Huh. I'm late. Again. I can't seem to be able to follow schedules -_-
On a good note, this means that you get a better chapter. Yep, that's right. It's better. Because someone beta'd it! Let's all give a hand to the patient nataeiy1 for making her way through my errors here! Yay for Natalie-san! She has DC fics too! Do take the time to check them out :D
Some definitions (c/o Wikipedia):
'Tou-chan/'tou-san - father/dad
'Kaa-san - mother
Croquette - breaded, deep-fried patties containing either mashed potato or white sauce mixed with minced meat, vegetables or seafood
Tonjiru - soup made with miso dissolved in dashi, making it similar to miso soup, except that pork is added; also known as butajiru in the Western parts of Japan
Daikon - a mild-flavored, very large, white East Asian radish
Bettarazuke - a kind of pickled daikon made by pickling daikon with sugar, salt and sake without filtering koji; has a crisp, sweet taste
Keibu - 'inspector'; adding '-san' makes the address more respectful (Note: Conan, in canon, calls Nakamori Ginzou 'Nakamori-keibu-san')
Dedications: This chapter is dedicated to Shadow's Rage, still for her birthday. To nataeiy1 for being my new beta reader. Also, to Mysteryfan17, for being ever so helpful with suggestions and constant reviews. Belated happy birthday to you as well!
Disclaimer: All characters and elements belong to Gosho Aoyama.
Opus 1: Amazing Grace
By Milky Étoile
Chapter Four: Third Movement
It wasn't long before Aoko and Conan locked up the house and made their way to the Nakamori residence. While walking, the older of the two was informing the younger about her father.
"You already know that 'Tou-chan's the head of the Kaitou KID task force," she started, by now feeling slightly aggravated just at the thought of the phantom thief. "'Tou-chan is very much dedicated to his work so, if that thief," the word was spat, as if it were acid, "has another heist planned soon, you might not see 'Tou-chan until it's over. He always makes sure he's prepared for whatever might happen and often works overtime at the station."
Conan pondered a bit over what she had just shared as she opened their gate and led him inside. Her abode was much simpler than his. In fact, it was a typical two-storey house, he noted as they entered the door.
Aoko called out, "Tadaima!" (behind her, Conan mumbled, "Excuse me for intruding.") not really expecting an answer. She was pleasantly surprised when her father's booming voice responded.
"Okaeri, Aoko!" Nakamori Ginzou greeted, coming into the hallway to meet her. He was still wearing his work suit; apparently, he hadn't had enough time to change yet.
His daughter immediately brightened. "'Tou-san! You're not preparing for a heist tonight?" Then, remembering, she stepped aside to put her new classmate in sight. "'Tou-san, this is Akiba Conan-kun. He's our new neighbor, along with his mother, Akiba Reiko-san."
"Pleased to meet you, Nakamori-san," Conan greeted with a low bow as the inspector looked at him curiously.
"Akiba-san is going to Paris at the moment though, so I invited Conan-kun over to stay here until she returns." Aoko threw her dad a meaningful glance, as if daring him to turn back her invitation. Ginzou, of course, understood.
"Ah, I see. Conan-kun, was it?" The inspector scratched the back of his head as the child nodded. "Nice to meet you. Uh, well, you can stay as long as you want. We have a guest room upstairs that you can occupy. Aoko, why don't you show him there so he can settle? I'll prepare dinner."
He started unbuttoning his coat and headed towards the kitchen, withholding the sigh he wanted to release. He really didn't mind having their new neighbor over, but his daughter was getting bossier and he knew it was probably due to his example. He gruffly pushed his thoughts aside and shuffled about, making dinner for three.
Meanwhile, Aoko grabbed one of Conan's bags, much to his protest, and led him upstairs, ignoring his complaints by telling him about the parts of the house that they passed. Eventually, they reached the third door in the hallway.
"This is our guest room," Aoko said and opened the door. "The bathroom here in the second floor is at the end of the hall. If you need anything, my room is just beside yours." She set the duffel bag on the neatly arranged bed and turned back to him. "Do you need any help unpacking?"
Conan shook his head and put his large backpack and violin case on the floor beside the bed. "I'll be fine, Aoko-san. You've already done so much for me. Thank you very much." He bowed to her in gratitude.
She flushed slightly at the boy's manners. "It's nothing, really. At least, this way, we can get to know each other better, right?" she reasoned with a smile.
He straightened and returned her grin. "That's true."
