback. Opening up his mouth to question how it was the young man knew this, he gaze briefly flickered over towards the girl who was sitting next to him- and at that point, he just let out a long sigh. He'd answered his own question, really- if Heiji had heard about him being an exorcist from somewhere, then it likely came from the priestess in training sitting next to him. The job of a priestess was passed down from mother to daughter, and they often worked in tandem with exorcists to begin with. It wasn't that hard to deduce from there where the information had come from.
"I see." Shinichi said finally, giving Heiji a small smile. "Well, don't make it public, though. I like to keep a low profile on that aspect of my life, as do others."
"Nah, don't worry, I wasn't plannin' on it." Heiji was quick to reassure him, flashing that grin of his again. As much as the young man before him had been compared to himself during his high school years, it was strikingly clear that personality-wise, the two of them probably couldn't have been more different if they tried. "Anyways, as far as me an' Kazuha have been able ta gather, there's somethin' fishy goin' on, an' there's no way it doesn't involve devils."
"An' since yer the one who helped bring down that Black Organization or whatever five years, yer the best guy ta come an' talk to about this." Heiji noted, slightly shrugging his shoulders. "Don't get me wrong though, it's not like I need ya ta help me with the detective part. I've got that much covered on my own."
"Heiji-" Kazuha spoke up, narrowing her eyes slightly at her friend.
"I'm not certain if that's the best of ideas, Hattori-kun." Shinichi spoke up, folding his hands in his lap. He got the feeling that it wasn't going to be easy to convince this one to give up on this case- that was something that they had in common, that much he could sense. Still, if his instincts were on the mark, then this case was far too dangerous for what was likely to be a normal human boy after all to get himself involved in. He could get hurt, or possessed- or worse.
"What do ya mean?" Heiji asked, quirking a brow. "I'll have ya know that I'm a pretty skilled detective myself!"
"I'm certain that you are, judging from what I've heard about you." Shinichi told him with a slight smile. "That's not the problem here. The problem here is that this is a case that involves devils- and ones that are likely to be very dangerous at that." Letting out a long sigh, he watched as Heiji's expression darkened, not taking to his words all that well. "I can't just let a normal person get involved, even if your friend over there is a priestess in training. Just charms and wards alone won't be enough to keep you safe, and I can't just mind you the whole time to keep you out of harm's way."
"Ya wouldn't need ta!" Heiji sprang to his feet, his anger snapping out into the air around him. What was this guy saying? That he would slow him down? That he would be a burden on this investigation? Any positive feelings that he'd developed for the guy seemed to scatter to the wind- of all the nerve! "I can more than handle myself, Kudo-han! I ain't some helpless kid!"
"I'm sure you are, Hattori-kun." Shinichi told him, more than a little taken aback at the fire of his temper. That was some pretty impressive anger coming from a teenager- he'd heard the phrase hotblooded tossed around in relation to Heiji before, but it seemed like those words were truer than he could have ever imagined. "But nevertheless, this is likely going to be a very dangerous case. I don't know what I would tell your parents if something happened to you."
"Hah?" Quirking a brow, Heiji folded his arms in front of his chest, all but glowering down at the older detective with all the fire that he had in him. His mother had once commented that he had a temper worthy of a devil- and she was probably right on the mark. "If ya think I'm just gonna butt out of this investigation just like that, Kudo-han, ya got another thing comin'! I didn't come all this way ta just get turned away by some worrywart adult."
"Heiji." Kazuha began, rising to her feet, carefully resting her hands on his shoulders, casting an almost nervous glance over towards Shinichi. Heiji losing his temper was never a good thing- it usually lead to him losing control of his own strength, and the last thing she wanted was for something like that to happen in an exorcist's office. Even if it didn't seem like the man before them suspected anything about Heiji's bloodline yet, she didn't want to give him any reasons to start. "I'm sure Kudo-han doesn't mean to insult you or anythin' like that. Please calm down a little bit."
"But-!" Heiji spat out, before heaving a long sigh, narrowing his eyes at her. He knew why she was worried, after all. "Sorry. Yer right."