After assuring once more that he didn't need any assistance, Aoko left to go to her own room, reminding him to come down when her dad calls dinner. Conan was then left to examine the room. It was sparsely furnished, with a bed by the right wall, a bedside table on its left with a lampshade on top, a wardrobe by the left wall and a desk with a matching chair by the curtained window on the far side of the room. The bed, he noted as he sat on it, had a very comfortable mattress.
Conan sighed and laid down on the bed. The whole staying over was so sudden and he was uncertain if it was really right to take advantage of his new friend's kindness. His mother had agreed so easily that he had to wonder if she ever thought to have some bashfulness. He shook his head, his dark brown hair against the blanket. Shyness was not in Reiko's dictionary. And he was sure that she was the type to take advantage of something offered.
Nevertheless, there was really no reason to just laze about. He stood and started to look for a change in clothes. He might as well get comfortable before dinner. He'd figure out some way to repay Aoko and her dad later.
Forty minutes later, a knock on the door stopped Conan from arranging the books he brought on the desk.
"Conan-kun?" Aoko's voice was muffled behind the door. "Dinner's ready. Head downstairs when you're ready, okay?"
He answered in affirmative and listened as her footsteps faded towards the direction of the stairs. He then decided to just continue arranging his things later and made his way out of the room and to the dining area. When he arrived, he saw Aoko setting down bowls of rice on the table.
"Is there anything I can help with, Aoko-san?" he asked tentatively as he walked towards her.
"Oh, no, there's no need," she replied with a smile. "Besides, you're a guest—you shouldn't have to do anything."
Before Conan could protest, her father agreed with her as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "You should just listen to her, Conan-kun. She won't let you lift a finger while you're here, no matter how much you ask."
Aoko flushed in embarrassment and turned towards her dad with a glare. "Otou-san!"
Ginzou showed her a small smirk. "I'm only saying the truth. Why don't you both take your seats so we can start? I'm famished."
Both complied, Aoko with a huff and Conan with a timid smile. They all chorused, "Itadakimasu!" before digging into their simple meal of rice, croquettes, tonjiru, and bettarazuke. Dinner passed with light talk, with Conan only contributing little to the conversation. That is, until the inspector turned his attention to the boy.
"So, Conan-kun," he started after sipping some of his soup, "I noticed you were in a uniform earlier. It seemed familiar but I can't recall what school that's for. Where do you study now?"
Aoko and Conan stared at him, silent for a moment, before the older of them giggled.
"Otou-san, gomen," Aoko apologized. "I forgot to say—Conan-kun's my classmate."
Ginzou nodded and brought his cup of tea to his lips, muttering, "Ah, right, classmate…" He sipped a bit of the tea before his eyes widened in realization. He promptly spat out the tea in surprise. "What? He's your classmate?" He slammed down the cup, spilling the last of its contents on the table.
Aoko looked like she wanted to scold her dad for making a mess. However, she refrained from doing so and explained further instead. "Yeah, he's in my class. Right, Conan-kun?"
The boy was taken aback by the inspector's sharp gaze on him. With nothing else to do, he nodded and set down his chopsticks. "Hai. I only joined 2-B this Monday."
The inspector still looked boggled at the idea that the mere boy was part of his daughter's class. The kid looked like he was six, for goodness' sake!
Aoko didn't seemed bothered by her dad's stupor though and went on to relay how intelligent Conan was, effectively making the boy flush scarlet at all the praises she uttered. Eventually, Ginzou processed the information she gave and put his amazement aside. He interrupted her tirade then.
"Where did you study before you went to Ekoda High, Conan-kun?" he asked, peering at the short male inquisitively.
Conan, still feeling quite flustered, answered, "I was in Teitan Elementary School for a week before I was transferred. Um, I asked 'Kaa-san to put me where the placement tests said I should be in. Since she wanted to move here to Ekoda, she enrolled me into Ekoda High School."
"Teitan Elementary?" The father and daughter both frowned. "Were you put in the grade for your age?" Aoko queried.
He nodded. "Hai. But things didn't go so well there so…" It was clear he didn't wish to talk about the matter.
The other two decided not to pry. Instead, Ginzou asked, "Where did you learn everything you know then? You couldn't have learned all of that in elementary." At that, the boy appeared to become even more uncomfortable. At Aoko's glare, the inspector gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry! Of course, if you don't want to share, you don't have to answer."
Conan shook his head fervently though. "It's all right. It's not much of a secret…" He frowned and fidgeted, wondering exactly how he was supposed to explain his situation. After a whole minute of uncomfortable silence, in which the other two uncertainly continued eating, he cleared his throat to speak. The two immediately turned their attention to him again.