Narrowing his eyes a little as he watched the exchange between the two of them- he'd been unable to help but notice the look that Kazuha had sent his way, Shinichi gave the pair a considering look. He had the distinct feeling that even if he turned Heiji away here, he'd just get involved in the investigation on his own- and that idea was even less appealing to Shinichi. At the very least, if they were working together, he could manage to keep something of an eye on him, but if he went off and worked on his own...
It probably wouldn't end well. He'd learned that carelessness around devils could have disastrous results the hard way, and somehow he doubted that Heiji would have the same luck in narrowly escaping death as he had. He didn't want his careless words to lead to the death of the young man before him.
"You sound like you have your reasons as to why you want to investigate this case." Shinichi said after a moment, giving the temperamental young man something of a smile, hoping to calm him somewhat. "I'll hear you out about them, and then I'll make a decision, Hattori-kun."
Giving Shinichi a long look, Heiji finally heaved another sigh, plopping back down on the couch and rubbing the back of his neck. What was he exactly supposed to say in response to that? That it pissed him off to know that something like this was going on behind his back? That he felt an obligation to deal with it himself because he shared half his blood with those lowlifes? That there was no better way for him to prove that he was nothing like the rest of his kind than to put a stop to whatever nefarious plans this Wish Fulfillment Foundation had?
"It's personal." Heiji said finally, dropping his hand from his neck and folding it back in front of his chest. "It's important ta me that I see this case, through, Kudo-han. I'd rather not get into my deeper reasons fer it, if ya don't mind."
"It really is important ta him." Kazuha spoke up, placing a hand on Heiji's knee, half worried he'd snap again if he got a less than favorable response from Shinichi. "I'm pretty sure he'd pursue this case on his own, if he had ta."
Personal. With a slight frown on his face, Shinichi cast an assessing gaze towards the dark skinned young man who was all but sulking on his couch, trace vestiges of the inferno that had been his temper still flaring off of him. Perhaps, he thought to himself, he was well aware that there was a doppelganger devil running around wearing his face. That'd give just about anyone a complex, all the more so in the case of someone who called themselves a detective.
"I see." Shinichi finally spoke, looking between the pair of teenagers. In spite of their considerable differences, he couldn't help but see echoes of himself and Ran in them- and it was enough to bring a hint of a fond smile to his face. A high school detective, huh. "I understand, Hattori-kun. While it is a dangerous case, I'd rather have you working by my side rather than working on your own exactly for that reason. If you agree to listen to my warnings, I would be more than happy to take up this job, since I was planning on looking into the matter myself."
Just as quickly as Heiji had gotten angry, a sense of excitement washed through him, his blue eyes all but lighting up, bringing a bright grin to his face with it. Were all teenagers this emotional, Shinichi wondered, or was it just him?
"Oh, that's great, Kudo!" Heiji beamed widely, the older detective across from him unable to help but notice that he'd all but dropped the honorific he'd been using up until that point. "In that case, I look forward ta workin' with ya!"
Sticking out his hand and waiting for the detective to take it, Shinichi couldn't help but respond in kind with a small smile of his own. Heiji's moods were somewhat infectious, he noted, as he reached over and took his hand in his own, giving it a firm shake. He had quite the grip, he noticed- though judging from the calluses on his hand, he could hazard a guess as to why.
"Do you practice kendo, by any chance?" Shinichi asked.
"I do!" Unable to help but let his smile grow at the question, Heiji didn't look caught off guard by the question at all- but he did look a little bit impressed. "I'm the captain of my high school's team, in fact! Ah, an' Kazuha over here is the captain of our aikido team."
"Heiji's even beaten the Osakan police kendo team before." Kazuha noted lightly, unable to deny the swell of pride that she felt in her chest in regards to her friend. Well, granted, he hadn't done all that well in his last kendo tournament- but he'd basically had no choice but to forfeit that match. If they'd taken off his gear at that time and discovered that he cut his opponent has given him was leaking black blood, everything would have been over.
"Really?" Blinking a little, Shinichi turned his eyes back towards Heiji, now looking impressed in his own right. "I've heard they're pretty tough. That's nothing to sneeze at."
"Well, ya ain't so bad yerself, Kazuha!" Heiji quickly decided to add, beaming over at his friend. "Ya've got the makings of a national champion in ya, after all!"
"No, no, I've still got a long ways ta go." Waving a hand, a rather modest expression on her face, Kazuha turned back towards Shinichi with a slight smile. "Speakin' of national champions though, isn't yer wife the current national karate champion?"
"She sure is." With a nod of his head, Shinichi's gaze flickered towards one of the photographs of Ran that he'd decorated his office with- this one featuring her receiving said honor in the first place. "I'd offer to have you meet her, but unfortunately, she left just this morning with one of our mutual friends to go on a hot springs trip. Well, this investigation might take some time yet, so if I have a chance, I can introduce her to you if you'd like, Toyama-san."
Ran would probably be thrilled to meet her, all things considered. She was always fond of speaking to her fellow martial artists, even if their disciplines were different. All the more so if they were younger than her. And judging from Kazuha's reaction to his promise, she seemed pretty excited as well.
"That would be wonderful! Did ya hear that, Heiji? I might get ta meet Ran-san!" Turning to her childhood friend, she gave him a bright smile- one that Shinichi couldn't help but notice brought a slight flush to Heiji's face.
Oh-ho? Perhaps this one had more in common with his teenage self that Shinichi had previously suspected. That was rather amusing to note.
"If you two don't mind me asking, how long have you known each other?" Shinichi asked.
"Ah, since we were pretty much in diapers." Kazuha told him, glancing back over towards the man. "One way or another, I've been stuck with this idiot ever since I was born."
"Rather, I'm the one whose stuck with you, idiot." Heiji's retort was light and teasing, and not very convincing, seeing as he couldn't keep his grin off of his face. "I heard you an' yer wife were childhood friends too, though."
"Ah, that's true." Shinichi said, giving him a quick nod of his head. "Although we only met in preschool. But you sure seem to know a lot about me, Hattori-kun."
"That's because he admires you." Kazuha spoke up, a sly grin crossing her face, even as Heiji's face heated up once more- it didn't quite turn a bright red, a fact which Shinichi couldn't help but note, even as he watched the boy sputter out his next words.
"Idiot, I don't admire him!" Heiji protested. "If anythin', he's the guy I have ta beat!"
"Ya say that, but wasn't it Kudo-han who inspired you to become a detective in the first place?" Kazuha asked, laughing to herself all the more.
"I don't remember anythin' like that!" Heiji huffed, folding his arms in front of his chest, glancing away from her. "Ya can just forget anythin' this girl says, Kudo! She spits out weird stuff like that from time to time!"
"Oh, is that so?" Shinichi asked, not bothering to say that Heiji's reactions had completely given away the fact that he was lying. He was a bit interesting, this boy, he couldn't help but think, laughing to himself a little as he listened to the pair continue to banter. If anything, he felt kind of bad for thinking he was a devil earlier- even if it did still bother him a little.
He'd find a chance to bring the matter up to Heiji in private in the near future, because it was a topic that he wanted to pursue- just perhaps, not with his childhood friend around. If the high school detective really was having any troubles relating to devils himself, then Shinichi wanted to try and lend him a hand, and do what he could for him.
Dealing with devils was, after all, just part of his job.
That said, he still wasn't quite certain how the two of them had ended up in his house. It was probably for the best that Ran was away now, he didn't want to trouble her by making her cook for two extra people without much warning.
Once they'd gotten on the subject of the Wish Fulfillment Foundation itself, time had passed before they were even aware of it. Heiji had told him everything that girl from the volleyball team had told him, and had passed along what information he knew about the Foundation- which wasn't much, really, but it wasn't as if Shinichi could say the same at the moment. He'd brought the pair of teenagers to visit the culprit from his previous case, while he questioned him more in depth about the card, and what he had said when he was being carted away by the police the other day meant.