He relayed how he had gotten into an accident and how Reiko had helped and, eventually, adopted him. While he was recuperating, he studied all the books that he could get his hands on, including Reiko's old school books.
"I'm suffering from retrograde amnesia, you see." At their blank looks, he elaborated, "Retrograde amnesia is the type of amnesia where the past memories are forgotten. Okaa-san thought to make me see if I could recall my knowledge by having me learn what I could. I went through the different subjects she presented easily since I found that I already knew them somehow. So, I'm really not sure where I originally learned everything I know now."
The two were bewildered. The boy had amnesia but recalled so much knowledge? They both wondered who could've taught him all of that before the accident he mentioned.
Conan still didn't look comfortable discussing the subject though, so Aoko piped in, "I think we've got some chocolate pudding in the fridge! Let me go and get it so we can have dessert." She promptly left the room, leaving another awkward silence in her wake.
Ginzou cleared his throat uneasily. "Well, that's quite the story you have there, Conan-kun. Nevertheless, you're quite clever then. Maybe you could help with some of my cases!"
Conan grinned slightly at the thought of possible mysteries—he did love figuring out things like those. "Maybe. I'm not sure I can be of much help though."
"Are you trying to get Conan-kun to join your chasing of Kaitou KID, 'Tou-san?" Aoko arrived with the aforementioned puddings in tow. "You shouldn't pull him into your affairs, you know. He's a civilian."
Ginzou waved her concerns off. "I know, I know. I was just kidding."
They all dug in their dessert, Conan's disappointment going unknown to the other two.
After cleaning the dishes, with Conan doing none of the work, Aoko proposed that they work on their assignments for school.
"That way, I can show you around tomorrow!"
Conan agreed and, soon, the two occupied the dining table again, this time with their homework laid in front of them, with two cups of tea beside it. They started doing their individual work in silence until Aoko decided to ask about certain parts. Eventually, what began as clarification became a discussion between the two.
"But you can't just square that to come up with the given formula!"
"It's possible. It makes the whole equation simpler because then you can cancel some of the terms."
That was how Nakamori Ginzou found his daughter and her new classmate when he came down for a break from his paperwork. He watched as Conan wrote down what seemed to be an equation on a piece of paper before showing it to Aoko and explaining it. Everything he said went over the inspector's head but Aoko seemed to understand it.
Conan noticed him and stopped in mid-sentence. "Nakamori-keibu-san, is there anything you need?"
Ginzou scratched the back of his head as Aoko turned to him as well with a questioning glance. "No, I'm just taking a break from paperwork. Why don't you just call me by my name, without the 'keibu'? I'm not on duty at the moment, you know."
The younger male looked uncertain but he agreed to address the inspector as 'Ginzou-san'.
Suddenly, Aoko suggested, "'Tou-san, why don't you come with us tomorrow? I'll be showing Conan-kun around Ekoda."
"I don't think I can accompany you, Aoko. I need to take care of some paperwork and I might get a case too."
She seemed to visibly deflate. "Oh, all right then."
Noticing her change in demeanor, Conan asked, "Where will you be taking me?"
Her mood immediately went up again, to the child's amazement. "Well, I'll have to show you the important places first, like the train station, the post office, the police station…"
It was only when Ginzou reminded them of their homework that they stopped discussing the plans for the next day.
"You can't go to all of that if you don't finish your work now," he commented with a chuckle and made his way back upstairs to get back to his own work.
The next day, Conan woke up to the sound of knocking on his door.
"Conan-kun? Are you up yet?" came Aoko's voice from the other side. "The bathroom's free now. Breakfast will be ready soon. We'll head out after eating."
"I'll be right there!" he responded before he pulled the blankets off him with a wide yawn. He rubbed the sleep out of his right eye, straightening out the sheets on the bed as he did. Then, he gathered his bathing materials as well as a change of casual clothes before heading towards the bathroom. After a ten-minute shower, he walked back to the guest room with his used clothes in tow, resolving to ask Aoko later if he could do his own laundry. Setting those and his towel aside, he grabbed his red mobile phone and wallet and put them in separate pockets of his tan cargo pants. He straightened his light blue turtleneck shirt and ran a hand through his still-wet hair. Then, he made his way to the dining room.
"Good morning, Conan-kun!" Aoko greeted as she set down a plate of pancakes on the table and took her seat.
"Good morning to you too, Aoko-san," he returned and sat down in the same seat he took the previous night, beside her.
"Morning," Ginzou called out with a yawn as he came in, fixing his necktie. He sat down as his greetings were returned. He immediately grabbed the mug of coffee that was beside his plate and chugged it down.
Conan was staring blankly at him as he drank. The inspector noticed and paused. "What is it?" he asked gruffly, still not fully awake without enough caffeine in his system.
The younger male turned towards Aoko and queried, "Can I have a cup of coffee too?"
The two gazed at him peculiarly. Aoko reasoned weakly, "You might not like it."
Conan shrugged. "I do like it. I would have it everyday if 'Kaa-san didn't detest it so much. Please?"
After sharing a glance with her dad, she agreed and gave him a cup, offering milk and sugar. She stared when he declined and drank the scalding liquid without preamble. She wondered how such a young boy could chug down coffee like that. She couldn't even drink it without milk!
Noticing their gazes on him, Conan put down his cup and ducked his head, mumbling, "Itadakimasu," before digging into his pancakes. The two others promptly followed suit.
Breakfast went by in a comfortable silence due to the fact that Ginzou was still not fully awake, Aoko was going through their plans for the day in her head, and Conan was enjoying his cup of coffee and pancakes. Afterwards, Conan was able to get the duty of wiping the dishes dry on the grounds that he would be bored if he didn't. Aoko was skeptical but she let him do it anyway as it gave her time to outline their agenda for the day.
Soon, they were all leaving the house. The two bid the inspector to take care before they started their tour.
"First stop: Kaito's house!"
Aoko had informed Conan the previous night that Kaito lived just down the road. They agreed to see if he'd like to join them on their tour as it would be more enjoyable that way, though Aoko grumbled that he'd probably tease her mercilessly the whole day, as he was wont to do.
When they arrived, Conan surveyed the exterior of the Kuroba residence as Aoko rang the doorbell. He found that, though it seemed smaller than the Nakamori's at the front, it seemed to stretch farther to the back.
The door was opened by a woman with shoulder-length, straight cut brown hair, a white ruffled blouse, a brown pencil skirt, and a smile on her fair features.
"Ah, Aoko-chan! Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully and opened the gate.
"Good morning to you too, Chikage-san!" the teen returned just as happily. Then, she stepped aside and pushed Conan forward. The boy took it as a signal to introduce himself.
"Um, good morning, Kuroba-san," he greeted with a polite low bow. "I'm Akiba Conan, Aoko-san's new neighbor and classmate. It's nice to meet you." He bowed once more.
The older woman seemed to take his introduction in a stride. "Ah, so you're that Conan-kun that Kaito's been excited about!" she gushed out and kneeled to be at his level. "You are quite adorable too. Call me Chikage-bachan, all right, Conan-chan?"
The boy flushed slightly at her compliment and selected honorific. "Ha-hai, obasan."
Chikage let out a 'tut'. "We'll work on that later," she said, much to Aoko's amusement and Conan's further embarrassment. She stood up and addressed the younger woman again. "Are you here for Kaito?"
Aoko nodded. "I'm going to show Conan-kun around today. We agreed to see if Kaito can come with us. Is he awake yet?"
Chikage frowned. "I'm afraid he can't join you. He has a rather high fever and a horrible cold."
The other two exchanged worried glances. "Will he be all right?" Aoko queried.
"I'm sure he'll recover soon. It's only due to the change in season." The woman seemed to know what Aoko was about to ask so she said further, "No, I can manage taking care of him, Aoko-chan. Besides, now we'll have some mother-and-son bonding time! Both of you can enjoy your day without worrying about him. He may be quite the handful sometimes but I'm still his mother."
Aoko didn't seem completely convinced so Conan thought to intervene. "We'll pass by again later to bring something for Kaito-san, ne, Aoko-san?"
She reluctantly nodded. "A-ah. We'll bring some fruit to help him recover."
Chikage smiled brightly at them. "That would be wonderful, thank you! Now, run along and have fun!"
The two both bowed in respect and bid her goodbye before heading off. Aoko still looked rather worried. Conan was slightly troubled too but he knew his other friend was bound to recover. So, he thought it was his duty to do what he guessed Kaito usually did.
A white, fully-bloomed rose materialized in front of Aoko. Blinking, she realized that it was Conan who made it appear with a smile.
"I don't think Kaito-san would want you to worry so much about him," he said as she took the offered flower. "He'll be fine."
Aoko stared at the rose for a moment, thinking. Then, she returned his smile. "You're right. A cold wouldn't be enough to keep an idiot like him down. He'd probably be causing more ruckus than usual on Monday to make up for the time he spent in bed."
Conan wasn't sure what to say to that so he only let out a nervous laugh.