He really didn't seem to remember anything. The girls involved in the volleyball case were all the same way- before coming here, Heiji had taken the time to question each and everyone of them. It was likely that their memories had been erased- and fingering the business card in his hand, he couldn't help but wonder if that was the kind of spell that had previously enchanted the card.
At quick tempered as Heiji had shown himself to be earlier, Shinichi had to admit he was more than a little impressed by the teenage detective. Just as Megure had said before, he really did show a great deal of promise, and was quite clever- his deductive reasoning wasn't anything to sneeze at. He knew about his father, of course- Hattori Heizo was the head of Osaka's police force, and would often show up on television whenever anything big happened in Osaka. He'd actually had cause to work with him once or twice in the past, and had always been more than a little impressed with the man, who probably rivaled his own father.
Although they might not be alike at all in terms of personality, Shinichi could see where Heiji got his detective ability from. Father and son couldn't be less alike in every other area, however, he couldn't help but note- Heizo had always struck him as stern, stoic man, the silent type who only really spoke when something needed to be said. Heiji, on the other hand, was a bundle of emotion, quick to grin and quick to get angry, and the only time he stopped talking seemed to be when he was lost in thought.
He didn't know that much about his mother, however. Hattori Shizuka tended to be a bit reclusive when it came to the public eye.
It was only at the very end of the day that Heiji finally switched his baseball cap back around, so that the brim of his hat faced backwards. Kazuha had leaned over and told Shinichi that was Heiji's 'switch'- and that whenever the cap faced forwards, he was concentrating largely on whatever case was at hand. Kazuha herself seemed as if she was more than used to Heiji dragging her around from crime scene to crime scene- in that sense, she really did remind him of Ran, though she seemed the type to make her displeasure known much faster than his own wife.
Realizing that it was already quite late when they had finished their initial information gathering, Shinichi had asked the pair if they wanted to spend the night at his own place. After a brief moment of hesitation, the pair exchanging a look between the other, they had eventually agreed to it.
And that was how the three of them found themselves at the Kudo manor that evening. In the back of his mind, Shinichi found himself noting that Heiji passed through the even heavier wards that he had placed around his home without really any difficulty. Or not too much, at least, he thought, noticing the way his hand briefly strayed up towards his chest as he passed through the barrier, seeming to hold onto something hidden by his shirt. Judging from the purple string it hung from, and the similar one that was worn around Kazuha's neck, he could only assume that the pair of them likely had matching charms.
There was probably something of a story behind that, he hazarded a guess.
The more time he spent with him, the more Shinichi was almost certain that Hattori Heiji couldn't possibly be related to the devil that he'd met the other night. There were too many inconsistencies for that to be the case- but even so, for some reason, Shinichi couldn't quite put the doubts that still lingered in the back of his head to rest. Even though Heiji could pass through barriers meant to keep devils out, and even though he gave off no trace of an aura, there were still things- little things about him that Shinichi couldn't help but take notice of.
The odd color of his flushed cheeks. The somewhat unique sharpness of his canines. That lightning quick, white hot temper of his. His determination to be involved in this case. It wasn't enough for him to suspect that Heiji was anything other than human, but it was enough so that he couldn't quite lay his doubts to rest.
Still, if Heiji was deceiving him, then he was doing an awfully good job of it. Even the trickiest of devils had something of an air of deception to them- something which Heiji completely lacked. The stories that Kazuha regaled Shinichi with about Heiji's childhood and previous cases, were more than proof enough to him that his claims of growing up around her were completely true- he didn't sense that any part of her memory has been fabricated, that she'd been brought along as a prop to prove his humanity, knowing that most would not doubt the words of a priestess, even one in training.
There was the slight possibility that he might be possessed, but if that were the case, then the devil that was residing inside of him was allowing him to have an awful lot of free will. If it was the devil from last night, then it was possible that they might have something of a symbiotic relationship- he could understand what might be in it for the devil, but he wasn't certain why Heiji himself would have made such a pact.
Still, that devil from the other night... it didn't quite give off the same remorseful impression that he got from Ai, but he couldn't quite think of it as an evil creature. Whatever the case, if Heiji and that devil were related in some fashion, at the very least, he'd be willing to hear out whatever explanation that they might have.
"Oi, earth ta Kudo."
"Ah, sorry, Hattori." Blinking a little, Shinichi snapped out of his own thoughts, realizing that the Osakan detective had been calling him for some time now. Before he realized it, he'd found himself dropping the honorific from his own name as well. "What is it?"
"I was just askin' where yer bathroom was. Kazuha looks like she's about to tank out over there." Glancing back towards her, Kazuha let out a rather timely yawn, slowly blinking her eyes.
"Ah, it's upstairs, the first door to the right." Shinichi told him, watching as Kazuha thanked him with a small nod, making her way up there. He'd already showed them to a pair of rooms where they could sleep a bit earlier, and had given them each of pajamas that they could borrow- digging some up from Ran's wardrobe to give to Kazuha.
Once she was upstairs, and Shinichi heard the sound of the door closing behind her, he turned towards Heiji, frowning slightly at him. It was the first time he'd been alone with him all day, now that he thought about it- and now was as good a time to ask as any.
"If you don't me asking, Hattori, can I inquire as to why this case is so personal to you?" Shinichi spoke up, carefully gauging the young man's reaction to his question. "I know you said earlier that you'd rather not discuss it, but..."
Casting an eye towards him, Heiji heaved a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He had a feeling that he'd asked something like this eventually. Although it appeared that Shinichi had seemed to accept that he was human without much trouble, he didn't doubt that he might still have some doubts of his own in regards towards him. And on some level, he couldn't help but wonder if it would be alright to tell him the full truth, but even so...
He could still remember the sound of pouring rain, and the sound of his voice, much younger, saying that he hadn't done anything wrong, over and over again, his pleas falling on deaf ears.
"I've got some issues with devils, that's all." Heiji said, turning away from the older detective, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I feel like workin' this case might resolve at least a few of them."
"Issues?" Shinichi blinked, unable to help but grow curious.
"Well, things like this, fer starters." With a quirk of his hand, Heiji lifted up the back of his shirt- and Shinichi had to suck in his teeth at the sight of what lay underneath it. It was as if someone's hands had raked straight across his back, leaving a trail of scars across it- ones that had left a glittering, almost silvery trail in their wake, as if they'd brought a frozen touch the injuries that they had caused.
"Yukionna, back in middle school." Heiji told him, dropping his shirt. He'd made sure not to lift it up high enough so that Shinichi could see the scars around his shoulder blades- from back when his wings had first grown in. He also made sure not to show him the scars from his front- the bullet wound wasn't of much concern as were the marks that had been left behind by an exorcist's chains. "I was lookin' into a case when I got caught up with her."
"That's awful." Shinichi couldn't help but say, a look of visible concern crossing his face even as Heiji turned back around, flashing him a wide grin, acting as if the scars were no big deal. "But I think I can understand what you mean by issues, Hattori."
"Right?" Tilting his head a little, Heiji folded his arms in front of his chest. Maybe it was because of his human blood, but other devils that he ran into in the past didn't seem all that fond of him. If he was lucky, they'd just hurl obscenities at him- and if he wasn't, they'd usually attack him on sight. He might be straddling two worlds, but past events had made it implicitly clear to him that he didn't quite belong in either one.
Well, even if he didn't quite belong in the world of humans at large, he'd nevertheless made himself a small space in which he did belong- in his home, with his parents, and by Kazuha's side. And he didn't want to lose it.
"That's why it's personal ta me, Kudo. If there's really a group of devils runnin' around tryin' ta do somethin' where they think no one's watchin', then there's no way I can turn a blind eye ta it, or just let someone else handle it. It has be me, or it's no good." Briefly locking eyes with Shinichi, Heiji couldn't help but give him a slightly knowing grin. "It's the same way with ya, isn't it?"
"Yeah." After a moment, Shinichi closed his eyes, giving the younger detective a nod of his head. "It's the same."