Their morning was spent going around the area near their houses. Aoko showed him the way to the local market, where they decided to return later for the oranges, and the post office, which happened to be nearby as well. The park wasn't too far either so they walked in it for a bit. By the time they covered the whole park, it was already lunchtime.
"Are you up for Italian food?" Aoko asked Conan as they made their way to the shopping district. "I know of a good pizza place."
Conan agreed and, soon, they found themselves in a rather cozy pizza parlor. The colors around the restaurant were red, green and white. They were led to one of the booths situated by the glass windows. After ordering, they started an idle chat and sipped the sodas they were given. They dug in when their orders arrived and kept only light conversation.
However, halfway through their meal, a scream reverberated in the restaurant.
The two turned their eyes towards the commotion and saw that there was a man on the floor. He was not moving.
To be continued…
And, we see that Conan is still a death magnet. Sorry, Co-chan! It won't be you if it didn't happen! n.n
Was Conan's interaction with the Nakamori's awkward? I have a feeling it was...-_- And concerning Chikage...I'm not entirely sure about her character. She's different in the manga and the anime o.O
I've mostly matched up the timeline for Amazing Grace to the original MK timeline. It was rather difficult, considering that they made it appear as if they hadn't moved a single year up, or, at least, they didn't make it evident if they did. And, if you try arranging the events that occurred in the manga, you would notice that the four volumes already included at least TWO YEARS. The first to second volume, not including the last 3-4 chapters, constitutes one school year. The remaining chapters of the second volume and the third volume (with 3-4 months missing before), not including the last 3-4 chapters (at least), makes up another school year. The remaining chapters of the third volume and the fourth volume don't seem to make up another whole year but it's STILL part of a third year. You see now why arranging the timeline was so difficult? I might as well edit the whole series if I consider everything! Gah!
Ehem. Anywho, the only thing you need to know now is that everything that is occuring now happens between the second and third volumes. Meaning, this is set 3 months before the "Star War" chapter in the manga. Specifically, it's October and they are within their second term of the school year. And, for convenience, I'm making it so that Kaito took up the mantle of Kaitou KID when he was 16 and only in his first year of high school. Incidentally, the Clocktower Heist also occurred some time before summer, possibly during the first term, between April and July. I'm not defining when, exactly. Just thinking about it gives me a headache -_-
As for matching the DC timeline...ugh. I don't want to start. That's even worse. At least MK only had more than 2 years. How many season changes has DC undergone without Conan moving up a single, freaking grade? See what's wrong with that? ._. I tried matching DC with MK...and I got frustrated again. The Black Pearl heist occurs in MK in the 3rd year, presumably in fall. That would mean that all the cases that occurred previously, including when Hattori Heiji found out about Conan, happened within the year before. And that all actual encounters with the Black Organization occurred after that heist. And all the other heists in DC happened after all the published MK volumes (this part, at least, makes sense, considering that Kaitou KID's heist notes are more difficult in DC).
Ugh. Matching timelines is a pain. This is why it's so difficult to make AU fics for DC/MK. You can't just use what happened in canon and tweak it a bit. Well, it's part of the fun, I suppose. The info on the school years in Japan helped quite. Thanks to AEC1990 and anonymousgirl028 for the information again!
Now that I'm done rambling, I hope you review. This chapter, frankly, didn't have much action (it's almost a filler if it didn't have its purpose -_-). And there's no Kaito (I gave him a fever and cold! I'm so sorry, Kai-chan!). And Aoko's not my favorite character. It's kinda sad. Almost like my chapters in Moonlit Blood that didn't have Conan in it, even when everyone probably wanted to see him there after the first chapter. Eep. Right. Let's wait for the next heist, okay?
...will anyone notice anything with the current part of the MK timeline I picked, relating to the heists? *snickers*
Mysteryfan17, I didn't put in anything particularly funny this time so I think you'll be safe from waking your roommate up XD Multi-colored chalkboard might still appear 8P Thanks for all the ideas again! And for continuously reviewing in this story, and in MB as well. I really appreciate it.
As for other review replies…I think I may have replied to some already but I'm not really sure. So, I'll clarify some things here. Yes, Reiko is the same soprano from the 12th DC movie. I think I put this story under the 'friendship' category :D As for Conan's habit of rushing towards the crime scene…all in the next chapter!
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews! Reviews are about the only things that cheer me up these days so…*sigh*
I must go now so, I hope to see you next week for the next installment. Take care!
Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by nataeiy1.
P.S. If you would notice, the other chapters are also beta'd now, even the ones in Moonlit Blood. All thanks to Natalie-san!